Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== A Memoir of the Late William Hodge, Sen. Bigelow Bros., Buffalo, N.Y. - 1885 (1-19) THE LATE WILLIAM HODGE, SEN. ------- BY HIS SON, WILLIAM HODGE I write briefly of Mr. Hodge's ancestry,—believing it best to tell of that which one knows, rather than of that concerning which he is not fully informed, even though this results in saying little. From a pamphlet in which there was a paper that had been read be- fore a Historical Club, containing a Historical and Statistical Account of the old town of Glastonbury, Connecticut (from which the Hodge family emigrated westward), I find that in 1713, in dividing six thousand acres of land among the inhabitants of the town, the name of SAMUEL HODGE appears with those of seventy-two others. In a list of landowners dated April 2, 1757, is included the name of JOHN HODGE. By a vote of the town in 1767, liberty was given to "DAVID HODGE to build a saw-mill on the deep gutter on EPHRAIM GOODRICH'S land." In 1769 liberty was given to "JOHN HODGE to build a gristmill on his own land on Roaring Brook." And again in 1776, among the names of a committee of nine, to "inspect each able-bodied man in the town, and see whether each man is equipped with a good gun, etc," is found that of BENJAMIN HODGE. In the catalogue of those who were in the war of the Revolution, in 1777, appear the names of BENJAMIN HODGE, BENJAMIN HODGE, Jr., ELIJAH HODGE, JOHN HODGE and JOHN HODGE, Jr. These notices it will be seen bring the HODGE family to view as, at the least, engaged in the good and useful work, in peaceful times, of building mills, and, in the Revolutionary War, of fighting for the liberty and independence of the land. Aside from the foregoing, tradition says that one of our ancestors was a native of Wales and emigrated thence to this country, and that the mother of the subject of this paper was a descendant of Lord CHURCHILL. WILLIAM HODGE, senior, was born in Glastonbury, Conn., July 2, 1781. His father, BENJAMIN HODGE (who was also native of Glastonbury) removed from that place into the State of New York, and settled in the town of Richfield, Otsego County, in 1794,—William being then less than thirteen years of age. The lad was not brought up to any parti- cular line of business, and his early experience in this respect was confined to farming, and teaching a village school. For the latter employment he had a competent preparation. While the family home was at Glastonbury, he had there enjoyed the benefits of a good common- school education; and when he came to live at Richfield he availed himself of such opportunities for gaining instruction as that new settlement then afforded. He so well improved the advantages enjoyed, that he was employed for some time as a teacher in Richfield. Dr. JOSEPH WHITE, a cousin of WILLIAM HODGE, was an eminent prac- ticing physician and surgeon in Cherry Valley, in the same county. He wished the lad to come and study with him for the profession of Medi- cine. But Mrs. HODGE objected, and the Doctor could not prevail upon his aunt to yield against her idea, perhaps a mistaken one, of motherly kindness, and to allow the boy to go. Her objection was, that should he become a physician, his station in life would be above that of his brothers, and she did not want to manifest any partiality by allowing him to do what would bring about such a result. So, having without the assistance of wealthy parents or friends commenced for himself the business of life, in the way which has been mentioned, he was married in the town of Exeter, Otsego County, N. Y., March 25, 1802, to SALLY ABBOTT, a daughter of Mr. DANIEL ABBOTT of that place. They lived there about three years,—his occupation being still that of teaching the district school in the winter, and farming in the summer. Being poor,—and his only capital consisting of his education and experience, his industrious habits and willing hands, he made up his mind to move out to this then wild, western frontier, Buffalo being the point he chose at which to make his stand; having confidence that he could succeed if others could, in a newly settled country. He had heard of the "Holland Purchase," but he knew nothing about the quality of the land, or the character of the region. He only knew that the land could be bought at a low figure and on credit, and this suited his case. Buffalo was at this time considered the extreme western limit of civilization, its "jumping-off place"; and in resolving as he did in such circumstances as his, to set forth on a journey of removal hither, he displayed the true spirit of a pioneer; he was indeed a thorough type of that necessary class of enterprising men. It was in the latter part of May, 1805, that he bade adieu to relatives and friends in Exeter, and started on the westward journey. His little family consisted at this time of his wife, then only eighteen years old, and their two children, the youngest (the writer of this paper) five months old; Mr. HODGE himself being only twenty- four years of age. They traveled by wagon to Utica. Here they embarked in an open row- (or flat-) boat, with the families of Mr. R. JUDD and Mr. LYMAN JACKSON; the company consisting of about twenty persons in all. Their route was up the Mohawk river, into Wood creek, and through Oneida lake; then down the Oswego river (the travelers going around its rapids, while boatmen carried the boat over them), and so on, to Lake Ontario, and up that lake and the lower part of the Niagara river, to Lewiston. There the boat was taken out of the river, carried around Niagara Falls in a wagon drawn by an ox-team, and put into the river again, at Schlosser, where they all re-embarked. Thence, by rowing, poling and towing, the boat was propelled through the upper Niagara river to Buffalo creek, and so to the village. The arrival took place on the i6th day of June, 1805, after twenty days of labor- ing at the oar, and traveling around the portage. Disembarking with his family, Mr. HODGE put up at ZENAS BARKER'S tavern. This was a double log house, situated on the bluff which was afterwards leveled down into "The Terrace," and about one or two hundred feet west of Main street,—the house facing south. The day following, Mr. HODGE engaged MAJOR PERRY (who owned and occupied the farm which has been so long known as the GRANGER property, on Conjockety's creek, at the crossing of Main street) to come in with his oxen and cart and carry his effects out to his, MAJOR PERRY'S, place. He immediately occupied the log house, at the Perry Sawmill (since then long known as the Granger Saw-mill). In this house he lived until the fall, when he moved into another log house, on lot No. 35, at what is now the north-east corner of Main and Utica streets, and remained there until June, 1806, when he moved into still another log house, at the Cold Spring, where the Tavern now stands. Mr. HODGE had, as yet, made no purchase of land. Indeed, as has been said, he had come, with his very young family, depending on the labor of his own and his wife's hands (since they had little or no property) for support, to be a pioneer literally in the wilderness, for that this region then was. Surely nothing but the hope and anti- cipation of better and easier times somewhere in the future could buoy up the spirit of a man, and induce him to labor and plan for, and to endure the hardships of, a pioneer life. It was truly thus with Mr. HODGE, in the first years of his residence here. And it was only by severe toil that he was able even to support his family, to say nothing of buying land. But he was naturally ingenious, and by turning his hand to anything he could find to do, he managed to keep along. Having decided to venture upon obtaining some land, and not seeing any prospect that Buffalo was to become much of a place, he concluded that it would be better for him to go into the country, and establish him- self there. He went accordingly to the town of Eden, in this county, and took up a farm at a place subsequently called "Tubbs' Hollow" (now Eden Valley). Procuring tools necessary for building a house,—of which an axe, a hand-saw, a hammer and an auger were the greater part,—he went to work, and put up a log house on this farm. After getting the house so nearly finished that it could be occu- pied, he returned to his family at Buffalo, intending to remove them to the Eden farm and make it his future home. But his father, BENJAMIN HODGE, senior, had moved to Buffalo that summer (1806), and he had purchased the "article" of farm-lot No. 35 originally "taken up" by THOMAS FORTH. The father and son made an exchange of "articles," BENJAMIN HODGE taking the Eden farm and WILLIAM HODGE the Buffalo farm-lot 35, and the latter then moved his family back from the Cold Spring place to the log house upon this. There they resided something more than six years,—that is, until the last of December, 1812. In 1806, then, Mr. HODGE had become established as a permanent resident of Buffalo, preparing himself a home on a fifty-acre lot, of which barely a garden spot had been cleared and brought under culti- vation. But Mr. HODGE was really more mechanic than farmer. With his own hands he made common pine, black-walnut and whitewood tables and bedsteads, such as were wanted in a newly-settled country. He also made window-sash; and these articles he exchanged with farmers and others for produce and whatever else he needed for the use of his family. He also made coffins; but only furnished these to order. During the first two years of his residence here he threshed grain with the flail, for every tenth bushel; cut and split rails at fifty cents per hundred; and took, by the job, for enclosing and finishing- off, after the frames were put up, the now so old-fashioned farmers' barns. At that time, in this new-settled country, there were but few public houses or "taverns"; and there were none between the Village of Buffalo, and what was called the old Gen. HOPKINS place, about two miles west of the Eleven-mile creek, now known as Williamsville. Mr. HODGE had many applications from travelers, for entertainment, and did entertain many; and finally, in 1807, building an addition to his log house, and a stable and shed, he raised a signboard, showing to those journeying by, that they could find accommodations with him. He filled up the time that was not required for attending to the wants of his guests, in manufacturing tables, bedsteads, sash, in fact whatever was called for in that line of work. Mr. HODGE was, it is thus seen, a practical and industrious man, ready to undertake whatever necessity and occasion required. When an addition to his house was wanted, he took his oxen, went to the woods, and cut and hauled up logs. Then, with the help of Mr. OZIEL SMITH, of Williamsville, as carpenter, he prepared the timber, and put up the building. When there was a portion of his farm to be enclosed, he cut and split the oak and chestnut rails, and made his fences. When he wanted a well, he took the oxen and cart, and gathering stone from the commons and hauling them to the selected spot, he then, with help, dug his well and stoned it up. There is a well now in use on the farm-lot which he first bought, and on which he lived in 1806, which was dug to the depth of thirteen feet, and stoned up by himself and his brother in two days. In those early times the water was drawn by means of a "sweep" or long pole, supported in the middle by an upright post (having in its top a "crotch"), weighted at one end to balance the smaller "well-pole" attached to the other end, and playing up and down in the well to hoist the "bucket." These also were uniformly of "home manufacture." Within one or two years from starting in life here, Mr. HODGE owned a yoke of oxen, a cow and a few swarms of bees. Mrs. HODGE had, also, her flock of geese, in which she took great delight. From their feathers she made several feather beds, which in those times were considered indispensable. Mattresses of hair and other materials were not then even thought of in this western country. At this period, in 1807, Mr. HODGE commenced manufacturing fanning- mills, working at the business with his own hands for some time. The cast-iron running-gear and wire screens for these mills he was at first obliged to procure from the east. But this was attended with much delay and expense ; and sometimes, when he received the screens they would not be of the right size, or the kind he wanted. So he finally concluded to try and manufacture his own screens, having in the mean time employed help in making the mills. Determined to succeed in this undertaking, he traveled on foot about two hundred miles, to a place near Utica, for the purpose of learning the art of screen-making from a man there engaged in the business. Making with this man a bar- gain that for ten dollars he should furnish him all the information he needed on the subject, he examined the loom, "reeds," "harness," etc., took the dimensions of all, and walked back to Buffalo. He went to work immediately and built a loom. He also made the necessary reeds and harness, which was the most difficult part of the work. It was especially troublesome to construct those which were needed for making the finest screens. After getting some wire flattened by running it between iron rollers, which he was enabled to do through the courtesy of ABRAHAM LARZALERE, the jeweler in the village, and with the help of his near neighbor STALEY, who was a weaver of cloth, he finally suc- ceeded to his satisfaction. From this time forward, besides making the screens for the fanning-mills, he manufactured and sold many thousands of wire "riddles" for grain, and fine sieves for Indian meal. He also furnished many rolling screens for grist-mills in different parts of this country and in Canada. This manufacture of screens Mr. HODGE continued with success and profit for twenty-five years. He succeeded so well that with the assistance and co-operation of WHIPPLE HAWKINS, (father of the late HENRY H. HAWKINS of Silver Creek) then residing near us on the north- east corner of the present Main and Utica streets, a blacksmith by trade, whose shop was near at hand, he attempted the manufacture of the castings and gearings for his mills, by using the common forge with one bellows, and charcoal for melting the iron. He succeeded in making very perfect castings, but did not long continue this branch of business. I believe I am quite safe in saying that this was the first cast-iron furnace started in Buffalo. Something of a contrast appears between this and Buffalo's great furnaces of the present day. I should say here, that Mr. WHIPPLE HAWKINS, who thus assisted in promoting the success of the pioneer foundry of Buffalo, in after years extemporized the forging of the wrought-iron work and fixtures for the old cast-iron mortar which did such valuable service in driving piles for forming Buffalo harbor, under the superintendence of the late JUDGE SAMUEL WILKESON. After Mr. HODGE had become permanently settled in Buffalo, he tried to buy the sixty-acre lot No. 57, which was on the hill, at the south- west corner of our Main and Utica streets. Mr. JOSEPH HUSTEN, the owner of the "article " from the Holland Land Company, at first re- fused to sell it, as he had a nursery of apple trees growing from seed which he had planted on the lot, and intended to make the place his own home. The purchase was however finally made,—about the year 1809 or 1810. The price paid was $250.00 for the "article," and whatever was still due at the Holland Land Company's office, perhaps $300.00 or $400.00 more. Ten acres of the west end of the lot were, however, to be deeded to MICHAEL HUNT, the first owner of the "article." Six dollars per acre was then the price of land in that neighborhood. The "nursery" before mentioned was the first planted on this western frontier. The nursery business was from this beginning prosecuted by Mr. HODGE until 1834, when he sold out to Mr. ABNER BRYANT, who owned and occupied the adjoining farm-lot No. 56. The great part of the apple orchards in this part of Western New York originated from Mr. HODGE'S nursery. Persevering in his business, he prospered and determined to make this lot No. 57, his future home. I have often heard him say that he made money very fast at this period, in the log house, at the tavern business. The five-pail kettle was kept over the fire much of the time, cooking meat. In 1812, after the war began, the soldiers thronged the place, desiring, besides liquors, what they called "cold hack" or a "cold cut." The price of cold meals was 25 cents; of whiskey, 12-1/2 cents a gill; of horse-keeping, on hay, $1.00 a span per day; of oats from $1.00 to $2.00 per bushel. All during the war, and for some time afterwards, hay and grain sold for high prices, hay being sometimes worth $30.00 per ton. Business in the tavern line being thus prosperous, my father had, in 1811, decided to put up, on his lot No. 57, a brick building, large and commodious, and suitable for a public house. He accordingly com- menced the undertaking in that year. The brick were manufactured by NATHAN TOLAS on Mr. HODGE'S lot No. 35. The lumber was mostly procured "on shares," at ERASTUS GRANGER'S saw-mill; Mr. HODGE attending the mill in the night-time, sawing the lumber, and having one-fourth of what he could thus produce, for himself. It was only in the night that he could have opportunity for this. Building of brick was a rare undertaking then in this wilderness; indeed it is admitted that this was the first brick house built in Buffalo. Some of the neighbors thought that Mr. HODGE was very presumptuous, in planning with his limited means to erect such a building as this, for it was 30 by 40 feet on the ground, two stories high with an attic; the kitchen-part being one story and a half in height. And then, in June, 1812, the "Last War" with England commenced, and the house was not yet finished. Part of our army, composed mostly of Pennsylvania troops, were in the fall encamped on the hills in front of the log house, that is, on lots Nos. 58 and 59, owned by CHRISTJOHN STALEY and William DE SHAY. But although he knew and took into account the risk there was in building so near the frontier, Mr. HODGE persevered and completed his new house amid the tumults and excitements of the time. He also built for it a large framed barn, and moved his horse-shed from the other lot, to a spot near by. The venture was a success, and in the latter part of December, 1812, Mr. HODGE entered and occupied the premises which became and long continued well known far and near, as "The Brick Tavern on the hill." In 1813, "times were lively;" the tavern business continued good, and Mr. HODGE was busily occupied in manufacturing mills. In the winter of 1812-1813, he furnished many pine coffins, nearly three hundred in all, for soldiers who died while encamped on "Flint Hill," north of Conjockety's creek. At this time Mr. JOB HOISINGTON worked for Mr. HODGE, making mills and coffins, and occupying the log house from which the latter had removed to the "Brick Tavern." While the war continued the "Brick Tavern" was quite a central place; for a company of horsemen belonging to our army was stationed there, and a "twenty-four-pounder" was placed on the hill in front, which was discharged regularly, about break of day, as the signal gun. But the war came nearer than the stationing of troops and firing of signals. On the morning of December 30, 1813, the British crossed Niagara river below Conjockety's creek, and were first discovered by a patrol of this company of horsemen. They brought the information to Mr. HODGE, about three o'clock in the morning, and it was an entire surprise to him, for he had supposed that our army, which was stationed down in the village, would drive the enemy back, and had made no provision for removing his family out of reach of danger, if our troops were defeated. But all in the house were aroused, on the arrival of the news of the enemy's crossing. The engagement between the British and Americans took place at about day-break, and our army scattered and fled. The fields and highways were soon filled with these fugitives, running to save their lives, and with the inhabitants following after, men, women and children, a few in wagons, but the most of them on foot. Mr. HODGE now began to realize the necessity of moving his family away. So he directed his hired man to yoke up the oxen, the only team he then had, hitch them to the cart, and drive up to the door; but instead of doing this, the coward ran off with the rest of the frightened multitude. After the greater part of the people had fled, Mr. HODGE succeeded in engaging an army baggage-wagon, which was driven to the door. Some bedding and clothing were hurried in. The family, consisting of Mrs. HODGE, her sister Mrs. HOWES, and the five children, SALLY, WILLIAM, SOPHIA, PHILANDER and JULIA A. (the youngest, and but two months old), were placed in the wagon on the bedding and clothing, and carried out about twelve miles to "Harris Hill Tavern," three miles east of Williamsville. The day was cold, though not extremely so. The ground was frozen, with a light covering of snow. After the family had gone, Mr. HODGE, entirely alone and anxious to save something more, yoked the oxen, hitched them to the cart, iDrought it up to the door, flung in some more bedding, a baking of bread, which he came across in the large wooden bread-tray, and a few other articles, and drove off. As he thus left his own home, he looked towards the village, and saw the smoke of its burning houses rising high in the air, and expected nothing but that he would be obliged after all to leave his team and run for his life; for the "British Indians" had been seen at the edge of the woods, some sixty rods west of the house, before he left. But it so happened that he was not molested in his flight. He drove out to the Harris Hill Tavern, and had the joy of finding his family all safe. The next day he took his ox-team and returned to his house, and found things there pretty much as he had left them. He further under- stood that the enemy had gone back, across the river. So he went again out to Harris Hill, without removing anything more from the house, and intending to take his family back within a few days. But the day following, that is, January 1, 1814, as he was again returning to his deserted home, and had arrived within about a mile and a half, and in sight of it (on Flint Hill, between Col. WILLIAM W. CHAPIN'S and Conjockety's creek), he discovered that the enemy were there, and that the house was on fire. He at once stopped in the road with his team, until a company of our horsemen came in sight, who overtook and passed him, near Conjockety's creek. When he came within eighty rods of the house, he found one of his neighbors, RICHARD KEEP, a blacksmith, lying dead by the side of the road, having been shot by the enemy. He helped to carry the body into a house, picked up Mr. KEEP'S rifle and went up the hill into his own burning house. He was quite alone, and could save next to nothing from the building, as the roof was already falling in. The outside cellar-doors and part of the wooden water-conductor he wrenched off and saved. Then, with rifle in hand, he crossed the road to his barn, hoping to meet some of the enemy. He felt that he must take vengeance on the despoilers, or that his life might as well go with his property. But he neither obtained vengeance nor lost his life, and at evening he again went out to Harris Hill and remained there till the following Thursday. Then he brought his family back with the few household goods he had saved, just one week after their flight, only to find their home and property destroyed; they being the first who returned after the burning. With his usual energy, he went to work and built an addition to a small framed shop-house on the premises, which the enemy had not des- troyed, and into which he had moved. This was the second frame erected after the burning. The first was put up by RALPH POMEROY, who had been a tavernkeeper near the north-east corner of Main and Seneca streets. Mr. HODGE continued to keep a public house, but it was a winter of constant fear and frequent alarms. The whole frontier was throughout the season left almost entirely unprotected, and nearly every night it would be reported that the enemy had again come over the river. Twice, during that winter and the spring following, the family packed up, and moved away for safety. The enemy in fact twice crossed the border, but were driven back by the small guard of soldiers stationed at this point, with the assistance of some of the few inhabitants who had returned. The families which were here, though so few in number, could pro- cure no provisions except from the commissary of the army; and at that time little except salt provisions were furnished. But the soldiers would have fresh meat, even if it was poor, and they stole the only cow that Mr. HODGE possessed, and killed her for beef, —indeed they stole every thing else that they could find, capable of being eaten. Mr. HODGE'S family was one of six which had moved back and remained in the town through the winter of the burning, sharing the fears, the excitements and casualties of the war, by day and night. And now we see him, in his old home again, his property mainly gone, but not so his energy. He persevered in the face of the diffi- culties and dangers of the situation; and with the courage of a true and experienced pioneer, he commenced rebuilding his brick house within the sound of the booming of cannon and rattle of musketry, which could be heard nearly every day. His life at this time was, indeed, not only that of a pioneer, but also that of a frontiersman just upon the lines of the two contending armies. And about this time, he was drafted into the army. But he procured a substitute, who was accepted. He paid him thirty dollars as bounty, and agreed to pay, in addition, ten dollars monthly, but was never called upon for the monthly payments. It was supposed that this substitute deserted. After this extremely trying winter of 1813-1814, spring opened with more hope for the little remnant of families which were here. Troops were sent on, to protect this frontier. Many of the inhabitants re- turned to the burnt village and began to rebuild their houses, etc., though these were of the most primitive and cheap do-for-the-present kind. In December, 1814, Mr. HODGE occupied his rebuilt brick house, and went on there with his business as keeper of a tavern. He also con- tinued his nursery, and did a considerable amount of farming, using most of his produce, however, in carrying on the tavern. In the early part of the year 1815, the war closed, with the declaration of peace, and there was good reason for the inhabitants here to expect better times. Mr. HODGE increased his fanning-mill business, and the manufacture of rolling screens, wire sieves and riddles. He also, for about two years, kept a store of goods in the brick tavern house. Such a store, in those times, contained a mis- cellaneous stock of dry-goods, crockery, hardware, liquors, tea, coffee, sugars, etc. But within a year or two after the war, business began to decline. Many became financially embarrassed, Mr. HODGE among the number. He struggled along for several years, and selling out the goods he had on hand, continued his other business on a reduced scale. But his embar- rassment became such, that as a last, and indeed only resort, he called on a friend living in the interior of the state to help him, which he did, and thus prevented the loss of all the property he possessed. His friend (Dr. JOSEPH WHITE of Cherry Valley, a cousin of his, mentioned already), came to Buffalo, paid the debt Mr. HODGE was owing, and took into his possession all the real estate he held, con- sisting of about one hundred and fifty acres of land, in the immediate neighborhood, being farm lots Numbers 57, ;33 and 35. Dr. WHITE held the title of these pieces of land about eleven years, the assignment to him having been made, as I find upon a memorandum, November 6, 1819. Yet business was so very dull, and money was so scarce, that Mr. HODGE was at times unable to pay even the interest as it fell due. In the spring of 1825, he commenced the manufacture of bricks, in company with Mr. URIAH SILL. They made a very good summer business of this. In the fall, the Erie Canal having been just completed, Governor DE WITT CLINTON and suite came to Buffalo to celebrate the occasion by a formal opening. The plan for this was to take boat here, make the complete trip on the canal from Buffalo to Albany and down the river to New York, carrying with them water from Lake Erie, and there mingle the waters of the lake with those of the ocean. Some of the citizens of Buffalo joined the Governor's company on this auspicious occasion; and Mr. HODGE and his wife were among the number. Before returning, Mr. HODGE visited the nurseries on Long Island, and made a purchase of trees for his Buffalo nursery, from Mr. BLOODGOOD. He continued the manufacture of bricks with tolerable success. This enabled him to make yearly payments on the debt he was owing to Dr. WHITE, and in December, 1831, he went to Cherry Valley and settled with him in full, —paying him the whole amount due with interest, and taking his property again into his own hands. The transfer bears date December 29, 1831. Having during all these years been, as is thus seen, enterprising and active, Mr. HODGE had in fact transacted a large amount of busi- ness, having dealings with many individuals. Withal, he was ever ready to give credit to those in straitened circumstances, and to sell them property they needed, but he never oppressed them by enforcing col- lection of what was due him. Thus he lost thousands of dollars, through being lenient with his debtors, when men of selfish, grasping disposition would have demanded payment to the full. The then legal process of imprisonment for debt was one to which he would not resort. In 1830, after "keeping tavern" about twenty-three years, Mr. HODGE gave up that part of his business operations. He increased that of brick-making, however, with fair success, until about the year 1840. In one season he had manufactured as many as three millions. At this time, he was free from debt, and had a few thousand dollars in cash; and when the Free Banking Law of the State of New York was passed, he was induced to go into the banking business with Judge PIERRE A. BARKER, and his own son, PHILANDER HODGE. His chief object in doing this, was that he might raise money with which to put up a block of brick buildings on the north-west corner of Main and Chippewa streets. He said that he was considerably advanced in life, and wanted to get that block built, for the benefit of his family. In going into this banking business, Mr. HODGE was to furnish the mortgage securities, with his son, PHILANDER, and PIERRE A. BARKER was to procure stocks to an equal amount, as required by the Free Banking Law. The result was, that Mr. HODGE furnished the greater part of the mortgage securities, and became holden for the purchase money for all the stocks. Subsequently, he was obliged to pay the whole, and thereby became involved, to a large amount. In the meantime, he had erected the "Chippewa" block of brick buildings, as he had been anxious to do. In accomplishing this he had used all his own available means, but had drawn only about twelve thousand dollars from the bank, while his partners had used nearly thirty thousand, without furnishing a proportionate amount of securities, —Mr. BARKER having done very little in this direction. Meanwhile Mr. HODGE had executed a mortgage and deposited it with the Bank Department, as security on the property occupied by the block of buildings. All of this he lost in the closing up of the Bank busi- ness, and a heavy debt remained upon him. In these transactions Mr. HODGE lost about eighty thousand dollars; and was not free from the embarrassment thus caused, for a number of years. But, after much trouble and perplexity, by reason of a suit-at- law concerning these affairs, which continued several years, the matter was finally, in the spring of 1847, settled by a compromise with the party contestant. From this time forward, Mr. HODGE was, as he had ever been, active in business, and more cheerful and buoyant in mind than in these trying days. He felt sure of being able to pay his debts out of his property, and yet of having enough left to place himself and his family in a comfortable condition. And in this anticipation he passed the remainder of his life. To the end he retained the esteem of his acquaintances. In most of the forty-three years of his residence in Buffalo, he held some office of importance in the town, such as Commissioner, Assessor and Magis- trate. Yet he was not an ambitious man, seeking popularity or place. He was, nevertheless, truly public-spirited, being one of the foremost to engage in enterprises for the good of the ocmmunity, even, many times, going beyond what his means would warrant. With willing hands and energetic mind carrying on, as has been described, many kinds of business, he gave employment to many persons. By his own exertions, and through the hard labor, industrious habits, and good character of his family of ten children, amid toil and privations, and some most severe struggles, as well as in prosperous times, he did his part towards building up this great city of now two hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. Mr. Hodge was confiding in his disposition, and ready to trust in men when dealing with them; but when he found them unworthy of confidence, he avoided them. He noiselessly pursued the "even tenor of his way." He was quiet and uniform in temper, and domestic in his habits, ever disposed to promote peace and good order, urbane, kind and courteous in manners, and honorable in his dealings. Seeking to do to others as he would have them do to him, he was respected as a neighbor, useful as a citizen, and dearly beloved as a husband, a father and a friend. And, in later years, through the severe and trying dispensations of Providence,—reverses that deprived him of the large property he had accumulated, and bereavements that weighed upon him most heavily, — he was led by the guidance of the Divine Spirit, to seek after a better than all earthly treasure, and to receive the gospel of salvation, as his only hope and trust. Accordingly, on the first day of January, 1843, he was admitted into the communion of the First Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, on public profession of his faith in Christ. More and more, by those repeated admonitions, especially by the death of a beloved daughter, his mind was directed toward the better, brighter world, and when at length the final summons came, he was not unpre- pared, but calmly acquiesced in the will of God. On the Sabbath morning previous to his death, he was in his accustomed place among the worshipers in the sanctuar to all appearance in usual health. But before another sun had risen, he was seized with an attack of sickness which proved fatal, and in the short space of twenty hours, he was removed from his earthly activities, joys and sorrows, by death, —the date being, Monday, September i8, 1848. His funeral was attended at his late residence, on the Wednesday following, by a large concourse of friends, who deeply sympathized with the sorrowing family, and warmly acknowledged that in the death of William Hodge the community had sustained no common loss. These friends also followed his remains to their quiet resting-place in the High Street Cemetery, whence in later years they were transferred to Forest Lawn. It was fitting indeed that they should first be buried and should remain for years, within a cemetery which was shaded by perhaps two hundred trees of his own planting, and whose very soil had been the property of one of his children; and within the bounds of two burial lots which were made his own in return for his services in thus beautifying the Cemetery. ===========================================================================