Early History, People

Reminiscences of Morris – Number Four

by A. S. Avery, Morris Chronicle, September 30, 1874

The town of Morris has furnished some distinguished men as well as some notorious personages; either to the “manor born” or by long residence therein. Francis Rotch was one of the leading men in the State, as an agriculturist and breeder of cattle and sheep. At one time he was President of the New York State Agricultural Society and foremost in inaugurating town fairs when fairs meant something besides horse-racing. He became a resident of this town in 1830 and being a man of wealth his means were fully given for all public purposes, and his charities which were numerous and bountiful, are best known by his recipients. The poor of Morris miss him as much as any class of people. He died in 1874, aged 86 years, and an obituary was never fully written because no one here felt competent to award the need of praise his long and active life deserved.

Jacob K. Lull is the oldest man living in town who was born here, (aged 80 years). He was a successful businessman; a tanner and currier. He acquired a competency by his industry; raised a large family of children. In 1838 he was elected a member of the State Legislature, which position he filled with honor and credit.

Paschal Franchot was one of the first settlers of the town, coming here about 1789, via Cooperstown and Burlington, when the road was followed by marked trees. He was the first Supervisor of the town; elected County Clerk, and afterwards made Judge of the County, (what is now Justice of Sessions).

Thomas A. Filer was the first man to establish a select school approaching an academy in the course of study. John C. Morris was once Judge of the County. Nelson Dewey, Esq., sone of Ebenezer Dewey, Esq., was twice elected Governor of Wisconsin. Jesse C. Smith, Esq., a son of Dan Smith, was a man of influence, and for many years a public officer in the city of Brooklyn. The town has also been represented in the Legislature, by Hon. St. Paul Seely, Hon. C. A. Church (two terms). The State Senate has been represented by Col. A. M. Smith and Col. F. M. Rotch. Mr. Rotch was one of the best artists in the country. I happen to know of a circumstance which happened some years ago, when one of his water colored paintings was sold for $50, and the money donated to the poor. He died from the effects of a fever contracted in the swamps near Yorktown, Va., 1864. Edward Walker, youngest son of Stephen Walker, is a wealthy lawyer in the city of Detroit.

The United States Congress has been represented by Hon. S. S. Bowne and Hon. Gen. R. Franchot, who have been for the best part of their lives residents of this town. Dr. Walter Wing was a very successful physician. Dr. Wm. Yates was one of Jenner‘s first converts, and the first man to introduce vaccination, for small pox in America. At his death in 1857, an obituary of two columns in length was published in the New York Tribune. The Rev. Reuben Nelson (Methodist) was one of a large family of children who worked in Hargrave factory. It was here he lost his arm by being caught in a picker.

Dan Smith, another old settler, aided materially in the prosperity of the town in its early life, as a drover. By his purchases the farmers were able to get money enough to pay their taxes. Ansel C. Moore was a public officer for many years; a man of influence, and in business (mercantile) was decidedly successful. He was the first man to establish a banking house in town, which is to-day successfully carried on by his son and son-in-law under the name of A. G. Moore & Co. Andrew G. Washbon was a successful business man as agent for the B. W. & C. Factory Co. Upon reading the account of the firing on Fort Sumter he gave $100 to the first man who volunteered to go in defense of his country. And when the town was in straightened circumstances to raise its quota and bounties, he stepped forth and by his exertion and influence, the $44,000 in money was obtained. The Rev. Russell Wheeler came into this county in 1814. He first located in Unadilla, and afterwards was Rector of Zion Church. He was a very exemplary man, rather eloquent as a speaker, and in 1829 lived opposite the church in Morris. He died in 1861, aged 77 years. Joseph Bowne, the Quaker preacher, was one of the most eloquent speakers of his day. The “meeting house” was always full, and even crowded, when he was moved to speak. He wore the continental costume of the generation gone before. He was very sociable, well educated, and truly a good man, whose memory is cherished with reverence even to this day. He died in 1848, aged 70 years. Levi S. Chatfield was born in this town of “poor but respectable parents,” and rose to the honorable position of Attorney General.

There are scores of persons once residents of this town, who are worthy of “Honorable Mention,” but it is not our purpose to write autobiographies or obituaries, and we close the record and point with pride to the many public and good men who have spent a large portion of their lives in what is now the town of Morris.

Next week we will give a list of the school children of “Louisville,” in 1825-30, followed by some incidents and anecdotes of the times.

Excerpt from Morris, New York 1773-1923 by Joyce Foote, 1970

The previous text was taken directly from the book Morris, New York 1773-1923 by Joyce Foote, 1970. I made a few minor edits, but the content remains unchanged.

Early History, Places

Reminiscences of Morris – Number Three

by A. S. Avery, Morris Chronicle, September 23, 1874

Every house has one or more fire-places (a cooking stove was unknown), and by the side of the fireplace was a large brick oven, (sometimes the ovens would be built near the house out of doors). The large loaves of “rye-an’ indian” bread were staple articles and hard to beat. It was the ambition of stove makers to try and make their stove ovens equal the Dutch oven as a baker. When folks got out of pearlash, they used the ashes of corn cobs as a good substitute.

In the “square room” of the well-to-do people were brass ornamented andirons in the fireplace—children, ask your parents, “what are andirons?” In the summer time this fireplace would be filled with asparagus or maple boughs, but after wall-paper became cheap, fire-boards, with a landscape on them, filled up the space.

It was a great invention when the tin-baker was made; quite an improvement on the old bake-kettle, or the board on which the Johnny-cake was baked before the fire. (Children, ask Grandma how they used to bake potatoes when she was a little girl.) At night it was necessary to bury up the fire, that it, cover the coals and brands with ashes, so the fire would keep (not go out) till morning. There were no matches in those days, and frequently people would lose the fire and have to go half a mile to the neighbors and borrow a brand or coal, to start a fire with at home. Some people had a tinder box and flint and steel and would strike a fire in that way. If a man had a gun (flint-lock) he could put powder and tow in the pan and start a fire in that way.

One stage coach ran through the town from Cooperstown to Oxford three times a week. It was a four horse yellow coach and looked to the children’s eyes as large as a circus does not. The postmaster could have carried any one mail for Louisville (Butternuts) in his hat. The postage on a letter was as follows: to Garrattsville 6 cents; to Cooperstown 10 cents; to Albany 12 ½ cents; to New York 18 ¾ cents, and to Philadelphia 25 cents. There were no envelopes—the paper was folded up so as to tuck one edge into the other and seal with a wafer or sealing wax.

Hugh Edwards and Jim Willoughby had the honor of being drivers. It was the law then to blow a horn when they came to within 80 rods of a postoffice. It was a grand sight to see the stage coming at a ten-mile-an-hour gait, (no brake on the coach). Sometimes the driver would cut a figure 8, then swing his long whip and tick the leader’s ear, and when he left the village, sometimes, the horses on a run till out of sight.

In those days barter was the rule and cash the exception. Farmers bought all their store goods and paid in grain, lumber, etc. A good farm hand received from $8 to $11 a month, and mechanics from $12 to $16 a month. During haying and harvesting, 50 cents was the price per day. There are two men in town who when boys picked up stone all day for 25 cents and boarded themselves.

Hemlock lumber was worth $3.50 per thousand feet, and good pine shingles from 75 cents to $1.00 a bunch. Birch brooms 12 ½ cents. Good fire wood $1.00 a cord in trade. Good three years old steers from $11 to $14. I have seen Lewis Collins trying to sell hind quarters of nice lambs for six-pence a piece. Butter 8 to 12 cents a pound. The price for keeping sheep was a pound of wool per head. Good straw 1 cent a bundle. Whiskey was 25 cents a gallon, and Mr. Coleman could throw back his head, open his mouth and turn down a pint without stopping to take a breath.

The first Fair and Cattle Show in the county was held at “Butternuts” in 1835.

The paper used in school was coarse, hand-made, and each scholar had a piece of lead flatted out called a plummet, to rule it with. The pens were made by the master, from goose-quills, and excellent pens they were. The first steel pens in town were sold by George Holcomb for 3 cents a piece; the same quality of pen now could be bought for 30 cents a gross. The school books were Columbian Reader, Morse’s Geography, Webster’s Spelling Book, Walker’s Dictionary, Murray’s Grammar, and Dabel’s Arithmetic. A few years later were added, or substituted, Woodbridge’s Geography, English Reader, and Columbian Spelling Book. Blackboards, maps, mental arithmetic, etc., were unthought of. The principal dialogue at “speaking schools” was “Deacon Homespun and the Philosopher.”

The sheet anchors of the system of medical practice were calomel and the lancet. When the doctor called, he would examine the patient, then take a lancet out of his vestpocket, ask the woman for one of her garters, and proceed to cord the arm and tap a vein, then give a dose of calomel and—call again.

It was customary, when one had company, particularly if in any wise distinguished, to set on the brandy decanter. We frequently hear it said now days that there is no pure liquor; that years ago men could drink whiskey and it did not hurt them; that there is more drunkenness now days than there used to be, etc. Now that is all bosh; there was a larger proportion of drunkards then than there is today. There could be seen every week, as many drunken men in the village with 200 inhabitants, as you can today with 700.

When women made an afternoon visit, they went at 1 o’clock and took their knitting-work, and stayed till chore time.

In regard to the valuation of property, I am fortunate in having before me the town assessment roll of August 1824, Daniel Smith, Ichobod Davis and David Shaw, jr., assessors. The total taxable property of the town of Butternuts (now Morris and Butternuts) was $387,505. The ratio was 27 cents on $1,000, and the amount raised that year was $1,073.70. We give a list of a few lots and farms; V. P. Van Rensselaer, 195 acres, $3,600; Stephen Walker (W. E. Bunn) four acres, $450; Joshua Weaver (Weedon) 39 acres, $650; Allen Holcomb, ½ acre, $250; A. Avery, ½ acre, $275; John Alexander (Tracy) 3 acres, $150; Lyman Cruttenden (Mansfield) ½ acre, $300; B. W. & C. Factory, 59 acres, $6,000, personal, $14,000; Davis, 179 acres, $3,200; P. Franchot, 458 acres, $5,000, personal, $4,000; Gen. Jacob Morris, 962 acres, $8,976, personal, $1,000; John C. Morris, 55 5/8 acres, $1,000, personal, $3,000; George Shepherd (Bowne) 145 acres, $3,400, personal, $3,000; Dr. Wm. Yates, 1,000 acres, $6,000, personal, $1,065; Richard Cole, 95 acres, $450; Dan Smith, 290 acres, $3,300, personal $1,200; Nathan Lull (F. Rotch) 150 acres, $1,800; Luther Skidmore, 182 acres, 41,700, personal, $750, etc. But comparing this old list with the “abstract of taxes” for 1873, we find in the latter that the total valuation of the taxable property of Morris to be $419,385. In 1823 the population of this large town was 1,608, today the population of this same territory is almost 4,500.

Go into any state or territory of the United States, or in any kingdom on the face of the earth, and you will find somebody who used to live in Otsego County.

Excerpt from Morris, New York 1773-1923 by Joyce Foote, 1970

The previous text was taken directly from the book Morris, New York 1773-1923 by Joyce Foote, 1970. I made a few minor edits, but the content remains unchanged.