In 1797, John Gorton moved to the Blue mountain settlement, and located a short distanoe west of the present village of Liberty, on land since owned by his grandson, Elias Champlin. He came from Connecticut in 1793, with his cousins, Thomas and William Grant, and went on what is now known as the Depuy lot, in Fallsburgh. Thomas Grant at that time had three children and Gorton two. They came by the way of Kingston, Rochester and Wawarsing, in one of the old Yankee butterfly-carts, which was drawn by three yoke of oxen and a horse. The latter animal was ridden by Mrs. Grant, and thus performed double service. Their turnout astonished the old Dutch farmers of Ulster. They had never seen or dreamed of such a contrivance, and left their antiquated plows and fat, sleek horses, and hurried as fast as was seemly in Dutchmen, to the fences along the bounds of the highway, where they stood with open mouths and eyes, and stared at the Yankee travelers, and their strange machine and motive-power.
