Oliver Owen Forward JP (December 1, 1781 – April 27, 1834) was an early settler and government official in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

Early life

Forward was born in

Simsbury, Connecticut Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670. History Early history At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...

in 1781. He was a son of Judge Samuel Forward (1752–1821) and Susannah ( Holcomb) Forward (1753–1832). Among his siblings were younger brothers

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Walter Forward Walter Forward (January 24, 1786 – November 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and politician. He was the brother of Chauncey Forward. Biography Born in East Granby, Connecticut, he attended the common schools. After moving with his father to ...

and Chauncey Forward. During John Tyler's administration, Walter served as the 15th Secretary of the Treasury and during the administrations of

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

and

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

, he served as the Minister to Denmark. Other siblings included Julia Forward, Rensselaer Forward and Dryden Forward, who both became lawyers but died young. His grandfather was Abel Forward of

East Granby East Granby is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,214 at the 2020 census. History Original inhabitants of the current East Granby area were Native American peoples, including the Algonquin/Poquonock, the ...

, a son of Samuel Forward, who emigrated from England in the 1600s and settled in

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Po ...

. In February 1803, Oliver travelled west to

Aurora, Ohio Aurora is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, and is co-extensive with, and formed from, the former township of Aurora, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. It is part of ...

with his father and family arriving later in the year after his father sold his Connecticut possessions. His father later became a Judge in Aurora.

Career

After roughly six years in Ohio, he moved to

through the influence of his brother-in-law, Erastus Granger, who was the Collector of the Port of Buffalo and agent for the Indian tribes in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. Upon his arrival, Forward became Deputy Collector and Assistant Postmaster and was appointed

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. In 1812, Forward was appointed by President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

to succeed Granger as Collector of the Port of Buffalo, and the following year, the village of Buffalo was incorporated by the legislature. In 1817, Forward, as Collector of the Port, was authorized by the Treasury Department to purchase a site for a

light house A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

. Forward negotiated with Joseph Ellicott, agent of the Holland Land Company, to purchase the property near the outlet of the Buffalo Creek for $350. In 1822, President James Monroe appointed Myndert M.

Dox 4-Substituted-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamines (DO''x'') is a chemical class of substituted amphetamine derivatives featuring methoxy groups at the 2- and 5- positions of the phenyl ring, and a substituent such as alkyl or halogen at the 4- po ...

to replace Forward. For many years, Forward served as director of the Bank of Niagara, including a few years as Cashier of the bank, "the expectation being that his name and influence might in some way retrieve the fortunes of that institution." In 1817, he was appointed of the Judges of Niagara County of which he also served as treasurer for many years (before Erie County was organized). In 1819, he was elected as a Clintonian

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

(which was split into two factions: Clintonians, supporters of Gov.

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...

and the Bucktails led by Martin Van Buren) to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

as a delegate from the district containing Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Niagara Counties (in which Erie was then created). In the Assembly, he was a leading voice towards the creation of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

. In the spring of 1820, he was elected to the State Senate to represent one of nine seats in the Western District (which consisted of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus,

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada * Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

, Chautauqua, Cortland, Genesee,

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

Oneida Oneida may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy * Oneida language * Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York * Oneida Na ...

Onondaga Onondaga may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Onondaga people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois League * Onondaga (village), Onondaga settlement and traditional Iroquois capita ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Oswego,

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

Steuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to: Places *Steuben Township, Marshall C ...

Tioga Tioga may refer to: United States communities *Tioga, California, former name of Bennettville, California *Tioga, Colorado *Tioga, Florida * Tioga, Iowa *Tioga, Louisiana *Tioga, New York, a town in Tioga County *Tioga County, New York, a county at ...

and Tompkins counties). At the close of the session of 1822, on his return to Buffalo, Forward was again elected chairman of the board of trustees of the village of Buffalo and was again reelected in 1823 and 1824. The city of Buffalo was officially organized in spring 1832 and a common council was created and Forward served "as a representative from the first ward" and was elected chairman. When the Marquis de Lafayette visited the U.S. in 1825, he arrived in Buffalo aboard the steamboat ''Superior'' on June 4, 1825 and Forward addressed and welcomed him on behalf of Buffalo's citizens.

Personal life

In the Spring of 1803, he married Sally Granger of Suffield, Connecticut, a daughter of Abner Granger and Experiance ( King) Granger. Before 1811, he built a small one-story house on Pearl Street in Buffalo with an addition on the side to carry on the business of the post office and collectorship. He lived there until December 1813 when the British burned the city during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. The villagers returned in Spring 1814 and Forward constructed a two-story brick house, again on Pearl Street, that was "considered the most elegant residence" in Buffalo. Together, they were the parents of several children, including: * Julia Forward (1814–1888), who married Henry R. Williams. After his death in 1853, she married merchant Ambrose Spencer Sterling, son of

Ansel Sterling Ansel Sterling (February 3, 1782 – November 6, 1853) was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was the brother of Micah Sterling who was a United States Representative from New York. He was born in Lyme, Connecticut, where he att ...

, in 1858. His wife died in December 1831. In the summer of 1832, he suffered from an attack of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

, never fully regaining his strength. Forward died in Buffalo on April 27, 1834. He was buried in his brother-in-law's family burial lot, which eventually became

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo Forest Lawn Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Buffalo, New York, founded in 1849 by Charles E. Clarke. It covers over and over 152,000 are buried there, including U.S. President Millard Fillmore, First Lady Abigail Fillmore, singer Rick J ...

after Granger's widow sold it to Charles E. Clarke in 1849.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forward, Oliver 1781 births 1834 deaths Erie Canal People from Simsbury, Connecticut People from Buffalo, New York Politicians from Buffalo, New York New York (state) state senators Members of the New York State Assembly Collectors of the Port of Buffalo