Hastings R. Bender was originally born Jacob Bender in Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 23, 1781. He was the son of Peter Bender and Abigail Brigham. It is unknown why he changed his name, or what the middle initial “R” stood for.

Hastings attended Dartmouth college and graduated in 1809. Afterwards, he practiced law and settled in Rochester, N.Y. around 1810. The area consisted of only 5 dwellings at the time; this was prior to the area being organized as a village and later a city. Hastings was the second attorney to come to the area after John Mastick. Based on newspaper records, he was involved in real estate, probate and commercial law.

One of Hastings early influences on the area was his involvement in the War of 1812. News of the war was deeply concerning to the settlers of Rochester and particularly those close to the lower Genesee area. Although the main Niagara battlefront was 80 miles to the West, the contest on Lake Ontario was most concerning. In May of 1813, the American Commodore Chauncey took his fleet to the mouth of the Niagara River for an attack on Fort George. This left the British Commodore Yeo the rest of Lake Ontario largely to himself. He went up and down the lakeshore raiding villages. During these raids, he learned there was a depot of provisions at the Genesee River, so he sailed there and send 150 men ashore. The villagers offered little resistance and the British carried off between four and five hundred barrels of flour and pork.

The villagers at Charlotte and Rochester were determined to defend their property if the British were to come again. Hastings Bender recommended they build a Fort on the Deep Hollow – the ravine on the west side of the Gensee River, above the Lower Falls. The British would have to stop at the Lower Falls to march toward Rochester, so this Fort would make a formidable barrier. The Fort was built on the south side of the ravine and named Fort Bender after Hastings. They placed a four-pounder cannon at Fort Bender and an eighteen-pounder cannon in Charlotte. Commodore Yeo appeared at the mouth of the Genesee again in May of 1814. Every man in the village, about thirty to fifty in all, hurried to their posts at the Fort and the mouth of the river. The cannons were loaded and the riflemen made ready. In this excitement, the man in charge of the cannon at Charlotte fired ahead of his orders. The enemy boats were still far beyond range, but his warning shot captured them by surprise. Yeo apparently considered the prize was not worth the struggle and left the following day without any further hostilities. As far as we know, the British never returned to the Genesee River.

Fort Bender never saw an enemy and the four-pounder cannon never fired a shot. Over the years, the Fort fell into disrepair and is unfortunately lost to history. The Deep Hollow no longer exists and was filled in over the years to expand commercial real estate on Lake Avenue. However, Rochester’s one and only Fort has the honor of being named after our own Hastings Bender.

In 1817, the village of Rochesterville was incorporated, and Hastings Bender was chosen as the first village clerk. He continued to serve the village in many roles of over the years such as a justice of the peace, fire warden, street patrol and assessor.

In 1823, Hastings moved to Brockport and was the first lawyer in the area. He eventually retired from his law practice and opened a general store on Main Street at the corner of Market Street (about where Lift Bridge Book Shop is currently located). Later in life, Hastings studied theology and became a Presbyterian minister. He preached in and around Clarkson, where he finally retired as a farmer.

He married his wife Sophia in 1825, and they had five children: Sophia, Abigail, Julia, Oliver and Harry. Sophia and Abigail are buried with their parents in the Sage-Knapp pioneer cemetery.