Part of the Steuben Co., NY GenWeb - Judy Allen Cwiklinski coordinator

Orange/Jersey

Child's Gazetteer and Directory of Schuyler & Chemung Counties, N.Y.

pub. ca. [1867]

ORANGE was formed from Wayne, (Steuben County,) February 12th, 1813, as "Jersey." Its name was changed February 20th, 1836. A part of Hornby, (Steuben County,) was annexed April 11th, 1842, and a part of Bradford (Steuben County,) April 17th, 1854. It is the south-west corner town in the County [of Schuyler], and is bounded on the east by the pre-emption line. Its surface is a rolling and hilly upland, broken by the deep and irregular valleys of the streams. Mead's Creek, flowing south-west, forms the principal drainage. The soil is chiefly a gravelly loam.

Monterey, (Orange p.o.) situated on Mead's Creek, in the south part of the town [of Orange], contains a grist-mill and about 300 inhabitants.

Sugar Hill is a post office in the norteast part [of Orange].

The first settlements [in Orange] were made in 1799, by Abraham Rozenback and Samuel Scomp, north-east of Monterey. Henry Switzer, from New Jersey, settled on Switzer Hill, in 1802, and D. Hewitt, from Rensselaer County, was the first settler at Monterey, in 1811. Abner and Thomas Hurd, and Brigham Young, the Mormon President, were early settlers in the north-east part of the town [of Orange]. William Wilkins, William DeWitt, Andrew Fort, Daniel Curtis, Jedediah Miller and a Mr. Chapman, settled on Mead's Creek in 1811. David Kimball, and his brother Moses, John Dyer, Sylvester Goodrich, and three men by the name of Hewitt, settled in the town a few years later. Joshua Chamberlain came into the town and purchased the land where the village of Monterey stands, of a man named DeWitt. The north-east part of the town [of Orange] known as "Sugar Hill," did not receive its name from any considerable elevation in that place, but from the following circumstance: In this place was a fine grove of maples, and the early settlers in the adjacent region, having in their hunting excursions discovered that there were no settlers upon the land, were accustomed to resort thither in the spring and manufacture a supply of sugar for the year; hence the name "Sugar Hill." The settlement in this vicinity was commenced about 1819 or 1820. Lewis Nichols, William Webb, Thomas Horton, Abraham and John Allen, Ebenezer Beach, Mr Eveleth, Seymour Lockwood, and two families of Comptons, were among the first settlers. Dr. Hibbard and Abraham Lyboult came about the year 1821. After the commencement or the settlement of the settlement the land was very soon taken up by actual settlers. The fertility of the soil and the proximity to Seneca Lake, their prospective market, together with the easy manner of obtaining land from the office at Bath, contributed to the rapid settlment of the town [of Orange].

The first child born in the town [of Orange] was Elsie Switzer, and the first school was tought by Daniel McDougall, in 1819, near Monterey. Thomas Hurd kept the first inn, in 1816, at Monterey, and Walter Hurd the first store, south-west of the same place. The first church (M.E.) was formed by Rev. Peregrine Hallett, the first preacher.

The population of the town [of Orange] in 1865 was 2,094 and it area 29,863 acres.

The number of persons of school age in the town [of Orange] in 1867, was 700, the number attending school 544 and the average attendance 247. The amount expended for school purposes the same year was 3,281.88.

NOTE - The above town history information was generously contributed by Lanny A. Robbins.
Please bear in mind that not everything you read in print has been researched or sourced correctly or concrete - please use this information as a guideline in your research only! - Judy Allen Cwiklinski

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Last modified Tuesday, 28-Aug-2001 14:22:45 MDT