This essay was originally published in the 1950 OCHS Yearbook. Please note that this essay was published over 80 years ago. While still useful for general education, language may be outdated and at times offensive. The Oswego County Historical Society does not stand by the language used in this essay. All photos were added in 2026 when this article was uploaded to the web. To view the original document, please visit NYHeritage.org
Paper Given Before the Oswego County Historical Society, May 16, 1950, By J. Elet Milton of Brewerton.
Someone has said that history is like a flowing stream—extending from the unknown past into the unknown future; and when we attempt to study any part of it, we are obliged to plunge into the stream as we find it, reaching as far back into its course as possible and floating along on its surface.
In speaking of Oliver Stevens, the subject it appears to have fallen to my lot to discuss, it may perhaps be best to plunge into the historical stream by exploring into the ancestry of this man, who became the first settler in what is now the town of Hastings and the county of Oswego.
It is known that one, Nicholas Stevens, was a Brig. General in the army of Oliver Cromwell in England about 1640-50. From Nicholas, descended Henry Stevens, and from the latter descended Thomas, who married May 29, 1702 Mary, daughter of Stephen and Ruth Hall of Plainfield, Connecticut.
The children of Thomas and Mary Stevens were seven in number—Thomas, Jr., Phineas, Uriah, Andrew, Samuel, Benjamin and Zebulon — all good scriptural names, probably because Thomas and Mary, like most New Englanders in those days, enjoyed and lived their religion, narrow though it was.
Of these children, Samuel was a private in Capt. Shultz’s company of horse of Fairfield and Norwich, Conn., in 1779, and was killed by the Indians. Benjamin settled in North Carolina. Zebulon enlisted as Corporal Jan. 24, 1776, in the Company of which his nephew was Captain. He married Marion Fellows, and settled in Caanan, Conn Phineas enlisted as a Private in the same Company Feb. 5, 1776.
Stevens’ Forbears
Andrew, the fourth son of Thomas and Mary Stevens, and the father of the subject of this paper, was born, probably in Caanan, Conn., about 1710; married Esther Safford of Caanan in 1735. He was the first Town Clerk in Caanan, Litchfield County, Conn. He represented the Town in the Legislature in 1751 and again in 1761. In 1770, while on his way home, during a heavy storm of wind, he was struck by a falling tree and killed. His widow died in Caanan, March 13, 1773.
The family consisted of twelve children, the two eldest were born in Plainfield, and the others in Caanan. All of the six sons served in the War of the Revolution; and it is known that at least two were in service in the French and Indian War.
While this paper is not concerned with all of the children of Andrew and Esther Stevens, it may be of interest to bring out something regarding the eldest of these children—who became Captain John Stevens; in addition to an extended sketch of the eleventh child, Oliver, the subject of this paper.
Captain John Stevens was born Oct. 19, 1737; married June 2, 1759, Phoebe How. He enlisted at the age of sixteen in the French and Indian War, under Noah Amherst, and served until its close. When the Revolution began he espoused the cause of his native land, and raised a company of soldiers in his own Town of Caanan, over which he was appointed Captain, Jan. 19, 1776. His was the 2nd. Company of Col. Charles Burrell’s Battalion, which was raised to reinforce the Northern Army, then so badly in need of troops.
On account of his experience, he early took a very active part in the war. In company with his intimate friend, Col. Ethan Allen, and others, he conceived and executed the plan for taking Fort Ticonderoga. From a reliable authority it is learned that Captain Stevens was one of that select band who captured the fort —”In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress”—this suffixed by a powerful expletive, in the use of which Ethan Allen was most proficient.
The joker in this oft quoted saying was that Allen, being an atheist, did not believe in God; and his commission was issued under an authority in Connecticut, which Congress had not yet recognized.
Allen is also said to have shouted to Capt. Delaplace, the commanding officer at the fort, “Get out of here, you damned old rat.”
At the Battle of the Cedars, near Montreal, May 19, 1776, Capt. John Stevens and his men were taken prisoners and held by the British nearly three years, when the officers and men were stripped almost naked and sent home in October, 1778. It is related of Capt. Stevens, that rather than deliver up his sword to his captors, he thrust its point downward into the ground, and with his foot snapped it in twain at its hilt.
Besides the two uncles, Zebulon and Phineas, who were in Captain John’s Company, there was a cousin, Benjamin Stevens, a private. Capt. John Stevens died in Washington, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.
Another item of interest concerning Mary, younger sister of the foregoing, Capt. Stevens, may well be included in this paper. Mary was born in 1740; married Thomas Dickinson. The Hon. Daniel Dickinson, prominent statesman, was her grandson.
Mary was instantly killed by lightning, Sept. 3, 1761, at Goshen, Conn. Nathaniel Dickinson and his baby lay on a bed close to the place struck; his wife was sitting in a chair by the bedside when the bolt of lightning hit the north end of the roof, and striking her on the temple, burned her hair and melted a string of gold beads, which encircled her neck. The others received a severe shock, but all recovered.
Born In Connecticut
We will now concern ourselves with Oliver Stevens, the pioneer settler in Oswego County, the younger brother of the before mentioned Capt. John and his sister, Mary, and the eleventh child of Andrew Stevens and Esther Safford.
Oliver was born in Caanan, Conn., in 1759, being twenty two years the junior of his noted brother, Capt. John Stevens. He married Nancy Chittendon, who was born at Caanan, Conn., Mar. 17, 1762. (Her tombstone in Cicero Cemetery reads, “Nancy, wife of Oliver Stevens, Died Nov. 21, 1842, in the 84th. year of her age”.) She was a cousin of Governor Chittendon of Vermont. Oliver and Nancy were married at Caanan in August, 1780— Beauchamp says they were married in Aug., 1740, which is clearly an error, as neither of them were born until later than that date.
Among the first to join the Company of Captain John Stevens, was Oliver, who enlisted Jan. 22, 1776, when only seventeen years of age, and went to Quebec. He was discharged, and again enlisted under Capt. Scofield in the 9th. Conn. Regt, June 18, 1779, for one month, and was discharged July 18, of the same year.
Through the representations of his brothers, who as members of Col. John Bradstreet’s expedition against Fort Frontenac (Kingston) in 1758 during the French and Indian War, had been at Fort Brewerton, and were familiar with this region and its many advantages as a place for settlement, Oliver, accompanied by his wife and three children, left their Connecticut home and made their difficult way to the outlet of Oneida Lake.
Journeyed By Canoe
The journey was by canoe and bateaux over the waterways—up the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, to and over the carrying place at Fort Stanwix, now Rome, down the many windings of torturous Wood Creek. Thence across Oneida Lake to its outlet and a half mile down over the rifts to the abandoned Fort Brewerton.
Here, surrounded by a wilderness, infested by wild beasts and treacherous Indians, he planted a home in 1789—the first permanent settlement in what twenty seven years later became Oswego County. In 1789 it was still a part of the great Montgomery County.
Stevens’ nearest neighbor at this time was Ephriam Webster in Salina on the shores of Onondaga Lake, where he had located a trading post near the mouth of Onondaga Creek, twelve miles distant from Fort Brewerton, in 1786. Four miles further south at what is now known as the Onondaga Valley section, were the families of Asa Danforth and Comfort Tyler, who had located there only the year previous to the coming of Mr. Stevens to Fort Brewerton in 1789.
It may be of interest, to know that descendants of one John Smith, who had served in the Revolutionary Army, and who was awarded a tract of 600 acres in the Military Tract, embracing the village of Brewerton on the south side of the river contended that Oliver Stevens was not an actual settler, as he did not actually own the land on which he settled until much later.
It was contended that Deacon George Ramsay, who had married a daughter of John Smith, and who came to Brewerton in 1792, was the first actual settler—even contending that Stevens was a ‘”squatter”.
Smith Disputed Claim
This contender was so insistent that George Ramsey was the pioneer settler, that he had the old tombstone of Ramsey in Riverside Cemetery in Brewerton, replaced with a new stone, on which he had inscribed: “First White Settler—George Ramsey, Died Mar. 13, 1838, aged 78 years and 5 days”. The old stone which was replaced bore the following inscription: “George Ramsay, Sen , Born in Scotland. Emigrated to Brewerton 1803. Died Mar. 13, 1838”. The date given on the stone as that of his coming to Brewerton is clearly an error. According to the family records, his eldest child, Helen, was born in Brewerton in 1792, consequently he was here at that time. Other data indicate that he came in 1791 to administer the property of his father in law, John Smith. Canny Scotchman, that he was, he soon owned practically all of the original 600 acres.
I have had many a good natured argument with this Ramsay descendant regarding this contention—it being well known that Oliver Stevens was here first, and that he endeavored to purchase of the then owner the land on which he settled, but the owner refused to sell. Stevens had to be content to rent the land, which he actually did.
In order to make clear the events leading up to the occupation at Brewerton by Oliver Stevens, it may be well to mention something of its earlier occupation, which I will endeavor to do as briefly as possible.
Champlain’s Fording Place
At the foot of Oneida Lake, where the Oneida (then called the Onondaga) River issued from the lake, was a rapid or rift, with a fall of perhaps two or more feet. The water, except in flood time, was very shallow. There was the fording place, and it was there that Champlain in 1615, five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, crossed the river and was the first known white person to view Oneida Lake, while journeying toward the Indian fort with a party of Huron Indians. Incidentally, it might be noted that at the present time another battle is being waged between contending parties regarding the location of this Indian fort. One party insisting it was located at Nichols Pond in Madison County—the other side being just as certain that the fort was at Salina.
Indian Fishing Ground
At this rift was a favorite fishing place of the aborigines, great quantities of the finest of fresh water fish, especially salmon and eels, were to be had here, and because of the rapid flow of the water the Indians were able to capture fish here at all seasons. This latter fact was of great value when in winter, because of icy conditions, nearly all other sources were unavailable. Here the Indians erected fish weirs, consisting of sticks and stones in the form of V shaped dams, extending downward from the shores toward a common center. Here at the apex of the dams were placed wicker baskets in which the fish were taken, after having been guided down the dams to the open baskets. The early white settlers also employed this weir method for catching fish, and Oliver Stevens is known to have been perhaps the first white man to so use the method earlier used by the Indians. Before the deepening of the river channel for navigation purposes in 1849, the taking of salmon and eels was a considerable business. It is stated that at times as many as three or four thousand eels were taken in twenty four hours.
Here were the villages and encampments of the aboriginies for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Recent archaeological research has revealed that this was one of the great camp sites of ancient times. Here many different cultures lived and died, and here their skeletal remains and non-perishable artifacts bear evidence of a very large and ancient occupation, extending back into prehistoric periods at least two thousand years.
Indian Trail Crossing
It was at this rift that the great north and south trail from the St. Lawrence region to the south country crossed the more important water route from the Hudson River and salt water to the Great Lakes. Coming down to historic times, this strategic spot became the object of keen attention by the French, who were endeavoring to secure the fur trade of the Indians. It was here that the French proposed to erect a fort.
The British, being aware of the great possibilities of the fur trade, and viewing with apprehension the advance of the French to Crown Point and Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, and the fortifying of Niagara—and later the capture of the English forts at Oswego, decided to forestall the French by building forts along the water route in this section.
As a result Fort Ontario at Oswego was rebuilt in 1759 by the British and used as a base for an advance against the French at Niagara by Johnson, which was taken. Posts were then built by the British in 1759 at Oswego Falls, perhaps a tiny one at Three River Point, Fort Brewerton at the foot of the Oneida Lake, near the rifts, and a post known as Royal Block House at the east end of Oneida Lake at what is known now as Sylvan Beach. ‘This latter post was located on Wood Creek a few rods east of the present highway bridge.
Fort Brewerton Abandoned
The need for these small forts passing within a few years, they were garrisoned only until about 1764 or thereabouts when they were abandoned. They had been built and maintained at the request of the Indians, who feared the French and their Indian Allies, with the understanding that they would be abandoned when hostilities ceased. The last military occupation of Fort Brewerton, so far as is known, was by a company under Capt. Thomas Morris in 1764.
After the British abandoned Fort Brewerton it rapidly fell into decay—it having been built of wooden palisades set in the top of an earthen embankment, with four log block houses within the enclosure. From the journal of one Francis Grant, who journeyed this way, the following item appears under date of May 22, 1767: “At the entrance of the river is Fort Brewington (Brewerton) a considerable post during the war but since abandoned and burnt by the Indians”.
The Staats Claim
Lieut Col. Barent I. Staats located a bounty right for lands near Brewerton in 1782, for which letters of patent were given to him Aug. 8, 1789. This was about the time that Oliver Stevens came to Fort Brewerton—it is presumed that he came in the spring in order that he might construct a house and make ready for the coming winter. The Staats purchase was 400 acres, embracing the fort grounds and that portion of Brewerton lying on the north side of the Oneida (then Onondaga) River, in the present town of Hastings and Oswego County— then a part of Montgomery County.
As stated, when Oliver Stevens came to Fort Brewerton, he was accompanied by his wife, Nancy, and three children, the eldest child being Artemissia, who was born in Caanan, Conn., Apr. 15, 1787. She married SheldonThrall, who died, and she then married Gibbs Skiff. They resided just south of Cicero on the farm now occupied by the newly constructed “drive in” theatre, where their son, George, was born, and where she died in 1873.
A grandson of Artemissia and Gibbs Skiff, George, still is living in Syracuse, and has related to me some of the stories he recalls his grandmother telling. He is a very old man, with a clear memory, however. He mentions hearing Artemissia tell of the visits back and forth between her family and the French family Des Vatines, who lived on Frenchman’s Island, and from which family the island received its name.
The second child of Oliver and Nancy, was Myron, born in Caanan, Conn., about 1782, who married Sarah (Sally) Shepard, daughter of Capt. John Shepard, who for Revolutionary War services drew three military lots in the Military Tract, one of these lots lying along the lake and river in the Town of Cicero.
Caughdenoy’s First Settler
Myron Stevens became the first settler in Caughdenoy, being credited with building the first house there, where a cast iron Historical Marker shows the spot to have been on the north side of the highway below the dam. This was in 1797. In 1825, when the town of Hastings was set off from Constantia, Myron Stevens was elected as one of the assessors at the first election. He died in Antioch, Illinois. His daughter, Artemissia, married Myron Emmons; and another daughter, Nancy, whom I well remember, married Orrice C. Orman.
The third child of Oliver and Nancy, was Oliver, Jun., probably born in Caanan, Conn., about 1784; married Abigail Hall, daughter of Jonathan and Abigail (Bigsbee) Hall. This Jonathan Hall was the Revolutionary soldier whose remains rest in Caughdenoy Cemetery. Oliver, Jun., settled in Penn Yan, N. Y., and was the father of a son, Geo. T.
More of the other children, all of whom were born after Oliver settled at Fort Brewerton in 1789, will be told later.
A map of a survey of Fort Brewerton in 1764, shows a path leading from the river shore from near the west end of the present “Smith’s Pier” to the fort entrance. This fort entrance or gate was near the south end of one of the salient points of the fort extending toward the river. It was just east of this path a few rods south of the fort, and as one early writer has it, “In close proximity to the fort”, that Mr. Stevens built his cabin. The precise location was a few rods northwest of the present Smith’s Pier and a few rods southwest of the present Fort Brewerton Hotel.
Those who had heard the recollections of the son of Oliver Stevens, state that the cabin was small, built of logs, with an upper story, sufficiently large for his family of five persons, with space for trading goods and the furs in which he dealt extensively.
Stevens Establishes Tavern
Here he is said to have opened a sort of tavern, where he catered to the occasional traveler, the traders, the Indians and the bateaux men, who navigated the water ways, and those who traveled over the great north and south trail on land.
Liquors were pure and cheap in those days, and the keen minded revenue agents had not as yet realized the opportunities for dividends from licenses. Doubtless Mr. Stevens was bothered not at all by any laws such as prove so obnoxious or perhaps prohibitive today. Doubtless here in this primitive tavern the traveler with the traditional “cob web” in his throat in the early morning, could appease his yearning with impunity. As late as 1840, whiskey —good pure white whiskey, could be had for thirty six cents a gallon—or for three cents a “nip”; all this without license or permit.
He carried on a large trade with the Indians, bartering such goods as they needed, rum, ammunition and provisions, for their furs—possibly a goodly supply of ginseng from time to time. The goods which he traded were brought over the long water route from Schenectady, and Mr. Stevens is said to have brought in a large supply when he first came. It was from the latter place that he not only purchased his trade goods, but whence he sent his furs etc. to be sold; except when it might be possible to sell them at Fort Stanwix.
He also engaged largely in fishing for salmon, eels and whatever other fish were to be taken in the before mentioned weirs, which were built along the shallow rifts with their turbulent waters, between the north shore and the little island now known as Baldwin Island, and now owned by H. W. Smith of the well known Syracuse Smith Typewriter Co.
In 1790, one year after Oliver Stevens came to Fort Brewerton, a son, Horatio, was born in the midst of the wilderness, without the presence or the benefits of a physician or midwife. Horatio lived about two years and died in 1792.
Histories record this death as the first known decease of a white person in Oswego County. It was not only the first death, but his was the first birth of a white child in what became Oswego County outside of those which took place at the Oswego forts during the periods of their occupation.
After the death of his son, Oliver, not having any lumber with which to construct a coffin; broke up an old chest he had brought from Connecticut, and built a casket in which to bury the child Burial was on a sand knoll east of the fort—regarding which more will be related later.
Fort Became Pig Sty
It will be recalled that the palisades and the log block houses at Fort Brewerton had been burned by the Indians previous to 1767, and that Mr. Stevens had found the post a ruin when he arrived in 1789. Consequently it possessed no value as a military work. He used the enclosed area as a place for keeping his swine, and his son stated that the hogs up rooted quantities of hand wrought nails, many iron utensils and tools, a crude blacksmith’s forge and numerous other interesting items.
The early settlers helped themselves to the many small, hard and crude shaped red bricks, which had formed the fireplaces and chimneys of the four barracks within the fort, finding them very convenient for use in their early homes. Stevens also had a small garden nearby. The woods for a space of many acres had been cleared from about the area comprising the fort and its approaches when the post was built—doubtless this clearing played a large part in causing Mr. Stevens to locate at this spot.
Neighbors Arrive
In 1790, Stevens had a neighbor, one Dexter—some authorities have it Samuel Dexter—who settled on the south side of the river. Whence he came or how long he remained is not known He is said to have been a blacksmith, which trade could have been of little value to him in this wilderness.
In 1791, Ryal Bingham located near Mr. Stevens on the north side of the river, on a knoll about where the present residence of William Hines now stands. Mr. Bingham also traded with the natives and engaged in fishing. He remained but a short time, when he went to Three River Point, where he opened and kept a tavern for many years. Many early travelers mention this tavern.
Oliver Stevens and Ryal Bingham wished to purchase the Staats property, or at least a portion of it, but the owner refused to sell. Not being able to make a deal, they had to be content to occupy it on a rental basis, paying, it is said, the sum of twenty pounds—perhaps about $100 a year for the privilege. The whole tract consisted of four hundred acres; how much of it they rented is not known. Much of this Staats property afterwards was purchased by John Lansing of Albany.
Block House Erected
About 1794 the attitude of the Indians became very threatening, and fears were entertained of open hostilities. The few inhabitants then at Fort Brewerton, naturally turned to Mr. Stevens for aid and advice. The latter applied to Gov. Clinton for permission to build some sort of protection for the thoroughly alarmed people. The old works comprising Fort Brewerton being in ruins, and thus offering no sort of protection, Mr. Stevens easily obtained the necessary permission and he erected at State expense a blockhouse that stood near the old fort and a few rods east of his cabin
The exact site of this structure was a few rods west of the present U. S. Highway 11, and a very few feet south of the present Fort Brewerton Hotel. This hotel occupies the site of an earlier tavern of the same name built in 1849 – 50—burned in 1865. The present hotel was built in 1865.
When the first hotel was built, the blockhouse was torn down because of its close proximity to and its encroachment on the site of the latter. An early settler, who remembered the old block house once told me, when asked about the site and if it was exactly where the hotel stands, “No, not exactly—it was just at the south side, and over in the ‘holler’ “.
The blockhouse was built of squared logs or hewn timbers, two stories high, and doubtless, as was customary in such structures, the upper story over hung the lower by two or more feet.
Clarke’s “Onondaga” pictures it, but the drawing is known to be very much in error and entirely out of proportion in many ways; the blockhouse is entirely so. A son of Mr. Stevens, the late Judge John L. Stevens, gave Mr. Clark much of the data used in compiling this historical work, and we are deeply indebted to both these men for having preserved much which otherwise would have been lost. Some of this data will be related later.
The blockhouse, when completed, is said to have been surrounded at a distance of four rods by palisades of logs twelve feet high, with a covered gateway to the south. But this statement, though often made, is believed to be an error, as all of the early settlers, with whom I talked and who related their remembrances of the building, discredited this. It is also said that John L. Stevens, son of the builder, never mentioned to his friends any such palisade.
Block House Residence
Clark’s “Onondaga” and other sources state that the blockhouse was used as a dwelling as late as 1811. This latter date can easily be extended to 1828 at least. It was on Nov. 22, 1828, that Jane, daughter of Dr. Chester Smedley, was born in the blockhouse—the doctor and his family then were temporarily residing there.
When the blockhouse was completed Mr. Stevens and his family are believed to have occupied it at once as a home and tavern— they surely were using it as such at a later date. Here he resided for several years or until his removal to the south side of the river about 1811. It was also used as a tavern by Timothy Vickery from 1811 until 1820, when he moved to Three River Point. In 1820 Aaron Snow, son in law of Major Solomon Waring of Rotterdam (Constantia) began using the building as a tavern and grocery store, and it was known as The Blockhouse Hotel, and as such was operated for two or more years. Mr. Snow later became a large land owner and settled on a tract of land a mile south of Central Square. During Mr. Snow’s occupancy in Mar. 1820, his son, Leonard, was born in the blockhouse.
After its usefulness as a dwelling had past the blockhouse was used for various purposes—the latest as remembered by those who knew it, was as a barn and cider mill, operated by George Walkup; having for its power a one horse sweep on the lower floor.
As previously stated, this block house was torn down just prior to the building of the first Fort Brewerton Hotel in 1849, which building occupied a part of its site. What is believed to be the only remaining relic of the old blockhouse is a locust pin, such as were used to tie timbers together in frame structures. This is in my possession. It was hand made and shows evidence of gnawing by mice. It was removed with one of the few sound timbers, when the building was torn down by Orson Emmons, who built the hotel on the site in question. The salvaged timbers went into the building of a barn one mile north of the fort. When this barn was demolished by a son of Mr. Emmons many years later, the pin was presented to me.
It was my privilege, as a sponsor for some thirty of the State Education Dept. Historical Markers erected in the southern part of Oswego County some years ago, to have one placed locating the blockhouse and another the site of the first home of Oliver Stevens. These are beside U. S. Route 11—One on the fort grounds and the other just south of the Fort Brewerton Hotel where they may now be seen.
Oliver Stevens was appointed clerk of the town of Mexico, in 1798. This town of Mexico, thus created the second time, earlier had embraced most of the present Oswego County east of the Oswego River and north of the Oneida River. Numerous travelers mention Mr. Stevens and his home at Fort Brewerton. These, like the stories told of him and his home in the various histories, may prove to be a bore to my listeners. However, there may be some present who may not have heard them, consequently some of them will be presented.
Watson Tells Of Visit
In the fall of 1791, Brewerton was visited by Gen. Phillip Cortlandt, Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, Stephen Bayard and Elkanah Watson. Mr. Watson’s Journal, under date of Sept. 14, 1791, has this entry: “We found ourselves opposite Fort Brewerton, at the entrance of the Onondaga River (now Oneida), which is a very shallow stream. We landed near the old fort, where we found two families and a handsome settlement (Stephen and Bingham). After refreshing ourselves under the first Christian roof which had sheltered us in five days, we commenced descending the Onondaga River.”
In July 1792, Francis Adrian Vanderkemp visited the outlet of Oneida Lake, and of Fort Brewerton he had the following to say: “We arrived at Fort Brewerton about noon, situated in the north western corner of the lake. Here is a location of about four hundred acres, obtained by a Mr. Staats, during the late British War. It is now inhabited by two families, viz. that of Capt. Bingham and one Simonds, the latter from Caughnawagna. (By error Vanderkemp has these names wrong—they should be Bingham and Stevens—the former from Caughnawagha). They rented it at twenty pounds a year, and desired to make a purchase of it, but Mr. Staats, acquainted with its value, had constantly declined their offer.
“I was highly gratified with excellent bread and butter, feasted on milk for my beverage, and purchased two pints of it, which we carried to our bateau.” Speaking of the fishing here he says: “One Indian took with his spear forty salmon within one hour, another in the presence of Mr. Simonds (Stevens) speared sixtyfive during one night, and another eighty.”
On his return, under date of Aug. 15, 1792, Vanderkemp says, “Need I tell you, my dear sir, that Fort Brewerton, which we reached at four in the afternoon was to be a delightful sight. Capt. Bingham was home from the sal mon fishery; and Capt. Simonds (Stevens) with the women was on a visit to the island. His eldest daughter (Artemissia) nevertheless, a smart girl, prepared us a good supper—a bass of two pounds; a dish of stewed eels, with fresh bread and butter. Our breakfast was congenial, having secured two capital eels, with a pot of milk and rice; we hurried to the Island (Frenchman’s) and complimented Mr. and Mrs. Des Wattines (the Dutch spelling and pronounciation of the French DesVatines), on Monday morning between nine and ten o’clock.”
Liancourt Pays Visit
In 1795, while traveling in this part of the country, the Duke De La Rochefoucault Liancourt of France, made copious notes with splendid descriptions of many interesting places, which he visited. His journeys are portrayed in much detail, and after having visited Squire Bingham at Three River Point, after the Squire had left Fort Brewerton and settled at the former place, the Duke states: “We stopped at Fort Brumpton (Fort Brewerton) at the entrance of the lake. This structure also is surrounded with pallisadoes, erected last year; it stands at the foot of an ancient entrenchment, constructed by the English during the American war, on an advantageous ground, commanding the entrance of the lake. The work was thrown up in a zig zag figure; but from the remains no distinct idea can be formed, how the cannon could be pointed to advantage.”
Then the Duke says, ”All the antiquities of this country consist in the remains of the forts, built in the wars of 1776 or 1756. Fancy must live in future ages, to find occupation in this infant country; past ages can exist here only for generations not yet born.”
In stating that the fortification at Fort Brewerton was “erected last year” and that “it stands at the foot of an ancient embankment”, the Duke is making mention of the Blockhouse, which Oliver Stevens had erected at the expense of state the year before the visit of the Frenchman. As pointed out by Dr. Wm. A Ritchie, who has within the past few years has made extensive discoveries of prehistoric occupation of this section, the Duke was viewing ground which had been occupied for perhaps two thousand years.
Liancourt continued as follows: The proprietor of the house (Oliver Stevens) had gone to Rotterdam three days before. A girl of fourteen (Arthemissia Stevens) was left behind to take care of the house, and of a little brother (probably Oliver, Jr.) who was sick, and whom she actually nursed with a solicitude truly affecting. The girl, poor thing, did all she could for our accommodation, but nothing was to be procured. We should have been obliged to content ourselves with a few small potatoes, which we pulled up in the fields, if the Indians, who were encamped on the opposite bank of the river, had not brought us a pike, which they harpoon.
DeWitt Clinton Comments
From the Journal of Hon. DeWitt Clinton, who made a journey through this section in 1810 we add a few items of interest regarding the Stevens family. While this material is slightly out of order chronologically, it is deemed best to present it here in conjunction with the foregoing statements of other travelers.
Mr. Clinton mentions the French family, who had resided on Frenchman’s Island, and in this connection states the following: “They visited their neighbor Stevens, at the outlet, twice a year. We were told by Mrs Stevens, that his name was Devity or Devitzy, that his countrymen in Albany made a subscription, which enabled him to go to France; that she returned the visits of the family, and found them surprisingly happy: and that in her opinion, the French woman had no extra ordinary pretensions to beauty.”
Of the Stevens family he says “That night (July 10, 1810) we slept at Stevens’, at the outlet of the lake, nine miles by land and eleven by water from Rotterdam (Constantia). Here commences Onondaga or Oneida river, the only outlet of the lake, about as large as the mouth of Wood Creek. The bars at the outlet are rocky, wide, difficult to remove, and so shallow that a horse can easily pass over them. There are two eel weirs here in which many are caught. Stevens has lived in this place, which is in the town of Constantia, eighteen (21) years, has rented it for seventeen years, at $75 a year. He has no neighbors within four miles on this side of the river. On the other side is the town of Cicero, in which there are several settlements. This is a clean house, in which we were as well accommodated as the situation of the country would admit. There is a small island at the mouth of the river, containing six (1 1/2) acres, and belonging to the State, for sale.” Clinton then mentions the Indians and their encampment, the fishing and other matters, he then continues: “Black raspberries grow wild in great abundance. They composed, with fresh salmon, the principal part of our supper.
“Stevens’ is twelve miles from Salina by land, and thirty two by water. The salt used in the country is brought the latter way, and is purchased at the springs for 2s. or ls.6d. per bushel. Land in Cicero is worth from three to five dollars per acre. Stevens told us that they have no other preacher than Mr. Shepard, who lived over the river in Cicero; that he formerly resided in Goshen, and got three military lots as captain or major of artificers, although not legally entitled to them — that Judge Thompson, a member of the Senate, and of Orange County, received one lot as a fee for his services in getting the law passed.
“Stevens’ house is one quarter of a mile from the mouth of the lake. Deer come close to it. We saw an adder and another snake sunning themselves on the ramparts of Fort Brewster (Fort Brewerton). This was erected in the French War, was a regular work, ditch and bastions, all covering about an acre. This must have been an important pass to defend, and would now be an excellent site for a town.”
Sad Plight Of Thayer
From Clark’s “Onondaga” we gleam the following story:
“In 1791, John Thayer, an old acquaintance of Oliver Stevens, came to Salina, and hearing that his friend had located at Fort Brewerton, twelve miles distant, he determined to make him a visit. It being winter, the undertaking was somewhat hazardous, but possessing a resolute mind and hardy constitution, he thought he could overcome all obstacles He was directed to follow the Indian trail and blazed trees, but during the journey, he became bewildered, lost his way, and roamed about the woods three days and two nights, without shelter or food. He at last struck the Oneida River, several miles west of Stevens, and in attempting to cross the ice broke through, got his legs and feet wet, and before he arrived at his place of destination, his feet were badly frozen. He suffered severely for several weeks, when his feet began to mortify. He was then conveyed to Dr. White of Cherry Valley, on a sled by hand, where both limbs were amputated above the ankle. He is now (1847) living in Palermo, Oswego County, hobbling about on his stumps, has some property, and enjoys good health for one so advanced in years, comparatively cheerful and happy.”
Supplementing the foregoing story of John Thayer, we have from the pen of a granddaughter of Oliver Stevens, the following statement: “Right here I wish to say that Mr. Thayer was found and carried to the home of my grandfather. When they brought him to the house and Grandmother saw him, she exclaimed, ‘My God, it’s John Thayer’ she having known him well in Connecticut. I have heard Grandmother say that when she removed his shoes and socks his feet struck the floor like a frozen potato. Mortification soon resulted and he was conveyed to Cherry Valley on a hand sled, where both feet were amputated. He afterward resided in Palermo, but often visited our home on the farm at Cicero, where he was ever a welcome guest.”
The wolf story by Clark has often been told, but will bear repeating because of its connection with our subject.
Fought Wolves For Life
“On one occasion, in the month of March, 1793, Mr. Stevens re solved to attend the town meeting of the town of Mexico, held then, the first year at what is now Pulaski, twenty three miles north of his home in Brewerton.
“He started off in the morning with his gun in hand and knapsack of provisions on his back. There was no road and scarcely a path; he relied mainly on his skill as a woodsman, and his knowledge of the wanderings of the sun to guide him safely through his journey. He traveled on, unconscious of harm until near the middle of the afternoon, when he found himself in the vicinity of a pack of wolves. By their howling he was aroused not only to a sense of danger, but to the fact that he had lost his way, and that he had no means of recovering it. He set forward with vigor in hope of coming out at a clearing in the vicinity of the place of his destination; but all to no purpose; the more he exerted himself, the more he became convinced of the peril of his situation. The wolves drew nearer and nearer, and seemed by their boldness to be meditating an attack. At length one bolder than his companions, advanced to within a few paces of him, upon which he fired and the wolf fell dead. The scent of the blood of the dead wolf seemed to increase the voracity of the survivors, and for a time he thought he in return would be slain.
“Nothing daunted, he stood at bay looking them in the eye, and after a while, they departed to a respectful distance, sitting on their haunches as if holding a council of war. During this cessation of hostilities, Mr. Stevens struck a fire and kindled it; reloading his gun and sallied forth, dragging the dead wolf by the heels to his firey fortress. At this stage of the war, it seemed as if the fury of the wolves was ungovernable; they came very near, growling and snapping their teeth in the greatest anger. He cast burning brands among them and finally they disappeared. Upon this he added more fuel to the fire, got up a bright light and began to feel secure.
“His next business was to secure the skin of his fallen foe, which was soon effected, and for which he received $40 bounty, it being a large gray wolf. By this time it became quite dark, a quantity of fuel was gathered. Here the solitary wanderer stood all night, not daring to refresh himself with sleep, amid the din and howlings of the hungry wolves. Toward morning he was relieved from his anxiety by the retreat of the wolves who left an disturbed him no more.
“He now prepared a hasty meal by the fire, partook of it and concluded to retrace his steps. Packing up his wolf skin, he proceeded homeward. The sun rose to the meridian, and still he traveled on; night came, and for aught he could tell he was no nearer home than when he started out in the morning. Being weary with his day’s journey, he again kindled a fire, laid himself down to rest and slept soundly until morning. At early dawn he again set forth in quest of home, and about ten o’clock in the morning, to his indescribable surprise and joy, discovered the British flag flying from the fort at Oswego.
“The officers of the garrison, to which he related his adventure, treated him with great kindness; with them he spent the remainder of the day, and next morning set out with a light heart for home. The day following, being the fifth from his departure, he safely returned to the bosom of his family, who had already become alarmed for his safety.”
The names of the earliest settlers within the present limits of the town of Mexico are lost. There were about twenty five who had already located in the year 1798. In that year Oliver Stevens was appointed as the first Clerk of the original township, whose extensive area has already been mentioned.
A Bear Story
Another incident of interest occured sometime in 1793.
“As Mr Stevens sat at dinner with his family, he was interrupted by a man who came running to the door, almost breathless and dripping with water; stammered out with a tremulous voice, that he and his companion had been attacked by a bear in the river, and driven from their boat. He feared the bear would kill his companion, and wished Mr. Stevens to go instantly with his gun and kill the bear.
“He started at once, reprimed his gun, and hastened with all dispatch to the scene of the disaster. When they arrived they found the remaining man on the shore, wet through and through, moaning in the bitterest anguish the hardness of his lot.
“The fact was; that as the two were proceeding up the river, the bear at the same time attempted to swim across. Upon seeing the bear, the boatmen resolved to have some sport and capture him. They rowed along side and aimed a blow at Bruin’s head, which he evaded, and before they could recover themselves, scrambled over the side of the boat and drove the astonished Frenchmen into the river. They were forced to make a virtue of necessity, and one ran for help, while the other watched the boat and its new occupant. On the arrival of Mr. Stevens at the scene of action, his bearship was majestically seated at the stern, calmly surveying the scene, and quietly floating down the current, as undisturbed as a king on his throne. A shot from Mr. Stevens’ rifle bereft the monarch of his titles and his life at once. The boatmen swam to the boat and rowed up to the landing. When the prize was dressed, it was found to exceed three hundred pounds in weight.”
A fifth child was added to the family of Oliver and Nancy Stevens, when on Jan. 15, 1802, a son, John Lansing Stevens was born at Salina. He was named for John Lansing, already mentioned as a large land owner in the vicinity of Fort Brewerton. Early historians have stated that John L. Stevens was the first white child born in the town of Hastings, but this we know to be an error, and the honor belongs to his deceased brother, Horatio.
Previous to the birth of John L., which occurred in mid winter when with no physician nearer than one at Onondaga Valley, and with no roads other than Indian trails, his father and mother took up their abode, temporarily, in Salina, where they remained until after the accouchement.
Son Became Judge
John L. Stevens became a very influential man. He was a person of sterling character and was beloved by all who knew him. He received but a limited education, nearly all of which was given him by his mother. He was elected to the office of Commissioner of Highways in 1825, when but twenty three years of age, in the town of Cicero, which then comprised the present towns of both Clay and Cicero. He was re-elected to that office in 1826. He was elected Justice of Peace in the town of Cicero in 1832, and served as such for over thirty one years. He was appointed undersheriff, under Sheriff Byron D. Benson, his son in law, in 1862, serving two and one half years. He was Lieutenant in a uniformed Company of Grenadiers, a military organization, and afterwards was Captain of the same Company, and was soon elected Major in the 228th. Regt.
He was appointed one of the Judges of Onondaga Co. Court by Gov. Bouck in Feb., 1844, and held office five years; and was twice elected Justice of Sessions for one year terms.
He was appointed a Deputy Sheriff in 1871; and Sept. 9, 1872, he was elected the first president of the newly created Village of Brewerton, for which incorporation he was largely responsible.
“Judge” Stevens, as he was always known, because of long terms in the various judgeships, was largely responsible for the building of the first commercial plank road in United States, he having been one of the Commissioners, appointed Apr. 12, 1844, for the Salina & Central Square Plank Road, which was opened to traffic July 18, 1846. He was also very active in the organization and construction of the Syracuse Northern Rail Road, which opened to traffic Nov. 9, 1871. Judge Stevens died in Brewerton Feb. 1, 1874.
Among the descendants of John L. Stevens, were Robert and William Benson, grandsons, and sons of Byron D. Benson and Minerva Stevens, the latter a daughter of John L.
An Oil Magnate
Mr. Benson became active in the oil business in Pennsylvania, and together with his sons and others, conceived the idea of transporting oil by pipe lines. In 1878 they organized a company with a capital of over six hundred thousand dollars, and by May, 1879, were ready to begin operating the newly constructed pipeline. They proposed to transport 10,000 barrels of oil a day over a distance of 109 miles through a 6 inch pipe; crossing mountains 2,600 feet in height. The valves were opened May 28, 1879, by Mr. Benson and operations began.
Ida Tarbell, in her history of the Standard Oil Co., says: ‘The success of the Tide Water Pipe Line was probably due more to the efforts of Byron D. Benson, its first president, than to any other person.
Robert and William Benson, sons of Byron D. Benson, continued to act in high places with the Tide Water Pipe Line for many years. They were men of splendid integrity and ability, and citizens of the highest character.
A son of John L. Stevens, John L. Stevens, Jun., was a soldier in the Union Army in the Civil War; was identified with the activities of Co. H., 149th Regt., N. Y. Inf. Vol. He was with Sherman in his grand march to the sea; was with his regiment at the close of the war, and was mustered out at Washington, June 12, 1865.
Last Of The Fighters
Thus did John L. Stevens, Junior, bring to an honorable close a long list of his soldier ancestors, who had fought in the several wars; beginning with Brig. Gen. Nicholas Stevens of Cromwell’s Army in 1653; down through the French and Indian War of 1755 – 1760, the Revolutionary War of 1775 -1883; and the Civil War of 1861 – 65; covering a period of more than two hundred years of untarnished military glory, of which any family might be proud.
A sixth child was added to the family of Oliver and Nancy Stevens, when Horatio, the second to be thus named, was born in the Blockhouse home of his parents, Nov. 8, 1804. He was born about fourteen years after the first child by that name, twelve years after the latter’s death, which had occured as stated in 1792. This second Horatio, married and resided for many years in Oneida Castle, N. Y., where he died in 1846.
His only daughter, Ann Elizabeth, married the late Patrick H. Agan as his second wife. Mr. Agan was for many years publisher and editor of the Syracuse “Standard”. Their daughter married the late Franklin H. Chase, well known newspaperman and historian of Syracuse.
In the division of Military Lots among the soldiers of the War of the Revolution for services there in, John Babbett of Middletown. N. Y, drew Lot 9, township of Cicero, which lies at the west edge of the village of Brewerton. In 1779 he sold his right to Wait Ball of Danbury, Conn., for 70 pounds. In 1801 Oliver Stevens purchased this lot, consisting of 600 acres of Mr. Ball, for the nominal sum of $100. It is presumed that it was on this lot that Mr. Stevens had his garden, as he is known to have cultivated land on the south side of the river, and it is so related by Clark in his “Onondaga”.
In 1802 this property was sold at Sheriff’s sale in a suit of Patrick MaGee vs. Oliver Stevens for $300, to James Wells of Onondaga, reserving one acre in the northeast corner.
Oliver Leaves County
Mr. Stevens moved out of the Blockhouse in 1811 and located on the south side of the river in the town of Cicero, where he resided until his death in 1813. His widow survived him for many years and, as previously stated, was buried in Cicero Cemetery.
After the death of Oliver Stevens, he was buried in Oswego County, where he had spent 22 years of his active life. His body rests on the north side of the river on the sand ridge east of the fort, beside the remains of his infant son, Horatio, who had died in 1792, twenty one years previously.
Many years later, his youngest son, Horatio, proposed to erect a monument, in their memory, but. so long a time had elapsed since their decease and burial, that it was then impossible to locate their graves. In 1885 workmen were excavating the cellar for the house of C D. Walkup which was the former tollgate house at the north end of the highway bridge. This toll gate house was moved to the site at this time and is now owned by the Doucette family.
During this excavating the laborors came upon what appeared to be the grave of a man and a child; the bones of the first being in a very good state of preservation, while those of the latter had practically crumbled to dust. These remains were moved to one side and reburied. As it was known that Oliver and his son, Horatio, had been buried in this general vicinity, it was the belief of those qualified to have an opinion on the subject, that these remains were of the first settler and his infant son.
Now with the presentation of two more stories concerning the subject concerned and his family, I will close this rambling paper— perhaps without regret by my hearers, who may have already reached the limit of their patience.
Indian Contacts
When John L. Stevens, second youngest child of Oliver, was a youngster, his only playmates were the almost wild Indians.
On one occasion, while he was at play, a disagreement occured between his tawny companion and himself, which resulted in a hand to hand fight. The young Indian, getting the worst of the engagement, started to flee before his adversary, but his natural stoicism, inherited from a long line of warrior ancestors, checked him in his flight. Turning about he faced his antagonist with undaunted courage. Tantalizingly, he said: “You kill me you want to; you kill me, you have to pay my fader five dollars.”
Under a treaty, made between the United States and the Onondagas, each Indian, old or young, was entitled to a certain sum annually from the government— the little Indian fighter knew his worth.
Another story told by John L. Stevens was as follows: In the early days, shortly after the birth of John L. Stevens, several Indians came to the Oliver Stevens home one evening, when Mrs. Stevens was home alone with her smaller children, and demanded “fire water”.
This she refused them, which so enraged one of them, that he caught up a long handled fire shovel, with which he was going to strike her; but was prevented by the others from doing so.
One of the Indians left the house, gave a peculiar call, and soon their chief made his appearance. Snatching the offender by the shoulder, he shook him in a violent manner, and addressed him in the Indian tongue. All Mrs. Stevens was able to understand was her Indian name, Canadeas, meaning White Sister.
The group left the house and no more trouble was experienced in any way. The fire shovel, raised by the enraged Indian, was preserved in the home of John L. Stevens until his death.