The History of Canadice

Chapter 10 - Town Organization

by Beverly Deats

1980

As taken from the minute book of the Town Organization. Canadice was set off from Richmond in 1829, and the first town meeting held April 6, 1830. At tht time the officers elected were as follows:

In addition, 24 able men were chosen as overseers of equal highway districts. At this time, in place of the monies system of taxes, it was required that you work on the maintenance of highways to equal your land assessment.

The first meeting was held at the home of Peter Hoppough. $30.00 was the amount voted to be used by the Overseer of the Poor and $25.00 for the use of the Commissioners of Highways. At this time, the census figures for Canadice were1,386 people.

The original territory set off from Richmond thereafter reduced Canadice by Richmond’s annexation of the part lying east of Honeoye Lake and the outlet back to Richmond. I have been unable to discover why this action was taken.

Life was hard, leisure time nil and town meetings were held just once a year, usually in April. In reading the records, I feel these gatherings were well attended and an anticipated event every year.

A fine of $5.00 was to be enforced on any man in town who shall allow any Canadian thistle to grow to seed on his land. This was resolved in 1836.

After a bounty was passed by the Town Board in 1837, old foxes brought 25¢ and young ones 12 ½ ¢.

The law was set that all fences be 4 ½ feet high and of good material.

For many years the only business conducted was election of town officials and motions as to where the annual meeting was to be held. A resident of the town was paid a certain amount for use of his dwelling.

The Supervisor was our representative in Canandaigua on the Board of Supervisors. Their meetings were held the first week of October and continued daily except Sunday until all necessary duties had been accomplished.

The amount of $150.00 was allowed for the support of roads and bridges in 1846. By 1858, it had been raised to $350.00 and by 1869, to $500.00. In 1886, the question of changing the mode of working the highways was voted against.

The town voted in 1861, to pay Joel Coykendall the sum of $16.00 for the use of his house for the purpose of the next town meeting and election. By 1863, this amount was increased to $19.00 with the upper hall to be used for election, town meetings, spring audit and caucus only. Other town business was to be confined to the bar and lower hall.

One of their main concerns was the County Poor House. In 1876, 125 paupers resided there at a cost to the taxpayers of $74.86 per person per year. The salary for the keeper was $500.00 per year.

The weekly diet as published in the Proceedings of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors in 1894, was as follows:

Note: Corn meal cake is used once or twice a week, bread pudding or boiled rice is used once or twice a week. Vegetables from the garden such as cabbage, beets, onions, turnips, string beans, peas, parsnips, tomatoes, lettuce and greens, all are used liberally in their season.

All invalids are furnished with necessary food such as puddings, oat meal, gruels, toast, eggs and butter at all times according to their necessities.

Whenever inmates are at work on the farm, they have meat and potatoes for supper extra.

Some of the interesting funds included in the County Budget around 1878 were:

General Fund, Poor Fund, Court Expenses, Fines and Penalties, State Tax Account, Lunatic Asylum, Monroe County Penitentiary State Lunatic Asylum for Insane Criminals School Money, Idiot Asylum, Deaf and Dumb Asylum, N. Y. S. Institute for the Blind, Ontario County Orphan Asylum.

In the year 1881-1882, Canadice in acres of 18,060, voted a total town expense of $225.00, and for roads and bridges, $250.00. Cabb B. Hyde served 18 days as Supervisor in Canandaigua and was paid $67.98 by the county; $54.00 for attending meetings, $3.84 for mileage and $10.14 for copying the assessment roll. The town also paid him $17.85.

The schedule of taxes for Ontario County levied on Canadice that year was as follows:

Town Tax = $475.00

County Tax = $1,033.24

School Tax = $364.36

State Tax = $354.77

Total = $2,227.37

In 1889, it was voted by the town for the incoming Commissioner of Highways to select a citizen of the town and a place to house the town road machine and said machine repair, the same when necessary and the same to be a town charge. The payments were divided among certain said districts in the town and the whole amount to be levied on said road districts was $183.93.

On April 24, 1889, a special meeting of the Board of Health was convened by order of the Supervisors at the Douglas farm to take action regarding an alleged case of nuisance which consisted of the dead carcasses of three horses and one cow lying uncovered on said Douglas farm, did therefore resolve that said uncovered carcasses is a nuisance injurious to health and comfort of the community and should be abated. Resolved that Emery Hoppough be employed to bury four dead carcasses above referred to at cost of $5.00 each and that the Supervisor is hereby authorized to borrow the money to pay him.

Registration days for Canadice were first mentioned as October 10 and 17, 1903, at Crooks Hall. General election was held November 3, 1903, with the following town propositions:

Shall the Town of Canadice discontinue the present system of working its highways known as the Labor System of taxation and adopt and thereafter operate under, what is known as the Money System of taxation, as provided by section 51 of the Highway Law.

On June 12, 1906, again the taxpayers requested a change to the Money System of taxation. The result of this election:

44 cast for the Money System

16 ballots against

It was approved to elect three Highway Commissioners by the same majority of 28. These men elected were to receive $300.00 per year dividend equally.

Assessors around this time were paid $2.50 per day for official services actually performed.