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| 1853 Denmark Document Page One Courtesy of Bob Tate |
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| 1853 Denmark Document Page Two Courtesy of Bob Tate |
One of my readers, Bob Tate, was kind and generous enough to
have sent me a document, written in 1853, describing the early days of the town
of Denmark in Lewis County, New York, at the turn of the nineteenth century. I
don’t think I have ever touched paper so old. I don’t know who the author is,
but there are clues enough in the document to identify him if he is included in
the area land records. One of the exciting aspects of the piece is that it
mentions my four times great grandfather, Charles Wright, his children, and his
brother Freedom. It also mentions my three times great grandfather, William
Merriam.
I present here a transcription of the document, to which I
have added punctuation: Thank you so much, Bob.
Came to Township No. 5 (now
Denmark) on the first of May in the year 1802. Bought 125 acres of land on
Great Lot 14 in said Township of Richard Harrison and Josiah Ogden Hoffman, by
their attorney Abel French Esq. for 3.50 per acre. Found the following families
on said township vis. Capt Charles Wright, his sons Charles, Ty, Stephen,
Erastus, Chester, Matthew, and son-in-law William Merriam, also Joseph Blodget
and his son Calvin, son in law Shadrach Case also Andrew Mills, Freeman
Williams, Darias Sherwin also single men Reuben Robbins, Levi Robbins, David
Goodenough, John Williams, Isaac Mungen, Joseph Rich and Beralal J. Rich and
Abner Whiting except the Wrights. These were all that I knew of on the upper
part of the township so-called at above the Big Hill. On the lower part of the
township were Joseph Crary, Jesse Blodget, Freedom Wright, James Bagg, Charles
Mosely, Simeon Dunham, Solomon Berewell and Peter Beroff, Lewis Graves Esq. and
his brother David Graves and Phinchas Woolworth. Bought land on said township
the same day that I did.
Single men on the lower part
of the township were Abel French Esq., Douglas Wright, Jabez Wright, William Clark and Daniel Clark.
No houses but log and shanties. No building in Copenhagen but a saw mill and a
log bridge across Deer River. No wagon had passed from Lowville to Copenhagen
only a path under brush and a blind one to be found.
The Township No. 5 was the
fifth Township from Lake Ontario. Names of Eleven Numbers as they are in May
1854 beginning at Sackett Harbor Lake Ontario
No.
1 Houndsfield
No.
2 Watertown
No.
3 Rutland
No.
4 Champion
No.
5 Denmark
Situated on Lake Ontario No. 6 Henderson
No.
7 Adams
No.
8 Rodman
No.
9 Pinckney
No.10
Harrisburgh
No.11
Lowville
No. 5 was divided at first by
Deer River all that part was situated east of Deer River ws attached to the
town of Lowville all of that part North of Deer River was attached to the Town
of Champion and belonged to Oneida Count in the winter of 1802 and three
townships No. 5, 9 and 10 were made into a Town and called Harrisburgh and
remained so till 1807 then No. 5 was called Denmark. No. 9 was called Pinckney
and No. 10 retained the name of Harrisburgh.
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