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622 STEUBEN COUNTY.
The first settlement was made hy Samuel Bice, in 1791.1 The first church (M. E.) was organized
in 1827, at East Hill.2
AV OCA2—was formed from Bath, Cohocton, Howard, and Wheeler, April 12, 1843. It is an
interior town, lying n. w. of the center of the eo. The surface is mostly a broken upland, divided
into two ridges by the valley of the Conhocton. The declivities of the hills are steep, and their
summits are about 400 feet above the river. The streams are Conhocton River and its tributaries
Twelve Mile and Ten Mile Creeks from the n., and Bennetts and Neils Creeks from the s. w.
The valley of the river is about IJ mile wide. The soil is a clayey and gravelly loam.
Avoca, (p.v.,) situated in the valley of the Conhocton, is a station on the B., N. Y. & E. R. R.
It contains 2 churches, an ir'on foundery, and a flouring mill. Pop. 301. Wallace (p. O.) is a
station on the B., N. Y. & E. R. R. The first settlement was made in 1800, by Michael Buchanan.4
There are 2 churches in town; Bap. and M. E.
BATH3—was formed March 18, 1796. Pulteney was taken off in 1808, a part of Howard and
Cohocton in 1812, a part of Wheeler in 1820, Urbana in 1822, a part of Avoca in 1843, and a part of
Cohocton in 1852. A part of Urbana was annexed April 26, 1839. It lies a little n. e. of the center
of the co. Its surface is broken and billy. The Conhocton Yalley, extending s. E. through the center,
divides the town into two nearly equal parts. The s. half is a hilly upland, and the n. half con¬
sists of a series of wide valleys broken by several steep and isolated hills. The streams are Con¬
hocton River and its tributaries Five Mile and Mud Creeks from the n., and Campbells and
Stocktons Creeks from the s. The Crooked Lake Yalley extends n. w., and opens into the Conhoc¬
ton Yalley at the village of Bath, 340 feet above the lake. The soil is chiefly a gravelly and clayey
loam, with a deep alluvium in the valleys. Batll, (p. v.,) incorp. April 12,1816, is situated upon
the n. hank of the Conhocton. ft is a half-shire of the co. It commands the trade of a rich agri¬
cultural district and has a manufacturing business of considerable importance. It contains the
co. buildings, 6 churches, 2 banks, and 2 newspaper offices. Pop. 2,012. Kaiaona,4 (p.v.,)
n.w. of Bath, a station on the B., N.Y. & E. R. R., contains 2 churches and 40 houses; and
Savona/ (p-v.,) s.e. of Bath, a station on the same r. r., contains 2 churches and 232 inhabit¬
ants ; Sonora (p. v.) contains 1 church and 20 houses. Umoilvflle is a hamlet in the s. part.
The first settlement was made at Bath Village, in 1793, by Charles Williamson, land agent for the
Pulteney estate, with 15 families, mostly Scotch and Germans.5 The first settled minister was
Rev. John Niles, who moved to the town in 1807.6
BRADFORD111—was formed from “Jersey,” (now Orange, Schuyler co.,) April 20, 1836. A
part was annexed to Orange, April 17, 1854. It lies near the center of the e. border of the co.
Its surface is a hilly upland, broken by the valley of Mud Creek. Mud Lake, near the E. border,
in Schuyler co., is 1,100 feet above tide, and the summits of the hills are about 600 feet above the
lake. The soil is generally a gravelly and clayey loam and best adapted to pasturage. Brad¬
ford, (p.v.,) on the outlet of Mud Lake, in the n. e. part of the town, contains 1 church and a
gristmill and has a pop. of 260. South Bradford (p.v.) contains 1 church and 20 houses.
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6 Formerly “Kennedyville” p.o., from a resident named Ken¬
nedy. i Formerly “ Mud Creelc” p. o.
_ 8 Dugald and Charles Cameron, Thos. Metcalf, Hector McKen¬
zie, Andrew Smith, Geo. McClure, James McDonald, Henry Mc-
Elwee, James Reese, Robert Campbell, and William Dunn settled
in the town in 1793; and Wm. Kersey, John Wilson, Geo. D.
Cooper, Daniel McKenzie, and Gustavus and Brown Gillespie
soon after. Charles Williamson Dunn, horn in 1795, was tlie
first male child born in town. The first saw and grist mills
were built in 1793, hy Charles Williamson; and the first inn
was kept the same year, hy John Metcalf.
The proprietors of the Pulteney estate indulged in visions of
boundless wealth to result from the settlement of their lands.
They supposed that the natural avenue to market from the rich
“Genesee country” was down the Susquehanna, and that a
city might be founded upon some of the headwaters of that
stream which would command the entire trade of the West.
After a survey of the region, the present site of Bath was se¬
lected as the location of the future city. Every inducement was
held out to lure settlers; and for several years the markets o.f
Bath proved a mine of wealth to tho few who raised more grain
than enough for their own use. Williamson erected a theater
within a few years after the first settlement, in anticipation of
the future metropolitan character of the place. A race course
was also established, which for many years attracted sportsmen
from all parts of the country. The golden visions of civic gran¬
deur were never realized.
® The census reports 9 churches in town; 3 Presb., 2 Bap., %
M. E., Prot. E., and R. C. 10 Named from Gen. Bradford. |
1
Among the first settlers were Elisha Gilbert, Sami, and
Reuben Seai-ls, John and Isaac Martin, Wm. Wombaugh, Wm.
B. Jones, Israel Chauncey, Jesse Rowley, Amos Carr, and Amos
Towsley. The first birth was that of Stephen Rice; the first
marriage, that of Brown Gillespie and Miss Gilbert; and the first
death, that of James Martin. Wm. Wombaugh built the first
sawmill, in 1805, and the first gristmill, in 1806. The first store
was kept hy Samuel Smith, and the first inn by Reuben Searls.
2
8 Probably named from Tom Moore’s “ Sweet Vale of Avoca.”
The early settlers called the place “Buchanan” or the “Eight
Mile Tree.”
3
James Davis, and Samuel W. Burnham were among the first
settlers. Michael Buchanan 2d was born in 1809; Michael Bu¬
chanan died in 1811; and James McWhorter and widow Bu¬
chanan were married in 1812. Eleazur Tucker built the first
sawmill, and Jonathan Tilton the first gristmill, in 1825. Joel
Collier kept the first inn, in 1808, and Alonzo Simmons the first
store, in 1830. *
4
Named from Lady Bath, only child and heiress of Sir Wm.
5
John L. Johnstone, of Scotland, who appointed Robert Troup
6
agent. Its Indian name was Tanighnaguanda.—McMasters’s
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