Early Accounts of the Tonawandas

Dublin Core

Title

Early Accounts of the Tonawandas

Description

These book excerpts and articles describe the earliest days of the white settlers in the Tonawandas, as well as the nearby villages of Martinsville, Sawyer's Station, Gratwick and Ironton (incorporated into the city of North Tonawanda in 1897).

Items

Letter of William Williams describing Tonawanda's prospects, transcription (1835-04-21).jpg

Letter of William Williams describing Tonawandas prospects (1835-04-21).jpeg

A marvelous 1835 firsthand account of conditions at Tonawanda from accomplished Utica bookseller / publisher / engraver / anti-mason / abolitionist…

Tonawanda Village, excerpted from The Falls of Niagara, transcription (Samuel DeVeaux, 1839).jpg

Tonawanda Village, excerpted from The Falls of Niagara (Samuel DeVeaux, 1839).jpg

TONAWANDA VILLAGE. This is half way between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, being distant from each of those places 11 miles. It lies by the side of the…

Early sketch of Tonawanda, transcription (Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York, 1849).jpg

Early sketch of Tonawanda (Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York, 1849).jpg

Briefly mentions slow start of the area due to flooding problems, and the importance of the state ditches of 1840. Also: exhaustion of local "fine…

Tonawanda, transcription (pp8-9, Burke's Illustrated Guide to Niagara Falls, 1855).jpg

Tonawanda, excerpt (pp8-9, Burke's Illustrated Guide to Niagara Falls, 1855).jpg

A sufficiently waggish description of the young village of some 2,000 souls, with mention of Cleveland financiers but not the 1830s…

Gazetteer and business directory of Niagara County (1869), Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County (1892), other books.htm

Gazetteer and business directory of Niagara County for 1869, title page (1869).jpg

Four books scanned into one: History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties, N.Y., 1878 (p1) Gazetteer and business directory of Niagara County for…

Gazetteer and business directory of Niagara County for 1869 (Wheatfield excerpts) (1869).doc

record-image_.jpg

From a collection accessed through FamilySearch.org. Includes a great ad for Tonawanda's "Vincent & McDougall, Receivers and Forwarders of Lumber,…

Description of Village of Tonawanda, partial transcription (Commerce, Manufactures and Resources of Buffalo and Environs, 1880).jpg

Description of Village of Tonawanda, book excerpt (Commerce, Manufactures and Resources of Buffalo and Environs, 1880).jpg

General progress and development to date. Advantages. Earlier failed attempts to prosper. Lumber feet by year. Accounts of Tonawanda Herald and Index,…

Tonawanda Village and Town History, transcription (from History of Erie County, Chapter XL, pp 412-426, c1883).pdf

Urial Driggs, illustration (History of Erie County, 1883).png

(Illustrations: Urial Driggs and John Simpson) CHAPTER XL HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF TONAWANDA History of the Town of Tonawanda First…

Tonawanda Industries: The growth of second lumber port in the world, transcription and article (Buffalo Courier, 1887-10-07).pdf

Tonawanda industries, growth of second-largest lumber port, article (Buffalo Courier, 1887-10-07).pdf

Good general, early description. Earliest settlers seem to only account for south-siders Lock built for Niagara-Creek access. Cleveland Commercial…

Buffalo Express pictorial, 1891, article and partial transcription.pdf

Newspaper Buffalo  NY Morning Express 1891 - 0563.pdf

### Summary of Topics in the Document

1. **Tonawanda Island Lumber District**:
- Described as a premier location for lumber storage and…

Paul's Dictionary of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda and Vicinity, transcribed excerpts (1896).pdf

Pauls Dictionary of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda and Vicinity (1896).jpg

From pp. 163-164: Tonawanda, the second-greatest lumber market in the world, lies midway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and it has a happy…

Tonawanda News, full paper (1896-06-01).pdf

North Tonawanda NY Evening News 1896 Grayscale - 0626.pdf

After this date, the microfilm record of the paper is silent until November 1st, and the (remote) lighting of the "New Niagara Furnace" at the…

The Town of Wheatfield, transcribed chapter (Landmarks of Niagara County, 1897).pdf

History of Wheatfield (Chapter XII from Landmarks of Niagara County, 1897).pdf

CHAPTER XXII.

THE TOWN OF WHEATFIELD.

Wheatfield is the last town organized in Niagara County, and was set off from Niagara May 12, 1836. It…

NT was one of last cities of Niagara County, article p1 (Williams, WPA, 1936-09-19, 2408).jpg

NT was one of last cities of Niagara County, article p1 (Williams, WPA, 1936-09-19, 2408).jpg

Recounts early history of Goundry, Sweeney; Settlers Burges, Pettit, Carney and more; incorporation etc.

History of the Twin Cities by Mrs. Elias Root.htm

Mrs. Elias Root published her "complete" and "authentic" history in the Tonawanda News in a series of articles in 1947. - - - - La Salle and…

Ancestry and descendants of Henry Perkins Smith and Christiana (Long) Smith (excerpts).jpg

166.jpg

From this long and detailed family history, we excerpt the following fascinating accounts:

(pp 166-189) Early life of (Pennsylvania Dutch)…

North Tonawanda was early scene of Indian life, settlers, Jacobs Tavern and the War of 1812, etc, article (Lewis, Ton News, 1957-05 0672).jpg

North Tonawanda was early scene of Indian life, settlers, Jacobs Tavern and the War of 1812, etyc, article (Lewis, Ton News, 1957-05 0672).jpg

Same material appears in a 1965 series by the same author. 1843 date of East Boston Company's arrival is incorrect (1833).

Tonawanda Island settled in 1819, Mile Reserve lots, Daniel Webster - article and transcription (Clarence O. Lewis, Niagara Gazette, 1965-03-17).jpg

Tonawanda Island settled in 1819, Mile Reserve lots, Daniel Webster - article and transcription (Clarence O. Lewis, Niagara Gazette, 1965-03-17).jpg

AI Transcription:
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**Niagara County History:**
**Tonawanda Island Settled in 1819**

**- IN THIS COLUMN last week we started a series of…

Vandervoorts of Sweeney Street, three articles by Jane R. Penvose, transcriptions (Tonawanda News, 1982-05-28).jpg

Vandervoorts of Sweeney Street, article (Jane R. Penvose, 1 of 2, Tonawanda News, v1982-05-28).jpg

Vandervoorts of Sweeney StreetMiss Sarah Vandervoort, age 75, was more than annoyed that September of 1882. A half-sunken canal boat lay in Tonawanda…

Myths and Travel Tales, Niagara illustrations, excerpt (Chapter XII - History of the Niagara Frontier, Wilner, pp. 533-547, 1931).pdf

Chapter XII Myths and Tales, excerpt , from a History of the Niagara Frontier.pdf

(Click 1st image to view PDF). Repeats false Sacrifice to the Falls ("Maid of the Mist") story, The Place of Peace, Fate of the Peace Queen, Flight of…