The New Student's Reference Work/Wadsworth, James

Wads′worth, James, a New York pioneer, was born at Durham, Conn., April 20, 1768.  He with his brother in 1790 bought a large tract of land in what is now the town of Geneseo, N. Y., and became one of the great landowners of the state.  He was very active in promoting the interests of religion and education in the new state, publishing pamphlets, paying for lectures on education, and giving a premium to any town that started a school-library.  A library was founded by him at Geneseo, and in all his land-sales he insisted that 125 acres should be set apart for a church and 125 acres for a school.  He died on June 8, 1844.