The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 508
Town of Locke

elected Supervisor of the town. He settled on lot 44, about two miles south-east of Milan, where Jackson Holden now lives, and died there. Areli, widow of Levi Henry, living in Locke, is his daughter. Stephen Durell, who removed to Genoa about 1812, and Archibald Harding, who was from the eastern part of the State, came in as early as 1802. James and Miller Harding, brothers of Archibald, came in about the same time. All three settled in the same locality as Bowker, Archibald where William Greenleaf now lives, and James and Miller, on the farm of Andrew Jackson Holden. They moved west at an early day.

Settlement proceeded slowly for several years, but few important additions being made previous to the war of 1812. Salmon Heath a native of Massachusetts, came in from Saratoga county, and Nathan Cook, from R.I. came in 1811, and settled, the former on lot 23, about one and one-half miles south-east of Milan, where Jefferson S. Hewitt now lives, and where he died February 10th, 1843, and the latter two miles south of Milan, where David Pierce now lives. Cook removed several years after to Almond, N. Y. Two children of Heath's are living in the town, viz: Eunice, widow of John White, aged eighty-four years, and Harvey, aged seventy-eight years. Dr. Philander Mead, who was born in Greenwich, Conn., November 11th 1785, came in from Chester, Warren county, the same year, (1811) and settled at Pine Hollow, in the east part of Genoa, on sixteen acres bought of Elnathan Close, who settled there in 1794, where he practiced medicine till 1819, when he removed to Milan and settled where his son Dr. Nelson Mead now lives, and where he practiced till his death September 3d, 1853. Four children are living besides the one named, viz : Philander, Sophia A., widow of Jonathan C. A. Hobby, and Edward B., in Locke, and Charlotte, wife of John G. Stevens, in Groton. Lyman and Elijah Brown came in from Scipio soon after 1811. Lyman was a clothier, and built a carding and cloth-dressing establishment on Hemlock Creek. Elijah was a miller, and run a grist-mill, which stood near the carding-mill. Both establishments were about a mile above Milan.

Joseph Harris, who was born in Windham county, Conn., in 1788, and in 1813, married Eunice Broga, who was born in January, 1789, came in from Massachusetts, in 1815, and settled on lot 32, where both he and his wife now live, having bought the tract two years previously. They have had ten children, six of whom are living, viz :  Henry, Harvey, Joseph, Jr., Alonzo, and Lois, wife of Erastus White, in Locke, and Huldah, widow of George Ferris, in Tioga county, Penn.

Evidences of the occupancy of this country long anterior to the first settlements by the whites exist in this locality, but whether referable to our immediate predecessors, the Indians, or to a race who ante-date them, can only be conjectured, as examinations have not been made with sufficient scientific exactness to warrant a deduction as to their origin. About half a mile west of Milan, upon the ridge which skirts the west border of the Flats, upon the summit of a hill with steep acclivities, and partially separated from the neighboring highlands by two deep gulfs, are traces of what appears to have been a stockade, but which is locally denominated an Indian burying ground. Holes of uniform depth, in which palisades of considerable size have evidently been set, are easily traced at regular intervals. They inclose about four acres, in a nearly square tract, the lines following the general conformation of the hill, which generally slopes from them quite precipitously. At intervals apparent openings of a few feet have been left, as if for entrance and exit ; but these are guarded by parallels covering the openings, and are in places additionally guarded by flank lines, running at right angles with the general outline. The size and position of trees with respect to these lines indicate that their origin is 250 to 300 years previous to the present time. The character of the works and their strategic properties, makes it highly probable that they were used for offensive or defensive purposes, rather than a place of sepulcher. Human bones, supposed to be those of Indians, have been exhumed there, and Dr. Nelson Mead of Milan, has some of them in his office. Fragments of pottery, ornamented with lines drawn in the substance of which the vessels were formed, parched corn, and arrow-heads have also been found within the inclosure. The former indicate that whoever left these traces of their presence in this historic region they were conversant with rude ceramic arts. Numerous excavations, partially filled with decayed vegetation and the surface washings of their embankments, exist within the


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