Catharine is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 1,656 at the 2020 census. The town is one of two in the county named after

Catherine Montour Catharine Montour, also known as Queen Catharine (died after 1791), was a prominent Iroquois leader living in ''Queanettquaga,'' a Seneca village of ''Sheaquaga'', informally called Catharine's Town, in western New York. She has often been confused ...

, a Native American interpreter and leader in the area. The Town of Catharine is in the southeastern part of the county and is north of Elmira.

History

A Seneca village informally known as Catharine's Town was located near the falls. It was destroyed by colonial forces during the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Genocide) was a United States military campaign during the American Revolutionary War, lasting from June to October 1779 ...

of 1779, one of more than 40 villages destroyed across western New York in retaliation for raids in the eastern part of the province. The first European-American settlers are thought to have arrived around 1788 after the American Revolutionary War. The Seneca and other Iroquois allies of the British were forced to cede their lands in New York. The Town of Catharine was created by the New York State Legislature in 1798, with its first elections occurring in the same year. By 1805 the town had grown sufficiently that a Methodist congregation was formed in the eponymous hamlet of Catharine. An Episcopalian congregation was the first to build a church, St. John's, in 1811. The town was originally organized as part of Chemung County, before the formation of Schuyler County. Property for Catharine was taken from the Town of Elmira (then called "Newtown") in 1798. Part of Catharine was in turn divided to form the Towns of

Veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

and Catlin (both in Chemung County) in 1825. Catharine was further reduced by the formation of the Town of Montour in 1857. When Schuyler County was established in 1854, Catharine was removed from the remit of Chemung County. The Lattin-Crandall Octagon Barn was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.82%) is water. The south town line is the border of Chemung County.

New York State Route 224 New York State Route 224 (NY 224) is a state highway in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. The route is signed as north–south; however, in actuality the highway follows more of an east–west routing across southeaster ...

crosses the town and joins New York State Route 228 in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,930 people, 755 households, and 526 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 59.7 people per square mile (23.1/km²). There were 865 housing units at an average density of 26.8 per square mile (10.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.79%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.57%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.52% Native American, 0.16%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.62% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.30% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 755 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,207, and the median income for a family was $41,979. Males had a median income of $29,191 versus $24,327 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,496. About 10.4% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Alexander S. Diven Alexander Samuel Diven (February 10, 1809 – June 11, 1896) was an American politician from New York and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Biography Born in Catharine, New York, Diven attended the common schools and t ...

, former US Army Office and Congressman * William Terry Jackson, former US Congressman

Communities and locations in the Town of Catharine

*Alpine – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on NY-224 and Cayuta Creek. *Catharine – The

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of Catharine in the western part of the town on County Road 15, south of Odessa. It was once called "Johnsons Settlement." * Cayuta Creek – the outlet of Cayuta Lake, flowing from its south end. *Cayuta Inlet – a stream entering Cayuta Lake through a marsh at the north end. *

Cayuta Lake Cayuta Lake is a small lake located in Schuyler County, New York, Schuyler County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is within the Catharine, New York, Town of Catharine, about north of Odessa, New York, Odessa. The lake is also referr ...

– A small

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in the northeast part of the town, east of NY-228. *

– The Village of Odessa is in the west part of the town on NY-224.

References

External links

Town of Catharine, NY

{{authority control Towns in Schuyler County, New York