History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present

Preface

WHEN I agreed to take a part in the preparation of this work it was only upon the stipulation that I should be at liberty to make use of so much of my father's history of Livingston County, published posthumously in 1876, as I thought desirable.

The little leisure at my command put it entirely out of the question for me to contemplate the preparation of a history of the county, the substance of which, Indeed the very text of which, should not be drawn in very large measure from that source. Accordingly, I have in the main followed the arrangement and the text of that work through Chapter 10, making the changes and additions demanded by the result of historical research since my father laid down his pen. Mr. George C. Bragdon, of Rochester, has for the most part had charge of putting in form the town sketches from material furnished to him. The arrangement of the biographical section of the work has been in other hands.

At the time of his death, Norman Seymour, of Mt. ^Morris, who had been from its beginning one of the most useful and interested members of the Livingston County Historical Society, had in course of preparation a history of Livingston County, and had collected a great amount of valuable material to that end; unfortunately for the people of the county, ^Ir. Seymour's death interrupted his work before it had been put in narrative form. Such glimpses as he permitted the public to have of his work by an occasional published sketch from the manuscript showed, however, how instructive his contribution to local history would have been. Mr. Seymour's family, through his son, Mr. Henry H. Seymour, of Buffalo, placed in my hands unreservedly for use in this volume all the matter collected by their lamented father; I wish in this place to express to them my deep sense of obligation.

Likewise, my sincere gratitude is due to Mrs. Dr. Myron H. Mills and her daughters, of Mt. Morris, for their exceeding courtesy in permitting me the fullest liberty in examining and using the books and papers relating to historical matters of the late Dr. Mills, one of the

2 PREFACE

best informed Indianologists of the valley, who wrote learnedly and most interestingly of early local history over the sobriquet of "Cornplanter," and whose father. General Mills, figures conspicuously in the pages of this history.

Mr. William H. Samson, of Rochester, an enthusiastic student of the history of Western New York, an untiring investigator, an infallibly just and discerning judge of men and events, and a brilliant writer, whose contributions to local history are unquestioningly accepted; Mr. Frank H. Severance, the learned and accomplished Secretary of the Buffalo Historical Society, Hon. William P. Letchworth, of Buffalo and Glen Iris ; A. O. Bunnell, of Dansville ; David Gray, Esq. , of Buffalo; Dr. William P. Spratling, and Mr. Frank Crofoot, of Sonyea, N. Y., have earned my special thanks in furnishing me very valuable material in aid of this work.

I am indebted to the contributions to local history of the late Col. John Rorbach and to Samuel L. Rockfellow of Mount Morris: Duncan D. Cameron, of Caledonia: Rev. E. W. Sears, of Caledonia; Miss Wilhelmina Mann, of (iroveland: W. P. Boyd, of Conesus; S. Edward Hitchcoci: of Conesus and others to whom credit is given in the pages of this book for matter appearing there.

I desire also to express my obligations to the Council of the Livingston County Historical Society for their permission to use matter collected for the Society archives.

In spite of the most careful proof reading errors will be found, for whicii I implore the reader to be indulgent. ^I must add in justice to myself, that I am not responsible for Chapt^ &JKXVn or for any errors that may be found there.

The town sketches are necessarily brief and principally cover the earlier periods of town history.

The work passes out of my hands tn the publisher with the regret that I have been imable to give to it the undivided attention which the subject justly demanded.

Gcneseo, N. Y. Lockwood R. Doty.

Chapter I

Topograph}- of the. County — Genesee River— Canaseraga Creek — Conesus Lake — Western Door of tlie Long House — Pioneer Customs- -Aboriginal Myths — Ancient Works and Remains — Jesuit Missionaries — Settlement hj- Sullivan's Officers and Men 17

Chapter II

The Seneca Indians — The Kali-Kwas — Hiawatha — League of the Iroquois — ■ Aboriginal Traditions— Cusick's .■Account — Monsters — Great Battle of Geneseo — Iroquois Domination — Iroquois Alliance with the British 24

Chapter III

The Senecas of the Chenussio — Seneca Fortitude — Their Customs in War and Peace — Incidents illustrating Seneca Characteristics — .\ New Year's Festival at Squakie Hill — Handsome Lake, the Peace Prophet — Seneca Trails — Extinguishment of Indian Titles to Reservations 38

Chapter IV

Pouchot's Map — Early mention of the Genesee Country — Earthworks and Fortifications — Five Eras of Seneca Town history — F'our Villagesdestroyed by DeNonville — Canawaugus — Dyu-ne-ga-nooh — O-ha-gi— Indian burial place — Big Tree — Beardstown— Squakie Hill — 0-non-da-oh — Ga-da-oh — Ga-nos-ga-go — Sho-nojo-waah-geh, Big Kettle's town — Kan-agh-saws, Conesus — Dyu-liah-gaih — Chenussio — (iatlitsegwarohare — Sga-his-ga-aah, Lima — Ga-non-da-seeh, near Moscow — Deo-wes-ta, Portage vi lie 57

Chapter V

Jesuit Missions — DeNonville's Expedition — Retirement of the Jesuits with the French 85

Chapter VI

Indian Notables — Red Jacket — Cornplanter — Henrv O'Bail — Han<lsome Lake — Little Beard— Tall Chief— Straight Back— Big Tree— Black Chief— Jack Berry- Captain Pollard — Hot Bread — Half Town — Sharp Shins — Tommy Infant — John Montour— CJuawwa — Mary Jemison —James Stevens — Seneca White — Thomas Jemison — • Philip Kenjockety — Old Cannelioot 95

Chapter VII

The Western Expedition under General Sullivan, with a sketch of the Officers in his Command and an account of the Groveland .\mbuscade and the torture of Boyd and Parker — Other incidents of the Campaign 138

Chapter VIII

After the Revolution— Phelps and Gorham Purchase — Robert Morris — Holland Purchase— Treaty of Big Tree — Charles Williamson — Celebration of the one hundredth Anniversary of the Treaty of Big Tree at Geneseo 179

4 CONTENTS

Chapter IX

Early settlemeiit> in the County— James and William Wad-worth — Other Pioneers fiales of lands — Williamsburjjh — Picture of the C.enesee country — The Livingston Lease — Importance to the Cjenesee country of General Wayne's Expedi- . tion 226

Chapter X

Missionaries in the Genesee country — Religious Privileges — Visit of Loiiis Philippe — Dtike DeLiancourt — Jauies Wadsworth in London negotiating for sale of Lands — Town settlements commenced 249

Chapter XI

Pioneer Election — Famine — Rapid growth of the settlements — Transportation facilities— The period prior to 1812 262

Chapter XII

The War of 1812 and the participation therein by men of the Genesee country — Result of the War advantageous to the settlements — The "Cold Plague" — Condition of Western New York in 1817 — First Newspaper in the County 283

Chapter XVII

The decade from J840 to 1850 — Removal of Remains of Boyd and Parker and other victims of Groveland ambuscade to Rochester, and Proceedings attending the removal — Later reinteiment at Mount Hope— Livingston County Agricultural Society — The 94th Regiment of Infantry of the New York Slate Militia — The Campaign of 1844 — Election of Governor Young — Railroad projects 369

CHAPTER XVIIL

The decade from 1850 to i860— New Alms House — Last "Militarj- Training" in the Countv — Genesee Valley Bank— Completion of Avon, Geneseo and Mount Morris Railroad — County Politics 407

CONTENTS

Chapter XIX

The War of the Rebellion ; Livingston's part in it— History of the Wadsworth Guards, 104th Regiment— Tlie T04th at Gettysburg— Historr of the 8th N. V. Cavalry— 130th N. V. Vol. Infantry— 136th N. Y. Vol. Infantry— 14th N. Y Heavy Artillery— 13th N. V. Vol. Infantry— 33d N. V. Vol. Infantry— 27th N. Y. Vol. Infantry -25