Afton History
Afton Enterprise, May 20, 1887
Daniel Hyde came in from Claverack, Columbia county, in 1801, and settled two and one half miles north of Afton [Chenango Co., NY], at what is known as Ayrshire or North Afton, on the farm now occupied by Edward Wilkinson, where he died. His children were: Edward, who married Lydia, daughter of Nathan Beatman, and settled in the same locality, but afterwards removed to Masonville, where he died; Daniel, who married a woman named Graham, and settled in Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he died; Chauncey G., who married Lucretia, daughter of Amasa Newton, and settled and died near the old homestead; Elijah, who, for his first wife, married Jemima, daughter of Amasa Newton, and for his second wife, Harriet, daughter of a Mr. Chase, and also settled and died near the homestead; Sophia, who married a man named Martin, and removed with him to Paris, Canada, where she died; Polly, who married Leighton Joyce, and settled in Greene county, and died in Brooklyn; Cynthia, who married Dr. Archibald Welch and settled and died in New Haven, Conn.; and Olive, who married Wells Newton, and settled in Bainbridge and died there. The grandchildren living in the county are: A.C. Hyde, only surviving child of Chauncey G., a druggist in Afton; and Daniel A. Hyde, Rosina, Wife of James M. Olendorf, Wm. E. Hyde, Aruba L., wife of G.W. Knight, C.G. Hyde, and Harriet, wife of J.H. Carr, children of Elijah, also in Afton.
Judge Peter Betts moved to Afton in 1803 and settled at Bettsburg, to which place he gave his name. He was a large land owner, and opened there in 1805 the first store in the town, which he kept till his removal to Bainbridge, about 1820-'25, where he also engaged in the mercantile business. He represented this county in the Assembly in 1804-05, again in 1808, and again in 1811. He was born in Norwalk, Conn., January 17, 1772 and died in Bainbridge June 19, 1849. Eliza, his wife, died February 9, 1819, aged 40. His children were: Peter, Sally, who married a man named Kassam, Pamelia, who married Robert Harper, Eliza, who married a man named Rathbun, all of whom are dead.
Cornelius Atherton moved to Afton from Pennsylvania in 1803-'04. He was born in Cambridge, Mass.., in 1736, and was the fourth in descent from the late Gen. Humphrey Atherton, of Boston, form whom all the Athertons in America are descended. He married Mary Delano and with her removed to Amenia, Duthcess Co., N.Y., in 1763. He was a blacksmith by trade, and having discovered the process of converting iron into American steel, in 1772 he entered into a contract with the Messrs. Reed, merchants of that place, to superintend the erection of steel works, to be constructed by them, and to instruct their workmen in the art. The works were erected and were in successful operation during the war of the Revolution. from Amenia he returned to Cambridge, where he superintended an armory belonging to John and Samuel Adams and John Hancock, which was burned by the British soldiers during the Revolutionary war. Then in 1776 he removed to Plymouth, Luzerne Co. Pa., where he worked at his trade. He was drafted at the time of the Wyoming massacre, but his place was filled by his eldest son, Jabez, who volunteered to become his substitute, and was accepted and mustered in. The youthful patriot fell in the sanguinary engagement, and his name heads the list on the Wyoming monument. Atherton's wife, by whom he had seven children, died soon after the Wyoming massacre. He afterwards remarried and had seven children by his second wife. After his removal to Afton he continued to work at his trade till his death, December 4, 1809. Humphrey, his oldest son by his second wife, was a miller. He married a widow named Wicks, but had no children, and died in Afton, December 11, 1849, aged 62. Charles, his second son was a blacksmith. he married a lady named Bramhall, with whom, a few years later, he removed to Friendship, Allegany Co., where he worked at his trade several years, till the death of the wife, when he sold his property and went with a friend to Emporium Cameron Co., Pa., where he died May 13, 1869, aged 76. He had no children. Miram, the third son, married Miss Lovina Sisson of Plymouth, and followed his trade of wagon maker a few years in Afton and subsequently for several years in Norwich, from whence he removed to Greene, and engaged in the cabinet business, which he pursued till his death, March 18, 1870, aged 73. They had five children. William the fourth son, was a shoemaker. He married Miss Jane E. Hamlin, by whom he had two children, both dying in infancy. They finally removed to Paterson, N.J. where both died. Cornelius the youngest son, died in Afton in Oct. -?- aged 75 years. he had one son who is now employed as telegraph operator in Indianapolis. His widow is still living [in 1887] and resides in Afton.
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