People, Places

Reminiscences of Morris – Number Seven

by A. S. Avery, Morris Chronicle, October 21, 1874

In copying my manuscript for the printer, I omitted from the list of schoolmates, Selinda, Elizabeth, Acksa, and Walter Wing; Jesse Butts; Andrew G. Shaw; and no doubt there are others whom I do not call to mind.

Elm Grove was the name given to a little settlement about a mile and a half east of Louisville. A store was situated on what is now the corner where Mr. Ellis (Johnson) lives. A lane ran down to near the creek, and at the foot of the lane was Elm Grove Factory. This factory was built in 1815, by Robert L. Bowne and Co. (mill). The company consisted of the rest of the family. Here was manufactured woolen goods and satinetts. Broadcloth was made which sold for $10 the yard. All the weaving was done by hand. This company failed in 1819. The factory was afterwards owned by Samuel Starkweather and operated by ———— Greenwood. It was burned down in 1819. It was rebuilt but never did much business. Robert Bowne & Co. owned the store, and S. S. Bowne was the first clerk. This building now stands — the first house off the creek road, towards Pittsfield, beyond Van Rensselaer’s farm. William Grant, the boss clothier, lived where George Haynes now lives. Here is where Dr. Rice lived, and his son Thomas, who built a furnace and manufactured cast-iron plows. A tannery was also erected here by J.K. Lull & Sons. Today there is a large chair and cabinet manufactory owned by Geo. Benjamin (mill). Joseph Bowne lived on the Wheeler place. Silas Neff had a grocery store near where Thompson Bemiss is building a house. We give a few names of the persons who worked in the factory: Wm. Stewart, Supt., Christopher Gifford, Jesse Ayers, James Gledhill, Heman Lloyd, Richard, and Geo. Gibson, Peter Backus, — Raymond, and others.

The whole territory of Elm Grove proper was laid out into quarter and half-acre lots, and many of them sold about home and in New York City. The 3 acres of Tracy’s are 6 building lots bought of Robert L. Bowne by John Alexander. Wanton Weedon was the surveyor.

Chauncey Todd lived in a log house where Bemiss now lives; Enoch Lawrence where David Dye lives; James Tuttle where Lyman Bugby lives; Millard Aldrich where Job. Aldrich (D. Wing) lived; Greenwood lived in a small one-story house on the site of where Baldwin lives, (here is where old Sayles lived); Daniel Aldrich lived in an old house on the north side of the road nearly opposite Wheeler (Sally ) house; Ira Brooks in an old house nearly opposite Bowne’s gate.

About 70 years ago one wing of the Bowne Mansion was built. The main building was erected by Robert L. Bowne (Peter Platt, builder), in 1817. This house is today one of the largest in the country, embracing 40 rooms, some of which are very large. It is pleasantly situated on a gentle rise of ground in the Butternut Valley near the Tienuderrah River, commanding a view of the valley twenty miles in extent, from New Lisbon on the north-east to the hills of Sidney on the south-west. Fifty years ago it was owned by Geo. Shepherd, by whom it was sold about 1830 to the Loomis Brothers, who sold it to Oliver and Joseph Somers, and they sold it to Hon S, S, Bowne, and it is now owned by his two sons, Charles and John.

A framed school-house stood on the lower side of the road (Jensen) on the corner near the site of the present one. In one end was a large fire-place and the seats were made of rough slabs from the sawmill. Here many of the Lulls, Palmers, Yates, Aldrichs, Gilberts, Alexanders, Lawrences, Todds, Moores, etc. of the district graduated.

William Gilbert first settled at the outlet of a little lake in the town of Laurens. He afterwards, in 1820, moved to the farm now occupied by his son, Butler Gilbert. It was on this farm that the three towns of Pittsfield, New Berlin, and Butternuts joined, and a large butternut tree was made the corner; hence the name Butternuts. The tree was cut down, and three large trees grew from the stump; one of which is standing today. The device of the seal of the B. W. & C. Factory Co. is a stump with three sprouts.

Mr. Lull lived where Mr. Whitcomb now resides (Quite a history of the Lull family has been published). Nathaniel Moore lived where his son Nathaniel now lives. Squire Moore lived where Kirkland lives. Amos Palmer lived where Mr. Hall resides, and Dr. Yates (Latour) owned 1,000 acres adjoining on the north. The Quaker meeting-house was a double log building situated on the Bentley Farm (Cruttenden) between the old burying ground and the turnpike. The old church (Harmony, as it was called after the new stone one was built) stood on the south side of the highway, near the corner. It was used for some years by the Methodists and finally torn down. It was built by John Aiken, by what is known as the “Scribe’s rule.”

Bentley sold his farm to Judge Cathcart, and he sold it to Jeremiah Cruttenden.

The present Friends meeting-house was built by Robert L. Bowne about 1817. A road used to run on the side hill from A. G. Moore’s residence to the old church in front of the meeting-house, and the road up the hill ran on the east side of Moore’s residence. Where the factory school-house stands there used to be a large red woolen and cotton factory. Ellis Cook and John Moore commenced it and sold out to the Factory Co. This company included the name of Judge Franchot, V. P. Van Rensselaer, Benejah Davis, Uri Jackson, Dan Smith, J. C. Morris, Joseph Gilbert, A. G. Washbon, and others. The stone factory was built in 1825 and commenced business in 1826. The cotton was shipped to Catskill, and from there to the factory by horses and wagons. Asa Ames was for many years a teamster. It was not an uncommon thing to be two weeks making the round trip. Large quantities of the cloth were peddled out through the country. A factory was once built between the bridge and Mr. Rotch’s farm (V. Gregory) but the machinery never was put into it, and the floor was broken down one 4th of July, at a celebration there.

Sixty years ago, the school-house in Louisville stood near the corner beyond the bridge, in Franchot’s (Leonard’s) (Paurice) lot. The district then extended to Jared Patrick’s and Lemuel Brooks’ in the east, and to Lyman Collar’s on the west. Samuel Drew, teacher. Dan Smith lived about one mile below Louisville on the road to Gilbertsville, and for some years kept a tavern. This used to be quite a resort for persons to go and shoot at a mark. To snuff a candle 15 rods distant with a rifle ball was considered something of a shot. Deacon Jackson lived in the next house, below, and from there to Gen. Morris’ it was nearly all woods. Here we close the Reminiscences. They might be continued indefinitely, but perhaps we have already wearied the reader. Some people may think it worthwhile to cut them out and put them in a scrapbook. Fifty years from now, they may be of more value. If I have succeeded in refreshing your memory of by-gone days, — of awakening a desire to come and see the old place once more, — to renew old acquaintanceship — exchange friendly greetings, and for the time feel that we are boys again, — I am satisfied. Give us your hand — good-bye. We shall meet again.

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, 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.