 
Assembly Resolution No. 15
 
BY: M. of A. Palmesano
 
        COMMEMORATING   the  200th  Anniversary  of  Yates
        County, New York
 
  WHEREAS, It is the intent of this  Legislative  Body  to  honor  and
commemorate   the  distinguished  histories  of  the  communities  which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and
 
  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Yates County, New York; and
 
  WHEREAS,  This  auspicious  event  will  be  celebrated  on  Monday,
February 6, 2023, at a meeting of the Yates County Legislature; and
 
  WHEREAS, Named for then New York State Governor Joseph C. Yates, and
officially  proclaimed  on  February  5,  1823,  Yates County was formed
mainly from existing Towns in Ontario County, with two additional  Towns
later added from Steuben County; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Long before Yates became its own county, the area was home
to many Native peoples, namely the Seneca Nation which  was  thought  to
have originated at Bare Hill in the Town of Middlesex; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  the  mid-18th  Century,  a woman by the name of Jemima
Wilkinson was born  in  Cumberland,  Rhode  Island;  in  1776,  she  was
stricken  with a life threatening illness characterized by a high fever,
and upon her recovery, she claimed to have died and was reborn  as  "The
Publick Universal Friend"; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The Friend began preaching in a new way that differed from
her Quaker upbringing, and she traveled throughout the Northeast seeking
new converts; after some time in Philadelphia,  she  sent  followers  to
scout out the current Yates County area; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Eventually,  the Friend moved to this area and developed a
following of like-minded pioneers who initially settled in  an  area  in
the Town of Torrey, and called it City Hill; later, she and her pioneers
moved  farther  to  the west, and built a home in a town that they named
Jerusalem, which is in existence today, beginning a  rich  tradition  of
this practice which shaped the history of Yates County; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In 1790, the group erected the Friends' log meeting house,
the first house of worship, in the Town of Torrey and the first  teacher
was  Sarah  Richards; by 1793, a regular school was formed and taught by
Benjamin Andrews; and
 
  WHEREAS, The first Justice of the Peace was James Harper, who,  with
others,  built  the  first  grist  mill  west of Seneca Lake, in 1790; a
sawmill was later constructed, also in Torrey, and the first road in the
area was built to connect the two; and
 
  WHEREAS, As the community grew and more businesses were established,
the community grew weary of travelling to Canandaigua  to  transact  all
 
legal  business, and thereby, in answer to a petition, a legislative act
was passed which formed the new county of Yates; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Today,  Yates  County  encompasses  nine  towns  and  four
villages, and as of the 2020 Census,  it  had  a  population  of  24,774
people; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Remaining  fruitful  over  the  ebb and flow of decades of
growth and change, Yates County continues its  commitment  to  enhancing
the  quality  of  life  of  its  citizens, ensuring a positive business,
institutional and  educational  climate,  and  providing  all  essential
services; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Yates County, New York, recognizing
the significance of the role it continues to play in  the  life  of  the
community of the State of New York; and be it further
 
  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Yates County Legislature.
Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Yates County, New York

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