This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Cosgrove, Cochrane, Wisner, Farnsworth, Parsons, Ellsworth, Spear, Forsythe, Burgess, Dickson, Adams, Loomis, Ellsworth, Prendergast, Baird, Brockway, Goodrich, Stetson, Hayden, Robinson, Crosgrove, Harrison, Atwater, McMahan, Dorchester, Montgomery, Bell Classification: Lookup Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/SRB.2ACE/11889 Message Board Post: ALL OF THE BELOW INFORMATION CAME FROM ”EARLY HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY” BY RIPLEY LITERARY SOCIETY 1947. This information was compiled for a lookup request. We are not related (that we know)! Kelly http://kindredroots.com William Cosgrove came in 1806, and his farm, with Mr. Cochrane, have the early settler markers and are situated nearly side by side, on West Main Road. Early settler in Portland. “Names as inscribed on the monument at old cross roads, Westfield.” “Westfield & Ripley” “Alex Cochrane” “Wm Crosgrove” A partial list of the earliest settlers in original purchases, other than the McMahan Tract. 1803 Alexander Cochran, 1806 William Crosgrove Early locations as listed in the order of Early Settlers according to memories of George Bennett, Ollie Jones, Louie Shortman, Ralph McCutcheon, & others. Alexander Cochran, 1804: First settler locating on West Main Rd, on property still in the possession (as of late 1940’s) of Martha and Margaretta Cochrane, residents, and Andrew Cochran. It has a State marker, to designate the first settler. William Crosgrove, 1806: Located on farm West of Cochrane farm, and until recently, still occupied by direct descendents of Mr. Crosgrove. It has a state marker to designate the farm. THE GRANGE (Grange No. 65) The following names appear on the Roll Book under date of September 23, 1898 as new members: Robert E. Crosgrove, William A. Crosgrove. “TAKEN FROM "DOWNS HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY." In 1805, William Crosgrove settled near Mr. Cochrane. He married Rachel Cochrane, and they reared a large family. William Wisner bought a tract of land on the south side of the main road where is the present village of Ripley. Josiah Farnsworth and Jonathan Parsons were the first purchasers of land on the north side of the road here, and others who came early were Perry Ellsworth, Asa Spear, William and Andrew Spear. Charles Forsythe, from Connecticut, settled on the McMahan tract in 1808. He established saw mills and made cider and cider brandy. He lived in the village until 1860, and built the first brick house there. In 1809, Basil Burgess, came from Maryland, bought lands which he sold to Robert Dickson from Cherry Valley, and Moses Adams from Duchess county. Mr. Burgess settled on land adjoining. Jonathan Adams settled near him. Oliver Loomis settled on land which he bought of Perry Ellsworth, and Bold to Thomas Prendergast soon after, west of Quincy. In 1809, Silas B! aird settled on the western part of the McMahan tract, and the next year sold to John Dickson, who, in 1811, was killed by a falling tree. Burban Brockway, from Ontario County, bought the farm in 1814. Robert and Hugh Cochran settled on the main and lake roads near the Westfield line. Gideon Goodrich, from Saratoga County settled on the Lake road at an early day, and his sons, Anson and George bought on the main road, near the village, and built a tannery, and engaged in making shoes. Oliver Stetson who served in the War of 1812, and Elijah Hayden, were early settlers. The first settler in the present town of Ripley was Alexander Cochrane, who came from Ireland and settled about 2 miles west of the present village of Ripley. He came in October 1804, and it is claimed that he is the first person who paid for and received a deed to his property. Claim has been made that net only was it the first deed in the town, but also in the County, to be fully paid for. His nearest neighbor was a John Robinson, who lived across the Pennsylvania Line, in the town of North East. In 1806, a Mr. William Crosgrove, also a native of Ireland, came to Ripley and purchased a tract of land adjoining Mr. Cochrane' s an the West, and at the present time, a direct lineal descendent of the two early settlers awns and lives en a part of the original purchase. In 1805, Nathan Wisner, Thomas Prendergast and Samuel Harrison came in and settled in the town and from that time on, until the information of the town in 1816, settlements were made more or less rapidly every ye! ar, and we find that at the time of the first. General Election, which was held on the 30th day of April, and the 1st and 2nd days of May, 1817, there were 78 votes cast far the office of Member of Congress. The first town meeting was held in the spring of 1816, and Amos Atwater was elected Supervisor. He settled on the West side of Chautauqua Creek above Westfield, in 1813, where he carried on a wool-cording and cloth dressing business and subsequently established an oil-mill. He was a volunteer in the militia on the Niagara Frontier, in 1813. He removed to Beardstown, IL in 1836. There is no complete list of town officers as one or two pages of the records were lost, but on the 1st day of April 1817, a complete list of Town Officers were elected as follows: Supervisor, Thomas Prendergast; Town Clerk, Moses Adams; Assessors, Amos Atwater, Stephen Prendergast, Alexander Cochrane; Commissioners of Highways, James McMahan, Francis Dorchester, Charles Forsythe; Constable and Collector, Moses E. Stetson; Commissioners of common schools, Gideon Goodrich, James Montgomery, Wm. Bell; Overseers of Poor, Burban Brockway, Alexander Cochrane; Fence Viewers, Oliver Stetson, Jr., Samuel Tink! er; Pound Masters, Samuel Taylor, James Montgomery; Sealers of Weights and measures, Moses Adams.