Craft Masonry in Oneida County, New York - Onondaga and ...

Craft Masonry in Oneida County, New York 

Compiled by R.’.W.’. Gary L. Heinmiller 

Director, Onondaga & Oswego Masonic Districts Historical Societies (OMDHS) 

www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com 

March 2010 

The above map may be enlarge on your monitor for better viewing 

1798 Oneida County was created from a part of Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Oneida County, including 

the present Jefferson, Lewis and part of Oswego Counties. 1805 Jefferson and Lewis Counties were split off from Oneida. 

1816, parts of Oneida and Onondaga Counties were taken to form the new Oswego County. 

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In the following listing, Lodges in BLUE are presently active in the 1st Oneida District; in GREEN in the 2nd Oneida District. 

North Woods Lodge No. 849, of Old Forge, Herkimer, NY [chartered1905], is considered to be in the 2 Oneida District, but for 

purposes of the present compilations appears in the separate paper on “Craft Masonry in Herkimer County.” 

No. Lodge Name Village Chartered Notes 

00 Infinity Masonic Home, Utica ca 1990 also has a Lodge of Research 

15 Western Star Bridgewater 18 Jan 1797 Prev. No 59, 18 Jan 1797; renumbered 56 in 1919; 

renumbered No. 15 in 1839 

22/23 Amicable (No. 

22 or 23) 

Whitestown 07 Apr 1792 referred to alternately as No. 23; fire 1831; surrendered 

warrant in Jun 1842; met with Sauquoit No. 150; in 1868 

during a severe snowstorm Amicable No. 644 spun off as 

a new Lodge 

47 Utica Utica 20 Nov 1816 Prev. No. 270; renumbered No. 47, 9 Aug 1839 

54 Steuben Steuben 29 Dec 1796 forfeit ca 1814; Master David Starr, Rev. War vet 

59/56/15 Western Star Bridgewater 18 Jan 1797 renumber No. 56 in 1819; renumbered No. 15 in 1839 

82/79 Roman Rome 13 Feb 1799 forfeit 1838; revived as Roman No. 223, 15 Jun 1851; 

merged with Hatheway No. 869 to become Roman- 

Hatheway No. 223 in 1995

83/80 Federal Paris 23 Nov 1799 extinct [in 1818 Monitor] 

97 Mount Vernon Vernon 21 Jan 1803 

123 Oneida Utica 05 Jun 1805 Faxton Lodge, No. 697 applied to have and hold the 

surrendered warrant of Oneida Lodge, No. 123 to 

preserve it as a relic. There being no opposition it was 

Resdved that the petition be granted, 31 Jan 1887. 

129 Sanger Waterville 08 May 1848 Prev. No. 176, 7 Dec 1808; last record ca 1828 

150 Sauquoit Sauquoit 21 Jun 1849 Prev. Paris No. 348, 10 Jun 1822, ceased labor in 1833 

164 Philanthropic Camden 08 Jun 1850 Prev. No. 188, 6 Dec 1809; forfeit 5 Jun 1835 

165 Boonville Boonville 01 Jun 1850 Prev. No. 414c, 1 Jun 1825; forfeit in 1835; merged with 

Uriel No. 809, 5 Dec 1988 (charter dated 'one week later') 

165 Boonville-Uriel Boonville 05 Dec 1988 charter dated 'one week later'; formed from merger of 

Boonville No. 165 and Uriel No. 809 

169 Clinton Clinton 17 Jun 1850 merged with Hampton No. 347, 22 Nov 1997, to become 

Clinton-Hampton No. 347 

176 Sanger Sangerfield 07 Dec 1808 last record, ca 1828; Charter 'disappeared in 1829; forfeit 

1834; Revived as No. 129, 8 May 1848 

188 Philanthropic Camden 06 Dec 1809 Forfeit 4 Jun 1835; revived as No. 164, Jun 1850 

198 Hampton Westmoreland 05 Dec 1811 Charter given to Hampton Lodge No. 347 in 1903 for their 

archives. 

214 Farmers' Verona 08 May 1813 

223 Roman Rome 16 Jun 1851 Prev. No. 82, 13 Feb 1799; renumbered No. 79 in 1819; 

forfeit 1835; merged with Hatheway No. 869 to become 

Roman-Hatheway No. 223 in 1995 

223 Roman- 

Hatheway 

Rome 1995 formed from merger of Roman No. 233 and Hatheway 

No. 869 in 1995 

224 Oriental Utica 01 Feb 1851 merged with Faxton No. 697, 17 Dec 1993 to become 

Oriental-Faxton No. 224 

224 Oriental-Faxton Utica 17 Dec 1993 formed from the merger of Oriental No. 224 and Faxton 

No. 697; later joined by Carducci No. 924 (2001) and 

Liberty No. 959 (15 Dec 1995) 

228 Rising Sun Trenton 26 Nov 1813 forfeit 1833; succeeded by Remsen No. 677, 23 Jun 1868 

231 Canastota Canastota/Lenox 25 Jun 1851 Warrant return in 1856; revived 6 Jun 1861; lost in fire 27 

Oct 1873; reissued 5 Jun 1874; merged with Oneida No. 

270 in 1994 to become Oneida-Canastota No. 270 

233 Augusta Augusta 02 Jun 1814 Surrendered 1834 

264 Westernville Westernville 18 Jun 1852 Preceded by Steuben No. 54, 29 Dec 1796; forfeit ca 

1814; rivived as (U.D. Rising Star) Baron Steuben No. 

485, 10 Jun 1826; forfeit 1832; named changed to Baron 

Steuben No. 264, 6 Jun 1856 

264 Baron Steuben Lee Center / Stokes 06 Jun 1856 Prev. Westernville No. 264, 18 Jun 1852; also met at 

Stokes, Delta [ca 1886], and Lee Center [1909] 

270 Utica Utica 20 Nov 1816 renumbered No. 47 on 9 Aug 1839 

270 Oneida Oneida Depot 22 Jun 1852 merged with Canastota No. 231 in 1994 to become 

Oneida-Canastota No. 270 

270 Oneida- 

Canastota 

Oneida 1994 formed from the merger of Oneida No. 270 and 

Canastota No. 231 

288 Fellowship Richland 05 Jun 1817 

307 Mexico Mexico 06 Jun 1818 suspended work, 1827; revived as Mexico No. 136, 15 

Jun 1848 

315 Whitesborough Whitesborough 16 Oct 1818 

347 Hampton Westmoreland 13 Jul 1854 merged with Hampton No. 347, 22 Nov 1994, to become 

Clinton-Hampton No. 347 

347 Clinton-Hampton Westmoreland 22 Nov 1994 formation date, with merger of Clinton No. 169 and 

Hampton No. 347 

348 Paris Saughquoit / Sauquoit 10 Jun 1822 ceased labor, 1833; revived as Sauquoit No. 150, 21 Jun 

1849 

374c Morning Star Annsville 04 Jun 1824 

414c Boonville Boonville 01 Jun 1825 forfeit 1835; revived as No. 165, 8 Jun 1850; merged with 

Uriel No. 809, 5 Dec 1988 (charter 'one week later') 

418c Vienna Vienna 01 Jun 1825 forfeit 5 Jun 1834; revived as No. 440, 16 Jun 1858 

420 New London Vienna / New London 16 Jun 1858 consolidated with Vienna No. 440 in 1990 

420 New London New London 1990 

Vienna 

420c Farmer's Floyd 01 Jun 1825 surrendered and filed by 1836 

Friendship 

440 Vienna Vienna 16 Jun 1858 Prev. No. 418; forfeit 5 Jun 1834; consolidated as New 

London Vienna No. 420 in 1990

445c Corinthian 

(Oneida Castle) 

Vernon 01 Jun 1825 Petitioned as "Oneida Lodge" and continued by that 

name; forfeit Jun 1834 

485 Rising Star Town of Western bef 1826 named changed to Baron Steuben No. 485 in 1826 

485 Baron Steuben Town of Western aft 1826 was Rising Star No. 485 before 1826; forfeit 1832 

664 Amicable New Hartford 1868 Prev. Amicable No. 23, 7 Apr 1792; fire 1830; 

surrendered Jun 1842; members met with Sauquoit No. 

150; in 1868 during a severe snowstorm, Amicable No. 

664 was spun off as a new Lodge 

677 Remsen Remsen 23 Jun 1868 Preceded by Rising Sun No. 228, 26 Nov 1813 at 

Trenton, NY; forfeit 1833 

697 Faxton Utica 1870 merged with Oriental No. 224, 17 Dec 1993 

799 Oriskany Oriskany 04 Jun 1891 

809 Uriel Forestport 07 Jun 1894 merged with Boonville No. 165, 5 Dec 1988; charter 

dated 'one week later' 

814 Sconondoa Vernon 26 Jun 1895 Preceded by Mount Vernon No. 97, 21 Jan 1803; 

surrendered ca 1831; merged with Sherrill No. 1073, 26 

Apr 1988 to become Sconondoa-Sherrill No. 814; orig 

spelling 'Skenandoah' (Oneida Chief) 

814 Sconondoa Vernon 26 Apr 1988 formed from Sconondao No. 814 and Sherrill No. 1073 

Sherrill 

869 Hatheway Rome 5 Jun 1909 constituted date: merged with Roman No. 223 to become 

Roman-Hatheway No. 223 in 1995 

924 Carducci Utica 1915 merged with Oriental-Faxton No. 224 in 2001 

958 Moriah Utica 21 May 1919 

959 Liberty Utica 1919 merged with Oriental-Faxton No. 224, 15 Dec 1995 

1073 Sherrill Sherrill merged with Sconondoa No. 814, 26 Apr 1988 to become 

Sconondoa-Sherrill No. 814 

1097 Alliance Oriskany Falls ca 1929 

Appendices 

I Early Masonic History in the Sauquoit Valley 

II John Post 

III Freemasonry and Springfield Lodge No. 4 in Springfield, Illinois: A brief history. 

IV The Journal of William Colbraith (Colbreath) at Fort Stanwix - 1777 

V The Ceremonial First Digging on The Erie Canal – 4 July 1817 

VI Charles Stewart Mott, 33 o – Faxton Lodge No. 697 

Western Star Lodge No. 15, Bridgewater, New York 

Ref. Western Star Lodge No. 15, F&AM, Bridgewater, NY: 22 Apr 1972 by William G Peacher. 

http://www.nymasoniclibrary.org/events/painting.htm 

Historic Painting Restored 

A spectacular two-hundred-year-old Masonic painting from Oneida County, New 

York, has been restored by the Livingston Masonic Library. The restoration, 

performed by highly-trained experts at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, in 

Williamstown, Massachusetts, was made possible by a generous grant of $7500 

made by the Harry S. Truman Foundation in memory of RW Albert I. Cohan. The 

Harry S. Truman Foundation is associated with Harry S. Truman Lodge, No. 1066, of 

New York City. 

This emblematic oil painting on canvas, which measures 52 3/4 inches high by 40 

5/8 inches wide, was originally used to assist in teaching the lessons of the fraternity. 

It is one of two early tracing boards donated to the Livingston Masonic Library in 

1994 by Western Star Lodge, No. 15 of Bridgewater, New York. The Lodge, which 

had owned the paintings since their creation, was founded in 1797 and is one of the 

few Lodges in upstate New York to have retained its charter throughout the anti- 

Masonic period. 

Over the years this work of art suffered from being stored in direct light and in an 

environment of shifting temperatures and varying humidity. Significant amounts of 

paint flaked off the canvas and large sections of the image were being lost. Through 

the foresight, generosity, and cooperation of Western Star Lodge, No. 15, and of the 

Harry S. Truman Foundation, this important piece of the nation's Masonic legacy has 

now been restored and stabilized so that it can inspire individuals in the years to 

come. The painting is currently on display in the Livingston Masonic Library's exhibit area.

WESTERN STAR, NO. 15, BRIDGEWATER. 

CHARTER: Issued January 18, 1797. Original document still intact. 

NUMBER: No. 59 to 1839, when it was awarded its present number, 15. 

ANTIQUITIES: The Great Lights used by the Lodge are believed to be those first owned by it. The Bible which lies on its altar is 

one hundred and twenty years old. 

In 1816 the Lodge erected a building for its own accommodation. This structure, on a new site and greatly enlarged, is still used 

for meetings of the Lodge. In addition to a large and well-furnished Lodge room, equipped with broad winding stairs, it has a well 

appointed kitchen, a feature much appreciated by the members, whose homes are widely scattered through a farming community. 

THE MORGAN PERIOD: During this time the brethren fully maintained their organization, but had to be cautious. From 1825 to 

about 1845 meetings were held irregularly at different hours, and usually in the daytime. Between the years given above the 

initiations numbered 8. 

MEMBERS PROMINENT IN VARIOUS WALKS IN LIFE. 

Hon. William C. Ruger, Chief Judge, Court of Appeals. 

A. P. Ball, before Barnum; Greatest Showman of his day. 

Hon. Anson Hardin, Supreme Court Justice, General Term. 

H. L. Spooner, Editor. 

P. B. Crandall, School Commissioner, Oneida County. 

Hon. A. D. Southworth, former Judge. 

Sewell S. Morgan, Criminal Lawyer. 

F P. Peirce, former School Commissioner, Oneida County. 

Hon. Sherman Dabold, former Judge. 

George R. Moore. Inventor of Mail Catcher [1895 & 1902] 

Hon. Alva(h) Penny, former Member of Assembly. 

Milton T. Morgan, State Dairy Commissioner. d. 22 Feb 1907 

Hon. E. B. Clark, former Member of Assembly. 

H. E. Palmer, Chairman and Member of the Oneida County 

Board of Equalization. 

P. C. Brownell, former County Clerk, Madison County. 

Leroy Firman, Noted Scientist. 

J. O. Wheeler, Banker. 

Col. Rufus Daggett, Postmaster of Utica, N. Y. 

A. C. Ackerman, Editor. 

Hon. H. M. Aylesworth, District Attorney, Madison County. 

E. M. Willis, Assistant District Attorney, Oneida County. 

Rev. A. T. Worden, Lecturer, Poet, Writer. 

L. E. Brownell, Sheriff, Oneida County. 

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgibin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3038454&id=I23916 

Leroy Brown Firman b. Dec 1836 in New York; d. bef 

1920; Census: 1880 living in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois. 

m. Helen Brown (div.). 

Bro. Brown held several patents on Telephone 

Switchboards and Exchange Systems and related item. 

Children in Illinois: 

1. Josie H. FIRMAN b: ca 1865 

2. Albert Lee FIRMAN b: ca 1868 

3. Persis FIRMAN b: Jun 1871 

4. Fay FIRMAN b: ca 1874 

Alva(h) Penny married Helen Stanbro, daughter of 

Orville Stanbro and Susan Way; born 1824 at Unadilla 

Forks, Otsego, NY. He was a school teacher, farmer 

and a mechanic. He served a term as a member of the 

Assembly in Albany. Alva and Lucy had four sons. 

HELEN STANBRO and her parents were natives of 

Unadilla Forks, NY. She was born in 1829 at Unadilla 

Forks, Otsego, NY. 

He was the son of Amial Penny; born 1 Jan 1801 at 

Bridgewater, Oneida, NY; married Lucy Crumb 7 Feb 

1822 at Plainfield Twp., Otsego, NY. 

Child: 

i. FRANK DEE, born 26 Apr 1857 at Adams, Jefferson, 

NY; married Florence Addie Wheeler.

http://www.nycourts.gov/library/ad4/datas/hardin.pdf 

George Anson Hardin was born in 1829. He began his legal career in the 1850's and was elected 

District Attorney for Herkimer County in 1858 at the young age of twenty-nine. After his term as 

District Attorney (1858-61), he was elected to the New York State Senate, in which he sat during 

1862 and 1863. 

After a period out of office, Hardin was elected to the Supreme Court for the Fifth District in 

November of 1871. He functioned as a trial judge for the nine years before his elevation to the 

appellate General Term for the Fourth Department in 1879. He acted as an Associate Justice 

thereupon for the next three years. On June 2nd, 1884, the departments of the state were 

reconstituted, with the Fourth Department being redefined as encompassing the Fifth and Sixth 

Judicial Districts, while the Seventh and Eighth were placed within the new Fifth Department. Hardin 

was appointed Presiding Justice of the General Term of the new Fourth Department, a post he held 

until the organization of the Appellate Division on January 21st, 1896. In this latter re-organization, 

the Fifth Department was dissolved, and the Fourth re-acquired its original boundaries. Hardin 

remained as Presiding Justice of the Fourth Department until his mandatory retirement at the close 

of 1899. He died on April 16th, 1901, in Ilion, New York. 

http://darcisplace.com/darci/hardin-george.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Ruger 

William Crawford Ruger (b. 30 Jan 1824, Bridgewater, Oneida, NY; d. 14 Jan 1892, Syracuse, 

Onondaga, NY) was an American lawyer and politician. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of 

Appeals from 1883 until his death. He was the son of Sophia (Brown) Ruger and John Ruger (d. 1855), 

an attorney who practiced at Bridgewater, but removed to Syracuse, 

N.Y., in 1847. William C. Ruger was educated at Bridgewater 

Academy, then studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar in 

1845, and commenced practice in Bridgewater. In 1853, he removed 

to Syracuse, N.Y., formed a partnership with his father. On May 2, 

1860, he married Harriet Prosser (daughter of State Senator Erastus 

S. Prosser from Buffalo, NY), and their son was C. Prosser Ruger. 

He was a delegate to the 1872 Democatic National Convention. In November 1882, he was 

elected on the Democratic ticket Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, and died in office in 1892. 

He was the first president of the original Onondaga Club (1866 - now the Century Club – the 

former residence of Major Moses Dewitt Burnet) and had as his guests during the inaugural year 

of the club President Andrew Johnson, General Ulysses S. Grant, Admiral David Farragut, 

General George A. Cluster and Secretary of State William Seward of Auburn. He was also the first 

President of the Onondaga County Bar Association (1872). 

“Year Book,” by Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 1893. page 88-91. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=vvk8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA88&dq=%22William+Crawford+Ruger%22#PPA88,M1 

MEMORIAL OF WILLIAM C. RUGER. 

William Crawford Ruger was born in Bridgewater, Oneida County, State of New York, on the thirtieth day of January, in the year 

one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four. His parents were plain people, of no other estate than that resulting from constant 

industry, the exercise of which was also imposed upon him at a very early age. 

His father, John Ruger, is said to have had a strong constitution, much power of work, and singular physical endurance, an 

impressive personal appearance, a phlegmatic temperament—to have been of plain and reserved manners, not noted for geniality 

in his social relations—an outspoken, self-asserting man, and of such intellectual force as enabled him to exercise considerable

influence in the community where he lived. The son resembled his father in features, disposition and mental ability. Besides this 

inheritance he received for a short time such instruction as was given in the town school and afterwards for a briefer period at the 

academy. But it does not appear that he had any special aptitude for letters, or if he had, that the opportunity was offered for their 

pursuit. 

His father was a hardworking lawyer, and the occasion of William's first inclination to the profession in which he was afterwards 

to attain distinction was some casual assistance rendered by him in his father's office and while he was still a pupil at the academy. 

His clerkship at once commenced, and he pursued literary and legal studies at the same time, but not long. The latter not only 

pleased his fancy rather than the former, but were more compatible with the hindrance of a narrow fortune. He soon became a 

valuable assistant in his father's labors. 

At that time a law student or clerk, even before the full accomplishment of his probation, was permitted, and in the country 

expected, to exercise in courts not of record, all the rights of an enrolled attorney. There, he might appear in any capacity, and, as 

occasion required, exercise according to his ability the functions of attorney, counselor or advocate. 

In such a school the application of legal science and knowledge might be quite incidental, but discipline and experimental 

learning were assured, and the necessity of self reliance and independent exertion made apparent. The magistrate might in a 

manner be the master and direct the discussion, but the questions for debate, growing as they did out of actual transactions 

between citizens were apt to create an interest and feeling quite irrespective of their pecuniary importance or the rank of the tribunal 

before which they were presented. The trial before the Justice, or before him and his jury, would usually attract an audience of 

interested parties and spectators. By their report reputations were made. Young Ruger excelled in that forum. When, therefore, at 

the age of twenty-one years, and with all its ambitions, he was admitted to practice in courts of record, he had little difficulty in 

managing such cases as fell to him. 

At this time he left Oneida County and removed to Syracuse. In that city, at first alone and afterwards associated with others, he 

practiced his profession at all times with zeal and industry. As a counselor he was regarded as wise, judicious and honorable ; as an 

advocate in courts, defending or upholding the rights of his client, he presented a pending case with clearness of statement, 

methodical arrangement, logical and earnest reasoning, and with great zeal and ability. In no other sense was he an orator. He was 

a shrewd, practical, efficient lawyer. 

Mr. Ruger did not content himself, however, with the labor of his profession or the reputation he had gained in it. He early took an 

interest in the affairs of State. 

At the time of his admission to the Bar he was one of those styled "Conservative Democrats." He manifested that faith, not in 

opinion only, but by active participation in every effort for the support of party principles. He was not adverse to or inexperienced in 

the management or the ways of political conventions. He aimed at public life and sought positions of place and influence. But, 

though his life was passed on a conspicuous stage, it was without recognition in the way of civic honors. Twice lie was a candidate 

for Congress, and twice he was defeated. 

He retired from the Bar only when, amid the congratulations of his associates, he was carried by popular election to the Bench. 

This occurred in November, 1882. On the first of January following, he took his seat as fourth Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, 

and, however zealous and aggressive before, upon his election to the great office to which he had aspired, he set aside and rid 

himself of all party or other prejudices tending in the least degree to mar the full measure of his judicial influence. 

He died on the 14th of January, 1892, at the close of his ninth year of judicial service. During this time he amply satisfied the 

expectation which his character and ability at the Bar had excited. As a Judge he was dispassionate and impartial, a lover of 

precedent, he adhered to the old rule that "no man, out of his own private reason, ought to be wiser than the law." 

He had a quick appreciation of the salient points in a case, but in their determination hesitated at no delay which resulted from 

study and deliberation. He was slow to dissent. When he differed from his associates it was with reluctance, and lie did so only 

when his conviction of the truth of the proposition which he maintained as applicable to the decision of the cause, amounted to a 

certainty. As it was with him at the Bar, so he continued upon the Bench the study and exposition of jurisprudence, not for delight 

and pleasure, but for the actual disposition of business and the formation of just judgments. 

MASTERS. 

1797. James Kinne. 



1800. Levi Carpenter. 


1802. Aaron Morse. 

1803. Aaron Morse. 

1804. Bennett Pierce. 

1805. Nathan Cook. 





1810. Charles Huntington. 

1811. Daniel Ringe. 



1814. Israel Brewer. 







1821. Henry C. Clark. 


1823. Henry C. Clark. 


1825. James Avery Rhodes. 

1826. James Avery Rhodes. 


1828. Oliver Main. 



1831. Thompson Holdridge. 

1832. Jesse Thompson. 

1833. Henry Rogers. 

1834. Samuel Richards. 








1842. Thomas Convis. 




1846. Asher Flint. 

1847. Marquis F. Lee. 




1851. Alpheus Marsh. 




1855. Reuben O. Clark. 

1856. Alvah Penny, 2d. 


1858. William Greenman. 






1864. William Greenman.

1865. Alvah Penny. 

1866. John P. Babcock. 

1867. John P. Babcock. 

1868. Henry M. Aylesworth. 

1869. George R. Moore. 


1871. George W. Palmer. 

1872. Albert N. Bort. 

1873. Wells W. Perkins. 

1874. William H. Briggs. 


1876. Clarke N. Brown. 

1877. Alvah Penny. 

1878. Adelbert W. Daggett. 




1882. Oliver W. Steele. 

1883. Oliver W. Steele. 

1884. William H. Greenman. 

1885. William H. Greenman. 

1886. William H. Briggs. 

1887. Duane B. Stillman. 





1892. Herbert E. Palmer. 



1895. Duane B. Stillman. 


1897. Stanard D. Butler. 

1898. James R. Moses. 

1899. Zenas Eldred, Jr. 

1900. Zenas Eldred, Jr. 



George R. Moore – Patent for Mail Bag Catching Mechanism – 1902 [see also his previous Patent No. 544,900, 20 Aug 1895] 

http://www.google.com/patents?id=dO9AAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=%22george+r.+moore%22+%22mail%22&source=gbs_selected 

_pages&cad=0_1#PPA1,M1

http://herkimer.nygenweb.net/history/herkmasonhistory.html 

Amicable Lodge No. 22, Whitestown, New York 

On 6 Jun 1792, a petition was sent to the Grand Lodge then in session, for a warrant to hold a lodge in Herkimer County, and was 

signed by William Colbreath, John Post and Michael Myers in behalf of a number of brethren, praying that a warrant be issued for 

erecting and holding a lodge in Herkimer County by the name of Amicable Lodge. John I. Morgan was to be Master, John Post, 

Senior Warden and Michael Myers, Junior Warden. 

The petition was granted and warrant issued. The lodge number was 22. Meetings were held in Whitestown and Old Ft. Schuyler. At 

the time of its formation this lodge had nineteen members. 

The first returns to the Grand Lodge shows that they initiated twenty-five men from 27 Jul 1792 to 3 Jul 1793. This lodge was 

prominent among the lodges of the county until about 1830. The records in Grand Lodge do not show when the charter was 

surrendered. 

Utica Lodge No. 47, Utica, New York 

Utica Lodge, No. 47 (original No. 270), of Free Masons was organized under a charter, dated 20 Nov 1816. This charter was signed 

by De Witt Clinton, Grand Master; Michael Hoffman, DGM; Cadwallader D. Colden, SGW; Elisha Gilbert,JGW; and John Wells. G. 

Secretary: and by which Montgomery Hunt was named first Master, Ephraim Hart, SW, and Thomas Walker, JW of the lodge. This 

has held its regular meetings ever since its organization. 

WARRANT: The warrant-in possession of the Lodge is dated November 20, 1816. 

The first number was 270, which was retained until August 9, 1839, when it became No. 47. 

MINUTES: Intact from organization. 

THE PETITION. 

To the Honourable DEWITT CLINTON, Esqr., Most Worshipful Grand 

Master of the Grand Lodge, of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. 

The petition of the Subscribers, Inhabitants of the Village of Utica, County of Oneida and State of New York, Respectfully Sheweth 

That the subscribers being free and Accepted Master Masons, and are at present Members of Regular constituted Lodges in the 

State aforesaid, and having the prosperity of the fraternity at heart are willing to exert their best endeavors to promote and diffuse 

the genuine principals of Masonry. 

That for the conveniency of their Respective dwellings, and for other good Reasons, they are desirous of forming a new Lodge in 

the said Village of Utica to be named Utica Lodge, and held in Room in the said Village prepared for that purpose. 

That in consequence of this desire they pray for letters of dispensation, or a Warrant of Constitution to empower them to assemble 

as a legal Lodge, to discharge the duties of Masonry in a Regular and Constitutional Manner, according to the Original forms of the 

Order, and the Regulations of the Grand Lodge. 

That they have nominated and do Recommend MONTGOMERY HUNT, Esq., be the first Master, EPHRAIM HART, Esq., be the first 

Senior Warden and THOMAS WALKER, Esq., be the first Junior Warden of the said Lodge. 

That if the prayer of the petitioners is granted, they promise a strict conformity to all the constitutional laws and Regulations of the 

Grand Lodge. 

James Delvin. Samuel Gay. 

John Feeter. Montgomery Hunt. 

John E. Hinman. T. Walker. 

W. Fleming. 

William Jones. John Bernard. 

Horace Wadsworth. Asahel Seward. 

Wm. Hayes, Jr. Ephraim Hart. 

Starr Clark. Solomon Wolcott. 

John Todd. B. Paine. 

Lewis Slocum. C. Locke. 

Aaron Egelston. Levi Comstock. 

Lemuel Munroe. Ezekiel Clark. 

R. Marshall. Flavel Gaylord. 

John Hooker. 

The petition has the following endorsements: 

To the Grand Lodge of the State of New York I recommend the granting the prayer of this memorial in consideration of the work 

of the Applicants. 

DEWITT CLINTON. 

August 20, 1816. 

Whereas, The within petition hath been presented to the Amicable Lodge, Number twenty-three, and the said Lodge concurring 

with the said petitioners—Whereupon it was unanimously voted by the said Lodge, that they approve of the prayers of the said 

petitioners, and recommend to the Grand Lodge, that the same may be granted—Given under our hand and the seal of said Lodge 

at New Hartford the 18th of July, 5816. 

NATH'L CAULKING, M. 

JAMES STEELE, 

Secretary.

The first meeting was held on December 25 (Christmas), 1816. 

Montgomery Hunt, Master. Colling Locke, Steward. 

Ephraim Hart, Senior Warden James Delvin, Steward. 

Thomas Walker, Junior Warden. Walter Fleming, Master of Ceremonies. 

Asahel Seward, Treasurer. John E. Hinman, Master of Ceremonies. 

William Hays, Jr., Secretary. William Clark, Tiler, 

John Bernard, Senior Deacon. 

R. M. Malcom, Junior Deacon. 

were installed by R.'. W.'. NATHANIEL CALKINS. 

Utica Lodge has been active and has had an uninterrupted existence since it was first organized in 1816; this is an exceptional 

record, as but few Lodges have escaped the perils of depression and lack of interest which so frequently caused a cessation of work 

during the early part of the last century. Neither did the Morgan Persecution seriously affect the activity of this Lodge, the record of 

meetings from 1828 to 1832 inclusive is as follows: 

In 1828 thirteen meetings were held, one petition for degrees was received. 

In 1829 eleven meetings were held; five petitions were received; one candidate was raised and three affiliates were received. 

In 1830 eight meetings were held; no work was done. 

In 1831 nine meetings were held. 

In 1832 five meetings were held. 

During the early history of the Lodge meetings were held once a month at 5 o'clock P.M. 

Membership dues were twenty-five cents for each regular meeting; the expense of a special meeting was paid for by the person 

for whose convenience it was called; if an officer was absent he was fined, the Master $1 and other officers fifty cents. 

On several occasions the Lodge has been honored by the presence of the Grand Master; on October 31, 1825, the Lodge 

participated in the celebration attending the opening of the Erie Canal. A committee was appointed to wait upon Governor DEWITT 

CLINTON, who was Grand Master when, the Lodge was organized, and invite him to visit with the brethren. 

On December l5, 1822, M.'. W.'. JOSEPH ENOS was entertainer!; M.'. W.'. JOHN D. EVANS was present on September 21, 1854; 

M.'. W.'. FRANK R. LAWRENCE on January 20, 1886; M.'. W.'. WILLIAM A. Brodie on April 9, 1894, and M.'. W.'. WILLIAM A. 

SUTHERLAND on February 27, 1899. 

For many years the Festival of St. John the Baptist was observed by the Lodge. It has also participated in many events of a 

public character; it took part in celebrating the completion of the first Atlantic cable, August 30, 1858; the funeral obsequies of 

President Abraham Lincoln, April It), 180'S; the ceremonies attending the laying of the corner-stones of the Utica City Hall, 1853; 

Utica Orphan Asylum, 1860; Home for Aged Men, 1890 ; Masonic Home, 1891; the State Armory at Utica; the Munson-Williams 

Memorial Hall, 1895, and the Masonic Temple at Utica, 1897; it also participated at the dedication of the Home and Masonic Temple 

at Utica. 

The first place of meeting was in the upper story of a building first used for the village school; use upper story was added by the 

fraternity. About 1836 it moved to 2 and 4 Catherine Street, in the building known as Knickerbocker Hall; here it remained three 

years, when it moved to the Seymour Block at the corner of Genesee and Broad Streets. On .November 4, 1852, it moved to the 

Bradish Block, 183 Genesee Street; this being the anniversary of the initiation of BRO. GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON, dedicatory 

services were held by R.'. W.'. EZRA S. BARNUM. It remained here until May, 1878, when it moved to 125 Genesee Street in the 

building then known as Masonic Hall where it remained until 1809, with the exception of a few months while it temporarily occupied 

quarters in Odd Fellows Temple owing to a fire which compelled it to vacate the rooms in Masonic Hall; in January, 1899, it moved 

to its present quarters in the Masonic Temple on Genesee Street. 

MEN IN PUBLIC LIFE. 

Utica Lodge has had upon its rolls many names of men who have been prominent in professions, in various business 

enterprises, as well as a number who have been elected or appointed to public office. 

Those who were in public office are: 

Benjamin Allen, Assemblyman. 

Josiah K. Brown, City Attorney, 

Ezra S. Barnum, Coroner, Deputy State Dairy Commission. 

Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, Deputy US Marshal, Alderman. 

K. Prentiss Bailey, Editor "Utica Daily Observer," Past Master, 

State Civil Service Commission. 

Gurdon Burchard, Village Trustee. 

Benjamin Ballou, Village Trustee. 

Samuel A. Beardsley, City Judge, 

John Baxter, Village Trustee. Railroad Commissioner. 

Edbert Bagg, City Surveyor. 

William Clarke, Village President. 

Theodore F. Butterfield, Mayor. 

Thomas Colling, Village Trustee, 

Charles E. Barnard, Mayor. City Clerk. 

Lewis H. Babcock, City Attorney. 

David W. Childs, Village Clerk. 

Francis K. Baxter, City Surveyor. 

Perry G. Childs, State Senator. 

John R. Baxter, City Surveyor. 

Abraham Culver, Village Trustee. 

Levi Comstock, Village Trustee. 

Ezra S. Cozier, Village Trustee, Village President, City 

Treasurer. 

Charles B. Coventry, Trustee of State Asylum. 

William H. Christian, City Surveyor. 

Charles H. Childs, Commissioner, Mohawk River Straightening. 

Augustine G. Dauby, Village Trustee, Post Master, Editor "Utica 

Observer." 

Watson T. Dunmore, County Judge. 

Robert Dodd, Coroner. 

Walter Embley, Assemblyman. 

Theodore S. Faxton, Railroad President, Village Trustee. 

Alderman. Sheriff, Mayor, Bank President. 

Homer T. Fowler, School Commissioner. 

John W. Fuller, City Treasurer. 

George D. Frank, County Clerk. 

Amos Gay, Village Trustee. 

William Geere. Village Trustee. 

Samuel B. Garvin, District Attorney.

Andrew H. Green, City Clerk. 

DeWitt C. Grove, Mayor. 

Alexander T. Goodwin, Recorder, State Senator, Mayor. 

Montgomery Hunt, Village Trustee, Bank Cashier. 

Ephraim Hart. State Senator, Canal Commissioner. 

John E. Hinman, Village Trustee, Sheriff, Mayor. 

Augustus Hickox, Village Trustee. 

Augustus Hurlburt, Village Trustee. 

David P. Hoyt. Village Trustee and Treasurer, Assemblyman. 

Marcus Hitchcock, Post Master, Village Trustee. 

Holmes Hutchinson, Chief Engineer, Erie Canal. 

Jarvis M. Hatch, City Attorney, City Treasurer. 

Aaron Hackley, Recorder. 

Charles W. Hutchinson, Mayor. 

William F. Hoerlein, City Treasurer. 

John F. Hughes, School Commissioner. 

Eugene B. Hustings, City Attorney. 

Morven M. Jones, City Treasurer. 

William Jones, Village Clerk. 

John R. Ludlow, Village Trustee. 

Morris S. Miller, Village President, County Judge, 

Congressman. 

Charles A. Mann, Assemblyman, State Senator. 

Robert McBride, Village Trustee. 

John H. Ostrom, Village Clerk, Village Trustee, Alderman, 

Mayor, County Clerk. 

Zephaniah Platt, Attorney-General, Michigan; U. S. Circuit 

Judge, South Carolina. 

Andrew S. Pond, Village Trustee, Assemblyman, U. S. 

Marshall. 

William II. Reese, Sheriff, Deputy U. S. Marshal. 

Asahel Seward, Village Trustee. 

Samuel Stocking. Village Trustee. 

Ebenezer B. Shearman, Village Trustee. 

Nathan D. Smith, Deputy Collector of Customs. 

James Sayre, Alderman, Bank President. 

Charles M. Scholefield, Assemblyman. 

Richard W. Sherman, City Surveyor. Mayor. 

David C. Stoddard, District Attorney. 

Henry A. Steber, Assemblyman. 

William B. Taylor, City Surveyor, State Engineer. 

Charles B. Tefft. Coroner. 

Thomas R. Thomas, Alderman, Commissioner Mohawk River 

Straightening. 

Abraham Van Santwoord, Village Trustee, Village President, 

Mayor of Jersey City, N. J. 

Thomas Walter, Village Trustee, City Treasurer, Bank 

President. 

Killian Winne, Village Trustee. 

John Williams, Village Trustee. 

William B. Welles, Bank Cashier. 

Jared E. Warner, Alderman, Bank President. 

David Wagner, City Attorney, Assembly, State Senator. 

Frederick G. Weaver, Sheriff. 

Garry A. Willard, County Clerk, State Senator. 

Ezra S. Cozier, Senior Grand Warden. 

Ezra S. Barnum, District Deputy Grand Master. 

Elon G. Brown, Grand Representative. 

Robert Dodd, District Deputy Grand Master. 

1816. Montgomery Hunt. 




1820. Morris S. Miller. 

1821. Marcus Hitchcock. 

1822. Ezra S. Cozier. 











1833. John Baxter. 

1834. Ezra S. Barnum. 

1835. John A. Russ. 

1836. James McGregor. 

1837. Benjamin Ballou. 

1838. Ira Chase. 

1839. W. W. Backus. 





1844. A. N. Smith. 



1847. Philemon Lyon. 

1848. Philemon Lyon. 

1849. Jarvis M. Hatch. 

1850. Samuel Comstock. 

1851. Burton Hawley. 




1855. Rufus K. Conklin. 





1860. W. C. Scranton. 

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS. 

MASTERS 

Alexander T. Goodwin, Trustee Hall and Asylum Fund. 

George H. Wiley, Trustee Hall and Asylum Fund. 

W. E. Hopkins, District Deputy Grand Master. 



1863. Zenas C. Priest. 

1864. William H. Estes. 

1865. William H. Estes. 

1866. D. N. Crouse. 

1867. P. M. Scott. 

1868. P. M. Scott. 

1869. George Ralph, Jr. 

1870. George Ralph, Jr. 

1871. Alexander T. Goodwin. 

1872. William Ralph. 

1873. Byron S. Frisbie. 

1874. P. M. Scott. 

1875. Thos. H. Floyd. 

1876. Adolphus I. Simmons. 

1877. Adolphus I. Simmons. 

1878. William E. Hopkins. 

1879. William E. Hopkins. 

1880. Eugene B. Hastings. 

1881. Eugene B. Hastings. 

1882. Elon G. Brown. 

1883. Elon G. Brown. 

1884. James M. Bellinger. 

1885. John B. Orendorf. 

1886. John B. Orendorf. 

1887. George Town. 

1888. Daniel McGucken. 

1889. Daniel McGucken. 

1890. Nathan Overend. 

Charles P. Glatt. 

Robert Dodd. 

Robert Dodd. 

William H. Goodwin. 

Robert Dodd. 

Willard C. Aldridge. 

William Fraser. 

Robert Dodd. 

Allen G. Wood. 

Arthur S. Thayer. 

Arthur S. Thayer. 

Eugene Simmerer. 

Henry M. Love. 

Andrew McCarthy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CHARLES-ETHAN-BILLINGS,-Hartford,-CT.-1892- 

engraving_W0QQitemZ200450546696QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100318?IMSfp=TL100318193001r27365 

Charles Ethan Billings, 33°, was born at Wethersford, VT, 5 Dec 1835, and is a son of 

Ethan F. and Clara M. (Marsh) Billings, well known and highly esteemed residents of that 

town. He was educated in the public schools of the Green Mountain State, and 

subsequently learned the trade of a master machinist. On attaining manhood he 

removed to Utica, NY, where he resided for a time, pursuing his calling. But in 1864 he 

removed to Hartford, CT Here by close attention to business, and the exercise of most 

excellent skill in the line of his profession, he has succeeded in developing a business 

enterprise of considerable magnitude, which embraces the industry now (1892) 

controlled by, and known as the Billings & Spencer Co's. Works, and of which 

corporation he is the able president. 

Bro. Billings was first brought to Masonic light in Utica Lodge, No. 47, of Utica, NY, on 

15 Feb 1864, while a resident of that city. On 9 Jun following, he received the capitular 

degrees in Oneida Chapter, No. 57, of Utica, of which he continued a member until 16 

Nov 1873, when he affiliated with Pythagoras Chapter, Hartford, CT. He was made a 

Royal and Select Master in Windsor Council No. 8, Windsor, VeT, 27 Sep 1865, and was 

knighted in Utica Commandery KT, at Utica, 4 Nov 1864. Upon removing to Hartford, CT, 

however, he also affiliated with Washington Commandery KT of that city, where after 

serving acceptably through the subordinate offices, he was eventually elected Eminent 

Commander in 1872, in which office he served three years. He was again elected in 

1882, serving two years. In the Grand Commandery of Connecticut, M. E. 

Sir Knight Billings was elected Grand Junior Warden, on 21 Mar 1882, and was advanced each year subsequently until 15 Mar 

1887, when he was elevated to the position of R.E. Grand Commander, in which office he won golden tributes of appreciation for the 

unusual executive ability displayed in the discharge of his official duties. In the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Bro. Billings has also 

taken an active interest for some years. He received the Ineffable Grades in Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection, Hartford, CT, 31 Dec 

1869; and the M. H. and C. G. Grades in Connecticut Sov. Consistory S. P. R. S. 32°, in Norwich, CT, of which he is Ill. Second Lt. 

Commander. He is a charter member of Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem, and also of Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose-Croix, 

Hartford, and in each of these bodies he has been honored by elections to their highest official positions. He was also created a 

Sovereign Grand Inspector General (33°), and elected an Honorary Member of the Supreme Council, NMJ, of the United States at 

the Triennial Session held in Boston, MA, 20 Aug 1874. He also became a member of the Royal Order of Scotland, at Boston, 14 

Sep 1891. He has for a number of years been consecutively a member of both branches of the City Government and is at present 

(1892) a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, a director of ''The Hartford Trust Co.," and of "The State Savings Bank." 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/obits/obitc.htm#carpenter, david 

Saturday Globe Newspaper, August 3, 1895. 

CHILDS, Lucius C. 

The death of Lucius C. Childs Wednesday afternoon at his home on John Street came as a severe shock to his many friends and 

acquaintances. Lucius Curtiss Childs was born in 1831 in Exeter, Otsego county. He received a common school education and at 

the age of 17 came to Utica. His brother-in-law, H. H. Curtiss, had a printing office here and young Childs entered as apprentice. 

Four years later he became pressman on the Gazette and in 1854 went to Chicago where he did the same sort of work. Mr. Childs 

soon returned East and lived in Utica till 1856 when the Boonville Herald was started and he undertook the work of printing that. He 

soon purchased the paper and with the Hon. Thomas L. James conducted it till 1861. Coming again to Utica, Mr. Childs, in company 

with Rees G. Williams [q.v.], opened a job printing office. Later he became associated with Mr. Curtiss and under the firm name of 

Curtiss & Childs, a thriving business was done. In 1886 Mr. Curtiss retired from business and Mr. Childs took into partnership his 

son William T., the firm name being Childs & Son, which it has continued to be ever since. Mr. Childs was a member of Grace 

Church and was vestryman and warden of the same. He was a member of Utica Lodge, F&AM, and of the Oneida Historical 

Society. The deceased leaves a wife, Anna Jane Tapping, a son, William T. Childs, and two daughters, Mrs. H. I. Johnson and Miss 

Caroline Childs, all of this city. Mr. Childs was a quiet yet genial man, fond of his friends and family and by them greatly beloved. In 

every position in life he showed himself a good and noble man and gave an example all might profitably follow. 


Steuben Lodge No. 54, Steuben, New York 

On 7 Dec 1796, a petition was sent to the Grand Lodge asking for a warrant to erect and hold a lodge in the town of Steuben, 

County of Herkimer, by the name of Steuben Lodge. 

The petition was granted and a warrant issued 29 Dec 1796, and the lodge received No. 54. 

I have been able to procure but little information regarding this lodge. It was represented in Grand Lodge as late as March, 1811 for 

on that date they petitioned the Grand Lodge, praying for a total remission of their dues. 

The Grand Secretary was directed to inform the lodge that upon payment of all dues from the 8th of January, 1806, to March, 1811, 

the Grand Lodge would remit all dues from Dec 1796 to the first mentioned period. The register does not show when its charter was 

surrendered but I think it must have been between 1816 and 1820 because it is not mentioned in Grand Lodge proceedings at any 

later date.

http://www.mastermason.com/cny-masonry/lhistory.html 

The second charter granted in Oneida County was to Steuben Lodge No. 54, 29 Dec 1796, two years after the death of Baron von 

Steuben. On it was named David Starr, Worshipful Master, Starr Hill in Steuben was named after him; Benjamin Pike, SW and 

Samuel Sizer, JW. The petition for the charter was dated 7 Sep 1796. The Steuben Lodge Charter was forfeited about 1814. 

In 1825, a petition was presented to Roman Lodge praying for a charter to be granted to Rising Star Lodge of Western and Roman 

Lodge recommended it, whereupon a dispensation was issued by M. W. Stephen Van Rensselaer, Grand Master, dated 3 Oct 1825. 

Between the date of dispensation and its return to the Grand Lodge in May 1826, 13 persons by affiliation and initiation had been 

added to those already named, 21 in all. 

On 10 Jun 1826, a charter signed by Grand Master Van Rensselaer was issued to Baron Steuben Lodge No. 485 with the same 

officers as named on the dispensation. Some time during labor under the dispensation, the Lodge purchased the jewels of Steuben 

Lodge No. 54, which were marked with the name of Steuben. This, with the historical and patriotic association led the lodge to 

request that the name Baron Steuben be inserted in the charter. 

By 1828, the Morgan Anti-Masonic craze was raging. The Lodge, being young, yielded, and in 1832, the Grand Lodge declared the 

charter forfeited. During the winter of 1851, a group of ten faithful Masons decided to open the lodge again and subscribed a petition 

to the Grand Lodge to accomplish the purpose. This dispensation was issued on March 15, 1852 for Westerville Lodge naming John 

Swan as Master, The first meeting of the Lodge was held at Masonic Hall in the Town of Western on 1 Apr 1852. 

In 1856 the Lodge made application to Grand Lodge to change its place of meeting from Westernville to Stokes and to change its 

name to Baron Steuben. At the Grand Lodge session held 6 Jun 1856, by majority vote declined the petition to remove the lodge to 

Stokes, but gave permission to change the name to Baron Steuben. 

It was not until sometime after that the lodge finally moved to Stokes. In 1886, the Lodge again applied for permission to move from 

Stokes to Delta. On 28 Dec 1886 a dispensation was issued granting the change of meeting place, subject to the approval of Grand 

Lodge which came on 9 Jun 1887, 

The lodge continued to meet over Frank Harrington's brick block in the Town of Delta for a number of years. The first floor of the 

building housed the Harrington Store and Post Office, where Frank Harrington had been postmaster for over 30 years. The 

Harrington family lived on the second floor, and Baron Steuben Lodge met on the third floor. The lodge room was ideal - running the 

entire length and width of the building. 

It was March 1909, when the Lodge moved for the last and final time to Lee Center. This move was due to the construction of the 

barge canal storage reservoir and Delta Lake State Park. The first communication in the new Temple, which was purchased and 

renovated for a cost of approximately $2,100, was held 4 Dec 1909. The Temple was dedicated 16 Jun 1911. 


Western Star Lodge No. 59, Bridgewater, New York 

22 Aug 1796, a petition was prepared and signed by James Kinne, Thos. Brown, Daniel Perkins, Ephraim Waldo and Joseph 

Farwell, members of Amicable Lodge No. 22 in Whitestown, and several brothers belonging to other lodges, asking permission to 

erect and hold a lodge in Sangerfield, Herkimer County, by the name of Western Star Lodge, naming as officers, James Kinne, 

Master; Thos. Brown, Senior Warden and Daniel Perkins, Junior Warden. 

The petition was not received and read in Grand Lodge until 18 Jan 1797. It was recommenced by John I. Morgan, Past Master, and 

Jedediah Sanger, Master of Amicable Lodge No. 22. The petition was granted and the lodge numbered 59. 

The officers named in the petition were duly installed by the officers of Amicable Lodge No. 22. Jedediah Sanger, Master. In a letter 

to the Grand Lodge the secretary says: "On the first day of June, 1797, Western Star Lodge opened in due form at the house of 

Ephraim Waldo in Bridgewater, formerly Sangerfield, and proceeded to elect the remaining necessary officers." 

At the annual meeting held in December the following Bros. were elected, Thos. Brown, Master; Daniel Perkins, Senior Warden and 

Levi Carpenter, Junior Warden. They were duly installed 5 Feb 1798 by James Kinne, Past Master. 

This lodge continued in Bridgewater until its charter was surrendered, of which we have no official record. 

Federal Lodge No. 80 

http://books.google.com/books?id=tMYqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA196&lpg=PA196&dq=%22Federal+lodge+no.+80%22&source=bl&ots= 

GEiw6euLPl&sig=0MZGomloC8U6QkjGXDHTuOJ58Ys&hl=en&ei=wtWsS4KINIGClAfR7fGRAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&r 

esnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Federal%20lodge%20no.%2080%22&f=false page 196. 

At a meeting of the Grand Lodge of New York, held in Jun 1799, fifteen years after the Grand Lodge was organized, a petition for a 

Lodge, signed by Nathan Whitney, Jonathan Barker, Justus Tower, Asahel Gridley and Hon. Uri Doolittle, was received, and 

Federal Lodge, No. 80, of Paris, (afterward Clinton,) was chartered 23 Nov 1799. The officers were installed 18 Dec 1799, by Judge 

Jedediah Sanger, of Amicable Lodge, No. 25, of Whitestown, (afterward) New Hartford,) as follows: Jonathan Barker, Master; W. 

Joseph Simouds, SW; W. Selah Seymour, JW; Oliver Lucas, Treasurer; Eleazer House, Secretary; Justus Tower, SD; Haynes 

Bennett, JD; Josiah A. Whitney and Samuel Meigs, Stewards; Abel Lawrence, Tiler. 

In addition to the charter members, there were 

George Brown, 

Samuel Clemon, 

Ezra Dervey, 

Josiah Brown, 

Joseph Hart, 

Daniel Brown, 

Abraham Windsor, 

Alpheus Hitchcock,

Gorshom Orvis, William Norton Jeremiah Tooley. 

Federal Lodge went down under the Morgan excitement, and surrendered its charter in Jun 1831. The first Masonic burial of a 

brother of the mystic tie in the town of Paris was Medad Wilmot, who died 24 Nov 1805, aged 21 years, and was buried with the 

solemn rites of the Order in St. Paul's church yard, Paris Hill, and a suitable headstone was erected by the fraternity. 

Sanger Lodge No. 129, Waterville, New York 

WARRANT: The warrant in possession of the Lodge is dated May 8, 1848, the original warrant was issued December 7, 1808. 

The name has never been changed, the first number was 176; it received its present number in 1848. 

MINUTES: Not intact. 

The Lodge was organized in 1808, but there are no existing records concerning the birth of the Lodge beyond the original 

petition on file in the Grand Secretary's office. It is without date and was submitted to the Grand Lodge and a warrant ordered 

granted on December 7, 1808. 

It was recommended by Western Star Lodge, No. 15 (originally No. 59), of Bridgewater, in June, 1808, and by Federal 

Lodge, No. 80 (originally No. 83), of Paris, in August, 1808. Federal Lodge is extinct. 

The petitioners were: 

Stephen Preston. Isaac Terry, Jr. 

Oliver Rood. 

John McLiesh. 

Curtis Frost. 

Luther Wheeler. 

J's Livingston, Jr. Daniel Owen, Jr. 

Pardon Key. 

William Osborn. 

Saul P. Hewett. Peter Thatcher. 

Philip King. Eleazer Goodwin. 

Gad Chamberlain. Jotham W. Curtis. 

Elias Montgomery. Uriah Stephens. 

Elijah Linsley. Joseph Morgan. 

Benjamin Knowlton, Jr. Abel Thomson. 

The petition named as officers: 

STEPHEN PRESTON, Master. 

ISAAC TERRY, JR., Senior Warden. 

OLIVER ROOD, Junior Warden. 

The Lodge was formally instituted and the officers installed February 28, 1869, by RICHARD SANGER. The Lodge was named after 

HON. JEDEDIAH SANGER. JUDGE SANGER was a member of the Provincial Congress which convened at Cambridge, Mass., in 

February, 1775. 

He served in the Continental Army as an officer and was prominent as an early settler and land owner in Oneida County. 

He was the first Judge of that County and one of the foremost men in this part of the State. 

At first the Lodge thrived and its affairs prospered until that tidal wave of persecution began to sweep over the State with such 

force as to compel so many lodges to cease work and surrender their warrants. 

The last recorded meeting was in 1828. The last returns on file are to June 1, 1828; at that time it had a membership of 41. 

The By-laws of the Lodge contained some curious provisions. The meetings were held in the afternoon and continued at night, 

but it was provided, "that no business shall he introduced into the Lodge after 9 o'clock p. m." 

SÄNGER LODOE NO.129, F. & A. M., 1809.

A fee of twelve and one-half cents was required of every member "for the necessary expenses of every regular lodge night." 

A visitor was permitted to attend once without payment. 

One By-law was as follows: "It shall be the duty of every member of this Lodge, after the same is closed in due form, to repair 

immediately to his residence unless some urgent business intervenes"; another requirement was that each member was to furnish 

"a Masonic apron such as are commonly worn in Masonic Lodges." 

Article VII reads as follows: "If any brother shall profanely curse or swear or break over the sacred rules of the craft by talking, 

whispering or moving about the Lodge room without permission from the Chair, he shall be severely reprimanded from the Chair for 

the first attempt and for the second shall be deemed unworthy a seat and treated accordingly until he hath made satisfaction to the 

Lodge and his Grace restored." 

Equally stringent laws were provided against "being disguised or intoxicated with liquor or found guilty of profaning the Holy 

Sabbath." 

The minutes contain evidence that the by-laws were rigidly enforced. One entry shows that one of the last acts of the Lodge in 

1828 was an expulsion of a member "for speaking disrespectfully of masonry." 

The first Masonic funeral was that of Sherman Bartholomew, a soldier of 1812 who had died near Sackets Harbor. His remains 

were brought to Waterville in 1814 and the minutes contain an account of these services which were held "in the house of prayer" 

and at which there was "a great concourse of people, and after the services the coffin was taken upon the shoulders of six of the 

brethren and carried in funeral procession to Sangerfield Center and there deposited with the rites of the craft, in its grave." 

There is nothing upon the records of the Lodge to show what became of the warrant. The records of the Grand Lodge make no 

mention of its surrender, and no papers on file throw any light upon its disposition. It is possible that it was returned to the Grand 

Secretary and filed with other papers of a like character and no record made of it. 

Some day it may be discovered and brought to light. 

While the Lodge ceased to exist as an organized body these loyal masons occasionally met in an informal manner, discussed 

the conditions which at that period prevailed concerning Masonic affairs, and endeavored to keep alive a spirit of devotion to the 

fraternity, so that when the wave of persecution should cease and permit reason and unprejudiced judgment to again resume sway 

the Lodge could be revived and again resume labor. 

Almost a score of years passed before any effort was made to recover the old warrant or organize and apply for a new warrant. 

On the 9th day of July, 1847, a petition was prepared asking for a warrant and signed by the following: 

Nathaniel Putnam. M. A. Perry. 

Silas Hanchet. Rufus Y. Peebles. 

Jonas Brown. Ariel Munger. 

G. W. Barker. Job Potter. 

O. C. Harris. Nathaniel C. W. Moss. 

Henry Coggeshall. Levi Buckingham. 

Oliver Harris. Mathew R. Gates. 

The petition names as officers: 

OLIVER HARRIS, Master. 

JOB POTTER, Senior Warden. 

SILAS HANCHET, Junior Warden. 

The petition was recommended by Utica Lodge, No. 47, at a meeting held August 4, 1847. 

A dispensation was granted August 30, 1847, returnable on or before June 1, 1848. It was returned to the Grand Secretary in 

March, 1848, and on May 8th a warrant was issued naming as officers: 

OLIVER HARRIS, Master. 

JOB POTTER. Senior Warden. 

SILAS HANCHET, Junior Warden. 

At this time it received its present number, 129. 

The-Lodge has possession of the officers' jewels, books and charts which were originally in use by the old Lodge; they had been 

preserved and were presented to the Lodge by BRO. NATHANIEL PUTNAM, who was Secretary in 1822-23. 

Since its revival the Lodge has flourished and enjoyed a fair share of prosperity. 

By voluntary subscriptions under the leadership of BRO. TRACEY CONGER it paid its quota of the Hall and Asylum Fund debt. 

It held "Jubilee" services on April 24, 1889, in the Opera House. BRO. OREN ROOT, of Hamilton College, delivered an address on 

this occasion. 

It was represented at the laying of the corner-stone and the dedication of the Home at Utica; it also donated the furnishings of a 

room in the Home now known as the "Sanger Lodge Room." 

Upon its roll of membership are the names of twenty clergymen and twenty-eight soldiers. 

The first meeting place of Sanger Lodge No. 129 was in Union Hall: then it moved to what was known as Masonic Hall, in the 

Buel Block, where it remained until 1890. Its present quarters are in the Masonic Temple upon property purchased by the Lodge on 

the corner of Main and Sanger Streets. Upon the plot are two barns for the use of members of the Lodge who come by their own 

conveyances to attend meetings, also a commodious cottage occupied by the Tiler of the Lodge for a dwelling. The grounds have 

been planted with elm trees furnished by the members, arranged in such a manner as to give a pleasing and park-like appearance 

to the place. 

The "Temple" is a one-story structure. The Lodge room is commodious and comfortable with decorative treatment of a dignified 

and simple character. Ample reception and ante-rooms are provided, all upon the main floor. In the basement is a banquet hall, 

kitchen and all required accessories. 

Upon its corner rises a tower eighty-five feet high in which is a clock with four illuminated dials. The tower is surmounted by an open 

belvedere with canopy roof. It contains a chime of nine bells which ring the Westminster chimes every quarter of an hour. A

keyboard is also provided and the chimes are rung to appropriate music on Sundays, holidays and on Lodge nights. There also 

hangs in the tower a "Memorial Bell," which, by resolution of the Lodge, is rung only on the death of a member of Sanger Lodge. As 

the funeral cortege passes to the place of interment, it, in minute strokes, tolls the number of his years. In one case only was this 

rule modified. 

SANGER LODGE, NO. 129. F&AM - 1867. 

The Temple was formally dedicated by M.'. W.'. ELBERT CRANDALL, Grand Master, on November 5, 1903, the occasion attracted 

a large gathering. The dedication services took place in the afternoon followed by a banquet in the evening, which terminated in a 

sensational and startling manner. In a moment, where joy and gladness reigned, the grim messenger drew the veil of sorrow and 

sadness over the festivities, and brought the meeting to an abrupt close. 

R.'.W.’. CHARLES M. WICKWIRE says concerning this event: 

"The responses to the toasts were of unusual eloquence and seriousness, especially that of Bro. DR. JAMES W. MILNE of 

Cortlandville Lodge, No. 470. His topic was the "Mission of Masonry." The eloquence he displayed and the impressive manner in 

which he treated the subject held the close attention of the vast assemblage, and when he concluded the applause was hearty and 

long continued. The Oriental Lodge Quartette of Utica then rendered Tennyson's beautiful hymn "Crossing the Bar," set to new 

music, which so impressed Bro. MILNE that he expressed his appreciation to the Quartette. 

M.’ .W.'. JOHN W. VROOMAN then responded to the final toast. "Goodnight," and said: " I trust our final good-night will he met with 

an eternal good-morning by our Supreme Grand Master when we meet him face to face," and quoted the words of the hymn just 

sung: 

"Twilight and evening bell, and after that the dark. 

And may there he no sadness of farewell when I embark, 

For though from out the bourne of time and space, 

The flood shall bear me far, 

I hope to meet my pilot face to face, 

When I have crossed the bar.” 

As he repeated the last words, Br. MILNE fell back into the arms of his brethren—dead. 

His soul passed the outer bar and he, "met his pilot face to face." 

Amid the impressive silence caused by this tragedy the assembled guests, at the call of the Grand Master arose, and the Grand 

Chaplain, R.'. W.'. JOHN LAUBENHEIMER, offered a prayer so impressive that it will never he forgotten by any present. 

There was not a dry eye in the room. The next day the body of Br. MILNE was conveyed to the train to he taken to his home at 

Cortland under the escort of nearly every member of Sanger Lodge, and as the funeral procession passed through the streets the 

"Memorial Bell " in the tower, for the first time it ever sounded for one not a member of Sanger Lodge, tolled out the number fiftythree, 

representing the age of one who but yesterday passed away within the home of Sanger Lodge."


W. C. Newberry, General U. S. Vol., Congressman. 

H. J. Coggeshall, State Senator. 

Henry Coggeshall, Veteran, War of 1812. 

Herman Clark. County Clerk. 

William J. McKown, Sheriff. 

William C. Sanger, Col. U. S. VoI., Asst. Sec. of War. 

Daniel Buckingham, County Clerk. 


Claude Wilson, District Deputy Grand. Master. 

Almon R. Eastman, District Deputy Grand Master. 

Charles M. Wickwire, District Deputy Grand Master; Trustee Masonic Hall & Asylum Fund. 

William Suters, Assistant Grand Lecturer. 

William F. Cleveland, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Iowa. 

MASTERS OF No. 176. 

1809. Stephen Preston. 

1810. Oliver Rude. 

1811. William Osborn. 

1812. Oliver Rude. 

1813. Miles Squire. 

1814. Thomas Hubbard. 

1815. Thomas Hubbard. 

1816. B. French. 

1817. Francis Hubbard. 



1820. Samuel Duncan. 


1822. Oliver Harris. 





1826. Joseph Button, Jr. 





1849. Levi Buckingham. 

1850. William Osborn, Jr. 

1851. Nathaniel C. W. Moss. 

1852. William Osborn. 

1853. Ariel Munger. 



1856. William P. Cleveland. 

1857. Erastus A. Munger. 




1861. George W. Cleveland. 

1862. Ebenezer Newel. 




1866. Edward W. Buel. 


1868. Henry L. Loomis. 



1871. Julius H. Montgomery. 





1876. John B. Jones. 



1879. Almon R. Eastman. 

1880. Almon R. Eastman. 

1881. William Suters. 


1883. Claude Wilson. 

1884. Claude Wilson. 

1885. Guy R. Sanford. 

1886. George Allen. 

1887. Guy R. Sanford. 

1888. Neil S. Clarke. 

1889. Neil S. Clarke. 

1890. Henry W. Jones. 

1891. Henry M. Bissell. 

1892. William F. McArra. 

1893. William F. McArra. 


1895. Ellison A. Bissell. 

1896. Frederick H. Pierce. 



1899. William J. Butler. 

1900. Lewis D. Edwards. 

1901. Lewis D. Edwards. 

1902. Charles M. Wickwire. 

1903. Charles M. Wickwire. 

1904. Emory G. Brown. 

1905. Emory G. Brown. 

1906. W. Franklin Suters. 

1907. W. Franklin Suters. 

Sauquoit Lodge No. 150, Sauquoit, New York 

WARRANT: The warrant in possession of the Lodge is dated June 21, 1849. 

The name or number has never been changed. 

MINUTES: Intact. 

CHARTER MEMBERS. 

Namaan W. Moore. 

Calvin E. Macomber. 

David Seaton. 

David Loring. 

Zachariah Townsend: 

William Knight. 

Abner Brownell. 

Leverett Bishop. 

Uri Poolittle. Jr. 

Ezekiel Hawley. 

Benjamin Bentley. 

The Lodge was constituted and the following officers installed by R.'. W.'. EZRA BARNUM, Senior Grand Warden of the Grand 

Lodge, on September 17, 1849: 

NAMAAN MOORE, Master. 

WILLIAM KNIGHT, Senior Warden. 

CALVIN E. MACOMBER. Junior Warden. 

ABNER BROWNELL. Treasurer. 

DAVID SEATON. Secretary. 

LEVERETT BISHOP. Senior Deacon. 

DAVID LORING. Junior Deacon. 

EZEKIEL HAWLEY, Tiler.

SAUQUOIT LODGE NO. 150, SAUQUOIT, N. Y. 

Sauquoit Lodge was not the first one located at Sauquoit. 

On June 7, 1822, a petition was read in the Grand Lodge asking for authority "to hold a Lodge in the village of Sauquoit, Town of 

Paris, County of Oneida, by the name of Paris Lodge [No. 348]." 

The petition named as officers: 

AMASA MILLARD, Master. 

ASAHEL CURTIS, Senior Warden. 

SPALDING PIERCE, Junior Warden. 

The petition is dated December 18, 1821. The following are the signers: 

Amasa Millard. Asahel Curtis. 

Spalding Pierce. Charles Millard. 

Hobart Graves. Henry Manholland 

Joseph B. Ball. Samuel H. Addington. 

Eleazer Tompkins. Eliphlet Sweeting. 

U. S. Pond. Abraham Sage. 

Pan Beach. David Coats. 

Philo C. Curtis. Daniel Held. 

Seth Smith. Andrew Clarke. 

Lyman Howard. Uri Doolittle. 

Isaac Saxton. 

It was recommended by Federal Lodge, No. 80, Amicable Lodge, No. 22, and Utica Lodge, No. 270. The warrant was issued 

June 10, 1822, and it received the number 348. But little is known concerning the affairs of this Lodge; the few papers relating to it 

on file in the office of the Grand Secretary indicate that at first it prospered; at the close of the year 1822 it had initiated, passed and 

raised fifteen candidates. The last returns made to the Grand Lodge are dated June 1, 1830; it then had twenty members. The 

officers were: 

WILLIAM KNIGHT. Master. 

HENRY W. ADAMS. Senior Warden. 

JOSEPH W. BUTLER, Junior Warden. 

DAVID LORING, Treasurer. 

JOHN C. DAVIDSON, Secretary. 

It undoubtedly shared the fate of other Lodges during that troublesome period, and ceased to work in 1833. 

Sauquoit Lodge has always had its meeting place in the building in which it was organized. This property is now owned by the 

Lodge; it was deeded to the Lodge by the Trustees of the Union Hall Association December 27, 1873. 

It was present at the laying of the corner-stone of the Home at Utica May 21, 1801, and at the dedication of same 5 Oct 1892. 


William Knight, Grand Steward. 

MASTERS. 

1849. N. W. Moore. 

1850. N. W. Moore. 

1851. William Knight. 


1853. C. E. Macomber. 

1854. Ansel Tyler. 

1855. Ansel Tyler. 

1856. Eli C. Green. 



1859. Eli C. Green. 

1860. Isaac T. Doolittle. 






1866. William Knight.

1867. Henry C. Rogers. 



1870. Levi Mason. 

1871. Levi Mason. 



1874. Seth W. Smith. 



1877. Josiah S. Parker. 



1880. Charles L. Marshall. 

1881. Charles L. Marshall. 

1882. Benjamin F. Willoughby. 

1883. Benjamin F. Willoughby. 

1884. C. H. Beebe. 

1885. Charles K. Garlick. 

1886. John Shepard. 

1887. S. W. Smith. 

1888. Henry J. Flint. 

1889. Henry J. Flint. 

1890. David H. Morgan. 

1891. John Shepard. 

1892. John E. Green, Jr. 



1895. John B. Wilder. 

1896. John B. Wilder. 

1897. Horace A. Hull. 


1899. George M. Fisher. 

1900. George B. Smith. 



1903. Albert L. Anderson. 

1904. Albert L. Anderson. 

1905. George B. Smith. 

1906. Henry F. Zimmerman. 



http://books.google.com/books?id=tMYqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA201&lpg=PA196&ots=GEiw6euLPl&dq=%22Federal+lodge+no.+80%22 

&output=text#c_top page 200. 

SAUQUOIT LODGE, NO. 150, F&AM, was chartered 21 Jun A. L. 584&, and afterward incorporated under a general act of the 

Legislature passed 21 Apr 1866. 17 Sep A. L. 5849, (A. D. 1849,) the following officers were duly installed by R. W. Ezra S. Barnuni, 

Sr. Grand Warden, assisted by Philemon Lyon, A. S. Orcutt, J. M. Hatch, G. Mather, F. J. Clark, Burton Hawley, H. F. Morey and Ira 

Chase: 

Naamau W. Moore, Master, died 16 Mar 1874; Hon. William Knight, SW, died 22 Feb 1875; Calvin E. Macomber, JW; Abner 

Brownell, Treasurer, died 30 Dec 1875; David Seaton, Secretary, died 18 Nov 1866; Leverett Bishop, M. D., SD; David Loring, J. D., 

died 3 Sep 1850; Uri Doolittle, Jr., Zachariah P. Townseud, Stewards, died, the former in 1853, and the latter 28 Oct 1874; Ezekiel 

Hanley, Tiler, died 10 Jun 1855; Benjamin Bentley, died 15 May 1854. 

Master. 

Served. Members admitted. 

N. W. Moore, 1 Yr. 7 

Hon. Wm. Knight, 10 " 117 

C. E. Macomber, 1 " -1 

Ansel Tyler, M. D. 2 " 13 

Eli C. Green, 2 " 7 

Isaac J. Doolittle, 1 " 4 

Henry C. Rogers, 5 " 62 

Levi Mason, 2 " 14 

Seth W. Smith, 3 " 16 

J. S. Parker, 3 " 14 

Total admitted, 255 

Charter members, 11 

Total 266 

WORK OF THE LODGE. 

Surviving Past Masters. — Calvin E. Macomber, Eli C Green, Henry C. Rogers, Levi Mason, Seth W. Smith, Josiah S. Parker. 

1849. N. W. Moore, 

1850 N. W. Moore, 

1851. William Knight, 


1853. C. E. Macomber, 

1854. A. Tyler, 

1855. A. Tyler, 

1856. E. C. Green, 

LIST OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF SAUQUOIT LODGE, NO. 150, FROM ITS ORGANIZATION. 



1859. E. C. Green, 

1860. I. T. Doolittle, 





Master 



1867. H. C. Rogers, 



1870. L. Mason, 

1871. L. Mason, 



1874. S. W. Smith, 

1875. S. W. Smith, 

1876. S. W. Smith, 

1877. Josiah S. Parker, 



1880. Chas. L. Marshall,

1863—Mar 30, Alexander Van Valkenberg; May 4, David C. Addington, Charles D. Prior; Jun 01, Levi Mason; Hon. William H. 

Chapman, (dead ;) 15, Charles Hoofcut, Hon. D. W. Prescott; Jul 06, Henry Whitacre, E. Cumming; Sep 21, Horace M. Rogers, 

Charles G. Brownell; Dec. 14, Henry W. Wilcox, Benjamin R. Wilcox; 21, M. D. Lapham. 

1864—Jan 23, L. A. Seymour, Levi Patterson, (died 5 Dec 1868,) D. W. Larrabee, (dead;) 26, Joseph Buckle; Feb. 15, Edmund C. 

Goodrich; 27, Josiah Parker, Thomas Lord, J. W. Knause; Mar 26, Hubert M. Rouse, John L. Wicks; Apr 30, OliverG. Rogers, (died 

Nov. 2, 1866,) Lewis Rogers ;. May 28, Charles H. Moore, William Neal, (dead;) Jul 23,. N. S. Hayes, George W. Nichols; August 

29, Thomas Murphy; Sept. 19, W. H. Griffith, Douglass M. Thorn; Oct. 8, Rodney E. Wilcox, John H. Crane; 15, Harrison E. 

Webster; Nov. 26, Horace A. Marshall, (dead ;) Dec. 10, Morris W. Dyer. 

1865—Jan 14, Samuel Robbins; Feb. 11, Frederick Scovill, Daniel A. Comstock; 27, Michael Weigle, Seth W. Smith ; Mar 11, F. D. 

Blackstone, Edward Miller, Charles H. Blackstone ; Apr 22, T. W. Blackstone, G. N. Schoonmaker; Jun 10,Thomas Harris; Jul 1, 

Charles Hardiman, (died 10 Sep 1873,) Gtorge Mould; August 5, Albert M. Mills, Henry N. Adams, Samuel Francis, J. T. Perkins; 

Sep 23, Richard. Lewis; Nov. 25, A. P. Mallory; Dec. 13, B. F. Wright, 

1866—Jan 13,Adolph Miller, G. W. Warren ; Feb 24, Wm. F. S. Irvin, Edward H. Dean ; Mar 24,Hervey Platt; Jun 9, W. Wallace 

Chapman; 23, F. G. Hitsworth, Charles T. Denning; Aug 11, Adolph Wilman, Albert Owens, J. G. Leefe; Sep 22, A. H. Mason, (died 

15 Feb 1868,) John Miller, Joseph Brownell, (died 20 Aug 1873,) Hugh Sloan, M. D.; Nov 10, Horace L. Kirtland, George A. 

Hubbard, George P. Landt; Dec. 22, Charles B. Manchester, E. A. Capell, W. W. Bailey, Isaac Dingman, Robert Bailey; 8, C. N 

Palmer, M. D., L. T. Richardson. 

1867—Mar 30, L. L. Williams, Charles H. Cooper, John B. Warner; Oct. 26, Wessel H. Slover, Francis J. Criggier ; Nov. 16, Henry 

R. Gaylord, Thomas C. Denniston. 

1868—Jan 11, G. F. Wilcox, J. B. Young, G R. Carpenter; Feb. 8, Daniel W. Maltby, Eugene J. Warren, J. A. Moore; Mar 28, Albert 

S. Austin, Henry Loyd, James Hardman; May 9, Thomas Lee, Albert E. Winnegar, John Dagleish, E. E. Knickerbocker, D. A. 

Howland; Jun 29, John E. Sawyer, Augustus H. Davis, Caleb B. Gerinond. 

1869—Jan 09, Jacob P. Calhoun ; Feb. 27, Wm. H. Gove, Geo. M. Austin, John Radcliff; May 8, Charles Corbett, John B. Orendorf; 

Nov. 27, William Weir, Orson N. Olmstead, Jas. H. Ratclitf, (died 24 Feb 1879,) Levi S. Montgomery, William Prentice, Giles 

Howarth.

1870—Jan 22, Ellis Jones, H. N. Shepardson; Apr 9, Charles W. Bowen, W. J. Lockhart; May 14, Peter Watt; Jul 9, Otis P. Coye, 

John C. Briggs; Nov. 12, Gustavus A. Gifford, M. D.; Dec. 10, R. D. Richards. 

1871—Jul 01, Wm. H. Giles; Aug. 26, Horace T. Farey, Stephen Gunston, Amasa Mason, (died 17 Oct 1873.) 

1872—Jan 13, F. H. Saxton, James Benbow, Wm. A. Bassett, (died 7 Apr 1879;) 27, Hobart C. Osborn, Frederick A. Aldrich, (died 2 

Mar 1876;) Mar 9, William S. Spafford; May 12, William H. Crigger, James Russell, J. Harvey Reeves, Wayne W. Thurston; James 

Campbell, (died 8 Dec 1875;) Nov. 8, David H. Morgan, Henry Adelbert Head, Albert Barnett, Esq., (honorary member.) 

1873—Feb 08, B. E. Forbes, M. D., Ambrose S. Harvey, (died 27 Jun 1874,) Arthur C. Paddock, Frederick G. Talbott; Apr 26, 

James O. Hasselkuse; Jun 14, George I. Goodale, Daniel Morris; Sep 27, N. W. Moore, Jr., Charles N. Garlick, J. B. Holmes, Orville 

Bennett, John McGucken. 

1874—Jan 10, William Shackelton; Feb 28, William H. Calhoun, Ansel Thompson, Albert R. Haven; Oct 10, Charles ' L. Marshall, 

R. J. Benbow. 

1875—Feb 13, John R. Jones; Jun 30, S. C. Reiley; Sept 25, John S. Reiley; Nov. 27, John T. Bastow, Geo. D. Smith. 

1876—Jan 22, John L. Smith; Mar 28, Stephen Woodhull, Thomas Reiley; Oct. 14, N. M. Worden, John Shepard. 

1877—Feb 10, John Crawshaw; 24, Reuben Horrocks. 

1878—Jan 25, Henry Barton; Mar 9, Rev. Clarence H. Beebe; Apr 10, H. W. Teachout; May 25, Rev. B. F. Willoughby; Sep 28, 

Edward B. Avery. 

1879—Jan 11, John B. Gough; May 10. H. W. Goodier; June 14, Prof. T. H. Roberts; Jul 12, George W. Penner, Charles L. 

Seaman; Sep 13, Frank A. Randall; 27, Samuel Clayton. 

Veteran Members—Being a list of those eligible to the "Veteran Masonic Society," their Masonic age being 21 years or more: 

P. M. Calvin E. Macomber, honorary and charter member Fredonia Lodge, admitted 1816; 

Leverett Bishop, M. D., honorary and charter member Chittenango Lodge, admitted 1817; 

Squire Albert Barnett, honorary member Delaware Lodge, 1816; 

Solomon Rogers, honorary member of old Amicable Lodge, 25, admitted 1822; 

Edwin Webster, honorary member Paris Lodge, 348, admitted 1822; 

Nathan C. Green, honorary member Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1851; 

Rev. Samuel F. Dexter, honorary member Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1852; 

Benjamin Moore, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1850; 

E. Dean Brownell, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1850; 

Dexter Crossman, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1851; 

W. Irving Tillotston, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1854; 

Charles E. Luce, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1854; 

Grove W. Bagg, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1855; 

Henry C. Rogers, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1856; 

Wilbur E. Moore, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1857. 

Original charter members 11 

Since admitted 255 

Total 266 

Honorary members, (also charter,) 2 

Honorary members 5 

Deceased charter members 9 

Deceased other members 30 

Withdrawn, removed, &c. 113 

Surviving active members 107 

RECAPITULATION 

http://books.google.com/books?id=tMYqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA244&dq=%22rogers,+hiram+c.%22#PPA202,M1 

There is an interesting separate file on “EARLY MASONIC HISTORY IN THE SAUQUOIT VALLEY“ 

and other Lodges of the surrounding area in Appendix I at the end of this present work.

Philanthropic Lodge No. 164, Camden, New York 

WARRANT: The warrant in possession of the Lodge was granted in June, 1850. 

The name has never been changed. Its first number was 188. 

MINUTES: Not intact. The Lodge is in possession of records from 18 Sep 1816, to January, 1834, and all records after 5 Apr 1850. 

> 

MASONIC HALL, PHILANTHROPIC LODGE. NO. 164. CAMDEN. N. Y. 

The Lodge was organized during the summer of 1809. A petition for a Lodge was prepared, and on June 7, 1809, it was read in 

the Grand Lodge. The following is an excerpt from the minutes of the above date: 

"A petition from a number of brethren to hold a Lodge in the Town of Camden, in the County of Oneida, to be called 

Philanthropic Lodge, recommended by Roman Lodge, No. 82, was read and referred to the Grand Officers." 

The records of the Grand Lodge are confusing concerning the date of the warrant. In the lists of the Lodges in good standing for 

1817, 1818 and 1819 the Grand Secretary gives the date of the warrant December 6, 1809, while the minutes of the Grand Lodge, 

under date of December 1, 1813, states that the Lodge was "under dispensation" at that time. Then again the old records in 

possession of the Lodge states that on September 19, 1816, R.'. W.'. JOSEPH ENOS instituted the Lodge and installed the 

following officers: 

OLNEY HINES, Master. 

ASA T. SMITH. Senior Warden. 

JOSHUA RANSOM. Junior Warden. 

HEMAN BYINGTON, Treasurer. 

LYMAN MATHEWS. Secretary. 

WILLIAM HEMSTEAD. Senior Deacon. 

AARON BAILEY. Junior Deacon. 

JERE RATHBUN, Steward. 

WILLIAM WEST, Steward. 

JESSE MERRILS, Tiler. 

At this meeting it was also resolved: "That the regular communications should be held on the Thursday preceding the full moon 

of each month at 2 o'clock p. m. and close at 7 o'clock. 

As the old warrant is missing, it is impossible to give its exact date, but it is reasonable to conclude that the warrant was not in 

possession of the Lodge until September 19, 1816, the date of the above-mentioned meeting. 

The records state that at first the Lodge had no regular meeting place, but met at the home of some brother who in each case 

was to receive "two shillings and free passage to and from the Lodge rooms, for the use of rooms, candles and fuel." 

It continued to meet regularly until January 1834. Here the record stops, and if any meetings were held after that time no record 

was made. In all probability it shared the fate of others which during that time were compelled to extinguish their lights and close 

their doors. 

The warrant was declared forfeited by the Grand Lodge June 4, 1835, and no effort was made to revive the Lodge until the 

year 1850, when a petition for its revival was submitted to the Grand Lodge and a new warrant granted, which retained the old name 

but gave it its present number, 164. 

The officers named in the warrant were: 

ARTEMTS TROWBRIDGE, Master. 

GEORGE W. WOOD, Senior Warden. 

TRYMAN (TRUMAN) SPENCER, Junior Warden. 

For some reason these officers were not installed until January 1851, when the Lodge was constituted and the officers installed 

by W.'. IRA CHASE, Grand Lecturer for the Third District. In his report of the event made June 5, 1851, he says: "On the 16th of 

January I visited Philanthropic Lodge, situated at Camden, Oneida County, constituted their Lodge and installed their officers. This 

Lodge is composed of old men who have survived the storm of anti-Masonry and are warm-hearted, zealous Masons. There is no 

doubt that success and prosperity will attend their labors and the interests of Masonry will be promoted in their vicinity." 

The Lodge held meetings at the homes of the brethren until 1830, when a hall was secured and fitted for its use. Upon its revival 

in 1850 it met in the building formerly occupied until it was destroyed by fire in 1861. It afterward met in the Odd Fellows' rooms In 

the Cavalry block. In 1862 it purchased a plot of land, and in 1863 erected the present Masonic Hall, which is used exclusively for 

Masonic purposes.

The Lodge was represented at the laying of the corner-stone and dedication of the Home at Utica. 


John C. Davis, Attorney-General, State of New York. 


1816. Olney Hines. 

1817. Asa T. Smith. 

1818. Asa T. Smith. 

1819. William Plumb. 

1820. Oliver Kinnie. 

1821. Jesse Penfield, Jr. 


1823. Joel B. Smith. 

1824. Jonathan Tremain. 

1825. Friend Morse. 


1827. Lyman Curtiss. 

1828. Benjamin F. Beard. 

1829. Benjamin F. Beard. 


1830. William Plumb. 

1831. Artemus Trowbridge. 



1834. Charles Trowbridge. 





1854. George W. Wood. 

1855. George W. Wood. 





1860. Frederick M. Fields. 

1861. Joshua H. Tracy. 



1864. Aaron H. Thompson. 


1866. Frederick M. Fields. 


1868. Martin R. Cook. 



1871. Robert Robotham. 


1873. Byron A. Curtiss. 

1874. Byron A. Curtiss. 

1875. Heman Snow. 

1876. Heman Snow. 

1877. Spencer J. Upson. 



1880. Benjamin D. Stone. 




1884. John F. Wolcott. 

1885. John F. Wolcott. 

1886. Andrew W. Craig. 

1887. Andrew W. Craig. 

1888. William H. Crenan. 

1889. William H. Crenan. 

1890. Charles S. Parker. 

1891. Charles S. Parker. 

1892. William H. Gifford. 

1893. William H. Gifford. 

1894. Aaron A. Raymond. 

1895. H. A. Williams. 

1896. Frank B. Harrington. 

1897. Frank N. Chrestien. 

1898. Edward W. Fish. 



1901. Ernest N. Hammond. 

1902. Ernest N. Hammond. 

1903. George F. Barden. 

1904. T. Clinton Phelps. 

1905. Almon M. Farnsworth. 

1906. Warren N. Osborn. 

1907. Warren N. Osborn. 

1908. John J. Davis. 

Boonville Lodge No. 165, Boonville, New York 

WARRANT: The warrant in possession of the Lodge is dated June 8, 1850. 

The name or number has never been changed. 

MINUTES: Intact. 


Henry Graves. 

John Taylor. 

Samuel Baker. 

Caleb Goodrich. 

Stewart Harrington. 

Jere Sanborn. 

OFFICERS NAMED IN THE WARRANT. 

HENRY GRAVES. Master. 

CALEB GOODRICH. Senior Warden. 

JOHN TAYLOR, Junior Warden. 

At the first meeting after the warrant had been received five members were added to its roll of membership, and the Lodge 

continued to flourish and grow until in 1861 it had seventy-eight members. When the Civil War broke out and aroused the patriotic 

spirit of the people throughout the country it fired the hearts of the members of Boonville Lodge with an enthusiastic desire to defend 

the Union and preserve the honor of the old flag to such a degree that over thirty per cent, of the number volunteered their services 

under the call to arms. 

THE ROLL OF HONOR. 

(known members of the 97th Regiment *) 

J. W. Batemon. 

Walter Ballou. 

Charles Buck. * 

Henry N. Burr. 

James Calen. 

John Commerford. 

Joel T. Comstock. * 

Sylvester O. Cook. 

Alonzo Denton. 

Charles Denton. 

Leander W. Fiske. 

Elijah E. Flood. 

Fred Graff. 

Isaac Hall. Capt, Co. I * 

Newton Hall. 

Sidney S. Hicks. Lt. 

Willard B. Judd. * 

George Manchester. 117th? 

David H. Miller. 

William W. Roberts. 

Louis H. Rowan. * 

Alonzo L. Perrigo. 6th NY HA 

Arch B. Snow. * 

Charles Wheelock. Colonel * 

Charles Wheelock, 2d.

The following were of the 97th NY Infantry Volunteers, unless otherwise stated: 

BALLOU, WALTER.—Age, 23 years. 146th NY Infantry Vols; Enrolled, 8 Sep 1862, at Boonville, to serve 3 years; mustered in as 

1Lt , Co. D, 8 Oct 1862; discharged, 28 Dec 1862, near Potomac Creek, Va.; 1Lt, 3 Nov 1862, with rank from 8 Sep 1862, 

http://www.archive.org/stream/vol9a10yearbook09oneiuoft/vol9a10yearbook09oneiuoft_djvu.txt 

WALTER BALLOU was born in Boonville, 21 Jun 1839. He was educated at the high school of Boonville, and graduated from 

Whitestown Seminary in 1857. He was a soldier in the Union army in the Civil War, having enlisted in Company D, 146 Regiment, in 

1862, and was almost immediately commissioned first lieutenant. He was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and having had 

typhoid fever, which incapacitated him for duty, he was honorably discharged from the army in Dec 1862. 

He studied law in the office of Henry R. Hadley of Boonville, and was admitted to the bar in 1868. Soon after his admission he 

formed a partnership with Thomas S. Jones under the firm name of Jones & Ballou, which firm existed for four years. Then he 

became a partner with Leander W. Fisk under the firm name of Fisk & Ballou; this firm continued for three years. 

After that Mr. Ballou practiced law at Boonville without a partner. Mr. Ballou was originally a Republican, but having differed from his 

party on the subject of reconstruction in the south, he became a Democrat, and was appointed Deputy Assessor of Internal 

Revenue by President Johnson, and in 1875 he was elected to the New York Assembly. He was nominated for Representative in 

Congress in 1888, but was defeated by James S. Sherman. Mr. Ballou was stricken with apoplexy on his way to the cars to attend 

court at Lowville on the 8th day of April, 1899, and died almost immediately. He was a man of good reputation, a good lawyer, and 

left many friends to mourn his sudden death. 

Charles Buck, late Adjutant of the Ninety-Seventh Regiment (resigned 25 Mar 1862), died in Boonville, Sunday evening, after an 

illness of two or three weeks. He was a nephew of Col. Wheelock, twenty-seven years of age, and esteemed as a young men of 

great moral worth and promise. 

BURR, HENRY N. — Age, 23 years. Enlisted at Boonville, to serve three years. 

CALEN, JAMES.—Age, 19 years. 117th NY Infantry Vols; Enlisted, 6 Aug 1862, at Boonville, to serve three years; mustered in as 

corporal, Co. K, 16 Aug 1862; mustered out, 15 Jun 1865, at hospital. Fort Monroe, Va. 

Joel T. Comstock, Quartermaster, resigned 15 Sep 1862. 

COMMERFORD, JOHN.—Age, 20 years. 117th NY Infantry Vols; Enlisted, 1 Aug 1862, at Remsen, to serve three years; mustered 

in as private, Co. K, 16 Aug 1862; mustered out with company, 8 Jun 1865, at Raleigh, NC; borne as Comford. 

COOK. SYLVESTER O.—Age, 27 years. 146th NY Infantry Vols; Enlisted, 28 Aug 18fi2, at Boonville, to serve three years; 

mustered in as private, Co. D. 10 Oct 18fi2; promoted first sergeant, no date; discharged, 14 Feb 1864, to accept promotion as 

second lieutenant," Co. D, Sixteenth New York Heavy Artillery. 

DENTON, ALONZO.—Age, 19 years. 117th NY Infantry Vols.; enrolled, 30 Jul 1862, at Remsen, to serve three years; mustered in 

as sergeant, Co. K, 16 Aug 1862; returned to corporal, 28 Aug 1862; promoted sergeant, 2 Nov1862; first sergeant, 28 Mar 1863; 

mustered in as 2Lt , 4 May 1864; wounded in action, 27 Sep 1864, at Chaffln's Farm, Va.; discharged for disability from wounds, 23 

Jan 1865. Commissioned 2Lt, 30 Mar 1864, with rank from 26 Mar 1864,. 

http://home.comcast.net/~richardson156/wagerd.html 

DENTON, ALONZO, was born in Sandy Hill, Washington county, in 1843, the son of Daniel C. Denton, a native of Saratoga county 

and one of five children born to --- Denton, a soldier in the War of 1812: Richard, Daniel C., Clinton, Benjamin, and Phoebe. Daniel 

C. Denton spent most of his life in the lumbering business, principally in Washington and Oneida counties. He removed to Oneida 

county in 1854. He married Harriet Hovey; their children were Melissa and Alonzo (twins), Charles, Mary E., William E., and Walter. 

Mr. Denton died in 1864 and his wife in 1889. In August 1862, Alonzo Denton assisted in raising Company K., 117th. Regiment NY 

Vols. and went out as a private under Captain Baggs. He was promoted to first lieutenant; was in the battles of Bethel, Bermuda, 

Drury's Bluff, Charleston, SC, Petersburg, Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher, and Chapin's Farm, where he was wounded in the leg. He was 

transferred to Chesapeake Hospital at Fortress Monroe and from there returned home. After the war he attended business college 

at Utica for six months, then engaged as clerk in a general store at Forestport. Two years later, in partnership with Mr. Thurston, he 

engaged in the general mercantile business, and two years and a half later his brother-in-law, N. G. Waterbury, purchased the 

interest of Mr. Thurston and the store was carried on under the firm name of Denton & Waterbury. They also carried on a large and 

extensive lumber business, which Mr. Denton superintended. They erected a large mill, which was burned in 1882, and then erected 

their present mill of a capacity of 40,000 feet daily, and a large sash and door manufactory at Whitesboro, NY. They also owned 

10,000 acres of timber land. Mr. Denton served as commissioner of highways, town clerk, and was postmaster for many years. He 

was senior warden of the Masonic fraternity and was a member of the Henry Walker Post GAR of Forestport. In 1869 Mr. Denton 

married Carrie A., daughter of Stephen N. Waterbury; their children were Elmer A., a graduate of Cornell University, now of the law 

firm of Halliday & Denton, of Ithaca, NY; Lena R., a graduate of the musical department of Hamilton Seminary; C. Mildred, a student 

in the Sage College of Ithaca, NY; and Nathaniel W.

http://elib.hamilton.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/civ-117&CISOPTR=1319&REC=4 

FISK(E), LEANDER W.—Age, 26 years. 146th NY Infantry Vols; enlisted, 29 Aug1862, at Boonville, to serve three years; mustered 

in as private, Co. D, 10 Oct 1862; discharged for disability, November 29, 1862, at Washington, D. C. 

http://www.archive.org/stream/vol9a10yearbook09oneiuoft/vol9a10yearbook09oneiuoft_djvu.txt 

LEANDER W. FISK was born in Boonville, 30 Sep 1835, and died there 12 Apr 1901. He was of English descent. He was educated 

in the Boonville schools and Fairfield Academy. He studied law with George W. Smith, and was admitted to the bar October 4, 1860. 

He commenced practice at Boonville, and always retained his residence there, and gave his time exclusively to the practice of his 

profession. He was for a short time a soldier in the 146th Regiment, having enlisted in 1862, but deafness incapacitated him for 

duty, and he was honorably discharged. In 1866 he was nominated by the Republican party for Member of Assembly, and was 

elected and served one term. He afterwards affiliated with the Prohibition party, and was its candidate for Representative in 

Congress at one election, and at another for District Attorney. Mr. Fisk was a good fluent speaker, and except for the fact that his 

deafness proved a great impediment he would have been an excellent trial lawyer. 

GRAFF, FRED.—Age, 20 years. 21st NY Cavalry; enlisted, 7 Sep 1864, at Utica; mustered in as private, Co. M, 8 Sep 1864, to 

serve one year; mustered out, 26 May 1865, at Bladensburg, Md. 

Isaac Hall, Captain, Co. I, was evidently wounded and had his arm amputated. 

http://www.archive.org/stream/genealogyofbrain02brai/genealogyofbrain02brai_djvu.txt 

Major Newton Hall, b. 16 Sep 1829, was the son of Jonathan and Sally (Jencks) Hall of Leyden, NY. He was a teacher and left the 

study of law to enter the army. He married 26 Apr 1866, Almira or Myra P. Brainerd of Leyden, Lewis, NY. 

He raised a company and was mustered in as captain of Co. G, 3d NY Cavalry, 21 Aug 21 1861; promoted to Major 7 Dec 1863. He 

received a sunstroke in the summer of 1864, and resigned and was discharged 11 Oct 1864. He was in the following engagements:

Balls Bluff, Oct. 21, 1861; 

Berryville, Va., Feb. 28, '62; 

Winchester, Va., Mar 1, '62; 

Washington, N. C, Sept. 7, '62; 

Trent Road, N. C, May 13, '62; 

Whitehall, Dec. 16, '62; 

Goldsboro, Dec. 17, '62; 

Jacksonville, N. C, Jan. 15, '63; 

Trenton, N. C, Jan. 20, '63; 

Tarboro, July 20, '63; 

Avassan, N. C, July 24, '63; 

Streets Ferry, Neuse River, N. C, 

July 25, '63; 

Sandy Ridge, May 1, '64; 

Bottoms Bridge, Feb. 7, '64; 

Stony Creek, Va., May 7, '64; 

Nottaway Bridge, May 8, '64; 

Blacks and Whites, May 14, '64; 

before Petersburg, Va., Jan. 15, '64; 

Malvern Hill, Jan. 27, '64; 

Rheams Sta., June 29, '64. 

The cavalry were mostly engaged in raids, tearing up railroads, and burning bridges, so were not in big battles. After his return from 

the war, he engaged in farming in Mexico, NY. She lived after her mother's death with her uncle, Eleazer Spencer. She graduated at 

the school in Leroy, NY. Major Newton Hall d. 11 Mar 1892, age 63 years, 6 months, 5 days. 

Children: 

i. Mabel M., b. Nov. 4, 1867. 

ii. Spencer B., b. Feb. 23, 1873, in Mexico, N. Y. 

http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/recordView.cfm?Content=026/0071 

Report of Captain Newton Hall, Third New York Cavalry, of operations December 12-16 (1862). 

SIR: I have the honor to report that on the afternoon of December 12 I was ordered by Major-General Foster, in command of the 

forces then marching against Kinston, to take three companies of the Third New York Cavalry, viz, Companies A, D, and G, with one 

piece of Lieutenant Allis' section of artillery, under his (Lieutenant Allis') command, and march forward on the direct road to Kinston, 

feeling the enemy and making as strong a demonstration as possible with my command. I was also ordered to retire after having 

made this demonstration, to build large camp fires for the night, and hold the road until commanded to retire. I immediately moved 

forward, throwing a platoon of Company A, under command of Lieutenant Chamberlin, armed with carbines, in front of the column, 

with orders to proceed cautiously and give immediate notice of the presence of the enemy. Proceeding in this manner about 2 miles 

our advance came upon two cavalry vedettes, dismounted, with their horses saddled, but unbridled, and tied near the road. We 

were so close upon them that they were unable to mount, and started off across the field for the wood on foot. A shot from a carbine 

caused them to halt and they were taken prisoners. We again moved forward, and, having gained the information that part of a 

company of infantry was stationed at a large white house within three-quarters of a mile of the rebel forces encamped at Wise's 

Cross-Roads, I determined if possible to surprise them. Moving with even greater caution than before, we had advanced, as I judge, 

nearly half the distance when our advance came unexpectedly upon two mounted pickets, and, charging forward upon the instant, 

captured them without noise or alarm. Sending them to the rear we again advanced, and when within about a mile of the main guard 

we came upon an infantry picket, and, learning from him the distance to the house, charged in a body. As our advance approached 

the rebel station the rebels rushed in alarm and confusion from the house, and as they endeavored to get into line fired a few shots 

at us, when, unable to withstand our onset, they fled. 

The skirmish here lasted but a few minutes, our men using their carbines and revolvers freely, leaving, as was subsequently 

ascertained, 13 dead and dying rebels upon the ground and taking 11 prisoners, besides those previously captured, among whom 

was 1 commissioned officer. The men killed and 11 of the prisoners taken belong to the Twenty-second South Carolina Regiment; 

the others were a part of Major Nethercutt's command. After I had secured the prisoners I ordered the house to be set on fire, which 

was done, and, firing a shell from the howitzer as a parting salute, I slowly retired 2 or 3 miles built large camp fires, posted a strong 

guard, and encamped for the night, keeping the horses saddled and ready to mount at an instant's notice. 

There was no alarm during the night, nor at any subsequent time while I remained on the road, which I did, having no order to retire, 

until the 15th, when I moved up to Kinston Bridge, and, learning there that messengers had been sent for me, proceeded with my 

command to within 4 miles of White Hall, where I encamped for the night. 

The next morning as the command was passing White Hall it was fired upon by the rebel sharpshooters from the other side of the 

river. I immediately ordered forward the howitzer, under command of Lieutenant Allis, who opened upon them with shell and 

canister. After three rounds were received by them they ceased firing and we passed without further molestation, joining the main 

column the evening of the same day near Goldsborough, not having lost a man killed, wounded, or missing. 

I omitted to mention that the prisoners taken, to the number of 20, were turned over to the Fifty-first Massachusetts Regiment, then 

acting as rear guard, previous to our leaving the Kinston road. This number, however, did not include 3 who were subsequently 

taken, among whom was a sergeant of Major Nethercutt's band, and were paroled at Kinston on our return, making the whole 

number of prisoners captured by us while absent from your command 23. 

While finding nothing to censure and much to praise in the conduct of every officer and soldier of the command, I cannot but think 

that the conduct of Lieutenant Chamberlin and Sergeant Beecher, of Company A, who were in charge of the first platoon in the 

attack upon the rebel pickets, deserves especial commendation. Much of success attending the attack can be attributed to the 

soldierly qualities and good conduct displayed by them. 

I must not neglect to mention Lieutenant Allis and his howitzer, which was always ready when wanted, and did us good service at 

White Hall. I might mention others, but when I say that the conduct of all would I think, have fully met your expectations and merited 

your approval if you had been present, I have said enough. 

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

N(ewton). HALL, 

Captain, Third New York Cavalry.


CAMP THIRD NEW YORK CAVALRY, 

In the Trenches, near Petersburg, Va., May 26, 1864. 

COLONEL: I have the honor as commander of the Third New York Cavalry on the late raid from Suffolk against the Petersburg and 

Weldon Railroad to make the following report, to wit: 

. . . Major Newton Hall commanded the battalion on the right, and conducted the advance with excellent coolness, judgment, and 

gallantry. . . 

F. JACOBS, JR., 

Major, Commanding Third New York Cavalry. 


Report of Major Newton Hall, Third New York Cavalry, of operations May 12-17. 

HEADQUARTERS THIRD NEW YORK CAVALRY, 

City Point, May 18, 1864. 

MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the movements and operations of the Third Regiment Volunteer Cavalry, 

under my command, during the recent raid against the Danville, South Side, and Petersburg and Weldon Railroads. 

The Cavalry Division of General Kautz, to which the regiment is attached, left camp near Bermuda Hundred on the forenoon of the 

12th instant, and passing in rear of the advance of General Butler, crossed the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad at Chester 

Station, which had already been visited by our forces, and proceeding onward reached Chesterfield Court-House without serious 

molestation about 2 p. m. Here several prisoners, confined for refusing to serve in the ranks of the rebel army, were released, and 

some public stores destroyed, after which we pushed forward to Coalfield Station, on the Danville road, which we reached at 

midnight. The track was torn up for a considerable distance by the regiment, assisted by the First District of Columbia Cavalry. A 

train of cars, depot, and public stores to a great amount burned and a s great a destruction of all, but private property, made as 

possible, when we fell back about 4 miles and remained by the side of the road until morning. On the 13th we struck the road again 

at Powahatan and an Mattoax Bridge, destroying cars, depots, and a large quantity of rebel stores at the former place, besides 

tearing up the track to a considerable extend, On approaching the iron bridge across the Appomattox in the afternoon, we found it 

guarded by a strong force of infantry and artillery, and making a detour to the left reached the road bridge across the river about 5 p. 

m. and found that a part of this bridge had been destroyed. Immediate preparations were made for repairing it, and we crossed it in 

safety shortly after dark, and marching about 2 miles, bivouacked until dawn. 

The next morning we marched forward to the station (Chula), where the advance had already taken a locomotive, with tender 

attached, and dismounting about 100 or 150 men of the regiment, armed mostly with carbines, of whom you, sir, took the command, 

an attempt was made to burn the bridge across Swift Creek, but, being opposed by a vastly superior force of the enemy, were 

unable to accomplish their purpose and were ordered to retire after a gallant and persistent struggle, in which the regiment lost 

nearly 30 killed, wounded, and missing. On the afternoon of this day the regiment assisted in breaking the South Side Railroad at 

Wellville and Blacks and Whites. At the latter place a large quantity of public stores were destroyed. On the 15th we passed through 

Jonesville and camped at Lawrencville or Brunswick Court-House. Learning that a very superior force of the enemy were collected 

to oppose us at Belfiedl we passed to the left, crossing the Weldon and Petersburg road at Jarratt's Station, when the track was 

again torn up, the water-tank destroyed, and near which a splendid pontoon train was burned. We reached Freeman's Bridge across 

the Nottoway shortly after midnight, and the advance, consisting of the First District of Columbia Cavalry, had a slight skirmish with a 

party of the enemy attempting to destroy it. The rebels were speedily driven away, the bridge repaired, and we crossed about 

daybreak. Passing near Prince George Court-House we crossed the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad about noon of the 17th, 

rendering useless the repairs that had been made after our previous raid, and reached City Point on the afternoon of the same day. 

The conduct of both officers and men under my command during the march was such as to deserve my warmest commendation. 

I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

NEWTON HALL, 

Major, Commanding Third New York Cavalry. 

Willard B. Judd, 1st Lieutenant, 1 Feb 1863. 

http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/97thInf/97thInfCWN.htm 

The following are extracts from a private letter from W. B. JUDD, of the 97th: 

IN THE FIELD NEAR BERLIN, MD. 

July 16th 1863. 

Since the battle of Gettysburg we have been continually on the march almost night and day. Since we broke camp at White Oak 

Church, Va., on the 12th of June, we have had a hard time. It has been the longest and hardest campaigns we have ever had. We 

have not had our tents out of the wagons but once since and then before we left Virginia, and not a change of clothes. We were up 

to the rebels before they crossed the river, but they have fortified themselves strongly. — We threw up breastworks and every one 

expected an attack would be made the next day but none was made until the next morning, when we advanced upon their lines, but 

the bird was flown. Why the attack was not made the day before is best known to Gen. MEADE. — One thing is certain; it was an 

uncertain position to attack, LEE had the same advantage in his position that we had at Gettysburg, though I would not have 

doubted the result of it under the circumstances. I suppose the papers will condemn Gen. MEADE in the strongest terms for 

allowing Gen. LEE to escape. It is really amusing to see the views that most of the leading journals advance. They all seemed to 

think after Gen. LEE retreated from Gettysburg that it was a mere playspell to entirely annihilate the rebel array. He was completely 

bagged, in their estimation, and all that was necessary was to shoulder the bag and carry it off; but when we came to shoulder it the 

bag had not been tied and the contents dropped out. Allow me to say that an army like Gen. LEE'S cannot be captured in an open

country without an opposing force of six times as large. The most that can be done is to defeat them so badly as to completely route 

them and destroy their organization, capture their artillery trains &c.; but to hem them in and hold them until they surrender is almost 

an impossibility. When more than that is expected of the army of the Potomac or any other army it is an absurdity. I notice in 

yesterday's paper an awful riot in New York city. It is the most shameful affair that could happen. Almost every one here condemns 

Gov. SEYMOUR'S proclamation. 

The news from every quarter is of the most cheering character. I should think that the South begins to se the utter hopelessness of 

their cause. I think Jeff. Davis must be beginning to think about securing a passage to Paris or some other foreign part about this 

time. 

The following extracts from a private letter written by Lieut. W.B. JUDD, of the 97th regiment, gives some particulars additional to 

those published last week: 

" We suffered severely I assure you. Besides officers, we had twelve enlisted men killed, and forty-seven wounded. We had 

seventy-six taken prisoners; five or six of the latter have since returned. This is a correct statement of our casualities [sic] as far as 

we have heard. Capt. Eggleston returned last night. He escaped them on the night of the 5th, and lay in the mountains two or three 

days, and with the assistance of a Lieutenant of the 94th and one other man, captured eight prisoners and delivered them to the 

Provost Marshal. Among the wounded is Frank Reed, in the hand; his thumb had to be taken off. Frank Faville was taken prisoner, 

since paroled and is now at Westchester, Pa. 

We fought from 1 P. M. until 5 P. M., when the order was given to fall back to the Railroad. (We had fallen back and rallied four 

times then.) We found that they had turned on our left also and our only escape was to follow the Railroad into town. Our regiment 

was the last to leave and the last into town. Col. Spofford, Capt. Eggleston and myself were at the rear of the column, and when we 

were out of the wood on the Railroad, the rebels were twenty rods nearer the town than we were. The Colonel and Captain did not 

think best to run the gauntlet and turned the opposite way into a deep cut for protection; but I did not fancy the idea of being taken 

and went into town; but I beg leave to state that it was running the gauntlet in the strict sense of the word. The bullets were flying 

from each side a perfect shower. The air seemed so filled that it seemed almost impossible to breathe without inhaling them. Some 

one fell beside me almost every step. It was here that Serg. Fred. Munson fell mortally wounded, and Lieut. James Stiles was killed. 

Our Inspector General, of General Baxter's Staff, had his head shot entirely off by a cannon shot, just as we entered town. It was in 

the morning of that day that we lost a noble and efficient officer, Gen. Reynolds. He was shot early in the day while reconnoitering 

the ground and posting skirmishers. Though we met with a sad disaster that day the next two following turned the scale. The Rebs 

received such a whipping as will last them for some time to come. Too much praise can not be given to Gen. Meade. On the 3d was 

the hardest fight this army ever saw. After making the most desperate attacks on both flanks the enemy used every energy that day 

to break our centre. 

Our line of battle was in the shape of a horseshoe, the toe or centre on the cemetery above the town. About 1 P. M. the enemy 

opened on that hill from all directions and such a terriffic [sic] cannonading as followed it is impossible to describe. One hundred and 

fifty pieces all centered on that hill; but nobly did our boys respond. For two hours it seemed impossible for man or beast to live, 

Some of our batteries getting out of ammunition, would back to give place to others, and the Rebs, seeing the movement, mistook it 

for a break and they then made a desperate charge on the left of the hill with an imperative order that they "must take that hill." We 

opened a heavy fire of grape and cannister and broke their ranks, then our lines charged back upon them and took the whole 

division (except killed and wounded) prisoners and three stand of colors. Over two thousand prisoners were taken at this charge. A 

more cheering or thrilling sight I never saw, but from that time until dark I assure you it was quiet. Brig. Gen. Hayes rode up and 

down the lines, trailing one of the captured flags under the feet of his horse, and such a deafening roar of cheers as went up you 

never heard. Our regiment took the colors of the 23d North Carolina regiment in the first day's fight and the Colonel had them 

wrapped around him when he was taken. Two more were taken by other regiments of our brigade, Capt. Eggleston says the road 

was strewn with broken gun carriages, wagons, &c. Everything indicates a total defeat of the enemy." 

Louis H. Rowan, 1st Lieutenant, Co. C, promoted Quartermaster September 12, 1862; mustered out November 18, 1864. 

Archibald B. Snow was wounded in the chin ‘near Gettysburg.’ Promoted from Private to First Lieutenant. 

Horatio Stockton Howell was a Presbyterian minister from Philadelphia. Before the war he ran a private school for boys at 

Delaware Water Gap. At Gettysburg on 1 July 1863, Howell, the 42 year old chaplain of the 90th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 

along with several other First Corps chaplains, was in the hospital established at the Christ Lutheran Church on Chambersburg 

Street near the town square. Howell, often referred to as a "chaplain militant" because of his penchant for wearing military garb 

instead of the regulation black chaplain's uniform, was wearing the uniform of a Union captain complete with shoulder straps, a 

sash, and side arms. Chaplains were considered equivalent to captains in rank during the Civil War. 

According to a famous testimony by Sgt Archibald B Snow of the 97th NYV - "I had just had my wound dressed and was leaving 

through the front door just behind Chaplain Howell, at the same time when the advance skirmishers of the Confederates were 

coming up the street on a run. Howell, in addition to his shoulder straps & uniform, wore the straight dress sword prescribed in Army 

Regulations for chaplains, but which was very seldom worn by them. The first skirmisher arrived at the foot of the church steps just 

as the chaplain and I came out. Placing one foot on the first step the soldier called on the chaplain to surrender; but Howell, instead 

of throwing up his hands promptly and uttering the usual, 'I surrender,' attempted some dignified explanation to the effect that he 

was a non-combatant, and as such was exempt from capture, when a shot from the skirmisher's rifle ended the controversy." A 

monument at the foot of the church steps was dedicated in 1889 to perpetuate the memory of the chaplain slain in battle. It was the 

first such battlefield monument ever placed.

http://www.wheelockgenealogy.com/wheelockweb/pages/cw_bio.htm 

Brevet Brigadier Gen. Charles Wheelock (1812-1865), by Isaac Hall (also a Lodge Brother and one of the few Officers to return 

from battle to Boonville) 

Brevet Brigadier Gen. Charles Wheelock was born in the town of Claremont, County of 

Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, on the 14th day of December, 1812. He was the 

son of Daniel and Lucinda Wheelock, who removed with their family when the subject of 

this sketch was a mere lad and settled near the west bank of Black river, in the town of 

Boonville, north-east of the village, on lands now owned and occupied by Peter Ward and 

J. A. Fiske. His father was of English descent, and his mother first saw the light on the 

famous battle ground of Lexington. Her maiden name was Stewart. Two of her brothers 

took part in the Revolutionary War, one of whom fell at the battle of Bunker Hill. General 

Wheelock was married on the 20th day of May, 1835, to Miss Lucy Jones, daughter of 

Hezekiah Jones, Esq., of Boonville, N.Y., who is still living. 

They had six children, three sons and three daughters, five of whom were living at the time 

the colonel entered the service of his country. But on the 23d of May, 1863, the family 

circle was broken by the death of his eldest daughter, Allie, the lovely and accomplished 

wife of Philip Owen, Esq., then of Boonville, but now of the firm of Owen Brothers, 

manufacturing of clothing, in Utica. 

His eldest son, Morton D., now of Rome, was drafted in August, 1863, but having the 

entire charge of his father's private affairs it was deemed necessary the he should remain 

at home and he was represented by a substitute. The remaining children are Helen M., 

now the wife of Edward L Clark, of Brooklyn, Herbert H., of Cayuga, and Forrest J. 

Wheelock, of Boonville. 

Colonel Wheelock was a resident of Boonville for a period of forty years prior to his entering the military service of the United States. 

Besides attending to his farm affairs for the latter twenty years of his business life, he was a stirring, energetic produce dealer, and a 

square and honorable man. He was a member of the New York State Militia for ten years and the last four held a captain's 

commission. He was offered the colonelcy but declined. He was about five feet ten inches in height, of florid complexion, blue eyes, 

and possessed a heavy frame and strong muscular power; and his usual weight was something over two hundred pounds. He 

possessed a highly social nature but was a man of great determination; and was keenly sensitive in his views of right and always 

ready to defend them. He took a deep interest in politics and was a man of great influence with men, and a strong man in electing 

his favorites, but never sought or would accept office himself. General Wheelock was eminently domestic in his tastes and 

sympathies. No man prized more the endearments of family ties; he loved his home; his wife and children were most dear to him 

and he cherished their associations; however, the spark of patriotism, kindled in his bosom at the beginning, fanned into flame in his 

exertions in assisting to fill and forward to the seat of war, the 14th and 26th Regiments and Captain N. Hall's Cavalry Company, 

swelled in proportions in raising his own regiment; and finally at the zenith of his life, bore him away from the endearments to the 

privations, exposures and perils of the ensanguined field. 

As soon as he was captured at Gettysburg, Colonel Wheelock began to devise means of escape, which he effected, as 

aforementioned, on Sunday night in the darkness of the mountain pass. Soon after Wheelock's return to his regiment, he was 

ordered to Elmira, NY, with other officers of the Army of the Potomac, to take charge of, and forward conscripts. While here, the 

painful intelligence reached his friends, that he had been dismissed the service for approving, as alleged, fraudulent vouchers. No 

one acquainted with the colonel could entertain for a moment the idea that such a charge could be sustained, and this good opinion 

was soon confirmed by the following correspondence and orders: 

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D.C. September 12th, 1863 

Col. Wheelock, 97th N.Y. V.: 

Sir: Enclosed is the order restoring you to command, and pay from date of dismissal. 

It is due to you to state that your dismissal was a mistake - inadvertance - and wrongful. 

An account was presented for payment of $650.90 for subsisting recruits. This account was referred by the War Department to H. S. 

Olcott, Special Commissioner, about $150, and endorsing that Henry Root was the special contractor; J. P. Leslie, captain, certifying 

officer; and C. Wheelock, Col., the approving officer of the false and fraudulent account. 

Whereas, the fact is you did not approve of the bill, but only approved of the transportation charge of $10.45, in duplicate and this 

charge was right. 

Upon the discovery of this mistake you were at once ordered restored, and the order of dismissal revoked. 

I make this statement to relieve you from the slightest imputation, in this regard, upon your character as a man, and an officer. 

I am, Col., respectfully, your obedient servant, 

L. C. Turner, Judge Advocate 

War Department, Adjutant Generals office, 

Washington, Sep. 16, 1863

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D.C. September 16th, 1863 

Special Order No. 431 (Extract.) 

23. So much of Special Orders 416, September 12, 1863, from this office, as restores Col. C. Wheelock, 97th N.Y. Volunteers, to his 

command, with pay from date of dismissal, is hereby revoked, and the following is substituted: 

It having been ascertained that Col. C. Wheelock, 97th New York Volunteers, was, through some misapprehension of the facts of 

the case, erroneously reported for having approved a fraudulent account, he is hereby relieved from the imputation of blame in the 

premises, and so much of Special Orders 371, August, 20th, 1863, from this office, as dismissed him from the service for certifying 

to false and fraudulent accounts, is hereby revoked, and Col. Wheelock is restored to his command, with pay from date of dismissal. 

By order of the Secretary of War. 

Col. E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant General 

Robert Williams, Adjutant-General. 

The funeral of Brigadier General Charles Wheelock took place from the Presbyterian Church at Boonville. A special train with about 

150 of the 45th Regiment went up from Utica, but owing to heavy drifts did not reach Boonville till 3 o'clock. The funeral services 

were already in progress. The delegation was welcomed by a local committee and the firemen of the village. All the stores and 

shops of the place were closed. The Presbyterian church was crowded by the people from all the country round about, who 

sincerely mourned the patriot soldier. A sermon was delivered by Rev. Mr. Manley, of Boonville, and Rev. Dr. Fowler, of Utica, paid 

an eloquent and appropriate tribute to the public services of the deceased. The procession was very long and imposing. It included 

the 45th Regiment, National Guard, the Masonic Lodge and the firemen of the village, besides a large number of citizens. At the 

cemetery, the ceremonies of the Masonic order were performed, and the military paid the last honors to the departed hero. 

Written by Capt. Isaac Hall, a member of the Ninety-Seventh Regiment, New York Volunteers, and published as Appendix A of 

"History of the Ninety-Seventh Regiment New York Volunteers - Conkling Rifles", by Isaac Hall, 1890, Press of L. C. Childs & Son, 

Utica, NY. ISBN 0-935523-25-1. This book has been reprinted by Butternut and Blue, 3411 Northwind Road, Baltimore, Maryland 

21234, and can be purchased at Amazon.com 

< Charles Wheelock organized and became the colonel of the 97th Regiment N. Y. Volunteers, also 

called the "Conkling Rifles." 

For conspicuous gallantry at an engagement on the Weldon railroad, August 19, 1864, he was 

brevetted Brigadier-General on that field by Major-General G. K. Warren. He died at Washington, DC, 

while still in the service of his country. His remains were conveyed to Boon ville, and there interred with 

Masonic honors by his Lodge on January 26, 1865. 

http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/97thInf/97thInfCWN.htm 

The Ninety-Seventh Regiment.—This brave Oneida county regiment took a very important and brilliant 

part in the recent advance of WAREN'S Fifth corps to the Weldon railroad. Colonel WHEELOCK, in 

command of a brigade, appears from the correspondence of the New York Herald to have greatly 

distinguished himself. The correspondent says: 

This war has rarely developed a more daring attempt at flanking—one so successful at its 

commencement and such a strange reverse crowning—as that made by the enemy on our right. Gen. 

Bragg deployed the Nineteenth Indiana regiment as skirmishers. The enemy's skirmishers, followed by 

two lines of battle, suddenly dashed in overwhelming numbers upon them. Through some strange 

oversight, the skirmish line was not properly supported. The Nineteenth Indiana gave way, and the 

Sixth Wisconsin was sent to its support. Our line here was in a skirt of pines, with a cornfield in front 

and rear. Dashing over the first field, the enemy pushed through our lines, and swept round in the rear 

of Colonel Wheelock's brigade. Colonel Wheelock's troops, who were behind breastworks they had 

thrown up, seeing a force of rebels in their rear, at once changed front by taking to the other side of 

their breastworks. A murderously repulsing volley was poured into the enemy, at which they moved to the right, taking in their track 

nearly all of the Ninety-fourth and One Hundred and Fourth New York regiments, the One Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania 

regiment and First and Second Pennsylvania reserve veteran regiments, the last two regiments constituting Col. Hartshorn's 

brigade, the Third brigade of General Crawford's division. It was evidently the intention of the enemy to push along our entire line in 

this flanking manoeuvre; but the coolness and gallantry of Col. Wheelock and his men, aided by Gen. White's division of the Ninth 

corps, which behaved with like steadiness and bravery, sent the rebels back to their starting place. They charged on the enemy, 

capturing a number of prisoners and a battle flag. 

Too much praise cannot be given to Col. Wheelock for the brilliant and dashing charge he made upon the enemy. His great 

coolness and daring in a great measure saved the day on this portion of the line. Capt. Smith, of Col. Wheelock's staff, came face to 

face with a rebel captain, who insisted on his surrender, and on his refusal attempted to run him through with a bayonet. Parrying 

the bayonet thrust with his sabre, he got out of the chivalric captain's way and escaped. 

A grayback—this time in the costume of a private—took a fancy to Capt. Doolittle, Col. Wheelock's Assistant Adjutant General, and 

told him to follow him. Instead of complying with the demand, the Captain snatched the fellow's musket from him, and with the 

bayonet pinned him to a tree, where he may remain yet. At all events the Captain escaped. 

The Ninety-fourth regiment, mentioned above as having been nearly all captured, is from Jefferson county, and is commanded by 

Col. ADRIAN R. ROOT, of Buffalo. 

Col. WHEELOCK was the original commander of the Regiment, and contributed liberally from his private fortune to form it. The 

gallant and faithful Colonel was captured during one of the earliest engagements of the Regiment; but he made a daring escape. 

Disease subsequently fastened upon him, however; but he lived to receive the promotion to a Brigadier Generalship. Brig. Gen.

WHEELOCK died of disease in Washington, on the 21st of January, 1865. His remains were brought home and were buried with full 

military honors in the Boonville Cemetery. The 45th Regiment, N. G., went up from Utica to attend the funeral. 

http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/97thInf/97thInfFergusonLetters.pdf 

July 1863 – from the letters of Chaplain John V. Ferguson, to his wife. 

Col. Wheelock has escaped from the Rebs & has safely returned after being two days in the mountain with no food before he 

dare venture to a house as Rebs were on both sides of the Mountain He escaped while passing through a forest in the dark night by 

lying down just at the side of the road & the guards didn’t miss him. 

Col Wheelock's sword & a part of the flag staff captured by our regiment were saved by a Lady, Miss Carrie Sheads, the 

principal of the female academy who lived in a house in which Col Wheelock stopped as the Regt were falling back She hid them 

from the Rebs who followed the Col into the house by covering them in the folds of her dress. I yesterday went with the Col. over the 

battlefield & to the house & obtained the sword & highly prized flag staff. 

WHEELOCK, CHARLES (2d).—Age, 28 years.117th NY Infantry Vols.; Enrolled at Rome, to serve three years, and mustered in as 

captain, Co. I, August 15, 1862; discharged for disability, February 14, 1864; subsequent service, colonel Ninety-seventh Infantry. 

Of the others, several gained promotion in the service, some fell upon the field of battle, while others perished in the hospitals; 

but all of these heroes gave full measure of loyal duty to the cause of human liberty and the glory of the "Old Flag." 

The Bible used by the Lodge is highly prized, it being the gift of the wives and daughters of Masons. It also has a gavel from the 

Holy Land, presented by W.'. THOMAS S. JONES in 1870. Another prized relic is a sword and scabbard presented by Bro. Lieutenant 

SIDNEY S. HICKS. 

The Lodge was represented at the laying of the corner-stone and dedication of the Home at Utica. 


George W. Smith, Assemblyman. 

Leander W. Fiske, Assemblyman. 

Walter Ballou, Assemblyman. 

R. H. Roberts. State Senator. 

Garry A. Willard, State Senator. 

Henry W. Bentley, Congressman, Surrogate. 

Thomas S. Jones. District Attorney. 

Daniel Buck, Supreme Court Judge, Minnesota. 


Joel T. Comstock, District Deputy Grand Master. 

MASTERS. 

1850. Henry Graves. 




1854. William S. Jackson. 



1857. Joel T. Comstock. 



1860. Oscar L. Wetmore. 

1861. Thomas N. 

Manchester. 


Manchester. 


Manchester. 

1864. Asa S. Couch. 

1865. H. Romeyn Hadley. 

1866. Frederick T. Clark. 


1868. Walter Booth. 



1871. Walter Ballou. 

1872. Walter Ballon. 

1873. Thomas S. Jones. 




1877. Frederick M. Jackson. 

1878. Frederick M. Jackson. 


1880. Walter Ballon. 

1881. Henry McClusky. 






1887. Fred J. Kent 

1888. Fred J. Kent. 



1891. Arch B. Snow. 

1892. Arch B. Snow. 


1894. Dwight W. Miller. 







1901. Charles H. Cook. 



1904. Dunne M. Cone. 

1905. William S. Johnson. 


1907. Samuel Karlen. 

1908. I. Gilbert Sawyer. 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/obits/obitw.html#Wilmot, Albert 

WOLFE, Henry J. 

HENRY J. WOLFE--A Worthy Citizen Enters into Rest--Served as Supervisor of Boonville-- 

Henry Jacob WOLFE was born in Ava, 4 Jan 1850, the son of George and Betsey Ann BELLINGER WOLFE. He was a direct 

descendant of John Josr [sic] Herchheimer [Herkimer], the sturdy pioneer of the Mohawk Valley and also of Col. Peter Bellinger and 

his son, Lieut. Col. Frederick Bellinger, who were actively engaged in the War of the Revolution. Mr. Wolfe married 31 Dec 1870, 

Amanda MOSHER, who died in Boonville 10 Sep 1910. His early life was spent in Ava and Leyden, where he engaged in farming. 

He came to Boonville about thirty years ago and engaged in carpenter work. He was an excellent workman and was employed in 

the State Shop of the Black River Canal for several years. He also was employed in the Colton hardware store. 

Mr. Wolf represented the town of Boonville in the board of supervisors, being elected by the Republicans of this town. He took a 

great interest in public affairs and always worked for the welfare of the community. He has been a very industrious and active man 

and was highly esteemed. He was an earnest Christian and prominently identified with the Presbyterian church of which he was a

member. He was also a member of the Sunday school and faithful in attendance upon all the services, both on Sunday and during 

the week. He also served as trustee of the church. 

Mr. Wolfe was a member of Boonville Lodge, No. 165, F&AM. He was a trustee and also a member of the board of governors of 

the Masonic club. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. J. Frank Pease and a grandson, Jay Henry Pease, who have the sincere 

sympathy of many friends in the bereavement which has come to them. The Boonville Masonic Lodge took part in the services. 

Roman Hatheway Lodge No. 223, Rome, New York 

http://www.romanhatheway.org/OurHistory.html 

In 1798, Oneida County was created from a part of Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Oneida County, 

including the present Jefferson, Lewis, and part of Oswego Counties. Shortly after the creation of the current Oneida County; 

Roman Lodge was created. 

Warrant: 13 Feb 1799 Roman Lodge No. 79. 

Signed by M.’.W.’. Robert R. Livingston, Grand Master; R.’.W.’. Jacob Morton, DGM; R.’.W.’. Dewitt Clinton, SGW; R.’.W.’. Martin 

Hoffman, JGW, naming Joshua Hatheway as Master; Stephen Whites as SW; Chester Gould as JW. 

The original warrant in possession of the Lodge is dated 13 Feb 1799. The name has since been Roman until the merger with 

Hatheway Lodge 869 in 1998 which is why we are now known as Roman-Hatheway. 

Roman's number was 79 until 4 Jun 1819 when it became No. 82 and upon its revival in 1851 received its present number 223. 

Minutes: Intact from 1799 to 1831, and intact since 1851. Roman Lodge was organized during the winter of 1797-1798. 

The proceedings of the Grand Lodge under date of March 7, 1798 contains the following in reference to petitions for warrants. 

"From William Colbreath and others to hold a Lodge in the Town of Rome, County of Oneida, by the name of Roman Lodge and the 

said petition was referred to the Grand Presiding Officer" 

The petition was recommended by Steuben Lodge No. 54 from the Herkimer County on 11 Jan 1798. 

On 13 Feb 1799 a warrant was issued, with: 

Master Joshua Hatheway 

SW Stephen White 

JW Chester Gould 

Brothers within Petition also included: William Colbreath, Sheldon Logan, Zenas Gould, Jesse Pierce and Calvin Gould. 

Col. William Colbreath (aka Colbraith) held the office of Sheriff of Herkimer County, in 1791 and 1796. At the organization of 

Oneida County, in 1798, he was chosen Sheriff, and was the first officer who ever served a process on what was known as the 

Military Tract. Though he had served in the War of the Revolution, his title was acquired after the war in the service of the State. In 

social life he was full of humor and took great delight in scenes of mirth. His manners grew out more from a mind naturally strong, 

rather than from one educated in the schools or the courtesies of life in society. 

His interesting Journal, kept during the siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777, may be read in the present work at Appendix IV, wherein he 

also gives an account of the first raising of an American flag in battle. 

By 19 Sep 1799 the Lodge membership had almost doubled and the Treasurer was instructed to purchase lamb skins for thirty 

aprons and also a carpet. 

The first labor of the Lodge was the passing of N.J. Visscher; the first initiates were Rufus Easton and Michael Frost. 

The Lodge had many abiding places during the first 25 years of its existence. From Solomon Rich’s coffee house it’s passed to 

David I. Andrus’s; thence to Stephen White’s, now the site to the long room of Will aim McCarthy (1800); thence to Moses Wright’s 

(1805); thence to the third loft of Brother Lee’s house, the site of the American Hotel; thence to Enos Gilbert’s (1814) ; thence to 

Brother Merrill’s (1815); thence to Stephen White’s (1816); thence to Charles C. Graham’s the coffee house (1817). 

In 1814 it voted to build a new hall, but nothing came of it. On 3 Aug 1824 a resolution to purchase a site and build a hall was 

carried and a committee was appointed to procure the necessary finds. The Contributions aggregated the sum of $240.50. All but 

$20.00 was given in lumber, lime, iron ware, produce, printing, shoe making goods and labor. As a result of this effort the 

building was erected on the corner of Liberty and Washington Street and a deed taken to Numa Leonard, who gave a declaration of 

trust to the Lodge, etc. On 21 Feb 1825 the new hall was occupied for the first time. LaFayette visiting Rome during the year, the 

name of LaFayette was applied to the new room. It continued to be used by the Lodge until 1831. 

The hall later was occupied by The Jewish Synagogue, The Universalist Church and The Zion Church. (Not necessarily in this 

order) 

Of the social life and practices of the Lodge a hint appears here and there. 13 Dec 1803 the Secretary records a resolution to 

celebrate the feast of St. John’s day at Brother Andrus’s and have a sermon preached; that twenty five cents a member be paid for 

the dinner and seventy-five cents a bottle for wine. 

On 23 Sep 1826 the corner stone of the Baptist Church at Rome was laid with Masonic ceremonies by Benjamin P. Johnson, who at 

that time was Master of Roman Lodge 

The last returns on file are dated June 1829. It then had 23 members. . 

32

Grand Lodge requested that the warrant for Roman 79 be surrendered. Numa Leonard, Master of the lodge, refused to do so in 

hopes that Masonry would be revived once again in Rome. (Roman-Hatheway still holds this charter) 

Tradition informs us that after 1829, owing to the persecutions occasioned by the Morgan episode the meetings of the Lodge were 

held at infrequent intervals in secret places, mostly in the room in back of Alva Mudge’s store, but it was finally forced to cease work 

and for almost 20 years Masonry slumbered in Rome. 

On 3 Jun 1835 the Grand Secretary reported that no returns had been made by the Lodge since 1829 and that Grand Lodge 

declared the warrant forfeited. 

The first movement to revive the Lodge was made during the winter of 1850-1851 by Selden A. Emerson and Samuel B. Stevens 

who induced others to join in re-organizing the Lodge. On 5 Feb 1851 a meeting was held in Odd Fellows Hall when a petition was 

prepared and arrangements made to complete the organization. Four of the petitioners were survivors of the old Roman 82 Lodge 

who on 16 Jun 1851 were issued a warrant: 

Four original brothers: Samuel B. Stevens, Jesse Armstrong, Joseph D. Cage and James Halbert. 

First officers of the revived lodge: 

Seldon A. Emmerson Master 

Samuel B. Stevens SW 

Soloman [sic] Purdy JW 

The first meeting place of the Lodge after its revival was in the Armstrong Block on South James Street and the Erie Canal ,where it 

remained until 5 Nov 1853, when a fire destroyed the building. 

Once the original 1799 warrant resurfaced in 1851 the following petition was made to Grand Lodge F & A. M. of the State of New 

York: 

Proceedings read as follows: 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

“A Petition was submitted on behalf of Roman Lodge No. 223 to re-issue to the Lodge the charter of Roman Lodge No. 82, granted 

in 1799, as of 1851, the date of the charter of Roman Lodge No. 223. 

The Committee adopted the following preamble and resolution: Whereas Roman Lodge No. 223 has filed a petition to re-issue the 

charter of Roman Lodge No. 82 granted in 1799 as of 1851, the date of the charter of Roman Lodge No. 223, and as the charter 

issued to Roman Lodge No. 82 has been the property of the Grand Lodge since its forfeiture and cannot be re-issued under No, 223 

and, whereas, there is a Lodge No. 82, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge it is resolved, That the Committee recommends 

that the petition of Roman Lodge No. 223 be denied at this time without prejudice. 

All of which is fraternally submitted. 

Robert Judson Kenworthy 

Charles F. Adams 

Nathan T Hewitt 

Edward Booth 

William Kilingenstein 

Harold J Richardson 

Luis E Bomeisler 

William S. Riselay 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Jerome L. Cheney 

Committee” 

As they continued the craft as Roman Lodge No. 223, it afterwards occupied the Odd Fellow Hall No. 133 West Dominick St., until 

25 Jun 1856 when it moved into rooms over the Fort Stanwix Bank (now Rome Savings Bank) where it remained until 14 Feb 1870, 

when it moved into a building owned by Samuel B. Stevens who had been an active member of the Lodge since 1828. 

On 11 Feb 1880 it moved into rooms which had been specially arranged for Masonic purposes in the Clessman-Hower Block where 

it remained until 11 May 1908, when it moved into the Masonic Temple which had just been erected on the site of the Washington 

Street Opera House. 

Roman Lodge was also represented at the Laying of the Corner stone of the Home at Utica, 

NY, 21 May 1891 and at its dedication 5 Oct 1892. The Lodge participated in the ceremonies 

attending the laying of the corner stone of the City Hall at Rome by M.W. John Hodge, Grand 

Master, 4 Oct 1894. 

On 6 May 1899 the Lodge celebrated its Centennial Anniversary, the affair was held in the 

Washington Street Opera House and Attracted a large assemblage of Masons and their 

friends. 

It also participated in the ceremonies attending the laying of the corner stone of the Federal 

Building at Rome by M.W. William A. Sutherland past Grand Master, 6 Jun 1903. 

11 May 1908 it moved into the Masonic Temple which had just been erected on the site of the 

Washington Street Opera House. 

In 1909 Roman Lodge 82 requested dispensation to warrant Hatheway Lodge No. 869. In 

which created a second Masonic Lodge in Rome. 

33

Lodge Rooms, Corner of Domick & Washington Streets, ca 1907. 

Rome Temple – 1908 

Distinguished Brothers 

Hon. Benjamin P. Johnson, State Assemblyman 1827-1829 

Edward L. Stevens, Mayor of Rome 1877-1878 

Hon. David Wager, State Senator 1836-1840 

Hon. A.T. Goodwin, State Senator 1878-1879 

Hon. George Brayton, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 1856-1857 

Hon. Walter W. Abbott, Mayor of Rome 1942-43, State Assemblyman 1930-1933, and Judge for the Children’s Court 

Hon. Stephen Van Dresser, Surrogate Judge of Oneida County 

Hon. William B. Bliss, County Judge and Surrogate Court Judge 

Frank S. Black, Governor 1897-1898 

George Merrill, Mayor of Rome 1872-1875 

E. Stewart Williams, Mayor of Rome 1891-1893 

John E. Mason, Deputy Attorney General 

Hon. George T. Davis, City Judge 

Hon. David Andrus, State Assemblyman 

Hon. Samuel Beardsley, Chief Justice, N.Y. Supreme Court 

Hon. Chester Hayden, Judge, Court of Common Pleas; 

Henry Wager Halleck, President National Agricultural Society 

Hon. J. Thomas Springs, Congressman 

Hon. William B. Bliss, County Judge 

Hon. T. Tom Spriggs, Congressman 

34

Hedding A. Casswell, Mayor of Rome 1901-1904 

Frederick E. Mitchell, Mayor of Rome 1883-1884 

Albert R. Kessinger, Mayor of Rome 1906-1912 

Fred Martin, Mayor of Rome 1924-1926 

George S. Klock, District Attorney 

Hon. E. Howard Ringrose, N.Y. Supreme Court Justice 

John C. Shantz, Mayor of Rome 1944-1949 

Hon. John Grow, N.Y. Supreme Court Justice 

James Brown, incumbent Mayor of Rome. 2004- 

Freemasons who gave full measure of life in the cause of human liberty and good government: 

The American Revolution 1775-1783 – Joshua Hatheway, Stephen White, Lieut. William Colbreath (Colbraith), Thomas Hartwell, 

Daniel Green, and Thomas Selden. 

War of 1812 – John P. Hartwell, Archibald T. Frink, Walter Colburn, John Westcott, Joshua Green, Benjamin Rudd, Edward 

Grannis and Henry Smith. 

The Mexican War 1846 – James McHarg 

Civil War 1860 – Jesse B. Armstrong, Thomas H. Flandrau and H.C. Vogel 

Spanish War 1898 – Charles P. Russ, Anton Springer and W.J. Barnett 

----- 

ARMSTRONG, JESSE B.—Age, 33 years. Enlisted, First Engineers, January 14, 1802, at New York city; mustered in as private, 

Co. H, January 14, 1862, to serve three years; appointed artificer, July 1, 1802; mustered out, January 13, 1805, at Varina, Va. 

----- 

http://books.google.com/books?id=M4QUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA750&lpg=PA750&dq=%22Thomas+H.+Flandrau%22&source=bl&ots= 

Ho2e3RRD5b&sig=irBegtUzJt4AqDQvf9zbcFWvxKg&hl=en&ei=giwS_awBIT6lwel77mRAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20H.% 

20Flandrau%22&f=false page 753. 

Thomas Hunt Flandrau, b. 1801, who in his time was a fine lawyer and a man of high position. He was a graduate of Hamilton 

College, studied law with Judge Nathan Williams at Utica, and after his admission to the bar formed a partnership with Aaron Burr, 

whose erratic and unfortunate career is a familiar page of American history. In this practice they located at New York City. About 

1825 Thomas H. Flandrau married Miss Elizabeth Maria Macomb, a half-sister of General Alexander Macomb, commander-in-chief 

of the United States army from 1828 to 1841. Several years after their marriage Mr. Flandrau removed to Oneida county, New York, 

where he was engaged in the practice of law up to the time of his death, which occurred January 2, 1855. 

Alexander (Sr's) married, first to Catherine Navarre, the daughter of Robert Navarre, who was Notaire Royal of the French colony at 

Detroit, from the first establishment of the colony. There were nine children from this marriage, the seventh being Alexander 

Macomb Jr, His second wife was, Jane (Marshall) Rucker, widow of John Peter Rucker, a merchant in New York. By her he had 

seven more children, total of sixteen in all. 

---- 

Thomas Hunt Flandrau, his father, was born at New Rochelle, Westchester, NY. His ancestors resided at La Rochelle in France. He 

married Elizabeth Macomb. She was the daughter of Alexander Macomb, who was born in Belfast, Ireland, 27 July 1750, and came 

to America in 1760. He married Catiche [Catherine] Navarre at Detroit, Michigan, 4 May 1773. She died 7 Nov 1789, leaving ten 

children. Alexander again married in Jul 1791, Jane Rucker in New York city. He was for many years a leading merchant in New 

York, and died in Georgetown, District of Columbia, at the age of 84 years. 

Janet ‘Rucker’ was born in Nassau, New Providence, 27 Aug 1761, and was named Janet 

Marshall [painting at right]. She first married John Peter Rucker, and had one son. In Jul 1791 

she married Alexander Macomb. The issue of this marriage was three sons and four daughters. 

She was the step-mother of General Alexander Macomb, who was Commander-in-Chief of the 

United States army immediately preceding General Winfield Scott. She died in Georgetown, 

DC, 3 Mar 1849, in the 88th year of her age. 

Thomas H. Flandrau's emigrated as far west as Utica, NY, and studied law in the office of 

Nathan Williams, an eminent lawyer of that village. Soon after being admitted to practice, he 

formed a law partnership with Colonel Aaron Burr( formerly vice-president of the United States, 

and went to the city of New York, where he practiced with Colonel Burr for several years. He 

married Elizabeth Macomb in 1824 or 1825, and shortly afterwards returned to Oneida county, 

NY, where he continued in the practice of his profession until his death, 2 Jan 1855. He was a 

graduate of Hamilton college, New York. 

Alexander Macomb (Sr.), among other things was noted for his purchase of the ‘Macomb Purchase’ It was 3,670,715 acres). The 

tract included much of northern New York, along the St. Lawrence River and eastern Lake Ontario, including the Thousand Islands, 

at about eight cents an acre. The purchase was divided into ten large townships. From this purchase are derived the deeds for all 

the lands that are now included in Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, and Franklin Counties, as well as portions of Herkimer and 

Oswego Counties. His son Maj. Gen. Alexander (Jr.) was a member of Zion Lodge No. 1 at Detroit, Michigan, receiving degrees on 

4 an 21 Nov 1816, and elected Master on 1 Dec 1817. His grave in the Congressional Cemetery at Washington, D.C. has several 

Masonic emblems on the tombstone. d. 25 Jun 1841. 

35

http://www.romanhatheway.org/JoshuaHatheway.html 

Joshua Hatheway - Born in Suffield, CT, 13 Aug 1761, the son of Simeon Hatheway, and nephew of Shadrach Hatheway (Yale 

1738). His father later removed to Bennington, VT, and was engaged in the battle of Bennington, in Aug1777, with seven sons, of 

whom Joshua, the graduate was of Yale was one. Joshua Hatheway was admitted to College in February of the Freshman year, 

and united with the College Church on profession of faith in January of his Sophomore year. Upon graduation he studied law, and 

after settling in practice in Bennington, married on 19 Feb 1791 Elizabeth Lord, third daughter of John Haynes Lord (Yale 1745), of 

Hartford, CT. 

In 1795 he removed to Fort Stanwix, now Rome, NY, and was admitted to the bar of Herkimer County. When Oneida County was 

organized, in 1798, he was given a commission as Justice of the Peace, which he held for some thirty years. He was also appointed 

the first County Treasurer, and held that office until 1802. He held many other local offices of trust, and was the first Master of the 

first Lodge of Masons in Rome in 1800, known now as Roman-Hatheway Lodge. 

He was at first actively associated with the Federalists in politics: but became dissatisfied with the policy of that party in the 

presidential contest of 1800, and acted thereafter with the Democrats. About 1810 he was appointed by President Madison 

Postmaster of Rome, and he retained that place until 1833, when he was succeeded by his eldest son. As an illustration of the 

dignity with which he clothed his office, it is narrated that whenever the mail arrived for distribution, he commanded silence on the 

part of the spectators present, required them to be seated, and said: “Gentlemen, take off your hats, for the United States mail is 

now to be opened and distributed.” 

In 1808 he was appointed County Surrogate, but was turned out by the Federalists in February, 1813. In 1813 he accompanied as 

Quartermaster to Sacket Harbor the regiment raised in Rome. 

In March 1815, he restored to his old place, and held it until 1819, when he was again displaced because of a split in the Republican 

party. On 4 Jul 1817, as President of the village, he was entrusted with the duty and privilege of breaking the first ground for the 

construction of the Erie Canal, in Rome. In April,1821, he was again appointed Surrogate, and was finally superseded by a younger 

candidate in his own party in 1827. When restored to the office for the last time, in 1821, he was also made one of the Judges of the 

Court of Common Pleas, and held that place until 1833. Joshua Hatheway died in Rome on 8 Dec 1836, in his 76 th year but his 

accomplishments engraved in Rome, will live on past our time. 

Source: Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Yale 

On 4 Jul 1817, ground was first broken at Rome for the excavation of the Erie Canal. The place selected for the ceremony was a 

few rods west of what was then the United States arsenal [near Ft. Newport], near Wood Creek, and to Oneida County Judge 

Joshua Hatheway, of Rome, was assigned the honor of being the first to hold the first shovel for the ceremony. 

For a further discussion of the 4 Jul 1817 Ceremony see Appendix V 

Wisconsin: its story and biography, 1848-1913, Volume 5, by Ellis Baker Usher. Page 1267. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=5J0UAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Joshua+Hathaway%22+%22rome%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Joshua Hatheway (Hathaway) was born in Suffield, CT, 13 Aug 1761, and was a son of Simeon Hathaway, who immigrated in an 

early day to Bennington, VT, where he became one of the first settlers in the territory then designated as the Hampshire Grants. The 

founders of the American branch of the Hathaway family were three brothers, Ephraim, Isaac and Jacob, who immigrated from the 

west of England in 1670 and settled at Taunton, MA. Joshua Hathaway, Sr., father of him whose name initiates this review was a 

valiant soldier of the Continental forces in the war of the Revolution, in which he and his six brothers fought side by side in the battle 

of Bennington. He was a man of specially high intellectual attainments, having been graduated in Yale College and having adopted 

the profession of law. In 1796 he removed to Port Stanwix, NY, a place now known as Rome, his marriage to Elizabeth Lord having 

been solemnized in 1781. He became one of the most honored and influential citizens of Oneida county, where he served many 

years on the bench of the court of common pleas, besides which he held for thirty consecutive years the office of postmaster of the 

village in which he had established his home. He was a man of broad views and progressive ideas and was one of the earnest 

supporters of the project of constructing the Erie canal. To further the success of this important enterprise he assumed an extensive 

contract for construction work, and at so low a figure did he take this contract that his entire fortune was absorbed in its completion. 

He continued his residence at Rome until his death on 8 Dec 1836, and was one of the most honored pioneers of the central part of 

the old Empire state. His son, also Joshua, moved west to Wisconsin where he engaged in the early surveying of that state (then a 

part of Territory of Michigan), when he was high esteemed. A more complete biography of Joshua (Jr.)and his wife may be read at 

the above referenced website. 

36

Oriental Lodge No. 224, 

BENJAMIN HALL, of Utica, for two terms a leading member in time State Assembly from the First District of Oneida County, is the 

son of Jason C. and Permelia Hall, who died in 1858 and 1886 respectively. He is of English descent. His father’s family consisted 

of two daughters and seven sons, Benjamin being the oldest boy. The youngest son was less than one year old at the time of his 

father’s death. Five of the sons are still living, namely, Benjamin, John P., George A., Charles C., and D. Jason. 

Mr. Hall was born in Ingham’s Mills, Fulton County, NY, 9 Mar 1846, and remained on his father’s 

farm until 1870. He was educated in the public schools of his native town. In June, 1874, he 

removed to Utica, where he has since resided and where he established in the same year his 

present hide, wool, and fur business, which since 1880 has been located on the corner of Bleecker 

and John Streets. Here he has successfully built up a large and profitable trade, and is one of the 

oldest dealers in this line in the city. He is one of Utica’s enterprising business men, and is well and 

favorably known throughout the State. By honest dealing, strict attention to details, and continued 

industry he has steadily increased the business of his establishment until now it is one of the 

heading houses of the kind in Central New York. As a business man, and socially, he is held in high 

esteem, and enjoys the confidence of all. In public and political affairs Mr. Hall has been especially 

prominent. He has been for many years an active Republican and in the councils of his party is a 

recognized leader. 

In 1885 he was elected to the New York State Assembly from the First District of Oneida County on 

the Republican ticket by a plurality of 254 over his Democratic opponent, and was re-elected in 

1886 by a largely increased majority. 

In the Legislature he was devoted to the interests of his constituents and the State at large, and was 

classed with the working members of that body. His prudence and efficiency while in office secured 

for him the honor of being the first Republic in his district who was nominated and elected for two 

successive terms. As Assemblyman his vote and influence were always in the interests of 

wholesome legislation for the elevation of society and the promotion of good government. He 

served on many important committees, being Chairman of those on Canals and Joint Library, and 

he introduced about fifty bills, most of which became laws. He was well liked by his associates and 

his counsel was often sought by older members. 

Mr. Hall is in the broadest sense of the term a self-made man. Being the eldest son, the death of his father when he was only twelve 

years of age placed him at the head of the family and threw the entire charge of a large farm upon his young and inexperienced 

shoulders. With courage and perseverance however, he assumed the obligations which thus early devolved upon him, and from that 

time to the present he has followed a successful career. In the City of Utica he is prominently connected with various institutions and 

societies. He is a member of Oriental Lodge, No. 224, F&AM of Oneida Chapter No. 57 , RAM, of Utica Commandery No. 3, KT., 

of Utica Consistory, No. 2, A. and A S. Rite, and of Zayara Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, 32° Northern Jurisdiction. 

He is also a member of Imperial Council No. 70, R. A., and w as one of tine first members of the Arcanum Club and one of its 

original Board of Governors. He is a member of Oneida Lodge IOOF, an honorary member of the Utica Citizens Corps, and a 

member of the Merchants and Manufacturers Exchange and one of its Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Utica 

Chamber of Commerce, of the Masonic Club, and of the Oneida Historical Society. 

Mr. Hall was married, 27 Feb 1872, to Catherine P. Harrison, daughter of Hon. Archibald McDonald Harrison, of Cressy, Ontario), 

Canada. Mr. Harrison was distantly connected with ex-President Harrison and a cousin of the late Hon. John A. McDonald, who for 

many years was at the head of the Dominion government of Canada. 

Source: ‘The Empire State in Three Centuries’ Volume 3 Century History Company 

RUFUS POMEROY BIRDSEYE has been for many years one of the leading financiers and business men of Utica and, as 

Treasurer of the Savings Bank of Utica, is widely known throughout Central New York. His 

ancestry is an old and honorable one. The Birdseye family in America had its origin in John 

Birdseye, who came from England to Stratford, Fairfield County, CT, in the early days of that 

colony. He finally removed to Middlefield, CT, and died in 1694, aged 74, leaving two 

children John, Jr., and Joanna. His wife was Phillippa, daughter of Rev. Henry Smith, of 

Weathersfield, CT. John Birdseye, Jr., born in Stratford, 28 Mar 1641, married Phebe, 

daughter of William Wilcoxson, 11 Dec 1669, and died 9 Jan 1697. 

Joseph, their fifth child, born 22 Feb 1681, married Sarah, daughter of Ambrose Thompson, 

and died 25 Jun 1757. Their children were Dinah, Joseph, and Rev. Nathan. Rev. 

Nathan Birdseye, born on Lord’s day, at noon, 8 Aug 1714, married Dorothy, daughter of Rev. 

Thomas Hawley, of Ridgefield, CT, 17 Apr 1739, and died 28 Jan 1817, aged 103 yrs, 5 mos, 

and 9 days. His wife’s death occurred 21 Sep 1807, at the age of 88. 

Ezra Birdseye, their fifth child, born in Stratford, CT, 28 Jan 1749, married Phebe Curtis, and 

died 28 Dec 1832. Their third child, Ezra, Jr., born at Stratford, 19 May 1773, married Lovina, 

daughter of Joseph and Anna (Clement) Martin, of Martinsburg, Lewis, NY, 14 Apr 1797, and 

died in Trenton, Oneida, 5 Nov 1830. He was probably the first to manufacture silk hats in 

Trenton, and successfully carried on that business there during his active life. His fifth child, 

Joseph Birdseye, was born in that village 17 Sep 1813, and learned and followed his father’s 

trade. In 1833 he moved to Utica, where he subsequently settled with his family. There he manufactured hats and caps for many 

years for the wholesale trade, and died 30 Mar 1887. He was married 30 Aug 1839, to Helen E. Pomeroy, daughter of Asa and 

Theodocia Pomeroy. 

37

Rufus P. Birdseye is the only son and child of Joseph and Helen E. (Pomeroy) Birdseye, and was born in Trenton, Oneida, 17 Aug 

1842. He moved with his parents to Utica, where he spent his youth, attending the public schools and academy. Leaving the 

academy, where he had shown great proficiency in mathematics and the English branches, he went to New York and entered the 

canal transportation office. Two years later he returned to Utica and became bookkeeper for R. V. Yates & Son, wholesale clothiers, 

and subsequently held similar positions with H. J. Wood & Co. and Oatley Brothers. 

Afterward he was bookkeeper for Reynolds Brothers, shoe manufacturers, for a time, and in April 1871, entered the Savings Bank of 

Utica in the same capacity. Here he has risen by promotion to Teller, to Assistant Treasurer 30 Apr 1879, to Secretary of the Board 

of Trustees 31 Jul 1889, and Treasurer in charge 26 Dec 1894. He was elected a trustee of the bank in 1888 and has since been a 

valued member of the board. Mr. Birdseye has been connected with the bank a little more than 29 years, and during that period he 

has established a reputation as one of the ablest financiers in Central New York. Under his thorough and efficient management as 

Treasurer this old institution, chartered in 1839 has never been in a better condition nor exerted a wider usefulness in the 

community. He is also officially connected with the Mohawk Valley Cotton Mills of Utica and the Oneida National Bank. 

Mr. Birdseye has long been prominent in social, fraternal, and charitable organizations, and is a prominent member of the Fort 

Schuyler, Arcanum, and Masonic Clubs and the First Presbyterian Church of Utica. He is a 32° Mason holding membership in 

Oriental Lodge, No.224, F&AM, and the Scottish Rite bodies. In politics he is a stanch Republican. 9 Apr 1867 Mr. Birdseye 

married Sarah Elizabeth Crosby, daughter of James F. and Eunice (Wendell) Crosby, of Albany, NY. They have two sons, both born 

in Utica: James Crosby Birdseye, born 29 Oct 1869, and Philip Wendell Birdseye, born 5 Apr 1874. 

Rising Sun Lodge No. 228, Trenton, New York 

http://oneida.nygenweb.net/ 

Source: ‘The Empire State in Three Centuries’ Volume 3 Century History Company 

from Roberts’ “History of Remsen”: 

GERSHOM HINCKLEY (Jr.), born in Stonington, CT, 28 Aug 1763, was descended in the sixth generation from Samuel Hinckley, of 

Tenterden, Kent county, England, who emigrated with his family to America in the ship “Hercules,” in the early spring of 1635. He 

settled at Scituate, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, where he remained until 1639, when he removed to Barnstable, being 

one of the first settlers there. He died in that part of Barnstable called Great Marshes, now West Barnstable, 31 Oct 1662. The line 

of descent from Samuel Hinckley–who is said to have been the progenitor in America of all bearing this surname–to Gershom 

Hinckley, a pioneer of Remsen township, is as follows: Thomas, John, Samuel, John and Gershom. 

The latter, a son of John and Elizabeth (Breed) Hinckley, was born 4 Sep 1730. He married Catherine Wightman, of Norwich, CT, 

and removed to Pittstown, Rensselaer, NY, in 1768, and thence to Rome, NY. Gershom, son of Gershom and Catherine 

(Wightman) Hinckley, came to Pittstown with his father’s family, and, in 1789, married Prudence Tennant, daughter of Caleb 

Tennant, of Glastonbury, CT, born 8 Aug 1770; d. 3 Apr 1852. He had served for a time in the Revolutionary War [in the 14 th or 4 th 

Albany County Regiment – prob. The latter]. 

Within a few years after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley moved to Remsen, settling at what was later known as Fairchild 

Corners as early as 1793 or 1794. He was the resident agent here of Henry Remsen, of New York city, proprietor of the 

Remsenburgh Patent, and being a land surveyor by profession, laid out the township into lots, and opened many of the earlier 

highways in the township. He was elected supervisor in 1799, which office he filled for ten years, and also was a Justice of the 

Peace for many years. He was an active member of the Masonic fraternity, and at one time was Master of Rising Sun Lodge, 

before its removal to this place, when its meetings were held in Trenton. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley were members of the Baptist 

Society of East Remsen, which was organized in 1809, and are said to have been “earnest Christian workers in the church.” 

Gershom (aka ‘Gorshom’) was also a member Salina Lodge No. 327 (‘admitted’ between 1 Jan 1820 and 1 Jun 1821, per their 

Return; also listed on 3 successive Returns until 1 Jun 1824); Petitioner of Leonidas Lodge No. 381, Liverpool, Onondaga, New 

York, chartered 4 Jun 1824, and member of Salina Chapter No. 70, RAM. 

Children: first three b. in Pittstown, Rensselaer, NY; remaining b. in Remsen, Oneida, NY: 

i. Daniel W., b. 11 Feb 1790; d. in infancy; 

ii. John, b. 17 Jan 1791; m. Rhoda Ball, and removed to Silver Creek, Mich.; 

iii. Anna, b. 07 Feb 1793; m1., French Fairchild; m2. Zebina Ball; m3. Jacob Stafford; 

iv. Caleb, b. 20 Oct 1794; d. in infancy; 

v. Catherine, b. 15 Jan 1798; d. 11 Jan 1829; m. Mile Mitchell, of Remsen, in 1819; 

vi. Harriet, b. 19 May 1801; m. Evert Dyckman; 

vii. Daniel, 2d., b. 30 Nov 1803; 

viii. Henry R., b. 20 Jul 1805; 

ix. Hiram, b. 10 Jun 1807; m. Sarah M. Smith; 

x. Tennant, b. 13 Jan 1810; d. 27 Sep1878 in Liverpool, NY; m. Malonia Stiles, 27 Feb1804; d. 23 Jul1878. 

xi. Stephen, b. 29 Mar 1814; m. Emily Sears, of Schroeppell, NY; 

xii. Moses, b. 20 Jan 1812; d. 10 May1875 in Liverpool, NY; m. Maria(n) Van Alstyne, b. 21 Oct1810; d. 30 Jan1895. 

In 1819 Mr. Hinckley removed to the township of Salina, Onondaga county, bought a farm on Seneca river, about 3 miles north of 

the village of Liverpool, where he died 20 Feb 1848. His widow died there 3 Apr 1852. Both are buried in the Liverpool cemetery. 

http://www.sprague-database.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I3160&tree=SpragueProject 

Gershom (Jr.) was the son of Gershom (Sr.), b. 4 Sep 1730; d. 15 Jan 1809, in or near Rome, Oneida, NY, and Catharine 

Wrightman, d. 24 Sep 1807, age 70 yrs, whose children were: 

8. Catherine Hinckley, , 

2. Anne Hinckley, b. 8 Nov 1757, 

3. Prudence Hinckley, b. 4 Jun 1759, 

4. Elizabeth Hinckley, b. 16 Mar 1761, 

5. Gershom Hinckley, Jr., b. ca 27 Jul 1763, 

38

6. Daniel Hinckley, b. 30 Aug 1765, 

7. John Hinckley, b. 22 Jan 1768, 

8. Samuel Hinckley, b. 2 May 1770, 

9. Jonathon Niles Hinckley, b. ca 23 Jun 1773, name as the executor of Gershom (Sr)’s will in 1809. 

10. Lucy Hinckley, b. Sep 1779, 

Baron Steuben Lodge No. 264, 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/bios/biov.html 

Gideon Vary was born in the town of Stephentown, Rensselaer, NY, 29 Dec 1824, son of Nathan and Phoebe (Carrier) Vary. His 

grandfather, Samuel Vary, settled in Dutchess county, prior to the Revolutionary War, and emigrated to Rensselaer county; and his 

grandfather, Amasiah Carrier, was also a pioneer in Rensselaer county. Nathan Vary came to Oneida county in 1840. He was a 

Federalist, and voted for Washington; and later a Whig, and voted for Henry Clay. He died in 1850. 

Gideon Vary has always been successfully engaged in farming. He bought and cleared twelve acres and has added to it, until he 

had 500 acres, 100 acres of which he sold in 1894. He is a Republican and has been justice for 24 years, and supervisor of Ava for 

two years. In 1846 Mr. Vary married Jane Edgerton, daughter of Daniel E. Edgerton of Ava, who died in 1893, and he is now 

married to Erminie Leader of Utica, NY. He has reared and educated two sons of his brother Samuel, who died in Michigan: Nathan 

C., who is engaged in farming in Ava, and Ezra, who was for twelve years teller of the Farmer's Bank in Rome, NY, and now a 

manufacturer of knit goods at Rome. Mr. Vary is a member of the Baron Steuben Lodge No. 264, F & AM. 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/obits/obits.html#sasenbury, frank 

Dewitt Clinton Smith (brother of Jerome B. below) 

Rome Sentinel-October 17, 1921 

Dewitt Clinton Smith died at his home, 817 Floyd Ave, at 5:30 o'clock this morning. He sufferd a stroke of apoplexy at his home ten 

days ago and had gradually failed until the end came. He was born in the town of Trenton, 22 Jan 1854, being in his 68th year. He 

was a son of the late Mr. & Mrs. John H. Smith, and was one of a family of twelve, of whom but three survive. When Mr. Smith was 

six years old the family went to the town of Lee to live where the father was engaged in farming. The son assisted the father, going 

to school winters, receiving his education in the Lee Center Union School and the Rome Free Academy. 

After securing his education he taught school for some time in the town of Lee. Later he engaged in the mercantile business at Point 

Rock in the town of Lee, successfully conducting it for 25 years. He served the town of Lee with credit as a member of the Board of 

Supervisors and in the fall of 1899 he was elected to the office of superintendent of the poor of Oneida county, assuming charge of 

Oneida County Home and farm on 1 Jan 1900. His excellent management of affairs at the home during his first term of three years 

won for him a re-election and he served the second term of three years with great credit. At the conclusion of his six years at the 

County Home, Mr. Smith had the family residence at 817 Floyd Ave built and then entered into partnership with Fred Canwell in the 

feed business, continuing until about six years ago, when he retired. 

He was married twice. His first wife was Lillian Yarwood of West Branch, whom he married about 45 years ago. She lived only six 

months, her death occurring at West Branch. In Nov 1879, he married Carrie May LeSuer, who survives with two daughters, Mrs. 

Jennie Craver at home, Mrs. E. G. MacFarland, Utica, two grandsons, Gene and Erwin Clinton MacFarland, Utica, two brothers, 

Frank H. Smith, superintendent of Rome Cemetery, and Jerome B. Smith, Lake Delta, and a sister, Mrs. Marion Bushnell, Rome. 

Mr. Smith attended the Universalist Church and was a member of Baron Steuben Lodge, No. 264, F&AM, Lee Center. He was a 

sterling citizen, upright in all his dealings and loyal to his friends of whom he had a legion. 

---- 

Jerome B. Smith (brother of Dewitt Clinton Smith above) 

Rome Sentinel-February 14, 1925 

Jerome B. Smith, 55, passed away at 3:50 am today at his home, 304 Mayberry Road, Riverdale. He had been out of health for 

several years. Mr. Smith, a son of the late John H. and Martha Harbridge Smith, was born in the town of Lee, 22 Jun 1869. At Ava 

on 12 Apr 1881 he was married to Cora M. Grant, who survives. 24 years ago the couple moved to Rome from Ava. Mr. Smith had 

been supervising foreman in the city water department for the past year. Prior to that time he had practiced his trade as a carpenter. 

He was a member of Baron Steuben Lodge, No. 264, F&AM of Lee Center, of Zeba Grotto No. 4, M.O.V.P.E.R. and of the 

Maccabees. He attended the First M. E. Church. A man of a likable disposition, he was held in high esteem by many friends. 

Besides his wife, two children: Ward A. Smith and George B. Smith, both of Rome, also two grandchildren, Margery G. and Betty 

Ann Smith, and one brother, Frank H. Smith, superintendent of the Rome Cemetery, survive. 

Fellowship Lodge No. 288, Richland, New York 

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyoswego/towns/richland/history2.html 

The petition for a warrant to hold a lodge in the town of Richland, county of Oneida [now in Oswego Co.], to be called “Fellowship 

lodge,” is dated 28 Mar 1816, and signed as follows: 

Elias Howe, 

James Weed, 

James A. Thompson, 

Asahel Baker, 

Ebenezer Young, 

Reuben Peek, 

Luther Howe, 

Julius Whitmore, 

George Harding, 

John Yerington, 

Newton Marsh, 

Joseph Hurd, 

Benjamin Covey, Jr., 

Nathan W. Noyes. 

The petition was recommended by Rising Sun lodge, No. 228, Washington lodge, No. 256, and R. W. Grand Visitor, Joseph Enos, 

and was granted December 4, A.D. 1816. 

Fellowship lodge, No. 288, was first convened 10 Sep 1817. Its charter bore date 5 Jun 1817, with the names of Elias Howe, WM; 

James Weed, SW, and James A. Thompson, JW. 

Jeremiah A. Mathewson was the first Mason made, and it was at his house the lodge held its first communication. During its 

existence the lodge held 195 communications, with an average attendance of 49. 

39

Election Master Senior Warden Junior Warden Treasurer Secretary 

10 Sep 1817 Elias Howe James Weed Jas. A. Thompson Asahel Baker H. White 

19 Dec 1817 Elias Howe Jas. A. Thompson H. T. Harmon J. A. Mathewson* E. Young 

09 Dec 1818 Chester Hayden John T. Davis Luther Howe J. A. Mathewson Smith Dunlap 

01 Dec 1819 John T. Davis Luther Howe Peter Hinman J. A. Mathewson Smith Dunlap 

13 Dec 1820 Chester Hayden Peter Hinman Asahel Baker Simon Meacham Smith Dunlap 

06 Dec 1821 Luther Howe Peter Hinman ? Asahel Baker T. C. Baker 

25 Dec 1822 Luther Howe Peter Hinman > Asahel Baker T. C. Baker 

17 Dec 1823 Peter Hinman ? Anson Maltby ? J. A. Davis 

01 Dec 1824 Thomas C. Baker ? John Reynolds Asahel Baker Anson Maltby 

24 Dec 1825 Thomas C. Baker ? Augustus Fellows Pliny Jones Wm. Hale 

13 Dec 1826 Thomas C. Baker ? Justus Fox Pliny Jones Wm. Hale 

28 Nov 1827 Abner French ? Ralph French Wm. Hale Hiram Hubbell 

17 Dec 1828 Abner French Thomas C. Baker Wm. Hale Isaac Fellows A. C. Dickinson 

09 Dec 1829 Abner French Wm. Hale Oliver L. Ramsdell Joseph Avery Henry Gillespie 

29 Dec 1830 Oliver L. Ramsdell Luther Howe A. French John J. Kellogg Henry Gillespie 

14 Dec 1831 Oliver L. Ramsdell Joseph Avery A. French John J. Kellogg Henry Gillespie 

05 Dec 1832 Oliver L. Ramsdell Joseph Avery ? A. French Henry Gillespie 

25 Dec 1833 Oliver L. Ramsdell Joseph Avery ? A. French Henry Gillespie 

10 Dec 1834 Oliver L. Ramsdell Joseph Avery Pliny Jones A. French Henry Gillespie 

02 Dec 1835 Joseph Avery Asa L. Dickinson Oliver L. Ramsdell Ralph French Abner French 

* Jeremiah A. Mathewson [Sr. or Jr.?] – Sr. arrived from Rhode Island ca 1806; they built the grist mill in town. 

The last-mentioned Master failed to become qualified to preside over a lodge for more than thirty years after his election. Returning 

to Pulaski to visit his friends, Past Masters D. A. Kins, W. K. Combs, F. S. Low, Benj. Snow, and John M. Watson, of Pulaski lodge, 

No. 415, conferred the necessary qualifications, when this pioneer of Masonry returned to his western home content. 

The lodge held its communications at the house of J. A. Mathewson from 10 Sep 1817, to 22 Jan 1818. It was then moved to the 

house of E. Young, “and met till” 15 May 1821. At its last communication held at this place, Brother Young’s account for room rent, 

candles, and rations was rendered. 2 Jan 1822, the lodge was located at the house of S. Harmon. 27 Dec 1824, it was removed to 

the residence of Anson Maltby. 2 Feb 1826, the lodge removed to Masonic hall, located in the second story of the then called brick 

school-house, which was situated on the grounds now occupied by the Congregational church. 

The lodge at different periods celebrated the anniversary of the St. John’s. 21 May 1823, a resolution was adopted “to celebrate the 

next St. John’s and that there be a committee of five to make such arrangements as shall be advised, and to give notice of the 

celebration in the Oswego papers. That Brothers O. Hayden and Oliver Ayer, preachers of the gospel, be requested to deliver an 

address on said 24th. That Brethern James A. Davis, T. C. Baker, John Wood, S. Dunlap be a committee for the above-set-forth 

business.” 

Its charter and one book of minutes are all that is preserved of Fellowship lodge, No. 288. They are in possession of Pulaski lodge, 

No. 415. Just one entry from the book, indicating the character of the noble men composing the lodge, may be quoted: 

“July 23, A.D. 1828. Lodge opened, and after some friendly conversation mutually given and received, the lodge closed in good 

harmony.” 

“Hiram Hubbell, Secretary.” 

----- 

Chester Hayden was a prominent pioneer attorney, and subsequently became one of the judges of Oswego County. 

Judge Chester Hayden, formerly a well known citizen of Western New York, died in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 6 [1863?]. He 

studied law in Rome, removed to Pulaski in 1817, and afterwards took up his residence in Oswego. He held various positions of 

public trust, representing his district in the Legislature for several years. He resided in Utica for some time, and was at the head of a 

law school in Saratoga. 

The Crowell Law School, as it was commonly called in Cleveland, was incorporated in 1855, in Poland, Ohio, under the name of the 

"Ohio State and Union Law College." At its head was Judge Chester Hayden, who had removed to Poland from Poughkeepsie, 

NY, and was a man widely and favorably known throughout Ohio, not only for his legal ability, but for his lofty character, and 

courteous, kindly manner. In 1857, the college was removed to Cleveland, and at that time there became associated with Judge 

Hayden, J. J. Elwell and W. P. Edgarton, as instructors. This arrangement continued until the opening of the war, when Messrs. 

Elwell and Edgarton went into the army, leaving Judge Hayden to carry on the work alone. After a few years' prosperous 

management. Judge Hayden found that, with advancing years, he was no longer equal to the demands made upon him, and he 

therefore disposed of the enterprise to Gen. John Crowell, together with a remarkably fine library, the personal property of Judge 

Hayden. 

----- 

http://history.rays-place.com/ny/sandy-creek-ny.htm 

Early in 1804 Joseph Hurd and Elias Howe moved in from Augusta, Oneida county, and settled on Sandy Creek just below Mr. 

Skinner. The former purchased Butler's claim, and during that summer erected, with William Skinner, the first saw-mill in town. His 

daughter, Laura, born in February, 1805, was the first white child born in Sandy Creek. She married Asahel Hale, of Pulaski, moved 

to Peoria, Ill., and died there in April, 1886. Mr. Hurd was appointed a justice of the peace for Williamstown in 1806, and for Richland 

in 1808, and was the first supervisor of Richland in 1807-08. The second birth in this town was that of Polly, daughter of Elias Howe, 

on May 7, 1805; she married Pardon Earl, and subsequently resided in Mannsville, Jefferson county. Mrs. Howe died in 1807. 

40

http://books.google.com/books?id=_I9EzvKW_2QC&dq=%22Elias+Howe%22+%22sandy+creek%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Elias Howe was b. 10 Aug 1777 in Wilbraham, Hampden, MA; son of Ebenezer Howe, (b. 1 Nov 1747 in Brookfield, Worcester, MA) 

and Sarah Rice (b. 26 Jan 1752); m. 27 Nov 1800 in Brookfield, Worcester, MA, Polly Dunton, daughter of Samuel Dunton, b. 11 

Apr 1781; d. Jun 1807 in Sandy Creek, Oneida Co., NY (later in Oswego Co.). 

Children: 

i. Elias (Jr.) b. ca 1802, Augusta, Oneida, NY 

ii. Polly b. 7 May 1805, Sandy Creek; m. Pardon Earl. 

iii. Nathan b. 1807 

iv. Mandana Taber b. 1809 

Luther Howe b: 26 Jul 1787 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA, brother of Elias, was the Creek Sandy Creek ‘poundmaster’ in 1825. 

---- 

Nathan W. Noyes, b 17 May 1774; d. 12 Jun 1858; m. Phila Roberts, b. 14 May 1776; d. 4 Mar 1851. They settled in what is now 

Oswego Co., NY, then Oneida, in 1813 or earlier. They are bur. in the Noyes Cemetery, Sandy Creek, NY, with their children, 

Bernice, Betsy, Ira, Nathan and Sally, noted below. 

Children: 

i. Alonzo, b. 27 Apr 1797 

ii. George W., b. 12 Aug 1799 

iii. Amos Roberts, b. 22 Aug 1802 

iv. Rhoda Roberts, b. 19 Apr 1804 

v. Phila, b. 03 Apr 1806 

vi. Bernice, b. 26 Apr 1808 

vii. Charles b. 24 Feb 1810 

viii. Betsey, b. 03 Jul 1811 

ix. Nathan Noyes, b. 02 Jul 1813 

x. Ira. b. 03 Oct 1815 

xi. Sally Maria, b. 26 Jan 1818 

Nathan W. was lieut. of militia in Oneida Co., NY, 1808, and was Captain in 1810. Nathan W. Noyes lived in present towns of 

Richmond & Sandy Creek. Oswego Co., NY. 

Mexico Lodge No. 307, Mexico, New York [now in Oswego Co.] 

Ref. GL Proc. 1907 

"To THE HONORABLE 

"The Grand Lodge of the State of New York: The memorial of the undersigned York Masons in regular standing in and near the 

village of Mexico, Oswego County, State of New York, respectfully represent that from the best information they can obtain Lodge 

No. 307, of this place, at the instance of your former officers under the excitement growing out of anti-masonry, suspended work in 

1827: 

"Under the circumstances of the case we respectfully ask that this may he taken into consideration in granting us a new warrant 

should the same he necessary under the surrender herewith of the old warrant. 

"We respectfully ask that the following names he authorized and empowered to organize a Lodge in this place: 

"BEZALEEL THAYER, Master. 

DAVID GOIT, Senior Warden. 

BENJAMIN GREGORY, Junior Warden. 

"Bezaleel Thayer. A. Skinner. 

Benjamin Gregory. D. P. Spooner. 

Joseph Bloomfield. Simon Leroy. 

David Goit. 

S. Hosmer. 

Louis Hutchings. Bradley Higgins. 

Charles Benedict." 

The petition has the following endorsement: 

"Oswego Lodge, No. 127. May 16. 5848. 

"At our regular communication this day this proceeding was had: 

"BRO. THAYER presented a petition to the Grand Lodge signed by eleven master masons of the Town of Mexico, requesting the 

erection of a Lodge in that place and soliciting the recommendation of this Lodge. It was then Resolved, That this Lodge cordially 

respond to the request and that the proper officers of the Lodge be directed to sign said recommendation. 

"Attest. 

P. F. PARSONS. Master. 

"EDWIN W. CLARK, 

PHILO STEVENS, S. W." 

"Secretary. 

It will be noted that the petition refers to a "Lodge, No. 307," which had formerly existed at Mexico. 

This Lodge was known as Mexico Lodge, No. 307: it was warranted June 6, 1818; in 1827 its warrant was declared forfeited and 

was surrendered. 

On May 3, 1906, the Grand Lodge granted the request of Mexico Lodge. No. 136, for the return of the old warrant, and this old 

document is now in possession of the Lodge. 

From the records and old papers on file in the Grand Secretary's office it would appear that the old Lodge encountered some 

difficulty in securing a warrant. 

On November 14, 1806, a petition was prepared signed by the following: 

William Cole. Anson Tennant. 

Martin Kellogg. Haynes Bennett. 

Samuel Cherry, Jr. Martin Way. 

Gardner Wiman. Samuel Cole. 

Samuel Bradner. 

41

Under date of February 2, 1807, it was recommended by Roman Lodge, No. 82 (now extinct). For some unexplained reason 

this effort was unsuccessful; a dispensation was issued but they failed to obtain a warrant, as shortly after this another petition 

signed by the following was presented to the Grand Lodge: 

Peter Pratt. 

Joel Savage. 

Sam'l Cherry, Jr. Martin Way. 

Martin Kellogg. Samuel Rogers. 

Joseph Boynton. Dean Tubbs. 

Harding Davis. Sherman Hosmer. 

Luther Franklin. Stephen D. Morse. 

Calvin Tiffany. Gardner Wiman. 

Samuel Bradner. Levi Mathews. 

Gamalial Barnes. Shubal Alford. 

Endorsed upon the petition is the following: 

"To the Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. 

"This will most humbly certify that I, JOSEPH HEATH, named in a warrant with BRO. SAMUEL CHERRY, issued by DEWITT CLINTON, 

ESQ'R., Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, Did by the help of two other past Masters on the twenty-fourth day of 

June in the year of Masonry Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Eight, at the dwelling house of Br. SAMUEL ROGERS in the Town of 

Mexico. County of Oneida and State of New York, install Br. HAYNES BENNETT. Master, and BRO. ANSON TENNANT, Senior Warden 

and Br. SAMUEL CHERRY, Junior Warden of Mexico Lodge, all in due form and I, having made my returns of said doings and the 

said warrant in obedience to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Grand Lodge of this 

State, on a dispensation for making masons which dispensation has since lapsed. 

"I having examined the said Lodge, its doings, back vouchers and papers, finding they have made nine regular masons in due 

form, the funds of the Lodge stand thus—is now worth seventy-five dollars and fifty cents after defraying expenses for jewels, etc. 

"We now most humbly take the liberty to recommend to the favor of the Grand Lodge their petition to be further authorized by 

warrant of Constitution for legally making masons and doing all other things appertaining thereto agreeable to the rules and 

regulations of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. Instituted at Mexico the 14th October, 1809, and of Masonry Five 

Thousand Eight Hundred and Nine. 

" Jo's HEATH." 

On March 7, 1810, the petition was read in the Grand Lodge and referred to the Grand Officers and on March 15th the 

dispensation was renewed for another year. For the second time it failed to obtain a warrant and in 1811 another petition was 

presented to the Grand Lodge signed by the following: 

Stephen D. Morse. William Cole. 

Luther Franklin. Gamalial Barnes. 

Calvin Tiffany. Luther Cowing. 

Samuel Bradner. Martin Way. 

Jesse Doolittle. Joseph Bailey. 

Joel Savage. Joseph Boynton. 

Gardner Wiman. Dean Tubbs. 

Sam'l Cherry, Jr. Sherman Hosmer. 

Levi Mathews. Martin Kellogg. 

Peter Pratt. 

Lemuel Austin. 

Endorsed upon the petition is the following: 

"To the Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. I do most humbly certify that I have this day 

met with the members of Mexico Lodge and inspected and examined the said Lodge and their doings and report the state of the 

said Lodge to be thus: 

" The funds are clearly worth One Hundred Forty-two Dollars and Fifty Cents, have good books in regular order, By-laws revised 

and correct, members twenty in number all decent bright masons, I therefore take the liberty of a past Master to recommend the 

said members and their petition to the Grand Lodge for a regular charter to hold a Lodge in the Town of Mexico, County of Oneida 

and State of New York, by their, the said members, complying with the rules and regulations of the said Grand Lodge. With due 

respect I have the honor to be, 

"Your most humble servant, etc., 

"JOSEPH HEATH 

"Mexico, April 4, 5811. 

"P. Master." 

The petition was further recommended by Amicable Lodge, No. 23 (now extinct), but for the third time it failed to secure a warrant. 

These repeated failures did for a time dishearten these determined masons but they were not thoroughly discouraged. True, they 

had failed in their efforts to secure a warrant and had made but scant progress, still to some extent they maintained their 

organization and had sufficient courage and persistence to again apply a fourth time for a warrant. 

On June 3. 1818, a petition was read in the Grand Lodge signed by the following: 

Solomon Huntington. Peter Pratt. 

Samuel Rogers. 

Sam'l Cherry, Jr. 

Joel Savage. 

Stephen D. Morse. 

Shubal Alford. 

Joseph Torrey. 

Martin Kellogg. 

Levi Mathews. 

John Bostwick. 

Barnet Whipple. 

Elial Hills. 

Calvin Tiffany. 

Charles Wightman. Gamalial Barnes. 

Denison B. Palmer. 

The petition was recommended by Fellowship Lodge, No. 288 (now extinct). 

42

It named as officers: 

SAMUEL CHERRY, JR.. Master. 

LEVI MATHEWS, Senior Warden. 

DENISON B. PALMER, Junior Warden. 

On June 6, 1818, a warrant was issued. Thus after a struggle continuing nearly twelve years these loyal and devoted men and 

masons succeeded in obtaining the long coveted authority to enjoy the advantages of a Masonic home, but scarcely had they 

secured the long hoped-for and hard-earned prize when that bitter persecution against everything Masonic swept over the State with 

its withering and destructive force and they were compelled to cease work and surrender the warrant. 

The last returns of the Lodge on file are dated June 2, 1823. 

No effort was ever made to revive the Lodge. Its minutes and all records are missing except a few bills; among the items on the 

bills are charges for hard cider and doughnuts. 

The first attempt to again revive an interest in Masonic affairs in Mexico was in the early part of 1848 when Mexico Lodge, No. 

136 was organized. 

Whitesborough Lodge No. 315, Whitesborough, New York 

Warrant: 16 Oct 1818 

On January 27, 1839, a meeting was held at a popular hotel in Springfield, Illinois, known as The American House. The Master 

Masons that met the day decided to petition the Grand Lodge of Missouri to begin a lodge in the city. [Among] those present were: 

Name Member of Village and State 

James Adams, Skaneateles Lodge No. 522 Skaneateles, Onondaga, New York. 

Philo Beers, Montgomerey Lodge No. 68 New York City, New York. 

Bela C. Webster, Whitesboro Lodge No. 315 Whiteborough, Oneida, New York. 

EMILY PORTER (HUNTINGTON) WEBSTER, born 5 Oct 1818 Boston, MA; m. 23 Nov 1837, Springfield, IL, Bela C. Webster, of New 

York City, where they lived. Bela was a merchant of Oneida county, NY, removed to Springfield in the Spring of 1 830, and to 

Baltimore, Md., in 1851. He formed a partnership with Virgil Hickox in 1834, selling dry goods, groceries, and hardware in 

Springfield, Illinois. By 1850 Webster had property valued at $14,500. 

Children: 

1. GEORGE HUNTINGTON, b. 31 Aug 1838. 

2. ELLEN R., b. 04 Feb 1841. 

3. JOHN, b. 15 Feb 1843. 

4. CHARLES, b. 31 Jul 1845, and died in infancy. 

5. EMILY, b. 31 Aug 1847. 

6. ANNA L., b. 05 Dec 1850, and died in infancy. 

7. KATE CAMPBELL, b. 12 Nov 1855. 

8. DOUGLAS, b. 24 Dec 1859. 

Hampton Lodge No. 347, 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/obits/obitg.htm#gardner, mrs. 

HIRAM S. KELLOGG EXPIRES IN GREENE - WAS FORMER WESTMORELAND SUPERVISOR - ACTIVE DEMOCRAT 

Hiram S. Kellogg, 90, long a resident of Whitesboro and Westmoreland, died at his home in Greene. He was born in Westmorland 

22 May 1843. He was educated in the common schools and at Williams Collegiate Institute, Westmoreland. After leaving school he 

returned to the farm and then for about a year was employed as express messenger on the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. He 

later returned to Westmoreland and continue in farming until 1896. He was engaged in dairy and hop farming in which he was quite 

successful. In 1896 he removed to Whitesboro and 10 years ago to Greene, where he lived a retired life. In politics Mr. Kellogg was 

a Democrat and he served as a supervisor of the town of Westmoreland for two terms, being the fist democrat ever to be elected to 

that post in the township. When Edward Hannan was superintendent of public works, Mr. Kellogg was inspector of state canals on 

the Middle Division and for four years was employed in Syracuse. Later Mr. Kellogg was appointed assistant clerk for the Board of 

Supervisors. For many years Mr. Kellogg was chairman of the Second Assembly District committee and for 15 years he was a 

member of the Democratic County Committee, serving as its chairman for one year. He had attended as a delegate many county 

assembly and state conventions. He was a member of the Little Giants in 1860 and had voted for every Democratic candidate for 

president since that time. In 1866 Mr. Kellogg became a member of the Masonic Order in Hampton Lodge 347, and was Past 

Master. He was formerly a member of the Oneida County Agricultural Society. Mr. Kellogg had done considerable clerical work and 

for quite a number of years was employed to tabulate election returns for the Board of Supervisors. He was engaged for a short 

time in searching records in the county clerks office for the Board of Supervisors. In 1872 he married Miss Fannie A. Slocum, 

Clinton, who died 3 Oct 1908. He leaves a son Charles S. of Greene, and two daughters, Clara L. wife of Dr. S. L. Gifford, 

Whitesboro, and Leonora, wife of R. B. Hamilton, Philadelphia, and several grandchildren. Interment was at Grand View Cemetery, 

Whitesboro. 

Paris Lodge No. 348, 

The following officers were duly installed, 14 Aug 1822, by the acting Grand Master, Moses Foot: Amasa Millard, WM; Asahel 

Curtiss, SW; Spaulding Pierce, M. D., JW; Hon. Uri Doolittle, Treas.; Hobart Graves, Sec.; Joseph B. Ball, ;SD; Philo C. Curtis, JD; 

Isaac Sexton, Daniel Beach, Stewards; Charles Millard, Tiler. 

1823, A. Millard; 

1824, Abraham Sage; 


1826, Cyrus Chatfield; 

Masters 

1827, Hon. Uri Doolittle; 

1828-30, William Knight; 

1831. Henry W. Adams; 

1832-34, William Knight. 

43

List of members other than the first officers.— 

Leverett Bishop, M. D., 

Solomon Rogers, 

Asa Shepard, 

8. S. Sweet, 

Josiah Mosher, 

8. Bartlett, 

William Geere, 

Abraham Sage, 

Philo C. Curtis, 

Lenthiel Eels, 

8. Harvey. 

Admitted: 

Sep 03, Abner Brownell, Cyrus Chatfield; 

Sep 17, David Loring, Noel Jones, Charles Wilcox; 

Oct 01, Henry A Millard, George W. Braytou; 

Oct 15, H. M. Cole, J. Stroud, A. Mace, John Corse; 

Oct 29, Edwin Webster, Harleton Winslow; 

Nov 01, Moses Hoyt, William K. Black; 

Dec 10. Samuel ^unn, Stephen B. Stearns. 

1823— 

Jan 20, Benjamin Searl, Peter Rumley; 

Mar 24, Abiatha Whitmarsh; 

Apr 21, Noel Thurber; 

May 19, George Peacock, Horace Luce; 

Jun 23, Nathaniel G. Millard, Jeremiah Brown; 

Jul 21, Harley Doolittle; 

Nov 17, Joseph Butler; 

Dec 16, John Allen, Orasmus M. Stillman, Edwin Adams. 

1824— 

Jan 12, Lorenzo Graham; 

Feb 09, Benjamin Andrews, Ransom Curtiss; 

Mar 15, Noah E. King, Samuel Farwell; 

May 10, Nijah Hotchkiss; 

Jun 07, William Knight, Joseph Mix; 

Jul 05, George W. Mosher; 

Sep 11, Henry W. Adams, Sylvester Wadsworth; 

Nov 02, Philip Smith; 

Dec 06, Rev. A. S. Hollister, David Beckwith. 

1825— 

Jan 03, George Allen; 

Feb 28, Samuel Haley, S. Gookins, Ezekiel Hawley; 

Mar 28, Ralph Lake, Samuel Hale; 

Oct 02. Isaac Scofield. 

1826 — 

Feb 20, George Mix; 

Mar 20, John C. Davidson, Ezra Chapman, Simeon Rogers; 

Sep 11, Edwin G. Dickinson; 

Nov 13. Joseph Brownell. 

1827— 

Feb 03, Thomas Goodier; 

Oct 01, David Seaton. 

1829— 

Feb 16, Benjamin F. Eastman. 

The Lodge first held its meetings in the chamber over the store of Hobart Graves, (now Truman’s wagon shop,) at East Sauquoit. 30 

Dec 1822, it was removed to the hall of Cyrus Chatfield, (the “Id Savage stand,) at West Sauquoit. In the spring of 1829 it was 

moved back to East Sauquoit into the select school room in the chamber of the District School House No. 9, east of the Methodist 

Church. Old Paris Lodge, No. 348, shared the fate of many others, and fell a victim to the Morgan excitement, and met for the last 

time 30 Dec 1833, soon after which it surrendered its charter, but at the earnest appeal of Worshipful William Knight, he was 

permitted by the Grand Lodge to retain the register of proceedings and the jewels of solid silver, which he carefully preserved for 

more than 15 years, and transmitted them to Sauquoit Lodge, No. 150. They are now treasured highly by that Lodge as venerated 

relics. There survive of old Paris Lodge, No. 348, residing here, the venerable Dr. Bishop and Solomon Rogers; Henry W. Adams, of 

Lenox, Madison county; Ransom Curtis, of Hillsdale, Mich.; Edwin Webster, of Kansas, and Simeon Rogers, of Fleming, Cayuga 

county. The Lodge celebrated St. John’s Day, 27 Dec 1826, with imposing ceremonies. Rev. A. S. Hollister, then Rector of St. 

Paul’s Church at Paris Hill, who joined the Lodge in Dec 1824, delivered the address in the Presbyterian Church at West Sauquoit, 

after which the members and their wives and sweethearts repaired to the hotel of Cyrus Chattield, opposite, and sat down to an oldtime 

feast. The occasion was long remembered. Hon. Uri Doolittle, then Master, Squire Asahel Curtis and Captain William Knight 

constituted the Committee of Arrangement. 28 Apr 1828, a committee was named to investigate the expense of building a hall of 

either wood or stone. At the next meeting, 24 May 1828, the committee reported, and Major William Geere was appointed to 

circulate a subscription. “Man proposes but God disposes.” The tidal wave of the Morgan affair reached here about that time, and 

swept into oblivion all hopes of a Masonic Hall, or the continuance of the Lodge even. 

Dr. Spaulding Pierce, the first Junior Warden of the Lodge, was made a Mason in old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, in 1801, and was 

the pioneer physician of the valley. Born in Plainfield, CT, 29 Feb 1768, receiving his education at the Plainfield Academy, he then 

studied medicine with his uncle, Dr. Isaac Knight, and after finishing his studies removed to Vermont, where he was appointed 

Surgeon’s Mate of the 4 th Regiment, 5 th Brigade, on 30 Jun 1794, by commission from Thomas Crittenden, “Captain General 

Governor and Commander-in-Chief “ of Vermont. 

In the fall of 1797, while in the city of New York purchasing medicines, he formed the acquaintance of Dr. Sampson, the second 

physician of Paris Hill, there on a similar errand, who induced him to go back with him to Paris. They accordingly took their way on 

horseback to the “ Far West,” in due time arriving at Paris Hill, via the old trail, opened up by a detachment of General Sullivan’s 

army, through Bridgewater and Cassville. He became the guest of old Dr. Sampson, who soon after accompanied him to Sauquoit, 

where he introduced him. Boarding at the hotel of Captain Bacon, he formed au attachment for his daughter Nabby, to whom he 

was married April 18 th , 1799. He practiced here till his death, riding through the forest, guided by trails and blazed trees, and 

afterwards rude unworked roads cut out through the woods, enduring the hardships of pioneer life while the village grew up around 

him. He purchased five acres of land of Captain Bacon, a little west of the Savage stand, and thereon built his house, (the present 

residence of E. D. Brownell). He was a skillful physician and beloved by all. While on a visit to Rodman, Jefferson county, and about 

to start for home, with cloak and wrappings on, he paused a moment to warm his feet and say good-bye. A fatal pause! A last goodbye! 

Almost instautly his great heart ceased to beat, and he fell dead without a struggle, 14 Feb 1827, lacking a few days of 60 years of 

age. He was brought home and buried with Masonic honors, being the first Masonic burial in the valley. His son, William L: Pierce 

alone survives him here, who is also the only survivor of the Bacon family. Two other sons survive elsewhere, Sylvester P. Pierce, of 

Syracuse, and John S. Pierce, of Phoenix, Oswego county, NY. 

44

The last representative of old Paris Lodge to the Grand Lodge, was ‘Squire Ezra S. Cozier, of Utica, whom they appointed as their 

proxy, at the session held the June previous to his untimely death by cholera in 1832. 

Farmers Friendship Lodge No. 420c, Floyd, New York (a Country Lodge) 

Petition: 19 Aug 1824; Recommended by Whitesborough Lodge no. 315. 

Warrant: 8 Jun 1825, issued by Stephen Van Rensselaer, GM; Ebenezer Wadsworth, Grand Secretary. 

Surrendered: no date; filed by 1826. 

Isaac Bronson, WM; Nathan Townsend , SW; Ira Kingsbury, JW 

One Return: 

1825-1828; on file at GL 

Vienna Lodge No. 440, Vienna, New York 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/obits/obitt.html 

Rome Sentinel-January 6, 1917 

Rufus H. Tillapaugh - aged 39 years, was fatally injured at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon while working in the Tanner woods on the 

McConnellsville road, about three miles from this city. He died at the Camden Hospital, where he was taken after the accident. Mr. 

Tillapaugh was working with a number of other men cutting wood. They sawed off a tree and Mr. Tillapaugh ran to get out of the way 

when it fell. He stumbled and the tree struck him across the back. When the other men ran to his assistance he said "Well, I guess I 

am done for this time." and lapsed into unconsciousness. He never rallied. He was taken to the hospital, where physicians worked 

over him, but he died in a short time. He was born in Williamstown, and spent most of his life in Vienna. He came here three years 

ago. Mr. Tillapaugh was a member of Vienna Lodge No. 440, F & A M and of the ME Church here. He leaves his widow and two 

daughters, May and Huldah Tillapaugh of this village; five sisters, Mrs. Harriet Lewis of Camden, Mrs. John Cobb of Richland, Mrs. 

Ida Murry and Mrs. D. L. Burrows of Syracuse, Mrs Richard Rider of Earlville; five brothers, Dr. James Tillapaugh of Wolcott, Dr. 

F.S. Tillapaugh of Earlville, Marvin Tillapaugh of Pulaski and Reuben Tillapaugh of Syracuse. 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/oneida/bios/biov.html 

Nicholas VanHorne was born in the town of Stark, Herkimer, NY, 14 Apr 1854, son of Walter and Eliza VanHorne, who are 

residents of Herkimer county, NY. He married Ida Countryman of Poland, Herkimer, NY, 18 Dec 1878, daughter of John I and 

Elizabeth Countryman, and they have two children: Leda E., and Victor C. Van Horne. He first engaged in the cheese business in 

Salisbury Corners, Herkimer county, NY in 1876; has since worked at Van Hornesville and the town of Ohio, Herkimer county, and 

in the town of Avoca, Steuben county, NY, and located permanently at North Bay, town of Vienna, Oneida county, NY in 1880, 

buying the cheese factory at that place in 1881, and has for the last twelve years been salesman and treasurer of the factory and in 

1883 was elected collector of the town on the Republican ticket of which party he belongs, and for the last four years has bought 

cheese for the export trade, and on 10 May 1895, he passed the Civil Service examination at Albany and on July 15, 1895 was 

appointed milk expert and agent of the agricultural department and he is a member of Vienna Lodge No. 440, F & AM. 

Oneida (Castle) Lodge No. 445, Vernon, New York (aka Corinthian No 445) (a Country Lodge) 

Petition: 16 Nov 1824 

Recommended by: Framers Lodge No. 314, Verona, and Mt. Vernon Lodge, Vernon. 

Dispensation: 20 Oct 1824, with the name Oneida Castleton Lodge. 

Rev. David R. McElferah, Master; Rev. Solomon Davis, SW; Charles Dix, JW. 

When the Dispensation was returned, another Petition was enclosed, as follows: 

Petition 27 Sep 1825, for a new Lodge to be named Oneida Castle Lodge. 

Solomon Davis, Master; Walter Becker, SW; Ashna Lawton, JW. 

Warrant: 1 Jun 1825; by the Country Grand Lodge as Corinthian Lodge No. 446; aka called Oneida Lodge. 

Forfeit: Jun 1834 

Return: 

1824-1827; on file at GL 

Rising Star Lodge No. 485, Town of Western; bef 1826; named changed to Baron Steuben No. 485 in 1826 

Baron Steuben Lodge No. 485, Town of Western; aft 1826; was Rising Star No. 485 before 1826; forfeit 1832 

Extract of History compiled by Warren C. Rowley of Utica in 1924: 

“No evidence appears, indicating that this lodge ever had a permanent abiding place, but it is asserted by old residents that 

meetings were held in the houses of various members, notably in the vicinity of Westernville or North Western.” . . . “The Grand 

Lodge Finance book notes in the case of this Lodge ‘Charter forfeited 1832.’ “ 

Among the members of this Lodge, for 1 Jun 1827, is listed John M. Felton [‘made a Mason 30 Aug 1826’ per GL Return]. 

John M. Felton b. ca 1791 (Daniel 5, Daniel 4, Daniel 3, Nathaniel 2, Nathaniel 1, John of England) and his wife Ann Seymour 

(Truman 6, Ensign Joseph 5, Zachariah 4, John 3, Richard 2, Robert 1 – John of England) were married 17 Sep 1818 in Western by 

The Hon. Prosper Rudd. They moved to Ohio in 1836 or 1837 to Huron County, the part that was later created into Eire County. 

Here they lived in Berlin Heights. Then in 1849, May or June, the Feltons and the Chases (Charles Gardner Chase and Charlotte 

Elizabeth Felton) moved to Adams Township in Defiance County, Ohio. 

45

Soon after tragedy struck. In 1852 two sons died and his wife in 1853 – all in less than a year. Next C.G.C. his only daughter’s 

husband died in 1862. Two more sons died in the Civil War, one in the Battle of Champion’s Hill, the other at Knoxville in the pest 

house, of typhoid fever. 

His son, Homer H. Felton is listed in the 1860 Census in Linn County, Iowa. Another son, George resided in Florence, Erie Co., OH. 

Other children were Charlotte, Elizabeth b. 1815 [sic], Chauncey, and Timothy. 

John was the was the son of Daniel Felton, b. 11 Jan 1761, Marblehead, Essex, MA; d.1 Feb 1835, Oneida Co., NY, and Mary 

Darling. Siblings of John were: Silvia, Fita, Mary and Susan, b. ca 1789-1810. 

Remsen Lodge No. 667, Remsen, New York 

http://boards.ancestry.myfamily.com/surnames.carpenter/5043/mb.ashx 

James O. Carpenter, Russia, was born in Copenhagen, Lewis county, 24 Jun 1836. His father was John, a son of John, who was a 

native of Massachusetts, born 9 May 1773, and who married Thankful Fish, a native of Massachusetts, born in 1772. They had five 

children. Mr. Carpenter came to Russia, where he died, in 1809, and his wife in 1845. John Carpenter, Jr., was born 17 Jun 1804. 

During the last 21 years of his life he was a Baptist minister, and with the exception of one year, preached in Russia. 31 Dec 1829, 

he married Helen H. Overton, a native of Long Island, born in 1808, and a daughter of Joel and Navina (Wells) Overton. Mr. 

Carpenter and wife had three sons and four daughters. He died 16 Apr 1847, and Mrs. Carpenter for the last twenty years has 

resided with her son, James O. 

James was educated in the common schools and in the select schools under Prof. Smart of Russia Corners. At the age of fifteen he 

began as a drover for Frank and Henry Stanton, and clerked for them, was with them sixteen years; he then conducted a meat 

market at Holland Patent for four years; then he took charge of the Union store at Russia for four years. One summer was spent at 

Cold Brook closing out stock of goods and the following winter he was in Carthage. In 1883 Mr. Carpenter went to Grant, NY, and 

engaged in the general mercantile business, in which he was successful. 17 Feb 1892, he married Margaret B. Smith, daughter of 

Peter Smith, of Russia. Mr. Carpenter is a Democrat and was supervisor in 1887-87-91. He was postmaster of Grant during 

Cleveland's administration and was a notary public. He was one of the oldest Masons in Russia, was a member of Remsen lodge 

No. 677, F&AM, and also a member of the Equitable Aid Union of Grant. 

http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/NY-Military/2003-11/1068585858 

'Utica Daily Press' - Mon. morning 8 Sep 1919: 

TRENTON VETERAN IS DEAD 

John Hughes Was One of Foremost Citizens of Town 

SERVED AS VILLAGE PRESIDENT 

End Comes after Brief Illness - Was Native of Wales, but Came to America When 14 Years Old - Served in Civil War- 

Was Interested in Civic and Fraternal Affairs in Village and Town 

Trenton Veteran Whose Death Occurred After Brief Illness 

Barneveld, Sept. 7- At his home here yesterday occurred the death of John Hughes, at the age of 84 years, one of the oldest and 

most respected citizens of Trenton. He had been ill only a short time. John Hughes was born in Anglesea, North Wales, in 

December 1824. When he was 14 years old he came to America on a sailing vessel which required six weeks to make the trip. After 

working in New York City one summer went to Trenton. Here he worked for Addison Fuller and learned the trade of a carriage 

painter. He worked with Mr. Fuller quite a number of years and in 1860 succeeded him in business. For nearly 50 years he worked 

at carriage marking, at which he was an expert. With the exception of a time that he was in the army, Mr. Hughes had conducted 

this business every since in the old shop of his former employer. 

Early in 1862 Mr. Hughes enlisted in the 117th Regiment, for three years, being a member of Company F. under Capt. Steves. He 

served with the regiment for over a year, taking part in a number of battles. He then became sick of fever and was transferred to the 

Veteran Reserve Corps for the 9th Regiment. In this he served as corporal and the regiment did guard duty in and about 

Washington. He was mustered out at Washington 19 Jun 1865, a few days after the 117th was mustered out. Mr. Hughes was a 

member of Post Thomas, No. 39, G. A. R., in which he served longest as chaplain and in which he had held every office but that of 

commander. He was a member of the Oneida County Veterans' Association. 

In 1868 Mr. Hughes was made a Mason in Remsen Lodge, No. 677, F&AM. In this he had served as Warden, Junior Deacon and 

Master of Ceremonies. He was one of the directors of the Trenton Library Association and sold the plot of ground on which the 

library stands. In politics he was Republican and served as President of the village in 1885, 1886 and again in 1897. He was one of 

the school trustees in Trenton for many years. Mr. Hughes attended the Unitarian Church. He was a very industrious man, well 

known and highly esteemed in the community in which most of his life had been spent. 

In 1858 he married Emma [Susan] JONES of Trenton, who died a few years ago. His children are Edwin of Trenton, Frank R. of 

Chicago, George of Syracuse, Charles S., who is an architect in Auburn, and Jennie, wife of H.E. McINTOSH of Trenton. There was 

a Masonic service at his grave. 

http://oneida.nygenweb.net/obits/unsorted13.html 

Lynn C. Hamlin, of the Wedgewood Apts., 150 Genesee St., New Hartford, died 1 Aug 1980 in Faxton Hospital. He was born in 

Deansboro, son of Burdette and Clarissa Warner Hamlin. He was a graduate of Clinton High School and the Columbia University 

College of Pharmacy. Mr. Hamlin served in the U.S. Army in WW I as a Private in the Medical Dept. Infirmary of the 36 Artillery. He 

was a direct descendant of Captain Giles Hamlin and an eighth generation descendant of General Joseph Warren, both officers in 

the Revolutionary War. He married Ruth Scoones. Mr. Hamlin operated a drug store in Remsen and later became associated with 

the former Dan J. Sullivan Drug Co. until his retirement. He was a former member of Olivet Presbyterian Church where he was an 

Elder and Deacon, as well as a member of the church choir. He was a Past Master of Remsen Lodge No. 677, F&AM, a member 

of Utica Post 229 American Legion and a Past County Commander. 

46

He leaves his wife; a son, Ralph S. Hamlin, New Hartford; a grandson, David Hamlin, New Hartford, a granddaughter, Mrs. James 

(Linda) Stringer, 2 great-granddaughters, Melanie and Megan Stringer, all of Salem, Oregon; a cousin, Stuart Miller of New Hartford. 

http://home.comcast.net/~richardson156/huntmw.html 

Myron W. Hunt, M. D., was born on the family homestead at Lairdsville, in the town of Westmoreland, Oneida, NY, on 24 Mar 1857. 

His ancestors were New Englanders, who for several years had exerted a notable influence in the civil and business life of the 

colonies. Capt. William Hunt, the grandfather of Dr. Hunt, was born in Vermont, but removed in early life to Sharon, CT, where he 

followed the trade of tanner and currier. In the winter of 1813-14 he moved with his family to Westmoreland, Oneida county, where 

he settled upon a farm on which he died in 1843, at the age of 73. Here he followed both tanning and farming. Coming here when 

the country was new he experienced all the privations incident to pioneer life, but he never faltered in the hard work necessary in 

clearing his farm and prosecuting his trade. Soon after his arrival he was called with his company to Sackett's Harbor, where he was 

stationed as captain during the war of 1812-15. The sword he carried on that occasion is now in the possession of his grandson, the 

subject of this sketch. Captain Hunt was a man of more than ordinary ability. Endowed with a rugged constitution he possessed 

talents of high order and a mind as vigorous as it was broad and comprehensive. He exerted a large and wholesome influence in 

the community, where he was highly respected for his many excellent qualities. Being a member of the Methodist church he took a 

deep interest in all religious matters and liberally encouraged every movement which advanced the cause. His home was always 

open to the old circuit riders—those itinerant preachers who formed such an important factor in frontier life three-quarters of a 

century ago. He married Betsey Calkins, a native of Sharon, CT, who died on the homestead in 1848, aged 73. She was a woman 

richly endowed with the sterling characteristics of New Englanders, and like her husband wielded a marked influence in the 

community. Of a lovable disposition, kind, benevolent, and charitable, she was especially the friend of the sick and needy, to whom 

she ministered with a liberal hand. Their children were William, who died in Kansas; Elijah, a merchant, who died in Lowell Oneida 

county; Rev. Isaac L., a prominent Methodist clergyman and presiding elder, who died in Adams, NY, at the age of 86; Dr. Jacob, 

born in Hillsdale, CT, in 1811, died in Utica in Apr 1887; Luther E., father of Dr. Myron W.; Rev. Ward W., a graduate of Hamilton 

College, class of 1843, and a noted clergyman, who died in Adams, NY, at the age of 74; Polly (Mrs. William Potter), who died in 

Westmoreland; Betsey (Mrs. Joseph Havens), who died in Clinton, NY, in 1875, aged 77; Hettie (Mrs. Lowden Brainard), who died 

at Lairdsville in 1890, aged 81; and Almira (Mrs. George Gardner), who died in Lowell, Oneida county. Of these Dr. Jacob Hunt 

became a well known physician and surgeon. He practiced for twenty years in Lowell, NY, and in 1852 settled in Utica. He was a 

prominent member of the Oneida County and New York State Medical Societies, a delegate to the American Medical Society, and 

twice a delegate to the General Conference of the M. E. church. 

Luther E. Hunt; father of Dr. M. W., was born on the homestead at Lairdsville on 17 May 1814, and spent his entire life there, dying 

9 Apr 1895. He was educated in Cazenovia and Fairfield Seminaries, and when nineteen became principal of the Rochester public 

school, which position he filled several years. He held a similar position in Oswego until his health failed, when he returned to 

Lairdsville and engaged in the manufacture of brooms. He was a staunch Republican, took a deep interest in local affairs, and 

enjoyed the respect and confidence of the entire community. He was one of the oldest members of Hampton Lodge F. & A. M. at 

the time of his death. In 1846 he married Harriet M. Warner, of Amsterdam, NY, who was born in Cambridge. NY, 27 May 1821, and 

who died 11 Apr 1895, two days after her husband. She was a prominent member of the M. E. church, a consistent Christian 

throughout life, and a devoted wife and loving mother. They had five children, of whom three survived them: Dr. Myron W., of 

Holland Patent; S. Olin, of Lairdsville; and Minnie I, who was born 6 Nov 1861, and died 16 Apr 1895, making the third death in the 

family within a period of one week, all of pneumonia. 

Dr. Myron W. Hunt spent his early life on the family homestead and in attending the district schools. In 1875 he was graduated in 

the classical course from Whitestown Seminary and subsequently pursued his preparatory studies at Fort Edward Collegiate 

Institute. Later he entered the class of 1879 of Syracuse University, but did not complete the course, having decided in the mean 

time to adopt medicine as a profession. In the fall of 1878 he entered the office of Dr. William M. James, of Whitesboro, where he 

pursued his studies with that thoroughness which has characterized all his undertakings. Later he read medicine with Dr. Albert Van 

Da Veer, a noted surgeon of Albany, and was graduated from the Albany Medical College on 4 Mar 1882. He immediately went to 

Burlington and took the spring course at the University of Vermont, graduating therefrom in June of that year. Afterward he took a 

special course in diseases of the heart and lungs under Dr. George M. Garland, of Boston. In the fall of 1883 he began the active 

practice of his profession in Stittville in the town of Trenton, Oneida county, and in May 1888, moved thence to the village of Holland 

Patent, in the same town, where he has since resided. 

Dr. Hunt successfully built up an extensive general practice and stands well among the leading physicians of Oneida county. He is a 

prominent member of the Oneida County Medical Society and out-of-town physician to Faxton and St. Elizabeth's Hospitals of Utica. 

He has also been health officer of the town of Floyd for several years. In politics he is an ardent and active Republican, and in the 

councils of his party is one of the recognized local leaders. In the fall of 1890 he was elected coroner of Oneida county by a majority 

of 118, and three years later was re-elected to this office, running ahead of the ticket. During his two terms, or nearly six years, as 

county coroner he has had much important work, his territorial jurisdiction being the largest in the county. Dr. Hunt has been a 

member of the Board of Education of Holland Patent since 1888 and is chairman of the teachers' committee. He is an honorary 

member of the 117th regiment N. Y. S. V,, a member of Remsen Lodge, No 677, F&AM, member of Utica Lodge No. 33, B. P. O. 

E., and a charter member of Trenton Lodge, No. 577, I. O. O. F., and Holland Patent Lodge, No. 352, K. of M. He was a charter 

member and one of the organizers of Holland Patent Lodge, No. 291, K. of P., is district deputy chancellor commander of the 66th 

district Knights of Pythias, and was the organizer and is past chief councilor of Stittville Council, No. 279, Order of the United 

Friends. He also organized Oriskany Council, No. 291, O. U. F., and has taken a deep interest in the advancement of the order. Dr. 

Hunt is a public-spirited citizen, active in all worthy enterprises, and is actively identified with the prosperity of his town and county. 

He stumped the counties of Herkimer and Oneida in 1892 and has delivered numerous addresses before patriotic and other 

gatherings. He has been a delegate to county, district, and State political conventions, and in every capacity has manifested that 

loyalty and patriotism and public spirit which characterize the respected citizen. He is vestryman of St. Paul's Episcopal church, 

Holland Patent, and a member of the United Friends Club of New York city. 

On 7 Aug 1884, Dr. Hunt was married to Miss Frances A., daughter of Joseph D. Newton, of Lowell, Oneida county, and they have 

two sons: Newton L., born 20 Oct 1885, and Isaac L., born 16 Apr 1891. 

47

Faxton Lodge No. 697, Utica, New York 

http://home.comcast.net/~richardson156/faxtonts.html 

Theodore Saxton Faxton 

The ancestor of the Faxon family in America was Thomas Faxon, a native of England, 

who came to Massachusetts with his wife and three children before the year 1647. He 

was a man of means, and represented Braintree in the General Assembly in 1669. 

From him descended (1) Richard, (2) Josiah, (3) Thomas, (4) Thomas, and (5) 

Thomas. Thomas Faxon (4), son of Thomas and Ruth (Webb) Faxon, was born in 

Braintree, MA, 9 Feb 1724, and died in Deerfield, MA, Jun 1792. He married Joanna 

Allen, daughter of Abijah and Joanna (Bolter) Allen and a descendant of Samuel Allen, 

the immigrant. He was a private in Capt. Joseph Stebbins's company of Col. David 

Wells' regiment in 1777, and also in a body of six months men from Deerfield, MA, in 

1780. His son Thomas (5) was born in Braintree, MA, 19 Feb 1755, settled as a farmer 

and shoemaker in Cunway, MA, and moved thence about 1802 to Whitestown, Oneida 

county, whence he removed about 1822 to York, Livingston, NY, where he died 3 Jan 

1827. He was married, first, to Rachel Davis, daughter of Isaac and Rachel (Sheldon) 

Davis, of Somers, CT. She was born 15 Apr 1756; died in Conway, MA, Jan 1794. 

Their children were Fanny (Mrs. Justus Sackett), Alpheus, Rachel (Mrs. Ira Cook), 

Abigail (Mrs. John Parsons), Mary (Mrs. Willard C. Conkey), Isaac Davis, and 

Theodore Saxton. Mr. Faxon married second, Deborah, daughter of Prince and Jane 

(Delano) Toby, of New Bedford, Mass. They had eight children, of whom Thomas J., 

Emily, Ezra T., Josiah G., and an infant daughter, deceased, were born in Whitestown. 

Theodore Saxton Faxton [according to a History of the Faxon family, Theodore S. 

Faxton was the first to insert the "t" in his name; he adhered to this style of orthography 

in writing his name throughout life.] was born in Conway, MA, 10 Jan 1794, and was 

the youngest of seven children of Thomas and Rachel (Davis) Faxon. His early educational advantages were limited to the common 

schools of the period, supplemented by six months at Clinton soon after taking up his residence in Utica in 1812. In 1813 he became 

a driver on the stage, and for four years, except the previously mentioned six months, held the reins of a four-in-hand every day. 

After 1817 he mounted the box only occasionally, yet such was his acknowledged skill as a reinsman that on occasions of 

ceremony, or when something extraordinary was required, he was invariably selected to do honor to the service. 

When Lafayette visited Utica in 1825 Mr. Faxton secured six dashing gray horses, harnessed them with silver-plated harness, 

borrowed the old Van Rensselaer carriage, and drove to Whitesboro, where the distinguished guest was to be received. After 

General Lafayette had left the boat and entered the carriage Mr. Faxton felt, as he expressed it, grander than Napoleon. After the 

year 1817 he had charge for a considerable period of a portion of the stage business of Jason Parker and a little later was offered 

an interest in the concern on the condition that he should pay for his share as fast as the profits would permit. In 1822 he became a 

partner, together with Silas D. Childs, in the firm of Jason Parker & Co. Notwithstanding the competition of the new Erie Canal the 

stage business through Central New York continued very large for a number of years, and at the death of Mr. Parker in 1828 there 

were eight daily lines running through Utica east and west and four lines north and south. The firm successfully managed this vast 

and intricate business for ten years after the death of the senior member, and Messrs. Faxton and Childs continued in partnership 

some time longer. Together they erected the Exchange building on the site of the old Canal Coffee House, and collected the rents of 

this, the Eagle Tavern, and other real estate which they held in common. Mr. Faxton also joined with John Butterfield, Hiram 

Greenman, and others in running a line of packet boats on the Erie Canal, and in connection with Alfred Munson and associates he 

organized the first American line of steamers on the River St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, and for several years was one of the 

managing directors. He was one of the originators of the Utica and Black River Railroad, paid a larger subscription than any other 

man, and for a long time served most efficiently as president of the company. 

Mr. Faxton always took a just pride in developing the village and city of Utica, and through various enterprises contributed largely to 

its material prosperity. He gave the first $100 to found the Utica Mechanics Association and held the office of president several 

terms. With Willett H. Shearman and Anson Dart he was one of the commissioners who completed the erection of the Utica State 

Hospital (then the State Lunatic Asylum) in 1843, and in 1852 was chairman of the building committee of the First Presbyterian 

church. He was also one of the originators of the Utica Water Works Company, the Utica Steam Cotton Mills, and the Second 

National Bark, and served the last two named corporations as president; and was interested in the Globe Woolen Mills, of which he 

was president from April, 1856, until his death. 

In 1845 he became a conspicuous factor in developing and adapting to wider use the then greatest invention of the century, the 

telegraph, and in this respect he will forever merit particular credit. From the very first he was attracted to the possibilities of the 

wonderful invention, and soon after the success of the first line from Baltimore to Washington he visited the latter city for the 

purpose of personally investigating for himself and the few others who shared his confidence. He had learned from experience in his 

Telegraph line of stages--a line fitted out by his company to carry a small number of passengers at the greatest possible speed, and 

which had been so popular that every seat was spoken for days in advance of departure--that men loved speed and would 

encourage and patronize the fastest stages, the fastest boats, and the fastest means of transmitting intelligence. While absent he 

secured the right to establish a telegraph line between New York and Buffalo, the owners of the patent to have one-half of the stock 

of the company when the line was complete. 

On his return to Utica he united with John Butterfield, Hiram Greenman, Mr. Livingston, Mr. Wells, and others, and formed a 

company with a capital of $200,000, and with himself as president and superintendent, in which capacity he continued to act for 

seven years. The company strung the first wire between New York and Buffalo; it was of copper and cost about $60 per mile. His 

attention was called to the wire fence which had been in use on Colonel Walker's grounds for 25, and he concluded that if iron was 

good for fences for such a length of time it would also do for telegraphing purposes. The copper wire was taken down and sold for 

enough to put up the two iron wires, which cost only $18 per mile. Mr. Faxton labored hard against much opposition to make the 

enterprise a success, which it proved to be. [see approximate cost estimate and savings of telegraph line below]. 

48

He never took a very active part in politics, but was frequently called to positions of honor and trust. He was a trustee of the village 

of Utica in 1831, and served as alderman of the city in 1836 and as mayor in 1864. In 1848 he was a delegate to the Whig National 

Convention which nominated Zachary Taylor for president. In 1842 he became sheriff of Oneida county, but held the office only a 

few weeks when he was displaced by the governor purely for political reasons. His enterprise, public spirit, and generous 

benefactions not only built up stage, packet, steamboat, railroad, and telegraph lines, banks, manufactories, etc., which have added 

wealth and prosperity to Utica, but established other monuments which perpetuate his name and honor his memory. These are the 

Old Ladies' Home on Faxton street, Faxton Hospital, and Faxton Hall at the junction of Varick and Court streets for the education of 

the children of factory operatives by day and night. He was the founder of each of these; and also of Faxton Lodge, No. 697, 

F&AM. He was a man of strict integrity, of marked sociability, and of great kindness of heart, and was possessed of unusual 

business and executive ability. 

Mr. Faxton was married on 21 Aug 1828, to Irene Miller Alverson, daughter of William and Chloe (Starr) Alverson. She was born in 

Utica 14 Jun 1802, and died 29 Apr 1868. Mr. Faxton's death occurred 30 Nov 1881. 

Notes: 

1. Based upon the figures given for the telegraph line of $60 or $18 given above, the approximate costs would be: 

Distance from NYC to Albany 

Distance from Albany to Buffalo 

Total Distance from NYC to Buffalo 

160 miles 

290 miles 

450 miles (in 2009 about 8 hours by Thruway) 

450 miles @ $60 per mile $27,000 in 2009 value ~ $765,000 [for a single cooper wire] 

450 miles @ $18 per mile 8,000 in 2009 value ~ 230,000 [for a double iron wire] 

Savings of iron over copper wire $19,000 in 2009 value ~ $535,000 

2. Mr. Faxton’s business partner was John Butterfield, who son, Gen. Daniel Butterfield (b. 1831 in Utica; d. 1901 in Cold Spring, 

Putnam, NY) was a Freemason (Metropolitan Lodge No. 273, New York) and is credited as the originator of the bugle call “Taps.” 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Butterfield 

----- 

http://books.google.com/books?id=DnxLAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Faxton+Lodge+no.+697%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Judson Boardman Andrews, M. D., 33°, was born in North Haven, CT, 25 Apr 1834, and died in Buffalo, NY, August :;d, 1894, 

aged sixty years. He was descended on his father-s side from William Andrews, an early settler of New Haven, who came from 

Hampshire, England, in 1635, and on his mother-s side from a brother of Elihu Yale, the founder of Yale College. He was graduated 

from Yale in 1855, and began the study of medicine at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1857. 

At the breaking out of the Civil War he was teaching in Saratoga County, NY, and in the Spring of 1861 joined the Stillwater 

Company of Zouaves, which had been organized and drilled by Colonel Ellsworth. The death of this famous officer, whose family 

resided in the village of Mechanicsville. where Dr. ANDREWS was then teaching, roused his patriotic ardor and proved a turning point 

in his career. He enlisted in the 77th New York Volunteers, the Bemis Heights Regiment, which was recruited in Saratoga County, 

and was elected Captain of Company F. This regiment took part in the Peninsular campaign against Richmond, participated in the 

siege of Yorktown and the battles of Williamsburg. Mechanicsville, Savage Station, White Oaks Swamp and Malvern Hill. 

After the retreat to Harrison-s Landing, in Jul 1862, DR. ANDREWS resigned his commission on account of ill health and returned to 

New Haven, where he completed his medical studies and received the degree of M. D. from Yale Medical School, in Feb 1863. He 

afterward entered t he Germantown hospital as a medical cadet, and in July following was commissioned assistant surgeon and 

assigned to the 19th Connecticut Heavy Artillery Volunteers, which was then on duty in the fortifications about Alexandria, 

Virginia. This regiment served in Grant’s overland campaign, in 1864, performed duty in the trenches at Petersburg and was 

mustered out at New Haven in Sep 1863. 

In 1867 Du. ANDREWS received the appointment of third assistant physician in the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, New 

York, and in 1880 was appointed superintendent of the Buffalo State Hospital, a position which he held at the time of his death. He 

was appointed professor on insanity in the Buffalo Medical College in 1881, a post which he resigned a year before his death 

because of failing health. 

In 1886 he was elected president of the Medical Society of the County of Erie, was a founder member of the New York State 

Medical Association, had the distinguished honor of being elected its president in 1892, and the same year was elected president of 

the American Medico-Psychological Association. 

He was very active in Masonry while a resident of Utica, NY. The records of Faxton Lodge. No. 697, F&AM, show his name among 

a list of 51 petitioners for a dispensation to form a new Masonic Lodge in the city of Utica, NY. The Hon. JAMES GIBSON issued the 

necessary document, and by a vote of the petitioners the following were the first officers of the lodge and named in the dispensation: 

WILLIAM B. SCRANTON, Master; JUDSON B. ANDREWS, SW; HENRY H. COOPER, JW. They were chosen 10 Feb 1869. 

At the meeting of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, held in Jun 1870, a warrant of constitution was granted to Faxton 

Lodge, No. 697, F&AM, with the same officers named in the warrant that appeared in the dispensation. At the annual election of 

officers, held 19 Dec 1870, JUDSON B. ANDREWS was elected Master, and served in this capacity for twelve months, presiding with 

dignity and expounding the ritual accurately and impressively. He was not directly connected with any Masonic body in Buffalo, but 

before coming to that city had received honorary membership in the 33rd degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. 

While connected with the Utica State Asylum he was for ten years the working editor of the American Journal of Insanity. He was 

always au advocate of State care of the insane, and aided materially in establishing the system. In the Buffalo hospital he 

inaugurated and carried to a successful issue the training of attendants as nurses upon the insane. 

49

DR. ANDREWS was an able, active and energetic worker in his chosen field of labor, the success of his career as a practical alienist 

being fully tested by the history of the Buffalo State Hospital, as well as by his enviable record at the parent institution at Utica. In 

social and literary circles, and in all the relations of a broad and progressive culture, Dr. ANDREWS was among the first citizens of 

Buffalo. His interest in all humane movements was active and generous. He met the difficulties of administration in the hospital with 

patience and tact, and never lost the confidence of the public or the medical profession in the benevolent and intelligent purpose of 

his government of the unfortunate under his charge. 

DR. ANDREWS married, 27 Dec 1871, Agnes Campbell, daughter of the late Hon. Samuel Campbell, of New York Mills, NY. They 

had two daughters, Mary and Agnes. 

----- 

Charles Stewart Mott 

Ill.’. Bro. Mott was born in Newark, NJ, on 2 Jun 1875, the son of John Coon Mott and Isabella Turnbull 

Stewart and attended the public schools of New York City. After studying in Denmark and Germany he 

entered Stevens Institute of Technology and received a Mechanical Engineering degree. He received 

the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from seven universities and colleges; Doctor of Education from 

two universities; Doctor of Humanities and Associate of Retailing; and the Stevens Institute of 

Technology conferred the Degree of Doctor of Engineering on its prominent alumni. 

Bro. Mott’s military career included years spent in the New York State Militia at the turn of the century 

and in the Navy during the Spanish-American War, During World War I he served as a major in the Army 

and as a Colonel from 1924-34. He was active in the Civilian Defense Council during World War II. 

In the field of industry he rose from superintendent of a bicycle wheel firm in Utica, NY, to the largest 

individual stockholder of General Motors Corporation. He served as director, vice president, member of 

the Executive Committee and later on the Finance and Audit Committee of GMC. He loved the city of 

Flint, Michigan, serving as Mayor three times and started a Foundation bearing his name in 1935. 

Masonic Record: 

23 Nov 1904 Raised in Faxton Lodge No. 697, Utica, NY 

9 Jun 1908 Exalted in Washington Chapter No. 15, RAM, Flint, Michigan 

17 Jan 1910 Flint Council No. 56, R&SM 

12 Mar 1909 Genesee Valley Commandery No. 15, KT, in Flint 

1905 Received the degrees of the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Utica 

1905 Joined the Central City Bodies, Valley of Syracuse, becoming a life member there. 

24 Sep 1941 Crowned an Honorary member, 33 o , Supreme Council, AASR, NMJ, at Chicago 

Kishma Grotto No. 77 

Order of the Eastern Star 

Boulevard Shrine Club 

Bro. Mott died in Flint, Michigan, on 28 Feb 1973, survived by his second wife, Ruth (Rawlings) Mott, whom he married on 13 Oct 

1934 in El Paso, Texas; two sons, Charles Stewart Harding; Stewart Rawling; four daughters, Aimee Butler; Elsa Ives; Susan Webb; 

Maryanne Meynet; eleven grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren. He was interred in the Mott Family Mausoleum in Flint. 

----- 

http://oneida.nygenweb.net/bios/wager/wagert.html 

Biography continued at Appendix VI 

Rees E. Thomas, was born in Landilofawr, Carmarthenshire, South Wales, 30 Jun 1857, was graduated from Llandovery College in 

1876, read law in his native village with J. Prothero Lewis until Dec 1879, and then came to America, settling in Utica, where in Mar 

1880, he entered the law office of W. & J. D. Kernan. He was admitted to the bar at Utica general term in Apr 1886, but continued as 

managing clerk for his preceptors and their successors until Jan 1890, when he opened his present office. He makes a specialty of 

real estate and title law. In Jan 1890, with George D. Frank as partner, he organized the Central New York Abstract and Title 

Company, which he conducted alone since 1894. He is somewhat active in Democratic political circles and was attorney for the 

Excise Board of the city in 1891, 1892 and 1893. He is a member and past master of Faxton Lodge No. 697 F&AM., a member and 

past grand of Oneida Lodge No. 70, IOOF; a member and past chief patriarch of Tri-Mount Encampments No. 24, IOOF; a member 

of Canton Utica No. 23, IOOF; and past district deputy grand master and past district deputy grand patriarch of the Grand Lodge of 

the State. He is past regent of Schuyler Council No. 404 R. A., and past district grand regent. He is a member of Oneida Chapter 

No. 57, RAM, past sechem of Teugaga Tribe No. 138, IORM, past district deputy and past grand representative for the State of New 

York to the Grand Council of the United States, a charter member and the first and present secretary of the Masonic Club of Utica, a 

member of Utica Lodge Knights of Honor and Our Council Home Circle, and a member of the Utica Mannerchor. 22 Jun 1879, he 

was married in Wales to Mary Ann Williams, and they have five children living: Mabel Anna, Sarah Llewelyn, Herbert Francis, Harold 

Pryse and Tudor Lloyd. 

----- 

50

http://home.comcast.net/~richardson156/trevvette.html 

EDWARD TREVVETT 

Edward Trevvett, the originator and founder of the Commercial Travelers' Mutual Accident 

Association of America, was born in the village of Humberston, Leicestershire, England, 

12 Feb 1840, received his education in that country, and came to America in 1868, 

settling first in Brooklyn, NY, whence he removed in 1877 to Utica. He was for a long time 

engaged in the tea trade as a traveling salesman, representing D. H. Houghtaling & Co. 

for 12½ years, the Nassau Trading Company for three years, and Carter, Macy & Co. for 

four years. All these firms were located in New York City and were extensive dealers in 

tea. As a salesman Mr. Trevvett was uniformly successful. He built up a large trade and 

became one of the most popular "Knights of the grip." The experience he acquired as a 

commercial traveler led him into a field of usefulness in which he has won a wide 

reputation. He was one of the first to discern the need of an organization among traveling 

men which should band them together socially and fraternally into one common 

brotherhood, with mutual interests, and at the same time protect their families in case of 

accident or death. He studied the question carefully, and became in this respect a public 

benefactor. 

In 1883 there was in Utica Post B, of the Commercial Travelers Life Association of 

Syracuse, whose officers met every four weeks in the Butterfield House. At one of these 

meetings, held early in March, Mr. Trevvett introduced the subject of starting an accident 

association here. A circular was issued, signed by ten or twelve men, and the next week 

fifty persons met and formally adopted a constitution and by-laws which Mr. Trevvett had 

drafted. On 20 Mar 1883, the Commercial Travelers' Mutual Accident Association was 

incorporated with 49 charter members, eight being non-resident, the name of Edward Trevvett heading the list. The object, as set 

forth in the preamble, was "to secure voluntary contributions to members of our brotherhood, who, through accident, have sustained 

bodily injuries which wholly disables them from following their occupation, or to the widow and orphans, or such other beneficiaries 

as may be designated, in case of death by accidental means." Henry D. Pixley has been the president since the organization. The 

first secretary and treasurer was Edgar H. Wheeler, who died in July 1883, when Edward Trevvett who was a member of the first 

board of directors, was elected to the position and has ever since filled it with ability and satisfaction. This is the largest accident 

association in the world for a distinct set or class of men, all of its members, numbering about 17,000, being bona fide commercial 

travelers. Mr. Trevvett was alone in the inception and founding of the institution and to him is mainly due the success which it has 

attained. Through its thirteen years' existence he has labored assiduously and in the face of trying difficulties for its welfare, has 

given it his entire attention, and has triumphantly placed it upon a sound and lasting basis. Others have been instrumental in its 

development, but his personal activity and business skill have carried it successfully to a benevolent, co-operative, and fraternal 

end. During the thirteen years the average cost of insurance, exclusive of entrance fees, has been $6.75 per year. Its permanent 

home is in Utica, a fact which eminently identifies it and its founder with the history of the county. 

Mr. Trevvett is president of St. George's Society of the city of Utica, which was organized 4 Feb 1858, and of which he became a 

member about 1880. He is also president of the North America St. George's Union for 1895-97, being elected to this high position in 

the order at the sixteenth convention held in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, August 20 to 23, 1895. He is a 32d degree Mason, holding 

membership in Faxton Lodge, No. 697, F&AM, Oneida Chapter, No. 57, RAM„ Utica Council, No. 28, R&SM, Utica Commandery, 

No. 3, KT, Central City Consistory, AASR, and Ziyara Temple, AAONMS. He is junior warden and treasurer of St. George's church, 

Utica, and treasurer of the second convocation or missionary district of the diocese of Central New York, which embraces all of 

Oneida and a part of Madison County. 

Mr. Trevvett married the youngest daughter of Dr. John P. Simpson, of Leicestershire, England, and they have four children living: 

Florence, of Tacoma, Wash.; Annie (Mrs. Charles H. Davidson), of Utica; Herbert E., special traveling agent for the Southern Pacific 

railroad with headquarters at Tacoma, Wash.; and Sidney A., a graduate of Cornell University and now with the Union Casualty and 

Fidelity Company of New York city. 

Oriskany Lodge No. 799, Oriskany, New York 

Utica Weekly Herald, 22 Mar 1892 

Oriskany lodge. No. 799. F&AM, was organized 28 Dec 1880, by virtue of a dispensation granted to R.’. W.’. Reese, J. K. Rice, W. 

S. Reeder, and eleven other master masons, authorizing them to open a lodge at Oriskany, NY, under the title of Oriskany lodge, U. 

D. , At the succeeding annual communication of the grand lodge, a warrant was issued to R. W. Reese, Master; J. K. Rice, SW; and 

W. S. Reeder. JW, as the first officers of Oriskany lodge. No. 799. The lodge was instituted on 18 Jun 1881, and from that date has 

continued on the high road to prosperity. From the original fourteen members, there are now sixty names on the roll. Everything 

necessary for the proper conferring of the degrees is owned by the lodge, Masonic Hall, where the meetings are held, to on the 

second story of Rice's building. It consists of a banquet ball, a large ante-room, which is used by the members as a sitting and 

reading room; preparation room and the lodge room. The lodge room is 28x40 in size, and is handsomely furnished. 

It was for the dedication of this hall to Masonic uses that the 200 and more Masons and their wives from the 17th Masonic District 

gathered in Oriskany . . . Then some 150 couples engaged in dancing at Sweet's Hall. 

Uriel Lodge No. 809, Forestport, New York 

http://home.comcast.net/~richardson156/wagerh.html 

Albert Harrig was born in New London, Oneida county, in 1867, son of Michael Harrig, who was one of five sons born to John 

Harrig, a native of Germany. Michael Harrig was a boatman on the Erie Canal, owning and conducting his own boats. His wife, Mary 

Morreall, was born in Oneida county, daughter of Joseph Morreall, who was killed in the war of the Rebellion, and by whom he had 

three children: William, Albert, and Frank, who was drowned in Forestport. Mr. Harrig died in 1870, at age of forty years, and after 

51

the death of the father and husband, Mrs. Harrig removed to Forestport, where she provided for her family, until they were old 

enough to provide for themselves. She later became wife of W. G. Sands of Forestport. 

Albert Harrig at the age of twelve years, engaged as driver on the canal; when sixteen was promoted to steersman, and four years 

later, he purchased a boat and began for himself. In 1889, he in partnership with William Syphert, engaged in the lumber business, 

getting out spar timber in the winter, which they shipped to New York city in the summer. In 1892, he left the canal, and engaged 

exclusively in the lumber business, and in 1893, they purchased the stage route between Alder Creek and Forestport. In the spring 

of 1895, they erected the present pulp mill, from which they ship six boat loads a week of forty cord each. They own a 1, 200 acre 

tract of timber land, and in connection with their pulp wood business, they furnish a Utica lumber company with logs; by contract 

they also ship a large amount of spar timber to New York city. Mr. Harrig has served as excise commissioner, town committeeman, 

etc. and is a member and Junior Deacon of the Masonic fraternity, Uriel Lodge No. 809, of Forestport, and is also a member of the 

S. F. I. In 1892, he married Estella, daughter of Daniel and Anna Briggs, a native of Forestport, by whom he has one daughter. 

Sconondoa Lodge No. 814, Vernon, New York 

Frederick ‘Fred’ James Sisson b. 31 Mar 1879 in Wells Bridge, Otsego, NY; d. 20 Oct 1949. He was sheriff's attorney in 1913 

and corporation counsel for the city of Utica in 1914; in 1922 he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Sixty-eighth 

Congress and in 1928 to the Seventy-first Congress. He was member of the Whitesboro Board of Education from 1925 to 1933, 

serving as president from 1926 to 1930. He was a graduate of Hamilton College in 1904; practiced law at Utica, NY, from 1911, and 

was active in legislation to keep thr U.S. out of war. Member of Sconondoa Lodge No. 814, Vernon, NY, receiving degrees on 

Feb. 20, March 6, 20, 1906. He died in Washington, D.C. and was interred was in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Whitesboro. 

Carducci Lodge No. 924, Utica, New York 

This Lodge was chartered in 1915 and merged with Oriental-Faxton in 2000. It is the Mother Lodge of Grand Warden, Dennis A. 

Breheny. It was originally an Italian speaking Lodge. Moriah Lodge No. 958 was chartered in 1919 as a Jewish Lodge. Liberty 

Lodge No. 959 was formed in 1919 and merged with Oriental-Faxton No. 224 in 1996. It was the Mother Lodge of Grand Master, 

Gay Brown. Oriental and Faxton Lodges had merged in 1992 to form Oriental-Faxton No. 224 so now it is a merger of Carducci, 

Liberty, Oriental and Faxton. 

Appendix I 

EARLY MASONIC HISTORY IN THE SAUQUOIT VALLEY. 

“History of the Town of Paris, and the Valley of the Sauquoit,” by Henry C. Rogers (1832-1880), 1881. Pages 185-214. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=tMYqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA244&dq=%22rogers,+hiram+c.%22#PPA185,M1 

Transcribed and edited by R.’.W.’. Gary L. Heinmiller 

Director, Onondaga & Oswego Masonic Districts Historical Societies (OMDHS) 

www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com 

The first record of any attempt to establish Freemasonry in the colonies of North America was a deputation granted by the Grand 

Lodge of England, in 1730, Duke of Norfolk, Grand Master, to Samuel Coxe, for the provinces of New Jersey, New York and 

Pennsylvania. But there is no record that Brother Coxe used his authority or performed any Masonic acts. The first charter for a 

Provincial Grand Lodge in New York, was granted by the Grand Lodge of England, in 1737, by Grand Master Earl of Darnley to 

Richard Riggs as Provincial Grand Master. The records of this Grand Lodge were destroyed during the war of the Revolution. In 

1747, under the Grand Mastership of Lord Byron, provincial patents were issued for New York. Francis Goalet was Provincial Grand 

Master. He was succeeded by George Harrison, in 1753, who was regularly installed in due and ancient form, December 27 of that 

year. He was succeeded by Sir John Johnson in 1760, which office he held until the commencement of the war of the Revolution, 

when he espoused the cause of the British, suspended the meetings of the Grand Lodge, and took possession of the records, etc., 

which were finally destroyed during the war, most of the lodges suspending business, and the work of the craft was transferred to 

the army or traveling lodges. September 5 th , 1781, the Duke of Athol, Grand Master of the “Ancient Grand Lodge of England,” 

granted a charter to Rev. William Walter to open a Provincial Grand Lodge as its Grand Master, the first meeting of which was held 

December 5 th , 1782, at which nine city lodges and six military lodges connected with the British army were present. At the close of 

the war and the evacuation of the city of New York by the British army, the military lodges and many of the grand officers left the 

country. September 19, 1783, Brother Walter resigned and William Cock was unanimously elected Grand Master. February 4 th , 

1784, Brother Cock resigned and the Hon. Robert R. Livingston was elected Grand Master, from which we date our Grand Lodge. 

There is no record as to when the Grand Lodge changed from Provincial to Independent, but it is generally conceded that when the 

articles of peace were ratified, the change took place as a matter of course, without any formal action, and was a natural and legal 

52

esult. The archives of the Grand Lodge do not contain reports of the early subordinate lodges, as was later on required, and in 

consequence it is no easy task, at this late day, to trace their history. 

One bright, beautiful morning, late in September, 1793, a pioneer of what is now New Berlin, in the full flush and prime of early 

manhood, vaulted gracefully into the saddle, and with a certain air of mystery surrounding his preparations, concealing from his 

family his destination or its object, merely informing them that they might look for his return the following day, took his way through 

the wilderness to the north. His journey was necessarily slow, only a bridlepath leading through the woods along the banks of the 

Unadilla. The sun had reached high meridian when he dismounted at a capacious log house, at what is now Bridgewater, the genial 

proprietor of which was wont to entertain in a primitive though bountiful manner the land-agents, prospectors and the occasional 

straggling guests, that in those early days found their way to his humble frontier inn. Having rested and refreshed himself and his 

trusty horse, he remounted and resumed his journey, taking his route over the distinctly marked trail, opened up a few years 

previously by a detachment who joined Sullivan’s campaign at Otsego Lake, and which led him through what was afterward Paris 

Hollow (now Cassville,) and thence along the high ground to Paris Hill. The lonely ride through a dense primeval forest on a bright 

autumn day, the weird sense of solitude in the deep, dark shade, the pure, exhilarating air, laden with the delightful aroma of cedar, 

hemlock, pine and the flora, the ringing carol of the feathered songsters, the startled scamper of the timid rabbits and smaller game, 

with the ever cautious outlook for the possibly more fierce denizens of the glade, combined to produce an indescribably thrilling 

charm, experienced by none of this generation, except, perhaps, those who may find their way on an occasional pleasure excursion, 

and “pack in” to the North Woods. As he neared Paris Hill, the quick, sharp, echoing strokes of the woodman’s axe, and in all 

directions the resounding crash and roar of the falling giants of the forest, were the first evidences of civilization he encountered, at 

which little settlement he briefly halted. 

Again in the saddle and holding his course along the summit ridge, he at length began the descent of the northern slope, and ere 

long, debouching from the dark woods into the clearing, halted in amazement at the grand, magnificent scene unfolded to his view. 

Beyond, and far to the north a vast ampitheatre of dark, unbroken forest, bounded on the apex of the distant hills of Deerfield, Marcy 

and Floyd, where it seemed to join the sky and vie with it in its deep, dark hue of beautiful blue; nearer, in the broad expansive 

valley of the Mohawk, the shadowed woods lay dark and uthor; while still nearer, and in full view of the foreground, the lovely 

valley of the Sauquoit, with the trembling, fluttering foliage of its sea of verdure, swaying and agitated by the mellow autumn breeze, 

the still clinging leaves touched by the frost fiend’s first warning breath displayed in all the colors of the rainbow, variegated by a 

thousand blending shades and tints, all glinting and shimmering, under the rays of the declining sun, while the towering hemlocks, 

with their dark, everlasting green, in striking contrast, reared their mighty heads up through this sylvan sea of beauty, like giant 

sentinels; and at his very feet, in the gathering shadow of the now setting sun, nestled the little frontier village of New Hartford, the 

spacious residence of Judge Sanger, the great land agent, looming up, surrounded by some half dozen unpretentious frame and 

log houses in the only clearing visible in this otherwise vast, unbroken, native forest. The neigh of his impatient steed recalled him 

from his awe-inspiring rapture, when he slowly descended and soon approached the stately residence of the far-famed land agent, 

not however without some trepidation. 

But the Judge, by whom his arrival was evidently looked for, came out to meet him as he swung from his horse, and in an easy, 

cordial manner extended a welcome that at once put him at his ease and dispelled all embarrassment, and, giving the horse in 

charge of an attendant with directions for its care, courteously conducted him within. After partaking of a bountiful supper they 

together went over the farm, the Judge with great pride explaining his various improvements. The round, full moon grandly lifting up 

from behind Steele’s Hill, flooding with silver sheen the valley and the hill-sides, reminded them that it was Lodge night—(lodges at 

that day met at the full of the moon)—and terminated their ramble. Judge Jedediah Sanger was the pioneer Master Mason in 

Central New York, and his house being the only building in all that region of suitable size for the purpose, he accordingly finished 

off in the chamber an ample lodge room, where he presided many years as the accomplished Master of old Amicable Lodge, No. 

25, which was chartered April 7, 1792, the first in the county, being a veritable “lodge in some vast wilderness.” As they returned to 

the house the members had already commenced arriving from Whitestown, Utica and Clinton—this being the only lodge—and the 

Judge, consigning his guest to his accomplished and witty wife to entertain, repaired to the lodge room for the purpose of “opening.” 

After a little, the conversation lagging, our wearied horseman partially reclined on the sofa, relapsing into silence, while Mrs. S. 

industriously pursued her knitting in front of the capacious, glowing fireplace. Soon after, apparently suddenly recollecting herself, 

she laid aside her knitting and, with the large, old-fashioned oven- slice, (a shovel-like iron implement, with flat blade and long 

handle, used for putting in and taking out the loaves of bread, &c., from the deep brick ovens,) hauled out on the bright brick hearth 

an ample bed of glowing coals, at the same time calling to her daughter, busy in putting away the supper dishes in the adjoining 

kitchen, to “bring her the gridiron, as she thought from appearances, that they were going to make a Mason, and you know how 

impatient the Judge always gets, if the gridiron isn’t hot just at the moment they require it.” The order complied with, the gridiron was 

placed on the bed of coals, after which, in a matter-of-course manner she resumed her knitting. Just then, there was a slight 

movement on the sofa. 

The recumbent guest straightened up, slowly arose to his feet, walked leisurely to the window, looking out for a moment or two in a 

careless unconcerned manner, then reaching up to the peg where it hung, took down his cap, opened the door and passed out into 

the moonlight. As the door closed behind him the gridiron, was removed, the coals swept back, the hearth neatly brushed, and she 

again demurely applied herself to the knitting. In due time the Judge came down, and noticing the absence of his guest, sat down 

and waited, thinking he had probably stepped out for a moment only, but as the slow moments dragged away, and he came not 

back, inquired of Mrs. S.; but she had no knowledge of his movements only that a short time before he had taken his cap, and 

without any remark had gone out; whereupon the Judge went out, looked around a little, coughed and ahem-ed significantly; 

meeting no response he took his way to the stables, opened the door and looked in. The horse, saddle, bridle and man were gone. 

Completely dumbfounded, he returned and made his report to the assembled lodge, who consequently, not having much “work” that 

night, soon dispersed; our solitary horseman, meantime, far up the hillside, was picking his way along the dimly moon-lit bridle 

path— taking the back-track home. 

They never saw him more. He had heard the “gag,” started by some old-time broad joker, that Masons at their initiation were 

branded with a gridiron, but hoped it was only an idle rumor, but now he was fully convinced that it was only too true, and thanked 

his stars that it was so luckily disclosed to him before those Masons got him up stairs, where he could not have made his escape. 

The Judge perplexed himself over the matter considerably. The witty Mrs. S., after a few days, in great confidence, gleefully 

imparted the whole transaction to a Mason’s wife, enjoining strictest secrecy; and of course every member of the lodge soon had the 

53

story in all its details. What woman ever did keep a secret? The lodge had lost that “Sheaf of Wheat,” but the joke was counted good 

enough to balance the loss of one candidate, and the clever perpetrator was readily exonerated. Those old pioneers who did have 

the courage to “face” the possible calamity of being branded, will appear in the following list of members of old Amicable Lodge, No. 

25, F. & A. M., of New Hartford, (formerly Whitestown,) chartered April 7, 1792, with date of admission : 


1792— 

Jedediah Sanger, 

Jared Chittenden, 

Isaac Jones, 

Benjamin Merrill, 

Jonas Platt, 

Arthur Breese, 

Elias Kane, 

Jesse Woodruff, 

Ewing Wharey, 

______ Veder, 

Abijah Putnam, 

Seth Riney. 

AFTERWARD ADMITTED. 

1793— 

Thomas R. Gold, 

John Beardsley, 

Uriah Wright, 

John N. Wemple, 

Evins Whany, 

Ebenezer Butler, 

Amasa Andrus, 

John Myers, 

William Veder, 

Gaylord Griswold. 

Caleb B. Merrill, 

Jonathan Hall, 

Asa Parmelee, 

David Ostrom, 

Jared Steele, 

Lysimore Wilder, 

Ebenezer Britten, 

Reuben Long, 

George Doolittle, 

Elizur Mossley, 

Abel French, 

Jonathan Moie, 

Noadiah Hubbard, 

Nathan Smith, 

Timothy Tuttle, 

Alexander Enos, 

John Post, 

Oliver Collins, 

James Steele, 

Elijah Flowers, 

Wm. Colbrath, 

Ephraim Blackman, 

Lemuel Levenworth, 

Edward Salisbury, 

Samuel Sizer, 

Eliakim Elmer, 

Luke Wemple, 

Richard Willis, 

Samuel Collins, 

Jonas Wyman, 

Nathaniel Marsh, 

William Sayles, 

Benjamin Pike, 

Lysmer Wilds, 

John Tillotson, 

Amos Mathews, 

Alexander Dorchester. 

1794.— 

John Choat, 

John Ballard, 

F. W. Kellogg, 

Ebenezer Butler, Jr., 

Michael Myers, 

Loring Webb, 

Levi Sartwell, 

Richard Sanger, 

Alpheus Wheelock, 

Nedam Maynard, 

Daniel Perkins, 

Josiah Jumins. 

1794— 

Thomas Brown, 

Amos Ives, 

Joseph Farwell, 

John R. Bone, 

Lot North. 

1795— 

Stephen White, 

Richard Starkweather, 

John H. Perkins, 

Mathew Hurlburt, 

Joseph Kirkland, 

Jesse Pierce, 

John Edgett, 

Levi Hill, 

Hiram Innus, 

Thos. Norton, 

Thos. Caselty, 

Eli Butler, 

Ephraim Waldo, 

Elias Merrells, 

Richard Perkins, 

James Henry. 

1796—Amos G. Hull, M. D., 

Asahel Jackson, 

Benj. Morris, 

Philo White, 

James Sheldon, 

Barnabas Lathrop, 

Daniel Chapman, 

George Standard, 

John Eames, 

Uri Doolittle, 

Grove Lawrence, 

Selah Seymour, 

James Dorchester, 

Jonathan Patten, 

John Kendall, 

Asa Way. 

1797— 

Elnathan Andrews, 

John Goldsmith, 

Asahel Gridley, 

James Chapman, 

Artemus Jackson, 

Warren Hicox, 

William Henry, 

Stephen Turner, 

Kanak Mills, 

William Sage, 

Ezekiel Clark, 

Thomas Sayles, 

Joseph Pierce, 

Caleb Jackson, 

Windsor Stone, 

Gershum Hubbel, 

Ebenezer Pardy. 

1798— 

Lemuel Johnson, 

Waitstill Dickenson, 

Samuel Hall, 

Truman Enos, 

Richard May, 

Theodore Woodruff, 

Ebenezer Hawley, 

Jeremiah Whipple, 

James Green, 

Joseph Yaw, 

Joshua Ostroni, 

Stephen Ford, 

Abraham Van Epes, 

Jonathan Barker, 

Eleazur House, 

Josiah Whitney, 

Richard Whitney, 

Justus Tower, 

Asahel Higby. 

1799— 

Ebenezer Kimball, 

Oliver Hovey, 

James Jackson, 

Job Herrick, 

Joshua Johnson, 

Enoch Storey. 

1800— 

John Paddock, 

William Huggins, 

Jesse Shepard, 

Samuel Meggs, 

Nehemiah Ensworth. 

1801—Asahel Beach, 

54

Aaron Rider, 

Spaulding Pierce, M.D., 

Asa Shepard, 

Bele Thompson, 

Alpha Hovey, 

_____ Earle, 

Augustus Sayles. 

1802—John Cross. 

1803— 

Peter Raymond, 

Gardner Avery, 

Thomas McKustry, 

Cobb Sampson, 

John Remington. 

1804— 

Ebenezer Steward, Eliphalet Sweeting, Benjamin Allen, George Richards. 

1805— 

John White, Justin Farnham, James Birthwrong. 

1806— 

John C. Ives, Giles Sanford, John H. Handy, Simeon G. Wilbor. 

1807— 

James Lowell, 

Oren Ives, 

Isaac Pitcher, 

Lewis Sherrell, 

Asher Flint, 

James G. Hunt, 

Wm. J. Hopkins. 

1808— 

Amos Seward, Daniel Powel, Alfred Smith, Abel Beers. 

1810— 

Benjamin Taylor, Obadiah Conger, Reuben Brown. 

1811— 

Augustus Hurlburt, J. 0. Wattler, Daniel Stanton. 

1812— 

Samuel J. Grannis, Nathaniel Caulking, Eleazer Hovey. 

Later members of unknown date, the books having been destroyed by fire in 1830: 

Amos Rogers, Sr., 

Oliver G. Rogers, 

Nathan Rogers, 


George Stratton, 

Ezra Stiles, 

Captain King Strong, 

N. W. Moore, 

Samuel Lyon, 

Dr. Gilbert A. Foster, 

Isaac G. Stratton, 

D. Lanterman, 

B. F. Hurlbert, 

Samuel Tyler, 

Joseph Foster, 

Joseph Wheeler, 

S. E. Johnson, 

Elizur Steele, 

Jairus Stanley, 

Charles S. Brown, 

Amos Robinson, 

Thomas Laister, 

John Walker, 

A. C. Treadway, 

A. R. Gillmore, 

James Norman, 

Ezra H. Curtiss, 

B. F. Ward, 

John Grime, 

Richard Mills, 

Daniel W. Tower, 

Martin J. Stiles, 

Eli Savage, 

John Sawyer, 

Calvin Lockart, 

George Bigelow, 

E. M. Gibbs, 

George Anderson, 

W. S. Steele, 

Samuel Dakin, 

Richard Wells. 

Total, 240. 

EARLY OFFICERS. 

1792-1801— Jedediah Sanger, Master. 

1802— Elnathan Andrews, Master; Dr. Amos G. Hull, S. W.; Richard Sanger, J. W. 

1814-1823— J. Remington, Tiler. 

1823-1826— Isaac G. Stratton, Master; Nathaniel Caulking, S. W.; John Walker, J. W.; Elizur Steele, Treas.; Dr. Gilbert A. 

Foster, Sec’y; George Bigelow, S. D.; Martin J. Stiles, J. D. 

1827— Samuel Dakin, Sec’y. 

There are no returns in the Grand Lodge of the early members, but among the papers there, besides a few unpaid notes, is a record 

that they paid $10 a year for lot No. 7, New Hartford. The other bills are small, mostly for candles, cider, beer and crackers. They 

paid to Sanger & Co. $1.00 for a plumb and level. The late Dr. Gilbert A. Foster, who presented to the present Amicable Lodge, 

No. 664, the Bible, Altar, Slipper, Level and Two Columns, was the last surviving officer of old Amicable Lodge No. 25, those 

cherished, time-honored relics, comprising the few things rescued from the Lodge when destroyed by fire in the year 1830, and 

were carefully preserved by him for many years, to be finally transmitted to the new Lodge, organized in 1868, nearly forty years 

after the destruction of the old pioneer Lodge of the county. That great Light of Masonry, the Bible, so providentially rescued from 

the flames of old Amicable Lodge, now reposing on their altar, is a sacred prize to cherish highly. The pioneers that from time to 

time sealed their Masonic vows on that ancient volume, were the founders of Utica, New Hartford, Paris, Whitestown, Bridgewater 

and Kirkland. They battled with the wilderness and replaced the wild, tangled forest with fertile fields with verdure clad, blossoming 

orchards and rural homes. They were the first Magistrates and Judges, Members of Assembly, Congressmen and Supervisors; 

veterans of the Revolution and the war of 1812. Churches and schools were founded and grew up under their fostering care; mills, 

55

factories, furnaces, machine shops, and the various industries they established, made the valley of the Sauquoit a teeming hive of 

industry and prosperity, and the county of Oneida famous throughout the State and Nation for its manufactures, wealth and 

educational enterprises. To write out the history of each of these pioneer Masons, would fill a library. Among the most prominent in 

that roll of honor, however, may be mentioned Jedediah Sanger, the pioneer of New Hartford, a land agent, purchasing one 

thousand acres there in 1788, (the present site of the village,) interested in founding the Paris Furnace Company, Clayville; 

Farmers’ Factory, South Sauquoit ; built the grist mill, now McLean’s, in 1790, and in 1796 the grist mill at the mouth of the 

Skaneateles Lake, Onondaga county; was interested in a cotton factory in 1815, one of the principal owners of the Seneca 

Turnpike, first Supervisor of Whitestown, and first Judge of Oneida county. He died full of honors June 6, 1829, aged 78. [see 

Appendix to this present work for a more complete Biographical Sketch of Judge Sanger. – g.l.h.] 

General Joseph Kirkland was interested also in the Farmers’ Factory and the Seneca Turnpike—being for many years the President 

and Treasurer—the Oneida Glass Factory, the New Hartford Manufacturing Company, Ontario Branch Bank, Hamilton College, the 

Utica Academy, Presbyterian Church, and most of the early institutions of the county. He was born in Norwich, Conn., January 18, 

1770, graduated at Yale College in 1790, studied law with Judge Swift, of Windham, and afterwards was admitted to the bar in 

Oneida county ; Member of Assembly in 1803,’18,’21 and ‘25 ; District. Attorney in 1813-16; first Mayor of Utica in 1832, and again 

in 1834, and died January 2, 1844. (further biography in Appendix below – g.l.h.) 

Joseph Higbee was the second settler of New Hartford, purchasing of Judge Sanger a large tract, east of the creek, of his thousand 

acres. 

Col. Gardner Avery, Member of Assembly in 1827, pioneer of Clayville, manager of the Paris Furnace; the Lenox Furnace; 

Superintendent of the Seneca Turnpike, and one of the owners of the Farmers’ Factory. 

Gardner Avery, Sr., was born in 1752, and lived in Monson, Mass., and afterwards in Paris Furnace, Oneida County, NY. In 1776 he 

enlisted in Captain Ball’s company, Colonel Larnet’s regiment, Massachusetts militia, and served one year, during which he took 

part in the battle of East Chester. In 1818, while living in Oneida County, he was pensioned by the United States Government. The 

name was then spelled “ Avary.” (further biography in Appendix below – g.l.h.) 

Judge Eliphalet Sweeting, founder, in charge of Paris Furnace. (further biography in Appendix below, with Biography of the Col. 

Avery above – g.l.h.) 

Jonas Platt, Court Clerk of Herkimer county, and of Oneida county, when it was formed from Herkimer, in 1798; Member of 

Assembly in 1796; to Congress in 1799-1801; State Senator in 1810-11-12,13, and candidate for Governor in 1810 against Daniel 

D. Tompkins, and only defeated by a small majority. (further extensive biography in Appendix below – g.l.h.) 

Arthur Breese, law partner of Jonas Platt, was Deputy County Clerk, Master in Chancery, Member of Assembly, 1796-97, and first 

Surrogate of Oneida county and Clerk of the Supreme Court, in 1808. Benejah Merrill, auctioneer in Utica in 1802; sheriff in 1807- 

10; removed to Sacketts Harbor in 1819, and died January 27, 1831. (further biography in Appendix below – g.l.h.) 

David Ostrom, a soldier of the Revolution, first Supervisor of the town of Paris, Member of Assembly for many years, County Judge 

from 1798 until 1816, and in conjunction with Captain Bacon built the grist mill and saw mill at Sauquoit, in 1797. 

Nathan Smith, Member of Assembly 1798, 1801, 1802, and one of the first Trustees of the Bank of Utica in 1812. 

John Post, first merchant and first Postmaster in Utica, building the first frame house in Utica in 1790; also kept a hotel.(see 

Appendix II for a longer article on Bro. Post and his wife). 

General Oliver Collins, of Middle Settlement, was a General of militia at Sacketts Harbor, in the War of 1812. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=N-HTEorQoD0C&pg=RA3-PA41&lpg=RA3- 

PA41&dq=%22horeb+chapter%22+%22whitestown%22&source=web&ots=0v0T6malHP&sig=PHKsVcZ8u8gbYYimSHJuYJCaSm4 

&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PRA3-PA40,M1 page 40. (further biography in Appendix below – g.l.h.) 

Timothy Tuttle built the first frame house at Paris Hill, also the first in Kirkland, in 1789, and . . . 

Ebenezer Butler built the second frame house there. 

Justus Tower, early prominent settler in Kirkland (Waterville). In 1800 or 1801 he built a saw mill and flouring mill. In the spring 

freshet of 1801 or 1802 great quantities of flood wood came down the stream. ‘Squire Tower with two or three others were on the 

flood-wood with pike poles to shove the floating logs over the saw mill dam, when the whole dam went off. ‘Squire Tower was 

drowned, and his body was not found till looked for about two days. My brother Daniel and myself were in the search when found. 

‘Squire Justus Tower was supervisor (of the Town of Sangerfield) at the time of his death. He was a mechanic of great talent and 

enterprise. There was not only the loss of his life, but the loss of a considerable part of his property. The saw mill was gone and the 

grist mill was almost ruined, but was repaired and put in operation some years after by Capt. Wm. Osborn. 

Richard Sanger, Member of Assembly in 1815, and Captain King Strong, early tavern keepers in New Hartford. 

Uri Doolittle, revolutionary soldier and pioneer of Paris, and Member of Assembly for several years. 

Dr. Spaulding Pierce of Plainfield, Connecticut was a pioneer physician of Sauquoit (1796). He married Nabby (Abigail) Bacon, b. 

24 Sep 1782, daughter of Captain Abner Bacon, a founder of the Sauquoit area. Dr. Spaulding died ca 1826. He had a 8 children, 

56

one of whom was Sylvester P. Pierce, b. 19 Sep 1814, who though orphaned at an early age, moved to Syracuse and founded 

Pierce, Butler & Pierce Manufacturing. 

Dr. Amos G. Hull was the pioneer physician of Paris Hill. He was a fine physician and one of the best surgeons in the country. He 

removed to New Hartford, in 1796, and was that year made a Mason in old Amicable Lodge, and was the first physician there. On 

the organization of the Oneida. County Medical Society, in 1806, he was elected its first president. He removed to Utica in 1811. He 

was the pioneer manufacturer of uthor trusses in 1817. He was a second time president of the Oneida County Medical Society in 

1820, and a permanent member of the State Medical Society. About the year 1821, he removed to New York, and died about 1835, 

while on a visit in Connecticut. 

Asa Shepard, one of the pioneers of Paris, and a large landholder. 

Three Young Paris Pioneers: 

In the spring of 1789, Jared Shepard and Eli Butler, of Middletown, Ct., came to the Sauquoit valley, and purchased a tract of 

land jointly (lots 8, 9, 24 and 25 of Coxe’s Patent, and part of lot 72, Bayard’s Patent.) for their sons, and then returned to 

Connecticut. In the winter of 1789-90, their sons, John and Sylvester Butler and Asa Shepard, came on together and took 

possession of their fathers’ purchase. 

A few rods west of where Charles K. Garlick now resides, and on the south side of the “Pioneer road” leading to Paris Hill, a 

spring gushes out, forming a little rivulet flowing north across the road and down the hillside into the “gulf,” where it joins the Butler 

or Tucker Creek. Near this spring, rearing its mighty head, towering aloft, stands a giant elm, like a lone sentinel—the Pioneer’s tree. 

On the banks of the little rivulet, beneath the shade of this historic tree, the “boys” dug a cellar and there felled the first tree cut by 

man on the slope of the western hillside, and erected a substantial log- cabin, and commenced clearing oft’ the land. 

Asa Shepard having his portion of the purchase set oft’ to him, and the Butler brothers clearing the residue jointly, all lived 

together in the cabin. Asa was born in Middletown, Ct., in 1770, being at the time he settled here nineteen years of age. Two years 

later, having arrived at his majority, and having erected a house on his farm in the meantime, he went back to Middletown, Ct., and 

married a Miss Polly Smith, who returned with him to his wilderness home, where two daughters were born to them, Patty and 

Nancy. The old orchard on his place was the first that was set out in that section. He was a man of prodigious strength, and brought 

the young trees in a bundle on his back from Whitestown, through the woods by the “trail,” before the road was cut out up the valley. 

About the year 1800, his wife and eldest daughter died, when he sold the pioneer farm to his brother, Lemuel Shepard, and 

bought the land now the farm of M. M. Gray, at West Sauquoit, which he proceeded to clear off, when, in 1803, he sold it by contract 

to George Graham, father of Lorenzo Graham, and deeded it to him, January 18, 1808. The old log farm-house stood some twenty 

rods south of the present house. He soon after married the widow of Titus Gilbert, and took charge of her property, which consisted 

of the grist mill and a saw mill at the foot of the hill at South Sauquoit, near what is now Graham’s upper paper mill, and her land 

extended up the hill west to the Marsh place. They lived in a little house near the creek. Near the mill he built a distillery and malt 

house, and then, about 1813, built the house, top of the mill hill on the main road, (the Reed place,) where two of the widow Gilbert’s 

boys, Hiram and Andrus, set out the two elm trees, now full sized and so much admired. 

Some years later he became bankrupt, and his uncle, “Joe” Shepard, put him in jail. In the meantime his father, Jared Shepard, 

came into the country and bought the “Priest Coe farm,” adjoining on the west the farm of Judge Sanger, in New Hartford. After his 

father’s death, Asa went on to this farm, buying out the heirs, where he remained five or six years, when he sold out to Judge 

Sanger and “Priest” Coe, and bought the Henry Crane farm, east of Chadwick’s, on the south line of New Hartford, lately the Cloyes 

farm—the scene of the mysterious Quinn murder. 

Here he lived several years, bringing up his own and the widow Gilbert’s boys, when he exchanged the farm with Abner Brownell 

for a farm in Volney, now Schroeppel, Oswego County, to which he removed. Again misfortune overtook him. During the building of 

the Erie Canal, he contracted to excavate a considerable section, and had brought together his gang of laborers and built a 

storehouse, filled with flour, pork, grain and supplies, to carry on the work, which caught fire and all was destroyed without a dollar of 

insurance. To add to his misfortune, the excavation which he had contracted, supposing it to be earth simply, turned out to be 

mostly rock beneath the surface, requiring to be blasted at great expense, and he was again bankrupted. 

Previous to going to Volney, he built a furnace at Westmoreland, at the raising of which he was injured by a timber falling on 

him—an Indian also on the timber. He was a stirring business man, owning at different times many farms in Paris, and was much 

respected for his strict integrity. He was an active Free-Mason, “made” in old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, in 1801, under the 

Mastership of Judge Sanger. The family which he brought up consisted of the widow Gilbert’s four boys, Hiram, Andrus, Grove and 

Titus, Jr., and his own children, Patty, Nancy, Asa, Ira, Jared, William, Martha and Frederick. 

Of the Gilbert boys, Andrus alone survives; of his own children, Ira, William, Martha and Frederick. Ira resides at Wampsville, 

and Frederick lives on the old place in Oswego County, where his father, Asa Shepard, one of the “three boy pioneers,” passed 

away, in 1850, at the advanced age of 80 years. Sylvester Butler was the first of the trio to go, dying in 1805, aged 38. John Butler, 

the last of the “three boy pioneers,” survived his old companion of the first log-cabin (Asa Shepard) about one year, and went to his 

rest in 1851. 

Joseph Farwell, the first settler of Bridgewater. 

http://history.rays-place.com/ny/onei-bridgewater.htm 

The first settlement was commenced in 1788, by Joseph Farwell, at a place known as “Farwell’s Hill.” In March, 1789, Mr. Farwell, in 

company with Ephraim and Nathan Waldo, removed their families from Mansfield, Conn., to Farwell Hill. They came via Albany and 

the Mohawk Valley to Whitesboro, thence to Paris Hill. From Paris Hill they were obliged to make their own road, following a line of 

marked trees. Their team consisted of two yoke of oxen and a horse, and their vehicle an ox sled. On their arrival, March 4, the 

snow was about one and a half feet deep, but soon increased to four feet. Their team, with their two Cows, subsisted on browse 

until the spring opened. Their house consisted of four crotches set in the ground, with a roof of split slabs and hemlock boughs, and 

siding of blankets. These families lived in this shanty till midsummer. About three years after this Mr. Farwell built the first frame 

57

house in the town. For the first two years the settlers were obliged to go to Whitestown to mill, a distance of twenty miles. Mr. 

Farwell built the first saw mill, in 1790. 

August 22, 1796, a petition was prepared and signed by James Kinne, Thos. Brown, Daniel Perkins, Ephraim Waldo and Joseph 

Farwell, members of Amicable Lodge No. 22 in Whitestown, and several brothers belonging to other lodges, asking permission to 

erect and hold a lodge in Sangerfield, Herkimer County, by the name of Western Star Lodge (No. 59). 

Eli Butler, (father of the Paris pioneers, John and Sylvester,) settled in New Harttord in 1795, on what is now the Morgan Butler 

farm. 

Eli Butler, paid his sons (Sylvester and John) a visit and divided the land, giving a deed to each for their portion. He was so much 

pleased with the Sauquoit valley that upon his return he at once sold out his valuable farm in Middletown, Ct., and with farming 

utensils and supplies in a train of eight yoke of oxen, came on to New Hartford, where he purchased the beautiful farm south of the 

village, now known as the Morgan Butler farm, where he lived and died. He was a prominent man there, and the year of his arrival, 

1795, became a member of old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, F. and A. M., of which Judge Sanger was then Master. 

Eli Butler was born in Middletown, Ct., in 1741, and married Rachel Stocking. Their children were, Ashbel, Sylvester, Lucy, John, 

Rachel, Patty, Chloe, Sally, Persey, Clara and Eli, Jr. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and a Captain in the Cavalry. He 

died at New Hartford, April 19, 1802, aged 61, his wife surviving him three years, and departed her life September 1, 1805, aged 61 

years. Their son, Sylvester Butler, died in 1805, aged 38 years. John Butler, born March 28, 1769, was married to Hannah Todd, of 

Wallingford, Ct., March 12, 1797, 

Amos Rogers, Sr., and his son, Oliver G. Rogers, pioneer manufacturers of cotton and woolen machinery, and founders of the 

Willowvale machine shops, destroyed by fire a few years since. 

Nathan Rogers, inventor of the locomotive head-light. 

Solomon Rogers, the veteran merchant of Sauquoit. 

Thomas R. Gold, Member of Congress for several years, and in conjunction with General George Doolittle, built the first cotton 

factory at New York Mills, in 1808. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_R._Gold 

Thomas Ruggles Gold (November 4, 1764 – October 24, 1827) was a United States Representative from New York. Born in 

Cornwall, Connecticut, he pursued classical studies and was graduated from Yale College in 1786. He studied law, was admitted to 

the bar and commenced practice in Goshen, Connecticut. He settled in Whitesboro, Oneida County, New York in 1792 and was 

assistant New York attorney general from 1797 to 1801. He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1796 to 1802 and 

was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1804 to the Ninth Congress. He served in the New York State Assembly in 1808 and 

was elected as a Federalist to the Eleventh and Twelfth Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1813. He was 

an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1812 to the Thirteenth Congress, and was elected to the Fourteenth Congress, holding 

office from March 4, 1815 to March 3, 1817. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1816 and resumed the practice of law in 

Whitesboro, where he died in 1827. Interment was in Grand View Cemetery. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=G9BkZdccSHkC&pg=PA473&dq=%22Thomas+Ruggles+Gold%22#PPA474,M1 page 474. 

Bro. Gold was the fourth son and child of the Rev. Hezekiah Gold (Yale 1751), of Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut, and a 

brother of Thomas Gold (Yale 1778), was born in Cornwall on November 4, 1764. The promise (never fulfilled) of a gift of a library 

from his great-uncle, the Rev. Thomas Ruggles (Yale 1723), for his name, was the reason for a second Thomas in the same family. 

He was distinguished while in College for classical scholarship, and pronounced a Greek Oration at graduation. He studied law, and 

settled in its practice in Goshen, the town adjoining Cornwall on the east, where he married, about 1787, Sarah, elder daughter of 

Dr. Elisha Sill (Yale 1754). 

In 1792, when the Whitestown country, in what is now Oneida County, New York, was being settled, he removed to Whitesboro, 

and established himself there in the profession of the law. 

He soon acquired a high position, and for a time stood at the head of the bar in Central New York. In 1796 he was elected to the 

State Senate, of which he continued a member until April, 1802. For most of this time (1797- 1801) he was also Assistant Attorney- 

General. 

In 1800 he formed a law-partnership with his brother- in-law, Theodore Sill (Yale 1797), and the firm was for the next quarter of a 

century very widely and favorably known, and many candidates for the bar pursued with them their legal studies. Mr. Gold was a 

close law student and a man of untiring industry. He had an analytical mind, and his mode of address to the Court and jury was 

earnest, forcible, and somewhat vehement, though not remarkable for ease or eloquence. 

In 1804 he ran for Congress, but was unsuccessful. In 1807 he was elected to the General Assembly of the State. The next year 

he was elected to Congress, in which he served for two terms, from May, 1809, to March, 1813. In consequence of a change in 

Congressional districts, the next election was in the hands of a new constituency, and Mr. Gold was beaten. He was, however, 

successful in the following election, and served from December, 1815, to March, 1817. 

During the later years of his life he became a Christian believer. He died quite suddenly, from paralysis, in Whitesboro, on 

October 24, 1827, at the age of 63. Neither his physical nor mental vigor had at that time become impaired. His widow died in 

Whitesboro, on July 13, 1852, aged 88 years. Their children were four sons and three daughters, all of whom reached maturity, 

except the eldest son, who died in infancy. The eldest daughter married the Rev. John Frost (Middlebury Coll. 1806). The second 

son was graduated at Hamilton College in 1816. 

He published: 

1. To the People of the County of Oneida. .. 1800. Respecting the location of the Court-House. 

2. Address delivered before the Agricultural Society for the County of Oneida, at Whitestown, October 18, 1820. Utica, 1820. 

Philo White, son of Judge White, the first settler of Whitestown, was a prominent merchant there. 

58

Abraham Van Eps was Member of Assembly in 1803, and proprietor of a Patent of land in Vernon; had a trading-post at the mouth 

of the Oriskany, in 1785; (the first merchant in Oneida county) established the first store in Westmoreland, in 1787; also was the first 

merchant in Vernon. In 1798. 

John Beardsley built the first mill in Oneida county, on the Sauquoit Creek, at Whitestown, in 1788. 

Caleb Merrill, the Whitneys, Barker and Hovey were prominent pioneers in Kirkland. 

Caleb B. Merrill was the first Master of Military Lodge No. 93 in Manlius, NY. He was born 1754 in Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA. 

He was a commissioned officer in the American army during the Revolutionary War, participating in the battles of Bennington, Bemis 

Heights, Saratoga, Stillwater, and at the surrender of Burgoyne, 17 Oct 1777. He was at one time taken prisoner, conveyed to 

Canada, and there he was for some time confined by British authority, but was released. At the close of the war he returned home. 

Some time later his attention, like many others, was attracted to the ‘western country,’ locating at Whitestown, were he became a 

member of Amicable Lodge. Some time previous to 1802 he removed to Manlius, where he was engaged in the business of 

stationary and book store. In the year 1802 he among others, organized Military Lodge No. 93. The first minute book and ledger was 

furnished by him and are in possession of the Lodge. In his later days he removed to Michigan, where he died on 2 Jul 1842, at the 

age of 84. (Source: “History of Military Lodge No. 93,” by Charles A. Lakin, 1893. Page 59. – g.l.h.) 

He had been with the Royal Arch Masons in Whitestown (Horeb Chapter – organized Dec 1797 in New Hartford – now extinct) and 

Michigan. He married Sarah Jackson (1766-22 Jul 1860). At the time of Sarah’s death in Michigan the following was listed: Heirs: 

John J. Merrill, age 63 years, Ann Loondad (?), age 65 years; Charlotte Pratt, age 55 years; Charles G. Merrill, age 61 years; Helen 

Seitt/Swift, age 50 years. Sarah was a U. S. pensioner at the rate of $96.00 per annum, had lived in Oakland Co., ca. 15 years, 

before that had lived in New York State. Lived in Independence Twp. 

Augustus Hurlburt, chair maker, afterward removed to Utica and opened a warehouse on Bleecker street, and on Genesee, above 

Bleecker. 

Nathaniel Caulking, a noted builder and carpenter, planned and erected the Episcopal church at New Hartford. He is remembered 

as a very “bright” Mason, well posted in the unwritten traditions, and in those early times, and before the office of Grand Lecturer 

was known, imparted instruction to brethren in this section, in the cabalistic ritual of the mystic tie. 

1814—Samuel Lyon, the pioneer paper maker of the county; 

N, W. Moore, who learned the trade of him, and afterward founded the extensive paper mills at Sauquoit; 

Dr. Gilbert A. Foster, the pioneer dentist of Utica, and many years Secretary of the Lodge; 

Dr. Gilbert A. Foster was born in Litchfield, Herkimer county, June 3, 1803. He early evinced a taste for mechanics, and after 

finishing his studies in the primitive schools then established, he apprenticed himself at the pioneer machine shop of Oliver G. 

Rogers at Willowvale, where he acquired great skill as a machinist. He subsequently went to Auburn, to superintend the building of 

the machinery for the State prison, and was engaged there for several years. May 3, 1827, he was married to Orpha E. Bogue, 

daughter of Rev. Publius V. Bogue, the pioneer pastor of the Presbyterian church at Sauquoit, and about this time took up his 

residence on the “Foster farm” at New Hartford. Here he took up the profession of dentistry—from the “hub;” inventing, and with his 

own hands making the various delicate and curious tools of the art, by converting an old-fashioned spinning-wheel into a lathe, his 

brother Sanford turning the wheel, while he with masterly skill, with “hand tools” turned the delicate implements which his ingenuity 

devised, and which he afterwards tempered and polished. 

In the year 1832 he removed to Utica and entered upon the practice of dentistry, of which he may well be called the founder. He 

was one of the original members of the American Society of Dental Surgeons, organized at Baltimore in 1842. He was the first 

president of the Fifth District Dental Society, and was one of the American Commissioners to adjudicate upon dentistry at the 

World’s Fair in New York, in 18.53. At the age of twenty- one, he was made a Mason in old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, (1824,) and 

soon after elected its secretary, and was also an officer and member of Horeb Chapter—two of the oldest Masonic bodies in the 

county, both destroyed by fire about the year 1830, the Bible and a few implements alone being saved. These he carefully 

preserved for more than forty years, and after the organization of the new Amicable Lodge at Washington Mills, presented them to 

the lodge in a speech of deepest emotion. On that interesting occasion there were present two other members of “old” Ami- cable— 

Ezra Stiles and Solomon Rogers. Mr. Stiles soon after removed to the west, where, a year or two since, he passed «way, and the 

veteran Mason, Solomon Rogers, is now the sole survivor of the old pioneer Amicable Lodge, founded by Judge Sanger in 1792. 

Dr. Foster was the last surviving officer of old Amicable Lodge. He was a genial Christian gentleman, kind and charitable, and 

ever and always made his home the happiest place of all. From early boyhood he had a keen enjoyment of all out-door sports. A 

visit to the North Woods, a day’s fishing, an excursion to the forests or fields, filled him with a boy’s enthusiasm. Of his death, which 

took place Dec. 7, 1877. The ‘’Observer” says: “The hand of death never stilled the beating of a kindlier heart. He had passed five 

years beyond man’s allotted span. But the evening of his days was as the morning—light and warm and full of sunshine.” 

The following tribute to his memory, from the graceful pen of his life long friend, Hon. R. U. Sherman, from the “Observer” of 

December 12, 1877, will be read with interest: 

“Seldom, within a similar space of time, in the local history of Utica, has the heavy hand of death fallen on so many shining 

victims as within the year last past. The landmarks by which the old remained connected with the new, have one by one passed 

away, and soon all those who were at the laying of the foundations will be known only in memory. The turf has not yet taken root 

over the graves of Dauby and Sayre and Hurlburt and Hubbell and others, the honored dead of a generation rapidly passing away, 

when we are called upon to open a new grave to receive the remains of one, perhaps the best loved of all—Gilbert A. Foster. 

Scarcely any of our older citizens were better known than he; certainly none were held in higher esteem, none regarded with more 

lively affection. Singularly gentle in character, ardent in his affections and pure in heart as a little child, none could share his society 

without feeling its wholesome influence. The history in detail of his life need not be stated here, where it is so well known. His 

success in the field of action chosen by him, his excellence as a citizen, his fidelity as a friend, his endearing character as the head 

59

of a numerous and happy family, all this is as well known as if it had been long inscribed on imperishable tablets. For nearly threequarters 

of a century he fulfilled all the duties of useful citizenship, and at every stage’ of his life he exhibited the same beautiful 

exemplification of a well-rounded Christian character. Daily, until stricken with the fatal malady that ended his useful career, he has 

been seen among us, and his benignant look, his ever cheery voice, and his kindly greeting have been a constant benediction toall. 

Loving nature as only a doting child can love a fond mother, he was always true to its lessons of beauty and good, and to the last 

enjoyed a life that, despite its share of trial and affliction, had yet a controlling measure of happiness and joy. He had a heart to feel 

and a tear to shed for the sorrows of others, and the sincerity of his sympathy was manifested by his daily acts of beneficence. To 

the city in which his long life had been so honorably spent, his death is a public loss, and to his many friends a personal 

bereavement. In his home circle, of which he was the light and joy, his death has left a void that cannot be filled ; a wound of heart 

that time may assuage but can never heal.” 

The estimation in which he was held by the Brothers of the Mystic Tie, is, perhaps, best set forth in the resolutions of Oneida 

Royal Arch Chapter, as follows: 

To the M. E. H. P., Officers and Companion* of Oneida Chapter, No. 57. 

The undersigned, your committee selected to put in permanent form some sentiments and reflections called forth by the death of 

our late Companion, Gilbert A. Foster, would respectfully report: 

When we read in the daily papers “Entered into rest Dec. 7 th , 1877, Dr. Gilbert A. Foster, in the seventy-fifth year of his age,” we 

were not taken by surprise, but in common with this entire community we felt the pall of sorrow and sadness- in its thickest folds 

resting upon us. A good man had left us, had again been exalted. 

Age slowly, steadily, but very plainly had been laying upon our companion those burdens and infirmities so useful in teaching us 

that we are mortal; sometimes so necessary in weaning us from a world of pain and sorrow, but these- burdens and infirmities left 

no shadows upon his kind, genial nature. His departure was a beautiful sun setting. 

Dr. Foster was born in Herkimer county, June 3d, 1803, of most respectable New England parentage. After improving the 

advantages which this section then afforded, by acquiring a fair education, he adopted the profession of a machinist—for there can 

be no reason why that should not be designated a profession which has by its skill and genius set in motion so much that is 

wonderful, beautiful and useful. By a change in direction he came to exhibit his talents as a dentist. 

Our deceased companion was best known by the qualities of his heart, by his affection, his overflowing benevolence, his 

cultivated tastes, his love for the antique, the unique, the beautiful. In the presence of a fine painting, a gem of art, a relic of the 

olden times, he was an enthusiast, he would mingle smiles and tears while drinking in an apparent inspiration from some such 

object of interest. At such moments he wished every one present to feel the same interest, to be equally happy. Some of us may 

remember his delights in exhibiting to our citizens the first daguerreotype ever seen in this section. He was a lover of nature. In the 

fields, the old forests, by the babbling brooks, in following the rivulets through their gorges, he seemed to be communing with the 

God of Nature. 

The qualities of his heart tempered and beautified by the graces of religion made him as he appeared to the public, the highest 

type of man, the Christian gentleman. Gentle, kind, affectionate, charitable without ostentation, pious without cant, intelligent without 

conceit, firm in his beliefs without dogmatism. All these qualities of heart and intellect made him a good Mason. At twenty-one he 

became a Mason in Amicable Lodge, of New Hartford. Soon after he was exalted in Horeb Chapter, No. 7, of New Hartford, a 

Chapter then older than the Grand Chapter of R. A. Masons of this State, and consequently at his decease Companion Foster had 

been & Royal Arch Mason over fifty years. 

If these expressions as to our deceased companion shall meet your views, we request that they be entered upon the records of 

the Chapter, and that an engrossed copy, subscribed by the M. E. H. P. and S., under the seal of the Chapter, be delivered to the 

family of the deceased. 

Utica, January 5 th , 1878. 

[L. S.] 

E. S. BARNUM, M. A. LEWIS, H. P., ALFRED WALKER, DANIEL PERRY, Sec. M. M. JONES, Committee. 

His wife, Orpha E. Bogue, was born May 12, 1807, and survived him barely two years, and entered into rest October 31, 1879. 

Their children were Dr. Charles B., Gilbert Dwight, Sophia B., Catharine E., all of whom survive except Gilbert Dwight. 

Squire Samuel Dakin, a prominent man in town, and the last Secretary of the old Lodge. 

From the members of old Amicable, chartered April 7, 1792, Federal Lodge, No. 80, of Paris, (afterward Kirkland,) was founded, 

and chartered Nov. 23, 1799, and Paris Lodge, No. 348, August 14, 1822; and from the latter was formed Sauquoit, No. 150, June 

21, 1849, and from that, Amicable, No. 664, of Washington Mills, June 15, 1868. Of the 240 members of the old pioneer Amicable 

Lodge, all have gone to “that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns,” save one,—the old-time merchant, 

Solomon Rogers of Sauquoit, who alone survives. 

FEDERAL LODGE NO. 80, F. AND A. M. 

At a meeting of the M. W. Grand Lodge of the State of New York, held in June, 1799, fifteen years after the Grand Lodge was 

organized, a petition for a Lodge, signed by Nathan Whitney, Jonathan Barker, Justus Tower, Asahel Gridley and Hon. Uri Doolittle, 

was received, and Federal Lodge, No. 80, of Paris, (afterward Clinton,) was chartered November 23, 1799. The officers were 

installed December 18, 1799, by Judge Jedediah Sanger, of Amicable Lodge, No. 25, of Whitestown, (afterward) New Hartford,) as 

follows: 

60

R. W. Jonathan Barker, Master; 

W. Joseph Simonds, S. W.; 

W. Selah Seymour, J. W.; 

Oliver Lucas, Treasurer 

Eleazer House, Secretary; 

Justus Tower, S. D.; 

Haynes Bennett, J. D.; 

Josiah A. Whitney and Samuel Meigs, Stewards; 

Abel Lawrence, Tiler. 

In addition to the charter members, there were 

George Brown, 

Josiah Brown, 

Samuel Clemon, 

Joseph Hart, 

Ezra Dervey, 

Daniel Brown, 

Abraham Windsor, 

Alpheus Hitchcock, 

Gorshom Orvis, 

William Norton and 

Jeremiah Tooley. 

Federal Lodge went down under the Morgan excitement, and surrendered its charter in June, 1831. The first Masonic burial of a 

brother of the mystic tie in the town of Paris was Medad Wilmot, who died November 24, 1805, aged 21 years, and was buried with 

the solemn rites of the Order in St. Paul’s church-yard, Paris Hill, and a suitable headstone was erected by the fraternity. 

Note on the “Freemason’s Patent” 

PARIS LODGE, NO. 348, F. AND A. M. 

The western portion of the town of Paris is included in Cox’s Patent, and the eastern portion (rather more than one half) in the 

Free-Mason’s or Bayard’s Patent, the line dividing the Patents running through the town from north to south, somewhat west of the 

center. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=AuRKAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA43&dq=%22Freemasons+patent%22 

Patent for 50,000 acres of land, (was) known originally by the name of Bayard’s patent, afterwards as the Oneida purchase, and 

more recently as the Freemasons’ patent, to Wm. Bayard, Allan McDougall, Wm. Kane, and fifty-two others, 12 th June, 1771, book 

No. 15 of patents, in the office of the Secretary of State, page 518. 

A deed in fee, from Allan McDougall and Wm. Kane to John Weatherhead, for their interest, being two fifty-fifth parts of the 

whole quantity of land included in the patent. The existence of this deed is shown by the 10 th Johnson’s Reports, page 414, the 

Assembly Journal of 1826, page 5*12, and by an original paper prepared by Stephen Lush, Esq., on file in volume 36 of Assembly 

papers in the office of the Secretary of State. 

The attainder of John Weatherhead, by virtue of the act of 22d Oct. 1779, chap. 25 of the laws of that year, and the forfeiture of 

all his estate, real and personal, to the people of this State. 

Letters patent under the colonial government, dated the 12 th June, 1771, were granted to William Bayard and fifty-four others, of 

whom William Kane and A. McDougal were two for 50,000 acres of land, known by the name of Freemasons’ Patent, and formerly 

called the Oneida purchase. Kane and McDougal released in fee to John Weatherhead all their undivided shares in the tract, on the 

19 th of October, 1771. The tract was divided by commissioners of partition, appointed by an act of the legislature passed the 10 th of 

April, 1787. 

No part of the Freemasons’ Patent was settled or inhabited, until about the year 1786, and the premises in question remained a 

forest, and uncultivated, until about the time Kane made the lease to one D. Rindge (on 20 Apr 1795, demising lot No. 5 for 21 years 

at the annual rent of one shilling per acre). 

http://books.google.com/books?id=G1IOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=%22bayard’s+patent%22&source=web&ots=BFm 

GcBvpSE&sig=Y0MBXK6yDxad5EoM7E-vsUykqBg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA475,M1 

Bayard’s (aka Freemason’s) Patent.—Date, 1771; 50,000 acres; patentees (this present compiler will leave such research as 

may be deemed appropriate to determine if any of the original patentees were Freemasons. As a note, land patents were 

traditionally named for the first named patentee; those listed did not necessarily ever settle on the land. – g.l.h.) 

Wm. Bayard, 

Robert Bayard, 

Joshua Mulloch, 

Thomas Shipboy, 

Peter Sylvester, 

Henry Van Schaack, 

Robert Adams, 

Richard Cartwright, 

James Phyn, 

Wm. Kane, 

Allen McDougall, 

George Lindesay, 

Jacob Brower, 

John Van Dalsem, 

Rudolph Sickles, 

William Benson, 

James A. Stewart, 

Alexander Stewart, Jun., 

Robert Henry, 

Robert McLallan, 

John Vernor, 

William Proctor, 

Adrian Renaudet, 

Carden Proctor, 

Richard Nassau Stevens, 

Thomas Edwards, 

John Constable, 

Alexander Ellis, 

John Duncan, 

Dunlap Adams, 

Wm. Adams, 

James Adams, 

David Edgar, 

Wm. Edgar, 

James Rankin, 

Jane Lyle, 

John Van Alen, 

Barent Van Alen, 

Abm. Schenck, 

Henry Remsen, 

Henry Remsen, Jun., 

John Taylor, 

Joseph Griswold, 

Robert Harding, 

John H. Brelun, 

Wm. Butler, 

Frederick W. Hecht, 

George Ball, 

John Gregg, 

Wm. Jones, 

Thomas Pettit, 

Robert Ross, 

Richard Hazard, 

William Dudley, 

Thomas Griswold, 

http://oneida.nygenweb.net/misc/wager/ch10.html 

The Indian deed was obtained in 1766, but the patent was not issued until the date above given. At the time of the Revolution 

several of the patentees adhered to the crown and by the act of attainder of 1779 those disloyal persons were attainted of treason 

and their property confiscated. John Weatherhead was one of that number; he was an extensive importer in New York city. William 

Bayard, another owner, at first sympathized with the colonies, but later went over the British and departed for England; the property 

of both of those was confiscated. Bayard died in England in 1804, a very old man. April 11, 1787, an act of the Legislature was 

61

passed reciting that said patent before the Revolution had been surveyed into lots by Thomas Palmer and Beriah Palmer for the 

patentees, but as the land was not actually divided, and that by reason of the death of some of the owners, the attainder and 

removal of others, it was impracticable to make a division without a new survey, which would be attended with great expense; 

therefore the Legislature appointed commissioners to make partition of the lands agreeable to the survey of said Palmers, and to 

ballot for the lots to be drawn and owned by the respective owners. 

From the “Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society,” pages 57 & 58, we may read the following account, which may give 

some explanation of how the “Bayard Patent” is also called the “Freemason’s Patent.” Joseph Higbee was also a Freemason. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=N-HTEorQoD0C&pg=RA3-PA58&dq=%22bayard%27s+patent%22 

In the month of March, 1788, Colonel, afterwards Judge Jedediah Sanger, a native of Massachusetts, came to this lower valley 

of the “Sauquoit,” as it is now called, but which is a corruption of the original Indian name Ke-dait-quate, or, as some say, 

“Sadaquada,” and purchased one thousand acres of land, through the centre of which runs the Sauquoit creek, and which includes 

the whole of the present village of New Hartford. Col. Sanger was doubtless attracted to this spot by the beauty of its situation, the 

fertility of its soil, and the excellence of its water power, as well as by its proximity to the landing-place on the Mohawk at Old Fort 

Schuyler, now Utica. For this land, as stated in Jones’ Annals, he paid five hundred dollars, or fifty cents per acre. The year following 

his purchase he sold the half lying east of the creek to Joseph Higbee for one dollar per acre, thus securing to himself the west side, 

on which the business portion of the village stands, free of cost.* 

He began at once the clearing of the forest and the erection of a saw mill and a grist mill—those indispensable requisites of a 

new settlement. The year after this, in 1789, he brought his family to reside here. In 1790, Joseph Higbee, Nathan Seward and John 

French brought their families from Connecticut and settled on the east side of the creek, on lands that had been purchased the year 

before by Mr. Higbee. Soon after this, the fame of the Whitestown country spread over many parts of New England, and many 

people of culture and refinement were induced to leave their pleasant homes in New England, and make new homes for themselves 

and their children in this then far off wilderness of Central New York. 

* The verifier of this interesting story in Jones’ Annals, of the purchase of one thousand acres at fifty cents per acre, and the sale 

of half of it, In the first year, at’ one hundred per cent profit, searches the records in vain for deeds to confirm it. New Hartford lies 

mainly in the two Patents, Bayard’s (or Free-Masons’), on the east side of the Sauquolt, and Coxe’s, on the west side of that stream. 

Book 1 of Deeds recorded in the Oneida County Clerk’s office, at page 196, shows a deed from John G. Leake to Jededlah Sanger, 

dated November 18,1780, of lots Nos. 71, 72, 94 and 108, in Bayard’s Patent, each lot 492 acres, consideration of deed £910 4s., 

making about $1.16 per acre In United States currency, and page 153 of the same Book records the deed of Jedediah Sanger to 

Joseph Higbee, dated December 30,1791, of lot No. 108, one of the four above named, for £209, making $1.06 per acre, ten cents 

less than its cost. The water power In the Sauquoit is reserved, however, in the last deed. At page 208 is the record of a deed from 

John Redman (apparently one of the aborigines) to Thomas Williams, Ezekiel Williams, Asaph Atwater and Nathan Kelsey, dated 

July 18,1790, of lot No. 1 in the 7 th division of Coxe’s Patent, 183 acres, for £73 4s., or $183 In United States currency, just $1 per 

acre. At page 200 is recorded the deed of George Washington and George Clinton to Jedediah Sanger, dated July 22,1790, of 

lot No. 2, 7 th division, Coxe’s Patent, 234 acres, for £118 10s., equal to $296.25, or about $1.27 per acre. These last two lots (Nos. 1 

and 2, Coxe’s Patent) are on the west side of the Sauquoit, directly opposite to the lot No. 108 in Bayard’s Patent conveyed to 

Joseph Higbee as above. The three deeds conveying 909 acres in all, cover most of the site of New Hartford village. 

Additional note pertaining to George Washington and George Clinton: 

http://books.google.com/books?id=tMYqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA276&lpg=PA276&dq=%22Gardner+Avery%22&source=web&ots=G 

Efq6gsLVh&sig=YiYjxRA_rOpfsDHNSVtfm71GdXo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result# page 35. 

Some of the land in the vicinity of Paris Hill was owned by General George Washington. The deed of the old place of Darius 

Scovil, in 1804, where he settled, coming from Watertown, Litchfield county, Conn., was from the executors of George Washington’s 

estate. Some years later, Bushrod Washington, (a nephew) visited Paris Hill to look after the lands in that vicinity that had fallen to 

him as legatee of George Washington. Governor DeWitt Clinton also owned lands in the vicinity, as legatee of his father. 

(Both George Washington and DeWitt Clinton were well known Freemasons. Bushrod Washington, an associate Justice of the 

US Supreme Court and third Washington to own and to live in Mount Vernon Mansion [27 years], was the second child of John 

Augustine Washington, who was a second younger brother of General Washington. He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, 

June 5, 1762. He married Anne Blackburn, granddaughter of Richard Blackburn, the architect who designed Mount Vernon for 

Lawrence Washington. Her father, Thomas, was an intimate friend of George Washington – g.l.h) 

http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/PublicFigures/SangerWhite/SangerWhite.asp 

Soon after, he (Judge Sanger) heard of the “Whitestown Country,” purchased by land speculators George Washington and 

George Clinton. In 1788 he (went to Philadephia, by one account . . . and) purchased 1,000 acres of land at fifty cents an acre from 

Washington and Clinton. This tract was divided almost equally by the Sauquoit Creek and included what is now the Village of New 

Hartford. He built a log cabin and in March 1789, he brought his wife and family to his wilderness home. In this same year he built a 

sawmill and in 1790 a gristmill and the famous “Sanger Barn” used as a meeting place for the early settlers. 

Among the items in the (George) Washington (display) case (at the Oneida County Historical Society) is a land indenture given 

by Washington to Jedediah Sanger. 

http://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu:8080/pgwde/dflt.xqy?keys=chron-Pre06d49 

Indenture with Jedediah Sanger 

[New York?] 22 July 1790. GW and George Clinton lease for one year 234 acres on the south side of the Mohawk River in 

White’s Town, Montgomery County, N.Y., to Jedediah Sanger of that place, for £118.10, as witnessed by Tobias Lear and DeWitt 

62

Clinton. It was notarized by DeWitt Clinton before James McHughes, master of chancery, on 30 Jan. 1792, and recorded by 

Herkimer County clerk (Brother) Jonas Platt on 8 Sept. 1792. 

After their tour of central New York in July 1783, George Washington and George Clinton purchased from Marinus Willett and 

his wife 6,071 acres along the Mohawk River. Washington did not completely repay the £2,500 he owed Clinton for the speculation 

until 1787. Clinton began selling the lands with Washington’s permission in 1787 or 1788. Ten deeds surviving in Oneida County 

records conveyed lots ranging from 87½ to 358 acres at prices from $2 to $6.79 an acre, and all but 2,019 acres were disposed of 

by 1793. At least one surviving receipt testifies that GW received money from Clinton for the land sales. When Washington wrote 

his will in July 1799, he still owned about one thousand acres, valued at six thousand dollars. George Step toe Washington 

purchased them from George Washington’s executors on 5 June 1803 for five dollars an acre. 

Sanger, one of the area’s earliest settlers and later newspaper owner, judge, state representative, and state senator, signed a 

preliminary document the previous day renewing his lease on the same 234 acre parcel that he had been occupying, for five 

shillings and “one Pepper-Corn, if demanded” at the expiration of the term. 

On 3 Nov. 1791 Sanger, Timothy Little, and Henry McNiel wrote to George Washington in behalf of the settlers of Whitestown 

requesting from him a grant of twenty-five acres to support a religious minister. “The Petitioners with their Associates in the year 

1787 first purchased and fixed themselves on the said tract of Land known by the name of Coxes Patent which was at that time 

entirely an unsettled Country. The District was then divided into four Divisions one owned by William Coxe, Esqr., another by 

Rebekah Coxe & a third by Dr John Redman & a fourth as your Petitioners understand is now owned by your Excellency in 

Company with Governor Clinton. . . . the settlement is now supposed to contain about three thousand souls independent of the 

adjoining settlements, all of which have arrived & fixed themselves there under regular purchasers since the year 1787 and though 

so numerous yet they have all the difficulties of reducing a Wilderness to a state of regular society to encounter their means are 

therefore not so considerable now as they promise to be & as the establishment of Ministers of Religion among them with a decent 

support will tend to encourage sobriety, industry, Morality & Religion among the People, & to render them good Citizens.” At the foot 

of their petition, George Washington wrote, “I am willing to concur with Governor Clinton in granting such aid as the Petitioners pray 

for,” and affixed his signature. 

On 26 Aug, 1790 Washington and Clinton signed another indenture, witnessed by Lear and David Humphreys, with David 

Risley of White’s Town granting him a 204 acre lot already in his possession in that town for £163.4. 

http://oneida.nygenweb.net/misc/wager/ch10.html 

The Coxe Patent. was dated May 30, 1770, to William Coxe, Daniel Coxe, Rebecca Coxe, John Tabor Kempe, then attorney 

general of New York, and Grace (Coxe) his wife. The Coxe family at that time were the descendants and heirs of the Dr. Coxe, of 

London, who became in 1696 owner of the patent granted to Robert Heath of lands south. This patent of 1770 was in consideration 

of release by the patentees of the Heath Patent. The Coxe Patent in Oneida county embraces 47,000 acres and is bounded by the 

whole length of the Line of Property, and includes parts of the towns of Westmoreland, Whitestown, Kirkland, and New Hartford, and 

some of Rome. For the first ten years the patent was to be free of quit rents. John Tabor Kempe adhered to the crown and his 

property was confiscated. In 1783 he went to England and there died. After the Revolution the patent was divided into seven grand 

divisions. General Washington, Governor Clinton, and Colonel Willett owned large tracts of land in this patent. The first 

division in Rome is known as the “Fan Lots” by reason of its shape. 

Note: Col. Daniel Coxe (31 Aug 1673-25 Apr 1739), son of Dr. Coxe, was the first Provincial GM of Masons of the Provinces of 

NY, NJ and PA, 1730-32. – g.l.h. 

The following officers were duly installed, August 14 th , 1822, by the acting Most Worshipful Grand Master, Moses Foot, viz: 

Amasa Millard, W. M.; 

Joseph B. Ball, S. D.; 

Asahel Curtiss, S. W.; 

Philo C. Curtis, J. D.; 

Spaulding Pierce, M. D., J. W.; 

Isaac Sexton, Daniel Beach, Stewards; 

Hon. Uri Doolittle, Treas.; 

Charles Millard, Tiler. 

Hobart Graves, Sec.; 

‘Squire Asahel Curtiss came from good old Puritan stock. His grandfather, Captain Allen Curtiss, of Old Canaan, Litch- field 

county, Conn,, had four sons, viz : Elihu, Medad, Seth and John, and four daughters, viz: Hannah, Chloe, Ruth and Ann. John, the 

youngest son, lived in the town of Alford, Berkshire county, Mass., had seven sons, viz: Solomon, Asahel, Amasa, John, Darins, 

Flavins J. and Libbseus. ‘Squire Asahel Curtiss, the second son, was born September 23, 1765, at Old Canaan, Conn. Polly 

Osborn, his wife, the oldest daughter of Alexander Osborn, of Windsor, Conn., was born January 2, 1762. (she had two sisters, 

Jemima and Cynthia, and three brothers, Seth, Alexander, Jr., and Luke) The children of ‘Squire Curtiss were three sons and two 

daughters, viz: Charles Osborn Curtiss, born in New Canaan, Columbia county, N. Y., Sept. 6, 1785; Philo Clinton Curtiss, born in 

Old Hoosick, Rensselaer county, N. Y., June 21, 1789; John Curtiss, born in Granville, Washington county, NY, July 26, 1793; Polly 

Curtiss, Aug. 13, 1794, and Laura Curtiss, June 28, 1801. In 1803, he moved with his family from Granville to East Sauquoit, where 

he lived and died. At the age of sixteen years—in April, 1781—he enlisted in the war of the Revolution and served nine months, 

being stationed on the northern frontier, until Cornwallis surrendered. His house at East Sauquoit was a little south of the tannerybrook, 

and now owned and occupied by Alfred Johnson. Here he carried on the business of saddle and harness making, (General 

LeRoy Gates was his apprentice,) and also transacted his official business, being appointed Justice of the Peace by Governor 

Morgan Lewis, in 1805, which office he held for twenty- six years; he was also, about the same time, appointed by Governor Lewis 

to the office of Superintendent of the Stock- bridge and Brotherton Indians, which office he held for fifteen years; and during most of 

the time, until about 1830, he was Commissioner of Deeds. He was a man of strictest integrity, and discharged the duties of his 

various offices with skill and impartiality. He was a prominent Freemason, and one of the charter members of Paris Lodge, founded 

in 1822, and was the first Senior Warden of that lodge, his son, Philo C. Curtiss, being the first Junior Deacon, at the same time. 

63

After a long life of distinguished usefulness, beloved by all, this Revolutionary veteran, ‘Squire Asahel Curtiss, quietly passed away, 

May 15, 1852, aged 87. 

His oldest son, Charles O. Curtiss, lived during his lifetime on his farm, beautifully located east of Sauquoit, on the brow of the hill 

west of Elkanah Hewitt’s, and commanding a tine view of the village and the valley. He was a worthy citizen, member of the 

Methodist Church, and also of the choir; “the father of twenty-one living children,” as he used to say, and peacefully went the way of 

all the living, July 20,1868, aged 83. Philo C. Curtiss, the second son, was a mechanic of rare skill and great inventive genius, 

perfecting an improvement of the power-loom at the early day of its introduction into the factories of the Valley, and soon after 

removed to Utica, where, After many years of ingenious industry, he, too, joined his fathers, Sept. 24, 1864, at the advanced age of 

75, his son, Philo S. Curtiss, succeeding to the business, since developed by him to the present well-known, extensive machine 

shop. John Curtiss, the third son of ‘Squire Curtiss, who at an early day carried on a carding mill, clover mill and woolen mill on the 

site (afterwards Savage & Moore’s old paper mill,) also built the tannery at East Sauquoit, and in those old times a prominent and 

active business man, removed from the village many years ago, and died April 12, 1862, at the age of 69. 

Jonathan King settled near by Howe Nichols, in 1793, coming from Hawley, Mass. He was a worthy man, but died in the prime of 

life, August, 1814, aged 54. His son, Noah E. King, was born on the old homestead, October, 1796, where he ever afterwards 

resided; he was a prominent man in all the affairs of the town, and through life held in great esteem. He was an active member of 

old Paris Lodge of Free Masons, being initiated the same evening—March 15, 1824—as his neighbor and life-long friend, Samuel 

Farwell, (afterwards of Utica.) He died in July, 1865, aged 69. 

W. Masters.— 

1823, A. Millard; 



1826, Cyrus Chatfield; 

1827, Hon. Uri Doolittle; 

1828, 1829, 1830, William Knight; 

1831. Henry W. Adams; 

1832, 1833, 1834, William Knight. 

Captain Uri Doolittle, one of the early settlers near Paris Hill was a man of great talents, and distinguished among his 

townsmen. He was sent to the Legislature in 180(5, and again in 1822, and was Justice of the Peace, and also held various other 

town offices, and in early days was a merchant (Tompkins & Doolittle) on Paris Hill. In 1796 he was made a Mason in old Amicable 

Lodge, No. 25, under the Mastership of Judge Sanger. In 1799 he withdrew from old Amicable in conjunction with Nathan Whitney, 

Jonathan Barker, Justus Tower and Asahel Gridley, to found Federal Lodge. No 80, for which they received a charter November 23. 

1799 At the founding of Paris Lodge, No. 3*8, August 14, 1822, he was one of the charter members, and the first Treasurer. In 

1828-29-30 he was Master. He was one of the founders and first vestrymen of St. Paul’s (Episcopal) Church, Paris Hill, February 

13, 1797. Full of honors, beloved by all, in the year 1848 the old Revolutionary veteran, Captain Uri Doolittle, at the ripe old age of 

86, was “gathered to the land of his fathers.” 

List of members other than the first officers.— 

Leverett Bishop, M. D., 8. S. Sweet, 


Josiah Mosher, 

Asa Shepard, 

Abraham (Abram) Bartlett, 

William Geere, 

Abraham Sage, 

Philo C. Curtis, 

Lenthiel Eels, 

A. Harvey. 

Josiah Mosher was born in Pepperell, Mass., in 1754. He entered the army, with his brother John, at the breaking out of the 

Revolutionary War, and served seven years. He came to Paris with his brother and family in 1791, a sister, Mrs. Grimes, riding on 

horseback the entire distance, the trip occupying about two weeks. For a riding whip, she cut a sprout from a cherished willow tree 

on the old homestead at Pepperell, which she carried in her hand, and upon dismounting in the valley of the Sauquoit, she stuck it 

down in the moist ground near the creek, where it took root and grew to be a mighty tree, from which other sprouts, in great number, 

were cut and set out in the same manner, and the place became noted for the great number of those trees, and in time came to be 

called “Willowvale,” most of which, up the hillside, Josiah Mosher settled. He afterward exchanged his farm for the Major Gere * 

tannery and farm at East Sauquoit. After a long life of usefulness, the old Revolutionary hero of “Monmouth” and many a well-fought 

field, went to his rest, August, 1846, aged 92. There survive of his children here, Rubekah, widow of Dr. Rufus Priest, now wife of 

Dr. L. Bishop, and Cornelia, wife of S. A. Millard. Josiah Mosher, Jr., went to Kentucky at an early day, and kept the hotel at the 

Mammoth Cave, one of the great natural wonders of the continent. S. Emerson, the old schoolmaster, married the eldest daughter 

of Henry Crane, and removed to Oneida, NY, some years ago, where he died; the other son, George W., died many years ago He 

was an active member of old Paris Lodge F. & A. M., admitted July 5, 1824. 

* Major William Gere built the first tannery at East Sauquoit, at the foot of the hill on the south side of the road leading to 

Norwich Corners. After a few years’ he met with reverses, and the property went into the hands of Seth Smith, who exchanged it for 

a farm with Josiah Mosher, in the Porter neighborhood. Mr. Mosher and his sons, George W. and S. Emerson, carried on the 

tannery some years. Major Gere afterwards carried on the tannery opposite Deacon Hubbard’s wagon shop, in the village, on 

Tannery Brook, built by John Curtiss; afterwards William J. Eager carried it on until his death, February 14, 1840; then William 

Royce and his son William Harrison,.and then his son Henry M. This tannery has been lately demolished by Eugene Nichols, who 

has erected a residence on the front of the lot. Major Gere was also a partner with Ark Jenks in the oil mill near Davis’ forge, at 

South Sauquoit, (now the upper paper mills,) about the year 1808. Their advertisement appeared in the Columbian Gazette, May 

16, 1808: “Linseed oil in quantities for sale at their mill,” &c. Major Gere, some years later, carried on a shoemaker’s shop, and 

finally removed to Utica. He was born in Groton, Ct., in 1776, came to Sauquoit in 1802, was a prominent business man for many 

years in Paris, a member of old Paris Lodge, F. and A. M., and died by his own hand in Utica, November 25, 1849, aged 73. 

Admitted: 

1822— 

Sept. 3, Abner Brownell, Cyrus Chatfield; 

Sept. 17, David Loring, Noel Jones, Charles Wilcox; 

October 1, Henry A Millard, George W. Brayton; 

October 15, H. M. Cole, J. Stroud, A. Mace, John Corse; 

64

October 29, Edwin Webster, Harleton Winslow; 

Nov. 1, Moses Hoyt, William K. Black; 

1823— 

Jan. 20, Benjamin Searl, Peter Rumley; 

March 24, Abiatha Whitmarsh; 

April 21, Noel Thurber; 

May 19, George Peacock, Horace Luce; 

1824— 

Jan 12, Lorenzo Graham; 

Feb. 9, Benjamin Andrews, Ransom Curtiss; 

March 15, Noah E. King, Samuel Farwell; 

May 10, Nijah Hotchkiss; 

June 7, William Knight, Joseph Mix; 

Dec. 10. Samuel Nunn, Stephen B. Stearns. 

June 23, Nathaniel G. Millard, Jeremiah Brown; 

July 21, Harley Doolittle; 

Nov. 17, Joseph Butler; 

Dec. 16, John Allen, Orasmus M. Stillman, Edwin Adams. 

July 5, George W. Mosher; 

Sept. 11, Henry W. Adams, Sylvester Wads worth; 

Nov. 2, Philip Smith; 

Dec. 6, Rev. A. S. Hollister, David Beck with. 

Ransom Curtiss, the youngest son, born in Vermont 8 Jan1800, came with his father to Sauquoit at the age of 13. In 1822 he 

married Esther Pierce, daughter of Dr. Spaulding Pierce, and thereafter for several years was the popular landlord of the old Savage 

stand at West Sauquoit, and here his son Henry P. Curtiss was born May 24, 1824. His son, Charles Carroll, was born at the 

homestead of Dr. Pierce, Nov. 8, 1826. February 9, 1824, Ransom Curtiss was made a Mason in Paris Lodge, No. 348, F. & A. M. 

He was in business with a Mr. Adams in Utica, and in 1831 started the “new crockery store,” No. 34 Genesee street. In 1832, 

(cholera year,) Frederick S. Savage became a partner in the business. At the death of his wife, his two boys, Henry and Charles, 

mere lads, made their home with their grandfather, Deacon Curtiss, at East Sauquoit, for a few years. Ransom Curtiss, so well and 

favorably remembered in the valley of the Sauquoit, now resides at Hillsdale, Mich., with his son, Charles C., at whose residence 

was celebrated his 80 th birthday, Jan. 28, 1880, where he, in the full enjoyment of rare good health, hale and hearty, received the 

congratulations of his many friends, which find an echo in the hearts of those who live to remember him in the Valley—his boyhood 

home. 

1825— 

Jan. 3, George Allen; 

Feb. 28, Samuel Haley, S. Gookins, Ezekiel Hawley; 

1826 — 

Feb. 20, George Mix; 

March 20, John C. Davidson, Ezra Chapman, 

Simeon Rogers; 

1827— 

Feb. 3, Thomas Goodier; 

March 28, Ralph Lake, Samuel Hale; 

Oct. 24. Isaac Scofield. 

Sept. 11, Edwin G. Dickinson; 

Nov. 13. Joseph Brownell. 

October 1, David Seaton. 

1829— 

Feb. 16, Benjamin F. Eastman. 

The Lodge first held its meetings in the chamber over the store of Hobart Graves, (now Truman’s wagon shop,) at East Sauquoit. 

Dec. 30, 1822, it was removed to the hall of Cyrus Chatfield, (the old Savage stand,) at West Sauquoit. In the spring of 1829 it was 

moved back to East Sauquoit into the select school room in the chamber of the District School House No. 9, east of the Methodist 

Church. Old Paris Lodge, No. 348, shared the fate of many others, and fell a victim to the Morgan excitement, and met for the last 

time December 30, 1833, soon after which it surrendered its. Charter, but at the earnest appeal of Worshipful William Knight, he was 

permitted by the Grand Lodge to retain the register of proceedings and the jewels of solid silver, which he carefully preserved for 

more than fifteen years, and transmitted them to Sauquoit Lodge, No. 150. They are now treasured highly by that Lodge as 

venerated relics. There survive of old Paris Lodge, No. 348, residing here, the venerable Dr. Bishop and Solomon Rogers ; Henry 

W. Adams, of Lenox, Madison county; Ransom Curtis, of Hillsdale, Mich.; Edwin Webster, of Kansas, and Simeon Rogers, of 

Fleming, Cayuga county. The Lodge celebrated St. John’s Day, December 27, 1826, with imposing ceremonies. Rev. A. S. Hollister, 

then Rector of St. Paul’s Church at Paris Hill, who joined the Lodge in December, 1824, delivered the address in the Presbyterian 

Church at West Sauquoit, after which the members and their wives and sweethearts repaired to the hotel of Cyrus Chatfield, 

opposite, and sat down to an old-time feast. The occasion was long remembered. Hon. Uri Doolittle, then Master, Squire Asahel 

Curtis and Captain William Knight constituted the Committee of Arrangement. April 28, 1828, a committee was named to investigate 

the expense of building a hall of either wood or stone. At the next meeting, May 24 th , 1828, the committee reported, and Major 

William Geere was appointed to circulate a subscription. “Man proposes but God disposes.” The tidal wave of the Morgan affair 

reached here about that time, and swept into oblivion all hopes of a Masonic Hall, or the continuance of the Lodge even. 

Dr. Spaulding Pierce, the first Junior Warden of the Lodge, was made a Mason in old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, in 1801, and 

was the pioneer physician of the valley. Born in Plainfield, Ct., February 29, 1768, receiving his education at the Plainfield Academy, 

he then studied medicine with his uncle, Dr. Isaac Knight, and after finishing his studies removed to Vermont, where he was 

appointed Surgeon’s Mate of the 4 th Regiment, 5 th Brigade, on the 30 th of June, 1794, by commission from Thomas Crittenden, 

“Captain General Governor and Commander-in-Chief “ of Vermont. 

In the fall of 1797, while in the city of New York purchasing medicines, he formed the acquaintance of Dr. Sampson, the second 

physician of Paris Hill, there on a similar errand, who induced him to go back with him to Paris. They accordingly took their way on 

horseback to the “Far West,” in due time arriving at Paris Hill, via the old trail, opened up by a detachment of General Sullivan’s 

65

army, through Bridgewater and Cassville. He became the guest of old Dr. Sampson, who soon after accompanied him to Sauquoit, 

where he introduced him. Boarding at the hotel of Captain Bacon, he formed an attachment for his daughter Nabby, to whom he 

was married April 18 th , 1799. He practiced here till his death, riding through the forest, guided by trails and blazed trees, and 

afterwards rode unworked roads cut out through the woods, enduring the hardships of pioneer life while the village grew up around 

him. He purchased five acres of land of Captain Bacon, a little west of the Savage stand, and thereon built his house, (the present 

residence of E. D. Brownell). He was a skillful physician and beloved by all. While on a visit to Rodman, Jefferson county, and about 

to start for home, with cloak and wrappings on, he paused a moment to warm his feet and say good-bye. A fatal pause ! A last goodbye! 

Almost instantly his great heart ceased to beat, and he fell dead without a struggle, February 14 th , 1827, lacking a few days of 60 

years of age. He was brought home and buried with Masonic honors, being the first Masonic burial in the valley. His son, William L. 

Pierce alone survives him here, who is also the only survivor of the Bacon family. Two other sons survive elsewhere, Sylvester P. 

Pierce, of Syracuse, and John S. Pierce, of Phoenix, Oswego county, N. Y. 

The last representative of old Paris Lodge to the Grand Lodge, was Squire Ezra S. Cozier, of Utica, whom they appointed as 

their proxy, at the session held the June previous to his untimely death by cholera in 1832. 

SAUQUOIT LODGE, NO. 150, F. AND A. M. 

was chartered June 21 st , A. L. 5849, and afterward incorporated under a general act of the Legislature passed April 21, 1866. 

September 17 th , A. L. 5849, (A. D. 1849,) the following officers were duly installed by R. W. Ezra S. Barnuni, Senior Grand Warden, 

assisted by Philemon Lyon, A. S. Orcutt, J. M. Hatch, G. Mather, F. J. Clark, Burton Hawley, H. F. Morey and Ira Chase, viz.: 

Naaman W. Moore, Master, died March 16, 1874; 

Hon. William Knight, S. W., died February 22, 1875; 

Calvin E. Macomber, J. W.; 

Abner Brownell, Treasurer, died December 30, 1875; 

David Seaton, Secretary, died November 18, 1866; 

Leverett Bishop, M. D., S. D.; 

David Loring, J. D., died September 3, 1850; 

Uri Doolittle, Jr., Steward, died 1853 

Zachariah P. Townsend, Steward, died October 28, 1874; 

Ezekiel Hanley, Tiler, died June 10, 1855; 

Benjamin Bentley, died May 15, 1854. 

George Macomber was the eldest son of Captain George Macomber, and came with his father to Utica from Taunton, Mass., in 

1797. His father went back for the remainder of the family, and was gone a year or two, leaving George to shift for himself. Captain 

Macomber had previously followed the sea, but concluded to leave so hazardous a pursuit, and with his family of ten children try his 

fortunes m a new country, choosing the occupation of gardening. His house and garden were situated at the lower end of Genesee 

street, below Post’s. Here he died April 5, 1813, in his 62d year—his wife surviving him but four days. His daughter Susan married 

Abner Brownell, the pioneer manufacturer. Of his six sons, George, Levi, Stephen, Horace, Calvin E. and David O. 

Calvin E. Macomber survives, now in his 88 th year, with his aged wife residing in the old Presbyterian parsonage at West 

Sauquoit. He was born in Taunton, Mass., January 15, 1793, and came with his father to Utica in 1798. He married Lucinda Merris, 

September 24, 1827. He resided some years in Fredonia, Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he was made a Mason in 1816, but 

most of the time he has resided at Sauquoit. For many years he was the “commercial traveler” for Benjamin Brandreth, the 

millionaire pill manufacturer, recently deceased. About the year 1850, he “bought out” the store of Davis & Day, at West Sauquoit, 

and carried on the mercantile business a few years. He has been a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church, and, April 2, 1844, 

was elected Elder, which office he still holds. He was one of the original eleven charter members of Sauquoit Lodge, F. and A. M., 

(the only other survivor being Dr. L. Bishop,) and was Master of the Lodge in 1853; since which time he has been Chaplain. His 

wife, Lucinda Merris, was born April 25, 1804, and they have lived together more than half a century. The family lay claim to have 

descended from one of the company that came over in the Mayflower, and cherish as a sacred relic a ring bearing the name of Mary 

Standish. 

Naaman W. Moore was an excellent business man and greatly respected in town; for many years he was also prominently 

connected with the Oneida Bank, of Utica, as a director and vice president. He was an active Freemason, made in old Amicable 

Lodge of New Hartford, and was installed the first Master of Sauquoit Lodge, No. 150, at its organization in 1849. He was identified 

with the improvements and growth of the village, and active in procuring the building of the railroad through the Valley, being one of 

the first board of directors. He was elected Supervisor in 1839-40-41-42 and ‘43. A very successful business man, and greatly 

respected, he went to his rest March 16, 1874, aged 73. His estimable wife (they had no children) died a few years previously. 

Naaman W. Moore, (son of Almeron Moore, who married a daughter of Benjamin Merrill,) was a favorite grandson of the old 

pioneer, and after N. W. Moore had learned the trade of paper making, of Samuel Lyon, of New Hartford, he gave the old paper mill 

property to him to start him in business. Stephen Savage, the old merchant at West Sauquoit, became a partner, putting in money 

for “working capital,” and the firm of Savage & Moore commenced operations by altering over the old mill at “the foot of the lane” into 

a paper mill, in the year 1826, and as soon as completed they began the manufacture of paper by the “hand made” process; air 

drying the paper, hung on sticks in the upper story of the building, which they continued for some years. 

Master. Time of Service. Members admitted. 

N. W. Moore, 1 Yr. 7 

Hon. Wm. Knight, 10 “ 117 

C. E. Macomber, 1 “ 1 

Ansel Tyler, M. D. 2 “ 13 

Eli C. Green, 2 “ 7 

WORK OF THE LODGE. 

66

Isaac J. Doolittle, 1 “ 4 

Henry C. Rogers, 5 “ 62 

Levi Mason, 2 “ 14 

Seth W. Smith, 3 “ 16 

J. S. Parker, 3 “ 14 

Total admitted, 255 

Charter members, 11 

Total 266 

Surviving Past Masters. — Calvin E. Macomber, Eli C Green, Henry C. Rogers, Levi Mason, Seth W. Smith, Josiah S. Parker. 

LIST OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF SAUQUOIT LODGE, NO. 150, FROM ITS ORGANIZATION. 

Master. 

1849. N. W. Moore, 

1850 N. W. Moore, 



1853. C. E. Macomber, 

1854. A. Tyler, 

1855. A. Tyler, 

1856. Eli C. Green, 



1859. Eli C. Green, 

1860. I. T. Doolittle, 










1870. L. Mason, 

1871. L. Mason, 



1874. S. W. Smith, 

1875. S. W. Smith, 

1876. S. W. Smith, 




1880. Chas. L. Marshall, 

S. Warden. 

William Knight, 

William Knight, 

C. E. Macomber, 

C. E. Macomber, 

A. Tyler, 

Eli C. Green, 

Eli C. Green, 

Eli S. Green, 

A. Tyler, 

E. C. Green, 

I. T. Doolittle, 

Augustus S. Hull. 

A. S. Hull, 

A. S. Hull, 

A. S. Hull, 

A. S. Hull, 

Eli C. Green, 

H. C. Rogers, 

G. W. Burt, 

L. Mason, 

L. Mason, 

J. Parker, 

S. W. Smith, 

S. W. Smith, 

S. W. Smith, 

F. J. Crigur, 

Josiah S. Parker, 

Josiah S. Parker, 

B. E. Forbes, 

B. E. Forbes, 

Chas. L. Marshall, 

B. F. Willoughby, 

J. Warden. 

C. E. Macomber. 

C. E. Macomber. 

L. Bishop. 

J. H. Gray. 

Eli C. Green. 

P. R. Miner. 

E. S. Green. 

L. F. Rykman. 

I. T. Doolittle. 

L. F. Rykman, 

A. Tyler. 

R. E. Kaple. 

R. E. Kaple. 

R. E. Kaple. 

H. P. Plumb. 

C. G. Brownell. 

H. W. Wilcox. 

C. H. Moore. 

L. Mason. 

J. Parker. 

J. Parker. 

S. W. Smith. 

A. S. Austin. 

E. Jones. 

F. J. Criggier. 

C. H. Blackstone. 

B. E. Forbes. 

B. E. Forbes. 

Chas. L. Marshall. 

Chas. L. Marshall. 

B. F. Willoughby. 

David H. Morgan. 

Hon. William Knight was one of the leading men in town, Member of Assembly in 1836, and later in life. Justice of the Peace 

for sixteen consecutive years; also Justice of Sessions; was one of the prime movers in founding the Academy, and its Secretary for 

many years, and latterly President of the Board of Trustees; was several years Master of old Paris Lodge, F. and A. M., and charter 

member of Sauquoit Lodge No. 150, and ten years its Master, and in 1862-63 he was Grand Steward of the Grand Lodge. His social 

qualities won the friendship of all, and at his death—after an illness of a few days—he was honored by the largest funeral in the 

history of the town. He passed away on Washington's ’irthday in 1875, aged 75. His father, Enos Knight, died April 20, 1849, aged 

71. His only brother, George H. Knight, went West and died about 1835, and lies in the old burying ground in the heart of the city of 

Cleveland, Ohio. At the head of his grave flourishes a thrifty hickory tree, planted by Captain Knight on a visit to his grave in the 

spring of 1836. A sister, Patty, alone survives, the wife of the old miller and merchant, Harry W. Adams, now residing at Lenox. 

Madison County, N. Y. 

LIST OF MEMBERS OTHER THAN CHARTER MEMBERS, WITH DATE OF ADMISSION. 

1850— 

Jan. 7, Augustus L. White; 

July 15, Robert Nutall; 

July 23, Benjamin Moore, Henry B. Thomas, (died Feb. 14, 1867,) E. D. Brownell; 

Nov. 8, R. E. Kaple; 

Dec. 2, C. Leander Marshall, (died July 3, 1876.) 

67

1851— 

Feb. 3, Dexter Crossman, L. F. Ryckman, (died June 27, 1872,) Ansel Tyler, M. D., (died Feb. 2, 1866;) 

Feb. 17, James L. Davis, (died Feb. 11, 1874;) 

March 3, Joseph H. Gray; 

May 19, John C. Paddock, William A. Billiard, (dead;) 

July 7, Nathan C. Green, (honorary member;) 

Sept. 1, Charles R. Birdsall, (dead;) 

Oct. 6, Augustus S. Hull, (died Oct. 8,1877.) 

Ensign Josiah Hull, a soldier of the Revolution, came early in the 90's,’and settled on the back cross-road north of Crane's ’ulf, 

where he lived many years, removing to Oswego County about 1840, where he died. He was a prominent man in the early history of 

that section, and a great fox-hunter, enjoying the ' h‘avenly music" o” the hounds keenly. W. H. Hull, a prominent merchant of 

Ottawa, Ill., is a descendant. Stephen, a son of Ensign Hull, married a sister of Anson Cloyes, and built the house on the brow of the 

hill east of the Methodist Church, where he lived many years, and died about the year 1836; his widow afterwards marrying Henry 

Crane, sold the farm to Anson, her brother. Their sons were Augustus S.. and Horace. The latter went west some twenty years 

ago, where he died a few years since. Augustus always resided at Sauquoit. In returning from Clayville just at dark one evening in 

October, 1877, riding in a sulky, when opposite the N. W. Moore place, he was met by a runaway team, which collided with his 

conveyance, which halted them, and the shock threw him out, breaking his neck. Passers-by at once pulled him from beneath the 

halted horses, carried him into the house, but life was extinct. He was instantly killed. His sudden and untimely death shrouded the 

village in gloom, as he was a great favorite in the community for his cheerful and, pleasant manners and genial disposition. He had 

held many offices of trust in town, was one of the oldest members of Sauquoit Lodge, F. and A. M., and had held nearly every office 

in the Lodge. He was a kind-hearted, active brother of the "My“tic-tie," a”d a worthy scion of the old pioneer and Revolutionary hero, 

Ensign Josiah Hull. 

1852— 

Feb. 16,Paul R. Miner; March 1, William L. Mould, (died Nov. 23,1864.;) 

May 17, Alvin P. Lanterman; 

July 19, Eli C. Green ; 

Aug. 16, Samuel F. Dexter, (honorary member.) 

1853— 

Dec. 5, Edwin Webster, (honorary member.) 

1854— 

Jan. 16, Ridley Cole, Nehemiah Mason, (died July 20,1856 ;) 

Feb. 20, W. Irving Tillotson; 

May 1, Eli S. Green, (dead); 

Dec. 18, Charles E. Luce. 

1855— 

May 21, Horace Plumb; 

Sept. 3, Prof. Ambrose P. Kelsey; 

Sept. 17, Grove W. Bagg, Hon. Justus Childs, (died May 24,1868,) Isaac T. Doolittle, (died Nov. 24,1864,) C. O. Allen, R. W. 

Miller; 

Oct. 15, Robert W. Seaton. 

Hon. Justus Childs was born in Connecticut, September 21, 1809, and came to Paris about the year 1831. He resided east of 

Cassville on the stone road, and was an extensive farmer—his farm being one of the "mo“el farms" i” town. He was a popular man 

in town, and filled many offices of trust and responsibility. He was elected Supervisor in 1857, and was Member of Assembly in 

1843-44. He was a prominent Freemason, "ma“e" i” Sauquoit Lodge, No. 150, F. and A. M., in 1855. He was one of the prime 

movers in building the stone road which extended from Winfield north, over Babcock Hill and along down past his residence into the 

Valley, uniting with the plank road near the old Budlong gristmill, above Clayville. The plank road was built in 1847-48, extending 

south from Utica over Cemetery Hill and to Washington Mills, and up the Sauquoit Valley through Cassville, and thence to 

Bridgewater. The stone road was made with two parallel strips of flagging stone about sixteen inches wide, laid down at a distance 

from each other that would enable the wheels of a wagon to travel thereon, the intervening space whereon the horse traveled being 

"ma“adamized." T”e Stone Road Company was organized June 23, 1849, at the house of James Johnson, in Bridgewater, with the 

following Board of Directors: Newton Wilcox, Hon. Peleg B. Babcock, Frederick S. Savage, Hon. Justus Childs and Zebina Johnson. 

The toll-gates were removed a few years since, and the road thrown open to the public. He died May 24, 1868, at the age of 59. His 

obituary, in the Utica Observer, says: "He“was gifted with superior intelligence and an excellent constitution; and was characterized 

by active habits and large business capacity, with marked public spirit. Always one of the most prominent citizens of his town, he 

was repeatedly its Supervisor, and also represented his district in the State Assembly. In all the relations of life, as well as in an 

official capacity, his conduct was distinguished by integrity, conscientiousness and good judgment, and his death will be lamented 

by all who knew him. He leaves a large family, among whom are Messrs. J. M. and W. B. Childs, of Utica, and a large circle of 

friends, to mourn his loss." 

1856— 

March 20, T. P. Davenport; 

April 7, Robert Dare; 

April 21, Henry C. Rogers; 

Aug. 4, E. H. Joslyn; 

68

Sept. 1, Andrew- Boss. 

1857—Feb. 16, W. E. Moore. 

1858— 

Feb. 15, B. S. Radcliffe; 

April 19, George P. Olmstead; 

Oct. 18, Dodge P. Blackstone, J. B. Kendall; 

Nov. 1, Levo L. LeRoy. 

1859— 

Oct. 3, James Grendlay; 

Nov. 7, Frank Hinckley. 

1860— 

Jan. 16, F. M. Knight; 

March 6, L. M. Joslyn; 

1861— 

Feb. 4, James S. Kendall, (died Feb. 1, 1871;) 

April 6, George WT. Corbin, (died, 1863;) 

1862— 

Feb. 17, Z. Townsend Wilcox, Peleg Goodier; 

Aug. 18, E. A. Cole, H. H. Jenkins; 

Sept. 8, James Eastman; 

1863— 

March 80, Alexander Van Valkenberg; 

May 4, David C. Addington, Charles D. Prior; 

June 1, Levi Mason; Hon. William H. Chapman, (dead ;) 

June 15, Charles Hoofcut, Hon. D. W. Prescott; 

May 7, H. P. Plumb; 

Dec. 17,Solomon Rogers, (honorary member.) 

Dec. 16, Charles A. Parker. 

Sept. 22, John Reehl; 

Oct. 6, George W. Burt, John Pringle; 

Oct. 20, Edmund Howard, George Helm. 

July 6, Henry Whitacre, E. Cumming; 

Sept. 21, Horace M. Rogers, Charles G. Brownell; 

Dec. 14, Henry W. Wilcox, Benjamin R. Wilcox; 

Dec. 21, M. D. Lapham. 

1864— 

Jan. 23, L. A. Seymour, Levi Patterson, (died Dec. 5, 1868,) D. W. Larrabee, (dead;) 

Jan. 26, Joseph Buckle; Feb. 15, Edmund C. Goodrich; 

Jan. 27, Josiah Parker, Thomas Lord, J. W. Knause; 

March 26, Hubert M. Rouse, John L. Wicks; 

April 30, Oliver G. Rogers, (died Nov. 2, 1866,) Lewis Rogers ;. 

May 28, Charles H. Moore, William Neal, (dead;) 

July 23,. N. S. Hayes, George W. Nichols; 

August 29, Thomas Murphy; 

Sept. 19, W. H. Griffith, Douglass M. Thorn; 

Oct. 8, Rodney E. Wilcox, John H. Crane; 

Oct. 15, Harrison E. Webster; 

Nov. 26, Horace A. Marshall, (dead ;) 

Dec. 10, Morris W. Dyer. 

1865— 

Jan. 14, Samuel Robbins; 

Feb. 11, Frederick Scovill, Daniel A. Comstock; 

Feb. 27, Michael Weigle, Seth W. Smith ; 

March 11, F. D. Blackstone, Edward Miller, Charles H. Blackstone ; 

April 22, T. W. Blackstone, G. N. Schoonmaker; 

June 10,Thomas Harris; July 1, Charles Hardiman, (died Sept. 10, 1873,) George Mould; 

August 5, Albert M. Mills, Henry N. Adams, Samuel Francis, J. T. Perkins; 

Sept. 23, Richard. Lewis; 

Nov. 25, A. P. Mallory; 

Dec. 13, B. F. Wright, 

1866— 

Jan. 13,Adolph Miller, G. W. Warren ; 

Feb. 24, Wm. F. S. Irvin, Edward H. Dean ; 

March 24,Hervey Platt; 

June 9, W. Wallace Chapman; 

June 23, F. G. Hitsworth, Charles T. Denning; 

August 11, Adolph Wilman, Albert Owens, J. G. Leefe; 

Sept. 22, A. H. Mason, (died Feb. 15, 1868,) John Miller, Joseph Brownell, (died Aug. 20, 1873,) Hugh Sloan, M. D.; 

Nov. 10, Horace L. Kirtland, George A. Hubbard, George P. Landt; 

Dec. 22, Charles B. Manchester, E. A. Capell, W. W. Bailey, Isaac Dingman, Robert Bailey; 

? 8, C. N Palmer, M. D., L. T. Richardson. 

69

1867— 

March 30, L. L. Williams, Charles H. Cooper, John B. Warner; 

Oct. 26, Wessel H. Slover, Francis J. Criggier; 

Nov. 16, Henry R. Gaylord, Thomas C. Denniston. 

1868— 

Jan. 11, G. F. Wilcox, J. B. Young, G R. Carpenter; 

Feb. 8, Daniel W. Maltby, Eugene J. Warren, J. A. Moore; 

March 28, Albert S. Austin, Henry Loyd, James Hardman; 

May 9, Thomas Lee, Albert E. Winnegar, John Dagleish, E. E. Knickerbocker, D. A. Howland; 

June 29, John E. Sawyer, Augustus H. Davis, Caleb B. Gerinond. 

1869— 

Jan. 9, Jacob P. Calhoun ; 

Feb. 27, Wm. H. Gove, Geo. M. Austin, John Radcliff; 

May 8, Charles Corbett, John B. Orendorf; 

Nov. 27, William Weir, Orson N. Olmstead, Jas. H. Ratclitf, (died Feb. 24, 1879,) Levi S. Montgomery, William Prentice, Giles 

Howarth. 

1870— 

Jan 22, Ellis Jones, H. N. Shepardson; 

April 9, Charles W. Bowen, W. J. Lockhart; 

May 14, Peter Watt; 

July 9, Otis P. Coye, John C. Briggs; 

Nov. 12, Gustavus A. Gifford, M. D.; 

Dec. 10, R. D. Richards. 

1871— 

July 1, Wm. H. Giles; 

Aug. 26, Horace T. Farey, Stephen Gunston, Amasa Mason, (died Oct. 17, 1873.) 

1872— 

Jan. 13, F. H. Saxton, James Benbow, Wm. A. Bas- sett, (died April 7, 1879;) 

Jan. 27, Hobart Osborn, Frederick A. Aldrich, (died March 2, 1876;) 

March 9, William S. Spafford; 

May 1'2,’William H. Criggier, James Russell, J. Harvey Reeves, Wayne W. Thurston; James Campbell, (died Dec. 8, 1875;) 

Nov. 8, David H. Morgan, Henry Adelbert Head, Albert Barnett, Esq., (honorary member.) 

'Sq’ire Albert Barnett aided in erecting a carding and fulling mill with Col. Avery, and carried it on afterwards; coming to 

Clayville about that time, where he has ever since resided,—now in his 89th ye ar,—being prominently identified with the growth and 

prosperity of the town. He came to Paris with his father, James Barnett, a revolutionary soldier who served in the commissary 

department through the war, and who came from Connecticut to Dutchess county, NY, and from thence to Paris, near the line of 

Bridgewater, in 1794. A brother—William Barnett—served in the war of 1812 as his (Albert's)’substitute. He has ever since resided 

in the town, with the exception of four years residence in Delaware county, during which he was made a Mason there, (in 1816,) and 

is now an honorary member of Sauquoit Lodge, No. 150, F. & A. M. He has filled many offices of trust in the town, and during the 

greater part of his active life, has filled the office of Justice of the Peace. He preserves his age remarkably by active exercise as a 

"sp“rtsman," b”ing an accomplished trout fisherman and skillful fox hunter, notwithstanding his advanced age, and in trolling for 

pickerel, none of the "bo“s" c”n excel him—rowing his own boat. Among other property which he acquired, was the Sweeting 

sawmill, which he sold to Bacon & Collis, who were the second merchants at Clayville, and who commenced the erection thereon of 

a woolen factory, but before its completion sold it to Frederick Hollister, in 1842, who completed the erection of the present factory 

thereon. His son, Mills Barnett, was an active business man in town tor many years, and afterwards removed to Phelps, Ontario 

county, NY, and is but recently deceased. His surviving son, William H. Barnett, has always resided at Clayville, an active business 

man, postmaster for many years, and also Justice of the Peace. 

1873— 

Feb. 8, B. E. Forbes, M. D., Ambrose S. Harvey, (died June 27, 1874,) Arthur C. Paddock, Frederick G. Talbott; 

April 26, James 0. Hasselkuse; 

June 14, George I. Goodale, Daniel Morris; 

Sept. 27, N. W. Moore, Jr., Charles N. Garlick, J. B. Holmes, Orville Bennett, John McGucken. , 

1874— 

Jan. 10, William Shackelton; 

Feb. 28, William H. Calhoun, Ansel Thompson, Albert R. Haven ; 

Oct. 10, Charles ' L‘ Marshall, R. J. Benbow. 

1875— 

Feb. 13, John R. Jones; 

June 30, S. C. Reiley; 

1876— 

Jan. 22, John L. Smith; 

March 28, Stephen Woodhull, Thomas Reiley; 

Sept 25, John S. Reiley; 

Nov. 27, John T. Bastow, Geo. D. Smith. 

Oct. 14, N. M. Worden, John Shepard. 

70

1877— 

Feb. 10, John Crawshaw; 

Feb. 24, Reuben Horrocks. 

1878— 

Jan. 25, Henry Barton; 

March 9, Rev. Clarence H. Beebe; 

April 10, H. W. Teachout; 

1879— 

Jan. 11, John B. Gough; 

May 10. H. W. Goodier; 

June 14, Prof. T. H. Roberts; 

May 25, Rev. B. F. Willoughby; 

Sept. 28, Edward B. Avery. 

July 12, George W. Penner, Charles L. Seaman; 

Sept. 13, Frank A. Randall; 

Sept. 27, Samuel Clayton. 

Veteran Members—Being a list of those eligible to the " V“teran Masonic Society," t”eir Masonic age being 21 years or more: 

P. M. Calvin E. Macomber, honorary and charter member Fredonia Lodge, admitted 1816; 

Leverett Bishop, M. D., honorary and charter member Chittenango Lodge, admitted 1817; 

Squire Albert Barnett, honorary member Delaware Lodge, 1816; 

Solomon Rogers, honorary member of old Amicable Lodge, 25, admitted 1822; 

Edwin Webster, honorary member Paris Lodge, 348, admitted 1822; 

Nathan C. Green, honorary member Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1851; 

Rev. Samuel F. Dexter, honorary member Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1852; 

Benjamin Moore, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1850; 

E. Dean Brownell, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1850; 

Dexter Crossman, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1851; 

W. Irving Tillotston, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1854; 

Charles E. Luce, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1854; 

Grove W. Bagg, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1855; 

Henry C. Rogers, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1856; 

Wilbur E. Moore, Sauquoit Lodge, 150, admitted 1857. 

Original charter members, . . . . 11 

Since admitted, ..... 255 

Total, ...... 266 

Honorary members, (also charter,) . . . 2 

Honorary members, .... 5 

Deceased charter members, .... 9 

Deceased other members, ... 30 

Withdrawn, removed, &c., .... 113 

Surviving active members, . . . 107 

266 

RECAPITULATION. 

Hon. William Knight, during the unfortunate rupture of the Grand Lodge, which resulted in there being at one time two Grand Lodges 

in the State, took an active part in the reconciliation, and to his efforts, perhaps, more than any other single individual, the union was 

happily effected. As a recognition of his services he was appointed in 1862-3, one of the Grand Stewards of the Graud Lodge. In 

1867, H. C. Rogers received the appointment of Assistant Grand Lecturer for the Fifth Judicial District, composed of the counties of 

Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Herkimer, Jefferson and Lewis, and was reappointed in 1868. Those Brothers comprise the Graud 

Lodge officers from Paris. 

OFFICE OF THE GRAND SECRETARY 

OF THE GRAND LODGE OF F. & A. MASONS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, 

NEW YORK, October 28, 1872. 

W. HENRY C. ROGERS, 

Dear Sir and Brother:—Pursuant to a provision of the resolutions adopted by the Grand Lodge, referring the Proposal Amended 

Constitution to a committee of one from each of the Masonic Districts, the Grand Master has called a meeting of the said committee, 

to be held in " C“ntral City Masonic Hall," i” the city of Syracuse, on Tuesday, November 19th, p rox., at 9 o'cl’ck A. M., [the day was 

afterward changed to second Tuesday of December,] for the purpose of considering the matter so referred. You have been duly 

elected from the 14th Ma sonic District (Oneida and Madison counties,) as a member of said committee, and you are hereby notified 

to attend at the time and place above designated. 

Given under my hand and the seal of Grand Lodge, 

[L. s.] this 28th da y of October, 1872. 

JAMES M. AUSTIN, 

Grand Secretary. 

71

The Convention met pursuant to the call, and all the Districts were represented except the 17th & 23d: 

1, J. E. Morrison; 

2, G. B. Wood; 

3, William T. Woodruff: 

4, Joseph Short, Jr.; 

5, John W. Russell; 

6, O. D. M. Parker; 

7, G. Fred Wiltsie; 

8, James McCausland; 

9, Jesse B. Anthony; 

10, James Gibson; 

11, George Yost; 

12, George B. Winslow; 

13, Henry A. House; 

14, Henry C. Rogers; 

15, John R. Clarke; 

16, George J. Gardner; 

18, John L. Lewis; 

19, William Shelp; 

20, L. A. Waldo; 

21, John Ransom; 

22 David F. Day; 

24, Caleb B. Ellsworth; 

25, James M. Austin; 

26, H. C. Sawtelle. 

French, &c., John W. Simons; German Lodge, Charles Sackreuter. 

The result of their deliberations was adopted by the next Grand Lodge and is the present Constitution of the Grand Lodge of the 

State of New York. 

UNION HALL ASSOCIATION. 

In the year 1849 Union Hall Association erected the building at West Sauquoit now owned and occupied by Sauquoit Lodge, No. 

150. At the completion of the building, the Odd Fellows leased the Lodge room of the Association and sub-let it to the Masons, each 

society arranging to meet on different evenings. In the fall of 1866, the building being sadly in need of repairs, Sauquoit Lodge, No. 

lo0, resolved to undertake to buy up the capital stock of the Union Hall Association and put the building in suitable repair. 

Subscription papers were drawn up October 13th, 1 866. N. W. Moore headed the subscription $250; Abner Brownell, E. D. Brownell, 

C. G. Browr.ell, $250 ; H. C. Rogers, $50 ; M. M. Neal, $30; C. L. Marshall, $20; Lewis Rogers, $20; (all in stock of Union Hall;) and 

others $10; and so on down the list, at Sauquoit, amounting to $695; Paris Hill, $38; Clayville $28, East Hill $25, and Washington 

Mills $56. The paument of the latter was not insisted on, as the brothers at that place soon after withdrew to found Amicable Lodge, 

and needed that money to fit up their new lodge. August 29,1868, upon the completion of the railroad, a picnic, for the benefit of this 

fund, was held in the beautiful grove east of the paper mill, which was largely attended; many coming from Sherburne, Hamilton, 

Earlville, Waterville. Winfield and Utica, as well as the neighboring villages. It proved a success, yielding a good revenue. The picnic 

was repeated the following year, August 18, 1869, with still better success, followed by a festival at the hall December 24,1869, and 

with continued united effort in the right direction the hall has been painted, repaired and beautifully decorated, and is now the 

property of Sauquoit Lodge, No. 150, deeded to its Trustees by the Trustees of Union Hall Association December 27,1873, for a 

consideration of $1,750, duly recorded in the County Clerk's ’ffice, in book 371 of deeds, page 419. 

THE ANTI-MASON EXCITEMENT OF 1826. 

William Morgan was born in Culpepper County, Va., in 1775 or '76‘ and was a mason by trade. In 1821 he removed to Upper 

Canada, near York, and established a brewery, which in time burned down and impoverished him, when he removed to Rochester, 

N. Y., and resumed his trade of mason, and soon after to Batavia, where he likewise worked at his trade. In the year 1826 it leaked 

out that Morgan, who bore a worthless reputation, was preparing a book to be published by David C. Miller, disclosing the secrets of 

Free Masonry. Great excitement prevailed, and an effort was made to get hold of the manuscript, but to no avail. Morgan, however, 

was thrown into jail at Canandaigua, some 50 miles east of Batavia, for debt, September 10, 1826. The next evening, soon after 

dusk, a man by the name of Lawson called to see him, which he was permitted to do by the keeper. Lawson proposed to pay the 

debt (a small one) and thus release Morgan, to which all parties consenting, they passed out of the jail together into the darkness of 

night, and while on the way to Lawson's ’ouse he was seized, torn away from Lawson and thrust into a carriage, which was rapidly 

whirled away. The route of a carriage, supposed to be this one, was afterwards rumored to be, Victor, thence to Rochester, where 

the carriage and horses were changed, and driven to Clarkson, fifteen miles west, then to Gaines, and sometime in the night of 

September 13, arrived at Lewiston, seventy miles westerly from Rochester, but this could not be proven in the court It was asserted 

that Morgan was confined in the old magazine of the fort and at night taken across the river in an open boat, but the Canada 

Masons refusing to receive him, the party returned, and Morgan was again confined. Be this as it may, his fate is shrouded in 

mystery from the moment he was parted from Lawson at Canandaigua. Some years since, a gentleman who was intimately 

acquainted with Morgan, published a statement that while traveling in India he met him in Calcutta, and although bronzed and 

decked out in the Indian toggery of a high dignitary there, he was positive of the identification, although Morgan would not identify 

him. Others supposed that Morgan was drowned in Lake Ontario, and a body washing ashore sometime afterwards gave color to 

that supposition, until upon examination the body proved to be that of another person. Yet the Anti-Masons still circulated the story, 

after it was legally exploded, and declared that the body was a "go“d enough Morgan until after election," t”e opponents to Masonry 

having merged into a violent political party. 

Gov. De Witt Clinton—the Grand Master of Masons—in his capacity of Governor, issued a proclamation in regard to the 

kidnapping, dated October 26, 1826, offering "a “eward of $300 for the discovery of the offenders, $100 for any and every one of 

them, and $200 for authentic information of the place where the said William Morgan has been conveyed." I” was plain to all candid 

minds that the Grand Lodge or the subordinate lodges, or the great body of Masonry throughout the State were in no way 

responsible for the abduction, it being the act and crime of a few ill-advised, over-zealous individuals alone; but in those days, no 

telegraph existed to flash the news to every corner of the State; no daily papers in all her cities to publish at once all the details; no 

railroads to bear those papers to every village, that the succeeding day everybody, everywhere throughout this great 

Commonwealth, could know and understand all the circumstances of the case. Had it been so, the news would simply have been 

read, and the wish engendered chat the offenders might be speedily captured and brought to justice. But in the days of 

stagecoaches and weekly papers, few and far between, the news spread slowly and by piecemeal, gaining in horrible details as it 

was repeated, until at last, "bo“med" o” by the politicians, the wildest excitement prevailed, and was kept alive for several years, the 

country lodges stemming the tide for a while, but eventually being forced to go down and surrender their charters. The matter finally 

drifted out of polities, and died away in 1832 or '33‘ and few are left that remember that fierce warfare, and the intense personal 

feuds engendered thereby in each neighborhood, and none of this generation can fully realize the possibility of the storm of passion 

and prejudice that swept with the besom of destruction to ruin the great institution of Masonry, and left her lodges wrecked and 

72

stranded in almost every village. The sober second thought, however, came at last, the rising generation viewed the matter 

intelligently, without prejudice, and the reaction set in, and to-day in this State more than eighty thousand Masons, numbering in 

their ranks the greatest and best men any State can boast of, assemble around her altar, and with "he“rt and tongue join in 

promoting each other's ’elfare, and rejoice in each other's ’rosperity."Th” dream of those old- time veteran Masons of Paris Lodge for 

a "ha“l of wood or stone," h”s been more than realized in the present well- appointed building and beautiful lodge-room. Those two 

pioneer manufacturers, Bros. N. W. Moore and Abner Brownell, who, out of their abundance so liberally contributed to this result, 

are no more here to share and enjoy its beauties. The extensive factory and paper mills, once their pride, and the wealth of the 

valley, are silent, or in ruins. The beautiful creek which, obedient to their skill and energy, was yoked into power, turning the mighty 

machinery and the thousands of humming spindles, furnishing employment to hundreds of workmen, and infusing business vitality 

into this once active village, now untrammeled, bubbles dancingly by the Valley Cemetery, where both silently sleep; thence 

aimlessly along past the deserted paper mills and on down, reflecting on its rippling bosom the gaunt spectre of the ruins of the 

dismantled, fire-blackened walls of the once busy factory, and on to the sea. Their good deeds, however, live after them. Generation 

succeeding generation, who shall assemble within these hallowed walls in peace and unity, as they "me“t upon the Level, and part 

upon the Square," w”ll ever treasure deep emotions of gratitude for their munificent generosity. 

AMICABLE LODGE, NO. 664, F. & A. M., OF WASHINGTON MILLS. 

Having worked one year under dispensation from the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of New York, on the 11th da y of 

May, 1868, before W. Henry C. Rogers, Assistant Grand Lecturer for the Fifth Judicial District, Amicable Lodge exemplified the work 

and lectures, whereupon W. Bro. Rogers granted them the official certificate of suitable proficiency, to enable them to be chartered. 

June 15, 1868, a charter was granted to them by the M. W. Grand Lodge of the State of New York. The first regular communication 

under the charter, was held on the 18th da y of July, 1868. 

FIRST OFFICERS. 

J. T. Perkins, M.; 

H. N. Adams, S. W.; 

Albert Owens, J. W.; 

George Helm, Treas.; 

George E. Eastman, Secretary; 

C. H. Moore, S. D.; 

Robert Codlin, J. D. (1867, Amicable, U. D.;) 

W. F. S. Irwin, Chaplain; 

L. H. Van Allen, (1867, Amicable, U. D.,) M. of C, 

Dwight Denio, (Otsego,) M. of C; 

J. Quackenbush, Tiler, (1867, Amicable, U. D.) 

A. P. Mallory, 

Henry Whitacer, 

H. L. Kirtland, 

George P. Landt, 

Michael Weigle, 

Isaac Dingman, 

Hon. W. H. Chapman d. 21Aug 1876. 

John Pringle, 

L. D. N. Mason, 

CHARTER MEMBERS IN ADDITION. 

J. B. Warnes, 

Robert Bailey, 

Hugh Sloan, M. D.; 

T. W. Blackstone, 

E. Cummings, 

W. W. Chapman, 

Hon. D. M. Prescott,. 

William H. Griffith, 

F. D. Blackstone, 

Horace Plumb, (1855,) 

E. H. Dean, 

C. G. Denning, 

N. S. Hayes, 

John Miller, 

R A. Smith, 

A. M. Mills—Sauquoit Lodge 150. 

Total officers and members from Sauquoit Lodge, 32. 

Charles Eberle, M. C. Blackstone, Hon. Geo. W. Chadwitk, Oriental Lodge, No. 224; 

C. B. Manchester, Isaac Bray ton, Utica Lodge, No. 47; 

Edwin R Polly, Philanthropic Lodge, No. 164; 

E. W. Denio, E. C. Denio, Otsego Lodge. 

SINCE ADMITTED. 

1867—W. G. Perkins, George Hinchliff, David Hughes, J. D. Green, Uriah D. King, H. L. Babcock. 

1868— G. R. Wadsworth, J. A. Rice, William Cone, H. Kellogg, A. A. Rogers, Marshall Sackett, Thomas Lewis, Reuben Weeder, 

John Marks, John Murphy. 

1869—Samuel Patterson, George F. Merrill, L. E. Rogers; (died June 25, 1877;) James Wood, Thomas Monroe, Charles 

Greenwood. 

1870—H. O. (Adams, Thomas Adams, Richard Manning, George Wood, J. W. Norton. 

1871—Henry Barton, John Thompson, William H. Kelly, D. P. Root. 

1872— J. E. Dempsey, J. B. Winship, Thomas W. Moore, Henry Dodge, William Farrill, E. Jacquemer, Joseph Sault. 

1874—John D. Thickens, M. O. Dingman.M. M. Gaylord, O. N. Olmstead, George W. Shumaker, (died March 1, 1879,) H. J. 

Mathews. 

1875—C. O. Millard, E. S. Snow, J. W. Cook, John Benton Robert R. Gibbs, N. A. Cook, C. H. Dodge, Henry Page, C. H' P’ilo, J. 

Lighbody, Hon. R. U. Sherman, J. L. Comstock, P. L. Tyler, C. F. Lee, W. Johnson. 

1876—W. D. Van Valkenberg, Daniel Richards, L. E. Moore, J. S. Knapp, E. W. Hurty, J. W. Seaton, A. J. Bullock, (died August, 

1878.) 

73

RECAPITULATION. 

Total Members, ..... 111 

Withdrawn, &c., .... 26 

Dead, . . . . . . 4 

— - 30 

Present Membership, .... 81 

Petitioning Members. 40. 

1867-68, J. T. Perkins; 

1869-73, H. N. Adams; 

1870-77- 78, C. H. Moore; 

MASTERS. 

1871-72, M. (J. Blackstone; 

1874--7– T. W. Blackstone; 

1876, H. L. Babcock; 

1879-80, C. H. Dodge. 

Amicable Lodge, No. 6(54, the youngest of the valley lodges, enters the second decade of its existence with flattering prospects. 

The signs of the times give promise of a general revival of business, and the recent starting up of the Washington Mills Woolen 

Factory inaugurates prosperity, and without doubt, New Amicable can celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Old Amicable, on 

April 7, 1892,—twelve years hence—with full ranks, harmonious membership and prosperous treasury. 

Rev. Mr. Magill, rector of St. Paul's ’hurch, Peru, NY, being asked by a lady, the question, 

"Ar” you a Mason?" r”sponded in the following beautiful lines: 

Are you a Mason? 

I am one of a band 

Who win faithfully stand 

In the bonds of affect ion and love; 

I have knocked at the door, 

Once wretched and poor, 

And there for admission I stood. 

By the help of a friend, 

Who assistance did lend, 

I succeeded an entrance to gain; 

Was received in the West, 

By command from the East, 

But not without feeling some pain. 

Here my conscience was taught 

With a moral quite fraught 

With sentiment holy and true. 

Then onward I traveled, 

To have it unraveled, 

What Hiram intended to do. 

Very soon in the East, 

I made known my request, 

And "li“ht" b” command did attain; 

When lo! I perceived, 

In due form revealed. 

A Master, a Brother, and Friend. 

Thus far I have stated, 

And simply related 

What happened when I was made free; 

But I've’"pa“sed" s”nce then, 

And was "ra“sed" u” again 

To a sublime and ancient degree. 

Then onward I marched. 

That I might be "Ar“hed " 

“nd find out those treasures long lost. 

When behold ! a bright flame, 

From the midst of which came 

A voice which my ears did accost. 

Through the "va“ls" I”then went, 

And succeeded at length 

The "sa“ctum sanctorum" t” find; 

By the “signet" I”gained, 

And quickly obtained, 

Employment which suited my mind. 

In the depths I then wrought, 

And most carefully sought 

For treasures so long hidden there; 

And by labor and toil 

I discovered the spoil, 

Which is kept by the craft with due care. 

Having thus far arrived, 

I further contrived 

‘'Mo’g valiant Sir Knights to appear; 

And as pilgrim and Knight, 

I stood ready to fight, 

Nor Saracen foe did I fear. 

For the widow distressed, 

There's ’ chord in my breast; 

For the helpless and orphan I feel; 

And my sword I could draw, 

To maintain the pure law 

Which the duty of Masons reveal. 

Thus have I revealed, 

(Yet wisely concealed,) 

What the "Fr“e & Accepted" w”ll know; 

I am one of a band. 

Who will faithfully stand 

As a brother, wherever I go. 

Appendix 

“History of the Town of Paris, and the Valley of the Sauquoit,” by Henry C. Rogers, page 276- 

http://books.google.com/books?id=tMYqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA276&lpg=PA276&dq=%22Gardner+Avery%22&source=web&ots=Gefq 

6gsLVh&sig=YiYjxRA_rOpfsDHNSVtfm71GdXo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA276,M1 

Colonel Gardner Avery 

Col. Gardner Avery was born in Munson, Mass., in 1774. At the age of eight years he was “bound out” until he should arrive at the 

age of 18, to a Mr. Munn, at the expiration of which he went to Otsego county, NY, near Richfield Springs, and hired out to a Mr. 

Chamberlain. During his service there the small pox broke out in the neighborhood and raged with great violence, whereupon he 

went back to his old home in Massachusetts, where it was his intention to go to a pest-house and be inoculated for that dread 

disease, and thus have it in a mild form as a preventive for future attacks, which was the custom in those old times, and before 

vaccination or the kinepox was discovered. His father opposed his plan and positively forbade him. But upon arriving at his majority, 

on his twenty-first birthday he marched to the pest-house, distant some fourteen miles, and went through the course of treatment, at 

the expiration of which he received a certificate from the surgeon in charge, and returned home. But in such fear was the contagion 

held, at that early day, that his father refused him admission at first, and until he had exhibited his certificate. Soon afterward he 

74

emoved to Albany, N. Y., engaging as steward in the old “Stone Hotel,” the leading house there at that time, and the popular resort 

of the Assemblymen and other magnates of the Capitol. While here, he married Huldah, a daughter of John Russell, a prominent 

business man of that city. His wife ere long died, leaving him one child, a daughter, who in time married George Merrifield, of Sam! 

Lake. At the hotel he developed great energy and business ability, and thereby attracted the attention of Judge Sanger, of New 

Hartford, the great land agent, who was a frequent guest of the hotel, but more particularly by his courage and skill in the following 

adventure: 

During the winter, when the river was frozen over, a passage was readily affected on the ice; but in the spring, when the ice was 

softened by the thaws, it would become unsafe and impossible to cross until the final “breaking up,” when boats could be used. This 

unsafe period sometimes lasted several days. During such a period in the spring of 1801, a prominent banker there found it 

important to send a package of money across the river to Greenbush, but could find no one who would brave the perilous 

undertaking, although he freely offered one hundred dollars for its accomplishment. The generous offer coming to the ears of young 

Gardner, he promptly tendered his services, which were accepted. Procuring some long, lithe, strong “hoop-poles,” he strapped 

them to his body under each arm, the ends projecting fore and aft, and taking a strong pike-pole in his hands, with which to leap 

over air-holes or weak places in the ice, or pull himself out, if he should break through, the hoop-poles projecting out to catch on the 

ice and prevent his sinking in such an event, and securing the package on his head, he was ready for the perilous passage. An 

immense crowd gathered to witness the exploit, to which he boldly advanced and which he successfully performed, the vast 

gathering of citizens greeting the safe return with rounds of cheers for the hero of the hour. 

Judge Sanger, who witnessed the exploit, was at that time in need of a man to take charge of the Paris Furnace, then in course 

of erection at what is now Clayville, and with his keen insight into character, at once selected young Gardner for the responsible 

position, who, with his characteristic promptitude, accepted the offer. Reaching New Hartford, he mounted a horse, and at once 

proceeded up the valley to the furnace. Beyond Sauquoitthe road led along the high ground through the Bently neighborhood, 

thence turning abruptly to the east down into the valley, where the furnace was located. During the last part of his route he was 

forced to dismount and jump his horse over the fallen trees. Reaching the site at last, the massive frame of the huge building burst 

upon his view like a gaunt spectre, it having been raised and thus far completed under the supervision of “Judge” Eliphalet 

Sweeting, who at once resigned command to the new cotuer. They pushed forward the work with great energy, completing it before 

fall, both sleeping on a horse-blanket during the summer, and when “she went into blast,” “Judge” Sweeting took the position of 

founder, in which he was greatly skilled, and was considered the best judge of iron ores in the country, hence his sobriquet of 

“Judge.” Colonel Gardner Avery assumed the general financial management and direction of affairs, and the furnace grew to be one 

of the most important enterprises in the interior of the State. 

In 1817 he founded the Lenox Furnace, which added greatly to his duties, driving back and forth, superintending both. In addition 

to both these extensive furnaces he was the superintendent of the old Seneca Turnpike from Utica to Canandaigua, which 

compelled him to go over the road once each month to settle up with the gate-keepers. With a spirited span of horses bought for him 

in Delaware county by ‘Squire Barnett, attached to a light wagon for those days, made by the old wagon-maker, Brainard, he would 

make the trip and return in five days, bringing with him the silver in large saddle-bags. These he faithfully guarded with a brace of 

pistols, queer old flint lock weapons, now in possession of his grandson, E. B. Avery, as treasured relics, while made from some of 

the silver his son James has a large spoon much prized by him. 

While on one of these trips two important events took place at home. Among the many men in his employ was one named Smith, 

a stranger, who, although he did his work well, seemed ignorant and stupid. It was afterward, however, ascertained from his fellow 

workmen, that he was a keen, well educated man, and the stupidity was assumed for some purpose. Taking advantage of the 

absence of the Colonel, he stole one of his best horses and fled, and no trace of him was ever found The same night of his flight, 

the sawmill opposite the Avery residence was burned, old Uncle Thompson, the sawyer, who slept in the mill, perishing in the 

flames. It was generally accepted that the old man, who sometimes “took a little too much,” had blunderingly set the mill on fire, but 

looking back through the vista of years, circumstances favor the probability that the “stupid” Smith gained his confidence, and 

ascertaining that he had some funds hoarded up, robbed and murdered him, and, firing the sawmill to cover up his crime, mounted 

the stolen horse and made his escape. 

After the Colonel had got well established at Paris Furnace he purchased a farm—where Crook now resides, near the 

cemetery—-brought forward his father and family from their eastern home and placed them on the farm, where they resided many 

years until advanced in age. Then he built them a house in the yard near his own residence, the better to look after them, where 

they passed their declining years in comfort and happiness. United in life they were not separated a day in death, dying within 

sixteen hours of each other. December 27, 1831, he, aged 81 years, and his wife—Amy Newell—aged 76, having lived together 59 

years. The old gentleman was a soldier of the Revolution and served through the whole war. 

In the building of the Presbyterian Church in the spring of 1811, Colonel Avery and other influential members desired! It to be 

erected at West Sauquoit, but they were outvoted, and a site selected just east of the residence of the late Wm. Knight, where the 

foundation was laid, on which the sills were placed and the framing well under way, when, presto!’ in the dull, gray breaking of a 

spring day morning, the road opposite the site suddenly swarmed with teams and men. The Furnace Company teams, some dozen 

or more, Theodore and Alyn Gilbert, the dam builders, about as many more, Captain Bacon, John Butler, and others, who favored a 

change of base, swelled the wagon-train, all under the direction of the energetic colonel, who was a born leader, and in a twinkling, 

and before the opposition could be rallied against them, the timbers and foundation stones were loaded up and carted over to West 

Sauquoit, and ere night the “bee” had relaid the foundation and placed the sills thereon, and the building went up on the new site. 

He and John Butler—the oldest pioneer of the western hillside—ever afterward were the leading influential members of the society, 

and accorded the post of honor by the congregation, (the large square pews right and left of the pulpit,) which they have ever since 

occupied with their families or descendants. Soon after coming to- Paris Furnace, he married Betsey Sage, of New Hartford, and in 

1810 built his residence, now occupied by his son, Hon. Eli Avery. 

In the year 1822 he erected a carding and fulling mill on the east side of the road opposite and a little below the present site of 

the Empire Woolen Factory. When the railroad was constructed the old building was removed to make room for the trestle work 

(since filled up) where the railroad crosses the creek to enter the village, which passes over the site of the old carding mill. 

The Paris Furnace was the pioneer manufacturing enterprise of the valley, and attained a volume of business of great magnitude, its 

potash kettles and hollow ware and other products being sent to all parts of the State then being settled* Their main market, 

75

however, was at Albany, to which, with their wares, their teams were regularly sent, it being before the days of canals or railroads. In 

the winter of 1824, he sent his son Eli, a mere lad, with a span of horses attached to a sleigh loaded with potash kettles, to 

Montrose, Penn., where they were disposed of, and he brought back a load of anthracite coal, the first ever brought into the town of 

Paris. It was used in a small cupola, called the “pot furnace,” to remelt the “sprues,” &c., to be cast into plow points, thus making 

them harder than could be produced from the great charcoal stack. 

“Judge” Eliphalet Sweeting, the pioneer of Clayville and the foreman of the furnace, was a man of fine qualities of heart, and 

held in high esteem by all. He married the widow Luce, with seven children, whom he brought up and ever made as welcome to his 

home as were his own four children which the widow bore him. Horace Luce, one of the boys, afterward and for many years kept the 

tavern, built by Mr. Scollard, opposite the furnace, which was the popular resort not only of the little village, but many a party from 

Utica used to drive up there with their sweethearts and music to enjoy the genial hospitality of “Hod.” Luce. In the last days of the old 

furnace, he in company with a Mr. Webb, put her in blast for a few years. The old hotel was afterward the residence of David J. 

Millard, his widow now residing there. “Judge” Sweeting and many of the furnace hands boarded at the Luce tavern, and one 

evening when all were as usual assembled in the bar-room, a farmer present was bragging about the wonderful drawing qualities of 

his span of horses, when the old “Judge” wagered him that he had four men that could wheel on a barrow from the furnace up the 

little hill—where George Holman now resides—to the head of the “ stack,” more pig iron than his team could haul there. The wager 

being accepted, he selected the four Green brothers: Napoleon B., Joseph, Nathan, and Hiram, all large, powerful men, in the prime 

of life. They each loaded a barrow, wheeled it up the hill and back, and then placed the contents on the farmer’s wagon, (the lightest 

barrow load of the four, weighed 1,480 pounds.) The team could scarcely move the load on level ground, and it was impossible for 

them to draw it up the hill. Two of the brothers survive, Nathan C., who lives west of Clayville, and Hiram Green, of New Hartford. 

The four brothers came from Otego, Otsego county, at an early day, and were employed in the furnace for many years. The 

Company owned a large tract of land where Wakeman Rider now resides, and also near Tassel Hill. After burning the timber into 

charcoal, and clearing up the land they sowed it to wheat, and one year they had 1,000 acres to harvest, and all of it was reaped by 

sickles, requiring the aid of all the furnace employees and many others. It required the constant labor of Hiram Green to supply them 

with drinking water. At the Lenox Furnace they had several thousand acres extending from the river up Coal Hill; all of this land was 

finally sold off to settlers after the timber was converted into charcoal. 

Judge Sweeting was a prominent Freemason, initiated in old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, of New Hartford, in 1804. The Luce 

branch of the family are all dead. Horace died in Kentucky, February 19, 1874, aged 72, surviving his brothers Zabine, of East 

Sauquoit, and Willard of West Sauquoit, who both died two or three years previously ; their sister, widow Sylvester Butler, being the 

last to go, dying at the residence of her son-in-law, Alderman Price, of Utica, in 1878. Of his own children there survive one son and 

two daughters; Henry, of Monroe county, widow George M. Brownell, of Sauquoit, and Mrs. Lovina Burnett, who makes her home 

with Mr. Tucker, of the Troy Times. The deceased son, Rufus, met with a tragic end a few years since, capsizing in a yacht on a 

pleasure trip on Lake Ontario. Father Sweeting went to rest March 18, 1828, at the ripe age of 72 years, his widow, Lovina, surviving 

him many years, passing away May 31, 1851, aged 78 years. 

Colonel Gardner Avery was the first postmaster of Paris Furnace; and Member of Assembly in 1827; also a distinguished 

Freemason, initiated in old Amicable Lodge in 1803, and after a long, eventful, useful life, o\ strictest integrity, and the most 

energetic business man ever developed in the Valley, while on a visit to Saratoga Springs, entered into rest August 18 th , 1849. A 

sister in Ohio, and one brother in this State survive him—the venerable and distinguished Prof. Charles Avery, of Hamilton College, 

Clinton, NY. His children were, Jared, Eliza. Mary, Eli, Louisa, Harris, James and Lyman. James resides in Utica, and Lyman in 

Wampsville, NY. Eli resides on the old homestead, and for many years has been prominently identified with the growth and 

prosperity of the Valley.. In early life he was for some years engaged in the forwarding business at Utica, but withdrew and was an 

active partner in the firm of S. A. Millard & Co. for many years, in the extensive manufacture of agricultural implements at Clayville, 

retiring, however, from active business a few years since. He was Supervisor in 1854.-55 and 1866, and Member of Assembly in 

1862 and 1869. His children are, Walter, Eliza A., Edward B., Gardner and Cornelia E., all of whom survive except Gardner, who 

died suddenly of typhoid fever, a few years since, in High Blue, Missouri, his remains being brought home and interred in the Valley 

Cemetery. 

“Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica,” by Oneida Historical Society at Utica, 1881. Pages 40-45. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=N-HTEorQoD0C&pg=RA3-PA41&lpg=RA3- 

PA41&dq=%22horeb+chapter%22+%22whitestown%22&source=web&ots=0v0T6malHP&sig=PHKsVcZ8u8gbYYimSHJuYJCaSm4 

&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PRA3-PA40,M1 

General Oliver Collin was born at Wallingford, Ct., August 25, 1762. While a mere boy he enlisted in the Continental Army, in 

the company of Captain John Couch, in the regiment of Colonel Thaddeus Cook. This regiment did service on Long Island, and later 

was in the battle of Saratoga, under Gen. Gates. Oliver served during the war, and came home a sergeant. He married Lois Cowles, 

the daughter of an adjoining neighbor, in Meriden, November 5, 1783. 

In the spring of 1787 he settled with his wife and two children on a farm he had taken up, on the Middle Settlement road leading 

from Whitesboro to Middle Settlement. All Whitestown did not then contain two hundred souls. There was no mill then nearer than 

Palatine. The neighbors took turns in carrying their grists down the Mohawk, and he among the rest. The first mill in Whitestown was 

built in 1788, on the Sauquoit, near White’s house. It was known as the Wetmore mill. There was a lawsuit about this mill, which was 

terminated in the Court of Errors in 1805. The case is reported in 2 Caine’s Cases in Error, 87. The history of this mill and the 

lawsuit is given in Jones’ Annals of Oneida County, page 785. Gen. Collins cleared up his farm and lived upon it till his death, 

August 14, 1838, having reached seventy-six years. 

Lewis Collins, Oliver’s ancestor, came from England to Charlestown, Mass., in 1630. He was then a man in middle life, 

possessing property, and had with him grown up and educated sons. 

Robert Collins, the fourth in descent from Lewis, was, in 1689, a settler in Wallingford, Ct. In that year he signed the petition to 

set off Meriden as a parish in Wallingford. He was then twenty-two years of age, and continued a resident of the parish of Meriden 

till his death, at the good age of seventy-eight years. From him sprang the Collins family in Wallingford. Oliver was his grandson; as 

was Jonathan Collins, of West Turin, who settled in the Black River country in 1797. 

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Oliver Collins was a sturdy and enterprising pioneer, and an able and social man. He did his part in advancing the prosperity and 

good name of the settlement. 

The first town meeting in Whitestown was held April 7, 1789, in the barn of Hugh White. Among those elected to the town offices 

were—Jedediah Sanger, supervisor; Oliver Collins, collector; Hugh White, one of the poormasters. The next town meeting was 

held in Capt. Maynard’s barn. Before all the electors had arrived the election was opened, the ballots cast and canvassed. The late 

comers objected to this too great promptitude. So the election was by vote declared void, and the meeting adjourned till the next 

day, when a new election was held. The old officers were then mostly re-elected, whereupon the old and the new clerk certified the 

officers chosen at the second election. 

In December, 1797, Horeb Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was organized in New Hartford. It continued until anti-masonic 

times, with a membership of about fifty. Oliver Collins took his ‘first degree’ in December, 1797, and was probably a charter 

member. To be a Royal Arch Mason at this time was a great distinction. 

In December, 1805, Nathaniel Stacy, formed “The Universalist Society of Whitestown.” This was the third Universalist society 

formed in this State. It long continued to be the parent society in Western New York. Hugh White and Oliver Collins were early and 

prominent members of this society. The little white church below the village of New Hartford, on the bank of the creek, which 

remained till lately, was its place of worship. The Puritanic strictness of the New England Collins, it seems, did not survive the 

emigration into the Mohawk Valley. 

In politics Oliver Collins was always a democrat, and a zealous one. It is related by our local historians that in 1801, after the 

election of Thomas Jefferson, the few of the Democratic party in Oneida County “barely sufficient to form a corporal’s guard,” 

celebrated the victory by a public dinner at White’s Tavern in Whitesboro. Oliver Collins was among the fourteen celebrants. A 

cannon brought from Rome, was stolen and sunk in the creek. Another gun was dragged down from Fort Stanwix, amid many cares 

and perils. Before the time came to fire it, the gun was spiked with a file. One of the unterrified fourteen Democrats, Shadrach Smith, 

a blacksmith, cleared out the rat-tail file, when the nineteen guns were given according to the programme. In the next Whitesboro 

Gazette and Cato’s Patrol, some offensive partisan,—a Federal poet—reviled and ridiculed in verse, the ardent and unterrified 

democracy. 

In his “Pioneers of Utica,” Dr. Bagg gives the name of this poet as John H. Lothrop, and says of him: “He was a writer of fluent 

and graceful English, enlivened by playful fancy and lively wit, and chastened by a cultured taste.”Dr. Bagg’s book also gives a 

portrait of this poet, which shows him good looking and genial, like many other mischievous partisans. The doctor furthermore 

quotes from his verses with explanatory remarks, as follows: 

After showing how 

The rabble all in council met 

To plan a Democratic fete— 

it tells how at early dawn 

“Crawled forth two demos, torch in hand, 

“To roar their thunder through the land.” 

And how 

“The gun—a fed’ralist, I trow, 

“A terror to Columbia’s foe.” 

“Took its flight, 

“ Protected by the friendly night 

“ Without the aid of cart or carter, 

“And dove six feet right under water.” 

A messenger was dispatched and another cannon obtained, but 

“O transient gleam! Misfortunes new, 

“Befell the Democratic crew! 

“A rat-tail file dropt from the skies, 

“And plugg’d the gun before their eyes.” 

The Democratic account of this affair says the poetry was “low and blackguardly in language; its only merit was its rhyme.” The 

Democratic historian moralizes: “The little petty persecution at Whitesboro, no doubt made scores of Democrats in the county.” 

Partisan feeling, it would seem was very much the same in 1801 as now. 

When the militia was organized in the Whitestown country, Oliver Collins received a captain’s commission. He rose in regular 

military gradation to the rank of Brigadier General. While holding this rank the war of 1812 was declared. In this war he rendered 

valuable military services to his country. 

He was three times in command of the militia forces at the important post of Sacketts Harbor. In the spring of 1813 General 

Dearborn became greatly alarmed for the safety of Sacketts Harbor, and feared the British under Sir George Provost, might cross 

from Kingston on the ice and overpower our forces. The militia in several counties was ordered out en masse, under the command 

of General Collins. This force was assembled at Sacketts Harbor and Brownsville, and remained on duty for a month, till the ice 

thawed and the apprehended danger had passed. 

September 13, 1813, a draft for three months was ordered in Montgomery, Madison, Otsego, Herkimer, Oneida, Onondaga, 

Jefferson and Lewis counties. The command was given to General Collins. His troops did duty at Sacketts Harbor and Brownsville. 

This draft and service occurred during the costly preparations for the miserable failure of General Wilkinson in his boasted 

descent upon Montreal. So important was the contemplated expedition of Wilkinson that the Secretary of War went to Sacketts 

77

Harbor in September to consult with the officers of the army, and to save the delay of communications between the army and the 

war office in Washington. 

The issue of the expedition was most inglorious. General Wilkinson was arraigned before a court martial and removed from 

command. He was succeeded by General Izard. 

In the latter part of 1814 General Collins received command of the post of Sacketts Harbor. The United States regular army was 

mostly with General Brown on the Niagara frontier. So important was the defense of Sacketts Harbor, that the Governor sent his aidde-camp, 

Colonel Washington Irving, with orders to the commanding officer, to make such requisitions on the militia as he might 

deem necessary. After consultation with Colonel Mitchell, General Collins called the militia en masse, from Herkimer, Jefferson, 

Lewis and Oneida counties. Oneida and Herkimer furnished two thousand five hundred men, and Jefferson and Lewis four hundred, 

which made the whole force at the harbor about six thousand. The whole American flotilla on Lake Ontario was massed at this 

place. The strength of the enemy did not justify our naval officers to take the offensive en the lake. The garrison consisted of the 

thirteenth regiment, of five hundred strong, a battalion of artillery, a few hundred militia and the sailors and marines of the fleet. Such 

was the situation when the militia was called out by General Collins. The call was promptly obeyed. The millions of public property 

which were constantly menaced by the enemy, were successfully defended and preserved. 

From mismanagement in the commissary department the provisions furnished were inferior and not altogether wholesome. The 

season was very rainy and the streets of the town and environs became almost impassable. Disease made its appearance in the 

militia, and was very fatal. Panic seized them, and desertions became numerous. In some instances commandants of companies 

ran away with portions of their command. Strict discipline became necessary, in consequence of which much dissatisfaction 

prevailed. As was his duty, the commander of the post kept its defences until the garrison was reinforced by the arrival of General 

Brown with his regulars. 

In general orders General Brown highly complimented General Collins for the great zeal he had manifested in the public 

service. 

On the expiration of his term of service, General Collins ordered a court martial for the trial of deserters. The court was held at 

the New England House in Utica. There was some disposition to interfere with the execution of the light sentences. Orders were 

given a company of regulars in the town to prevent any interference, if attempted. The regulars loaded their pieces with ball 

cartridges and the convicted deserters were drummed out of camp to the tune of the Rogue’s March without any interference. 

At the close of the war General Collins retired to private life, upon the farm he had chosen, and made a valuable and pleasant 

home. He spent the rest of his days in providing for the education and settlement of his children and for a serene and happy close of 

his own life. He was dearly beloved by his own family and intimate friends, and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of a large circle 

of acquaintances and the sincere regard of all who knew him. In this sketch is shown the sturdy New England pioneer, with his 

wealth of enterprise and health. Coming to a new country, laying down his hearth stone, rearing his family, teaching them all he 

knew, preparing them for their life work, better than was his lot, and sending out his children to repeat his efforts, and to achieve if 

possible, a greater success. 

But one family of his descendants remains in this State. The rest have carried the family tradition and name to Wisconsin, Illinois, 

Ohio, California, and the District of Columbia. And sometimes his great grandchildren must think of the old red farm house on the 

Middle Settlement road, and recall the memories that cluster about it. I remember the genial old grandfather who loved them, and 

feel proud of him and his beginnings in the Whitestown country. 

This is a short reference to the family of General Collins. 

Ela—His son born in Connecticut, read law with Gold & Sill at Whitesboro. He opened an office in Lowville, NY, and was an 

eminent lawyer in Northern New York, holding for many years the office of district attorney, when a district embraced several 

counties. He was elected Member of Congress, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1821. Three of his sons and 

a daughter removed to Ohio where his sons became distinguished. The daughter alone is left of his large family. 

January 20, 1799, being a widower, General Collins married Keturah Kellogg, daughter of Phineas Kellogg of New Hartford. 

From this marriage were several children. 

Sarah—married James D. Doty who was with [Bro.] General Cass during his exploration of the west, an account of which was 

written and published by Schoolcraft. Afterwards Mr. Doty was a Federal Judge, Governor of Wisconsin, Member of Congress, and 

later Governor of Utah. 

Eliza—married General George D. Ruggles, a brother of the wife of Silas Stow. General Ruggles was prominent in political and 

military matters in Northern New York. He removed to Wisconsin about 1840. 

Mary—married Dr. Seth Adams, who was a graduate of the old Fairfield Medical College, when its Faculty was Drs. Willoughby, 

March, McNaughton and Hadley. He commenced his profession in Lowville and practiced there till his death in 1873. 

Charles Oliver—graduated with honor at West Point. He entered the army, preferring the service to a professorship at the 

Military Academy. He married a daughter of Commodore Bailey and died in the service at the age of forty. 

Alexander L.—read law in Utica and began practice at Cleveland, Ohio. In the collapse of 1837 he lost his beginnings and 

removed to Wisconsin, where he took rank as an able lawyer and leading advocate. He retired from active practice. 

Catharine—is the wife of General Julius A. White of Chicago, who made a name as a soldier during the Rebellion. His children 

have taken to the profession of journalism, in which they have been successful. 

78

http://home.comcast.net/~richardson156/sangerj.html 

HON. JEDEDIAH SANGER 

Hon. Jedediah Sanger will ever occupy a conspicuous place in the history of Oneida county, not 

only on account of his prominence as a citizen, but because of his sterling qualities of manhood, 

his eminence as a leading pioneer, and his foresight in planting in the community a standard of 

culture and enterprise which exists at the present day. He was a descendant of Richard Sanger, 

who came to Hingham, Mass., about 1636. His father, Capt. Richard Sanger, was a member of 

the Provincial Congress which convened at Cambridge on the 1 st day of February, 1775, and 

also one of the gentlemen comprising the “committee from every town and district in the county 

of Middlesex and Province of Massachusetts Bay, held at Concord in the same county on the 

30 th and 31 st days of August, 1774, to consult upon measures proper to be taken at the present 

very important day.” (Note at bottom of page: See History of Sherborn and Holliston, by Abner 

Morse, and Journals of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts) The Rev. Dr. Sanger, greatgrandfather 

of Col. William Cary Sanger, of Sangerfield, was a brother of Judge Jedediah 

Sanger. 

Judge Jedediah Sanger was the ninth of ten children of Richard and Deborah Sanger, and was born in Sherburne, Middlesex 

county, Mass., February 29, 1751, (Note at bottom of page: Jones’s “Annals of Oneida County.” Must have been 1752 to be a leapyear.) 

“consequently he had a birthday but once in four years.” He received a common school education, interspersing his studies 

with work upon the farm. 

In March, 1788, he arrived, the first white settler, in what is now the town of New Hartford, Oneida county, where he had purchased 

a thousand acres of land lying on both sides of Sauquoit creek, which divided the tract about equally. Upon this he at once began 

making improvements. His purchase included the whole of the site of the present village of New Hartford. Under the judge’s able 

management the immediate country was rapidly settled with a class of enterprising and intelligent men and women. He was the 

foremost man in all this section. In March, 1789, a year from the time he made his first improvements, he brought his family to his 

wilderness home, and the same year he erected a saw mill. In 1790 he built a grist mill, which was used for the purpose for nearly a 

century. 

Judge Sanger possessed a master spirit of energy and decision, and was a man of strict integrity. Endowed with wonderful 

perseverance, imbued with the sterling principles of honesty and uprightness, he won universal respect and esteem and left a name 

which will forever grace the annals of local history. He was a man of indomitable enterprise. In 1796 he erected, through an agent, 

the first grist and saw mill on the outlet of Skaneateles Lake, now in the beautiful village of Skaneateles, Onondaga county. He was 

also one of the active and leading partners in the Paris furnace, which was erected in 1800 and went into operation in 1801. In 1805 

he engaged in the manufacture of cotton. The town and village of New Hartford owed much to his efforts, and his death was greatly 

deplored. 

In politics Judge Sanger belonged to the school then known as Federalist. He spent eleven winters in Albany as a member of the 

Senate and Assembly, having been elected to both of these bodies by the people. He was the first supervisor of Whitestown and 

held the office for three consecutive years. He was appointed first judge of Oneida county upon its organization and served in that 

capacity until 1810, when he resigned on account of the age limit. He died June 6, 1829, and upon his monument in the village 

cemetery was placed the following inscription: 

“Sacred to the Memory of HON. JEDEDIAH SANGER, who died June 6, A.D., 1829. The founder of New Hartford. His charities are 

widely extended, and his munificence has reared and supported several edifices devoted to the service of his Maker. His virtues are 

indelibly impressed upon the hearts of his countrymen.” 

The members of his family raised a cenotaph in St. Joseph’s Episcopal church, New Hartford, with this inscription: 

“Sacred to the memory of JEDEDIAH SANGER; born Feb. 29, 1751, died June 6, 1829. ‘He, being dead, yet speaketh.’” 

Judge Sanger was married, first in May, 1771, to Sarah Rider, by whom he had four children. She died September 26, 1814, and on 

August 31, 1815, he married Sarah B. Kissam, who died April 23, 1825. October 3, 1827, he married, third, Fanny Dench, who 

survived him and died in May, 1842. 

http://www.sangermansion.com/history.htm 

The Sangers of Sanger Hill, Town of Sangerfield, are an old and distinguished family. Jedediah Sanger was a wealthy investor who, 

with a syndicate of two others, purchased great tracts of government land from New York State after the Revolution. Most of this 

79

land was not sold initially to settlers but leased to tenant farmers. This quasi-feudal system, once prevalent in eastern New York 

State, was broken by the Anti-Rent Rebellion of tenant farmers prior to the Civil War. If Sanger Hill recalls grand country houses of 

landed English families, deriving income from tenant farmers, the allusion may not be coincidental, for the Sangers indeed were an 

aristocratic, landed family. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Platt 

Jonas Platt (June 30, 1769 Poughkeepsie (Wappingers Creek), New York, Dutchess County, 

New York – February 22, 1834 Peru, Clinton County, New York) was an American lawyer and 

politician from New York. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He 

was the son of Zephaniah Platt. He attended a French Academy at Montreal, Canada, studied 

law, and was admitted to the bar in 1790. He married Helena Livingston (1767-1859, sister of 

Rev. John Henry Livingston), and they had eight children, among them Michigan Attorney 

General Zephaniah Platt (1796-1871). 

He practiced law in Poughkeepsie and served as the county clerk of Herkimer County, New 

York, from 1791 to 1798. He was also the county clerk of Oneida County, New York, from 1798 

to 1802. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1796. 

Painting by Samuel F. B. Morse 

Platt was elected as a Federalist to the Sixth Congress, and served from March 4, 1799, to 

March 3, 1801. He was the chairman of the United States House Committee on Revisal and 

Unfinished Business. Afterward, he resumed the practice of law and served as a general in the 

Cavalry in the New York State Militia. In 1810, he was an unsuccessful candidate for governor. 

He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1810 to 1813. He was also a member of the Council of Appointment in 1813. 

From 1814 to 1821, he was an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court. He was a delegate to the New York Constitutional 

Convention in 1821. He was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh. State Treasurer Charles Z. Platt was his brother. 

http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/epithalamium.htm 

Jonas Platt was born and raised at the family place on the flats along Wappingers Creek, north of Manchester Bridge, and originally 

owned by Madam Brett. After finishing preparatory studies at a French academy in Montreal, he entered the law office of Richard 

Varick in New York City and was admitted to the Bar in 1790, the year of his marriage. He was County Clerk of Herkimer County 

1791-98, and of Oneida County (after it was set off from Herkimer), 1798-1802. In 1796, he was a member of the State Assembly in 

Albany and in 1810-13, he represented his constituents in the State Senate. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a 

Federalist he served throughout the Sixth Congress 1799-1801, and he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor, in 1810, being 

defeated for that office by a very small majority by Daniel D. Tompkins, who was running for re-election. He was the first to have 

proposed a canal from Lake Erie to the Hudson, and his resolution in the Senate was seconded by DeWitt Clinton, whom he had 

enlisted in the project. In 1814 he became an Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court, with Kent and Spencer as colleagues, 

and remained in office until the adoption of the Constitution in 1821, of which he was the one of the framers (Biog. Cong. Dir. 1934, 

p. 1416; Platt Lineage, 1891, pp. 117-18). 

Whitesboro’s Golden Age, p. 87 

The year before E.K. Kane was born, in 1794, there settled in Whitesboro another lawyer, Arthur Breese, who subsequently became 

prominent in the politics of the county. That lawyer was a native of New Jersey, graduated at uthorizi College, read law in 

Philadelphia with the celebrated Elias Boudinot, was admitted to the bar in 1792, and when he located in Whitesboro was but 

twenty-five years old. His wife was a sister of Mrs. Jonas Platt [Catharine was the NEICE of Helen Livingston Platt], and as Mr. Platt 

was county clerk of Herkimer county in 1794, he made Arthur Breese, the lawyer alluded to, deputy county clerk. 

In 1796 Mr. Breese was elected to the Assembly, as successor to Jonas Platt in that body, and when Oneida county was formed, in 

1798, Mr. Breese was appointed the first surrogate, and held that office for ten years afterward; surely those brothers-in-law had 

their share of offices. A law partnership between Messrs. Platt and Breese was formed, and their marriage, business, social and 

political ties were strong indeed. 

Jonas Platt was a mentor to Henry’s daughter Catharine and son Henry Welles. He was also helpful to Catharine’s son, Sidney 

Breese. 

Memoir of DeWitt Clinton – Letter from DWC to Jonas Platt 

On the 8 th of October [1823] the first canal boat will pass into the Hudson at this place, and a celebration will take place under the 

direction of the citizens and corporation of Albany, correspondent with this auspicious event. Your signal services in initiating, and 

promoting, our great system of internal navigation will be remembered to your honour when we are no more. 

[It was Jonas Platt who first proposed that the Erie Canal be created.] . . . [note: there some debate on this . . . there is a separate 

digital archive in the holdings of OMDHS which address this issue – g.l.h.] 

http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/history/eriecanal/index.htm 

ALBANY, Sept. 29, 1823. 

MY DEAR SIR, 

On the 8 th of October the first canal boat will pass into the Hudson at this place, and a celebration 

will take place under the direction of the citizens and corporation of Albany, correspondent with 

this auspicious event. Your signal services in initiating, and promoting, our great system of 

internal navigation will be remembered to your honour when we are no more. 

80

Your presence at the celebration will be highly gratifying to your numerous friends, and to none 

more than to 

JONAS PLATT, Esq. [at Utica] 

Yours sincerely and respectfully, 

DE WITT CLINTON. 

There’s no doubt that this invitation was known about at Locust Grove quite quickly, as Henry’s family and that of his brother-in-law, 

Jonas Platt, stayed in close touch. Daughter Jane had spent the summer of 1822 in Utica, either with the Breeses (her half-sister’s 

family) or the Platts (her uncle and aunt). Judge Jonas Platt had long been an important person in the New York political scene. A 

Federalist, he had been in the New York Assembly and Senate on and off from 1796 through 1813, and a New York Supreme Court 

Justice from 1813 to 1821, losing his place on the bench because of provisions he helped write into the new New York constitution. 

And in 1810 he had been his party’s unsuccessful candidate for New York Governor, losing to Daniel D. Tompkins. 

DEAR SIR, 

Jonas Platt’s Memory of His Role in the Canal Project 

Letter from Jonas Platt, Esq. to David Hosack, M.D. 

NEW-YORK, May 3, 1828. 

It affords me great pleasure to comply with your request, in furnishing some particular facts, within my own knowledge and personal 

observation, relating to the origin and progress of the Erie Canal. 

The operations during the war of 1756, and particularly the transportation of the army and military stores in two expeditions, the first 

under Colonel Bradstreet, and the other under General Prideaux, on the route of the Mohawk and Wood Creek, Oneida Lake and its 

outlet, to Lake Ontario, demonstrated the practicability and importance of inland navigation from Schenectady to Oswego. The same 

channel of conveyance was in constant use by the fur-traders, from the peace of 1763, till the revolutionary war of 1775. – It was 

then also well known, that with slight impediments, there was an easy communication for uthori, from the outlet of Oneida Lake to 

the Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. That any person, since that period, should arrogate the merit of discovering or projecting that 

channel of inland navigation, is absurd and ridiculous. 

The efforts of Christopher Colles, immediately after the peace of 1783, to improve that navigation by means of dams and locks, 

were highly commendable. And the subsequent operations of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, in following up that 

plan of improvement, by canalling around the Little Falls, and in connecting the Mohawk and Wood Creek, by a short canal link of 

one mile and a half, were evidence of patriotic zeal for public improvements. But it is a truth which ought not to be disguised, that the 

gross errors which were committed by the advocates of that scheme, in their estimates of the expense, and of the profits and 

advantages of those improvements, resulted in a complete failure of the benefits promised by its projectors. The whole operations of 

the Northern Inland Lock Navigation Company, were condemned and abandoned as utterly useless. Certain I am, that instead of 

facilitating, and encouraging subsequent canal operations, the history and experience of the Northern and Western Inland Lock 

Navigation Companies, were powerful impediments to the enterprise of the Erie Canal. I shall never forget my embarrassment, in 

81

answering the appalling argument of the venerable John Tayler in the senate. “General Schuyler and Mr. Weston,” said he, “were as 

wise and skillful as any of the new projectors. We know, and the fact is upon record, that all their calculations of expense and of tolls 

were not only erroneous, but they erred more than 200 per cent. In their estimates. What confidence, therefore, can we place in the 

opinions and estimates of the new projectors, who recommend a canal over mountains and valleys of 360 miles in extent?” 

On the 4 th February, 1808, on motion of Joshua Forman, a joint resolution passed the legislature, directing the surveyor-general to 

cause a survey “of the most eligible and direct route for a canal to open a communication between the tide waters of the Hudson 

River and Lake Erie; to the end that congress may be enabled to appropriate such sums as may be necessary to the 

accomplishment of that great national object.” And the surveys were directed to be transmitted to the President of the United States: 

and there, as might have been expected, the matter ended. That effort evinced much patriotic zeal, but the state of New-York has 

reason to rejoice that the effort proved abortive. Next to the surrender of state sovereignty, it would have proved the greatest 

sacrifice which the state could have made. 

As to the merit of the first design of a canal directly from Lake Erie to the Hudson, it belongs, in my opinion, exclusively, to no 

person. It was gradually developed to the minds of many who were early acquainted with the geography and topography of the 

western region of this state. I knew, in common with thousands, at an early period, that there was a remarkable gap in the 

continental ridge of high lands, at the summit of the Mohawk at Rome. I knew, from the estimates of Charlevoix and others, that 

Lake Erie was elevated about three hundred feet above Lake Ontario; and from Mr. Weston’s levels and estimates from Albany to 

Oswego, I knew that Rome was about 140 feet lower than Lake Erie. And these grand outlines led the inquiring mind to the 

conclusion, that a canal directly from Lake Erie to the Hudson was practicable, if a sufficiency of water could be obtained upon every 

intervening summit. My knowledge of that region rendered it probable, that the remarkable succession of small lakes, throughout the 

western district, known to be at a great elevation above Lake Ontario, and discharging into it, might be used to feed a canal from 

Lake Erie; and the general surface and conformation of the country seemed favourable to such an operation. I saw the general 

capabilities of the natural features of the country; and if practicable, my mind and heart were expanded with a glow of sublime 

enthusiasm, in contemplating the magnitude and importance of the work, as a channel of commerce, and as a ligament of union 

between the eastern and western states. 

In this state of mind and opinions, I was elected to the senate of this state, in 1809; and early in the session of the ensuing winter, 

my friend Thomas Eddy, called on me at Albany, to solicit my aid in the passage of a law, to employ commissioners to explore a 

route for a canal, from Oneida Lake to Seneca River, with a view to authorize the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company to 

make such a canal. After hearing a full exposition of his plan, I told him, I rejoiced to find him moving in that field of inquiry; that I 

feared he would consider my ideas visionary and extravagant, but that I had much to say to him on that subject. I then unfolded to 

him the plan of instituting a board of commissioners (without reference to the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company,) to 

examine and survey the whole route from the Hudson to Lake Ontario, and to Lake Erie also; with a view to forming a canal, 

independent of the beds of rivers, and using them as feeders merely. Whether the canal should be made directly to Lake Erie, 

without descending to and ascending from Lake Ontario, must depend on the result of the surveys, and the estimate of the 

comparative expense and advantages. I also expressed to him my decided conviction, that no private corporation was adequate to, 

or ought to be entrusted with, the power and control over such an important object. I also told him, that the Western Inland Lock 

Navigation Company had disappointed public expectation; and that it would be inauspicious to present any project which should be 

subject to that corporation. 

82

The mind of that prudent and excellent man seemed startled at the extravagance of my proposal. His first impression was, that it 

would be thought so visionary and gigantic, that the legislature would not even deem it worthy of consideration or inquiry. We spent 

nearly the whole night in discussing the subject, and at the close of our interview, it was agreed, that I should prepare a resolution 

conformable to my views; and that he should call on me again early next morning, and consider of it. He did so; and his mind then 

fully embraced the subject. He expressed his cordial approbation of the plan, and assured me of his support. 

Mr. Eddy and myself then designated for commissioners, Gouverneur Morris, De Witt Clinton, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Simeon De 

Witt, Benjamin Walker, Peter B. Porter, and Thomas Eddy. Our object was to balance the opposing political parties as nearly as 

possible, and to combine talents, influence, and wealth in constituting this board; and as De Witt Clinton was then a member of the 

senate, possessing a power influence over the dominant party in the state, it was considered by Mr. Eddy and myself, of primary 

importance to obtain his co-operation. We accordingly requested an interview with Mr. Clinton, and unfolded to him our plan, and the 

prominent facts and considerations in support of it: and I distinctly remember, that in showing him the names of the persons we had 

proposed as commissioners, I stated to Mr. Clinton, that we had selected men of wealth and public spirit, with an expectation, that 

they would bestow their time and services without compensation; so that we might then only ask an appropriation for the expenses 

of the engineers and surveyors, who were to be employed by the commissioners. 

Mr. Clinton listened to us with intense interest, and deep agitation of mind. He then said, that he was in a great measure a stranger 

to the western interior of our state; that he had given but little attention to the subject of canal navigation, but that the exposition of 

our plan struck his mind with great force; that he was then prepared to say, that it was an object worthy of thorough examination; 

and that if I would move the resolution in blank, (without the names of the commissioners,) he would second and support it. 

Stephen Van Rensselaer and Abraham Van Vechten were then members of the House of Assembly. I immediately called on them, 

and showed them the proposed resolution, and the names intended to be inserted in it as commissioners: but Mr. Van Rensselaer 

requested that his friend William North might be added as a commissioner, or substituted for one of the others. I then went to the 

senate chamber, and moved the resolution of the 12 th March 1810, (as the journal will show) with an introductory speech. Mr. 

Clinton seconded and supported it; and the resolution (in blank) was unanimously agreed to. Next morning, I moved to insert the 

names of Gouverneur Morris, De Witt Clinton, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Simeon De Witt, William North, Peter B. Porter, and 

Thomas Eddy, who were unanimously agreed to in the senate, and the concurrent resolution was on the same day, unanimously 

adopted in the Assembly. 

Mr. Colden in his Memoir, (page 34,) has omitted the names of De Witt Clinton and Simeon De Witt; and he says that the resolution 

moved by me was brought forward “on the suggestion of Thomas Eddy.” If he had conferred with Mr. Eddy, he would not have fallen 

into that error. An interesting Memoir of the Canal, left by Mr. Eddy, never published, but now in the possession of his family, 

substantially accords with the statement I have here given. Mr. Eddy’s suggestion to me was, to appoint commissioners to examine 

and report a plan for extending the navigation from Oneida Lake to Seneca River, with a view to enlarge the powers of the Western 

Inland Lock Navigation Company for that object. My answer was, that the survey and inquiry should be extended from the Hudson 

to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, with a view to a canal independent of the beds of rivers; and that the enterprise if practicable, should 

be undertaken by the government, for the benefit and at the expense of the state. Mr. Eddy abandoned his project and adopted my 

suggestion. 

From that period Mr. Clinton devoted the best powers of his vigorous and capacious mind to this subject; and he appeared to grasp 

and realize it, as an object of the highest public utility, and worthy of his noblest ambition. 

The commissioners all entered with zeal, upon the duties assigned to them; and during the summer of 1810, they explored, with 

scrutinizing observation, the surface of the country, with the lakes and rivers connected with the design; and in the winter of 1811, 

they made a unanimous report in favour of a canal from Lake Erie to Hudson’s River, with an estimate of the expense. That splendid 

report was from the pen of Gouverneur Morris, and is before the public. 

83

General Morgan Lewis came into the senate in 1811, and then, and ever afterwards, gave his warm and decided support to the 

canal; and during the session of 1811, Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton were added to the board of canal commissioners, 

which brought a powerful reinforcement of talent and influence in aid of the contemplated work. 

During the summer of 1811, the commissioners prosecuted their labours of surveys and levels; and in the course of a written 

correspondence between Mr. Morris, as president of the board, and myself, during the years 1811 and 1812, it was agreed that I 

should introduce a bill into the senate at the next session, authorizing the canal commissioners to borrow five millions of dollars in 

Europe, on the credit of this state, as a fund for prosecuting the work. In the extra session of June, 1812, such a bill was accordingly 

introduced by me, and was carried into law, by a small majority, in each house. But in consequence of the war between the United 

States and Great Britain, of which the duration and consequences could not be foreseen, the bold measure of borrowing five 

millions for the canal, was deemed inexpedient; and by a nearly unanimous consent of both houses, the law for that purpose was 

repealed in April 1814; and during the war, the project of the canal was utterly abandoned. 

Soon after the war ended, a consultation was held between Mr. Clinton, Thomas Eddy, and myself, in the city of New-York, for the 

purpose of reviving the enterprise of the canal, and for organizing and animating its friends throughout the state. It was agreed that 

cards of invitation should be addressed to about one hundred gentlemen of that city, to meet at the City Hotel to consult on 

measures for that object. A meeting was held accordingly, at the City Hotel, in the autumn of 1815, of which William Bayard was 

chairman, and John Pintard was secretary. According to previous arrangement, an address was made to the meeting by myself, in 

which I endeavoured to show that the object was identified with the best interests of the state; and that the city of New-York was 

peculiarly interested in its accomplishment. In that address, I also pointed at the stupendous project of a canal, on an uninterrupted 

inclined plane, which had been unfortunately proposed in the first report of the commissioners, and I urged the expediency of a 

formal and public abandonment of that plan, for the simple mode (afterwards adopted) of following the general surface of the 

country in its undulations. After discussion, a resolution was then passed, approving the object, and appointing a committee, 

consisting of De Witt Clinton, Thomas Eddy, Cadwallader D. Colden, and John Swartwout, to prepare and circulate a memorial to 

the legislature in favour of the Erie Canal. A memorial was drawn and published accordingly. It was from the pen of Mr. Clinton, and 

evinced a perfect knowledge of the subject, with a sagacious discernment of its beneficial results to the state and to the nation. If Mr. 

Clinton had left no other evidence, that memorial alone is sufficient to entitle him to the character of an accomplished writer, an 

enlightened statesman, and a zealous patriot. 

The friends of the canal throughout the state, rallied under the standard of that memorial, and meetings were soon held in Albany, 

Utica, Geneva, Canandaigua, and Buffalo, to second and support the efforts of the meeting in New-York; and a vigorous impulse 

was given to the public mind in favour of the arduous enterprise. 

Powerful and appalling obstacles, however, were presented, in the honest doubts and fears of many sensible and prudent men; in 

the rival and hostile local interests of various sections of the state; and in the political cabals, and personal hostility to Mr. Clinton, 

who had boldly identified himself with the canal, and staked his public character on the issue of the experiment. The leading 

advocates of the canal, were objects of ridicule throughout the United States: hallucination was the mildest epithet applied to them. 

The year 1816 was employed in the examination of physical obstacles, and the modes of obviating or surmounting them; in 

conciliating public opinion in favour of the object, and in devising a system of finance, to meet the vast expenditures which it 

involved. The full force of Mr. Clinton’s mind was devotedly applied to these objects. 

In April 1817, the first decisive act of the legislature was passed for commencing the work. By this act, the commissioners were 

directed to make the middle section of the canal, from Seneca River to the Mohawk, and a suitable appropriation of funds was made 

for the purpose. 

The bill passed each house by a very small majority. But after its passage through the senate and assembly, it was subjected to 

another severe ordeal in the council of revision. Lieutenant-Governor Tayler, as acting Governor, was then president of the council, 

and had ever been distinguished as one of the ablest and most formidable opponents of the canal. The other attending members of 

the board were, Chancellor Kent, Chief Justice Thompson, Judge Yates and myself. After reading the bill, the president called on 

84

the chancellor for his opinion. Chancellor Kent said he had given very little attention to the subject; that it appeared to him like a 

gigantic project, which would require the wealth of the United States to accomplish it; that it had passed the Legislature by small 

majorities, after a desperate struggle; and he thought it inexpedient to commit the state, in such a vast undertaking, until public 

opinion could be better united in its favor. 

Chief Justice Thompson was next called on for his opinion. He said he cherished no hostility to the canal, and he would not inquire 

whether the bill had passed by large or small majorities, and as the legislature had agreed to the measure, he would be inclined to 

leave the responsibility with them; but, he said, the bill gave arbitrary powers to the commissioners over private rights, without those 

provisions and guards, which, in his opinion, the spirit of the constitution, and the public safety required; and he was therefore 

opposed to the bill. 

Judge Yates was a decided friend of the canal, and voted for the bill. My heart and voice were ardently engaged in support of the 

measure, which now seemed at a fatal crisis. 

The president of the council panted with honest zeal to strangle the infant Hercules at its birth, by his casting vote in the negative. A 

warm and animated discussion arose; and afterwards a more temperate and deliberate examination of the bill and its provisions, 

obviated in some measure, the objections of the Chancellor and the Chief Justice. Near the close of the debate, Vice-president 

Tompkins came into the council chamber, and took his seat familiarly among us. He joined In the argument, which was informal and 

desultory. He expressed a decided opinion against the bill; and among other reasons, he stated, that the late peace with Great 

Britain was a mere truce; that we should undoubtedly soon have a renewed war with that country; and that instead of wasting the 

credit and resources of the State, in this chimerical project, we ought immediately to employ all the revenue and credit of the state, 

in providing arsenals, arming the militia, erecting fortifications, and preparing for war. “Do you think so, sir?” said Chancellor Kent. 

“Yes, sir,” was the reply; “England will never forgive us, for our victories on the land, and on the ocean and the lakes; and my word 

for it, we shall have another war with her, within two years.” The Chancellor then rising from his seat, with great animation declared, 

“if we must have war, or have a canal, I am in favour of the canal, and I vote for this bill.” His voice gave us the majority; and so the 

bill became a law. 

“If that bill had been rejected by the council, it could not have been carried by two-thirds of the Senate and Assembly; and from the 

personal hostility to Mr. Clinton, the great champion of the canal, combined with other causes of opposition, it is probable, that this 

magnificent enterprise could never since have obtained the sanction of the legislature. At no future period could the work have been 

accomplished at so small an expense of land, of water, and hydraulic privileges. Rival routes, and local interests, were daily 

increasing and combining against the project: and in my estimation, it was one of the chief grounds of merit in the advocates of the 

Erie canal, that they seized on the very moment most proper and auspicious for that immortal work. 

As to the subsequent measures and operations, till the successful completion of the Erie and Champlain Canals, with the firm, bold, 

and efficient support, uniformly given by Governor Clinton, they are matters of history and of public record. 

Whether the early projectors adopted and pursued the means best calculated to promote and effectuate the object, the public must 

judge. My humble efforts have been rewarded, by seeing the great work accomplished with complete success: and I have also the 

proud satisfaction of reflecting, that my name has never appeared among the clamorous competitors for fame or public gratitude. 

I have only to beg you, to excuse the egotism of this memoir. My apology is, that a compliance with your request, seemed to render 

it indispensible. 

With great respect, 

Your friend and obedient servant, 

JONAS PLATT. 

Congressional Biography 

PLATT, Jonas, 1769-1834 

PLATT, Jonas, (son of Zephaniah Platt), a Representative from New York; born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., June 30, 1769; attended a 

French academy at Montreal, Canada; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1790 and practiced in Poughkeepsie; county clerk of 

Herkimer County 1791-1798 and of Oneida County 1798-1802; member of the State assembly in 1796; elected as a Federalist to 

the Sixth Congress (March 4, 1799-March 3, 1801); chairman, Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (Sixth Congress); 

resumed the practice of law; general of Cavalry in the State militia; was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor [of NY] in 1810; 

member of the State senate 1810-1813; member of the council of appointment in 1813; served as associate justice of the supreme 

court of New York 1814-1821; delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention in 1821; resumed the practice of law; died in 

Peru, Clinton County, N.Y., February 22, 1834; interment in Riverside Cemetery, Plattsburg, N.Y. 

85

The Platt Lineage – JUDGE JONAS BRANCH 

JONAS PLATT, second son of Judge Zephaniah Platt, and Mary Van Wyke, was born in Po’keepsie, N. Y., June 30, 1769. After he 

had finished his preparatory studies at a French academy in Montreal, he entered the law office of Richard Varick, in New York, and 

under his able guidance prosecuted his legal studies. He was admitted to the bar in 1790. 

The same year he married Helen, the youngest daughter of Henry Livingston, of Po’keepsie, a sister of Dr. John H. Livingston, 

President of Rutgers College, N. J. Soon afterwards he was made clerk of Herkimer County. He made his home in Whitesboro’, 

near Utica, in 1791. 

Oneida was set off as a county in 1798, and he was made the first county clerk. He had previously, in 1796, represented this district 

and Onondaga in the Legislature at Albany. He was General of Cavalry in the State militia. He was two years a member of 

Congress, from 1799. He was four years in the State Senate, from 1809. 

In 1814 he was made Judge of the Supreme Court, with Judges Kent and Spencer as associates. He filled this high office with 

distinguished ability upwards of eight years. He was a member of the Convention which framed the State Constitution of 1821. 

Under its amended provisions he lost his judicial position. He returned to the practice of his profession, and opened a law office with 

his oldest son, Zephaniah, at Utica. 

In three or four years he removed to New York, where he prosecuted his profession with assiduity and success. But warned by 

coming infirmity, he retired in 1829, to his farm, seven miles from Plattsburg, on the shores of Lake Champlain. 

It should be recorded that in 1810, he was the popular candidate of his party for the governorship of the State, and though beaten by 

his opponent, Daniel D. Tompkins, he made a well-contested canvass. 

It should be stated, too, that he was the earliest of the promoters of the Erie Canal enterprise. When Thomas Eddy applied to him as 

a leader in his party, for his influence to authorize the building of a canal from Oneida Lake to the Seneca River, he said: No; a canal 

should be constructed from Lake Erie to the Hudson. The Senator persuaded him that this was the true plan. At Mr. Platt’s 

suggestion they invited to their counsels De Witt Clinton, a prominent leader of the democracy. He approved the project. Senator 

Platt then moved the first resolution, preparatory to building it, which was seconded in the Senate by Clinton; and this was finally 

passed by both houses of the legislature. Renwick, the biographer of De Witt Clinton, says of Judge Platt, “he was well entitled to 

the merit of having made the first efficacious step towards the attainment of the great object of uniting the lakes with the Atlantic.” 

His honors and his public positions show how he was appreciated, as a man, a jurist and a statesman. He had a well-trained 

intellect, a well-stored mind and a well-balanced character. A strict regard for what was just, eminently distinguished him. His life, 

public and private, is without spot, and his distinguished career still sheds honor upon those who bear his name, and those who are 

86

numbered among his kindred. He died at his home near Plattsburg, February 22, 1834, in his 65 th year. Helen Livingston his wife, 

died at the residence of her son Zephaniah, at Yonkers, N. Y., April 8, 1859, aged 93. 

It is with reference to Judge Jonas Platt and his father’s family that the N. Y. Genealogical Record justly says: “Few families have 

furnished so many distinguished names, and all in close proximity to each other, to the civil service of the State.” Every one of the 

nine sons of Judge Zephaniah Platt and Mary Van Wyck, with one exception, held prominent positions in public life. Mrs. Bayard 

Boyd, nee Manetta Lansing, has very valuable portraits of Judge Jonas Platt, and his wife Helen Livingston, painted shortly after 

their marriage. Another one of the Judge, painted later by Trumbull, is in the possession of her sister, Mrs. Judge Willard. These 

paintings are at the residences of the grand-daughters in Washington, D. C. There is an interesting incident about the last portrait. 

Trumbull’s wife was an English lady, and he petitioned the New York Legislature to allow her to own property in this country. On the 

final vote, (it was in the midst of the excitement just before the war of 1812), Senator Platt stood alone in favor of granting the 

petition. He deemed it just, and though it periled his popularity when he was in nomination for the governorship of the state, yet he 

strenuously defended his position. Trumbull put on the back of his portrait of the Judge the date of this vote, and this motto–“Justum 

et tenacem propositi virum, non civium ardor prava jubentium mente quatit solida.” A just man and tenacious of the right, no popular 

passion shakes him from his firm purpose. This is an admirable estimate of his character. Trumbull, who had been an aid to 

Washington, was indignant at the refusal, and highly appreciated his friend’s wisdom, justice and courage. 

The New York State Historical Association 

Mr. Platt was the son of Hon. Zephoniah Platt, and was born at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., June 30 th , 1769. The father was a member of 

the Continental Congress, the Committee of Safety, the Provincial Congress of New York and later, State Senator and first Judge of 

Dutchess County. He was a very wealthy man and a very extensive landholder, including among his possessions a one fourth 

interest in the Sadequada or Saquoit patent of six thousand acres, located in Whitestown. 

Jonas Platt had not been trained to a life of ignoble ease and very early turned his attention to the study of law, which he prosecuted 

under Richard Varick, the Attorney General of the State. 

He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court, July 27 th , 1790, and in the following month located in Whitesboro, where with his 

young wife he was soon installed in a log cabin. 

He was County Clerk of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and in 1799 was elected to Congress. In 1810 he was elected to the State 

Senate, remaining for two terms. 

His success as a standard bearer of the Federal party, in a hitherto invincible district of the Jeffersonian Republicans, led to his 

nomination in 1810 for Governor, but resulted in defeat. 

While in the State Senate he drafted the resolution for the appointment of a commission to examine and survey the route from Lake 

Erie to the Hudson River, which was consummated in the Erie Canal. The passage of the resolution followed the united efforts of 

Mr. Platt and DeWitt Clinton. 

During the more than twenty years since his advent in Whitesboro, he had been an active practitioner in the courts. He drew the bill 

in equity, referred to earlier in this paper, laying due emphasis upon the outrage perpetrated upon his client’s rights in the effort to 

coerce the complainant to become a Presbyterian and though defeated in the trial court, success came to him in the Court of Errors. 

His opponent was Thomas R. Gold, who, doubtless knew well of the long controversy in which the Rev. Hezekiah Gold, senior, 

upbore the standards of Congregationalism with the rector of the Episcopal Church in Stratford. 

As early as 1807, he had been seriously considered for a seat on the Supreme Court bench, but failed by one vote. In 1814, he 

succeeded by one vote, though the Federalists were in a minority in the Council of Appointment. 

The first three terms of court in Oneida County held by Judge Platt, were December, 1817, at Whitesboro, at Rome in June, 1818, 

and in November at Utica. At the first term there were two hundred and fifty causes on the calendar and one hundred and one jury 

trials took place. At the second term, which lasted four days, there were thirty-four jury trials and at the Utica term he presided at 

seventy-two. He opened the court early in the morning and held the sessions until nearly midnight. Stenographers were unknown in 

the courts. A voice from the past might well address many of the trial judges of the present days, exclaiming, “Go tot he ant, thou 

sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.” 

The influence of Judge Platt, as early as 1820, located a term of the Supreme Court at Utica, thus enhancing throughout the state 

the importance of the locality, Albany and New York being the only other places where the court sat in bane. 

From the first session in 1820, the people became familiar with the distinguished lawyers of the State. 

A gentleman long a resident of Utica informed me that he well remembered Col. Aaron Burr in his visits to the city and said that he 

was much impressed by his dignified bearing. Col. Burr was always followed at a short distance by a negro in his employ, who bore 

a bag of breen baize, containing the legal documents of Col. Burr. 

Judge Platt is perhaps better known to the bar for his judicial attainments, by reason of a vigorous dissenting opinion in Vosburg vs. 

Thayer, 12 Johnson’s Rep. 461. The high sense of morality there displayed undoubtedly forced the majority of the court, in order to 

defend their action, to take a position on the question of the admissibility in evidence of books of account, which has exhausted the 

ingenuity of succeeding courts, in their efforts to do justice and sustain that decision. 

Upon his retirement from the bench, his personal fortune was nearly exhausted and he at once resumed the practice of the law at 

Utica, his son, Zephaniah Platt, (Hamilton 1815), being associated with him. Patronage came to him from all parts of the State and 

he soon located in New York City. 

“His morals were perfectly pure, he possessed a high sense of honor and had acquired, apparently, an entire control over his 

passions. His address was unobtrusive, modest and conciliatory. He had a high regard to courtesy in respect to political conduct as 

well as in the private and social concerns of life.” 

In middle life he became interested in religion and was for many years president of the Oneida Bible Society. 

87

In 1830 the condition of his health induced him to retire to a farm in Clinton County, where he died, very suddenly, February 22 nd , 

1834. 

His son, before mentioned, removed to Michigan and became Attorney General of the State and later settled in South Carolina, 

where he was appointed judge of one of the courts. 

Judge Platt, General Kirkland, Thomas R. Gold and Erastus Clark with other members of the bar united in the movement to found 

Hamilton College and served on its board of trustees. 

Families of Olde Whitesborough 1784-1824 p. 33 

Jonas Platt was born on June 30, 1769 at Poughkeepsie, NY the son of Zephaniah and Hannah (Saxon) Platt (his first wife). He was 

6 th in the line of descent from his immigrant ancestor, Richard and Mary Platt, who were from Rickmansworth, England to New 

Haven in 1638, their son, Capt. Epenetus, settling in Huntington, Long Island, NY. 

Jonas Platt was not in the Revolutionary War but his father, grandfather and brother (all named Zephaniah) were. His father, 

Zephaniah, Jr., served as a Colonel, a Delegate to the Provincial Congress, member of the Dutchess County Committee, and of the 

Associated Exempts from the State of New York. His grandfather served as a P.S. from New York. 

Jonas Platt received his education in a French Academy in Montreal, Canada. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 

1790. He practiced his profession in Poughkeepsie, NY for a very short time and was in Whitesboro in 1791. He was County Clerk 

of Herkimer County from 1791 to 1798. 

When Oneida County was created he assumed the same post there, where he served until 1802. During this period he also served 

in the New York State Assembly in 1796. 

On April 1, 1793 he was on a Committee of Resolutions in the formation of The Untied Presbyterian Societies of Whitestown and 

Old Fort Schuyler. On March 23, 1799 he became one of the original members of the Aqueduct Association of the Village of 

Whitesboro. He also became one of the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church. He was one of the pioneer lawyers in the state of New 

York west of Johnstown. 

His political preference was that of the Federalist Party and he served as a Federalist in the 6 th Congress March 4, 1799 – March 3, 

1801. He then resumed the practice of law and entered into a partnership with Arthur Breese (q.v.). He was the first Congressman 

who resided in what is now Oneida County. 

He was appointed an associate judge of the Supreme Court in February of 1814 and during his term of office he presided over 250 

cases – 101 of which were jury trials. He held this office until 1821 when the new State Constitution legislated the office out of 

existence. He was a member of the Convention in 1821 which framed the new constitution. 

He was elected by the Federalists in 1809 to the New York State Senate where he served until 1813, during which time he was very 

active in promoting legislation to look into the construction of the Erie Canal. 

In 1810 Jonas Platt was the Federal Party’s candidate for Governor, but he was defeated by Daniel D. Tompkins. In the year 1811 

he became associated with many prominent men, among whom were Seth Capron, Thomas R. Gold, Newton Mann, Theodore Sill 

and William G. Tracy in the manufacturing of woolen goods. On January 12, 1813 he was appointed a member of the Council of 

Appointments. 

He had a length career in the New York State Militia. Following the erection of Herkimer County, the Governor formed a militia of 

Herkimer County into a brigade. Jonas Platt was made Captain of a trip of horse in this brigade, which position he held until the 

formation of Oneida County in 1798, when he assumed a similar position in the Oneida County Militia. 

In 1800 he was appointed Brigadier General of the 2 nd Cavalry Brigade. He held this position until 1811 when he resigned. 

His first home was a log cabin which he erected on the corner of Mohawk and Main Streets. 

Evidently at some time during his service in the State Legislature he moved temporarily to Albany, as the records of the 

Presbyterian Church, Whitesboro, state thusly: Sept. 19, 1817, Jonas Platt and his wife, formerly members of this church, were 

received again by letter from the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. 

Jonas Platt married Helen Livingston in 1790. She was the daughter of Henry and Susan (Conklin) Livingston. Jonas and Helen had 

eight children, two sons and six daughters. 

The wife and daughter of Jonas Platt were evidently civic minded, as wife Helen, and daughters Susan, and Cornelia are listed as 

members of the Female Charitable Society of Whitestown. 

Upon leaving Oneida County area Jonas went first to New York City where he practiced law for a short time. He later moved to 

Clinton County where he died in Peru, NY, Feb. 22, 1834 and was interred in the Riverside Cemetery, Plattsburg, NY. This is the 

city his father, Zephaniah Platt, founded. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=WtwTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA319&lpg=PA319&dq=%22General+Joseph+Kirkland+%22&source=we 

b&ots=wuhn_XioiH&sig=RZ9N2uehc4uCyAVhPaOCMB864AM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA320,M1 

page 319. 

General Joseph Kirkland was born in Norwich, Connecticut, January 18 th , 1770, and studied law with Judge Swift of Wind- ham in 

that state, his preceptor later becoming Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State and the author of Swift’s Evidence. Mr. 

Kirkland was a nephew of the Rev. Samuel Kirkland, (Princeton 1765), the celebrated missionary to the Oneidas and the founder of 

Hamilton-Oneida Academy, which subsequently became Hamilton College. General Kirkland first settled at New Hartford and later 

removed to Utica, practicing in the courts of Herkimer County until the new County of Oneida was formed. He was an ardent 

Federalist, and in 1801 ran as a candidate for delegate to the State Constitutional Convention against Henry Huntington, of Rome, 

but on a tie vote the seat was awarded to the latter. In 1801 he was elected to the State Assembly. For three years from February 

88

13 th , 1813, he filled the office of District Attorney for the Sixth District, which included seven counties. From 1818 to 1821, he again 

filled the position of Member of Assembly, which was followed by his election to the seventeenth Congress and in 1825 was again 

elected to the Assembly. He was chosen the first Mayor of Utica under the City Charter and held the office in 1835, at the time when 

the first convention of the abolition party was attempted to be held in Utica, but was dispersed by a mob. It was while he was Mayor 

that the great scourge of cholera visited the city. He was past the meridian of life, but while others fled, in the language of Dr. Bagg, 

he “remained at his post and continued, during the entire period of this frightful visitation, to perform the duties which devolved upon 

him. He manifested during this crisis the real boldness and energy of his character and showed that there was in him a spirit, which 

in more auspicisions testify to the part which he took in the practice of his him no ordinary amount of reputation.’’ 

General Kirkland, during his entire career, bore the name of an able lawyer and an upright and honorable man . . . one of the 

most able and active practitioners in Oneida County and later in New York City, where he died. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=WtwTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA319&lpg=PA319&dq=%22general+joseph+kirkland%22&source=web& 

ots=wuhn_XjkfC&sig=hm1ssKEMJEY58rdubIo_dRPkrqY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA320,M1 page 

320. 

Arthur Breese was a native of New Jersey, studied law in the office of Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress, was 

admitted to the bar in 1792 and located at Whitesboro in 1793. He was a brother-in-law of Jonas Platt and by virtue of that relation 

became Deputy County Clerk of Herkimer County. He was elected to the Assembly in 1796, became first Surrogate of Oneida 

County and held the office until 1808, when his Federalist principles made him obnoxious to the Council of Appointment, which put 

another in his place. Upon his removal to Utica he was made one of the clerks of the old Supreme Court and Court of Chancery. He 

held the latter office until his death. He does not seem to have been very active in the practice of the law, but he was a man of fine 

personal character, of cultivated and scholarly tastes, who left a family the members of which filled very useful and honorable 

positions in life. His son, Samuel, was a Rear Admiral in the Navy; another was the wife of Captain S. B. Griswold of the United 

States Army, and his son Sidney, after graduating at Union College, studied law with Gold and Sill and settled in Illinois, where he 

became United States District Attorney, Reporter of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Circuit Judge and later United States Senator, 

finally terminating his career as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois. 

APPENDIX TO BOOK III 

I. 

EARLY HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN CENTRAL NEW YORK. 

“A Standard History of Freemasonry in the State of New York,” by Peter Ross, 1899. Pages 171-176. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=-GciAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA172&dq=%22john+jordan+morgan%22#PPA171,M1 

THE following remarkably interesting historical study was read at the Centennial of New Hartford, Oneida county, NY, June 27, 

1888, and afterward printed in the “Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society.” The author, the late R.’. W.’. Rees G. Williams, of 

Utica, also reprinted the essay in a limited edition in pamphlet form, but it has become exceedingly scarce. Although much of the 

information it gives appears in the body of this work, the pamphlet as a whole is of such interest and shows such loving and 

painstaking research on the part of its lamented author that it has been deemed fitting to incorporate the whole of it in this book. 

Would that every section of our jurisdiction has found such a talented, painstaking and enthusiastic historian! 

To-day we roll back the tide of history, and stand not amid the civilization and progress of the nineteenth century, but of the 

eighteenth, and among the men who shaped and formed and who set in motion the life of the region in which we live. For man of 

necessity is the grand agent, not alone to found institutions, to carry out principles, but to establish states and nations. 

One hundred years ago, the Whitestown country, embracing nearly one-half of the State of New York, peopled to-day with more 

than two millions of inhabitants, then contained hardly five hundred. But under the spirit of adventure or quickening energies, New 

England poured in its stream of population to transform the place with new activities, and fill it with the homes of men. And though 

seemingly unconnected with all this, Freemasonry took an important part in the shaping process, by which an uncultivated region 

became cultivated, and laid the foundation for the civilization and the enterprises which mark the life and progress of to-day. 

July 30, 1733, the Right Honorable and Most Worshipful Anthony, Lord Viscount Montague, Grand Master of Masons in England, 

constituted and appointed Henry Price, of Boston, Provincial Grand Master of New England. His first act was to construct St. John’s 

Lodge, in the city of Boston, in 1733. 

June 24, 1734, a petition was presented by Benjamin Franklin and several brethren residing in Philadelphia to establish a Lodge 

in that city. The petition was granted by the Right Worshipful Grand Master Henry Price, who at this time received authority to 

establish Masonry in all North America, and Benjamin Franklin was constituted the first Master of the new Lodge. Almost at the 

same time the brethren in Portsmouth, N. H., petitioned for the erection of a Lodge there, which was also granted. But turning his 

attention to New England, Grand Master Price constituted Lodges in its various villages and towns. From these Lodges came the 

Masons who were the pioneers of this legion and who influenced its civil and Masonic life even to the present hour. 

April 6, 1792, the Grand Lodge of New York issued a warrant to establish a Lodge in Herkimer county. It was constituted by the 

name of Amicable Lodge, and situated in New Hartford. From 1792 to 1799 inclusive, the following members were admitted to the 

privileges of the Lodge: 

1792—Jedediah Sanger, Jared Crittenden, Isaac Jones, Jonas Platt, Arthur Breese, Benjamin Merrills, Elias Kane, Jesse 

Woodruff, Evans Wharry, Seth Ranney, Abijah Putnam, Michael Myers. 

1793—Thomas R. Gold, John Beardsley, Uriah Wright, Ebenezer Butler, John N. Wemple, Amasa Andrews, John Myers, 

Gaylord Griswold, William Veder, Caleb B. Merrill, David Ostrom, Asa Parmalee, Jonathan Hall, Lysimore Wilder, Jared Steele, 

Ebenezer Britten, Reuben Long, George Doolittle, Abel French, Elizur Mosely, Jonathan Moore, Nathan Smith, Noadiah Hubbard, 

Timothy Tuttle, John Post, Alexander Enos, James Steele, Oliver Collins, Elijah Flowers, William Colbreath, Ephraim Blackman, 

Lemuel Leavenworth, Samuel Sizer, Edward Salisbury, Eliakim Elmer, Richard Willis, Luke Wemple, Samuel Collins, Jonas Wryman, 

Nathanial Marsh, William Sayles, John Tillotson, Benjamin Pike, Alexander Dorchester, Amos Mathews. 

89

Hon. David Ostrom, a Revolutionary soldier first settled at New Hartford, but soon after removed to Sauquoit, and erected a 

log-house on the east bank of the creek, about ten rods southeast of the present grist mill. The “corduroy road” across the valley 

from East to West Sauquoit, led along south of Ostrom’s house, and through what is now the mill pond, leaving the present road 

near where Washington Mould now resides, and running into the road again near the present railroad crossing, forming a straight 

road from village to village. Bacon’s saw-mill about this time burned down, and the firm of Bacon & Ostrom proceeded to erect a 

saw mill and a grist mill combined, and to get power or sufficient “ fall,” it became ‘necessary to locate the mills further down stream, 

where they now stand, and build the dam and Lack up the water over the road. 

Mr.Ostrom sold out his interest in the grist mill to his partner in 1804, and removed to Utica and founded the well-known coffeehouse 

on the site of the present Devereux Block, and later on lived opposite, on the site of the old Franklin House, where now 

stands the Arcade building. He sold his interest in the carding mill, &c., to Captain Bacon, March 7, 1806. He was a prominent man 

m the town of Paris, and was its first Supervisor, chosen at the first town meeting, held at the house of Captain Moses Foot, April 2, 

1793. Upon the organization of the County of Oneida in 1798, he was appointed one of the Judges, which office he held until 1815. 

He was the first Member of Assembly in conjunction with Henry McNeil and Abel French, in 1798, and again in 1799, 1800, 1801, 

1803, 1808 and 1809. He was a prominent Free- Mason, “made” in old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, under the Mastership of Judge 

Sanger, in 1793. He was born in Dutchcss County in 1756, and full of honors, first and foremost in town and county, Hon. David 

Ostrom. The pioneer manufacturer of Paris and hero of the Revolution, stricken with apoplexy, suddenly terminated his honorable 

career, March 17, 1821. 

Colonel Timothy Tuttle was the first settler at the village proper of Paris Hill. In the year 1788, in company with twenty families, 

(Rev. Samuel Kirkland among the number,) he settled at Clinton, on the now “Royce farm,” where he built the first frame house in 

the town. His daughter, Miss Merab Tuttle, was drowned in the Oriskany Creek in the spring of 1788. In crossing the creek on a log 

extended from shore to shore, when near the center of the creek, she became dizzy and fell into the stream, which was swollen into 

a spring freshet. Her companion, Miss Anna Foot, daughter of Captain Moses Foot, had just previously crossed in safety, and at 

once gave the alarm, and assistance was promptly on hand, but such was the force of the current that she was swept down stream 

and under a pile of drift-wood, and when recovered life was extinct. Her sudden and untimely fate created a profound sensation, and 

cast a deep gloom over the little community. At the funeral, there being no clergyman in the frontier settlement, Captain Foot offered 

the prayer, and Nehomiah Jones, father of Hon. Pomroy Jones, read an appropriate sermon. Her grave was first dug on “ the 

green,” but it being thought too wet, she was buried in the south part of the present burying, ground, which was then a part of her 

father’s farm. The scene of the fatality was a little below the site of the bridge, on the road to the college; no bridge, however, at that 

day spanned the stream. Her death was the first among the settlers. Colonel Tuttle, having accepted the position of Laud Agent for 

the sale of land at what was afterward Paris Hill, erected the first framed house and took up his residence there. The house was 

built on the site, and is a part of the house afterward in 1806 the tavern of Jesse Thomson, and now occupied by Mr. D. C. 

Addington as a residence, and is opposite the road leading to Clinton. Colonel Tuttle was a prominent man in the early affairs, and 

one of the first officers chosen at the organization of the town of Paris, at the first town meeting, April 2, 1793. He gave to the village 

the land that forms the east half of “Paris Green”—other citizens contributing the west half. He was a leading, influential member of 

old Amicable Lodge, No. 25, F. and A. M., being made a Mason in that Lodge, under the Mastership of Judge Sanger, in 1793. 

1794—John Ballard, John Choat, Ebenezer Butler, Jr., F. W. Kellogg, Loring Webb, Richard Sanger, Levi Sartwell, Needom 

Maynard, Alpheus Wheelock, Daniel Perkins, Thomas Brown, Josiah Jennins, Joseph Farwell, Amos Ives, Lot North, John R. Bone. 

1795—Joseph Kirkland, John H. Perkins, Stephen White, Richard Starkweather, Mathias Hurlburt, Jesse Pierce, Levi Hill, John 

Edgett, Hiram Innus, Thomas Norton, Eli Butler, Thomas Caselty, Ephraim Waldo, James Henry, Richard Perkins, Elias Merrills. 

1796—Amos G. Hull, Benjamin Morris, Asahel Jackson, Philo White, Barnabas Lathrop, James Sheldon, Daniel Chapman, 

George Standard, John Eames, Grove Lawrence, Uri Doolittle, Selah Seymour, James Dorchester, Asa Way, Jonathan Patten, 

John Kendall. 

1797—Elnathan Andrews, Asahel Gridley, John Goldsmith, Artemus Jackson, James Chapman, Warren Hicox, William Henry, 

Kanak Mills, Stephen Turner, William Sage, Ezekiel Clark, Thomas Sayles, Caleb Jackson, Joseph Pierce, Windsor Stone, 

Ebenezer Pardy, Gershum Hubbel. 

1798—Samuel Hall, Lemuel Jackson, Waitsill Dickenson, Richard May, Freeman Enos, Theodore Woodruff, Ebenezer Hawley, 

Jeremiah Whip- pie, Joseph Yaw, James Green, Joshua Ostrom, Stephen Ford, Abraham Van Epes, Jonathan Barker, Eleazur 

House, Richard Whitney, Josiah Whitney, Asahel Higby, Justus Tower. 

1799—James Jackson, Ebenezer Kimball, Oliver Hovey, Joshua Johnson, Enoch Storey, Job Herrick. 

The first officers of the Lodge were John J. Morgan, John Post and Michael Myers. As these men took a leading part in the 

affairs of this portion of the State, it is fitting for a moment to dwell upon the main features of their lives. 

John Jordan Morgan, the first Master of the Lodge, was born in the city of New York, Nov. 7, 1768. He was the son of John 

Morgan and Mary De Lancey, his wife. John Morgan was a native of Wales and a sea captain. He intended his son for the British 

navy, but was frustrated by the breaking out of the war of the Revolution. John J. Morgan was a lifelong resident of New York. He 

was twice married. His first wife was Catharine Warne, of Jamaica, Long Island. Some time after her death and the death of their 

child, he married Eliza Baldwin, of Cork, Ireland. After his second marriage he adopted a niece of his first wife. She assumed the 

name of Morgan, and in 1826 Catharine Morgan was married to John Adams Dix, then a young artillery officer and aid-de-camp to 

Major Gen. Jacob Brown of the United States Army. In 1822 John J. Morgan was elected from New York City as Representative in 

the Congress of the United States. He served in the Assembly of the State, and also as collector for the port of New York. 

In private life he was a scholar of rare accomplishments. He spoke and wrote the French language with ease and fluency. In 

domestic and social life he had the manners and courtesy of the gentleman of an age altogether passed. He was an ornament to the 

society in which he moved. In his religious life he was a communicant of Trinity Church, New York, and served as vestryman for 

many years. 

90

He was a large landholder in Oneida, Herkimer and other counties of New York. He held them under patent of the State. It was a 

matter of pride with him to say that he was the first white man who owned these lands after they had been sold by the Indians, and 

his descendants are still in possession of the original documents which note the transference of these lands to him. 

He built a summer residence between the towns of Clarkville and New Berlin, and gave it the name of “The Unadilla.” For thirty 

or forty years he spent his summers there. He died at Port Chester while visiting his son-in-law, Gen. Dix, and was buried in the 

family vault, Trinity Churchyard, New York. 

John Post, the first Senior Warden of the Amicable Lodge No. 22, Whitestown, was the son of Elias and Mary Post, and was born 

28 Dec 1748. He was married Jan. 7, 1776, to Margarietji Bellinger. There were born to them eleven children: John, Jr., Maria (who 

died in infancy). Maria. Frederick, Catharine, Elias, Deborah, Catahne, Elizabeth, Helen and Rebecca. Elias Post, his father, after an 

eventful life, was found dead in his bed by his son John and Baron Steuben, who was an intimate friend of the family. His wife was 

the daughter of Col. Bellinger, who was an aid to Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, and fought at Oriskany. 

John Post was a staff officer in the Revolutionary War. He took part in the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne and in the expedition of 

Sullivan. He was present at the battle of Monmouth, and also at the surrender of Gen. Cornwallis, which virtually ended the war. 

In 1790, in connection with a Mr. Martin, of Schenectady, he engaged in trade with the Six Nations. He purchased large 

quantities of ginseng, which he exported to China, it being supposed at that time a remedy for the plague. After his removal to Utica, 

later in that year, he still continued dealing with the Indians, and was the first merchant in the place. About this time he established a 

line of stage-boats on the Mohawk River, to run between Albany and Utica. These boats were styled “The Accommodation” and the 

“Diligence.” For the. times they were regarded as comfortable and very useful conveyances. They furnished room for twenty 

passengers and were propelled by means of poles, and though remarkable for their day, they furnish a marked contrast to the 

splendid steamers of our modern commerce, which show our national progress. He also established a line of freight boats, which 

during the season of navigation were employed in carrying produce to Schenectady and bringing back merchandise. 

Previous to his settlement in Utica he had purchased near the Mohawk River land on which he caused a log house to be built. 

This was on the east side of what is to-day Genesee street and near the corner of Whitesboro street. At first he kept his goods in his 

house, but in 1791 he built a store on the corner of Genesee and Whitesboro streets. In this store he carried on for many years an 

extensive trade with the Indians and white settlers. He extended his business to Floyd, Manlius and New York, and became a man 

of wealth. He served as first postmaster in the village of Utica, and held the office for many years. On July 13, 1792, he purchased 

from the representatives of Gen. Bradstreet 89^ acres of land—known as Lot No. 95 in the Crosby Manor. This land now includes 

the very heart of our present city of Utica. 

On June 5, 1805, a petition from John Post and others, residing in Utica and vicinity, County of Oneida, was received, 

recommended by Amicable Lodge, No. 23, to establish a Lodge of Master Masons in the village of Utica. The Grand Lodge of New 

York granted the petition. Oneida Lodge was constituted, and John Post became its first Master and held the office for several 

years. 

In 1806 he took into partnership his son-in-law, Giles Hamlin, who purchased a large stock of merchandise. A fire broke out and 

destroyed his property, and in a few moments swept away his wealth, leaving him a bankrupt. Shortly after this he removed to 

Manlius, where he resided until his death, which took place Dec. 5, 1839. He was buried at Jamesville, near Manlius. 

Michael Myers, the Junior Warden of the Lodge, was born at Elizabeth, N. J. (formerly Auville), Feb. 1. 1753. He came to 

Herkimer with a company of soldiers from New Jersey. At the battle of Johnstown, in 1781, he was seriously wounded in the leg, 

crippling him for life. His brother Mathew, who was associated with him, was killed in the battle. 

In person Gen. Myers was dignified and of aristocratic bearing, and a man of marked ability. After the close of the war he 

remained at Herkimer. There he married Catharine, the eldest daughter of Capt. Henry Harter. She was born in February 1768, at 

the village of Prescott, Canada, where her parents had been taken as prisoners in the French and Indian wars. While residing at 

Herkimer there were born five sons and three daughters: Peter M., Henry, Nancy, Catharine, Mathew, Michael, John and Margaret, 

the last of whom is still living at Little Falls at the ripe age of eighty-seven. 

He very soon became largely interested in the purchase of real estate in the village of Herkimer and surrounding country, and 

became the owner of the homestead of his father-in-law. He was also the owner of a few slaves, who lived on his estate until the 

time of his death. He was by far the most prominent man and leading character in this part of the State. In 1790 he was a member of 

the Assembly from Montgomery County, and in 1791 he was the first and only member from the new county of Herkimer. In 1796 he 

was a member of the State Senate, which office he held for four years. In 1791 he was the first judge of Herkimer County, a position 

which he also held in 1794. 

March 5, 1794, the Grand Lodge of New York issued a warrant for holding Amicable Lodge, No. 36, in the village of Herkimer, of 

which Michael Myers was the first Master, and held the office for many years. 

After a long and useful career in public and Masonic life, he died on Feb. 17, 1814, at Herkimer, and was buried at that place. In 

the year 1887 his remains and those of his family that were buried there, were removed to Oak Hill Cemetery, which has lately been 

consecrated as the resting place of the dead of Herkimer. 

But among the Masons who left enduring impress upon society, whose power was wide and influence abiding, was Jedediah 

Sanger, the founder of New Hartford. He was born in Sherburne, Mass., on the 17 th of February, 1751 (O. S.) He received the 

education common to boys at that period in New England, and subsequently became a merchant. In 1771 he was married to Sarah 

Rider, and was the father of four children. She died in 1814. He married for his second wife, in 1815, Sarah B. Kissam. She died in 

1825. He married for his third wife, in 1827, Fanny Dench, who survived him thirteen years. 

In 1782 he removed to Jaffrey, NH, where he engaged in business. Two years later a fire destroyed his property; the loss left him 

a bankrupt. Having heard of the famous Whitestown country, he removed there, and in 1788 purchased 1,000 acres of land on the 

Sauquoit Creek. Under his quickening touch New Hartford became a thriving settlement in the midst of the forest which had once 

been the home of the savage. With Gen. Myers and others he was a pioneer in the founding and growth of Hamilton Oneida 

Academy, now a college, with all those influences and benefactions which flow from the higher institutions of learning. It is the glory 

91

of Masonry, then weak in its numbers, that the cornerstone of that institution was laid by Masonic hands, making 1794 a memorable 

year in the history of the college. He was closely identified with St. Stephen’s Church, New Hartford, which through the years has 

sent out its wholesome and enduring stimulus to the life of the community. He not only gave the land on which the church stands 

today, but he endowed it in his will with an annuity for the support of the clergyman to minister at its altar. 

He held many positions of public trust. He was elected the first Supervisor of the town of Whitestown. In 1794 and 1795 he was 

sole member of Assembly from Herkimer County. In 1796 he was elected Senator for four years. When Oneida County was 

organized, in 1798, he was appointed the first Judge, and remained in office until the year 1810, when he became disqualified by 

age. 

By an act of the Legislature of the State, passed March 5, 1795, the town of Sangerfield was formed— named after Judge 

Sanger. In consideration of its being named in his honor, he presented fifty acres of land to that religious body which should first 

erect a church edifice. The Congregational Society having first organized, but the Baptist having erected the first house of worship, 

the land was equally divided between them, both societies profiting by his generous gift. And in the Masonic Institution a Lodge was 

formed in Waterville bearing his name, to testify the esteem in which he was held by the fraternity. 

His zeal and love for the fraternity brought him into wide prominence in the councils of Royal Arch Masonry. He was a delegate 

from Horeb Chapter, New Hartford, to the city of Hartford, Conn., Jan. 25, 1708, to assist in the formation of the General Grand 

Chapter of the United States. His ardor led him to make these long journeys, and at that period of our history difficult, to promote the 

welfare of this branch of Freemasonry. The expenses necessary for this purpose were cheerfully and willingly met by himself, the 

increase of the Order being to him the reward he sought in all his trials and labors. 

At the formation of the Grand Chapter of the State of New York, March 14, 1798, he was deemed worthy to be chosen to one of 

the highest offices of that august body, in connection with the celebrated De Witt Clinton. For many years he attended the councils 

of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in the city of Albany. 

His devotion to the institution of Masonry induced him to furnish a home in his own dwelling for Masons destitute of a Lodge, for 

their meetings in Masonic work. In the room, beautifully and amply furnished, he himself presided for seven years as Master of 

Amicable Lodge, No. 23. This small and humble beginning has been fruitful in the increase of Lodges of the order. The grain sown 

in weakness has sprung up in golden harvest. Through conflict and opposition, through peril and difficulty, Lodge after Lodge sprang 

into existence; Masonry asserting its right to live by the truths it teaches and the Grand Brotherhood it unfolds. 

And the first Lodge that grew out of Amicable Lodge in New Hartford, was Amicable Lodge, No. 36, Herkimer, April 6, 1794. 

At intervals other Lodges followed. 

Aug. 14, 1795, Otsego Lodge, Cooperstown, Otsego County. 

Nov. 04, 1796, Aurora Lodge, Fairfield, Herkimer County. 

Dec. 29, 1796, Steuben Lodge, Steuben, Herkimer County. 

Jan. 18, 1797, Western Star Lodge, Unadilla, Herkimer County. 

Mar. 22, 1797, Bath Lodge, Bath, Steuben County. 

Jan. 05, 1799, United Brethren Lodge, Cazenovia, Chenango County. 

Jan. 07, 1709, Tioga Lodge, Union, Tioga County. 

Jan. 09, 1799, Village Lodge, Marcellus, Onondaga County. 

Feb. 13, 1799, Roman Lodge, Rome, Oneida County. 

Nov. 23. 1799, Federal Lodge, Paris, (Clinton), Oneida County. 

Upon all these bodies Judge Sanger impressed the principles of Freemasonry so strongly, that though their members have 

passed away, their successors feel and are moved by them until this hour. He was so imbued with the spirit of Masonry and of the 

Gospel, owe no man anything, that debts incurred, through no fault of his, were religiously paid; and he stands as a monument of 

Masonic integrity and those charities which are the glory of the order. When he died a true man passed away, but the impetus he 

gave to the life, the energies, the enterprises of his time, has not passed away. For public spirit, liberality, high-mindedness, 

inspiration for progress and the welfare of the race never die. 

Judge Sanger died June 6, 1829, and was buried in New Hartford.* As a grateful remembrance of his character and virtues a 

mural tablet has been placed in the church he loved, and for the welfare of which he so earnestly labored. 

Apart from those already mentioned, there were others who left an abiding impress on their time and our time, men whose spirits 

were tempered by the War of Independence, and virtues strengthened by the trials and conflicts through which they passed. In the 

brief and passing notice I mention Col. William Colbreath. He held the office of Sheriff of Herkimer County, in 1791 and 1796. At 

the organization of Oneida County, in 1798, he was chosen Sheriff, and was the first officer who ever served a process on what was 

known as the Military Tract. Though he had served in the War of the Revolution, his title was acquired after the war in the service of 

the State. In social life he was full of humor and took great delight in scenes of mirth. His manners grew out more from a mind 

naturally strong, rather than from one educated in the schools or the courtesies of life in society. 

Evans Wharry occupied a prominent position in the early history of Herkimer County. He served in the American Army under 

Gen. Montgomery at the assault of Quebec, but most of his service was under the command of Gen. Schuyler. In 1798 he was 

appointed a Judge of the Common Pleas, and continued to serve in that office until he was retired by constitutional limit. He had 

personal relations with Washington, Hamilton, Clinton, and other great leaders in the struggle for American Independence. His death 

occurred in 1831, at the ripe age of eighty-two years. 

Sept. 23, 1879, Jedediah Sanger’s remains were removed from the village cemetery at New Hartford, and finally “at rest” in the 

Utica Forest Hill Cemetery. In the family plot were also buried Fanny Dench and Sarah B., wives, and Walter and Sarah Sanger, 

children. 

Jonas Platt settled in Whitesboro. He was the first County Clerk of Herkimer County, in 1791, and of Oneida, when it was 

organized into a county, in 1798. He was a member of the Assembly, in 1796, and of Congress of the United States in 1891. He was 

92

a State Senator for several years. In 1814 he was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of the State. He was a candidate for 

Governor, but was defeated by Daniel D. Tompkins, who afterward became Vice President of the United States. 

David Ostrom, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, was the first Supervisor of the town of Paris. For several years he served as 

a member of the Legislature, and was County Judge from 1798 until 1816. 

Gen. George Doolittle was a soldier in the army of the Revolution. For many years he was a member of the Legislature of the 

State, and was the first Brigadier General commissioned in the county of Oneida. 

Elizur Mosely, M. D., was postmaster at Whitesboro for several years. When he gave up the office he was known as the oldest 

postmaster in the United States. In 1798 he was Assistant Justice of the County Court. In 1799 he was Sheriff of Oneida County. 

Thomas R. Gold was born in Connecticut and educated at Yale College. He was eminent as a lawyer, standing at the head of 

his profession in Central New York. In 1796 he was a member of the State Senate, and of the Assembly in 1808. He was a 

representative in Congress from this district in 1804, and in 1810-12. In conjunction with Gen. George Doolittle, he set up the first 

cotton factory at New York Mills in the year 1808. 

It may be fitting here to mention, among other Masons whose influence remains in this portion of our State, the names of George 

Washington, first President of the United States, and George Clinton, Governor of New York. They were owners of valuable land in 

Oneida County. The name of the Governor is perpetuated in this connection by the village of Clinton. Even then, and later, the land 

of our county was more valuable than that of Washington’s dearly loved Mount Vernon. This is witnessed to by the fact that it has 

been sold at a higher price than the land in Virginia once owned by the Father of his Country. 

The name of Clinton suggests a fact pregnant with meaning in the history of Masonry. The small beginning at the close of the last 

century has spread into wider and more splendid issues. The few Chapters of Royal Arch Masonry have increased into many, until 

the grand body of Royal Arch Masons in the State of New York stands to-day, in intelligence and power, an influence such as no 

man can estimate. And it has been a force to stimulate the order in other States of the Union, until the group of Grand Chapters, like 

stars in a planetary system, merges in and forms a still more magnificent system in the General Grand Chapter of the United States. 

The germ cast into the ground with weakness and tears has sprung up and covers the land, rich in its growth of good deeds, of 

nobler charities, and those principles which exalt and ennoble human nature. 

It is a fact significant in its meaning, that while the forest has become a fruitful field, and the land once the home of the Indian, is 

now the foundation of towns and cities, Masonry has advanced and become a part in their activities and life. While times may 

change and villages rise into towns, the homes of teeming populations, Masonry remains unchanged in its principles, old as the 

revelation of truth, yet ever new and fresh and inspiring to the thoughts and enterprises, and achievements of man. And while our 

cherished Utica and the towns that all around mark American civilization shall stand, Masonry shall exist, a beauty and a power. It 

has so wrought itself into our social and national life that the corner-stones of our temples for learning, for justice, for public use, are 

laid by Masonic hands. Masonry is perpetuating itself in all the great interests which occupy man, and which broaden and deepen, 

and give abiding strength to human institutions. 

Appendix II 

John Post 

John Post, the first Senior Warden of the Amicable Lodge No. 22, Whitestown, was the son of Elias and Mary Post, and was born 

28 Dec 1748. He was married Jan. 7, 1776, to Margarietji Bellinger. There were born to them eleven children: John, Jr., Maria (who 

died in infancy). Maria. Frederick, Catharine, Elias, Deborah, Catahne, Elizabeth, Helen and Rebecca. Elias Post, his father, after an 

eventful life, was found dead in his bed by his son John and Baron Steuben, who was an intimate friend of the family. His wife was 

the daughter of Col. Bellinger, who was an aid to Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, and fought at Oriskany. 

John Post was a staff officer in the Revolutionary War. He took part in the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne and in the expedition of 

Sullivan. He was present at the battle of Monmouth, and also at the surrender of Gen. Cornwallis, which virtually ended the war. 

In 1790, in connection with a Mr. Martin, of Schenectady, he engaged in trade with the Six Nations. He purchased large 

quantities of ginseng, which he exported to China, it being supposed at that time a remedy for the plague. After his removal to Utica, 

later in that year, he still continued dealing with the Indians, and was the first merchant in the place. About this time he established a 

line of stage-boats on the Mohawk River, to run between Albany and Utica. These boats were styled “The Accommodation” and the 

“Diligence.” For the. times they were regarded as comfortable and very useful conveyances. They furnished room for twenty 

passengers and were propelled by means of poles, and though remarkable for their day, they furnish a marked contrast to the 

splendid steamers of our modern commerce, which show our national progress. He also established a line of freight boats, which 

during the season of navigation were employed in carrying produce to Schenectady and bringing back merchandise. 

Previous to his settlement in Utica he had purchased near the Mohawk River land on which he caused a log house to be built. 

This was on the east side of what is to-day Genesee street and near the corner of Whitesboro street. At first he kept his goods in his 

house, but in 1791 he built a store on the corner of Genesee and Whitesboro streets. In this store he carried on for many years an 

extensive trade with the Indians and white settlers. He extended his business to Floyd, Manlius and New York, and became a man 

of wealth. He served as first postmaster in the village of Utica, and held the office for many years. On July 13, 1792, he purchased 

from the representatives of Gen. Bradstreet 89^ acres of land—known as Lot No. 95 in the Crosby Manor. This land now includes 

the very heart of our present city of Utica. 

On June 5, 1805, a petition from John Post and others, residing in Utica and vicinity, County of Oneida, was received, 

recommended by Amicable Lodge, No. 23, to establish a Lodge of Master Masons in the village of Utica. The Grand Lodge of New 

York granted the petition. Oneida Lodge was constituted, and John Post became its first Master and held the office for several 

years. 

In 1806 he took into partnership his son-in-law, Giles Hamlin, who purchased a large stock of merchandise. A fire broke out and 

destroyed his property, and in a few moments swept away his wealth, leaving him a bankrupt. Shortly after this he removed to 

Manlius, where he resided until his death, which took place Dec. 5, 1839. He was buried at Jamesville, near Manlius. 

93

http://books.google.com/books?id=uMpREqLnrKgC&pg=PA624&lpg=PA624&dq=%22Utica+lodge+no.+47%22&source=bl&ots=- 

9kkbx-maC&sig=WY68DCIoZgVUTAjRIwZMwMIM18&hl=en&ei=CPqrS5P8J4T68Aan7uChCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CBMQ6AEwBg#v=onep 

age&q=%22lodge%22&f=false page 495. 

John Post, the first merchant in what is now Utica, was engaged for some years previously to 1790, in connection with Mr. Martin, 

of Schenectady, in trading with the sis nations. Particularly in the purchase of ginseng, then exported in large quantities to China, as 

a supposed remedy for that fatal disease the Plague. Mr. Post was born at Schenectady in December, 1748, and faithfully served 

his country during the entire period of the war of the Revolution. He belonged to the staff of the army, and was at the taking of 

Burgoyne, in Sullivan’s expedition, in the battle of Monmouth, and at the surrendry [sic] of Cornwallis. In the spring of 1790, having 

purchased and leased real estate near old Fort Schuyler, upon Cosby’s manor, he removed thither. With his wife and three infant 

children and a carpenter, placing a stock of merchandize, furniture, provisions and building materials in boats. 

He embarked upon the Mohawk at Schenectady, and in eight or nine days landed at his new home. So deep was the mud in the 

road, now Genesee Street, that the children had to be carried to the log palace previously erected, where they all arrived “cold and 

uncomfortable.” The persons then residing here were Uriah Alverson, John Cunningham, Jacob Christman. And Widow Damuth, 

and their families, and probably some others named elsewhere, or whose names have not been ascertained. Christman served as a 

boatman for Mr. Post several years, and removed to or near the farm now owned by Colonel Nicholas Smith, in the east part of the 

town. In a communication recently received by the author from Mrs. Petrie, a daughter of Mr. Post, she says: “As the place was then 

much resorted to, my father sold lots to mechanies and traders. The first settlers were men wanting in energy and enterprise, and he 

re-purchased the lots of them, and soon sold to others, who also proved inefficient in building up the place, which my father fancied 

would—must, considering its location, in due time, command much trade. Again he re-purchased the lots, and he did not wait long 

before he, a third time, sold them to such men as became permanent residents and acquired a competency.” At first Mr. Post kept 

his goods for sale in his dwelling, but in the next year (1791) he erected a building for a store, where he had an extensive trade with 

the Indians and the early settlers of the surrounding country. Of the Indians he purchased furs, skins and ginseng, (called by them 

Ka-lon-dag-gough, the panax trifolium,) in exchange for rum, paints, cloths, powder, shot, ornaments of various kinds, beads. Small 

mirrors, etc., etc. It was a common occurrence that thirty or forty Indian men, women and children remained at his house through the 

night, and if the weather was cold they occupied the floor in front of the immense kitchen fire of logs, but in summer they lodged in 

the barn, or if too drunk to get into the barn, then they lay upon the grass plats by the side of the log and brush fences near the 

corner of Genesee, Whitesboro and Main Streets. Mr. Post is said to have been a man of most strict integrity and great kindness of 

heart, but the “ light of our day “ had not shown him the great wrong he inflicted upon the poor natives, by gratifying their 

unconquerable passion and thirst for “ fire-water “ in the shape of New England rum. The store, owned and occupied by Mr. Post, 

stood upon the northerly corner of Genesee and Whitesboro Streets, upon or near the site of the store now occupied by J. E. 

Warner & Co., and he also subsequently had a store at Floyd, and another at Manlius. 

While here, and under the influence of rum, the Indians frequently engaged in bloody fights, were frequently turbulent and 

troublesome, and sometimes showed their knives when none but Mrs. Post and her children were in the house. In or about 1792, 

the celebrated Saucy Nick entered the dwelling store with another Indian, and learning that Mr. Post was absent, they demanded in 

most imperious and insulting tones of Mrs. P., pipes, “backer” and rum, Nick at the same time drawing his knife struck it into the 

counter handle up, and also shut the door of the room. As they were about compelling Mrs. P. to draw more rum, she found ;in iron 

rod upon the floor, and seeing a hired man, named Ebenezer Henderson, passing the window, she called him in. Nick would not 

permit him to enter until he told him that he was called to get more rum. Mrs. P. then directed the man to throw the Indians out of the 

house, she at the same instant striking the knife beyond their reach with the rod, and with her assistance, her order was literally 

obeyed. Nick ever afterwards treated the family with proper respect. At another time, Sirs. P. interfered to put an end to a fight 

among several Indians who had passed the night by the kitchen fire, when one of them rushed toward her with his knife. She seized 

a chair with which she defended herself, until another Indian came to her relief by attacking her adversary. These instances are 

given to show the perils and dangers under which the pioneers of this country began the work of reclaiming the forests to the use of 

civilized man. And as a few of the many instances which might be given of the spirit and courage of the women of those days. 

Mrs. Petrie says: “As ours was the first house which could accommodate travelers, a sign was put up, though reluctantly, and my 

father kept tavern no logger than until some one with means, etc., could be prevailed on to leave a more privileged place to settle 

here, for the sole purpose of keeping a tavern. In those days men in that business were very independent, and if travelers or 

‘movers’ wished to ‘ put up’ at a tavern, they had to help themselves, water their own horses or oxen, harness or yoke them again, 

and if they asked to be served with aught, the landlord or his family would sometimes ask, ‘who was your waiter last year?’ 

Sometimes, if persons did not look well to themselves, they received rough words and usage from these back-woods landlords.”’ At 

that period, a sort of independence prevented the Yankees from doing anything which had the appearance of service. While Mr. 

Post kept a tavern, upon one occasion, the celebrated Indian Chief, Joseph Brant, became his guest for a night. Brant was on his 

way to Canada, from the seat of government, where he had been to transact some business with Congress. 

A Mr. Chapin and another gentleman were also guests at the same time with him. The Chief called for one bottle of wine after 

another, until they were all in a pretty happy mood, when the two gentlemen declined drinking any more. After being repeatedly 

urged to drink, and as often declining, they were told by Brant sportively, that unless they drank he would pour it down their necks. 

Becoming somewhat nettled at their decided refusal, Brant made some other proposition to Mr. Chapin, and from something said or 

refused to be done by the latter, the Indian flew into a towering passion. Angry words passed, and Brant dared Chapin to fight him, 

which the latter refused, and then tried by fair words and persuasion to satisfy the chief that no insult had been intended, but failing 

in this, he made an effort to leave the room—and the rest of the company also attempted to calm the excited passions of the great 

Mohawk warrior. Brant however drew his sword, and drove Chapin into a corner of the room, and there by the most bitter taunts and 

reproaches, by making passes at him with his weapon, and by rushing furiously towards him, attempted to compel him to fight. 

Chapin coolly bared his breast and said, “I will not lay hands upon you, but here is my bare breast, pierce it with your sword, if a 

victim you wish.” Mrs. Post, at this crisis. Recollecting to have heard that an Indian could be moved by the sight of an infant, 

instantly took her youngest child, but a few months old, and holding it in her arms, placed herself in front of the infuriated Brant, 

telling him that he must destroy her and her child before he injured their guest and friend. “How would it have looked,” she 

continued, “if several ladies had met here for a social visit, and they had ended it in strife? Put up your sword, and here, take my 

babe and hold it as you often have the others—see, it smiles and you look so angry!” The heart of the savage Thayendanegea was 

touched, he, who had reveled in scenes of blood and cruelty at Oriskany, and in the whole extent of the Mohawk valley, was now 

94

conquered by the smiles and innocence of an infant. The expression of his features was instantly changed. And laughing, he 

exclaimed, “what a fool I hare been! ‘’Chapin, let us forgive each other.” After this reconciliation, they retired. Mr. Post was not 

present, but this scene was witnessed by Mrs. Post and her children. 

July 13, 1792, Mr. Post purchased of the representatives of Gen. Bradstreet, eighty-nine and a half acres of lot 95, which now 

includes the heart of the city, and he had 9. Lease of twenty-five years of a small piece of lot 94, where his store stood. Doing an 

extensive business, he was apparently prosperous, and doubtless in a few years amassed a considerable property. He had taken 

as a partner his son-in-law. Giles Hamlin, and in making collections they had received a large amount of wheat, pork, etc., to take to 

market, with which, and a large sum in bank notes, they intended to purchase largely for their several stores. This was in 1806 or 

07, and a most disastrous fire swept away the whole, goods, money, etc., in a few minutes. Not more than $100 of the whole was 

saved, and Mr. Post was ruined as to property. In the decline of life, with a family of seven daughters, he could not recover from the 

blow, nothing but a mere pittance could be saved, and broken in spirits, infirm from age, Mr. Post ended his days in penury and 

want. In view of his revolutionary services, and his efforts to build up Utica in its infancy, he sometimes felt he ought to have been 

spared at least a home in the place. The Masonic Lodge {Amicable No. 22] of which he had been an officer, aided him with a 

small sum on two occasions. He died December 6 th , 1830. 

Mr. Post erected a warehouse of wood, three stories high, upon the river, and afterwards another of brick, which stood a few rods 

above the Mohawk bridge, at the foot of Genesee Street. It is now but a few years since that part of the brick warehouse left 

standing by time and the floods was taken down, the last relic of the navigation of the Mohawk 

He owned several boats which were employed during the season of navigation in taking produce, etc.. to Schenectady. And bringing 

back merchandize and the families and effects of persons removing into the new country. After awhile he fitted up three stage-boats, 

the Accommodation, the Diligence and another, with oil-cloth covers, seats, etc., for the accommodation of travelers between Utica 

and Schenectady, who preferred this mode to wagons and afterwards stages, over rough and muddy roads. Mr. Post was the first 

post-master in this place, but held the office but a few years. 

Appendix III 

Freemasonry and Springfield Lodge No. 4 in Springfield, Illinois: A brief history: 

1 Mar 2010 

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=336850788809 

Masonry has always been a part of the city of Springfield. The city began as a settlement for travellers headed west in search of 

land, away from the growing population in the east. Around 1823, there were about thirty families living in the area. The first home 

on record was that of John Kelly, whose house sat on the northeast corner of Second and Jefferson Streets. At the time, the city 

was known as Calhoun, named after Senator John C. Calhoun. However, he soon fell out of favor due to scandal and the future 

capital city was renamed Springfield. 

Since the beginning, there have been Masons living in Springfield. James Adams arrived in 1821, a Master Mason from 

Connecticut. He is also the first lawyer on record living in Springfield. Other Masons came from the east and soon began a 

movement to form a lodge. 

Sangamo Lodge No. 9 was granted dispensation under the Grand Lodge of Missouri on June 24, 1823. The newly formed Grand 

Lodge of Illinois was still in its infancy, being formed December 9, 1822. Unfortunately, the Anti-Masonic movement came a few 

years later and by 1827 the Grand Lodge of Illinois and almost every lodge in the state disbanded. 

For the next decade, Freemasonry was dormant in the state of Illinois. In 1836, the Grand Lodge of Kentucky authorized the 

formation of a lodge in Quincy, which is still in existance today. By the late 1830’s, the fraternity began to grow in the state. Without 

a Grand Lodge in Illinois, the Grand Lodges of Missouri and Kentucky granted charters around the state. By authority of Kentucky, 

lodges were chartered in Equality, 1829, Ottawa, 1840 and Dixon, 1840. Under the authority of Missouri, lodges were chartered in 

Jacksonville, 1838, Vandalia, 1839, Galena, 1839, Columbus, 1839, Springfield, 1839, Hillsboro, 1840 and Carlyle, 1840. With so 

many members of the fraternity in the state, it was decided that a new Grand Lodge should be formed for the State of Illinois. 

In 1839, Springfield had grown to nearly 2500 people. The growth of the city came when the industrial and commercial markets 

prospered with many pioneers passing through heading west to the great unchartered territories in search of more land and 

resources. By this time, the state had decided to move the capital from Vandalia to Springfield, a campaign headed by local 

businessmen and lawyers including future President Abraham Lincoln. 

On January 27, 1839, a meeting was held at a popular hotel in Springfield known as The American House, owned by local 

businessman Elijah Iles, on the corner of Sixth and Adams Streets. The Master Masons that met the day decided to petition the 

Grand Lodge of Missouri to begin a lodge in the city. 

Those present were: 

Name Member of Village and State 

James Adams, Skaneateles Lodge No. 522 Skaneateles, Onondaga, New York. 

James R. Gray, Vesper Lodge No. 71 Elkton, KY. 

Alexander Lindsay, Cumberland Star Lodge No. 197 Carlisle, PA. 

H. Colestock, Perseverance Lodge No. 21 Harrisburg, PA. 

Philo Beers, Montgomerey Lodge No. 68 New York City, New York. 

Love S. Cornwell, Bowling Green Lodge No. 73 Bowling Green, KY. 

Maurace Doyle, Lodge No. 30 Armagh, Armagh County, Ireland. 

J.R. Brancher, Pickaway Lodge No. 23 Circleville, OH. 

Bela C. Webster, Whitesboro Lodge No. 315 Whiteborough, Oneida, New York. 

James Maxey, Bowling Green Lodge No. 73 Bowling Green, KY. 

95

EMILY PORTER (HUNTINGTON) WEBSTER, born 5 Oct 1818 Boston, MA; m. 23 Nov 1837, Springfield, IL, Bela C. Webster, of New 

York City, where they lived. Bela was a merchant of Oneida county, NY, removed to Springfield in the Spring of 1 830, and to 

Baltimore, Md., in 1851. He formed a partnership with Virgil Hickox in 1834, selling dry goods, groceries, and hardware in 

Springfield, Illinois. By 1850 Webster had property valued at $14,500. 

Children: 

1. GEORGE HUNTINGTON, b. 31 Aug 1838. 

2. ELLEN R., b. 04 Feb 1841. 

3. JOHN, b. 15 Feb 1843. 

4. CHARLES, b. 31 Jul 1845, and died in infancy. 

5. EMILY, b. 31 Aug 1847. 

6. ANNA L., b. 05 Dec 1850, and died in infancy. 

7. KATE CAMPBELL, b. 12 Nov 1855. 

8. DOUGLAS, b. 24 Dec 1859. 

The petition was recommended by the officers and members of Harmony Lodge, then No. 24, of Jacksonville. The dispensation, 

dated February 25, 1839 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Missouri and designated James Adams (WM), James R. Gray (SW) 

and Alexander Lindsay (JW) as the first officers. Formal installation of the other officers of the lodge, Love S. Cornwall (SEC), 

James Maxey (TR), Philo Beers (SD) and William Cudmore (JD), was held on April 25, 1839 with Dr. Meredith Helm, member of 

Freindship Lodge No. 84 in Williamsport, Maryland, presiding. 

On October 25, 1839, the Grand Lodge of Missouri issued the charter which identified the lodge as Springfield Lodge No. 26. The 

lodge was very active during its first year, bringing in new members and hosting several events for the community. 

Committees from various lodges around the state met on December 27, 1839 in Jacksonville. Dr. Meredith Helm, James Adams and 

Alexander Lindsay represented Springfield Lodge No. 26 at that meeting. After much discussion it was decided that a new Grand 

Lodge of Illinois should be formed and April 6, 1840 was selected as the date for the first convention to be held in Jacksonville. 

James Adams represented Springfield Lodge Bo. 26 at that meeting and was elected as Deputy Grand Master. Senator Stephen A. 

Douglas, also a member of Springfield lodge, was elected as Orator for the Grand Lodge. 

The Missouri charter was relinquished for Springfield Lodge No. 26 and a dispensation was granted under the new Grand Lodge of 

Illinois, renaming the lodge Springfield Lodge No. 4. Although the lodge bore the number “four”, it was recorded as the first lodge to 

be issued a charter by the new Grand Lodge. 

After the convention of the new and current Grand Lodge of Illinois, the first six lodges were renamed: 

Bodley Lodge No. 1 in Quincy 

Equality Lodge No. 2 in Equality 

Harmony Lodge No. 3 in Jacksonville 

Springfield Lodge No. 4 in Springfield 

Far West Lodge No. 5 in Galena 

Columbus Lodge No. 6 in Columbus 

Brother Abraham Jonas was chosen by the convention to serve as the first Grand Master. He was a member of Columbus Lodge 

No. 6 in Columbus, Illinois. He has the distinction of being Grand Master of Illinois and previously the Grand Master of the Grand 

Lodge of Kentucky. 

Since the formation of Springfield Lodge No. 26 in 1839, becoming Springfield Lodge No.4 in 1840, the lodge has been a part of the 

community for 171 years. It is one the oldest, if not the oldest, organizations in the city of Springfield. Many prominent and influential 

members of the community in the early years have been members of Springfield Lodge No. 4 and many great men are members 

today, carrying on a long tradition of brotherly love in the city of Springfield. 

Most of this information was researched by Bro. Calvin A. Nevins, WM in 1939, for the 100 th Anniversary of the lodge. 

Which also appeared in “THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS; 1783-1952,” by Everett R. Turnbull, Past 

Master, Mt. Nebo Lodge, No. 76. 1952, which may be read at: 

http://www.archive.org/stream/riseprogressoffr00turn/riseprogressoffr00turn_djvu.txt 

Appendix IV 

The First Raising of the Stars and Stripes in Battle 

“The Connecticut magazine, Volume 12, No. 1,” by William Farrand Felch, George C. Atwell, H. Phelps Arms, Francis Trevelyan 

Miller. 1908. page 108. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=ThSxjuCQspsC&dq=%22William+Colbreath%22+%22flag%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

There has been a long conflict over the date of the first raising of the Stars and Stripes in battle. This has been given by Preble in 

his "History of the Flag of the United States of America," as the second of August. Most historians follow Preble, though John Fiske 

names Oriskany, New York, as the place and August sixth as the date. Local historians claim for Cooch's Bridge in Delaware, 

September third, as the correct place and date of the first raising of the Stars and Stripes in battle. This claim is based upon the fact 

that the flag raised at Fort Stanwix was an improvised rather than a regularly manufactured flag. The Avery-Burrows' investigations 

claim that all of these are wrong and that the correct date was Sunday, August 3rd, 1777. 

Their proof is here submitted: Fort Stanwix stood where Rome, New York, now is, upon the portage between the headwaters of the 

Mohawk, running east to the Hudson, and of Wood Creek, running west of Oneida Lake to Oswego River and Lake Ontario at 

Oswego, New York. This fort was defended in the summer of 1777 by Colonel Peter Gansevoort in command of a regiment of New 

York colonial troops consisting of eight companies. When General John Burgoyne came south from Canada upon his campaign, 

96

which ended in the surrender at Saratoga Heights on October 17, 1777, he sent Colonel Barry St. Leger with about 1,200 regular 

troops, together with Indian allies up the Saint Lawrence River to cross Lake Ontario to Oswego and ascend the streams to the 

portage and fort which it was planned he should invest and reduce, and then coming down the Mohawk rejoin Burgoyne in the 

vicinity of Albany. 

Two journals, kept by officers of Gansevoort's Regiment, have recently been discovered. One is the journal of Ensign William 

Colbreath (Colbraith) of the Eighth Company; the other is that of Captain Abraham Swartwout. The Colbreath "Journal" was 

published in part only in a book, "Old Fort Johnson," so late as 1906. The "Swartwout Chronicles" were privately printed in 1899, 

the editor being Arthur James Weise, in an edition limited to one hundred copies, which were not placed on sale, but privately 

distributed, and were, therefore, unobtainable by most libraries. In these journals it is plainly shown that the knowledge of the 

enactment of the flag statute by Congress on 14 Jun 1777, got to Albany, New York, on 31 Jul 1777, and that Lieutenant-Colonel 

Marinus Willett, commanding some Connecticut troops, two hundred in number, started on the 

same day to proceed up the Mohawk River in batteaux carrying supplies, ammunition, provisions, 

and his men as reinforcement for the garrison. Their arrival at Fort Stanwix did not occur until five 

o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday, which was 2 Aug. A great deal of enthusiasm was displayed, 

and during Sunday forenoon an improvised flag, in accordance with the new statute, was 

prepared, the only piece of blue cloth to be found in the garrison being the blue cloth military cloak 

of Captain Swartwout, which he sacrificed for the occasion, and after the flag had been prepared, 

it was flown on the northeast bastian and a cannon leveled and fired at the enemy who had, in the 

meantime, appeared in force before the place. The date, 2 Aug, is evidently an error, for the flag 

was not made until Sunday forenoon, nor did the enemy appear before the fort until that time, save 

for a few scattering scouts. Already histories are being changed to conform to this new state of 

affairs. It was brought to Mr. Burrows’ notice through one of his correspondents telling him about 

the “Swartwout Chronicles,” and that something appeared therein that bore upon the flag 

question. 

http://www.swarthoutfamily.org/Genealogy/chronpref.html 

In the Preface of the “Swartwout Chronicles” it is written: 

. . . “In the voluntary contribution, at Fort Schuyler, on August 3, 1777, by Abraham Swartwout, who, as a lieutenant of volunteer, 

had served, in 1762, in the successful campaign of the English forces on Cuba, of his valuable blue cloth cloak to form the field of 

the first United States flag that was made conformable to the style of the national standard established, on June 14, 1777, by the 

American Congress, as an historical fact inseparable from the genesis of the star-constellated banner of the Land of the Brave. The 

testimony of an order of the Pennsylvania Navy-Board, written on May 29, 1777, to pay Elizabeth Ross fourteen pounds twelve 

shillings and two pence for making ships' colors, etc. in no way substantiates the claim that she fabricated a United States flag prior 

to the Declaration of Independence, nor does it verify in any manner the assertion that the American Congress issued an order on 

the treasury to pay her a similar sum for making a flag or flags of the design set forth in the resolution of June 14, 1777.” . . . 

Arthur James Weise Troy, N.Y., August 15, 1899 

------ 

“The Story of Old Fort Johnson,” 1906. By William Max Reid. pages 86-100. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=UO9YAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22old+fort+johnson%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Note: Information in brackets [ ] added by the present compiler – Mar 2010 – g.l.h] 

Names in bold type were also known Freemasons 

I have deemed it best to write this summary of the situation of affairs in the Mohawk Valley during August, 1777, in order to place 

before you some new material in regard to the siege of the fort. 

On the north bank of the Mohawk River, opposite the city of Schenectady, is the little village of Scotia; so named by one of the first 

settlers in the vicinity of Schenectady, who was called, by his Dutch neighbors, Sanders Leendertse Glen, but whose Scotch name 

was Alexander Lindsey Glen. He came to this country by the way of Holland in 1633 and some years later (about 1658) settled on 

land at Scotia. 

A few rods west of the toll bridge that spans the Mohawk at Schenectady stands the old Glen-Sanders house, so called in later 

years on account of the intermarriage of the two families. It is said that a sister of Alexander Glen married a man by the name of 

Sanders, and that the present owners of the old house, husband and wife, are both lineal descendants from the father of Alex. 

Leendertse Glen, the families again being brought together after nearly three centuries. It is said that a house was erected on the 

north bank of the Mohawk near the site of the present building by Glen, the first settler, about 1660. A half-century later, or, to be 

more exact, in 1713, the river having encroached upon the old structure to such an extent as to render it unsafe for occupancy, a 

new dwelling was erected on higher ground, much of the older building being used in its construction, which can be seen at the 

present day, in many of the doors and casings. The family, proud of their ancestors and the antiquity of their surroundings, have 

preserved their home and its antique furniture, together with old letters and legal documents, so that to-day it is a storehouse of 

treasures of historic value; its large collection of old china and quaint furniture making it a most interesting museum to antiquaries of 

the historic Mohawk Valley. The writer, at a recent visit, was shown no less than five parchment commissions, to members of the 

Glen family, alternately bearing the signatures of the colonial governors, Lords Bellamont, Sloughter, Fletcher, Dongan, and Hunter, 

and one signed by Morris. Many of the documents which have been preserved have lain perdu in old chests without examination for 

many years. 

One of these chests has recently undergone inspection, which has brought to light the commissions spoken of above, together with 

a very interesting paper which proves to be a diary of a soldier of Colonel Gansevoort's regiment, having been kept by a member of 

the detachment of Major Cochran, sent to reinforce Colonel Elmore at Fort Schuyler 17 Apr 1777, and bears a striking resemblance 

to Colonel Willett's report to Governor Trumbull after the termination of the siege, with many interesting particulars of life within the 

fort not mentioned by Willett in his report. It covers the period between 17 Apr 1777, when Colonel Gansevoort's troops relieved 

97

Colonel Elmore, and 23 Aug of the same year, the day General Benedict Arnold entered the fort after the hurried retreat of St. 

Leger's troops. 

It also gives the date (3 Aug 1777) when the first American flag, of the regulation Stars and Stripes, was raised above an 

American fort, having been made by the inhabitants of the fort from a blue cloak, a red flannel skirt, and strips of white 

cotton. 

[An interesting fictionalized account of this flag may be read in the book Little Maid of Mohawk Valley, by Alice Turner Curtis, 1924, 

which may be read at: http://books.google.com/books?id=_- 

WG37gxMZAC&dq=%22swartout%22+%22fort+stanwix%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s ] 

The manuscript begins as follows: 

The Journal of William Colbraith (Colbreath) 

1777—Journal of the most material occurrences preceding the siege of Fort Schuyler (formerly Fort Stanwix) with an account of that 

siege, etc. 

April 17th.—A detachment of Colonel [Peter] Gansevoort's regiment, under command of Major Cochran, arrived to reinforce 

Colonel Elmore, who was stationed there. [Col. Gansevoort was a Freemason] 

May 3d.—Colonel Gansevoort arrived and took command of the garrison agreeable to instructions. 

May 10th.—Colonel Elmore's regiment march for Albany. 

May 28th.—The remainder of the regiment under the command of Colonel Willett arrived here from Fort Constitution, who informed 

Colonel Gansevoort that by order of Major Gen. Gates he had relieved Fort Dayton, (then in charge of Lieutenant Colonel 

Livingston), with one captain, two subalterns, two sergeants, one drum and fife and forty rank and file of his detachment. Some 

Oneida Indians arrived here with a flag from Canada, who informed the Colonel that they had been to Caughnawaga [now Fonda, 

NY] to request them not to take up the hatchet in favor of Great Britain and gave him assurance of that tribe being much inclined to 

keep the peace, that had for so long a time subsisted between them and their American brethren, and that some of the sachems 

would be here in eight days on their way for Albany to treat on this subject. And also, as they were going to Canada they met the 

enemy on their march from thence to Oswego, being destined for this place, and after the treaty was over, which Sir John Johnson 

was to hold with the Indians in that country at Oswego, we might hourly expect them. 

June 25th.—Capt. [James] Grigg [Gregg], with Corporal Maddeson of his company, being between the Forts Newport and Bull, 

about 1¼ miles from Fort Schuyler, were attacked by a party of Indians who wounded and tomahawked them and scalped them. 

The captain was alive when found, but the corporal dead. [Note Capt. Grigg (Gregg) was a Freemason. See his brief biography at 

the end of this Journal]. 

July 3d.—Ensign [John] Sporr, being in command of seven men cutting sods for the fort at Fort Newport, were attacked by a party 

of Indians, who killed end scalped one, wounded and scalped another, and took the ensign and four men prisoners. [Bro. Spoor was 

also a Freemason; he brief biography follow Bro. Greggs at the end of this Journal] 

July 18th.—Capt. Grigg, being much recovered of his wounds, set off for Albany. 

July 19th.—Same day arrived Captain Swartwout, Lieutenants [Jacob] Diefendorf, Ball, Welch, McClellan, Bowen, Ostrander and 

Colbreath and Ensign Denniston, with a number of recruits for the regiment. [ 

[Abraham Swartwout, Solomon's Lodge No. 1, Poughkeepsie, New York; Junior Warden of Lodge. Ensign, 2nd NY; Captain, 3rd 

Regt, The Line; Associated Exemprs, Dutchess Co. Militia. – see his genealogical sketch at this end of this Journal] 

July 26th.—The sachems of Caughnawaga arrived here with a flag agreeable to the intelligence received from the Oneida Indians. 

A party of one hundred of the garrison went to guard a number of the militia sent to obstruct Wood creek by falling trees from either 

side into the creek. 

July 27th.—Three girls belonging to the inhabitants being about two hundred yards from our out-sentinels were fired on by a party of 

Indians, two of whom were killed and scalped, the other wounded in two places, neither of them dangerous. The party returned who 

had been to stop the creek. 

July 28th.—The Colonel sent off those women which belonged to the garrison which have children, with whom went the man that 

was scalped, the girl that was wounded yesterday and sick in the hospital. 

July 30th.—An Indian arrived express from the Oneida castle with a belt of wampum and a letter from the sachems of 

Caughnawaga and the Six Nations, in which letter they assured us they were determined to be at peace with the American brethren; 

that the enemy were at the Three Rivers and two detachments were to set off before the main body; one body of eight would be 

sent to take prisoners, and another of 130 to cut off communication on the Mohawk river. Major Bedlam arrived with 150 men of 

Colonel Weston's regiment from Fort Dayton; with him came Captain Dewitt and his party who had been left at Fort Dayton by 

Colonel Willett, the whole making to the garrison a reinforcement of about 200 men. Mr. Hansen, commissary of this garrison, 

arrived and acquainted us that seven bateaux, loaded with ammunition and previsions, were on their way for this place. The letter 

and belt was, agreeable to the request of the Indians, sent down by express to the several committees on the Mohawk river. 

Aug. 1st.—Three Oneida Indians came express from their castle informing us that they had seen three strange Indians, who told 

them that there were 100 more at the Royal Block House, and that they were to march for this place. Supposing them to be a party 

sent to cut off communications, the Colonel detached 100 men under command of Captain Benschoten and three subalterns to 

meet the bateaux that were hourly expected, in order to reinforce the guard sent with them from Fort Dayton. 

Aug. 2d.—Four bateaux arrived, being those the party went to meet, having a guard of 100 men of Colonel Weston's regiment from 

Fort Dayton, under the command of Lieut. Col. Mellon of that regiment. The lading being brought safe into the fort, guard marched 

98

in, when our sentinels on the southwest bastion discovered the enemy's fires in the woods near Fort Newport, upon which the 

troops ran to their respective alarm posts; at this time we discovered some men running from the landing toward the garrison. On 

their coming they informed us that the bateaux men who had staid behind when the guard marched into the fort had been fired on 

by the enemy at the landing, that two of them were wounded, the master of the bateaux taken prisoner, and one man missing. 

Aug. 3d.—Early this morning a Continental flag, made by the officers of Colonel Gansevoort's regiment, was hoisted and a 

cannon leveled at the enemy's camp was fired on the occasion. A small party was sent to the landing to see if the enemy had 

destroyed any of our bateaux last night. This party found the bateaux man that was missing, wounded through the brain, stabbed in 

the right breast and scalped. He was alive when found and brought to the garrison, but died shortly after. The bateaux lay at the 

landing no ways damaged. About 3 o'clock this afternoon the enemy showed themselves to the garrison on all sides, carried off 

some hay from a field near the garrison, at which a flag brought by Captain Tice came into the fort with a proffer of protection if the 

garrison would surrender, which was rejected with disdain. 

Aug. 4th.—A continual firing of small arms was this day kept up by the enemy's Indians, who advanced within gunshot of the fort, in 

small parties under cover of bushes, weeds and potatoes in the garden. Colonel Mellon and his party of 100 men, who came from 

Fort Dayton as a guard to the bateaux, was to have returned this day, but we were now besieged and all communication cut off for 

the present. The firing ended with the close of the day, we having one man killed and six wounded. This night we sent out a party 

and brought 27 stacks of hay into the trench and set a barn and house on fire belonging to Mr. Roof. 

Aug. 5th.—A continual firing was kept up by the savages. One of our men was shot dead on the northeast bastion. The enemy set 

fire to the new barracks standing about 100 yards from this fort, between four and five o'clock this afternoon. 

Aug. 6th.—This morning the Indians were seen going off from around the garrison towards the landing; as they withdrew we had not 

much firing. Being uneasy lest the Tories should report that the enemy had taken the fort, Lieut. [Jacob] Diefendorf was ordered to 

get ready to set off for Albany this evening to inform General Schuyler of our situation, but between nine and ten this morning three 

militia men arrived here with a letter from General Harkeman wherein he writes that he had arrived at Orisco with 1,000 militia, in 

order to relieve the garrison and open communication, which was then entirely blocked up, and that if the colonel should hear a 

firing of small arms, desired he would send a party from the garrison to reinforce him. General Harkeman desired that the colonel 

would fire three cannon, if the three men got safe into the fort with his letter, which was done and followed by three cheers by the 

whole garrison. According to General Harkeman's request the colonel detached two hundred men and one field piece under 

command of Lieut. Col. Willett with orders to proceed down the road to meet the General's party; having marched half a mile, they 

came upon an encampment of the enemy which they totally routed, and plundered them of as much baggage as the soldiers could 

carry. Their loss is supposed to be between fifteen and twenty killed. The number of wounded, who got off, is unknown. They took 

four prisoners, three of whom were wounded, and Mr. Singleton of Montreal, who says he is a lieutenant, without the loss of one 

man killed or wounded. Our party returned immediately and brought in a number of blankets, brass kettles, powder and ball, a 

variety of clothes and Indian trinkets and hard cash, together with four scalps the Indians had lately taken, being entirely fresh and 

left in their camp. Two of the scalps taken are supposed to be those of the girls, being neatly dressed and the hair plaited. A bundle 

of letters was found in the enemy's camp, which had been sent by one Luke Cassidy for this garrison, who it is supposed is either 

killed or taken; the letters were not broke open. Four colours were also taken, and immediately hoisted on our flagstaff under the 

Continental flag, as trophies of victory. By our prisoners we learn that the enemy are 1210 strong, 250 British regulars, that they are 

all arrived and have with them two six pounders, two three pounders and 

four royals. We also learn that they were attacked by our militia on this side 

of Orisco, that they drove the militia back, killed some and took several 

prisoners, but the enemy had many killed, and among them one Stephen 

Watts of New York. Our party found among the enemy a Tory named 

Harkeman, brother to the General. He belonged to the German Flats. One of 

General Harkeman's militia came in here this evening and gave an account 

of the militia being drove back by the enemy, that in the battle he hid himself 

in the mud and grass, and that General Harkeman and a number of regular 

officers and Indians passed him in conversation. (This was a lie.) One of the 

prisoners we took to-day died of his wounds this evening. 

Aug. 7th.—Very little firing to-day. At 11 o'clock this evening the enemy 

came near the fort, called to our sentinels, telling them to come out again 

with fixed bayonets, and they would give us satisfaction for yesterday's work; 

after which they fired four small cannon at the fort. We laughed at them and 

they returned to rest. The four militia men who came in yesterday went off 

about 12 o'clock this night. Two men deserted from us to the enemy this 

night. 

Aug. 8th.—The enemy threw some shells at us to-day, but did no damage, 

and in order to return the compliment, they were saluted with a few balls 

from our cannon. About 5 o'clock this evening Colonel Butler, with a British 

captain and a doctor from the enemy, came to the garrison with a flag, 

whose message from Gen. St. Leger was that the Indians, having lost some 

of their chiefs in a skirmish with our party that sallied out on the 6th inst., 

were determined to go down the Mohawk River and destroy the women and 

children, also that they would kill every man in the garrison when they got in; 

that Gen. St. Leger had held a council with them for two days in order to 

prevent them, but all to no purpose, unless we would surrender. The general 

therefore, as an act of humanity, and to prevent the effusion of blood, 

begged we would deliver up the fort, and promised if we did, not a hair of our 

heads should be hurt. A letter also came by them (as they say) from Mr. Fry 

and Colonel Bellinger, whom they took in the fray with the militia, begging us 

to surrender, telling us our communication was cut off, that the enemy had a 

99

large parcel of fine troops, and an excellent park of artillery, and further, that they expected General Burgoyne was in Albany, and 

could see no hopes of our having any succor, as the militia had many killed and taken. The answer to the general's tender and 

compassioned (?) letter was deferred until to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock, and a cessation of arms agreed to by both parties till 

then. Late this evening a party was sent to get water for the garrison, with a guard. One of the guards deserted from us, but left his 

firelock behind. One of our sentinels fired at him but missed him. Our guard heard the enemy's sentinels challenge him twice and 

fire on him. Colonel Willett and Lieutenant Stockwell went out of the garrison at one o'clock in the morning on a secret expedition. 

Aug. 9th.—Agreeable to the proposals of yesterday, between Colonel Gansevoort and Brigadier General St. Leger, a flag was sent 

out to him requesting him to send his demand in writing and the Colonel would send him an answer, which request he agreed to. 

The demands in writing was the same in substance with that verbally delivered yesterday by Colonel Butler, to which the Colonel 

returned for answer: That he was determined to defend the fort in favor of the United States to the last extremity. Upon receiving the 

answer hostilities again commenced by a number of shot and small arms on their side which were not suffered with impunity on 

ours. This day the Colonel ordered all the provisions to be brought upon the parade for fear of shells setting fire to the barracks and 

destroying it; also all the public papers and money in the hands of Mr. Hansen and the papers in the hands of Mr. Van Veghten 

belonging to the paymaster to be lodged in the bomb-proof in the S. W. bastion. The enemy began to bombard us at half past ten 

this evening and continued till daylight; their shells were very well directed. They killed one man and wounded another, both of our 

regiment. None killed or wounded through the day. This day the enemy kept out of sight, except one or two who appeared about 

their battery doing nothing. About three o'clock this afternoon three or four of them were seen running across a field near the 

garrison and setting fire to some cocks of hay standing there which soon consumed them. This manoeuver of the enemy led us to 

believe that the enemy's intention was to deceive us to imagine thereby that they were going off and put us off our guard and induce 

us to send out parties which they might fall on, and thereby diminish our strength, knowing us to be too many for them. Was this 

their scheme, they fell short of their conjecture. Some of our officers imagined they were going off or they would not destroy the hay, 

it being out of our reach and much wanted by them for their troops to lay on, as it is certain they have nothing to shelter themselves 

from the weather except their blankets which they make tents of. 

Fearing they meant to lull us to sleep and storm us in the night, the Colonel ordered the guard and piquet doubled and the troops to 

lay on their arms. Between twelve and one o'clock to-night they bombard us and continued till daylight. This night's work did us no 

other damage than breaking the thigh of a young man, an inhabitant. This unfortunate young man was brought up in the same 

family with one of the girls that was killed and scalped on the 27th, and whose scalps we have now in the fort. They were 

remarkably industrious and faithful, both orphans and were by consent of their former master to have been married very soon. The 

young man died of his wound. 

Aug. 11th.—This day the enemy having observed that we brought water from the creek altered its course so that it became dry. This 

would have done us much damage had we not been able to open two wells in the garrison which with one we had already proved a 

sufficient supply. The enemy kept out of sight and no firing from them of any kind. They were seen by our sentinels drawing near the 

landing, by which we imagine a reinforcement is coming to our relief. At twelve o'clock a shower of rain coming up the Colonel 

ordered a fatigue party to turn out with a subaltern's guard to bring in some barrels of lime, a number of boards and some timber 

lying at the foot of the glacis. Which they effected without having a shot fired at them. The enemy was seen to muster in the road 

below the landing while our men were out. At sundown they gave us some shot and shells from their battery. At midnight they sent 

four shells, but a thunder shower coming up at that instant they left off. The night being very dark and excessive raining till day, the 

Colonel ordered the troops to their alarm posts lest the enemy should attempt to surprise. 

Aug. 12th.—The enemy kept out of sight all day and no firing from them till noon, when they gave us some shot and shells, without 

doing any damage. We imagined the enemy drew their forces in the daytime between us and Orisko, as we have not seen them so 

plenty these two or three days as we are used to do; neither do they trouble us all night, which gave our troops an opportunity of 

resting. 

Aug. 13th.—The enemy were very peaceable all day till towards night, when they cannonaded and bombarded for two hours, during 

which time a shell broke a soldier's leg belonging to Colonel Mellon's detachment. 

Aug. 14th.—Toward evening they were again at their old play, cannonading and bombarding us. A shell bursting slightly wounded 

one of Colonel Mellon's men in the head. No other damage was done. One of Captain Gregg's company, Colonel Gansevoort's 

regiment, deserted his post to the enemy. He was placed on the outside picket and deserted between ten and twelve o'clock at 

night. 

Aug. 15th.—At 5 o'clock this morning the enemy threw two shells at us. Did no damage. The number of shells they have thrown at 

us is 137. The enemy were very troublesome with their small arms this afternoon, by which we had one man of our regiment and 

one of Colonel Mellon's detachment slightly wounded. In the evening they threw their shells at us and slightly wounded a woman 

and one of Captain Savage's artillery-men. 

Aug. 16th.—This morning the enemy threw some shells horizontally at our works, but fell short. One of those shells falling on the 

parade killed a man of Colonel Mellon's detachment. They continued to throw them all day and some part of the night, but did no 

further damage. A party of our men were ordered out this evening to bring in wood for the garrison, and being discovered by some 

skulking Indians near the garrison gave the alarm to the rest. They advanced near where our men were at work, but luckily our men 

had been called in before they came nigh enough to do any mischief. They finding our men had got in began a most hideous shout. 

A cannon being fired at them they departed. The regulars' drums were heard beating to arms after the cannon was fired. We 

suppose they expected us to sally out again upon them with a field-piece. At midnight they threw three shells at us, but did no 

damage. 

Aug. 17th.—The enemy were quiet all day and night; neither a shot or shell was fired at us during the twenty-four hours, although 

we fired several cannon at them. 

Aug. 18th.—This morning one of our regiment was slightly wounded in the cheek by a musquet ball. A black flag or coat was seen in 

enemy's bomb battery. 

Aug. 19th.—The enemy threw some shells at us near noon. They were busy in their trench all day. At night they struck their trench 

towards the point of our northwest bastion, and by daylight had got within 150 yards of the ditch. We fired some grape shot at them 

100

now and then all night. At every shot we fired they threw shells at us but did no damage. At midnight the colonel sent out one of his 

regiment and one of Colonel Mellon's detachment to meet Colonel Willett if possible, whom we expected was on his way to this 

place with a reinforcement, to make him acquainted with the enemy's maneuvers on the southwest side of the fort, that he might 

govern the attack accordingly. 

Aug. 20th.—This morning one of Colonel Mellon's men was wounded by a musquet ball. The enemy could work but little this day at 

their trench, it being so nigh that our small arms, as well as our cannon shot, was too hot for them. In the evening they began their 

trench again and worked all night at it, under fire of our cannon and small arms, but did not approach any nearer. 

Aug. 21st.—At two o'clock this morning a party was sent out to bring in firewood, who brought in a great quantity undiscovered. 

They cannonaded and bombarded by turns all night. A man of our regiment deserted this evening. This morning we discovered that 

the enemy approach nearer to us and had begun a bomb battery, where they left off yesterday morning. The artillery-man who was 

wounded in the knee with a musquet ball died on the 4th inst. of his wounds. One of Colonel Mellon's men and the lad belonging to 

the inhabitants died likewise of their wounds. The enemy kept working all day in their trench though not so close as last night. No 

firing from their batteries. This day our guard kept a constant fire at those at work in the trench, and in the evening twelve of the best 

marksmen were picked out to harass them when at work in the night, which galled them so much that their Indians were sent for to 

draw off our attention, who advanced near the fort, which caused a general alarm, by which a heavy and continued firing was kept 

up for near two hours, during which their cannon and mortars were playing on us very briskly, in which interim we had a man of the 

artillery wounded and a woman big with child wounded in the thigh. A corporal and three privates deserted this evening of our 

regiment. 

Aug. 22d.—This morning the enemy bombarded very smartly. The sergeant-major and two privates were wounded. At noon a 

deserter came to us, whose examination was: that the enemy had news in the camp that Burgoyne's army was entirely routed and 

that three thousand men were coming up to reinforce us, and further that the enemy was retreating with great precipitation, and that 

he with another was conveying off one Lieut. Anderson's chest, when he had made his escape, and that most of the baggage was 

gone. Upon which the commanding officer ordered all the cannon bearing on their works to fire several rounds each to see whether 

they would return it, which partly confirmed the report of the deserter. Some time after four men came in and reported the same, and 

that they had left part of their baggage. Upon which the colonel ordered fifty men and two wagons under command of Captain 

Jansen to go to their camps, where they killed two Indians and took four prisoners; one of them was an Indian. After they had loaded 

the wagons with what baggage they could carry, they returned, but night coming on, they could not return to fetch what baggage 

was still left in their camp. At night, two men came in: one of them was assisting the first deserter in carrying off Lieutenant 

Anderson's chest, the other John (Han) Yost Schuyler, who informed the commanding officer that he was taken prisoner at the 

German Flats and confined at Fort Dayton five days. That General Arnold had sent him to General St. Leger, commander of the 

King's troop, to inform him that 2,000 Continentals with two field-pieces and a great number of militia were on the march for this 

place to reinforce the garrison, that he had informed General St. Leger of it and in consequence of which he ordered his troops to 

strike their tents and pack up. And further, after he had done his errand, he hid himself in the woods till night, and coming across the 

above men they came in together. He likewise informed us that near seventeen Indians were at Fort Newport quite drunk; upon 

which the colonel ordered a party of men under the command of Major Cochran to go and take them, who in about an hour returned 

and informed the colonel he had been there and did not find any, and that he went to Wood creek and found eight new bateaux, 

which the enemy had left behind. While they were out, the woman that was wounded with a shell last night was brought to bed in 

our southwest bomb-proof, of a daughter. She and the child are like to do well, with the blessing of God. Our blockade ended, and 

the garrison once more at liberty to walk about and take the free air we had for twenty-one days been deprived of. At twelve o'clock 

this night the commanding officer sent off three of his regiment to inform General Arnold of the precipitate retreat of the enemy. A 

deserter came in who said he had just left the enemy's cohorns below Wood creek bridge. 

Aug. 23d.—This morning the colonel sent out a party under the command of Major Cochran to take them, who returned with three 

prisoners and four cohorns and some baggage, and reported there were seventeen bateaux lying there. Another party was sent to 

the enemy's north camp to bring in the rest of the baggage left by us last night, consisting of ammunition, camp equipage and 

entrenching tools. Another party was sent to the enemy's southeast camp, who brought in fifteen wagons, a three-pound field-piece 

carriage with all its apparatus. Most of the wagon wheels were cut to pieces, as were the wheels of the carriage. Several scouts 

were sent out to-day, one of whom took a German prisoner, who reported that the enemy's Indians had, when they got about ten 

miles from this fort, fallen on the scattering Tories, took their arms from, and stabbed them with their own bayonets. And that for fear 

of said Indians, he and nine more German soldiers had took to the woods. The rest are not yet found. Their design was not to come 

to the fort, as Butler and Johnson told them, when orders were given to retreat, that those who fell into our hand would be hanged 

immediately. Another scout proceeded to Canada creek, found a carriage for a six-pounder and three boxes of cannon shot, which 

they brought in. This afternoon the Honorable Major General Arnold arrived here with near a thousand men. They were saluted with 

a discharge of powder from our mortars, formerly the enemy's, and all the cannon from the bastions, amounting in the whole to 

thirteen, attended with three cheers from the troops on the bastions. 

----- 

“The Frontiersmen of New York,” Volume II, by Jeptha Root Simms, 1883. page 274. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZxobAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA274&lpg=PA274&dq=%22captain+james+gregg%22&source=bl&ots=l 

WO_YVLpNg&sig=hbqFZGypgZNXzAduqIG0FzGnqwg&hl=en&ei=biPWSdONNcclQeTn_jGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&re 

snum=2 

The Scalping of Capt. Gregg and his Companion 

This certificate is without a date, but the scalps were obtained as follows: 

June 25, 1777, Captain James Gregg, left Fort Stanwix with Corporal Madison, probably of his own company, and both of Col. 

Gansevoort's regiment, to shoot pigeons. Col. G. said they left the fort, contrary to orders, soon after breakfast. When distant one 

and a half miles northerly from the fort, they were shot down by two Indians; at least Capt. Gregg saw but two, and Madison was 

killed and scalped. The Capt. was shot and tomahawked, and feigning death, suffered his scalp to be removed; which, after an 

incision around the head, was done by the Indian's teeth. After his foes left him, the Captain looked at his watch and found, as he 

assured the Colonel, it was- just 10 o'clock. Supposing his death at hand, Capt. Gregg thought his suffering would be mitigated 

could he but pillow his head upon the body of his companion, a few rods distant ; and after several attempts he gained that position : 

101

to find himself annoyed by the caresses and whining of a favorite little dog. Too sick at heart to bear with his faithful canine friend, 

he addressed him as though a rational being— " If you desire so much to help me, go and call some one to my relief!" 

To the surprise of the sufferer, the dog ran off to a couple of men of the garrison, who were fishing in the Mohawk, nearly a mile 

distant. By his unusual action and pitiful moans, the men, knowing whose dog it was, agreed to follow him and have the mystery 

solved. After proceeding some distance, they hesitated, fearing a decoy, when the little messenger increased his cries, intercepted 

their path and, with his teeth, endeavored to lead them onward. The fishermen now resolved to follow the dog at all hazard, and he 

soon brought them to his suffering master. This, says Col. Gansevoort, was about two o'clock in the afternoon. They at once 

reported what they had discovered at the fort, when the Colonel sent a party to bring in the Captain, as also the body of Corporal 

Madison, arriving at the fort a little after three, p. M. The Corporal was buried from the fort, and the Captain was as well cared for as 

circumstances would allow ; but was afterwards removed to the hospital at Albany, and fell under the immediate care of Dr. 

Thatcher [q.v.], who thus speaks of him : "He was a most frightful spectacle ; the whole of his scalp was removed ; in two places on 

the fore part of his head, the tomahawk had penetrated through the scull ; there was a wound on his back from the same instrument, 

besides a wound in his side and another through his arm by a musket ball. This unfortunate man, after suffering extremely for a long 

time, finally recovered, and - appeared to be well satisfied in having his scalp restored to him, though uncovered with hair." At the 

end of a year or two he was again on duty, and survived the war several years.— Col. Ganseooorfs report to Gen. Schuyler ; Dr. 

Dwighfs narrative, and Dr. Thatcher's Military Journal, (a copy of which in the Archives of OMDHS). 

http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/History/Wilson%20Robert.pdf 

The remarkable adventure of Captain Gregg is worthy of notice. He was a soldier of the garrison of Fort Schuyler, and went out one 

day to shoot pigeons, with two of his soldiers, and a boy named (Robert) Wilson [q.v.] (who became an ensign in the army at the 

age of eighteen, and conducted the surrender of the British standards at Yorktown). Fearing the Indians, the boy was sent back. 

Robert Wilson had been early trained in the duties and hardships of military life, by his maternal uncle, the famous Captain Gregg. 

For Robert Wilson’s own remarkable story, consult his biographical sketch by the present compiler at: 

http://www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com/sites/default/files/history/Wilson%20Robert.pdf 

GREGG, JAMES, MARY; NY, W.17025; Albany NY; MARY GREGG widow of JAMES GREGG dec'd late a Capt. in the Rev; 

Cayuga Co NY 12 Dec 1836 MARY GREGG of town of Victory, Cayuga Co NY widow of JAMES GREGG, was born in the year 

1762 and was married to said JAMES GREGG in Bloomingrove, Orange Co, 1782 by Revd. CONSTANT; that her said husband 

JAMES GREGG 

died 22 Sep 1785. 

10 Nov 1886, Wayne Co NY; I, MATTHEW BREWSTER of Starling, Cayuga Co depose and says he was acquainted with CAPT. 

JAMES GREGG who was an officer in the Rev army; that he had seen the scar on CAPT. GREGG's head which was caused (as 

said CAPT. GREGG) by being scalped by an Indian, that said CAPT. JAMES GREGG, after he had rec'd said wound, marriedd 

MARY BREWSTER, now MARY GREGG, who was sister to said deponent. Son MATTHEW BREWSTER. 

------ 

John Spoor, Union Lodge No. 1; Ensign, 3rd NY. 

Commissioned November 21,1776. On command at Stlllwater, May 19,1779. 

(Col.) Peter Gansevoort reported that on July 2, 1777 Ensign John Spoor and 16 privates were out cutting sod for the fort and 

were attacked by about forty of Butler's Emissaries. Gansevoort states that one private was brought into the fort dead and another 

two were wounded; one mortally and the other slightly. Peter complains that Spoor and six of his privates are reported missing 

despite the actions of two parties which pursued the enemy. 

http://www.revolutionarywararchives.org/bovee.html 

On July 3rd, 1777, Colonel Gansevoort sent out a work party to gather sod to be used to cover the roofs of the Fort’s buildings. This 

work party was commanded by Ensign John Spoor and consisted of Privates James Empson, Adam Shades, Aaron King, James 

Rogers, Thomas Wilson and Nicholas Bovee. Rogers and Bovee were selected to stand guard, while the others loaded sod into the 

two ox carts. A raiding party of some 40 Mohawk Indians lurked in the nearby brush. They had been sent by St. Leger to capture 

prisoners for which they would receive a bounty. They fired from ambush at the two armed guards. Rogers was shot dead, and 

Nicholas Bovee was hit twice in the right arm. The entire work party ran for the protection of the Fort. Bovee, unable to use his right 

arm and handle his musket also ran. A pursuing Indian threw his tomahawk, striking Bovee in the right hip. Bovee fell to the ground 

and was immediately overpowered by the Indians, scalped and left for dead. Spoor, Empson, Shades, Jones and King were cut off 

from the Fort and were captured. Later, while enroute to St. Leger’s headquarters at Oswego (Oswegatche), New York, Aaron King 

tried to escape and was killed. All forty of the Indians, having suffered no casualties on this raid, arrived at Oswego, with four 

prisoners and three scalps, Rogers', King's and Bovee's. 

102

Colonel Gansevoort responded to the sound of the musket fire and dispatched a detachment of the 3rd to rescue the work party. By 

the time they organized and covered the three quarters of a mile to where the work party was located, all they found was the 

scalped body of Private James Rogers, and a barely alive Nicholas Bovee. They carried them back to Fort Stanwix. 

The Hospital at Fort Stanwix was located under the Southwest bastion, a dank, dark, windowless room. There Regimental Surgeon 

Hunloke Woodruff and his Surgeon’s Mate, Jonathan Elliott, set about to save Bovee’s life. The two wounds in his right arm were 

apparently superficial, as neither bone nor arteries were severed. The hip wound, resulting from the thrown tomahawk was another 

matter. They probably cauterized it. The medical treatment for scalping was simple, bandage it and make the victim as comfortable 

as possible, as infection would surely set in and he would be dead in a few days. But, Nicholas Bovee was from hearty Dutch stock, 

and he survived. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=-3sPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA291&dq=%22john+spoor%22&lr=# page 195. 

John Spoor applied for a pension March 3, 1821, being then 71 years old. He said he owned "nineteen acres of very poor land in 

Pompey worth not over $5 per acre." There is some very poor land there yet. He had other property, all amounting to $265.81, and 

in this was a pair of "old andirons with the feet off." His credit was so good that he owed $200. His wife was 69 years old, and their 

daughter lived with them. In 1776 he enlisted in Capt. Thomas De Witt's Co., Col. Gansevoort's regiment, NY Line, and served four 

years as ensign. In 1790 he was in Chittenden, Vt. 

------ 

Abraham Swartwout, Solomon's Lodge No. 1, Poughkeepsie, New York; Junior Warden of Lodge. Ensign, 2nd NY; Captain, 3rd 

Regt, The Line; Associated Exemplars, Dutchess Co. Militia. 

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ldygen&id=I00131 

Capt. Abraham Swartwout Jr. , b. 1743 in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess, NY; d. there 15 Oct 1799; bur. Poughkeepsie Church Yard, next 

to Nelson House, Main and Market St, Poughkeepsie. 

Military Service: 1776 Capt in the Dutchess County Miltia, NY. 

Father: Abraham Swartwout b: 1703 in Kingston, Ulster, NY; Mother: Tryntjen Van Kleeck b: ABT 1703 in Poughkeepsie. 

Marriage 1 Polly North b: 1747 in Fishkill, Dutchess, NY. 

Marriage 2, 1764 Maria North b: 1745 in Newton, Queens, N. 

Children, b. in Poughkeepsie: 

1. Catharina Swartwout b: 18 Apr 1767 

2. Elizabeth Swartwout b: 18 Apr 1767 

3. Gen. John Swartwout b: 02 Oct 1770 

4. Abraham Swartwout b: 05 Oct 1772 

5. Gen. Robert Swartwout b: 08 Dec 1779 

6. Samuel Swartwout b: 17 Nov 1783. 

7. Henry Swartwout b: 1786 

See also: “The First Flag of the Stars and Stripes in Battle and the Saratoga Campaign,” by Charles William Burrows; 

“Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association ..., Volume 10,” by New York State Historical Association, page 156. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=6NsTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA164&dq=%22Swartwout+Chronicles%22+%22abraham%22&hl=en&ei= 

IYKvS-6- 

FsHflgeEs_ykCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Swartwout%20Chronicles 

%22%20%22abraham%22&f=false 

Appendix V 

The Ceremonial First Digging on the Erie Canal 

by Daniel J. Mordell 

http://www.crookedlakereview.com/articles/101_135/120summer2001/120mordell.html 

My interest in this ceremony was attracted by the anomaly of a great and memorable event in history and its elusive location. And 

elusive it has proven to be, I assure you. I am certain, too, that the last words on this subject have yet to be written and no doubt by 

someone else. 

Study of pertinent literature leaves the impression that the only facts certain regarding this highly significant occasion is that it began 

at sunrise on July 4, 1817, at (or near) Rome, New York, on the alignment of the Erie Canal ("Clinton's Ditch"). 

Whether the event was located in or near the village of Rome is the primary subject of this paper. It is not entirely an academic 

question, as the choice of sites is easily resolved to only two discrete points 2.5 miles apart by public highway. For convenience, I 

have named them "The Ft. Bull Site" and "The Arsenal Site." 

There are other less basic questions raised by inconsistencies in the literature: 

Who attended? 

Specifically, which and how many canal officers and/or engineers? 

Were there consecutive ceremonies that day at two different locations? 

Was the implement used a shovel or a plow? 

Was a plow used at all? 

Who actually first used the shovel (or plow)? 

Was one of the principal participants the contractor for the section on which the ceremony took place? 

In which contract section was the ceremony located? 

In my considered opinion, only one ceremony occurred. It took place at sunrise, July 4, 1817, within the "blue lines" (right-of-way) of 

"Clinton's Ditch" very close to its eastern-most crossing of Wood Creek. This point was very near the sites of both the ancient upper 

103

Wood Creek landing and the fort which tradition tells us was named "Ft. Newport" and which guarded this point in Colonial days on 

the Great Carry. The newly built U. S. Arsenal was just a few hundred feet to the northeast within sight. Between the Wood Creek 

crossing of Clinton's Ditch and the Arsenal was the west end of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company's "Rome Canal" 

completed in 1797. Nearby was one of their two original locks, supplemented by four others on Wood Creek in 1802-03. 

http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/forts/fortsM_P/oneidaCarryForts.htm 

Wood Creek was received into the north, or "Berme" side of the completed canal. On the south, or towpath side was a waste weir to 

spill off excess water to maintain the proper canal level. 

The present location of this site is somewhere in the abandoned prism of "Clinton's Ditch," southwest of the Rome Strip Steel 

Company, approximately 400 feet west of the intersection of the projected centerline of Clark Street with "Clinton's Ditch." 

An intriguing characteristic of the more authoritative accounts of the ceremony down through the years as late as 1917 is the total 

lack of association with the site near Fort Bull. I have taken this negative fact as the starting point in my study. 

-------- 

Primary sources of New York State canal historical documentation for the period of interest are the earliest annual reports of the 

canal commissioners. These were published individually and also were included in the two-volume "Canal Laws," another primary 

source. 

The report for 1817 is terse and perfunctory. It simply dates the signing of the first contract on June 27, 1817, and the first 

excavation on July 4, 1817. The portion of Volume 2 of "Canal Laws" which lists expenditures for the canal's construction through 

1821 was enlightening. Here was found the unexpected fact that Joshua Hathaway contracted for 1.2 miles of canal construction 

from approximately Wheeler Creek at Stanwix, westward. He failed to complete his contract and Chapin and Brayton took it over in 

addition to their contract section joining Hathaway's with Wood Creek. It is interesting that the east intersection with Wood Creek 

was handled off-handedly, as if a well-known and obvious spot. It was always simply "Wood Creek." Reference to the intersection 

beyond Fort Bull, if at all, was always to the "Wood Creek Aqueduct." 

Lacking a map or detailed description to locate them, references to lettered and numbered sections have so far proven 

meaningless. The distances specified locate the west end of Chapin and Brayton's contract at "The Arsenal Site." The next contract 

west was Joseph Miller's. This was 1.5 miles long and terminated, interestingly enough, at "the east end of J. Richardson's first 

contract." Not knowing the length of this latter contract, one of six contracts listed for Richardson, it is reasonable to conjecture that 

the west end of this contract, the first awarded, is the location of "The Fort Bull site." The distance of this site from the end of Miller's 

contract would be about a mile. 

------- 

The account which is the keystone of my argument is from Pomroy Jones' Oneida County history. It was published in 1851 when 

many of the witnesses of and participants in the ceremony would still be alive. Jones wrote: "On the 4th of July, 1817, the ground 

was first broken in the construction of the Eire Canal. This was done with appropriate public ceremonies, and the place selected was 

a few rods west of the United States' arsenal, and the honor of casting (holding) the first shovel (of earth) was assigned to the 

late Honorable Joshua Hathaway. Wood Creek flows into the canal at this point, and the surplus water passes off by a waste weir 

over its old channel, following which about three-fourths of a mile, it receives Mud Creek, a small mill stream, from the southwest, 

and about the same distance below is the remains of Fort Bull." 

It epitomizes the story of the ceremony, in my opinion, as no one else has done. It is purported to be from a letter to Jones from Jay 

Hathaway, Joshua's son. It disagrees with the contemporary account of the Utica Patriot of July 15, 1817, in that the latter gives 

Richardson, not "Hathaway," the honor of turning the first soil. The straight-line distance to Mud Creek is 1.25 miles from "The 

Arsenal Site" and 1.6 miles to Fort Bull, but these are reasonable errors. More important is the usage of these two verifiable 

reference points, and their relative location to the ceremony. 

The buttress to Jones's passage is an article in the Onondaga Register for July 23, 1817, quoting the Utica Patriot of July 15th. 

Rome's first newspaper, The Rome Republican was not published until February 1825, The Register records the oft-quoted 

speech of canal commissioner S. Young. Hathaway representing the citizens of Rome, passed the ceremonial shovel to Young, the 

only commissioner present, who passed it to Richardson. The last is duly noted as having the first construction contract. Richardson 

is specifically given credit for first breaking the earth. It is of interest that he "was followed by…his own laborers…." Nowhere was I 

able to find that the digging ceremony was located on Richardson's section. I conclude that if workmen to be employed on 

104

Richardson's contract were present, they may have been buoyed enough by the day's festivities to incidentally dig at the ceremony. 

Richardson probably began excavation that day on the west end of his (and the canal's) first contract. 

An important clue, in my estimation, in the Register account are these words in the closing paragraph: "Thus, accompanied by the 

acclamation of the citizens and the discharge of cannon from the U. S. Arsenal,…." Jones agrees with this, if we may assume that 

"from" means "located at." 

Hosack's biography of DeWitt Clinton includes a long discourse by historian W. L. Stone which in turn includes essentially the 

Observer (or Utica Patriot) article. Stone uses the plural of "Commissioner," although only one was present. The words "from the 

U. S. Arsenal" are omitted. 

The use of the word "excavation" seems to be restricted to "the Fort Bull Site." This leads to the conclusion that the ceremony was 

ignored by the canal commissioners in their report for 1817 and by Holmes Hutchinson, in mapping his 1834 blue-line survey of the 

Erie Canal. The canal historian's standard reference is Whitford's two-volume Canal History. On p. 88 of Vol. I, Whitford places the 

ceremony at "The Arsenal Site." 

By the time of the 1917 Erie Canal Centenary at Rome, Whitford, as senior assistant engineer of the state canals, had directed a 

survey based upon Hutchinson's 1834 maps, to locate the exact site of the first digging. This is the site marked by a concrete pylon 

beside Routes 46 and 49 just east of the "Fort Bull" waste weir, on the Erie Canal enlargement towpath. I have personally seen 

copies or the originals of three hand-drawn sets of 1834 survey maps for the Rome vicinity. Only one, known as the state library 

"comptroller's set" has the crossed pick and shovel and the notation "First earth excavated from the Erie Canal July 4th A. D. 1817. 

At this place." that Whitford referred to. It would seem that all copies of an accurate engineering record would be alike in all 

respects. 

Whitford apparently took this notation and mark at face value and simply located a stake using existing reference points. A record of 

any other research Whitford may have done, or field notes for his survey, have not come to my attention. 

Off-line details on the 1834 survey maps are questionable, such as the course of Wood Creek and the compass orientation of Fort 

Bull. Comparison was with air photos. 

The photostatic negatives of Clinton's Ditch on file at the Rome City Engineer's Office are no doubt from the state library 

"Comptroller's Set." 

Wager's account of the ceremony is credited to the Utica Gazette and The New York Columbian. The Utica paper might more 

properly be the Columbian Gazette. This account is again a variant of that in the Onondaga Register, credited to the Utica 

Patriot. Both Utica papers may have quoted the same witness. Wager inserts his own references to associate Richardson with 

Cayuga County and also date of the first contract, thus implying Richardson's ceremonial digging was on his own contract. Worse 

still, Young's speech is credited to Richardson. 

My final reference is to the centenary booklet published in 1917 at Rome. It is not a primary source but well worth reading despite its 

errors, conflicting statements and lack of depth. It is basically a collection of the speeches and events of July 4, 1917, relevant 

newspaper articles and some fine historical nuggets. 

A newspaper article of 1917 reprinted in the booklet quotes from Benjamin Wright's field book for his final survey of May, 1817. This 

is a nugget, but bears no relation to the article's announced goal—proof of the ceremonial location. 

Samuel Beach, Chairman of the Centenary, made a speech which in retrospect seemingly indicated sad resignation to the site 

selected by Whitford. I feel Beach was not comfortable with the solution. 

What appears to be a decisive part of "The Fort Bull Site" argument is a sworn deposition by a local life-long resident acquainted 

with the canal and boating. Its authoritativeness is damaged by the inclusion of detailed reference to the presence at the ceremony 

of Governor Clinton. For some unexplained reason, the statement was not obtained until eight days after the centenary. 

Again and again reference is made to Governor Clinton's presence at Rome on July 4, 1817. Even Senator Hill of Buffalo, a known 

canal historian, made this error in his speech, as did Oswald P. Backus, and others. The fact that DeWitt Clinton was absent and 

was in actuality attending the Independence Day celebrations at New York City has already been firmly established by Emily A. 

Madden in "Canal Research Notes," privately published in the spring of 1965. 1 Clinton had just been inaugurated as Governor of 

New York State on July 1st, 1817. 

In conclusion, it seems certain that the proper placement of the ceremony is at "The Arsenal Site." It seems to have been 

overlooked by early canal records. It also seems certain that the initial excavation by a contractor was on the same day at the west 

end of John Richardson's contract, near "The Fort Bull Site." It seems probable that Benjamin Wright was the only member of the 

canal engineering force present. Colonel S. Young was the only canal commissioner present. Joshua Hathaway (spelled 

Hatheway in the old sources) first held the shovel which he passed to Young, who made the speech preserved for posterity. 

Young then passed the shovel to Richardson who turned the first soil with it. Incidentally, I question that a plow was used at the 

ceremony. At which side of Wood Creek the ceremony occurred is a moot question at this late date. 

The canal as constructed had a waste weir at the old Wood Creek channel location which clearly shows in the 1834 blue-line survey 

map. There was a bearing change in the "red line" 2 at this waste weir which means a pipe marker may exist in the earthwork at the 

south side of the old prism still visible at this point. Remains of this structure may still be in place and it should not be confused with 

the much more elaborate waste weir near "The Fort Bull Site" still much in evidence and from a much later period of canal 

construction, perhaps the 1850's. 

Prepared by Daniel J. Mordell, Chairman, Canals Committee, Rome Historical Society, February 22, 1966 

Notes 

1 With reference to DeWitt Clinton's entry for that day in his personal diary. 

2 Edge of the towpath on the water side. 

105

Bibliography 

• Editor's File of the Onondaga Register, Onondaga Hollow, NY. Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse, NY. 

• Memoir of DeWitt Clinton… (1829) by David Hosack, p. 455. 

• 1834 Blue Line Survey of the Erie Canal, Book 8, Holmes Hutchinson, Engr. Full-size photostatic negatives on file at Rome 

City Engineer's Office of the Rome sheets. Microfilm, Canal Society of N.Y.S., Syracuse. 

• Laws of the State of New York in Relation to the Erie and Champlain Canals, … (1825) 2 vols. Onondaga Historical 

Association, Syracuse. 

• Annals and Recollections of Oneida County, (1851) by Pomroy Jones. 

• Historical and Statistical Gazeteer of New York State, 1860 by J. H. French. 

• Our Country and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Oneida County New York, (1896) edited by Daniel E. Wager. 

• History of the Canal System of the State of New York, (1905) by Noble E. Whitford. 2 vols. Supplement to the Annual Report 

of the State Engineer and Surveyor for 1905. 

• Memorial of Centennial Celebration of the Turning of the First Shovelful of Earth in the Construction of the Erie Canal Held at 

Rome, N. Y. July 4th 1817. Rome Chamber of Commerce. 

• Erie Canal Abandonment Map, Sh. 154, Rome, N.Y.; N.Y.S. D.P.W. Erie Canal "Blue Line" Map, Sh. 330, (1920); N.Y.S. D.P.W. 

Copies on File at Rome City Engineer's Office. 

• "Canal Research Notes," No. 11, Spring 1965, Emily A. Madden, Livonia, N.Y. 

Appendix VI 

Charles Stewart Mott 

Ill.’. Bro. Mott was born in Newark, NJ, on 2 Jun 1875, the son of John Coon Mott and Isabella Turnbull 

Stewart and attended the public schools of New York City. After studying in Denmark and Germany he 

entered Stevens Institute of Technology and received a Mechanical Engineering degree. He received 

the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from seven universities and colleges; Doctor of Education from 

two universities; Doctor of Humanities and Associate of Retailing; and the Stevens Institute of 

Technology conferred the Degree of Doctor of Engineering on its prominent alumni. 

Bro. Mott’s military career included years spent in the New York State Militia at the turn of the century 

and in the Navy during the Spanish-American War, During World War I he served as a major in the 

Army and as a Colonel from 1924-34. He was active in the Civilian Defense Council during World War 

II. 

In the field of industry he rose from superintendent of a bicycle wheel firm in Utica, NY, to the largest 

individual stockholder of General Motors Corporation. He served as director, vice president, member of 

the Executive Committee and later on the Finance and Audit Committee of GMC. He loved the city of Flint, Michigan, serving as 

Mayor three times and started a Foundation bearing his name in 1935. 

Masonic Record: 

23 Nov 1904 Raised in Faxton Lodge No. 697, Utica, NY 

9 Jun 1908 Exalted in Washington Chapter No. 15, RAM, Flint, Michigan 

17 Jan 1910 Flint Council No. 56, R&SM 

12 Mar 1909 Genesee Valley Commandery No. 15, KT, in Flint 

1905 Received the degrees of the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Utica 

1905 Joined the Central City Bodies, Valley of Syracuse, becoming a life member there. 

24 Sep 1941 Crowned an Honorary member, 33 o , Supreme Council, AASR, NMJ, at Chicago 

Kishma Grotto No. 77 

Order of the Eastern Star 

Boulevard Shrine Club 

Bro. Mott died in Flint, Michigan, on 28 Feb 1973, survived by his second wife, Ruth (Rawlings) Mott, whom he married on 13 Oct 

1934 in El Paso, Texas; two sons, Charles Stewart Harding; Stewart Rawling; four daughters, Aimee Butler; Elsa Ives; Susan Webb; 

Maryanne Meynet; eleven grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren. He was interred in the Mott Family Mausoleum in Flint. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stewart_Mott 

Charles Stewart Mott (2 Jun 1875 – 18 Feb 1976) was a U.S. industrialist and philanthropist who 

was born in Newark, New Jersey.. 

His parents were John Coon Mott and Isabella Turnbull Stewart. He graduated from Stevens Institute 

of Technology in 1897 with an engineering degree. He began working for his father 

and uncle, Fred Mott who had purchased a bicycle wheel making business (Weston- 

Mott Co.). After the death of his father, C. S. Mott was appointed superintendent of the 

company by his uncle. C. S. Mott moved to Flint, Michigan in 1905 in a merger with 

Buick. The company was later bought by General Motors in exchange for GM stock. 

Mott served on the GM Board of Directors until his death in 1973. 

He married Ethel Culbert Harding in 1900 and they had three children, Aimee, Elsa 

and C. S. Harding, before Ethel died in 1924. After a brief second marriage, he went on 

106

to marry his sixth cousin Ruth Rawlings, in 1934 by whom he also had three children (Susan Elizabeth, Stewart Rawlings, and 

Maryanne Mott). He was mayor of Flint in 1912, 1913, and in 1918 and he was Vice-President of General Motors in 1916. 

His estate, Applewood, was built in 1916 as a self-sustaining farm for the Charles Stewart Mott Family and is listed on the National 

Register of Historic Places. The main residence and grounds encompass approximately 34 acres, 18 extensively landscaped. They 

include perennial, rose, cut flower and demonstration gardens, and an orchard with 29 varieties of heritage apples. The original 

gatehouse, barn and chicken coop complete the estate. The Ruth Mott Foundation currently maintains Applewood . 

In 1926, Mott established the C.S. Mott Foundation out of concern for the welfare of his adopted community of Flint. Through the 

foundation he started a medical and dental clinic for children, the Mott Children's Health Center, in Flint, as well as the Whaley 

Children's Center. In 1952 he donated 32 acres of his Applewood estate to start Flint Jr college that later became Mott Community 

College. Through his personal philanthropy he helped establish the YMCA and the Boy Scouts in the city of Flint, MI. 

He was known as one of the largest philanthropists in Flint, MI. Among his gifts to the residents of Flint included new shoes and free 

dental care through his clinic. His foundation continues to operate in Flint, including many programs that help the poor. 

Mott Community College was founded on the estate of the Mott family. The Charles S. Mott Prize for the cause of cancer is one of a 

trio of research prizes annually awarded by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation. 

C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, founded in 1969, from a $6.5 million gift from Mott. 

C.S. Mott Foundation recently gave a several million dollar grant to the Children's health hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. 

The C.S. Mott Foundation is involved with philanthropy in many countries, including Germany, South Africa, Poland, and the US. 

Some of the main issues for the Foundation are equality and environmental responsibility. 

A building on the University of Chicago’s campus is named after him. 

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a charitable foundation founded in 1926. The foundation administers funds through four 

programs — Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area, and Pathways Out of Poverty. They also fund Exploratory and Special Projects. 

It is committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs 

throughout the United States and, on a limited basis, internationally. 

In 2006, the Foundation had year-end total assets of $2.6 billion, and made 545 grants totaling $107.3 million. 

Some organizations that the C. S. Mott Foundation funds are: 

The Nature Conservancy 

National Public Radio 

University of Michigan 

Jobs for the Future 

Afterschool Alliance 

European Foundation Centre 

Flint Institute of Arts 

His son, Stewart Rawlings Mott (born 4 Dec 1937) is a philanthropist who founded the Stewart R. Mott Charitable Trust. He and 

appeared on Nixon’s Enemies List for his support of liberal causes. Stewart Mott currently resides in Bermuda for most of his time, 

and he also travels to his numerous houses in the United States. 

http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/timeline/civics-project-0399/images/mottC1905.jpg 

Charles Stewart Mott was born on 2 Jun 1875 in Newark, NJ, to John Coon Mott and Isabella Turnbull Stewart. After his father's 

successful beverage business (which later became Mott's Applesauce) was sold, Mott began a bicycle 

wheel manufacturing company, The Weston-Mott Co. He moved the Weston-Mott Co. to Flint in 1906 

and joined forces with Buick in 1913. General Motors later acquired Weston-Mott's stock in exchange for 

GM stock and Mott became a member of the GM Board of Directors until his death, 60 years later. 

He was mayor of Flint in 1912, 1913, and 1918 and was Vice-President of General Motors in 1916. In 

1953 Mott helped rebuild part of Flint after the Beecher Tornado hit the town. In 1954 he was awarded 

the Big Brother award by Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

With his first wife, Ethel Culbert Harding, he had three children, Aimee, Elsa and C.S. 

Harding. Mrs Mott died in 1924. He later married Ruth Rawlings (right), his sixth cousin. 

They had three children: Susan Elizabeth, Stewart Rawlings, and Maryanne Turnbull. Ruth 

Mott died on 25 Jan 1999. 

Applewood was the name of the Mott Farm which originally covered 65 acres. Today the 

Mott Community College occupies some of that land along with the Mott estate which 

stands at the eastern edge of the Flint Cultural Center. 

Charles Stewart Mott died in Flint at the age of 97 in 1973. He is best known for his philanthropy and the educational programs that 

have been funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. 

C. S. Mott and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation 

Imagine a man who was successful at many different careers in his lifetime. A sailor, a corporate executive, a politician, an 

engineer, a philanthropist. This was the life led by Charles Stewart Mott, born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1875, to John Coon Mott 

and Isabella Turnbull Stewart. 

By a young age, Charles Stewart Mott, known as C. S., experienced a number of these careers. C. S. attended the Stevens Institute 

of Technology where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1897. He then worked for his father, an independent 

businessman, but within a year, the war with Spain caused Mott to join the Navy where he served as Gunner's Mate First Class on 

the U.S.S. "Yankee." After the war ended, C. S. returned to work in the family's beverage and carbonating machinery companies. 

Shortly after his arrival, unexpected changes occurred in Mott's life. His father died, and within months, C. S. moved to Utica, N.Y., 

to supervise one of his family's companies, the Weston-Mott Co., that manufactured wire wheels. Then, he married Ethel Culbert 

Harding on June 14, 1900. After the wedding, his uncle relinquished his position at the Weston-Mott Co., leaving its management to 

107

C.S. He successfully expanded the company to include axle production. Then Mott made a crucial move that resulted in great 

growth for Weston-Mott and a lifetime of commitment to the community he would come to call home. He had an offer from W. C." 

Billy" Durant, the new head of Buick Motor Company, to produce axles for Buick and move the Weston-Mott Co. to Flint, Michigan. 

The next years were busy and productive ones for Mott. After Billy Durant established General Motors, he named C. S. Mott to GM's 

board of directors in 1913, a position he held until his death. In 1916, he became a vice president of the company. The Weston-Mott 

Company was absorbed into General Motors. Though his business responsibilities were many, Mott managed to spend time with his 

family (Ethel and their three children, Aimee, Elsa, and Harding) and to actively participate in local community affairs. He was 

elected Flint's mayor in 1912, 1913, and 1918. World War I followed and again he served his country, this time as a major in the 

Army's Motor Branch. 

In the following years, C. S. faced extensive personal change. In 1924, he and his children survived the death of his wife, Ethel 

Harding Mott. In 1926, C. S. Mott created the Mott Foundation. Initial grants were made to local service organizations in Flint, as 

well as higher education institutions. The foundation also supported development of a boy's camp in the Flint area. In 1934, Mott 

married again. His wife was Ruth Rawlings of El Paso, Texas. She also became a philanthropist in later years with creation of the 

Ruth Mott Fund. Ruth and C. S. Mott had three children, Susan, Stewart and Maryann. 

Beginning in the mid 1930s, the Mott Foundation expanded primarily through the development and support of community education 

locally, nationally and eventually overseas. Mott's own interests in young people and the community were evident as he partnered 

with Frank J. Manley to create community schools in Flint. These schools included after-school recreational and enrichment 

activities for youth and their families. The partnership of these two men began in 1935 when C. S. committed Mott funding to help 

keep six Flint schools open after hours. By the early 1960s, all of Flint's schools were operating as community schools with a range 

of community education programs. 

Since the 1960s, the Mott Foundation has expanded support of the community school concept beyond Flint, throughout the United 

States and internationally, and has recently underwritten major support for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Initiative. 

Further, with significant growth in assets over these years, the Foundation expanded domestic grantmaking in a range of subject 

areas and opened two foreign offices to monitor its grantmaking in Central/Eastern Europe and South Africa. The Foundation, with 

estimated year-end assets of $2.93 billion, made 606 grants totaling $153.7 million in 2000. 

During the last two decades of Mott's life, he was awarded many honors. In 1954, the International Big Brother of the Year award 

was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his work to better the lives of youth. He received the American 

Legion's medal for distinguished service. Other awards and recognition came from the American Schools and Colleges Association, 

the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers, the American Federation of Labor, and the Michigan Legislature. 

Charles Stewart Mott died in 1973. Perhaps the final words written about Motts' philosophy best summarize the man and his 

mission. "We recognize that our obligation to fellow men does not stop at the boundaries of the community. In an even larger sense, 

every man is in partnership with the rest of the human race in the eternal conquest which we call civilization." 

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/MOTT/2003-01/1042754414 

Bro. Mott moved his axle company to Flint Michigan in 1906, selling 49% of 

his company for General Motors stock. The remaining 51% was converted in 

1913. He built Applewood Estate, a working farm, in 1912. The 7900 square 

foot house was modest in comparison to mansions of Flint's auto magnates. 

Mr. Mott was Flint's most generous supporter. Although it was documented 

that he never sold a single share of his GM stock, he is known to have bailed 

out at least one bank during the depression and donated $106,000,000 for a 

hospital at University of Michigan, Flint in the 1960's. He also endowed a four 

year college, now C.S. Mott Community College in the 1940's. Although a 

generous philanthropist, Mr. Mott was noted for his personal frugality, 

documented in many articles that included driving outdated economy cars and 

working at the C.S. Mott Foundation without air conditioning in the 1960's. He 

died in 1973 but his wife and son continued his charitable endeavors. 

http://www.pbase.com/papajim_48306/image/57377321 

From: James Mott of Dutchess County, NY and His Descendants, by Edward Doubleday Harris, member of the NY Genealogical 

and Biographical Society, Press of Tobias A. Wright, 150 Bleecker St., NY 

James Mott b. 1783 was the son of Zebulon Mott, b. Long Island 4 Sep 1757. He served as a private in the Continental forces of 

the Revolution, stationed on the Hudson, in his home county, in skirmishes with the Tories. Later he was identified with the Friends 

in the Nine Partners Meeting, and their records are authority for his removal to Saratoga County 14 Sep 1791. He married 4 Oct 

1781 Rebecca, dau. of Thomas Smith of Saratoga, who was born 7/31/1764. His farm was in the township of Half Moon, and he 

was a Supervisor of the township in 1801 through 1817, in 1814 being the Moderator of the Board. He died 21 Feb 1842." 

Child: John Mott b. 1805 (4 May 1806) 

John Mott, b. 1805 (4 May 1806) was the son of James Mott, b. Washington, NY 15 Nov 1783. In his boyhood his father settled in 

Half Moon, Saratoga Co., and there he resided until his removal to the Haviland farm in Moreau in 1808. He married 17 Mar 1805 

Anstis, dau. of Joseph Merritt, and granddaughter of Ichabod, the first permanent settler in Queensbury. She died 24 Feb 1844. 

James Mott died in Moreau 12 Apr 1872. 

Child: Samuel Rogers Mott 

Samuel Rogers Mott (b. 1826) was the son of John Mott, born in Saratoga County NY, 4 May 1806. He was of Half Moon, and at 

one time was in command of the NY State Militia. He married 1 Sep 1825 Jane Gates, who long survived him, and died 15 Mar 

1874, aged 68 years. He died 7 Oct 1846, and was buried with his family in Half Moon. His will of 11 Jun 1846 is on record in 

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Saratoga County. 

The children of John Mott and Jane Gates were: 

Samuel Rogers, b. 29 Jun 1826 

Naomi, b. 10 Dec 1827, d. 27 Jun 1829 

John Owen, b. 16 Oct 1829 

Horatio G., b. 1832, d. 20 Jul 1854, unmar. 

Naomi, b. 3 Nov 1833, d. 7 May 1827 

William Zebulon, 

Seward, b. 28 Dec 1840, d. 7 Jan 1841 

Albert, b. 14 May 1844 

Mary A., wife of Silas N. Swetland in 1854 

Samuel Rogers Mott was born in Halfmoon (Saratoga Co., NY), 29 Jun 1826. He remained a resident of Saratoga County until 

1868, removing later to Bouckville, NY, where he was engaged in the manufacture of cider and vinegar, with salesrooms in New 

York City. He married 21 Dec 1847 Ann Mary Coon, born at Saratoga Springs, 30 Jun 1828, daughter of Jeremiah. In 1907 he was 

a resident of Bouckville. Their children were: 

John Coon Mott, b. 2 Sep 1849 at Halfmoon 

Mary Frances, b. 31 Jul 1851, m. a Van Wert, d. 18 May 1905 

Frederick Gates, b. 20 Sep 1854 at Waterford 

Samuel Rogers b. 3 Aug 1857 at Waterford 

Seward, b. 21 Aug 1861, graduated West Point Academy, killed by Indians at San Carlos Reservation, Ariz., 11 Mar 1887. 

John Coon Mott, b. 3 Sep 1849, married 1 Aug 1872 Isabella Turnbull Stewart, b. 28 Sep 1830; d. 2 Oct 1913, dau. of Charles 

Edward Steward and Susan Amelia Turnbull; grdau. of Alexander Turnbull, sometime of Darnock, Roxburgshire, who went to 

America in 1818 with a testimonial from Sir Walter Scott, dated at Abbotsford, 29 Jul 1818; son of Edward Stewart by Susan 

Eveline, dau. of Joshua Allen, one of the pioneers of Newton, Sussex Co., NJ, and grandson of Col. Charles Stewart of Flemington, 

Hunterdon Co., NJ, who went to America in 1750, representative to Continental Congress . . . (Burke’s, 1948) 

Child of John and Isabella: 

Charles Stewart Mott b. 2 Jun 1875 in Newark, NJ. 

1880 Census, Newark, Essex, New Jersey 

Susan A. STEWART Self W 50 NJ Keeping House SCOTLAND ENG 

John B. STEWART Son S 23 NJ Book Keeper NJ NJ 

John MOTT Other M 29 NY Cider Vinegar Mfg. NY NY Father 

Isabella MOTT Other M 28 NJ NJ NJ Mother 

Edith MOTT Other S 7 NJ At School NJ NJ 

Charles MOTT Other S 5 NJ At School NJ NJ 

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Craft Masonry in Oneida County, New York - Onondaga and ...

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