Yates County, New York
Early Settlers for the Town of Jerusalem
From the History of Yates County, NY
published 1892, by L.C. Aldrich
pg. 414- 424
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Settlersof Jerusalem
So faras they were able and so far as they considered it a prudent measure, the Friendand her followers settled her lands in the town with none but members of hersociety. Still there werelocalities, which the Friend did not control, and therefore such sections weresettled by whomsoever saw fit to purchase. And even in the Friend�s society,after the lapse of not many years, there grew such differences and dissentions that strangers to her doctrines at lastobtained a foothold within the lands she aimed to control in ownership andoccupancy.
Thefirst settlers in district No. 1, of the town of Jerusalem, were as follows: TheFriend and her family, consisting of Rachel, Margaret and Eljiah MALIN, SamuelDOOLITTLE, Solomon INGRAHAM, Mary HOPKINS, Mary BEAN and Chloe, a colored woman;Elnathan BOTSFORD�s family consited of himself and his children, Lucy, Sarah,Benajah, Mary, Elnathan Jr., and Ruth; Achilles COMSTOCK, Sarah, his wife andtheir children, Alphia, Martha and Israel; Ezekiel SHEARMAN, his wife andchildren, Isaac, John and Bartleson; Asahel and Anna STONE and their children,Aurelia, Mary and Asahel Jr.; Samuel BARNES and wife, and their children, Elizur,Julius, Samuel and Henry; Parmalee BARNES and wife; Amos GUERNSEY and John, hisson, and Clarrissa, his niece; Castle DAINS and wife and children, Abel, Saloma,Anna and Simeon; Ephraim DAINS and family; Jonathan DAVIS and family; BenjaminDURHAM and family; Daniel BROWN , wife and two sons, Daniel and George; Elizurand Nathaniel INGRAHAM, and their families; Reuben and Mary LUTHER and SusannaSPENCER, Phebe COGSWELL, Mary HOLMES, Elizabeth KINYON, Lucy BROWN, MarthaREYNOLDS, Hannah BALDWIN, Patience ALLEN, Mary and Sarah BRIGGS, and Ephraim,Isaac and Elizabeth KINNEY.
One ofthe prominent members of the Friend�s society was Ezekiel SHEARMAN, who in hiszeal to serve his leader, acted as one of the committee to visit the Geneseecountry in 1786 for the purpose of selecting a site for a home for the society. Mr. SHEARMAN was a Rhode Islander and was one of the first to come to theregion of the New Jerusalem and there make a home. Soon after coming, or in 1790, he married the widow of John BARTLESON,the latter a follower of the Friend from Pennsylvania. In 1794 Mr. SHEARMAN moved to Jerusalem and located on lot 47. He lived and died in the town, dying in 1824 and his wife in 1843. They had three children, Isaac, born in 1792; John who died young andBartleson, born in 1797, who became one of the leading men of the town ofJerusalem, and died at an advanced age.
Danieland Anna BROWN, husband and wife, and their sons, Daniel, George and Russell,were among the pioneers of the Friend�s tract. But this family became alienated from the Friend not many yearsafterward. They settled on lot 5,then an almost unbroken wilderness, and with no neighbors nearer than two orthree miles. By industry,perseverance and energy, Daniel BROWN and his sons succeeded in building up oneof the best farms of the town. DanielBROWN Jr., married Lucretia COATS. Hetoo became a prominent man in the town; was justice of the peace for many years. He kept public house, called �Grandfather�s House�; also he built adistillery in the town. The children of Daniel Jr. and Lucretia BROWN were Alfred,Anna and Mary. Alfred was born in1798 and was sheriff of the county one term; Ann born in 1805 married GideonWOLCOTT; Mary born in 1818 became the wife of Mordecai OGDEN.
GeorgeBROWN, son of Daniel the pioneer, became the owner of 600 acres on the east sideof the Beddoe tract, including the site of the village of Branchport. George BROWN was also prominent in the affairs of Jerusalem; and severalterms its supervisor. His childrenwere Theda, Harriet and John R. BROWN.
JonathanDAVIS came to the New Jerusalem in 1792, and died in the county of Yates in1870. His first residence was atthe little settlement on Seneca Lake, but after a few years he returned toPhiladelphia, and there married in 1801, Rachel UPDEGRAFF. They then returned to this region, living near the lake for a short time,and then locating in Jerusalem, on land purchased from the pioneer, JacobWAGENER. Here the parents lived anddied. Their children were Mary,Isaiah, Leah and Lydia.
ThomasHATHAWAY, for many years a leading and influential member of the Friend�ssociety, and one of the original purchasers of the town of Jerusalem, or No. 7, range two, was a native of Massachusetts and became a follower ofthe Friend in 1784. He brought tothe New Jerusalem four children: Thomas, Mary, Elizabeth and Gilbert. Thomas HATHAWAY sold a large share of his interest in the town to WilliamCARTER. He died in 1798, aged 68years.
ElnathanBOTSFORD was also one of the more influential of the Friend�s followers. His wife was Lucy STONE, by whom he had six children: Benajah, Sarah,Mary, Lucy, Ruth and Elnathan. ElnathanBOTSFORD, the pioneer, died in Jerusalem at the age of 88. Many descendants of this respected old family are still residents of thecounty.
In 1807John RACE and his wife left the eastern part of the State and located inJerusalem, a few miles up the lake from Penn Yan, on lot 50, now the Purdyplace. John RACE was knownthroughout the county as a famous hunter and fisherman; withal he was a goodfarmer. He had seven children:William, Jonathan, Joseph, Catharine, John H., Phebe and Andrew J.
SamuelDAVIS, son of Malachi DAVID, a pioneer Friend, settled in Jerusalem in 1804 onlot 42. He was the shingle-makerfor the locality, and laid the foundation of his success in that calling. His children were Rachel, Rebecca, Joseph, Jesse, Eliza, George W. andLydia Ann. The surname DAVIS, has anumber of representatives now in the town.
BenjaminDURHAM, the millwright, was among the pioneers of Jerusalem. He was married to Elizabeth DAINS, daughter of Castle DAINS,by Benedict ROBINSON. He boughtland of Mr. ROBINSON on lot 17, and made his home there in 1799. The children of Benjamin and Elizabeth DURHAM were Ann, Rebecca, George,John, James, Joanna, Abel, Albert and Elizabeth. After the death of his wife, Mr. DURHAM in 1818, married Mary BATES ofPotter, by whom these children were born: Lucy C., Myron H., Benjamin, Mary C.,and Charles M.
AchillesCOMSTOCK and his wife Rachel, the daughter of the senior Elnathan BOTSFORD, withtheir three children, Israel, Apphi and Martha, became residents of Jerusalem in1799, having previously lived at the settlement near Seneca Lake. The lands bought for them were on the north side of the Friend�sestate, and embraced 400 acres. Achilles was a Methodist, while his wife was one of theFriend�s society. He died in 1832and his wife in 1845.
HenryLARZELERE was the youngest child of Daniel and Elizabeth LARZELERE, and was bornin 1798 at Hopeton, in the Friend�s settlement. He became a resident of Jerusalem by being adopted into the family ofElijah BOTSFORD upon the death of his mother. He became a hotel or public house keeper in 1826, in the locality inwhich he lived for many years thereafter, and known as Larzelere�s Hollow. His wife was Rebecca DURHAM, whom bore him two children, Sarah A., whomarried Erastus COLE and William B., whose wife was Sarah A. SHEPPARD.
ElizabethKINNEY was a native of Connecticut. Shewas a widow at the time of her coming to New Jerusalem, but her devotion to theFriend caused her to follow here, bringing her children, who were Samuel, Isaac,Ephraim, Statira and Mary. Theylived for a time near Seneca Lake, but afterward moved to Jerusalem. Samuel, the eldest child, made the first clearing on the site of the PoorHouse farm.
SamuelHARTWELL married Elizabeth WILKINSON, sister of the Friend. Their settlement was made first in Benton, from whence theymoved to Canada, but were obliged to leave the province during the second war(1812) with Great Britain. Theycame to Jerusalem and lived for a time, and then left the country.
SamuelCLARK and wife first settled on lot 56, in what was township 7, first range, butwhich became part of Jerusalem. Histitle to the land failed, thus losing him his farm, after which the familylocated on lot 41. Mr. CLARKsettled in the town in 1799. Hischildren were: Emma, Abigail, Laura, Ezekiel, Aurilla and Sally. Descendants of this family still live in the town.
SanfordCOATS and Jerusha (MINER) COATS were natives of Connecticut and came with theirfive children to Jerusalem in 1817. Thisfamily name is still well represented in the town. The children of Sanford and Jerusha were Gilbert, Anner,Sidney, William S., Susan A., Lucretia, John L., Russell and Miner.
ErastusCOLE and family settled in Jerusalem at Sabintown, so called, in 1817. He died in 1860 and his wife five years afterward. Their children were Hiram, Wolcott, Elizabeth, Ardelia, Mary, Erasatusand Harris. Joseph COLE and hisfamily came to town at an early day, purchasing lands on the Benedict ROBINSONtract. The children of Joseph andHannah COLE were Allen, John, Laura, Lydia, Simeon, Maria, Peleg, Sarah, Thomasand Jane.
Thesurname PURDY stands not only for pioneership, but for high respectability inJerusalem. The pioneer of thefamily in the town was John PURDY, a native of this State, and his wife wasEsther BARTON. They had a largefamily of children before coming to this locality, but not all the children cameto Yates County. John PURDY, hisson, Francis, and daughter Mary, with their families, located in the southwestpart of the town, on the Green tract, at what was called Lightning Corners. The children of John PURDY, from whom have descended thePURDY family of the town today, were Abijah, Mary, Elizabeth, Isaac, Joshua,Ann, Francis, Hannah, Abigail and Mariam.John and Elizabeth MERRITT, formerly ofArmenia, Dutchess County, and their children came to Jerusalem in 1827. He died there in 1850, and his wife seven years later. Their children were Chauncey, Sarah A., Eliza, Emma J., Rensselaer, John,Alanson and La Faytette.
WilliamHenry STEWART, a Scotch sea captain of many years experience, and his wife,settled in this town in 1817 on lot 50. Thewife died in 1835. Their childrenwere Ann E., Sarah W., Hannah, Abbie, Bethuliah, Rachel and Charlotte. For his second wife, Captain MERRITT married Emma J. MERRITT, who borehim six children: John W., Eliza, William, George B., Belle, and Saunders C.
SamuelHARTSHORN, who was a native of Amherst, Mass., born in 1772, married SarahGENUNG, of Otsego County, NY, but a native of New Jersey. They came to Yates County in 1817, settling first in Barrington but fiveyears later, moving to Jerusalem on lot 68. Samuel, the pioneer died in 1854 and his wife in 1863. They had six children as follows: Hiley, Betsey, Abigail, William W.,Isaac W. and James H. Of one of this family of children, Isaac W. HARTSHORN, willbe found an extended mention in the biographical department of this work.
JonathanSISSON was the son of George SISSON, the latter a prominent Friend. Jonathan served in Captain REMER�s Benton company during a part of theWar of 1812-15. In 1827 he and hisfamily became residents of Jerusalem. Hiswife was Catharine VOSBINDER. Theirchildren were William, George, John, David, Harrison and Bethany.
RobertM. BOYD was a native of Pennsylvania, and a pioneer in the Genesee country,having come to Bath in 1799. He wasa blacksmith, and worked at his trade in various places, among them at Hopeton. Here, he married Rebecca WOODHULL in 1804. IN 1824 the family moved to Jerusalem, where, in 1839 Mr. BOYD died. The children of Robert and Rebecca were Alexander M., Tompkins W.,Margaret, Robert M., Martha R., Arabella R. and Mary E.
In 1816Thomas SUTTON and family settled in Jerusalem on lot 56. His wife was Letitia HAINES. Their children were Jane, Daniel, John, Thomas C., Lewis, William,Reuben, Albert, Hannah, Ann and Emeline.
ElijahTOWNSEND was a pioneer in Jerusalem, having made his settlement therein as earlyas 1793, and in the locality that has for many years been known as Kinney�sCorners. Mr. TOWNSEND was ablacksmith by trade, but found profitable employment in making cow bells forother settlers before line and division fences kept cattle in bounds. Elijah TOWNSEND had nine children, viz.: Uriah, Hezekiah, Mary, Henry,Isaac, Phebe, Martha, Sarah and Lydia.
AlexanderANDERSON was a pioneer on Bluff Point, where he settled in 1813, but later movedto Kinney�s Corners, originally called Fox�s Corners. He had a large family of children: Beecher, Rachel, Sara,Hison, John, Nancy, Augustine, Mary Ann, Dow F. and Susan; but he name is notnow a common one in the town.
JohnMOORE came to the town in 1815, married the daughter of John BEAL and settledabout four miles from Kinney�s Corners, on Bluff Point. Eight children were born to them, viz.: Mary Ann, Phebe A., Beal, Lydia,Obera, Jane E., Sabra B., and George D.
Thefamily of Benjamin WAITE settled on Bluff Point about 1816 and there both he andhis wife died. Their children werePolly, Ray, Alfred, Albert, William, Stephen, Eliza and Mercy.
DavidTHOMAS and family were also early on the Point, but afterward moved toShearman�s Hollow. The childrenof this family were Frank, Eliza, Emily, Mary Ann, Sarah, David and Loring.
IraSMITH was a prominent man in Jerusalem, and reared a somewhat prominent family;but he was not a pioneer, having come to the town in 1834. His children were Morgan, Rosalinda, Mary, Jane M. Eben S.,William H., Eleanor and Martha.
BenajahANDRUSS was the third settler on Bluff Point, coming there with his family in1813. His wife was Abigail NASH, bywhom he had ten children: James, Zabina C., Ora, Jason, Henry G. Rossen, Esther,Nancy, Emily and Almira.
John N.ROSE was a Virginian born in 1789. Hewas the son of Robert Selden and Jane (LAWSON) ROSE, and the second of theirseven children. MR. Rose purchased1,050 acres of the Beddoe Tract, all that part of it lying east of the westbranch of Lake Keuka, and here he made his home. His wife, whom he married in 1829, was Jane E. MACOMB, niece of GeneralMACOMB, the hero of Plattsburg. Mr.ROSE erected the stone mansion in 1838. HenryROSE was a younger brother of John N. ROSE, and his wife was Sarah L. MACOMB. They were married in 1832 and four years later took up their abode inJerusalem.
RobertS. ROSE was the son of Robert L. ROSE, brother to John N. and Henry. He purchased land in this town from his uncle, amounting to 362 acres ofthe homestead tract. He married Frances T. CAMMANN, of New York City, who bore himthese children: Oswald J., Cammann, Robert L., Edward N., Frederick D., GeorgeS., Catharine N. M. and John Henry.
SolomonD. WEAVER was a native of Saratoga County, born in 1797. He came to Penn Yan when a youth and engaged in a mill. Later he became proprietor of several industries. In 1832 he bought a part of the Beddoe Tract and moved to Branchportwhere he died. His wife wasElizabeth GAMBY, by whom he had five children: Myron H., Llewellyn J., SherrelS., George S. and Helen E. His wifedied in 1862, after which Solomon D. WEAVER married Mrs. Julia L. RIGHTER.
Dr.Wynans BUSH married Ann LOOMIS in 1824. In1832 they moved to Branchport form Ontario County. Their children were Elliot M., Henry M., Irene, Caroline, Ellen, HarlemP., Frances, Robert P. and Julia G.
PeterH. BITLEY was one of the most extensive timber and lumber manufacturers thatever came into Yates County. Hefirst operated in Jerusalem as early as 1833, then as an employee, and afterwardas proprietor. In 1839 he marriedMary J. LAIRD of Branchport. Theyhad one child, Mary E. BITLEY, also one by adoption, Ella Rozelle.
TheGreen Tract - On one of the earlierpages of the present chapter mention has been made of the fact that there wereconveyed off the west side of Jerusalem, extending from the Beddoe Tract northto the north line of town, three tiers of lots, which, with lot 56 ofGuernsey�s survey, were thereafter known as the Green Tract. This tract comprised over 4,000 acres, and was purchased by Henry andOren GREEN for the sum of $12,000. JohnClark and Henry GREEN, sons of Capt. Henry GREEN, one of the proprietors, andIra, son of Hezekiah GREEN, the latter a brother of Capt. Henry GREEN, allbecame settlers on the tract. ClarkGREEN settled on lot 25. IraGREEN kept a tavern on lot 11. JohnGREEN settled south of Ira.. BenjaminSTODDARD settled on lot 12 of the Green Tract; was a pioneer thereon in 1818. Joseph WRIGHT and his wife Lucy (WOODS) WRIGHT, settled on lot 27 of thetract in 1817. In 1818 David TURNER, wife and family, formerly of Benton,settled on lot 14. Their childrenwere Reuben, Maria, Hannah, Catharine, Susan M., Sarah Ann and David H.
In1826, Jonathan WELDEN, an early settler on the tract, sold his land on lot 24 toNathan G. BENEDICT, who with his family became settlers thereon. In 1832 Rowland CHAMPLIN Jr., located on lot 10 of the Green Tract. In 1817, John T. ALMY, from Benton, settled on lot 19. The family of Samuel P. CARVEY located on lot 18 in 1828. Nathan HARRIS was the original setter on lot 10, the date being 1819/ His wife was Nancy BENTON, by whom he had ten children: John B., Henry,Marcia, Otis, Sally, Nathan, Maria, James K. and Charlotte. William THRALL, a captain in the Revolution, was the first settler on lot7. Silas COOK located on lot 10;Zadoch BASS on lot 27; Benjamin and William LAFLER on lot 11; Joseph GAY on 8.
In thesame connection there may also be mentioned the names of other settlers on thesame tract, though data concerning some of them are meager and unreliable. The were Enoch REMINGTON, William SIMMONS, David CONLEY, Seth HANCHETT,John PURDY, William FOLSOM* **, Henry DENNIS, Ruel ROGERS, Horton ROUNDS, DavidPAGE, Lewis CARVEY, Jacob CODDINGTON, Benjamin WASHBURN, Jacob YOUNGS, EdmundROBINSON, Samuel WELDON, Platt KINNEY, John BLAKEMAN, Peter SIMMONS, WilliamPAUL, Thomas B. SMITH, each of whom was a pioneer of more or less prominence,and each of whom was in some manner identified with the early history of thetown, its growth, development and prosperity.
One ofthe early settlers in the town was Ebenzer SHATTUCK, who located on lot 56, ofthe Guernsey survey in 1816. Hischildren were Ebenezer, Sewall, Lucy, Mahala, Hepzibah, Aaron W., George W.,Rebecca and Clarissa.
TheBeddoe Tract - As has been narratedin a preceding portion of the current chapter, the district territory inJerusalem commonly known as the Beddoe Tract, was so named after its owner andproprietor, Capt. John BEDDOE. Thetract was purchased by him from John JOHNSON, and Englishman, and was acquiredby the latter from James WADSWORHT, the grantee of Oliver PHELPS. Seven thousand acres on the lake were taken off, and the remainder wassurveyed into 160 acre lots and numbered consecutively form one to thirty-two.
JohnBEDDOE was a Welshman by birth, and came directly to Jerusalem form the oldcountry in 1798. He left his familyin Geneva and came to the tract with help sufficient to make rapid andsubstantial progress in clearing and improving the land and providing a place ofabode for himself and his family. Thewife of Capt. BEDDOE was Catharine JAMES, by whom he had three children: JohnS., Charlotte H. and Lynham J. Capt.BEDDOE died in 1835, his wife in 1815.
AlbertR. COWING is said to have been the first permanent settler on the Beddoe 5,000acre tract, the date of his location being given as 1825. William RUNNER moved in during the same year and settled onthe south side. John RUNNER, thefather of William, came in 1826. EzraLOOMIS moved on the tract in 1826. JohnCOLEMAN came in from Benton the same year. Henry NUTT also came in 1826m settling on lot 30. Benjamin RIBERS, from Seneca and Morris ROSS also settled on the tract in1826. Meli TODD, from Starkey, whomarried the daughter of pioneer William OVENSHIRE, of Barrington, located on thetract in 1830. Rochester HURD movedfrom Starkey to Jerusalem in 1826 and settled on Beddoe Tract. James ROYCE, from the same town, came one year later. Rufus HERDERSON, also from Starkey, came in 1827. Dexter LAMB came from Wayne in 1826. John CORWIN, a pioneer of Starkey, left that town and settled on thetract in 1826, on lot 27.
PeterD. STEVER, the ancestor of a numerous family in the town, was one of theprominent, though possibly not early pioneers of the Beddoe Tract, hissettlement dated in 1830. Sevenyears later he married Ann BAKER. Theirchildren were Hannah, Ruth, Franklin, Hester, Oscar, David, Cecelia, David,Annette, and Rupert. James STEVER,brother to Peter, came in the town in 1832. His wife was Desire GOODSELL, by whom these children were born: Leonard,Peter, Elizabeth, George, Joseph and Jennie.
JamesTAYLOR and family came to the tract in 1829, and ultimately became owners of theBeddoe homestead. Among hischildren were Mary, John, William D., James L., Thomas, Charles, Susanna andEleanor E.
Amongthe other early families in the town who may be mentioned without reference toparticular location, was that of Judah CHASE, who came to Bluff Point in 1820. Later he moved to the west part of town and there died. His children were John, William, Judah, Ira, Christopher C., Elias, Levi,Hannah and Jane.
AmosPERRY was an early comer to the town. Hemarried here, in 1823 Abigail CLARK, by whom he had six children: Samuel, Alma,Samantha, Mary J., Ezekiel C. and Elizabeth. Wallace, Daniel and Thomas BENEDICT came to Jerusalem in 1816 and settledon lot 56.
Otherthan have been mentioned early settlers on Bluff Point were Anthony ROUSE, 1813;Timothy ROUSE, 1815; Elnathan FINCH, 1812; the DYKEMANS, father and son; HowlandHEMPHILL, Jared and Nathan HERRICK and George HECK.
Sabintownwas the name given a settlement made on lot 58, during or about the year 1798. The residents here were Asa and Burtch SABIN, and their nephew, HiramSABIN, and their families, and from them the locality derived its name. The pioneers of the families died many years ago, and their descendantsscattered and settled in other communities, with result in the loss of the nameof the town. Among the other earlysettlers in the vicinity of Sabintown were Gideon BURTCH, Braman BURTCH andHezekiah DAYTON. ZepheniaBRIGGS was the pioneer settler on lot 69, lying next west of 58, and very nearthe settlement called Sabintown.
*"William FOLSOM" should read William FOLSTON (Foulstone), of Askham,Westmorland, England, immigrating to America about 1807, married Jerusha Green,daughter of Capt. Henry Green and Submit Clark. (from Margaret Folston)
** Jerusha GREEN -Shewas born February 12, 1793 in Windsor, Brookshire, Mass and died June 8, 1828 in
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