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Note: "He was the first of the family to come to our vicinity. He settled in the Town of Hector in 1791. The family left Orange Co., NY in the fall of 1790, proceeded as far as Tioga Point (Athens), PA, and spent the winter. In early spring they loaded their few effects on a boat, including a
barrel of flour, and worked their way up the Chemung River to Newtown (Elmira), NY, crossed the divide and threaded their way through the pine swamp to Catharinestown where they embarked in a canoe and paddled down the lake to a point near Lot No. 40. This lot, which Mr. Wickham had bought of his brother 5/3/1791, was directly below the residence of his grandson, M. L. Wickham. Here on the hill they made a clearing and built the hut which was used until logs could be prepared for a log house, probably the first in Hector.
"On the night of 11/2/1799, William Wickham was crossing the lake on a bar which extended from near the traditional "Elm" diagonally to the point of Glen Excelsior, his horse missed its footing and he was precipitated into the water. Though an excellent swimmer, in the darkness he could not shape his course, and the next day his body was found quite a distance up the inlet. His was the first Christian burial in the town, as he had been the first settler. His widow was left with six children in the wilderness and with scarcely a payment on the place, yet she built the first frame house in the town, shortly after her husband's death; it was still standing in 1879.
"William Wickham was 45 when he came to Catharine. His wife came to Orange Co. from eastern Long Island when young. They brought four children with them to Catharine, had seven in all."
lots of info in History of Ovid p.116
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"The first permanent settler was Wm. Wickham, who left Orange County with his wife and four children in the fall of 1790, and came as far as Tioga Point, now Athens , where they passed the winter. In the spring they again took up the line of march, loading their effects into a canoe, together with a barrel of flour he had purchased.
"He paddled up the Chemung to Newtown, then working their way through the pine swamp slowly and laboriously, as best they could, to Catharinestown, then paddled on down the creek and the lake until they reached the point on lot No. 40, which Mr. Wickham had purchased of his brother at $1.25 per acre, and which is below the present residence of his grandson, M. L. Wickham, arriving here May 3, 1791. They climbed the hill a short distance, and came to the road that had been made by Sullivan's army, and is now known as the Lake Road. Here he built a temporary hut and commenced a clearing. As soon as a sufficient number of logs were prepared, he invited his neighbors -- living at what is now Havana and Watkins -- to assist him in raising his log house. It was commenced Saturday morning and finished on Sunday. This undoubtedly was the first house built in the town, and stood a few rods south of M.L. Wickham's present residence. The barrel of flour was left at the Point some time before it was brought up to the house.
"One and a half acres of land were cut over and the brush burned the first spring, and corn planted wherever a space could be found. For three or four years the logs were burned, or left where they fell. For the first year or two his work of clearing was down without oxen. But he finally bought a yoke of oxen from Deacon Waldron, and they were used by several families. The nearest blacksmith was at Newtown, and Mr. Wickham was so unfortunated at one time as to break the yoke-staple, and he was compelled to follow the Indian trail on foot to Newtown, to get it repaired.
"They raised a large family of children, -- Samuel, William, Clark, Phebe, Fanny, and Mary, who married Harry Ely, who is still living at the age of ninety years. Richard Ely, of North Hector, is their son. Clark was born, lived, and died on the old homestead. His youngest daughter is the wife of William H. Wait, ex-County Treasurer of Schuyler County. William married Martha Hultz, of Enfield, who was the mother of fourteen children. When the thirteenth child was still a babe, she journeyed on horseback over the hills to visit a brother living at Ithaca. He met her with the remark, "What! another child, Patty?" She replied, " Oh, yes, I have just commenced on my second dozen.
"There are several descendants of William Wickham living in the town, among whom is Erastus Wickham, of Bennetbury.
"The old road from Culverstown (now Watkins) to Hamburg (now Burdett) crossed the head of the lake on a bar, which extended from near the traditional elm, diagonally to the point at Glen Excelsior. While crossing this bar, on the evening of Nov. 2, 1800, his horse lost his footing, and he was thrown into the lake. He was an excellent swimmer, but in the darkness was unable to save himself, and, it is supposed, swam out into the lake, as his body was found next day some distance up the inlet. Mrs. Wickham was left with six children, and the farm upaid for. At his death they had one cow. [The cow] was killed by a large tree falling upon her the next spring, leaving a heifer-calf a few days old, which was raised on hay, tea, and eggs. From this calf, as a beginning, Mrs. Wickham raised cattle, which she sent to Orange County, and paid for the farm. She was of a resolute and fearless nature, and it is related of her that on one occasion, while she lived in the frame house, which was also used as an inn, a half-drunken Indian came in, and wanted more "fire-water." She declined to furnish him with it, judging that he had enough already; and he seized a broom, and endeavored to enforce his argument with that. But as he raised it to strike her it caught in the joists overhead, and threw him forcibly to the floor. She promptly wrenched it from him, and turning his own weapon upon him, succeeded in driving him from the house."
-History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins & Schuyler Counties, NY, pp.616-7
A Biographical Record of Schuyler County, NY, 1903 : " William WICKHAM came to Hector, NY in 1791 from Orange co., NY - the first settler of Hector. William bought 640 acres from his cousin George WICKHAM, an Orange co. banker. William's wife was Phebe ROSE of Long Island, NY and they had 7 children: Esther (of Orange co.); Fannie; Phebe; Samuel (went to Ohio); William Jr. (father of M. LaFayette); Mary; Clark. The last 3 lived in Schuyler co., NY on adjoining farms. William Sr. drowned in Nov. 1799 at age 52 - the first death in Watkins, NY. His widow raised cattle and drove them to the closest market at Easton, PA."
History of Seven Counties by the Elmira Weekly Gazette..., pub 1885:
"Wm. Wickham kept the first hotel in the town.
"The first death in the town was William Wickham, Nov. 2, 1800.
"William Wickham settled on the Sullivan road, cut thru in 1779.
"Mrs. William Wickham built the first framed house in the year 1802.
"Wm. Wickham was drowned at the head of Seneca Lake, Nov. 2, 1800.
"The first permanent settler in Hector was William Wickham in the year 1791. "
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