{ title: 'Seneca County courier-journal. (Seneca Falls, N.Y.) 1902-1944, January 07, 1904, Page 1, Image 1', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn90066080/1904-01-07/ed-1/seq-1/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn90066080/1904-01-07/ed-1/seq-1.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn90066080/1904-01-07/ed-1/seq-1/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn90066080/1904-01-07/ed-1/seq-1/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: New York State Library
mm iomto DEVOTED TO THH TI^DE IJ^TEt^ESTS OP TflH PEO P liE OP SEfiEC H CODJ^TV. WE 7oZu. K? m l Z: To, I SENECA FALLS, N. Y., THUBSBAY, JANUAEY 7, 1904. Fo. 37 HISTORICAL SKETCH. Samuel Harris and his son, John Prepared hy Fred Feller and read by Rev. H. tlrani Person before the St n eca Falls Historical S 'ciety, December 21 st, 1903. Samuel Harris, the father of Jfihn Harris, who ran the first ferry across Cayuga lake, from 1788 until the Cay uga bridge was completed, was boru at Harrisburg, Pa., May 4th, 1740. In the year 1796, which was the year in which the East and West Cayuga Res ervations vvere released to the state by the Cayuga Tribe of Indians and sur veyed into lots, he, the father removed to the east banlr of Cayuga lake and patented lot No. 56 in the East Cayuga Reservation track. This lot contained 250 acres and was imtnedirtelj' north of his son. John’s The son at the same time took oat a patent for lot No. 67, which contained a soosewhat larger number of acres. Samuel Harris was an old Revolutionary s-ildier. His re m a ins lie buried at the Bridgeport ceinetery. On his monument is re corded the following: -‘He was an active participant in the stirring -scenes of the-old French wars. Ha was present at the surprise and defeat of Braddock near Fort DuQuesne. He was the decided friend of his country and her cause in the war of the Rovolu- tion, during which he was appointed captain of cavalry ” nis father, John Harris, Sv., emi grated from L'ncolnsbire, England, in 1733 and opened an Indian trading post at the fords on the Susqaehauna river, where the city of Harrisburg now stands. The histories arid directories of the present city of Harrisburg, the Capitol of Pennsylvania, all start from the time that the original John Harris, 1st, the father of Samuel Harris located on the site of that city. He afterward surveyed the city into lots and the city 'ta k e s ItS 'nairie fro m th e H a r r i s fa m i ly . There is an old oil painting in ex istence, which Mrs. Philo Cowing of this place recalls, that is in the possession of one of her friends in Cayuga county, (the Macintosh family who are related to the Harris family by marriage) rep resenting this John Harris tied to a tree on the banks of the Susquehanna river with the fagots piled aoove him as he was about to be-burned and tortured by the Indians. He was rescued by a tribe of friendly Indians and lived for many years afterward; a life of ad venture and usefulness. Samuel Harris named his son after his father John and it was this John Harris who came to the east shore of C a y u g a Jake in 1788 and ran the ferry in partnership with Jam e s B e u n e tt. In the course of soms correspondence between Mrs. L. G. Sanford in behalf of the Daughters of the Revolution and the spcretaiy of the state of Penn sylvania, William H. Eg^, it was discovered that this John Harris was also a Revolutionary, • soldier. He was commissioned .captain, October 14th, 1776, of thei I2 h Pennsylva nia regiDdfeiit cofn'intinded by Colonel William Cook. That this regiment was in active service and so severe was its losses on thebatt>« fields of New Jer sey that in April 1778 it was incorpo rated into the third regiment of the Peuuslyvania line and thereby lost its identity, while many of its ffficers in eluding Captain John Harris, became supernumerary. Seneca c-junty should be pri-ud that two such loyal Americans should have become her citizens. In 1789 John Har'is married Mary Richardson, who was a native of Fred erick City, Md. The f Itowing year, 1790, his first son was born and he was the first white child born on either shore of Cayuga lake He was given the family name, John. The sixth child of Captain J >hn Harris (the ferryman)- was a daughter and was named Helen. She married Abram Failing who kept one of the leading taverns of Bridgeport. When Seneca Falls began to forge to the head in population and importante he sold out his business at Bridgeport and re moved to Seneca Falls, where he became one of the leading merchants of our village To bis daughter. Miss Ella, now Mrs. C. L Story, I am in debted for the use of a very valuable lot of family documents, data and publications relating to this remarkable family. A m o n g oth_r things, she possesses an old print representing the same scene referred to by Mrs. C o w in g , illustrating the torture and burning of her ancester, the first John Harris, by the Indians. In 1790, John Harris opened the first tavern at i he Cayuga Ferry. This land at that time was still owned by the Cayuga Indians. It was leased from them by J )fiii Harris and was held on sufferance. Tne Indians were not allowed to sell their lands without the sanction of the general government and the state. The parties who held leases from the Indians however, were afterward when it was acquired by the state and surveyed into lots, given the first privilege of patenting the plots on whi 'h they were located. The John Harris tavern was a pi.ace of general rendezvous and you will notice on all the old maps of the East Cayuga Reservation that all trails from every point o f the compa«s centered at that point. Its old tap i-oom must have been a very attractive place to the Red man. The amount of valuable fur and b e a v e r skins that must have been traded over its bar for supp ies and ammunition, trinkets and the seductive fire water came to a tidy sum yearly. Its owner soon became a man of wealth and influence in the communitv. In the year 1794 the lands comprised in the present counties of Seneca, Wayne, CayUgR and O tondaga was erected into a new county known as Onondaga county and John Harris w>iS appointed its first sherifl.' At the end of bis term he was elected for a second In the following year the council fire for a treaty with the Onondaga and the Cayuga Indians was lighted in front of the “ John Harris tavern at th - Cayuga Ferry ” 7’he commissioners on the part of the stale weiv, Philip Schuyler, J 'hn Cantine, David B>-ooks and John Richards-m. By this treaty the state secured from the Onondaga Indians the O n ondaga Saif Springs and from the Cayugas aim's: all of th-nr lands. John Harris’ name appe.ars on this treaty as one of the witnesses. The treaty bears date of July 27th. 1795 In the consiruction and equip ment of the Cavuga B.-idge John Harris took a prominent part and was the second named one of its incorporators, three o f the other four b e in g represen tatives o f large land companies. In 1801 he was prominent in the formation of the Cayuga Laud Com pany, which owm-d all the land within two miles distant from the^ eas' end of Cayuga Bridge. The CayuifH county clerk’vS ofl3.ee shows a large num ber of transfers of lots from Nov. 7th, 1801, by this company and for several succeeding years. In 1801 he established at West Cay uga (Bridgeport), a genera' .«torfe, ash ery and a distillery. Is 1806 he was elected to Congress, s’ c<*eeding as representative of this district Hon. Silas Halsey of this county. In 1806 he was appointed a colonel of th*i mi litia. During the war of I8l2 he served with his regiment at the front and as a large share of his emmand waived their right not to be taken out of the state, took part in several en gagements on Canadian soil. After the war he settled at West Caviiga, having acquired on Mav 20th, 1814, title to thirty and one-half at^res of land being a part of grea' Lot No-- 6 . He died in Novem'-er 1824 After the war and i>reviou.s to his death he held a muster of milida at Bridgeport for a number of years. Mr R. C. Wayne possesses one of the gilt me al shoulder epaulets, formerly the prop erty of the late J dm H Tooker. which he wore at the training day exercises that took place on these occa.sions on the village green at B'idgeoort- We of the present dav have no idea ot the im portance that our forefathers attached to one of these muster day gather iugs. It was one of the gala davs of the year and it requires no very great imagination to picture the large con course ot people that would congregate around the taverns and the given at Bridgeport,to watch the. various squads of militia execute their manoeuvres, amid the applause of the sp-^ctator.s and the rattle of accouterments. Old Mr. Tooker, then a feeble, white-haired man, once remarked to me that he had never eaten any thing that tasted quite as good as the old fashioned ridged, training day gingerbread that was made up for those occasions. A branch of the Harris family emi grated to the state of Texas and be came prominent in its affairs. Harris county in that state takes its name from this branch of the Harris family Board of Trustees. The regular January meetiug of the village board of trustees was held Monday evening. Bills to the amount of $1,777 10 were audited and ordered paid when the condition of the various funds would warrant. The report of the police justice, show ing for December, eleven arres'ts, $2.40 in fines collected, $8.38 in expenses, and balance of $25 on hand was re ceived and placed on file. Exemption papers were granted to George Rice of Steamer company No, 3. President Isenman stated informally, that the Municipal board will probably re quest the board of trustees to try and bring up a sewer proposition for the coming election in the month of March, and that he thought the board of trustees should prepare themselves for it. That he thought that by plac ing a proper sewer proposition before the taxpayer .3 it would undoubtedly be carried He suggested that the matter be pressed so that it might be brought up at the next meeting, and advised a joint meeting with the Municipal board soon, to consider the matter. President Isenman said -T think the quicker we get a sewer sys tem, the quicker we will be a town of some importance” and advised the appointment of a committee of at least five representative citizens to act with the board. Mr. Denman also spoke favorably of holding another municipal banquet, similar in character to the one held last year, and suggested the naming of a com mittee to act with the -‘oard of edu cation in the matter. Trustee Strong’s resolution that a committee of three and the president be appointed for that purpose, was adopted. The committee n a m e d was M essrs Strong, ITrulig, Clark and ex-officio the presi dent. The usual annual sidewalk cle a n in g n o tice received a t t e n tio n , with (he annual reading of the law bearing upon that important question, arid it w a s resolved th a t a l l prop e r ty owners and occupants clean the snow and ice from their respective walks, by 10 A. M ., of the day following the storm and in default, the village will preform the work, and charge the cost to the property. Trustee Strong who is new in politics, upon the pass age of the sidewalk cleaning resol ution, stated earnestly “Gentleman, if we go into this matter of cleaning sidewalks, for Heaven’s sake, let’s enforce it.” Mr. Strong doubtless had in mind the ineffective ordinances passed by the board, that are practi cally a dead letter. His suggestion operated to bring the meeting toa sud den close, and a motion to adjourn was unanimouslv carried. Supervisors fleet. A special session of the board of supervisors has been called to meet in Waterloo to-day. The session is made necessary by the failure of Sheriff Mills to present his official bond for approval while the board of 1903 was in annual session. In addition to act ing on the bond of Mr. Mills it is probable that the matter of committee appointments will also be taken up. An opinion has been reedved by Supervisor Harper of Seneca Falls from Attorney General Cuneen that while the old board had power to appoint committees to hold over until the next annual session, the newly elected board could if they wished meet and rescind such action and ap point new committees. It is probable that the new board will therefore dis charge the old committees from further duties and appoint new ones in their place. The action of the old board in appointing all its members to attend the good roads convention at Albany, January 27th, will it is said, also be rescinded. January Sale. A . M. F e l t u s . Ladies’ furnishing store. ■. M. Huyler’s fine candies at Hull’s. Personals. —Miss Blanche Pollard spent Sun day in Auburn. —H. P. Usher has been in Boston on business this week. —Miss Alice Chamberlain is visit ing in New York city. —Miss Editha Carr of Buffalo is the guest of Miss Fleda Adair. —Charles Scanlon has accepted a position in the Hoag house. —Charles C- Johnson was the guest of friends in Buffalo, last week. —Mr. and Mrs. George Wright returned from a visit at Oswego. —Miss Delia Somers has returned to her school at East Orange, N. J. —Mrs. Wallace L. Goetchious is visiting her daughter at Toledo, Ohio. —Mrs. David Almas of Brantford, is visiting her daughter, Mrs. Broad —Miss Anna T, Hawley left Mon day to resume her art studies in New York, —Miss Helen McGuire is visiting her cousin. Miss Alice Riley in Geneva. —Wm. H. Hall, Jr., of Syracuse University, spent Sunday with friends a Geneva. —Mr. and Mrs. John Thorp are receiving congratulations over the birth of a son. —Miss Laura Gay returned Monday to her duties as teacher in the Jamaica Normal school. —Miss Carri- Rockefeller of Clifton Springs vvas the guest of Mrs. James Beach last week. —Miss Susie A. Gould returned to Brooklyn Sunday for further treat ment of her eyes. —Mrs. Patrick Murphy of Wash ington street is visiting her daughter in New York city. —Miss Maude E. Sutton has re turned to Brooklyn after spending the holidays here. — W . J . B e e b e h a s returned to Schenectady, after spending the holi days in this village. —Miss Georgia M. Wheeler of P ar mer, was the guest of friends in Seneca Falls Saturday. —Mis- Caroline Lester has returned to New York, to resume her studies ai Columbia university. —Charles S Yawger returned to New York Sunday after a short visit at bis home on Cayuga street. —Mrs. Clara S. Murphy of North Adams, Mass., is visiting her mother, Mrs. Curran on East Bayard street. —Miss M. L Pattison of Syracuse, has been spending several days at the home of 0. B Hood on Cayuga street. — Hon. Israel Y. Larzelere and brother in-law, William E. Biundon, left the first of the week for a trip south. —Robert W. Palmer has gone to New York city where he has secured a position with a large publishing house. —Street Commissioner Frank Flem ing and Assistant Chief Michael Han- liu made a flying trip to Buffalo Monday. —Miss Lena Broadway of Syracuse university, spent Christmas and New Year’s with her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Broadway. —John P, Chamberlain returned to New York Saturday afternoon, ac companied by his mother, Mrs. H. Chamberlain. / —Miss Cora Bdcker returned yester- day-to h ^niudies in New York, after spending the holiday vacation at her home, in this place. —Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Alford of Port Byron, were guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Yury on Prospect street, over Sunday. —The Misses Katharine and Amelia Waller have returned to their studies at P ratt Institute, Brooklyn, and Mt. Holyoke seminary respectively. —Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Vanderhoof, Jr. and son Alfred have returned to their home in Buffalo after spending the holidays with relatives in town. —Miss Elsie H. Jewell is home from her school at East Crange, N. J., the school being closed temporarily on account of scarlet fever in the city. —Dr. and Mrs. W. W. Vanderhoof and son of Watkins spent the holi days with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Williai^ M. Vanderhoof on Clinton street. —Announcement was made Sunday from the altar at St. Patrick’s church of the approaching marriage of Fred G. Thomas and Miss Lillian Saunders of Warsaw, N. Y. —John Papageorge, the genial clerk in Poolos’ fruit and confection ery store, spent Monday night in Auburn with friends and on Tuesday paid a visit to Cornell University. —Miss Mabel W, Vanderhoof has returned to her duties as vice-principal of the Avon high school, after spend ing the holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William M. Vander hoof on Clinton street. —Dr. John F. Crosby, Member of Assembly from this county, started Monday morning for Albany, to be present at the opening of the Legis- latu.e. Dr. Crosby will make a zealous aud energetic representative. —Henry McGraw started Monday morning for the Capitol at Aldany. where he has secured a position dur ing the present session of the legis lature. This is one of the plum s which falls to the county of Seneca, in the equitable distribution of patron age. _______ __________ In the Churches. WESLEYAN. The theme for the next Sunday morning sermon will be “ Sinners by Comparison”. Sunday school at twelve. Y. P S. at 5 P M. Preaching service at seven p. M. ’ METHODIST. Rev. A. W. Broadway, Ph. D., pas tor of the Methodist church, will preach next Sunday morning on “ The Un pardonable Sin.” Topic in the even ing, “A Fool of a Farmer.” The week of prayer is being ob served, services conducted by the pastor. It is the plan of the church to devote the month of January to evangelistic meetings. The officiary has requested that all other church and society gatherings be suspended. PRESBYTERIAN. The week of prayer will end Friday evening with a preparatory service. The Lord’s Supper will be cele brated Sunday with reception of mem- The monthly musical service will be given Sunday evening. The theme will be Lyle’s favorite hymn, “Abide With Me.” Shelley’s tenor solo will be rendered by Mr. Schoon maker, Ashford’s baritone solo by Dr. Schoonmaker, Dow’s male quartette and^ Dank’s mixed quartette by the Obituary. MRS MARY J BABCOCK, died Saturday, at her home on Haigh street, aged eighty five years. A stroke of apoplexy was the cause of death. The deceased leaves two sons. The funeral service was held at her late home Monday afternoon. Rev. A. W . Broadway officiating. MRS ELIZA B E T H JOHNSON SLOAN, widow of the late Prof. Alfred E. Sloan, died last evening at the home of her nephew, Charles H. Westcott, Green street, where she had been liv ing for nearly a year. Mrs. Sloan was eighty-two years of age, and her death was due to the infirmities of age. She was a cultured and refined Christian woman, beloved and es teemed by all who came within the circle of her a'cquaintance. For a number of years past her home had been at Bayonne. N J., where Prof. Sloan bad conducted a boarding school for young ladies. She leaves surviving three sisters, Miss Lucretia Johnson of Medfield, Mass., Mrs. Owen West cott of Tully, N, Y., and Mrs. F. S. Grafton of New York city. The funeral service will be held at the Westcott residence Friday afternoon, at half past two o’clock,Rev. H. Grant Person, officiating. ' Jackets that were $10 for $3 98. We have four small jickets, sizes 32, suitable for sixteen year old girls or small ladies, to be sold irrespective of cost, at M r s , E. M. C o x F ra l io k ’ s . January Sale, L a d ies’ f u r n ish in g store. A . M. F e l t u s . CrowelDCheney. A quiet wedding was solemnized Wednesday evening at half past six o’clock, at the Presbyterian parsonage. The bride was Miss Bertha Crowell, daughter of Mrs. Emma Crowell, a respected young lady of this place and Edward C. Cheney, formerly of Seneca Palls, now of Amber, Onon daga county was the groom The ceremony pronounced by Rev. H. Grant Person. Mr. and Mrs. Cheney are estimable people and are receiv ing many congratulations and best wishes. Seneca County Bee Keepers. A Bee Keepers’ institute will be held in connection with the 42d.semi annual meeting of the Seneca County Bee Keepers i\ssociation at the Bevier House, Romulus, h riday of this week, January 8 th. The program includes: morning session, — the president’s annual address by Fred S. Emens; secretary and treasurer’s report, C. B. Howard; address on the Benefit the National Bee Keepers Association is to its m e m b e r s , N . E . P r a n c e ; d i s cussion, C. J. Baldridge; adjournment for dinner. Afternoon session—Sum mer management of Bees for Profit, N. E. Prance; discussion, H. L. Me Lallan: question box conducted by W, Z. Hutchinson. N. E, Prance is the general manager of the National Bee K e e p e r s A s s o c ia tio n and is sen t here by the State Bureau of Institutes. All interested in Bees are invited to attend. The W . C. T. U. The annual report of Miss Edith Dennis, secretary of the Seneca County Woman’s Christian Temper ance Union, gives an interesting re sume of the work of the year 1903. It states that the Loyal Temperance Legions of the county have a member ship of over one hundred boys and girls who hold regular meetings and receive instruction in the value of temperance work. Business and par lor meetings are held monthly, having as an object the education of neigh bors and friends in the work and plans of the organization. Legislative w o r k is n o t in a c t iv e . D u r in g the year petitions were circulated and personal letters sent to legislators. In th e d e p a r tm e n t of literatu r e , 25,000 pages were distributed during the year. The Flower mission and Relief work was not neglected, thus furnish ing food and clothing as well as less substantial benefits where needed. Besides $70 given to the Elmira An chorage, to furnish a room, local unions made their own minor contri butions. At the recent state conven tion of the W. 0, T. U., the Seneca county organization was represected by its president, Mrs. Edith B. Gable, who afterward visited seven of the local unions *and gave entertaining and instructive reports of the proceed ings. An interesting feature of the present year’s proceedings will be the institute to be held in Farmer, Jan uary 28th and 29lh, at which Mrs. Francis Graham, the new state president will be one of the speakers. The water main near the corner of Mynderse and Chapel streets sprang a leak about nine o’clock Sunday evening, and Monday morning Myn derse street as far as the New York Central tracks resembled an extem pore skating ri >k. The cellar of Mrs. Matilda McKeon, on the corner of Mynderse and Jefferson streets was filled with the icy water, the contents consisting of her winter provisions be ing badly damaged. A horse belong ing to Henry Smith, teamster, stood in three inches of freezing water nearly all night, the horse being pain fully conscious of the situation, the owner in ignorance of it. The water invaded the boiler room of the Yaw ger Mill Go’s flouring mill, to the depth of several feet, greatly em- barassing operations. The sidings of the Central road were covered with ice, and the section hands were kept busy Monday morning cutting it out and removing it. The main that burst was six inches in diameter, aud the frost in the ground doubtless pre vented a more extensive break. Lowney’s chocolates and bon-bons Fine ijhe of Imported and Key at H u ll’s, West cigars at Hull’s.
