Pioneer history of Camden, Oneida County, New York

The object of this volume is to record the early settlement of the town of Camden, and bring the same to the knowledge of its readers. No doubt many have questioned, like ourselves, why they selected this part of the country? When it was first settled? By whom? and just where did this or that one reside in those early days? We seek to answer these questions, and many others — to tell you something of the trials that beset these pioneers, to show that their lives were not "downy beds of ease" and pleasure, but full of earnest toil and endeavor, privation, and often times suffering. It is well to know how the foundation of our now beautiful village and town was laid, that we may the better appreciate it — how it has grown from the primitive forest of pines to its present state of improvement — with what persistent labor they wrought to clear ground for their habitations, to the end that we may the more fully understand how great is the debt of gratitude we owe to the early builders of our community. We assume no superiority of authorship, nor shall it be our effort to embellish these pages with flowery descriptions; but a plainly related history of each family as we have gathered facts relative to it, will be our pleasure. This required years of patient labor. We have met with many encouragements, and but very little that tended to dishearten, and have found a more than ordinary interest manifest in the minds of all to whom we have turned for information and aid in our work. And now, kind readers, remember, we are sensible of defects, but court no criticism. With Dr. Arnold, "We can not see how the public mind can help bearing anything we have the honest courage to publish."

 

Table of Contents

GEORGE SCRIBA 17
LAY OF LONG AGO 20
HISTORIANS' OPINION OE THE SETTLEMENT OF CAMDEN 21

CHAPTER I.
THE TOWN OF CAMDEN 23

CHAPTER II.
SEVENTH TOWNSHIP 31

CHAPTER III.
SEVENTH RELIGIOUS SOCIETY 51

CHAPTER IV.
PLANK ROAD 63

CHAPTER V.
CONTINUATION OF PLANK ROAD 76
CEMETERY - 1840 76

CHAPTER VI.
CONTINUATION OF PLANK ROAD 102

CHAPTER VII.
JOSEPH SCOVILLE 128

CHAPTER VIII.
PHELPSVILLE 131

CHAPTER IX.
PRESTON HILL 156

CHAPTER X.
HILLSBORO 190

CHAPTER XI.
WOLCOTT HILL 213

CHAPTER XII.
TABERG ROAD 228

CHAPTER XIII.
TABERG ROAD CONTINUED 234

CHAPTER XIV.
SKINNER SETTLEMENT 262
TABERG ROAD ACROSS TO WOLCOTT HILL SCHOOL HOUSE 265
DINGLE STREET 276
STATE ROAD 276
MEXICO STREET 277
ROAD LEADING FROM MEXICO STREET TO HILLSBOROUGH ROAD 309
WEST CAMDEN 311
PARNASSUS STREET 331
CROPPER STREET 333
MAIN STREET NORTH 351

CHAPTER XV.
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST IN CAMDEN 385
METHODISM IN CAMDEN 404
WESLEYAN METHODIST 431
MILLERITES 432
TRINITY CHURCH 432
ROMAN CATHOLIC 438
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 439
EARLY SCHOOLS 441
INCORPORATION OF CAMDEN VILLAGE 449
FIRES IN CAMDEN 454
CAMDEN WATER WORKS 460
MERCHANTS 460

CHAPTER XVI.
EARLY TAVERNS OF CAMDEN 475

CHAPTER XVII.
FACTORY VILLAGE 483
F. H. CONANT'S SONS' CHAIR MANUFACTORY 487

CHAPTER XVIII.
PROFESSIONAL MEN 489
DOCTORS 489
LAWYERS 498

CHAPTER XIX.
CAMDEN SAXHORN BAND 503

CHAPTER XX.
NEWSPAPERS 509
POSTMASTERS 516

CHAPTER XXI.
MASONIC LODGE 517
ANCIENT LODGE I. O. O. F. 518
ROYAL ARCANUM 518
ORDER OF AMERICAN MECHANICS 518
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS 518
KNIGHTS OF MACCABEES 518
IMPROVED ORDER OF RED MEN 518
CORALLINE SOCIETY 519
CAMDEN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 520
CURTISS HALL 522
CAMDEN OPERA HORSE 523
CAMDEN BANKS 524

CHAPTER XXII.
MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS 526
REVOLUTIONARY PATRIOTS AND DATE OF DEATH 532
SOLDIERS OE 1812, AND DATE OF DEATH 536
MEXICAN SOLDIERS 536
LIST OF SOLDIERS IN THE LATE CIVIL WAR. ENLISTED EROM CAMDEN. TOGETHER WITH THEIR REGIMENT 537

CHAPTER XXIII.
POREST PARK 540

CHAPTER XXIV.
SUPERVISORS 547

CHAPTER XXV.
GLEANINGS 551
CONCLUSIONS 554
FRENCHMAN'S ISLAND 556

 

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The name of George Scriba occurs in nearly all of the deeds which have come under our notice as conveying land to very many of the early men in this locality, and it may interest some, as it did us, to see a portrait of the man, and learn a bit of his career. He was born in Holland in 1752, and came to America probably, when so many of his countrymen were seeking homes and fortunes here. In 1793 Mr. Scriba came to Constantia, and established himself a home on the picturesque shores of Lake Oneida, the locality then called Rotterdam. Mr. Scriba came there a man of wealth — estimated to have been worth from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. He invested largely in new, uncultivated territory, owning much of Oneida Co. Rotterdam was a place of larger business importance than Syracuse at the time. He was prominently interested in all measures for the advancement of the locality, giving liberally to the establishment 01 the .Episcopal Church, its building and equipment, and also a plot of ground for a burial place. The church was built in 1829, and still stands in fairly good condition, and is one of the children of Old Trinity, New York. The residence of Mr. Scriba was built in 1794, and the illustration is a very good one, though time has made inroads upon its beauty — is of Dutch colonial style in structure, two stories high in front, sloping from the ridge to a half story in height at the rear. We entered a door at the west end of the house, leading into a fairly wide hall, running through the entire length of the house to an outside door opposite.