History of Rochester, (Monroe County) New York United States of America

The 1854 Gazetteer of the United States by Thomas Baldwin shows:

ROCHESTER, a city, capital of Monroe county, New York, is situated on both sides of Genesee river, 7 miles from its entrance into Lake Ontario, 230 miles by railroad W. by N. from Albany, and 68 miles E. N. E, from Buffalo. Lat. 48° 8' N., lon. 77° 51' W. Rochester is the largest town on the great thoroughfare above alluded to, excepting Albany and Buffalo, and is a place of rapid growth, and remarkable for its extensive manufactories of flour and other articles. The site of this city is nearly level. The streets vary from 60 to 80 feet in width, and are generally straight and well paved. The principal street, extending E. and W. through the centre of the town, and crossing the river by a bridge, is called Main street on the E., and Buffalo street on the W. side of the river. The greater number of public buildings and many of the residences are handsomely built of brick or of limestone quarried in the immediate vicinity. The streets are generally bordered with shade-trees, and lighted with gas, and many of the dwellings have gardens and ornamental grounds attached. The city has several public squares, and the two divisions are connected by 4 or 5 bridges. The corporate limits occupy an area of 7 square miles, but it is not very compactly built.

The new court house and city hall on Buffalo street is a large and beautiful structure, with a granite front--cost $80,000. The Arcade is a handsome building occupied partly by the post-office department. The Western House of Refuge for juvenile offenders is a fine large brick building, finished in 1851 at a cost of $65,000; it is 382 feet long, 3 stories high, and contains 190 delinquents. The main edifice of the Rochester University is 100 feet by 60, and 4 stories high, with a wing 75 feet by 50. Many of the churches and hotels are large and handsome buildings. The university was organized in November, 1850, with an endowment of $150,000, and is under the direction of the Baptists. The Baptist Theological Seminary of this place was founded in 1850, with an endowment of $75,000. The Rochester Athen�um has 3000 members, with a library of 7100 volumes, and an annual course of lectures. The Rochester Sunday School Union is composed of 335 schools, with 4347 pupils, and 8000 volumes in the libraries. There are 2 orphan asylums. The public press consists of 4 daily and tri-weekly and 7 weekly newspapers, 1 monthly agricultural, and 1 monthly horticultural journal. Rochester contains 44 churches, among which there are 9 Presbyterian, 9 Methodist Episcopal, 4 Baptist, 3 Episcopal, 6 Catholic, and 13 others of various denominations. Among the principal hotels are the American, the Eagle, the Waverly, the Clinton, Blossom's Hotel; the Mansion House, the Rochester, and Congress Hall. The city contains 6 banks. The Rochester Gas Light Company, with a capital of $125,000, have 10 miles of "mains," 140 city lamps, and 1100 private consumers. The Erie canal, passing through the central part of the city, crosses the river by a beautiful stone aqueduct about 800 feet long. The trade of Rochester is facilitated by the following improvements, besides the canal above named:--The Genesee Valley canal extends southward to the Alleghany river; four different sections or branches of the Central railroad passing E. and W. meet here, and the Rochester and Lake Ontario railroad joins them at this point. Steamboats ascend the river to Carthage, about 2 miles below the city, and smaller boats navigate the same above the falls. The shipping of the district, June 30, 1852, amounted to an aggregate of 686 1/95 tons enrolled and licensed, all of which was employed in the coast trade, and 429 42/95 tons in steam navigation. The foreign arrivals for the year were 264, (tons, 38,903,) of which 200 (tons, 33,027) were by foreign vessels, and clearances for foreign ports for the year were the same, The above does not include the canal tonnage which is doubtless much greater.

The unlimited water-power derived from the Genesee river has been a principal cause of the prosperity of Rochester, the figuring mills of which are probably the most extensive in the United States. The river within a course of 3 miles has a total descent of 226 feet, with three perpendicular falls of 97, 20, and 105 feet. The first of these is within the limits of the city, a little N. of the centre, and is considered one of the most beautiful cataracts in the state. Below the upper falls the broad river flows through a ravine more than 100 feet deep. The total amount of flour manufactured here annually is estimated at 600,000 barrels, which, computing 5 bushels to each barrel, would require 3,000,000 bushels of wheat. The quantity received by canals and railroads in 1852 was 1,640,454 bushels, leaving 1,359,546 to be made up from receipts by wagons.

Various other manufactures are carried on, the chief productions of which are machinery, farming implements, stoves and other iron castings, cotton and woollen goods, paper, lumber, leather, cabinet ware, and edge tools. Rochester is remarkable for the extent and character of its fruit nurseries. According to the estimate of a gentleman residing in the vicinity and thoroughly acquainted with the subject, there are within 10 miles of the city not less than 1000 acres devoted to this branch of business. One firm alone, that of Elwanger & Barry, have 200 acres closely and richly cultivated, employing from 80 to 150 hands. Mount Hope Cemetery, near the E. bank of the river, and 2 miles S. from the railroad dep�t, is remarkable for the natural adaptation of the grounds to the object for which they have been selected, and for the picturesque beauty of its situation.

Rochester was settled in 1812 by Nathaniel Rochester and others, incorporated in 1817, and chartered as a city in 1834. Population in 1820, 1502; in 1830, 9269; in 1840, 20,191; in 1850, 36,403, and in 1853, about 42,000.

Biographies:

Charles Galusha Colby, editor, was born in Rochester, N.Y., in 1830. He was graduated at Wesleyan university in 1848. He gave special attention to the study of astronomy and geography, and was associated with Prof. William Cranch Bond of Harvard. At the college observatory he calculated the eclipses of July, 1851, and while at the observatory contributed an article to the New York Independent on telescopes. The results of his calculations of the July eclipses were published in Harper's Magazine. In 1852-53 he assisted in the preparation of "Fisher's Statistical Gazetteer of the United States," of the "American Statistical Annual" (1853), and in editing Hunt's Merchants' Magazine, continuing with the latter publication for some years. He removed to Boston in 1861 and was an editor of the Commercial Bulletin until 1864, when he returned to New York city. He did the descriptive and statistical work in Morse's Geography of the World and in his Diamond Atlas. He died in New York city, Oct. 30, 1866.

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

Isaac Butts, journalist, was born in Washington, Dutchess county, N. Y., Jan. 11, 1816. He removed with his parents in early life to Rochester, where he obtained an ordinary education. He purchased and edited the Rochester Advertiser, 1845-64, and consolidated the Union with the Advertiser in 1856 wherein he supported Democratic principles, and the principle in regard to slavery in acquired territory which became known as "Popular Sovereignty." He was a member of the House printing telegraph company and of the New York and Mississippi Valley printing telegraph company, and an organizer and director of the Western Union telegraph company, into which the two companies were merged. He published Brief Reasons for Repudiation, Applicable to the War Debts of all Countries (1869). His Protection and Free Trade: an Inquiry whether Protective Duties cau Benefit the Interests of a Country in the Aggregate, was published posthumously (1875), and contains a brief memoir by the editor. He died in Rochester, N. Y., Nov. 20, 1874.

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

Katherine Eleanor Conway, journalist, was born in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 6, 1853; daughter of James and Sarah Agatha (O'Boyle) Conway; and granddaughter of John and Elizabeth (M'Gurn) Conway, and of Michael and Mary Preston (Corcoran) O'Boyle. She acquired her education in Roman Catholic convent schools and in Madame Nardin's academy in Buffalo, N.Y., paying special attention to history and English literature. Her first journalistic work was done on the Rochester Daily Union, and on a small church magazine, and from 1880 to 1883 she was assistant editor on the Catholic Union and Times, Buffalo, N.Y. In 1883 she removed to Boston, Mass., as an associate editor of the Pilot. Besides editing Watchwords from John Boyle O' Reilly (1891), and Christian Symbols and Stories of the Saints by Clara Erskine Clement, she wrote: On the Sunrise Slope (1881); A Dream of Lilies (1893); Family Sitting-Room Series, including A Lady and Her Letters (1895); Making Friends and Keeping Them (1896); Questions of Honor in the Christian Life (1897); Bettering Ourselves (1899); and contributed to current Catholic magazines.

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

Frank Lawler, representative, was born in Rochester, N.Y., June 25, 1842. He attended the public schools until 1855, when a serious accident to his father made it necessary for him to help support the family and he was a newsboy on the railroad, 1855-58; after that time he learned the trade of ship-builder and became president of the Ship-carpenters and Ship-calkers' association, taking an active part in organizing and maintaining trade and labor unions. He was employed in the post-office at Chicago, Ill., 1869-77; was a member of the city council, 1876-85; and a representative, elected by the Democrats of the second district of Illinois, in the 49th, 50th and 51st congresses, 1885-91, serving on the committee on levees and improvements of the Mississippi river. He died in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 17, 1896.

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

History of Rochester, (Monroe County) New York

Local History Notes:

Biographies: