Birdsall was formed from Allen and Almond on May 4, 1829. It is an interior town, lying northeast of the center of the county.
The first settlement was made by Josiah Whitman on Lot 24 in 1816. James Mathews, from New Jersey, settled on Section 21, near the center in 1818. Previous to this, Mr. Vance, William P. Schaanck from New Jersey, Jeremiah Van Wormer, and William Day from Cayuga county had located in town. The first child born was James E. Mathews, March 7, 1820. The first marriage was Samuel Van Wickle and Harriet Freeman in 1821. Hannah Scott taught the first school in 1822. Josiah Whitman kept the first inn in 1820. &nbps;Joseph B. Welch kept the first store in 1828. The first sawmill was erected on Black Creek by Elijah Hull and David Peterson in 1823. The first religious meeting was held at the house of William Day in 1823, by Rev. Robert Hubbard. The first church (Methodist Episcopal) was formed by Rev. Eleazur Day in 1825. [Source: J.H.French, Gazetteer of State of New York, 1860]
Hamilton Child's 1875 Gazetteer - 1875 - Birdsall
Birdsall hamlet in the northwest part of the town on Dalton Road.
Birdsall Center - hamlet near the center of the town.
Hiltonville - located near the eastern town line
Grove - hamlet at the north town line
Scholes - located at the south town line on County Road 16
Meadowbrook Drive Canaseraga, NY Telphone: 607-545-6204 | Elissa Caprenter 3409 Gillies Hill Road Angelica, NY 14709 Telephone: 585-466-7466 |
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*code #s refer to the Allegany County Cemetery Index card file at the Allegany County Historical Society and LDS Family History Library microfilm. See Western New York Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. II, No. 1 |
Allegany County, New York Table of Contents