The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 258
Fair Haven  / Town of Sterling  / Sterling Valley / Martville

November, 1859, and was Member of Assembly in 1863, 1876 and 1877.

Thomas C. Bridges, ex-Supervisor of the Town of Sterling, was born in the eastern part of the town, and in the spring of 1878 moved into the village, where he is reading law with Mr. Post.

STERLING VALLEY

Sterling Valley, (p. o.,) locally known as Pelham, is situated on the north branch of Little Sodus Creek, one and one-third miles north of Sterling Valley station. It contains one church (United Presbyterian), a district school, one store, a flouring and grist-mill, two blacksmith shops, two saw-mills, a shoe shop, tailor shop, wagon shop, and a population of 107.

John Hunter, John Cochran and James C. Hunter opened a store in 1859, under the firm name of John Hunter & Co., in the building built by John Cooper and previously occupied by him as a tavern. In 1862 John Cochran sold his interest to the Hunters, and in 1863, James Hunter sold his interest to his brother John, by whom the business was carried on alone till 1867, when James C. Hunter again acquired a half interest, and the firm became and has since remained James C. Hunter & Co. The post-office is in the store, and James C. Hunter has been postmaster since 1861.

A. Allen and Andrew Daggert, proprietors of the grist-mill, commenced the milling business here about four years since, under the firm name of A. Allen & Co. The mill was built in 1869, by William Stevenson, who sold it to the present proprietors. It stands on the site of the original mill built here by John Cooper, and is the third mill on that site, two having been burned. It contains three run of stones. The motive power is furnished by water from the creek, which has a fall here of fourteen feet.

MARTVILLE

Martville (p. o.) is situated in the south-east part of the town on Little Sodus Creek, and on the S. C. R. R. It contains two churches, (M. E. and Adventist, only one society having a building,) a district school, a hotel, (kept by Norton S. Snyder,) one store, a saw-mill, a grist-mill and saw-mill combined, a tannery, (which is not in operation,) three blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, a shoe shop, and 124 inhabitants.

The first store in Martville was opened by Robert L. Lay, about 1825, in the hotel now kept by Norton Snyder. He remained about three years, and was succeeded by Daniel McGilvrey, who remained about a year. A Mr. Lyon next kept it a year or two, when William Hawley rented the building and put in a stock of goods. Hawley continued about six years, and was succeeded by Benjamin Conger & Son, who bought the building and stock, and sold to Snyder, Conger & Reed, who then owned the mill property. The store was discontinued when they sold the mill property, but Hough, who bought that property, opened a store, which he continued till he disposed of the mill property, when it was closed out.

Lay also opened an ashery, the first one here, and about two years later he opened the first tavern in the house where George A. Desbrough now lives. Hough started a distillery at the time he owned the mill property. It was burned after being in operation about five years. A distillery was in operation about 1828, kept by Nathaniel Watts, and stood where Hiram C. Curtis' garden is.

Floyd F. Allen opened a general store in 1872, in the building erected about 1861 or '62, by Miles Allen, who died a few years after, and was succeeded in the business by his son Charles, who carried it on about two years, till his death. Stiles Allen, his brother, succeeded him, but remained only a few weeks, when the property came into the hands of Miles' widow, now Mrs. Norton Snyder, who conducted the store about a year, when she sold to the present occupant, who is a nephew of Miles.

Miles Allen commenced business about 1855, in the store erected by Abram Van Auken, some few years previous. Van Auken rented the store to a Mr. Comstock, who carried on business about two years, when he sold his stock to Stephen Tilford, who, about 1855, moved the goods to Sterling Valley.

The tannery at Martville, owned by Hiram C. Curtis, was built about 1849, a previous one in the same locality, of small capacity, having been pulled down by reason of decay.

The grist-mill and saw-mill stands on the site of one built in 1823, by Chauncey Hickock and Timothy Austin, from Marcellus, who were the first to settle on the site of Martville, in that

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