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TOWN OF EDINBURGH
Edinburgh is one of the towns of the western tier. It is bounded on the north
by Day, on the east by Day, Corinth and Greenfield, on the south by Providence, and on the west by the county line.
The Revised Statutes define the town as follows:
The town of Edinburgh shall contain all that part of said county bounded southerly by Providence, westerly by the
bounds of the county, northerly by Day and easterly by Corinth.
The town consists of hilly highlands, through the centre of which the Sacandaga river runs from the southwest corner
in a northeasterly direction. The principal tributaries of this river in Edinburgh are Batcheller creek and Beecher's
creek.
The first settlements were not made until after the close of the Revolution. In 1787 Abijah Stark, a nephew of
Gen. John Stark, the hero of Bennington, settled on the west side of the Sacandaga river about a mile from the
Providence line. Soon after Jonathan Anderson, Nathaniel Bass, Sylvanus Westcot and Samuel Randall settled in the
same neighborhood. James and Amy Partridge settled on the hill on the opposite side of the river in 1795. Isaac
Deming located about this time in the eastern part, near the Day line. John Sumner built the first saw mill in
the town, about 1800, at Batchellerville. Isaac Deming built the first grist mill and store.
There are but two hamlets in Edinburgh. The most important is Batchellerville, located east of the Sacandaga near
the centre of the town. Across the river lies Edinburgh, more commonly known as Beecher's Hollow. Both were formerly
villages of considerable importance, but their industries are now small. The churches are: Presbyterian church
of Batchellerville, organized in 1808; Edinburgh Hill M. E. church, 1823-1824; M. E. church of Beecher's Hollow,
1820 to 1825.
The town of Edinburgh was erected from Providence March 13, 1801, as Northfield. The name was changed to Edinburgh
April 6, 1808. The western part of Day was taken off in 1819. At the first town meeting, held in 1801, these officers
were elected:
Supervisor, Robert Sumner. Assessors, Willard Trowbridge, Jordan Sprague, Joáathan Smith. Commissioners
of highways, Thurston Wells, Sampson Hosley, Ephraim Potter. Overseers of the poor, Daniel Washburn, Jr., John
Sumner. Collector, Jordan Sprague. Constables, Jordan Sprague, Abel Brown. Overseers of highways, Daniel Washburn,
jr., Charles Rhodes, Joshua Wells, David Cole, Jonathan Townsend, John Hamilton, Arba Perry, Samuel Rogers, James
Andrus, Reuben Cornwell, Nathaniel Bass. Fence viewers, James Goodwin, Elisha Mix, Daniel Washburn, Jr. Poundkeepers,
William Fellows, Isaac Deming.
Since the organization of the town the supervisors have been:
1801-1804, Robert Sumner. 1805-1808, Ely Beecher. 1809-1810, Willard Trowbridge. 1811-1812, Ely Beecher. 1813-1816,
John Haniilton. 1817-1818, Amos Cook. 1819-1823, Ely Beecher. 1824, Amos Cook. 1825-1829, Ely Beecher. 1830, Amos
Cook. 1831, Solomon Ellithorp. 1832, Amos Cook. 1833, Ely Beecher. 1834-1835, Isaac Noyes. 1836, Solomon Ellithorp.
1837, Isaac Noyes. 1838, Samuel Manning. 1839-1840, Sherman Batcheller. 1841, Isaac Nayes. 1842-1843, Joseph Covill.
1844, Samuel Batcheller. 1845, Isaac Noyes. 1846, Samuel Batcheller. 1847, Henry M. Torrey. 1848, Joseph L. Snow.
1849-1850, Solomon Ellithorp. 1851-1852, Ira Beecher. 1853, Samuel Batcheller. 1854, John K. Anderson. 1855- 1856,
Sherman Batcheler. 1857, James Partridge. 1858, Joseph Covill. 1859, Eugene Damon. 1860-1861, Levi S. Noyes. 1862,
William W. Hunt. 1863, Winslow E. Snow. 1864, Isaac Noyes, jr. 1865, Leman Partridge. 1866, Winslow E. Snow. 186'7-1868,
Cyrus Sumner. 1869, Winslow E. Snow. 1870, Silas H. Torrey. 1871. Winslow E. Snow. 1872, James Green. 1873, John
W. Latcher. 1874, Lucien De Golia. 1875-1876, Silas H. Torrey. 1877, Leman Partridge. 1878-1879, Irwin De Golia.
1880, H. Ransom Colson. 1881-1882, Samuel E. Brownell. 1883, David A. Torrey. 1884-1885, George W. King. 1886.
Solomon Sumner. 1887, Faulkner E. Noyes. 1888-1889, John W. Olmstead. 1890-1891, George W. Ostrander. 1892- 1893,
Marion H. Frasier. 1894-1895, William H. Mosher. 1896-1897, John C. Stead. 1898, Samuel Brownell.
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