Historical Sketch - Settlement of the town of New Berlin
by John Hyde
New Berlin Gazette, New Berlin, NY, April 7, 1877
Augustus O. Welch occupied a conspicuous place among the people in the early settlement of New Berlin. He was in the employment of nail making in a shop on the north bank of the village creek, between the creek and Morgan's Store, where he manufactured nails, shaping and heading them by hand, a slow but profitable business, there being a ready sale at remunerative prices for all of which he could make at hand labor to supply the wants of the settlers, who began to exchange their old log cabins into more commodious dwellings. But Yankee ingenuity finally invented machinery for making nails by a more expeditious method which took the place of hand labor. Mr. Welch then changed his business of a nailer and became a merchant and an innkeeper. He purchased the tavern house on the corner now [in 1877] occupied by Gaskin. At that time it was a small building and has since been increased by subsequent owners to its present size, and he built a store west of his tavern and during the most active period of his life, he carried on the mercantile business and the business of tavern keeper at that place. He purchased the building lot and built the house now owned [in 1877] and occupied by J.T. White, where he lived the remainder of his life. The part of the building now occupied [in 1877] by the bank he used for a store awhile, then purchased the premises on the corner, formerly owned by L. Blakeslee, and tore down the old Blakeslee store and built the present store now occupied [in 1877] by Fuller, Ball & Co., where he traded until his last sickness, the better part of the time in company with John T. White, now cashier of the New Berlin Bank, who had been his clerk. Mr. Welch had the reputation of being a prudent, careful and fair dealer in his mercantile business and he and his wife were respected and esteemed in society. In official civil service he occupied at different times the office of Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk, Supervisor, Member of Assembly, and Sheriff. In military service he passed through different grades from a private soldier up to the rank of a Brigadier General.
Charles Medbury, an enterprising emigrant took an active part in aid of New Berlin's early settlement. By trade he was a cooper, the making of barrels. His dwelling house was on the south side of the East village street, an old-fashioned two-story building, in which he resided with his wife, an amiable and much respected woman. They had a large family of sons and daughters, some of whom live in the neighborhood. Others of the family have located in distant lands and the house is now a deserted mansion, although the title yet remains in the family. Mr. Medbury had a shop on the premises where he worked at his trade for some years, and a part of the time kept tavern. He finally built a small store house, and leaving the tavern keeping and barrel making business, commenced the selling of merchandise for a while, then purchased the Van Dyke store and dwelling house on the village South Street and entered into partnership with Ebenezer Bivins and commenced the business of merchandise and selling drugs and medicines. Mr. Bivins was educated as an apothecary and vender of medicines and had established the business at the Van Dyke store when Medbury made the purchase. They continued in partnership together until Bivins married and went into mercantile business with his father-in-law, L. Blakeslee. Medbury & Bivins, while they were in the mercantile and drug business also established a potash concern. Medbury built an ashery on his lot where now [in 1877] stands the red house opposite the schoolhouse on North Street, and they carried on the making of potash during their connection as partners.
Mr. Medbury, at the time of his decease was the owner of considerable real estate in the village. Besides his homestead place, he owned the red house lot and several acres on the east side of the street next to the schoolhouse, the Van Dyke property, where he and Bivins traded and the Joel Bancroft farm which he purchased of his son Daniel. Nearly all of the real estate which he owned at the time of his decease yet remains in the ownership of his children or some of them. Some of his sons have become wealthy and respected farmers.
In town matters Mr. Medbury was an active participant and successfully held differnet town offices; was Constable, Collector, Justice of the Peace, Supervisor, Deputy Sheriff and Member of Assembly at different periods. His son Samuel [Medbury] married a daughter of Joseph Moss and built the dwelling house now owned [in 1877] and occupied by George Sage. He owned the store now occupied by Lull, Sage & Co. and carried on the mercantile business for some time, was postmaster a while, Supervisor one term and finally went West and entered into the lumber business in Michigan's wild extensive pine woods.
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