First Olean Property Deed on File

First Olean Property Deed on File - June 23, 1817

North Olean History - First Olean Property Deed on File

WHISKEY, TOBACCO WERE STANDARDS OF EXCHANGE BACK IN EARLY DAYS
Either Could Obtain Most Anything, Even Land,
Old County Records Show First Transaction on Record Concerned Property at Union and Henley Street
Recorded in Little Valley, March 31, 1831

Often times the present day farmer exchanges produce at the country store for farm implements and household necessaries even in this late age but in the days of Cattaraugus County's infancy rectified whiskey and tobacco were the standards of exchange.
The man living in the early 1800's might have encountered a little difficulty in exchanging his bushel of buckwheat or barley at the country store but if he owned a gallon of rectified whisky or a ten pound sack of tobacco he could obtain most anything on demand, even land.

In the first official book of records known as Library 1, on file at the County Clerk's office in Little Valley, an acre of land in Olean was mortgaged and whiskey was the base of transaction instead of money. This mortgage deed was dated July1, 1818, and was recorded August 31, 1818. The mortgage, under the terms of the contract, was to be met on September 1 of the same year with the payment of 150 gallons of rectified whiskey or met on March 1 of the following year with the payment of 525 gallons of rectified whiskey. The deal was made between Robert Hinds, the owner, and Seymour Banton.
According to the Van Wickle's map, which was filed here, June 1, 1886, this piece of land was situated in South Union Street near Henley. The land faced Union Street for eight rods and extended westerly.

The first deed on file here was dated June 23, 1817 and filed in July, 1817. The deed was for the purchase of a portion of Lot 8 of Section H which is situated between North First and North Second Streets on the south side of Laurens Streets.

This parcel later became known as the Strong property and a portion was the former Niagara, Lockport & Ontario Power Company and the present Olean Public Library located on the south side of Laurens Street. The parties involved in the first transaction were Janathane Griffin, the owner, and Ben Chamberlain, the purchaser.

Several deeds and other legal paper is on record here but in the form of transcripts which have been transferred to this county from Erie and Genesee counties. Buffalo as the county seat of Erie County and Batavia as the county seat of Genesee County, played important parts in the filing of legal paper for residents before this county was formed.

Deeds and other legal paper on file in Buffalo and Batavia showing land rights in Cattaraugus County in years back are numerous and present day attorneys often times dig deep into the annals of pioneer history of Cattaraugus County to settle up controversies in clear title claims.

Among some of the deeds on file in Buffalo which have not been transferred to this county in the form of certified copies or transcripts included one issued to Adam Hoops by the Holland Land Company, for property in the Village of Olean.
Hoops, according to the history of the founding of Olean, was the pioneer settler. Others preceded him, however. Hoops on the other hand procured land and sold it, these old records show, before he purchased his big slice of Olean Point from the Holland Land Company.

Adam Hoops obtained land from Ebenezer F. Norton and wife in 1808. The deed was filed at Buffalo on November 11, 1808. On February 11, 1809, Hoops then sold several parcels of land in Olean to the Nortonï¿½s. Hoops bought from the Holland Land Company in 1810, the deed being filed in Buffalo on March 10, 1810.

County Formed in 1808Olean, which at one time included most of Cattaraugus County, and the county proper were formed as far back as that no county seat was established or an office of record set up on the county until 1818.

With the formation of the county three men were selected to pick a centralized point for the county seat. They were Jonas Williams, Isaac Sutherland, and Asa Ransom and they selected what is now know as Ellicottville, which at that time was dense timberland. Up until 1817 Cattaraugus County was merged with Niagara County.

During the time between 1808 and 1818 before the county seat was established official business of the county was held in scattered points. Legal paper was filed in neighboring county seats and the first county courts met in Olean on July 3, 1817.
The first County jail and court house was erected in Ellicottville in 1817-18. Business of the county was transacted in Ellicottville until 1829 when fire destroyed the county buildings.

It wasn't until 1868 that the county seat was removed from Ellicottville and located in Little Valley. At that time county buildings were erected which compared to any throughout New York State. The county buildings were erected on lands donated to the county by John Manley, than one of Little Valley's most enterprising citizens.

Monuments to ProgressThese buildings towered above the one story wooden structures in those days and were monuments to the progress of Cattaraugus County, which became a formidable county in Western New York in its rise from a portion of Genesee County in 1808.

Although Hamilton, later known as Olean Point and now Olean was formed in 1808 with settlements made prior to 1805, Olean on the Allegany and at the mouth of the Olean Creek did not become incorporated until 1854. With Ellicottville selected as the central point in the county and designated as the county seat, other communities sprung up and what was Olean Point was torn piece by piece.

Ischua, which at one time was included in Olean Point and the community which Adam Hoops so frequently pictured as the starting point of traffic westerly, broke away from Olean in 1812. A part of Perrysburg was taken and in 1818 became known as Great Valley.

Hinsdale was formed in 1820. Portville was the last community to spring out from the holdings of Olean Point and that village was formed in 1837. The extensive lumber business through the eastern part of Olean Point Kept Olean and Portville tied together a few years after Hinsdale, Great Valley and Ischua were formed.

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