Memories of the Old Homestead 



EARLY SETTLEMENT 



Our grandfather, Silas Lyman, was from Vermont, and 

 moved to Lorraine, then known as the Sandy Creek section 

 of the Black River country, about the year 1802. It then was 

 to the people of New England "out West," and was being 

 settled from Vermont, Connecticut and other eastern states, on 

 account of its proximity to their own country, which enabled 

 them to reach it by team. 



At the time of immigration he had a family of small chil- 

 dren, our father, Silas, Jr., being about eight years of age. The 

 family was very poor, coming into this wild, rough country with 

 but their bare hands and a few of the very simplest tools, with 

 very little household goods or supplies of any kind. 



Father was old enough when they moved from Vermont to 

 remember the journey by way of the Mohawk Valley in an ox 

 cart drawn by a pair of stags. This cart contained all their 

 earthly possessions, the whole outfit with which they were to 

 set up a home in the new country. Such of the family as could 

 not walk were packed into the cart with the goods. It was a 

 long, tiresome journey of over two weeks. Soon after passing 

 Fort Stanwix the road became bad and difficult to traverse, and 

 long before reaching their destination they were compelled to 

 abandon the cart and construct a log sled or slide boat, to 

 which were transferred the goods and the little children. This 

 could be dragged over the rough road and around through the 



