TOWN OF CAMPBELL. 



211 



all our mills, and yet so perfectly navigable during the 

 spring freshets as to afford us a highway to the markets of 

 the outside world, 



'' The result was the development of a branch of industry 

 here which marked all our early history. In winter the 

 choppers were at their work in the woods by early day- 

 light, and the teams were moving to bring in the logs and the 

 spars. Many a ship has plowed the blue sea, and perhaps 

 gone round the world, bearing masts that were cut from 

 these mountains ; and the clack of the mills, the screech- 

 ing of the saw-file, the shouts of the teamsters, and the 

 crash of falling trees blended into a music which we all 

 learned to enjoy. 



" One evil of this branch of industry was that it brought 

 into our families as working men, and into our town as 

 citizens, a class of rough people; a still greater evil was 

 that it took men every year into the temptation one meets 

 away from home ; but the greatest evil of all was that in 

 rafting-time it led to such entire disregard of the Sabbath 

 day. The minister who was so audacious as to preach 

 against ' rafting on Sunday' soon heard from his people in 

 a way more forcible than agreeable ; and after our revivals 

 it used to be said, ' Now, if your converts can go down the 

 river and back again without losing their religion they will 

 probably go through.' It was a very severe test, and some 

 failed under it. 



" One of the good things of the business was the hardi- 

 hood it gave us. This was conspicuous even among the 

 children. I have some illustrations to give on this point, 

 especially in the matter of barefoot children, for which one 

 might challenge the country to find a parallel. It was not 

 that in summer time we went to school, and to Sunday- 

 school, and to meeting barefoot : all the children did that 

 sometimes ; but we had one family of children who went 

 to school all winter without shoes, who would sometimes 

 go with us on the ice to slide, and who, when cold, instead 

 of crying or running to the fire, would throw themselves 

 clown on their faces, lift their feet in the air, and strike 

 them together till they were warm. This was, indeed, an 

 extreme case among us, but young and old alike were edu- 

 cated to endure hardships and not complain. Men who were 

 in the woods at daylight swinging the axe and handling 

 the frosty log-chains, — men who slept on the rafts, ran the 

 chutes, and held their oars through Kanawagha, — learned 

 to laugh at danger, and taught their children that a little 

 finger-ache was not just the thing to cry for. And when 

 an emergency came, requiring men to do and dare for the 

 country, here were people of just the hardihood to meet 

 the call. 



'' Another thing which this special branch of industry 

 did for us was to stir the public mind, and send men 

 abroad to see the world. There we were, a remote popu- 

 lation, hid away among the hills, far from the great cen- 

 tre of social life, and in just the condition to live and die 

 in contented ignorance of everything beyond the visible 

 horizon. But, when rafting time came, the whole country 

 was shaken. As soon as the snow began to melt and the 

 rivers to rise, an energy was begotten among us which swept 

 everything before it. The old men felt it at eighty, and 

 walked out to the river-banks to see the rafts go by. The 



little boys felt it at ten, and counted the years till they 

 should be old enough to go down the river, too. And al- 

 most the entire adult male population left home, each year, 

 for the long voyage, and came back to tell us of Northum- 

 berland and Harrisburg, of Port Deposit and Havre de 

 Grace, of Philadelphia and Baltimore, as places they had 

 visited while they were gone." 



I CHURCHES. 



I '* FIRST PRESBYTERIAN COHOCTON CONGREGATION" — SO- 

 ! CIETY OF CAMPBELL AND MUD CREEK. 



We find the following in an old book of records : 



^^ The inhabitants of Campbell town and Mud Creek assembled at 

 I Capt. Archa Campbell's on the evening of the 24th of December, A.n. 

 ; 1811, for the purpose of promoting public worship, and appointed 

 I Rev. Robert Campbell moderator, and Ralph Malbone secretary. 

 : " The inhabitants of Mud Creek, including Mr. Fulton, have this 



evening agreed to be at one-half the expense for the support of the 

 gospel, and the inhabitants of Campbell town the remainder. 

 ^ ^* Moved and carried by unanimous vote, that the spot for erecting 



I a house of public worship shall be near the school-house, in the upper 

 I district of said Campbell town, 



^' Moved and carried, that a committee be appointed to attend a 

 ^ meeting at the Great Flats, and make trial to get the Rev. Clement 

 Heckman to preach one-fourth of his time. Solomon Campbell, Sr., 

 ; and David Holmes were appointed as this committee. 



*' Moved and carried, that the above committee be authorized to 

 I offer the Rev. Clement Heckman $125 per annum for five years as a 

 I compensation for the one-fourth part of his ministerial services. 



^' Voted, that the inhabitants of the aforesaid places assemble at the 

 i house of F. Stewart, on the third Monday of January next, at one 

 I o'clock P.M., for the purpose of forming themselves into a religious 

 I society, and transacting all business connected thereto. 



'' Resolved, That the Rev. Robert Campbell give legal notice of the 



above meeting. 

 '\ "Robert Campbell, Moc/erator. 



'^ R. Malbone, Secretary.'^ 



I ''At a meeting of the inhabitants of Mud Creek and Campbell 

 j town, assembled at Capt. Archa Campbell's, on the evening of the 

 7th of January, a.d. 1812, and appointed Capt. Solomon Campbell 

 moderator and Ralph Malbone secretary. Voted, that the above 

 inhabitants send four delegates to attend a meeting at Post town,* 

 on Friday next, on business respecting getting the Rev. Clement 

 Heckman. 



" Resolved, That these delegates shall be James Faulkner, James 

 Fulton, Col. David Holmes, and Capt. Archa Campbell. 



" Voted, that these delegates be authorized to offer the Rev. Clement 

 Heckman for one-fourth of his ministerial labors, at the rate of five 

 hundred dollars per annum, and design the other societies to join 

 them in the offer. 



'^ At a meeting of the inhabitants of Campbell town and the settle- 

 ment of Mud Creek, held at the house of Frederick Stewart, inn- 

 holder in said town, by a legal warning, according to law, in order to 

 form into a religious society to support religious worship, held on the 

 third Monday (or 20th) of January, 1812. Voted, that Solomon 

 Campbell be moderator and David Holmes clerk. 



'' Voted, that the name of said society be ' The First Presbyterian 

 Cohocton Congregation or Society in the county of Steuben.' 



" Voted, unanimously, to choose seven trustees for said society. 

 Voted, that David Holmes, Solomon Campbell, Joseph Stevens, James 

 Faulkner, John White, James Fulton, and Frederick Stewart be 

 trustees for said society, and Archa Campbell clerk. Voted, that 

 Frederick Stewart's be the place for holding public worship. Voted, 

 that the trustees of this society do agree with Rev. Clement Heck- 

 man to preach for said society agreeable to former votes of the in- 

 habitants." 



(Copied from the minutes of S. Campbell, Jr.) 



''At a society-meeting held at the house of Frederick Stewart, 



* Painted Post. 



