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       THE JOURNAL OF LIBBEUS FISH 

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While living in a cabin adjacent to Indian Allan's grist-mill, on the One-Hundred-Acre Tract, the following children were born to Josiah and Zeruiah Fish: John P. Fish, Feb. 24,1800; Delinda Fish, Oct. 11,1802; LeRoy Fish, Nov. 14, 1804.

The Fish family records discovered by I. L. Randell of Churchville in 1897 tell the story of his ancestor's (Libbeus' daughter was Mr Randell's mother) arrival to the area over a century before. Included in the papers are documents identifying John P. Fish as the first white child born in Rochester. John's elder brother Libbeus, wrote the following account of their early years in the area.

The Journal of Libbeus Fish

"I was born in Townsend, Vermont, Nov. 22nd, 1781. When about 6, or seven years of age, my father moved to Upton, Woster County, Mass., having changed farms with Asa Hazlton, my uncle. It was a large farm, and good buildings, but sterile land, and he did not succeed very well in farming. About 1793, my father having heard much about the fine country west, resolved to visit it, and accordingly he journeyed west as far as the Niagara, it being then an entire wilderness beyond Whitestown. He was absent all summer, having been taken sick with Genesee fever as it was called, which attacked all early settlers in that section. After some time it turned to ague, every other day. He then started for home having a good horse. On the day in which he was well he rode fifty, or sixty miles. Then he would lay over the next day, and have ague and fever. He continued this was some time after his reaching home; but he was well pleased with the western country, and nothing daunted by his sickness, resolved to make it his permanent home. He sold his farm, and visited the western country the ensuing spring, to locate a homestead.
"My father selected for a home a piece of land at the mouth of Black Creek, on the Genesee river about six miles above the Falls. There were six or eight acres of open flats on it of very rich soil. He then made preparations to move his family to Vermont, where all my father and mother's relatives lived. We arrived in Townsend in the winter, and remained there until spring 1795, when my father and I started on horseback for the Genesee, crossing the Green mountains at Manchester; the North river at Stillwater, near where Burgoyne was defeated. My father pointed out to me the house of the headquarters of our army. We crossed the Mohawk at Whitestown, and in ten days arrived at Canawagus, on the Genesee River, and put up at the house of Gilbert Berry, who kept a tavern and ferry across the river. After waiting a few days my father went to Bath, about sixty miles south, to purchase the land from Mr. Charles Williamson, who was agent for selling most of the land in this section. On his return we started down the river to commence on our new farm, which was fifteen miles distant. Arriving at Peter Shaffer's, six miles from the farm, we engaged him to go with us with two yoke of oxen and a plow. Arriving at Black Creek we swam the oxen over, and ferried ourselves over on a raft and on reaching the farm commenced plowing. At night, we turned the oxen out to feed, made a fire, ate our pork and bread, wrapped ourselves in our blankets and laid down to sleep. The following day we continued plowing, and also part of the next, when Mr. Shaffer returned home. We staid and planted three or four acres of corn, and then visited Allan's Mill.

"There was no one living there at that time, or between there and the Lake, eight miles distant. After arriving at the mill, and the Little Falls, we crossed over the river at the ford, above the Little Falls, and went down on the east side, there being no path on the west side. We viewed the Falls from the east side, and near night, arrived at the lake, and crossed the river. There were two families living there at that time, William Hincher, and Frederick Hosmer. We stopped at the house of the latter, and staid a day or two. We spent the time fishing and making little excursions on the lake in small boats, and birch bark canoes. We then returned, by the same route, to Canawagus, and went to work for Mr. Berry. Early in the summer I was taken sick with fever, which continued a week or ten days, then turned to fever and ague, which I had every
day. The noise about the tavern was very annoying to me. About this time a man
by the name of Sprague was to take charge of Allan's Mill, and my father agreed to go down and boardwith him. Sprague's family consisted of himself and wife,
three daughters, and a son-in4aw, by the name of Fleming. I will now give you a description of our new home, Viz: the mill. It was probably 36 feet by 30, and was something like the ground floor given below:

[The Journal has a rough drawing of the Allan grist-mill floorplan.]

"It was divided through the centre, east and west, by a board partition, and in like manner north and south. There was no glass and, to light the rooms it was necessary to open the shutters. There was no place to keep fire in the mill, and for that purpose there was a small shanty about four or five rods from the mill,
on the bank of the river where the cooking was done, and we took our meals in
the mill. To reach the mill there was a kind of a bridge from the mill to the
shanty. The garrett was all in one room, and was the lodging-room for the boy
and myself, and a pretty warm place in summer when I had the fever on. Soon
after we arrived there, we were joined by an old hunter, named John Parks, and
his dog. He was a singular man, and very rough, and wore a long beard. He almost
worshipped his dog, and would never take any food himself until he had given the
dog the best. He made his home there, while I staid, and furnished most of the
meat for the family, the largest share of which was racoon meat, which was our
constant food three times a day and the only food we had, except bread, and
occacionally, cakes shortened and fried in racoon oil. Sometimes we had tea
without sugar or milk. Our drink was river water, and it was very warm. I had
the ague and fever very hard. When it came on, I would go to the shanty and
stand or sit around the fire until the chill went off, and the fever came on.
Then I would walk as well as I could to the mill where I could lie down and no
one can tell what I suffered but those who have tried it. The fever would last
several hours. Then I would begin to sweat, and my clothes would be so wet, that
I could wring the water out of them.

 
"During this time, I was very badly bloated. I could not get on my shoes, my
feet were so badly swollen. We continued here in this way until late in the
fall, when my father was about to start for Vermont for his family. Previous to
this he had built a log house, that is, he laid up the logs for the body, and
got some Indians to cover it with bark. He built his house where the first high
land comes to the river, as much as three quarters of a mile from Black Creek.
He had agreed with Mr. Williamson for 320 acres of land. It had not been
surveyed, and he expected to have a mile on the river, which would take in the
land where he had built, his reason for building there being, that above that
place, it was liable to overflow. Subsequently Mr. Williamson refused to let him
have the land in that shape, and allowed him but half a mile on the river, and a
mile back.
 
"As my father was about to return to Vermont for his family, we left the mill
late in the fall. We walked to Black Creek when my ague came on again. My father
made a fire with flint and steel, and piled on the wood, and I tried to keep
warm until the chill went off, then I laid down on the ground on my blanket
until the fever left me, my father supplying me with water from the river of
which I drank large quantities. We then started on and arrived at Mr. Dugan's at
night. The family consisted of Mr. Dugan and wife. She was a sister of Indian
Allan, who built the mill at the falls. They were very good people, and lived
comfortably, having plenty of butter and milk. My father made arrangements with
them to keep me while he was gone for the other members of the family. He left
me and started on his journey, but was delayed at Canawagus. Mrs. Dugan, seeing
my bloated condition, insisted on my taking salts, and on my refusal threatened
to put the hated medicine in my pudding and milk, and for fear she would do so,
I ran away, and went to Canawagus where I found my father, as he had not yet
started for Vermont. He got me board at Mr. Johnsons, but I did not find as good
fare as I did at Dugans, but better than at the mill. We had no racoon meat, but
salt pork, potatoes and bread, and sometimes friedcakes without shortening or
sugar, and kept until very hard and dry. My ague grew lighter, and by the middle
of winter, I was able to go to school. Mr. George Hosmer was a schoolmate, and
others. My father arrived with his effects some time in February, and I was glad
to see my mother, from whom I had been separated so long.
 
"My father got our family into a house of Mr. Elisha Farwells, where we stopped
until the ground got settled, and then we moved down to Black Creek, into the
log house before mentioned. The latter had no doors, floors, windows or
fireplace. Here we lived until we could build a new home on the open flats, near
our corn. Soon after we moved, the family were all taken sick, my mother and
five children. We had no neighbors nearer than five miles, and they in like
condition with ourselves. All the help we had while we remained there, was by a
daughter of Isaac Scott, the founder of Scottsville. She was afterwards the wife
of Major James Ganson. Our nearest doctor was fifteen miles away, and there was
no one to do anything for us but my father and myself. My mother, and five
children were stretched on their miserable beds on the ground floor at the same
time, all writhing in the agonies of fever, crying for cold water, and none
could be had, but the river water, which was very warm. We had no food but salt
pork and bread, and God only knows how we ever made bread.
 
"We had milk, but it was almost impossible to use either the milk or the butter,
for the woods were full of weeds and wild onions, which the cattle ate, and
which tainted the milk. In the fall the family recovered, and my father moved us
to the falls, to take charge again of Allan Mill, as Mr. Sprague had moved away.
We continued to occupy the shanty, and the mill that winter, and in the spring
we built a house there of logs against a ledge of rocks, the rocks forming one
side of the house. We had no chimney, and a hole in the roof served for an
escape for the smoke. This was in the spring of 1797. The next spring my mother
died."

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