https://www.facebook.com/737061479666296/

Chili Historical Society, 4145 South Union Street, North Chili, NY (2026)

05/17/2026

The community “Inn” was one of the more important social factors in all of early Chili. Regardless of how many Inns there were in the general vicinity, they all shared some characteristics in common. And they all exerted major influences on the surrounding society as long as they existed. In a manner unique to their function, they simultaneously resulted from and helped mold that constituent society.

Yet in speaking of their commonalities, a person visiting the various local Inns of that era could probably point also to the surprising degree of individualities among them. Each had something of a distinct personality.

The structure which housed it, the immediate community it served, the nucleus patrons sitting regularly at its tables, and the proprietor as well, all injected different ingredients. Therefore, the rustic flavoring probably varied significantly from the Chequered Tavern in South Chili, the Sheldon Inn on Chili Avenue, and the Campbell (or Hartford) House on Buffalo Road. For that matter the same could be said for any of the various other ones.

In a sense, each of these sites formed something akin to a visual, fluid sociological and physiological study. Each passerby dabbled a little of his own personality and beliefs, preoccupations, hurts and happinesses onto those etched by people before. Some brightened. Some darkened. Some did neither. But the outside world saw it as they chose.

Folklore has passed the Chequered Tavern’s reputation on as a den of forgers, thieves, and others of checkered character. Others remember the ancient North Chili tavern only because of the story that its evils led to its purchase by the founder of the Chili Seminary to put it out of business. Stories of similar nature to these have probably been told about each Chili Inn at some time or other.

Yet other commonalities are not all negative. Unfortunately, however, neither are they as dramatic. Therefore, these often have faded from memory and are lost among the blanker pages of history.

First, the terms hotel, Inn, tavern, “public house”, and store were frequently used to mean the same thing. This was not always accurate. But lack of sufficient evidence makes it advisable to use the wording of the records written in that day.

Actually, it is unlikely that these “public” places could long exist without being asked to serve all these functions once in a while. As the environs developed, a “grocery” or “general” store might well evolve as separate from the tavern. Examples of this can be found specifically in Chili Center, Clifton, and North Chili. Felkens store across from the Chili Center House (Campbell-Henderson) was one. As a Tenny’s store in Clifton was another. And the Fulton Store side by side with the Hartford House in North Chili by the mid 1830’s is another example.

From; Hidden Stands From the Fabric of Early Chili by Carl Moore

05/04/2026

The federal census of Chili in 1830 confirms the common opinion that early rural families tended to be sizable. But it shows little support for any contention that they were generally enormous, by later standards.

Records of the census list the number of inhabitants within a household at the time of the headcount. This did not necessarily mean that all members of that household were immediate family members.

Nor, for that matter, did the household count include children who had grown and moved out. These limitations, plus lack of reference to deceased children are inhibiting factors if a truly analytical study of the family as a functioning unit were to be attempted. Absolute numbers (& names) of the immediate family would have been desirable, as indeed would have been the actual ages of those numbered rather than mere listing by decades of similar age groupings.

But even recognizing these limitations, we can find considerable value in the census’ reflections upon early Chili families.

Certainly, the practice of elderly citizens living among younger members of their family. Only rare cases of older residents living as single couples can be found that year. The closest examples uncovered have been Daniel Franklin senior and Ama Wilkerson. Both men were in their sixties and their wives were in their fifties.

Virtually all moms and dads in a household had a least two other companions (children, parents,etc.)- or else they were clearly within the child bearing age and could soon be bearing offspring. Examples of the latter category couples are Richard Green, Elijah Bailey, George S. Ferguson, Stephen Streeter, Jeremiah Starks, Samuel Gruendike, William Smith, Benjamin Bullard, John Van Auton, George Tuttle, and Lewis Hailey. Each of these and their spouses were between 20 and 40 in 1830.

Eli Holiday and his wife were the only “borderline-age” examples found that year living by themselves. They were both in their forties at that time.

Clarisa N. Penick, Lucia Wright and Margaret P. Block represented the few cases of a lone adult raising one or more children in 1830 in Chili. Mrs. Penick was in her thirties and had a male between 10 and 14 years of age in her household. No further facts or explanation is offered. But two nineteenth century historians (late in the century) make reference to folk tales about “one Pennock” who was sent to jail and his Chequered Tavern closed down when it was found to be a meeting place for forgers and thieves. However they offered no date or details, so other circumstantial similarities in surname, their may be no actual link. Clarisa died at 52 in 1859.

05/02/2026

About two months before the Town of Chili officially separated from the status of being combined within the Town of Riga some results of a special State census in 1821 were published. That point pointed to this combined town as being the third largest in the new County of Monroe, boasting 7,095 acres of land. Only Wheatland (7,777) and Penfield (9,731) a,not the existing towns in the County this year exceeded that size.

In terms of male population over 21 years of age, she similarly ranked as the third largest of the County’s towns where her 455 males represented about 1/10 of the County’s total (outside the Village of Rochester). Penfield led the County’s 14 towns with over twice this male’s population, while Gates was second with 527. Henrietta with 399 ranked fourth behind Riga, and Mendon’s 386 made her a close fifth. Wheatland, home of the first pioneer settlement west of the Genesee River (early 1790’s) ranked 13 in this census of males over 21 years at 195.

One other “people category “ listed in this State Census numbered the males over 21 who either served in the militia, or had paid the militia tax. This offers an interesting (if uncertain) glimpse of the male population. This vague measurement uncovers the rough percentage of town males who had actually served in the military at some previous time (perhaps either one or two of the wars), or had paid the fifty cent tax each year to avoid militia service.

The combined Town of Riga and Chili had 164 such adult males in 1821. Gates led the county with 282. Brighton 251 placed second, and Riga’s figure placed in an easy third ahead of fourth-place Penfield.

In the 1821 census, the combined town of the present Riga and Chili had 530 horses -1/4 of the County’s total; 7269 sheep or about 1/5 of the County’s total; and 3818 “meat cows” (about 1/6 of the total among the towns in the County). In both of the latter categories, this town ranked first among the towns. However, the number of horses placed second behind Penfield.

05/01/2026

In 1853, Chili’s assessors found 108 property owners with twenty five acres or less to their name. Such a small volume conceivably may have kept a years supply of food on the table for a small family. -with hard work, good luck, favorable rains, etc. But a money crop yield (depending on location) sufficient to buy food, clothing and other necessities would be questionable at best from such meager acreage. Such could lead to the conclusion that many of those in the “25 acre or less” category were hurting if that were their only source of income. But it seems likely that some citizens on this list actually rented additional land, or sharecropped additional acreage.

So these possibilities makes hasty over generalizations less than justified about those “25 acre or less” people being classified as poor.

In addition, a number of these residents probably worked full time as helpers on larger farms, or in businesses, mills, etc. they too could not automatically be labeled as living at poverty levels. Certain, several are known to have operated taverns and various shops over the years as a full or part time business on their land holdings of five or less acres.

Well known Chili figures like Joseph Bangs (5-1/2 acres), Dr. John Lynde (21 acres), and Dr. George A. Miller (3/4 acre) presumably made up some of their lack of farm production through their medical practices.

From: Hidden Strands From the Fabric of Early Chili by Carl Moore, Jr.

04/30/2026

A simple declaration can be made that about 335 individuals owned real estate acreage in 1853 Chili. Of this number, 92 owned one hundred or more acres of land. Twenty of these owned at least 200 acres.

Leading the “200 acres or more” list were the following:

Edmund Fellows- (corner of Wickens Rd. & Union St.) a total of 490 acres

Peter Tone- 388 acres

John Shau- 388 acres

David Bangs- (south side Paul Rd near Marshall Rd) 386-1/2 acres

Abram Gruendike- 218 acres (farm on Chestnut Ridge + his old farm cited as 108 acres-south of Black and Mill Creek juncture) for a combined total of 326 acres.

Lorenzo Sheffer- (Sheffer Rd area) 320 acres

John Boswell- 312 acres (south side of Beaver Rd and west side down Chili-Scottsville Rd).

Edmund Howell- (N Chili) 308 acres

Anon Harmon- (Clifton) 308 acres

Edwin S. Root- 300 acres (south side of Black Creek-east side of Stottle Rd)

Admittedly some portions of these various large land holdings were actually “swamp lots” of dubious value monetarily.

But the difference in value per acre itself underscores a weakness of relying on pure numbers of acres as an absolute measure of a person’s wealth. Another weakness is using that scale as a measure of financial success is that Anon Harmon’s 308 acres taxed at a rate totaling $116.24 (Clifton environs) were higher than the total tax of the larger holdings of Edmund Howell ($66.88); John Shau ($64.76); Peter Tone ($80.95); and David Bangs ($68.93). Primarily this disparity seems to represent the fact that Harmon’s lands were more fully “improved” and included both commercial and industrial (mill) property in and near the bustling hamlet of Clifton.

From: Hidden Strands From the Fabric of Early Chili by Carl Moore, Jr.

04/29/2026

The community of Chiliasts compromised their name “Hanover” in deference to the New England families moving at that time into West Pultney. Such neighborly gestures would not have been out of character for either group. A spirit of accommodation and cooperation of this type would be so typical at this stage in the pioneer region as to require little reference in record books.

So it was apparently not to be until the year 1822 that the original German identity would reappear for East Pultney ( and by then much that once was quaint and unique had been assimilated). But instead of “ Hanover” ( a relatively common name by then in America), this new town chose the name “Chili” - an individualistic identity of its very own.

However, this testimony to an early religious sect from Germany was not without some measure of coincidence in itself.

By 1822 major waves of New England “Yankees” had indeed engulfed much if not all the pioneer Chiliasm in the town. Perhaps as many as three New England Protestant based faiths were being at least semi officially formed and were practicing here by then. This meant that much of the individuality, and informality characteristic of Chiliasts’ worship was by this time being molded into an organized conformity to a structured church.

Also, age and death had likely erased some of the backbone of Chiliasm whose strict, self denial patterns may have discouraged converts among newcomers. With each of the many years that had elapsed since their early arrival, Chiliasm became more a series of colorful memories about a passing people. The noble strains of hope that a paradise would soon be realized here on earth would now have to wait for another time.

But the name “Chili” would live on - perhaps until that very day itself arrived.

From: Hidden Strands From the Fabric of Early Chili by Carl Moore Jr.

04/28/2026

Upon arriving here from Pennsylvania (some settled briefly at other central Western NY sites before moving on to Chili) they labeled their first settlement in South Chili as “Hanover”. Eye witnesses are quoted by an early historian as calling Hanover the only “opening” cut into the forest from Scottsville to Lake Ontario.

When in 1809, the East and West Pultney sections (named after former owner & land developer Lord Pultney of England) of the giant land mass between the Genesee and the Niagara frontier called Northampton was formed into a separate town, it was called Riga. Later in 1822 most of the East Pultney portion became the present Chili.

The fact that settlement was only beginning in West Pultney when that name Riga was chosen for the combined town raises the likelihood that the name came from the “Chili” section of that town.

Riga, a Baltic seaport in Eastern Europe was well known to the Germans and English alike. Its historic importance has a Hanseatic League port had given Riga noteworthy commercial ties with both the British Isles and much of the rim of North Central Europe including the Hanover region of Germany for centuries.

Strangely enough, the name “Riga” was adopted in 1809 as the name for the new Monroe County township almost coincidental with the last fragmentary reference to the work “Hanover” in what is now Chili. By that early date there can be little question that the largest portion of settlers in the newly named Town of Riga actually lived in the eastern half (that which became Chili in 1822). If 5hat be true, then Germanic settlers (at least some of whom were probably Chiliasts) had played a dominant role in the choice of the name “Riga”.

But the question remains, “why did they relinquish their own Hanover label?” The answer to that must be primarily speculative.

Certainly, the formation of Riga’s first formalized church (Congregational-in present Riga Center) in 1806 reminds us that the first enclave from Yankee New England had only recently arrived intact. Use of a label like “Chili” or “Hanover” would have basically belonged to only the one localized segment of that combined town. And these also belonged to the single ethnic strain (German) - a possible affront to their newly arriving neighbors of Yankee heritage.

A name like Riga, however, still harkened back to the European heritage of both English and German, as well as both East Pultney and West Pultney. It was likely mutually known and respected. In other words, it was neutral.

04/27/2026

Spring Tonics

After a long cold winter everyone is ready for some tasty pick-me-ups. The weather does not significantly change from century to century so we always welcome the first blades of green grass and longer daylight hours. The sight of rhubarb, or spring fruit as it was called in England, showing its knobby red fiddleheads emerging or the taste of early dandelion leaves, springs forth the juices of new life in the kitchen after winter stews and heavier fare. American cooking in the 19th century had personality and was full of robust flavors and surprise associations of taste.

You have never eaten good rhubarb unless it was picked fresh from the garden and cooked immediately. Its sweetness starts changing to starch the minute it is pulled like that of sweet corn.

Asparagus is another early treat which has many ways to be enjoyed from eating the tender young shoots raw to asparagus in ambush. This is a good way to use up stale breakfast or dinner rolls and it makes a lovely luncheon dish served with nice spring salad. Watercress may usually be found in quick running clear streams in the springtime as it is difficult to grow. One may also find it in the local supermarket but it will not have quite the bite that the wild cress contains. A salad of cress and thin slices of sour apple mixed with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper would delight any luncheon guest. Place a bed of stewed watercress dressed with butter, salt and pepper on a platter surrounded with snippets of toast and it will entice the “samplers”.

It is important to gather all spring greens when they are very young and still tender. Young horseradish leaves, dock leaves, plantain, and patience are other greens that may be eaten either raw, in salads, cooked or as soups.

Rhubarb is very versatile in the many ways in which it may be prepared. We always think of pie or sauce but it makes a wonderful cooked filling mixed with raisins for a layer cake or a tart filling. Ginger is nice combined with rhubarb and sugar to make a tasty preserve which is a favorite. When picking rhubarb, it is best to pull the stalks rather than cutting them. More new shoots will appear in a matter of days. The common rhubarb is a native of Asia; the scarlet variety has the finest flavor.

Eliza Leslie in her book of Directions for Cookery includes instructions for serving poke. The young stalks and leaves of the poke berry plant should be picked when the stalk is the size of small asparagus and its nearest to the ground. These would be boiled and perhaps served with butter and toast.

It was always a yearly spring excursion to walk in the woods where there is a low wet area at the edge and pick the marsh marigolds or “cow slips” as we call them. A delectable treat when cooked like spinach and dressed with some butter, salt and pepper.

Garden w**d control can be accomplished by eating some of the most troublesome early ones. Young dandelion greens and the roots cubed, make a welcome spring tonic salad or as a cooked vegetable.Purslane is another edible w**d that may be prepared the same way. A spring tonic in a bowl, the sparkly taste of sorrel is a morsel for the palate and if combined with spinach, a virtual treat.

Fiddlehead ferns are another spring delicacy that makes lovely and interesting kickshaws for a party. Dipped in batter and deep-fried, ferns are an exciting addition to the first course of any meal.

When spring arrives, surprise your family and friends with the culinary touch of tasty tonics found only in the new life of the season.

04/26/2026

The intervening years saw much success from James Wadsworth, land agent for this area, who recruited whole families and even neighborhoods from New England communities. The result hastened the development of “community” in pioneer Chili, because it transplanted in a,ready flourishing form from back East into early Chili. And that flourishing form included formalized churches or at least sound foundations for that important institution.

But between the arrival of Joseph Morgan (of Massachusetts), in 1793 - Chili’s first settler here, in the post 1814 years, something highly important to Chili happened. A clan of German-heritage settlers arrived from eastern Pennsylvania.

Several of these seem to have been related by blood, marriage and common ties of religion and kinship. At least some of these families had traveled much of the way together up the Susquehanna route into west central New York. Into a land nearly void of religious organizations, came a religious movement whose roots reached all the way back to the post Lutheran religious wars of Europe.

For want of a better label, this group of settlers will henceforth be called the Widener enclave because so many members of Widener families played such a significant part then and later as Chili developed. At least three or four Widener brothers and their growing families were identified among this pioneer enclave in the opening of the Chili frontier in the 1790’s and the beginning of the 1800’s. Others of that group with ties to similar North Central European heritage known to have arrived with the Widener’s or soon after were the Cary’s, Wooden’s, Kimbles, Giles, Huffs, Gruendikes, Parkhursts most of whom settled in South Chili after their journey from Pennsylvania.

The Sheffer family which settled in nearby Scottsville (apparently before sending offspring into present Chili) seems to have predated Chili’s Widener clan by two or three years. But they too came from the Lancaster region of Eastern Pennsylvania, well known even today for such German-heritaged religious groups as the Amish and the Mennonites.

Specific records of important aspects of such early group settlements in Chili and nearby are notably lacking. But that is not surprising, because locally, the single most important religious impact of that time seems to have been mage here by Chiliasts. Such groups intended to rely on a personal relationship with God through an informal home worship practice. This discouraged written minutes of meetings, written sermons and prayers, etc. So this, one of the most intensely fervent pietist groups from war-torn Germany left little written specifics for history’s sake.

From; Hidden Strands From the Fabric of Early Chili by Carl C. Moore, Jr.

04/25/2026

Threads of behavior derived specifically from religious teachings were highly visible in earliest Chili.

Protestant New England had sent dozens of families into the Chili region, seasoned in doctrine scruples. Their impact became multi-directional in pioneer Chili.

One basic direction helped create a surprisingly early attempt at public education. Since reading and writing were such various skills necessary to understanding and propagating the message of the Bible, schools were given a major priority. But another impact relates to the choosing of an official name for the town-be it Hanover, Riga or Chili.

The New England migration into Chili began as a trickle of individual families in early 1790’s. A significant surge awaited, however, a greater credibility for land titles which did not come until the middle of the next decade. And the larger, more significant surge of New England migration followed the end of the War of 1812.

Settlers from eastern NY and New England then seemed to have come in sufficient numbers as to achieve quickly a major, even controlling influence in Chili.

A parenthetical point could be inserted here about an attempt in 1814 by the citizenry to split the combined Town of Riga. But then, before the major surge of New England migration, a public vote “negative” the idea of a separate Town of Chili and a separate Town of Riga. By 1822 it passed with little apparent difficulty.

04/24/2026

With the “freshet” gone for another year, Black Creek became again a creature of lazy kindness. Summers tested her motherhood.

Beside the proud fields of grain and green pasture lands nursing life from her bosom, there was Māori. Her lower basin created wooded swamps and marshes which in turn bore many offspring. Wild life thrived because of her. She offered them food, drink and multiplied homes sites out of reach of most humans.

Into her productive recesses came winged goddesses from the heaven to nest. Birds of virtually all descriptions hatched among her dense forests.

Plentiful supplies of fish plied her waters, ducks and geese played and swam and are in them. Deer, rabbit, fox, squirrel, beaver, mink - and in earlier times even larger creatures such as panther & bear prowled her banks.

The stream and her tributaries offered life to the settler. Food, hides, furs, water for his fields and for his stock - she was indeed his friend. And down near the turn where she deepened and dipped under that groove of big shady elms she was the epitome of any boys dream. A perfect hideaway, she was, on those hot August afternoons when he dropped his hoe near the edge of the corn field and Dad wasn’t looking. A fish or two and a cool, cool swim could outrank for importance all the rows of corn in the world. Big Bend near Stottle Road was worth its weight in gold - that long Tarzan rope swings out to the deepest spot in the middle, then plop - down into her cooling depths. Any kid could build a dreamworld around one such summer day in Black Creeks pleasures.

Further East a little way toward Beaver Road this pleasant creature had another tranquil pool which she loaned to the Church folk for baptismal services. At other times its banks were good spots for the annual church picnic, or for family reunions or other group outings. And the more daring young men of the area might sneak off there to smoke and even to gamble in the evening around a camp fire. Or in “extreme “ cases these more “sinful” lads might smuggle in an intoxicating beverage or two - and maybe even bring a female companion more “ liberated “ than your average young lady of the Chili community.

Canoeing sites and fishing holes were just about as plentiful as a person wanted them to be. And in winter these friendly sites could offer hours and hours of ice skating and other slippery frolicking down her banks and across her sickened greased surface.

Abraham Gruendike, a Chili pioneer of Belgian ancestry, built his homestead south of her waters not far from where the swift Mill Creek forked into the larger stream. But altimeter construction of the Chili-Scottsville Road too distant from his newly raised house and barn later forced him to move up across Black Creek to Sand Ridge (Chestnut Ridge) the recent homesite of the Pikuet family. That left a prize property forgotten in the solitude of the quiet Black Creek environs. Later into the Twentieth Century, a wealthy man from out of town quietly resurrected it and used it for some time a private hideaway which few people in Chili even knew existed. Today, its decayed foundations sleep among many other memories along that sensitive stream which has given life to so many dreams in Chili.

Chili Historical Society

05/17/2026

05/04/2026

05/02/2026

05/01/2026

04/30/2026

04/29/2026

04/28/2026

04/27/2026

04/26/2026

04/25/2026

04/24/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organization

Shortcuts

Share