168 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



''At a school-meeting, Nov. 23, 1813, Reuben Mont- 

 gomery, moderator, and Brigham Hanks, clerk, voted that 

 where the school-house now stands be the site for the school," 

 showing that a school-house was built before 1813, but the 

 site was not owned by the district. 



" May 5, 1815, Dauphin Murray entered into a contract 

 with Elisha Hanks, Jared Spalding, and Erastus Glass, 

 trustees of School District No. 3, in the town of Bath, to 

 keep and teach a common English school — to wit, reading, 

 writing, and common arithmetic — for the term of one year, in 

 the school-house next adjoining the blacksmith -shop owned 

 and occupied by Brigham Hanks, Esq." It appears from 

 another paper that the said Dauphin Murray taught this 

 school also in 1814. He was one of the early hotel-keepers 

 in the place. 



In 1833 the Christians and Universalists of Kanona 

 bought a lot of land, and built a church on the site of 

 Sillenbach's present mill. The conveyance was made by 

 Hiero, Ann, and Maria Kennedy, heirs of the Kennedy 

 estate, " to John K. Towner, Daniel Towner, Franklin 

 Glass, Shepard Spalding, and Vestus Chapin, trustees of 

 the First Christian Society, in the town of Bath, and Henry 

 Smith, Elijah Hanks, Joseph D. Shuart, Royal Knight, 

 Simpson Ellas, and Christopher Rowe, trustees of the First 

 Universalist Society of the town of Bath." Dated Oct. 24, 

 1833. The building and lot were sold at sheriff's sale, and 

 finally passed into the hands of the Methodists, who used it 

 till the present Methodist church was built in 1874, when 

 the lot and building were sold to Mr. Sillenbach. 



The Presbyterian church was built in 1831. The Pres- 

 byterian Society continued to exist till about 1874, when 

 its remaining trustees gave the church to the Methodist 

 Episcopal Society, by whom it was rebuilt and dedicated in 

 1874, and is now occupied as a regular charge. 



A post-office was established here at an early date. Among 

 the postmasters have been the following : Brigham Hanks, 

 John Ostrander, George A. Farnham, Jason H. Stone, 

 Dwight H. Ostrander, A. L. Barney, W. Graham, Seymour 

 Huston, and James Neil. 



Kanona contains two steam saw-mills, Sylvenus Sillen- 

 bach and Henry Brother ; one tannery, M. Wayland ; two 

 grain-warehouses, John J. Ostrander and F. W. Bradley. 

 The population is 275. It is four miles from Bath, on the 

 Rochester division of the Erie Railway, and connected with 

 Prattsburgh by a daily mail-stage. 



ORGANIZATION. 



Bath is one of the original six towns of the county, 

 erected March 18, 1796. It then embraced what are now 

 the towns of Pulteney and Urbana, and parts of Wheeler, 

 Howard, Cohocton, and Avoca. Pulteney was taken off in 

 1808, a part of Howard and Cohocton in 1812, a part of 

 Wheeler in 1820, Urbana in 1822, a part of Avoca in 

 1843, and part of Cohocton in 1852. A part of Urbana 

 was annexed April 26, 1839. 



The first town-meeting for the election of officers was 

 held at the house of John Metcalfe, in the town of Bath, 

 on the 4th day of April, 1797. After the votes were taken 

 by ballot, it appeared that the following gentlemen were 

 duly elected, viz., Charles Cameron, Supervisor ; James 



Eddie, Town Clerk ; William Aulls, Patrick McKell, and 

 Hector McKenzie, Commissioners of Highways ; Gustavus 

 Gillespie, Collector ; Amos Stone, George Dixon, and 

 Abijah Peters, Constables ; Daniel Cruger, Patrick Mc- 

 Kell, Overseers of the Poor ; Amos Eggleston, Joseph 

 Inslie, William Read, John Woodard, Henry Bush, Henry 

 McElwee, and Jacob Phillips, Overseers of Highways ; Eli 

 Read, Andrew Smith, James McKell, Thomas Streeter, 

 Fence- Viewers ; Robert Biggar, Samuel Miller, Samuel 

 Baker, Assessors ; Samuel Baker and Silas Beers, Pound- 

 Masters ; George D. Cooper, John Sheather, Charles Wil- 

 liamson, and Benjamin F. Young, Commissioners of 

 Schools. 



" The above were duly qualified by William Kersey, Es- 

 quire, Justice of the Peace. 



" N.B. — It was moved and carried to have the next 

 annual town-meeting at the house of John Metcalfe, inn- 

 keeper, in Bath." 



" At a town-meeting of the inhabitants and freeholders 

 of the town of Bath, due and legal notice thereof being 

 first given by advertisement, convened at the house of 

 John Metcalfe, inn-keeper in said town, the Hon. William 

 Kersey being presiding officer, the following ordinances, 

 rules, and regulations were entered into. Giving their as- 

 sent by dividing to the right and the left : 



"1. Ordained, That fences witliin the said Town that are made 

 round any inclosure shall not be considered lawful unless built five 

 feet in height, and the vacancies between the rails or logs in the first 

 three feet not to exceed five inches and an half. 



"2. Ordained, That swine be permitted to run at large without any 

 obstruction ; provided they are not less than six months old, and do 

 not run within two miles of the square of the town of Bath. 



" 3. Ordained, That every inhabitant of the town of Bath who keeps 

 a creature or creatures of any kind shall enter their mark with the 

 town clerk. 



" 4. Ordained, That cutting off both ears of any creature shall be 

 an unlawful mark. 



" 5. Ordained, That George McClure be appointed poundmaster in 

 room of Silas Beers, who declines serving on account of his moving 

 out of town. 



"6. Ordained, That George McClure is empowered to build a suffi- 

 cient pound for the reception of creatures tresspassing, and to be 

 allowed for the same any sum not exceeding twelve dollars by the 

 town. 



" 7. Ordained, That every fence-viewer shall be allowed for his ser- 

 vices, when called to officiate in his office, one dollar for every view, 

 and six cents for every mile he may have to go from the place of his 

 abode. 



^'8. Ordained, That a fine of ten dollars be inflicted on every in- 

 habitant refusing to comply with the rules and regulations entered 

 into this day. 



"9. Ordained, That for killing a wolf or panther there shall be al- 

 lowed to any person (he making it to appear upon oath that the same 

 was killed within the limits of this town) twenty shillings for every 

 scalp, exclusive of what the law of the State allows." 



It appears from the records that the number of persons 

 in the town eli«;ible bv law to do work on the roads was 

 222. The assessments were from two to four and six days, 

 some higher. John Metcalfe was assessed eight days, and 

 Charles Williamson thirty days. 



The Commissioners of Highways made the following re- 

 port : 



"We the Commissioners of Highways have met, considered, and 

 laid out the several Road Districts within the town of Bath in manner 

 following, to wit : 



