TOWN OF BYRON. Byron is one of the the five towns in the northern tier, lying in the northeastern part of the county. It is bounded on the north by Clarendon, Orleans county; on the east by Bergen, on the south by Le Roy and Stafford, and on the west by Stafford and Elba. The surface is gently undulating, and the soil a gravelly and sandy loam of great fertility, perfectly adapted to the culture of fruit trees and of many other forms of agriculture. The principal stream, Black creek, flows in a northeasterly direction through the central part of the town. Spring creek and Bigelow creek are its principal tributaries, on the west. A short distance north of Byron, on Black creek, is a sulphur spring emitting carburetted hydrogen gas. In the southwestern part is an acid spring known as the "sour spring," issuing from an elevation four or five feet above the plain. The West Shore Railroad runs nearly east and west through the central part of the town. The town is a portion of the Connecticut tract of the Morris Reserve, and of the Puitney tract. Byron was first settled in 1807 or 1808 by Benham Preston, who purchased lot 197. In the latter year Mr. Hoskins and Elisha Taylor, who came from Otsego county, located on lot 186. In 1809 Wheaton Carpenter came from Rhode Island and Elisha Miller from Pennsylvania. The first school was opened by Chester T. Holbrook about 1810. In 1815 Ira Newburg opened an inn, the first in town. Amos Hewitt opened a store as early as 1813. The first saw mill was erected by William Shepherd in 1813, and the first grist mill by Asa Williams in 1S14. The Byron Library Society was organized May 9, 1824. The first religious services were held in 1809 by the Rev. Royal Phelps, a Presbyterian missionary. The first church established was of the Baptist denomination, in 1810, and was located at Byron Centre. It was disbanded many years ago. The town was formed from Bergen April 4, 1820, and named in honor of Lord Byron. The records prior to 1850 are missing. The names of the supervisors as they apper on the records in the county clerk's office are as follows: 1831, Amos Hewitt; 1832, James Pendill; 1833-1834, Bartholomew Benham; 1835 Amos Hewitt; 1836-1837, David P. Coy; 1838-1839, Andrew Dibble; 1840, Andrew H. Green; 1841-1842, Andrew Dibble; 1843, Andrew H. Green; 1844, Andrew Dibble; 1845-1847, Andrew Adams; 1848-1850, Levi Fisk; 1851, Addison Terry; 1852- 1853, Wheaton S. Miller; 1854-1855, Hiram Tuttle; 1856, Cyrus Walker; 1857-1863, Loren Green; 1864, James T. Boynton; 1865-1866, Loren Green; 1867, Cyrenus Walker; 1868-1870, Holden T. Miller; 1872-1875, Newton H. Green; 1876-1878, Charles A. Seaver; 1879-1881, Francis T. Miller; 1882-1884. John C. Walker; 1835-1888, Elisha H. Miller; 1889-1891, Isaac Dillingham; 1892, Newton H. Greene; 1893, Henry W. Merriman; 1894-1897, Lawton A. Terry; 1898, Iverson W. White. Following are the names of the town clerks as they appear on the official records: Charles P. Hall, 1850-1853: John S. Fisk, 1854; Alvirus Loomis, 1855-1856; James W. Seaver, 1857; Theodore Cumming, 1858-1860; Oliver C. Stone, 1861; Holden T. Miller, 1862-1864; Francis C. Terry, 1865; John Seaver, 1866-1867; Earl B. Lounsbury, 1868-1872; Seth C. Hall, 1873-1886; Burt L. MeElver, 1887-1890; George H. Radley. 1890-1893; Burt L. McElver, 1894-1896; E. L. McElver, 1897-1898. The justices of the peace since 1850 have been: 1850, Milo W. Shedd; 1851, John Green; 1852, Ezra Hazen; 1853, Wheaton S. Miller; 1854, Milo W. Shedd; 1855, Isaac A. Todd; 1856, Isaac A. Todd; 1857, Alex der Gardner, l. t., L. J. Woods, s. t ; 1858, Milo W. Shedd; 1859, John Rambo; 1860, Moses B. Gage; 1861, George W. Dewey; 1862, Milo W. Shedd, 1. t, Theodore Cumming, s. t.; 1863, John Rainbo; 1864, Wheaton S. Miller; 1865, Theodore Cumming, Rialto 0. Arnold, s. t.; 1866, Milo W. Shedd, l. t., James W. Seaver, s. t.; 1867, John Rambo, I t., Irving D. Southworth, s. t.; 1868, Irving D. Southworth; 1869, James W. Seaver; 1870. Milo W. Shedd; 1871, John Rambo, Hyram Tuttle; 1872, Loren Green; 1873, Charles A. Seaver; 1874, Milo W. Shedd, I. t., Irving D. Southworth, s. t.; 1875, John Rambo; 1876, Irving D. Southworth, l. t., Charles B. Judd, s. t.; 1877, Charles B. Judd; 1878, Milo W. Shedd, l. t., A. W. Billings, s. t., James W. Seaver, v. 1879, H. S. Peckham; 1880, Irving D. Southworth, l. t., Charles E. Cook, s. t.; 1881, James W. Seaver, l. t., William Coward, s. t.; 1882, James E. Mills, I. t., Clifford L. Benham, s. t., Elisha H. Miller, v., George G. Check, V.; 1883, George C. Check, I. t., Albert Eaton, 1. v., Zeno T. Croker, s. v.; 1884, Elisha H. Miller; 1885, Zeno T. Crocker; 1886, Albert Eaton, 1. t.; Dr. A. M. Whiton, s.t.; 1887, F. P. Coward, L t., E. M. Crocker, s.t. ; 1888, ElishaA. Miller, l. t., F. D. Barber. s. t.: 1889, J. M Sherwood, l. t., George Prentice, 1. v., James G. Perry, s. V.; 1890, James G. Perry, I. t., M. C Benham, s. t; 1891, Elisha H. Miller, L t., Bert S. Bean, S t.; 1892, Charles H. Shedd, I. t., William H. Coward, s. t.; 1893, John M. Sherwood; 1894, George McDaniels; 1895, William H. Coward; 1896, John B. Moore; 1897, John M. Sherwood, l. t., Henry C. Perry, s. t.; 1898, J. M. Gibbs, l. t., A. F. Bennett, s. t. Byron Centre, the most important village in the town, is situated near the centre of the town, on Black creek and the West Shore Railroad. A considerable business in grain and pork is done at this point. The village contains two churches (Presbyterian and German Evangelical), a good school, two flouring mills, an iron foundry and manufactory of agricultural implements, a hotel, about ten stores, and a few smaller industries. Near the village is the Bergen cheese factory, built in 1867. The Genesee mills stand half a mile east of the village, on Black creek. McElver & Sons agricultural works were established at Byron Centre about fifteen years ago. North Byron is situated about a mile north of Byron Centre. It is a small hamlet. It has one church (Freewill Baptist). South Byron is in the southern part of the town, on the main line of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. It contains a Methodist Episcopal church, an excellent school, three or four stores, a hotel, a mill and a produce warehouse.