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- Born in Boston and died 18 Mar 1857 in Phelps, NY. Married three times:
Elizabeth Bannister, Polly Wilder, Betsey
The town of Phelps, located in Ontario County, New York, in a rich agricultural area. It has been the home of Salisburys for over 175 years, and present generations of the family are large growers and dealers in apples and other fruits. During the years, many family members have served the community well through civic activities. Their church affiliations have been predominently Presbyterian. A Mr. Salisbury gave land for the burial ground at Melvin Hill, where many family members are buried.
About 2790, John Salisbury (the youngest son of William Salisbury of the Revolution), along with other young men, accompanied Jonathan Oaks to Phelps, seeking opportunity. After a few months in the community, he returned to Conway, Mass., but came again to Phelps in 1796 as a real pioneer. He purchased land west of Melvin Hill, cleared several acres, built a log house and planted some crops and fruit trees. He came alone and walked all the way. One hundred miles of this was only a blazed trail.
Once again he returned to Conway in January, where he married his first wife, Elizabeth Bannister. Before spring set in, they started to drive to the home he had prepared in the western land. They had gathered together a store of provisions and such household effects as could be carried on a sleigh. They had a team of horses and a pair of oxen as well as a cow. They intended to take advantage of the sleighing, as it was much easier on both team and riders. For several days there was a good snow track and they came along a well settled road over the Hudson River and along the Mohawk Valley, finding comfortable stopping places each night. Near the site of Auburn, the snow began to fail them and soon bare ground stretched ahead. Leaving his wife and a great part of his goods at an Inn by the foot of Cayuga Lake, the young man continued his journey with the team of horses hitched ahead of the oxen and the cow tied to the rear, dragging the sleigh along the bare ground. In a fe3w days he had returned with a wagon to get his wife and his goods, and so at last they came to their new home.
Many changes took place during his lifetime of 83 years. In his later days, he told of having walked to nearby Waterloo to assist with cutting out the new road, wworking many days at the job, and commented, "Now if I want to walk along the road that I helped to make, I must watch out or some young Jack-a-napes will run me to earth with his horse and buggy."
In 1801 his brother Stephen (our ancestor) followed him to Phelps and established his home. The first town meeting was held in 1796. During thie period 1800-1812, many new settlers arrived, buying land at twelve to thirty-five cents an acre. Many log cabins of the one and two room type were built.
The period from 1800-1820 was one of great patriotism, which was celebrated to its utmost during the annual town meeting. There were fine displays of artillery on this day, everyone voted, and there were horse races, fights, speeches, and drinks for all. Each hamlet had its favorite fighter, and all else was postponed during the fights, performed in a ring, with fists. They also sprawled on the ground, choked, scratched, pulled hair, etc. till one said "enough." After that the combatants would shake hands and join the drinking crowqd. Other recreation was the horse races. Drinks were "10 for 25 cents", consisting of egg-nog dand cider nog. With all the celebration on town meeting day, there was little drunkeness.
Stoves appeared in 1817 - until then fireplaces and a semi-annual chimney sweep to avoid fires were important. A stove was placed in the first church which had been built in 1814. It was first a Congregational Church but shortly joined the Geneva Prebytery of the Presbyterians.
The first school was built in 1802. It was build of planks, had a platform in the middle, around which were benches for the children.
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1767 - 1857 (89 years)