1802

GENESEE COUNTY - In The Beginning

Prior to the establishment of Genesee
County, Seneca Indians - Keepers of the
Western Door - inhabited this region. These
Indians were a subdivision of the Iroquois
Confederacy. Before this area was settled by
pioneers the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition broke
the strong hold of the Iroquois control. The Big
Tree Treaty of 1797 opened the lands west of
the Genesee River and allotted 200,000 acres of
land for reservations. According to the treaty
the Senecas were to receive annually the
interest from $100,000 held in Federal stocks
and bonds.

Massachusetts and New York claimed
this land by charters from 17th century English
kings. This dispute was resolved by the
Hartford Convention of 1786. Massachusetts
relinquished governmental rights to New York
but maintained title to the land, subject to
Indian rights.

In 1791 Robert Morris, "Financier of
the American Revolution" purchased from
Massachusetts 4 million acres for the sum of
$333,333,333. This area was broken into several
land tracts, the largest being the Holland
Purchase. Morris in 1793 sold the land
company 3 and 1/2 million acres. This company
was not a corporation. Bankers in Amsterdam,
Holland bought land as an association of
individuals who were eager to invest in this
region. So far as it is known, none of them ever
visited Western New York. Their business
transactions were conducted by Theophile
Cazenove and later by Paul Busti of
Philadelphia, their general agents.

Boundaries ran north and south from
Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border, and
east and west from the Genesee River to Lake
Erie.

Joseph Ellicott was commissioned by the
Holland Land Company in 1798 to survey the
purchase. Ellicott, his brother Benjamin and
over 150 men surveyed for the next three years,
completing their task in October of 1800. The
estimated cost was $70,921.69 1/2.

Ellicott was hired as local agent and
the first land sale was in 1801. Settlers were
forced to travel to Canandaigua where deeds
and mortgages were recorded. Ontario County
also levied high taxes on company lands. With
the establishment of a new county, Ellicott
resolved these problems. Taking the Seneca
word meaning "Beautiful Valley", Genesee
county was formed from Ontario County in
1802.

Joseph Ellicott established the
Holland Land Office in Batavia in 1802. The
first structure was a wooden building, which
was replaced by a stone edifice in 1815.

For 21 years Ellicott was Resident Agent
for the Company. Not only did he sell land but
was influential in the settlement of this region.
He founded Batavia, Buffalo and other towns
in western New York. He was instrumental in
the establishment of post offices and his work
on the location of the western route of the Erie
Canal helped the growth of the region.

In 1835 the Holland Land Company
sold all their remaining lands to the new
company composed chiefly of citizens of
Batavia.

The county of Genesee began operations
in 1803 with the completion of a courthouse
and election of county officers.

Batavia was named the county seat. The
original Genesee County included all of the
Holland Purchase. The county was
subdivided as follows: Allegany was taken off
in 1806; Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and
Niagara in 1808; parts of Livingston and
Monroe in 1821; Orleans in 1824 and
Wyoming in 1841. That left Genesee county
with its present 507 square miles. The
county was divided into 13 towns, beginning
with the organization of Batavia in 1802.
Alabama, Alexander, Bethany, LeRoy and
Pembroke were established in 1812. Bergen
was formed in 1813. Byron, Elba and
Stafford were established in 1820, Darien in
1832, Pavilion in 1841 and Oakfield in
1842.

Education has always been an important
part in the development of Genesee county.
Seminaries were established through- out the
county as early as 1832. Ingram University, the
first chartered woman's university in the
United States was built in 1837 in LeRoy and
closed in 1902. The New York State School for
the Blind was started in Batavia in 1865 and is
still in operation. Genesee Community College
opened with the fall semester in 1967, moving
to a new campus in 1972. The first public
libraries were opened in 1811 and school
libraries started operating in 1835.

Genesee County's present population is
approximately 59,400. Industries have been
established in both Batavia and LeRoy.

Land has always been the county's
biggest asset. It is one of the richest areas in
the eastern United States; 5% of its soil is
muckland. Prosperous farms have made
Genesee one of the principal counties in the
nation in the production of table beets and it is
a leading New York county in acreage of corn,
wheat and vegetables. Dairy farming is the
largest source of agricultural revenue.

The county also has mineral deposits
of gypsum, limestone, natural gas and salt.

The varied landscape of Genesee county
ranges from the low lying areas of the Bergen
swamp in the north to the rolling hills which
define the southern border.

Susan L. Conklin Genesee County
Historian

HOLLAND LAND OFFICE MUSEUM

131 West Main Street

Batavia, NY 14020