Place:Westfield (town), Chautauqua, New York, United States

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NameWestfield (town)
Alt namesWestfield
TypeTown
Coordinates42.317°N 79.567°W
Located inChautauqua, New York, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Westfield is a town in the western part of Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,513 at the 2020 census.[1] Westfield is also the name of a village within the town, containing 65% of the town's population. This unique town is accompanied by vineyards, gorges and historical buildings.

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History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The area was first settled in 1802 by James McMahan, formerly of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. McMahan established a mill near the mouth of Chautauqua Creek, where it empties into Lake Erie. The mill was later dismantled in advance of the War of 1812 to prevent it falling into the hands of the British. Today some of the millstones from McMahan's mill rest outside the Patterson Library in Westfield village.

The town of Westfield was established in 1828 from parts of the towns of Portland and Ripley.

The Barcelona Lighthouse was constructed in 1829 to overlook Barcelona Harbor and aided sailors on Lake Erie until being deactivated in 1859. It was the first lighthouse in the world to be powered by natural gas.

In 1897, the founder of Welch's Grape Juice, Charles E. Welch, moved his company to Westfield from New Jersey to take advantage of the ideal climate for the cultivation of grapes, particularly of Concord grapes. The region soon became noted for the growing of grapes for both wine and grape juice.

An unusually large number of buildings, twenty in all, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with all but one (the Barcelona Lighthouse, listed in 1972) being listed on the register in fall 1983.

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Research Tips

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External Links

  • Outstanding guide to Westfield family history and genealogy resources (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Birth, marriage, and death records, town histories, cemeteries, churches, newspapers, libraries, and genealogical societies.
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