GRIP'S HISTORICAL SOUVENIR
OF
WOLCOTT, N.Y.
PAGES 19 - 24

Source: Historical Souvenir Series No. 20
Wolcott, N.Y. and Vicinity
Copyrighted June 1905, "Grip," 109 Corning Ave., Syracuse, N.Y.

George S. Horton, four years member of State Assembly representing the county of Wayne, and for more than twenty years practicing lawyer of prominence in that county, is a member of the law firm of Horton & Brown. Born in Wolcott March 23, 1857, the growth and prosperity of the village are closely interwoven with his own career and its promotion is to him a matter of deep interest. Rarely a local enterprise is conceived without his advice and co-operation, and in many projects such as the National Bank at Wolcott, which he was chiefly instrumental in organizing, and of which he is the vice-president, and the creamery Mr. Horton not only invested of his means but was largely the promoter. The canning factory was established and placed in a prosperous condition through his efforts in interesting others.

Mr. Horton was educated in the Leavenworth Institute, the Wolcott public schools, the Union seminary at Red Creek and at Ann Arbor, Mich.; and was graduated in law at the Albany Law school in 1882. He married Della, the daughter of Nelson Wells of Wolcott, in 1883, by whom there is one child - a daughter, Cecile who was born Dec. 30, 1886, who was graduated from the High school this year and now goes to Vassar.

Soon after entering the practice of law Mr. Horton entered into partnership with the late Col. Anson S. Wood, a distinguished lawyer and man of prominence, and they were associated in practice for nine years. Mr. Horton at once entered actively into politics, being a strong Republican and finally becoming one of the recognized leaders of his party, taking the platform during the most important campaigns. Through his influence Wolcott obtained one of the finest postoffices in the county.

In 1893 he accepted the nomination for Member of Assembly and won the fight by 2,107 majority over a popular young Democrat. Mr. Horton served in the State Assembly four years, 1894-'7, and achieved some distinction for the active part he took both in committee and on the floor of the House. Several measures he introduced, some of which became laws and others did not, were regarded on the whole as consistent legislation - that is the greatest good for the greatest number. Among them were bills lowering the rate of interest from 6 to 5 per cent, and establishing an equitable basis for sheriffs' and witnesses' fees.

Mr. Horton's name had been connected with the so-called "Horton Boxing Law." The facts in this matter do full justice to that gentleman from any point of view. That year there was a general public move which threatened to carry the Legislature off its feet and by enactment establish the legality of prize fighting so that no community could interfere with it in any way. The "Horton law" was a leaven which "held up" pro-fisticuff legislation and prevented the enactment of a law which would have disgraced the commonwealth.

Mr. Horton was active on many important committees during his four years a member of the Legislature - a period which he alone in the history of the county has served. No other man has represented Wayne county at Albany four years.

For two years succeeding his last term in the Assembly Mr. Horton was attached to the staff of the Attorney-General of the State at Albany, in the capacity of special counsel, being engaged in defending cases against the State in the Court of Claims. This gave him valuable experience and fitted him for special capacity in his own practice which has become second to that of no other law firm in the northern part of the county.

Assemblymen: Terms of Service: - Adams, Wm. H. 1825; Armstrong, Thomas 1827-'9, '39; Alsop, Robert 1836; Arne Jr., David 1837; Archer, Orson 1867.

Boynton, Jonathan 1827-'9; Bartle, Jas. P. 1834; Benjamin, Elisha 1835; Blackman, Ebson 1838, '41; Boyce, Peter 1849; Bottum, Edward W. 1851; Bennett, John P. 1854-'5, '90; Barnes, Thomas 1856; Bixby, Abel J. 1860; Burnham, Edwin K. 1885; Brinkerhoff, G.W. 1892.

Chapin, Luther 1830; Corning, Joseph W. 1861; Collins, Thaddeus W. 1863-'5; Clark, Henry M. 1874; Clark, Wm. H. 1875; Crafts, Albert P. 1880.

Dickson, James 1824; Dickson, John J. 1845; Durfee, Elias 1846; Durfee, Elihu 1850; Dutton, Wm. 1852; Durfee, Lemuel 1863-'4; Durfee, Henry R. 1871; Davis, Barnet H. 1886-'8.

Eddy, Seth 1830-'1; Estes, Charles 1858.

Filmore, Luther 1828; Foster, Reuben H. 136; Farnum, Ammon S. 1884-'5.

Graves, Henry K. 1859; Glenn, E. McKinney 1868-'9; Gurnee, Emory W. 1874, '76; Gates, Addison W. 1881; Greenwood, Wm. E. 1882; Groat, R.P. 1889-'91; Greenwod, M.I. 1898-'9; Griffith, Fred W. 1900-'02.

Hall, Ambrose 1826; Humeston, James 1832-'3; Holley, John M. 1838, '41; Hyde, Harlow 1856; Hall, Amasa 1870; Hotchkiss, Leman 1883; Hough, John E. 1893; Horton, G.S. 1894-'7.

Johnson, Thomas 1857; Kip, John L. 1826; Knapp, Alanson M. 1845.

Lapham, John 1848; Leavenworth, Isaac 1849; Laing, John A. 1859; L'Amoreaux, Jabez S. 1861.

Morse, Enoch 1825; Morley, Horace 1840; Moore, Samuel 1847; Miller, James M. 1878; Munson, John A. 1879.

Norris, Elliott B. 1891; Osband, Durfee 1840; Pettit, Elisha 1848; Peacock, Joseph 1857; Pryne, Abram 1862; Parshall De Witt, 1868; Pierson, Silas S. 1884.

Roe, Austin 1844; Rogers, Wm. H. 1865-'7; Russell, Allen S. 1875-'6; Robinson, Rowland 1881.

Salisbury, Ambrose 1832-'3; Strong, Theron R. 1842; Sheffield, Frederick U. 1843; Sours, Philip 1843; Sanford, Isaac R. 1844; Southard, Israel R. 1847; Streeter, Benj. H. 1853; Sentell, Edward W. 1858; Servis, James M. 1860; Sherman, Jefferson 1879-'80; Saxton, Charles T. 1887-'9; Smith, Addison P. 1903-'05.

Tucker, Pomeroy 1837; Thomas, Eron N. 1862; Thornton, Merritt 1869; Thistlethwaite, Jeremiah 1877.

Vandenburg, John 1866; Valentine, Jackson 1877-'8.

Whipple, Russell 1824, '34; Wells, Annanias 1831; Wylie, Wm. D. 1835; Wilson, James M. 1842, '50; Wisner, James T. 1846. '55; Whitcomb, Loammi 1853; Wade, Willis G., 1854; Wood, Anson S. 1870-'1; Wells, Edward B. 1872-'3; Weed, Oscar 1882-'3; Wood, William, 1886; Whitcomb, Flynn 1892

Yeomans, Theron G. 1851-'2; Yeomans, Lucien T. 1872-'3.

Pastors, M.E. Church: Personal Notes of a Few of the Earlier Preachers in Wolcott: - Rev. Joseph H. Lamb, one of the earliest, became a supernumerary in 1888 and superanuated in 1893. He was endearlingly called Father Lamb.

Rev. E.E. Bragdon, who followed Lamb to Wolcott (1844), died March 20, 1862. For years he was eminent as a Theological instructor.

Rev. Almon Chapin, who came in 1848, died at Sandy Creek, Dec. 1, 1878.

Rev. Lafayette D. White spent forty-one years in the active ministry, and served as Presiding Elder of four different districts. He died at Syracuse June 23, 1894.

Pastor Isaac Turney died March 5, 1880.

Rev. Loren L. Adkins died Oct. 18, 1881.

Rev. George H. Salsbury died Nov. 27, 1863.

Rev. Richard Redhead spent his latter years in Syracuse.

Rev. Hiram Merrick Church afterwards preached at Trenton, N.Y.

Rev. Wicks S. Titus afterwards resided at Syracuse.

Rev. B.W. Hamilton was the first pastor in the new church and he led a large revival. During his term of three years he married forty-one couples. He afterwards preached at Elmira, N.Y.

Rev. Richard H. Clark near the close of his first year was permanently disabled for preaching. He bought the old parsonage where he lived until his death, March 22, 1894.

Rev. E.M. Mills, graduate of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Ct., received many honors from the Conference, was active in the Epworth League and received the degree of Ph.D. from Syracuse University and D.D. from Wesleyan University.

Rev. LaFayette Congdon from Wolcott went to Bradford, Pa., to preach. In evangelical work he was highly successful. During the course of his ministry he was successively passed through five Conferences.

Presidents of the village and years of service: - Wolcott was incorporated Feb. 24, 1852. The names of those who have served as presidents prior to March 18, 1873, are not obtainable. The list from that time is as follows: Asa D. Kellogg 1873; Anson S. Wod 1874; Wm. W. Paddock 1875; George B. Curtis 1876; Thomas W. Johnson 1877; Martin E. Cornwell 1878, '85-'7; David H. Mann 1879; Henry A. Graves 1880-'1, '84; Benham S. Wood 1882; Alanson Church 1888; F.S. Johnson 1889-'92; G. H. Northrup 1893-'94, '97; T.F. Metcalf 1895; E.H. Newberry 1896; H.T. Kelly 1898; A.B. Thacker 1899; M.E. Cornwell 1900, 1905 (present incumbent); Dr. R.H. Watkins 1901-'4.

First Village Officers - Wolcott village was incorporated Feb. 24, 1852 and re-incorporated in February, 1873. On March 18, 1873, the following village officers were elected: - President, Asa D. Kellogg; Trustees, B. Franklin Knapp, Horace L. Dudley, Nelson Moore; Treasurer, Henry A. Graves; Collector, Hiram Silliman; Clerk, Wm. O. Church.

Edward T. Brown of the firm of Horton & Brown, lawyers, is one of the best known of the younger members of the bar of Wayne county. Mr. Brown was born in Sterling, Cayuga county, Aug. 3, 1870, and was educated in the district school, the Red Creek Union school and the University of Michigan. Studying law in the office of Wood & Horton he was admitted to the bar in 1899. In 1901 he associated himself in the practice of law in partnership with George S. Horton, under the firm name of Horton & Brown. The practice of this firm is quite extensive throughout the county and a great deal of its business is in the settlement of estates, in which the firm has been usually prompt and exact. Mr. Brown is very active in local enterprise and is always prepared to assist in promoting the general interests of the village. He is an active member of the Wolcott Board of Trade of which he is secretary. Horton & Brown, Republicans, both prominent in county politics, do a considerable legal business and in the many important cases they have handled they have been successful. Their knowledge of business and family connections in the northern part of the county have placed them in a favorable position to look after the interests of those living at a distance who have business in this section which requires the assistance of attornies. Mr. Brown in November, 1901, married Mary, the daughter of W.W. Paddock of Wolcott.

Buttonwood Hotel - Settlers lodged in the Trunk of a Tree. - The early settlers in Wolcott came from New Marlborough, Mass., and New Hartford, Ct., and a number of them drove their teams that distance, bringing along farm implements and household goods as well as seed for first planting. They had a fair road - those who came in the early part of the century - to Cayuga lake, where they crossed on a bridge then turned north via Lyons. From that place the first day's journey was to the Buttonwood Hotel, now Wayne Centre. This was simply a hollow tree, it is asserted as a fact, which had fallen and was capable of holding three families [Hiram Church in "Lake Shore News"] and was occupied by home seekers coming through in the spring of 1808.

The three families who found protection in this strange shelter were those of Levi Wheeler, Osgood Church and Obadiah Adams, numbering 14. Mr. Pierce, an old settler, informed Mr. Church that he had seen the log and thinks it was on the farm of Mr. Jeffers.

Judges of Wayne county; in alphabetical order; date of taking office and terms served. [They were common pleas judges until 1846]: - Adams, Wm. H., Mary 12, 1846; Cowles, G.W., 1864-'9, 74-'9,'86; Collins, T.W., 1880-'5; Hallett, J.W., April 19, 1825; Jerome, Hiram K., Jan. 29, 1840; Ketchum, Leander, 1852-'9; Middleton, G.H., June 1847; McLouth, C. 1869; Norton, L.M., 1870-'3; Palmer, O.H., April 12, 1843; Sisson, Wm., Jan. 30, 1830; Sherwood, Lyman, 1869-'3; Sawyer, S.N. 1898-1909; Tiffany, A.R., March 28, 1827.

J.R. Waldorf of the firm of Fish & Waldorf began business in Wolcott twelve years ago, forming a co-partnership with E.B. Dowd in the grocery trade, the firm of Waldorf & Dowd then carrying on trade in the place now occupied by Hammer. Six years later Mr. Waldorf bought in the grocery and drug lines with Dr. T.S. Fish under the present firm name, which since the death of Dr. Fish has continued unchanged, his estate holding an active partnership in the business, represented by Fanny, the daughter of Dr. Fish.

Mr. Waldorf, born in Galen in 1849, all of his life a resident of Wayne county and for many years a buyer of produce and dealer in farm implements, enjoys a large acquaintanceship. Jacob Waldorf, his father, moved into the town of Huron in 1852 and no farmer in the town was better known or had a higher standing in the community.

Mr. J.R. Waldorf for some years handled apples for large New York and local buyers in Wolcott and Clyde and was regarded as a reliable inspector, protecting the interest of the seller as well as the buyer. Since his residence in the village of Wolcott Mr. Waldorf has been identified with public interest in many ways, lending his influence and co-operation to the promotion of new industries where it might be possible to bring them here; and taking stock in such concerns as opened their books to local subscriptions. He is a director in the Wolcott creamery. He is also a member of the Presbyterian church in which society he is active. During three years he was superintendent of the Sunday school in the Huron Presbyterian church. Mr. Waldorf is prominent in the Maccabees of which he was commander for six years. He is treasurer of the Engine Company and has been for three years past. Deeply interested in agriculture Mr. Waldorf owns a farm in Huron and possesses a half interest in the Jacob Waldorf homestead. In 1874 he married Nettie E., the daughter of John Stanley of Wayne Centre.

Sheriffs: Terms of Office [Alphabetical Order]: - Borrodaile, John, 1844-'6; Barnard, Geo. W., 1847-'9; Bennett, John P., 1862-'4, '68-'70; Brownell, John N., 1871-'3; Clark, Thomas M., 1877-'9; Foster, Reuben H., 1826-'8; Foster, Cullen, 1829-'31; Ford, Charles H ., (appointed to succeed Walter Thornton, deceaesd), 1894.

Groat, Richard P., 1874-'76; Glen, Wm. J., 1880-'2; Hemenway, Truman, 1835-'7; Howell, Vernon R., 1883-'5; Knowles, George W. (appointed to succeed C.E. Reed, deceased), 1980-'1.

Mann, Hiram, 1838-'40; Miles, Geo. R, 1901-'3; Nottingham, Wm. P., 1856-'58; Palmeter, Calvin D., 1832-'4; Paddock, Geo. W., 1853-'5; Parshall, Rossman J., 1886-'8.

Rogers, Bartlett R., 1865-7; Reed, Charles E., 1889-90; Stout, Simon W., 1841-'3; Snedaker, Adrastus, 1859-61; Sweezey, Geo. M., 1895-'7; Thornton, Walter, 1892-'3; Ward, Chester A., 1850-'2; Wheeler, De Witt C., 1898-1900; Yeomans, Albert, 1904-'06.

Page 23 - partial page 24 were prepared in a table format and put on the site in September 1999.

Earliest Land Contracts in the Old Town of Wolcott; giving location by lots: - Click Here.

Typed by Co-coordinator Martha Perry Magill.

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