MONROE COUNTY.

City Tract Society; the Industrial School Association; the Christian Doctrine Society; Society of
St. Alphonsus, (German;) St. Joseph’s Convent of Redemption; the Academies of St. Patrick, The
Sacred Heart, and Our Lady of Mercy. The St. Mary’s Hospital has an average of about 70 patients.

The Western House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents, a State institution, established in 1844.
is located upon a farm of 42 acres 1J mi. n. of the courthouse. The buildings consist of a large and
imposing main edifice, with wings containing offices, cells, a chapel, &c. and a variety of work¬
shops. They occupy a site of 4J acres, surrounded by a high wall. The average number of in¬
mates is nearly 400.¹

The first religious services held in the co. were connected with the French missions in the 17th
century. The first church at Rochester (Presb.) was formed in 1815, and the church edifice was
erected in 1817 ; Rev. Comfort Williams was the first settled minister, in 1816. Several of the city
churches are among the finest church edifices in the State. There are now 46 churches in the city.²
_v Mount Hope Cemetery is located in Brighton, near the s. line of the city. It embraces a lot of 70
acres located upon Mount Hope, the highest point of land in the vicinity, and one completely over¬
looking the city. It is laid out in excellent taste, and is one of the finest rural cemeteries in the country.

St. Patrick’s Cemetery contains 15 acres, and St. Joseph’s Cemetery (German) 9 acres.

The territory about the mouth of the Genesee first became known to the whites in the early ex¬
ploring expeditions of the French. A map of the region, prepared by Baron La Hontan, was
published at London in 1703. Yiews of the Upper and Lower Genesee Falls had been published
as early as 1768.³ Many other adventurers visited the place and gave descriptions of it long previous
to the Revolution. The country remained in the peaceable possession of the Indians until after the
war, when immigration began to set in toward Western N. Y. The first settler who located at the
falls was Ebenezer Allen, the notorious tory.⁴ He built a mill in 1788 or ’90, but soon after sold
out his improvements to the Pulteney Estate. The mill went to decay; and there were no other
white settlers for several years.⁵ Among the earliest settlers were Jeremiah Olmstead, who located
a short distance s. of the present site of the House of Refuge, in 1798-99; Wm. Cole, who estab¬
lished a ferry, in 1805; and Enos Stone, who built a mill, in 1808. In 1802, Nath’l Rochester,
Wm. Fitzhugh, and Charles H. Carroll, from Md., purchased a tract of 300 acres at the Upper
Falls; and in 1812 they caused their land to be laid out for settlement. In the same year
Francis and Matthew Brown, from Mass., and Thomas Mumford, laid out a tract of 200 acres
adjoining the former, and commenced the erection of mills, &c.⁶

The war with Great Britain broke out at the time when the first efforts were made to build up
Rochester, and seriously retarded the progress of settlement. The fear of Indian hostilities and
of hostile invasion from Canada caused many of the pioneer settlers to abandon their new homes
and emigrate to the more populous sections of the country. At the close of the war, settlements
commenced throughout Western N. Y. with increased rapidity; and Rochester immediately felt
the new impulse. A large number of settlers came in, mills were built, and the place immediately
became the commercial and manufacturing center of the fertile Genesee country. The finishing
of the Erie Canal gave a new impetus to the business of the place and served to greatly extend
its manufacturing interests. Since that time the city has steadily and rapidly increased both in
population⁷ and business, until it has arrived at a front rank among the inland cities of the State.

MUSH—was formed from Avon, (Livingston co.,) March 13, 1818. It lies near the center of
the S. border of tbe co. Its surface is rolling, with a w. inclination. Genesee River forms its w.
boundary; and Honeoye Creek flows w. through the town and enters the river near the center of
the w. border. In^the w. part, along the river, are extensive flats. The soil is a sandy, calcareous

1

The central building is 86 by 60 ft., and 3 stories higb. Tbe
wings are each 148 by 32 ft.,—making tbe entire length of the
building 382 feet. Juvenile delinquents are sentenced to this
institution from the central, northern, and western parts of the
State,—those from the eastern part being sent to a similar insti¬
tution on Wards Island, New York City. The inmates spend a
portion of each day in study and a portion in laboring at some
useful employment. The principal business carried on is the
manufacture of shoes and brushes. A library of 9,000 volumes
is connected with the institution. The yearly cost is about
$31,000, and the earnings of the inmates $12,000. See p. 42.

2

10 Presb., 8 M. E., 7 R. C., 4 Prot. E., 4 Bap., 2 Friends, and
1 each Cong., Univ., Unit., Ref. Prot. D., Germ. Evan., Germ. Ref.,
Second Advent, Society of Christians, Brothers in Christ, Evang.
Association, and Jewish.

3

Upon these early maps the Genesee was called “ Casconchia-
gon,” or Little Senecas River. The water-power was not im¬
mediately improved, because every creek in the vicinity afforded
sufficient power for the wants of the people.

4

Aaron Burr visited the place in 1795 and made a minute

5

apd critical survey of tho Falls. In 1797 Louis Philippe and his