an, besides being a
person of liberal culture.

The first white child born in this town, or the first known to have
been born in town, was Abram Houghtaling. He was born in 1786.

John and Nicholas Beams were early settlers to the east of the
village. Elisha Shepherd came from New England at an early day and
settled at Oneonta Plains. His sons, in after years, became actively
engaged in different branches of industry, and the Plains at one time
bid fair to become the most prominent village in town. It contained a
hotel, a store, two churches and a distillery.

Andrew Parish was also one of the pioneers of Oneonta. He was born in
Massachusetts in 1786, and moved from Springfield here in 1808. He
settled on the south side of the river on the John Fritts farm, and
afterwards on the hill near the "Round Top." From the latter place he
moved to the farm now owned by his son Stephen, on the south side of
the river. Mr. Parish reared a large family of children, all of whom
became successful farmers, and men of business. Andrew Parish was a
justice of the town for twenty years in succession. He was also a
commissioner of schools under the old system. In 1809 he put up a
brick kiln on the Elisha Shepherd farm at the Oneonta Plains, from
which came the first bricks that were used in town.

Dr. Joseph Lindsay was the first physician who settled in Oneonta. He
came from Pelham, in the old county of Hampshire, Mass., in the year
1807. Having received a liberal education in the advanced schools of
his native state and at Williams College, in after years he became a
teacher to many of the younger people of the country who were
ambitious of extending their studies beyond the rudimentary branches
taught at that time in the schools of the neighborhood.

In 1815, Frederick Bornt moved on the farm now owned and occupied by
his son, on the Oneonta Creek. He had been a soldier in the war of
1812 and had served at the battle of Plattsburg. He came from
Rensselaer county, N.Y.

Before the date last named, Jacob Van Woert, a Dutchman, and father of
the late Peter and John Van Woert, came from Albany and settled on the
farm lately owned by his son Peter, near the mouth of the Otego Creek.
Asa Emmons about the same time settled on the south side of the river,
near the Charlotte. He came from Vermont, and settled where Deacon
Slade now lives. Jacob Wolf, the father of Conradt Wolf, had also
settled in the southern part of the town at about t