Seventy Years Ago
Reminiscences of Early Days in Norwich, Chenango Co., NY
Related by George W. Denslow, Who Was Ninety Years Old on Sept. 19, 1906
Compiled for the Union by Leonard W. Cogswell
Chenango Union, October 11, 1906
I stayed overnight at the Noyes House which stood upon the site and now forms a part of the American Hotel.
The principle streets of Norwich were what are now called North and South Broad streets, then known as Main street; and what are today known as East and West Main streets, were then called River and Water streets, respectively. There were no paved streets, and but little in the way of sidewalks. Most of the houses and stores were on north and South Broad St. and East Main St. Many of the houses then standing have since been moved to other streets, and several are still doing duty as dwellings. A few years ago I started to make a map of Norwich as it was in 1837, and partially completed it, but I am rather slow at writing lately, and I doubt if it is ever finished. The only house on Birdsall St. was at the corner of Front, where Abel Chandler lived, an ex-assemblyman, whose family afterwards had a great influence in my domestic affairs,--but that is another story.
At that time Hale & Holmes kept a dry goods store where Chapman & Turner now are. Next south came Burr Andrews, who kept a general store of dry goods, crockery, hardware, nails, etc., as the stores of those days did. Then J.P.&W.P. Rhodes and Kershaw & Randall. Then next came Uncle Ben Chapman, who kept a general store down stairs, while Roswell Curtis, had a tailor shop upstairs. The David Griffing house was what is now Phetteplace's barber shop and the Oak saloon, and next were two small buildings, James Williams, a harness and trunk maker, occupying one. I have in my possession now an old-fashioned square leather trunk which I bought of him in 1838.
In the rear of where Nash's hardware store and the electric company now are, a little building stood where Thurlow Weed used to have a printing office, and here, up to 1828, he edited the Agriculturist. He went to Albany in 1830 and started the Evening Journal for the purpose of opposing the "Albany Regency," Andrew Jackson's administration and the nullification policy of John C. Calhoun. Then he helped to elected William Henry Harrison in the famous victory over the Indians in 1812, was called "Old Tippecanoe," John Tyler was named for vice president by the Whigs, and Martin VanBuren by the Democrats. I well remember some old campaign songs such as:
With heart and soul
This ball we roll.
As rolls the ball,
Van's reign does fall.
And he may look
To Kinderhook.
Farewell, dear Van,
You're not our man;
To guard the ship
We'll try old Tip.
With Tip and Tyler
We'll bust Van's biler.
It was a highly picturesque campaign. Harrison was represented as living in a log cabin and drinking hard cider, a man of the "peepul," instead of living in a palace, drinking rare wines and eating with gold spoons bought for the White House, as they claimed Van Buren, the opposition candidate, did, who was called the "starched-up, band-box" candidate. This argument was used with tremendous force among the farmers. Processions were measured by the mile and meetings by the acre. Log cabins were used as meeting places, and as illustrations on floats, and with it was the barrel of cider, the live coon running over it and the latch string out; for Harrison told his soldiers at Tippecanoe when he left them that never should his door be shut to them, or the string of the latch pulled in. Harrison was said to be a hunter who had caught a fox before, and would again. Newspapers were full of advertisements like these, "The subscriber will pay $5 per hundred for pork if Harrison is elected and $2.50 if Van Buren is."
When the election returns came in from the early elections like Vermont and Maine, the excitement passed all bounds, and the Harrison cohorts sang.--
What has caused this great commotion, motion, motion
Our country through?
It is the ball a-rolling on,
For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.
And with them we'll beat little Van, Van, Van,
Van is a used-up man.
Oh! have you heard the news from Maine,
All honest and true?
One thousand for Kent and seven thousand gain
For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.
Maine went
Hell bent
For Gov. Kent,
Tippecanoe
And Tyler, too!
Thurlow Weed, was a smooth politician, very adroit, and one of the most dextrous wire-pullers of his time. He carried Chenango County for the Whigs in 1837. Perez Randall had been county clerk for 21 years. The democrats thought he had had it long enough, and "turn the rascals out" was the cry, for those that are out of office always want to get in. Abel Chandler, my father-in-law, was nominated by the democrats; and the Whigs, being in a quandary what to do, went to Albany and consulted Thurlow Weed, who said at once "nominate Perez Randall." "Oh! no, that won't do" the committee replied; but Weed insisted, and the result--Randall was re-nominated and re-elected in spite of the opposition, by 250 majority. He took the oath of office in January, 1838, and died in June, and then they appointed Cyrus Wheeler. Wheeler ought to have served another term, for they couldn't have had a better man for the office, but he was turned down. The best men don't always get the office, as I have seen it often occur since Martin Van Buren's time, not only in this village, but elsewhere.
Next below Wood's printing office was a building occupied by John Clapp, who ran for Congress on the democratic ticket in 1838, and I voted for him too! the Rider hotel stood where the Joe Latham house is. E.T. Hayes bought all that property through there and laid out what is now Hayes St. Then came the Chapman house, the next was the Birdsall house, and in the brick house now occupied by Judge Gladding, Mrs. Lot Clark lived. Then came the canal, and then the homes now occupied by Mrs. Wm. M. mason, then occupied by Rev. Mr. Bogue, I think. I remember an old couplet the young men used to sing concerning the leaders of the Presbyterians and Baptists:
Priest Bogue and Littlejohn,
Consider Coombes and Elder Swan.
Hiram Weller, a hardware merchant, lived where Mr. Holmes lived, and next came Luke W. Nott, a harness maker. than a little further down was the Oviatt house. The Col. John Randall house was where the Bebee house stands now. Then came a vacant lot and then the John Blivan house. Next a man lived whom we used to call -?- Avery. Later it was the Cary house, and was probably one of the oldest buildings here. Elder Swan lived just below there, and the old Consider Coombes house stood near where the Beebe Ave now is. Then came the new Coombes house now standing, then a school house just below, and that is all the building there were on that side of Broad street. Coombes gave the land as long as it was used for school purposes, and then it was to revert back to his heirs, and it has all reverted long since. It was then vacant land used for farming. Where Fairchild & Bramers drugstore is now, Bedford & Griffing had a dry goods store. Then came the hat store of D. Griffing, and then H.N. Walter, who was the only jeweler and watchmaker here then. He had the south window where Andrews is, and a little counter, and repaired watches and jewelry. The next store was occupied by Chapman & Gilbert as a dry goods store. I was out in my barn the other day looking around: I picked up a razor case, and behold! it was one I bought of Chapman & Gilbert in 1837, and one of the razors is in my house now.
The next was a building occupied by Peter Fryer, who kept the post office, and also a drugstore, and sold lottery tickets as well. Lotteries were looked upon than as a legitimate business.
To be continued
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