Town of Leicester - 1802

Livingston County, New York

French's Gazetteer of New York State, 1860

LEICESTER---was formed, as "Leister," March 30, 1802. Its name was changed Feb. 9, 1805. Mount Morris was taken off in 1813, and a part of York in 1819. It is the center town on the W. border of the co. The surface is undulating, with extensive flats in the E. It is drained by the Genesee River, which forms its E. and S. boundaries, and by Beards Creek and its tributaries. The soil is a sandy and clayey loam on the upland, and a rich alluvium on the flats. Squakie Hill and Big Tree Reservations

were within the limits of the town. Moscow, (p.v.) near the center, incorp. about 1850, contains 3 churches and 320 inhabitants. Cuylerville, (p.v.) in the E. part, incorp. in 1848, contains a church, a distillery, and 354 inhabitants; Gibonsville,(p.v.) in the S.W. part, a paper mill, sawmill, and 16 houses. Ebenezer Allen was the first settler, soon after the close of the Revolution, but left soon after. The first permanent settlement was commenced by Horatio and John H. Jones, in 1789. The census reports 4 churches in town.

Cemeteries

NAME	EST.	LOCATION	SIZE +/-
Leicester	====	west of the village, on Rte 20A and 39.	====
Taunton	====	north of town, near intersection of Peoria Rd. and Starr Rd.	====

Resources

TOWN CLERK: Mary Yasso, 2361 Leicester Rd., Leicester, NY 14481
TOWN HISTORIAN: Tom Roffe, 132 Main St., Leicester, NY, 585-382-3234

BOOKS

Doty, Lockwood R., A History of Livingston County, New York, Geneseo,NY, E.E. Doty, 1876.

Doty, Lockwood R., History of the Genesee Country, Chicago, S.J. Clark Publishing Co., 1925.

Smith, James H., History of Livingston County, New York, Syracuse,NY, D.Mason & Co., 1881.

ORGANIZATIONS :
American Legion, Carlton Borse Post 1007, Leicester, NY 14481

CHURCHES:

Union Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Leicester, (585)382-3676
St.Thomas Aquinas ans St.Lucy's Parish, 175 Main St., Leicester, (585)382-3400

FOOTNOTES

[Beards Creek] Named from Little Beard, an Indian chief, whose principal village, Little Beard's Town, was situated on the present site of Cuylerville. ... (back)

[in 1789] Among the other early settlers were Elijah Hunt, Alexander Ewing, adn Maj. Wm. Lemon. Jellis, Thomas, and Wm. Clute, from Schenectady, were also early settlers. The first child born was James Jones, May 5, 1791; and first death, that of Mrs. Horatio Jones, in June 1792. The first inn was kept by Leonard Stimson, in 1797. He also opened the first store, soon after. The first sawmill was built by Ebenezer Allen, at Gibsonville, in 1792; and the first gristmill, by Oliver L. Phelps, near Moscow, in 1799. (back)

[churches in town] Presb., M.E., Bap., Ref. Presb. (back)

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