Source:  Centennial Souvenir History 1825 - 1925 of the Town of Sandy Creek, Oswego County, New York, Commemorating the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Founding of the Town July 2-3-4-5, 1925.  Compiled by T. T. Davies, Historian.  Article by Charles M. Salisbury.

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"The Salisbury Family"

     Among the many early settlers who came to Sandy Creek we should not fail to mention the Salisbury family.  The Salisburys were of Welch descent and the first record we have of them in America is John Salisbury, who came to Swansee, Mass., between 1640-45. We pass on to the fourth generation. Daniel Salisbury, who was born in Rehoboth, R. I., in 1731 and later moved to Shaftsbury, Vt.  Here he raised a family of eleven children, one dying in youth, the other ten grew to manhood and womanhood.

     In 1820 they all came to Sandy Creek and most of them settled here or in this vicinity.

     Their names were as follows: Reuben, Rufus, Mason, Nathan, Daniel, Dyer, Cynthia, Lillis, Patience and Celinda.

     Reuben settled on what is known as the Pruyn farm on the Orwell road.  Rufus on the D. J. Hollis farm just east of Lacona.  Mason settled three and one-half miles north of Sandy Creek in the town of Ellisburg, where he conducted a farm, also a hotel in the days of stage coaches, owned a saw mill in Sandy Creek for many years and at one time conducted a store there with Oren R. Earl and Stephen Martin.  Nathan built the Salisbury House, a noted hostelry of its day and it was here that the first town meeting was held.  He also owned a large block of land located between Main street and the Ridge road.   After his death the Salisbury House was remodeled and conducted by his son, Benjamin F. for many years. Daniel settled on the Orwell road on the farm now owned by J. T. McNeilly.  Dyer settled in  Alleghany County.   Cynthia  married Masher Martin.  Both died early in life.  Lillis married James Wheat and settled at the foot of Wheat hill and it was from him that the hill derived its name.  They had no descendants.  Patience married Richard Plumley and they settled on the Ridge road, the last farm in the town, on land now owned by Wm. Cobb.  Celinda married Edmund Stevens who conducted a foundry for many years in Sandy Creek and manufactured the Stevens plow.

     The greatest number of Salisburys who helped to make Sandy Creek famous and put it on the map were descendants of Reuben, who had ten children.

     The various avocations of life in which the Salisburys engaged were principally farming and milling, of which eleven were engaged in the latter. We also find merchants, doctors, druggists, hotel keepers, bankers, teachers, ministers, but no lawyers.

     In politics nearly all were Republican; in religion Baptist, and it is said that at one time there were forty people by the name of Salisbury or had married Salisburys who attended the Baptist church.  In the wars of America we find the following numbers participated: 1780-81, one; 1812, one; Civil War, eight; Spanish American war, one, and World War, four.

     There have been eleven generations in 280 years, seven of which have lived in Sandy Creek.  Of the descendants who live in the town today we find only the following.: Mervin Salisbury, Chas. M. Salisbury, Earl Salisbury, Anna Herriman, Anna Hollis, Sarah Seely Porter, Harriet Stevens, Susan Gilbert, Claude Porter and Orb Porter.