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.