Fulton County History

The record of events in what is now Fulton county, up to the time of its comparatively recent formation from Montgomery, is a part of the history of the latter, and as such it was necessary to relate it in an earlier portion of the work. The experience of Fulton county has been one of peace, and the occurrences of such a period - the improvement of the country and development of population and industry - though of transcendent importance, make less show in the pages of the historian than the destructive operations of war. The history of the territory embraced in the county, however, like that of all this part of the State, is long and eventful. To trace its earlier stages, the reader need but turn to the other pages of the work, on which the relations and connection of the events to be narrated made it necessary to record them.

The formation of Fulton county, as already intimated, was caused chiefly by the natural dissatisfaction felt by the people of the northern part of Montgomery upon the removal of the county courts and offices from their ancient capital to an upstart village, as it seemed to them, with no adequate claims to the honor. Historic Johnstown has been the county seat for nearly seventy years, some of them the most momentous in the nation's annals, and was a settlement of some importance and much promise four score years before it was proposed to transfer its honors and advantages as a judicial centre to a rival just springing into existence. The agitation resulting from such natural considerations was powerful enough to procure the organization of a new county, which has been amply vindicated by the development of the district so incorporated, especially by the prosperity of Johnstown and the notable growth of Gloversville, Fulton having now within its picturesque and fertile domain but a trifle less population than the parent county.

The act creating Fulton county became a law April 18, 1838. The county has an area of 544 square miles, and the population at the census of 1875 was 30,155, over half of it in the town of Johnstown. The assessed valuation of real estate was $3,753,666, and of personal property $460,328; total $4, 216,199. The first law-suit tried in the county under its present organization was a case of ejectment, brought in the Court of Common Pleas, by Jabez K. Phillips against Stephen Chase, April 1, 1839. A. Lamont pledged himself solemnly under oath, in April 1845, to perform to the best of his ability the duties of the office of inspector of sole-leather--no laughing matter in a region where tanning has been a staple industry. The details in the annals of the county not already given will be found in full in the town and village histories.

The first election for new county was held in the autumn of 1838. The Assemblymen chosen from the district (now consisting of Fulton and Hamilton counties) at that time and since, with the dates of the election, have been as follows:

James Yanney	1838	Henry W. Spencer	1858
Langdon I. Marvin	1839	James Kennedy	1859
Jenison G. Ward	1840	Jas. H. Burr	1860
John Patterson	1841	Jas. H. Burr	1861
John L. Hutchinson	1842	Willard J. Heacock	1862
James Harris	1843	William A. Smith	1863
Garret A. Newkirk	1844	Walter M. Clark	1864
Clark S. Grinnell	1845	Joseph Covell	1865
Darius Moore	1846	Joseph Covell	1866
Isaac Benedict	1847	Samuel W. Buell	1867
John Culbert	1848	Wm. F. Barker	1868
Cyrus H. Brownell	1849	John F. Empire	1869
John Stuart	1850	Mortimer Wade	1870
Alfred N. Haner	1851	Samuel W. Buell	1871
Wm. A. Smith	1852	Willard J. Heacock	1872
Wesley Gleason	1853	John Sunderlin	1873
Wesley Gleason	1854	Geo. W. Fay	1874
Isaac Lafever	1855	John J. Hanson	1875
Patrick McFarlan	1856	Geo. W. Fay	1876
John C. Holmes	1857	John W. Peek	1877

The following gentlemen have served as sheriffs of the county, being elected at the dates attached to their names:

David I. McIntyre	1838	Austin Karson	1859
Knapthalee Cline	1841	Jacob P. Miller	1862
Michael Thompson	1844	James Purson	1865
Daniel Potter	1847	William P. Brayton	1868
Amasa Shippee	1850	Oliver Getman	1871
Elisha Bentley	1853	John Dunn	1874
Bradford T. Simmons	1856	Hiram Praim	1877

The following is a list of County Clerks of Fulton county, with dates of election:

Tobias A. Stoutenbergh	1838	Mortimer Wade	1859
Stephen Wait	1841	Mortimer Wade	1862
Stephen Wait	1844	Mortimer Wade	1865
Stephen Wait	1847	Mortimer Wade	1868
Peter W. Plants	1850	Mortimer Wade	1871
Archibald Anderson	1853	William S. McKie	1874
Archibald Anderson	1856	William S. McKie	1877

The following gentlemen have been incumbents of the several county offices mentioned, the dates of their election being specified in connection with their names:

Charles A. Baker Aaron Bartlett	1847	Jenison G. Ward Peter W. Plantz	1864
Wm. Spencer David Kennedy	1849	Harley Bartlett Seth Cook	1865
Aaron Nellis David Kennedy	1850	Henry G. Enos Wm. Spencer	1866
Peter R. Simmons	1851	Morgan Lewis Henry G. Enos	1867
Lucius Rice John P. Cline	1852	Rules Eastman Jeremiah S. Austin	1868
Lucius Rice Daniel Lassell	1853	David Kennedy Morgan Lewis	1869
Henry C. Johnes Aaron Nellis	1854	Alozono J. Blood David Kennedy	1870
Wm. Spencer James Stewart	1855	Jeremiah S. Austin John J. Hayes	1871
Henry W. Spencer James Stewart	1856	Watson Turner John L. Hutchinson	1872
Ira Beckwith Wm S. Ingraham	1857	David Kennedy Harvey D. Smith	1873
Jeremiah S. Austin David Getman	1858	Wm. J. Robb Jeremiah S. Austin	1874
James Stewart Seth Cook	1859	Wm. J. Robb Wm. Spencer	1875
James Creighton Seth Cook	1860	Ephraim Bronk Ephraim Van Slyke	1876
David Kennedy	1861	Emerson Brown William Coppernoll	1877
Robert Whitlock Emanuel Thumb	1862
Wyant Lepper Daniel B. Whitlock	1863

John W. Cady	1840	John S. Enos	1853
Clark S. Grinnell	1840	J. M. Carroll	1859
Clark S. Grinnell	1845	R. H. Rosa	1862
John W. Cady	1846	R. H. Rosa	1865
Thos. L. Wakefield	1847	R. H. Rosa	1868
A. Hamilton Ayers	1848	R. H. Rosa	1871
William Wait	1849	Jerry Keck	1874
I. H. H. Frisbee	1852	Jerry Keck	1877
James M. Dudley	1853

Daniel Stewart	1845	Eugene Bertrand	1857
Burnett H. Dewey	1846	David A. Wells	1860
Rodney H. Johnson	1847	Burnett H. Dewey	1863
Archibald Anderson	1848	James P. Argersinger	1872
Daniel Edwards	1854	James P. Argersinger	1875

Morgan Lewis	1844	Collins Odell A. H. Van Arnam Aaron Nellis	1847
William G. Wait John P. Claus Ephraim A. Campbell	1845	John P. Claus George Beach John R. Mitchel	1848
Samuel R. Dudley Morgan Lewis I. B. Yost	1846	George Beck	1849

The alms house at West Bush was established in 1853. Since that date the superintendents have been J. B. Levitt, Richard Fancher, J. D. Foster, W. W. Washburn, J. H. Washburn, and Lubin S. Capron, the last-named having been elected in 1874. The alms-house stands on a farm of nearly 100 acres, which is made to yield a considerable revenue, and has generally some fifty or sitxty inmates. The children attend a public school.

An agricultural fair was held in Johnstown as early as early as Oct. 12, 1819, by a society organized that year, of which Henry F. Cox was president, and James McIntyre secretary. Jacob Boshart won the society's first premium for the best milch cows exhibited ($8); the best heifer ($7), and the best pair of two-year steers ($8). Each premium was accompanied by a testimonial, gotten up in better style than many similar documents of the present day. Fairs have been in most of the years since this first one.

In 1865 the society bought about eighteen acres of ground, near Johnstown, for a permanent fair ground, on which a half mile race-course was laid out. The necessary fencing, building, etc., at the time, cost between $2,000 and $3,000, and a show building erected in the autumn of 1877, at an additional expense of about $1,000. At the time of the purchase of the fair ground Elisha Briggs was president of the society, Isaiah Yauney (to whom we are indebted for these facts) secretary, and Mortimer Wade Treasurer. The present officers are: President, Nicholas H. Decker; secretary, John P. Davidson; and treasurer, James I. Younglove; with a number of vice-presidents and directors.

This organization was incorporated May 12, 1871, and its articles of association filed three days later. It has a paid-up capital of $18,000 in shares of $100 each, and six trustees, namely: A. Judson, Gloversville, president; L. Calen, Gloversville, secretary and treasurer; W. A. Heacock, Gloversville; D. A. Wells, Johnstown; L. Veghte, Johnstown; and D. B. Judson, Kingsboro.

The Fulton County Medical Society was organized June 16, 1867, by Dr. W. H. Johnson, Francis Burdick, P. R. H. Sawyer, P. R. Furbeck, Jehiel Lefler, W. L. Johnson and Eugene Beach.

An election of officers was had, which resulted in the choice of Dr. W. H. Johnson as president; Dr. Sawyer, vice-president; Dr. Lefler, treasurer; Dr. W. L. Johnson, recording secretary, and Dr. Burdick, corresponding secretary.

Annual, and latterly more frequent meetings have been held, usually at Johnstown or Gloversville, for professional discussion and social intercourse.

John Wells	1847	McIntyre Fraser	1871
Nathan J. Johnston	1851	A. D. L. Baker	1875
John Stewart	1855

William Wait	1855	Lucius F. Burr	1866
E. B. Towner	1857	Cyrus Stewart	1869
Ira H. Van Ness	1860	John M. Dougal	1872
Lucius F. Burr	1863	James H. Foote	1875

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