The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 304
Town of Montezuma / Village of Montezuma

"Col. Solomon P. Jacobs, Dr. Job W. May, Royal Torrey, Wm. Dewey, Zebulon Mack, Drs. Noyes Palmer and Geo. W. Fitch, Robert Whaley, Alfred Hovey, Nicholas Morgan, Samuel Bradley, Simeon Mott, Benj. F. Janes, Asher P. Osborn, Alanson Griggs, S. N. Budlong, J. C. Wood, John J. and Frank Cook, Augustus Stokes, Geo. Vredenbergh, Dr. Griggs and others, who sleep their last sleep, were residents of the village. Several of them to-day are represented in business by their children.

"H. S. Lemon was salt inspector; James McLoud, Samuel Gillespie and J. K. Chipps were proprietors of hotels.

"In 1848 Col. Jacobs was canal superintendant; Roswell R. Jacobs, captain of the State scow; Horace Davenport, Lewis D. and John R. Fenlon, captains of the packet boats.

"Lewis Bostedo, who died December 23d, 1877, in Wisconsin, and figured conspicuously in the business of the village, John J. Tallmadge, (Democratic candidate for Governor of Wisconsin, in 1870,) Giles Ross, (now of Michigan,) John Patrick, recently deceased, John Brett, who died in Auburn, Norman Hurd, who died in Canada, Diamond H. Hoff, who died recently in California, Edson Bishop, who died a few months since in Auburn, Maj. David Titus, of Aurelius, Samuel Bell, of Sacremento, Calif., Maj. Washington Bogardus, now living in New York, Wm. and J. K. Chipps, now living in Geneva, were also engaged in business. N. G. and Robert Ransom, (the former now living in Missouri, and the latter in this town,) and Wm. Ross, now living in the village, were leading farmers. Wm. Chillis, since Lieutenant-Governor of California, taught school in the house of Judge Post. Chauncey Smith, of Michigan, Chauncey Stokes, and Adonijah Stanley, of California, Abraham Preston, of Michigan, and Smith D. Mallory, now living in the town, were prominent carpenters and mechanics. The genial Stephen Reamer, now deceased, kept a hotel on the site of the present hotel in the old village. Chas. Fenlon, now County Treasurer of Waupaca county, Wisconsin, R. K. McMaster, of St. Louis, recently deceased, Hiram Titus, now of Aurelius, Geo. B. Hurd, Henry Stokes, Frank Torrey, C. C. Mallory, and Benj. P. Ransom were among the young men of that day."*

Ephraim Martin and a Mr. Howell were early settlers in the south-west part of the town, and Lewis McLoud, east of the village. Robert Ransom settled a little west of the village at an early day. Jethro Wood, the inventor of the cast-iron plow, came into the town from Scipio about 1832, and settled on Clarke's hill.

MERCHANTS.--Dr. Peter Clarke, Caleb M. Fitch, John M. Flint and a Mr. Lord were among the first merchants.

Caleb M. Fitch moved into the town from Columbia county, N.Y., with his family, consisting of wife and eight children, only two of the latter of whom, (Wm. and Sarah Ann, wife of Bennett Radford,) are now living, about 1822, and settled in the old village, and opened a dry goods store in the building diagonally opposite the hotel, and now occupied by Henry Lemon, as a dwelling. Peter Clarke was selling dry goods in the same building, which was divided. He was a member of the Cayuga Manufacturing Company, which then consisted, besides himself, of Peter Clarke, Geo. W. Fitch and Job and Asher Tyler, the latter of whom removed to Cattaraugus county, and served his district in Congress in 1843-'45. About 1826-'27-'28, Mr. Fitch was associated with John M. Flint in the dry goods business. He subsequently purchased the interest of Flint, who removed to New York, where he kept the Pearl Street House. Mr. Fitch died August 23d, 1829.

Horatio Mack opened his drug store in the village in 1870, and has since continued it. He was born here July 1st, 1844. He is the present postmaster, a position he has held for nine successive years. His father, Zebulon Mack, who, in early life taught school in Montreal, moved into the town of Montezuma from Seneca Falls, in 1841, and died here November 24th, 1861. He was engaged in the grocery business in the village some ten years, and was postmaster for five years from 1849. In 1856-'57-'58 he was salt inspector.

Eli Sherman, a native of New Jersey, came to Montezuma from Onondaga county in April, 1836, and in company with Hiram Curtis from Connecticut, engaged in the boot and shoe business. After about a year, Mr. Curtis returned to Connecticut, leaving Mr. Sherman to conduct the business alone until 1871, when his son, James L. Sherman, was admitted to partnership. In 1860, dry goods were added to the stock. The firm is E. Sherman & Son.

Wm. Thorn was born in London, England, and came to this country with his wife, Jessie, in 1848. In the fall of 1861 he removed to the village and opened a flour and feed store. He was canal collector in 1872-'73.

Preston W. Ross and James J. McLoud,

*Horatio Mack. Contribution to Cayuga Chief.

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