Toward a Mammalian Fauna of Upstate New York

Another source of fauna information is the Turner History of the Pioneer Settlement of the Gorham-Phelps purchase, were anecdotes and vignettes of encounters with wolves and mountain lions (called panther) abound. More work is needed here.

• The bear was an ambiguous animal to encounter. They were attracted by the hogs of the earlier settlers (p.191; p.203; p.409) and sometimes the children would meet them when retrieving the cows (p.191), or the grown-ups when splitting rails (p.192). The beasts were tough enough that an angled axe blow to the head might only wound the animal (p.192), though a hand-spike could break their back (p.192). Farmers had to chase them out of their fields as well (p.192); in general it seemed possible to shoo them off. People lived isolated enough that wolves and bears were considered their "nearest neighbors" (p.209). Bears were also attracted to other fatty foods, such as the cheeses of Mrs Dean, who had established the first cheese press in Genesee county (p.225 Note). Feral hogs however were able to battle bears successfully (p.265 Note). Elisha Sennder crossed Irondequoit Bay in his canoe when a bear climbed into the canoe to catch a lift (p.412). Near Monroe, the hunter John Parks failed to kill when shooting a bear, and was mauled badly when defending his life with his knife; having to crawl lacerated several miles to the house of William Henscher (p.412). Their furs were traded at Brighton, by Judge Tyron in his Indian store, with the Indians and trappers (p.429). 
• The hog was a domesticated animal that had been introduced to the area by the white settlers and let "of necessity" roam in the forest to feed itself (p.191). Hogs also attracted bears (p.191f; p.203). Sometimes the roaming hogs escaped and became feral (p.191; p.265 Note) and turned into a fearsome adversary of dogs and Indians (p.191), even capable of holding its own against the bear and the wolves (p.265 Note; p.426), almost becoming the "lord of the forest" (p.412), and requiring hunting by the humans with dogs (p.426; p.425). Edward Holbrook in North American Herpetology, (1838, v.2, p.84) [= 1842, v.3, p.13] had pointed out that they were the greatest enemy of the rattle snakes as well. They were plentiful around Sodus Bay (p.396). 
• The panther was an indication of wild nature (see Ode, p.vi) to the settlers, especially in its terrifying "scream" (p.86) or "yell[ed]" (p.vi). The grace of its deadly movements was used figuratively in similes for the (equally as wild perceived) Indians (p.81). When the village of Avon was settled, several panthers were killed in the area (p.375). At Dumplin Hill, near Monroe, an Indian managed to kill a panther that had just gorged itself on a hunted deer (p.409). At Irondequoit near Monroe, John Parks and his mulatto Dunbar ran found a panther in a tree by accident, when coon hunting, used fires to keep it in the tree all night, and shot it by daylight (p.412). Dr Joel Brace, the early physician of Victor, was riding home along the old Indian Trail with his horse, coming from Norton's Mill. Dr Brace encountered a panther at a location then known as Miller's corners, but was able to confuse it into leaving him alone when opening and shaking his umbrella. (p.532).
• The wolf ...  James Sperry recounts for Bloomfield that the farmers would lose their sheep to the wolves (p.191; p.409) if they did not build tight and tall sheep pens (p.191). When combining the bounties offered by the state, the county and the town, each wolf "scalp" was worth $20. However, when Asahel Sprague killed ten in one expedition, that basically settled the problem for Bloomfield. (p.191) "John Stimpson, a trapper, caught on Capt. Treat's farm, 9 wolves in one night, for which he received a bounty of $90 ; a large sum of money in those primitive times." People lived isolated enough that wolves and bears were considered their "nearest neighbors" (p.209). When Nathan Pierce of Farmington Township, then Manchester, came home from the grist mill after 1795, a wolf pack followed him to the door of his block house (p.209). When Brice Aldrich of Farmington Township was taking fresh meat to Canandaigua, a wolf challenged him for possession (p.209). Feral hogs however were able to battle wolves successfully (p.265 Note). They were plentiful around Sodus Bay (p.396). Wolves pursued Capt. Treat one night for miles ...." (p.532)

Not all mammals are scary in the same way as these life-threatening animals, of course. And some of the mammals were mostly interesting for their fur production.

• The beaver
• The black squirrel  
• The chipmunk was often the food of the rattlesnakes (p.412).
• The deer was a basic food of the early pioneers (p.409) and their leather provided the shoes for the winter time (p.192).
• The elk 
• The fox 
• The moose 
• The minks 
• The muskrat 
• The opossum 
• The otter 
• The [ra]coon was a pest for the corn harvest around Monroe (p.409), but hunting them paid off due to their fine pelts.
• The squirrel 
• The skunk meat was valued (p.425).
• The wildcat 
• The wood chuck 

Some Industries of Upstate New York

This post uses the Turner History of the Pioneer Settlement of the Phelps-Gorham Purchase to give an account of how early industries in the Purchase; it is a cross-reading, and not an exhaustive list yet.

• Asheries: In Monroe county, "at Irondequoit Landing, ... [there was, RCK] ... an Ashery, the first established in all this region. It worked up the ashes and black salts of the new settlers for a great distance around it ; shipping at the early period, in 1803, 108 barrels of pearl ash to Montreal. Ashes being a shilling per bushel, enabled the settlers, generally destitute of money, to get some store trade." (p.427) This was probably the ashery that belonged to Judge Tyron (p.429).
• Canal Construction: Culver built the combined locks at Lockport (p.427).
• Distillery: In Brighton, the distillery was part of Judge Tyron's store (p.429). 
• Flouring Mill: Can be used distinctly from grist mill (p.397).
• General Stores: (See also Indian Trade Stores)
• Grist Mills: Since one needed boards before one needed to replace hand mills, grist mills were usually built after saw mills [e.g. see Allegany, (p.449)]. The first in Allegany was opened in 1803 by Judge Church (p.449). The mill irons had to be transported, sometimes by boat, and accidents were possible, as the loss of Andrews going over the Genesee falls shows (the boat and the irons were retrieved, however) (p.406 Dagger-Note). Judge Church had them brought in from Albany and paid $6.00 per cwt [= centum weight]for the transport (p.449). Some pioneers like Francis Brown brought the mill wrights and irons with them (p.593).
• Indian Trade Stores: Culver accepted furs from the Indians, as well as whiskey and cider brandy, and butter and cheese and honey; (p.427), bringing in apples and white fish from Detroit. Culver sold salt for $3.00 the bushel. Judge John Tyron built a store house at Brighton (p.429) and traded goods brought by sledge and by boat from Schenectady (at $3.00 per 112 lbs) for furs with the trappers. With the moving of the shipping business to the mouth of the Genesee river, the store declined and was demolished in 1818 (p.430).
• Iron Forges: Old iron could be found either where ships went down (p.27) or when old fields were plowed to reveal French axes (p.377; p.472f). William Nixon Lomis built the first near present-day Rochester (p.398). Since iron tools were needed to build frame houses and mills, one could bootstrap the process with an anvil and bellows, as the example of Mr Mann shows (p.525 Note).
• Mail: Oliver Culver carried mail with skates on ice in the winter of 1805, from Cleveland to Huron (p.429), in four hours.
• Salt Making: In 1792, Col. Danforth carried his five pail bucket to the Salt Springs to boil up some salt (p.124). In 1806, Norton & Richards of Canandaigua bought the English saltwork tracks and used deep wells to get to the brine (p.525). August Elliot built the first iron forge in Penfield (p.537).
• Saw Mills: Initially the irons had to be imported by the owners (p.347), e.g. with ox teams from Connecticut. Culver built the first saw mill on Allen's Creek in 1806 (p.429). The first in Allegany was opened in 1802 by Judge Church (p.449).
• Sheet Metals: Ebenezer Watts started the first copper, tin and sheet iron business in 1817 (p.611).
• Shipyard: Culver built a lake Schooner, drawn with 24 yokes of oxen (p.427) as well as packet boats for the Erie canal (p.428). 
• Shoe-Making: Stephen Lusk started the first tanning and shoe making store in Brighton  (p.429).
• Taverns: Asa Dayton opened the first tavern in Brighton near Irondequoit (p.429). 
• Tanning: Stephen Lusk started the first tanning and shoe making store in Brighton  (p.429).

There were also "inofficial" industries in Upstate New York, such as 

• Banditry: General Schuyler and his house were attacked, but due to the defense mounted, only the plate was ransacked and the silver taken on the way out (pp.490-491).

Indian Interactions in Upstate New York (Part 1)

This post uses the Turner History of the Pioneer Settlement of the Gorham-Phelps to give an account of how the interactions between the whites and the Indians worked in the Gorham-Phelps purchase.

• Around Farmington Township, later Manchester, the whites would take the venison hunted by the Indians to Canandaigua for them and sell it. The venison hams were dried and sold to the East (p.209).
• Already the indians had established fruit orchards (p.247) and the whites liked to carry these over.
• When the pioneers in Wayne County ran out of corn, they would purchase some from the Indians, such as the Onondaga (p.266). 
• Indians were hired by the British commanders in Fort Niagara (p.374) to hunt down and kill the deserters that would abscond into the new settlements, such as Avon.
• Around Allen Flats, Monroe, the Indians sided with the British in Canada and behaved with insolence until Fort Niagara surrendered (p.409).
• Mary Jemison had been captured by the Indians, but preferred to stay with them, telling her story to Peter Shaeffer of Monroe (p.410) when she spent the night at his place with her Indian hunting party.
• Allen of Allen's mill in Monroe County collaborated with the Indians, throwing parties with them, where they served wild hogs and whiskey, and having both a white wife and a squaw (p.425). 
• The first settlers of Conneaut relied on the native squaws to assist the only woman in the party, Mrs Stiles, in gaving birth to a son that winter (p.426 Note). 

(to be continued)

Studying William Darby (Part I)

This post looks at William Darby's work for contributions to our understanding of Upstate New York during the time when Palmyra was settled up to the "Reign of Rochester".

• The emigrant's guide to the western and southwestern states and territories (1818)
• Mentions neither Palmyra nor Rochester
• Description of the Climate of New York in Chapter VI, where the state of Ohio is described, starting (pp.218ff)
• Describes the then-county of Ontario and the Genesee region (pp.268-270), pointing out the fertility of the soil and the production of salt and gypsum (p.270)
• Gives distance tables  for travel from New York and Pittsburgh via St Louis to New Orleans (pp.270ff)
• Gives post lines and distances for the journey from Albany to Buffalo via Canandaigua (pp.279f)
• Gives a small population table from 1810 for Ontario County (p.310f)
• A Tour from the City of New York to Detroit (1819) 
• Mentions neither Palmyra nor Rochester
• Gives details of Stay in Canandaigua (pp.129-153; pp.212-214; p.224)
• A description of the route for the Erie Canal in Addendum No 11 (pp.XXVII ff) and some general remarks on the landscape between Albany and Buffalo.
• Darby's Edition of Brooks' Universal Gazetteer (1823)
• The description of the goods ready for shipping at the village of Herkimer (p.713 col 2) enumerates typical goods and estimates their value at $250,000 [sic!]. 
• Using a packet boat to drive up the Erie Canal just before it extended to Rochester (it stopped at Heartwell's Basin in Pittsford, 8 miles south of Rochester). Darby makes it clear that travel is interrupted to sleep on land overnight (p.714 col 1), even though his 40 ton boat had "elegant accommodations";  Darby staid in Palmyra.
• Darby also notes the danger of the Cayuga swamps, were 2000 (!) men were employed to push through, many of them contracting sickness and some of them dying (p.714 col 1).
• At the end of Note 1 (p.716 col 1), the transport statistics and tolls for the canal are given, and the amounts and the value is stupendous.
• In Note 2, (p.716 col 2), Darby walks down the list of the locks and their drops, touching upon Palmyra.
• In Note 3, (p.718 col 2-p.719 col 1) Darby predicts the future prosperity of Rochester, as it "is unquestionably destined to become one of the greatest inland manufacturing and commercial sites in the United States" (p.719 col 1). The canal description indicates that it passes "the flourishing villages of Palmyra and Lyons in Ontario county" (p.719 col 1).
• Darby lists Palmyra as belonging to Ontario County of New York, and gives the 1820 population with 3724.
• Darby describes Canandaigua as one of the most "thriving villages" in the interior of the US (p.153 col 2), as the seat of justice for Ontario County. Only gives population levels for the township, not the village proper.
• Darby's Universal Gazetteer, 2nd edition (1827) 
• Has the same Erie Canal discussion in New York section, pp.548 col 1-549 col 2.
• Mentions Palmyra on p.595 col 1, but only gives population for 1820.
• Mentions Rochester on p.679 col 2, but gives no population, mentions flourishing status.
• Canandaigua mentioned on p.123 col 2, but gives only overall population for the township.
• Geographical, Historical and Statistical Repository (1828)
• Concerned with Pennsylvania, this prototype for a new publication project mentions the Erie Canal only, but not Palmyra or Canandaigua.
• View of the United States: Volumes 1 & 2 (1828) 
• The discussion of New York commences on p.566 (which implies volume 2 for the two-volume editions).
• Lyons is considered the main city of Wayne County (though no population is provided for the county) on p.572.
• Rochester is the main town of Monroe County (which equally lacks a population) (p.571), but Rochester is singled out for its rapid population rise that puts it third behind New York City and Albany only for city size in NY. 
• New Gazetteer of the United States of America (1833) 
• Palmyra is discussed on p.392, col 2, where it is described as having "an academy, factories, several churches" and "considerable trade".
• Palmyra township is discussed in the same location, p.392 col 2, with having a good soil and being next to Mud creek, which provides for mill sites, but is not considered navigable; the access to the Erie Canal is emphasized. 
• Rochester (p.476 col 2) is the most populous and important village in the state; the confluence of the head of the navigable waters of the Genesee River from Lake Ontario and of the local railroad (!). Darby specifically mentions the rapid rise of the population, how in 1812 it was a dump. The flour mills and the capital invested in these is described, and a detailed table of goods and their values provided. In addition to 100 stores the village boasts 1 daily and 5 weekly newspapers.
• Canandaigua (p.84 col 1-2) receives another rave review, for possessing "a bank" on its straight broad street, one mile long, as well as for its flourishing female seminary. 

In our next installment, we will look at how these assessments change under the view of the final works that Darby published during his long career.

• New Gazetteer of the United States of America (1834)
• New Gazetteer of the United States of America (1836)
• Darby's Universal Geographical Dictionary (1843)

(to be continued)

Appendix

The following works were ignored.

• Mnemonika or Chronological Tablets (1812) 
• Mnemonika or Table Of Memory: A Register of Events (1829)

Nelson on Rural Sociology

Lowry Nelson, the man who gave us the Mormon Village, in the 1950s published a book of sociology that describes the rural situation

Lowry Nelson, Rural Sociology and Rural Social Organization, New York (American Book Company), 1955.