(continued from page 4) present Town of Pavilion; and about three square Dividing Up The Land miles of the northwestern part of the present The definitive source of informa- fluence of Town of York. This footprint included the southern tion about the political history of and the 1 part of the 100,000 Acre Tract; the Craigie Tract; LeRoy was written by Alvin Stripp near Scottsville. For that the southern tip of the Triangle Tract; the south- in 1981. Alvin revised his research in reason, the early name of western part of the Mill Site Tract of the Phelps and 1996 and sent copies of his typewrit- the Oatka Creek was “Al- Gorham Tract; and the western part of the 40,000 ten notes to the LeRoy Historical So- len’s Creek.” Acre Tract. (#6) ciety, the Genesee County Historian’s When the Mill Tract The western boundary of LeRoy in 1812, was the office and the Woodward Library. was first surveyed, a mis- eastern Transit Line of the Holland Purchase. This The following article is based on Al- take was made – perhaps included a 2 mile “jog” that comprised 5 square vin’s research. on purpose. As a result, miles. In 1815, the state removed this 5 square mile After the American Revolution, the Mill Tract included section and added it to the Town of Batavia. (#7) the desire for land changed the map 87,000 acres of land that Another section of land on the north side of the of Western . Strange as it rightfully belonged to town, bordering Bergen, was added to LeRoy. may be, the State of the Indians. Later, when In 1817, the State created the Town of Coving- claimed as an ex- the tract was resurveyed, ton. This included part of Linwood, however, in tension of their western border un- a triangular “correction” 8 1823, Linwood and about three square miles of der land agreements made in the was made, creating the adjacent land in Covington were combined to be 1600s. New York cited similar agree- Triangle Tract. (#1) On annexed by the Town of York and Livingston Coun- ments. As a result, a convention was January 11, 1793, the ty. This removed the entire southern part of the held in Hartford, Connecticut on De- Triangle Tract was sold Town of LeRoy. (#8) In 1820, the State created the cember 16, 1786, to settle the matter. to Herman LeRoy and Town of Stafford, combining part of the Town of Massachusetts agreed that New York William Bayard. Both LeRoy with the eastern part of the Town of Batavia. should have governmental control of men were wealthy New (#9) In 1841, the State created Wyoming County. this region and that a line should be York businessmen who The Town of Covington was split between Wyo- drawn from the Pennsylvania border invested their money in land specu- acres were purchased by James ming County and Genesee County, so that part of to just west of Geneva. lation. A large boulder on Summit Watson and Andrew Craigie. Nine Covington that was situated in Wyoming County All the land west of the “Preemption Street in LeRoy, marks the apex of years later, Sir William Pultney and remained as Covington. The other part of Coving- Line” would be Indian territory and the Triangle Tract. the State of Connecticut acquired ton that remained in Genesee County became the Massachusetts would retain “pre- Phelps and Gorham had finan- equal shares of this tract and it Town of Pavilion. In 1842, the State enlarged Pavil- emptive rights” to negotiate with the cial difficulties and their rights to was called the Connecticut Tract ion by adding parts of LeRoy and Stafford. (#10) Indians for this land. the land west of the Genesee River or the Pultney Tract but more of- With these changes, the present boundaries of the Two years later, on April 1, 1788, were eventually sold to Robert Mor- ten the 100,000 Acre Tract. ( The Towns of Pavilion, Stafford and LeRoy were estab- Massachusetts sold their preemptive ris in 1791. But his financial reversals original town of LeRoy in 1812 lished. (#11) rights to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel forced him to sell almost immediate- was situated on the southern part Gorham for $1 million. Oliver Phelps ly. As mentioned, Herman LeRoy and of the 100,000 Tract.) Morris sold met with the Indians three months William Bayard acquired the Triangle what was to become known as the later on July 8, at Buffalo Creek. The In- Tract in 1793 from Morris. Between Craigie Tract to Andrew Craigie 9 dians agreed to sell 26,000,000 acres December 1792 and July 1793, four and although it supposedly con- in exchange for about $5,000, but large parcels of land were purchased tained 50,000 acres, it actually was STAFFORD ESTABLISHED FROM LE ROY and BATAVIA IN 1820 they refused to sell any land west of by Herman LeRoy, John Linklaen, much smaller. Craigie Street marks the Genesee River on the contention Gerrit Boon, William Bayard and Mat- the eastern boundary. (#3) that the Great Spirit had told them thew Clarkson. These men held the Forty thousand acres was sold to that the River was the natural divid- land in trust for a group of Dutch in- Jan and Wilhem Willink, and was ing line between the white man’s vestors who were forbidden by law identified as the 40,000 Acre Tract. land to the east and the Indian land to own property in New York. When (Another part of the Town of Le- to the west. Never the less, Phelps the state law was repealed, the land Roy.) The Willinks were members of persisted and convinced them to was transferred back to the Dutch the and of- give up land on the west side of the investors, known as the Holland ten the 40,000-Acre Tract has been River. In return he promised to build Land Company. The four land tracts misidentified as being part of the a flour mill for their use. This tract became known as the Holland Pur- Holland Purchase. In fact, the Will- of land on the west side of the river, chase and was the largest land tract inks purchased the tract for their known as the Phelps and Gorham west of the Genesee River. own speculation and benefit and Mill Tract, consisted of 175,000 acres. Morris was forced to sell the because they were Dutch citizens, (The eastern part of the Town of Le- rights to another tract of land, the land had to be held in trust by Roy is in the Mill Tract.) Ebenezer “In- which was situated east of the Herman LeRoy, William Bayard and dian” Allen built a grist mill and a saw Holland Purchase and extended James Mc Evers. 11 mill on the Mill Tract near the site of east to the Genesee River. It was South of the Craigie Tract, Samuel present-day Rochester. He also lived known as the Morris Reserve. (#2) Ogden purchased 50,000 acres. Ger- 10 for a while near the site of the con- On February 18, 1792, 100,000 (continued on page 3) Page 2 Page 5