History of Herkimer, (Herkimer County) New York United States of America

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Local History Notes:

HERKIMER, a county in the N. eastern part of New York, has an area of about 1360 square miles. It is partly bounded on the E. by East Canada creek, and is intersected by the Mohawk river, and principally drained by these streams, together with West Canada creek, Black river, and its tributaries, which supply motive-power to numerous grist and saw mills. It contains a number of small lakes or ponds. The surface is generally hilly and sometimes mountainous, and in many parts thickly covered with pine and other timber. The sort along the valleys of its streams is of a superior quality, and in many of the hilly districts quite fertile. Indian corn, oats, and grass are the staples. In 1850 this county produced 209,292 bushels of corn; 591,237 of oats; 95,520 tons of hay; 1,397,921 pounds of butter, and 9,548,009 of cheese, (the greatest quantity produced by any county in the United States. ) There were 25 flour and grist mills, 86 saw mills, 2 woollen factories, 2 cotton factories, 26 tanneries, 3 paper mills, and 5 iron foundries. It contained 54 churches, 4 newspaper offices, 10,135 pupils attending public schools, and 335 attending academies or other schools. This county abounds in iron ore, limestone, and building stone; some lead, plumbago, and gypsum are found. Near Little Fails, beautiful specimens of quartz crystal are abundant. The Utica and Syracuse railroad and the Erie canal traverse the southern part of this county. Organized in 1791, and enlarged in 1817. Capital, Herkimer. Population, 38,244.

Biographies:

Robert Earl, jurist, was born in Herkimer, N.Y., Sept. 10, 1824; son of John and Margaret (Petry) Earl; grandson of Paul Earl, and of Dr. William Perry, a surgeon in the Revolutionary army; and a descendant of Ralph Earl, who came to Rhode Island from England in 1638. He was prepared for college at Herkimer academy and was graduated at Union in 1845. He was county judge of Herkimer county, 1856-60, was surrogate of the county, and in 1869 was elected judge, and for a time was chief judge of the court of appeals of the state. On the reorganization of that court in 1870 he was made a member of the commission of appeals. He was appointed in 1875 by Governor Tilden a judge of the court of appeals on the death of Martin Grover and in November, 1876, he was elected a member of the court for the full term of fourteen years. He was re-elected in 1890 and in January, 1892, was appointed chief judge by Governor Flower to succeed William Crawford Ruger, deceased. In November, 1892, Charles Andrews was elected chief judge. Judge Earl retired from the bench by reason of age limit, Jan. 1, 1895. He received the degree of LL.D. from Union college in 1874 and from Columbia college in 1887.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Thornton Kirkland, educator, was born in Herkimer, N.Y., Aug. 17, 1770; son of the Rev. Samuel and Jerusha (Bingham) Kirkland; grandson of the Rev. Daniel Kirkland, a native of Saybrook, Conn., and of Jabez and Mary (Wheelock) Bingham, of Salisbury, Conn., and a descendant on his mother's side of Myles Standish. He was a student at Phillips Andover academy, 1784-86, and was graduated from Harvard with distinguished honors in 1789. He was an assistant instructor at Phillips Andover academy, 1789-90; studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Stephen West at Stockbridge, Mass., 1790-92; was tutor in logic and metaphysics at Harvard, 1792-94, and at the same time pursued his theological studies. He was ordained and installed pastor of the New South church, Feb. 5, 1794, and served until 1810, when he was chosen to succeed Samuel Webber as president of Harvard college. Under his administration the course of studies was remodelled and enlarged;the law school was established; the medical school resuscitated and reorganized; the theological school erected into a separate department with able and learned professors and lecturers; four permanent professorships were added, endowed and filled in the academical department, and the salaries of all the instructors were increased; Holworth, University and Divinity halls were erected at Cambridge and the medical college in Boston; the general library was doubled by the gifts of the collections of Palmer, Ebeling and Warden, by the Boylston donation and from various other resources, and the law, medical and theological libraries were instituted. A grant of $100,000 was obtained from the legislature, a sum still greater was bestowed in endowments by individuals, and $50,000 was collected by private subscription for theological purposes. He retired from the presidency of Harvard university on account of ill-health, March 28, 1828. He was married, Sept. 1, 1827, to Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. George Cabot. In 1828 he travelled with his wife through the United States and, 1829-32, through Europe and the East. He was vice-president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Massachusetts Historical society. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Dartmouth college in 1792, and from Brown university in 1794; that of D.D. from the College of New Jersey in 1802 and that of LL.D. from Brown in 1810. He is the author of: Eulogy on Washington (1799); Biography of Fisher Ames (1809); Discourse on the Death of Hon. George Cabot (1823). He died in Boston, Mass., April 26, 1840.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor