TIOGA COUNTY 



Tioga County lies in the south central part of the state. It 

 has an area of 332,800 acres. Its average extent from north to 

 south is approximately 20 miles, and from east to west 22 miles. 

 The population by townships is shown in the following table : 



Population by Townships 



(Census of 1915) 



Barton 6,682 Richford 913 



Berkshire 875 Spencer 1 ,205 



Candor 2,896 Tioga 2,004 



Newark Valley 1,975 



Nichols 1,533 Total 25,549 



Owego* 7, 466 = 



* Owego, in the town of Owego, is the county seat. 



HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS 



Tioga County was formed from Montgomery in 1791. At that 

 time it included the present counties of Tioga, Broome, Chemung, 

 and parts of Schuyler, Tompkins, Cortland, and Chenango. The 

 name was derived from that of the river that once flowed through 

 its western portion, now the county of Chemung. It was an 

 Indian name meaning " at the forks." 



The first permanent settler located on the site of the present 

 village of Owego, in 1785. This section became known during 

 the Revolution, and very soon after its close settlers from the 

 eastern states arrived, the first coming before the Indian title 

 to the land was extinguished. It thus happened that the county 

 was well populated with New England settlers before the lands 

 in the western part of the state were open to settlement. 



DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY 

 The earliest settlers began at once to raise corn. The Indians 

 watched and cared for its growth during the season, and received 

 a share for their labor in the harvesting. Lumbering and tan- 

 ning were important for many years. There were also numer- 

 ous saw and flour mills. As the land was cleared agricultural 

 pursuits developed; grains were cultivated on the lowlands, 



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