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Ir1
462 ONEIDA COUNTY.
sawmills, 1 gristmill, a furnace, tannery, several small manufactories, and 40 houses. Bloss*
Yale is a p. o. in the s. part. The first settlement was commenced in 1793,1 by John W. Bloom¬
field, from N. J. The census reports 4 churches in town.2
AUGUSTA3—was formed from "Whitestown, March 15, 1798. A part of Yernon was taken
off in 1802, and a part of Stockbridge (Madison co.) in 1836. It lies on the w. border of the co.,
s. of the center. Its surface is a rolling upland. Two-ranges of hills extend n. and s. through the
town on opposite sides of Skanandoa Creek, affording limestone of excellent quality for lime and
building purposes. Oriskany Creek flows through the extreme s. e. corner, and Skanandoa Creek
flows n. through near the center. The soil is a fertile, clayey and sandy loam. Augusta.,
(p.v.) near the center, contains 2 churches and 100 inhabitants. Knox Corners, (p.v.,)
n. w. of the center, contains a church and 200 inhabitants. Oriskany Falls, (p.v.,) in the
s. e. corner, contains a church, a saw and grist mill, machine shop, distillery, and 711 inhabitants.
The first settlement was made by —:— Gunn, in 1793.4 The first religious services were held at
the house of Fairbanks, in 1794.5
AVA6—was formed from Boonville, May 12, 1846. It is the central town on the n. border of
the co. Its surface is a moderately uneven upland, 700 to 1,000 ft. above the Rome level. It is
drained by Fish Creek, the e. and w. branches of the Mohawk, Point Rock, and Blue Brooks.
Several small sulphur springs have been found in town. The soil is a gravelly loam. Ava
Corners, (Ava p. o.,) w. of the center, contains 20 houses. The first settlement was commenced
by Ebenezer Harper, in 1798.7 A Friends meeting house is the only place of worship in town.
BOOAVIEEE8—was formed from Leyden, (Lewis co.,) March 28, 1805. Ava was taken
off in 1846. It lies on the n. border of the co., e. of the center. Its surface is a hilly, broken up¬
land, 690 to 715 ft. above the canal at Rome. Black River flows through the n. e. part, and
Lansing Kil rises near the center and flows s. to the Mohawk. Its soil is clayey loam, in many
places thickly covered with boulders and often inclining to sand. Near the village are immense
deposits of drift. Its e. border extends into, the great forest, and presents the meager, sandy soil
and naked rocks peculiar to that region. There is a gas spring 1J mi. w. of the village, and a
sulphur spring 1|-mi. s. The latter has acquired some local celebrity. Boonville, (p.v.,)
in the n. w. part, was incorp. in 1855. It contains 4 churches, a printing offi.ce, several manu¬
factories, and 1,240 inhabitants. It is the present n. terminus of the Black River & Utica R. R.
It is on the summit level of the Black River Canal, and has a large trade with the country sr., w.,
and e. Alder Creek, (p.v.,) in the s. e. part, contains a church and 20 houses. Forest
Port, (p. v.,) near the s. e. corner, on the line of Remsen, contains 20 houses. Ha,wkinsville,
(p.v.,) sr. e. of the center, contains a saw and grist mill, chair factory, carding mill, and 339 in¬
habitants. Hurlbutvllle is a p. o. The first settlement commenced in 1795.9 The first
church was formed in 1805.10
BRIDGEWATER 11—was formed from Sangerfield, March 24, 1797. It is the s. e. corner
town of the co. Its surface is uneven. The valley of the w. branch of the Unadilla and its tribu¬
taries, locally known as “ Bridgewater Flats,” in the sr., is about a mi. wide, but decreases to about
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Glass and Iron Manufacturing Co. began operations here in
1809. In 1811 a blast furnace was erected. Formerly hollow
ware was extensively made; but at present pig iron is the chief
product.
1 The first settlement was made at Taberg. Among the early
settlers were Elias Brewster, Adam P. Campbell, Nicholas Arm¬
strong, and Squire Fairservice.
2 Presb., M. E., Bap., and R. C.
2 This town is included in the s. part of the tract leased from
the Oneidas in 1794 to Peter Smith. The lease is said to have
been for 999 years. The tract was divided into 4 allotments, the
first of which lies wholly within this town. The lease was
assumed by the State in 1795-97, and patents were granted to
settlers, Smith retaining 6 lots in the town as part payment for
his lease. The first settlers took their lands as tenants under
Smith. Part of the Oneida Reservation, purchased in 1795
and sold at auction in 1797, is included in the N. part of the
town.
4 Among the early settlers were Benjamin Warren. David
Morton, John Alden, Ichabod Stafford, Joseph and Abraham
Forbes, Isaac and Benjamin Allen, Amos Parker, Thos. Cassaty,
Ozias and Lemuel Hart. James Reynolds, Abel Prior, Thomas
Spafford, Ezen Saxton, Abiel Lindsey, and Francis O’Toole. The
first birth was that of Peter Smith Gunn; the first marriage,
that of Daniel Hart and Catharine Putnam; and the first death,
that of Eleazer Putnam, in 1795. T. Cassaty built the first
sawmill, in r"95, at Oriskany Falls. A gristmill was built the
next year. |
“ The census reports 5 churches in town; 2 Cong., M. E., Bap.,
and Union. 6 Named from a city in Burmah.
I Zephaniah and Abner Wood settled in town about 1800.
Messrs. Barnard, Fanning, Adams, Mitchell, Beck, and Tiffany
were early settlers. Salmon Bates kept the first inn, in 1800.
Benj. Jones built the first sawmill, in 1801,—at which time there
were only 9 other inhabitants in town. The road cut through
from Fort Stanwix to the French settlement on Black River,
toward the close of the last century, led through this town; and
traces of it may still he seen. Several tributaries of Black Rivei
take their rise in swamps in the n. e. part of the town.
8 Named from Gerrit Boon, agent of the Holland Land Co,
who made the first settlement. In early times it was called
“ Boon’s Upper Settlement.”
9 Andrew Edmunds came on in 1795 as an agent of the IIol
land Land Co., with several men, built a sawmill, and com¬
menced a gristmill, which was finished the next year. Luke
Eisher and son, Phineas, Martin, and Silas Southwell, Asahel
and Ezekiel Porter, Aaron Willard, Jacob Springer, Jephtha
King, and Ilezekiah Jones came in 1796. Lemuel Hough and
Daniel Pitcher were early settlers. The first birth was that of
a daughter of Jacob Springer; and the first marriage, that of
Henry Evans and Elizabeth Edmunds. The first store and inn
were opened by the agents of tho company.
i° Rev. Daniel Smith was the first minister. There are now 5
churches in town; Presb., M. E., Bap., Union, and R. C.
II The “ Line of Property,” run in accordance with a treaty of
1718, passed through this town.—Jones’s Annals, p. 123. |
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