TOWN OF WAYNE. 



427 



of the Episcopal Church. He died in possession of about 

 500 acres of land in 1868. His children were Abram 

 Fleet, Jonathan, and Andrew (the last two now live in the 

 town of Wayne), Ida, Joel P., Emily, Jane, William, Israel, 

 Henry S. (who died a soldier in Virginia), Mary Ann, Dru- 

 silla, and John. 



Joseph Bailey, a soldier of the Revolution, came from 

 Orange County and settled in Wayne, on the farm where 

 Henry Houck lives, about 1799. His title proving de- 

 fective, he then settled the Cornelius Bailey farm, which he 

 cleared and improved. He raised his family there, and 

 being remote from grist-mills he burned a hole in the top 

 of a stump in which to pound grain for his family's use. 

 His meat consisted of deer, many of which he caught in 

 the lake after the dogs had run them in. His children 

 were John S., Cornelius, Samuel, Jemima, Nathan, and 

 Elizabeth. 



John S. Bailey, the first of the above children, settled 

 and cleared the Grove Spring farm. He died in the town 

 of Wayne, with his son Samuel, in 1875. 



George Hunter was the first settler on the farm where 

 D. Rice now lives. He was a prominent citizen, with de- 

 cided traits of character. He was supervisor of his town, 

 and always interested in public affairs. At the election in 

 1840, he, being a conservative, refused to vote because he 

 did not want to deposit his ballot with Democrats and 

 Whigs ; finally he deposited his vote in a box made for 

 the especial purpose of receiving it. He died on the 

 same farm, in 1845. He married Deborah Silsbee. His 

 sons were Harvey, Harrison, Horatio, Horace, and Henry ; 

 the last of whom studied law with Judge Walles, of Penn 

 Yan, and practiced at Rochester, where he was city attor- 

 ney, and where he died. 



The daughters were Maria, Julia, P]mily, Sallie, Mary, 

 and Eliza, who married the Rev. Daniel Russell. 



Solomon Wixson settled in 1791, on the farm where his 

 grandson Solomon now lives. He built his first house on 

 the banks of the lake; he was a farmer by occupation, al- 

 though he served his town as justice of the peace. He lived 

 and died on the same farm he settled, surrounded by the 

 fruits of his labor. His children were Joseph, Joshua, 

 Reuben, John, Daniel, James, Solomon, Elizabeth, Polly, 

 Clary, and Elijah, who died on the same farm in 1878. 



John Earnest settled in the town in the fall of 1817, 

 near where Wm. 0. Baile}^ now lives. He was an early 

 blacksmith in the town ; he made axes for which people 

 came thirty miles ; two years after he moved to Avoca. At 

 one time, while bringing a load of salt from Geneva to that 

 place, when within two miles of home, he was confronted 

 by a panther in the road ; his wagon got fast in a mud-hole, 

 and while he was unhitching his team they broke loose and 

 ran away, and left Mr. Earnest to face his merciless enemy 

 alone; finally a dog drew his attention and Mr. Earnest 

 escaped, and ran till he fell with terrible fright in his own 

 door. He afterwards returned to the town of Wayne, where 

 he became a member of the Presbyterian Church. He lived 

 in the town the remainder of his life, and died with his son 

 John in the eighty-fifth year of his age. His children 

 were Julia Ann, John J., Mary J., Isaac, Alexander, George 

 W., Eliza, and De Witt. 



His son John has always lived in the town of Wayne. 

 He has been engaged in wagon and carriage making, wool, 

 sheep, and cattle buying. He was supervisor and assessor 

 in his town, and has been prominently identified with its 

 interest. He has always been an earnest worker in the 

 temperance cause, even when it required courage to do so. 



The first school-house in the town of Wayne was a log 

 building, and stood on the Salter corners. 



William Brewer was an early shoemaker in the town. 

 He practiced law somewhat in justice courts. He bought 

 Joseph Wedge's wife for a pair of boots, with whom he 

 lived till he died. 



Fitch & Silsbee were the first storekeepers. 



Dr. Wells and Dr. Comstock were the first physicians. 



The Stubbs family were among the early settlers of 

 Wayne. 



Simeon Sackett was the first settler on the farm now 

 owned by James Smith. He was a farmer by occupation. 

 He died on the same farm with a disease called by the early 

 settlers '' the cold plague," 



John Teeple made the first clearing in the south part 

 of the town of Wayne, on the Teeple farm, about 1800. 

 He was the first surveyor in the territory now known as 

 Wayne ; he was a good farmer and built and ran a distillery. 

 In his neighborhood belief in witchcraft at one time was 

 quite prevalent. It was believed his daughter Polly was 

 bewitched. An image was formed of dough made of flour 

 and the blood of the person bewitched, and shot with a 

 silver bullet, believing that they would thereby kill the 

 witch, Mrs. Slocum. He died on the same farm. His 

 children were George, Jacob, Margaret, and Polly. 



John B. Mitchell, Sr., was born in England in 1772, and 

 came to this country when a young man. He stopped in 

 New York City for a few years, where he married Ann 

 O'Roark ; moved to Paterson, N. J., and stayed there a year 

 or two, and then went to Utica, N. Y., where he remained 

 till the close of the war, in 1814. He then removed to 

 Wayne with his family. He brought a stock of goods with 

 him, and upon his arrival opened a store, which he after- 

 wards sold out to Silsbee & Fitch. He had eight chil- 

 dren, — Ann Eliza, John B., Maria, George D., Thomas, 

 Mary Ann, Joseph, and Richard. None are now living ex- 

 cept Maria McDowell and Joseph, who reside in Wayne. 

 He died in 1841. 



John B. Mitchell, deceased, was born in the city of New 

 York, May 14, 1802, of English parentage. In his infancy 

 his father moved to Utica, and about seven years later emi- 

 grated to Frederickstown, Steuben Co., which embraced what 

 is now Bradford, Tyrone, Wayne, and Barrington. He resided 

 with his father, John B. Mitchell, Sr., who was engaged in 

 farming and distilling up to 1825-26, with the exception 

 of a short time while a clerk in the store of John R. Gan- 

 sevoort, at Bath. Shortly after this he commenced the 

 mercantile business in a small way for himself at Wayne, 

 increasing his business from year to year, until he estab- 

 lished a branch store at Bradford, where he bought wheat 

 and other produce, and shipped it down the river in arks 

 to Baltimore. Abandoning business at Bradford, he and 

 Michael Willour (now deceased) started the first store at 

 Watkins, and continued in business there for several years. 



