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FACTORYVILLE AND WAVERLY
Factoryville, in the town of Barton,* received its name from the
mills that were erected there in the early part of the century. First a
fulling mill, carding machines, and saw mill, by Messrs. Shepard and Crocker in
1809; then a factory by Messrs. Isaac and Job Shepard, afterwards bought and
enlarged by Mr. A. Brooks. This was consumed by fire in 1853. A
tannery is now in operation on the same ground. Another tannery just
across the State line was established by Jerry Adams about fifty years ago, and
is now owned by John A. Perkins.
A survey of Factoryville was made in 1819, by Major Flower,
from the State line to George Walker’s. The Ithaca turnpike was made in
1821, and the Owego and Chemung road opened about the same time.
A post office was established in 1812, first at the factory,
and afterward removed to Mr. I. Shepard’s store, on the Owego and Chemung road.
The district was divided into large lots of land by John
Shepard, Esq., and sold, reserving a number of acres for the mill lot, to Thomas
Willcox, Moses and Larnard. These lots were again divided into village
lots, which were sold, and neat and comfortable dwellings erected, and it is now
a pleasant and thriving village.
Mr. John Barker was a gentleman of intelligence and refinement,
cheerful and agreeable. His society was much sought, and he was beloved
and respected by all. He came from Durham, N.Y., in 1830, to settle the
estate of his nephew, young Hotchkiss, a merchant who had established himself at
Factoryville a short time before, and died suddenly of a fever.
Mr. Barker continued the business and became a citizen.
He married a sister of Mrs. Isaac Shepard, and they were pleasantly situated in
Factoryville, when death removed the daughter, husband and son, in a few
successive years. Mr. Barker died in New York City, 1855.
John Hotchkiss, a younger brother of the early merchant, was a
clerk for Mr. Barker many years. Industrious and enterprising, he went to
California, was successful in business, came home and was married, returned
again, and died of yellow fever on his passage back to California, in 1853.
Mrs. Larnard, who resided many years at Factoryville, is a lady
in whom refinement of manners, good sense and devoted piety are happily
combined, and is still living at an advanced age.
* The town of Barton was taken from Tioga, March, 1824, extending on the
State line from the Susquehanna to the Tioga River. The names of the
pioneers near the Susquehanna River were Ellis, Mills, Saunders and Hanna.
The latter lived to be over one hundred years of age. The early settlers
on Shepard’s Creek were Hedges, Barnes, Newel, Lyon, Bingham and English.
Blackberries and maple sugar were abundant, and furnished partial sustenance to
the inhabitants. These early settlers were principally from New England,
and were among the most industrious and reliable people. The Ithaca
turnpike, made in 1821, was a great advantage to them.
The first Presbyterian Church of Factoryville was formed in the
spring of 1847, eighteen of its members receiving letters from the Church of
Athens. The Methodist and Baptist Churches were formed there a little
previously. The Episcopal Church was formed and house built about 1853.
These churches are now all located in Waverly.
Waverly is also in the town of Barton. In 1796 Mr. John
Shepard purchases of General Thomas, of Westchester County, N.Y., one thousand
acres of land at five dollars per acre, extending along the State line from
Shepard’s Creek at Factoryville, near the 59th mile stone, to 60th mile stone;
thence across the north end of Spanish Hill to the Chemung River, and from the
Narrows across the mountain beyond Shepard’s Creek; thence down to the State
line again, embracing Waverly, Factoryville, and many fine localities back of
these villages, as has been already stated.
This tract was an entire wilderness at this time, except the
flats and a few openings near them where the red man had tilled his corn a few
years previously, and it had made a charming home for the wild deer and many
other inoffensive animals, which herded and grazed, and roamed through the
forest, and drank from the waters of the rivers and the pure springs from the
mountain. The venomous rattlesnake was sometimes seen in numbers, but
these reptiles, like the savages, have disappeared before the improvements of
the white man.
In 1819 Deacon Ephraim Strong bought one hundred and
fifty-three and one-half acres of land on this tract, just across the State
line, one hundred rods in width, about an equal distance between Shepard’s Creek
and Chemung River, and extending back to the mountain.
Here Mr. Strong, with his numerous sons, made an opening in the
pines, of several acres; planted corn and potatoes, sowed buckwheat, built a
snug frame house, dug a well, and set out an orchard. Some of the trees
are still standing on the lot now occupied by Mr. Fuller.
Here this godly, intelligent, and well educated household, the
father of a graduate of Yale College, and the mother of a superior woman, lived
several years. It was a privilege to call on this family and learn how to
live and enjoy the comforts of a retired life, and look into their well-read
library, and hear this priest of his own family in the solitude of the forest
offer the morning and evening sacrifice. Scott’s Commentary was Mrs.
Strong’s principal reading, and in her obituary, many years after, it was said
that she had read this work through seven times. The family removed to
Hudson, Ohio, where many of them have died.
About 1825 Mr. Shepard paid Mr. Strong for his improvements and
sold the land to General Welles. Shortly after November 1st, 1835, Mr.
John Spalding, of Athens, bought the farm.
One of the “old fields” adjoining this farm on the west
extended from the locality where Mr. Waldo’s drug store now is to the spot near
where the depot stands, north of the State line, and is the ground on which the
west part of Waverly is built. The other field was on the Pennsylvania
side, where South Waverly stands. The old road from Milltown to Chemung
formerly passed between the old fields. There is a tradition that the old
fields were cultivated by the Aborigines, and they were sometimes called the
“Indian Fields.” These fields were very familiar to the early settlers,
and their animals were often pastured there from some distance.
The public road* was opened from Barton to Chemung through
these lands and the lands of Isaac and Job Shepard, and a gradual improvement
made. In 1846 Mr. E. Brigham built a hotel where the Methodist Church now
is, which he called the Waverly House. The street running south from there
was opened soon after, which was called the Waverly Street.
A few buildings had been erected in anticipation of a future
village, and a Presbyterian Church was built in 1848. The lot was given to
the congregation by Mr. Owen Spalding.
The Erie Railway now being constructed and fast approaching,
the village began to grow rapidly, and many dwellings and stores were in
progress, and in the fall of 1849 the railway reached this point. A depot
was built, and soon the sound of the engine whistle and the rattling of cars
announced their arrival at the newly made village, animating and cheering the
expectant inhabitants.
The village was incorporated in 1854, and received the name of
Waverly. A few votes more would have given it the name of Loder.
Since that time Waverly has had a very rapid growth. The business of the
place has constantly increased, and now its busy streets, its churches, banks,
printing offices and other mechanical establishments, its stores, and an
institute of learning of high standing, all give unmistakable evidence of thrift
and prosperity.
The early purchaser of this valuable tract of land once said,
“It would not be surprising if at some future time you should see the spires of
ten or a dozen churches between these rivers,” and five or six are seen already
in Waverly alone; and in a little more than twenty years a village of more than
3,000 inhabitants has sprung up on this ground.
Spanish Hill lies a little west of Waverly. It is
disrobed of much of its foliage, and divested of its crowning beauty—the ancient
and mysterious fortifications on its summit. It lies principally in
Athens, and has been described there.
The post office was established in Waverly in 1849; the first
great fire in March, 1855; Waverly Bank chartered 1855; Waverly Institute built
1857; First National Bank chartered 1863.
* The road originally did not run straight across, as Chemung Street indicates, but from Barton to Factoryville, the tannery neighborhood—thence toward Chemung, forming an angle. Mr. Isaac Shepard, when a young man, rode horseback to Washington to have a post office located there—and received the appointment as postmaster February 12, 1823.
XXIII
REMARKABLE EVENTS
After the destruction, by a storm, of the large yellow pine
trees of the last century, and the new trees had sprung up and were clothed with
verdure, the locusts appeared in 1800 and devoured every green thing before
them. At first a worm that worked itself out of the earth in vast numbers
appeared. The ground was alive with them. A shell next formed, which
after a little time opened on the back and the locust came out with wings and
legs, resembling the grasshopper, but much larger. They soon flew to the
trees and bushes in multitudes, and devoured the foliage. They passed off
the same season, but came again in 1814, which many now living very well
remember. The singing of the locusts in the pine plains above the village
of Athens made it difficult to hear conversation by the way. They nearly
all left the same season. American locusts are said to resemble those of
the eastern hemisphere, but are not so large.
The total eclipse of 1806 is remembered by many now living as a
grand and sublime scene, a recurrence of which is not expected in this longitude
during the present generation. The late eclipse of August 7th, 1869,
approached nearer to it than any other we have witnessed, and a few degrees west
of us the sun’s disk was entirely obscured.
A grand celestial phenomenon, a meteoric shower, was exhibited
in the heavens on Thursday morning, the 13th of November, 1833, between the
hours of two and five o’clock, and was witnessed by many people in this part of
the country, and in this village, as well as through the country generally.
Those who were fortunate enough to be up at that hour in the morning spoke of it
as brilliant beyond description. It is a phenomenon that is fully
substantiated by astronomers as occurring periodically, though not always
visible to the same extent, in the same place. Some suppose there is a
region in the space through which the earth passes in its orbit, where such
meteoric scenes continually prevail, and more or less may be seen every year in
November, about the 12th or 13th. The newspapers throughout the land
contained notices of it under the caption,
“Remarkable Phenomenon,” “Extraordinary Phenomenon,” “Falling
Stars.” One writer remarked, “The shooting stars were harmless, and as a
general thing vanished before they reached the earth.”
Another remarkable scene was witnessed in 1838, an annular
eclipse of the sun, as predicted by astronomers, when a most beautiful luminous
ring was seen in the heavens while the moon appeared on the center of the sun’s
disk.
These unusual events strike us with wonder, which the ordinary
exhibitions of the heavenly bodies make but little impression.
“The glorious Architect,
This, His universal temple, hung
With lustres, with innumerable lights—
Let not man withhold his homage.”
XXIV
IMPROVEMENTS
When our fathers first came to Tioga Point there were no roads
for the white man. An Indian trail, following the riverbanks, was the only
opening through the thick pines. These paths, with the river itself, had
afforded the only facilities for traveling. They were used only by
footmen, the river was navigated by means of the “light canoe.” With a
little improvement these Indian roads were used by the white people for many
years. When the first survey of this town was made a road was laid out
nearly in its present course from Athens to Milltown. The most direct
route for the traveler, or the mail from Owego to Newtown, was by the way of
Tioga Point, until about 1821, when a road was opened from the Susquehanna, via
Factoryville, to the Chemung river, thereby leaving Tioga Point out of the
accustomed route of travel, considerably to its disadvantage. A private
road had been opened from Milltown through the thick pines to Chemung, which was
also much used by travelers, and afterwards became a public road. The
circuit from Tioga Point to Milltown, thence across to the Chemung, and down the
river to the village again, affords a very pleasant ride. A few gay young
men of former times once tried it on a Sunday in a lumber sleigh filled with
straw. They scattered the straw as they rode along in their merriment, and
thus the route obtained the name of “the straw line,” by which it has been
called ever since. It is said that complaint was entered against them, and
they suffered the penalty for the violation of the law.
Modes of traveling and conveyance were very different in former
times from the present. Canals, railroads, steamboats, and even
stagecoaches, were unknown at the beginning of this century. It was common
to see the footman traveling with his knapsack on his back. Riding on
horseback was the common mode of conveyance from place to place, and even of
making long journeys. Sometimes a gentleman and lady, or a father and
mother with two children, might be seen pursuing their way in this style.*
Another very safe method of traveling was by means of oxen attached to a cart or
sled, and often whole families were conveyed in this way to a social gathering,
or to the place of worship. Long trains of emigrants thus pursued their
way to Allegheny or Ohio. As the country improved a chaise or gig was
occasionally seen, and in due time, wagons, stages, and coaches were introduced.
Parties to a hymeneal engagement might sometimes be seen
wending their way on horseback to the house of the minister or magistrate.
My father, being a magistrate, wedding ceremonies were often performed at his
house.
*It is related that “a bridal party from Catharinestown on Seneca Lake,
visited Tioga Point, in 1793, on horseback, to find
the nearest justice authorized to
perform the ceremony.” The magistrate was probably Noah Murray, Esq.,
father of the
late Norah Murray, well known in
Athens.
The parties generally came without attendants, and frequently both riding one
horse. One cold and blustering December day, when the doors were closed
and the family gathered around a large fire, a sprightly young man with his
espoused helpmeet alighted at the door and inquired for Squire Shepard.
The object was soon disclosed to the Squire, and readily understood by the
family, when every other engagement yielded to the occasion in hand. The
nuptials were soon solemnized, and the groom and bride were ready for their
departure. A white dress and thin shawl were the only protection of the
lady from the inclemency of the weather, and as she stood upon the horseblock
awaiting the movements of her spouse, with the wind whistling through her
garments, she exclaimed,
“Why, Philander, I shall freeze.” “Oh, no,” said he in blandest tones,
“that would not be consistent,” and soon they rode rapidly away with colors
flying. Squire Shepard never required a fee for performing a marriage
ceremony. Moreover it was his practice to present the bride with a Bible,
desiring her to make it the guide of her life.
Athens, or Tioga Point, was formerly noted for the number of
its distilleries, there having been at one time not less than six or seven in
operation at once. The first one of the last century was built of logs on
the back part of the lot where we now live. The well for the distillery,
and now in use, was dug by Daniel Moore, a Hessian, who remained in the country
after the close of the Revolutionary War. The well was in a dilapidated
condition, and remains of the pump that had been used were still in it when we
came into possession of the lot. The distillery was carried on for many
years by Daniel Alexander, and was then a lucrative business and considered
reputable. The degraded whites and Indians who still remained in the
country were there supplied with whiskey. Another in the north part of the
village succeeded this, on an improved plan, having a windmill connected with it
for grinding the grain. There was another at Milltown, and another still
at Chemung Narrows. As these began to run down, three or four more were
started on the west side of the Chemung river, all in this town, and were in
full operation many years, when the temperance movement seemed to affect them
unfavorably, and they tottered and fell. The whiskey now used at Athens is
altogether supplied from other places, none being manufactured in the place or
vicinity.
The effect of the failure of these distilleries has been a
decided improvement in the cause of temperance, and we may expect that when
foreign supplies cease temperance will triumph.
A most striking instance of the effects of intemperance was the
case of Moses Roberts, a graduate of Yale College. He came to this country
about the close of the last century, and bought a farm in Athens, became an
inebriate, and sank step by step to a stupid sot. He married an imbecile
woman, became demented himself, his farm was sold, his children bound out, and
for many years he made splint brooms for a living. He died near a
distillery, and was buried as a town pauper in 1824.
The Pennsylvania canal was surveyed through this part of the
state by Mr. Randall, Chief Engineer, about the year 1830, and went into
operation in 1854. Much of the lumber and other property that was formerly
run on the river, now finds a surer and safer conveyance by the canal.
Large quantities of coal from our mining regions are transported by the canal to
market in the northern part of the state, and in the state of New York.
The Pennsylvania canal was surveyed through this part of the
state by Mr. Randall, Chief Engineer, about the year 1830, and went into
operation in 1854. Much of the lumber and other property that was formerly
run on the river, now finds a surer and safer conveyance by the canal.
Large quantities of coal from our mining regions are transported by the canal to
market in the northern part of the state, and in the state of New York.
The Pennsylvania and New York railroad was surveyed in the
summer of 1866. The first train entered the village from Towanda, November
26th, 1867. Regular trips on the road, from New York, were commenced
September 20th, 1869, thus facilitating travel along the river, and affording to
the passenger a marked contrast to the previous mode, over a very hilly and
winding road. We can now sit by our fireside and hear the whistle and
rattle of the Erie trains, and can see trains on the North Pennsylvania
railroad, many times in a day, as they pass along with whistle and echo.
These with the foundry and tannery, make a combination of sounds evincing
substantial and cheering improvement.
A bridge over the Chemung river was built in 1820, and rebuilt
in 1836. Another, and much longer and more expensive one over the
Susquehanna, was built in the year 1841. A bridge over the Chemung, at
“Tozer’s,” was built about the same time.
These bridges take the place of the ferries of former times,
which were often difficult and sometimes dangerous to pass.
In 1844 it was announced in the public prints that Professor
Morse had discovered a plan, by the aid of electricity, to send messages from
place to place, with a speed exceeding anything before known. He applied
to Congress for aid to make trial of his invention, on a line between Baltimore
and Washington city, which was granted him. It was soon put in operation.
Now the novelty is passed, and we with other towns can readily avail ourselves
of telegraphic facilities.
XXV
THE DEER HUNT OF 1818
“Up men! Arouse for the chase!
The wild buck is quitting his lair,
The hills are gilded with light,
And there’s health in the balmy air.”
When the New York and Pennsylvania boys engaged in a grand deer
hunt in this beautiful valley, in the fall of 1818, it was a gala day, such as
they seldom enjoyed. The necessary plans and arrangements had all been
matured. Fires had been lighted on the North Mountains the previous night,
and the hounds sent out early to drive the deer down to the plains.
Marshals for the day had been chosen to lead their respective bands. The
appointed day anxiously looked for arrived, when about two hundred men, armed
with guns and rifles, sallied forth from their homes in the early morning to
engage in the exciting sport. A circle of men, several miles in extent,
was to be formed on the broad plains between the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers,
extending beyond the hills on the north, and to the southern limit of the pine
woods towards the south. They were to move in uniform time and regular
order, toward one common center, driving before them the deer that traversed the
plains and hills, and were thus surrounded by the hunters, or hemmed in by the
rivers. Many have doubtless been the joyous and frolicsome days of the
sons of the forest, when with their simple bow and arrow they sallied forth in
numbers, and traversed the same ground for the same object. The Indian and
his game have long since passed away from these scenes, before the resistless
march of civilization, and they must now be sought toward the “setting sun.”
But to the hunt. The marshals of the day, at the head of
their respective commands, and clothed with due authority for the occasion,
mounted their steeds and rode forth at early dawn, each having under command
about one hundred men. Mr. Elias Mathewson, leading the Pennsylvanians,
posted his men along the borders of the pine forest below the Mile Hill,
extending his line from river to river, about two miles above the junction of
the two streams.
The line of the New York men was stretched from the Chemung
river, near Buckville, across the hills to Shepard’s creek, on the north, all
being at their posts, and in due order and readiness. At the appointed
time the march commenced. Highly excited, the men on both sides pressed
forward, eager for the game, watching every hillock and glen, and scouring every
thicket that might serve as a hiding place for the deer. Often a lusty
buck was started from his retreat. Here and there through the forest the
timid doe and fawn might be seen darting away from their pursuers, who, still
urging them toward the place of rendezvous, a point not far from the center of
the present village of Waverly. Occasionally an animal more fortunate than
the rest would break through the ring, and make his escape, but this only added
to the excitement and eagerness of the hunters. The men were not to shot
any of the game until orders were given. But now the lines close in as
they approach the rendezvous from every side. Quite a number of deer are
discovered to be within the ring—excitement is at its height, and orders are
given to fire. The woods ring with the report of the musket and the crack
of the rifle. Many a noble buck is brought down. Some of them stand
at bay for a while, but all in vain; while the cringing doe and helpless fawn
become an easy prey to the pitiless foe, who give no quarter at such time.
As they approached the center of the ring (said to be near where the Waverly
foundry now stands), the excitement increased to rashness and recklessness.
In their great anxiety to secure the whole of the game, the hunters shot in
every direction.
“In the heat of excitement men do not stop to consider,” and
suddenly it was announced that a man was wounded. This arrested the
attention of all for a time, such an interlude not have been in the program.
The marshal ordered a cessation of firing, and the eager inquiry “who is it?”
went round the circle. The unfortunate hunter thought himself desperately,
if not fatally, wounded, and the woods resounded with his piteous cries.
Great was the consternation, and deep the sympathy among his friends and
neighbors. The surgeon examined the wound with great caution, and not a
little anxiety. As he removed the garments, anxious friends were relieved
upon ascertaining that it was not a serious wound; indeed it proved to be rather
a slight one, from which the man soon recovered. “Big Decker” also
narrowly escaped being shot, a ball having struck a tree where he was standing,
about six inches over his head. His ire being a little aroused, he asked
to borrow a gun, having none of his own, to return the fire. But better
counsels prevailed, and all was calm again. The business of the day had
not yet come to an end. There were about thirty slaughtered animals to be
cared for still, skinned, dressed and divided among the men, that each might
have his share of the spoils and results of the day. This was the drudgery
of the hour, but skilled hands applied themselves to the work with a will, and
it was soon accomplished. Distribution was then made of a part, the
remainder sold at vendue, and the men dispersed to their several homes, glad to
rest, and with the coming of night all was quiet and still.
Such were among the sports and recreations of the dwellers in
this valley half a century ago. Those who remain among us still, delight
to recount the feats of skill and daring performed by them in their youth and
early manhood in the various methods of hunting the deer, both by day and by
night. Some of their encounters with the deer were not without
considerable peril, though for the most part, hunting was regarded only as a
pastime.
At an early day, and for some time subsequent to the first
settlement of the country, the deer were quite numerous. Often might they
be seen bounding along their path, or turning to gaze at the passing traveler.
We have seen a little solitary fawn pursued by the dogs almost to our very door,
and have often watched them grazing on the fields of green wheat not far from
our home, and could scarcely begrudge them their delicious repast. Hunting
the deer was quite a business with a certain class, and their skins were among
the articles of trade with the merchant. Venison was a very important
article of sustenance, and when corned or jerked could be kept any length of
time. The game from the forests and the fish from the rivers afforded the
aborigines almost indispensable means of subsistence.
XXVI
SOLDIERS
At the time of the Declaration of Independence, in 1776,
the soil of Athens had scarcely been trod by the white man. Traders had
occasionally passed through the valley, and it is said that a partial survey of
the township was made as early as 1777, by John Jenkins, the noted and fearless
surveyor of the Susquehanna Company. But soon after that time the
Tories assembled here and at Chemung in great numbers, and planned their
fiendish designs against Wyoming.
Several companies had been raised for the Continental service
from the lower part of the valley much to the disadvantage of the inhabitants,
leaving them unprotected from British and savage ferocity combined, which
overwhelmed them in 1778.
Many of the old settlers, after the close of the war, removed
from Wyoming up the river, and quite a number located in and about this place,
then called Tioga Point. We remember some of the aged veterans, and should
like to record the names of them all if they could be obtained. Several
soldiers and some prominent officers settled at Sheshequin. Many of them
lie in our burying places. Colonel Franklin and Major Flower were buried
on their farms across the river.
It was a custom with the merchants of the place to collect from
the government the pensions of these aged soldiers, making advances to them in
goods, provisions, etc., and when they assembled annually for a settlement, and
to greet each other, to give them an entertainment at the hotel. On such
occasions they sometimes assembled at the place of public worship to hear an
appropriate discourse. There was an agreement between two of these
veterans, Archy Temple and Solomon Talliday, that when the first died the
survivor should fire a volley over his grave, which was fulfilled to the letter.
Military customs were kept up by our people from the earliest
settlement. Regular seasons for drilling were observed, and at the time
appointed for general training the various companies collected on parade, with
martial music to enliven the scene. “A light horse company,” so-called,
with uniform of blue and red, with flowing sashes and nodding plumes, made a
specially fine appearance on their noble steeds. When called upon, in
1812, to resist British aggression again, they were somewhat prepared for the
conflict. Several volunteer companies went from this region to the Canada
lines, the seat of war.
Captain Julius Tozer, with three of his sons, Julius, Samuel,
and Guy, were among the number; together with Elishama Tozer, Daniel Satterlee,
John Brown, William Drown, Samuel Baldwin, several of the name of Wilson, four
named Ellis, and several from neighboring towns; all attached and several from
neighboring towns; all attached to the regiment of Colonel Dobbins. The
effect of this war was not felt so much in this part of the country as in many
other places, except by the soldiers themselves, and its influence upon prices,
which were marvelously high. When it was announced in the newspapers, in
December, 1815, that peace had been proclaimed, and confirmed by the arrival of
Conrad Teter, the driver and proprietor of the weekly stage, with his white flag
flying, it was a time of great rejoicing, and Athens was brightly illuminated at
night, and the merry sleigh bells were sounding in the street till a late hour
of that cold December night.
The nation was less prepared for war in 1861. There had
been a long period of uninterrupted peace. The militia system was in bad
repute generally. In this place, and in many parts of our country, it had
been treated with ridicule and contempt. It had come to be considered so
incompatible with the genius of our civil institutions that militia drills and
parades were no longer witness. The feeling of security was such that
military matters were very unpopular, and all attention to them considered an
unnecessary expense of time and money. The present generation had not
heard the sound of war or battle. We were at peace among ourselves and
with other nations, and when the attack was made upon Fort Sumter, in April,
1861, and the proclamation of the President was issued, calling for 75,000 men,
to hasten to Washington, for the defense of the Capital and the government, we
were but poorly prepared to meet the emergency. Men of peaceable and quiet
habits of life, aroused by the necessities of the case, began to ask what they
could do for their country, and boys, too, whose inquiring minds had led them to
examine military books, were inspired with a martial spirit, and offered
themselves willingly in response to the call. They left their peaceful
homes and joined the army, where they found themselves subjected to many
discomforts and deprivations, but they were not forgotten by friends who
remained at home. From the commencement of the war, many supplies were
sent from time to time by the ladies of Athens to their sons and brothers, of
which no account was kept. But on the 30th of May, 1864, the ladies met at
the basement of the Episcopal church for the purpose of forming a society to aid
the Christian Commission. After the election of officers, it was resolved
to divide the town into districts, and appoint a committee of sixteen to solicit
contributions monthly to the Ladies Aid Society, auxiliary to the American
Christian Commission, for the relief and benefit of the soldiers. The
society went into successful operation, and the object was faithfully followed
up until the close of the war. The money raised that year by this society
amounted to $638, besides thirty-three boxes sent by the society and
individuals. The bounty money for soldiers raised by taxation in the
borough of Athens amounted to $15,100, and besides these sums, other
contributions were made by the people for the benefit of the soldiers; thus
showing their sympathy for the cause of their common country.
The firing on Fort Sumter and the President’s proclamation
calling to arms were in April. The first company was raised at Athens in
May, and reported at Harrisburg,
commanded by Captain William Bradbury, Company F, Sixth Regiment
Pennsylvania Reserves. The following is a list of the men belonging to
Captain Bradbury’s company: Captain, Wm. Bradbury; 1st Lieutenant, L. D.
Forrest; 2nd Lieutenant, W. A. Meeker. Sergeants—1st, William S. Briggs;
2nd, Horace W. Perkins; 3rd G. F. Kinney; 4th, Myron Low; 5th, Marshall O.
Hicks. Corporals—1st, O.D. Lyons; 2nd, George Perkins Rogers; + 3rd,
George L. Gardner; 4th, Silas J. Fritcher; 5th, Samuel S. Baker; 6th,
Jeremiah French; 7th, John W. Schouten; 8th, William Langford.+
Privates—Orlando Benson, + Patrick Burk, ++ Jason F. Bloodgood, William
Boughton, Eben Brown, Edward Brigham, Enbulus Brigham, Thomas Barney, ++
Charles E. Brown, Franklin M. Cole, Samuel W. Cole, John P. Coleman, F.D.
Campbell, Nathaniel Campbell, W. M. Chapman, Stephen Crayon, William Crayon,
James Cooper, Benjamin M. Clark, Aaron Daily, James E. Demarest, Elijah DeCroff,
Cornelius Driscoll, Dennis Drummy, Malcolm H., Droyce,++ Walter Farnsworth,
Charley F. Fuller, John F. Flinn,++ Orison Forest, Lorin W. Forest, William
Foran, Joseph French, S.G. French, Bennett French, Truman E. French, Owen
Finlan, Alfred H. Forest, James R. Fox, Gordon Wellington,* Julius M. Hughes,#
Michael Heavener, Sevellan Hicks, James E. Hall, Isaac Jones, Richard King,
Horace Keeler, John Keyser, Orrin D.S. Kinney, C.S. Kinney, Fleming T. Lent,
William Murray, John Munn, Tilden Munn, C.B. McNannon, Charles Merritt, Michael
Moughan, Alfred D.C. Miller, D.T. McKean, William Nolte, Vincent Odell, A.J.
Oret, John C. Pierce, Jacob E. Phelps, George M. Page, Isaac A. Rice, Murray M.
Rogers, Mason E. Rogers,* Francis M. Sherman, George W. Spalding, John M.
Schrymer, James Struble, Horace Struble, Aaron Stone, Daniel Smith, William
Tanner, Perry C. Taylor, William N. Waldron, D.C. Wright, Francis E. Wheaton,*
James H. Wilson, William Walker, Hezekiah Wallace. Musicians—Dighton
Phelps, William H. Lawrence, Harry Smith.
*Killed at Antietam. ++ Killed at Fredericksburg.
+ Promoted to Sergeant. # Killed at Bull Run.
Company H, 57th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanded by
Captain John Griffin, was the second company raised at Athens. This was in
the fall of 1861. The following is a list of officers and men at its
muster November 25th, 1861:
Captain, John Griffin; 1st Lieutenant, Daniel Miner;
2nd Lieutenant, Richard Sinsabaugh; 1st Sergeant, Joseph Brady; Musician,
S. Gibson Shaw; Wagoner, Samuel Marshall. Privates—Mortimer Anthony,
Joseph Armstrong, Henry Armstrong, John Burnside, James Brady, James Childs,
Joseph Clark, Charles Chandler, John M. Chandler, Joseph Clark, George Conrad,
Willard Conrad, William Conrad, Francis Conrad, William Drake, Ward Eastabrooks,
Lyman Forest, Henry Forbes, Almon Gillett, D. Webster Gore, Samuel W. Gore, Eli
F. Hudson, Abram Miller, Milo Miller, Solomon Miller, Amos Miller, Orrin O.
Merrill, Charles W. Murray, John E. Moore, John O’Conner, Henry Owens, John C.
Parkes, Elmer Phelps, Alvin R. Phalon, William Phinney, Hanford Robi9nson,
Alpheus Sinsabaugh, Victor Stephens, Orange Shores, Bemer Smith, William Smith,
Emery Stickles, Joseph Tripp, Harrison Van Vechten, Levi Anson, Lafayette Anson,
Daniel Keeler, William Strickland, Russel Sisson, Edward S. Perkins, Henry
Williams, Charles Williams, Oscar Shores, Robert Edmiston, Erastus Green, Hugh
Farley, L. Orville Snell, Ezra Spalding, Thomas Dunglass, Allen Chandler,
Harrison S. Munn, O.D. Roberts, John H. Row, Nathan Gordon, William Wright, John
M. Rolfe, Adelbert Hart, Patrick Doherty, Pison Ellis, Merrill McAllister,
Harrison C. Perkins, John M. Chamberlain, Thomas M. Guernsay, Joepsh B. Evans,
John Griffin, James A. Shores, George M. Burns, Samuel Laton, M.D. Mills,
George W. Perkins,* Lewis F. Roe, Franklin Shaw, James Wheaton, William Crans,
William Decker, James L. Murty, Charles W. Hepburn.
*Promoted to Colonel.
The third company commanded by Captain J.B. Reeve, was raised in
connection with an effort made at Springfield, in this county, to raise a
company. The volunteers of both places were consolidated and formed one
company in August, 1862, Company E, 141st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers.
The following is a list of the men belonging to Captain
Reeve’s Company: Captain, Joseph B. Reeve; 1st Lieutenant, J.F.
Clark; 2nd Lieutenant, G. C. Page; Sergeants—Stephen Evans, Tracy S.
Knapp, Mason Long, William S. Wright, William Carner. Corporals—Orlando E.
Loomis, James W. Clark, Alonzo D. Beach, Charles M. Neal,*
William R. Campbell, C.T. Hull, R. Clafflin.+ Musicians—W.H. Powers,
B. Munn. Privates—H.D. Kinney, Calvin Alexander, James M. Beach, E.W.
Baker, Eli R. Booth, Lyman Dunn, Daniel Daines, Melvin Douglass, Aaron Eddy,
George Frederick, Wm. Frederick, Abram Frederick, John Frederick, Michael
Finney, Truman Galusha, Thomas N. Gilmore, Franklin Granger, Isaac Gillet, John
Henry, George Huff, John Huff, Andrew Huff, Lorenzo D. Hill, Matthew Howie,
Daniel Hiney, Horace Howe, Russel Hadlock, James H. Harris, George Johnson, E.M.
Jackson, John M. Jackson, Charles A Knapp,* Jas. Lawrence, Alexander Lane, 2nd,
Isaac C. Lane, William E. Loring, E.P. Lenox, George W. Lord, John Mustart, John
Miller, Alanson Miller, Elias H. Herithew, William Miller, James K. Martin,
Robert McKinney, Franklin Nickerson, Riley Pruyne, Martin B. Phelps, W.D.
Powers, Charles H. Packard, George Powers, Edward Price, Levi B. Rogers, George
Rogers, Adson B. Stone, William Smith, Orrin D. Snyder, John P. Snyder, John
Sanster, Charles G. Sawyer, Charles Tibbetts, Evarts Wandall, W.W. Wilson,
Dealmond Watkins, Albert Watkins.
Many other volunteers went from this place and enlisted in the
State of New York and other places. Among the number were Henry W. and
Augustus S. Perkins, brothers, both of whom joined the 50th New York Engineer
Regiment as Lieutenants. Both were promoted to Captaincies. The
former was soon appointed aide to General Butterfield, with additional rank, and
served with high credit for capacity and bravery to the close of the war, and
was honorably discharged with the rank of Brigadier-General. Augustus was
killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, in December, 1862, deeply lamented by
his companions in arms and by all who knew him.
*Killed at Chacellorsville. +Killed at Gettysburg. Added to Tri-Counties site 21 JAN 2007 by Joyce M. Tice