Sinclairville, New York
| Sinclairville, New York | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Sinclairville
|
|
| Coordinates: 42°15′44″N 79°15′43″W / 42.26222°N 79.26194°WCoordinates: 42°15′44″N 79°15′43″W / 42.26222°N 79.26194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Chautauqua |
| Towns |
Charlotte, Gerry |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.6 sq mi (4.2 km2) |
| • Land | 1.6 sq mi (4.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,401 ft (427 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 588 |
| • Density | 365/sq mi (140.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 14782 |
| Area code(s) | 716 |
| FIPS code | 36-67488 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0965303 |
Sinclairville is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 588 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Major Samuel Sinclear, its founder. Sinclairville is north of Jamestown and is on the border of the towns of Charlotte and Gerry.
The village was founded in 1809 after the American Revolutionary War by Major Samuel Sinclear as "Sinclearville". The area was previously inhabited for hundreds of years by the Seneca people of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) who, as allies of the British during the war, were forced to cede most of their lands to the United States and New York state. Most of the Iroquois migrated to Upper Canada, where they were given lands by the Crown.
The village of Sinclairville was incorporated in 1887. Sinclairville calls itself "The Heart of Chautauqua County".
Approximately 100 years ago, the residents of Sinclairville awoke to horrifying news: a man had been murdered on the outskirts of town. Axel Lawson, a man of Swedish birth, approximately 30 years old was a well known peddler. He had boarded with a farmer, Grant Edson, who lived on Ellington Road approximately two and a half miles east of Sinclairville. Lawson bought produce from area farmers and sold it in Jamestown. He was known for making several trips a week to Jamestown. Axel Lawson was in Jamestown all day on Tuesday May 26, 1897. It was rumored he wanted to buy property in the Sinclairville area and went to Jamestown to withdrawal money from a bank for that purpose. Lawson left Jamestown at 10:30 PM. It was the last time anyone saw him alive. Those who know Axel Lawson said he would not have reached Sinclairville until 1 o'clock in the morning.
Grant Edson gave this account of the morning's events to a reporter for the Jamestown Evening Journal:
Lawson was a dealer in farm produce and made frequent trips between Sinclairville and Jamestown. He was at Jamestown yesterday. This morning at 5 o'clock, just after I got up to look at my stock, Lawson's horse came walking up to the place attached to the buggy which he used, but without a driver. On looking at the rig, I found the dash board splattered with blood. Thinking that some accident had happened, I immediately started toward Sinclairville, which is about two miles distant from my place. On reaching the village I found that Lawson had been there during the night and left some empty crocks which he had brought from Jamestown on two or three store porches. but so far as I could learn no one had seen him when he came into the village. There are two roads leading from my place to Sinclairville and I saw nothing of Lawson on my way down to the village. I started home by the other road and when about a quarter of a mile from the village I round Lawson's body lying beside the road. He was dead, with his face badly crushed and pockets of his clothing turned inside out. I immediately notified the undertaker and he at once informed Coroner Blood of Dunkirk and Distinct Attorney Green of Jamestown.
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