Ethan Akin, II

An 1891 Letter from Ethan Akin II (1820-1898) to his Cousin, Nathan W. Wells

Akin, Montgomery Co.,N.Y. July 1, 1891

N(athan) W. Wells, Esq., Schuyler, Neb.

Dear Sir, Your letter of May 24th was duly rec'd here during my absence in Iowa. I have been very busy since my return hence the delay in answering. I shall gladly give you all the facts in regard to the Akin family within my knowledge, or hearsay, that I think may have any interest to you. My Grandfather, Edward Akin, was born at Quaker Hill, In the town of Pauling, Dutchess County, New York, about 25 miles East of Poughkeepsie. He was the son of James Akin & Patience Akin. James Akin made his will in 1811, (1 have a copy before me) and died soon after. By his will he gave his farm at Pauling -200 acres, and his land in Vermont to his sons Edward Akin and Benair Akin and Joseph Akin, charging it with a number of legacies, in fact, so many and so large, that Grandfather, who was at the time worth so much more than his father, did not take the land but let it go to his brothers whose descendants are residing there, or in that vicinity at the present time. Many years before Grandfather left Pauling, and went to White Creek in Washington Co., where he started an establishment to manufacture scythes, and at that business made quite a fortune for those days. As I understand, most of his family were born there. He went to Johnstown soon after 1800 and bought the Hall farms - 700 acres of land and the mills, paid about $l8,000.00 cash down. He died in 1813. I have the inventory of his personal estate before me. Amongst other things inventoried are 4 slaves: A Negro man Jack $150.00 A Negro boy Tom $150.00 A Negro man Pete & woman named Loar $150.00

Slavery had been abolished in New York to take effect gradually, so as to end in 1825. Edward Akin's estate must have been about $75,000.00, a fortune for that day. He had sons James, Ira, Ethan, (My father) Abram, David, at his death. One son, Consider, died young. He had daughters, Phoebe, Rhoda, Amy, Sally (Your grandmother), Patience and Armida. I know Uncle Ira and James, but do not know who they married. They lived a long time in Scipio, near Auburn. Cayuga Co., New York, where they had large farms. I was at their house 60 years ago. They both had large families. Some of James descendants were quite considerable people. One of his daughters married W. Woodin, State Senator for a long time. Ira Akin for a second wife married the widow of John Wells, a brother of your grandfather, Nathan P. Wells, but he lived with her a very short time. Ethan Akin, my father, married Mercy Slocum, my mother. She was born in Newport, Rhode Island. Her grandfather was the Captain of a ship running from Newport to England; her grandmother was Elizabeth Cundall; (Her grandmother's grave is yet to be seen at Newport.) A correspondent of the Harper's monthly some year or two ago mentioned the name of some of the old families at Newport, and one of them is Cundall, "Cundall" in the cemetery at Newport. My father died in October 1825 at the age of 50, at Port Byron, Cayuga Co., New York, where he was buried. He must have been a very active man for at the time of his death he was running a large flouring mill, tannery, distillery, two sawmills, and a large farm. Abram Akin married a Miss Matthews. He died at Joliet, Ill. about 1845, where some of his children now reside. He was a farmer. David Akin, the youngest son, married Miss Mary Martin. She was a half sister (sic) of Enos T. Troop, who was Governor of the State of New York about 1820. David Akin died at Troopsville hamlet, about 3 miles north of Auburn, N. Y. about a week after my father. He was the owner of a Grist Mill, and other Mills when he died. Of the daughters, Amy married Eleazer Wells, brother of your grandfather who married Sally, your Grandmother. Patience married William J. Dodge, a lawyer of Johnstown; his mother was a sister of Washington Irving. I think Aunt Patience died about 20 years ago at Syracuse. Aunt Rhoda married Abram Snyder. Her son Henry Snyder, you probably know at Johnstown. David Hays, the Banker at Johnstown married a Miss Yost, who was a granddaughter of Aunt Rhoda. Aunt Phoebe's first husband was named Shepard; her second, Pool. She had no children and died at Chicago, say 20 years ago. For a long time before she died she lived with Phoebe Rood, the wife of William Rood. Armida was married to a man by the name of Bowen. She was the mother of Phobbe Rood and Mrs. Remember Farmer, and Mrs. Comrie. I never know or heard much of grandmother Akin except that her name was Elizabeth Russell. She died in 1828. A short time before her death she wrote my mother, then living at Port Byron, that she wanted to see Ethan's son Ethan (meaning me). My mother and I started in a stage to go to Johnstown, 140 miles. I was six or seven years old. We were two full days and nights going. Stage broke down going down the Cliff Hill, about 4 miles from the Hall. We rode the rest of the way on a rail under the axle-tree of the stage. Grandmother remembered me in her will by a legacy of $200.00. She was a small woman; very dark complexion, as I remember her quite fleshy, very dark spots on her hands and face. At that time she was living at the Hall with Aunt Phoebe ... who was not then married. Port Byron, where my father lived is on the Erie Canal about 25 miles west of Syracuse. It was a canal town in those [days] that kind of a town sprung up along the canal as it was being built as Railroad towns along Railroads as they are being built. I remember well the first canal boat that ever run up the canal. The Governor of the State was on it. The party stopped over to a grand ball and grand jubilee that night at Port Byron. Every house in town was illuminated - a candle burning at each window pane of glass. I have above written what now comes to my mind about the Edward Akin Family. I hope you may find it interesting enough to pay you for reading. I think that these people, most of whom I knew, were a fair average of those we come now in contact with; as a rule, quite truthful and great stickers for the living up to all obligations of every kind. I forgot to mention that in 1829 I lived at Johnstown a year and boarded with Aunt Sally. I attended the Academy with James Wells. Your father was a very small boy. 5 of us slept in the same room. We had gay times. Almost every night Aunt Sally used to come up and give some one of us a spanking. I shall always hold her in grateful remembrance. She was very kind to me. Truly, (Signed) E(than) Akin