The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 283
Town of Conquest Center

In 1817, Samuel Campbell settled on lot 78, where his son, Samuel B. Campbell, now lives; Philo Collins, father of Myron Collins, on lot 4, and five years thereafter removed to the farm on which he lived and died; and Daniel Wolford, a native of Albany, came at the age of two years, and is now living on lot 79 in this town.

Hiram J. Lake, a surveyor, was born in Litchfield county, Conn., in 1818, and in 1822 moved to Conquest, where he is now living on lot 90. L. H. Ballard moved into the town of Mentz in 1822, and was assessor there six years. He removed to Conquest, where he was justice of the peace eleven years and supervisor three years. He was supervisor in Victory one year, and justice of the peace three years.

Town Officers.--The first town meeting of Conquest was held at the house of I.V.R. Perkins, pursuant to an act of the Legislature, passed March 16th, 1821, and the following named officers were elected: William Crowell, Supervisor; I.V.R. Perkins, Clerk; Joseph I. Chase, Theophilus Emerson and Ephraim Wetherell, Assessors; Isaiah Cortright, Collector; William McCollam, Theophilus Emerson and I.V.R. Perkins, Commissioners of Highways; Theophilus Emerson, Overseer of the Poor; Ephraim Wetherell and Enos Wetherell, Constables; Isaiah Cortright and Benjamin Osgood, Commissioners of Common Schools; Samuel Campbell, I.V.R. Perkins, Joseph I. Chase and Josiah Houghton, Inspectors of Common Schools; and Benoni Harris, William Crowell and Theophilus Emerson, Commissioners of Gospel and School Lands.

The town officers in 1878 were: Matthew Hunter, Supervisor; William H. Slack, Clerk; P.D. Blass, Assessor; Grover Lane, Commissioner; William Thomas, Town Auditor; R. Hutchins and Samuel Townsend, Overseers of the Poor; George W. Fuller, Henry S. Wendover, John H. Blakeman, George Presho and Willie Winnegar, Constables; Alfred P. Thompson, Game Constable; George Parsell, H.C. Slack, Matthias Huffman and W.B. Priddy, Justices.

CONQUEST CENTER

Conquest Center (Conquest p. o.) is situated about the center of town, six miles north-west of Port Byron, with which it is connected by daily stage, and five miles south-west of Cato, on the Southern Central R.R. It contains two churches, (M. E. and Protestant Methodist,) one district school, one hotel, (of which Lawrence J. Lindsley, from Ira, became proprietor May 1st, 1878,) two stores, one wagon shop, (of which John Van Auken is proprietor,) and one blacksmith shop, of which George Parsell and Henry Blakeman are proprietors. It has a population of seventy-five or eighty.

The first settlement in this locality was made in 1802, by James Perkins and his four sons, as previously stated. It is pleasantly situated, and is surrounded by a country sufficiently fertile to render a generous return for the care and energy of the husbandman. It lies in the midst of an industrious and thrifty community of farmers, to whom the practical and really useful are held of greater importance than the ornate or the beautiful.

MERCHANTS.--The first merchant at Conquest Center was Jonathan P. Davis, who opened a store in 1824, but remained only three years. He was succeeded by Seth Sheldon, who bought his stock of goods, and who, in the winter of 1826, started an ashery on the lot owned by Sarah A. Cook. Sheldon was born in the east part of the County, near the line between Brutus and Sennett, whence he came to this town. He likewise kept the store only about three years. The third merchant was Albert Crane, who remained some twelve years; and next after him was Asahel Mundy, who remained two or three years and removed to Seneca Falls. Henry J. Wilcox and ----- Worthington bought out Mundy in 1845, and dissolved partnership and discontinued, in 1847.

David Horton started a second store in 1844. In 1849 he sold his store and goods to Enos Wetherell, who continued about two years, when he sold to Joseph Gifford, who removed the store and goods about a mile and a half south of the village. Gifford was a blacksmith, and his wife tended the store. After four or five years he removed to the west part of the State, and the store, which was subsequently converted into a dwelling, stood till the spring of 1878. Wm. C. Hardenbergh was the next merchant in the village. He was succeeded by Henry Follett, A. P. Crowell, and George Stone. The latter died after three or four years, after which his wife carried on the business till burned out some ten years ago. A store was kept after this by a Mr.

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