Jedediah Sanger
Jedediah Sanger
Jedediah Sanger is the “Father of New Hartford.” Born in Massachusetts, Sanger relocated to Whitestown after a fire destroyed his New Hampshire farm. He purchased 1,000 acres of land alongside the Sauquoit Creek in March 1788 from Hugh White. This land, part of the Coxe Patent, came to be known as New Hartford.
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​During his life, Sanger became one of Oneida County’s most prominent early settlers. He was active in Paris Furnace and in the manufacture of cotton, also owning and operating several local mills.
He was active in politics and served a total of eleven years as a member of the New York Assembly and New York Senate. He was also Oneida County's first judge and was the first Supervisor of the Town of Whitestown, a position he held for three years. Additionally, he was among the founding fathers of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, the forerunner to Hamilton College.