Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site

The Bristol Tavern (or Inn) in Meredith is now owned by Phil and Gabrielle Pierce, Town Historian for Hamden --August 2004

Note #1:
This photograph has been sitting on this website for many months with the identification of "Jackson Tavern" in the Town of Franklin. It turns out not to be the Jackson Tavern but is the Bristol Tavern in the Town of Meredith.The following was received recently from Beatrice Graham Teilan, Historian for the Town of Meredith.

I achieved getting two buildings on the State and National Register of Historic Places in 2000-01. The building pictured by Dan Touse is one of them - it is the Bristol Tavern in the Town of Meredith. (The other was the old Christian Church at Fitch's Bridge, Town of Delhi.) I did all the research on these and wrote the documents.

This building was built by Amos Bristol, probably about 1800, and I have documented his existence there by several sources (including the 1800 diary of Samuel A. Law which I have transcribed.) In tracking deeds and ownership, the only time a Jackson name came up was in November 8, 1873 when Herbert Van Buskirk sold 11 acres, 68 rods to William Jackson. In April 1883, William Jackson sold this parcel to Helen Farrington. Whether this 11 acres Jackson purchased was where the house was located, I cannot say at this time. Locally, it has always been known as Bristol Tavern (just found a 1958 article in the Binghamton Press about it). I have personally lived 3 miles from it for 72 years, and during this time have always known it was Amos Bristol's place. This building is one of our most cherished landmarks.

Note #2:
The following was received from Dan Touse

Reviewing Tavern Keepers 1797-1862, Amos Bristol appears in 1803 with the SAME account number as Isaiah Jackson, and remains so - with others every appearance thru 1826! It is unclear what if anything that signfies. In some towns different names had different accounts, and in others all are listed under same account number. But clearly Jackson had a Tavern and the family tradition seems to point to the Bristol tavern. I suppose it's conceiveable they were partners. Over the years I've found the specifics of family traditional tales oft experience varying degrees of mutation, but by and large the essence tends to true. To paraphrase Paul Harvey, it'd be nice to know "The Rest of the story..." --Dan Touse