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Family RESEARCH


A NARRATIVE OF THE EVERINGHAM FAMILY
IN THE TOWN OF LAYATETTE, N.Y.

By J. Roy Dodge, 1991


Sent to Kevin Everingham June 23, 2003
from Robert I. Everingham of LaFayette, NY
J. Roy Dodge is noted as a town historian.
Maps referenced were not attached.
Page 1

Sometime before the birth of their son, Jeremiah, on August 2, 1796 (1) John and Nancy Everingham came to Cazenovia, N.Y. Cazenovia, first settled in 1793 by John Lincklain as local agent of the Holland Land Co., was then in Chenango County. In 1800 John "Evenham" was shown on the census of Chenango County with four males under the age of ten, 1 male aged 16 to 26, 1 male and 1 female aged 26 to 45.

Jeremiah Everingham stated in 1878 that his father built the first grist mill in Cazenovia. (2) By this we must assume that he was the builder rather than the owner. It was John Lincklain who caused to have built the first saw and grist mills in 1794 in his capacity as land agent. (3) If such is the case, this may date John Everingham's arrival in central New York and offer an explanation why he moved fifteen miles west of Cazenovia a few years later. Oddly enough his daughter, Charlotte Hamilton, born October 15, 1798 says on the Census of 1865 that she was born in Oneida County.

Jeremiah further stated that the family moved from Cazenovia to the town of Pompey (now LaFayette) in May of 1801. (4) His obituary says, "In 1802 his father moved to the valley on the Butternut creek, near Collingwood in the town of LaFayette. Childhood and boyhood were spent amid the hardships of pioneer life, with very slight chances in the old fashioned country school."

There are no recorded deeds to or from John Everingham in Onondaga County. Just exactly where, "on the Butternut creek", did he settle? Arvilla Everingham does not mention a location in her account (1951) and town historian Newton E. King says in his notes (1952), "just where he settled is unknown". (5)

Jeremiah said in 1878 that, "he purchased the 'old home' of fifty acres from one of his brothers for $600.00 and paid for it by working out by the month". He says he got $15.00 a month in summer and with his ox team, $20.00 a month in winter.

These fifty acres which Jeremiah calls the 'old home' were the serveyed fifty acreas on lot #90 and marked "S-50" on H.D. Sweet's map, a copy of wich is attached herewith. The survey of fifty acres in each lot were awarded to the surveyors as payment for laying out the lots in the original surveys of 1790. The "S-50" on lot #90 was awarded by the Onondaga Commissioners to Theodorus V.W. Graham on November 6, 1799. (6) Twenty years later it was the same fifty acres that he sold to Samuel and Jeremiah Everingham on February 16, 1819. A month later on March 24, 1819 Jeremiah purchased his brother's interest for $600.00, exactly as he recalled nearly sixty years later. On February 15, 1824 he married Sophia French, "in her 16th year" and soon, "in Jeremiah's family his dependent parents and five younger brothers and sisters made their home".

Page 2

The question is, of course, what did Jeremiah mean by his use of the term 'Old Home'? Was this fifty acres the old home settled by John Everingham in 1801? If so, why was it owned by the same man from 1799 to 1819? Was it under some type of lease, mortgage or contract to John Everingham which was eventually paid off by his sons? In short, we have no proof that the parents lived in Jeremiah's 'old home' prior to 1819. His occupation of it, however, is noted in school district report dated July 1, 1829 and shows the land to be entirely on the lot #90 as were Darius Hamilton and Lemuel Branch.

A study of the attached map from H.D. sweet's atlas of 1874 shows that much of "S-50" was actually east of the railroad as it was later laid out and built in 1852-1854. Regarding the Enoch Everingham farm to which this was later attached, N.E. King says in his notes, "The original house was back from the road near a large spring". (7) This spring is still in use. It is located about 3/4 of the way between present Apulia Road and the railroad directly west of the intersection of Clark Hollow Road and Apulia Road. That portion of the 'old home' located west of the railroad was detached from the farm by a later owner (J.Bocak) and sold for development. It was laid out as the Deer Run Subdivision in 1973 and by now (1991) six or seven houses have been built upon it. Once all cleared and plowed, it has now largely returned to a state of nature except for the houses built and the roads constructed. (8)

On May 27, 1830 Enoch Everingham, who had removed to the town of Manlius with one of his older brothers, returned to LaFayette. He purchased sixty acres, adjacent to his brother's old home, on lot #91. This was a mortgage foreclosure by decree of the Master of Chancery, Abijah Yelverton, against Frederick and Rufus Freeman. (Bk. UU P.51) Upon this acreage Enoch lived from 1830 and in the year 1844, or so it is said, built the large house still standing thereon. (9)

On July 21, 1832 Rufus and Elisha Kinne sold one hundred acres across the northern edge of lot #1 town of Fabius to Jeremiah Everingham. (Bk 64, P.312) Apparently he moved to this farm at the time and later in 1838 purchased 33 acres adjacent to it on lot #90 LaFayette. On that same day, July 21, 1832, he sold the 'old home' to Elisha and Amanda Kinne. Five years later, December 16, 1837, they sold it to Enoch Everingham who included it in his farm adjacent and the 'old home' was torn down or fell down. Apparently it was gone without a trace by the time the county map of 1852 was drawn. (10)

In the spring of 1850 Jeremiah Everingham purchased 77 acres in the town of Onondaga on lots 213,221,225 and known as "seeley Flats". He moved there with all of his family except son William who remained on the Fabius farm and later purchased it from his father January 1, 1858.

When Jeremiah had moved to the town of Fabius his son William was seven years old. The next place south, a few rods down a short hill from Everingham's, was the Ezekiel Mills farm. It was truly a question of a boy who marries the "girl next door" when Ezekiel's daughter, Anna and William were married in November, 1849 just before the rest of the family moved to Seeley Flats.

On July 7, 1826 Ezekiel A. Mills was living in the town of New Marlborough, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. That was the day that he purchased one hundred acres on lot #1 of the town of Fabius from Amos Tenney. (Bk. HH p.318)

Page 3

Arvilla Everingham's account (1951) says that Anna Mills was "born in Connecticut January 4, 1827, came to the town of Fabius when six weeks old by ox cart". This is probably not correct. In the first place her parents were living in New Marlborough, Mass., as noted above. Secondly, Anna Mills Everingham says on both the Census of 1855 and 1865 that she was born in Onondaga County. Such a pilgrimage at age 6 weeks seems even move unlikely when one realizes that her mother, Anna Jones Mills, died March 9, 1827 and was buried in Sherman Hollow when the baby was nine weeks old.

Ezekiel Adolphus Mills was born December 16, 1767, the son of Ezekiel and Ursula Phelps Mills, at West Simsbury (now Canton) Connecticut. He was descended from Simon Mills who immigrated fro England to Connecticut in 1639. Ezekiel A. married Orpha Holcomb of Granby, Conn. and they lived at New Marlborough, Berkshire Co., Mass. To this marriage were born:
  1. Flora or Florus Mills born August 10, 1794, died November 20, 1803
  2. Ezekiel Mills born February 4, 1800, died November 2, 1803
  3. Orpha Mills born March 19, 1802, died November 5, 1803
  4. Samuel Mills born June 21, 1805, died unmarried
  5. Orpha Orvilla Mills born 1809, died October 14, 1855 aged 46. Married at LaFayette, N.Y. to Eliphalet Cushman Sturtevant, a cabinet maker, born 1807/1808. He married secondly Mrs. Caroline Hart.
    • Samuel Adolphus born 1840, married Mary Emery, no children
    • James A. born 1843
    • Marshall E. born 1847
    • Harriet
  6. Fanny Mills
  7. Phelps I. Mills

    Orpha Mills died and on June 24, 1814 Ezekiel published his intention to marry Anna Jones of Ohio. Their first two children were born in Massachusetts.

  8. John W. Mills born 1820, married Patty Bennett, died June 30, 1862.
    • Almon born 1844
    • Monroe born 1849
    • Alice born Feb 16, 1852 m. LeRoy Dodge & occupied the Mills farm.
  9. Olive Mills born 1823, married Samuel C. Worden. Children; Ida, Alta, Cassius, Herbert. The Worden family owned a farm of 70 acres at Rockwell Springs, N.Y. which they divided into lots and called the place Nedrow, their name spelled backwards, as it remains today.
  10. Anna Mills born January 4, 1827, married William Everingham.

    After the Death of his second wife, Ezekiel Mills married Mrs. Thirza Bump and had one daughter:

  11. Charlotte Mills born May, 1828, married December 27 1847 to George Hungerford of Jamesville, N.Y. She died April 3, 1910. Children; George born 1849, Maude married Charles F. Hanna, Charlotte. (11)

Ezekiel Adolphus Mills died September 19, 1847 aged 77, 9mo., 4 dys. He and his second wife, Anna, are burried in the Sherman Hollow Cemetery.

Page 4

After Enoch Everingham purchased sixty acres on lot #91 (1830), upon which he lived, he acquired more land south of the Sherman Hollow cemetery as follows: 3 1/2 acres fro Benjamin June, 1833; 50 acres from Samuel Hitchcock, 1836. The latter was formerly occupied by Eliakim Brooks until 1833.; 161 acres from Jabez Butts in 1849.

Benjamin June was a weaver by trade, born in Stamford, Connecticut, February 13, 1755, served in the Revolution and came here about 1814. He lived south of the Sherman Hollow cemetery but on the east side of the road. In the census of 1820 for the town of Pompey the following report is made regarding his "cloth factory";
"Raw materials -- 1,550lbs of dye goods and dye stuffs with a value of $70.00; persons employed -- 2 men; machinery in operation -- 1 shearing machine, 1 fulling machine, 1 copper kettle and 1 calender kettle, 1 press and plate; captial invested -- $1000.00; amount paid in wages -- $21.00; amount of contingent expenses -- $100.00; items manufactured -- fulled and plan cloth, blankets; market value of items --$5000.00; comments -- In good repair at present. The past not good. The demand good."

When he sold 26 acres on lot #91, February 2, 1822, it is shown as "Benjamin June weaver of the town of Pompey and Ruth his wife" (BK eE, p.15) At the time of his death on February 9, 1850 four days short of his 95th birthday, he still lived on the little place of 161/2 acres which he had recently sold to his sone, Joel. Joel June sold it July 22, 1853 to Reuben Bryan Jr. and Bryan sold it to Enoch Everingham April 1, 1865. On the map of 1860 the place was occupied by "S. Partridge". Apparently the buildings were later removed.

On the West side of the road, south of the Sherman Hollow cemetery and the stream which flows nearby, Enoch Everingham's son Francis built a house. He had married Damia Cole and lived here from after 1860, was here in 1865, until he moved to Onondaga Valley. This was the house occupied from 1874 to 1888 by Jerry and Alice Everingham and from 1888 to 1918 by George Everingham. It burned in January 1920 and was replaced by on eon the same foundation by Lee Leonard who then owned the place.

When William Everingham purchased his uncle Enoch's farm on January 1, 1867 he paid $30,500.00 for 250 acres or $122.00 per acre. This included all stock, cattle and tools. It was the largest amount ever paid for a farm in the town of LaFayette up to that time and remained so for many years thereafter.

William Everingham is said to have owned the first purebred cattle in the town of LaFayette. In 1874-75 he owned 52-54 milk cows which was the largest herd in the town. In the New York State agricultural census of 1875 there were 311 farms enumerated. Of these, 14 contained 3 to 10 acres, 30 contained 10 to 20 acres, 72 contained 20 to 50 acres, 104 contained 50 to 100 acres and 91 contained 100 to 500 acres. There were none over 500 acres. The five largest farms in total improved acres, (i.e. cleared land) were Leman Gaylord 170 acres, Charles Hiscock 200 acres, Frank Farrington 220 acres, Harvey C. Dodge 240 acres and William Everingham 286 acres.

There were only fifteen farms, out of 311 with a cash value in excess of $10,000., viz: Roswell P. Hall $10,200; Jerome Clark $11,000; Seneca E. Clark $12,000; Andrew Fuller $13,000; John Weller $13,500; Morris Baker $13,500; William Jones $14,870; Frank Farrington $15,000; Chester Baker $16,000; Luther Baker $16,000; Harrison Thomas $17,000; William Everingham $17,460; Harvey C. Dodge $18,000; Leman Gaylord $18,000; Charles Hiscock $20,250.

Page 5

The following are the production statistics for the William Everingham farm in the Census of 1875,
value of livestock: $3,200, gross sales from the farm in 1874; $2,500, acres plowed; 35, acres pastured; 150, acres of hay; 90 which produced 135 tons in 1874, acres of spring wheat; 2 which produced 30 bushels in 1874, acres of winter wheat; 2.5 which produced 80 bushels in 1874, acres of oats; 25 which produced 700 bushels in 1874, acres of spring barley; 7 which produced 200 bushels in 1874, acres of Indian corn; 5.5 of which 4 were for the grain and 1.5 were for fodder, acres of potatoes; 3 which produced 400 bushels in 1874, 100 apple trees which produced 50 bushels and 4 barrels of cider, 5 heifers raised in 1875, 2 bulls, 52-54 milk cows from which 2000 pounds of butter were made at home and the rest sent to the cheese factory, 4 horses over the age of 2, 5 pigs slaghtered in 1874 from which 2000 pounds of meat were produced, 25 hens

Shortly before his death of cancer of the face in 1890, William Everingham divided his property. Jeremiah's 'old home' of fifty acres and thirty-seven acres from Enoch's farm of 1830 went to George Alexander who had married Lucy Everingham. William reserved right of domicile for himself and his wife during the remainder of their lives. After George Alexander's death in 1913 Lucy sold the farm to William Fox who was a descendant of Jeremiah's sister, Nancy, who married Dennison Fox. To George H. Everingham went 87 acres, 1 horse and 1 double harness together with twho sheds which were attached to the east side of the main barn. This was made up of the balance of Enoch's farm of 1830, and the Hitchcock and Benjamin June purchases. It passed in 1918 to Lee, later to Lyle Leonard, and 1942 to Bocak. Sixty eight acres went to Charlotte Amelia Everingham Case and were sold the same day to Judson Kinne.

It may be of some interest to note that Darius and Charlotte Everingham Hamilton lived all of their lives on a ninety-six acre farm on the east side of lot #90, perched on the hill-side above the railroad track. They had a road which passed near the Sherman Hollow cemetery, near a small creek which flows there, up the hill to an underpass beneath the railroad. This road was not a formal right-of-way but by courtesy of the Everinghams. Their children; 1. John Hamilton born May 8, 1824 died 1895; 2. Enoch Hamilton born Jan 1826 died Dec 15, 1854; 3. Warren born 1827 died Nov 8, 1867; 4. Otis Hamilton born 1829 died March 1895; 5. Polly born 1831 married Thomas Baker; 6. Nancy born 1833 married Jerome Clark; 7. Baxter Hamilton b. 1836 died Sept 28, 1859; 8. Minor Hamilton born 1838 died March 1891; 9. Sarah Ann born 1844 married Harrison Clark. (in the census of 1865 Charlotte said she was the mother of eight children yet there were nine in the family as shown in the census and other records) Following the death of Darius in 1878 the farm was sold to William Alexander and here George Alexander, who married Lucy Everingham, grew up. (13)

When William and family moved to the Enoch Everingham farm the town of Fabius property was sold, on March 1, 1867, to Stephen French and wife Arvilla. In 1865 she said that she was the mother of nine children. The second from the youngest was Alice who later married Jerry Everingham. One of the oldest was Sarah who married Harrison Scammell and had a daughter, Mattie who married William Fox and lived for thirty years on another William Everingham farm as noted above.



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