SUMMARY HISTORY
TOWN OF NEW HUDSON
From: (Allegany County & It's People; A Centennial Memorial History of Allegany County, New York; John S. Minard; 1896-W.A.Fergusson-Alfred,NY.)
The first settlers within the present bounds of New Hudson were John Spencer and Joseph Patterson. Both settled in the northwest part of the town in 1847. In 1820 Spencer Lyon, who had in 1819 made a small clearing and began a log house in the south part of the town, came with his family from Vermont by way of Syracuse, where he bought a barrel of salt. The last night before reaching the place of their new home they stayed at the Rawson tavern, on the county line road, where the barrel of salt was left to pay the bill, and at the end of his journey Mr. Lyon's cash capital was an old-fashioned sixpence. He prospered at his new home, raised a large family, lived to old age, and died comparatively wealthy. In 1821 James Davidson, John C. McKean and Jonas Eastwood settled in the south part near Spencer Lyon. The first birth in town was that of Mary McKean in 1821. In 1822 Stephen Clayson and Elias Briggs and his father settled in the south part. The Briggs family came from Schenectady with an ox team and were 17 days on the road. In June, 1822, Earl Gould and Catharine Eastwood were married, being the first marriage in town. In 1821 Mrs. Graham McKean taught a school in the Lyon neighborhood.
In 1823 Jacob B. McElheny and his father, Thomas McElheny, settled at Black Creek in the south part of the town. They were originally from Easton, Pa., but had for a few years previous to coming to New Hudson lived in Dryden, N.Y. Thomas McElheny was justice of the peace for many years and died in 1843. Jacob B. McElheny, best known as Col. McElheny, from being colonel of militia, lived at Black Creek the remainder of his life and died in 1881 aged 83. George H. Swift with his father, Wyatt Swift, from Vermont, settled on Swift's Hill in 1824, and in 1825 Nehemiah Bosworth from Vermont located on lot 55, and the same year Peter Ault settled in the west part of the town.
About 1824 and 1825 many settlers came among whom were Samuel Blodgett, Alden Griffin, Orange Hart, James Swain, Elizur Beckwith, Lucius Frost, Amos Rose, James Jamison, John C. Casterline, Brown Dimick and Elias Cheeseman. In 1826 Jared C. Hurd and father settled at Black Creek. Among the early settlers in the north part were Ebenezer and Silas Gere, and later Marshall Gere and father, Orlin Marsh and others from Vermont came in 1830. A barn, built by Elias Cheeseman in the southeast part of the town in the early days of the settlement, was covered with split shingles, or "shakes", fastened with wooden pegs instead of nails, the only nails, then used being wrought nails hammered out on an anvil, and mostly made in England and Germany and costing 25 cents a pound.
Reuben Bennett and family settled on Mt. Monroe in the west part of the town, and an incident rlating to Oliver Bennett may be mentioned. At that time the old state militia law was in force, all able bodied men from 18 to 45 years of age were enrolled, and were obliged to attend company and regimental drill at stated times, failing in which they were subject to a fine. Oliver, after due notice, failed to attend. A warrant for his arrest was procured and put into the hands of Thomas Carpenter, a fat constable of the town, who found Oliver a half mile off in the woods logging a fallow. Young Bennett, who was an athletic man, made no resistance, but was taken suddenly very sick and lay on the ground groaning in great pain. As there was no way to get any where near him with a wagon, the constable had to look after help enough to carry Bennett through the woods to the road.
Early in the settlement James Dinsmore moved in, bringing his family and goods from New Hampshire in a lumber wagon covered with sole leather. He was more than a month on the way. The sole leather proved a blessing to the settlement as no article was then more scarce.
Many of the first settlers brought into the wilderness a few "head" of cattle, and a serious trouble was to get them through the first winter; settlements had been made earlier on the Genesee River, and usually a small amount of forage could be got from there, but the main dependence was "browsing." Trees were felled through the day, the limbs lopped off and scattered around for the cattle to eat off the buds and small branches. Toward night the brush was snugly piled to be burned the next spring. When the land could be cleared for corn, oats or potatoes, but there must be no neglect, snow or blow, it must regularly be gone through. One man relates that he wintered nine cattle in this way by dividing one small bundle of oats among them each day.
The oldest person born in New Hudson and now living in the town is Lucius B. Lyon of Black Creek.
New Hudson was set off from Rushford April 10, 1825. The town was first named Haight, after General Haight of Cuba, who in consideration agreed to donate to the town 100 acres of land lying near the center of the town, but afterward proposed to give a contract only for the land so long as it should retain his name. The people became disgusted with his evasions and in 1837 changed the name to New Hudson.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Orange Hart, May 3, 1825, when were elected James Swain, supervisor; John C. McKean, clerk; James Jamison, Elizur Beckworth, Silas Gere, assessors; Samuel Bell, Jacob B. McElheny, Samuel Blodgett, commissioners of highways; Lucius Frost, Amos Rose, James Davidson, overseers of the poor; Ephraim Briggs, John C. Casterline, school commissioners; Alden Griffith, collector; Brown Dimick, Alden Griffith, constables; Elias Cheeseman, John C. McKean and Samuel Blodgett, school inspectors.------------
--------Work on the Genesee Valley canal was the cause of the population being greatest in 1840. The houses of the first settlers of New Hudson were like most first settlers in a wilderness, made of logs chinked up and plastered with mud. A chimney made of stone or sticks and mud with a large open fireplace served to warm the house and cook by. A few feet above the fire, across the chimney was placed a pole, called a "lug pole," on which a long iron hook was hung, called a "trammel," the lower end having holes in which a smaller hook could be raised or lowered to hang a kettle on. Some (few) had a crane fastened in the jamb of the fireplace, which could be swung out from over the fire, and would also serve for more than one kettle.
A large part of the town when first settled covered with a growth of excellent pine timber and much pine was burned to clear the land for crops. For some time after the first sawmills were built in the town the only market for lumber was to deliver it on the bank of Oil Creek at Cuba to be rafted and run to Pittsburgh or Cincinnati and the price was $6 per M. for clear pine.
In 1826 William Andrews opened a tavern at Black Creek which was kept up for more than 20 years, and had the reputation of furnishing excellent fare for that date. Soon after a store was opened at the same place by Nelson McCall, furnished with a small assortment of every class of goods likely to be then in demand.
The first sawmill was built near the north line of the town by Ebenezer and Silas Gere in 1827 or 1828. The next year James Davidson built a sawmill in the south part of the town and others were built soon after in different parts.
The first doctor in town was Calvin Allen from Vermont who, for a time after coming, boarded at the Andrews tavern, was married soon after and spent most of his life at Black Creek.
From the opening of the Erie canal Buffalo was for many years the base of supplies for New Hudson, although the people often went to Hammondsport for salt. After the Genesee Valley canal was finished to Mt. Morris, most of the lumber and shingles were taken to that market, and most kinds of goods brought in from there.
There was originally a fine tract of pine timber lying along the north border of the town which was bought up by John McGraw of Dryden, who in the early fifties, built a sawmill near the north line of the town and for some years did an extensive lumber business at that point, shipping the lumber at Caneadea on the canal. A considerable village sprang up about the mill and was called McGrawville. After manufacturing the best of the timber the tract was sold to Albright & Kelly of New Jersey, and a store was kept in connection with the lumber business by John Thompson.
After the lumbering was finished the tract was sold to William Simpson of New York City, who cleared up the land and devoted it to stock raising, and for many years the farm was famous for the fine Jerseys bred there, which were sold and shipped to all parts of the United States. The farm is now owned and managed by William Simpson, Jr. A few thoroughbred cattle are still kept at the farm, but for a few years past the farm has been almost entirely used for raising and training horses. He has about 175 horses and colts, all from trotting breeds. ------
--------New Hudson belonged to the Holland Purchase, and the first contracts for land in town were made by William Pinkerton, Jonathan Dodge, Daniel Dodge and Ebenezer Horton. This was in 1806, ten or twelve years before any permanent settlement; and it seems none of the parties ever made any improvement, and it is probable that the land reverted to the company for lack of payment.-------
--------From about 1830 to 1850 a considerable business was done in manufacturing deer skin gloves and mittens by residents formerly from Gloversville and Johnstown. The skins were partly picked up in Pennsylvania and some were brought from the south; among the persons engaged in the business were Spaulding & Carpenter, Rorabeck & McElheny and Sloan & Jamison. The skins were dressed, then cut up and given out to women to be made up by hand.
In 1856 the Genesee Valley canal was finished through to Olean, and for the next 20 years New Hudson had a convenient market for its lumber, shingles, wood and bark. There are at present three postoffices in the town, one at Black Creek, one in the north part of the town called New Hudson and one in Marsh Settlement, called Marshall. There has been since early in the settlement from one to three stores at Black Creek, and usually one at McGrawville, now called New Hudson. There are at present seven cheese factories in the town.