Perry, New York History -- Index

History of Perry (And Then Some)

This is it: the History of the Town of Perry New York, compiled and written by Frank D. Roberts, in collaboration with Carl G. Clarke, published by C.G. Clarke and Son, in 1915.

We obtained this book on a CD-Rom from someone on the internet, for a price, of course. But it's here for you FREE. Just one of the many ways we try to go above and beyond for our friends and neighbors.

Couple of things about the layout. The text of the book is in two different formats. The individual pages will be posted as .jpg files, which are image files. If you have a digital camera, you are probably familiar with .jpg files (or "jay-pegs", as they are often referred to).

The only page that will actually be "text" is this page and the index listings. Each index listing will hot link to the page with the .jpg page files for that chapter or section. Having the individual pages of the book in actual text requires typing them all word for word, and you'll understand why we don't want to do that, I'm sure. Besides the .jpg files are very easy to read.

We are also posting the PDF versions of the page files collected together as chapters. You will need Adobe's free version of Acrobat Reader or another PDF software tool to view these files. If you don't have a PDF tool, you can still read the image files on the individual chapter pages. The PDF's can be found on their respective chapter pages and include the small PDF icon ( ).

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us and we'll do our best to help you out.

The .jpg thumbnail files below correspond to pages in the book. Click any thumbnail to open the larger image file. If the file opens in a small, unreadable format, you may need to change your browser settings; or if you have Windows XP, look for the small square in the lower right corner of the image when you mouse over it, click on it, and the page will enlarge to its full size.

Flyleaf, Index & Introduction Pages (PDF)

FLYLEAF PAGES
INDEX
INTRODUCTION		7
THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS LINK TO SEPARATE PAGES WITH ALL INCLUDED .JPG'S
CHAPTER I	Early history of Wyoming County -- How Formed -- First Settlers -- Mary Jemison -- Indian Allen	9
CHAPTER II	Various Names of the Town -- How Formed -- Acreage -- Early Settlers and Where They Came From	18
CHAPTER III	Anecdotes of Calvin P. Bailey -- Pioneer Physicians -- Early History of Perry Center, West Perry and Castile	37
CHAPTER IV	Perry of 1840-45 -- Manufacturing and Business Places of That Period	50
CHAPTER V	Early Industrial Development -- Distilleries, Asheries and Foundry	59
CHAPTER VI	Manufactories that had an important part in the Growth of the Town	80
CHAPTER VII	Educational Institutions of the Early Days -- Private and Public Schools	96
CHAPTER VIII	The Old Perry Academy -- Perry High School -- Roster of the Graduates	112
CHAPTER IX	Churches of Perry -- Ecclesiastical History	139
CHAPTER X	Gold Excitement of 1849 -- Perry Men Who Caught the Fever	178
CHAPTER XI	Silver Lake Sea Serpent -- Affidavits of People Who Saw the Monster -- The Exposure	184
CHAPTER XII	Political Divisions -- The Anti-Slavery Crusade -- Campaign of 1840	204
CHAPTER XIII	Perry's Part in the Civil War -- Organizations of the 24th New York Battery -- Battle of Plymouth, N.C.	214
CHAPTER XIV	Sketch of the Surrender of the 24th New York Battery -- Horrors of Andersonville -- Roster of Volunteers from Perry, 1861-65	224
CHAPTER XV	The Press of Perry -- Cemeteries -- Banking Institutions and Their Founders	236
CHAPTER XVI	Highways, Bridges, Etc. -- Maps Showing Growth of the Village Since The Early Days	251
CHAPTER XVII	Early Transportation by Stage Coach and Canal -- Long and Bitter Struggle to Obtain Railroad Connections -- The Men Who Made It a Reality	258
CHAPTER XVIII	Theaters and Amusement Places -- Conception and Realization of Town Hall and Auditorium -- Hotels	273
CHAPTER XIX	The Most Costly Fires -- Organization of the Volunteer Fire Department -- Department Building -- Motor Fire Truck	286
CHAPTER XX	Agitation for and Installation of Water Works System -- Intimate History of the Campaign	302
CHAPTER XXI	Successful Campaign for a Sewerage System -- Legal Contest Won by Village	318
CHAPTER XXII	Street Lighting -- Local Telephone and Natural Gas Systems -- Rapid Development	325
CHAPTER XXIII	Musical Organizations -- Singing Societies, Bands and Orchestras	331
CHAPTER XXIV	Secret Organizations -- Early Institutions of Lodges of Masons and Odd Fellows	338
CHAPTER XXV	Silver Lake Agricultural and Mechanical Association -- Wyoming Historical Pioneer Association	344
CHAPTER XXVI	Public Library, The Realization of a Long Cherished Dream -- The Site and Building	352
CHAPTER XXVII	Statistical Data, Showing Growth in Population and Other Important Features -- Residents Who Achieved Eminence -- List of Public Officials -- Roster of Business and Professional Men	357
ADDENDA		374

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