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Palmyra New York: 1820-1830

Donald Q. Cannon

As the birthplace of Mormonism, Palmyra, New York, holds special interest for Latter-day Saints. In order to understand where much of the Restoration took place, it is useful to know something about Palmyra during the 1820s. This chapter reviews Palmyra's historical background, including Palmyra as a frontier, its geographic setting, and its relationship to the Erie Canal; it also examines Palmyra's people, politics, newspapers, businesses, schools, and religion.

The area which eventually became known as New York was inhabited by Indians when the first Europeans arrived. The earliest European settlers were Dutch, and during the colonial period both English and Dutch settlers laid claim to the area. As the site of many battles, New York played a key role in the American Revolution. Following the war, western lands were made available by the government and became subject to exploitation by land speculators.

Originally, much of western New York was called Ontario County; it was gradually reduced in size as it gave birth to new counties. In 1823, Wayne County, home of Palmyra, was created out of part of Ontario County.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, pioneer families primarily from New England cleared the rich land for farming. In 1789, John Swift purchased lands which would later be known as Palmyra. Originally his settlement, which included a trading post, was called Swift's Landing. The second and third settlers in Palmyra were Webb Harwood and Lemuel Spear, who came into the area in 1790. Swift's Landing, which included sawmills and blacksmith shops, was located along Mud Creek. Eventually the name changed to Tolland, but this name never caught on, and in 1797 the early settlers held a meeting and selected the name Palmyra. Donald Sawyer, John Swift's brother-in-law, is credited with selecting the name Palmyra, which he encountered while reading ancient history.

By 1812 Palmyra had become a sizeable village. Main Street, running east and west, contained most of the businesses and was intersected by one principal road running south, Canandaigua Road. On the north side of Main, Canandaigua Road was called Church Street. Following the war, Palmyra's population increased steadily-from 2,719 in 1820 to nearly 4,000 in 1830and new businesses were established. The southwest part of Palmyra was incorporated in 1819, the larger area of Palmyra in 1827.

As a result of conflicting views, the image of Palmyra in the 1820s is unclear. Some historians suggest that Palmyra was part of the American frontier during the 1820s. Others maintain that it was a frontier in the late stages of development. Still others claim it was not part of the frontier at all. According to most specialists in American frontier history, Palmyra was no longer a part of the frontier in the 1820s. As part of the Appalachian Plateau, Palmyra was a frontier from 1795 to 1812. During the 1820s the frontier was located in the Lake Plains, as far west as Illinois. The Lake Plains frontier lasted from 1815 to about 1850. In Palmyra, the frontier had come and gone.