THE FOLKS WHO LIVED HERE
Benjamin Still, expert farmer of 1824
From the Thousand Islands Sun Vacationer, , courtesy of Jeanne Snow, editor
Transcribed from 14 Aug 2002 Vacationer, Alexandria Bay, Jefferson County, New York by Suzi Howard.Benjamin Still, born in 1777, was a pioneer of the constructive type, for he turned wilderness sections into well cultivated fields, and his farm received the first premium from the Jefferson County Agricultural Society when they were making awards in early years. When Benjamin Still made his settlement in what was at the time the township of Alexandria in 1824, he resolved to cultivate every field so that it would produce its best. He planted a large orchard on the side hill. He constructed a hog house that was a model, and equipped with slaughtering quarters, all inside the building. He built brick arches for the kettles for hogs when they were slaughtered, to heat the water for scalding the pig and had labor saving arrangements to help hang up the pork when it was dressed. He built a model milk house, so that when the farm viewers for the County Fair made their survey they went into the cellar and, not only awarded the first prize for the farm, but awarded Mrs Still the first prize on her dairy butter. But who was Benjamin Still, and where did he locate? He was born in Litchfield, Conn, son of a British solder, youngest of a family of three children. Brought up on a farm, he learned to be a good farmer. In 1802 he married Lydia Kent of Royalton, Vt, by which union were four sons and five daughters. Early in the year 1804 he drove his ox team and one cow, and all his worldly goods, into the wilderness lands six miles northeast of Brownville, in what was the town of Pamelia. When they reached the location they decided to purchase, he was near the home of Nathan Cole, a friend who had preceded him and erected a cabin in the wilderness. There he found shelter until he could build his own cabin, in which he moved before he could build a door. But he hung up a bed quilt for the door and built a big fire every night just outside the door to keep away the wild beasts. He was making a good start when an accident in the fall of 1805 nearly crippled him. A gun-shot wound disabled his left arm for life and the doctor’s bills, with other expenses amounted to $300, a sum larger than his entire worth at the time. But he decided never to give up and said he would not only pay all his bills, but pay for his farm also. This he did, in spite of his great handicaps. When the war of 1812-14 came on it was Benjamin Still who led in the erecting of a log fort on his land for the protection of settlers, should an invasion come. Although exempt from military duty, he was at Sackets Harbor to help defend his land. But in 1824 he had an opportunity to sell his farm at a very good price and he decided to push on into another wilderness section and picked a tract of land in what was the town of Alexandria, where he started to make a model farm, a goal he succeeded in doing. His section became known as Stills Corners, and in the subdivision of the towns, his property went into the newly formed Theresa township, but near enough to the Alexandria line so that some of his farm was in Alexandria. He was only a few rods from the Orleans line. In common with the times he planned very fine family cemetery and spent much time and money in erecting a high wall to retain the dirt he brought in to level the side hill, across the road from the farm house. He built an iron fence above the stone and in the center of this cemetery one can find his monument with the simple inscription: “Benjamin Sill, died Jan 5, 1865,” which would make him 88 at the time of his death. It is interesting to note the inscription on some of the other stones. There is one to the memory of a daughter, Zilpha, and it reads: “Zeilpha Adams, died Aug 14, 1868, age 64 yrs.” And one to her husband, Alfred Adams. And one to a daughter of theirs, which reads: “Elvira, daughter of Alfred and Zilpha Adams, died 18, 1856, aged 16 yrs, 3 mos.” There is a stone to the memory of another daughter, Harriet, who married Eli H Phelps. His tombstone reads: “Eli H Phelps, died Aug 7, 1878, aged 69 yrs, 9 mos, 20 days.” that of his wife reads: “Harriet, his wife, died Oct 29, 1887, aged 74 yrs, 9 mos.”
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