THE GRIDLEY FAMILY OF ONONDAGA HOLLOW

from Toni Mann

Thanks for providing such a wonderful Onondaga County Web Page!

I would like to submit some information about my ancestors who once resided in Onondaga Hollow.

JOHN GRIDLEY was born at Springfield, Massachusetts, on 26 Sep 1781. He settled at Onondaga Hollow in 1807. On 4 Jul 1809, he married NANCY SEELEY, (daughter of Gideon Seeley and wife, Mable Todd.) Nancy was born 21 Mar 1789, she died near Half Day, Lake County, Illinois, on 28 Oct 1847.

John Gridley lived in Onondaga Hollow from 1807 until the spring of 1835. There he owned and operated a "Tannery and Boot and Shoe Shop", where he employed a number of men. George Slocum, a later owner of the Gridley property, claimed to have plowed into tannery vats on the land.

John Gridley was about 5 feet 8 inches in height; had sandy hair and blue eyes, and was of slender build. He was an active, energetic man, and athletic. When about seventy years old, while the farm hands were resting at noon, he would throw his feet up into the air and walk around the outside of the house on his hands, with agility and perfect ease.

He was a great reader of standard books and papers; a lover of music, especially the Church songs in vogue in his younger days and fond of dancing. His hymnals and family Bible, complete with its rawhide covered binding, are owned today by a Gridley descendant living in Illinois.

Following the "panic of 1833", John was obliged to give up this business, more perhaps because of what was owing him than because of what he owed. He brought with him to Illinois a bushel basket full of notes and bills, due him, hoping some of them would be paid after a while, but he waited many years without realizing anything on any of them, and finally took them all out doors one day, touched a lighted match to the pile, and burned them up. (from Bio. written by George Gridley)

The Gridley house, possibly the oldest house in Syracuse today, was built by John Gridley in 1812. It is located at 205 East Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, NY. The story goes that Mr. Gridley, fearful of the possibility of British troops passing his property along the main east-west trail, had a Masonic emblem carved into the keystone over the front door, in hopes that the Masons among the British might spare the house. However, when they did march through the Hollow, it was as prisoners from the Battle of Niagara.

The Gridley House was elegant for its time and place, in the Onondaga Valley. Constructed of native grey limestone, its walls are three feet thick in the cellar and taper to a foot and a half in the attic. It has seven fireplaces and a "beehive" shaped oven adjoins the fireplace in the basement, so large that a week's supply of bread could have been baked in it at one time. The house, with its step-gabled roof may be seen in the painting by George K. Knapp, in which he depicts Red-coat prisoners, en route from Lundy's lane for exchange. Today, it is registered as a historical landmark. (from Onondaga Historical Society)

Gridley children born in Onondaga Hollow:

Elisha Gridley b. 1817 m. Charlotte Sawyer. d. 7 Jan 1881, Lake Co., IL

Elizabeth Gridley b. 23 Jul 1819. m. Joseph H. Mason d. 22 Aug 1848, IL

George Gridley b. 9 Sep 1821. m. Harriet Hunnewell d. 17 Sep 1907 IL

Mary A. Gridley b. 3 Sep 1823 m. William Davison d. 31 Aug 1908, CA

John Taylor Gridley b. 1 Nov 1829 m. Susan Ellen Seeley d. 2 Jan 1910, IL

Louisa Amelia Gridley b. 9 Jan 1833. m. Joseph Mason. d. 7 Nov 1910, MT

(from Church records)

John and Nancy had five children who died young. A stone at the Onondaga Valley Cemetery reads:

"In memory of the infant daughter of John & Nancy Gridley, daughter died April 20th, 1810 aged 27 days. Gideon Seeley died Jan 28th, 1811, aged 2 yrs. and 1 month. John S. died Sept 2, 1816, aged 10 months. Mary died Sep 14th, 1816.

Henry died April 25th 1827."

It is sad to note that Gideon Seeley Gridley drowned in one of his father's tanning vats. John and Mary died just 12 days apart. 1816 would go down in history as the year with no summer.

John Gridley's father, Samuel Gridley, also lived in the Gridley house with John and Nancy from 1813 until his death in 1825.

Nancy Seeley Gridley was born in Westchester Co., New York; probably in the town of South Salem. She was the daughter of Gideon Seeley and Mable Todd. She shared the migrations of her family to their new Onondaga home and the discomforts of pioneer life.

Gideon Seeley was born at South Salem, 17 Aug 1764. He married first Mable Todd, in 1784. She died in 1793. In 1794 he married Esther Owen. Near this time a portion of the Onondaga Indian Reservation was opened by the State to settlers and Gideon, in some capacity, perhaps as chairman, was one of the company of surveyors. He found a wonderful tract of land and when it was sold, at Albany, he bid it off. Having disposed of his Westchester possessions, he came, with his family, to the new wilderness home. Road making, bridge building, land clearing and house erection were among his early stalwart duties. He worked faithfully; made broad fields of the former forests; was recognized as a man of affairs, within the County, of the Southern part of Onondaga; was elected, or appointed, Justice of the Peace; was Squire Seeley, through all the region. He was a good friend of the portion of the Onondaga Indians that remained, and was named by them "Shinnewana", that is, Gentleman. The Chief of the Indians used to visit him and consult with him. He died 15 Feb 1844. A marble slab in the burying ground, at the village of South Onondaga, bears the name of Gideon Jr.; and to this has been added, by direction of his reverent son, Joseph Owen, "A soldier of the Revolution". Wife Esther, and Son Joseph Owen and his wife Susanna are all buried in the same row. The character and work of Gideon Seeley Jr. left a powerful influence on the town. To his children and grandchildren he was an emboniment of authority, dignity, and honor. (from bio. by Henry Martyn Seeley)

This is just a small bit of information I have on these families. I can be contacted at my e-mail address if there are any questions concerning these families.

Sincerely,

Toni Mann

LidaJane10@aol.com