James Wadsworth (of Geneseo)
Encyclopedia
James Wadsworth was an influential and prominent 18th and 19th century pioneer, educator, land speculator, agriculturalist, businessman, and community leader of the early Genesee Valley settlements in Western New York State. He was the patriarch of the prominent Genesee Valley Wadsworths
.
, William Wadsworth. James and his brothers are scions of the prominent Wadsworth
family of Connecticut, and being a descendent of one of the Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
, William Wadsworth
(1594–1675), who under the leadership of Pastor Thomas Hooker
helped found that city in June 1636.
James Wadsworth was a graduate of Yale University
in 1787 at the age of 19. After graduation he went north to Montreal
, Quebec, Canada to teach for a year. While away his father John Wadsworth had died and left his sons a substantial inheritance, estimated to be nearly $15,000 a piece. James moved back to Connecticut to manage his inheritance. It was during this period James was approached by his relative, Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth
, about a business proposal.
to the home of their father’s prominent and wealthy second cousin Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth
of Revolutionary War and Continental Congress
fame. He was one of the richest men in Connecticut at the time. Colonel Wadsworth was interested in investing in and financially backing the efforts of Oliver Phelps
and Nathaniel Gorham
, who in the previous year purchased more than 2250000 acres (9,105.4 km²) of land from the Iroquois
Six Nations in Western New York
State, and was known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
. Jeremiah adjudged James as having "ambition," "clear mind," and a "tenacious will," and so wanted James and William to be Land Agents
on his behalf and to personally move to this virgin territory to survey and improve the land while promoting it’s settlement as well as manage his 200000 acres (809.4 km²) investment. In return James and William were offered 2000 acres (8.1 km²) at his cost ($0.08 cents per acre) and reduced price for any further purchases, as well as a fee for the sale of Jeremiah’s land.
James Wadsworth and his brother accepted their relative’s proposal. The following spring, in May 1790, the 22 year old James, his brother William, a Negro woman named Jenny, a relative named Gad Wadsworth, who was in charge of the chattel, and several “axe men” headed west to the Genesee Valley. After several difficult weeks of travel by rivers, streams and over land by Indian trails, they arrived on the banks of the Genesee River
at a place the Seneca nation
called Big Tree
on June 9, 1790. They claimed the land and built a log cabin in a meadow near the east bank of the Genesee River about half a mile west of the present site of "The Homestead" at Geneseo, New York
. Beyond the settlements near Fort Niagara
, they were the first Europeans to establish a permanent settlement East of Seneca Lake.
for 21 years) and built around them an agricultural community based on enlightened principles of soil conservation, selective stock breeding, scientific agricultural methods, aesthetic preservation and public education.
(later renamed Geneseo), James Wadsworth immediately began the work for which he was to excel. Starting in the spring of 1791 James traveled to New York City
to begin advertising for the sale and settlement of Genesee Valley lands. He then traveled on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. He visited Massachusetts
and went back to Connecticut
frequently to encourage settlement by offering much in the way of incentives. In February of 1796 James sailed to England
to promote settlement, but the dismal economic state of affairs in England prevented any headway. So he proceeded “…to examine the state of agriculture and view the manufacturing towns.” While in Europe James went to the Netherlands
and met with the proprietors of the Holland Land Company
and secured a future deal with them for lands west of the Genesee - once the company had secured the Indian title to these lands. James returned to New York in December of 1796, remaining in New York City soliciting settlers to the Genesee Valley. He returned to the Genesee Valley late the following summer escorting several settlers. When James returned he found his brother William had built a proper large cobblestone house
for their occupancy – they having been living in that first small log cabin for over six years. On August 28, 1797 James and William Wadsworth were the host for the Treaty of Big Tree
. This treaty effectively extinguished the Indian title to the land west of the Genesee River
and created ten reservations
for the Seneca in New York State.
He and his brother William then devoted their time to farming and to the acquisition and sale of land. By 1800 James and William had acquired 32500 acres (131.5 km²). Most of which was leased to tenant farmers with the option to buy.
at a New York State Corresponding Committee at Utica, New York
. He pressed two issues in particular: "Are Common Schools Worth the Money Paid?" And "Whether to Establish an Institute to Train Teachers." At another meeting in January 1831, he was elected Vice President of the Eighth Senatorial District to investigate the need for institutions for teacher training. On March 11, 1833, James invested $6,000 of his own capital toward what he hoped would be a start toward the funding of school libraries. James created a trust to compile, print and distribute to the trustees of each common school in New York State courses of popular lectures "adapted to the capacities of children" which could be "conveniently read in half an hour." The lectures were to be on six subjects: "On the Application of Science for the Arts," "On Agriculture and Horticulture," "On the Principles of Legislation," "On Political Economy," "On Astronomy and Chemistry," And "On the Intellectual, Moral and Religious Instruction of the Youth of this State by Means of Common Schools." He also underwrote the cost of publishing and distributing John Nicholson's "The Farmer's Assistant" and John O. Taylor's "The District School" in 1834. In 1838, New York Governor George W. Patterson writes, “In regard to the origin of the School District Library System of this state, I will say to you, that the whole credit belongs to the Honorable James Wadsworth, of Geneseo…" Patterson insisted that he had just performed his "duty" to obtain a bill permanently earmarking funds for school libraries, over what he considered violent objections. Rather, "the credit of all that has been done belongs to the praise-worthy efforts of Mr. Wadsworth." James Wadsworth wanted a library "open and free for the gratuitous use as well of the inhabitants of the County of Livingston." He wanted a new public library to be located in Geneseo. He privately funded the Geneseo Atheneum in 1842, which opened with books, scientific equipment and mineral specimens, which were to be available to all. He opened this library to promote "the moral and intellectual instruction of the young and the diffusion of science and literature." James's own books and specimens became the basis for it. This library/museum was later aptly re-named Wadsworth Library.
and they were married on 01 Oct 1804. The couple immediately moved to James’ farm in Geneseo, New York and raised a family.
Children:
Harriet Wadsworth (13 Sep 1805 - 01 Jan 1833)
James Samuel Wadsworth
, General (30 Oct 1807 - 8 May 1864)
William Walcott Wadsworth (07 Jul 1810 - 29 Jul 1852)
Cornelia Wadsworth (25 Dec 1812 - 28 Mar 1831)
Elizabeth Wadsworth (26 Jul 1815 - 08 Dec 1851) m. Sir Charles Augustus Murray
Wadsworth (surname)
Wadsworth is a surname. Notable persons with that surname include:*Alexander S. Wadsworth , U.S. Navy officer; fought in the War of 1812; eponym of three ships*Andre Wadsworth , American professional football player...
.
Early life
James Wadsworth was born in 1768 in Durham Township, Middlesex County, Connecticut. He was the youngest of the three sons of John Noyes Wadsworth, Sr. by his second wife Esther Parsons. His uncle and namesake was James Wadsworth. James' other brothers were his eldest half brother John Noyes Wadsworth, Jr., by his father’s first marriage to Susan Camp, and his elder full brother Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, William Wadsworth. James and his brothers are scions of the prominent Wadsworth
Wadsworth
- Placenames :*Wadsworth, West Yorkshire, EnglandU.S. places:* Wadsworth, Illinois, village* Wadsworth, Nevada, census-designated place* Wadsworth, Ohio, city* Wadsworth Township, Medina County, Ohio* Wadsworth, Texas, unincorporated community- Other :...
family of Connecticut, and being a descendent of one of the Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
Here are the 163 men and women listed in the Book of Distribution of Land as being those who settled in Hartford, Connecticut before February 1640. Their names are on a monument in Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground....
, William Wadsworth
William Wadsworth (patriarch)
William Wadsworth was an early pioneer of New England, a founder of Hartford, Connecticut and the patriarch of numerous and prominent Wadsworth descendants of North America, including the poet Ezra Pound.-Origins:William’s exact origins have challenged descendants and researchers over the centuries...
(1594–1675), who under the leadership of Pastor Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker was a prominent Puritan colonial leader, who founded the Colony of Connecticut after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts...
helped found that city in June 1636.
James Wadsworth was a graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1787 at the age of 19. After graduation he went north to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec, Canada to teach for a year. While away his father John Wadsworth had died and left his sons a substantial inheritance, estimated to be nearly $15,000 a piece. James moved back to Connecticut to manage his inheritance. It was during this period James was approached by his relative, Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut who profited from his position as a government official charged with supplying the Continental Army...
, about a business proposal.
The Genesee Valley
In the spring of 1789 James and his brother William Wadsworth were summoned to Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
to the home of their father’s prominent and wealthy second cousin Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut who profited from his position as a government official charged with supplying the Continental Army...
of Revolutionary War and Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
fame. He was one of the richest men in Connecticut at the time. Colonel Wadsworth was interested in investing in and financially backing the efforts of Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps was born in Poquonock, Connecticut and moved to Suffield, Connecticut, where he apprenticed to a local merchant. He shortly thereafter became a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end...
and Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham was the fourteenth President of the United States in Congress assembled, under the Articles of Confederation...
, who in the previous year purchased more than 2250000 acres (9,105.4 km²) of land from the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Six Nations in Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
State, and was known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of the pre-emptive right to some 6,000,000 acres of land in western New York State for $1,000,000 . This was all land in western New York west of Seneca Lake between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border...
. Jeremiah adjudged James as having "ambition," "clear mind," and a "tenacious will," and so wanted James and William to be Land Agents
Land agent
Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts.Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the landed gentry of the United Kingdom, supervising the farming of the property by farm labourers and/or...
on his behalf and to personally move to this virgin territory to survey and improve the land while promoting it’s settlement as well as manage his 200000 acres (809.4 km²) investment. In return James and William were offered 2000 acres (8.1 km²) at his cost ($0.08 cents per acre) and reduced price for any further purchases, as well as a fee for the sale of Jeremiah’s land.
James Wadsworth and his brother accepted their relative’s proposal. The following spring, in May 1790, the 22 year old James, his brother William, a Negro woman named Jenny, a relative named Gad Wadsworth, who was in charge of the chattel, and several “axe men” headed west to the Genesee Valley. After several difficult weeks of travel by rivers, streams and over land by Indian trails, they arrived on the banks of the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
at a place the Seneca nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
called Big Tree
Geneseo, New York
Geneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
on June 9, 1790. They claimed the land and built a log cabin in a meadow near the east bank of the Genesee River about half a mile west of the present site of "The Homestead" at Geneseo, New York
Geneseo, New York
Geneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
. Beyond the settlements near Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
, they were the first Europeans to establish a permanent settlement East of Seneca Lake.
The Wadsworth Brothers
The contrasting and complementary character of the two Wadsworth brothers is described in contemporary sources. Both men had an innate sense of honor and integrity, even to a fault as James was involved in two separate duels. James Wadsworth was a Yale graduate and a theorist, planner, colonist and lover of books while William Wadsworth (1765–1833) was more down-to-earth, a working farmer, militia officer and a "man with the common touch." The brothers had a successful arrangement between them. James was the more scholarly of the two, and had a shrewd mind for business and a talented negotiator, while William was a rugged hands-on type with a natural pension for husbandry, agriculture and public duty. A highly successful team, James and William Wadsworth had an immediate impact on the small but rapidly growing settlement at Geneseo and were soon elected to the top local positions (William Wadsworth was Town supervisorTown supervisor
Town Supervisor is an elective legislative position in New York towns. Supervisors sit on the town board, where they preside over town board meetings and vote on all matters with no more legal weight than that of any other board member .Towns may adopt local laws that allow them to provide for an...
for 21 years) and built around them an agricultural community based on enlightened principles of soil conservation, selective stock breeding, scientific agricultural methods, aesthetic preservation and public education.
Career and Travels
After the first trees were felled and the log cabin was completed at Big TreeGeneseo, New York
Geneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
(later renamed Geneseo), James Wadsworth immediately began the work for which he was to excel. Starting in the spring of 1791 James traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to begin advertising for the sale and settlement of Genesee Valley lands. He then traveled on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. He visited Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and went back to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
frequently to encourage settlement by offering much in the way of incentives. In February of 1796 James sailed to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to promote settlement, but the dismal economic state of affairs in England prevented any headway. So he proceeded “…to examine the state of agriculture and view the manufacturing towns.” While in Europe James went to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and met with the proprietors of the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
and secured a future deal with them for lands west of the Genesee - once the company had secured the Indian title to these lands. James returned to New York in December of 1796, remaining in New York City soliciting settlers to the Genesee Valley. He returned to the Genesee Valley late the following summer escorting several settlers. When James returned he found his brother William had built a proper large cobblestone house
Cobblestone architecture
Cobblestone architecture refers to the use of cobblestones embedded in mortar as method for erecting walls on houses and commercial buildings.-History:Evidence of the use of cobblestones in building has been found in the ruins of Hierakonpolis...
for their occupancy – they having been living in that first small log cabin for over six years. On August 28, 1797 James and William Wadsworth were the host for the Treaty of Big Tree
Treaty of Big Tree
Treaty of Big Tree was a formal treaty, held from August 20, 1797 until September 16, 1797, between the Seneca nation and the United States of America. The delegates for both parties met at the residence of William Wadsworth, an early pioneer of the area and Captain of the local militia, in what is...
. This treaty effectively extinguished the Indian title to the land west of the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
and created ten reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
for the Seneca in New York State.
He and his brother William then devoted their time to farming and to the acquisition and sale of land. By 1800 James and William had acquired 32500 acres (131.5 km²). Most of which was leased to tenant farmers with the option to buy.
Educator
James Wadsworth was a man who cherished education and learning throughout his life. James was heavily involved in starting a primary school in Geneseo and sought a young man to serve as the school master, the greater part of whose wages would be paid by himself. He was actively interested in the promotion of teacher training. In January 1829, he wrote former clerk, Philo Fuller, a State Assemblyman, to urge the passage of legislation to establish county high schools with well-educated teachers. James wrote to him: "To improve the common schools in this state, the employment of more able instructors is indispensable." He lobbied the State's superintendents of public instruction. In 1830, James was selected to represent Livingston CountyLivingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
at a New York State Corresponding Committee at Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
. He pressed two issues in particular: "Are Common Schools Worth the Money Paid?" And "Whether to Establish an Institute to Train Teachers." At another meeting in January 1831, he was elected Vice President of the Eighth Senatorial District to investigate the need for institutions for teacher training. On March 11, 1833, James invested $6,000 of his own capital toward what he hoped would be a start toward the funding of school libraries. James created a trust to compile, print and distribute to the trustees of each common school in New York State courses of popular lectures "adapted to the capacities of children" which could be "conveniently read in half an hour." The lectures were to be on six subjects: "On the Application of Science for the Arts," "On Agriculture and Horticulture," "On the Principles of Legislation," "On Political Economy," "On Astronomy and Chemistry," And "On the Intellectual, Moral and Religious Instruction of the Youth of this State by Means of Common Schools." He also underwrote the cost of publishing and distributing John Nicholson's "The Farmer's Assistant" and John O. Taylor's "The District School" in 1834. In 1838, New York Governor George W. Patterson writes, “In regard to the origin of the School District Library System of this state, I will say to you, that the whole credit belongs to the Honorable James Wadsworth, of Geneseo…" Patterson insisted that he had just performed his "duty" to obtain a bill permanently earmarking funds for school libraries, over what he considered violent objections. Rather, "the credit of all that has been done belongs to the praise-worthy efforts of Mr. Wadsworth." James Wadsworth wanted a library "open and free for the gratuitous use as well of the inhabitants of the County of Livingston." He wanted a new public library to be located in Geneseo. He privately funded the Geneseo Atheneum in 1842, which opened with books, scientific equipment and mineral specimens, which were to be available to all. He opened this library to promote "the moral and intellectual instruction of the young and the diffusion of science and literature." James's own books and specimens became the basis for it. This library/museum was later aptly re-named Wadsworth Library.
Family
On James’ travels to Connecticut he met Naomi Walcott (10 Oct 1777 - 01 Mar 1831) of East Windsor, ConnecticutEast Windsor, Connecticut
East Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,162 at the 2010 census.The town has five villages: Broad Brook, Melrose, Scantic, Warehouse Point and Windsorville.-Area:...
and they were married on 01 Oct 1804. The couple immediately moved to James’ farm in Geneseo, New York and raised a family.
Children:
Harriet Wadsworth (13 Sep 1805 - 01 Jan 1833)
James Samuel Wadsworth
James S. Wadsworth
James Samuel Wadsworth was a philanthropist, politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was killed in battle during the Battle of the Wilderness of 1864.-Early years:...
, General (30 Oct 1807 - 8 May 1864)
William Walcott Wadsworth (07 Jul 1810 - 29 Jul 1852)
Cornelia Wadsworth (25 Dec 1812 - 28 Mar 1831)
Elizabeth Wadsworth (26 Jul 1815 - 08 Dec 1851) m. Sir Charles Augustus Murray
Charles Augustus Murray
Sir Charles Augustus Murray was a British author and diplomat.-Background:Murray was the second son of George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore, and his mother was the daughter of Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton...