Clark calls Chauncey Rust the first settler, as he brought his family
there from La Fayette in April, 1801. That year and the next many
came, mostly from New England. Among these were the Merriman, Cowles,
Gaylord, French, Parsons, Thayer, Clark, Nichols and Judd families, etc.
Lucy Cowles taught the first school in a log house in 1804. The first
grist mill was built by Charles Merriman in 1806, and Daniel Bennett was
the first merchant, two stores usually sufficing for the whole town, there
being no large villages. The first postmaster was Dr. Luther French,
at Otisco Center in 1814. A few years since the town had four post
offices, Otisco Center, Amber, Zealand and Otisco Valley.
Jesse Swan settled near Otisco village in 1809, opening a store and
tavern, about a mile south of the center. Dr. Jonathan S. Judd began
practice in Otisco in 1806. There were once a woolen and three saw
mills on the small stream east of the center, and a large business was
done there in making fanning mills. In 1855 Otisco held second place
in the county in the yield of maple sugar and apples, and third in spring
wheat, being strictly a agricultural town. It raises men, and many
born here have been clergymen, physicians, authors and scientists.
It did its part in the war for the union, and in that of 1812.
Wyllis Gaylord, an early writer of note, came to this town in 1803, when but nine years old. He was ingenious in mechanism, as well as able in writing. Willis and Lewis Gaylord Clark were born in Otisco in 1810. They had wonderful memories and fine literary tastes, and were famous men in their day. Dr. W. W. Munson and S. N. Cowles are well known among botanists.
The first religious meeting was at Chauncey Rust's house in 1801, and these were steadily maintained. Rev. Thomas Robbins wrote, August 11, 1802: "Rode to the ell of this town, and preached. The first sermon ever preached in the place. There is now a flourishing settlement, where the first family went in April of last year." May 9, 1803, the Washington Religious Society of Otisco" was organized, as a Congregational church. The first building was on the Bardwell farm, a little north of Otisco Center. A large church was built in 1816 in the center of the village. In 1805 Rev. George Colton became the first minister, succeeded in 1807 by Rev. William J. Wilcox, who remained till March 15, 1821. The present church was built in 1892.
St. Patrick's church was built in 1870 at Otisco Center, under Rev. F. T. Purcell of Skaneateles. December 25, 1886, it was burned, and rebuilt in 1889.
About 1864 the Reformed Methodist society was organized, and now has a church a mile south of Otisco Center. The Amber Religious society was formed August 18, 1824, and a union church was built, but was used only by the Methodists. It overlooked the lake, and in 1866 the hill as lowered and the church rebuilt. The Maple Grove Methodist Episcopal church was incorporated February 27, 1850, when a church was erected. This was rebuilt in 1876.
The shores of Otisco lake have become a popular resort for cottagers and campers, the fishing being good and scenery fine.
Alpheus Boutelle came to Otisco Valley at an early day, followed by Alvah Munson, Levi Rice and Oren T. Frisbie. Near Amber were Ladowick Hotchkiss, Squire Willard and Seneca C. Hemenway. At Amber was Killian Van Rensselaer, an ardent Free Mason. Alanson Adams was a merchant there for fifty years.
Daniel and Ichabod Ross lived near Otisco Center. They "were brothers, and it is a curious fact that they lived in separate houses on their undivided farm, that no difference ever arose between them. If one started to plow a field the other kept out."
One old story was "of an Indian family, said to have lived somewhere in the vicinity of the foot of Otisco lake, the paternal of which and all of his children were thickly covered with a coating of hair, like that of a bear. The family was supposed to be possessed of an evil spirit and was shunned by all other Indians. This tradition still has firm believers among the Onondaga Indians, who once had a trail to the lake, whither they went to hunt and fish."
The editor has not heard this story among them, though it resembles some bear stories. They did go there to fish, as late as sixty years ago.
In 1863 a dam was built across the foot of the lake, and it became a feeder for the canal. This resulted in the overflow of some wooded lands, and heavy drafts on the water in the summer, but the area of the lake was much increased. A small steamboat now plies on its waters.
Nearly sixty years ago it was said of Otisco that "Not a pauper or lawyer is there in town, nor a man unable to unwilling to pay his school bills. Gospel and schools are well supported, hard times are unknown. It is said a hundred dollars could not be lent in this town. None are very rich, and none are very poor." In that early time the writer has seen a child come into a store in Otisco Center with an egg to buy a sheet of paper, as a matter of course, and it seemed the custom.
The birth of the Clark brothers has been placed in 1808 and 1811, but was in 1810 according to the best authorities. In his account of Onondaga Academy, written in 1897, Mr. Richard R. Slocum vouches for the following story, not before published:
"Their father, Capt. Eliakim Clark, a soldier of the Revolution, was a very pious Presbyterian of the Connecticut stripe, and the boys were required to attend church every Sabbath, and all the services of the day. One Sabbath morning they all prepared for church and left the house together for a walk. The boys went to the horse barn, saying to the father, 'We will soon overtake you.' The father traveled on for a while, but no boys were in sight, and he concluded to return for them. As he approached the barn he heard their voices inside, and looking through a knot hole found they had made a small box and, as they appeared to be very much interested in their work, he concluded to await development. He soon solved the problem. They had killed a rat and were preparing for a funeral.
"The rat was placed in the box, and one of the boys remarked to the other, 'You be the minister and I will be the mourner.' Upon this agreement one mounted the half-bushel measure and said, 'Let us sing the hymn 'Broad is the road that leads to death, and thousands walk together there.' After singing the following text was selected for the occasion: 'A rat is born of a rat, his days are few and full of trouble.' After a solemn warning to all rats to forsake their wicked ways, the services were concluded by singing that good old Methodist hymn, 'Farewell, vain world, I'm going home.' I give this little episode to show the makeup of the boys. It is needless to say the father and the boys were a little late that morning attending church service."
Both were favorites in the literary world, and on the early death of Willis a letter came to his brother from Washington Irving, who said, "He has left behind him writings which will make us love his memory and lament his loss."
In 1836 Otisco Center had a post office, Presbyterian church, two stores, a tavern, tannery and fifteen dwellings. Ashbel Searle and Horatio Smith were physicians there. Fifty years later it had two stores, two churches, a physician, and the dwellings had nearly doubled.
Amber had a post office in 1836, a church, two stores, a tannery, tavern, Samuel Stearns' woolen factory, and ten or twelve dwellings. Franklin Bangs was the physician. In 1886 it had a church, tavern, two stores, blacksmith shop, harness shop, wagon shop and steam sawmill. There were then but fifteen dwellings.
The date of the organization of the first religious society by Rev. Hugh Wallace has been assigned to 1803, 1804, and 1808 in different histories. The last is clearly erroneous, and the first most probable. Clark places it in 1804. One writer gives Michael Johnston the credit of opening the first store in 1808. The first white child born in the town was Timothy Rust, March 22, 1802. The first death was just after the settlement, Nathaniel Dada, Jr., being killed by the fall of a tree, July 19, 1801.