Bill Text: NY J00009 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Yates County, New York
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-01-18 - ADOPTED [J00009 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-J00009-Introduced.html
Senate Resolution No. 9 BY: Senator O'MARA 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 literally died and was reborn as "The Publick Universal Friend"; and WHEREAS, The Friend began preaching the Word of God in a different view from her Quaker upbringing, and traveled throughout the Northeast seeking new converts; after some time in Philadelphia, she sent some of her 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 still in existence today; 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.