THE HOUSES THEY LIVED IN

Azariah Walton, one of the historic figures of Jefferson County, played an important part in the development of the village of Alexandria Bay and the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. At one time he and Chesterfield Pearsons jointly owned all of the Thousand Islands on the American side of the St. Lawrence. From 1829 he was for 19 years collector of customs at Alexandria Bay, where he was for many years a prosperous merchant.

There he died June 10, 1855, aged nearly 71, owner and occupant of this stone house, which the Centennial History of Jefferson County, published in 1905 says he built about 1830, but which was probably not started before 1835.

In the town of Chesterfield, N.H., Azariah Walton was born Aug. 20, 1784. He learned the blacksmith's trade, became a skilful machinist and prior to 1812 came to Brownville, where he superintended the construction of the cotton mills. From Brownville he removed to Theresa in 1824 and engaged in merchandizing until 1828 when he was appointed collector of customs at Alexandria Bay. Several monuments have there existed to his memory, one being a street named for him and another having been a hotel.

On May 29, 1810, when he was 25 he was married to Mary Gilson who was then 18, having been born Nov. 15, 1791. It was on March 10, 1835, that he bought 9.6 acres of land beginning on the southeast side of James street, Alexandria Bay, for $244.05. This purchase was made from Francis Depau, New York City merchant, and wife, Silvie De Grasse Depau through their attorney, Patrick Somerville Stewart. It was for Depau, heavy Jefferson County landowner, that Depauville was named.

This native limestone house, the only old one in Alexandria Bay, is on the southeast side of James Street, and was probably built by Walton shortly after he purchased the land from Depau in 1835.

Azariah Walton executed his will May 25, 1855, and gave his widow Mary this house, its contents, a cow and $200 a year, but on Sept. 1, 1858, Mary sold the house and 1.95 acres of land to Rosina Rowe, and on Oct. 31, 1860, Rosina sold the place to Augustus Whitlock of New York City. The executors of Whitlock disposed of it to Jerome B. Estes Nov. 1, 1866, a few months after his son, Capt. Charles J. Estes, now 81, was born. Captain Estes, well known boatbuilder, proprietor of the tour boat "C.J.E.," former caretaker of the Nathan Strauss summer home on Sissilina, still resides in Alexandria Bay.

Jerome B. Estes and wife, Eliza, kept this house only until July 5, 1867, when they sold it to Chauncey Westcott, one of Alexandria Bay's earliest prominent residents. Westcott, whose wife was Emeline Everson, died Nov. 4, 1886, and under his will recorded Jan 15, 1887, he gave his daughter, Mrs. Eveline F. Woodworth, his homestead property on James Street. Sometime after the death of her first husband, Charles Woodworth, Eveline married John P. Roton, a cigar merchant and onetime Alexandria Bay police chief. On May 10, 1910, she conveyed this property to Charles I. Everson and four days later Everson and wife, Minnie, conveyed it back to her and Roton jointly. Following her death, the property went to her husband, Roton, and Sept.2, 1937, the Northern New York Trust Company as his executor sold it to John J. and Kittie Bayette Dolan of Bridgeport, CT. Mrs. Dolan was a niece of Roton, who died 8 Feb. 1935. His wife had died ten years before. On Sep 1947, Mrs.Dolan, then of Fairfield, Conn. sold this fine old stone house with its beautiful front entrance and the more recently constructed frame wing to John G. Spathis, 19 James Street, who conducts a restaurant next door to the stone house.

© Nan Dixon, 2001