Image and text from Otsego county New York Geographical and Historical
by Edwin F Bacon, Ph B. 1902 Oneonta NY
| Page 19. BUTTERNUTS. Area 26,008 Acres. Population 1,698. Butternuts was formed from Unadilla in 1796. Its surface is a hilly upland rising from the Unadilla river, which bounds it on the west, in a series of steep bluffs to the height of 500 or 600 feet. Butternuts Creek flows southwest through a deep valley near the center of the town. A large number of smaller streams flow through valleys among the hills, dividing the ridges and giving to the region a peculiarly broken appearance. Gilbertsville, formerly called Butternuts, is the only village in the township. The following graphic description of it is abridged from a sketch published in the local paper, the Otsego Journal. "The village is located in a beautiful valley. On the west a high hill rises abruptly. Downward through the hills extends a deep ravine into which a little brook flows, in springtime rushing down with the violence of a mountain torrent and in summer rippling gently over the stones on its way through the heart of the village. Toward the east the valley stretches away for some distance. Through this valley flows the Butternuts Creek on its winding course. This stream is spanned in three places at roads leading directly into the village by iron bridges. On the hill just south of the village are situated the fine residences of Thos. Swinyard and N.C. Chapman, who make Gilbertsville their summer home. The site of the village was included in the Patent of 35,000 acres of land granted by the state to Lewis and Richard Morris as indemnity for property destroyed during the Revolution. The name Butternuts was derived from the descriptions in the Morris and Wharton Patents, all beginning at "Three Butternut Trees" growing from one stump or root. The Messrs. Morris divided their Patent by lot. General Jacob Morris received from his father, Lewis Morris, a tract of 5,000 acres. "Abijah Gilbert of Warwickshire, England, came to America in 1786, spending the winter with relatives in New Jersey. It was here he met Richard and Lewis Morris and purchased a tract of 1,000 acres for which he paid 51 pounds, 8s, 8d. before seeing the wilderness that was to become his home. The original tract included the portion where Gilbertsville now stands, reaching away through the Butternuts valley and back on the hills bounding the village. In 1787 Gen. Jacob Morris made his first expedition into the region accompanied by Mr. Gilbert, and the settlement of the village began in the same year. "The second settler was Joseph Cox, also of Warwickshire, England. The third settler was a woman, Betsy Nichols, and the first wedding that which celebrated her marriage with Joseph Cox. Mr. Cox introduced the making of English cheese, still quite an industry in that section. Dairyng is the principal occupation at the present time. "In those early days the timber being so abundant was of comparatively little value. The main object of work was to clear the land for crops. The fourth immigrant was John Marsh, an energetic young pioneer from Connecticut. He brought a yoke of oxen of great service in logging. In 1791 Mr. Gilbert returned to England and in the following spring brought his family to the log cabin home in America. "Two sons of Abijah Gilbert, John Y. and Joseph T., who had been attending school at Schenectady, came to the settlement in 1799. About the same time came also William Musson and Samuel Cotton, with whom Mr. Gilbert formed a business partnership under the name of Musson, Cotton and Gilbert. This firm established a store on the Musson farm in 1806. Religious services were held for some time in Mr. Gilbert's barn, and the first religious society was formed in 1797." Edward Thorp was a pioneer north of the village. His son Henry was a member of Assembly in 1873. Charles Root, the father of Mayor Charles P. Root, was an early settler in the eastern part of the township. The Shaw brothers, Deacon Samuel, Col. David and William came from Massachusetts in 1796. Other pioneers who are honorably remembered were Capt. John Bryant, and the brothers Levi and Thomas Halbert. Levi Halbert was the first teacher in the town. The first supervisor was Lewis Franchot (1796-'98), and the first town clerk Hezekiah Dayton (1796-1805). SCHOOLS: Number of districts, 15. Number of teachers, 15. Children of school age, 320. The Gilbertsville High School occupies the substantial stone building formerly used by the Academy. It is under the control of the Regents of the University of the State, and grants Regents' diplomas. It provides a classical course of four years. It is well supplied with apparatus, maps, and anatomical models. Pupils have access also to the excellent village library. The faculty of the school consists of a principal and four assistants. CHURCHES: At Gilbertsville, Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian. NEWSPAPERS: The Otsego Journal, published at Gilbertsville. Established 1876. Transcribed by Karen Flanders Eddy. KARENE1@webtv.net |