HISTORY OF

SARATOGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

by NATHANIEL BARTLETT SYLVESTER

1878

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HISTORY OF THE VILLAGES AND TOWNS OF SARATOGA COUNTY.

WILTON.

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I. - GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.

THE town of Wilton lies northeast from the centre of the county. It is bounded north by Corinth and Moreau, east by Northumberland, south by Saratoga and Saratoga Springs. The town includes 16,956 acres of improved land, 5045 acres of unimproved, and of this last amount 3495 acres are woodland. The population in 1875 was 1218. The town lies wholly within the Kayadrossera patent.

We add the brief legal description of the town and the definition of its boundaries, as found in the revised statutes of the State:

"The town of Wilton shall contain all that part of said county bounded northerly by the north bounds of Northumberland continued west to the northeast corner of Greenfield, easterly by Northumberland, southerly by a westerly continuation of the south bounds of Northumberland, and westerly by Greenfield."

The region that now constitutes the town of Wilton was known in colonial times as Palmertown. This name, tradition says, was given it by a band of Indians who came there from the east some time after King Philip's war, and settled at the base of the mountains somewhere in the Perry and Stiles neighborhood. As Palmertown it was long known by the early settlers. As Palmertown it became a place of considerable trade and importance, while what is now called Saratoga Springs was known as a "deer lick" in the woods six miles south. During the Revolution two block-houses were built at Palmertown, in which troops were sometimes quartered, and in which the early settler often sought shelter from the British and Canadian Indians. After the Revolution, and early in the present century, Palmertown was regarded as a more eligible place of settlement for business and professional men than Saratoga Springs. It was in Palmertown and in its neighborhood that Dr. John H. Steel, Judge Esek Cowen, and other distinguished professional men first opened their offices and began their practice. With the early merchants of Palmertown the earliest settlers of Saratoga Springs did the most of their trading.

Across Palmertown and through Greenfield, following an old Indian trail, ran the old highway to Johnstown and the west over which thousands of New England emigrants passed on their way to central or western New York in the early years of this century. But when the new town was formed the old name was dropped. But the mountain-range at whose foot the old Indian hamlet nestles still bears aloft the old historic name of PALMERTOWN.

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II. - NATURAL FEATURES.

The northwest corner of Wilton is filled with the mountain masses of the Palmertown range of the Adirondack mountains. The Palmertown range is the most easterly of the five great mountain-chains which traverse the great wilderness. The Palmertown range begins on Lake Champlain, near Ticonderoga, and running down on both sides of Lake George, crosses the Hudson above Glen's Falls, and running through the town of Wilton, ends in the high ground of North Broadway, in Saratoga Springs. Mount McGregor, one of the principal peaks of this range, is in this town, and Glen Mitchell lies in one of the mountain gaps in the corner of Greenfield. These mountains afford beautiful and picturesque scenery, with their steep rocky declivities and forest-crowned summits.

The centre and southwest parts of the town are gently undulating or broken by low ridges. The principal streams are Snoek Kill, Bog Meadow brook, and Cold brook. The soil in the east and southeast is a yellow sandy loam resting on clay, and in some places swampy. At the foot of the Palmertown mountains is found some of the best land in the town, a belt of productive gravel and clay loam. The ancient growth of white and yellow pine that covered the plains was very heavy. It has nearly all been cut off.

The town has a mineral spring of acidulous and carbonated water near Emerson's Corners, and there is also a sulphur spring in the southeast part.

In the vicinity of Wilton village there are some very fine farms, good soil, and productive.

Perry's pond is a small body of water covering perhaps fifteen acres. The Snoek Kill is the outlet of it.

The mineral spring above alluded to is on the farm of Mr. Rood. The water is of excellent quality, very pleasant to the taste, and under favorable circumstances, near a large village, might be quite celebrated.

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III. - EARLY SETTLEMENT.

The first settlement of what is now the town of Wilton, but then and long before known as Palmertown, was begun by two brothers, William and Samuel Brisbin, as early as the year 1764. These two brothers were the sons by his first wife of James Brisbin, who came over from the north of Ireland, and became the first settler of what is now the town of Northumberland, in the year 1765.

The two brothers, William and Samuel Brisbin, made their first attempt at settlement on the south branch of the Snoek Kill, in what afterwards became the Laing neighborhood. One and perhaps both of them had been soldiers under Abercrombie and Amherst in the last French war, and the year after peace was concluded they began the early settlement of the old wilderness they had so often traversed while on the war-path. They made clearings, built a sawmill, and cut roads on to their lands. When the war of the Revolution came on they abandoned their little settlement.

In the year 1770, Rowland Perry, having a family of eight sons, removed from Dutchess county to these northern woods, where there was ample room for the labors of this large family of stalwart boys. The names of this colony brought by Rowland Perry were Samuel, John, Benjamin, Absalom, Roswell, Artemas, Rowland, Joseph. The home selected by Mr. Perry was on the present farm of John Woodard. The valuable spring at that place, flowing from the solid rock two and a half barrels a minute, was a great attraction to decide the question of location. A further argument in favor of this place was suggested by Mr. Perry's experience in Dutchess county, which had proved that very fertile lands were found at the base of the hills. If there was some after-disappointment as to the soil, yet surely the beautiful valley, sheltered on the north and west by the mountains, is attractive enough now to justify Mr. Perry's selection. The family reached this place over a road cut by the Jessups, early settlers of Luzerne, from Fort Miller, on the Hudson, by way of what is now Emerson's Corners and Wiltonville, the road then bearing northwesterly through the Perry neighborhood, and over the mountains, and then up the Hudson to Luzerne.

Here this pioneer family began the struggle of frontier life. All the sons remained for a time, but two finally removed to Seneca county, and two to Genesee county. After settling on the rich, fertile lands of western New York, it is not strange if they doubted the wisdom of their father's early choice. Four of the sons settled in Wilton, and the name is a frequent one in various parts of the town. William, a grandson, born in 1797, is still living in sight of the early home, - a specimen of lively, healthy old age rarely seen. To his clear memory and accurate statements we are indebted for many items in the early history of the town.

A year later than the advent of the Perrys, the town received quite an accession of emigrants.

In 1781 or 1782 there had arrived at New York four brothers, James McGregor, William McGregor, John McGregor, and Alexander McGregor. They were sons of John McGregor, of Thorn Hill, Scotland. One of the brothers, John, lived in New York city, and Alexander returned across the ocean, and settled at Liverpool, England.

In the year 1787, James and William, pushing northward, settled in the present town of Wilton. The circumstances that led to their removal here were these. In the same ship with the McGregors the Camerons, clansmen and acquaintances, came over to this country. Induced by Thurman, a Scotchman already here, they settled in Luzerne; and the McGregors following the same general line, came to Wilton. It is stated by Duncan McGregor, of the present Mountain House, that the Camerons were offered, for the same price as they paid in Luzerne, the fertile lands of Johnstown.

James McGregor's pioneer home was the present place of James Henry, a little north of Wiltonville, and the first house stood on the site of the present one. It was a framed building, a story and a half high. It was burned in 1824, and the present house was built immediately after.

William McGregor settled about a mile from his brother, east of Wiltonville.

The brothers became prominent citizens of the town, and passed their lives here.

The sons of William McGregor were John, William, James, and Alexander, and there were also three daughters, Ann, Charlotte, and Elizabeth. Ann became the wife of Mr. Emerson, Elizabeth the wife of Peter McIntyre; James and Alexander settled in New York, William at Coeymans, John at Black Brook, Essex county.

The sons of James McGregor were John, James, William, Alexander, Peter, Duncan, and Gregor; the daughters, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Mary Ann. Elizabeth married Horatio Buell; Margaret, Lewis Thompson; and Mary Ann, Nicholas Vandewerker. William went to South America, Alexander to Iowa, Gregor to New York; the others settled in this section. The home of Duncan for many years has been Glen's Falls. For the last two or three years he has been engaged in perfecting his plans, opening roads and erecting buildings for a pleasure resort on McGregor mountain, a mile and a half from Wiltonville. It was opened to visitors the present season, and is spoken of at length in another place.

Reuben Stiles, of Rhode Island, moved to Palmertown, now Wilton, in the year 1775, and made a settlement at what has ever since been known as Stiles' Corners. His first house was erected on the place now owned by Widow Gray. His children were Eli, Reuben, Isaac, Johnson, John, David, Henry, Peter, and Angeline. One of these, John, is still living in Indiana; Angeline became the wife of James D. King; Reuben and Henry moved west; David to Chenango county; Eli, Isaac, and Peter settled in Wilton; Johnson lived in Wilton for a time, and afterwards moved west.

Benjamin Phillips, of Vermont, came to the same neighborhood, and settled there about the same time as Reuben Stiles. His house was on what is now known as the Stiles place. It stood in the orchard below the old tavern. There he opened a tavern, and Phillips afterwards kept tavern on the site of the present Stiles house, that is, the old Phillips homestead. In the wall under the piazza is one stone taken from the old log house of Mr. Phillips. It has on it the inscription, "B.P. 1787." The wife of Eli Stiles was a daughter of Solomon Phillips, son of Benjamin Phillips. Northrop Stiles and Louisa Stiles, children of Eli, now occupy the old place.

The children of Isaac Stiles were Mary Ann, James, John, William, Angeline, and Emeline.

The children of Peter Stiles were Amanda, Oscar, Harrison, Marvil, Susette, Maria Antoinette, and Warren.

Benjamin Phillips and some other early settlers were buried on the present Fuller farm, the graves scarcely to be found at the present time.

In 1775, Stephen King and his brother Ebenezer moved to Wilton, Dutchess county, coming through from Ballston by means of marked trees. Stephen King's place was the farm now owned by John Goodale. He opened a tavern after a few years, generally called the first in town. This, and that of Benjamin Phillips, probably did not differ much in the time of their opening. Ebenezer King seems to have been the first settler at the present village of Wiltonville. His old homestead was the present Varney house. He had two sons - Ansil and Ormil.

William King was an early settler near Dunworth Corners, and kept a tavern there.

John Laing, from Scotland, also came in 1775, and settled on the place now owned by Ira Rood, near Emerson's Corners. On his farm is the mineral spring spoken of elsewhere. Here, too, he erected a saw-mill, a little north of the spring. Here he passed his life, and his remains are entombed in the soil of the farm he owned. On the rounded summit of the hill, in the midst of what is now a beautiful meadow, are the broken and fallen stones that mark the graves of the Laings. The largest, a broad, finely-chiseled slab, bears the following inscription:

"In memory of John Laing, who was born in Longholm, county of Roxborough, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, emigrated to Palmertown, in the State of New York, and followed merchandising until March 23, 1793, when he expired in the blessed hope of immortality, aged sixty-seven." On the stone are carved the square and compass, the Bible and bells, emblems of the Masonic order. The members of the craft residing in Wilton will honor their ancient principles of respect for their departed brothers by surrounding this little spot with a fence, or otherwise caring for a Mason who died before the century began. Surely the emblems of the order might at least be rescued from the soil now partially covering them.

There also are the graves of Walter Laing, who died in 1810; Helen Laing, the wife of John Laing, who died in 1801; Robert Laing, in 1809; and Helen Laing, a child.

The carving upon these stones is not very easily surpassed by modern workmen, and it certainly is a case of sad neglect to leave not only the remains of the dead, but also the rich artistic work of a former generation, to be soon covered by the plow and the harrow.

It is supposed that Peter Johnston, a brother-in-law of William Laing, also came to this country about the same time as he did. He settled in the same neighborhood.

Another early settler was John Boyce, about the year 1784. His location was the present place of Mrs. John E. Boyce, near the railroad.

Robert and James Milligan were the pioneers in the southeast corner of the town. John Kendrick settled near him, on what has been known in late years as Kendrick's Hill. Enoch Peace settled in the same neighborhood also.

Broadstreet Emerson was an early settler, about 1790, north of what is still known as Emerson's Corners. Dudley Emerson and Joseph, brothers, also came in soon after.

Lyndes Emerson, whose name appears so often in the records as a town officer, and as the place to which the town-meetings were adjourned, was a son of Broadstreet Emerson. The Emersons came from Lyme, Conn. Joseph Emerson built the tavern, a large, roomy mansion, the scene of much old-time festivity. Lyndes kept tavern in it for a long series of years, and it is now over eighty years old. In the possession of Mrs. Lyndes Emerson, still living in the Emerson tavern, are many old documents, some of them of considerable value. Broadstreet Emerson was a very early magistrate, appointed by the governor. A roll of leaves, constituting the docket of his court as far back as 1802, is among the papers of Mrs. Emerson.

Mary A., daughter of Joseph Emerson, became the wife of Walter Doe, and Hannah married William Burnham.

Waldo, one of the sons, settled in Milestown, N.Y., and became a prominent citizen there.

In the neighborhood of the London church Edward Bevins was an early settler. He located on the present place of Lewis Adams. He had been a Revolutionary soldier, and was at the battle of Bunker Hill; was a drum-major. His children have often heard him relate the story of the battle, and that when they were nearly out of ammunition they rolled down upon the advancing British force barrels of sand. He came to Wilton in the year 1780, and about the same time, or a little later, David Adams, another pioneer, came from Connecticut and settled near the Corners.

Lewis Adams, a son of Jason Adams, and a grandson of David Adams, lives near the present Protestant Methodist church.

Other early settlers along the southern part of the town, but not as early as 1800 perhaps, were Hugh Groesbeck, Isaac Ingersoll, John Douglas, Isaac Hoag, Jonathan Pendle, James Shearer, John Jaycox.

Enoch Place lived on the present Jane Baker farm. Jaycox, on the farm now owned by Widow Boyce.

William Comstock came from Rhode Island to Greenfield in the year 1795. In 1805 he removed to Wilton, and settled on the farm now owned by his son, Wm. W. Comstock. He was a justice of the peace in very early times, appointed by the governor. The docket of the courts held by him is in the possession of his son. It is said of Mr. Comstock that while he served through a long series of years, and presided in many trials, no decision made by him as justice of the peace was ever set aside by a higher court.

Robert McGregor was an early settler in the town of Wilton. He came from Perthshire, Scotland, in the year 1801, married Mary, daughter of John Brisbin, and located in this town in 1808.

A son, John R. McGregor, born in 1811, who has held several responsible official positions, resides at Saratoga Springs. He is well versed in the early history of Saratoga County, and has furnished many valuable items of information for this work.

Stafford Carr, grandfather of Stafford Carr living north of the brick church, came from Rhode Island about the year 1794, and settled on the present Carr farm. The first house was a little northeast of the present Corners. His sons were Stafford, Eleazer, Amos, Stutely, and David. Stafford and David settled in this town. The old homestead of Stafford was the brick house west of the Corners. Stutely became a Baptist minister. Eleazer removed to Illinois.

In the southwesterly part of the town there was an early settler by the name of Slate. He built a mill on Loughberry creek in 1795 or '96.

Nathaniel Newberry settled on the General Hawley place; Joseph Pearsall, on the Davison farm; and Mr. Gleason, on the John Brill farm.

The first store was opened in 1795, by Isaac Ostrom, on the present place of Mr. Merrill. This is the common statement of the "New York Gazetteer," and also among the people, but the inscription on John Laing's tombstone would imply that he preceded Mr. Ostrom by several years. Walter Doe kept a store very early at Emerson's Corners. He afterwards removed to what is now Wiltonville, and was in trade there for many years. Widely known in his business, the place has been occasionally called Doe's Corners, though lately acquiring the name of Wiltonville. Abraham Wing also kept a store at Emerson's Corners, a son of the early settler of Glen's Falls.

The tavern kept by Benjamin Phillips in his first house at Stiles' Corners, and that of Stephen King on the Goodale place, were both opened probably between 1775 and 1780. At Emerson's Corners, Nathan Hinckley was the first tavern-keeper, in the house built by himself. Dudley Emerson, and after him Lynder Emerson, kept a house opposite for many years.

At Walworth there was a tavern very early. Seth Perry kept a tavern there at one time, but was not probably the first proprietor. Obadiah Green, and afterwards Jonathan Riley.

In very early times the first settlers went to mill at Schuylerville.

The first grist-mill in Wilton was built by Miller McGregor. The remains of the dam still show the place of its location. The first saw-mill was by John Laing. Edward Bevins also built a saw-mill very early in the Loudon church neighborhood. Other mills were at Stiles', and near the present Calmer place, and also at Mr. Hodge's. At Stiles' there was also a clothing-mill.

The first blacksmith was probably Hezekiah Willis, a son-in-law of Rowland Perry, the pioneer.

The first doctor William Perry remembers was one Timothy Bloodworth. The regular physicians of early times were Dr. Vail and Dr. John Floyd Williams.

The town also afforded some little practice in early times for lawyers, and Aaron Blake and Cornelius Fonda are remembered as belonging to that profession. Doubtless the primeval courts of Comstock and Emerson resounded with their forensic eloquence.

The Perrys and Stiles families set out the first orchards. The Perrys brought their trees from Jessup's landing in Corinth. The Stiles' from Rhode Island. Some of these trees are still bearing, - one hundred years old.

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IV. - ORGANIZATION.

Name. - When the convenience of the people required the organization of another town from the western portion of Northumberland, the question of the name came up of course for consideration. There was some dispute among the petitioners; some proposing one name and some another.

It was finally settled by the member of Assembly from this county suggesting that they take the name of his old home in New Hampshire. It was accepted as a compromise, and is certainly a brief, pleasant name.

The first town-meeting was held at the house of Lyndes Emerson in said town on the first Tuesday of March, 1819. The town officers elected were as follows: Dudley Emerson, supervisor; Henry Reynolds, town clerk; Benjamin Dimmick, Jason Adams, William Comstock, assessors; William Forbes, Lyndes Emerson, William Ingerson, commissioners of highways; James McGregor, James Bullard, overseers of the poor; George W. Fish, Cornelius I. Fonda, John J. Swartwout, Enoch M. Place, Samuel Hoag, Thomas Sherman, inspectors of schools; Jabez Reed, Selden Emerson, Cornelius I. Swartwout, commissioners of schools. The meeting adjourned to the next day, and completed the organization by electing the remaining officers: William Forbes, collector; Peter Laing, Edward D. Avery, Elijah Woodard, Cornelius I. Boice, constables; James McGregor, George W. Fish, inspectors of weights and measures; William Ingerson, Jabez Reed, James De Long, Jonathan Woodard, John J. Swartwout, Benjamin Dimmick, fence-viewers; Cornelius I. Swartwout, poundmasters; Daniel Weeks, Peter De Long, William Forbes, Solomon Phillips, Sr., Joshua Taylor, Stephen King, Oramel King, Philip Hinckley, John Fitzgerald, Henry Reynolds, John Boyd, Benjamin Dimmick, Zephaniah Lockwood, John Stiles, Peter Sleight, Jonathan Woodard, John McGregor, William Ingerson, Jonathan Pendle, Stafford Carr, Jr., Eli Lyon, overseers of highways.

The following resolutions were adopted:

"1. Resolved, That the inspectors of schools be allowed the same compensation as other town officers, and that their accounts be presented and audited in like manner.

"2. Resolved, That we raise five hundred dollars to defray the expense of the poor during the ensuing year.

"3. Resolved, That no fence shall be considered lawful under four and a half feet high."

Hogs were declared to be free commoners if sufficiently yoked.

At the town-meeting of 1821 the following action was had:

"Resolved, That John Thomas, one of the paupers, be vendued. Josiah Perry bid him off at five shillings and sixpence per week for one year, from the date of our annual meeting. The said Perry is to board and lodge and clothe said pauper, and return him at the expiration of the year as well clothed as he now is."

There is no record as to what said Perry was to do about the "return" in case the man died during the year.

At the annual election, held the 27^th, 28^th, and 29^th of April, 1819, the following persons had the number of votes annexed to their names for Assembly:

Calvin Wheeler, 59 votes; Asahel Philo, 69; Dudley Emerson, 78; William B. Van Benthuysen, 53; Nehemiah Candee, 34; Billy J. Clark, 12; Joel Keelor, 13; Avery Starkweather, 13; David How, 1; Abraham Moe, 9; Elisha Powell, 1. Henry Reynolds, Benjamin Dimmick, Jason Adams, and Dudley Emerson were the inspectors of election.

In road surveys the name of G.W. Fish appears as surveyor.

As one of the latest records of slave-births to be found in the county we note the following:

"I do hereby certify that my black woman, a slave for life, by the name of Sal or Silvia, had a male child born the 4^th day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eleven, and I call his name Jack.

"Recorded April 10, 1823."

The first election of justices of the peace was in 1827, and Jason Adams was elected and drew for the term of one year; John J. Swartwout, for two years; William C. Brisbin, for three years; and Coles Colden, for four years.

The recurring vacancies in 1828, 1829, and 1831 are not recorded as having been filled, but probably were by the re-election of the same men, as their names appear attached to various legal documents later than some of them could have served under their first election.

The town-meetings from 1819 to 1836, inclusive, seem to have been held, without question, at the house of Lyndes Emerson. This was a tavern at Emerson's Corners. In 1837 the meeting was held at the house of Tephaniah Lockwood, the present place of John Stiles. In 1838 at the house of Eli Stiles, a tavern, the present place of Northrup Stiles, his son, at Stiles' Corners. Then back to the house of Lyndes Emerson, for ten years. Then for three years at the house of Eli Stiles.

In 1854, Andrew J. Lee, having just purchased the hotel at Doe's Corners, now Wiltonville, made something of an effort to secure the adjournment of the town-meeting to that place. The effort was successful, and proved so satisfactory to the people that the adjournment has been made regularly every year since to that place.

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TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.

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JUSTICES OF THE PEACE ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE.

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V. - VILLAGES.

WILTON VILLAGE, better known as DOE'S CORNERS, is the largest and most important business place.

It is perhaps the Palmertown of olden times, though doubtless that name was applied to a territory somewhat larger lying along the range of mountains.

At this village is a church, a hotel, a store, several mechanic shops, and about twenty houses.

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EMERSON'S CORNERS was formerly a place of more trade and business than at present. There for many years was kept the Emerson tavern. Town-meetings were formerly held there. The union meeting-house, usually occupied by the Methodists, is also at this village. There is now little or no trade, and only one or two mechanic shops. There are several fine farm-houses in the vicinity, and around it are some of the best farming lands in the town.

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Other separate neighborhoods may be noted as "STILES," the site of the old tavern and the place of the battle mentioned elsewhere; the London neighborhood, probably so called as being on the old road that bore that name, extending from the south to the north through the county; the thickly-settled school district in the southeast corner of the town, and the Baptist church neighborhood not far from the centre of the town. Saratoga Springs, located so near, is the place of trade and business for a large portion of the town of Wilton.

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VI. - SCHOOLS.

Sept. 24, 1819. - The school districts were arranged by the commissioners as follows:

District No. 1. - Joseph Pearsall, James Brill, Wm. Forbes, trustees.

District No. 3. - Selden Emerson, Samuel Hoag, Benjamin Dimmick, trustees.

District No. 4. - Dudley Emerson, Henry Reynolds, and Wm. Comstock, trustees.

District No. 5. - George W. Fish, James I. King, and Stafford Carr, trustees.

In 1822 there appears the following apportionment of school moneys:

At Palmertown (Doe's Corners) was an early school, remembered by William Perry as the place where he studied Dilworth's spelling-book, and learned from its alphabet page to call z izzard. The school-house was a frame building, with a chimney made of sticks, and board jams to the fireplace.

Some years after, Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Bent kept their office in the school-house when no school was in session. While they were out, it is said, to bathe in the stream near by, the board-jams took fire, the house burned down, and their pills, books, and clothes were lost in the common ruin.

Schools were supported at first by subscription. When the money failed the school stopped.

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COMMISSIONERS' APPORTIONMENT FOR 1878.

An attempt was made in the year 1859 to found a permanent academy, a boarding-school of superior facilities.

Stephen Fradenburgh, an educated gentleman from Moreau, came to Wiltonville, and, assisted by the citizens to some extent, erected a building west of the village. The school was opened in the fall of 1859. The institution was known as Wilton Academy, but was entirely private property. It was Mr. Fradenburgh's design to place it under the care of the regents, and thus secure the aid of the State.

The school existed for a little over two years, when the enterprise entirely failed, financially. At the outset the institution suffered by the death of Miss Boice, who was expected to assume the duties of preceptress. She was thoroughly educated, and had the esteem and confidence of the community. Mr. Fradenburgh removed to Vermont soon after relinquishing the enterprise, where he died in a short time. The property passed into private hands. The beautiful hill-side where Mr. Fradenburgh located the academy is a fine situation, with the mountains overlooking it from the north and the west, and the building itself placed on a sufficient elevation to afford a fine view of the pleasant scenery in the northern part of the town.

The grounds, even in their present rough and unimproved condition, show what they might have become, under the cultivated taste and educational enthusiasm of Mr. Fradenburgh, had he succeeded in his enterprise and completed his plans.

The school abandoned and the property passed into private hands, and closed to visitors, is a serious loss to the people of Wiltonville, who miss the pleasant academic resort and the warm welcome extended to all by Mr. Fradenburgh and his associates.

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VII. - CHURCHES.

At Emerson's Corners a meeting-house was erected very early, probably in 1805 or 1806, as Lebbeus Armstrong, the Congregational minister of Moreau, labored here at that time, and led the movement for the erection of the house. It does not appear that any church was organized at that time, and the house has always been an independent affair, not connected with or belonging to any church whatever. In this case the house of worship and the church have always been separate. The modern use of the word church is, however, applied here, and the "Union church of Emerson's Corners" is spoken of among the people, when really there is no such thing in existence. At the present time, to say that a church is renewed and improved, leaves a painful uncertainty as to whether the house has been newly painted or the spiritual condition of the members revived. The meeting-house has been opened for all denominations. It is owned by none, but is the absolute property of the people that built it and keep it in repair. Originally Congregationalists met in it, afterwards the Baptists preached there for several years. In later times the Methodist Episcopal church are granted the regular use of it. The officers of the original business society that built it are not easily obtainable, as the older records are lost. It was thoroughly repaired, and the old, square, high-backed pews taken out many years ago. This work was done by a building committee, consisting of David Carr, Aaron Chase, and Lyndes Emerson. The present trustees of the society are Isaac Green, George H. Traver, and S.K. Chase. The first named is clerk.

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THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF WILTON

was organized as early as 1815. Meetings were held in school-houses; private houses, and at the union meeting house at Emerson's. The brick house was built about the year 1854, and cost $1500. Deacon Lockwood, Stafford Carr, and Stafford Carr, Jr., were trustees or building committee. The church having thus become settled in that neighborhood, had a formal existence for about twenty years longer.

The removal of members to other towns, the death of some, the convenience of attending at Saratoga, together weakened the society, until in 1874 all the members but three took letters to Greenfield or to Saratoga Springs, and services ceased. The house still stands, a convenient place for neighborhood funerals; and a flourishing Good Templars' lodge has met there for many years. The ministers of the Baptist church preaching in town have been Elders Blakeman, Carr, Fletcher, Lockwood, Dwyer, Andrews, Jewett, Combs; and the Baptist ministers of Saratoga Springs have often assisted in keeping up services at this point.

Deacon James Lockwood is the only one living of the three who declined to take letters, and therefore he constitutes at present the Baptist church of Wilton.

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METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

Meetings by Methodists were held in very early times, many years before there was any house of worship, excepting the union house at Emerson's Corners. In accordance with the efficient system of that church, gathering the "two or three" into a class long before they have reached the many, and that in several separate neighborhoods at the same time, under the care of the same preacher traveling a wide circuit, they accomplished a great work, and wrought out as in other cases permanent results.

In the vicinity of Wiltonville a class was maintained for many years. Unfortunately, early class papers were treated as if they were mere temporary memoranda, whereas they would have been of great value to the historian in after-years. Names and dates are hard to be obtained. Isaac Green was a class-leader for many years. In later years the society, aided largely by citizens not directly connected with the church, has erected a fine house of worship, handsomely finished and neatly furnished. The cost was $3200. The building committee were Abram Staples, Cyrus Washburn, William O. Peterson. The trustees were Abram Staples, William O. Peterson, John Goodale, Dr. Marshall, Alfred Cooper; and Dr. Marshall was clerk.

The society was greatly assisted in clearing off the final debt, by a handsome donation of $250 from James Buell, of New York, a former resident of this town. He also presented the Sunday-school with a valuable library. The house was built in 1871. The corner-stone was laid by Dr. Hawley: A sealed box was placed in it, with lists of all the early Methodists remembered in this section, the newspapers of the county, and other valuable memorials of the times. The contractor was Mr. Sturtevant. The society is not strong in numbers, having a present membership of only twenty-five. The Sunday-school numbers seventy-five, and is superintended by Wm. O. Peterson.

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THE SOUTH WILTON METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

and that of Emerson's Corners are to some extent united in the same organization. At South Wilton there is a neat chapel, and for a long series of years services have been maintained there.

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THE LOUDON PROTESTANT METHODIST CHURCH OF SOUTH WILTON

has a chapel in the south part of the town. The society was originally an offshoot or branch of the Methodist Episcopal church. Some differences of opinion led to the formation of another society in connection with the Protestant Methodists of the United States. The chapel was built in 1833. At that time Hugh Groesbeck and Jesse Lamoreaux were trustees. The house cost about $1200. Sylvester Sherwood was an early class-leader, Deyoe Esmonds preacher. Peleg Weaver, and Stokes, Ashley, Whitely, Hudson, Wood-worth, Hollinbeck, Buttolph, Spears, and Walton have preached in this congregation at various times since the society was organized and the chapel built. The ground for the chapel and the adjacent burial-ground were given by Jason Adams. The present officers are John Harn and Dow J. Winney, stewards; George Hudson, clerk.

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VIII. - BURIAL-PLACES.

Early burials were in various places, - many merely private, - and some of these are actually lost to all identification. We mention the following: On the Fuller farm, and the Standish farm, and the King burial-ground on the Goodale farm; the cemeteries, opposite James Hodge's; at the Baptist church; at Doe's Corners and at Emerson's Corners; on the McGregor farm and the Laings'; on the Rood farm, and there are several others. We note the following early dates: "Doct. John F. Williams, died Sept. 2, 1808, aged 38;' "Ralph Cox, died April 20, 1807;" "Mrs. Hannah Cox, died July 16, 1811;" "Mary, wife of Uzziel Durham, died March 18, 1806;" "Mr. Malachi Cox, died April 1, 1798, aged thirty-six years."

There are no less than four old burial-places in the southeast part of the town, not far from each other.

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IX. - SOCIETIES.

A Good Templars' lodge has existed for many years in the Baptist church neighborhood, in which are included earnest temperance-workers of this town and from the neighboring portions of Greenfield.

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X. - PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST.

Near the mill-pond on the Snoek Kill are abundant traces of Indian occupation, showing that an extensive village or encampment must have existed there before the advent of the white men. Arrow-heads, broken pottery, and pestles were found there in great abundance. William Perry, grandson of the first settler, states that he has picked up very many Indian relics; among others a stone gouge, - very rare in collections of this kind, - also a beautifully rounded stone, similar to a modern whetstone. There had evidently been an Indian encampment on the farm of his father. A block-house erected for defense by the early settlers stood upon the Deyoe farm, a half-mile west of Doe's Corners. There is no report that they were obliged to use it to any extent. William Perry has seen the timbers on the place. A battle was fought at the place of the old Stiles tavern. During the Revolutionary war Mount McGregor, a spur of the Palmertown mountains, projecting south and east from the general drift of the range, lies in the three towns of Wilton, Moreau, and Corinth, and as the summit is approached from Wiltonville, and is only distant a mile and a half, a notice of it and of Mr. Duncan McGregor's enterprise is very properly added to the history of the town of Wilton. The mountain has an elevation of fifteen hundred feet above tide-water, and twelve hundred above the plains lying at its base. On a level plateau at the summit Duncan McGregor has erected buildings, and is gradually improving the place and developing a pleasure-resort of great beauty and attractiveness. An easy roadway leads from the village up the slopes, making several graceful curves by which the grade is lessened, and the drive made more beautiful and picturesque. There are not here the frightful chasms and the towering rocky heights that invest wilder and loftier mountain scenery with awe and grandeur, but gentle slopes and wood-crowned summits all unite in those softer lines of beauty that delight and enchant.

From an open space on the east front a wide and pleasing view is obtained. Commencing at the north with Glen's Falls, the panorama embraces Sandy Hill, Fort Edward, Bold mountain, Greenwich, North Argyle, Schuylerville, and Saratoga lake, the White Sulphur Spring Hotel, with many small villages and quiet hamlets. Just below all are the towns of Wilton and Moreau spread out before us; farther on the rolling lands bordering the Hudson valley, and beyond, the distant mountains of Vermont rise with their majestic heights. This spot has also a historic interest, as here the loyalists of the Revolution flashed their signals for the British army at Fort Edward, and farther north to Whitehall.

The McGregor estate consists of eight hundred acres lying upon the mountain and adjacent slopes. The buildings occupy the crowning summit a short distance above the "lookout." They are surrounded by a second growth of timber, - pine, chestnut, oak, beech, maple, and birch, trimmed and cleared of underbrush. This affords ample room for croquet-grounds, swings, and winding walks outlined with whitened stones, affording a peculiarly striking appearance by moonlight. Upon some portions of the tract the original forest still remains in all the beauty of its wild, lonely solitude. The western bend of the Hudson river beyond the mountain approaches within a mile and a half of the McGregor House. Three-quarters of a mile west there is a deep lake, embosomed in the forest, and nearer by a smaller one, capable of being improved into a very fine addition to the other attractions. Besides, the Moreau pond on the plain below is owned by Mr. McGregor in part, and is reserved for his guests and to supply the table of the hotel. Extensive improvements are yet to be made. A drive of four or five miles in the forest, and for excursionists with saddle-horses; an observatory of easy height, enabling guests to see the sun set over the Adirondacks of the west, and rise from behind the Green mountains of the east; a telegraph to Saratoga Springs, only eight and a half miles distant, and with the co-operation of the people a broad, finely-graded road over that route, equal to that now leading from the springs to Lake Saratoga. These will make the mountain resort a part of the actual attractions of Saratoga itself. A few families have already discovered this charming resort the first year it has been opened, and are boarding steadily with Mr. McGregor. The cuisine of the house is peculiar, and those who have tasted the delicacies of many other places declare that McGregor equals any of them. Such tenderly-cooked fish, just caught in his own ponds, choice milk and butter, mountain berries, delicately crisped potatoes, tea and coffee trimmed with the genuine cream, and not with the "thin, blue fluid," together will make the faintest appetite pulsate with new delight.

Among the other choice things of the mountain retreat we must not forget the beautiful moss parterre, arranged so delicately by the taste and skill of Mrs. Sprott, a relative of the family to whom they were tenderly attached, and whom none knew but to praise and love. This rare collection of the beauties of the forest glens is to visitors a thing of life and beauty; to the family it is a sweet memorial of her whose hands were folded for the rest of the grave before the improvements were complete.

As a host, Mr. McGregor is sure to win friends. To take possession of the little ones, as Mr. McGregor does, and go with them to the kitchen for a drink of rich country milk, or help them swing, is a sure way to steal the hearts of the parents, and is the best proof of his ability to delicately and yet liberally care for the wants of his older guests.

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XI. - MILITARY.

Of the early pioneers, John Perry, Samuel Perry, Ebenezer King, Edward Bevins, were soldiers in the Revolutionary army. In the cemetery at Emerson's Corners there is also this inscription: "Zebna Day, whose name in early life was enrolled among the Green-mountain Boys. Died, April 7, 1844, aged 87."

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To the War of 1812 the following soldiers went from this town: Caleb Perry, James Woodard, Benedict Woodard, Henry Strong, Drew Laing, and Seth Perry. The latter was a colonel at Sacket's Harbor. Jason Adams, who settled on the Deyoe place, son of the pioneer David Adams, was also a captain during the War of 1812.

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Like other towns in this county, Wilton responded promptly to the call for volunteers in the war of 1861-65. Colonel Winsor French, then living at Saratoga Springs, but a former resident of Wilton, was active in the work, and many from this town enlisted under the leadership of a man who was ready to say, "Come, boys!" and not, "Go!"

The record of the men who enlisted, annexed to this sketch, is as complete as can be expected when it is considered that there is no record in the town clerk's office, and many men are entered on the printed muster-rolls as belonging to other towns when really they should be credited to Wilton. The list has also been thoroughly advertised and kept several weeks for correction by the veterans themselves or others interested.

During the War of 1861-65 several special town-meetings were held, to take into consideration the question of bounties to volunteers. A bounty of $500 was offered in the spring of 1864, which was finally increased to $1000 on the 6^th of September.

Wm. Brown, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

Edward Bobenreath, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. for disability, Feb; 14, 1863.

Andrew Brisbin, enl. Aug. 2, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F; sergt.

Lorin Brisbin, enl. Aug, 7, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F; honorably disch. at Hilton Head, March 11, 1863.

John R. Burnham, enl. Aug. 4, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Wm. Baker, enl. Aug. 15, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E; disch. for disability, March 1, 1863.

John Brainard, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. for wounds.

Richard Brewer.

Claudius Baker, enl. Aug. 31, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E.

John Carr, enl. Sept. 24, 1861; 77^th Regt., Co. D; capt.; resigned May 18, 1862.

Noah B. Clark, enl. Aug. 7, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

George Carr, 2^d Vet. Cav.; died near New Orleans.

James Cannon, enl. Nov. 3, 1863, 2^d Regt. Vet. Cav.

Seth W. Deyoe, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; 1^st sergt.; pro. 1^st lieut., May 18, 1862; then capt.; disch. for wounds, May 10, 1864.

James G. Deuel, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; corp.; disch. for disability Nov. 26, 1862.

William Dorvee, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. Dec. 13, 1864.

Michael Dowling, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

Henry Deyoe, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died of sickness, at New York.

------ Delong, 77^th Regt.

Alfred Dran, 115^th Regt.

John Deyoe, 77^th Regt.

Peter A. Deyoe, enl. Aug. 27, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

Wm. H. Deyoe, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died at New York, Aug. 21, 1862.

Mynard C. Deyoe, enlisted Oct. 1, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. E; trans. to Vet. Bat., 77^th Regt.

Lewis Deyoe, enl. Sept. 18, 1863, 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. D.

James Ellison, 77^th Regt.

Winson B. French, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; 1^st lieut.

Charles H. Fodow, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; 2^d lieut.; resigned May 31, 1862.

Walton French.

Luke Folmsbee, enl. 77^th Regt.

Walter Freeman, enl. Aug. 20, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. A; trans. to Vet. Bat., 77^th Regt.

Dorson Falloon, enl. Sept. 12, 1863, 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Thomas Farrell, enl. Nov. 17, 1863, 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Henry N. Gilbert, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. for disability, Jan. 2, 1863.

Jeesse Gower, enl. Sept. 24, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

George Green, enl. 77^th Regt.

Albert Gruber, enl. Aug. 30, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. D; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, March 15, 1864.

Edgar Hain, enl. Aug. 13, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Alonzo J. Hubble, enl. Sept. 1, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died of wounds, May 24, 1863, at Washington.

John J. Hudson, enl. Aug. 31, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E; disch. for disability, Jun. 25, 1864.

Isaac S. Hodges, enl. Aug. 31, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E; trans. to Vet. Bat., 77^th Regt.; wounded at Cedar Creek.

Miles Hudson, enl. Sept. 6, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E.

Otis T. Hall, enl. Sept. 4, 1862, 153^d Regt., Co. G.

Charles Holden, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. for disability, June 24, 1862.

Solomon Holden, enl. 2^d Vet. Cav.; died of sickness, near New Orleans.

Wm. Harvey, enl. Nov. 23, 1863,2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Aaron Irish, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

Aftus H. Jewell, enl. Sept. 18, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E; pro. capt., Oct. 4, 1862; trans. to Co. H.

Sidney B. King, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; corp.; pro. sergt.; disch. for disability, Nov. 26, 1862.

George Lawson, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died Dec. 4, 1862, of fever, at Washington, D.C.

Edwin A. Lockwood, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; served through; disch. with regt., Dec. 13, 1864.

Antoine Lapoint, enl. Nov. 24, 1863; 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Alexander Lamara, enl. Nov. 24, 1862, 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Henry Laroy, enl. Nov. 14, 1862, 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Edwin McPherson, enl. Oct. 30, 1861; 77^th Regt., Co. D.

Henry M. Myers, enl. Oct. 1, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. G; wounded May 10, 1864.

Charles Munn, enl. Oct. 15, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. G.

Hanford Myres, enl. Aug. 11, 1862; 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Cornelius Myres, enl. Aug. 11, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

David McNiel, enl. Sept. 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

Ira McNeil, enl. 1861, 2^d Vet. Cav.

William Miller, enl. Oct. 19, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. C; killed near Winchester, Sept. 19, 1864.

John McGovern, enl. Nov. 15, 1863; 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Joseph Martin, enl. Nov. 23, 1863, 2^d Vet. Cav., Co. L.

Stephen Nisbeth, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died May 15, 1862, at Yorktown, of fever.

Wm. E. Newton, enl. Aug. 5, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

John S. Nobles, enl. July 31, 1862., 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Robert Price, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. Dec. 18, 1862, for disability.

Frederick N. Perkins, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; drowned Sept. 17, 1863.

Harmon E. Perry, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; disch. for disability, Jan. 15, 1862.

Robert Pryor, enl. Aug. 12, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

John Powers.

Arthur Perry.

Harlaem E. Potter, enl. 77^th Regt.; disch. by writ.

Gardner Perry, enl. Aug. 26, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. D.

James A. Padelford, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. C; discharged with regt. Dec. 13, 1864.

Harvey A. Reed, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 71^st Regt., Co. D; corp.; disch. with the regiment, Dec. 13, 1864.

John H. Reynolds, surgeon; attached to hospital service.

Charles H. Ruggles, enl. Sept. 22, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. E; died, May 10, 1862, of wounds.

John H. Rose, enl. Sept. 6, 1862, 153^d Regt., Co. D.

Warren L. Smith, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; corp.; died Sept. 27, 1862, at Fortress Monroe, of pneumonia.

Alfred M. See, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; killed, May 6, 1864, in the Wilderness.

Daniel Steenburgh, enl. Aug. 15, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F; musician; disch.

Isaac W. Souls, enl. Aug. 12, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Peter Schermerhorn.

Warren L. Smith, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died Sept. 24, 1862, at Fortress Monroe.

Hiram Tyrell, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; lost in action, May 6, 1864; supposed died in rebel prison.

Wm. Taylor, Jr., enl. Aug. 16, 1862, 77^th Regt., Co. D; lost in action, Oct. 19, 1864, at Cedar Creek.

George Van Antwerp, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died, Nov. 9, 1862, of diarrhœa, at Fortress Monroe.

Stephen O. Velie, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; died, Feb. 12, 1862, of smallpox.

Lewis T. Vanderwerker, enl. Sept. 24, 1861, 77^th Regt., Co. D; sergt.; pro. 1^st sergt.; 2^d lieut.; 1^st lieut.; ap. capt., Co. D, May 12, 1864; disch.

George H. Wildey, enl. Aug. 7, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Richard B. Wood, enl. Aug. 15, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Lloyd Weston, enl. Aug. 5, 1862, 115^th Regt., Co. F.

Henry Weatherwax, 77^th Regt.

Elias Washburn, 77^th Regt.

Eugene W. Warner, 77^th Regt., Co. A; trans. to Vet. Bat. 77^th Regt.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

JOHN J. BRILL.

The Brill family is of German extraction. The earliest representative of it whom we can trace in this country was John Brill, who emigrated from Holland, and was an influential farmer, at Beekman, Dutchess Co., New York, at the time of the Revolution. He had three sons, Solomon, John, and David I. Solomon served manfully in the war for our national independence. David I. Brill, the grandfather of John J. Brill, went from Dutchess Co., N.Y. (where he was born), about the year 1800, and settled in the town of Half-Moon, from which place he went to Wilton, Saratoga county, in 1813. His son John was born in Dutchess county, on Oct. 2, 1793, and removed with his father to Saratoga County. He served as a soldier in the War of 1812. On April 19, 1817, John Brill was married to Harriet Pearsall, a native of the town of Wilton, where she was born in March, 1794. The results of this union were seven children, of whom four, William, Mary, John, and Harriet, lived to years of maturity. John Brill died on Dec. 23, 1858, and his wife on Nov. 1, 1843.

John J. Brill, to whom these lines are dedicated, was a native of the town of Wilton, where he was born on May 15, 1827. He was the youngest son of John and Harriet Brill. His early life was passed on his father's farm, where at the same time he received such instruction as the district schools of the neighborhood afforded. He finished his higher studies in 1846. On Feb. 15, 1860, Mr. Brill was united in marriage to Frances, daughter of Lewis King, who was one of the earliest settlers of the town of Greenfield, in Saratoga County. To them were born three children, John K., born March 23, 1861, Minnie F., born Sept. 15, 1863, and William, born April 4, 1865.

In political sentiment Mr. Brill is in thorough accord with the Republican party, having affiliated with that party after the disruption of the old Whig party, to which he was formerly attached. While active and sincere in politics, he has firmly declined to accept of any of the offices which have been tendered him.

Mr. Brill, and indeed his entire family, are regular attendants upon the worship and services of the Methodist Episcopal church, to the support of which he has given freely of his means.

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WARREN B. COLLAMER.

Warren B. Collamer is a grandson of Warren Collamer, who settled in the town of Malta at an early age, and followed the occupation of a farmer all of his life. He died a few years ago at the age of ninety-four years. He took a deep interest in religious matters, and was one of the earliest exhorters of the Methodist church, and was an active worker in the cause of religion.

Hiram Collamer is the first son of Warren Collamer, and was born in the year 1800, at Malta. He has passed his life to this date as a farmer, owns several farms in Saratoga County, and is now living, aged seventy-nine, in the town of Greenfield. He married Melissa, a daughter of Barnabas Soullard, of Malta, who was the master-mason who lost his life by the failing of the scaffolding while erecting Congress Hall, in 1811. The Soullards came originally from France, and after coming to this country settled in Connecticut, where they became connected by marriage with the Adams family of Massachusetts.

Hiram and Melissa Collamer had seven children, of whom five reached years of maturity, viz.: Mary Ann, Nelson, Warren B., Edwin, and Harriet. Of these, Nelson and Harriet are dead. Mary Ann resides in Michigan, having married Daniel Eddy. Edwin is engaged in farming at Milton, this county.

Warren B. Collamer was born on February 2, 1823, at the town of Greenfield. He afterwards removed with his parents to the town of Malta, and remained there until he attained the age of ten years, when he removed again to Wilton. He passed his earlier years in farming with his father. He then formed a partnership with his father, and afterwards purchased the farm of his father which he at present occupies. In connection with his farming operations, Mr. Collamer erected a saw-mill and engaged in the manufacture of and dealing in lumber for over thirty years.

In 1877 he changed his lumber-mill to a grist-mill, which he is still running.

Mr. Collamer has been married several times, and has had two children, Mary Ella and Eliza Ann, the latter being dead, and the former residing with her father.

In politics Mr. Collamer was a Democrat until the organization of the Republican Party, when he joined that body and has since continued to act with them. He has filled a number of offices, such as town collector and inspector of elections, and he is at present serving his third term as town supervisor. He was one of the commissioners who erected the county house near Ballston.

Mr. Collamer is still actively engaged in business, is in the prime of life, and has by his own exertions acquired a competency, and is highly respected for his many sterling traits of character. He occupies an attractive residence in the town of Wilton, just outside of the village of Saratoga Springs, the neatness and beauty of which and its surroundings bear evidence to the cultivated tastes of its owner.

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Transcribed from the original text and html prepared by Bill Carr, last updated 2/7/00.