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WARREN
SETTLEMENT
Warren Settlement was
a wilderness in 1825, when Shepherd Warren and his brothers James and Asa
began a clearing. Very soon they were joined by Edwin Tuttle, and the
place was often known as Tuttle and Warner neighborhood. William Johnson
was also one of the first settlers. Johnson took the place of one Wheeler.
When Joel Torrey moved into the settlement, in 1831, there were only four
families, and no laid-out road, except one used by the lumbermen. At this
date nearly all the white-oak had been cut, and between 1832 and 1834 Joel
Torrey, James and Christopher Irving took but the pine. The Irvings were
thus early settlers. Of the original pioneers only Redolphus Cook, Ira
Stewart, and Shepherd Warren were left in the present school district of
that neighborhood. John Howard came in 1832; after him, John F. Torry,
Charles Linnell, Simeon Adams, Samuel Linnell, Thomas Tarbell, Harry
Kilbourn, and Rufas Linnell.
On the 18th of June, 1843, was
formed the Union Burial Ground Society. The trustees were Levi Torrey,
Daniel Cromwell, Erastus Warren, Samuel Linnell, Jr., J. A. Williams, and
Abram Whitcomb. Levi Torrey was made president, and Dr. Dyer E. Pierce is
now in that office.
The first school-house was built in 1833, of
hewn pine logs, and stood on the west corner of the road, opposite the
present building. The first teacher was Phebe Lightle. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice
B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
THE
SETTLEMENT OF ST. LAWRENCE
The St. Lawrence region was occupied still
later than 1825, when Stephen Johnson came from Depauville and opened the
first store. Forty-five years ago there were not half a dozen cabins where
the village of St. Lawrence now stands. A Miss Lawrence, of New York,
owned a large tract of territory in this neighborhood, and when the
postoffice was established, in 1848, Lawrenceville was sent on to
Washington as an appropriate name. It was given in remembrance of this
lady. But it was found that another office in the State bore the same
title, and the Post-Office Department therefore changed Lawrenceville to
St. Lawrence, which the inhabitants allowed to remain. The village was
called St. Oars' Corners at first, then Rogers Corners, because James
Rogers built the first tavern. Afterwards Gotham Corners, and, finally
Crane's Corners, till the establishment of the mail-route. The following
person were among the early settlers: Lewis St. Oars, M. Gardinier, Hiram
Britton, John Potter, John Minard, Jacob St. Oars, Silas Mosier, Eli
Wethey, Horatio Humphrey, Hamilton C. Wallace, Samuel Dillon, Jerome
Wethey, Daniel Corso, Charles Cummins, Dyer Pierce, Curtis, Wheeler,
Campbell, and Carpenter. (Jefferson County
History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice
B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
THE
FIRST GRIST-MILL
A flour- and grain-mill was of prime
consequence to the settlers, and one of the first things looked after.
John B. Esselstyn once carried a bushel of corn on his back to Chaumont,
had it ground, and brought the meal home in the same manner. This was not
an uncommon feat when the road would not permit a trip with a horse. The
first mill in Cape Vincent was built on Kont's Creek. Negotiations were
begun for a site as early as 1803. In a letter written to Mr. R. M.
Esselstyn by Mr. Le Ray, he was offered a "mill-seat and twenty-five
acres" of land at four dollars per acre, unless during the year of
erecting the mill a town should spring up around it, added Le Ray, I
should feel "at liberty to break the present bargain." A mill
was not built so early as this year or the next. The Esselstyn brothers
and Henry Ainsworth were the only merchants here for many of the first
years. Goods brought from New York in a month, so late as 1820, made a
quick passage. Sometimes Mr. Esselstyn would go in a lumber-wagon to
Hudson, his wife accompanying him, and bring home such merchandise as had
been transported for him to that point on a sloop from the metropolis.
During one of these overland trips he carried a heavy bag of ? under some
straw on the bottom of his wagon. Whenever he stopped for the night he
would carelessly throw his harness over the straw and bag,--either to
disarm suspicion or else to teach our generation that the former times
were better then these. On another occasion he wrote home of his splendid
ride on the "Clermont" of Robert Fulton (140 feet keel and 16
1/2 feet beam), the first steam-packet that ever made a successful trip in
the universe. This boat, wrote Mr. Esselstyn, with enthusiasm, ran at the
marvelous speed of four miles an hour directly against the wind. And it
was marvelous in contrast with those trips by the Hudson river sloops,
when passengers spend a whole day walking along the shore and picking
berries to while away the time till the wind was favorable. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice
B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
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