Bits of History and Tradition Relating to North Sanford
Burr W. Mosher
Bainbridge News & Republican, March 16, 1944
In the outsell I may say that it is clearly impossible to get together in one brief year all that may be written concerning this locality which we have known for many years as North Sanford [Broome Co., NY]. It is my purpose in this paper to set forth some of the early history of this locality and as far as I have been able to gather, to state some of the "first things" that happened here.
The facts of the early history I have taken largely from a History of Broome County edited by H.P. Smith and published in 1885. From this history it appears that the first settlement in the territory known as the Town of Sanford was in 1787 when William McClure located and settled at McClure Settlement. Mr. McClure was a surveyor by profession and was employed and sent to the Town of Sanford to survey the tract of land known as Fisher and Norton's Patent. The tract of land in this locality was known as Livingston's Patent. The name McClure has been a familiar name in the Town of Sanford since the advent of Mr. McClure in 1787.
It was natural that soon after the settlement there should be a wedding and it is recorded that in April, 1787, a Mr. Whitaker, which is also a familiar name, purchased a cabin and a piece of land at the "Cook-house" (now Deposit) which is another name for "Coke-ose" said to have been of Indian origin and to have meant "Owl's nest" or "Owl land." The cabin was a rude affair being built against the upturned roots of a great tree, which formed the back wall; the remainder being poles, bark and brush. In this shanty occurred the first wedding in the Town of Sanford. A Baptist missionary named Timothy Howe was secured for the occasion and joined Margaret Whitaker and Conrad Edick. The bride's trousseau was a skirt of linsey-Woolsey, with a calico "short gown. deerskin moccasins and hose only as provided by nature."
After the first wedding it would naturally follow that there should be a school and the History of 1885 states that "as early as 1793 when the inhabitants of the territory of this town could be counted on one's fingers, Hugh Compton opened a school at Deposit in John Hulee's barn.
The Town of Sanford as it is now known was taken off from the east side of what was the Town of Windsor and formed into the Town of Sanford on April 2, 1821. One other town, Colesville, was also formed out of the original Town of Windsor.
"The first Town Meeting was held at the house of William McClure on the 5th of March, 1822. Mr. McClure was elected supervisor; Joshua Dean, town clerk; James P. Applington, Nathan L. Dean and William McClure, assessors; Nathan L. Dean, Alexander Butler and William McClure, Jr. commissioners of highways; John Peters and James P. Applington, overseers of the poor; William McClure, Nathan L. Dean and Alexander Butler, school commissioners; Jacob Edick, constable and collector; Joseph Eddy constable; Daniel Evens, Gershom Loomis and Michael Child, inspectors of common schools; John Pinney, Eli King and Nathan Austin, fence viewers."
Of course, during my reading of these names it has occurred to you that they are very familiar and common names in the Town of Sanford at the present time. James P. Applington was the father of Nathan D. Applington, who, in my boyhood, lived on the hill west of us and was known as "Square Nate," having been Justice of the Peace in the Town of Sanford for many years. The name Eli King is that of the father of our long-time friend and neighbor and only recently departed, Addison King, some of whose grandchildren are undoubtedly here with us today.
The book from which I am quoting states that about the year 1800, a Mr. Potter settled in this vicinity and gave it the name of "Potter Settlement." I have always supposed that this Mr. Potter was an owner of land, but I do not remember that ever anyone pointed out to me the particular piece of land upon which he resided and I was somewhat disappointed, when I went to the County Clerk's Office of Broome County and examined the records to find a deed of land given to Mr. Potter or given by him, and was unable to find any such record. I do not mean to say that I doubt that Mr. Potter once lived here and that this was called Potter Settlement. All that I mean to say is that I cannot find any written public record of such fact. I also wrote to the Post Office Department at Washington and I received a reply from the First Assistant Postmaster-General which states: "There is no record that the post office was ever in operation under the name of Potter Settlement."
It is recorded in Smith's History, however, that Mr. Potter did live here and that one George Plummer married his daughter and that George Plummer was a hunter of some note: "killed a deer on one of his expeditions, dressed it in the customary manner, slung the hindquarters and skin across his shoulders and started for home. The forests in this vicinity were then infested with droves of prowling wolves and Plummer had not gone far when he heard a pack of the ravenous brutes howling on his trail. Knowing they would soon overtake him, he cut off one quarter of the venison and dropped it. The wolves stopped only for a few moments to swallow the meat and then pursued him again. The other quarter of meat was sacrificed and then the wolves halted long enough to devour it, when they started in swift pursuit of the hunter, the morsels they had already tasted seeming only to sharpen their appetites. When Plummer saw that further flight was useless and that he would soon be overtaken by the beasts, he climbed a tree. It was December and the cold was intense; but the wolves came up to his hiding place, ranged themselves around the tree where they remained in anxious expectation of a feast while the prisoner was compelled to pass the entire knight in the branches, suffering terribly with cold. When daylight appeared the cowardly brutes made off into the forest."
Perhaps I may be permitted to say right here that if our departed old friend and neighbor, Jake Whitney, had been in Mr. Plummer's place, those wolves would have been chained up in his barn or imprisoned in his cellar.
"On another occasion Plummer started for Jericho (Bainbridge) carrying an iron plow point. Suddenly he was met by a huge bear directly in his path. The bear reared on his haunches ready for the affectionate embrace which would effectually crush the victim; but Plummer, in an instant of happy inspiration, ran the iron plow point into the open mouth of the bear and as far as possible down his throat. It was probably the first mouthful of that mineral ever taken by the beast and it proved so very distasteful that he actually turned and fled into the woods."
I may say right here that my Grandfather French used to relate an incident of an encounter with a bear. He occasionally walked from his home in Bennettsville to Potter Settlement or North Sanford to visit his relatives who resided here, and I have heard him relate that one Monday morning he was walking back to Bennettsville early in the morning before it was daylight, and going up over King's Hill through a field that was full of stumps as the fields were at that time, he was sure that he saw a bear standing on its hind legs. Grandfather got hold of a stone and got up as near as he dared to and he threw the stone and it went plunk! against a blank stump. I presume that many of the bear stories and panther stories and wolf stories could be solved in the same way that Grandfather solved the bear attack on himself.
It is related by one of our truthful maidens that a young woman of Potter Settlement sought an engagement as a school teacher; the trustee asked her the occupations of the residents of Potter Settlement, and she said "hunting, fishing and making wooden dishes."
As near as I can figure out, there were two first mills built at North Sanford about 1830. One of them was by Hezekiah Broad, the grandfather of the Broads that we know. I have seen the remains of a mill just below the bridge that crosses the creek near the building's that I know as the Rodman Orwin buildings, and I think that that was the location of the Broad Mill. The other mill was one which appears to have been built by a Mr. Warner and was afterward owned by Mr. Lewis Burlingame, the father of our friend and neighbor, Mary Burlingame Mann.
About the time of the building of the first mills the first blacksmith came into this locality, and it is said that "Joshua Belden was one of the earliest blacksmiths at North Sanford." that later VanDuzen and Knapp were blacksmiths here. I think that Knapp must refer to Mr. Frank Knapp who was the first blacksmith of my recollection.
The first church was a Baptist Church organized about 1842 and a church building was erected about 1846. I suppose that this is the church known as the "Basswood Church" that used to stand near the gate that led up onto King's Hill and which church was afterward bought by Grandfather Mosher and the frame used to build a barn on the farm now owned and occupied by George Gardner. The first minister that I have recollection of was Elder Peck, the grandfather of our friend and neighbor, Herbert Peck.
David DeVol seems to have had the first store, which he opened about 1850. As I remember, David DeVol was the brother of Mrs. Alonzo Campbell. The first store that I remember was that kept by Theodore Campbell.
In order to get some record of the name of "Potter Settlement" which tradition tells us was the first name of this locality, I wrote the following letter to the First Assistant Postmaster-General:
"August 11, 1924,
"First Assistant Postmaster-General, Division of Postmasters Appointments,
"Dear Sir,
"I was born in the hamlet of North Sanford, Broome County, New York, and have been asked to get some historical facts together for Old Home Day, Sept. 1. I should think that about 1865, my father, Wesson Mosher, was postmaster at that place. I have been told that some time prior to that the hamlet was called Potter Settlement, and it seems to me that Father said that he had the P.O. changed from Potter Settlement to North Sanford. If convenient for you, I should like to receive some facts of the early history of the post office.
Very Truly, Burr W. Mosher."
Under date of August 15, the First Assistant Postmaster-General wrote me the following letter:
"Mr. Burr W. Mosher,
"O'Neil Building,
"Binghamton, New York
"My dear Mr. Mosher:
"I have your letter of the 11th instant in which you ask for historical data in regard to the post office at North Sanford, New York. Enclosed is a list giving the names of the postmasters who have served from the establishment of that office on September 29, 1856, to the present time, together with the dates of their appointments as shown by the records of the Department. There is no record that the post office was ever in operation under the name of Potter Settlement.
Sincerely Yours, John H. Bartlett, First Assistant Postmaster General."
With the above letter the First Assistant Postmaster General gave me the following statement of postmaster appointed for the North Sanford office:
"North Sanford, Broome Co., NY, Established Sept. 29, 1858:
Hiram B. Fuller, Sept. 29, 1856
Alonzo Campbell, March 4, 1858
David DeVol, Feb. 11, 1862
Wesson Mosher, May 7, 1863
Alvin L. Bailey, Nov. 20, 1865
Silas Wakeman, June 10, 1867
Wesson Mosher, Aug. 20, 1860
George W. Bixby, march 11, 1872
Silas G. Barnum, March 12, 1888
F.G. Broad, Jan. 30, 1895
F.E. Hamlin, Dec. 17, 1898
Dian Baker, Sept. 28, 1901
C. Abistone Baker, March 2, 1916
Leslie E. Phillip, April 26, 1919
Mrs. Minnie Rosencrants, Nov. 7, 1921
"Note--No record of change of name from Potter Settlement."
From this letter and statement it appears that there was never any post office known as Potter Settlement in Broome County, and at this time we have to rely upon the memories of those who have gone beyond as to any facts relating to Mr. Potter or Potter Settlement.
As I said in the beginning, I now repeat that I have attempted in this short paper to set forth some of the first things relating to the settlement and the development of this locality which is so well known to us and under the name of North Sanford. I think it better to leave the matter here for this year and if it seems desirable to make any more personal mention of people of this community and of those who were pioneers here, I think that we should ask those who are particularly interested to write out a brief statement of the family in which they are particularly interested and of the dates of their coming into the community and of the farms upon which they located so far as the same may be done.
Very respectfully,
Burr W. Mosher
