History of  Oneida County's Towns, Villages & Hamlets

A special thank you goes to Georgeann
for contributing this transcription from
"Our County and Its People" published 1896.

Blossvale (Sect 1 pg. 376)
  "What is now the Blossvale post-office, in the south part of the town, was formerly located in the edge of Vienna at what was called Pine Corners and went under that name.  It was removed to Taberg station on the railroad and given the name Blossvale, from the prominent family of settlers there of that name.  John Bloss was the first postmaster.  A little hamlet has grown up around the station.  F. and I. J. White are merchants here and the latter has built and keeps a hotel."


Camroden (Sect 1 pg. 441)
  "Camroden post-office and the little hamlet of that name is situated about three miles northerly from Floyd Corners, where numbers of Welsh settlers located and gave it the peculiar name.  The post-office was established in 1872.  Here is located a Methodist church society organized about 1840, who built their present church about 1866; services where held previous to that time in the building that was subsequently used for the post office and residence of R. M. Williams.  The Welsh Congregational church at Camroden was originally under Presbyterian authority and was organized about 1834.  A church was erected north of the present building, which was built in 1854."

Coleman's Mills (Sect 1 pg. 635)
  "Coleman's Mills is a hamlet on Oriskany Creek near the center of the town [Whitestown], where a saw and grist mill are operated by William S. Reeder, who also has a store.  A small shoddy mill is carried on by W. N. Chrisman."

Deansville [Deansboro] (Sect 1 pg. 477-478)
  "Deansville is a pretty village in the extreme northwest corner of the town [Marshall], and takes its name from the Dean family.  It has the only post-office in the town.  When the Chenango Canal was constructed through this town, as described in Chapter XXI, it gave the inhabitants considerable encouragement, and readier access to distant markets.  The village of Deansville is on the line of the canal and most of its growth dates from that time.  What was formerly the Utica, Clinton and Binghamton Railroad passes through the village and is, of course, of greater utility than the canal ever was.  William Northrup settled in the village in 1833, and the post office was established about the same time, with Thomas Dean postmaster.  The name of the post-office was changed in 1894 to Deansboro.  John Wilmott opened the first store in a building erected by himself, and in which George B. and Orville B. Northrup (sons of William) were in trade in later years.  George Barker was the second merchant in the place, and built the store occupied later by Fairbank & Van Vechten.  Royal M. Northrup,
brother of William, kept a hotel in 1849-50 on the Utica and Clinton plank road, then just completed; it was situated half a mile north of Deansville, over the Kirkland line.  William Northrup probably kept the first hotel in the village; it stood on the site of the later Hamilton House, and was burned.  The Hamilton House was built by William Hamilton in 1875-6.  A hotel was kept at one period by Harvey Curtiss.  The old grist mill at Deansville was built by Asa Dick about 1836.  It was afterwards converted into a distiliery and operated by a stock company.  Still later it was changed back to a grist mill.
  The Deansville Cemetery Association was organized about 1860, and owns a fine tract of about three and one-half acres in the town of Kirkland just north of Deansville, which has been laid out with excellent taste."

Hawkinsville and Williamsville
From ROMAN CITIZEN newspaper, Rome, Oneida County, New York, Wednesday, August 7, 1850
The Black River Feeder
The Feeder from the Black River is 9 miles in length, connecting with the Black River Canal at the flourishing village of Boonville, and running northeast to the head at a new village called Williamsville.
Three miles North of Boonville the village of Hawkinsville is building on the East and West side of the Black River; it has a fine water power, owned by A. Blake of Brooklyn, who has a Grist and Saw Mill, and will soon erect other buildings for manufacturing purposes.  On the East side of the river is a building for a Woolen Factory.  There are two Stores in the village; a large amount of lumber is deposited at Hawkinsville for shipment in the Eastern Marker; over one hundred and thirty boats have already loaded on the Feeder with lumber and wood, and the business is constantly on the increase.  The tract of land North is new and heavily timbered, and will all find a market through the Feeder and Canal; its business on the Canal in another year will be more than fourfold, and increase from year to year as the Canal is finished.
Six miles above, at the head of the Feeder, where the water is taken from the Black River, stands Williamsville --a place that is new in appearances, and growing.  The State has built a splendid dam here to turn the water into the Feeder.  The upper dam is eighteen feet high, and the lower one ten, making as fine a site for manufacturing purposes as could be wished for; it is owned by a company who intend to improve it for that purpose.  At present there are three Saw Mills in constant operation; one of the mills has three gangs of saws, doing a heavy amount of lumbering.  Boats load in the river above the mills, where there is beautiful stone dock and every facility for loading and unloading that could be wished for.
This village, being at the head of navigation on the Feeder, can be made a place of business.  It has already some fine buildings for stores and dwellings; the country west of it is a rich farming country.  Northeast lies White Lake, six miles, and about that a Swiss settlement, their crops looking well.  The land good thus far, beyond John Brown's Tract, well timbered most of it, and for generations to come, will be a great lumbering district.  Alder Creek crosses the Utica Plank Road one mile west of the village, and heads three miles west in the town of Steuben, and on the same farm heads Stringer's Creek, emptying into the Mohawk near Judge Comstocks in Western, making eight miles from Williamsville as level a grade for the Plank Road talked of being made, as can be found in the couny, making in the whole from Williamsville to Rome, 18 miles, and you pass through as rich farming country as the county affords.
The localities for business charge in new places as facilities for intercourse with larger places becomes quick and of easy access, making it important that Rome should still continue the same liberal policy she has been using for years past in building the Plank Roads, in order that every part of the country, as easy and natural scenes to this place, might be induced to make it their place of resort for pleasure and for business.

McConnellsville
(Section 1 page 593-4)
    The village of McConnellsville is situated in the north part of the town on Fish Creek.  It takes its name from Joseph McConnell, and early settler at this point.  A post-office was established here about 1812, in which William Smith was probably the first postmaster; he was succeeded previous to 1814 by Friend Morse.  Joseph McConnell became a settler in
October, 1814, and was also one of the early postmasters, as was also Dean Wood.  Isaac Cook built the first tavern in the village, which he sold to Ambrose Jones.  Mr. Cook also sold goods in the early history of the place, but the first merchant of much importance was Harvey Smith; another was a Mr. Brookins.  A store is now kept by Lansing Tuttle.  The old Cook tavern was a double log building and long ago disappeared.  The hotel on the old site is now kept by Theodore Christian.  A saw mill was built here in 1801 which was owned by a company composed of William Smith, Timothy Halstead and
others.  The mill was erected by Mr. Hammill, who also built the next year the bridge over Fish Creek on the Rome road, William Smith built a grist mill about 1804.  The saw mill is now operated by Charles Harden and has been for many years.  Another saw mill near by is carried on by Hubbard Bros., on a site where there has been a mill many years.  It was and now is operated by Lansing Tuttle.
    A small wintergreen distillery was established here more than twenty years ago, which is now operated by Theodore Christian, who is also postmaster.  A large chair factory was established here about ten years ago by C. Harden & Son, and is now operated by the son, F.S. Harden.  Nearly forty hands are employed.
    A canning facotry was established many years ago by Lansing Tuttle.  A large one of later years is carried on by Theodore Christian.

  "Point Rock is a post office in the extreme northwest corner of the town [of Lee], and takes its name from a precipitous rocky point between Fish and Point Rock Creeks.  The place was long a considerable lumber center for some years, with a store, a tavern and a few dwellings.  D.C. Smith and Charles Wick are the present merchants."

State Bridge (Sect 1 pg. 585-6)
  "State Bridge is a post office on the canal near Durhamville.  A store is kept by Webb Potter and a hotel by Michael Dunn."

 "Sylvan Beach, the noted summer resort which is partly in this town [town of Vienna] and partly in Verona, has gained a wide reputation within the past fifteen years.  It is located at the east end of Oneida Lake.  Many years ago some of the members of the Oneida Community went there for the summer, leased some land and erected temporary buildings; this was the inception of the settlement there.  L.C. Spencer at a later date opened a small grocery for the accommodation of fishermen and hunters who began to visit the locality.  At a still later date a citizen of Oneida purchased the most desirable tract of about two acres which he sold within a few years for $3,200, clearing $3,000.  L.C. Spencer built the public house called Forest Home which is now kept by his son-in-law, F.B. Randall.  Other hotels that have rapidly come into use to
accommodate the crowds of summer patrons are the Algonquin, built by Stoddard & Garvin; the Hotel Oneida, the Sylvan Beach Hotel, the Oneida Lake Hotel, the Lake Beach Hotel, the Riverside Hotel, and the Sportsman's Home, built in 1895.  Several small steamers are kept busy at the place during summer months, and C.C. Clifford keeps a store and is postmaster.
  Some of the prominent farmers of this town, past and present, are:
    Joseph Halstead, father of John, Chauncey and George Brodock, Lansing and Isaac Seeley, Otis Wheelock, Lansing Baker, Peter Coats, son of James, John and Allen Nichols, the Yager family, James Brown, Daniel and William Bagnell, George W. Matthews, William Wright, John B. Dixou, Nathan Auchard, Henry Nash, Lucius Haskins, Edward McCormick, William Rae, John Hall, Eaton Beach, J.J. Dickinson, George Myers, Henry Manchester, Joshua Parker, and others."

WALESVILLE
The History of Oneida County, New York 1667 - 1878 on page 626 under the Town of Whitestown contains the following paragraph:
"Walesville is a village in the southwest part of the town, also on Oriskany Creek, and is the seat of several manufacturing establishments, none of which are at present (April, 1878) in operation. They consist of a cotton-mill, belonging to the Clark Mills Cotton Company, and a paper-mill, owned by Halsey Brothers. The cotton-mill is stripped of its machinery, and the paper-mill has been idle since the summer of 1877; at the latter wrapping-paper was the principal manufacture. The village contains a post office (postmaster, Hawley Peck), a store (located in the building formerly used as a tavern), a blacksmith-shop, a cheese factory, and a Baptist Church. A wadding-mill which stood in the lower part of the village was destroyed by fire at a recent date. "

WASHINGTON MILLS
"The village of Washington Mills is situated on Sauquoit Creek about two miles above New Hartford.  Frederick Hollister was a business man of Utica, who had been associated in the drug trade there in what was known as "the checkered store."  Isaac Mason had established a mill on the site of Washington Mills, which Mr. Hollister purchased in 1840.  This was burned and rebuilt by him, and was also painted in colors, giving the local name of "Checkerville" to the place.  The second mill, which was of stone, was also burned, with little insurance, and the loss was heavy.  But Mr. Hollister had unbounded energy and the firm of Hollister & Stanton built again a large frame mill, to which was given the name "Washington Mill."  This ultimately became the property of A.T. Stewart of New York and is still owned by his estate; it is idle.  The post-office was established here between 1840 and 1850, and Adna Ingham was one of the earlier postmasters holding the office fifteen years.
  A hoe and fork factory was established here in 1865 by Babcock, Brown & Co.; the firm was afterwards Huntley & Babcock.  The product for some years reached $100,000 annually.  The property is now owned by the Utica Tool Co., in which C.H. Philo and Ladd J. Lewis are prominent, and a successful business is carried on.
  A cotton factory was built in district No. 2 at this town, by Dr. Seth Capron, of Oriskany, the Sewards, of Utica, and others, about 1814-1815; Dr. Capron was the leader in the enterprise, which became known as the Capron factory.  The property ultimately passed to E.B. Sherman & Co., and a little later to C. C. and H. M. Taber, cotton brokers in New York.  This firm took the factory about 1865, and carried it on successfully.  It finally passed to the Utica Cotton Company and continues in operation.  William H. Cloher is superintendent.
  In early years there was a paper mill and a saw mill at this point, erected by Seward, Kellogg, and others.  They have passed away.  A knitting mill was established a few years ago by the Capron Knitting Mill Co.  William H. Cloher is largely interested in this business.  The post-office here is named Capron.  A store is kept by Joshua Hagan."

YORKVILLE
"The hamlet and post-office of Yorkville lies between Whitesboro and New York Mills and is substantially a continuation of the latter.  It was here that the first grist mill was built, as before noted, but it long ago disappeared.  There has always been a small mercantile business done here, and at the present time John N. Cole carries on an extensive business.  Robert Cooper has a general store, Charles P. Stone conducts a millinery business, and G.M. Relyea a hardware store."