Judge Gary V Sackett

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