366 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



that time were connected with it Bishop Tuttle, Dr. Cor- 

 nell, and Owen Reiley, of Pulteney ; two men by the name 

 of Frisbie ; two by the name of Wheeler ; and a few others. 



" I remember a celebration of St. John's Day. The 

 fraternity on that day were able to make quite a show. 

 The growth of their body and delegations from other lodges 

 made a fine appearance. Mr. Hotchkin was again called 

 upon to preach, which he did to good acceptance, taking 

 for his subject the life of St. John, the patron saint, whose 

 birth they had convened to celebrate. From this time for- 

 ward a goodly number of the prominent men of Pratts- 

 burgh became connected with the order. The names of 

 Judge Yan Yalkenburgh, A. P. Lyon, Esq , Samuel A. 

 Johnson, Esq., Samuel Hayes, Joel Tuttle, Ira C. Clark, 

 and George M. Payne are mentioned as members at this 

 time. They changed about several times, but after Mr. 

 Lyon became a member he fitted up a lodge-room in a 

 large chamber in the upright part of his house, which stood 

 on the ground the Park Hotel now occupies. At that time 

 all the meetings of the lodge were held in the afternoon, 

 instead of the evening." 



We have no means of ascertaining the number of this 

 lodge, or following its history further than the facts or 

 recollections above presented. We presume that it went 

 down during the anti-Masonic excitement, which began 

 about the year 1827, and was never again renewed as the 

 same lodge. 



PRATTSBURGH LODGE, NO. 583, F. AND A. M., 



was instituted under dispensation, July 7, 1865, with the 

 following charter members : William Tillotson, George 

 McLean, J. M. Hopkins, John Knapp, E. T. Watkins, 

 Daniel D. Waldo, E. Wilson, John E. Bramble. 



First Officers.—^ iWmm Tillotson, W. M. ; Geo. McLean, 

 S. W. ; Joseph M. Hopkins, J. W. ; John Knapp, Trcas. ; 

 E. T. Watkins, Sec. ; Daniel D. Waldo, S. D. ; E. Wilson, 

 J. D. ; J. E. Bramble, Tyler. 



The warrant was issued June 14, 1866. At that date 

 the membership was 32. All of the original charter mem- 

 bers are still living, except George McLean. 



Present Officers.— D. D. Waldo, W. M. ; E. H. Van 

 Housen, S. W. ; W. S. Foster, J. W. ; P. F. Paris, Treas. ; 

 John Frost, Sec. ; J. H. Greene, S. D. ; John Bonny, J. D. ; 

 J. P. Montgomery, Tyler. 



VILLAGE OF PKATTSBUEGH. 



The village of Prattsburgh was bounded and incorporated 

 as follows, Dec. 7, 1848 : 



"STEUBEN COUNTY COURT.— In the matter of the petition 

 of Bishop Smith and Jas. H. Hotchkin, Jr. 



"On reading and filing the petition of Bishop Smith and Jas. H. 

 Hotchkin, .Jr., residents of the territory hereinafter mentioned and 

 described, for the incorporation of said territory as a village, by the 

 name of the Village of Prattsburgh, which territory is bounded and 

 described as follows, viz. : Beginning at the southeast corner of lot 

 No. 53, in township No. 6, in the third range of townships, in said 

 county of Steuben ; thence west 60 chains ; thence north 1 06 chains and 

 66 J links; thence east 60 chains; and thence south 106 chains and 66^ 

 links, to the place of beginning, containing one square mile. And on 

 sufficient proof, showing that the act passed by the Legislature of the 

 State of New York, on the 7tli day of December, 1847, entitled ^An 

 Act to provide for the Incorporation of Villages,' has in all respects 



been duly complied with, so as to entitle the said territory to be incor- 

 porated as a village — 



" Ordered, That the said territory be, and the same is, incorporated 

 as a village, by the name of the Village of Prattsburgh, if the electors 

 thereof shall consent thereto, according to the provisions of the act so 

 passed by the Legislature of the State of New York, aforesaid, and 

 that Addison Ainsworth, Abram I. Quackenbush, and Whitman Smith, 

 three of the Inspectors of election of the town of Prattsburgh, in which 

 the said territory is situate, be, and they are hereby appointed In- 

 spectors, to hold and preside at an election, which is hereby ordered 

 to be held within said territory, for the purpose of obtaining the 

 assent of the electors of the said territory for the incorporation 

 thereof as a village, by the name of the Village of Prattsburgh, 

 according to the provisions of the act aforesaid; and they are ordered 

 and directed to perform all the duties required of them by the pro- 

 visions of said act. 



"Dated this 8th day of November, 1848. 



" D. McMaster, Judge. 



" H. L. COMSTOCK, ) r , . /. cr 



' > Justices or iSessions. 

 ''A. D. Read, J 



"Steuben Count"^, ss : 



" I certify that I have examined the certificate and notice of the 

 holding of said election, and the affidavit of the posting of such 

 notice, and am satisfied that all the proceedings in respect to notify- 

 ing and holding the meeting therein mentioned, canvassing the votes 

 given thereat, and making such certificate, are legal. 



" D. McMaster, County Judge. 



"Dated Dec. 7, 1848. 



"Steuben County, ss : 



" Clerk's Office, Bath, Aug. 1, 1850. 



" I, Paul C. Cook, Clerk of said county, do hereby certify that the 

 preceding is a true copy of an original certificate of incorporation 

 remaining on record in this office, and having compared the same 

 with said original record, I find it to be a correct transcript therefrom, 

 and of the whole of said original. 



" Given under my hand and seal of said county, the day and year 



first above written. 



"P. C. Cook, Clerk. 



NEW CHARTER. 



"We, the undersigned, comprising the majority of the persons who 

 had previously presided at elections for village officers of the village 

 of Prattsburgh, do hereby certify and return. That on the twentieth 

 day of February, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy- 

 seven, a special election was held in and for said village of Pratts- 

 burgh, in accordance of the provisions of Section 30 of Title VIII. of 

 Chapter 291 of the Laws of the State of New York, passed at the 

 ninety-third session of the Legislature, entitled 'An Act for the In- 

 corporation of Villages,' at which special election the following reso- 

 lution was voted on, viz. : 



" Resolved, That the village of Prattsburgh become a corporation 

 under the provisions of Chapter 291 of the Laws of the State of New 

 York, passed at the ninety-third session of the Legislature, said chap- 

 ter being entitled ' An Act for the Incorporation of Villages,' and that 

 said corporation possess all powers given thereto by said act. 



" We further certify and return, that more than ten days previous 

 to the holding of such special election notices were posted in at least 

 six public places in the village of Prattsburgh aforesaid, stating time, 

 and place, and object of election, and copying the resolution, of which 

 said notice the following is a copy, viz. : 



"special election. 



"Notice is hereby given that a special election, in and for the vil- 

 lage of Prattsburgh, will be held at the hotel now kept by Daniel B. 

 Van Auken, in said village, on the 20th day of February, 1877, at 

 which election the following resolution will be submitted to the quali- 

 fied electors of said village, to be voted upon by them, the said quali- 

 fied electors of said village, viz. : 



" Resolved, That the village of Prattsburgh become a corporation 

 under the provisions of Chapter 291 of the Laws of the State of New 

 York, passed at the ninety-third session of the Legislature, said chap- 

 ter being entitled ' An Act for the Incorporation of Villages,' and that 

 said corporation possess all powers given thereto by said act. And 



