Grafton
New York
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Town Of Grafton
History
The area known as the Town of Grafton was settled in the 1780's and 1790's by pioneers moving westward from New England and by Dutch settlers moving up the Hudson River. The land at this time was a part of the Northeast Manor of Rensselaerwyck owned by the VanRensselaers. This area was known as Roxborough. Farmers whose lands were devastated by the Revolutionary War were attracted to the leases of large tracts of land offered by the Patroon. The boundaries of the town were set up and the town officials were chosen on March 20, 1807. In the record book containing the minutes of the first meeting, the election or appointment of officials such as Supervisor, Constable and Justice are listed. Other officials were Pound-keepers, Fence-viewers, and Overseers of the Poor. Pound-keepers were in charge of stray horses, cows, sheep and pigs. They kept these animals at a designated location until reclaimed by their owners. Fence-viewers settled all boundary line disputes and the Overseer of the Poor was in charge of seeing to the welfare of the elderly, orphans, or infirmed who had no families to care for them. Most of the small towns in the area appointed these officials. The early settlers of the town devoted much of their time to clearing the land and planting such crops as were necessary to their survival. As the land clearing took place and housing materials were needed, sawmills became big business with as many as 50 mills over the years; the earliest being set up in 1800, before the town was officially erected. As by-products of the logging industry, charcoal and potash were manufactured in great quantity. By 1813, when the town was six years old, it had progressed enough to have 10 school districts set up. The districts numbered as high as 14 over the years, but possibly not all districts built schools.Also in 1813 the assessment rolls showed the following businesses in our town: Sawmills (6); Cider Mills (4); Lime House (1); Blacksmith Shop (1); Shoemaker-Tan Shop (1); Grist Mill (1). In 1814, a cheese house was added to the list, indicating an abundance of cows at that time.
The area known as the Town of Grafton was settled in the 1780's and 1790's by pioneers moving westward from New England and by Dutch settlers moving up the Hudson River. The land at this time was a part of the Northeast Manor of Rensselaerwyck owned by the VanRensselaers. This area was known as Roxborough. Farmers whose lands were devastated by the Revolutionary War were attracted to the leases of large tracts of land offered by the Patroon. The boundaries of the town were set up and the town officials were chosen on March 20, 1807. In the record book containing the minutes of the first meeting, the election or appointment of officials such as Supervisor, Constable and Justice are listed. Other officials were Pound-keepers, Fence-viewers, and Overseers of the Poor. Pound-keepers were in charge of stray horses, cows, sheep and pigs. They kept these animals at a designated location until reclaimed by their owners. Fence-viewers settled all boundary line disputes and the Overseer of the Poor was in charge of seeing to the welfare of the elderly, orphans, or infirmed who had no families to care for them. Most of the small towns in the area appointed these officials. The early settlers of the town devoted much of their time to clearing the land and planting such crops as were necessary to their survival. As the land clearing took place and housing materials were needed, sawmills became big business with as many as 50 mills over the years; the earliest being set up in 1800, before the town was officially erected. As by-products of the logging industry, charcoal and potash were manufactured in great quantity. By 1813, when the town was six years old, it had progressed enough to have 10 school districts set up. The districts numbered as high as 14 over the years, but possibly not all districts built schools.Also in 1813 the assessment rolls showed the following businesses in our town: Sawmills (6); Cider Mills (4); Lime House (1); Blacksmith Shop (1); Shoemaker-Tan Shop (1); Grist Mill (1). In 1814, a cheese house was added to the list, indicating an abundance of cows at that time.