TOWN OF BATH. 



187 



of the late Hon. Dugald Cameron, of Bath, who died up- 

 wards of thirty years ago. Two sons and two daughters 

 survive hira, — John and Ira Davenport, Mrs. Christina D. 

 Rogers, wife of Hon. Sherman S. Rogers, of Buffalo, and 

 Fanny D. Waterman, wife of J. W. Waterman, Esq., of 

 Detroit, Mich. One son, Dugald C. Davenport, died Feb- 

 ruary, 1852, at St. Thomas, W. L, and one daughter, Mrs. 

 Eliza D. Waterman, Dec. 28, 1865, at Detroit, Mich. 



The death of Col. Davenport was not an unexpected 

 event, although his iron constitution had so long baffled a 

 fatal termination of his disease that it was hoped he might 

 be spared to witness the completion of the noble under- 

 taking^ to which he had dedicated the later years of his life. 

 The final attack of his disease was of great severity, and 

 he was taken away in a few hours. 



Col. Davenport's two sons, Messrs. John and Ira Daven- 

 port, succeeded him as the responsible managers of his 

 charities ; and while it would not suit their wishes were 

 we to dwell in detail upon the manner in which they have 

 acted, not only in regard to the express trusts committed to 

 them, but also in forwarding other undertakings for the 

 public good, as to which no filial obligation could be felt, it 

 will suffice to remark that the designs of their father have 

 been carried by them on the way towards perfect completion, 

 with a loyalty to the wishes of the founder, and with a 

 liberality on their part, which has made the Davenport 

 Home for orphan girls a model of well-devised and effect- 

 ively-managed charity. 



HON. JOHN MAGEE. 



John Magee, of Watkins, N. Y., formerly of Bath, N. Y., 

 was born near Easton, Northampton Co., Pa., Sept. 3, 

 1794. His parents, Henry Magee and Sarah Mulhollon 

 Magee, came to this country from County Antrim, in the 

 north of Ireland, about the year 1784. Henry Magee 

 was a descendant from an ancient family of note, often 

 mentioned in the early history of Ireland. He was a first 

 cousin of the late Rev. William Magee, D.D., Protestant 

 Archbishop of Dublin, who is extensively known as an 

 author. 



In 1805, John Magee, with his parents, removed to 

 G-roveland, Livingston Co., N. Y., where his mother died 

 Oct. 12, 1805. In 1808, the family, consisting of the 

 father and five children, — Rebecca, John, Hugh, Thomas 

 J., and Mary, — removed to Michigan, and settled in the 

 vicinity of Detroit. 



In May, 1812, John Magee, with his father and brother 

 Hugh, enlisted at Detroit, in the rifle-company of Captain 

 A. de Quindra. This company went immediately into 

 active service, had several skirmishes with the Indians, 

 and took part in the battle of Brownstown on the 8th of 

 August of that year. His company, belonging to the 

 command of General Hull, was surrendered, with his army, 

 to the British forces, under General Brock, on the 16th 

 of the same month. He remained a prisoner, on parole, 

 until January, 1813, when he was sent, with the captured 

 troops, to St. Catherines, C. W., and thence across the 

 country to Fort George. In the following month of March, 



obtaining his release, he joined Major Cyrenius Chapin's 

 command of mounted rangers. In the mean time. Forts 

 Erie and George had been taken by the American forces, 

 under General Dearborn ; and the British army, in their 

 retreat, had scattered their supplies over the country. 

 Major Chapin's command were engaged in gathering up 

 these supplies, and in making other foraging expeditions, 

 in the region lying between the Lakes Erie and Ontario. 

 He was again taken prisoner at the battle of Beaver Dams, 

 near St. Catharines, in June, 1813. Finding his confine- 

 ment excessively irksome, he determined to escape; and 

 though dissuaded by his commanding officer from making 

 the attempt, he obtained possession of his horse, and set 

 out at full speed across the lines towards Fort George, 

 under a shower of bullets from the guard. On the way, 

 a small boy begged so earnestly to be permitted to ride 

 behind him, and take his chances for escape, that he allowed 

 him to do so ; but the poor lad was killed by the fire of 

 the sentinels ; his own clothes were riddled by their balls ; 

 his horse was wounded and fell under him, though not 

 until he had reached General Dearborn's pickets; and 

 gaining the fort with but slight injury, he reported to 

 the officer in command the disaster at Beaver Dams. 

 That officer did not fail to avail himself of the courage 

 and address which this yc^ing soldier had exhibited. He 

 was immediately appointed as a messenger, to carry dis- 

 patches for the government between Fort Niagara and 

 Washington, and to points along the frontier. This duty, 

 attended as it was by many hardships and perils, he dis- 

 charged with a degree of skill and endurance rarely equaled. 

 On one occasion, when dispatches of great importance were 

 forwarded by him to the Department of War, at Washing- 

 ton, he continued in the saddle for forty-eight hours, pro- 

 curing fresh horses from time to time, until he reached 

 Northumberland, Pa., when, becoming completely ex- 

 hausted, he obtained a reliable person to proceed to 

 Washington with the papers, and to obtain the requisite 

 answers, which, as soon as they reached him, he conveyed 

 to General Wilkinson, then in command. On arriving at 

 headquarters, the general refused to believe that he could 

 possibly haVti been to Washington in the short time that 

 had elapsed, until he had received and read the answers 

 to his communications, when, eying John with astonish- 

 ment, he mentally expressed his admiration, and, proceed- 

 ing to his military chest, he presented to him five hun- 

 dred dollars in gold. This money was, not made " the 

 germ of his subsequent fortune' (as has been repeatedly 

 stated), but was generously given, every dollar of it, to poor 

 widows with needy children, whose husbands had been killed 

 by the Indians. Leaving the service of the government, in 

 the spring of 1816, John, in company with his brother 

 Jefferson, made the journey from Buffalo to Bath, Steuben 

 Co., on foot ; their road for a good part of the distance 

 being only a path designated by marked trees. 



His first employment was cutting cordwood for Capt. 

 William Bull at twenty-five cents per cord. It had been a 

 result of the removals of his father's family, the want of 

 schools, and other privations met in the newly-settled state 

 of the country, that he had entered upon the work of life 

 almost destitute of education. This deficiency he deeply 



