History of Chenango and Madison Counties New York Collections

War of the Rebellion in Sherburne New York

The record of the legislative action taken by this town with reference to filling its quotas during the late war is too meager and incomplete to possess any historic value in that connection. From other sources, however, we learn some of the results of that legislation. The town of Sherburne furnished in aid of the suppression of the Rebellion 236 soldiers and 20 seamen, 49 of whom were natives of the town; 1 ranked as Assistant Surgeon, 3 as Captain, 9 as Lieutenant, 1 as Sergeant Major and 13 as Sergeant; 176 enlisted for three years, 12 for two years, … Read more

Village of Sherburne New York

Sherburne is a pleasant little village with broad and handsomely shaded streets, and in some measure supplied with good substantial flag walks. It is situated a little south of the center of the town, east of Chenango River, on the line of the Utica, Chenango & Susquehanna Valley railroad. It is distant about 10 1/2 miles from Norwich and five from Earlville. It contains six churches, (Congregational, Baptist, M. E., Universalist, Catholic and Episcopal) a Union Free School, with academic department, one newspaper office, (The Sherburne News) a National bank, a cotton factory, sash and blind factory, a carriage factory, … Read more

Tuscarora Incorporated into the Confederacy

From the conquered nations they exacted tribute, and drew conscripts for their armies. The Tuscaroras, who resided in Carolina, were incorporated into the confederacy in 1715, and thereafter they were known as the Six Nations. From the extent of their conquests, the number of their subject nations, and the tribute and military aid rendered them by the latter, they have been called the “Romans of the New World.” When we reflect that of their own warriors they could bring into the field barely 2,000 braves, and with this number subjugated nations numerically more than twice as large, and spread terror … Read more

Town Officers of Sherburne New York

The first town meeting was held at the house of Timothy Hatch the first Tuesday in April, 1795. Isaac Foote was chosen moderator, and the following named officers were elected: Orsamus Holmes, Town Clerk; Isaac Foote, Supervisor; John Hibbard, Joseph Simons, Josiah Lathrop, Assessors; Eleazer Lathrop, Constable and Collector; John Guthrie, Constable; Joseph Porter, Samuel Picket, Overseers of the Poor; Joel Northrup, Abner Calkins, James Raymond, Stephen Parker, Joseph Guthrie, Overseers of Highways; Newcomb Raymond, Pound Keeper; John Lathrop, James Guthrie, Timothy Hatch, Commissioners of Highways; Joel Hatch, Ichabod Munger, Fence Viewers. The following list of the officers of the … Read more

Town Officers of Afton New York

The officers elected March 2, 1858, were as follows: Daniel A. Carpenter, Supervisor; Edgar Garret, Clerk; Hiram Willey and Morris J. Madge, Justices; William Corbin (William Corbin did not qualify and John Carr was appointed in his place March 16, 1858), Robert M. Littlefield and Jackson W. Poole, Assessors; Albert Pratt, Commissioner of Highways; Thomas Yale and George F. Hard, Overseers of the Poor; Eli M. Shay, Collector; Luman C. Pollard, William Corbin and James Poole, Railroad Commissioners (Before the division of the town, Bainbridge had issued bonds for $60,000 in aid of the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad, and $30,000 … Read more

The Iroquios Council

The Chippewa, however, furnished an exception to this rule. With them the son of a chief had a legal right to succeed his father. The rule, though binding, was very elastic, and capable of stretching to the farthest limits of the tribe–each tribe being allowed to select its chief from among its own members. Almost invariably the chief was succeeded by a near relative, always on the female side; but if these were manifestly unfit, his successor was chosen at a council of the tribe from among remoter kindred, in which case he was nominated by the matron of the … Read more

The Adirondacks

The Iroquois were not always the same fierce, rapacious and blood-thirsty people which they are now familiarly known to have been, but were once engrossed in the peaceful pursuits of the husbandman. Colden graphically relates the circumstances which led them in a measure to forsake that occupation, and involved them in a war with the Adirondacks, in which they were engaged when the French first settled Canada. We quote: “The Adirondacks formerly lived three hundred miles above Trois Rivers, where now the Utawawas are situated; at that time they employed themselves wholly in hunting, and the Five Nations made planting … Read more

Taounyawatha – Deity of the Forest

This was a part of the broad domain of the Iroquois Confederacy, which extended, in general terms, from the Hudson to the Genesee, and from the north to the south boundary of this State. This confederacy was composed of the following nations, located in the following order from east to west, the Mohawk, (Ganeagaonos,) Its origin is buried in the obscurity of vague tradition and was unknown to civilized nations in 1750. on the river which bears their name, the Oneida, (Onayotekaonos) Onondaga, (Onundagaonos) Cayugas, (Gwengwehonos) and Seneca, (Nundawaonos) mostly adjacent to the lakes which bear their names. The traditions … Read more

Settlers of the Town of Afton New York

The first settlement in Afton was made in July, 1786, by Elnathan Bush, who came in from Sheffield, Mass., with his family, then consisting of his wife and four children. They came as far as Cooperstown on horseback, and thence by canoe down the Susquehanna, leaving Cooperstown May 2, 1786. He settled on the west side of the river, opposite the forty acre island, known as Stowel’s Island, about two miles below Afton. This island and another near it, one of which contains ten and the other forty acres, had been cleared and cultivated by the Indians, and derive their … Read more

Schools of Afton New York

Receipts And Disbursements For School Purposes Amount on hand Oct 1, 1876 $ 14.36 ” apportioned to districts 1,926.04 Proceeds of Gospel and School Lands 102.47 Raised by tax 2,251.58 From teachers’ board 384.00 From other sources 290.36 Total receipts $4,968.81 Paid for teachers’ wages $4,184.38 ” ” libraries .67 ” ” school apparatus 10.84 ” ” ” houses, sites, fences out-houses, repairs, furniture, etc. 278.05 Paid for other incidental expenses 453.11 Amount remaining on hand Oct. 1, 1877 $41.76 The Union Free School District No. 12, of the town of Afton, was formed a joint district August 8, 1874, … Read more

Rexford Falls of Sherburne New York

At his death March 27, 1875, Nelson C. Rexford, a son of the pioneer, Benjamin Rexford, devised to the town the falls property on Mad brook, about a mile east of Sherburne village, on the road from Sherburne to Columbus, including some three or four acres extending along the banks of the stream. February 15, 1876, the town accepted the devise and resolved to designate the falls as Rexford Falls. The falls are about seventy-five feet in height. Below them the steep, rocky banks of the stream rise to a height of nearly a hundred feet and form a narrow … Read more

Postmasters of Sherburne New York

The first postmaster was James Elmore, who was appointed in January, 1801, and who was succeeded as early as 1805 by Sylvester Scoville, who was succeeded in 1829 or ’30 by Harry N. Fargo, who held the office till his death April 28, 1836, when Alexander Holmes received the appointment, and was succeeded in 1841 by William C. White, in 1845 by Edmund Shaw, in 1849 by Elisha J. Pratt, who held the office only a few months in that year, and was succeeded in May, 1849, by Elijah S. Lyman, who held the office till 1853, when Edmund Shaw … Read more

Postmasters of Afton New York

Previous to the division of the town of Bainbridge, the village and post-office at Afton were known as South Bainbridge. The first postmaster was probably Albert Neely or Joseph P. Chamberlin, at least fifty years ago. Josiah Wright succeeded Chamberlin about 1830. Next was Zaccheus Smith, who came here from Delaware county and kept hotel in the Sullivan House. He held the office till about 1840, and was succeeded by Murlin Jackson. Cornelius Atherton was appointed about 1855 or ‘6, and was followed in 1861 by Lewis Post, who held it till his death February 12, 1863, aged 54, when … Read more

Physicians of Sherburne New York

The first physician was D. Lacy, who remained, however, but a short time. Dr. Asa White, a Vermont sufferer, having received a medical education in Vermont, removed from Putney in that State to the town of Bainbridge, where, about 1794, he married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Corbin, also a Vermont sufferer and an early settler in Bainbridge. About 1796, Dr. White removed to Sherburne, where he practiced till his death, Dec. 18, 1819, aged 47. His certificate of practice is signed by Joab Enos and bears date of Jan. 16, 1797, two years previous to which he had been in … Read more

Physicians of Afton New York

William Knapp, who lives at Bainbridge, is believed to have been the first physician who practiced in this locality. He removed to Elmira. Dr. Nathan Boynton, who was located at Bettsburgh, and Drs. Starkey and Root, who studied with Boynton, and the latter of whom practiced in company with him at Bettsburgh, practiced here at an early day. They all removed to Elmira. Abraham Benton, brother of Orange Benton, studied medicine with Dr. Boynton at Bettsburgh and settled in the village on the east side of the river, where he practiced several years nearly fifty years ago. He was a … Read more

Onondaga Council Fire

All business between other nations and the Iroquois was brought to the council fire of Onondaga,(*) and the conclusion there reached carried with it all the weight of a kingly edict. The deliberations of the sachems were conducted with the utmost decorum, and a rigid adherence to their notions of parliamentary usage which challenged the admiration of civilized nations. No speaker interrupted another. Each gave his opinion in turn, but not until he had stated in full the subject of discussion, to prove that he understood it, and had repeated the arguments pro and con of previous speakers. Thus their … Read more

Oneida and Cayuga join the Iroquois Confederacy

“The Oneida and Cayuga,” says Gallatin, “are said to have been compelled to join [the confederacy.] Those two tribes were the younger and the three others the older members.” Zinzendorf, speaking of the Iroquois, says “the Oneidas and Cayuga are their children.”–Indian tribes of North America. “By the early French writers, the Mohawks and Oneidas were styled the lower or inferior Iroquois; while the Onondagas, Cayuga and Seneca, were denominated the upper or superior Iroquois, because they were located near the sources of the St. Lawrence. The Mohawks, who are commonly supposed to be the first nation in the confederacy … Read more

Merchants of Surburne New York

The first merchant in the town was James Elmore. His store stood opposite the cemetery about a mile and a half north of the central part of the village, where J. R. Dennison now lives. He also kept the first inn, built the first frame house, and was the first postmaster, receiving the latter appointment from Postmaster-General Joseph Habersham in January 1801. He died April 19, 1836. Zaccheus W. Elmore was probably the first merchant in the village. His store stood just south of the Medbury House. He traded till within some ten years of his death, Aug. 10, 1865, … Read more

Merchants of Afton New York

The first merchants in Afton were probably Sayres Burgess and Isaac Miner, who did business during the war of 1812 and a few years afterwards in a frame building which stood on the site of the store now occupied by Harris Briggs. Burgess lived and died in the town. His death occurred January 7, 1832, aged 35. Miner, in company with David Cooper built on Kelsey Creek, about 1809, the first saw-mill in the town. There has been a mill there ever since. The old mud-sills are still in use. The mill is about one-fourth mile above the village and … Read more

Manufactures of Sherburne New York

H. Ross & Co.’s Steam Cotton Mills were built in 1863 by a stock company organized in 1862, with a capital of $80,000, which was increased in 1864 to $100,000, which is the present capital. The first president was Hector Ross, who held the office till, and was sole owner of the establishment at his death, July 24, 1872. The present proprietors are the heirs of Hector Ross. They employ about one hundred persons, about two-thirds of whom are females. The building is a three-story brick structure, 164 by 60 feet. It contains some 8,000 spindles. About 46,000 yards of … Read more