La Fayette, N. Y. Four or five years later he built a house on a part of the "old homestead” intending to make it a permanent home. His house scarcely completed is enveloped in flame and burns to the ground on a dark night. A little son two years old was burned to death while the other members of the family barely escaped with their lives. Instead of rebuilding he soon sold and moved with his family to Wisconsin, only to remain a few months, when he returned and settled on a farm in LaFayette. This he sold and purchased the "Morgan place" the early home of Judge LeRoy Morgan, which his father Lyman Morgan owned two miles north-west of Pompey Hill, where he now resides. He is a good farmer, having accumulated a handsome property. He has one son living, having lost a son and daughter. Mary married a Mr. Hall, a wealthy and respectable farmer of Wayne Co., N. Y., where she lived a number of years. At present she is living in Michigan, having a family of five children.

AVERY FAMILY.

Christopher Avery, a weaver, came from Salisbury, England, about 1610, and settled at Gloucester, Mass.; he was a Selectman of that town from 1646 to 1654; in 1658 he removed to Boston, and on August 8th, 1665, he purchased land in New London, Conn.; died in Groton, 1681. James Avery, the only son of the above, was born in England in 1620; he married Joanna Greenslade, in Boston, Nov. 10th, 1643; he removed to New London, in 1650; took an active part in the business affairs of the new plantation; he was chosen Townsman in 1660, and held the office for twenty years; he was captain in the only train band in the town, and was in active service in King Phillip's war; he was twelve times elected Deputy to the General Court, was one of the Commissioners of Peace, and an Assistant Judge; he died at Pequannock, in 1696. His four sons were James, Thomas, John and Samuel. The latter was born Aug. 14th, 1666, and married Susanna Palms, Oct. 27th, 1686; his sons

were Samuel, Jonathan, William, Christopher, Humphrey, Nathan and Waitstill.

Humphrey, born July 4th, 1699, married Jerusha Morgan, Feb. 5, 1724; his sons were Humphrey, William, Solomon, James, Samuel, Christopher, Waitstill, Isaac and Nathan.

Solomon, born June 17th, 1729, married Hannah Punderson, Feb. 18th, 1751; his sons were Solomon, Miles, Stephen, Punderson, Henry, Cyrus and Humphrey.

Punderson Avery was born in Groton, Conn., May 21st, 1765; he consequently was not old enough to enter the war of the Revolution, but to show that he was of the right stock, we mention that at the massacre of Fort Griswold, on the 6th of Sept., 1781, nine of his uncles and cousins fell, and he waded in blood over his shoes to obtain their remains from the Fort. He married Lovina Barnes, daughter of Phineas Barnes and Phebe Bernent, Dec. 15th, 1786, at Great Barrington, Mass.; here he resided some time, and then removed to the then so called "Royal Grant," in Herkimer County; here he built and run a grist mill for a few years, and it was believed to be located farther west than any mill for grinding grain on the Continent. In 1796, he removed to Pompey, and settled on a farm a mile south of Oran; here he reared his large family, and died Sept. 10th, 1840.

Mr. Avery was peculiarly fitted by nature for a pioneer; he was among the first in any enterprise to improve the minds, the morals or condition of his fellow men; the church, the school and public library, always found in him an ardent supporter; his patriotism secured him a place as captain in the militia; and his integrity, as administrator for many a widow and orphan; his love of justice made him often the arbiter in his neighbors' quarrels, and his excellent judgment often turned the scale, for or against, many an incipient undertaking.

But he was most useful to his fellow men, perhaps, as a

mechanic; his trade properly was a mill-wright, but he often was employed on small machinery, and on one occasion, by a very wealthy man, to construct a perpetual motion; he had been taught to work by square rule, and a barn still standing next south of his old residence, is believed to be the first in the county framed by "square rule;" he was almost continually employed in building grist mills, saw mills, fulling mills, carding machines, tanneries, and later, cider mills and threshing machines. About 1820, he constructed a cast iron plow, which, for many years, was a general favorite in this locality; his inventive faculties were large, and he would probably have allowed them some little scope, and at some cost, had not prudence and the demands of a family of twelve children, kept him busy in labor that paid every day. His children were Hannah P., who became first Mrs. Samuel Willard, the mother of W. W. Willard, of Syracuse; her second husband was William Higgins, of Van Buren; Sally B., who married George Miller, of Tunkhannock, Pa.; Lucy, who married Belden Resseguie, VanBuren; William; Phebe, who married Colonel Reynolds, of Cazenovia: Candace, relict of Horace Sweet; Lucetta, who married William M. Wood, of Mishawaka, Ind.; Perlena, the wife of Abner Duell, Manlius; Perlina, the relict of Euroclyden Gerre, who resides in Van Buren; Cyrus; Nancy, the wife of Elam Thomas, Knowlesville, Orleans Co.; and Samuel.

William Avery, son of the preceding, was born in Herkimer county, August 16, 1793, married Eunice Hart, daughter of Comfort, October 24, 1815. He early manifested a disposition to be a mechanic, was continually contriving water mills and wind mills to drive other machinery, and long before he attained his majority he was employed in all parts of the country to repair machinery, and was considered the most skillful workman known in Central New York. His inventive faculties were of a high order, but often from a lack of books on mechanical subjects, he lost much valuable time in experiments that had long before been tried

and exploded. His first invention of any importance, was a machine for making wire harness for looms in 1824. His other inventions were numerous, and hardly a year passed without a patent being granted to him. The one by which he is best known, was the rotary engine, believed to be still the simplest and cheapest in the world, and in a limited sphere has proved for about 40 years extremely valuable. The first steam saw mill at Centerville, this county, was run by one of these engines for many years, and did a vast amount of work.

In 1822 he built a small steamboat which was first launched on the mill pond at Buellville; it was afterwards taken to Cazenovia lake, and finally to the Erie canal. The Onondaga Gazette of October 1, 1823, says: "A steamboat built at Buellville, in Pompey, passed through this village last week." The engine from this boat was purchased by the late Henry Gifford, of Syracuse, who used it to pump salt water for many years.

Mr. Avery moved to Salina and carried on a large foundry and machine shop, and afterwards removed to Syracuse, where he was for a time in company with Elam Lynds; he built the machinery for the first steamboat on Lake Ontario, and was the first white man to navigate the St. Lawrence river, from Kingston to the head of the Long Sault Rapids, passing two considerable rapids before reaching that point. Travel on that route in those days was so inconsiderable that it did not pay, and the proprietors withdrew the boat in a year or two. In 1837 he removed to Chicago, which he then described as a little sickly sunken hole. He soon took a contract of the State of Illinois to make the rock cut on the summit of the Illinois and Michigan canal; the price was $1.49 per cubic yard, and the estimated cost $240,000; this was considered the largest contract that had ever been taken in this country at that time. While completing this great undertaking, by which the waters of Lake Michigan were calculated to be diverted to the Mississippi, he was attacked by a fatal disease, and died on the 16th of November, 1840,

at Athens, and is buried at Rockport, Illinois. Some of his feats of walking when the country was new were considered very good; he walked on one occasion from Oran to Ithaca in a day and back the next.

Cyrus, the second son of Punderson, was born in Pompey, July 28th, 1807; married first, Calista Hibbard, February 3d, 1828; second, Lurinda Jones, February 3d, 1831; third, Sabra Vosburgh, January 3d, 1847. His early life was spent in Pompey and mostly at mechanical work. He removed to Tunkhannock, Pa., about 1840, where he has since resided, except for the last ten or twelve years, he has been in Europe selling his inventions, which are numerous, and some of them quite valuable. One winter he spent in Russia and threshed wheat for the Emperór several months; was on the most intimate terms with the Grand Duke, Constantine, and finally presented his machine to the Government. He has a large family of children-five sons, all mechanics, and five daughters.

Samuel Avery, youngest child of Punderson, was born in Pompey, February 18th, 1812; married first, Lucinda Jones, February 3d, 1831; second, Eliza Flynn. His natural bent was mechanics as with the others, but forced by circumstances to be a farmer, he came near being ruined for anything useful. Dr. Daniel Denison, who had had the credit of his misguidance, took him into his office as a student of medicine, and in 1844 he graduated at Castleton Medical College, Vermont. He removed to Rochester, and commenced the practice of medicine and surgery, his natural mechanical ability aiding him materially in the latter. He stayed here but a few years and finally removed to Phœnix, where, with the exception of a few months in Syracuse and a year in Baldwinsville, he has since resided. He gave up practice a few years since, and at present is the Secretary of the Oswego and Onondaga Insurance Company.

Grandentia H. and Florello P., sons of Cyrus, born in Pompey, reside at Tunkhannock, Pa., machinists. Henry