MADISON & OSWEGO COUNTIES

ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET

The early days of Madison and Oswego Counties and their various towns and townships, are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this NEW 26 Page Booklet, reprinted primarily from two hard-to-find books: the 1841 edition of Historical Collections of the State of New York by John Warner Barber and Henry Howe, and New York, a Guide to the Empire State, a WPA project. The spiral-bound booklet, sold exclusively on eBay, is one-sided on 60# paper, with the fine print enlarged for easier reading. A clear vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.
The communities mentioned include: Albion, Amboy, Boylston, Brewerton, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Canaseraga, Cazenovia, Chittenango, Clarksville, Cleaveland, Constantia, DeRuyter, Eaton, Fenner, Fulton, Georgetown, Granby, Hamilton, Hannibal, Hannibalville, Hastings, Kinney's Corners, Lebanon, Lenox, Leonardsville, Madison, Mexico, Morristown, Morrisville, Nelson, New Haven, Orwell, Oswego, Palermo, Parish, Phoenix, Pulaski, Redfield, Richland, Sandy Creek, Schroeppel, Scriba, Smithfield, Stockbridge, Sullivan, Volney, Williamstown and Woodstock.
Among the many and diverse topics in the booklet are: the Execution of Abram Antone for Murder, and the Adventures Pertaining Thereto; the Murder of Robert Barber Along the Erie Canal; How Place Names Originated; Educational Institutions: the Oneida Conference Seminary, the DeRuyter Institute, the Hamilton Literary and Theological Seminary (later Colgate University), the State School of Agriculture in Morristown, and the "ragged school" in Oswego; the Oswego and Erie Canals, Oswego Forts in the Colonial Wars; Details of Surrender to French in 1756; the Attack on Fort Oswego in 1814; Oswego Falls; Oswego Harbor; and two nationally famous reformers: Gerrit Smith, abolitionist, and Dr. Mary Edward Walker, founder of "Adamless Eden.
The booklet has no index, but names mentioned include: Nicholas Roosevelt, George Scriba, Alexander Hamilton, John Lawrence, John B. Church, Abraham Varick, John McNair, Jacob Brown, Col. John Linklaen, Thomas Morris, Joseph Morse, Capt. Reuben Perkins, the Rev. Young, Jonathan Olmstead, Deacon Samuel Payne, William Colgate, Theophile Cazenove, Erastus Dow Palmer (sculptor), Sands Higinbotham, Nathan S. Roberts (Erie Canal engineer), Silas Towne (spy), James Fenimore Cooper, Edward Austin Sheldon, and Col. John Bradstreet.
ILLUSTRATIONS include Cazenovia, Hamilton Village, Chittenango, Public Buildings in Morrisville, Oswego and the Oswego Canal (full page), Fort Oswego and Pulaski. Most are about 1/3 page in size.
The Howe/Barber history covers the development of this area until about 1841, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic glimpse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes, especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities. There's also a small map of the area from a 1948 booklet printed by the New York Telephone Company.