Editing Livingston County, New York (section)

=== The Pioneer Wadsworths ===
[[Jeremiah Wadsworth|Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth]] of [[Hartford, Connecticut]], one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the post-Revolutionary War era, invested heavily in [[Speculation|land speculation]] in this region. In 1788, he made the arduous trip to the Genesee country to judge its worth and finding it unimaginably rich. After purchasing more than 200,000 acres (50 square miles) along the [[Genesee River]], Col. Wadsworth offered his young cousins, brothers [[James Wadsworth (of Geneseo)|James]] and [[William Wadsworth (officer)|William Wadsworth]], 2000 acres of prime farmland in and around what is now [[Geneseo, New York|Geneseo]]. In return, they represented the Colonel's interests by establishing a home farm (known as the [[The Homestead (Geneseo, New York)|Homestead]]) and promoting settlement and progress.

The Wadsworth brothers acquired thousands more acres, becoming the largest single landowners in western New York. They [[lease]]d the majority of the land to [[tenant farmer]]s with generous lease agreements. James and William were known far and wide for their philanthropy and innovative farming methods. The legacy of James and William Wadsworth and their vast land holdings has been carried forward generation after generation and the prominent family still remains synonymous with the Genesee Valley to present day.