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The N. Y. Central R. R. extends in a s. w. direction through Bergen, Byron, Stafford, Batavia,
Pembroke, and the n. w. corner of Darien. A branch of this road extends s. from Batavia through
Alexander to Attica. The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Branch extends w. through Le Roy,
Stafford, Batavia, and Pembroke, crossing the main line at Batavia. The Buffalo, New York
& E.* R. R. extends through Le Roy, Stafford, Batavia, and Alexander.2 Several plank roads have
been built in the co.; but most of them have been abandoned. An important canal feeder extends
from Tonawanda Creek through the n. w. corner of Alabama. There are 5 newspapers published
in the co.3
This co. embraced within its original limits all that portion of the State included in the purchase
of Robert Morris. Phelps and Gorham, the original purchasers of the whole of Western N. Y.,
failed to-meet the obligations to the State of Mass., and a large share of their tract reverted, and
was purchased by Samuel Ogden for Robert Morris, May 12, 1791.* Morris sold the w. portion
of the tract, constituting about seven-eighths of the whole, to the Holland Land Company, July 20,
1793,3 reserving to himself a strip of an average width of 12 mi., lying between the Phelps and
Gorham and the Holland Purchases, and known as the Morris Reserve.® The Holland Land Com¬
pany, an association of capitalists in Holland, made this purchase through agents who were citizens
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Goodrich, Seth M. Gates, Martin O. Coe, and Cyrus
Thompson, until 1840, when it passed into the hands
of C. B. Thompson, its pit-sent publisher.
The Genesee Republican and Heravd of Reform, was commenced
at Le Boy in 1829, and was published for 1 or 2 years
by Freeman k Son,—Orestes A. Brownson, editor.
The Genesee Courier was commenced at Le Boy in the spring of
1844, by Edw. Bliss, and was published about a year.
Mr. B. resuscitated it in 1853, and published it a short
time.
The Genesee Herald was commenced at Le Boy in 1854.
by Wm. C. Grummond. In Jan. 1857, it was removed
to Batavia, where it is now published by A. J. McWain.
The Genesee-Dally Herald was issued from the same
office in 1858, and is still published.
The Le Roy Democrat was commenced in Dec. 1852, by- Henry
Todd. In Nov. 1853, it was removed to Batavia anil
its name changed to
The Batavia Democrat. In Dec. 1856, it passed into the hands
of John Bergen, by whom it was changed to
The Genesee Weekly Democrat, stjll published.
The Genesee Co. Whig was commenced at Batavia in 1852, by
Kimberly k Tyrell, and was published by them until
1854, when it was merged in the Bepublican Advocate.
The Le Roy Advertiser was commenced April 1, 1857, by Thos.
B. Tufts. It was discontinued in July, 1858.
4 The e. line of the Morris Purchase commenced upon tho
Penn, line, 44 78-100 mi. w. of the pre-emption line, and ran due
n. to an elm tree at the forks of the Genesee Biver and Cana-
screga Creek, thence northerly along that river to a point 2 mi.
n. of the Cannawagus Tillage, thence due w. 12 mi., thence n. 24°
E. to Lake Ontario.
6 The line forming the division between the Holland Purchase
and the Morris Beserve commenced upon the Penn, line, 12 mi.
w. of the w. line of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, and from
thence ran due.N. to near the center of Stafford, Genesee co.,
thence due w. 2.07875 mi., and thence due it. to Lake Ontario.
This line is known as the Transit Line, from its being run by a
transit instrument, then first used in surveys. The offset was
made in this line to prevent the Holland lands from overlapping
the Conn. Tract. The names of the members of the Holland
company were Wilhelm Willink, Jan Willink, Nicholas Tan
Stophorst, Jacob Tan Stophorst, Nicholas Hubbard, Pieter Tan
Eeghen, Christian Tan Eeghen, Isaac Ten Cate, Hendrick Tol-
lenhoven, Christina Coster, (widow,) Jan Stadnitski, and Butger
J. Schimmelpennick.
t This Beserve was sold out in several large tracts to different
purchasers. A tract containing 87,000 gcres, lying immediately
w. of Phelps and Gorham’s “ Mill Yard," was sold to Le Boy,
Bayard and McEvers, and is known as the Triangular Tract.
The Connecticut Tract lies immediately w. of the Triangle, and
contains 100,000 acres. It was purchased by the State of Conn.
and Sir Wm. Pultney and was divided between them. Tho
Cragie Tract, containing 50,000 acres, joins the Conn. Tract on
the s., and immediately E. is the 40,000 Acre Tract. South of
these are successively the Ogden Tract, of 50,000 acres, the Cot-
tinger Tract, of 50,000 acres, the Sterritt Tract, of 150,000 acres,
and the Church Tract, of 100,000 acres. A small tract joining
the 40,000 Acre Tract on the S. is known as Morris's Honorary
Creditors’ Tract. |
1
The poorhouse is a brick edifice, with a stone wing for the
accommodation of the insane.
2
A few years since, a route for a R. R. was surveyed from
Batavia to the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, on Lake Ontario.
3
The Spirit of the Times and The People's Press.
The Morgan Investigator was published at the office of the
Bepublican Advocate during the Morgan excitement
in 1827, and continued about a year.
The Masonic Intelligencer, instigated by the same excitement,
was published for about the same period from the office
of the People’s Press.
The Farmers and Mechanics Journal was commenced at Alex¬
ander, Nov. 4, 1837, by Peter Lawrence. In June, 1840,
it was moved to Batavia and issued as
The Batavia Times and Farmers and Mechanics Journal, by
Frederick Follett and Peter Lawrence. Soon after, Fred.
Follett became the sole proprietor, and published it
until Sept. 1843, when it was sold to Lucas Seaver and
was merged in the Spirit of the Times.
The Temperance Herald, mo., was issued from the office of the
Spirit of the Times, by Lucas Seaver, for one year from
March, 1842.
The Le Roy Gazette was commenced in 1826, by J. O.
Balch. It was successively issued by Starr k Hotchkin,
Henry D. Ward, Bichard Hollister, Bufus Bobertson, F.
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