y o m i n q by Harry S. Douglass - Old Fulton History

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Page 66 HISTORICAL WYOMING April 1954 Published quarterly at Arcade, New York, under sponsorship of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors, by Harry S„ Douglass, County Historian; Robert W» McGowan, Associate Editor, and students of Arcade Central School, CURRIERS THROUGH THE YEARS (cont.) trees were leveled at the headwaters, the stream had a steady yearround flow. Whether his wife, the former Milcsh Sikes, then but nineteen, came with him is not known but theirs was the original log cabin reared on the site of Curriers. They lived there around ten years when the family removed to the Town of Gainesville where Mr. Brown resided for fifty years. While still in Java, Mr. Brown was elected in 1819,collector, constable and inspector of common schools for the old Town of China (Arcade & Java) at a town meeting held In his home. Again,in 1821,the voters assembled in his cabin for their annual gathering. It is said that the first neighbor of the Browns at the Corners was Charles Pox, native of Dutchess Co., N. Y., who arrived from Darien, Genesee Co. in the spring of 1819, made a small improvement and erected a frame house on Lot 18, which is the northwest corner, and planted a nursery with apple seeds he brought with him and from which many of the older orchards of the vicinity originated. Early the next year, he brought on his family and in 1822 put up a tavern, said to have been the first in the township, on the site of the present Grange Hall. This business he conducted for five years when he sold to Captain Nahum Thompson, and Fox subsequently removed to Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where he died in 1859. Town meetings were held in the Pox Tavern on four occasions, 1823-21)., 1826, 1829, and the proprietor was elected an assessor. Captain Nahum Thompson, a Vermonter by birth, also from Darien, came here In 1826,kept the old Fox tavern but two years when he sold to Edgar Camp, "hompson, who commanded a company under Colonel Mattison in the War of l8l2,in 1829 erected a hotel just east of the present school,keeping a public house about three years. This hotel, a private dwelling, long known as the Maynard Rosier house,is doubtless the oldest building in Curriers,and was occupied for many years by Lucius Thompson, son of the Captain. In l833> aged 56 years, Nahum Thompson was laid in the little cemetery, mourned by a widow and nine children. The old tavern stand, when owned by Mr. Fox, gave the community its first name--Fox's Corners. The original building was removed about I83O by Edgar Camp and the present Grange Hall erected as a hotel. In about a year or so, the property passed into the possession of the Abner Currier family of Holland, New York, an ownership which gave the settlement its present name, Curriers Corners, or Curriers as it has been called by recent generations. Col. Abner may have lived briefly in the hamlet although it is said he spent his entire life in Erie County,but his son became a leading citizen. Joseph Currier carried on a mercantile business and owned other (continued on page 67)
April 1954 Page 67 CURRIERS THROUGH THE YEARS (contj property there until 1852, when he removed to Arcade, continued as a merchant until he went to Buffalo in i860. He passed away in 1867 and was brought back to Arcade. Joseph served the Town of Java as Town Clerk, 1838-39, and Supervisor in l8Ll and l8i]I|.. As resident of Arcade, he was Supervisor in l8£l| and 1856. A brother, Nathan P. Currier, kept a store at Java ijake, was prominent in public life, serving as Supervisor, County Clerk in 18^2, and removed from Perry to Lockport, N. Y. where he became s business associate of Governor Washington Hunt. NAHUM THOMPSON INN, 1829 - Oldest Curriers House It is recorded that the first stock of merchandise came to Curriers in 1828 with Daniel and William Jackman, who built and occupied a frame store north of the present church. This store and postoffice continued in use upwards of sixty years when it was moved to a site south of the church and a second store put up. About 1920, the old building was removed to the Yauchzj farm where it was later dismantled. Soon after their arrival, the Jackmans also erected an ashery on a spot east of the cemetery. A postoffice was established at Curriers, August 18, 1827, as "China Centre," with Daniel Jackman as postmaster. Edgar Carrv apparently became proprietor of the store within a short time as he is listed as postmaster in 1832, the name of the office being changed that year to "Java" upon the erection of the new township. The office remained as Java until June 1, 192i|_, when upon petition of the patrons, the office was changed to "Curriers." Nov. IS, 1933> when Glenn C. Miller was postmaster, the office was closed and the mail ordered to Arcade. Among the postmasters were Norman Lyford, Philo Potter, Wallace Cheney and Clinton Twiss. The community was known at one period as "West Java" to eliminate some of the confusion resulting from the several Javas in the township. (continued on pa-e 68)
Page 1: V t y o m i n q Vol. VII April 1954
Page 5 and 6: April 1954 CURRIERS THROUGH THE YEA
Page 7 and 8: April 1954 Page 71 CURRIERS THROUGH
Page 19 and 20: April 1954 THE LITTLE STREETS How s
Page 21 and 22: April 1954 WOLF HUNT (cont.) Page 8
Page 23 and 24: April 1954 Page 87 LINUS DAY (cont0
Page 25 and 26: April 1954 NECROLOGY (cont.) Page 8
Page 27 and 28: April 1954 Page 91 r 1 ^ The Kausti
Page 29 and 30: April 1954 Page 93 QUEER TRAVELERS
Page 31 and 32: April 1954 YATES SETTLEMENT, TOWN O

y o m i n q by Harry S. Douglass - Old Fulton History

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