Bainbridge, NY in 1830

Bainbridge Fifty Years Ago [1830]

Bainbridge Republican,  August 6, 1880

We had the pleasure, a few days ago, of an interview with John Cudworth, father of J.W. Cudworth, the well-known jeweler, formerly of this place.  Mr. Cudworth is now a resident of Cortland county, but makes an occasional visit to Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY] to renew early acquaintances, and note the growth of our beautiful village.  In the course of our conversation, Mr. Cudworth related his recollection of the premature discharge of a canon in this village, fifty-one years ago, while it was being tried preparatory to its use on "Independence Day."  The gun was placed about where Frisbie's drug store now stands, pointing towards the lower side of the green, in the direction of the Presbyterian church, the foundation walls of which were then being laid.  Dr. Isaac Knapp and Elisha Sharp were loading the gun, and Orrin Jacobs, of this village, now one of our oldest inhabitants, was thumbing the vent.  The ramrod of the gun being lost, a substitute was employed in the shape of a rough stick. Before the charge had been half "rammed home," the powder ignited and blew nearly everyone about down to the ground.  Dr. Knapp's arm was blown to shreds to the elbow, three of his fingers being found, several rods away, the cords leading to the elbow attached thereto.  His arm was amputated above the elbow.  Elisha Sharp's hand was taken off at the wrist, and blown to shreds, the thumb bone leading from the second joint to the wrist, being found near the Presbyterian church foundation, under a huge toad, who had taken possession of it as a perch.  John Reece, a German, who was standing nearly in front of the gun, was knocked senseless and had his clothing filled with splinters from the shivered ramrod, but was not bodily injured and soon recovered.  Mr. Jacobs says he was knocked down, and when he recovered he saw men picking themselves up all around him.  The accident occurred on the 2d day of July [1829].

 

Mr. Cudworth worked that season on the foundation walls of the Presbyterian church and his recollection of the village and its inhabitants is remarkable.  He remembers that the tree that was blown down two years ago in front of Dr. Frisbie's residence was set out that season with several others by Isaac Mudge, who then resided near there, and kept a tin shop adjacent to his residence.  There were also at that time on the same street, a clothing store and a hatter, which shows considerable change in the business center of our village.  The Episcopal was the only church standing at that time, of which Rev. Adams was the clergyman; the old Presbyterian church had been torn down to give place for the erection of the new edifice.  Rev. William Pratt was the pastor of the latter church.

 

Speaking of accidents at that time, Mr. Cudworth recalled one that occurred at Bennettsville [Chenango Co., NY], when some logs at a sawmill became displaced on a side hill by a party of children playing around them, and two of the logs rolled over a ten-year-old boy name Allen Corbin, killing him instantly.  The Evans sawmill was then standing, although there were no steam mills of any kind established.

 

Of the old residents that Mr. Cudworth remembers, there are now living but very few, among whom are Col. R.W. Juliand, Jehiel Evans, Orrin Jacobs, Reuben Kirby, Daniel Campbell, and Philo Kirby--Of attorneys then, there were but two--John C. Clark and Wm. S. Sayre, the latter having been dead but a few months.  Of physicians there were but three--Drs. Purple, Knapp and Nichols.  Mr. Cudworth had considerable to say also in regard to the great improvement in our school system, and school buildings during the last half century. As an illustration of the health-destroying, back-breaking seats then in vogue, he remembers of an inspector saying at that time in an address that he should like to cry "murder!" in the door of every school house in the land.

 

If we had space to chronicle the many scenes and reminiscences spoken of by the old gentleman it would be an interesting chapter to the present generation, but we have already transgressed on our space and must close.  Mr. Cudworth is a well-preserved man, and is as vigorous in his seventy-three years as a man of sixty.