My family settled in East/West Bloomfield about the same time and they still live there. Yes, you are right. East Bloomfield, now called Bloomfield, is too far from Albany, but it is close to Rochester - the flour city, so wheat, corn, and other grains were the big crops. The county seat, Canandaigua, is only about 12 miles away and it was a booming place. The farmers and merchants traveled a route that is now Rts 5&20, now known as the Cherry Valley Turnpike. More importantly, East Bloomfield was five miles from the capital of the Iroquois nation, Ganandogan. There is a living museum there with markers and walking tours. The Iroquois grew an enormous stock of corn to feed the nation in the fields between Ganandogan and Bloomfield - perhaps this is some of the land your relative acquired? Bloomfield is also (less) known for a variety of apple, but the name escapes me at the moment. The town has a very active historical society and local museum. I know of a good book that describes the whole area since its founding. I'll get back to you with the title and the variety of the apple. Marla Marla A. Bennett, Ph.D. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies ESF Honors Program 227 Bray Hall Syracuse, NY 13210 (315) 470-6599 FAX (315) 470-6978 -----Original Message----- From: Ian McGiver [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 9:57 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Bloomfield, Ontario Cty Markets Circa 1789-90 I have a question regarding the markets that would have been available to a cluster of New Englanders who in about 1789 settled the area that is now present-day East Bloomfield in Ontario County (NY). Does any one know where they would have sold/traded their first crops? And What were those first crops Wheat? Potash? Livestock? I ask this question because I am tracking the members of a single family who settled in several parts of the New York backcountry all at the same moment (1789). The other members of the family stayed much closer to Albany, and so they would have had relatively easy access to markets for their goods (which appear to have been wheat and potash). The brother who went to East Bloomfield got hold of very good land--but it would appear (to me at any rate) that he had far overstepped the limits of the Albany market. Where else might they have traded? were their any particular crops/products that were particular to that locale? thanks for suggestions Ian McGiver