Robert Cook settled early upon the farm owned at present by Hammond Cook.  At the time of his coming the Indians were yet frequent visitors.  One day, as the story is, Cook was at work in the field, his wife being alone in the house, an Indian called, and finding her alone, brandished his knife, and made some terrible threats, frightening her almost to death.  Just at this time Cook appeared; the Indian took his departure precipitately.  Cook seized his gun and pursued him.  He returned after a little time, and the Indian never troubled them more.

The place where Daniel Hodge now lives was first occupied by Samuel Stephen.  His father John Stephen, made a settlement at Laurens before the Revolutionary war.

The Sleepers were from near Burlington, New Jersey.  During the war they became alarmed at the inroads of the tories and Indians, and returned to New Jersey.  On their way back, they passed through Cherry Valley the day before the massacre.  They returned to the settlement after the war.  John Sleeper had several sons.  One, Nehemiah Sleeper, built a mill below Laurens on the Otego creek, which was afterwards known as Boyd’s mill.  Samuel Sleeper took up several hundred acres of land, of which the farms of Daniel Hodge and Horace White formed a part.  He built a grist-mill and saw-mill on the Otego creek, just below the covered bridge, this side (east) of West Oneonta.  He was said to have been an active business man, and was quite a noted surveyor.  He sold his property after some years to one David Smith, and went to Stroudsburgh, Pa., and thence to Ohio.  His oldest son, Ephraim Sleeper, married Jane Niles, daughter of Nathaniel Niles, and remained in the neighborhood.  The latter died about twelve years ago at West Oneonta, at an advanced age.

Other persons are mentioned by the old residents as being among the early settlers.  Samuel Green occupied a part of the farm now owned by Joseph Bull.  A man named Ticknor, another part of the same farm.  One Ogden lived where Joseph Taber now lives, about whom a few stories are current in the neighborhood.  At one time a company of Indians was encamped at the mouth of the Otego creek, engaged in making baskets and trinkets of various kinds.  Ogden visited them for the purpose of getting a pair of silver shoe-buckles made by an Indian who was skilled in the art.  It so happened that he had not silver enough to make the buckles.  Two or three of the Indians left suddenly, and after having been absent a short time, returned, bringing a handful of silver.  Ogden inferred from this that there must be a silver mine not far away, but he was never able to find it.—­A deer[A] often came around his house; he shot at it repeatedly, but was unable to hit it.  An old woman lived not far away, who was called a witch; he finally suspected that she had something to do with the deer; he procured a silver bullet, which he put in his gun, and next time the deer appeared he fired at it, wounding it badly, but it escaped; he soon learned, however, that the old woman was badly hurt.[B]