Wellsville, New York
Early Settlers before 1829
- Nathaniel Dike, 1795.
- Rachel Dike is the first child born in 1805.
- Thomas Brink dies in 1807.
- Ithamar Brookings teaches the first school in 1814.
- William and Asa Foster, in 1816; “Asa Foster used to say that he paid for his farm by hunting, trapping and fishing. As late as 1835 he killed a female panther near Duke's Mill, captured her two cubs and sold them in Rochester for $300.” [Minard, p.330]
- Job Strait, Sr., 1816, first settler in what became incorporate Wellsville. “Job Straite had a corn-cracker at his cabin, made by cutting down a large maple and suing the stump for a bowl. Corn was ground in this novel mill by raising and dropping in the bowl the heavy pestle which had been constructed from a section of the tree.”
Hunt for a Lost Man. The most thrilling episode in the early history of Wellsville was the organized hunt for Job Straite, Sr., in 1833. The pioneers were a close body of brothers, deeply interested in each other's welfare. Settlements were few and isolated, and men were friends, not merely acquaintances. It was not remarkable that when the old man Straite, 90 years of age, wandered into the forest that the settlers, for a radius of nine mile or more, united in a search for the lost man. One Sunday in April, 1833, the old gentleman started to visit his grandson. The path was a narrow one through the forest. Nothing was thought of the old man's absence till Monday afternoon when the son discovered that he had never reached his destination. An alarm was immediately sounded through the neighborhood and a searching party organized, but no trace of the wanderer could be found. The search on Tuesday was also unsuccessful. Excitement became intense. On Wednesday men gave up their usual work and made a business of the search. The man had been out three cold nights. Whispers of foul play circulated, out-of-the-way places were searched for his remains, for it was believed that he must certainly have been murdered. None could suggest an incentive for the dark deed however, and many did not believe its commission possible. Thursday, Friday and Saturday they searched continuously. On Saturday, the eighth day, hope of his discovery while alive was given up. Excitement grew apace. Men from Scio, Andover, Willing and Independence joined the hunt. Parties were organized and 200 or more men systematically scoured the country. A line was formed reaching from Wellsville to Andover n the south side of Dike's Creek. About 8 o'clock Sunday morning companies began to move slowly and cutiosly forward scanning every foot of ground. Men were in speaking distance of each other and armed with guns and horns. The country was perfect wilderness in which it was very easy to lose one's way. Toward the close of the afternoon three sharp shots and a blast of horns woke the echoes of the hills south of Dike's Creek, about half way between Andover and Wellsville. The man was found and found alive. At least he breathed, but his mind was gone, and he sat unconsciously digging with his hand a hole in the ground. His mouth was filled with earth and roots which he had attempted to eat. His condition was indeed pitiable, but not so for long. Kind friends took turns carrying him to the road. At John Harvey's the nearest house (where Emory Cook now lives), a blanket was procured and rigged to poles. On this the old man was carried to Shoemaker's Corners (now Elm Valley). Here Dr. Rice resuscitated Mr. Strait who eventually recovered and lived for several years. Manson Rice of Andover discovered the lost man. Erastus Baker first answered the glad blast which Rice blew on discovering the wanderer. One shot followed another down the long line, the sound of conchshells and horns and hilarious shouts mingled in the valley until the joyful news was carried miles away and all the searchers were formed: “The lost is found!” “The lost is found!” [Minard, p. 336] - Job Strait, Jr.
- Samuel Warner
- Amos Lane
- Enda
- Johnson
- J. Mallory
- Valentine Bowen
- A. A. Adams
- H. and R. Hall
- H. Rogers
- A. Dunham
- W. D. Spicer
- G. B. Jones
- Rowley
- M. Johnson
- Billy Weed “In 1827 Billy Weed killed 24 deer, a bear and a wolf with his old flint-lockgun and one pound of powder. He bought the rifle in the spring of that year of Miami York and gave 200 pounds of maple sugar for it.” [Minard, p. 331]
- Bartholomew Coats “came form Independence to Wellsville and located at Riverside on the Church Tract. He reached here guided only by a blazed track through the forest. An ox team hitched to a wood sled (constructed like a stone-boat) brought along a few necessities. ” [Minard, p. 331]
Settlers between 1827 and 1832.
- Gardiner Wells Wellsville named for him.
- Robert Wells
- Reuben Kent
- Daniel Tuttle
- Harmon VanBuren
- Silas Hills
- Nelson Seeley
- Cornelius Seeley
- Dr. George B. Jones
- James Fosbury
- Chas. Rowley
- Justus Brimmer
- Joseph Crowner
- John Cline “In June, 1829, John Cline walked with his father from Bath by the way of Towlesville, Hornellsville, Almond and Andover to Hallsport, in Independence. He still retains (1895) a remarkable recollection of the journey. A promising section of land was selected, and in the fall, with oxen and cart, tools were brought from Bath, a small place cleared and a cabin built. Mother and sister came in the next March. ” [Minard, p. 332]
Wellsville Village in 1837
Mrs. Joanna Coats, widow of Welcome H. Coats remembers the village of 1836 and 1837. In November, 1836, she came with her husband from Alfred. It was the proposed construction of the Erie railroad that brought them. In '37 they built a building. Mr. Coats was a cabinet maker and in 1838 established a small shop in his house. The turning-lathes were run by horse power. In 1852 the first steam engine used in the village was put in the shop, which had been moved from the dwelling, and occupied the site of the present brick store. W. H. Coates was the villages pioneer manufacturer. The present Coats Furniture Company, of which he was the founder, is our oldest manufacturing concern. Other than the early settlers already mentioned Mrs. Coates remembers that Stephen Taylor, E. A. Smith, Jno. F. Goddard, Samuel Shingler and A. E. Bronson were here in '37. “Eph” Smith soon after his arrival in '37 purchased the Mill street grist and saw mills and conducted them for a few years. He afterwards owed the greater portion of lot 3 as well as considerable property along Main street farther down the river. He built the homestead now remodeled and occupied by E. C. Bradley. The river road then ran directly by the house. The highway then was not as straight street; for instance, the road took a sharp turn to the north near Furnace street and ran through about where the lane is in the rear of the business blocks. After passing around the deep gully which lay between Furnace and Pearl, the street swung back toward the river again. The ravine was not “filled in” for years after the street was straightened. Ambrose Coats, who was born at Riverside in 1837, says, that as a boy he remembers a valley between two hills on Main street. The sides seemed steep and precipitous. To-day on either side of the street the gully remains unfilled. Where O'Connor Bros. store was erected it was not necessary to excavate for the cellar. Not till L. D. Davis became the first street commissioner of the village was the road made really level. Mr. Davis' efforts at the time (1867) were saluted with these verses from the pen of the versatile Dr. H. M. Sheerar.
| Davis! spare our street, Touch not a single stone Where oft our children's feet Have trampled in mud alone. 'Twas our forefather's hand That laid it near our lot, There, Davis, let it stand, Thy spade must harm it not. |
That old familiar street, Whose mud and pumplog down Below the surface neat, Take water through the town. Davis! forbear thy stroke, Spoil not the rugged grade. I tell you 'tis no joke, your army with a spade. |
In '37 and for many years afterwards the village extended down the river only to Furnace street. When in 1842 a school house was built upon the Academy site its location said to be “out in the country in the woods,” though the site was in the village as surveyed by Sheldon Brewster in '37. The Baptist church site was not then in the village. The Brewster survey comprised about 75 acres and lay entirely within great lot 3 of the Willing and Francis Tract, Morris Reserve. The south line began at the junction of Dike's Creek with the river at State street bridge and crossed Main street and took in the Hanrahan blacksmith shop. The west boundary was the river. The east line was nearly parallel to Main street and about 56 rods distance therefrom. The present central business section lies within these boundaries. Main street extends from the south to the north line of lot 3. Broad, Harrison and Washington streets were parallel to Main. Clinton and Lafayette were south of present State street and 10 degrees off from a right angle to Main. Franklin, Mineral, Jefferson, Genesee, Nelson and Pine were on the east side of Main. State and Mill crossed Main. Clementina Square of 1 1/2 acres was bounded north by WAshington, east by Jefferson, south by Harrison and west by Genesee. Capt. Geo. H. Blackman's resident is on this square. [Minard, pp. 337-338]
Old Residents and an early Wedding
In the spring of 1839 Mr. John B. Clark stopped at the VanBuren tavern. He says: “There were few buildings on Main street then. Gardiner Wells, James Fosbury, H. VanBuren, A. M. Taylor and Nelson and Cornelius Seely I remember well. The night I reached Wellsville 16 couples attended a dance at the VanBurens'. The pretty girls at that dance had much to do with my settling here,” said the old man with a twinkle in his eye. “In '40 I purchased some timber land of Judge Bartlett and also the John F. Godard farm.” In 1848 Mr. Clark married Miss Anna L. Knight who, of all our residents, has had the longest continuous residence here. She was born in 1832 in a log cabin which stood on Genesee street near the Clinton House. Their wedding on Nov. 22, 1848, was a great event. The ceremony took place in the Thompson “Castle” at Riverside, the finest mansion within a radius of many miles,* where Mr. Clark's mother was living. The mansion this night presented a gay appearance. It was illuminated not only with hundreds of wax candles, but with lamps, in which whale oil at $1.00 a gallon was burned. One hundred guests were present. They came from the whole surrounding country. One room of the castle was set apart for the liquid refreshments which were furnished the guests. Costly wines and old liquors, such as a new country seldom tasted, were free as water, yet it is said there was no intoxication. Elder Hammond of the Congregational church performed the ceremony. The “castle” was certainly not haunted with ghosts that night. The last bit of this interesting structure formed a part of the Riverside Sanatorium which burned a few years ago. The DePeyster house, built by a friend of Captain Thompson's below the “castle” is still standing, and owned by Dr. E. B. Sheerar.
[* This was owned by Captain Thompson, a wealthy old seaman and an aristocrat. Just before its completion the Captain, who was superintending the construction, received word of the death of his wife in New York City. Painters were at work on the house and he ordered them to pain the sash and other woodwork black, and stopped all other work. This uncanny proceeding and the large unfinished rooms that echoed and re-echoed steps and voices gave rise to a story that the house was haunted. Captain Thompson went to New York and never returned to live in Wellsville. Edwin, his son, however, resided here many years and was long town clerk of old Scio.]
Civil History
The township of Wellsville was formed November 22, 1855. It was formed from parts of Willing, Andover and Scio.
Boundaries- North - Scio and Alma
- East - Andover and Independance
- South - Willing and Alma
- West - Scio
First Town Meeting at the home of Harmon VanBuren on March 4, 1856.
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Town Supervisors
| Year | Supervisor |
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| 1856 | J. Milton Mott |
| 1857 | Zenas H. Jones |
| 1858 | C. L. Farnum |
| 1859-1861 | Wm. S. Johnson |
| 1862 | I. W. Fassett |
| 1863 | Hiram York |
| 1864-1866 | Adolphus Howard |
| 1867-1868 | Sumner Baldwin |
| 1868 | Tie Vote |
| 1869-1872 | Sumner Baldwin |
| 1873 | John Carpenter |
| 1874 | Sumner Baldwin |
| 1875-1876 | Wheeler Hakes |
| 1877-1879 | Dickinson Clark |
| 1880-1881 | Wm. R. McEwen |
| 1882 | Hiram A. Coats |
| 1883 | Thomas O'Connor |
| 1884-1885 | A. A. Almy |
| 1886 | Wm. Duke |
| 1887-1888 | E. A. Osborn |
| 1889 | Harry W. Breckenridge |
| 1890-1892 | O. D. Browning |
| 1893-1895 | G. H. Witter, M.D. |
Biographies from Allegany County and Its People by John S. Minard.
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Biographies from Beers' History of Allegany County, 1806-1879
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The Friendhsip Chronicle, Vol. I, No. 11, April 21, 1880
James L. Macken, Anti-Tilden and W. W. Nichols, Tilden delegates to the State Convention, left here for Syracuse yesterday morning.
Miss Fanny Lewis and Miss May Cutler who have been attending school at Elmira, are home on a visit during vacation.
Miss Mary Babcock, of Hornellsville, is on a visit to relatives and friends here.
Mr. C. L. Parker, who has been very sick with diptheria, is now able to be out again.
The social of the Congregational Church and society is to be held on Wednesday evening at the residence of Mrs. McEwen. A highly enjoyable gathering is anticipated.
Eugene Farnum returned from Rochester on Saturday, bringing with him about thierty thousand young trout to stock our stream with.
McEwen Brothers are running fell blast. They are employing more workmen; than ever before, and still they cannot begin to fill their orders.
Coats Brothers are preparing to again enlarge their already extensive furniture manufactory. They contemplate employing twenty-five more workmen this spring.
Triangle well No. 2 was torpedoed yesterday at eleven o'clock. Within six hours it filled up with over six hundred feet of oil. Good judges claim that it is certainly good for from twenty-five to fifty barrels per day. J. G. Haymaker and several other Bradford operators are purchasing large quantities of land at one hundred dollars per action. -- Splinter
The Cuba True Patriot, Vol. V, No. 37, Mar 15, 1867:
Another Fire in Wellsville -- Wellsville was again visited by a disastrous fire on the morning of Saturday, the 9th inst. It was first discovered in a small building known as the "Blue Front," occupied by the firm of Nast & Auerbach, Clothing merchants. They lost their entire stock. The fire spread rapidly south, along the row of light wooden buildings, burning everything up to and including Plum's bakery. North, it burned Banister's shoe shop and the new post office. The looses, as far as can be learned, are as follows:
- Banister shoe shop, $1,000
- Nast & Auerbach, clothing, $5,000
- Barnes, Postmaster, $600
- Sarsfield, Merchant Tailor, $800
- Stillman, book store, $1,000
- Miss Wildman, ladies furn'g, $1,000
- Simpson, dwelling, $600
- Henry Sterling, dwelling, $2,000
- Mrs. Sterling, milliner, $300
- White & Fisher, grocers, $1,000
- Crandall, store, $1,500
- Miss Russell, Milliner, $500
- Smith, building, $1,500
- Plumb, baker, $2,000
- Demorest, tailor, $500
The stocks of goods were mostly moved, which accounts for the light loss. The property was mostly fully insured.
Wellsville Town Page
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