aised trees, set out an orchard, and lived to
drink cider made from the apples. The orchard became quite famous in
the neighborhood, and was known to all the boys for miles around; many
of the trees are yet bearing. Upon the death of the father, his son,
Nathaniel Niles, who had occupied the farm with his father, became the
owner, who lived upon the farm until his death in 1852, at
eighty-seven years of age.

Franklin Strait, another of the early settlers, came from Rhode Island
in 1797; he brought his family, and drove an ox-team. He first settled
on the farm now owned by Enos Thayer, where he lived until 1808, when
he exchanged his farm with Asa Thayer, another of the early comers,
for the property at West Oneonta where the hotel now stands. He
enlarged the house that then stood upon the ground, took out a
license, and opened "Strait's Tavern," on the Oxford turnpike, one of
the old landmarks for many years; he died in 1822. Two of his sons,
Rufus and Alvinza Strait, are now living. Before this property had
come into the possession of Thayer, it had been occupied by Daniel
Lawrence, father of Lewis Lawrence, of Utica, and where Lewis Lawrence
was born.

Robert Cook settled early upon the farm owned at present by Hammond
Cook. At the time of his coming the Indians were yet frequent
visitors. One day, as the story is, Cook was at work in the field, his
wife being alone in the house, an Indian called, and finding her
alone, brandished his knife, and made some terrible threats,
frightening her almost to death. Just at this time Cook appeared; the
Indian took his departure precipitately. Cook seized his gun and
pursued him. He returned after a little time, and the Indian never
troubled them more.

The place where Daniel Hodge now lives was first occupied by Samuel
Stephen. His father John Stephen, made a settlement at Laurens before
the Revolutionary war.

The Sleepers were from near Burlington, New Jersey. During the war
they became alarmed at the inroads of the tories and Indians, and
returned to New Jersey. On their way back, they passed through Cherry
Valley the day before the massacre. They returned to the settlement
after the war. John Sleeper had several sons. One, Nehemiah Sleeper,
built a mill below Laurens on the Otego creek, which was afterwards
known as Boyd's mill. Samuel Sleeper took up several hundred acres of
land, of which the farms of Daniel Hodge and Horace White formed a
part. He built a grist-mil