honestly enough promulgated at first, while the image of its creation absorbed all her thoughts and threw around her a spell that reason could not dissipate, attracted the attention of the superstitious and credulous, and, perhaps, the designing. The motives of worldly ambition, power, distinction; the desire to rule, came upon her when the paroxism of disease in body and mind had subsided, and made her what history must say she was, an impostor and false pretender.

And yet there were many evidences that motives of benevolence, a kindly spirit, a wish to promote the temporal wellfare of her followers, was mixed up with her impositions. Her character was a compound. If she was conscious herself of imposition, as we must suppose she was, her perseverence was most extraordinary. Never through her long career did she for one moment. yield the pretensions she made upon rising from her sick bed and going out upon her mission. With gravity and dignity of demeanor, she would confront cavillers and disbelievers, and parry their assaults upon her motives and pretensions; almost awing them to a surrender of their doubts and disbelief. Always self-possessed, no evidence could ever be obtained of any misgivings with her, touching her spiritual claims. Upon one occasion James Wadsworth called to see her. At the close of the interview, she said: "Thou art a lawyer; thou hast plead for others; hast thou ever plead for thyself to the Lord?" Mr. Wadsworth made a courteous reply, when requesting all present to kneel with her, she prayed fervently, after which she rose, shook hands with Mr. Wadsworth, and retired to her apartment.

The reader must make some allowances for the strong prejudices of the French Duke, who upon the whole, made but poor returns for the hospitalities he acknowledges. He says:- "She is constantly engaged in personating the part she has assumed; she descanted in a sanctimonious, mystic tone, on death, and on the happiness of having been an instrument to others, in the way of their salvation. She gave us a rhapsody of prophecies to read, ascribed to Dr. Love, who was beheaded in Cromwell's time. Her hypocrisy may be traced in all her discourses, actions and conduct, and even in the very manner in which she manages her countenance."

The Friend's community, at first flourishing and successful, began to decline in early years. The seclusion and separation from the

world, contemplated by its founders was not realized. They had selected too fine a region to make a monopoly of it. The tide of emigration reached them, and before they had got fairly under way, they were surrounded with neighbors who had little faith in The Friend, or sympathy with her followers. The relations of neighborhood, town and county soon clashed, militia musters came, and the followers refused the service; fines were imposed and their property sold. The Friend was a long time harrassed with indictments for blasphemy, but never convicted. While she could keep most of her older followers in the harness, the younger ones reminded of the restraints imposed upon them, by contrasting their privileges with their disbelieving neighbors, would unharness themselves; one after another following the early example of Benedict Robinson. Two of that early class of methodist circuit preachers,* that were so indefatiguable in threading the wood's roads of this western forest, as were their Jesuit predecessors a century before them, found the retreat, and getting a foothold, in a log school house, gradually drew many of the young people to their meetings. Many of the sons and daughters of the followers abjured the faith.

Jemima Wilkinson died in 1819, or departed, went away, as the implicit believers in her divine character would have it. Rachel Malin, her successor in spiritual as well as worldly affairs, died about three years since. She kept up the meetings until a few years previous to her death. James Brown, and George Clark, who married heirs of Rachel Malin, own the property that she inherited from The Friend. The peculiar sect may be said to be extinct; not more than three or four are living who even hold lightly to the original faith. Even the immediate successors of Jemima and Rachel, the inheritors of the property, and those who should be conservators of their memories, if not of their faith, are forgetful of their teachings. The old homestead, the very sanctuary of the Universal Friend, once with all things appertaining to it, so chastened by her rigid discipline; is even desecrated. During this present winter the sounds of music and dancing have come from within its once consecrated and venerated walls. For an interesting sketch of Jemima Wilkinson and her followers, copied from the manuscripts of Thomas Morris, see Appendix, No. 7.

* Revs. James Smith and John Broadhead.

PART THIRD.

CHAPTER I.

COMMENCEMENT OF SURVEYS, AND SETTLEMENT OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY.

[Pioneer settlements will be taken up in this connection, by counties, as they now exist. The arrangement will not allow of strict reference to the order of time in which events occurred; but it will be found more convenient for the reader than any other that could be adopted.

After Mr. Phelps had concluded the treaty,- before leaving the country he made arrangements for its survey into Ranges and Townships. This was done under contract, by Col. Hugh Maxwell, who completed most of the northern portion of it previous to the close of the year 1788; and in the year 1789, with the assistance of Judge Porter, he completed the whole. The survey of townships into farm lots, in cases where whole townships were sold, was done at the expense of the purchasers. Judge Porter, Frederick Saxton, Jenkins, were among the earliest surveyors of the subdivis

ions.

Mr. Phelps having selected the foot of Canandaigua Lake, as a central locality in the purchase, and as combining all the advantages which has since made it pre-eminent, even among the beautiful villages of western New York, erected a building for a store house on the bank of the Lake. The next movement was to make some primitive roads, to get to and from the site that had been selected. Men were employed at Geneva, who underbrushed and continued a sleigh road, from where it had been previously made on Flint creek, to the foot of Canandaigua Lake, following pretty much the old

Indian trail. When this was done, a wagon road was made near where Manchester now is, the head of navigation on the Canandaigua outlet. No one wintered at Canandaigua in 1788, '9. Early in the spring of 1789, before the snow was off the ground, Joseph Smith moved his family from Geneva, and occupied the log store house; thus making himself the first settler west of Seneca Lake. Soon after his arrival he built a block house upon Main street, upon the rise of ground from the Lake, where he opened a tavern. His first stock of liquors was obtained from Niagara, U. C. He went after them from the mouth of Genesee river, in a canoe; on his return, his frail craft was foundered in a gale, at the mouth of the Oak Orchard creek; but he saved most of his stock, and carried it to Canandaigua on pack horses. This primitive tavern, and the rude store house on the Lake, furnished a temporary stopping place for those who arrived in the spring and summer of 1789.

Early in May 1789, Gen. Israel Chapin arrived at Canandaigua, and selected it as his residence, erecting a log house near the outlet; -connected with him, and with surveys and land sales that were contemplated. were some eight or ten others, who came at the same time. They came by water, even into the lake, though this was about the only instance that batteaux went higher up the out-let than Manchester. There were, of these early adventurers, besides Gen. Chapin: Nathaniel Gorham jr., Frederick Saxton, Benjamin Gardner, and Daniel Gates. Soon after Mr. Walker, an agent of Phelps and Gorham arrived with a party, built and opened a log land office on the site which Mr. Phelps afterwards selected for his residence. Others came during the summer, who will be named in another connection, and before the sitting in of winter there was a pretty good beginning of a new settlement. Judge John H. Jones, a brother of Capt. Horatio Jones, who still survives to remember

NOTE-Joseph Smith was captured by the Indians at Cherry Valley, during the Border Wars. Like others he had chosen to remain among them. His stay at Canandaigua was but a brief one, as he was soon employed as an Indian interpreter. At the Morris treaty at Geneseo, the Indians gave to him and Horatio Jones six square miles of land on the Genesee river. They sold one half of the tract to Oliver Phelps and Daniel Penfield, and Smith soon after parted with his remaining quarter. He was an open hearted generous man, possessed in fact of many good qualities; endorsed for his friends, was somewhat improvident, and soon lost most of the rich gift of the Indians. He was well known upon the river in some of the earliest years of settlement. He died in early years; his death was occasioned by an accident at a ball play, in Leicester. A daughter of his-a Mrs. Dutton, resides at Utica with her son-in-law, Dr. Bissell, late Canal Commissioner.

with great distinctness, early events, was one of the party who opened the road from Geneva to Canandaigua, and from Canandaigua to the landing place on the outlet, in 1788, revisited the locality again in August, in 1799. He says: "There was a great change. When we left in the fall of '88 there was not a solitary person there; when I returned fourteen months afterwards the place was full of people:- residents, surveyors, explorers, adventurers; houses were going up; it was a busy, thriving place."

Mrs. Hannah Sanborn, is now the oldest surviving resident of the village; and with few exceptions, the oldest upon Phelps and Gorham's purchase. She is now in her 88th year, exhibiting but little of the usual infirmities of that advanced age, with faculties, especially that of memory of early events, but slightly impaired. The author found her in high spirits, even gay and humorous, enjoying the hearty laugh of middle age, when her memory called up some mirthful reminiscence. Upon her table were some of the latest publications, and she alluded in conversation to Headly's fine descriptions in his "Sacred Mountains," as if she had enjoyed them. with all the zest of her younger days. She had just finished a letter in a fair hand, shewing but little of the tremor of age, which was to be addressed to a great grand daughter. To her, is the author largely indebted for reminiscences of early Pioneer events at Canandaigua.

Early in the spring of 1790, Mr. Sanborn came with his wife and two young children to Schenectady, where he joined Judah Colt, and the two chartered a boat, with which they came to the head of navigation on the Canandaigua outlet.* Mr. Sanborn moved

NOTE.- Nathaniel Sanborn, the husband of Mrs. Sanborn, died in 1814. There is scarcely a pioneer settler in the Genesee country, that did not know the early landlord and landlady. Mrs. S. was the daughter of James Gould, of Lyme Conn., is the aunt of James Gould of Albany. Her son John and William reside in Illinois. Her eldest daughter the first born in Canandaigua, - now over 60 years of age, is the wife of Dr. Jacobs of Canandaigua; another daughter is the wife of Henry Fellows Esq. of Penfield; another, is Mrs. Erastus Granger of Buffalo; and a fourth is a maiden daughter, residing with her mother.

ara.

Mrs. S. gives a graphic account of this journey. The last house the party slept in after leaving Schenectady until they arrived at the cabin on the Canandaigua outlet, was the then one log house in Utica. It was crowded with boatmen from NiagMrs. S. spread her bed upon the floor for herself, husband and children, and the wearied boatmen begged the privilege of laying their heads upon its borders. The floor was covered. After that they camped wherever night overtook them. On the Oswego River they took possessien of a deserted camp, and just as they had got their supper prepared two stout Indians came who claimed the camp and threatened a sum