Webb & Hannah Harwood
The First Settlers of Macedon
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This website was last updated: October 2025
The Harwoods Coming to Palmyra/Macedon
The Harwoods Coming to Palmyra/Macedon
Webb Harwood was the second permanent settler of Palmyra; (the first, John Swift) however, where Webb and his family settled, was where Macedon would later be established in 1823. To clarify, Webb Harwood settled in Palmyra, but the area later became what would be the Macedon township; therefore, making him the first settler of Macedon.
The Harwood family came from Adams Berkshire, Massachusetts in late spring of 1789 to the would be Macedon area. The Harwood family at the time included, Webb Harwood, Hannah Harwood, their first child and son, William Harwood; who was born in 1783, making him about four at the time of the trip, and a newborn, Olive Harwood. In 1789, Webb Harwood was about thirty-one and Hannah was twenty-nine.
Accompanying the Harwoods were three unmarried men-- Noah Porter, Bennet Batcs, and Jonathan Warner.
Sign Coordinates: 43.07326, -77.30216
The group traveled for forty-six days. For transportation, they used an ox-team and uncovered wagon.
While the group was traveling, Hannah Harwood was recovering from childbirth with Olive, making Hannah's health "delicate" to quote a book written in 1851, titled, History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe, By O. Turner.
To paraphrase Tuner, Hannah required wine at almost all times; most likely to numb her pain and the alcohol to act as medicine.
Webb Harwood did nothing short of providing the alcohol for his wife to ease her pain on the road. Webb even asked a man named, Ebenezer Spear, [the father of Lemuel Spear, who is buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery] to travel to Canandaigua to get Hannah wine. When Ebenezer arrived to Canandaigua there was no wine to be found. Ebenezer had to travel to Scheneetady, New York to finally find some wine for Hannah. He bought six quarts of wine from a Mr. Charles Kane before walking on foot for fourteen days to deliver the wine.
Webb and Hannah built a log home just west of current day Palmyra village, about one half mile from the village of Macedon.
Their cabin was considered a 'rise-on-the-ground' cabin according to a newspaper article from the Palmyra Courier, published May 12, 1927.
In 1822 the Erie Canal, then known as Clinton's Ditch, named after New York State governor DeWitt Clinton, would be dug through the area. Webb and Hannah's home was located next to Clinton's Ditch.
As recorded in Palmyra history,
"By the Fall [of 1822], all grubbing and clearing along the route had been completed and blasting had begun. The 'rock flies like hailstones', visiting Palmyra, Webb Harwood reported to a friend, 'the most formidable thing I ever saw...if you were to see it, you would say the one-half was not told you. The work crews stop not for winter, no weather detains them, nor stands before them'".
[Image above is of an Ox-team with covered wagon similar to what the Harwoods, and the other three men rode in]
Citation for the image: "Covered wagon and ox team." Ott Historical Photograph Collection, PG 90, Clifford M. Ott Collection, University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, http,/www.lib.uidaho.edu/special-collections/.
Sign is in Macedon, New York, in Wayne County. Marker is on Quaker Road, ¼ mile east of O'Neil Road, on the left when traveling east.
Sign Coordinates: 43° 4.314′ N, 77° 17.1′ W.
Webb Harwood
Webb Harwood
Webb Harwood's Obituary in the Wayne Sentinel, published in Palmyra, New York on Friday, February 2nd, 1827
Webb Harwood was born January 2nd of 1757 in Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts. His father's name was Peter Harwood and his mother's, Mary (Webb) Harwood.
Webb Harwood lived with his wife, Hannah Anderson Harwood, in Windsor, where he later recorded as a Church Warden in Windsor, in 1784.
Webb died at the age of 70. Although many records claim that Webb Harwood died in 1824, Webb's obituary listed in the Wayne Sentinel, published in Palmyra, New York on Friday, February 2nd, 1827, states Webb died January 24th, 1827.
Clipping from Wayne Sentinel; May 4th, 1827
On May 4th, 1827 in the Wayne Sentinel, a newspaper clipping declares a public auction of Webb Harwood's belonging after his death to be held on May 8th. Belongings available to be bought at the auction included, "one Waggon and Harness, one Cart, two Sleds, three ploughs, one Fanning Mill; besides many farming tools and implements of husbandry. [misspellings and grammar issues written as they were in the ad.]"
Webb Harwood does not have a found headstone but with evidence and records, it can be deduced that Webb Harwood is buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery as his wife is buried there. Also Webb started the church in his home, was one of the original members, attended the church and the land that the cemetery is on, was once Webb Harwood's land.
Current work and research is being done to have a military headstone ordered for Webb Harwood and to be placed in the Old Baptist Cemetery as a replacement for his lost headstone.
Webb Harwood in The Revolutionary War
Webb Harwood in The Revolutionary War
Webb Harwood enlisted to serve in the War of Revolution on May 10th, 1775 at the age of twenty-three. He served two years and being discharged in 1777.
Revolutionary War Military Service Note: Harwood, Webb, Plantation No. 5 (also given Gageborough or Partridgefield). Private, Capt. Nathan Watkins's co., Col. John Patterson's regt.; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted May 10, 1775; service, 2 mos. 27 days; also, receipt for bounty coat dated Nov. 13, 1775; reported as belonging to Gageborough or Partridgefield; also, Fifer, Capt. Jonathan Wales's co., in a regiment commanded by Lieut. Col. Samuel Williams; enlisted Dec. 20, 1776; discharged March 20, 1777; service, 3 mos. 13 days, including 10 days (200 miles) travel home; roll dated Morristown; also, Capt. Nathan Harwood's co., Col. John Dickason's (Dickinson's) regt.; enlisted July 19, 1777; discharged July 31, 1777; service, 15 days; company marched to Manchester on an alarm to join forces under Col. Warner; roll sworn to at Chesterfield; also, Private, Capt. William Ward's (Plantation No. 5) co., (late) Col. Ezra May's regt.; enlisted Aug. 17, 1777; discharged Aug. 22, 1777; service, 5 days; company marched on an alarm at Bennington.
Hannah Harwood
Hannah Harwood
According to the self-driving tour of Macedon tilted, 200 Years of Macedon Town History 26 Mile Tour, Hannah Harwood was the first woman to endure the wilderness alongside her husband, Webb Harwood, who is dubbed, "The First Settler of Macedon;" but Hannah herself is also considered the first settler of Macedon in several records and is recognized as such being featured on a historical marker sign placed in Macedon, "Webb and Hannah Harwood first settlers of Macedon..."
Hannah was born June 2nd, 1759, in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts to the parents of Jonathan Anderson and Mary Wilder Anderson. She is the fourth known child of her parents out of six known; the following siblings, Lydia (born: 1753), Joseph (1755), Mary (1757), Celia (1761), Jonathan (1762) and David (1767) who died young.
[Known is stated due to varying records, lack of records due to the time period as well duplicating names and children not recorded because of young deaths.]
Located on Quaker Road about .2 mile east of ONeill Road. Coordinates: 43.07190, -77.28500
After the death of Hannah's mother in 1763 upon coming to Chesterfield, Hannah's father remarried a woman named Hannah Kee (or Kies depending on record) of Killingly; with the union of her father and stepmother, Hannah Anderson acquired two half siblings, David (1770) and Alanson (1774), making Hannah one of eight children, six full blood and two half.
In 1784, Hannah Anderson married Webb Harwood and resided in Windsor, Massachusetts while Webb worked as a Church Warden. A year later, Hannah had her first child with Webb where the coupled welcomed their first son, William Webb Harwood on March 20th, 1785. Hannah went on to have seven known children with Webb (More information on the Harwood children below).
Hannah Anderson Harwood died April 14th, 1815, in Macedon at the age of fifty-five, although her headstone says fifty-six. At the time of her death, Macedon, NY was part of Palmyra, NY and the county was Ontario, which is now Wayne County.
Hannah Harwood's Footstone
Unlike most of the 'residents' in the Old Baptist Cemetery, Hannah Harwood's burial location is known and recorded thanks to the Rice Boy Scout Project in the 1990s, where the troop created a map of all standing headstones and some footstones at the time. Although the original location of her headstone is not recorded, the location of the H.H. footstone belonging to Hannah was recorded. Hannah's footstone is recorded near the Green Family Fenced in area and next to a headstone standing that no longer has any writing. Hannah's footstone was placed a few inches away to left from it's orginal spot due to easier mowing access. Her headstone will be placed in align with the footstone in Spring/Summer of 2026.
Hannah Harwood's Headstone
Hannah Harwood's Headstone
The Inscription
The Inscription
"SACRED to the memory of HANNAH. Consort of WEBB HARWOOD who died April 14th 1815 in the 56th year of her age."
The symbolism of the Urn
The symbolism of the Urn
The urn symbol is one of the bluntest references toward death; the urn itself representing death. Quoting from The Academy of Penguin Hall, "From the 1770’s to the 1820’s, urns with willow branches carved around them were popular on gravestones in New England’s burial grounds. The urns symbolizes death and the willows symbolized grief."
In the end, it was decided to house the headstone in the Macedon Academy building where the historical society of Macedon is. There Hannah's headstone would be sheltered from the Upstate New York weather.
The headstone was carefully moved from the pile, by sliding it onto a wooden board with bases. Hannah's headstone had to be moved anyways, due to more headstones being underneath it. Inch by inch Erika and Deanne held onto different areas of the headstone to prevent it from crumbling further as they moved the headstone onto the board. After about ten minutes, the Newcombe women succeeded. The headstone was moved with minimal damage and the few small pieces that did break off where placed with the headstone.
A few days later, on August 7th, 2023, Hannah Harwood's headstone was carefully moved out the Old Baptist Cemetery, into the Newcombe family car, to the Macedon historical society, where it resides now (Updated September 2024).
Hannah's Headstone
Hannah's Headstone at the Macedon Academy
Where Hannah's Headstone is Now
Where Hannah's Headstone is Now
In the Girl Scout Gold Award Project of 2021-2024, Hannah Harwood's headstone was found in a pile of headstones left on the property (the pile of headstones was created so the land could be easier mowed). Upon the discovery, much discussion went into what to do with such a historical part of Macedon's history. Erika and Deanne spoke about whether or not Hannah's headstone should remain on the property as the stone was in abhorrent condition and falling apart. It was Deanne that suggested bringing Hannah Harwood's stone inside a building to be preserved, either the Macedon academy or the Macedon Historical society. In the end, it was decided to house the headstone in the Macedon Academy building where the historical society of Macedon is. There Hannah's headstone would be sheltered from the Upstate New York weather.
The headstone was carefully moved from the pile, by sliding it onto a wooden board with bases. Hannah's headstone had to be moved anyways, due to more headstones being underneath it. Inch by inch Erika and Deanne held onto different areas of the headstone to prevent it from crumbling further as they moved the headstone onto the board. After about ten minutes, the Newcombe women succeeded. The headstone was moved with minimal damage and the few small pieces that did break off where placed with the headstone.
A few days later, on August 7th 2023, Hannah Harwood's headstone was carefully moved out the Old Baptist Cemetery, into the Newcombe family car, to the Macedon historical society, where it resides now (Updated September 2025).
[Images of Hannah Harwood's Headstone before it was removed from the Old Baptist Cemetery August 7th 2023]
Sophia (Harwood) Coe, buried at Kirtland North Cemetery in Coe family plot. Photos added to findagrave.com by Sharon Wick
Children of Webb and Hannah
Children of Webb and Hannah
Webb and Hannah had a confirmed seven children. The known children of Webb and Hannah Harwood are William Webb Harwood, Olive Harwood, Sophia Harwood, Archalis Harwood, Alpheus Harwood, Peter Harwood and Hannah Harwood. In some records, Archalis and Alpheus as listed as being twins, further research is being done.
The following Harwood children have findagrave.com accounts (Updated as of 12/16/24)
Peter Harwood buried at Harwood Lake Cemetery. Photo by Debbie Davis Evanoff
Alpheus Harwood buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. Photo by Jan Davis Ruthig
William Webb. Harwood 's headstone located in a fenced in family area at the Harwood Cemetery Photo taken by Old Bones
Photo of William Webb, Harwood uploaded by Deanne Smith Newcombe
Sources for this page (Sources are not listed in order of usage)
The Palmyra Courier May 12th, 1927 "Macedon---Palmyra History First Settler pioneers Had Hard Going"
Wayne Sentinel, published in Palmyra, New York on Friday, February 2nd, 1827
Webb Harwood-Wayne sentinel. volume, May 04, 1827, Page 3, Image 3
Source for the Ox-covered wagon photo
Link: https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/ott/items/ott1055.html
Preferred Citation: "Covered wagon and ox team." Ott Historical Photograph Collection, PG 90, Clifford M. Ott Collection, University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/special-collections/.
Rights: Material determined to be in Public Domain based on date of publication. Material made available by the University of Idaho Library.
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