The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 458

dren are living, viz: James, who is a hardware merchant at Kelloggsville, Eliza, a wife of John Cuykendall, in Michigan, and Allen and Philetus, in Moravia.

About this time, or shortly previous, Elias Rogers commenced the maufacture of steelyards

at Moravia. He melted the iron used in casting the weights therefor over a blacksmith's forge, in a kettle prepared for the purpose. While thus engaged he was importuned by Jethro Wood, the inventor of the cast iron plow, to make patterns and castings of that invention, for which Wood had received letters patent July 1st, 1814. Rogers, sharing in the general imcredulity which credited Wood with being visionary, reluctantly consented, and after the plow was finished, and demonstrated a success, by a trial made on land now owned by Abel Adams, south of the village, he entered into an arrangement to furnish Wood with castings for a year or two, from a furnace built by him for the purpose, on the west side of the creek and north side of the road, near the mill dam of Deacon John Stoyell, Sr. Experiencing some difficulty with regard to the water privilege, he removed to Montville, and built a log furnace a little north-west of the grist-mill, and commenced, in company with Isaac Watts Skinner, his brother-in-law, the manufacture of plows. This was soon burned down, and another was erected near the same site, and occupied a few years, when they removed to the foot of the falls, at the junction of Mill and Pierce creeks. A potash kettle was still used for reducing their blasts, which were conveyed by means of an open trough and emptied into an upright tube, without the aid of any other machinery. September 1st, 1819, Jethro Wood patented an improvement on his plow, and December 8th, 1821, Messrs. Rogers & Skinner entered into a contract with him to manufacture the plow under his patent to any extent they deemed advisable, in consideration of which they were to pay him one dollar for each set of castings.This contract was canceled June 24th, 1824. They continued the furnace there until the great freshet of July, 1833, completely destroyed the works, together with the factory dam and other property. May 13th, 1833, shortly before the freshet, Rogers had formed a co-partnership with Geo. C. Lathrop for the purpose of making and vending cast iron plows and other iron castings. Rogers died December 20th, 1863, aged 75.

VILLAGE OF MORAVIA.

MORAVIA is pleasantly situated on the flats, near the junction of Mill Creek and the Inlet, about four miles from the lake, a little south-west of the center of the town. It is the principal station in the County, south of Auburn, on the S. C. R. R., which has contributed largely to its growth and prosperity. The village is increasing in population and business importance. It is estimated that an average of twenty buildings per annum have been erected here for the last five years. It is distant from Auburn eighteen miles. It contains five churches, (Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal and Roman Catholic) an excellent free, graded union school, with academic department, two National banks, two printing offices, twenty-nine stores of various kinds, two hotels, two markets, (kept by Geo. W. Gifford and Paul & Childs.) three harness shops, (kept by D. C. Brown, Geo. D. Foot, agent for F. A. Tallman of Syracuse, and Line & Hopkins,) two tailor shops, (kept by Benjamin Allee and T. J. Green,) one photographer, (T. T. Tuttle,) Hinman Bros.' marbel works, two custom and flouring-mills, two carriage shops, six blacksmith shops (kept by R. T. McGeer, C. W. Brigden, G. H. McGeer, Albert Morse, G. W. Boardman, and Seth Loomis,) two lumber yards, (Lowe & Pulver and Foster & Barber, props.) a foundry and machine shop, one saw-mill, three planing milles, a cheese factory, a chair factory, and a population of about 1,500. The village was incorporated May 1st, 1837, and reincorporated under a special act March 15th, 1859.

MERCHANTS.---The first merchant in the village was Cotton Skinner. His store stood on Church street, opposite the Congregational Church. He formed a co-partnership in the mercantile business with Jabez Bradley, of Genoa, February 14th. 1804. He commenced merchandising within a few years after moving into the town, buying his goods at Utica.

Hon. Rowland Day, father of W. H. Day, opened a store in 1810, in the west end of Amos Stoyell's old house, which stood on the corner of Church and Main streets, in the back part of which he lived. Artemas Cady was clerk. In 1812 or '13 he erected the frame building, afterwards known as the "old yellow store." He was succeeded about 1835 by Samuel E. and William H. Day, his brother and son. After four

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