The Town of West Seneca was incorporated in 1851.
However, its history can be traced back to its earlier inhabitants, the Seneca Indians.
What is now West Seneca was first occupied by
Indians over 10,000 years ago. Some of these Indians are known today as Senecas,
members of the Iroquois Confederacy. In the late 1790's, with the purchase of 2.6
million acres of land from local Indian tribes represented by Chief Cornplanter of the
Seneca tribe, the Buffalo Creek Indian Reservation was formed, the site of what is today
the Town of West Seneca. In 1835, the Indians were persuaded to dispose of the
Buffalo Creek Reservation and migrated to the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in Southwest
Erie County.
Soon after, a group of German Lutherans, the Community of
True Inspiration, (also known as the "Ebenezers") arrived in the area and
purchased 5,000 acres of the recently vacated Buffalo Creek Reservation at $10.50 an acre.
More than 800 of these immigrants came to America from
Germany between April 1843 and October 1845, establishing four hamlets - Middle Ebenezer,
Upper Ebenezer, Lower Ebenezer and New Ebenezer. Many of these new residents took up
residence in the original Seneca structures. The Ebenezers formed their own
governing body and had essentially a communal society where jobs, goods, food and services
were given to the community for use by all. 
The Ebenezers were well known as
excellent farmers and skilled craftsmen. (Several of the buildings originally
constructed in this time period are still present in the Indian Church Road - School
Street - South Avenue area) Other German settlers seeking religious freedom began to
move in and foster Catholicism and as the population around them continued to grow, the
Ebenezer community began to feel that its way of life was threatened. A new land
purchase was made in Amana, Iowa along the banks of the Iowa River. There the
Ebenezer community set up hamlets and continued to grow and continue their
lifestyle. Even today this community still carries on certain parts of the original
communal plan of the 1840's.
In 1851 parts of Cheektowaga, Hamburg, and East Hamburg
were organized into the town of "Seneca". On October 16, 1851, the New
York State Legislature officially incorporated the town. The name was changed to
West Seneca the following year to avoid confusion with a Town of Seneca in eastern New
York State. On March 2, 1852, the first West Seneca Town Meeting was held in the
home of Morgan S. Whitney. The first supervisor elected was Levi Ballou and Morgan
Whitney was made the first town clerk.
During the Civil War, fifty-four men served in the Union
Army. In 1862, a special tax of $50 was raised for each Town volunteer in the Union Army.
Road improvements and erection of bridges followed soon
after the formal organization of the Town. The first railroad was routed through West Seneca in 1866.
Until 1869, the town's population was such that there was one election district to cover West Seneca, but with the normal growth
of population, it was necessary to to divide the Town into two election districts. More districts would
be added within the next five years. In 1887, the Hook and Ladder Company was formed at Gardenville-Union Road and in 1896, the Union Fire Company
was organized. The first voting machines were issued in 1904.
West Seneca has basically been a farming community
throughout its history, but new residential developments were created and
commercial/industrial development has followed. A great transformation has occurred
in this area in the past 10,000 years. Movement has been made from an Indian
settling point to the flourishing suburban area of today.
CHAPTER 412 of the LAWS OF NEW YORK
Seventy-Fifth Session
An Act to erect the town of Seneca, in the county of Erie, and to provide for the holding of the first town meeting
therein by the board of supervisors of said county.
Passed October 16, 1851
Whereas, an application has been made to this board, subscribed by at least twelve freeholders of each of the several towns of Hamburgh, Ellicott, and
Cheektowaga, in said county, and this board having been furnished with a map and survey of all towns to be effected, showing the proposed alterations.
Therefore, be it enacted by the said board of supervisors as follows:
Section 1. All that part of the towns of Cheektowaga, Ellicott and Hamburgh, in the county of Erie... (legal description followed).
Section 2. All the remaining part of Cheektowaga shall be and remain a separate town, by the name of Cheektowaga, and all the remaining part of Ellicott
shall be and remain a separate town by the name of Ellicott, and all the remaining part of Hamburgh shall be and remain a separate town by the name of Hamburgh.
Section 3. The first annual town meeting in the town hereby erected shall be held at the house of Morgan L. Whitney in said town on the second day of March next, and
thereafter the same shall be held on the same day that other towns hold their annual town meetings in said County of Erie.
Section 4. William Little, Charles L. Mayer and Levi Ballou, Jr., are hereby appointed to preside at the first town meeting to be held in said town of Seneca, to appoint a clerk, open and keep
polls, and shall have and exercise the same powers as justices of the peace, when presiding at town meetings.
The first annual meeting was held at the house of Morgan Whitney, Town Clerk, on Tuesday, March 2, 1852.
WEST SENECA SUPERVISORS
Levi Ballou |
John G. Langner |
Nelson Reed |
Victor Irr |
| DATE |
SUPERVISOR |
DATE |
SUPERVISOR |
| 1852 |
Levi Ballou |
1900 - 1901 |
Charles C. Brown |
| 1853 - 1855 |
Erasmus Briggs |
1902 - 1903 |
Christian L. Schudt |
| 1856 |
Levi Ballou |
1904 - 1909 |
Henry C. Lein |
| 1857 - 1858 |
Aaron P.Pierce |
1910 - 1921 |
Christian L. Schudt |
| 1859 - 1861 |
John G. Langner |
1922 - 1925 |
Henry C. Lein |
| 1862 |
Nelson Reed |
1926 - 1931 |
Peter H. Mildenberger |
| 1863 - 1864 |
Richard Caldwell |
1932 - 1942 |
Frank A. Slade |
| 1865 - 1866 |
Charles A. James |
1943 - 1949 |
Arthur J. Witzig |
| 1867 - 1870 |
Aaron P. Pierce |
1950 - 1955 |
Albert Giese |
| 1871 - 1873 |
Nelson Reed |
1956 - 1961 |
Chester G. Germain |
| 1874 - 1876 |
Victor Irr |
1962 - 1967 |
William E Doering |
| 1877 - 1880 |
William A. Pratt |
1968 - 1969 |
Albert Giese |
| 1881 - 1884 |
Henry D. Kirkover |
1970 - 1979 |
James A. Roof |
| 1885 - 1886 |
Ferdinand Kappler |
1980 - 1991 |
Joan Lillis |
| 1887 - 1899 |
Charles C. Schoepflin |
1992 - Present |
Paul T. Clark |
Henry C. Lein |
Frank Slade |
Joan Lillis |
Paul T. Clark |
TOWN SEAL
On March 4, 1963 the West Seneca Town Board authorized the creation of an official town flag with an insignia reflecting the heritage or our town, culminating
in the Town's official seal.
Occupying a conspicuous position at the top center of the seal is a Seneca Indian, most likely Chief Cornplanter, respected
warrior and statesman who was well known on Buffalo Creek. Next to the Chief Cornplanter is the Ebenezer Society Boundry Marker, date unknown, depicting the four
corners of Ebenezer.
The bottom left of the seal shows the Leydecker covered bridge. Built in 1865 and demolished in 1935, it supported traffic for seventy years and was the last of
its kind to remain serviceable in Erie County. Middle Ebenezer is depicted in the center bottom of the seal, with Fourteen Holy Helpers Church, incorporated in 1864, and the Christian Metz home located on School Street.
The waterwheel in back of the sawmill on the millrace on Indian Church Road is depicted at the bottom right of the seal.
The West Seneca town seal is an eloquent symbol of the heritage received from our earliest inhabitants, the Seneca Indians, and later the Ebenezers, whose cultural influence and work
values continued to play an influential role in the development of our community for many years, and remain part of our cherished heritage.
Our town flag upon which the offical town seal rests, is always on display in Council Chambers of Town Hall and is available for viewing if you would like a closer look.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH
The archival records of the Town of West Seneca date from 1852 to the present and trace the growth of this community from the
organization of the Town government. Some of the outstanding materials in the
collection include the Minutes of the Town Board from the date of incorporation to the
present. The early handwritten volumes contain the earliest laws and ordinances for
the Town and they offer a unique firsthand look at how the 19th Century settlers built
this community and governed themselves.
ACCESS TO RECORDS
Other local records particularly worth
noting are Assessment and Tax Rolls, Planning and Zoning Minutes and Election data.
Certain records may have restricted access for up to 75 years due to the Personal Privacy
Act. The archives contain a growing microfilm collection of bound volumes.
The Town Clerk, Pat DePasquale, will be glad
to assist you in locating information in the records. Some original documents may be
restricted in handling due to their delicate condition. Nominal fees per page are
charged for photocopying.
The Town of West Seneca maintains a Records Management Center to accommodate inactive records and some archival documents.
