Josiah Chatfield
Early Settler of Fleming, Cayuga County, New York
Josiah Chatfield was among the early settlers of the Town of Aurelius, Cayuga County, New York in that portion of Aurelius that later was taken off as the Town of Fleming. Josiah is believed to have been the first to settle in what is now the hamlet of Fleming Hill in 1798. Storke (1879) states that Josiah settled where the widow of Hugh Van Nest lived at the time of his writing (1). Examination of the 1875 map of Fleming shows that this location was the northwest corner of the intersection of present-day State Route 34 and Dublin Road, more or less across 34 from the present Fleming Fire Station No. 2.
Josiah's parents were David Chatfield and Lydia Westover, with his birth occurring in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts on 1 October 1768 and his death occurring on 9 March 1831 at Fleming. Josiah was twice married, first to Anna (or Amy) Brahman and second to Lydia Ingraham, leaving a total of 18 children (2).
Tannery Ledger Entry
The Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr. contains a single debit entry for Josiah Chatfield dated November 1828. The entry spells Josiah's first name as "Jasiah," but there can be little doubt as to whom the entry refers. Josiah appears to have brought an unspecified skin to Jacob for tanning for the grand sum of 8 shillings.
Image of Josiah Chatfield's Account in Jacob Post, Sr.'s Ledger
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| Debit Page (3A) for Josiah Chatfield's Account at the Tannery of Jacob Post, Sr. - Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York |
Transcription of Josiah Chatfield's Account
|
Jasiah Chatfield (Josiah Chatfield) |
Debit |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Date |
Description |
£ |
s |
d |
|
November 1828 |
To tanning one skin |
0 |
8 |
0 |
|
NOTE: Amount in pounds, shillings, and pence: 12 pence (d) = 1 shilling (s), 20 shillings (s) = 1 pound (£) |
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Josiah Chatfield's Purchases and Credits
No credit column exists for Josiah's 1828 transaction. He presumably paid for tanning the unidentified skin at the time of the debit entry, obviating the need for a subsequent credit entry in the tannery ledger. The name Chatfield appears in one other place in the ledger, however. An unidentified Chatfield, perhaps Josiah, made a payment on the account of "Limen Lummes," believed to be Lyman Loomis, in 1817. Lyman's account with Jacob Post, Sr. was maintained over a number of years. Chatfield may have owed Lyman Loomis money and settled up by making a payment on Loomis's account at the tannery.
According to Storke (1879), the Chatfield family had all removed from the Town of Fleming by the time of his writing (1).
Sources
(1) Storke, Elliott G. History of Cayuga County, New York: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, 1789-1879. Syracuse, New York, D. Mason, 1879
(2) Josiah Chatfield, Find a Grave Memorial, Fleming Rural Cemetery
