Person Page - 356

1443. Russell Sacket, 1787–1824, of Aurelius, N. Y., son of (645) William and Parthenia Patterson Sacket, was married, July 4, 1814, to Jane Ann Stephenson, daughter of Samuel Stephenson and his wife Margaret Jameson, of Hannibal, N. Y.

1445. Judge Garry V. Sackett, 1780–1865, of Seneca Falls, N. Y., son of (645) William and Parthenia Patterson Sacket, was married first to Nancy T. Vance, who died in 1820. On Feb. 26, 1826, he was married to Harriet Haigh, who was born in Calcutta, Hindostan, and was the daughter of Capt. John Haigh, who had a record of 40 years service in the British Army and was one of the officers serving under General Bourgoyne when he surrendered his army to General Gates at Saratoga. Mrs Harriet Haigh Sackett died at Seneca Falls, N. Y., Mar. 18, 1851, but we are not informed as to the date of her birth or the circumstances attending her coming to America. Judge Sackett studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced his profession in Central New York. He was a far-sighted and successful business man. It is stated in French's Gazetteer of New York, that he was among the founders of Seneca Falls, that about 1829-30, he erected a cotton factory there, and at same time was associated with Chauncey Marshall and O. Bascum in the erection of a paper mill. He also dealt largely in farm lands, buying in large tracts, which he divided into farms and sold to new comers. In a letter, written in 1833, to a relative, he refers to the sale of several farms which he had put under partial cultivation, and adds: "I have retained 200 acres and have been employed the last season building a dwelling house, in which I hope to spend the remainder of my days. It is situated about half way between my old home and the village. It is built entirely of cut stone, is 40 by 45 feet on the ground floor and two stories high, with walls grouted with water lime. It has cost me, with the out buildings, a little more than six thousand dollars." Judge Sackett took a lively interest in the history of his family, and in the Fall of 1830 traveled for a month in New England examining the ancient church, town, and county records for data relating to his ancestors - tracing them from Warren, Litchfield County, Conn., back from generation to generation, and from town to town to the arrival of Simon and John Sackett, at Boston, in 1631. The writer has before him the original manuscript of one of Judge Sackett's early records of this journey and his conclusions as to his ancestral line, based on the information he then secured. Along with this original manuscript family record is the copy of another written by him a quarter of a century later. The following references to the members of his immediate family are from the manuscript record first mentioned, which was written at Seneca Falls in 1833:      A Seneca Falls Historical Society publication, issued in 1905, contains a paper by Miss Janet Cowing, showing the important part taken by Judge Sackett in the founding of Seneca Falls, and containing many additional and interesting facts relative to his social, business and political career.      3606. Mary E. Sackett, 1813-1869, m. H. J. Van Rensselaer.
     3607. William V. Sackett, b. Oct. 30, 1814, d. Oct. 5, 1831.
     3608. David V. Sackett, b. Sept. 2, 1816, d. Nov. 29, 1862.
     3609. Mynderse Sackett, b. Oct 2, 1818, d. Apr. 26, 1820.
     3610. Ann Haigh Sackett, b. Feb. 28, 1827, d. Sept. 8, 1827.
     3611. John H. Sackett, 1828-1898, m. Mary Gilmore.
     3612. William Arthur Sackett, b. Oct. 16, 1830, d. Feb. 11, 1837.
     3613. Garry Van Sackett, Jr., b. Jan 27, 1838, d. Feb. 19, 1838.

LOOKING BACK: Gary V. Sackett, prominent Seneca Falls resident
By Walt Gable Jun 23, 2019
Gary V. Sackett is probably the most important person regarding the development of Seneca Falls on the south side of the Seneca River. He was a judge in the Court of Common Pleas and instrumental in the settling of much of the village of Seneca Falls south of the Seneca River and canal. He operated a large farm and his residence still stands at 115 W. Bayard St., now the current home of Seneca County Head Start.
     Sackett was born on Aug. 9, 1790 to William and Parthena Patterson Sackett in Thetford, Vt. In 1805 the family moved to a farm in Aurelius, Cayuga County. After studying law with Thomas Mumford in Cayuga, Sackett set up his first law practice in West Cayuga (Bridgeport) in 1813. There was a growing need for legal services in the Bridgeport area because of the conflicting surveys and title claims arising from the opening up of the former West Cayuga Reservation lands to European American ownership and settlement.
     In 1814 Sackett moved to Mynderse Mills (Seneca Falls), motivated apparently by his realization that the 40-foot-plus drop in the Seneca River there offered great potential for economic growth. He carried on a successful law partnership with Luther F. Stevens until 1823. In that year Stevens was appointed county judge and Sackett became a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.
     A close friendship with Wilhemus Mynderse, the on-site agent and partner in the Bayard Land Company, helped Sackett become a major player in the economic development of Seneca Falls. In 1816, Sackett, Mynderse and Abijah Mann and Luther Stevens built Mechanics Hall, the largest and most imposing business block on Fall Street for many years. In 1825, he constructed a distillery, grist mill and oil mill. In 1829-30, Sackett erected a cotton mill and paper mill in the village.
     Sackett, in partnership with Ansel Bascom and Andrew P. Tillman, bought up a large amount of property on the south side of the Seneca River and canal. They laid out much of it into lots which were sold to new village settlers. In 1828-29 he built what is known as the “Sackett block” of six brick two-story buildings at the intersection of West Bayard and Bridge streets. These buildings were the center of mercantile trade in the village of Seneca Falls for many years (the primary importance of the Fall Street stores would come later). He also erected the Franklin House and had an interest in the start of the Seneca Woolen Mills. In 1831 Sackett built two blocks of frame dwelling houses on Canal Street. In the 1840s, in partnership with a Van Rensselaer, he operated a general store on Canal Street. This store did a large business, both wholesale and retail, with large shipments by boat. Significantly, Sackett tended to construct these new business ventures and then sell them to others to operate.
     Sackett was involved in many community efforts. He was the first warden of Trinity Episcopal Church and gave land for the location of the Catholic Church. He was a major contributor to and trustee of the Seneca Falls Academy that was built in 1833. Sackett was also a key leader in the formation of the Seneca County Agricultural Society in 1835.
     Sackett kept 600 acres as his own farm. The property at that time extended from Kingdom Road to Bridge Street, a distance of over two miles. In 1833 he sold off about 400 acres. He kept the other 200 acres as his own farm and spent the rest of his life overseeing the operation of that farm and engaging in various agricultural experiments.
     About 1833 he started building a new home at what is today 115 W. Bayard St.. This new home, 40-by-45 feet, was built entirely of cut stone and according to Sackett cost him more than $6,000 to construct. It was an unusual form in that the principal floor was raised one full story above ground level, reached by a rather monumental flight of steps. The house had an L-shaped wing to the rear, to provide housing for the 50 servants who cared for the farm and the house.
     It needed to be a large residence, as Sackett took great pleasure in entertaining his numerous friends. He was a close friend of William Henry Seward of Auburn, including during his years as New York state governor and U.S. Secretary of State. That friendship led to Seward giving one set of china and a table from the White House. Other visitors to Sackett’s house were Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Latter-Day Saints; Red Jacket, the great Seneca Chief orator; and Abraham Lincoln. In one of his several visits, Chief Red Jacket confirmed that he was born near Canoga in 1750 and not at other places that were being claimed as his birthplace. When Abraham Lincoln visited, he left his signature in a Bible that he gave to Sackett.
     The Judge Sackett article in the Portrait and Biographical Record of Seneca and Schuyler Counties described Sackett as "dignified, in manner courteous, in sympathies warm, a man of great generosity, and one who always desired the friendship of others." He died on June 15, 1865 and is buried in Restvale Cemetery in Seneca Falls. In a 1905 tribute to Sackett, Janet Cowing of the Seneca Falls Historical Society wrote, "In fact, for thirty years he was most prominent in the small group of men who laid out and shaped our [Seneca Falls village] fortunes. His keen intuition rarely misled him; his energy and the confidence he inspired in others wrought out success for his plans."

Gable is the Seneca County historian.

—Finger Lakes Times, Geneva, New York, 23 June 2019, reproduced here with permission

Mrs. Fannie Dickinson, relic of the late Pliny Dickinson, died at Seneca Falls, Tuesday evening, aged 91 years, of heart failure. Deceased was the daughter of the late William Sackett, who came from Vermont, settling in Cayuga county many years ago, and was born in Aurelius in that county. She was the sister of Hon. Garry V. Sackett, of Seneca Falls, and of the late Hon. William A. Sackett, who died at Saratoga, and who was twice elected to congress.

—Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, 10 Aug 1899, p 4

1452. Hon. William Augustus Sackett, 1811–1895, of Aurelius, Seneca Falls and Saratoga Springs, all in the State of New York, son of (645) William Sackett and his wife Parthenia Patterson, was married, first, about 1834, to Zade Thorn, who died several years previous to 1847, in which year he was married to his second wife, Charlotte Buttrrick, daughter of Horatio G. Buttrick and his wife Mary Barnard. On May 30, 1876, he was married at Auburn, N. Y., to his third wife, Mrs. Mary Louise Marvin Marion, daughter of Judge Thomas Marvin, of Saratoga Springs. He read law with Judge Luther F. Stephens, of Seneca Falls, and with Sanford & Kellogg, of Skaneateles, N. Y. In 1831 he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of his profession at Seneca Falls, where he remained until 1848, when he was elected to Congress to represent the Seneca and Wayne district. During his congressional career, which was of four years' duration, he advocated the admission of California as a state, persistently opposed the extension of African slavery into the territories, and took an active part in deliberations of the then important committee on revolutionary pensions, of which he was a member. In 1857 he removed from Seneca Falls to Saratoga Springs, which became henceforth his permanent place of residence. Among the more important law contests in which he was retained was that between the Berden Company of Troy, and Corning & Co., of Albany, known as the "spike" case. The amount involved was upwards of a million dollars, which the former sought to recover from the latter for alleged infringement of certain patents. It was in the courts for several years and resulted in the recovery of but a nominal amount for the plaintiff, which was regarded as a decided victory for the defendants, won by Mr. Sackett. For a number of years he served as U. S. Registrar in Bankruptcy, a judicial office, which by courtesy carried with it the title of Judge.
     From 1876 to 1878 he traveled in Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land, and wrote a series of letters descriptive of his travels, many of which were published and widely read. Mr. Sackett was, when a young man, an old line Whig, but later in life became a pronounced Republican. By religious faith he was an Episcopalian, and during his residence at Saratoga was a member and for a considerable portion of the time a vestryman, of the Bethesda Episcopal Church there. He died quite suddenly of apoplexy.

William Augustus Sackett, a Representative from New York; born in Aurelius, near Auburn, N.Y., November 18, 1811; attended private schools and Aurora Academy; moved to Seneca Falls, Seneca County, N.Y., in 1831; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1834 and commenced practice at Seneca Falls; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses (March 4, 1849–March 3, 1853); resumed the practice of law at Seneca Falls, N.Y; moved to Saratoga Springs in 1857; register in bankruptcy during the term of the 1867 bankruptcy law; died at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., September 6, 1895; interment in Greenridge Cemetery.

Sackett, William Augustus, congressman, b. in Aurelius, Cayuga co., N.Y., 18 Nov., 1812. His ancestors came from England in 1632, settled in Massachusetts, and continued to live in New England until 1804, when his father moved to Cayuga county, N.Y. He received an academic education, studied law in Seneca Falls and Skaneateles, was admitted to the bar in 1834, and soon secured a lucrative practice. Elected to congress as a Whig, he served from 3 Dec., 1849, till 3 March, 1853. He took part in the controversy in relation to the admission of California as a free state, and both spoke and voted for admission. He earnestly opposed the fugitive-slave law, and was uncompromisingly in opposition to slavery and the admission of any more slave states. From the committee on claims he made a report on the power of consuls, which had an influence in the final modification of those powers. He removed to Saratoga Springs in 1857, where he still resides. In 1876–'8 he travelled extensively in Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land, and wrote letters describing his journeys that were published. He has been a Republican since the organization of the party, and has been active as a public speaker. —His son, William, was colonel of the 9th New York cavalry, and was killed while leading a charge under Gen. Sheridan at Trevillian Station, Va.

Abstract of will of William A Sackett of Saratoga Springs, NY.
Date: 11 Apr 1889.
Proved: Surrogate's Court, Saratoga Springs, 4 Oct 1895.
Source: "New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659–1999," digital image, Ancestry.com.
Testator: William A Sackett.
Beneficiaries:
Wife Marie Louise, one-fifth of estate.
Children of deceased daughter Zayde, one-fifth of estate.
Daughter Zilla, one-fifth of estate.
Daughter Hattie, one-fifth of estate.
Son Edward S, one-fifth of estate less $3,000 advanced, to be held in trust for five years by sons-in-law Charles Stone and Charles Duell.
Executors: sons-in-law Charles Stone and Charles Duell.
Witnesses: R C McEwen, Lucy Carty.

Transcript of probate and will:

The last Will and Testament of William A Sackett, late of the town of Saratoga Springs, in the County of Saratoga, deceased, relating to both real and personal estate. Admitted to probate October 4, 1895.
     At a Surrogate's Court, held in and for the County of Saratoga, at the Surrogate's Office in the village of Saratoga Springs on the 4th day of October 1895.
Present: Hon. Elias H Peters, Surrogate.
     Be it remembered that at a Surrogate's Court held in and for the County of Saratoga at the village of Saratoga Springs on the 4th day of October 1895, Charles L Stone and Charles H Duell both of Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York, the persons names as Executors in a certain instrument in writing purporting to be the last Will and Testament of William A Sackett dated April 11, 1889, duly appeared and presented said Will for probate and at the same time made satisfactory proof that the said William A Sackett died September 6, 1895, being at the time an inhabitant of said County of Saratoga, and that he left him surviving the following, his only heirs-at-law and next of kin, viz:
Mary L Sackett, his widow, and Edward S Sackett, Zilla S Stone, Harriet S Duell, John A Lighthall Jr, William S Lighthall, Zayde E Lighthall, and Frederick A Lighthall, all of whom waived in writing the issuing and service of any citation and consented that said Will be admitted to probate forthwith.
     Thereupon said Will was shown to the attesting witnesses thereto and proof was taken as follows:
Saratoga County, SS:
     Lucy Carty of the town of Saratoga Springs in the County of Saratoga being duly sworn in open court on her oath does depose and say that she and Robert C McEwen are subscribing witnesses to the last Will and Testament of William A Sackett late of the town of Saratoga Springs in the County of Saratoga aforesaid, deceased. And this deponent further says, that the said deceased did, in the presence of this deponent and said Robert C McEwen, subscribe his name at the end of the instrument which is now shown to this deponent, and which purports to be the last Will and Testament of the said deceased, and which bears date on the 11th day of April in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty nine; that the said deceased did, at the time of subscribing his name to said instrument as aforesaid, declare the same to be his last Will and Testament; that deponent and said Robert C McEwen did thereupon subscribe their own names at the end of said instrument as attesting witnesses to the execution thereof, at the request of said deceased, and in his presence, and in the presence of each other. That the said deceased, at the time of subscribing his name to said instrument as aforesaid was upwards of twenty one years of age; that he appeared to be of sound mind and memory and was not under restraint to the knowledge and belief of this deponent. That said Robert C McEwen is dead.
Subscribed and sworn this 4th day of October 1895 before me, E H Peters, Surrogate.
Lucy Carty.
     And it appearing from the proof so taken that the said instrument was duly executed and that the testator at the time of executing the same was in all respects competent to devise real estate and was not under restraint and our said Surrogate having inquired into the facts and circumstances and being satisfied of the genuineness and validity of said instrument and no objections being made thereto, It is Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed That the said instrument be and is hereby admitted to probate as and for the last Will and Testament of the said deceased, valid to pass both real and personal estate. And it is further Ordered, That said Will be recorded with the proof thereof, which proof is hereinbefore recorded and said Will is as follows, to wit:I, William A Sackett, of Saratoga Springs, do make, publish and declare this to be my last Will and Testament.
     I direct my just debts to be paid. I will and declare that I have advanced and paid to my son Edward S Sackett, Three Thousand Dollars more than I have to either of my daughters now living or to my daughter Zayde, deceased, or to her children, and I will and direct that amount shall be deducted from the share of my said son's part of my property. And I further will and direct that the balance of my property shall be divided into four parts to be equal and one part Three Thousand dollars less than either of the four parts. And that one of the four parts shall be given to my wife Mary Louise, and one thereof to the children of my daughter Zayde, and one thereof to my daughter Zilla, and one thereof to my daughter Hattie, and the other part to my sons-in-law Charles L Stone and Charles A Duell in trust for my son Edward S, the Trust to continue for five years and during that time the net income of the Trust property to be paid for the support of my said son, the Trust property to be held safely invested on interest. At the end of that time, the Trust property to be paid to my said son unless a proper court shall order a Trust continued. I give only the part named to my wife on account of her having an ample estate of her own and my children having but limited means.
     I appoint my saiid sons-in-law, Charles L Stone and Charles A Duell, Executors of this my will, and I hereby revoke all former wills. And I give to my executors power to sell, lease and convey away all real estate of which I may die seized.
     Witness my hand and seal this 11th day of April 1889. W. A. Sackett, LS.
Witness.
R C McEwen, Lucy Carty.
     The foregoing instrument was at the date thereof subscribed by the said William A Sackett in our presence and he at the same time declared the same to be his last Will and Testament, and we then, at his request, and in his presence and in the presence of each other subscribed our names as witnesses therto.
     R C McEwen of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
     Lucy Carty of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Saratoga County, SS: I, Elias H Peters, Surrogate of the said County, do hereby certify the foregoing to be a correct record of the last Will and Testament of William A Sackett aforesaid deceased, relating to both real and personal estate, together with proof thereof. Recorded October 4, 1895.
     Surrogate.