First Town meeting held in April 1791. First items of legislation voted were "That swine, two months old and upward, shall have good and sufficient yokes." and "That for every full grown wolf killed in town, a bounty of thirty shillings shall be paid." (Gazetteer & Business Directory 1867-8: 40).

Present location of Town Hall built in 1996 on NYS Route 5 & 20, was the former site of William C. Pierce's gas station.

Some 1876 businesses include Agricultural Implements, Bakers & Confectioners, Booksellers, Boots & Shoes, Coopers, Clothiers & Merchant Tailors, Crockery & Glassware, Druggists, Dry Goods, Furniture, Grocers, Hardware, Hats & Caps, Watchmakers & Jewelers, Lumber Dealers, Meat Markets, Tobacco & Cigars, Undertakers and a Stove Dealer.

John B. Cooley - the only son of John Cooley who died at forty-eight years old, farmed his father's sixty-five acre farm from the time he was twelve years old. He raised sheep, swine, cows, and cash cropped wheat to support his two wives and twelve children. He is credited with the help of other farmers for forming the Ontario Agricultural Society.

General Israel Chapin was the first Supervisor serving from 1791-1795. He was also the First Assembly Representative for Ontario County in 1792.

James D. Fish was the elected the First Town Clerk at the second (yearly) town meeting in April 1792.

Zadok Hunn, one of the earliest pioneers who came to Canandaigua in 1795, was a Congregational minister who founded nine Congregational Churches in and about the county.

Caleb Gage brought in the first mower, from Buffalo, in 1844.

The first McCormick reaper was brought in by David and Frank Bates between 1825 and 1844, which they used on other area farmers lands.

Senecas Had a Sense of Humor
The early settlers recount a story when the Indians served hominy to the white guests, only one spoon was used. The host would take the spoon, and after wiping it on the sole of his moccasin, pass the spoon onto the guests. The joke was meant to shock the white visitor, for most Indians had their own cup and spoon and maintained Indian homes were spick and span (Merrill: 39).

The Steamboats
It has been many years since steamboat whistles have echoed over Canandaigua's waters. The Ogarita, Oriana and the Onnalinda are gone along with the 60 docks that once dotted the 32 miles of lake line. The docks where the steamboats picked up grapes from Vine Valley, apples from Woodville, and other produce until the holds bulged. While above the decks, bands played and passengers danced and sang in those excursion days of long ago (Merrill: 54).

Academy Cemetery (South Side of Seneca Point Road at County Road #16).
This cemetery is privately operated and well maintained. There are graves of veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. There is a large stone at the entrance stating, "Erected by the citizens of Canandaigua under the leadership of Henry C. Beeman (1847-1927) Company C., 15th N.Y. Cav, 1862-1865." erected in 1923.

Cooley Cemetery (Northeast Side of Cooley Road. Near intersection of Short Road)
First reference to this plot is in 1879. Twenty-four rods of land set apart by Lyman Cooley in his lifetime as a family burying ground. It is the smallest of the town's cemeteries holding just 5 stones, and it is entirely overgrown. Stones include Shaw 1829, and Sheldon 1816.

Lucas Cemetery (East Side of Route 21, South of Lucas Road)
It is entirely overgrown. Zebina Lucas was one of the earliest owners of record. His grave along with a number of his family are buried in this cemetery. Most recent burial for which a stone may be deciphered record a death long prior to 1900.

New Michigan /Tilton Cemetery (East Side of New Michigan Road North of Yerkes Road) Located in the northwest corner of the town. This plot is entirely fenced in, but overgrown, it was never a public cemetery. There are 20 stones dating from the middle of the 19th Century, including Samuel Tilton 1859. The most recent is 1882.

Benham/Red Dock/ Wolverton Cemetery (On abandoned road West of County Road 16 just North of Wyffles Road
1000 ft. west of West Lake Road on the north side of a former east/west road that connected West Lake and Middle Cheshire Roads. Graves date from 1831 to 1883 including Beeman, Wolverton, Dempsey, Beidler, Gates, and Burch. First mention is in a deed of 1882, Parshall to Parshall. Grantors had obtained the title from the State of Connecticut in 1812. No right of way for access exists, except over private property. It has been abandoned.

Root/ Remington Cemetery (Corner of Nott and Middle Cheshire Roads)
Land locked, 75 yards north of Nott Road (a.k.a. Dixon Road) and west of Middle Cheshire Road. Heavily overgrown, created by Rosewell Root in 1802. There is no visible right of way. The last burial was over 50 years ago.

Sandhill Cemetery (South Side of Emerson at Sandhill Road)
Owned by the Sandhill Cemetery Association of Canandaigua. Not maintained, one half acre for burying ground. Joseph Phelps to Samuel Knapp 1812. Many Knapps, Padelfords, Tiffanys, Casorts, Herringtons, and Pikes are buried here. Most stones dated 1820 to 1870.

Woolhouse/Hunn Cemetery (Corner of Woolhouse and County Road 32, a.k.a. Bristol Road)
Consisting of one acre, it is one of the oldest town cemeteries. It is not maintained. There are many families buried here, including Holcomb, Ackley, Nethaway, Grant, Mack, Hicks, Booth, Hubbard, Briggs, and Spears. The most recent burial was in 1931 of Martha Spears. The oldest is Seth Holcomb on September 28, 1799. Deeds from 1833 refer to a small piece of land, on the lot opposite the burying ground, on which a meetinghouse was erected and used for public worship. This was not mentioned in the 1875 transfer and there is no evidence of the house today. It is said that Zadok Hunn is buried in this cemetery, but his monument cannot be located.

The Steamboat Era on Canandaigua Lake
The steamboat era in New York State started in 1807 when Robert Fulton ran his steam-powered "Clairmont" on the Hudson River. The first steamboat in the Finger Lakes region was the "Enterprise" which was launched in 1825. Canandaigua Lake's steamboat era ran from 1827 with the launching of the "Lady of the Lake" and ended in 1935 when the "Idler" discontinued passenger service. There were fourteen major boats that provided commercial service on Canandaigua Lake.

Lady of the Lake was launched in 1827. It was the first steamboat on Canandaigua Lake. Named after Sir Walter Scott's lovely poem, the boat was built near Squaw Island by Mr. Burton of Troy in 1823 at a cost of $550. The "Lady of the Lake" was built of unique laminated construction. Owners included Francis Granger, John Greig, Jared Wilson and John D. Bemis. Isaac Parrish was captain the first season, later replaced by Jasper Judd. Sally Morris, a 15-year-old, christened the boat (because "she was the prettiest girl in town"). The boat sank near the present Canandaigua Pier.

Ontario launched in 1845. The name meaning "beautiful, noble," the boat was built in Naples, N.Y. at Woodville, and was under the management of Herrick, Ingrahan & Co., later Miles P. Mack. The owners had financial troubles which continued until the boat was destroyed by fire in 1847.

Joseph Wood launched in 1855. The boat was built in Canandaigua by David and Allen Wood, just west of the present Canandaigua City Pier. The "Joe Wood" was 90' long and 18' wide. A high-pressure horizontal engine powered the boat. It was rebuilt in 1863 and sold to the Standish Brothers of Naples. The ice at the end of the Canandaigua Pier crushed it in March of 1868.

Henry B. Gibson launched in 1860. The boat was built by Captain John Robinson in 1862. It was later remodeled and called "The Naples". The ice crushed it in 1865, under the Warner Brothers ownership.

Canandaigua launched in 1865. Built by the Warner Brothers of Canandaigua. It was 110' long and 18' wide. For years it was owned by J. & A. McKechnie, well know brewers in Canandaigua. The "Canandaigua" was powered by soft coal, had a side-wheel and operated on the lake for 24 years, captained by Marshall W. Cooper. It was dismantled in 1889 and its engine was used in the new "Ogarita."

Ontario II launched in 1867. Built in Woodville by Henry and Sales Standish of Naples. It was the only wood-burning steamer. The "Ontario II" was 120' long and 19' wide, she had a 19' wheel and was captained by Henry Standish. Her boiler was low pressure and very silent. In 1880 the "Ontario II" was taken over by the Canandaigua Lake Steam Navigation Co. She burned at the Canandaigua Pier in July 1887.

In 1880, the Canandaigua Lake Steam Navigation Co. operated four small steamboats in an attempt to offer a regular schedule. The boats were too small and were not successful as transportation boats. These boats included the "Fairy," built in 1887 and used by F. F. Thompson to go to his cottage on Pine Bank. The "Vanderbilt" built in 1888 had a short commercial run and in 1895 Wally Reed built the "Mayflower" and the "Wallanick" which were equally unsuccessful.

Onnalinda launched in 1888. The "Queen of the Steamboat Era", was the largest of the lake steamers, 142' long and 42' wide. She could carry 600 passengers and a crew of five. She was dismantled and sunk opposite the Canandaigua Yacht Club in 1913.

Genundewah launched in 1889. She was named for Bare Hill at Vine Valley and was better known by her nickname "Gee Whiz." She was built for the "People's Line", organized with money from grape growers. She was managed by James Mentieth and English Baron, George Miller later owned her. She was burned at Woodville in 1894 in a fire of "suspicious origin."

Ogarita launched in 1889. Owned by the "Canandaigua Lake Transportation Co." as were the "Onnalinda" and the "Oriana", she was built for $15,000 and named after the daughter of the owner. She provided lake service for 25 years with George Stemple as pilot, and could carry 250 passengers. She burned to water level at the Woodville dock in 1914.

Seneca Chief launched in 1890. She was brought to the lake from Lake Ontario and was used as a mail boat and to tow scows. It was never a very successful boat and was dismantled after a few years.

Oriana launched in 1896. Using the boiler from the dismantled "Seneca Chief" the "Oriana" was built in 1896. In 1910 her owners cut her in half and added 11 ft. to her length and changed her powering system from steam to a gasoline engine. She could carry 125 passengers and held the record for longest commercial service of 30 years. Both she and the "Onanda" were named for Iroquois Indian Maids. The "Oriana" was abandoned and left to rot in 1926.

Eastern Star launched in 1912. She was the last scheduled passenger boat on Canandaigua Lake. This gas launch was sent to Seneca Lake in 1932 to be used for dock work.

Onanda launched in 1914. The last steamboat on Canandaigua Lake, she was 75 ft. long and could carry 150 passengers or 50 tons of freight. When passenger service died down on the lake the owners shipped the boat downstate and put her into service on the Hudson River in 1924.

Idler launched in 1935. Capt. Wally Reed tried to restore passenger service on this 32-ft. gas powered launch. It had wicker chairs for 20 passengers and operated at irregular hours. It was the last boat to provide boat service on Canandaigua Lake until the arrival of the Roseland Park tour boat, the "Sandra Lee."

Concerns about the preservation of the lake as a resource has lead to the formation of the Canandaigua Lakes Watershed Task Force, a diverse group of "stakeholders" actively involved in efforts to protect the quality of the lake. With six townships in two counties bordering Canandaigua Lake, its management requires intergovernmental and interagency cooperation. Because less than 3% of the lake's shoreline is in public ownership, enhancing and maintaining public access to the lake had been an important public policy issue as further development of the lakefront areas has been proposed in recent years.

Squaw Island is an 11,000 year old island located at the north end of the lake. It is known to be New York State's smallest Fish and Wildlife Management Area and one of the two known islands in the eleven Finger Lakes. Legend states that the island was used to hide the Seneca women and children during the Sullivan Expedition against the Six Nations in 1779. The island is one of the unique and few places on earth that makes water biscuits, an extremely rare form of carbonate of lime deposits on pebble. A feathery light rock calcified from algae, filtered by sand and pond scum are hard in the water but crumble if allowed to dry out. The island has been eroding rapid from the forces of ice, wind, water current and development changing the wave patterns. In 1977, New York State Department of Environmental Conversation installed a cedar log buffer around the island to help preserve it. Its size was approximately two acres in 1853, it shrunk by 75% in 162 years, then to one quarter acre in 1971. Today only 55 feet by 145 feet of the island remains. A newly formed group called the Squaw Island Preservation Society has raised citizen support to protect the island and its unique place in science after state officials said they would no longer maintain it. Work on the preservation was completed in Summer 2001.

Physical characteristics of the lake are:
          16.57 square miles (10,600 acres) of surface area
          15.8 miles long
          1.5 miles wide
          276 feet deep
          688 feet above sea level
          35.9 miles of shoreline
          34.7 (97%) private
          1.2 (3%) public
          429 billion gallons capacity

The lake has an abundance of trout, bass, perch, bullhead and several other common fish species for fishing.

Ontario County Archives
3051 County Complex Drive
Canandaigua, NY 14424
(585) 393-2910

Ontario County Historical Society Reference Room is full of a large collection of How to Books, Magazines, Publications, Software, Surname Files, Individual Identification Reference Materials, Official Cemetery, Land/Deed/Mortgages, Naturalization, Surrogate/Wills/Probate and Census Records to help you in your research. Or for a fee our experienced staff will do your research for you.