History of Watertown, (Jefferson County) New York United States of America

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Local History Notes:

WATERTOWN, a flourishing post-borough, capital of Jefferson county, New York, is situated in Watertown township, on the left or S. bank of Black river, and on the Rome and Watertown railroad, about 160 miles W. N. W. from Albany, and 86 miles by railroad N. N. W. from Utica. It is the southern terminus of the Potsdam and Watertown railroad, 75 miles long, which connects with the Northern railroad at Stockholm. It contains a stone court house and jail, a state arsenal of brick, 6 banks, with an aggregate capital of $600,000, 9 or 10 churches, and several academies. Five or six newspapers are published in the borough. The river, which is here 60 yards wide, is crossed by a bridge. There is a fall of about 24 feet opposite the town, and rapids for 3 or 4 miles below, from which almost unlimited water-power may be derived with facility. The manufactories of this place are various and extensive, producing woollen and cotton goods, paper, flour, machinery, iron ware, farming implements, leather, lumber, and other articles. Laid out in 1805. Pop. of the township in 1840, 5027; in 1850, 7201.

Biographies:

Ambrose W. Clark, representative, was born near Cooperstown, N. Y., Feb. 19, 1810. He was educated in the public schools and learned the trade of a printer. He published The Otsego Journal, 1831-36; The Northern Journal, Lewis county, 1836-44; and the Northern New York Journal at Watertown, 1844-60. He was elected as a Republican to represent his district in the 37th and 38th congresses, 1861-65. He was appointed United States consul at Valparaiso by President Lincoln, serving, 1865-69, and in 1869 was acting charg? d'affaires. He died at Watertown, N. Y., Oct. 13, 1887.

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

Oscar Sherman Gifford, representative, was born at Watertown, N.Y., Oct. 20, 1842; son of Ebenezer and Mary (Ressequie) Gifford; great-grandson of Joseph Gifford, who served in the Continental army; and a descendant on his mother's side from Alexander Ressequie, a French Huguenot, who settled in America about 1700. He received a common school education, attended the neighboring academy, and served as a private in the Union army, 1863-65. He was admitted to the bar in 1870; settled in practice in Canton, Dakota; became district attorney for Lincoln county, Dakota, in 1874; was mayor of Canton, 1882-83; was a member of the state constitutional convention which met at Sioux Falls, Sept. 7, 1883; and was a delegate from Dakota to the 49th and 50th congresses. 1885-89. In 1888 he was elected, as a Republican, a representative-at-large from South Dakota in the 51st congress, serving. 1889-91.

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

Serranus Clinton Hastings, jurist, was born in Watertown, N.Y., Nov. 22, 1814. He was educated at the Academy, Gouverneur, N.Y., and was principal of Norwich, N.Y., academy in 1834. He removed to Wisconsin Territory and located at Bloomington where he was admitted to the bar in 1837. When the territory of Iowa was formed in 1838 he was elected to its first legislature and was either a member of the legislature or the council continuously till 1846, when it became a state. He was elected a representative in the 29th congress, taking his seat, Dec. 7, 1846. In 1848 he was appointed by Governor Briggs chief justice of the supreme court of the state. In 1849 he resigned, went to California and settled at Benicia, where in 1850 he was elected by the legislature of the new state the first chief justice of the supreme court of California. He served two years and was then elected attorney general of the state for two years. In 1854 he retired from public life and engaged in real estate investments. In 1878 he founded and endowed Hastings college of law, in the University of California, and was professor of comparative jurisprudence, 1880-87. He also paid into the state treasury $100,000 on condition that the state would use it for the benefit of young men in every vocation of life desiring to gain a knowledge of the law. He also endowed St. Catharine's academy, Benicia, with $6000 in land and made a liberal cash contribution to its foundation. He helped to obtain a fund to classify, print and publish two volumes of the botany of the Pacific coast. He died in San Francisco, Cal., Feb. 18, 1893.

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

John Avery, representative, was born in Watertown, N.Y., Feb. 29, 1824. He removed to Michigan in 1836; was graduated at the Medical college, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1850, and engaged in practice at Greenville, Mich. He was surgeon of the 21st Michigan infantry and served with the Army of the Cumberland, 1861-'65; was a member of the state legislature, 1869-'70; a member of the state board of health in 1880 and 1886, and its president in 1889, and was appointed U.S. pension examiner in 1879. He was a member of the Stanton board of U.S. examiners in 1889, and was elected a Republican representative from the 11th Michigan district in 1893-'97.

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