42°51′N 77°17′W / 42.85°N 77.29°W / 42.85; -77.29
86-474: Ontario County may refer to: Ontario County, New York , United States Ontario County, Ontario , a former county in Canada Bradford County, Pennsylvania , United States, known as Ontario County until 1812 [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with
172-620: A 12-mile-wide (19 km) strip along the east side of the lands acquired from Massachusetts, from the Pennsylvania border to Lake Ontario. This later became known as the Morris Reserve. At the north end of the Morris Reserve, Morris sold a 87,000-acre (350 km ) triangular-shaped tract to Herman Leroy, William Bayard, and John McEvers. This was nicknamed the Triangle Tract. A 100,000-acre (400 km ) tract due west of
258-583: A decentralized political and diplomatic Iroquois Confederacy . Allied as one of the most powerful Indian confederacies during colonial times, the Iroquois prevented most European colonization west of the middle of the Mohawk Valley and in the Finger Lakes region for nearly two centuries after first contact. During the colonial era , some smaller tribes moved into the Finger Lakes region, seeking
344-524: A grist mill to grind their maize which would relieve the women of the grinding work. The Indians asked how much land was needed for a grist mill, and Phelps suggested a huge section of land west of the Genesee River, much larger than actually required, extending west from the river 12 miles (19 km), running south from Lake Ontario approximately 24 miles (39 km), and totaling about 288 square miles (750 km ). The section stretches from near
430-471: A man of high reputation, to perform the survey. During his original survey for Phelps and Gorham, Maxwell was assisted by Augustus Porter and other surveyors. Maxwell and his assistants started a preliminary survey on June 13, 1788, from the 82-mile stone on the Pennsylvania Line. The trial survey reached Seneca Lake. The actual survey was started on July 25, 1788, and when the surveyors reached
516-517: A perpetual annuity of $ 500 per year. This portion consisted of about 2,250,000 acres (9,100 km ) east of the Genesee River plus the 12 miles (19 km) by 24 miles (39 km) Mill Yard Tract along the river's northwestern bank. Within a year, monetary values rose and, in combination with poor sales, the syndicate was unable to make the second of three payments for the land west of the Genesee River, forcing them to default on exercising
602-635: A pioneer between 1787 and 1795. See also Geneva (town), New York . Land-hungry settlers from New England swept into upstate and western New York after the Revolution, as nearly five million acres of new lands were available for purchase since the Iroquois were forced to cede most of their territories to the United States. Four tribes had allied with the British and were mostly resettled in Canada:
688-624: A portion of Seneca County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to create Wayne County . The same year, a portion of Steuben County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to create Yates County . This frontier area was part of the evangelistic activities during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century, when Baptist , Methodist and Congregational preachers traveled and organized revivals and camp meetings. In addition, independent sects developed in central and western New York during this period, including
774-756: A serious error when he ignored the variance between magnetic north and true north . A survey team that Benjamin Ellicott headed found in November–December 1792 that the preemption line ran through Seneca Lake and north along a line to Lake Ontario near the center of Sodus Bay, about four miles west of the line surveyed by Maxwell. The line now divides the city of Geneva and the Town of Waterloo in Border City. The old preemption line reached Lake Ontario, three miles west of Sodus Bay. The new line terminated near
860-400: A vast quantity of vegetables of every kind". These actions denied both the Iroquois and the British the food needed to sustain their war effort. The formerly self-sufficient Iroquois fled as refugees, gathering at Fort Niagara to seek food from the British. Weakened by their ordeal and famine, thousands of Iroquois died of starvation and disease. Their warriors no longer were a major factor in
946-598: Is a county in the U.S. State of New York . As of the 2020 census , the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua . The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state. Ontario County is part of the Rochester , NY Metropolitan Statistical Area . In 2006, Progressive Farmer rated Ontario County as the "Best Place to Live" in the U.S., for its "great schools, low crime, excellent health care" and its proximity to Rochester . This area
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#17327727680261032-654: Is similar in its politics to much of the rest of rural upstate New York ; its voters have tended to support Republican presidential candidates ever since that party was formed, and before that they supported the Whig Party . However, beginning in the 1990s, the Democratic Party began to improve its performance in Ontario County thanks to the growth of Rochester's outer suburbs in areas such as Victor and Farmington . In 1996, Ontario County voted for
1118-477: The Board-Administrator system, hiring a professional County Administrator. The Board of Supervisors has twenty-one members: one is elected from each Town, two from the city of Canandaigua and three from the city of Geneva . As of 2004, the county government has over 800 full-time employees (augmented by another 360 seasonal or available part-time workers), and a budget of $ 136 million. The county
1204-807: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , the Shakers and the Universal Friends . Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint movement , lived in Manchester in the 1820s on the border with Palmyra . Several events in the early history of the movement occurred in Ontario County. Hill Cumorah in Manchester is where Smith said he discovered the Golden plates said to contain
1290-510: The Finger Lakes area of New York . The campaign involved mobilizing 6,200 Colonial Army troops, which represented about 25% of the entire rebel army at the time. Their orders were to destroy all Indian villages and crops belonging to the six nations, to engage the Indian and Tory marauders under Brandt and Butler whenever possible, and to drive them so far west that future raids would be impossible. Sullivan led his army on an expedition with
1376-611: The Iroquois Confederacy before any encounter with Europeans. Archaeological evidence suggests that Iroquoian peoples lived in the Finger Lakes region from at least 1000 CE; the nations known to the colonists are believed to have coalesced after that time, and formed their confederacy for internal peace among them. The Mohawk were the easternmost Iroquois tribe, occupying much of the Mohawk Valley west of Albany . The Onondaga and Oneida tribes lived near
1462-516: The Iroquois Confederacy to a syndicate of land developers led by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham . The larger tract of land is generally known as the "Genesee tract" and roughly encompasses all that portion of New York State west of Seneca Lake , consisting of about 6,000,000 acres (24,000 km ). According to the Treaty of Hartford (1786) , it was agreed that the Genesee tract was owned by
1548-673: The Seneca , very difficult to negotiate with. The Dutch gave presents to the influential women of the tribes, and offered generous payments to several other chiefs to influence their cooperation. They offered the Iroquois about 200,000 acres in return as reservations for the tribes. The result was the Treaty of Big Tree . In 1802, the Holland Land Company opened its sales office in Batavia , managed by surveyor and agent Joseph Ellicott . The office remained open until 1846 when
1634-611: The Treaty of Canandaigua in 1794. The scrip's low value substantially reduced Massachusetts' proceeds from the sale. After the Revolutionary War ended, the Iroquois chiefs had been assured by the US government in the 1784 Fort Stanwix treaty that their lands would remain theirs unless the Indians made new cessions—as a result of regular councils duly convened and conducted according to tribal custom. The eastern boundary
1720-516: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 663 square miles (1,720 km ), of which 644 square miles (1,670 km ) is land and 18 square miles (47 km ) (2.8%) is water. Ontario County is in western New York State, east of Buffalo , southeast of Rochester , and northwest of Ithaca . The county is within the Finger Lakes Region of the state. The county is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors , and uses
1806-540: The United States to take title to the land, because New York state law made it illegal for them to own the property directly. Robert Morris prevailed upon the New York Legislature to repeal that ordinance, which it did shortly thereafter, as it was eager to have the lands developed into settlements. The investors of the Holland Land Company could in a worst-case scenario resell their property, i.e.
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#17327727680261892-623: The United States Constitution , and was the major financier of the American Revolution . At the time, he was the richest man in America. Morris paid about 11 or 12 cents an acre for the land, or about $ 9,878 (£24,695) (about $ 253 thousand in 2023). The land was conveyed to Morris in five deeds on May 11, 1791. On August 10, 1790, the syndicate sold the remaining lands of the Genesee tract directly to Morris, with
1978-707: The Allegheny, Genesee, Upper Susquehanna, and Chemung river basins. The Iroquois nations also raided American settlements in Western New York and along the Susquehanna River . The colonists were angry and hungry for retaliation. In response, on July 31, 1779, George Washington , who was then commanding the Continental Army , ordered Gen. James Clinton and Gen. John Sullivan to march from Pennsylvania near present-day Wilkes-Barre to
2064-490: The Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964 and only the second time since the Whig Party contested its first presidential election in 1836 . In 2008, John McCain narrowly edged a victory over Barack Obama by less than one percent, and in 2012 Obama narrowly lost the county to Republican nominee Mitt Romney by a margin of 1.5 percent. In 2016, Republican nominee Donald Trump of New York City won
2150-837: The Genesee Tract, as it was also known, comprised all of the present counties of Ontario , Steuben and Yates , as well as portions of Allegany , Livingston , Monroe , Schuyler and Wayne counties. After Sir William Pulteney's death in 1805, it was known as the Pulteney Estate. Morris sold additional land in December 1792 and in February and July 1793 to the Holland Land Company , an unincorporated syndicate formed by Willem Willink and thirteen other Dutch bankers. The bankers hired American trustees in
2236-537: The Genesee tract from Massachusetts for about $ 1,000,000 ( £ 300,000), to be paid in three annual installments. Some sources refer to this purchase of preemptive rights as the "Phelps and Gorham purchase". On July 8, 1788, at the First Treaty of Buffalo Creek , Phelps and Gorham petitioned the Senecas to sell them the entire parcel, but the Senecas agreed to sell only the easternmost third of the tract, for $ 5000 and
2322-494: The Iroquois was required to first obtain Massachusetts' approval. After the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1787, the federal government ratified the states' compact. In April 1788, Phelps and Gorham bought the preemptive rights from Massachusetts, but this did not get them the right to develop or re-sell the land. They only obtained exclusive right to negotiate with the Iroquois and obtain clear title to
2408-411: The Iroquois, who were not consulted. To stimulate settlement, the federal government planned to release much of these millions of acres of land for sale. Before that could happen, New York and Massachusetts had to settle their competing claims for a region west of New York. (Massachusetts' colonial claim had extended west without end.) The two states signed the Treaty of Hartford in December 1786. With
2494-507: The Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca and Cayuga. Transfer of what is now Ontario County to New York formally took effect in 1789, when native title was extinguished, and the county was formally established to govern the lands of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase the year prior. The territory first organized as Ontario County was much larger than at present and ran south from the shore of Lake Ontario . As
2580-519: The Native American nations. Kirkland encouraged the Oneida and other Iroquois to sell their land to the whites in part because he was convinced that they "would never become farmers unless forced to by the loss of land for hunting." Kirkland also benefitted from the land sales, receiving 6,000-acre (24 km ) around present day Utica from New York State and from the Oneida people. Kirkland
2666-594: The Niagara Genesee Land Company, and divided another 23 shares among 21 persons. On July 8, 1788, Phelps met with the original Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy , including the Mohawk , Oneida , Onondaga , Cayuga , and Seneca nations, at Buffalo Creek . His goal was to execute a deed or treaty and obtain title to a portion of their land. The Oneida were split by internal divisions over whether they should give up their title. Phelps
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2752-516: The Pacific Ocean. On July 3, 1766 Cumberland County was organized, and on March 16, 1770 Gloucester County was founded, both containing territory now included in the state of Vermont. The English claims were their assertion; the Five and then Six Nations of the Iroquois occupied and controlled most of the territory in central and western New York until after the Revolutionary War. As New York
2838-489: The Preemption Line. The Fort Stanwix Treaty and earlier treaties established the approximate western boundary, but a survey was required to establish the exact line. Phelps believed that the line ran through Seneca Lake and included the former Cayuga settlement of Kandesaga, present-day Geneva, New York . He planned to make Geneva the headquarters and location of the land sales office. He hired Col. Hugh Maxwell,
2924-478: The Pulteney Associates , led by Sir William Pulteney. He sold at more than double the price he had paid. Sir William Pulteney bought 9/12ths interest, William Hornby 2/12ths, and Patrick Colquhoun 1/12th interest. At the time non-citizens could not legally hold title to land. The buyers sent Charles Williamson from Scotland, and he was naturalized on January 9, 1792, in order to permit him to hold
3010-524: The Right, Title & Demand, which the said Commonwealth has in & to the said 'Western Territory' ceded to it by the Treaty of Hartford." But first Phelps and Gorham had to go up against competing companies and persuade the Iroquois to give up their title to the land. The New York Genesee Land Company, led by John Livingston, was one of the competitors to acquire title to these lands. He gathered several of
3096-413: The Senecas, was a part of and under the jurisdiction of New York State, and that Massachusetts had the preemptive right to purchase the land from the Senecas. In other words, the Senecas could sell the land only to the owner of those preemptive rights (unless those rights were relinquished), and that those rights were owned by Massachusetts . In 1788, Phelps and Gorham purchased these preemptive rights to
3182-624: The Tuscarora became allies of the rebel Americans. Within each tribe, there were often members on either side of the war, as the tribes were highly decentralized. Led by Joseph Brant , a war leader of the Mohawk, numerous Iroquois warriors joined in British attacks against the rebels, particularly in the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys. They attacked and killed settlers, took some women and children as captives, drove off their livestock, and burned their houses and barns. The Iroquois resisted colonists encroaching into their territory, which roughly comprised
3268-426: The age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under
3354-465: The age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 44,579, and the median income for a family was $ 52,698. Males had a median income of $ 36,732 versus $ 26,139 for females. The per capita income for
3440-402: The area of Kandesaga, the line was fixed west of Seneca Lake and Kandesaga, which survived as a key town in the region. Oliver Phelps was extremely upset when he learned that the survey did not include Seneca Lake or the Indian village. He wrote a letter to Col. William Walker, the local agent responsible for the survey, and requested that they survey be redone in that area. For unknown reasons, it
3526-406: The area was settled, new counties were organized. The following counties were rapidly organized from this territory in the first decades after the war: Allegany , Cattaraugus , Chautauqua , Erie , Genesee , Livingston , Monroe , Niagara , Orleans , Steuben , Wyoming , and Yates counties, and parts of Schuyler and Wayne counties. In 1796, Ontario County was divided and Steuben County
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3612-540: The center of the head of the bay. The new preemption line traveled in a northeasterly direction from the west end of the southern boundary. In his new survey, Hoops established that the western boundary of the Mill Yard tract included a gore-shaped tract of land about 85,896 acres (347.61 km ; 134.213 sq mi) west of the Genesee River, that should have been retained by the Iroquois. To make it easier, Morris' syndicate returned an equivalent amount of land on
3698-403: The chiefs together at Geneva. To circumvent New York state law that only permitted the state to buy land from the natives, he negotiated a lease for a term of 999 years for all the Iroquois lands of Western New York. This included a down payment of $ 20,000 and an annual payment of $ 200 to their heirs. But when New York state learned of his agreement, it advised all parties including the natives that
3784-545: The company was finally dissolved. The Company granted some plots of land to persons with the condition that they establish improvements, such as inns and taverns, to encourage growth. The building that housed the Holland Land Office still exists; it is operated as a museum dedicated to the Holland Purchase and is designated a National Historic Landmark . Morris kept 500,000 acres (2,000 km ) in
3870-458: The consolidated securities Phelps and Gorham had used to buy the land, effectively quadrupling the syndicate's debt and substantially inflating the amount required to purchase title from the Iroquois for the remaining 1,000,000-acre (4,000 km ). The syndicate sold about 50 townships but the purchasers were mainly stockholders who had accepted land in exchange for interest on the loan principal. Fewer emigrants bought land than expected, reducing
3956-481: The county by 7.3 percent over Democratic nominee and former United States Secretary of State / former Senator from New York Hillary Clinton of Chappaqua, New York . In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden came incredibly close, losing the county to Trump by just 33 votes. Ontario County is part of: According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, Ontario County ranked fourth in New York for acres of berries grown. Farmers in
4042-412: The county reported berries grown on 220 acres that year. As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 inhabitants per square mile (60/km ). There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 units per square mile (25/km ). According to respondents' self-identification, the racial makeup of
4128-419: The county was $ 21,533. About 4.90% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over. † - County Seat ‡ - Not Wholly in this County Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the sale, in 1788, of a portion of a large tract of land in western New York State owned by the Seneca nation of
4214-557: The county was 95.04% White , 2.06% African American , 0.22% Native American , 0.69% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.70% from other races , and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population. Based on self-identification, 17.9% were of German , 14.9% Irish , 14.8% English , 13.8% Italian , 7.3% American and 5.1% Dutch ancestry according to Census 2000 . 95.6% spoke English and 2.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 38,370 households, out of which 32.80% had children under
4300-420: The defeated British during the Revolutionary War, and since the British had given up the lands in the 1783 peace treaty , the tribes could expect to retain only the lands granted by the United States. Phelps and Gorham wanted to buy 2,600,000-acre (11,000 km ), but the Iroquois refused to sell the rights to 185,000 acre (749 km ) west of the Genesee River . Phelps suggested that the Iroquois could use
4386-714: The eastern edge of this region of land purchases, closer to their namesake lakes, Lake Oneida and Onondaga Lake . (Onondaga territory had extended up to Lake Ontario). The Cayuga and Seneca nations lived to the west in the Finger Lakes region, with the Seneca the westernmost tribe. Major Iroquois towns in the Finger Lakes region included the Seneca town of Gen-nis-he-yo in present-day Geneseo , Kanadaseaga near present-day Geneva , Goiogouen (Cayuga Castle, east of Cayuga Lake ), Chonodote , Cayuga town in present-day Aurora , and Catherine's Town near present-day Watkins Glen . The Iroquois nations had earlier formed
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#17327727680264472-554: The eastern third of the territory ceded to Massachusetts by the Treaty of Hartford, from the Genesee River in the west to the Preemption Line in the east, which was the boundary that had been set between the lands awarded to Massachusetts and those awarded to New York State by the Treaty of Hartford. Boundaries established by Phelps' agreement were reaffirmed between the United States and the Six Nations by Article 3 of
4558-419: The exception of about 47,000 acres retained by Phelps and Gorham. The deed was conveyed on November 18, 1790, and specified that the tract should contain 1 million acres, and any amount over that would require further payment. On September 21, 1791, Geneva was described as "a small, unhealthy village with about 15 houses, all of log construction except three. There are about 20 families." When Morris bought
4644-932: The first land sales offices in the U.S. in Suffield, Connecticut and another in Canandaigua . During the next two years, they sold 500,000-acre (2,000 km ) at a higher price to a number of buyers. People arrived from New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and from across the Atlantic, from England and Scotland. Settlers also included veterans who had fought under General Sullivan. There was considerable land hunger among people in New England, who had been crowded for some time. Many purchasers were buying land for speculative purposes and quickly resold it. For example, Oliver Phelps sold township 3, range 2, to Prince Bryant of Pennsylvania on September 5, 1789. Prince Bryant sold
4730-417: The goal of subduing the Iroquois in the region. Although they did not kill many Natives, his forces destroyed much of the Iroquois homelands, including 40 villages such as the major Cayuga villages of Cayuga Castle and Chonodote (Peachtown) and their surrounding fields. In the area from Albany to Niagara, they emptied their winter stores, which included at least 160,000 bushels of stored corn along "with
4816-487: The income expected by the syndicate. Two of the three bonds financing the purchase were canceled, but even when the debt was reduced to $ 109,333 (£31,000) (about $ 2.8 million in 2023), the syndicate was unable to make the next payment. In August 1790, the reverses forced Phelps to sell his Suffield home and his interest in the Hartford National Bank and Trust Co. of Connecticut In early 1791, the syndicate
4902-403: The land a month later to Elijah Babcock, who in turn sold various parcels to Roger Clark, Samuel Tooker, David Holmes, and William Babcock. The syndicate was able to sell about half of its holdings. However, within the year, currency values rose in anticipation of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton 's plan to nationalize the debts of the states forming the new nation. This raised the value of
4988-431: The land in trust for the owners. He relocated to the United States in February 1792 and settled on the tract. Morris conveyed the deed to Williamson on April 11, 1792, and was paid $ 333,333 (£75,000). The U.S. Congress had passed The Coinage Act which established the U.S. Mint and the dollar as its official currency only a week before. Morris made a profit of over $ 160,000 on the transaction. The Pulteney Purchase, or
5074-523: The land. For this preemptive right, they paid Massachusetts $ 1,000,000 (£300,000) (about $ 25.3 million in 2023)). This was to be paid in three annual installments. By an act of the Massachusetts Legislature approved April 1, 1788, it was provided that "this Commonwealth doth hereby agree, to grant, sell & convey to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, for a purchase price of $ 1,000,000, payable in three equal annual installments all
5160-502: The lease had no standing in either Massachusetts or New York. Another competitor was the Niagara Genesee Land Company formed by Colonel John Butler , Samuel Street , and other Tory friends of the Iroquois. They tried to persuade the Iroquois to grant them a lease. Some proposed that an independent state be created in western New York. Phelps eliminated many of his competitors by persuading them to join his syndicate. Phelps and Gorham retained 82 shares for themselves, sold 15 shares to
5246-456: The present-day town of Avon north to the community of Charlotte at Lake Ontario and encompasses Rochester . The Iroquois agreed. Within this area on the west bank, Phelps and Gorham gave 100 acres (0.40 km ; 0.16 sq mi) at the high falls of the Genesee River to Ebenezer "Indian" Allen , on the condition that he build the grist mill and sawmill. The grist mill was distant from potential customers—only about 25 families lived on
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#17327727680265332-443: The property, issues with the first survey were well known. The purchase deed stated, "A manifest error has been committed in the laying out and dividing the same, so that a new survey must be laid in order to correct the said error." Some accounts from early in the 20th century attribute errors discovered during the second survey to the primitive instruments used by the surveyors, but allegations of fraud were also made. A description of
5418-700: The protection of the Iroquois. In about 1720, the Tuscarora tribe arrived, having migrated from the Carolinas after defeat by European colonists and Indian allies. They were also Iroquoian-speaking and were accepted as "cousins", forming the Sixth Nation of the Confederacy. In 1753 remnants of several Virginia Siouan tribes, collectively called the Tutelo - Saponi , moved to the town of Coreorgonel at
5504-696: The region French Canada as including Western New York. The French sent traders and missionaries there, but ceded any claim in 1759 during the French and Indian War , the North American front of the Seven Years' War , in which they were defeated by Great Britain. During the American Revolutionary War , four of the six Iroquois nations allied with the British, hoping to push American colonists out of their territory. The Oneida and
5590-485: The region that impressed potential settlers. Following the American Revolution , there were a confusing collection of contradictory royal charters from James I , Charles I , and Charles II , mixed with a succession of treaties with the Dutch and with the Indians, which made the legal situation for land sales intractable. Following the war, Great Britain ceded all its claims to the territory, including lands controlled by
5676-610: The remainder of the purchase agreement. They were also forced to sell at a discount much of the land they had already bought title to but had not yet re-sold; it was purchased by Robert Morris of Philadelphia , financier, U.S. Founding Father , and U.S. Senator . Much of the land south of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario , and west of the Hudson River , had been occupied by the Iroquoian -speaking Five Civilized Tribes of
5762-481: The right to purchase aboriginal land. The investors expected a significant profit if they could obtain clear title from the Iroquois and sell unencumbered parcels of land. They organized a council at Big Tree in the summer of 1797. The council was attended by the Iroquois sachems , Robert Morris, James Wadsworth (who represented the federal government), and Joseph Ellicott , who represented the Holland Land Company. The Europeans and Americans found Red Jacket , chief of
5848-486: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ontario_County&oldid=1122829049 " Category : County name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Ontario County, New York Ontario County
5934-433: The south end of Cayuga Lake (near present-day Ithaca). They lived there until 1779, when their village was destroyed during the Revolutionary War by allied rebel forces. The French colonized northern areas, moving in along the St. Lawrence River from early trading posts among Algonquian -speaking tribes on the Atlantic Coast; they founded Quebec in 1608. When Samuel de Champlain explored the St. Lawrence River, he claimed
6020-411: The state. When a new survey was commissioned, Maxwell's survey became known as "The First Survey." Adam Hoops was hired to lead a team of new surveyors, who discovered that Maxwell erred on both the eastern preemption line and the western boundary. Maxwell had located the westernmost boundary of the Millyard Tract in the belief that the Genesee River ran due north. Hoops' team found that Maxwell had made
6106-403: The survey in 1892 cast suspicion on an assistant surveyor named Jenkins, who was supposed to have altered the survey line to favor his employer, Peter Ryckman. He wanted to control the site of present-day Geneva . Ryckman had previously sought to buy the land directly from the Iroquois, but it was illegal under New York state law for him to buy land from the natives, and his contract was voided by
6192-467: The treaty, Massachusetts ceded its claim to the United States government, and sovereignty and jurisdiction of the region to New York State. The treaty established Massachusett's pre-emptive rights right to negotiate with the Iroquois nations for their aboriginal title to the land ahead of New York, and also gave the two states the exclusive rights ahead of individuals to buy the land. Anyone else who wanted to purchase title to or ownership of land from
6278-479: The war. The Continental Army took heart from their punishment of the Iroquois on the frontier. During their advance west, Sullivan's army took a route to New York through northeast Pennsylvania. They had to cut a new road through lightly inhabited areas of the Pocono Mountains (this trail is known today as "Sullivan's Trail"). When the troops returned to Pennsylvania, they told very favorable stories of
6364-574: The west bank at the time—and there were no roads going to it from the few nearby farms on the west bank of the river. It never prospered. Allen's tract became the nucleus of modern Rochester, New York . The section of land on the west bank of the Genesee River became known as the Mill Yard Tract. Phelps and his company paid the Indians $ 5,000 cash and promised an annual annuity of $ 500 to their heirs forever. The agreement gave them title to 2,250,000 acres (9,100 km ), included approximately
6450-413: The west, a 87,000 acres (350 km ; 136 sq mi) parcel known as the Triangle Tract, to the Iroquois. Morris then purchased the rights to the Triangle Tract from the Iroquois; this land became part of the Morris Reserve. The area of land purchased by Morris was fixed at 1,267,569 acres (5,129.67 km ; 1,980.577 sq mi). Hoop's corrected survey became known as the "Second Survey" and
6536-649: The writings later known as the Book of Mormon . Smith visited the hill each year on the fall equinox (September 22) between 1823 and 1827, and claimed to be instructed by the Angel Moroni . Smith said he was finally permitted to take the record on September 22, 1827. He published the Book of Mormon in Palmyra in 1830. The 110-foot (34 m) hill (which was then unnamed) is on the main road toward Canandaigua from Palmyra to Manchester (modern State Route 21 ); it
6622-636: Was a few miles from Joseph Smith's home. Since the 1930s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has held the Hill Cumorah Pageant annually here. It regularly attracts thousands to its performances. The church also maintains a visitors' center at the hill, the Palmyra New York Temple , and the former Smith property and homes. The latter property straddles the border between Ontario and Wayne counties. According to
6708-556: Was accepted by Simeon DeWitt, New York's surveyor-general, in a resolution passed by the state on March 24, 1795. After buying the land from the state of Massachusetts in early 1790, Morris almost immediately resold 12,000,000 acres (49,000 km ; 19,000 sq mi) (Error: Total land in New York State west of the Pre-emption line is only about 6 million acres.) through his London agent William Temple Franklin to
6794-408: Was aided by Samuel Kirkland , a Presbyterian minister and missionary among the Oneida. Kirkland had been appointed by the state of Massachusetts to oversee the transaction. Kirkland had previously taken part in six prior illegal land treaties made by individual states with the Indians, in violation of federal authority over Indian affairs. Only the US government had the authority to make treaties with
6880-563: Was defined by a Preemption Line , which was anchored on the south at the 82nd milestone on the New York-Pennsylvania boundary line and on the north by Lake Ontario . The treaties gave Massachusetts the right to buy from the Native Americans and resell all territory west of the Preemption Line, while New York State retained the right to govern that territory. New York State would add to its territory all land east of
6966-531: Was determined to build the Hamilton-Oneida Academy and needed financial support from the wealthy land speculators. In November 1790, some Iroquois, including Cornplanter , accused Phelps, Kirkland, and the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant of altering deeds in order to favor Phelps. The Indians believed they were owners of the land, but Phelps persuaded the Chiefs that, since they had been allies to
7052-783: Was long controlled by the Seneca people , one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee . They were forced to cede most of their land to the United States after the American Revolutionary War. When the English established counties in New York Province in 1683, they designated Albany County as including all the northern part of New York State, the present State of Vermont , and, in theory, extending westward to
7138-497: Was more heavily settled in the 18th century, the colonial government organized additional counties, but European settlement did not proceed very far west past Little Falls, New York , about halfway through the Mohawk Valley, until after the revolutionary war. This area was ostensibly part of Montgomery County, renamed after the war for an American officer. Seth Read , a Colonel in the Battle of Bunker Hill , moved here with his family as
7224-539: Was not completed. On the west, the survey ran north from the Pennsylvania border to the confluence of Canaseraga Creek and the Genesee River. The survey line followed the river to a point 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Canawagus Village , and then due west 12 miles (19 km) distant from the westernmost bend, and then due north to the shore of Lake Ontario. Maxwell divided the land into ranges 6 miles (9.7 km) wide from north to south. Maxwell's work later became known as "The First Survey." Phelps opened one of
7310-434: Was organized. In 1802, Ontario County was reduced when Genesee County was split off. The new county was originally very large, including the present Allegany , Cattaraugus , Chautauqua , Erie , Niagara , Orleans and Wyoming Counties and parts of Livingston and Monroe counties. In 1821, portions of Genesee County were combined with portions of Ontario County to create Livingston and Monroe counties. In 1823,
7396-468: Was unable to make the second payment on the preemptive right to the lands west of the Genesee River, comprising some 3,750,000 acres (15,200 km ), and these preemptive rights reverted to Massachusetts on March 10, 1791. On March 12, Massachusetts agreed to sell these rights to Robert Morris for $ 333,333.33 (about $ 8.5 million in 2023). Morris was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and
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