Many Niagara County residents who are researching the age and history of their homes, will start by looking at their Abstract of Title which they received when they purchased their property. While reading the title search, they may falsely conclude that their homes were built around 1800 based on the first record of land transfer back to that time. But in reality, all property owners in the county (with the exception of those within one mile of the Niagara River) will find the first transfer of their property dating back to the 1800s to William Willink, Joseph Ellicott or one of the agents of the Holland Land Company.

After the Revolutionary War, pioneers began their westward migration and began to settle the Genesee River region that was then considered the western frontier. Soon, land speculators began to investigate the region west of the river. By the late 1700s, both New York and Massachusetts argued for a claim to these lands through the Royal Colonial Grant, which extended to the west. After litigation between the parties, Massachusetts was given the right to sell the land subject to the Indians’ title, which was recognized as the claim of first ownership. The land was to be a sovereign part of New York State along with state ownership of a strip of land called the “Mile Reserve” along the Niagara River.

An initial purchase of the land in Western New York was made by Robert Morris who acquired 1.5 million acres from Massachusetts at 1.5 shillings per acre. (Morris paid the Indians even less to clear their title in 1797.) He later sold this land to the Holland Land Company and that transfer became the basis for nearly every land transaction that has followed to this day.

Joseph Ellicott was appointed chief surveyor for the land company and one of his immediate tasks was cutting the West Transit Meridian, a 66-foot wide vista through the forest from Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border. This clearing, now our Transit Road, enabled the survey team to get a more accurate line of sight and the ability to check their work through astronomical calculations. Stone markers were used to record the path every 1.5 miles. By 1800, the surveys were complete enough so that 300,000 acres of land could be offered for sale, a parcel that included today’s Niagara County. The initial offerings sold for $2.50 to $10 per acre, depending on location, but was later reduced to spur sales. A down payment of 10 cents per acre was required to take possession of the land with the remainder of the cost to be paid over ten years.

Douglas Farley, Director
Erie Canal Discover Center
24 Church St.
Lockport NY 14094
716.439.0431
CanalDiscovery@aol.com
www.NiagaraHistory.org