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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



main ridge, in the " big woods ;'' and about the same time, 

 Daniel Hamilton, father of James Hamilton, the present 

 supervisor, and several other families settled near Shehan's 

 place. The hard timber, in later years, has furnished a 

 profitable industry for the winter months, firewood finding 

 a ready sale at prices that pay well for the time which 

 would otherwise be spent by the farmers in idleness. This 

 wood is taken to the river-valleys, on sleighs, for market. 



In 1849, Charles and Daniel Rexford, sons of Dr. John 

 T. Rexford, of Troupsburgh, encouraged by the rapid settle- 

 ment, moved into the valley of Bennett's Creek, and 

 erected a saw-mill just above the present one, at Rexville. 

 This mill consisted of a single saw, working in an upright 

 wooden frame, but still was a good mill for those days. 

 Sawing out their timber in this mill, the Rexfords pro- 

 ceeded to erect the first frame building in the town, and 

 open a tavern, which they named the " Eagle." Roads 

 were opened down the creek to " Bennettsville" (Canisteo), 

 and over the hill to the Canisteo ; east from the tavern, 

 past Oliver Perry's, to Jasper and Troupsburgh ; and also 

 west to Andover, in Allegany County. The old tavern 

 could accommodate half a dozen guests at night, and many 

 more during the day, becoming much frequented after 

 lumbering commenced, by the opening of the mills at 

 Wileyville, five miles south. 



The Rexfords sold the tavern to James McCormick, 

 popularly known as "High Jimmy," a famous Irish wit 

 and dairy-farmer, of Greenwood, in 1859, and left the 

 village to which they had given their name. 



John Hauber, in whose house the first election was held, 

 was the first man married in the town, his marriage to 

 Jane K. Hauber taking place May 18, 1832. 



Old Mr. Bray did not live to see the removal of the tall 

 trees from about his door, but died in 1826. His was the 

 first death in West Union. In 1855, Rexville assumed 

 additional importance from the opening of a store, this 

 time to be a permanent one. Jesse Jones and Dr. Cyrus 

 B. Knight were the proprietors. Soon after, a mail-route 

 was established, and whole wagons began to take the place 

 of temporary carts, and " sleds" made from the crotches of 

 trees with a cross-piece or bolster pinned across for a seat, 

 or for chaining fast a log, as occasion might require. 

 Horses, too, began to be more generally used upon the 

 roads, while oxen were confined to the heavy work about 

 the farms. 



Uriah Stephens taught the first school, long after the first 

 scholars had made their way over the hill to an adjoining 

 district in Troupsburgh. 



Wileyville, a saw-mill and post-ofiice in the south part of 

 the town, was opened by John Wiley, William Fisher, and 

 Benjamin Wilkes, in 1849. Myers & Davison built a mill 

 on the South Creek, a branch of the Kyder, in 1855, near 

 the heaviest body of pine timber in the town, and shipped 

 their lumber by wagons to Dansville a couple of years, 

 when, building having become more general, a home 

 market was found. 



Of the inhabitants of this town, more than 100 are natu- 

 ralized citizens, from all parts of Ireland. They are indus- 

 trious and enterprising, and have neat and commodious 

 buildings, with well-improved farms where the earlier set- 



tlements were made. The later settlements consist of small 

 improvements, and are only partially paid for. 



The representative men of West Union are well known 

 throughout the county. Patrick Harden, F. X. Ward, who 

 claims to be the first Irishman of Rexville. Lawrence Max- 

 well, and Alphonzo McCormick, a son of " High Jimmy," 

 are all leading merchants of Rexville. Mr. McCormick is 

 postmaster, and Mr. Maxwell has been town clerk for the 

 last three years; James Hamilton, supervisor, is a young 

 man of energy and ability ; F. X. Ward, who was elected 

 associate judge in 1875, is a native of Ireland, as are also 

 the prominent men of the town generally. 



VILLAGE OF REXVILLE. 



The village of Rexville contains some thirty residences, 

 most of which are of neat, modern appearance, and extend 

 along both sides of the single street on the west side of 

 Bennett's Creek, occupying the whole width of the deep, 

 narrow valley. The place contains about 160 inhabitants. 

 There are also here a steam saw-, planing-, and grist-mill, 

 erected in 1877 ; wagon- and blacksmith-shops, two churches, 

 one of which is the finest country church in the county ; 

 and on the site of the first log cabin where Mr. Olmstead 

 used to sit, rifle in hand, and " take his pick" of deer on the 

 bank of the creek, is a large three-story hotel, under the 

 supervision of " High" Jimmy McCormick, a typical wit 

 of the " County Antrim," Ireland, whose pungent remarks 

 have given him a wide reputation. 



The mail-stage from Canisteo to Whitesville, and Brook- 

 field, Pa., passes through Mondays and Fridays, giving a 

 mail twice a week each way. 



Surrounding the valley are knobs of land, partially cleared 

 and partially covered with beech and maple groves on their 

 less accessible points, giving to the place a cool and refresh- 

 ing appearance in summer. The principal industry is cattle- 

 raising and dairying. A cheese-factory, capable of consum- 

 ing the milk of 1200 cows, has recently been erected at 

 Rexville, and two others have been in successful operation 

 for several years in the west part of the town. Grindstones 

 were cut here from sandstone before settlement became 

 general, but they were imported cheaper than they could be 

 made when the country became more settled. 



ORGANIZATION. 



West Union, the southeastern town in the county, was 

 formed from the southern half of Greenwood, April 5, 1845, 

 and the election for the first officers was held at the house 

 of John Hauber, on the present site of Rexford village, 

 May 6 of the same year. The officers elected were David 

 Sherman, Supervisor ; Moses Forbes, Town Clerk ; Jere- 

 miah B. Millard, Cornelius Rosa, and William H. Olmstead, 

 Justices of the Peace for terms of three, two, and one year, 

 respectively; David Collins, Peter A. McLean, Marsena 

 Cummings, Assessors ; Jeremiah B. Millard, Jeremiah Ing- 

 ley, Alvin Chapin, Commissioners of Highways; Cornelius 

 Rosa, Henry B. Baker, Jr., Marsena Cummings, Inspectors 

 of Election ; Thomas F. Hubbard, Henry B. Baker, Over- 

 seers of the Poor ; Walter B. Olmstead, Collector ; Walter 

 B. Olmstead, Calvin Clark, William B. Hauber, L. D. 

 Baker, Constables. 



