(page 826)
West Monroe is the youngest
and the second smallest town in Oswego county. It was formed from
Constantia on the 21st of March, 1839, and is the original twelfth township
of Scriba’s patent, the patentee,
George Scriba, giving it the name
of “Delft,” from a city near Rotterdam in the province of South Holland.
It lies on the northern shore of Oneida Lake, a little east of the southern-central
part of the county, and is bounded on the north by Parish, on the east
by Constantia, on the south by the lake, and on the west by Hastings.
It comprises an area of 20,076 acres.
The surface is very
uneven and is broken into level, rolling, stony, and swampy ground.
Much of it is marshy and unfit for cultivation. Along the valleys
the Medina sandstone crops out, while in the north part of the town iron
has been discovered, and it is also said that traces of lead and silver
were found at an early day. Adjacent to the lake shore the land is
very swampy. The soil is a medium quality of clay, and sandy and
gravelly loam, and produces fair crops of grain, hay, and potatoes, but
is better adapted to grazing.
The whole area was originally
covered with a dense growth of heavy
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timber, which long gave employment to
a number of saw mills. Only scattered remnants of these forests now
remain, and nearly all the mills have been abandoned. Instead the
land is dotted with comfortable
homes and fertile fields, monuments
of the labor of the sturdy pioneers, whose descendants enjoy the fruits
of earlier struggles. The chief industry has changed from lumbering
to that of agriculture, with dairying
as the leading branch. There
are two cheese factories and two saw mills in operation, the latter being
owned by H. A. Smith and M. H. Raymond. The principal
streams are Shanty Creek, the south branch of Salmon
Creek, and a tributary of Scriba
Creek.
The territory under
consideration was parceled off at an early day in large tracts, and maps
and titles have since borne the names of the grantees. These subdivisions
and their respective locations are as follows: De Pau’s tract, in
the north part of the town; Munn & De Peyster’s tract, in the central
part just south of the foregoing; Lawrence tract, in the southeast
corner of the town, an Indian reservation being taken
off in the extreme southeastern
corner; and De Graff’s tract, in the southwest corner of the town.
The first town meeting
was held at the house of James D. Spencer On May 7, 1839, at which
time the following officers were elected:
Russell King, supervisor;
Marcus Patterson, Eleazer Slocum, and Benjamin Spencer, assessors; Horace
Spencer, Azor Hoyt, and George Getman, commissioners of high-ways; Edward
Dundin and Abram Ruskin, overseers of the poor; George C. Hoyt, Peter Phillips,
and Henry Stall, commissioners of common schools; Lucius Patterson,
Benjamin G. Lewis, and Joseph Shaw, inspectors of common schools; Hiram
Flining, collector; Hiram Flining, David Raird, Solomon Ouer, Abraham Merchant,
and Joel Merchant, constables; Joel Merchant and Willet Miller, justices
of the peace; Augustus G. Jewell, surveyor. There is no record of
the election of a town clerk until 1841, when Samuel Atherton was chosen.
The supervisors have
been as follows:
Russell King, 1839-40;
Philip Rea, 1841-42; Marcus Patterson, 1843-44; Philip Rea, 1845-46; Eleazer
Slocum, 1847; Philip Rice, 1848; Avery Williams, 1849; Marcus Patterson,
1850-51; John F. Slocum, 1852-53; Henry J. Jewell, 1854; Henry A.
Baker, 1855-56; John F. Slocum, 1857-58; Levi Stow, jr., 1859; John F.
Slocum, 1860; James A. Baker, 1861; Lucius L. Strickland, 1862-63; John
F. Slocum, 1864-65; Merritt Burgess, 1866-67; John F. Slocum, 1868-72;
John A. Webb, 1873; John F. Slocum, 1874; John A. Webb, 1875;
J. W. Phillips, 1876; Merritt Burgess, 1877; J. Eugene Sperry, 1878-81;
William N. Burgen, 1882; W. R. Paul, 1883-84; E. M. Wight-
(page 828)
man, 1885-86; W. R. Paul, 1887-89: George
H. Simmons, 1890-91; F. H. Claxton, 1892; Solomon Graves, 1893; George
H. Simmons, 1894-95.
The town officers
for 1894-5 were:
George H. Simmons, supervisor;
William J. Mutter, town clerk; Charles Ort, collector; Alexander Rowe,
William Burgen, and Curtis Harding, assessors; H. E. Miller,
R. O. Smith, A. T. Humphrey, and W. C. Humphrey, justices of the peace;
Charles Piguet, highway commissioner; W. H. McLymond, overseer of
the poor.
The first settlers
in West Monroe were Martin Owens, Abel Ames, Joseph P. Ames, Sylvanus
Allen, and Ebenezer Loomis, who came in 1806. Mr. Owens came from
Fabius, Onondaga county, and located on the Julius Beardsley farm, where
he remained until 1847, when he went to Wisconsin and died there.
Abel Ames first took up his residence on the farm now owned by John F.
Slocum, and died in town in 1844, leaving four sons, one of whom resides
on the homestead. Joseph P. Ames, a brother of Abel, was without
a family. Mr. Allen was born in Shelburne, Mass., and settled on
the place now occupied by a son of George Campbell. In 1841 he removed
to Lysander, Onondaga county, but returned to West Monroe in 1854, and
died there in 1865, his death being the first in his family, which consisted
of his wife and nine children. His widow died in 1871. Mr.
Loomis settled on the farm now occupied by Hiram Rea, whence he moved
to Cicero, N. Y., in 1830, and died there. The first birth
in West Monroe was that of Azariah Ames.
In 1808 Deacon Smith
came from Massachusetts and settled near the center of the town.
He engaged in lumbering and erected during that year the first saw mill
in West Monroe. In 1811 he built the first frame
building and opened it as the first
tavern in town, keeping it through the war of 1812.
At this period Oneida
Lake was noted for its salmon fishing, and a company of fishermen came
hither with their nets in 1810, from Cape Cod, Mass., to engage in the
business. Among these were Enoch Nickinson, and Captain
Walker with his five sons. The business, however, proved unprofitable
and many of the colony removed from the town. Those who remained
turned their attention to agriculture. Another settler of 1810 was
Hiram Nickinson, who came from Massachusetts and settled on lot 75.
(page 829)
The war of 1812, followed
by the cold season of 1816, had a disheartening effect upon the infant
settlement and materially checked its growth. During this period
down to 1820 the inhabitants were engaged mainly in lumbering or in cultivating
small clearings. Their temporary log cabins were from time to time
replaced by frame dwellings, but improvements progressed slowly.
The miasma arising from the swamps caused considerable sickness and added
to their sufferings. Fever and ague were prevalent. But those
who had come bravely bore the privations incident to pioneer life.
From 1820 to 1830 a
large number of arrivals occurred. Prominent among them were Aaron
Raymond, Samuel Atherton, Samuel P. Baker, Joseph Stall, John Pierce,
John Wilson, Eleazer Slocum, James and Isaac Simmons, Silas and James Penoyer,
Amasa Davis and Roswell Gates, many of whom settled at what
is now Union Settlement, where Aaron Raymond built a saw mill in
1821, which was the first mill east of the center of the town. About
this time George Phillips took up his residence on the lake shore,
and soon afterwards Linus Walker settled on the west half of the
same lot. The latter is said to have been subject to attacks of insanity,
and during those intervals would perform remarkable feats in skating.
On one occasion in the winter of 1829, when the ice was partially formed
and not sufficiently thick to bear a man’s weight, much against the entreaties
and efforts of his friends, he attempted to skate across Oneida Lake.
When last seen alive he was swiftly gliding past Frenchman’s Island.
The next June his body was found on the southern shore of the lake.
He left five children, of whom two sons were accidentally drowned in the
same waters. Samuel P. Baker married a daughter of Samuel
Atherton. He settled here permanently in 1829, and died in Gloversville,
N. Y., April 21, 1888. His wife’s death occurred in this town in
1882. Their son, Hon. William H. Baker, is a prominent citizen
of Constantia.
Two other early settlers,
both farmers, were Henry Phillips and John W. Sperry.
The former was a native of Schenectady, N. Y., and the latter of Bethlehem,
Conn.
Meanwhile a road had
been opened from east to west through the town, and soon afterward other
highways were laid out in convenient localities. A rude harbor or
landing was constructed on the beach of the lake for the accommodation
of lumbermen and others.
(page 830)
Between 1830 and
1840 Freeman Burr, Russell King, James D. and Benjamin Spencer, Jerrry
Cronon, James G. Caldwell, Jerry Letts, C. W. Pattat, M. A. Raymond, Lewis
Rill, George Getman, Abram Buskin, Azor Hoyt, Horace Spencer, George C.
Hoyt, Augustus G. Jewell, Joseph Shaw, Peter Phillips, Abraham and Joel
Merchant, Lucius and Marcus Patterson, Philip Rea, Henry Stall, Joel Merchant,
Benjamin G. Lewis, Willet Miller, Edward Dundin and others arrived, making
the population in the last named year 908.
During the next decade,
down to 1850, lumbering was prosecuted more extensively than before, and
several saw mills were erected. Among the settlers of this period
were Merritt Burgess, Warren Burgess, J. E. Phillips, Curtis Harding, Alvin
A. Raymond, W. C. Humphrey and H. A. Smith. During this and the following
decade (1850-1860) the town experienced its greatest growth, numbering
in the latter year more inhabitants than at any other period of its history.
Alvin A. Raymond built a grist mill with a single run of stones in 1875,
for the purpose of grinding feed, which was the first of the kind in town.
Prior to this grain was ground in mills in neighboring towns.
The town of West Monroe
manifested a patriotic spirit throughout the war of the Rebellion and early
voted a bounty to each volunteer. Eighty-two of her sons enlisted
and served with credit. Of these Charles C. Matthews, Peter Bowman,
Ira B. Bryant, Warren A. Burgess, Henry N. Caldwell, Charles Devendorf,
Warren C. Emmons, Adolph J. Fix, George Greyson, James Holmes, Franklin
B. Hoyt and B. N. Watson received merited promotions.
In October, 1869, the
New York Ontario, and Western (Midland) Railroad was put in operation through
the town with a station at West Monroe.
The population of the
town at various periods has been as follows: In 1840, 908; 1845,
990; 1850, 1,197; 1855, 1,217; 1860, 1,416; 1865, 1,278; 1870, 1,304; 1875,
1,366; 1880, 1,314; 1890, 1,100.
The first school house
was a log structure erected in 1810 on the main road about one mile west
of West Monroe, and the first teacher therein was Caroline Barnes.
A school was opened at Union settlement
about 1830 and another at West Monroe
near the same time. In 1860 the town had nine school districts, which
were attended by 513
(page 831)
scholars. There are now eight
districts with a school building in each, the whole being taught in 1892-93
by eight teachers and attended by 227 children. The school buildings
and sites are valued at $3,810;
public money received from the State,
$962.07; raised by local tax, $736.26. The districts are locally
known as follows: No. 1, West Monroe; 2, Mud Settlement; 3, Whig
Hill; 4, Ostrum’s; 5, Toad Harbor; 6, Union Settlement; 7, Nutting; 8,
Green.
Supervisors’ statistics
of 1894: Assessed valuation of real estate, $209,810; equalized, $205,050;
personal property, $5,550; railroads, 4.13 miles, $36,650; town tax, $1,084.95;
county tax, $1,179.42; total tax levy, $2,703.74; ratio of tax on $100,
seventy cents, the lowest in the county. The town forms one election
district and polled 228 votes in November, 1894.
West Monroe is a small
village on the Constantia and Fulton road half a mile north of the station
on the Midland Railroad. The first merchant in town was Charles
P. Jewell, who opened a store at this point in 1834. His building
stood on the west bank of the creek, whence it was moved to the site of
Cross & Wightman’s block, and finally removed and now forms the rear
of E. M. Wightman’s dwelling. Among his successors
were Henry J. Jewell, Ichabod Spencer, Henry and James Baker, Henry
E. Miller, J. E. Sperry, W. H. Ray, and James G. Burr who is
still in business. Cross & Wightman succeeded Mr. Sperry in the
spring of 1885 and have since carried on a flourishing trade, being the
leading tradesmen in the place. In 1886 they erected a cheese factory
here which they sold to William Mutter, the present proprietor,
in 1889.
The first hotel was
built and kept by Pliny Draper, who soon sold to James and Horace
Spencer, brothers, whom Eleazer Slocum succeeded February 12,
1840. Mr. Slocum continued as landlord until his death December 1,
1850, since which time, excepting a period of eight years, his son, John
F. Slocum, has conducted the house. John F. Slocum has
served as supervisor of West Monroe thirteen years, and is one of the oldest
landlords in Oswego county. In 1881 he tore down the old tavern and
erected the present fine hotel a little in the rear of the demolished structure.
At one time two other hotels, kept by Captain
Owens and Captain Allen,
were maintained in the village. The present postmaster is J. W.
Phillips. Among his predecessors were Edgar M. Wightman, W.
H. Ray, and John F. Slocum.
(page 832)
Union Settlement is
a hamlet about four miles north of West Monroe. In 1844 a post-office
was established there with Silas Penoyer as postmaster, who held
the position until 1860, when the office was discontinued.
A new school house was erected at
that point in 1894.
Jerry is a post office
situated about five miles northwest of West Monroe. Harvey A.
Smith is postmaster and also owns a saw mill there.
Churches. --- The first
church in town was built by the Presbyterians at Whig Hill in 1849, largely
through the efforts of Rev. W. Leonard, who dedicated the edifice
August 22, 1849, and supplied the pulpit for several years. He died
in 1886, being at that time the oldest Mason in Oswego county. This
church is now connected with that at Constantia.
About 1854 a Baptist
church was erected in the village of West Monroe at a cost of $2,000.
The pastor at that time was Elder Hanson. The society finally
disbanded and for many years the edifice has been occupied by the Seventh-Day
Adventists and others. The property is owned by John F. Slocum.
In the fall of 1890,
under the pastorate of Rev. C. H. Bassett, a neat frame edifice
was built by the Methodists in West Monroe village at a cost of about $2,000.
The present pastor is Rev. E. L. Shepard.