includes Town and Village of Mayfield and
Cranberry Creek, Dennies Hollow, Herba, Jackson Summit, Kunkel Point, Munsonville, Paradise Point, Priddle Point, Progress, Red Bunch Corners, Riceville, Vail Mills and Vandenburgh Point

 

Mayfield Town Square, 1917 Compliments of Tom Novak

 

Around the Town:

• Bannertown - 1920 poem describing just what Mayfield is all about!
• Spafford's 1824 Gazetteer - This contribution is from Montgomery County GenWeb's page, as Mayfield was then a part of Montgomery County in 1824.
• "Old Mayfield" - A look at some of the businesses of the area.
• Hamilton News, November 23, 1894

    

Businesses & Directories:

• Early Industry
• 1869-70 Businesses & Residents
• 1917 Glen Telephone Directory  - for many area towns
• 1939 Fulton & Montgomery Counties Farmer's Directory

   

Churches:

• Mayfield Churches - Church Histories and listings
• Mayfield Presbyterian Church, marriages 1858-1862
• Mayfield Central Presbyterian Church, Session & Membership Records, 1827 - 1873

 

People:

• The Woodworths - Rev. soldiers and family burial recording
• George Hartin Family Bible
• Brower,  Mayfield Families (off-site link)

   

Schools:

• School Days
• Mayfield Students and schools

 

Oliver Rice Home Mayfield Historical Society Museum (Riceville Road), Box 715,  Mayfield, New York 12117 This house was built ca. 1790 by Oliver Rice, after serving under General Washington during the American Revolution.  The home was used by the Rice family for 198 years.  Today, it is a museum (Open in summer or by appointment.).

 

   

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~~~ Historian ~~~ (where to inquire for information)	~~~ Town Clerk~~~ (where to inquire for official records)
Mrs. Betty Tabor Historian, Town of Mayfield 33 West Main Street Mayfield, New York 12117	Town Clerk of Mayfield PO Box 00 Mayfield, NY 12117 (518) 661-5414

History of Mayfield

With much appreciation, this history was written and donated by Betty Tabor, Mayfield Town Historian.  A note of thanks for permission to reprint the following information.

"Several Mayfield men gathered on April 1, 1794 in a crude log church located half a mile West of what is known as the "Nine Mile Tree", nine miles from Johnson Hall, on the road used by Sir William Johnson to reach Summer-House Point.  The log building was the home of the Baptist Church.  The first officers chosen were Supervisor, Selah Woodworth:  Assessors, John Grover, Robert Jackson and Joseph Newton:  Collector, Caleb Woodworth:  Constables, Caleb Woodworth and Adam Becker.  Selah Woodworth was born in 1748 coming to Mayfield from Conn..  His wife's name was Rebecca.  Selah and his wife are buried in Mayfields' historic Woodworth cemetery.  The town records from 1794 to 1826 have been lost or destroyed therefore information pertaining to the town is sparse.

Just a year before, in 1793, Mayfield was set off as a town from Caughnawaga.  In 1805 Wells was taken off from Mayfield.  In 1812 another portion was annexed to that town and in 1842 a part of the South end was annexed to the town of Perth.  Mayfield's length North and South is nearly thrice as great as its breadth, made up of high mountains and rolling surfaces.  Mayfield received its name from the Mayfield patent, granted June 27, 1770, and was one of the first three towns created in the county of Fulton.

Kennyetto Creek runs through the Southeast corner of town, and Anthony Creek from the West line to near the center, where it empties into Mayfield Creek.  Stony Creek flows South along its Eastern border and enters the town of Northampton, where it forms the Vvlie Creek by a confluence with Mayfield Creek.  Mayfield Creek flows through town in a Northeasterly direction South of the center. 

Mayfield is made up of several small hamlets, some of these areas are still named as they were, when first settled.  They include Mayfield Corners, a little North of the center of town.  Selah Woodworth, being the first owner of land purchased from Sir William Johnson.  His brother soon purchased land in the area known as Munsonville.  Mayfield village began to grow and buildings erected, which included two churches, hotel, stores and houses.

Riceville was an area settled about one and a half miles Southeast of Mayfield village and soon became a bustling little community.  In early years Riceville contained taverns, stores, grist-mill, saw-mill, distillery, foundry, various mills, a schoolhouse and several homes.  It was in this area that Oliver Rice started his "Mayfield Life".  The area is still called Riceville although the business places have all disappeared over the years.  Riceville was also on the main road leading from Mayfield to Gloversville before Route 30 was erected.

Wilkins' Corners was a small settlement tow miles Southwest of the Mayfield village and is where the first store opened, owned and operated by William McConnell, who sold a large variety of goods and featured a "whiskey barrel".  This store was a big success as previously the families had to travel to Johnstown by foot or horseback to buy their merchandise.  Wilkins' Corners was also a thriving little community for many years.

Vail Mills was a hamlet Southeast of town, and still named as such, settled between 1790 and 1795.  This little hamlet included a school, store, and post office, grist-mill, tannery and many homes.  Vail Mills, although changed considerably over the years, to date has several flourishing business places.  Even the name spelling has been changed over the years and no doubt the correct spelling is "VAIL'S MILLS".  Anthonyville, still hanging on to its' name, is located about two miles Southwest of Mayfield village.  A carding mill was built on Anthony Creek in 1816 by Lebbens Barton, who also built the second brick house in town.  There were many Anthony families who lived in and started many businesses in this area. 

Munsonville was a very small area located two miles Southeast of the village of Mayfield, and located on the Sacandaga Road.  The present area is named the VanDenburgh Point Road.  The area was settled by Solomon Woodworth, and is covered mostly by water due to the flooding for the Great Sacandaga Lake.  The Munsonville cemetary is located on the point and contains the graves of many of the area settlers and their families.  A Miss Munson married a VanDenburgh, therefore the name of the area is called Munsonville as well as VanDenburgh Point today.  The early setters were Snyders, McLarens, and Goodmasters.  There was a post office in this area run by Warren Perrigo, and a road in the area is named so.

Jackson Summit, named after the Jackson family located three miles North of Mayfield village, for many years was a prosperous hamlet containing many business places and homes.  For a period of years, this area contained two saw mills, a tannery, a clothespin shop, a _ooden-ware factory, blacksmith shop, a shoe shop, store, post-office and school house.  The schoolhouse is the present home of the Hannis family.  There are also a few remains of the buildings and although the center of the industries was located a few miles from the village of Mayfield, the Jackson Summit Road extends several miles from North around West and back down through a Southerly direction.  Jackson Summit was settled about 1826 by James Bogart and it is possible that Bogart is buried in an abandoned cemetary on Jackson Summit as graves have been located of his wife and four year old daughter.  Jackson Summit began to lose its business places when the bark from hemlock trees used for tanning became nearly extinct.

Shawville which is a little East of the center of the village was settled in 1773 when the first grist mill was built in the town by Sir William Johnson.  The area contained a grist and sawmill.  Before 1794 a bridge was built across Mayfield Creek in Shawville and rails can still be found under water.  A state marker reminds one that Romeyns Mill was the first grist or flour mill in town.  There was also a school located on Shawville Hill which was destroyed by a cyclone in 1888.

About 1790 Woodworths' Corners was settled a mile West of the village.  The area was named after W. D. Woodworth.  Located here was a tannery, carpenter shop, grist-mill and twenty homes.

Closeville is situated in the Southeastern part of town and originally was called Woods Hollow, the name used today for the area.  It was settled by a man whose last name was Harmon about 1795, who built a grist mill and a small sawmill.

Cranberry Creek is one of the larger settlements in the Town of Mayfield and to day is quite heavily populated.  The areas' name came from a stream by the same name, and is situated on the No. line of the town.  At on3e time there was a thriving cranberry business here.  A post office, two churches, a schoolhouse, store, and an F. J. and G. railroad station was located here.  M. A. Gilbert was the station agent for many years, and a road is named after his family.

Red Bunch, East of Mayfield village supposedly was named after many of the business places and houses which were painted red.  This area was also known as Mayfield Corners in later years, and contained the famous "Nine Mile Tree".  This area did a lot of lumber business and also contained a hotel, broom factory, a copper shop, and other small business buildings as well as several homes......

Mayfield certainly has done their share in the war efforts throughout history.  One can find many gravestones and markers of veterans which include Revolutionary soldiers.  Mayfield Revolutionary soldiers included Eldert Fonda, Isaac Fonda, Jesse Foot, Jubez Gibbs, Francis Gurnee, Samuel Pettit, John Thompson, Harmon VanBuren, Francis VanBuren, Matthew Vandenberck, Abraham Wells, Capt. Gershom Woodworth, Samuel Woodworth, Selah Woodworth, Solomon Woodworth, Jacob Becker, Isaac Bemis, Samuel Blowers, Jonathon Canfield, Ashbel Cornwell, and Oliver Rice.

The soldiers monument, tallest stone in the Mayfield Cemetary is a memorial to Capt. David Getman, Jr., over his grave.  Mounted on top of a large granite shaft is a Union Cavalry officer, and all four sides include the names of comrades of Capt. Getman's command.  Getman at the age of ten, moved to Mayfield with is parents.  His father was in the mercantile business.  He was also the first elected village president, and was one of the first resident working toward incorporating the village.

The Mayfield grange is the oldest grange in Fulton County.  The local grange which remains very active was organized in 1890.  The original location of the grange meeting place is under water due to the flooding for the Great Sacandaga Lake.  Meetings were held for some time in various homes and other buildings.  In 1937 the present grange hall was erected on Phelps Street."

 

This tidbit of history was forwarded by Lee Garlock, who writes:

Tomantown, which still shows up in the topographic maps was a settlement that existed from mid 1800s to about 1930s north of Jackson Sumitt. There is a jeep trail apparently where an old road was that ran from Bleeker across the base of the mountains and than down to Jackson Sumitt or across to the Mountain Road above Mayfield.  Tomantown was named after a Wendel Toman, a German immigrant in 1830s who settled the area.  At the turn of the last century there was a school house there and other buildings of which only foundations are left today.