A Sketch of the History of Oneonta Part 3

Mason Gilbert, Hatter, Main street, Oneonta.

Cooke & Brown, retail dealers in Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Hardware, Iron, Steel, &c., &c. Store under the office of the Oneonta Weekly Journal, Main street, Oneonta.

Potter C. Burton, dealer in Watches, Clocks, Jewelry. Silver and German Silver Ware, &c., &c. One door north of Cooke & Brown's Store, Main street, Oneonta.

Timothy Sabin, retail dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Hardware, Iron, Steel, &c., &c. Store opposite the Oneonta House, Main street, foot of Chestnut, Oneonta.

Clyde & Cook, retail dealers in Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Hardware, Drugs & Medicines, Dye Woods & Dye Stuffs, &c., &c. Store nearly opposite the Otsego House, Main street, Oneonta.

Snow & Van Woert, manufacturers of, and wholesale and retail dealers in Tin, Sheet-Iron, and Copper ware, Stoves, &c., &c. Over Clyde & Cook's Store, Main street, Oneonta.

C. n.o.ble, manufacturer of, and wholesale and retail dealer in Beach's Patent Shaving Soap, Beach's Liquid Opodeldoc, and Black Varnish, &c., &c. Main street, Oneonta.

Robert W. Hopkins, manufacturer of, and dealer in Cabinet Ware and Chairs of every description. Chestnut street, Oneonta.

Cushing & Potter, manufacturers of, and wholesale and retail dealers in Barrels & Firkins, &c., &c. Main st., Oneonta.

W.W. Snow's Wool Carding and Cloth Dressing Establishment.

Opposite E.R. Ford's Store, Main street, Oneonta.

Bennet & Smith, dealers in Morocco, Boots and Shoes, Thread, Nails, and Findings, &c., &c., Chestnut street, Oneonta, Otsego Co., N.Y.

George W. Andrews, Chair Maker, and House & Sign Painter, (Chestnut street,) Oneonta, Otsego Co., N.Y.

C.G. Cross, Waggon and Carriage Maker, Chestnut street, Oneonta.

E.R. Ford, retail dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Hardware, Drugs & Medicines, Dye Woods & Dye Stuffs, Iron, Steel, &c., &c., Main street, Oneonta.

[Footnote A: The following advertis.e.m.e.nt from the "Weekly Journal," of July 1, 1841, will show that people were not more honest in former times than they are now:

FENCE IN THE FOG.

The fence around the Baptist Church in this village, has disappeared very mysteriously during the past winter.

Whether _strayed or stolen_ it is not yet definitely ascertained; but from circ.u.mstances recently developed, the latter idea seems most conclusive. Rumor says it has been tracked going Westward; but still, as the Church is located on quite an elevated piece of ground, and near the brink of the hill, it is possible that it may have slid off to the Eastward.

Any person who will give correct information where said fence may be found, or where it was last seen after leaving the premises, will be liberally rewarded by the trustees of the Baptist society. Any person wishing to make any confession in relation to it, may rely upon having profound secrecy maintained by applying soon to _one_ of the Deacons of the Church.

Oneonta, May 20, 1841.]

From the town book the following copy of the doings of the people, at their first town meeting, has been made:

"At an annual town meeting held in the town of Oneonta at the house of Thomas D. Alexander, on the 1st day of March, present

Eliakim R. Ford,} _Justices in_ Robert Cook, } _said town._

"After the opening of the meeting by proclamation, it was resolved,

1st, That there be three a.s.sessors elected for said town.

2d, That there be four constables elected for said town.

3d, That there be four pound-masters chosen for said town.

4th, That an amount, equal to the sum which may be distributed to said town from the common school fund, be raised by tax for the support of common schools in said town.

5th, That the sum of one dollar per day be allowed to the fence viewers of said town.

6th, That five per cent. be allowed as the compensation to the collector, as his fees for collecting the taxes for said town.

7th, That all circular and part.i.tion fences, in said town, shall be at least four feet and six inches high.

8th, That widows, who have no land, shall be ent.i.tled to let their cattle run at large in the public highways, from the first of April to the first of December.

9th, That the annual town meeting shall be held on the first Thursday of March. The following officers were then elected for the town:

_Supervisor_, William Richardson.

_Town Clerk_, Adam Brown.

{ John Dillingham, _Justices of the peace_ { Jonah Northrup, { John S. Yager.

{ John Van Woert, _a.s.sessors_ { John Fritts, { John T. Quackenboss.

{ Isaac Shepherd, _Commissioners of Highways_ { Asel Marvin, { William Angel.

_Overseers of the poor_ { George W. Smith, { Samuel Carpenter.

_Collector_, Hiram Shepherd.

{ Hiram Shepherd, _Constables_ { David Sullivan, { Emanuel Northrup, { Robert S. Cook.

{ Obadiah Gifford, _Commissioners of schools_ { Peter Dietz, { Joseph Walling.

{ Samuel H. Case, _Inspectors of schools_ { Washington Throop, { Amos Cook.

_Sealer of weights and measures_, Eliakim R. Ford.

{ Beers Peet, _Pound-masters_ { Joseph Walling, { William Dietz, { Elisha Shepherd."

In 1835, five years after the organization of the town, the whole tax-paying population of Oneonta was 261. The grand total tax-levy of the town was $781.48. The amount of public school money raised by the town was $100.45. William Angel was supervisor and David Sullivan collector for that year.[A]

[Footnote A: No historical sketch of Oneonta would be regarded complete that failed to mention another name which no one can recall without a feeling of good-will. Dr. David T. Evans was born in Washington county, in 1789 and settled here in 1829. He first began business as a tailor, but afterwards became a well-known and successful farrier. He was a famous story-teller and everybody gave a respectful hearing to the Doctor's tales regarding the strange characters he had known or heard of. At least two generations of boys have grown up and gone out from the village who have listened to his stories. Wherever those boys are now--scattered far and wide--they recall no scenes or events of their springtime without a remembrance of Dr. Evans and his tales, none of which were wanting in pith or amus.e.m.e.nt.]

In 1840, a newspaper was established here which was thereafter conducted by Wm. J. Knapp for about two years when, owing to poor health, Mr. Knapp was compelled to discontinue its publication. It was the "Oneonta Weekly Journal."

The growth of the village of Oneonta from 1840 to 1850 must have been very slow. The building of a house in those days was an act of no little importance. For ten years there were but few dwellings erected, and those few were of a cheap and inferior cla.s.s. The population hardly kept pace with the building. The young went west, and the number of families that moved out was about equal to the number that moved in.

From 1850 to 1860 there was but little building and but a small increase in population. There are no accessible figures showing the population of the village at the different decades, but the census returns for the town may be taken as safe guides in forming an estimate of the village population at different periods. In 1830, when the town was organized, it contained a population of eleven hundred and forty-nine. In 1840 it had increased to nineteen hundred and thirty-six. In 1850 it had slightly decreased, then being nineteen hundred and two. In 1855 it was twenty-one hundred and sixty-seven.