"Of the inhabitants of Van Buren prior to settlement by white men, there is little to be said. Its territory constituted a part of the hunting grounds of the Iroquois, and the treaty of 1788 gave them, of course, the right to hunt here, as it did in all other parts of their old domain. The valley of Dead Creek in this town was their highway from the Onondaga towns to the Seneca River, and a trail ran north and south near the creek. The earlier name of the creek, 'Camp Brook,' was derived from the fact that the hunting parties made their numerous camps along its banks. A small Indian village was situated at Jack's Rifts, when the first settlers arrived, and remains of an old orchard were in existence on lot 3, some of the trees of which were preserved as late as 1873.
Every summer the Indians came up from the south to hunt and fish, and on cold nights often sought the shelter of the pioneers' cabins, where they would be permitted to lie near the fire wrapped in their blankets through the night. The towns in the western and northwestern part of this country escaped the horrors of the Indian wars, and after settlers arrived, such Indians as wandered through this region were well disposed and friendly; they had been taught, to their great cost, that they must submit to the rule of the white man. The deep forests that originally covered the town harbored many wild animals long after settlement began, and the pioneer who was compelled to pass one or more nights in the open air, or in a frail shanty, prudently kept a fire burning to frighten away the wolves.
The first settlers in the town of Van Buren were, like those in several other sections of the county, temporary hunters and trappers who came in and 'squatted' wherever the surroundings offered the best promise for their vocation. The first of these is not even known by name, and was found when the first surveyors entered the town (probably in 1791), living alone on lot 40, about on the site of the Warners hamlet. The surveyors made his cabin their headquarters while working near by. On returning from their labor one night, they found the trapper dead on his bed. He was buried in the forest near the north line of the lot, leaving no record to tell the pioneers further of this adventurous dweller in the wilderness.
Another settler who came in about 1791 was John Dunn, who cleared a space and built a cabin on lot 12, across the road from the site of the house of the late Luther Hay. Dunn lived there several years, when his wife died and he moved elsewhere.
The first permanent settler in the town was John Wilson, a native of Limerick, Ireland, whence he emigrated when his son Robert was seven years old. He lived for a time in Washington county, and settled in this town in 1792 on the 'survey-fifty' of lot 38, and died there early in the present century, leaving several children, from whom are descended many families now resident in the town. His remains were buried in the old cemetery at Ionia. James and Robert Wilson were sons of the pioneer, and of his daughters, Martha married David Haynes, Elizabeth married William Lakin, and Isabella married Samuel Marvin. A grandson, also named Joseph, was prominent in the town at about the date of its organization.
John McHarrie was the first permanent settler in the north part of the town, where he located probably in 1792, although the date is given 1794 on the gravestone of his son John, jr., who died in 1834. This pioneer was of Scotch ancestry and a veteran of the Revolution. He removed his family from Maryland to the Seneca country and thence proceeded down the Seneca river to lot 7 at what became known as 'McHarrie's Rifts,' near Baldwinsville. He died there November 26, 1807, at the age of fifty-five years, and was buried in a field near his home. This burial and others made there in early years was the nucleus of Riverside Cemetery. John McHarrie, jr., was the only son of the pioneer and left no descendants but a daughter, Lydia, who married Gabriel Tappen, another early settler noticed further on.
Daniel Allen settled on lot 7 in 1793, but very little is known of him. His cabin probably stood on land now included in the cemetery. In a list of the electors of 1807 Allen's name does not appear, and he had probably died or removed before that date.
David Haynes settled in Van Buren territory about 1795. Born June 9, 1771, at Lisbon, N. H., he lived in early manhood near Albany, where he met a man named McKnown who then held the title to lot 12. McKnown, as it is related, offered Haynes a part of the lot if he would make an actual settlement on it, which he did. On May 14, 1798, the owner deeded to Haynes 150 acres in the southeast corner of the lot, which is still in possession of the family. No other tract has remained in one family during so long a period. A few years after his settlement, Mr. Haynes married Martha Wilson, and in 1799 their daughter was born, who was the first white child born in the town. Some years later Haynes engaged in the salt business at Salina and went there to live; but in 1816 he returned and after that his time was divided between Salina, the West, and on his homestead, which he had increased in area by purchase. He died on his farm on May 26, 1841, and was buried in Baldwinsville. Of his nine children none is now living, but many of his grandchildren are resident in the town. His children were Elizabeth, who married Samuel P. Smith in Salina, passed her life there and died there on May 9, 1875; John, Cornelia, Polly (wife of Philip Farrington), Thaddeus, Edward, Horace, Brooks, and James. Thaddeus long occupied the homestead.
Ebenezer Spencer bough 150 acres of land of the owner of lot 40 on October 10, 1795. The deed is the first one given to a grantee resident within the limits of the present town. Nothing further is known of Spencer, and his stay in this locality was short.
Another pioneer of whom little is known was John Wigent, who is said to have settled in 1796 just east of the site of Memphis, whence the family removed later to the northern part of the town. His descendants are still resident.
William Lakin, a native of Croton, Mass., where he was born on October 11, 1758, settled in this town about 1796. He had served through the Revolutionary war and was wounded. Finding his way to Washington county, N. Y., he there married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Wilson (before mentioned), whom he followed westward. He settled near the site of Memphis, died on February 23, 1835, and was buried at Ionia.
John Tappen, a native of New Jersey, where he was born about 1756, was a Revolutionary soldier and settled in this town west of the site of Ionia in 1796. He died there November 22, 1818, and four months later his wife passed away; both were buried on a corner of his tract which he had set aside for the purpose and which is still occupied by the old cemetery. His children were Abram, Gabriel, Asher, Stephen, William, Betsey (wife of Henry Clark), Nancy (wife of Elijah Snow), Electa (wife of Stephen Hart), Sally (wife of James Barber), and Phoebe (wife of James Williams).
Samuel Marvin, born in Connecticut about 1779, came to Van Buren as early as 1799, married Isabella Wilson, daughter of the pioneer, Joseph, and took up a farm on lot 11, where he died in 1814. He was buried on a now neglected site on lot 38. Asher T. Marvin, and Mrs. Louisa Williams, two of his children, are still living, advanced in years.
The Taber family, who settled in the town about 1800, is not now represented here, but was somewhat prominent in early times. Gardner and Esek Taber were probably brothers, and Daniel and Benjamin, who owned land on lot 25 as early as 1805, may have been brothers of Gardner and Esek. The first marriage within the town limits was that of James Wilson and Roby Taber. Esek Taber died in 1814 and his will mentions his wife, Roby, and his daughter, Roby Nicholas. The death of Mrs. Jonathan Taber is stated to have been the first death in the town.
While various accounts have given the names of other settlers prior to 1800, they are probably erroneous if we abide by existing original records. These pioneers found themselves surrounded by circumstances similar to those encountered in other localities. Settlement had progressed in Onondaga county ten or twelve years; but the town under consideration, lying to the northward of the great Genesee trail, or road, was passed by many pioneers who proceeded on westward, or was neglected by others who settled nearer to the great thoroughfare. Asa Danforth had been clearing land in Onondaga Valley, boiling salt at Salina, and grinding grain in his primitive mill near the site of Jamesville four or five years before the first permanent settlement was made in what is now Van Buren; and adventurous pioneers had located in Pompey, Manlius, and in the old towns of Marcellus and Camillus, outside of what is now Van Buren, before 1792. The Seneca River between Onondaga Lake outlet and Three Rivers, was a comparatively busy highway and was much traveled long before its course farther westward was explored, a fact that led to the establishment of the McHarrie-Baldwin settlement at Baldwinsville, while the region farther west was somewhat neglected for a time. As settlement spread southward and northward from the Genesee trail, the southern section of the town was the first to be occupied, other pioneers gradually working their way further north. The early waterway from the east to the west across this State was up the Mohawk River, through Wood Creek, Oneida Lake and River and the Seneca River, a route that was greatly improved in the latter part of the last century by the Western Inland Lock and Navigation Company. Over this route an active boating traffic sprang up and many of the pioneers of Central and Western New York, to as far west as Palmyra, transported their goods through this waterway. The natural consequence was the building of settlers' homes along the Seneca and other streams, as John McHarrie did in Van Buren about 1792. The scanty mail for the pioneers of this town stopped at Onondaga Hollow and there, in the stores of Roger Tenbroeck, George Kibbe and others, they bartered their produce for household necessities, on their way, perhaps, to Danforth's grist mill. Newspapers did not exist in Onondaga county until 1806 and current news passed slowly from point to point in the speech of the people. Luxuries in homes were wholly absent, as were also many common conveniences that are now regarded as prime necessities. The pioneers looked at the sun to learn the time of day, and perhaps notched a stick for the passage of each day. This latter device served its purpose as long as the daily notch was cut, but it is related that in one instance the Haynes family neglected this important act and thereby lost a day. Sunday came, of course, a day too late, and when the family made their customary Sabbath visit to the McHarrie family and found them desecrating the day by chopping in the woods, there was consternation among the visitors. A comparison of records discovered the source of the error. The distance from a physician was another often distressing circumstance to the pioneer. A story is told of Mrs. Haynes, in this connection, that when one of her children fell from a height and was rendered unconscious, she saddled a horse, took the child in her arms and rode eight miles southward to reach a physician.
Recurring again to the settlements to the town which continued at the beginning of the present century, we find that Phineas Barns, sr., of the town of Pompey, Onondaga county, became the owner of land in the southwestern part of Van Buren in 1801. This was the first section to receive settlers, and kept in advance of other localities in this respect. Lot 25, 100 acres of which passed into possession of the Barns family, was owned by Peter Tenbroeck of the town of Onondaga. The farm sold to Barns included that part of the site of Ionia lying north of the east and west road, and the improvements made by him were the beginning of the little village. There Phineas Barns, jr., settled in 1803. His log house was superseded in 1808 by a frame swelling, erected by or for him, which was probably the first frame house in the town. Phineas Barns was prominent in the early history of the town; died August 6, 1825, aged forty-four years, and is buried at Ionia. In the same year (1803) in the same locality with Barns, Amos Warner and his brother Ezra settled. Amos was a native of Stockbridge, Mass., born in 1780, and lived in Pompey before removing to Van Buren. He died January 20, 1868, and is buried at Warners. His brother Ezra died July 10, 1844, aged fifty-six years.
Eber Hart, a native of Rhode Island, settled in the town in 1803; died about 1842, and is buried at 'Sorrel Hill.'
In 1785 Israel Rogers of Ulster county, N. Y., bought the land grants of Patrick and Peter Davis, thus becoming owner of lots 9 and 19 in Van Buren. Moses Rogers, son of Israel, came on westward, and on the death of his father in 1805 became the owner of a part of lot 19. He settled on the lot probably in the previous year. Jonathan Malby, from Connecticut, purchased a part of lot 12 in 1804, and Joel Foster of Pompey in the same year bought part of lot 25. He died June 17, 1834, at the age of fifty-one years, and is buried at Ionia.
In 1805 the names of Benjamin and Daniel Taber (before mentioned) and Henieal Warner and Reuben Woodward appear as grantees on lot 25. Benjamin Taber sold out in 1815, and Daniel in 1818; they probably then removed elsewhere. Henieal Warner also sold his farm in 1813, and may have left the town. About 1805 John Clark bought of David Haynes part of lot 12 and sold it in 1818 to a man with the same name as his own.
About 1806-7 Ebenezer Wells of Wethersfield, Mass., and Reuben Smith of Westford, Mass., settled on lot 7. Wells was born in 1756, lived for a time in Rensselaer county, where his son James (born in 1783, died May 8, 1873) and died February 22, 1812, and his remains lie in the academy lot on the Baldwinsville north side.
In 1806 Aaron Smith settled on lot 27; his cabin burned in 1811 and he left the town. About the same time Ebel Goddard came from Massachusetts and settled on lot 7. He subsequently removed west.
In the year 1807 a State canvass was taken of all citizens who were entitled to vote by reason of owning or occupying land. This list is very valuable for its information relative to permanent residents at that early date. The old town of Camillus had 203 electors, thirty-eight of whom can be recognized as of the Van Buren territory. There are as follows:
Phineas Barns, Ira Barns, John C. Britton, John Clark, Peleg Cornell, Stephen Crego, Isaac Earll, Jonathan Foster, David Haines, Eber Hart, William Laken, Isaac Lindsay, John McHarrie, Daniel McQueen, Peter McQueen, David Parish, Jonathan Parish, Josiah Parish, Samuel Parish, Elijah Rice, Joseph Robinson, Abraham Rogers, Moses Rogers, Benoni Sherman, Benjamin Tabor, Daniel Tabor, Asher Tappen, Gabriel Tappen, John Tappen, Amos Warner, Hannel Warner, Seth Warner, Calvin Waterman, Joseph Wilson, Reuben Woodward, John Wygent, James Young.
John C. Britton, a Revolutionary soldier, came from New Jersey and settled near Ionia; he died in 1842. Jonathan Foster also lived near there, and died in 1830; also did Ira Barns, who died October 8, 1864, aged eighty-one years. Abraham Rogers was probably a son of Moses Rogers, and Gabriel Tappen and Asher Tappen were sons of John Tappen. Elijah Rice was an early settler on lot 39, and Benoni Sherman near by on lot 27. Seth Warner, born about 1775, came into the town in 1807, was a prominent citizen and died at an advanced age. He and Henry Warner settled on lot 39. Daniel McQueen settled early on lot 12, and Peter McQueen was a land owner in 1814 on lot 43. In the eastern part of the town a number of the above list of electors settled, among them Isaac Earll, Calvin Waterman and James Young, near Van Buren Corners; Joseph Robinson and the four Parishes were in the extreme southeast region; Stephen Crego on lot 23, and Isaac Lindsay on lot 29. Isaac, William and Elijah Lindsay, brothers, probably removed from southern Camillus to Van Buren territory about 1807, and Heman Warner, brother of Seth, settled on lot 40 about the same time. Abner Hitchcock, blacksmith, was also a settler on lot 40, and John Sherman on lot 12.
A pioneer of some note who settled on lot 38 in 1808 was John Cunningham, a Revolutionary veteran who belonged to Machin's company of artillery and shared in the expedition against the Onondagas in 1779. He came to Van Buren from Newburgh, N.Y. His son, also named John, passed his life in this town, but no descendants are left. Robert H., another son, was killed by accident in 1825. Catherine, daughter of the pioneer, married Samuel Howe, and from them are descended members of the Howe, Haynes, Crum, Van Wie, Reed, O'Brien and other families. John Cunningham, sr., died about 1820.
Others who are known to have settled in the town in 1808 are Levins Squire, on lot 27, and Delanson Foster, Jonathan Skinner, Samuel Skinner, Aaron Foster and Samuel Willard on lot 40. Philip Hodges was a land owner on lot 22, and about this time, probably, Augustus Harris settled on lot 14, the land having come into possession of the family in 1804.
In 1809 Alvin Bostwick settled on lot 27, and about this time Nathan and Isaac Bentley located on lot 39. Jonathan Taber owned land in 1809 on lot 39, Charlton Britton on lot 12 and Benjamin Depuy on lot 7. In the next year (1810) Esek Taber owned land near Ionia, and James Wells (son of Ebenezer) on lot 7. Charles H. Toll settled at Ionia about 1810.
A few persons known to be early settlers in the town, who kept little record of their lives, were Benjamin Bolton, mentioned in Clark's Onondaga as located early at Jack's Rifts; Gilbert Totten, also at the Rifts; the Delano family, on lot 12; Daniel Bartholomew, in the western part of the town; Atchison Mellin, in the northern part, and Abel Goddard, on lot 7.
Settlement was now progressing rapidly as the many attractions of the locality became better known. There was not yet a school or a church in the town, and little business of any kind aside from agriculture. But there were indications of the situation of the later villages and hamlets. This was especially noticeable at 'McHarrie's Rifts,' as it was called, the settlement made by John McHarrie in 1792, as before noted, on the site of the first ward of Baldwinsville. This site is on lot 7, granted to Benjamin Epton in 1790, who sold twice, the successful purchaser being Charles F. Weisenfels. He sold to William J. Vredenburgh, and he to Samuel Meredith of Philadelphia, all in 1790. McHarrie had discovered an ideal spot for his wilderness home. Fish and game abounded, and he found considerable occupation in helping boats through the rifts on their up-river trips. Daniel Allen settled in 1793 a little farther up the river, and both contracted for land with Meredith. Allen received his deed for 100 acres in 1793.
During a number of years early in the century there was a road coming from the south which crossed straight down to the river bank in a northeasterly direction, passing through the present cemetery property and ending near the site of McHarrie's cabin. A ford crossed the river at that point. This road was resurveyed in 1814, but was abandoned a few years later. About 1806 the State road to Oswego was laid out, crossing the river at the rifts. Dr. Jonas Baldwin had at an earlier date purchased land on the north side of the river, and there laid the foundations of Baldwinsville. He built the toll bridge under authority of a legislative act of April 7, 1807, and later constructed a dam, canal, mills, etc. Meanwhile McHarrie died in 1807, not having received a deed of his 500 acre purchase. In 1808 the deed was given to his heirs. The State road having opened the land to settlement, several of the pioneers already mentioned, and others, took up tracts in that vicinity, but very little excepting farm improvements was accomplished in the hamlet until about 1820-25. Considerable travel centered at the Baldwin bridge, and as early as 1814 highways leading to the settlement at Ionia were established about where Canton street, Water street, and Downer street now lie.
During the period under consideration the families of Seth, Amos, and Heman Warner had given the name 'Warners' to the settlement on lots 39 and 40, and in 1813 a school house was built at the corners on lot 39, and two years later the Baptist Society, the first religious organization in the town, came into existence....
The names of Samuel Beckworth, and Elisha and Peter Peck, on lot 41; Daniel Savage, in the same section, on lot 22, and David Cornell on lot 29, appear as pioneers of 1811. James Rogers, son of Moses, became a land owner on lot 19, in this year, and Thomas Marvin, with his sons, George, Morton, Joseph, Warren, Henry, and Ralph, settled on lot 40.
Some of the principal settlers of 1812 were John Ingelsbee, Moses Howe, Luther Seaver, and Phineas Meigs, in the 'Sorrel hill region (said to have been named in ridicule of the great quantity of the worthless weed, wild sorrell, that grew in the vicinity); John Wright, who bought land near Ionia; Nathaniel Cornell, sr., and Cyrus H. Kingsley, near Van Buren; Nicholas Vader, near the northwestern part of the town. In this year Thaddeus Sweet, Clark Eldred, Ephraim Smith, and Reuben Smith had land on lot 13, which they lost a little later, their titles proving worthless.
The records show that in 1813 James Clark and Ethan Daniels were on lot 8, and in that section were also located Elijah Barnes, Eli Ketchum, and one Walker. In the eastern part of the town were John Patch, Holder and John Cornell, Benjamin Parish, and on lot 41 John H. Lamerson and John Sears. In the northern part were Nathan Williams, lot 10; Chester Holby, lot 11; John Williams, lot 7, and Charles Turner, lot 14.
Settlement at this time received a considerable check in most parts of the county, through the effects of the war that had broken out in 1812. Sackett's Harbor, Oswego and other frontier posts had been garrisoned by the Americans, who in the winter of 1813-4 carried the struggle upon the lakes. When Oswego was threatened by the appearance of a British fleet in the harbor, the militia was called out for service. Onondaga county responded, and among the companies who hastened to the threatened post were those of Gabriel Tappen and Stephen Tappen, of Van Buren. The reader of the early chapters of this volume has learned that most of the militia from this region arrived at Oswego too late to be of much service, and generally returned home after a few days. In 1813 the militia of Van Buren section was part of the 16th Regiment. Stephen Tappen was lieutenant-colonel of the 172d Regiment, organized in 1816, and Gabriel Tappen was colonel. On the old militia rolls prior to 1821 are found many other Van Buren names, as shown in the following list of officers:
Regimental staff--Abraham Rogers, quartermaster in 1809; Charles H. Toll, quartermaster in 1816, adjutant in 1819, major 1820; John McHarrie, paymaster in 1819; U. H. Dunning, surgeon in 1820.
Captains--Gabriel Tappen, 1809; Stephen Tappen, 1811; Henry B. Turner, 1812; David Parish, 1814; Seth Warner, 1816; John L. Cooper, Henry Warner, Levi Paddock, 1818; John Inglesbee, Richard Lusk, 1819; Delanson Foster, 1820.
Lieutenants--Seth Warner, Gabriel Tappen, 1806; David Parish, 1812; Josiah Parish, jr., Stephen Shead, 1814; Ira Barnes, John L. Cooper, 1816; James Well, John Inglesbee, Richard Lusk, Jost C. Finck, 1818; Delanson Foster, 1819; Phineas Meigs, 1820; C. H. Kingsley, 1821.
Ensigns--Ira Barnes, 1819; Henry Warner, James Wells, 1816; Delanson Foster, James Rogers, Daniel Cornell, 1818; Phineas Meigs, Stephen Britton, 1819; Abram H. Hamblin, John Lakin, 1821.
With the close of the war settlements in new localities revived, and progress was rapid. In 1814 Eleazer Dunham, Loami Wilcox, James and Jonathan Paddock, Robert Wilson, and Stephen Shead were located near Ionia, giving further prominence to that section. John Tappen had, a few years earlier, donated land a little west of the corners for the first burial ground in the town, and near by the first school house in town was built about 1813. When the State road was opened in about the same year, and became considerably traveled, and with a bridge crossing the Seneca, this hamlet, then known as "Barns's Corners,' assumed still more prominence. A post route was opened over the new highway, and Charles H. Toll built and kept a tavern at the corners for the accommodation of the post-riders and other travelers. A justice's court was established in 1814, with Mr. Toll justice of the peace He also opened a store, and about 1816 the first post-office in the town was established here with the name Ionia, and with Mr. Toll postmaster. These improvements brought in a further influx of settlers, among those of 1815 occurring the names of Pardon Hart, Peleg Taber, James Rice, Levi Carter, Thomas Smith, and Dr. Jonathan S. Buell, the first physician in the town. In 1816 the vicinity of Ionia was further populated by Henry Cook and Richard McLaury, and with the arrival in 1818 of Theodore Popell, the first lawyer, and about the same time of Dr. Uriah H. Dunning, the little village seemed to be on the high road to prosperity.
Henry Spores and Dow Smith settled on lot 20 in 1814; the latter died in 1841 at the great age of 104 years. John Morley and Rudolphus Auchampauch were on lot 28 in that year and David Tillotson on lot 40. In the eastern section Joshua S. Hulse was on lot 22, Josiah Hodges, and Vine Branch on lot 23, Elijah Waterman on lot 29, the Brewster and McAllister families on lot 15 and Jost C. Finck on lot 10. In 1815 Frederick Ouderkirk and a family named McGee settled on lot 4.
The year 1816 saw a considerable increase in the land owners of the town, including Marcus Rice, Robert Rogers, Alfred Little, Isaac Saxton, John C. Weeks, and David Calkins on lot 9; Thomas W. Curtis and Simon Rouse on lot 19; Hazael Henderson, Samuel Howe and Waty Meigs on lot 20; Enos Talmage on lot 21; Thomas Bowen, Nicholas Lamerson and Benoni E. Danks on lot 22; John L. Cooper and Holden L. Albro on lot 23; John Savage and Zar patch on lot 42; John Bowman and Daniel Nelson on lot 43.
It is manifestly impossible to follow the details of town settlement after the date under consideration, though the arrival of many prominent families will be noted as we proceed. With all the settlement thus far made, the town was scarcely out of the frontier stage of growth in 1815. As late as 1814 Benoni Sherman was down on the list of those who were paid $10 each for wolf scalps. His name is followed in 1816 by Jonathan Howe; in 1816 by David Cornell, William Lindsay, Benjamin Weaver, John Paddock, and Hiram Nichols, and in 1817 by Isaac Lindsay. In 1819 Abel Weaver and William Lavin were given a bounty for killing wildcats.
Under the law of June 19, 1812, which inaugurated the school district system in every town in this State, the school commissioners of the old town of Camillus reported their division of the town into districts on September 4, 1813. Of the seventeen districts seven were wholly or partly in Van Buren territory, and were described in the report as follows:
District No. 8, by Mr. Parish, comprehends the inhabitants on lots 14, 15, 22, 23, 29, 42, 43, the north part of lot 44, the northeast part of lot 55 to the Beavermeadow Brook and a part of lot 41, including Elihu Peck.
District No. 9, by Lieutenant Warner's, comprehends the inhabits on lots 27, 39, 40, east on lot 41 to include Captain Peck's, south on lot 53 as far as the swamp, the east parts of lots 26 and 38 and fifty acres off the southeast corner of lot 19.
District No. 10, by Captain Robinson's, comprehends the inhabitants of lots 13, 20, 21, 28, and the east half of lot 12.
District No. 11, by Mr. Barns's, comprehends the inhabitants on lots 25, 37, 24, 35, 18, the west half of lots 26 and 38, the south third of lot 19, except fifty acres lying in the southeast corner of said lot, the north half of lot 51 and the farms of Elijah Lindsay and Richard McClaughry on lot 50.
District No. 14, by Captain Tappen's, comprehends the inhabitants on lots 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, the west half of lot 12, the east half of lot 10 and two-thirds of lot19 on the north.
District No. 15 on lot 8, comprehends the inhabitants on lots 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 16, 17, and the west half of lot 10.
District No. 17, by Mr. Springsted's, comprehends the inhabitants on lot 66 and western 550 acres on lot 54, that part of lot 79 north of the cedar swamp and part of lot 41 to include Mr. Beckworth, John Lamerson and Captain Sears's farms.
Before 1816 school houses had been built in most of these districts, the one at Ionia, before mentioned, probably being the first one. That for District No. 9 was situated on lot 39 at the northeast corner of the junction of the roads. The land was deeded to the district by Henry Warner on January 1, 1814, for $5. A little farther east, on lot 21 John Woodworth deeded land for the house of district No. 10. Still farther east at Van Buren Corners, on lot 22, was the house of district No. 8. In the western part of the town on lot 8 was the district and house of No. 14.
In 1815 the creation of new districts began and changes in boundaries took place almost yearly, until the needs of the town are now supplied by sixteen districts with fifteen school houses. In 1830 there were nineteen districts. The first teacher in the town is said to have been Augustus Robinson, of whom very little is now known. There are at the present time (1895) about 650 children enrolled in the town. The first library in the town was established at a meeting held in April, 1816, in the old school house, and was called the Alexandrian Library. The first trustees were Stephen V. Barns, Phineas Barns, Levi Carter, Seth Cushman, and Charles H. Toll. The second church society, called the Christian church, was organized at Ionia in 1818.
Highways, too had been considerably extended by 1816 and several important roads crossed this town. The first of these was probably the old State road to Oswego, ordered surveyed in 1804, crossing the eastern part of the town from Baldwinsville to Belle Isle. These State roads were popular in the early years of the century, and each successive Legislature made provision for more or less of them, some of which extended hundreds of miles. They were powerful aids in the development of the county and could not have been provided so early by any other means. The route of the old State road in question was stated in the act of Legislature simply as 'From the court house in Onondaga to Ox Creek near where it empties into the Oswego River and from thence to the village of Oswego.' It is believed that the highway was laid out over a nearly untraveled route, and it is traditionally related that the commissioners paid little attention to a quest for a desirable route, but laid it out from one settler's cabin directly to another, so as to be sure to reach a dwelling at each recurring meal time. At any rate, the road was of great importance, hastened the settlement of that section of the town, and became especially useful in the war of 1812. The old Camillus road-book shows that the portion south of the Seneca River was resurveyed in 1814, while other parts were resurveyed in 1830 and in later years.
Another State road which was ordered laid out by an act of March 29, 1811, was to run 'from the bridge over Sodus Bay, on the most direct and eligible route, to the new bridge over the Seneca River, at Adams's Ferry and from thence, on the most direct and eligible route, to the house of Gideon Brockway in the town and county of Onondaga.' The bridge mentioned was Snow's bridge which spanned the river from the town of Lysander to lot 9 on the Van Buren side. In the following year the northern terminus of the road was changed, and the survey was probably made in 1813. The road is the one that runs eastward from Ionia toward Warners and westward towards the river, and its opening brought through this town a great amount of travel and gave an impetus to the growth of the settlements of Ionia, Warners, and Van Buren. The construction of the Erie Canal diminished the usefulness of the highway, and ten years later the abandonment of the bridge over the Seneca ended its importance as far as this town is concerned.
Jonathan Wood is the first whose name appears signed to numerous surveys of 1813. Joseph White and Elijah White followed, the latter having laid out roads in the eastern and central parts of the town, while Wood worked in the western part. Squire Munro made some surveys in 1815 to 1819. Augustus Harris was a prominent surveyor after Van Buren was organized; others who surveyed prior to 1829 were James McClure, James Ransom, Daniel Reed, George W. Robinson, and Asa Baker. From the date of the beginning of the old Camillus road record, March 30, 1814, highway development was comparatively rapid. When the salt industry at Salina became extensive, about 1820, highways existed leading down to the boat landings along the river, to which wood was drawn for shipment. These have been abandoned in recent years, and many changes in other roads have been made for various reasons. When the town of Van Buren was created in 1829 it contained thirty-five road districts, with the following list of road overseers:
1, Elnathan McLaughlin; 2, Josiah Hodges; 3, Calvin Ford; 4, Peter H. Rogers; 5, Daniel Betts; 6, Russell Foster; 7, Justin S. Cornell; 8, David Scoville; 9, Darius Hunt; 10, George Marvin; 11, Philander W. Alcott; 12, Origen B. Herrick; 13, Benoni E. Danks; 14, Jabez Grippen; 15, William McLane; 16, Abel Weaver; 17, Oliver Nichols; 18, Ralph Russ; 19, Warren Russell; 20, Browning Nichols; 21, Phineas Barnes; 22, James Paddock; 23, George Hawley; 24, John H. Lamerson; 25, Joel S. Barnes; 26, Edmund Holcomb; 27, Peter McQueen; 28, William Jones; 29, John Griswold; 30, Jerome Sweet; 31, Amos Warner; 32, David D. Prouty; 33, Nathaniel S. Hungerford.
Following is a list of postmasters at the Corners:
1829, Charles Turner; 1830, James T. Hough; 1831, Adonijah White; 1837, Hezekiah Dow; 1840, Isaac Earll; 1842, Christopher C. Clapp; 1843, Asahel K. Clark; 1849, Lyman Peck; 1851, John Bowman; 1852, Solomon Keller; 1856, Horatio N. Howe; 1856, Hezekiah R. Dow; 1861, Solomon Keller; 1862, Emeline Keller; 1866, office discontinued; 1867, Rufus Foster; 1871, Augustus W. Bingham.
Following is a list of postmasters at Memphis:
1828, Charles H. Toll; 1830, Oliver Nichols; 1835, Job Nichols; 1838, David C. Lytle; 1839, John D. Norton; 1843, Leonard Mason; 1849, Abel H. Toll; 1851, Charles H. Toll; 1853, John Lakin; 1857, Andrew B. Conover; 1858, Wilson Bates; 1861, Anson Dunham; 1866, Charles D. Barnes; 1867, David Shapley; 1869, Seabury M. Higgins; 1871, Henry Crouse; 1885, Irvin R. Burch; 1889, Dwight M. Warner; 1893, Irvin R. Burch.
Following is a list of postmasters at Warners:
1837, John Skinner; 1849, George W. Marvin; 1853, John Boley; 1854, Sherburne Noble; 1854, Stephen W. Betts; 1872, George W. Davis; 1884, Alvah L. Spaulding; 1885, Duane Van Alstyne; 1889, Thomas H. Marvin; 1894, Ann McAuliffe.
Frontier scenes and conditions were now passing away. Population poured into this region with a character that could not fail to promote the best interests of the community; and while the settlers had their trials, general advancement was made. The remarkable cold season of 1816 caused much distress in this vicinity and many families found themselves without food; but its effects were soon dispelled. The post-office at Ionia was established in 1816, or a little later, with a mail route on the State road, and in 1817 the new post-office at Baldwinsville placed another mail route on the eastern State road. The old town of Camillus was at this time an important ember of the county group, and the bringing of the supervisorship into Van Buren territory in 1818 marks the growing importance of the latter. The villages of Camillus and Ionia were only second to Elbridge, while in later years Canton (Memphis) rivaled Elbridge. From 1814 to 1829 the town clerk's office was in the present Van Buren, Linus Squire holding the office of town clerk several years. He was chosen supervisor in 1818, the first representative from the northern part of the old town. His successors as town clerk down to 1829 were Charles H. Toll, 1818-20-22-24; Lewis Squires, 1825; David C. Lytle, 1826-27; Abel Lyon, 1828-29. Mr. Lyon was elected the first clerk of the new town of Van Buren.
Following is a list of the supervisors of Van Buren from its organization:
Gabriel Tappen, 1829-30; Cyrus H. Kingsley, 1831; Gabriel Tappen, 1832; John Bowman, 1833; John Lakin, 1834; Gabriel Tappen, 1835-6; David C. Lytle, 1837; (1838 to 1844, records not accessible); 1845-6, Belden Ressigue; 1847, Thaddeus Haynes; 1848, Cyrus H. Kingsley; 1849, Heber Wetherby; 1850, E. B. Wigent; 1851, Samuel Maltby; 1852-3, Thaddeus Haynes; 1854, Hezekiah R. Dow; 1855-6, DeWitt F. Greenfield; 1857, Wilson Bates; 1858-9, W. H. Downer; 1860, Rufus Sears; 1861, D. C. Greenfield; 1862-3, Warren S. White; 1864-6, Harvey Tappan; 1866-7, Asahel K. Clark; 1868-9, Charles G. Kenyon; 1870, H. Tappan; 1871, A. K. Clark; 1872, Hiram Bowman; 1873-5, Richard P. Newport; 1876-7, Augustus W. Bingham; 1878-9, A. T. Hotaling; 1880, Thomas O'Brien; 1881-2, D. M. Warner; 1883-4, Edwin McDowell; 1885-6, Willard L. Frazee; 1887-8, Chas. M. Snow; 1889, John J. Gibson; 1890-2, J. Edward Davis; 1893-5, Martin Harrington.
the rapid settlement of this town during the decade preceding 1830, like that in many other towns in Onondaga and other counties, was in a considerable degree due to the completion of the Erie Canal, the middle section of which was finished in 1819. The opening of the great waterway also changed to some extent the trade centers and the localities favored for settlement. The State road, and its traffic to which the settlements of Ionia, Warners and Van Buren were due, diminished in importance, and the same is true of the Seneca River and the old water route eastward. Canal villages sprang up with remarkable rapidity, and in Van Buren the older hamlets were soon deprived of much of their trade and importance by Canton (Memphis).
From 1820 to the town organization in 1829 the record shows continued prosperity. The forests were rapidly falling, to be converted into wood for the Salina salt boilers, or into lumber in the many saw mills noticed farther on. The hamlet of 'Macksville' (Baldwinsville) was becoming a busy settlement. Baldwin and his associate capitalists built mills on the south side of the river, giving the place an impetus which twenty years later made it a successful rival of Canton.
The political life of the town in early times had its period of interest the same as in later years, and the old Federalist and Republican parties waged their warfare until the disbandment of the former in this county in 1817. Then followed the bitter strife between the Clintonians and the Bucktails, both claiming to be of the Republican party. The death of Clinton in 1828 deprived his faction of a leader and led to readjustment of party lines, and the old Republican party about this time took the familiar name of Democrats. In January, 1828, the Anti-Masonic party was organized in this town, and polled 592 votes in that year.
With the growth and changes thus briefly noticed, came the establishment of various industries, schools and churches. What was probably the first saw mill in Van Buren was built at 'Bangall,' in 1815, by Nathan Skeels and Solomon Paddock, on lot 18, on the little brook that later supplied power to other mills and shops. It did not long endure and was succeeded in 1822 by the Elsworth mill a little further down the creek. The latter was built by Reuben, Levi and Daniel Elsworth. Reuben died about 1827, when his son-in-law, Horace Rewey, took the mill and operated it several years; Ira Barnes was associated with him. The pond here became a source of ill health, the site was abandoned, and about 1832 Ira Barnes built a mill on the old Paddock site. This was rebuilt in later years by George Wood, and was operated at different periods by various persons.
Bangall, on lot 18, once gave promise of becoming a considerable village. With excellent water power and its early mills, a numerous settlement was gathered there at any early day; but the later business attractions of other points destroyed the prospects of the place.
John McHarrie and Gabriel Tappen built an early mill on lot 7, outside of the present corporation line. It was abandoned about 1845, was rebuilt by others but was not operated very long.
The first grist mill was also built in the Bangall region on lot 19 about 1817 by James paddock. It passed to Thomas W. Curtis in 1820 and to Robert M. Rogers in 1822. About 1825 it became the property of Calvin and Chauncey Goodrich who built and carried on a distillery in connection. They sold out to Charles H. Toll and Robert Rogers. It subsequently passed to Theodore Cook of Utica and did a thriving business. It did not run long after 1850. Another early grist mill was built after 1840 on lot 18, by Albion J. Larkin. This was later changed to a cotton mill.
In 1824 Stephen W. Baldwin bought from John McHarrie for $511 a thirteen-acre tract including the land north of Water street and the whole river front. On this land he planned a canal similar to the one on the north side, a part of which was built in 1825, and at the same time Baldwin and Johnson built the saw mill on the site of the raw hide factory. The canal was never carried across the State road. Another purchase was made by Mr. Baldwin in 1825 for which he paid the McHarries $613 for the tract now enclosed by Canton, Downer, and McHarrie streets.
The first grist mill at Baldwinsville on the south side was built on the site of the Mercer & Clark mill by Stephen W. Baldwin about 1827, and in the latter year John McHarrie bought a half interest. It has been rebuilt more than once. A second mill was built here in 1836 by Sanford S. Parker, on the site of the present stone mill, and was burned in the sixties. A small distillery was established on lot 20 about 1835 by Henry Strong; it was closed about two years later.
In the same year that Baldwin built the grist mill, John McHarrie laid out the first village lot on the south side and sold it to Amasa Scoville; it was on the southwest corner of Water and Syracuse streets. A little later Mr. Baldwin had surveyed a series of village lots on the east side of the State road, a part of which were sold.
About the year 1827 the McHarries built the old red school house on the corner of Canton and Downer streets; it was then some distance from the settlement. In January, 1828, McHarrie sold to James Johnson the tract now enclosed by Syracuse, Water, Canton and Downer streets exception Scoville's lot for $693. Water street was then the center of business, and James Johnson was an early storekeeper. He met with reverses in 1831 and his large property interests on the south side were sold, much of it to Reuben Smith, who soon took a leading place in the community. Mr. Smith died in 1878. In 1828 some effort was made to supersede the name 'Macksville' with 'Wellington,' but it was not successful. In 1830 street names were introduced on both sides of the river, and continued as new ones were opened. Between 1830 and 1840, many lots had been sold on the south side, the principal residents of that period being:
Amasa Scoville, Ira Welch, Otis Bigelow, David S. Chapin, Walter D. Herrick, Russell B. Frisbie, Jonas C. Brewster, Austin Baldwin, George S. Wells, Reuben U. Smith, Stephen Prouty, James A. Scoville, Garret L. Cotton, Horace D. Putnam, Joseph W. Heath, Jonathan A. Ormsbee, Andrew Brown, Harlow Chapman, Patrick Carroll, Ebenezer Merrick, David Penoyer, Samuel L. Allen, Origen B. Herrick and Sandford C. Parker.
About 1832 a tavern long known as the 'Travelers' Home,' was built on Syracuse street, on the site of the Harder residence. The first town meeting held in Macksville was in that house in 1835. About 1838 it passed to George B. Parker, and after being conducted by various persons was torn down about 1855. A rival of the old tavern was built in 1839 on a corner of Water and Syracuse streets by the McCabe family, and called 'The Exchange.' It was subsequently burned. Between 1830 and 1840, the old name of the south side began to take the title of Baldwinsville, and when the village charter was granted in 1848 it became legally a part of Baldwinsville. Sometime after 1830 the old south side academy was started in a building on Tappen street. The school was organized by Reuben U. Smith, and through his interest it became known to some extent as 'Smith's Academy.' From 1841 to 1843 it was managed by E. D. Barber, assisted by Miss Fosdick, and later Lewis A. Miller was principal. It was closed before 1850. The old red school house was removed from its site and the white school house was built in its place. When this was the new brick building was erected. The south side was a part of old district No. 11 when Van Buren was taken from Camillus and at that time was renumbered 18. So it remained until absorbed in the Baldwinsville Union Free School district in 1864.
Sandford C. Parker settled at Macksville about 1835 and for twenty years was a leading citizen. He was the first lawyer in the place and also carried on a store. In 1836 he built the old stone grist mill on the site of the Hotaling mill. Something of a politician, Mr. Parker was elected to the Assembly at the time he came to the place; was president of Baldwinsville village in 1853-4 and was a defeated nominee for Congress in the latter year. Later in life he met with business reversed and died April 26, 1861.
The early manufacture of potash was extensively followed, and until wood became more valuable was a source of considerable income to the settlers. Among those who carried on asheries were Luther Seaver, who had one on lot 27 in 1813; Abijah Hudson, who operated one at Warners settlement as early as 1825; Isaac Hill, about the same time had one at Canton, and there was one in the northwest part of the town.
A man named Mead started a tannery about 1807 at what became Ionia and sold out to Daniel Betts who operated it many years. An early tannery at Warners settlement was owned by David Tillotson who was succeeded by Amon Dayton and Ambrose S. Worden.
At an early date, probably about 1807, Alvin Bostwick had a shop on lot 27, where the brook crosses the road, which was carried by a large overshot wheel. There he made spinning wheels and other household devices until 1859.
Jonathan Birge had a wood turning shop at Bangall between 1830 and 1840, and in 1848 F. R. Nichols and John Boley began making grain cradles at Warners, which they successfully continued until 1853. Not long after 1830 O. B. Herrick established a wire sieve factory at Baldwinsville which he conducted many years. A small foundry was operated at Memphis by Levi Elsworth as early as 1829 and another was carried on south of Baldwinsville by John Gayetty and Alexander Rogers about 1845 and continued nearly twenty years.
The Darrow earthenware pottery, started at Baldwinsville on the north side in 1845, and was removed to its later location near the sulphur springs in 1848, where it was operated by the firm of J. Darrow & Son, until 1876. In 1852 it was changed from an earthenware to a stoneware pottery.
Stephen Tincker, who came into Van Buren about 1830, built a saw mill at Bangall in 1839, which he sold to Timothy J. Handy. Subsequently it passed to Albion J. Larkin who transformed it into a grist mill. On Crooked Brook, lot 13, above the McHarrie and Tappen mill, before mentioned, Hiram H. and James A. Scoville built a saw mill about 1824. It afterward passed through the ownership of Charles Turner, one Healey, Peter Barber, John Hall, and finally to Augustus and Maynard Smith. Farther south on lot 21 Joseph Hopkins built a mill in early years which was operated until after 1850. On lot 39 Isaac Bentley built a saw mill about 1844 which was in operation until recent years by various persons. Another existed early on lot 23, which was long ago abandoned. James Johnson built a saw mill on the south side at Baldwinsville in 1825, which ran until later than 1850. West of Dead Creek on Lot 3 was the old Vader Mill, built about 1825 by Isaac Hill, the Canton merchant. His dam broke away before the end of the first year and he sold out to Nicholas Vader. This mill was quite successful and was operated at different periods by the Vaders, later by them for Col. James Voorhees and George W. Bowen, by Russell D. Bentley or his employees, Abram Cornell and John Pickard. Howard Tillotson bought it in 1859, improved it ad added a cider mill. He sold to Philip Pelton in 1877, who later leased it in turn to Jacob Vader and Phineas Smith. It was closed up in 1886. With the disappearance of the forest these old saw mills were necessarily abandoned, many of them between 1850 and 1860. More recent manufactures are included in the history of Baldwinsville.
While these various industries were being established and carried don for the upbuilding of Ban Buren, the town was advancing in other directions in corresponding ratio. The following list of property owners on each lot in Van Buren in 1825 is worthy of preservation in this connection:
Lot 1, Elihu Wright
Lot 2, Thomas Chapman, Dunham Ely, Jacob Spore, Henry Spore, Nicholas
Veeder.
Lot 3, Daniel Diltz, John Diltz, Maurice Diltz, John C. Finck, Joseph
Ouderkirk, Nicholas Ouderkirk, David Prouty, John Tarpenny, Nicholas Veeder.
Lot 4, Frederick Howard, Margaret Mellin, Frederick Ouderkirk, Peter
F. Ouderkirk, Richard B. Ouderkirk, Gabriel Tappen.
Lot 5, Elijah Lindsay, George Rouse, Jonathan Safford, Asher Tappen,
Gabriel Tappen, John Wigen heirs, Samuel Wigent, John Williams.
Lot 6, Henry Clark, Nathan Gillet, William Malby, William Rouse, David
Scoville, Gabriel Tappen.
Lot 7, Jonas C. Baldwin, Warren S. Baldwin, John McHarrie, Gabriel
Tappen, James Wells.
Lot 8, James Clark, James Johnson, Eli S. Ketchum, Marcus Rice, Daniel
Saxton, Levi Weston, Rufus Whitcomb, Joseph Wilson.
Lot 9, Phineas Barns heirs, Anna Calkins, William Calkins, George Kill,
Sylvanus Marvin, John McGee, James Rice, Isaac Saxton, George Stephens,
Calvin Taylor.
Lot 10, John C. Finck, James Sweet, Nicholas Veeder, John Wright.
Lot 11, Henry Clark, Chester Malby, Nathan Marvin, Jonathan Odell,
Isabel Pelton, Belden Resseguie, Justus Wever, John Wigent heirs, Isaac
Wilcox, James Williams.
Lot 12, John Brittin, jr., John G. Clark, David Haynes, Isaac Malby,
Jacob Malby
Lot 13, John L. Cooper, Assalum Culver, Ira Earll, Hawley & Patch,
John Herrick, Stephen How, Oliver Leonard, David Penoyer, Levi Perry, James
A. Scoville, Albert G. Wells.
Lot 14, Augustus Harris, Jacob F. Springsted, Charles Turner.
Lot 15, Decker & Crego, William Jones of Onondaga, Asahel Kingsley,
Daniel Nelson, John H. Newberry, John Patch, Widow Starkweather, Amos Taft,
Peter Taft, Nathaniel Tompkins.
Lot 16, owners' names unknown.
Lot 17, Dunham & Miller, Jonathan Foster, John Gridley, John Griswold,
Horatio Griswold, Abraham H. Hamblin, Robert Parks, Daniel Stilson, Aaron
Warner.
Lot 18, Edward B. Angel, Ira Barnes, Phineas Barns heirs, Obadiah Bates,
Aaron Bell Lyman Burrill, Ethan Campbell, George Casler, Moses Dunning,
Daniel Elsworth, John C. Finck, Augustus Foster, Joel Foster, Jonathan
Foster, Noah Marshall, Simon and Harlow Marshall, Solomon Rhoades, Marcus
Rice, Thomas Smith, Amos Warner, Seth Warner, Benjamin Wever, Elijah White,
Cornelius Young.
Lot 19, Ira Barnes, Pardon Hart, Stephen Hart, Phineas Meigs, James
Paddock, Simon Rouse, James Rogers, Peter H. Rogers, Robert M. Rogers,
Solomon Sutherland, Nathan Williams.
Lot 29, Amos Hall, Pardon Hart, David How, Samuel How, Phineas Meigs,
jr., Simon Rouse, Amasa Scoville, Abijah Sears, Arza Sears, Augustus Smith,
Nathan Weaver, Nathan Williams.
Lot 21, Darius Armstrong, William Bartholomew, Thomas Bowen, Nathaniel
Cornell, jr., Joseph Hopkins, William Lindsay, Ebenezer Morley, John Morley,
Philander Olcott, John Robinson, Henry Springsted, Enos Talmage, John R.
Waterman.
Lot 22, John S. Allen, Roderick Burroughs, Nathaniel Cornell, Nathaniel
Cornell, jr., Benoni E. Danks, Azor Daton, Isaac Earll, Asahel Kingsley,
Cyrus H. Kingsley, John Patch, William Ware, Benjamin Wilkinson.
Lot 23, George Borden, Marcus Earll, Isaac Mann, William McClain, Mullet
& Barber, David Munro, Jacob Orr, John Patch, Abijah Ware.
Lot 24, Levi Ross.
Lot 25, Ira Barnes, Phineas Barns heirs, Daniel Betts, Joel Foster,
Jonathan Foster, Joshua L. & L. Davis Hardy, Eber Hart, jr., Ezra Loomis,
Stephen Mead, Stephen Ostrander, Horace Rewey, Marcus Rice, Amos Warner,
Ezra Warner, Thomas Warner, William Welch, Reuben Woodard.
Lot 26, Jonathan Barney, Phineas Barns heirs, Henry Cook, Asa Crossman,
Archibald Green, Moses How, Asahel Hungerford, Levi Paddock, Loren Shead,
Sylvester Shead, Aaron Steele, Joseph Wilcox.
Lot 27, Alvin Bostwick, John Clark, jr., John Crumb, Alpheus Earll,
David How, Jonathan How, John Inglesbee, Michael Redman, Abijah Sears,
Hiram Warner, Andrew Warner.
Lot 28, Asa Barnes, William Hall, Norton F. Marvin, Hiram Nichols,
Dudley Norton, Holden L. Olbro, Isaac Peck, Benjamin Pulsopher, Warren
Russell, Samuel Skinner, Eli Sprague, Joel Warner, James Williams.
Lot 29, David Cornell, Holder Cornell, John Cornell, Peleg Cornell,
Augustus Harris, Isaac Linsday, Isaac Peck, Peter Peck, Bennet Rusco, Calvin
Waterman, Eleazer Waterman, Elijah Waterman, Thomas Waterman.
Lot 37, Edward B. Angel, Hiram Barns, Phineas Barns, jr., Daniel Betts,
Daniel Calkins, John Conant, Eleazer Dunham, Uriah H. Dunning, Joshua L.
and L. Davis Hardy, Isaac Hill, William Kester, John Laird, Abraham Lipe,
Oliver Nichols, Abram Rogers, Benjamin Simpson heirs, Thomas Smith, Charles
H. Toll, Loammi Wilcox.
Lot 38, William Caine, Henry Cook, John Cunningham, Robert B. Cunningham
heirs, Dunning & Laughlin, Samuel Eaton (innkeeper), John Ford, Joshua
Hardy, Isaac Hill, Samuel Hoat, Samuel How, Cyrus Ladd, John Lakin, David
C. and Samuel Lytle, Francis D. Miner, Oliver Nichols, Alvah Scofield.
Lot 39, Isaac Bentley, James Drew, Samuel Nelson, Browning Nichols,
Francis Nichols, Linus Squire, Henry Warner heirs, Jonathan Warner, Seth
Warner.
Lot 40, Delanson Foster, William N. Higgins, Abijah Hudson, George
W. Marvin, Dudley Norton, Isaac Peck, Aaron Quimby, Jonathan Skinner, Samuel
Skinner, Truman Skinner, Linus Squire, David Tillotson.
Lot 41, John H. Lamerson, Almon Peck, Elihu Peck, Isaac Peck, Peter
Peck, John Sears.
Lot 42, William Bartholomew, John Bowen, Henry Brand, John Curtis,
David Dolph, Abel Dwight, Isaac Earll, Daniel Hay, David Parish, Elihu
Peck, Joseph Robinson, Reuben Robinson.
Lot 43, Peter Bowman, John Bowman, Sylvenus Hodges, Daniel Loveless,
Peter McQueen, Jonathan Parish, Stephen Robinson, George Schrader.
Another series of interesting facts is found in local records in the shape of references to town officers while Van Buren was a part of the old town of Camillus. The offices of supervisor and town clerk have already been noted. From scattered sources are gathered the following additional facts:
Benjamin Weaver was assessor in 1813, Gabriel Tappen in 1816 and 1817, Phineas Barnes in 1819, 1822, 1823 and 1824, and John Bowman in 1824.
Gabriel Tappen was trustee of the public lots in 1816, Seth Warner in 1822, 1823 and 1824, and Cyrus H. Kingsley in 1824.
Gabriel Tappen was commissioner of highways in 1813, Josiah Parish in 1814, Isaac Lindsay in 1814, James Paddock in 1815 and 1816, Phineas Barnes in 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819 and 1820, Henry Cook in 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823 and 1824, Augustus Harris in 1821 and 1822, Enos Talmage in 1824, 1825 and 1826, Benjamin Weaver in 1826 and 1827, Cyrus H. Kingsley in 1828 and 1829.
Gabriel Tappen was commissioner of common schools in 1817 and 1819, Benjamin Weaver in 1824 and 1825, D. C. Lytle in 1824 and 1825, Adonijah White in 1827 and 1828.
Heman Warner was overseer of the poor in 1817, 1818 and 1819, Phineas Barnes in 1818.
Abram Rogers was constable in 1813 and 1814, Stephen Shead in 1818 and 1820, John Lakin in 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822 and 1825, John Patch in 1822, 1834 and 1824.
Justices of the peace were appointed from Albany up to 1827. Among those so appointed were Heman Warner about 1812, C. H. Toll in 1814, Isaac Earll in 1815, Phineas Barnes in 1815, Linus Squire in 1820. These held office for many years each. After 1827 justices were elected. John Lakin was chosen in that year, and held over until after Van Buren was created. John Patch was also elected in 1827, and re-elected in 1828.
The division of the old town of Camillus into three parts came before the Legislature in the winter of 1828-9. Hiram F. Mather, of Elbridge, was then State senator, and Herman Jenkins, of Jordan, was assemblyman. The law was finally passed on March 26, 1829. The section defined in the act for the town under consideration was given the name Van Buren in honor of Martin Van Buren, then governor of this State and afterward president of the United States. Following is a record of the proceedings of the first town meeting held March 26, 1829, the names of the overseers of highways as given on a preceding page, omitted:
At the Annual meting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Vanburen held
at the house of Elezer Dunham Agreeable to an act passed by the Legislature
of the State of New York on the 26 Day of March 1829
The following persons were elected for the ensuing year, April 28th
1829. Viz.,
Gabriel Tappen Supervisor
Abel Lyon Town Clerk
Belding Resseguie Cyrus H. Kingsley Asa Barnes Assessors
Charles Turner Henry Cook David Wiles Com of Highways
Daniel Betts Orvis Foot Isaac Earll Trustees of Public Lot
Elanthan McLaughlin Isaac Hill Adonijah White Com of Common Schools
Peter Peck & Amos Warner Overseers of the Poor
Wareham Root James Abrams Jr Thomas Warterman Inspectors of Common
Schools
David Penoyer Collector
Voted that the Collector have three cents on the Dollar for Collecting
the Tax
Voted that we have four constables in said Town The following
persons ewer Chosen Constables
Henry Olds Joseph L. Marvin Oliver Leonard and David Penoyer Constables
The following persons were chosen Overseers of the highways
(Names here follow.)
Then Voted by Ballot for the place of holding town meeting next year
Carried by a Large majority to Eleser Dunhams
Then Adjourned to the third Tuesday of April next 1830 at the house
of Elezer Dunahsm In Van Buren
Most of these officers were farmers. Abel Lyon, was, however, a merchant of Ionia. Isaac Hill was a merchant at Canton, and Dr. Wareham Root was also from that village.
Justices of the Peace were elected under a special act in June of that year, when the following men were chosen: Isaac Earll of Van Buren, Jonathan Skinner of Warners and David Corkins of Memphis. The fourth justiceship was already held by John Lakin, who was superseded in the regular election in November by John McHarrie.
Gabriel Tappen, the first supervisor, was, during many years, one of the leading citizens of the town. He was born in Morristown, N. J., on June 20, 1783, and came to this town with his father, John Tappen, in 1796. He married a daughter of the elder John McHarrie. He took a company of militia to Oswego in the war of 1812; was conspicuous in organizing the schools and churches and held various town offices. He died on August 4, 1865."