Top Row: Cladius H. Ackly,
Newton Edick, Ida Edick, Violet LaRock,
M. Bridget Swartz 2984 W. Main St. PO Box 195 Parish, NY 13131 (315) 625-7833 Parish Historical Society - offsite. Parish
Town Historical Newsletter available at no cost, just a
Evelyn Stelmashuck, President Mary Lou Guindon, Editor PO Box 145 Parish, NY 13131 Information was obtained from the Historical ? Statistical Gazetteer of New York State, R. P. Smith, Publisher, Syr., 1860, by J. H. French.
Named from David PARISH, who purchased the town before its settlement. Paul ALLEN settled in town in 1805. The first birth was that of Ransom ORTON, in 1805. The first death, that of Jonathan BEDELL, killed by the fall of a tree. The first marriage, that of Nathan PARKHURST and the widow BEDELL. John MILLER kept the first inn, in 1807. Martin WAY and Paul ALLEN, built the first sawmill, in 1808. The first school was taught at Parishville,
in the summer of 1807.
This was generously donated by the Parish Town Historian, Bridget Swartz. For contact information and details on the resources available on Parish, please check our Town Historian ? Historical Societies Page ? the Local Resource Page. If you are researching someone from Parish, you may contact- Historian- Bridgette Swartz (315) 625-7833. Parish was nothing but woodlands with maple, pine and elm trees. At that time the water was, pure and full of salmon and many other kinds of fish. Parish was part of the Onondaga hunting grounds. Even though no Indians lived here, many came here hunting and fishing. On March 1, 1788, the chief of the Onondaga Indian tribe sold all their lands but the reservation in Syracuse to a Mr. Macomb. For several years after that the land now known as Oswego County was sold a number of times. In December of 1794, a Dutch man, George Scriber bought the land. Mr. Scriber's home can still be seen in Cleveland NY. It is the oldest house in Oswego County. He built a road from Cleveland (called New Rotterdam) to New Haven (Vera Cruz) . Part of that road that can still be seen is right here in Parish. Parish was the last town to separate from Mexico, on the 20th of March, 1828. It is survey township number 23 of Scriba's patent and was called Strasburg by that proprietor from the capital Alsace- Lorraine. George Scriba sold the survey township to David Parish, and the town was called Parishville and later shortened to Parish in his honor. Until 1860 less than half the town was under cultivation. At that time there were twelve saw mills, four shingle mills, and other wood manufacturing establishments in operation, lumbering being the principal industry. In early days when lumbering was at its height, the manufacture of barrels for the Syracuse salt and Oswego flour trades was extensively carried on. Parish once had a canning factory, a dill pickle factory, a broom and handle factory and a typewriter factory. The first settlers in Parish were Rev. Gamaliel Barnes and his son-in-law, Stephen D. Morse, in 1803. They came from Otsego county, their guides being blazed trees and Indian trails. Rev. Mr. Barnes has prospected here in 1802, but Mr. Morse was really the pioneer in felling the timber and clearing the first land. Elder Barnes was a Baptist preacher, and built the first log house, the first barn, and the first framed dwelling in Parish. He was born in Connecticut, served the Revolution, learned the trades of a tanner and shoemaker, and became a minister of the Baptist Church. When Rev. Barnes daughter, Hannah died she was buried in what is now the Pleasant Lawn Cemetery. It was just a corner of her father's farm then. Other settlers of 1803 were Thomas Nutting, Elvider Orton, Amos Williams and Jonathon Bedell. Jonathon Bedell was killed by a falling of a tree about 1806, which was the first death of a white person in Parish. He was buried on the Charles Ford farm. His widow married Nathan Parkhurst, which was the first marriage. Amos Williams died April 19, 1813, and was buried on the Genney Farm. In 1804 Paul Allen, a native of Berkshire county, Mass. came form Otsego county, NY. He became lieutenant in the war of 1812 and was elected the first supervisor of Parish, an office held five consecutive years. He was a leading and an influential man, a substantial farmer, and a prominent member of the Baptist Church and died in 1849. In 1805 William Wightman, William D. Wightman and Stutely Palmer, jr., became settlers, all coming from Herkimer county. A few years afterward Dennison B. Palmer and subsequently became the first justice of the peace in Parish. Harvey Palmer was born here September 8, 1816, became a colonel and inspector- general of militia, supervisor, assessor, farmer, merchant, justice of the peace, and served as assemblyman in 1863 and 1864. Several other settlers arrived prior to the war of 1812, mainly from the counties of Herkimer and Otsego. Among them was the Hatch family, The war and the celebrated "cold season" of 1816, materially checked immigration and caused much suffering, Those who had arrived, however, braved the privations of frontier life with fortitude. Among the settlers during this period and down to the year 1825 were Jacob Miller, Luman Brockway, Benjamin Whitney, Joseph Maybee, William Avery, J.W. Scriber, Simeon Adams, John Miller, Joseph Edick, Abram Hoose, Eratus Fyler, Milo M. and Asaje; Coan, James David, C. Edick, Daniel Edick, J.H. Miller, G. Rider, and J. Sampson. Jacob J. Miller furnished the first accommodations to travelers, though he did not keep a regular tavern. Joseph Storer was the first black smith as early as 1815, he remained until 1822, when he moved away. Prominent among those who were born on the county prior to 1825 and became honored residents of Parish were M. Avery, R. Burnham, A.M. Gillespie, George W. Moore, Edwin Palmer and J.R. Smith. Of the settlers prior to 1830 were Joseph Brown, John Becker, Ephraim E. Ford, Paul W. Allen, Isam Simon, James A. Burnett, John De Garmo, R.H. Orton, and Luny Thayer was a member of the assembly in 1845. Mr. Ford opened the first store in Parish in 1829, and Mr. Simons built the first regular tavern the same year. Between 1830 and 1840 the following came in: John Simplot, Alfred Phelps, John C. Warn, Dr. Autin White, H.M. Bliss, C. Cummins, William O. Comstock, C.H. Edick, C.H. Ford, J.W. Harter, Leonard House, Jonathon Irish, Ransom H. Orton, Melzar Richards, A. Smith, C. and F. Tisdale, and Dr. Judson J. Taylor. Dr. White settled in town in 1832 and remained until his death in 1876. He was the first physician in Parish. Melzar Richards was born in Steuben county, NY, Christmas day, 1822. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he organized Co. D, 24th N.Y. Vols, and went out as captain. In 1863 he was commissioned major, and on April 5, 1865, at Amelia Springs, while pressing Lee's retreating army, he was mortally wounded and soon after died. He was buried with Masonic and military honors on the 25th of that month. Prominent among the settlers from 1840 to 1850 were John Clapsaddle, Dr. Tobias Green, Archibald N. Luddington, E.C. Buell, C. Baldwin, W.G. Baxter, P. Finster, H.E. Holden, H. Jones, G.B. Mosier, W.B. Parkhust, and F. Simmons. Dr. Green was born in Rennelaer county, was graduated from the medical department of the University of New York, settled in Parish in 1847, and a few years ago removed to Mexico, where he now resides. He was a director and vice-president of the Syracuse Northern Railroad Company prior to its incorporation with the R.W. ? O. corporation. Among other prominent residents of
the town may be mentioned S.T. Parsons a (lawyer), Dr. Cornelius S. House
(deceased), J.H. Hoose (born here and subsequently the principal of the
State Normal School at Cortland), Romain C. Robertson, Hon. Newton W. Nutting,
a brother of Harmon D. Nutting, both lawyers. Edwin G. Lynch (attorney),
John Osborn, Andrew Ashton, Dr. C.D. Barney (a dentist), J.W. Bliss (died
March 11, 1895), William Carley, Jerry Foley, W.T. Seymour, L.D. Snell,
Daniel White, Charles Le Clair (died in November 1894), George R. and Hamilton
A. Mosher (brothers), Rev. A.P. Phinney, Fowler H. Berry, C. Sayles Talcott
(prominent in Masonry). George Luddington, and Melzar H. Thayer.
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