Editing Clarence, New York (section)

=== Early history ===
The local [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] called the area ''Ta-Num-No-Ga-O'', which means "Place of Hickory Bark".

Clarence was the first town to be established in Erie County (1808), and many other towns, villages, and cities have been formed from parts of this original town. In 1810, the town of Buffalo, from which the city of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] later originated, was separated from Clarence.  Then in 1823, [[Newstead, New York|Newstead]] and [[Alden (town), New York|Alden]] were formed respectively from the east and southeast parts of Clarence. Then finally in 1833, [[Lancaster (town), New York|Lancaster]] was also formed from the town. The defunct town of [[Willink, New York|Willink]] was also a source of new towns, primarily in the south part of the county, being completely partitioned for this purpose.

Western New York was part of the [[Holland Land Company|Holland Purchase]]. When [[Genesee County, New York|Genesee County]] was established in 1802, all of the region was part of the town of [[Batavia (town), New York|Batavia]], the single, original town of Genesee County. Clarence was, along with Willink, originally part of [[Genesee County, New York|Genesee County]]. Clarence was split off from Willink in 1804, before Niagara County was created from part of Genesee County in 1808. Clarence (in the north) and Willink (in the south) then comprised the entire area of what would, in 1821, become [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]].

One of the first settlers (1799) in the town was Asa Ransom, who has given his name to several locations. He settled in the southeast part of the town, now known as the Clarence Hollow. In 1807, Asa Harris, a former colonial officer from the [[American Revolution]], established a tavern in the community of [[Harris Hill, New York|Harris Hill]] in the southwest part of Clarence.

Some have suggested that the town is named after a type of [[carriage]], called a [[Clarence (carriage)|clarence]]. Such a carriage is pictured on a sign at the eastern edge of town. However, the name probably derives from the English [[Duke of Clarence|Dukedom of Clarence]] in [[Clarence House|London]], which also gave its name to the aforementioned carriage.<ref name=":0" />

During the [[War of 1812]], the press of the ''Buffalo Gazette'' was moved to Clarence, out of harm's way of the British troops.

German was a common language amongst new Clarentians in Early Clarence, most of whom moved from Germany.