Caton
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
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CATON page 213
"For a portion of this sketch we are indebted to Osceola Gilbert, of Caton."
"On the formation of Steuben county, March 8, 1796, the tract of land now
constituting the town of Caton and forming the southwest corner town of the
county, was designated as "Township No. 1, in the First Range" of the townships
in said county. It remained as such until February 11, 1840, at which time
it took the name of "Wormley," agreeable to an act of legislature passed
March 28, 1839. All previous histories have given the date of the formation
of the town of Wormley as March, 1829. During that year a post-office was
established here and called Wormley, and Samuel Wormley was appoined - (sic.
- typed as printed in the Gazetteer) postmaster. From this sprang the error
which has found its way into all histories of the county which have hitherto
been published. In all official records it was invariably spoken of as "that
part of the town of Painted Post known as township "No. 1" in the first range
of townships." It remained, as stated, a part of Painted Post until February
11, 1840. To settle the dispute as regards the formation of the town, the
writer has not only hunted up living witnesses of the fact, but has searched
the session laws of the earlier days, and in those of 1839 found the following
enactment, which is inserted as proof of the foregoing statements:
"An act to erect the town of Wormley in Steuben county, passed March 28, 1839. The people of the state of New York, represented in senate and assembly do enact as follows: From and after the 1st Monday in February, 1840, all that part of the town of Painted Post, in the county of Steuben, being township "No. 1" in the first range of townships in said county, shall constitute a new town of the name of Wormley, and the first town meeting for the election of town officers shall be held on the 2nd Tuesday of February next, at the house where Russell Stanton now resides.
" In accordance with the foregoing enactment a meeting was held, and town officers elected on February 11, 1840. The town of Wormley was, however, short lived, as we find by the following:
" An act to change the name of the town of Wormley, in the county of Steuben, passed April 3, 1840. The people of the state of New York represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: The name of the town of Wormley, in the county of Steuben, is hereby changed to the name of "Caton" - (derived from Richard Caton, who, with Edward Carroll of Carrollton, Md., one of the signers of the declaration of independence, was one of the original land owners) by which last name it shall hereafter be known and designated. This act shall take effect immediately.
" The foregoing proofs, which are official, show conclusively that the town of Wormley had no existence until February, 1840, and then passed away after a brief period of about sixty days, all histories to the contrary notwithstanding."
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