Rife Class Book. SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT ^yC)—- y -^ ^ -y ^-y- — ^ -^-■-{{V/A) ' ' ' ■ V VJ LV V^ il PROCEEDINGS ii >> << ANNUAL FESTIVALS II » ^ A PIONEERS OF 'ROCHESTER » /cP' « f (( ■ jt* BLOSSf>M HALL. N «. \] SEPTEMBER 30, 1847, AND OCTOBER i2, 1848. ^^ \' « i> • « > '-^ KOCEIKSTEK, N. Y.: Ij STEAM PRESS OF BUTTS & MERRELL, BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. Y"! ^ . 1S48. ^>A PROCEEDINGS ▲T TBS ' ANNUAL FESTIVALS OF THE P^'^nEEESOr EOCHESTEE, -'■ r-f L ^^^^ *T • f^ '-' i {-■-; >^"' ■' BLOSSOM HALL,^ SEPTEMBER 30, 1847, AND OCTOBER 13, 1848. ' ROCHESTER, N. Y.: STEAM PRESS OF BUTTS & MERRELL. BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. 1848. F"/2f FIRST ANNUAL PIONEER FESTIVAL. It having pleased a kind Providence to spare the lives of many of the first settlers, or Pioneers, of this our floarishing and beautiful city, it was suggested that the hardships and privations endur- ed by them, should be commemorated in an appro- priate manner by the survivors. In accordance with this suggestion, several pre- liminary meetings were held by them, which re- sulted in the adoption of a series of resolutions, designed to control their future proceedings. It was determined in the first place, to convene a Social Meeting, to be composed of Pioneers who had settled at, or who were born in Rochester, prior to the first of January, 1816, and who were then residents of the city or its vicinity. After the adoption of resolutions expressive of their gratitude to God, for having preserved the lives and the health of so many of them, and also of their determination to conduct the proposed cel- ebration on principles of Temperance, a Commit- tee of Arrangements, composed of the following gentlemen, was appointed, viz. : , Ends Stone, Aaron Newton, Harvey Montgomery, Moses Ghapin, Samurl G. Andrews, Jonathan 'Packard, Chari.es J. Hill. At a meeting of the Committee of Arrange- ments, held at the office of the Chairman, Sept. 18, 1847, Col. A. Newton was chosen Secretary, and it was decided that the Pioneer Jubilee be held at the Blossom Hotel, on the 30th of that month. At a subsequent meeting of the Committee, Messrs. Silas O. Smith and Hervey Ely, were ad- ded thereto. It was also resolved, that in the event of the death of a Pioneer, whose name should be enrolled as a member thereof, it shall be the duty of tlie survivors to attend the funeral of the de- ceased, in a body. FIRST PIONEERS' FESTIVAL. The first meeting of the Pioneers, called for the purpose of commemorating the early settlement of Rochester, was held at Blossom Hotel, on Thurs- day, the 31st day of September, 1847. The following gentlemen were chosen ofiicers : President— ENOS STONE. Vice-Presidents— Hon. Ashley Sampson, Ralph Parker, and Oliver Citlver, Esqrs. Prayer, by R^v. A. G. Hall. A sumptuous dinner was prepared by the Messrs. Blossom — themselves Pioneers and proprietors of one of the oldest Hotels in the city — which was partaken of by the following gentleman : Name. Age. Enos Stone, 72 Hamlet Scrantom,....75 , Oliver Culver, 69 Jehiel Barnard, 59 Silas O. Smith, 63 Jonah Brown, 58 Hervey Ely, 56 H. Montgomery, 58 Ralph Parker, 75 Levi Brown 62 Gideon Cobb, 57 Jonathan Packard,. ...54 George C. Latta, 51 Adonijah Green, 57 Ashley Sampson 57 Abner Wakelee, 57 Ruluff D.Hannahs,... 63 Nathaniel Draper, 57 Anson House, 55 Samuel G. Andre ws,.49 Moses Chapin 56 Everard Peck, 56 William Buell, 56 Aaron Newton, 55 Jacob Graves, 60 Dr. H. Carver, 55 Wm. Brewster, 60 Enos Pomeroy, 56 Seth C. Jones, 47 Ebenezer Watts, 65 Wm. W. Mumford,*.51 Joab Britton, 67 John Veazie, 72 ElishaB. Strong, 58 Wm. B. Alexander,.. 59 feliStillson, 74 S. H. Packard, 51 R. K. Lothridge, 38 L. A. Ward, 46 James H. Watts, 39 Fisher Bullard, 53 Daniel Graves, 50 Ephraim Moore, 53 ElishaD. Ely, 34 Henry Barnard, 31 Josiah W. Bi8sell,....29 Where born. Lenox, Mass., Durham, Conn.,... Hartford, Conn...... 9Partners, N.Y.,... New Marlbro', Ms., Green River, N.Y. . W. Springfield, Ms. Philadelphia, Salsbury, Conn...... Green River, N.Y.. Paulet, Vt., Massachusetts, Seneca, N. Y., Kiskitom,N.Y Cornwell, Vt., Greenville, N.Y Bethlehem, Ct...... Washington, N. H. Glastenbury.Conn., Derby, Conn., W.Springfield, Ms. Berlin, Conn.., Canada, Cheshire, Conn...... Westown, Mass.,... Providence, R. I.,... Priston, Conn., Buckland, Mass.,... Madison, N. Y...... Boston, Mass., Aurora, N. Y., W'8tmoreland,N.H. Boston, Mass. Windsor, Conn...... Galway. N.Y Newtown , . Conn. , . Charlemont, Mass.. Springfield, N. Y., Haddam, Conn...... Nantucket, Ms.,.. . Uxbridge, Mass.,. . Swansey, N. H Hollis, N.H., Hadley, Mass Rochester, Rochester, ArrivaL 810 * Died In Rochester, on the 9th of January, 1848, of an apoplectic tit. Name. Age. Tho. Kempshall, 52 Horatio N.Fenn, 49 Eraslus Cook, 53 Enos Blossom, 35 N.H. Blossom, 33 Wm. Miller,... 56 Alexander Ely,* 85 Alexander Britton,.... Charles J. Hill, 50 Mitchael Loder, 49 Edward Barnard, 58 Matthew Brown, 83 Charles C. Lunt,t...79 Preston Smith, 62 Thomas Barnard 52 Reuben Bardwell,.. ...83 Where born. Arrival. England, 1813 Pivmomh, Conn. ,..1817 Clinton, N.Y, 1815 Onondaga Co. NY. 1816 Onondaga Co. N.Y. 1816 Saratoga, N.Y. ,....1815 W.Springfield,Ms.,1817 1817 Woodbury, Conn... 181 6 Santhsalem.N. Y..1817 Hartford, Conn 1814 Brookfield, Mass.,.. 1818 Newburyport, Mass.1819 We.stSprinc;field,...18I3 Pitt&town,N. Y 1819 Deerlield, Mass.,... 1818 * Died in Rochester, .lunc 15th, 1848, of apople.\y. t Died in Rocli ester, March 2d, 1648, of old age. On the return of the company from the dining- room to the spacious saloon, the Pr';sident deliver- ed the following address : Gentlemen and Brother Pioneers : Through a partiality, most grateful to me, and for which I beg to return to you my warmest ac- knowledgements, I have been honored with the highest seat at a festive board, prepared and fur- nished by those, yet remaining of the Pioneers of Rochester and its vicinity. But in assuming the post assigned me, 1 must be allowed to express a full consciousness of my inaptitude for the proper performance of its duties, as well as a regret that the duties of the chair had not been assigned to other and more competent hands. Regrets on this score are, however, now vain, and while I can promise my best exertions to meet your wishes on this truly interesting occasion, I am too deeply conscious of my deficiencies not to know that I. shall be under the necessityof making large drafts on your kind forbearance. On an occasion like this — one especially intend- ed to brighten the chain of friendship by calling up memories of the past — a past, much of which, was but a war with the inl'eli.iiies incidental to the settlement of a new country — it may be expected that something of personal experience and recollection will be furnished by each of the participators in this festival. This expectaticn, it is hoped, will be more than realized through the relations of many of whom I am thankful to have met on this occasion ; yet so far as it relates to myself, you will be compelled to take the will for the deed. A long acquaintance with you all, will supercede the neces^ity of staling my entire deficiency as a narrator, even of things personal to myself; hence, I am cheered by the reflection that Utile will be expected of me, beyond an hon- est endeavor to make this meeting conducive to the pltasure of the participants in its fe^tivities. The changes, gentlemen, which we have seen in the face of the Genesee country, and which we have aided to produce, since our fir.-t visits to it, have been mo~t striking and important — such as few could h the western boundary of the State— a tract of country now presenting nearly a million of people. At the first organiza- tion of the county, some of which are denomi- nated Town Officers, were residents at Utica, some at Canandaigua, particularly the " T<.>wn Clerk," a Mr. Bates and some at Bufl^alo ! Strange as it may appear to us now, then it was a fact that the British were joint occupants with us, holding the forts both at 0-wego and Young-town. Moved here in March, 1810. On May 4ih, Jas. S. Stone was born — the first child born in the now city of Rochester. Gre-at changes have been wrought since the day of the Pioneers — changt's not only as regards tht-m, but the country they were the first to at- tempt to reclaim from the sohtude of the wilderness. Gentlemen, we are permitted to assemble to- day in a splendid and tasteful mansion, situated in a city of 30,000 inhabitants ; yet 'it is within the personal knowledge of some of us when there was not a dwelling here — when the site of the city, or a large portion of it, was deemed an irre- claimable swamp, proper only as a resort for frogs and muskrats. No longer ago than 1789, the country known as the Genesee, belonged to Mont- gomery County, and it may well be doubted whethet, at that time, there were men enough west of Rome, to have made up a company as nu- merous as the present ! What do we see now— or, ra'her, what does the census of 1840 show us ? It shows Ontario County with, in round numbers, 43,U0i} inhabitants ; Yates with 20,01)0 ; Steuben with 46,000; Wayne with 42,000 ; Livingston with 35,000 ; Alleghany with 41,000; Monroe with 63,000 ; Orleans wnh 25,000 ; Genesee with 30,000 ; Wyoining with 30,01)0 ; Caitaniugus with 29,000 ; Chauiauque with 48,000 ; Erie with 62,000, and Niagara wnh 32,000— in-iliing an ag- gregate of over 500,000 people ! This astonish- ing change has grown up under our ovn observa- tion, yet liow nard is it i'ully to realize its extent, or grasp its piobable consequences ! Yei the cliange is here — pal|)able and uni\iis- takable, in vi ibie nature, and if we consult no flattering minor, we shall be compelled, willingly or not, to own that we too are changing — have changed. It is bffiiting, then, bieihren of the " Pioneer Corps," that ere we cease to compose a portion of the half million of human beings now dwirlling iu Western New-Yoik, that we should prepare some memorial of nuiselves and times ior posterity — homtthiug which bhall not only pre- serve our names Irm oblivion, but shall presi nl them autographically to thost^ who may come af- ter us, while we call up such personal reminis- cences as shrill inteiest the present and the future. For the accomplishment of this purpose, a book has been procuVed, in which each Pioneer m id please write his name, birth, and birthplace ; be- sides, furnishing lor insertion in another portion of the lecord, .--uch ijer>onal nanaiives ot ihe eai'y settl mem of ihi country as his nieinoiy can it caf. By doing this, we shall center presen: pleasure, as well as a great favor on the reading future. Bieihren, my task is done — poorly, I am con- scious, but too sensibly so ; but my consolation is that, howHver insipid 1 may have been, there is plenty of txcelUnt wine — to tpeak figuratively - with which to earry on and close the feast. To the enjoymfpt "if ihis I invite yi-u, one and all, with my whole heait — the heart of an humble but tiue Piontrtr. Alter which, the following correspondence was read by Mr. Andrews: Col. A. Newton : D ar Sir— Y< ur note is rpceived. I am too ill to e.tpo-e myself to the public. I regret I cannot be wnh you ; I have little hope of ever going abroad again. May God bless eafh and pverv one of you. Mathew Brown. New-York, Sept. 27, 1847. To the Chairman presiding at the Pioneer Fes- tival : Dear Sir :-— Finding that I shall not reach home in time to attend ycur Festival on 'he 3Qth iiist., I desire to express to you, an^ through you to the Pioneers who may be assembled, my un- feigned regret that I cani.ot be present, as I had looked iorward to the occa^ion wi'h hitjh antici- pations of pleasure and pit fir. The feelings J entertain triwijvd- my early a'stciates in the vaned toils and exp'rience incid nt to seitling a new town in the desert — overc(!miiig such obstacles a- woods, swamps, fever and ague, bears, rattle, eaakee, mosquitoes, and most other of the win{,ed tribe, added to all the privations — I fay the feel» ingss [ entertain, are interesting and enduring. With the following sentiment or thought, I close, in haste. Moot respectfully yours, Chas. J. Hill. The latter Pioneers of Eoche.iter ~Tho?e en- terprising and worthy citizens " who came to the rescue" after 1818, and the sons of the Pioneers, men qualified ibr the ta,-k of rearing the Super- structure of our thriving city. Rochester, Sept. 20, 1847. To the President of the Pioneer Meeting : Dear ."'ir — Unforeseen circum-tances have pre- vented me from joining in the festivities of this first public dinner of the Pioneers of Rochester. [ well remember the 1st day of May, 1812, wh^n I arrived in this now eity of Rochester, and that it novved all day, ai.d that the city then looked dreary, having not a single house or family on the west ,-ide of the Genesee. I will now offer a sentiment, and am Yours, truly, Edwin Scrantom. Our old -vd absent friend, Preston Smith — The man who, in 1813, for want of a looking- glass, hung up his black coat on the oucside of the w'ind.iw, and went inside and looked into it, and shaved himself. 3Ir. President : Sir— In ihe year 1806, I left the State of Con- necticut, wnh my father, and came to Canandui- gua, Omavio County. I returned to the same Sate in 1813. 1 came into this State, and on the 26ih day of March, 1817, I removed my family to thi- place, whert- 1 have ever since resided. In May, 1817, on motion ol Sa U 1 G. An- drews, now present, I was appointed 4Ln Coiporal in an I.ifantry company, and subsequently to the command of the regiment. In the year 1818, I rented the then 'vooden huild lie, on the same ground wli.ch we now are, of Benjamin Blos-om, father of our now ho.-t, and kept an inn ; in 1819, was appointed Con table in the town of Brishion, whii h 1 held for seven years, arid two years D puty Sheriff, and for the last sev- enteen years have been Crier of the Monroe County Courts. ^ A. Newton. To the President of the Pioneer Society of Rnchesfer : Sir : — I have been much gratified at the propo- sal for a meetinii of the early Pioneers of Roch- ester, a'ld think that the occasion may be very profirable in gathering tog ther incidents connect- ed with the early history of your city. [ wish to submit Ibr your consideration, the pro- priety of formina an a-sociation ior the purpose of gathering imoimation, and publishing such facta as may he connected vviih the early history of the Genesee country. And, as one of tne "Id Pio- neers, I would reppectl'urily submit the following p an, for the pu'-pose of ensuring the accomplieh- ment of the^object of neh organization. A meeting of the early Pioneers of the Genesee District, (-ay west of Cayuga Lake,) for the piir- po;Le of Ibimitig a Pioneer Society lor Western New- York, and that a President be chosen at such meeting : also a Vice-President for each county included in said district ; and that such of- ficers be chosen annually ; and that no person be eligible who shall not have been, since the age of 21 years, for 40 years a resident of this county. And that each Vice-President have power to form & county society, subject to such regulation as may be deemed expedient by the original society. And all papers containing the early reminis- ences of the early history of each county, and all the contributions, manuscripts, &c., &c., be the property of each county society. Various other plans might answer as well or better for such organization. The main object is to rescue from oblivion the memory of those who have done so much to con- vert the howling wilderness into a residence fit for the occupation of Man, and have by their toils and privations left to their descendants such a goodly heritage as they now enjoy. The above I submit for your consideration. With respect, I remain yours, D. McKenzie. Caledonia, Livingston Co., Sept. 29, 1847. 0. Culver, Esq., said he first visited the spot where Rochester now stands in 1796. That year and the two following, he was in the employ of the new Connecticut Company, and assisted the survey of their land in Ohio. They left one fam- ily at Cleveland, and one at Coneaut Creek, 70 miles apart. The company's boats were built at Schenectady, taken up the Mohawk to Oswego, up Lake Ontario, drawn round the Niagara Falls, thence to Cleveland ! In "97, made a small clear- ing of fi acres on the hill where Cleveland now stands, and built the second log house, which was the company's quarters. In the year '96, there were two log houses at Buffalo. In 1800, he left hia father's, at Mount Independence, Vermont, for the purpose of settling at Cleveland. On his way he bought the farm he now lives on. In 1801, '2 and '3, he was in the employ of Augustus Griswold, at Irondequoit Landing, then the city of the west. The Tryon farm, 3000 acres, was laid out in city lots, and an extensive ware-house, store, ashery and distillery, having been erected by Try«n, and a very extensive business being done there, no store nearer than Canandaigua. About this time, three persons established a store at Charleston, near Lima. In 1804, he went to Schenectady and Salt Point, for goods and salt, which ware taken to Oswego, thence to Lewis- ton, teamed to Schlosser, thence in boats to Black Ro«k, thence to the first vessel built on our side Lake Erie, the Good Intent, to Cleveland ; paid $3 per barrel for salt from Black Rock to Cleve- land. Most of it was conveyed on pack-horses, and exchanged at Cleveland, Maumee, Huron and Detroit, with the French and Indians for furs. In 1805, he cstabhshed the first express in the west- cm country. He earned the mail on skates from Cleveland to Huron, 40 miles in 4 hours, which can hardly be beaten now, except by telegraph. — He bought 15 yoke of oxen, for which he paid 4i barrels of salt a yoke. They were driven to Iron- dequoit. He returned by way of the Lakes in 1795, in a bark canoe, with 4500 pounds of furs. It was the sixth time he had traversed the lake in an open boat, and once by land in '98, when there was no house between Buffalo and Ganson's at Le Roy. In 1800, he put in 7 acres of wheat on his farm. In the fall of 1805, he assisted in cutting out the road where Main street now is, from the Genesee river, to intersect the old landing road two miles, and was paid by the town of North- field, 50 dollars. There was no dwelling here ex- cept a small log house, built by Col. Fisk, -in con- nection with the " Indian Allen Mill," which stood where the City Mills now stand. The first bridge was bmlt over the Genesee M-here Main street bridge now stands in 1811-12; before that time we forded the river above the rapids, in low water ; and he has had hairbreadth escapes there in being washed over the fails with a load of grqjn which he had been to Braddock's Bay to procure with a sled and two yokes of oxen. Mr. Culver related an incident of his narrow I escape at this ford on a tempestuous night, when I he had volunteered to carry medicine which was procured from Dr. Ray, of Pitlsford, the then only Doctor nearer than Palmyra — to William Hinchu the first settler at the mouth of the Genesee, who had been bitten by a rattlesnake. He was carried down the river from this ford in the darkness, and saved himself by clasping the alder branches on the bank. You, Mr. President, said Mr. C, built the first house on the east side of the river, and in 1813, we had not given up the belief that the Ironde- quoit Landing would be the port of Entry ; every thing here was so forbidding and inaccessible. It was in that year ihat I built a vessel of 47 tons, on the farm owned by Roswell Hart, Esq., in Brighton, and drew it with 26 oxen to the Land- ing. It was a fine little craft — and I at the helm made the port of Oswego with her, where two heavy vessels manned by 24 men were both lost, and all on board found a watery grave. You and I, continued Mr. C, did not expect to have seen a city of 30,000 inhabitants where we had so recently hunted bears successfully. [The above is an imperfect sketch of Mr. Cul- vei-'s very Interesting details.] Hamlet Scrantom, senior, one of the oldest Pioneers present, being called upon, mentioned a few incidents of the early settlement of Roches- ter. He came here in 1813, built a house where the Eagle Hot.el now stands, and helped clear a road for some di.stance up BulTalo street. He had some encounters with snakes, and on one occasion decapitated a number that intruded into his new house Mr. Hannahs followed with another snake sto- ry, and gave an amusing account of the slaughter of 20 of the '• varmints," belonging to a den dis- covered by himself in 1816. They did not " hiss." Mr. Barnard came here in 1812, put up a build- ing 18 by 26 feet, which subsequently became the first tailor shop, the first shoemaker shop, and the first school and meeting-house. The first meetings were well attended. The Pioneers were all good singers, and they did their singing after the old congregational fashion, as it should be now. The whole country round was a wilderness, and he often felt when wandering about on the Sabbath, like Alexander Selkirk, in his solitude.— Mr. B. related a snake story in which six " rat- tiers" suffered death under the Falls one Sunday, ; for which exploit he received six shillings bounty \ money from Squire House. He also related an j adventure with a deer, in which the animal came i off best, and suffered a captivity of three days. \ Dr. Jonah Brown came here and commenced j the practice of medicine in 1813. He located his | office where the Bank of Rochester now stands, i While visiting a patient near the Rapids, he barely j escaped falhng into the claws of a panther, which paid his respects to him as he was riding in the I woods a couple of miles south of the city. Hav- ] ing heard that vocal music would keep the " crit- ters" at a distance, he tuned up his pipes, but he would not vouch for the character of the music made on that occasion. He gave a vivid sketch of the sufferings of the sick, and stated that he has frequently been called upon to act as nurse, cook and doctor — whole families being down at I he same time. Mr. Culver, at the requeet of Mr. Ely, related his adventure with the Indians at Twelve Mile Creek, in which he received a blow with a toma- hawk on the head, the scar of which, can still be seen ; and also the particulars of the bonfire, he and Mr. Ely made of six thousand votes sent from Canandaigua during the struggle for the division oi the county. Mr. Hfrvey Ely, who came here in 1813, gave a full account of the attack of the British upon I the American works at the mouth of the river. — | He was one of the party who marched to the de- \ fence of the place. As our readers are famihar with this action, we must for want of space omit ■ the particulars. Judpe Sampson called upon all I who wi:yp present at that engagement to rise. — Messrs. Ely, Kempshall,Scrantom, Smith, Graves ' and Green, arose. j Mr. S. 0. Smith came here in ISOi), forded the Genesee by Major Stone's directions at the place where the new aqueduct now stands, got safely over, but fell into Indian Allen's mill race, and got out with difficulty. Mr. S. described the appear- ance of the " irreclaimable swamp" on the west side of the river, and spoke of the difficulty of improving the land and making it habitable. The mud was so deep in front of the Mansion House, that years after, when the stage from Canandaigua did not appear at the regular hour, the citizens used to inquire if it had sunk in the slough in front of the hotel. Mr. Anson House, kept the audience iu a roar by an amusing account of his early adventures. — ■' He commenced digging and has been digging ever since, the street where his property (the Minerva building) is located, having been dug down the depth of one story in front and almost as much in rear- His first pettifogging excursion was mad* on fool to Phelpstowii. When appointed Justict of the Peace he had no coat, and was obliged to be " quahfied" in Canandaigua in his shirt sleeves. He walked to that place and took the oath early in the morning before the people were stirring. Mr. Pomeroy spoke briefly and earnestly in favor of a Pioneer Association which should collect the materials of the early history of W^estem New York. Mr. Donald McKenzie, of Caledonia, an invi* ted guest, followed in a few pertinent remarks on the same subject. Mr. S. G. Andrews, said this occasion brought to his mind as a present reality, the incidents and act- ors in the stirring events which had been crowded into the brief period since he first saw Rochester, which was in the winter of 1815. He found here then about 25 houses, stores and shops ; Ely's old red grist-mill ; three saw-mills and a tannery : all the rest of Rochester was a native forest. — The Genesee was not then diverted to feed Erie Canals, or to turn mill-wheels ; but a broad, deep river rolled its unbroken volume down the falls, sounding its solemn bass through the woods for miles — sending up clouds of spray through a well defined bow of promise to Rochester ; and lodg- ing its congealed particles upon the shrubs and trees, and hanging boughs on its bank, forming in frost work domes, grottoes, and grained arches, decorated with pendant lustres, and crusted all over with diamonds, which reflected the sun rays and sent them off in lines of hght into the deep, dark wilderness. It was a scene magnificent be- yond description — such as no modern eye can be- hold ; for the Genesee river is devoted to other purposes. — Such was Rochester in 1815, with ita 300 inhabitants. Now a beautiful city of over 30,000 population ; over 30 churches and edifices for religious worship ; as many public schools and institutions of education ; over 4,000 houses ; 100 mills and manufactories ; and not only " the larg- est but the best manufactory of flour in the world." Mr. A. related several incidents illustrative of the generous sympathy which prompted the ready helping hand among early settlers ; and spoke of the influence and example of the original settlers of the Genesee country and this city. They were plain men ; plain and unafTected in their inter- course, style of living, and manners, and that in- fluence is acknowledged iu the common and juet saying, that •' no species of dandyism can exist in Rochester." They were men regardful of reU- gion and its institutions ; their first work was to set up an altar in the wilderness, and to provide a. j)!ace of religious worship, and their controlling in- fluence is strikingly visible upon Rochester at this day. Those jnen, said Mr. A., inscribed their own epitaph more durably than upon crumbling marble ; for they impressed it upon the institutions, and in- terwove it with the manners, customs and fashions of a great community to be " seen and read of all men" — and if it might be deemed proper to name individuals among those, all so worthy of remem- brance, with respect and gratitude, he would men- 8 t'on those of Oliver Gibbs, Elisha Ely, Fr-'derick Clark, and Nath. Rochester, whose labors and ex- . ample, nn lew than the others, contributed to the moral prosperity of Rochestm Mr. Pcc'i grave a very lauehable account of onf of the eariy militia training--, in which there werf about thirty men and two muskets. Mr. Barnard, tie commindins: offijer, carri d a ramro i for a svord. The music consisted of a r^al fife anri half of a tobacco barrel for a drum. The sppaker half insinuated that Mr. Erastus Cook, one ot the Pioneers present, was the fifer on that occasion. but the gentleman, though he could not put in a positive denial, did not recollect the occasion dis- tinctly. Mr. P. went on to say : Although Rochester was at the tim; he had. spoken of, uninviting in its appearance, presenting more ih*^ aspect of a village of stumps and trees than of houses and people, yet the inhabitants were kind and cour- • teous to each other, and hopitable to strangers. They seemed bound together by ties of friend- ship and of common interest, and were united in all their efforts to give character and respecta- bility to the infant village. The foundation of its future prosperity had bf^en well laid — the in- stitutions of religion and morality had been firmly established, and the whole community, eonsi.^ting of members of different sects and denominations, met and worshipped harmoniously in one 'ongre- gation, while all contiibuted cheerfully to the sup- port of the minister, a most worthy and excellent man who harl been sett'ed a few months previous. The moral and leligious influence thus early put forth, doubtless contributed much to the rapid growth and enduring prosperity of our new flour- ishing city, and it is not too much to hope that the same influence may continue to be felt in the rich blessings it has secured, when those who were en- gaged in these efforts shall be forgotten. Mr. Gideon Cobb gave a very interesting ac- count of the early settlement of the country. He passed here in 1812, and took up his abode in what is now Aurora, Erie county, where he was appointed an officer and < rected defences to pro- tect the settlement from an anticipated attack of the Indians. He returned to Rochester in 1813, and establi'-hed the first public conveyance, a four ox team, which he ran to the mouth of river for two years. Used to get his provisions cooked once a week at VTrs. Culver's, except in warm weather when his beans and pork would become Bour. Then he was obliged to supply himself twice a week. He finally got board with Willis Kempshall, at $3 per week, and slept under the work bench. He cleared up North and Monroe I otreets. Once fell into the river where the market : now stands, and struggled an hour before he re- | eeived assistance, the inhabitants were so few. Mr. Graves had but little to ofT-r. He had 64 «gae fits the first season of his residence here, and when he began to recover he conld not procure a pound of pork in the whole country. Had never been confined but one day by sickness since. Mr. J. Packard described the appcnncR ct various portions of tie city when he fi.8tdet;ied lere. Judge Chapin regretted his inability to con^ lense facts and incidents within his reco lection .3e iii which the whole village met for public worship — called to mind the two tavei ns with their floors covered with beds to accommo- «date travelers, and the slab aide walks occasion- ally laid by contribution, when the mud rendered the streets impassable. He referred to a mem.ora- ble volunteer night watch, so noisy and riotous as to annoy more than they protected the village. He told anecdotes to illustrate the mode of living and the privation of the comforts of life. He spoke of the state of the arts and manufactures, and amus- ed the company by producing a pair of dividers made from a beach chip with a penknife, by a set- tler in 1816, when a pair of brass dividers could not be found nor purchaseit nearer than at Canan- daigua. Mr. Seth C. .Tones sketched his early adventures as follows : . Mr. President, those who have preceded me, have related so many hardships and privations, far exceeding any that I can relate, that I do not know that what I can say will be very interesting: however, I will venture to trespass a few moments on your patience, while I compare the past with the present. In the spring of 1816, I started from Madison to seek my fortune in the far West. I was 15 years old, a foot and alone, with my sack on my back. I wandered through woods and mud to Pittsford, where I arrived the 20th day of May, with a capital of two dollars, which, with two suits of clothes, composed all my stock in trade. At this time the only currency was shin plasters, which 'a man could travel out of credit in half a day. There I stopped and work- ed about two years. It was very hard work to get any money for labor a' this time. In the fall of 1818, I came to Rochester to see what I could get to do. At last I made an agreement with Roswell Hart to cut a quantity of steamboat wood. I went into the hemlock woods about 2J miles this side of the mouth of the river, built a shanty, pulled off my coat and went to work. — Pork being two shiUings per pound, I thought I would coinmence by catching some fish, so I bought me a hook and line and. set it. At night there was a large white looking "fish, fast to the hook. I pullfed him in and thou'^ht I had a fine prize. I dressed him and put him'on the fire and cooked it until I thought it was donl|, but it v/as so tough I could not eat it. I put it & again, and the more I cooked it the tougher it wdfe. I thought this was a poor speculation. The next day there happened to b$ one of the Pioneers passing through the wood^, and I told my fish story to him. Why, says he, it is a sheep's head ! We never think of more than half cooking them, they are much better only part boiled. I thought I had better buy pork at 2s. 2 per lb. At this time there was no clearing be- tween Carthage and the mouth of the river on the east side. After I got through with the job, I came up to the village, and went to cutting and selhng cord wood, and getting building timber. — The best price I could get, was from five to six shillings per cord, handsomely piled up in the yards of the wealthiest citizens. The best price that I could obtain for the timber of the Court House, was 2} cents per foot. So you see I had to do a good deal ot hard work for little money. A kind Providence has changed the condition of many of us, as well as the country in which we live, and this change can only be realized by comparing the past with the present, and it may not be amiss in us to recount the trials and hard- ships we have endured, and the humble part we have borne in producing this from a howling wilderness to a flourishing city of about 30,000 inhabitants. May it be our part to help on this good work so well begun, and if we improve the advantages we possess, Rochester has but just began to be what she wiO be in thirty years more if she maintains her integrity. With her churches and public schools, mills and machinery, and vast water power, all properly brought to bear, her coursfe must be onward. I might relate many other incidents, but I will not trespass further at this time. IVIr. Alexander spoke of the character of the early settlers in the following style : A stranger sitting here and hearing the history of the first settlers o^ this place, as related by yourself, Mr. Culver, Esq. House and others, who told some of the privations of this settlement, would immediately imagine to himself what was the appearance of this people ; he would say that in the countenance of each would be depicted a tale of woe — sorrowful, haggard and abstracted people, all lamenting thair unhappy fate, and beg- ging that some kind providence would take them away. But, sir, how different was the picture. I never met with so pleasant, cheerful, agreeable and ap- parently happy people, always ready to do each other a good turn, give and receive a good joke, no matter how tight the fit. A stranger would suppose thaV- they fared sumptuously every day, and lay on beds of down. No murmuring in those days. As there was no place of amusement here, the lively and active dispositions of the peo- ple could always invent some way to pass off a dull hour agreeably — such as hopping, jumping, pulling at the sticks, running foot-races, &c. His Honor the Mayor, Dr. .John, was famous for a foot- race. The only place for a race course that could be obtained without running over logs or around stumps, was the old bridge ; several heats were taken by His honor the Mayor, on that course. Esq. House did not look as doleful as one would suppo.se from the situation he was in when I saw him on a wintry evening in 1817, in company with others, pulling at the sticks in the bar-room near where tjie present bar-room of this house now is. It commenced by the boasting of a man named Freeman, who had a roll of butter in liis hat on his head ; it was discovered by some of the company. 10 Immediately a match was made ; two sat down, one with his back before a large bar-room fire, the pulling commenced, the one near the fire was pulled up, he brought in his man, he choose Free- man, the butter man; he was carefully placed be- fore the fire ; he pulled up his first man, another sat down — up he came after some struggle ; the next came up, and the next, till each had had his turn ; Freeman was always the conqueror. In the mean time, our much esteemed friend, now present, Col. A. Newton, who understood the joke, paid good attention to the fire. Freemen then got up, took the fore finger of the one hand and the thumb of the other, and wiping the butter off from his forehead, exclaimed, " how I sweat I" In those days, there were no assaults and batter- ries ; nor wrangling or fighting here, nor had we any till they began to work on the canal. Mr. J. H. Watts, said, a migration from the Eastern States 30 years ago, was more of an event with our American people than at present. Now families leave and traverse thousands of miles, and it is an every day occurrence. Of the times from 1800 to the period 1818, friends fre- quently took a farewell never expecting to meet, as it was thought a new country, wild beasts and natives were sure to embargo a return to the left homes of the east. The difficulties of travel were not easily overcome, and when my father wished to meet his family as he did at Cayuga Bridge, there was ro stage or Railroad to convey him there. He wanted to see us and he came on fool. It was an adventure to come west more perilous than a voyage around the world is considered at the present day. No one thing conduced more to make the people one in feeling than the fact that here sociability was necessary, and the Pioneers all knew each other, worshiped God under one roof, schooled their children at the same school- house, and took an interest in each other's welfare. Mr. President and gentlemen present, let me mention one circumstance to the lasting credit of one I wish was here present, who I will al- ways honor. When my father reached Rochester, there were not as many stores or places of business as at present and there was but one place he could find to cover his head. You may all remember the Leavitt or stone building which has been torn down to make place for the Munger Block.* There m.y father found a convenient room to commence his business and live as best he could without his family for some time. In those days it was thought quite a place ; there he continued until he found better quarters. What rent, think you, he was charged a week when he left it, af- ter occupying it some time ? Why, says John G. Bond, its owner, a good mechanic is of much use to our village. I shall make no charge for it, and neither would he take it. There were many such good hearted men. Who forgets Ira West, always respected in his day ; and will not Dr. Mathew Brown be remembered here, who could not come from ill health, who would no doubt be •Mr. E. Watts Is believed to have lieen the first worker of tin this side of Cayuga Lake, say in 1817, the firat located at Rochester at any rate glad to join you and very many more who can- not be here ? I tell you gentlemen, (and I may be said to be speaking praises to your faces,) I look upon the early Fathers of this city as Benefactors. You have given a character to it for morals and good order and laid out a city, and paid the taxes to improve it, and carved a foundation upon which succeeding generations may build and profit thereby. My parents brought me here, and here would I always live with my family and be satisfied with its progress. , Like many of the older portions of the com- munity, its younger branches have gone from us, and death has taken his share. When my mother with two children came here, we had no small difficulties in reaching our dwelling on South Fitz- hugh street. Huge stumps of newly leveled trees stood in the wdy, and it was a long time before they disappeared in and about the corner of Fitz- hugh and Spring streets. All the way up above the now Ladies' Academy, on Fitzhugh 'street, I, with many of the early boys of Rochester, went for chestnuts, and we had to go through the woods to get up to Cornhill, that now densely settled part of the town. I was amongst those who went to school in the " old school-house" that stood on the same site of the' present No. 1 School-house. I remember it was said in those days that we had good teachers, who were more strict than are al- lowed at the present time, and furthermore that good scholars, proficient in the first rudiments, (the useful ones I mean,) were always reported by all visitors and examiners at our school. I am pleasedto join on this festive occasion with so many of the old men Pioneers — they who have given it a character for enterprise, good morals and order ; and who have done as much in reclaim- ing Rochester from a forest and a solitude as all after generations shall be able to do. In follow- ing out the schemes to extend i*s limits and im- prove its many superior advantages of an inland town,inay it never be known to retrogade, but let centuries to come but add memorials to its greatness, in all that ennobles man. Allow me to touch a topic in which I have ta- ken an interest. In the many improvements, none stand more prominent than our culture of fruits. Many will hardly credit the fact that an apple was much desijced by one sick in our family in those early times, and not one was to be found in the spring ol the year — now I need not tell you that our city furnishes (by the great attention paid to its culture) all fruits in abundance in their season. I undertake to say that in no clime can you find better and more of them, and the fame of Rochester is coupled with her fruits and flowers. In conclusion, allow me to offer a sentiment. May the sons both absent and present, those who were born here and came here anterior to and within the year 1818, children of the early Fath- ers of this city, to so regulate their lives, that after generations may say, how near akin were Fath- ers and Sons of the early settlers of Rochester. Before the separation of the Pioneers, on mo- tion of Mr. Andrews, the following resolutions v/ere unanimously adopted: Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting are 11 dae to our Pioneei bietlueii.tlie Messrs. Blossom, lor the sumptuous entertainmeiU they have pro- vided on this occasion. Resolved, That this meeting is greatly indebted to Cot. A. Newton, for his activity and perseve- rance, and for the deep interest he has talien in all matters pertaining to the festival. The meeting then adjourned. SECOND ANNUAL FESTIVAL Pnreaant to publisfied notice, tha Pioneers of Rochester and its vicinity assembled at the Bloa' som House, on Thursday, the 12th Oct, 1848. The meeting was called to order by the Hon. Enos Stone, President. On motion of Judge Sampson, a committee, (consisting of the mover, Judge Brown, ofOg- den, and [), McKknzik, of Caledonia,) was ap- pointed to report officifs for the organization of the mijclin^.' Mr. Sampson reported, viz: Llish.^ Ely, rresiceni, i-""«J^«^'^' J Vice Presidents. Ralph Parker, ) Chas. J. Hill, } a . ■ a /> A ? Secrefanog. b. :n8 society in this pli:ce over having received ono dollar from abroad towards o'efrayicg the expenses of buil'ling churches or supporting Ministers. Mr. Brown, of Ogden, was happy in the order of Divine Providence, to meet so many Pioneer frienda on this occasion. Ho congratulated the meeting, on the continued growth and prosperity of the coaatry, and related incidents of former days of interest He said in attempting to ford tha Genesee above the Rapids when he first came to the country, he was carried down the stream and miraculously preserved within a short dis- tance of the groat falls. He was one of the first si^ttlers of O^dcn, and his father preached the first sermon ever delivered at Rochester. He cut a road through the v/oodsfroin his settlement to Braddock's Bay and gave descriptions of the greiit difficnliii-s of that day. We have found, said Mr. Brown, a pleasant land. Comforts and blessings are pnlfuscly scat- tered on every hand — the country has not chang- ed — the obstacles to its enjoyments only are re- moved by entnrprisiDg hands. His neighbor, Mr. Wiiley, now present, and 82 years gf age, cut the first tree as a settler in Ogden, and indited the first p ^etry. It is dosci iptive of the country then and now; and seems to have been add/sssed to the inhabitants of the town of East Haddam, Conn., whence P/Ir. Wiiley emigrated. It went to the TUNE OF DELIGHT. Oome and ao along with me, And 1 will show you land, That lies in Genesee. Tnai aint all rocks and sand Th.it plsRsant soil, Of flTtile ground, Lies all around. Thaiisworlh awhile. Mr. Andrews, said the following statistical facts of the olden days of Rochester, compared with its present condition, would, he believed, present a case of the growth and improvement of a city, unparalleled sioco those days when the wealth aiid labor of a kingdom were brought into requi- sition to enact them. In 1814, Elisha Ely, Hervey Ely, and Josiah Bissell erected a merchant's mil! at Rochester with 4 run of stones— the first mill erected ex- clusively for that business. These gentlemen also built a small I story building for a store, on the corner of Buffalo and State streets. Mr. H. Ely came on to Rochester with his goods, and finding the building unghzed. he proceeded to Canand.iigni 30 milRS tn procure a box of 50 feet of glass; being unable to find the article nearer. In 1815, Samuel Hildre'th, of Pittstoi-d, com- menced running a twohorse stage between Roch- ester and Cinaodaigna twico a week, and private enterprise coutinned it once a week on the Ridgo Road to Lewisfon. The first "religious society (Presbyterian) was organized this year under the charge of the Rev. Coajfort Williams. Tha 13 mention of the name of onr first Pastor— said !VTr. A , will briug np to yoar memories that man (if nifeknesa and hamility, as ho went about doing it;ood in ihe new settlement ; one can almost see his quick step aad active manner, on his walk to h:8 clearing, at what is now the junction of the feeder and canal. The ioflaence of his iadu3- trious f-simple was every where felt. He was a Pastor upon the Apostolic plan, scarcely charge- able to any, for his own hands ministered mainly to his necessities In his day no religions dis- sentiona marred the harmony of religion. Hie works remain and follov/ him. Honored be the memory of the Rev. Comfort Williams. In 1816, a post route was established " by authority" between Canandaigua and Lewiston, •'by way of Rochester." A tavern was opened where the Arcade buildings now stands, by A. Reynolds, Esq. The first newspaper was pub- lished by Danbey & Sheldon, the " Rochester Gazette" The basiness of purchasing produce from the country was commenced, and about 7000 barrels of Flour were exported. The pop- ulation of the villasje was 331. The quarterly receipts of the post office were about fifteen dollars. l!i 1817, the laniia on the east side of the River were laid out in bnilding lots. The vil- lage of Rochesterville was incorporated, and the first officers under its charter, were Francis Brown, William Cobb, Everard Peck,, Danie! JVlack, aud Johiel Barnard. Hastings R. Ben- den, Clerk, F. F. Bachns, Treasurer. There are now at Rochester txventy Flouring Mills, with over one hundred runs of Stones. Forty daily, weekly, and semi-weekly mails ar- rive and depart. Forty churches and religious ss- cieties. The quarterly receipts of the P. O., are $5000 ; the third largest in the State. Four daily and eight weekly newspapers. There were man- ufactured here in 1847, over 700,000 barrels of Flour. And the present population is believed to be between 35 and 40,000. * R. A. Wilson would speak as a representative of pioneers. His grandfather on his mother's side was a member of the Legislature of New York durinj! the. revolution — ^for the County of Mont- gomery, which then comprised all of the State of New York north and west of the County of Sche- nectady. Mr. William Clark an uncle of his mo- ther, visited us at Rochester in 1825, and talked familiarly of events he had witnessed in the old French war, was a soldier under Gen. Braddock aitd shared in his defeat. In 1809 his fa- ther, who bad buen employed by Brandt to erect a Council House, crossed the Niagara River, forded the Genesee River at the Rapids, and after wandering throngh the western and northern States setiledat Rochester, invested his property in village lots, and carried on the business of house building to the close of hi3 life. The only • hing ho recoll-inted of the olden tipie, v»as the system of revolving batween the two sides of the River bo! ween Brighton and Rochester, and the races ihU almost daily occnrred between unfortn- !iata delators and constables ; tho Genesee River being the boundary of two Counties, Batavia being his destiny on one side, and Canandaigua the other. Mr. Jacob Graves related hig early expe- rience, in coming to Rochester in 1816, when he purchased the sue of his present extensive tan- nery with $1000 in silver, which he brought all the v/ay from tho Soaihern State line, across the mountains, to Schunectady, Canandaigua, aid this city, in his saddle-bags. Mr. Raphael Beach spoko in his turn. — Considering himself one of the youngest Pioneers in tho Company, he had no experience to tell that would compare with what others had to say. Capt. Miner told of bringing to Rochester from Albany, in 1812, the first Mill Ifttns that were ever put up here, for Francis Brown. The mud was so deep at the present site of the Eagle Tavern, that the iroDs in the bottoni of his wagon got wet and rusted. He also told of the practice in that day of sending convicts to the Salt Works to work out their time, instead of to the County Jail, the prisoners having the choice of punish- ment. Messrs. H. Prindle, Francis Brown, Simeon Lewis, S. C. Jones, and Natha- niel Draper, also spoke as called upon. Mr. Levi A. Ward, after a very complimen- tary notice of John Maude, Esq., an intelligent English traveler, who visited what is now Roch- ester, in 1800, related at some length incidents of his early life, when living with his father, (from 1807, when became from Connecticut,) in the present town of Bergen, then called Northampton. Wo would be glad (o give a full report of the interesting remarks of Mr. W. but find ourselves overrun with the groat amount of matter upon our hands. All listened to what he said with great interest. Gen. MicAH Brooks also occupied. the fall time allowed to each speaki r, in recounting the legislative history of the settlement in the Gene- see Country. Gen. B. carne to this Country as early as 1796, and in '99 became a freeholder. — la ISOSi after the division of Genesee County, he was elected a representative in the Legislature. Ho related the actioa taken in laying out roads at that period, and the incipient steps taken in bnild- ing the Erie Canal. Gen. B.'a remarks were highly interesting, and duly appreciated by his brother Pioneers. [Letter from John G. Bond, Esq.] NiLEs, Berrien Co., Mich., Oct. 7, 1848. Dear Sir : I have just received your kind note of Sept. 26th, communicating to rne the special invitation of .the Committee of Arrangements of the Rochester " Pioneers," to attend their annu- al meeting at the Blossom Hotel, on the 12th of October next. I feel extremely grateful for this polite and kind remembrance. I have ever felt proud of having been one, — although a humble pne indeed, ot the early pioneers of the now beau- tiful city of Rochester. My affections even early enlisted in her growth and interests — there has not been a place since my removal from the Gran- ite State, New Hampshire ; I'in 1815) which I have more loved, and whose people I have held in greater esteem, than the good people of Roch- ester. The beauty of its locality — the pretty riv- er—river of cascades, — good soil, and climate, — 14 general fine scenery, and every thing connected with its site, — afforded me pleasure and happi- ness — and my heart is ever filled with sorrow, when I reflect that circumstances or fate rendered it necessary for me to remove away farther west but it was so decreed by Heaven, and Him who never errs, that I might exert my humble ef- forts to assist in founding and building up other villages — Lockport, and Niles, in the Peninsular State — the latter place will, I predict, be my last pioneering, and my tenement of clay will rest shortly on the romantic and beautiful bank of the St. .Joseph. I am claimed, I believe, as one of the early pioneers of these very important and beautiful settlements—one fine city and two pret- ty villages. — Rochester city, Lockport and Niles. I sometimes smile when reflecting of past scenes, and what has happened in olden times About the commencement of your place, and when I was a citizen — I occasionally heard re- marks which had been made about me, and my character — this was as early as 1815,'16,'1'7, and 1818 — they would remark, as I was afterwards informed, that on most matters Mr. Bond was reasonable and sane, — but when the subject of the future growth and improvement of Rochester were introduced, he was prone to predict that in a quarter of a century, or less, — the City of Roch- ester would contain a population of some 20,000 inhabitants — that in fact I was a monomaniac and insane on that particular subject — now you have some 30,000, perhaps more. Alas ! how blind we often are, as to the future, whether for good or evil. I have often reflected how fortu- nate and blessed you were in the first settlement of your place by having some dozen or more of religious, moral, highly civilized, and enterprising famihes — the descendants of the Pilgrims of New England — mixed vnth some equally excel- lent families from the middle and southern States of our happy Union. The seed then sown, God has greatly blessed — and you are now be- come great in population and wealth — liighly re- spectable for learning, also in the arts and enter- prising — and will still go on, in progressing, per- haps in a compound ratio. That this may be, you have my best wishes. Rochester is now one of the best built cities in the West, and perhaps, in America. I extremely regret that circumstances will not permit me to join you in your celebration, of Rochester Pioneers, this year, but if God should spare my life for a few more years, and I have health and strength — I shall hope, and may be 'so fortunate as to be with you in some future celebra- tion of the Pioneers. You will please present my affectionate regards, and high respects to those citizens — " Pioneers," who may be present at the festive board, and all others, who may not be able to do so — who are stili residing in your midst and neighborhood.—^ They are all well remembered by me with great esteem and affection. Also present my best re- gard to y our family ; and to yourself, believe me when I say, that I still remain, as ever, Your sincere friend, and humble servant, JOHN G. BOND. Enos Sxoni, Esq., Chairmau of Comnjjtee. [Hemurks Jrom James H. IVatts.] Mr. President : The happy effects of the first meeting of the " Early Pioneers of Rochester" have exhibited themselves frequently since that time. Many have been the pleasant greetings and cojiimunications with those I have met who were amongst the early settlers. Letters and papers have been sent me from old friends in which they have alluded to our meet- ing and organization, and you may depend that the proceedings of this day will be sought for by thousands of the American people, and others, who have lived in our goodly city and known the body of men so truly termed Pioneers. I venture to assert that a stronger attachment for any one place does not exist than is had by ahnost' all persons who have lived in Rochester and I pride myself in the thought that we have, a good name in the land. Progress is so engrafted upon every thing that has existence here that we cannot fail to be known in our enterprizes, and many have been the won- ders experienced that so many circumstances of an interesting character could have been con- nected with the early settlement of a new coun- try. I need not say that the " Pioneers" immor- talized themselvies in their first meeting — congrat- ulations that so many are spared to " meet again" certainly will prevail — no doubt my seniors will al- lude to those who have gone from us the past year — " Pioneers" to a land to whicli we are fast hastening. The younger portions of the association will undoubtedly feel the lesson that the elder branches are dropping off, and with them ere long our old men will be dead, and their places can never be filled. May we, the young men, ever keep up this yearly gathering so long as we shall last, and be the last to forsake the way of our Fathers. I for one shall be a listener at this celebration — preferring reminiscences from others, especially Elders in the cj^se. Mr. Watts was necessarily absent from the meeting— but he says his heart and best wishes were for the welfare of the Pioneers. [Letter from Augustus Forter, Esq.] Niagara Falls, Sep. 28th, 1848. En0S Stone, Esq. — Bear Sir : Your letter of the 26th instant, as Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements of the Pioneers of Rochester, is received, in whieh you invite me to attend your Annual Celebration at the Blossom Hotel, on the 12th of October next. For this mark of kindness and respect I tender them my sincere thanks. Nothing -would afford me more pleasure than to attend this celebration, as it would give me an opportunity of seeing the early settlers in and about Rochester, among whom I might see many of my old acquaintan- ces — but the state of my health and the infirma- ti^s of age forbid it. My hge, should I live until the 18th of January next, will be eighty years. — You say at the close of your letter, that should I be unable to attend, some incidents of early set- tlements to be read on that occasion, are requested. 15 In conformity with this request, I will, so far as my memory serves me, give you some account of the first personal knowledge I had of the country in and about Rochester, and of the lirst settlers. I first came into the Genesee country in the year 1789, from Salisbury, Connecticut, in the capacity of a surveyor, at twenty-one years of age. I came from Schenectady on a batteaux up the Mohawk river to Fort Stanwix, from thence by Wood Creek, the Oneida Lake and Seneca River, to Geneva ; from thence to Canandaigua on foot by an Indian trail, and thence by an Indi- an path to East Bloomfield (Township No. 10 — 4th range). Here I found Mr. Jonathan Adams, from Massachusetts, with a large family of sons and daughters who had just arrived and were en- gaged in erecting log houses. I then commen- ced my labors as surveyor, and lotted this town, and spent the whole of the season in lotting three other towns, and running the outlines of a num- ber of other townships in what is now Steuben County, and returned to Connecticut in the Fall. The next Spring I again came to Bloomfield, where I buUt a Saw Mill on Mud Creek. The latter part of the season I was employed by Jon- athan Fasset to survey Township No. 13 : 4th Range (now the Town of Penfjeld). This I ran into large farm lots, except some 20 or 30 acres lying on Irondequoit Creek, which was run into about twelve hundred lots, called City lots. At this time there were living Simon Stone and Israel Stone, at the place where the Village of Pittsford now stands. They were the original proprietors of the Township, having purchased it of Messrs. Phelps & Gorham, and selected this spot to commence their settlement from its being directly on the Indian path leading both from the Irondequoit Landing and Falls to Canawagus, (now Avon,) and from there being at the place a very fine spring. There were, also, several other persons living in the town — among them I recol- lect a Mr. Nie and Paul Richardson, who a few years after became the husband of Mrs. Israel Stone, whose husband had died. In No. 13: 4th Range, (Pcnfield) there was a Mr. Lusk, from Richmond, Massachusetts, living near the Irondequoit Landing, and a Mr. Alien living on the north side of the West branch of the Creek where the road leading from Rochester to Pittsford, crosses. Mr. Orange Stone lived in Township No. 13 : 7th Range, (now Brighton,) at the same place where he died a few years ago, by the handsome Elm Tree and Big Rock. Mr. Chauncey Hyde lived a short distance west of him. This town was purchased by a company from Lenox, Massachusetts, in the year 1789 — '90. — Among the names of the first purchasers I recol- lect Capt. John Gilbert, William Walker, Caleb Wallcer, old Mr. Stone, Father of Orange and Enos Stone, Mr. Northrop, Col. Chauncey Hyde, Prosper Polley, A. Egleston, and perhaps some others. Old Capt. Gilbert was the surveyor who lotted the town in 1789, with whom I became acquainted that year (an excellent, worthy man). He told me at that time that those of the proprie- tors who had seen the town, were disappointed and dissatisfied with ihe quality of the land gen- erally, and with the great Marsh of the Ironde- quoit, and a large Swamp at the south-west cor- ner, and that they intended to sell out as soon, and in the best way they could — and most of them a few years after, did sell to Mr. Phelps. This year, l(789,)Capt. Caleb Wallier surveyed Township No. 12 : 4th Range, (now Perrinton,) into lots. He and his brother. Col. Wm. Walker, purchased this town, and Glover Perrin with his family settled there, where they lived for several years before any other settler came in, and until Mrs. Perrin became partially deranged, when they removed to Pittsford, where he resided until his death. Caleb Walker died at Canandaigua in 1790. This Township Colonel Walker sold to Daniel Penfield, and in 1797 Mr. Penfield sold to Doctor Duncan, a Scotch gentleman, who left it to his son, who lately lived at Canandaigua. In 1789, Ebenezer Allen, (then kn6wn as Indi- an Allen, from his having two squaw wives,) had agreed to purchase a Mill site at the Genesee Falls, and that year erected a small Grist Mill on or near the place now known as Child's Basin — the site was to contain one hundred acres. In the year 1790, Ebenezer Hunt and others purchas- ed of Phelps & Gorham 20,060 acres of land in Township number one, short Range west of Gen- esee River, which was bounded west and north by the north and west lines of the township, east by Genesee River, and south by a line parallel vrith said north line, and so far distant therefrom as to contain said quantity, excepting, however, and reserving one hundred acres which had been previously sold to Ebenezer Allen. The recogni- tion of this sale to Allen, in the deed by Phelps & Gorham to Ebenezer Hunt and others, is, as far as I know, the only evidence of title that Allen ever had to that 100 acres. In 1791 I was at Al- len's Mill, and the only person that I found living at or near that place, was a Mr. Dugan, a brother- in-law to Allen, who was attending the Mill. At this time there was living at the mouth of Allen's Creek, old Mr. ShefTer, who had purchased the farm on which he lived of Ebenezer Allen in 1789 — and came there the next year. This was a farm which Ohver Phelps gave to Allen for his services while Mr. Phelps was negotiating with the Indians for the purchase he made of them in 1788. Allen then lived on the farm, and from him the Creek took its name. The first settler between Sheffer's and the Falls as far as I recollect, was Col. Josiah Fish, who set- tled at the mouth of Black Creek, and for several years was the Supervisor of the town of North Hampton, which embraced the whole of that part of the State of New York, which lies west of Genesee River. In 1789, Hugh Maxwell, while employed by Phelps & Gorham, surveyed the tract known as the Mill site Tract, into townships, and in do- ing so, he committed an error by running the west line due ncrth and sOuth, and the outlines of the townships within the tract, in conformity with that. It was afterwards corrected by running the west line on a course corresponding with the gen- eral course of Genesee River. This I j-an in 1792. This corrected line, which is N. 22 E., accounts for the obliquity of some of the township lines. 16 In 1797 1 sun-eyed the 20,000 acre tract above referred to, into lots, and laid out the village lots at Hanlord's Landing. At this time a settlement commenced at that place by Gideon Pung, Zadock Granger and others. At the same time I laid out the Allen hundred acres, conformable to the description given in Phelps & Gorham's deed to E. Hurt and others. This directed that the cen- tre of the tract, up and down stream, should be the centre of Allen's Mill, and laid out in as near a square form as the windings of the river would permit. Old Mr. Hinshor at this time lived at the mouth of the river, on the west side, andCol. J. Fish lived at and attended the old Allen Mill. In 1798 Eh Granger built a small schooner, at Hanford's Landing. I was at that time one of the propri- etors of the 20,000 acres, and E. Granger came to me and told me of the ridge of land now known as the Ridge Road, and proposed to go and explore it through to the Niagara River, provided I would employ a man to go with him and furnish them with provisions — which I did, and on his return he gave what has since proved a correct account of this remarkable road. Yours respec'y, AUG'S PORTER. [EemfirJ;s of Mosts King, Esq.] Mr. President : My Father came here in 1796, and I think manifested more energy than' his sons — for he sent his goods by water, down the Con- necticut River, up the Hudson and Mohawk into Oneida Lake, then Lake Ontario and up the Gen- esee to the Landing — now called Hanford's, then King's — and by their arrival had constructed the dug way, so that his goods were delivered at his residence. He made the road down the deep Hollow — opened the road to the Lewiston Ridge, and hved but 10 months in 1815. George Hill and I spent evenings pihng and burning brush in front of the Court House, and during the summer the brush and stumps got on tire on the north of Buffalo Street and corner of Fitzhugh, and raged with such fury that it called out all the inhabitants to preserve the few dwellings then erected and erecting along State Street. [Ee7narks of C. J. Hill, Esq.] Mr. Hill said : He came to this place quite young in 1816 — came alone, having then no rel- atives in this part of the country — he came sole- ly as an adventurer. He would detain the meet- ing but a very short time, especially as he saw be- fore him so many Fathers — more remarkable Pi- oneers, who had experienced so much more of in- terest to the meeting — he would say, however, as the privations of a new settlement were very fre- quently and justly alluded to, that there were lux- uries, also, incident to that state of society, at any rate, it was so in the early days of Rochester. He would speak of the fact, that the early Pio- neers came here with very httle property, having in that respect, httle or "nothing to lose, but every thing to gain," hence the scope for hope and san- guine expectations in an eminent degree — that was a luxury. Again, who that was here does not remember the kindly sympathy, the feeling of mutual accom- modation which was a leading characteristic of our early settlers — was not that a luxury ? and one which has sadly decreased with our growth — as is found to be the fact in every place, as it pass- es from infancy to manhood. He would also allude to the luxury which was enjoyed ihirty-tvv'o years since in this City, now containing between thirty and forty thousand in- habitants, of the entire populatioA then worship- ing God, from Sabbath to Sabbath, in a one-story building, about 15 feet by 24 — there being but one congregation and place of worship, and that ihe only school house. For New-Englandtrs, there was another luxury — I allude to the fact that the "heat and burden of the day," in subduing the forest and rearing up this new city, was, to a great extent, borne by ad- venturers from their F minht have a ^wivel on hl■;:'^^ and they were so near us that we coa^d dbt'ncTiy count their oars Aftor a moment's consniialion, we conc'ndtd to head our boat for Irondeqooit. The cbj^ici wa? to give our 18 punoder on shore, an opporinnitj to fire upon the pursuing boat. Brown observeo to me, " well Ely, I tieliave we; shall have to ^'■ to Halifix " I replied, "it looks very mac) like it." Jehiel Barnard, new of this place raised his head, and with compresS' d iijssiid. «• I hope yon will let us fiijht first " We ha< not gone far (oivards [ronot-quoi bnTora ihe Brii ish boat stopped Brown obsRrved, " il ty ihmt there is some trap." We sto{>p'd rowing — iht-j aoon commenced ;igain, and we too. They pn I ed a fi-w strokes and then tUTied towards iht- Bhipping, and wi to ihn month of the river. i'h- gtins from the fleet could have sank us at anj time. About 10 o'clock .a flag of truce put off from the flag ship of the enemy.. Col. SruNE asked me whether 1 was used o receiving a flag of truce. The answer was, "No." Capi. Brown was asked ; the reply the same. Col. Stone then told Brown and myself to do the best we could — adding, " don't let thenicome into the river— don't let them land at all — their feet shall not pollute our soil." Up the lake, a little above the mou;h of the river, a very large tree had fallen into the lake where there was sufficient water for the boat to lie along side. We went out on the tree and tied a white handkerchief to a stick The boat came alotfg side ; the officer, who was in full dress and a splendid looking man, proposed going on shore. We told him our orders were positive, by this time 12 armed men made their appearance on the shore of the lake. The officer bearing the flag said, " Is it your custom to receive a flag ot truce under arms?" We told a m he must ex- cuse us, as we were not soldiers but citizens ; we however requested the men to return. He then said he was commanded by his Exce'Iency Sir James Yeo, to say that, "if we would give up rhs public property, private property should be re- spected." He then produced a paper signed by quite a number of citizens of Oswego, the contents of which, ae near as I can recollect, were that, as the government had left a large quantity of st- res and munitions of war at that place, without ade- quate force to protect it, they would not risk their lives and property to defend it. It was arranged that Brown should stay with the flag officer and I return to our commander, Col Sto.ve. I deliv- ered the message and read the paper above alluded to, which the officer had handed me with a pledge to return it when n-ad. Col. Stone rose and said, "Go back and tell them t at the public property is in the hands of those who will defend it." Soon after the flag had returned to the ship a gun-boat was seen coming from the fleet, towed by four boats. After a short consultation, Judge John Williams was requested to selecf 12 good riflemen, and take a position under a ridge of grav- el thrown up by the waves at the point on the east side of the river. A small boat was sent up to the turn of the river, out oi tight of the enemy, to ferry the men across. Soon we saw them cross- ing the marsh through the tall grass, ana placed in the desired position — all laving on the ground, from which they were to rise on a given signal from CoL Stone. Brown and myself were to occupy our position in ihe boat. Our twelve men were again selected, with six sailors to row the boat. The object was to let the gun-boat get wiihin reach of the riflemen, and then that we should go and capture her. The Lieutenant hav- iiu charge of the cannon had positive orders from Col. Stone not to Hre till he was directed. By this time the gun-boat was in 30 or 40 rods of where we warned her. The boats towing her opened to the right and left, and she fired a six pound -hot, which fell inio the river several rods below the stjre-houses. The moment they fired our cannon was discharged, and witn it went all our hopes. Col. Ston was standing wi'hin tea leet of tiie cann n. He turned, drew his swo d, and I belie»e would have done sc-rious injury had not his arm been arrested. The first gun Iroiri the gun-boat was evidently a trial shot. She would u.ii]oiibt<'dly have come a iiule n arer ihe shore had we not fired, and if so we sln-uld have ass.'.reiHy c^ptured her. She was a ve.ssel of from 9D to lUO tons, .-loop rigged. 1 hardly know wtit^iher the incident is worth relating, but at the iiioment it was extremely exciting, f..r we considered ihe gun-boat alread. our pr.ze. She then fired 15 or 20 sixty-eight pound shot, which aid no injury except One which struck one of the .-^lore-houses. Where they struck the ground th^y turned up a deep furrow, sometimes several rods in length. Some of the balls were used in this city a long iime afterwards in breaki g stone for buildings. Soon after this occurrence. Gen- Porter ar- rived. About 4 o'clock P. M. another flag was seen coming from the fleet. Gen. Porter sent Major Darby iVoo.N, his aid, to receive it. The demand then was that if the property was not surrendered he would land his army and -lOO Indi- ans and take it. Geo. Porter answered, thai if he chose to send his troops and Indians ashore, we would take caieof them, and that if they sent an- other flag he would fire upon it. Gen. Porter appeared to be very mdignant at the threat con- tained in the message from the enemy. 33 Perhaps I ought to mention that Col. Hopkins called out his regiment. Some companies came from the west side of the river, and many in small parties, so that the second day at night we had 6 or 800 men. There was plenty of pork, flour, and whiskey, but nothing else and we were without utenf ils for cooking I well recollect Esq. Scran- TOM as belonging to the same mess with me. We used to mix flour and cold water in little cakes and bake them on a common shovel. We toasted our pork on sticks over a fire, and drank water for cofllee. The thought never occurred '.o any of us belonging to Rochester, that we could send home and get food. It will be recollected that at this t me the tem- perance reformation had not begun in Western New York, it was considered quite unhealthy to drink Genesee water without whiskey, and the salt pork without vegetables made the men exceed- ingly thirsty. The result may readily be con- ceived I saw a Captain the third morning throw aside his sword and military coat, and fight with one of his own men. It was « well contested battle. The Captain at length conquered his man, which was of course his undoubted right under military discipline. The third morning th<» fleet hoisted sail and stood down the lake, and we went to our homes. 1 am deeply impressed with the cont:ast in our condition in the years 1813—14 and yours now, A po|>uious city has spaung up from the wilder- ness 1 see the pnlace-like dwellings of s-me of your citizens wh'-re the humble cabin of the arly settler stood. The spire of one ol your splendid churches rises towards heaven near the spot where rough boards sheltered us while we worshiped God. Systematic education of the young has ta- ken the place ol the meagre instruction m our first school-house. Some of the men who were then young together, have been spared to see Ihisi d-.y. The Providence which has watched over i our city h 8 permitted the " Pioneers" who re- main to rejoice in its present pro.'.perity, while ' they meet to commemorate the trials of itaearly ] days, and to do honor to the memory of those who i have passed away. ELISHA ELY. j The President annonnced that a gentleman who had been present at the Meeting to day had presented a small silver modal as an earnest of a suitable gold medal. wWjch ho proposed to have prepared in season fof the next Ann jal Festival. This medal, according to liio wis' es of the libe- ral donor, is to be worn by the eldest of the Pio- neers ; and at his death to ho presented to the then eldest, and to take thit direction as long as any of the I'ioneera remain. Aitboogh the President did not cnnoHace fbe name of the doner, wp think we bptray no nonfi* dence in stating that William Wood, Esq , of Canandaigra, a name connected with much thai '8 kind, benevolent, and I beral, was the gentle- man who presented the medal. The absence of all descriptioaa of *• strong drinks" detracted nothing from the erjoyment of a feast which was only surpassed by that partici- pated in during the forenoon, at which " fat things" abonnded. After the dmcer was completed, the party re- 'nrned to the parlor, where they remained until •ho Bun'a declining rajs were rf^ffected in (he eistirnsky, when they departed, each to their inme. beafing with them none bnt the mo«t agreeable reflections. The Diianer« At half-past two o'chck dinner was annoenced, • by sounding the horn, as in olden times, and to 'his day in the custom among the farmers in this section. About sevmiy five gentlemen sat (?own It tables literally groaning with excellent viands, prepared in the superior style of •' mine Hosts," 'he Blossoms. iThe following Bill of Fare was imply discussed by the gnests . Oyster Sonp, fISK. Boiled Salmon, Baked S&lnaoa. BOILED, Turkey, OjfterSance, Ham, Chicl-ens, »« •♦ Tongun, Mutton , Corned Bee f & Cabbsgs OAMK. Woid Cock, Partridge, Q-niil, Snipe. Oyster Pies, Chicken Pies. aOAST. Beef, Veal, Pork, Chickens, Boned Mntton— (presented by F Bullard.) Turkey, Lamb. TKOETABLEB. Potatoes, Parsnips, Turnips, Onions, Corn. PASTRY. Pumpkin Pie, Custard Pudding, Mince Pie, Chantries Pudding, Apple Pie, ■ Plum Pudding, Raspberry Tarts, Rice Pudding. DESSERTS. Apples, Pears, Grapes, Almoids, Raisins, Char- lotte de Rnss, Ice Creaoa. vv LBJL^04