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1794
Samuel Payne felled the first tree in a virgin wilderness (territory ceded by the Iroquois Indians to the State of New York following the Revolutionary War) and kneeling, dedicated the land to God, later selling it as the site for Colgate University. His brother Elisha followed in 1795 and is considered the founder of the town since he purchased land that constitutes more than one-half of the present village. The village was known as Payne's Settlement for a short time.
1816
In response to an increasing population, the village of Hamilton (named for Alexander Hamilton) received a charter on April 12 and was officially incorporated. Hamilton's first newspaper, the Hamilton Gazette, began.
1817
On Sept. 24, 13 men (six clergy and seven laymen) met at Jonathan Olmstead's house and founded the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York. These 13 men were Jonathan Olmstead, Daniel Hascall, Nathaniel Kendrick, Joel W. Clark, Charles W. Hull, Samuel Payne, Elisha Payne, John Bostwick, Thomas Cox, Samuel Osgood, Amos Kingsley, Peter Philanthropos Roots, and Robert Powell.
1819
After approving a constitution of 13 articles, the trustees of the Baptist Education Society petitioned the state legislature for a charter, which was subsequently granted on March 5, 1819. The Society then turned to selecting a site for their institution. The trustees considered several locations for the institution, taking into account the climate, accessibility, economic conditions, and the state of the local Baptist Church in a number of villages. They eventually decided to place the institution in Hamilton, after the citizens of the village offered "the upper story of the academy in the village of Hamilton, well furnished for the use of the Society, and in four years procure the whole building or one equal to it, estimated at $3,500, and $2,500 to be paid in board."
1820
Daniel Hascall, pastor of the First Baptist Church, began formal instruction on May 1 with 10 students. Jonathan Wade was the first pupil and would go on to become a noted missionary. Classes were held on the third floor of a three-story brick building at the northwest corner of Broad and Pleasant streets. The village school was located on the first floor and Hamilton Academy, a private secondary school, occupied the second. The building was destroyed by fire in 1855.
1823
The Colgate family connection began when New York City soapmaker William C. Colgate became a supporter of the school. (In 1783 at age 12, William C. Colgate, the eldest of five brothers, came to America with his father when the family was forced to flee their home near Sevenoaks in Kent, after his father agitated for parliamentary reform. As an adult, William C. Colgate was interested in ministerial education and a member of the First Baptist Church in New York City. He was genuinely interested in the welfare of the seminary in Hamilton. The Colgate home was a usual stopping place for Kendrick, Hascall, and other Hamilton Baptists when they were in New York City. William C. Colgate made his fortune with an almost undisputed control of the soap and candle market during the War of 1812, and the Colgate family would subsidize the university budget for many years.)
1826
The trustees of the institution purchased 123 acres of Samuel Payne's farm for $2,000, one half of its estimated value. This would eventually become known as "the Hill".
1827
West Hall, (originally Western Edifice and later West College) the oldest building on the current campus, was built by students and faculty members, using stone from the quarry at the top of the hill.
1831
Student schedule:
5:00 - 5:30
5:30 - 6:00
6:00 - 6:30
6:30 - 7:00
7:00 - 8:00
8:00 - 8:30
8:30 - 12:00
12:00 - 12:30
12:30 - 1:30
1:30 - 5:00
5:00 - 5:30
5:30 - 6:00
6:00 - 6:30
6:30 - 9:00
9:00 - 9:30
9:30 - 4:30 |  | Chapel
Private devotions
Reading and studying
Breakfast
Exercise by manual labor
Private devotions
Studies and recitations
Dinner
Exercise by manual labor
Studies and recitations
Chapel
Supper
Private devotions
Meetings, reading, and writing
Devotions in room
Sleep |
1832
The early curriculum consisted of three parts: 1) Latin and Greek with some attention to English grammar and arithmetic; 2) Greek, geography, natural philosophy, astronomy, logic, rhetoric, and mathematics; and 3) moral philosophy, theology, Hebrew, and biblical interpretation.
1832
Hamilton's first fire company was created on May 19.
1833
The college course was introduced. This was significant in that it demonstrated that the school was no longer just a seminary and was ready to adapt to the pursuit of the liberal arts. During this time, board, washing, and lodging cost $1 a week. Tuition was $16 a year.
1834
East Hall (originally Eastern Edifice and later East College) was built at a cost of $6,000.
1835
The course of study was extended to two preparatory years, four collegiate, and two theological. There were eight faculty members and 129 students (92 in the full course and 37 in the short course).
1836
At the request of the faculty, the Board of Trustees unanimously elected Nathaniel Kendrick the first president of the institution. Kendrick was extremely uncomfortable with this honor, and it appears that he held the title for only one year, although he continued to perform the duties of the office until his death in 1848. Faculty salaries rose to $800. Utica was a 5-6 hour stagecoach trip; a one-way fare was $1 and a same-day round-trip cost $1.75.
1837
The Chenango Canal was completed. Canal Street (now Maple Avenue) was referred to as "Little Dublin" because of the large number of Irish laborers who lived there. The Village Park, once marshland, was created from soil taken to construct the canal.
1838
Dr. Philetus Bennett Spear became the first student to graduate from both the college (1836) and the theological seminary (1838).
1839
The trustees decided to admit young men who did not "have the ministry in view". The laws of Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution stated that, "if any student shall marry, during his connection with the Institution, then he shall be dismissed."
1841
The student menu at breakfast included coffee, bread and butter; dinner consisted of meat, potatoes, bread and butter; and for supper, milk, bread and butter. Students repeatedly asked permission to board with local families instead, but President Kendrick thought their reasons were probably "female society, and tea parties, and other village influences."
1846
Institution officials sought a charter in order to grant baccalaureate degrees. A charter was also seen as a means of advancing the institution's reputation and enlisting state aid. The charter was granted and the name of the institution was changed to Madison University. Professors A. C. Kendrick and J. F. Richardson prepared the Latin formula for the diplomas, and it has remained the same ever since. They, along with Professor John Howard Raymond and three trustees, devised the seal and motto, "Deo Ac Veritati" ("With reference to God and for the purpose of truth" or simply "For God and for truth").
1847
In January, the faculty expelled the editor of the college's first student newspaper (the Hamilton Student, first issue Nov. 2, 1846) for printing several anti-slavery editorials. One hundred fifty-one years later, Colgate awarded a posthumous bachelor of divinity degree to the student, George Gavin Ritchie, Class of 1849.