Cameron
Historical Gazetteer
Steuben County, New York
First Part
Compiled by: Millard F. Roberts
John Single Paper Company, Ltd., Syracuse, N.Y., 1891
This was typed and contributed by Gloria Banks Kirkwood
Note: Judy and her Volunteers never finished this project.
This set of pages finishes the Project.
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CAMERON page 173
"Was formed from Addison, April 16, 1822. Thurston was set off in 1844, and a part of Rathbone in 1856. It lies a little south of the center of the county. Its surface is a high, rolling upland, broken by the deep valley of the Canisteo river, which flows southeast through the town, south of its center.
The town was named for Dugald Cameron, an early settler of Bath, and
afterward an agent for the Pulteney estate. It is bounded north by Bath,
east by Thurston and a part of Rathbone, south by Rathbone and Woodhull,
and west by Jasper and Canisteo. The soil is clayey and gravelly loam, and
is fairly productive, yielding good crops of grain and grass. The population
of this town, as shown by the census of 1890, was 1,522."
CAMERON - SETTLEMENT - page 174 - 176 (added:
5/31/1999)
"The first settlement was made in the year 1800 by RICHARD HADLEY, also known as "THE SECOND JAMES" and PHONES GREEN. PHONES GREEN was a grandfather of CAPT. LUTHER WHITE. Baker's Mill, a mile below the village of Cameron, was the site of the first saw and grist mill in the town. MR. HADLEY built the saw mill and CAPT. SAMUEL BAKER, who came to town in 1816, built the grist mill, in company with a MR. WARDEN, the same year. MR. BAKER was accompanied by his grandson, JAMES B. WHEELER, then a boy of seven years, who succeeded to the mill and several times rebuilt it. A carding mill was also erected then by AMOS CALDWELL, and for several years was operated by JOHN PLACE. JOHN DEAN came from Massachusetts and located near the mill soon after MR. BAKER. ISAAC SANTEE settled in the valley a mile from the Canisteo line in 1820.
The HALLETTS, originally from the north of Ireland, were among the early settlers of Canisteo and this town. NATHAN Ist, was born in Orange county and settled in Canisteo in 1800. Of his children, JOHN HALLETT settled in Cameron very early in the present century (1800 gk), and was a proprietor of a log tavern which stood near the bridge, have a mile west of Cameron village. NATHAN HALLETT, son of JOHN AND AMY (TAYLOR) HALLETT, was born in the western part of this town December 12, 1807. His early years were spent upon his father's farm, and as he grew to manhood he engaged in the occupation of lumbering, then so general, and for forty years followed the business of manufacturing and shipping lumber. When a young man he engaged to work for ten dollars a month, and the wages of three month's labor was his first capital. He purchased a mill site, constructed a dam with the assistance of his brother, erected a saw mill which he attended himself, working each day far into the night. His later years have been spent farming, and despite his great age, he is bright and active, managing his farm and daily taking part in the work upon it. MR. HALLETT has spent his whole life of over four score years here.
SILAS WHEELER came from Scotland to the town of Wheeler. His son GRATEN H. WHEELER, settled in the town of Howard and afterward located on the river in the town of Cameron. His son, JAMES B. WHEELER, at the time the family moved into the valley, was seven years of age and resided on the same farm upwards of seventy years. The flats at that time were heavily timbered, the farm his father moved upon having but about five acres cleared.
JOEL CLARK emigrated to the town of Cameron in 1822, but afterward moved into the town of Canisteo, where he settled on the Swale, on the MARK JONES farm. He married SARAH FOLLENSBEE. Of his children, WILLIAM L. was born January 21, 1814 and married SALLY M. TRAVIS, daughter of AMASA TRAVIS of Howard. WILLIAM L. CLARK for some years ran a saw mill on the Canisteo river in this town, and afterward engaged in farming where his son JOEL now lives. He died November 30, 1875. JOEL CLARK, the present supervisor of the town, married ADDIE HALLETT, daughter of NATHAN HALLETT.
AMASA DOWNS came from NH to Cameron about 1823, where he built a hotel. This he conducted until his death, after which his widow continued in the business for several years.
MAJ. JAMES LAWRENCE was born in Frenchtown, NH, in 1801, and came to Cameron Corners in company with ISAAC JONES in 1823. The entire journey from NH was made on foot with their possessions in knapsacks hung across their shoulders. MR. LAWRENCE made a clearing at the Corners where he built a log blacksmith shop and a house. His first wife was MARY A. DICKEY. After his decease he was united in marriage with her sister, RUTH DICKEY. His son, ANDREW J. LAWRENCE, is a prominent citizen of this town.
CAPT. JOHN WHITE, son of ABEL WHITE, was born in Addison, June 24, 1804. After four years spent in Dansville, he settled in Cameron in 1824, on the farm now occupied by his widow. He was captain of the state militia. His death occurred on April 17, 1883.
JOHN MOORE was a very early settler in Canisteo. His son, WILLIAM MOORE, came to this town in 1827, making a settlement where CHARLES JOHNSON now lives, and in company with his brother, JOSEPH MOORE, built a saw mill there.
SKELTON and JOSEPH ROBINSON came from Otsego county about 1830 or '31. The former settled where CORNELIUS MARGASON lives, and the latter on the place now occupied by W. H. WHEELER.
NATHANIEL BUNDY Ist, came from Otsego county to the lake country, and about 1831 settled in this town on the farm now owned by CLARK ELLIS. JOSEPH BUNDY settled about the same time in the same locality, also NATHANIEL BUNDY 2d, on the farm now occupied by EDWARD RICHARDSON.
URBANE BAKER, son of CAPT. SAMUEL AND ESTHER (GUSTIN) BAKER, was born in Putnam county February 2, 1795. When twelve years old, he came with his father's family to the town of Howard, and afterward moved to this town. His wife, SARAH K. JONES, daughter of ISAAC JONES, was born December 6, 1808.
ISAAC BAKER, son of the above, enlisted in Co.E 1st Regt.NY Light Artillery, on October 19, 1861. While in the army he was afflicted with small pox; from which he lost his sight, and was discharged in 1862. He is now a resident of Hedgesville.
ELISHA LEACH located on South Hill in 1825. REUBEN DRAKE was an early settler on that part of South Hill known as the Swale. JAMES AND HENRY KNICKERBOCKER came from Chenango county and settled on the ridge in the northeast corner of Cameron in 1826, and cleared ten acres of land from which they obtained three hundred and five bushels of wheat the next year, worth at that time fifty cents a bushel. HENRY KNICKERBOCKER afterward kept one of the "Gulf" taverns.
WILLIAM BRADY was born in Sunbury, PA, October 26, 1787. After residing above Williamsport in Lycoming county, he settled in Rathbone in 1828, about half a mile below the village of Rathboneville. Later he settled in this town, where he lived just below the crossing to Wheeler's bridge. He was a shoemaker by trade, and carried on the business for many years. On March 19, 1812, he married ISABELLA HEPBURN, who was born March 2, 1795. MR. BRADY died December 13, 1863, and his wife November 16, 1880. JAMES BRADY, son of the above, married SARAH RARICK of Wayne, November 19, 1841."
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Originally Created by: Judy Allen Johanson Cwiklinski
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