Supplement ΤΟ VOLUME IV. OF THE UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY DESCRIPTION OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY-ITS RAPIDLY PROGRESSIVE POPULATION AND IMPROVEMENTS. IN Within the year 1790, the Legislature of the State of New-York formed into a county by the name of Ontario, all that part of the State lying weft of a meredian line drawn from the 82d mile-ftone on the Pennfylvania line to lake Ontario. this is included the tract known by the name of the Genefee country, bounded on the north by Lake Ontario, on the weft by Niagara river and Lake Erie, on the South by the State of Pennsylvania, and on the caft by the counties of Tioga and Onondaga. One year previous to the formation of this country, Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, Efqs. of New-England, purchased from the State and from the Seneca Indians, their right to that part of the country which lies between the meridian line above mentioned and the Genesee river, excluding on the north part of the country twelve miles weft of the river, as will appear by the plan, forming a tract of country fortyfive miles from eaft to weft, and eighty-four from north to fouth, containing about 2,200,000 acres of land; within these limits are contained the country now fettleing, remarkable for its fertile foil and moderate climate. The more northern part of the country of Ontario, is watered by the Genefee river, its tributary ftreams, Rundigut Creek, Flint Creek, Mud Creek, Salmon Creek and many other inferior streams, and by a number of lakes, fome of which are from twenty to forty miles in length, whofe outlets afford excellent navigations to Albany and Lake Ontario, and valuable millfeats. The fouth part of the country is watered by different branches of the Susquehannah, viz. the Conhofton, Canifteo, Tuscarora and Cananifque, all of which are navigable from the middle of March to the first of July; the Sufquehannah empties into the Chesapeak Bay near Baltimore, to which place, in high water, rafts of lumber and large boats containing from two to five hundred barrels may be carried. For a country apparently fo far diftant from the coaft, and until lately fo little known, the fituation is fingularly happy. The distance from Albany to New-York, Philadelphia or Baltimore, does not exceed in a direct course, one hundred and eighty miles, and by the road now in ufe, not much above two hundred miles; to the Federal City not above two hundred and fixty-five miles; the improvements in the intermediate countries will not only facilitate the travelling, but by opening new roads leffen the distance; at prefent, if well mounted, you can ride from either of those cities except ing the Federal City, in five days to the counties of Stuben and Ontario. The fettlement of the country was began by Mr. Phelps in the year 1788, but feparated as it was at that time at fuch a diftance from all other fettlements, on the fouth hemmed in by the Allegany Mountains, on the eaft by a wilderness of one hundred miles, on the north by Lake Ontario, and on the weft by a wildernes extending to the South Sea, at the fame time having no communication with fettlements on the eastern coaft, but by an Indian path from the outlet of the Seneca Lake to Fort Schuyler, it is not to be wondered at if it made but little progrefs in population and improvements for feveral years. We find by the cenfus taken two years afterwards, that there were only nise hundred and fixty fouls, including all travellers and furveyors, with their attendants, who happened at that time to be within the bounds of the county. It is however now fuppofed that the population of the two counties amount to above 20,000 fouls. That you may ferm fome idea what has been the progrefs of improvements in this country fince that period, I fhall give you an account of the journey of a gentleman into the Genefee country in February, 1792, in his own words: "On the fifteenth of February, 1792, I left Albany on my route to the Gene fee river, but the country was thought fo remote, and fo very little known, that I could not prevail on the owner of the flage to engage farther than Whiteftown, a new fettlement on the head of the Mohawk, one hundred miles from Albany. The road as far as Whiteftown had been made paffable for waggons, but from that to the Genelec river, was little better than an Indian path, fufficiently opened to allow a fled to pafs, and fome impafiable fireams bridged. At Whiteftown I was obliged to change my carriage. On leaving Whiteftown we found only a few ftraggling huts, from ten to twenty miles from each other, affording nothing but the conveniency of fire, and a kind of thelter from the fnow. On the evening of the third day's jounrey from Whiteftown we were very agreeably surprised to find ourfelves on the wall fide of the Seneca Lake, which we found perfectly open, free of ice and in the month of June; and what added to our furprife and admiration, was to fee a boat and canoe plying on the lake. After having paffed from NewYork over three hundred and fixty miles of country completely frozen, the village of Geneva, though then only confitting of a few log-houses, after the dreary wildernefs we had paffed through, adding not a little to the beauty of the profpet; we foided the outlet of the lake, and arrived fafe at Geneva. "The fituation of this infant fettlement on the banks of a fheet of water, fortyfour miles long, from four to fix wide, daily navigated by fmall craft and canoes, was a fight as gratifying as unexpected. It appeared that the inhabitants of this delightful country, would by the flight covering of fnow on the ground have all the advantages of a northern winter; and by the waters of the dake being free from ice, have all the advantages of this inland navigation, a combination of advantages perhaps not to be experienced in any other country in the world.* "From Geneva to Canandraqua the road is only the Indian path a little improved; the county town, fixteen miles, was the greatest part of the distance through timbered land; on this road there were only two families fettled. Canandraqua the county town,confifted of two small frame-houses and a few huts, surrounded with thick woods; a few inhabitants received me with much hofpitality, and I found abundance of excellent venifon. From Canandraqua to the Gerefee river, twenty-fax miles, it is almoft totally uninhabited, only four families refiding on the road; the country beautiful and very open, in many places the openings are free of all timber, appearing to contain at least two or three hundred acres beautifully variegated with hill and dale; it seemed that by only inclofing any of them with a proportionable quantity of timbered land, an incloure might be made not inferior to the parks in England. At the Geneva river I found a fmall Indian flore and tavern; the * Seven-year's experience prove this to be literally true. 3 river was then fo low as, to be fordable. Upon the whole, at this time there were not any fettlements of any confequence in the whole of the Genefee country; that At this period the number of Indians eftablifhed by the Friends on the weft fide of the Seneca Lake, was the most confiderable, confifting of about forty families. in the adjoining country was fo great, when compared with the few white inhabitants who ventured to winter in the conntry, that I found them under ferious, apprehenfions for their fafety. Even in this state of nature the country of Ontario thews every fign of future refpectability; no man has put the plough in the ground. without being amply repaid, and through the mildaefs of the winter, the cattle brought into the country the year before on very fiender provifion for their subsistence, were thriving well." Such it appears was the fituation of the county of Ontario in the year 1792. Mellis. Phelps and Gorham having fold to Robert Morris, Efq. of Philadelphia, nearly two-thirds of their lands, Mr. Morris refold them in England, and the purchafer from Mr. Morris having arrived in America, began in the fummer of 1792, to put in execution the plan he had formed for the improvement of the country. His first object was to trace out the poffibility of opening a communication across the Alleghany monntains; difcouraged by every perfon he enquired of for information relative to the route, he determined to explore the country hinfelf, and on the 3d of June, 1792, on the weft branch of the Sufquehannah, entered the wilder nefs, taking a northerly courfe. After a laborious exertion of ten days, he came to the Cawanefque creek, where he perceived that he was in the county of Ontario. The route, though very mountainous, was not impracticable for a waggon road: proceeding then towards the N. N. W. after fix more days travelling, the party pitched their tents on an Indian clearing, at the junction of the Canafcrago and Genefee rivers, near the fpot where Williamsburg now lands. This route in the direction they now come, fhortening the distance from Pennfylvania at least 100 miles. It was refolved without delay to open the road. As early as the month of Auguft, 1793, the road was completed to Williamsburg, a distance of 170 miles from the Sufquehanna. It is from this period that we can trace the beginning of that fingularly rapid progrefs in population and improvements, which has fo eminently diftinguished the Genefee country. The opening of a road to the northward from the Pennfylvania fettlements over the chain of mountains before reckoned impaflable, excited the curiofity of the inhabitants in the adjacent country; many were tempted to explore the Genefee lands, that previous to this had fcarce ever given them a thought; men of obfervation were pleafed with the country, others returned dif gusted with the extreme inconvenience of travelling through a country, almost deftitute of inhabitants, for the distance of 170 miles, and when they arrived at: Williamsburg, the only fettlement in that part, found the few inhabitants who compofed it, depending on the Indians for fubfiftence... In the fpring of the year 1793, the great fcarcity of provifions that was felt fo. feverely at the end of the preceding feafon, was confiderably increafed by the number of families that emigrated at that time into the county of Ontario. To. keep the fettlements together, an additional stock of provifions, confifting of flour and pork, was procured from Philadelphia and Northumberland in Pennfylvania feveral fettlements were begun in the fouth part of this county, but the principle fettlement was commenced on the Cohocton creek, on the road from Pennfylvania to Williamsburg. In this place, then the centre of a wildernefs, the town of Bath was laid out, and before the end of the feafon, fifteen families were refident in the village. A faw-mill had been finifhed, and previous to the fetting in of the winter, a grift-mill with a faw-mill on the fame dam, near the town. In the year 1794, ready money markets were found for the produce, and many new fettlements were begun, the principal, were thofe of Sodus, Honcoy Lake, Braddock's Bay, Canaferaga, Tufcarora, and Pleafant Valley. At the fame time the population in the old fettlements were encreafing with rapidity, mills were building and roads making to every fettlement; the whole country feemed one fcene of exertion 1795 The number of inhabitants increased with aftonishing rapidity; every fituation which nature had pointed out, was the scene of action and industry. This year feveral fettlements were begun on the Indian line, another on the outlet of Mud Lake, one of the branches of the Conhocton; towards the end of fummer a fet of merchant mills were in confiderable forwardness, and lots laid out for a village called Eredericktown, after the name of the founder, Frederick Bartles; before winter the faw-mill had got into complete operation, and several excellent mechanics were fettled in the town. The number and respectability of inhabitants now fettled in every part of the country, induced the legislature of the ftate, to agree to a divifion of the county of Ontario; the north half retained the name Ontario, and that part ftruck off was called Steuben, after the baron of that name: the town of Bath, only two years before the centre of a wilderness, was fixed on as the feat of juftice. Roads were this year cut in many directions to connect the principal establishments, and many grift and faw mills were building on the ftreams adjoining the fettlements. As early as the year 1796, the various fettlements had begun to affume an appearance of refpectability never before instanced in fo new a country. On an enumeration being taken of the inhabitants in the town of Bath, and the diftria 8 miles around, by the affeffors, there were found above 800 fouls, two schools, one grift mill, and five faw-milis. Nearly all the fettlements had increased in a fimilar proportion, the number of emigrants were supposed each year, not to be less than 3000 fouls; they were either engrafted on the old fettlements, or formed district eflablifhments of their own. Of those begun in 1796, there were two worthy of notice; that of the Rev. Mr. Gray, in township No. 4, feventh range, who moved from Pennsylvania, with a refpectable part of his former parish, and a Mr. Daniel Faulkner, with a Jerfey fettlement, on the head of the Carafcraga creek. Much pains having been taken to induce the different fettlements to erect mills at an early period of their settlement, in no new country were the fettlers fo well accommodated with mills, the confequence was evident both in the appearance of their houfes and farms; a greater number of framed houfes and barus were to be found in these fettlements, than in many that were of a longer standing. This year a printing-office was cftablished in the town of Bath, and a newspaper printed, entitled the Bath Gazette. In this state of progreffive improvement, the County of Ontario was not behind that of Steuben, having the advantage of many Indian clearings of great extent, it had already the comfortable appearance of an old fettled country: and the fruit was in fuch abundance, that one farmer near Geneva made one hundred barrels of cider. The town of Canadraqua, from confifting of a few ftraggling huts, as defcribed in 1792, had now affumed the appearance of a very handfome village, a court-house and goal were already built, and an academy founded on a fubfcription of 30,000 dollars was building. The whole adjacent country was rapidly fettling with a moft refpectable yeomanry, but particularly that part of the country lying between Canadraqua and the Gene fee river; here there is a tract of country about fix miles from north to fouth, and 27 from caft to weft, that for rich and elegant farms, a thick population and respectable inhabitants, may already vie with any part of the United States. A handsome street was laid out in the town of Geneva, along the weft bank of the lake, on the fummit of a rifing ground; and the year following a beautiful country feat at the fouth termination of the street, as alfo a large and convenient tavern and hotel, with feveral other complete buildings were finished. In 1797. in the space of a few weeks, 150 families moved into it. About this time, a floop of forty tons burthen was put on the ftocks, intended, when finifhed, to run as a packet from Geneva to Catherineftown, a fmall village at the head of the lake, 44 miles diftant from Geneva. Towards the clofe of the feafon the floop was launched; this, however trifling in itself, was of fufficient importance to affemble feveral thousand people, and no circumftance having before occurred to draw together the different fettlers, they were not a little furprifed to find themfelves in a country containing fo many inhabitants. A printing office was established this feafon at Geneva; the printer had eight hundred fubfcribers to his paper; the number has finee increafed to a thousand. |