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496 ONTARIO COUNTY.
Rev. John Smith. The first church (St. Matthew’s, Epis., now St.John’s) was organized Feb. 4,
1799; the Cong, church was formed Feb. 25, 1799. The census reports 10 churches in town.1
EAST BLOOMFIELD—was formed Jan. 27, 1789, as “Bloomfield.” Mendon and Victor
were taken off in 1812; its name was changed and West Bloomfield was taken off in 1833. It is
an interior town, lying n.w. of the center of the co. Its surface is rolling, with a gentle inclina¬
tion toward the n. The ridges are 50 to 600 feet above the valleys. The principal streams
are the Mud, Fish, and Hog Hollow Creeks. The soil is a deep, fertile, gravelly loam, in places
mixed with clay. Griffiths Mills in the E. and Brag Village in the s. e. part are hamlets,
fiast Bloomfield, (p. v.,) f of a mi. from East Bloomfield Station, on the N. Y. Central R. R.,
contains 3 churches, an academy,2 manufactories of agricultural implements and carriages. Pop. 590.
This township having been purchased of Phelps and Gorham by a company from Berkshire co.,
Mass., its settlement was commenced in the spring of 1789.3 There are 4 churches in town;4 the
first (Cong.) was formed Sept. 8, and organized Nov. 15, 1795, by Rev. Zadock Hunn. The first
church edifice in all Western N. Y. was erected in this town in 1801.
FARMEVGTON5—was formed Jan. 27,1789. Manchester was taken off in 1821. It lies On
the N. border of the co., w. of the center. Its surface is nearly level in the s., but in the n. it is
broken by drift ridges which rise to a height of 50 to 100 feet above the general surface. The declivi¬
ties of these ridges toward the n., e., and w. are generally steep, but toward the s. they become
gradual slopes. The streams are Mud and Beaver Creeks and Black Brook. A strip of land
across the s. part, embracing about 3 tiers of lots, has a clay soil. North of this is a marshy
region; and farther n. the soil is a gravelly loam and very productive, with good proportions of
arable, meadow, and grazing lands throughout the town. New Salem, (Farmington p. o.,) a
village in the n. part, contains 206 inhabitants. Brownville (Nortons Mills p. o.) is a hamlet.
East Farmington and West Farmington are p. offices. The settlement was com¬
menced in 1789, by Friends from Berkshire, Mass., among whom were Nathan Comstock, his sons
Otis and Darius, and Robert Hathaway.6 The first house of worship was erected by the Friends,
in 1804. There are now 2 churches in town; Friends and Wes. Meth.
GORHAM7—was formed Jan. 27,1789, as “Easton.” Its name was changed to “Lincoln,”
April 17, 1806, and to Gorham, April 6,1807. Hopewell was taken off in 1822. Apart of Canan¬
daigua was annexed in 1824. It lies upon the e. shore of Canandaigua Lake, s.e. of the center of
the co. Its surface is rolling, the ridges rising in gradual slopes to a height of 25 to 200 feet above
the valleys. Flint Creek is the principal stream. The soil in the e. part is principally a gravelly
loam, and in the w. it consists of clay, and is generally fertile and productive. Gorfaam,8 (p.v.,)
3 mi. from the Gorham Station, on the C. & E. R. R., contains 3 churches and 310 inhabitants.
Reeds Corners (p. v.) contains 3 churches and about 20 houses. The first settlement was
made at Reeds Corners, in 1789, by James Wood.9 There are now 6 churches in town.10
HOPEWELL—was formed from Gorham, March 29, 1822. It is an interior town, lying e.
of the center of the co. The surface is level or gently undulating, with a northerly inclination.
Canandaigua Outlet, Fall Creek, and Fall Brook are its principal streams. The soil is a sandy
and gravelly loam in the w., and the same mixed with clay in the center and e. It is very fertile
and highly cultivated. Cliapinville, (p.v.,) a station on the N. Y. C. R. R., contains a
church and about 30 dwellings; Hopewell Center (p. v.) contains 1 church and 16 dwellings.
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by Major Wallis, in 1792. There were in that year 30 families
in town. The Legislature granted, March 31,1804, to Levi Ste¬
phens and Jason Parker the sole right of running stages from
Utica to this place for a term of 7 years. The trip was to be
performed twice a week, from June to October, within 48 hours,
and at the rate of 4 cts. a mi. if with 6 or more passengers. A
similar monopoly was granted, April 6,1807, for 7 years, to John
Metcalf, between this place and Buffalo.
1 The census reports 2 Bap., 2 Prot. E., 2 M. E., Cong., Eree
Will Bap., Christian, and R. C.
2 Incorp. April 9,1838. The average number of students is 100.
3 Deacon John Adams and his sons, John, William, Abner,
Jonathan, and Joseph, his sons-in-law, Ephraim Bue and Loren
Hull, and Elijah Bose, Moses Gunn, Lot Bue, John Barnes,
Roger Sprague, and Asa Hickox moved in with their families
in 1789. The first death was that of Lot Rue, in 1793; the first
marriage—and the first upon the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
—was that of Benj. Goss and a daughter of George Codding.
The first sawmill was erected on Mud Creek, in 1790, by Gen.
Fellows; and the first store was opened in 1806, by Norton &
Beach. Laura Adams taught the first school, in 1794. |
4 Cong., M. E., Prot. E., and R. C.
2 Named from Farmington, Conn. It was formed by the Court
of General Sessions.
6 Early in 1790, Nathan Aldrich, Isaac Hathaway, Nathan
Herendun, Welcome Herendeen, John McCumber, and Joshua
Herington, from the same place, joined the infant settlement,
and were followed by 18 others the same year. Jacob and Jo¬
seph Smith built a gristmill in 1793, and the first sawmill, in
1795. The first birth was that of Welcome Herendeen, in 1790;
the first marriage, that of Otis Comstock and Huldah Freeman,
in 1792; and the first death, that of Elijah Smith, in 1793.
1 Named in honor of Nathaniel Gorham.
8 Formerly called “Bethel.”
9 Parley Gates, from Mass., settled on Lot 49 in 1796; and soon
after, Oliver Howard and Henry Greene, from Oneida co., N. Y.,
and Samuel and Silas Reed, Elijah Hurd, and others, came in.
The first tavern was kept by William Sherwood, at Reeds Cor¬
ners, in 1800; the first gristmill was built by Levi Benton; and
the first sawmill, by Buckley & Craft, in 1807. Timothy Moore
taught the first school, in 1802.
10 2 Bap., Cong., Prot. E., Presb., and M. E. |
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