Aug 202006
 

This is a transcription of the Jackson, NY section from Gazetteer of the State of New York: Embracing a Comphrehensive View of the Geography, Geoloy and General History of the State and a Complete History and Description of Every County, City, Town, Village and Locality, with Full Tables of Statistics by J. H. French, Syracuse, N.Y: R. Pearsall Smith, 1860.

JACKSON–was formed from Cambridge, April 17, 1815. It lies on the E. border of the co., s. of the center. The N. branch of the Taghkanick Range occupies the E. portion of the town, and several parallel ranges extend through the central and w. portions, rendering the entire surface very hilly. The summits of the hills are 300 to 800 ft. above the valleys and are generally crowned with forests. The declivities are often steep and rocky. The principal streams are Batten Kil and a branch of Owl Creek. In the valley between the hills that border immediately upon Batten Kil and those farther w. are several small lakes, known as Long, Big, Dead, and Little Ponds. These lakes are beautiful sheets of water, surrounded by hills, forests, and fine cultivated farms. The soil is a slaty loam and very productive. Jackson Center (Jackson p. o.)contains 16 houses; Colia (p. v.,) on the line of Cambridge, about 30 houses; and Anaquassacook. 12. Portions of this town and White Creek were embraced in the Anaquassacook Patent of 10,000 acres, granted May 11, 1762.8 The first settlers were James Irvine, Peter Magill, and John Miller, all of whom located in the s. part of the town.9 The only church (Ref. Prot. D.) in town was organized Dec. 31, 1833; Rev. Jas. W. Stewart was the first pastor. Geo. Law, one of the projectors and proprietors of the California line of steamships, was a native of this town.

 


 

Footnotes

8 This patent was granted to Ryer, Jacob, Freeman, and W. M. Schermerhorn, Johannes, Nicholas, and Peter Quackenboss, Thos. and John Smith, and Joseph Jansen, all of Schenectady.

9 Among the settlers on the Anaquassacook were Hugh Thompson and Ebenezer Billings, and near the ponds John McLean and Jonathan Conger. A schoolhouse was built in 1780, a little w. of Peter Hill’s residence. An inn was kept by Isaac Murray about 1790. John McGill built a store of logs in 1781, on the site of the present residence of Peter Hill.

Aug 202006
 

This is a transcription of the members section from The Men Who Called Dr. Bullions 104 Years Ago, written by Rev. John C. Scott, D. D., The Washington County Post, Cambridge, NY, 1911.

Robert Law—aged seventy-four; brother of John, a pioneer; came to America in 1789 and lived near Shushan; many descendants; was the grandfather of the late George Law of New York, and the great-grandfather of R. R. Law of this village; died in 1808.

James Irvine—aged sixty; known as “Square Irvine;” came to this country in 1770 and was a Revolutionary soldier; was the first supervisor of Jackson; his wife at this time was Mary McAuley, widow of the late Thomas Galloway; his son, James, became a minister; Mrs. John McGeoch of East Greenwich, and Mrs. John Simpson of Putnam, are great-granddaughters by his daughter, Margaret, and Miss Mary Matoon of Pennsylvania, by his daughter, Mary; lived on the Robert Davis farm and kept store with his brother-in-law, William McAuley, in a house then standing just west of the residence of Chas. P. Hill; died in 1820.

John McMillan—aged fifty-three; son of John, of Salem, where the family were early settlers; was the grandfather of the late William and Morrison McMillan of Jackson, and of Dr. W. H. McMillan of Allegheny, Pa.; many descendants; lived on the farm now owned by Mrs. Mary Volentine, on the Turnpike; moved to Monroeville, Huron County, Ohio, about 1817; died in 1824.

John Shiland—aged forty-seven; son of John, sr.; wife was Margaret Edie, a daughter of James (below); was the grandfather of the late John, E. G., and William J., of this village, and ancestor of all the Shilands in this community; lived on the old Shiland place on the Center Cambridge road; died in 1844.

John Armitage—aged sixty-eight; came to America about 1770 with the Ashtons, to whom he was related; was a Revolutionary soldier; a grandson of the same name is still remembered in Argyle village, where he kept a store, as are other descendants who lived in Coila on a plot of land now a part of the E. G. Shiland farm; died in 1825.

John Shiland Sr.—aged sixty-nine; father of John, with whom he lived at this time; came to America in 1774 and to Cambridge about 1780 with two other children, William and Ann, who later returned to Montreal, Canada, whither they had been carried by the Indians during the Revolutionary war; two sons, James and Thomas, by a second wife, Jennet Somers, then living, sign this call; died in 1822.

William Edie—aged forty-three; son of James, a pioneer; his wife was Elizabeth Cowan, sister of John and Peter; many descendants; the late Robertson Edie, father of Horace L., was a grandson; he was the precentor of the congregation; lived on a farm near Vly Summit; died in 1834.

James McDoual—aged seventy-eight; two sons, John and Samuel, sign below; lived with his son, John, on the farm lately owned by Freeman Kenyon; many descendants; died in 1822.

John McDoual—aged thirty-seven; his wife was Sarah Thomas, widow of John Hay; he was the father of Col. Samuel McDoual, soldier, legislator, and gold prospector; father of the late Mrs. Mary Robertson of Coila, and grandfather of Mrs. Chauncey Reed of this village; died in 1840.

George Miller—probably about forty-eight; supposed to be a son of George, a pioneer, and brother of James (below); a soldier in the American army during the Burgoyne campaign.

John Mushet—aged fifty-nine; brother of William (below); was a Revolutionary soldier; his son, John, was for a time an Associate Presbyterian minister in North Carolina; no descendants known; lived on the old James Shiland farm now occupied by Isaac Decker; died in 1823.

Alex. Lourie—aged fifty-seven; came to America in 1770 and settled in Orange County; came to this county in 1792; lived on a part of what is known as the Thomas B. Lourie farm; sons were George and James, and Miss Ann Maria Lourie is a granddaughter; died in 1833.

John Skellie—aged forty-three; son of Alexander (above); his wife was Hannah Edgar, daughter of William, a pioneer; many descendants; he reared a family of fifteen sons and daughters and two grandsons; was the grandfather of the late Thomas Edward Skellie and of Alex. and James E., and the great-grandfather of John L. Hunt, all of this village; lived on the farm now owned by Henry G. and Robert A., and built the dwelling house still in use about ten years after this date; died in 1844.

James Fleming—aged seventy; was the grandfather of Mrs. Robertson Edie and great-grandfather of Mrs. Morrison McMillan; lived in Jackson near the turnpike; died in 1823.

Ephraim Edie—aged thirty-two; son of James (below); his wife was Jennet Lang, daughter of Thomas (below); grandfather of George Henry Edie and Miss Jennet Agnes Maxwell of Jackson; lived near Shushan, and passed to that church at its organization in 1821; died in 1838.

Patrick Robertson—aged fifty-two, probably; brother of William, 2nd, and James (below); many descendants in this community and West; grandfather of W. P., of this village and Rev. W. H. McMillan, D. D. D., of Allegheny, Pa., and great-grandfather of Geo. R. King; went West about 1825 and died soon after; was a weaver by trade and lived north of the village and later on Academy street.

Thomas Lang—aged eighty-four; came to America about 1768 and settled in Saratoga County; his wife was Agnes Miller; many descendants in this county, Vermont and the West; Philip A. Lang, an attorney of Buffalo, is a great-grandson, as is also W. F. Lang, late of Granville, but now of Rochester; died in 1825, aged 102 years.

Robert Weir—aged sixty-eight; brother of John; came to America about 1770; his wife was Elizabeth Green, a sister of James, Thomas and John; was the great-grandfather of Clark Weir of this village; died in 1824.

James Crawford—a son of James, who moved to Franklin County, Ohio, in 1805, and a pioneer in that colony; his wife was Mary Graham, a daughter of John, a pioneer and brother of William (above); moved to Western New York about 1820.

William Mushet—aged forty-six; brother of John (above); was a Revolutionary soldier; no descendants known; lived on the farm now owned by James A. Arnott; died in 1828.

James Telford—aged forty; brother of John; his wife was Elizabeth McAuley, a sister of Robert; lived near East Greenwich on the farm now owned by George I. Maxwell, whose wife is a great-granddaughter; Ephraim Shiland of Coila, is also a great-grandson; died in 1808.

James Edie—aged seventy; came from Scotland in 1775; was a revolutionary soldier; was chosen an elder in 1785 but now retired; was the father of William, Ephraim and David, and of Mrs. Shiland and Taylor; his wife was Jane Miller; died in 1819.

Benjamin French—aged thirty; a son of David (below); many descendants; Benjamin French of South Argyle is a grandson; moved to Putnam in 1821 where his daughter, Mrs. Jonathan Shear, still resides; was a blacksmith by trade; died in 1857.

William Stevenson—aged thirty-five; the merchant at Stevenon’s Corners, now Coila; came from Scotland in 1795; grandfather of John M. Stevenson of Pittsfield, Mass., and of Rev. John G. Smart of this village; built and lived in the house now owned by Mrs. Edmund Waite; died in 1844.

Walter Maxwell—aged forty-six; brother of John (above); came from Scotland in 1787; former wife was Jennet Livingston, sister of Alex. (below); at this time his wife was Elizabeth Skellie, a daughter of Alexander; the late James Maxwell of this village was a grandson by the former wife, and Robert Maxwell, ex-asssistant postmaster general, by the latter; two other brothers, James and Colin, whose wife was a sister of John McClellan, had moved west before this date; lived on the farm now owned by Henry Coulter in Jackson; died in 1847.

James Rollo—aged fifty-eight; came to America about 1770; chosen an elder in 1785 but now retired; his wife dying shortly after this date, he married Jane Doig, a sister of Robert (below); no descendants; died in 1823.

John Law, Jun—aged thirty-nine; son of Robert (above); known as “John R.” or “Butter John”; his wife was Mary Archer, a sister of John (below); grandfather of Mrs. Granville Wright; lived on the turnpike in Jackson; died in 1853.

John Robison—aged fifty-eight; the name was “Robertson” but he always signed it as given; a pioneer, and settled on the farm now owned by his great-grandson, Frederick Robertson, of this village; many descendants; died in 1831.

John Graham—a son of John, a pioneer then dead, who was a brother of William (above); his wife was Betty Clark, a cousin of John Law, Jun., moved to Putnam a few years after this date, where J. Elwin Graham, a grandson, is still living.

William Taylor—his wife was Elizabeth Edie, a daughter of James (above); David Taylor Morgan of Southport, Conn., is a great-grandson.

Edward Lauderdale—was chosen an elder in 1814; moved to western New York in 1828; a grandson is a retired army surgeon living in Brooklyn; the lake north of the village bears his name.

Samuel Graham—aged fifty; came from Ireland before 1800; his wife was Nancy Galloway; lived in this village; Mrs. Louise Law of this village is a granddaughter, and Prof. James C. Graham of Andover, Mass., is a great-grandson; died in 1842.

Francis McLean—aged forty-three; represented the county in the legislature two terms and was a justice of the peace; his wife was Mary Ketcham, a sister of John (below); Mrs. Alanson McLean of Shushan is a granddaughter; lived near the ponds; died in 1831.

Robert Thompson—son of James, a pioneer, who with his wife and family were charter members of this church and then lived in New Perth (Salem); Robert and wife, John and wife, and Janet, who became the wife of William McClellan, a brother of John (above) and was the grandmother of James R. McClellan of Hebron; only Robert remains at this date and he soon after disappears from our records. This family probably were not directly related to that of William Thompson, father of Mrs. John McClellan.

John Wright, Jun.—aged forty-five; son of John (below); his last days were spent in the home of Grey George Maxwell, and his father’s family bible, which he seems to have brought from Scotland, is in the possession of the Joseph Rouse family; died in 1850 and is buried in the cemetery near the residence of the late Alex. Coulter in Jackson.

John Green—aged fifty-five; a brother of James and Thomas; came to this community before 1770, and was a Revolutionary soldier; his wife was Agnes Switzer; many descendants; Miss Abby Green is a granddaughter and George L. Cowan is a grandson; lived on the farm now owned by his great-grandson, Ambrose Green; died in 1830.

James Hill—aged thirty-seven; a son of Alexander, a pioneer then still living; was a justice of the peace many years, a member of the State Legislature for several terms, and a presidential elector in 1812, when James Madison was elected the second time; his wife was Nancy Thomas, a sister of Mrs. Small and McDoual; was the grandfather of the late Capt. James Hill; lived on the Albert English farm, where his father first settled; died in 1825.

Edward Small—aged thirty; son of James (above); was a captain in the war of 1812; wife was Phoebe Thomas; many descendants; the late James E. Robertson of Coila and Dr. Chas. B. Small of Saratoga, were grandsons; he succeeded his father on the farm now owned by Horace Becker; died in 1855.

John French—a son of David and brother of Benjamin; moved to Franklin County, Ohio, about 1817, where descendants still live.

George Small—aged twenty-five; a son of James (above); his wife was Jannet Lourie, a daughter of Alex. (above); Rev. Edward Small was a son, and Rev. Gilbert Small a grandson, both well known in their day; the late Dr. Archibald R. Small of Chicago, was a grandson; lived on the farm owned by the late James Small, his grandson, near East Greenwich; died in 1855.

James Miller—aged fifty-two; a son of George, a pioneer; served in the American army against Burgoyne; lived on the farm in Jackson now owned by his grandson William Miller; raised a large family and descendants are widely scattered; died in 1834.

James Woods—aged twenty-five; many descendants; Ex-Sheriff James Woods Robertson and Fredrick Green of Jackson, are grandsons, and Andrew Woods Coulter is a great-grandson; lived on the farm now owned by Moses Hill; died in 1856.

William Coulter—aged twenty-six; a son of James and Elinor (Green) Coulter and brother of George and James (below); a lieutenant in the war of 1812; was the Coila blacksmith; his wife was Sarah Weir, his cousin, a daughter of John; after her death he married Margaret Ferguson, a daughter of John; Waldo S. Coulter of Albany, a civil engineer, is a great-grandson; died in 1841.

George Graham, 2nd—aged thirty; a son of William (above), and brother of John W. (below); his wife was Ann Cowden; moved to Franklin County, Ohio, in 1817, where he has many descendants; Prof. L. J. Graham of Muskingum College is a great-grandson; died in 1855.

George Graham—probably about sixty years; a brother of William (above) and John; was a shoe maker by trade; came to this country about 1781; his second wife was Jannet Stevenson, widow, mother of William; when an old man he followed his family to Franklin County, Ohio, where he died a very old man; Congressman Taylor of Columbus, Ohio, is a descendant.

William Robertson—aged fifty-seven; came to this county about 1770, and was a Revolutionary soldier; probably a brother or cousin of Archibald, the grandfather of Alvin Robertson; no descendants known; died in 1823.

James Coulter—aged 32; brother of William and George; his wife was Agnes (Nancy) Ferguson, daughter of John, and after her death Jane Cooper, daughter of William of West Cambridge; was the father of the late Mrs. Dr. Henry Gordon and grandfather of Henry Coulter of this village; lived on a farm now part of the Woodlands cemetery; died in 1864.

James McMorris—aged forty; came to this country about 1783 and lived near Shushan; his wife was Isabella Law, a daughter of John, the pioneer; he was the grandfather of James McMorris of Jackson; died in 1858.

Hugh Thompson—aged fifty-one; came to this country in 1774; was known as “Captain Hugh”; was a brother of Andrew, the grandfather of Tommy Thompson; lived on the Arlington road; was never married; died in 1819.

Patrick McGill—aged forty-three; a son of Patrick, a pioneer and Revolutionary soldier; lived on the place now owned by Edward G. Shiland; Mrs. Dr. Niver is a great-granddaughter; died in 1848.

Samuel Green—aged thirty-seven; a son of James (below); a soldier in the war of 1812; his first wife was Jennet Hoy, a daughter of James (above), and his last was Margaret McGill, daughter of Patrick (above); grandfather of the late Alex. Green of this village and Mrs. Ruth Green of Coila; died in 1831.

George Coulter—aged thirty-nine; brother of James and William; his wife was Catherine Switzer, making his a brother-in-law of his uncle John Green; the late Alex. and Louis Coulter were grandsons; lived on the farm now owned by Mrs. Laurence Williams; died in 1843.

John Frazer—his wife was Mary Graham, a daughter of George (above) moved to Franklin Co., Ohio, about 1817, where descendants still live.

Alex. Livingston—aged 51; son of William (below); his wife was Nancy Archer, sister of John (below); the late William of this village was a grandson, as was also Alexander Livingston, the well known seedsman of Ohio and Iowa; died in 1823.

Michael Kerr—aged forty-nine; came to this county in 1792; Michael Kerr who lives on the turnpike is a grandson; was a carpenter and builder; died in 1834.

Thomas Green—aged sixty-six; brother of James and John; was a Revolutionary soldier; his wife was Elizabeth McGill, daughter of Patrick, the pioneer; Frederick Green of Jackson, is his great-grandson; lived on the farm now owned by John Henry Davis; died in 1821.

James Green—aged sixty-eight; brother of Thomas (above); eldest son of Thomas Green, who died in 1771, and was one of the first burials in the old Cemetery south of the village; was the great-grandfather of the late James Green of Coila, and Alex. Green of this village; lived beside his brother Thomas, on the farm now owned by Henry G. Maxwell; died in 1812. In addition to the brothers and sisters named in, or in connection with this list, there was Sarah, wife of Robert Blake, whose family were connected with this church, and Deborah, wife of John Weir, brother of Robert, and ancestor of the Jackson Weirs.

John Wright—an old man; the father of John, Jun. (above), and seems to have lived in the Maxwell neighborhood; no descendants known.

John McFarland—aged forty-three; eldest son of Daniel, who came from Scotland in 1785; lived in Jackson near East Greenwich, and was a cousin of John Maxwell’s wife (above); his son Daniel, lived near Battenville, and great-grandsons Charles, Robert and William live in Albany; died in 1847.

William Miller—supposed to be a brother of James; was a soldier in the American army during the Burgoyne campaign; was a carpenter by trade.

Edward Cook—aged thirty-three; his wife was Margaret Skellie, a daughter of Alexander (above); no descendants; lived in this village; died in 1843.

William Graham—known as “Little Billy”; his wife was Nancy Graham, a daughter of William the elder; came to this country in 1795; lived near Deacon McGeoch’s where George E. McGeoch now lives; moved to Franklin county, Ohio, in 1817.

William Livingston—aged eighty-one, came to America in 1790, was the father of Alex. (above) and great-grandfather of the late William of this village; was a weaver by trade and was employed at it over eighty years; died in 1822.

Alex. Skellie—aged thirty-nine; a son of Alexander, the elder, and great-grandfather of A. G. Skellie of North Argyle; died in 1831.

John Archer—aged forty-six; a son of Joseph, a pioneer, then still living, who came to this country with his family about 1790, was the grandfather of James Archer and the late Mrs. Elizabeth Hover of this village; lived on the Clark Wright farm now owned by Richard McHugh; died in 1815.

John W. Graham—aged thirty-two; a son of William the elder. His wife was Margaret Irvine, daughter of James. Dr. Russell Graham of Monmouth, Ill., is a grandson and Mrs. John McGeoch of East Greenwich is a granddaughter; moved to Putnam in 1822 and later to Franklin county, Ohio, where he died in 1848.

John Law—aged sixty-four; came to this country in 1771 and was a Revolutionary soldier, a justice of the peace, brother of Robert (above); many descendants; great-grandfather of the late James and Ellen Law of Shushan; lived on a farm near Shushan; died in 1811 and was buried in the old Salem cemetery.

Thomas Law—aged thirty-nine; eldest son of John (above). His wife was Mary Law, his cousin, daughter of Robert; was the grandfather of the late James Law of Shushan; lived near Shushan and passed into that church at its organization in 1821; died in 1830.

Alexander Wright—aged seventy-five. His brother Samuel and he were very early settlers in Salem near Shushan; has descendants in the county but none of the name; passed to the Shushan church in 1821; died in 1830.

Hugh Moore—aged fifty-nine; son of James, a pioneer. It is said that he was a Tory and saw service under Burgoyne at Saratoga, while his father and brother James were in the American army. He afterwards became a justice of the peace and kept a popular hostelry on the place now owned by George M. Foster near Shushan, the through travel north to Montreal going that way until about this date. He was the great-grandfather of the late William Moore who lived just north of this village; died in 1831.

James McDougall, Junior—aged forty. Supposed to be the one of that name well-known later in the town of Argyle; was never married; died in 1831.

Robert McArthur—about thirty-five years, a brother of John who was the grandfather of William of Jackson. Myron McArthur, now of Jackson, is a great-grandson by his mother’s line of descent.

Aug 202006
 

This is a transcription of the adherents section from The Men Who Called Dr. Bullions 104 Years Ago, written by Rev. John C. Scott, D. D., The Washington County Post, Cambridge, NY, 1911.

John Woods—supposed to be a brother of James. Nothing is known of his history.

James Ashton—probably about twenty-two years, the oldest son of John.

Robert Irvine—aged thirty-five, a son of James (above). His wife was Mary Lang, a daughter of Thomas, became a full member the following year and passed to the Shushan church in 1821; He died in 1837.

Thomas Green—aged thirty-five, a son of James and brother of Samuel. His wife was his cousin, Sarah Coulter, a sister of George and James. The late James Green of Coila, was his grandson. He became a full member the following year, and lived on the Henry G. Maxwell farm. Died in 1852.

Peter Irvine—aged sixty-three. Supposed to be a brother of James. He became a fill member in 1808. No living descendants known. Died in 1813.

George Lourie—aged twenty-one, a son of Alex. His first wife was Mary Whiteside Irving, a daughter of James. The second wife was Jannet Beveridge, a daughter of Rev. Thomas. He was the father of the late Judge James I. and Thomas B., and lived on the Thos. B. Lourie farm. He became a full member in 1811. Died in 1868.

Samuel McDoual—aged twenty-four, a son of James and a brother of John. His wife was Georgiana Irvine, a daughter of Peter. He became a full member in 1810, and moved to Albany County, where descendants yet alive. Died in 1823.

James Shiland—probably about twenty-three years, a son of John, Sen., and half-brother of John. He became a full member in 1811 and some time after moved to the northern part of the county.

Hugh Larmonth, Junior—aged twenty-six, a son of Hugh and uncle of the late John Larmon of this village. Died in 1835.

David Edie—aged twenty-six, a son of James and brother of William and Ephraim, became a full member in 1809. His wife was Margaret Fleming, a daughter of James (above). He was the father of Mrs. Robertson Edie and grandfather of Mrs. E. G. Shiland, Albert Hunt and H. L. Edie, and lived on the George Green farm lately occupied by James A. Foster. Died in 1856.

Robert Coulter—aged twenty-three, a brother of George and James. Died unmarried in 1808.William Green—aged twenty-five, a son of Thomas. His wife was Jennet Archer, a sister of John (above). John W., known as “Asa Green,” was his son. He lived on the farm now owned by John H. Davis. He became a full member in 1809. Died in 1852.

William Frazer—supposed to be a brother of John (above). His name disappears from our records after the year 1818, when he probably joined his brother at Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Esther and Elizabeth, sisters of John and William, lived in a house which stood near the brook north of Rev. John R. Fisher’s place within the memory of people now living.

James Robertson—a young man, a son of John (above) and the eldest brother of David, who is still remembered. His wife was Isabel Edie, a daughter of William. He became a full member in 1808. Moved west where descendants still live.

William Livingston—aged twenty-two, a son of Alex. and father of the late William of this village and grandfather of Edward and Agnes. His wife was Agnes Robertson, a daughter of John. He lived in this village and was a weaver by trade. Became a full member in 1811. Died in 1849.

Thomas Shiland—probably about twenty-one, a son of John Sen., and brother of James and half-brother of John, and also of John and Robert McArthur. Became a full member in 1811. Married Elizabeth Larmonth, a daughter of Hugh, in 1814, and a few years later moved to Delaware Co., where descendants still reside.