The Menges Family History Pages

Seneca County, New York

Town of Fayette, Seneca County, New York:

John Menges was the first of the Menges family to move to Seneca County, New York. He came in 1812, one year before the death of his father, Johann Conrad Menges, Sr. John stayed in New York until 1830-32, when he joined his brother Jacob in the Michigan Territory. He resided in Michigan for a short time before moving to Ohio in 1833. John was followed to New York by his older brother and sister, Johann Conrad Menges, Jr. and Anna Margaret (Menges) Kime who came to the Town of Fayette in 1815, two years after the settlement of Conrad Sr.'s estate. They were followed by another brother, Jacob Menges, who came to the Town of Fayette in 1820, stayed ten years, then moved on to the Michigan Territory. These three brothers and one sister were not young when they made the move to New York, John being between 28 and 34, Conrad Jr, age 50, Anna Margaret age 48, and Jacob age 43.

It is not known which mode of transportation the Menges families used to travel the 125 miles from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania to their new homes in Seneca County, New York. Stagecoaches were popular during this time, but it is more probable that they came by wagon. Those who migrated by wagon generally followed stagecoach routes, which in many instances were originally Indian paths and trails. These main stagecoach roads became the same routes primarily used by railroads after 1860. And they are the same routes of the federal and state highways in New York and Pennsylvania today. One of these Indian trails is described on page eight in the History of Seneca County, New York, 1786-1876, Evarts, Ensign & Robert, Philadelphia as follows: "Between the villages of the Iroquois were well-beaten trails, which proved a constant intercourse. An ancient trail led from the source of the Delaware; another from the forks of the Susquehanna. A junction was made at Catharine's Town; thence passing north and through "the Peach Orchard," it crossed a ravine at Breakneck Hollow, touching Mill Creek at Shallow Ford; thence to "Appletown," whence it coursed the western margin of Seneca Lake, across the outlet to Canadesaga, now Geneva. At different points along this Indian road, side-paths led off to various corn-fields and orchards. Along this road came the New Jersey and Pennsylvania settlers and in the construction of the existing road the windings of the old trail are mainly followed, the ravines dyked, the streams bridged."

This Indian trail is probably the same as the modern route that crosses the Susquehanna River at Milton and leads north to Williamsport and Trout Run. There the road divides with a western route to Painted Post, New York and an eastern route to Elmira, New York. Either route would have brought the Pennsylvania settlers within a few miles of Seneca County, but it is more probable that they followed the eastern route through Elmira. This route is described in the History of Seneca County, New York, 1786-1876, Everts, Ensign & Everts, Philadelphia as follows: "Another and southern route, brought the emigrant along the Susquehanna and Tioga Rivers to Newtown, now Elmira; thence, after transporting boat and effects, he reached the Seneca Lake, and through its outlet came to the port of Scauyes, or, mounting his horse and following Indian trails, he traversed the dense wilds for many leagues to reach this, his future home."

Conrad Jr., his brother-in-law and sister, Christian and Anna Margaret (Menges) Kime, settled on what were known as Military Lots. These Military Lots or Tracts, were created by Land Office Commissioners whose duty it was to put into effect promises made to soldiers of the Revolution by the Legislature of 1780 of bounty lands for a reward of services. State lands, on being surveyed and appraised, were advertised for public sale, and any lot unsold could be taken by any applicant by a one-fourth payment and security for the remainder. By the treaty with the Onondagas made in 1788, all those lands originally composing Onondaga County and now divided and organized as the Counties of Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga and Courtland, with portions of Oswego, Wayne and Tompkins, were set apart by the Land Commissioners for bounties to soldiers and became known as the "Military Tract." This tract was surveyed into twenty-five townships of sixty thousand acres each, and each township was then re-surveyed into lots of six hundred acres each. Three additional townships were subsequently added to provide for persons in the Hospital Department and others not accommodated; and the townships of the tract were thus twenty-eight in number.

As a matter of curiosity, showing a reference to or a knowledge of Roman history for the names of these townships, the original names are as follows: Lysander, Hannibal, Cato, Brutus, Camillus, Cicero, Manlius, Aurelius, Marcellus, Pompey, Romulus, Scipio, Sempronius, Tully, Fabius, Ovid, Milton, Locke, Homer, Solon, Hector, Ulysses, Dryden, Virgil, Cincinnatus, Junius, Galen and Sterling. From those townships the present towns of Seneca are derived in the following order: Junius constituted Junius, Tyre, Waterloo and the north part of Seneca Falls; Romulus is now known as the west part of Fayette, Varick, four lots in Seneca Falls and the Town of Romulus; and Ovid as Ovid, Lodi and Covert. It is also interesting to note that after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, there occurred a wave of migration of "Yorkers" to the Michigan Territory. These emigrants took along with them to their new counties and townships these same names that were used in New York. The State of Michigan is sprinkled with New York place-names for counties, townships, villages and cities. A few of the Seneca County place-names, some of which are no longer in existence in Seneca County, and a few from other New York Counties, such as Cayuga, Cortland, Tompkins and Oswego, which were used in Michigan are Aurelius, Marcellus, Romulus, Scipio, Ovid, Homer, Dryden, Fayette, Waterloo, Sterling, Seneca and Lodi. Other New York place-names used in Michigan are those such as Lansing, Flint, Rochester, Albion, Addison, Bath, Bridgewater, Cambridge, Camden, Clarkston, Genesee, Carlton, Dansville, Delhi, Hamburg, Hillsdale, Hudson, LeRoy, Livonia, Mt. Morris, New Haven, Lyons, Salem, Sodus, Troy, Auburn, Waverly, Reading, Utica, Medina, Pittsford, Morenci, Palmyra, Onondaga and Canandaigua.

Those emigrants entitled to military lots came chiefly from the eastern part of the State of New York. Others, however were from Rhode Island and surrounding states, while a large proportion of the families settling on the south side of the Seneca Lake outlet were from the State of Pennsylvania. Conrad Menges, Jr. was one of these Pennsylvanians who settled in the Military District. His land was located in Lot 32, which was in the western portion of the Town of Fayette. The Kime property was located in Lot 23, which was situated in the western-most portion of the Town of Fayette, bordering Seneca Lake. Christian Kime and Jacob Menges each purchased a one-half interest in this property in 1820. From available records, it appears the two operated a hotel and tavern. It should be mentioned here that the use of the term "Town of" as in Town of Fayette, has the same meaning as the word "Township" and refers to a rural area rather than a village or town. The residents of the Town of Fayette were, for the most part, farmers. Christian and Jacob's property was therefore located out in the country, probably along a well-traveled road.

The Menges and Kime families' move to western New York was just part of a much larger migration which flowed from eastern New York, Pennsylvania and the New England states after the War of 1812. Some of the westward pioneers were swept up in religious movements while others were simply looking for land and better opportunity. Caught up in this wave of migrating families was a rather large group of German (Pennsylvania Dutch) families that moved in the early 1800's from the north central section of Pennsylvania to Seneca County, New York. These Pennsylvania German families were undoubtedly looking for land as generations of large families had resulted in a shortage of good farm land in the central and eastern Pennsylvania counties. It was, therefore, necessary for the younger sons from established farms to seek land elsewhere. The combination of having ready cash from their father Conrad's estate and the availability of inexpensive land in western New York State made the move from Turbot Township to Seneca County irresistible to the Menges families. This movement was the last for the Menges family into an area populated predominately by German-Americans. As will be seen in later genealogy chapters, the areas of Lenawee County, Michigan and Huron County, Ohio were settled by relatively few German families. This explains why the Menges who married in Michigan an Ohio did not marry German Lutherans, but instead married the daughters and sons of the locals, who were almost always the descendants of New Yorkers with New England backgrounds. It also helps to explain how the old German traditions of religion, speech, dress and cooking soon lost out to the more predominant local customs with their New England origins.

A list of Menges and related families, along with the Lot numbers in which they resided, was taken from an 1850 map of Seneca County made for J. Delafield, Esq., President of the Agricultural Society by Wm. T. Gibson. The list, to which additional data has been added by Harriet Stahl, is as follows:

Conrad² Menges 1815 Lot 38, Town of Fayette, 100 acres for $2900.

Conrad² Menges 1815 Lot 32, Town of Fayette, 100 acres for $2700.

Frederick Kuney was an early settler of Lot 36 with Benjamin Kuney, probably his brother. Kuneytown on Lot 44 on the Reservation was named for brother's John, Daniel, and Henry Kuney who came from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in 1807. There may be a relationship between these three and the Kuney's who settled in the western part of the Town of Fayette.

Abraham³ Menges 1829 Lot 32, Town of Fayette, 103 acres from father.

Conrad³ Menges 1829 Lot 38, Town of Fayette, 100 acres from father.

Conrad³ Menges 1850 on Lot 39, north west corner Town of Fayette. This may be incorrect, probably should be Lot 38. He was in Benton, Yates County, New York in 1855.

Andrew and Elizabeth⁴ Schott, 98 Main Street, Waterloo.

Solomon and Sarah³ Menges) Acker, 150 acres nort east corner Lot 46, Town of Varick 1876, from John Hilkert, located just south of Lot 39 in he Town of Fayette.

John and Elizabeth³ Menges) Hilkert (see above) 1824 Lot 19 in old Town of Romulus, now Town of Fayette, 50 acres for $950 from John Ansbarger; 1862 at 26 Stark Street, Waterloo.

Franklin⁴ and Maria Hilkert on east side of Route 96, 4 miles north of Village of Romulus, Lot 58, Varick. (dots on 1850 map but not marked)

William⁵ Hilkert 1874 on Lot 58, Town of Varick south of father, 70 acres 1888.

John⁵ and Ardelia Hilkert (Hilcott), 1874 on Lot 53, Town of Varick, west side of Route 96, north of father.

John⁴ and Marissa (Hendrickson) Hilkert Jr., 44 Walnut Street, Waterloo.

Christian and Margaret²(Menges) Kime, west part of Lot 3, Town of Fayette, 248 acres from William Gambee in 1815. Christian also on Lot 18, 2 acres. His tavern and house on Seneca Lake Road (also called Old Turnpike Road) now Route 125.

Benjamine³ Kime 143 acres on north part of Lot 23, Town of Fayette.

Robert Clinton Kime now on part of Christian's land and across the road from the "Fort".

Jerusalem Church and Cemetery is on Lot 26 where the symbol across two roads from "No. 4" school is, and west of "G. Kuny". This road is Route 120 from the west to this point and Route 121 the rest of the way east to Canoga.

John³ Kime west of Route 125 on Lot 18 on Kime Road.

Daniel³ Gouger Lot 36 in 1874 where G. Gouger was in 1850.

Benjamin and Jane Gouger Lerch, southern part of Lot 31 on the road west from West Fayette.

John and Margaret (Kime) Lambert, Lot 38 in 1850, on the Reservation, on the Ridge or Five Points Road (known by both names) north part of Lot 54 Reservation in 1874, also daughter and son-in-law, Levi and Mary Ann Schwab were on the same Lot but on northwest side. John and Margaret's son George Lambert was on Lot 67 on the Reservation in the Town of Varick in 1874.

Frank and Elizabeth (Hilkert) Lambert and son Gordon and Grace (Wolf) Lambert lived just north of Bearytown (Fayette) on the Reservation Road (Route 414) on Lot 41. Gordon lived 1/4 mile south of his parents. Rural Cemetery is across the road from where they live, on Lot 47 Reservation.

Jacob and Caroline Lambert Backman on Lot 45 Reservation 1874; Auburn, New York, 1898.

Jacob² and Maria (Moll) Mangas on Lot 18. Sold 2 acres SE corner in December 1820 to Philip Moll, recorded 1835. Purchased with Christian Kime April 29, 1823, 300 acres on Lot 18 for $8000 from Samuel and Mary Conklin. Sold 156 acres to Christian Kime, innkeeper, for $4000 on February 22, 1826. February 8, 1830 just Jacob sold 300 acres Lot 18 for $46000 to John Johnson. Jacob must have purchased more land at another time.

Jacob³ Mangas Lot 7 Military Township of Romulus, 3/8 acre for $180 April 4, 1848 from John and Mary E. Allman or Alleman. (Seneca Falls Map, southeast of Waterloo.) 1862 at 23 Main Street, Waterloo; 1880 on William Street, Waterloo.

John² Minges purchased 100 acres southwest corner Lot 33, $2500 from Charles and Sarah Woodruff, March 10, 1819. Sold to Peter Day for $1500, 1829. January 21, 1830 sold 33 acres for $500 on Lot 33 to Frederick Kuney. Also 1830 bough land from F. Cooney (Kuney) and Anthony Snyder.

Jacob Manges and George Frankenfield (of Peter (2) to Seneca County 1866) on west side of Lot 33, on Route 121, 1874, each had 122 acres.(Between where the names Streyer and N. Sager are on 1850 map.) George just north of Jacob. The Markel-Bachman Cemetery is just north across the road on Lot 32.