Historical Association of South Jefferson

The Town of Lorraine was formed from Mexico on March 24, 1804 as Malta. The name was changed to Lorraine on April 6, 1808. The town originally included the town of Worth, which was set off in 1848. Lorraine is bounded on the north by Adams and Rodman, on the east by Worth, on the south by Oswego County (towns of Boylston & Redfield), and on the west by Ellisburg.

The surface is elevated, with many hills and deep gulfs. The soil is underlaid by a very fine shale known as Lorraine Shale. The south branch of Sandy Creek flows through the town.

The 1st permanent settlers were James McKee and Elijah Fox, who came to Lorraine in November 1802 and took up a lot of 50 acres on the State Road south of the present village. In the spring, Mr. Fox sold his interest to Mr. McKee, returned to Oneida Co., married and returned to Lorraine where he purchased more land. They were soon followed by other settlers.

1803 - settling near Fox and McKee were: Comfort Stancliff, Seth Cutler, Benjamin Gates, and John Alger. Clark Allen settled in the northwest part of the town. The area became known as Allendale.

1804 - Isaac Lanfear, William Lanfear, Asa Brown, Aaron Brown.

Others who came to Lorraine prior to 1810 included: William Hosford, Ormond Butler, William Hunter, Asa Sweet, John Griswold, Calvin Clifford, James Perry, Elnathan Doane, Ebenezer Brown, Ozias Barton, Allen Pitkin, Michael Risley, Thomas Stancliff, Allen Hills, Oliver Miller, Henry Voners, David Steadman, Nathan Gould, Charles Thompson, Hubbard Randall, John Cowles, Isaac Weston, Abner Baker, Timothy Heath, George Sampson, John Brewer, Joseph Studley and William Adams.

Revolutionary War Veterans buried at Rural Cemetery in Lorraine:

Joseph Boyden (9/23/1757-2/27/1844)

Ebenezer Brown (1751-1/3/1833)

Ebenezer Burpee (1/31/1760-2/4/1832)

Benjamin Fletcher (1761-7/20/1844)

Revolutionary War Veteran buried at Lyman Cemetery:

Elijah Fox (11/7/1758-12/4/1838)

Calvin Gilman (4/10/1756-1/14/1835)

Henry W. Hunt (1756-3/3/1836)

Revolutionary War Veterans buried at Gould Cemetery:

Lemuel Wheeler (3/8/1757-1834)

(from the Jefferson County Business Directory for 1866-67)

• Auctioneer - Calvin L. Winters
• Axe-Helve Manufacturers - Joseph Labor
• Blacksmiths - Haley Harrington, Richard Harrington, Peter Varnish, Ransom R. Corbin
• Boot & Shoe Shops - Elihu Gillett, William R. Steele, Joseph Labor
• Butchers - Jackson Lilley, Richard Nunn
• Butter & Produce - N.B. Williams, Jesse Caulkins
• Carpenters - Luther L. Bateman, Sardis Abbey, Samuel Abbey, John Pitkin, P.J. Fuller, Henry Morrill, Freeman Irvins
• Carriagemaker - Warren D. Copeland
• Chairmaker - Solomon Warriner
• Cheesebox Makers - Joseph Wagoner, Philip Brigham
• Cheesefactories - Samuel Tifft, Aaron B. Allen, Ira Page Webb & Pitkin (Albert Webb, Erwin Pitkin) Reed & Grimshaw (Lorenzo D. Reed, Clinton Grimshaw)
• Cloth Dressing - Sardis Abbey
• Clergymen - Rev. S.C. Goodell, Methodist; Rev. S.G. Brown, Baptist
• Collector of Taxes - Allen Pitkin
• Constables - William R. Steele, Jeremiah Carpenter, Jr., Clark Allen
• General Merchants - N.R. Williams, Philo M. Brown, Jesse Caulkins
• Gristmills - Spencer Woodard, Julius Gilman
• Harnessmaker - Horace Wilson
• Hotel - Orville C. Tucker
• Justice of the Peace - Warren D. Copeland, Erwin Pitkin, James Kellogg, Edmund Remington
• Lawyer - John Boyden
• Masons - Oliver Hall, John Baker, Albert Gardner, Augustus Marquette
• Millinery - Annie Rose
• Music Teachers - Diantha Gilman, Nettie J. Brown
• Physicians - L.R. Babcock, W.H. Cox
• Postmaster - Jesse Caulkins
• Sash, Doors & Blinds - Sardis Abbey
• Sawmills - Abraham Ripley, Oscar Cox, Jacob O'Neal, Silas Lyman, Joseph Wagoner, Eli Moore, Gardner Towles
• Supervisor - Samuel Tifft
• Town Clerk - L.R. Babcock

located on Loomis Road about one half mile from County Route 91, on west side of road, in a grove of trees, not visible from road. Most markers are done and broken

• Bailey, Henry - d. 2/28/1826 39y
• Bailey, Polly R. - d. 7/12/1820 31y, wife of Henry Bailey
• Clark, John L. Sr. - date not legible (died between 1850 and 1860)
• Clark, Eleff (Caulkins) - d. 3/3/1862 87y, wife of John Clark Sr.
• Clark, John L. Jr. - d. 3/16/1856 55y, son of John & Eleff
• Hull, Comfort Ellen - d. 8/31/1899 38y, da. Ebenezer & Elaine
• Hull, Elaine (Weller) - d. 3/30/1892 71y, wife of Ebenezer

located off County Route 90 in Winona, near Brown Road

• Gardner, Ezekiel M. - d. 9/26/1849 79y
• Gardner, Ruth (Tanner) - d. 6/30/1842 69y, wife of Ezekiel
• James, Phoebe (Gardner) - d. 3/12/1843 43y, wife of Thomas James, da. of Ezekiel & Ruth Gardner

(by F.E. Jadwin, Supt. and reported in the Jefferson Co. Journal 4/8/1936)

(Editors Note: The Winona CCC Camp was located in the southern part of the town of Lorraine, near the Jefferson-Oswego County Line)

The CCC Camp S-116, Camp Winona, located five miles east of Mannsville, was built in the summer of 1935, on State Land known as Oswego Reforestation Area No. 2, and occupied in September, 1935, and has since been the scene of many and varied projects. The purpose of this camp is to carry on a reforestation program on Lewis, Jefferson and Oswego County Reforestation Areas. These areas in this vicinty comprise in all about 15,000 acres of land. The first project was to plant 1,300,000 trees, completely reforesting some of the open fields. A truck trail was started at the close of the planting season in the late fall but the coming of snow soon put an end to this work. A project was then begun to reduce the danger of fire on some of the lands which had been cut over recently. The tops and other slash, particularly from conifers, had to be piled and burned, thus removing the danger of fires in these areas.

A portion of the land, bought under the Hewitt Reforestation Act had necessarily been wood land. These wooded lands have been mismanaged over a period of many years and, of the good stand which once was there, only the culls remain. Where these culls overtop a good stand of second growth, they must be removed either by girdling or cutting.

In other places, where the second growth is of an even age, it is necessary to thin them out in order to allow the best trees to grow and expand. In this operation, the weed tree species and the deformed trees are removed in preference to those which are better shaped and more valuable. Six hundred acres of these timber land have been worked over during the winter of 1935-36.

During the next year over 3,000,000 trees will be planted by this camp. The majority of them will be planted among scattered hardwoods in an effort to produce a closed stand of timber on land where the timber was thinned too much before it was purchased.

During the summer months, after spring planting is finished and before fall planting begins. This camp will undertake many different projects to further the protection and administration of the deforested land.

A lot of roads will have to be built to make the lands more easily accessible for fire fighting and administrative purposes. Fire breaks must be plowed around each block in order to confine any fire which might break out to a small plot. Water holes will be dug and walled up along the brooks and streams at convenient distances for fighting fire.

A project to clean excessive debris from the streams, to build small dams and pools and to do other work, which will tend to further improve the habitat of the fish, will be well started by fall. The streams so improved will be stocked with fish and opened to the public.

Blister rust control work will be done on all White Pine plantations. White Pine Blister Rust is a disease caused by a fungus growth. It starts life in the young bark of White Pines and produces blisters filled with a dust-like seed called spores. The spores are blown by the wind to currant and goosberry leaves and grow into a rust on the underside of the leaves. After a period of growth on the leaves another form of seed-like spores are developed and are blown to healthy pines. Thus the life cycle begins all over again and only by eradicating these bushes can White PIne blister be eliminated.

The important work of fire hazard reduction and forest stand improvement will be continued next winter.

The value of the work, done by this camp, will in the near future provide excellent cover for the many species of wild life native to this section. The primary purpose of the work, to produce timber which is the only crop that can be grown to an advantage on worn out farm land, will not be realized for some years. The secondary purpose, is to provide cover for game, to improve and stock the streams, and, in short, to provides a place where the sportsmen and lovers of the out-of-doors can enjoy themselves.