History of Bainbridge, Chenango County

History of Bainbridge

    The territory included in this town was at first claimed by Robert HARPER, under a grant from the Indians but the State repudiated the title and granted it, together with the town of Afton, to the "Vermont Sufferers," by whom the first settlements were made. The Vermont sufferers were persons who, by reason of their allegiance to the Government of the State of New York during the controversy existing between it and the State of Vermont, immediately after the close of the Revolutionary war, relative to lands which were finally ceded to the latter State, were dispossessed of certain property and otherwise punished by the Green Mountain State; and who, as a recompense therefor, were granted lands in the township of Clinton, afterwards known as Jericho, embracing the whole of the major portions of the present towns of Bainbridge and Afton. February 24, 1786, Col. Timothy CHURCH and Majors Wm. SHATTUCK and Henry EVANS, to the former of whose regiment [of Cumberland county] the majority of the sufferers belonged, presented, in their behalf, the following petition to the New York State Government:- ........ [see separate List of Vermont Sufferers"]
    Thus it is seen that the first settlers in this locality came under duress, having been driven from the homes of their birth or adoption to the inhospitable wilds of a country thickly studded with gigantic pines and infested with wild beasts. But even the rigors of a life in such a wilderness, remote from civilization, were gladly accepted in exchange for the comforts and social advantages which they were no longer allowed to enjoy in their former homes, and the persecution and social ostracism to which their fidelity had subjected them. Hither they came with naught save their strong, brawny arms and resolute wills to grapple with the new conditions of life, and well they succeeded in wresting from them the elements of a comfortable and happy existence, as the beautiful homes, thriving industries, and attractive villages, with their educational and religious institutions, and other social advantages, bear abundant testimony; but the hardships and privations they endured as the price of these can be appreciated by but a few of the present generation, who have entered into their labor and enjoy the fruits of their heroic, persistent, intelligent and devoted efforts.
    The first settlement upon the tract granted to the Vermont sufferers, and, so far as our information extends, in the original county of Chenango, was made near Bettsburgh, in the present town of Afton, in 1784, by Elnathan BUSH, who came from Sheffield, Mass., where for eighteen years, he held under the King the office of sheriff, which, his sympathies being with the Americans, he resigned at the opening of the Revolutionary war, in which his son Charles served during the whole period of its continuance.
    Mr. Bush brought in his family, consisting of his wife, Vashti STEBBINS, of Sheffield, and four children, Charles, Japhet, Joseph and Polly. They came as far as Cooperstown on horseback, and thence by canoe down the Susquehanna, leaving Cooperstown on the 2d of May. He first settled on the west side of the river, opposite Stowel's Island, about two miles below Afton. January 30, 1790 he exchanged this property with Hezekiah STOWEL whose grandson, Nathan STOWEL, still occupies it, for 81 acres (really 100 acres though the deed specifies only 81,) on lot 74, in the town of Bainbridge, about a mile above the village, on the west side of the river, which was acquired by Stowel the year previous, and to this he removed the following April. The consideration was 80L. This piece was deeded by Stowel to Japhet and Joseph Bush, sons of Elnathan, and now forms the residence farm of the latter's grandson, Joseph Bush, having remained in the family since 1790. Mr. Joseph Bush has made improvements to the farm, which now embraces 255 acres. Elnathan's log cabin stood about fifteen rods in a south-westerly direction for the present residence of Joseph Bush and was occupied by the family ten years, till 1800, in which year the latter was built. There is no trace left of the old log cabin or its site. The present house which superseded it, was the first frame house in the town of Jericho. It was built by Joseph Bush, father of the present occupant, and although it has been remodeled and modernized, the frame and size and shape of rooms remain as at first. The barn which stands about eight rods from the house, the only one unpainted, is an object of great interest, as it is, perhaps, the oldest relic of those bygone days remaining in the country. It was built by the same individual in 1791, and is still in a remarkable state of preservation. It has only been changed from its original condition by having been re-shingled and ceiled, the changes made being such only as were necessary to preserve it. The marks of the scriber are still clearly discernible on the frame, which is, apparently, as sound as ever.
    Elnathan Bush died on the homestead in Bainbridge, where he and others of his family are buried. The family burying-ground consists of a plot three by four rods, inclosed by a substantial cut-stone wall. This, together with a strip around it two rods wide, was perpetuated in the title April 10, 1879, so that it cannot be alienated from the family. A magnificent dark Quincy granite monument, tastily ornamented, stands in the center of the inclosure. From the base, which is six and one-half feet square, to the top of the shaft, is thirty feet. The dates of death of those interred therein are inscribed thereon, and from it we learn that Elnathan died May 15, 1791, aged 63, and his wife November 8, 1813, aged 81. The death of the former was the first in the town. [See Elnathan Bush under the town of Afton]
    Charles Bush, son of Elnathan, married Joan HARRINGTON in 1794. This was the first marriage contracted in the town. Charles lived with his mother on the homestead until his removal, about 1810, to Vincennes, Ind. He died at Batavia while on his way to Bainbridge on a visit, soon after the close of the War of 1812. None of his children are living. Japhet, the second son, married and lived with his mother. He removed with his brother Charles to Vincennes, Ind., and died there. Joseph, the third son, married, in 1795, Susan WEEKS, whose father was an early settler in the town of Guilford. He settled upon the old homestead, which he occupied until his death, which occurred September 23, 1851, aged 82. His wife died December 29, 1797, aged 22. April 5, 1799, he married Betsey, daughter of Jabin STRONG, of Glastenbury, Conn., who died February 5, 1853, aged 73. He had one child by his first wife, Susan, who married Alanson BURR, of Caneadea, N. Y., and removed with him to that town and died there. His children by his second wife were: Horace, who was born January 29, 1801, and died single on the homestead October 8, 1827; Alvah C., born November 13, 1804, married September 20, 1830, Ellen, daughter of Judge Levi BIGELOW, and removed to Tioga, Penn., whence she returned to Bainbridge, where she died in 1831, at the birth of her first child, Ellen, wife of John A. MATTHEWS, of Winona, Minn., September 21, 1841, Alvah C. married Annah BIGELOW, sister of his first wife, by whom he had no children; Maria, who was born October 3, 1806, married September 3, 1827, Charles A. BAXTER, of Sidney, to which place she removed, and from whence, after the death of her husband, March 9, 1845, she returned to Bainbridge, to live with her father, and died there September 13, 1846, leaving five children, all of whom are living-Mary E., wife of Wm. C. BEATTY, in Bloomfield, N. J., Wm. S. in Highland, Minn., Julia, wife of Edwin R. MEAD, in New York City, Susan E., wife of Thomas A. JOHNSON, in Animas City, Col., and Charles A. in Selma, Minn.; Leapha, who was born September 29, 1808, married September 9, 1829, Wm. S. SAYRE, a lawyer in Bainbridge, and died June 23, 1850, leaving three children, all of whom are living-Horace in Minneapolis, Minn., Susan in Bainbridge and Sarah in Binghamton; Isaac, who was born October 14, 1810, married August 23, 1839, Martha, daughter of Hon. John H. PRENTISS, of Cooperstown, and died on the homestead June 16, 1843, leaving no children; Jabin S., who was born June 16, 1817, married December 31, 1839, Eliza DePUY, and settled at Tioga, Penn., where he now resides; and Joseph, who was born February 23, 1823, and is now living unmarried on the homestead in Bainbridge.
    Polly, the daughter of Elnathan Bush, married Gideon FREEBORN, of Cazenovia, where she resided till after his death, when she went to live with her only son Rodman, in Caneadea, N. Y., where she died. Rodman still resides there.
    The first settlement within the present limits of the town of Bainbridge, was made, if we are correctly informed, in the summer of 1786, by Caleb BENNETT, who came in company with his brothers, Phineas, Silas and Reuben, from Pownal, Vt. Caleb settled on the south-east corner of the cemetery in the village of Bennettsville, which derives its name from him. The excavation for the cellar under his house still remains to mark the locality. Phineas settled on the river one and one-half miles below, in Afton, on the farm now owned and occupied by Samuel CORBIN. He was the first Supervisor of the town of Bainbridge, in 1791. His house stood opposite the brick-yard. Silas settled at "Crookerville," opposite Unadilla, where he built a grist-mill, which is believed to have been the first on that site. Reuben afterwards settled in Ithaca, where he lived and died, and to which place Phineas also removed. Caleb continued to reside here till his death, which occurred March 22, 1830, at the age of 72 years. Elizabeth, his wife, died June 25, 1849, aged 89. He and Reuben Bennett built the first mills at Bennettsville in 1798, on the stream which bears their name. This was the first grist-mill in the town.
    Caleb Bennett's children were Anna, who was born February 3, 1783, married Thomas CORNWELL and settled in Afton, where her son, Abel, now lives, where both died, he February 12, 1841, aged 70, and she February 27, 1860, leaving ten children, five sons and five daughters; Phineas, who married Sophia, daughter of Henry CHANDLER, an early settler in Coventry, and settled in Bennettsville, where he built, sixty-five years ago, the house now occupied by the families of George SLATER and Adelbert WINSOR. He died there December 28, 1856, aged 72, and his wife, August 24, 1863, aged 78, leaving ten children, seven of whom are living, five in this town,-Phineas M., Susan, wife of Elder H. ROBERTSON. Clarissa, widow of Pliny KIRBY, Jane E., wife of Porter B . VAN HORNE, and Benjamin,-and Rufus, in Greeley, Col., and Augusta, wife of Samuel CORBIN, in Afton; Abel, twin brother of Phineas, who was born December 25, 1784, married Flavilla HOAG, and settled in Bennettsville, where he died October 23, 1860, leaving three of seven children, who are still living,-Abel and Edward E., at Binghamton, and James, on the homestead; "Naby," who married Jeremiah THURBER, and settled and died in the town April 15, 1811, aged 25 years, leaving one daughter, who is also dead; Hannah, who married Charles S. MERRITT and settled in Bennettsville, where she still resides, and where he died April 12, 1862, aged 73, leaving two children, who are still living,-Eliza, wife of Orville HILL, and Richmond; Eunice, who died in child-hood; Prudence, who married Enos GOODMAN and settled in this town, where both died, the former October 9, 1864, aged 75, and the latter December 2, 1861, aged 78 leaving seven children, only two of whom are living,-Luther and Merritt; Arnold, who married Nancy FORBES, settled in Bennettsville, and afterwards removed to Bainbridge, where he now resides, and three of whose four children are living,-Elizabeth, Leroy and Clarissa; and Hiram, who married Gratie CHANDLER, and settled in Bennettsville, where both died, the former September 4, 1876, aged 73, and the latter, September 21 1873, aged 71. None of their children are living.
    Reuben KIRBY and Wm. GUTHRIE, his father-in-law, came from Litchfield, Conn., their native place, in 1787, and settled on lands on lot 85, purchased of Robert HARPER, of Harpersfield, Delaware county. They built their cabins and made some improvements, and returned the following fall to Connecticut. In the spring of 1877 they returned with their families, crossing the Hudson River at Hudson, and proceeding thence via Cherry Valley to Otsego Lake. There they constructed a float by placing boards upon two canoes, and on this their families and household goods were conveyed down the Susquehanna to the place of settlement. They drove through the forests some cattle and a horse, the latter of which, after having been subsequently lost for nearly four months, was returned to them by the Indians. Their title to these lands proved defective in consequence of the repudiation of Harper's claims, which were based on a purchase made of the Indians, and they therefore soon after relinquished their claims to them. Guthrie repaired to Albany, and after an absence of some three months, succeeded in purchasing a mile square, lot 81, lying on both sides of the river, but mostly on the west side, together with about 200 acres on lot 85, a part of his first purchase, including his improvements.
    Kirby abandoned his first purchase, and took a part of lot 81, lying on the east side of the river. His first house, which stood near the river and nearly opposite to where Robert CORBIN now lives, was liable to be overflowed when the river was high. He therefore built near the place now occupied by Wm. R. KIRBY, about two miles below the village of Bainbridge. Guthrie settled on the farm now owned by Philo Kirby about the same distance from the village, but on the opposite side of the river. Their first facilities for grinding corn consisted of the primitive mortar and pestle so common to all the new settlements in this section of country. Their first grinding at a regular mill was done at the stone mills in Sidney, on the Ouleout Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna, about eighteen miles distant; but when the mill at Bennettsville was made accessible by the opening of a road leading thereto that labor was very much lessened. They obtained salt of the Indians, who were numerous in this locality for several years after the first settlements were made.
    Their dusky neighbors, who were generally friendly, would borrow a kettle of them and in a few days return with a supply of the needed article. It was never known to the settlers from whence they obtained it, as they dare not follow them on such occasions. Guthrie kept in 1793, on the place of his settlement, the first tavern in the town, a business in which he was succeeded at his death by his son William. Both Kirby and Guthrie, also their wives, died on their respective homesteads. Kirby's first wife, Anna, daughter of Wm. GUTHRIE died in 1793. The following year he returned to Connecticut, and married Naomi PATTERSON, of Washington, in that State. He came back with a sleigh, drawn by oxen, and crossing the Hudson on the ice at Catskill, proceeded thence by way of Harpersfield, and the mills on the Ouleout, thence down that stream to the place on the river known as "Wattles Ferry," and thence down the river to his home in Bainbridge. His second wife lived to be over 90, and died at the residence of her son Pliny.
    Reuben Kirby's children were Laura, who married Miles HINMAN and settled in Upper Lisle, where both died; Lois, who married Robert Foster, settled in Otego, and subsequently removed to the Wyoming Valley, near Wilkesbarre, where both died; Sally, who married Sylvester SMITH, (who settled at Masonville, after-wards removed to Painted Post, where he became a judge and died,) and who, after his death, returned to Bainbridge, where she still resides (June, 1879,) aged 88 years; all of whom were by his wife. His children by his second wife were Reuben, who was born April 26, 1795, married Patience E., daughter of Sylvester CORBIN, and after her death, Dec. 28, 1834, at the age of 34 years, Louisa D., widow of Levi KNEELAND, with whom he is still living on a part of the homestead farm, aged 84 years; Joseph, who married Sally, daughter of Samuel CORBIN, settled on a part of the homestead farm, and afterwards removed to Bainbridge village, where he died Sept. 12, 1875, aged 77, and where his widow still lives; Philo, who married Susan, daughter of Wm. GUTHRIE, Jr., settled on the homestead farm and subsequently removed to the Guthrie homestead, where he now resides, his wife having died Nov. 15, 1867; and Pliny, who married ----- BENNETT, and settled first on a part of the homestead farm, and afterwards on the place now occupied by his widow, where he died. Numerous grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren of Reuben Kirby's are living in the town. G. F. Kirby, of Chicago, a civil engineer, who was employed in the construction of the Pacific Railroad through Iowa, and the bridge which spans the Mississippi River at Clinton, is a son of Philo Kirby and grandson of Reuben, Sr. The four brothers, sons of the second wife of Reuben Kirby, though farmers, follow lumbering while the pine in this section lasted. It was marketed in Philadelphia.
    Wm. GUTHRIE died in August, 1806, and Susan, his wife, in March, 1813. Their son, William, who was born Dec. 3, 1768, married in 1799, Sarah WHITNEY, of Binghamton, who was born May 8, 1775. He died march 14, 1813. The children of William, Jr., were: William 2d, who was born Aug. 12, 1800, married Sarah RYNDERS, and having followed the lumber business in Chemung county, is now living in Elmira; Gershom, who was born Jan. 15, 1802, married Elizabeth KETCHUM, by whom he had four children, and also followed the lumber business in Chemung county, where he and his wife died, the former March 28, 1855, and the latter Feb. 2, 1853; Sarah, who was born Nov. 25, 1803, married Hezekiah TARBLE, had three children, and died in Bainbridge, Oct. 27, 1833; Susan, who was born Jan. 25, 1805, married Philo KIRBY, had four children, and died in Bainbridge, Nov. 15, 1867; Olive, who was born Aug. 6, 1806, married Allen RANDALL, of Lisle, where he died April 17, 1874, having had eight children; Emeline, who was born Aug. 11, 1808, and married Samuel STOW, of Binghamton, where she died in 1869; George W., who was born Feb. 15, 1810, was for a number of years in the Custom House at Philadelphia, was afterwards in the employ of the Government at Washington, and subsequently in San Francisco, where he married Emma GARSON, by whom he had six children; Orphelia, who was born Aug. 31, 1812, married Washington C. LANE, editor of the Philadelphia Ledger, and died in Philadelphia in 1844, having had one daughter.
    Wm. GUTHRIE, Sr. had six daughters, Anna, who married Reuben KIRBY, Sr., and died in Bainbridge in 1793; Eunice, who married a man named GRAHAM, and had two sons and five daughters; Mima, who married Dr. HYDE, and had two sons, Ira and Charles; Rhoda, who married a KELSEY; Lois, who married Col. Witter JOHNSTON, who came to Sidney Plains in 1772, served in the Revolution, and was afterwards a resident of Sidney Plains till his death, October 4, 1839, aged 86, and where she died July 27, 1787, aged 22; and Ruth, who married ----- COOPER, and lived and died in Bainbridge.
    Asahel BIXBY, who was, we believe, the first of the Vermont Sufferers to settle in the town, came from Guilford, Vt., in October, 1787, then in his eighteenth year. His father, Samuel BIXBY, had been allotted 380 acres of lot 81, by the Commissioners of the Land have previously seen, was purchased about this time by Wm. GUTHRIE. Young Bixby therefore located on lot 75, originally an unassigned lot, 380 acres of which were patented to his father January 12, 1789. On this lot, which lies mostly on the east, but partially on the west side of the river, his first improvements were made. He came in alone and on foot, but was joined at Cherry Valley by Israel STOWEL, an acquaintance of his, also from Vermont. He went to live at first with his sister Hannah, wife of Asa STOWEL, at Bettsburgh, and remained there till February following, when he moved on to his father's land, on the east side of the river, and built and occupied a log shatty covered with brush, and made a small clearing. The following June he was joined by his father's family, for whom he had in a measure prepared the way.
    Samuel, who was a Justice of the Peace in Vermont, was one of the first Assessors in Bainbridge. His children were Priscilla, who married in Vermont and remained there, Hannah, Sibyl, Betsey, Asahel and Samuel. Hannah also married in Vermont, Asa, son of Hezekiah STOWEL, who had previously settled in Afton, where she also settled and died September 18, 1850, aged 88. Her children were Arad, Hannah, who married Isaac MINER, Asa, Elijah, Jemina, who married Wm. LOOP, and Leapha, who married Dr. Nathan BOYNTON. Not one is now living, though all lived to be over eighty, except Asa, who died young. Sibyl was married after removing here to Henry EVANS, Jr., son of the original settler in the town by that name. She died July 29, 1846, aged 80. Her children were Tirzah, who married Manasseh HADLEY, Maria, who married Orrin JACOBS, Sibyl, who married Calvin MORLEY, Henry and Edward, the latter of whom is the only one by her first husband, Henry EVANS. Three are living, Maria, Sibyl and Henry. Betsey married Russell REDFIELD, who came in from Vermont at an early day, and settled, after marrying, on 50 acres of Samuel Bixby's land, given him by the latter, and died March 14, 1853. Her children were Gratia, who married Ansel EVANS, Harvey, Sibyl, who married Lawrence CONKLIN, Hannah, who married Asa WARNER, Clarina, who never married, Betsey, who married Chester BUCK, Powers, Philip, and Luranca, who married Dr. HALL. Five of them are living, but none in this State, Powers, Philip, Sibyl, Betsey and Luranca. Asahel married Clarina, daughter of Deacon Israel SMITH, and settled on the west side of the river, on the farm now owned and occupied by Peter LEONARD, where he died October 5, 1862, aged 92, and his wife May 22, 1847, aged 72. His children were Lois, who married Chauncey AUSTIN, Chandler, who died in Angelica, N. Y., December 30, 1868, aged 72, Rial, who died May 15, 1847, aged 46, Priscilla, who married Robert B. WARNER, Ira and Charles, the latter of whom, the youngest, is the only one living in Bainbridge. Samuel married Lois ATWATER, from Connecticut, and settled on the homestead farm, now occupied by his son Samuel and daughter Dinah, a maiden lady, the only two of his children living in the town, and where he died July 23, 1857, aged 83. His wife died April 2, 1852, aged 75. His other children were Jonas, Mary, who married Elisha SHARP, Titus, Joel, Henry and Asa, of whom only Mary, Joel and Asa are living.
    Major Henry EVANS was one of the earliest of the Vermont Sufferers to settle in this locality. Precisely what year he came we are unable definitely to determine, but it was probably in or about 1789, the date fixed by another authority (French's Gazetteer), for it is traditional among his descendants that his death, August 6, 1792, occurred about three years after his settlement here. July 11, 1786, he received patents for lots Nos. 73 and 79, each containing 640 acres; and April 5, 1789, a patent was given to Henry Evans, Jr., in pursuance of Acts of the Legislature passed May 5, 1786, and March 20, 1788, for 100 acres in the southernmost part of lot 41.
    Major Evans came in with his family, consisting of his wife, Abigail, who died April 12, 1821, aged 77, and two sons and six daughters. He settled on lot 80, which lies upon the east border of the county, and the north-west corner of which centers in the Susquehanna. The homestead farm is now occupied in part by his grandson, Weston Evans, and is situated about two and one-half miles east of Bainbridge village. Stephen STILES had previously settled on this log, under a title received from Robert HARPER, which proved defective. He located nearly a mile from the county line, opposite to where Chapin UNDERWOOD now lives. STILES, after the marriage of his daughter, an only child, to a man named NYE, who lived in Otsego county, went to live with her. He was demented many of the latter years of his life. Lot 73, containing the Bainbridge village plot, was sold by Evans in 1793 to Col. Timothy CHURCH, for eighteen cents an acre. The two remaining lots he retained till his death, at the age of 58 years, and when the youngest of his children became of age, were divided. The death of Major Evans was probably the third one in the town. The stone which marks his grave in the village cemetery at Sidney Plains, bears this quaint add primitive epitaph:- "This man came to this country At an early day, Where nothing dwelt but beasts of prey, Or men as fierce and wild as they."
    His children were: Abigail, who married Elijah CURTIS, who settled in the same locality at an early day; Anna, who married Orcus BRADT, who settled first on the Delaware, and after the division of the Evans lots, removed to this town; Mehitabel, who married Aaron OWENS, who also settled on the Delaware, whence he removed, after the division, to the portion allotted to his wife, where he died, January 13, 1846, aged 69, and his wife, August 5, 1814, aged 34; Lucy, who married John COMPTON, who also settled on the Delaware; Lydia, who married Ezra WHITE, an early settler in Sherburne, where both died; Achsa, who married Parson REDFIELD, who settled early near the east line of the town, and after the division removed to his wife's portion of land, where both died; and Henry and Josiah. Henry, Jr., married in Vermont, Sally, daughter of Josiah RICE, of that State, and had two sons when he moved in, Ansel and Newel. He settled near his father, on a part of the homestead farm, where his wife died. He afterwards removed to Bainbridge village and died there, having previously married Sibyl, widow of Edward DAVIDSON, who (Sibyl) died July 29, 1846, aged 80. Henry, Jr., had four children by his first wife, Ansel, Newel, Jehial and Sally, the latter two of whom were born in Bainbridge. Ansel lived on a farm included in the original patent, and died Feb. 10, 1873, aged 83. Newel married Phebe, daughter of Dr. Benjamin YALE, of Guilford, and settled on the site of Bainbridge village, where his wife died Oct. 27, 1826, aged 30. He afterwards removed to Delaware county and married Harriet WEBB, of Deposit, where she is still living. He died in that county. Jehial, who as born in 1795, is still living in Bainbridge village, to which he removed in 1800. Sally married Benjamin JACOBS, from Vermont, and removed to Canada, where she died. The children of Henry, Jr., by his second wife were: Maria, who married Warren JACOBS, and is living in Bainbridge; Tirzah, who married Manasseh B. HADLEY, now dead; Sibyl, who married Calvin MORLEY, and is now living in Bainbridge; Dinah, who died at the age of about six years; and Henry, who married Betsey, daughter of John PETERS, and is living in Deposit.
    Deacon Israel SMITH came in about this year (1789,) from Brattleboro, Vt., with his family, which was large, and settled on lot 76, on the east line of the county, opposite the mouth of the Unadilla. His farm lay upon both sides of the Susquehanna, and was a little north of and partly adjoining that of Samuel BIXBY. It has since been cut up into smaller farms and is occupied by several individuals. He continued to reside there until his death, June 7, 1811, aged 73. Abigail, his wife, died November 10, 1791, aged 50, and was probably the first female who died in the town. His children were Deacon Israel, Jr., Simeon, Amos, Chloe, Sibyl, Clarina, Asor and Abigail. Deacon Israel, Jr., who was one of the first assessors of Bainbridge, married Electa CHURCH, and settled on the southern portion of the homestead farm, and died there Jan. 27, 1837, aged 72, and his wife, February 23, 1841, aged 72. His farm was afterwards divided among four of his sons, Heber, Rufus, Deacon Elihu and Otis, the latter of whom occupied the homestead, which is now in the possession of his son Samuel. The farm of Deacon Elihu, who died October 8, 1865, aged 62, is occupied by his daughter Angeline, who married Amos CLARK. Two daughters of Deacon Israel, Jr., Electa and Abigail, maiden ladies, are living in Bainbridge. Simeon, son of Israel, Jr., married Susan STOCKWELL and settled on the west side of the Susquehanna, opposite the homestead and died there, leaving a large family, only one of whom, Giles, is living in the town. Amos married Betsey ALLASON and settled at Colesville. He afterwards removed to Ashtabula county, Ohio, when that county was new, and died there. Chloe married in Brattleboro, Vt., and remained there. Sibyl married Jared REDFIELD, who came in as early as 1791, and settled on the west side of the river, opposite her brother Israel, and died near there Feb. 24, 1844, aged 75, and her husband, May 1, 1814, aged 48. Clarina married Asahel BIXBY in 1793, and died on the place on which her husband settled May 22, 1847, aged 64. Only one child survives her, Charles, who is living in Bainbridge. Asor married Hepsey SMITH and settled on the homestead. He afterwards removed to Afton where he died childless. Abigail married David McMASTER, settled on the east side of and a little above the mouth of the Unadilla, in Otsego county, and afterwards removed to Afton, where she died, leaving two sons, Judge David, now living in Bath, and Cyrus, who died on the homestead in Afton in the early part of 1879.
    Settlements were made about this year (1788,) by Abraham FULLER and Gould BACON from Conn. BACON settled on lot 76, on the east side of the river, one and one-half miles above Bainbridge where Nelson HUMPHREY now lives. He afterwards removed to the mouth of the Unadilla, and died there April 1, 1821, aged 75. He was an eccentric genius, and a bachelor, living alone in a small log hut, which stood upon a low flat, adjacent to the river. He furnished us many anecdotes both as principal and narrator, says William S. SAYRE in his Centennial History of Bainbridge which we quote, as any of the early settlers. "Of his many hairbreadth escapes by flood and field we briefly related the following:- "Bacon's hut was on a low flat, and there occurred in the fall a remarkable flood in the Susquehanna River, referred to in after years as the 'pumpkin freshet,' from the fact that the corn fields along the river were overflowed, and pumpkins swept off. Bacon was awakened in the night by the waters, which had risen to cover the floor of the cabin, upon which he slept, and found that is was necessary to move. He made a hasty meal from a pail of cold succotash, and taking his gun and ax started for higher ground, which, however, he was unable to reach. Owing to the rapidly rising current he was compelled to take passage on a floating log, which lodged with other flood-wood against a tree, where he remained until found by Deacon Israel SMITH and taken off in a canoe. While occupying quarters upon the flood-wood he was able to kindle a fire and roast a pumpkin that floated to him, on which he subsisted very comfortably. During his stay a 'painter,' which like himself had been set adrift, came swimming towards his miniature island. When he was sufficiently near Bacon admonished him that he was an unwelcome visitor by a salute from his rifle, and the animal sought some other landing.
    "On another occasion prior to this, he shot a large bear on what is known as Humphrey's hill. So fat and heavy was bruin that he found it necessary to go after his oxen in order to remove the carcass to his hut. But the oxen refused to go near enough to the bear to allow him to hook the log-chain. Bacon finally resorted to the stratagem of covering the bear with leaves; he then carefully backed the oxen up and hitched the chain around bruin's neck. But as soon as the dead bear made his appearance from under the leaves the oxen cast one terrified look behind and away they went through the woods, over knolls and down the steep hill at the top of their speed. Bacon found it no difficult task to track them to his hut by remnants of the bear, which were strewn along the course they had taken; and he never told the story in after years without a sign for the large fat bear, the loss of which as a store for his larder he sorely felt and deeply lamented."
    Thaddeus NEWTON came in from Dummerston, Vt., about 1790, and settled in the south part of the town on the farm adjoining that now owned and occupied by his great-grandson, George W. NEWTON, buying 75 acres in the south-west corner of lot 45, to which he removed three years after, and on which he, his son Amasa, and grandson, Marshall, died,-Thaddeus, in August, 1812, Amasa, in May, 1855, and Marshall, in February, 1864. His children were Charles, who married Sally JESTON, settled on the lot next west of his father's, No. 44, and afterwards removed to Oxford, where he died about 1841; Obediah, who married and settled on the farm adjoining Charles' on the south, and afterwards removed to Ohio, where he died; Amasa, who came in 1793, married Jemima, daughter of James NICHOLS, an early settler in the town of Afton, on the farm on which his grandson, Samuel G. Nichols, now lives, and where he and his wife died; Betsey, who married James FRASER and died in Bainbridge; and Polly, who married Levi BEMUS, and after some years removed from the county; all by his first wife, Jane SMITH, who died in Worcester, Mass., during the Revolutionary war. He afterwards married a widow, Sally BELCHER, (nee BUMP,) by whom he had four children, Lucy, who went west while single; Abigail, who married Lloyd HOLCOMB and lived and died in Coventry; Jane, who married Martin SLADE and lived and died in Coventry; and William S., who married Caroline ANNABLE and is now living in Oxford. Only one grandchild is living in the county, Lucretia, daughter of Amasa, and widow of Chauncey HYDE, in Afton, though numerous descendants are still living in the town, even to the seventh generation.
    William ALLISON came in among the first and settled on the site of the village of Bainbridge. His log hut stood on the south-east corner of Main and Mill streets, where Benjamin F. NEWELL now lives. He claimed that it was the first, or one of the first, within the limits of the village. He continued to reside there until his death. His son William succeeded him on the homestead, which he afterwards sold and removed to the Charles BUSH place, where he died November 20, 1865, aged 81. Sarah, his wife, died February 12, 1839, aged 47. Martin O., son of William, Jr. still occupies the place. William, another son of William, Jr.'s, is living in Michigan. Betsey, daughter of William Allison, Sr., married Amos SMITH, and removed with him to Colesville and died there.
    Joseph LANDERS was also among the first settlers. His daughter, Relief, who was born in March, 1791, is reputed to have been the first female child born in the town.
    James GRAHAM and Jared REDFIELD settled in the town as early as 1791, probably earlier. Their names appear among the town officers elected that year. GRAHAM settled about a mile below Bainbridge, on the west side of the river, where Walter HIGLEY now lives, and died there. He had two sons and two daughters, James, one of the sons, removed from the town at an early day; and Wm. the other, was a bachelor and occupied the homestead a good many years after his father's death. He sold it to Walter Higley and removed to Afton, where he died August 9, 1872, aged 87. The daughters were Anna, a maiden lady, and another who married Warren HARPER, a resident of Windsor. James Graham was one of the first assessors of the town. Jared REDFIELD was from Connecticut, and settled on the west side of the Susquehanna, near the east line of the town, where Charles ANDERSON now lives. He died at Lanesboro, Pa., May 1, 1814, aged 48, while returning from Baltimore, whither he had been with a raft of lumber. He married Sibyl, daughter of Deacon Israel SMITH, by whom he had a large family. His children were Henry, who died March 11, 1853, aged 62, Asahel, Chester, who died December 27, 1857, aged 60, Abigail, who married John ALLEN, Julia, who married John MERCEREAU, Parnold, who married Hiram FISH, Levi and Benjamin, only the latter of whom is living, in Michigan.
    Moses, Aaron and Abel STOCKWELL, brothers, came in as early as 1792 and settled on the west side of the river. Moses located about a mile above Bainbridge, where Giles SMITH, his son-in-law, now lives, and died there March 11, 1857, aged 87. Urania, his first wife, died Jan. 28, 1807, aged 37, and Electa, his second wife, Jan. 8, 1864, aged 82. Aaron located just over the line, in Guilford, where he built and operated mills and died. Abel was of a roving disposition and never made a permanent settlement here. He died in Binghamton, Sept. 10, 1855, aged 72, and his wife, Emila, April 18, 1852, aged 61. Moses' children were Abel, Eli, Henry, Zenas, Urania, who married Chandler BIXBY, Sabra, who married ---- THOMPSON, Patience, who married Asa SEARLES, Leapha, who married and moved west, and Lucinda, who married Giles SMITH, of whom Eli, Urania, Sabra and Lucinda, are living. Aaron's children were Leonard, Joel, Thomas, Aaron, Stephen, Malinda, who married Stowell JACOBS, and Susan, who went west with her brother. None of them are living in the county. Abel's children were Davis, Abel, Julia, who married Chester REDFIELD, Emily, who married Joseph SMITH, Leapha. who died in girlhood, Clarissa, who married Cyrus STOCKWELL, a cousin, Cynthia, who married a man named BENNETT, and Betsey Ann, who went west. None of them are living in the county.
    David HITCHCOCK settled on the west side of the river, about a mile above Bainbridge, as early as 1793. He had only a small place, which now forms a part of the HICKOK farm, recently sold to a Mr. CLARK. He removed with his family to the Genesee country.
    Samuel NOURSE came in from the New England States as early as 1796 and settled on the east side of the river, about a mile above Bainbridge. The farm has been divided and is occupied at present by Alexander MOODY and Russell Williams. He removed to Ohio at an early day and was one of the first settlers of that State. His family, which was large, went with him.
    John CAMPBELL and Benjamin S. CARPENTER made settlements in the town as early as 1800, and Major Frederick DEZANG about that year. CAMPBELL was a Scotchman, and settled on the farm next below that of Samuel NOURSE, where his grandson Burr C. Campbell now lives, and died there. His children were John, who was a cooper by trade, a shiftless sort of fellow, who raised a large family who were in indigent circumstances, and lived in various places; Archibald, who was also of a roving disposition, and finally left his wife and the town; Margaret, who married David BATEMAN, and lived and died in the town, Sept. 5, '62, aged 75, and her husband, June 7, 1866, aged 89; and Daniel, who is living on the old homestead, aged over eighty, and has been completely deaf the last ten years; and Peter, who went west when a young man.
    Benjamin S. CARPENTER came from Orange county and settled in Bainbridge village, and bought the major portion of the lands comprising the village site. He kept a hotel and engaged in the mercantile pursuits, continuing till about 1800 or '12, when becoming pecuniary involved, he removed to the farm in Afton now occupied by Abel BRIGGS, about a mile above Afton village, where he died Dec. 28, 1836, aged 70, and Catharine, his wife, April 27, 1827, aged 50. He had eleven children, only two of whom are living, Daniel A., a merchant in Afton, and Martha A., wife of Daniel CARPENTER, in Addison, Steuben county. In 1802, Benjamin S. Carpenter donated two acres of land which is now occupied by the Presbyterian church and the village green, to encourage the establishment of a church and school, and to provide a parade ground on certain conditions, which he afterwards claimed were not compiled with. He again took possession of it and fenced it. The villagers became incensed at the action and tore down the fence, and such was the opposition manifested that the attempt to reclaim it was practically abandoned.
    Major DEZANG was a Frenchman, and came in from Geneva. He settled to the west side of the river, near the bridge in Bainbridge village. He was one of the proprietors of the turnpike from Esopus to Geneva, and built, in 1805, with his partner, Mr. OLENDORFF, the first bridge across the Susquehanna in Bainbridge. The work of construction was done by Henry EVANS and Luther THURSTON. He was engaged in mercantile business in the locality of his settlement till about the close of the war of 1812. His family was one of considerable prominence and business enterprise in their day. His son Richard, after a good many years of active business life spent here, returned to Geneva. His other sons were Philip, William and Arthur. He had two or three daughters, one of whom was named Amelia. One married Dr. HOUGHTALING, another a man named GRISWOLD, and a third, Richard LAWRENCE, who came here about the same time as the Dezangs, and was engaged in mercantile and milling business, in company with Richard Dezang. Their mills were located at the mouth of the Unadilla, and have gone to decay.
    Orra MYERS, a Dutchman and a blacksmith, settled as early as 1801 on the east line and in the north-east corner of the town. His farm is the north-east corner farm in the town, and is now occupied by a son of John PECKHAM. He worked at his trade in connection with is farm, and died of a cancer. His children were Aaron, who died July 9, 1845, aged 75, Andrew, a daughter who became the wife of Aaron COLTON, ] and another daughter.
    Solomon WARNER and Reuben BEALS, settled in the town about 1802 or '3. WARNER, who was a Revolutionary soldier, came in from New Milford, Conn., and settled on a farm adjoining that of Asahel BIXBY on the south-west, on the same lot. The place is now occupied by Hiram LOCKE. It was originally settled by Jedediah SMITH, who came in from the New England States in company with Cyrus STRONG, within a few years after the first settlers, as early as 1795, and kept there in company with Strong a store and bartered goods for lumber. Smith was detected in passing counterfeit money and left the town in consequence at an early day. Strong continued his resident in the town some 15 or 20 years, engaged in speculations. He then removed to Binghamton, where he became quite wealthy, and was president of the first bank in that city. WARNER lived on the farm till his family was grown up, when his sons Robert B. and Lemuel took it, and he removed to the farm now occupied by Alvah LYON, where he died Aug. 10, 1839, aged 78, and Rachel, his wife, Feb. 25, 1834, aged 70. Robert B., his son, died June 8, 1865, aged 69. Others of his children were Solomon, Asa, who died Dec. 30, 1866, aged 67, Mercy, who married Arad STOWEL, Sally who married Lewis NEWELL, an early and prominent merchant in Bainbridge, Zeruah, who married Joseph son of Eben LANDERS, Cornelia, who married Ezra HUTCHINSON, Athalia, who married William COLEMAN, not one of whom is now living. Athalia, who died in Allegany county in 1879, was the last of the family left.
    Reuben BEALS was from Vermont. He settled on the west side of the river, about a mile above Bainbridge, on the place now occupied by Dr. Garvis PRINCE, where he kept a tavern at an early day. He afterwards removed to the village and died there Dec. 17, 1843, aged 69, and Hannah, his wife, April 29, 1851, aged 75. His children were James, David, Polly, who married Chauncey HOFFMAN, Atalanta, who married Hiram SCHROM, and died April 30, 1833, aged 30, and Nancy, who became the second wife of Hiram SCHROM, who died Sept. 17, 1875, aged 68. Not one of them is living. The last, David, died in the town two years ago.
    Thomas HUMPHREY came in from Connecticut in 1804, with three of his children, Nathaniel, Charles and Johanna, and lived with Abner and Thomas Humphrey, sons by his first wife, who came in several years previously, as early as 1796, and settled on the river road, at what is now known as Humphey Settlement, Abner where Perry Humphrey, his grandson, now lives. The elder Humphrey had been a Revolutionary soldier, and was a cripple when he came in. He died in the town. His son Abner died Sept. 20, 1820, aged 54, and Abigail, the latter's wife, Sept. 2, 1829, aged 63. His son Thomas died June 20, 1839, aged 63, and Sela, his wife, Dec. 7, 1835, aged 59. He had seven children by his first wife and three by his second. Nathaniel, who is living in Bennettsville with his son, Oren H. Humphrey, in his 90th year, is the only one living. James H. Humphrey, another son by his first wife, took up, in company with his brother-in-law, John PRATT, a part of the farm now occupied by Albert NEWELL. He died Oct. 1, 1846, aged 63, and Lydia, his wife, Sept. 30, 1856, aged 68.
    Daniel HYDE, who was born in Lebanon, Conn., Sept. 11, 1782, settled in Bainbridge soon after 1800, and married Oct. 28, 1828, Clarissa, daughter of James and Eunice (GUTHRIE) GRAHAM, who was born at Sharon, Conn., Dec. 27, 1786. Their first child, Amanda M., was born here Oct. 20, 1809. She married Collins ALLEN, of Colesville, where they settled, and she died May 30, 1854. The family removed, about 1815, to Colesville and subsequently to Mentor, Ohio, where he died April 3, 1841.
    Silas FAIRCHILD came in from Dummerston, Vt., in 1806, and settled in Bainbridge, where he worked at carpentering and cabinet-making, and died. He had nine children, only two of whom are living, Silas in Aton village, and Jesse in Oneonta.
    Following are other of the early settlers, some of them, in all probability, among the first, but we have been unable to determine definitely the date of settlement:-Reuben BUMP, James B. NICHOLS, Edward PRINCE, Abel CONANT, Thomas, Samuel, Henry and Mott PEARSALL, Charles CURTIS, David SEARS, Samuel BANKS, John Y. BENNETT, John THOMPSON, Eli SEELY, Richard L. LAWRENCE, Jabez S. FITCH, Orange BENTON, Abner SEARLS, Jacob, Thomas and James IRELAND, William, Charles, Daniel and Samuel LYON, Seth JOHNSON and John NICHOLS.
    Reuben BUMP came from the East and settled on the east side of the Susquehanna, in the east part of the town, where Eleazer SPENCER's family now reside. He afterwards removed to Afton and died there July 29, 1868, aged 91. Jerusha, his wife, died March 12, 1855, aged 76. He had two sons and a daughter, Josiah, who moved to the locality of Elmira, Carpenter, who is now living in Baltimore.
    James B. NICHOLS settled at West Bainbridge, on the place now occupied by his son, Thomas. He had one other son, James, who removed to Steuben county.
    Edward PRINCE came in from Connecticut and settled on the south line of lot 71, on the place now owned by Judge SMITH, of Cortland, and occupied by William BENNER, and died there. His children were, Noble, Caesar, Jervis, Huldah, a maiden lady, a daughter who married Ephraim HILL, Electa, who married Jacob IRELAND, and a daughter, who married a man named VIBBARD, and resided in Otsego county. All are dead.
    Abel CONANT came from Vermont and settled in the north-east part of the town, on the farm now occupied by the widow of Henry SCOTT, and died there. He had a numerous family. Mrs. Stephen PETTYS living at West Bainbridge is a daughter.
    The PEARSALLs came from the East. Thomas settled on the brook, on the south part of lot 71, on the place now occupied by the widow of his son Robert, and died there; Samuel, on the north line of the town, directly north of Bainbridge, where his grandson, James Pearsall, now lives, and died there; Henry, on the farm adjoining Samuel's on the west, where his grandson, Sherman Pearsall now lives, and died there; Mott, on the west side of the brook, opposite Thomas', from which he afterwards moved. Thomas' children were Sutton, William, Thomas, Joseph, Gilbert, Nathaniel, Jemima, who died unmarried, Sally, who married William BUSH, Amy, who married Asa WARNER, and Phebe, who married Albert NEALLY. None of them are living in the county. Samuel had a numerous family of children, among whom were Samuel and Amos.
    Charles CURTIS settled first one and one-half miles above Bainbridge, on the west side of the river, and started the hat business, which he afterward carried on in the village, where, after living retired some years, he died. His children were Charles, George, Adaline, who married Colonel Hiram SCHROM, Helen, who married Henry A. CLARK, a lawyer in Bainbridge. Both daughters are living in Bainbridge.
    David SEARS came in from Connecticut. He bought the Gould BACON farm, on which he died. His children were Lucretia, who married Philip DEZANG, Polly, who married Henry REDFIELD, Amelia, who married David KNAPP, David, Isaac and Talcott, all of whom are dead.
    Samuel BANKS, who was born April 18, 1755, settled on the west side of the river, about three-fourths of a mile below Bainbridge, on the place now occupied by his grandson, John Banks, where he and his son William died, the former June 24, 1826, and the latter, who was born September 27, 1783, March 24, 1855. Charity, wife of Samuel, who was born September 28, 1760, died December 2, 1848. His other children were Permelia, who married Isaac SEELY, and died April 6, 1828, aged 46, and a daughter who married Sutton PEARSALL and is also dead.
    John Y. BENNETT was from the New England States. He settled on the west side of the river, near the mouth of the Unadilla. He had a large family of daughters, and, though a farmer, it is believed that he never took up land, and that he went west quite early.
    John THOMPSON settled on the south line of the town, east of the PEARSALLs who settled in that locality, on the farm now occupied by John PARSONS, where he died. His children were Henry and Jacob, who went west, Kate, and another daughter who married an INGERSOLL.
    Eli SEELY settled on the west side of the river, about two and one-half miles below Bainbridge, where Homer BRISTOL now lives. He afterwards moved to Afton, and died there by choking September 20, 1850, aged 88. He was twice married. His first wife, Sally, died in Bainbridge, November 5, 1821, aged 51, and his second, Ann, January 23, 1866, aged 57.
    The LYONs were in as early as 1792.
Merchants:- The first merchant in Bainbridge of whom we have any authentic information was Albert MINOR, who was doing business in 1805, but had discontinued previous to 1812. He removed to Ohio. Major Frederick DEZANG was probably the next merchant. His store stood near the end of the bridge, on the west side of the river. He traded as late as 1815, but probably not long after the close of the war. Richard Dezang, his son, and Richard LAWRENCE, his son-in-law, succeeded him, and traded in an old gamble-roof building, which for many years thereafter, stood on the site of J. Mitchell ROBERTS' residence, to which it was removed from the site of the "Mammoth block," near the Park Hotel, in 1818, in which year they erected a new building on the latter site. Dezang & Lawrence sold a few years later to Judge Peter BETTS and Jabez S. FITCH, who dissolved after trading a few years, Betts continuing in the same store, in company with his son Peter, and Fitch in one built by him on the corner diagonally opposite, where the new brick block now stands. After about two years Judge Betts was succeeded by his son-in-law, Robert HARPER, who continued in trade till about 1842 or '3, when he sold to Ansel EVANS and Josiah E. OWENS, who traded some three or four years. Mr. McEWEN, a connection of Judge Betts', traded three or four years from about 1823.
    Lewis NEWELL commenced mercantile business about 1810 and continued till about 1814, when he removed to Oneonta. His store was the building now occupied as a residence by Jehial EVANS. He also carried on blacksmithing very extensively. ----- PARKER succeeded Newell in the same store and did business a good many years.
    William SHAW was granted a license to keep a grocery May 28, 1829; but whether he had previously been engaged in mercantile business, and how long he continued to trade we are not advised. He was a butcher and followed that business a good many years. In 1830 a license was granted to Elisha SHARPE to open a grocery. He traded about three or four years. Sharpe lost an arm the day proceeding Fourth of July celebration in the village in 1828 or '9, by the premature discharge of a cannon, which had then recently been received for the use of the artillery company which had been organized in this vicinity. The discharge forced the ramrod through a part of the body of John REESE, and tore off the right arm of Dr. William KNAPP and the left arm of Elisha Sharpe.
    Moses Gaylord BENJAMIN and Albert NEALLY commenced mercantile business on opposite sides of the street about 1820. Benjamin continued till his death Jan. 18, 1833, the latter part of the time in company with Dexter NEWELL, who continued till his death, June 17, 1850, and a part of the time with Elliott KIDDER. Neally traded some three or four years, in company with Moses BURGESS, who afterwards engaged in the foundry business in Bainbridge, which he carried on till his death Oct. 9, 1865. In 1866, the foundry passed in to the hands of Don A. GILBERT, who was engaged in mercantile business from 1863 to 1866, was burned in 1867, re-built in 1868 and again burned in 1875. The saw-mill attached, now owned by Porter VAN HORNE, was not burned. Neally went west.
    Abraham OWENS, who married a daughter of Dexter NEWELL, commenced trading shortly before the death of the latter and continued till near the opening of the war, when he removed to Unadilla.
    About 1834, Stephen BROWN and Josiah B. NORTHROP commenced the tinsmith business, to which hardware and subsequently dry goods were added. They continued in company till about 1860, having been associated some seven or eight years the latter part of the time with Ozias B. TYLER. Northrop went west; so also did Brown a few years later. Tyler still resides in the village.
    Wallace W. DAVIS and ---- CHAFFEE commenced trading about 1860. After about two years Chaffee withdrew and returned to Unadilla, from when he came. Davis, continued till he was burned out in February, 1878, a part of the time in company with Gilbert SHERWOOD, his brother-in-law.
    Dudley BULLOCK came in from California and commenced trading a few years previous to the war, in which he participated as Captain of a company in the 114th Reg't., raised in this town. He did not again engage in mercantile business. Daniel BULLOCK, his nephew, from Oswego county, in company with Don A. GILBERT, succeeded to Dudley's business. After a year or two Bullock sold to Ransom MITCHELL, who after two or three years sold to Clark BUTTS and James K. WHITMORE from Otsego county. They sold after about three years to ---- CONKLING, who traded about two years.
    Following are the present merchants in Bainbridge: Gaylord S. GRAVES, furniture dealer, who came from Mt. Upton, and has traded here since 1849, for two years in company with Mrs. Harriet SEELY; Mrs. Helen B. CAMPBELL a native of Norwich, dealer in dry goods and millinery goods, who about 1872 succeeded her husband, Theodore R. Campbell, who commenced the dry goods and grocery business about 1870, millinery goods having been substituted for groceries in the spring of 1878; Charles M. FRISBIE, druggist, who came from Delaware county, and has traded since November, 1871; Charles M. PRIEST, general merchant, a native of Bainbridge, who came from Masonville, Delaware county, where he had been engaged in mercantile business in 1872, since which time he had traded here, in company in 1873 and '4 with Bennett P. VAN HORNE; Garvis PRINCE, hardware dealer, who came from New York, and commenced business in 1875, in company with George L. BABCOCK, with whom he was associated one year; Luman B. CLARK, grocer, who has resided in the village since May 17, 1855, and been engaged in mercantile business here since 1876; A. Frank MOSES, druggist, who came from Clymer, Chautauqua county, where he had carried on the same business, and brought out L. A. WRIGHT in 1876; Joseph B. EHRICH, jeweler, a native of Brooklyn, who came here from Oak Hill, Greene county, and succeeded his brother, Samuel S. EHRICH, who commenced the business in December, 1876; Isaac G. HANCOCK, dealer in boots and shoes, who came from Syracuse and commenced business in March, 1877; Mrs. Julia Ann HOLCOMB, milliner, who came from Troy in 1869, in the interest of her sister, Mrs. George R. SALISBURY, who established the business the previous year, and in September, 1877, sold to the present proprietor; John M. ROBERTS, grocer and dealer in lime, plaster and cement, who has also been station agent at Bainbridge since 1870, commenced the dry goods business in 1865, which he continued about two years in company with Ransom MITCHELL, and the grocery business in Dec., 1877; Charles P. PERRY, hardware dealer, who came from Unadilla March 16, 1878, having carried on the same business there some four years, in company with W. H. HESLOP; Henry Walker CURTIS, general merchant, commenced business here April 1, 1878, having previously carried on the same business at Mt. Upton and Sidney Plains, from the latter of which places he came here; Thomas Jefferson LYON, dealer in groceries, boots and shoes, a native of Bainbridge, who commenced business in the spring of 1878, at which time he bought the stock of his brother-in-law, J. R, KELLEY, who had carried on the business some twenty years; Adelbert L. PALMER, general merchant, who commenced business Oct. 1, 1878, having previously resided in the village some thirteen years; T. VAN ALSTINE, confectioner, who came from Philmont, Columbia county, and commenced business in April, 1879; Nathan HOPPE, who came from Elmira, and commenced business May 7, 1879; and Frank W. CRAIN, jeweler, who came from Laurens, Otsego county, in 1876, and commenced business June 1, 1879.
Postmasters:- The first post-office in the town of Jericho was established in a house which stood about twenty rods east of the residence of Dr. Garvis PRINCE. It was kept by Eliab SKEEL and David HITCHOCCK, but which was first cannot now be determined. It was kept there about three years, and removed to Bainbridge village in 1805, when the bridge was built there. The mail was brought on horseback from Catskill once a week. The locality first mentioned had been surveyed and laid out with a view to its becoming "the" village, and a tavern was kept there then and several years afterwards by Reuben BEALS, in a little frame building which occupied the site of Dr. PRINCE's residence while the post-office was located there. But the building of the bridge about a mile below determined the location of the village there and the removal of the office also.
    The first postmaster after the removal of the office to Bainbridge was Hon. John C. CLARK, who held the office till his election to Congress in 1826, when his son-in-law, Col. Moses G. BENJAMIN, was appointed, and held it till his death, Jan. 18, 1833. He was succeeded by Dexter NEWELL, who held it till 1849, when Abram G. OWENS was appointed. Samuel L. BANKS succeeded Owens, and held it till his death, Sept. 22, 1853, when Simeon SHEPARDSON was appointed. He and Col. Hiram SCHROM filled the interval till 1861, when Edward H. VAN HORNE was appointed, and held the office three or four years. He was succeeded by Theron R. HOLLISTER, who held it till his removal to Binghamton. Blin S. SILL next held it till his death in 1873. John W. CUDWORTH next held it till April 1, 1877, when Frederick J. NICHOLS, the present incumbent, was appointed.
Physicians.- The first physician at Bainbridge, of whom we have any information, was Dr. PORTER, a skillful physician, but intemperate man, who practiced here as early as 1805, and for several years thereafter. Dr. HOUGHTALING was contemporary with him. Nathan BOYNTON, who was located at Bettsburgh, also extended his practice to this locality at an early day. William KNAPP came in soon after 1805 and practiced as late as 1836, but left soon after. Charles B. NICHOLS was a contemporary practitioner with Knapp, and left about 1845. Knapp went to the locality of Tioga Point, and Nichols to Vermont. William D. PURPLE, of Greene, practiced here from 1824 to 1830. Erastus ROOT and Ebenezer MUNGER were practicing here in 1827. The latter continued till about 1840. Both joined the County Medical Society in 1822. P. SMITH took a farm at an early day, and afterwards removed to the village, continuing practice till about 1826 or '27. Hinman HOFFMAN, a very skillful physician, who was licensed in New Hampshire, practiced here over fifty years ago, and occasionally till his death. He lived near the mouth of the Unadilla. Elam BARTLETT and ---- COOKE were practicing here in 1843, also S. W. CORBIN, M.D., who joined the County Medical Society in 1830. Bartlett died Jan. 9, 1862, aged 53.
    Blin Smith SILL, who was born April 3, 1809, was practicing here as early as 1839, in which year he joined the County Medical Society. He continued practice till his death in 1873. He married Catharine A. LATHROP, who died May 11, 1845, leaving three children, Arabella, Stella and Eratsus L.
    Dr. McLAURY came from Delaware county about ----, and practiced four or five years. He returned to Delaware county.
    J. W. FREIOT, M.D., who was born Nov. 14, 1801, came from Troy about 1843, and resided here till his death, Nov. 14, 1875, though he practiced but little. He was a man of large property. His widow and two children still reside in the village. William PURINTON, came here from Harpersfield, where he had previously practiced, about 1840. and practiced till his death, June 23, 1855, aged 61. Eliza R., his wife, died July 15, 1866, aged 57. Charles A. CLARK was practicing here in 1854, and Cyrus N. BROWN in 1859, in which years they joined the County Medical Society. John YALE, from Guilford, practiced here eight or ten years from about 1861. Drs. WHITNEY and VAN HORNE, the latter from Otsego county, came here some twenty years ago and practiced, the former about seven or eight and the latter about ten years. Isaac D. MEACHAM came from Triangle in 1866, and practice here till 1879.
    The present physicians are Robert D. L. EVANS, Heman D. COPLEY and Orville J. WILSEY.
    Robert D. L. EVANS was born in Bainbridge May 30, 1835. He studied medicine in Pittsfield, Mass., with Dr. A. M. Smith. He entered Berkshire Medical College in Pittsfield in 1855, and was graduated Nov. 22, 1858. He commenced practice the latter year in Lee, Mass., and removed thence in 1862 to Bainbridge, where he has since practiced.
    Heman D. COPLEY was born in Harpersfield, N.Y., Jan. 21, 1851, and studied medicine at Davenport, in his native county, with Dr. J. E. NORWOOD. He entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York in 1871, and was graduated March 3, 1875. He commenced practice in 1875 at Chatham, N.J., and removed thence in 1876 to Bainbridge.
    Orville J. WILSEY was born in Otego, N.Y., Oct. 17, 1854, and commenced the study of medicine, at Unadilla, with Dr. Joseph SWEET. In 1876 he entered the University of the City of New York, where he was graduated Feb. 19, 1878, having during the intermediate year (1877) attended a course of medical lectures in Albany. He commenced practice at West Oneonta and removed thence to Bainbridge May 28, 1879.
Lawyers:- Simon G. TROOP, who resided at Oxford, was the first lawyer who practiced here.
    The first resident lawyer was John C. CLARK, who was born in Connecticut, Jan. 14, 1793, and was graduated from Williams College in 1811. He removed from Massachusetts to Hamilton, and from thence, after a brief residence, to Bainbridge, about 1818. He was elected District Attorney of this county in Oct., 1823, and represented it in the Assembly in 1826, and in Congress from 1827 to '29 and again from 1837 to '43. About the close of his last Congressional term he gave up the practice of law and removed to Chemung county, where he engaged in the lumber business. He died there Oct. 25, 1852. He was an eminent lawyer.
    William S. STOW came in about 1820 and practiced till about 1825, when he removed to Wayne county, where he practiced a good many years. John G. McCREA came about 1828, and after practicing a year or two returned to Saratoga county, whence he came, and where he soon after died. Horace DRESSER came in about 1835 or '6 and practiced some three or four years, a part of the time in company with John C. CLARK. He removed to New York and practiced there a number of years. George M. SMITH came from Norwich about 1836-'40, and after practicing three or four years returned and died there. He was elected District Attorney of this county in 1841 and again in 1844.
    Isaac BUSH, son of Joseph and Betsey Bush, of Bainbridge, where he was born, studied law with his brother-in-law, William S. SAYRE, in company with whom, after his admission, about 1836, he practiced some five years. He continued practice here till his death June 16, 1843, aged 32.
    James M. BANKS, a native of Bainbridge, read law in Oxford with James CLAPP, and commenced practice in Bainbridge about 1848, with William S. SAYRE, with whom he continued five or six years, when he removed to Chicago, where he now resides. He was elected District Attorney of this county in June, 1847, holding the office till November, 1850.
    George L. WINSOR, from Guilford, read law with William S. SAYRE and his uncle, George H. Winsor, with whom, after his admission in June, 1854, he practiced till shortly before his death, in 1878.
    John BEVERLY, from Herkimer county, came in 1871 and practiced for awhile with Charles B. SUMNER, and afterwards, for a short time, alone. He went to Grand Rapids, Mich.
    Arba K. MAYNARD came from Sherburne, where he had previously practiced, in 1835, and practiced here three or four years. He was a man of some talent and acquired some notoriety in the county. He removed from here to New York, where he was Judge of the Marine Court some six years. He was subsequently in Minnesota, and was at one time the Democratic candidate for Governor of that State.
    The present attorneys are William S. SAYRE, Henry A. CLARK, George H. WINSOR, Charles B. SUMNER, Leroy BENNETT and Elliott DANFORTH.
    William Strong SAYRE was born in Romulus, N.Y., March 5, 1803. He was graduated from Hamilton in 1824, and read law at Norwich with David BUTTOLPH and Charles A. THORP, and afterwards in Bainbridge with John C. CLARK in company with whom, after his admission in October, 1827, he practiced about four years. He has since practiced here without intermission, having been associated at different times with Isaac BUSH, James M. BANKS, George H. WINSOR and Leroy BENNETT, with the latter of whom he has been in company about two years, under the name of Sayre & Bennett. He was Justice of the Peace form 1833 to '37; Supervisor of Bainbridge in 1840 and '58; and Presidential Elector in 1856. (He died since the above was written, January 20, 1880.)
    Henry A. CLARK was born in Sidney, Delaware county, August 2, 1818, and pursued his legal studies in Buffalo with John L. Talbott, now Judge of the Supreme Court of this State. He was admitted to the bar in 1841, and commenced practice in Bainbridge, where he has since continued. He was a State Senator from the 23d District, embracing this county, in 1862 and '63, and was chairman of the Committee on Internal Affairs.
    George H. WINSOR was born in Guilford, N.Y., March 23, 1815, and read law in Delhi with A. & E. PARKER, and subsequently in Masonville with George KETCHUM. He was admitted in 1854, and commenced practice that year at Masonville. He removed thence November 20, 1855, to Bainbridge, where he has since practiced. He was a Member of Assembly from Delaware county in 1850.
    Charles B. SUMNER was born in New Berlin, N.Y., August 18, 1847, and read law in his native town with Henry BENNETT. He was admitted May 12, 1869, and commenced practice in Bainbridge August 10th of that year, in company with Horatio N. WARNER, who came in with him from Utica, to which city he (Warner,) returned after two months' practice. Mr. Sumner was subsequently in company with Melville KEYES, who came in from Oneonta in October, 1869, and returned there the following spring. Mr. Sumner was Special Judge of this county from January, 1873, to January, 1877.
    Leroy BENNETT was born in Bennettsville in this town September 12, 1837, and pursued legal studies three or four years with Henry A. CLARK, of Bainbridge. He was admitted at the General Term in Binghamton in May, 1877; in February, 1878, he commenced practice with William S. SAYRE, with whom he still continues.
    Elliott DANFORTH was born in Middleburgh, N.Y., March 6, 1850, and read law in the office of his father, Judge Peter S. Danforth, of Middleburgh, where, after his admission at the January General Term at Albany, in 1872, he commenced practice. He removed thence to Bainbridge, August 10, 1878, and formed a law partnership with George H. WINSOR, which still continues. In 1874, Mr. Danforth, by invitation delivered a Fourth of July oration in Bainbridge. He then formed the acquaintance of Miss Ida, daughter and only child of Dr. Garvis PRINCE of that village, and December 17th of that year he was united in marriage with her.

West Bainbridge

Postmasters:- There is a post-office there, and William WATROUS is the postmaster. The office was established about forty years ago. Thomas NICHOLS as the first postmaster, and held the office twenty-eight years. He was succeeded by Timothy S. LANE, who held it till its discontinuance in 1861. It was subsequently re-established.

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