Gazetteer of New York, 1860 & 1861 page 531
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OTSEGO COUNTY.    531

The first settlement in this co. was made at Cherry Yalley, in 1740, by John Lindesay, who, with
3 others, held a patent for a tract of 8,000 acres lying in that town.1 Mr. Lindesay was a Scotch
gentleman of some fortune and distinction, and, by his influence, induced a settlement on his lands
of several families, comprising about 30 persons, originally from Scotland and Ireland. A few
years later, small settlements were made in the present towns of Springfield, Middlefield, Laurens,
Otego, and at other points in the valley of the Susquehanna. These settlements then formed the
extreme outposts in the advance of civilization west. They increased very slowly, in consequence
of the fear of Indian hostilities. In 1765^ 25 years after the first settlement, but 40 families had
located at Cherry Yalley. At the commencement of the Revolution it was still a frontier settle¬
ment. On the 11th of Oct. 1778, it was attacked by the tories and Indians, under the lead of
Butler and Brant, and a horrible massacre ensued. The family of Robert Wells, father of the late
John Wells of New York, consisting of 12 persons, were brutally murdered; and one of the tories
boasted that he killed Mr. Wells while at prayer. John Wells, the only member of the family who
escaped, was at school in Schenectady at the time. The wife and daughter of Mr. Dunlop, Mrs.
Dickson, and the wife and 4 children of Mr. Mitchell were murdered in cold blood. Thirty-two of
the inhabitants, mostly women and children, and 16 Continental officers and soldiers, were killed;
the residue of the inhabitants were taken prisoners and carried off, and all the buildings in the
place were burned. All the frontier settlements were ravaged, and nearly every building, except
those belonging to tories, was burned. These horrible outrages aroused the whole country, and in
1779 Gen. Sullivan, at the head of a large body of troops, was sent against the Western tribes. In
Feb. Gen. Clinton, with a force of 1,200 men, marched up the Mohawk, and thence opened a road
to Otsego Lake, a distance of 20 mi. At the foot of the lake he halted and built a dam across the
outlet, and prepared boats to descend the stream. When the lake was sufficiently high, the boats
were launched, the dam was broken down, and the army descended the river on the flood thus pro¬
duced. The Indians upon the banks, witnessing the extraordinary rise of the river at midsummer
without any apparent cause, were struck with superstitious dread, and in the very outset were
disheartened at the apparent interposition of the Great Spirit in favor of their foes. Gen. Clinton’s
forces joined Sullivan on the Chemung. At the close of the war, settlements progressed with'
great rapidity; and much of the best land in the co. was taken up before the fertile lands in the
western part of the State were opened to immigration.

BURIilSlCrTOHr—was formed from Otsego, April 10, 1792. Pittsfield was taken off in 1797,
and Edmeston in 1808. It is an interior town, lying n. w. of the center of the co. Its surface is
a hilly upland, divided into 3 general ridges extending n. and s. These ridges are about 400 ft.
above the valleys, and are arable to their summits. The streams are Butternut Creek, flowing s.
through the center, and Wharton Creek, flowing s. w. through the w. part. The soil upon the
hills is a slaty loam, in many places underlaid by hardpan, and in the valleys a gravelly loam.

The Tocsin was established at Cooperstown in June, 1829, by
Dutton & Hews, and was published by them until 18-31,
when it took the name of
The Otsego Republican. It was issued by Dutton & Hopkins for
about 1 year; by Hopkins alone, 1 year; Hopkins
&
Clark, a year; by A. W. Clark, about 1 year; and by
Andrew M. Barber, 4 or 5 years. In 1845 it was issued
by I. K. Williams & Co. Soon after it again came into
the possession of A. M. Barber, and was continued by
him until his death, in Aug. 1855. In Oct. 1855, the
paper was united with The Otsego Democrat, and
issued as

Tlie Republic an and. Democrat, under which title
it is now published by James I. Hendrix.

The Otsego. Democrat was commenced at Cooperstown in 1846
by James I. Hendrix, and was published by him until
it was merged with the Republican in 185’5.

The, Otsego Examiner was commenced at Cooperstown in 1854
by Robt. Shankland, who soon after withdrew, and the
publication was continued by B. W. Burditt until 1857.
The Cherry Valley Gazette was started in Oct. 1818, by Wm. Mc¬
Lean, who continued its publication until 1832. It then
passed into the hands of Chas. McLean, who continued
it until Jan. 1,1847, when A. S. Bottsford became pro¬
prietor and continued it until 1851. It then reverted
to Charles McLean; and in 1853 it was sold to John B.
King, who published it 1 year under the name of
The American Banner, when he sold it to A. S. Bottsford, who
changed the name back to
Tbe Cherry Valley Gazette, under which title it is
still published.

The Otsego Farmer was published at Cherry Valley in 1841.

The Otsego County Courier was commenced at the village of

Louisville, in the town of Morris, by Wm. H. S. Wy-
nans, in 1845. This paper was succeeded by
The Village Advertiser, commenced at the same place in 1851.
It was a quarterly publication, conducted, in 1855, by

H. S. Avery.

The Oneonta Herald was commenced Feb. 9,1853, at One-
onta Village, by L. P. Carpenter, the present publisher.
The Susquehanna JSfews was commenced at Unadilla in Sept.
1840, by Edward A. Graves. In 1841 or ’42 it was
changed to the

Unadilla. JVews, Geo. H. Noble, publisher, and was soon after
suspended.

The Weekly Courier was commenced at Unadilla in March, 1843,
by Edson S. Jennings.

The Unadilla Weekly Herald was commenced in March, 1845,
by Wm. S. Hawley. It was soon after changed to
The Otsego County Herald, and was removed to Delhi, Delaware
co., the same year, and its name changed to Voice of
the People.

The TJiiadilla Times was commenced in June, 1856, by
John Brown, w'ho sold it in the fall of the same year to

E. S. Watson. In June, 1857, it passed into the hands
of Geo. B. Fellows, its present publisher.

1 During the first winter the snow fell to so great a depth
that it was impossible for Mr. Lindesay to go to the nearest
settlement, which was 15 mi. distant. His provisions gave out,
and his family were in danger of perishing by starvation. In
this extremity they were visited by an Indian, w7ho came on
snow shoes, and who. on learning their situation, undertook to
supply them with food. He went to the Mohawk, and returned
with a load of provisions, and continued his visits of mercy
until the close of the winter. Sir. Lindesay afterward loft the
settlement, joined tbe army, and served for several years.



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