[2][3] Around the same time, Obadiah Griffin, who was married and had children in Dutchess County, New York during the Revolutionary War period, moved west and settled in Canada, near Welland, Ontario.

He and his wife, Mary, requested membership in the nearby Pelham Quaker meeting in November 1803 and were accepted in March 1804.

Obadiah and family, including sons Robert and James, left Canada during the height of the War of 1812 and sought to settle near his brother, Jonathan Griffin, in the present-day town of Orchard Park.

[5] The Yaw Brothers, known throughout western New York, operated the business for 56 years and were known for their accurate measurements in lumber sawing.

The flour, eagerly bought for its excellent quality, was packaged in 5-, 10-, and 25-pound sacks labeled with the Yaw Brothers trademark.

[6] Both grist and sawmills were water powered until in 1919 when a "freak flood" washed away the dam and motors were installed to replace the large waterwheel.

The mill structure in 1961 was donated to St. Paul's Lutheran Church on West Falls Road and subsequently moved there for use as a Sunday school building.

[6][7] On August 18, 1810, the West Aurora Congregational Church was formed with nine members under the influence of "Father" John Spencer, a wandering evangelist.

Ties to the Presbyterian Church began as early as 1830, when Deacon Conklin was appointed as a delegate to the Buffalo Presbytery.

[9] In 1813, Robert Griffin (one of the sons of Obadiah) opened a tavern in what is referred to as the Luther House (Conklin-Dyer 1825 Mill Road).

A drink of milk punch or a whiskey sling was greatly appreciated in the heavily forested area where malarial fever was the common disease.

Robert Griffin opened a brick tavern before 1822, which for a time was the scene for joyful socializing in the isolated frontier community.

The settlers were farmers, engaged in growing large amounts of cattle and swine in order to pay off their debts to the Holland Land Company.

Among them were five soldiers of the Revolutionary War: Thomas Treat (1758-1832), Henry Little (1758-1840), Ebenezer Patterson (1760-1844), Jebediah Darbee (1757-1828), and Clement King (1756-1828).

Besides the influence of the Quakers in Orchard Park, the West Aurora Congregational Church issued Anti-Slavery Resolutions at the monthly meeting on November 13, 1846.

This arduous crossing of the creek was eliminated with the construction of a covered wooden bridge at the point where the road continued past the mill.