Edward Hunting

  General Notes:

Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York by John H. Selkreg, 1894; D. Mason & Co., Publisher

The Town of Dryden
The town of Dryden lies on the east border of Tompkins,extendingwestwardto near the center, and contains 54,567 acres, of whichabout45,000 acresare improved. The town is bounded on the north by thetownof Groton, onthe east by Cortland county, on the south by the townsofCaroline andDanby, on the west by Ithaca and Lansing. It is thelargesttown inTompkins county, and is number 23 of the townships ofthemilitary tract.It was named in honor of John DRYDEN, the English poet.
Dryden was taken from Ulysses February 22, 1803. A section wastakenfromDanby and annexed to this town in 1856 (see session laws ofthatyear),and in 1886 seven of the eastern lots in the southern tier ofthetownwere set off and annexed to the town of Caroline. Theselotswerenumbered from 94 to 100, inclusive, and embraced an area of3,840acres. The first town meeting was held at the house of George ROBERTSONMarch1,1803, at which time the town was a part of the county ofCayuga.Thesurface of this town is hilly or rolling. The eastern partformsthewatershed between the Tioughnioga River and Cayuga lake.Inthesoutheastern part is a lofty ridge which rises to 1,800 feetabovethetide-water. Fall Creek flows southwesterly through the centralpart,andis the principal stream, affording several good waterpowersites.Cascadilla Creek and other minor streams rise in the southwestpartandflow into Cayuga Lake. Dryden Lake, lying two miles southeastofDrydenvillage, is a small sheet of water, chiefly artificial, andcausedby thebuilding of a dam at its outlet. The Dryden Mineral Springs,nearthevillage, are strongly impregnated with sulphur, magnesia andiron,andhave wide-spread fame for the alleviation of disease. In thenorthpartof the town is a swap covering several hundred acres.
The soil of Dryden is exceptionally good for agricultural purposes. Itisafertile, gravely loam on the highlands, while in the valley ofFallCreek arich alluvium prevails. Grain and stock growing and dairyingaretheprincipal occupations of the farmers.
This town was formerly covered largely by forests of white pine,whichinearly years supplied timber for extensive lumber businessandbroughtconsiderable revenue to the inhabitants. The census of1835reportedfifty-one saw mills in the town, by far the larger part ofwhichhavedisappeared. A large part of this town was awarded to soldiersoftheRevolution in lots of 640 acres each, which were disposed of,oftenforridiculously insignificant prices, to speculators or otherbuyerswhointended to settle on their purchases. It is susceptible ofproofthatlots were sold often for from five to ten dollars; one, it issaid,wasdisposed of for a coat, hat, drink of rum and one dollar;whileanothertransferred lot number 9 for one great coat. Some of the lotsweresoldby unscrupulous persons to more than one person, which,withothercauses, led to much costly and annoying litigation, anexperiencethatcharacterized all sections of the military tract. The purchasers of the lots in Dryden were more widely dispersedthanthosewho settled other parts of Tompkins county, as well be noticedinthesucceeding pages; but they enjoyed facilities for reachingtheirlandswhich, if not all they could have desired, were much superiortothose inother localities. During the year 1792-95 Joseph CHAMPLIN,ofthe town ofVirgil, cut out and constructed a rude roadway fromOxford,Chenangocounty, to Ithaca and to Kidder's Ferry. His contractonlycalled for aroad to Ithaca, but he disregarded its terms so far astofirst open theroad to the ferry (it being represented to him thatmoresettlers livedthere than at Ithaca). In consequence of this actiontheLegislaturerefused to settle with him until he fulfilled hiscontract.He accordinglycontinued the road from a point in the town ofVirgilthrough Dryden toIthaca. This was given the name of "The BridleRoad" inthis town, whichto some extent clings to it yet. Over this earlyhighwaycame the pioneersof the town.

****** Last Will And Testament of Edward HUNTING Dated 26th day of September 1857

I, Edward Hunting of the town of Dryden in the County ofTompkinsandstateof New York being of sound mind and memory do makepublish anddeclarethis my last will and testament in manner of followingand is to(sign?) First..I give devise and bequeath to my Five Children ChristianaLewiswifeof Nathaniel? E Lewis, Israel Hunting, Catharine L Jagger wifeofMathewJagger, Mosther?L? Hunting and Aseneth Hunting, all of my realandpersonalestate, goods and ... of which nature in kind soever tobedivided equitybetween them share and share alike. And hereby authorise and impower my executors herein afternominated&appointed to sell and dispose of my said real and personalestate,publicor private There is then more....(difficult to read)
Proved Tompkins Co NY Village of Ithaca 3rd day of June 1861
Ebenezer B Nichols of the town of Dryden, in the county ofTompkinsBeingfirst duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that he was acquaintedwiththeabove mentioned Edward Hunting deceased, in his life-time; thatheheardthe said Edward Hunting acknowledge that he subscribed theendthereofthe instrument now shown to this deponent, purporting to bethelast Willand Testament of the said Edward Hunting and abovedescribed;that heheard the said Edward Hunting declare the same to be hislast WillandTestament that this deponent subscribed his name asawitness.....thatthe said Edward Hunting was at the time in theopinionand belief of thisdeponent, of sound mind and memory -- and notunder anyrestraint; andthat he was about seventy nine years of age; thathe diedon or about theeleventh day of April in the year 1861 and was aresidentof the town ofDryden in the county of Tompkins at the time of hisdeath.

Same document was signed by James W Montgomery
Tombstone Green Hills Cemetery, Dryden Tompkins Co NY (color Photo)
Edward Hunting
DIED
April 11, 1861
Aged 83 (could be 88)
Margaret
his wife
DIED Oct 24, 1850

Letter from Dryden Town Historian Ruth Sweetland dated Feb 15, 1988 ........In the "History of Dryden" 1797-1897 it mentions a fewpersonsofthe Methodist persuasion meeting in private homes and theoldschoolhouse. It mentions a Mr. Hunting as one of those persons.TheMethodistChurch was built in the early 1840's.
"History of Tompkins Co NY" 1879 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF DRYDEN VILLAGE In the year 1816 a young itinerant, then traveling on theCayugacircuit,in passing through the village of Dryden, felt stronglymoved todismountand pass from house to house, praying and exhorting thepeople toturn toGod. He was urged to preach at the school-house thatevening.Therequest was complied with and another appointment left.ThusbeganMethodism in this village, and the youthful itinerant, Rev.AlvinTorrey,soon saw his labors blessed and succeeded in organizingaclass.Henceforth the itinerant preached here regularly, sometimesintheschool-house, sometimes in capacious barns. and very often inthewoods....Edward Hunting were among the original members. ****** 1857 - Village of Dryden Incorporated with a population of about 400 Sources: 1. Will...Dryden, Tompkins Co, NY 2. National Genealogical Society Quarterly vol 54 3. Tombstone,,Green Hills Cemetery 4. "History of Tompkins Co NY" 1879 5. "Biography & Hist of Niagara Co NY" 6. Obituary of son Moses 7. 1850 &1860 US Census Dryden NY 8. Dryden Town Historian, Ruth Sweetland 15 Feb 1988

Edward married Margaret Kruver. (Margaret Kruver was born in , Ulster, New York, died on 24 Oct 1850 in Dryden, Tompkins, New York and was buried in Green Hill Cemetery, Dryden, New York.)