Yates County, New York

History - Town of Italy

From the History of Yates County, NY
published 1892, by L.C. Aldrich

pg 479 - 481

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The town of Italy comprises a location in the extreme western part of Yates County, and while no more remote from the county seat than the adjoining town of Middlesex**, the distance between these points is less easily traveled from Italy on account of the exceedingly rough, rouged and mountainous character of the land surface in the town of which we write.  But with all of its great elevations, Italy has agricultural lands of fine quality, and these are found alike in the valleys and on its heights.    

Tow town has two principal water courses, and each of these has its smaller tributaries.  West River is perhaps the greater of the large streams, but its course in the town is confined to the northwestern locality, whence it comes from Middlesex, and eventually discharges into the head of Canandaigua Lake.  This last named body of water hardly more than touches the lands of this town, and the advantages derived from it are necessarily small.  This town, with Potter, are the only two of Yates County that are only indirectly benefited by the lakes of the region, but Potter still less so than Italy.  The other chief water course of Italy is the ancient Ah-ta-gweh-da-ga of the Senecas, but from time out of mind known to the white settlers and residents as Flint Creek.  This stream has its source in the southeast part of the town, whence it runs west into the valley, and then takes a northeasterly general course and passes form the town near its northeast corner.  This creek, although second in magnitude and volume of water to the West River, has ever been of more importance to the dwellers of Italy, for along its banks the saw mills have been numbered by dozens, while grist and flour mills have likewise been maintained thereon to supply domestic demands.  And it is a safe assertion to make that there are but few farm in the central, eastern and southwest portions of Italy, the buildings upon which have not been erected with lumber manufactured at some of the mills along Flint Creek.  The stream itself is not large, but its water power had been abundant.  It follows the course of a valley through the town, and so continues in the town into which it passes on the north.  

Italy Summit is the most elevated height of land in the county, rising above Keuka Lake, 1,324 feet, according to the estimate of the late Israel H. ARNOLD.  It is also higher than Canandaigua Lake, 1,374 feet, and above Seneca Lake, 1,595 feet.  It is also more elevated than the extreme height of Bluff Point, in Jerusalem, 613 feet, and above Barrington Summit by 404 feet. 

Italy Hollow, the only settled hamlet of the town is the opposite of the Summit, being in the valley of Flint Creek; but this particular locality is not more depressed than its surrounding localities in the same vale, nor is it so much lower than the summit by fifty feet as is the locality of the lake in the town. 

If the town of Italy can be said to possess any historical locality, the spot occupied by the famous “big elm tree” must necessarily take precedence over all others.  This tree is by fat the largest in the county, if not in the region.  Its height reaches beyond 125 feet, while in circumference it is almost thirty feet, two feet above the ground.  It is claimed that this was a council tree, and as such greatly revered by the Indians; but as the Senecas had no village in this locality, it is quite doubtful if the claim has much foundation in truth.  As a somewhat jocose wight of the town recently remarked: “What on earth did the Indians know about Italy Hollow? And if they knew of it, what could induce them to come there to hold a council?” 

Italy was one of the townships that formed a part of the vast Phelps and Gorham purchase, and in the survey made under that ownership was number seven in the third range.  It appears that during the proprietorship of Phelps and Gorham no setters came forward and expressed a desire to purchase the town or locate on any of its lands.  When the proprietary sold to Robert MORRIS, and the latter to the English syndicate, Italy was one of the towns transferred in the deeds then executed.  It thereafter became part of the Pultney and Hornby estates, each taking alternate lots.  The town was surveyed afterwards, and in an irregular and somewhat unaccountable manner.  The first was known as Slots’ survey, made in 1793, and covered thirteen lots east of, except two, and lying near Flint Creek, or Potter’s Creek, as it was then called.  The so-called south survey was made in 1795, and included about 10,000 acres.  This track was again surveyed in 1826.  The northeast portion of the town was surveyed in 1795, designated the northeast section, and containing forty-eight lots of 160 acres each.  The “Brothers Tract” survey covered the middle of the town.  The northwest section has ever been known as the unsurveyed tract.

Early History – Originally, the land and territory of Italy were included within the town of Middlesex, as one of the divisions of Ontario County, and so organized in 1789.  The name was change to Naples in 1808 and so remained until 1815, when the district was divided and Italy set off as a separate town.  The name is plain, but why applied to the town is a matter on which there appears to be no reliable authority extant.  The town was taken into Yates County upon the extension and organization of the latter in 1823.  The succession of supervisors who have represented Italy in the county legislature has been as follows: Asahel STONE Jr., 1815-16; Jabez METCALF, 1817-20, ’24, 27; Randall GRAVES 1821 – 23; Elisha DOUBLEDAY, 1825, ’28, ’42; Harvey ROFF, 1826; Abraham MAXFIELD, 1829-30; Elisha BARKER, 1831, ’32, ’35, ’40; David BURK, 1833-34, ’36, ’37. ’46; Nathaniel SQUIRE, 1838 –39, ’50-51; Spencer CLARK, 1841; Lewis B GRAHAM, 1842, 1853-55; Stephen MUMFORD, 1844 –45; Henry HUTCHINSON, 1847-48; David SMITH, 1852, ’56; William SCOTT, 1857-58; Alden D. FOX, 1859-62, 1864-67; William S. GREEN, 1863; Bradford S. WIXSOM, 1868-70; Joel M. CLARK, 1871-74; Francis M. KENNEDY, 1875-77; Ithamar CLARK, 1878-79; Absalom C. LAW, 1880-81; David KENNEDY, 1882, ’84; Joseph W. ROBSON, 1883; A F. ROBSON, 1885-86; James S. PADDOCK, 1887-88; Harvey M. CLARK, 1889-90; Alden D FOX, 1891. 

Justices of the Peace – Prior to the election of the justices of the peace that office in the town was held by appointment by Jabez METCALF, Asahel STONE Jr., Henderson COLE, Henry ROFF Jr. and James FOX.  Subsequently elections have been as follows: James FOX, 1830,’31,’35 and ’39; Orison GRAHAM, 1830; Elisha DOUBLEDAY 1831 and consecutively forth to the time of his death in 1863; Jabez METCALF, 1830; Valentine GRAHAM, 1834; Edward LOW, 1834, ’38, ’42; Holden T. WING, 1838, ’42; Henry A. METCALF, 1843; Lewis B. GRAHAM, 1844, ’48; Martin N. FLOWERS, 1846; George W. BARKER, 1848; William SCOTT, 1849,’53,’60,’64,’69; Philip PADDOCK, 1851; Edward H. BEALS, 1852; Israel CHISSOM, 1852; Gilbert GRAHAM, 1855; Erastus G. CLARK, 1855,’59,’63; Charles  G. MAXFIELD, 1857; Lucien ANNABLE, 1858,’62,’66,’72; Guy L. DOUBLEDAY, 1864,’68; Jon W. MOWER, 1864; Joel M. CLARK, 1868; William C. WILLIAMS, 1868; William SCOTT, 1871, ’78; Ezra SQUIRES, 1871, ’77; Frank H. SMITH, 1873; Joel M. CLARK, 1874, ’82,’86; Chester STODDARD, 1874,’ 77; Bradford S. WIXSOM, 1875,’79,’83,’87,’91; Elnathan MEAD, 1876; Guy D. WIXSOM, 1879; David WOLVIN, 1880, ’84,’88; James SHAW, 1881, ’85,’89; James S. PADDOCK, 1890.

History & Directory of Yates Co., Volume 1 

by Stafford C. Cleveland, pub. 1873  pg 373 - 377

Chapter VIII

The south-most of the two western towns of Yates county is Italy.  It embraces township number 7 of the 3rd range of Phelps' and Gorham's purchase, and in its natural features is extremely rugged.  It is drained by two important streams, running in opposite directions, through narrow valleys, walled in by high and abrupt hills, which form some of the most elevated land in the county.  On one of these streams, known as West River, and originally called Potter's Creek, has its source in the town of Gorham, and running southwest through Middlesex, cuts off the northwest corner of Italy, and empties into Naples Creek, about one mile above the head of Canandaigua Lake, into which its waters are thus conveyed.  The other, known as Flint Creek, the 'Ah-ta-gweh-da-ga' of the Senecas, takes its rise in the southeast part of Italy; running west to the valley, it takes a northeasterly direction and leaves the town near the northeast corner.  It has several tributary rivulets which drain all the south and southwest part of the town .  The vales bordering these streams are called respectively West River Hollow and Italy Hollow.   The 'Ah-ta-gweh-da-ga' was a favorite fishing ground of the Indians and when first visited by the whites, speckled trout were so abundant in that stream, that all a man could carry could be taken in a short time, with his naked hands. 

From a dividing ridge in the south part of Italy, water flows to the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, by way of Flint Creek, Seneca River and Lake Ontario; on the other, to Chesapeake Bay, by way of the the Conhocton, Chemung and Susquehanna Rivers.

The town for the most part has an excellent soil, that of the valleys being especially rich and productive, abounding in a gravelly loam, while the hills are covered with a gravely drift well adapted to the staple crops of the country.  Although the hills are precipitous and difficult to cultivate, they yield good crops, and and there is little absolutely poor land in the town.  The elevations of the town have never been measured, nor have the differences of level between the West River and Flint Creek valley been ascertained.  The steep West Hill between Flint Creek and West River can hardly ascent less than 800 fee from either stream, and the two creeks are said to be no more than 3 miles apart, at the space measured between the Big Elm of Italy Hollow, and the north line of the town on West River.  The East Hill rises, it is thought, 300 or 400 feet higher still, making the highest land of the county, but slopes off more gradually to the east and south from the higher points of the ridge.

The land was originally covered by dense forests; in some localities with pines of large and beautiful growth, and in others with much excellent oak, interspersed with ridges of chestnuts.  Beech and maple were plentiful and hickory to some extent.  There was fine basswood and some butternut in the valleys.  Both hollows when first penetrated by white men, were so filled with fallen trees and dense undergrowth, and so overflowed by the winding streams, that it was almost impossible to thread a passage through them, even on foot; and being abundantly populated with rattlesnakes, they were by no means inviting places to visit, except to the most hardy and daring woodmen.  Yet in  a state of nature, this was a wild and beautiful region.  The lustrous evergreen of the towering hills was a perpetual picture of the grandest beauty.  The rich and matted jungle of the valleys, surmounted by grand and graceful elms, gigantic basswood and maples, was in its season of verdure, equally beautiful and captivating to the poetic eye.  Artemus CROUCH, now an aged man, but always alive to the beauties of nature, on being questioned by the writer in regard to the appearance of the country when new, replied with much animation, "it was a pretty place," and proceeded to speak of the grand landscapes and the majestic trees, among which the chestnuts ranked very high, both for their beauty and their productiveness.  He says they bore profusely, and the chestnuts could be gathered up by bushels from the ground in the autumn.  The town is well supplied with springs of the finest quality; and there is a fine salt spring in the Flint Creek valley, on the northwest corner of lot 19, on the north survey.  The settlement of the town was commenced in West River Hollow as early as 1790; but it ws very little inhabited for 20 years thereafter. It was long the refuge of wolves, panthers, bear and deer and the point where they held their ground after they were driven out of the less rugged portions of the country.  Italy was originally part of the town of Naples, which was organized in 1789, as Middletown.  It was changed to Naples in 1808.  In 1815, Italy was set off.  Naples consists, since the division, of township 7, of the fourth range of Phelps' and Gorham's, and it was included entire in their conveyance to Robert MORRIS, and by him to the London Association, part of the lands going to the PULTNEY estate, and part to the HORNBY estate, each taking alternate lots.  

The land of this township was surveyed in separate parcels, somewhat singularly.  The first survey was made in 1793 by Alexander SLOT and designated as Slot's Survey.  It was an irregular tract, and consists of 13 lots of unequal size, eight of which bordered on Potter's Creek, two being on the west side.  Another survey of abut 10,100 acres of the south side of the township was made in 1795 by John BILES and David W. PATTERSON, and designated at the South Survey.  This survey numbered 65 lots, of 160 acres each, or half a mile square.  This tract was re-surveyed in 1826 by Jesse STEVENS.  Another tract embracing the northeast corner of the town, extending to the South Survey, and west to the middle of the town, was surveyed in June 1795, by John SMITH.  This was designated the Northeast section and contained 48 lots of 160 acres each.  This section was partially re-surveyed in 1826 by Jesse Stevens.  Another tract of 30 lots ws surveyed by Valentine BROTHER and designated Brother's survey.  It embraces the middle section of the town west of the Northeast Survey and extending in the form of an "L", about a portion of Slot's survey.  Still another survey was made by Jeffrey CHIPMAN, which has not bee traced on any public map; and the marsh about the head of Canandaigua Lake is known as an unsurveyed tract.  

The office for the sale of the PULTNEY estate lands was located at Geneva, where Robert TROUP succeeded Charles WILLIAMSON as agent, and after him, Joseph FELLOWS.  The office for the sale of the HORNBY lands was at Canandaigua, and John GREIG was the agent for this estate during his life, and after him, William JEFFREY, his executor.  Mr. GREIG became the owner in person of a large portion of the HORNBY lands.  The primitive settlers of Italy were almost without exception, men of very little means, who bought their land upon contracts by which they stipulated to pay small installments, extending over a series of years.  The agents with whom they dealt have always been kindly remembered by the original settlers for their uniform forbearance and lenity, when hardships, ill-paid toils, sickness and privation, incident to the first settlement of the country made it often impossible for them to make the stipulated payment.  Most of them had families to support; corps were small and uncertain; prices low; and markets nearest and best at Canandaigua and Geneva.  Many acres of Italy land were paid for with money procured by the sale of wheat from 31 cents to 75 cents per bushel.  No honest, industrious man was dispossessed of his land, and no man in that town ever sympathized with the "Anti-Pulteyites" in Steuben county.  The last of HORNBY and GREIG land in Italy, was purchased by Lewis B. GRAHAM, in 1859.  It was in part the North East Survey.

Italy was neither early nor rapid in its settlement, but it is said that John MOWER settled in West River Hollow, as early as 1790.  As he was at that time but 19 years old, and not married till five years later, it is not probable that he made an abiding foothold at that early period.  He was a chain bearer in the survey of the New Pre-emption Line, and also acted as cook and had charge of the pack horse for the surveying party.  He received a dollar a day for his work and paid a dollar an acre for his land, which ws conveyed by Charles WILLIAMSON in two deeds, both of the date of December 16, 1793, and acknowledged in 1812, before Moses ATWATER.  His land embraced lots 6 and 7 of Slot's survey.  No. 7 embraced 160 acres and No 6, 132 acres.  Commencing with his land paid for, he had advantages as a pioneer not generally enjoyed by the first settlers.  He was an industrious man, and a good citizen, dying in 1855 at the age of nearly 84 years.  His son, John W. MOWER* *corrected from book), still owns and occupies the same premises, the only instance in Italy in which continuity of ownership has been retained by father and son through two generations.  The first frame building erected in Italy ws built by John MOWER.  He was married three times, first in 1795, to Anna WATKINS, who was born in 1771 and died in 1802; in 1803 to Polly WILLIAMS who died in 1813 at the age of 35; in 1813, to Judith Larned TORREY, who died in 1856 at the age of 74 years.  The children of the first marriage were Polly, Simeon and John W.; of the second, Mary Ann, Huldah and John W.; of the third marriage, Sally and Mary Ann.  Polly died single in 1869, at the age of 72 years.  Simeon born in 1799, died at the age of 9 months in 1800, and this was the first decease of a white person in that town.  John W., born in 1801, died the same year.  Mary Ann born in 1805, died in 1863.  Huldah, an infant, born in 1807 died in 1809.  Huldah 2nd born in 1809 died in 1833.  John Warner, born in 1811, is the present proprietor of the homestead.  He married in 1837 Betsey FOLSOM.  Their children have been William H., Byron H., and Alice Elizabeth.  The sons died young and the daughter, born in 1843, survives, residing with her parents.  

History & Directory of Yates County, NY 

Volume 1, Published 1873

 ITALY CIVIL HISTORY

pg 438 – 443 

The town of Italy was erected by act of the Legislature February 15, 1815, through the efforts of David SOUTHERLAND, then a Member of Assembly from Ontario County.  Why or how it came to be named Italy, no person now living seems to know.  The town of Naples, from which Italy was set off, had a population in 1800 of only 259, which had increased in 1810 to 637. By the census of 1814, Naples had a population of 1128. Italy Hollow had just begun to fill up with settlers in 1815, when the town of Italy was formed, and the census of 1820 found 728 people in that town and 1638 in Naples. Italy grew to a population of 995 in 1825, and 1092 in 1830; 1245 in 1835, 1634 in 1840, and reached the maximum of 1698 in 1845. It was 1627 in 1850, 1506 in 1855, 1605 in 1860 and 1452 in 1865. The supervisors of Italy have been:

Among the town clerks of Italy previous to 1834 were Jabez METCALF, Timothy BARNES, Valentine GRAHAM, Michael MAXFIELD. 

Orison GRAHAM was Town Clerk in 1834, Dan SWIFT in 1835, Orison GRAHAM five years thereafter, and Lewis B. GRAHAM in 1841 and 1842. Stephen MUMFORD in 1843, then William S. GREEN two years, James FOX two years, Thomas ROBSON two years, Alden D. FOX three years, Thomas S. ROBSON in 1857, then James FOX five years, and Joel M. CLARK five years; Thomas J. CORNISH in 1868 and John H. DURHAM in 1869.

Jabez METCALF, Asahel STONE, jr., Henderson COLE, Henry ROFF, jr., and James FOX were Justices of the Peace in Italy by appointment previous to the election by the people. James FOX was elected Justice of the Peace in 1830, 1831, 1835, and 1839, Orison GRAHAM in 1830, Elisha DOUBLEDAY in 1831, and held the office till he died in 1863, Jabez METCALF in 1830, Valentine GRAHAM in 1834, Edward LOW in 1834, 1838, 1842, Holden T. WING in 1838 and 1842; Henry A. METCALF in 1843, Lewis B. GRAHAM in 1844 and 1848, Martin N. FLOWERS in 1846, George W. BARKER in 1848, William SCOTT in 1849, 1853, 1860, 1864, 1869, Phillip PADDOCK in 1851, Edward H. BEALS in 1852, Israel CHISSOM in 1852, Gilbert GRAHAM in 1855, Erastus G. CLARK in 1855, 1859, and 1863, in which year he died, Charles G. MAXFIELD in 1857, Lucian ANNABLE in 1858, 1862, 1866, Guy L. DOUBLEDAY in 1864 and 1868, John W. MOWER in 1864, Joel M. CLARK in 1868, William C. WILLIAMS in 1868.

The tax collected in Italy in 1819 was $413.90, in 1822 it was $370.35. In 1824 Ichabod B. RANDALL was collector and the tax was $504.25. Charles MUMFORD was collector for six years thereafter and again in 1832 and the largest tax collected by him was his last $508.25. Russel A MANN was collector in 1831, William C. KEECH in 1833, William S. GREEN in1834. Samuel BARKER, jr., collected a tax of $741.53 in 1836, the largest up to that time. Reuben WELLS was collector in 1837 and 1840, both taxes being less than $600. Nathaniel SQUIER collected $783 in 1841, and Lewis B. GRAHAM $6327.50 in 1842, From this time the tax of Italy was enlarged till 1857 when Lewis B. GRAHAM collected $1,000. In the mean time Thomas J. FOX had been collector two years, and Ansel MUMFORD, Whitman H. REYNOLDS, William H. FOX, Charles G. MAXFIELD, and Thomas B. MANNING, each one. William S. GREEN collected $1170.40 in 1852, Stephen MUMFORD $992.50 in 1853, and Leman COREY $1,500 in 1855, Jeremiah Van RIPER $2,200 in 1856, Charles S. HEDGER next collected $1,900 in 1857, $3,000 in 1858, and $2,000 in 1859, David A. LARE $2,000 in 1860, Charles BELL $4,250 in 1863, Rufus J. BUSH $5,000 in 1864, Charles BELL $9,000 in 1865, David KENNEDY $3,000 in 1867, John T. JOHNSON $3,890.35 in 1868.

The following list of original settlers in Italy embraces a few who have not been previously named in this chapter:

SOUTH SURVEY.—Lot 1, Gideon COLE in 1819; lot 1, Henderson COLE 1810, Clark STANTON 1819; lot 5, Randall HEWITT 1818; lot 6, Thomas TREAT 1817; lot 7, Ebenezer JENNINGS in 1819, now occupied by Chester STODDARD; lot 8, Henderson COLE 1819; lot 9, Erastus and William GRISWOLD 1815, Daniel BURROUGHS 1819; lot 11, James SLAUGHTER 1811, Luther WASHBURN 1819; lot 12, John SMITH 1795, Leonard WHITE 1835; lot 18, Luther WASHBURN 1817, Reuben WHEATON 1821, lot 19, Solomon HEWITT 1820; lot 23, Peter ELLIOTT 1821,Lemuel PETERSON 1822; lot 25, Orison GRAHAM 1815, Henry KIRK 1819; lot 26, Cephas HAYES 1822, Peter ELLIOTT 1820; lot 27, David ELLIOTT 1820; lot 33, Drayton HAYES; lot 54, Levi H. BEMENT; lot 59, John T. DUNN, John ANDRIDGE; lot 60, David TAYLOR 1825.

NORTH SURVEY.—Lot 2, Luther BROWN 1819, John ARMSTRONG 1795; lot 4, Jeremiah BEBEE 1810, Ephraim TYLER 1819, lot 6; Weston TINNEY, Jacob VIRGIL 1811; lot 9; Jason WATKINS 1819; Jared WATKINS 1819; lot 10, Samuel STANCLIFF 1819, Samuel STEWART 1819; lot 11, Amos STANCLIFF 1819, Joshua STEARNS 1818; lot 12, Frederick AMSTERBURG 1819; lot 18, Consider CHESEBRO 1819, John GOWDY 1822; lot 19, John GOWDY 1822; lot 22, Jesse CHESEBRO 1819, Joel COOPER 1820; lot 25, Joel COOPER 1815; lot 29, Theodore ANTHONY, Jacob THOMAS; lot 33, Cornelius BASSETT, Ira BASSETT; lot 40, Gabriel FRIER 1820, James COOLEY 1819; lot 44, Ezra CUMMINGS 1819, Daniel BALDWIN 1819; lot 48, Solomon DOWNING 1819.

CHIPMAN’S SURVEY.—Lot 7, R.C. RATHBUN; lot 8, Abraham SLOVER, lot 10, Stephen JOHNSON 1822; lot 11, Stephen JOHNSON 1816. The widow of Stephen JOHNSON still lives at a very advanced age on the same land.

BROTHER’S SURVEY.—Lot 3, A.B. MOWER, lot 4; Russel BURNETT, A.I. Van NORDSTRAND; lot 5, William BASSETT, A.I. Van NORDSTRAND; lot 6, Joseph SEGAR; lot 7, Stephen JOHNSON; lot 8, Ansel TREAT; lot 9, Henry CRANK; lot 14, James KIMBALL; lot 16, Joshua ROSS, Philander POWERS; lot 17, Joshua ROSS; lot 18, Alanson CAREY; lot 23, A.B. MOWER; lot 30, William DUNTON 1790.

By the census of 1840 Italy had two revolutionary pensioners, William SMITH, aged seventy-five, and Thomas TREAT, aged seventy-eight; one person between ninety and one hundred years old.

In 1824 Italy had but five school houses; in 1821, but $95.95 of public school money and 289 children between five and fifteen; taxable property $36,700; 183 farms, eight mechanics and six free blacks; 150 voters; 1858 acres of improved land, which was increased to 15,552 acres in 1865; 894 cattle, 127 horses, 1508 sheep; 5654 yards of cloth made in families; one grist mill, five saw mills, one fulling mill, two carding machines, one distillery and two asheries.

By the census of 1855 Italy had 289 families in 159 framed dwellings, 101 of logs and two of stone; 276 native voters and eleven naturalized. In 1854 there were harvested on 992 acres 6,766 bushels of wheat, and 3,020 bushels of rye on 467 acres; 5,903 bushels of apples were gathered, and 662 cows produced 65,540 lbs. of butter, and 23,470 lbs. of cheese.

In 1865 Italy had 302 families, 262 owners of land, 364 voters, four stone dwellings, valued at $4,900, and 248 framed dwellings, valued at $84,270, also 54 log dwellings, valued at $4,030. The cash value of farms was $694,982, of stock $144,746, of tools and implements $24,287; in 1846, acres plowed, 3,605, in pasture 5,584, and 5,336 in 1865; acres of meadow 3,552, spring wheat harvested in 1864, 3,152 bushels from 584 acres, winter wheat 2,336 bushels from 301 acres, rye 428 bushels, barley 2,795 from 304 acres, buckwheat 3,738 bushels from 349 acres, Indian corn 16,552 bushels from 344 acres, apples 8,883 bushels from 13,855 trees, maple sugar 3,365 lbs., cows 630, butter 80,785 lbs., cheese 4,944 lbs., pork 110,420 lbs., sheep 11,630, lambs raised (1864) 3,177 and (1865) 3,834, wool 43,447 lbs. (1864) and 21,490 lbs. (1865), fulled cloth, 40 yards, flannel 190, linen 38. Italy had six blacksmiths in 1865, one wagon shop with a capital of $100, two workers in leather, 269 male citizens between eighteen and forty-five. Ninety-two men went to the war to fight rebellion from Italy; twenty-one died in the service and but one was buried in the town.

William E. CHITTENDEN had a store at Italy Hill about 1828. Luther B. BLOOD went there as a clerk in the store of Abraham MAXFIELD at that place and became a partner after the first year, and on the death of MAXFIELD, the sole proprietor. Isaac N. GAGE had a store there for some time, and BLOOD and GAGE became partners in 1837 and continued together two or three years. George JOHNSON is the present merchant at Italy Hill.

The postmasters at Italy Hill have been Elisha DOUBLEDAY, who was succeeded by Luther B. BLOOD in 1836; he was followed in 1856 by Dr. Israel CHISSOM, who was again succeeded in 1861 by Dr. Elisha DOUBLEDAY, after his decease in 1863 Luther B. BLOOD was again appointed and held the office till 1868 when he resigned and was succeeded by Absalom C. LARE, the present postmaster.

BIG ELM  OF ITALY HOLLOW 

pg 447

The large Elm Tree of Italy Hollow, on lot 15, North East Survey, by the bank of Flint Creek and the side of the highway, was famous among the Indians as one of the wonders of the forest, and it is said was honored by them as a Council Tree. Since their occupation it has continued its growth, and its dimensions largely exceed those of the historical Big Tree at Genesco, which perished a few years ago. It is now one hundred and twenty-five feet high, twenty-nine feet in circumference, two feet from the ground; and its top spreads one hundred and four feet in one direction and eighty-six feet in a transverse direction, covering a superficial area of thirty-three square rods. An experienced woodman estimates that the tree would make forty cords of wood. Its roots have frequently been torn up by the plow in an adjoining field at a distance of thirty rods from the tree itself, and on the opposite side of the creek. It is claimed that this tree has no equal in size in the State of New York.

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