Town of Canandaigua

Early Settlers of Ontario Co., NY

excerpted from the HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY; compiled by Lewis Cass Aldrich; edited by George S. Conover; 1893;

As of Oct. 1788

Col. Hugh Maxwell - Samuel Whedon - Frederick Saxton - William Markam - Capt. Cleveland - Phinehas Blodgett - Ransom Smith - Mr. Curtis - Joseph Salisbury - Robert White - Adner Hickox - John Fanning - William Ewing - Henry Reading - Andrew Evers - Benoni Taylor - near the outlet - Cornelius Decker - John Jones - E. Phelps - John Culver - David Bailey - James Parmeter - Enos Boughton - Sewell and Othniel Gilbert - James Dugan and Rees Stevens.

As of 1789

Gen. Israel Chapin - Nathaniel Gorham Jr. - Benjamin Gardner - Daniel Gates - Daniel Brainerd - Martin Dudley and William Walker.

Samuel Gardner opened the first store;
Major Willis taught first school beginning 1792;
First birth, Oliver Phelps Rice 1790;
First death, Caleb Walker 1790;

First medical men of the town were Moses Atwater and his brother, Jeremiah Atwater; Samuel Dungan and William A. Williams; all of whom there before 1800; Moses Atwater having settled in 1791.

First town meeting April 1791, following town officers were elected:

Supervisor: Israel Chapin; Town clerk: James D. Fish; Assessors: John Call, Enos Boughton, Seth Reed, Nathan Cumstock, James Austin, Arnold Potter and Nathaniel Norton; Collectors: Phineas Bates and John Codding; Overseers of the poor: Israel Chapin and Nathaniel Gorham; Commissioners of the highways: Othniel Taylor, Joseph Smith, Benjamin Wells; Constables, Nathaniel Sanburn, Jared Boughton and Phineas Pierce; Overseers of highways: James Latta, Joshua Whitney, John Swift, Daniel Gates, Jabez French, Gameliel Wilder, Abner Barlow, Isaac Hathaway, Hezekiah Boughton, Eber Norton, William Gooding and John D. Robinson.

Over in the east part of the town, near the foot of the lake, at an early day dwelt pioneers Samuel Rogers, Artemas Lincoln and Charles Grimes, the latter the owner of a fulling and cloth mill; John Van Orman, Liberty Day, Elihu Tupper, Lyman and Arnold Hays; Judah Colt, the first sheriff of the county.

North of the foot of the lake were a number of families: Zachariah Tiffany, the Cassarts and Shulers, the Faurots and Sanders. Also pioneers, DeBow and Latting.

West of there settlements made by: Caleb Gage, Thomas Pike, Joseph Canfield, Stephen Bishop, John Gage, Levi Brockelbank, Chandler Burger, James Reeves, a wheelwright; Eliphalet Taylor, Oliver Glover, Charles Cassart, and William Curtis.

In the northern part of the town, in the locality which has for many years been know as Paddleford, there settled at an early day: families by name of Price, Hudson, Walker, Tilton and Marble.

Southeast of the village of Canandaigua was settled early by: Lemuel Castle in 1789; John Sutherland, Seth Holcomb in 1792; Ebenezer Williams, Captain George Hickox, in 1793 and a soldier of the War of 1812; Joseph Van Orman, Daniel Case, Giles Mitchell and Hugh Jameson.

The country around Centerfield was also settled early by: Colonel Thaddeus Remington and Abner Barlow in 1790; David Hawley, Noah Heacock, Jesse Miller, Isaac Morse - better known as "Papa" Morse; Enos and Henry Hawley, Stephen Ward, Charles and Oliver Johnson, Harvey Steele and Oliver Rose whose brother, Justus Rose, joined him in opening a store

As early as 1796 Rev. Hamilton Jefferson formed a Methodist Episcopal class at Centerfield and among its early members were: Roswell and Hebzia Root, Ambrose and Lydia Phelps, and Sarah Moore. A class was organized in 1808 at Sand Hill and some members were: John Johnson, Elizabeth Cassart, Zachariah Tiffany and wife, Betsey Knapp; and Catherine DeBow. In 1832, the Congregationalists organized a society under the ministrations of Rev. Silas Brown, Robert Hill and Edward Bronson. Among the early communicants of Trinity parish of the Episcopal church - organized 1832 - were George H. Wheeler, Linus Gunn, James Blair and wife, Asa Hawley and wife, Orlando Morse, Ashbel Tuttle and wife, Dr. Thomas Williams, Samuel Shrope and Thaddeus Remington.

South of Centerfield: Rev. Zadoc Hunn in 1795; died 1801; Seba Case in 1794; Elijah Tillotson and George Goodman. East of these pioneers were families: Spencer, Taylor, Moore, Root, Castle, Bunnell, Butler and Mack.

Along the west side of the lake came: Israel Reed, Miles Hecox, Seth Lewis, Levi Rowley, Epaphratus Nott, Christian Seaman, and the Eatons.

In the extreme southeast part of the town is situated what was originally known as the Academy tract and the first settler in 1810 was Santliff. During the next 3 years land was occupied by: James Currier, John Penoyer, Jonathan Croker, William Warren, Solomon Riggs, William Holmes, Elias Bascom, Robert McGill, the Widow Holmes and other heads of families named: Olds, Gordon, Bullard and Dickerson. The first hotel was established by Benjamin Hight, later kept by Joseph Coy.

Cheshire was early known as "Rowley's school-house" because a school was built on lands of John Rowley who settled in 1795. Other pioneers were: Peter Atwell and E. Nott; Milton Gillett, Levi Beebe, Jonathan Mack, William Bacon and Stephen Ward. Some early merchants were: William King, Israel Parshall, Delano & Green, Lorenzo Tillotson, Harman Cooley, Ralph Hunter and Isaac Webster. Joseph Israel opened a hotel in 1818. The Baptist Church society was organized in the year 1800 and early members were: John Rowley, Hugh Jameson, Lemuel Castle, Eli Butler, Fairbanks Morse, Solomon Gould, Jeremiah Miller, David Hurd, John Freeman and wife Charity Castle; Rebecca Rowley, Chloe Butler and Janette Jameson.

Village of Canandaigua

Early Settlers of Ontario Co., NY

excerpted from the HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY; compiled by Lewis Cass Aldrich; edited by George S. Conover; 1893;

The first house, a small log structure, was erected on lot one in 1788 by John Decker Robison, to be occupied by William Walker, the resident agent for Phelps and Gorham. During the same season other houses were built for James D. Fish and Joseph Smith.

In the spring of 1789, several pioneers, headed by General Israel Chapin, came to the village. General Chapin was the local agent among the Six Nation Indians, and was a man of much authority and prominence in the region. With him came Nathaniel Gorham, jr., Frederick Saxton, Daniel Gates and Benjamin Gardner. Other early residents of the village are: Nathaniel Sanborn and family, Judah Colt (the first sheriff); Daniel Brainerd, Martin Dudley, Thaddeus Chapin, Phineas and Stephen Bates, Orange Brace, Moses and Jeremiah Atwater, Samuel Dungan, Dr. William A. Williams, and Abijah Peters.

The first framed house was built in 1792 occupied by Oliver Phelps. Oliver Phelps was born in Windsor CT in 1750; in 1788 he associated with Nathaniel Gorham and they represented a group of speculators of the east connected with the purchase of the so-called Massachusetts lands in Western NY. Oliver Phelps died in Canandaigua February 21, 1809.

Among the first merchants were Samuel Gardner, Thaddeus Chapin, Isaac Davis, Thomas Beals, Joseph Smith and Luther Cole. Early hotel-keepers were: Nathaniel Sanborn, Freeman Atwater, and Phineas Bates. Early medical men were Drs. Moses Atwater in 1791; Jeremiah Atwater, Samuel Dungan in 1797; and William A. Williams in 1793. The local tailor was Abijah Peters; the gunsmith of the community was William Antis.

The leaders in the movement for incorporation of the village were: John Greig, James Smedley, Jasper Parrish, Elisha B. Strong, and John A. Stevens; the village was incorporated in 1815. First elected officers were: Trustees - James Smedley,
Thaddeus Chapin, Dr. Moses Atwater, Nathaniel W. Howell and Phineas P. Bates; Assessors: Jasper Parrish, Asa Stanley, Freeman Atwater, Abner Barlow and John A. Stevens; Treasurer: Thomas Beals; Collector: Benjamin Waldron; Clerk: Myron Holley.

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