442 



HTSTORr OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



Mitchellville, in the southeast part of the town, contains 

 about twenty buildings. About 1840, George D. Mitchell 

 erected a store and saw-mill there and operated these for a 

 time successfully. E. F. Bliven is the present store-keeper. 

 A shingle-mill is now run there by Henry Squires. 

 Abram Cranmer settled on West Hill about 1808. 

 After occupying various lands in the town, he finally set- 

 tled and cleared the farm on which he now lives, on West 

 Creek. He is a carpenter by trade, but gave an industri- 

 ous attention to farming. He is a member of the Baptist 

 Church, and now lives on the same farm, at the age of 

 ninety-three years. 



The first school-house in the territory now known as the 

 town of Wheeler was a frame building, which stood on the 

 farm now owned by Ephraim Aulls, on a part of the ceme- 

 tery lot. The second school-house was a log building, on 

 the Daniel Baker lot, now owned by John French. 



The present building there is the third house and was 

 built by the job by Richard Gray, J. F. Marshal, Trustee. 

 The first school-teacher was Uriel Chapin. Capt. Wheeler 

 built the first saw-mill, in 1802, and set the first nursery on 

 the old Wheeler farm on the east side of the road. John 

 Beals kept the first inn before and during 1820, and Cor- 

 nelius Younglove the first store, in 1835. 



Rev. E. Eggleston (Baptist) was the first preacher. 

 The first birth in town was that of William, son of Jona- 

 than Barney, Nov. 1, 1801, and the first death was that of 

 the same child, Dec. 1, 1802. Levi Gray was the first 

 postmaster ; second postmaster was Daniel Gray ; third 

 postmaster, 0. F. Marshal; and the fourth and present 

 postmaster, Ephraim Aulls. 



The following are the present business interests of 

 Wheeler : Renchan & Son, feed and saw-mill ; Thomas 

 Van Tuyle, saw-mill ; Thomas Plansett, hotel and grocery ; 

 S. Bailey, blacksmith ; Mortimer Langley, blacksmith ; W. 

 Bailey, wagon-maker; Anna Williams, school-teacher; 0. 

 F. Marshal, notary public; D. Z. Gibbs, steam-mill; 

 Ephraim Aulls, postmaster. 



Daniel Raymond settled on the George Renchan farm, in 

 1804. Among his children were the following: Joel, Mrs. 

 Burt, Mrs. Rowley, Hannah Haucks, Silas George, Rufus, 

 Daniel, Alva, Alanson, Lucy, Roswel. Hannah Haucks 

 died in the town, Jan. 5, 1879, at the age of ninety-six 

 years eleven months and nineteen days. 



Jonathan Barney settled on the farm on which P. F. 

 Myrtle now lives, about 1800. He there made the first 

 clearing, and erected the first building. He was a farmer 

 by occupation, and held some town oflBces. He entered the 

 war of 1812 as captain, and was promoted to the rank of 

 major. He died on the farm now occupied by J. P. Barney, 

 about 1852. His children were David, Darius, Eliza, 

 Ephraim, Nathan, Burt, Ira P., Thomas, Sarah, Jane, and 

 Mary Ann. 



Furman Gardner came from Albany County, in company 

 with Capt. Silas Wheeler, at the age of seven years. He 

 afterwards settled, and made the first clearing on the lot 

 where Don Wheeler now lives. He afterwards cleared the 

 farm, and erected the first building where his son, Wm. 

 Gardner, lives. He was an honest, industrious citizen, and 

 died on the farm he cleared. His children were Sarah, 



Silas, Rebecca, Addison, Henry, William, Thomas, Harriet, 

 Benjamin, Polly. 



Henry Chichester came from Otsego County, in 1812, 

 with his widowed mother, one brother, and three sisters, 

 and settled on the Henry Grace farm, in the town of Wayne, 

 county of Steuben, where John Lay, a short time before, 

 had made the first clearing. He afterwards moved on the 

 Rans Knapp farm, same town, where Groves Soles had been 

 the first settler before him. Thence he moved into the town 

 of W^ heeler, in 1847, on the farm where he now lives. 



Thomas Aulls settled with his father, William Aulls, in 

 the town of Urbana, on the Benjamin Decker farm, in 

 1793, and about 1800 removed to the farm in the town of 

 Wheeler, now occupied by his son, Ephraim Aulls. He 

 there made the first clearing, and erected a log house and 

 afterwards made a frame addition thereto. He gave dili- 

 gent attention to clearing and improving his farm. He was 

 the first justice of the peace in that part of the town of Bath 

 afterwards set off to Wheeler. He was a good man and a 

 member of the Presbyterian Church, and died on the farm 

 he settled, about 1847. His children were Polly, William, 

 Samuel, Hiram, Ephraim, Joseph, and Sarah. Ephraim 

 has always lived on the same farm, and has been postmaster 

 at Wheeler Centre some forty years. 



Albertus Larrowe came from New Jersey in 1800, and 

 settled on the farm now occupied by his son Albertus. He 

 built a log house near the present dwelling, and cleared the 

 most of his land. He was a successful farmer, and died 

 on the same farm in 1857. His children were John, 

 Eliza, Sarah, Catherine, Minerva, Jane, Charlotte, Jacob, 

 James, Albertus, Jonathan B., Franklin, Charlotte. Jacob 

 Larrowe was judge of Steuben County, and died in Ham- 

 mondsport, March, 1878. 



Philip Myrtle came from Pennsylvania, and settled on 

 the farm now owned by D. Z. Gibbs, about 1800. He 

 cleared the most of the farm, and built the first saw-mill 

 there and the present buildings. He was a good and honest 

 citizen. He died on the same farm at about sixty years of 

 age. His children were Betsey, Margaret, Susan, Sarah, 

 Catherine, Lydia, Angeline, Eliza, Benjamin, Henry, Fred- 

 erick, and Marilla, all of whom are now living. 



CIVIL LIST OF THE TOWN. 



At the first town-meeting, held in 1821, Thomas Aulls 

 was elected supervisor. He was re-elected in 1822. In 

 1823, Grattan H. Wheeler was elected, and was succeeded 

 by Thomas Aulls again in 1824. How long Mr. Aulls 

 continued to serve as supervisor we have no means of know- 

 ing. The records show no other name till 1830, when 

 Jonathan Barney was elected. From that time we have 

 the list of the principal town officers as follows : 



Collectors. 



Hiram Rose. 



t( it 



a 



Supervisors. Town Clerks. 



1830. Jonathan Barney. (No record.) 



1831. Thomas Aulls. " " 



1832. Jonathan Barney. " " 

 ] 833. Seth Wheeler. " " " " 



1834. *' " ^* " '' '* 



1835. Jonathan Barney. " " " " 



1836. " « Piatt P. Smith. " " 



1837. ** " " " *' " 



1838. " " Ephraim Aulls. Jacob Thompson. 



1839. S. H. Rose. " " " 'V 



