Our County and Its People
John E. Smith
Boston History Co. - Boston, MA - 1899INTRODUCTORY
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It is not thought by the editor or the publishers of this work that apology is demanded for either its production or its character. While attempts have been made in past years towards placing in permanent form the interesting history of Madison county and its immediate vicinity, it is generally conceded that such attempts, although quite worthy in some of their features, have not as a whole resulted satisfactorily. In undertaking the preparation of the work bearing the title, "Our County and Its People ," as a successor to such books of local history as previously have been issued, the editor and his assistants clearly realized their position and the burden of responsibility they were assuming. It was fully comprehended that if a favorable verdict was expected from readers it could be secured with nothing less than a publication that would stand as the best of its kind, containing a complete, comprehensive and reasonably historical and biographical record of the county. An earnest and painstaking effort has been made by all who have shared in this task to reach that high standard. It remains with the public to determine how far the effort has been successful.
To those whose ancestors settled and have long dwelt in this locality; who have figured in its memorable historical incidents or shared in its important events; who have watched the growth and contributed to the welfare of the community; who have aided in developing its institutions, the skillfully told history of the region will have a peculiar interest and charm. Events and objects long familiar, perhaps, gain a new and more vivid fascination when the story of their creation or occurrence is placed upon the printed page, possibly linking them closely with vastly more momentous events of early times. The often rehearsed story of a local battle ground is read with renewed interest by one who learns that his neighbor's sire or grandsire there shed his blood. A road so often traveled that its every feature is permanently pictured in the mind, becomes more than a familiar highway when the reader learns its history as an Indian trail, or that his immediate ancestors laid it out through the primeval forest. The very hills and valleys and streams assume a new and more interesting aspect when the historical record places peoples them with the men and women of long ago. These are facts which enhance the value of all properly prepared local history and biography, through which the reader is made acquainted with the past of his dwelling place, and in which are preserved records that no community can afford to lose.
Local history bears to general history a similar relation to that of a microscopical examination and one made with the naked eye. The former must take cognizance of a multitude of minute details which of necessity must be passed over in the latter. Minor facts of little value in themselves often assume great importance when considered with their attendant circumstances and surroundings. It is the gathering, compilation and arrangement of these many minor details that demand patience, time and skill. Descriptions of local events, unless of paramount importance, frequently went unrecorded in early years, thus doubling the task of obtaining them at the present time. The placing on record of hundreds of dates and thousands of names is alone an arduous task and one demanding the utmost watchfulness and care to avoid error. Harsh criticism will, therefore, be tempered with mildness by the fair-minded reader who may find a single error among a myriad of correct statements..
While the history of Madison county as a civil division of the State of New York extends less than a century into the past, it is replete with interest, and events of great importance took place within its limits, or near at hand, before the county itself was organized. On the other hand, it largely escaped the horrors of Indian warfare that characterized the greater part of the Mohawk valley. This was due to a great extent to the friendliness of the Oneida nation of the Iroquois, who inhabited its territory. Their nature was less savage than that of the other Five Nations and they remained to a great extent loyal to the white settlers. For this reason, and also because the subject was long ago exhausted in many volumes, only brief space has been devoted to that subject. The same is true of the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812, the immediate consequences of which, as far as actual hostilities were concerned, affected the territory of Madison county but little. It was thought that the space that might have been given to these memorable struggles was more valuable for history more deeply imbued with local color.
In the preparation of this volume it was not expected that very much new material would be discovered. The historical field has been many times worked over, though frequently in a fragmentary or disconnected manner, or in parts of other volumes. The dominant purpose has been to so complete and arrange the story of the settlement and the later development of the locality as to give the reader a continuous narration, as far as consistent, and save him the task of searching through many incomplete volumes in scattered libraries for what he may here find in more concise form. Chronological sequence has been preserved in preference to a general classification of subjects, in the belief that through this method the reader will be better enabled to follow the course of events as a whole. This plan has been followed even to the insertion in the body of the work of records of most of the settlements and early events in the various towns and villages of the county, leaving for treatment in the final gazetteer of towns only some of the features of modern development and present conditions. Separate chapters have been given to only those broader and more important subjects of the professions --- legal, medical, educational, etc.
It is impossible to perform the otherwise pleasant task of expressing gratitude to the many persons who have given substantial aid during the preparation of this work. Especially is this true of the many hundreds of heads of families who have made it possible to gather the multitude of biographical records included in the third part of the volume, which constitutes a valuable and interesting part of the work. In these records no effort has been spared to preserve to posterity a mass of biographical material in which is told the story of the heroic and unselfish efforts of the fathers and the sons and daughters for the development of Madison county in every direction. The reader will find it profitable to read these sketches in connection with the general history, thus being enabled to arrive at a just estimate of the work as a whole.
In relation to these sketches it is proper to say that the majority of them are devoted to families who have supported the work. To have attempted the gathering of records of every family in the county would clearly have been impossible, while any effort to discriminate by arbitrarily selecting from among living residents those who might be considered "prominent ," would have been still more impossible and probably would have led to much ill feeling. Thus, those who are paying for and will read this work are afforded an opportunity to preserve in a permanent manner some form of personal sketch. The data for the preparation of these sketches has been largely gathered by agents of the publishers and a type-written copy of every one has been sent to subscribers for correction..
In expressing gratitude for aid to editor and publishers, it will not be considered invidious to especially mention Prof. Ralph W. Thomas for his carefully prepared history of Colgate University. A few of the many others who have shown a personal interest in the work are Paul S. Maine, county clerk; Prof. I. N. Clements, of Cazenovia; Hiram L. Rockwell, of Oneida; Alexander M. Holmes, of Morrisville; Peter Walrath, Milton De Lano, of Canastota (town of Lenox), and Luke McHenry of the town of Sullivan; H. T. Spooner and O. S. Gorton, of Brookfield; James Kennedy, of Stockbridge; M. N. Campbell, of Lebanon; Merritt Lyon, of Nelson; G. C. White, of Madison; M. L. Dennison, of Smithfield; Warren W. Ames, of De Ruyter; Warren Brown, of Hamilton, and others.
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