03/12/2025
Happy 217th Birthday Clarence!!! March 11, 1808, the Town of Clarence was founded!
Lets look back at an article from John O'Hare from February 2023. The history continues...
There were settlers in Western New York state predating the establishment of any official towns, but the needs for better roads, better fencing and establishment of law created a need for a form of government to handle these issues. Asa Ransom had been elected the supervisor of the area known as Willink at a meeting at his tavern in 1807. Joseph Ellicott, disappointed with the land sales to date, reasoned that additional representation in Albany was required to bring in additional resources. He was able to oversee the successful split of Niagara County from Genesee County in 1808. The first towns in the new county would be Clarence and Willink. Erie County would be created out of Niagara County in 1821.
The Town of Clarence was founded on March 11, 1808, making it the oldest town in Western New York. The town would encompass all of what is now northern Erie County, including Newstead, Alden, Clarence, Lancaster, Cheektowaga, Williamsville and the City of Buffalo. Willink was comprised of the areas to the south. The first town meeting was held on April 2, 1808, at the Elias Ransom Hotel on the Buffalo Road, 3 miles west of Williamsville toward Buffalo. Elias Ransom was also Asa Ransom’s brother.
Jonas Williams was elected to be the first town supervisor, a position we recognize to this day. Born of a wealthy family, his father died at an early age, leaving his mother in charge of the estate. When he came of age, he received $8,000 in cash, which was quite a fortune at the time. He came to Clarence in 1805 and soon owned two mills on opposite banks of Ellicott Creek in the settlement that was originally called William’s Mills. We call it Williamsville today but then it was in the middle of the Town of Clarence. Samuel Hill was elected town clerk. Three town assessors were elected: Timothy Hopkins, Aaron Beard and Levi Felton. Otis R. Hopkins was elected to be the town tax collector. Francis Drake, Otis Hopkins and Henry Annabill were elected as constables, and James Cronk was elected as poor master. Asa Harris, Asa Chapman and Sam Hill Jr. were elected as commissioners of highways. Elias Ransom, Asa Harris, Levi Felton and others would be granted liquor licenses for their respective hotels at this meeting. Samuel Hill Jr. would succeed Jonas Williams as the town supervisor for 1809-11.
The town was named “Clarence” after the English dukedom, the House of Clarence, in London.
There was still a large number of people coming to the area from the colonies, mostly from New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Buffalo would separate from Clarence in 1810. After the War of 1812, a heavy migration of German people would arrive and settle mostly in the southern part of the township. This sudden growth of these “Pennsylvania-Dutch” brought about the division of Clarence in 1823 when, by an act of the Legislature, the towns of Alden and Newstead were formed.
