Kanona, Bath Township, Steuben Co., NY; 1790s
Earliest History of "New Providence" (now Kanona), Bath Township,
Steuben Co., NY, in which it is revealed that Henry KENNEDY was
*not* the first settler of Kanona.
In 1795, there were only 160 people living at Bath, Steuben Co.,
NY (Cowan, 100) when Thomas STREETER and several others purchased
lots #5 - #11 in township #4, fourth range on the northeast side of
the Cohocton River on 25 October. This settlement was northwest of
the village of Bath, on the site of modern-day Kanona; Charles
WILLIAMSON dubbed it "New Providence" (William KERSEY, 1795 survey
of New Providence). Thomas purchased lot #7, a total of 85.5
acres, from Charles WILLIAMSON for o201, 15 shillings money of New
York (Bath, New York, Deeds, hereinafter BD, 1:7). A mortgage for
this transaction, due on 1 October 1800, was made on 29 October
1795 and recorded in the records of Ontario County, New York
(Ontario County Mortgage Liber 2:60, hereinafter OCML) on 2
November 1795.
Thomas may have begun farming there in 1794, when the first
reference to him in WILLIAMSON's ledger calls him "of Providence."
This deed, the fifth one recorded in Steuben County, was witnessed
by William JONES and Thomas FAULCONER. It was not recorded until
22 July 1796, indicating that Thomas was still in possession of
this lot at that time. Most of the Pulteney Estate lands were
bought on contract, with no deed conveyed until the purchase price
and interest were completely paid off (James Donald FOLTS,
Bibliography of Steuben County, New York, 67, hereinafter Folts).
By WILLIAMSON's ledger (folio 44) the price of Thomas' mortgage "on
his lot in Providence" was $308.98.
The other lots of "New Providence" were purchased by William
FAULCONER Jr., Thomas FAULCONER, Richard MOON, William FAULCONER,
William JONES and James BUTTERWORTH. On 25 December 1795, Thomas
STREETER was assessed o1.5.0 for the survey of his farm by William
KERSEY; his fellow settlers paid similar amounts (Journal A). From
their mortgages (OCML 2:47-50), we know that the other settlers of
"New Providence" were farmers; Richard MOON was a "Taylor."
Henry KENNEDY is often credited as Kanona's first settler in 1800
(W. Woodford CLAYTON, History of Steuben County, New York,
[Philadelphia: Lewis, Peck & Co., 1879] 167, hereinafter Clayton),
yet the Duke de la ROCHEFOUCAULD-LIANCOURT commented on a
settlement at the same site in 1795 (Harlo HAKES, Landmarks of
Steuben County, [Syracuse, New York: D. Munson & Company,
Publishers, 1896], 332, hereinafter Hakes). From Maps: Pulteney
Estate - Steuben and Allegany (Davenport Library, Bath, New York,
circa 1813-1818; hereinafter Pulteney Maps), it is evident that
Henry KENNEDY owned one-half of lot #6, formerly deeded to "New
Providence" settler, Thomas FAULCONER. At one time, Kanona was
called Kennedy's Corners or Kennedyville.
The following excerpt is from a rare book Travels Through The
United States of North America, The Country of the Iroquois, and
Upper Canada, in the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797; with an Authentic
Account of Lower Canada (printed for R. Philips, London, 1799). In
this passage from Friday, 12 June 1795, Alexandre Fran?ois, the
Duke de la ROCHEFOUCAULD-LIANCOURT and an exile of the French
Revolution, comments on a small settlement just outside of Bath on
the way to Canandaigua. Although none of the residents of "New
Providence" or the settlement is specifically named, the
description certainly matches all of the known facts.
After leaving Bath, we passed through a small settlement,
consisting of about four English families, which arrived here
from London only six months ago. They are chiefly sawyers,
who had been used to work for the cabinet-makers in that great
metropolis. They now work for themselves, and possess each an
estate of about ninety acres. These they have already begun
to clear for cultivation, assisting each other with their
cattle and labour. They cannot fail, in time, to make their
fortunes; and in the mean while they enjoy that state of
independence, which forms one of the best blessings of life,
if accompanied with the means of subsistence. Their log-
houses have an appearance of cleanliness, neatness, and order,
which plainly bespeak these families to be English. To judge
from the choice of their books, which form a part of their
furniture, and from the conversation of some of them, they
appear to be Methodists. These new English settlers have,
this year, already made maple-sugar, and one of them the
finest I have yet seen, even that of Asylum not excepting.
Two of the wives of these new settlers have already caught the
fever, and not one of them appears to enjoy a good state of
health.
By 1798, a saw mill had been built in township #4, fourth range,
on the northeast bank of the Cohocton River as evidenced by the map
of Ontario and Steuben Counties contained in one edition of Charles
WILLIAMSON's "Description of the Genesee Country, Its Rapidly
Progressive Population and Improvements in a Series of Letters from
a Gentleman to His Friend" (Loring Andrews & Co., Albany, New York,
1798). This additional piece of evidence supports the conclusion
that the sawyers named in the previous passage were the residents
of "New Providence."
Strangely, there are no grantor deeds for any of these "New
Providence" lots; they were later resold by the Pulteney Estate to
different individuals. It appears that some of these lots were
simply abandoned. William FAULCONER, William FAULCONER Jr. and
Thomas FAULCONER defaulted on their mortgages; notes on each refer
to a "power to sell" subsequently being annexed to the documents.
On 22 October 1804, William FAULCONER relinquished the power of
attorney in the event of nonpayment (OCML, 4:245). As of 18
October 1809, William Jr. and Thomas had made no payments on
mortgage principal or interest; their parcels were sold at a public
auction on 18 April 1810 (OCML, 5:400).
From the Pulteney Maps, Richard MOON seems to be the only one who
retained his lot in the ghost town of "New Providence." During
that era, between 1813 and 1818, Thomas STREETER's lot #7 was
occupied by John R. GANSEVOORT, less two small parcels in the
western corner. Today, New York State's Southern Tier Expressway,
Route 17, probably cuts across the northern ends of the "New
Providence" lots.
Thomas STREETER may have sold his "New Providence" plot early in
1798. The following advertisement appeared in The Bath Gazette and
Genesee Advertiser on 21 December 1797 and ran each week through 1
February 1798:
For Sale.
The lot of Land formerly belonging to David DICKENSON, four
miles from the Town of Bath, in the County of Steuben, now in
the possession of Thomas STRETOR._The land is of an excellent
quality and situate on the Cohocton River, the road from Bath
to Williamsburgh is through it. All persons are also, hereby
forbid from cutting off any timber from the said mentioned
land, those who are guilty may expect to be prosecuted._The
terms of sale will be made known by applying to the
subscriber, near Judge LINDSLEY's, at Coeniska.
20 Dec. GEORGE GOODHUE.
If Thomas STREETER did succeed in selling his farm at "New
Providence" by 8 February 1798, he quickly purchased another nearby
as evidenced by the 1800 tax assessment roll for Steuben County.
The interest in timber conservation further supports the assertion
that the sawyers named by the Duke de la ROCHEFOUCAULD-LIANCOURT
were the residents of "New Providence."
The deeds of "New Providence" to Thomas STREETER and his
companions were the first ones recorded in Steuben County. That
Thomas' land had been previously owned by David DICKENSON
highlights the highly fluid nature of early land transactions in
WILLIAMSON's enterprise. Judge LINDSLEY's was probably near or
identical with the present-day village of Lindley, Steuben County,
New York which is not far from the Cowanesque River, just across
the Pennsylvania border. The previous owner of Thomas' "New
Providence" plot was probably identical with the David DICKINSON
who purchased land near Lindley on 20 December 1793; he bought lot
#5 in township one, third range (OCML 1:186). This transaction was
recorded under the authority of Eleazar LINDSLEY "one of the Judges
in and for the County of Ontario."
I am seeking all genealogical and biographical details for the
individuals documented above. All additions and corrections,
however speculative, will be greatly appreciated. Please send a
copy of any response directly to me. I subscribe to many lists and
post to many websites; I would not want to miss your reply! Thank
you!
Perry Streeter ([log in to unmask]) Canandaigua, New York
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