Bergen, New York, USA
1899 - Bergen

Bergen is the most northeasterly town in Genesee county. It is bounded on the north by Clarendon. Orleans county, and Sweden, Monroe county; on the east by Riga, Monroe county; on the south by Le Roy, and on the west by Byron. The town contains an area of 17,289 acres. It is a portion of the triangular tract sold to Le Roy and others from the Morris Reserve; and it also contains two tiers of lots from the Connecticut tract. The latter are in the western part of the town.

The surface of the town is gently undulating, with a slight inclination toward the north, but in most portions is very nearly level. The soil is a fertile and productive clayey loam. Black creek flows in an easterly direction through the town, north of the centre. The main line of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad passes through in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction, south of the centre.

Bergen was first settled in 1801 by Samuel Lincoln. In the same year George Letson, William Letson, Benajah Worden, Richard Abbey, Solomon Levi, Jesse Leach, James Letson, Gideon Elliott and David Scott settled in town. The first church organization was established in December, 1807. The Congregational church was founded January 25, 1808. Harry Kelsey, a graduate of Yale college, taught the first school. The first frame house in the town was erected by Dr. Levi Ward, the pioneer physician. Jared Merritt built the first saw mill. Dr. Ward was also proprietor of the first store, in 1808. The first inn was opened in 1809 by Samuel Butler. Colonel W. H. Ward was the first postmaster.

The town of Bergen was erected from Batavia, June 8, 1812.. The town of Byron was set off in 1820. Prior to the erection of Bergen the town formed a part of the great original town of Northampton. In the existing records in the office of the town clerk the name of Justin Worthington appears as town clerk for Northampton in 1808 and 1809. Unfortunately the records do not give an account of the first town meeting...

The principal village in the town is Bergen, located near the centre of the eastern boundary line, on the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. It has a population of about one thousand. It contains four churches, two hotels, a bank, a union free school, a cigar factory employing over thirty hands, a machine shop, an elevator for grain, two feed mills, a saw mill, and a number of smaller manufactories. It also has an excellent fire department. One weekly newspaper is published. The village is incorporated.

North Bergen is a post-office in the northwest part of the town. It contains a church, a store, one or two small manufactories and about one hundred and fifty inhabitants.

West Bergen is a hamlet, with post-office, in the western part, on the line of the railroad. It has a store, a hotel and some minor manufactures.

Stone Church, in the southeastern part of the town, contains one church and store. It is a small hamlet.

Our County and Its People..., Safford E. North, The Boston History Company, 1899

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