The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 259
Town of Sterling  / Early Settlements

year. In 1840 it was burned, and in 1841 William C. Hough erected the present structure. The grist-mill is built of stone, is 30 by 40 feet, four and one-half stories high, and contains two runs of stones. The saw-mill is a wooden addition, built at the same time. Charles N. Ross now owns and leases the mill to George A. Desbrough, the present occupant, for a term of five years. The creek, which furnishes the motive power, has, at this point, a fall of eleven feet.

A man named Colton, started a carding and cloth-dressing mill about 1828. Josiah Bidwell started similar works on the site of Barnes' saw-mill. About 1835, he built a new mill on the opposite side of the creek and sold to Amasa P. Hart about 1840. Lot Lannson and Ira A. Pease followed for five or six years, when they sold to Alvah Lund, who took the building down and sold the machinery.

the first physician in Martville was Dr. Uriah Beder, who came to the village about 1826. the present physicians are W. M. Wells and Wm. Kyle.

STERLING JUNCTION

Sterling Junction, (p. o.) in the north-west part of the town, about one and three-fourths miles south of Fair Haven, at the junction of the S. C. R. R. and L. O. S. R. R., contains a store, owned by Frank German, and established by him some five years since, and a storehouse, erected in 1874, by Allison J. Albring and Floyd H. Kevill, produce dealers. Both Albring and Kevill are employed by the two railroad companies, the latter as station agent.

NORTH STERLING

North Sterling, in the south-east part of the town, on the old State road, is a hamlet containing a district school, a small store, kept by Wm. Pasells, a hotel, blacksmith shop, and two or three houses.

STERLING VALLEY STATION

Also known as Crockett's Station, is on the line of the L. O. S. R. R., in the north-east part of the town.

THE FIRST SETTLEMENT in Sterling was made at the Valley, by Peter Dumas, a Frenchman, who came to this County with LaFayette and served through the Revolution. He drew lot 13, and settled on its south-west corner in 1805. The Dumas' family were in destitute circumstances, and so severly did they feel the rigor of pinching want, that their son, Ezra, who was convalescing from a fever and had recovered his appetite, died of starvation, while members of the family were absent in search of food. This death, which occured July 21st, 1806, was the first in the town. Dumas died in the town in 1825. His sons Peter, John, Nathan and Jasper, resided in the town many years. Peter, the eldest, lost four children, all he then had, under peculiarly distressing circumstances. While he and his wife had gone to his father's one Sunday evening to milk for his mother, who was sick, their house caught fire, and it, together with their four children, were consumed. Descendants of the family still reside in the town.

Captain Andrew Rassmusen settled the same year near the lake, in the north-east part of the town. He was killed on board an American vessel on Lake Ontario in 1812. His wife died in the town many years ago. His children were Andrew, who died in the town some ten years ago; William, who removed to Michigan after a residence here of many years; and Mary, now Mrs. John Ireland, who is living with her son in the north-east part of the town.

A family named Hoppins settled in the south-west part of the town in this or the following year, and many of their descendants still live in the town. Isaac M. Hoppins, who was born March 16th, 1807, was the first white child born in the town. He is still living about one and one-half miles north-west of Martville. He is the father of Hoppins recently tried for murder in this County and acquitted.

Francis DeCamp settled near Martville in 1806. He was a bachelor, and his sister Nancy, who came with him, kept house for him. Both have long since passed away.

William Devine settled on the farm now occupied by Augustus Green, near the center of the north border of the town, in 1807. He had a large family, none of whom are living in the town. Joseph Devine, brother of William, settled adjoining him the same time. He, too, had a large family, but they, like William's, mostly removed to the west at an early day. Nathan Wilmot settled on the farm now occupied by Joshua Cosbut, in the north central part, and

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