The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 314
Town of Mentz

Palmer, Commissioners of Highways; Joseph Farrand, Constable.

The officers elected, (1879) are:
Supervisor -- James V. White.
Town Clerk -- Charles Kelly.
Justice of the Peace -- Howell B. Converse.
Assessor -- Theodore Stevenson
Commissioner of Highways -- David Sadler
Overseer of the Poor -- John H. Eldridge
Collector -- Hiram A. Randall
Constables -- O.W. Seymour, Charles Hayden, L. C. Fargo, Charles Halstead, Peter Waggoner.
Inspectors of Election -- Thomas B. Dickey, John M. Devore.
Game Constable -- George Betteenhausen

James Dixon and Major Eli Wilson, from Hebron, Washington county, the latter with his wife Margaret, and daughter, Amy, came into the town near the beginning of the present century, and settled on a soldier's grant of 600 acres, on the east line of the town, which is now largely occupied by the children and heirs of the former, who died there some seven years since, aged 92 years.  John I., David, George, and Eli Wilson, sons of Eli Wilson, settled on the same tract a little later.  John and Eli Wilson and Elizabeth (now Mrs. Wm. A. Jacobs) all of whom are living in the town, are the only living decendants of Maj. Wilson.

John Dixon, also from Hebron, Washington county, came in 1804, and settled uupon fifty acres of the tract taken up by James Dixon and Maj. Wilson, and died there in 1876, aged ninety-two.  Edwin S. and Edwin J., (twins,) Polly, (now Mrs. George G. Thomas,), and Marcha, (now Mrs. Ira Peck,) children of James Dixon, are living in this town, both boys on the old homestead.  John C., son of John Dixon, and father of T. Fayette Dixon, the President (1878) of the village of Port Byron, is the proprietor of the flouring and grist-mill in that village; and Samantha, (now Mrs. James Robinson,) and Minerva, (now Mrs. Hiram Crossman), daughters of John Dixon, are living in the town of Sennett.

Other early settlers were Martin and James Harker, from New Jersey, who located on the site of the village; Reuben Lent and family from Washington county, who located on lot 62, a little west of Traphagen's grist-mill, about 1806, Lent claimed to have served in the Revolution for that lot, which he twice sold previous to his settlement on it.  After his settlement he sold portions of it to other settlers, and was finally ejected with his victims by Jacob Tremper, to whom he first sold it and by whom the title was held.  Tremper, who lived in Kingston, Ulster county, never settled here, but his widow came with his family about 1806 or '7, and settled on lot 62, a little northwest of Elijah Buck's.  He was probably the first preacher in the locality of Port Byron and in the town.  Joseph Hamilton  and Ira Hokins, from Washington county, and Caleb Hopkins, from New Jersey, settled on lot 85 previous to 1804.

John Adams Taylor, who was born in Hartford, Washington county, settled in the northwest part of the town, where Mrs. J.S. Pratt now lives, April 14th, 1817.  He brought a State's hundred, for which he paid $7 per acre, raather than become involved in the perplexities arising from defective titles to the soldier's grants, which many of the settlers bought for a nominal sum, and from which they were subsequently ejected.  Mr. Taylor had prospected this section of country in 1815.  He came on horseback, and bought of Edward Luck, who was obligated to leave on account of fever and ague, which prevailed here to an alarming extent, but diminished with the increased settlements and the clearing of the lands.

The bridge at Mosquito Point was built in 1815, two years previous to his settlement.  "Mosccheeto Point" says Spafford, "is well named,"* and we think the luckless traveler of to-day will testify that the name is well merited.  Mr. Taylor added to his 100 acres till he held deeds covering 700 acres.

Both he and his wife, aged respectively eighty-four and eighty-two years, are still living in the town, with their daughter, Mrs. Lucy T. Hayden.

Daniel Mintline, a native of Albany came in from Canajaharie, April 11, 1805, and located on the farm now occupied by William and John D. Buckingham.  He was the first settler in this locality and from him it derives the name of Mintline settlement.  He was born in 1773, and died in the old homestead December 3d, 1839.  Daniel Rairden, a Mr.Buckingham and Andrew

Return to the Index of The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 by Elliott Storke
Return to the Cayuga County NYGenWeb Project Home Page