TOWN OF CAMERON. 



201 



WILLIAM HEDGES. 



William Hedges was born in Barrington, Yates Co., Aug. 

 6, 1827. He is the son of Caleb S. Hedges and Nancy 

 McDowell, and is of English descent. Caleb S. Hedges 

 came frqm Yates County to Steuben County with his family, 



WILLIAM HEDGES. 



and settled in Cameron in 1830. In 1838 he moved to 

 what then was Bradford, Steuben Co., now Orange, Schuy- 

 ler Co., and settled upon the farm where he now resides. 

 The subject of this sketch lived at home until he was eigh- 

 teen years of age and worked upon his father's farm, im- 

 proving his advantages as best he could for obtaining a 

 limited education. At the age of eighteen years, having a 



desire to mingle with the world, and commence life's battle for 

 himself, he purchased his time of his father for twenty-five 

 dollars, with the understanding that he was going to learn the 

 trade of boot- and shoe-making, and went to Penn Yan, Yates 

 Co. Mr. Hedges served his apprenticeship in Penn Yan, 

 Bradford, and Dundee. At the age of twenty-one years he 

 was in the possession of his trade, which had been secured 

 by determined perseverance. In 1849 he formed a part- 

 nership with H. D. Bosenkrans, in the boot and shoe busi- 

 ness, in Bradford, N. Y., which partnership was continued 

 until 1853. In 1854 he again formed a partnership, in the 

 manufacture of boots and shoes, with E. S. Bennett. This 

 partnership was dissolved in 1855, by Mr. Hedges buying 

 the interest of his partner. He then continued in the 

 manufacture of boots and shoes until 1862, when he began 

 to enlarge his business by adding groceries. In 1869, Mr. 

 Hedges formed a partnership with Jonathan Bobie, of Bath, 

 in the general mercantile business, and since that time has 

 been a merchant in Bradford. The mercantile firm is now 

 Wm. Hedges & Son. In politics he is a Bepublican. He 

 has never allowed politics to interfere with his business, but 

 has always been identified with the best interests of his 

 party. He was appointed postmaster of Bradford in 1872, 

 which ofiice he still holds. Few merit the term of a self- 

 made man more than doe& Mr. Wm. Hedges. Beginning 

 life by learning a trade, entirely thrown upon his own re- 

 sources, he has by perseverance, industry, and economy 

 worked himself up step by step until now he is regarded as 

 one of the solid business men of Bradford. 



In 1850 he married Buth Goble, of Bradford. They 

 have had children as follows : Carrie A., who died in in- 

 fancy ; Frank W., who is a partner with his father in busi- 

 ness ; Mary E. and Lizzie L., who are young ladies and 

 live at home. Besides his mercantile business Mr. Hedges 

 has also a farm of one hundred and fifteen acres in Brad- 

 ford, which receives something of his attention. 



CAMERON, 



-^•►- 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



This town was named from Dugald Cameron, one of the 

 first settlers of Bath, and afterwards an agent of the Pulte- 

 ney estate. It was formed from Addison, April 16, 1822. 

 Thurston was taken ofi" in 1844, and part of Bathbone in 

 1856. It is bounded north by Bath, east by Thurston, 

 south by Bathbone and Jasper, and west by Canisteo. 

 The Canisteo Biver passes through the southwest part of 

 the town. The northern part comprises the highlands 

 between the Canisteo and Conhocton, from which creeks 

 run south to the river. A portion of the country is some- 

 what rough, broken into hills and ravines, but it is fairly 

 productive, yielding good crops of grain, grass, and dairy 

 products. 

 26 



SETTLEMENT. 



The first settlement in the town of Cameron was made 

 in the year 1800 by Bichard Hadley, also known as '^The 

 Second James," and Phones Green. Bichard Hadley first 

 lived on the Baker place, at the foot of the hill, near the 

 present railroad-crossing, and it is said he was driven from 

 that locality by a land-slide, which opened the gap in the 

 hills at that point where before had been a high wall of 

 unbroken rock, large masses of earth and rock falling into 

 the valley, crushing down trees and closely threatening his 

 cabin. Many high points of soft rock resembling chim- 

 neys originally covered the slopes of these hills, and have 

 been gradually disappearing until but few are left. The 

 process of their formation is again going on, portions of the 



