HISTORIAN'S NOTE
Susan L. Conklin, County Historian

 

One of the Bicentennial book projects I will be working on this year involves collecting information on each of the towns. I thought it would be interesting to find towns that have the same name as ours within the United States and to try to establish some local connections. I began with Batavia, our County seat, and the results of my preliminary search are as follows:

Batavia, in Genesee County was established in 1802, however it was not the first Batavia in New York State. According to the Map Division of the Library of Congress "the Batavia patent was granted to Vincent Matthews on April 24, 1736. It consisted of 4,200 acres along both sides of Batavia Kill, a tributary of the Schoharie River. A settlement named Batavia flourished on the banks of the Batavia Kill in Greene County (formerly part of Ulster County) during the 18th and 19th centuries. The 1803 edition of the List of Post-Offices in the United States there was a Batavia post office in Greene County. It however, was not listed in subsequent editions."

I have not yet discovered what happened to the other Batavia, New York but I did find five others in the United States. According to the Postal Guide the other Batavias are located in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio. Batavia, New York is the oldest and here is how we compare:

Batavia	Population	Median Family Income	Median Home Value	Public Water
Arkansas	780	$19,917	$48,400	62.7%
Illinois	20,268	$52,580	$132,700	88.8%
Iowa	542	$28,500	$20,100	98.6%
Michigan	1,522	$32,070	$38,400	5.7%
New York	16,310	$33,744	$64,700	100%
Ohio	13,682	$32,828	$71,100	90.9%

* Information from virtualrelocation.com

As I attempted to trace the historical connections I have found several similarities. Many of the pioneers who once lived in Genesee County and traveled west appeared to be looking for good farm land that reminded them of the towns they left behind.

Tradition says that Batavia, Arkansas was settled in 1881 by Roswell Emerson Underwood, who spent four years as a Genesee County surveyor for the Holland Land Company. He was impressed by the beauty of this site which is located in the foot hills of the Ozark Mountains and 125 miles from Little Rock, the State capital.

It is possible that Batavia, Illinois has two connections with Batavia, New York. The Illinois Batavia was founded by Christopher Columbus Payne in 1833, who was listed in the 1820 Federal Census as living in Barre which at that time was a part of Genesee County. Another reference stated that Isaac Wilson named the community for his hometown in New York State. Located on the bank of the Fox River this far western suburb of Chicago was once known as the "Windmill Capital of the World" and was home to three major windmill manufacturers whose products were shipped world wide. Batavia, Illinois was incorporated as a village in 1856 and became a city 24 years before Batavia, New York, in 1891. By the late 1980s Batavia had invested about 25 million dollars in its downtown. As a result several business chains have moved there and this community is growing.

Batavia, Iowa is located in Jefferson County and was first named Creeseville after the town's founder. Henry Creese established the settlement on August 22, 1846 and the name was changed to Batavia on January 19, 1853. This Batavia is located in the Great Plains, on US Highway 34 and is set in gently rolling hills. One hundred years after becoming Batavia, it was strictly a farmers' town where hog raising was second only to corn growing. I checked the census records from 1810 through 1840 and the Holland Land Purchasers listing. I did not find Henry Creese listed and the connection to our Batavia is yet to be determined.

Batavia, Michigan is located in Branch County, halfway between Coldwater and Bronson. It is surrounded by a community of prosperous farms. The name was said to have been adopted upon the recommendation of a citizen whose home had been in Batavia, New York.

Batavia, Ohio was founded in 1814, twelve years after Batavia, New York by George Ely, a pioneer who was among the many New Yorkers who emigrated west. Batavia, Ohio is located on the east fork of the Little Miami River and is the Clermont County's seat. Due to its proximity to Cincinnati this Batavia never became a great industrial center. It is rather a seat of County Officials, professional workers and culture.

In addition to the other Batavias I will be hunting for towns within the United Sates that have the same names as our municipalities. If your travels bring you to any of these sister communities, please pick up a postcard, brochure, map or other memorabilia and we will add it to the History Department files. It will be interesting to find a local connection with these towns and discover who from our County traveled west to establish new communities.

History Stories

History Home Page