.338 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



Soon after the settlement of these families, accessions 

 were made to their number in the early part of 1809, by 

 the arrival of Samuel Baker, who settled where J. Rice now 

 or recently lived ; Reuben Smith, Abram Smith, Joel Bul- 

 lard, and Abel Bullard, who settled on the road leading 

 from GofF's Mills to the turnpike, near the old State road. 

 Later the same year, the earliest settlers were cheered by 

 the arrival of Daniel N. Bennett, Jacob Bennett, Job B. 

 Rathburn, and three brothers. Daniel N. and Jacob Ben- 

 nett settled on the beautiful plateau on which the village 

 of Howard now stands, and it was called for many years 

 thereafter by the name of Bennett's Flats. 



Job B. Rathbun and brothers settled in the northern 

 part of Howard, and took up the land now known as the 

 Meeks and Parkhill farms; also the farm known as the Job 

 B. Rathbun farm, at Rathbun Corners, where Job B. made 

 his home until his death. The Job B. Rathbun farm is 

 still owned by one of his descendants (Brown Rathbun). 

 Job B. Rathbun was a man of indomitable will and perse- 

 verance; uniting those qualities with industry and a faculty 

 to save, he accumulated a large property, which at his death 

 his children inherited, leaving them, with industry and 

 economy, a competency during their lives. These few 

 families did not long have to contend alone with the forest. 



Some time in the winter of 1810, William Allen, John 

 Hoagland, and David Smith settled in Howard. William 

 Allen settled on the farm just east of the pond now owned 

 by John and Lyman Shults. David Smith settled on the 

 west side of the pond or little lake, which afterwards was 

 called Smith's Pond. John Hoagland settled on the farm 

 adjoining the pond, on the premises where Abraham Hoag- 

 land lived during a long and well-spent life. The farm is 

 now owned by his only son, George H. Hoagland. Israel 

 Baldwin arrived in the settlement in the month of February, 

 1811, and settled on a farm south of the pond. The other 

 lands in that settlement were taken up at a later date. 



Probably no country was ever settled by men of more 

 worth and sterling qualities than was this little settlement. 

 Their doors were ever open to receive the traveler and 

 stranger. They were ever ready to contribute to the wants 

 of the needy, and many the one left their doors with thank- 

 ful hearts for the bounties bestowed upon them, A little 

 before these last settlers arrived, and about the year 1809, 

 one Henry Kennedy settled on the creek-road leading from 

 Howard to Kanona, about three miles easterly from How- 

 ard village. Soon after his arrival he erected the first saw- 

 mill in the town, which was a great relief to the then 

 sparsely-settled community, it enabling the people to get 

 boards and slabs to cover their little log houses, and occasion- 

 ally a settler would build a small board shanty. The set- 

 tlers, before the saw-mill was built, covered their cabins with 

 slabs of split timber, with a few exceptions William GofF 

 moved from Otsego County some time in the fall of 1812, 

 and settled on the creek-road leading from Bath to How- 

 ard, and about three miles from Howard village. He 

 probably was actuated in choosing his location on account 

 of the fine water-privilege for milling and other purposes, 

 for soon after his arrival and settlement he built the first 

 grist-mill that was erected in Howard. (The building was 

 then and has ever since been called Gofi''s Mills.) It was 



a great epoch in the history of Howard and the surround- 

 ing country, and was hailed with much delight and pleas- 

 ure, the few inhabitants having, before that event, to travel 

 long distances with their corn, wheat, and other bread- 

 stuffs on their shoulders to have it ground ; for very few of 

 the inhabitants had teams with which to go to mill, and 

 those who had rarely took them, the roads being only 

 paths cut through the forest. The erection of the mill was 

 not the only benefit derived by the settlement of William 

 Goff in the new county; his and his wife's kindness and 

 hospitality to the settlers were proverbial, and from his 

 mill thousands of pounds of corn -meal and flour were dis- 

 tributed to the poor, without any expectation of a return. 

 Not only this, but during the year (as it has always been 

 called) of famine, which looked as though the settlement 

 of Howard must almost fail, he left his home with what 

 means he could command, went East and purchased wheat 

 and corn, and on his return distributed it to the almost- 

 starving people, with no other promise than that if the 

 settlers the next year raised sufficient to support their 

 families, and had a surplus, they could pay it back. By 

 the joint efibrts of William GofF and his excellent wife, the 

 settlers were supplied, and the year of famine passed. They 

 lived to rear a large and respected family. Most of the 

 children still survive their parents, making good citizens in 

 the communities in which they live. 



Russell Burlison settled in Howard in 1813, on the 

 farm now known as the Van Wie farm, occupied by Alonzo 

 and Henry Van Wie, his family at that time consisting of 

 himself, wife, and two children. One of his descendants, 

 Hiram B. Burlison, who was born in 1816, still resides in 

 Howard, and is one of the sterling men of that town. 

 Accessions continued to be added to their number, and be- 

 tween 1810 and 1820 many new settlers took up lands, 

 and made Howard their future home, among whom were 

 Seth Rice, Jonas Rice, Jonathan Ketchum, Isaac Bennett, 

 Benjamin Bennett, Thomas Bennett, Hamilton Parkhill, 

 John Stephenson, David Walker, Andrew Baker, James 

 Stewart, George Stewart, Richard Towie, Reuben Ham- 

 mond, Joseph C. Lane, Isaac Brasted, Oliver Parkhill, R. 

 F. Ferris, Simeon Baker, David Rathbun, Jabez Beebe, 

 and a few others whose names the writer has been unable 

 to obtain. Jonas Rice took up the farm now owned and 

 occupied by Reuben F. Ferris. Seth Rice took up the 

 farm now owned by Jacob and Aaron Lyke. Jonathan 

 Ketchum erected the first frame hotel that was built in 

 Howard. After he erected his hotel he built a small tan- 

 nery, which was operated for some time. Although Ketchum 

 built the first frame tavern it was not the first tavern built, 

 for before that event Isaac Bennett erected a small los 

 tavern, on the corner of the street leading to the Baptist 

 church, where the residence erected by Barney Alden now 

 stands. This hotel consisted of one room below and the 

 sleeping-rooms above. About that time another log tavern 

 was built by Benjamin Bennett, called the " Double Log 

 Tavern." It stood on the farm known as the Philip Ben- 

 nett farm, on the opposite side of the street, and a little 

 east of the house. These two log hotels were kept some 

 time before the frame hotel of Ketchum was built. 



Randall and Calvin Graves built the first store, on the 



