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ONONDAGA COUNTY.
(Cayuga co.) was annexed in 1804, and a part of Spafford in 1840. It is an interior town, lying
s. w. of the center of the co. Its surface is a rolling upland, broken by the deep valley of Nine
Mile Creek, which extends n. and s. through, the center. The declivities which border upon the
creek are steep, and 200 to 500 ft. high. Upon the creek are several falls, furnishing a large
amount of water-power. Lime and plaster both abound. The soil is generally a deep, black
loam, formed by the decomposition of the Marcellus shales, intermixed to some extent with clay.
Manufacturing is carried on to a limited extent along Nine Mile Creek. Marcellus, (p. v.,)
on the creek, near the center of the town, was incorp. April 29, 1853; it contains 4 churches, a
woolen factory, and grist mill. Pop. 380. Marcellus Falls (p. v.) contains a gristmill, saw¬
mill, and 2 paper mills. Pop. 200. Marietta, (p. v.,) upon Nine Mile Creek, in the s. part,
contains 30 houses. Clmtonville is a hamlet. Ttiorn Hill (p. o.) is a hamlet in the
s. w. part. The first settler was Wm. Cobb, who located on the e. hill in 1794.1 The first church
edifice (Union) was built in 1803; Rev. Atwater was the first preacher.2
OKOlfDAGA—was formed from Marcellus, Pompey, and Manlius, March 9, 1798. A part
of Salina was taken off in 1809, and a part of Camillus in 1834. The surface is mostly a rolling
and hilly upland, separated into two ridges by the valley of Onondaga Creek. The e. ridge is
rocky and broken, and the w. is generally smooth and rolling. A fine, wide intervale extends
along the creek, and is bordered by steep hillsides, the summits of which are 200 to 400 ft. high.
A valley, forming a natural pass between Onondaga and Nine Mile Creeks, extends s. w. through
the town. Along the n. line the highlands w. of the valley descend abruptly to the x., presenting
in some places the face of a nearly perpendicular precipice 100 to 150 ft. high. This declivity is
known as Split Rock. Upon these cliffs is an outcrop of Onondaga* limestone, which is extensively
quarried for building purposes.3 The Split Rock stone quarry is near the n. w. corner. The soil
in the valley is a sandy and gravelly loam, and on the uplands a gravelly and clayey loam. Lime
and waterlime are both largely manufactured. About one-half of the Onondaga Indian Reserva¬
tion lies in the s. e. part of this town. Onondaga Hill,4 (Onondaga p. o.,) on the hill w. of
the creek, contains a church and 53 dwellings. Onondaga Yalley (p. v.) contains 2 churches
and the Onondaga Academy. Pop. 385. South Onondaga (p. v.) contains 2 churches, several
mills, and a population of 290. IVavarino, (p. v.,) in the s. w. corner, near the line of Mar¬
cellus, contains a church and 115 inhabitants. Onondaga Castle is a p. o. near the Indian
Reservation. Howlet Hill is a p. o. in the x. w. corner; and West Onondaga a p. o.
near the w. line. The first white man who lived in this town and vicinity was Ephraim Webster,4
an Indian trader. The first permanent settlers were Asa Danforth,5 his son Asa, from Mass., and
Comfort Tyler, a young man who accompanied them,—all of wliom located upon a lot a little s. of
Onondaga Hollow. This was the first settlement made in the co.6 Rev. Samuel Kirkland, a
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Onondaga Creek, a little s. of the present village of Onondaga
.Valley. The Indians also granted him 300 acres near the n. w.
corner of the present reservation. He afterward married a
white woman, by whom he had a large family of children. He
was employed by the Government-as a spy, interpreter, and
counselor during the Indian wars that followed the Revolution;
and he was in active service during the last war with Great
Britain. Eor many years he was Indian Agent, and probably
had more influence with the Onondaga tribe than any other
white man. He died in 1825. One of his Indian children—Harry
Webster—is now chief of the Onondaga Nation.
6 Mr. Danforth was the pioneer, and one of the most energetic
and prominent of the early settlers of the co. He erected the
first sawmill and gristmill in the CO., on Butternut Creek, near
Jamesville; and during the many years of privation which fol¬
lowed the first settlement, his cabin was always the welcome
home of the distressed and suffering settlers. He held at differ¬
ent times the offices of Judge of Common Pleas, Superintendent
of the Salt Springs, and Major General in the State Militia. He
died in 1818.
7 Among the other settlers who came soon after Mr. Danforth
were Abijah Earll, Levi Hiscock, and Roderick Adams, In 1783
or ’89; Nicholas Mickles, John C. Brown, Arthur Patterson, Job
Tyler, Peter Tenbroeck, Lewis, Cornelius Longstreet, Peter
Young, Joseph Eorman, John Adams, Geo. Kibbe, Wm. and
Gordon Needham, Wm. H. Sabine, Jasper Hopper, Aaron Bel¬
lows, George Hall, Joseph Swan, Thaddeus M. Wood, Jonas C.
Baldwin, and Daniel and Nehemiah H. Earll. The first marriage
was that of Ephraim Webster and an Indian woman, in 1789.
The wife soon after died, and Mr. Webster took another Indian
wife, agreeing to live with her as long as she kept sober. He
lived with her nearly 20 years. As the settlement began to
advance, he was desirous of obtaining a white wife, and to this
end endeavored to make his wife drunk. For a long time she
resisted every attempt; but at last, with the aid of milk punch,
he succeeded. The next morning she left without speaking a |
1
Among the other early settlers were Cyrus Holcomb,-
Bowen, Cady, Samuel Tyler, Dan Bradley, Samuel Klee,
Nathan Kelsey, Thomas Miller, Bigelow Lawrence, Martin Cos-
sitt, and Samuel Wheadon,—all of whom located previous to
1800. The town rapidly filled up with settlers, principally from
Mass. The first child born was a daughter of Wm. Cobb. Miss
Asenith Lawrence taught the first school, in the summer of
1796; Dea. Samuel Rice kept the first inn, in 1796; Elnathan
Beach the first store, in 1796; Dan Bradley and Samuel Rice
built the first sawmill, in 1795-96; and May & Sayles the first
gristmill, in 1800.
2
The census reports 5 churches; 2 Presb., Bap., M. E., and
Prot. E.
3
8 In this ledge is an irregular crack or chasm, which is said to
extend downward to the depth of 100 ft. Ice remains In it
during the greater part of summer. The stone was obtained
from these quarries for building the locks upon the canal and
the aqueduct across Genesee River; and it is justly esteemed a
building stone of superior quality.
4
pike w. of Whitestown. Eor a long time its only business rivals
5
were Salina, or “ Salt Point,” and Onondaga Hollow; hut, on
6
account of the healthfulness of its situation, the Hill main¬
tained its superiority until the completion of the Erie Canal,
in 1825. It is now a mere hamlet.
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