WELCOME
TO THE NEW HOME OFADAMS, NY HISTORY
AND GENEALOGY
WELCOME
TO THE NEW HOME OF
A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE TOWNS OF SOUTH JEFFERSON COUNTY Could our ancestors, the pioneers of this area, come back and travel our macadam roads where once blazed trees marked their paths through the forest and ox carts were the main means of transportation, they would surely be overwhelmed by the changes.Ellisburg, the first township to be permanently settled in the county, retains all of the names of its first settlement except Rural Hill which was first called "BUCK HILL." Ellisburg, Woodville, Belleville, Mannsville and Pierrepont Manor still bear their original names. Ellisburg was "MINOS" of the original Ellisburg tract. Lyman Ellis, the first settler, found traces of white men who had passed through this territory.
Aleppo No. 7 and Orpheus No. 8 of the Black River tract became the town of Adams. The village of Adams was first called Smith Mills and Adams Center was called Five Corners. Smithville was settled where Stony creek intersects the border between Henderson and Adams.
The South Jefferson Area Area was surveyed in 1796 by Benjamin Wright. A straight line from Six Town Point coinciding with the northern boundaries of Henderson, Adams, and Rodman separate our area from the rest of the county.
OLD FIRE COMPANIES OF ADAMS A fire company was formed in Adams about 1826 and a small crank engine purchased by voluntary subscription. These provisions against the destructive elements have materially lessened the damage caused by the several fires which visited the site of the Hudson block, and the buildings north, including the Cooper House, which was occupied by Adplace in 1860 and 1865, and also in August 1884. On the night of Dec. 15, 1860, the west side of main street burned. In April, 1865, all the buildings from the mill north to the corner, including an old landmark, the Whitney House, an old stone structure, were burned. Instead of retarding the growth and prosperity of the village, these fires purged the village of a poor class of buildings and caused the erection of the splendid business houses now lining the principal street. The former fire companies of Adams were the Tempest company No. 1, Star Hose company No. 2 and the Hook and Ladder company, which in 1944 consolidated into one company.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS COURTESY OF THE JEFFERSON COUNTY JOURNAL;
Section 1, Pages 3 & 4; December 25, 1974
(Thanks Karl!)A Look into History . . .
Adams was originally a part of the town of Mexico, ceded by the old grants to McComb and others. It was surveyed in the year 1796 by Benjamin Wright. The first settlement was made in the year 1800 by Nicholas Salisbury, who in the month of April came into the Sandy Creek Valley from Western New York, arriving by way of Lowville with his family, after a twenty-six day journey. Their conveyance was not a parlor car, but a rude old sled drawn by a pair of oxen. Their hotel accommodations were sled and forest. Samuel and Daniel Fox came the same year and cleared a small tract of land above the village and built houses.
David Smith a little later built a sawmill. This place was given the name of Smith's Mills, which it retained several years. The fertility of the soil and attractive features of the town induced numerous settlers to move in and rude huts and log cabins were soon scattered throughout the town. The steady swing of the woodman's ax and the crash of the mighty giants of the forest, prepared the way for civilization.
The name was changed to Adams. Railroads did away with the stage coach line which the old settlers delight to dwell upon. When the rode over the State road from Ft. Stanwix to Sackets Harbor, stopping in Adams to change horses and rest awhile, people became acquaintances in a night and day's ride from Utica to Watertown. The coach swung on leather braces and the boot behind was piled high with baggage. The driver in front with favored passengers drove a spanking four-horse team that was never allowed to walk.
The first settler who died in the town was Alex Salisbury, who was drowned while crossing the creek during a freshet. Many of the pioneers had been soldiers in the Revolutionary war.
Adams was named in honor of John Adams. The location of this large and thriving village of 2,000 inhabitants is on Sandy Creek.
In healthfulness, beauty of location and the reputation of its citizens for culture and morality, the village has few equals, and Adams deservedly ranks as one of the finest villages in the state of New York.
The Adams Free Library was founded in 1900 by the Study Club, aided largely by Mr. and Mrs. Brenton D. Babcock of Cleveland, Ohio, Adams being Mr. Babcock's birthplace. From all sources, the first year the library was opened, 818 books were received.
Rising Sun Lodge No. 124 F.&A.M. was organized in 1806.
February 26, 1867, Adams Chapter No 205 R.A.M. was organized with 30 members.
