History of the Town of Spafford

The following was copied from Vol. I, pp. 904-922 of Onondaga's Centennial, edited by Dwight H. Bruce and published by Boston History Co., 1896.

The settlement of the town of Spafford and the legal formation of the county of Onondaga were very nearly contemporaneous. Both occurred in 1794, the latter in the spring, the former in the autumn. Previously, however, the territory under consideration was often the scene of Indian gatherings and hunting expeditions, game being abundant in the heavy forests which canopied the fertile soil. Lying between the beautiful lakes of Skaneateles on the west and Otisco on the east, whose waters swarmed with fish and whose banks furnished many favored deer-licks, its varying landscape of hill and dale acquired renown among the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas, and subsequently among emigrants from Eastern New York and New England. After the Revolutionary war had closed the present town became parts of the great Military Tract, and in common with all other portions was divided into lots of about 600 acres each. These lots as detailed in a previous chapter, were drawn by soldiers as bounty lands for services in that sanguinary struggle. Very few of the grantees ever saw their claims and fewer still became actual settlers; on the contrary, as in other towns, nearly all sold their grants for mere pittances, and in many instances the titles were transferred over and over again, a course that eventually involved them in protracted litigation.

Spafford, as now constituted, comprises thirteen lots of the south part of the original military township No. 9, Marcellus, viz.: Nos. 68, 69, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 77, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 96; eight lots of township No. 13, Sempronius, viz.: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23 and 32; and sixteen lots of the northeast part of No. 14, Tully, viz.: Nos. 1, 2 (part), 11, 12 (part), 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, and 44. These were drawn by Revolutionary soldiers as follows:

Township No. 9, Marcellus—Lot No. 68, Ebenezer Haviland, surgeon's mate; 69, Daniel Ludlum; 70, Elijah Price; 71, Burdice Campbell; 74, Freserick Dayton; 75, John Factor; 76, Lieut. Thomas Ostrander; 77, Henry Wynford; 88, Philip Fields; 89, Frederick Wybert; 96, (sic) Philip Steves; 91, Capt. Peter I. Vosburgh; 96, Henry Davis. Township No. 18, Sempronius—Lot No. 10, Major Nicholas Fish; 11, Aaron De Witt; 12, Daniel Ogden; 13, Solomon Barnes; 14, John Tucker; 21, John Wyatt; 23, Samuel Wheeler; and 32, Cornelius Ammeerman. Township No. 14, Tully—Lot No. 1, Joseph Savey; 2, Joseph Ball; 11, John Cherry; 12, Benjamin Lawrence; 21, Caleb Sweet; 22, Richard Whalling; 23, George Allen; 24, Abraham Livingston, captain; 31, reserved for Gospel and schools; 32, John Pierson; 33, John C. Ten Broeck, captain; 34, Shorter Smith; 41, John Frederick; 42, Ellas Wilcox; 43, Joseph Smith; and 44, Nathaniel Brock.

None was settled by the soldiers named.

The town as thus formed is about ten miles long by three broad, and runs northwest and southeast in lines nearly parallel with Skaneateles and Otisco lakes, the former of which washes the entire western boundary. Otisco Lake and the towns of Otisco and Tully lie on the east, portions of Marcellus and Skaneateles on the north, and Cortland county on the south. This town enjoys the distinction of having more lake front than any other town in the county, and its scenery is beautiful and picturesque. An almost continuous ridge runs parallel with and about midway between the two lakes and descends somewhat abruptly to the valleys on either side. The highest elevation, which is also the highest point in the county, is Ripley Hill, in the southern part, which is 1,982 feet above tidewater and 1,122 feet above the water of Skaneateles Lake.

The first settler within the present limits of Spafford was Gilbert Palmer, a Revolutionary soldier, who came from the southeastern part of the State in the fall of 1794 and located on lot 76, township 9, Marcellus, where he died about 1839. Of him Clark, in his Onondaga, Vol. II., p. 348, relates the following pathetic incident.

In the fall of the year, 1794, soon after his arrival, Mr. Palmer and his son, a youth of some sixteen years of age, went into the woods chopping, for the purpose of making a clearing. Sometime in the forenoon they felled a tree, and as it struck the ground it bounded, swung around, and caught the young man under it. The father at once mounted the log, cut it off, rolled it over, and liberated his son. Upon examination one of his lower limbs was found to be badly crushed and mangled. He thereupon carried the youth to his log hut close at hand and with all possible diligence made haste to his nearest neighbors, some three or four miles distant, desiring them to go and minister to his son's necessities while he would go to Williamstown for Dr. White. The neighbors sallied forth with such comfortable things as they thought might be acceptable in such a case; but amidst the confusion, the dense forest, and the darkness of the night, which had just set in, they missed their way, and after wandering about for a long time gave over pursuit and returned home, leaving the poor sufferer alone to his fate. Early next morning all hands again rallied, and in due time found the young man suffering the most extreme anguish from the mangled limb, and greatly benumbed with cold. They built a fire, made him comfortable with such palliatives as could be procured in the wilderness, and waited in patience the return of the parent. In the mean time he had proceeded rapidly on his journey on foot, and found Dr. White at Clinton. Here he engaged an Oneida Indian to pilot them through the woods by a nearer route than to follow the windings of the old road. Dr. White and Mr. Palmer were at sundry times fearful the Indian would lose his way; and upon every expression of doubt on their part the Indian would exclaim 'me know,' and told them he would bring them out at acertain log which lay across the outlet at the foot of Otisco Lake. The Indian took the lead, and within forty-eight hours after the accident had happened the Indian brought them exactly to the log, exclaiming triumphantly 'me know.' Here Mr. Palmer arrived on familiar ground, and at once proceeded to the cabin where he had left his son, whom they found greatly prostrated and writhing under the most intense suffering. No time was lost; the case was thought desperate; the limb was amputated at once, half way from the knee to the thigh. The youth bore the pain with heroic fortitude, recovered, and lived many years afterward, always speaking in the highest terms of praise of Dr. White

John Palmer afterwards followed his trade of tailor in this section for many years.

The entire town was covered with a dense growth of timber, consisting largely of hemlock, beech, maple, pine, etc., and when this primitive forest was once cleared off the soil, chiefly a sandy and gravelly loam, proved as productive and susceptible of cultivation as any in Central New York. The geographical position of Spafford, however, militated against its early and rapid settlement, and the only obtainable data indicates that Mr. Palmer and his son were nearly the sole white inhabitants of this section for nearly eight years. At both Skaneateles and Marcellus their neighbors steadily increased in numbers, while to the east and south settlers constantly arrived. The pioneers of this town, with few exceptions, came by way of Marcellus or Skaneateles, and proceeded thence up the lakes. They were a hardy, resolute people, endowed with the thrift and frugality of old-time New Englanders, and with characteristic energy applied themselves to the work of converting a wilderness into fruitful farms and prosperous communities.

Capt. Daniel Tinkham settled where Jeremiah Olmstead now lives about 1802, but soon removed to what is known as the "side hill." He married the daughter of a Baptist preacher and reared ten children to maturity, who with the mother were devout Christians. Mrs. Tinkham was a remarkable woman for those times—a woman highly respected, and an early and prominent member of the Thorn Hill Baptist church. They were parents of Russell Tinkham and grandparents of Mrs. Uriah Roundy, the former a soldier in the war of 1812, in which Daniel himself served as captain. Captain Tinkham was succeeded on the present Olmstead place by Jonathan Berry, who arrived in March, 1803, and who was a prominent man in local affairs. In April of the same year Dr. Archibald Farr, the first physician, located on the southwest corner of lot 11, Sempronius, being assisted in his arrival by Mr. Berry, who dispatched his team and men to open a road, which is the same that now runs from Spafford Corners to Borodino, and which is believed to be the first road of any kind made in the present town. In 1804 this thoroughfare was cleared out from Farr's location to Spafford post-office, and in the same year Isaac Hall settled on the farm afterward owned by Asahel Roundy, father of Uriah Roundy. In September, 1806, Mr. Hall drove the first wagon, with a load of boards, from Spafford to Scott Corners, the road between those points having been opened in 1805 by John Babcock and Elisha Sabins, who moved from Scott with sleds.

Among the settlers of 1806 were Peter Knapp, Samuel Smith, Otis and Moses Legg, Jethro Bailey, Elias Davis, Abel Amadown, Job Lewis, Capt. Daniel Tinkham, and John Hullibut, who located along the road from Scott to Borodino. Elsewhere in the town were Levi Foster, James and Cornelius Williamson, John Woodward, Benjamin Homer, Benjamin Stanton, and others. An interesting anecdote is related to Abel Amadown, who, like nearly all of his neighbors, indulged in copious drafts of toddy. One day, while going home a little the worse for liquor, he stumbled and fell to the ground, in a helpless condition. A neighbor found him and several times tried to assist him to rise, but failed; he asked the prostrate man his name and received the reply "Amadown," which sounded like "Am I down?" The stranger, becoming exasperated, exclaimed, "Are you down? Why, of course you're down, and if you don't want to get up, why, d——— you, stay down." That incident stuck to Amadown as long as he lived. Elias Davis, a Revolutionary soldier, arrived in a boat from Skaneateles (where he had settled in 1803) and lived here until his death on June 17, 1851, at the age of eighty-eight. Early one winter he killed a huge bear between Spafford Corners and the lake, which was one of the last of those beasts slain in the town. Peter Knapp owned six hundred acres of land in the vicinity of what was long called Knapp's Landing on Skaneateles Lake.

At this time immigration was constantly increasing in volume. In 1807 Asahel Roundy and James Bacon settled at Spafford Corners, and Samuel Conkling erected the first frame dwelling in town on lot 76, Marcellus. He also built the first frame barn and the first cider mill. Mr. Roundy was one of the leading and influential men of his day, and left an indelible stamp of his individuality upon the community. He was appointed the first postmaster at Spafford in 1814, held numerous town offices, and in 1820 built the present hotel at the Corners, which he kept until 1843, when he sold to Col. William W. Legg. He was captain of a company of militia from this town in the war of 1812, in which Phineas Hutchins served as lieutenant. Mr. Hutchins was also a prominent early settler and susequently became colonel of militia. Among other soldiers of the war of 1812 and pioneers of this town were Cornelius Williamson, Samuel G. Seeley, Kelly Case, Jabez Melvin, William Dedrick, Silas Randall, Samuel Gale, Stephen Applebee, and Samuel Parker, all of whom died here. Among Revolutionary soldiers who settled in this town were Samuel Prindle, Thompson Burdick, Daniel Owen, Allen Breed, Jacob Greene, and Gilbert Palmer. Luke Miller, from Connecticut, erected the first house, a log structure, in Cold Brook about 1808.

Daniel Wallace, sr., of Scotch descent, settled in 1807 at Borodino on a farm now owned by the Ansel Grinnell estate, which he bought of Levi Applebee. His father, Benjamin Wallace, Of Pittstown, Rensselaer county, N.Y., was taken prisoner by Burgoyne's army in the Revolutionary war. Daniel was born at Pittstown in 1768, married Molly Low, a cousin of Martin Van Buren, and in March, 1805, came with his wife and four children—Washington, William, Daniel and Lucy—to Skaneateles, whence he removed to this town, where were born to him Alice, Benjamin, David, Morgan, Charles, and Mary. Daniel Wallace, jr., born at Pittstown, April 20, 1802, married Caroline, daughter of Joseph Marshall, and settled at Borodino, where he owned at one time over 400 acres of land, and where he died April 13, 1890; his wife's death occurred in 1879. Their children were Helen M., who died young; Napoleon Bonaparte, who was admitted to the bar, but followed teaching, and served in the 13th N.Y. Vols. and 15th N.Y. Cav., and died in 1879; Demetrius Y., of Syracuse; Andrew J., deceased; Simon B., of Borodino; Andrew J., 2d, who died in 1868; and Santa Anna, who was born March 2, 1841, married in 1866 Florence M., daughter of Almond T. and Martha (Wheeler) Redway, and has three daughters living. S. A. Wallace enlisted in the Union army April 28, 1861, being the first person to enlist from the town of Spafford. He was a farmer at Borodino for many years, and recently removed to Skaneateles.

In 1808 Dr. Archibald Farr erected the first grist mill and opened the first tavern in town, the latter on lot 11, Tully, near Spafford Corners, and the former in "Otisco Hollow." The mill was finally converted into a plow manufactory. The tavern is now the dwelling of Wallace Gordon. In the same year the first school at the Corners was kept by Miss Hannah Weston, afterwards Mrs. Asahel Roundy, who rode out on horseback from Skaneateles. The first school house in town was a log structure built on the northwest corner of lot 76, Marcellus, in 1803, in which Miss Sally Packard was the first teacher. The same neighborhood also furnished the initial impulse for religious services, which were held in private houses, barns, etc.

Jared Babcock, in 1809, opened the first store in town at Spafford Corners, and in 1810 Lauren Hotchkiss, brother-in-law of Asahel Roundy, also became a merchant there. In 1810 and 1811 Josiah Walker and Judge Walter Wood, respectively, built saw mills on Cold Brook, a tributary of the Tioughnioga River. Among other settlers prior to the war of 1812 were Samuel Prindle (a Revolutionary soldier), Elijah Knapp, Hon. Joseph Prindle, Jonathan Ripley, Lewis C. Davis, John and Ebenezer Grout, Joseph Enos, and Leonard Melvin. Settlement progressed rapidly, and around Spafford Corners there sprung up a thrifty hamlet. The growth of Borodino was somewhat slower, yet it soon gave evidence of considerable activity.

By the year 1811 the territory under consideration had acquired sufficient population to warrant separate town privileges, and on April 8 Spafford was created by act of the Legislature out of portions of the original military townships of Sempronius, Marcellus, and Tully, the new town being named in honor of Horatio Gates Spafford, L.L.D., author of a gazetteer of New York. Mr. Spafford, a Connecticut lawyer, came here prospecting, purchased a piece of land, and offered to give the town a library if it was named after him. The offer was accepted and he sent a number of books, which were kept for many years at the house of Asahel Roundy, whence they were circulated among the inhabitants. He intended to settle here, but died soon after returning to Connecticut. Prior to the formation of Spafford the territory comprised a part of the civil town of Tully. On March 18, 1840, small portions of Spafford were annexed to Skaneateles and Marcellus, leaving the town as at present outlined with 18,000 acres. On the first Tuesday in April, 1812, after the town's formation, the first town meeting was held at the house of Elisha Sabins and the following officers were elected:

John Babcock, supervisor; Sylvester Wheaton, town clerk; Benjamin Stanton, Asahel Roundy, and Elijah Knapp, assessors; Asahel Roundy, Jonathan Berry, and Adolphus French, commissioners of highways; James Williamson and Asa Terry, overseers of the poor; Levi Foster, constable and collector; Sylvanus Learned and James Williamson, commissioners of public land; Elisha Sabins, poundkeeper; Nehemiah Billings, Ebenezer Grout, Samuel Holmes, Daniel Scranton, James Whitman, Joel Palmer, Cornelius Williamson, Asahel Roundy, and Amos Reed, pathmasters. The sum of $25 was voted for support of the poor.

At the second town meeting, held at the same place on April 13, 1813, Asahel Roundy was chosen supervisor; Asa Terry, town clerk; Silas Lewis, Kelly Case, and Silas B. Hebard, inspectors of common schools; John Babcock, James Williamson, and Erastus Barber, commissioners of public schools; John Babcock, sealer of weights and measures.

Following is a list of supervisor of Spafford from the organization of the town to the present time:

John Babcock, 1812; Asahel Roundy, 1813-19; Peleg Sherman, 1820-22; Erastus Barber, 1823-24; Peleg Sherman, 1826; Asahel Roundy, 1826; Phineas Hutchins, 1827; Asahel Roundy, 1828-29; Daniel Baxter, 1830-32; John R. Lewis, 1833-36; Charles R. Vary, 1837-38; John R. Lewis, 1839-41; Joseph Bullfinch, 1842; John R. Lewis, 1843; Joseph Bullfinch, 1844; William O'Farrell, 1845; Joseph Bullfinch, 1846; William W. Legg, 1847; Russell W. Burdick, 1848; William W. Legg, 1849; Oscar E. Moseley, 1850; Thomas B. Anderson, 1851; James H. Isdell, 1852; John L. Mason, 1853-55; Reuben T. Breed, 1856; Samuel S. Kneeland, 1857-59; David Becker, 1860; Edward S. Edwards, 1861-63; Orrin Eddy, 1864-66; Uriah Roundy, 1867-69; Samuel H. Stanton, 1870-71; Justus N. Knapp, 1872; John McDowell, 1873-74; Henry Weston, 1875-77; Benjamin McDaniels, 1878-80; Van Dyke Tripp, 1881-83; Perry F. Woodworth, 1884-86; Harry J. Haight, 1887; William H. Bass, 1888; Willard Norton, 1889; William H. Bass, 1890; Marcus Patterson, 1891-93; Willard Norton, 1894-95.

In the foregoing lists appear the names of many prominent early settlers, who were instrumental in developing the town into a productive section, but to them should be added Job Smith and his descendants. Mr. Smith held a commission as paymaster in the Revolutionary army and came with his family, originally from Connecticut, to Spafford about 1806, settling on the farm now owned by his grandson, Hon. Sidney Smith, of Skaneateles, where he died in 1827, aged eighty years. His son, Lewis Smith, was a lieutenant in the war of 1812, justice of the peace and supervisor of Marcellus, county sheriff from 1826 to 1828 inclusive, member of assembly in 1820-21 and 1829, and died while in that office in 1829, at the age of forty-three. He settled on a farm adjoining his father, and had five children: Sidney, Mary, William, Stephen, and J. Lewis. William was graduated from Yale College, taught school, studied law, settled in Missouri, went to California and died, a merchant in Sacramento, aged about thirty. Stephen, a prominent physician in New York city, was appointed a commissioner of charities in 1881, commissioner in lunacy in 1882, and delegate to the International Sanitary Congress in 1894. J. Lewis is also a physician in New York city, a graduate of Yale College, a well known medical writer, and author of a popular work entitled "Diseases of Children." Sidney Smith was born in Spafford in 1815 and remained on the homestead until about 1870, when he moved to Skaneateles. He was a member of assembly in 1857, and knew John Palmer, son of the pioneer Gilbert, who is noticed in a previous page of this chapter. Stephen Smith, another son of Job, settled opposite the Strong farm and died there about 1825.

Other early settlers were Elder Elias Harmon, William Strong, where Deacon Hunt first lived; Deacon Hiscock, where Frank Harvey now resides; Job Harvey, still living; the Fitzgerald family, among whom were Jeremiah, John, and David, on the farms of David Colton and Samuel Ackles; and Amasa Kneeland, farmer and tanner, on the present James Hunt farm. The latter was the father of Samuel Stillman Kneeland, who was born here April 2, 1811, served in the Assembly in 1853, and died in Skaneateles on October 4, 1895, and of Dr. Benjamin T. Kneeland, of Livingston county, who was a surgeon in the Rebellion. Others still were Jacob W. Darling, farmer and Freewill Baptist preacher; John R. Lewis, son of Job, living in Illinois at the age of ninety-eight; Edwin S. Edwards, who died a few years ago; James Woodworth, who settled near Skaneateles Lake; John Noble, Elias Jacobs, Ira and Isaac Smith, Osmer Orton, Robert Rainey, William Bell, John Carver, "Ned" Scribbins (a shoemaker), and Eli, Dakin, and John Fisher, who settled in the east part of the town; David Lyon, a tanner and shoemaker; Easton Cole, father of Joseph L.; Deacon Edmund C. Weston, father of Henry, Daniel, and Harriet; Deacon Augustin McKay and John Harrington; and David Norton, who came from Connecticut in 1814. Among those who laid out highways in this town before 1820 were Jonathan Berry, Lauren Hotchkiss, Elijah Mason, Daniel B. Robinson, P. R. Gorton, John Baxter, and Joseph Arnold. In 1820 Spafford contained seventeen road districts. Of other residents prior to this year may be mentioned Col. William W. Legg, Hiram Seeley, Rathbun Barber, George W. Crane, Seymour Grinnell, John L. Mason, Harvey Barnes, John L. Ripley, Allen J. and Samuel H. Stanton, William and A. M. Churchill, Nelson Berry, Reuben Palmer, Alanson E. Colton, and Eleazer Hullibut (a blacksmith at Borodino).

From the foregoing paragraphs it will be seen that a large number of Spafford's citizens participated in the war of 1812-15, and that the town made a record during those eventful years which is almost unequaled by an (sic) similar community in Central New York. This period of excitement was followed by the celebrated "cold season" of 1816, which caused great suffering from dearth of provisions. But from these temporary setbacks, which for the time retarded immigration, the thrifty and enterprising inhabitants quickly recovered, and during the next decade or two this section rapidly developed its natural resources. In 1816 a Freewill Baptist church was organized, being an offshoot of the Tully Baptist church, and soon afterward a plain wooden edifice was erected on the hill east of Spafford Corners. About 1835 all, or nearly all, the members of the society became converts to Mormonism and moved west, abandoning their house of worship, which eventually passed into the possession of Uriah Roundy, who moved it to the Corners and converted it into a dwelling. An early minister of this organization was Elder Gould. It was during his ministration that Mormonism obtained a foothold among its members. About 1836 a Baptist church was formed at Spafford Corners, and in 1839 an edifice was erected. The structure was dedicated January 8, 1840. After many years of usefulness the society became extinct, and in 1867 Uriah Roundy purchased the building and made it over into a store. Among the ministers of this denomination were Elder Kimberly, first preacher, Elder Benjamin Andrews and Elder Boughton. The present M. E. church at the Corners was built as a Union church by the Methodists, Freewill Baptists and Universalists in 1839-40 at a cost of about $1,200. Among the early members of the Methodist denomination were James Woodworth, Samuel Seeley, Edwin S. Edwards, Dr. John Collins, Hiram Seeley, Sylvanus Eddy and wife, and David Coon and wife. Elder Jacob W. Darling was a preacher for many years in this church for the Freewill Baptists. The first church erected at Borodino stood on the site of the present town hall. The present M. E. church was built and stood for several years in Skaneateles, whence it was removed to the site it now occupies. Before 1817 a Methodist Episcopal church had been organized in the neighborhood of Cold Brook, of which Richard English and Caleb Haight were among the early members, and of which Rev. Isaac Puffer was one of the first pastors. The present edifice was built in 1852 under the pastorate of Rev. O. N. Cuykendall, and cost about $1,200.

In the mean time the hamlet of Borodino had become an active business center. A Methodist church, which was organized there in 1809, and the first meetings of which were held at the house of John C. Hullibut, was now an influential society, and around the place clustered a few necessary commercial interests. The first merchant there was Daniel Burroughs, who kept his goods in a log cabin, which stood on the site of Alphonso Deerman's dwelling and store. He was a great swimmer, and on one occasion swam across Skaneateles Lake on a wager, from Mandana to "Pork Point," a distance of three miles. It may be mentioned here that Pork Point was so named from the fact that the first barrel of pork ever brought to Borodino was unshipped there. Borodino continued to increase in size and importance for several years until it contained "three stores, and three taverns, and three tailor shops, and three blacksmith shops, and other things in proportion, and they all did well," according to the recollection of Daniel Wallace, who added:

It was never much of a place for churches, but we used to have two of them, and now we have but one. Two of the taverns have gone also, and everything else has gone down in the same proportion, population and all. The railroad between Binghamton and Syracuse killed this place. The village sprang up quickly when it was once begun, and it has been about the same as it is now for forty years, as far as the mere number of houses is concerned.

The first merchant, Daniel Burroughs, finally sold to Horace and Stephen Child, who came hither from Connecticut. Other merchants were Daniel Baxter, the Messrs. Barker, Washington Wallace, William W. Legg, David Becker, Thomas Anderson, C. M. Rich, Churchill & Eadie, Grinnell & Howe, William Quick & Son, and Capt. Zachariah Berry. In August, 1851, William W. Legg was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 42d Regt., 24th Brigade, 6th Division, New York State Militia. The first tavern was built by Ira Ryder on the site of the Churchill House; the second was erected by Lewis Davis, where John Unckless now lives; and a third was kept on the corner occupied hy Mark Harvey. The first blacksmith shop in Borodino was kept by Eleazer Hullibut where the Legg block now stands, and afterward William W. Legg plied his trade on the premises owned by Louis Fay. Other blacksmiths were Mr. Stowell, Isaac Wallace, O. F. Eddy, A. Griffin, and John Weston. The first wagonmaker was W. W. Legg, who had as workmen John Babcock, Solomon Sprague, Seymour Warner and Simeon Morchell. Among the early shoemakers were Milton Streeter and Harmon Cady. Thomas Howard at one time had a tannery here and Daniel Baxter carried on a potashery. William Hayford was an early tinsmith and foundryman. The first resident physician was Dr. J. Whiting, and among his successors were Dr. B. Trumbull, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Isaac Morrell, and Dr. Van Dyke Tripp. On May, 1856, a fire destroyed a tin shop, foundry, tailor shop, etc., entailing a loss of about $8,000, and on September 12, 1871, the business places of William W. Legg & Son, William Quick, Charles Rich, H. L. Darling, and Charles Benton were burned.

Among other Borodino settlers were Levi Applebee, John Gale, James Cornell, Jesse and Nathaniel Manley, Reuben Newton, Medad Harvey, Sylvenus Stebbins, Ichabod and Warren Kneeland, Elders Morton and Worden, Hiram Whitman, Stanton Lewis, Peleg Amadown, Squire Waite, William and Pardon Cornell, Samuel Biddles, James Sweet, Jesse Peck, James McDuffee, Nathan Thompson, Gideon Colton, John Stropp, Isaac Mills, Asa Mason, and Peter Becker. The first justices of the peace on record, under the year 1830, were Daniel and John Baxter and Silas Cox, and among those who afterward held that office were Daniel B. Robinson, Wait Hinman, Orry Wood, John Sharp, John C. Hullibut, Isaiah D. Smith, Asahel Roundy, Thomas Copp, Stephen Hammond, Thaddeus Thompson, Russell M. Burdick, William O' Farrell, and Lorenzo Boutelle.

In 1836 Borodino had a church, two taverns, two stores, and about twenty dwellings.

Statistics: 206 militia, 489 voters, 14,391 acres of improved land, 2,852 cattle, 839 horses, 7,189 sheep, one grist mill, five saw mills, a fulling mill, a carding mill, two asheries, three tanneries, 15 school districts, and 1,277 scholars; public money expended for school purposes, $861; teachers' wages, additional, $596; assessed valuation of real estate, $304,637; personal property, $19,531; town tax, $517; county tax, $706.

Spafford Corners was likewise a center of activity, and continued to increase in size and business importance for several years. Among those who succeeded Asahel Roundy, the first postmaster, were James Knapp, Joseph R. Berry, Thomas B. Anderson, Dr. John Collins, William W. Legg, Benjamin McDaniels, Uriah Roundy (about fifteen years), George King, Caleb E. King, Uriah Roundy again, and Caleb E. King, incumbent. Of the hotel keepers who followed Col. W. W. Legg mention may he made of Thomas Babcock, Eugene Barker, John Van Benscoten, Lieber & McCauliffe, and Thomas McCauliffe. Lauren Hotchkiss, as stated, was the first merchant, and among others were James and Isaac Knapp, Joseph R. Berry (son of Jonathan), J. A. Berry, Thomas B. Anderson, Levi Hurlbut, A. M. Roundy (brother of Uriah, died in 1857), James Churchill, and Jonathan Woodworth. Joseph R. Berry, in 1831, built afterward what became the Churchill store, which at the raising was dubbed the "Proud Farmer's Ruin." In 1867 Uriah Roundy purchased the old Baptist church and converted it into a store, and with Benjamin McDaniels conducted a large mercantile trade for several years.

John Anderson, jr., born in Cazenovia on June 14, 1807, came with his father to Skaneateles in 1809. The latter died in 1814, leaving three children: John, jr., Cornelius, and Catherine. At the age of thirteen John, jr., was bound out to Joshua Chandler, with whom he remained until he was twenty-one. In 1832 he married Catherine, daughter of Ezekiel Olds, of Auburn, and after living at Thorn Hill four years removed to Borodino, where he followed his trade of carpenter.

Dr. John Collins came to Spafford about 1830 and practiced medicine until his death on August 15, 1853. He was a descendant of Henry Collins, starchmaker, who came to America from Stephany Parish, near London, England, in 1635, and settled in Lynn, Mass. Dr. Collins was of the seventh generation in an unbroken line of his own name, John. He was graduated from the Castleton (Vt.) Medical College in 1829, settled first in Madison county, but soon removed to this town where he acquired a wide professional business. He was one of the leading physicians of the county during his career and a prominent member of the County Medical Society. He was a fine botanist, knew the medicinal properties of almost all varieties of plants, held several important town offices, and was one of the first men to espouse the cause of temperance. He married Mary Ann, daughter of Capt. Asahel Roundy and sister of Prof. Charles O. Roundy, the first principal of the Syracuse High School. She survives him and resides in Syracuse. They had eight children, of whom three are living: Major George Knapp Collins, a prominent lawyer, and John Asahel and Frank Collins, all of Syracuse.

Capt. Asahel Roundy was born in Rockingham, Windham county, Vt., July 29, 1784, and died in Spafford February 1, 1857. He was the seventh in line of descent from Philip Roundy, of Salem, Mass., the first settler. Philip had three children, Robert and Mark by his first wife and Mary by his second. Mark was a soldier in Captain Hill's company, which made an attack on the Narragansett Fort in Rhode Island in December, 1675, in what was known as King Philip's war, and was wounded in that engagement. Uriah, father of Asahel, was born October 27, 1756, married Lucretia Needham, and died May 1, 1813, residing during his lifetime in Rockingham. By his first wife, Lucretia, he had twelve children, Daniel, Hannah, Asahel, Lucy, Shadrack, Naomi, Lucretia, Mariah, Uriah, Mary, Almira, and Matilda.

Capt. Asahel Roundy came to Spafford from Rockingham, Vt., on horseback, in 1807. After the death of his father, Uriah, in 1813, his mother, brothers, and sisters came on from Rockingham and took up their residence about him in his new home in this town, and from thence scattered to different parts of the great West. In the war of 1812 Asahel was captain of a company of militia which saw service for a short period in the neighborhood of Sackett's Harbor. During the early history of this county a large share of the litigation was in justice courts in the different towns instead of the county seat as at the present time. On such occasions the best legal talent in the county was employed and every one suspended work to be present at the lawsuit. At such times it was not infrequent that Captain Roundy was called upon to try one side or the other of these cases, and Hon. Daniel Gott, who in olden times was considered one of the strongest trial lawyers in the county, once paid Captain Roundy the compliment of being one of the strongest advocates before a jury of any man he ever met. There were several remarkable men among the early pioneers of this town, but it is no disparagement of any of them to say that he was the most remarkable of them all. He was six feet tall, well proportioned, a perfeet athlete, and an adept in all the sports that were common and participated in by the men of those times. His education was only that of the common school but he had a remarkably retentive memory, and his mind was well stored with valuable information, including much poetry and song, all of which he was able to command and use to advantage both in public speech and in private conversation, He was a man physically and mentally well equipped.

The first settler at what is now known as Randall's Point, or Spafford Landing, came to Spafford early, while the country was then a wilderness, and undertook to build a log house at that place. In doing so he broke his leg by a log rolling upon him. Captain Roundy, finding him in this condition and no help being at hand, took him upon his back and bore him through the woods up an almost vertical pathway for a mile and a half to his house, where he was cared for until his recovery.

Captain Roundy at an early date purchased lands in the eastern part of the town, and laid out and built the road now known as the Bucktail. Anyone who has ever passed over this road will be likely to remember its ruggedness as equal to its picturesqueness. In early times as well as now it was a subject of jest. At that time the two principal parties in this State were known as Bucktails and Clintonians. Of the former he was at that time an active member; so much so that the people dubbed the road the Bucktail in recognition of that fact, and it has borne the name until the present time.

At an early time one or two burials were made in what is known as the Spafford cemetery, east of the Corners, which was then open pasture land. One day a funeral party came there with a corpse for burial, and the man who owned the land refused to let the interment take place, whereupon, as usual in such cases, they appealed to Captain Roundy, who went to the owner and bought and paid for the original land, which forms a part of that cemetery, and title to the same rests in his name or that of his descendants to this day.

Before 1831 it was common to imprison people for debt. On one occasion a man living on the main road in the southern part of the town was in debt. He was abusive, and resisted arrest. For a long time he kept himself concealed and locked in doors. He kept out of the way of the officers, as they were not permitted to break down doors to make such arrests. The officer went to Roundy, and he undertook to assist him in making the arrest. It was winter time, and he got a two-horse rig, put on all the bells he could find, and in the middle of the night drove down to within one-half mile of the man's house, got out, and taking two bundles of straw under his arm walked down to the north end of the house, which had no windows in it, the only door of admittance being on the east side of the house near the northeast corner. Arriving at the place he set fire to the straw, whereupon the man with the bells and horses drove at a furious rate yelling "fire," which brought the man to the door in his nightdress, where he was met by Captain Roundy, who took him gently in his arms and turned him over to the officer.

At an early date Captain Roundy built a saw mill on the upper falls of the stream near the Bucktail road with a flume running over the precipice, and subsequently built a carding mill a little higher up stream. About this time a supposed distant relative of his came to town and claimed to have a knowledge of carding. He put him in charge of the mill. After he had been in possession for a time Captain Roundy thought it time to go over, investigate, and count up the profits of the adventure. To his mute astonishment he found the building entirely empty and his carding machinery carried away. This he subsequently found buried under a straw stack in the village of Cardiff.

At one time a log house stood on the green now existing at the Corners between the two churches. A woman living in this house after a while was discovered to have won the affections and regard of a neighbor woman's husband, with whom she proposed elopement. On the night fixed for this episode to take place there was a gathering of men on horseback in a distant part of the town, and after the elopers had gotten a mile or so on their journey they were overtaken by this cavalcade and escorted to Borodino. After a short stop they were persuaded to return and the man, making over his property to his wife, was permitted to go away undisturbed.

At an early date a dilapidated old house stood a short distance east of the Corners. It was rumored that an undesirable family had hired it and was going to move into town and likely to become a town charge. The people called upon the owner and tried to dissuade him from letting the property to these people, but he persisted, and was more or less abusive, much to the annoyance of his neighbors. One fine morning, just before the new settlers were to arrive, people were surprised to find this house razed to the ground. The owner was furious, and charged one of his neighbors with perpetrating the mischief and went to Captain Roundy, who was then a justice of the peace, and swore out a warrant for the man. At that time the parties to a criminal or civil proceeding could not be sworn in their own behalf, and the defendant was often at the mercy of an unscrupulous witness. At the time of the trial every one turned out and very much regretted the turn of affairs, which seemed to be against the defendant. The complainant produced a witness, who swore that he was passing along the road in the night and saw the defendant tearing down the house, and he tried to get away from him, but he knew him, and was certain of his identity. The defendant was so unfortunate as not to be able to prove even an alibi. When the case was rested, much to the surprise of every one present, Captain Roundy discharged the defendant, claiming there was no cause of action against him. Of course it was a high handed proceeding, but everybody submitted because it was Captain Roundy's decision, and they all believed that he must have some internal light not discernible to the rest of them. Sometime afterwards one of his daughters said to him: "Father, how could you make that decision when you knew that witness swore point blank to the guilt of the defendant and there were no mitigating circumstances?" "Well," he said, ''if you will never say anything about it I will tell you. I knew that that witness lied, for Colonel Hutchins and myself pulled down that building."

Captain Roundy married Hannah Weston on January 19, 1809. By her he had nine children, all of whom arrived at maturity. Among them were Uriah Roundy, at present a justice of the peace in this town; Prof. Charles O. Roundy, a former principal of the Syracuse High School, and Mary Ann, who married Dr John Collins, and is now a resident of Syracuse.

Thompson Burdick was born in the town of Hopkinton, R.I., September 1, 1753, and died at Spafford on October 5, 1830. He was fourth in line of descent from Robert Burdick, the first settler in this country and the common ancestor of all the Burdicks so far as known.

About 1661 a company was formed in Newport to colonize what was afterward known as Westerly, R.I. Among those who were members of that company and who settled upon the land near Pawtucket River was Robert Burdick and Tobias Saunders. In November of that year they made a clearing and put up a log house, but were promptly arrested by order of Gov. John Endicott, of Massachusetts, and carried prisoners to Boston. They were tried as trespassers, fined forty pounds apiece, and ordered to give bonds to keep the peace. They were kept in prison for several months, during which time they appealed to England for redress. In the end the other members of the colonization company paid their fines and they were permitted to return to Rhode Island Colony. Robert married Ruth, daughter of Samuel and Tacy (Cooper) Hubbard, who was said to be the first white child born in Springfield, Mass. By her he had ten children, of whom Robert, Hubbard, Thomas, Naomi, Ruth, Benjamin, Samuel, Tacy, and Deborah arrived at maturity. From Thomas was descended the Rev. John Burdick who was recognized as one of the greatest Seventh Day preachers of his day. Hubbard Burdick married Hannah Maxson, by whom he had four children: Hubbard, Nathan, John and Ezekiel.

Hubbard resided in Hopkinton, R.I., and was one of the grantees of 5,300 acres of land sold under an order of the R.I. court October 2, 1711. This grant was situated in the southwestern portion of the town of Hopkinton. John Burdick, the son of Hubbard, was born May 19, 1721, and married Elizabeth Babcock, by whom he had eight children: Maxson, Thompson, Anne, John, Paul, Abigail, Sarah and Frances.

Thompson Burdick, son of John, married Tabithy Wilcox, and by her had ten children: Paul, William, Thompson, Ethel, Lucy, Nabba, Nancy, Polina, Betsey and Sophia. The major part of these were born at Pawcatuc Bridge, Stonington, Conn , and the balance in Brookfleld, N.Y., to which place Thompson is said to have immigrated with his family in an ox-cart in 1796. In Brookfleld he settled just south of the present village of Clarksville and remained there until about 1809, when he removed to Scott in Cortland county and settled in the northern part of the village of that name. At the latter place he remained until some time after the war of 1812, when he removed to the town of Spafford and took up his residence on lands forming the northern part of the Prindle farm, now so called. Here he remained until his death. At the time of his arrival in Spafford Thompson was a man well advanced in years and past the active period of life; still he was respected and highly regarded by his neighbors for his patriotism and many sterling qualities. His descendants are many and still remain in this and adjoining towns. Paul married and moved to Milwaukee, Wis. William removed to Pennsylvania, Pa. Thompson entered the service of the United States in the war of 1812 and was killed or died during service. He left a lad named Avery Burdick, who was brought up by his grandfather and became a prosperous citizen in this town and his descendants still remain. Ethel died unmarried. Lucy married John Collins, of Brookfleld, and was the mother of Dr. John Collins, who formerly practiced medicine in this town. Nabba married David Gates and settled in Brookfleld. Nancy married George Frink. Polina married John Barber, of Scott, and their descendants still remain. Betsey married Elijah Knapp and was the mother of Mrs. William Barker and Mrs. Emeline K. Collins, of this town. Sophia married Hosea Palmer and settled in Scott. Thompson Burdick, sr., was a member of the first regiment of the Rhode Island line of Continentals in the war of the Revolution and served for nearly two years. He served first at Boston, afterwards at Point Judith, R.I., and was in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, at which place he was wounded by a gun shot in the leg, and afterwards in that of Trenton.

In December, 1828, Peter Picket built a saw mill on Cold Brook which was operated by B. W. Taft. In 1872 it was rebuilt and is now owned by the heirs of the late William H. Lawrence, who formerly had a flax mill there. In 1830 a grist mill was erected in the same neighborhood by Dr. David Mellen, who came from Hudson, N.Y. The mill was burned in 1852. The present feed mill there was built by John P. Taft, in 1863.

In 1838 the town had eighteen whole school districts, 766 scholars, and expended $321.69; in 1850 there were 496 scholars and $826.72 expended. Between 1844 and 1855 the schools were under the direction of a town superintendent, and those who filled that office were Mott Haight, 1844, 1848, and 1854; Daniel G. Frisbie, 1845; Oscar E. Moseley, 1846-47; Lafayette Foster, 1849; no record, 1850 and 1853; Charles H. Buffington, 1851; Joseph H. Bulfinch, 1852; George W. Spalding, 1855.

The early inhabitants of Spafford manifested an active interest in all public matters, and upon important occasions expressed their opinions with unmistakable force. Politics, religion, and education commanded their attention no less than the personal affairs of life, and from an early day a spirit of ambition has existed throughout the town. This fact is evident from the number of Spafford's sons and daughters who have attained distinction in their chosen fields of labor. An illustration of this commendable spirit which prevailed in the community occurred on June 26, 1831, when an anti-Masonic meeting was held at the house of Samuel Parker, at which Amasa Sessions was chairman and John Chandler secretary. Col. Phineas Hutchins, Mr. Sessions and Alexander R. Jackson were appointed a committee to draft resolutions expressing approval of the "bold and patriotic cause of the minority of our Legislature, and also of the able and pointed letter of the Hon. Richard Rush."

Spafford is distinctively an agricultural town, and as such it ranks among the leading farming sections of the State. Grain, fruit, hay, potatoes, etc., are raised in abundance. The soil is well watered, mostly by springs and small brooks, and in places is underlaid with an excellent blue limestone, suitable for building purposes. Here is quarried building stone at a higher elevation than at any other point in the county. Within recent years the shore of Skaneateles Lake in this town has in several places been utilized by summer residents, who have erected thereon a number of attractive cottages.

The population of Spafford has been as follows:

In 1820, 1,294; 1825, 1,450; 1830, 2,647; 1835, 2,404; 1840, 1,873; 1845. 1,977; 1850, 1,903; 1855, 1,816; 1860, 1,814; 1865, 1,566; 1870, 1,595; 1875, 1,486; 1880, 1,450: 1890, 1,227; 1892, 1,210.

Return to the Spafford page.

Return to Onondaga County USGenWeb page.