i:-73 2! ~Y.'"":':.z '-i r-r: I:: gl ~Z i: ~1:A; -: —9 i;;~::::-:: : r B C :::4w;~ "it ~ i: 1 ~V"i~ r I i -_ ---:I 15 g 1-i iaL.:4::,:~ I, ~- """""""""""""""""""" " ia~-EEBiifP::::-: i, ~,~a 1:c; 'i_6 9";tig -;";iibBntJ'i ts4.::_~E,,-I: -( - ic;~rb. Ie -i ~~;i pg!i -'5 =~ -~- f:d h: f -"i~, 8 r; " oi~,:~ ;.k iM )ii ii~i; "':.F ,,, ~pq:: iSt8ia IBE 2 Iiiasacs4pe%nail~il81 L!"BBlbBi%%:,~;I p pg DI8 ilsBBllliO(gB;;R T:1 Ba~5"~ac$"- Iiigtjxii %"s!:, ii"i;a;w$z"~:a%ts -~-:1~,: ---\d',:$ra[sRB BRLILidifiaia eBPsss8 .B"s"BBPU"Pnligal"C.S. Xs IB-iB"%iTipIPleBi38b P1BgB L i 191:iggiSii8~IB Blla%BIBSBV % Bi -, Bftrr. I 188s O:BsP81"4laasss&$I 118811 ajDii I"? ~=; -~4 iit Iiis:a 8Bii dlbsBg% fgI I akisa BtidBJBaeFi i, :dtab-_~ C-. ~~~: a~ r~- ~- aar Lh e:ir y,/ a:t,Ii I Z!~ i~ i i I!!..... 1%t S TOj -OF GENESEE COUNTY (0, ( pil |IIhstraton0 and tographial ikrt heui ITS ZPlRQOh lTI-FT MZHIET AZNTD:PIOI8EzRS PHILADELPHIA: EVERTS & ABBOTT. I879. I -,: PREFACE. IT is chiefly for the sake of conforming to a custom which is as old as the trade of book-making that these few prefatory lines are addressed to readers of the following pages. Prefaces, although seldom read, contain, generally, somne remarks which are pertinent and of value, as well as many which are unimiportant and unnecessary; among the latter of which may be classed those insincere apologies which authors so frequently offer in advance,-mnuch the same as the skillful housewife of a quarter of a century ago usedl always to make pretended apologies to her guests when setting before them a repast which was really excellent, and which she herself knew to be so. It has been told how, on one such occasioll, when the good lady of the house had despairingly assured her favorite p)astoI' that lie would find the nmeats very badly cooked, and tile bread really not fit to be eaten, the reverend gentleman (lisappointed alld mortified her by the inquiry, "Then why, my dear madam, do you place them before me?" The reply was most appropriate; and a similar one might well be addressed to those writers who, while acknowledging their Sworks to be faulty and inferior, vet do not hesitate to offer them to readers who have the right to expect and demand that they shall be of an opposite character. In the preparation of this work, the object steadily kept in view has been to furnish a reliable and exhaustive history of Genesee County, in all its departments,-pioneer, agricultural, manufacturing, civil, military, educational, and religious. To accomplish this object many months (equivalent to more than two years' time of a single person) have been spent, and neither labor nor expense have been spared in any particular. Something has been gathered from pnblishel works; more from the State archives, the county and townslip records, and the files of old newspapers; and still more (as it is designed to be especially a history of pioneers and pioneer enterprise) from information furnished by the oldest residents and best intormed people in the county. In Flint City, and in the eighteen townships, many such persons have been called on, and all-with a single exception-have most obligingly imparted such information as they were able to give. To all and each of these sincere thanks are returned for the assistance they have so kindly and willingly contributed. The name of each would be given separately in acknowledgment, but on account of the great number (exceeding three hundred) who have rendered valuable aid, such separate mention is impracticable. Especial acknowledgments are due to the editors and proprietors of the several newspapers, the pastors of the churches, and the officers of the county, the townships, and the public institutions; all of whom have responded promptly and courteously to requests for assistance. The History of Genesee County is now presented, without apology, to its patrons, and their verdict is awaited, in full confidence that it will be a favorable one. F. E. PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1, 1879. 3 CO0 N T ENITS. ZHTSTOI~IOAX HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. CIILMTER PAGE L-Location and Natural Features of Genesee Cuunty 9 11.-The White Man's Predecessors in the Saginaw Valley 11 III.-The Saginaw-Chippewas after the War of 1812. 14 IV.-Indian Treaties and Cessions of Land-Indian Emigration.17 V.-Indian Reservatious on Flint River 24 VI.-Settleinent of the County.31 VIL-Changes of Civil Jurisdiction-Erection and Organization of Genesee County-Courts and County Buildings.35 VIII.-Internal Improvements.39 IX.-The Press-The Professions-Genesee Civil List-The Pioneer Association.51 N.-Military Record of Genesee..62 X[.-Eio,,hth Infantry...68 XIl.-Tenth Infantry.... 8 XNIII-Sixteenth Infantry... 85 XIV.-Twenty-Third Infantry... 92 XV.-Twenty-Ninth and Thirtieth Infantry, and First Engineers and Mechanics... 100 XVI.-F3irst, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Cava lry, and Thirteenth Battery... 104 CMAPTER PAGE XVII.-Other Genesee County Soldiers.110 XVIII.-Agriculture-Manufactures-Population 113 FLINT CITY..119 HISTORY OF THE TOW NSUIPS. Township of Flint..183 "t Fenton.193 "i Grand Blanc.237 " Atlas.251 Flus-hing.264 Mundy.280 Argentine.303 " Mount Morr'is.312 Genesee.321 " Gaines.334 " Burton.342 Clayton.355 ' ~ Vienna.367 Thetford.379 " Davison.398 Richfield.406 " Forest.423 Montrose.441 23IOO-iE1:RAiEKHP I O A TJLJ PAGE lion. Edward 1I. Thomson.... fac in o 130 Chauncey S. Payne..... 140 CGrant Decker.... " 144 E. H. MNcQui...... 152 James Van Vicet15 Elias J. h3uip..... 160 George Crocker 1.... 68o Jeremy R. Chambhers...... 172 George 'E. Taylor..... 176 Win. M. Fenton..... 178 Gen. M. D. McAlester.... 179 Guv. II. H. Crapo..... 179 lion. Alexander MeFarlans... 180 lion. Josiah W. Begole..... 181 George M. Dewey....182 Ira D. Wright..... acing, 1 84 Stewart Ii. Webster..... 186 Anson Gilhert.... " 188 Rohert P. Aitken..... 190 Frederick A. Ilegole..... 191 G. J. W. Hill..... 192 Jerome Z. Fairhank..... 235 Seth C. Sadler...... 6 George W. Berryman..... 236 Charles DeWitt Gibson.... facing 238 Silas D. Halsey." 240 Simeon M. Perry..... 247 Gurdon G. Cook..... 248 Michael Ferguson..... 249 Caleh S. Thompson... 249 Lewis 0. Medhury E ar E. Stinison Stephen Jordan. The McNeil Family Jonathan Frost. The Carpenter Family Jeremiah Narrin Henry French. Ehenezer French Daniel Cotcher. John Paton. Thomas H. Kelland Andrew F. Sutton Alexander Barher Josiah Alger and family Morgan Baldwin Peter Hempsted. Ehenezer Bishop John L. Jennings John Slaght. William I. Williams Volney Stiles. Henry H. Howland Samuel W. Alger John Reid. Nathan W. Selden Chauncey L. Badgley John B. Cochran Lorenzo C. Fletcher John Boyd. PAGE.~259.~260.~260.~261.262.~263.~263.~276 277.~277.~278.~278.~279.~279 hetween 282, 283.~295.~296.~296.~297 298.~298.~299.300.~301.~301.~301.~302.~309.~310.~311 6 CONTENTS. BIOG RA:P10 IA: ------ I Lewis Lahring. William T. Jennings David Brooks Richard Johnson William S. Pierson Henry D. Hunt Henry B. Diller. George W. Hovey Simon King John Woolfitt Walter Knickerbocker Henry Knickerbocker Whitman F. Clapp Hiram H. Bardwell, M.D.. The Atherton Family Pliny A. Skinner Daniel W. Richards Ira Chase John C. Wolverton Paul E. Traynor Peter Lennon. Caleb Calkins Michael McEnrue James Penoyer PAGE 311 Isaac Lyons.311 Michael Donahoo 311 James L. Curry 320 David S. Halsted between 322, 323 Milton B. Stage. " 328, 329 Crawford Barkley 332 Frederick S. Taylor 332 Nahum N. Wilson.'332 Charles M. Bouttell. 333 Jacob W. Sharick 333 William Green facin 333 Franklin E. Dodge 333 George Geiger, Jr. 33:.3 William II. Long.348 Daniel F. Bennett 351 Jacob Kurtz 351 Henry Drudge 352 Amasa Carrier 353 Jacob W. White..363 Simeon R. Billings 363 Frederick Olds. facing 363 Chauncey W. Seeley.364 Seymour W. Ensign, Sr..364 PAGE.365.366. 377. 377. 378 390.391. 391.392. 392. 393.393.394.394 395.395.395.396. 396 421. 422. 439 446 IL S TT r-R 1 TIO2 TS. PAGE Outline Map of Genesee County (colored).. facing 9 Copy of the Surveyed Plat of Indian Reservations. " 24 FLINT CITY. Residence of David McNeil (with portraits) " Joseph P. Cook " the late Michael Ferguson Portraits of Simeon M. Perry and Wife "t C. S. Thompson " ATLAS TOWNSHIP. PAGE facing 242 " 244 " 246. 248. 250 View of HIigh-School Building. Portrait of John Todd Residence of J. W. Begole (double-page view) " J. B. Atwood Portrait of Hon. E. H. Thomson Stone's Woolen Mills (double-page view) Portrait of Chauncey S. Payne. " Grant Decker. Portraits of E. H. McQuigg and Wife " James Van Vleet " " Elias J. Bump " Portrait of George Crocker Portraits of J. R. Chambers and Wife Portrait of George E. Taylor " Henry HI. Crapo (steel) " Alexander McFarlan (steel) " J. W. Begole " " G. M. Dewey " FLINT TOWNSHIP. Portraits of Ira D. Wright and Wife. "' S. H. Webster and Wife " Anson Gilbert ". " Robert P. Aitken " " G. J. W. till " filcing 119.121 between 122, 123 facing 126 " 130 between 136, 137 facing 140 " 144 " 152 " 156 " 160 " 168 " 172 " 176 " 179 " 180 " 181 " 182 facing 184 " 186 " 188 191.192 Residence of the late Jonathan Frost (with portraits) facing 251 " John L. McNeil (with portraits).. 252 i" Stephen Jordan " ". " 254 " J. Narrin.... 256 " Lewis O. Medbury (double-page view) between 258, 259 " E. E. Stimson, with portraits (double-page view) between 260, 261 " W. M. Carpenter (double-page view). " 262, 263 FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. Exchange Hotel. Residence of W. D. Penoyer " John Paton (with portraits) " William Schram " T. H. Kelland " A. F. Sutton. " James W. Graham (with portraits) Portrait of Henry French. Residence of Daniel Cotcher (with portraits) Portraits of Ebenezer French and Wife Residence of the late Alex. Barber (with portraits) MUNDY TOWNSHIP. facing 264 " 264 " 266 " 268 " 270 " 272 " 274. 276 facing 277. 277 facing 278 FENTON TOWNSHIP. Portrait of Jerome Z. Fairbank. " Seth C. Sadler. Residence of G. W. Berryman (with portraits). between 234, 235 " 234, 235 " 234, 235 Residence of A. W. Alger. " Wm. R. Alger (with portraits) Portraits of Josiah and Josiah H. Alger Residence of Wm. I. Williams (with portraits) " John L. Jennings " " Peter Hempsted " " C. L. Badgley (with portraits) Portrait of Morgan Baldwin " Ebenezer Bishop facing 280 between 282, 283 " 282, 283 facing 284 " 286 " 288 facing 290. 295. 297 GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. Residence of Hon. A. P. Davis... facing 237 Portraits of Chas. D. Gibson and Wife. " 238 " Silas D. Halsey ".. " 240 CONTENTS. I j I T S TR A T I 0 I S 7 PAGE Portraits of John Slaght and Wife... 298 Portrait of Volney Stiles... 299 Res. of H. H. Howland, with port's (double-page view) bet. 300, 301 Portrait of John Reid... 301 Portraits of N. W. Seldon and Wife...... 302 ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP. Residence of the late John Boyd, Sr.. facing 303 i" W. T. Jennings, with portraits (double-page view) between 304, 305 " Lewis Lahring " " (double-page view) between 306, 307 " L C. Fletcher " ". facing 308 Portraits of John B. Cochran and Wife.. " 310 " David Brooks and Wife. ' 310 MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP. Portraits of P. Atherton, J. C. Atherton, and S. I and Wife Residence of D. W. Richards (with portraits). Portraits of Ira Chase and Wife CLAYTON TOWNSIIP. Residence of Michael McEnrue. " Michael Donahoo. " Peter Lennon (with portraits) " Paul E. Traynor " " James Penoyer Portraits of Caleb Calkins and Wife. Portrait of Isaac Lyons VIENNA TOWNSHIP. Residence of' 1). S. IHalsted " Jamles L. Curry (with poltraits) Portraits of Milton B. Stage and Wife t. 4therton facing.~. PAGE 348 350 353 facing 'i (i Is4 (; 355 355 356 358 360 363 365 facing.. 367 377 378 Residence of Charles Johnson facing 3-912 GENESEE TOWNSHIP. " J. W. Wilkerson... facing 321 " the late W. S. Pierson (with portraits) between 322, 323 THETFORD TOWNSHIP. Residence of N. N. Wilson (with portraits).. facing 379 " C. M. Bouttell " (double-page view) " Walter Knickerbocker " John Woolfitt " Win. F. Clapp (with portraits) "t Dr. I. H. Bardwell (with portrait) Portraits of H1. D. Hunt and Wife Residence of Henry B. Diller (with portraits) " of W. Il. Hovey Portraits of G. W. Hovey and Wife. <" Simon King " " Ienry Knickerbocker and Wife Residence of William Johnson. GAINES TOWNSHIP. Residence of Putnam Burton BURTON TOWNSHIP. Residence of P. A. Skinner (with portraits) " IHenry Schram " John C. Wolverton " Robert Chambers " 324, 325 " 324, 325 facing 326 between 328, 329 " 28, 329 facing 330 between 332, 333 " 332, 333 " 332, 333 facing 333 " 334 facing 3"34 facing 342 " 344 346 346,' J. W. White c" D. F. Bennett (with portraits) " Jacob W. Sharick " " J. G. Geiger " " Crawford Barkley i" F. S. Taylor Portraits of Win. Green and Wife Residence of Win. 11. Long " F. E. Dodge. " Henry Drudge Portraits of Ainasa Carrier and Wife Residence of Jacob Kurtz (with portraits) between 380, facing facing facing c i facing 38-1 382 384 386 388 390 392 393 394 394 395 396 396 RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP. Residence of Hon. S. R. Billings. Portraits of Frederick Olds and Wife.. FOREST TOWNSHIP. Portraits of Chauncey W. Seeley and Wife facing 421.422.439 I ;; I - - - -, I I - -- - I A W R A N GE I V. EAST!-IR Ir t -ii-' - 3j - (, MI6 fOU ~ j COUNTY RAN G VI. EAST 1 'B"~ T U S CO L A RA N GE VII. EAST ffi # B it z I I t._ RAN GE -'- -. I1 r CO U NT Y VIII. EAST C/. t I 204 0 -2_ - 77 '2 S7 78 9; i 1 8 9 0 ^ 1? 8 7 72 1 r o. ' Vl \ \ ^ t'~~~~~~~RANDYIl / __ __ __ __ __ _ -- __^ _I Z - __ __cc 4L - - 7 14 3 7 18 H 16 13 74 /3 s e; ATME7 FOD C ER PC_.HENP K EL M 0 S E was e V)5 4 c r 1 I MONTROS GRl~ U PO. W T C0, 2a9 - 22 23 2-9 Q En 1 9 20 27 22 20 272 23 2' I2SVIL PO. 33 4o 29 z2 2 2 2 3 3 29 27 Z 30 29 29 7 28$ 30 24 22 2 26 02 3 3* 2.( 3 32 33.4 25 36 30 32 33 4 3S 7 J 34 126 0c G O U 94 2 i isE L,4D 73k.. u 79 79- 76i s I B D R a 9 a P f l r7 73 7 7z 76 i 74 73 73 77 919 2 2 1 / JE N 227' 22 22 23 19 0.2 8 2 2 23 Z7 2 27 263 ____ 0F 2 2 26 8 FLU g 0s 2 -9 l 2 ~ 't0, 29 ) -48 27 2 2 5I n301 27 2 t 3 y 14 32 34 33 3657. 1 3 2 36 37 3, t M3 3 36: 3.,. POR~ RELA T IN DAY PO f~ lPOR1~ i- 19-U 3q771 t 22( 4 SD) 22 3al z 2o 7t 22 24" ~79 I1~zs 27 I 22 2s 24 t~ 4 >11 _430 3l t 330 34J1 35 36 I, ( 2 1 -13 31 32 LY 3r 3t I 32II 2: ~ R I I R H - N- 0 1 6 3 I 19 7714. 78 A kGL 27 79 'IO 2 79 A7 1 191 t 74 32 N h 3 1 32 33 34 3 5 33 36 3 1 6 -3Z 35\LL;JZ~~ 61 Z 1j 2 HsW~_;I" Zit ci?, paj I 0 I I I j 141 311 2 7 4 6 -- i a 7 ' —, — -\I_ E I * 0 0y4 ' <,f be. -73 o.1 bI A..0 7t1 G AN N 79 20 24 28 30 2 29 0 2 2;: g_e.| ^ fi — '' 't t t I - I It I 1 — 4, A ki S, 1 O D G O. -? M1 AP OF —_ -71,-M-c HI CAN.- - ENGRAVED EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK I-_ —_ --- —-- ** it Ie II I I I O i I I I I - I mm- 0 ", HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. BY FRANKLIN ELLIS. CHAPTER I. LOCATION AND NATURAL FEATURES OF GENESEE COUNTY. GENESEE is an interior county of Michigan, situated in the southeastern part of the lower peninsula of the State; its capital city, Flint, which is also nearly its territorial centre, being in latitude 43~ 1' north, and longitude 83~ 4' west; distant sixty-four miles in a northwesterly direction from Detroit, fifty miles east-northeast from the State capital, and sixty-six miles west from the outlet of Lake Huron, by the customary routes of travel. The counties which join this and form its several boundaries are, Saginaw and Tuscola on the north, Lapeer and Oakland on the east, Oakland and Livingston on the south, and Shiawassee and Saginaw on the west. The limits of Genesee include eighteen townships of the United States survey, sixteen of which (being Nos. 6, 7, 8, and 9 north, in ranges 5, 6, 7, and 8 east) lie together in form of a square; and the two remaining townships (5 north, of ranges 5 and 6 east) join the square, upon the west half of its south line. Thus the aggregate area is nearly 415,000 acres. More than three-fourths of this area, embracing all the central and western parts of the county, is underlaid by the vast coal measures, which occupy a space of nearly seven thousand square miles in the centre of the lower peninsula; comprehending, besides Genesee, the counties of Saginaw, Shiawassee, Clinton, Ionia, Montcalm, Gratiot, Isabella, and Midland, and the greater part of Tuscola, Ingham, Eaton, and Bay, with considerable portions of Livingston and Jackson. " Over nearly the whole of this extent of country, the [coal] measures will be found productive." This is the prediction made by Dr. Alexander Winchell, State Geologist, in his " Report of the Progress of the Geological Survey of Michigan," made to Governor Wisner, in December, 1860; from which document is also extracted the following, having reference to Genesee County: "Between Ingham and Genesee Counties the boundary of the coal formation has not been traced. In the southwestern part of the township of Mount Morris, and contiguous portions of Flushing, in the latter county, according to the observations of Dr. Miles, the shales and sandstones of the coal measures make numerous outcrops. On the southeast quarter of section 26, Flushing, the following section is observed in the bank of the Flint River: 2., "Superficial materials................................. 4 feet. Black shale, containing Lingula, OCronetes,S'mithii, Productls Afsperus, and Spirifer amneratits...................,............. 3 feet. Sandstone, tinged with iron...................... 7 inches. Shale................................................... 1 foot. Sandstone........................................... 3 inches. Shale to surface of water........................... 10 inches. "A short distance west of here the section is seen to be extended upwards by the superposition of seven inches of sandstone and five feet of an overlying shale. The bed of the river here is covered by a somewhat undulating and shattered gray sandstone, which is considerably quarried for building. At a point on the northeast quarter of section 35, Flushing, a sandstone was seen to attain a thickness of about-twelve feet, in an excavation made by Mr. Miles. " On the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 22, Flushing, a shaft was sunk on the farm of A. J. Brown, of which the following account was obtained: 'Superficial materials........................... 14 feet. Sandstone, below, bluish, gritty............... 8 " Coal.................................................... 2~ inches. Horseback Claystone' (Blackband)........... 2 feet. Same with kidney iron-ore...................... 2 " Shale.................................................. 5 " Sandstone and salt water......................... 3 " Shale.................................................. 4 " ' Black hard stone,' combustible............... 4 ". W hite fire-clay.................................... 2 " Iard white sandstone............................. 2 " Darker sandstone................................... unknown. Striped sandstone................................. 3 feet. Shale.................................................. unknown. 'Coalblaz6,' with bands of iron-ore........... 11 feet. "A small hole was bored from this point to a depth of twelve feet in the last-named material, making the whole depth attained eighty-three feet. The work seems to have been directed by ' Prof. Challis.' The shaft is now filled with salt water. "Coal crops out at numerous places in the vicinity. It is said sometimes to show a thickness of two or three feet at the outcrop, but soon thins out. "Mr. Patton, on the east side of the river, near the south line of section 22, made an excavation for coal, and found a seam eighteen inches thick, which is tolerably hard. The sandstone taken from the quarry above Flushing is a pale bluish rock, abounding in scales of white mica, ferruginous streaks, pyrites, carbonaceous streaks and curls, and much oblique lamination. What is quite remarkable, I saw in a block of this stone, in the vault of the bank, in Flint, a long club of fibrous talcose slate, a mineral said to occur in con siderable abundance. This rock does not answer t the 10 I HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN... -- characters of the Woodville sandstone at any point where its identity is undoubted, and I am induced to regard it as a sandstone included in the coal measures. If it is so, this is the only instance within my knowledge where any of the included sandstones have attained sufficient development to be worked. It is likely, however, that the gray, homogeneous, fine, gritty, faintly-banded sandstone, found within a mile or two of the city of Lansing, will be found to hold the same position. Sandstone-not unlikely the Woodville sandstone-is found outcropping in the township of Montrose, on the borders of Saginaw County." The centre of the great coal measures of the lower peninsula falls nearly on the boundary between Gratiot and Saginaw Counties, and it is only their southeastern edge which falls within the county of Genesee. Next east of these appears the belt of the Parma sandstone, which traverses the entire eastern side of the county from south to north; and next is found the belt of carboniferous limestone, which extends only a short distance into two or three of the townships in the southeastern corner. Very few geological developments have been made in the county, and the student of the science finds little here of sufficient interest to reward research or exploration. Genesee County lies entirely within the Saginaw Valley, upon a slope which has a general inclination towards the northwest. The greatest altitude is at the southeast corner of the county, it being there about four hundred feet above Lake Huron, and about nine hundred and eighty feet above the sea. From that point the descent is gradual and regular (leaving out of account the surface undulations) to the extreme northwest corner, where the altitude is but about fifty feet above the lake. At the northeastern and southwestern corners of the county the elevation is nearly the same, being about two hundred and fifty feet above Huron. All the waters of the county find their outlet to the lake through the channel of the Saginaw River. The principal stream of Genesee is the Flint River,* which, taking its rise in the east and northeast, in the counties of Tuscola, Oakland, and Lapeer, comes from the last-named county into Genesee across its eastern boundary, north of the centre, and, flowing thence in a grand irregular sweep or curve for a distance of nearly fifty miles within the county, passes out across its northern border, and then on through Saginaw County to its junction with the Shiawassee. In its course through Genesee the Flint River flows first in a general southwesterly course to a point near the geographical centre of the county, where it turns abruptly towards the northwest, and continues in that general direction until it has approached to within about three miles of the west boundary; then turns, and flows in a general course nearly due north to the place of its exit, which is about two and a half miles east of the northwest corner of the county. Of the tributary streams which Genesee gives to the Flint, * The Indian name of this stream was Pewconigowink, or, as it has sometimes been written, Peweonnlukeniilng, which, being translated, means "River of the Flint" (literally, "River of the Fire Stone"), from which came its name in English. Among the early French traders and coureurs des bois it was known as " Riviere de la Pierre," this having nearly the same signification. the most important are Kearsley Creek and Thread River, both of which come from a number of small lakes in Oakland County; both enter Genesee near its southeast corner, and flow northwestwardly in very tortuous courses to near its centre, where they unite with the main river; the Thread being augmented a short distance above its confluence with the Flint by the waters.of Swartz Creek, which also takes its rise in numerous lakes in Oakland and in the southwest part of Genesee County, and flows north and northeast to its junction with the larger stream. The tributaries above mentioned all enter the Flint through its left bank. The principal of those entering from the opposite side are Butternut Creek, which comes in from the northeast corner, and Armstrong Creek and 4rent's Run, which are wholly in Genesee, and enter the dver in the northwesternmost township. Pine Ran has'its sources in the northern part of this county, but enters tbi Flint several miles below, in Saginaw. A large number of lakes are found within the county, chiefly in its southern and eastern parts. Among those which lie in the two southernmost townships are Long, Silver, Crooked, Pine, Mud, Lobdell, Squaw, McKane, Bass, McCaslin, Hibbard's, Loon, White's, Byram, Murray, Day's, Thompson's, Myers, Ball, and Openconic Lakes, with a large number of smaller ones, all beautiful sheets of pure, limpid water. Most of these contribute to swell the waters of the main stream and several branches of the Shiawassee River, which flows westwardly for several miles through this part of Genesee, then passes into and across Shiawassee County on its way to join its current with those of the Flint, the Cass, and the Tittabawassee. In the extreme northeast corner of Genesee (and extending across the line into Lapeer County) is Otter Lake, which is the source of Butternut Creek. At more southerly points on the east line of the county are Potter and Hasler Lakes, both of which are also partly in Lapeer. The latter discharges its waters through Hasler Creek into the Flint, and the former is the source of Black Creek, a tributary to the Kearsley, which is also partially supplied by Neshinaguac Lake, near the southeast corner of the county. Buell's Lake, near the northern border, is the head of Perry's Creek, which flows north and joins the Cass River in Tuscola County. The surface of Genesee can nowhere be termed hilly, but is generally undulating, though flattening considerably towards the northwest. The parts which are most rolling were originally covered with open forests, principally of oak, which were (and still are, where they remain) called " oak openings." The more level portions were generally covered with a denser and heavier forest, composed of oak, elm, hickory, beech, maple, ash, and a variety of other woods, interspersed in many places with pine of large growth and excellent quality, which, by its manufacture into lumber, has added largely to the wealth of the county. The soil of the rolling country is a sandy or gravelly loam; that of the flatter lands is intermixed with clay and less friable, but in nearly every part very productive and well adapted for the requirements of the farmer. In agriculture Genesee stands in the foremost rank among the counties of the State. I +L THE WHITE MAN'S PREDECESSORS IN THE SAGINAW VALLEY., 11. CHAPTER II. THE WHITE MAN'S PREDECESSORS IN THE SAGINAW VALLEY. Ancient Mounds and Relics-The Sauks, and their Expulsion by the Chippewas-Early Indian Traders-Jacob Smith. ANCIENT MOUNDS AND RELICS. IN hundreds of different localities in Michigan, and, indeed, through all or nearly all the States lying between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi, there have been found indisputable evidences that, centuries before the advent of the white man into this western land, its valleys and hills and forests had been inhabited by tribes, or nations of people, who were either the remote ancestors of the later Indians who were found in occupation, or, perhaps, of a race which is now extinct and unknown. Many such evidences were found by the early settlers in Genesee County (as in every other part of the Saginaw Valley), chiefly in the form of ancient mounds of earth, which appeared to have been constructed for purposes of sepulture, as in nearly or quite every instance they were found to contain human bones,-sometimes sound and well preserved, but oftener in a condition of such friability that the lightest touch, or even exposure to the air, reduced them to fine powder; the latter circumstance seeming to indicate a very ancient period of inhumation. And with these were sometimes found rude implements and parts of warlike weapons, which may or may not have been significant of the rank or consequence of the person with whom they were buried. Instances are mentioned as having been noticed in the county, where the bones found were of unusually large size; one of these cases being that of a colossal skeleton, which was discovered some two or three feet below the surface, and was disinterred by workmen engaged in construct. ing a road across Crane's Cove, on the west side of Long Lake, in the fall of 1877, and another instance in the east part of the county, where a number of skeletons (also of very large size) were found buried in a circle directly beneath the stump of a gigantic pine-tree of the oldest growth; but in both these cases the finding of the bones was wholly accidental, as there was no mound or other surface-mark to indicate the places of burial. Many of the ancient mounds discovered in Ohio, Illinois, and other States seem to have been intended as defensive works; and in their construction, as well as in the material and finish of the implements, pottery, and weapons found within them, there appears the work of a people who, in enlightenment, engineering, and mechanical skill, must have been very far in advance of the later Indians to whom we are accustomed to apply the name of aborigines. But the pre-historic works found in Genesee County were not of this class; they were in every case (it is believed) simply sepulchral mounds, inclosing the bones and relics of a race that may have been identical with that which the first white settlers found in possession of the soil. There appears to have been nothing in the construction of the mounds, or in the mechanism or material of the implements discovered here, to compel a belief that either were the work of a superior people. That any race of men different from the Indian ever had a home in the valley of the Saginaw is only rendered probable from the disclosure of skeletons, represented to have been of unusual size; and it is not impossible that even this peculiarity (in the absence of actual measurement) may have been unintentionally exaggerated on account of the atmosphere of mystery and romance which surrounded their discovery. They may have been the remains of Toltec or Aztec mound-builders, or they may have been those of the ancestors of Pontiac or Tecumsch. It is a question which can never be satisfactorily settled, and which, beyond the facts of the discovery of the tumuli and their mysterious contents, is not properly within the scope of this history. THE SAUKS AND TIEIR EXPULSION BY THE CEIIPPEWAS. When the first white explorers penetrated this wilderness region, they found it peopled by bands of both the Chippewa and Ottawa nations of Indians, though the former were by far the more numerous here, and have generally been mentioned in Indian history, and recognized in all subsequent treaties as the original proprietors of the country bordering on the Saginaw and its tributaries, and of the vast territory stretching away from thence northwestwardly to Lake Superior. According to their own traditions, however (which, in this particular, are supported to some extent by authentic history), their proprietorship was of but comparatively recent date. They said that, within the memory of some of their old men, all these streams and woods and hunting-grounds, this Indian paradise of fish and deer and beaver, was the home and possession of the Saculs and Onottoways (a kindred people), who lived near together in neighborly amity, and, both being strong and valiant tribes, and confederated for mutual defense, they felt perfectly secure in their fancied ability to hold their country against all invading enemies. The Sauks were the more numerous, and occupied the valleys of the Tittabawassee, the Flint, and the Shiawassee, their domain extending as far south as the head-waters of the latter stream, along the present southern boundaries of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties. The Onottoways lived in the valley of the Onottoway-Sebewing, or Cass River, and had their principal village a few miles above the mouth of tha stream, nearly where is now the-village of Bridgeport Centre, and where, as late as 1810, a large earthen work was still visible, though whether built by these people or by their successors, the Clhippewas, is, of course, a matter of doubt. The chief village of the Saucks was on the west side of the Saginaw River, opposite where Portsmouth now stands; but they had other small villages or encampments at different points on the rivers, and as far up as the lakes of Genesee and Livingston Counties. Both these tribes appear to have possessed warlike traits, and were not only disposed to hold and defend their own country, but sometimes engaged in aggressive expeditions against the tribes whose country adjoined theirs on the north and south, which tribes, as a consequence, both feared and hated them. Particularly was this the case with the Ojibways (Ch'i)vpeas), who then inhabited a region far away to the north, bordering on the lakes,-Miclhigan Huron, and Superior. This nation had for years coveted the teeming hunting-grounds of the Sauks, and it had long .12 HIS' TORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. been a cherished project with them to conquer and exterminate the prosperous tribes who held the Saginaw Valley, and the country stretching thence, for many a league, towards the north and west. But they dreaded the power and prowess of their enemies, and this consideration held them in check until their ambitious desires could be controlled no longer, and, at last, they determined to attempt the execution of the plan of invasion and conquest which they had so long secretly entertained. To this end they held council with the Ottawas of the north (whose country was contiguous to their own), and sent messengers to the southern Ottawas (whose domain lay along the northern border of that of the Pottawattamies), asking them to join in an expedition for the humiliation of the Saukcs and Onottoways and the occupation of their hunting-grounds. The proposition was favorably received, the league was formed, and the confederated bands set out on the war-path with great secrecy, hoping to take their enemies by surprise,-a hope that was fully realized. As to the manner in which the attack was made, the traditional accounts differed to some extent; but that which seems the most complete and reasonable was nearly as follows: The invaders entered the country of the doomed tribes in two columns,-one, composed of the southern Ottawas, coming through the woods from the direction of Detroit, and the other, made up of the Chippewas and northern Ottawas, setting out in canoes from Mackinaw, proceeding down along the western shores of Lake Huron and the bay of Saginaw, paddling by night, and lying concealed in the woods by day. When the canoe fleet reached a point a few miles above the mouth of Saginaw River, half theforce was landed; and the remainder, boldly striking across the bay in the night-time, disembarked at a place about the same distance below the mouth of the Saginaw. Then, in darkness and stealth, the two detachments glided up through the woods on both sides of the river, and fell upon the unsuspecting Sauks like panthers upon their prey. The principal village-situated on the west side of the riverwas first attacked; many of its people were put to the tomahawk, and the remainder were driven across the river to another of their villages, which stood on the eastern bank. Here they encountered the body of warriors who had moved up on that side of the river, and a desperate fight ensued, in which the Sauks were again routed, with great loss. The survivors then fled to a small island in the Saginaw, where they believed themselves safe, at least for the time, for their enemies had no canoes in the river. But here again they had deluded themselves, for in the following night ice was formed of sufficient strength to enable the victorious Chippewas to cross to the island. This opportunity they were not slow to avail themselves of, and then followed another massacre, in which, as one account says, the males were killed, to the last man, and only twelve women were spared out of all who had fled there for safety. So thickly was the place strewn with bones and skulls of the massacred Sauks, that it became known as Skull Island.* * Mr. Ephraim S. Williams, one of the oldest and most respected oitizens of Flint, but formerly of Saginaw City, verifies this statement.l He has often visited the island in earlier years, and has seen numbers of skulls exhumed from its soil. After completing their bloody work on the Saginaw, the invading army was divided into detachments, which severally proceeded to carry destruction to the villages on the Shiawassee, Tittabawassee, Cass, and Flint Rivers. Meanwhile, the co-operating force of Ottawas, coming in from the south, struck the Flint River near its southernmost bend, and a desperate battle was fought between them and the Sanks, upon the bluff bank of the river, about a half-mile below the present city of Flint. Here the Sacks suffered a severe defeat, and retreated down the river to a point about one mile above where the village of Flushing now is; and there another battle was fought,t as bloody and disastrous as the first. Still another deadly struggle took place on the Flint, a little north of the present boundary between Gencsee and Saginaw Counties; and on this field, as on the others, the bones of the slain were found many years afterwards. Equally murderous work was done by the bands which scoured the valleys of the Shiawassee and the Cass, and everywhere the result was the same,the utter rout and overthrow of the Sauks, only a miserable remnant of whom made their escape, and, finally, by some means, succeeded in eluding their relentless foes, and gained the shelter of the dense wilderness west of Lake Michigan.4 After the Sauks had been thus utterly crushed, and their villages destroyed, the victorious allies did not immediately settle in the conquered territory, but held it as a common ground for the range of their hunting-parties. After a time they found that some of the young men who went out with those parties did not return, and could never be heard of, and then it became their firm belief that the dim recesses of these forests were haunted by the spirits of the murdered Sauks, who had come back to their former hunting-grounds to take vengeance on their merciless destroyers. And the result of the belief (so said the tradition) was that they abandoned this inviting region, and for years their hunters and fishermen avoided its haunted woods and streams, although the thickets swarmed with game and the waters were alive with fish. No one can say how long their superstitious terrors prevailed, but it is certain that they were overcome at last, and the Chippewa and Ottawa tribes built their lodges in the land which their bloody hands had wrenched from its rightful possessors. Those who came to the valley of the Saginaw, however, were principally Chippewas, and from that time the Indian inhabitants of this region were known as the Saginaw tribe of the Chippewa nation. They possessed all the characteristics of the parent stock, and, until they were overawed and cowed by the power of the whites, they showed a disposition as fierce and turbulent as that of their kindred, the Ojibwoys of Lake Superior, t At both these places were found a. number of mounds covering human bones. These were visible within the past few years, and have been seen by many persons now living in the county. $ One of the Indian accounts of this sanguinary campaign was to the effect that no Sank or Onottoway warrior escaped; that of all the people of the Saginaw Valley not one was spared except the twelve women before mentioned, and that these were sent westward and placed among the tribes beyond the Mississippi. This, however, was unquestionably an exaggeration made by the boastful Chippelw.s; and it is certain that a part of the Scaks escaped beyond the lake. THE WHITE MAN'S PREDECESSORS IN THE SAGINAW VALLEY. 13 - =aww._ who massacred the garrison of Fort Michilimackinac, in 1763. The country of the Saginaws was then an almost inaccessible fastness, and from this their warriors continually forayed against the unprotected settlements on the Detroit, St. Clair, and Iuron Rivers; and many were the scalps and captives which they brought back from these hostile expeditions. They joined the Indian league which was formed in 1786 in the interest of the British, for the purpose of destroying the American settlements and driving them beyond the Ohio River, and they took part with the other tribes in the hostilities which continued until checked by the victorious campaign of General Anthony Wayne. Again, when the Shlawanese chieftain, Tecumseh, and his brother, the " Prophet" Elkswatawa, instigated by the British, sent forth their emissaries to ask the cooperation of the northern and western tribes in a project to exterminate the white settlements within the Northwest Territory, the Saginaw Chlippewas were found ready and willing to join the league; and they continued among the most active of all the Indian allies of the English during the war of 1812-15. EARLY INDIAN TRADERS-JACOB SMITH. Up to this time it is probable that not more than a dozen white men had ever penetrated into the country of the Saginaws. They may have been visited by the enterprising and adventurous priests from the Recollet Mission at the foot of Lake Huron, but such is not known to be the fact. It is known, however, that, some time before the commencement of the present century, a French trader named Bolieu (named, in Indian, Kasegans) came among them, and lived at different points on the Flint and Saginaw Rivers; that he married a full-blood Chli)pewa woman, by whom he became the father of a number of half-breed children,* one of whom, in after-years, was a claimant to one of the Indian reservations in Genesee County. There is little doubt that (with the possible exception of a priest or two, as above mentioned) this trader, Bolieu, with perhaps two or three assistants, or coureurs lde boist (forest-runners), were the first men of European descent who ever set foot upon the wilderness domain of the Saginaw COhippcwas. There was another French trader, however, named Tremble (frequently corrupted to Tromnbley), who came to Saginaw very soon after Bolieu, but it is not shown that he was located anywhere else in the Indian country than at that point. -' The facts of Bolieu's residence among the Saginaws at the time mentioned, of his marriage with the Indian woman, who was a near relative of the Saginaw chief Neome, and of the rearing of his halfbreed family, were afterwards shown in a noted case of litigation (Dewey vs. Campau), involving the title to a part of the site of the city of Flint. t In mentioning this class of men, Judge Campbell, in his Political History of Michigan, says, " Many of these were of the lower classes, and dropped readily into the ways of the Indians, adopting their habits, and becoming adherents to the tribes. But there were many also of respectable connections, who betook themselves to a wandering life of hunting and trading, partly from love of adventure and partly because they could find no other means of livelihood. There is no reason to regard them as a despicable or essentially vicious race." They were generally employed by the early Indian traders to assist in the transportation of their merchandise through the woods, etc. Perhaps the next (and certainly one among the earliest) of the traders who came into these wilds was Jacob Smith, a man who should receive more than a cursory mention, not only because he was brave, true, and nobly generous in all his impulses, honest and benevolent in his dealings with the Indians of this valley, to a degree which gave him a firmer hold on their esteem and confidence than has ever been enjoyed by any other white man, but because, although an alien by birth, he was warmly devoted to the cause of America, an officer under her banner, one who braved great personal peril in her service, and gave his property, as he also risked his life, to rescue prisoners from the hands of their savage captors, and because his name is intimately connected with the early history of the region which is now partially included in Genesce County. He was of German parentage or descent, and a native of the city of Quebec, Canada. His enterprising and adventurous spirit drew him to the western frontier, and in the early years of the present century we find him, with a wife and several children, located in Detroit, as the base of his trading operations. He came among the Indians of the Saginaw before the beginning of the war of 1812, at a time when their hostile disposition had been wrought up to a high pitch by the machinations of Tecumseh. At this time, however, he was not permanently established among them, but merely made periodical visits to their country fiom his home at Detroit. On the breaking out of the war, in 1812, it became a matter of' importance to know what position the Saginaw tribe would take in the contest, and Jacob Smith undertook the task of gaining such information by going to their villages, ostensibly on a trading expedition, but really with the object above named, though it was necessary to the success of his mission, as well as for his own safety, that this object should remain unknown and unsuspected by the Indians. He arrived safely at their main settlement on the Saginaw, but soon after reaching there the tongue of one of his two assistants became loosened by a too free use of the treacherous whisky, and while thus off his guard he incautiously divulged the secret which should have been jealously guarded. Upon learning that the trader, whom they knew to be a British subject, had now come among them as a spy, in the interest of the Americans, they became so greatly infuriated that it was only by instant flight that Smith and one of his assistants were finally enabled to escape with their lives. Abandoning the merchandise, they leaped on their horses and sped away with all possible rapidity on the southern trail, up the valley of the Flint, fording the river where Flint City now stands, and thence flying on through the woods and openings towards Detroit. All this time the Indians were in pursuit and gradually gaining ground. On reaching the Big Springs (in the present town of Groveland, Oakland County) the fugitives found themselves so hard pressed that, in order to embarrass their fierce pursuers, they separated, one continuing on the trail to the Clinton River, the other striking more towards the south, and by this means they finally escaped unharmed, except that Mr. Smith, in riding through a thicket, receivcd a permanent injury to one of his eyes. The assist ant whom they were compelled to leave behind lost his life, and the goods were of course a total loss; but the main 14 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, object of Mr. Smith's mission was accomplished, for he had the Indian ascertained the disposition and intentions of the Saginaws there were most conclusively. ship of the Either before, or immediately after, this expedition, he was made a captain in the United States service, and was present, under General Hull, at the disgraceful surrender of Detroit. By reason of this surrender he experienced heavy losses, for which he was never reimbursed by the government. During the war which succeeded, he on sev- THE SAG eral occasions rendered admirable service by procuring the liberation of prisoners who had been taken by the Indians. Story of the One of these cases was that of a family named Boyer, whose dwelling on Clinton River had been burned and THE clos, themselves carried into captivity by the Saginaws. To discomfiture effect their release, Jacob Smith proceeded into the Indian marked the country, taking with him (loaded upon pack-horses) a large position of t quantity of goods, such as delight the hearts of Indians, to time their p be given as a ransom for the unfortunate prisoners. It was and demora a bold movement for one who had once been compelled to Indian's con fly for his life from these same Indians whom he now went white man's to seek in their stronghold; but it was just such an act as by the trade might have been expected from one of his brave and gen- States office erous nature. The Indians admired his fearlessness and Indian coui respected his mission, and the prisoners were released un- comparative harmed, former powe After the close of the war Mr. Smith continued to prose- to take the cute his traffic with the Indians, though he still had his ment of the residence in Detroit. But after the death of his wife, in justly forfei 1817, he became permanently established in the Saginaw ernment dui country, and passed most of his'time there during the re- Mr. Eph mainder of his life. In 1819 he located his store where many years Flint City now stands, and died there a little less than six and who alsc years afterwards. of the forme By the Indians he was known as Wahbesins (meaning good traits, "the young swan"), and his popularity and influence with sentatives of them was almost unbounded. He was kind and generous though he to them; he was unexcelled in bravery; and was the pos- this criticism sessor of physical qualities such as invariably elicit the red relates seem man's admiration. No Indian hunter was more skilled in curred in th woodcraft than he. He had to a great extent adopted it being met their dress and mode of life, and by his long intercourse of the Flint with them had become so familiar with their language that the scene) a he spoke it as fluently and perfectly as the Chippewas a large porti themselves. Among all the principal men of the tribe as among tl there were few, if any, who were not friends to Wahbe- to early Ind sins; and especially strong was the bond of amity between There liv him and old Neome, who was one of the most respected rior,-a mo and powerful of all the Suglnaw chiefs, but an honest, sim- waho, who, pie-minded, and peaceable man. The attachment which Red Bird (N existed between him and Jacob Smith was so strong that wassee. B for years after both were dead the Indians invariably spoke murdered m: of Neome and Wahbesins as brothers, whose friendship had and in this never been broken or clouded. to the sum] Conrad Ten Eyck was trading among the Styinaws nearly warrior rela as early as Jacob Smith. Louis Campau established him- receive their self as a trader among them in 1815. His brother, An- in turn delil toine, came about the same time, and Baptiste Cochios had struck, and his trading-post on the Flint. General Riley, of Schenec- still lived. tady, N. Y., commented trading here soon after the close started to re of the war of 1812-15, and several other traders were in met by anot MICHIGAN. country as early as 1820, but among all these none who ever held the confidence and friendnatives to an equal degree with Jacob Smith. CHAPTER III. INAW-CHIPPEWAS AFTER THE WAR OF 1812-15. Chief Nawahgo-Superstition of the Saginaws-The Chief Neome, and the Pewonigo band. e of the war of 1812-15, which resulted in the of Britain and her Indian allies, seems to have extinguishment of the fierce and warlike disthe Saginaw tribe of C/ippewas, and from that )rogress was rapid towards that state of decay lization which is invariably the result of the atact with the white race, and his access to the s whisky. When they began to be well known 3rs who followed Jacob Smith, and by the United ers and agents whose duties called them to the ntry, they were found to be a dispirited and ly harmless people, who, realizing that their er and prowess were broken, were little disposed war-path or wield the tomahawk for the enforceaboriginal rights which they knew had been ted by their acts of hostility against the govring the then recent war. rlaim S. Williams, now of Flint, who passed among these Indians subsequently to 1820, o knew the Chippewas of Lake Superior, says er that they were a people who possessed many but who, generally, were but degenerate repre-? the northern nation from whomr they sprung; knew many instances of individuals to whom nm would not apply. One incident which lie is not inappropriate to mention here, as it oce neighboring county of Saginaw, the actors in nbers of the same tribe who peopled the valley t, and Mr. Williams (who was an eye-witness of n old citizen of Genesee, personally known to ion of the people of this county, and recognized he best of authorities in all matters pertaining ian history. He tells the story as follows: ed upon the Saginaw a young Chippewa wardel of physical power and grace,-named Na-, in a quarrel, had killed a son of the old chief WVuzcobenasa), whose home was on the Tittabay Indian law and usage the relatives of the an might take the life of his slayer, in retaliation, case they demanded the forfeit. In response mons, Nawahgo presented himself before the itives of. his victim, and bared his breast to r blows. The avengers filed past him, and each vered a blow at his heart; but when all had Indian justice was sated, the young warrior Weak from his wounds and loss of blood, he 3turn to his wigwam, but on his way there was her Indian, who stabbed him in the back and THE SAGINAW-CHIPPEWAS AFTER THE WAR OF 1812-15. 15 left him there, believing that he had given a mortal wound. There he was found by his faithful wife, who had tracked him by the blood-marks. She succeeded in removing him to their lodge, bathed and bound up his wounds, and nursed him through weeks of prostration and suffering until at last he was completely restored to health. It was then his turn to demand and to take vengeance on the coward who had struck him in the back, and he did not long lack an opportunity, for he soon met his enemy in the huntingground, and drove a knife with sure aim to his heart. Not long after this, large numbers of Indians were assembled at Saginaw to receive a payment from the agents of the government, and on this occasion Black Beaver (a brother of one of the principal chiefs) reviled Nawahgo as a murderer for killing the Indian who had struck him in the back. The latter retorted that the act was justifiable, and that he had but killed a craven wretch who was unfit to live. Black Beaver reiterated the accusation in still more insulting terms, and then Nawahgo, fierce with anger, leaped upon him and slew him in his tracks. This took place upon the present site of East Saginaw. Nawahgo, immediately after the homicide, crossed to the west side of the river, where his own band were encamped, but here, under the white man's law, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and upon learning this he at once recrossed to the east side. "He sent word to two of his white friends, E. S. Williams and Antoine Campau, desiring them to cross the river and come to the woods in which he was secreted, when, by their giving a signal, he would come to them. They did so, and he soon made his appearance. He informed them that he had sent for them for advice; that the white man's punishment, imprisonment, was only fit for cowards; death by the hands of his own race was glorious, in comparison, if any relative of Black Beaver should choose to make it a cause of vengeance. They advised him to cross back to his own camp, present himself to his people, and let the affair take the course warranted by Indian usage." The advice was taken, and lie recrossed to his own camp. The arrest was waived, and Nawahgo awaited the summons to appear before those to whom his life was forfeit under the Chiplpewa law. The time came for the burial ceremonies of the dead chief, Black Beaver. All the vast throng of Indians who had gathered for payment, and nearly or quite all the white people living at the place (each one acquainted with the circumstances of the homicide and each eager to know and see the sequel), were congregated in full view of the spot where lay the coffined form of the Beaver, encircled by mourning relatives and chiefs in black paint, among them being some of the head men of the tribe. Suddenly, during an interval of silence which forms part of the Indian burial ceremony, the stately form of Nawahgo entered the group, and moved towards the centre with a mien and step which might have befitted the great Pontiac, or Philip of Mount Hope. He was habited in costume such as an Indian warrior would wish to die in, and his belt bore knife and tomahawk. Advancing to the side of the coffin he laid his weapons upon it, then filled and lighted his pipe with great deliberation, drew a few whiffs, and offered it successively to each of the scowling chiefs and warriors who surrounded him, but all declined it. Next he unslung from his shoulder a small flask of whisky, drank, and offered it to each in the same manner, but again all declined to partake. "You refuse to smoke with me," he said. " You will not drink the fire-water with me in token of peace. You demand my life, and I am here to give it!" Then he sat down on the foot of the coffin, loosed his hunting-shirt at the throat, bared his breast, and again addressed his enemies: "You demand my life! Here it is; take it! But beware how you strike! Make no mistake; for if a warrior strikes and fails, or if he deals a foul blow, he shall feel my knife in his heart, as I have driven it to the hearts of cowards before!" This speech was followed by a dead silence. Nawahgo cast a proud and scornful glance around on the blackened faces of the hostile group, but there was not one among them who moved fiom his place to strike the waiting victim. A little longer he sat there, and then-as none came to claim the vengeance due under Indian usage-he rose with deliberation, readjusted his hunting-shirt, resumed his belt and arms, and with the single withering epithet, "Cowards!" upon his lips, strode away, undaunted and unharmed, to the camp of his own band. " This," writes Mr. Williams, " I was eye-witness to. It was at a payment made by government, and nearly three thousand Indians were present. I was Nawahgo's friend, and he was also mine, and would and did stand by me in all dangerous times." Immediately after the occurrence above mentioned, Nawahgo left the Saginaw, and removed to the shore of Lake Huron, where he lived during the remainder of his life. He finally died a violent death,-in an encounter with a relative of one of his early victims. They met on the hunting-ground, and each knew that a death-struggle was to follow; but, before fighting, they sat down, and drank together from the same canteen. Having finished their potations, they rose, and, like Fitz-James and Roderick Dhu, " Each looked to sun, and stream, and plain, As what he ne'er might see again, Then, foot, and point, and eye opposed, In dubious strife they darkly closed." And they fougllt on till both fell, mortally wounded. From this narrative it seems evident that, in Nawahgo at least, the warrior blood and spirit of the northern Ojibways had suffered no degeneration. SUPERSTITION OF THE SAGINAWS. It has been mentioned that the ancient Chippewas imagined the country which they had wrested from the conquered Sacks to be haunted by the spirits of those whom they had slain, and that it was only after the lapse of years that their terrors became allayed sufficiently to permit them to occupy the ' haunted hunting-grounds." But the superstition still remained, and in fact it was never entirely dis pelled. Long after the Saginaw valley was studded with white settlements, the simple Indians still believed that mysterious Sattus were lingering in their forests and along the margins of their streams for purposes of vengeance; that Mlilesoits, or bad spirits, in the form of Sauk warriors, 16 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. were hovering around their villages and camps, and on the flanks of their hunting-parties, preventing them from being successful in the chase, and bringing ill-fortune and discomfiture in a hundred ways. So great was their dread, that when (as was frequently the case) they became possessed of the idea that the Munesous were in their immediate vicinity they would fly, as if for their lives, abandoning everything, wigwams, fish, game, and peltry; and no amount of ridicule from the whites could convince them of their folly, or induce them to stay and face the imaginary danger. Some of the Indian bands whose country joined that of the Sagzinaws played upon their weak superstition and derived profit from it, by lurking around their villages or camps, frightening them into flight, and then appropriating the property which they had abandoned. A few shreds of wool from their blankets left sticking on thorns or dead brushwood, hideous figures drawn upon the trunks of trees with coal, or marked on the ground in the vicinity of their lodges, was sure to produce this result, by indicating the presence of the dreaded Mllnesous. Mr. Williams, whose authority has already been cited in the foregoing pages, writes of this matter as follows: "There was a time every spring when the Indians from Saginaw and the interior would congregate in large parties for the purpose of putting up dried sturgeon, which made a very delicate dish when properly cooked, and was much used in those days by the first families of Detroit.... The Indians would select the best, flay them, hang them across poles in rows about four feet from the ground and two feet apart, then a gentle smoke was kept under them until perfectly dry. When this was nearly accomplished, poor, lazy, worthless Indians from a distance, having an eye to supplying themselves with provisions which they never labored to obtain, would commence, in different ways, to excite their fears that the Mianesous were about their camps, until at last they would take to their canoes and flee, often leaving almost everything they possessed. Then the Mltnesous (the thieving Indians from other bands who had cunningly brought about the stampede for the sake of plunder) would rob the camps of what they wanted, and escape to their homes with, perhaps, their summer supplies of fish, and often of sugar and dried venison. I have often met them fleeing as above; sometimes twenty or more canoes; have stopped them, and tried to induce them to return, and we would go with them; but no, it was the Mauesous, they said, and nothing would convince them differently, and away they would go, frightened nearly to death. I have visited their camps at such times, gathered up their effects - that were left, and secured them in some one camp from destruction by wild animals. After a while they would return and save what was left. During these times they were perfectly miserable, actually afraid of their own shadow." It was not alone on their annual fishing expedition to the lake that these things occurred; similar scenes were enacted by their hunting-parties in the forests of the Shiawassee and Flint, and at their summer camps among the beautiful inland lakes of their southern border. " I have had them come from places miles distant," says Mr. Williams, " bringing their rifles to me, asking me to examine and re-sight them, declaring that the sights had been removed (and in most cases they had, but it was by themselves in their fright). I have often, and in fact always did when applied to, re-sighted and tried them until they would shoot correctly, and then they would go away cheerfully. I would tell them they must keep their rifles where the Munesous could not find them.... At other times, having a little bad luck in trapping or hunting, they became excited, and would say that game had been over and in their traps, and that they could not catch anything; have known them go so far as to insist that a beaver or an otter had been in their traps and gotten out; that their traps were bewitched or spell-bound, and their rifles charmed by the Mulnesous, so that they could not catch or kill anything. Then they must give a great feast, and have the medicine-man or conjuror, and through his wise and dark performances the charm is removed and all is well, and traps and rifles do their duty again. These things have been handed down for generations." And so, through all the domain of the Saginaws, their lives were made miserable by these superstitious fears; and thus they expiated the crime committed by their ancestors against the unfortunate Sauks. THE CHIEF NEOME AND THE PEWONIGO BAND. The old chief Neome was, as has been mentioned, the most powerful and respected among the chiefs of the Saginaws, though it does not appear that he was or ever had been famed for skill or prowess in war. His power had somewhat decayed in the latter years of his life, but he retained until the last the respect and confidence of his people. He was a man well advanced in years when the white people first knew him, prior to 1819. Then, and during the remainder of his life, he held with his band the southern frontier of his nation, though the territory of the Saginaws extended southward many miles beyond his village, which was named Pewonigowink, and located on the river of the same name (the Flint), near where it crosses the boundary between Genesee and Saginaw Counties. Its site, however, was once or twice moved,-being at one time in the present township of Montrose, in Genesee, and at another, farther down the river, in Taymouth, Saginaw Co. A large open tract of land, more than a hundred acres in extent, situated about seven miles south of Bridgeport Centre, is yet remembered by the oldest settlers as the "old Indian field." This had been used by the people of Neome's band for their rude agriculture; but, after years of continuous planting, the corn was destroyed for two or three seasons by the grub-worms, which they believed to be the Great Spirit's curse upon the land, and they therefore abandoned it, and planted in newer fields farther up the river. Neome died at his village in the year 1827, and was succeeded in the chiefship by Tonedogane, who had been the principal war-chief of the band and second in command during the life of his superior. Neome had a brother named Mixanene, and it does not seem clear why he was not made his brother's successor. Hie appears to have been a fierce and bloodthirsty Indian, and it is related of him that in the year 1813 Mr. Joseph Campau paid to him a large sum for the ransom of a white prisoner, Mr. James Hardan, whom Mixancne had determined to torture INDIAN TREATIES AND CESSIONS OF LAND. 17 to death. But perhaps at that early time even the good Neome was less amiable than the whites found him to be in later years after the Indian spirit had been cowed and broken. The Indians living in the valley of the Flint were known as the Pewonigo tribe, or band, from the Indian name of the stream. The present county of Genesee was crossed in various directions by their trails, which, by being traveled for years by themselves and their ponies, had become hard-beaten paths, worn into the soft soil in some places to the depth of more than a foot. The principal of these was the " Saginaw trail," which was the Indian road from the Saginaw River to Detroit. Its route through Genesee County was from Pewonigowink up the Flint River to its southern bend, and thence south by way of Grand Blanc and the Big Springs (Oakland County) to Detroit. The place where it crossed the Flint was known as the Grand Traverse, or great crossing-place,-a name probably given to it by Bolieu the French trader. A beautiful open plain, lying in the bend of the river, on the north side and contiguous to the crossing, was named, in Indian, Muscatawingh, meaning " the plain burned over." This is now in the first ward of the city of Flint. A part of it had formerly been used by the Indians as a corn-field, and it was always one of their favorite camping-grounds. as many as fifteen hundred of them having been seen encamped on it at one time by people who are still residing in Flint. Over this great trail, too, for years after the first settlers came to Genesee County, thousands of Indians passed and repassed annually, the throng always being particularly large at the time when they went down to receive their annuities. These yearly payments were made in the early times by both the United States and the British governments; the latter usually paying them at Malden. The amount paid there was fifty cents a head to Indians of all ages, from the red patriarch of ninety years to the papoose upon its mother's back. On these occasions, therefore, every member of the tribe took the trail to be present at the muster for pay. After a time the British payments ceased, and the United States adopted the plan of paying at inland points to avoid the demoralization which resulted from vast collections of Indians at Detroit. These interior payments were oftenest made at Saginaw, but were on one or two occasions made at Pewonigowink. The money used was silver coin, and this was brought up from Detroit on pack-horses. "Two boxes of one thousand dollars each, weighing one hundred and twenty pounds, slung on each side, were a load for a pack-horse. The party (generally consisting of an interpreter and sub-agent) made in this way twenty miles per day, and slept out in the woods without fear, though without firearms. The journey occupied four days from Detroit to Saginaw." The Indians were not given to plundering on so grand a scale as the robbery of a pack-horse train loaded with specie, though they sometimes engaged in small pilfering. Beyond this it does not appear that the settlers stood in much, if any, fear of them. They were comparatively harmless except when excited by liquor, and even when, under that influence, they were disposed to be defiant, they were easily overawed by a firm and determined course of treatment. At the commencement of 3 Black Hawk's war, that chief sent his emissaries among these Indians to distribute his " war-quills," inviting them to take part against the whites, but the message failed to bring the response he desired, for the warlike spirit of the Saginaws was dead, and they had buried the hatchet forever. CHAPTER IV. INDIAN TREATIES AND CESSIONS OF LANDINDIAN EMIGRATION. Treaty of Greenville-Treaties of Detroit and Springwells-Treaty of Saginaw-Pewonigowink Reservation-Plans for Indian Emigration-Treaties of Washington (1836), Detroit (1837), Flint River (1837), and Saginaw (1838). THE United States government, from the time of its formation, has recognized the possessory rights of the Indian tribes in the soil; and the principle has been established that these rights can only be acquired by the government, or with its consent, and can only be alienated from the native Indians by their own voluntary act, done in public and open council, where the tribes are represented by their chiefs and head men, and the government by its accredited agent or commissioner. This principle has always been acted on, and this method observed, by the government in its treaties with Indians for the acquisition of their possessory rights in the public domain. TREATY OF GREENVILLE IN 1795. The first Indian treaty by which the aboriginal title to lands now within the State of Michigan was extinguished was made on the 3d of August, 1795, at Greenville, Ohio, by General Anthony Wayne, on behalf of the United States, with representatives of the Wyandots, Shawanese, Ottawas, ChLippewas, Pottawattamies, and several other tribes. By the terms of that treaty the Indians ceded to the United States government " the post of Detroit, and all the lands to the north, the west, and the south of it, of which the Indian title has been extinguished by gifts or grants to the French or English governments, and so much more land to be annexed to the district of Detroit as shall be comprehended between the river Rosine (Raisin) on the south, Lake St. Clair on the north, and a line, the general course whereof shall be six miles distant from the west end of Lake Erie and Detroit River." Several other large tracts were also ceded by the treaty; among these being "the post of Michilimackinac, all the island, and lands on the mainland adjacent," and the island of Bois Blanc,mentioned as being an extra and voluntary gift of the Chippewa nation. Also among the lands ceded by this treaty was " one piece of land six miles square at the mouth of Chikago River emptying into the southwest end of Lake Michigan." It was expressly stipulated in the treaty that, in consideration of the peace then and there established, and of the relinquishments made by the Indians, as well as to manifest the liberality of the United States as the means of making the peace strong and perpetual, "the United States relinquish their claims to all other Indian lands northward of the river Ohio, eastward of the Mississippi, 18 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and westward and southward of the great lakes and the waters uniting them,* according to the boundary line agreed on between the United States and the King of Great Britain in the peace made between them in the year 1783." And it was declared that "the Indian tribes who have a right to those lands are quietly to enjoy them, hunting, planting, and dwelling thereon so long as they please, without any molestation from the United States; but when those tribes, or any of them, shall be disposed to sell their lands, or any part of them, they are to be sold only to the United States; and until such sale the United States will protect the said Indian tribes in the quiet enjoyment of their lands against all citizens of the United States, and against all other white persons who intrude upon the same;... and if any citizen of the United States, or any other white person or persons, shall presume to settle upon the lands now relinquished by the United States, such citizen or other person shall be out of the protection of the United States, and the Indian tribe on whose land such settlement shall be made may drive off the settler, or punish him in such manner as they shall think fit; and because such settlements, made without the consent of the United States, will be injurious to them as well as to the Indians, the United States shall be at liberty to break them up, and remove and punish the settlers as they shall think proper, and so to effect the protection of the Indian lands hereinbefore stipulated." The Indians were also allowed, under the treaty, to have the privilege of hunting and fishing over all the ceded territory during their good behavior. TREATIES OF DETROIT (1807) AND SPRINGWELLS (1815). The treaty by which the entire southeastern part of Michigan (including more than nineteen-twentieths of the present county of Genesee) was ceded to the United States government was made and concluded at Detroit on the 17th of November, 1807, " by William Hull, governor of the Territory of Michigan, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and sole commissioner of the United States to conclude and sign a treaty or treaties with the several nations of Indians northwest of the river Ohio, on the one part, and the sachems, chiefs, and warriors of the Ottaway, Wyandotte, and Pottawattamie nations of Indians on the other part." The territory here ceded by the Indians, in consideration of goods and money paid and to be paid to them by the United States, was described in the treaty as " beginning at the mouth of the Miami River of the lakes [meaning the Maumee], and running thence up the middle thereof to the mouth of the great Auglaize River; thence running due north until it intersects a parallel of latitude to be drawn from the outlet of Lake Huron, which forms the river Sinclair; thence running northeast on the course that may be found will lead in a direct line to White Rock, in Lake Huron; thence due east until it intersects the boundary line between the United States and Upper Canada, in said lake; * In its relinquishment of these lands, however, the government excepted the post of Vincennes, on the Wabash, the post of Fort Marsac, towards the mouth of the Ohio, and lands at other places, actually in the occupation of French or other white settlers, to which the Indian title had before been extinguished.. i. ia:~. then southwardly, following the said boundary line down said lake, through the river Sinclair, Lake St. Clair, and the river Detroit into Lake Erie, to a point due east of the aforesaid Miami [Maumee] River; thence west to the place of beginning." For this cession the government stipulated to pay (in money, goods, agricultural implements, or domestic animals, at the discretion of the superintendent of Indian affairs) the sum of $3333.33 each, to the Ottawa and Chippewa tribes, and one-half that amount each to the Pottawattanzies and Wyandots, with a perpetual annuity of $2000 to each of the first-mentioned tribes, and one-half that sum to each of the others; all to be paid at Detroit. And it was further declared in the treaty, that " the United States, to manifest their liberality and disposition to encourage the said Indians in agriculture, further stipulate to furnish the said Indians with two blacksmiths; one to reside with the Chippewas at Saginaw, and the other with the Ottawas, at the Miami, during the term of ten years; said blacksmiths are to do such work for the said nations as shall be most useful to them." The second line mentioned in the description of the tract here ceded-that is, the line running due north from the mouth of the Auglaize River, and a prolongation of it to the Straits of Mackinaw-was afterwards adopted by the United States surveyors as the principal meridian line of the lower peninsula of Michigan. The territory ceded by the Indians at the treaty of Detroit embraced all of Michigan lying east of that line as far north as the centre of the present county of Shiawassee, and extending from thence in a northeastwardly direction to the shore of Lake Huron, at a point a little above the northern boundary of the county of Sanilac; including all that is now in the county of Genesee, except the northern and western part of the township of Montrose and the northwestern corner of Vienna. Within this ceded territory the Indians reserved several tracts for their own uses (none of them, however, being within the present limits of Genesee County), and they were also to have the privilege of hunting and fishing, under the same conditions as stipulated in the treaty of Greenville. During the war of 1812-15, the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Pottawattamie tribes sided with the British, and by this act, and their general conduct through that struggle, were considered to have justly forfeited the lands reserved to them. Nevertheless, the government magnanimously determined not to enforce the forfeiture, but to adopt a conciliatory and friendly policy towards them; and in September, 1815, Gen. Wm. H. Harrison, Gen. McArthur, and John Graham, Esq., on the part of the government, held a council with them at Springwells, near Detroit, where, on the 8th of that month, a treaty was concluded, by which it was agreed that "the United States give peace to the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Pottawattamie tribes. They also agree to restore to the said Chippewa, Ottawa, and Pottawattamie tribes all the possessions, rights, and privileges which they enjoyed or were entitled to in the year 1811, prior to the commencement of the late war with Great Britain; and the said tribes upon their part agree to place themselves under the protection of the United States, and of no other power whatsoever." And, at the same time, the treaty made at Green INDIAN TREATIES AND CESSIONS OF LAND. 19 ville in 1795, and subsequent treaties between these tribes and the United States, were confirmed and ratified. TREATY OF SAGINAW-1819. Soon after the close of the war with England, the attention of emigrating farmers from New York and New England began to be directed towards the newly-opened agricultural regions of Michigan, and it was not long before it became evident to the comprehensive mind of Governor Cass-the most able as well as the most influential man in the Territory-that broad as was the domain acquired by the treaty of 1807, it would soon be found too narrow to receive the immigration which had already begun to spread westward and northward from Detroit. He at once applied his tireless energies to the task of securing a further cession of lands from the Indians, and, being ex officio Indian commissioner for Michigan, he laid the matter before the President, and received authority and directions to negotiate a treaty for the extinguishment of the aboriginal title to adjoining territory on the north and west. The result of his labors was the assembling of the sachems and chiefs of the Saginaw Chippewas, with a few of those of the Ottawa nation, in council at the present site of Saginaw City, in September, 1819. Early in that month, Governor Cass, accompanied by a cavalcade composed of his secretaries, interpreters, and other assistants, set out from Detroit, and proceeded by way of Royal Oak, Pontiac, and the Grand Traverse of the Flint, to Saginaw, where they arrived on the 10th, and there found the warriors and chiefs already assembled, and assembling, for the convention. The attendance, however, was less numerous than had been expected; and when it was found that some of the Indian bands and villages were unrepresented, runners were sent out in haste to such localities to give further notification, and to urge the absent chiefs to come in and join in the council. Under instructions from Gen. Cass, suitable preparations had been made for the occasion. Mr. Louis Campau, who had for three years been established at Saginaw as an Indian trader, had made an addition to his trading-house sufficient in size to furnish quarters for the governor, and also a commodious mess-room for him and his retinue. Near the bank of the river had been erected the council-house. It was a rude structure,-more a bower than a house,-and inadequate to afford shelter against inclement weather, but sufficient to furnish a shade for the general and the attendant chiefs, and to give some degree of dignity to their deliberations. Moored in the stream were two small vessels, a sloop and a schooner, which had come round fromh Detroit, bringing subsistence stores, goods intended for Indian presents, and a company of the Third United States Infantry, under command of Capt. C. L. Cass, a brother of the governor. The presence of these troops was considered necessary, in view of the possibility of violence on the part of the assembled Indians. When all preparations were complete, the white and red dignitaries assembled in the council-house, near the centre of which, upon a low platform of hewn logs, sat the commissioner, Gen. Cass, accompanied by his secretaries, R. A. Leib, and D. G. Whitney; Capt. Cass; Capt. Chester Root, of the artillery; Lieut. John Peacock, of the 3d Infantry; Whitmore Knaggs, Indian trader and sub-agent, and, on this occasion, principal interpreter; Archibald Lyons, an Indian trader; Henry Connor, interpreter (known among the Indians as VabLishekindebay-meaning " White Hair"); Louis Beaufait, William Tucky, and John Hurson, interpreters, and many others; while all around were grouped the dark faces of the Chippewa and Ottawa chiefs. The council being opened with due formality, Gen. Cass proceeded to inform the Indians of the objects for which they had been assembled. He told them, through his interpreters, that the Great Father at Washington was earnestly desirous of promoting the welfare of his red children, and anxious to preserve and perpetuate the friendly and peaceful relations which had existed between their tribes and the government since the close of the war; that the tide of white emigration was pressing irresistibly towards their domain; that their streams were each year growing less prolific; that the steady advance of civilization would drive the game to the remoter hunting-grounds; and that for these and other weighty reasons it was manifestly the part of wisdom for them, the chiefs and notables of the tribes, to advise their people to abandon, or at least to depend less on, precarious hunting and fishing as a means of subsistence, and to give their attention to the pursuits of agriculture upon fertile and ample tracts of their own selection, to be reserved for their perpetual use from the territory which it was now the desire of the government to purchase from them, at a fair and generous price, for the use of the white emigrants who wished to come and settle among them as friends and neighbors. The opening address of the commissioner was replied to by several of the chiefs; those most conspicuous by their speeches being Ogemawkeketo, Mishenenanonequet, and Kishkawko; the last named being an exceedingly wily and troublesome man, though really a Canadian Indian, an interloper among the Chippewas, with no proprietary interest in their lands or right to a voice in the questions before the council. But he had managed by some means to obtain considerable influence among the Saginaws, and his violent speech against the cession produced an effect adverse to the cherished objects of Gen. Cass. Here, however, his influence against the proposed treaty ended, for at the close of this day's council he had fallen completely into the power of John Barleycorn, and during eight or ten days following remained in almost helpless intoxication. The master-spirit among the Indians was Ogemawkeketo (" chief speaker"), who, though at that time scarcely more than twenty-one years of age, was possessed of remarkable powers of oratory; and his speech on this occasion was an eloquent outburst of indignant remonstrance, which was never afterwards forgotten by those who heard it. Addressing Gen. Cass, he said, "Our people wonder why our white brethren have come so far from their homes. Our English Father never asked us for our lands. Our American Father wants them. Your people gather in our country, and press in on our hunting-grounds. Our lands are melting away like ice when the waters grow warm around it. Our women reproac us. Here are their Forsyth, Jr. (who was also acting commissioner), John L. - (LJ L) I~~~ -Y~~V~IVV~YY~l VULUVIVIV J I 20 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. i homes, and the homes of our children. Shall we sell the ground where they spread their blankets? You do not know our wishes. We have not invited you here. Your young men have called us to meet you and kindle the council-fire, and we have come; not to give you our lands, but only to smoke with you the pipe of peace." To counteract the effect of such a speech it was necessary for the commissioner to show firmness and self-possession. In his reply Gen. Cass said in effect that the Great Father at Washington, in the then recent war, had inflicted chastisement not only on the English king, but also on them, his Indian allies, and that they, the Chippewas, by their hostility to the United States during that war had justly forfeited all their lands to the government, but that notwithstanding this the Great Father had no desire to take the lands from them without paying a proper and generous equivalent; and that, in case a treaty should be made with them, it was not in contemplation to take the homes of their women and children, but to secure to them ample tribal reservations on which they could spread their blankets in peace, and not only live without fear of molestation from the incoming whites, but receive valuable assistance and instruction in their agriculture. But when the day's deliberations closed the Indians still remained intractable and defiant; and the commissioner, after having told them in a friendly manner to go to their wigwams "and smoke and talk over the matter together," withdrew with his company to their quarters, in a state of anxiety and disappointment in anticipation of a not improbable failure of the negotiations. The council was not convened on the following day, nor for several days thereafter. The Indians remained sullen and unyielding, and the prospect was looking very unfavorable for the consummation of the treaty, when a powerful influence, which had hitherto been quiescent, or adverse to the plans of the commissioner, began to be exerted in favor of the treaty. This was the influence wielded by Jacob Smith, the Indian trader. It is related that he had a personal acquaintance with every one of the principal chiefs who were present at this council; that there were few, if any of them, to whom he had not at some time extended some favor or act of friendship, either in entertaining them at his different places of business, or relieving their necessities by advances of blankets and food. And among these chiefs, too, sat old Neome, steadfast and unwavering in his friendship, and willing and anxious on this. as on every occasion, to be guided by the wishes of his white brother, Wahbesins. In view of these facts, it is not hard to realize the extent of the power which was held (and exercised) by Jacob Smith to shape the action of the Indian council,-a power far greater, in that direction, than that of the commissioner, or of Kishkawko, or even of the chief orator, Ogemawkeketo. It might have been supposed that Gen. Cass, who was personally acquainted with Smith, and well knew his pre-eminent qualifications as interpreter and negotiator with the Indians, would have selected and retained him in that capacity in this council, but such was not the fact, and his neglect to do so is regarded as proof that the commissioner regarded him with feelings of distrust. It was supposed by many that the inflexible opposition manifested by Ogemawkeketo, Neome, and the other chiefs was incited by him, and this supposition does not seem entirely improbable. But however this may have been, it is certain that all the efforts of the authorized interpreters and agents of the government, continued during several days succeeding the first council, were wholly unavailing, and no favorable word or sign of yielding could be wrung from the chiefs, until old Neome received through Mr. Knaggs, the interpreter, the promise that the wishes of his friend, Wahbesins, should be consulted, and his demands acceded to, in regard to the reservations to be granted by the terms of the proposed treaty. This was agreed to by the interpreters (of course with the private assent of Gen. Cass), and the arrangement was definitely made that, in addition to the reservation of ample tracts for the use of the several Indian bands, there should be made eleven reservations of six hundred and forty acres each, to be located at and near the trading-house of Jacob Smith, at the Grand Traverse of the Flint River; these reservations to be granted to a corresponding number of individuals, under Indian names, which were handed in, written upon slips of paper, to Gen. Cass.* Several days after the first meeting, the chiefs were again convened in the council-house, where a considerable amount of discussion ensued; but as a principal difficulty had been surmounted by the granting of Wahbesins' demand, and the consequent propitiation of Neome and the chiefs, and as Gen. Cass had ceased to press the original proposition of the government to remove the C/hppewas beyond the Mississippi, or at least to the westward of Lake Michigan (finding that it was impossible of accomplishment, and that to insist on it would be to endanger the success of the entire negotiation), there was but comparatively feeble opposition to the treaty, which was finally agreed on and virtually concluded at this sitting; all that remained to be done being to engross it in due form, and to affix to it the signatures of the commissioner, the chiefs, and the witnesses. For the ceremonious signing of the treaty, the chiefs were convened in council for the third and last time. Among them appeared Kishkawko, who had now partially recovered fiom the debauch which from the close of the first day until now had kept him confined to his wigwam, and prevented his participation in the later deliberations. The attendance at this council was much greater than on either of the previous occasions, being estimated at no les than two thousand chiefs, warriors, and braves, while a great concourse of Indian women and children were crowded together on the outskirts of the assemblage. The ceremony of signing was conducted with decorum and dignity, and was made as imposing as possible. The first name written upon the instrument was, of course, that of Lewis Cass, United States Indian Commissioner, and underneath were * In a trial before Chancellor Manning, held in 1843, touching the title to one of the tracts reserved by this treaty, Robert A. Forsyth testified that upon this occasion he had been private secretary to Gen. Cass, and, acting in that capacity, had copied the draft of the treaty; that "Jacob Smith handed to the commissioner the names of certain persons for whom reservations were to be made;" that he " saw but two lists of the names; Jacob Smith handed in one, and Henry Campau or Louis Beaufait the other." —Walker's Chancery RJports; Stockton vs. Williams, February, 1843. V INDIAN TREATIES AND CESSIONS OF LAND. 21 placed the totemic signatures of one hundred and fourteen chiefs and head men of the Chippewas and Ottawas (though there were very few of the latter, and the whole number have usually been mentioned as Chippewas). The subscribing witnesses were the commissioner's secretaries, Leib and Whitney; Acting Commissioner Forsyth; Capts. Cass and Root; Lieut. Peacock; G. Godfroy, sub-agent; Messrs. Knaggs, Tucky, Beaufait, and Hurson, interpreters; John Hill, army contractor; Barney Campau, V. S. Ryley, J. Whipple, Henry I. IHunt, William Keith, A. E. Lacock, Richard Smyth, John Smyth, B. Head, Conrad Ten Eyck, and Louis Dequindre. Thus the treaty was concluded and executed Sept. 24, 1819. When the ceremony of signing was over a large amount of silver money was brought out and placed in huge piles on the table before the commissioner, to be by him distributed among the chiefs and representatives of the several bands. Many of these chiefs were indebted in considerable sums to the trader Louis Campau, who had received their promise that when the payment was made to.them his claim should be liquidated, at least to the amount of fifteen hundred dollars. He had already notified Gen. Cass of this agreement, and was now anxiously waiting, hoping to receive the money from the commissioner without having it pass through Indian hands at all. But there were also present three other traders, who were not pleased at the prospect of having so considerable a part of the Indians' money appropriated to the payment of their old debts. One of these three was Jacob Smith, who at once set about the task of persuading the half-intoxicated Kishkawko and some of the other chiefs to demand that the entire sum due them should be paid to the Indians, to be applied by them as they saw fit. His diplomacy was entirely successful, and when the commissioner explained to the chiefs that Campau was expecting to receive his dues, and asked if they consented to the arrangement, they replied that they were his children, under his protection, and expected that lie would pay the money into their hands. The general could not disregard their expressed wishes in this particular, and he therefore directed that the money be paid to them. Upon this, Campau, seeing that his money was lost, and believing Smith to be the cause of his discomfiture, leaped fronm the platform where he had been standing, and struck the latter two stunning blows in the face. Quick as lightning Smith turned on his assailant, but Henry Connor and Louis Beaufait interposed between the belligerents and stopped the fight, much to the disgust of Campau, who was smarting under a sense of what he believed to be gross injustice in the non-payment of his claims, and furious at being denied the privilege of taking vengeance on the man who had circumvented him. When all the business of the day was closed, Gen. Cass directed that the fire-water should be allowed to flow, and under this order five barrels of government whisky were opened, and the liquor was dealt out to the Indians. Upon seeing this, Campau, still filled with wrath at the treatment he had received, and blaming the general almost as much as Smith for it, ordered up ten barrels of his own whisky, knocked in the heads, and posted two men with dippers to supply the Indians as they came up. Of course the scene of intoxication that ensued was indescribable. At about ten o'clock, the governor, having become thoroughly alarmed at the infernal orgies that surrounded the trading-house in which he was quartered, sent his private secretary, Forsyth, with orders to Campau to shut off the supply of liquor; but the trader only deigned the grim reply, "You commenced it, general!" Then a platoon of the 3d Infantry was detailed to guard the store-house. Soon after they had been posted, a new arrival of Indians demanded whisky, and, upon being refused and held at bay, rushed on the guard to force an entrance, during which attempt one of them received a bayonet wound in the leg. In an instant the war-whoop was sounded, and in a few minutes more swarms of savages, infuriated with liquor and tomahawk in hand, came rushing towards the store. "' Stop the liquor, Louis!" screamed the Governor of Michigan Territory, as he stood in the door of his quarters with a night-cap on his head. "We shall all be murdered! Stop the liquor, I say!" " Certainement, mon general," replied Campau, "but you begun it, and you allowed Smith to rob me. I'll keep you safe, but remember you commenced it, mon general." He appeared to think that the satisfaction of thoroughly frightening Gen. Cass (who he said had allowed Jacob Smith to rob him) was cheaply enough purchased by the expenditure of ten barrels of whisky. By the combined efforts of the interpreters and traders the Indians were at length pacified, and they retired to their wigwams to sleep off the effects of their intoxication. After they had entirely recovered from their debauch they became perfectly friendly and tractable, and even after the commissioner and his staff of assistants had departed for Detroit, they sent the orator-chief, Washmenondequet, to overtake him, and express to him their pleasure and satisfaction at the result of the council. The area of the territory ceded by the treaty of Saginaw was estimated at about six millions of acres; its boundaries, as described in the treaty, being as follows: " Beginning at a point in the present Indian boundary line [identical with the principal meridian of the State] which runs due north from the mouth of the great Auglaize River, six miles south of the place where the base line, so called, intersects the same; thence west sixty miles [this corner being about three miles northeast of the present village of Kalamazoo]; thence in a direct line to the head of Thunder Bay River; thence down the same, following the courses thereof, to the mouth; thence northeast to the boundary line between the United States and the British province of Upper Canada; thence with the same to the line established by the treaty of Detroit in the year 1807; and thence with said line to the place of beginning." From this cession various tribal reservations were made for the use of the Chippewas, viz.: on the east side of the Au Sable, a tract of 8000 acres, including an Indian village; 2000 acres on the Mesaquisk; 6000 acres, to include an Indian village, on the north side of the Kawkawling; 640 acres on the same river, " for the use of the children of Bokowtonden;" 9640 acres, in three tracts, on the Huron (Cass) River; an island in Saginaw Bay; a tract of 2000 acres " where Nabobask formerly stood;" 1000 acres " near the island in Saginaw River;" 2000 acres " at the mouth 22 HISI TORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of Point Augrais River;" 10,000 acres at Big Lick, on the Shiawassee, and 3000 acres on the same river at a place called Ketchewandaugenink; 6000 acres at Little Forks, on the Tetabawasink (Tittabawassee) River, and 6000 acres, near the same stream, "at Blackbird's town;" 40,000 acres " on the west side of the Saginaw River, to be hereafter located;" and individual reservations of lands on the Saginaw to John Riley, Peter Riley, James Riley, and to "The Crow," a Chippewa chief. The tracts reserved on the Flint River, were "one tract of 5760 acres, to include Reaum's [Neome's] village, and a place called Kishkawbawee," and the eleven reservations at the Grand Traverse of the Flint, granted as before mentioned to persons under names furnished by Jacob Smith and Louis Beaufait. It has been mentioned above that the cession made by the Indians in the treaty of Detroit, in the year 1807, covered all of the present county of Genesee, excepting a small fraction in the northwestern corner, therefore including, of course, all the lands at the Grand Traverse, and far to the northward of it; so that these lands, having already been ceded to the United States, were really not within the possible scope of the Saginaw treaty, nor within the power of the Chippewas to sell. But the Indians did not so understand it. They had no means of knowing precisely where the diagonal line terminating at White Rock (as named in the treaty of 1807), would fall, and they believed that the northern boundary of that cession passed considerably to the southward of the most southerly bend of the Flint; when, in reality, it crossed that stream nearly ten miles by its course north of the present village of Flushing, leaving all of the river which is south and east of that point within the territory previously ceded to the United States. The fact, however, that they believed themselves to be still the sole possessors of the beautiful valley of the Flint, is proof that they had never intended to include it in the cession of 1807. Whether Gcn. Cass knew that this region was comprehended within the limits of that cession-or, indeed, whether the northern boundary described by the treaty of Detroit was ever accurately run-does not appear; but if the commissioner was aware of the fact, he did not, and could not, insist on the right of the government to the lands at the Grand Traverse. Only by tacitly admitting the Indian proprietorship in those lands could he have secured Jacob Smith's consent to the treaty, and without that consent it is not probable that the treaty could have been concluded. In consideration of the cession made by the Saginaw treaty, the United States agreed to pay to the Chippewa nation annually, forever, the sum of one thousand dollars, in silver coin, and, also, that all annuities to be paid them in pursuance of the stipulations of previous treaties should thereafter be paid in silver. The terms of the treaty of Greenville (in 1795), giving the Indians the right to hunt and fish at will upon the ceded lands, so long as they remained the property of the United States, were applied to this treaty. They were also to be permitted to make sugar wherever they chose upon the same lands and during the same period, but without any unnecessary waste of the trees. And the government reserved the right to construct necessary roads through any part of the reservations. It was likewise stipulated in the treaty that "The United States engage to provide and support a blacksmith for the Indians at Saginaw, so long as the President of the United States may think proper, and to furnish such farming utensils and cattle, and employ such persons to aid them in their agriculture, as the President may deem expedient." PEWONIGOWINK RESERVATION. The tribal reservation of five thousand seven hundred and sixty acres on the Flint River, before mentioned as including the village of the old chief Neome, " and a place called Kishkabawee," became known as the Pewonigowink reservation, and embraced within its area all of section 4, the west half of section 3, the east half of section 5, the north half of section 9, and the northeast and northwest quarters, respectively, of sections 8 and 10 in the present township of Montrose, in Genesee County, and something more than double that amount of land in Saginaw. In.the latter portion was included the old Indian Field, so well known to the early travelers who passed down the valley of the Flint, and used its broad open space as a camping-ground. PLANS FOR INDIAN EMIGRATION-TREATIES OF WASIINGTON (1836), DETROIT (1837), FLINT RIVER (1837), AND SAGINAW (1838). It had been the intention of Gen. Cass to procure from the Indians at Saginaw an agreement that they would gradually emigrate from their old hunting-grounds in Michigan and remove beyond the Mississippi River, or, at least, to the country lying to the westward of Lake Michigan; but in this the commissioner was disappointed, as we have seen. Tils repulse, however, did not cause the government to abandon its cherished idea, and, finally, after many long years of persuasion, the inids of the red men seemed to have become fully prepared to entertain the proposition for ultimate removal to the new countries of the far West. In the year 1836 a council was held at Washington by Henry R. Schoolcraft, United States Commissioner, with the principal chiefs of the Chippewa and Ottawa nations, by which those nations ceded to the United States all the remaining part of the lower peninsula to which the Indian title had not before been extinguished, with the exception of a few reservations. This treaty was concluded on the 28th of March, and proclaimed on the 27th of May, in the year named. At the commencement of 1837, Mr. Schoolcraft, as Indian commissioner, met the chiefs and delegates of the Saginaw tribe of Chippewas at Detroit, where, on the 14th of January, a treaty was concluded by which the tribe ceded to the United States all the reservations, except those granted to individuals, under the Saginaw treaty of 1819, but retained the right to continue for five years in undisturbed occupation of their tracts on the Augrais River, and on the Mushowusk River west of the Saginaw; no white man to settle or encroach on those tracts under penalty of five hundred dollars. The United States agreed to furnish a farmer and blacksmith for the tribe as before, and to continue the donations of cattle and farming utensils. INDIAN EMIGRATION. 23 The lands embraced in the ceded reservations were to be surveyed by the United States and placed in the market with the other public lands as soon as practicable, and the amount due the Indians from this source to be invested by the President in some public stock, the interest to be paid annually to the tribe in the same manner as their annuities were paid; and if, at the end of twenty years, the Indians should wish the said stock to be sold and the proceeds divided among the tribe it might be done with the consent of the President and Senate. By the terms of the treaty the tribe agreed to remove from the State of Michigan as soon as a proper location could be obtained, and for this purpose it was stipulated that a deputation should be sent to view the country occupied by their kindred tribes west of the most westerly point of Lake Superior; " and if an arrangement for their future and permanent residence can be made there, which shall be satisfactory to them and to the government, they shall be permitted to form a reunion with such tribes and remove thereto. If such arrangement cannot be effected, the government of the United States will use its influence to obtain such location west of the Mississippi River as the legislation of Congress may indicate." The above was amended by a new treaty concluded on the 20th of December, 1837, at Flint River, between Henry R. Schoolcraft, commissioner, and the Saginaw chiefs and delegates, by the terms of which the United States agreed to reserve a location for the tribe " on the head waters of the Osage River, in the country visited by a delegation of the said tribe during the present year; to be of proper extent agreeably to their numbers, embracing a due proportion of wood and water, and lying contiguous to tribes of kindred language;" the meaning and intent of this being to nullify and abrogate that article of the treaty of Jan. 14, 1837, which entitled them to a location in the country lying west of Lake Superior. It was provided by the treaty that the sum of fifty cents for each acre of Indian land sold by the United States should be reserved "as an indemnification for the location to be furnished for their future permanent residence and to constitute a fund for emigrating thereto." The attesting witnesses to the treaty were John Garland, major U. S. A.; Henry Connor, sub-agent and interpreter; T. B. W. Stockton, Gardner D. Williams, Jonathan Beach; Chas. C. Hascall, receiver in the land-office at Flint; Albert J. Smith, Robert J. S. Page, Wait Beach, Rev. Luther D. Whitney, T. R. Cummings. This treaty, although not of very great importance in its results, is mentioned here, more especially for the reason that it was held at the place where now stands the beautiful and prosperous city of Flint, at a time when the spot was marked only by the straggling dwellings of a few pioneer settlers; and because, among those who were present at the deliberations, there were many whose names are well known in the annals of the city and county; some of whom still live, and distinctly remember the interesting occasion. About a month after the conclusion of the treaty of Flint River, the chiefs were again assembled in council with Commissioner Schoolcraft. This time the council-fire was kindled at Saginaw. The reasons for the calling of this convention, as set forth in the preamble to the treaty which was there concluded (Jan. 23, 1838), were, that "the chiefs of the bands have represented that combinations of purchasers may be formed at the sale of their lands [meaning the reservation lands, relinquished by the treaty of Detroit, Jan. 14, 1837], for the purpose of keeping down the price thereof, both at the public and private sales, whereby the proceeds would be greatly diminished; and such a procedure would defeat some of the primary objects of the cession of the lands to the United States, and thereby originate difficulties to their early removal and expatriation to the country west of the Mississippi." To quiet these apprehensions, and to insure satisfaction and justice to both parties, it was provided in the treaty there made that the reservation lands, ceded by the treaty of Jan. 14, 1837, should be offered for sale by proclamation of the President, and that the sales should be conducted in the same manner as the sales of other government lands; and that all lands brought into market under the provisions of the treaty of 1837 should be put up and offered for sale by the register and receiver of the respective land-offices, at five dollars per acre, which was declared as the minimum price; and if that price was not bid, the sales should thereupon be stopped; and no reservation lands should be disposed of, either at public or private sale, at a less price than the one mentioned, during a period of two years from the commencement of such offering for sale. But if, at the expiration of that period, any part of the reservation lands should remain unsold, then the minimum price should be diminished to two dollars and fifty cents per acre, at which price they should be subject to entry until all were sold. If any of the lands should remain unsold at the end of five years from the ratification of this treaty, they were then to be sold at such price as they would command, provided that no such sale should be made for a price less than seventyfive cents per acre. And finally, it was agreed that if the Indians should consent to emigrate, and give up the tracts at Augrais and Rifle River (the usufruct and occupancy of which had been reserved to them for five years by the treaty of Detroit in 1837) at any time within two years, they should receive therefor, from the United States, the minimum price of five dollars per acre; and if they should fail to so relinquish within that period, but should relinquish within the period for which the minimum price of two dollars and fifty cents per acre was established, then they should receive that minimum price per acre for the lands so given up and vacated. But the plan of Indian emigration from Michigan, formed and fostered by the government, and assented to by the tribes in the treaties of Detroit, Flint River, and Saginaw, was never carried into effect; for, long before the expiration of the time named in the treaty for their departure, they had bitterly repented of their promise to remove to the land of the setting sun, and prayed the Great Father that they might be permitted to remain on the poor remnant of their once broad hunting-grounds, and to be buried near the graves of their fathers. The government did not insist on the performance of their agreement, and no general Western emigration took place; but eventually the bands became in a great measure broken up, and the individual members gradually scattered away farther towards the north and 24 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - I west, some of them afterwards becoming the owners of small tracts by purchase (a course which was encouraged by the government), many removed to reservations in Isabella County, where they or their children are still living, and some crossed the river and lake into Canada. CHAPTER V. INDIAN RESERVATIONS ON FLINT RIVER. Description of the Individual Reservations at the Grand TraverseTheir Location and Survey under authority of the GovernmentUnited States Patents issued to several of the Reservees-Long Litigation between rival Claimants to the Lands. TIHE Indian tract of Pewonigowink having been relinquished to the United States by the treaty of 1837,* the only reservations which then remained within the territory now comprised in the county of Genesee were the eleven tracts granted to individuals named by Jacob Smith and others in the treaty of 1819. The article of that treaty providing for these individual reservations declares that "there shall be reserved for the use of each of the persons hereinafter mentioned, and their heirs,-which persons are all Indians by descent,-the following tracts of land," and after specifying the tracts of the Rilcys and "The Crow," on Saginaw River, as before mentioned, proceeds as follows: "For the use of Nowokeshik, Metawanene, Mokitchenoqua, Nondashemau, Petabonaqua, Messawwakut, Cheebalk, Kitchegeequa, Sagosequa, Annoketoqua, and Tawcumegoqua, each six hundred and forty acres of land, to be located at or near the Grand Traverse of the Flint River, in such manner as the President of the United States may direct." Immediately after the conclusion of the treaty Jacob Smith removed to the Grand Traverse of the Flint, and there established his post. He had foreseen the future importance of this point, and had acted accordingly in securing the reservations; but he probably considered the lands on the north side of the river to be more eligible than those lying on the south side, and he therefore located on the former, opening his business in a log house, which stood near the river-bank, on the " burnt plain" of Muscatawingh. In the year 1820, President Monroe, in pursuance of the provisions of the treaty, caused the eleven tracts to be surveyed, and located on both sides of the Flint River, at its southernmost bend; that is, at and near the Indian crossingplace known as the Grand Traverse. Six of these tracts were laid out on the north side of the river and five on the south side. They were laid out in irregular forms, but each contained an area equal to one mile square. They were numbered from one to eleven, inclusive; and their respective locations and allotment among the several reservees was as indicated in the accompanying diagram, copied from the plat of the survey. These tracts have frequently been mentioned and named upon maps, collectively, as " Smith's Reservation," and the * A remnant of the Peiooniyo Indians, however, continued to live on this reservation for a number of years after it was formally ceded to the United States. designation is perhaps not wholly incorrect; for, although Jacob Smith never claimed more than five of them for the reservees named by him, yet it seems clear that none of them could have been secured except through the exertion of his powerful influence with the Indians at the treaty. Within the limits of these reservations was comprised nearly all the area of the present city of Flint; and the great appreciation of the value of the lands, resulting from their rapid settlement, led to much controversy and years of obstinate litigation between different parties laying claim to their ownership. Jacob Smith died at the Grand Traverse early in the year 1825, leaving as his legal heirs five children,-one son and four daughters,-residing in Detroit. His location at the Traverse had been on the reservation numbered two, where, besides his trading-house, he had a small tract under cultivation. To what extent he had ever been in actual possession of any of the other reservations does not appear, but whatever his interest was, at this place, it was taken possession of soon after his death, by Maj. (afterwards Gen.) John Garland, his son-in-law, in the name of the heirs, for whom it was claimed that they were the true owners of the Indian names Metawanene, Annoketoqua, Sagosequa, Nondashemau, and Messawwakut, to whom, respectively, sections 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were allotted on the plat of the reservations made by direction of the President; these names, as was alleged, having been given them in infancy by their father's Indian friends, who at that time fiequently visited his house in Detroit. There would have been nothing strange or unusual in their giving Indian names to white children and adults, the same thing having been done in the family of Maj. Oliver Williams, of Oakland County, every member of which received an Indian name from these same CUiippewas, and many other similar instances are mentioned. In this case, however, three of the five Indian names referred to were those of males, while four of the children of Jacob Smith were daughters. When the tide of immigration began to set strongly in this direction, and it became apparent not only that the valley of the Flint River must eventually take rank among the most favored and prosperous portions of Michigan, but that the Grand Traverse must become the most important point in all that fertile valley, the claimants to the five reservations above mentioned very naturally felt desirous of establishing an absolute title to the lands in question; and as an important preliminary step in that direction, all of those tracts (which had in the mean time been partially occupied by various lessees under Maj. Garland, the representative of the heirs of Jacob Smith) were taken in actual possession by Albert J. Smith, the claimant to the name and lands of Metawanene, he also acting on behalf of his three surviving sisters and of the heirs of their deceased sister Caroline. This was in the year 1835. At the next succeeding session of Congress these claimants memorialized the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, praying for the passage of an act authorizing the issuance of patents to them for the five reserva tions as surveyed in 1820, and numbered two, three, four, five, and six on the plat filed in the land-office. Their petition-after setting forth the well-known and z COPY OF THE SURVEYED PLAT INDIAN RESERVATIONS ON THE FLINT RIVER MICH. X ENGRAVED EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK I I I INDIAN RESERVATIONS ON FLINT RIVER. 25 undisputed fact that their father, Jacob Smith, was present at the Saginaw treaty of 1819, and was greatly instrumental in bringing about a successful result to that negotiationproceeded as follows: " Although the reservations intended for your memorialists under the treaty of Saginaw have been partially occupied under them, and always known and acknowledged as being intended for them, yet they never have received or obtained such a title from Government as would authorize them to sell or convey any portion of the said lands, in consequence of their having been embracedunintentionally, as your memorialists believe-among the number of reservations intended for persons being Indians 'by descent;' owing to which the General Land-Office has not felt authorized to issue patents for said land in the names of your memorialists.... In support of their prayer, your memorialists would respectfully refer you to the certificates of the chiefs and head men of the Chippewa nation, marked B, in which the claim of your memorialists is fully acknowledged and proven; also to the affidavits of respectable citizens of Michigan (numbered one, two, three, and four), who possess a knowledge of the facts and understood the intentions of the Indians." The array of proof above alluded to as accompanying the memorial was, to say the least, exceedingly strong. First, was a certificate or statement made by Chtlppewa chiefs, signers of the treaty qf 1819, fully recognizing the rights and claims of the children of Jacob Smith. This document, being an important one, is given here entire, as follows: "The subscribers, chiefs and head men of the Chippeiwa nation, and subscribers to the treaty of Saginaw, hereby certify that the five reservations at and near the Grand Traverse of the Flint River, made by the treaty of 1819, were made and intended for the five followingnamed persons, viz.: Metawanene, alias Albert J. Smith; Messawwakut, alias Harriet M. Smith; Sagosequa, alias Caroline Smith; Annoketoqua, alias Louisa L. Smith; and Nondashemau, alias Maria G. Smith (each six hundred and forty acres); known to us and distinguished by the aforesaid names, as the children of the late Jacob Smith. We further certify that the aforesaid donations to the children aforesaid were made in consideration of services rendered by said Smith (deceased) to the Chippetr nation, and the friendly intercourse that subsisted between the parties for many years. We further certify that Metawanene, alias Albert J. Smith, now present at the execution of this certificate, is the son of Jacob Smith, deceased, and that we recognize him as one of the five children to whom the before-mentioned donations were made and intended. "SAGINAW, January 22, 1835. [Signed by witnesses present] [Signed by] " THOMAS SIMPSON, "OGEMAWKEKETO, [totem] E. S. WILLIAMS, NONONIPENASEE, " G. D. WILLIAMS, WARBETOANCE, " CHARLES II. RODD. SARWARBON, " that the contents of the certificate aforesaid were by him fully explained, and were cheerfully assented to by the aforesaid chiefs and head men. [Signed] "E. S. WILLIAMS. " Sworn and subscribed before me this twenty-second day of January, 1835. "THIOMAS SIMPSON." This statement of the Chippewa chiefs was made at a council which had been called for the purpose at the place and date mentioned, chiefly through the influence and instrumentality of the brothers G. D. and E. S. Williams, who were then traders at Saginaw. The meeting (which was not a formal treaty-council) was held in a building owned by the American Fur Company, and was presided over by Thomas Simpson,-known to the Indians as Lixaboga,-who was residing among the Chippewas to instruct them in agriculture at the expense of the government. The chief interpreter on the occasion was Jacob Gravradt, who was assisted by Charles H. Rodd (who was regularly employed in that capacity by the American Fur Company), and also by Mr. Ephraim S. Williams, who spoke Chippewua as well as the chiefs themselves. T. B. W. Stockton and Albert J. Smith were present as representatives of the Smith reservees, and the last named was at once and fully recognized by the chiefs as the Metawanene of the Saginaw treaty. The principal personage among the chiefs was Ogemawkeketo, who had been recognized by Gen. Cass as the " chief speaker" of the Chippewas, and who still wore upon his breast the government medal of silver which had been presented to him by the general in 1819. Here, as on the occasion of Cass' treaty, this " chief speaker" opposed, at first, the object for which the chiefs had been called together. He fully understood that the Grand Traverse reservations had by the terms of the old treaty been granted to certain persons who were mentioned as all being of Indian descent, and seeing in this a circumstance which might inure to the benefit of the tribe by causing the lands to revert to them, he made a strong speech to the effect that as the lands had been granted to individuals of Indian descent, which these children of Jacob Smith were not, and as during the sixteen years which had passed since the granting of the reservations no person bearing a trace of Indian blood had ever laid claim to them, it was plain that they had never yet passed from the ownership of the Chippewas; therefore, the tribe should retain them until the government or individuals should be ready to purchase at a fair price. This seemed to be a reasonable argument, and might have been fatal to the claims of the white reservees had it been adhered to; but the assembled chiefs had not yet forgotten their good and steadfast friend Wahbesins, and now they did not hesitate to declare that his white children were the rightful owners of the reservations in the true meaning and intent of the treaty. Even the astute "chief speaker" receded from the position which he had first taken, and the name of Ogemawkeketo was placed at the head of all those of the chiefs who signed the instrument. Certificates to the same effect-declaring the white children of Jacob Smith to be the persons to whom the Chippewas had intended to give the five sections of land in question-were procured from chiefs and head men at Big CHIIINETOSII, ( STIANOE, " WASIIWIN, " KAWG ABEGO, T t WAYSIHONONO, " MONEWEG. " " TERRITORY OF MICHIGAN, OAKLAND COUNTY. 88. "Personally appeared before the subscriber, a justice of the peace within and for the county of Oakland, Ephraim S. Williams, Esquire, who, being duly sworn according to law, deposcth and saith that he, this deponent, was present at the execution of the within certificate, and saw the within-named chiefs and head men make their marks to the said certificate. Deponent further saith that the subscribers, chiefs and head men as aforesaid, reside in the vicinity of Saginaw, Oakland County, and Territory of Michigan. Deponent further saith 4 26 HISTORY OF GENESEE- COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Rock village on the Shiawassee, Sept. 30, 1835; at Flint River, September, 1835; and at Grand Saline, Oct. 31, 1835; these being made through Capt. Joseph F. Marsac, interpreter to the Indian department, and in the presence of Stephen V. R. Trowbridge and Lieut. Alfred Brush, of the United States army. The depositions of Major Robert A. Forsyth, who had drafted the treaty of 1819, and of James Connor, who also took part in the treaty (the former taken before Judge George Morell, and the latter before Judge Solomon Sibley), were to the effect that it was understood by them, at the time the treaty was made, that five or six reservations had been intended by the Indians for the children of Jacob Smith, who was a great favorite among them. All of the above-mentioned documents were laid before Congress in support of the petition of the Smith claimants, as was also the following memorial from persons residing principally at Flint River and in that vicinity, viz.: "To the Honorable, the Senate of the United States: " The undersigned, citizens of the Territory of Michigan, residing in the vicinity of certain lands reserved to the heirs of Jacob Smith, under the treaty of Saginaw, having understood that a certain bill is now pending before your honorable body for the relief of the heirs of said Jacob Smith, have thought proper to represent that the confirmation of the said grants to the said heirs would greatly advance the settlement and improvement of this part of the Territory, and that the delay in the perfecting of the title to said lands has already been of serious injury to this portion of the Territory. The undersigned would, therefore, respectfully petition that the above-mentioned bill may become a law, there being no doubt that the equitable title to said lands is in the said heirs, and that strict justice requires of the general government a confirmation of the same: l "LYMAN STOW, MERRICK STOW, JAMES PATTERSON, NAHUM N. WILSON, RICHARD J. GILMAN, JOHN CLIFFORD, LEWIS BUCKINGHAM, L. G. BUCKINGHAM, A. H. BEACH, LEMUEL JOHNSON, ISAAC BROWN, MILTON MORRIS, JONATHAN BEACH, EBENEZER S. FISH, NATHANIEL NELSON, JOSEPH SMITH, CALEB BERRY, LUMAN BEACH, RUFUS HARRISON, A. D. WILSON, LORTON S. MATHEWSON, ROBERT MCCORMICK, BENJAMIN PEARSON, ALANSON DICKINSON, THOMAS NELSON, "FLINT RIVER, Sept. 28, 1835." "THOMAS J. DRAKE, E. BEACH, JOHN TODD, E. R. EWINGS, WAIT BEACH, RUFUS W. STEVENS, CHARLES MCLEAN, LUTHER KING, ELIJAH CARMAN, ISAAC MILES, JOHN A. HOYES, AARON G. LOYYES, CALEB BUCKNER, CHARLES C. HASCALL, CALVIN C. PARKE, J. M. CUMMINGS, JAMES W. CROOKS, JAMES McCORMICK, W. H. NELSON, JOSEPH C. WINTERS, LUTHER DICKINSON, CHARLES TOOGOOD, ABIAL L. SHAW, ASA DAVIS, JOHN MCCORMICK. being children of Jacob Smith, deceased (formerly a trader among the Chippewa Indians), patents for one section of land each; also one section of land conjointly to the aforesaid Albert J. Smith, Harriet M. Smith, Louisa L. Smith, and Maria G. Smith, being the only surviving brother and sisters of Sagosequa (or Caroline Smith, deceased, who was also one of the children of Jacob Smith, deceased, at or near the Grand Traverse of the Flint River, in the Territory of Michigan, which said sections of land were reserved to said children, by the third article of the treaty made and concluded at Saginaw, in the said Territory, between the United States of America and the Chippewa nation of Indians, on the 24th day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen." In accordance with the provisions of this act, the five patents were issued June 2, 1836. This was. at that time, considered as a final settlement of the question of title to these reservations; but it was not very long before the opinion began to be entertained by some (an opinion which was afterwards sustained by the courts) that these patents did not and could not convey a title as against any person or persons who could prove themselves to be the rightful reservees in the true intent and meaning of the treaty. It would seem that the proofs adduced by the Smith heirs had been ample for the establishment of their claims, but there were still doubts whether they could hold under the article of the treaty which provided that the lands granted should be for the use of persons of Indian descent only. About this time it was discovered that a young Chiippewa, whose English name was Jack, and who had been brought up and protected by Jacob Smith, claimed to be the real Metawanene, and consequently the owner of the reservation numbered two on the land-office plat; and also that some Indian women made the same claim to sections which had been patented to the daughters of Mr. Smith. In March, 1842, the Indian claimant to reservation numbered two, deeded that tract to Gardner D. Williams, of Saginaw, who in June, 1845, conveyed one moiety of the same to Daniel D. Dewey, of Genesee; and by these a suit was commenced in the Circuit Court for the establishment of the claim of the alleged true Metawanene, and the possession of the lands. After many years of delay, this cause came to final trial in 1856, at the March term, held by Judge Sanford M. Green, in the city of Flint. Plaintiffs, Messrs. Williams and Dewey. Defendant, Chauncey S. Payne.* Attorneys for plaintiffs, Hon. Moses Wisner, James H. C. Blades. For the defendant, Messrs. E. C. and C. I. Walker, of Detroit, John Moore, of Saginaw City, and Charles P. Avery of Flint; which last-named gentleman had then recently purchased an undivided half of Mr. Payne's interest in the property, thus becoming equally interested with him in the result of the suit. In support of the plaintiffs claim there were brought forward four Indian witnesses, who testified through the sworn interpreter to the court, the Rev. Henry P. Chase, of Muncey Town, Canada West. These witnesses were Nahwahchegome, Kahkagezhick, Francis Roy, and Pero Roy, of Saginaw; the first two being full-blood Chippewas and the others half-breeds. Their testimony was to the effect that the Indian-, Jack, who was associated with the * Albert J. Smith had, in 1836, deeded to Mr. Payne an undivided three-fourths, and to T. B. W. Stockton an undivided one-fourth, of the reservation. In 1840, Mr. Stockton conveyed his interest to Mr. Payne, who thus became sole owner. The result was the passage of an act " To authorize the President of the United States to cause to be issued to Albert J. Smith and others patents for certain reservations of land in Michigan Territory." This act (approved June 25, 1836) provided: "That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized and required to issue or cause to be issued, to Metawanene (or Albert J. Smith), Messawwakut (or Harriet M. Smith), Annoketoqua (or Louisa L. Smith), and Nondashemau (or Maria G. Smith), INDIAN RESERVATIONS ON FLINT RIVER. 27.!I plaintiffs upon the record, was known by them to be the true Metawanene for whom section two was reserved; that at the time of the treaty of 1819 he was about four or five years old, and that on that occasion he was brought into the council-house and placed before the commissioner, Gen. Cass. These witnesses (who are represented as having been unenlightened pagans) did not sustain themselves well under cross-examination; and a part of their testimony was directly contradicted by that of Gen. Cass,-taken upon commission,-which was to the effect that no children were produced before him at the treaty as the designated reservees. The defense brought twelve Indian witnesses,-among whom were several chiefs,-who testified that the Indian claimant was not the true Metawanene of the treaty; that he was the son of a Canada Indian whose name was Shayogemaus, and that his own name, from the time of his christening, was Ahnemekeens, and that they had been intimately acquainted with his personal history from the time when he was first laid in his bark cradle. One of these witnesses, an old woman named Moosequay, said she was present at the birth of the claimant, the date of which she placed at about two years after the treaty of Saginaw. This woman was a Christianized Indian, as were also several others of the witnesses for the defense. They also testified that Albert J. Smith, son of Jacob, had been adopted, while yet a small boy, by the old chief, Neome, in the place of a deceased grandson, and that from that time he had uniformly been recognized by the Indians as Metawanene; this adoption having taken place before the treaty, at Mr. Smith's house in Detroit. Among the white witnesses were the Rev. D. C. Jacokes, E. D. Young, Daniel S. Freeman, and P. 0. Johnson. Mr. Jacokes testified that he had made these Indian claims the subject of thorough and impartial examination at an early day, and at a time when it was his interest to establish them as rightful claims if it could be done, the result of which investigation was that in no instance did a single Indian allege that any one of those five sections had been intended for any other than the white children of Jacob Smith. Both he and Mr. Freeman also stated that in conversation with them, at various times, the Indian, Ahnemekeens (or "Jack"), had told them that he had never thought of his having a claim, or that his name was Metawanene until it had been suggested to him by white men. The defense also embraced the evidence contained in the verified statements of the Chippewa chiefs, which were laid before Congress, as before mentioned, as well as several less interesting points. The jury after short deliberation rendered a verdict in flvor of the defendant, thus deciding a case which, during years of litigation, had caused much excitement and some bitter feeling, and which is a matter of general historical interest in the annals of the county. The trial of a similar suit, involving the title to reservations numbers three and four, was also had before Judge Green, at Flint, in the December term in the same year, resulting, as in the case of section 2, adversely to the In dian title. The suit was brought in the names of two of the Indian women, before mentioned, who claimed to be the real Annoketoqua and Sagosequa, and consequently owners of the tracts which had been patented respectively to Louisa L. Smith and to the heirs of Caroline Smith, deceased. For the plaintiff there appeared several Indians who were, or claimed to have been, at the treaty of 1819, and whose testimony was given to show that the reservations were not intended for the children of Jacob Smith, but for the daughters of Neome, and that the Indian claimants in this case were the daughters of that chief. The defense brought two Indians and three white men who were present at the treaty, whose testimony went to show the great influence exerted by Smith at the treaty, and that old Neome favored Smith's wishes, but desired no lands for his own children. The testimony of General Cass for the defense was to the effect that he understood the reservations to have been intended for half-breeds, and not to full-blood Indians, as the granting of reservations to the last-named class was contrary to the policy of the government. (The Indian claimants in this case were full-blood C/ippewas.) He further testified that he did understand at the treaty that the design of Jacob Smith was to obtain reservations for his white children, and that to defeat that design he (General Cass) had caused to be inserted in the treaty the words "all of whom are Indians by descent."* But it was held by the court that whatever the intention of General C(ass might have been, yet if it had been the intention of the Indian grantors to give the lands for the use of the white children of Jacob Smith, the fee was thus vested in them, notwithstanding the insertion of the descriptive words " Indians by descent." The same counsel who had conducted the case of section 2 appeared also in this. The trial occupied three days, and at its conclusion the jury, after a retirement of less than an hour, returned a verdict for the defendant representing the Smith interest. But the end was not yet. The case involving the title to these two sections (Gregory vs. Frost,-the defendant About the time when the question first began to be agitated, in reference to the validity of the title of the Smith children to the reservations, General Cass, in response to a request for a statement of the facts, wrote a letter, which was placed on file in the Indian Department at Washington, of which the following is a copy: "DETROIT, June 22, 1831. " I have been requested to state the facts connected with the reservation of eleven sections of land at Flint River, made under the treaty of Saginaw, so far as respects any interest held therein by the children of Jacob Smith. At the time this reservation was made, I understood that the Indians intended that a number of the sections -I believe five or six-should be granted to the children of Smith, and the names given by them as the grantees of these sections were said to be his children. From circumstances not necessary to detail here, I was led to suspect that Smith designed the land for his white children, and that most of the names purporting to be those of his Indian children were, in fact, the names of his white children, which the Indians-who were in the habit of frequenting his house-had given to them. To guard against the consequences of this attempt, I therefore inserted in the article providing for these reservations a clause confining them to persons of Indian descent. I have an indistinct recollection that one young girl was spoken of as the Indian daughter of Smith, but cannot remember her name. I know Louis Beaufait and Henry Connor well; they were both at the treaty of Saginaw, and they are very honest men, in whose statements full confidence may be placed. (Signed) " LEWIS CASS." 28 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. holding under the Smith heirs) was removed by change of venue to the Circuit Court of Oakland County, and came to trial there in September, 1860. The testimony here was the same as at the trial of four years before in Genesee, except that the defendant introduced, in addition, that of Mr. Le Parle, of Monroe, and Jean Baptiste Trudell, of Bay County, which was very strong in confirmation of the other evidence for the defense. Testimony for the plaintiff, given by several Indian and half-breed witnesses, was successfully impeached, and a verdict was rendered for the defendant. The plaintiff had urged, as a principal argument in favor of the change of venue, that a fair trial could not be had in Genesee County, for the reason, not only, that many individuals there were interested in sustaining the Smith title, because holding under it, but also that a large majority of the people of Flint were favorable to it, in the belief that its overthrow would be detrimental to the interests of the city. The case, therefore, having been tried at a distance from all such alleged influences, was regarded as a test case, and the verdict was a final decision in favor of the Smith title to the five reservations numbered from two to six inclusive. Protracted litigation resulted also from a controversy concerning the title to reservation eight, which was allotted in the survey of 1820 to Mokitchenoqua. This Indian name was claimed (justly, as it afterwards appeared) by Elizabeth Lyons, a half-breed daughter of Archibald Lyons,* an Indian trader. She was one of three girls, or women, all half-breeds, who at different times laid claim to the reservation, and who received from the register and receiver of the land-office at Detroit, certificates of identification, as Mokitchenoqua, the rightful reservee under the treaty. The certificate to Elizabeth was obtained Aug., 1824. The next claimant was Marie Lavoy, who obtained a certificate of identity Feb. 7, 1827 it and the last was Nancy Crane (wife of Alexander D. Crane), formerly Nancy Smith, a reputed daughter of Jacob Smith. She received her certificate July 22, 1831. This was endorsed and confirmed by the Commissioner of the General LandOffice at Washington, Aug. 5, 1835, and on the 7th of March, 1840, a patent was issued for the section of land "to Mokitchenoqua, alias Nancy Crane, wife of Alexander * "Archie Lyons was a trustworthy agent of the Messrs. Williams [Gardner D. and Ephraim S. Williams, traders at Saginaw, and on the Tittabawassee], whose history is identified with the Saginaw Valley prior to the treaty. He was a fine penman, well educated, and a musician of no little skill. He was located at the Little Forks of the Tittabawassee (Midland City), and in coming down from that point on the ice upon skates for the purpose of playing the violin for a dancing-party at Saginaw he was drowned. His track was found on the ice the next day, to the edge of the hole into which he had skated, leaving no doubt as to his fate." —Io,. C. P. Avery. t Soon after the issuance of this certificate to Marie Lavoy, a council was held at Saginaw by Chippewa chiefs, who certified before Col. Stanard (a justice of the peace), and in presence of Archibald Lyons, that they had, at the treaty, reserved a section of land at the Flint River for Mokitchenoqua, the daughter of Lyons. This was testified to by Antoine Campau at one of the trials which subsequently grew out of her claim. Not long after this Lyons was drowned in the Tittabawassee, but the above-mentioned fact proves that while living he recognized her claim to lands on the Flint (and not at Big Rock on the Shiawassee), and that he took measures to establish it. D. Crane, formerly Nancy Smith." In the mean time (June 30, 1835), she had united with her husband in a release of all their interest in the lands to Maj. John Garland. The interest of Elizabeth Lyons was conveyed by her on the 4th of April, 1838, to Gardner D. Williams and Kintzing Pritchette, who, in February, 1840, brought an action of ejectment against T. B. W. Stockton and Chauncey S. Payne, occupants of the section under title conveyed to them from Maj. Garland. Four months later (June 11, 1840), Stockton and Payne filed a bill in chancery, praying that Williams and Pritchette be restrained from prosecuting their action of ejectment, and decreed to release their claim to the premises. Associated with these as defendants were Calvin Smith, Thomas J. Drake, and Elizabeth Lyons; Nancy Crane having on the 10th of February, 1837, joined with her husband in a conveyance of two-tlirds of her interest in the section to Messrs. Smith and Drake, who were charged with notice of the deed of the same interest to Maj. Garland, made twenty months before. This case was tried before Chancellor Manning in February, 1843. In the testimony, as reviewed by the Chancellor, there were but few points of general interest. Henry Connor, the interpreter at the treaty, testified that he did not know of any reservation being made for Elizabeth Lyons. Robert A. Forsyth, who drafted the treaty, said he thought that the name of Mokitchenoqua was among those handed in by Jacob Smith to be inserted as reservees. Louis Beaufait, interpreter at the treaty, said that Jacob Smith, a few months after the treaty, showed him a list of names of those for whom he had obtained each a section of land, and he thought that among them was Mokitcheweenoqua. Cecil Boyer (a woman) was at the treaty, and heard there that a reservation had been made at the Grand Traverse of the Flint for Mokitcheweenoqua, who, she believed, was Jacob Smith's only child of Indian descent. She had also heard that Elizabeth Lyons had a tract reserved for her at Shiawassee. Eshtonaquot, alias Macons, testified strongly in favor of the claim of Nancy Smith, but admitted that he did not know that Mr. Smith had ever claimed more than one section under the treaty. The testimony for the defense was much stronger. Rose Campau said that Elizabeth Lyons had been brought up in her family in Detroit, and had frequently been visited there by her Indian relatives, who always called her Mokitchenoqua, and that she had often heard them say that a section had been reserved for Elizabeth by the treaty. Josette Knaggs, widow of Whitmore Knaggs (who was chief interpreter at the treaty), testified that her husband had told her, on his return from the council at Saginaw, that a section of land had been given to Elizabeth Lyons. She had also heard the same from Indians of the tribe, and from the half-breeds, Peter and James Riley. An important witness for the defense was Rufus W. Stevens, a prominent and most respectable citizen of Genesee County. He testified that he had been told by Jacob Smith that section 7 had been reserved for Edouard Campau, section 8 for Archibald Lyons' daughter, and others for his (Smith's) children, on the north side of the river, but that he made no claim for them to lands on the south side of the river. Louis Moran testified that when, on one INDIAN RESERVATIONS ON FLINT RIVER. q9 I occasion, he had inquired of Jacob Smith as to the ownership of certain lands at the Flint, the latter replied that it was a section which had been reserved for Archibald Lyons' daughter by the treaty. John Baptist Trudell said he was present at the treaty; that all the chiefs told him at the time that Lyons' daughter had land reserved for her; that Jacob Smith, while he resided at the Flint, told him that Lyons' daughter had a section of land there on the opposite side of the river; that he (Smith) spoke of this a number of times, and only a short time before his death. Nearly the same facts were testified to by Peter Whitmore Knaggs (who was at the treaty) and by several others. The chancellor, in reviewing the testimony, said in effect that he did not consider that adduced by the complainants to be entitled to much weight, and that the preponderance of evidence was decidedly in favor of the defense. The facts testified to for the defense by Rufus Wi. Stevens, Louis Moran, and J. B. Trudell, concerning Jacob Smith's frequent admissions that his children claimed no reservations on the south side of the river, were held by the chancellor to be most important. In reference to these he said: " The repeated declarations of Smith after the treaty that there was a section reserved at the Flint for Lyons' daughter is almost conclusive of itself. He claimed five sections at that place, under the treaty, for himself or children, and took possession of them, but he never claimed section 8. No one, perhaps, was more anxious to secure personal advantage by the treaty, or knew better for whom reservations were made, than Smith himself." The court, therefore, refused to decree the release of the defendants' claims, and the bill was dismissed. The complainants then appealed the case to the Supreme Court, where it was tried at the January term in 1845, resulting in a decision affirming the decree of the Court of Chancery. Upon this decision, Williams and Pritchette proceeded with their ejectment suit, and in due time it was brought to trial. The evidence adduced by them here was the same as in the previous trials, but it did not prove sufficiently strong and convincing to establish the claim of Elizabeth Lyons. The decision was in favor of Messrs. Stockton and Payne, and this was a final settlement of the case. Reservation No. 1 has also been the subject of long and vexatious controversy at law between opposing parties, each of whom claimed to hold under the true Tawcumegoqua, for whom the section was reserved by the treaty, and to whom it was allotted in the survey of 1820. One of the persons-for whom it was claimed that she was the true reservee of this section-was a half-breed daughter of the before-mentioned French trader, Bolieu, by his full-blood Indian wife. This girl was named in French Angelique, but in Chippewa Tawcumegoqua. At the age of about twelve years she was sent to the white settlements at or near Detroit, and there partially educated. On attaining womanhood she married a Frenchman named Coutant, and settled near Connor's Creek, in Hamtramck, Wayne Co., where she continued to reside (living after the manner of the French inhabitants of the neighborllood) during the remainder of her life. By her marriage with Coutant she had two children,-a son and a daughter. I F After his death she married Jean Baptiste St. Aubin, but by him had no children. At the time when the treaty of Saginaw was made she was fully forty years of age, and about eight years later she died, leaving her two children, Simon and Ange'lique Coutant, as her sole heirs-at-law. Both these children married, the husband of Angelique being Nicholas Chauvin. It appears that Madam Coutant (otherwise St. Aubin) had claimed to be the owner of the reservation in question, and that after her death her heirs made the same claim, though neither had had actual possession or had taken any legal steps to secure it. But on the 17.th of October, 1833, Simon Coutant and his wife Marie conveyed all their interest in the section, by deed, to Joseph Campau, of Detroit, for the consideration of four hundred and eighty dollars; and on the 18th of the same month, Nicholas Chauvin and his wife (formerly Ange'lique Coutant) conveyed all their interest in the tract, by deed, to the same grantee. Subsequently (June 24,1839) these transactions were confirmed by a deed from the same parties to Campau, who, about the same time, took possession by the placing of one or more tenants upon the tract. On the 26th of February, 1845, a patent for the section was issued to Mr. Campau, in pursuance of the authority conferred by act of Congress, approved June 15, 1844. The other claimant to the reservation, under the name of Tawcumegoqua, Was a full-blood Chippewa woman, the daughter of Mixanene, brother of the old chief Neome. She was about six years of age at the time of the treaty, and about the year 1830 she was married to Kanhzheauzungh, a full-blood Indian, by whom she had three children. On the 13th of August, 1841, she joined with her husband in a deed conveying the whole of Reservation No. 1 to John Bartow and Addison Stewart, the last named gentleman having been for several years in possession of a small portion of the tract, though claiming no title to the land on account of such occupation. On the 6th of April, 1855, Lucy Stewart, widow of Addison Stewart (deceased), and his minor heirs, by their guardian, conveyed their interest in the section to Daniel D. Dewey, and John Bartow conveyed his interest in it to William Hamilton, by deed dated July 3d, in the same year. Thus, whatever title to the tract had originally vested in the full-blood daughter of Mixanene was now held by Messrs. Dewey and Hamilton, while all the right to the tract which had formerly been possessed by the half-breed daughter of Bolieu (Madame Coutant) was held by Joseph Campau, who claimed to have been in actual possession since the year 1838. Under these circumstances, Dewey and Hamilton comlmenced a suit in ejectment against Campau in the Circuit Court of Genesee. The trial resulted adversely to the plaintiffs, who thereupon carried the cause to the Supreme Court, where the judgment of the court below was affirmed. The loss of the case to the plaintiffs was on account of an informality in the acknowledgment of the deed from the Indian claimant. This defect was remedied by a new conveyance from her husband and children, she having died in the year 1848. On the 24th of November, 1856, Alvin T. Crosman (wlio had acquired title by mean conveyances from 30 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. the heirs of Tawcumegoqua) quit-claimed his interest in the entire section to George M. Dewey and Rufus J. Hamilton; and on the 20th of July, 1857, Daniel D. Dewey and William Hamilton quit-claimed to the same grantees, who, in August of that year, brought action of ejectment in the Genesee County Court against Joseph Campau and Alexander McFarlan (the latter a lessee under Campau). On the 29th of April, following, the venue was removed to Saginaw County, where the cause was finally tried in the Circuit Court, before Judge W. F. Woodworth, at the January term in 1860. At this trial,* "evidence was adduced on the part of the plaintiffs tending to prove that at the time of the treaty of Saginaw, and for many years prior and subsequent thereto, a band of Chippewa Indians resided at the village of Pewonigowink, on the Flint River, and about ten miles below the Grand Traverse of that river, at the place where the present city of Flint is located. That during all the time referred to Neome was the chief of this band; that Tonedogane was the principal warrior or second chief of this band, and succeeded Neome in the chieftainship on his decease. That one Mixanene was also a member of this band, a brother of Neome, and that Mixanene had a daughter, named Tawcumegoqua, who was about six years of age at the time of the treaty, and was a member of Neome's family. That Neome also had three children,-two females, Sagosaqua and Owanonaquatoqua, the former about ten or twelve years old at the time of the treaty, the latter a woman grown, and one boy, Ogibwok [supposed by some to have been the real "Checbalk," to whom section 9 should have been allotted], who was about fifteen years of age,-and a grandson called Metawanene; that all the children named were full-blood Indian children.... That Neome, his children, and said grandchild, and his band, including Tonedogane, and also Mixanene and his little daughter Tawcumegoqua, were present at the treaty. That Jacob Smith was there also. That on the night prior to the last council, at which the treaty was read over and agreed to, Jacob Smith came to Neome's tent and advised him to get special reservations of land for his children, and promised to assist him in doing so. That at the grand council, held the next day between the Indians and Gen. Cass, Neome came forward before Gen. Cass with his three children and said grandchild, Me-tawanene, and also his niece, Tawcumegoqua, Mixanene being with him and Jacob Smith standing by his side, and asked for reservations of land for these children; that Gen. Cass assented,-' and that the names of the children were written down, and that it was talked of and understood at the treaty that these children got special reservations of land." The testimony of the chief Nocchicame, and others was also introduced by the plaintiffs to show that Mixanene's daughter, Tawcumegoqua, was married about 1830 to Kahzheauzungh, and to identify her as the same person who joined with her husband in the deed to John Barton ~Mich. Reports, vol. v., Cooley. t This, however, was shown to be wholly incorrect by the testimony of Gen. Cass, given in one of the trials involving the title to other sections of the Smith reservation; in which the general stated positively that no such children were produced before him as reservees at the treaty. E and Addison Stewart, April 29, 1846; that she died in the fall of 1848, and that the persons who joined with her husband in the deeds to John Moore and A. T. Crosman were her children and heirs. The defendants introduced evidence showing that their Tawcumegoqua (alias Madame Coutant) was the daughter of the trader Bolieu, and an Indian woman (his wife) who was related by blood to the chiefs Neome and Tonedogane, and tending to prove that she (the daughter) was the true reservee. Among this evidence was the deposition of Henry Connor (then deceased) taken before David E. Harbaugh, a justice of the peace for Wayne County, Feb. 20, 1839, as follows: " I, Henry Connor, of Wayne County, State of Michigan, do solemnly swear that I was an Indian interpreter at the treaty held with the Indians at Saginaw, in the year 1819, and that Tawcumegoqua, a half-breed Indian woman, was present at said treaty; that I acted as interpreter for her in the matter of her claim to a section of land at or near the Grand Traverse on Flint River, in the then Territory of Michigan. I was well acquainted with said Tawcumegoqua during a period of more than thirty years, and I know that she was the identical woman to whom the Indians then granted and intended to grant a section of land situated near the Grand Traverse of the Flint River aforesaid. I do also know that she was married to a Frenchman named Coutant, and was called by the French inhabitants Ang6lique Coutant. That she had two children by said Coutant, called Simon and Angelique Coutant, and that these two children are the only heirs of the said Tawcumegoqua."... It was urged that this testimony was of great weight and importance, from the fact that Connor (on account of the position held by him at the treaty) must of necessity have been fully acquainted with all the circumstances, and with the intentions of the Indians, and also from the fact that his entire truthfulness and honesty were vouched for by General Cass, and others who had known him intimately for many years. George B. Knaggs testified for the defense that he knew Madame Coutant, that he saw her at the treaty, that she was the person to whom the Indians intended to give the reserved tract, and this was understood by common conversation among them afterwards. This witness, however, did not sustain himself well under cross-examination, and his statements appear to have been received with distrust by the court. Louis Campau, the old trader (who, at the time of this trial, was living in retirement at Grand Rapids), testified for the defense. He was present at the treaty of 1819, and here gave a detailed account of the proceedings on that occasion. He said Mrs. Coutant was present, and was then called by her Indian name, which the Indians accepted; that she was presented by that name to General Cass, and that after her interview with him in the presence of the chiefs, he (Campau) asked her if she got the land, and she replied, " Yes, my son, my relations have pitied me, and given me a piece of land." He said that he met the chief, Tonedogane, who spoke of Mrs. Coutant by her Indian name, and called her his aunt, and that not only this Indian, but also the chiefs, Ncome, Kabamiscobe, and Podagnass, told him that they had given her lands. This witness also SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. 31 testified that although he had been well acquainted with Neome since 1815, and knew all the hunters of his band, he had never known or heard that the old chief had any children, as had been stated by the witnesses on the other side. The trial, which was a long and interesting one, terminated on the 15th of February by a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. Upon this a writ of restitution was issued, and Messrs. Dewey and Hamilton were placed in possession of the tract by Sheriff Lewis Buckingham on the 29th of November, 1860. From the Circuit Court of Saginaw County the cause was carried by the defeated party to the Supreme Court, on a writ of error and bill of exceptions, and came to trial at the October term in 1861; resulting in an affirmation of the judgment of the court below. The foregoing account of the principal suits, involving the original title to these reservations, may be thought unnecessarily extended; but it has been made so not only because of the great interest which was felt in them by the people of this vicinity, and on account of the singularly conflicting nature of the evidence adduced, but also for the reason that (as was remarked to the writer by one of the most prominent citizens of Flint, and one who is intimately acquainted with the matter of which he speaks) " the settlement of the titles to the seven thousand acres embraced in the Smith reservations has caused twenty times more trouble, anxiety, and litigation than all the other land-titles in the county of Genesee." This remark, however, does not properly apply to the reservations on the south side of the river, excepting number eight, which has been mentioned above at some length. The first of these (commencing at the lowest point on the river) was the one numbered eleven, of which the reservee was Kitchegeequa, a half-breed, otherwise known as Catharine Mene, who died a few years after the treaty. On the 30th of May, 1830, a patent was issued to Charles Mene and the other heirs of Catharine, and the title thus confirmed, proved good and valid. The reservee of the adjoining tract (number ten) was Phillis Beaufait (otherwise Petabonequa), a half-breed daughter of Colonel Louis Beaufait. Holders of titles derived from her found themselves secure; and this was also the case on reservation nine, which was granted to the half-breed Checbalk, otherwise Jean Visger, or John Fisher, a member of the Fisher tribe" or band, several of whom are still living in the county. Nowokeshik, to whom reservation number seven was allotted, was Francois Edouard Campau, a half-breed son of Barney Campau. A patent for this tract was issued to him June 12, 1825, and on the 1st of April, 1830, he conveyed it by deed to John Todd, the pioneer of the Flint River settlement. Within this reservation is now included all of the second, and the greater part of the third ward of Flint, embracing the most populous and valuable portion of the city. CHAPTER VI. SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. Low Estimate of the Value of Michigan Lands by Travelers and Surveyors-Slow Progress of Settlement in consequence-Correction of the Mistaken Opinion-Settlement of the Territory now Genesee County-Regard of the Early Settlers for Education and Religious Worship. UNTIL after the close of the last war between the United States and Great Britain, so little of actual knowledge had been gained concerning the Territory of Michigan thatwith the exception of a limited region lying along the Detroit River, and contiguous to a few of the more important points on Lakes Huron, Michigan, and St. Clairthe whole of the lower peninsula might properly have been termed an unexplored and unknown country. In the first year of that war, an act was passed by Congress requiring that two millions of acres of land, in each of the (then) Territories of Michigan, Illinois, and Louisiana,-in all six million acres,-should be surveyed and set apart as military tracts, out of which each soldier serving in the armies of the United States in the war with England should be entitled to receive one hundred and sixty acres of land fit for cultivation. Under the provisions of this act surveys were made; but, while engaged in the work, the surveyors seem to have formed an idea of the country here similar to that expressed by Honton, one of the early French travelers, who, having had a glimpse of some of the swampy regions bordering the lakes and rivers, recorded as his opinion of the peninsula lying between the lakes, that it was in truth "the fag-end of the world." Much the same was the estimation in which these lands were held by the surveyorgeneral, as is seen by the following extract from his report, dated Nov. 13, 1815, having reference to the Michigan surveys, viz.: " The country on the Indian boundary line fiom the mouth of the Great Auglaize River [that is, the line established by the treaty of Detroit, in 1807, and identical, or nearly so, with the principal meridian of the government surveys], and running thence for about fifty miles, is, with some few exceptions, low, wet land, with a very thick growth of underbrush, intermixed with very bad marshes, but generally very heavily timbered with beech, cotton-wood, oak, etc.; thence, continuing north, and extending from the Indian boundary eastward, the number and extent of the swamps increases, with the addition of numbers of lakes from twenty chains to two and three miles across. Many of these lakes have extensive marshes adjoining their margins, sometimes thickly covered with a species of pine called tamarack, and other places covered with a coarse, high grass, and uniformly covered from six inches to three feet (and more at times) with water. The margins of these lakes are not the only places where swamps are found, for they are interspersed throughout the whole country and filled with water, as above stated, and varying in extent. " The intermediate space between these swamps and lakes -which is probably near one-half of the country-is, with very few exceptions, a poor, barren, sandy land, on which scarcely any vegetation grows, except very small, scrubby oaks. In many places, that part which may be called dry 32 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. land is composed of little, short sand-hills, forming a kind of deep basins, the bottoms of many of which are composed of marsh similar to the above described. The streams are generally narrow, and very deep compared with their width, the shores and bottoms of which are, with very few exceptions, swampy beyond description; and it is with the utmost difficulty that a place can be found over which horses can be conveyed in safety. " A circumstance peculiar to that country is exhibited in many of the marshes, by their being thinly covered with a sward of grass, by walking on which evinces the existence of water, or a very thin mud, immediately under their covering, which sinks from six to eighteen inches under the pressure of the foot at every step, and at the same time rises before and behind the person passing over it. The margins of many of the lakes and streams are in similar situation, and in many places are literally afloat. On approaching the eastern part of the military land, towards the private claims on the straits and lake, the country does not contain so many swamps and lakes, but the extreme sterility and barrenness of the soil continue the same. Taking the country altogether, so far as it has been explored, and to all appearances, together with information received concerning the balance, it is so bad that there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there would be oae out of a thousand, that would in any case admit of cultivation." Probably the above was an honest expression of opinion on the part of the surveyor-general, who, of course, based his report on the information furnished him by his subordinates who performed the work in the field; but how they could have been so deceived (if indeed they were so far deceived as to believe the disparaging statements which they made) is certainly a mystery. However it may have been brought about, the result was that Congress passed a law (April 29, 1816) repealing so much of the act of 1812 as authorized the locating of soldiers' lands in Michigan, and, in lieu thereof, providing for the survey of one million five hundred thousand acres in Missouri; so that the brave men who had periled their lives for their country should not be wronged and insulted by the donation of lands of which, according to the surveyors' reports, not one acre in a hundred was fit for cultivation. The natural effect of all this was to bring the Territory of Michigan into contempt as a country unfit for agriculture; and this belief was fostered by the Indian traders, who were thoroughly acquainted with the interior country and its capabilities, but were only too willing to assist in perpetuating the delusion, in order to postpone the evil day (as they regarded it) when their lucrative business should be ruined by the advance of white immigration and settlement. And so there grew up a belief, which became well-nigh universal, that all this region, now so beautiful and productive, was a land of irreclaimable swamps and barren sand-knolls, the home of every species of malarial disease, which must forever remain unfit for culture or white occupation; and that its obvious destiny must be to continue in the posses sion of wild beasts and the aborigines. There were those, however, who believed that this judgment was a false, or at least a hasty one; and chief among those who were skeptical as to the absolute worthlessness of Michigan lands was Governor Lewis Cass, who not only doubted, but resolved to test its truth, and to disprove or prove it by the evidence of his own senses; and to that end he set out from Detroit, accompanied by Hon. Austin E. Wing and two or three other friends, on a tour of observation and discovery. Through the first stage of their Northwestern journey, after leaving the town, the aspect was by no means reassuring, and as their horses sunk kneedeep in the sloughs or wallowed through the marshy places along that trail whose horrors and miseries afterwards became so well known to the pioneers, it really seemed as if the dismal tales of the surveyors and Indian traders would be more than verified. But at last, after having floundered over a distance which seemed a hundred miles, but which in reality was not more than one-eighth part of it, they emerged upon higher ground and into a more open and desirable country, which is now the southeastern part of the superb county of Oakland. From that point their journey continued easy and unobstructed towards the northwest, over a dry and rolling country, through beautiful open groves of oak, and along the margins of pure and limpid waters. One of these latter they named Wing Lake, in honor of a member of the party; another (the largest sheet of water in Oakland) they called Cass Lake; while a little farther on (now in Waterford township) they named a lovely lake for Elizabeth, the governor's wife. During their journey (which was of about a week's duration) they penetrated nearly to the southern boundary of Genesee; and when they returned they carried back with them the knowledge and proof that Michigan was not the worthless desert which it had been represented; but, instead, a beautiful and fertile land, awaiting only the touch of the settler's axe and plow, and ready to yield an abundant increase to reward his toil. EARLY SETTLERS IN GENESEE. The trader Bolieu, who has already been mentioned as being in all probability the first white man who came into this Indian country, could hardly have been called a settler under the common acceptation of the term, though it is believed that he lived for a long time within the present limits of this county. His case seems to have been that of a man who, for some cause which does not appear,whether for the sake of mere profit, or because of disappointment, disgust with the world, or from pure love of the wild freedom of Indian life, came among them, married a woman of the tribe who was a relative of one of their principal chiefs, raised a half-breed family, and adopted the Chilppewa mode of living; making no improvements that are known of, and probably never expecting or wishing to see others of the white race make their homes near him. But it was under other circumstances and in an entirely different manner that Jacob Smith came to build his cabin on the Flint River; and it was to him that the distinction properly belonged, of being the first white man who made a settlement within the region which is now embraced in Genesee County. He came in the fall of 1819 to the Grand Traverse of the Flint, and upon the right bank of the river, not far from the Indian crossing, he erected a log house which was at once his trading-house and his dwelling. SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. 33 __ _ There can be no question that his principal object in locating at this place was to take possession of the reservations which he had caused to be granted in the treaty of Saginaw, and to hold them for himself and children. And (with the exception of occasional absences at Detroit) he remained in occupancy of his house and lands here for the remainder of his life. It seems to be quite generally believed among those who have not examined into the facts that during this time Mr, Smith was entirely engaged in Indian trade, and that he made no agricultural improvemernts here. That this is a mistake, and that a part of his lands were cleared and cultivated by him or under his direction, is proved by papers to which access has been had in the preparation of this history. One of these papers is a sealed instrument which is self-explanatory, and of which the following is a copy: "Whereas I, David E. W. Corbin, have this day canceled and given up to Jacob Smith a certain lease for a section of land on Flint River, in the county of Oakland, dated the 21st day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one (1821), as by reference to said lease will more fully appear, and whereas the said Jacob Smith hath heretofore commenced a certain suit on a book account against me before John McDonald, Esq., a Justice of the Peace in and for the county of Wayne. Now, therefore, in consideration of the said Jacob Smith having discontinued said suit, and having given me a general release of all debts and demands whatsoever, I do hereby give, grant, sell, and convey unto the said Jacob Smith all my right, title, interest, and claim whatsoever to all the wheat, corn, potatoes, barley, peas, beans, and oats, and all other crops whatsoever, now growing on said section of land, or elsewhere in the county of Oakland, and likewise all other property of every kind and description which I now own in the county of Oakland. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two. " Witness: GEORGE A. GAGE. "DAVID E. W. CoRBIN." [SEAL] It is thus clearly shown that a part of the reservation had been cleared, and that crops were growing upon it, at least as early as 1822; that in that year it was occupied as a farm by Mr. Corbin, under lease from Jacob Smith; and that the former, being for some reason unable to meet his payments, relinquished the lease to Mr. Smith in the year named. This Mr. Corbin had been a soldier of the war of 1812. He was for some time employed on the farm of Maj. Williams, near Pontiac, and afterwards worked for G. D. and E. S. Williams, at Saginaw. Still later, he was appointed light-house keeper at Green Bay, Wis., and remained in that position until his death. That the farm, after being given up by Corbin, was continued and carried on by Mr. Smith until the time of his death, is shown by the tenor of another of the papers referred to; it being as follows: "DETROIT, April 4, 1825. To all owhom it snay concern: Mr. George Lyons is hereby authorized to take possession, in the name of Metawanene, or Albert J. Smith, a minor, of the house and farm, situated on Flint River, lately occupied by Jacob Smith, deceased, until some further definite arrangement. The horses, cattle, hogs, one wagon, three plows, and four sets of harness belong to me, and Mr. Lyons is hereby authorized to receive them in my name from any person now at the farm. [Signed] "JOHN GARLAND. "P. S.-All other property on the premises belongs to the estate of Jacob Smith. It is my wish that an inventory be taken of them by Mr. Lyons and Mr. E. Campau, and left with Mr. Campau. [Signed] "JOHN GARLAND." 5 The " Mr. E. Campau" above referred to was the halfbreed otherwise known as Nowokeshik, the owner of reservation No. 7. He was frequently employed about the trading-house of Mr. Smith during the years in which the latter lived at the Grand Traverse, and at the time of the death of Mr. Smith he (Campau) was living in a cabin on his own reservation on the south side of the river, but whether with or without his family is not known. There is little doubt that he built and occupied the cabin on the reservation for the purpose of having the fact of his actual possession assist him to obtain a patent of the tract from government; and he did so obtain it soon after Mr. Smith's death, viz., June 12, 1825. Not long after having secured the land by patent, he removed from it. Under these circumstances, therefore, it does not seem proper to class him as a settler. The George Lyons to whom reference is made "was for five years a resident "of Flint River, in Michigan Territory," as we learn from his testimony, given in connection with one of the Smith reservation trials. Neither the exact place of his location on the river, nor the precise time when he lived here, can be given; but it appears more than probable, from the above, that he was living somewhere in the vicinity of the Grand Traverse at the time when the house, farm, and effects of Jacob Smith were turned over to him by Major Garland. It was in the winter or early spring of 1825 that Mr. Smith died (at the age of forty-five years) at his isolated farm on the Flint, and his was the first death of a white person which occurred in the present county. The second is believed to have been that of Mrs. Esther Green, who died in the year 1830 in the same house in which Mr. Smith had died five years before. She was the daughter of John Tupper, of Grand Blanc, and the wife of Archibald Green, who (it may be inferred from this circumstance) was then in occupation of the Smith house and property on Flint River. Upon the death of his wife he became discouraged, and removed from the place. Whether any other tenants had temporarily occupied the Smith premises before Mr. Green is not known. The next settlers (after Jacob Smith) within the boundaries of the county were Jacob Stevens and his sons, Rufus and Sherman, who came from Western New York in the. year 1822, and settled in the following year at Grand Blanc, where they remained without neighbors (other than Indians and half-breeds) for three years. That they found something of contentment in their lonely wilderness home may be inferred from the tone of a letter written by Mr. Stevens to friends in New York in July, 1825, from which is extracted the following: " We comforted ourselves in that we had' a healthy country, as high and pleasant as we had ever anticipated, and the garden of the Territory, and knowing that the time could not be long ere we should have neighbors we sought contentment with our condition, and found it. Our Indian neighbors, of whom we have plenty, we find docile, hospitable, and friendly. On this subject I am at a loss how to write you, believing you will find it hard to credit facts. They are very far from being the hideous monsters youthful fancy had pictured them. No person could be more timorous about them than Eunice ever was, but a short acquaintance with their ways and customs abated 334 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. that fear. I state it in presence of the family, without fear of contradiction. Notwithstanding we living so near them are under the necessity of having considerable intercourse with them, and at some seasons of the year perhaps fifty of them are camped in sight and likely enough half drunk, Eunice declares that they are less to be dreaded than the same number of whites in the same condition. Not a minute's sleep, except in some of their frolics when they were too noisy, has been lost by any of the family on account of them. It is a fact that within eighteen months from the time Sherman saw the first Indians he was almost master of their language, and they are much attached to him. They furnish us with all kinds of peltries, sugar, beeswax, honey, venison, fish, etc., in exchange for flour, meal, and salt, and we have found the exchange very beneficial to us, though on a small scale." In another part of the same letter Mr. Stevens mentions that seven miles northwest of his place there were living some French people, who were the last inhabitants in that direction this side of Saginaw, doubtless having reference to Edouard Campau and perhaps two or three other French half-breeds temporarily located on the Flint. The establishment of the post of Saginaw had had the effect to encourage immigration towards it from the southeast. But when, after fourteen months' occupation, it was abandoned by the United States on account of the alarming sickness and mortality among its garrison the effect was correspondingly depressing, and resulted in a sudden and entire check of immigration in this direction; and it was not until the year 1826 that Mr. Stevens welcomed his first neighbors, Edmond Perry, Sr., and Rowland B. Perry (uncle and nephew), from Livingston Co., N. Y. After them, in 1827, 1828, and 1829, came Edward H. Spencer, from Vermont, Wm. Roberts, George E. Perry (Connecticut), Joseph McFarlan, Ezekiel R. Ewing, Jeremiah Riggs and family, and a number of others (mostly from Western New York, but a few from New England), so that by the year 1830 quite a settlement had formed in the southeast part of the county. In that year Asa Farrar had made his appearance in what is now Atlas, and some of the Tupper family had come into the county. Benajah Tupper, Preston, and Archibald Green had already pushed north as far as the Flint River, but made only temporary settlement there, Mr. Green being driven away in discouragement at the death of his wife, as we have seen. But in the year named (1830) came John Todd, from the neighborhood of Pontiac, Oakland Co., and began a settlement, which proved to be a permanent one, and which has distinguished him as the pioneer settler in what is now the city of Flint. By 1833 a number of new-comers had clustered around him, and in that year Benjamin Pearson and Addison Stewart advanced, and built their cabins near the north line of the present township of Flint. In that year, too, came Lewis Buckingham, the first sheriff of the county of Genesee. He arrived at Flint River on the 1st day of May, and afterwards, with several associates who came with him from Western New York, formed a settlement on the line between the present townships of Mount Morris and Genesee. They were all men who were opposed to the use of intoxicating drinks, and for this reason their neighborhood was (by a few) derisively termed "the Cold-Water Settlement" and "Hungry Hill," though the latter, in particular, appears to have been a misnomer, for, notwithstanding all which has been said about the hardships endured by the first settlers (and it cannot be denied that there were many hardships inseparable from their condition), there appears little evidence tending to show that hunger was among the privations of the pioneers upon the fertile soil of Genesee. REGARD OF THE SETTLERS FOR EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS WORSHIP. As nine-tenths of the earliest settlers of this county came from New York State and New England, they brought with them (as it was natural they should) the advanced ideas of the favored communities from which they came upon the subjects of education and religious observance. After they had secured for their families shelter, and the means of present subsistence, they allowed very little time to elapse before they also provided for the education of their children; though as the means at their command were limited, so, of course, the methods were far more rude, and the results obtained were more meagre than those of the present day; but, though the schools were often taught in the cramped cabin of the settler, and never in any edifice more pretentious than the single-roomed log school-house, reared in a day by the combined labor of a few earnest heads of families, yet in these rude institutions of learning there have been laid the foundations of many an honorable and useful career. The case was the same, among these pioneers from New England and New York, with regard to religious observance. They recognized it as being among the necessities of life, equally with food, raiment, and shelter; and so, as soon as they had secured these in the most primitive form (and frequently, indeed, before they had secured them at all), they made haste to set up the altar of the Most High in this wilderness, and embraced every opportunity to enjoy the privilege of divine worship. There is now living in the city of Flint a lady who recollects that when she first came to the place with her husband, forty-six years ago, their first inquiries were concerning religious services; and when informed that such were to be held in a barn at the Grand Blanc settlement on the next succeeding Sabbath (it was then past the middle of the week), they prepared to attend. The distance to the place of meeting was fully seven miles over bad roads, and with streams to be forded, so the journey could not be expected to be either easy, rapid, or pleasant, and, of course, could not be performed in one day; so they, with others, set out in an ox-wagon on Saturday, reached.their place of destination the same night, attended services on Sunday, and arrived back at Flint River on Monday afternoon, thus consuming three days in the expedition; but this loss of time was not in the least regretted, though not a tree had then been felled, or any other preliminary steps taken towards the preparation of their future home. Among the earliest of the pioneer preachers in Genesee County were the Rev. W. H. Brockway, a Methodist and an Indian missionary, Elders Frazee (Methodist), Benedict, and Gambell (Baptists), the Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles (Con CHANGES OF CIVIL JURISDICTION. 35 gregcationalist), of Pontiac, Rev. Oscar North (Methodist), and others. The first religious meetings were held at the Stevens and Perry settlement (Grand Blanc), and from there they extended northward to Flint River and other points. The Rev. Mr. North is mentioned as the first who held services in the Flint River settlement, and though this priority has been disputed by some, there is no reason to doubt that he was among the first who preached thlere. The " Cold Water Settlement"' was a point where traveling preachers almost invariably held 'services when passing through this region. The people who formed this settlement were all Presbyterians or Congregationalists (these two being nearly identical at that time), but here, as elsewhere in the county at that early day, the opportunity of religious worship was always gladly embraced, regardless of denominational differences; and whether a preacher was of the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, or other Christian form of belief, his services were always welcomed by the pioneers, who fully appreciated the value of the church privileges they had left behind when they emigrated from their old homes in the East. In the above brief mention, it has not been the intention to give more than a mere glance at a few of the very earliest settlers, and their first rude but earnest attempts at religious and educational advancement. These subjects will be resumed, and a more full account of the settlements and settlers, schools and churches will be given in the separate histories of the several townships of the county. CHAPTER VII. CHANGES OF CIVIL JURISDICTION-ERECTION AND ORGANIZATION OF GENESEE COUNTY -COURTS AND COUNTY BUILDINGS. Act Erecting the County-Subdivision into Townships-Organization of County-First Election of County Officers-First Board of Supervisors-Early Courts in Genesee-County Site, Court-1houses, and Jails-County Poor-1Iouse and Farm. THE county of Wayne was erected by executive act, Nov. 1, 1815. This was the first county formed in the Territory of Michigan, and embraced all the lands within it,-to which the aboriginal title had been extinguished,including, of course, the part of the present county of Genesee lying southeast of the Indian line terminating at White Rock, as established by the treaty of 1807. By executive proclamation, dated Jan. 15, 1818, all of Wayne County lying north of the base-line was erected into the new county of Macomb, embracing all of the present counties of Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, St. Clair, and Lapeer, parts of Sanilac, Tuscola, and Shiawassee, the east half of Ingham, and that portion of Genesee which had been included in Wayne; the boundaries of the newlyerected county being described in thle proclamation as " beginning at the southwest corner of township number one, north of the base-line (so called) and in the first range; thence along the Indian boundary-line, north, to the angle formed by the intersection of the line running to White Rock, upon Lake Huron; thence with the last-mentioned line to the boundary-line between the United States and the British province of Upper Canada; thence, with said line, southwardly, to a point in Lake St. Clair due east from the place of beginning; thence, due west, to the eastern extremity of said base-line, and, with the same, to the place of beginning." Oakland was taken from Macomb, and erected a county, by proclamation of Governor Cass, dated Jan. 12, 1819. That county then included, in addition to its present area, all of Livingston County, the east half of Ingham, the southernmost tier of townships in Shiawassee, and the towns of Argentine and Fenton, in Genesee. It was not until March 28, 1820, however, that the organization of Oakland as a county was effected under executive proclamation. The other counties which formerly included parts of the present territory of Genesee are Lapeer, Saginaw, and Shiawassee, which were all "' laid out" as counties by Governor Cass' proclamation of Sept. 10, 1822. Lapeer was described as " beginning at the northwest corner of the county of St. Clair, and running thence, west, to the line between the sixth and seventh ranges east of the principal meridian; thence, south, to the line between the townships numbered 5 and 6, north of the base-line; thence, east, to the line between the twelfth and thirteenth ranges east of the principal meridian; thence, north, to the place of beginning." These boundaries covered all the territory now lying in Genesce County east of its centre, and extended north to include the southern half of the present townships of Arbela, Millington, and Watertown, in Tuscola County. Saginaw County as then laid out included that part of Genesee which now forms the townships of Vienna and Montrose; and Shiawassee County, which then formed the entire southern boundary of Saginaw, embraced not only all its present territory but also the north half of Livingston, the northeast quarter of Ingharm, and the townships of Fenton, Argentine, Gaines, Mundy, Flint, Clayton, Flushing, and Mount Morris, in the present county of Genesee. In the proclamation erecting these counties it was declared that they "l shall be organized whenever, hereafter, the competent authority for the time being shall so determine;" but that until such time they, together with the newly-formed county of Sanilac, and all the other territory to which the Indian title was extinguished by the Saginaw treaty of 1819, should be attached to and form a part of the county of Oakland. In accordance with that provision, the county of Lapeer was organized by act of the Legislative Council, approved Jan. 20, 1835; Saginaw was organized January 28th of the same year, and Shiawassee on the 18th of March, 1837. ACT ERECTING TMIE COUNTY. By the terms of '" An act to set off the county of Genesee," passed by the Legislative Council, and approved March 28, 1835, it was provided "that townships 5, 6, 7, and 8 north, ranges 5 and 6 east, being the eastern tiers of townships in the county of Shiawassee;* also townships -' The county of Shiawassee had then been reduced in size by the erection (March 21, 1833) of the county of Livingston, which took from Shiawassee two tiers of townships on its southern border. 36 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 6, 7, 8, and 9 north, range 7 east, being the western tier of townships in the county of Lapeer; also townships 9, ranges 5 and 6 east, being the southeast corner of the county of Saginaw, shall form a new county by the name of Genesee, which shall remain for the present, for judicial purposes, attached to the county of Oakland." SUBDIVISION INTO TOWNSHIPS. The county of Genesee as thus laid out embraced all of its present area except the eastern range of townships, which then belonged to Lapeer. The oldest of the townships of Genesee is Grand Blanc, which was erected by act of the Legislative Council of the Territory, approved March 9, 1833, which provided " that all that district of country comprised in townships 5, 6, 7, and 8 north, in range 6 east, and townships 6, 7, and 8 north, in range 7 east, and townships 6 and 7 north, in range 8 east shall form a township by the name of Grand Blanc;"' this including the present townships of Fenton, Mundy, Flint, Mount Morris, Genesee, Burton, Atlas, Davison, and Grand Blanc,-the first four being then in Shiawassee County, and the last five in Lapeer. The next township erected was Flint, by act approved March 2,1836. This at its erection embraced not only its present area and that of the city of Flint, but also the present townships of Burton, Clayton, Flushing, Mount Morris, Genesee, Thetford, Vienna, and Montrose. Argentine was erected by act of July 26, 1836, and then included besides its present territory that of the township of Fenton. Mundy (then including also the present township of Gaines) was erected by act of Legislature, approved March 11, 1837; and by the same act Vienna was erected from the north part of Flint, to include the territory now comprised in Montrose, Vienna, and Thetford. So that at that time the county of Genesee contained the townships of Grand Blanc, Flint, Argentine, Mundy, and Vienna, which covered all its territory. The eastern tier of townshipsAtlas, Davison, Richfield, and Forest-were detached from Lapeer County and annexed to Genesee by act approved March 9, 1843, and taking effect on the 31st of the same month. The later subdivisions of the county will be found mentioned in the histories of the several townships. ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. Genesee was organized as a county under an act of the Legislature, approved March 8, 1836, which provided "that the county'of Genesee shall be organized, and the inhabitants thereof entitled to all the rights and privileges to which, by law, the inhabitants of the other counties of this State are entitled." A section of the same act declared "that the county of Shiawassee be, and the same is, hereby attached to the county of Genesee for judicial purposes until otherwise directed by the Legislature." And it remained so attached until the organization of that county by act approved March 18, 1837. FIRST ELECTION OF COUNTY OFFICERS. The first election for county officers was held Aug. 22, 1836. The board of canvassers (composed of Lyman Stow, Alonzo Ferris, and Clark Dibble) met Thursday, August 25th, at the hall of Stage & Wright, and declared the elecby:: --- tion of the following persons to the county offices: Jeremiah R. Smith and Asa Bishop, Associate Judges; Samuel Rice, Judge of Probate; Lewis Buckingham, Sheriff; Robert F. Stage, Clerk; Charles D. W. Gibson, Treasurer; Oliver Wesson, Register of Deeds; Chauncey Chapin and Rufus W. Stevens, Coroners; Ogden Clarke, County Surveyor. FIRST BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held in the tailor-shop of Daniel H. Seeley, in Flint, on the 4th of October, 1836. The members of the board present were Samuel Rice, as supervisor of Grand Blanc; Lyman Stow, of Flint; and Samuel W. Pattison, of Argentine. Samuel Rice was called to the chair; Robert F. Stage was appointed clerk, and, the board being then ready for business, it was ascertained that no books or stationery had been prepared for their use; whereupon it was " resolved that Samuel Rice be a committee to procure such books, papers, etc., as may be necessary," and the board adjourned to the 17th of the same month. At the adjourned meeting Supervisor Pattison was not present, and the board adjourned to the following day, October 18th, when, all being present, Mr. Pattison was appointed clerk, and the board proceeded to business. Mr. Rice, the committee charged with the procuring of articles necessary for the use of the board, reported his purchase of one blank-book and other articles; which was accepted, and his bill for the same allowed at eleven dollars. It was by the board " resolved to raise a tax of two thousand dollars, agreeably to the following assessment* and apportionment," viz.: Towns. Assessment. County. Town. Collector. Flint..............$203.973 $1267.43, $231.52 John Todd. Grand Blanc... 117,896 732.57 146.20 Caleb S. Thompson. The assessment and apportionment of Argentine was included with that of Grand Blanc. The board "prepared a report for the Auditor-General, and appointed Mr. Stow to forward the same." And a number of bills were allowed, among which was one of one dollar to Daniel H. Seeley, for use of room and fuel for the session, and three dollars to Samuel Rice, for a trunk in which to keep and preserve the county records. EARLY COURTS IN GENESEE. The act of Legislature under which Genesee County was organized provided, in its second section, "That all suits, prosecutions, and other matters now pending before any of the courts of record of Oakland County, or before any justice of the peace of said county, or that shall be pending at the time of the taking effect of this act, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution, and all taxes heretofore levied and now due shall be collected in the same manner as though the county of Genesee had not been organized;" and by the third section of the same it was provided, " That the Circuit Court of the county of Genesee shall be held, until public buildings shall be erected, at such place as the sheriff of said county shall -" The first report of County Treasurer C. D. W. Gibson, dated Jan. 30, 1837, showed that the entire amount of taxes for 1836 ($2377.72) had been promptly collected, and paid over by Messrs. Thompson and Todd. COURTS AND COUNTY BUILDINGS. 37. provide, at the seat of justice in said county, on the Tuesday next after the fourth Monday in June, and the Tuesday next after the fourth Monday in January in each year." The Probate Court was the first, organized in the county. The first business done in this court was in the matter of the will of Schuyler V. Brown, deceased, dated Pontiac, July 15, 1836. The witnesses were Jacob Thomas, P. G. Cochrane, and Thomas J. Drake, and the executors, Gould Davison, of Genesee County, and Daniel Hartwell, of Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. The court convened at Flint, Oct. 29, 1836, received and filed the petition of Gould Davison, executor, praying that the will be proved and allowed, and thereupon ordered that a hearing be had in the case on the 26th of November following. Agreeably to that adjournment the court opened, but on account of the absence of the witnesses adjourned to December 5th. At that time the witnesses, Drake and Thomas, appeared and testified, and, "there being no objections, the said will was allowed." This was the first will proved in Genesee County. The first term of the Circuit Court of Genesee County was held at Flint in February, 1837, by the Hon. George Morell, one of the justices of the Supreme Court, the cases on the calendar being as follows: No. 1.-Chauncey Bogue vs. Timothy J. Walling. Action for attachment. Thomas J. Drake, attorney for plaintiff. No. 2.-Andrew Cox vs. Goshen Olmsted. An appeal fiom Justice Lyman Stow's decision in Justice's Court. Thomas J. Drake, attorney for plaintiff. Bartow and Thomson, attorneys for defendant. No. 3.-Jason L. Austin vs. Daniel R. Williams. Action, an appeal. Attorney for plaintiff, P. H. McOmbcr. Attorney for defendant, Thomas J. Drake. No. 4.-Charles McLean vs. Theodore P. Dean. Action, an appeal. Attorney for plaintiff, T. J. Drake. Attorney for defendant, George Wisner. The second case on this calendar-an appeal from the decision of Lyman Stow, Esq., J. P.-appears, as originally brought before that justice, to have been the first case tried and decided in the county of Genesee. The transcript of Justice Stow's docket, as sent up to the Circuit Court in this case, was as follows: " STATE OF MICHIGAN, 88 COUNTY OF GENESEE. "ANDREW Cox, Before Lyman Stow, Esq., one of vs. the Justices of the Peace for GOSiHEN OLMSTED. said County. "Summons issued in the above suit June 4, 1836, and returnable on the 11th of the same month at one o'clock P.M., and was served by John Todd, one of the constables of the town of Flint. Court opened on the return day, parties present, at which time the parties joined issue. The plaintiff filed his declaration and the defendant his reply, and the court adjourned by consent of parties to July 2, then next, at one o'clock P.Ms. At which time the court again opened, and on hearing and examining the testimony, judgment was rendered for Pl'ff for the sum of five dollars and sixty-three cents, and his costs taxed at seven dollars and sixty-three cents. Judgm ent.................................................... $5.63 Costs of suit................................................. 7.63 Fees for this return.................................... 44 $13.70 "The plaintiff gave notice of an appeal, and entered an appeal bond, which is transmitted herewith together with other papers belonging to the suit. "I hereby certify the above to be a true copy of record from the cause on my docket. "L. STOW, Justice of the Peace." The proceedings as entered in the Circuit Court calendar, and relating to this case, were as follows: "April 20, 1837.-Transcript filed and case entered. "April 19, 1838.-Case continued. "July 9, 1839.-Case entered, with leave to plead de novo. "Feb'y 12, 1840. —P'ff's affidavit filed. "Feb'y 13, 1840.-Case continued. " July 15, 1840.-Pl'ff enters a non-suit." The non-suit entered by the plaintiff was set aside by the court, and the case was brought to trial on the 10th of February, 1841. "At which day, before the judges aforesaid, at the court-house in the village of Flint, in said county, came the parties aforesaid, by their attorneys aforesaid, whereupon the return of the said Justice of the Peace of the records and proceedings before him, and of the judgment rendered by him, the said justice, being seen and by the said Circuit Court before the aforesaid judges thereof now here fully understood, etc. A jury was called, who, being duly sworn to well and truly determine the said matter between the parties aforesaid, after hearing the evidence, and upon mature deliberation, come into court and find a verdict for the defendant of sixteen dollars damages. " Thereupon it is considered that the judgment of the said Justice of the Peace, the errors aforesaid appearing before the said Circuit Court be wholly and in all things reversed, vacated, and annulled, and altogether held for nothing, and that the said Goshen Olmsted, defendant as aforesaid, do recover against the said plaintiff, Andrew Cox, the sum of sixteen dollars damages, and also eighty-eight dollars and forty-two cents for his costs and charges, which the said defendant, Goshen Olmsted, has sustained and expended in and about the defense of this said appeal. "Recorded March 4, 1841. " W. A. MORRISON, Clerk." Final judgment, as above, was entered, Feb. 12, 1841, and so the case was concluded, nearly five years after its commencement. The two next judges who presided in the Circuit Court of Genesee County, after Judge Morell, were Hon. William A. Fletcher, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (who held court in Flint in February, 1839), and the Hon. Charles W. Whipple, Associate Judge of the Supreme Court. Judge Whipple was succeeded bf the Hon. Sanford M. Green, who was succeeded by Hon. Josiah Turner, the present judge. COUNTY SITE, COURT-HOUSES AND JAILS. The county site of Genesee was located and established under an act passed by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan (approved Aug. 25, 1835), which provided "That the seat of justice for the county of Genesee shall be located on the west side of the Saginaw turnpike, on lands recently deeded by John Todd and wife to one Wait Beach, known as the Todd farm, at Flint River, at a point commencing at or within twenty rods of the centre of said described land on said turnpike; Provided, the proprietor or proprietors of said land shall, within six months of the passage of this act, execute to the supervisors and their successors in office, for the use of said county, a good and sufficient deed of two acres of land for a court-house and public square, one acre of ground for a burial-ground, two church and two school lots of common size." In corn "Witnesses: Lemuel Johnson, Peter Stiles, Eli Bishop, Mr. Jones, Russell McManners, Elijah Smith, Reuben Tupper. 38 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. pliance with the requirements of this act, Wait Beach and wife, proprietors of the tract selected, conveyed to the county, by deed (dated Dec. 31, 1835), two acres of land on the west side of the Saginaw road, at Flint River, for a county site. The tract so conveyed is the northeast corner of the court-house square, which has been increased to its present dimensions by subsequent conveyances of adjoining lands to the county, as follows: By H. M. Henderson and wife, Jan. 10, 1856, lots 1, 2, 3, and 4; and by John H. Browning and wife, May 3, 1869, lots 5 and 6, all of the same block; thus extending the grounds, upon the southern and western sides, of the tract conveyed by Beach. The places provided by the sheriff for the holding of the Circuit Court of Genesee during the years 1837 and 1838 were, first, the upper story of Stage & Wright's store, as before mentioned, and afterwards the hall over Benjamin Pearson's store in Flint.* These places were, of course, intended only to serve as temporary accommodations for the court until the erection of a permanent building, the first steps towards which were taken in the spring of 1838. At the township elections in April of that year, a majority of seven votes was given to authorize the Board of Supervisors to erect a county jail; the plan being to include also an upper story, for use as a court-room. Under this authority the board voted the sum of four thousand dollars for the purpose, which sum was borrowed from the State superintendent of public instruction. The persons appointed as a building committee to superintend the construction were Charles Seymour, Robert F. Stage, and John Pratt. The building was commenced in the fall of 1838, and completed in the fall of 1839, at a total cost of about five thousand dollars. It was a solid rectangular building of oak logs, hewn twelve inches square, laid one upon another to the requisite height. The lower and stronger part was the jail, the upper story being designed and used for a court-room.t The location of this building was on or near the site of the present jail and sheriff's residence. X The January term of 1838 was held in that hall, as is shown by the record of the Board of Supervisors, in which, under date of March 6, 1838, is an entry to the effect that "The Board met at the hall of Benjamin Pearson's store, being the place where the Circuit Court for said county of Genesee was last held;" and on the 23d of October, in the same year, the board allowed the bill of Benjamin Pearson (twenty-five dollars) "for the use of his hall as a court-room." At a meeting of the board in October, 1837, they "allowed Thomas J. Drake for room for grand jury purposes, October term, $5." t In a small pamphlet containing pioneer reminiscences of Genesee County, Mr. Alvah Brainard, an old and respected citizen of Grand Blanc, recently deceased, related the following, in reference to the first ease tried in this old court-house: "I was one of the jurors on the first case tried in it. The difference between the parties was trifling. One of the parties had shut up one of the other's hogs, and was going to fat it. There was no place prepared for the jurors to deliberate in Mr. Hascall was building a dwelling-house on the opposite side of the turnpike from the court-house, so the arrangements were made for the jurors to go over to this place in the cellar part. The house was set upon blocks about two feet from the ground, and the dirt being thrown partially out, so that we had a shady, airy, and rustic place, with plenty of shavings under foot which had fallen down through the loose floor above, without any seats, but we could change positions very readily, by lying down, or standing or sitting upon our feet. It being so pleasant and secluded a place,-we could look out on all sides and see what was going on upon the outside, and being so open the wind would blow through and fill our eyes with sawdust, and it was a very warm day. So, under all circumstances, we were not in FIRE-PROOF OFFICES. For more than fifteen years after the organization of the county no suitable building was provided for the use of the clerk and other county officers. At a meeting of the supervisors in January, 1847, the board took into consideration the question of erecting a fire-proof building for that use, and William Patterson, of Flint, E. Walkley, of Genesee, and Jeremiah R. Smith, of Grand Blanc, were appointed a committee to receive estimates for the construction of such a building. No results followed this action, but on the 10th of January, 1851, the board appointed Julian Bishop, of Grand Blanc, ). N. Montague, of Vienna, and William Patterson, of Flint, a building committee " to receive proposals, and cause to be erected a substantial fire-proof county building," for offices for the county clerk, treasurer, register of deeds, and judge of probate; to be built on the courthouse square, at an expense not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars. The building was completed during the same year, by Enos and Reuben Goodrich, at a cost of about nine hundred dollars. It was a brick structure, one story in height, and was occupied by the county officers for about fifteen years. The old court-house and jail building erected in 1839 was destroyed by fire (the work of an incendiary), which was first discovered by Sheriff John A. Kline at about three o'clock in the morning of Feb. 21, 1866. The progress already made by the fire when discovered, and the scarcity of water, rendered it impossible to save the building, but the sheriff, with the aid of Mr. Howard, the prosecuting attorney, succeeded in saving all documents and official papers of value. Six prisoners were confined in the jail at the time, and these the sheriff placed under guard in the clerk's office until they could.be otherwise secured. An insurance of two thousand five hundred dollars was on the building when destroyed. On the 1st of March, eight days after the fire, the Board of Supervisors met, and " resolved to submit to the people of the county at the next annual township-meeting the proposition to raise on the credit of the county the sum of twenty thousand dollars to build a new court-house and jail." S. N. Warren, David Schram, and David Smith, members of the board, were appointed a committee to visit Pontiac and the county buildings of Oakland, and "to perfect plans for the immediate construction of a new court-house and jail." And they were also authorized and instructed to contract with the sheriff of Oakland for the keeping of the prisoners of Genesee County. Josiah W. Begole and David Case were afterwards added to the committee. Fenton Hall was hired by the county as a place for holding the courts, and for the meetings of the supervisors until new buildings should be completed. At its meeting, April 13, the Board of Supervisors accepted the plans for a court-house, jail, and sheriff's residence presented by Pierce F. Cleveland and David Schram; and on the following day a committee was appointed to supera very urgent hurry, and we could not agree upon a verdict. The constable would look under often: 'Gentlemen, have you agreed?' Our answer would be, 'M ire water, more water.' So along towards night we ventured out of the den or pen, and went before the court without having agreed on a verdict, for or against." INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 39 I ---- intend the erection of the buildings, and empowered " to let the work by contract if in their opinion the interests of the county be best promoted thereby, or otherwise, if for the benefit of the county." The persons composing this committee were James E. Brown, Clayton; Samuel N. Warren, Flint; Chandler H. Rockwood, Genesee; David Schram, Burton; James B. Mosher, Fenton. A strong effort was made to locate the new buildings on the north side of the river, but this did not prevail, and their site was selected and established on the " court-house square." The wood-work of the court-house was let by contract to Pierce F. Cleveland and Reuben Van Tifflin; the wood-work of the jail and sheriff's residence to P. F. Cleveland; and the mason-work of all to William Foule, the amount of all these contracts being $31,639. The ironwork of the jail was contracted to NI. Clement, of Cincinnati, Ohio, for $10,107,-making the total of the contracts $41,746. The jail and residence was completed in the fall of 1866, at a cost of $20,244.90. The court-house, including the necessary rooms for the county officers, was finished in the summer of 1867, its cost being $29,997.39, -making the total cost of the buildings $50,244.29, an excess of $8498.29 over the contracts; caused by changes from the original plans. COUNTY POOR-HOUSE AND FARM. The earliest official reference to the county poor is found in the proceedings of the Board of Supervisors at a meeting of that body held on the 5th of December, 1836, when the sum of seventy-two dollars and fifty cents was allowed to Jason L. Austin for care of county paupers, and sixtythree dollars and fourteen cents to the township of Flint for care and removal of a family of county paupers. By a resolution of the board of county commissioners, adopted Jan. 8, 1839, Benjamin Rockwell, of Flushing, Lyman Stow, of Flint, and John Pratt, of Genesee, were appointed superintendents of the poor for the county of Genesee; and at a meeting of the same board, held January 9, the subject of abolishing the distinction between town and county paupers was considered, and it was " resolved, that this distinction be now abolished, and that hereafter all paupers in Genesee County be considered a county charge." In the year 1845 the Board of Supervisors (having resumed the functions which had been exercised by the county commissioners during the years 1839, 1840, and 1841) met on the 17th of October, and " resolved that a committee of three be appointed to make inquiries regarding the purchase of a farm on which to keep the county poor;" and Jeremiah R. Smith, of Grand Blanc, William Patterson, of Flint, and Reuben McCreery, of Genesee, were appointed such committee. Under authority afterwards conferred, they purchased, Oct. 16, 1846, of Andrew Cox, for the sum of twelve hundred dollars, a farm of one hundred and three acres, being part of the southwest quarter of section 29, in the township of Burton. In January, 1853, the board voted the sum of four hun dred and fifty dollars for the erection of a county poorhouse, to be built under the direction of the superintendents of the poor. This was merely an addition to the old farm-house in which the poor were quartered. At the meeting of the board held Jan. 10, 1857, it'was "resolved to see about raising three thousand dollars for building a county poor-house." The project, however, was not immediately carried into effect, but in 1860 and 1861 the necessary sums were raised, and the present brick building occupied as the poor-house of the county was completed in 1861, at a cost of five thousand dollars. The building commissioners under whose supervision it was erected were Josiah W. Begole, Lyman G. Buckingham, and William Patterson. The following items in reference to the county poor and poor-house are from the report for 1878 of the superintendents of the poor to the Board of Supervisors of Genesce County: "For the year commencing the 14th day of October, 1877, and ending Oct. 14, 1878, the whole number of persons who have received aid from us are one thousand and five. "The whole number of persons entirely supported at the county poorhouse has been seventy-eight. Number of deaths, two. Number of births, two. Discharged at different intervals, forty-one, and still now remaining under our care, thirty-five." C HAPTER VIII. INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. Early Roads-Plank-Roads-Projects for the Navigation of Flint River-Northern Railroad and other Projects-Northern WagonRoad-Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad-Flint and Pere Marquette Railway-The Flint and Holly Link in the Flint and Pere Marquette Line-Completion and Consolidation of the Roads cornposing the Flint and PBre Marquette-Port Iuron and Lake Michigan Railroad-Chicago and Northeastern Railroad-Chicago and Lake Huron Line. IT is a rule, which may be regarded as of universal application in all newly-settled regions, that the first public work of improvement is the building of roads; and to this general rule the region which is now Genesee County furnished no exception. The first road which entered its limits was " opened" before any white man had built his cabin here, with the exception of Jacob Smith, Corbin, and perhaps George Lyons. It was a track cut out from Saginaw to the Grand Traverse of the Flint, by detachments of the Third United States Infantry, under command of Lieuts. Brooks and Bainbridge, in the winter of 1822-23. It was sometimes called the "Saginaw military road," though it was little more than a bridle-path, formed by cutting through the thickets and " wind-falls" sufficiently to allow the passage of horses to and from Saginaw. Southward from the Grand Traverse, the old Indian trail, winding through the openings, was in most places practicable for pack-horses until they reached the swampy lands between Royal Oak and Detroit; and through these a road had previously been cut and partially corduroyed by soldiers from the Detroit garrison, under command of Col. Leavenworth. So the clearing of the track through the woods between the Grand Traverse of the Flint and Saginaw opened a communication (such as it was) between the lastnamed point and Detroit.* But the part which was cut * In the fall of 1822, Mr. E. S. William: s (now of Flint), Rufus W. Stevens, and Schuyler lodges, of Pontiac, went through to Saginaw 40 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I through by the Saginaw troops was well-nigh impassable for a good part of the year, and after the abandonment of the military post of Saginaw by the government it became once more overgrown and nearly obliterated. In June, 1824, the Legislative Council of the Territory passed an act authorizing the Governor to appoint three commissioners to lay out and establish a Territorial road from Detroit, by way of Pontiac, to Saginaw, on the Saginaw River. This was surveyed and located in 1826 by George W. Dole, but the construction of the road did not reach as far northward as Genesee County until 1830, though the settlers who came to the county before that time passed over it as far as its northern terminus in Oakland, and from thence reached their journey's end by " picking their way" through the oak openings, which interposed but few impediments to the passage of their teams. In 1832 the road was "worked" in an indifferent manner nearly to the Flint River settlement, and by the first of May, 1833, it had reached as far as the present line of Kearsley Street, in the city of Flint. From that point to the place where the Saginaw Street bridge now crosses the river, was a swamp of alder and black ash, so that emigrants arriving about that time and wishing to pass on beyond the river (Addison Stewart, Lewis Buckingham, and Benjamin Pierson were among these) were obliged to pass to the left of the morass, and cross the stream a short distance below the present bridge (not using the ancient Indian crossingplace, which was above the bridge, and near the location of the old dam built by Stage & Wright). The bridge across the river was built and the southern approach to it completed (by filling the swamp above mentioned) in 1834, and in the same year, or in the spring of 1835, the road was finished to a point about five miles north of the river, which was the end of the work ever done by government upon it. It was afterwards completed to Saginaw, and became the "Detroit and Saginaw Turnpike," over which for many years the travel was very great. When first laid out as a Territorial road its width was ninety-nine feet (six rods) through its entire length. The specified width of its graded part was eighty feet, but this requirement was not rigidly enforced in the construction. But it was, for those times, a noble and serviceable road, and over it a large proportion of the earlier settlers came to their new homes in Genesee County. The first Legislature of Michigan, at its session of 1835 -36, authorized the laying out and establishment of a number of State roads, among which were the following, viz.: "A State road from the mouth of Black River, in the county of St. Clair, on the most eligible route to the county site of Lapeer County, and thence to Grand Blanc, in Genesee County;" to be laid out by John Ryan, Joel M. Palmer, and Ralph Wadhams, commissioners. Also " a State road from Mount Clemens, Macomb County, by way of Romeo, on this route, but before the road was completed. And in the winter of 1823-24, Col. John Iamilton and Harvey Williams contracted to transport government stores from Detroit to Saginaw, over the mili tary road. Their animals being found to be overloaded, they secured the assistance of E. S. Williams and Schuyler Hodges, who joined the train at Maj. Oliver Williams' farm near Pontiac, and accompanied it from that point through to the Saginaw post. in said county; thence to Lapeer, the county site of Lapeer County; thence by the most eligible route to the county site of Genesee County, to intersect the United States road leading from Detroit to Saginaw." The commissioners appointed to lay out and establish this road were Silas D. McKeen, James Andrews, and Alexander Tacles. Both the above roads were authorized by act approved March 26, 1836. In 1837 an act of the Legislature (approved March 17th) authorized the laying out of a State road " from the county seat of Genesee to the county seat of Washtenaw County;" Ira D. Wright, Philip H. McOmber, and Jcsse Pinney being appointed commissioners for the purpose. At the session of 1839 a State road was authorized to be laid out by Norman Davison, Charles C. Waldo, and Lemuel M. Partridge, commissioners, " commencing at or near the county seat of Genesee County, thence on the most direct and eligible route for a road through the townships of Atlas, Groveland, Brandon, and Independence, to the village of Pontiac." The "' Northern Wagon-Road," for the construction of which an appropriation of thirty thousand dollars was made by the Legislature in 1841, will be found mentioned in the succeeding pages, in connection with the account of the old "Northern Railroad." For several years after 1839 very little appears to have been done in the laying out of State roads in Genesee County. In 1844 the Legislature authorized Albert Stevens, John Keinyan, Isaac Pennoyer, and James H. Murray, commissioners, to lay out and establish a road from Ann Arbor, by the way of the village of Brighton, Livingston Co., Murray Mills, and the village of Flushing, in Genesee County, to the Saginaw turnpike, at a point about fourteen miles north of the village of Flint." In 1845 a State road was authorized to run from Brighton, Livingston Co., to Fentonville, in Genesee, with Hervey T. Lee, Alonzo Slayton, and Elisha Holmes as commissioners to lay out and establish it. In 1848 acts were passed authorizing the establishment of State roads in this county as follows: From Flint, by way of Miller settlement, Shiawasseetown, and Hartwellville, to Michigan village, in Ingham County; from Fentonville to Byron, in Shiawassee County; from Flint, through the township of Gaines, to Byron; from Flint, by way of Corunna,.tothe capital of the State; from Corunna, on the most eligible route, to the village of Flushing, in the county of Genesee; and "' from the village of Fentonville, in Genesee County, to Springfield, in Oakland County." It should be borne in mind, however, that to "lay out and establish" a road-particularly in earlier years-was not equivalent to opening and making it ready for travel; but that in many cases, years intervened between the time when a highway was laid out by the commissioners and the time when it was made passable for vehicles, and that in some instances roads authorized and laid out were never opened. PLANK-ROADS. About the year 1847 projects for the construction of plank-roads began to come into general favor in Michigan; and it was in that year that the first of these companies, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 41 - whose proposed route lay across any part of the territory of Genesee County, was organized. This was the " Pontiac and Corunna Plank-Road Company," incorporated by act approved March 17, 1847, with power to build a plankroad from Pontiac to Corunna, passing throurgh the village of Byron, in Shiawassce County, and crossing the southwestern corner of Genesee. The charter commissioners were Horace C. Thurber, J. W. Crandall, Jairah Hillman, George C. Holmes, J. B. Bloss, Seth Beach, and William Axford. The authorized capital was two hundred thousand dollars. There is but little to be said of this project, beyond the fact of the incorporation. The " Gcnesee County Plank-Road Company" was incorporated by act approved April 3, 1848, with power " to lay out, establish, and construct a plank-road and all necessary buildings from the village of Flint to the south line of the township of Grand Blanc, on the Saginaw road, in the county of Genesee, with the privilege of uniting at any point with the road of any other company." The capital stock was placed at twenty-five thousand dollars, and the powers of the company to continue for the term of sixty years from the passage of the act. Jonathan Dayton, Charles D. W. Gibson, Charles C. HIascall, George 1E. Hazelton, and Henry M. Henderson were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock. This projected road was never put in operation under this name, though a line was afterwards built through Grand Blanc, connecting Flint with the railroad line at Holly, Oakland Co. The " Flint and Fentonville Plank-Road Company" was also incorporated on the 3d of April, 1848. The commissioners were Charles C. Hascall, Benjamin Pearson, George H. Hazelton, Robert Le Roy, and John Hamilton, who were empowered to receive subscriptions to the capital stock, which was authorized to the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars. Power was conferred on the company " to lay out, establish, and construct a plank-road and all necessary buildings from the village of Flint to the village of Fentonville, on the line of the State road between the said villages;" the act of incorporation to remain in force for the term of sixty years from the date of its passage. There was a considerable delay in the organization of the company-the subscriptions to the stock not being completed until the year 1851-and a still further delay in the construction of the road; but it was finally completed, and proved a great benefit to the public. Its charter was repealed by act of Legislature in 1871, and the taking of toll was discontinued over its entire length in 1872. Since the decay and removal of the planking the road has been graveled over a good portion of its extent. The (" Saginaw and Genesee Plank-Road Company" was incorporated by act approved March 8, 1850, granting to that company "' the power to lay out, establish, and construct a plank-road, with all necessary buildings, from any point in the village of Flint, Genesee Co., on the most eligible route to the Saginaw River, with a branch to each ferry in Saginaw City, in Saginaw County, with the privilege of a branch to Cass River, in Tuscola County," the charter to continue and be in force for sixty years from the passage of the act, but under the usual conditions. James Frazier and Norman Little, of Saginaw, and Edward H. 6 i i I I Thomson, of Flint, were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the capital stock, which was authorized to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. Work was commenced on both ends of the route in November, 1850, and the road was completed in 1852. It proved to be of immense advantage to the public, and a good investment for the stockholders, during the ten years which elapsed before it was superseded by the opening of the Flint and Pemre Marquette Railroad, between Flint and East Saginaw. The" Oakland and Genesee Plank-Road Company" became incorporated (under the general plank-road law of 1851) in January, 1852. Its corporators and first board of directors were Nelson W. Clark, Enos Goodrich, Amos Orton, Elbridge G-. Gale, William L. Norrin, D. C. Davison, and William H. Putnam. Its object was to connect the village of Flint with Pontiac, by a plank-road to pass through the townships of Grand Blanc and Atlas. A meeting to promote the objects of the company was held at Goodrichville, Jan. 31, 1852, and it was reported that at this meeting the whole amount of stock was subscribed. This was at the time when the plank-road fever was at its height throughout the State, as is shown by the following extract from the Genesee Whig of February 28th, in that year: " We cannot take up a Michigan paper these days in which the plank-roads do not form the subject of the leading articles. While all are thus alive to the momentous interests involved in these projects, we must help to keep the ball moving, or else fall behind the times." But notwithstanding the general enthusiasm on the subject, and the prompt action of the people of the two southeastern towns, they never realized the accomplishment of their object. The connection of' Flint with the railway-station at Holly, by plank-road, was accomplished by a company organized, under the general law, Feb. 11, 1854, "for the purpose of building a plank-road from Grand Blanc to Algerville [now Holly], to connect with the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad at that place." Thle road was built, and resulted in great advantage to the county of Genesee,though not to the stockholders. The stage-coaches to and from Flint, connecting with the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, passed over this line, and as early as 1858 transported more than fifteen thousand passengers in the year, which was afterwards increased to five times that number in a single year. The usefulness of this line may be said to have ended with the opening of the Flint and Holly Railroad, in 1864. PROJECTS FOR TEIE NAVIGATION OF FLINT RIVER. The question of the practicability of rendering the Flint River navigable for boats of light draft of water began to be discussed at an early day,-before any railroad company had been chartered in Michigan, and before the construction of plank-roads had been commenced or thought of. At just how early a date this navigation project was first conceived does not appear, but that it had assumed definite form as early as the year 1839 is shown by the fact that on the 20th of April, in that year, the Governor of Michigan approved " an act to incorporate the Genesee and Sagi 42: HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I naw Navigation Company," with a capital of one hundred and other c thousand dollars, and with power and authority " to enter project of 1 upon the river Flint, and upon the lands upon either side, River was ]... and to form and make, erect and set up, any dams, One-third ] locks, or any other device whatsoever, which they may within thre think most fit and convenient to make a complete slack- of incorpora water navigation between the points herein mentioned, to scriptions a wit: from the village of Flint, situate on the river Flint, S. Payne, ( in Genesee County, down said river to some point on sec- Fraser, Hei tion No. 35 or 36, in township No. 11, north of range No. Ewings, Ja 4 east.* And also to survey, establish, and construct a venport, N( canal from said last-mentioned point on the river Flint, on the charter the most direct and eligible route to the river Cass, with all cutting of a the locks, aqueducts, culverts, bridges, and embankments and also ex which they may deem necessary or convenient. The locks to the year shall be of sufficient width and length to admit a safe and The drif easy passage for steamboats, barges, and other craft up, as feasibility ( well as down, said river and canal." The water-power cre- otherwise, i: ated by the construction of the dams and canal was to be Republican the property of the company, but the right was reserved to "THE R the State to purchase at any time the canal between the on the part Flint and Cass Rivers, at a price not exceeding its cost, Flint River with an addition of ten per cent. The work was required of boats of to be commenced within two years, and to be finished within likely to res five years of the passage of the act, under penalty of for- draught to feiture by the company of the powers and privileges con- classes of o ferred by the act of incorporation. The charter commis- and farmers sioners named in the act were Gardner D. Williams, project, and Ephraim S. Williams, Perry G. Gardner, James Frazier, be thereby Norman Little, W. L P. Little, Thomas J. Drake, Benja- In 1850 min Pearson, Robert F. Stage, Wait Beach, Charles C. April 2) p Hascall, and Thomas L. L. Brent. Subscription books to and Saginaw be opened at Flint and Saginaw City for the space of three receive shall days, after thirty days' notice. butter and c This work of improvement not having been completed, or pounds per even commenced as required by the law, an act was passed pounds per by the Legislature (approved March 6, 1844) appropriating thousand po five thousand acres of the internal improvement lands of the round, if ca State " for the purpose of clearing the flood-wood from, and mills per mi otherwise improving the navigation of the Flint River from hundred cul the village of Flint to the Saginaw River," and authorizing carried in ra a canal to be cut around the drift-wood in case the commis- mills," etc.; sioner, upon examination, should consider such a plan to be the company most expedient. heading, sh What amount of work-if any-was done under this ap- chiefly for propriation does not appear, but it is evident that the river cents; and ( was not made navigable, for, in 1846, an act was passed property, pe (approved May 15) incorporating "The Flint and Sagi- In a file naw Navigation Company," with an authorized capital of ment of the fifty thousand dollars, and with powers nearly identical with from Flint those conferred on the old Genesee and Saginaw Navigation thereupon it Company of 1839. The purposes for which this company ence this opE was incorporated were, however, somewhat different, being Flint River -as set forth in the act-" to make a complete slack-water 27, 1852, tl navigation from the village of Flint, in the county of Gen- Arrivals an esee, to and down said river, to a point where the Flint "Scow Kate River intersects the Shiawassee River," with locks of suffi- tion of the cient size to afford "easy passage for steamboats, barges, log-book ha down the ri * This is the present township of Spaulding, in Saginaw County. among the lI raft up, as well as down, said river." The old the canal to connect the Flint with the Cass not included in the plan of the new company. part of the work was required to be completed e years, and the whole in ten years from the date ition. The commissioners to have charge of suband organize the company were Chauncey S. George M. Dewey, Eugene Vandeventer, James nry M. Henderson, Porter Hazelton, Ezekiel R. mes B. Walker, Joseph K. Rugg, Elijah N. Daelson Smith, and William McDonald. In 1848 of the company was amended, to authorize the a canal across from the Flint to the Cass River, tending the time for the completion of the work 1859. 't of public opinion about that time as to the of navigating the Flint River, by steam and s shown by the following extract from the Flint, newspaper of May 29, 1847: IVER.-There seems to be a full determination of our citizens to improve the navigation of the,so as to make it safe and easy for the passage a moderate class. Negotiations are pending sult in the construction of a steamboat of light ply between this place and Saginaw. All ur population, and particularly the lumbermen s, are greatly interested in the success of this the local price of all marketable articles will greatly enhanced." an act was passed by the Legislature (approved roviding "That the rates of tolls the Flint w Navigation Company are by law entitled to I be as follows: On flour, salted beef and pork, rheese, whisky, beer, and cider per one thousand mile, eight mills; on salt per one thousand mile, five mills; on pot and pearl ashes per one unds per mile, ten mills; timber, squared and rried in boats, per one hundred cubic feet, two.le; timber, squared, if carried in rafts, per one bic feet, three mills per mile; timber, round, if afts, per one thousand cubic feet per mile, five enumerating also the prices to be charged by v on sawed lumber, in boats or rafts, staves and ingles, and other articles, and " on boats used the transportation of persons, per mile, seven on boats used chiefly for the transportation of 3r mile, three cents." of the Genesee Whig is found the announcedeparture of the " First Scow on Flint River," for Flushing, March 26, 1850; and the Whig idulges in a prophecy as to the favorable influening of navigation is to exert on the future of and Flint village. And in its issue of March he Whig, under the head of " Port of Flintd Departures," notices the clearance of the e Hayes, Capt. Charles Mather." The destina"Kate Hayes" is not mentioned, and as her s not been found, no account of her voyage iver can be given. These were the latest, or atest, attempts to navigate the Flint River, and INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 43 the company which had been incorporated for that purpose never accomplished any of the objects for which it had been vested with powers by the several legislative acts above mentioned. Probably the completion of the plank-road between Flint and East Saginaw about that time taught the people that, after all, a smooth and solid road offered advantages for the transportation, either of passengers or heavy merchandise, far preferable to boating through driftwood along the tortuous course of the Flint during a part of the year, and subject to dangers from floods, as well as interruption and protracted delay in the season of low water. But whatever may have been the cause, it is certain that the navigation project was abandoned definitely and forever. NORTIERN RAILROAD AND OTIIER PROJECTS-NORTHERN WAGON-ROAD. Immediately after the organization of the State government of Michigan, and before her admission into the Federal Union, measures were originated looking to the adoption, by the State, of a comprehensive system of internal improvements; and, in pursuance of this plan, the Legislature, at the session of 1837, passed an act (approved March 20th in that year) " to provide for the construction of certain works of internal improvement, and for other purposes," by which the board of commissioners of internal improvements in the State were authorized and directed, "as soon as may be, to cause surveys to be made for three several railroad routes across the peninsula of Michigan; the first of said routes to commence at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, and to terminate at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, in the county of Berrien, to be denominated the Central Railroad. The second of said routes to commence at the navigable waters of the river Raisin, passing through the village of Monroe, in the county of Monroe, to terminate at New Buffalo, in Berrien County, and to be denominated the Southern Railroad. The third of said routes to commence at Palmer, or at or near the mouth of Black River, in the county of St. Clair, and to terminate at the navigable waters of the Grand River, in the county of Kent, or on Lake Michigan, in the county of Ottawa, to be denominated the Northern Railroad; which roads shall be located on the most eligible and direct routes between the termini above mentioned." The fourth section of the act provided " That the sum of five hundred and fifty thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated, to be taken from any moneys which shall hereafter come into the treasury of this State to the credit of the fund for internal improvement, for the survey and making of the three railroads mentioned in the first section of this act, as follows: for the Southern Railroad, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars; for the Central Railroad, the sum of four hundred thousand dollars; and for the Northern Railroad, the sum of fifty thousand dollars." Under the authority conferred by this act the commissioners caused the surveys to be made without unnecessary delay. The routes thus surveyed for the " Central Railroad" and the "Southern Railroad" were (excepting the western portions) substantially the same as those of the Michigan Central and Michigan Southern roads of the present. The "Northern Railroad" route was surveyed and located to run from the St. Clair River, through the centre of Genesee County; thence to Lyons, in Ionia County, and from there westward to Lake Michigan, at the mouth of Grand River, a distance of two hundred and one miles. This was the first survey made for railroad purposes in the county of Genesee; though a preliminary survey was made very soon after for " The Saginaw and Genesee Railroad Company," which was incorporated by act approved March 22, 1837, with authority " to construct a railroad with a single or double track from the Saginaw River at Saginaw City, to intersect the Northern Railroad (from the St. Clair River to Grand River) at such point as they may deem practicable in the county of Genesee, with power to transport, take and carry persons and property upon the same by the power and force of steam or animals, or of any mechanical or other power or combination of them." For the prosecution of this last-named enterprise, Gardner D. Williams, Norman Little, Robert F. Stage, Perry G. Gardner, and Elijah N. Davenport were appointed by the act commissioners to receive subscriptions to the capital stock of the corporation, which was to be four hundred thousand dollars. The road was, by the terms of the act, required to be commenced within one year, a section of twenty-five miles to be completed in two and a half years, and the whole line to be finished within six years from the passage of the act, under penalty of forfeiture of the privileges and franchises granted by the charter. By an act amendatory to the above, the time was extended to five years for the completion of the twenty-five miles, and to eight years for the completion of the whole road; both these periods to date from the passage of the amendatory act, which was approved April 20, 1839. But notwithstanding this and other extensions of the powers and privileges originally granted to the Saginaw and Genesee Railroad Company, they never completed their road, or carried the work beyond the preliminary surveys. To return to the State project of the " Northern Railroad," the prosecution of the work was placed by the board in the hands of commissioner James B. Hunt, who caused the survey to be made as we have seen, and under whom estimates and specifications were made and other preliminary steps were taken, and contracts were let at several points between the eastern terminus and Lyons, Ionia Co.; among these being a contract to the amount of twenty thousand dollars, made with Gen. Charles C. Hascall, of Flint River, for the construction of the road in Genesee County, including the bridging of the Thread River, near its junction with the Flint, and for some heavy embankment work near the same point; which work, or a great part of it, was performed by the contractor, and paid for from the appropriation. This was done in 1838 and 1839. After the first appropriation, others were made by the State in aid of the Northern Railroad, amounting in all to about one hundred and thirty thousand dollars; the last of these being to the amount of forty thousand dollars, made by act of Legislature approved April 20, 1839. Soon after this the financial embarrassments of the State caused a 44 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. feeling to spring up among the people and their representatives that the adoption of so extensive a plan of internal improvements had been premature, to say the least, and the result of this growing sentiment was the restriction of appropriations to such works as did, or could easily be made to, return the interest on their cost. Accordingly, further aid was withheld, except to the central and southern lines (then in partial operation), and finally, in 1841, all idea of the construction of the " Northern Railroad" as a State work was abandoned, and the Legislature passed "an act relative to the appropriation upon the Northern Railroad" (approved April 2, 1841), which recited in its preamble that " it is thought impolitic under the present embarrassments of the State to make, at present, further expenditures on said road for the purpose of a railroad;" that "a large amount has been expended il chopping, grubbing, and clearing said road, which, if left in its present condition, can be of no interest to the people of the north;" and that "it is the united wish and request of the people in the vicinity of said road that the same should, for the present, be converted into a turnpike- or wagon-road, and thus open an important thoroughfare through the centre of the tier of counties through, which the said road passes, and thereby render the money heretofore expended on said road available to the best interests (under existing circumstances) to the people in the northern section of the State." It was therefore enacted that the commissioners of internal improvement be directed to expend thirty thousand dollars of the unexpended balance of the moneys which had been appropriated for the Northern Railroad "for bridging, clearing, and grading said road, or so much of it as the said commissioners shall judge will be most beneficial to the inhabitants and public in the section of country through which the same passes, so as to make a good passab6l wagon-road." In 1843 the railroad project was formally " razeed" by an act of Legislature (approved March 9th in that year) "to authorize the construction of a Wagon-Road on the line of the Northern Railroad," and ordering the application and appropriation, for that purpose, of all the non-resident highway taxes for a distance of three miles on either side of the line, to be expended under the superintendence of a special commissioner to be appointed for each of the counties of St. Clair, Lapeer, Genesee, Shiawassee, Clinton, and Ionia. The commissioner appointed to carry into effect the provisions of this act upon that part of the line lying within Genesee County was Gen. Charles C. Hascall. The act was repealed in 1846, but in the following year another act was passed (approved April 3, 1848) " to provide for the construction and improvement of the Northern WagonRoad from Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair, through the counties of Lapeer and Genesee to Corunna, in the county of Shiawassee," and appropriating " twenty thousand acres of internal improvement lands" for the purpose. To carry its provisions into effect the Governor of the State was authorized to appoint a special commissioner, and he did so appoint to that position the Hon. Alvin N. Hart, of Lapeer, for that part of the work lying east of Shiawassee County. Still another act was passed in 1849 providing for a re-location of the road. The result of all the laws passed and appropriations made for the construction of the Northern Railroad and Northern Wagon-Road was (as concerning the county of Genesee) the cutting out and grubbing of the greater part of the line between Flint River village and Lapeer County, and the building of an indifferent road over about one-third part of this distance, a result which never proved to be of much practical advantage to the county. But in the mean time a company (the " Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad Company," which will be mentioned more at length in its appropriate place in this history) had been formed and incorporated, having for its object the construction and completion of a railroad across the peninsula fiom the St. Clair River to Lake Michigan, as originally contemplated and attempted by the State; an object which was only partially accomplished by the company after nearly a quarter of a century of disheartening vicissitude and discouragement. DETROIT AND MILWAUKEE RAILROAD. The first railway line which was built and completed to any point within the boundaries of the county of Genesee was the Detroit and Milwaukee,-now the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railroad; and it was also over the eastern link of this line, which then terminated in Oakland, that the people of this county enjoyed their earliest railway facilities, by means of the stage-lines running from Flint, and connecting with it at its several termini,-first at Royal Oak, and then successively at Birmingham and Pontiac. For this reason it seems proper that the building and opening of that part of the line should be briefly mentioned here, though it was an Oakland and not a Genesee County enterprise. The project of constructing a railroad from Detroit to Pontiac was agitated in Oakland as early as the spring of 1830, and an act incorporating the " Pontiac and Detroit Railway Company" was passed by the Legislative Council of the Territory, and approved by Governor Cass, on the 31st of July in the year named, this being the first railway company ever chartered in Michigan. The corporators were John P. Helfenstein, Gideon O. Whittemore, William F. Mosely, William Thompson, Hervey Parke, " and such other persons as shall associate for the purpose of making a good and sufficient railway from Pontiac to the city of Detroit," the stock of the company to consist of one thousand shares, at one hundred dollars each. This company, however, found the project to be too heavy for the means which they could command, and their charter became void by reason of their failure to comply with its conditions. A second company was formed, and an act granting a new charter was passed by the Territorial Legislature, and approved by the Governor, March 7, 1834. Under this act, William Draper, Daniel Le Roy, David Stanard, Johlnson Niles, Seneca Newberry, Elisha Beach, Benj. Phelps, Joseph Niles, Jr., and Augustus C. Stephens were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock of ' The Detroit and Pontiac Railroad Company," the amount of which was fixed at fifty thousand dollars. The work was to be commenced within two years from the passage of the act, and completed within six years, the charter to be for INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 45 feited by failure to comply with these conditions. The principal stockholders were Alfred Williams and Sherman Stevens, of Pontiac, who were also managers of the affairs of the company; but these gentlemen gave so much of their attention to banking, and other financial operations, that very slow progress was made in the construction of the road, and it was not until the fall of 1838 or spring of 1839 that a track (which even then was composed of wooden rails for a part of the distance) was completed as far as Royal Oak, and trains made up of cars of the most inferior description were run from Detroit to that point by horsepower. In the fall of 1839 the road was extended so that the trains ran to Birmingham, and steam was introduced as a motive-power for their propulsion. At that time (September, 1839) we find in the Flint River Gazette the advertisement of Henry J. Buckley, agent and conductor, informing the public that the trains were then running two trips a day between Detroit and Birmingham, and making connection at the latter place with a daily line of " postcoaches" for Pontiac and Flint, and a semi-weekly line for Grand River. In 1840, the company being heavily in debt and without means of payment, the road was sold at sheriff's sale, and passed into the hands of Dean Richmond, of Buffalo, and other capitalists of the State of New York. Then followed another period of delay and discouragement, but finally, in the year 1843, the road was completed to Pontiac, which for more than ten vears continued to be the western terminus, and the point of connection with the stagelines running to Flint and Saginaw. This road, in the early years of its existence, was made the subject of unmeasured ridicule on account of the poverty of the company, the rough and superficial manner in which the line was constructed, the poor quality of its carriages and machinery, and the exceedingly slow and irregular time made by the trains between Pontiac and Detroit. From an article which appeared in the Detroit Post a few years since, containing some reminiscences of pioneer railway travel, the following-having reference to the Pontiac line -is extracted: " Trains would frequently stop between way stations at a signal from some farmer who wished to ask a few questions, or to take passage. An old lady denizen of a farm-house, with spectacles of a primitive manufacture placed high upon her forehead, came running out to the train, waving her bandanna. Her signal being heeded, the train was brought to a stop, and her inquiry of the conductor was, if a certain lawyer named Drake was on board. After receiving a negative answer, a short conversation was kept up before the train started on its journey. It was no uncommon occurrence for the engineer, who kept his shot-gun with him, to bring down game from his engine, shut off steam, and send his fireman after the fruits of his marksmanship. The road being laid with strap rail, one of the duties of the conductor was to keep a hammer for the purpose of spiking down 'snake-heads' whenever they were seen from the cab of the engineer." There are, doubtless, many citizens of Genesee County who will recollect their journeyings from Pontiac to Detroit in those days, and recognize the above as a truthful description. Some time after the completion of the line to Pontiac it was leased to Gurdon Williams for a period of ten years, at a graduated annual rental, averaging about ten thousand dollars a year; but the lease was purchased or relinquished before its expiration, and the road came into the possession of a company, of which H. N. Walker, Esq., was made the president. Under his administration a sufficient amount of money was raised on the bonds of the road to relay ihe track and place it in a good condition for traffic. For the purpose of forming a railroad connection between the western terminus of the Detroit and Pontiac road and Lake Michigan at or near the mouth of Grand River, and thence, by steamers with Milwaukee, the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad Company was formed and incorporated by act of Legislature approved April 3, 1848. The persons appointed as commissioners to receive subscriptions to the capital stock (which was fixed at two million five hundred thousand dollars) were Gurdon Williams, Edward A. Brush, 11. C. Thurber, Alfred Williams, Bowman W. Dennis, John Hamilton, C. P. Bush, W. A. Richmond, and Charles Shepard. The company was empowered by the act " to construct a railroad with a double or single track fiom the village of Pontiac, in the county of Oakland, to Lake Michigan, in the county of Ottawa, passing through the most desirable and eligible route, by the way of Fentonville," and was required to begin its construction within five years, and to complete it within fifteen years, from the passage of the act. Work was commenced on this line in the year 1852, and in the following year H. N. Walker (who was a leading spirit in this, as well as in the Pontiac road) purchased in England twenty-six hundred tons of iron, which was estimated to be sufficient to lay the track through to Fentonville. But further delays intervened, and it was not until four years after the commencement of work upon the line that the first locomotive rolled over the completed track into Genesce County. On the 13th of February, 1855, the Oakland and Ottawa and the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad interests were consolidated, under the name of " the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway." During the same year the road was completed from Pontiac to Holly, and the company's agents in Europe negotiated a loan of one and a quarter millions of dollars, by the aid of which the work was pushed forward with vigor, and the road finished to Fentonville in 1856. The county now, for the first time, enjoyed the advantage of a railroad line within her own borders, but the expected branch from Fentonville to Flint was never built, and the people of the city and the northern parts of the county had still to depend on the stage-lines connecting with the railway. In September, 1857, the railroad was completed to Ionia, and in one year from that time it was opened to Grand Haven. In April, 1860, the foreclosure of the mortgage by the bondholders placed the road in the hands of a receiver, -the Hon. C. J. Brydges. Since that time its affairs have gradually become more prosperous, and it now ranks with the important railway lines of the State. The stations on this road within the county of Genesee are Fenton Linden, and Gaines. 46 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. FLINT AND PERE MARQUETTE RAILWAY. The second line which was completed and put in operation in Genesee, and the first to enter the city of Flint, was the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway. The company proposing the construction of this road was organized at Flint on the 21st of January, 1857, under the provisions of the general railroad law of 1855. The capital stock of the company was fixed at five million five hundred thousand dollars, to be divided into shares of fifty dollars each, the corporation to continue for the period of five hundred years. The formation of the company was declared, in the articles of association, to be "for the purpose of constructing, operating, and maintaining a railroad within the State... The said railway is to be constructed from the city of Flint, county of Genesee, passing northerly and westerly through the counties of Genesee, Saginaw, Midland, Gladwin, Clare, Osceola, Lake, and Mason, to Pere Marquette [now Ludington], on Lake Michigan, a distance of one hundred and seventy miles, as nearly as we can now determine, which is to be the length of said railway." The names of the original subscribers to the stock, and who were also signers of the articles of association, were as follows: George M. Dewey, Benjamin Pearson, Alvin T. Crosman, Daniel D. Dewey, Josiah Pratt, Theodore G. Mills, C. Roosevelt, Artemas Thayer, H. W. Wood, James Henderson, R. D. Lamond, Alexander McFarlan. E. N. Pettee, E. H. McQuigg, Charles B. Higgins, R. Bishop, E. F. Frary, M. Miles, Giles Bishop, A. B. Witherbee, George W. Fish, H. C. Walker, H. M. Henderson, T. C. Meigs, Chauncey K. Williams, Charles E. Dewey, William Patterson, G. R. Cummnigs. The first board of directors of the corporation were: President, George M. Dewey; Henry M. Henderson, Benjamin Pearson, Artemas Thayer, Robert D. Lamond, Cornelius Roosevelt, William Patterson, Alvin T. Crosman, Josiah Pratt, all of Flint. The persons who were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the capital stock were Benjamin Pearson, Alvin T. Crosman, and Daniel D. Dewey, and to these the names of Robert D. Lamond and Josiah Pratt were afterwards added. In 1856 the Congress of the United States had passed an act (approved June 3d, in that year) providing "that there be, and hereby is, granted to the State of Michiganto aid in the construction of railroads from Little Bay de Noquet to Marquette, and thence to Ontonagon, and from the two last-named places to the Wisconsin State line; also from Amboy, by Hillsdale and Lansing, and from Grand Rapids to some point on or near Traverse Bay; also from Grand Haven and Pere.Marquette to Flint, and thence to Port Huron-every alternate section of land, designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width, on each side of each of said roads." Where such odd-numbered sections had already been sold by the United States, or pre-empted, then the deficiency to be made good by selections of a like number of alternate sections of land owned by the government outside of the six tiers of sections; but in no case to be farther than fifteen miles from the lines of the proposed roads. By an act of the lcegislature of Michigan, approved Feb. 14, 1857, the State accepted the grant of lands from the United States, with the terms and conditions imposed; and by the same act the title to that portion of the lands intended by Congress to be given in aid of the construction of the Flint and Pare Marquette line was vested in that company, under certain conditions, among which were these: that the proceeds of the lands were to be exclusively applied in the construction of the road, and to no other purposes whatsoever; that the road, when completed, should, "in all respects and all its parts, be a first-class railroad, and the rail thereof be the 'T' or continuous rail;" also that " after the completion of twenty miles of its railroad, and after the Governor shall have certified to the Secretary of the Interior that such twenty continuous miles of its road are so completed, then, and not before, said company may sell sixty sections of land included within any continuous twenty miles of its line of road; and, in like manner, upon the completion of each other twenty continuous miles, it may sell other sixty sections; and so on, from time to time, until the whole of its road is completed; and after the full and final completion of the entire length of its road, and the acceptance of the same by the board of control* herein provided, then the company may sell the remainder of the lands hereby invested in accordance with the act of Congress, and not before." The company was also required by the act to survey and locate its road on or before the first day of the (then) next December, and to complete and put in good running order at least twenty continuous miles of road during each year from and after that time, and to finish the entire length of the road within seven years fiom the 15th day of November, 1857. The lands thus donated to the company amounted to six hundred and sixty-two thousand four hundred acres, or one hundred and twenty sections for each twenty-mile section of road; so that under the above condition they were prohibited from selling more than one-half their lands until the whole line should be completed and accepted by the board of control. But in February, 1859, the Legislature passed an act amending the above, by striking out the word "sixty," and inserting in its place the words "one hundred and twenty;" thus authorizing the company, upon the completion of each twenty-mile section of road, to sell the entire amount of lands due upon such completed section. An amendatory act was also passed extending the time for the completion of the first twenty miles from Dec. 1, 1858, to Dec. 1, 1859. The land-rant having been duly accepted by the company on the terms and conditions imposed by the Legislature, and local subscriptions to the stock having been secured to the amount required by law, the survey was commenced under direction of George T. Clark, chief engineer of the road, at the opening of the spring of 1857, and was pushed so vigorously that the location of the route was made and accepted by the board of directors in the following August. This location of the route differed materially from that originally contemplated, as it passed * The board of control constituted by this act consisted of the Governor of the State (ex officio) and six commissioners, to be nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 47 I entirely to the south of the county of Gladwin, but traversed Isabella and Mecosta, which were not touched by the preliminary survey. Subsequently the route was again changed so as to pass wholly to the north of these two counties. On account of the financial depression of 1857 nothing was done towards the construction of the road during that year, but in the fall of 1858 the contractors, Messrs. Paul Farwell & Co., commenced work near Bridgeport Centre, and at the close of the year one-third of the line between Flint and Saginaw had been cleared, and about three miles graded ready for ironing. On the 31st of March, 1859, resolutions were adopted authorizing the issue of the bonds of the company to the aggregate amount of five million five hundred thousand dollars, "for the purpose of raising funds from time to time for the construction and completion of the railway of this company from Pere Marquette to Flint;" the said bonds to be secured by a trust deed to Myron H. Clark and Shepherd Knapp, of New York, and James M. Edmunds, of Detroit, as trustees of the property of the company, including their interest, actual and prospective, in five hundred and fifty thousand acres of the lands granted by Congress. The deed was executed by the president and secretary on behalf of the company, at the date above named. Under this mortgage, successive issues of the company's construction bonds were made on the several sections as the work progressed; the first issue being made in April, 1860. In October, 1859, thirteen miles of the road-bed was finished, and the remainder of the line between Flint and Saginaw was nearly ready for the iron. Eight miles of the completed grade south from East Saginaw had been laid with iron from the Wyandotte Rolling-Mills, and on this portion a construction-train had been put in operation. From this time until the following July operations were suspended. The time had expired (December 1st) in which the first twenty-mile section was to be completed by the conditions of the act which conferred the lands, and apprehensions were felt that a forfeiture would be declared by the State. But on assurances from the Governor and other influential officers and citizens of the State that no advantage would be taken of the company's misfortune, if the enterprise was continued and prosecuted in good faith, the contractors were induced to resume operations in July, 1860, as above mentioned, though the work proceeded but slowly. The completed track was extended southward into Genesee County, and reached Pine Run during 1861. On the 20th of January, 1862, the road was regularly opened for traffic to Mount Morris, where connection was made with its trains by the stages of Boss, Burrell & Co. At this time the announcement was made that the company had a sufficient amount of iron on hand to complete the line from this point to its southern terminus. The formal opening of the finished line from Saginaw to Flint was celebrated on Monday, Dec. 8,1862, and was the occasion of unmeasured rejoicing in the city, terminating in an entertainment at the Carlton House in honor of the auspicious event. The officers of the company at that time (elected Dec. 5, 1862) were: Directors-Eber B. Ward, of Detroit, President; Charles A. Trowbridge, Henry H. Fish, Palmer V. Kellogg, of Utica, N. Y.; Henry Hobbs, Charles B. Mott, East Saginaw; Benjamin Pierson, Alfred J. Boss, Flint; Morgan L. Drake, of Pontiac; Treasurer, Wm. I. Bronson; Secretary, Morgan L. Drake. THE FLINT AND HOLLY LINK IN THE FLINT AND PERE MARQUETTE LINE. From the time when the first train ran through to Pontiac, projects had been in contemplation to extend the line from that village to Flint, and eventually to make connection with Saginaw, either over the road proposed to be built by the Saginaw and Genesee Railroad Company (before mentioned as having been incorporated in 1837) or by other means; and, in 1846, the Legislature passed " an act (approved May 15th) to incorporate the Pontiac and Genesee Railroad Company," with a capital stock of five hundred thousand dollars, and the privilege of increasing it to one million dollars; the charter commissioners appointed to receive subscriptions to the stock being Horace C. Thurber, Sherman Stevens, Frederick A. Williams, Grant Decker, Charles C. Hascall, Elkanah Parker, Robert Le Roy, Boorman Dennis, Wm. Axford, Enos Goodrich, Oliver Palmer, Gould Davison, and Benjamin Pearson. The company was authorized and empowered " to construct a railroad, with double or single track, from Pontiac, in the county of Oakland, running northwesterly through the village of Fentonville, to the village of Flint, in the county of Genesee, with a branch of the same running to some suitable point in the county of Shiawassee; also a branch of the same from the village of Genesee [Flint?] to Saginaw City, in the county of Saginaw " the road to be commenced within three years, and to be completed in ten years, from the passage of the act, under penalty of forfeiture of charter. This was amended March 30, 1848, by extending the time for commencement of work to five years, and the time for completion of road to fifteen years, and by authorizing an increase of capital to one million five hundred thousand dollars; also, by the addition of a clause providing that " in case any annual meeting of the stockholders of said company shall not be, or shall not have been holden, the charter of said company shall not thereby be forfeited." The Genesee and Oakland Railroad Company was incorporated by act approved April 3, 1848. Henry M. Henderson, Addison Stewart, Jas. B. Walker, Enos Goodrich, Jas. Kipp, Elijah B. Clark, Horace C. Thurber, and John S. Goodrich were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock, which was authorized to the amount of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The company was empowered to construct a railroad, with double or single track, from Pontiac to Flint, "passing through the most desirable and eligible route, through the counties of Oakland and Genesee," and was required to commence the construction of its road within five years, and to finish it in ten years, from the passage of the act of incorporation. Neither the " Pontiac and Genesee," nor the " Genesee and Oakland" companies ever made any progress worthy of notice towards the accomplishment of the objects for which they were incorporated. "An act to authorize the Flint 48 HISTORY OF GENESEE- COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ~-I and Pere Marquette Railway Company to purchase the rights and franchises of the Genesee and Oakland Railroad Company" was passed by the Legislature, and approved Feb. 15, 1859, and by the terms of the same act the latter company was also authorized to purchase the rights and franchises of the former; and it was further provided that "when said two companies are consolidated, in accordance with the provisions of this act, they may assume to themselves the name of ' The Michigan and Northwestern Railway Company;'" this consolidation arrangement to become valid and operative "' when accepted by said companies, by a vote of their respective boards of directors." To what extent action was taken by the two companies under the authority conferred by this act does not clearly appear, but it is certain that no results were attained beyond a survey of the route between Flint and Fentonville, commenced Sept. 13, 1860, under the direction and superintendence of George T. Clark, chief engineer of the Flint and Pere Marquette road. But the project to construct the lacking railway link, south from Flint to the Detroit and Milwaukee road, was never abandoned, and was finally taken up by parties who were powerful, practical, and wealthy enough to carry it to completion on their own means, without the issuance of bonds, or the asking of municipal or other outside aid. The leader in this project was the Hon. Henry H. Crapo (afterwards Governor of Michigan), with whom were associated a number of heavy capitalists of New Bedford, Mass., and several gentlemen of means in Genesee County. Immediately after the completion of the Pere Marquette road from East Saginaw to Flint, these gentlemen moved energetically in the matter, and about the commencement of the year 1863 became incorporated under the general railroad law as the " Flint and Holly Railroad Company." The board of directors (which also represented the principal stockholders) of this company were Henry H. Crapo, of Flint, president; Oliver Prescott, John R. Thornton, and Edward S. Mandell, of New Bedford, Mass.; Levi Walker and J. B. Walker, of Flint; David Smith, of Fentonville. The commissioners to open the books for subscriptions to the stock of the company, under the requirement of the law, were Oliver Prescott, Wmi. W. Crapo, New Bedford; Henry H. Crapo, H. W. Wood, Flint; David Smith, Fentonville. At the inception of the enterprise, it was the general belief of the public (though perhaps not of the projectors) that the road to be built from Flint would intersect the Detroit and Milwaukee road at Fentonville. But when a more easterly survey was made, to intersect that road at Holly, in Oakland County, a comparison of the two routes showed that the latter, although a trifle longer, offered advantages more than sufficient to compensate for the slightly greater distance to be built, and it would, moreover, strike the northern terminus of the railway line which, it was evident, must soon be built from Monroe, on Lake Erie, to the Detroit and Milwaukee road, at Holly. This route was, consequently, the one adopted. The contract for grading the road was let to Messrs. Walton and Wright, of Detroit, who commenced operations upon the line in the autumn of 1863. The work was pushed with a vigor which has seldom been equaled in the history of railroad construction, and which had not been expected, even from the practical and energetic business men who stood at the head of the enterprise. So rapid was the progress made that the road was completed and opened to Holly-seventeen miles-on the 1st of November, 1864, the first trains being run by the company's new locomotive, " City of Flint." And now, for the first time, Flint and the central and northern portions of Genesee County had a railway outlet to the commercial emporium of the State. Before the opening of this road the travel between Flint and Holly Station had been accommodated by the stage-line of Boss, Burrell & Co., which was well equipped, admirably conducted, and very largely patronized, carrying, on an average, as many as one hundred and fifty passengers each way (a total of three hundred passages) daily between these points; and it is recollected by old residents of Flint that in a single day twenty-seven of these coaches delivered their loads of passengers at the Irving House in that city for dinner. It is also mentioned as a somewhat singular circumstance that the senior proprietor of the line, Hon. Alfied J. Boss, died within two or three days of the time when his stages made their last trip. The total cost of the Flint and Holly road, including land, fencing, grading, bridges, iron, buildings, telegraph, tools, rolling-stock, and engineering, was four hundred and thirty thousand four hundred and twenty-three dollars and six cents, -an exceedingly low figure, especially when taking into consideration the fact that the line was constructed and equipped during a period of inflated prices, caused by the great war which was then in progress. During the first month, the freight transported was four hundred and ten tons, and the amount received from passenger traffic three thousand four hundred and eighty-five dollars and eighty cents. The receipts of the road during eleven months succeeding its opening (that is, up to the end of the fiscal year) were: From passengers........................... $51,670.47 " freight........................................... 38,563.95 " mails..................................... 656.92 " rents........................................ 76.03 $90,967.37 Total expense of operating (sama time)........ 51,761.23 Leaving balance of....................................$39,203.14 From that time, and through all the period in which the road continued to be operated by the original company as a separate line, its business steadily and largely increased. On the 24th of April, 1868, the Flint and Holly road was sold, with its equipment, to the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway Company for about five hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and the bonds of the latter company (secured by lien on the entire length of road from Holly to East Saginaw, and since paid in full) were issued in that amount to the stockholders of the Flint and Holly road. In this sale the latter realized an advance of more than twenty-five per cent. on the cost of their road; and in addition to this, during the three and a half years in which it had been operated by them, they had received regular semi-annual dividends amounting to ten per cent. yearly, besides dividing surplus earnings to the amount of about thirty-five per cent. of the cost of the road and equipment. The above INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 49 is certainly a most remarkable showing of profit in the construction and operation of a short interior line of railroad. COMPLETION AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE ROADS COMPOSING THE FLINT AND PERE MARQUETTE. Upon that portion of the Flint and Pere Marquette line lying between East Saginaw and Lake Michigan the work of construction was commenced in the fall of 1866, and about eight years later, after many delays and discouragements, the road was completed to its northwestern terminus at Ludington. In March, 1872, there were consolidated into the Flint and Pere Marquette line, and under that general name, the following roads, viz., the Holly, Wayne and Monroe Railway (opened in 1870), furnishing a southeastern connection to Lake Erie; the Bay City and East Saginaw road, connecting with the navigable waters of Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron; and the Flint River Railroad (then uncompleted), running from the junction, four miles north of Flint, to Otter Lake, a distance of fifteen miles. This latter road (now the Flint River division of the Flint and Pere Marquette) was opened for travel between the city of Flint and the village of Otisville, in the northeastern corner of Genesee County, on the 13th of August, 1872, and was soon after finished to Otter Lake Station, where it forms a connection with the Detroit and Bay City Railroad. The Flint River division passes diagonally through the townships of Genesee and Forest, and for a short distance through the northwest corner of Richfield, all in Genesee County. The main line of the Flint and PNre Marquette road traverses the county nearly through its centre, from north to south, passing through the city of Flint and the townships of Vienna, Mount Morris, Genesee, Burton, and Grand Blanc. This line is by far more important to the interests of Genesee than any of the other railroads which enter the county, and it is for this reason, and because the enterprise was originated and made successful by citizens of Flint,* that the above account of the road has been extended to greater length than it would otherwise have been. Until recently the Flint and PNre Marquette road has been regarded as one of the prosperous railways of Michigan, but of late it has become apparent that the financial condition of the company has been unsatisfactory for several years, commencing from the panic of 1873, and now (May, 1879) it is announced that the road is about passing into the hands of a receiver. But, notwithstanding the embarrassment of its affairs, it is, and must continue to be, a line of great importance to the counties, cities, and villages upon its route. ~ Of the twenty-eight original shareholders who signed the articles of association of the Flint and PNre Marquette Railway Company, all but one (Theodore G. Mills, of Cleveland) were residents of the city of Flint, as were also all the nine gentlemen composing the first board of directors. And when the second division of the line (then known as the Flint and Holly road) was built, it was a citizen of this city-Henry H. Crapo-who originated the project, furnished a large share of the means, and was in every way more instrumental than any other person in accomplishing its early completion and remarkable Success. 7 PORT HURON AND LAKE MICHIGAN RAILROAD. The project of the old c" Northern Railroad" authorized by the Legislature in 1837 as part of the State system of internal improvements, and intended to run from the outlet of Lake Huron, west, through St. Clair, Lapeer, Genesee, and other counties, has already been mentioned. After this project was abandoned by the State it was taken up by an association of individuals who were, by act of Legislature approved Jan. 30, 1847,t incorporated as " the Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad Company," with authority "to construct a railroad with a double or single track from Port Huron, in St. Clair County, running westerly until it shall intersect Lake Michigan at or near the mouth of Grand River, with power to take, transport, and carry property and persons upon the said railroad, or any part thereof herein authorized to be constructed, by the power and force of steam or of animals, or of any mechanical or other power, or of any combination of them which the said company may choose to use or apply." John Wells, Alvin N. Hart, Charles C. Hascall, Alfred L. Williams, Jesse F. Turner, Ira Porter, Edmund B. Bostwick, and Thomas W. White were appointed charter commissioners to receive subscriptions to the capital stock, which was authorized to the amount of two millions of dollars. The company was required to commence its road in five years, and to complete it in fifteen years, from the passage of the act. And the State relinquished to the company all her rights and privileges in the line of the Northern road wherever the company might wish to construct its road over that route. In alluding to this relinquishment by the State, the directors of the company (in a statement published for the purpose of influencing subscriptions to the stock) said that "instead of paying the State for what it has done towards the construction of the road, the company have a donation of all that one hundred and ten thousand dollars in cash, and twenty thousand acres of land, have accomplished." In 1851, against a most determined opposition, the charter of the company was amended, by striking out the words " five" and " fifteen" and inserting in their places "ten" and " twenty" (years), thus extending, respectively, the periods in which the work was required to be commenced and completed. Great efforts were then made to raise means for the construction of the road, but these met with very indifferent success. In 1853 encouragement was received from the Hon. Malcolm Cameron, of Quebec, that negotiations might be made with parties in that city for the furnishing of means and construction of the road. Upon this, after mature deliberation by the board of directors, a committee of the board, consisting of James Turril, the president of the road, J. R. White, secretary, Alvin N. Hart, treasurer, and Noah Hart, director, proceeded to Quebec, where a contract was effected with prominent railroad parties to build the road from Port Huron to Grand t The Legislature had passed an act of incorporation of the same company in 1846, but it had been vetoed by Gov. Felch, on the ground that it might defeat the sale of the southern and central roads, negotiations for their purchase from the State being then in progress. This sale having been effected, and the objection thus removed, the incorporating act was approved in 1847, as stated. 50 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Haven by the 1st of January, 1857, but with the condition precedent that the company should procure from the Legislature an act increasing the capital stock from two million to eight million dollars. An interview was then had with Lieutenant-Governor Andrew Parsons (then acting Governor, in place of Governor Robert McClelland, who had resigned to accept a position in President Pierce's cabinet) to induce him to call an extra session of the Legislature for the purpose of authorizing the necessary increase of capital. Governor Parsons was unwilling to assume the responsibility of convening the Legislature in extra session unless an expression of the people's wishes, favorable to the plan, could be had. To obtain such an expression the promoters of the road called a mass-meeting at Jackson, at which resolutions were adopted favoring an extra session and requesting the Governor to call it, but, notwithstanding this, he declined to issue the desired proclamation. This caused a delay until the regular session of 1855, at which an act was passed (approved February 13) amending the charter by increasing the capital stock to eight million dollars, as desired, and empowering the president and directors to appoint agents in either or all of the cities of.New York, Boston, Montreal, and London to receive subscriptions to the increased stock or assessments, instalments, or calls, or to pay dividends upon the same, and to make dividends payable and receivable in each or all of the cities named. But after all this had been done the foreign contractors found themselves unable to float the scheme, and so all the trouble and money expended in that direction seemed to have been wasted. This defeat almost extinguished the hopes of the friends of the road, but they were soon after revived by a proposition coming from N. P. Stewart, of Detroit, to purchase the charter and build the road without delay from Port Huron to Grand Haven. But, although this proposition was favorably entertained at first by the promoters of the Port Huron road, it was not long before they became suspicious that Mr. Stewart was working in the interest of the Detroit and Milwaukee road (in which he was a heavy stock- and bond-holder), and that his real design was to obtain possession of the Port Huron charter, not for the purpose of building the road in good faith, but to extinguish the enterprise. They therefore declined to sell their charter and franchises, except upon such terms as they were certain he would decline to entertain. Not to be defeated in this manner, however, he, in 1856, organized a new company under the general railroad law, called the "Port Huron and Milwaukee Railroad Company," to build a railway line from Port Huron to Grand Haven, there to connect with steamers for Milwaukee. The survey of the route was made without delay, the right of way obtained; and for a time the work of construction was pushed most vigorously. A dock was built at Port Huron, some twenty miles of grading was done, and about a mile of track was laid at the Port Huron end of the line, so that the people living in the counties traversed by the route (who cared chiefly for the success of the project, with but little regard as to which company should build the road) began to feel sure that at last their hopes were to be realized. But they were again to be disappointed, for, about the time that the work had progressed to the stage above mentioned, Mr. Stewart procured-or at least assented to-the passage of an act of Legislature, consolidating this with the Detroit and Milwaukee road at Owasso; and from that time work on the eastern portion of the road was suspended, and the means raised for its construction were used west of Owasso. At this turn of affairs the chagrin and disappointment of the friends of the road was inexpressible. But the old Port Huron and Lake Michigan charter was kept good, and the promoters of the project still hoped for ultimate success, though the prospect was dismal. Finally, in 1863, Mr. Jerome, of New York, made a proposition to build the road, which was favorably entertained, and he became the purchaser of the charters of both companies; that is, of the Port Huron and Lake Michigan, and also of that part of the Port Huron and Milwaukee lying east of Owasso. But, after having expended considerable sums in preparations to push forward the enterprise, Mr. Jerome died, and disappointment and gloom once more clouded the prospects of the Port Huron (proposed) railway. In 1865 the original friends and promoters of the project came once more to the front, having arrived at the conclusion that the only way in which the road could ever be completed was to secure local subscriptions and municipal aid sufficient to repurchase the charter, secure the right of way, grade the road ready for the iron between Port Huron and Flint, and furnish the requisite number of ties; believing that, when all this was done, the road itself would give sufficient security to any capitalist who would furnish the rails and rolling-stock to put it in operation. The first consideration was to obtain the charters from the Jerome estate; and, to accomplish this, they procured the introduction of bills in the Legislature to repeal both the Port Huron and Lake Michigan and the Port Huron and Milwaukee charters, shrewdly believing that the pendency of these bills would facilitate negotiations with the Jerome heirs. The result was as anticipated. The legal representatives of the estate appeared, and the charters were purchased and paid for by local subscription. The charter being secured, and a large amount of subscriptions and municipal aid obtained, the work of grading was resumed in March, 1866, and progressed so well* that it was confidently predicted that the road would be put in full operation between Port Huron and Flint by the end of the year 1868. But more disappointment was yet in store. Three times negotiations were entered into with parties in New York for the rails and equipment for the road, and as often those negotiations failed. At last, in 1869, a contract was entered into with Messrs. S. W. Hop*i By the report of J. Q. Felt, superintendent of construction of the Port Huron road, it was shown that in November, 1866, the roadbed was completed, ready for the iron, from Port Huron westward to within one mile of the west line of the township of Emmett, except two weeks' work at one point; that west of Emmett, to the line of Lapeer County, all was completed except a break of two miles, which would be finished during the winter; that more than sufficient ties had been contracted for to lay this distance, and that the right of way had been secured over nearly all the route as far west as Flint. In Genesee County, the city of Flint and the townships of Burton and Davison had voted their bonds in aid of the enterprise, and eleven towns in Lapeer County and several in St. Clair had taken similar action THE PRESS. 51 kins & Co., of New York, by which that firm agreed to furnish iron and rolling-stock, taking in payment the first mortgage bonds of the road. The firm eventually failed to complete the contract, which compelled the company to make, through its president, the Hon. W. L. Bancroft, a further negotiation in Europe; but the eastern portion was completed with material furnished on the Hopkins contract. The first cargo (two hundred tons) of rails arrived at Port Huron by the propeller " Fountain City," June 24, 1869, and the laying of the track was commenced at once; but further supplies of iron came slowly and irregularly, so that it was not until the 8th of June, 1870, that the road was opened to Capac, and on the 28th of the following month to Imlay City. On the 24th of May, 1871, the track reached the limits of Lapeer City, and in the following October entered Genesee County; the road being opened for freight and passengers to Davison Station May 25th. The track was finished to the limits of Flint City on November 12, 1871, and on Thursday, November 30th, an "inaugural trip" was made over the entire distance (sixtysix miles) between Flint and Port Huron, by a party composed of the Hon. Artemas Thayer-a member of the board of directors, residing in Flint-and about fifteen ladies and gentlemen. This party was, of course, greeted with much enthusiasm along the route. The formal opening of the line between Port Huron and Flint was celebrated by the passage from the former to the latter city of an excursion-party, composed of two hundred and ten ladies and gentlemen, occupying four elegant passenger-coaches, drawn by the locomotive " Flint City." The party were complimented by a dinner (at the Thayer House), which was marked by the hilarity and congratulatory speeches usual on such occasions. The regular running of trains between Flint and Port Huron was commenced December 13, 1871,-more than thirty-four years from the time when the people of the " Flint River Settlement" had first rejoiced at the news of the passage of the " Northern Railroad" bill, and the prospect of an early connection by rail with the outside world. CHICAGO AND NORTHEASTERN RAILROAD-CHICAGO AND LAKE HURON LINE. The " Chicago and Northeastern Railroad Company" was incorporated under the general law, by the filing of articles of association in the office of the Secretary of State, Aug. 12, 1874; the object of its formation being the construction of a railroad from Lansing to Flint, to connect at the former city with the Peninsular Railway, and at Flint with the Port Huron Railroad, and with these, to form a through line from Chicago to the city of Port Huron. The preliminary work on the Chicago and Northeastern road was commenced in November, 1874, and it was pushed with vigor during 1875 and '76, so that at the close of the latter year the road was nearly ready for traffic. It was formally opened about the 1st of February, 1877, and was operated as a part of the " Chicago and Lake Huron" ine, which enjoyed a very heavy business (particularly in freighting) until the early part of the present year, when it was broken up by the Chicago and Northeastern link being purchased by an Eastern capitalist (understood to be Wil liam H. Vanderbilt, or parties in his interest), for the purpose of destroying a formidable competitor to other through lines under his control. Measures have already been taken, however, to supply the place of the Chicago and Northeastern link by a new road from Flint to Lansing by way of Owasso. Surveys of the route were commenced in April of this year, and now (July, 1879) Mr. Charles B. Peck, general manager of the Chicago and Lake Huron, advertises for bids for the immediate construction of the road, full-tied, with stone and iron bridges and steel rails. It is understood that the road is to be built by the Grand Trunk Railway Company, and that it is the intention of the managers to complete the line at the earliest possible day. The above-mentioned railway lines include all which have been built or projected within the territory of Genesee County. CHAPTER IX. THE PRESS —THE PROFESSIONS —GENESEE CIVIL LIST-THE PIONEER ASSOCIATION. The Newspapers of Flint-The Wolverine Citizen-The Genesee Democrat-The Flint Globe-The Flint Journal-Journalism at Fenton-Other Journals in the County-The Medical Profession in Genesee County-Early Physicians-Genesee County Medical Society-Genesee County Medical Association-Flint Academy of Medicine-Homoeopathy in Genesee-Early Lawyers in the County -The Present Bar of Genesee-Genesee Civil List-Genesee County Pioneer Association. THE NEWSPAPERS OF FLINT. THE first newspaper in Genesee County was The Flint River Gazette (Democratic), published at Flint River village, by Joseph K. Averill, its first issue bearing date Jan. 26, 1839. The press, fixtures, and type with which it was started had been previously in use in the State of New York, Mr. Averill having purchased them there of James Connor for the sum of one thousand and ninety-three dollars and ninety-one cents, and transported them by canal and lake to Detroit, and thence to Flint, but without having paid the purchase-money to Connor. This indebtedness, together with the various charges, came with the " printing establishment," as a lien upon it, to Messrs. Hutchinson, Campbell & Co., the consignees at Detroit. The charges on the property are shown by the following transcript from the consignees' books, taken for use in a suit involving the ownership of the press and equipment: "STEAMBOAT 'CHARLES TOWNSEND' "E. NORTON & Co., "B. L. No. 294.-Oct. 3, 1838. Lbs. "One printing-press and frame........ 470 Six boxes type........................... 970 Two boxes sundries..................... 1280 Three l'ds type-boxes.................. 190 Two boxes sundries..................... 300 One keg ink............................... 35 3245 @ 90 cts. = $29.19 "Our charges @ 10 cts....................... 3.24 Lake freight @ 20 cts.................................... 6.48 Advanced Mr. Averill at Buffalo....................... 20.00 Passage on Erie Canall................................ 25.00 $83.91 "A copy of bill on Hutchinson, Campbell & Co., lake receiving book. "P. C. WILLSON." 52 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Hutchinson, Campbell & Co. refused to deliver the property to Mr. Averill, but he obtained possession by suit in replevin, in which Chauncey S. Payne, of Flint, became security on the replevin bond. The suit resulted in a judgment in favor of the defendants, for the value of the property, $1093.91; damages for detention, $191.02; and costs, $61.01; total, $1345.94. Mr. Payne having become responsible for the amount, he obtained security for it, to the extent of the value of the property, by an assignment and bill of sale from Mr. Averill, of which instrument the following is a copy: "In consideration of one hundred dollars, to me paid by Chauncey S. Payne, of Grand Traverse, Genesee County, Michigan, I have sold and assigned, and by these presents do sell, assign, transfer, and set over, absolutely and forever, to the said Chauncey S. Payne, the several articles, goods, and chattels enumerated in the annexed schedule, and which printing materials, press, and type are now known as constituting the establishment of the Flint River Gazette. To have and to hold the same to his own use and benefit forever. "In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 28th day of January, A.D. 1839. "JOSEPH K. AVERILL [SEAL]. "In the presence of WM. A. MORRIsoN." The annexed schedule referred to in the instrument enumerates various articles and material belonging to the "printing establishment," amounting, as inventoried, to $1303.35. James Connor having assigned his claim against Averill to James H. Ray, and the publication of the Gazette having proved an unsuccessful enterprise, Mr. Payne, in 1842, turned over the articles composing the office establishment of that paper to Mr. Ray, in part satisfaction of the judgment, as appears from the receipt given by Ray's attorneys, which was as follows: " Received of Chauncey S. Payne, the printing-press, type, fixtures, and materials constituting the printing establishment known as the Flint River Gazette, which has been inventoried and appraised by virtue of a stipulation entered into by and between James H. Ray and Chauncey S. Payne, by A. & H. H. Emmons, attorneys for said Ray, and T. B. W. Stockton for said Payne, dated June 3, 1842; which said establishment has been valued at nine hundred and eightynine dollars and eighty-five cents ($989.85), which said sum is to apply on the bond executed by said Payne conjointly with Joseph K. Averill in a replevin suit, wherein said Averill was plaintiff, and Amos J. Hutchinson, Henry M. Campbell, and Ezra Williams were defendants. And said amount is also to go toward the payment of the judgment rendered in said replevin suit against said Averill. "Dated DETROIT, June 6th, A.D. 1842. "A. & H. It. EMMONS, "Att'ys for "JAMES H. RAY." It is stated in Applegate's " History of the Press of Michigan" that the Flint River Gazette lived only about six months, but this is shown to be incorrect, by the fact that Hon. George M. Dewey, of Flint, has now in his possession a copy of the paper dated March 7, 1840; this being numbered seven of the second volume. The Gazette ceased to exist in June or July, 1841. The second newspaper enterprise in the county was that of the Northern Advocate, published at Flint River, by William A. Morrison. This paper was Whig in politics, and its first issue was on Saturday, April 18, 1840. It was printed on a press which had been used at Pontiac in the publication of the Pontiac Herald, first by W. S. Stevens, and afterwards by Benjamin Irish, and was sold by the latter, on the discontinuance of the Herald, in 1839. The Advocate expired in 1842. Next came the Genesee Gazette, a weekly Democratic paper, published at Flint River by S. W. Denton & Co. It first appeared April 16, 1842,-the press used being that on which had been printed the Northern Advocate. No further facts concerning this paper have been gathered, except that it was short-lived. The Genesee Herald made its first appearance on Saturday, Jan. 7, 1843. It was a Whig paper, published weekly at Flint River by J. Dowd Coleman, and edited by Perry Joslyn. It continued to exist here for a year, but at the end of that time it was discontinued, and in January, 1844, Mr. Coleman removed his press to Pontiac, where, on the 7th of February of that year, he issued from it the first number of the Oakland Gazette. The Genesee County Democrat was a weekly paper, published by William B. Sherwood at Flint River. Mr. Sherwood had before published the Shiawassee Democrat and Clinton Express, at Corunna, Shiawassee Co., for a short time, but discontinued it in the spring of 1843, moved his press and material to Flint, to use in the publication of the Democrat, as above mentioned, and issued its first number on the 6th of June, 1843. The period of its duration cannot be given. The Genesee Republican, a Democratic paper, made its first appearance on the 17th of April, 1845. It was printed at Flint, and was understood to be owned, wholly or principally, by Gen. Charles C. Hascall, though no proprietor's name appeared at the head of its columns. It is proper to mention here that one or two prominent citizens of Flint, who have resided here for more than forty years, and who are generally regarded as good authority in such matters, assert positively that no such papers as the Genesee Republican or Genesee County Democrat were ever published in the county; but the account which we here give of them is based on still stronger proof, namely, the fact of having seen and read copies of both these papers, which copies are now in possession of the Hon. George M. Dewey, of Flint. The Flint Republican, of which two or more copies are also in the possession of Mr. Dewey, was first issued in December, 1845, by Daniel S. Merritt. The office of publication was " in the building north of Lyon's hotel, opposite the court-house, up-stairs. Terms, $1.50 cash, or $2 in produce, in advance." This paper came under the proprietorship of Royal W. Jenny,* in 1848. One of the copies of this paper which we examined, as before mentioned, bears date Sept. 20, 1840, and is entitled " Flint Republican, Vol. 4, No. 42, published by R. W. Jenny, weekly on Thursday mornings." Mr. Jenny ceased to publish the Republican on the 30th of September, 1853, and immediately commenced the publication of the Genesee Democrat. Whether this was merely a change of name, or the establishment of a new journal, we do not know, and therefore express no opinion. Mr. Jenny continued to publish the Democrat until his death, which occurred nearly a quarter of a century later. * Mr. Jenny had started the Lapeer County Whig, at Lapeer, Feb. 23, 1842. This fact we ascertained from examining a copy of that paper published in that year. THE PRESS. 53 The Western Citizen was a paper published at Flint, and owned by O. S. Carter. Its date cannot be given, but its existence was short, and it was succeeded, Feb. 23, 1850, by the Genesee Whig, Francis H. Rankin, proprietor, F. H. Rankin and N. W. Butts, editors. The newspapers of Flint City at the present time are the Genesee Democrat, the Wolverine Citizen, the Flint Globe, and the Flint Journal, historical sketches of which, furnished by the proprietor of each journal respectively, are given below, without any attempt on our part to reconcile conflicting opinions regarding seniority. THE WOLVERINE CITIZEN.* The Wolverine Citizen, the oldest living newspaper in Genesee County, was founded by its present editor and proprietor, F. H. Rankin, as a Free-Soil Whig paper, in 1850, the first number appearing on February 23d of that year, as the Genesee Whig. Upon the final dissolution of the Whig party, the name " Whig" ceased to have any political significance, and without any change in its principles or policy, the proprietor deemed it advisable to adopt another title. The paper was accordingly published as the Wolverine Citizen and Genesee Whig from January to December, 1856, when the latter half of its designation was dropped, and it has appeared from that date to the present as the W1olverine Citizen. The history of the paper is intimately connected with the history of the county during the last thirty years. Under the agitation caused by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the Genesee Whig strongly favored the formation of the Republican party, organized at Jackson, in this State, in 1854, and from that time to the present has been known as a distinctively Republican journal of the " stalwart" type. Its editor was actively instrumental in reorganizing the anti-slavery elements of the old Whig and Democratic parties of Genesee County; having been, while chairman of the Whig County Committee, also chosen chairman of an Independent Central County Committee, at a mass convention of electors of Genesee County, held on Sept. 21, 1854, for the purpose of uniting the anti-slavery strength against the attempted encroachments of the slave-power upon the guaranteed free territory of the nation; the language of the call for the meeting, inviting all electors "opposed to the ' Nebraska swindle' and the extension of slavery in the national domain." The Citizen is now in the thirtieth year of its existence, during which time there has been no change in its ownership or management. In its career, it can boast of having been the graduating school of a number of young men, who have been more or less prominent as journalists in this State and elsewhere. ~Among them may be named Hon. W. R. Bates, late of the Lumberman's Gazette; C. B. Turner, of the Pontiac Gazette; R. L. Warren, of the Lawrence Advertiser; Morgan Bates, Jr., late of the Miarshall Statesman; E. D. Cowles, of the Saginaw Daily Courier; W. A. Smith, of the Charlevoix Sentinel; Harry Hall, of the Stuart Locomotive; Charles Fellows, of the Flint Journal; Orlando White, of the Linden Record; A. M. Woodin, of the Lansing Sentinel. * By Francis H. Rankin. The Wolverine Daily Citizen was started by Mr. Rankin in August, 1859, and continued until November, 1860. After sinking considerable money in its publication, and becoming satisfied that a daily paper in Flint could not be made to pay its expenses, the enterprise was abandoned after fifteen months' effort. During the twenty-four years of the corporate existence of Flint, the Wolverine Citizen has been for seventeen years of that period chosen annually as the official paper of the city. The jobbing department connected with the office is the most complete and extensive in this part of the State. The steam-engine of the establishment-boiler and all-was constructed in Flint, and is a model of its kind. It was built for the Citizen by H. W. Wood, of Flint, and the Wicks Brothers (now of Saginaw), when the Genesee Iron-Works were owned by those parties. The paper was originally a twenty-four by thirty-four folio sheet of twenty-four columns. In 1857 it was enlarged to twenty-six by forty, and twenty-eight columns. In 1867 its form was changed to quarto, and still further enlarged to twenty-nine by forty-four, and forty-eight columns, which is its present shape. The business department of the office is now well managed by the proprietor's son, Franc, who assists his father editorially; as does also his son George, in' the local columns and reporter's province. THE GENESEE DEMOCRAT.t At the head of the editorial columns of the Genesee Democrat this sentence is to be found: " Oldest paper in Genesee County. Established in 1848, by Royal W. Jenny." For all practical purposes, this line is all that is necessary to be said concerning the foundation of this paper, but as another journal published in the city lays claim to whatever honor attaches to the "c oldest paper," a few words in explanation may make -the disputed point clear. It is not disputed that Mr. R. W. Jenny, the founder of the Democrat, published a paper in this city before any of the papers now published were issued. For some years Mr. Jenny published the Flint Republican, a Democratic paper, and during those years the Wolverine Citizen was started. In 1853 the Flint Republican was changed to the Genesee Democrat. The Democrat, after a few issues, was dated back to correspond with the Republican. It is plain, therefore, that the Genesee Democrat is not nominally as aged as is its contemporary, the Citizen, but in everything but name it is the oldest paper in Genesee County; yet the point in question is hardly worth the quantities of printer's ink that have been, at different times, spent in its discussion. The vicissitudes of journalistic life in those early days can only be appreciated by those who experienced them, and the varying fortunes of our county papers are so identified with the personal characters of their proprietors that a history of the one is a biography of the other. The Democrat was no exception. Even the name Genesee.Democrat is so intimately connected with its founder, Royal W. Jenny, that few of the residents of Flint can t By Arthur J. Eddy. 54 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. think of the former without recalling the' eminently popular nature and friendly disposition of the latter. Mr. Jenny continued editor and proprietor up to the time of his death, in 1876, though at several times he had associated with him different gentlemen as partners, the last being Mr. Fellows, now publisher of the Journal. For some weeks after her husband's death, Mrs. Jenny conducted the paper, when it was purchased by H. N. Mather. Mr. Mather enlarged the paper, improved it in many respects, and added a Sunday edition to it. After a most successful management of over two years, Mr. Mather sold the paper, in December, 1878, to Jerome Eddy, then mayor of the city. Mr. Eddy's son, Arthur J. Eddy, took charge of the establishment and now publishes and edits the paper. However it may be about the age of the Genesee Democrat (weekly), the managers of that paper can justly claim the unprofitable honor of starting the first daily in Flint. For a few months, in 1859, a daily was issued, but its remembrance was all it netted its proprietors. The Democrat is now issued from the Eddy Block, on Kearsley Street..THE FLINT GLOBE.* The Flint Globe was established at the city of Flint in August, 1866. The original proprietors were Charles F. Smith, Henry S. Hilton, and Robert Smith, the firm-name being Charles F. Smith & Co. The office was located in the second story of what was known as the " Union Block," on Saginaw Street, now occupied by Walter's restaurant and Charles Crawford's tailoring establishment. Mr. Hilton was the managing editor, Mr. C. F. Smith having more immediate charge of the jobbing department and the general business of the office. W. H. H. Brainard and Sumner Howard were successively engaged as local editors on the Globe. The concern was purchased by the present proprietor, Almon L. Aldrich, in August, 186,9. In the summer of 1870 the office was moved to the third story of the Covert Block, corner of Saginaw and First Streets, for the sake of additional room, and in order to give the editor a sanctum separate from the composition- and press-room, one apartment having served that purpose up to that date. Here the office remained until October, 1873, when the demand for new machinery, which could not be gotten up to the office in the third story, necessitated its removal to some building in which the first floor could be used for the presses. No such building offering itself for a reasonable rent, the proprietor purchased a lot on the corner of Kearsley and Brush Streets, and in the month of July commenced the erection of a building to be used as " The Globe Office." In October a brick structure twenty by fifty-six feet on the ground, and two stories high, with a deep basement, known as " The Globe Building," was completed, and the office was removed thither. The front of the building, first floor, is used as the editor's room and business-office. The rear part is used for jobbing purposes and as a press-room. The entire upper story is used by the compositors. The brick-work on this building was done by contract by Andrew J. Ward, and the carpentering work by John McBurney. * By A, L. Aldrioh. I I The office is still located in the building, and is likely to remain there. The Globe has always been Republican in politics, and has exercised its due share of influence in directing public affairs and making public sentiment, having always been recognized as an organ of the Republican party in its locality. It has several times been chosen as the official paper of the city. The present proprietor was appointed to the office of resident trustee of the Michigan Institution for Educating the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind in October, 1873, which office he still holds. The former proprietors of the Globe are now located as follows: Charles F. Smith resides in Chicago, and is engaged on 'Change. Soon after leaving the Globe he removed to Kansas, and for two years held the office of treasurer of Labette County. Henry S. Hilton is editor and proprietor of the Clinton Republican, at St. John's, Clinton Co., Mich. He also holds the office of register of deeds in that county. Robert Smith is owner and editor of the Gratiot Journal, published at Ithaca, Gratiot Co., Mich., one of the most ably conducted and successful papers in the State. Among the gentlemen who have been connected with the Globe as local editors, during the ownership of the present proprietor, may be mentioned Mr. Louis R. Pomeroy, now dead; Mr. M. L. Seeley, now residing in Genesee township, in this county; Mr. Will F. Clarke, now deputy collector of internal revenue in this district; Henry H. Gibson, of Grand Rapids; and Harry Snedicor, of Chicago. The following is a list of the gentlemen who have acted as foremen in the office, either in the news or jobbing department, or both: James Estes, now publisher of the St. John's Independent; W. W. Howard, of Flint; N. L. Moon, now a Methodist clergyman at Caro, in this State; James Gray, of Bay City; Erastus Dodge, now a leading photographer of Flint; and F. C. Jeudevine and John Henry, the former in the news department and the latter in the jobbing-rooms. THE FLINT JOURNAL.t This paper, now in its fourth year, is published by Charles Fellows. Democratic in politics; is published every Wednesday. It is an eight-page paper; enjoys a liberal patronage and an extensive circulation, its column of "Flint Chips" being a feature that makes the Journal popular with all classes. THE DEAF-MUTE MIRROR. This is a small paper published in Flint on Fridays, being most creditably edited by inmates of the Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. JOURNALISM AT FENTON. The Fentonville Observer was started in that village in the fall of 1854, W. W. Booth, proprietor, Perry Joslin, editor. It was issued weekly for several months and then discontinued. t By C. Fellows. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 55 The Fenton Gazette was first issued on the 17th of October, 1865, by W. H. H. Smith, who had removed with his press and material from Monroe Co., N. Y., to Fenton, and who is still its proprietor. It was established as an independent family newspaper, neither pledged to nor dependent on any political party for support, and it has maintained this character through nearly fourteen years of prosperous existence. Mr. Smith now has his son associated with him in the proprietorship, and it is their design in the conducting of their paper to keep place with the progressive spirit of the age, and with the demands of the enlightened community in which the Gazette has its circulation. The Christian Index, an Episcopalian journal, was commenced in December, 1868, by the Rev. O. E. Fuller, rector of St. Jude's Church in Fenton, and principal of the Trinity school. It was a valuable paper, but not of very long continuance. Thie Fenton Independent was established in May, 1868, by H. N. Jennings as editor and publisher, and has now (June, 1879) entered upon its twelfth volume, under the same proprietorship and management. It is a seven-column folio, independent in politics and religion, published weekly on Tuesdays, and has a good circulation in Fenton and throughout the county. OTHER JOURNALS IN THE COUNTY. The Linden Weekly Record, published at Linden, Fenton township, was started by its present proprietor, Orlando White, Jan. 16, 1878, as a five-column quarto. It is now a five-column folio, independent in politics, and has a good circulation. The Flushing Patrol was established in the village of Flushing, Jan. 16, 1878, by its present proprietor, D. C. Ashmun. It is a seven-column folio, printed on a handpress of Mr. Ashmun's own manufacture, and has a good subscription list. A job-office is connected with the establishment. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IN GENESEE COUNTY. EARLY PHYSICIANS. Before any physician had established in practice in Genesee County, the settlers here who needed medical attendance were served by Doctors David L. Porter, J. B. Richardson, and Olmstead Chamberlain, of Oakland County, and possibly by others. Of these the one who was most frequently employed was Dr. Chamberlain. He was then a middle-aged man, though an old physician in practice. He was born in Richmond, Vt., in 1787, and settled in Pontiac in 1821. He was probably the first physician who ever set foot within the territory of Genesee County, having passed through here in 1823 on his way to Saginaw, whence he had received an urgent summons to attend the soldiers of the garrison, among whom an alarming epidemic had broken out. The only road was the Indian trail through the woods, but the doctor at once mounted his horse, and traveling night and day, at times obliged to dismount and feel for the trail on his hands and knees, arrived in due time, and rendered good service to the sufferers. And for the early settlers in Grand Blanc and at Flint River he was always equally willing and ready to give professional assistance, although he was not compelled to rely on his profession for a livelihood, and did not follow it as a regular business. He was present with Col. Cronk in the fatal sickness of the latter at Flint River, in 1832, and on this occasion, as in other critical cases at Grand Blanc and on the Flint, remained for two or three days, never quitting his patient until out of danger or past hope of recovery. He remained in Pontiac until 1864, when he went to live with a son in Waupun, Wis., and died there Oct. 10, 1876, aged eighty-nine years. The first physician to locate and practice in Genesee County was Dr. Cyrus Baldwin, who came from Onondaga Co., N. Y., and settled in Grand Blanc in the spring of 1833. He was a deacon in the Presbyterian Church at that place. In 1837 he removed to Atlas, being the first physician in that township, and remained there in practice for a number of years. Dr. John W. King came to Genesee County in 1834, and located at Grand Blanc. After the removal of Dr. Baldwin from that town, in 1837, Dr. King remained as the only physician of the settlement until the spring of 1848, when Dr. H. C. Fairbank became his business partner. This connection continued till the winter of 1849-50, when Dr. King withdrew almost entirely from practice, and soon afterwards removed to Flint village, where he engaged in the foundry business, but, after some two years, returned to Grand Blanc and passed his remaining years in comparative retirement upon his farm. In 1873 he experienced an attack of paralysis, from which he never fully recovered, and died on the 12th of November, 1876. At the funeral of Dr. King a short address was made, at the request of members of the profession, by Dr. George W. Fish, of Flint, who was an associate and friend of the deceased during a period of more than thirty-seven years. It has been thought appropriate to give in this place the following extract from that address: "Dr. John W. King, so well known to the citizens of this town and county, has contributed his full share towards redeeming this beautiful country from the savagery of an uncultivated wilderness, and building up the institutions and developing the physical resources of a most prosperous and happy commonwealth. You, my friends, the neighbors of him whom we to-day mourn, will, I am sure, bear me out in saying that whatever you have in this community that is good and true and pure and of good report, whatever tends to mental, moral, and religious culture, whatever has been calculated to make vice and immorality odious, and to cherish and foster education, morality, and religion, has always found an active friend in Dr. King. Of him it may truly be said, he has done what he could to elevate the race and to make men and women better. Such men do not live in vain. They are a blessing to the community where their lot is cast, and the death of such is a public calamity. "As a medical man our friend laid no claim to profound erudition or especial brilliancy. He was laborious, pains taking, and absolutely conscientious. He was, moreover, more than ordinarily well read in what we call the general principles of the profession; he was familiar with the old 56 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. text-books, and an admirer and, to some extent, an imitator of such noble Christian men as De La Mater, Muzzey, and Willoughby. With these as his models, and his absolute honesty and sterling common sense, he soon beeame a safe and successful physician. "Were you to ask me wherein his great strength lay which gave him access to the people, I should answer, in his true manliness of character. Removed alike from the simpering of the silly fop and the imperious bluster of the professional autocrat, he cultivated the golden mean of a noble manhood. There was in his nature such an inexhaustible supply of pleasant sunshine that his visits to the sick were always welcome. He was a Christian gentleman of the old school, entirely above the petty tricks and jealousies of the charlatan. In all this he was worthy of imitation by the members of the profession of the present day. He was always ready to extend a helping hand and speak a word of cheer and encouragement to young men of the profession who might be under a cloud. Neither provocation nor hope of reward would tempt him to do a mean or unprofessional act to one of his brethren in the profession. " My acquaintance with Dr. King has been somewhat intimate, and has extended over a period of nearly thirtyeight years. We were associated in the struggles of professional life in this (then) new country. On horseback we found our way to the log cabins of the early settlers, and not unfrequently, by day and night, we met by the rude couch of the sick and suffering. Most of the men and women of that generation have passed away. A few still linger among us, and they will remember the fierce contest that was waged with poverty and sickness in the new settlements. Dr. King and the other physicians of that day were in perfect sympathy with the people and suffered with them." Dr. John A. Hoyes, a graduate of the medical school at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y., was the first resident physician in Flint, where he settled in 1835,* and continued in an extended and successful practice until about the year 1847, when his failing health caused him to seek relief in the South. He experienced little benefit, however, from the Southern climate, and not long after returned to Flint, where he died, Dec. 20, 1849, aged forty-three years. He was widely known and a trusted and popular physician. Dr. Robert D. Lamond, a graduate of the medical school at Castleton, Vt., and also of the Fairfield Medical College, in Herkimer County, N. Y., came to Flint, about 1838, from Pontiac, where he had commenced practice soon after 1830. In 1835 he was a member of the Oakland County Medical Society, and its secretary. Afterwards, he was one of the original members of the first medical society of Genesee County (as were also Drs. King and Hoyes). He continued to reside in Flint during the remainder of his life, and was for many years the most prominent physician in the county. He represented Genesee County in the Legislature in 1844, and died in Flint in 1871. Dr. George W. Fish came to this county in 1836, locating in the township of Genesee, where he practiced for two or three years, and then removed to Flint, where he remained in practice till 1846. At that time he removed to Jackson, Mich., and three or four years after-on account of his health-to Central America, in the employ of the Panama Railroad Company. Upon the completion of that work he went to China, and remained there seven years in the medical service of the Board of Missions. While there, he filled, for a time, a vacancy in the United States consulate at Hong-Kong. Upon the opening of the war of the Rebellion he returned to the United States, and entered the army as brigade-surgeon, holding that position till the end of the war, after which he returned to Flint. He served for a time on the board of trustees of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, and also one term in the State Senate. He is now United States consul at Tunis, Africa. Dr. Daniel Clarke is a graduate of Harvard University, class of 1839, M. M. S. He came to this county in 1840, and settled in the township of Grand Blanc. He removed to Flint in 1844, but remained only until 1845, when he returned to Massachusetts. In 1847 he again located in Flint, where he has since remained in extensive practice. He is now the senior physician of the county of Genesee. Dr. Richardson came to Flint about 1837. He removed West soon after 1840, and is now (or was recently) practicing in Greenville, Montcalm Co., Mich. Dr. H. C. Fairbank-a native of Wayne County, N. Y., and a graduate of the Willoughby University and of the Western Reserve College, at Cleveland, Ohio-commenced practice in the village of Flint, with Dr. R. D. Lamond, in the spring of 1847. In the following year he removed to Grand Blanc, and entered practice there with the veteran Dr. King. This business connection continued for one and a half years, when Dr. King retired to his farm. Dr. Fairbank remained in Grand Blanc till November, 1864, when he removed to Flint. During the sixteen years of his practice in the former place his ride extended through six townships, of which Grand Blanc was the centre. He is still located in Flint, with an equally extensive practice. Dr. Elijah Drake settled in Flint before 1840, and remained here in practice until his death in 1875. He was a brother of Hon. Thomas J. Drake, and of Morgan L. Drake, of Pontiac. Dr. De Laskie Miller came to Flint from Lapeer (where he had previously practiced) in 1845. After seven years of successful practice here, he removed to Chicago. Subsequently he was appointed professor of obstetrics in the Rush Medical College, which position he still holds. Dr. John Willet, a graduate of Geneva (N. Y.) Medical College, came to Flint in 1846, and remained constantly in practice here until his appointment as surgeon in the Union army, in August, 1862. Upon his return from the service he retired from general practice, and engaged in the drug business. He has been elected representative in the State Legislature, and is now (1879) serving in his second term in that office. Dr. Samuel W. Pattison came to Dibbleville (now Fenton) in June, 1836. After practicing there for a few years he removed to Ypsilanti, where he is still living. Dr. It has been stated in a public address that Dr. Hoyes settled here in 18B3, but as his name is found signed to a memorial to Congress in favor of the Smith heirs to the Indian Reservation,-which paper is dated "Flint River, Sept. 28, 1835,"-it seems pretty certain that he came as early as that year. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 57 Pattison was the first physician in Fenton, and the only regular one in that township for several years. Dr. John C. Gallup, a graduate of the medical school at Pittsfield, Mass., came to Pentonville about 1840, and succeeded to the practice of Dr. Pattison upon the removal of the latter to Ypsilanti. Dr. Gallup remained in Fentonville until about 1851, when he moved to Palmyra, N. Y. From that place he returned to Michigan, and was located for a short time at Grand Rapids, but soon after went to Clinton, N. Y., where he became president of the Houghton Female Seminary,-a position which he still holds. Dr. Thomas Steere was in Fentonville as early as 1838. He had followed the business of druggist, and was not a graduate of any medical school, but, impelled by the scarcity of physicians in this region at that time, he commenced the practice of medicine, and continued in it with fair success and enjoying the respect of the people until his death, which occurred about 1852. Dr. Knight was located at Long Lake, in the town of Fenton, and continued in practice there from about 1849 until 1875 or 1876, when he moved to Petoskey, Mich. Dr. Isaac Wixom came to Genesee County in 1844, and settled in the township of Argentine. After a quarter of a century of successful practice there and in adjoining counties, he removed to Fenton in 1869, where he is still practicing at the advanced age of seventy-six years. Dr. Wixom received his diploma at Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y., in 1824, practiced his profession for four years in Steuben Co., N. Y., removed in 1829 to Oakland Co., Mich., where he remained until his removal to Genesee County. As a surgeon he has enjoyed a high reputation for many years, and has been called on difficult cases in other counties of this and adjoining States. During the war of the Rebellion he was commissioned surgeon of the 16th Michigan Infantry, and served with that regiment in the field for two years. Besides the practice of his profession, Dr. Wixom has in past years been largely engaged in farming, milling, and mercantile business, and has served in both houses of the Michigan Legislature. Dr. Elbridge G. Gale, a native of Massachusetts, and a graduate of the medical college at Castleton, Vt., came to Davisonville in November, 1844. He practiced there with success until 1851, after which he became engaged in politics, and was elected to the Legislature for several terms (serving in both houses) and was a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1850. Soon after this he entirely withdrew from the practice of medicine, and devoted most of his time to farming and sheep-raising. He still owns his farm in Atlas, but resides in Vermont. His successor in practice, in Atlas, was Dr. Murray. Dr. Joseph W. Graham came from Owasso to Fentonville in 1846, and remained there in practice till about 1851, when he removed to Flint. About two years later he left Flint and located in New Albany, Ind., from which place he afterwards removed to Chicago, and died there. Dr. William B. Cole came to Fentonville about 1850. After a few years he retired from practice, and held several township offices. He finally removed to Pontiac, Oakland Co., where, in September, 1871, he purchased a half-interest in the Pontiac Jacksonian from the widow of its 8 I -1 former proprietor, D. H. Solis. He soon after became sole proprietor of the paper; but in May, 1872, sold an interest to Mr. Sheridan, and in the fall of the same year the firm moved the office and material to Ludington, Mich., where it became the Ludington Appeal. Dr. Cole still resides there, and publishes his paper in the interest of the " Greenback" party. Dr. Joseph Eastman commenced the practice of medicine at Goodrich in 1846. Afterwards he moved upon a farm in Davison township, and still later removed to the city of Flint, where he died in 1878. Dr. Miller settled as a physician in Flushing about 1842. After many years' practice there he removed to Springfield, Oakland Co., from which place he removed to Wenona, Mich. In the above mention of the earlier physicians in the county of Genesee, it has been the intention to include those who commenced practice here down to the year 1850. Of most of those who came later the names will be found in the membership lists of the medical societies of the county. GENESEE COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.* This society-the first medical association in Genesee County-was organized in the winter of 1841-42. Dr. G. W. Fish, in his address at the funeral of Dr. John W. King, in November, 1876 (from which an extract has been given above), mentioned the formation of the old society as follows: " About thirty-five years ago, four physicians met in an office in the little village of Flint, and, after much deliberation and consultation, organized the first medical society ever formed in this part of the State. They were all young men, but recently from the schools, natives of the State of New York, and had all a common Alma Mater,-the old Fairfield Medical College, in Herkimer Co., N. Y. Of those who that day attached their signatures to the constitution and by-laws of the first Genesee County Medical Society, one, Dr. John A. Hoyes, has been dead almost a score of years; another, Dr. Robert D. Lamond, died some five years since; the third, Dr. John W. King, lies in his coffin, and will soon be borne by us to his last resting-place; and the fourth is he who now addresses you." Dr. Fish was mistaken in supposing that this was " the first medical society ever formed in this part of the State," for Dr. Lamond, a member of this, had also been a member, and the secretary, of the Oakland County Medical Society in 1835, and Dr. Samuel W. Pattison, of Fentonville, was admitted to membership in the Oakland Society, in 1838; but in other particulars the statement was, of course, correct. In a letter recently written by Dr. Fish, from Tunis, Africa, where he at present holds the office of United States consul, he speaks of the organization and existence of this old society as follows: - In a historical sketch of the city of Flint, published recently in some of the newspapers, it is stated that the name of this old organization was "The Flint Medical Association." That this is incorrect is proved by an advertisement found in the Genesee Republican of the year 1845, in which Dr. George W. Fish, as secretary, called the annual meeting of the Genesee County Medical Society, to be held at the court-house in Flint. 58 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. " We sent to Detroit and to Pontiac for copies of the constitution and by-laws of their respective medical societies, and framed one suited to our wishes. My impression is that Dr. Hoyes was the first president, and Dr. Lamond secretary. I also think that the first annual meeting was held at Flint, the following June, at which meeting Drs. Steere and Gallup, of Fentonville, and Dr. Baldwin, of Atlas, became members, and perhaps Dr. Miller, of Flushing, may have joined at that time, or soon after. I may be mistaken one year in the date of the organization, but I think I am right. The society remained in active operation for many years, until I went South. I believe all the regular bred physicians who came into the county became members of the society, besides some from Lapeer, Shiawassee, and Saginaw Counties." THE GENESEE COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. On Saturday, May 26, 1866, a number of physicians of Genesee County held a preliminary meeting at the Irving House, in Flint, to take measures for the formation of a county medical society. R. D. Lamond was chosen chairman, and J. B. F.. Curtis secretary, of the meeting. A. B. Chapin, M. F. Baldwin, and C. W. Tyler were chosen as a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws, and S. M. Axford, C. V. Tyler, S. Lathrop, L. N. Beagle, A. B. Chapin, M. F. Baldwin, and J. B. F. Curtis were chosen delegates to the State Medical Convention, to be held at Detroit, on the 5th of June next following. The meeting then adjourned to July 14th. At the adjourned meeting, the committee reported a constitution, which was adopted and signed by the physicians present, viz.: R. D. Lamond, Flint; H. C. Fairbank, Flint; A. B. Chapin, Flint; S. M. Axford, Flint; James B. F. Curtis, Flint; S. Lathrop, Pine Run; M. F. Baldwin, Genesee; Lewis S. Pilcher, Clayton. The name adopted for the organization was " The Genesee County Medical Association," having for its declared object ", the promotion of medical and general science, and in every way to advance the interests of the medical profession;" and the following were chosen its first officers, namely: President, R. D. Lamond; Vice-President, H. C. Fairbank; Secretary, J. B. F. Curtis; Treasurer, A. B. Chapin. The following physicians were admitted as members of the association at different times, subsequent to its organization: 1866.-N. Bates, Linden; L. N. Beagle, Forest; C. V. Tyler, Flushing; R. Murray, Davison. 1867.-Wm. R. Marsh, Fenton; Isaac Wixom, Argentine; -- Watrous, Grand Blanc; H. H. Bardwell, Genesee; Wm. Gibson, Clio; Ransom N. Murray, Grand Blanc; J. Eastman, Davison; John W. King, Grand Blanc (honorary); J. H. Axtell, Tuscola County.* 1868.-C. V. Beebee, Grand Blanc; H. P. Seymour, Clayton; C. W. Pengra, Goodrich; Andrew Slaght, Elgin; G. W. Howland, Flint; George W. Fish, Flint. 1869.-L. W. Hanson, Otisville; T. S. Reed, Mount Morris; John B. Laing, Mount Morris; T. R. Buckham, * An article of the constitution permitted regular physicians of any adjoining county, in which no medical society existed, to become members of this association, -:: Flint; James C. Clark; Atlas; Bela Cogshall, Gaines; C. Mather, Linden; A. W. Riker, Fenton; Wm. Forbes, Flint; Cyrus G. Davis, Grand Blanc. 1870.-Daniel Clarke, Flint'(honorary); John Willett, Flint (honorary); J. C. Willson, Flint; — Harper, Argentine; Wm. Bullock, Orson Millard, A. S. Austin, D. A. Campbell, Clio; L. T. Wells, F. H. Hamilton, Columbiaville; A. F. Coupe, Flushing; - White, Davison. 1872.- - Hollywood, Mount Morris. Several who were elected to membership, however, did not sign the constitution and by-laws, and several others, who had perfected their membership, withdrew afterwards. Dissatisfaction crept into the association, and it was finally dissolved about 1873; its last recorded meeting having been held May 17th, in that year. THE FLINT ACADEMY OF MEDICINE. The organization of this society was effected at a meeting of the physicians and surgeons of the county of Genesee, held at the Scientific Institute rooms, in the city of Flint, on the 18th of August, 1871. Dr. Daniel Clarke, of Flint, as chairman, proceeded to explain the object of the meeting, and appointed a committee, composed of Drs. A. B. Chapin and Henry P. Seymour, of Flint, and Dr. Adelbert F. Coupe, of Flushing, to draft a constitution and by-laws. By the first article of the constitution as reported, the name and style of the association was to be " The Society of Physicians and Surgeons of Genesee County." On motion of Dr. J. C. Willson, of Flint, this article was amended by the substitution of the present name of the society. The several articles, and tlhe entire constitution and by-laws, were then adopted, the article having reference to eligibility for membership being as follows: " Any physician in good standing, and who is a graduate of a regular school of medicine recognized by the American Medical Association, may become a member of this Academy." The members of the academy at its organization were Daniel Clarke, H. C. Fairbank, James C. Willson, George W. Fish, Thomas R. Buckham, William Bullock, A. B. Chapin, Orson Millard, Henry P. Seymour, P. G. Wartman, Flint; Adelbert F. Coupe, Newcomb S. Smith, Flushing; Hiram H. Bardwell, Mount Morris; C. W. Pengra, Atlas. The following were its first officers: President, Daniel Clarke; Vice-President, Adelbert F. Coupe; Secretary, Orson Millard; Treasurer, James C. Willson; Board of Censors, Newcomb S. Smith, George W. Fish, James C. Willson. The subsequent admissions to membership have been as follows: 1871.-L. W. Hanson, Otisville; Bela Cogshall, Gaines (now of Flint); M. B. Stevens, Byron (Shiawassee County); Andrew Slaght, Grand Blanc. 1872.-J. B. Laing, Mount Morris; George W. Howland, C. P. Donelson, Flint. 1874.-William Forbes, Flint; A. W. Nicholson, Otisville; William Collwell, Byron (Shiawassee County); E. H. Hurd. 1876.-G. N. Chamberlain. 1877.-J. Eastman. THE MEDICAL AND LEGAL PROFESSIONS. 59 1878.-C. M. Rulison, Flushing; A. A. Thompson. 1879.-J. N. Buckham. Date of admission not recorded.-H. Edwards, T. P. Kenyon. The present membership of the academy is as follows: Daniel Clarke, Harvard University, Massachusetts, 1839. George W. Fish, Vermont Academy of Medicine, 1837. 1. C. Fairbank, Cleveland Medical College, 1847-48. Orson Millard, University of Michigan, 1870. Ienry P. Seymour, University of Michigan, 1870. Thomas R. Buckham, Victoria University (Canada), 1866. Adelbert F. Coupe, University of Michigan, 1870. Newcomb S. Smith, Iowa University, 1864. Andrew Slaght, University of Michigan, 1868. M. B. Stevens, University of Michigan, 1869. J. C. Willson, University of Michigan, 1859. A. B. Chapin, University of Michigan, 1861. L. W. Hanson, New Hampshire Medical Institute, 1867. Bela Cogshall, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., 1866. John B. Laing, Detroit Medical College, 1870. George W. Howland, University of Michigan, 1870. H. Edwards, Victoria University, 1846. C. W. Pengra, Detroit Medical College, 1870. William Forbes, Cleveland Medical College, 1847-48. A. A. Thompson, University of Michigan, 1856. T. P. Kenyon, Detroit Medical College, 1876. G. N. Chamberlain, Detroit Medical College, 1874. C. M. Rulison, Albany Medical College, 1874. J. N. Buckham, University of Michigan, 1878. Hiram H. Bardwell, Rush Medical College, Chicago. E. II. Hurd, University of Michigan, 1867. The officers of the academy for 1879 are A. A. Thompson, President; N. S. Smith, Vice-President; Bela Cogshall, Secretary; J. C. Willson, Treasurer. HOMCEOPATHY IN GENESEE. The pioneer homoeopathic physician in Genesee County is Dr. I. N. Eldridge, who is now (1879) in the twentyninth year of his practice in the city of Flint. He is a graduate of the Homoeopathic Medical Colleges of New York and of Cleveland, Ohio, and one of the oldest homoeopathic practitioners in the State. In 1847 he was one of the eight physicians (that number embracing all of the homoeopathic school who were then in practice in the State) present at the formation of the first Michigan Institute of Homoeopathy, and its first vice-president; was also the first president of the " Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of Michigan," and held the offices of secretary and treasurer in that society for eight years until 1877; and has been since June, 1873, a member of the American Institute of Homoeopathy. He came to Michigan from Livingston County, N. Y., in 1847, and located at Ann Arbor. He first practiced in Flint in 1850, and in the following year settled here permanently. " His practice in Flint" (says " Cleaves' Biographical Cyclopaedia") "became so extensive as to demand a coadjutor, and in Dr. E. F. Olds, whom he had converted from allopathy, he found an associate for a short period." Dr. Olds after a short stay in Flint removed to South Lyon, Oakland Co., and was afterwards located at Howell, Livingston Co., and at several other places in the State. He is now in Philadelphia, Pa., whether in practice or not is not known. Dr. William S. Cornelius came to Flint not long after Dr. Eldridge. He removed after a few years' practice, and is now in Wilmington, Del. About the same time came Dr. Lewis Taylor, who located in Flushing. Dr. Charles M. Putnam established in Flint some fifteen years ago. Dr. C. S. Eldridge practiced in Flint in 1865. Dr. J. G. Malcolm came to Flint about 1866, remained a number of years, and removed to Memphis, Tenn. Dr. A. J. Adams commenced practice in Flint about 1873. The list of homoeopathic physicians in Genesee County as given in the "Annual [homoeopathic] Directory" for 1878, is as follows: I. N. Eldridge, C. M. Putnam, A. J. Adams, C. A. Hughes, M. E. Hugles, Flint; Lewis Taylor, Flushing; R. E. Knapp, Fenton; A. Austin, Argentine; J. Parks, Gaines. EARLY LAWYERS IN THE COUNTY. The first resident attorney in Genesee County was Philip H. MeOmber. He came from Saratoga Co., N. Y., settled in Groveland, Oakland Co., about 1832, was admitted to practice in the Oakland County courts, and removed to this county in 1834, locating in what is now the township of Fenton. "Enterprising and talented as a lawyer" (wrote the Hon. William M. Fenton of him), "he soon became widely and favorably known. My recollection of him is as a lawyer, being present at nearly every suit before justices of the peace in Genesee, Oakland, Livingston,.and Shiawassee Counties, adjacent to the village [Fentonville]. His hair was white, his face rubicund and jolly, and his talents of a superior order." Mr. McOmber was the first prosecuting attorney of Genesee County. He not only stood high as a lawyer, but was most highly esteemed as an honest and public-spirited citizen and a hospitable gentleman. He died about 1844. Thomas J. Drake, who had previously been engaged in the practice of the law for about ten years at Pontiac, came in 1836 to Flint, where he continued the practice of his profession for several years, but afterwards returned to Pontiac, where he died April 20, 1875. Judge Baldwin, of the sixth circuit, said of Mr. Drake, " He was connected as counsel with most of the leading cases in Northern Michigan during a long term of years, and was always happy and in his element when advocating the interests of the people." He was elected to the State Senate from Genesee County, holding that office from 1839 to 1842; and during his long professional career held many other high offices, among which was that of chief-justice of the United States Court in Utah, to which he was appointed by President Lincoln in 1864. Judge Drake's associate justice in Utah said of him, " When once the judge made up his mind that he was right, no power under heaven could swerve him from the path of duty." And this estimate of his character was fully concurred in by all who intimately and perfectly knew him. John Bartow was another early attorney of the county, having located at Flint in the spring of 1836. He was soon after appointed register in the land office, and. was elected to the State Senate in 1837. He enjoyed a high reputation as a lawyer, and was engaged on nearly every case of importance before the courts during the years of his practice here. Edward H. Thomson was a student in the office of the Hon. Millard Fillmore, afterwards President of the United States. Mr. Thomson was admitted to practice in the State 60~ HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of New York in 1832, and came to the township of Atlas in 1837, but removed to Flint in the following year, and commenced practice there in partnership with John Bartow. He was prosecuting attorney of Genesee in 1845-46, and was elected to the State Senate for the years 1848 and 1849. He has also served in the lower House, and filled many other important offices. He still resides in the city of Flint, and is now the senior lawyer of Genesee County. James Birdsall came to practice the profession of the law in Flint in 1839. He was a native of Chenango Co., N. Y., where he was a banker, politician, extensive lumberman on the Susquehanna River, President of the Norwich Bank, and had been a member of the lower House of Congress. He died in Flint, July 20, 1856, aged seventy-three years. Artemas Thayer was admitted to the bar in 1839, and in November of that year established himself in practice in Flint. In later years he has been a very extensive owner and dealer in real estate. He is still residing in Flint, and is among the oldest lawyers of the county, though not now in practice. John S. Goodrich was admitted to practice in Oakland County in November, 1840. He afterwards removed to the township of Atlas, and practiced as a lawyer in Genesee County until his death, which occurred in 1851. He had been elected circuit judge in that year, but death prevented his assuming the duties of the office. Mr. Goodrich is mentioned as having been "rather ungainly in personal appearance, painfully awkward in manner, but possessed of most wonderful powers of memory, and was in fact a library in himself." It is said that he read " Hume's History of England" through in forty-eight hours, and from that single rapid perusal could give every important event there recorded, with its date. His residence in Genesee was at Goodrich, a village to which his family gave its name. William F. Mosely was an early attorney at Fentonville. He had been previously a lawyer in Oakland County, having been admitted to practice there in 1825, and had filled the offices of prosecuting attorney and probate judge of that county. In 1841 he filled the office of prosecuting attorney of Genesee County. He afterwards removed to Shiawassee County, where he died in 1860. William M. Fenton came to Fentonville (then Dibbleville) as a merchant in the year 1837. Here he prosecuted the study of the law, and was admitted to the bar in 1842. In 1846 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1848 he was elected lieutenant-governor of Michigan, and in 1850 was re-elected to the same office. Having removed to Flint, he was appointed register of the land office there, in 1853, by President Pierce, and held that position until the removal of the office to Saginaw. He was always largely identified with the prosperity and advancement of the city of Flint, and was prominently instrumental in procuring the location here of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. His distinguished services in the war of the Rebellion are mentioned elsewhere in this volume. His death, the result of an accident, occurred at Flint, May 12, 1871. Levi Walker, a native of Washington Co., N. Y., entered upon the practice of the law in Genoa, N. Y., in 1835. He was afterwards associated in business with Hon. George H. Rathbone, at Auburn, N. Y. He came to Flint in 1847. " As a lawyer, he stood in many respects at the head of his profession. His opinion upon any law point was considered by his professional brethren as almost conclusive." He drew up the first charter of the city of Flint, as well as the present one, and was the author of the Articles of Association of the Genesee County Agricultural Society, and the Glenwood Cemetery Association, and was for twenty years continuously a member of the school board of Flint. In the fall of 1872 he was elected Representative in the State Legislature, where he came to be considered a leader, and one of the soundest thinkers in the House. His death, which occurred at Lansing, April 26, 1873, was doubtless the result of excessive labor which he imposed upon himself in his earnest interest for the welfare of the State. The Hon. Charles M. Croswell (now Governor), then Speaker of the House, said, "It is no exaggeration to say that in the death of Mr. Walker the House has lost one of its best and ablest members.... Shrinking from no labor, with watchful attention to every detail, he was never satisfied until he had thoroughly mastered his subject. Then, with clearness of argument and aptness of illustration, he presented his views, almost invariably to receive the sanction and approval of his associates." Alexander P. Davis, a native of Cayuga Co., N. Y., emigrated to Michigan, and settled at an early day in Livingston Co., from whence, in 1842, he removed to Flint, where he engaged in the profession to which he was bred,-that of the law,-in which he ranked among its most prominent members in the county of Genesee. During his residence of nearly thirty years in the county, he was elected to the offices of prosecuting attorney, State senator (two terms), and to other honorable positions, as may be seen by reference to the Genesee civil list. The latter part of his life was passed at Fentonville, where he died, March 4, 1871. Other prominent lawyers who commenced the practice of the profession in Genesee County prior to 1850 were Robt. J. S. Page, who commenced practice in Flint as early as 1838, and afterwards filled the offices of probate judge and circuit court commissioner; George R. Cummings, who was admitted to the bar about 1842, and afterwards filled the office of county clerk; Ellsworth S. Walkley, who settled in the township of Genesee, and was elected to the office of county judge under the old judicial system; Chauncey K. Williams, who was at Fentonville before 1840; and Joseph K. Rugg, who came to Flint in 1843; the last mentioned filling the office of prosecuting attorney of this county for the years 1847 to 1852; he being the first incumbent of the office after it became elective in 1850. THE PRESENT BAR OF GENESEE. The present bar of Genesee County is composed of the following-named gentlemen, viz.: Oscar Adams, William 0. Axford, Oscar Bradley, Samuel L. Brigham, William M. Carrier, George H. Durand, George B. Daly, Henry Fenton, George R. Gold, Sumner Howard, Henry Hoffman, Charles H. Johnson, Ransom Johnson, Charles D. Long, Henry R. Lovell, E. S. Lee, Charles E. McAlester, William Newton, Leroy Parker, Henry C. Riggs, John Z. GENESEE CIVIL LIST. 61 Richards, Marvin L. Seeley, Thaddeus G. Smith, William Stevenson, Edward H. Thomson, James L. Topping, E. M. Thayer, Henry C. Van Atta, Alvah W. Wood, George M. Walker, Charles H. Wisner, Robbins Jones. GENESEE CIVIL LIST. In this list the names are given of those who have held county offices, and also of those resident in Genesee County who have held important offices in or under the State or National government. STATE OFFICERS. GOVERNOR. Henry H. Crapo. First inauguration, Jan. 4, 1865; second inauguration, Jan. 2, 1867. LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR. William M. Fenton. First term of service, 1848-49; second term of service, 1850-51. MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE TERRITORY. Thomas J. Drake, Daniel Le Roy.DELEGATE TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1835. (Convened at Detroit, May 11, 1835; adjourned June 24, 1835.) Norman Davison.t DELEGATE TO FIRST CONVENTION OF ASSENT. (Convened at Ann Arbor, Sept. 26, 1836.) Thomas J. Drake. 4 DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1850. (Convened at Lansing, June 3, 1850.) John Bartow, Elbridge G. Gale, De Witt C. Leach. DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1867. (Convened at Lansing, May 15, 1867.) Sumner Howard, Henry R. Lovell, Thaddeus G. Smith. REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS. Josiah W. Begole (XLIII. Congress), elected in 1872. George H. Durand (XLIV. Congress), elected in 1874. STATE TREASURER. William B. McCreery, Jan. 1, 1875, to Jan. 1, 1879. CIRCUIT JUDGES. John S. Goodrich,M elected 1851. Sanford M. Green, 1852 to 1857. STATE SENATORS. Charles C. Hascall, Flint River, served 1835-36. John Bartow, Flint River, 1838. Thomas J. Drake,lI Flint River, 1839-41. Daniel B. Wakefield, Grand Blanc, 1842-43. William M. Fenton, Fentonville, 1846-47. Elijah B. Witherbee, Flint, 1847.~ Edward H. Thomson, Flint, 1848-49. Enos Goodrich, Atlas, 1853-54. Reuben Goodrich, Atlas, 1855-56. James Seymour, Flushing, 1857-58. Alexander P. Davis, Flint, 1859-60. Elbridge G. Gale, Atlas, 1861-62. Henry H. Crapo, Flint, 1863-64. Alexander P. Davis, Flint, 1865-66. Willard B. Arms, Fenton, 1867-68. Thaddeus G. Smith, Fenton, 1869-70. Josiah W. Begole, Flint, 1871-72. James L. Curry, Vienna, 1873-74. George W. Fish, Flint, 1875-76. Francis H. Rankin, Flint, 1877-78. Simeon R. Billings, Richfield, 1879. REPRESENTATIVES, STATE LEGISLATURE. Jeremiah R. Smith, — Grand Blanc, served 1837-38, 41-42 John L. Gage, Flint, 1843. Robert D. Lamond, Flint, 1844. George H. Hazelton, Flint, 1845-46. Enos Goodrich, Atlas, 1847. Alfred Pond, Flushing, 1847. William Blades, Flint, 1848. Samuel N. Warren, Fentonville, 1848. Daniel Dayton, Grand Blanc, 1849. Joseph H. Kilbourne, Atlas, 1849. Joshua K. Abbott, Grand Blanc, 1850. De Witt C. Leach, Mundy, 1850. Charles N. Beecher, Genesee, 185]-52. Joseph S. Fenton, Fenton, 1851-52. Elbridge G. Gale, Atlas, 1853-54. James Seymour, Flushing, 1853-54. Abraham Middleswarth, Argentine, 1855-56. Daniel N. Montague, Thetford, 1855-56. Charles N. Beecher, Flint, 1857-58. Reuben Goodrich, Atlas, 1857-58. Benjamin Grace, Fentonville, 1859-60. Edward II. Thomson, Flint, 1859-60. Alexander W. Davis, Grand Blanc, 1861-62. Francis H. Rankin, Flint, 1861-62. Francis II. Rankin, Flint, 1863-64. Thaddeus G. Smith, Fenton, 1863-64. George W. Thayer, Mount Morris, 1863-64. James Van Vleet, Gaines, 1865-66. Robert P. Aitken, Flint, 1865-66. George W. Thayer, Mount Morris, 1865-66. James Van Vleet, Gaines, 1867-68. Robert P. Aitken, Flint, 1867-68. Chandler H. Rockwood, Genesee, 1867-68. Dexter Horton, Fenton, 1869-70. Edward M. Mason, Flint, 1869-70. James L. Curry, Vienna, 1869-70. James B. Mosher, Fenton, 1871-72. Oscar Adams, Flint, 1871-72. John I. Phillips,tt Vienna, 1871. George Kipp, Atlas, 1873-74. Levi Walker,t Flint, 1873. Frederick Walker, Mount Morris, 1873-74. James B. Mosher, Fenton, 1875-76. Le Roy Parker, Flint, 1875-76. Simeon R. Billings, Richfield, 1875-76. John Willett, Flint, 1877-78. Simeon R. Billings, Richfield, 1877-78. John Willett, Flint, 1879. Jacob Bedtelyon, Atlas, 1879. ' These gentlemen were members of the Fourth Legislative Council (1830-31), representing Oakland County. Both were afterwards citizens of Genesee County. t Judge Davison was also a delegate to the second Convention of Assent, which convened at Ann Arbor, Dec. 14, 1836. In both these conventions he represented Lapeer County, as the township in which he resided (Atlas) had not then been annexed to Genesee. t In this convention Mr. Drake was the delegate for Saginaw, Genesee, and Shiawassee Counties. Of the seventy-six votes polled in Genesee (election Sept. 12, 1836), he received fdrty-three, and his opponent, Daniel B. Wakefield, thirty-three. # Did not qualify. 11 President pro tempore April 1, 1840, and Feb. 24, 1841. ~ E. B. Witherbee died Feb. 20, 1847; vacancy thus occasioned filled by William M. Fenton. * First elected to this office Feb. 4, 1837. At this election the whole number of votes cast was 310, of which Jeremiah R. Smith received 234; William F. Mosely, 74; David Mather, 1; Norris Thorp, 1. tt Died during term of office. Vacancy filled by Frederick Walker. tI Died during term. Le Roy Parker elected to fill vacancy. 62 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. COUNTY OFFICERS. JUDGES OF PROBATE. Samuel Rice, elected 1836. Warner Lake, 1852. Ogden Clark, 1844. Samuel B. Wicks, 1860. Charles D. Little, 1848. L. G. Bickford, 1866. R. J. S. Page, 1850.* George R. Gold, 1868. Henry I. Higgins, 1850. Thaddeus G. Smith,t 1876. PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS. P. H. McOmber, served 1839-40. Sumner Howard, 1858. W. F. Mosely, 1841. Chauncey W. Wisner, 1860. M. L. Drake, 1842-44. Alexander P. Davis, 1862. Edward H. Thomson, 1845-46. Sumner Howard, 1864, '66, '68. Joseph K. Rugg, 1847-49. H. R. Lovell, 1870, '72. Joseph K. Rugg,j elected 1850. j Charles D. Long, 1874, '76, '78. Alexander P. Davis, 1852, '54, '56. 1 SHERIFFS. Lewis Buckingham, elected 1836, Lewis Buckingham, 1858. '38. ' Claudius T. Thompson, 1860, '62. Reuben McCreery, 1840. John A. Kline, 1864, '66. William Clifford,~ 1842. Geo. W. Buckingham, 1868, '70. Reuben McCreery, 1844, '46. John A. Kline, 1872. William Blades, 1848. Eugene Parsell, 1874. George S. Hopkins, 1850, '52. Philo D. Phillips, 1876, '78. Lyman G. Buckingham, 1854, '56. COUNTY Robert F. Stage, elected 1836. W. A. Morrison, 1839. Thomas R. Cummings, 1842. Charles E. Dewey, 1844. George R. Cummings, 1846. Anderson Bump, 1848, '50, '52. Mark D. Seeley, 1854, '56. CLERKS. George B. Merriman, 1858. George R. Gold, 1860, '62. Charles D. Long, 1864, '66, '68, '70. Lorenzo D. Cook, 1872, '74. David P. Halsey, 1876, '78. called to the chair, and Dr. Elijah Drake was made secretary of the meeting. A committee was chosen, composed of Hon. William M. Fenton, Hon. Edward H. Thomson, and H. M. Henderson, Esq., who were charged with the duty of preparing a constitution and by-laws for the proposed society, and the meeting then adjourned to the 22d of February next following. At the meeting held according to adjournment the committee reported a constitution for the " Genesee County Pioneer Association," which was adopted, and the society was organized under that name by the election of the following-named gentlemen as its first officers: President, Hon. Jeremiah R. Smith. Recording Secretary, Elijah Drake, M.D. Corresponding Secretary, Hon. Charles P. Avery. Treasurer, Henry M. Henderson, Esq. Librarian, Manley Miles, M.D. Vice-Presidents (one in each township of the county): Atlas, Enoch Goodrich; Argentine, William H. Hicks; Burton, Perus Atherton; Clayton, Alfred Pond; Davison, Goodenough Townsend; Fenton, Robert Le Roy; Flint township, John Todd; Flint City, Charles C. Hascall; Flushing, John Patton; Forest, John Crawford; Gaines, Hartford Cargill; Genesee, Sherman Stanley; Grand Blanc, Silas D. Halsey; Montrose, John McKenzie; Mount Morris, Ezekiel R. Ewing; Mundy, Morgan Baldwin; Richfield, Jeremiah Stanard; Thetford, Benoni Clapp; Vienna, Russell G. Hurd. It has been the custom of the members of the association, from the time of its organization until the present, to hold annual reunions, at which, after the transaction of the routine business for the year, addresses and narratives of pioneer experience are listened to from such of the early settlers as are disposed to give them. For many years past these yearly gatherings have been held at Long Lake, in the town of Fenton (usually in the month of August), and they are regarded as occasions of great enjoyment and interest. The officers of the association for 1879 are as follows: President, George S. Woodhull; Vice-President, Dexter Horton; Treasurer, Elisha Lamed; Secretary, W. H. H. Smith; Executive Committee, William O'Dell, W. I. Williams, Mundy; John Barson, Argentine; Ezra Wisner, Clio; S. D. Halsey, Grand Blanc. CHAPTER X. MILITARY RECORD OF GENESEE. Genesee in the Mexican War-The War of the Rebellion-The Flint Union Grays-They join the 2d Infantry-Organization and Departure of the Regiment-Arrival at Washington-Bull Run Campaign-Peninsula Campaign-Battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks-The Seven Days' Fight-Campaign under Gen. PopeFredericksburg-Campaigns in Kentucky and Mississippi-In East Tennessee-Veteran Re-enlistment-Campaign of the WildernessIn Front of Petersburg-Fall of Petersburg-Muster Out, and Return Home. THE first public exigency which required the calling out of troops after Genesee became a county, was the war with Mexico,-1846 to 1848. At that time the population of the county was small, and among its people there could be REGISTERS OF DEEDS. Oliver G. Wesson, elected 1836. William 1H. C. Lyon, 1858. Benjamin Rockwell, 1840, '42. George F. Hood, 1860, '62. Lewis G. Bickford, 1844, '46, '48. Benjamin J. Lewis, 1864. George R. Cummings, 1850. John Algoe, 1866, '68, '70, '72. Charles Seymour, 1852. I George E. Taylor, 1874, '76. Fitch R. Tracy, 1854, '56. Charles C. Beahan, 1878. COUNTY TREASURERS. C. D. W. Gibson, elected 1836, Josiah W. Begole, 1856, '58, '60, '38. '62. Orrin Safford, 1840, '42, 44. Harlow Whittlesey, 1864, '66. Augustus St. Amand, 1846, '48, James Van Vleet, 1868, '70. '50. William W. Barnes, 1872. John L. Gage,|l 1851. Charles C. Beahan, 1874. Reuben McCreery, 1852, '54. Samuel R. Atherton, 1876, 78. GENESEE COUNTY PIONEER ASSOCIATION. On the 31st of December, 1857,-pursuant to a published call signed by William M. Fenton, C. C. Hascall, and about one hundred and eighty other citizens of Genesee, -a meeting was held at the hall of the Flint Scientific Institute for the purpose of forming a " pioneer society," to be composed of persons who had become resident in the county as early as the year 1840. Benjamin Pearson was * Appointed to fill vacancy, and acted as judge of probate for a few months. fStill in office,-1879. t First prosecuting attorney elected in Genesee County. J. C. Griswold, under-sheriff, performed the duties of the office during the term of Mr. Clifford. I Filled vacancy caused by the departure of Mr. St. Amand for Europe, in October, 1851. 0 SECOND INFANTRY. 63 found but comparatively few who could be spa cabins and clearings, where they stood on con sentinels to guard their families against th hunger and want. Nevertheless there were s Genesee, both officers and soldiers, who fc country's flag to the fields of far-off Mexic Regiment of Michigan Volunteers was comma T. B. W. Stockton, of Flint, and among ti which composed it was that of Capt. Hanscom which, though made up largely of Oakland C teers, yet contained a few from Genesee. The States Regiment also contained Michigan co one of these was commanded by Capt. Eug Venter, of Genesee. In that company were A Davis, of Grand Blanc, severely wounded at William R. Buzzell, who died of disease in Mexico, Oct. 29, 1847; Claudius H. Rigg Blanc, who died at Vera Cruz, July 12, 1 Handy, reported as dead in Mexico; and Hel nock, who survived his term of service; and pe whose names cannot be given. The regime Capt. Van de Venter's company was a part wa, sion of Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, of Tennessee. County soldiers who served in Capt. Hanscoi we can give only the names of James W. Croni Cronk, of Clayton, the former of whom died ii But the real military history of Genesee co those spring days of 1861, when the guns Sumter sounded a war-signal which reverberate hills and streams from ocean to lake. And it of which the people of the county may we During the period which intervened between t] the death of the great Rebellion, Genesee gav more than two thousand men, whose names are the rolls of one rifle, one engineer, ten cavalry, three infantry regiments, and nine batteries o besides several infantry, cavalry, and artillery of other States, and one regiment of United S teers. Several of the regiments most notice number of Genesee County men serving in the cially mentioned below in historical sketches ganization and services in the great war for the SECOND INFANTRY. When, at the fall of Fort Sumter, Presid called on the several loyal States for an army five thousand men to sustain the power of the against a rebellion which had unexpectedly pro ble, Governor Blair, of Michigan, responded b proclamation calling for twenty companies out formed volunteer force of the State, with fie officers, to compose two regiments of infantry, at the disposal of the President if required. Department had placed the quota of Michigar regiment, but the Governor very wisely con( the people of Michigan concurred in the opin second regiment should be made ready for should be needed, as he believed it would be. after the Governor's call (April 19th) the State filled, and her first regiment ready for muster ired from the vice of the United States, fully equipped with arms, amstant duty as munition, and clothing, awaiting only the orders of the e assaults of War Department; and on the 13th of May it left Detroit some men of for Washington, being the first regiment to arrive at the )llowed their capital from any point west of the Alleghany Mountains. o. The 1st The Governor's call for twenty companies had been nded by Col. promptly and fully responded to, and so, after making up ie companies the 1st Regiment, there still remained ten companies, which,, of Pontiac, having failed to secure places in the 1st, were ready and lounty volun- anxious to be organized as the 2d Regiment of Michigan. 15th United And among these companies was " The Flint Union Grays." mpanies, and This company had existed in the city of Flint from the:ene Van De year 1857. We find mention of the first opening of their ilexander W. armory in Flint, Oct. 2, 1858 (at which time they were Churubusco; expecting, but had not yet received, their arms from the the city of State Arsenal), and the election of civil and military offis, of Grand cers of the company, as follows: 847; Robert President, L. Wesson; Vice-President, William P. Humnry L. Bran- phrey; Secretary, W. I. Beardsley; Treasurer, William R. rhaps others, Morse; Captain, T. B. W. Stockton; 1st Lieutenant, Wm. nt of which R. Morse; 2d Lieutenant, William Turver; 3d Lieutenant, s in the divi- Levi Failing; 1st Sergeant, L. Wesson; 2d Sergeant, C. Of Genesee Peabody; 3d Sergeant, R. M. Barker; 4th Sergeant, James n's company Farrand; 1st Corporal, A. J. Boss, Jr.; 2d Corporal, L. c and Norton Church; 3d Corporal, W. Boomer; 4th Corporal, William n Mexico. Charles; Armorer, 0. McWilliams.,mmenced in Probably there were none among this list of officers who of besieged had then ever dreamed of such scenes as some of them aftered across the wards saw at Williamsburg, Malvern Hill, and the Wildert is a history ness, or of the fame which their company was destined to win 11 be proud. on a score of bloody fields. But the people of Flint and he birth and of Genesee County were proud of it then, as they had reason re to the war to be in far greater degree afterwards.* recorded on Immediately after the publication of the Governor's procand twenty- lamation, and when it was known that the Grays would )f Michigan, volunteer in a body, a large and extremely enthusiastic organizations public meeting was held (April 18th) at the court-house in tates Volun- Flint. A circular letter of the War Committee, in Detroit, able for the was read and acted on, and the meeting adopted a series of em are espe- intensely patriotic resolutions, among which was the followof their or- ing: " That the young men comprising the military company e Union. of this city, and those who may volunteer to fill up its ranks in this emergency of our common country, are worthy of all encouragement and praise for their patriotism, and that we lent Lincoln will contribute all sums necessary to sustain and support the of seventy- families of all members of said company who may be musgovernment tered into the service of the United States, if they need such ved formida- aid; we will also contribute our full proportion of the y issuing his amount required to equip and muster into the service of of the uni- the United States the two regiments required from the State Id and staff of Michigan." A committee, composed of William M. to be placed Fenton, E. H. McQuigg, and H. M. Henderson, was apThe War pointed to carry out so much of this resolution as applied to n at one full the raising of money as a loan to the State, and J. B. eluded-and Walker, E. S. Williams, and A. P. Davis were appointed a lion-that a like committee to carry into effect that part which promised service if it aid and support to the families of volunteers. In the pub Three days r * This company furnished to various commands in the Union army ' S quota Was during the war of the Rebellion, six field-officers, eleven captains, and into the ser- eiohtee n lieuntenantn.s.-a very unusual comnanv record. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ v -..t4V "~'~-ll~r " — ~"~~Y -----— LI 64 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. lished account of the proceedings of that meeting, it is mentioned that " every Union word uttered was greeted with thunders of applause." On the 23d of April the Grays met for the choice of officers, and the following were elected to the commissioned grades: Captain, William R. Morse; 1st Lieutenant, William Turver; 2d Lieutenant, James Farrand. Four sergeants and four corporals were also elected, but as the noncommissioned list was changed soon afterwards, it is not given here. On the eve of their departure to join the 2d Regiment at its rendezvous the Grays paraded through the principal streets of Flint, and were addressed, in the presence of a great concourse of patriotic and admiring spectators, by Col. Fenton, whose remarks on the occasion were reported by the Citizen in its next issue, as follows: " The Hon. W. M. Fenton had been with the company for about a year, and constantly engaged for two weeks past in perfecting the enlistment, and preparing for its departure. At the request of Capt. Morse he now addressed the officers and men, alluding to the new position they were about to occupy,-its great importance; the entire, change now to take place in their habits of life; the necessity for prompt obedience to the commands of their superiors, and of true courage, as contradistinguished from brutality. He exhorted them to remember that the eyes of the friends they were to leave behind would be constantly on them, in whatever situation they might be placed; their ears open to every report of their action; their prayers ascending night and morn for their welfare and success; and that the fervent hope would animate them, that those who now went forth to stand by their country in its hour of trial would return with laurels honorably won in its service. After giving them some practical hints as to their mode of life, the importance of strict cleanliness, and temperance in both meat and drink, he asked if any one of them would object to take an oath, substantially as follows: "' I do solemnly swear, in the presence of Almighty God, that I will support the constitution of the United States, and maintain it and my country's flag, if necessary, with my life; that I will obey the commands of my superior officers while in service, and will defend and protect my comrades in battle to the best of my physical ability.' None objecting, the oath was repeated aloud, with uplifted hand, by all the officers and members of the company. The scene was solemn and impressive, and was appropriately closed by a benediction from the Rev. Mr. Joslin." Another ceremony, no less interesting, was the presentation to each member of the company of a copy of the New Testament. Ninety-five of these had been furnished, and prepared for the purpose, by the members of the Methodist Episcopal Sabbath-school, each book having upon its fly-leaf this inscription: " PRESENTED BY THE SABBATH-SCHOOL OF THE METHODIST E. CHURCH, FLINT, MICHIGAN, TO....................................... OF THE FLINT UNION GRAYS, April 30, 1861. " My men, put your trust in the Lord,-and be sure you keep your powder dry. OLIVER CROMWELL."' This presentation was made while the Grays stood in line, with open ranks, at the corner of Saginaw and Kearsley Streets. A number of ladies of Flint passed along the line, and pinned upon the breast of each soldier a tri-colored rosette, bearing the words, " The Union and the Constitution!" and nearly every one of the spectators wore the red, white, and blue upon some part of their dress. A presentation of revolvers to the commissioned officers of the company was made by the Hon. E. H. Thomson; " and as he assigned to each pistol its particular mission, and alluded to their uses, the enthusiasm of the crowd around was enkindled anew." The company left Flint on the 30th of May, being transported to Fentonville in wagons and other vehicles, of which a greater number than were needed for the purpose were on hand, furnished by the patriotic citizens. The column was headed by the Flint Band, and was accompanied by a large number of relatives and friends of the soldiers; and the plank-road company passed them all toll-free. Taking the cars of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, at Fentonville, the Grays soon reached Detroit, and were reported at Fort Wayne, the regimental rendezvous. The companies volunteering for the 2d Regiment had done so in the supposition that it would be mustered for a three-months' term of service, as the first regiment had been. But a few days later, instructions were received from the War Department that no more troops be mustered or accepted for a less term than three years; and when this was announced, there were some in all the companies who naturally enough objected to the longer term, and declined to be mustered for it. This was the case in the Flint company, as in others. The vacancies in its ranks from this cause, however, were not numerous, but it was necessary to procure recruits to fill them, and for this purpose Capt. Morse returned to Flint on the 18th of May. The alacrity with which this call was responded to is shown by the fact that he arrived in Flint on Saturday, and on the following Monday he reported with the requisite number of recruits at Fort Wayne. On the same day-May 20th-the 2d Regiment was announced as full, and on the 25th it was mustered into the United States service for three years, by Lieut.Col. E. Backus, U. S. A. The field-officers of the regiment were Israel B. Richardson, Colonel; Henry L. Chipman, Lieutenant-Colonel; Adolphus W. Williams, Major. In the organization of the regiment, the company from Flint was designated as '" F" company. A list, purporting to be a correct one, of the members of the company as mustered at Fort Wayne is found in newspapers of that time; and as it contains names which are not found on the rolls in the adjutant-general's office, it is given below in full, viz.: Captain, William R. Morse; 1st Lieutenant, William Turver; 2d Lieutenant, James Farrand; 1st Sergeant, George R. Bisbey; 2d Sergeant, William B. McCreery; 3d Sergeant, Sumner Howard; 4th Sergeant, Goundry Hill; 5th Sergeant, Joseph McConnell; 1st Corporal, Edwin C. Turver; 2d Corporal, James Bradley; 3d Corporal, Damon Stewart; 4th Corporal, Joseph Van Buskirk; 5th Corporal, Wm. L. Bishop; 6th Corporal, Walter H. Wallace; 7th Corporal, Nelson Fletcher; 8th Corporal, Walter SECOND INFANTRY. 65 E. Burnside; Wagoner, James S. Smith; Drummer, Elisha Kelley. Privates: Wm. H. Allen, Milton S. Benjamin, George L. Beamer, Joseph N. Bradley, Robert S. Bostwick, Andrew A. Baxter, La Fayette Bostwick, Myrick S. Cooley, S. Bradford Cummings, Charles B. Collins, Thomas Chapin, Jr., Clark F. Chapman, John Cavanagh, George Carmer, James Coe, Edward A. Dennison, George Davis, Charles C. Dewstoe, Pratt Day, Cornelius D. Hart, Daniel J. Ensign, Orlando H. Ewer, John G. Fox, Squire E. Foster, Wm. F. Furgerson, Horatio Fish, Charles L. Gardner, Jos. H. George, Richard H. Halsted, George Hawkins, Henry V. Horton, Francis Haver, William Houghton, Julius A. Hine, Charles E. Kingsbury, Philip Kelland, John Kain, Sheldon B. Kelley, George Lee, Harrison Lewis, Merton E. Leland, John B. Miller, Charles D. Moon, Delion McConnell, David McCornell, Chas. W. Mitchell, George L. Patterson, Samuel L. Ploss, Hamilton Ploss, James F. Partridge, John A. Palmer, Cornelius E. Rulison, Charles J. Rankin, Edwin Ruthruff, Andrew J. Rogers, Arba Smith, Jacob C. Sackner, Charles Sickles, James Scarr, George H. Sawyer, Lyman Stowq, Alva L. Sawyer, Hercules Stannard, Andrew M. Sutton, Frederick B. Smith, Albert Schultz, Hiram Tinney, Franklin Thompson, Edgar Tibbets, Charles Tuttle, Cornelius Van Alstine, Richard S. Vickery, James N. Willett, John Weller, George Walter, Emory A. Wood, and William E. Williams. In the afternoon of Thursday, June 6th, the 2d Regiment, one thousand and twenty strong, embarked on three steamers (one side-wheel and two propellers), and at eight o'clock P.M. left Detroit for Cleveland, arriving there the following morning. From Cleveland it proceeded by railway, via Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Baltimore, to Washington, reaching the capital on the 10th. The following account of its arrival, which appeared under the head of " Special Dispatch to the New York lTibune," is taken from that paper and given here in full, as showing the excited state of public feeling at that time, as well as the crude and peculiar ideas of military discipline and movements which then prevailed. The account, dated Washington, June 10, 1861, was as follows: "The 2d Michigan Regiment, Col. Richardson, arrived at four o'clock this morning.... Word had come from the United States Marshal that an attack would be made on them in Baltimore, and the train halted seven miles on the other side of the Monumental City, where the men loaded their muskets. The orders were to avoid an encounter if possible; but, if unavoidable, to take no half measures, but for each company to fight to the death, and for the pioneers to make clean work with houses from which they were assailed. "In a suburb on the other side a brick was thrown at a private. It did not hit, but the orderly sergeant of Company E drew his revolver and fired at the stoner. He was seen to fall, but whether killed or not is unknown. "At the depot a raw private accidentally discharged his musket, the ball from which whisked through the car, causing great excitement, but no harm was done. " Two miles this side of Baltimore a shot from behind a fence went through a car. The lights were extinguished, 9 and the men ordered to form in line of battle * if the shot should be followed by more. Sentinels were posted in each car. Near the Relay House firing was heard from one of our picket-guards. It was reported that they had been attacked, and had killed four men. The truth is not known. The informant adds that the regiment received a hearty welcome from the women in and beyond Baltimore, while no man, so far as he saw, greeted them. "The regiment is a fine-looking body, numbering ten hundred and twenty. Their uniforms are dark blue, like the 1st Michigan, and they are armed partially with new Minie guns and partially with the Harper's Ferry musket of 1846. They are well supplied with clothing and campequipage. Thirty women, who will serve as nurses and laundresses, accompany the regiment. This afternoon the regiment was received by Gen. Scott and the President at their residences." The regiment made a stay of several weeks in the District of Columbia, its camp being named " Camp Winfield Scott." It was brigaded with the 3d Michigan, 1st Massachusetts, and 12th New York, the brigade commander being Col. Richardson, of the 2d Michigan. When Gen. McDowell made his forward movement towards Manassas this brigade moved with the army into Virginia, and was engaged in the fight at Blackburn's Ford, July 18th, and in the battle of Bull Run, Sunday, July 21st. In the panic and disorder which ended that disastrous day the 2d Regiment behaved with great steadiness, covering the retreat of the brigade towards Washington, for which it was warmly complimented by the heroic Richardson. After Bull Run the regiment was encamped for some weeks near Arlington, and later in the season at Fort Lyon, Va., where it remained during the fall. About December 20th substantial and comfortable winter-quarters were constructed at " Camp Michigan," three miles from Alexandria, on the Acotink Road. While this camp was in process of construction an officer wrote that " Cabins are growing up on every side, adorned with doors and windows, procured by a process called 'cramping,' which is somewhere on the debatable ground between buying and stealing." Here the regiment remained until March, 1862, when it moved with its brigade and the Army of the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, and thence, up the Peninsula, to Yorktown and Williamsburg, at which latter place it took active part in the severe engagement of Monday, May 5th, sustaining a loss of fifty-five killed and wounded, among the latter being Capt. Morse, of "F" company (afterwards transferred to the Invalid Corps), and Capt. Wm. B. McCreery, an original member of " F" company, but who had been promoted to the command of Company G. He received three severe wounds, by one of which his left wrist was permanently disabled. Afterwards, having recovered sufficiently to return to the field, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 21st Michigan Infantry, and two months later became its colonel. He led his regiment gallantly through the fire and carnage of Stone River (Dec. 31, 1862, to Jan. 3, 1863), and fought -* These words were not italicised in the original account, printed in the Tribtune. HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. at its head at Chickamauga (Sept. 20, 1863) until he had received three severe wounds, and was finally taken prisoner by the enemy, and sent to Libby Prison, Richmond, from which, however, he succeeded in making his escape, by tunneling under the walls, Feb. 19, 1864. Six days later he returned to Flint, where a public reception was extended to him by leading citizens, and a banquet was given in his honor at the Carlton House, March 2d. The disability resulting from his numerous wounds compelled his retirement from the service, and he resigned in September, 1864. Maj.-Gen. George H. Thomas, in reluctantly accepting his resignation, took occasion to compliment him highly, in orders, on his honorable record and the gallantry of his service in the Army of the Cumberland. The above facts relating to the military career of Col. McCreery have been mentioned in this place, and in connection with the battle of Williamsburg, because that fight virtually severed his connection with the 2d Regiment, in which he was among the most honored and popular of its officers. From Williamsburg the 2d moved, with the army, up the Peninsula to and across the Chickahominy, and fought in the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 and June 1, 1862. Its loss in that engagement was fifty-seven killed and wounded, that of Company F being fourteen, or onefourth the total killed and wounded of the regiment. Three companies of the 2d, however, were not engaged in the fight. In the retreat (or " change of base," as it has sometimes been called) from the York River Railroad to James River, the regiment fought at Glendale (or Charles City CrossRoads), June 30th, and at Malvern Hill, July 1st. From the latter field it retired with the army, and moved to Harrison's Landing, on the James, where it remained until the general evacuation of that position, August 15th, when it marched down the Peninsula, and was moved thence, by way of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, with other troops, to the assistance of the imperiled army of Gen. Pope in the valley of the Rappahannock, during which campaign it took part in the fights of August 28th, 29th, 30th, and in the battle of Chantilly, September 1st. At Fredericksburg the 2d was not actively engaged. It crossed the Rappahannock on the 12th of December, but in the great battle of the next day was held in reserve, and sustained only a loss of one killed and one wounded by the enemy's shells, but was, with the 8th Michigan, among the last of the regiments of the army to recross to the north side of the river on the 16th. On the 13th of February, 1863, the regiment moved to Newport News, Va., and on the 19th of March took its route to Baltimore, and thence, by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and steamers on the Ohio River, to Louisville, Ky., with the 9th Army Corps, of which it was a part. The corps remained in Kentucky during the months of April and May, and in June was moved to Mississippi to reinforce the army of Gen. Grant, near Vicksburg. The 2d went into camp at Milldale, near Vicksburg, on the 17th, and a few days later was stationed at Flower Dale Church. On the 4th of July, the day of the surrender of Vicksburg, the regiment left Flower Dale, and moved east towards the capital of Mississippi, to take part in the operations against the rebel army of Gen. Johnston. It arrived in front of Jackson in the evening of the 10th, and on the 11th advanced in skirmish line on the enemy's rifle-pits, which were taken and held for a time. Superior numbers, however, compelled the 2d to retire from the position, with a loss of eleven killed, forty-five wounded, and five taken prisoners. On the 13th and 14th of July the regiment was again slightly engaged. On the 17th and 18th it was engaged in destroying the Memphis and New Orleans Railroad, in the vicinity of Jackson and Madison, and then moved through Jackson (which had been evacuated by the enemy) back to Milldale, where it remained till August 5th, when it marched to the river, and thence moved with the 9th Corps, by way of Cincinnati, to Kentucky, and encamped at Crab Orchard Springs, in that State, on the 30th of August. Here it remained twelve days, and September 10th broke camp and took the road for Cumberland Gap and Knoxville, Tenn., reaching the latter place September 26th. It moved from the vicinity of Knoxville, October 8th, and was slightly engaged at Blue Springs on the 10th. On the 20th it was again at Knoxville, but immediately afterwards moved to Loudon, and thence to Lenoir, Tenn., where, on the 8th of November, its men commenced building winterquarters. The strength of the regiment at that time was reported at five hundred and three, present and absent. The anticipation of passing the winter at Lenoir was soon dispelled by the intelligence that the enemy, under Gen. Longstreet, was moving up the valley of the Tennessee in heavy force, evidently having Knoxville as his objective point. On the 14th of November, the 2d Regiment, with its division (the 1st Division of the 9th Corps), was ordered out to meet and repel Longstreet, who was reported to be crossing the Tennessee, below Loudon. He was found in force near Hough's Ferry, on the Holston, and the division fell back to Lenoir. Here a line of battle was formed, but, on the enemy coming up, the retreat towards Knoxville was resumed, the 2d Regiment, with its brigade, forming the rear guard. On the 16th it again stood in line at Campbell's Station to resist the advance of Longstreet, who was pressing up with great vigor. A sharp engagement ensued, in which the 2d lost thirty-one in killed and wounded. The position was stubbornly held till dark, when the retreat was resumed, and the regiment reached Knoxville at five o'clock in the morning of the 17th, after a march of nearly thirty miles through mud and rain, and a battle of several hours' duration, all without rest or food. It took position on a hill below the city, at Fort Saunders, where rifle-pits were constructed, and where the regiment remained during the siege which followed. On the 19th and 20th it was slightly engaged, and on the 24th, under orders to attack a line of rifle-pits, it advanced under command of Maj. Byington, moving several hundred yards across an open plain swept by a front and flank fire of musketry and canister. The line was carried, but could not be held; the attacking force was dislodged and compelled to retire, with a loss to the 2d Regiment of eighty-one killed and wounded,-very nearly half its whole number in the fight. Among the killed was Adj. William Noble, and Maj. Byington was mortally wounded. SECOND INFANTRY. 67 In the morning of Sunday, Nov. 29, 1863, a force of the enemy, consisting of two veteran Georgia brigades of McLaws' division, made a furious and persistent assault on Fort Saunders, but were repelled, and finally driven back in disorder, with a loss of eight hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and three stands of colors. With the force inside the fort during this assault were Companies A, F, G, and H, of the 2d Michigan. Their loss, however, was inconsiderable, being only five killed and wounded. From that time the regiment saw no fighting at this place other than slight skirmishes, and on Friday night, December 4th, the enemy withdrew from before Knoxville, after a siege of eighteen days' duration. The 2d marched from Knoxville, December 8th, and moved to Rutledge. On the 16th it moved to Blain's Cross-Roads, which was its last march in 1863. During the year that was then about closing, the regiment had moved a distance of more than two thousand five hundred miles. It remained at Blain's for about a month, during which time it was " veteranized," the number re-enlisting as veterans being one hundred and ninety-eight. About the middle of January, 1864, it moved to Strawberry Plains, thence to Knoxville and to Erie Station, remaining at the latter place until February 4th, when it moved under orders to proceed to Detroit, Mich., and reached there twenty days later. Here the veteran furlough was given to those who had re-enlisted, and Mount Clemens was made the place of rendezvous. At this place the regiment received orders, on the 4th of April, to proceed to Annapolis, Md., to rejoin the 9th Army Corps, which had, in the mean time, moved from Tennessee to Virginia to reinforce the Army of the Potomac. The regiment left Annapolis on the 22d, proceeded to Washington, and thence into Virginia, where, on the 5th of May, it crossed the Rapidan and joined the army which was then moving into the Wilderness. For six weeks following this time the 2d was, with its companion regiments of the brigade, so constantly employed in march, skirmish, or battle, that it is hardly practicable to follow the intricacies of the movements; but the following statement of casualties during that time shows where and how it fought. The statement, which includes only the killed and wounded (and not the missing), is taken from the report of the regimental surgeon, Richard S. Vickery, viz.: In the Wilderness battle, May 6th, killed and wounded................................................... 38 At Spottsylvania Court-House, May 12th, killed and w ounded................................................... 11 At Oxford, North Anna, May 24th, killed............. 1 Skirmish of May 27th....................................... 1 Pamunkey River, May 31st................................ 2 Skirm ish, June 1st........................................... 5 Skirmish, June 2d............................................ 2 Battle of Bethesda Church, June 2d.................... 38 Cold Harbor and other actions, from June 4th to June 10th................................................. 9 The regiment crossed to the south side of the James River on the 15th, reached the enemy's works in front of Petersburg on the 16th, and took part in the attacks of the next two days with the following losses in killed and wounded, viz.: In battle of June 17th.................................. 91 In battle of June 18th....................................... 83 joined the regiment since the veteran re-enlistment,-otherwise such losses would have been impossible. On the 30th of July the 2d took part in the engagement which followed the explosion of the mine, and sustained a loss of twenty killed and wounded, and thirty-seven missing. Having moved with the 9th Corps to the Weldon Railroad, it there took part in repelling the enemy's assault on our lines, August 19th, losing one killed and two wounded. On the 30th it crossed the Weldon Railroad, and, moving towards the enemy's right flank, participated in the engagement of that date at Poplar Grove Church, losing seven wounded and twelve missing. It was then encamped for about a month at Peebles' Farm, but moved, October 27th, in the advance on Boydton Plank-Road, losing seven wounded in that affair. It then remained at Peebles', engaged in picket duty and fortifying, till November 29th, when it moved to a point about ten miles farther to the right, on the City Point and Petersburg Railroad, and there remained in the trenches during the winter. On the 25th of March it fought at Fort Steadman, and sustained severe loss. It again lost slightly at the capture of Petersburg, April 3d. It then moved to the South Side Railroad, eighteen miles from Petersburg, and remained nearly two weeks, but in the mean time the army of Lee had surrendered, and the fighting days of the regiment were past. It moved to City Point, and, embarking there on the 18th, was transported to Alexandria, Va., from whence it moved to a camp at Tenallytown, Md. On the 27th of May it was detached for duty in Washington City, and remained there for about two months. On the 29th of July (having on the previous day been mustered out of the service) it left by railroad for Michigan, and on the 1st of August it reached Detroit, and was soon after paid and disbanded. In a published account of the regiment's return, it was stated that of all the original members of Company F, Orlando H. Ewer, of Flint, was the only one who remained in its ranks to be included in the final discharge " after four years and a quarter of honorable service." OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE SECOND INFANTRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY. Adj. Richard 11. Mahon, Genesee Co.; private Co. K; pro. to com.-sergt., Nov. 7, 1861; pro. to 2d lieut. Co. K; pro. to 1st lieut. and adj., March 6, 1862; resigned Aug. 30,1862. Quar.-Master Sergt. James Bradley, Flint; pro. to 2d lieut. Co. I; 1st lieut. and capt. Co. F. Quar.-Master Sergt. Goundry Hill, Flint; pro. to 2d lieut. Co. F; pro. to 1st lieut. and quar.-master, Dec. 3, 1862; must. out Sept. 30, 1864. Sergt.-Maj. Joseph Van Buskirk, Flint; pro. to lst lieut. Co. D. Company F. Capt. Wim. R. Morse, Flint; enl. April 25, 1861; wounded at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862; res. Aug. 22, 1863, to accept appointment in Invalid Corps. Capt. James Bradley, Flint; enl. Aug. 22, 1863; was qr.-mr.-sergt.; pro. to 2d lieut. Co. I, Aug. 25, 1862; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. F; died of wounds received in action near Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864; buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Va. 1st Lieut. Wm. Furver, Flint; enl. April 25, 1861; res. July 29, 1862. 2d Lieut. James Farrand, Flint; enl. April 25, 1861; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. G, March 6, 1862; pro. to capt. Co. C, Aug. 1, 1862; killed in action near Spottsylvania Court-House, May 12, 1864. 2d Lieut. Goundry Hill (qr.-mr.-sergt.); 2d lieut. Co. F; enl. Aug. 9, 1862; 1st lieut. and qr.-mr. Dec. 3, 1862; must. out Sept. 30,1864. 2d Lieut. Nelson Fletcher (sergt.), Flint; 2d lieut. Dec. 2,1862; killed in action near Oxford, North Anna River, Va., May 24,1864. Sergt. George R. Bisbey, died at Camp Winfield Scott, Md., July 11, 1861. Sergt. Wm. B. McCreery, Flint; pro. to capt. Co. G. Sergt. Sumner Howard, Flint; pro. to 2d lieut. Regular Army, August, 1861. Sergt. Goundry Ilill, Flint; pro. to qr.-mr.-sergt. March 7, 1862. Recruits to the number of five hundred or more had I 68 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Corp. Edwin C. Turver, enl. May 25, 1861; disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. Corp. James Bradley, enl. May 25, 1861; pro. to qr.-mr.-sergt. Aug. 1, 1862. Corp. Damon Stewart, enl. May 25,1861; disch. to accept commission in 23d Infantry. Corp. Joseph Van Buskirk, enl. May 25,1861; pro. to sergt.-maj. Sept. 16, 1862. Corp. Wm. L. Bishop, enl. May 25, 1861; killed in battle at Yorktown, Va., April 16, 1862. Corp. Nelson Fletcher (sergt.), enl. May 25, 1861; pro. to qr.-mr.-sergt. Dec. 1, 1862. William H. Allen, must. out June 28, 1865. David Anderson, Vienna; must. out July 28, 1865. William J. Allen, Vienna; must. out June 25, 1865. William L. Bishop, corp.; died at Yorktown, Va., April 16, 1862. George R. Bisbey, sergt.; died of disease at Camp Winfield Scott, Va., July, 1861. Joseph N. Bradley, disch. for disability, Dec. 2, 1862. Adin C. Billings, sergt., Flint Tp.; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. K. Andrew A. Baxter, disch. for disability, July 14,1862. James Benson, Flint Tp.; killed at Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864. George Beemer, died in action at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 24,1863. Milton S. Benjamin, Vienna; disch. for wounds, Jan. 28,1865. George Carmer, died in action at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Charles B. Collins, disch. to enlist in regular service, Dec. 5,1862. S. Bradford Cummings, disch. for disability, Feb. 19, 1863. Thomas Chapin, Jr., disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. Clark F. Chapman, Flint Tp.; disch. for wounds, Feb. 26, 1865. James Coe, must. out July 28, 1865. John Deitz, disch. for disability, Jan. 5,1863. George Davis, disch. at end of service, May 25,1864. Cornelius De Hart, disch. at end of service, Dec. 25, 1864. Charles E. Deioster, disch. at end of service, Dec. 25,1864. Daniel J. Ensign, died June 3,1862, of wounds received at Fair Oaks, Va. Orlando H. Ewer, Flint Tp.; must. out July 28, 1865. Charles L. Gardner, died of disease at Camp Lyons, Va., Oct. 1861. Joseph H. George, disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. John R. Goodrich, disch. for disability, Oct. 23, 1862. William Houghton, disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. Julius Heine, disch. for disability, Jan. 5, 1863. Frederick Holtz, Clayton; died at Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 12, 1863, of wounds. Francis Haven, Flint; died in action near Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864. Virgil Hadstalt, missing in action at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 24,1863. Henry W. Horton, trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, March 15, 1864. Richard HI. Halstead, disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. Charles Hartner, disch. to re-enlist as veteran, Dec. 31, 1863. James V. Hornell, absent, sick; not must. out with company. Sheldon B. Kelly, died in action at Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1862. John Kane, disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. Philip Kelland, disch. for disability, July 19, 1862. Elisha Kelly, musician; disch to re-enlist as veteran, Dec. 31, 1863. Charles E. Kingsbury, Forest Tp.; must. out July 28, 1865. George Lee, Grand Blanc Tp.; must. out July 28, 1865. Charles D. Moore, died June 6, 1862, of wounds received at Fair Oaks, Va. Dellion McConnell, died in action at Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862. John B. Miller, died in action at Chantilly, Va., July 1, 1862. David McConnell, disch. to enlist in regular service, Dec. 5, 1862. Peter McNally, Vienna Tp.; must. out May 26, 1865. Samuel L. Ploss, died of disease at Washington, Aug. 29,1861. Hamilton Ploss, died of disease at Washington, Aug. 29, 1861. James F. Partridge, musician; disch. for disability, Dec. 8,1861. Wallace L. Parker, Genesee Tp.; veteran; must. out July 28, 1865. Charles Rankin, died of disease at Arlington Heights, Va., Sept. 20,1861. Cornelius E. Rulison, disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. Nathan M. Richardson, Flint; must. out July 28, 1865. George Ruddiman, Flint; must. out July 28, 1865. Jacob C. Sackrier, died June 24, 1862, of wounds. James S. Smith, disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. Arba Smith, disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. George Sawyer, disch. for disability, Oct. 1861. James Scarr, disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. Lyman Stow, disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. Albert L. Sawyer, disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. Franklin B. Smith, disch. Jan. 27, 1863. Hercules Stannard, veteran; must. out July 28, 1865. George Sheldon, disch. to re-enlist as veteran, Dec. 31, 1863. Albert Schultz, disch. to re-enlist as veteran, Dec. 31, 1863. Charles H. Stone, Flint; died of disease near Alexandria, Va., Oct. 6, 1864. John G. Sanford, Vienna Tp.; died of disease near Alexandria, Va. Oct. 20, 1864. Mathias Schermerhorn, must. out May 20,1865. Edwin C. Turver, corp.; disch. for disability, Sept. 1861. John or Joseph W. Tompkins, must. out Aug. 5, 1865. Hiram Tenney, disch. at end of service, May 25,1864. Edgar Tibbals, disch. at end of service, May 25, 1864. John H. Tibbals, disch. at end of service, Nov. 9, 1864. John Walter, disch. at end of service, June 21, 1864. James Willett, disch. at end of service, May 25, 1864. Williams E. Williams, disch. for disability, Oct. 1861. Emory A. Wood, disch. for disability, Aug. 4,1862. John Weller, trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, Nov. 15,1864. Don A. Williams, must. out July 28,1865. Robert H. J. Warner, Vienna Tp.; must. out June 19, 1865. Company G. Wm. B. McCreery, Flint; capt. Sept. 10,1861; wounded at Williamsburg, Va., in three places severely, May 5, 1862; pro. to lieut.-colonel 21st Regt. Mich. Inf., Nov. 20, 1862; colonel, Feb. 3,1863; taken prisoner at Chickamauga, Tenn., Sept. 20, 1863; wounded in three places severely; escaped from Libby Prison, Feb. 19, 1864; resigned on account of wounds, Sept. 14,1864. James Farrand, Flint; 1st lieut. March6, 1862; pro. to capt. Co. C, Aug. 1, 1862; killed in action near Spottsylvania Court-House, Va., May 12, 1864. George Sheldon, Fenton; com.-sergt.; sergt.; s Co. K; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. C; must. out as sergt. Hercules Stannard, Flint (sergt.); pro. to 2d lieut.; must. out as sergt. Ward Berry, Argentine, Co. E; died of wounds, June 19,1864, near Petersburg, Va. Henry Dorman, Grand Blanc, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865. Myron Green, Atlas, Co. B; died June 17, 1864, of wounds. James M. Hill, Atlas, Co. B; missing in action, July 30, 1864. Lafayette Hill, Atlas, Co. B; must. out Aug. 2,1865. Walter P. Jones, Fenton, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865. Charles E. Lason, Atlas, Co. H; must. out July 28, 1865. Read Larde, Argentine, Co. E; must. out July 28, 1865. Robert F. Meddleworth, Argentine, Co'. E; died near Petersburg, Va., June 19, 1864, of wounds. Abram D. Perry, Atlas, Co. E; died at Washington, July 17,1864, of wounds. Orrin D. Putnam, Argentine, Co. C; died at Washington, June 2, 1864, of accidental wounds. Thomas Perry, Fulton, Co. I; must. out July 28, 1865. Charles H. Snook, Argentine, Co. E; died July 6, 1864, of wounds. Asa Shepard, Argentine, Co. G; must. out July 28, 1865. George W. Tharrett, Davison, Co. H; must. out July 28, 1865, Joseph B. Varnum, Atlas Tp., Co. H; must. out Aug. 11, 1865. Charles Webber, Fenton, Co. B; must. out Aug. 2, 1865. CHAPTER XI. EIGHTH INFiANTY. The Fenton Light Guard and the Excelsior Guard-They join the 8th Infantry-Camp Anderson-Organization and Departure of the 8th-The Port Royal Expedition-Battle of Port Royal FerryFort Pulaski and Wilmington Island-Presentation of ColorsTerrible Battle of James Island-Campaign under Pope-South Mountain and Antietam-Fredericksburg-The Wandering Regiment of Michigan-Campaigns in Kentucky and Mississippi-East Tennessee and the Siege of Knoxville-Re-enlistment as Veterans -Furlough and Return to the Army of the Potomac-Campaign of the Wilderness-Operations round Petersburg-The 8th leads the Union Column into the City-Muster Out and Return to Michigan. THIS regiment was formed in the summer and fall of 1861, its organizer and commanding officer being Col. William M. Fenton, of Flint, previously major of the 7th Infantry, from which he was promoted to this. The nucleus of the 8th Regiment was a Genesee company called the " Fenton Light Guard," which had been organized at the armory in Flint in the evening of May 10th, a few days after the departure of the Flint Union Grays to join the 2d Regiment at Detroit. It had been expected that the Light Guard would take the field as a part of the 7th Regiment, and, in fact, it had been designated as " E" company in that organization; but as the 7th was able to muster its full complement of ten companies without this, it was transferred to Col. Fenton's command, not only with the consent, but in accordance with the wishes, of the officers and men. Another Genesee company which entered the 8th was named the Excelsior Guard, and representatives of the county were found in all of the eight other companies of the regiment. These last-named companies, however, EIGHTH INFANTRY. 69 were principally made up of men from the counties of Shiawassee, Clinton, Gratiot, Montcalm, Kent, Ingham, Jackson, and Barry. On the 12th of August the several companies were designated, and ordered to rendezvous at Grand Rapids on the 21st. Under these orders the Fenton Light Guard, one hundred and seven strong, under Capt. Russell M. Barker, and the Excelsior Guard, Capt. Ephraim N. Lyon, left Flint and moved to Fentonville, and thence by the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad to Grand Rapids, where the regimental camp was pitched in the Fair-grounds, and named " Camp Anderson." Here the regiment remained for four weeks, engaged in drill, organization, and the filling of its ranks to the maximum number. On the 18th of September it moved to Detroit, and thence to a camp at Fort Wayne, below the city, where, on the 23d, it was mustered into the United States service for three years by Capt. H. R. Mizner, U. S. A., its strength when mustered being nine hundred. Its field-officers, besides Col. Fenton, were Lieut.-Col. Frank Graves and Maj. Amasa B. Watson. In the organization of the regiment the Fenton Light Guard was designated as " A" company, and it was mustered under the following-named commissioned officers, viz.: Captain, Simon C. Guild (promoted to captaincy in place of Capt. Barker, who resigned at Camp Anderson on account of ill-health); 1st Lieutenant, George E. Newell; 2d Lieutenant, George H. Turner. The Excelsior Guard was designated as "' G" company, and its first commissioned officers were: Captain, E. N. Lyon; 1st Lieutenant, Horatio Belcher; 2d Lieutenant, N. Miner Pratt. Orders for the departure of the regiment were received on the 26th of September, and on Friday (the 27th) it embarked on the steamers " Ocean" and " May Queen," and moved down the river and lake, arriving at Cleveland the following morning. From there it moved by railroad through Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Baltimore to Washington, where it arrived on the 30th, and encamped on Meridian Hill, its camp being named " Camp Williams." In due time the men received arms and equipments, and on the 9th of October the regiment moved to Annapolis, Md., and there occupied the grounds of the Naval Academy. October 19th the regiment was ordered to embark on board the ocean-steamer "Vanderbilt," then lying at Annapolis. It was evidently bound on some distant expedition, but its destination and object were unknown, and were matters of endless surmise and speculation among the officers and men during the passage down the Chesapeake. On the " Vanderbilt" with the 8th was the 79th New York Regiment, called the "H Highlanders," and neither regiment appeared to. be very favorably impressed with the appearance or presence of the other. One who was present on board the ship at that time wrote afterwards concerning this, as follows: "The men of the 8th Michigan and 79th New York looked distrustfully on each other. The ship was rather uncomfortably crowded, having eighteen hundred persons on board, and every effort to obtain better storage by one party was jealously watched by the other. The 8th regarded the 79th as a set of foreigners and sots, and the latter regarded our men as a lot of undrilled bush whackers, tinged with verdancy." How long this state of feeling continued does not appear, but it is certain that there was afterwards developed between the 8th and 79th a friendship which became absolute affection,-so strong and marked that it was proverbial among the different commands of the army where the two regiments were known. It was a chain whose links were forged under the hammers of suffering and danger, and welded in the fire of battle. When they arrived at Fortress Monroe they found the roadstead crowded with a fleet made up of war-steamers and transports filled with troops. This fleet, including the "Vanderbilt," went to sea in the morning of October 29th, and the sight was grand and inspiriting. For a time the winds favored, and the sea was comparatively smooth, but afterwards a heavy gale came on in which the vessels were scattered, and three or four of them were lost. During this time the troops suffered greatly from sea-sickness and overcrowding on the transports. The fleet had sailed under sealed orders, and its destination was as yet unknown except to the naval and military commanders. At last the storm abated, the vessels one by one returned within signaling distance of each other, and the low shores of South Carolina became visible on the starboard hand. Six days (which seemed as many weeks) from the time of its departure from Fortress Monroe the fleet arrived off Hilton Head, S. C., Nov. 4, 1861. The object of the expedition was now apparent, and, with a smoother sea and an enemy almost in sight, sea-sickness and dejection gave place to buoyant spirits and eager enthusiasm. The fleet was composed of fourteen armed vessels, twentytwo first-class steamers, twelve smaller steamers, and twentysix sailing vessels. The commander of the fleet was Commodore (afterwards Admiral) S. F. Dupont, whose flag-ship was the splendid steam-frigate " Wabash." The land forces consisted of thirteen regiments of volunteers, in three brigades,-in all, about eleven thousand men,-under command of Gen. W. T. Sherman. The 2d Brigade, composed of the 50th and 100th Pennsylvania, 8th Michigan, and 79th New York, was under command of Brig.-Gen. Isaac I. Stevens. The channel connecting Port Royal harbor with the sea was guarded on either side by a strong rebel fortification. These were known as Forts Walker and Beauregard, and the reduction of these, by the navy, was the first work to be done. For three days after their arrival the vessels remained in quiet, below, as the weather was not considered sufficiently favorable for operations; but on the 7th the "Wabash" set her signal for battle, and advanced to the attack, followed by the other armed ships in their proper order. They moved in a circular line, up, past one fort, and down, past the other, delivering their tremendous broadsides into each as they came abreast of it. With the fire from the ships, and the responses from the forts, it was almost a continuous volley of artillery, which shook the earth, and made the very waters tremble. But at length the fire of the forts began to slacken, their replies grew more and more feeble, and finally the Stars and Bars above their ramparts gave place to the white flag. A little later, the standard of the Union floated above the captured works on both sides of the channel. IIIC- 7P~ 7 70 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. On the following day the 8th landed at Hilton Head, and occupied Fort Walker. On the 17th of December it moved to Beaufort, a place of surpassing beauty, where many of the wealthy people of Charleston had, in the old days of peace, made their summer residences. It was now found deserted by nearly all its inhabitants except negroes. The camp here was made in a grove of stately and magnificent live-oaks; and but for the losses sustained in the vicinity, the stay of the regiment at this place would have been among the most pleasing of all its experiences during its term of service. On the 18th, Companies A and F, of the 8th, were sent on a reconnoitering expedition to the mainland, across Coosaw River, and while engaged in this service David Burns Foote, of Capt. Guild's company, was killed by the enemy, he being the first man of the regiment who fell in his country's service. The 8th, during the time it was stationed at Beaufort, was engaged in other reconnoissances, and in picket-duty; and detachments occupied Grey's Hill, Ladies' Island, Brickyard Point, and some of the neighboring plantations. The first battle in which the regiment was engaged was that of Coosaw River, or Port Royal Ferry, Jan. 1, 1862. An official report by Col. Fenton to Gen. Stevens, embracing an account of that engagement, is here given: " HEADQUARTERS 8TH MICHIGAN REGIMENT, t MAINLAND, PORT ROYAL FERRY, Jan. 1, 1862. "BnIG.-GEN. STEVENS,-Sir, I have the honor to report that in compliance with your order this regiment was safely landed at the Adams House on the mainland, having effected the crossing in flatboats from Brickyard Point, Port Royal Island, and took up its line of march towards the enemy's battery at this place at one o'clock P.M. On our approach towards the ferry we were ordered to attack (as skirmishers) a masked battery which opened fire on us from the right. I immediately detached the first two and tenth companies, and directed their march to the left and front on the battery, which was followed by four additional companies to the right and front. The fire of the battery with shells continued on our lines until the skirmishers reached the right, when it was turned on them, and on their approach right, left, and front to within fifty to one hundred yards of the enemy's position, a fire of musketry was opened upon them. The force of the enemy, as well as the battery, was concealed to a considerable extent by trees, brush, and underwood, but appeared to consist of two mounted howitzers, supported by a regiment or more of infantry and some cavalry. The skirmishers were measurably protected by underbrush and furrows, and continued their fire upon the enemy, which was returned by volleys of musketry and shells from the battery. Our fire was well directed, and seemed to be effective. One mounted officer, who seemed to be very active, was seen to fall from his horse, at which the troops on the enemy's right were thrown into confusion. Their position seemed to be changing to the rear, and as our skirmishers were called off and the regiment formed in line the enemy's fire ceased. The regiment was then marched to its position in line of battle in rear of the fort at this point. "Lieut.-Col. Graves led the left and Maj. Watson the right of the skirmishers. The major, in leading on the line, received a severe flesh wound in the leg. I have to report that officers and men behaved with admirable bravery and coolness. The loss of the enemy from the well-directed fire of our skirmishers cannot be less than forty. Our loss is seven wounded, two missing. A list is appended. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, "WM. M. FENTON, " Col. 8th Michigan Regiment." Among those who fell in the action at Beaufort Ferry was Corp. John Q. Adams, of Capt. Guild's company, mortally wounded, and left in the enemy's bands. Some negroes who came into the Union lines two or three days afterwards gave Col. Fenton this account of his death. They said they saw him after the battle in a wagon at the railroad surrounded by spectators. He received water to drink from them, but would give them no information. They asked him if it was right to come into their country and drive them off their land. He said it was, and that there were those behind who would avenge his fall. He remained true to his flag, and was conscious until midnight, when he died. Upon these facts being sworn to, Col. Fenton embodied them in an official report, to which was appended the following order: " HEADQUARTERS, 8TH MICHIGAN REGIMENT, | " Camp near Beaufort, S. C., Jan. 7, 1862. J "Special Orders.-In consideration of the noble and patriotic action and heroic death of John Q. Adams, corporal in Co. A, the above report will be entered on the regimental records, with this order. "By order of "COL. WM. M. FENTON. "N. MINER PRATT, Adjutant." During the months of January, February, and March the regiment was employed in drill and picket duty, but always ready to respond to marching orders, which were constantly expected, and were finally received on the 9th of April, when the 8th left Beaufort and moved to Tybee Island, Ga., where it was reported to Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, commanding the operations against Savannah. It was present (but not engaged) at the bombardment of Fort Pulaski, on the 10th and 11th, as also at the surrender of that formidable work. On the 16th of April seven companies of the regiment (A, B, G, D, H, I, and K, each about forty strong) were detailed, with a detachment of Rhode Island artillery, as an escort to Lieut. C. H. Wilson, chief of the topographical engineers, department of the South, to make a reconnoissance of Wilmington Island, with a view to the erection of fortifications upon it if found practicable. The force was embarked on the steamer " Honduras," and moved to the place designated, where it landed and proceeded to the execution of the duty assigned. This resulted in an engagement with a force of the enemy, consisting of the 13th Georgia, " Oglethorpe Light Infantry," and the " Altamaha Scouts," in all about eight hundred strong. A detailed account of this movement and battle is given in Col. Fenton's official report, of which the following is a copy: " HEADQUARTERS EIGHTH REGIMENT MICH. VOLS. "On board steamer ' Honduras,' off Wilmington Island, Ga., April 16, 1862,-eleven P.M. "LIEUT. W. L. M. BURGER, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General: " SIR,-I have the honor to report, for the information of the general commanding, that in compliance with Special Orders No. 41, I embarked with seven companies of the 8th Michigan Regiment, as an escort to Lieut. C. H. Wilson, Topographical Engineer, on a reconnoissance of Wilmington Island. Two companies were landed at Scriven's plantation under command of Capt. Pratt, with orders from Lieut. Wilson to skirt Turner's Creek. The other five companies were landed at Gibson's plantation. Two of those companies were ordered to skirt Turner's Creek. A third was to take the road to the right, towards the ferry at Canan's Bluff, to protect the boat-party up Oatland Creek. Owing to the small number of boats, and the distance from the steamer, which was aground, some delay occurred in the disembarkation. I directed Lieut.-Col. Graves to follow with the second company to skirt Turner's Creek; but he by misdirection took the road to the right, towards Canan's Bluff, and on landing with the re maining companies, I received information from him that the enemy were in force at Flatwood's plantation, and to the left of the road. This made the reconnoissance with boats unsafe, and I ordered the EIGHTH INFANTRY. 71 companies all in and stationed the remaining companies to guard against an attack at our landing, and sent out strong pickets on both roads. I believe the advance of the company to the right, instead of along Turner's Creek, saved my command, as it sooner enabled me to post the men to advantage, and take a position from which the enemy's approach could be observed. The enemy appeared to be the Georgia 13th, about eight hundred strong, armed with Enfield rifles. As they approached, about four P.M., with a strong body of skirmishers in the skirt of woods below the road, the companies to the right and left of the road, in accordance with my instructions, opened fire. I immediately sounded the charge for an advance of the companies in the rear of the first line; but the first line, misunderstanding the signal, fell back to the next company. A constant and effective fire was kept up on both sides from the cover of the trees and bushes. Lieut. Wilson, who had returned with the boat's party, here proved of great service to me, and took a party, at my request, to the left. I ordered a company to the right, to flank the enemy. Both operations were successful, and in a few moments the enemy retreated in confusion, leaving several dead on the field, and followed by our men with loud cheers. It being now about sunset, I recalled our troops, and, giving to Lieut. Wilson the command of pickets stationed to guard against surprise, formed the companies into line as originally posted, sent the dead and wounded in boats to the ship, and gradually and very quietly, under cover of darkness, withdrawing the men, sent them on board as fast as our limited transportation would allow. At the last trip of the boat I embarked, accompanied by Lieut. Wilson, Lieut.-Col. Graves, and the remainder of the command, at about ten o'clock P.M., and immediately brought on board the two companies left at Scriven's plantation. After the enemy retreated we were unmolested. It is due to the officers and men of the command to say that generally they behaved with cool and intrepid courage. Adj. Pratt fell dead near my side, gallantly fighting, musket in hand, and cheering on the men. Our loss, I regret to say, was comparatively large,-ten killed and thirty-five wounded, out of a command of three hundred men. Among the wounded was Acting Lieut. Badger, of Co. C, who was in charge of the advanced picket, and exhibited undaunted courage. IHe, with one of his men, was taken prisoner. Both escaped, and were brought in when the enemy retreated. The captain of the ' Honduras' is deserving of great credit for his kind attention to the wounded, and he afforded us every facility for the comfort of officers and men in his power. I respectfully refer you to Lieut. Wilson's report, which I have seen, which contains some facts not embraced in this report; among others, in relation to the men detailed in charge of the field-piece on board ship, who were vigilant and attentive. Herewith I transmit a list of casualties. "I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, " WILLIAM M. FENTON, Col. Commanding." The part of Lieut. Wilson's report to which Col. Fenton alluded as having reference to the detachment in charge of the field-piece was as follows: " Lieut. Caldwell and sixteen men of the Rhode Island volunteers, with one light six-pounder, were left in charge of the steamer. The gun could not be handled on account of the inability of the boat to lie alongside the landing.... After holding the ground for three hours the entire force was quietly embarked without further accident, though it must be confessed that had the enemy renewed his attack while we were embarking we should have suffered great loss. Our five small boats could not move more than fifty men every thirty minutes, and the steamer lay in such a position that the six-pounder could not be brought to bear without jeopardizing the lives of our own people." From Wilmington Island the command returned to Beaufort, and the first knowledge which Gen. Stevens had of the battle of the 16th was conveyed by the arrival of the dead and wounded from that field. The dead were buried with all military honors, the entire brigade attending their funeral. Next came the presentation to the regiment of a beauti ful flag, furnished by citizens of Genesee County, and forwarded by a committee composed of Hon. J. B. Walker, George T. Clark, and Charles P. Avery. It was of the richest and heaviest silk, and fringed, tasseled, and starred with gold. On its stripes, in golden letters, were the words "One Country, One Destiny," "Eighth Michigan Infantry." On its staff was a silver plate bearing the engraved inscription: " PRESENTED to THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS of the EIGHTH REGIMENT, MICHIGAN INFANTRY, by their friends and neighbors of Genesee County." It was sent by the donors " in token of their high respect for the 8th Regiment, on account of their gallant conduct at the battle of Coosaw," and it arrived at Hilton Head on the very day when the men of the 8th were again distinguishing themselves at Wilmington Island. The ceremony of presentation was imposing. At evening parade on the 25th of April the regiment was formed on three sides of a hollow square, of which the fourth side was formed by Gen. Stevens and his staff. The color was in the centre. It was formally presented to the regiment by Gen. Stevens, who, after a few introductory remarks, and reading aloud the letter of the committee at Flint, said: "SOLDIERS OF MICHIGAN: It is gratifying to know by this letter from your friends that your services are appreciated by them; and I, who, on the day alluded to, was your commanding general, feel proud in referring to the occasion which calls forth from your friends at home such an acknowledgment. Your bravery and undaunted courage, led on by your gallant colonel in face of the enemy at the battle of Coosaw, deserves, as it has received, the highest commendation. " This banner comes at a propitious moment. You have added to the reputation already acquired another brilliant achievement. While this flag was consigned as it were to the tender mercies of the deep, and on the very day of its safe arrival at Hilton Head, you were testing the strength of your arms against overwhelming odds of the enemy on Wilmington Island, adding new lustre to your already brilliant career, and giving new evidence of your intrepidity and bravery.... " Unfurl that flag! Let it float to the breeze! There, fellow-soldiers, is your banner! Inscribed upon its ample folds is the motto, ONE COUNTRY, ONE DESTINY! It is surmounted by the eagle-emblem of strength-and bearing on its outstretched wings the prestige of victory. Like the eagle of Napoleon and of ancient Rome, its march is onward and upward. Upon the folds of that banner is the work of fair hands, the daughters of Michigan, your loved ones at home, endeared to you by the tender ties of mother and daughter, sister and friend. That is the flag the gallant Jackson bore aloft when he said, ' The Union: it must, it shall be preserved!' It is the flag Washington fought for and sustained. We are following in the footsteps of our brave and heroic ancestors. Let us, like them, while in the I I I OFI mqfwq 72 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I discharge of our duties as soldiers, and rejoicing in successes, remember our obligations as Christians. Commit it to the God of Battles. His arm will be stretched forth to succor and to save. Here, upon our knees, in the presence of Almighty God, let us invoke His blessing. I call upon you, chaplain. It is fit and proper that it be consecrated with prayer." The chaplain responded in an earnest and eloquent prayer. The colors were received in due form, with drums beating, and arms presented. Then Col. Fenton spoke, thanking the general, and congratulating the officers and men of his regiment. In concluding, he turned towards the flag, as it was held aloft by the tall color-bearer, and said: " COLOR-BEARER AND COLOR-GUARDS: I know you all, and know you well. That banner in your hands will be proudly borne and bravely defended. And should you fall, you will wrap its folds around you, defending it while life remains. Soldiers, you may well feel proud that you have been honored by your general, in the presentation of that flag. You will stand by it to the last. I feel and know you will. You have been tried on the soil of both South Carolina and Georgia, and, one and all, you will maintain the character you have acquired, and do honor to the State which has sent you forth." The speech was followed by three-times-three cheers for the colonel, the color, and its donors, and the ceremony (which had been witnessed by a large number of soldiers of other commands and by many citizens of South Carolina) was over. During the month of May the 8th was engaged on picket duty, and other similar service, on Port Royal Island. On the 2d of June it moved thence to Stone River, S. C., to relieve the 28th Massachusetts Regiment, on picket on James Island, where the 8th arrived on the day following its departure from Port Royal. Here it was attached to the 1st Brigade of the 2d Division, under Gen. Stevens; the brigade being placed under command of Col. Fenton, and Lieut.-Col. Graves succeeding to the command of the regiment. The battle of James Island (or Secessionville, as it is frequently called) was fought on the 16th of June. In it the 8th Michigan took a more prominent part, and suffered more severely, than any other regiment, and its losses here were, taking everything into consideration, more terrible than it sustained on any other field during its long and honorable career. Secessionville, the scene of the battle, was described by Dr. J. C. Willson, surgeon of the 8th Regiment, as " a village composed of a few houses whose owners have seceded from them, situated on a narrow neck of land jutting into the stream on the east side of James Island, skirted by tidal marshes and swamps on either side, and difficult of approach, except from the westward, where is a rebel fort which commands this entrance." The fort was a formidable earthwork, with a parapet nine feet in height, surrounded by a broad ditch seven feet deep, and protected by a broad and almost impenetrable abatis. The neck of dry land over which (alone) it was approachable was barely two hundred yards in width, and every inch of it could be swept at close range by canister from the six heavy guns of the fort and by musketry from its defenders. And it was over such ground, and to the assault of such a T work, that the troops of Stevens' division moved forward at four o'clock in the morning of that bloody and eventful 16th of June, 1862. The attacking column was made up of Col. Fenton's and Col. Leasure's brigades, the former composed of the 8th Michigan, 7th Connecticut, and 28th Massachusetts Regiments, and the latter of the 46th and 79th New York, and 100th Pennsylvania, with four batteries of artillery,-in all three thousand three hundred and thirty-seven men. The following account of the battle was written by the correspondent of the New York Tribune, then at James' Island, and published in that paper immediately after the fight: "The advanced regiments were the 8th Michigan, the 79th New York, and the 7th Connecticut. There is some confusion as to the order in which these regiments came up to the fort; it seems, however, from the best information within reach, that the glorious but unfortunate 8th Michigan was the first there, led by its gallant Lieut.-Col. Graves. The immediate assault upon the fort was not successful, and the cause of its failure, as is usual in such cases, is difficult to determine.... It appears, from the statements of some of the officers and men in these regiments, that about one half-mile from the fort there was a narrow pass through a hedge, and the men were compelled to pass through, a very few abreast, thus delaying their advance. The 8th Michigan got through and pushed on with great vigor up to the fort, which they assaulted with a shout. They were met with a murderous fire from the fort in front, and from flanking batteries. A few of these brave men overcame all dangers and difficulties, and, rushing over the dead bodies of their slaughtered comrades, actually climbed into the fort; but it was impossible for them to maintain their ground there against the fearful odds which opposed them, the men who should have supported them being delayed in passing through the hedge. " The 8th was obliged to fall back as the 79th New York came up, led by the brave Col. Morrison, who mounted the walls of the fort and discharged all the barrels of his revolver in the very faces of the enemy. Wounded in the head, and unsupported, he was obliged to retreat. About as far behind the 79th as that regiment was behind the 8th Michigan came the 7th Connecticut, which made a spasmodic and almost independent effort against the fort, but was obliged to fall back. Thus the brave regiments which were intended to act in concert as the advance went into the fight one at a time, one repulsed and falling back as the other came up, thus creating confusion, and rendering abortive the charge on the fort at this time. "A failure like this always disheartens troops. It was just in front of the fort, and in the first charge, that the noble and brave Capt. Church [Company D, of the 8th] fell, pierced through the head with a musket-ball. He was a fine officer, and beloved by his men. I knew and admired his commanding person and frank and honest bearing. Although suffering from disease, he arose from his bed and led his men to the fatal ditch. " The 8th Michigan has been most unfortunate. For ward in every skirmish and battle, always in the advance, it has lost a considerable number of its officers, and can now scarcely number three hundred men. All these regi EIGHTH INFANTRY. 73 ments fought well, and piled their dead around the fort; but it was a terrible sacrifice, and a vain one. " The first, as has been said, to reach the fort were the Michigan 8th and New York 79th. This was not the natural order, but the 79th, hearing the cheers of the 8th, ran past the other regiments and joined the 8th as it reached the works. Both regiments suffered terribly from the fire of the enemy as they approached,-the 8th from grape and canister, the 79th from musketry, as the nature of their wounds shows. Badly shattered, and wholly exhausted from three-fourths of a mile on the double-quick, many fell powerless on reaching the works; while a few, in sufficiently good condition, mounted the parapet, from which the enemy had been driven by our sharp and effective fire, and called upon the others to follow them. "At about nine o'clock, which seemed to be the crisis of the battle, and when the generals seemed to be consulting whether they should again advance upon the fort, or retire, the gunboats decided the question by opening a heavy cannonade in our rear, which, instead of telling upon the rebels, threw their shot and shell into our own ranks. This must have resulted from ignorance on their part as to our precise position, owing to the rapid changes upon the field, and in the intervening timber. The shells fell and burst in the very midst of our men,-several exploding near the commanding general and his staff. The effect of this unfortunate mistake was an order for the troops to retire, which they did in perfect order, taking position on the old picket-line." In the Scottish American newspaper, of New York, there appeared, a few days after the battle, a communication from an officer of the 79th Highlanders, in which the gallantry of the 8th at Secessionville is thus noticed: "I should mention that the 8th Michigan, small in number, but every man a hero, had been repulsed from the fort, with terrible loss, just as we advanced. The Michigan men could not have numbered four hundred when they advanced; when they retired they had one hundred and ninety killed and wounded. One company alone lost, I understand, no less than ninety-eight men. The ordeal through which they had passed the 79th were now experiencing. Shot down by unseen enemies, and without having an opportunity of returning the fire with any effect, the men got discouraged, but remained stubbornly on the ground until the order was given to retire,-an order, let me say, which was only rendered necessary by the shameful fact that, notwithstanding the strong force within supporting distance, no support came. The fort was ours had we received assistance, but it is a fact that cannot be gainsaid that every man who fell around its ramparts belonged to the 8th Michigan and the 79th New York,-the two weakest regiments, in point of numbers, in the whole force under command of Gen. Benham." The 8th regiment went into the fight with a total strength of five hundred and thirty-four officers and men, and its loss in the assault was, according to the surgeon's report, one hundred and forty-seven killed and wounded, and thirty-seven missing; this being more than one-third of the number engaged. The first report of its loss made it somewhat greater than this. Gen. Stevens, in his "' General 10 Order No. 26," dated James Island, S. C., June 18, 1862, mentioned the heroism of the 8th Michigan as follows: Parties from the leading regiments of the two brigades, the 8th Michigan and the 79th Highlanders, mounted and were shot down on the parapet, officers and men. These two regiments especially covered themselves with glory, and their fearful casualties show the hot work in which they were engaged. Two-fifths of the 8th Michigan and nearly one-quarter of the 79th Highlanders were down, either killed or wounded, and all the remaining regiments had a large number of casualties.... In congratulating his comrades on their heroic valor and constancy on that terrible field, the commanding general of the division has not words to express his and your grief at the sacrifices that have been made. Our best and truest men now sleep the sleep that knows no waking. Their dead bodies lie on the enemy's parapet. Church, Pratt, Cottrill, Guild, Morrow, Horton, Hitchcock, and many other gallant and noble men we shall see no more." Among the killed of the 8th Regiment in this action was Capt. S. C. Guild, of Flint, commanding Company A. On the 14th of June he had written a letter to friends in Michigan, in which he said, " I cannot but regret that I am so long delayed from the prosecution of my studies, but this war must first be settled, and the majesty of truth and the constitution vindicated; and if I do nothing more in life, it will be sufficient service that I have been a soldier in this war. Yet it is needless for me to conceal my dislike of this kind of life, and that my earnest desire is to escape from it the first opportunity. It is entirely dissonant with my feelings, habits, and thoughts, and can never be less than an unpleasant duty; and yet, as a duty, it is, in a sense, a pleasure to perform it. I have learned much, however, which will serve me in all my future life." Two days later this hero died on the hostile rampart, with his face to the foe. Col. Fenton was relieved from the command of the brigade, at his own request, on the 21st of June. On resuming command of the 8th Regiment, he made a very earnest and determined effort to have it relieved for a time from active service, on account of the arduous service it had performed and the fearful losses it had sustained. But his answer was, " At present all the regiments in the Department of the South are needed, and more than needed, in the positions they now occupy." Gen. Stevens' command evacuated James Island on the 5th of July, the 8th Regiment being the last to leave, as it had been the first in the advance. Moving to Hilton Head, it embarked there July 13th, with the 79th New York, 28th Massachusetts, 7th Connecticut, and other regiments, for Fortress Monroe, where they arrived on the 16th, and landed at Newport News on the following day. They knew they were destined to reinforce the Army of the Potomac after its disasters in the seven Days' fight, and they did not like the change, for they preferred to remain in the South, where their laurels had been won. The 8th remained three weeks in camp at Newport News, and during this time Col. Fenton left for Michigan to obtain recruits, leaving Lieut.-Col. Graves in charge of the regiment. The command left this camp, August 4th, and, moving to 74 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. the Rappahannock River, took part in the campaign of Gen. Pope, fighting at second Bull Run, August 29th and 30th, and Chantilly, September 1st, losing considerably in both engagements. Soon after, it moved with the 9th Army Corps (to which it had been attached) into Maryland. It fought at South Mountain, September 14th, losing thirteen, wounded; and was again engaged in the great battle of Antietam, September 17th. Early in that day it formed in line, with its brigade, on the right, but about noon, when the battle became general, it was ordered to the left, and took possession near the historic Stone Bridge. " A more terrific fire than we here met with," wrote an officer of the regiment, "it has not been my lot to witness. It equaled, if it did not exceed, that of James Island. At first our men gained ground and drove the enemy half a mile, but the battery that covered our advance and answered to the enemy's in front getting out of ammunition, together with the arrival of a fresh rebel brigade from Harper's Ferry, flanking our position and bringing our men under a cross-fire, changed the fortunes of the day in their favor, and when night closed upon the scene of carnage the enemy reoccupied the ground wrested from them at such fearful sacrifice in the afternoon." The oridge, however, was not retaken by the enemy, and, although the Union forces had been driven back here on the left, the advantage remained with them on other parts of the field. The battle was not renewed to any extent on the following day, and the enemy, while keeping up the appearance of a strong line in fiont, retreated from his position to the Potomac, preparatory to crossing back into Virginia. The loss of the 8th at Antietam was twenty-seven killed and wounded,-a loss which appears quite severe when it is remembered that the regiment went into action with considerably less than two hundred men, having been reduced not only by its terrible losses in previous battles, but also by discharges; more than two hundred and fifty men being discharged from the 8th in the year 1862, of whom just one hundred enlisted in the regular army. The places of these were being filled to some extent by recruits, of whom a number joined the regiment the day before Antietam; and it was said of them that, although they had never before heard a hostile gun, they endured the terrible initiation of that day with almost the steadiness of veterans. For about a month after the battle the regiment reinained in Maryland, a short time in the vicinity of Antietam, and a longer time in Pleasant Valley. During this time Col. Fenton returned, and Capt. Ralph Ely was promoted to major, vice Watson, resigned. On the 26th of October the 8th marched to Weverton, and thence to Berlin, Md., where it crossed the Potomac on pontoons into Virginia. It passed through Lovettsville, Waterford, Slack's Mills, Rectortown, and Salem, to Waterloo, where, on the 11th of November, it received the announcement of Gen. Burnside's promotion to the command of the army. On the 15th it was at Sulphur Springs, and moved thence, by way of Fayetteville and Bealton Station, to a camp about ten miles east of the latter place, where was read the order forming the " right grand division" of the army, by uniting the 2d and 9th Corps, under command of Gen. E. V. Sumner. On the 18th the regiment marched, leading the brigade, and on the 19th reached Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg, where the army was rapidly concentrating. Here it remained (a part of it acting as provost-guard of the division) until the 12th of December, when it crossed the Rappahannock to Fredericksburg, but was not engaged in the great battle of the 13th. It recrossed on the 15th, and remained at Falmouth until Feb. 13, 1863, when it moved with the 9th Corps (which had been detached from the Army of Potomac) to Newport News, Va., and there camped, evidently waiting orders for a further movement, which the officers and men hoped might take them back to the Department of the South. The regiment remained in camp at Newport News for more than a month, and during this time Col. Fenton resigned, on account of his health having become greatly impaired. Maj. Ely was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and was then in command of the regiment, and Capt. E. W. Lyon, of " G" company, was made major. On the 20th of March the 8th Regiment, being again under marching orders, embarked at Newport News, on the steamer " Georgia," preparatory to the commencement of the long series of movements and marches in the Southwest which afterwards gave it the name of " the wandering regiment of Michigan." It left Newport News on the 21st, arrived at Baltimore on the 22d, and proceeded thence by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to Parkersburg, W. Va., reaching there on the 24th, and embarking on the steamer "Majestic" for Louisville, Ky., where it arrived at noon on Thursday the 26th. At that time it was brigaded with the 2d, 17th, and 20th Michigan Regiments, under Brig.-Gen. Orlando M. Poe (formerly colonel of the 2d), as brigade com;mander; this being the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Army Corps. This corps (then a part of the Army of the Ohio) had for its immediate mission in Kentucky to observe and hold in check the forces of the guerrilla chief, John Morgan, who, at that time, seemed to be omnipresent in all that region, and whose movements were giving the government no little trouble and alarm. The 8th moved by railroad from Louisville on the 28th, and proceeded to Lebanon, Ky., and remained stationed there and at Green River Ford, Ky., for some weeks. While the command lay at Lebanon there was issued the first number of a paper entitled The Wolverine, which was announced as "' published by members of the 8th Michigan Infantry, and will be issued as often as circumstances will permit." How many numbers of this journal were ever published is not known. About the 1st of June the 9th Corps, which had been scattered in detachments at various points in Kenltucky, was ordered to move to Mississippi to reinforce the army of Gen. Grant, then operating against Vicksburg. The 8th Regiment moved with the corps, going to Cairo, Ill., by rail, and then, embarking on boats on the Mississippi River, was transported to Haynes Bluff, Miss. From there it moved to Milldale, Miss., and remained there and at Flower Dale Church, near Vicksburg, until the operations against that stronghold ended in its capitulation, July 4th. Then it moved with the corps towards Jackson, Miss., in pursuit of the army of Johnston, who had been hovering in Gen. Grant's rear, attempting to raise the siege of Vicksburg. EIGHTH INFANTRY. 75 In the several engagements which occurred from the 10th to the 16th of July the 8th participated, but suffered little loss; and after the evacuation of Jackson, on the 16th, it returned to its former camp at Milldale, remaining there till August Gth, when it again took boat on the Mississippi and moved north with the corps. It reached Memphis in the night of the llth, and passed on to Cairo and thence to Cincinnati, where it arrived on the 18th, and, crossing the river, camped at Covington, Ky. From Covington it moved by way of Nicholasville to Crab Orchard, Ky., reaching there August 27th, and remaining there in camp two weeks. On the 10th of September it was again on the march, and moved by way of Cumberland Gap to Knoxville, Tenn., reaching there on the 26th. The 8th was slightly engaged with the enemy at Blue Springs, October 10th, and, after considerable marching and countermarching, went into camp, October 29th, at Lenoir Station, where it remained until November 14th. It was then, with its division, ordered to Hough's Ferry, on the Holston River, to check the advance of Longstreet, who was reported moving up from Georgia towards Knoxville. He was found in strong force, and the Union troops retired before him, and, passing back through Lenoir, continued the retreat to Knoxville. Being hard pressed, however, a stand was made at Campbell's Station on the 16th, and a battle ensued, lasting from about one P.M. until dark, and resulting in a loss to the 8th of eleven wounded. During the night the retreat was continued, and the regiment reached Knoxville in the morning of the 17th, after an almost continuous march of two days and three nights, including a battle of several hours' duration, moving over the worst of roads through mud and rain, and with less than quarter rations. Then followed the siege of Knoxville by Longstreet, which continued eighteen days, during all which time the 8th occupied the fiont line of works, and suffered severely for lack of food and sufficient clothing. On Sunday, November 29th, two veteran Georgia brigades belonging to McLaws' rebel division made a furious assault on Fort Saunders (one of the works in the line of fortifications inclosing Knoxville), and were repulsed and driven back with a loss of nearly eiglit hundred men, the 8th Michigan being one of the regiments which received and repelled the assault. In the night of the 4th and 5th of December the enemy withdrew from before Knoxville. In the pursuit which followed the 8th took part, but with no results, and on the 16th it encamped at Blain's Cross-Roads. This proved to be the last camp which it occupied for any considerable length of time in Tennessee. It remained here about three weeks, during which time three hundred of its members re-enlisted as veterans. On the 8th of January, 1864, the veteranized command, under orders to report at Detroit, left its camp, and took the road across the Cumberland Mountains for the railroad at Nicholasville, Ky., nearly two hundred miles distant. It reached that place in ten days, having made an average of nearly twenty miles a day over miserable roads and through the snow and ice of the mountain-passes. It reached Detroit on the 25th, and there received the veteran furlough. At the end of the specified time the men reassembled at the rendezvous (the city of Flint), where Capt. Charles H. McCreery was in charge of a recruitingstation for the " veteran 8th." On the 8th of March they left again for the front, proceeding by way of Cincinnati to Annapolis, Md, to rejoin the 9th Corps, which had, after the regiment had left Tennessee, been ordered East to reinforce the Army of the Potomac. The 8th remained at Annapolis until April 23d, when it moved to Washington, and thence across the Potomac to Warrenton Junction. On the opening of the campaign of 1864 it moved with the army on the 4th of May, crossed the Rapidan at Germania Ford on the 5th, and on the following day was hotly engaged in the Wilderness, losing ninety-nine in killed, wounded, and missing. Among these was Col. Frank Graves, who was made prisoner by the enemy, and (as was reported) shot in cold blood because lie applied the epithet " robber" to one of his captors who was taking his boots from his feet. On the 8th of May the 8th marched over the old field of Chancellorsville, and on towards Spottsylvania CourtHouse, where, on the 12th, it took part in the assault on the enemy's intrenchments, losing forty-nine officers and men in the bloody work of that day. During the fight the corps commander, Gen. Burnside, rode up and called out to the regiment, " Boys, you must support this battery and hold the hill at all hazards, for it is the key to our safety," and a moment later inquired what regiment it was. Col. Ely informed him. " Ah!" returned the general, " the 8th Michigan! I know you. You'll hold it!" and rode away. The regiment crossed the Pamunkey River May 28th, and moved towards Bethesda Church, where, in the battle of June 3d, it gallantly charged and carried the enemy's riflepits, sustaining a loss of fifty-nine, killed, wounded, and missing. On the 12th it was encamped near Mechanicsville, Va. The next day it crossed the Chickahominy, and on the 14th crossed the James River, from which point it moved by a forced march to the front of Petersburg, arriving there in the evening of the 16th. On the 17th and 18th it took part in the attacks on the enemy's works, losing forty-nine killed and wounded. For six weeks after that time it was constantly employed on the fortifications, under fire. In the fight at " the Crater," July 30th, it was engaged, losing thirteen killed and wounded. Soon after, it moved to the Weldon Railroad, and fought there in the action of August 19th, losing thirty in killed, wounded, and missing, amlong tfe killed being Maj. Horatio Belcher, of Flint. It was again engaged, with but slight loss, on the 21st; and on the 30th it took part in the battle of Poplar Grove Church, losing eight wounded. The 8th remained near Peebles' Farm, engaged in fortifying and picket duty, till November 29th, when it moved again to a position before Petersburg. It assisted in repulsing the enemy in his attack on Fort Steadman, March 25, 1865, and on the 2d of April was engaged in the attack on Fort Mahon, assisting in carrying the work, and being the first regiment to place its colors on the hostile ramparts. The next day it marched into Petersburg. After this it was employed in guard duty on the South Side Railroad till the 20th, when it marched to City Point, and on the following day embarked on transports and proceeded to Alexandria, Va., from which place it moved to Tenallytown, Md., on the 26th. It 76 HISTORY OF GENESFEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. moved into the city of Washington, May 9th, and was there engaged in guard and patrol duty until July 30, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service, its Strength when mustered out was six hundred and three officers and men, it having been quite largely augmented by recruits during the latter part of its term of service. The regiment left Washington on the 1st of August, and on the 3d arrived at Detroit, where it was paid and disbanded; and the survivors of "1the wandering regiment, of Michigan" returned to their homes and the vocations of peaceful life. During its existcnce the regiment bad moved over seven thousand miles, by land and sea, more than nineteen huiidred men had marched in its ranks, and it had been engagcd in thirty-sevcn battles and skirmishes, in seven different States of the Union. OFFICERS AND MEN Or THE EIGHTH INFANTRY FLROM GENESEE COUNTY. Col. Win. M. Fenton, Flint; en]. Aug. 7,1861; res. March 15, 1863. Mssj. Episraim W. Lyon, Flint; eni. Aug. 10, 1861; res. March 10, 1863. 1st Lieut. and Adj. N. Miner Pratt, Flint; eiii. Aug. 14,1861; killed in battle of Wilmington, Ga., April 16, 1862. let Lient. and Qr.-M~r. Asa Gregory, Flint; enl. Ang. 12, 1861; commissary of U. S. Vols., Nov. 20, 1862; brev.-maj. U. S. Vols., April 3, 1865; musual out April 26, 1866. Surg. James C. Willson, Flint; enl. Maich 3,1862; res. for disab., March 6, 1863. Aset. Sssrg. John Willett, Flint; enl. Nov. 22, 1862; surg. 3d lnf, Nov. 28, 1864, to June 30, 1865. Chaplain Win. Mahon, Flint; enl. Aug. 26, 1861; res. June 24, 1862. Sergt.-Mssj. Edw. U. Chase, Flint; enl. May 1, 1863; 2d lieut. July 5, 1864; vet. Sergt.-Maj. Orrin Bump, Flint; eni. Aug. 1, 1861; 2d lisut. Co. F, March 27, 1863. Sergt.-Maj. Oscar Bliss, Fenton; eul. Aug. 25, 1862; disch. by order, May 31, 1865. Sergt.-Msj. Win. H. Aitken, Flint; enl. Dec. 18, 1861; must, out July 30, 1865; veteran. Com.-Sergt. Elias G. Williams, Flint; eul. Aug. 12, 1861; pro:. to 2d lient. and qr.-mr., Oct. 20, 1862. Com.-Sergt. Harvey J. Christian, Flint; enl. Aug. 19, 1861; 1st Ileut. Co. G, Feb. 19, 1865. Comn-Sergt. Win. J. Christian, Flint; en]. Aug. 12, 1861; capt. 30th Inf. Jan. 8, 1865. Coin.-Sargt. Clias. G. Watkins, Flint; eni. Sept. 17, 1861; pro. Ist lient. Co. D. Hosp. Steward Milton 31. Fenner, Flint; eni. Aug. 12, 1861; pro. to 2d lieut. Co. 1, Nov. 22, 1861. Band, Alva M. Rogers, enl. Aug. 14, 1861; must, out July 30, 1865; veteran. Baud, Orville McWilliams, enl. July 1, 1861; msust. out July 30, 1865. Comsspassp A. Capt Simon C. Guild, Flint; eni. Sept. 21, 1861; killed in battle at James let. and, Va., June 16, 1862. Capt. Ephraimu W. Lyon, Flint; pro. to maj. Feb. 1, 1863; res. March 10, 1863. Capt. James S. Donoliue, Flint; trans. from Co. B; dis~honorably dissuissed; restored, and trans. to Co. I ats capt. Capt. Johns S. Freeman, Flint; trans. from Co. B; wounded at Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864; must. out Oct. 18, 1864. Capt. Edward R. Chase, Flint; enil. April 25, 1865; brev. capt. U. S. Vols., April 2, 1865, for conspicuous gallantry in assanit on Fort Mahone, Va.; miust. out July 30, 1865. 1st Lient. George E. Newell, Flint; enl. Sept. 12, 1861; pro. to capt. Co. I, Sept. 10, 1862. 1st Lieut. John S. Freeman, Flint; enl. Jan. 1, 1863; pro. to capt. Co. B, May 3, 1864. 1st Lieuit. Thomas Campbell, Goodrich; enl. March 18, 1863; killed in battle near Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864. 1st Lient. Lewis M. Webster, Flint; enl. Nov. 20, 1864; res. May 20, 1865; was sergt. and 2d lient. Iet Lieut. Andrew H1. Gillis, Flint; must, out Jnly 30),1805. 2d Lient. George H. Turner, Flint; eni. Sept. 21, 1861; res. Sept. 25,13862. 2d Lieut. John S. Freeman, Flint; enl. Sept. 3, 1862; pro. to 1st lioot. Co. A, Jan. 1, 1863. 2d Lieut. Charles Eddy, Flint; enl. Jan. 1, 1863; pro. to lst lieut. Co. F, April 16, 1863. 2d Lieut. Harrison H. Williams, Grand Blanc; enl. April 20, 1864; wounded in battle near Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864; pro. to 1st lient. July 5, 1864; dudsh for disability, Nov. 17, 1864. Sergt. James W. Page, enl. June 19, 1861; disch. for disability, Jan. 10, 1862. Sergt. James H. Atchinson, enl. June 19, 1861; died at Hilton Head, S. C., Dec. 25, 1861. Sergt. Henry Cline (veteran), enl. June 19, 1861; died July 12, 1864, of wounds received at Petersburg, Va. Sergt. John S. Freeman, enl. June 19, 1861; pro. to 2d lient. Co. A, Sept. 1, 1862. Sergt. David B. Foote, en]. June 19, 1861; killed on Coosaw River, S. C., Dec. 18, 1861. Corp. Milton narrows (sergt.), enl. June 19, 1861; died at sea on steamboat "1Argo," July 3, 1862, of wounds received in battle. Corp. John Q. Adanas, en]. June 19, 186t; killed in battle of Port Royal, S. C., Jan. 1, 1863. Corp. Orville McWilliams, enl. June 19, 1801; app. chief musician, April 21,1864. Corp. Chiarles Crapser, enl. June 19, 1861; disch. for disability, March 6, 1863. Corp. Charles Eddy (sergi.), out. June 19, 1861; pro. to 2d liesut. Jan. 1, 1863. Corp. Ileiry W. Caldwell, cut. June 1.9, 1861; diseli. for disability, Dec. 12, 1862. Corp. Edward R. Chase, eni. Jujie 19, 1861; pro. 1o sergt..maj. Corp. Redusan I. Babcock, eul. June 19, 1861; killed in battle of Chantilly, Va., Sept. 1, 1862. Musician Elias Parkes, died at Falmontb, Va., Jan. 11, 3863. Charles Howard Gardner, " the. Drummer Boy of the Eighth,"* died at Knoxville, Teisr., Dec. 2, 1863, of wounds. Wagoner Norman Brown, disch. Sept. 22, 1864, end of service. Edward Brooks, killed in action at Port Royal Ferry, S. C., Jan. 1, 1862. Charles Bickford, dieclh. to en list in regular service, Oct. 215, 1862. Aimasa Brace, dTisch. to enlist in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. William Babcock, disch. for disability, Feb. 5, 1863. George 11. Bentiett, disch. for disability, Jan. 2, 1863. James 14. Burt, Atllas, died of wounds in Wilderness, Va., May 9, 1864. Abel S. Bennett, died in actiols at James Island, S. C., June 16, 1862. Alouzo Bouicher, must, out July 30, 1865. Timothiy Condon, died in action at Wilmjington Island, Ga., April 16, 1862. Oliver Cone, died of disease at Ililton, Head, S. C., Dec. 24, 1862. Monroe Cuddeback, disch. for disability, June 23, 1862. Barney Cullen, discli. for disability, Oct. 25, 1862. Henry Cartweright, disch. for disability, Nov. 5, 1862. Gustavus Clhapel Hlint, died of disease at Milidale, Miss., July 8, 1863. Henry W. Cadwell, disch. for disability, Dec. 12, 1862. Barlow Clother, disch. br disability, May 19, 1863. Edward 11. Clispinan dischs for disability, Nov. 26, 1862'. Henry Casey, dischs at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. WIalter Clother, diseli at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. Mortiiner Carter, dischi for disability, Jan. 15, 1865. Levi Collins, Grand Bhlance diech. by order, June 1, 1865. Warren Cole, traus 1o Vet. Res. Corps, Jan. 21, 1865. Ira Delling, died in action at James Islaisd, S. C., June 16, 1862. William Delbridge, died of disease at Nicholasville, Ky., Aug. 24, 1863. Jamies Druniond, died of wounds near Petersbnrg, Va., June 17, 1864. Charles Dye, muset, out July 30), 1865. Thonsas Donahue, must. out July 30, 1865. Oliver Dye, discti. for disability, Nov. 29, 1864. Emnory Derston, disch. for disability, Marchi 20, 1865. Trumbull C. Elder, discis. for disability, Jan. 30, 1862. Cliauncey Eggleston, discis. for disability, May 15, 1865. Peter A. Fritz, died of disease at Washington, D. C., Nov. 23, 1861. Andrew Gillis, diach. to re-etil. as ve-teran, Feb. 17, 1864. Thsonimas Heather, died of diseatse at Beaufort, S. C., Jan. 10, 1862. Ilarrison S. tlsyne, died of disease at Grand Raipids, Michs., Sept. 20, 1861. Burdett R. Hopkins, hasch, for disability, April 6, 1862. William. W. IHarris, disch. to eul. in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. James P. Hoffinan, utisch. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. Lyman Iluestard, disch. at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. * The pathetic story of tlits youthi, who was mortally -wounded at Knoxville, was told by Isumdreds of newspatpers inl the Nortli, under thle heaiding of "Thle Drummer Boy of tlbs Eightib Michigan Rogiinent." Its substance was ats follows: At the opening of the war Charles Howard Gardner was a schoolboy, thirteen arid a half years of age, in the city of Flint. Ills fattier had eiilisted under the first call of thle President. "1Soon there cause at call for three huntred thousand more, when Charley's teacher, Simon C. Guild, to whom he was Msuch attachedJoined the army, ausd Capt. Guild, knowving Chanley's nim~ical ability, seconded lils earnsest enitreaties that lie might go wilts hiii as drtiinser, to which his niottier, who lied aiready given her hunsband, reluctantly consented, arid Chantey joined the Eighth Michliganl Infantry. "The regiment was ordered to Port Royal, and on their way Chiarley met his father, and, forgetting military rmsle, lie broke from blue iaiiks and ran to his father's arm-,. It was their last earthly nieeting, as lils fathier died the November following. In a letter to hi's mother comnsoling her, lie promised to send her all his money, wviich he did every p. y-d.ay. At thle luattle of James Island Calut. Guild fell. Now was Chancey indeed bereaved. Tlsrongli all battles, all usarches, amid all camspaigns lie kept wills time regiment, often on short ratious, without one word of complaint, only desiring to remains usslil ihe end of tile war. At thse siege of Knoxville a chaisce shot struck Chiarley In the shioulder and enteredl Isis lung." Then tse narrative proceeds: " That Isis wound seemecd to be doing wvell, arid time stirgeoin reported Jiln as fast recovering. Ills msothser was made happy by this announcement, amid wvaited, hourly expectisig hs returis wilts isis comrades on veteran furlough. But while she thus lovsingly amid impatiently awaited his consing, there cam imistead tse heart-breisking dispa1dm,.This regiusent has arrived, but Chantey is dead.'`-The story is taken from Moore's Rebellion Record. v EIGHTH INFANTRY. 7 77 I Theodore Jennings, died of disease at Hilton Hlead, S. C., Nov. 14, 1861. Mott Johnston, disch. for disability, Oct 25, 1862. Aylmer Jennings, must, out July 30, 186. Thomas M. Kipp, died of disease at IBeaufort, S. C., Jan. 6, 1862. Thomas Kimmel, Davison, niust. out July 30, 1865. Charles D. Long, disch. for disability, June 23, 1862. Fletcher Lewis, disch. at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. Isaatc Laine, disch. at end of service, Sept. 2:3, 1864. Montie Moss, died in action at Bull Run, Va., Aug. 29, 1862. Charles McKee, dTisch. to cul. in regular service, Oct. 24, 1862. Adamn D. Miller, disch. for ilisability, Sept. 13, 1864. Henry W. Mason, diech. Jan. 4, 1865, for promotion in 310th Mich. Iof. Abraham B. Miller, disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec. 29, 1863. Addison H. Mattice, must. out July 30, 1865. Frank Newman, must. out July 30, 1865. Albert S. Newman, died of disease at Hitton Head, S. C., Nov. 26, 1862. Ransom D. Osborn, disicli. at end of service, Sept. 27, 1864. Henry Odell, died of disease at Annapolis, Md., Oct. 2, 1861. James W. Page, diecli. for disability, Jan. 10, 1862. Abram D. Penny, dTisch. for disability, Sept. 29, 1862. Alba Passing, disch. to enl. 'in reg ular service, Oct. 24, 1862. Jamnes M. Persons, discia. at end of ser-vice, Sept. 22, 1864. John D. Paitie, disch. at end of sarvice, Sept. 22, 1864. William R. Pratt, must, out July 30, 1865. Daniel C. Parker, dlsch. to re-eul. as veteran. George W. Hall, ilisch. to re-eil. as veteran, Dec. 29, 186:3. Fred. Shltlinger, died of wounds received at Wiluiington Island, Ga., April 24, 1862. Stephen Swart, diech. for disability, March 28, 1882. Itenry M. Stores, disch. at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. Hiram Snyland, trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, Jan. 21, 1865. David B. Took, died in action at Coosaw Itiver, S. C., Dec. 18, 1861. Hanford E. Todd, insst, out July 30, 1865. George Wallace, died of disease at Beaufort, S. C., May 24, 1862. John A. Warner, discli. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 24, 1862. Warren Wilcox, died of wounds at Washington, D. C., Oct. 2, 1864. Lewis N. Webster, dischi. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec. 29, 1861. Harrison H1. Williams, diach. to re-etil. as veteran, Dec. 29, 1863. Moses Walker, Atlas, niust. out Jnly 30, 1865. Harris Wooden, must, out.July 30, 1865. William P. Youngs, (1isch. for disability, Dec. 2, 18612. Company F. 1st Lient. Charles Eddy, Flint (sergt.), 2d lient. Co. A; pro. 1st lieut. Co. F, April 16, 186:3; must. out Sept. 29, 1864. *2d Lieut. Orrin Bump, Flint; en]. March 27, 1863; pro. Ist lient. Co. G, April 20, 1864. James Ailams, Flint; disch. for disability, Dec. 4, 1864. Stephen L. J. Bingham, Flint; diach. for disability, Dec. 21, 1861. Charles Cartwriglit, Grand Blanc; must, out July 3(1, 1865. Willard Clemens, Richfield; mutst, out July 30, 1865. Sampson Dosighty, Burton; died in action in Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864. Charles A. Fent, Flint; dTisch. by order, Aug. 12, 1865. Nathan L. Grundy, Burton; must, out July 30, 1865. Williams Horton, Flint; must, out July 030, 1865. David Hoiighton, Vienna; maust. out July 30, 1865. William. F. Metcalf, Burton; died of (liseass at Beverly, N. J., October, 18614. Jeronae B. McX~ayne, Atlas; must, out July 30, 1865. Harrison E. Payne, Mount Morris; died of disease at Salisbury, N. C., Dec. 25, 1864. Williama B. Pellett, Flint; must, out July 30, 1865. George 11. PratIt, Argentine; must, out July to, 1865. William H. Sbeperd, Forest; died in action at Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864. Daniel Shanik, Argentine; died of wounds in Washington, 1). C., June 30,1864. h1iram, Sturgis, Argentine; died in action near Petersburg, Va, June 18, 1864. Silas H. Van Schaick, Richfield; died of disease near Petersburg, Va., July 10, 1864. Stacey B. W~arford, Flint; must. out July 30, 1805. Charles R. Warren, Fliint; nmust. out July 30, 1865. Comapany G. Capt. Ephraim W. Lyon, Flint; enl. Aug. 10, 1861; trans. to Co. A, Sept. 1, 1862. Capt. Horatio Belcher, Flitit; enl. Sept. 1, 1862; pro, to nanjor, Juxie 3,1864. Capt. Harrey J. Christian, Flint; cut. April 25, 186.5; must, out July 30, 1865. let Lieut. horatio Belcher, Flint; exit. Aug. 10,51861; pro. to Capt. Sept. 1, 1862. 1st Lieiit. Orrin, Bump, Flint; cut. April 20, 1864; pro. to adj. July 5, 1864. 1st Lient. Harvey J. Christian, Flint; cut. Jan. 8, 1865; pro. to capt. April 25, 1865. Ssrg't Jolix I. Philips, Flint; cut. Jan. 1, 1861; pro. to 2d lient; res. Dec. 15, 186:3. Sergt. Nathan M. Healey, Flint; discth. for disability, Oct. 18, 1862. Corp. Wisi. E. Cliristiaxi, Flint (sergt.); pro, to comy.-sergt. Setit. 24, 1864. Corp. John E. Gibson, Flint; sliash. to enlist in regular armny, Oct. 25, 1862. Corp. Seymour Hill, Flint; disch. at Beautlort, S. C., March 4, 1862. Corp. Harvey J. Christian, Flint; pro, to comn-sergt. Sept. 24, 1861. Corp. Francis Hopkiiis, Flint; trans. to xInvalid Corps, Nov. 1, 1863. Corp. Eliel E. Miller, Flint; disci,. at New York, Feb. 14, 1863. Musician Joseph Davis, Flint; died March 26, 1862. Musician Alva M. Rogers, Flint; app. principal musician, Feb. 19, 1864. Cassander Ackley, died Dec. 3, 1862, at Annapolis, Nd., of wounds received in action. James E. Armstrong, died Dec. 5, 1864, at Knoxville, Tenn., of wounds. Hiram. Applebee, veteran; must, out July 30, 1865. Phineas Allen, disch. by order, May 31, 1865. William Austin, must, out July 30, 1865. Daniel S. Buyer, died in action at James Island, S. C., June 36, 1862. Albert M. Bran nick, died in action at James Island, S. C., Junte 16, 1862. Justus Beebe, disch. for disability, Aug. 18, 1862. Joh n Bowlea, discli. to en ter regular service, Oct. 24, 1862. Alfred Benton, veteran; missing in action In Wiliderness, Va., May 6, 1864. George Bleebe, veteran; must. out July 30, 1865. John R. Benjamin, veteran; must. omit July 30, 1865. Wilson Baldwin, diach. to re-cut. as veteran. Williana Burger, must. out July 30, 1865. Jamines Carnien, died in action at James Island, S. C., June 16, 1862. Emiory R. Curtis, dlied in action at Jaumes Island, S. C., Junme 16, 1862. William Capron, died in action at Jamies Islanid, S. C., June 1.6, 1862., John Cuimuitgs, disch. for disability, March 4, 1862. Lutlier C. Cleveland, diach. to enilist in regular service, Oct. 21, 1862. Van Wert Coulton, Fenton; disch. to cut, in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. Charles Cotton, Mount Morris; died of disease at Falmnoutlm, Va., Jan. 16, 1863. Sidney It. Castle, died of disease at Washington, D. C., June 27, 1864. Marcus Curtis, died of disease at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 17, 1864. Edson Contrad, died of disease at Andersonville, Ga., May 12, 1864. Milvenus Colby, discli,.at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. George B. Carnes, Fenton; died in action near Petersburg, Va., June 8, 1864. William N1. Chappel, must. out.tuly 30, 1865. Williant Cannon, umust. out July 30, 1865. William It. Cesler, Gaines; naust. out July 30, 1865. Edward S. Dart, (lisch. for disability, Oct. 18, 1862. Robert Dixon, xuissi ug in action in Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864. Franklin J. LDerrill, discti. for d~satility, April 6, 1864. Clark Dibble, discli. by order, May 31, 1865. Sylvester Ecleston, disch. for disability, June 14, 1863. Horatio N. Flint, niust. out July 30, 1865. George WV. Foot, diach. for wounds, May 18, 1865. Horatio WV. Felt, disch. at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. Johixi Ganson, diseb. at end of service. Sept. 22, 1864. William 11. Granger, disch. for disability, Sept. 25, 1861. George D. Geary, disch. to re-cut, in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. Theodore Ganson, diach. by order, Aug 4, 1865. William M. Gage, dTisch. to re-eul. as veteran. Nathan Ganson, dslich. ty order, July It), 1865. William. Hamilton, died Junte 23, 1862, frona wounds received at James Island, S. C. Franklin B. Howland, died in action at James Island, S. C., June 16, 1862. Seymour lill, discim. for disability, March 4, 1862. Halazy Al. Hlexistreet, disch. to ceii. in reguflar service, Oct. 24, 1862'. I. R. Itanilton, diacla. for disability, Dec. 51, 1862. Axisel L. Haxmilton, died of disease at Newpoht News, Feb. 24, 1863. Francis Hopkins, trans. to Vet. Rca. Corps, Nov. 1, 1863. Charles Hibbard, disch. at end of service, Oct. 10, 5864. Hir-am Ililbard, disclm. at eud of service, Sept. 22, 1864. Cornelius Hays, disch. at end of service, Sept. 22, 1864. Walter hlolmes, discli. to re-eul. as veteran. Miles P. H-all, died of disease at Detrs)it, Micli., Nov. 17, 1864. William- E. Itamilton, disch. tiy order, May 31, 1865. Ira Ingalls, disrh. for womimmis, April 18, 1865. Alvin Y. Jones, d ed in action atr Jamies Island, S. C., June 16, 1862. Elihu W. Judd, diach. for disability, April 17, 1861. John Kinsmnaa, died ia action at Jamitcs Island, S. C., June 16, 1862. Willian. Kinsman, discli. fqtr disability, Nov. 20, 1862. Isaac R. Kidmiey, dieil of wounds near Peterrsburg, Va., Sept. 30, 1864. Thmeoidore F. Looker, disch. to re-erml, in regular service, Oct. 24, 1862. Edson Langley, must. out July 30, 186-5. Mathiews Lafayette, must. out July 30, 1865. Oren H. McNitt, disch. for disability, Jai. 7, 1862. Nelson Meaker, diach. for disability, March 4, 5862. Joshua Meaker, disclm. for disatdlity, Marchi 4, 1862. Johin W. Moon, dkcli. for disability, Nov. 19, 1862. Lymian Marion, disch. to ceii. in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. George Morse, died of disease at Letianon, Ky., April 15, 186:1. Benjamin F. N rsh, Fenton; discla. by order, Juiie20,158655. henry Nichols, diecli. for disability, Nov. 2, 1862. Adettuert V. Overtoxi, (lied in action at Janies Islanil, S. C., June 16, 1862. Myromi Oilell, disch. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 25, 1862. Johin Owvens, traxis. to Vet. Res. Corps, Dec. 1, 1863. George WV. 1Plillip!4, died at Washiington, D. C., of wounds, June 13, 1864. Be~njaniin F. Pease, diechi. to re-emil. as veterami, Dec. 29, 1863. William Pa-lm-r, disciilm. by rder, June- 9, 1865.l IWil liam Parks, diacli. by order, June 28, 5865. Osmer Parks, Winidy, diseti. Uy order, May 31, 1865. George WV. Perkins, disch. for disability, Jan. 4, 186-5. 78 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Samuel Reed, d-sch. for disability, Dec. 31, 1862. John Rump, died at Cold Harbor, Va., June 13,1864. John H. Roe, must. out July 30,1865. Walter S. Savage, died at Bull Run, Aug. 30,1862. Peter B. Simonson, died in action at James Island, S. C., June 16,1862. Almon Sherwood, disch. for disability, Sept. 6,1862. Amos Stark, disch. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 23, 1862. Ransom Stephens, disch. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 25,1862. Burton F. Sawyer, Fenton, disch. for disability, May, 1865. Dewitt C. Spaulding, must. out July 30,1865. William H. Shaw, disch. by order, June 20,1864. Elbert H. Sawyer, Fenton, disch. for disability, Feb. 4,1865. William Tracy, disch. for wounds, Marchl, 1865. James M. Wright, died in action at James Island, S. C., June 16,1862. Charles A. Wing, disch. for disability, Nov. 20,1861. William Wilson, disch. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 24,1861. Japhet I. Willower, disch. to enl. in regular service, Oct. 25,1862. Byron Wright, died at Washington, D. C., of wounds, June 11, 1864. Caleb B. Wright, died at Washington, D. C., of wounds, July 5, 1864. William A. Wright, died of disease alt Annapolis, Md., March 4, 1865. Charles G. Walkins, discli. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec. 29, 1863. William Wheeler, mu-t. out July 30,1865. OTHER COMPANIES. James S. Donahue, Flint; 2(1 Lieut. Co. B, enl. Sept. 24, 1861; lst lient. Co. B, May 14, 1862; pro. to capt. Co. A; dismissed, then restored; trans. capt. Co. I, Jan. 1, 1863; disch. for wounds, Sept. 24, 1864. J. Brush Fenton, Flint; 2d lieut. Co. B, enl. April 21, 1862; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. G, Sept. 1, 1862; res. March 15, 1863. Edwin M. Hovey, Fenton; 2d lieut. Co. B, enl. Sept. 1,1862; 1st lieut. Co. B, Jan. 1, 1863; wounded at W;lderness, Va., May 6, 1864; pro. to capt. Co. C, June 3, 1864; must. out July 30, 1865. Milton M. Fenner, Flint; 2d lieut. Co. C, enl. Nov. 22,1861; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. K, Oct. 1, 1862; res. Ncv. 25, 1863. Martin L. Wiley, Flint; 2d lieut. Co. C, enl. Dec. 1, 1862; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. E, March 27, 1863; brev.-capt. U. S. Vols. April 2, 1865; capt. Co. I I, April 25, 1865; must. out July 30, 1865. John S. Freeman, Flint; sergt. Co. A; 2d lient. and 1st lieut. Co. A; capt. Co. D, May 3, 1864; wounded at Wilderneesi, Va.. May 6, 1864; must. out Oct. 18, 1861. Charles 11. McCreery, Flint; 2d lieut. Co. K, enl. Sept. 3, 1862; 1 st lieut. and adj. Sept. 21, 1862; capt. Co. F, March 27, 1863; brev.-major U. S. Vols. April 2, 1865; must. out Oct. 7, 1865. Charles Eddy, Flint (sergt.); 2d lient. Co. A; pro. to 1 st lieut. Co. F, April 16, 1863; must. out Sept. 29, 1864. Orrin Buimp, Flint; 2d lieut. Co. F; enl. March 27, 1863; pro. to 1st lieut. Co. G, April 20, 1864; adj. July 5, 184; must. out Oct. 18, 1864. Geo. E. Newell, Flit.t; 1 st lient. Co. A; enl. Sept. 21, 1861; pro. to capt. Co. I, Sept. 10, 182; res. Marcli 10, 1863. Win. Tracy, Flint (sergt); 2d lieut. Co. B; trans. 2d lieut. to Co. K, May 3, 1864; pro. to 1 st lieuit. Co. K, April 25, 1865; must. out July 30, 1865. John M. Bell, Grand Blanc, Co. B; disch. by order, Ju ne 13, 1865. George M. Billiigs, Co. I; disch. by order, July 28, 1865. Alva Blood, Argentine, Co. E; killed in action at Grove Church, Va., June 3, 1864. Tahnai M. Barnum, Co. E; must. out July 30, 1865. Janimes Chase, Flint, Co. I; disch. for disability, Dec. 14, 1862. Thomas Canimpbell, Flint, Co. C; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, Jan. 15, 1864. William It. Cole, Fenton, Co. B; disch. by-order, June 3, 1805. Mark 11. Chamberlain, Fenton, Co. I; iiust. out June 1, 1805. Lewis Close, Mundy, Co. I; disch. at end of service, Aug. 15,1865. John II. Covert, Ga ines, Co. I; must. out July 30, 1865. Thomas Clayton, Grand Blanc, Co. K; disch. by order, March 3, 1865. Erastns Dickinson, musician, Coe. II; disch. at end of service, Sept. 27, 1861. Franklin Eldridge, Fenton, Co. B; dios ch. by order, June 1, 1865. Benjamin B. Eddy, Co. 11; ddscli. by order, June 1, 1865. Lambert S. Foster, corp., Co. I; disch. for disability, April 24, 1863. David M. Grooms, Fenton, Co. B; discli. by order, Jine 1, 16S5. McDowell Griswold, Co. I; dischli. by order, Aug. 9, 1865. Gilbert C. Hinckley, musician, Co. B; died of disease, Oct. 22, 1861. John Hager, Co. C; disch. by order, June 1, 1865. Truman Ilinmian, Co. HI; disch. liy order, May 20, 1865. Janmes ltouselander, M t. Morris, Co. E; imust. out July 30,1865. William S. Jewell, mnmSsician, Co. II; disch. April 7, 1863. Lyman F. Knapp, Viennia, Co. K; died of dise:ise at Annapolis, Md., April 5, 1864. William Mill er, Co. K; died of disease at Balrboursville, Ky., May 1,1864. Orville McWill ianms, band; must. out July 30, 1865. Asa Parslhall, Pashallvillh, Co. l dlisch. for dis ability, Dec. 14,1862. William L. Perkins, Atlas, Co. E; died of disease at Annapolis, Md., April 2, 1864. James W. Rich, Gainer, Co. I; sergt.; dihich. for disability, Sept. 12, 1862. Beldin Robinson, Fenton, Co. K; disch. for disability, Aug. 13, 18613. Alva Me. Rogers, band; must. out July 30, 1s85. Thaddeus Rogers, Fenton, Co. B; disch. by order, June 1, 1865. Daniel Shaunk, Argoeuine, Co. H; died July 5, 1864, of woun 1 1 received at Grove Ch urch, Va., June 3, 1864. S.llS ^ ^ t e 0: 10 ". 1X D.': 1:: John Tallman, Fenton, Co. H; disch. by order, June 1, 1865. Austin R. Terry, Grand Blanc, Co. H; must. out July 30, 1865. Frank A. Taylor, Mundy, Co. D; must. out July 30, 1865. Joseph D. Thomas, Richfield, Co. 11; died of disease at City Point, Va., Feb. 6, 1865. Augustus H. Vickery, Fenton, Co. B; disch. by order, June 1, 1865. Hannibal Vickery, Fenton, Co. H; discli. by order, Aug. 3, 1865. John C. Wolverton, sergt., Co. B; trans. to Signal Corps, Oct. 13, 1863. Seth B. Watson, Flint, Co. I; died of disease at Flint, Mich., Feb. 28, 1864. William Woodbury, N. C. S.; must. out July 30, 1865. Devillous Willber, Co. 11; disch. by order, May 29,1865. James A. Williams, Fenton, Co. B; absent, wounded; not must. out with company. CHAPTER XII. TENTH INFANTRY. Organization of the 10th at Camp Thomson-Presentation of Colors and Departure for the Front-Campaigns and Marches in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama-In Garrison at Nashville —Continuous Marching through Three States-Pursuit of LongstreetWinter-Quarters in Georgia-Fight at Buzzard's Roost-Veteran Furlough-Rendezvous at Flint and Return to Georgia-Atlanta Campaign-March to the Sea-Carolina Campaign-Battles of Averysboro' and Bentonville-The Grand Review at WashingtonMuster Out and Return to Michigan. Tis regiment was recruited and organized in the autumn of 1861 and the following winter, its rendezvous being established at the city of Flint, through the efforts of the Hon. Edward H. Thomson, then president of the State Military Board. The rule had been adopted (and, up to that time, closely adhered to) by Governor Blair to establish no regimental rendezvous in places inaccessible by railroad, and, as Flint had then no railway communication, it required all the influence and energy of the patriotic president of the board to procure the order designating his own city of Flint as the headquarters of the 10th during its organization. But the order was finally obtained, and the camp of instruction-of which he was made provisional commandant-was named by the officers " Camp Thomson," in his honor. This camp was situated near the eastern limits of the city, on the left bank of Flint River, " on a piece of undulating g round, including a small piece of woods, separated frolm the drill-grounds by a low marsh, which, in the spring time, was overflowed by the high water of the river." Comfortable barracks, mess- and cook-rooms were erected, and here the men of the 10th made winter-quarters and their home for a period of nearly six months,-a period which, during its continuance, they though t to be one of considerable hardship, but to which, from their later camps and bivouacs, they often looked back as a season of comfort and pleasant associations. The several companies composing the regiment were recruited under the following names: "Byron Guard," afterwards designated as " A" company. "Saginaw Rangers," afterwards designated as " B" company. "Orion Union Guard," afterwards designated as "C" company. "Sanilac Pioneers," afterwards designated as " D" com pany. "Scarritt Guard," afterwards designated as " E" company. TENTH INFANTRY. 79 "( Holt Guard," afterwards designated as "F" company. " Lum Guard," afterwards designated as "G" company. " McClellan Guard," afterwards designated as " H" company. " Genesee Rangers," afterwards designated as "I" company. " Dickerson Guard," afterwards designated as "K" company. The first, third, and ninth of the above-named companies (especially the ninth) were largely made up of men from Genesee, and the county was represented in nearly all the other companies. The " Byron Guard" reported at the rendezvous eightysix strong, Nov. 5,1861, being the second company in camp (the first being the " Saginaw Rangers," who arrived November 1st). The first commissioned officers of the " Guard" were Henry S. Burnett, captain; Robert F. G-ulick, first lieutenant; Bradford Cook, second lieutenant. The " Orion Union Guard" reported at Camp Thomson, November 11th, with the minimum number of men. The nucleus of this company was formed at Orion, Oakland Co., by B. B. Redfield, but it was afterwards moved to Goodrich, Genesee Co., and consolidated with a company being raised at the latter place by Myron Bunnell, the consolidated company retaining the name which had been adopted by the Orion recruits. The company was mustered under the following commissioned officers: Myron Bunnell, captain; Benjamin B. Redfield, first lieutenant; Alvah A. Collins, second lieutenant. The " Genesee Rangers" joined the regiment at Camp Thomson, November 30th, only thirty-one strong, under Capt. Barker, who had previously resigned his captaincy of a company which had been raised for the 7th Infantry, and afterwards transferred to the 8th, under Col. Fenton. A part of a company which had been raised in Lapeer County by P. S. Titus, and which had reported at the camp of the regiment November 20th, was consolidated with the Rangers," and the company received the designating letter " I," under the following officers: Russell M. Barker, captain; Platt S. Titus, first lieutenant; John Algoe, second lieutenant. On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1862, the regiment was reviewed by Governor Blair, at Camp Thomson, and on that and the following day it was mustered into the United States service by Col. Wright, U. S. A. The 1 Oth was now an organized regiment in the service of the government, under the following field-officers, viz.: Colonel, Charles M. Lum; Lieutenant-Colonel, Christopher J. Dickerson; Major, James J. Scarritt. The ceremony of presentation of a national flag to the regiment was performed on Friday, the 1lth of April. The event is mentioned in Gen. Robertson's " Flags of Michigan," as follows: "The Hon. E. H. Thomson, in one of his eminently patriotic speeches, presented, on behalf of' the citizens of Flint, a very elegant flag, made of the best roll silk, on which was inscribed the name of the regiment, and the word ' Tuebor;' on a silver band on the staff the words, (Presented to the Tenth Regiment Michigan Infantry by the Citizens of Flint.' A response in good spirit and taste by Col. C. M. Lum, commanding the regiment, with a prayer by the Rev. J. S. Boyden. Judge Avery, of Flint, and Professor Siddons followed with brief and appropriate speeches. After the speeches Col. Lum delivered the color into the hands of the color-sergeant, who was said to be six feet seven inches in stature. On this occasion the men of the 10th paraded in their new regulation uniforms, and were armed with ' Austrian rifles, just received,' which in their inexperience they then believed to be a reliable and effective weapon. While they stood in hollow square, Mrs. Fenton and other ladies of Flint distributed to each member of the regiment a copy of the New Testament." The regiment, nine hundred and ninety-seven strong, took its departure from Camp Thomson on Tuesday, the 22d of April, its first destination being known to be St. Louis, Mo. There was then no railroad fiom Flint to the line of the Detroit and Milwaukee road, and therefore the men were moved to Iolly Station on wagons and other vehicles furnished by patriotic citizens of Genesee and Oakland Counties. This first stage of their long journey was accomplished in a snow-storm, which gave additional sadness to partings, many of which proved to be final. At Holly, after abundant feasting, the command took the train for Detroit, and after marching through the city to the Michigan Central depot, escorted by the "Lyon Guard" and Detroit " Light Guard," embarked on a train consisting of twenty-three passenger and five freight cars, drawn by two locomotives, and at a little before midnight left for the West. Michigan City was reached at two o'clock P.M. on Wednesday, and at six r.M. on Thursday the regiment was at East St. Louis. On the following day it embarked on the steamer " Gladiator," and at four r.M. on Friday moved down the Mississippi. Cairo was reached, and during the short stop which was nmade there the most sensational rumors were circulated,-that desperate fighting was then in progress at Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee (tlie known destination of the regiment), that the river at Paducah was filled with dead floating downl firom the battle-field above, and many other stories of similar import. But the " Gladiator" moved on up the Ohio on Saturday afternoon, passed Fort Henry on Sunday, and on Monday night reached Pittsburg Landing, but was ordered to proceed four miles farther up the Tennessee, to Hamburg, which place was reached on Tuesday, the 27th, just one week after the departure from Camp Thomson. Here the regiment was disembarked on the 28th, and on the 29th was assigned to duty in Col. James D. Morgan's brigade, Payne's division, left wing Army of Mississippi. On its first advent among the veterans of Shilol the regiment received the usual attentions which old soldiers pay to fresh troops, such as sneering allusions to the cleanness of uniforms and the size of knapsacks, with frequent applications of the epithets "paper-collar soldiers," "band-box regiment," and many similar compliments; but all this was given and received in good-humor, for all knew that a few days of marching would lighten the knapsacks and remedy the objectionable brightness of uniforms, and after the first action all would be old soldiers together. The first march of the regiment in the enemy's country was made on the 29th, when it moved up about five miles 80 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -- ----- and bivouacked for the night in the woods. On the 1st of May it again advanced towards Farmington, Miss., and remained in the vicinity of that village until the enemy's evacuation of Corinth, May 30th. During this time it was several times slightly engaged in skirmishing, but sustained no loss except on the 26th, when the adjutant, Lieut. Sylvester D. Cowles, was instantly killed by the bullet of a sharpshooter while on picket. The entire summer of 1862 was passed by the regiment in marching, camping, picketing, and similar duties in the north part of the States of Mississippi and Alabama, but without any notable event (more than occasional skirmish) occurring in its experience. On the 1st of June it was at Rienzi, Miss., and from the 2d to the 11th was at Booneville and in its vicinity. About June 15th it encamped at Big Springs, six miles from Corinth, and remained there five weeks. At this place a Fourth of July celebration was held, and the stay at this camp was regarded by all as among the most agreeable of all the regiment's sojournings during the war. On the 27th of July the headquarters of the regiment were at Camp Leighton, Tuscumbia, Ala., but the several companies were posted at different places for a distance of twenty miles along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, engaged in guarding that line. Lieut.-Col. Dickerson, who was at Town Creek, Ala., with a part of the regiment, evacuated that place in haste in the night of the 31st on account of the (reported) advance of a heavy force of the enemy. The camp was reoccupied the next day, as the enemy (if there had been any in the vicinity) had moved in another direction. About the last of August it was announced that the command was to move to Nashville, Tenn., and on the 1st of September the several detachments of the regiment concentrated at the military ferry on the Tennessee River and awaited orders to move. The orders were received on the following day, and the command moved northward. The march occupied nine days, during which the regiment passed through Rogersville, Athens, Elkton, Pulaski, Lynnville, Columbia, Spring Hill, and Franklin, and in the evening of the 11th bivouacked two miles from Nashville. Here it remained on picket till the 15th, when it moved through the city and camped in the southern suburbs. The labor demanded of the regiment during its stay at Nashville was severe, consisting of work on the extensive fortifications which had been laid out by Gen. Negley, the commandant of the post, besides constant picketing and guarding of forage-parties, which were continually sent out into the surrounding country, this being the only means of snbsisting the forces in Nashville, as all communication with the city, by rail or river, was destroyed. This state of affairs continued for about two months, Nashville being held by the divisions of Negley and Palmer, but out of communication with the outside world, and surrounded on every. side by troops of the enemy, principally cavalry. The Army of the Cumberland, however, having defeated the army of Bragg at Perryville, Ky., was marching southward from Bowling Green, under Gen. Rosecrans, to the relief of the beleaguered force, and on the 6th of November his advance guard reached the river at Edgefield, opposite Nashville. Railroad communication was now open to Mitchelville, thirty-five miles north of Nashville, and soon after it was opened to the city. This gave relief in the matter of rations to the troops who had been so long imprisoned there, and lightened the forage and picket duty, but the labor on the defensive works of the town was still continued, and a great amount of work was to be done in repairing roads and bridges for the advance of the army southward. The 10th did not move forward with the Army of the Cumberland on the 26th of December in the advance on Murfreesboro', but remained nearly seven months after that time at Nashville, engaged in provost, grand guard, and fatigue duty, and in protecting communication between Nashville and Murfreesboro' and other points. Upon one occasion (April 10, 1863) a detail of men from " H" and " E" companies, forty-four in number, under command of Lieut. Francis W. Vanderberg, were sent to guard a railway train to and from Murfreesboro', and on their return were attacked by a body of the enemy's cavalry in ambush at Antioch Station, three miles north of Lavergne,-the train having been stopped for some cause when the attack was made. Lieut. Vanderberg fell mortally wounded at the first or second fire, and five of his men were killed, ten wounded, and three taken prisoners, making a total loss of nineteen, or two-fifths of the force engaged. This (with the exception of the loss of its adjutant, killed on picket in Mississippi) was the first loss inflicted on the regiment in action by the enemy. The men and officers of the 10th had begun to regard Nashville as their permanent camping-place, and some of them had formed such strong attachments there that when, on the 19th of July, orders were received to move southward, they were welcomed with very little of the enthusiasm which similar orders would have produced a few months earlier. But the regiment moved in the morning of the 20th, and reached Murfreesboro' at noon of the 21st. Here it remained on picket and guard duty till August 19th, when it again marched southward. The history of the regiment during the four months next succeeding its departure from Murfreesboro' is that of an almost continuous march through the States of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. It passed south through Fosterville, Shelbyville, Farmington (Tenn.), and Lewisburg to Columbia; remained there on provost duty from the 23d to the 26th of August; moved on through Pulaski and Lynnville to Athens, Ala.; remained there from August 29th to September 1st; thence passed through Huntsville, Brownsville, on Flint River, Ala., Larkinville, Scottsboro', and Bellefonte to Stevenson, Ala., remaining at the lastnamed place on provost duty from the 7th to the 21st of September; moved to Bridgeport, Ala.; remained there till October 1st; moved at midnight, through dense darkness and fathomless mud, on the road to Jasper, Tenn.; passed that place, and moved to Anderson's Cross-Roads; remained there picketing from the 3d to the 18th of October; moved to Dallas, Tenn., thirteen miles above Chattanooga, on the north side of the Tennessee River; remained there three days within hearing of the cannonading between the hostile armies at Chattanooga; moved again October 2-th, passed through Washington, Tenn., and arrived on the TENTH INFANTRY. 81 26th at Smith's Ferry over the Tennessee, fifty-five miles above Chattanooga. There the regiment remained for nearly four weeks, during which time the men had constructed comfortable quarters with fireplaces and other conveniences, believing that this would be their campingplace for the winter which was then approaching. But on the 20th of November marching orders came, and on Saturday, the 21st, the 10th Michigan was again on the march. In the evening of the 22d it was once more within hearing of the cannonade from the batteries on Lookout Mountain, and on the 23d it reached Camp Caldwell, on the right bank of the Tennessee, four miles above Chattanooga. Crossing to the south side of the river on the 24th, the 10th stood in line during the progress of the great conflicts at Lookout and Mission Ridge, but was not engaged in either of those battles. Soon after midnight, in the morning of the 26th, it moved up the Tennessee, crossed Chickamauga Creek on a pontoon-bridge, and marched up the right bank of that stream, where a part of the brigade met a small force of the retreating enemy, and a skirmish ensued in which one man of the regiment was slightly wounded by a spent ball. The enemy's evacuated works at Chickamauga Station were occupied on the same day, the 10th being the first to enter the works. On the 27th the regiment entered Georgia for the first time, passing through Grayville and camping near Ringgold. On the 28th orders were received to march in pursuit of Longstreet, who was known to be in the vicinity of Knoxville. Under these orders the regiment marched with its brigade on the 29th, and continued to move rapidly up the valley of the Tennessee until December 6th, when it had reached a point some fifteen miles above Loudon, where the intelligence was received that Longstreet had withdrawn from Knoxville and retreated into Virginia. Then the column was ordered to return to Chattanooga. The 10th passed through Madisonville to Columbus, Tenn. (remaining at the latter place from the 9th to the 15th of December, during which time the bridge across the Hiawassee River was constructed by Company I), and on the 18th reached its old camp, four miles above Chattanooga. Here it remained till the 26th, when it moved to near Rossville, Ga., and prepared to go into winter-quarters after a marching campaign of more than four months' duration. The men had come in from the East Tennessee march worn out, famished, and tattered, many of them having no shoes, having been compelled to cut up their ragged blankets into wrappings for their feet. Certainly no men ever stood more in need of rest and recuperation. At the Rossville camp the men built tight and comfortable log cabins, each containing a fireplace, and in these (when not out on picket duty) the two remaining months of winter were spent in a very agreeable manner. The Georgia climate was found to be quite different from that of Michigan, the month of February being quite as warm and pleasant as the Northern April. On the 28th and 29th of January the 10th was out on a reconnoissance to Ringgold, and the march proved quite oppressive on account of the heat. Preparations were now made for mustering as veterans, 11 and nearly all the companies had the requisite three-fourths of their number re-enlisted, when, in the evening of February 3d, the regiment was ordered out on picket to Chickamauga Station, eight miles away. It remained out till the 14th, when it was marched back to camp, and the veteran muster was completed on the 16th, three hundred and eighty men signing the veteran enlistment for three years, dating from February 6th. The number of veterans was afterwards increased to over four hundred. The re-enlistment and muster being perfected, the men were waiting impatiently for the veteran furlough (which some of them were destined never to receive), when, in the morning of February 23d, the regiment had orders to march immediately, with three days' rations and sixty rounds of ammunition. The men could hardly believe that they were again to march to the front before making the long-anticipated visit to their homes, but they fell in without much audible complaint, and marched away on the road which was to lead them to their first battle-field. The regiment moved to within a mile of Ringgold, and camped for the night. In the morning of the 24th it moved to a point between that town and Tunnel Hill, where the brigade joined the forces which had moved out from Chattanooga to make a reconnoissance in force of the enemy's positions in the direction of Dalton and Lafayette, Ga. The enemy were flanked out of their works at Tunnel Hill, and retired towards Dalton. The 10th (with other commands) followed in pursuit, and at about five o'clock P.M. arrived at Buzzard's Roost,-a rocky stronghold of the rebels, situated in a pass of the mountains known as Kenyon's Gap,three miles from Dalton. The works were in the rear of Rocky-Face Ridge, and fully commanded the Gap. Some skirmishing was done in the afternoon and evening of the 24th, and the regiment took position for the night between two spurs of Rocky-Face Ridge. On the 25th the early part of the day was consumed in skirmishing, but about two o'clock P.M. the 10th, with the 60th Illinois, were ordered forward in line over the ridges to attack the enemy and carry his position if possible. They moved forward gallantly into a very hot artillery and musketry fire from greatly superior numbers of the enemy. They remained under this terrible enfilading fire for about forty minutes, and did what men could do to carry the position, but were at last forced back by superior numbers, and at the end of one hour and ten minutes the regiment reoccupied the position from which it had advanced to the charge. In this brief time it had lost fortynine killed and wounded and seventeen missing, among the latter being Lieut.-Col. Dickerson, who was wounded and made prisoner by the enemy. A characteristic account of the battle given by a rebel paper (the Atlanta Register of Feb. 29, 1864) was as follows: " On Thursday, the 25th, the enemy commencedi about nine A.M., to skirmish with our pickets and sharpshooters. At one r.M. the Federal general, Morgan, ad; vanced on our right centre to force the Gap. They were gallantly met by Reynolds' brigade, of Stevenson's division, Clayton's brigade, of Walker's division, and Stavall's brigade, of Stewart's division, when a lively fight took place. The enemy made three desperate assaults to take the Gap, 82 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and were repulsed each time with great slaughter, being enfiladed at the same time by our artillery. We captured some twenty prisoners, among them Lieut.-Col. C. J. Dickerson, of the 10th Michigan, which regiment alone lost two hundred and fifty killed and wounded. That night the enemy fell back behind their intrenchments,-some three or four miles from our front line,-and a portion of their forces moved over to our left, and succeeded in taking a gap leading to the Lafayette road, through Sugar Valley, three miles south of Dalton." It will be noticed that while this account makes the loss of the 10th more than five times what it really was in killed and wounded, it admits that the two regiments which formed the Union attacking column encountered a rebel force of three brigades in a strongly-fortified position. In fact, neither the 10th nor the 60th Illinois had all its strength present in the fight,-only eight companies of each, making a total of about nine hundred men, being engaged. On the 26th the regiment with its brigade was relieved, and marched to Ringgold, from which place it returned to camp at Rossville, on the 27th. About the 5th of March, the veterans of the 10th left the Rossville camp, and moved to Chattanooga en route for Michigan, and arrived at Detroit on the 11th. There they received the veteran furlough, with orders to reassemble at its expiration at the rendezvous,-the city of Flint. Upon reassembling they remained in Flint for some days,-a visit which was long remembered by both soldiers and citizens. The veterans and recruits left Flint on the 20th of April, and moved by way of Fentonville to Detroit, thence by way of Kalamazoo and Lafayette to Jeffersonville, Ind., Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, arriving at the latter city April 24th. They left Nashville on the 27th, and marched to Chattanooga, where they arrived on the 11th of May, and on the 12th marched to their old winter-quarters at Rossville, which were found undisturbed and in good condition. On the 13th they marched in search of the brigade (which had moved forward with the army May 2d), and overtook it in the morning of the 16th, marchilng nineteen miles farther the same day, with Gen. Jeff. C. Davis' division, which was moving towards Rome. On the 17th the regiment took part in the fight at Oostanaula River, and in the capture of Rome on the following day, both without loss. Then followed a series of marches and manoeuvres by which the 10th moved to Dallas, to Ackworth, Ga., and to near Lost Mountain, and reached the base of Kenesaw Mountain on the 19th of June. On the 27th, it formed part of the reserve of the charging column at Kenesaw. Its losses during June were fourteen killed and wounded. The enemy having evacuated his works at Kenesaw, the 10th took part in the pursuit, marching on the 3d of July, and reaching the Chattahoochee River on the 17th. On the 19th it advanced to Durant's Mill, on Peachtree Creek, and took part in the actions of that and the following day, losing twenty-three killed and wounded. Through the remainder of July, and nearly all August, it lay in the lines of invest ment before Atlanta. August 30th it moved with a reconnoitering column to Jonesboro', and took part in the battle at that place on the 1st of September, charging across an open field on the enemy's works, and losing thirty killed and forty-seven wounded, among the former being the commanding officer of the regiment, Maj. Burnett. It was claimed for the 10th that in this action it took more prisoners than the number of men which it carried into the fight. For its conduct on this occasion it was complimented by Gens. Thomas, Davis, and Morgan, the corps, division, and brigade commanders. On the 28th of September the 10th left Atlanta and moved by rail to Chattanooga, Stevenson, Huntsville, Athens, and Florence, Ala., tearing up the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. For several days it was in pursuit of Wheeler's and Forrest's cavalry, but did not overtake them. On the 13th of October the regiment moved by rail back to Chattanooga, where it remained five days, and on the 18th again took the road, moving to Lee and Gordon's Mills, Ga., to Lafayette, to Summerville, up Duck Creek, through Broomtown Valley, and Alpine, Ga., across the mountains into Alabama, to Gaylesville (October 22d), and then back to Rome, Ga., where it was in camp November 1st. On the 9th it was at Etowah, Ga., and on the 13th at Cartersville, where, at six o'clock A.M. on that day, it "bade good-by to the cracker line, and to all communications, and plunged into the Confederacy with four days' rations, marching south and tearing up the railroad as we moved." On the 13th it made fifteen miles, on the 14th twenty-five miles, and on the 15th fifteen miles, burning the bridge over the Chattahoochee, and reaching Atlanta at two o'clock in the afternoon of that day. "As we approached Atlanta," wrote an officer of the 10th, "a huge column of black smoke was seen, and soon we found the railroad depots and buildings, with the foundries and manufactories, a burning mass." When night closed in the whole heavens were illuminated by the glare of the conflagration, and the innumerable camp-fires of the Union hosts which lay encircling the conquered city, busy with their final preparations for the storied March to the Sea. The forces composing the great army which Sherman had concentrated here for the mysterious expedition, whose destination was then only a matter of conjecture, were composed of four cowps d'armde —the 17th (a consolidation of the old 16th and 17th) and the 15th forming his right wing, and the 14th and 20th forming the left wing of his grand army of invasion. In that army the position of the 10th Michigan was with the 1st Brigade, 2d Division of the llth Corps. The other regiments of the brigade were the 14th Michigan, the 16th and 60th Illinois, and the 17th New York, all under Col. Robert F. Smith as brigade commander. The right wing was the first to move out; then came the 20th Corps, and lastly the 14th, and with this corps the 10th Regiment marched away at noon on the 16th of November. A distance of eleven miles was made during the afternoon, and at night the brigade bivouacked near the celebrated Stone Mountain, a round-topped knob of solid limestone about one mile in diameter at the base, and rising bare and gray from the level plain to a height of about thirteen hundred feet. From this halting-place the regiment set out at six o'clock in the morning of the 17th, and, TENTH INFANTRY. 83 with fine weather and a good road, made a march of fifteen miles, passing through the decaying settlements of Lassonia and Conyers' Station. On the 18th the Yellow and Alcova Rivers, tributaries of the Ocmulgee, were crossed on pontoons, and the tired men of the 10th lighted their bivouac fires in the vicinity of Covington, the seat of justice of Newton County. During this day they had marched as train-guard, and made a distance of ten miles. In the morning of the 19th they resumed their journey at six o'clock, in a drizzling rain, and at night found themselves twenty miles from Covington, and twice that distance from each of the towns of Macon and Milledgeville. The evening of the 20th saw them encamped three miles from Eatonton and fifteen from Milledgeville. Here the dull boom of distant artillery was heard; this being the first hostile sound which they had heard since their departure from Atlanta. Their march of the 21st was commenced at ten A.M. and was continued until three P.M., at which tine twelve miles had been accomplished, and they went into camp for the night. No move was made on the 22d. Orders were here read to the regiment, giving the liberty to forage on the country, and to appropriate anything necessary for the sustenance of man or beast. "These orders [said a letter written by a soldier of the 10th] are generally lived up to, and often exceeded. The citizens, on hearing of our approach, take everytlhing of value to the woods and swamps and cover them with brush, or bury them in the ground. But the 'Yanks' were not long in discovering this, and but little is presuned to have escaped their notice. Sweet potatoes, meal, flour, various kinds of liquor, tobacco, silk, and even coin, were thus unearthed from their hiding-places, and many a frolic was had by the blue-coats at the Confederates' expense. "It was truly amusing to go ahead of the army proper and see the foragers' proceedings. They were as good as skirmishers and advance guards, and often were the only ones we had. They never failed to rout the rebels whenever and wherever found. Citizens could tell our approach long before the army came along, by the popping of guns, squealing of hogs, and the noises of various farm fowls. Nothing escaped the foragers' notice, and but little that was serviceable to us eluded their grasp. When they came to a plantation they generally separated into small squads, each squad hunting for some special tiling. As if taught by instinct that we meant them harm, all animals and fowls tried to secrete themselves or get out of reach of us. Iogs, sheep, and cattle would take to the woods, fowls to the outbuildings, and turkeys to the trees. But it was all of no avail. The enterprising and persistent Yankees, prompted by hunger and the thoughts of a savory dish, were sure to hunt them out and bring them to. We had orders not to fire our guns to procure food, but that order was only partially lived up to. Any anlimal which we could not corner and catch we shot, and when the fowls took to the tree's or the tops of buildings tile Enfield rifle was sure to bring them down. Often would tle fat turkeys take shelter in the trees, and cry quit, quit! but there was no quit. Occasionally the foragers would find a lot of tobacco, honey, or sorghum molasses. Then there was a rush and scramble. To many, a swarm of bees was no more an impediment to the getting of the honey than if they had been so many blue-flies. A crowd of soldiers might be seen around a barrel of molasses, the head knocked in, and they with their cups filling their canteens, coffee pots, little pails, and every available kind of vessel that would hold the sweet fluid. At all hours of the day they might be seen coming in and taking their places in the ranks with face, hands, and clothes besmeared with molasses and honey. To see them, one might think they would stick to the Union, or to anything else; and they would, too. Such was foraging in Georgia, and even more than can be described with the pen. Imagination must supply the rest." In the morning of November 23d, at six o'clock, the regiment was again on the road, and marched leisurely to within two miles of Milledgeville, where it rested for the night. About noon of the 24th it passed through Milledgeville, and at night the men built their fires eight miles beyond the town. Here the foragers brought in a ton and a half of captured flour found secreted in a swamp. On the 25th a distance of eleven miles was made, and in the afternoon of the 26th the brigade reached Sandersville, the county-seat of Washington County. The marches of the 27th and 28th brought the regiment to a camping-place one mile south of Louisville, the county-seat of Jefferson, where it remained for three days picketing and foraging. In the first five days of December the men of the 10th marched sixty-tlree miles, and camped on the night of the 5th at Briar Creek, sixty miles from Savannah. During the 6th and 7th they made thirty-six miles, though continually impeded by timber felled across the road and bridges destroyed by the enemy. They had now entered the marshy country lying along the south side of the Savannah Rivei. Their march of the 8th was uneventful, but on the 9th they came upon a hostile battery of three guns, so posted as to command a road or causeway over which they were compelled to pass through one of the swamps which were numerous in that region. The 2d Illinois Battery was ordered into position, and soon cleared the road, but with the loss of one of its lieutenants killed. The rebel battery on its retreat encountered the 20th Army Corps, and was captured. On the 10th, the regiment with its brigade moved southward to the crossing of the Savannah and Charleston Railroad, and went on picket in that vicinity. In the morning of the following day they marched nine miles south, and took position in the Union line of investment four and a half miles from Savannah,-one line being formed to face the city, and another facing towards the country through which they had just passed. They had completed a distance of nine hundred and forty miles, marched since the 28th of September, and now sat down to the siege of Savannal. Tlhe city was defended by fifteen thousand to twenty thousand men behind exceedingly strong fortifications, and the artillery fire under which the 10th in common with other regiments lay was uninltermitting day and night. On the 14th news was received of the capture and occupation of Fort McAllister, south of the city. The first mail received by the regiment in a period of six weeks came to it here on the 17th. Finally, in the night of December 20th 84 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - 21st, the enemy evacuated the city, and on the 21st the 10th marched in. The regiment remained a little more than four weeks in Savannah, and on the 20th of January, 1865, it moved with the army up the right bank of the Savannah River, bound north. It reached Sister's Ferry, on the Savannah, January 28th, and remained there until the night of Sunday, February 5th, when, with the other troops of the command, it crossed to the north side of the river. 'Shouts and wild hurrahs rent the welkin as the feet of each successive regiment touched the soil of Carolina,"-so wrote an officer of the 10th who was present at this memorable crossing. The regiment remained here two days before moving north, and while here (February 6th) the non-veterans of the 10th were mustered out of the service, just three years having expired since the completion of the original muster at Camp Thomson. The regiment moved on the 8th, and passed through South Carolina without the occurrence of any especially notable event in its own immediate experience. The march through this State was much the same as it had been through Georgia, excepting that here the foragers found a far less productive field, and the track of the army was marked by a far more general destruction of property than in Georgia, nearly all the buildings being burned, and only the tall, naked chimney-stacks being left standing; while all along the western and northwestern horizon great columns of smoke by day, and the red glow of conflagrations by night, told how the cavalry of Kilpatrick were wreaking their treasured vengeance against the Palmetto State. The 10th Regiment reached Fayetteville, N. C., March 11th, and was there slightly engaged in a skirmish with the enemy. On the 12th it crossed the Cape Fear River, skirmishing at Averysboro', and on the 16th was again engaged at the same place, losing three men killed. Moving in advance of the corps on the 18th, six companies being deployed as skirmishers, they struck the enemy about noon, and a lively skirmish ensued. The regiment was ordered to take position at the junction of the Smithfield and Goldsboro' roads, and during the night it was attacked, but repulsed the enemy, and held its position until relieved by troops of the 20th Corps, on the 19th, when it moved and formed on the right of the second line of battle at Bentonville. About four P.M. the enemy moved up in heavy masses, and charged the first line, but was repulsed. Then the 10th, with its brigade, moved forward to the first line, and in a few minutes the enemy was discovered coming in on the left flank. The line was at once changed to the opposite side of the works, and, after pouring a volley into the ranks of the rebels, they were charged and driven with the bayonet, many prisoners and arms being taken. On the 20th the regiment skirmished during the entire day and night, and on the 21st moved towards Goldsboro', reaching there on the 23d. Moving from Goldsboro', it reached Smithfield April 10th and Raleigh April 13th. From Raleigh it moved to Avery's Ferry, forty-five miles above Fayetteville, and lay there from the 15th to the 21st of April, when it moved to Holly Springs, on the road to Raleigh. On the 28th it was at Morseville, N. C., and there r I received the announcement that its campaigning was over and the war ended by the surrender of Johnston. In its passage through the two Carolinas the regiment had sustained a loss of fifteen, killed, wounded, and missing. Moving north on the 30th of April, the 10th arrived at Richmond, Va., May 7th, and remained there till the 10th, when it marched on towards Washington, reaching there about the 16th. It took part in the grand review of Gen. Sherman's army at the capital on the 24th. It moved on the 13th of June, and proceeded to Louisville, Ky., where it was mustered out of the service July 19th, and ordered to Michigan. It reached Jackson on the 22d, and was paid off and discharged Aug. 1, 1865. The length and severity of this regiment's marches during its term of service were remarkable. It is shown that during 1862 and 1863 its foot-marches aggregated sixteen hundred miles; that its marches in 1864 amounted to thirteen hundred and seventy-five miles, and those in 1865 to six hundred and twenty miles,-a total of three thousand five hundred and ninety-five miles, this being exclusive of the distances accomplished by railroad and steamer. There were few, if any, regiments in the service whose marching record surpassed this. The brigade to which the 10th was attached during the period of its remarkable marchings through Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama was quite generally known among the men of the Southwestern army as " Morgan's brigade of Davis' footcavalry," the division being that commanded by Gen. Jeff. C. Davis. MEMBERS OF TIlE TENTH INFANTRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY. Maj. Henry S. Burnett, Goodrich; enl. Nov. 16, 1863; killed in battle at Jonesboro', Ga., Sept. 1, 1864. Adj. Edwin F. Holles, Fenton; enl. May 8, 1865; pro. to capt. June 7, 1865; must. out as adj. Surg. Jamies C. Willson, Flint; enl. Dec. 7, 1861; trans. surg. 8th Regt. Miciigan Vol. liin March 3,1862. Chap. Rev. Jesse S. Boyden, Flint; ell. April 10, 1862; res. Aug. 31, 1862. Sergt.-Maj. Edwin F. Holmes, Fenton; pro. to adj. Quar.-Mas. Sergt. Gleason F. Perry, Flint; pro. to 2d licut. Co. G. Company A. Capt. Henry S. Burnett, Goodrich; el. Oct. 4,1861; pro. to m:lj. Nov. 16, 1863. Capt. John Algoe, Flint; enl. Aug. 26, 1864; disch. for wounds, March 8, 1865. 2d Lieut. Maxwell G. Cool-y, Flint (sergt.); 2d lieut. Co. A, March 31, 1863; res. Dec. 28,1863. James Atherton, Argentine; must. out July 19, 1865. Jacob C. Bentley, Mundy; disch. at end of service, April 4, 1865. Lampson Condon, Argentine; veteran; must. out July 19, 1865. John Damon, Flint; disch. for disability, Sept. 20, 1862. Charles Darby, disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. 6,1864. Judsou Ency, must. out July 19, 1865. Albert Etvy, Argentinle; disch. by order, May 20, 1865. Andrew Effeits, disch. at end of service, Feb. 6,1865. Edward F. Fuller, disch. at end of service, Feb. 6, 1865. William Gove, must. out July 19, 1865. Elbert Hawley, died of disease at Deerfield, Mich., March 20, 1863. Daniel B. Lacey, trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, April 10, 1864. Charles Migglesworth, died of disease at Cincinnati, 0., July 2, 1862. Ethan Marsh, disch. for minority, March 10, 1862. George Minor, Flint; disch. for disability, Sept. 24, 1862. Allen Norris, Argentine; died of disease at Flint, Mich., March 9, 1862. Alexander O'Rourke, Burton; veteran; disch. for disability, July 22, 1865. Monroe Putnam, Argentine; veteran; must. out July 19,1865. Philip Richardson, died of disease at Nashville, Tenn., March 13, 1863. Miles J. RIood, disch. for disability, March 17,1863. Charles Raubenger, disch. at end of service, April 22, 1865. Manly Wittem, discharged. Marion Wittem, Mundy; disch. for disabil;ty, Dec. 23,1862. Compay C. Capt. Myron Bunnell, Goodrich; enl. Sept. 24, 1861; res. Nov. 18, 1862. 2d Lient. George A. Allenl, Flint; must. out Feb. 6, 1865, at end of service. 2d Lieut. James I. Kipp, Goodrich; enl. May 20,1865; must. out July 19,1865. SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. 85 I Corp. Jas. R. Kipp, veteran, Goodrich (sergt.); pro. to 2d Ileut. Corp. Milo Swea rs, veteran, Goodrich (sergt.); must. out July 19, 1865. Corp. James Lacy, Flint; musician; miust. out at end of service, Feb. 6,1865. Elihun Antion, Flint; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Felb. 6, 1864. John Bush, Goodrich; (lisch. to re-eni. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. George Bush, Goodrich; diech. to re-eni. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. Marvini C. Barney, Goodrich; discih. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. 11enry S. Bidwell, Goodrichi; dischi. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. John E. Beech, Goodrich; died of disease, July 23, 1862. George W. Bidwell, Forest; disch. for disability, Sept. 12, 1862. William Bartlett, died of disease at Nashville, Teiin., Jati. 5, 1863. Eli Baxter, Atlas; died of disease at Lookout Mountain, TLenn., Sept. 11, 1864. Erastus Corwin, Richfield; died in action near Dalton, Ga., Feb. 25, 1864. Oscar Cummings, Goodrich; died in action at Jonesboro', Ga., Sept. 1, 1864. Frank Crittenden, Forest; diech. to re-enil. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. Nelson Confer, Atlas; must. out July 19, 1865. Thomas Downer, Goodrich; died of disease at Camp iDennison, Ohio, Aug. 2, 1862. Benjanmint Frick, Goodrich; dischi. at end of service, Feb. 6, 1865. Stephen Ilustead, Atlas; died in action near Dalton, Ga., Feb. 250, 1864. 1larker Hlibbard, Flint; discli. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. 6,1864. Edmund E. Hedglin, Flint; must, out July 19, 1865. Seeley S. Lledgliuu, Flint; must, out July 19, 1865. Sylvester Haynes, Atlas; disch. at end of service, Feb. 6, 1865. Prentiss C. Haerris, Flint; discli. at end of at rvice, Feb. 6, 1865. Harrison Haynes, Flint; discit. at etid of service, Felt. 6, 1865. Cl~arles W. Johnson, Goodrich; died of disease at Nathville, Tenn., Dec. 24, 1862. Benjamin Overitolser, lilitfield; (tltch. Dec. 15, 1862. Omier P'ratt, Goodrichi; died or disease, June 10, 18112. Henry Pennell, Goodrich; dIrowned. Chatles H. Rantlet, Flittt; veteran; must, out July 19, 1865. Reuben L. Smith, unust. ottt July 19, 1865. George N. Schillinger, Gootdricht; drisct. at entd of service, Feb. 6, 1865. George Stotwe, Flitut; discit. to re enli. as veteratt, Felt. 6, 1864. John W. Saunders, Goodrich; ttied of disease ttt Atlantla, Ga., Oct. 31, 1864. Nelsoti Swears, Fliutt; died of disease at Lotuisville, Ky., April 6, 1862. Jttmes Vttnsickles, Grand Blanc; disch. for tlisability, Sept. 26, 1862. Asa Volettlite, Goodrith; veteran; usust. osut Jttly 13, 1865. Ira Wood, Flintt; died of disease at Keokuk, Iowa, Attg. 21, 18612. Comnpany L Capt. Rusasell M. Barker, Flint; en]. Oct. 1, 1861; resigned Nov. 29, 1862. 1st Lieut. George A. Aplin, Flfiutt; etil. M1ay 8, 1865; must. ottt Jauly 19, 1865. 2d Lieut. Thomas Branch Flint; eutl. Matrctu 31, 1863; must, out Feb. 6, 1865, at esut of service. Sergt. Hlenry K. Clbitteutden Flintt; tlisch. for tUsability, Feb. 9, 1863. Sergt. George A. Aplint, Flintt; proutoted to Let litut. Sergt. Josephl K. Tupper, Flitut; promoted to sergt.-maj. Sergt. Thonuas Bratnchu, Flintt; promoted to 2d liestt. Corp. William 11. Davie, Flfitt (sergt.); utuust. tttt ty geuteral order, July 3, 1865. Corp. Arba Suutitli, Flint; died of disease at Nasltville, Marccl 4, 1863. Corp. Lyman E. Davie, Flint; ito. to 1!4 lietut. U. S. C. Iuf., Nov. 9, 1863. Corp. Bentjatmin Bradsltaw, Flint; discli. for disabtility, April 10, 1862. Titeodore Arnmstrong, Flintt; ltied of disease at Farnuittgton, Miss., June 3,1862. Jason L. Asustint, Flittt; disrh. for stisability, Oct. 23, 1862. George Aplitt, Flint (sergt.); vetetan; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. David J. Andrews, liretl in action at Bentonuville, N. C., March 19, 1865. Charles W. Breswer, died of disease at Cauup Deutuison, Ohio, Jtutue 211, 1862. W~illiam 1i. Batigley, Flittt; dTisch. for uisability, April 9,1862. Josituh N. Barkley, Flittt; discih. for disability, Api it 17, 1862. Beutjanin M. B~rad.ltaw (corp.); discit. for disattility, April 10, 1862. Joluu Brownt, discli. for disability, St-pt. 20, 1862. Joseph Battoni, Flint; itisclu. for tilsab-ility, Jtuly 18, 1862. Tliounts E. Braltazon, veteran; died of wounds at Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 3, 1864. Johtt Chuadboutrn, Goodrich; died of disease at Canup Dennison, Ohio, Aug. 1, 1862. Atraluani Chatse, diseli. for disabillty, Dec. 10, 1862. Edwin Crittenden, must. Out July 19, 1865. Janmes W. Crittenudetn, must. out Jtuly 19, 1865. John W. Currin, Goodrich; must. out Ituly 19, 1865. Williams It. Davie, must. otut July 19, 1865. Lynman E. Davie, crpt., pro. to 1 st lieut. U. S. C. T., Nov. 9, 1863. Chester Farrttr, tliscl. fttr disability, Oct. 22, 1862. Mtrtinuer B. Gillutan, tilach. for disabtlity, Sept. 26, 1862. Hsnry H. Griffiui, discli. at end of service, Feb. 6, 1865. Franklin B. Hopkinus, duetd of disease at Farnuington, Mi-ss., June 29, 1862. Abraut 0. 1larri-ion, disch. March 27, 18631. Newton D. Hotdge, discli. to re-enl. as veteraut, Feb. 6, 1864. Abrahmatu G. Iloughuton, musician, veteraut, must, out July 19, 1865. Hiram E. Howell, must, out Jtuly 19, 1865. Rttswell N. Hilton, must. otut July 19, 1865. Win. McCumb, discih. for disability, Oct. 20, 1862. Win. 0. -Motse, mus. tu Jul 19 1865 Isaac Meserrauill, numust. out July 19, 1865. George Marshall, nutust. out July 19, 1865.. Phlilip Marshall, Thetford, must, out. July 19, 1865. Worthey E. Millard, disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. Benjanuin Alcott, Burton; must. outt July 19, 1865. Janues Alcott, Burton; must. out July 19, 1865. Hezekiali Pierce, must. osut July 19, 1865. Myron Pettitt, Tisetford; must, out July 19, 1865. Janues S. Pettitt, Thetford; must. out July 19, 1865. Lewvis Raisin, nusat. out July 19,1865. John Shalto, died of disease at St. Louis, Mo., June 14, 1862. Arba Snuith, died of disease at Nashville, Teun., March 4, 1863. Nathianiel Taylor, trans. to U. S. Engineers, July, 1864. Henry Vantassel, discit. to re-enl. as veteran, Felt. 6, 1864. Augustus Welds, discih. for disability, April 20, 1862. Henry C. Webster, died of disease at Henderson, Ky., May 30, 1862. OTHER COMPANIES. 1st Lieut. John Algoe, Flint, Co. G; eutl. March 31, 186:3; pro. to capt. Co. A. 21 Liettt. Jos. E. Tupper, Flint, Co. G; pto. to maj. 17th U. S. C. T., Nov. 186. 2d Lieut. Gleason F. Perry, Flint, Co. G; enl. June 7,1865; must. out July 19, 1865. 1st Lietut. Newtttn D. Hlodge, Flint, Co. H (sergt.); 2d liesut.; enl. May 20, 1865; 1st lieutt. Juuue 7, 1865; niutst. out July 19, 1865. 1st Liettt. John U. Tisonson, FliutI, Co. K; enl. June 23, 1862 (2d lieut. Feb. 22, Miles Allest, Berlin, Co. G.; tiled of disease at ClouttanoogaTn. Oct. 17 1864. Alexatnder Allen, Co. B; dischi. to re-eul. ats veteran, Feb. 6, 1864. Levi Alleut, Viestna, Co. G; nuust. ottt Jusly 19, 1865. John G. AlitIort, N. C. S.; mstst. ttut Jttly 19, 1865. Abnter B. Clark, Grand 1ilanc, Co. K; ttisclu. ftor tti-ability. Frank M1. Cummttings, 'lo. B; disclt. for disattility, Feb. 14, 1863. George A. Fihiell, Co. K; disch. to re-entl. as veteraus, Feb. 18, 1864. Janmes IL. Finun, Co. K; discit. fttr disability. Josephi Hlutster, Flint, Co. It; disch. for disability. hiran Hiowlantt, Flint, Co. It; died att Sinith's Ferry, Nov. 13, 1861, of accideuntii wountls. Etdwin F. Itoltues, Fliuut, Co. 11; disclt. to re-eutl. as veteran, Feb. 10, 1864. Alvarsus F. Ilosuier, Flittt, Co. G; alsent on fuurlttughu; uot insst. osut withi co~ Myron ML. 1ltuugerford, FliutI, Co. It; mutust. out Juuly 19, 1865. Jauttes Itugles, Flint, Co. G; must. otut July 19, 1865. David D. Irtgles, Flint, Co. It; tlisclh. at end of service, March 18, 1865. Lewis Kelsey, Co. B; usust. otut Juily 19, 1865. O-scar D. Ia soul, Co. K; discli. at enti of ser-vice, Feb. 6, 1865. Lewis Meeker, Fenton, Co. 11; untst. out Jiuly 39,13865. Gerry A. Neconul, Co. It; insst. otut Judy 19, 1865. Levi Ovid, Co. hI; disch. at cud of service, Marcha 28, 1865. Lewis Plarri,-i, Co. 11; tischl. for disability', July 19, 1862. Ira E. Payson, Flin t, Co. K; died in actiout uear Daltont, Ga., Feb. 25, 1864. Roswell Itettittgill, Fstrest, Co. G; died of disease at Nashville, Tenn., Se-Pt. 9, 1861. George W. Peasley, GaittesCo. G; muist. ttutt Jtuly 19, 18Q5. Cliester Roy, Gaintes, Co. G; muuust. out July 19, 1865. Nelsot Rtipley, Mtundy, Co. It; ussust. otut July 19, 1865. 0. B. Rttgers, Co. it3; sliselt. for distability, April 201, 1862. Htiramn Slocuiuu Co. It; discis. fttr tlteability, Oct. 11, 1862. i1celiart S; ewart, Flisut, Co. G; dit-d sit Joisestoro', Ga., Sept. 1, 1864, of wounds. Hlenry Shuiptman, Co. G; tlied at Nashville, Teun.. Sept. 12, 1864, of wounids. Satutuel Van Every, Co. B; diseli. fir disability, Aug. 25, 1862. C. BI. W itigert. Fentons, Co. K; discli. for disability. Allen E. Wistner, Co. B; diech. for tisability, Jsute 17, 1865. Myron C. WVoodartd, corp., Co. 1I; dischs. to re-euni. as veteran, Feb. 6, 18ti4. Lewvis B. Wells, sergt., Grand Blanc; veteran; absenut, srick; not mauust. outI with conuptuuy. CHAPTER XIII. SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. "Stockton's Independent Regitnent"-Organization at Camp Batckus -Winter-Qa~arters at Hall's Hill, Va.-Peninsula CamnjtignDesioutation as the Six'teenth Infautry-Battles of Hanover CourtHouse andl Gaines' Mill-Malvern Hhill-lHarrison's Landin aCampaign of Second Bull Run -Antietam -FredericksburgChancellorsville -Gettysburg — Re-enlistment -Campaig~n of the Wilderness-In Front of Petersburg-Closinug Camppaign of 1865 -Mus-ter Out and Return to Michigan. TILE Sixteenth Regiient of Michigan Inifantry was dsgaeat the ftime of its organization, and for more than cighlt months after its muster into tile United States service, as Stocktoi's JIldependent Regiment, because raised under authority given tbr that purpose by the War -86 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -... Department to Col. T. B. W. Stockton, of the city of Flint. Under the first call for volunteers from Michigan, Col. Stockton had tendered his services to Governor Blair to organize and command a regiment, and had received some encouragement that he should receive the command of the 2d Infantry Regiment, which was then forming.* This, however, was afterwards given to Col. Richardson; but on the organization of the 5th Regiment, it was understood (though whether promised or not is not known) that Col. Stockton was to be its commander; but this also proved to be a premature announcement, and the command was given to Col. Terry. Upon this, Col. Stockton repaired to Washington, and, in an interview with President Lincoln, made the request for authority to raise a regiment in Michigan, and was by the President referred to the Secretary of War, who thereupon gave the desired permission, upon the condition that Governor Blair's acquiescence should first be obtained. But the Governor would consent only on condition that security should be given for the necessary expenses of the organization and subsistence of the proposed regiment until it should be mustered into the service of the United States. Col. Stockton was not prepared to comply with this condition, and it seemed as if his plan was destined to failure; but just at this time occurred the battle and defeat of Bull Run, and upon this he again went to Washington, and obtained a second interview with Secretary Cameron, whom he found fully alive to the necessity for more troops to avert the peril in which the capital and the country stood in consequence of the then late disaster. This consideration overshadowed all others, and induced the Secretary to grant the colonel's request, free from the condition which he had before imposed. The necessary order was issued by the department, and Col. Stockton returned without delay to Detroit. Immediately upon it becoming known that he had been authorized to raise a regiment, a number of applications were made to him by persons desiring authority to recruit companies for the new organization. Among the first of these was Capt. Stephen Martin, who, in making his request, inquired what was to be the name of the regiment. In answer, the colonel said that he (Martin) should have the privilege of giving a name to the organization as well as of raising a company for it. "Then," replied the captain, "it shall be ' Stockton's Independent Regiment,'" which designation was at once adopted. Recruiting was immediately commenced at several points in the State, and though it proceeded under some discouragements, the progress made was so rapid that the regiment was ready for muster in less than five weeks from the issuance of the War Department order authorizing the organization. * The Citize,, of Flint, in its issue of April 20, 1861, said: "Col. Stockton, in anticipation of a call from the Governor, and that a regimient would be raised by companies from all parts of the State, has tendered his services as colonel of said regiment. We feel sure there is no one in the State more capable or competent or who has seen more service. He is a graduate of West Point, served over ten years in the regular service, was colonel of the 1st Michigan volun teer regiment in the Mexican war, and for the past two years has been intimately connected with our volunteer company," the Flint Union Grays, who went into service with the 2d Infantry Regiment. In nine of the companies of this regiment there were officers or enlisted men, or both, from Genesee County. There was one company however, which (particularly during the raising and organizing of the regiment) was generally known as "the Genesee company," because it was very largely composed of men from this county. This was the company raised by Capt. Thomas C. Carr, whose recruitingstation was at the city of Flint. The recruiting-name of the company was the " Genesee Light Guard," though its nucleus was an organization which had been earlier known as the " Flushing Light Artillery." Capt. Carr's company filled up rapidly, and on the 7th of August, 1861, it left Flint under his command, and proceeded to the regimental rendezvous, which had been established at Detroit, the camp being named " Camp Backus," in honor of Lieut.-Col. E. Backus, U. S. A., by whom the regiment was mustered into the United States service, Sept. 7-13, 1861. The field- and staff-officers of the regiment were: Colonel, Thomas B. W. Stockton; Lieutenant-Colonel, John V. Reuhle; Major, Norval E. Welch; Adjutant, T. E. Morris; Surgeon, Isaac Wi.om; Assistant Surgeon, William H. Butler; Chaplain, Rev. W. EI. Brockway; Quartermaster, F. H. Elder. The officers of the "Genesee Light Guard" (designated in the organization as " C" company) were: Captain, Thos. C. Carr; First Lieutenant, Miner S. Newell; Second Lieutenant, Randolph W. Ransom. On Saturday, September 14th, orders were received from the War Department directing Col. Stockton to proceed with his regiment to Washington, D. C. Preparations were at once commenced, and on the following Monday the command was ready to take its departure. At four o'clock in the afternoon of that day the companies marched out upon the parade-ground at Camp Backus, and formed in a hollow square, for the ceremony of the presentation of a flag, the gift of the ladies of Detroit-through Mrs. Charles II. Dunks-to Stockton's Independent Regiment. The flag was of heavy blue silk, six by six and one-half feet in dimensions, bearing on one side the arms of the State, with the words " Stockton's Regiment" underneath, and on the reverse the national emblems-the eagle and shield-and the words " Stand by the Union" upon a scroll. The presentation address was made by Judge Wilkins, and was responded to by Col. Stockton, both speeches being applauded most enthusiastically. The color was received from the hand of Mrs. Dunks by Col. Stockton, and by him handed to Sergt. C. McDowell, of the " Genesee Light Guard," which was the color company. At six o'clock the regiment-numbering seven hundred and sixty-one enlisted men-marched to the river, where Companies A, B, and F embarked on the steamer " City of Cleveland," and the other companies, with the field and staff, on the " May Queen," bound for Cleveland. They arrived at that city in the following miorning, and proceeded thence by rail, via Pittsburgh, lHarrisburg, and Baltimore, to Washington, wliich city was reached on Thursday, September 19th. There the regiment remained in camp till the 28th, when it crossed the Potomac into Virginia, and moved to Fort Corcoran. After a three days' stay at that place it was moved to Hall's Hill, Va., where it was assigned to the 3d (Butterfield's) Brigade, in Gen. Fitz-John Porter's ditr SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. 87 vision. The infantry regiments, besides Col. Stockton's, composing the 3d Brigade were the 83d Pennsylvania, Col. McLane; the 17th New York, Col. Lansing; and the People's Ellsworth Regiment (44th New York), Col. Stephen Stryker. Here was regularly laid out a camp, which became the winter-quarters of the regiment and the home of its officers and men for a period of nearly six months, which time was devoted mainly to the attainment of military discipline, proficiency in drill, and to the transformation of a body of brave and patriotic citizens into an efficient regiment of soldiers. In effecting this the military education and experience of Col. Stockton was invaluable; his success was complete, and universally acknowledged. Especially were the benefits of his oversight and experience discernible in the superior sanitary condition of the regiment during its stay at Hall's Hill, and in the campaign which followed. Before the earliest streakings of daylight in the morning of March 10, 1862, the 3d Brigade struck camp, and marched from its winter-quarters to Fairfax Court-House, where the 44th New York was temporarily detached, and, in company with Averill's 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry, advanced on Centreville, the troops fully believing at that time that a direct movement was to be made on Richmond. But the enemy's works at Centreville and Manassas were found deserted, the detachment returned, and the entire brigade marched through drenching rain, over most wretched roads, and in a state of gloom and disappointment, to Alexandria, where it embarked on steamers on the 21st of March, and on the following day proceeded down the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay to Fortress Monroe, arriving there on the 24th, and marching thence, on the 25th, to a camp in the vicinity of Hampton. This was a Virginian village which had then recently been destroyed by fire by order of the Confederate general, Magruder,-a place which nature had made beautiful, which its inhabitants had embellished and embowered with roses and woodbine, but now only a waste of bare chimneys and blackened walls. The camp of the regiment was located about two miles from the village, and was named " Camp Wide Awake." Here the command remained until the 27th, when, with the brigade, it took part in a reconnoissance in force, moving as far up the Peninsula as Big Bethel, but, encountering no serious opposition, returned to the camp neat Hampton. On the morning of the 4th of April the Army of the Potomac, more than one hundred thousand strong, moved up the Peninsula by the different roads, and, in the afternoon of the 5th, Stockton's regiment, with the 3d Brigade, stood before the enemy's intrenchments at Yorktown. Here Gen. Butterfield called the officers of his brigade together, and gave orders for each regiment to leave all knapsacks under charge of one man, and to be ready in two minutes to charge the rebel works. It was rumored, and was probably true, that the general had asked permission to make the assault with his brigade. Had he done so, with such support as might easily have been furnished, there is little doubt that the fading daylight of tlhat Saturday afternoon would have seen the Stars and Stripes floating over the hostile ramparts; but the desired permission was not given, and that night the great army lighted its camp-fires in front of the fortified line, and sat down to a four weeks' siege of Yorktown. While at this place the regiment was engaged in the usual routine duty and drill, interspersed with labor upon the earthworks and parallels which were constructed in pursuance of the plan of the commanding general to capture the place by regular approach. During this time the strength of the regiment had been augmented to one thousand men by enlistments, and by the addition of two new companies from Detroit. The health of the command also remained good, in consequence of the strict sanitary rules of Col. Stockton, and in marked contrast to that of many other regiments, notable among which was its companion in the brigade, the 44th New York, whose men suffered so severely fiom sickness that when the advance was made they were left as a garrison at Yorktown. Early in the morning of Sunday, May 4th, it became known that tile hostile fortifications were evacuated, and soon the troops were in motion in pursuit of the retiring enemy. Col. Stockton's command remained within the captured works until the 8th of May, when it embarked and proceeded thence up the York River to West Point, Va., reaching there on the following day. While at this place the regiment received its designating number, which the colonel (though on some accounts unwilling to do so) was induced to accept in view of possible future advantages which might accrue to his officers and men. From this time it was no longer known as "Stockton's Independent Regimnent," but as the 16th Michigan Infantry, in the 3d Brigade, 1st Division (Morell's) of the 5th Provisional Army Corps, which was formed at that time (May 10th) and placed under command of Gen. Fitz-John Porter. On the 13tl of May the 16th marched with its brigade from West Point to Cumberland, on the Pamunkey River. Thence it moved by way of White House and Tunstall's Station to Gaines' Mills, where it arrived on the 26th, having advanced forty miles from Yorktown in eighteen days! Before daybreak on the 27th of May the division of' Gen. Morell moved fron Gaines', and marched rapidly through rain and mud towards Hanover Court-House for the purpose of destroying the railroad at that point, in which vicinity there was known to be a considerable force of the enemy, which proved to be Branch's rebel division, consisting of seven regimuents, with artillery. A part of Morell's division,-the 2d Maine and the 25th and 44th New York,-under command of Gen. Martindale, was left by the way to hold an important position, while the remainder of the division went forward to capture the station at Hanover, and to destroy the railway track, which service was successfully accomplished, while Martindale bravely held his ground against the determined attack of Branch. If Martindale could have been forced from his position tile advanced troops of Morell would have been left in a most perilous situation, but in this attempt the rebels failed, and after a hot engagement of more than an hour's duration were compelled to retire with a heavy loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners. On the Union side the loss, in the 41th New York alone, was twenty-seven killed and fifty-seven wounded. " Gen. Butterfield, hearing firing in the rear, moved his colmmand at once to the point of attack. Few 88 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of the 16th who were present will ever forget that march in line of battle across wheat-fields, through swamps and ravines, cheering as they advanced, impetuous to strike their first great blow for freedom. The enemy, seeing that to remain was to be captured or killed, fled in dismay, leaving their dead, wounded, and many prisoners en our hands. The day's work was a complete triumph, and that night we bivouacked for the first time on the field we had won.... Here for the first time the regiment had a taste of living on the enemy. Through some strange freak, the commanding officers winked at it. Beef, pork, dried fruits, and preserves-in fact, everything that an epicure could crave-were procured in abundance, and indulged in with apparent emotions of pleasure. That day was never forgotten by the 16th during its entire service thereafter; its members ever after repeated the operation whenever the country afforded the material."* The division having successfully accomplished its mission, returned to its camp on the north side of the Chickahominy, near Gaines' Mills, on the 29th of May. At about one P.M. on the 31st the crash of artillery and the incessant roar of musketry were heard coming from the woods and thickets on the opposite side of the river, and the infernal uproar continued during most of the afternoon. It was the battle of Fair Oaks. The men of the 16th stood with their brigade in line ready to cross the stream to the assistance of their comrades, but they were not ordered in on this or the following day, when the fight was renewed. With but one change of camp the 16th remained near Gaines' Mill until the first day of the Seven Days' battles, -Thursday, June 26th,-when it was moved in haste towards Mechanicsville to support the riglt of the Union line against the assault of the redoubtable Stonewall Jackson, but it was not engaged in the fierce battle that ensued. Before daylight on the following morning it retired with other regiments (though not unmolested by the enemy) from the position held during the night to Gaines' Mill where a line of battle was formed with Butterfield's brigade on the extreme left, Sykes' division of regulars on the right, and McCall's Pennsylvania Reserve division in the second line. Approaching them were the rebel commands of Generals A. P. Hill, Longstreet, D. H. Hill, and the dreaded Jackson, in all more than fifty 'thousand men, against half that number on the Union side. The battle was opened by a furious attack on Porter's right. Here the enemy was at first repulsed, but renewed the assault and turned the Union right, which retreated in disorder and caused the whole line to give way, which resulted in Col. Stockton being made prisoner by the enemy. Sick and unfit for duty, he had insisted on entering the field at the head of his regiment, though against the expostulations and earnest protest of his surgeon, and now, dismounted and weak from illness, he became separated from his command in the turmoil and disorder of the retreat, and was afterwards captured and taken to Richmond. The hard ships which he was compelled to endure during his subsequent captivity wrought injury to his health from which he has never recovered. * From a sketch written by Capt. T. Frank Powers, of the 16th Regiment. The retreating line was finally rallied, and the 16th, now under command of Maj. Welch, with other troops charged on the defiant foe, but only to be decimated and hurled back in utter rout, leaving their dead and wounded on the crimson field. This closed the disasters of the day for the 16th, and a bloody day it had been for this regiment. Its losses had been forty-nine killed, one hundred and sixteen wounded, and fifty-five missing. Of the killed, three were officers, and among these was Capt. Thomas C. Carr, of the Genesee company, he being the first member of the regiment who died on the battle-field. The day of Gaines' Mill had closed in blood and defeat, and during the succeeding night the Union forces, including the remnant of the 16th Michigan, succeeded in crossing the swollen Chickahoniny and destroying the bridges behind them, though two bridges farther down the stream (Bottom's and Long Bridges) still remained, and it was not long after sunrise on Saturday morning when the rebel force under the indomitable Jackson was massed at the upper one of these and making preparations to cross to the south side. Other hostile forces were also advancing from Richmond direct on McClellan's left wing, and in view of this rather alarming situation of affairs the general had, as early as Friday evening, decided on a retreat by the whole army to the James River, where a base of supplies could be held and communication on the river kept open by the co-operation of the Union gunboats. The troops were informed of the proposed change by an apparently triumphant announcement (intended merely to encourage the soldiers and lighten in some degree the gloom of the great disaster) that a new and mysterious flank movement was about to be executed which would surely and swiftly result in the capture of Richmond. No such assurance, however, could conceal from the intelligent men who formed the Army of the Potomac that their backs and not their faces were now turned towards the rebel capital, and that the much vaunted change of base was made from necessity rather than choice. During the four days succeeding the battle of Gaines' Mill the men of the 16th took part in the daily fight, skirmish, and march, which brought them on Tuesday, July 1st, to the heights of Malvern. On that field the regiment lost thirty-nine killed and wounded and three missing, but it held the position assigned it, repulsing the repeated attacks of the enemy with unsurpassed bravery, and strewed the ground thickly with his dead and wounded. The battle was opened at this point at about four o'clock P.M., and from that time until darkness closed, the roar of musketry was unintermitting. Finally the carnage ceased, and the men of the North laid themselves down (victors, they believed) to rest on the blood-soaked field. But at about one o'clock in the morning of July 2d orders were given to fall in for a march, and the regiment moved silently down the hill, and away on the road to Berkeley (or Harrison's Landing), leaving their dead and wounded behind. No one who was not present can ever realize the bitter ness of humiliation and despair that pervaded the rank and file of the army as they turned their backs upon a victorious field, and marched away in the gloom of the night, and SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. 89 I through the mud and pouring rain of the succeeding morning, to seek the protection of the gunboats in the river against a beaten foe, who was at the same time retreating in an opposite direction. But the wearied and dispirited men struggled on, some in sullen silence, some cursing, and some actually weeping in the agony of their shame, until at last they rested on the banks of the James under the fiiendly guns of the Union fleet. Four days after the arrival of the army at Harrison's Landing, the commander of the 5th Corps (Gen. Porter) issued a general order congratulating the officers and men of his command " on the perils through which they have so honorably passed, and the successes they have added by their valor to the glory of our arms," and mentioning especially their gallantry at Yorktown, April 5th; New Bridge, Mlay 24th; Hanover Court-House, May 27th; Mechanicsville, June 26th; Gaines' Mill, June 27th; New Market, June 30th; and Malvern Hill, July 1st. A complimentary order was issued by the commander of the 3d Brigade (in which was the 16th Mlichigan), as follows: "IIEADQUARTEnRS BUTTEIFIELD'S BRIGADE, MORELL'S DIVISION. " Circul r. " BRAVE SOLDIERS OF TIlE 3D BRIGADE: " It is with no ordinary pride that your general promulgates to you general orders No. 4, from the headquarters of the army corps. Your bravery and gallantry have won my love, and you are as dear to me as brothers. Let the esprit and the pride which have always distinguished you be renewed and redoubled. Your children's children will be proud of your noble acts, and your country will love you. Let every one, officers and men, make renewed exertions, and let the next call to arms find the brigade, as it always has been heretofore, unflinching, unfaltering, devoted to the country and the honor of its flag. Let the proud recollections of the glorious names your banner will bear redouble your strength and zeal, so that, as heretofore, you will equal twice your numbers of the enemy. "By command of "BIRIG.-GEN. BUTTERFIELD. (Signed) "Tleos. J. IIOYT, Asst Adj't-Gen." During the night of the 31st of July the enemy on the south side of the river suddenly opened fire from more than fifty pieces of artillery on the Union army lying on the north side, the camp of Butterfield's brigade being fairly within their range. The scene was a grand and exciting one, and the wildest commotion ensued, the great guns of the fleet in the river adding their thunders to the roar of the cannonade. Very little injury was inflicted, however, on either side. On the following day the 3d Brigade crossed the river, burned the plantation buildings, near which the hostile batteries had been placed, and then made a reconnoissalce towards Petersburg, but, finding no enemy, returned to the river and bivouacked on the Ruffin plantation, where it remained five days, foraging on the country, and at the end of that time recrossed the river to its former position. After this, few, if any, noteworthy events occurred in the experience of the 16th during the remainder of its stay at Harrison's Landing. In the night of the 14th of August the regiment struck camp, and, with its corps, took the advance in the march of the army down the Peninsula, reaching Hampton after three days' and one night's march. There was a striking contrast between the appearance of the haggard and tattered remnant of the 16th Michigan, who now returned to 10 their old camping-place, and that of Stockton's Independent Regiment of well-fed and healthy men, as they had marched away from the same place a little more than four months before, but their hope and courage were still high, and none were doubtful of ultimate triumph. On the 19th they took transports for Acquia Creek, and arrived there the following morning, proceeding thence by railroad to Fredericksburg. Remaining there until the evening of the 23d, the line of march was then taken northwestwardly along the left bank of the Rappahannock, and after an eventless.march, and some countermarching, reached Kelley's Ford on the 26th. During the night orders were received to burn such regimental and company property as could not be carried, and to be ready to march at daybreak for the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. On arriving at Bealton Station, it was reported that the enemy had destroyed a portion of the railroad between that place and Alexandria, and had captured and burned a large amount of property. Rations had become very low, and a forced march was necessary to make a junction with the Army of Virginia, under Gen. Pope, which was effected by the corps at Groveton, August 29th. While at this place the troops were formed in line of battle, but no engagement occurred. For his failure to engage the enemy, Gen. Porter was severely censured by Gen. Pope. The command then moved towards Manassas, and on the 30th a new position was taken near Bull Run. The brigade lay for hours under a heavy artillery fire, until about the middle of the afternoon, when the regiments were formed in column by division, and ordered to advance. The infantry of the enemy lay well protected in a deep railroad excavation, and a large number of artillery pieces were posted in the rear of the infantry and on higher ground. When the 3d Brigade had reached an open field, the enemy poured into its ranks an infernal fire of artillery and musketry. The brigade advanced most gallantly to within a few yards of the enemy's infantry, and on that spot the bones of its brave men who fell on that day were found when the survivors again marched over the field months afterwards. While the brigade was engaged at this point a force of the enemy attacked in flank, and they were thus forced back in disorder and with severe loss. No troops ever better deserved victory than did the Union forces on that day, and that they did not obtain it was no fault of theirs. It was because " some one had blundered." The loss of the regiment in this battle was seventy-nine killed and wounded (among whom were three color-bearers) and seventeen missing. Capt. Randolph W. Ransom, of Flint, was also among the killed. After this crowning disaster the command fell back, by way of Ccntreville and Hall's Iill (their winter-camp of 1861-62), to Arlington, where a rest of ten days was had, during which time Col. Stockton returned from his captivity in Richmond, and the regiment received considerable accessions to its numbers fiom hospitals and other sources. On the 12th of September the brigade, under command of Col. Stockton, moved, with the 5th Corps, on the Mary land campaign, which culminated in the bloody battle of Antietam, September 17th. On that day the 5th Corps " was not engaged, though towards evening the 3d Brigade 90 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -- was ordered first to the right and then back to the left, but sustained no loss. On the 20th the 5th Corps-the 16th Michigan in advance-started in pursuit of the retreating columns of Lee, and engaged his rear guard at Shepherdstown Ford, after which the regiment and brigade returned, and camped near Sharpsburg, on Antietam Creek, where the 20th Maine Regiment was added to the brigade. On the 30th of October the 5th Corps broke camp, and marched, by way of Harper's Ferry (at which point the Potomac River was crossed), to Warrenton, Va. This march occupied ten days, and during its continuance the men of the 16th, in common with those of other regiments, foraged almost at will in the country through which they passed, the result of which was that their commissariat was abundantly supplied with rations of the best quality. "So well," says Capt. Powers, "was the regiment supplied with poultry, fresh meats, honey, and preserves that the commanding officer of the division made a sly insinuation to Col. Stockton that the 16th must have had a lax training in its youth to so soon forget that high moral culture that had made the Army of the Potomac so fond of furnishing food for the powder of rebel bushwhackers." On the arrival of the 5th Corps at Warrenton, the regiment found itself under a new commander of the Army of the Potomac,-Gen. Burnside,-who had superseded Gen. McClellan in that command on the 5th of November, and at about the same time Gen. Porter was relieved of the command of his corps. Gen. Burnside, on assuming command of the army, reorganized it into three grand divisions of two corps each, the 5th and 3d Corps, forming the centre grand division, being placed under command of " Fighting Joe Hooker." The army, resuming its march, reached the Acquia Creek Railroad on the 26th of November, and the brigade of which the 16th Michigan formed a part encamped in the vicinity of what was afterwards known as Stoneman's Switch. On the 12th of December the 5th Corps moved to the Rappahannock river, opposite Fredericksburg, where the commander of the army was preparing for the great battle which was fought on the following day. During the progress of that unequal fight the 3d Brigade remained quiescent until about four P.M, when it was ordered across the river. It crossed, and formed line in the outskirts of the town, then advanced under a heavy fire of musketry and canister, halting near the front, at a point which was slightly protected by the conformation of the field. This position was held, but with some loss, until darkness closed the contest for the day. The fight was renewed on the 14th, but the results were far less sanguinary, and both sides held their ground, though the general result was most disastrous to the Union arms. At midnilght of the 15th the brigade went to the front and withdrew all the pickets on that part of the field, and shortly after daylight crossed to the north side of the Rappahannock, as the main body of the army had done during the night. The 16th Regiment cannot be said to have participated prominently in the battle of Fredericksburg, but it performed all that was required of it, and in doing so sus tained a loss of twenty-three killed and wounded. After the battle it went into winter-quarters at Stoneman's Switch. In the spring, after Gen. Hooker had been placed in command of the army, and was making preparations for that forward movement which ended at Chancellorsville, the 16th moved, with the other regiments of the command, to the Rappahannock, and passed up on the left bank of the river April 27th. It crossed to the south side of the stream on the 28th, and was present on the field of Clancellorsville during all of the three bloody days succeeding May 1st, taking part in the fight at Hooker's headquarters on Sunday, but sustaining no heavy attacks, and losing only one killed and six wounded. At the close of the campaign it recrossed the river with the army, and returned to camp at Falmouth, where, on the 18th of May at evening parade, Col. Stockton took leave of the regiment, having resigned for the purpose of raising a brigade of Tennessee troops, under authority conferred by Gov. Andrew Johnson, and sanctioned by the War Department. This resignation gave the command of the regiment to Licut.-Col. Norval E. Welch, who was afterwards killed in an assault upon the enemy's works at Poplar Grove Church, in the Petersburg campaign. Early in June it was learned that the enemy was moving towards the Shenandoah Valley, and the Army of the Potomac was put in motion to meet and oppose him. On the 20th, at Aldie, the 3d Brigade joined Gen. Pleasonton on an expedition to disperse Stuart's Cavalry, which resulted in a fight at Middleburg (June 21st), in which the loss of the 16th was nine wounded, this being one-half the loss of the whole brigade. The command then returned to Aldic, where it remained till the 25th, when it commenced a forced march to Maryland and Pennsylvania, and reached Gettysburg in the morning of July 2d, when the great conflict had already commenced. Tlhe 3d Brigade was detached fronm the remainder of the division, and about three P.M. was posted on the Little Round Top, forming the extreme left of the Union line, the order of the brigade line being as follows: on the left the 20th Maine, Col. Chamberlain; next, the 33d Pennsylvania, Capt. Woodward; next the 44th New York, Col. Rice; and on the right, the 16th Michigan, Col. Welch; the brigade being under command of Col. Vincent, who on that day fell mortally wounded. In this position the brigade was soon attacked by Hood's division of Longstreet's corps. The enemy came on impetuously, and with great confidence, on account of superiority in numbers (being a division against a single brigade), but his repeated assaults were successfully repelled. Ilis last attack was made simultaneously on the front and flank of the brigade, so that the Maine regiment was compelled to change face to repel the flanking column. But the work was bravely and successfully done, and then, when ammunition was well-nigh exhausted, and no reinforcements near, Col. Rice (wlo succeeded to the command of the brigade when Vincent fell) sent word to each of the regimental commanders to fix bayonets, and, on a signal from him, to charge. The enemy received the charge steadily at first, then wavered, rallied, wavered again, and at last broke in confusion, with a loss of five hundred prisoners, and over one thousand stand of arms. The brigade pressed on SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. 91 through the valley, and halted with its left resting on Big Round Top, on which its line was soon after established. The fighting at Little Round Top was nearly all in which the 16th took active part at Gettysburg, and in it the loss of the regiment was sixty, in killed and wounded. In the morning of the 3d the brigade was relieved, and took position in the rear of the main line. On the morning of July 5th it was discovered that the enemy had retreated, and the 15th marched with the army in pursuit. Slight collisions were had with Lee's rear guard, at Jones' Cross-Roads, on the 10th, and at Williamsport, Md., on the 12th of July. On the 17th the regiment crossed the Potomac at Berlin, and was almost constantly on the march from that time until September 16th, when it reached Culpeper. There it remained till October 7th, when it moved to Raccoon Ford, and crossed the Rapidan. It crossed the Rappahannock on the 10th, recrossed on the 11th, and moved to Brandy Station, where the enemy was attacked by a portion of the corps, but the 16th Regiment was not engaged. Another period then ensued of marching and countermarching (with a stay of a week in camp on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad) until the 7th of November, when the 16th was slightly engaged, and lost three wounded in the capture of a rebel work near Rappahannock Station. It moved with the army, November 26th, on the Mine Run campaign, which ended without results on the 2d of December, when the regiment went into camp on the north bank of the Rappahannock, near the railway-station. At this place nearly three hundred members of the regiment re-enlisted as veterans, were mustered as such on the 24th of December, and about a week later left for Michigan on furlough, reaching Detroit on the 9th of January. At the expiration of their furlough, February 9th, they reassembled at Saginaw City, and on the 17th left that place to rejoin the army. On their return the regiment made winter-quarters at Bealton Station, and remained there till April 30, 1864, when they moved to Brandy Station, preparatory to commencing the campaign of the Wilderness. In that campaign the movements of the 16th were too numerous to follow in detail. It moved across the Rapidan at Germania Ford, May 4th, and on the 6th and 7th took part in the battles of the Wilderness, sustaining no loss on the 6th, but losing on the following day thirty-five in killed and wounded. On the 8th it made a forced march to Laurel Hill, near Spottsylvania Court-House, and in the evening of that day was attacked by the enemy in an almost impassable swamp, but its loss was inconsiderable, while a considerable number of the enemy were taken prisoners. May 22d the 16th moved from Spottsylvania towards the North Anna River, and, being the advance guard of the corps, it encountered the rear guard of the enemy at Polecat Creek, and captured a considerable number of prisoners. The next day it was engaged at North Anna River, where it charged successfully, and drove the enemy. It crossed the Pamunkey River at Ianover Town, in the morning of the 28th, and assisted in throwing up works on South Creek. On the 29th it moved to Tolopotomoy Creek, and crossed it just before evening. May 30th, moved forward and became engaged with the enemy, losing the major, Robert T. Elliott, who was killed at the head of the regiment. On June 1st the brigade was ordered to advance its line, and in doing so was brought under a raking cross-fire. The 16th advanced, and drove the enemy from their rifle-pits, and held the position thus secured. The next day the corps took up a new position, and while the movement was in progress the enemy attacked in heavy force, but a heavy storm came up and stopped the battle, which, however, was renewed on the 3d of June, and again on the 4th. This three days' fight was near Bethesda Church, and in it the 16th Regiment was engaged during each day. From this point it moved by way of Cold Harbor and Dispatch Station to the left bank of the Chickahominy, and there remained until the 12th, this being its first rest since crossing the Rapidan on the 4th of May; the intervening time having been constantly employed in march, skirmish, or battle. On the 13th of June the regiment crossed the Chickahominy by the Long Bridge, and marched to the James River, which it crossed on the 16th, and arrived in front of Petersburg on the 17th. Then followed a month of severe labor in the trenches, from which the regiment was relieved and placed in reserve August 15th. Three days later it moved to the Weldon Railroad, and was there engaged in the construction and occupation of defenses until September 30th, when it formed part of the force which stormed and carried the enemy's fortifications near Poplar Grove Church, in which desperate assault the 16th lost fifty-two killed and wounded, among the former being the commanding officer of the regiment, Col. Welch, who died on the parapet. For more than two months after this battle the regiment lay most of the time in the trenches at Poplar Grove Church. In December it accompanied the corps on a raid to Bellefield, Va., on which about sixteen niles of railroad was destroyed. It was in the trenches before Petersburg during January, 1865, and on the 6th and 7th of February took part in the battle of Dabney's Mills, losing heavily. It fought at Hatcher's Run, Marcl 25th; at White Oak Road, March 29th; at Quaker Road, March 31st; at Five Forks, April 1st; at Amelia Court-House, April 5th; and at High Bridge, April 6th. After Lee's surrender it marched to Sutherland Station, where it remained stationed during April, and early in May it marched to Washington, D. C., arriving there on the 12th and taking part in the grand review of the Army of the Potomac, May 23d. It was encamped near Washington until the 16th of June, when it moved under orders for Louisville, Ky., arriving there on the 21st. Thence it moved across the river to Jeffersonville, Ind., and was there mustered out of service July 8th. The men and officers left on the 10th for Michigan, and on the 12th arrived at Jackson, where, on the 25th of July, 1865, they received their pay and were disbanded. OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN OF THE SIXTEENTH INFANTRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY. Col. Thomas B. W. Stockton, Flint; Aug. 22, 1861; res. May 18, 1863. Surgeon Isaac Wixom, Argentine; Aug. 19, 1861. Qr.-Mast. Sergt. Henry H. Aplin, Flint; pro. to 2d lieut.,July 7,1865; must. out as sergt. Company C. Capt. Thomas C. Carr, Flint; July 30,1861; killed in battle of Gaines' Mill, Va:, June 27, 1862. Capt. Irving M. Belcher, Flint; July 16, 1864; honorably disch. for disability, May 15,1865. 1st Lieut. Miner S. Newell, Flint; July 30, 1861; app. qr.-mist.; must. out of Eervice Sept. 7, 1864. 92 HISTORY OF GENE SEE COUNTY,' MICHIGAN.. I 1st ieut. Randolph W. Ransom, Flint; Aug. 9,1861; killed in battle at Bull Run, Va., Aug. 30, 1862; was 2d lient. from July 30, 1861, to Aug. 9,1861. 2d Lient. Zlba B. Graham, Flint; Aug. 30,1862; trans. to Co. G. 2d Lieut. Menzo Swartz, Flushing; April 27, 1803; wounded in action at Tolopotomoy, Va.; June 1, 1864; pro. to 1st Ileut. Aug. 3, 1804; must. out as 2d lient. at end of service, Sept. 26, 1864. Sergt. Irving M. Belcher, Flint; pro. to coni.-sergt. Sept. 22, 1801. Sergt. Hlarrison Way, Flint; disch. for disability; died Dec. 2, 1861. (3orp. Arza M. Niles, Flint (sergt.); disclh. for wounds, Sept. 9,13862. Musician Henry Davis, Flint; disltl. Oct. 25,13862. Wagoner Thomas Belden, Flint (corp.); niust. out July 8,13865. Merritt Avery, disch. by order, Aug. 12, 186:1. James Applebee, diseb. to re-eni. as veteran, Dec. 24, 1863. Nathaniel-N. Anderson,-died M1arch 31, 1865. Edward Bigg, died in Phifladelphia, Pa., Nov. 23, 1862, of wounds ree'd in action. Edward Britton, disch. for disability, Oct. 1, 1862. Edwin Barlow, discih. for disability, Nov. 13, 1862. William Bagg, dischi. Sept. 7, 1864. ~Edwvard C. Brigg, disch. 1Patr irk Bradley, died of disease at City Point, Va., Sept. 16, 1864. Reuben Bradish, must. out July 8, 1865. Johin S. Copp, must, out July 8, 1865. Boyd Culver, diselb. for disability, Nov. 13, 1862. John Conquiest, diselb. for wounds, Nov. 28, 1862. Augustus Chapel, diseh. May 8,13862. James Crawford, (lied of wounds at Philadelphia, Pa., June 4, 1864. Hiram G. Darling, died of wounds at New York Harbor, Sept. 1864. Eli Devoe, disch. for disability, Nov. 1:1, 3862. Albert Doan, died of disea.se in hospital. Edward Davis, died,, to re-enl. as veteran, Dec. 24,1861. Dennis Falby, tisch. by order of surgeon, Feb. 2, 1862. Sinith Forsyth, disch. for disability, Feb. 25,1862. Sanford Guthrie, died of wounds at Washington, D. C., May 20, 1864. Itictinard C. Goyer, diseb. by order, May 18, 1865. James Henipeted, veteran must. out July 8,1865. George W. Hilton, disch. for disability, April 6,13864. George Dandy, died in.aetiou at Spott-ylvania, Va., May 8, 1864. Rloswell Hilton, diseh. for di-atdlity, Nov. 13, 3862. Arthur M. Hlodges, veterati; absent on funrloughn; not must, out with company. Orrin Joh,,1SOD, disch. for disability, May 20, 1862. Charles Knapps, disebi. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec. 24, 186t. George Mohan, diseb. to re-out. as veteran, Dee. 24, 1863. James McKee, disch. to re-eifl. as veteran, Dec. 24, 186:1. Andrew J. McDowvell, discli. for disability, Jiane 17, 1862. Albert E. McClellan, dischi. for disability, April 21, 1862. Chartes ABartin,, died of wounts at Gettysburg, Pa., July 21, 1863. George WV. Monroe, died of disease in hospital. Russell C. Moon, disebarged. Elishia Moses, diseh. April 1, 186-3. Clharles Marion, dised,. Feb. 26, 1861. Milton C. Miller, died In action at Spottsylvania, Va., May 8, 1864. Patrick Murphy, must, out July 8, 1865. Elias Palnier, disch. for disability, Feb. 25,13862. Philander Payne, diach. Sept. 7,13864. Gershonm Palmner, died of disease. at Gaines' Mill, Va., June 13, 1862. Abram Parsons, died of disease at Georgetown, D. C., April 15, 1862. Ira Patterson, died of disea.se, Aug. 1862. James Richards, died of disease at Annapolis, Md., Aug. 31, 3862. James Ripley, dusdb. for disability, Feb. 24, 1863. Charles H. Root, d'isch. for disability. John Shout, disch. for disability, Feb. 24,13861. Charles Starks, died of disease, Sept. 1862. Sansuel P. Siiitt,, diech. to re-emil. as veteran, Dec. 24, 1863. Nathan Smuall, niust. out July 8, 1865. Jamies Shoukis diseb. by order, May 24, 1865. George Turnuer, discli. Dec. 26, 1862. Garwonod Tupper, must. out July 8, 1865. George Tower, disebi. for disability, Dec. 26, 1862. Thoni a. Thoinpsoi,, miust. out July 8, 1865. William Tevaclhout, mjust.-out July 8, 3865. Marion Van Rtiper, disch. for disability. H arrison Way, disch. for d isabili ty, Dec. 19, 1862. David S. Weaver, discih. for disability, April 19, 1862. Harry Wilder, discih. to re-en]. as veteran. Adouidrana A. Worth, died of disease at Yorktown, Va., May 3, 1862. Abram Way, (lied May 12, 1864, of wounds rec'd in action at Spottsylvania., Va. Dewitt Willianis, disch, Sept. 7, 1864. OTHIER COMPANIES. Et. Frank Eddy, Flint; 2d liiut., Co. G, Aug. 9, 1861; wounded in battle of Gaines' Mill, Va., June 27, 1862; pro. to 1st liemit., Co. G, Nov. 3, 1862; capt., Co. G, Aug. 11, 1863; pro. to Iheut.-col., 29th Mich. Inf., July 29, 1864..T. Frank Powers, Fenton; sergt., Co. IC; 2d Ileut., Co. A, Nov. 3, 1862; 1st lient., Co. B, June 23, 1864; capt., Co. B, Aug. 3, 1864; must, out July 8, 1865. Gilbert RC. Chandler, Forest; 2d lieut., Co. D, July 21, 1863; 1st Ileut., Sept. 1862; capt., April, 1863; lost his left arm in actilon at Gaines' Mill, Jusne 27, 1802; was afterwards iii battles of Cliancellorsville and] Gettysburg; trans.to Vet. Res. Corps, Aug. 11, 1863; niust. ommt of service, Oct. 10, 1867. Irving M. Belchier, Flint; sergt., Co. C; 2d Iieut., Co. B, Aug. 30, 1862; 1st lient., Co. K, April 17, 186:1; pro. to capt Co. C. Charles Veeder, Genesee; sergt., Co. G; Iet lie,,t., Co. E; must. out July 8, 1863. Zlba B.. Graham, Flint; sergt., Co. C; 2d lient., Cos. C and G; 1st lieut., Co. I, April 23, 186:1; wounded at North Anna River, Va., May 2:1, 1861; must. omit at endl of service, Sept. 7, 1864. James L. Topping, Fenton, 2d lieut., Co. I, Sept. 4, 1862; resigned March 28, 186:3. Lloyd G. Streever, Flint; sergt.; pro. to 2d hoout.; miuist. otit as sergt. Patrick Murphy, Flint; sergt.; pro. to 2d liemt.; nsust. out as, sergt. Samuiel Athierton,, Argentine, Co. A; mmst. out Jusly 8,13865. William Atheiton, Argentiiie, Co. I; discli. from Vet. Res. Corps by order, July tt, 3865. Natbaniel Austin, Argentine, Co. K; disch. by order, May 305,1865. Corp. John J. Bonstwick, A rgentine, Co. K; died of disease near Falmuoutb, Va., Nov. 26,13862. Nathan, Barton, Argentine, Co. I; died at Laurel 1itl, Va., May itt, 1864. Geo. S. Bailey, Fenton, Co. D; died of disease it City Point, Va., July 28, 3864. Sarniel. D. Bostwick, Am gtntine, Co. K; died of disease, Dec. 8, 1862. James Brady, Argentine Co. A; must, out Juihy 8, 1865. Ge~orge WV. Chase, Argentine, Co. A; must. out July 8,13865. Jacob A. Clark, Argentimie Co. A; disech, for disability, Dec. 16, 11863. Lewis Case, vetera,, Argentine, Co. A; m,,st. out Juty 8, 1865. Jacob WV. Craw, Argentine, Co. I; died of disease, Nov. 25, 1864. Johin Coles, Argentiinte Co. I diuch, by order, May 30, 1865. Dennis Fatbey, Flushing, Co. G disci,. at end of service, Nov. 23, 3863. Lanmbert Foster, Gamines, Co. B; must. ont July 8, 1865. George Garmuer, Feinton, Co. B; mnust. out July 8, 1865. Edgar C. Hicks, Argentine, Co. I.; disch. Jan. 15, 1863. Thomas Hopkins, Jr., Argentimne,, Co. I; dTisch. March 5,13863. Joseph 11. IHoughi, Flimit; Co. It; dlisclh. by order, July 6, 1865. IDavid Htubbaird, Montrose, Co. H; discih. by order, June 1:1, 18651. W~illianu Iardick, Argentine, Co. I; diedh, by order, May 30, 1865. Williamo E. Jacobs, Flushing, Co. K; disch. March 22, 1863. John, Knight, Flint, Co. G; dischi. March, 17, 1863. Stepthemi M. Kent (corp., sergt.), Co. K; duelh. to re-enlist as veteran, Dec. 2.3, 1863. Albert L. Metz, Argeiitiiie, Co. I; disch. tty order, May 30,13865. Janies A. MeKuight, Argentine, Co. I; disci,. for promotiomi, Dec. 8, 1863. George WV. Noyes, Fenton, Co. D; lisci,. for disability. Elin Stoirks, Aruentine, Co. I; died of lisease in hospital, April 38, 1863. Theodore Sternhardt, Flint, Co. G; trans. to Vet. IRes. Corpoz, Sept. 30, 1863. Alfred Starks, Argentimue, Co. I; dude. ty order, May to, 1865. George Seymiour, Argentine, Co. I; discih. by order, May 301,3865. \V'illiani Tillmian, Argemitine, Co. I; disdh. Feb. 9. 1863. Phito W~hite, Argentine. Co. K; disdh, by order, May 29, 1865. Elba,, 11. W~righit, Mouint Morris, Co. K; dud,,. by order, July 10, 1865. CHAPTER XIV. TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. Composition of the 23d Regiment-The Thomson Light Guard and time Wolverine Guard-The "1Fighting Parson"-Rendezvous and Organization of the Regiment at East Saginaw-Muster In andDeparture-Reception of Companies at Flint-Departure from Detroit, and Arrival at Jelfersonville, Ind.-" Camp Gilbert" and the "Brick-Yard Camp"-Meelting Buell's Veterans-Movement towards Shelbyville-Arrival at Frankfurt-Pursuit of John Morgan -Movement through Perryville to New Market-March to Bowling Green, and Long Stay at that Place-Death of Lieut.-Col. PrattPursuit of Guerrillas through Kentucky, up the Ohio River, and into Ohio-Return to Cincinnati, and Movement to Paris, Ky.-Movemont to Lebanon and New Market-Marcha to East TennesseeCol. Chapin's Speech-Arrival at Loudon-Marchi to KnoxvilleBack to London-Movement to Lenoir-Fight at hluff's FerryBattle at Campbell's Station-Siege of Knoxville-Blain's CrossRloads and Strawberry Plains-Morristown and Charleston-Down the Tennessee Valley-The Georgia Campaign-Resaca-DallasLost Mountain and Kenesaw-Atlanta-Pursuit of Hood-Battles of Columbia, Franklin, and Nashville-Transfer to the East-Batties at Fort Anderson and Town Creek, N. C.-March to Kinston -Movement to Goldasboro' and Raleigh-End of the 'War-Muster Out and Return Home. Tnis regiment, which was raised and organized in the sumnmer of' 1862, under, the, President's call for volunteers TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 93 issued July 2d, immediately after the close of the Seven Days' battles on the Virginia peninsula, was rendezvoused at East Saginaw, under D. H. Jerome, Esq., as commandant of the camp of instruction and organization. It was composed of volunteers from the Sixth Congressional District, and contained two companies raised in Genesce, as well as a considerable number of men from the county serving in several of its other companies. The Genesce companies, while recruiting, and until the organization of the regiment was completed, were known as the "Thomson Light Guard" (in honor of Col. E. H. Thomson) and the " Wolverine Guard." The former was recruited to more than the maximum strength* by Capt. Charles E. McAlester and Lieut. Stewart in about three weeks' time, and the latter, recruited principally by the Rev. J. S. Smart, filled its ranks in about two weeks from the beginning of enlistment. The Wolverine Citizen of Aug. 9, 1862, mentioned that " Col. Thomson and the Rev. J. S. Smart are addressing the people at different places in the county, to raise the quota of Genesee for the 23d Regiment," and about the same time a Flint correspondent of the Detroit Free Press said, " The Rev. J. S. Smart, presiding elder of this district, lately felt it his duty to go to the wars, so he told his family and friends to 'stand clear,' for he was going that way. He immediately started a recruiting-office, and, the fact soon spreading through the city and county, in four days after, the elder had a full company of one hundred men on his rolls. Ile then posted off to Detroit, got his commission as captain, and is now here, organizing and straightening out matters preparatory to leaving for the camp of the 23d at Saginaw. The new captain is very popular, and could have had another hundred men if he had been authorized to accept them. IIe is now called here the' Fighting Parson.' " This correspondent was decidedly in error as to the time in which the company's ranks were filled, and other portions of his communication were too highly colored; but it was not an exaggeration as to the height of the patriotic enthusiasm which then existed among the people of the county in regard to the furnishing of their full quota, and the promotion of enlistments, particularly in the companies that were to join the 23d Regiment. The two Genesee companies left Flint early in August, and proceeded to the rendezvous at East Saginaw, where, on the 30th of that month, they were reported respectively as one hundred and nine and one hundred and twelve strong, the former number representing the strength of Capt. McAlester's company. The Rev. Mr. Smart, after seeing his company filled, retired from it, and accepted the chaplaincy of the regiment. The command of the company then devolved on Capt. Damon Stewart, previously first lieutenant and adjutant of the regiment, and still earlier a non-commissioned officer in the 2d Michigan Infantry, serving with that regiment in the campaign of the Peninsula. In the organization of the regiment, the "Thomson Light Guard" was designated as " C" company, under the following commissioned officers: Captain, Charles E. McAlester; 1st Lieutenant, George W. Buckingham; 2d Lieutenant, William C. Stewart; and the " Wolverine Guard" was designated as " K" company, its commissioned officers being: Captain, Damon Stewart; 1st Lieutenant, Samuel C. Randall; 2d Lieutenant, John Rea. The field-officers of the 23d at its organization were: Marshall W. Chapin, colonel; Gilbert E. Pratt, lieutenantcolonel; Benjamin F. Fisher, major; dating from Aug. 23, 1862. The regiment (nine hundred and eighty-three strong) was mustered into the service of the United States, at the rendezvous, on the 11th and 12th of September, and, it being understood that the command would be immediately ordered to the front, preparations for the movement were at once commenced. On the 16th of September orders were issued for Companies C, H, and K to take up their line of march for Detroit, preparatory to departure for the theatre of war. Pursuant to these orders, they broke camp in the morning of the 17th, and were transported on the cars of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway to Mount Morris, which was then the southern terminus of the road; and thence were moved across the country, by way of Flint, to the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, over which they proceeded by train to their destination. At Flint, a bountiful repast had been provided for them, and they were received by the citizens with great enthusiasm,-the more so, no doubt, because this first detachment included the two Genesee companies; and for the same reason the adieux which were waved to them here, and everywhere in their passage through the county, were the more sad and tearful. The memory of that occasion is still fresh and vivid in the minds of surviving soldiers, and of relatives and fiiends of those who never returned. "The incidents of that first movement," wrote an officer of the regiment," were no doubt similar to those of the remaining companies over the same route,-flat ears, rain, sunshine, tears, smiles, feasting at Flint, transportation by variety of vehicles, hilarity, airs, boisterous mirth, and nmuch good cheer." On the following day, the remaining companies left the rendezvous, and moved by the same route to Detroit, where they arrived in the evening, and all were hospitably entertained by the patriotic citizens. With but little delay, the ten companies were embarked on steamers, which landed them at Cleveland the next morning; the weather being rainy and dismal, and the condition of the men anything but comfortable. From Cleveland, the regiment moved by rail across the State of Ohio, to Cincinnati, whence, after a stop of some hours, it again proceeded by railroad, and on Sunday morning, September 21st, reached Jeffersonville, Ind., on the north bank of the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Ky. In the afternoon of the same day the command moved to " Camp Gilbert," near by, and that night, for the first time, the tired men of the 23d slept upon the soldier's bed,-the bosom of mother earth. At this time the Southern general, Buckner, was reported to be approaching Louisville, and, in consequence of the panic thus caused, many of the people were crossing to the north side of the river. Large quantities of government * This company was recruited, in the time mentioned, to a strength of one hundred and twenty-six men, and it contained one hundred and sixteen men when it joined the regiment at East Saginaw (being the strongest of all the companies reporting). A number of these men were afterwards rejected for non-age, physical disability, etc. 9I HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. stores were also being transferred to the Indiana side, by order of the general then in command at Louisville. The 23d was placed on duty, guarding the public property and ferry landings at Jeffersonville, and remained so employed for two days and nights, at the end of which time it crossed the river and camped in the southwestern suburbs of Louisville. Here the situation of the men was not the most comfortable, and it was made worse by their almost complete ignorance of the methods by which veteran soldiers manage to force something like comfort out of the most unfavorable surroundings. A few hours later they were ordered to move to another camping-place, and while on their way thither they passed a brigade or division of the army of Gen. Buell, which had then just entered the city after a fatiguing forced march from Nashville in pursuit of the Southern army under Gen. Bragg. As the 23d marched past the dusty and battle-scarred veterans of Shiloh, and Farmington, and Iuka, the latter indulged (as veterans are apt to do) in many a sneer at the expense of the fresh troops, few of whom had yet heard the whistle of a hostile bullet. The officer before quoted* says of this incident, "The contrast of their dirty, tattered, and torn garments with our men was a matter of much comment. We were surprised that they jeeringly hinted at our greenness and inferiority, which a few months' experience in marches and on battle-fields would change. In time we learned that they had not been mistaken in their estimate of our relative merits as soldiers." The camp to which the regiment was moved at this time will be well recollected by those who occupied it, as " the Brick-yard Camp," a dreary and comfortless place, where the command remained without tents or other shelter until the afternoon of the 3d of October, when the 38th Brigade (Army of the Ohio), composed of the 102d and 111th Ohio, 129th Illinois, and 23d Michigan, all under command of Gen. Dumont, marched away fromt Louisville, on the road to Shelbyville, Ky. The weather was very hot, the road dusty, water almost impossible to obtain, and the men, not having yet learned the meaning of "light marching order," were overloaded with the cumbrous outfits which they brought from home; so that when, late at night, they halted on the bank of a muddy stream known as "Floyd's Fork," the exhausted and footsore troops were glad enough to lie down upon the ground, with no shelter but their blankets, and no thought but that of rest from the fatigues of this, their first severe march. Late the next morning they arose stiff and sore in every joint, and soaked with the rain which was still falling. Coffee was made from the muddy water of the stream, in which hundreds of mules were stamping and wallowing. The rations were neither very good nor plentiful, but these were on this occasion supplemented by supplies taken from a mansion which stood near by, and from which the occupants had fled on the approach of the troops. "The soldiers, impressed with the idea that all food, raiment, and other movables found in the enemy's country belonged to Uncle Sam's elect, proceeded to ransack the premises, * Capt. W. A. Lewis, of the 23d, from whom all the quotations in this sketch (unless otherwise notel) are made. bringing off meat, meal, vegetables, sauces, honey, jellies, preserves, and some pretty good stock for the stable,-a portion of which we recognized the next spring grazing in the valley of the Saginaw." Early in the day the rain ceased, and the command moved out towards Shelbyville, which was reached the same evening, and the 23d encamped in the vicinity of the village. Here the brigade remained until the morning of October 9th, when it moved through the village and on towards Frankfort, arriving in the neighborhood of that town the same night, the advance guard of the force having already entered the city after a skirmish with the cavalry of the enemy, who had succeeded in destroying the fine bridge of the Lexington and Frankfort Railroad, and had attempted the destruction of the turnpike-bridge, but had been driven away before accomplishing it. On the march from Louisville to Frankfort, large numbers of negroes had fallen in with the column (some engaging as servants to the officers, but more accompanying the force without any definite object), until there were found among the dusky crowd " the names or lineal descendants of every prominent general in the rebel army." A considerable number of Kentucky horses had also " fallen in" on the line of march, and were being ridden by officers and privates; but on arrival at Frankfort there came for these a host of claimants, and the day was one of reckoning for those in whose possession they were found. "A court-martial was instituted, and held a protracted session at Frankfort. It must have made sad havoc among the Wolverines but for the fact that our fighting companion, Capt. Walbridge, who rode the best captured steed into the town on that eventful morning (October 10th), was the honored judge advocate of the court." With the exception of an expedition in pursuit of the guerrilla chief, John Morgan, the 23d remained at Frankfort thirteen days. It was at this time under command of Maj. B. F. Fisher, the colonel being in command of the brigade, and Lieut.-Col. Pratt being absent. It was while the regiment lay at this place that the death occurred of Lieut. John Earle, of "E" company, on Sunday, Oct. 19, 1862. HIis remains were sent home to Michigan in clarge of Sergt. Lyons, and at about the same time the regiment received the sad news of the death of Capt. Norville, of fever, at Saginaw City, October 3d. At a little past midnight in the morning of the day of Lieut. Earle's death, the men of the 23d were startled from their sleep by the thrilling sound of the " long roll," and at one o'clock A.M. they were marching rapidly away in pursuit of the redoubtable Morgan, who was reported to be at Lawrenceburg. Two companies of the regiment, however (" K" and "G"), were left as a guard at Frankfort. The pursuing column was, almost as a matter of course, a little too late to overtake the main body of Morgan's force, but succeeded in capturing a few men and horses belonging to his rear guard, and with these trophies the command returned the same evening to the camp at Frankfort, having marched twenty-six miles under the usual disadvan tages of cloking dust and great scarcity of water. The regiment took its final departure from Frankfort late in the afternoon of the 21st of October, and encamped that TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 95 f night in an oak grove, a few miles down the road towards Lawrenceburg. On the following day it passed through that town, and made its camp for the night at Big Spring, some miles farther on. The weather had suddenly grown cold, and many of the men suffered for need of the blankets, which had been foolishly thrown away as incumbrances in the heat and dust of previous marches. In the morning of the 23d the Kentucky hills and vales were white with hoarfrost. The regiment was early in line, and during this day's march passed through Harrodsburg. Here the men were not permitted to make a free exploration of the town, on account of their rather damaging record as indiscriminate foragers. About noon of the 24th they passed through the little village of Perryville, in the outskirts of which the armies of Buell and Bragg had fought the battle of Chaplin Hills, sixteen days before, many of the Union and Confederate wounded from that engagement being still in the village, and in the farm-house hospitals of the vicinity. That night the weary men of the 23d made their bivouac on the banks of an abundant and tolerably clear stream of water, called the Rolling Fork. In the march of the following day, this stream was crossed and recrosscd many times in its meanderings, and late in the day the regiment reached the little half-burned village of Bradfordsvillc. The latter part of the day's march had been made in a cold, drenching rain, which, as night fell, turned to snow, and on the following morning (Sunday, October 26th) the arctic covering lay six inches deep over the ground. Tils was considered a remarkable event for that latitude, and it brought remembrances of their Northern homes to the minds of many whose eyes would never again look upon the whitened expanse of the Michigan hills and valleys. During all that Sabbath day the tired men enjoyed a season of rest and recreation around their comfortable camp-fires, and while they rested the snow disappeared, so that their march of the following day was over bare roads, but free fronm tormenting dust. In the evening of the 27th the brigade arrived at Newmarket, Ky., where several commands of the rear guard of Buell's army were found encamped, and where the 23d and its companion regiments also went into camp and remained for eight days, engaged in recuperation, drill, and the preparation of muster-rolls, to be used upon a pay-day which all hoped might conle in the near future. On the 4th of November the brigade again moved forward, and on the 5th passed through Munfordsville, where a Union force of ten thousand men lay encamped. On the 6th it reached Dripping Springs, where it remained one day, and in the afternoon of the 8th arrived at Bowling Green, Ky., a town which " had the appearance of having been visited by pestilence, famine, and the besom of destruction," as was remarked by some of the officers of the 23d. " A large rebel force had wintered there, and remained until driven out by the Union forces under Gen. Mitchell, and they had made of the whole visible creation one common camping-ground." This place was destined to be the home of the 23d Regiment for a period of more than six months. Its camp (which was afterwards transformed into substantial and comfortable winter-quarters) was pitched near the magnificent railroad-bridge crossing the Big Barren River, and the guarding of this bridge formed a part of the duty of the regiment during the winter of 1862-63; its other duties being camp routine, drill, picket, provost, and railway guard, and the convoying of railroad trains of stores over the road from Bowling Green to Nashville. While here, the 23d, with its brigade, formed part of the 10th Division of the Army of the Cumberland, and they were successively under command of Gens. Granger, Manson, and Judah, as commandants of the post, during the six months that they remained here. The period of the regiment's stay at Bowling Green was marked by many notable events, some pleasant, some painful, and others ludicrous. Near the town was a pleasureground, many acres in extent, with a magnificent spring of clear cold water in its centre. This seems to have been a favorite resort for both citizens and soldiers, and we are told that " here, upon many a happy occasion, the beauty and the chivalry of Bowling Green, and many inveterate Yankees, assembled to enjoy the scene of unequaled hilarity and mirth." It was several times the case that snow fell to a sufficient depth for sleighing, and these opportunities for pleasure were improved to the utmost. Private entertainments, too, were sometimes given by the citizens, and " there were, in several instances, strong indications of attachments between some of the boys in blue and the fair damsels of Bowling Green.... These were oases in the dreary Sahara of the war." On the morning of the momentous 1st of January, 1863, the artillery on College Hill fired a salute, which was afterwards changed to target practice; and during a part of the time of its continuance the camp of the 23d Michigan seems to have been the target, for several solid shots were thrown into it, doing some damage to quarters, and creating no little consternation. This was the first time the regiment had been actually under fire. On the 6th of April, 1853, occurred one of the most distressing events in the experience of the regiment at Bowling Green. This was the sudden death of Lieut.-Col. Pratt. Hle had mounted a powerful and restive horse, but was scarcely seated in the saddle when the fiery animal plunged and reared so violently as to fall backwards upon the colonel, crushing and killing him instantly. He was a good and popular officer, and was sincerely mourned by the men and officers of the regiment. When spring had fairly opened, it began to be rumored that the troops occupying Bowling Green would soon be moved from there and enter active service. The men of the 23d Michigan did not regret this probability of a change, for although their experience had been in some respects as pleasant as any which soldiers in time of war have a right to expect, yet they had been terribly reduced in numbers by sickness while there, and it was believed that this evil would be aggravated by the coming of warm weather. Besides, they had grown tired of the monotonous duty which they were called on to perform, and were, as soldiers almost always are, inclined to wish for a change. About the 20th of May, orders were received to make all preparations for a movement, and to hold the commands in readiness for the march; and on the 29th of the same month the regiment broke camp, and moved with its brigade on the road to Glasgow, Ky., which point was 96 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. reached on the 30th, and here the 23d remained until the 13th of June, when it was ordered in pursuit of a force of guerrillas, said to be at Randolph, about twelve miles distant. Almost as a matter of course nothing resulted from this expedition, and the regiment returned to Glasgow on the 16th, after a most severe and exhausting march. On the 22d it again moved, with Manson's brigade, to Scottsville; thence, on the 26th, to Tompkinsville; and, July 4th, back to Glasgow. Here, however, it made little stay, but marched out (now in full pursuit of John Morgan) to Munfordsville, reaching there July 7th, then to Elizabethtown and Louisville by rail, reaching the latter city on the 11th. Morgan was now reported across the Ohio River, in Indiana. The 23d, as part of the command of Gen. Judah, crossed to New Albany, Ind., but, making little stop there, proceeded to Jeffersonvillc, and thence up the river by steamer to Madison, Ind., arriving there on the 12th, and passing on to Cincinnati, which was reached in the evening of the 13th. From that city, the fleet (on which was the 23d, with the other regiments under command of Gen. Judah) passed up the river to Maysville, Concord, and Portsmouth, 0., at which latter place they remained until July 20th, when they returned to Cincinnati, and disembarked the troops. From there the 23d was transported by railroad to Chillicothe, and thence to Hamden Junction, where it encamped for a few days. Within the campground of the regiment at this place there remained a rude rostrum, fiom which, on a previous occasion, the notorious Vallandigham had set forth his peculiar views to the populace of Southern Ohio. But now the same rostrum was occupied by the chaplain of the 23d, the Rev. J. S. Smart, who most eloquently " consecrated it to the cause of freedom, while the regiment made the welkin ring with shouts for liberty and the Union." There was no occasion to continue longer in the pursuit of Morgan, for that daring leader and his band had already been destroyed or captured. The regiment then returned to Cincinnati, crossed the Ohio to Covington, and moved thence by rail to Paris, Ky., arriving there on the 28th, just in time to assist the small Union force stationed there in protecting the town and an important railway-bridge at that point against an attack made by Pcgram's rebel cavalry. This affair occurred on the 29th, and in it (the first actual engagement in which the 23d took part) the conduct of the regiment was most creditable. It remained here until the 4th of August, when it moved, by way of Lexington and Louisville, to Lebanon, Ky., and thence to New Market, where it arrived on the 8th of August, and was incorporated with the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, of the 23d Army Corps, then organizing at that point. On the 16th, marching orders were received, and on the 17th of Auust, at two o'clock P.M., the regiment, with its division, moved out and took up the long and wearisome march for East Tennessee. The camp of that night was only seven miles out from New Market, on Owl Creek, where the command rested during all of the following day and night, but moved forward again at daybreak in the morning of the 19th, and camped that night on Green River. The march was resumed on the following morning, and two days later (August 22d) the regiment forded the Cumberland River and began to ascend the foot-hills of the Cumberland Mountains. In the evening of the 25th it made its camp at Jamestown, the county-seat of Fentress County, Tenn. On the 30th the command reached Montgomery, Tenn., where were Gens. Burnside and Hartsuff, with the main body of the army, commanded by the former officer. In passing tlrough this little settlement " an enthusiastic old lady harangued the corps upon the glory of its mission, alternately weeping and shouting, invoking the blessings of Heaven upon the troops, and pouring out volleys of anathemas upon the enemies of the country." On the 1st of September the men of the 23d had passed the gorges of the mountains, descended their southeastern slope to the valley of the Tennessee, and camped late at night on the right bank of the Clinch River, a tributary of the larger stream. Fording the Clinch in the forenoon of the 2d of September, the corps marched forward and passed through Kingston, a considerable town of East Tennessee, near which the waters of the Clinch join those of the Holston and form the Tennessee River. The camp of the 23d was pitched for the night about two miles beyond Kingston. At five o'clock in the morning of the 3d the troops were in line ready for the march, and then, for eight long weary hours, the 23d Miclhigan and its companion regiments of the brigade waited for the order to move. At nine o'clock in the forenoon the brigade was formed in square four lines deep, and while standing in that formation was addressed by its commander, Gen. White, who read a dispatch just received fiom Gcn. Burnside, announcing the capture of Knoxville by the Union forces. Gen. White then congratulated his command, and called on Col. Chapin of the 23d for a speech. The colonel responded in an address, which, being brief and comprehensive, is given here entire. He said, " Boys, the general calls on me to make a speech. You know that I am not much of a speaker, and all I have to say is, that you've done d —d well! Keep on doing so " Long and loud acclamations greeted this vigorous harangue; then the brigade resumed its previous formation, and, after another tedious delay, moved out on the road to Loudon, which was reached early in the afternoon of Friday, September 4th. The enemy had hastily evacuated all the strong works which they had built at this place, but had succeeded in destroying the great and important railroadbridge across the river. Here the brigade remained for about ten days. During the latter part of the march across the mountains, supplies had become so much reduced that rations of corn in the ear were issued to some of the troops, and after their arrival at Loudon this situation of affairs was but little improved until Tuesday, the 8th of September, when the first railroad-train reached the town from Knoxville, and was hailed with wild delight by the weary and hungry soldiers. Before this, however, their necessities had been partially relieved by repairing and putting in running order a grist-mill which the enemy had dismantled before his evacuation. The advance of the wagon-trains also came up at about the same time that the railroad was opened for use. TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 97 *....... At two o'clock in the morning of September 15th the men of the 23d were roused from their slumbers to prepare for a march, and one hour later they were moving on the road to Knoxville, twenty-eight miles distant. This march was performed with all possible speed, and late in the afternoon the regiment bivouacked within a short distance of tle capital of East Tennessee. The next morning it entered the city, but soon after proceeded by rail to Morristown, a distance of about forty miles. Only a short stay was made here, and on the 19th it returned to Knoxville, and went into camp at the railroad depot. The next day was the Sabbath, and here, for the first time in months, the ears of the men were greeted by the sound of church bells, and they passed the day in rest and quiet, little dreaming of the furious battle that was then raging, away to the southward, upon the field of Chickamauga, or of the rout and disaster to the Union arms which that day's sunset was to witness. At four o'clock Monday morning the brigade took the road towards Loudon, and arrived there the same night. Here the 23d occupied a pleasant and elevated camp in a chestnut grove, and remained stationed at Loudon for about five weeks, engaged in picket duty and scouting, and during the latter part of the time frequently ordered into line of battle, and continually harassed by reports of the near approach of the enemy under Longstreet, who had been detached from the army of Bragg in Georgia, and was pressing northward with a heavy force towards Knoxville. This advance of Longstreet decided Gen. Burnside to retire his forces from Loudon, and on the 28th of October the place was evacuated; the 23d Michigan being the last regiment to cross the pontoon-bridge, which was then imnmediately swung to the shore, and the boats loaded upon cars and sent to Knoxville. All this being accomplished, the army moved to Lenoir, Tenn., and camped beyond the town, the line of encampments extending many miles. The same niight the camp-fires of the enemy blazed upon the hills of Loudon, which the Union forces had just evacuated. At the new camp on the Lenoir road the 23d Regiment remained until the 14th of November, when it moved with the army back in the direction of Hough's Ferry, where a sharp engagement ensued, and the enemy was driven several miles southward. The army returned to Lenoir on the 15th, and on the following day commenced its retreat to Knoxville, having destroyed its transportation and camp equipage, and turned all the teams over to the several batteries. At Campbell's Station the enemy came up and attacked repeatedly and with great energy; these attacks were successfully repelled, but the retreat was continued with all practicable speed to Knoxville, where the 23d arrived at four A.M. on the 17th, after a march of twentyeight miles without rest or food, and having fought for five hours, losing thirty-one killed and wounded, and eight missing. Then followed the memorable siege of Knoxville, which continued until the 5th of December, when the enemy re treated. In the operations of this siege the regimuent took active and creditable part, and on the withdrawal of the forces,f Longstreet it joined in the pursuit, though no 13 important results were secured. The enemy having passed beyond reach, the regiment camped at Blain's CrossRoads, December 13th, and remained until the 25th, when it was moved to Strawberry Plains. From the commencement of the retreat to Knoxville, until its arrival at the Plains, the situation and condition of the regiment had been deplorable, for many of its men had been without blankets, shoes, or overcoats, and in this condition (being almost entirely without tents) they had been compelled to sleep in unsheltered bivouac in the storms and cold of the inclement season, and, at the same time, to subsist on quarter-rations of meal, eked out by such meagre supplies as could be foraged from the country. The command remained at Strawberry Plains about four weeks, engaged upon the construction of fortifications, and on the 21st of January, 1864, marched to the vicinity of Knoxville, where it was employed in picket and outpost duty until the middle of February, having during that time had three quite sharp affairs with the enemy's cavalry (January 14th, 22d, and 27th), in the last of which seven men were taken prisoners, and one mortally wounded. From this time until the opening of the spring campaign it was chiefly engaged in scouting, picket, and outpost duty, in which it was moved to several different points, among which were Strawberry Plains, New Market, Mossy Creek, Morristown, and Charleston, Tenn., at which last-named place it was stationed on the 1st of May, 1864. The Atlanta campaign of Gen. Sherman being now about to open, and the 23d Michigan being destined to take part in it, the regiment left Charleston on the 2d of May, and took the road to Georgia. Passing down the valley of the Tennessee, and thence up Chickamauga Creek, it reached the vicinity of Tunnel Hill on the 7th, and confronted the enemy at Rocky-Face Ridge, Ga., on the 8th of May, opening the fight on that day by advancing in skirmish line, and taking possession of a commanding crest in front of the hostile works. In the advance from Rocky-Face, the regiment, with its brigade, passed through Snake Creek Gap, arrived in front of Resaca on the 13th, and on the following day took part in the assault on the enemy's strong works at that place. The result of this attack was a repulse of the attacking column, and a loss to the 23d of sixty-two in killed and wounded; all of which was incurred in a few minutes of desperate fighting. The enemy, though successful in repelling the assault, evacuated his position at Resaca, and moved to the Etowah River, where his rear guard was overtaken and slightly engaged by the Union pursuing force, of which the 23d Michigan formed a part. From this point the regiment moved on to Dallas and took a position in front of the rebel works at that place, where it remained from the 27th of May until the 1st of June, and during this time was almost constantly engaged day and night in skirmishing with the advanced lines of the enemy. Again the rebel forces evacuated their strong position and moved south towards Atlanta, the Union troops pressing on in close and constant pursuit, in which service the 23d Regiment participated and took part in the engagements at Lost Mountain, Ga., Kenesaw Mountain, and Chattahoochee River, and, later, fought in front of Atlanta until the capitu lation of that stronghold. On the 1st of October it was at Decatur, Ga., and on the 3d of that month moved from 98 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. there, northward, in pursuit of the rebel general, Hood, who was then marching towards Nashville. While engaged in this service the 23d marched with its division (it was then in the 2d Brigade, 2d Division of the 23d Army Corpi) to. Marietta, New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Allatoona, Cartersville, Kingston, and Rome, Ga., and from the last-named place, through Snake Creek Gap, to Villanon, Summersville, Tenn., and Cedar Bluff, Ala, and thence back to Rome, where it remained a short time, and early in November again moved through Alabama into Tennessee, and was stationed at Johnsonville, employed in garrison duty and the construction of defensive works until the 24th. It was then moved by rail to Columbia, Tenn., where it arrived on the 25th, while a heavy skirmish, amounting to almost a general engagement, was in progress near that place between the armies of Thomas and Hood. A part of the regiment was immediately advanced upon the skirmish line, while the remainder of the command went into position. At midnight it was withdrawn and ordered to the line of Duck River, where it lay on the south side of the stream, throwing up defenses and fiequently skirmishing with the enemy; being constantly on duty day and night until near daylight in the morning of the 28th, when it retired across the river to the north bank, where it held position, and keeping up an almost continual skirmish with Iood's advance till noon of the 29th, when it fell back with the army to the vicinity of' Spring Hill, Tenn., about ten miles north of Duck River. Here, at about dark on the same day, the enemy was found in force occupying the road. An attack was made, and after a short fight the Confederates were driven from their position. The Union forces then resumed the march to Franklin, Tenn., and, arriving there in the morning of the 30th, immediately took position and commenced throwing up temporary defenses. At four o'clock P.MI. the enemy attacked in four strong lines and with great desperation, but was repulsed with heavy loss. The attack was several times renewed, but unsuccessfully until about ten P.M., when a still more furious assault was made by the enemy, who succeeded in planting his colors on the works in front of the 23d Regiment, but was again forced back after a hand-to-hand fight. At eleven P.M. the regiment with the other Union troops withdrew, and, crossing the river, moved on the road to Nashville, arriving there at two P.M. on December 1st, having marched fifty miles in forty-eight hours, six hours of which time had been passed under fire in the desperate battle of Franklin. During the week which had elapsed since the arrival of the 23d at Columbia the men had suffered severely from scarcity of provisions, and in the last two days of the movement had subsisted on less than quarter-rations. The regiment lay within the works at Nashville for two weeks, and then in the morning of the 15th of December it moved out with its division and the other commands under Gen. Thomas to attack the Confederate army, which had in the mean time concentrated in their front just south of Nashville. In the great battles of the 15th and 16th of December, which resulted in the defeat and complete rout of Iood's army, the 23d took an active part. " On the 15th, while the. regiment was making a charge on a position occupied by a portion of the enemy behind a stone wall, its flag-staff was shot in two and the color-sergeant severely wounded, but before the colors fell to the ground they were grasped by the corporal of the color-guard and gallantly carried to the fiont. On the 17th the pursuit of the enemy commenced, and during the first three days of the march the rain fell in torrents, the mud being fully six inches deep, which, with the swollen streams, rendered progress extremely difficult and tedious. The pursuit was continued until Columbia was reached, where a halt was made and the movement ended." Soon after this utter rout of Ilood's army and its expulsion from Tennessee, the 23d Army Corps received orders to move east to the city of Washington, and on the 1st of January, 1865, the 23d Michigan, as part of this corps, left Colunmbia and took up its line of march for Clifton, one hundred and fifty miles distant, on the Tennessee River, at which point it arrived on the Sth of the month. On the 16th it embarked at that Ilace and proceeded thence by steamer, on the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers, to Cincinnati, where it arrived on the 922d, and immediately left there by railroad for Washington. Reaching that city on the 29t1h, it went into camp at '" Camp Stoneman," D. C., and remained until the 9th of February. At that time the regiment moved to Alexandria, Va., where, on the 11th, it embarked with its corps on transports bound for Smithville, N. C., at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and reached that point of destination after a passage of four days. On the 17th it moved with the other forces in the movement against Fort Anderson, taking position before it on the 18th, under a furious fire of artillery and musketry. Upon the capitulation of the fort and its occupation by the Union forces on the morning of the 19th of February, the 23d Michigan Infantry was the first regiment to enter the captured work. The regiment was again engaged at Town Creek, N. C., on the 20th, taking three hundred and fifty prisoners and two pieces of artillery. In the morning of the 23d the Union force crossed the Cape Fear River to its north bank, and found that the city of Wilmington had been evacuated by the enemy during the previous night. The corps moved up the coast on the 6th of March, and reached Kinston, N. C., just at the close of the severe engagement at that place. In this movement the 23d marched one hundred and twenty-five miles in six days, and during the last twenty-four hours moved constantly without halting, except long enough to draw rations and to issue thirty additional rounds of ammunition to the men. The corps left Kinston March 20th, and on the 22d reached and occupied Goldsboro', where, on the following day, the advance of Gen. Sherman's army made its appearance, coming in from the south. The 23d Regiment was then ordered back ten miles to Mosely IIall, to guard the railroad at that point while the army.was receiving its supplies. On the 9th of April the regiment moved with the army on the road to Raleigh, which was reached and occupied by the advance on the 13th, the 23d Michigan entering the city on the following day and receiving the welcome news of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The regiment remained at Raleigh until after the war had been closed by the surrender of the Confederate army under Johnston. ii TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. 99 Its fighiting da ys were over, but its men had yet to experience a little more ofr the fiatigues ofr marching. On the 3d of May it moved on the road, by way of Chapel Hill, to Greensboro', ninety miles distant, and reached that town on the 7thi. Two days later it lert by rail for Salisbury, N. C., and remained there until the 28th of June, when it was mustered out of service. All that now remained of' military life to the men of the 23d was the homeward joulney to Michigan and their final payment and discharge. Thiey were transported hy railroad through Danville and 1Petersbarg, to City Point, Va., and thience by steamner to Baltimore, Md., where they again took railway transportation for the West, and airived at Detroit July 7, 1865. On the 20th of the Same month they were paid and disbanded, and each went his way, to know no more of march and bivouac and battle,' except as cherished niemories of the eventful past. OFFICERIS AND MEN OF TILE TWENTY-TIIIRD INFANTRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY. Field and Stitff Gilbert Bogart, Jr., Flint, asst. surg.; Sept. 16, 1862; res. April 26, 1864. J. S. Smart. Flint, chaplain; res. July 31, 1_863.1 Charles A. Munia, Flint, sergt.-nmajor; pro. to 2d1 lient. Co. I, March 8, 1868. Rev. Benjamin. M. Fay, Flint, chaplain; Nov. 11, 1861; rca. Mlarch 4, 1863. Gompany C'. Capt. Charles E. MeAlester, Flint; Aug. 1, 1-862; trans. to 1st U. S. Vet. 'Vol. Enigineers, Aug. 13, 1864. Ist Lieut. George W Buckinghiam, Flint; Aug. 1, 1862; pro. to capt. Co. A. 2d Lient. Win. C. Stewart, Fiint; pro~. to 1st lient. Co. E, Dec. 17, 1862; killed in bottle, at Resacit, Ga., May 14, 1864. 21 Lietit. Jarvis E. Alisro, Mount Morris; pro. to lot lient. Oct. 6, 1864; to capt. Co. K, March 4, 1865; must. out Jusie 28, 1863. 2d Lieut. Castle L. Newell, Clayton; must. out Jane 28, 1863. Sergt. Alber-t A. Elmsore, Rtichsfield; pro. to 2d lieat. Co. Ii, 1)ec. 13, 1862; 1st lieuit. Co. D, Jan. 3, 1864; caipt. Oct. 6, 1864; must. out Jane 28, 1863. Sergt. Jolm, D). Light, Grand Bilance; must, out at Salisbury, N. C., Jane 285 18635. Sergt. Egbert B. Knsowlton, Flushing; diseb. for (isability, Jane It), 1863. Sergt. Levi Wells, Jr., Montrose; died at Bowling Green, Ky., lDec. 3, 1862. Sergt. Merritt W. Elniore, Flint; pro. to sergt.-sa~jor; 2d heat. Co. 1, Oct. 6, 1864; 1st lieut. Cs. E, Nov.315, 1864; must. out Juine 28, 1863. Corp. Castle L. Newell, C1a3,ton; pro, to sergt.-major, Nov. 201, 1864; 21 lient. Nov. 310, 1864. Corp. Jamies Mt. Wilkins, Rtichfield; must. out by order, July 13, 1863. Corp. Wni. S. Caldwell, Genesee; died at Blowliing Green, Ky., Feb. 22, 1863. Curt). Charles F. tasnilow, Flint; must. soit Jane 28, 1865. Corp. John E. Tam~er, Flashing; died at Bowling Greens, Ky., Feb. 28, 186.3. Corp. tiarnion 'Van Buskirk, Vienna; absenft on furlouigh, not mnust. oaul with coinpany. Corp. Andrew J. Hto le, Flusbing; killed in. battle at Iosaea, Ga., May 14, 1864. Musician Sainniel It. Wycoff, Granid Blanc; trans. to Invalid Corps; Musst. ont July 14, 1865. Musiciaii Forbes 1). Ewer, Flint; discis. for disability, March 14, 1863. Wagoner Reuben Gage, itiundy; must, out June 28, 1863. Janises Benjanmin, Davison; utiscia. for disability, Jan. 3t0, 186:1. Sandford M. Badginy, Mundy; died at Burnt Hickory, Ga., of wounds, May 29, 1863. William M. Beslherer, Forest; must. out Junie 28, 1865. Htenry It. Beebe, Forest; disch. for wousids, Nov. 3, 1864. George W. Brown, Vienna; lissut, out June 13, 1863. Janses Baldwin, Clayton; must. out June 28, 1865. Ewin C. Binhiuam, Vietusa; niust. out June 28, 18151. Williams Barber, Geneses; must. out Jause 12, 1865. Martin V. Castle, Vienusa; died of disease at Nashville, Tenn., July 1, 1864. Johni Counnell, trans. to 2811h Michigasn Infantry. Levi Craig, Flushing; muist. out May 29, 1865. Andrewv S. Clark, Flint; must, out Juise 28, 1865. George W. Cooley, Flint; muist. out Juise 28, 1865. Nathasn J. Conurad, Vienna; must. out June 28, 1861, Patrick Clauicy, Mount Msort-is; miust. out June 28, 1863. Warren I. Davis, diesl of slisease sit Louisville, Ky., Nov. 29, 1862. Johns. N. Dumioissi Flint; died isn action at Resasca, Gsi., May 14, 1864. Aissuzo Dickisisosi, Fliist; inist. out Jusse 28, 1865. Melvin W. Drake, Linsden; must. oiut Jusse 28, 1865..lames Davis, Flinit; must, out June 28, 1865. Asa M1. Davis, Richfield; nisat. out Junec 28, 1863. KEhvarIl Eckiss, Flint; insst, out June 28, 1865. Will'iam 11. Eagle, Flint; must. oust June 28, 1865. Gesirge It. Eckles, Flint; must, out May 13, 186R91 Danvisl Foot, Viesuuni; diesd of disease at Bowling Green, Ky., Jan. 6, 1861. Psrry Flemiings, Flint; deels, for di'absility, Oct.."3, 1862. Christer Feltons, Jr., Flint; must, out Juine 28, 1865. Willianti L. Farraust, Vienina; must. oust July 5, 1863. Charles S. Freensais, Flint; must. out Jsune 28, 1865. Saslems C. Gleason. Flushling; discls. for disability, Dec. 19, 1862. Chanrles E. Green, Cissyton; discls. for disability, Jass. 10, 1863. Davisd NV Gilhsert, Fliist; dschas for slissubility, Dec. 2t),1863. Janies It. Gilbert, Thetford; dischs. at Ds'troit, Mich. George Itailey, Foreot; diesl of disease at Blowlinug Green, Ky., Nov. 24, 1862. Barney Itarper, Flinit; sliseb. fssr sdisability, IDec. 17, 1862. Marshall B. Hosre, Fl ushing; stied of disease at LouiisvilIle, Ky., Dec. 15. 1862. Isaac M. Itowell, Flint; died at Chattanooga, Tean., of wounds received May 1i, 1864. Johnsli Hsise, Flushing; died oif diseas-e at Clusattaisooga, Tenn. Thissisas othogh, Flushling; diesd (if slisease at Cha~ttanooiga, Teuni., Setpt. 11, '64. Rolsert S. 11atui11, Forest; nuist. out June 28, 1863..Jsshn Huhsiles, Filint; nisist. suit Juise 28, 1863. Williami hawley, Forest; must. out Juisie 21, 18635. Alliert Hawley, Forest; muist. out Junie 15, 1863. Jesse W. Hticks, Thsetford; must. out June 15, 1863. Stephlen Hosvey, Viensiss; isust. out May 24, 1863. Richard M. Johunsosn, Fliist; must. nut May 30,1865. Rteuben N. Lucas, Flint; stied of disease at Boswling Green, Ky., March 5, '63. Legiassd Lanphsere, Fllist; dslich. fsor stisaisility, Fets. 21),186:1. Gesorge F. Lewis, Misuisy; dstich. for disibility, May 11, 1863. Jsshn 1). Light, uisua. ouit Juise 28, 1865. Jouln McDonsalsd, Visuna; stied of disease sot Boswling Green, Ky., Nov. 24, 1862. Charles R. Macombs, (lied of disease at Bowrling Green, Ky., Dec. 7, 1862. Jamies A. Mills, Richifield; traiss. to Vet. Res. Corps, May 1, 1864. Walter Maxwrelh, Gensesee; stiseh. tsy orsler, Oct. 24, 186:1. Morris A. Miller, Rtichsfielsd; sliest of disease at Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 3, 1864. Westel Mlusige, Forest; disch. for sli~ab~iity,.Jsiie 4, 1863. Saiussel. Nelsons, Blurtson; must. out Jssne 2t0, 18613. George WV. Otttway, Clayton; diedl of' sdisesase at Saginawr, Mich., Oct. 3, 1862. Eslgar A. lilton, Richsfield; sliest of disesuse at 1Bowling Green, Ky., March 1,'6:1 Williain Isutnaiss, Muss ly; nsist. out Jsrie 28, 1863. Gessrge Pailtliorp), Vieiina; must. out June 28, 1863. Irvinsg Rosgers, Flisit; diest i a sctioni at Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864. Chsarles IRice, Flist; sliest of diseaseast Riehmionsl, Va., April 4,13864. Janises Rosberts. RirtsfieldI: niusit. soust Slay 29, 1865. Wislliasu E. Itarsisy, Forest; must. o st June 28, 1863. Esifuis Rtaniiey, Forsst; nisst. ssit,tuie 28, 1865. Willirdl Raussey, Fsorest; must, out Junie 28, 1865. Jamses A. Rose, Genesee; sisust. out June 28, 1863. George A. Ilislslinson, Flushinsg; usust. out Julie 5, 18635. Chiauncey ithsyno, Gal ues,; niust. out June 3, 1863. Reuben Ws. Sasge, musut. out Juns 28, 1863. Thseodosre WV. Selliek, Flint; nisst. out Jsuse 28, 1863. Htenry D. Sleejier, Flinst; imutst out Junie 28, 1863. Ansdrew S. Sm-ilhs, Flsishing; mutst. osst Jssne 28, 1865. William WV. Stevesis, lied of disease at Boslinug Greesi, Ky., Dec. 26, 1862. George Sis ippyN, stied sof stisease at Lebasson, Ky., Dec. 4, 1862. Elssn F. Thssisupsoni, Riehtifles; stied of disease sit Knoxville, Tesin., Feb. 5, ~64. Williasn Tribusstsll, Flusht; must. out Juuss 28, 1865. Charles F. Tibises, Fluisshing; must, oust Juuse 28, 3863. Theodosre M. Tupper, Flisnt; Insst. sost Juuse 28, 1863. Samuel P. Tsubbo, Ilichifielsl; nusit. out Jssse 28, 1865. William II. Usnserhill, V'iensia; neuist. oust Jussue 28, 1863. Esisocl Vsernoios, Flutshing; trans. to Vet. Re.-. Corlss, Dec. iS, 1863. Wiulliaus Warresn, Forest; disehs. for disability, Nov. 12, 1862. Fresterick N. Walker, Mount Morris; died of disease at Bowling Green, Ky., March 4, 186-3. Ephraini Wright, Flisit; dischs. for disability. Joshius Withierall, Vienna; nusit. oust Jusse 28, 1863. Willard S. W~illiamsia Flusshisng; siasst. out Jusse 28, 3865. Jasses M. Williams, Flushing; usust. out July 24, 1865. 6sssuspauy K. Capt. Damon Stewart, Flint; Aug. 1, 1862; insist, oust March 4, 1865. Caist. Jas vie E. Altsro, SMossut Mlori-is, March 4, 1865; mu st, oust Jutn e 28, 1865. 1ist Lient. Sansl. C. Randall, Flint.; Aug. 1, 1862; pro, to capt.; must. out as Ist hleut. Jane 28, 1863. 2sh LieutL Juliu Rea, Flint; Aug. 1, 1862; res. Dec. 13,1862. 2d Lieuut. Albert A. Elmose, Richifield, pro. to capt. Co. D; must, out June 28, 18635; wsus sergt. Co. C; then 2s1 hiest. Co. K; then let heist. Co. D, Janl.. 3, 1864; woundest at Resaca, Ga., Slay 1.4, 1864; pro. to capt. Oct. 6, 1864.r 21 Lieiut. Joliu F. Atchiussoss, Buirton; Oct. 6, 1864; must, out Julie 28, 1865. Sergt. Win. SM. Beangle, Flint; pro. to 21 hleut. Co. A, Fel,. 6, 4863; Iet hient..issue 20, 1864; died of wounds received at Lost Mountaiss, Ga., Jusue 16,, 1864. 186s. Scrgt. Cluisrlss A. K snm, Flint; sergt.-maj.; pro. to 2d hlicut. Co. 1, March 8,. 1864; 1st lieuit. Co. 1t; must. out Jane 28, 1865. 100 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Sergt. Robert L. Warren, Flint; disech. Feb. 2, 1863. Sergt. Jas. G. Fisher, Flint; trans. to 28th Inf. June 28, 1865. Corp. Wm. J. McAllister, Burton; absent, sick; not must. out with company. Corp. Nelson A. Chase, Atlas; died in Florence prison-pen, Oct. 21, 1864. Corp. George Brosseau, Flushing; trans. to Inv. Corps; must. out June 30,1865. Corp. Theran E. Haskins, Flushing; must. out June 28,1865. Corp. John Gregory, Vienna, must. out by order, May 30,1865. Corp. Dwight Babcock. Burton; disch. Nov. 21, 1862. Corp. Truman S. Alexander, Burton; died at New Albany, Dec. 26,1862. Musician Benj. Long, Thetford; must. out June 28, 1865. Musician Geo. Freeman, Flint; must. out June 28,1865. Wagoner Almon Eggleston, Flint; disch. for disability, Oct. 6, 1864. Delno Atchins, Flint; died in action at Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864. Samuel W. Allen, Mundy; must. out June 28, 1865. Brackett J. Allen, Mundy; must. out June 28, 1865. Wm. B. Allen, Mundy; must. out June 28, 1865. Henry C. Boyer, Flint; died of disease at Bowling Green, Ky., Dec. 20,1862. Edmond L. Beach, Genesee; died of disease at Louisville, Ky., Nov. 9,1862. Mortimer C. Bodine, Vienna; died of disease at Lebanon, Ky., Nov. 12, 1862. Charles Best, Atlas; disch. for disability, Feb. 5, 1863. Hiram Barber, Burton; disch. for disability, March 26,1863. Geo. W. Bunce, Atlas; trans. to Vet. Res. Corp.s, Feb. 15, 1864. Iliram H. Bardwell, Burton; trans. to Yet. Res. Corps, May 1, 18G6. Marion Brainard, Grand Blanc; must. out June 28, 1865. Clarence Barrows, Genesee; must. out June 28, 1865. James Crane, Fenton; disch. for disability, Jan. 23, 1863. Willard Cruthers, Atlas; must. out Dec. 2, 1865. Noah Crittenden, Genesee; died of disease at Louisville, Ky., Dec. 3,1864. John W. Cleveland, Flint; must. out May 12, 1865. Silas Collins, Grand Blanc; must. out June 28, 1865. Win. L. Denier, Richfield; trails. to 28th Mich. Inf. Elijah Deeter, Fenton; must. out June 9, 18G5. Elias Douty, Fenton; must. out June 20, 1865. James Dunn, Argentine; must. out June 29, 1865. Nelson J. Dunn, Genesee; must. out June 28, 1865. John C. Flint, Davison; disch. for disability, Feb. 23, 1863. Orick J. Fales, Vienna; died of disease at Jeffersonville, Ind., Oct. 15, 1864. Edward Fales, Flint; must. out June 28, 1865. William J. Fales, Mundy; must. out June 28, 1865. James W. Fish, Flint; must. out June 28, 1865. George M. Gordenough, Davison; died of disease at Columbus, Ga., April 14, 1864, while prisoner of war. Warren Gustin, Davison; must. out June 17,1865. Enos Golden, Grand Blanc; must. out June 9, 1865. Jerry Hoffman, Grand Blanc; died of disease at Mumfordsville, Ky., Dec. 15, 1862. Albert Hlerrick, Genesee; died of disease at Chattanooga, Tenn., Sept. 9, 1864. Justin Hewitt, Davison; missing in action near Knoxville, Tennl., Jail. 27,1864. James E. Howe, Davison; must. out June 28, 1865. Israel Hill, Davison; must. out June 7, 1865. 11iraam D. Ilerrick, Viennai; must. out June 28, 1865. Sylvester C. Hicks, Vienna; must. out June 28, 1865. La fayette Hathaway, Davison; must. out June 28, 1865. Richard H. Hughes, Mount Morris; must. out May 29, 1865. Conrad Hoffman, Flint; muist. out June 28,1865. Ileury Ingalls, Flint; must. out June 28, 1865. Horace Jewell, died of disease at Glasgow, Ky., June 16, 1863. Walter P. Jones, Fenton; disch. for disability, Feb. 2, 1863. Nathan H. Johnson, Mount Morris; died in aclion at Campbell's Station, Tenn., Nov. 16, 1863. Joseph H. King, Hazleton; must. out June 28, 1865. 11. D. Lindsley, must. out June 28, 1865. Robert McCumsey, Thetford; died of disease at Bowling Green, Ky., March 17, 186:3. John M. Mynds, disch. for disability, Jan. 2, 1863. John McCumsey, Thetford; discli. for disability, Jan. 12, 1863. Arthur Morehouse, Genesee; died in action at Resaca, Ga., May 14,1864. Angus McPherson, Richfield; died of disease, June 5, 1864. Lester S. McAllister. Davison; must. out June 28, 1865, Win. J. Montgomery, Burton; must. out June 7, 1865. Thomas McCunisey, Thetford; must. out June 28, 1865. A. W. Mathews, Richfield; must. out Aug. 12, 1865. Daniel S. Potter, Flint; died of disease at Louisville, Ky., Nov. 22,1862. James Porter, Mundy; died of disease at Bowling Green, Ky., April 23, 1863. Henry C. Phelps, Atlas; must. out June 28,1865. Andrew V. Rouse, Mundy; must. out May 15, 1865. Caleb A. Richardson, Genesee; disch. by order, April 2,1865. Andrew J. Sumner, Vienna; disch. for disability, Dec. 27, 1862. Mathew Smith, Flint; must. out June 28, 1865. John Sinnott, Genesee; must. out June 28, 1865. Calvin Stafford,.Thetford; must. out June 28, 1865. Samuel Siters, Thetford; must. out June 28, 1865. Shannon W. Scott, Thetford; must. out June 28, 1865. Harvey Stephens, Genesee; must. out June 2R, 1865. Irwin Stafford, Thetford; must. out June 28, 1865. Parker Scott, Thetford; must. out July 3, 1865. William B. Thurston, died of disease at Bowling Green, Ky., Jan. 19, 1863. James N. Tower, Richfield; trans. to 28th Michigan Infantry. Ambrose Thomas, Flint; must. out June 2R, 1865. William HI. Tliorp, Fenton; must. out June 28, 1865. Wm. A. Van Tuyl, Genesee; died of disease at Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 18,1862. Alfred B. Vorce, died near Knoxville, Tenn., Jan. 28,1864, of wounds. George Van Valkenburgh, Davison; died in action at Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864. Albert Van Vleit, Gaines; must. out June 29, 1865. Win. II. Wheeler, Flint; died of disease at Glasgow, Ky., July 11, 1863. Charles S. Warner, Vienna; disch. for disability, April 27,1863. Hamilton S. Wilder. Davisoni; died of disease at Andersonville, Ga., Sept.1,1864. Hlenry Winkley, Flint; must. out June 28, 1865. Lster N. Withers, Atlas; must. out June 28, 1865. Deloss Worden, Mundy; imust. out June 28, 1865. OTHER COMPANIES. Capt. Geo. W. Buckinghamn, Flint, Co. A; pro. from 1st lient. Co. C, Feb. 13, 1863; wounded iit battle at Canmpbell's Station, Tenn., Nov. 16, 1863; res. Sept. 29, 1864. Wm. M. Begole, Flint, 2d lieut. Co. A; enl. (sergt. Co. K); Feb. 6, 1863; pro. to capt. June 20, 1864; died Oct. 15,1864, of wounds received in action at Lost Mountain, Ga., June 16, 1864. Albert A. Elmore, Richfield, capt. Co. D; pro. fronm 1st lieut. Co. D, Oct. 6,1864; wounded at Resaca, Ga., May 14,1864; must. out June 28,1865. Wm. C. Stewart, Flint, 1st lieut. Co. E; Oct. 3, 1863; killed at Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864. Merritt W. Elmore, Flint, 1st lieut. Co. E, Nov. 30,1864; must. out June 28, 1865. Charles A. Muma, Flint, 1st lieut. Co. H; must. out June 28,1865. James Austin, Vienna, Co. D; must. out June 28, 1865. Joseph Billings, Thetford, Co. 11; trans. to 28th Michigan Infantry. John Biuirlison, Gain(s, Co. E, one year; must. out June 6,1865. John T. Barnum, Atlas, Co. I; must. out June 28, 1865. John M. Childs, Gaines, Co. E, one year; must. out June 28, 1865. George Crow, Genesee, Co. I; must. out June 29, 1865. Williaml Dneltgen, Burton, Co. G, musician; tranus. to Vet. Res. Corps, Nov. 15,1863. Madison Fisher, Mundy, Co. D; must. out Aug. 12,1865. Henry Giddings, Gaines, Co. 11; maist. out June 5, 1865. Charles M. HIuyck, Vienna, Co. B; died of disease at Andersonville, Ga., March 23, 1864. Tleodore Hlelmer, Thletford, Co. B; must. out June 28,1865. Benjaumin 11. Hewitt, Genesee, Co. E, one year; must. out June 28, 1865. Carlos E. lIall, Gaines, Co. G; must. out June 28, 1865. Suinier W. Ihoward, Flint, Co. I; must. out May 19, 1865. Charles A. Neff, Vienna, Co. B; must. out Feb. 25, 1865. Jaimes Parmelee, Vienna, Co. B (corp.); (lied of disease at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 8, 1864. Homer 1D. Penoyer, Flushing, Co. E (wagoner); must. out June 28, 1865. Otis It. Reed, Fenton, Co. G; must. out June 28,1865. Ervini D. Savage, Clayton, Co. I; died of disease at Jeffersonville, Ind., Jan. 1, 1865. John C. C. Stephens, Genesee, Co. H; must. out June 10, 185. Hiram Towsley, Fenton, Co. G; died of disease at Louisville, Ky. Charles Walner, Fltnt, Co. G; trans. to 28th Michigan Infantry. 1Plilo Wheaton, Forest, Co. G; must. out June 14,1865. Janmes Young, Vienna, Co. B; must. out May 30, 1865. Charles 11. Penoyer, Mount Morris, Co. E (corp.); absent onl detached service. CHAPTER XV. TWENTY-NINTH AND TEHIRTIETH INFA.NTRY, AND FIRST ENGINEERS AND MECHANICS. Organization of the 29th at Saginaw-Campaign in Tennessee-Fight at Decatur, Murfreesboro', and Winsted Church-Railroad DutyMuster Out-The 30th Infantry-Service in Michigan-Engineers and Mechanics-Rendezvous at Marshall-Its varied Services in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama-Fight at Lavergne -Services in Georgia-March to the Sea and through the Carolinas -Garrison Duty at Nashville ini 1865-Muster Out and Disbandmcnt. TWENTY-NINTII INFANTRY. ABOUT one hundred and fifty men of Genesee Countyofficers and private soldiers-served in the war of the Rebel lion with the 29th Miichigan Infantry. This regiment was organized at Saginaw in the autumn of 1864, its muster into the United States service being completed on the 3d of TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY. 101 October in that year. Three days later it left the rendezvous for Nashville, Tenn., where it arrived October 12th, and soon after moved to Decatur, Ala., reaching there on the 26th. On the day of its arrival at Decatur that place was attacked by the army of the Confederate Gen. Hood, and the 29th took part in the defcnse of the position until the 30th, when the enemy retired. From that time the regimeat garrisoned Decatur until the 24th. of November, when it marched to Murfreesboro', anrahn~ teeo h 26th, composed a part of the defending force at that point during the sieg-e of Nashville and Murfreesboro' by Hood, being engaged with a part of the enemy's forces at Overall Creek, December 7th. Having been sent out to escort a railway-train on the 13th, it was attacked at Winsted Church by a superior force of the enemy,-infantry and artillery, -and in the severe action which ensued it sustained a loss of seventeen, in killed, wounded,7 and missing. The track was relaid under a brisk fire, and the regiment brought the train safely back to Murfrecsboro' by hand, the locomotive having been disabled by a shell. On the 15th and 16th it was attacked by two brigades of the enemy's cavalry on the Shelbyville turnpike, south of Murfreesboro', while guarding, a forage-train, and was again slightly engaged at Nolansville on the 17 th. On the 27th it moved by rail to Anderson, and was assigned to the duty of guarding the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. It remained on this duty till July, 1865, when it moved to Decherd, Tenn., and thence to 1Murfreesboro', arriving, there on the 19th. It was employed there on garrison duty till September 6th, when it was mustered out of the service, and on the 8th left Tennessee for Michigan, and was disbanded at Detroit about the 13th of Septeniber. OFFICERIS AND MEN OF TILE TWENTY-NTNTH INFANTRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY. Field and Staff. Lieut.-Col. E. Frank Eddy, Flint; enl. 5ept. 5, 1864; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. 1st Sergt. and Adj. Henry P. Seynionr, Linden; eni. July 29, 1864; pro. to calit. co. F. Adj. Clias. S. Ciinmings, Flushing; eul. 5ept. 23, 1861; must. out 5ept. 6, 1865. Surg. Titus Duncan, Richfield; eunl. 5ept. 29, 1864; res. Jan. 8, 1865. Co rrp a ny, 1st Lieut. Trumnan W. Hawley, Richifield; enl. Sept. 16, 1864; must. out Sept. 25, 186-5. 2d Lieut. Charles S. Cummniigs, Flushing; enl. Aug. 21, 1864; pro. to 1st Ileut. co. K. Sergt. Cortlandt R. Demaree, Fliiit; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Sergt. G. E. Townsend, Flint; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Seigt. P. H. Towsley, Vienna; icust. o11t Sept. 6, 1865. Sorgt. Josiah Rockc, Flushing; must, aoit Sept. 6, 1865. Corp. Philip Myers, Burton (sergt.); must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Corp. David Scaijlon, Flint; absent; sick; not mustered out with company. coip. John Gay, Argentine; nmist. out Sept. 6, 1865. Corp. Mchael Rooney, Mount M1orris; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Corp) Silome Plew, Mount Morris; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Cliauiicey Blacon, wagoner, Flint; must. out Sept. 6,1865. Richiard Copland, private; must. iolt Sept. 6, 1865. Jauies Corley, Richfield yniist. out Sept. 6, 1865. C. C. Fenner, Richfield; imust. out Sept. 6, 1865. Win. Goddard, Flushiiug; died of diseasec, Jan. 12,1865. Ilenry N. Gay, Flushing; mnust, aoit Se1t. 6,1865. Elizur Huiit, Flushing, must, out Sept. 6, 1865. A. J. Knickerbocker, Mount Morris; iniist. out Sept. 6, 1865. Richard M1. Keich, Davison imuist. out Sept. 6, 1865. PIl-Ii P My ers, m ust, ou t Sept. 6, 1865. Chailes HI. Mitts, Vienna; iiiist. out Sept. C), 1865. Samiuel 1B. Rutts, Flushing; iiist. out Sept. 6, 18t;5. John Murray, Burton; must, aoit Sept. 6, 1865. John MtCiilloch, must. out Sept. 6, 1865. I'in It. Moore, toiint Morr-is; died of disease, April 16, 1865. James Mahoney, must. out May IO, 1865. George Nabors, corp., Grand Blanc; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Hugh Nixon, must, out July 18, 1865. Homer Parsell, corp., Argentine; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Gsorge Patrick, Burton; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Williaii Riley, Flint; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Allen M. Town, Burton; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Francis M1. Town, Flushing; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. COM.panp H1. Capt. La Rue Schirani, Burton; enl, Sept. 17, 1864; lion. dischi. March 22, 1866. Ist Lieut. Geo. J. Hill, Richfield; eril. Sept. 17, 1864; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. 2d Lieut. Geo. Reed, Forest; enIi Sept. 17, 1864; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Sergt. Peter McKiuney, Flint; discli. for disability, Jan. 14, 1865. Se-rgt. George Smith, Burton; iuiist. out Sept. 6, 1865. Sergt. Jaimes P. Glover, Grand Blanc; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Sergt. Mortirmer M. Olds, Richfield; usust:- out by order, June 2, 1865. Corp. Charles Smith, Forest; died of disease at Murfreesboro', Teun., Jan. 19, 1865. Corp. John Reigle, Grand Blanc; naust. out by order, May 17, 1865. Corp. Johim Rickler, Grand Blanc; died of disease at Murfreesboro', Tenn, Jan. 19, 1865. Corp. Jason P. OdrIdIge, Grand Blanc (sergt.); must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Coi'p. David hDiekiuson, Riclhfield; iiust. out by order, May 17, 1865. Corp. Edward Carley, Davison; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Mlusiciaii Edgar Auinibal, Atlls; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Corp. Samuel S. Clemoiis, Richfield; nuust. out Sept. 6, 1865. William Beagle, Vienna; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Peter Baker, Forest; muist, out. Sept. 6, 1865. Walter Briggs, Grand Blanc; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Charles Best, Mundy; niuist. out May 10, 1865. Edlward A. Barnard, Grand Blamic; died of disease at Anderson, Tenn., Jan. 14, 1865. Tiornas Caie, Richfield, niist. out Sept. 6, 1865. Albert Cne, Clayton; niust. out Sept. 6, 1865. William Bavis Buirtoii; must, alit Sept. 6, 1865. Clailes P. Day, Cl syton; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. James Fowsnung, Gr md Blanc; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Pluiineas I. Hlint Clayton; imust. alit Sept. 6, 1865. christophii r Glover, Grand Blanc; mrust. out Sept. 6, 1865. James B. Glynn, Vieiiia; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Daniel Hinuebacbi Burton; must, ont Sept. 6, 1865. Andoniralii J. Hait, Buirton; must, out May 18, 1865. Elliott.J. Horton, Richfield; must, (lit la~y 16, 1865. Non A. Lenit, Fluslil ug; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Isaac Philips, Grand Bllanc; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Zebiilon Parker, Richifield; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Warren Preston, Geuesee; must, out Sept. 6, 18650. Mart. Robinson, Burton, must. ouit Sept. 6, 1865. Mathew Root, Richifield; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. Ilenry 11. Sliotto, Grand BI.auc; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Thomias Slieltz, (tiscli, for disaability, April 22, 1865. Justice Stevenis, msust. out Sept. 6, 1865. cliristuplier Shuaw, Munudy; mmust. oit Sept. 6, 1865. Chriistophier Wagoiier, Feniton; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Theron Wvoodruff, Forest; imust, out Sept. 6, 1865. William B. Wallace, Flint; must. omit Sept. 6, 1865. OTHER COMPANIES. Jefferson.J. Wilder, Vienna; 1st lieuit, Co. A; niist, out Sept. 6, 1865. Heiiry P. Seyniour, Liinden; capt. Co. F, March 27, 1865; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Jolin Branch, Forest; 2d lieut. Co. F, July 23, 1864; res. Jan. 24, 1865. Eiierson Aiiis, Co. K; must. out Selt. 6, 1865. Elliott R. Biiriiett, Atlas, Co. A; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Edward L. Baker, Genesee, Co. F; inuist. out Sept. 6, 1865. Edward 11. Carsoim, Mount Morris, Co. E; died of disease at Murfreesboro', Teuui., Dec. 24, 1868. Sanuiel II. Crawl, Forest, Co. A; mnust. out. Sept. 6, 1865. George Clark, Co. K; must, out Sept. 6, 1865. George Dunin, 'Vieniia, Co. C; must. alit Sept. 6,1865. Andrew Ilaly, Flushing, Co. E; mrust, out Sept. 6, 1865. Cliarles Dibble, Co. K; niiist. out Sept. 6, i1tiS. Sanmuel A. Dickson, Co. Ki; mrust. out Sell. 6, 1865. Aaron Fimuelout, Gr. id Blaimc, Co. A; must. ont Sept. 6, 1865. Doriman Fluehjout, Grand Blanc, Co. A; must. out Sept. 6,1865. Elitmore Ferris, Davison, Co. F; mnust. olit Sept. 6, 1865. Wilianim Goddlard, Co. F; died of disma eat Jeffvrsouiville, lId., JaIn. 12, 1864. Jiohni L. Grininer, Burton, Co. F; iiuist. aoit Sept. 6, 1865). James Gilmiian, Mouimt Morr-is, Co. C; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Thoimas L. Huiiit, Blirchm Run, Co. F; mnust. out Selit. 6, 1865. Beiry W. Ilowland, Atlias, Co. A; must, aoit Sept. 6, 1865. Nathian A. Jenks, Claytoui, Co. C; nmust. out Sept. 6, 1865. Itenry Kincade, Atlas;, Co. A; muist. ott Sept 6, 1865. William B. lKent, Co. K; must. alit Sept. 6,1865. Josephl Lynch, Blurtoii, Co. C; imuist. alit 1spt. 6,1i86i. David Lowe, Filishinig, Co. C; must. out Sept. 6., 1865. 102 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Dettloff Locke, Clayton, Co. D; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Charles W. Lanlolt, Co. K; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. William H. Moon, Co. F; died of disease at Nashville, Tenn., April 16, 1865. Andrew J. Martin, Burton, Co. F; must. out May 18,1865. Isaac Martin, Burton, Co. F; must. out June 19,1865. John Mallory, Bulton, Co. F; must. out May 24,1865. Perry E. Newman, Davison, Co. E; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Fiank F. Osburn, Vienna, Co. E; must. out March 6,1865. Jacob Phillips, Co. K; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Theodore Poquette, Co. K; must. out Sept. 6,1865. Daniel K. Roberts, Forest, Co. A; must. out Sept. 16, 1865. George Sharpstein, Co. K; died of disease at Hilton Head, N. C., May 19, 1865. George W. Summer, Vienna, Co. C; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. James Sineaton, Flushing, Co. C; must. out Sept. 6,1865. Clharles S. Smith, Mount Morris, Co. E; must. out June 23, 1865. Andrew Sheperd, Mount Morris, Co. F; must. out June 23, 1865. Joshua Wetherbee, Vienna, Co. E; died of disease at Fairfield, Mich., Sept. 29, 1864. William C. Wilber, Atlas, Co. A; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. Williamn W. Whipple, Grand Blanc, Co. A; must. out Sept. 6, 1865. William Wooden, Burton, Co. F; inust. out Sept. 6,1865. Albert Johnson, Genesee, Co. F; corp.; absent, sick; not must. out with company. THIRTIETH INFANTRY. On account of the numerous attempts made by the enemy to organize in Canada plundering raids against our northern border, authority was given by the War Department to the Governor of Michigan, in the autumn of 1864, to raise a regiment of infantry for one year's service, and especially designed to guard the Michigan frontier. Its formation, under the name of the 30th Michigan Infantry, was begun at Jackson in November, 1864, and completed at Detroit on the 9th of January, 1865. To this regiment Genesee County furnished between sixty and seventy men, most of whom served in Company I. When the organization was completed the regiment was stationed in companies at various points, one company being placed at Fort Gratiot, one at St. Clair, one at Wyandotte, one at Jackson, one at Fenton, three in Detroit barracks, and one on duty in the city. But the speedy collapse of the Rebellion put an end to Canadian raids, and the regiment, although the men were willing for service, had no active duty to perform. It remained on duty until the 30th of June, 1865, and was then mustered out. OFFICERS AND MEN OF TIE THIRTIETH REGIMENT MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY. One year. John Willett, Flint; surgeon; enl. Jan. 9, 1865; must. out June 30, 1865. Capt. Wm. E. Christian, Flint; enl. June 9, 1865; must. out June 30, 1865. 2d Lieut. Henry M. Mason, Flint; enl. June 9, 1865; must. out June 30,1865. Sergt. Ienry C. Fuller, Flint; must. out June 30,1865. Sergt. Wm. L. S)yer, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Sergt. John B. Taylor, Flint; must. out June 30,1865. Sergt. Ambrose Merritt, Grand Blanc; must. out June 30,1865. Corp. Jos'ah P. Hackett, Flint; must. out Jlune 30, 1865. Corp. Sidney J. Reynolds, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Cor p. Gilbert Cambnerllain, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Corp. M. V. B. Clark, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Companly I. Leonard J. Adams, Davison; must. out June 30,1865. Oliver Bassett, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Amerce J. Bachelder, Flint; must. out Aug. 18,1865. Antos Butler, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Thomas 1I. Beamlish, Flint; nmust. out June 30, 1865. Daniel H. Camplell, Flint; must. out June 30,1865. William F. Clapsaddle, Davison; must. out June 30, 1865. Hiram H. Clapsaddle, Davison; must. out June 30,1865. Adoniram J. Conger, Davison; mlust. out Junie 3, 1865. Melvin E. Crandall, Atlas; must. out June 30,1865. Edward Cummings, Atlas; must. out June 30, 1865. Robert M. Dalley, Atlas; must. out June 30, 1865. Mark Elwell, Grand Blanc; must. out June 30, 1865. Henry H. Griswold, Flint; must. out June 30, 1865. Clarles Gunn, Flint; mun*A pt i tI..:'.. '-_ 'a. 'm.,_ Ad.'., I. A f4 '~ am_ I 7. - - - I.; " I -'i. ", ", - -*;d'-~:', ~~ ~~j~:~~........; RESfDENCE OF J.W OEGOLE, FLINT, MICHfIGAN. I _ I_ — _II_ ---D —U-~L — FLINT CITY. 1233 periods employed by John Todd, and at the Thread mill. Elijah N. Davenport came about the same time. He occupied a small log house which stood near the present site of Hamilton's mill, and was an early tavern-keeper. After remaining here but a few years he removed to Bay City, where he died. He was one of the first highway commissioners in the old town of Grand Blanc in 1833, and in many other capacities filled a conspicuous place in the early history of the Flint River settlement. The following is a literal copy of the bond entered into by himself and his sureties for the faithful observance of law and good order in the keeping of a tavern in 1834: " You, Elijah N. Davenport, do acknowledge to owe unto the people of the United States of America the sum of fifty dollars; and you, Benjamin Pearson and Clark Dibble, do acknowledge to owe unto the people of the United States of America the sum of twenty-five dollars each, to be levied on your several goods and chattels, lands and tenements, upon condition, that whereas the above-bounden Elijah N. Davenport is admitted and allowed to keep a tavern for the space of one year next ensuing, and no longer, in the house where he now resides at Flint River, and no other. Now, therefore, if the said Elijah N. Davenport during the time aforesaid shall keep and maintain good order and rule, and shall suffer no disorder, or unlawful games to be used in his house, or any of the dependencies thereof, and shall not break any of the laws for the regulations of taverns, then this recognizance shall be void, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue. "This you do severally acknowledge, at Grand Blanc. "TERRITORY OF MICHIGAN, January 6th, 1834. (Signed) "E. N. DAVENPORT, "BENJAMIN PEARSON, JR., " CLARK DIBBLE." James McCormick was another settler of 1832. He purchased a squatter's claim from Ezekiel R. Ewing, who had no title to the land upon which he had erected a small cabin on the north side of the river. During Mr. McCormick's residence he worked upon the first bridge thrown across the Flint, at the Saginaw Street crossing, in 1834, and removed from the place the following year. The social waters of the settlement were stirred during the winter of 1831-32 by the rumor of a wedding, which was soon after confirmed by the marriage of Mr. George Oliver to Miss Keziah Toby. The services of 'Squire David Stanard, of Saginaw, were called into requisition, and Mr. and Mrs. John Todd gave them a wedding reception, as both parties had been in their employ. The happy pair for years afterwards resided in Saginaw. Soon after the event last mentioned, Mr. and Mrs. Todd determined to give a house-warming, in consequence of the completion of an important addition to the River House, or Flint River Tavern. An adequate idea of this grand occasion can best be given the reader by embodying a description as related by l" Aunt Polly" to one of the residents of Flint, many years after: "In February, Mr. Todd had the frame addition to his house all finished, and as Sam Russell-the only violinist in the county-was procurable, Mr. and Mrs. Todd determined to give a house-warming. For this purpose, all the settlers in Flint and Grand Blanc-about thirty in number -were invited to the ' Flint Tavern,' to pass the following evening. Meantime all the ladies put their best garments in readiness, and Mrs. Todd-who had better facilities for importing new articles into the settlement than many of the others-had a full new suit, and a splendid new dress cap, ready for that special occasion, all purchased some weeks previously by Mr. Todd, in Detroit. As the evening advanced the guests commenced arriving, and ' Aunt Polly' concluded to dress up. As she appeared among the ladies, they all expatiated on her becoming dress, and 'perfect love of a cap.' Mrs. Todd, having a light in her hand at the time, stood opposite a looking-glass, and, casting an admiring glance at herself therein, mentally agreed that she did look well, and that it was 'a love of a cap.' While elevating the light to get a more correct view of the beautiful piece of finery, it caught in some of the delicate borders or ribbons, and a fire ensued which reduced the gay head-dress to a few burned rags in less than three minutes. However, the tuning of the fiddle previous to the dance, set the gentlemen to looking up their partners, and Mrs. Todd, who loved dancing, was on the floor one of the first, looking just as well and as happy in another cap of less pretentions than her lost beauty. In those times a dance was the only amusement looked for at any gathering, and when an invitation was given, it was sure to be accepted." In 1833 the first township election for officers of the new town of Grand Blanc took place. Its territory included the settlement at Flint River, and the following citizens received official honors, to wit: Lyman Stow, Justice of the Peace, and Assessor; John Todd, Highway Commissioner; Elijah N. Davenport, Constable; James W. Cronk, Trustee of School Lands; and George Oliver, Overseer of Highways. From official records we find that in 1834 Elijah N. Davenport, A. F. Hayden, and James McCormick were duly licensed by the town board of Grand Blanc to keep taverns in the houses in which they then resided at Flint River. At this time (1834) government contractors were engaged upon the road extending from Detroit to Saginaw, the survey and general direction of it having been awarded to a man named Marshall.* It was also decided to dispense with Todd's ferry, and erect a substantial bridge over the Flint River at the foot of Saginaw Street. The contract to build the bridge was let to a Mr. Hamlin, of Oakland County. He sublet the job to a Mr. Davis, who removed to the hamlet with his family, and occupied a house owned by John Todd, situated upon the present site of the Presbyterian church. After the completion of the bridget the family removed, but during their residence here a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, who enjoyed the proud distinction of being the first white child born in this vicinity. The first female child was born the same year (1834). Her name was Julia Isadore Todd, daughter of John Todd. She afterwards became Mrs. Gilbert Lyon, of Owasso, and is since deceased. * Some years later Marshall was frozen to death while en route to his home in the Indian settlement of Pewonigowink. t In 1848, Messrs. Hazelton & Annis, contractors, rebuilt this bridge, the funds for the same having been obtained by the sale of 5000 acres of land, which were granted the county by the State for this purpose. These lands were situated in the present township of Hazelton, Shiawassee Co. Hon. E. H. Thomson, of Flint, then a prominent member of the State Senate, was largely instrumental in procuring the grant. 124 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I It was during the time immediately succeeding the completion of the bridge, and the erection of the Thread gristmill by the Messrs. Stevens, that the settlement began to wear the aspect of a village. Augustus C. Stevens, brother of Rufus W., a gentleman possessed of considerable means, came on from the city of Buffalo, N. Y., and joined his fortunes with those who had preceded him here. He purchased 200 acres, situated upon the east side of the Saginaw road, from James W. Cronk, and his capital also assisted in the construction of the grist-mill,* while at the same time Rufus W. Stevens established a small store, or trading-post, similar in its appointments, stock, and customers to the one he had formerly presided over in Grand Blanc. At this time, too, came Mr. D. O'Sullivan, the first school-teacher, whose history will be more fully described under the head of Schools. EARLY LAND CONVEYANCES. To render a more intelligible account of important matters connected with the early history of Flint River village, it is deemed necessary to digress from the chronological order in which events have thus far been narrated, and to speak here more particularly of the early land conveyances and first village plats. In 1833, James W. Cronk became the owner by purchase of the Todd domain, for which he paid $751,-Todd reserving his house and one and one-half acres of land. In August, 1834, Augustus C. Stevens purchased of Cronk and wife for $800 all of the section lying on the east side of Saginaw Street. Jan. 31, 1835, James W. Cronk and wife sold the remainder, or that portion lying on the west side of the same street, to William Morrison and J. C. Dubois for $1000. Six months later, however, the Messrs. Morrison and Dubois reconveyed to Cronk for the same amount. Col. Cronk and wife then sold to John Todd the Morrison and Dubois purchase, or the lands west of Saginaw Street, for $2250, and June 9,1835, John Todd and wife conveyed the same to Wait Beach. FIRST VILLAGE PLATS. On the 9th of October, 1835, John Clifford caused to be entered upon the records in the office of the register of deeds of Oakland County a map and description of a village plat, as surveyed by C. C. Parke, surveyor. This plat was bounded as follows: commencing at the bridge, thence along Saginaw Street to Fourth, Fourth to Harrison, Harrison to Kearsley, Kearsley to Clifford, and along Clifford to the river. Wait Beach platted the west side of Saginaw Street, July 13, 1836, and his plat covered the lands boundedt by the Flint River, Saginaw, Eleventh, and Church Streets. John Clifford and others platted that portion of the city bounded by the Flint River, thence along East Street to Court, Court to Saginaw, Saginaw to Fourth, Fourth to Harrison, Harrison to Kearsley, Kearsley to Clifford, and Clifford to the river, Sept. 6, 1836. Elisha Beach platted the tract bounded by Eleventh, Pine, Fifteenth, and West Streets, Sept. 22, 1836. * f -a 7.. * This mill was built under the supervision of, and placed in working order by, a millwright named Gillett. t Not exact, only a general description. Chauncey S. Payne platted and offered for sale lots in the village of Grand Traverse, Jan. 12, 1837. This plat lay upon the east side of Saginaw Street, and was bounded by the river, Saginaw and North Streets. Four days later he made an addition on the west side of Saginaw Street, which was bounded by the latter street, North and West Streets, and the Flint River. Except the first, these plats were all surveyed by Capt. Hervey Parke, of Pontiac. EARLY SETTLEMENTS, RESUMED. Oliver A. Wesson became a settler in 1835, and was first employed as a clerk. In 1837 he married Sarah, a daughter of Harlow Beach, and afterwards was known as an active citizen and one of the early merchants. John M. Cumings also came the same year, and later was engaged in land operations and mercantile pursuits. Until the year 1836 all the public lands, from Detroit to the mouth of the Saginaw River, were offered for sale at the United States land-office in Detroit. John Biddle, a brother of the famous Nicholas Biddle, of United States Bank memory, was the register, and Maj. Jonathan Kearsley, a veteran of the war of 1812, the receiver. One of the principal streets of the city was named after him, as was also Kearsley Creek. The great stream of emigration, extending north of Pontiac, and reaching the valley of the Saginaw, induced the general government, upon petition, to open a land-office at Flint. Gen. Charles C. Hascall was appointed receiver, and Michael Hoffman, Esq., a prominent citizen of the State of New York, accepted the office of register. With the opening of the land-office came the necessity for a postoffice, and the appointment of Lyman Stow, Esq., as the first postmaster, soon followed. The establishment of these offices and William Clifford's line of stages to Pontiac gave a new impetus to the villages, and their population and business rapidly increased. Among those who settled here during the years 1836, 1837, and 1838 were Robert D. Lamond, Ira D. Wright, Dr. John A. Hoyes (the first resident physician), Robert F. Stage, Robert J. S. Page, Thomas R. Cumings, Willard Eddy, William Eddy, Orrin Safford, James McAlester, Waldo Howard, D. S. Seeley, Wait Beach, William Patterson, Dr. George W. Fish, Daniel S. Freeman, Asa Andrews, Col. Thomas B. W. Stockton, Benjamin Pearson, John Bartow, Edward H. Thomson, Lewis Buckingham, Lewis G. Bickford, George H. Hazelton, Miles Gazlay, Ward Gazlay, Artemas Thayer, Edmond Miles, James Henderson, Henry M. Henderson, Grant Decker, Rev. Daniel E. Brown, Eugene Vandeventer, John Townsend, James B. Walker, Henry C. Walker, Elijah B. Witherbee, Dr. Elijah Drake, W. Lake, Charles Heale, Chauncey Barber, Rev. John Beach, Giles Bishop, Sr., Giles Bishop, Russell Bishop, J. C. Griswold, David Foote, George J. W. Hill, Nicholas Russell, Samuel Alport, William Moon, George M. Dewey, Chauncey S. Payne, Charles Seymour, William A. Morrison, William Clifford, R. McCreery, James Birdsall, Thomas J. Drake, Addison Stewart, Daniel B. Lyon, and Ephraim S. Williams. The first mercantile enterprise of any importance within 125 FLINT CITY.. the young and growing village was inaugurated by Messrs. Robert F. Stage and Ira D. Wright, who came to th} State in 1835, and first located in Grand Blanc, where they remained until a suitable store could be erected for them at Flint River. After the completion of this store in 1836, and which was located on Mill and Saginaw Streets, not far from the bridge, they removed their stock, and transacted a large trade both with the settlers and the Indians. Mr. Wright,* who is still living and a resident of the city, states that their stock was valued at $20,000. The store was a substantial frame building, the upper story of which was used as a public hall. In it were convened all the religious meetings of the day, and the first court was held within its walls. Rufus W. Stevens and Wait Beach were both early merchants, but it seems clear that no business of consequence was transacted until the arrival of Messrs. Stage and Wright. Robert F. Stage died in Flint in 1847. His widow, who is now Mrs. Champlin, still resides in the city. When these gentlemen came some doubts were expressed as to their maintaining their status with the Indians, and an intimation was given them that their ascendency over them, once lost, could never be regained. Their subsequent career proved them to be as intrepid and firm as Uncle John Todd and Aunt Polly. Mr. Wright, whose Indian name was Muckataquette (Black Storm), was not only a merchant, but a practical tanner, and built the first tannery in 1842. He never followed the trade in Flint, but soon after its completion sold the tannery to Barker & Patterson. The earliest carpenter-work was done by a man named Kittridge, from Vermont, who built the house formerly occupied by Davis, on the site of the present Presbyterian church. Mr. Todd gave him the ground (one acre) on which it stood. Kittridge, having become discontented, returned to Pontiac, and Mr. Todd purchased the property of him. The year 1836 seems to have been one of considerable historical interest, many arrivals having occurred at that period, and the business of the place having received a new impulse from the presence of new settlers. During that year came Benjamin Cotharin, at present one of the leading merchants of the city, and a director of the First National Bank. He reached the settlement one bright morning on a diminutive pony, his stock in trade consisting of a side of leather fastened behind him, and his intention being to follow his craft of boot and shoe making. Meeting Ira D. Wright, he inquired whether it was possible to secure pasture for his pony, and, receiving an affirmative reply, he made a bargain at eighteen pence a week. Upon asking where the pasture was to be found, the reply was, " Any - where on the commons." Mr. Wright, having received the first week's pay in advance, generously appropriated it to treating the bystanders, and the commons afterwards was known as "Ira Wright's Pasture." Mr. Cotharin boarded with Mr. Todd, and located his shop just north of the city-hall. He was the pioneer shoemaker, and Mrs. Todd was the happy owner of the first pair of shoes made by him. Mr. Wright, however, may be regarded as having led the fashion of the day, and given encouragement to the earliest tailoring enterprise. Messrs. Seeley and Howard came in 1836, and opened a shop over Stage & Wright's store, and Mr. Wright's person was adorned with the first garment made by these gentlemen. In their shop the first meeting of the board of supervisors was held. At this early date bricks were not abundant, the few that were manufactured having been used almost exclusively for building chimneys. Later, kilns were constructed across the river from John Todd's, and bricks made for that gentleman by Samuel Russell and Alden Tupper. Beyond the Thread River was a brickyard owned by Reuben Tupper and Silas Pierce. A man named Moulton was the earliest bricklayer, and his services were much in demand in building chimneys for the frame houses then being erected. A brick store, erected for George H. Hazelton, was an object of admiration, and gave an air of commercial importance to Saginaw Street. This store-the first built of brick-still stands, and is at present occupied by James Sullivan. Lewis Buckinghaum and his family came from Livingston Co., N. Y., in 1833, and located four miles north of Flint River, on the present boundary-line between Genesee and Mount Morris townships. Having been elected the first sheriff of the county in 1836, he removed to Flint, and now resides in the city. William A. Morrison came the same year and engaged in lumbering. He was soon after elected to the position of county clerk. Addison Stewart was another pioneer trader, who brought from the East a stock of goods, and opened a traffic with the settlers and Indians, in 1833, at his farm, two miles north of the village, on the Saginaw road, where he died in 1848. In the year 1836, Russell Bishop embarked in commercial pursuits, and he was, four years later, followed by his brother Giles. They have since that time resided in the city, and contributed materially to its prosperity. The same year came Daniel B. Lyon, one of the oldest living residents of the city. He has during his life been actively engaged in business pursuits. The year 1836 witnessed the advent of a small colony from Batavia and the adjacent parts of Genesee Co., N. Y. Some of these gentlemen were influenced to come to the West by the excitement which followed the anti-Masonic troubles. Among them was Willard Eddy, who came in 1835 and remained a brief time. The following year he became a permanent resident, and aided materially in the growth of the city, having been, with other gentlemen, instrumental in establishing the first bank in Flint. He was the father of Hon. Jerome Eddy, late mayor, and one of the representative business men of the city. William Eddy came some X In 1848 the general government found that many depredations were being committed upon its timber lands situated throughout the State of Michigan, and Ira D. Wright was appointed to the office of United States timber agent. He held the position for three years, and relates many interesting experiences which occurred during his official term. He was empowered to seize all timber cut by poachers, and compel the culprits to a settlement at two-thirds its value. The parties were then obliged to enter the land upon which they had committed thefts. The process of recovering often proved exceedingly dangerous, the officials frequently meeting with a resistance similar to that offered by the " Moonshiners" of the present. On one occasion Mr. Wright found a gang of poachers running sixteen saws, and the timber seized he appraised at $16,000. 7P 126 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I ~ ~ _ _ _ -I years later. Thomas R. Cumings became a permanent resident in 1836, as did also C. C. Hascall, Robert J. S. Page, and Lewis G. Bickford, the latter gentleman for a period of twenty years having served as justice of the peace. Robert Patrick located in 1835, and assisted in the construction of the first grist-mill. John Bartow succeeded Michael Hoffman as register of the land-office, he being the second incumbent. Orrin Safford, who still survives, and resides in the city, came in 1836. He was one of the first justices of the peace in Flint township, and has during his residence been honored with many offices in the gift of the people. Col. E. H. Thomson arrived in the State in 1837, and located in Atlas, then Lapeer County. Foreseeing the future growth of the little village, he removed to Flint in October of the same year, and has since resided in the city, one of the prominent representatives of the legal profession, and a gentleman of scholarly attainments. Ephraim S. Williams became a citizen of Flint in 1837, and was one of the early merchants, as was also George M. Dewey, who came the same year, and has since been largely engaged in land operations. Chauncey S. Payne, whose name appears conspicuously as one of the parties in the litigation involving the Smith reservations, came in 1837, from Detroit. Being a large land-owner, he did much by liberal gifts to encourage the growth of the city. Henry M. Henderson was among the earliest residents who by their activity and business tact made themselves felt in the growth of the city. He first came to the State in 1836, and the following year settled in Flint. He built a block of stores as early as 1842, and conducted a large mercantile business. Mr. Henderson died in 1870. Rev. James McAlester was a former resident of Livingston Co., N. Y., and became a citizen of Flint in 1836. He was engaged for many years in ministerial labor, and aided in the organization of several Methodist churches in the county. Mr. McAlester followed the occupation of a wagon-maker, and devoted his Sabbaths to clerical labor. Daniel S. Freeman, who was also, and is still, a local preacher, made a purchase of land, in 1835, and removed here the following year from Sussex Co., N. J. In early years he followed blacksmithing here. Artemas Thayer may with propriety be numbered among the most active of the early settlers in promoting the advancement of the city. He reached the State in 1837, and two years after removed to Flint to pursue his profession as a lawyer. He has been much engaged in real estate operations, and has done much to improve the city. Hon. James B. Walker arrived in the village of Flint River as early as 1836. He was for many years engaged in commercial pursuits, but afterwards identified himself with the State charitable institutions, and was also active in promoting enterprises for the welfare of the city. He died here in 1877. Dr. George W. Fish began his practice here in 1839, and has been since actively engaged in the duties of his profession, and in the various public positions to which he has been called. At the present time he is United States consul at Tunis, in Africa. Rev. Daniel E. Brown, who founded here the first Protestant Episcopal church in this part of the State, came also in 1839,and died here Aug. 6,1873, aged seventy-nine years. An obituary notice said of him, " The bell of St. Paul's tolled for its old master, and the old church was draped in mourning for its founder." It was he who hewed with his own hands (there being no one else to do it) the stone in which the deposits were made, and he also assisted in laying the foundations of the church edifice, which through his untiring efforts was completed and consecrated July 30, 1843. The services at his funeral were the last held in the old church. He was not denominationally exclusive, and his kindness and generosity to the poor of all classes were proverbial. He served in the army during the war of 1812, also in 1861-65, and for many years was a member of the State board of education. During the year 1840 occurred the Harrison campaign, and a " Log-Cabin, Hard-Cider Mass Meeting" was held in Flint River village.* The demonstration was an important and to those present a never-to-be-forgotten one, as it called forth a large majority of the inhabitants of Genesee County, who, with banners flying and drums beating, assembled in such numbers as to occasion profound surprise at the greatly increased population of the new county. Col. Thomas B. W. Stockton, who served with distinction in the Mexican war as colonel of the First Michigan Volunteers, and also in command of a Michigan regiment during the war of the Rebellion, early made Flint his home. He is a liberal and public-spirited citizen, and still resides here. Austin B. Witherbee came with his parents to Flint in 1841. He grew up from boyhood in this city, and, after a brief career of great usefulness, died in 1871, sincerely mourned by the entire community. The resident tax-payers in the villages of Flint River and Grand Traverse, in the year 1845, were as follows: Aylward, William. Alport, Samuel. Allen, Henry. Armstrong, James W. Andrews, Asa. Allen, James P. Beach, John. Beach, Seth C., & Co. Bickford, Lewis G. Bishop, Russell. Bartow, John. Butler, John. Baldwin, Cyrus H. Brown, Chauncey. Booth, Joel A. Blades, William. Beardsley, Amzi. Bishop, Giles. Buckingham, Lewis. Brown, Daniel E. Booth, Wm. W. Beach, Asahel H. Clawson, Henry N. Crandall, William P. Clifford, William B. Carrier, Erastus K. Cadwell, Edward. * The old Smith cabin then Clifford, John. Conklin, Gilbert. Culver, Alfred. Coleman, John D., printingoffice. Carron & Cummings. Church, Emery. Cams, Joseph. Colbraith, William. Childs, Charles. Case, Milton. Clark, Dr., and J. K. Rugg. Cumings, Thomas R. Cumings, John M. Clark, Henry. Culver & Smith. Crosman, Alvin T. Dewey, George M. Delong, Thomas N. Dilts, Samuel. Daniels, Ira. Decker & Pingrey. Decker, Grant. Drake, Elijah. Davis, Alexander P. Darling, James. De Graff, Peter. served as headquarters for the Flint and Grand Traverse Tippecanoe clubs. r REs.ZJJ.B.ATWOOD, FLINT, MICHIGAN. -i I i:: _: 127 FLINT CITY. Eddy, Willard. Eddy, William. Eastman, Bradbury. Foote, David. Ferris, Alonzo. Field, Bethuel. Fish, George W. Freeman, Daniel S. Freeman, Joseph. Fay, Charles. Ferguson, James. Goodrich, John. Gazlay, Ward. Gazlay, Miles. Gazlay, W. & M. Gazlay, William, Jr. Gould, Charles H. Gillet, Amos. Glover, Benj. S. Graham, Alexander. Griswold, John C. Hempsted, Alonzo. I-oyes, John A. Hazelton, George IH. Hazelton & Patterson. Heale, Charles. Henderson, Henry M. Hendteson, Janes. Henderson, II. M. & James. Higgins, Henry I. Higgins & Pratt. Hayward, Rufus. Hopkins, George S. Hamilton, John. Hill, George J. W. Holmes, Frederick. Huff, Thomas. Haggerty, Bernard. Hilton, William. Hickox, F. A. Hudson, John. Hascall, Charles C. Heale, George. Hill, Leonard H. Hart, Nathaniel. Hydraulic Association. Ingersoll, Morgan. Jacockes, Rev. Mr. Kline, John A. Kimball, Anson. Kress, Azariah. Low, Spencer F. Le Roy, Henry W. Law, Anson. Lamond, Robert D. Lyon, William H. C. Law, Orrin. Le Roy, Robert. Murray, John. Manning, James M. Moon, William. Merriman, Isaiah. McAlester, James. Mackin, John. Miles, Edmond. Morris, B. B. Mathews, Jesse A. Miles & Case. Morrow, Henry. Ottoway, John. I Page, Robert J. S. Patterson, William. Pratt, John. Parkhurst, Nathan. Parshall, D. S. Pearson &c Hamilton. Pearson, Benjamin. Payne, Chauncey S. Patrick, Robert. Rail, Jacob W. Rockwell, Benjamin. Russell, Nicholas. Roosevelt, Cornelius. Rice, William. Ryno, Stiles. Randall, Samuel. Rose, Martin. Skinner, Pratt R. Sprague, George R. Sutton, John. Safford, Orrin. Stow, Merrick. Stevens, Rufus W. Stevens, Augustus C. Scoville, William R. Sherwood, William B. Smith, Mix. Stage, Robert F. Smith, Andrew G. Sperry, George. Stow, Lyman. Stewart, Addison. Seymour, Charles. Stockton, Thomas B. W. Smith, Simon. Stevens & Vandeventer. Scott, Salmon. Skinner, John. Trumbull, Andrew J. Tupper, Harrison. Trustees M. E. Church. Townsend, John. Thomson, Edward H. Thayer, Artemas. Thayer, William. Todd, John. Tenney, Edwin A. Tenney, Rufus. Traverse, John. Todd, Jonathan. Trickey, Luther. Vandeventer, Eugene. Vandeventer & Stevens. Van Haun, Addison. Witherbee, E. B. Witherbee, E. B., & Co. Walker, James B. Wicks & Smith. Williams, Elias. Williams, Elias, & Co. Walker, Ienry C. Wright, George W., & Co. Wright, Ira D. Watson, David. Wicks, Samuel B. Worden, Isaac A. Wheeler, Isaiah. Weston, Harvey C. Whitwam, Samuel. He was ever regarded as among its foremost representative citizens, and died in Lansing while a member of the State Legislature. Few among the early residents who have passed away have left more tender memories behind than Hon. William M. Fenton. Coming to the county in 1837, he engaged in mercantile and real estate operations at Fentonville. In the year 1850 he came to this city, where he resided till his death, which occurred Nov. 12, 1871. In the various high civil positions to which he was called, as well as during his service in the army, his record was such as to win for him the cordial admiration and regard of all who knew him. He purchased the property of E. H. Thomson, on the corner of Beach and Second Streets, occupying it fbr many years. Later, his son-in-law, Col. William B. McCreery, late State treasurer, remodeled the Beach House to its present elegant proportions. Col. McCreery, although but a lad when his father settled in Genesee County, has for years been closely connected with the official and material interests of his city and State. In the year 1848, Royal W. Jenny became a resident of Flint and succeeded to the publication of the Flint Republican, which he later changed to the Genesee Democrat. Mr. Jenny, who died in 1876, was held in high esteem by all who knew him. His family still reside in the city. Francis H. Rankin established the Wolverine Citizen, known first as the Whig, in 1850, the year of his settlement in Flint. He has published it continuously since that time, and has been the recipient of many official honors during his residence in the city. In the year 1856, Henry H. Crapo made Flint his home, and engaged very extensively in lumbering operations, having purchased large tracts of timber-land in other counties. He later became the Governor of the State, and was regarded as one of the most able and judicious officers who ever filled the executive chair of Michigan. Oren Stone has been a resident of Flint since 1857, and is one of its foremost citizens in enterprise and public spirit. He is largely engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods. INCORPORATION AS A CITY. The villages of Grand Traverse and Flint River continued on with a steady and uneventful growth until the year 1855. Streets were regularly laid out and built upon, but no municipal organization existed, and the villages were still under the jurisdiction of Flint township. In the early part of January, 1855, the subject of a separate organization was agitated. All agreed as to its feasibility, but there was much difference of opinion as to the advantage of a city over a village charter. The following article from a leading local paper of that date embodies the sentiments of those who were in favor of a city charter: "A word now upon the propriety of having our incorporation a city. It is conceded on all hands that we should be incorporated. It is also true that a village charter might meet our present requirements, but within the limits of the proposed corporation we have already as many inhabitants as the city of Grand Rapids had when incorporated, and Hon. Levi Walker, a gentleman who for years was closely identified with the social, commercial, and educational interests of the city, became a resident in 1847. 128 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I considerably more than the city of Adrian when she got her charter. And at the rate at which we have been growing for two or three years past, if we should now be incorporated as a village, it is almost a matter of course that we should find it necessary to have our village charter changed for a city one by the time the next Legislature meets, two years hence. By obtaining a city charter now we obviate the necessity of appearing again before the Legislature within a short interval." Jan. 18, 1855, a citizens' meeting was held in the courthouse to consider the subject of a city charter, and after several hours of spirited debate Gen. C. C. Hascall, Levi Walker, Charles N. Beecher, F. H. Rankin, James Birdsail, George M. Dewey, and C. S. Payne were chosen a committee to draft the provisions of the proposed charter. Of that committee Messrs. Dewey and Rankin alone survive. The draft was presented to an adjourned citizens' meeting, and after further discussion adopted. The business of working over a settlement into a city was gone through with by the Legislature with its customary dispatch, and the act of incorporation became a law by the approval of Governor Bingham, Feb. 13, 1855. The act of incorporation described the city boundaries as follows: "SECTION 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact: That so much of the township of Flint, in the County of Genesee, as is included in the following limits, to wit: Beginning on the left bank of Flint River, at the junction of the Thread River, running thence up said Thread River to the Saginaw road, so called; thence east on the south line of section eighteen, town seven north, of range seven east to the southeast corner of said section eighteen; thence north to the north line of the Northern wagon-road, so called; thence northwesterly along said north line to the southeasterly line of the McNeal west subdivision; thence so as to include the whole of said west subdivision; thence from the southeasterly corner of land known as the Stevens purchase and now belonging to Benjamin Pearson, northwesterly to the southerly line of the Richfield road, so called, passing the burying-ground in Flint; thence northeasterly on said line to a point opposite the easterly corner of said burying-ground; thence northwesterly to the northerly corner of said burying-ground; thence southwesterly to the westerly corner of said burying-ground; thence northwesterly to the Flint River; thence down the centre of said river, to the place of beginning; also, so much of the said township of Flint as is included in the following limits, to wit: Beginning on the right bank of Flint River, opposite the island at the junction of Flint and Thread Rivers, at the spring where Chauncey S. Payne has a hydraulic ram; thence north to the line between subdivision lots thirteen and fourteen of great lots, or sections three and four, of Smith's Reservation: thence along said line to the line between great lots, or sections two and three, of Smith's Reservation; thence due north to Detroit Street extended; thence along said street to the north line of subdivision lot five of a part of great lot two, according to the recorded plat; thence east along said line to the Saginaw plank-road; thence south along the line of said plank-road to Alexander McFarland's north line; thence east along said line to the Flint River; thence down the centre of said river to the place of beginning; be, and the same is hereby set off from said township, and declared to be a city, by the name of the ' City of Flint.' " SECTION 2. The freemen of said city, from time to time being inhabitants thereof, shall be and continue to be a body corporate and politic, by the name of the 'mayor, recorder, and aldermen of the city of Flint.'... "SECTION 5. The said city shall be divided into three wards, as fol lows: The first ward shall embrace all that portion of the city lying north of Flint River; the second ward shall embrace all that portion of the city lying south of Flint River and east of the centre of Saginaw Street; and the third ward shall embrace all that portion of the city lying south of Flint River and west of the centre of Saginaw Street.... " SECTION 6. Designated the following polling-places for the first charter election: ' That of the first ward at the Scotch Block; that of the second ward at Lyon's Hotel; that of the third ward at the office of the county clerk: Provided, that the electors of either of said wards when assembled, by a vote of the majority of those present, may adjourn the election to any other place in such ward.' The first charter election was held April 2, 1865, and the officers then declared elected were as follows: Grant Decker, Mayor; Levi Walker, Recorder; Charles N. Beecher, Supervisor; Elihu F. Frary, Treasurer; Cornelius Roosvelt, Marshal; Benjamin Pearson, Henry I. Higgins, Directors of the Poor; Daniel Clark, School Inspector; Charles Seymour, Levi Walker, Lewis G. Bickford, and Willard Eddy, Justices of the Peace. Ward Officers.-First Ward: George M. Dewey, James W. Armstrong, Aldermen; Asahel Fuller, Assessor; William Moon, Street Commissioner; Cyrus A. Goff, Constable. Second Ward: Benjamin Pearson, David Mather, Aldermen; William Hamilton, Assessor; William Eddy, Street Commissioner; Erastus K. Carrier, Constable. Third Ward: William M. Fenton, A. T. Crosman, Aldermen; David Foot, Assessor; John C. Griswold, Street Commissioner; Daniel L. Nash, Constable. The new city then contained a population of about 2000* inhabitants. Its first assessment roll returned an aggregate valuation of $450,601. The amount of taxes levied and collected on this roll was $3320.92, which was applied for the following purposes: State and county....................................... $1136.50 School District No................................... 287.16 " N o. 2.................................. 215.96 Military tax........................................ 496.79 Highway taxes returned....................... 22.21 For city purposes, including collector's fees.... 1162.30 $3320.92 Those residents assessed for taxation in 1855 were: Allen, John C. Barrows, J. C. Aplin, Samuel. Bump, David. Andrews, Asa. Beardslee, A. Adams, Eber. Behan, John. Aylward, William. Bishop, Giles. Alport, Samuel. Bishop, Russell. Anderson, Reuben. Bishop, R. & I. Atchinson, Abbey. Blades, William. Andrews, George. Beecher, Charles N. Alexander, B. F. Beecher & Higgins. Ackerman, William. Bailey, Jarvis. Atherton, Ama. Birdsall, James. Atherton, Mrs. A. Birdsall, Jesse. Arnold, Lewis. Barker & Patterson. Aplin, Thomas. Baker, Mrs. Allen, Sarah. Branch, Thomas. Armstrong & Co. Belcher & French. Armstrong, J. W. Bevins, Nancy. Allen & Randall. Bump, Anderson. Barney, W. M. Cumings & Carron. Baker, William. Campbell, Ten Eyck. Buzzel, John. Collins, Orson. Booth, Joel A. Chambers, William D. Baltay, William. Curtis, Daniel. Bickford, Lewis G. Clark, William. Blades, J. H. C. Clark, W. & J. B. Behee, George. Curtis & Son. Bearsley, Stephen. Cumings, Thomas R. * The United States census returns, at various periods, have re ported the population as follows: 1850, 1670; 1860, 2950; 1870, 5386. State census of 1874, 8197. The United States census for 1880 will probably show a population exceeding 11,000 inhabitants. FLINT CITY. 129 Crandall, William P. Crosman, A. T. Cary, Alonzo. Costillo, Andrew. Croff, Abner. Cudney, Charles II. Carney, James. Charles, William. Conkling & Kellogg. Carman & Lovejoy. Carman, Joseph. Collins, William. Cooper, Hiram. Cornell, D. B. Curtis, Samuel. Culver, George. Clark, Daniel. Clark, Widow. Carrier, Erastus K. Craft, Josiah. Case, Mrs. Cadwell, Edward. Clark, II. O. Culver, Edward. Cumings, Elizabeth. Culver, Alfred. Caufman, Clark, Deceuninck, Charles L. Dodge, Nathaniel. Danes, Frederick B. Dewey, George M. Dewey, D. D. Dewey & Crosman. Dewey & Pearson. Darling, Asa. Decker, James C. Davis, A. P. Delbridge, John. Dawson, Richard. Drake, Elijah. Decker, Grant. Darling, James. Doran, John. I)ana, Chauncey. Dewstoe, C. J. Ie Graff, Peter. Eldridge, I. N. Eddy, Jerome. Eddy, Willard. Eddy, William. Egle, George. Elmore, M. S. Elstow, Samuel. Fogarty, John. Fairchild, Philo. Failing, Levi. Fenton, William M. Fleming, Mrs. Fish, Mrls. Octavia. Frary, Frank E. Foot, David. Firman, Josiah. French, Susan. Frizzell, Samuel. Freeman, Daniel S. Fuller, Charles L. Fuller, Asahel. Farrell, Richard. Forsyth, O. F. Freeland, Cornelius. Ferguson, James. Forrest, William. Farley, Josiah. Frary, D. S. 17 Fenton & Bishop. Foss, John. Griffith, Orrin. Garland, John. Goff, Cyrus II. Gillett, Amos. Goslin, James I-I. Griswold, Martha. Golden, Robert. Gazlay, William. Goodrich, O. C. Green, S. M. Guild, Mrs. Gazlay, Miles. Gazlay, Ward. Gahan, William. Gillman, D. Gahan & Decker. Golden, William. Iamilton, John B. Iughes, Michael. Holbrook, James. Hoan, Thomas. Iubbard, Malinda. Hubbard, William R. Heale, Charles. Ienderson, James. Iolmes, Frederick. Henderson, Henry M. Higgins, Henry I. Iliggins, C. R. lopkins, G. S. Hood, George F. Hawkins, William. Hill, George J. W. Higgins & Brother. Ia1zelton, George HI. IIagerty, Mrs. Hlascall, Charles C. IIamilton, WmV. & 0. Hamiilton, William. tamilton, 0. Harrison, Andrew. Howell, Isaac. Hamilton, John. Hill, Cary. Ioward, Mrs. lIiggins, M. E. larper, Lemuel L. lIaver, William. Hawley, John. Henry, Eunice. IIowe, Mrs. Wm. HIunt, Perry. Iron, W. W. Jones, Ransom. Johnson, Edwin. Jenny, Royal W. Jackson, R. II. Joy, John. Johnson & Blanchard. Judd, Richard. Kirby, George, & Co. Keyes, Douglass. Kline, Joseph. Kenlt,-. Kline, Mrs. James. Kellogg, Marion. Kline, John A. Knickerbocker, Benner. Link, John. Leach, Dewitt C. Leiberman, E. Lewis, E. J. Lyon, William II. C. Lake, Warner. Lake, Nicholas. Lake, John. Lee, Edward. Lee, Thomas. Lamond, Robert D. Lewis, Royal D. Ladd, Nathaniel. Lowe, A. V. Lacy, Albert D. Leister, Thomas. Lanckton, Caleb. McAlester, James. Morrison & Eddy. Moore, James. Miles, Manley. Mowry, Henry. Moore, Stephen. Moon, William. Mason, Jared. Marshall, William. Merch, Silas P. McFarlan, Alexander. Morse, Lorenzo D. Merriman, Isaiah. McMinaman, Pat. McCollum, James. Mothersill, William. Miles, Mrs. E. McNamee, B. Miles, Mrs. Isaac. Miller, William. Mather, David. McCall, Philip. Mattison, Seth A. Morse, David. Newcomb, Henry. Nash, Daniel L. Newcomb, Thomas. Newell, Thomas. O'Sullivan, Daniel. O'Donoughue, Washington. Olnsted, Gosen. Ottoway, Stephen II. Pettee & Brother. Parrish, Jasper. Patrick, William. Pearsons, William. People's Bank. Payne, Chauncey S. Pearsoll, Harry. Phelps, 11. C. Patrick, Charles. Pearson, Benjamin. Parks, Thomas. Pettee, W. N. Perry, II. W. Patterson, William. Pratt, Mrs. Roxana. Parker, Rev. Orson. Pratt, IL. R. Pettee, E. N. Page, Robert J. S. Palmer, J. W. Quick, David. Quigley & llolgate. Quigley, John. Randall, Abner. Rankin, Francis H. Ryan, Daniel. Richards, Richard. Runyon, Content. Reynolds, Almon. Roosevelt, Cornelius. Rodgers, T. V. Robinson, Isaac N. Rice, Charles. Rising, II. C. Ripley & Armstrong. Russell, N. Rice, William. Stevenson, William. Smith, A. G. Stillson, Harris. Seymour, Charles. Sutton, John. Scoville, William R. Stewart, E. M. Seaton, William. Stevens, A. C. (estate of). Saunders, Mrs. Stage, Mrs. Smith, Rev. George. Skinner & Martin. Sliter, H. M. Stow, Mrs. Swan, Rev. John. Safford, Orrin. Simmons, T. Sperry, George. Seeley, Mark D. Stafford, Edmond. Summers, Charles H. Surryhne, William. Stewart, P. II. Skidmore, John. Stewart, Mrs. Stow, George. Thomson, E. II. Trainer, Patrick. Trickey, Luther. Thurber, William M. Thayer, William. Tolles, Henry. Thayer, Artemas. Tollaver, William. Todd, John. True, William W. Terrill, David. Utley, Elisha. Van Ness, Peter. Van Syckle, G. A. Van Tifflin, Schuyler. Van Tifflin, Reuben. Van Vechten, M. B. Wheeler, Shepard. Wood, II. W. Warren, Thomas. Wolverton, Stephen. Whiting, John W. Wiseman, Lyman. Watson, David. Wait, George. Walker, Levi. Walkley & Pifford. Warren, Samuel N. Williams, Ephraim S. Wesson, Leonard. Wing, Mrs. Wicks, Samuel B. Willett, John. Witherbee, Mrs. Ward, Alexander. Wood, T. F. Watkins, Nathan. Woodhouse, Webber, John. Walker, James B. Walker, J. B., & Co. Walker, H. C. 130 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Witherbee, Austin B. Yawkey, J. II., & Son. Wood, Smith & Wicks. Yorks, James. Yawkey, J. H. BOUNDARIES, WATER-COURSES, AND STREETS. In laying the foundation of the city the points of the compass were ignored. The line marking the city limits changes its direction twenty-three times in making its grand circuit, and only once, and then for a very short distance, does it approach either the east, west, north, or south. Through this irregular inclosure, and dividing it into two not very unequal parts, the Flint River pursues its winding way from the northeast towards the southwest. In the upper part of its course it divides in natural channels, forming Crapo's Island; farther down and opposite the central part of the city it pours over a dam, and through artificial channels on each side for the benefit of Crapo's and W. Hamilton's mills; below the Saginaw Street bridge it bends southward, turns abruptly to the north, and sweeps round to the south, nearly surrounding J. B. Atwood's Island mill and yards; then running the gauntlet of Begole & Fox's mills, it escapes from the city limits in another grand sweep northward by Glenwood Cemetery. The southern part of the city is again divided by the Thread River, a slender, tortuous creek, which meanders up from the southeast, and empties into the Flint, near the Island mill. The old government road, now Saginaw Street, crosses the southern city limits in a northerly direction, turns several points towards the west, crosses the Thread River a mile and a quarter from the centre of the city, pursues the even tenor of its way for half a mile, turns west of north, makes a bee-line for the Flint, then turns due north, and so passes out of the city, about a mile from the bridge. An extension of Saginaw Street in the line in which it passes through the centre of the city has been opened through the part north of the river, and is called Detroit Street. Saginaw Street and the rivers form the boundaries of the wards. All north of the Flint River constitutes the First Ward; all south of the river and east of Saginaw Street, the Second Ward; between Saginaw Street and Thread River, the Third Ward; and all west of the Thread, the Fourth. The last is by far the smallest in population, as it is the youngest of the wards. The main thoroughfare through the centre of the city at right angles with Saginaw Street is Kearsley Street, which comes up through the sparsely-settled Fourth Ward, beyond the Thread, touches the Flint a quarter of a mile below the bridge, crosses Saginaw Street a few blocks south of it, and passes on, steadily diverging from the river in a direction north of east. To these two streets the other streets of the city adjust themselves with tolerable success. The principal streets running parallel with Saginaw are, named in order to the west, Beach, Church, Grand Traverse, Oak, Stockton, and Ann Arbor; and, to the east, Harrison, Clifford, Stevens, and Liberty. The streets running parallel with Kearsley and south of it are numbered, except Court Street, which falls between Fourth and Fifth. Between Kearsley and the river are two fragmentary streets called Union and Mill. On the north side the streets which try to run parallel with the river are numbered, but are somewhat demoralized by the divergent courses of Detroit and Saginaw Streets, and their upper ends circle over to-. wards the river like the threads of a spider-web. The principal streets west of Detroit Street and parallel with it are Garland, Mason, Smith, and Stone, all of which maintain a fair degree of rectitude. On the 6th of April, 1855, the Common Council appointed a committee to have a survey made of Saginaw Street, with a view to establishing a uniform grade. The committee reported and the council adopted a grade as follows: " Commencing at the north side of Mill Street at the level of the plank of the bridge; thence on a true grade to the surface in the centre of Saginaw Street at the south side of Kearsley Street; thence on a true grade on a point on the south side of Court Street, two feet below the surface of the ground in the centre of Saginaw Street; thence on the same grade south until it comes to the surface,-the grade to be the whole breadth of the street." On the adoption of this grade by the Common Council, improvements were immediately begun. Buildings that were low were raised. Uniform sidewalks were laid, and, at its completion, the main business street of Flint compared favorably with that of any city of the State for breadth and regularity. This street, as also other principal business streets, is paved with wood and kept in a cleanly condition, while either side is lined with fine brick blocks and imposing structures. The residence streets are adorned with private dwellings of much taste and elegance, many of them being surrounded with extensive and well-kept grounds. The city has a present population of about 10,000, and its assessed* valuation for real and personal estate, and the amount of taxes levied for all purposes, for the year 1878, was as follows: First llrln. -,Agr,,eate valuation, $315,228; tax levied, $13,650.48. Second Ward.-Aggregate valuation, $413,572; tax levied, $18,133.85. Thir(d Ward.- Aggregate valuation, $404,190; tax levied, $19,086.68. Fourth ll'crd. —Aggregate valuation, $S2,000; tax levied, $3711.69. FLINT IN 1879. For many years Flint has been noted as an active, enterprising commercial and manufacturing centre. Several mills are entensively engaged in the manufacture of pine and hard-wood lumber, and a large and increasing business is done by six mills in the line of sash, doors, and blinds. There are in active operation three foundries and machineshops, two grain-elevators, four flouring-mills with an aggregate capacity of 60,000 barrels of flour annually, a papermill, two stave- and heading-mills, a large furniture-manufactory, extensive charcoal and chemical works, two breweries, a tannery, several carriage-manufactories, woolenmills, brick-yards, and numerous other industries of less importance, whose aggregate of manufactures amount to many thousands of dollars per year. * This valuation is based upon a one-third cash value. The present year-187O —property is being assessed at more nearly its true value, and the returns will treble the aggregates of valuation here given. HON. EDWARD H. THOMSON. Among the names which are inseparably connected with the annals of Genesee County is that of Edward H. Thomson, who, during a residence of more than forty years in tie village and city of Flint, has been prominently identified with its progress and prosperity, and has well and faithfully served his fellow-citizens in the places of honor and trust to which they have repeatedly called him. He was born June 15, 1810, at Kendal, in the county of Westmoreland, England, and at the age of three years came to the United States with his parents, who made their home in Boston, Mass. At the proper age he entered the White Plains Academy, in Westchester Co., N. Y., and there laid the foundation of his education during a four years' course of study. After leaving the academy he spent two years of his youth on the ocean, as a sailor before the mast. Having resolved to enter the legal profession, he removed to Buffalo, N. Y., where, in 1830, he commenced the study of the law in the office of tile Hon. Millard Fillmore (afterwards President) and the Hon. Thomas T. Sherwood. From this connection there grew up between Mr. Fillinore and himself a friendly intimacy which continued uninterrupted until the death of the exPresident. At the age of twenty-two years-having then been admitted to practiceMr. Thomson established himself in his profession, first in the city of Buffalo, and afterwards at Cleveland, Ohio. While practicing his profession in Buffalo, he started, in connection with Gen. Roberts, a daily newspaper called the Buffalo Transcript. At the time when the emigration from New York to Michigan was at its height he came to this State; located in the township of Atlas in 1837, and received from Gov. S. T. Mason the appointment of prosecuting attorney for Lapeer County, of which the town of Atlas then formed a part. In 1838 he removed to Flint, where he associated himself in business with John Bartow (then Register in the U. S. Land Office at Flint), under the name and style of Bartow &r Thomson. In 1845 he received the appointment of prosecuting attorney for Genesee County, and held the office during that and the following year. In 1847 he was elected to the State Senate for the district embracing Genesee, Oakland, Lapeer, Shiawassee, Saginaw, Tuscola, and all of the counties to the Straits of Mackinac, and the whole of the Upper Peninsula, and served in that body for the years 1848 and 1849 as chairman of the judiciary committee, chairman of the committee on mines and minerals, and as a memher of the committee on State affairs. During this term in the Senate he introduced the bills which resulted in the establishment of the Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, at Flint, of the Asylum for the Insane, at Kalamazoo, and also for the incorporation of the first copper and iron mining companies in the Upper Peninsula. (He had accompanied Dr. Douglass Houghton in his explorations of the Lake Superior region in 1844 and 1845, and had in this way become fully aware of its rich mineral resources.) Another bill introduced by him was one for the promotion of foreign emigration direct to Michigan. His services in procuring the adoption of this measure were recognized by Gov. Ransom, who gave him the appointment of commissioner of emigration under the law, a position which he filled for three years, first having his office at New York, but afterwards establishing it at Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany. Here, in a personal interview with the king, he laid before him the details of his emigration plan, and afterwards gave a full explanation of the vast resources of Michigan by the publication and distribution of a pamphlet of some sixty pages, giving in detail the resources of the State. This same information was also given to the public through the medium of the German press, and with such success that, during the first year, two thousand eight hundred persons emigrated from that country to Michigan. The total result of his energetic efforts was an accession of nearly twenty-five thousand to the population of the State; and these were principally of a hardy and enterprising class of mechanics and farmers, many of them possessing considerable pecuniary means. While in London, in 1851, he received tile appointment of United States deputy commissioner to the great Industrial Exhibition in that city, generally known as the World's Fair. In this position his assiduous attentions to American visitors, and his efficient aid and timely advice to exhibitors, gained for hin high encomiums, while his social qualities made him a welcome and honored visitor in the houses of the nobility and gentry of the world's metropolis. On his return to the United States he remained for a time in Washington City, but soon after resumed his profession in Flint. In 1858 he was elected Representative in the State Legislature, and in the session of 1859 served on the judiciary committee, and on the committee on State affairs. When the fires of treason burst forth into the great war of the Rebellion, the loyal State of Michigan gave to the cause of the Union no more earnest and ardent a supporter than Col. Edward Thomson. Although his political opinions had ever been opposed to those of Gov. Blair, he received at his hands an appointment as a member of the State military board, and, upon the resignation of Gen. A. S. Williams, of Detroit, in 1862, became its president. This position gave him the military title by which he has since been generally known. Throughout the war he was intensely patriotic, and as untiring as lie was successful in his efforts to promote enlistments. So high did he stand in the estimation of tie Governor and of Adj.-Gen. Robertson that, in the face of the settled policy of the Governor not to establish regimental camps of organization away from railway communication, he procured the order naming Flint (which then had no railroad) as a rendezvous of the Tenth Infantry; whose camp was thereupon established there, and named in his honor Camp Thomson. An officer of that regiment afterwards said of the circumstance: " Col. Thomson directed the formation of the camp, and so fully and completely cared for the wants of the soldiers that he found a place in their hearts as the soldier's friend, and will not soon be forgotten. We learned to look upon him as a kind of father and always called him 'colonel,' and to this lay he bears that title whenever his name is spoken among us." When his influence and energy were no longer needed in the raising of troops, Col. Thomson returned again to his profession and to the quiet enjoymeit of social life in the city of Flirt. Shortly afterwards he was elected a member of the school board of education, and in 1878 was elected mayor of the city of Flint. For many years Col. Thomson has been an ardent and enthusiastic student of English literature, and in particular of the works of the immortal Bard of Avon. His Shakspearean readings and lectures, which are frequently and freely given in aid of charitable and other lbenevolent objects, are always received with high favor and appreciation, as is evidenced by the invariably favorable notices of them given in the newspapers. In 1869, upon the occasion of his consenting to deliver a lecture in Lansing upon the "Genius of Shakspeare," for the benefit of the Reform School Band, the Lansing State Republican said: "The offer is generous; the object of it one that not only the citizens of Lansing, but the members of the Legislature can fully appreciate, and the subject one which will be treated by him in a masterly manner. His ability as a critic of the immortal dramatist and poet has long been recognized. He is a gentleman, a fine speaker, and will do fill justice to the passages he may repeat for the entertainment of his hearers. And we may also add that the city of Lansing has always had a warm and earnest friend in Col. Thomson." And a lecture of his, delivered at Howell upon the same subject, was thus mentioned by the Livingston Republican: "Mr. Thomson is a Shakspearean enthusiast, and seems to possess the maximum of enthusiasm which will be satisfied with nothing short of knowing to the uttermosteverything connected with its subject..... In literary gossip he is set down as one of the lions among Shakspearean litteraleurs, and is said to possess one of the finest Sliakspearean libraries in the United States. He is a fine elocutionist, a pleasant speaker, and we should like to listen again for an evening to such passages of his favorite author as he might select to read." Similar complimentary opinions find frequent utterance through the press, and are always sustained by the public who compose his audiences. Col. Thomson is a member of the Masonic fraternity, has just passed the chair of grand master in the I. 0.. F., and is now the grand representative to the grand lodge of the order at the city of Baltimore. 00;SS:; S aSSf V IS y 2: C:S:: X t::0:::XA: a: \:D: 4 0:00 of:: \ i f:000:::; An:: FLINT CITY. 131 F C 131.. The mercantile interests have advanced from the Indian store and trading-post of Rufus W. Stevens, in 1834, until to-day there are over 100 mercantile houses of various kinds, whose aggregate sales will amount to more than $2,000,000 yearly. The railroads centering here do an immense business in freights. During the year 1877 the shipments from this city by these avenues of commerce amounted to 45,118,500 feet of lumber, 1,360,000 pounds of live-stock, 8105 barrels of flour, and 13,379,900 pounds of grain. Here are located the grounds of the Genesee County Agricultural Society, also the Flint Riding-Park Association, which together have developed the raising of' very fine stock in and near the city. The State Institution for the Education of the Deaf, Dumb, and the Blind is located on a commanding height in the southwestern part of the city. It is surrounded with grounds many acres in extent, tastefully laid out, and covered with fine groves of native forest trees. Among other public edifices are seven commodious schoolbuildings, the county court-house, jail, and a city building for the accommodation of the Common Council and fire department. These are all large, well-arranged, and costly buildings. The court-house and high-school are each surrounded by spacious grounds. The city is amply supplied with ten church edifices, viz.: three Methodist Episcopal (one colored), and one each of the Protestant Episcopal, Adventists, Catholic, Baptist, Congregationalist, German Evangelical, and Presbyterian. An efficient fire department, consisting of two steaners, trucks, and hose companies, guard and protect the interests of her citizens against the ravages of the fiery element. Two militia companies-the Flint Union Blues and Cadets-have their headquarters and drill-room in Armory Hall, which is provided for their use by the State. The banks consist of the First National and Citizens' National, banks of issue, and the Genesee County SavingsBank. The press is ably represented by the lVolverlie Citizen, Flint Globe, Genesee Democrat, and Flint Journal. The public halls are Fenton Hall, Reform Hall, and Armory Hall, the former being the most pretentious. RAILROADS. An ancient embankment of covered and rotting timbers is pointed out in the city as the foundation of a railroad laid, with considerable enthusiasm, away back in the year 1837. This was part of a projected railroad to connect Port Huron with Grand Haven, and which Gen. Charles C. Hascall contracted to build from the western limits of Genesee County to the county-seat of Lapeer County. Work was pushed vigorously for a time, but, through some difficulty in getting expected State aid and from other causes, work upon it was suspended, and all projects looking towards a road in this direction were given a rest until 1871, when a road extending from Port Huron to Flint was completed, as the Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad. In 1877 the Chicago and Northeastern Railroad, extending from Flint to Lansing, was placed in running order. These two roads were then consolidated as part of the line of the Chicago and Lake Huron Railroad, and continued as such until the purchase of the Chicago and Northeastern by Vanderbilt. The first locomotive reached the city over the line of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway, from the north, Dec. 8, 1862. This event was celebrated amidst general rejoicing, and a grand banquet held at the Carlton House. The work upon the Flint and Holly Railroad was commenced in the summer of 1863, and by the untiring energy of Governor Crapo, president of the company, seconded by the leading business men of Flint, it was graded, tied, ironed, and ready for the rolling-stock in about eighteen months, and, it is said, at a cost much less than any equal length of road in the State was ever constructed, wages and cost of material considered. The money for the work was largely advanced by Governor Crapo and his friends in the East, and the company was further fortunate in having secured the iron at ante-war prices. The trip of the first locomotive, the " City of Flint," Nov. 1, 1864, was the occasion of great rejoicing, as it was the first outlet to the South. A few years later the road was sold to the Flint and Pere Marquette Company at a handsome advance upon its original cost, and has since been operated by that company as part of its through line. It has since built the Flint River Division, a branch road extending from Flint to Otter Lake, for the benefit of the extensive lumber interests of that region. The opening of these several roads gave Flint good railroad outlets east, west, north, and south, and stimulated, directly, or indirectly, all its material interests. They bring it within twenty miles by rail of Lapeer, sixty-six of Port HIuron, seventeen of Holly, fifty-seven of Wayne, one hundred and eight of Toledo, fifty-one of Lansing, thirtyfour of East Saginaw, forty-seven of Bay City, one hundred and seventy-two of Ludington, sixty-four of Detroit by way of the Milwaukee road, or seventy-five by the Michigan Central, and nineteen miles of Otter Lake, on the Detroit and Bay City road. Previous to the opening of the railroads these points had to be reached by foot or stage-coach, under delays almost incredible by their contrast with the present facilities for travel. Under the direction of William Clifford a line of stage-coaches was established through Flint over the old military road, which was considered a model of dispatch in its day. Under favorable circumstances a man could take the stage at Flint, go to Detroit and return in three days, but the ordinary time was four days. By the same conveyance Pontiac could be reached in from eight to twelve hours. After the Milwaukee road had been extended west of Pontiac the stage-route was changed to Fenton, but a trip to Detroit was still a very laborious undertaking, while the hauling of produce and lumber, except to purchasers within the county, was very limited. The Flint and Pere Marquette Railway enters the corporation on the south, one and a quarter miles south of the centre of the city, crosses the Thread, and follows the general course of the Flint on the southeast bank till it passes Saginaw Street; then, crossing over, it leaves the corporation limits north of the river, and at some distance from it. The Chicago and Lake Huron Railroad enters the corpora 132 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. tion limits in the east, runs northwesterly to the Flint, then southwesterly, and, after crossing and recrossing the river, passes out of the city limits to the left of Glenwood. The depot of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway is situated at the foot of Beach Street; that of the Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad at the foot of Harrison street. EARLY STAGE AND MAIL ROUTES. As early as 1833, Joshua Terry had a contract for carrying the mails over the route between Pontiac and Saginaw. His trips were made weekly, and he had limited accommodations for passengers. Upon the establishment of the landand post-offices at Flint River village, William Clifford ran a line of stages to Pontiac. This line was continued under various managements until the completion of a through route by railway. In an early number of the VWhig we find the following advertisement of Messrs. Pettee & Boss, stage proprietors: "CHEAP AND RAPID RIDING. "The stage for Pontiac leaves Flint each morning (Sundays excepted), stopping at Grand Blanc, Stony Run, Groveland, Springfield, Clarkston, Austin, and Waterford, and arrives at Pontiac in time to enable passengers to take the cars the same day for Detroit. "E. N. PETTEE, "A. J. Boss, "Proprietors. " FLINT, March 23, 1850." POSTMASTERS. With the opening of the United States land-office in Flint came the necessity for the establishment of a postoffice, and Lyman Stow received the appointment of postmaster. It is stated that Judge Stow made an excellent public servant, and for the first six months not only carried letters in his hat* and the way-bills in his breeches pocket, but was kind enough on many occasions to turn himself into a delivery clerk. John Todd was the proud individual to whom the first letter was addressed, and later became the second incumbent of the office. The third was William P. Crandall; the fourth, William Moon; the fifth, Col. A. T. Crosman. Ephraim S. Williams, who had served as the first postmaster at Saginaw, and continued eight years, next followed Col. Crosman, and officiated a like period of time in Flint. He was succeeded by Washington O'Donoughue, who also served eight years. William Tracy followed next, and held the office one presidential term and a fraction over, John Algoe filling the office until the reappointment of Mr. O'Donoughue. The latter gentleman continued in office until April, 1879, when he was succeeded by Francis II. Rankin, the present postmaster of the city. FIRST NEWSPAPER. The first newspaper, The Flint River Gazette, was started by Joseph K. Averill, in 1839. For further particulars concerning this and all other Genesee County papers since established, the reader is referred to the chapter on the " Press" in the general history. TELEGRAPH. Telegraphic communication was first opened in December, 1858, by a line from Flint to Fentonville, connecting with the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad. The work was done by William W. True, and the first operator at Flint was Miles D. McAlester, a graduate of West Point, who afterwards gained distinction as major of United States Engineers and brevet brigadier-general United States Army. EARLY TAVERNS AND PRESENT HOTELS. The earliest tavern or hotel in Flint was the " River House," built and first kept by John Todd, as already noticed. It was presided over at different periods by A. F. Hayden, Lewis Buckingham, Wait Beach, -- Mason, and in 1838 by William Clifford, who established a line of stages running from Flint to Pontiac. Finding the capacity of the River House too limited for his increasing patronage, he purchased the " Northern Hotel," which had been built and kept for a short time by Captain Crane. The latter house then became the headquarters for the stage-line. The " Genesee House" was built by Thomas J. Drake in 1837, and stood at the apex formed by Detroit and Saginaw Streets. The ground was afterwards purchased by the city. After Drake, Cornelius Roosevelt was landlord, and was succeeded by S. W. Gibson, and he, in 1843, by W. R. Scoville. Mr. Allen next became proprietor, to be succeeded by Mr. Pettee, after which Jared Mason became "mine host." Mr. Mason subsequently built the " Carlton House," which stood upon the site of the present Bryant House, and was first opened Jan. 1, 1856. This hotel was afterwardsb changed to the " Irving House," and was destroyed by fire. The present hotels are the Bryant, a spacious and wellappointed house, eligibly situated upon Saginaw Street; the Thayer House, near the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway depot, which has a well-established and enviable reputation; and the Sherman,t the Central, the City Hotel, and the Brotherton. MILLS AND MANUFACTURING. The first mill of any description erected within the city limits of to-day was the saw-mill commenced and finished by Rufus W. Stevens in 1830. It was situated upon the Thread River above the present " Thread Mills." In 1834, Rufus W. and Augustus C. Stevens established the " Thread Grist-Mill." For many subsequent years this mill supplied a wide belt of country, extending from beyond the southern boundary of Genesee County to Saginaw. Thread Mills was then the great objective point, and to it all early residents in this region wended their way when in quest of flour. Many middle-aged men reside in this and adjoining counties to-day who remember the fact that their first memorable trip outside and beyond the view offered from their own " clearing" was when they first accompanied their father, with his slowly-toiling ox-team, to the "Thread," which meant the mill. The pine and lumbering interests, which in years past have contributed greatly to the prosperity of Flint, first at tracted the attention of business men and the thought of * Mr. Leonard Wesson claims to be in possession of this identical hat at the present time. 1S:: t Burned June 10, 1879. FLINT CITY. 133 erecting mills upon the Flint River in 1835, iien Rufus W. Stevens, James McCormick, and their heirs were authorized by an act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, approved March 30, 1835, to construct a dam across the Flint River at the crossing of the Saginaw turnpike. However, nothing seems to have been done by Messrs. Stevens & McCormick after obtaining their franchise, and mill matters on the Flint were in abeyance until 1836, when Messrs. Stage & Wright erected their first dam and saw-mill. The Hydraulic Association, Chauncey S. Payne, senior partner, soon followed with another mill. Compared with the mammoth mills which have followed it, and given the city its leading industry, this pioneer mill of Messrs. Stage & Wright was a small concern driven by water and having but a small capacity. It was sold about 1840 to Stevens & Pearson, who ran it a few years, when Mr. Stevens was succeeded in the firm by John Hamilton, and later still Mr. Hamilton bought out the interest of his partner, Mr. Pearson, and became sole proprietor. About 1844 he added a grist-mill, and three years later sold both to his sons, William and Oliver Hamilton, and his son-in-law, Cornelius Roosvelt. The latter soon after sold out to the two brothers, and, Oliver dying in 1852, William became sole proprietor, and has since remained so. The mill has, of course, been greatly changed since first it polluted the clear waters of the Flint with its fish-killing sawdust, but is still courteously regarded as the same old mill. The United States census of 1850 credits Flint with only two saw-mills, Stage & Wright's, and another, built by the " Grand Traverse Hydraulic Association," afterwards known as Crapo's old or lower mill. The capacity of the Stage & Wright, and the lower, or Crapo Mills, in 1849, was 3,500,000 feet of lumber. In 1850 these mills sawed 5,200,000 feet. At the same period there was but one steam-engine in Flint, and that a small one in Elias Williams' pail-factory. Seven mills in 1854, viz., four steam- and three watermills, had a capacity for manufacturing 16,800,000 feet. It was at this time that the reputation of Flint as a lumber market became established. The plank-roads and the river* furnished an outlet, but comparatively no great market was looked for beyond one of home consumption, until the late Governor Crapo commenced his wonderful operations in 1856. lie, with that forethought which characterized all his business movements, conceived the idea of not only coming into competition with the principal lumbeling marts of thle Eastern and Middle States, but of carrying it ocean-wise. The impetus thus begun was soon followed by Alexander McFarlan, William Hamilton, and others. At a later day the Messrs. Begole, Atwood, Fox, Carpenter, Smith, Eddy, and many others equally enterprising, have by untiring industry and a strict attention to the details of business, added much to the stability and wealth of the city. - FLINT AS A PORT.-A local paper of March 27, 1852, furnishes the following item: " Purt of Flint-Arrivals and Departures.-Departed, scow ' Kate IIayes,' Captain Charles Mather." Benjamin S. Glover was the builder of this szow. Brief historical sketches of the present leading manufactories are herewith appended. CRAPO S MILLS. Henry H. Crapo, the founder of the present large lumbering interest in Flint, came to this State late in the year 1855. His first venture here was the purchase of a large tract of pine land in Lapeer County, and what was known as the " Driggs Tract" of 12,000 acres, paying therefor $150,000 cash. It was his intention at the time to lumber this tract and float the logs to Saginaw, but shortly after, or early in 1856, he visited Flint, and became satisfied that it was the point at which to manufacture this timber into lumber. In October, 1856, he purchased the saw-mill known as the " Walkley" mill, situated on the site where the " big" mill now stands. During the summer of 1857 he ran this mill, manufacturing about 2,000,000 feet of lumber, which was considered in those days an extensive business. This mill being shut in by the property of McQuigg, Turner & Co., owners of the mill near the dam, he conceived the plan of purchasing that also, and in the fall of 1857 effected its purchase, and ran both mills during the season of 1858, manufacturing about 7,000,000 feet of lumber. In March, 1858, having his business thoroughly established, he returned to New Bedford, Mass., where his family were residing, and moved West with them. After this time the "old mills" were improved by the addition of new machinery, and were soon run to a capacity of 12,000,000 feet per annum, and this before any railroad was projected to Flint. Before the construction of the Flint and Holly Railroad (which was built by his energy and the help of his Eastern friends, and the only railroad in Michigan ever built- with cash, having no debt when completed) the good lumber sawed at these mills was hauled with teams to Holly and Fentonville, to the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and from these points shipped East and South. In 1860 he purchased on the opposite side of the Flint River the mill known as the " Busenbark" mill, which he ran two years and afterwards sold. In 1864 the large planing-mill, sash-, door-, and blindfactory was built and added to his business, and has since been run, turning out annually many million feet of dressed lumber, as well as large quantities of sash, doors, blinds, mouldings, boxes, etc. The old " Walkley" mill was destroyed by fire in the season of 1865, but fortunately but little lumber was burned with it, owing to the rule always adhered to of keeping the space about the mills clean. Hardly had the ruins of this mill become cold, when the debris was cleared away and the foundation of the present "big" mill was laid, and was running in 1866. This mill, with the old mill at the dam, had a capacity for sawing over 20,000,000 feet per annum, and they were run to nearly that limit until the old mill was burned in 1877, which has not been rebuilt. This immense amount of lumber sawed has found a market principally at the East and South, and some of it has even been shipped to San Francisco via Cape Horn.. 134 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The saw-mill and planing-mill are now both supplied with all the modern improvements for the manufacture of lumber and sash, doors, blinds, mouldings, packing-boxes, etc. Henry H. Crapo, the founder of this large business and Governor of Michigan for two terms,-1864-68,-died at Flint in July, 1869, but the business has been conducted since without any material change under the able management of his only son, Hon. William W. Crapo, who resides at New Bedford, Mass. Mr. Crapo visits Flint quite often, to look after the business personally. Governor Crapo was fortunate in his choice of subordinates to assist him in his enterprise, and always observed the rule to keep men that were faithful to his interests. Zach Chase, the present chief clerk, has been uninterruptedly in the service of the establishment since March, 1858. H. P. Cristy, the present popular superintendent of the mills, has served about eighteen years; James Page, bookkeeper, ten years; and there are many more in subordinate capacities who have been in its employment since the business was established. The estate has yet pine lands on the Flint River, with timber enough to run the mills for several years to come. In connection with the yards and mills at Flint, there has been kept at Detroit a retail yard, and at present there are two in that city under the able management of H. IT. HI. C. Smith, who has served the estate since 1858. There was also formerly a retail yard at Fenton, and one at Holly, but both have within a few years been discontinued. The Eastern market is under the management of Charles A. White, with an office at No. 51 Kilby Street, Boston, Mass. LUMBER-MILLS OF BEGOLE, FOX & CO. This business was established in September, 1865, the partners being Josiah W. Begole, David S. Fox, and George L. Walker. They rank among the heaviest lumber dealers in the city, and are large manufacturers of lath and shingles. Their capital embraces about $25,000 in mill property and $50,000 in stock, and their annual business reaches an aggregate of $100,000 per annum. ALEXANDER McFARLAN'S MILLS. The business of Mr. McFarlan was established in October, 1850, the firm at that time having been Hazleton & McFarlan. In May of the following year the mills were destroyed by fire, and Mr. McFarlan purchased the interest of his partner and rebuilt. In April of 1863 they were again burned, and immediately rebuilt. Again, in 1871, they were pursued by fire and destroyed, and the present mills erected. The material worked is altogether pine, the logs being cut from timber-lands owned by the proprietor in Genesee and Lapeer Counties and floated down the Flint River. The power employed is steam, two circular saws of large dimensions being run, as also apparatus for cutting lath and shingles. The capacity of the mills is 11,000,000 feet per annum. These mills are distinguished as being the oldest on the Flint River. The business is managed by Mr. R. J. Whaley. * JEROME EDDY'S MILL. This mill was built in the year 1868, and is located in the third ward, on the corner of Kearsley and Island Streets. It has a capacity for dressing 10,000,000 feet of lumber, manufacturing about 10,000 doors, and a corresponding number of sash and blinds per annum. A destructive fire consumed the first mill erected, but Mr. Eddy immediately took the necessary measures to reconstruct it, and in three months from the time it was burned one of the most perfect and complete mills in the State, with capacity for doing an extensive business, took its place, and has been running since. ]3EARDSLEE, GILLIES & CO.'S PLANING-MILL. This firm established their business in 1867, in the building now known as the " Germania Barn," but the growing demands of the enterprise soon rendered their location undesirable, and in 1870 they removed to their present situation. In the various departments of the business they employ three planing- and matching-machines, one large moulder, one fifty-inch resawing-machine, one twenty-four-inch clapboard resawing- and jointing-machine, and two edging-saws on the first floor. The second floor is devoted to a full set of sash, door, and blind machinery, consisting of two ripand two cut-off saws, one sash-sticker, one tenoning-machine, one combined relisher and wedge-cutter, one panel-raising machine, one mortiser, one iron door-clamp, one scouringmachine, one sash-mortiser, one boring- and franking-machine, one scroll-saw, one shaper, and two slat-tenoning machines. The firm employ in these various departments about twenty men, and the products of the mill find a market in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, New York, and Southern Michigan. The sash and doors find ready sale at home, and a considerable demand for them has been created in the neighboring counties. In the winter of 1868 the manufacture of boxes was added to the business, in which department six men are employed, who produce about three car-loads of box-shooks a week. The amount of sales by this firm average about $30,000 per annum. NEWALL & CO.'S PLANING-MILL. The firm of Newall & Co. embraces the following partners,-Thomas Newall, George E. Newall, S. C. Randall,and is one of the oldest establishments engaged in the manufacture of sash, doors, and blinds, having been established in 1855. They employ steam-power, and have two planers, two four-sided moulding-machines, one Daniels' improved planing-machine, one single moulder, one shaper, one Fay's scroll-saw, one Colburn's blind stile boring-machine, one mortiser, one resawing-machine for sawing clapboards, one tenoning-machine, saws of various sizes and kinds, and two turning-lathes. The material is chiefly purchased in the city, and when manufactured finds a ready market at home and in adjacent parts of the State. HIRAM SMITH'S MILLS. This business was established in 1877 by the present proprietor, who makes a specialty of handling hard-wood, FLINT CITY. 135 FI.T 1.5 in which respect the mill differs from most other sawand lumber-mills in the city. The sawing is done exclusively in a mill devoted to that object, while the staves and headings are made in a mill adjoining. The capacity of the saw-mill is 12,000 to 15,000 feet per day, while in the other are cut 20,000 headings and as many staves, which have been chiefly used for oil barrels. He employs a steam-engine, the capacity of which is sixty-horse power, and twenty men are engaged in the labor of the establishment. Mr. Smith is also an extensive dealer in charcoal, having three sets of kilns, which combined have a capacity for burning three car-loads a day. The works at Flint have twelve kilns, while those! at Clio have also twelve, and those located at Gaines, all being in Genesee County, six kilns, making an aggregate of about seventy-five car-loads a month. He may be regarded as the largest dealer in charcoal in the county. DECKER & IASKELL'S STAVE-MILLS. This establishment, which had its origin in 1870, is devoted entirely to the manufacture of staves and headings. The products of the mill were at first confined to material for oil barrels, but since that time the firm have turned their attention to other kinds of stock, and now produce headings, half-barrel and barrel staves, white-oak staves and headings from 14 to 34 inches in size, and headings for tubs. The staves are sawed from white-oak split-bolts, seasoned and close-jointed, with bilge and bevel ready to set up. The machinery used for beveling-which, though simple in construction and in its operation, works with great perfection -is Crossley's iron wheel stave-jointer. The capacity of the mill when running with full force is from 18,000 to 20,000 staves a day, using about 40 cords of bolts per day. A branch track connects the mill with the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway, affording great advantages in the shipping of its wares, which find their principal sale in New York and Brooklyn. On the 9th of May, 1874, an extensive conflagration occurred, which not only destroyed the mill, but consumed much valuable stock. The yard was filled with staves and headings, which were entirely demolished, together with several adjacent structures. New buildings and machinery, however, soon took the place of the old. W. B. PELLETT'S FACTORY. The factory of W. B. Pellett is located on the north side of the city, and was established in 1874. Sash, doors, and blinds are principally manufactured, though Mr. Pellett has made a specialty of extension-tables. The factory furnishes employment for fifteen men, and is operated by steam-power. THREAD FLOURING- AND SAW-MILLS.* This mill-site was established as early as 1830, by Rufus W. Stevens, when a saw-mill was erected. In 1834 the * This time-honored institution was destroyed by fire in the afternoon of June 6, 1879. brothers Rufus W. and Augustus C. Stevens established here the famous " Thread Grist-Mill," the first of its class in the county. A succession of owners managed them for a number of years, when they were purchased by Alexander P. Davis, who continued his proprietorship for a period of twenty years, and then disposed of his interest to Witherbee & Patrick. Mr. Witherbee having died, his interest was purchased by Wait Buckingham, and in 1872 the property was bought by the present owners, Messrs. Burroughs & Pierson. The mills were by them thoroughly repaired and two run of stone added to the flouring-mill, which employs both steam- and water-power, and has now four run of stone and a capacity of 100 barrels a day. The market for the flour produced is found in the northern part of Michigan, and in Pennsylvania and New York. The saw-mill is "principally employed in cutting hard-wood, and has a capacity of 2,000,000 feet a year. It is run entirely by water-power. PATTERSON & CARMAN S FLOURING-MILL. This mill was established by Patterson & IIolman in December of 1877, but after a lapse of six months Mr. Carman purchased the interest of Mr. Holman, and the firm became Patterson & Carman, the retiring partner having engaged in the construction of an elevator adjoining the mill. They obtain their power fiom a forty-horse-power engine, which is inclosed in a separate building, with an underground shaft connecting it with the mill. Three run of stone are employed, and all the modern improvements for the manufacture of flour have been introduced. The capacity of the mill is 60 barrels a day. It is located at the foot of Grand Traverse Street, and a branch track connecting with the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway affords excellent advantages for shipping. A portion of the flour finds a market in the East, but the demand is principally for home consumption. STOCKTON'S MILL. This mill, which is located on the corner of Ann Arbor and Second Streets, was built in 1877 by Col. T. B. W. Stockton, the original purpose having been to make it an elevator. Later a portion of it was converted into a flouringmill. The building is very substantially erected, and has all the modern advantages for elevating by steam-power. It has two run of stone, and a capacity for grinding about 300 bushels per day, and storing 1500 bushels of grain. A portion of the mill is three stories high. TIIE FLINT CHEMICAL WORKS. These works are a branch of the Bangor Chemical Works, located in Van Buren County, in this State, and represent a cash capital of $50,000. The principal wares manufactured are wood alcohol and acetate of lime. These are produced by a process which condenses the gases that arise from the kilns, of which there are 12. The works have a capacity for producing 50 gallons of alcohol and 2j tons of acetate of lime per day. The railroad adjacent to the buildings affords excellent facilities for shipping the stock. GENESEE IRON-WORKS. These iron-works were built in the year 1847 by William Gough, and are now owned by George C. Kimball, 136 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. who resides in Grand Rapids, and intrusts their management to an agent, who resides in Flint. They make a specialty of manufacturing malleable iron, this department of the works having been started in 1874, and being the only one in Michigan. They also work extensively in gray iron, and make carriage, wagon, and plow castings, steamengines, and mill machinery. Twenty-five men are employed in the various departments, and the products are sold in this State and Indiana. THE FLINT PAPER-MILLS. The Flint paper-mills are located in the Third Ward, and were built originally as saw-mills by Samuel Carpenter. In 1877 they were remodeled by William L. Gibson, and machinery placed in them for the purpose of manufacturing wrapping-paper. The machine, a 62-inch cylinder, run by steam, is capable of producing two tons of paper per day. Fifteen hands are employed, and a market fur the product is found principally in Detroit. CASTREE & ODELL AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT SIOP. This enterprise was established in 1873 by S. V. Hokes, who, before that time, was extensively engaged in manufacturing similar wares on the north side of the river. Among the articles manufactured are plows, drags, cultivators, scrapers, etc. They also make a specialty of bobsleighs. The market for these implements is found principally in Genesee County, though Oakland and Lapeer Counties make demands upon their stock. A store located on First Street is established in connection with the foundry. PATTERISON'S CARRIAGE-MANUFACTORlY. William A. Patterson came to Flint in 1869, and began an industry which has reached its present large proportions in a small rented shop, where one man was employed besides himself. He is now the owner of an extensive factory on Saginaw Street, which gives constant employment to 30 men; and he has in course of construction a large brick block fronting on Third Street, made necessary by the increasing demand for his work, which consists of Brewster's side-bars, ladies' phactons, yacht-buggies, coal-boxes, Concord or side-spring wagons, piano-boxes, etc. The home demand for these carriages is large, and numbers are shipped to distant parts of this and other States. EARLY CARDING-MILLS. In October, 1835, J. F. Alexander established a woolcarding mill on the Thread, and in 1845, John C. Griswold was engaged in the same business at the Thread Mills. Mr. Alexander advertised his carding-mills in verse, as follows: "Wool-carding done at the Alexander carding-machine; All being new, nothing said about it being washed clean. The women's instructions are, ' Tell Mr. Alexander, please, Make me as good roils as you can; it will my mind ease.' I will, if you grease the wool so and so, and b3 sure Then your rolls shall be nice, can't be beat, nothing truer; And your mind will be at rest when you see that they are Made at the Carding-Mills, No. 1, of J. F. Alexander." -:::-: f;.0 i STONE'S WOOLEN-MILLS. In 1867, Mr. Oren Stone, senior member of the firm of Stone, Atwood & Co., was induced-from the general complaints among Genesee County wool-producers that they did not receive adequate prices for their products-to submit a statement to the business men of Flint advocating the feasibility and success of a woolen-manufactory, if established in this city, and the advantages to be derived by keeping at home and dividing here the profits between producers and manufacturers. Acting upon these suggestions, a company was formed, a mill was erected and placed in active operation. But a short time had elapsed, however, before a majority of the original members-not continuing strong in the faithdropped out one by one, leaving Messrs. Stone & Willard alone to face results. This they did without flinching. Together they gradually increased the demand and supply until 1870, when Mr. Stone assumed the entire management. By dealing exclusively with large wholesale and jobbing-houses-among them those of A. T. Stewart & Co., of Chicago, Farwell & Co., of Chicago, and C. Curtin, of San Francisco, Cal.-he managed, by a close attention to all the minor details of his business, to give employment to a large number of the workingmen and women of Flint, and to pull safely through those long years so fraught with disastrous results to manufacturers throughout all sections of the country. Mill No. 1 was erected in 1867, and for the year ending June 1, 186S, the manufactured goods aggregated 15,000 yards ofcassilmers. The products for the year 1872 reached 100,000 yards. Under the present management of Stone, Atwood & Co., which began in 1877, the manufactures amount to 180,000 yards of cassimeres yearly. During the spring of 1879, Mill No. 2 was started, and the manufacture of stocking-yarn added, of which 4000 pounds arc made per month. Much more could be said concerning the success of Stone's Woolen-Mills, but nothing that will appeal more strongly to business men than the fact that energy and push characterize the management. Well-paid experts attend to each department, whose strongest guarantee for a faithful performance of skilled labor and constant employment is tleir sobriety. CITY OF FLINT GAS-LIGIIT COMPANY. The City of Flint Gas-Light Company was organized March 26, 1870, by James B. Walker, Josiah W. Begolc, William M. Fenton, and Jesse B. Atwood, with a capital of $50,000. The following were the first officers: James B. Walker, President; F. W. Judd, Treasurer; Lcvi Walker, Secretary; William M. Fenton, Josiah W. Begole, Jesse B. Atwood, and William Hamilton, Directors. They at once commenced the erection of the works, and laid four and one-quarter miles of main pipe. They commenced supplying gas Jan. 1, 1871. During the first year there were 90 consumers, using about 2,900,000 cubic feet in the year. The company have since that time extended their street mains until they have now about seven miles of main pipe, :r: ~:*~ 1.1: i -a'ciM: LEN MILL i_ 1 i 'a I -:i-_:~j_::-::::::-i:::::;:::::: ~r FLINT CITY. 137 and supply gas to about 260 consumers. During the past year they sold 4,317,000 cubic feet of gas. At the commencement the company sold gas at the rate of $4.15 per thousand feet, which included government tax. They are now making a gas of eighteen-candle power, and selling it at $3.50 per thousand feet, less a discount of twenty per cent. for cash, leaving the net rate $2.80 per thousand feet, which is lower than that of any other city in the State excepting Detroit. The present officers are F. W. Judd, President; J. B. Atwood, Jerome Eddy, J. W. Begole, G. L. Denham, Directors; Ira H. Wilder, Treasurer; Miles Byrne, Secretary and Superintendent. Among other business associations which years ago ceased to exist were the following: TIHE FLINT SALT-MANUFACTURING COMPANY. This company was regularly organized as a chartered association, July 30, 1860. Its capital stock was to be $50,000, or 2000 shares at $25 each. The stockholders were Messrs. William M. Fenton, Edmond H. McQuigg, Artelnas Thayer, Levi Walker, Ienry H. Crapo, William Iamlilton, Alonzo W. Brockway, James B. Walker, Josiah 'W. Begole, and Henry M. Henderson. The office was located in Flint, and the business of boring for and manufacturing salt was to be carried on in this and adjoining counties, the association to exist thirty years. The amount of capital stock actually paid in at the time of incorporation was $500. This company went forward and bored the "Crapo well," spoken of under the head of " Water Supply." THE WOLVERINE AND PIT-IIOLE PETROLEUM COMPANY. This company was formed Sept. 18, 1865, and incorporated five days later. They proposed " to engage in and carry on the business of mining, exploring, and boring for and extracting from the earth and imanufacturing and selling petroleum and other oils, mines, and minerals on lands to be leased or purchased within the county of Venango, in the State of Pennsylvania." The amount of capital stock was to be $50,000, and the number of shares of such capital stock were 1000, of the value of $50 each. The amount actually paid in at the date of incorporation was $10,000. The stockholders of this company e:ach owningl 100 shares were George W. Fish, Artemas Thayer, Grant Decker, Levi Walker, William B. McCreery, Paul 11. Stewart, Josiah Pratt, Robert J. S. Page, Joln B. Hamilton, and Jerome Eddy. The affairs of the company were managed by a board of seven directors. A president and treasurer were chosen from among the directors, and a secretary appointed. The company was to exist thirty years. TIIE FLINT PETROLEUM COM1PANY was formed and incorporated according to the laws of the State. of Michigan, Dec. 9, 1865. It proposed "to lease or purchase land in the Enniskillen Oil Region, Canada West, and bore and drill for oil thereon." Ti, amtount of capital stock was to be $10,000, or 250 shalrc at $40 acha, and the amount paid in at date of incorporation was $5000. The first officers of this company were S. B. Wicks, 18 President; A. T. Crosman, Secretary; John A. Kline, Treasurer; Daniel S. Freeman, George E. Newall, Peris F. Cleveland, S. B. Wicks, John A. Kline, Joseph Woodhouse, Abner Randall, Francis Baker, and A. T. Crosman, Directors. Sixty-two stockholders signed the articles of incorporation, and this company also was to continue its existence for a period of thirty years. " WILD-CAT" BANKING. In January, 1837, Michigan was admitted into the Union as a State. This was an era of the wildest speculation. The pioneers of that time yet living relate vividly the oft-repeated story of excessive prices of wild or uncultivated lands, and of lots in prospective villages and cities, which now have nothing but the recorded plat in the office of the registrar of deeds to indicate their location. This speculation, no doubt, was largely owing to the great amount of paper-mloney afloat in the State at that period. A general banking law was enacted in March, 1837, making the business fiee to all. Under this law was the early banking in Genesee County inaugurated, of which this paper briefly speaks. The general provisions of this law were fairly drawn, except that in the two most important features that concern the public-security to the billholders, and a bona fide capital to secure the depositorsthey were inadequate. The capital must not be less than $50,000 or more than $100,000. The issue could be two and one-half times the capital paid in. The issue should not exceed seven per cent. on discounts, and the banks were required to make seii-annual dividends, thus assuring the banks' ability always to do this. The security for the payment of the banks' obligations were to be bonds and mortgagces on real estate to be held by the bank comimissioner, and the specie in the vaults of the corporation. Few banks, if any, had this specie, though the law required thirty per cent. of the capital to be paid in " legal moncy of the United States." These specie deposits furnished little reliable security. The rfact was, the bank commissioner, whose duty it was to examine these banks once in three months, was often deceived, as one bank would inform another when the commissioner was coming, and the banks would borrow money to exhibit to the commissioner, and return it when he went away. In this manner the same specie would often serve for the use of several banks. Surely, the financial pioneers of Michigan were not wanting, in skill to bank without money. A good story has been told of an ex-governor of the State, to the effect that when he was State bank commissioner, going from one bank to another on his round trip, he noticed a familiar look in the boxes containing the bilver. After reaching the end of his route, though finding all the banks supplied with specie, he suddenly turned back, and, re-examining the banks, found them all without coin. This was the system of banking in aurguiated in the early days of Michigan, the overthrow of which so shocked this State, financially, that many years elapsed before a recovery from its effects was manifest. It was under this law that Genesee County began its lessons in financiering. The county then had a population of less than tlree thousand, and the villages of Flint and Grand 138 IIISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAIN. Traverse had about the same number in hundreds. There were men hlere full of energy and activity, and in the desire to become rich were unscrupulous in the means employed to accomplish the same. The history of wild-cat banking in other portions of the State amply illustrates those established in Flint. From the fact that records and data are unobtainable, particulars cannot be entered into concerning the history, officels, and stockholders of the " Farmers' Bank of Genesee County," " The Gcnesee County Bank," and "The Flint Rapids Bank." Yet we do know that all of them had an active existence as banks of issue, and that Delos Davis, John Bartow, Charles C. Hascall, Robert F. Stage, Robert J. S. Page, and - Jerome, respectively, were officially connected with them. The circulatory power of their notes proved to be of but short duration, however, and they all suspended payment in 1838, on the decision of the Supreme Court relieving the stockholders from any liability touching the redemption of the bills of tile banks. LEGITIMATE BANKING. " THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF FLINT organized and opened business as such in October, 1865. It succeeded in business tle ' Exchlange Bank,' which was originally opened by ' 1Meigs, Stone & Witherbee,' in 1858, T. C. Mecigs soon selling out his interest to Messrs. Stone and Witherbee (Charles Stone, of Sandy Ilill, N. Y., and A. B. Witherbee, of this city). The Exchlange Bank under the management of Mr. A. B. Witherbee was a great financial success. In the spring of' 1864, Mr. Witherbee bought his partner's interest, and was sole owner of the bank until the organization of the present bank, of which lie took the cashiership, with HI. M. Icenderson as president, and 0. F. Forsyth vice-president. The bank was then organized with a capital paid in of $100,000, and with the folilowingnamed gentlemen as directors: II. M. Henderson, 0. F. Forsyth, A. B. Witherbee, George Crocker, William 31. Fenton, William B. MIcCreery, Benjamin Pierson, U1 I. I. Quigg, and E. C. Turner. Messrs. Fenton and _McCreery witlhdrawing from the bank before the organization was fully coinpleted, and having been succeeded by William L. Smith and Leonard Wesson, William Gibson was made teller, and acted as such for.many years. At the organization of the Citizens' Batnk lie was chosen its cashier. "In 1879, nMr. H. M. IIenderson (having engaged in banking with his son-in-law, Giles L. Denham) withdrew from the presidency of the bank, and was succeeded by UE. H. McQuigg as president, and George Crocker as vicepresident. In February, 1871, the cashier, A. B. Witherbee, died, and was succeeded by Charles S. Brown, who had been, connected with the old E1xchiange Bank in 1865, and the present bank in all the various positions fiom messenger to his present position, and who at this date (1879) fills the offices of director and cashier. "Mr. A. B. Witherbee's death was severely felt by all classes of the citizens of Flint, and especially by those engagted in manufacturing and mercantile pursuits. lie had grown up from boyhood in the city, and maintained a reputation for integrity and honor second to no bank official in the State. The bank was mainly organized through his own efforts, and such was the confidence he inspired in tile directors that the institution was almost entirely intrusted to hlis nianaoement. "The bank, finding its capital not sufficient for the growing wants of the city and county, in June, 1872, increased it to $200,000. In 1875, finding their quarters rather inconvenient, and being of the opinion that they should own their bankinl-house, they purcllased the building of the Walker Bros., on the northwest corner of Kearslcy and Saginaw Streets, and proceeded to fit up their present elegant quarters. Their president, Ferris F. Hyatt (who succeeded Mr. McQuiIgg in 1875), and the cashier, Mr. Brown, were careful that the vault should be made in the best possible manner, and after an investigation of thle subject, and an examination of the several plans submitted, adopted that of IMr. E. W. Fowler, the Chlicago agent for Terwilli(ger & Co.'s Safe-Works of New York City. The vault is a curiosity, and sceems to be absolutely impregnatsble. It is five by seven feet in dimensions, its sides, top, bottom, back, llld friont being composed of' steel railroad bars of double thickness, withl the bases, out and in, laid crosswise in the form of lattice-work, but close togetlher, the flat bottoms of tile rails making a smooth surface inside as well as out. The top, sides, aiid bottom are cight inches tllick, also of rails. The back is twelve inchlles thick (three layers), all bolted together withl five one-inch bolts through each rail at thle door, the rails being screwed fioml thle inside to the frame. Thle outside course of rails in the front about tile doorway, over the top and two sides, and around the back, are of rails bent in the fornm of tlhe letter U, and, being entire, completelv encilrcle tile vault. After building the iron-work, there was laid up an eight-inch wall of brick, one inch frioml thle iron, and the space between this brick wall and the iron, and tile spaces between tile rails, were filled up solid witlh tile best cement that could be Ilmade, wlhich long before this has become hlarder than any sandstonc. The vault took nearly a year to become thoroughly dry. The door is of Terwilliger & Co's. best make, is nearly four inches thick, and, together with tile frame in which it hangs, weihls 6200 pounds, there being in the vault some 27 tons of steel rails. All this is protected by a tllirty-two-inchl covering, of brick as a fire protection Tihe counter spoken of is an artistic affair, the counter proper being composed entirely of marble, of' which there are five different varieties, the top, or shelf; being of Tennessee marble, the base of Cumberland, the panels of Italian, anld they again paneled with two varieties of colored marble. The wood-work on this is of mahogany, trimmed witll rosewood, and filled with plate glass. The whole was built for a Chicago bank, at a cost of something ' over $6000, but was bouglht by this bank at a bankrupt sale for much less than the original figures." The bank under thie various managements has been uniformlly successful, and, as the cashier avows, has never yet disappointed its stockholders on the semi-annual dividendday. During the panic of 1873, for two or three days there was a slight run on the bank as on others, but nothing of consequence occurred, and in a week it was forgotten. As an instance of the alarm a panic occasions some people, the following incident is related. During the second day of the i un a good farmer's wife rusled to the teller's desk, and FLINT CITY. 139 called out to him, " I want my money." He asked, "What money do you want?'' "My money in here," she answered. " Where is your certificate of deposit?" he asked. She searched in vain, and finally gasped that " she must have left it at home." The teller assured her she need not be alarmed, but might send it down or bring it when she was next in town, and that the money was safe until she should come again. She remarked that she "hoped it was," and left the office. A few minutes before closing that day she came again with the certificate, and as the teller paid it he asked her where she found it. She answered slie " had been home after it." He then asked her where she lived, and she answered, " Just beyond the School-house," namiing a school-house twelve miles from Flint. The certificate was for $25. On another occasion an individual called to pay a note held by the bank which was not for some time due. The cashier expressed his indebtedness for the favor, when the man responded, " I don't propose to have this bank htst and hold my note." TIHE CITIZENS' NATIONAL BANK OF FLINT was organized Jan. 10, 1871, by the election of the followin-r gentlemen as directors: Hon. Win. M. Fenton, Alexander MIcFarlan, J. B. Atwood, Henry Stanley, Col. Wim. B. McCrecry, Wmn. Hamilton, and J. W. Begole, with a capital of $50,000, and commenced business March 1, 1871. Win... Fenton was elected president, Wm. IIHamilton vice-president, and W. L. Gibson was made cashier. This banking institution commanded the confidence and esteem of the public fromn the very first day of its existence. The gentlemen having its management were widely known as among the first in the county of Genesee for probity and integrity, and within a period of three months fioml the time its doors were thrown open to the public the capital was increased to $100,000, and still further augmented the following year to $125,000. The sudden death of Col. Fenton in May, 1871, resulted in a change of some of its officers. Win. Hamilton was made president, and Alex. McFarlan was made vice-president, and Mr. J. Van Vleet was added to the board of directors. In January, 1876, at the annual meeting, a still further change in the management was made by the election of Alexander MeFarlan as president, and Col. Wim. B. M3cCreery (who at the time held the honorable position of State treasurer) was made vice-president, and still later (1879) cashier in the place of Mr. Gibson. THE GENESEE COUNTY SAVINGS-BANK was organized in 1872, and opened its office for business on the first day of May in that year, with a capital stock of $50,000. sixty per cent. of which was paid in on that day, and the balance on the 1st of May, 1873, in accordance with the statutes of the State of Michigan bearing upon the subject. Its first officers were Hon. J. B. Walker, President; G. L. Denham, Vice-Presidcnt; Ira H. Wilder, Cashier. The officers remained the same until November, 1877, when a vacancy was occasioned by the death of Mr. Walker, after which Russell Bishop was elected president. In July of 1877 the capital stock was increased to $100,000. In connection with the savings department, a general banking business is conducted. The present officers are Russell Bishop, President; William A. Atwood, Vice-President; Ira H. Wilder, Cashier. SCHOOLS. Mr. Daniel O'Sullivan, the Irish schoolmaster," arrived in the Flint River settlement in July, 1834. lie at first took up his residence near the Thread mills, and labored upon the Saginaw road. Having been prostrated by a severe attack of bilious fever, he soon after removed with his family to the house vacated by Elijah N. Davenport, and there, during the fall of 1834, taught the first school, at the rate of ten cents per week for each pupil. The house, a small rude log cabin, stood upon the site of William Hamilton's mill. The scholars, some twelve in number, were the sons and daughters of John Todd, James McCormick, Rufus W. Stevens, James W. Cronk, Lyman Stow, and his own. In 1835, Aaron HToycs taught a school in the same cabin. Among his pupils was William R. McCormick, now of Bay City, who recalls the fact that during the illness of the master, Mr. Hoyes, his place was temporarily taken by a young lady,* who, among her personal adornments, wore an exceedingly high comb. The pupils of that early day were not altogether amenable to discipline, especially when enforced by one of the weaker sex, and forthwith rebelled against the authority of the schoolmistress. A scene ensued, in which the lady received rough handling at the hands of young McCormick and one of his friends, and the crowning glory of her head, the towering comb, was shattered. This terminated any further efforts on the part of the lady as instructress. The scholars of that date were as follows: Leander, Albert, and Zobedia Stevens; Corydon, Walter, and Abigail Cronk; Edward Todd; Adaline and Eineline Stow; William R., Ann Elizabeth, and Sarah McCormick. During the year 1836, Messrs. Stage & Wright erected a small shanty for school purposes, which was situated on the corner now occupied by the Fenton Block. The first school in this building was presided over by a Miss Overton (now Mrs. William Chambers, of Bay City), who was employed by the above-mentioned firm, and for whom her friends claim the distinction of having taught the earliest school in the village. She taught two quarters, and received as compensation $1 per week, and made her home while here with Mr. and Mrs. Todd, who welcomed her as one of the family. From the well-authenticated facts already set forth, there seems no reason to doubt that schools existed in the village two years prior to the time Miss Overton began teaching, although she may have taught the first district school. THE PUBLIC SCIOOLS OF FLINT. "The early accessible records of the educational interests of Flint are very meagre. The first authentic record that we find relative to public schools is that of the organization of School District No. 1, at a meeting of the school - Mr. Jamues O'Sullivan, son of Daniel O'Sullivan, gives the name of this lady-teasher as M!ss Lucy Riggs. 140 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIGAN. inspectors held April 11, 1837; Ephraim S. Walker being chairman and Orrin Safford clerk. " The first official report of the school inspectors was made Oct. 20, 1838; from which report we learn that the whole number of scholars attending was 60; of whom 39 were between the ages of five and seventeen years; the number under five and over seventeen being 21. Duration of school, six months. Amount raised by tax was $586, of which $499 was for building a school-hous3, and $87 for the support of schools. This house must have been the frame building which formerly stood at the corner of Clifford and First Streets, on the site now occupied by Mr. Browning's house. Although the public school was thus legally organized, there were many and formidable obstacles to its success. Hard times soon came on, and money was scarce, and the teachers often doubly earned, by delays and duns, the pittance which they received. But the greatest obstacle was want of faith in the free-school system, and hence the attempt to run the mongrel system, hampered with rate-bills, which so long vexed the souls of educationists. The rate-bills were often very onerous, especially on the primary department, offering a temptation to parents with large families of' small children to tolerate, if not encourage, absence from school; and, as each absence increased the burden on those remaining, the evil grew in a constantly increasing ratio, until, sometimes, the school was brought to a premature close. After struggling thus for several years without recognizing the real impediment in the way, the friends of education made a rally on the union-school system, as a sovereign remedy for all scholastic ills. That portion of the district lying north of Flint River having been set off as a separate district, those remaining purchased an entire block and proceeded to erect the house at present used in the Second Ward. But here, at the outset, a most egregious and irreparable blunder was perpetrated. The lot at that time was covered with a fine growth of young oaks, which were most carefully exterminated; whereas, had they been left to grow, they would by this time have formed one of the finest groves in the county. This house, which is a two-story wooden building surmounted by a cupola, which is not remarkable for its grace or artistic effect, contains four commodious rooms. It has done good service for thirty years, and having a solid frame, with contemplated renovations, will be serviceable for many years to come. "On the completion of the house a union school was inaugurated in the fall of 1846, under charge of Mr. N. W. But's, with an ample corps of teachers. Years passed on, and many a faithful teacher did valiant service, though often with a depressing consciousness of Egyptian taskwork in attempting to make scholars of pupils who attended at random. As an illustration of the extent of this evil of irregular attendance, we cite a report for the term ending August, 1853, as follows: whole number enrolled, 64; average attendance, 18; average absences, 46. The total result, under this incubus of the rate-bill, was not very satisfactory; the panacea had failed, and a new remedy must be tried. " Accordingly, we find that at the annual school-meeting held in 1855 the following resolutions were adopted, pre faced with a preamble, setting forth that tle experience of ten years had demonstrated the failure of the unionschool system to give any adequate return for the expense incurred, while it completely excluded four-fifths of the children of the district from any participation in its questionable benefits; and believing that the great interests of education would be advanced, the burden of taxation diminished, and the harmony of the Second and Third Wards inproved by a frank and open abandonment of the present system, and the division of the district; Therefore, "1' IRellrcd, That the union system as adopted, so far as it goes to establish the academic department in said school, be and the same is hereby abandoned. "' /fcso'ved, That we have ten months of school the coming year in this house. That we have one male and two female teachers qualified to teach the primary and English branches of education. I' Rlesolved, That, in the opinion of this meeting, the great interest of elucation in our city would be advanced by a division of Union School District No. 1, so that Saginaw Street should be the dividing line.' " In accordance with this expression of public sentiment, upon petition of the parties interested, the division was made by the school inspectors, and District No. 3, embracing the Third Ward, was formed. But, the disintegration having commenced, another division was called for and made, forming District No. 4, of that portion of the Third Ward lying north of Court Street. "The old district, No. 1, was now left in an anomalous position, for, as might have been expected, with the adoption of the foregoing resolutions, no provision was made for sustaining a public school, the customary assessment of one dollar per scholar being ignored, with the following curious result: From the report of 1855-56 it appears that the whole amount of teachers' wages was $1235, of which the amount assessed on rate-bills ($646.47) was more than onehalf, while the moiety of less than one-fifth ($2 14.82) was derived fiomn the primary-school fund and mill-tax, and $343.52, more than one fourth, was received from non-residents, a proportion unparalleled in the history of our schools, and an evidence of the popularity of the teacher then in clhage, Prof. M. B. Beals. "This was certainly bringing the free public school to its lowest terms, and a continuance of the same policy must soon have led to the total abandonment of the whole system. But the people were not ready for such a catastrophe, and ever after, at the annual meetings, voted as liberally as the law allowed for the support of schools, and would gladly have anticipated, by a decade, that release from the thraldom of rate-bills which the Legislature ultimately gave. So far from abandoning the academic course, it was made still more prominent. Prof. William Travis, an accomplished teacher, was placed in charge for three years (fiom 1856 to 1859), and by his ability, culture, energy, and enthusiasm gave a new impetus to the cause of education which left a lasting impression. At the annual meeting in 1859, it was voted unanimously to organize a graded school under the act of the Legislature approved Feb. 16, 1859, and the following board of trustees were elected, viz.: Levi Walker and Daniel Clarke for three years, S. N. Warren and Grant Decker for two years, John Delbridge and C. N. Beechcr for one year. FLINT CITY. 141 " It would be impossible in the limits of this sketch to note all the teachers whose faithful labors have done so much to lay the foundation upon which the reputation of our schools is being built; but we cannot forget the patriot scholar, Capt. Simeon C. Guild, who, at the call of his country in the hour of her peril, left the charge of his school for the tented field, where he gave his last and noblest lesson, that of chivalrous devotion to his country, when he laid his young life, so full of the promise of future usefulness and renown, upon her altar, falling a victim in the affair at Fort Wagner, where ' somebody blundered.' " From the length of the period that lie labored here, nine years (from 1865 to 1874), as well as by his ability and peculiar adaptation to the work before him,-that of organization and drill,-no one has done more for our schools than Prof. Z. Truesdel. " April 3, 1869, is a most important date in the educational history of Michigan, and worthy a centennial remembrance, as being the day when No. 116 of the acts of the Legislature for that year, by virtue of which rate-bills were finally abolished and the free public school really established, was approved by the Governor and became the law of the State. " This event gave new vitality to the cause of education, which, together with the constant growth in population and wealth, soon placed this school on a -much higher plane than it occupied before the division, and the overcrowded school-house again brought up the ever-recurring question as to how the want could be best supplied. "Before noting the solution of that problem, we will call attention to the colonists who went out in 1855. " District No. 3, which contained the most territory and largest number of scholars, with the least taxable property, proceeded to erect a brick house on Oak Street, in the Thlird Ward. This house, which is a two-story building, neither commodious nor elegant, originally contained two school rooms and a small recitation-room, and has since been enlarged by a two-story addition with a school-room on each floor. The location is a beautiful one, in a grove of primitive oaks, at one of the most prominent points in tle city; but it is to be regretted that more land was not obtained at a time when it could have been done at a moderate expense. "' In the absence of any records, we can only say that able and faithful teachers labored here, and did their part in advancing the great work of education. " District No. 4, which contained the least territory, with the smallest number of scholars, and a larger proportion of taxable property, instead of building, purchased an unfinished dwelling-house on Grand Traverse Street, known as the Blades H:ouse, and, fitting it up as an apology for a school-louse, kept up a school here for several years. It was not a very successful educational enterprise, and an effort was made in 1861, by petition to the board of school inspectors, to have it united with No. 3, but, being opposed by a remonstrance, the inspectors declined to act, referring the subject to the voters of the Third and Fourth Districts at their annual meeting; and in 1863, there being a decided expression of public sentiment in favor of the measure, and the formal consent of tim district officers in writing having been obtained, the measure was effected. The democratic principle of free public schools seems to have been but dimly recognized in this enterprise, for we find that in a remonstrance against abandoning the ' Blades House' and substituting the city-hall building, a measure demanded for the accommodation of more pupils, it was claimed that, as they had escaped the burden of a schooltax in a great measure in tile past, immunity should be continued as a vested right in the future. "Notwithstanding the decided expression in favor of disunion in 1855, it was soon found by experience tlat the panacea had not yet been found. The evils of isolated and divided action soon became apparent; and while other cities and villages were sustaining their prosperous union gradcd schools, which were giving them credit and rcnown, it became evident that Flint was falling into the background. A general sentiment had grown up that something more must be done for education, and in 1867 Districts Nos. 1 and 3 were reunited, under the title of ' Union School District of tlle City of Flint,' by the act of the Legislature, approved March 9, 1867. "The school was reorganizAe under this act, with the following board of trustees, after tile annual meeting, viz.: Levi Walker, President; William L. Smith, Secretary; George I. Gold, Treasurer; Paul II. Stewart, Sumner IIoward, and Daniel Clarkc. The reunion made the necessity for further accommodations more urgent; and, as the best temporary relief which could be obtained, the unfinished building on the corner of Saginaw and Third Streets, known as the city-hall building, was leased of the city for a nominal sum, and fitted up at an expense of about $5000, for the accommodation of the ligh-school. This house continued to be used for tils purpose until the completion of the new high-school building. After this time a male principal was employed in addition to the superintendent,Mr. S. R. Winclel being the first to occupy that position. "The trustees' report at the annual meeting, 1870, shows the employing of two male and thirteen female teachers. Whole number enrolled in the district between the ages of five and twenty, 1269; whole number attending school, 1157, of whom 150 were non-residents. " By an act of the Legislature, approved March 18, 1871, amending the charter of the city of Flint, the School District No. 1, of the town of Flint, was annexed to the city as the Fourth Ward; and, by the consent of both parties, became merged in Union School District, its property being transferred and its liabilities assumed. "A brief sketch of this school will illustrate the rise and progress of schools in a new country, and verifies the old adage that' where there is a will, there is a way.' The territory now comprising the Fourth Ward, for some years after the settlement of Flint, was mostly occupied by a dense growth of pine, forming a most striking feature in the landscape, and giving the new-comer the impression that lie lad at last reached the border of that vast pine forest of Northern Michigan, of which he had heard so mucl. After the establishment of the State Institution for the Education of thle Deaf and Dumb and the Blind ill this vicinity, this pinery was exterminated and a village platted, and, being connected with the business portion of 142 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICTIIGAN. I the city by a new bridge, a settlement commenced. As the nearest district school-house was at an inconvenient distance, the need of another was soon felt, and April 9, 1859, this territory was set off as District No. 1 of the town of Flint, and soon after organized by a meeting at the house of G. F. Hood, Esq., at which time it was reported that all the qualified voters in the district, to the number of twenty-one, including one female, had been notified. The following officers were elected, viz.: D. McKercher, Moderator; H. G. Beach, Director, and H. W. Whitney, Assessor. At a special meeting, held April 28th, on motion of G. F. Hood, it was voted that the board have power to purchase materials and put up a suitable shanty for a school to be kept in; said shanty to be 18 by 28 feet. This shanty was built upon tle site ocCupied by the present house, at a cost, including furniture, of about $140. It did good service, being used eleven years, and then, after the completion of the new house, was sold at auction for $33. At the annual meeting in 1867, the number of scholars having increased to 100, the shanty had become too small, and the necessity for a new house being felt, it was resolved to raise $1000 by tax and $3000 by loan for that purpose. A plan submitted by P. Cleveland, Esq., of Flint, was adopted, and the present house was built. This is a two-story brick building, surmounted with a belfry, and furnishing a spacious school-room on each story. The burden of building did not prevent the liberal support of the school, for we find that at the next annual meeting, in 1868, on motion of G. L. Walker, Esq., it was resolved, by a vote of 28 to 8, that $2 per scholar be raised by tax for the support of the school, amounting to $262. "In 1869 a graded school was established and a board of six trustees was elected, viz.: L. P. Andrews, G. L. Walker, G. Stanard, J. Williams, O. Maltby, and J. Haver. " The reported state of the finances at this time was ' an empty treasury, rate-bills abolished by law, and teachers unpaid.' However, these difficulties were overcome, a male teacher, Mr. C. Donelson, was employed, and, in the absence of further records, we can only say that this school continued to flourish until absorbed into the ' union school of the city,' in 1871, and will now compare favorably with any other school of its grade in the city. " We learn from the records of the board of school inspectors of the town of Flint that School District No. 2, embracing the present First Ward of the city, was formed March 8, 1845. In the following year a brick schoolhouse was built on Detroit Street, at present occupied by Mr. A. Hurd as a dwelling-house. This is noted not only as being the oldest school-house extant, but as being the first brick building erected in our city, The early records of this district are lost, or inaccessible. It seems not to have been very prosperous, or to have soon fallen into decay, judging from the remarks of the director, tI. W. Wood, Esq., at the dedication of tie new house, Dec. 6, 1858. These remarks we quote, not only as giving a most graphic picture of the slough into which educational interests had fillen, but also, and more especially, as showing wlhat can be accomplished by indomitable energy, under the most adverse circumstancvs. "Mr. Wood says: ' Iaving always been deeply impressed with the great importance of good schools, and the proper training and education of the rising generation, it was with deep feelings of mortification that the undersigned, in common with many others in the First Ward, belleld the low and inefficient state and condition of the public education in this ward during several years past. It was a source of great annoyance to hear our ward and district spoken disparagingly of by the inhabitants of other and more favored localities. On every side of us schools were in flourishing and prosperous condition, and growing rapidly into importance in the estimation of the people; and for some time it was a question asked by some in this district, with great solicitude, whether something could not be done to elevate the character of our school. But there were many obstacles in the way. There was no suitable building; the old brick school-house on Detroit Street was in a dilapidated and ruinous condition. It was, in short, a stigma on the public spirit of the ward,-a by-word and a reproach. It was located on a plat of ground inaccessible and inconvenient; and it was found that before anything effectual could be done to advance the cause of education among us, a large sum of money must be expended in purchasing grounds and erecting suitable buildings. This necessity has been appreciated for several years by almost every one of intelligence in the district. But to this step there was manifestly at first a spirit of opposition, based, as many thought, on tenable grounds, but, as others thought, without any just foundation. Tile financial crisis of 1857 was just coming upon us. Property was depreciated, and general terror and alarm pervaded every mind; and under such a state of things it was almost preposterous to hope that anything could be done. Yet it was determined to make an effort and succeed, or else dispense with the niserable apology for a school which at that time pretended to exist. Accordingly, at the annual meeting in 1857, the project was started, generally discussed, and those in its favor were highly gratified that more were witl them than they expected. After the discussion, various plans were submitted, ranging from a few dollars of repairs upon the old house to the building of one larger, more elegant and commiodious, convenient and expensive. A committee of three intelligent gentlemen was appointed to investigate and report at a subsequent meeting a plan of operations. After thorough investigation, the committee reported in favor of a new school-house, recommended the purchase of the present site, and the building of the present elegant and convenient house which you see before you. To the gratification of every one, the report of that committee was adopted, and $1000 were raised to aid the enterprise. The board were authorized to purchase the site and let the job for building. The job was let to good workmen and responsible parties, and, as the result, you see before you this noble structure, which is alike an enduring monument to the generous and high-minded public spirit of the patrons of sclhools in this part of the city. True, it has been an expensive enterprise and the times have been hard. It has borne heavily upon many of us. Yet we are proud of it; we are glad the cn terprise was gone into, and successfully. It is admitted by all that we have the best house that has been built, for the amount of money, in this vicinity. And, as we have the FLINT CITY. 143 best house in this county, your director, in taking leave of this part of the subject, would earnestly recommend to every one to be united, cheerful, and zealous in maintaining a school worthy of your house, of yourselves, and to which the rising generation, in after-years, may look with pride, gratitude, and affection.' "It is highly gratifying to find that this zeal in a good cause did not spend itself in building the house, but went on to establish and sustain a first-class school, including, not only the ' higher English branches, but the classics and some of the modern languages;' supplying also the appliances necessary for success, including maps, books of reference, and a library of miscellaneous books; and doing this with alacrity, while heavily taxed for the expense incurred in building. "At the annual meeting in 1859 a graded school was organized under the act of the Legislature then recently passed, and the following gentlemen were elected a board of trustees, viz.: D. S. Freeman and D. S. Fox, for one year; A. McFarlan and 0. Adams, for two years; and F. II. Rankin and H. W. Wood, for three years. " In 1865 valuable philosophical apparatus was bought, and $2000 raised by tax to enlarge the new school-house, which had become inadequate to accommodate the increasing mass of pupils. "In 1867 the enlarged house again became crowded, and another, known as the ' Branch House,' was built on Second Street, at the corner of Lyon Street. This, which is a one-story wooden structure, surmounted by a belfry, contains two commodious rooms, used for the primary department. "The following-named gentlemen have had charge of the schools in this district for periods of greater or less length since the renovation, viz.: Messrs. II. G. Jones, E. M. Mason, W. Tennant, S. B. Kingsbury, T. 3. Wells, and F. M. Hamilton. The list of female teachers who have done faithful work in this field, the full value of which can never be appreciated, is too long for rehearsal here. "The movement which had been inaugurated in the 'Union School District,' on the south side of the river, for building a new house attracted the attention of educationists in this ward; and, at a special meeting of the qualified voters, held Nov. 10, 1871, a preamble and resolutions were adopted in favor of union, on certain conditions. These conditions being assented to, after further conference, the consolidation of the four wards of the city in one school district was effected by an act of tle Legislature, approved March 28, 1872. " Thus this prosperous school, in the full tide of its success, became merged in that grand enterprise which has brought all our schools into one organization, in which relation we trust the good record of the past will be amply sustained. " Each increment of the ' Union School District' rendered the call for a new house more urgent, the temporary relief obtained by occupying the 'city-liall building' having been outgrown by the rapid increase of our growing city. And, accordingly, we find that at tile annual meeting, held Sept. 2, 1871, the board of trustees in their report, after noting the highly prosperous condition of the school, and its fhvorable standing among the other schools of like grade in the State, most strongly urged the absolute necessity for enlarged accommodations; and, at the same meeting, resolutions were adopted that a site be procured, and plans and estimates obtained for a new building. A tax of $5000 was voted for purchasing a site, and the issuing of bonds to the amount of $20,000 (all the law allowed) authorized. A series of adjourned meetings were held, at which the proposition of District No. 2 for union was favorably received, $55,000 were added to the amount of bonds authorized, permission having been obtained by legislative action; and, several attempts having been made to fix upon a site by vote of the tax-payers, that subject was referred to the board of trustees, who, having no better success, left the decision of the question to a committee consisting of President Angell, of the State University; Prof. Estabrook, of tlhe State Normal School; and Hon. M. E. Crofoot, of Pontiac. This committee, after viewing the premises, expressed their preference for the ' Pierson Block,' in the Second Ward, as the most eligible; but, 'in view of better reconciling all parties,' recommended the adoption of tile ' Lanond Block,' in the Third Ward, —the site now occupied by the high-sclool building. Their award was acceded to by the board, and subsequently adopted by tile tax-payers, who, in view of tile fact that the owners of the property declined to sell on what was deemed reasonable terms, directed that legal measures slould be taken to obtain it. " The south four lots of that portion of the block now occupied were thus obtained, by an award of a jury, at a cost of $8500; and tile north four lots were subsequently obtained by negotiation at a cost of $10,000; making the expense of the eilght lots, including the expenses of litigation and back taxes, $1),060. " While negotiations were going on to secure a site, efforts were also being made to procure plans and estimates. Committees were appointed to visit and inspect other schoolhouses, and to investigate materials and methods of heating and ventilation. "The final result was that, after deciding upon the size, ground-plan, and general arrangement of tie building, the subject was referred to Porter & Watkins, architects, who subsequently submitted a draft, with plans and specifications of the building, which has since been erected; and which, we trust, will long stand as a graceful monument of tile skill and taste of the architects, and of the faithful labors of the contractor and all engaged in its construction. "Proposals having been advertised and received, the contract was awarded to Reuben Van Tifflin, Esq., June 16, 1873, at $68,000, to be completed July 1, 1875; which contract was faithfully fulfilled, to the entire satisfaction {(f the board of trustees, as expressed in a well-deserved resolution of commendation unanimously adopted. The whole amount paid the contractor, as appears from the printed schedule of the secretary for 1875, was $77,377.62. This excess includes the expense of various changes and additions, ordered or approved by tle tax-payers: as the building of a boiler-house, it being designed in the original plan to place the boilers in the basement; the substitution of artificial stone for window-caps, in place of galvanized iron; the tuck-pointing of the whole building; besides the con 141 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I struction of out-houses, two large cisterns, with the necessary conduits, and other matters of less note. "The heating apparatus, which combines the direct with the indirect radiation, by the use of steam, was furnished and put in by Crane Bros., of Chicago, on contract, at $6674. The test thus far has been highly satisfactory, both asto the plan and the workmanship. "The desks and seats for the pupils, which are substantial, elegant, and convenient, were furnished by the School Furniture Company, Sterling, Ill., at a cost of $1678.50. The teachers' desks were furnished by W. B. Colson, of Flint, and are a practical demonstration of the skill of our mechanics. "The bell, which weighs 2000 pounds, was furnished by Meneeley & Kimberley, for $804.20; and the clock, which is a beautiful piece of mechanism, and testifies its own accuracy, by the 'Howard Clock Company,' of Boston, for $650. " The public are indebted for the judicious selection of these valuable and indispensable adjuncts to the skill and good taste of Wim. Stevenson, Esq., to whom that duty was assigned by the board. "Valuable philosophical apparatus has been provided, but the chemical needs large additions. The same may be said of the library, which contains many valuable books, but is very far from being such as the wants of the school demand. A cabinet of natural history, illustrating all departments, received in trust fiom the ' Flint Scientific Institute,' is invaluable for purposes of instruction, and forms the nucleus of a collection which, we trust, the alumni of Flint High-School will be proud to foster and enlarge. "No serious accident occurred to any of the workmen engaged in the construction of the building, but the building itself had a narrow escape from destruction by fire which originated from the culpable carelessness of the men employed to put in the heating apparatus, and, but for timely discovery by some young men returning from a late party, and their sagacious management, the whole structure would soon have been a mass of ruins. "But the saddest event, and one which gave a grievous shock to his colleagues and threw a gloom over the whole community, was the death of Hon. Levi Walker, which took place April 25, 1874, at Lansing, where he was engaged, with his accustomed energy and fidelity, in discharging the duties of a representative in the State Legislature. Mr. Walker had been connected with our schools, in their various phases of organization, for twenty years, and by his generous culture, his unfaltering interest, sound judgment, legal experience, and conservative independence, rendered invaluable service at many a critical juncture, and in his death left a worthy record and an. irreparable loss behind. " Tie Flint High-School building stands on the west side of Beach Street, about seventy rods south of the 'Thayer IIous.' It is a substantial structure of brick, stone, and iron, and is much admired for its artistic design and adapta tion to.the purposes of its construction. It is three stories high above the basement, the gable-point of the front being eighty feet above te.basement floor. The rear of the I I main building corresponds with the front, but the ends are finished with mansard roof, surmounted with crest-railings, and the whole building is covered with corrugated iron. The walls above the basement are of white brick, tuckpointed with dark slate, the window-sills and trimmings being of Berea sandstone, while the water-tables, steps, etc., are of Ohio blue freestone, and the window-caps of Ransom artificial stone. The building is 102 feet in length fiom north to south, by 92 in width. The tower at the northeast corner is 26 by 26 feet at the base, and 128 feet in height to the globe which caps the cupola. This tower contains a broad stairway leading to the second and third stories, while above, an elegant and veracious clock notes with exemplary accuracy the passing hours, and a fine-toned bell, in sonorous peals, announces their departure. There is a dwarf tower on the southeast corner, on the first floor of which is the superintendent's office, on the second the library, and on the third the zoological cabinet. Two ventilating shafts, which stand at the juncture of the cross walls witl the rear wall, rise conspicuously above the building, and are capped with galvanized iron. The smokepipes passing through them impart heat to the air in these shafts, and, thus creating an upward current, secure ventilation. A liall extends the whole length of the building, with entrances at the ends for the pupils,-that on the south being used by the girls, and that on the north by the boys. Oil the west side of this hall a stairway, ascending from tlhe north, gives access for the boys to the second story; while the girls reach the same floor by another stairway in a transverse hall, which extends fiom the south part of the long hall to the vestibule of a front door, near the dwarf tower. Through this vestibule access is had to the superintendent's office. This stairway extends to the third story. Another transverse hall, from the north part of the long hall, connects with the vestibule of the main tower. In the basement there arc two rooms on the fiont, used for the primary department, so constructed with folding- and sliding-doors that they can be thrown into one; there are two other cornmodious rooms at the rear corners, which can be used for school-rooms, while the centre is used as a coil-room, in heating and ventilating. On the first floor there are five sclool-rooms,-three on the west side of this long hall, of which the centre one is 34 by 40 feet, while the others on each side are 32 by 40. Each of these rooms has two doors opening into the long hall. On the opposite side there are two rooms adjoining, each 22 by 33 feet, now used as recitation-rooms. At each end of the long hall on this side there is a wardrobe 14 by 15 feet, nicely arranged for the purposes designed. On the second floor the number and arrangement of the rooms is the same. In the third story, the whole rear of the building is occupied by a large hall, 56 by 99 feet, 18 feet in height, with four fluted iron columns, which rest on the cross walls and support the structure above. A convenient stage on the east side is connected with lobbies in the rear. This hall, which is furnished with tasty and substantial movable seats, from the Northville, Furniture Company, will seat 1000. On the front, on this floor, there is a room 20 by 28 feet, used as a laboratory and lecture-room, having an ample platform in the rear, with a convenient room on either side for philo GRANT DECKER. As a pioneer of the city of Flint, Mr. Decker is entitled to special mention; as a business man, he was among the early merchants and lumbermen; in the church he was one of the founders of St. Paul's Episcopal church; upon the organization of the city of Flint, he was chosen its first mayor. Mr. Decker was formerly from New Jersey, his ancestors locating in the village of Deckertown before the Revolution. There he was born, February 4, 1814. In 1824 his father moved to Western New York, where Mr. Decker was reared to manhood. In 1838 he was married to Miss Elizabeth Stevens. In 1839 he came to Flint, and engaged in the mercantile and lumbering business with two of his brothers-in-law, A. C. and Sherman Stevens. This firm tontinued a few years when it was dissolved, and Mr. Decker continued in business alone or with other partners. Since that time he, with Artemas Thayer, built a large flouring-mill, which was subsequently destroyed by fire. Mr. Decker has been particularly unfortunate from fires; eight times has he suffered serious loss by this element, and although the aggregate of his loss has been many thousand dollars, he has always paid one hundred cents on the dollar, and at this time is carrying on an extensive manufacturing business with his son-in-law, H. C. Hascall. Mr. Decker's first wife died in 1844. He was again married, to Mrs. Julia I. Clark, formerly Miss Julia I. Fenton. He has reared a family of six children,-five daughters and one son. The son enlisted in the 5th Michigan Cavalry and served in the war of the Rebellion; was taken prisoner at Gettysburg, and died in Andersonville prison. On all questions of morality or Christianity, Mr. Decker has ever thrown his influence upon the side of right and justice. He was vestryman of St. Paul's church, of Flint, more than thirty years, and has served for many years and to the present time as senior warden of that organization. R i 0: Pf >: C 8 S c~g R FLINT CITY. 145 sophical and chemical apparatus. Adjoining this, on the south, is another room 16 by 26 feet, which, together with the upper room of the dwarf tower, and a small room adjoining, are used for the cabinet of natural history. The building is lighted with gas, and warmed by steam, with direct and indirect radiation. The steam from the boilerroom being conducted through the coils in the coil-rooms, heats a current of fresh air which, passing through the flues in the walls, is admitted by registers into the several rooms where needed, while the vitiated air passes into the ventilating shafts. To secure more heat when needed, steam coils are placed in the several apartments where required, tlus giving direct radiation. " The building having been completed, was dedicated July 13, 1875, on which occasion a highly interesting and instructive address was delivered by -Ion. Duane Doty, of Detroit. "Aug. 30, 1875, the school was opened in its several departments, under charge of Prof. Crissey, assisted by an able corps of teachers, and is now in full tide of successful operation; and we trust that the good work so auspiciously begun will go on until the Flint schools slall become potent in aiding to build that foundation of education and morality which alone will form a stable basis for free institutions." The foregoing sketch, in quotation, was written by Daniel Clarke, M.D., early in 1876. Since then the act of or: ganization of the school district has been twice amended. The limits of the district now are the same as tlose of the city, and trustees are elected by ballot at the same time as the mayor and other city officers,-the first Monday in April. Tlhe district is divided into three sub-districts, and one trustee is elected in each for a term of three years. The schools have been, and still are, progressing successfully. A class of eight graduated from the high school at the close of the school year 1875-76. In 1877 the graduates numbered fourteen; in 1878 there were twenty-one. The high-school is organized with four courses of study, as follows: Classical course. —First year: first half, Latin, Algebra, Physiology, Reading, Spelling, Penmanship; second half, Latin, Algebra, Physical Geography, Reading, Spelling, Penmanship. Second year: first half, Latin, Rhetoric, United States History, and Arithmetic; second half, Latin, General History, Arithmetic. Third year: first half, Latin, Greek, Algebra; second half, Latin, Greek, Geometry. Fourth year: first half, Latin, Greek, Algebra; second half, Latin, Greek, Geometry. Lathi course.-Thllis course differs from tlhe classical only in having French or German in the place of Greek. French is required in this course and in the scientific for admission to the University. English course. —First year: first half, English Grammar, Algebra, Physiology, Reading, Spelling, Penmanship; second half, Analysis and Composition, Algebra, Physical Geography, Reading, Spelling, Penmanship. Second year: first li.,it; Zoology, United States History, and Science of Goverlmaient, Bookkeeping, and Arithmetic; second half, Botany, General Iistory, Arithmetic. Third year: first half, General Ilistory, Chemistry, Algebra; second half, 19 Natural Philosophy, Geology, Geometry. Fourth year: first half, Rhetoric, Political Economy, Algebra; second half, English Literature, Astronomy, Geometry. Scientific course.-First and second years, same as English course. Third year: first half, General History, French or German, Algebra; second half, Natural Philosophy, French or German, Geometry. Fourth year: first half, Rhetoric, French or German, Algebra; second half, English Literature, French or German, Geometry. Composition and elocutionary exercises throughout the several courses. The first of these prepares students for the classical course in the University of Michigan, the second for the Latin arnd scientific, the third for the scientific and engineering course (requiring, however, the addition of one year's work in Latin), and the fourth for the newly-arranged English literary course. This is one of the high-schools of the Stata fiom which students have been for several years admitted to the University (Freshman class) upon their diplomas, if recommended. It should not, however, be supposed that tile main aim of the school is to prepare students for the University. Tlhe number sent to that institution is necessarily small in comparison with the entire number graduated, and it is the purpose so to direct the work of the school that its benefits shall be of practical value to those whose student-life terminates here, as well as to those who go to higher institutions of learning. For the former class, tile scientific and English courses are believed to be especially suitable. The lowel departments of the schools are in a flourishing condition, being under the instruction of able and successful teachers, and being equally with the high school objects of especial care. The primary department in the several buildings includes the first four grades or years of school-work, the grammar department the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth years or grades, bringing pupils to the high-school. Tlle high-school, the eighth and seventh grades, and part of the sixth grade are accommodated in the central building, as are also 125 pupils of primary grades. Five other buildings, located in different parts of the city, furnish accommodations for the other grades. In the grammar department, arithmetic, account-keeping, English grammar, and composition, geography, United States history, reading, spelling, penmanship, and elementary drawing are carefully taught. The following items show the census and tle enrollment and attendance in all the schools of the city for tile year ending June 21, 1878: Number in district between 5 and 20 years old........ 2441 Number enrolled in the schools............................. 1837 Average number belonging.................................. 1288.8 Average daily attendlance................................... 1182. Per cent. of attnndlane on average number belonging. 91.7 Perfect attendance is encouraged by the publication quarterly (at end of every ten school-weeks) of a roll of honor, showing the names of pupils perfect in attendance. Two pupils succeeded in keeping a perfectly clean record, being neither absent nor late, for three years ending June 21, 146 IHISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIGAN. 1878. Five others were similarly perfect for two years ending at the same time, and twenty-seven others for one year. A growing library of about 1400 well-selected volumes, and a valuable museum, constitutes part of the material of the high- and grammar-schools. The schools have quite a large non-resident attendance, drawn principally fiom the populous and wealthy county in which Flint is situated, though some pupils come fiom other counties and even from other States. As many as 106 non-residents have already (April, 1879) entered tile schools during the present school-year. The receipts for tuition of non-residents bid fair to be larger than in any preceding year. The teachers are as follows: Superintendent, T. W. Crissey, teacher of Political Economy, English Literature, and Elocution, and instructor of teachers' class. Hligh-lSchool.-Mr. Louis K. Webb, Principal, Iiglher Mathematics, Chemistry, Zoology, etc.; Miss Angie C. Chapin, Latin and Greek; Miss Lizzie II. Tindell, Modern Languages, Rhetoric, History, Botany, etc.; Miss Rosa IM. Muir, general work of first year. Grammar Depitrtiment, C(entral Building.-Room C, Miss Kate E. McNamara; Room D, Miss 1Emily E. West; Room E, Miss Alta L. Brotherton; Room F, Miss Sarah M. Newton; Room 4 (recitation), Miss Elva Curtis; Room 5 (recitation), Miss Maggie O'Donoughue. lPrimary Rooms, Central lBlilding.-Room G, Mrs. C. G. Chaffee; Room II, Miss Hattie A. Douglas. First Ward (.lI(ait) Buildling.-Room A, Miss Addie J. De Lano; Room B, Miss tHattie C. Carey; Room C, Miss Emnma Curtis; Room 1), Miss Ida M. Zimme:rman; Room E, Miss De Ette M. Kline. First Watrd (Bran1ch) lBailding.-Room A, Miss Frank II. Foster; Room B, Miss Carrie J. Baker. &Second Ward Bltil(ing.-Room A, Miss Lydia I. Davis; Room B, Miss Sara A. Canfield; Room C, Miss Eliza A. Judd; Room D, Miss Gertrude F. Bchee; Room E, Miss Emma L. Earlc. Third Wa(rd BI ildig.-Room A, Miss Mary E. Dunbar; Room B, Miss Clara E. Iall; Room C, Miss Laura A. Buck; Room D, Miss Nellie J. Rogers. Fourth VWardl Building.-Room A, Miss Eliza Reynolds; Room B, Miss Mary I. Andrews; Room C, Miss Lurana Beecher; Room D, Miss Jennie M. Phelps. Mrs. A. F. Burrows, teacher of Penmanship, Drawing, and Account-Keeping; also Librarian. Mr. Henry W. Fairbank, teacher of Vocal Music. The following gentlemen constitute the present board of school trustees: S. C. Randall, President; H1. R. Lovell, Secretary; Charles S. Brown, Treasurer. Trustees of First WVard: C. A. Mason, Robert W. Dullam, William Stevenson. Trustees of Second Ward: Daniel Clark, M.D., Charles S. Brown, Ilcnry R. Lovell. Trustees of Third and Fourth Wards: Oscar Adams, George L. Walker, Henry C. Walkerr STATE INSTITUTION FOR EDUCATING TIIE DEAF, DUMB, AND TIlE BLIND. The citizens of Flint feel a laudable pride in the fact that one of the chief State institutions is located here, and has for its object the education of the deaf, the dumb, and the blind. To IHon. E. II. Thomson belongs tle honor of introducing, in 1848, the act which resulted in tlme establishment of this public charity,-tlie Legislature having voted favorably upon it, and subsequently taken such measures as resulted in the accomplishment of its objects. The first board of trustees comprised the following gentlemen: Ilon. Elon Farnsworth, ex-Chancellor of the State, of Wayne; Gen. Charles C. IHascall, of Genesee; Hlon. Charles HI. Taylor, of Kent; 11on. Charles E. Stewart, of Kalamazoo; and Hon. John P. Cook, of' Hillsdale. The board, after having received and examined proposals from various quarters for the location of tile buildings, finally decided upon Flint as the most eligible. A warranty-deed of 20 acres of ground having been donated to the trustees for a site for tlhe erection of buildings by Col. T. B. W. Stockton, Dec. 10, 1849, and $3000 subscribed by the citizens, Charles EH. Palmer was, in Dccember, 1850, instituted as principal, but his services were to be gratuitous until the institution went into active operation. Meanwhile Mr. Itascall, of the board of trustees, was engaged in improvements upon thle grounds selected, and Mr. Farnsworth was deputized to visit otler institutions of a similar character for plans and arrangement of buildings. In 1857 the Legislature amended the act of S148 so tlhat the institution should be entirely independent of the Kalamazoo Insane Asylum,-the two having been up to that time in charge of tlhe same board. Under the amended act each was to be governed by a board of three trustees appointed by the Governor. The first board for the Flint institution consisted of James B. Walker, of Flint, Becnjaliin Pierson, and John Le IRoy. A vacant building was rented for tlhe purpose in Flint, and the education of tlle deaf; dumb, and the blind begun. B. M. Fay was chosen principal, and organized the school work proper in 1857. Mr. Walker was chosen building commissioner, and authorized to visit New York and study the plans upon which the deaflmute institution of that State was constructed. IIe was accompanied by Mr. Fay, and the present cluster of five buildings are substantially the same as the plans adopted by the board. The portion of the building originally constructed has since been diverted from its first use, other structures having been erected which were found better adapted to the wants of the institution. The first story is used for the library, office of steward, music- and recitation-rooms. The second story has six recitation-rooms for the deafmutes and two for the blind. The third floor, recently used for shoe-shops, etc., has been converted into dormitories. Its basement is now used as a store-room for provisions, a basket-shop for the blind, and sleeping-rooms for domestics. North of the school wing is the chapel building, the two being connected by a covered archway. The basement of this building is used as a kitchen, bakery, and store-rooms, and the first floor as a dining-room for tile pupils. On the second floor is the chapel, in whicl the pupils meet for religious and other exercises, and which is appropriately planned and furnished for that purpose. FLINT CITY. 147 Separated fiom the chapel building by open courts and connected with it by covered passage-ways are two buildings, called respectively the boys' and girls' wing. Running across the rear of each wing is a hall ten feet wide in each story, and opening from the hall of each lower story is a large outside door. The basements of the wings are used for wardrobes, wash-rooms and bath-rooms. Each pupil lias a wardrobe of his own, or a wooden case in which to keep his clotling, and the metallic batl-tubs, with which tlie bath-rooms are plentifully furnished, are each supplied with warm and cold water. The second floors of the wings are used for the sitting-rooms of the boys and girls respectively, where they prepare for their recitations, or spend their spare time in reading or amusements. The part of the floor set off for the blind is also used for their recitationrooms. The second story of the girls' wing is used for the girls' sleeping-apartments, hospital, and sewing-room. Tie second story of the boys' wing is similarly divided for tile boys, and has also a dornitory for the blind. The third story of each wing is used for dormitories and for sleepingrooms of the attendants wlho have charge of the pupils wlhen not in school. An upright building five stories high, with two wings, each four stories high, including basement, comprise what is known as the main or fiont building. Connecting this with tile boys' and girls' wings of the edifice and with the chapel is a large hall leading fiom the main corridors. Thle basement is devoted to the teachers' dining-rooms, bathrloon0s, etc. On tlie first floor are the principal's office, parlor, reception- and sitting-rooms; the second floor being devoted to the matron and her assistants, a spacious sewing-room, and several guest chambers. The tlird and fourth stories are mainly taken up with rooms for the teachers. There are water-closets and sinks on each floor of each building at the ends of the halls. The water for their use and for the use in tlne bath-rooms is supplied from iron tanks under the roof, one for hot and the other for cold water. In the rear of the buildings described, and at a short distance from them, is a long, low building, used partly as a boiler-house and partly for a wash-room, in whlich the washing for the institution is carried on by steam. Another part of the building contains the boilers, engines, pumps, heating-apparatus, etc. Originally, the buildings were heated by driving a strong current of air through an immense coil of steam-pipe, and through an underground passage, by means of a powerful fan, but the method was not a success, and they are now heated by direct radiation. Instead of the fan and large underground passage, steam is now conveyed in iron pipes directly from the boilers to the room to be heated, and by this means excellent ventilation is also secured. The subject of sewerage has also received much attention, and the method adopted is as nearly perfect as any yet devised, and for this purpose the location of the buildings is very favorable. The dimensions of the ground-floor of the front and school-buildings are the samle, botl being 60 feet wide by 100 feet in length. Tlhe central building is 50 feet wide by 90 feet long, and the wings 50 by 80 feet each. This series of buildings have been occupied several years, though not I yet completed. An elaborate portico, the foundation of which is already laid, will embellish the front building, in accordance with the original design, when it shall be found convenient to expend more funds upon wlhat might be regarded as a mere adornment. In addition to those already mentioned is a building used as a cabinet-shop and for other purposes, and also a barn. The approximate cost of tile whole structure was about $400,000. Prof. B. M. Fay was the first principal, who, after a very thoroughl or-ganization of the school, resigned, in 1864, and was succeeded by Egbert L. Bangs, who brought witli him new methods of teaching. Prof. G. L. Brockett's system of instruction, by which deaf-mutes are taught to articulate, was adopted with considerable success. The system known as " Bell's Visible Speech"' was introduced into the school in the fall of 1876 by Miss Hattie MeGann, who is still teaching it with encouraging results. Prof. Bangs was succeeded in the principalship by Prof. J. W. Parker, Sept. 1, 1876. The wliole number now in attendance is 250, which is 22 more than ever were in actual attendance at any one time in previous years. The whole number enrolled during the past year was 256, and the highest attendance at any one time 250. There have been already over 60 applications for admission during the coming year, but as the capacity of the institution is only 250, and only 12 of those now in it will leave at the end of this year, it is evident that many wlio are entitled to all thle benefits it affords will Ihave to be turned away. Thus it happens that before the group of new buildings which were to furnish accommodations to this class of the State's wards for a generation at least are actually completed they are filled to overflowing, and at the present rate of increase it cannot be many years before another group will be necessary. The removal of the blind to a separate institution of their own cannot be much longer delayed, and yet that will afford only temporary relief to the deaf-mutes, who are already numerous enough and ready to take their places. An effort was made, through an act of Legislature, to make instruction in printing, the manufacture of boots and shoes, cabinet-making, and other trades obligatory. This was finally successful in 1872, and the act was put into practical operation in the institution soon after. The 250 pupils now in attendance comprise 19 blind girls, 21 blind boys, 92 deaf-mute girls, and 110 deaf-mute boys. Including the 40 girls who are given employment in the sewing department, about two-fifths of the whole number of pupils in the institution are employed at some kind of manual labor or in learning some kind of trade, by which it is hoped they can earn a livelihood after graduation. All the blind boys except four work in the basketshop, the remaining four being in training for broom-makers. All the blind girls were taught needlework, and all the blind females who show any capacity for it are taught music, as affording them possible employment as teachers in future. It is, moreover, a study for which their finely-cultivated sense of hearing peculiarly fits them,-an advantage of which they are not wholly unconscious when brought in 148 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIIGAN. competition with pupils who can see. Of the deaf-mutes 18 are employed in the shoe-shop, 15 in the cabinet-shop, and 15 in the printing-office, 5 of whom are girls. Some of the pupils show a remarkable aptitude for their respective trades, and turn out manufactured articles which are really models of skilled workmanship. Especially worthy of mention are a handsomely-ornamented box of different woods, made by Charles Traver, and a library-table in the Principal's office, made by James Hull. As a general rule the pupils spend three hours a day in the shops during the last four years of their course, spending three hours daily in the school-rooms during the same years. In the first four years of the course they spend the whole six in the school-rooms, so that though only about two-fifths of the pupils are learning trades at any one time, yet about four-fifths of the whole number receive that advantage before their term of eight years is completed. In addition a few pupils work in the garden and aid on the farm on Saturday forenoons. The following list comprises the officers and teachers who are at present filling positions in connection with the institution: Thos. MacIntire, Superintendent; Dan. II. Church, Steward; Miss Emma A. Hall, Matron; Miss L. Valeria Abbott, First Assistant Matron; Mrs. M. E. Clarkson, Second Assistant Matron; Daniel Clarke, A.M., M.D., Attending Physician; Chas. S. McBride, Boys' Supervisor; Mrs. Sarah Jones, Girls' Attendant; Thos. L. Brown, John J. Buchanan, Miss Carrie K. Standart, Miss Phebe Wright, Willis Hubbard, Fred. A. Platt, B.A., Miss Addie A. Hendershot, Miss Maggrie T. Bennet, Miss Kate E. Barry, Teachers of the Deaf and Dumb; Miss Hattie E. McGann, Teacher of Visible Speech; Mrs. Sarah H. Brown, Miss Emma F. Knight, Miss Jennie Van Wormer (Instructor in Piano, Organ, and Vocal Music), Teachers of the Blind. The following are the employees of the Industrial Department: Edwin Barton, Foreman of the Cabinet-Shop; Thomas Page, Foreman of the Shoe-Shop; Herman C. Koeppner, Foreman of the Basket-Shop; Geo. H. Pond, Foreman of the Printing-Office; Thomas Stilson, Chief Engineer and Machinist; Charles Selleck, Farmer. The board of trustees are as follows: Hon. Chas. G. Johnson, President; Hon. Almon L. Aldrich, Treasurer; Hon. Jas. M. Neasmith, Secretary. The total yearly expenditures of the institution, ending with the 30th of September, 1878, were $43,579.85. THE FLINT SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTE. The following document formed the nucleus of " The Flint Scientific Institute:" "We, the undersigned, desirous of improvement in scientific knowledge, and feeling the want of books which we cannot at present command, hereby agree to associate for the purpose of forming a library upon the following basis, viz.: each subscriber shall be entitled to one share for every five dollars which he shall pay into the funds of the association, and each share shall entitle the holder to one vote; provided, that no individual shall be entitled to more than five votes. All the funds of the association shall be appropriated to procuring scientific works." This agreement was signed by the following persons, each agreeing to take one share of the joint stock: D. Clarke, M. Miles, R. S. Ilutton, C. L. Avery, Wm. Stevenson, S. E. Wilcox, F. H. Rankin, and A. B. Pratt. At a meeting called at the office of F. II. Rankin, Feb. 8, 1853, under a warrant issued by R. W. Jenny, J. P., a society was organized, in accordance with chapter 53 of the revised statutes of Michigan, by the adoption of a constitution and code of by-laws, and the following officers were elected: President, D. Clarke; Secretary, F. H. Rankin; Librarian, M. Miles; Treasurer, Win. Stevenson. The object of the society was more fully set forth in the first article of the constitution, which is as follows: " This society shall be known as ' The Flint Scientific Institute.' Its objects shall be to promote the study and investigation of the several brancles of scientific knowledge, the establishment of a library of scientific works, and a museum of natural history; and its funds shall be devoted to the procuring of such books, charts, and other matter as shall promote those objects. ' The objects were further elucidated in a paper " On the importance of acquiring and extending scientific knowledge," read by the president at the first quarterly meeting, held April 6, 1853, which paper was by request published in the Gcnesee Vhig. At the same meeting a vote of thanks was tendered to three senators and representatives in Congress from this State who presented the institute with books and other documents. At subsequent meetings, acknowledgments were made to IHon. R. McClelland, LHon. J. S. Conger, Hon. Z. Chandler, and others fiom whom favors had been received, and especially to Hon. D. C Leach, who laid the institute under deep obligations by presenting the valuable reports of the Pacific Railroad and the Mexican Boundary Surveys, the reports and publications of the Smithsonian Institute, and other public documents. In consideration of these especial obligations, he was made an honorary member. In May, 1853, a circular was issued calling public attention to the objects and needs of the institute, and soliciting aid in membership, and donations of books, and also specimens of natural history to form a cabinet. In response to this appeal, the following names were added to the list of members: T. Newall, E. Dodge, IL. R. Pratt, J. N. Lake, M. Pratt, S. B. Cummings, G. Andrews, D. Glendall, J. Guild, M. B. Beals, C. E. McAlester, J. Kelland, Win. B. McCreery, Ch. Rankin, M. D. Seeley, J. N. Burdick, H. Wilson, R. P. Aitkin, and Wm. Travis. Many specimens were brought in by farmers and others, and the members generally went to work with a will. Some, who were occupied during business hours, brought in valuable contributions as the result of their morning and evening excursions with the gun or fishing-rod, and obtained for their reward, in addition to the consciousness of aiding a worthy cause, improved health and renewed vigor. The taxidermy was mostly done by Dr. M. Miles and J. B. Clarke, and the numerous specimens of ornithology prepared by them form a conspicuous portion of the cabinet at the present time. At a regular meeting, held April 12, 1854, a vote of thanks was tendered the Hon. E. H. Thomson for valuable donations, which obligations were subsequently frequently renewed; and also to Rev. Chas. Fox, Professor of Agriculture in the State University, for the donation of a rain-gauge:, 4 1 FLINT CITY. 149 and other favors. At the meeting of July 26th following, his lamented death was noticed in appreciative resolutions, which were published in the " Farmer's Companion" and the " Annals of Science." At the same meeting it was resolved to hold informal meetings on Wednesday of each week, which the public were invited to attend. Dr. Miles read an essay on " The Distribution of Animals." This was the inaugural of a series of public exercises consisting of lectures, essays, and discussions, which were vigorously continued for many months. The following quotations from the record show the financial condition of the institute in those days. Aug. 2, 1854, an assessment of $1 per share was voted to pay indebtedness; and at the second annual meeting, held Jan. 3, 1855, the treasurer reported a balance due him of $1.31. In March, 1854, a course of twelve lectures having been completed, a series of weekly informal meetings for the discussion of stated subjects was-commenced. The subject of geography in all its relations was taken up; the topic being announced two weeks in advance, was discussed after the report of standing committees. The following report of a committee appointed to classify the matter brought under discussion will best give evidence of the method pursued: 1st. A committee on topography to report the locationi.e., the latitude and longitude-of the country or district under discussion; its relations to other countries; its general contour and boundaries; its mountain chains, their direction, their absolute and relative heights; its table-lands, plains, and swamps; its rivers, their sources, general direction, and outlet; its lakes and deserts; its principal political divisions and important cities. 2d. Committee on Geology, to report on its geological characteristics. 3d. A Committee on Mineralogy, to report what minerals are found and where, with a particular exposition of such as may be peculiar to the country under consideration. 4th. A Committee on Meteorology and Ilydrography, to report upon climate, its peculiarities and their causes; the distribution of heat, moisture, and evaporation; aerial currents; storms, rain, snow, etc., with their relations, causes, and influence. 5th. A Committee on the Flora, to report upon the indigenous plants, particularly the types, genera, and species peculiar to the region. 6th. Committee on the Fauna, to report upon the indigenous animals and their peculiarity of type, genera, and species. 7th. Conmmittee on Agriculture and Commerce, to report upon the cultivation, products, exports, and commercial relations of the country. 8th. Committee on Ethnology, to report upon the races of men, their peculiarities and affinities. Tlhe first subject taken up was " Australia and Malaisia," followed with "South Africa," " South America," "' Central America," and "the West India Islands," " North America," "Great Britain and Ireland," and "Northern Europe," all of which were thoroughly discussed, generally with a full report from each committee; taking South America for example, we find a report was made on topography by Mr. Stewart; on geology, by Mr. McAlester; on mineralogy, by Mr. Avery; on meteorology, by Mr. Beals; on the flora, by Dr. Clarke; on the fauna, by Dr. Miles; on commerce and agriculture, by Mr. Rankin; and on ethnology, by Dr. Clarke. Thus it will be seen a wide range was taken and a large portion of the earth's surface was passed in review. Many facts of interest were noted and much thought elicited, and, without doubt, all engaged in the work profited by it. Tle subject was subsequently continued with a change, the programme giving more prominence to physical geography in its general aspects. The following schedule of exercises for the ensuing winter, reported by Dr. Miles, was adopted Nov. 21, 1856: No. 1. On Reliefs of Continents,-in three divisions, Eastern, Western, and Australia, —by Prof. Travis. No. 2. On Islands, by C. E. McAlester. No 3. On Volcanoes and Earthquakes, by II. Seymour. No. 4. On Ocean Currents, by Dr. Miles. No. 5. On Winds, by Dr. Stewart. No. 6. On Isotherms and Climates, by C. L. Avery. No. 7. On the Influence of the Physical Features of the Earth on Commerce, by F. II. Rankin. No. 8. On the Geographical Distribution of Plants, by Dr. Burdick. No. 9. On the Geographical Distribution of Animals, by J. B. Clarke. No. 10. On Ethnology, by Dr. Clarke. No. 11. On Glaciers and the Phenomena of Drift, by William B. McCrecry. No. 12. On the Distribution of Rains, by H. Wilson. While these studies were being pursued, the field of discussion was still further enlarged, May 15, 1855, by the adoption of a resolution offered by Mr. Rankin, by which Section B was established to meet weekly on another evening, distinct fiom that devoted to scientific discussion, for the purpose of considering subjects of a wider range, including history, literature, and art. These meetings were carried on simultaneously with the others, with much interest in the animated discussion of a variety of subjects. At the same time the work of collecting materials for the museum was pushed forward until the accumulation became embarrassing, and called out the following resolution, which was adopted June 22, 1855: " ResolhEd, That the Institute meet in a committee of the whole, on Saturday evening next, at six o'clock, and each consecutive evening, except Sundays, at the same hour, for the purpose of arranging and cataloguing the museum." Oct. 24, 1855, the executive committee, in a report setting forth the importance of some better arrangement for the increase and preservation of the museum, recommended the appointntment of curators to take charge of the arrangement of the specimens in their respective branches, as follows: Botany and Entomology, Dr. Clarke; Mineralogy, M. B. Beals; Osteology and Comparative Anatomy, Dr. Stewart; Reptiles and Conchology, Dr. Miles; Ornith ology, C. L. Avery; Paleontology, C. E. McAlester; Ichthyology, E. Dodge; Archlmology, J. B. Clark; Mliscellaneous, G. Andrews. 150 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. These several curators reported from time to time the condition and needs of their respective departments. July 4, 1855, an entertainment was given by the ladies' for the pecuniary benefit of the institute, the net proceeds of which were $113.63; for which a vote of thanks was given, and also to G. M. Dewey, Esq., for the very timely donation of $25. This was the first of many entertainments subsequently given by the ladies of Flint and Gcnesee County, to whom much credit is due for material and in sustaining the enterprise. With the funds thus obtained at this time valuable additions were made to the library, including a subscription to Prof. Agassiz' great work, "Contributions to the Natural History of the United States," —a monument to the unceasing labors of the great naturalist. Jan. 2, 1856, a committee was appointed to inquire into the feasibility of publishing a history of Genesce County. The plan was to combine with an account of the settlement a full description of the physical geography an't natural history in all its departments. Many of the materials were at hand, and probably the project might have been attempted but that a thorough geological survey of the State, including this county, seemed to be a desirable preliminary. Accordingly a committee was appointed, consisting of Dr. Miles, Mr. Rankin, and Mr. Bcals, to which the president was added, who proceeded to bring the subject to the attention of the Legislature by means of petitions which were circulated in all parts of the State, receiving numerous signatures; and also by correspondence and personal interviews with many persons of influence, including the senator and representatives of this county. The project involved great labor, as well as considerable expense for printing, stationery, and postage, and undoubtedly had an important influence in securing by legislative action the geological survey of 1859-60 by Prof: Winchell. Dr. Miles was appointed lis assistant, having charge of the zoological department. His preliminary report, containing a very full list of the animals, birds, reptiles, and shells found in the State, was published in the first volume of Prof. Winchell's report. This appointment was a deserved and gratifying compliment to the doctor, and, through his subsequent appointment to a professorship in the State Agricultural College, opened an avenue to his life's work in a congenial field, which lhe has most successfully cultivated. But what was his gain was an irreparable loss to the institute. The foregoing sketch will suffice to give an idea of the plan of work laid out and its results; it is needless to extend the details further. The institute had made another move to a more commodious room, in the building then recently erected by Dewey & Crosman, opposite the Bryant EHouse. The civil war, which naturally absorbed every other interest, told heavily upon the prosperity of the institute. Its members in common with others caught the patriotic inspiration of the times, and a goodly number responding to their country's call went fortl to battle in her behalf for humanity and fiee institutions,-some of them, alas! never to return. Nunez Priatt, a sterling young man, a brother of Hon. Ilerbert Pratt, of Lansing, also a member of the institute, was killed in the first campaign in South Carolina. Capt. Simeon Guild, a graduate of Michigan University, with promise of a useful life conscientiously devoted to the best interests of humanity, was released fioni his position as principal of the Second Ward Union School to take a captain's commission in the 8tli Regiment. Falling in the attack upon Fort Wagner, he was deemed worthy by his chivalrous foe to share the destiny of the gallant Col. Shaw, of Massachusetts, and thus his fiiends were denied the melancholy satisfaction of giving his remains a Christian burial. Like others, he carried his interest in the institute with him, and a consignment of specimens from Port Royal, received after the news of his death had reached here, is an earnest of what he might have done had his life been spared. Charlie Rankin, son of the efficient secretary of the institute, a promising young man, and true as steel in every position which lie was called to occupy, and Charlie Moon, an only son, the pet and hope of his family, a genial companion and active member of the institute, botli went forth in the flush and buoyancy of youth, soon to be returned upon a soldier's bier, the former the victim of disease, and the latter falling on the field of battle. Capt. Damon Stewart, another early and earnest member of the institute, lost his two brothers, killed in battle; as noble, gallant boys as any of the martyr band who fell in the deadly combat. Col. William B. McCreery, the late trustworthy State treasurer, whose romantic escape from Libby prison is so well known, had many marvelous escapes, and came home well riddled with the enemy's bullets. Capt. C. E. McAllester, still another of the institute's early and active members, was more fortunate, returning after a long and honorable service unscathed by the missiles of war. With such inroads upon its limited membership it may well be conceived that the most that could be hoped for was to keep the organization alive and preserve its material for future use. This was done, but the incubus of the war was upon every civil enterprise, and it was hard for a time to do anything more. However, an effort was miade, and, after much canvassing, encouragement was received by assurance of support to attempt a new start, and for this purpose the spacious hall now occupied by the Red Ribbon Club was taken in an unfinished condition on a lease for a term of years. Considerable expense was incurred in finishing and furnishing the room, the collection was moved with much labor, and the new hall was dedicated to science, with an address fiom President Angell, of the University. But disappointment was again encountered, for while many were prompt and ready to meet their engagements, others neglected and declined to redeem their pledges, and deeming it unfair and useless to tax the generous fiiends of the institute further it was decided to cancel the indebtedness by a transfer in trust to the Union School District of the city of Flint. This was accordingly done, and in the document of conveyance it is set forth that it is received " upon trust to preserve and maintain the library and cabinet of specimens of said scientific institute in a suitable room or rooms in the high-school building or some other suitable building, and to cause the same to be and remain forever free to the inhabitants of said city of Flint for examination and inspection at all proper times." Thus the valuable cabinet illustrating the natural history FLINT CITY. 15t of the county and State, the result of years of labor and care in its collection aind preservation, has been lodged in a safe place, where it can be made directly available in illustrating the teachings of science, not only to the pupils of the high-school, but to all who may wish to avail themselves of its advantages under proper restrictions. Since it is as much at the service of the public as ever, it is to be hoped that the old interest may be revived, and that each citizen will, as he has opportunity, contribute to its value by bringing in such specimens as may come ill his way, for should they be duplicates of what is already possessed they may be useful for exchanges, and thus indirectly add much to the value of the collection. Although the Flint Scientific Institute has suspended operations it has not disorganized, but still remains a corporate body, awaiting the coming time when it shall revive its work, and, profiting by past experience, enter upon a new and more successful career in fiicndly competition with the numerous similar institutions which are being fostered in all the enterprising cities of the West.* THE LADIES' LIBRAIRY ASSOCIATION OF FLINT. This institution-the first of its kind in tile State, and perhaps in the known world-was seemingly the offspring of necessity in the early days of this rustic village. It was organized early in the spring of 1851. By special invitation of Mrs. T. B. AV. Stockton, a small band of ladies met at her residence to consider the practicability of forming some society to meet the wants of tle community, with their limited means, to supply the lack of culture for themselves and their families. This work the ladies of Flint felt to be theirs; and while the fathers, brothers, and husbands were felling the forests, erecting mills, tilling the soil, and building for their falmilies new homes, the mothers, wives, and daughters did what was in their power to furnish wholesome food for the intellect. Tlie result of the first meeting was the fbrining of an association for mutual improvement, and the decision to meet once a week to discuss literary subjects, to read and compare ideas on what was read, and a resolution to do what they could to establish and sustain a permanent library. A constitution was written and presented by Mrs. It. W. Jenny, which was adopted. The following officers were chosen for tle first year: Mrs. T. B. W. Stockton, President; Mrs. J. B. Walker, Vicc-President; Mrs. R. W. Jenny, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Dr. Manly Miles, Treasurer; and Miss Hattie Stewart, Librarian. A corresponding secretary, a book committee of three, and an executive committee of five persons were added to the list of officers during the first year. After some discussion relative to ways and means, and the prospect of supporting a library, the ladies adjourned to meet the following week at the residence of Mrs. William M. Fenton. At their next meeting was expressed their firm resolve to establish a library, and their organization was called a " The foregoing history of the Flint Scientific Institute was kindly prepared for this work by Dr. Daniel Clarke, of Flint. "Ladies' Library Association;" although they had no funds in the treasury save the small sum of $10 from membership-fees. This sum was immediately laid out for books, and the members decided to supply the lack of reading matter by furnishing, each from her own store, books and periodicals, and exchanging with others. Some donations of books followed, the most valuable of which was a complete set of works known as " Harper's Family Library," the gift of Chauncey S. Payne, Esq. Lectures and various kinds of entertainments were improvised to gain funds for books, the proceeds of which the first year amounted to $160 only; still, the ladies were in no wise disheartened, and they continued to feast and to entertain the public by lectures, readings, tableaux, and dramatic representations until 240 volumes were placed upon their shelves, as shown by their first catalogue. These were all carefully chosen. With increase of members, some liberal donations and renewed efforts, the next catalogue, in 1854, numbered about 5001 volumes. The next issue contained about 2000 volumes, aid tile present catalogue (1879) not far fiom 3000 volumes. In 1853 tile association became incorporated under tlhe directiol of the following officers: Mrs. C. S. Payne, Presidleit; Mrs. II. I. Iigg'ins, Vice-President; Mrs. A. Thayer, IRecordingl Secretary (pro tern.); Mrs. F. 11. tRankin, Corresponding Secretary; Mrs. A. T. Crosman, Treasurer; Mrs. R. W. Jenny, Clerk; and Mrs. J. B. Walker and Mrs. O. Ilamilton, Librarians. Amid many discouragements, the association renewed its efforts. In 1861 the library was nearly destroyed by fire, but by the awakened sympatlies of tlhe community, and the amount insured being promptly paid, they were enabled to take advantage of the low prices of books fiom a failing publishing house, which nearly repaired their loss, and placed in their collection many valuable works. At this time the circulation of a subscription paper for the purpose of providing for the library a more commodious building imet with great success. A lot was purchased on the corner of Beach arid Kearslcy Streets, and preparations made for building thereon. Donations of $200 each from several citizens started the subscription list, which soon reached a fair sum, and donations of building materials, lumber, and labor, were fieely contributed, and within the same year of its commencement, the corner-stone of the edifice was laid, with Masonic ceremonies, under the supervision of the Hon. Wim. M. Fenton. The address on the occasion was by IHon. George W. Fish, now United States consul to Tunis. A few original songs and poems, appropriate to the occasion, added to the interest of the exercises. The cost of the building was about $6000. It was dedicated June 30, 1868, and the event was replete with interest to the association and their many warm fiiends who were present. The exercises were varied, consisting of addresses, music, congratulatory poems and letters, senti ments and responses. The music was well selected, and conducted with good taste by Wm. Stevenson, Esq. The dedicatory address was by His Excelle-:cy Governor 152 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIIGAN. Crapo, and contained a high tribute of praise to the ladies for their zeal and perseverance: " They, from the beginning to the present time, have never abandoned their task, or become disheartened in view of discouragements and difficulties.... Conscious of the good work in which they were engaged, they have yielded to no obstacles or embarrassments, and the result is this fine structure, both a credit and an ornament to the city, these volumes, the chariots of knowledge, and this hall, which they so well adorn, and of which we all may so well be proud." This dedication of a ladies' library building was an event new in the annals of our country, but it was soon to be followed by numerous like associations throughout the State. In the spring of 1869 the building suffered damage from a freshet, which caused the association much expense for repairs. But this band of ladies, holding the institution in trust for the future women of Flint, allowed nothing to deter them from continued efforts for its advancement. They even petitioned the Legislature of their State, hopincg to secure to themselves some benefits or immunities thereby; and it did not prove quite in vain, for their petition is recorded at the capitol, to be read by all, and its benevolent influence was felt, and the example emulated by the establishment of ladies' libraries in every considerable village or hamlet throughout Michigan, as well as some of the bordering States, who were stimulated to the work by the reports of their various representatives. In 1871 the library also celebrated its 20th anniversary. On this occasion many literary and floral offerings were contributed, and valuable gifts in money and books, and many tokens of encouragement and commendation received from persons of long-established literary merit. Varied exercises were held in the library-rooms, many complimentary sentiments offered, and supper served in the lower rooms to all the guests. On March 22, 1876,-the centennial year of our nation's life,-the ladies celebrated the quarter-centennial of their library. About 500 invitations were issued, and many distinguished persons honored the occasion by their presence. Complimentary responses, both in prose and verse, greeted them, and valuable gifts in money, books, pictures, flowers, and relics were sent in from abroad, as well as from the citizens of Flint, who opened their houses to invited guests. Supper was served to all at the library building, and exercises were held both afternoon and evening at the libraryhall,-all of a high literary character. Several sister libraries were well represented, and participated in the exercises by able addresses and poems. Many congratulatory letters were received, some of them from former members who were unable to be present. The objects of the society at the outset could not be better expressed than by quoting a portion of one of these letters fiom one who was present and bore a part in its organization,-Mrs. E. M. Pratt, of Lansing: W' We remember," wrote she, "this organization came of a sentiment to secure and foster a more cultivated social and moral atmosphere,not only for ourselves, but for a field beyond,-securing avenues for wider views, for higher and nobler aspirations." Mrs. K. Bartow, of Buffalo, a former member who aided in its formation, writes thus: "Your kind invitation brings a rush of pleasant memories. Its life and growth have been a precious desire of mine. I regret I cannot clasp hands, as of old, with the members on the appointed day." The poem written for, and read on the occasion by Hon. F. H. Rankin, was a grand feature in the evening's entertainment. It was able, appropriate, and contained a fine eulogy on the ladies' taste in their selection of books. The following extract may not be out of place: " Why talk of printing thoughts? Look around. Upon these shelves the answer may be found. No cave of rubies, no Golconda's mine, No golden vein, no Oriental shrine, E'er knew the wealth of treasure locked awayPreserved in printed thoughts; that grand array You ladies have accumulated here, Which we, in this august centennial yearYour quarter-centenary-have met to greet The fruit of all your labors, so complete. Could guests have finer banquet than we find? Or with more choice companionship be joined? The kings of mind; the emperors of thought; The intellectual giants who have wrought In every field of literary fame, Is comp;ny entitled to acclailm." Among the most valuable gifts of books at these anniversaries, should be mentioned ' Audubon's Birds of America," a magnificent volume (colored from nature and life-size), with three descriptive volumes, the munificent gift of lHon. Wim. L. Bancroft, of Port Huron; and " The History of the Pacific Races," in five large volumes (containing author's autograph), accompanied with a donation in money fiom Mr. J. L. Browne, of California, the son of the late Rev. Daniel E. Browne, a former resident of Flint. Another gift from the same kind hand was a box of books, eminently valuable as being strictly the product of that State, representing not only California artists and authors, but also every branch of book-making,-all of their home-manufacture. One volume, especially, containing perfect " Views of the Yosemite," was published at great expense, and as only a small edition was issued, it may be termed priceless. The labors of the bailding committee were unceasing until the edifice was completed, at which time they tendered their resignation; but it was not accepted, on the plea that they were better acquainted with the claims and liabilities of the enterprise than the other members, and they were persuaded to serve until the small debt which had been incurred for the early completion of the building should be paid. This at a later date was accomplished. The committee are entitled to great praise for the earnest discharge of their duties. It consisted of the following ladies: Mrs. J. B. Walker, Chairman; Mrs. R. W. Jenny, Secretary; Mrs. J. W. Begole, Treasurer; Mrs. G. M. Dewey, Mrs. F. IH. Rankin, Mrs. II. M. IHenderson, Mrs. E. H. McQuigg, and Mrs. A. Thaycr. By earnest request the Hon. J. B. Walker was induced to undertake the superintendence of the work; and to his wisdom and energy, with the active co-operation of the building committee, it was owing that the edifice was so speedily completed. Pltos. by W. C. Foote. E. H. MoQUIGG. MRS. E. H. MoQUIGG. E. H. McQUIGG. E. H. McQuigg was born in Spencer, Tioga Co., N. Y., April 10, 1807. At an early age he went to Owego, and lived with his grandmother seven years upon the old farm, where his grandfather settled in 1788, when that country was all a wilderness. When a young man he went to Ithaca, where he was employed as clerk in a store. In 1833 he went to Barton, Tioga Co., where he engaged in business for himself, carrying on a large mercantile and lumber business successfully for several years. In 1845 he purchased a farm of five hundred and twenty-six acres in the valley of the Susquehanna, and engaged in the dairy business. This enterprise proved profitable to him as well as beneficial to the community, as he introduced many of the inprovements then used by the more advanced dairymen of other parts of New York. In 1855 he moved to Flint, where he engaged in the lumber business with Judge Hyatt and E. C. Turner. They subsequently sold the mill to Gov. Crapo, but retained the pine lands. In 1865, when the First National Bank of Flint was organized, he was among its charter members, and has since retained his interest; is at this time one of the directors; was president from 1870 to 1875. Politically, he has always been a Democrat. Voted for Jackson for President, and continues of that faith. During the Rebellion he took decided grounds in favor of sustaining the government; was one of ten men to raise five thousand dollars to assist in getting the first soldiers into the field from Michigan. Has aided in building the railroads into Flint, and always advocates all local public improvements. Simple in his mode of life, Mr. McQuigg has acquired an ample competency. In his business relations he is strict, systematic, and successful; courteous in all circles of society, and honorable in all his dealings. *7 , FLINT CITY. 153 The following prophecy, in the address to the Quarter Centennial Celebration, by Mrs. Balantyne, of Port Huron, is very appropriate: " The work of these library associations, if the promise for the future be fulfilled, will be written in broad, ineffaceable characters upon the progress of the educational element in our State." There having been much difference of opinion among the ladies of the Library Association upon some unimportant question connected with the founding of the society, the historian is happy to acknowledge the receipt of this history, which was prepared by the corresponding secretary of the association, and approved by the members at a business meeting. SECRET BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATIONS. MASONIC. Genesee Lodge, No. 23, F. and A. M.-The first lodge of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons was convened in Flint, April 6, 1848, and was organized as Genesec Lodge, No. 23. Its first officers were H. I. Higgins, W. M.; Clhauncey S. Payne, S. W.; Willard Eddy, J. W.; Chas. Reighley, Sec. and Treas; -- Wright, S. D.; Benjamin Boomer, J. D.; — Ingals, Tiler. The lodge held its early meetings in the Starr Building, in the First Ward, owned by Chauncey S. Payne, and since burned. The first member initiated was Col. E. H. Thomson. It then moved into the Hill Building, on the south side of Saginaw Street. In December of 1854 it surrendered its charter, and its books and papers were, by order of the Grand Lodge of the State, together with jurisdiction over its membership, transferred to Flint Lodge, No. 23, F. and A. L.-This lodge was chartered Jan. 11, 1855, and its first meeting was held Jan. 22, 1855, at the old lodge-room of the Genesee Lodge, whose successor it was. It soon after moved its quarters into the Higgins Building, and from there into the Witherbee Building, on the opposite side of Saginaw Street, where its sessions were held until December, 1875, when the fraternity erected a lodge-room of their own on Saginaw Street. Its first officers were J. B. Hamilton, NW. M.; E. F. Frary, S. W.; N. A. Judd, J. W.; William Clark, Sec.; H. I. Higgins, Treas.; D. Clark, S. D.; A. B. Witherbee, J. D.; George Andrews, Tiler. Its present officers are S. C. Randall, W. M.; George W. Buckingham, S. W.; C. S. Brown, J. W.; Stephen Matthewson, Sec.; C. C. Beahan, Treas.; Jerome Hover, S. D.; J. P. Burroughs, J. D. Genesee Lodge, No. 174.-The charter of this lodge bears date Jan. 11, 1866, and its first meetings were held in the rooms of the Flint Lodge, No. 23. Its first officers, so far as is possible to obtain their names, were J. B. Hamilton, W. M.; F. H. Rankin, S. W.; V. B. McCreery, J. W. Its present officers are L. C. Whitney, W. M.; C. II. Wood, S. W.; H. C. Van Dusen, J. WV.; Dr. Noah Bates, Sec.; F. H. Rankin, Treas.; E. Castree, S. D.; John Leghorn, J. D. Washington Chapter, No. 15.-Tlhe first meetings of the chapter, as of the lodges, were convened at the rooms of Flint Lodge, No. 23, April 1, 1856. 20 Its charter members were C. K. Williams, Willard Eddy, S. D. Halsey, Isaac Wixon, B. J. Lewis, C. S. Payne, G. Watrous, J. McFarlin, Jeremiah Smith, J. B. Hamilton, J. H. Watrous, J. R. Smith. Its first officers were Chauncey K. Williams, H. P.; J. B. Hamilton, King; C. S. Payne, Scribe; F. H. Rankin, Sec.; T. C. Meigs, Treas. Its present officers are Rev. Marcus Lane, H. P.; Stephen Matthewson, King; G. W. Buckingham, Scribe; H. C. Van Dusen, C. H.; Dr. Noah Bates, Sec.; E. S. Williams, Treas. Genesee Valley Commandery.-This organization received its charter on the 14th of June, 1865. Its charter members and first officers were J. B. Hamilton, E. C.; P. H. Stewart, Gen'l; J. C. Allen, C. G.; W. B. Buckingham, Prelate; M. S. Elmore, S. W.; R. Ford, J. W.; O. Stone, St'd B'r; B. J. Lewis, Sw'd B'r; J. F. Joslin, Warden. The present officers are C. S. Brown, E. C.; J. B. F. Curtis, Gen'l; C. H. Wood, C. G.; M. S. Elmore, Prelate; C. F. Lander, S. W.; Albert Myers, J. W.; M. Pettibone, Rec.; E. S. Williams, Treas. The present lodge-rooms of the Masonic organizations of the city of Flint are located on Saginaw Street, adjoining the Bryant House. The two upper stories of the building are owned by the lodges, and are 46 by 100 feet in dimensions. They were built by subscription, at a cost of $10,000, and are comfortably and substantially furnished. INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD-FELLOWS. Genesee Lodge, No. 24, 1 0. O. F.-This lodge was instituted June 1, 1847, by Deputy Grand Master Alfred Treadway, of Pontiac, under a dispensation granted by the M. W. Grand Master, Andrew J. Clark, of Niles. The dispensation was replaced by a charter from the Grand Lodge, July 22, i847. The lodge reported on the 30th of June of the same year 33 contributing members. Its first officers were Edward H. Thomson, N. G.; Geo. M. Dewey, V. G.; Charles D. Little, Sec.; Sylvester A. Pengra, Treas. E. H. Thomson was the first representative from Genesee Lodge to the Grand Lodge of Michigan, and was also its first District Deputy Grand Master. The second corps of officers of the lodge, installed in January of 1848, were George M. Dewey, N. G.; Charles D. Little, V. G.; Sylvester A. Pengra, Sec.; George H. Hazelton, Treas. Its present officers are William II. Morrison, N. G.; William H. Brewer, V. G.; Herbert Campbell, Rec. Sec.; David Anderson, Financial Sec.; Francis H. Rankin, Treas. Genesee Lodge is proud of a distinction not enjoyed by any other lodge in the State,-that of having produced from its members five Grand Masters of the order for the jurisdiction of Michligan, one of whom was twice elected. They were, in 1855, William M. Fenton; 1859, B. W. Dennis; 1864, B. W. Dennis; 1869, J. S. Curtis; 1872, F. H. Rankin; 1878, E. H. Thomson. The spacious and elegant hall and rooms occupied by Genesee Lodge were constructed expressly for the use of the order in 1875, under an agreement with F. W. Judd, Esq., who was then constructing the fine building known as the Judd Block. The hall was formally dedicated Feb. 154 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 2, 1876, by Grand Master George Dean, of Detroit, assisted by other officers of the Grand Lodge. It is approached by a capacious stairway from Saginaw Street, and occupies the entire upper story of the Judd Block. It is divided into the lodge-room, 42~ by 60 feet; ante-room, 22 by 30 feet; and reception-room, 16 feet square. They are appropriately furnished, brilliantly lighted with gas, and the walls adorned with emblems. Friendship Lodge, No. 174, I.. 0. F.-This lodge was organized Nov. 28, 1871, its charter members being W. A. Miller, George L. Clark, Joseph Wilson, L. B. Collis, A. C. Lyon, Hiram Cooper, Robert Patrick, Jr., Joseph L. Brown, William H. Fay, S. J. Reynolds, and MI. G. Cooley. The following were the first officers elected: 'W. A. Miller, N. G.; Hiram Cooper, V. G.; Robert Patrick, Treas.; Joseph Wilson, Sec.; M. G. Cooley, 0. G.; Joseph L. Brown, I. G.; L. B. Collis, Con. Its meetings are held in a commodious and well-appointed hall rented for the purpose. This lodge has grown steadily in numbers and influence since its organization. Its present officers are Henry K. Firth, N. G.; EI. H. Alvord, V. G.; Edward Sterner, R. Sec.; L. B. Collis, Sec.; William Perry, Treas.; J. R. Cook, W.; H. J. Miller, C.; O. B. McKnitt, 0. G.; John Parkhurst, I. G. The lodges of this order in Flint are both in an exceedingly flourishing condition. The Odd-Fellows have also an Encampment of Patriarchs in the city, known as the Flint River EEncampment, No. 28. KNIGHTS OF PYTIIIAS. The order of Knights of Pythias is represented in Flint by Ivanhoe Lodge, No. 27, which was established under dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Michigan, Sept. 10, 1875. The warrant members were Knights W. 1I. Lyon, Joseph Wilson, C. A. White, J. W. B. Krinns, William Baillie, L. W. Miller, G. W. Pond, W. E. Miner, J. Shepard, C. A. Fox, Henry Iowland, J. L. Brown, William Charles, C. E. McAlester, W. E. Braman, L. C. Prescott, R. S. Pitt, W. W. Barnes, W,. A. Atwood, Orcn Stone, tI. R. Lovell, H. W. Fairbank, A. L. Aldrich, G. M. Brown, S. Darling, C. M. WisUer, and George H. Durand. The first elective officers were W. H. Lyon, P. C.; A. L. Aldrich, C. C.; C. A. White, V. C.; W. Charles, P.; J. WV. B. Krinns, K. of R. and S.; William Baillie, M. E.; L. W. Miller, M. F. The lodge obtained its full charter in February, 1878. There are now 45 members, of whom 25 belong to the drill-corps. They have the full-dress regulation uniform of the order, and have paraded on various public occasions, always with credit to themselves and the order. Their first public parade was on the Centennial Fourth of July. Since the organization of the lodge death has not depleted its numbers. The present officers are C. E. McAlester, P. C.; H. R. Lovell, C. C.; W. B. Armstrong, V. C.; William Charles, P.; H. W. Fairbank, K. of R. and S.; W. A. Patterson, M. E.; Jesse Warren, M. F.; Fred. Harris, M. A.; E. Barton, I. G.; and W. A. Gal braith, O. G. Weekly convocations are held on each Wednesday. In connection with the lodge there is also a section of the endowment rank of the order, which was instituted Jan. 7, 1878, with 17 members, since increased to 23, carrying eleven one-thousand-dollar and twenty-two twothousand-dollar insurance policies on the mutual plan. Its present officers are A. L. Aldrich, President; C. E. McAlester, Vice-President; H. R. Lovell, Sec. and Treas.; W. Charles, Chaplain; John Stevens, Guide; W. J. Pegg, Guard; J. Warren, Sentinel. APOLLO COUNCIL, NO. 27, ROYAL ARCANUM, was organized Nov. 12, 1877, with the following gentlemen as charter members: Dr. Noah Bates, Wm. W. Joyner, Henry L. Young, Dr. Wni. Fobes, Dr. James, B. F. Curtis, Wim. Dullam, Frank Dullam, R. H. Hughs, Leroy C. Whitney, R. S. Pitt, Chas. C. Beahan, Stephen Stoddard, R. E. Farnham, Stephen Mathewson, Hiram D. Herrick, Frank W. Switzer, Wn. H. Foote, Jas. A. Armstrong, Philo D. Phillips, Alfied C Nichols, Geo. E. Newall, Jacob Aarons, Dr. Bela Cogshall, Dr. Gco. W. Howland, P. F. Cleveland, Devillo Goodrich, Orris C. Goodrich, Warren C. Foot, Chas. L. Soper, S. V. Hakes, Horatio N. Mather, Jas. J. Hurley, Robt. J. Whaley, Albert Myers, M. A. Watson, G. D. Dewey, J. A. Tivey, Hurley R. Clark, Chas. Harrison, James Johnson, Chas. A. Pettibone, Milton Pettibone, H. P. Seymour, Salem Wolcott, Frank A. Jones, David W. Moon, E. L. Van Worlmer, J. P. Burroughs, J. R. Jones, Herman L. Pierson, Ed. A. Russell, C. Whitney, Fred. A. Harris, B. WV. Simington, Nicholas Levine, John McKercher, Geo. L. McQuigg, Delaskio D. Freeman, Win. Ackerman, John Ross, Dr. R. N. Murray, George M. Bushnell. Its present officers are W. WV. Joyner, Past Regent; H. L. Young, Regent; S. Mathewson, Vice-Regent; George W. Howland, Orator; D. W. Moon, Sec.; Joseph A. Tivy, Collector; Albert Myers, Treas.; Wm. Fobes, Chaplain; 11. D. Herrick, Guide; J. R. Jones, Warden. ANCIENT ORDER OF UNITED WORKMEN. FlUnt Lodge, AN. 22.-This order was instituted in Flint, Nov. 21, 1877, with the following gentlemen as its first officers: Past Master.-Workman, Samuel C. Randall; MIaster-Workman, Henry R. Lovell; General Foreman, Leroy C. Whitney; Overseer, Charles H. Ripley; Recorder, James A. Armstrong; Receiver, Henry M. Mason; Financier, Charles Mansfield; Guide, George W. Burbank; Inside Watchman, Joseph M. Corkey; Outside Watchman, Franklin Shank. It original members embraced the following names: Samuel C. Randall, HIenry R. Lovell, Leroy C. W.hitney, Charles H. Ripley, James A. Armstrong, Albert Atwood, Daniel Gallivcr, Michael Mulroy, Andrew B. Clhapin, M.D., Charles L. Bartlett, Henry M. Mason, Charles Mansfield, George W. Burbank, Joseph M. Corkey, Franklin Shank, John Zimnieraman, Herbert Campbell, Almon M. Woodin, Bela Cogshall, M.D. The following are its present officers: P. M. W., Leroy C. Whitney; M. W., Albert Atwood; Foreman, John Zimmerman; Overseer, Joseph M. Corkey; Recorder, James A. Armstrong; Receiver, Henry M. Mason; Financier, Henry M. Pierce; Guide, Richard H. Cary; J. W., Franklin Shank; O. W., Jacob Raub. FLINT CITY. 155 KNIGHTS OF IIONOR. Wolverine Lodge.-This order was first established in Flint in 1876, Wolverine Lodge having been organized December 4th of that year, with the following charter members: William Dullam, Frank Dullam, G. W. Lowe, George E. Newall, William H. French, George L. Walker, Bela Cogshall, William H. Joyner, William Ackerman, R. H. Hughes, David Ballantyne, Jacob Aarons, L. H. Gardner, James McCadden, J. P. Burroughs, E. A. Davis, L. C. Whitncy, James H. Failing, Thomas Bergen, C. C. Behan, W. L. Waterhouse, L. D. Cook, R. E. Farnham, R. S. Pitt, and Jesse H. Warren. Its first officers were George E. Newall, Dictator; William H. French, Vice-Dictator; William W. Joyner, Assistant Dictator; George W. Lowe, Chaplain; William Dullam, Reporter; Bela Cogshall, Financial Reporter; Frank Dullam, Treasurer; William Ackerman, Guide; David Ballantyne, Guardian; L. H. Gardner, Sentinel; Geo. E. Ncwall, W. W. Joyner, Win. Dullam, Trustees. The present officers are L. D. Cook, Dictator; William Fobes, Vice-Dictator; Thomas Bergen, Assistant Dictator; John McKercher, Reporter; John Leghorn, Financial Reporter; Frank Dullam, Treasurer; William L. Falkner, Chaplain; Edward Jones, Guide; William D. Rosecrans, Guardian; James Bothwell, Sentinel; G. L. Walker, G. E. Newall, W. W. Joyner, Trustees. The lodge has added to its numbers since the date of drganization thirty-three members, and of the whole number have lost but four. The charter members have paid to the " Widows' and Orphans' Benefit Fund" each the sum of $32. The sessions are held in the spacious hall of the Knights of Pythias, leased for the purpose. ST. MICHIAEL'S BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. This society, which is purely benevolent in character, was organized under the pastorate of Rev. Father Charles Dccueninck, in 1866. It has among its chief aims the burial of its members, for which there is a fund provided by the society, and a sum especially devoted to the widow and orphans of deceased members. It has accomplished a good work among the Catholic population, by whom it is sustained, and is still strong and flourishing. The present officers are Daniel Ryan, President; Michael Gillespie, Treasurer; Patrick Burns, Secretary. Its meetings are held monthly. CATHOLIC MUTUAL BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION. This society was organized in the year 1878, under the auspices of Rev. Robert W. Haire, and embodies the principle of life insurance as one of its main features. It numbers 60 members, and derives the revenue for its support from an initiation fee of $3.50 per member and an assessment of $1.10 at the death of any member, at which time his family or survivors are entitled to the sum of $2000 upon the requisite proof being produced of his decease. Its officers are J. D. Lavin, President; Stephen Hughes, VicePresident; Thomas Page, Secretary. ST. MICIIAEL'S LITERARY SOCIETY. This society was also established in 1878, under the auspices of Prof. John Donovan, and numbers 40 members. Its purpose is indicated in its name. Its officers are William White, President; William Coggins, Vice-President; Austin Daly, Treasurer; Dennis Houran, Secretary. THE FLINT FIRE DEPARTMENT. In May, 1852, a large fire occurred in Flint, which destroyed much property. Realizing the necessity of providing against a similar calamity, one of the leading journals published a strong appeal to the citizens, headed " Shall we have a Fire-Engine?" a portion of which we quote: "It is the opinion of persons competent to judge that one good engine effectively worked could have stayed the conflagration when it was discovered. Flint is still without a fireengine, though we have the best possible material for one. Let us then have a fire-engine, whether it be purchased by voluntary subscriptions, assessment, or tax." The good citizens of Flint took some time to consider the practicability of this suggestion, and finally, in October, 1855, a petition signed by M. Miles and twenty-three others was presented to the city council and voted upon favorably by that body, the result being that "Eagle Fire Companiy, No. 1, of the City of Flint," was organized. Just previous to this a very disastrous fire had occurred by which two-thirds of the west side of Main Street was burned to the ground, the loss having been estimated at $35,000. The buildings consumed were of wood, and by a city ordinance they were replaced by substantial brick structures. In November of the same year the city council passed an elaborate series of bylaws and ordinances with reference to the fire department of the city of Flint, embracing thirty-four sections, in which the duties of the department were prescribed, and many clauses inserted with reference to the prevention of fires. Later, Wm. Fenton was appointed chief engineer of the fire department, and one assistant engineer and two fire wardens were named f)r each ward. The same date a resolution was passed by the council, appropriating $400 to purchase two fire-engines, and $200 to organize a fire department. The following petition was presented Nov. 17, 1855: "To THE MAYOR, RECORDER, AND ALDElRMEN OF THE CITY OF FLINT: "The undersigned petitioners would respectfully represent that the protection of property in this city demands a large and better fireengine than the one now owned by the city, and would therefore request your honorable body to call a meeting of the tax-payers of this city at the earliest possible time for the purpose of authorizing the common council to purchase a suitable fire-engine, and authorize them to pledge the credit of the city therefor, and as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray, etc. (Signed) FLINT, Nov. 17, 1855." On the 19th of November of the same year the following petition was presented: " T THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FLINT: "The undersigned petition for the formation of a hook-and-ladder company, and that provision be made for supplying such company with suitable ladders, hooks, and other necessary apparatus; and in case the same be furnished we agree to form ourselves into a colpany for the purpose under the ordinance heretofore passed, and such further ordinance or acts of the common council as may be passed." (Signed) Dated "FLINT, Nov. 10, 1855." The record then states that on a motion of the council, E. F. Frary, J. B. Garson, R. Anderson, E. Cook, Giles Bishop, 156 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. John Delbridge, John Sutton, W. S. Patrick, James Gay, Alonzo Cary, H. C. Rising, J. G. Towner, G. D. Curtis, L. R. Buckingham, W. R. Scoville, James Bailey, G. W. Hill, Cyrus Goff, Daniel O'Sullivan, Thomas Heather, W. Gazlay be and are hereby appointed hook-and-ladder men, and that they, together with such other hook-and-ladder men as may be hereafter appointed, be and are hereby authorized to form themselves into a company to be designated Ifook-and-Ladlder Company, No. 1, of the city of Flint, and that said company shall consist of thirty men. A motion was offered that John B. Hamilton, C. K. Williams, C. F. Brooker, George Andrews, M. W. Lake, G. W. Ferris, H. Wilson, Henry Seymour, Gaston Polhaus, C. L. Avery, C. H. Curtis, J. Furman, T. C. Meigs, L. Buckingham, Edward Clark, Sumner Howard, Sherman Cadwell, E. G. Williams, M. L. Frary, William Mason, John Kelland, J. H. Skidmore, George Watkins, C. E. McAlester, J. B. Clark, and H. R. Clark be and are hereby appointed fire-engine men, and that they, together with such other fire-engine men as may be hereafter appointed, be and are hereby authorized to form themselves into a company, to be designated Eagle Fire-Engine Company, No. 1, of the city of Flint, and that such company shall consist of 40 men. March 15th of the following year, carriages, hooks, ladders, ropes, etc., were procured for the use of the department at a cost of $261.81. Soon after the thorough organization of the fire department, and on the occasion of a public demonstration, their appearance and the excellence of their drill called forth much praise from the citizens and the press. On the morning of February 2d a large fire occurred in the barns of the Northern Hotel, in the city, totally destroying them. The hotel was saved through the exertions of the fire department, which won many compliments for their skill in arresting the flames. In the month of June, 1857, Hon. William M. Fenton, Chauncey K. Williams, and Washington O'Donoughue were appointed a committee to draft articles of association, by-laws, and a constitution for the permanent organization of the fire department of the city of Flint. These gentlemen after completing their labors submitted the result, and the by-laws and constitution prepared by them were unanimously adopted by the council. Under the new organization the following officers were elected: Hon. E. H. Thomson, President; E. Frank Frary, VicePresident; D. S. Fox, Secretary; W. O'Donoughue, Treasurer; W. C. Cummings, Collector. Meanwhile, the demand for another engine having arisen, an additional company was organized, under the title of Protection Enlgie Company, No. 2, and an engine purchased for it in October of 1857. Col. Fenton was succeeded by J. B. Hamilton as chief engineer, and he was followed by Col. Alvin T. Crosman. J. C. Decker was then appointed, and later William M. Fenton filled the office a second time, and died May 12, 1871, while in the dis charge of his duties. The assistant engineer acted until the following April, when J. C. Decker was re-appointed, and William Dullam officiated for a brief period as his successor, when James Williams, the present incumbent, was appointed. c:; 0:::' A The death of Col. William M. Fenton caused profound sorrow throughout the entire community. His public career had been a distinguished one, having twice been chosen to fill the office of lieutenant-governor, and serving with distinction as colonel of the 8th Regiment Michigan Infantry during the war of the Rebellion. In his legal profession he was extensively known throughout the State, and regarded as among the ablest jurists. In private life he was esteemed for his many virtues, and was justly spoken of by one who knew him well as a " perfect exemplar of high-toned Christian morality." His funeral obsequies were made the occasion of a remarkable public demonstration, in which many citizens and social organizations of the county united to do honor to his memory. The Fire Department passed the following resolutions: " Whereas, The Hon. William M. Fenton, in the instant discharge of his duties as Chief Engineer of the Fire Department, has met with an unforeseen accident fatal to his life, which he has thus given for this community; and whereas, by his death, we have lost a chief who was not only a model officer, but the impersonation of all the virtues which belong to the perfect fireman; therefore "1Resolced, That we mourn his untimely death with keen anguish; that, while acknowledging indeed that a life like his, so full of honorable living, widespread usefulness, generous deeds, kindly affections, and considerate care for the comfort of all who made his acquaintance, would in any event close too soon, yet in view of all the department hoped from his counsel, energy, and example, we feel his death could not have been to us more inopportune. " Resolced, That we testify our respect for his memory by draping our rooms, engines, and apparatus, and wearing the usual badge of mourning for thirty days, and as a further testimony of our regard, we will take part in his funeral obsequies in full force. "Resolved, That these resolutions be published in the city papers, and a copy delivered to the family of the deceased with assurances of our sympathy with them in this their sad affliction." In August of 1856 the extensive steam flouring-mills of Messrs. W. and 0. Hamilton, and known as the Genesee Mills, were burned, all efforts to safe them having proved futile, and the loss having been estimated at $23,000. Aug. 14, 1858, a very destructive fire occurred on Saginaw Street, consuming much property. Another occurred in February of 1861, on the corner of Saginaw and Kearsley Streets, in the store occupied by James Henderson & Co., resulting in its entire destruction, involving much loss. In January of 1872 a fire originated in the furniture warerooms of F. B. Hill & Co., at which the firemen distinguished themselves for bravery, two of them passing through much danger in their efforts to save property. A conflagration occurred at the stave- and heading-mill of Grant Decker, which the chief engineer pronounced the "hottest within his recollection," much damage having been done to material. These few instances are mentioned as occasions when the firemen did signal service, and by their strenuous efforts rescued much valuable property from the further ravages of the flames. The department was reorganized in 1867, the city council having determined to purchase a steam fire-engine. After thorough examination by Chief Engineer Decker, and mem bers of the committee of the fire department of the city, a steam fire-engine, manufactured by H. C. Silsby & Co., of Seneca Falls, was purchased and christened the Col. Fenton, JAMNES VAN VLEET. Among the emigrants who flocked to this country in its early days to assist in developing the wondrous wealth of its resources, and to found the best and greatest government of the age, was a family of Hollanders, bearing the name of Van Vleet, who settled in the State of New Jersey. Among the descendants of this family was Jared Van Vleet, who was born on the second day of March, 1790, and at the age of four years removed with his father's family to the then wilderness of Western New York, locating in Seneca County. His father bought of the government a farm in the town of Lodi, and settled there, experiencing the hardships usually incidental to a pioneer life. For four months the family lived under a wagon box. This farm he improved, and it furnished him with a comfortable home until, at a ripe old age, he was taken to become one of the innumerable concourse of the dead. Jared married Dolly Swarthout, and soon after purchased a farm in the town of Romulus, on which he resided until a few years previous to his death, which occurred Nov. 23, 1876. On this farm James was born, July 28, 1819, and grew to manhood, varying his summer's work on the farm with the winter's attendance upon the public schools. Sept. 30, 1841, he was married to Miss Mary Ann Cooley, daughter of Justus and Elizabeth (Archer) Cooley, who was born at Blooming Grove, Orange Co., N. Y, May 1, 1822. For the two years succeeding his marriage he worked land on shares, but becoming dissatisfied with that mode of life, resolved to commence anew in some part of the country where land could be bought at low rates. In pursuance of this resolution he, in the winter of 1843-44, traded what little property he had been able to accumulate for eighty acres of land in the town of Gaines, in this county. In the following spring he came on to view his new possessions, and was not very favorably impressed with the appearance of things. The land was wild and covered with dense timber, through which no roads had yet been cut; but his resolution was not changed, and in June he, with his wife and one child, left his former home, and traveling by way of the canal and lake, landed in Detroit on the second day of July, 1844. From Detroit to their new home the journey was made by team, and as' soon as possible a log house was built, into which they moved while it was yet unfurnished with either floor, door, or windows. The lack of a door was supplied by hanging a blanket across the doorway. At this time they found themselves without either stock, provisions, team, farming utensils of any kind, and with but twenty-five cents in money. But it being harvest time there was plenty of work, and the lack of provisions was speedily supplied. To add to the hardships of their situation, in October Mrs. Van Vleet was taken sick, and, on account of a scarcity of female help, her husband was obliged to cut a road through the woods and remove her in a sleigh to the house of MRS. JAMES VAN VLEET. a neighbor, a mile and a half away, in order that she might have the care and attention of one of her own sex during her illness, which lasted until the following February. For five years Mr. Van Vleet worked for others before he was able to get land enough cleared to enable him to depend upon his own farm for his living. During that time life was anything but a holiday, and they were called upon to endure many privations and face many dangers. Mrs. Van Vleet sold a gold ring she had for one dollar and fifty cents, and with the money thus procured bought a hat and two pairs of pants for her husband. She says they were perfectly happy, having no plate, jewelry, fine clothes, or money to worry about. Three years after coming here, Mr. Van Vleet had succeeded in getting three cows and an ox-team, and thought himself on the highway to success, but one ox and all of the cows died, and their loss was seriously felt. Still he persevered, and in 1850 began to see signs of progress, and felt the current of the incoming tide of prosperity which has placed him in independent circumstances. The farm of eighty acres had, at the time of his removing from it, increased to three hundred and twenty acres, mostly improved, and beautified by one of the finest farm residences in the county. Formerly a member of the Democratic party, James Van Vleet left it at the time of the Kansas troubles, and upon the organization of the Republican party joined and has since belonged to that political organization. He held many town offices; among them school inspector twelve years, justice of the peace sixteen years, and supervisor eighteen years. Elected to the latter office first in 1847, he left it in 1868 to accept the office of county treasurer, the duties of which office he discharged for seven years, the last three as deputy treasurer. In 1864 and again in 1866 he was chosen by his fellowcitizens to represent the first district of the county in the State Legislature. Jan. 1, 1869, he left the farm, and has since resided in the city of Flint, where he has been called upon to serve as supervisor of the Third Ward for four years. He is now (in company with his son Jared) engaged in the real-estate and insurance business. His children are as follows: Albert B., born Oct. 9, 1842, married Edna Brainard, and is now living upon the farm; Ann E., born Oct. 31, 1844, married William H. Fairchild; Jared, born Oct. 2, 1848, married Agnes J. Gibson; and John C., born Feb. 25, 1852. Mr. Van Vleet is one of the substantial citizens of the county; he bears an unblemished reputation and a character of unimpeachable integrity. In all positions he has been called to fill he has acquitted himself with honor, and to the perfect satisfaction of his constituents. His life is alike honorable to himself and an example to the young, who should strive to emulate Ithe sterling virtues it has exemplified. Y FLINT CITY. 157 in compliment to that gentleman's untiring zeal in the interests of the department. The naming of this engine was during its manufacture kept a profound secret, and was not only a surprise to the colonel but a matter of gratification to his friends. Later, another steamer, manufactured by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, of Manchester, N. H., was purchased and named The City of Flint. In April, 1876, another change was effected which resulted in a paid fire department, under which condition it now exists. The present force is organized as follows: James Williams, Chief Engineer; James C. Decker, Assistant Engineer; George West, Engineer of Steamers; James Smith, Driver of Steamers; Charles Rose, Driver of Hose-Cart; Charles Hovey, Foreman of Hose; George Miller, Edward Hennes, Clarence Brown, Edward Skinner, John Rose, Charles Beckwith, Thomas Murphy, Ira Aplin, Daniel Carroll, Judson Matthews, Daniel Chapman, pipemen. The apparatus at the present time comprises two steam fire engines, two hose-carts, one hand-engine, one hook-andladder truck, and 2700 feet of hose. All of which, except the hand-engine, are kept in the engine-house, corner of Saginaw and Third Streets. This is a three-story brick building, erected in 1863. It is 70 by 80 feet in size; the first and third floors are used by the fire department, and the second by the city council. A small engine-house is situated on Saginaw Street, between First and Second, on the north side of the river, where is stationed the handengine. WATER-SUPPLY. The water-supply of the city is chiefly derived from two artesian wells, and from large reservoirs located in various parts of the city, which are filled from the river, or otherwise, as convenience dictates. Three artesian wells have been sunk in Flint. The first, or " Crapo well," was undertaken by a regularly chartered company, organized under the name of the " Flint Salt-Manufacturing Company." This well was located near Crapo's mill, in the First Ward, and, with the hope of obtaining brine for salt-making, it was carried to a depth of 1350 feet. The loss of the drill then led to its abandonment without any satisfactory result. Strong brine was obtained, but the indications were that the supply was inadequate. The following is a brief sketch of the strata encountered: drift, 68 feet; white sandstone (Woodville), 67 feet; coal measures, 27 feet; sandstone (Parma), 108 feet, near the bottom of which, at two hundred and fifty-seven feet from the surface, a copious flow of fresh water was reached. The remainder of the boring was in shale, blue in the upper portion, sometimes quite dark, and occasionally interspersed with micaceous sandstone, ending in red shale. Brine was reached at five hundred and fifty-eight feet, becoming very strong at nine hundred and sixty feet. The lower cutting indicated that the salt rock had been passed through. The second artesian well was sunk by order of the city authorities, in the hope of obtaining a supply of water for extinguishing fires. The geological record of this is as follows: drift, 87 feet; sandstone (Woodville), 13 feet; coal-measures, 76 feet; sandstone (Parma), 110 feet, ter minating in shale at two hundred and fifty-six feet. At one hundred and thirty-five feet a vein of coal two feet in thickness was passed through. An overflow of fresh water was reached at one hundred and seventy-six feet, rising six feet above the surface. The only result of boring farther was to render the water saline, resulting in the mineral spring at the corner of Saginaw and First Streets. No accurate analysis of the water has been made, though it is thought not to vary greatly from the mineral springs throughout the State, some of which have been noted for their medicinal virtues. The water is constantly imbibed by pedestrians in passing, more than 2000 people being daily refreshed by its cooling draughts. The third well, at the corner of Garland and Fifth Streets, in the First Ward, being on higher ground, the flow failed to reach the surface, but is raised by wind-power and utilized in filling several reservoirs. FLINT UNION BLUES. In June, 1872, Messrs. Ira H. Wilder, W. J. Seymour, George E. Childs, and O. F. Lochhcad met for consultation, and discussed the question of organizing a military company in the city of Flint. They finally decided to publish a circular in the city papers inviting all interested in military matters to meet at Awanaga Hall, Thursday evening, June 27, 1872. At the meeting, which was presided over by C. S. Brown as chairman and O. F. Lochhead as secretary, 33 young men signed the roll and pledged themselves to assist in organizing and maintaining a military company in Flint. The first election for civil officers was held on the evening of July 9th of the same year, and resulted as follows: President, Charles S. Brown; Vice-President, Ira H. Wilder; Secretary, O. F. Lochhead; Treasurer, S. N. Andrus. At this meeting, after the appointment of various committees, it was resolved to adopt a uniform of dark blue, with white trimmings, and to assume the title of the "Flint Union Blues." As the State only furnished muskets, equipments, and rent for armories, the question of paying for uniforms was an important one, which was solved by a subscription circulated among the citizens, who contributed liberally, Messrs. Alexander McFarlan, J. W. Begole, and William B. McCreery heading the list with handsome amounts. The first election for company officers occurred Aug. 14, 1872, with the following result: Captain, William R. Morse; First Lieutenant, O. F. Lochhead; Second Lieutenant, George E. Newall; First Sergeant, Ira H. Wilder; Second Sergeant, W. Rosenthal; Third Sergeant, Peter Lennon; Fourth Sergeant, Charles H. Wood; Fifth Sergeant, J. D. Lavin; Corporals: First, Charles A. Fox; Second, W. J. Seymour; Third, Alexander McFarlan, Jr.; Fourth, Andrew Bailey; Fifth, Thomas J. Post; Sixth, A. E. Foote; Seventh, H. N. Gay; Eighth, W. H. Pier. The company was mustered into the State service by Adj.-Gen. John Robertson, Oct. 18, 1872, and made its first street parade the same day. During the evening following this event they gave a military ball and reception, by which they realized $180. The "Blues" soon after 158 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. were the guests of the Detroit Light Guard, and received the most cordial hospitality, and won many encomiums for the excellence of their drill and gentlemanly deportment. During the same year the ladies of the First Ward presented the company a beautiful silk flag; thereupon George E. Childs was appointed color-sergeant, and A. E. Foote and John King color-guards. In 1873 the company was ordered to Lansing, to participate in the ceremonies connected with the laying of the corner-stone of the new State capitol. During 1874 the Detroit Light Guard were its guests, and the occasion of their visit is a memorable one in the annals of the company. The company was ordered to the scene of the railroad riots in 1877, and promptly responded, as they did also on a subsequent similar occasion when required by the sheriff. The principal officers of the company since 1872 have been as follows: 1873.-Captain, O. F. Lochhead; First Lieutenant, Geo. E. Newall; Second Lieutenant, Ira H. Wilder; First Sergeant, John King. 1874.-Captain, O. F. Lochhead; First Lieutenant, Geo. E. Newall; Second Lieutenant, Ira H. Wilder; First Sergeant, John King. 1875.-Captain, George E. Newall; First Lieutenant, John King; Second Lieutenant, George E. Childs; First Sergeant, Charles A. Fox. 1876.-Captain, George E. Newall; First Lieutenant, John King; Second Lieutenant, George E. Childs; First Sergeant, Charles A. Fox. 1877.-Captain, George E. Newall; First Lieutenant, Ira II. Wilder; Second Lieutenant, Geo. E. Childs; First Sergeant, H. M. Sperry. 1878.-Captain, Ira H. Wilder; First Lieutenant, Geo. E. Childs; Second Lieutenant, H. M. Sperry; First Sergeant, W. H. Pier. The Blues are members of the 3d Regiment of Michigan State troops, and are designated as " C" company in regimental formation. Flint is the headquarters of the regiment, and the following-named regimental officers have emanated from the company: Colonel 0. F. Lochhead, Adjutant C. S. Brown, Sergeant-Major John King, ColorSergeant C. H. Wood, Cpmmissary S. V. Haker. THE OLD FLINT BAND. Among the institutions connected with the early history of Flint may be mentioned the " Old Band." This was organized in the summer of 1848, and was composed of the following gentlemen: E. F. Frary, leader, E-flat sax-horn; Leonard Wesson, B-flat clarionet; Wim. Hamilton, Franz Barnhart, cornopean; Ira F. Payson, G. H. Hazelton, slide trombone; Homer Hazelton, French horn; Charles D. Little, ophicleide; Geo. W. Hill, trumpet; Willard Pettee, drum. The instruments were purchased of Adam Couse, then the sole music-dealer in Detroit. The first instructor of the band was T. D. Nutting. An old member says, "I took my place in the band very soon after its organization, having succeeded Willard Pettee (bass-drum). I held my position for fifteen years, during which time forty-four persons had belonged, and not one of the original members remained at the expiration of that time, and yet, to use a solecism, it was the same old band. Practicing in those old times was pleasant enough to the members, but there were persons living within one or two blocks of the band-room who never greeted us with smiles, but on the contrary, some maternal members of households gave strong evidences of nervous derangement. The old residents that yet remain will remember that those discordant sounds were not confined to the band-room alone; night was made hideous as we wandered up and down the streets playing the music that had charms for us. " This band was originated and sustained by the members, for their enjoyment and recreation, rather than for any profit connected therewith. Most of the members were from the ranks of prominent citizens,-merchants for the most part. This gave character to the organization, and it in time helped Flint, rendering it pleasant for our neighbors of the surrounding townships and villages to come in on the ' day we celebrate,' and others. We played at political gatherings,for all parties alike,-for church festivals, on 'St. Patrick's Day in the Morning,' for steamboat excursions to Saginaw River and Bay, and for nearly all public gatherings in the city. Strangers visiting Flint were very sure to hear from us in the way of serenades. The band members were elected honorary members of the old ' Harmonic Society,' etc., and came to be one of the ' institutions.' " Whenever we went abroad, we were taken by Will Pettee's four-horse team, which was considered something pretentious in those days of ox-teams,-no railways with us until long years after. " For the purchase of instruments, and other expenses, the members were assessed, each member on entering the band paying $30. After this, assessments followed at the rate of from $3 to $8 per capita. I notice the initiation fees of the 44 members before referred to arggregate $1320, and with assessments added would leave little less than $2500 paid by these band members out of their own pockets.' This band has had a continuous existence to the present time,-a period of thirty-one years. It is now known as GARDNER'S FLINT CITY BAND. The citizens of Flint feel a commendable pride in this excellent musical organization, and the liberal support accorded is but one of the many ways in which their regard for it is manifested. The band has won a well-deserved celebrity throughout the West and the Canadas, and during the Centennial year, extended its fame to the East. This is the more gratifying, from the fact that it is almost entirely composed of amateurs. Its success is mainly due to the untiring efforts of its leader, Mr. J. Henry Gardner, who makes music his profession, and devotes his time principally to the interests of the band. This band, in 1860, was known as ' Clay's Cornet Band," of Flint. It numbered at that time the following gentle men as members: S. G. Clay, Leader; C. J. Dewstoe, A. P. Conant, Wm. Stewart, Allen S. Stewart, George W. Hill, D. E. Smith, Thomas Symons, Wim. Charles, W. C. Cum FLINT CITY. 159 ings, and George Andrews. After its organization for a series of years many changes occurred, old members having resigned and their places having been filled by new. In 1865 it was reorganized and called the" Armstrong Cornet Band," of Flint City. It remained thus until the following year, when Mr. Gardner's presence infused new spirit into its members, and it was christened by its present name, with the following officers: C. J. Dewstoe, President; O. W. Seymour, Secretary; John Stephens, Treasurer. In the fall of 1869, Mr. Gardner joined the Berger Family and made an extensive tour with them; after which he resumed his connection with the " Flint City Band," and has since been its leader. Gardner's band, during the later years of its existence, has not only maintained, but greatly enhanced, the reputation it previously enjoyed, and the numerous invitations it constantly receives from abroad is evidence of the quality of the music it affords. Its various tours through the State, and the excursions in which it has participated, are but a record of its triumphs. No better history of its achievements could be given than is embodied in the numerous press notices at command and the various testimonials of which its members have been the recipients. On the occasion of a visit to Detroit, in connection with the Commandery of Knights Templar, the city press thus speaks of the band: " The hundreds that were present soon swelled to thousands, so that it is safe to say that fully three thousand persons listened to them. As they came up the street, marching with that wonderful precision for which they are famed, they were greeted by a ringing cheer by the crowd which made way for their approach. Instead of their plumes, each man had a neat torch in his helmet, thus presenting a novel and unique appearance, and furnished light enough for their music. Their programme embraced a fine collection of music,-overtures, selections, medleys, and some of Gardner's exquisite solo E-flat and Mait Corliss' solo alto work judiciously thrown in. There is one thing in favor of the band which should be borne in mind: the members of it are gentlemen. They are not a beer-drinking, junketing crowd in any sense, but are recruited from the ranks of the business men and the professions in the beautiful city of Flint, and constitute a standing advertisement for that city which is worth ten times what it costs the citizens." In 1874 the leader of the band was the recipient from the ladies of Flint of a very elegant testimonial in the shape of a superb gold E-flat cornet, imported from England at a cost of $300. Mayor Geo. H. Durand presented the instrument on behalf of the ladies in a most happy speech, which was responded to in fitting terms by Mr. Gardner. During the Centennial year the band accompanied the Detroit Commandery as their musical escort to Philadelphia, and their presence in that city was the occasion of additional complimentary notices from the local press. An enthusiastic reception awaited them on their return home. They were met at the station by a large concourse of citizens, the Flint Cadets receiving them with military honors, and Col. E. 11. Thomson welcoming them as follows: "Mr. Gardner, and Gentlemen of the Band:-I have been deputed in the absence of our worthy mayor, and also in behalf of the citizens of Flint, to welcome you home again-to the home where loved ones, together with generous and confiding friends, have watched your every movement from the time of your departure. In the providence of heaven you are permitted to return after having traveled from the lakes to the Atlantic seaboard without a casualty of any kind, and, I may add in this connection, covered with glory and honor. A wise man hath said, ' He that hath no music in his soul is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils;' and I am afraid that if in your travels such an one had ventured into your presence, that by the power of music, guided by your master-leader, you would have taken him captive and made him confess to the skill and potency of your marvelous proficiency. It is due to you to say that when you left Flint no lingering doubt remained that you would in any manner fail in your high mission either as gentlemen or musicians, but with all that pride and high character of your musical organization you would honor the noble commandery of Detroit Knights Templar, and stand like them at the very head of your profession. A noble Roman was once raised fiom moderate circumstances to the pinnacle of prosperity. Cicero, the great orator of the imperial city, called on him and told him that Rome would now watch him with more than argus eyes in order to learn whether he could bear prosperity as well as he did his former humble state. Mr. Gardner, and gentlemen of the band,-again I bid you welcome in behalf of this youthful and prosperous city, and soon again do we hope to hear from you those strains that have gladdened the hearts of millions in all Christian lands, ' There's no place like home.'" In the summer of 1878 a grand State Band Tournament occurred at the capital, Lansing. Twenty leading bands of the State participated, and after a severe and very spirited contest, which excited the most intense interest, Gardner's Flint City Band bore away the prize, consisting of $100 in gold and an elegant gold-plated cornet. Congratulations poured in upon them from all quarters, and the city of Flint was wild with enthusiasm over their victory. Mayor Eddy welcomed them in an exceedingly complimentary address on their return, and amid banners and streamers they marched through the streets to their quarters. In the evening a reception was tendered them by the citizens. Thus, briefly, has been sketched the history of an organization which has not more by its musical skill than by the high character of its members reflected honor upon the city to which it belongs. The following is very nearly a full record of the names of all the persons who have been connected with the band as musicians, from its first inception in 1848 to 1879: Geo. Andrews, bass drum; Marcus Andrews, horn; James Armstrong,* E-flat cornet; Jas. Armstrong, Jr., cornet; IHarry Armstrong, cornet; Jas. Austin, clarionet; L. T. Adams, E-flat tuba; Win. Barnes, clarionet; Dexter Cowman, E-flat cornet; Franz Barnhardt, cornopean; Melvin Bowman, solo baritone; Helry Baker, trom -. Band-leaders. 160 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. bone; -- Bagley,* cornet, clarionet, etc.; Delos Buzzel, flute and horn; Fred. Bort, cymbals; Wim. Burr, Bflat bass; W. R. Beach, B-flat cornet; Bernhardt Berger, clarionet; Miss Anna Berger,* E-flat cornet, violin, etc. Fremont Brown, cornet; L. D. Clock, B-flat cornet, flute; Milo Clock, tuba; Sam Clay,* E-flat cornet; Maitland Corliss, solo alto; Dr. Frank Currey, solo clarionet; Abram Conant, E-flat cornet; Wm. Charles, cymbals and alto-horn; Chauncey Cumings, cornet; H. D. Crim, baritone and violin; --- Case, horn; Wm. Colbrath, clarionet; Thos. Collins, B-flat tenor, violin, and 'cello; Capt. Cummins, B-flat bass; J. P. Curran, E-flat tuba; John A. Dibble, -; Jas. Deary, violin and alto-horn; Charles Dewstoe, trombone, bass-horn, etc.; -- Decker, B-flat soprano; Erastus Dodge, violin, horn; Chas. Draper, cymbals; Geo. Dukeland, solo baritone and violin; Robert Dickson, B-flat cornet; Merritt Elmore, flute and horn; Frank Farrar, tuba; Johnny Fields, cymbals; Henry Fairbank, horn; Frank Fish, side-drum; E. F. Frary,* Eflat cornet; Chas. Fellows, flute, B-flat soprano; J. Henry Gardner,* E-flat cornet, violin, 'cello, guitar; Dr. Goodale, horn; F. C. Gamester, B-flat bass; Geo. W. Hill, trumpet, bass-horn, 'cello, etc.; Geo. H. Hazelton, slide-trombone; Homer Hazelton, French horn; WVm. Hamilton, cornopean; Fred. Humphrey, tuba, violin; Cassius Henderson, cymbals; Wm. Hesler, E-flat cornet; C. F. Johnson, trombone; Rollin Jenny, alto-horn; N. J. Kreusen, cornet; Dr. L. D. Locy, clarionet; L. J. Locy, clarionet; Chas. D. Little, flute, ophicleide; John Lewis, tenor-horn; Luckow, double-bass, alto-horn; Win. Lyon, tenor-horn; Chas. McAlester, flute, violin, viola, double-bass, horn; Dr. Orson Millard, —; Dr. Manley Miles, baritone-horn; Joaquilm Meyrelles,; T. D. Nutting,* flute, clarionet, oboe, organ, bugle, ophicleide, violin, cornet, guitar, bassoon, etc.; Jos. Philp, solo clarionet; Willard Pettee, bass-drunm; Jefferson Powell, tuba; Eugene Parsell, tenor-horn; Ira F. Payson, slide-trombone; Julius Rice,* violin, E-flat and Bflat cornets; Dell Raymond, side-drum; Walter C. Ransford, piccolo; L. B. Smith, E-flat clarionet; Wm. Stevenson, alto; John (" Jack") Stevens, solo alto; Ienry Stevens, horn and bass-drum; Wm. (" Billy") Shepner, alto; O. W. Smith, cornet; Will Stewart,* E-flat cornet; Stewart, alto; Thos. Symons, flute, alto-horn; David E. Shaw, baritone; Ozias W. Seymour, tenor; Dr. M. M. Smith, clarionet; Jas. Sealey, E-flat cornet; Marvin L. Seeley, B-flat cornet; Dr. A. J. Watling, B-flat tenor; Andrew J. Ward, bass-drum; Chas. Ward, side-drum; Leonard Wesson, clarionet; Dr. S. S. Wheeler,; - heeler, alto; - Wagner, --; Robt. Young, B-flat cornet; - Young, tenor. THE FUGUENOIDS. It may safely be conceded that for the past four years no musical entertainment in the city of Flint has been considered complete that lacked the presence of the everpopular " Fuguenoids." This organization, which was founded in 1875, and whose fate hung for a brief season in the balance in 1879, is a glee club composed of eight male voices. The original membership was as follows: First tenors, Jerome Haver, M. G. Wood; second tenors, H. M. Sperry, A. J. Watling; first bass, M. Bowman, William French; second bass, Deloss Full, Willis Parker; H. W. Fairbank, director. Their first appearance was at the annual meeting of the I. O. O. F., where, by their excellent drill and perfect harmony, they at once established themselves in popular favor. They have assisted at all the Band and Choral Society concerts and at many private entertainments. Their repertoire consists of the well-known Arion collection and several operatic arrangements, besides much manuscript music. A portion of the club have visited the larger cities throughout the State, while all the members have fiom time to time invaded the rural districts, where they have invariably met with immoderate applause and (very) moderate financial success. It is their practice always to devote the first day of the new year to convivial pleasures, on which day in a body they pay their respects to their many friends. On these occasions they have established a reputation no less for the excellence of the music they discourse than for their brilliant social qualities. They have not as yet essayed the rendering of any important work, though a descriptive piece written especially for them is in course of preparation. The club has some tenor voices of which it is justly proud, while the other parts are admirably filled. The citizens show a just appreciation of their acquirements, and warmly express their indebtedness to the club for their cheerful response to both public and private demands upon their time. An Eastern musician of repute expressed a very general sentiment in the following toast given at a recent social gathering: "Those jolly Fuguenoids-may they ever be as successful as they are happy!" THE FLINT CHORAL SOCIETY. This musical organization was the outgrowth of a young people's singing-class which had for its nucleus the scholars of the high-school. It existed for about one year without a formal organization, rendering a simple class of music at concerts and on various public occasions, during which period it numbered about 100 members. It was deemed best to effect a more permanent organization, and a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws. The first officers were William Stevenson, President; William French, Vice-President; E. K. Jenkins, Treasurer; Miss C. Parker, Secretary; H. W. Failbank, Musical Director; and the usual executive committee, librarian, etc. The society from time to time has rendered some of the heavier oratorio choruses, and a number of Mendelssohn's part-songs, besides many operatic choruses. It has given Stearns' Mass in D on two occasions, and also presented the Cantata of Esther very successfully, there being considerable dramatic as well as musical talent among its members. It has bought and presented to the high-school an excellent chapel-organ, has a fine collection of music purchased from its revenues, and has given quite liberally fiom its funds to charitable objects. The society is held in high esteem by the citizens, and its influence in developing the vocal talent which abounds in Flint has been very apparent. Its present officers are H. M. Sperry, President; H. R. I Band-leaders. ELIAS J. BUMP. MRS. E. J. BUMP. ELIAS J. BUMP. Elias J. Bump, born at Smithfield, Madison Co., N. Y., July 2, 1812, is the son of Gideon Bump and Sarah Anderson, early settlers of that county; they came to Genesee Co., Mich., in 1840, where they died at a mature old age. The immediate subject of this sketch was married in 1838 to Miss Nancy Stewart, daughter of Lemuel and granddaughter of Capt. William Stewart, who lived in New York City before the Revolution, and served seven years in that war. Lemuel Stewart was a farmer in Madison County, where he died in 1849, aged seventy-six years. In 1840, Elias J. Bump and his wife came to Michigan. Spending the first winter at Jackson, they came to this county the following summer, and purchased eighty acres of timber land some five miles from Flushing, where a flouring-mill had been built. Thinking this would be a good point for business, he purchased a stock of goods, and erected an ashery, which he carried on for two years, when the building was destroyed by fire. His goods being distributed among customers who had no money, he fell back to the eighty acres of land, and commenced the hardy task of cutting himself a home from the unbroken forest. The first year a log house was built and a small clearing made; the next season a frame barn, and the clearing enlarged; and so on, year by year, the improvements were made, and the forest pushed back, until broad and well-cultivated fields appeared, and the original eighty acres expanded to a fine farm of four hundred acres, the log house gave place to one of the finest farm-houses in Genesee County, with such surroundings as indicate the thrifty, wealthy farmer. In 1870, Mr. Bump's health had so failed that he could not continue the management of so large a farm, and having a large family (one son and six daughters), he sold the farm and moved to Flint, in order to give his children good educations and the benefits of society. The winters of 1870 and 1871, Mr. and Mrs. Bump spent in the South for the benefit of his health, but found no relief. But by careful study of the laws of health, a strictly vegetable diet, and avoiding stimulants, he has recovered his health, to enjoy the abundance of this world's goods which he has secured by frugal habits, persistent industry, and good judgment. FLINT CITY. 3G61 I Clark, Vice-President; William Stevenson, Treasurer; H. W. Fairbank, Director. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. Long prior to the organization of any religious society, the early settlers in the little hamlet at the Grand Traverse were visited occasionally by clergymen, who held regular services at Grand Blanc and the " Coldwater Settlement." John Todd's tavern, for want of a more convenient and appropriate edifice, afforded shelter to those assembled. It is believed that Elder Benedict, a Baptist, who began preaching in Grand Blanc in the summer of 1833, had appointments here at irregular intervals. In 1834, Rev. Joseph Gamnbell, a Close-Communion Baptist of the Grand Blanc church, was invited to Todd's Ferry to hold meetings and administer the sacrament. He came, as he said he was willing " to let the bars down." Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles, a Presbyterian minister from Pontiac, was the first of that persuasion to visit this locality. He also was here in 1833. Revs. Bradford Frazee, William HI. Brockway, and Oscar F. North were the pioneers among the Methodists. Mr. Frazee was appointed by the Ohio Conference to the Saginaw mission, and preached here on his journey North, in 1834. He became obnoxious to the wild Sagintws of that day, who shaved his horse's mane and tail, and committed other acts of vandalism. In 1835, the Rev. Wm. H. Brockway was appointed by the same authority to the same mission. Unlike his predecessor, he became a great favorite with the Indians and early settlers throughout this whole region, and was warmly welcomed alike by Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and non-denominationalists. In 1836 his circuit comprised the territory included in the counties of Genesee, Lapeer, Shiawassee, and Saginaw. He traveled on foot, and preached at Flint River about once in four weeks. It is related that he was an adept at shoeing horses and building chimneys, such services being frequently rendered gratuitously. In 1836, after the completion of Stage & Wright's store, all religious and other public meetings were held in the ball over the store. The Congregationalists built the first church edifice, in the fall of 1837, and for several years this building was used by other denominations. THE COURT STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCI. The Ohio Annual Conference, at its session in 1834, appointed Bradford Frazee to the Saginaw Mission. On his way to his work he stopped in Flint and preached. This was the first Methodist service in this region of which there is any account, and was probably the first ever held in this part of the State. The following year-1835-the same Conference appointed Rev. Wm. H. Brockway to the same mission, and he was the first to establish preaching at Flint. In answer to a letter of inquiry addressed to him, he says: " I think at that time there were not more than four or five families on the ground now embraced in the city of Flint. I generally came from Saginaw every third week and preached at Flint, and also five miles north, at Mount Morris, then called the ' Cold Water Settlement.' (The early settlers of that neighborhood were nearly all 21 I I strict temperance people.) At Flint my home was generally at the tavern of Mr. Beach, and my preaching-place his little bar-room." Mr. Brockway always traveled on foot, carrying his bundle, his Bible, hymn-book, and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Churcl. "During the summer of 1836 a frame store was built by Messrs. Stage & Wright, opposite Beach's tavern. When the floor was laid we got permission to use the upper story, and I preached there once, I think, in July, 1836; and then and there the first class was organized. (The names of members were taken at this time, but the class was fully organized by the appointment of a leader by Rev. O. F. North, a few months later.) To the best of my remembrance, it consisted of nine persons; most of them were from the settlements near Flint." The following are the names of the persons who composed this first class, of whom Daniel S. Freeman was appointed leader: Daniel S. Freeman and wife, James McAlester and wife, Benjamin F. Robinson and wife, Mrs. Miller, the mother of Mrs. McAlester, and John Martin and wife. "The whole of Michigan was in one district, and the Rev. James Gilrutl was presiding elder; but he never came farther north than Pontiac." The General Conference of May, 1836, organized the Michigan Conference, comprising the whole of Michigan and a portion of Ohio. At the first session of the Michigan Conference, in the autumn of 1836, the territory now comprising the State of Michigan was divided into two districts, Detroit and Ann Arbor. Rev. William Herr was appointed presiding elder of the former, and Rev. Oscar F. North was sent to the Saginaw Mission, within its bounds. The first quarterly meeting seems to have been appointed for the autumn of that year, but for some cause was omitted. The second was held at Flint, Jan. 14, 1837. The following official members were present, and their names appear upon the minutes: Oscar F. North, Preacher in Charge; James McAlester, Local Preacher; Joel Fairchild, Jr., Exhorter; and Daniel S. Freeman and Benjamin F. Robinson, Class-Leaders. A board of stewards was appointed, consisting of John L. Gage, John Martin, John Hiller, and Joel Fairchild, Jr. Rev. Luther D. Whitney presided at this meeting, in the absence of the presiding elder. The steward's financial report for these two quarters shows the whole amount of money received, including public collection, to have been $14.62~, which was by the stewards divided between the presiding elder and preacher. On the 1st of April, 1837, the third quarterly meeting was held, at which time a missionary society was organized. A committee of five was also appointed to locate a site for a church and parsonage. The fourth quarterly meeting was held at the village of Flint, July 30, 1837. Rev. William Herr, presiding elder, was present, and officiated. This was the first time that the place was ever visited by a presiding elder. At the Conference of 1837 the name of " Flint River Mission" appears on the minutes for the first time, with Luther D. Whitney for preacher in charge, and Samuel P. Shaw presiding elder. At the following annual Conference in 1838, Rev. L. D. Whitney was returned to the mission, and Rev. George Smith* was appointed presiding elder. - Sinie died in the work., L , 162 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. w He w t During this year the meetings were removed from the upper story of Stage & Wright's store to the district school-house, then just completed, on the corner of First and Clifford Streets. At the close of this year the preacher presented the first Sunday-school report for Flint, as follows: one school, one superintendent (Daniel S. Freeman), four teachers, ten scholars, and 150 volumes in the library. During his administration the work was greatly enlarged, a number of new classes were organized, and the membership of those formerly organized considerably increased. He names in his journal the following preaching-places: Flint, Genesce, Pine Run, Kearsley, Atherton Settlement, Grand Blanc, Miller Settlement, Torry Settlement, Carman Settlement, Richard Johnson's, and Stanley Settlement. The Conference of 1839 appointed Rev. Larman Chatfield preacher in charge, and Samuel Whitwam assistant, George Smith still presiding elder. At the first quarterly meeting this year, held at Flint December 21st, it was resolved that it was advisable to build a parsonage, and James McAlester, G. W. Fish, Alonzo Ferris, Benjamin F. Robinson, and Ogden Clark were elected trustees, and were authorized to secure a suitable location for a building. On June 1, 1840, James McAlester, Isaiah Merriman, and Harvey C. Weston were appointed a building committee. At the Conference of 1840, Ebenezer Steel and Jonathan Blanchard were appointed to the Flint River work, and George Smith presiding elder. During all these years the Saginaw and Cass River Settlements were included in this work. Blanchard remained only a part of the year on his work, being removed by the presiding elder to supply another appointment. The principal item of interest during this year was the holding of a camp-meeting in Grand Blanc in July, 1841, in lieu of the fourth quarterly meeting. Among the preachers present at this meeting were George Smith, presiding elder on the district; E. Steel, James Shaw, J. Brakeman,* William Mothersill,* William E. Bigelow, HI. W. Ransom,* 0. F. North,* Abel Warren,* J. Blanchard,* and other traveling preachers, and James IcAlester and Samuel Whitwam,* local preachers. The attendance was large. The people came up on foot and with their teams to hear the word and to worship the God of their fathers. At the Conference held in the autumn of 1841 the Rev. F. B. Bangs was appointed to the Flint work, George Smith still continuing presiding elder. During the first year of his labors the ground now occupied by the parsonage and church was secured for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church, it having been originally deeded to the county for church purposes by Wait Beach. At the solicitation of the trustees the county commissioners, by resolution, gave the lots to the Methodist Episcopal Church in perpetuity to be by them used for church purposes. During Rev. Bangs' administration of the church a parsonage building was pushed forward to completion. It was built on the lot donated to the society by Wait Beach, on the southwest corner of Beach and Sixth Streets, now in the Third Ward. During the winter of 1841 and 1842 a meeting was held at the court-house to arrange for the building of a church. There were present the presiding elder (George Smith), Rev. F. B. Bangs, James McAlester, D. S. Freeman, Isaiahl Merriman, Samuel Whitwam, George W. Fish, and H. C. Weston. A subscription was opened, and it was determined to commence the building the following spring. During the summer of 1842 the building was raised and covered. Conference at its session in the fall of 1842 returned F. B. Bangs to the work as preacher in charge, with Rev. Joseph Jennings* as junior preacher, Rev. E. 11. Pilcher as presiding elder. Jennings remained on the work only a portion of the year, being taken by the presiding elder to supply some other work. Towards the close of this year the presiding elder employed Israel Cogshall to assist the preacher in charge. During the second year's continuance of Rev. Mr. Bangs on this work the church building was inclosed and painted. At the fourth quarterly meeting held at Flint, June 24, 1843, the trustees reported the parsonage completed, with a debt remaining unpaid of $62.47. At this quarterly meeting William Blades and Daniel S. Freeman were licensed to preach. The Conference of 1843 sent the Rev. Wm. Motllersill and Alfred Allen to tlie Flint River work. The Grand River district was organized, to which Flint was attached, and the Rev. Larman Chatfield was made presiding elder. During this year the church building was advanced towards completion. Francis Asbury Blades was licensed to exhort, and at the third quarterly Conference he received a license as local preacher. At the fourth quarterly meeting Conference for this year, held in Richard Johnson's barn, in the town of Genesee, he was recommended as a suitable person to be received into the traveling ministry. At this quarterly Conference the trustees reported the parsonage debt paid. The ektent of the work on the circuit at this time may be judged by the number of societies, preacliing-places, and classes. There were 16 classes, exclusive of the Saginaw and Cass River country, as follows: Flint Society, Grand Blanc, Atherton Settlement, Pine Run, Johnson's, Stanley Settlement, South Grand Blanc, Flushing Mill, Stothard's, Ottoway's, Calkins', Miller's Settlement, Mundy, Torry's Settlement, Kearsley, and Richfield. All these were visited regularly by the preacher, besides other places where there were no classes. The Conference of 1844 returned William Mothersill to the circuit, with William E. Bigelow as junior preacher, L. Chatfield, presiding elder. The first quarterly meeting for this year was held at the new church in Flint on the 21st of December, and the church was dedicated on the evening of that day. The sermon was preached by Rev. William Mothersill, the presiding elder being unable to officiate on account of indisposition. There remained a debt of about $300 on the church after the opening services. The size of the building was 35 by 55 feet, with a small gallery in one end. The building of this church was a great achievement. Several times the work was discontinued for the want of funds, then little collections would be made and the work resumed. The ability of members and friends was taxed to the utmost. * Since died in the work. * Since died in the work. FLINT CITY. 163 The Conference of 1845 appointed Harrison Morgan and William F. Cowles to the Flint circuit, L. Chatfield still presiding elder. At the annual Conference of 1846, David Burns was sent to Flint Station as preacher in charge, with -- IIoag as assistant. (Mr. Hoag only remained a short time on the work, being removed to some other field by the presiding elder.) L. Chatfield, presiding elder. The following Conference of 1847 returned David Burns as preacher, and James Shaw presiding elder. This Conference made Flint village a station entirely distinct from the circuit. Shaw remained on the district but one year. During Burns' administration some improvements were made in the interior of the church, and the inside was painted. M. B. Camburn was returned to Flint Station as preacher in charge by the Conference of 1848, and again in 1849, and George Bradley* was sent to the district as presiding elder. In 1850 the Conference sent Dr. B. S. Taylor to Flint Station. His health failing, he left early in the year, and the work was supplied by T. B. Granger, who had been appointed by the Conference to the Genesee circuit. The Conference of 1851 returned William Mahon to the station, and Bradley returned to the district for his fourth and last year. Mr. Mahon was returned again for the second year by the Conference of 1852, and George Smith was again sent to the district as presiding elder. The Conference sent J. M. Arnold to the station in 1853, and returned him for the second year in 1854,-George Smith continuing on the district. These were years of steady prosperity and growth. During Arnold's second year here 20 feet was added to the length of the church edifice. It was repaired and painted, and the session of the annual Conference was held in the church in September, 1855, Bishop Ames presiding. At this Conference George Taylor was appointed to Flint Station,-George Smith as presiding elder of the district. The Conference of September, 1856, returned Rev. George Taylor to Flint Station for his second year, and Rev. S. Clement was sent to the district as presiding elder. The Conference of September, 1857, appointed Rev. John Russell to Flint Station, and S. Clement returned to the district as presiding elder. The Conference of 1858 returned Rev. John Russell to the station for his second year, and James Smart was sent to the district as presiding elder. It was found, towards the close of his term, that the church accommodations had become entirely inadequate to the wants of the congregation, and the subject of enlarging the building or dividing the society was frequently discussed, though no definite action was taken upon the subject. The Rev. John A. Baughman was sent to Flint Station by the Conference of 1859, and James Smart returned to the district. Baughman remained on the station but one year, but it was a year of great prosperity to all the interests ft' the church. A goodly number of persons were added to the membership; the church building was entirely remodeled, greatly enlarged, and beautified; the old par sonage was sold. The proceeds of this sale, together with the amounts raised by subscription and given at the time of the rededication, was reported to be sufficient to entirely relieve the church from all indebtedness. With one of the most commodious churches in the State, entirely free fiom debt, a large membership,-united and lively,-constant and increasing religious prosperity, and a most interesting Sunday-school, it did seem as if the church was just entering upon a career of unexampled prosperity. Alas, how little we know of the future! The Conference of 1860 appointed Rev. T. J. Joslin to Flint Station, and Rev. James Smart returned to the district as presiding elder. For several years preceding this time the subject of temperance had excited a good deal of interest in the community. The question of the practicability of mitigating or suppressing intemperance by the enactment and enforcement of prohibitory laws was discussed with great zeal and earnestness. Nearly all the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with their ministers, took sides with the advocates of prohibition, and the church was always opened for temperance-meetings. This aroused the evil passions of the men in the liquor interest, and threats were made that the church should be made to suffer. On Tuesday night, the 19th of March, 1861, the church was discovered to be on fire, and in an hour it was reduced to ashes, with all its contents, Sunday-school library, musical instruments, -in short, everything it contained, as well as the beautiful house, was consumed. There was no insurance. The fire was doubtless the work of an incendiary, probably incited to this dastardly act by the liquor men, who considered themselves aggrieved by the activity of the Methodist Church people in the temperance movement. Thus, after struggling for over twenty years, erecting a house at a cost of $4000, and repairing it at an expense of perhaps $3000, the society found themselves again destitute of a place of worship. The court-house was secured temporarily for the purpose of holding meetings. Steps were immediately taken to secure subscriptions both in Flint City and the adjoining country. The people responded liberally, and in a few weeks the society felt encouraged to commence the erection of a new brick church which should be larger than the one burned. The subject of location was earnestly discussed. By some of the members a more central lot was proposed, one that would accommodate, as was thought, the people on both sides of the river better than the old one. After a good deal of discussion, it was finally decided to erect the new edifice on the old ground. One of the first steps taken by the building-committee was the erection of a wooden building on the church-lots, which was soon in a condition to be used by the society, and they continued to hold meetings in this building until the completion of the new church, in the summer of 1862. This building has since been fitted up into a neat and commodious parsonage, and is now occupied by the preacher. Just at this time the members residing on the north side of the river revived the plan of dividing the society, organizing a new church, and erecting a building to be located on the north side of the river. Some feeling had grown up in * Since died in the work. 164 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. --- I the official board, a portion of the membership regarding the means used in locating the new church on the old lot, instead of selecting a more central location, as had at one time been decided on, as unfair. The result of this agitation was the organization of the Garland Street Methodist Episcopal Church and the erection of their present house of worship. The Conference of 1861 returned Rev. T. J. Joslin to Flint Station for his second year, and James Smart was sent back to the district as presiding elder. These two years of Joslin's administration were years of toil, trial, and, we might almost say, suffering. The presiding elder, preacher, and the people bent all their energies to the one great business of church-building. As a reward for all this they had the satisfaction of seeing the new temple steadily advancing towards completion. On the 20th of August, 1862, the present house was opened and dedicated by Bishop Ames. Ths agent of the building-committee, in presenting the statement of the financial condition of the church before the dedicatory service, showed an indebtedness of a little more than $3000 (say $3200), for which there was no provision. A subscription was opened, and the sum of $3237.52 was subscribed on the spot, whereupon the house was presented by the trustees and dedicated. Subsequent events have shown an amount of several hundred dollars' indebtedness that was not embraced in that report, all of which has since been paid. It is not possible to estimate the first cost of the present church edifice; no doubt, however, it approximates $12,000. The structure is 80 feet by 50, with walls 30 feet in height. and will seat comfortably a congregation of 500 persons. Rev. W. H. Perrine, A.M, entered upon his duties as preacher in charge of the Court Street Methodist Episcopal Church immediately after the Conference of September, 1862. This Conference returned him to the charge for the second year, and T. J. Joslin was sent back as presiding elder. The Conference of September, 1864, returned the Rev. WVm. E. Bigelow to Court Street, and the Rev. T. J. Joslin returned to the district as presiding elder. It was found very difficult to secure a suitable house for the occupancy of the preacher's family. To obviate this difficulty, Mr. Bigelow called the attention of the official board to the subject of building a suitable house. It was determined to begin the work as soon as an amount of subscription could be secured to justify them in so doing. Notwithstanding the financial and other embarrassments then existing, the work was soon well under way. The frame building which had been used for church purposes while the brick church was being erected, was moved, reconstructed, and transformed into a neat and commodious parsonage house, which was completed and occupied by the preacher's family on the 13th day of July, 1865. The cost of this house, not including the value of the old building, was about $1700. The Annual Conference of 1865 was held in the Court Street church, commencing September 13, and closing September 18, Bishop Clark presiding. Rev. WVm. E. Bigelow was continued on the station, and T. J. Joslin returned to the district as presiding elder for his fourth year. At the commencement of this year a committee was appointed to I - -- ascertain the indebtedness of the church, and devise a plan for the payment of the same. H. C. Fairbank and George W. Fish, with the preacher, were elected as the committee. A careful examination was made, and the debts were found to be $1550. Every dollar of this amount was raised and paid during the year, together with the ordinary expenses of the church, so that at the close of this year the committee had the gratification of reporting the church entirely out of debt. The Annual Conference of September, 1866, returned Rev. Wm. E. Bigelow to the Court Street charge for the third and last year. Rev. Geo. Smith was sent to the district as presiding elder for the third time. The Annual Conference held in Saginaw City, September 4 to 9, 1867, appointed the Rev. Luther Lee, D.D., to the charge of Court Street Church, and the Rev. George Smith* was continued on the district. The presiding elder came to his work in feeble health, and, on the fourth day of the following May, he was removed from the scenes of his toil and labor by death. The bishop appointed the Rev. E. H. Pileher, D.D., to fill the office of presiding elder, made vacant by the death of Mr. Smith, which he continued to do until the following session of the Conference, which was held in Ann Arbor, August 26 to 31. Rev. Dr. Lee was returned to the Court Street charge. The Annual Conference of Sept. 1 to 8, 1869, held in the city of Detroit, returned Rev. M. Hickey to the district as presiding elder, and the Rev. T. C. Gardner, A.M., was sent to the Court Street charge. The following year, 1870, the Conference, which held its session in Fenton, August 24 to 30, returned the Rev. Dr. Gardner to Court Street, and the Rev. M. Hickey to the district. The Conference of 1871 returned Rev. Dr. Gardner to Court Street Church for the third year, but, owing to some misunderstanding between the pastor and the congregation, he did not remain, and his place was supplied by Rev. J. F. Davidson, who had been appointed to Howell. The Conference of 1872 returned for a second year the Rev. J. F. Davidson to the Court Street charge, and Rev. WV. E. Bigelow was appointed presiding elder of Flint District. Mr. Bigelow remained on the district the full presiding-elder term of four years, and served with great efficiency and faithfulness. He had served Court Street Church as pastor for three years, and was greatly beloved by the church and by the citizens of Flint generally. In 1873, Rev. Dr. McEldowney was sent to Court Street, and remained the full term of three years. Dr. McEldowney had for several years filled the chair of Latin and Greek in Albion College, and prior to that had occupied a similar position in one or two other universities. But this had not disqualified him for the pastorate. His three years at Court Street were years of great efficiency and usefulness, and no person could be more beloved by the people than he was in Flint. The Conference of 1875 was held in Flint, and the Court Street congregation and citizens generally did nobly in entertaining its members. At this Conference Rev. W. E. Bigelow's term of presiding eldership expired, and his place was filled by the Rev. A. F. Bourns, who continues to fill it with much efficiency and acceptability. * Since died in the work. FLINT CITY. 165 The Conference of 1876 appointed Rev. W. H. Peace to the Court Street congregation, where he remained two years, and rendered valuable service to the church, especially during revival occasions. The lecture-room, class-rooms, and infant school-room were all either matted or carpeted, and fitted up with every comfort and convenience. In 1878, Rev. J. Venning was appointed to Court Street Church, and has just entered upon his new field of labor. He has the reputation of being one of the most scholarly and original thinkers in the Detroit Conference. The present membership of the church is about 400. The church property, including parsonage, is valued at $21,000. The Sunday-school numbers about 341. The following is a list of the officers of the church: Rev. J. Vcnning, pastor; Rev. Dr. Lee, superannuated minister; A. Tony, W. J. Mongomay, B. Lewis, local preachers; Hon. O. Adams, Dr. Fairbank, D. Foot, A. Beardsley, W. R. Morse, P. F. Cleveland, C. Green, H. Wilson, E. Haver, members of the board of trustees; Dr. Fairbank, A. Beardsley, C. Crawford, Iton. S. Howard, G. Bradt, C. Muma, A. Withey, E. Whitney, A. Ward, members of the board of stewards. The Sunday-school officers are as follows: W. J. Parker, Superintendent; E. Whitney, Secretary; F. Ford, Librarian. Ladies' Aid Society.-President, Mrs. E. L. Bushnell; Vice-President, Mrs. A. Ford; Secretary, Mrs. H. J. Fairbank; Treasurer, Mrs. J. Taylor. THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN C[IURCH OF FLINT. The first settlers of Flint found church organizations on either side of them. On the Sabbath day they could elect to go to meeting, either to Genesee, four miles north, or to Grand Blanc, south. May 7, 1837, at the "' River House," occupied by Mr. Lewis Buckingham, 17 persons were organized into a Congregational Church, by Rev. Mr. Dudley. HIe was preaching at the time to the church in Genesee, and most of the members constituting this church were members there. They were Jonathan Beach, Mrs. Martha Beach, Ezra N. Carrier, Lyman G. Buckingham, Mrs. Salome Buckingham, Wait Beach, Mrs. Eunice Beach, Harvey Andrews, Mrs. Andrews, Daniel Andrews, Mrs. Almira Andrews, Lewis Buckingham, Mrs. Ann Buckingham, Mrs. Elizabeth P. Beach, Miss Emily Harrison, Mrs. Julia Ann Seeley, and Mrs. Mariah Stage. There being no Congregational Association in this region, this church, in 1840, submitted its articles of faith to the Presbytery of Detroit, and was taken under the care of that body. Afterwards we find it appealing to this Presbytery in a case of discipline; and submitting to its government. The first place generally used for public meetings in the village was the room over Stage & Wright's store, east of Saginaw Street, and near the river. For some reason the first communion was held in a barn standing near the east corner of the square west of Saginaw and north of Kearsley Streets. The same season of the organization of the church, a house of worship was erected where the Henderson ware house now stands. Rev. Mr. Bates preached the dedication sermon of this house in the late fall or early winter. A religious interest arising, he continued meetings, Rev. Orson Parker assisting and continuing the meetings after Mr. Bates left. As the result of that precious revival, 21 persons united with the church on profession of faith the 14th of December, and 7 by letter. Of the original 17, 5 are still living and members with us. Of these original and first added members, many have ever been very active and useful members of the church; and some became useful members of other denominations. Rev. Orson Parker supplied the pulpit a part of the first year. He was succeeded by Rev. John Beach. He was succeeded in 1841 by the Rev. L. P. Bates. The same year, Aug. 7, 1841, the church, by its own resolution, changed to the Presbyterian form of government. Hiram Brown, Lewis Buckingham, and Ezra N. Carrier were elected the first board of elders. There is no record of the election of deacons under the Congregational form of government. In August, 1842, Rev. P. S. Van Nest became stated supply of the pulpit and acting pastor. He labored in the congregation about two years. Under all of these four or five brief ministries of Messrs. Dudley, Parker, Beach, Bates, and Van Nest, in all eight years, 119 persons were received into the church. In July, 1845, Rev. J. G. Atterbury was ordained and installed pastor. This was the first regular pastorate. In the mean time the first church edifice had been enlarged, and afterwards removed to the east corner of Saginaw and First Streets. Not long after Mr. Atterbury began his ministry here, the church entered upon the work of erecting a new house of worship; and Jan. 26, 1848, the present edifice was dedicated, Dr. Duffield, of Detroit, preaching the sermon. Mr. Atterbury resigned on account of ill health, May 5, 1851. There were added to the church during his pastorate 82 persons. In 1852, Rev. H. H. Northrop, having been called, entered upon his labors as pastor of this church. In April, 1855, 70 persons were added to the church, the largest number ever received at a single communion service. During his ministry the church edifice was enlarged. At the close of the year 1867 Rev. H. H. Northrop, having resigned, closed his pastorate with this church. Three hundred and four persons were received into the church during his ministry. In the year 1867 letters of dismission were granted at different times to 32 persons, who united in organizing the Congregational Church of this city. In March, 1868, a call was extended to Rev. Archibald McSween to become pastor. September 9th, Mr. McSween was ordained and installed over this church and congregation, Rev. William Hogarth, D.D., preaching the sermon; Rev. Mr. Taylor, of Saginaw City, giving the charge to the pastor; Rev. H. H. Northrop, the charge to the people; and Rev. Thomas Wright offering the ordaining prayer. During Mr. McSween's ministry the large and commodious lecture-room in the rear of this church was built. Mr. McSween closed his labors the latter part of the year 1871. During his ministry 67 persons were received into membership with the church, and a parsonage was purchased and fitted up at an expense of $4000. 166 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. In 1872, Rev. David R. Eddy was elected pastor. Aug. 2, 1875, after laboring with the church and congregation as pastor elect for three years, Mr. Eddy decided not to accept an installation, and closed his ministerial labors here. Sixty-eight persons were received into membership with the church during Mr. Eddy's ministry. On January 1st the present pastor commenced his labors with this church and congregation, from which time to this date (July 1, 1876) 14 members have been added to the church. The whole number of persons received into this church as members from May 7, 1837, to July 1, 1876, is 724. Of this number 250 were reported as members to Presbytery April, 1876. The following is the summary of contributions to different causes of benevolence since 1853, no record of former contributions being found: To Home Missions....................................... $3,207 Foreign Missions......................................... 3,088 M inisterial education.................................... 993 Publication (Bible Society)............................ 1,869 Church election............................................ 1,440 Ministerial relief......................................... 25 Freedmen................................9....... 97 Sustentation.......................................... 36 $10,755 A year and a half ago the church was largely damaged by fire, but was refitted in nearly or quite its former condition. The two senior members of this church in their family relations, and in each case by a former marriage, occupied a wide place in its organization and early history. The former, Jonathan Beach, had participated in the scenes of the Revolutionary war. At the East he had filled the office of deacon, and he exercised the same office in the young church of Flint. His son, Wait Beach, one of the original members, gave the land for the first house of worship of the Presbyterian Church; also the land for the Methodist church and parsonage on Court Street; also the land for the first cemetery, and the land for the court-house. His son, IIarlow Beach, was the first clerk of the church, and the wife of the first acting pastor was his daughter. His sister, Mrs. Mary Miles, by marriage linked to the descendants of Miles Standish, with her son and his family came in four months after the organization of the church; several of them were among the first to unite with the young church by letter and profession of faith. Mrs. Martha Beach was, by a former marriage, Mrs. Buckingham. She had two sons with their wives among the original members. At the house of one of them the church was organized. Both at different times held the office of clerk. One was a member of the first board of elders; and, in this line, her great-grandchildren are in the Sabbath-school at the present time. Many other names among the members of this church on personal accounts-some of them of very fragrant memory-are worthy of special notice, but, from a lack of requisite knowledge, the writer of this sketch deems it unwise to attempt further delineation in this interesting line of the church's history. Did he feel qualified for the service it would afford him great pleasure to make extended mention of several esteemed members who have gone to their heavenly reward. Their " praise is in the church," and " though dead, their works do follow them." It will not be invidious to put on record the statement that a very fair proportion of the esteemed and valued citizens of Flint village and city have been active members and officers of this church. To them and their fellow-Christian brothers and sisters, together with the faithful and devoted ministers whom, from time to time, they have called to their aid, the community has ever been ready to accord the spirit of recognition and general good-will and co-operation. We wish also to record the fact that from the beginning the denominational differences have been no bar to social intercourse or united effort to promote piety and genuine morality. From the beginning they have been laborers together, with other evangelical churches, for the salvation of souls and the extension of the Saviour's kingdom. Many very precious seasons of religious revival have been enjoyed, the first of which is gratefully remembered to this day by nearly a score of the early members, beginning with the dedication of the first house of worship. In comparison with what was reached in after-years that day may seem small, "but," said one who was there, " it was one of the best seasons of religious interest I ever enjoyed, for a work having no more people to work upon." The above sketch was prepared in 1876, and deposited in the library of the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, with sketches of other Presbyterian Churches written during the centennial year. Since the above date 46 persons have been added to the church. A floating debt of several hundred dollars has been paid, and the church-yard and the church-building repaired and improved to the amount of several hundred dollars. The society is now out of debt, and current expenses are fully covered by the current income. The Sabbath-school numbers about 100, and is in a flourishing condition. H. P. Cristy is superintendent. The officers of the church are Rev. George P. Tindall, pastor; H. C. Walker, 11. P. Cristy, A. L. Aldrich, Augustus Root, Selim Darling, T. G. Smith, elders. There are three ladies' societies connected with the church,-a General Ladies' Society, which raises money for a variety of objects connected with the interests of the church and congregation; a Woman's Missionary Society, for both home and foreign missions; and a Young Ladies' Mission Band, for foreign, home, and city missions. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FLINT. As early as the year 1837* an attempt was made to secure the permanent organization of a Baptist Church in the village of Flint. Two efforts having failed, it was predicted that a third effort, which was begun under the direction of Rev. Alfred Handy, missionary of the American * The first society was organized at Benjamin Pearson's hall, and met agreeably to a previous notice given out by Rev. Joseph Gambell, who presided as chairman of the. meeting, while Robert F. Stage served as clerk. After adopting the title of the " First Baptist Church of the town of Flint," the following-named members were elected as the first board of trustees: Warner Lake, Jr., Alanson Dickinson, Benjamin Pearson, Sherman Stanley, and John A. Hoyes. The articles of incorporation were signed by Joseph Game'ell and Josiah Walker. FLINT CITY. 167 -1 Baptist Home Mission Society, would share the same fate. But the church was organized after deliberate and prayerful consideration, and its constituent members did not propose to let it die. In the first year of its existence an event occurred which contributed to strengthen and enlarge the influence of the church. This event was the disbanding of a church of 15 members five miles distant, in what is now known as the township of Burton, whose pastor, Rev. William II. Fuller, spent each alternate Sunday with them. The question of transferring their interest and pecuniary support to a new field, miles away, was anxiously discussed, and finally, but reluctantly, decided upon. Among the members who transferred their membership to the struggling church in Flint were Deacon Perus Atherton, now the senior deacon of the church, and aged eighty-three years, and Deacon Samuel R. Atherton. Their first meetings were held in the court-house, in a room over the jail. But they met under difficulties, for the noise and loud profanity of the prisoners disturbed them greatly. Then they removed into a room in the Crapo building, on the north side of the river, until the church edifice was built. A pleasing illustration of the spirit which pervaded the entire membership, and showing that the sisters lad a mind to work no less than the brethren, was given by Brother Atherton. In the building of their first meeting-house the brethren were compelled through poverty to give their own time and labor in order to secure its completion. Few in number, they had succeeded in raising the frame of the building, with the exception of the fiont part of the steeple. The timbers to be raised were about fifty feet long, and braced together by other pieces. The men set to work to raise "the bent" to its place, but above the height of their breasts it could not be lifted. They knew not where to look for assistance. By some means the sisters of the church, who were preparing dinner for the men close by, heard of the difficulty, and, moved by a common impulse, they all, twelve or fifteen in number, hastened to the spot, and by their help the heavy fiame-work was lifted up to its place. The history of the First Baptist Church of Flint, for the twenty-five years of its existence, is a signal instance of success, achieved in the face of great difficulties. The church was constituted Nov. 2, 1853, and the sermon of recognition was preached by Rev. Samuel Cornelius, of Troy. The church edifice was dedicated-sermon by Rev. Nathaniel Colver, of Detroit-Dec. 12, 1855. It was enlarged and rcdedicated-sermon by Rev. A. E. Mather, of Detroit-ill November, 1868. The constituent members were six brethren and six sisters. The whole number of members who have been connected with the church is 852. Of this number 414 were baptized-138 men and 276 women-into the fellowship of the church. The register of the dead numbers 40,-18 brethren and 22 sisters. The present number of names on the roll is 372. Onesixth of the members are non-residents. Eight pastors, including the present incumbent, have served the church: Alfied Handy, H. K. Tupper, J. S. Goodman, J. S. Boydon, C. Johnson, S. Cornelius, S. W. Titus, and James Cooper. r I Five brethren were licensed to preach by the church: Thomas Robinson, A. C. Merritt, George Atchinson, I. B. Nunn, and T. 11. Bemish. Seven deacons have served the church, viz.: Eber Adams, C. Lancton, P. Atherton, R. A. Carman, S. Carpenter, S. R. Atherton, and S. C. Church. The five last named still hold the office. L. D. Morse, J. Forten, and S. C. Church have served as clerks,-the last named since 1865. The Sunday-school of the church has on its rolls the names of 250 scholars, with an average attendance of 175. The superintendent is W. P. Kingsley. The following gentlemen constitute the board of trustees: S. R. Atherton, C. C. Pierson, E. K. Jenkins, J. C. Decker, W. P. Kingsley, N. Bates, W. H. Piers. E. D. Pierson, treasurer. The first seven years of the church were full of trials and discouragements. From 1869 to 1874 it enjoyed a hilgh degree of prosperity. In those years 227 baptisms were reported, and its contributions for home expenses and benevolence aggregated $18,000. The war record of the church is worthy of notice. Some of its members enlisted in the army, and went forth with the prayers of the church. Two of the number, Jas. H. Atchinson and John Q. Adams, sleep beneath the soil of South Carolina. The church retained their pastor, J. S. Boyden, while chaplain of the 10th Michigan Regiment, and contributed to the Christian Commission. The church has suffered from the general financial prostration of the past five years, but there is a good degree of spiritual prosperity and of fraternal accord. The future is full of promise. ST. PAUL'S CHURCI. In August, 1839, the Rev. Daniel E. Brown, having resigned his appointment at Green Bay as missionary to the Indians, visited Flint on a kind of prospecting tour, to see if any Episcopal Church was wanted. ie describes it as "indeed new ground," and says, " The voice of an Episcopal clergyman in celebrating the services of our church had never been heard here." He gave a favorable report to the Missionary Committee, which resulted in a visit from the bishop on the 8th of October. He found everything in good condition, and remarks that "such zeal was manifested for the organization of a parish that I consented at once to the proposed measure." Early in November the Rev. Mr. Brown visited Flint again and began his work. On the 23d day of November, 1839, 19 persons associated themselves together for the purpose of'organizing a Protestant Episcopal Church in the city of Flint. Most of the nineteen have " fallen asleep," but there are yet living in our midst three, viz.: George NI. Dewey, Grant Decker, and Henry C. Walker. It was determined to hold a meeting for organization on the 14th day of December. Notice was given, and the meeting held, at which the Rev. Daniel E. Brown was present. At this meeting seven vestrymen and two wardens were elected, the wardens baing T. D. Butler and Milton A. Case. Of these wardens and vestrymen elected, Reuben McCrcery is the only one now living. On this original vestry were also Jonathan Dayton, Henry M. Hendcrson, I 168 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.. Chauncey S. Payne, and James B. Walker, all of them names connected with the early history of Flint, and most of them pillars of strength to the church in later years. The first meeting of the vestry was appointed to be held on the 21st of the same month. At that meeting the real work of the mission began in the following resolution: " Resolved, That the clerk be requested to draft a subscription for the payment of the incidental expenses of the service of St. Paul's Church." On the 25th of that month, being Christmas-day, the holy communion was celebrated for the first time in the new parish. Sixteen persons partook thereof, of whom the following are still living here: Mrs. R. J. S. Page, Mrs. S. C. M. Case, Mrs. Daniel E. Brown, Mrs. H. M. Henderson, and Mr. Reuben McCreery. Notice of the organization was promptly communicated to the bishop, and rendered complete by his acceptance, dated Jan. 15, 1840. At a meeting of the vestry, held Jan. 25, 1840, it was " Resolved, That the Rev. Daniel E. Brown be and he is hereby called to act as rector." On the 20th day of April, 1840, the first annual parishmeeting was held, and a vestry elected, with Milton Case and Jonathan Dayton as wardens. Of the seven vestrymen, Reuben McCreery, George M. Dewey, and Grant Decker are still living. The two latter are still vestrymen. Mr. Grant Decker, the present senior warden, began his service as a vestryman at this time, since which he has had thirty-nine years of continuous service. lie was first elected warden in 1854. Mr. George 3I. Dewey also began his service as a vestryman at this time. He has been a vestryman ever since, except in the years 18 16 and '47, thus serving thirty-seven out of the tlirty-nine years that the parish has existed. At this parish election Benjamin Pearson's name appears for the first time as a vestryman. He was, however, one of the original petitioners for the organization of the parish. On Sunday, March 22d, the bishop paid another visit to the young parish and confirmed three persons,-Jonathan Dayton, Mrs. Averill, and Miss Martha Lee. At a parish-meeting held on May 26th, Jonathan Dayton, Milton A. Case, and George M. Dewey were appointed delegates to the Diocesan Convention. Jonathan Dayton was the only one who attended. At the convention the bishop speaks in high terms of his visit in March, and says, " A temporary building has been neatly fitted up for the accommodation of the congregation, and every kindness has been shown to their pastor." In his report to the same convention the Rev. Mr. Brown speaks of the prospect, and records the fact that besides his duties in Flint he had held service and preached several times in the town of Grand Blanc and at other points. Meanwhile, at Flint the people began to fear that they would not be able to carry out the plans already so well started for the building up of the parish. After much and anxious deliberation, the vestry took advantage of a visit fiom the bishop in December, 1841, to arrange for procuring help from outside. Accordingly it was determined that the Rev. Mr. Brown should solicit help from the East for the feeble church. This he did with considerable success, gathering about $1700 over expenses. In his report to the next convention the bishop speaks thus of the parish: "At the time of my visit an effort was made by the vestry to build, as soon as possible, a church edifice. A most liberal subscription was obtained from the members of the parish, but not sufficient to authorize them to commence such an undertaking." He then describes briefly the rector's visit to the East, that his " appeal was not in vain," etc. In his own report to the Convention the rector dwells feelingly upon the difficulties of his mission, owing to "general and almost universal prostration of business consequent upon the depression of the monetary systems of our country." In April, 1842, it was resolved to circulate two subscription papers, one for a church on the north and one on the south side of the river, and plans were ordered for a church building, to be 38 by 54 feet, "with posts 22 feet long." Meanwhile, until the new church should be built, a cheap temporary building was erected of slabs and refuse lumber, near the corner where the store of C. M. Wager & Co. now stands, which the rector describes as follows: For the past year we have worshiped in a tabernacle of rude construction of rough boards, but which was comfortable in the summer season, and which we were enabled to make so to a limited extent in the winter." The name generally given to this building was " The Tabernacle." The subscription papers mentioned above were duly circulated, and the one on the south side was so far considered the most favorable that in May, 1842, it was determined to build a new church on lot No. 5, block No. 2, in the village of Flint River. This was what is now known as the " Old Church," having been situated on the lot now covered by the Judd Block and Pratt's store. It was determined to build a church "34 feet broad and 48 feet long." Mr. Benjamin Pearson took the contract for the new church, to be completed by November 1st, but owing, as the rector says, " to unavoidable delays and disappointments," it was not completed until July, 1843. On the 30th of that month it was duly consecrated to the service of Almighty God. Of this event the bishop says, in his address to the Convention, "July 30th, I consecrated St. Paul's Church, Flint, and preached twice in the same, and confirmed two persons. The Rev. Mr. EIollister and Rev. Mr. Welby, of Canada, were present and assisted in the services." In his report to the Convention, in 1844, the Rev. Mr. Brown speaks of liberal donations " received fiom the fiiends of the church in New York, of an elegant set of communion plate, also a superb copy of the Bible, and the Book of Common Prayer, for the use of chancel and reading-desk." May 30th of this year five persons were confirmed, among whom were Messrs. Grant Decker and Isaac Schram. When cold weather came in the fall of 1843 with it came the following resolution: " Resolved, That each warden and vestryman be required to furnish at the church door a cord of good wood, prepared for the stove." This resolution curiously illustrates the shifts and de vices often rendered necessary for the support of feeble parishes. Feb. 16, 1845, the bishop confirmed eleven persons, GEORGE CROCKER. George Crocker, son of Samuel Crocker, was born in Devonshire, England, April 19, 1808. Tile Crocker family were numerous and influential agricultural people in that part of England. George was the oldest of thirteen children. He came to America in March, 1832, stopping at Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., where he was married to Miss Susan Parkie, Aug. 8, 1835. In the spring of 1837 he came to Genesee County and purchased from the government four hundred acres of land in the township of Flint, and the following spring he went on to his land and began improving it. As it was covered with a heavy growth of timber, the progress was slow; the first five years a log house, frame barn, and twenty-five or thirty acres cleared, was the result. At this time his younger brother, Stephen, arrived from England and purchased of him one hundred and sixty acres of land for cash. With this capital, wielded by sagacity and good judgment, the road to affluence was ensured. His principal business outside of farming was dealing in lands. He was one of the parties to organize the First National Bank of Flint; was one of its first directors, and vice-president at the time of his death, which occurred Nov. 30, 1874. He was a man of strong common sense, deliberate in coming to conclusions, but when his opinions were once formed, inflexible in his purpose. Systematic in business, and a man who made few mistakes, by his good judgment and judicious management he accumulated a handsome property. Politically he was a Democrat, but never a seeker after office. FLINT CITY. 169 among whom were Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Pearson, Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Henderson, Mrs. Elvira Roosevelt, and Mrs. E. H. Thomson. In his address to the Convention, the bishop says, " During my visit I met the vestry of the church, and was much gratified to learn from them that their condition, in every point of view, was most cheering. The church was free from all embarrassments, and its continued increase confidently expected." During this year the congregation purchased and placed in the tower the bell which is still in use, having cost about $200. There seems to have been nothing more of special interest to the public until on the 29th day of August, 1846, the resignation of the rector was tendered, and accepted "with deep regret." This closed the services of the Rev. Daniel E. Brown with this parish, having extended over a period of nearly seven years. His official acts during that period are as follows: Baptisms (infant, 33; adult, 14) 47; confirmations, 24; funerals, 21; marriages, 12. An active effort was at once made to fill the vacancy in the rectorship. Correspondence was had with several rectors. Finally, at a meeting of the vestry, held Sept. 25, 1846, it was " Resolvd, That the Rev. Charles Reighley be called to take charge of this church as its rector provided a subscription can be ra;sed amounting to $100, besides the $300 pew or slip rent devoted to the payment of a clergyman." The condition seems to have been complied with, for in October the Rev. Charles Reighley took charge as rector of the parish. At a meeting of the vestry, held November 8th, it was " Resolved, That the sexton be instructed to ring the bell on Sundays for the benefit of the Presbyterian society (who had no bell), if they request it, when the Episcopal society has no service." At the same meeting it was resolved tQ lower the pulpit and the chancel railing. Until this time the pulpit seems to have been one of the old-fashioned kind set up about half the height of the room, from which the parson literally "looked down upon the people." In November of the next year the assessment on the pews was raised to $500. At the Convention held in Detroit the previous June, the rector reports that " soon after entering upon the duties of my new charge, nine families identified themselves with the congregation, by taking sittings in the church, and since that time the number has increased." IHe also anxiously inquires, " When will the bishop visit us?" The result was that the bishop visited the parish immediately after the Convention, on June 13th, and confirmed seven candidates. On the 10th of May, 1849, the bishop visited the parish again, and confirmed five candidates. There were no further confirmations till 1853, under the next rector. On the 18th of September, 1850, the rector sent in his resignation, having served a little less than three years. His official acts for that time are: Baptisms (infant,. 28; adult, 7), 35; confirmed, 12; marriages, 3; burials, 33. Mr. Reighley was requested by the vestry to officiate in the church as long as he remained in the city, and no doubt did so. 22 The vestry seem to have had considerable trouble after this in filling the rectorship. In February, 1851, a call was extended to Rev. John A. Wilson, of Ypsilanti, at $500 per annum. He having declined, the Rev. George W. Hathaway, from the diocese of Rhode Island, was called in June, at a salary of $600 per annum. He having also declined, a committee was appointed " to obtain a clergyman," Meanwhile, at a meeting held Feb. 15, 1851, it was deterumined to build an addition to tile church of 24 feet, on the rear end, "provided sufficient funds can be raised." In August a committee was appointed to let the job. The job was duly let and the addition well towards completion before the church had a rector again. April 12, 1852, a committee was appointed to engage the services of the Rev. John Swan as rector, at a salary of $600 per annum. The committee was successful, and the Rev. Mr. Swan entered upon his duties July 1, 1852. The church was not fully completed until that time, when the pews were rented. In August the vestry met together, and having ascertained that there was a debt of $320.48 due, they proceeded to open a subscription among themselves, which resulted in a liquidation of the whole amount. The older vestrymen who are still living assert that this process was nothing new. In those days it cost something to be a vestryman. Feb. 17, 1853, the bishop visited the parish and confirmed nine persons. From this time on there is little more to record during the rectorship of Mr. Swan than the usual items of parish work,-so many baptized, so many confirmed,-until Oct. 11, 1858, when the rector sent in his resignation. This the vestry refused to accept. Finally, Oct. 17, 1859, the rector sent in a peremptory demand that his resignation of the year before should take effect November 1st. This was finally accepted. A committee appointed reported very strong resolutions of regret and endorsement of character, prepared by it, and unanimously adopted by the vestry. This terminated the labors of the Rev. Mr. Swan, which included a period of seven years and four months. His official acts were: Baptisms (infant, 66; adult, 18), 84; confirmed, 55; marriages, 28; burials, 47. Nothing seems to have been done towards getting a rector until January, 1860, when a committee was appointed to invite the Rev. Mr. Gillespie (now Bishop Gillespie), of Palmyra, N. Y., to visit Flint. The Rev. Mr. Gillespie having declined to " visit Flint," in. March, 1860, a call was extended to the Rev. Mr. Birchmore, of Rochester, N. Y., to become rector at a salary of $900 per annum. He accepted and took charge on Easter Day, 1860. On the 7th of May, when the rector had been in charge about a month, the bishop visited the parish and confirmed thirteen persons.. Almost at once a fund was raised, and the church repaired, the basement being plastered and floored for Sunday-school use. The next year showed the confirmation of a large class (seventeen), the purchase of the fine font now in use, and also the new communion service, the whole costing between two and three hundred dollars. In his report to the next Convention, the rector speaks of the old communion service that it " has been intrusted to Rev. Mr. Brown, for the parish at East Saginaw." There is very little in the next three years to be found, except items of imm 170 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. church work, with the results reached, and recorded as such. In April, 1865, the rector's salary was increased to $1200 per annum. In the same year an organ built by the rector was purchased and put in the church at a cost of $925. It was estimated by the builder to be worth about $1750. Early in 1866 the " limited accommodations" were deemed so serious a matter that the gallery was enlarged, giving twelve new pews. In his report to the Convention, the rector says that the ladies have purchased an eligible lot for a new church. It is worthy of note that the Congregational church now stands on that lot. During the same year the rector started a parish school, "having twenty-five scholars and four teachers." This school was kept up at considerable sacrifice for several years, but was finally discontinued. In the next year a rectory was bought in what was considered an excellent location for a church, at a cost of $5000. The same property was afterwards exchanged for the present location. As an instance of the decline in values in real estate, it is interesting to note that the same property has since been sold for $2800. In March, 1868, the parish school was given up, except a small class which was taught at the rectory by the rector's wife. As early as Feb. 4, 1867, it was moved in vestrymeeting by Mr. Geo. M. Dewey, and unanimously carried, "That it is expedient to build a new church," but when they began to take the preliminary steps it was found to be quite impossible. In July of that year the parish was called to mourn the loss of Benjamin Pearson, one of the original vestrymen who had held the office ever since, except one year (or twenty-eight years in all), having been a warden for seven years out of that time. The death of Mr. Pearson undoubtedly postponed for a time the project of building a new church. In May, 1868, the ladies of the congregation were given permission to repaper and whiten the church, and a committee was appointed to confer with them. In the latt'er part of 1868 and the early part of 1869 an unfortunate. dissension was created in the parish by some social questions which it is probable that the less that is said about them the better will it be. It resulted in the rector's accepting other employment, still retaining the nominal rectorship. In September, 1869,'the vestry finally received the resignation of the rector. This closed the connection of the Rev. Mr. Birchmore with the parish after nine years and five months of service, the last five months being merely nominal. His official acts were: Baptisms (infant, 179; adult, 53), 232; confirmed, 116; marriages, 38; burials, 102. At a meeting of the vestry, held September 17, 1869, the resignation of the Rev. John W. Birchmore was received and accepted. At the same meeting it was Resolved, That the secretary be instructed to invite Rev. Mr. Lane to preach in this church on the 26th inst." The letter was sent and the present rector officiated for the first time in St. Paul's church, Sept. 26, 1869. He was requested at that time to officiate the next Sunday and administer the holy communion. On the occasion of the second visit, arrangements were made by which the church was practically placed under his charge till the ensuing Easter. On the 6th day of April the Rev. Marcus Lane was called as rector, at a salary of $1200 per annum. But a few weeks afterwards the parish met with a serious loss in the death of the Hon. Henry M. Henderson. He was one of the original vestrymen, had been identified with the parish from the beginning, and had been, as the resolutions of the vestry read, " one of its oldest and most valued members." At a meeting of the vestry, held March 25, 1871, the subject of building a new church was duly considered, and the announcement made that Mrs. Henderson would give $8000 to head the subscription list. At the same meeting it was " Resolced, That this vestry are of the opinion that of the several propositions submitted, the Beecher lot on Saginaw Street is the most desirable location available for the site of a new church." A committee was appointed to secure subscriptions. At a meeting of the vestry, held Sept. 23, 1871, it was determined to build upon the Beecher lot. The rector and Mr. F. W. Judd were appointed a committee on plans; Messrs. Judd, Decker, and Denham, a building committee. At a meeting of the congregation, held September 25th, the rector, wardens, and vestrymen were authorized to sell the church lot and the parsonage property. The church lot thirty years before had been a gift fiom the proprietors of the village of Flint River,-A. C. and Sherman Stevens, who owned five-sixths, and Ira D. Wrighlt, who owned one-sixth. The compensation fixed in the deeds, nominal, of course, was $400 in the Sherman deed, and $50 in that of Mr. Wright. There seems also to have been some flaw in the title, for some years afterwards Mr. J. B. Walker gave a quit-claim deed of his right and title to the whole lot, compensation $100. This also was probably nominal. The church lot, valued as it would seem in the beginning at $450, had in thirty years so increased in value that its sale netted the parish nearly $6000. The parsonage lot was exclanged for the Beecher lot, the parish paying $2000 in addition. The winter was spent in collecting subscriptions, fixing up the new rectory, quarrying and hauling stone. The stone of which the new church was built was taken from the quarries of John Sutton, near Flushing, he having liberally donated the same, provided the parish " would get it out." It took nearly 400 cords of stone to build the church, from which one can easily see the magnitude of the task undertaken. April 29, 1872, proposals having been invited, the bids were opened. The bids for mason-work ranged from $11,270 to $18,000, and the whole job from $26,000 to $34,626. Mr. Percs F. Cleveland, of this city, being the lowest bidder, the contract was let to him, the church providing all material for the mason-work. On Ascension Day, May 9, 1872, ground was broken for the new church, Mr. Judd, the chairman of the building-committee, throwing out the first shovelful of dirt. May 29th the corner-stone was laid. October 14th a parish meeting was held and the vestry were authorized to make a loan not exceeding $10,000. Under this authority the vestry borrowed $6000 from Miss Cumings. FLINT CITY. 171 Jan. 6, 1873, the rector and Messrs. Judd and Thomson were appointed a committee on stained glass. From this time on till the completion of the church the records show constant labors under many discouragements and many hard struggles, which resulted in the adoption of various expedients for the raising of the moneys needed, some of which were successful and some not. While the wardens and vestry were thus laboring to get the new church completed, the Young Ladies' Society had undertaken to provide a suitable organ. They took the whole thing into their own hands, closed a contract with Messrs. Johnson & Co., of Westfield, Mass., and in due time raised the money and made all the payments, and placed the new organ in the church as their share of the work, and as a free gift to the honor and glory of Almighty God. After it was supposed that the last service had been held in the old church, and before the new one could be used, came the unexpected death of the Rev. Daniel E. Brown, the first rector of the parish. The church was reopened and the last service in the old church was the funeral of its builder. Very strong and eulogistic resolutions were adopted by the rector, wardens, and vestry, who attended the funeral in a body. August 24th the first service was held in the new church. Intending to give due credit to all engaged in this good work thus brought to completion, the writer would briefly state their several parts as follows: Architect, Gordon W. Lloyd, of Detroit; Committee on Plans, the Rector and Mr. Judd; Building Committee, Messrs. Judd, Decker, and Denham; Stained Glass Committee, the Rector, Messrs. Thomson and Judd; Contractor, Peres F. Cleveland, of Flint; Painting, etc., Stephens Bros., of Flint; Upholstering, Marcus, Stevens & Co., of Detroit. The stained glass of the chapel was procured from Hamilton & Co., of New York, for the church from A. Fredrick, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Many of the minor details and little episodes connected with the building would be very interesting to the members of the church, but they would not be of like interest to the general reader. Hence they are here omitted. Unfortunately with the new church came a church debt, which would never have been a great burden but for the general financial prostration of the whole country. The record of proceedings since would be a plain story of many and determined efforts to reduce it. These efforts have been so far successful that the debt can never be the burden in the future that it has been in the past. The total indebtedness is now a little more than $12,000. On the 20th of April, 1878, it was $17,895. The record of the spiritual work of the church, its gains and losses, are of little interest to the public. It is, therefore, sufficient to sum them up. The present rector has had charge of the church nine years and eight months, the longest time of any rector in its history. His official acts are as follows: Baptisms (infant, 165; adult, 71), 236; confirmed, 195; marriages, 111; burials, 129. The foregoing sketch was prepared by the rector. ST. MICHAEL'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CIHURCH. Bishop P. Lefever, of the diocese of Detroit, was the impulse which placed in form of organization the material for a Roman Catholic Church in Flint. The first efforts date back to September 2, 1843, though the building was several years in process of erection. The ground on which it stands was deeded by Chauncey S. Payne, and Hon. George M. Dewey gave $200 towards the fund, while many leading citizens contributed more or less liberally, as their means permitted. Among the first missionary clergymen to visit the field were Rev. Lawrence Kilroy and Rev. Martin Kindig, now vicar-general of Milwaukee, Wis., who figured so conspicuously in the cholera epidemic which decimated Detroit in 1834. The reverend father was indefatigable in his efforts to alleviate distress among all sects and classes, and used his private means so liberally as to impoverish himself and contract an indebtedness which it required years to liquidate. He died recently, after a long life of ceaseless toil and benevolence, at the ripe age of seventy-two years. Among the friends from Detroit who rendered material aid to the struggling enterprise were Hon. Lewis Cass, Joseph Campau, Bishop P. Lefever, Peter Desnoyer, and many other names well known in olden times. D. O'Sullivan, whose arrival in Flint occurred in July of 1834, was largely instrumental in the construction of the building, having contributed both in means and labor to the enterprise. The first regularly installed pastor was Rev. Michael MIonaghan, who remained some time after the completion of the church, and was succeeded by Rev. Joseph Kinderkins, brother of Vicar-General Kinderkins, of Detroit, who in turn was succeeded by Rev. C. L. Deceuninck, in 1856, who organized a school under the management of two lay teachers. His pastorate extended over a period of fifteen years, during which time he was active in many benevolent enterprises and did much for the relief of the poor of the church. His successor was Rev. Father Flanigan, who remained two years. The school during his administration was discontinued. Rev. James Gillespie was installed as pastor in 1873. He organized a school, and occupied for this purpose the church and an adjoining building, and had as instructors a principal and two assistant teachers, and an average attendance of 200 scholars during the regular term of ten months. A substantial school building of brick was meanwhile erected, at a cost of $7000, with rooms in which the various societies of the church hold their meetings. The present pastor is Rev. Robert W. Haire, who was installed Aug. 1, 1875. His administration has been successful, his energies being mainly directed to the maintenance of the parochial school, to which he gives much of his time and attention. It at present numbers about 300 pupils, who are instructed by an efficient corps of teachers. The primary department is under the supervision of Sister Catherine, assisted by three religieuses, all of the order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, from Monroe, Mich. The annual expenditures, which in the aggregate amount to $1300, are defrayed fiom the revenues collected from the congregation. The families who compose the parish number about 300, and the amount of current expenses incurred by the church reaches the sum of $4000. About 400 persons compose the congregation during the early 0 in 0 172 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, ICIIIGAN. -I morning service, and 500 are present at the later service. The music of the church reflects much credit upon the choir. The Gregorian chant is about being introduced, which will embrace the finest male voices in the church. SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS. This society was organized as the result of a series of tent-meetings, held in Flint and its vicinity by Elders D. H. Lamson, of Armada, Mich., and E. R. Jones, of Battle Creek, same State. Their meetings began June 11, 1875, and continued with various intermissions until September 13th of the same year, when a district camp-meeting closed their labors. On the 24th of October, 1875, a society comprising 46 members was formed. Prior to the formation of this society, it is claimed that the only families of this belief residing in Flint were those of Elias J. Bump and John Harmon. Coggins' Hall was first used as a place of wcrship. Soon after Covert's Hall was leased for the same purpose at a rental of $100 per year. A reorganization took place April 30, 1876, and S. H. Daniels chosen elder, Allen D. Newbury and Robert W. Day deacons. The first board of trustees, consisting of Robert W. Day, S. H. Daniels, and Samuel Woodhull, was chosen May 20, 1876. In April, 1877, Mr. Elias J. Bump donated for a church-site a lot situated on the corner of Third Street and Stockton Avenue. Elder D. H. Lamson had received pledges for $1700, and the work of building a house of worship was immediately begun. S. II. Daniels, W. C. Althouse, H. C. Thompson, and HIorace Bristol formed the building-committee, and Dec. 27, 1877, the church edifice was completed and dedicated. The dedicatory services were conducted by Elders Uriah Smith, D. H. Lamson, and E. R. Jones. The house is a neat structure with Gothic roof, but without spire or bell. It is beautifully finished inside, and has patent sittings for 300 persons. The present membership is 75. They have no local pastor, and at present no elder. A flourishing Sabbath-school exists, which includes nearly all of the members. William J. Farrand, Superintendent; Sarah E. Talliafero, Secretary. GARLAND STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CIIURCHI. This church is located on the corner of Garland and Second Streets, on the north side of the river. The society was organized in the early part of the year 1861. Previous to this there had been but one church of this order within the limits of the city. The circumstances which called the new one into existence were at the time sorely afflictive to a majority of the good men and women connected with it. The noble edifice of the parent society had substantially passed out of human hands a few months before, though the offerings of a people, mostly poor in this world's goods, were embodied in it,-offerings made in human interests, yet unto God alone; and, though an eloquent memorial of the faith, prayers, and heroic struggles of Christians, yet its end was hastened. In the dead of night the cruel flames reduced it to ashes, with all its contents, in an hour. The black and smouldering mass that remained of the beautiful temple called for tears and prayers. The tears were not wholly restrained, and prayers went up from sad hearts, F I imploring submissiveness of spirit, and courage, and wisdom. Before the morning sun had come to look for the first time on that scene of desolation the losers were saying, "By the help of God we will build again." The pastor, Rev. T. J. Joslin, was laid aside at the time by severe and protracted sickness, but amid all the discouragements it was decided to build at once. It was at this juncture that the pertinent question of location anchored itself in the harbor of a peaceful and united people. It was one of great importance to those at both extremes of city, norlth and south, and naturally swept with more or less touching force under other points of the compass. Members in the northern portion of the city pleaded for a central location, equally accommodating all parts of the town. Discussion retarded initial steps, yet discussion closed with a majority for the old site. This decision was as a signal at which a considerable number of men and women, young and old, including as good material in all respects as the old church ever contained, moved out of the old and honored lines, for the protection and upbuilding of Methodism in their own part of the city. Thus to break up the pleasant associations of former years, and separate themselves from those with whom they had long walked and taken sweet counsel, was the most grievous and trying point of their associated history. But the action of others had made it necessary, and they were left to "cross the Rubicon," which they did promptly but kindly. Their first board of trustees was appointed without delay. It consisted of Daniel S. Freeman, William Stevenson, Joseph Kline, John Owen, and Dr. Wood. The first board of stewards was also composed of the same men. The actual charter members were Rev. Daniel S. Freeman and wite, William Stevenson and mother (Mary Stevenson), John Sutton and wife and mother, and Helen, Josephine, and George (children of John Sutton), Sarah Freeman, Louisa Freeman, Mrs. Joseph Freeman and daughter (Ellen), Mrs. Cynthia Abernethy, Joseph Kline and wife, Johanna Parrish, John Owen and wife, Charlotte Raymond, and Dr. Wood and wife, 24 in all. By means of transfers from tlec old church, their numbers were soon swelled to 80. The edifice in which the congregation has worshiped ever since was completed and dedicated before the close of 1861, which, being the year of the inception of the enterprise, shows with what celerity these brethren carried on their work. The late Rev. Dr. T. M. Eddy, then editor of the northl- Western Christian Advocate, of Chicago, Ill., officiated at the dedication. The lots on which the church was built had been generously donated by Chauncey L. Payne and Charles P. Avery. The structure itself cost something over $2500, and was free from debt when dedicated. The annual Conference of September, 1861, appointed Rev. Isaac Crawford as the first pastor of the new and then vigorous organization. IHe remained but one year, during which there were a number of accessions to the church, but not so many as might have been realized under other circumstances. The man succeeding Mr. Crawford was essentially different. Endowed liberally with nature's best gifts, well edu ii: J. R. CHAMBERS. MRS. J. R. CHAMBERS. J. R. CHAMBERS. Jeremy R. Chambers was born in Madison Co., N. Y., in December, 1816. When he was twelve years of age his parents moved to Jefferson. The family were poor, and Jeremy, the oldest boy, soon became the main support. Thinking he could better secure a home for the family in a new country, he and his brother William started for Michigan on foot, with only a few dollars. At Detroit he purchased an axe and pursued his journey; arrived in Burton, Genesee Co., March 27, 1836, walking the entire distance from Jefferson Co., N. Y., in fourteen days. Arriving in Burton, he hired out for a year. In July his employer let him have one hundred dollars, with which he entered eighty acres of land in Richfield. Not being satisfied with the location, he continued to work by the month or job for three years, when he bought forty acres of land in Burton, and made improvements as best he could. In 1841 he built a house and sowed ten acres of wheat. In the spring of 1842 his parents, with five children, came on to live with him. In June a heavy frost killed his wheat, which was a serious blow, and he was obliged to sell the eighty acres of land in Richfield for thirty dollars, needed to buy seed-wheat the next fall. The family struggled on for eight years, when the father and mother died, and the family was broken up. Mr. Chambers and two of his brothers engaged in fishing on Lake Huron for three years; from this enterprise he saved a few thousand dollars. Returning to Genesee County, he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in the town of Flint, and built a house on the land. From that time the improvements went on until he now has a fine farm, with such surroundings as indicate the wealthy farmer. In 1868 he sold the farm and moved to Flint, to enjoy a wellearned competency. On the 25th of October, 1853, he was married. Mrs. Chambers was the daughter of Charles Johnson, formerly from Ovid, N. Y. He moved to Oakland Co., Mich., and settled on the bank of Elizabeth Lake, in 1824; in 1836 he moved to Burton, this county, where he died in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers united with the Methodist Episcopal Church some twenty years ago, and have since remained consistent members. They have been the parents of two daughters, one of whom died; the other lives with her parents. I I ,, -, ,. I- I I I, - I wim"6 4 FLINT CITY. 173 cated, of extensive and careful reading, and experienced by more than a score of successful years in the ministry, he entered the field to give sermons of culture and Gospel power, and to he a real pastor to his people and beloved by them. Such was the Rev. Orin Whitmore, who remained the full term of three years, and left under the benedictions of those he had served. The close of this term brings us to September, 1865, when the Rev. E. E. Castor was appointed to the charge. He was eminently fitted for the place,-a good pastor, an earnest and eloquent preacher, crowding his house with hearers till enlargement became necessary, and was accomplished by adding 20 feet to the length of the auditorium, at a cost of $1200, which was paid in full before the sound of the hammer-strokes had fairly died. Mr. Castor left at the end of two years in response to an earnest demand elsewhere. The fall of 1867 brought, under Conference appointments, the Rev. E. R. Hascall to Garland Street, as its pastor, and thefourth one in number. Several names were added to the church list through his labors, but for some reason he remained but one year. He was followed by the Rev. William Q. Burnett, who proved to be an irrepressible and successful worker. During his pastorate an addition to the church edifice, including three commodious rooms and a fine parsonage, located on the corner of Garland and Third Streets,-one block fiom the church,-was built at an aggregate cost of about $3000, all paid, and an extensive revival of religion was wrought. Of course such a worker remained three years. Rev. Wim. Fox was his successor, commencing his labors September, 1871, and after two years of judicious, dignified, and successful effort was called to the presiding eldership of Romeo district, and left the people regretting his departure. Rev. Jacob Horton was next appointed to the charge, and, with a somewhat varying success, remained for two years. He was a fine preacher and a decided worker. Under his administration the church was internally repaired and beautified, at a cost of $700. Rev. George W. Lowe came to the charge in September, 1875, and had a successful term of three years, considering the adverse circumstances which, independent of the pastor and beyond his possible control, connected themselves most unfortunately with the church. Mr. Lowe's qualities of mind and heart need no eulogy other than that of his lifework. This brings us to September, 1878, when Rev. T. J. Joslin was appointed pastor, and now occupies the place. During these eighteen years of the church's existence, its several classes have been served at different intervals by the following list of class-leaders, namely: D. S. Freeman, Joseph Kline, R. W. Dullam, Moses Mann, L. N. Moon, Thomas Stiltson, Porter Fleming, John C. Vincent, Wrilliam laver, Daniel Frost, and J. II. Failing. The present official board is composed as follows: ClassLeaders, D. S. Freeman, R. W. Dullam, J. H. Failing, and Joseph Kline; Stewards, John Sutton, Alanson Bradford, Dr. Bela Cogslall, J. H. Failing, Lewis Kline, John An drews, Albert Hakes, Meno Ebe, and Joseph Freeman; Trustees, D. S. Freeman, J. R. Chambers, John Whiting, John Armstrong, John Sherff, Cyrus Pomeroy, and J. D. IIailgt; Located Ministers, D. S. Freeman, Hiram Adams, and Erwin Wilder. From the beginning there has been a fine Sunday-school connected with this church, and it is at the present time favored with a good corps of officers and teachers, and is in a fairly prosperous condition. The degree of success realized by the Garland Street Church in leading souls to Christ, and in mutually edifying, guiding, and cheering on to duty and to heaven the servants of our God, and seen also in the fact that a membership of nearly 300 is now within its pale, after an almost equal number have been removed by certificates and by death, is, at least, suggestive of high approval, and disarms criticism of those who at first led the way, and, with others, have carried on the work. This sketch is prepared by the pastor. TIHE CONGREGATIONAL CIURCH. The Congregational Church of Flint came into being during the fall of 1867. Its first membership was composed mainly of those who had been members of other churches of the same order elsewhere in the State, in the Western Reserve (of Ohio), or at the East, and who since the impetus given to Flint by the building of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway had cast in their lot with its enterprising people. Many of these had connected themselves with the First Presbyterian Church of Flint, of which the Rev. H. H. Northrop was then the able pastor; but their independent ways were hardly congenial to the staid habits of the old families, and in the summer of 1867 they became aware that in the opinion of the pastor and leading members it would be better for the old hive if they would swarm. After a few weeks' reflection and consultation a meeting was held, on the evening of the 18th day of September, 1867, at the house of Win. L. Smith, Esq., to consider whether it was best to form a Congregational Church in Flint. The record shows there were present Mr. and Mrs. W\m. L. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Royal C. Ripley, Mr. and Mrs. George II. Holman, Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Lovell, Mr. and Mrs. Egbert L. Bangs, Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Farrar, Mr. and Mrs. George R. Gold, Mrs. Sarah 0. Strong, Miss Margaret T. Olcott, Mr. George Andrews, Mr. Zclotes Truesdel, and Mr. Thomas Smith, and with them, by invitation, Rev. Frank P. Woodbury and wife, late of Meriden, N. II. The mecting was organized with Mr. Gold as chairman, and Mr. Truesdel as secretary. After earnest consultation it was agreed-Mr. Ripley alone dissenting-that there was room and work for a Congregational Church in Flint, and that steps should be taken to form one. Rev. Mr. Woodbury was invited to preach at Awanaga Hall on the following Sabbath, morning and evening. A provisional committee of seven was chosen, consisting of Messrs. Lovell, Bangs, W. L. Smith, Holman, Farrar, D. W. Parker, and Gold. To them was committed the full guidance of affairs. Notice of the intended services was given in the local papers issued on Saturday, and William Stevenson, Esq., was secured as organist. The weather was fine, and the hall was well filled in the morning and crowded in the evening. After the morning service a Sunday-school was organized with about 25 children, 174 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and Mr. William L. Smith was shortly afterwards made its superintendent. On the Monday following these services the committee made a formal contract with Rev. Mr. Woodbury to serve as pastor of the enterprise for one year, at a salary of $1500, of which it was understood the Home Missionary Society would pay $500, and to secure the regular payment of the remaining $1000 in monthly installments the committee gave the pastor their personal bond. Awanaga Hall was rented for Sunday services and other rooms for the weekly devotional meetings. The finan-cial support was secured by subscriptions payable monthly, and by Sunday collections. The interest in the enterprise continually increasing, on Oct. 18, 1867, letters missive were issued to the churches of the order in Lansing-St. John's, Owasso, East Saginaw, Pontiac, Detroit, Romeo, Almont, Adrian, Vienna, Burton, Grand Blanc, and Goodrich-to assemble on Oct. 20, 1867, at Flint, by pastor and delegate, with Rev. J. W. Hough, of Saginaw City, Rev. Frank P. Woodbury, of Jackson, and Rev. Herbert A. Reed (the State Home Missionary agent), of Marshall, in council, to advise as to the formation of a church, and to aid therein if the enterprise were approved. The council duly convened, organized with Rev. J. G. W. Cowles, of East Saginaw, as moderator, and C. B. Stebbins, Esq., of Lansing, as scribe. After mature consideration the proposition to form the church was heartily indorsed, the confession of faith fully approved, and on the following day (Sunday) a committee of the council assisted in the formation of the church, and in behalf of the council extended to it fraternal recognition. There were 40 members, 38 of whom joined by letter and 2 on profession of faith. On November 1st following, 6 more were received; on Jan. 3, 1868, there were 15 accessions; on February 28th, 31; on June 25th following, 5; and on December 30th next thereafter, 11; making a membership of 108, gathered during the first fifteen months. George H. Holman and Egbert L. Bangs were chosen the first deacons. Meantime proper steps were being taken to form an ecclesiastical society to take care of the temporalities of the church, and on the 12th day of November the Congregational Society of the city of Flint became fully organized by the election of nine trustees, three for one year, three for two years, and three for three years, pursuant to the articles of association. The first trustees were Royal C. Ripley, Charles C. Farrar, William L. Smith, Henry R. Lovell, Isaac C. Van Epps, Robert Pearson, George R. Gold, George Andrews, and De Witt Parker. Of these Royal C. Ripley was made president of the board of trustees, George R. Gold, clerk, and Henry R. Lovell, treasurer. The enterprise having thus become organized in its several departments, the provisional committee resigned their powers, and received the thanks of the church and society for their labors. On Jan. 3, 1868, Rev. Frank P. Woodbury was by unanimous vote of the church "invited to become the pastor-and teacher of this church," and on the 1lth day of the same month this action was unanimously concurred in by the society, and the salary fixed at $1500, with a vacation of six weeks during the year, at such time as tlhe I pastor should choose to take it. The call was cordially accepted, and the pastorate filled with entire acceptance to the people until the close of July, 1870, when Mr. Woodbury resigned on account of ill health. Early in May, 1868, a church site was secured at the southeast corner of Saginaw and Second Streets, in the Second Ward, and on the 11th of the same month, on motion of William L. Smith, the society voted, "that we proceed at once to erect a house of worship for the church and society." Thereupon, R. C. Ripley, Charles Smith, H. R. Lovell, G. H. Holman, and Zelotes Truesdel were chosen a building-committee, with power to designate their chairman, and discretionary power to adopt plans, raise funds, and carry on the work, subject to revision of the society or trustees. The committee made H. R. Lovell their chairman, and set vigorously about the execution of their trust. Plans for a chapel, prepared by F. T. Oliver, architect, were procured and adopted, and the building was begun in June and completed and dedicated on November 22d following. The chapel was furnished by the Ladies' Aid Society very tastefully out of funds raised by it for the purpose. The whole expense of site, building, and furnishing was about $8500. Cordial and timely aid was given the project by many citizens not members, and general good-will was shown to the young church and society. Among the donations noticeable for the generosity and modesty of the giver may be named that of the late Hon. Levi Walker, then an elder of the Presbyterian Church, who, in the evening before dedication, unsolicited and in the dark slipped into the hands of the chairman of the building-committee a hundred-dollar treasury note " to help the cause," and hastily left before the extent of his gift could be known. The Congregational Union gave $500 "to pay last debts." -But still the bulk of the funds came from the pockets of the members of the church and society. On Feb. 6, 1869, the building-committee assumed all the indebtedness of the society on account of building its chapel, the society having relinquished to it all unpaid subscriptions therefor, and the latter then became possessed of its chapel free of debt. During the following spring lecture-rooms were finished off in the basement at an expense of about $500. The church ceased to be a missionary one at the close of the first year. It steadily increased in membership during Mr. Woodbury's pastorate, and numbered 129 when he left. His salary after the second year was $1800. His departure was deeply regretted by all. After months of weary candidating, in January, 1871, the Rev, B. D. Conkling was unanimously called to the pastorate. He accepted and entered upon his labors the first Sunday in February following,-salary $1500. He was an able and godly young man, but his temperament was so different from that of Mr. Woodbury that he failed to give general satisfaction, and resigned in September following. Fifteen joined the church during his pastorate. In January, 1872, the Rev. Edward W. Baron, of New Haven, Conn., was unanimously called to the pastorate,salary $2000, and $500 removal expenses, and accepted the call. He served the church and society until failing FLINT CITY. 175 health compelled him to resign in March, 1875. During his ministry 84 were added to the church. In the second year of his pastorate the parsonage was procured for the society, and its use furnished him as added support. Under his lead the church took decided ground in favor of temperance during the women's crusade, a position it has ever since maintained. This cost the society considerable loss of support from those engaged in and sympathizing with the liquor traffic, but the loss was borne rather gladly than otherwise. It was felt a great reproach was removed. In September, 1875, the Rev. Richard Cardely, D.D., came from Lawrence, Kan., to minister to this people, and continued his labors among them until April, 1878. His salary, at first $1500, was the second year increased to $1500 and the use of the parsonage. Forty-four were added to the church during his ministry. He was an able sermonizer and discreet pastor, with " an eye single to duty." In July, 1878, the present pastor, Rev. Frederick S. Hayden, was called to the pastorate and accepted it the following August. Since his coming there have been 14 accessions to the church, making a total of 286 members since its formation to May 10, 1879. Of these, 117 joined on profession of their faith and 169 by letter. Seventy-one members have withdrawn by letter and 15 have "entered into that rest," leaving a present membership of 200. Deacon Holman having declined re-election was, in November, 1873, succeeded in office by Washington A. Baron, who vacated it by death October 6, 1876. In October, 1874, Ira Chase was chosen deacon, and in November, 1877, I. C. Van Epps was also chosen to that office. The last two, with Deacon Bangs, are still in office. In October, 1874, Mrs. Mary M. Gold and Mrs. Sophronia B. Gordon were chosen deaconesses. The Sabbath-school of this church has been well cared for and usually prosperous. Formed with Wm. L. Smith as superintendent, it attained its greatest strength and influence during Mr. Woodbury's pastorate. Mr. Smith continued superintendent by annual re-election until January, 1870, when, declining further service, he was succeeded in turn by Deacon Holman, Prof. Rufus E. Phinney, Wm. Stevensons, sq., Miss Julia A. King, Chas. T. Bridgman, and Damon Stewart, the latter of whom " continues to the present time." The singing of the church is congregational in character, is led by a precentor accompanied by the organ, and generally aided by a choir. It was at first led for several years by that best guide of congregational singing, William Stevenson, Esq., and afterwards by Mrs. Woodbury, Mr. Haver, Mr. Parker, Mr. Neale, Mr. Holman, and others, and now by Prof. Gardner with his cornet. In addition to the trustees first chosen the following-named persons have served the society as trustees, viz.: Charles Smith, henry II. Woodruff, Zelotes Truesdel, Oscar M. Brownson, Chas. T. Bridgman, David P. Halsey, John Orrell, David S. Fox, Hirani Smith, Benj. W. W. Symington, Ira W. Wilder, Edward B. Clapp, and William Fobes. The present officers of the board are G. H. Holman, President; C. T. Bridgman, Secretary; and Charles Smith, Treasurer. The church and society are well united in their pastor, and have a prosperous outlook for their work. F CI 175 THE GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH. This church, which is located in the Fourth Ward, was organized in the- year 1868, with a membership of 40. Very soon after the formation of the society measures were taken for the erection of a church, which was completed the same year. The edifice is of brick, 60 feet in length by 34 in width, and was built at a cost of $5200. The membership has since increased to 70. The pastor is Rev. Lewis Brumm, and the trustees are John Zimmerman, J. Baker, E. Raab, E. Sager, W. Weimer, J. Foub, and G. Ackcrman. AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. This society was organized about three years since, and own a house of worship located on Seventh Street, near Saginaw Street. Service is held every other Sabbath, the officiating pastor being Rev. C. W. E. Gilmore, who resides in Saginaw, and includes the church at Flint in his circuit. The young men of the church have a debating society, the meetings of which are held on Friday evening of each week. A small admission fee is charged, which is devoted to the payment of the church debt, for which purpose the club was organized. The trustees are Geo. Bradley, Henry Fields, and Samuel Lawrence. THE CEMETERIES. In the year 1835 a piece of ground, an acre in extent, and known to the present residents of Flint as the " Old Patterson Homestead," in the Third Ward (bounded on the south by Fifth Street, west by Grand Traverse Street, north by Court Street, and east by Church Street), was deeded by Wait Beacl and Eunice, his wife, to the supervisors of the county of Genesee, to be used for a burialground. This plat was in use about eight years, and 25 interments were made in it, when it was vacated. "AN ACT to aotthorize the thCounty Comlissioners of the County of Genesee to vac(ate a certain bury ing-groound. "Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and Iouse of Representatives of the State of Michigan, that the County Commissioners of the County of Genesee be, and they are hereby, authorized to vacate the present burying-ground in the village of Flint in said county; provided they, the said County Commissioners, shall first procure an equal quantity of ground in said village of Flint, or adjacent thereto, to be used and occupied as a common burying-ground. "Section 2. That said burying-ground shall not be vacated until after all bodies interred on said ground shall be raised and re-interred in some other grounds. JOHN BIDDLE, " Speaker of the House of Representatires. " THOMAS J. DRAKE, " President of the Senate, pro teun. "Approved April 9, 1841. " J. WRIGHT GORDON. "A true copy. "THOMA S ROWLAND, " Secretary of State." The disinterments were made, and a new location chosen in 1841, on a plat now known as the " Old Burial-Ground," which may be described as located on the north side of the Richfield road, about one-half mile east of Saginaw Street, on Kearsley Street. The deed of conveyance is annexed: 176 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. "CHARLES C. HASCALL TO BOARD OF HEALTH FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF FLINT. "This indenture, made the seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, between Charles C. Ilascall and Nancy, wife of the said Charles, of the first part, and the Board of IHealth for the township of Flint, in the County of Genesee, and their successors in office of the second part: Witnesseth that the said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of three hundred dollars to them in hand paid by the said party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby confessed and acknowledged, have granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, aliened, and confirmed, and by these presents doth grant, bargain, sell, remise, release, alien, and confirm unto the said party of the second part, and to their successors in office forever, the following described parcel of land to be used for a burying-ground, and for no other purpose whatever, viz.: beginning at a point being the intersection of the north line of road number forty-nine, running from the east end of Court Street north twenty-four degrees east and the west line of said Hascall land; thence north along said line north thirty-two degrees ten minutes west six chains fifty-eight links to an oak-tree on bank of marsh; thence on a line parallel with said road (No. 49) three chains seventyseven links; thence southerly at right angles west said road to the north line of the same; thence south twenty-four degrees west on said north line seven chains forty links to the place of beginning, containing three acres of land, together with all and singular the hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, and the reversion and reversion's remainder and remainder's rents, issues and profits thereof, and all the estate, right, title, interest, claim, or demand whatever of the party of the first part, either in law or equity, of, in, and to the above premises, with the said hereditaments and appurtenances: To have and to hold the said premises as above described, together with the appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part and to their successors in office forever. And the said party of the first part, for their heirs, executors, and administrators, doth covenant, grant, bargain, and agree, to and with the parties of the second part and their successors in office, that at the time of the unsealing and delivery of these presents they are well seized of the premises, conveyed as of a good, absolute, and indefeasible estate of inheritance in the law, in fee-simple, and that the said lands and inheritance are free from all incumbrances whatever, and that the above-bargained premises in the quiet and peaceable possession of the said parties of the second part and their successors in office against all and every person or persons lawfully claiming, or to claim the whole or any part thereof, he will forever warrant and defend. " In witness whereof, the said parties of the first part have hereunto set their hands and seals the day and year first above written. " Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of Asa Andrews, John L. Gage. "CHARLES C. IIASCALL. [SEAL] "NANCY IIASCALL." [SEAL] In the year 1842 a plat of ground was deeded by John Beach to the county commissioners of Genesee County '" commencing at the southeast corner of the town buryingground, heretofore deeded by Charles C. Hascall to the board of health for the township of Flint, in the county of Genesee, State of Michigan, on the road leading from the village of Flint to E. S. Walker's; thence along the line of said burying-ground to the northeast corner of said ground; thence on a line parallel with the afore-mentioned road one chain eighty-one links; thence southerly to said road five chains and fifty-one links; thence westerly on the line of said road one chain and eighty-one links to the place of beginning, containing one acre of land." This was, as the location of the plat would indicate, intended as an addition to the "Old Burial-Ground." Some years later its di mensions were found insufficientl and in 1878 a deed was given by Artemas Thayer and wife to the city of Flint of a second addition, described as follows: All that certain - E piece or parcel of land in the Second Ward of the city of Flint, included in Vine Street, as platted between the north line of Orchard Street and the south line of Mill Street, also included in Summit Street, as platted between the north line of Orchard Street and the south line of Mill Street, all in East Flint, as platted by Thayer & Stewart." This burial-ground is still in use, and is free to all citizens who desire to use it as a place of interment. The city also allows individuals to inclose portions which may be selected with a neat fence or coping, and reserve it for family use. The dimensions of this burial-ground proving inadequate to the demands of the growing city of Flint, a number of gentlemen formed an association known as the " Glenwood Cemetery Association of the city of Flint," each member of the corporation being a subscriber to its stock. The original subscribers were as follows: B. Pearson, Jas. Henderson, Artemas Thayer, A. McFarlan, Levi Walker, Morrison & Eddy, C. Roosevelt, George S. Hopkins, Wm. M. Fenton, Wm. M. Thurber, F. R. Tracy, A. T. Crosman, J. B. HamIilton, E. S. Williams, William Clark, J. B. Clark, H. M. Henderson, G. Decker, George W. Fish, Beecher & Higgins, G. M. Dewey, Leonard Wesson, Bishop & Bro., L. G. Buckingham, Reuben MIcCreery, Warner Lake, G. J. W. Hill, E. H. Hazelton, J. B. Walker, Wn. Stevenson, E. N. Pettee, G. W. Thayer, E. H. Thomson, W. O'Donoughue, E. II. McQuigg, E. C. Turner, J. Hamilton. The first officers of the association were as follows: President, Benjamin Pearson; Vicc-President, Henry M. Henderson; Secretary, Leonard Wesson; Treasurer, James Henderson; Trustees, William M. Fenton, George M. Dewey, George S. Hopkins, Levi Walker, Edward H. Thomson, Grant Decker, Alexander McFarlan; Civil Engineer, George T. Clark; Standing Committee on Grounds, Edward H. Thomson, Leonard Wesson, Geo. S. Hopkins. The location of the cemetery grounds was the result of a careful and extensive survey of the entire vicinity of Flint. The original inclosure is nearly 42 acres. Broad, substantial roads, bordered on the declivities with paved gutters, furnish, at all seasons, a hard and pleasant carriage-path of a number of miles, and conduct the visitor to every part of the cemetery. Commodious and inviting foot-paths, still more numerous and extensive, wind round every hill and explore each dell and shady nook. The work of grading the entire grounds, involving a large amount of labor, has been prosecuted with a constant regard both to beauty and utility. The entire surface of the cemetery has been surveyed and divided into rectangular sections where practicable. By reference to the field-book in which these are all platted, and where the occupied lots are duly entered, every foot of ground within the inclosure may henceforth be defined or identified with absolute certainty. As another result of this survey, a new and large map has been made, and is now in use. The visitor may avail himself of a plain and perfectly reliable chart, on which he will find depicted not only the numerous and various inequalities of these grounds, but all their avenues and paths clearly delineated and distinctly named. 1.% AV GEORGE E. TAYLOR was born in Oakland Co., Mich., March 21, 1838. His father, Isaac S. Taylor, was from Pennsylvania; his mother was a Davis, and born near Belfast, Ireland. They were early settlers in Oakland County, where he was engaged in hotel and mercantile business until 1850, when, in consequence of some unfortunate business transactions, he lost most of his property. He then came to Genesee County, and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land in the town of Richfield, and commenced anew to make a farm and home. With poor health and a family of four children, the prospect was discouraging. The immediate subject of this sketch was then a lad of twelve years, and the oldest of the children. Upon him largely fell the burden of the family. He attended school at the log school-house near by, and finished his education at the academy at Clarkson, Oakland County. When eighteen years of age he commenced to teach school, and taught ten winters. When he was twenty-one he commenced the study of the law, and soon after, on Jan. 23, 1861, his father died, and he went home and took charge of the farm. Buying out the heirs, he commenced to make substantial improvements, building a large and fine residence, etc.; he has since added eighty acres of land, and now owns one of the finest farms in the county. Politically, Mr. Taylor is a Republican; he was elected supervisor in 1865, and re-elected consecutively for eight years, at which time he was elected register of deeds for Genesee County, which office he held for six years. Since retiring from that office Mr. Taylor has been associated with Leroy Parker in the law and real-estate business, in the city of Flint. Mr. Taylor married Sarah E. Beardslee, of Oakland County, February, 1867. She died April, 1868, leaving an infant child. He was again married, January, 1871, to Miss E. Freeman, by whom he has had two children. His mother resides at the homestead in Richfield, in good health and spirits. In social relations Mr. Taylor is genial and companionable, in business matters prompt and reliable, and as a citizen respected and influential. 1~~~..-11 '.., * '. I~ rI FLINT CITY. 177 Whether considered in reference to its position of nearness and accessibility, the availableness of its entire surface for purposes of interment, the extent, the diversity, and the beauty of the grounds, its native and varied forestgrowth, or the loveliness of its surrounding landscapes, Glenwood compares most favorably with other rural cemeteries. To these unsurpassed advantages derived from. nature must also be added all which has been accomplished by the unremitting care and toil of human ingenuity. With the results of the experiment, thus far, as exhibited in the improvements of the cemetery and its daily mianagement, the community for whose benefit it was- designed seems to be more than satisfied. A substantial receiving-vault has been constructed for use during the period when the frosts of winter make burial in the grounds impossible, and near the centre of the cemetery is a commodious chapel where services may be held. The present officers of the association are Alexander MeFarlan, President; Russell Bishop, Vice-President; Frederick Tracy, Secretary; E. H. McQuigg-, Treasurer;E. LI. Thomson, G. W. Hill, Jerome'Eddy, B. F. S. Card, E. C. Turner, Leonard Wesson, W. O'Donoughue, Directors. CALVARY CEMETERY. Calvary Cemetery is the burial-place exclusively of the Rlomnan Catholic population of the city of Flinit, and is located on the Flushing road, about two and a half miles from the city. It was purchased during the pastorate of Father Deceuninek, and embraces about six acres. It is modest in its pretensions, and, though in its general appear. ance it indicates care and thoughitfulness on the part of its owners, lays no claim to beauty of design or imposing memorial structures. CITY OFFICERS. The following is a list of the principal city officers, from 1855 to 1879, inclusive. SUPERVISORS. 1855-56. Charles N. Beecher, city at large. 1857. George S. Hopkins, city at large. First Ward. Second Ward. 1858. Francis Baiker. Win. H. Lyon. Geo. 1859. " s 64 i 1860. W. O'Donouglhue. S. N. Warren. L. G 1861. D. S. Freeman. " G. S 1862. John C. Clement. " 9 1863. " " 1864. " " " P. 11 1865. " josi~ 1866. " 1867. " " " Pali 1,868. "" " W m 1869. And'w B. Clipin. " " Pan' 1870. " " 1871. Geo. E. Newall. 1872." " Corn. Roosevelt. 1873. (C " 1874. " " " Johb 1875. S. Mathewson. Eph 1876. "" Jas. 1877. D. S. Freeman. 1878. L. C. Whitney. 1879. ALDERMEN. First Ward. Second Ward. Thi 1855. J. W. Armstrong. Benij. Pearson. Wmn Geo. W. Dewey. David Mlather. A. T Third Ward. S. Hopkins. Buckingham S. Hopkins. E. Stewart. ah Wv. Begole. 1 H. Stewart. n.Patterson..1l H. Stewart. in Algoe. 5I. Williams. Van vleet. iird Ward. N.. Fenton. r.Crosman. Fonrth Ward. a. Geo. W. Thayer. George L. Walker. Albert Crosby. Fonrth Ward. 1856. ii. Wv. Wood. 1857. C. S. Payne. Charles Rice. SatmI. N. Warre Lewis Wal kert 1858. cc".Jno. C. Allen. 1859. C. S. Payne. Jno. C. Allen. 1860. Oscar Adamns. 1861. Alex. McFarlan. 1862. Daeid S. Fox. 1863. " ( 0. F. Forsyth. 1864. " 4 Wvll. Stevenson. 1865. " c Goo. H. Dnrand. 1866. John Hawley. Geo. H. Durand. 1867. " C Abner Randall. 1868. "4 4 Geo. H. Duorand. 1869. "1 4 Abnter Randall. 1870. " c M. S. Elmuore. 1871. " i Damnon Stewart. 1872. Samni. C. Randlall. Wvni. Dnliam. 1873. Benj. Cotliarin. Sandl. C. Randall. 1874. " a Benj. Cotharin. 1875. Thomas Page. SainI. C. Randall. 1876. Chas. A. Mason. Thomas Page. 1877. " 4 Sand. N. Warne Sa-mI. 11. Wicks. Sam]I. N. WVarrei Saml. B. Wvicks. Henry I. Higgins. 3n. Geo. W. Fish. ~.G. W. Skidmore. an. G. W. Fish. J. Skidmore. Mayors. Recorders.* 1855. Grant Decker. Levi Walker. 185(6. Robert, J. S. Page. Chas. B. Higgins. 1857. H. M. Henderson. M. L. Higgins. 1858. William M. Fenton. Charles Hascall. 1859. t it it i4 1860. Henry It. Crapo. Lewis G. Bickford. 1861. Eph. S. Williams. L. R. Buckingham. 1862. William Patterson. Julius Brousseau. 1863. William Hamilton. It. R. Lovell. 1864. " " Alvin T. Crosman. 1865. Win. B. MeCreery. "9 i 1866. 11i 44 4C 1867. Austin B. Witherbee. George Rt. Gold. 1868. Samnel M. Axford. It c 1869. Win. S. Patrick. Anson S. Withee. 1870. James B. Walker. it i 1871. David S. Fox. Chas. E. McAlester. 1872. 1 It Francis 11. Rankin. 1873. George H1, Durand. Solomon V. Ilakes. 1.874. " " Francis II. Rankin. 1875. Alex. McFarlan. it 1876. Win. hamilton. it" 1877. Edw. H1. Thomson. "t 1 1878. Jerome Eddy." 1879. James C. Willson. J. B. F. Curtis. Treasurers. Elihu F. Frary. John C. Griswold. George F. Hood. Wmu. Hamilton. Win. Patterson. Edw. C. Turner. Wma. Clark. Wvm. Hamilton. Paul hi1. Stewart. E. C. Turner. " 9 I. N. Eldridge. David Foote. Edw. C. Turner. Hirana Parsell. L. H. Roberts. David. Foote. I. N. Eldridge. Sumner Howard. Wmn. Hamilton. Chiarles Smith. Orson B. Gibson. Sumner Howard. F. W. Jndd. F. H. Pierce. Wilson S. Tousey. W. O'Donoughne. 4 4 44 & 4' J. R. Cliamai ers. Johin Willett. Wv. Buckinglhmai. Cuss. D. Smithm. c Ed w. B. Clapp. "i 9 J. B. F. Curtis. Josiah W. Begole. Janmes Williams. H. C. Spencer. P. Cleveland, Jr. Chas. D. Soith. J. B. F. Curtis. Wmn. R. Morse. James Williams. Wmn. Fobes. P. Cleveland, Jr. Chris. Becker. J. B. F. Curtis. Henry Brown. Chas. D. Smith. 6 Wmn. A. Atwood. "1 f1 John A. it it Anson S. it 4 i William it it it I it it it it it it Kline. it it . Withee. it it W. Barnes. it it it 4 4 f c it 4 i 4 4 i c Chas. A. Mason. Andrew J. Ward. Wvm. A. Burr. J. Zimmerman. 1878. " " " " Henry C. Walker. Thomnas Page. 5. N. Androus. Win. A. Atwood. Jos. M. Corkey. 1879. Geo. L. Caldwell. Andrewv J. Ward. S. 1. Beeclser. A. R. Michaels. STREET COMMISSIONERS. First Ward. Second Ward Thrd Wrd Fourth Ward. 1855. Wvn. Moon. Win. Eddy. John C. Griswold. 1856. Thuos. AMeElhany. George Andrews. James McAlester. 18-57. Win. Baker. John A. Kline. John W. Palmer. 1858. Johin S. Ryno. Benj. Pearson. Chas. H. Cudney. 1859. " " Elijahi Drake. " 1860. Benj. F. Goff. William Miller. " t To fill vacancy. Charles C. Beahan. Jared Van Vleet. * The office of city recorder was abolished in 1876, and since that tine a city clerk holds office by appointment of the common council. 23 178 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. First Ward. 1861. L. Bradford. 1862. A. M. Hurd. 1863. " 1864. David Watson. 1865. " " 1866. Wm. W. Joyner. 1867. " " 1868. Wm. O. Bassett. Second Ward. S. C. Smith. L. Buckingham. L. lI. Roberts. Thos. Simons. Leonard Wesson. Orson B. Gibson. Third Ward. Wm. Boomer. Josiah Pratt. James D. Haight. L. Buckingham. Jacob B. Covert. Edmond Curtis. Fourth Ward. 1869. Jno. C. Clement. Josiah Prat 1870. Robt. W. Dullam. L. H. Rober 1871. Robt. Patrick, Sr. " 1872. " " S. B. Wicks 1873. " " Edmond Cu 1874. " " " 1875. " " " 1876. John Andrews. " 1877. " " " 1878. Thomas Sullivan. 1879. " " Alfred Inga " Wm. Boomer. t. Josiah Pratt. rts. Silas Austin. Almon Reynolds. George Stanard. i. " " Henry Stanley. irtis. L. Buckingham. Henry Thayer. " Josiah Pratt. " " " " A " John Becker. Augustus Root. " " John C. Dayton. D. C. Andrews. " " " M. H. White. dis. " "C William Pidd. JUSTICES 1855.-Charles Seymour. Levi Walker. Lewis G. Bickford. Willard Eddy. 1856.-Paul H. Stewart. 1857.-Lewis G. Bickford. 1858-59.-Paul H. Stewart. Charles Seymour. Lewis G. Bickford. R. W. Jenny. 1860.-Peyton R. Cook. 1861.-Lewis G. Bickford. 1862.-B. J. Lewis. 1863.-Lewis G. Bickford. Peyton R. Cook. William Blades. 1864.-B. J. Lewis. L. G. Biekford. Wm. Blades. P. R. Cook. 1865.-Levi Walker. B. J. Lewis. L. G. Bickford. 1866.-C. A. Pomroy. Wm. Blades. Levi Walker. L. G. Biekford. 1867-68.-L. G. Bickford. L. G. Buckingham. Wm. Stevenson. MA: 1855.-Cornelius Roosevelt. 1856.-Joshua Vose. 1857.-Nathaniel Dodge. 1858-59. —Cyrus H. Goff. 1860.-George Andrews. 1861-62.-J. A. Owen. 1863.-J. D. Morehouse. OF THE PEACE. 1867-68.-Levi Walker. 1869.-L. G. Bickford. Lewis Buckingham. Levi Walker. 1870-71.-Win. Stevenson. Levi Walker. L. G. Bickford. Nelson Norton. 1872.-Levi Walker. L. G. Bickford. Lyman P. Andrews. Wm. Stevenson. 1873.-L. G. Bickford. Lyman P. Andrews. Samuel B. Wicks. Wmn. Stevenson. 1874-75.-Geo. M. Walker. Lewis G. Bickford. Charles H. Wisner. Wtn. Stevenson. 1876.-Benjamin J. Lewis. George M. Walker. L. G. Bickford. Charles H. Wisner. 1877-78.-nWm. Stevenson. George M. Walker. L. G. Bickford. Charles H. Wisner. 1879.-William Stevenson. I was first mate of a merchantman, and was offered the captaincy of a similar vessel, which position he declined. In April, 1835, he married a daughter of Judge James Birdsall, of Norwich, N. Y., and in July of the same year settled at Pontiac, Oakland Co., where he engaged in mercantile business with Robert Le Roy, Esq. In April, 1837, he removed to Genesee County, and settled in the village (then Dibbleville) which afterwards took his name. There he was first engaged in mercantile pursuits, milling, and real-estate transactions, but soon commenced preparation for the practice of the law, and was admitted to the bar in 1842. In 1844 he was the Democratic candidate for Representative in the State Legislature, but was defeated by the opposing candidate. In 1846 he was elected to the State Senate for the district composing the counties of Genesee, Oakland, Macomb, and Livingston. While in the Legislature, he was active in securing the establishment of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, and its location at Flint. In 1848 he was elected lieutenant-governor of the State, and was re-elected to the same office in 1850. In 1852, having removed to Flint, he was appointed by President Pierce register of the land-office at that place, and held the position until the removal of the office to Saginaw. In the year 1856 he traveled with his family in Europe, and in 1858 was elected mayor of Flint, in which position his ability and good judgment did much for the good of the city and for all the public interests represented. When the great war of the Rebellion broke out, the voice of Mr. Fenton was raised for his country above the din of party discord. He had been, and was, a Democrat, but he was also more than Democrat, or Republican,-he was a patriot; and he instinctively dropped all considerations of party, and offered his services to his country in a way that proved his devotion most conclusively. When the first Michigan troops were called to organize for the field, he telegraphed to Governor Blair that five thousand dollars of his private means was at the disposal of the State for the equipment of the forces. Early in 1861 he was made major of the 7th Michigan Infantry; but before being mustered in with that rank he was commissioned by Governor Blair colonel of the 8th Infantry. Col. Fenton possessed extraordinary organizing and executive ability, and entered upon his work with such zeal and energy as to inspire every officer and private in the regiment with a similar spirit, and to cause the 8th to be organized, drilled, equipped, and led to the front with remarkable celerity. Of Col. Fenton's distinguished services as commander of the regiment, and of the brigade of which it formed a part, a more extended account is given with the history of the heroic 8th, to be found elsewhere in this volume. After two years of incessant service in the field, Col. Fenton was obliged to resign his commission on account of his ill health. On his return home he became the Democratic candidate for Governor, but that party was too much in the minority in Michigan to make his election possible. He then devoted himself to his profession, and to the details of his private business, among the enterprises of the latter being the erection of the block of stores and public hall which still bear his name in the city of Flint. In the RSIIALS. 1864.-L. G. Buckingham. 1865-66.-J. D. Morehouse. 1867-68.-John S. Freeman. 1869-70.-William A. Miller. 1871-77.-Samuel B. Wicks. 1878-79.-Michael Doran. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. WILLIAM MATTHEW FENTON was born in Norwich, Chenango Co., N. Y., on the 19th of December, 1808. In 1826, while yet scarcely more than a boy, he graduated at Hamilton College, at the head of his class. In less than a year from his graduation he sailed from Charleston, S. C., as a common sailor. Four years later, when he decided to leave the seafaring life, he 71 - -::- ---- -i` —I:- f'9 -— ^ ^/ / / a-_ ^sz / Di/^ FLINT CITY. 179 FLN_.T. 7 organization of the city government, Col. Fenton was chosen chief engineer of the Flint Fire Department, and his zeal in the performance of the duties of that office caused his death, on the 12th of November, 1871. On the previous night he was summoned by an alarm of fire, and, in his haste, he ran against a post with such force as produced fatal internal injuries. "This event cast a gloom over the entire city. Resolutions expressive of the great sorrow felt by the community were adopted at a public meeting of citizens. Similar resolutions were adopted by the members of the bar, the common council of Flint, the fire department, and the Knights Templar Commandery, of which lie was a member. On the day of his funeral most of the business places in Flint were closed, and nearly all of them draped in mourning. He was a ripe sclolar, an able lawyer, and a wise counselor. The elements of true manhood were combined in his character in such nearly perfect proportions that, as a man, a neighbor, fiiend, and Christian gentleman, he won the entire confidence of his fellow-citizens." He left a family of four children. His wife, his beloved companion during more than thirty years of married life, had died three years before him. GEN. M.D. McALESTER. Miles D. McAlester was born March 21, 1833, at Belfast, Allegany Co., N. Y., and moved thence in 1836, with his parents, to Flint, Mich., where he resided at the time of his appointment to the Military Academy at West Point, in 1852. He graduated third in his class, and was made brevet second lieutenant, July 1, 1856. On the 1st of December in that year he was promoted to second lieutenant in the corps of engineers, and subsequently served as assistant engineer at Fort Taylor, Fla., to the Board of Engineers for Atlantic Coast Defenses, and on Fortifications in New York Harbor. In 1859 he was promoted to the charge, as superintending engineer, of the defenses of the city of New York, and in 1861, of the repairs at Fort Mifflin, Pa. In the early part of the great Rebellion, having just received his promotion as first lieutenant, he served with distinction in the Army of the Potomac, first as assistant engineer on the defenses of Washington, then as chief engineer of the 3d Corps in the Peninsula, directing the construction of field-works, and taking part in the battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, and Malvern Hill; and for meritorious services in this campaign received the brevets of major and lieutenant-colonel, July 1, 1862. He served with the same army in the Maryland campaign of 1862, and was in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam; and at the close of the campaign was transferred to the Department of the Ohio as its chief engineer, and remained in that duty till August, 1863, during which time he was promoted to the grade of captain of engineers. A short respite from his arduous duties in the field was afforded him, by his detail as instructor of practical military engineering, and principal assistant professor of engineering at West Point, in the fall of 1863; but the exigencies of the campaign of 1864 made his services again necessary to the army, and in June of that year he was ordered into the field in the South west, where he served as chief engineer of the Military Division of West Mississippi from July 15, 1864, to July 16, 1865, and from that time as chief engineer of the Department of Louisiana, being engaged in the sieges and capture of Forts Gaines and Morgan, and Spanish Fort, and also in the storming of Blakely, all in the Mobile campaign; and for his gallant and meritorious services in these operations he received the brevets of colonel and brigadier-general, United States army. After the close of the war, Dec. 23, 1865, he was made superintending engineer of the construction of defenses of Ship Island, Miss., and New Orleans, and March 13, 1866, received, in addition, charge of the defenses of Mobile and Pensacola, and of improvements of the mouths of the Mississippi. May 22, 1867, he was appointed engineer of the Eighth Light-House District, and during the same year was superintending engineer of the survey of Bayou Manchac and the Ailtie River, with view to the forming of first-class steamboat navigation between the Mississippi River and the Mississippi Sound. And in 1867 and '68 he superintended the survey of Galveston harbor, with view to its improvement. Gen. McAlester was married at Wilkes Barre, Pa., Oct. 15, 1868, to Miss Louisa Bowman, daughter of Col. Bowman, formerly superintendent of the Military Academy at West Point. Shortly after his marriage he was assigned (Jan. 1, 1869) to duty as superintending engineer of Lake Ontario harbor works, and the modification and completion of Forts Ontario and Niagara, taking station at Buffalo, N. Y., and was also appointed engineer of the Tenth Light-House District; but before he had fairly entered on his new field of duty he was attacked with dysentery, which afterwards changed to intermittent typhoid fever, and finally, worn out by recurrence of combined attacks of both disorders, and completely exhausted by the unequal conflict, he passed calmly away, in the morning of April 23, 1869. His remains were interred at Wilkes Barre, Pa. The Army and Navy Journal, in noticing the death of Gen. McAlester, said, "His record speaks for itself, and renders unnecessary further comment on the great loss which the army, and especially his own corps, has sustained." GOVERNOR H. H. CRAPO. Henry Howland Crapo was born at Dartmouth, Bristol Co., Mass., May 24, 1804, and died at Flint, Genesee Co., Mich., July 22, 1869. He was of French ancestry. His father was a small farmer of Dartmouth. His educational advantages were limited, and he was to a great extent selfeducated. He early manifested a passion for literary pursuits, studying night and day. When quite young he was given charge of the Dartmouth primary and high schools, and passed a severe examination at the Friends' Academy, New Bedford, to which city he removed in 1832, and held several municipal offices,-among others that of police justice and treasurer of the city for several years. He was largely instrumental in the establishment of the free public library of New Bedford, the first institution of its kind in Massachusetts. While a resident of New Bed ford, Mr. Crapo acquired quite a taste for horticulture, established a nursery, and contributed by his pen to various 180 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. horticultural periodicals, as well as exhibiting the productions of his nurseries at local and district fairs. An affecting eulogy on Mr. Crapo's death was pronounced in 1869, by the president of the National Horticultural Society, at Philadelphia. During his residence in New Bedford he was engaged in the whaling business. He was colonel in the Massachusetts State militia, an officer of two insurance companies, and a compiler of the New Bedford City Directory from 1836 to 1845. Mr. Crapo removed to Michigan in 1856, having made large investments in pine-lands many years before, making the city of Flint his home. He was largely engaged in the manufacture and sale of lumber at Flint, Fentonville, Holly, and Detroit, soon becoming one of the most successful business men of the State. He was the main promoter of the Flint and Holly Railroad, and was president of that road till its consolidation with the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway. He was mayor of Flint, and in 1862 was elected to the State Senate, taking rank among the leaders of that body, being chairman of the committee on banks and incorporations, and a member of the committee on bounties to soldiers. He was elected Governor in 1864, when the war of the Rebellion was drawing to a close, and re-elected in 1866, filling the position with marked ability. The principal features of his administration were the cordial and hearty support which he gave President Lincoln in crushing the Rebellion, his veto of the then popular measure to permit the ruinous bonding of municipalities in aid of railroads. and his refusal to pardon convicts from the penitentiary unless upon the clearest proof of their innocence. Of his administration Judge Campbell says, "Governor Crapo was a very conscientious and valuable public servant, and his careful supervision saved the State from mismanagement in some of the multitudinous contracts which require almost the eyes of Argus to watch them. His great business experience and strict economy and integrity induced him to give a degree of personal supervision to the details of road-building and other outlays which was more than any one man could devote to such work without injury to himself. His untimely death was owing to neglect of health in attending to the details of public affairs." With his removal to Michigan Mr. Crapo did not lose his taste for rural affairs, horticulture, and agriculture. He had a farm of eleven hundred acrts in the town of Gaines, which he reclaimed from a swamp, and made extensive improvements thereon, stocking it with fine breeds of cattle and sheep, many of which were his own importation. The farmers of Genesee County chose him president of their society. He was a regular contributor on agricultural topics to the Albany Coluntry Gentleman. In politics Mr. Crapo was originally a Whig, but became an active member of the Republican party when it was organized. Jan. 9, 1825, he married Miss Mary Ann Slocum. Her people were of the denomination of Friends. Her plain taste and frugal habits aided her husband and contributed largely to his success in life. She was benevolent and charitable to the poor. She, as well as Mr. Crapo, were members of the Christian, or Disciples' Church, ot' New Bedford. After coming to Flint they were identified with the Presbyterian Church. The unobtrusive pleasures of domestic life were Mr. Crapo's peculiar enjoyment. He was the kind father of a large and loving family of one son and nine daughters. The son, William W. Crapo, now represents the New Bedford, M ass., district in Conlgress. HON. ALEXANDER McFARLAN. Among the foremost men who have largely contributed to the building up of the city of Flint, the name of this gentleman stands second to none. His early life was a checkered one, constantly struggling with difficulties, which nothing but an indomitable will and unflagging perseverance and industry overcame. He was born on the 14th day of February (St. Valentine's Day), A.D. 1812, in the town of Broadalbin, Montgomery County, State of New York, of Scotch parents. His father died when he was but a year old, leaving himself and another child to the truest and best of mothers, who, like the father, had emigrated from old Scotland, and in whose veins ran the true " blood of the Covenanters" of her native land, and under whose guidance the education of the then youthful Alexander was committed. With the meagre advantages procured from a common district school, and with the ordinary certificate in his pocket that lie "was graduated," he became himself a teacher at the enormous sum of ten dollars per month. It was in obedience to the wishes of his father (to his mother) that he and his brother should receive a good English education, and such as a new country afforded he obtained. At the early age of fourteen years he commenced learning the trade, like a distinguished President of the United States, of a tanner, but soon afterwards, becoming disgusted with his new vocation, he went to the city of Rochester, and there became a student in one of the principal seninaries; and during his residence in Rochester boarded himself, and worked for his support each day three hours. Afterwards he taught school for two years, and then returned to finish the trade that he had abandoned, at Pavilion Centre, in the county of Genesee, in the State of New York, and while so doing earned less than a dollar a day, the greater part of which he subsequently lost by the financial embarrassment of his employer. Finding himself capable to carry on his trade, two Scotch countrymen came forward and generously advanced him one hundred and forty-three dollars, and with this small sum he started on the " voyage of life." The business of tanning by strict economy produced a fair profit, and after the expiration of a two years' lease he surrendered it to the owner, with one thousand dollars in his pockets and over three hundred dollars in notes and accounts. At this time the great tidal wave of emigration had commenced fiom the East to the West. Thousands of active young men, who knew no difficulties and obstacles but what perseverance and hlonesty would surmount, followed the judicious advice of the then leading journalist of the country, ^c- _T -L i Ian1 FLINT CITY. 181 Horace Greeley, and journeyed West, and among the numbers was Alexander McFarlan. The State of Indiana held out seemingly great inducements for investing money in the purchase of lands. A purchase was made by Mr. McFarlan in fee-simple of over a half-section of land situate on the celebrated Tippecanoe River. Like a thousand of similar instances, it proved an unfortunate investment, for, after keeping it for over a quarter of a century, he realized from the sale of it less than one-half he had paid upon it for taxes. Following the pathway made by the early French voyageurs, he traveled on foot from Chicago to the head-waters of the Illinois River; here he took a boat and proceeded to the city of St. Louis, thence down the Mississippi, and up the Ohio to its junction with the Alleghany and Monongabela Rivers, visiting St. Louis, Cincinnati. and Pittsburgh, then small villages and but sparsely populated. The time consumed in these wanderings took money, and with barely enough in his pocket he managed to reach Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., and commenced anew at his trade of a tanner by hiring a building owned by a Scotchman of the name of Alexander Simpson, and, although he was successful for ten years and made money, the tannery caught fire and burned up; and though in pecuniary matters he was a great loser, he soon found himself more than compensated, and not only captivated, but married, one of the owner's daughters, and who, after a period of over thirty-eight years of married life, still lives to be his noble and loving helpmate. After a ten-years' residence in Caledonia, Mr. McFarlan moved to Alexander, remained ten years, and then with his fanily and with the hard-earned accumulations of fourteen years, came to Flint, in June, 1850. He soon afterwards purchased a one-half interest in the unfinished steam sawmill of G. H. Hazelton. This was destroyed by fire the following year, when, in order to make good his original investment and protect himself, he purchased the remaining interest, and commenced without delay in erecting a larger steam-mill, which ran with great success for a period of twelve years, when it was again destroyed by fire. Again was called into requisition the indomitable will and lnil desperandum of the owner; a third mill was speedily in its place, containing all the new improvements connected with the business of making lumber. Mr. McFarlan became readily possessed of a fortune at this period, when, for the fourth time, the all-devouring element of fire, after eight years of wonderful success, not only destroyed his mill, but, with the large amount of lumber burnt and otherwise rendered nearly valueless, entailed a loss of over one hundred thousand dollars. Phoenix-like, another mill was built, more complete than any previous one, which is now in operation to its utmost capacity, and again has success crowned his untiring labors. It is fairly estimated that during his residence in Flint his various mills have cut over one hundred million feet of pine lumber. Mr. McFarlan is the owner of large tracts of pine-lands in various parts of the State. Within the limits of the city of' Flint he has a very heavy and valuable interest in the First Ward, having become the purchaser and owner of a one-third portion of the Payne property, the entire cost of which was one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. He is the president of the " Citizens' National Bank," and is its largest stockholder. He has been one of the aldermen of the city, and in 1876, the centennial year, became its popular mayor. As an agriculturist, he is the owner of some of the most valuable farms in the county. In all the relations of life " honesty and economy" have been his motto, and these two cardinal principles are seen in his every-day walks of life. Shunning ostentation of every kind, he seeks home for his happiness, and here, surrounded by his family, he finds his greatest enjoyment. His family now consists of his wife and three children-two daughters and one son-and two sons-in-law, the latter managing largely the practical portion of his business. In business matters, Mr. McFarlan is a man of large discernment, of most excellent judgment, firm and decided in his opinions, and, above all, resolute in the execution of his plans, and in all of his principles, whether religious or political, is as firm as the granite hills of old Scotland. HON. JOSIAH W. BEGOLE. This gentleman was born in Livingston Co., N. Y., Jan. 0, 1815. His parental ancestors were French, and settled at an early period in H-agerstown, Md. His maternal grandfather, Capt. Bolles, of the same place, was an officer in the war of the Revolution. At the beginning of the present century, both of the grandparents of Mr. Begole, becoming dissatisfied with the institution of slavery, although themselves slaveholders, emigrated to Livingston Co., N. Y, then a new country, accompanied by a number of their former slaves. Mr. Begole's father was born in Maryland in 1786; was a non-commissioned officer in the war of 1812, and married a daughter of Capt. Bolles in 1814. One year after the birth of Josiah Begole, his father moved to Mount Morris, where the son received his early education in a log school-house, and subsequently at the academy at Temple Hill, in Genesee County. In August, 1836, Mr. Begole emigrated to Genesee Co., Mich. During the winter of 1837 and 1838 he was engaged in school-teaching. In the spring of 1839 he married Miss Harriet A. Miles, daughter of Manly Miles, formerly from Connecticut, and commenced work on a new and unimproved farm. From that time onward his progress was steady, until he became the owner of a well-cultivated farm of five hundred acres. Mr. Begole has served his townsmen in the capacity of school inspector and justice of the peace. In 1856 he was elected county treasurer, holding the office four successive terms, and during the civil war. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he took an active part in recruiting, furnishing supplies to the army, and looking after the interests of soldiers' families. The death of his eldest son, near Atlanta, by a Confederate bullet, in 1864, was the greatest bereavement of his life. In 1871 lie was nominated by acclamation for State senator, and was:::d 182 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. elected by a large majority. In that body he served on the committees of finance and railroads, and was chairman of the committee on the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. He took a liberal and public-spirited view of the question of a new capital of the State, and was an active member of the committee which drafted the bill for the establishment of the same. He was a delegate to the National Republican convention held at Philadelphia in 1872. In the same year he was elected a representative from Michigan to the Forty-third Congress, in which body he was a member of the committees on agriculture and public expenditures, and took an efficient, though unobtrusive, part in all its proceedings. Since the close of his Congressional term he has devoted his entire time to his large and prosperous business. GEORGE M. DEWEY. The life of this gentleman has been comparatively uneventful, marked by few incidents save such as occur in the life of every successful business man. Industrious, sagacious, and enterprising, and so thoroughly identified with the material interests and development of Genesee County that a sketch of his life will be appropriate at this time and in this connection. Mr. Dewey was born at Canandaigua, N. Y., Jan. 1, 1817. His father, Ebenezer B. Dewey, was from Vermont, and returned to that State in 1822, where he was largely interested in staging between Albany and Montreal. In 1848 he came to Genesee Co., Mich., where he now resides on a farm in Mount Morris, at the advanced age of ninety years. The immediate subject of this sketch was educated at the Royalton Acadamy, Vermont. After leaving school he was clerk for his father in the stage-office until 1837, when he came to Michigan, stopping at Detroit one year. He came to Flint in the fall of 1838, with a stock of goods, and opened a general store, in which business he continued until 1843, when he sold the stock and good-will to his brothers, Charles E. and D. D. Dewey. When Mr. Dewey commenced business at Flint, the Indians were not only numerous but well represented among his customers, bringing to him their characteristic commodity, furs, which were exchanged for goods, and constituted an important part of the commerce of the country. Mr. Dewey saw in the fertile soil and dense forests of the new country future wealth, and commenced buying land soon after his arrival. He has continued to purchase and sell lands from that time to the present, making it the business of his life, and being one of the largest land-owners in the State. He has also been largely interested in agriculture; has improved and now owns several fine farms. The home, or " Dewey farm," in Mount Morris embraces more than six hundred acres improved. He was one of the first to advocate the formation of a county agricultural society. He was also one of the projectors of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, and was its first president. Politically, Mr. Dewey is a Republican, and although not an office-seeker he has been honored with several important positions, notable among which was that of Receiver of Public Money for the United States Land-office at Flint, under Presidents Taylor and Fillmore. In 1848, Mr. Dewey married Miss Ellen, youngest daughter of Judge Simeon Cummings, of Batavia, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey have been identified with St. Paul's Church at Flint since its organization; he has served as vestryman, assisted in building the first church, and contributed liberally towards the erection of the present church edifice. In social relations Mr. Dewey is genial and companionable; in business matters prompt and reliable; and as a citizen, respected and influential.;W~~ I. li I.., -:~; ~~ An/I ~~-~1; B; Y B 1;_ CHAUNCEY S. PAYNE. The name which stands at the head of this brief biographical notice is that of ono who was among the earlier settlers in Genesee County, and who was an enterprising, public-spirited, and honored citizen of Flint for a period of forty years. Chauncey Smith Payne was born at Schodack, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., on the 16th of November, 1795. Having lost his parents by death while yet a child, he was reared and educated by his grandparents until he was about seventeen years of age, when his active temperament and spirit of enterprise led him to leave the seclusion of his early home, to seek his fortune in the neighboring city of Albany. There he entered into a partnership with his cousin, Hiram Payne (also a young man), in the watch and jewelry business. At the end of three years this partnership was dissolved, and he entered into other business connections, continuing to the close of the war of 1812-15, at which time, believing a Western venture would prove profitable, he purchased the entire stock of his former partner, and, with a part of it, proceeded to Detroit in 1816, journeying through Canada with a team. As it was just after the close of the war, the national feeling and prejudice still ran high, and it was only by his coolness and determination that he was able to pass through the Canadian territory without molestation, and to reach Detroit in safety. Having disposed of his goods very advantageously, and being encouraged by his success, he returned, by Lake Erie and Buffalo, to Albany, in the spring of 1817, and in the following July reappeared in Michigan with a large stock of merchandise, which he took to Mackinac. His second venture proving as successful as the first, he again proceeded to Albany, and in 1818 brought out his third stock of goods, and located in Detroit in permanent business as a merchant, having also a branch at Mackinac. His partner in Detroit was the late Levi Brown, with whom he remained in very successful business connection for more than twenty years. In 1824 he married Miss Louisa L. Smith, of Detroit, daughter of Jacob Smith, the well-known trader, who had made the first improvements upon the site of the present city of Flint, in 1819. Immediately after the death of Mr. Smith, in 1825, Mr. Payne made his first visit to Flint River, to look after the affairs of the deceased, and to take formal possession of the landed property owned here by his wife and the other children of Mr. Smith. This visit, however, was but temporary, and he soon returned to Ohio, where just previous to his marriage he had established a lucrative business. His location in that State was first at Cleveland, but he soon after removed to 'Willoughby, Ohio, where, in addition to his merchandising, he was engaged in milling and various other enterprises. He had also a branch of his business in Akron, Ohio, where he built the first of the large stone business blocks which adorn that city. Upon the formation of the Portage Canal and Manufacturing Company at Akron, he became an active member and a large stockholder, and was at different times the treasurer of the company, and its fiscal agent in New York City, with almost absolute discretionary power in its financial concerns. In 1835 he closed his affairs in Ohio and returned to his business in Detroit, but remained there only two years, and in 1837, at the solicitation of a number of the prominent people of Flint, he removed to that city, to spend (as it proved) the remainder of his long life. Having always been prosperous in his business affairs, he had, at the time of his settlement here, in addition to the landed estate of his wife, a large amount of ready money, and with this he engaged in trade and in banking at Flint. He also built extensively, and contributed to the progress of the city in various ways, one instance of which was his furnishing of the money to start the publication of Flint's first newspaper, the Flint River Gazette. Although Mr. Payne had already been engaged in active business in other places for a full quarter of a century before he came to make his home in Flint, he yet passed half his whole life (lacking only a few months) here, and became a citizen of such prominence as to make his name inseparable from the annals of the city. He died at his residence in Flint, Jan. 31, 1877, aged eighty-two years. The Citizen, of Flint, in its next issue after the death of Mr. Payne, said of him: " His dust and his memory are all that remain of one who for nearly half a century filled one of the foremost places in the history of this county and city.... He was uncommonly generous of the goods with which fortune had endowed him. As instances of this spirit may be mentioned that he donated to the Catholics an acre of land, as the site of their present church; also a tract of land on Detroit Street, for a burial-ground; likewise to the Baptist church and the Garland Street Methodist Episcopal church the lots now occupied by those societies respectively; and not long since a lot, valued at five hundred dollars, for the benefit of the new Episcopal church. He was a man of remarkable kindness of heart, amounting to almost womanly tenderness on witnessing distress; of the highest integrity of character, and of broad literary culture, with a great love for books. He was a religious man, though not a professor of religion in any denomination." Mr. Payne was, at the time of his death, one of the oldest members of the Masonic Fraternity in the State, having become a Mason in Detroit, in 1818, in what was then known as Zion Lodge, No. 62, of the Territory of Michigan. When Washington Chapter, No. 15, was instituted at Flint, he was one of its charter members, and its first King. Subsequently he received the orders of the Red Cross, Knights Templar, and Knights of Malta. He was also one of the original, and the last surviving member of the Mechanics' Institute of Detroit. I I!.!.: *1 1; 1 1 -1W:'"':*1"* ^ I, 1 1, I* - -~*, HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIPS OF GENESEE COUNTY. FLINT TOWNSHIP. THE township of Flint was originally organized in 1836, by act of Legislature, from "all that part of the county embraced in surveyed townships 7, 8, and 9 north, in ranges 5, 6, and 7 east," and the first township-meeting was held at the house of Wait Beach, at the Flint River settlement. In the year 1855 the city became a separate corporation, and the territory of the township was divided,the west half retaining the name of Flint, and the east half receiving the name of Burton. This history of the township is so closely allied to the early history of the city that it is difficult to define the line which separates them, and the interest which attaches to the settlement of the township is so entirely absorbed by the city record as to leave but a mere mention of the arrival of early settlers,-their location and the story of early struggles, persevering effort, and a final condition of competence, as the reward of their industry. The township as it at present exists, together with its early settlement, will be described and the original entries given, which were as follows: SECTION 6. Acres. Nathaniel Nelson, Sept. 11, 1833..................... 15.30 Henry Cobb, March 30, 1835.......................... 80.47 Dudley Brown, May 26, 1835......................... 136 Anson Gilbert, June 21, 1836.......................... 160 Robert Mathes, June 21, 1836......................... 74.66 Henry Diamond, May 25, 1836....................... 147.48 SECTION 7. Thos. L. L. Brent, March 28, 1836................. Caty E. Balding, April 16, 1836....................... Robt. 11. Wallis, June 4, 1836......................... J. R. Bowman, June 13, 1836......................... Win. Lockyer, July 6, 1836............................. Thos. J. Drake, July 16, 1836......................... 160 80 147.20 149 40 40 SECTION 1. Luther Dickenson, June 9, 1834....................... " " Oct. 8, 1835........................ John P. Kellogg, May 9, 1835........................ Robert Mathes, Jan. 26, 1836......................... SECTION 2. Daniel Curtis, Dec. 17, 1834........................... John P. Kellogg, May 19, 1835...................... t" " ' Aug. 1, 1835......................... Peabody Pratt, July 10, 1835.......................... John Peck, Dec. 9, 1834................................ Josiah Kellogg, Jr., March 19, 1836................. Simeon M. Johnson, June 28, 1836................ Jason Swift, ".................. Acres. 94.44 80.80 160 80 40 80 34.92 61.92 157.30 40 40 120 SECTION 8. John Evans, Nov. 9, 1835............................ 80 William Tilton, Jan. 8, 1836........................... 40 John Greenfield, Jan. 25, 1S36........................ 40 Norton Cronk, March 28, 1836........................ 40 T. L. L. Brent, " "........................ 160 John Taylor, April 1, 1836............................. 120 SECTION 9. Wm. W. Brewster, Oct. 12, 1835..................... 129.58 Win. Tilton, Jan. 8, 1836............................... 80 W. Barclay, and Greenfield, June 13, 1836......... 113.59 SECTION 10. —Reservation. SECTION 11. Oliver G. Wesson, Dec. 16, 1835..................... 206 SECTION 12. Oliver G. Wesson, Dec. 16, 1835...................... 44.71 SECTION 13.-Reservation. SECTION 14.-Reservation. SECTION 15. Thomas L. L. Brent, March 28, 1836............... 153.72 SECTION 16.-Public School Lands. SECTION 17. David McDonald, April 25, 1836..................... 80 John and Thos. Kcnedy, April 25, 1836............ 160 Royal Chamberlin, May 2, 1836....................... 160 6 " " May 27, 1836...................... 80 James Wadsworth, July 7, 1836...................... 80 Royal Chamberlin, May 4, 1836...................... 80 SECTION 18. Clinton D. Cuddeback, June 3, 1836................. 149.44 Henry Spencer, July 7, 1836.......................... 149v80 James Wadsworth, ".......................... 240 Thos. J. Drake, July 16, 1836..................... 80 183 SECTION 3. David M. Jewett, May 27, 1836....................... 137.56 SECTION 4. Nathan M. Miles, June 5, 1833..................... 139.94 Andrew Hyslop, July 13, 1835,..................... 158.70 Wm. W. Brewster, Oct. 12, 1835...................... 45.95 SECTION 5. Nathan M. Miles, June 5, 1833...................... 55.24 Levi Gilkey, Aug. 21, 1833............................ 50.04 John Patten, June 17, 1834........................... 65.74 " " Sept 2,1834.............................. 47.52 Daniel Sullivan, m. 25, 1834..........................39.65 Russell Welsh, June 3, 1835............................ 38.77 " " June 9, 1835........................... 39.82 John Greenfield, Aug. 5, 1835........................ 153.87 " "i Sept. 11, 1835...................... 80 Levi Gilkey, May 30, 1835.............................. 38.77 184 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIIGAN. SECTION 19. Acres. Thomas Slade, June 2, 1836........................... 80 HIinman Rexford, Sept. 12, 1836.................... 80 Eben and Henry French, Oct. 11, 1836............. 70.44 Wm. B. Clifford, " "(............. 80 Eleazer G. Belknap, " "............. 160 0. D. Richardson, Oct. 19, 1836...................... 152 SECTION 20. John and Thos. Kennedy, April 25. 1836......... 160 Royal Chamberlin, May 25, 1836..................... 160 David M. Jewitt, May 27, 1836....................... 160 Thomas Slade, June 2, 1836.......................... 80 Thomas J. Drake, June 16, 1836.....................80 SECTION 21. John D. McIntire, April 25, 1836.................... 240 John and Thos. Kennedy, April 25, 1836........... 400 SECTION 22. SECTION 31. Acres. John W. McNair, May 30, 1836...................... 318.88 George Jasperson, June 10, 1836..................... 159.50 Erastus Cash, June 25, 1836.......................... 160 SECTION 32. Timothy Walkley, April 6, 1836..................... 80 John D. Tole, June 1, 1836............................ 240 Hiram Wright, June 25, 1836......................... 160 Erastus Cash, (" "........................ 160 SECTION 33. George Crocker, March 28, 1836.................. 160 John Thorne, " ".................. 80 Willard Eddy, " "....................... 160 George Crooker, April 4, 1836........................ 80 Jonathan Shearer, May 6, 1836....................... 160 SECTION 34. Morrison Paulding,) D. S. Hickeox, Jan. 1, 1836................. Wm. P. Patrick, Calvin Hotchkiss, Jan. 4, 1836........................ Wm. Payne, March 28, 1836........................... John D. McIntire, April 25, 1836.................... Daniel McKercher, "................... Archibald Kennedy,.................... 80 75.05 80 80 160 160 T. G. IIolden, May 4, 1836............................ Juba Barrows, " "............................ William A. Rupp, May 4, 1836...................... Amander Gardner, July 5, 1836..................... Thomas H. Perkins, July 6, 1836.................... SECTION 35. William N. Stanard. April 22, 1836.................. Timothy Walkley, May 20, 1836..................... John Keale, May 26, 1836.............................. M. Healy and B. B. Kercheval, May 31, 1836.. 160 160 160 80 80 400 80 120 40 SECTION 23. Alonzo Torrey, July 21, 1835......................... 80 John Getten, Sept. 21, 1835.........................,. 80 Timothy Walkley, Nov. 19, 1844.................... 80 Morrison Paalding,. D. S. Hickcox, Jan. 1, 1836.............. 137.12 Winm. P. Patrick, Calvin Hotchkiss, Jan. 4, 1836..................... 94.26 SECTION 24. Jesse Torrey, July 21, 18.35............................. 397.91 SECTION 25. Elijah Carmon, June 9, 1835.......................... Joseph Carmon, Sept. 1, 1835.......................... John Beaman, Sept. 21, 1835......................... Asa Torrey, Oct. 29, 1835............................... Margaret Moon, Jan. 23, 1836....................... Win. Moon, "....................... Alonzo Torrey, April 2, 1836.......................... 80 80 160 80 80 80 80 SECTION 26. Lysander Phillips, Sept. 16, 1835..................... 80 Jeremiah Relsey, Sept. 17, 1835...................... 160 Hiram Judd, Oct. 19, 1835.............................. 80 Delia Walkley, March 22, 1836........................ 80 Thos. L. L. Brent, March 28, 1836................... 80 Juba Barrows, May 4, 1836............................. 80 Joseph Nichols, May 6, 1836........................... 80 SECTION 27. Jesse Welch, Oct. 29, 1835........................ 40 James M. Welch, Dec. 26, 1835...................... 40 Timothy Walkley, March 28, 1836.................. 160 William Bendle, " ".................. 80 Willard Eddy, " ".................. 80 Thomas L. L. Brent, " ".................. 80 James Warren, May 6, 1836-........................... 80 Henry Warren, '" ".......................... 80 SECTION 28. William Bendle, March 28, 1836..................... 240 George Crocker, " "..................... 160 William Bendle, April 4, 1836........................ 80 Nathan C. Dayton, May 2, 1836.................... 80 P. G. Cochrane, " "...............S...... 80 SECTION 29. An effort has been made to obtain the early records of the township from its organization, but the most diligent search has failed to discover any book of records earlier than 1854. When the city was set apart some discussion arose as to which organization should have the custody of the old records, each having claimed them. It was finally determined that Flint township was entitled to them, and they were consequently accorded her. The present clerk has never had them in his custody; the oldest township official has no knowledge of them; neither are they to be found among the archives of Burton or the city of Flint. The historian also applied to the county clerk for aid, but was successful only in obtaining a list of the supervisors from 1836, and not finding the memory of any old settler sufficiently retentive to fill in the blank, submits the fragmentary list as the best obtainable: 1836-37.-Lyman Stow, Supervisor. 1838.-Robert F. Stage, Supervisor. 1839-41.-No supervisor's name recorded. 1842.-John L. Gage, Supervisor. 1843.-G. H. Hazelton, Supervisor. 1844.-John L. Gage, Supervisor. 1845-46.-William Patterson, Supervisor. 1847.-William M. Fenton, Supervisor. 1848-49.-John L. Gage, Supervisor. 1850.-A. P. Davis, Supervisor. 1851.-William Patterson, Supervisor. 1852-53.-Porter Hlazelton, Supervisor. 1854.-William Patterson, Supervisor; John C. Griswold, Treasurer; Daniel S. Freeman, William S. Crandell, Justices of the Peace; Orville D. Chapman, Township Clerk; William Gage, Highway Commissioner; Robert D. Lamond, School Inspector; John Delbtidge, Daniel Mathew, Overseers of the Poor; Alonzo Cary, Philo Fairchild, D. L. Nash, and M. Ide, Constables. 1855.-John L. Gage, Supervisor; Harlow Whittlesey, Township Clerk; Daniel Torrey, Treasurer; Robert P. Aitkin, H. G. Conger, Abel S. Donelson, Chandlr H. Rockwood, Justices of the Peace; William Boomer,laighway Commissioner; Dwight Frost, Daniel McKercher, School Inspectors; Lewis Buckingham, Lysander Phillips, Directors of the Poor; Andrew J. Eggleston, Charles R. Bristol, Dewitt Parker, Jacob Eldridge, Constables. David McDonald, April 25, 1836..................... H. M. Henderson, May 30, 1836...................... Orion Blodget, June 2, 1836........................... 320 160 160 SECTION 30. H. M. Henderson, May 30, 1836..................... 80 Edmund F. Opps, " ".................... 236.12 Mark Healy and B. B. Kercheval, May 31, 1836.. 314.68 IRA D.WRIGHT. MRS. IRA D.WRI HT. IRA D. WRIGHT. Ira D. Wright, one of the founders of the city of Flint, was born in Washington, N. H., August 3, 1809. His father, William Wright, moved with his family to Genesee Co., N. Y., where he carried on the business of farming, in connection with tanning and shoemaking, until 1837, when he died, leaving four sons and three daughters. In 1834, Ira D. Wright, Robert F. Stage, and A. C. Stevens came to Flint, and purchased some three thousand acres of land in Genesee County, including a tract of two hundred acres which embraced what is now a portion of the city of Flint, lying between Court Street and the river, and east of Saginaw Street. Upon this land no improvements had been made. They at once employed men to clear a portion of this tract, and returned to the State of New York. The next spring Mr. Stage and Mr. Wright came on and commenced the improvement of their property. In October, 1835, they opened the first general store in the county, at Grand Blanc, and were thus engaged until a suitable building could be erected at Flint, which was done, and the goods moved to Flint the following June. This building had an upper room where the pioneers, without regard to sect or creed, met for their deliberations. Messrs. Stage and Wright have also the honor of erecting the first building for school purposes in Flint. This was a board sha*, twelve by sixteen feet, erected in 1836, on the east side of Saginaw Street. They employed Miss Philinda Overton, and furnished free; education to the rising pioneers. There was an attendance of twelve scholars, and the school was maintained for two terms, when a school-house was erected. About this time they built a saw-mill where the old mill now stands, just above Hamilton's flouring-mill. This was the first mill on the Flint River. In 1840, Messrs. Stage, Wright, Payne, and Morrison, built a large mill on the north side of the river, on the site now occupied by the Crapo mill. This they operated for six or seven years, when Mr. Wright turned his attention to dealing in lands. He was appointed timber agent for the government, the duties of which office took him through all the forests of Michigan, giving him a valuable experience. He made several trips with Prof. Houghton, and assisted in selecting the Salt Springs lands, the Internal Improvement lands, and others. In 1853 he moved to the farm where he now resides, -adjoining the city, —and since that time has made farming his avocation. In 1842 he was married to Miss Marietta Ingersoll, daughter of Peter Ingersoll, who settled in Oakland County in 1836; was a soldier in the war of 1812, and participated in all the battles of the frontier under Gen. Scott; the last few years of his life were spent with his daughter, Mrs. Wright; he died April, 1869, in his seventy-eighth year. 7777777777 FLINT TOWNSHIP. 185 1856.-R. P. Aitkin, Supervisor; D. McKercher, Township Clerk; Clark Boomer, Treasurer; William J. Colvin, Commissioner of Highways; Elijah D. Farnham, Charles C. Parrish, School Inspectors; Thomas B. Begole, Abel S. Donelson, Directors of the Poor; Lorenzo D. Morse, Horace Bristol, Lewis Buckingham, Justices of the Peace; Andrew Fancheon, Theodore Tupper, Henry Bristol, Abram D. Cudney, Constables. 1857.-Robert W. Dullam, Supervisor; Thomas ir"Nesbitt, Township Clerk; Marvin Tupper, Treasurer; Andrew Hyslop, Justice of the Peace; George Crocker, Highway Commissioner; John Russell, School Inspector; Lysander Phillips, Dewitt C. Cuddeback, Directors of the Poor; William V. Hilton, Philip Washburn, Corydon Cronk, John Lane, Jr., Constables. 1858.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Brookins, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; Elijah Farnham, School Inspector; Fred. A. Begole, Justice of the Peace; Lysander Phillips, Roswell Hilton, Directors of the Poor; George Persons, Highway Commissioner; Ephraim Foster, Henry Bristol, William V. Hilton, Abram D. Cudney, Constables. 1859.-R. P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Brookins, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; John Russell, School Inspector; George C. Murray, Highway Commissioner; Benjamin Boomer, Sr., Horace Bristol, Directors of the Poor; George F. Hood, Justice of the Peace; Henry Bristol, Francis F. Brewer, Martin Cuddeback, Constables. 1860.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Brookins, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; Thomas Partridge, Justice of the Peace; George Crocker, Highway Commissioner; Barnabas M. Fay, School Inspector; Ephraim Foster, Jesse Birdsall, Harman W. Whitney, William Partridge, Constables. 1861.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Brookins, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; Andrew Hyslop, Isaac N. Robinson, Justices of the Peace; A. Clark Merritt, School Inspector; Peter Sellers, Highway Commissioner; William Turver, William Parkhurst, Squire E. Foster, Benjamin Boomer, Constables. 1862.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Brookins, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; Barnabas M. Fay, School Inspector; Marvin B. Person, Highway Commissioner; Frederic A. Begole, Justice of the Peace; Benjamin Boomer, Jr., John Hodge, De Witt C. Cuddeback, Wm. V. Hilton, Constables. 1863.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; Charles M. Williams, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; John Russell, School Inspector; John Brookins, Highway Commissioner; Isaac N. Robinson, E. M. Tupper, Justices of the Peace; Stephen Hempsted, Henry C. Gilbert, David Rush, Benjamin B. Boomer, Constables. 1864.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Brookins, Township Clerk; Lyman M. Murray, Treasurer; Abel S. Donelson, Justice of the Peace; John M. Dresser, Highway Commissioner; A. Clark Merritt, Barnabas M. Fay, School Inspectors; Albert Van Slyke, Benjamin Boomer, Stephen Hempsted, Henry C. Gilbert, Constables. 1865.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; Leander Church, Township Clerk; Horace Bristol, Treasurer; John Russell, School Inspector; Horace J. Brockway, Henry C. Van Tifflin, Highway Commissioners; Andrew Hyslop, Justice of the Peace; Charles Rice, Horace J. Brockway, Stephen Hempsted, Benjamin Boomer, Constables. 1866.-R. P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Wilson, Township Clerk; John Brookins, Treasurer; W. J. Cronk, School Inspector; Geo. Crocker, Highway Commissioner; Edward M. Tupper, Justice of the Peace; James Funcheon, Thos. D. Partridge, Stephen Hempsted, A. Van Slyke, Constables. 1867.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Wilson, Township Clerk; Andrew HyslQp, Treasurer; Edward M. Tupper, School In spector; Philip Bettesworth, Isaac N. Robinson, Highway Commissioners; Isaac N. Robinson, Justice of the Peace; David Persons, Horace B. Boomer, Wm. V. Hilton, Warren Buckley, Constables. 24 1868.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; John Wilson, Andrew Hyslop, Treasurers; George L. Walker, School Inspector; Clark Boomer, Highway Commissioner; Abram S. Donelson, Justice of the Peace; Benjamin Boomer, Newall Bristol, Elisha Brewer, Stephen Hempsted, Constables. 1869.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; George F. Hood, Township Clerk; John H. Carey, Treasurer; Edward M. Tupper, School Inspector; Lyman P. Andrews, Highway Commissioner; Marvin B. Persons, Justice of the Peace; Horace B. Boomer, Wm. H. Utley, James Williams, Eugene Curtis, Constables. 1870.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; James Williams, Township Clerk; John H. Carey, Treasurer; George Walker, School Inspector; Philip Bettesworth, Highway Commissioner; Edward M. Tupper, Charles Rice, Justices of the Peace; Bradford G. Reed, Oliver Dye, George Darling, Abram V. Green, Constables. 1871.-R. P. Aitkin, Supervisor; William H. Aitkin, Township Clerk; Mortimer Carter, Treasurer; E. A. Brewer, School Inspector; Clark Boomer, Alfred Gifford, Highway Commissioners; Hugh Nichols, Justice of the Peace; Bradford G. Reed, Henry Olds, George Persons, Horace B. Boomer, Constables. 1872.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; William Ransom, Mortimer Carter, Treasurers; Minor S. Newhall, School Inspector; Alfred Gifford, Highway Commissioner; John I1. Gotshall, Drain Commissioner; Frederick A. Begole, Samuel Bickley, Justices of the Peace; Bradford G. Reed, Horace B. Boomer, Samuel Bickley, James Begole, Constables. 1873.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; Thomas H. Nesbitt, Township Clerk; E. A. Brewer, Treasurer; Stephen R. Hall, Highway Commissioner; John C. Vincent, Justice of the Peace; James M. Torrey, School Inspector; Henry C. Gilbert, Drain Commissioner; Peter Gordon, Horace B. Boomer, Samuel Sellers, George Utley, Sr., Constables. 1874.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; A. Torrey, Township Clerk; E. A. Brewer, Treasurer; Minor S. Newall, School Inspector; John Mackin, Highway Commissioner; Albert Torrey, Drain Commissioner; Edward M. Tupper, Justice of the Peace; William H. Darling, Samuel-Bickley, William D. Johnston, Peter Gordon, Constables. 1875.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; Andre Torrey, Township Clerk; Stephen R. Hall, Treasurer; Clark Boomer, Justice of the Peace; James M. Torrey, Superintendent of Schools; S. Eugene Warner, School Inspector; Hugh Nichols, Highway Commissioner; Milo Donelson, Drain Commissioner; Horace Boomer, Robert Ellsworth, Bradford G. Reed, Peter Gordon, Constables. 1876.-Robert P. Aitkin, Supervisor; Thomas 11. Nesbitt, Township Clerk; Stephen R. Hall, Treasurer; James M. Torrey, Superintendent of Schools; Hugh Nichols, Highway Commissioner; Milo Donelson, Drain Commissioner; F. A. Begole, Justice of the Peace; Wm. Blackinton, Peter Gordon, Horace B. Boomer, W. D. Johnston, Alvaro Boucher, Constables. 1877.-Thomas H. Nesbitt, Supervisor; James M. Torrey, Township Clerk; Andre Torrey, Treasurer; B. H. J. Jackson, School Inspector; Robert A. Blackinton, Superintendent of Schools; Hugh Nichols, Commissioner of Highways; John C. Vincent, Drain Commissioner; John Mackin, Justice of the Peace; Peter Gordon, Hiram Hall, George Sellers, William Welch, Constables. 1878.-Thomas H. Nesbitt, Supervisor; Robert A. Blackinton, Township Clerk; Andre Torrey, Treasurer; Zorrie House, Superintendent of Schools; Calvin C. Warner, School Inspector; Hugh Nichols, Highway Commissioner; William A. Colmer, Drain Commissioner; John H. Carey, Justice of the Peace; Peter Gordon, John Signer, Chas. McElhany, George Bettesworth, Constables. 1879.-Thomas H. Nesbitt, Supervisor; Robert A. Blackinton, Township Clerk; Lyman Eggleston, Treasurer; Alfred Torrey, School Inspector; Zorrie House, Superintendent of Schools; Hugh Nichols, Highway Commissioner; Peter Gordon, Drain Commissioner; Clark Boomer, Justice of the Peace; Thomas House, George L. Utley, George Bettesworth, Constables. 1 86 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Some difference of opinion exists as to whom should be accorded the honor of first breaking the forests of the township. Elijah Carman it is generally conceded erected the first log house, and the historian has not been able to discover any records or information which materially interferes with the claim of Mr. Carman's family to be considered as the earliest settlers. Jesse Torrey was the founder of the Torrey settlement, and came the same year with Mr. Carman, but the latter's advent antedates that of Mr. Torrey. Elijah Carman removed from Oakland County early in 1835, and located in the township 80 acres, described as "the east half of the southeast quarter of section 25." He immediately cleared upon this tract a piece of land embracing about three acres and erected a log house, which there is little doubt was the first in the township. In September of the same year he was comfortably housed in his new quarters. At the raising of this house were five men and one boy from the village of Flint, which embraced nearly the whole male population of the place. The band was reinforced the following day by two men, who arrived with a view to settling. Mr. Carman endured many privations, and does not seem to have much enjoyed his pioneer life. He was a skillful hunter, and depended greatly upon his rifle for table supplies. The skins of the deer he shot were tanned and converted into trousers and mittens, making durable if not elegant garments. Fodder was so scarce that the cattle were browsed upon the limbs which were cut from the trees and piled for them. A man with an axe upon his shoulder was the inevitable suggestion of dinner to them, and the hungry quadrupeds would follow him for miles. Mr. Carman's log house was the scene of many religious gatherings in 1836-37, when, on alternate Sabbaths, the neighbors heard the Gospel expounded by Revs. James McAlester and Blanchard. In the year 1837, Cornelius Mars, the father-in-law of Mr. Carman, came and erected a log house on his farm. His residence was brief, death having removed him from the little circle of pioneers two years later. Mr. Carman survived him but a brief period, his death occurring in 1840. In 1835 arrived an emigrant from Genesee County, N. Y., who proved an important element in the growth of the township, and who has been already alluded to,-Jesse Torrey. With him came his wife, daughter, and four sons,-Alonzo, Asa, Albert, and Alma. He located 400 acres on section 24, which was a fractional section. Alonzo, his son, entered on sections 23 and 25, each 80 acres. Asa entered 80 acres on section 25. These were the first entries made in the locality known as the Torrey Settlement, which these gentlemen founded, and among the very first in the township. There are also the Dye, Utley, Cronk, Bristol, Stanard, and Carter settlements, all originally founded by the gentlemen whose names they bear, who were leading spirits in these particular localities. Mr. Alonzo Torrey states that his father's land was the first cleared, Mr. Carman's having been previously entered but not improved. Their approach to the new home they were about establishing was made under many difficulties. After leaving the Thread they were obliged to cut their way, crossing the creek where it was most easily forded, and choosing the route which it seemed possible to render most accessible. The country was uninhabited save by wolves and deer, which roamed the forests unmolested. Rufus Stevens' mill, at the Thread, afforded Jesse Torrey an opportunity to erect for himself and family a comfortable habitation of logs, cut from the immediate spot, while slabs did duty, in lieu of shingles, for a roof. The Torreys' advent in the township was made in October of 1836, the previous July having afforded father and sons an opportunity of prospecting and locating their lands. Jesse Torrey was the first pioneer who may in any sense be regarded as a moneyed man. He brought with him, after purchasing his land, about $4000 in cash, and devoted it, with exceeding liberality and public spirit, to the improvement and advancement of the neighborhood, affording employment to many who were dependent upon their earnings for support, and giving opportunity to others, who desired to establish homes for themselves. The same year of Alonzo Torrey's arrival he erected a house upon his land, having previously lived with his father. This house was quite pretentious in appearance, having two roofs,-one on either side,-covered with shingles split from white ash. The owner well remembers the circumstance of their manufacture, from the fact that in making them he cut his foot so severely as to render a crutch necessary during the remainder of the time the house was building. On its completion, Mr. Torrey repaired to Orleans Co., N. Y., and took to himself a wife, who is still living, and recalls with much satisfaction her early days in the wilderness. On their arrival at Detroit from the East they were charged by a teamster $40 for a conveyance to transport themselves and their goods to Flint. Mr. Torrey declined the questionable service for the best of reasons,it was quite beyond the possibilities of his exchequer. Fortunately, they observed a man near by, making a bargain with another teamster to transport him to the Thread mills, which he had engaged to run for Mr. Stevens. They bargained with him at 12 shillings a hundred, and $3 apiece was asked to transport the ladies,-the capacity of the vehicle being limited to 800 pounds. With them was a portion of their worldly goods,-the limited capacity of the vehicle obliging them to leave the remainder behind, where they remained until the following winter. Two cows were also brought, which proved a sad incumbrance to them on their travels. The ladies, for whom a comfortable means of transportation had been engaged, found, very soon after starting, that they would not only advance their own comfort by walking, but that the traveling speed of the cattle would be greatly enhanced thereby. Mr. Torrey discovered that it would be necessary to devise some means to balance the load to prevent its tipping; he therefore fastened a rope at one side, with which he prevented its falling from him, while with a pole he maintained its equilibrium upon the other side. The Thread River was ultimately reached, where the goods were left until a more convenient opportunity offered for taking them farther. They then proceeded, and had made but little pro STEWVART H. WVEBSTIER. MRS. STEWART WEBSTER. STEWART H. WEBSTER. Stewart H. Webster was born in Berkshire Co., Mass. When quite young his father, John Webster, moved with the family to Monroe Co., N. Y., and settled at Rush Village, where he engaged in milling, and in conducting a mercantile business, hotel, postoffice, etc. He was the proprietor of the village, and politically was a leading Democrat. His influence was deemed of such importance that Martin Van Buren went to see and consult him. He died in 1850, at an advanced age. He reared a large family of children, six of whom were living at his death. Stewart H. Webster, the immediate subject of this sketch, was the oldest child of John Webster, above mentioned. When twenty years of age he married Miss Margaretta Amy Wiard, aunt of Norman Wiard, inventor of the celebrated Wiard steel cannon and contractor for building iron-clad vessels during the war. Mr. Webster lived at Rush some twenty years after he was married; then, in the spring of 1835, came to Genesee County, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land three miles south of Flint, upon which there was a small improvement. Here he commenced in earnest to make himself a home; the improvements went steadily on. About 1844 he built a hotel which became quite famous. The "Webster Tavern" was one of the important stopping-places on the Saginaw road, and its proprietor one of the most hospitable and genial of men; not only the traveler but the pioneer and neighbor felt the warmth of his genial nature and open-handed generosity. He died Oct. 10, 1864, leaving a wife and three daughters; the former departed this life April 10, 1871. The daughters all reside in the city of Flint. The oldest is the widow of Dr. Drake, who was an early physician of Flint; the second daughter married Abel Donelson in 1855; he was from Coleraine, Franklin Co., Mass., and came with his father to Oakland County in 1827. Mr. Donelson settled on a farm in Flint, where he resided until his health failed, when he retired to the city, where he now resides. FLINT TOWVNSHNIP. 187 FLN.ONHP 8 gress when the horses were mired, and any further efforts to advance upon wheels seemed useless. With a persevering spirit which is inherent in the pioneer, they shouldered what few effects had been placed in the vehicle, and proceeded on foot, the horses finally extricating themselves and returning to Detroit. Mr. and Mrs. Torrey finally reached their primitive home and prepared to battle with the privations that awaited them. Together with Hiram Judd, Mr. Torrey entered into a contract to cut the logs on 40 acres of land, and float them down the Flint River. This involved a total change in the domestic arrangements of the family, and in consonance with it a shanty was erected in the woods, and Mrs. Torrey installed as housekeeper. Her hospitality, though not elegant, was exceedingly grateful to the sturdy woodchoppers, who frequently toiled till midnight with their saws and axes. These logs were the first ever floated down the river, and the number cut was 1000, for which a compensation of fifty cents a log was received. Meanwhile, Mrs. Torrey, with a courage that would astonish the modern lady, remained the sole occupant of the shanty in the midst of the dense forest, with no sound save the murmur of the winds or the distant echo of the chopping, and no near companion but the wolves that prowled about the hovel in search of food. She facetiously remarked to the writer that even this required less courage than to endure the perilous journey to her old home again. After Mrs. Torrey had been two years in the uncleared forests of Michigan nothing seemed more natural than a desire to visit the scenes of her childhood. No events marked this visit other than were exceedingly enjoyable. Her brother, Columbus Le Valley, accompanied her on her return, and purchased later 160 acres on section 27. The journey was made without difficulty until their arrival at the Thread, which occurred as evening approached. They started for home on foot, groping their way through the forest, until night overtook them. Overcome with fatigue and prevented by the darkness from discovering any landmarks by which they could detect their present position, they both sat down,-Mrs. Torrey to meditate and weep over the strange vicissitudes of a pioneer life, and Mr. Le Valley to wish himself back in the fruitful valleys of New York State, asserting that if he had known the facts " he wouldn't have come for a thousand dollars." Finally, the lady, with a courage and strength of will that had enabled her before to overcome all obstables, arose and declared that " she would not sleep in the woods when she was so near her Alonzo." Through the darkness her ears detected the ripple of a stream near by, and, groping her way thither, she discovered which way the water flowed, and was thus advised of the points of the compass. Bidding her brother follow, she advanced, pursuing her uncertain way until the log house of Jesse Torrey was discovered. Then, with the aid of a lantern, their destination was reached. Mr. Torrey was seen through the window, his head buried in his hands, while he repined at the fate which had deprived him of his companion. He was no less delighted than surprised at her coming, and the faithful wife declared that from that moment she would never leave him; which promise she has through all the years kept with fidelity. Lysander Phillips and family lived with Mr. and Mrs. Torrey, having arrived the same fall in company with them. The following spring they moved into a log house erected upon land they purchased in the vicinity. Hiram Judd came with the Torreys in 1835, and was associated with them in the clearing of the first lands. He remained two years, and returned East. After an interval of eight years he returned again to Michigan. Daniel O'Sullivan, who has already figured conspicuously in the city history as one of its foremost pioneers and the first to advance its educational interests, was also a very early settler in the township, having purchased 40 acres not far from the Cronk settlement, where he remained for a period of years, and finally returned again to the city. His venerable form may still be seen daily upon Saginaw Street. In 1835 came also Andrew Hyslop, a gentleman of Scotch descent, who located 160 acres on section 4. After his death his widow removed to the city, where she now resides. Mrs. Hyslop retains vivid memories of the deprivations she endured on her arrival. The roads from Detroit were almost impassable when they came, and the usual difficulties were experienced. From Flint to their own land there was no road, and sufficient brush was cleared to admit of an opening, through which they made slow progress. John Greenfield, their neighbor, had purchased 300 acres on section 5, and begun the erection of a log house. In this uncompleted abode Mr. and Mrs. Hyslop were content to remain until they were able to build a home of their own. In the spring of 1836, William N. Stanard, of Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., entered the south half of section 35, and the northwest quarter of the same section. His sons, Jeremiah R. and Rosel, had preceded him, the latter having been induced to become a pioneer at the earnest solicitation of Jesse Torrey, who offered to aid him in the purchase of land when he should make a satisfactory location. Mr. Stanard, hearing of a tract now embraced in the city limits, and which had not been entered (a location which subsequently proved invaluable), mentioned it to Mr. Torrey, who instructed him to complete his arrangements. He also unfortunately gave the same information to a friend, and within hearing was the inevitable lounger, who may be found even at this late day sunning himself on the corner, or hanging about the neighboring bar-rooms. This individual was not slow to avail himself of the facts he had overheard. He went directly to James W. Cronk, and repeated what he had heard. The following day Mr. Stanard and Jesse Torrey repaired to the land-office to make the entry. Mr. Cronk made his exit as they entered, having five minutes before purchased the tract they were about locating. Mr. Stanard, Sr., however, gave his sons each 80 acres of the land he had purchased. Jeremiah R. subsequently removed to Lapeer County, and Rosel, who chopped the first acre of land in the Torrey settlement, still occupies the farm originally given him. George W. Rapp came in 1836, having married a daughter of William N. Stanard, who also received 80 acres of her father's entry. George Crocker came at nearly the same date and located on section 27, 160 acres which he immediately improved, 188 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and has brought to a high state of cultivation. Ox-teams were in common use at this early period, horses not being easily procured, and being less available in breaking the rough land. On the bank of Swartz Creek, where the Torrey church now stands, was erected in 1838 the first school-house in the township. It was built of logs and was at a later date burned, the fire being generally regarded as the result of accident. The teacher who disciplined the youth of this early period was Miss Louisa Kimball, who afterwards became Mrs. Joseph Freeman, and is now Mrs. Horace Bristol. After Miss Kimball's term expired, the school was placed in charge of Miss Jane Watkins, whose brief career was terminated by the burning of the school-house. Fortunately the neighborhood by this calamity was not deprived of instruction, for Mrs. Alonzo Torrey opened her own house, and for three months the scholars were taught by her. During the interval a frame school-building of more extended proportions was being constructed, and on its completion Mrs. Torrey with her little band removed thither, and for four months longer filled the role of teacher. The new building was erected on section 24, opposite the old site, which was on the corner of section 23. In this school-house the early religious services were held. The following were the names of the first scholars: Albert Torrey, Orlando Sanborn, Apha Sanborn, Orminda Sanborn, Mary Jane Sanborn, Sarah Ann Sanborn, Isaac Kelsey, Almira Kelsey, Lorinda Kelsey, Charles Phillips, Emily Phillips, Lydia Colby, Clark Torrey, Levi Torrey, Mary Torrey, John Torrey, Almon Torrey, William Boomer, and Pliny Boomer. Soon after this schoolhouses were erected in other portions of the township, and at the present date capacious structures are seen dotting its territory at very short intervals. The mortuary record of these early years of the township history was a matter of congratulation to the settlers. Good health and cheerful spirits everywhere abounded, and, as a remarkable fact, it may be stated that in the Torrey settlement no death occurred for a period of twelve years, the first remembered being that of a son of Lysander Phillips, in 1848. The earliest death in the township, as nearly as can be ascertained after very diligent inquiry, was that of a Mrs. Greenfield, who lived on section 5. Cornelius Mars' death occurred in 1839, and was among the earliest. Miss Sallie, youngest daughter of Capt. Benjamin Boomer, died in 1846, and her death has been stated to the writer as the first, but it is altogether likely that Mrs. Greenfield's occurred prior to either of the others, probably in 1838. The earliest marriage, as stated by Albert Torrey, was that of Horace Boomer to Samantha, daughter of Horace Bristol. Mrs. Alonzo Torrey having been accustomed to attend divine service, and finding no opportunity to gratify her desire at home, determined to go to Flint. Her first intention was to yoke the oxen, but on further consideration she determined to walk. Rev. James McAlester, who per formed the functions of a local preacher and had just moved into the village, saw her pass and determined to pay his respects to the new and church-going family. Taking his gun one morning, and throwing on a large gray overcoat, he sauntered towards their log house. Arriving at the door the hostess saw the large coat, and supposing it covered a wild Indian exclaimed, "There's an Indian! don't bid him come in." The visitor, however, proved harmless, and received a hearty welcome. He arranged to hold service at Mr. Torrey's house on successive Sabbaths, and afterwards in the school-house. This occurred in 1836, and may be regarded as the first religious gathering in the township. Jeremiah Kelsey is another pioneer whose coming dates to early in 1836. He located on section 25, having purchased 160 acres, which his industry and perseverance very soon rendered productive. Dewitt C. Curtis, who now resides on a farm on section 11, arrived with his father, Comfort Curtis, in 1837, — being then fifteen years of age,-and resided with him on a tract described as the east half of the southwest quarter of section 8. His brother David, who is one of the representative men of the township, came the following spring. Capt. Benjamin Boomer located about the same time 80 acres on section 25. He followed nautical pursuits and spent little time upon his land, but was highly esteemed as a good citizen and a genial gentleman. Horace Bristol purchased in March, 1838, of Thomas L. L. Brent, 80 acres on section 26. He resided upon it for many years, but is now living in the city. James W. Cronk's first purchase in the township bears the date of May 3, 1837. He came from New York State, and early settled in Macomb County in this State. While there he heard of the advantageous purchases of land which might be made at the Grand Traverse, and immediately wrote his father, Col. James Cronk, who had been prospecting in the northern part of the State, suggesting that they make a joint purchase of 640 acres. The elder Cronk at once responded to his son's request, and came immediately to Flint, but on the day of his arrival was taken ill. After lingering three days, he died at John Todd's tavern near the river; his son, meanwhile, having been engaged in preparations to remove his family from Macomb County. It is proper here for the historian to correct a popular error which has obtained credence, that the senior Cronk resided in Flint for some years before his death and participated actively in the building up of the settlement. Such are not the facts. He was a total stranger in the neighborhood, and never entered the county until three days before his death. He was buried on the site of the present Presbyterian church, and some years later his remains were disinterred by Daniel O'Sullivan and reburied in the township, on the farm of his grandson, Walter J. Cronk. James W. Cronk, meanwhile, came on and made the projected purchase of 640 acres, embracing some of the ground now covered by the city. Soon after, through the instigation of some interested parties in the East, a suit was begun, in behalf of the estate of James Cronk, to recover a supposed interest in this tract. James W. Cronk, being alone as contestant in this suit and with every pros pect of being discomfited in the contest, prevailed upon certain Detroit parties, Messrs. Morrison & Dubois, to purchase the land. ANSON GILBERT. MRS. ANSON GILBERT. ANSON GILBERT. Anson Gilbert was born in Galway, Saratoga, N. Y., June 27, 1806. His father was a farmer, but lie learned the trade of carpenter and joiner. In 1832 he came to Detroit, where he worked at his trade. In 1835 he was married to Miss Judith Ann Garland, formerly of New Hampshire. At this time, 1836, there was a strong tide of emigration to Michigan to secure land for future homes. Having saved a few hundred dollars, he came out to the then remote wilderness of Genesee County, and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in the northwesterly portion of Flint, taking his title from the government. Returned to Detroit, and the following winter moved to Saginaw, where he worked at his trade until May, 1838, when he employed six Indians, with three or four canoes, to take his family and household effects up the river to the land he had previously purchased. The trip was wild and romantic, and occupied three or four days. Following the crooked river through a dense wilderness, occasionally the stream would be obstructed by drift wood; then the canoes were unloaded, taken from the water, and again launched above the obstruction. There were but two or three settlers the whole distance; they camped out at night. In due time they arrived at the spot which was to be their future home, built a shanty for the first year, and cleared a few acres of land. The next year he built a good frame house, which is now in good order and occupied by the family. Although it was heavily timbered, there are now broad and fertile fields; other lands have been! added to the original purchase until a large and valuable farm has been made, which furnishes all the comforts of life. He died Sept. 4, 1876, leaving a wife and three children,-two sons and one daughter. The oldest son lives in the city of Flint; the daughter is married, and lives adjoining the old home; the youngest son lives on the old home, where the mother resides, in her seventy-third year, in good health and spirits, enjoying a well-earned competency, and taking great pleasure in relating incidents of "Auld Lang Syne." :I: FLINT TOWNSHIP. 189 After this event, James W., desiring to make the county of Genesee his home, entered, in the year 1837, 160 acres of land in the township of Flint, on sections 7 and 8. With his arrival dates the first clearing of ground in the present Cronk settlement limits. These facts are obtained from his grandson, Walter J. Cronk, who now resides in the city of Flint, and is an extensive land-owner in the township. James W. Cronk has left a reputation as a keen lover of the hunter's life, and in his rambles about the country in search of land his trusty gun was ever at his side. His aim was unerring, and many choice saddles of venison, and wild turkeys, were among the spoils of the chase. Mr. Cronk had a favorite dog that often accompanied him on these occasions. A morning's hunt resulted in the killing of four splendid deer, which were piled together near the spot now occupied by the residence of Hon. Sumner Howard in the suburbs of Flint. The next morning a sleigh was drawn to this spot for the purpose of bringing home the game. The morning was a stormy one, the air being filled with heavy flakes of snow. While busily engaged, Mr. Cronk discerned, through the storm, an animal approaching him having the appearance of a wolf. He raised his gun, which was synonymous with death to the victim, and, to his great dismay, learned soon after that his favorite dog lay writhing in agony. The animal lived some hours, but the aim of the sportsman had been too certain to hope for life. On another occasion Mr. Cronk was in the woods, and encountered a splendid specimen of what is known as the "spike-horn buck," whose horns are constructed especially for defense, and whose ferocity when driven to bay makes them exceedingly dangerous as a foe. The animal, after being wounded, dropped motionless, and his victor, thinking him dead or dying, approached and drew his knife across his throat. As the blood spirted from the wound the animal revived, and at once sprang upon his pursuer.,In an instant he was thrown upon his back, while the buck made a desperate charge upon him. His only possible defense was in the use of his feet, with which he was able to ward off the attack. This method of warfare was fast depleting his strength, and with every renewed charge his legs were being mangled and torn. In his almost helpless condition the buck was fast gaining ground, when a dog belonging to Mr. Cronk appeared upon the scene in an opportune moment, and grappled with the buck. In a moment more the rifle had ended the contest. Mr. Cronk died while doing service in the Mexican war. His widow still survives, and resides in the city of Flint, maintaining the old-time hospitality her husband was wont -to exercise; and their son, Walter I., is a successful farmer in the western portion of the township. Marvin B. Persons came a year later than Mr. Cronk, and for twelve months made his home with him, assisting him in clearing the farm. Later he effected an arrangement with Thomas L. L. Brent, a large land-owner, to clear a tract for him in the present township of Flushing, and receivea as compensation for this service 80 acres of his present farm, which he immediately proceeded to improve. iHe erected a log shanty, and subsequently married and made his home upon this tract. Since that time he has added to its dimensions, and he is now one of the representative men of the township. William Van Slyke came from Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1837, having originally entered land in Richfield, which he exchanged for 80 acres on section 35, entered by William Stanard. Mr. Van Slyke brought with him a superior span of horses, but as it was almost impossible to obtain grain for them, and oxen were better adapted to the wants of that early period, he disposed of them in Pontiac, at a considerable sacrifice. Mrs. Van Slyke, who still resides in the township, has a keen memory of facts pertaining to her first residence in Michigan. The snakes were so numerous that they almost drove her family from the first log house occupied by them. It seemed impossible to build a house so securely as to make it impregnable to these marauders. Philip Beltsworth located, in 1836, 99 acres on section 11, and soon became prominent in the various interests connected with the township. J. D. Eggleston removed from Orleans Co., N. Y., in 1837, and took possession of 120 acres his father had given him on section 17, this being a portion of 400 acres purchased by John A. Eggleston on sections 17 and 20. At the time of his coming, the country was almost entirely unsettled, thick woods covering the land now marked by well-cultivated farms. The nearest neighbor was James W. Cronk, who was two and a half miles distant. When Mr. Eggleston arrived he had two yoke of oxen and one team of horses. He crossed the Flint River in a canoe, which was drawn across by the oxen. He afterwards removed to his present farm of 168 acres. John Thorne was among the pioneers of an early date, and found little more than a wilderness to greet his coming. He established himself on section 32, and has resided there since. Jabez Blackinton first settled in Oakland County, and in 1837 located in the township. He resides on section 15, as does also Charles Blackinton. The founder of what is known as the Dye settlement is Ruben Dye, who came in 1843, and purchased 40 acres on section 20. This had already been improved, and a log house built upon it. He afterwards added another 40 acres, and later still another, of improved land. His sons established themselves around him and populated the settlement, -hence the name. F. A. Begole removed to the township in 1838, choosing a farm in the extreme southwest corner, on section 31. He occupies a position of influence, and is successful in the vocation which he follows. Anson Gilbert came early and purchased 174 acres on section 6. His son now occupies the farm. Edward Tupper located on section 29, and his brothers Marvin and John located on the northeast portion of section 32. They have each followed agricultural pursuits, and won a reputation as successful farmers. A. Herrick came early to the southern portion of the township, and established himself upon a farm. He is also well known as a local preacher. Robert P. Aitkin settled in Flint in 1842, and purchased of George M. Dewey, who was acting as agent for 190 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. _; z T. L. L. Brent in the sale of lands, 80 acres on section 8. Mr. Aitkin is known as a successful farmer and a publicspirited gentleman. His election for years in succession to the office of supervisor, bears witness to the esteem in which he is held by the town's people. A portion of Morgan Chapman's farm lies in the township of Flint, on the line between it and Clayton. Alfred Gifford was an early settler, having chosen a tract embracing 120 acres in the northeast quarter of section 8. Cornelius Lane located 40 acres on section 3 in 1840. S. Sellers purchased 44 acres on section 2. Thomas Daly came very early, and is spoken of as a leading spirit in all the enterprises connected with the first settlement of the township. J. Sally was also a pioneer, and improved 30 acres on section 11. He was employed by Chauncey S. Payne, of Flint, as were also P. McCloskey, James Gillespie, and M. Gillespie, who all came from New York City. James and Andrew Fancheon located on sections 16 and 17, and Thomas D. Partridge came as early as 1839, and established himself in the township, while Nathan J. Rublee was still an earlier settler. Jasper Bristol came in 1837, A. Goodner the year previous, and B. B. Krewsen in 1844. They are all successful farmers. Elias J. Bump located in 1841, and has recently removed to the city, having gained a competence by his labors. T. H. Nesbitt moved from Cayuga Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1854, and purchased the southwest quarter of section 23, comprising 140 acres. Only 25 acres of this was improved. He introduced the first harrow into the township, which was made to order by James MeAlester, of Flint. When Mr. Nesbitt came, most of the marketing was done on foot, butter and eggs being often carried many miles by the pedestrians. The year 1842 witnessed the advent of Hiram Hall, who purchased a farm of 80 acres on section 23. He afterwards located on the southeast quarter of section 26. His son, Anson Hall, married a daughter of Capt. Benjamin Boomer, and now owns 165 acres on sections 26 and 35. James Carter purchased on sections 4 and 9, and William Boucher settled on section 20. James Chase located on section 11. The surface of the township is undulating, comprising some fine stretches of level land, varied by gentle declivities, which give variety to the landscape and make it one of the most attractive townships in the county. The soil is a mixture of clay and sand, and generally of good quality, though varying in localities, and affording a bountiful crop to the farmer. The streams of water which traverse its surface are the Flint River and Swartz Creek, the first of which passes through the city, flows through the northern portion of the township, and passes out near the northwest corner. Swartz Creek rises in the township of Gaines, and enters the southwest corner of the township of Flint, meandering in a northeasterly direction, flowing into the Thread, and eventually into the Flint River. The Chicago and Northeastern Railroad enters the southwest corner, and runs northeast to the city of Flint. The town-house, which is a convenient and accessible building, erected for the purpose of holding elections and meetings pertaining to the business of the township, is located on section 22. The township cemetery embraces a tract of land purchased from the farms of Marvin Persons and James W. Cronk for the purpose. It is inclosed with a neat and substantial wire fence and ornamented with well-,rown shadetrees. The many beautiful marble slabs which it contains bear witness to the tender memories which departed friends have left behind. BRISTOL METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. The Bristol Methodist Episcopal church is so named from the fact that it is within the boundaries of the Bristol settlement and embraces among the congregation a large number from this immediate locality. It is a wooden structure, and was built, in 1872, by subscription, the only church in the immediate locality not being sufficiently large to meet the wants of the growing congregation. The first pastor was Rev. Mr. Mosher, who remained one year, and was followed by Rev. Mr. Goss. His successor was Rev. Mr. Seeley, who was followed by the Rev. Mr. Goss, the present pastor, now (1879) filling a second term. This church was formerly a part of the Torrey class, and was connected with the South Flint circuit, but is now a part of the Swartz Creek circuit. TORREY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. In 1836, Rev. James McAlester, whose accidental acquaintance with the neighborhood has already been alluded to, formed a class and held service at the house of Alonzo Torrey. The members of this class embraced the follow-. ing persons: Jesse Torrey, Eunice Kelsey, Melissa Torrey, Orissa Torrey, Jeremiah Kelsey, and Jane Bristol. After a school-house was erected, a meeting of the class was held each Sabbath and preaching once a fortnight, the distance from the residence of the pastor making it inconvenient to hold service more frequently. The first circuit preacher who ministered to the spiritual wants of the little flock was Rev. Luther D. Whitney, who held services during the years 1838-39, and the last pastor was Rev. John McEldowny. A year since the Torrey class was attached to the Court Street charge, and since that time there has been no regular service. The church building was erected in 1852, and is an unpretentious structure of wood. The records indicate that the first trustees were Jesse Torrey, James Ellis, R. Cummings, 0. Sanborn, Albert Torrey, Asa Torrey, and Alonzo Torrey. It was attached to the Grand Blanc circuit at that time, and the preacher in charge was William Blades. The records are not sufficiently complete to enable a consecutive history of the church from that time to be presented. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ROBERT P. AITKEN was born in 1819, in Montgomery (now Fulton) County, State of New York, of Scotch descent, his mother's maiden FLINT TOWNSHIP. 191 name being Chalmers, and grandmother's on the mother's side being Stewart, claiming descent from the family of "Royal Charlie," of Scotland; but, as Mr. Aitken is a staunch Republican, he claims no preferment on this account. At the age of seventeen he went to the city of New York, and served as clerk six years, having by strict economy saved a few hundred dollars. Seeing little chance for a young man having a small capital to commence in business in a large city, he decided to try his fortunes in ROBERT P. AITKEN. the West. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1842 he started for the then small town of Flint, in the State of Michigan, taking with him a small stock of merchandise. Owing to the extreme scarcity of money, he exchanged a portion of his goods for eighty acres of wild land on section 8, in the town of Flint, where he now resides, and forthwith went to work improving the same. On the 12th of March fQllowing he was married to Miss Sarah J. Johnstone, who, with her father's family, had preceded him from New York City only a few months. Miss Johnstone was born in the city FREDERICK A. BEGOLE. Prominent among the most successful and intelligent farmers of Genesee County, and as a representative man of the rich township of Flint, is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this brief biographical sketch. His grandfather, one of that steadfast band of French Huguenots who were compelled to leave their native land for the enjoyment of religious liberty, came to America during the last quarter of the eighteenth century, and settled in the quiet town of Hagerstown, Md.; and there, in the year 1786, was born his son, William Begole, who, in 1802, emigrated northward with his father, and settled in the then remote wilderness of Livingston Co., N. Y. The son, William, was then a youth of sixteen years, the possessor of health and an energetic spirit, but, beyond these, having little or nothing, in hand or in expectation, to aid him in the battle of life which he was then about to commence. He chose the vocation of agriculture, and entered of New York in the year 1823, and up to this time had never spent much time in the country; but a board shanty was speedily erected on this land of their own, and together they commenced under new auspices the journey of life. Many privations had to be endured, but their farm has increased to two hundred and twenty acres, one hundred and sixty being improved. Any success or improvement made may be set down as the result of constant labor. They have raised a family of ten children,-five sons and five MRS. ROBERT P. AITKEN. daughters,-of whom two sons and four daughters only now survive. Besides having improved a large farm, mainly by his own hands, Mr. Aitken has served his township as supervisor twenty-one years (twenty years consecutively), and his district four years in the State Legislature. Mr. Aitken has lived an active life. He has done faithful service in both public and private walks of life during the past thirty-seven years, and claims at least the credit of making two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before. upon it with an industry and persistence which at last brought their inevitable reward, though not until after several years of hard labor and privation. In the war of 1812 he entered the army as a soldier, and served his country with credit, though not without serious detriment to his business. In January, 1814, he was married to a daughter of Capt. Bolles, formerly of Maryland, who had emigrated thence to Livingston County with the elder Begole. The fruit of this union was ten children,-seven sons and three daughters,-all of whom he raised to maturity except one son, who died in youth. Three of these sons he afterwards established upon farms in Genesee Co., Mich. He died in Livingston County, June 28, 1862, aged seventy-six years. Frederick Augustus Begole, the second son of William, was born at Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., on the 11th of March, 1817. The early years of his life were passed amid the labors of his father's farm and the disci 192 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. pline of the common school (such as it was) until his twenty-first year, when he left the paternal roof to seek a fortune for himself in the wilderness of Michigan, to which a strong tide of emigration was then setting from Western New York. His destination was the then recently organized county of Genesee, where, two years before, his father had purchased for him the northwest quarter of section 31, in the present township of Flint. In due time, the young pioneer reached the spot which was to be his future home; and if at first view the prospect seemed to him a discouraging one, it is not to be wondered at, for, although the soil was deep and fertile, it was covered by a dense growth of the heaviest timber, and long years of severe labor must intervene before this wilderness could be made a productive farm. In the seven weary miles which lay between him and Flint River, on the east, there was only one solitary cabin, but to the westward at a distance of a few miles was the house of a settler, at which he took board while engaged in underbrushing a few acres of his land during the first season after his arrival. In the succeeding winter he worked by the month at the settlement of Flint River, and having saved a small amount of money, he returned in the summer of 1839 to his property, on which he built a log house, but could not cover it for lack of shingles. These he split out and shaved during the winter of 1839-40, and in the spring of the latter year, after having roofed his cabin (though as yet it had neither door nor windows), he returned to his father's farm in New York. On the 23d of February, 1841, he married Angeline, daughter of James Chapman, of Livingston County (who afterwards removed to Clayton, Genesee Co., and died there at the age of seventy-one years), and in May, 1842, returned to his lands in Michigan, sawed out a door and windows to his cabin, established his family within it, and planted a few potatoes among the stumps to help eke out his scanty means of subsistence during the following winter. Then he commenced in earnest the work of clearing his farm, and by dint of hard labor succeeded in preparing a field of about four acres in time to sow it with wheat the next autumn. In this work of clearing he lay under most discouraging disadvantage, for, being entirely without money to purchase stock or team, for his early farming operations he was compelled to hire the latter at the rate of three days of his own labor for each day of team work with wagon, and at the same time was obliged to labor for others to procure the necessaries of life for his family. Thus times continued to be exceedingly hard for the young settler, and he found the struggle for a livelihood to be a most arduous one through all of the first season and the succeeding winter and spring, until his first crop of wheat was ready for harvest; but from that time scarcity gave way to plenty, and his privations were succeeded by a prosperity which has never since been interrupted. The heavy forest has been driven back from his pioneer clearings, field after field has been added to his tilled acres, the log cabin has long since given place to fine and substantial farm-buildings, and the addition of an adjoining tract has given him a farm of two hundred and forty acres, as fertile and highly cultivated as any in the county of Genesee. Mr. Begole has never been a seeker after public position, but has several times been called to township offices, among these being that of justice of the peace, which he has held during more than twenty consecutive years. His children -two sons and a daughter-are married, and well established in life upon farms adjoining the homestead. G. J. W. HILL. MRS. G. J. W. HILL. G. J. W. HILL was born in Gloucestershire, England, Jan. 14,1820. When twelve years of age he came to America and joined his mother, then residing at Dansville, N. Y. Her husband being deceased, she had again married at that place Josiah Kent. In the fall of 1832, Mr. Hill went to learn the cabinetmaker's traae. In 1840 he came to Flint, and, in company FENTON TOWNSHIP. 193 with David Foote, established the furniture business, which was the first in that line in Flint. This firm was dissolved the following year, but Mr. Hill continued the business for more than thirty years. Jan. 5, 1848, he was married to Miss Helen Bidwell, formerly of Bath, N. Y. Her mother was a Grant, from Galloway, Scotland. In 1870, Mr. Hill concluded to change his business and try agriculture. He sold his fine property in Flint, and purchased a farm of two hundred acres some five miles west of the city, embracing fine and commodious buildings and land in the highest state of cultivation. Here, with their family of nine children (having buried two), they enjoy the comforts of a country home, and at the same time retain their position in society in Flint, where they have been identified with the Presbyterian Church since 1845. He has been leader of the choir in that church for twenty years, and his wife a prominent member of the same for a like period. She was one of the charter members of the Ladies' Library Association of Flint, and is still an active member. Mr. Hill was for many years a member of the first band in Flint, which was organized in 1848. In social life Mr. Hill is genial and companionable, in business matters prompt and reliable, and commands the respect of all. F E N TO N. THE township of Fenton includes township 5 north of the Michigan base-line, in range 6 east of the principal meridian, as designated on the United States Government survey. It lies in the southern portion of the county, and is bounded east and south by Oakland and Livingston Counties respectively. Its physical features are varied and interesting. The principal stream is the Shiawassee River, an insignificant affair at its entry in the southeast corner of town, but attaining to respectable proportions ere it leaves it on the west. Its general course is northwest, and its waters furnish several excellent mill-powers,-notably at Fenton and Linden villages. After leaving Fenton it receives the surplus waters of numerous lakes, large and small. Of these lakes the township contains no less than 20, covering a total area of about 2160 acres, apportioned as follows: Long Lake, on sections 2, 11, 13, 14, 23, and 24, 850 acres; Hibbard's Lake, section 12, 30 acres; Crooked Lake, section 13, 50 acres; Loon Lake, sections 15 and 16, 150 acres; Squaw Lake, principally on section 15, 60 acres; Ball Lake, section 21, 40 acres; Mud Lake, section 22, 225 acres; Silver Lake, sections 27, 28, and 33, 275 acres; Pine Lake, sections 28, 29, 32, and 33, 160 acres; Byram Lake, sections 29 and 30, 130 acres; others, not named on the map, 190 acres. Aside from these are millponds, covering perhaps 80 acres, making the total lake and pond area of the township about 2240 acres, or more than that of the entire balance of the county. Many of the lakes of Fenton possess clean, bold shores, sandy bottoms, and deep waters, and most of them abound in numerous varieties of fish, such as bass, perch, and others. The Detroit and Milwatkee Railroad passes between Silver and Mud Lakes, which are separated by but a narrow space; Silver Lake is tributary to Mud, and through the latter to the Shiawassee River, and is so named from its clear waters and bed of light sand. Byram Lake was named from an early settler on its shore, and the others fiom various circumstances and surroundings. Long Lake, the principal sheet of water in the township 25 and county, is about three miles in length, and averages nearly half a mile in width. With the exception of its southwestern shore, which is marshy in places, its borders are most picturesque and lovely. The southern extremity, below " the narrows," is in most places shallow, and wild rice grows profusely in localities. " McOmber Point," extending in a northeast direction to the narrows, is low and marshy, and below it is a grove of pines. The timber on the western shore is mostly cleared away, while on the east considerable has been left, extending to the water's edge, and rendering the effect one of great beauty. Occasional sombre pines are seen, the dark green of the foliage contrasting with the lighter hues of the oak. High banks extend along a great part of the eastern shore. The outline of the lake is broken by "points" and bays, and a fine island of over 20 acres is situated near the centre, north and south, and somewhat nearer the western than the eastern shore. Another small island is near the extreme southern margin of the lake. The vicinity of the lakes of Fenton was the favorite resort of the red tribes who occupied the region ere the advent of a paler race. The clear waters tempted them to launch their canoes thereon and entice from their depths their finny inlabitants, or disport in wanton glee amid their waves. The surrounding hills and forests afforded them rare sport in the chase, for deer, wolves, bears, and other animals-fit targets for the hunter's skill-abounded. So much attached were the red med to this beautiful " land of lakes" that it was their desire, when their days of hunting on earth were over, to be laid to rest amid the scenes made dear by life-long association. Here, on the border of the lake, their remains were laid, their faces to the setting sun, and the rippling waters murmured their funeral songs, while the breezes wailed a mournful requiem through the pines, as the spirits of the warriors journeyed to the happy hunting-grounds of their fathers. The principal Indian burial-place in the township was on the northeast shore of Mud Lake, and close by was 194 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. their camping-ground. A large number of graves were long to be seen in the burying-ground. Others were also found, but not as extensive. The Indian corn-fields were sometimes sources of inconvenience to farmers, as they were difficult to plow, owing to the fact that corn was year after year planted in the same hills, while the latter were raised a little higher each year, and were often ten or twelve feet apart. Quite an extensive corn-field was found east of the present village of Linden. This was on a farm once owned by Alonzo J. Chapin, and now the property of John Welch. In the edge of the township of Mundy dwelt a small tribe whose chief was one " King Fisher," or Fisher,* as he was generally called. Their burying-ground was the one mentioned as having existed near Mud Lake, in Fenton, and at present no traces of it can be found, owing to long cultivation. Fisher's name will be found on another page, in an article bearing upon the history of Fenton, written by Col. William M. Fenton. He (Fisher) was a lover of athletic sports, as well as whisky, and on occasions of town-meetings was accustomed to visit the village and join in whatever of the nature of sport was going on. Among the feats of the young men of that day was the one of jumping over a string held at a certain distance above the ground. Alonzo J. Chapin was rather more than the equal of Fisher, one of whose toes was so long that it would catch on the string. The chief would take hold of it angrily, and exclaim, "D-n toe no good! Me cut him off,-me jump you!" He was exceedingly loath to speak English, except when under the influence of liquor. In the fall of 1877, while constructing a dirt-road across Crane's Cove, on the west side of Long Lake, a party of workmen found a skeleton of very large size, some two or three feet below the surface. As it is a well-known fact that this locality was the favorite Indian resort for hunting and fishing, the skeleton was supposed to have been the frame-work of a gigantic waAior, though why he should have been buried just there was not satisfactorily explained, as it was some distance from their common burial-place on Mud Lake. ORIGINAL LAND ENTRIES. The following is a list of the land-entries in the township of Fenton, from the records of the land-office. The first land entered in the township was taken in March, 1834, by Clark Dibble, and included the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 34,-forty acres, and the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 36,-forty acres. The remaining entries were as follows: SECTION 1. Acres. Joshua L. Wheeler, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836................. 160 William Tanner, Cayuga Co., N. Y., May, 1836.................... 195.90 L. G. Gordon and John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836... 160 William Aylward, Genmsee Co., N. Y., March, 1837............... 80 Alanson Shelley, Wayne Co., Mich., October, 1850............... 39.42 SECTION 3. Acres. Cook and Gregory, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836.............. 8( Edward Bingham, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836.................. 80 Michael McShiffy, Orange Co., N. Y., June, 1836................. 81.44 Lyman Turner, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836............... 79.72 John Turner, New London Co., Conn., June, 1836.............. 160 James Turner, New London Co., Conn., June, 1836.............. 160 SECTION 4. William H. Cook, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 159.23 L. G. Gordon and John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836.. 79 John Turner, New London, Conn., June, 1836..................... 400 SECTION 5. Cook and Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836................ 79.16 Lyman Turner, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836................ 238.76 John Weaver, Oakland Co., Mich., December, 1836............... 40 Charles W. Johnson, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1843........... 40 Carlton L. Sage, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1843................... 40 Asahel Martin, Jr., Genesee Co., Mich., September, 1847....... 80 Anna Martin, Genesee Co., Mich............................... 40 Swamp land.......................................................... 40 N ot entered.................................................................. 40 SECTION 6. Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836................ 74 14 John Turner, New London, Conn., June, 1836..................... 158.92 Lyman Turner, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836................ 60 Cook and Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836.............. 147.20 Calvin P. Austin, Rutland Co., Vt., November, 1836............ 74.12 SECTION 7. Hiram L. Lamb, Wayne Co., N. Y., May, 1836................... Peter Lamb, Wayne Co., N. Y., May, 1836.......................... William Kellogg, Ontario Co., N. Y., June, 1836................ Reuben Kellogg, Ontario Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. Jesse B. Odell, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1839.................. 160 145.76 120 120 66.24 SECTION 8. Hiram L. Lamb, Wayne Co., N. Y., May, 1836..................... 80 Cook and Gordon, Wavne Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 80 Richard L. Lamb, Wayne Co., N. Y., July, 1836............... 40' Cook and Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836.................. 240 Francis 11. Hermon, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1836...... 40 George Page, Washtenaw Co., Mich., January, 1837............. 80 Andrew Potter, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1853................. 40 Swamp land.............................................. 40 SECTION 9. John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836........................ 80 James Mcllenry, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................ 120 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836.................... 400 John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836........................... 40 SECTION 10. Samuel Allison, Oakland Co., Mich., December, 1835.......... 160 Walter Davenport, Orange Co., N. Y., December, 1835.......... 160 E. B. Gregory and John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836 80 John Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836.................... 160 Gregory and Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836................. 80 SECTION 11. Samuel Allison, Oakland Co., Mich., December, 1835............ 42.83 Walter Davenport, Orange Co., N. Y., December, 1835......... 82.67 J. Thompson and H. Lyon, Fairfield Co., Conn., May, 1836... 123.35 Edward Bingham, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836.................. 71.70 SECTION 12. P. 11. and Eliza McOmber, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836.... 160 James Turner, New London, Conn., June, 1836.................... 160 Moses W. Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 320 SECTION 2. Wilkes Durkee, Oakland Co., Mich., February, 1836............. John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836........................ E. B. Gregory and John Cook, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836. Wilkes Durkee, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1836................ Cook and Gregory, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836................ Felix McWilliams, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836................ Jacob Snyder, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836...................... SECTION 13. John Duncnn, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836.................... P. H1. and Eliza McOmber, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836.... Philip H. McOmber, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836............ Philip H. McOmber, Jr., Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836...... Conrad Forbes, Oakland Co., Mich., September, 1848........... Hugh McCully, Oakland Co., Mich., December, 1848............ John Pitte, Genesee Co., Mich., September, 1852.................. Not entered................................................................... 69 40 80 80 80 118.69 80.57 77.05 111.40 152.85 40 40 80 40 40 80 SECTION 14. P. H. McOmber and wife, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836...... 23.01 H. and V. R. Hawkins, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836......... 230.70 *Corrupted from Visyer, the name of a Frenth-Indian half-breed. FENTON TOWNSHIP. 195 SECTION 15. Acres. Walter Davenport, Orange Co., N. Y., December, 1835......... 76 Wallace Dibble, Genesee Co., Mich., February, 1836............. 40 H. and V. R. Hawkins, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836......... 240 Cook and Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836.............. 80 Abraham Noyes, Wayne Co., Mich., February, 1837............. 120 SECTION 17. Acres. Charles L. Pratt. Ontario Co., N. Y.. February, 1836............ 80 Joseph Thorp, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836.................... 40 Sol. Jefferds, Monroe Co., N. Y., January, 1836................... 80 Sylvester L. Sage, Livingston Co., N. Y., January, 1836....... 40 John Patterson, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836................. 40 R. Le Roy and William M. Fenton, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1837................................................................... 80 Silas Warner, Hampshire Co., Mass., February, 1836............ James Ripley, Warren Co., N. Y., May, 1836....................... Oren Skut, Wayne Co., Mich., October, 1836........................ Ira Lamb, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836................... SECTION 18. William Manifold, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June, 1836........... Win. and Win. B. IIawley, Ontario Co., N. Y., June, 1836...... Samuel W. Pattison, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836............. John S. Cooley, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836..................... Robert T. Winchell, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1836.......... John W. Hyatt, Oakland Co., Mich., August, 1836.............. John Jones, Genesee Co., N. Y., September, 1836.................. Alvin Hanmer, Wayne Co., Mich., October, 1836.................. SECTION 19. Charles Byram, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836.................... Philemon C. Murray, Washtenaw Co., Mich., February, 1836. Charles Byram, Genesee Co., Mich., February, 1836.............. E. J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836.................. Hlenry D. Garrison, Wayne Co., Mich., October, 1836............ E. J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., November, 1836............ SECTION 20. James Ball, Bradford Co., Pa.. July, 1835........................... Dustin Cheney, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835................ Oliver P. Lamb, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835............... Richard L. Lamb, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835............ Samuel Castle, Monroe Co., N. Y., November, 1835............... George Page, Washtentw Co., Mich., July, 1836................. Consider Warner, Genesee Co., N. Y., February, 1836........... SECTION 21. Alden Tupper, Lapeer Co., Mich., July, 1835.................... t" ' Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835................. Charles Tupper. Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1835............ George Page, Washtenaw Co., Mich., July, 1836.................. Perry Lamb, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836........................ Charles Tupper, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836.................. "4 " 4 " " " c June, 1836................. John Herman, Oakland Co., Mich., November, 1836............. George Doty, Wayne Co., Mich., October, 1836................... Charles Tupper, Genesee Co., Mich., April, 1837.................. Jefferson Eddy, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1853.................... (" " " " December, 1854............. Seth C. Sadler, " " " July, 1855..................... N ot entered................................................................... SECTION 22. J. Cranger and C. K. Carroll, New York State, August, 1836.. Hiram B. Madison. Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836........ Jefferson Bowen, Genesee Co., Mich., February, 1838............ Jefferson Eddy, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1854............. N ot entered................................................................... SECTION 23. John Duncan, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836..................... P. H. & E. McOmber, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1836........... Moses W. Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., July, 1836.................. Charles 11. Carroll, State of New York, August, 1836............ Iliram L. L;amb, Geneseo Co., Mich., February, 1839............ Andrew Potter, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1852.................... John L. Whiting, Wayne Co., Mich., December, 1853........... Andrew Potter, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1854............. 240 320 40 40 64.72 80 65.24 40 80 80 80 120 160 67.52 40 120 160 65.64 40 80 40 40 80 120 240 40 40 80 40 40 40 80 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 160 40 40 120 280 66.83 22.70 64.40 135.30 40 80 80 40 SECTION 26. William Nichols, Shiawassee Co., Mich., July, 1835.............. John Wilber, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1835............... William Remington, Dutchess Co., N. Y., November, 1835.... Archibald Duncan, Wayne Co., Mich., February, 1836.......... Dustin Cheney, Genosee Co., Mich., March, 1836................. William Gage, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1836.................. Samuel F. Cheney, Monroe Co., N. Y., May, 1836................ Theron M. Young, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1836............... David D. Young. Livingston Co., N. Y., July, 1836.............. Henry Sackner, Monroe Co., N. Y., October, 18%36............... James M. Briarty, \Wayne Co., Mich., April, 1837............... 40 40 200 80 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 SECTION 27. William Remington, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1835....... Archibald Duncan, Wayne Co., Mich., February, 1836.......... Dustin Cheney, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1836.................. Mary Platt, Genesee Co., N. Y., April, 1836........................ Elijah Platt. Genesee Co., N. Y., April, 1836....................... Murzan and Alonzo Chapin, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836... James Woodruff, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1850.................. N ot entered................................................................... 40 80 120 80 160 8( 40 40 SECTION 28. Harrison Tupper, Lapeer Co., Mich., July, 1836................. Morris Miller, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836.................... James Ball, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836....................... Harrison Tupper, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836.................. Zenas Fairbank, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836.................. Harrison Tupper, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836................ Otho D. Beden, Wyne Co., Mich., February, 1837............... James Woodruff, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1853........... Andrew Potter, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1853............ i" " "t February, 1854.............. Hiram Chandler, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1854............... E. Potter..................................................................... 80 76.20 80 40 40 40 40 41) 40 40 80 40 SECTION 29. George Page, Washtcnaw Co., Mich., January, 1836............. 80 Charles Byram, Wayne Co., Mich., January, 1836................ 198.40 " " " February, 1836.............. 48.75 Consider Warner, Genesee Co., N. Y., February, 1836........... 160 Ienry R. Butler, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836................ 54.35 SECTION 30. Charles Byram, Wayne Co., Mich., January, 1836................ 233.44 Consider Warner, Genesee Co., N. Y., February, 1836........... 133.35 Jirah Hillman, Lewis Co., N. Y., May, 1836...................... 149.84 SECTION 31. Edmund Downer, Oakland Co., Mich., September, 1835........ Elisha W. Postal, Macomb Co., Mich., July, 1836................ Jefferson 11. Downer, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1836............ Elijah Crane, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836..................... E. J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836................. Seth Thompson, Washtenaw Co., Mich., March, 1836........... Samuel Averill, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1836................ Joseph IL. Byram, Wayne Co., Mich., September, 1836.......... Enoch T. Glass, Wayne Co., Mich., September, 1836............ SECTION 32. Edmund Downer, Oakland Co., Mich., September, 1835......... Oardin L. Downer, Oakland Co., Mich., September, 1835....... Elisha Larned, Allegany Co., N. Y., November, 1835........... Gardin L. Downer, Oakland Co., Mich., November, 1835..... E. J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836............... Morgan L. Gage, Monroe Co., Mioh., April, 1836................. (" " " May, 1836.................. Joseph L. Byram, Wayne Co., Mich., September, 1836.......... 40 80 40 67.18 147.81 80 40 40 80 SECTION 24. P. 11. & E. McOmber, Oaklhnd Co. Mich., July, 1836............ 72.50 Moses W. Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., July. 1836................. 80 Isaiah Scott, William R.) Bixby, Samuel Morgan, Addison Co., Vt., August, 1836... 160 and Nelson Richards, ) John Eddy, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1837.......................... 80 Joseph Parker, Oakland Co., Mich., November, 1837............ 160 Joseph Decue, Northampton Co., Pa., November, 1845.......... 80 SECTION 25. 80 80 160 40 40 80 60.75 24.75 SECTION 33. Robert T. Winchell, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835.......... 40 Consider Warner, Genesee Co., N. Y., February, 1836........... 200 Frederick F. Riggs, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836.......... 40 David W. Woodworth, LiVingston Co., N. Y., October, 1836... 132 Johni Weaver, Oakland, Mich., December, 1836.................... 80 Philena Lathrop, Otsego Co., N. Y., March, 1837................. 80 Henry Lamed, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1848................... 40' Ebenezer Pratt, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1835..................... 4c " "c " June, 1835................... James Thorp, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1835.............. William Remington, Dutchess Co., N. Y., November, 1835.... 80 80 40 80 196 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -~. — I,".... SECTION 34. Acres. Clark Dibble, Lapeer Co., Mich., March, 1834..................... 40 Wallace Dibble, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1835.................... 80 Lauren P. Riggs, Shiawassee Co., Mich., June, 1835............ 40 Abram Baley, Allegany Co., N. Y., June, 1835................... 40 Dustin Cheney, Shiawassee Co., Mich., July, 1835................ 40 John Thorp, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., October, 1835............... 240 Wallace Dibble, Shiawassee Co., Mich., November, 1835........ 80 Henry Howard, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836..................... 80 SECTION 35. Abram Baley, Allegany Co., N. Y., June, 1835.................... 80 John Thorp, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., October, 1835.............. 240 Hiram B. Madison, Monroe Co., N. Y., May, 1836................. 120 Daniel H. Chandler, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1860............. 160 Samuel W. Pattison, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836............. 40 SECTION 36. Clark Dibble, Lapeer Co., Mieh., March, 1834..................... James Thorp, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1835................... John R. Jones, St. Clair Co., Mich., April, 1835................. Ebenezer Pratt, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1835.................... Wallace Dibble, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1835.................... John Galloway, Monroe Co., Mich., June, 1835................... James Thorp, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1835.................... John Torret, Oakland Co., Mich.. October, 1835................... Wallace Dibble, Shiawassee Co., Mich., November, 1835........ 11. & V. R. Hawkins, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836........... Levi Warren, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836...................... Norris Thorp, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836..................... John F. Bliss, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836..................... 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 80 80 80 40 40 40 Assuming that section 16, reserved for school purposes, contains 640 acres, the foregoing figures will make the area of the township, aside from its water-beds, 21,629.91 acres. This would exclude only the larger lakes, as Long, Mud, Pine, Silver, Byram, etc., while the many small ones aid to swell the water area of the township to the figures given at the opening of this chapter, 2240 acres, or in that neighborhood. Much of the land originally in the midst of swamps, long left untouched, has been drained and reclaimed, and in places is among the most valuable in the township. The area apportioned to the larger lakes, as given in the preceding table of entries, is but 1410.09 acres, or 1000 acres less than the real water area of the township. The swampy portions were and are still in most places grown up to tamarack timber. EARLY SETTLEMENTS-INCIDENTS. The settlement of the township of Fenton dates back to 1834. In April of that year Dustin Cheney and family located where now is the village of Fenton, coming fiom Grand Blanc township, where they had lived a short time. They were followed the same month by other families, and soon a respectable settlement was flourishing. These will all be found mentioned in the history of the village. The southern portion of the town received the first settlers, and the years 1834, '35, '36, and '37 witnessed the arrival of a considerable number, some coming from other portions of Genesee County, others from Oakland and Livingston, with many direct from the State of New York. The village of Linden was settled two years later than Fenton, or in 1836, and at present is a prosperous borough numbering several hundred inhabitants. The northern part of the township received attention from settlers within a few years after the first pioneers had located on the southern border. Across the southeast corner extends a ridge of sand and gravel hills, rising perhaps a hundred feet above the Shiawassee River. Similar elevations are found in the north eastern part, though not as high nor well defined. The region between and extending westward is fertile and productive, and there were the farms of the pioneers, which in a few instances are yet occupied by the original owners, although most of them have changed hands many times. The first entries in the township, outside of what are now the incorporated villages, were made, a few in 1835, and the greater proportion in 1836, which latter was the year which witnessed the most extensive immigration of any in the history of the State. From the few original settlers yet remaining are ascertained the following facts: Alonzo J. and Murzah L. Chapin, from Irondequoit, Monroe Co., N. Y., were among the early settlers in Fenton. They came to Wayne Co., Mich., in 1833, and located in the township of Dearborn, where each owned a farm. Alonzo was a young man without a family, while his brother was married. The former during his residence in Wayne County came in 1835 to Fenton and located land, and in 1836 or '37 was here and voted. He moved his brother and family to the township in 1836, the latter settling one mile east of where is now the village of Linden. Returning to Dearborn County, he remained until the following year (1837), when he came with his wife, having been but a short time married, and located on a farm northwest of the village of Fenton, in the present Cheney neighborhood and near Mud (or Pinery) Lake. He afterwards removed to a farm near Linden, now owned by John Welsh, and in 1844 to the farm he still owns, immediately west of Fenton village, section 35. Upon this he c6ntinued to reside until the fall of 1867, when he moved upon his present village property. His farms are occupied by his sons. The circumstances which induced Mr. Chapin to locate in Fenton township were about as follows: In 1835 he and his brother left their homes in Dearborn, for the purpose of looking for land. Upon reaching Brighton, Livingston Co., they fell in with a party of six men fiom Ann Arbor, and all set forth in company, hardly knowing in what direction to proceed. A man who knew of the dwelling-place of the Fisher tribe of Indians directed them on the trail towards that locality. Following this for some distance, finding it well beaten, they came in time to branching trails, and arriving at the site of Fenton village, or "Dibbleville," as the small settlement was then called, they concluded to locate in its vicinity, as five trails centered here, and they deemed it most favorable on that account, and the abundance of water in the surrounding country. Mr. Chapin and his brother, together with two of the Ann Arbor men, located in the township, while the other four subsequently settled farther west, having found, on reaching the land-office at Detroit, that the sites they had selected had already been taken by other parties. When on their way hither from Brighton, they noticed occasional wagontracks leading away from the trail,-a few settlers having ventured into the wilderness, miles from any clustered hamlet, or "village." One of the gentlemen from Ann Arbor who located in this township was a Mr. Manifold; the name of the other is no nnow recollected. Of the entire party, it is believed Alonzo J. Chapin is now the only one living in the township. FENTON TOWNSHIP. 197 The inhabitants of the Indian village mentioned as that of Fisher and his tribe, situated near the southern line of the township of Mundy, in time became scattered. Many of them removed, while others purchased lands and became farmers on a limited scale. A portion of them went to the neighborhood of Gaines and others to Flushing. Wabaness, quite noted among them, still owns a farm in Gaines township, where two of Fisher's sons are also living. Mrs. Elizabeth Chapin, wife of Alonzo J. Chapin, has been a resident of Michigan since 1828, and has witnessed the transition of the wilderness into a productive garden and the fading away of nearly an entire generation of pioneers, while those who were but children, or were yet unborn when she first became acquainted with the State, have grown to mature manhood, and turned upon the downward slope of the way. Fifty years of life in the West have left their impress upon her, and filled her mind with a wonderful store of recollections, among which those of her experience in her pioneer days are chief. In 1828 she came with her father, Henry S. Gale, from the town of Greece, Monroe Co., N. Y. (originally from Albany County, had lived in Monroe two years). Mr. Gale settled in Superior township, Washtenaw Co., Mich., and there spent the remainder of his life. He purchased the land from the government, and died upon the same place he originally entered. His daughter was married to Mr. Chapin during her residence in Washtenaw County, and soon after removed with him to Fenton (then Argentine). With the exception of two years of the time Mr. Chapin has resided in Fenton, his occupation has been that of a farmer. During the two years he aided in the construction of the Michigan Central Railway. He has known of the building of every house now standing in Fenton village. When, in 1836, he moved his brother into town, his team became mired where the Everett House now stands in the village. The spot seemed to have been caused by springs. The way taken by teams lay as close to the river as it was then thought expedient to drive, and passed over numerous places which at this day would scarcely be considered desirable for a road-bed. Mr. Chapin's team was a fine one, and had cost him four hundred dollars, yet there were not men enough in the settlement to get the horses out of their muddy prison. Mr. Chapin took his axe, went into the neighboring woods and cut some stout poles, with which they literally pried the animals out of the mire, and the journey was resumed. About the year 1839, while doing his spring plowing on his farm near Linden, Mr. Chapin unfortunately broke his plow-point. The nearest place at which he could procure another was " Piety Hill," now Birmingham, in Oakland County, seven miles south of Pontiac. Peter Lamb, who lived a short distance north of Linden, owned a span of ponies, with which he teamed between Linden and Detroit, being on the road almost constantly. He was, at the time Mr. Chapin broke his plow, away on a trip and had not yet started from Detroit on his return. This Mr. C. knew, as he. was perfectly acquainted with Lamb's "time-table." Going into the house, he told his wife he was going to walk to Birmingham that night (it was then late in the afternoon, buy a new point, and return with Lamb the next morning. Accordingly, collecting all the money in the house, amounting to fifty cents, and taking a loaf of brown bread, which Mrs. Chapin had just baked, he started. When he reached Dibbleville it was after sundown, and the distance through the woods to the Saginaw turnpike, in Springfield, Oakland Co., was sixteen miles. Nothing daunted, however, he started on. Twisting some hickorytorches, and taking them in one hand while in the other he carried a stout cudgel, he plodded along in the darkness, replacing his torches as necessary, and having sometimes to feel carefully for the trail to avoid becoming lost. Anon the howl of a wolf startled him to a more rapid pace. Soon it was answered from another direction, and in a remarkably short space of time numbers of the rapacious brutes had gathered in the forest around and were following him, all the time keeping up their discordant and savage howling and barking. It may be supposed his nerves were not entirely in a state of rest when, at last, he reached the beaten turnpike. Pushing still on, lie arrived at Pontiac some time after midnight, and, stopping but a few minutes, walked to Birmingham, which place he reached at daybreak. As soon as people began to stir he looked around and found that Lamb had not yet returned from Detroit. He concluded, after purchasing his plow-point,-which cost " three bits,"-to start on the back-track, and ride with Lamb when the latter should overtake him. This did not happen, however, and Mr. Chapin reached home in the afternoon at about the same time he had left it the previous day, having walked the entire distance to Birmingham and back, or more than sixty miles! He thinks no other man in Genesee County ever undertook and completed as great a journey for as small a purpose or with as little money in his pocket. He states that the loaf of brown bread had disappeared beneath his waistcoat by the time he reached home, and he had not spent a cent for food while away. During the early years of his residence in Michigan, Mr. Chapin was engaged in teaming over various portions of the State, transporting goods for settlers and making trips as far west as Lake Michigan. In this way he became extensively acquainted with the pioneer families and the region in which they located. When he came from the State of New York he brought with him a cast plow of the Wood pattern, very likely the first one brought to the State. Upon arriving in Detroit he was accosted by a stranger who desired to purchase it, but was unwilling to sell. Finally the man told him he owned a furnace in the place, and if he (Mr. Chapin) would allow him to use the castings for patterns he would mould others and give him two for the one he had. The bargain was made, and the plows cast were undoubtedly the first of that design manufactured in Michigan. Mr. Wood heard of the transaction, and came to Detroit and claimed damages for infiingement. He finally, however, for a stated sum (in the shape of a note), gave the founder the right to manufacture the plows. Wood was a machinist, or moulder, by trade, and on one occasion while in Canada had secured the patent from the inventor, and returning to New York had the first ones in that State cast in the furnace where he worked. Mr. Chapin has in his possession an old-fashioned splint 198 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. bottomed rocking-chair, one of the first made in the township. The frame was made by Seth Rhodes, an early settler at Linden, and the bottom was put in by a man named Ball. For the frame Mr. Chapin worked an entire day at breaking with two yokes of oxen. For the first two years after the chair was purchased it was scarcely at home a day, being loaned to families afflicted with the ague or other ills which flesh was heir to in those days. Mrs. Chapin has the second loom built in the township, upon which she wove cloth for settlers living far and near, and her fame as a weaver was something of which any matron in those days might well be proud. At one time she wove some cloth for Lauren P. Riggs, one of the first settlers at Dibbleville, her charges amounting to three dollars, and for her labor she received an iron shovel and a pair of tongs. The former was eventually broken and the pieces lost, but the tongs she still possesses. The first loom owned in town was made by Zenas Fairbank, at Linden, for use in his own family. The number of wolves and other wild animals which abounded in the forests was something remarkable. A venture into the darkness of the night was almost certain to be rewarded with the sight of one wolf or more, and occasionally a more savage animal made his appearance, to the terror of the settlers. One night, while living in the present Cheney neighborhood, Mr. Chapin was aroused by the barking of a small dog which belonged to him. It was during warm weather, and the door was usually left open, while a smudge was built outside to keep off the mosquitoes. This night, however, owing to a rain, the door was closed. Anxious to see what the dog was barking at, he stepped from the door en d6shabille, and noticing an animal which in the darkness he took for a large dog, he threw several stones at it to frighten it off, but it only snapped at them and refused to move. Mr. Chapin, thinking by this time that the better part of valor was discretion, made a quick spring inside the house, closed the door, and placed his back against it. No sooner had he done so, than crash! came a huge form against the door, with such force as to nearly floor Mr. Chapin and frighten him into the belief that the door would be broken in despite his efforts to prevent it. The animal's designs were happily frustrated, and he bounded away into the forest. Mr. Chapin, Perry Lamb, and another settler were at the time the only persons in the neighborhood in sufficient health to attend to the needs of the sick, and they usually took certain routes among the log cabins of their neighbors and administered to their wants. Near Silver Lake resided Harrison Tupper and his brother, and to the house of the former Mr. Chapin went one night on his charitable round some time after his adventure at home with the unknown animal. Arriving at Tupper's, he found the man lying sick, with the head of his bed next to the window; Mrs. Tupper had gone out to milk. While Mr. Chapin sat in the room he noticed the curtain moving at the head of the bed, and the next instant a huge paw pushed it aside and a savage-looking head reached in and moved close to the face of the sick man. Mr. Chapin cried out and started towards it with a chair, when it disappeared from the window. Soon after, Mrs. Tupper came in from milking, and Mr. C. asked whose large dog was prowling around. She answered that she did not know, but she had seen it in the darkness several times of late. Mr. Chapin stepped out, and the animal sprang upon the house of Mr. Tupper's brother, across the way. He threw a stone at it, and it leaped off and disappeared. The glance he obtained revealed to him the fact that the animal was a panther. It was shot at a number of times afterwards, and finally, doubtless considering the locality too warm for comfort, went off into Springfield, Oakland Co., where it was at last killed and the settlement rid of a dangerous intruder. Numerous similar experiences fell to the lot of others, and the stories which most of them delight in relating of their adventures here when yet the forest was almost unbroken and the Indian trails occupied the places where now are well-constructed highways and a prosperous community, would fill volumes. In the spring of the year 1835, Joseph Thorp, from Genesee Co., N. Y., came to what is now Fenton township, and located on section 25. Having previously purchased land on section 36, and owning none where he first stopped, he soon after removed to his farm on 36,-this after he had built a log house and prepared it for the reception of his family. This house stood on the south side of what is now the street in Fenton village leading to Holly, nearly opposite the present brick residence of his son, Joseph Thorp, and on the spot where now stands the dwelling of Charles Bush. Joseph Thorp was but a boy when his father settled here, and has grown to mature manhood since he became a resident of the State. The elder Thorp passed his remaining days here. Oliver Warren, now of the township of Holly, Oakland Co., arrived in Fenton July 10, 1836, with his father, Levi Warren, who purchased land on section 36 and erected his house near the site of the present residence of M. Walton. The elder Warren had been a soldier during the war of 1812, and received the bounty for his services after coming to Michigan. Both he and his son were members of the first Methodist class organized in Fenton (then Dibbleville) in March, 1837. Oliver Warren was at the time a young man of eighteen. The old farm is now within the limits of the Fenton corporation. Mr. Warren, Jr., in May, 1852, removed to the township of Holly, where he has since continued to reside. William Remington, a native of Rhode Island, and afterwards a resident respectively of New Bedford, Mass., and Dutchess and Ulster Counties, N. Y., came from the latter to Michigan in November, 1835, the trip from New York being made by canal to Buffalo, thence up the lake by boat to Detroit, and on foot, in company with Elisha Lamed, from the latter place to Fenton. Mr. Remington located where he now lives (land now partially within the corporate limits of Fenton), built a log house immediately south of the site of his present frame residence, and returning for his family brought it to the new home in 1836. Upon Mr. Remington's farm, bricks were first manufactured in 1870. His son, John Remington, is engaged in this busi ness, and burns from three to four hundred thousand bricks annually. Some years none are burned. Mr. Remington has been engaged in farming during his' residence in Michigan. FENTON TOWNSHIP. 199 An amusing incident is related in connection with Mr. Remington's land-looking tour, and the parties concerned can scarcely be offended if it is here placed in print. Mr. Remington's intention had originally been to go to Kalamazoo, but in Detroit he met Elisha Lamed, who was going out on the north trail and who persuaded him to do likewise. Starting out afoot, they left the Saginaw trail in Springfield, Oakland Co., and proceeded to Dibbleville and the southern portion of what is now Fenton township. A farm towards the southwest corner of town was selected by Mr. Remington, but Lamed chose to take the same land himself, and it was given up to him. The next choice was where he now resides, but Larned also said he proposed to have the land if he could get to Detroit first and make the entry. As he had succeeded in procuring a horse to ride the chances appeared slim for Remington, but the latter took the matter coolly, and refused to start with Lamed that evening for Detroit. Lamed, however, pushed on, in company with Morgan Baldwin, of Mundy, who had ascertained that Remington was a "Yankee," and told Larned he had better " look out or he would beat him yet." That idea was scouted, for with a horse to ride he was certain to reach Detroit before Remington could by any possibility do so. The man without a horse, however, might have been noticed to wink slyly after Lamed and his companion had disappeared from view, and he, not long after they had departed, shouldered his pack and started through the woods to the turnpike, which he reached in due time. Near the point where the trail joined the turnpike was a tavern, with another half a mile farther on. Towards the latter Remington bent his footsteps, thinking to stop there for a short rest, not dreaming but that his competitor in the race had stopped at the first one. What was his surprise at seeing, as he walked up towards the house, Lamred pacing the floor! Thinking no more of resting he resumed his journey, and neither stopped nor stayed till Pontiac was reached, although expecting every minute that his rival would overtake and pass him. Baldwin, at intervals, asked Lamed if he didn't feel afraid " the Yankee" would get ahead of him, but the answer returned was full of confidence that such could not possibly be the case. In the mean time Remington was plodding his weary way towards Detroit, which place he ultimately reached and entered his land in triumph, being hours ahead of the others, whom, to at least the surprise of one, he met on his return trip. Larned was crestfTllen, Remington triumphant, and Baldwin exultant over his correct estimate of the " Yankee's" character and perseverance. All three of the parties are yet living,-Mr. Remington on the farm he then located, Mr. Lamed, in Fenton village, and Mr. Baldwin in the township of Mundy. Elisha Lamed was from Yates Co., N. Y., and settled on the farm he had located in 1835 (section 32). He moved in the spring of 1837, arranged for improvements to be made upon his place, and came to the village and was employed by Messrs. Le Roy & Fenton, then just starting business in the place. He is at present engaged in the sale of agricultural implements in Fenton. C. Kelly settled near Long Lake in 1844 with his family, consisting altogether of eleven persons. This was in the fall of the year, and he had not a dollar left with which to help him through the long winter. He ': made a party," sent out invitations to the settlers, and, with tlhe proceeds, paid part down for a fat hog, promising to pay the balance before tax time. It is not stated whether the family had anything besides the " fat hog" mentioned to live on during the winter. Walter Sluyter, froom Broome Co., N. Y., purchased land on sections 10 and 11 in Fenton, and settled here in 1839. The farm occupies a most picturesque location on the northwest shore of Long Lake, and is now the property of Mr. Sluyter's son, Isaac Sluyter. It is finely improved and a most desirable property. Theophilus Stone emigrated to Michigan in 1834 from Niagara Co., N. Y., and in 1838 settled upon section 10 in Fenton township, where his son, Samuel Stone, at present resides. Charles Cooper, from Bradford Co., Pa., located on section 28 in 1840. Elijah Bird settled early on section 21 in Argentine, purchasing from government; and Norman Collins, from Lewis Co., N. Y., located on section 36, in the same township, in 1838. These latter afterwards became residents of Fenton (?). Among others who settled in this township, the following names appear in the records of the Genesee County Union Pioneer Society: George S. Woodhull, now president of the society mentioned, 1843; M. Walton, from Genesee Co., N. Y., Nov. 10, 1837; A. Kirby, 1836; R. A. Carman, 1834; Joel Dibble, born in township in 1837; Jonathan Shepard, of Linden (now deceased), 1835; 11. M. Thompson, 1836; H. Lee, 1836; George Murray (Linden), in State, 1831; S. P. Thompson, 1839; L. D. Sweat (Linden), 1845; G. W. Curtis, 1841; E. G. Traver, now of Fenton, settled early in Livingston County, afterwards removing to Linden -came to State in 1831; J. Van \Winkle (Fenton), 1837; A. S. Donaldson, 1834; James Woodruff, 1840; William Middlesworth, early (now deceased); John Reeson, early, now living west of Fenton. Many others will be found mentioned in the history of the respective villages of the township in which they settled and became influential citizens. Comparatively few of the early pioneers of the township are now residing within its limits, and it is a most difficult matter to procure satisfactory information concerning those who once lived here but have since died or removed to other localities. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION-CIVIL LIST. From 1836 until 1838 the present township of Fenton was a part of Argentine, and officers were elected jointly for both. In the spring of 1838, however, a petition having been sent forward praying for a division, owing to some dissatisfaction over the election of officers as affairs then existed, the new township was organized under the name of Fenton. "At a town-meeting held at the Fentonville hotel, April 2, 1838, Samuel W. Pattison was chosen moderator and Benjamin Rockwell clerk. It was resolved that the officers be appointed on general ticket; also it was voted to elect three constables; also a vote was taken to raise a tax of $50 towards building a bridge over the river at Fentonville, and carried unanimously; also a vote for 200 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIIGAN. raising $140 for town expenses, and carried; also a vote for raising $25 for poor-money; also it was voted to raise $12.50 to compensate the highway commissioners for laying and surveying roads in this town the past year; also it was directed by a majority that the next annual townmeeting be held at the house of H. Harris, in Linden; also it was directed by a majority of 34 votes that it was unexpedient to authorize the supervisor to borrow money towards erecting county-buildings at Flint."* The following officers were chosen, as attested by the record, " by decided majorities:" Supervisor, Walter Dibble; Town Clerk, Lauren P. Riggs; Justices of the Peace, Asahel Ticknor, Thomas Irish, John Cook, Elisha Larned; School Inspectors, Asahel Ticknor, Charles J. Birdsall, R. J. Gage; Assessors, P. H. McOmber, Herman Lamb, Jacob Knapp; Commissioners of Highways, James Thorp, Seth C. Sadler, H. Garfield; Collector, Elisha W. Postal; Directors of the Poor, James Thorp, E. A. Byram; Constables, John Nichols, Norris Thorp; Pathmasters, William Nichols, Seth C. Sadler, Elisha Bailey, Perry Lamb, Charles Tupper, William Remington, Philip II. McOmber, John Cook, Hiram Lamb. The principal officers of Fenton township from 1839 to 1879, inclusive, have been the following persons, viz.: 1839.-Supervisor, Wallace Dibble; Town Clerk, William M. Fenton; Justice of the Peace, Asahel Ticknor; Assessors, 11. L. Lamb, William M. Fenton, A. D. Hunt: Collector, John Herman; School Inspectors, William M. Fenton, Abel D. Hunt, D. F. Morris; Directors of the Poor, Jacob Little, L. Fairbank; Commissioners of Highways, Jacob Little, Seth C. Sadler, Hollis Garfield. The latter removed from town, and Lauren P. Riggs was appointed to fill vacancy. 1840.-Supervisor, Wallace Dibble; Town Clerk, William M. Fenton; Justices of the Peace, William Tanner, William M. Fenton (to fill vacancy); Treasurer, 0. P. Lamb; School Inspectors, H. W. I. Donaldson, A. D. Hunt, M. W. Easton; Poormasters, Peter Lamb, Thomas Fairbank; Commissioners of Highways, Elisha Holmes, Hiram L. Lamb, J. Harris, Jr.; Assessors, IHeman Iarris, William M. Fenton, Abel D. Hunt; Collector, Jonas G. Wicker. 1841.-Supervisor, Asahel Ticknor; Town Clerk, William M. Fenton; Treasurer, 0. P. Lamb; Justice of the Peace, William M. Fenton; Assessors, E. C. Waterman, D. F. Morris, Henry Bradley; Collector, Jonas G. Wicker; Commissioners of Highways, Jacob Little, Seth C. Sadler, John Herman; School Inspectors, Don F. Morris, II. Bradley, Abel D. Hunt. 1842.-Supervisor, Wallace Dibble; Town Clerk, William M. Fenton; Treasurer, Abel D. Hunt; Justices of the Peace, William F. Moseley, Heman Harris; Assessors, Edgar C. Waterman, Heman Harris; Commissioners of Highways, Morris Ripley, Elisha Holmes, Seth C. Sadler; School Inspectors, Abel D. Hunt, Thomas Steere, Jefferson Bowen; Directors of the Poor, 0. P. Lamb, Levi Warren. 1843.-Supervisor, Wallace Dibble; Town Clerk, James M. Wilcox; Treasurer, Abel D. Hunt; Justice of the Peace, Seth C. Sadler; Assessors, Elisha Holmes, Morris Ripley; Commissioners of Highways, Elisha Holmes, Seth C. Sadler, Morris Ripley; School Inspectors, D. F. Morris, Jefferson Bowen; Directors of the Poor, Levi Warren, Samuel Carter. 1844.-Supervisor, Augustus C. Riggs; Town Clerk, William M. Thurber; Treasurer, Abel ID. Hunt; Justice of the Peace, Samuel M. Marcy; Assessors, C. W. Johnson, H1. Harris; Commissioners of Highways, Morris Ripley, Lauren P. Riggs, Elisha Holmes; School Inspector, H. P. Steward; Directors of the Poor, Elisha Holmes, 11. W. Cooper. 1845.-Supervisor, Augustus C. Riggs; Town Clerk, William M. Thurber; Treasurer, Abel D. Hunt; Justice of the Peace, Charles Kelly; Assessors, Seth C. Sadler, William Thurber; Commissioners of Highways, Lauren P. Riggs, Charles Cooper, Morris Ripley; School Inspector, Don F. Morris; Directors of the Poor, Levi Warren, H. W. Cooper. 1846.-Supervisor, Augustus St. Amand; Town Clerk, William M. Thurber; Treasurer, Seth C. Sadler; Justice of the Peace, Claudius T. Thompson; Assessors, Charles Kelly, Pardon Hicks; Commissioners of Highways, Charles W. Johnson, David H. Baker, Elisha Holmes; School Inspector, William H. Shaw; Directors of the Poor, Elkanah Parker, Parley Warner. 1847.-Supervisor, Heman Harris; Town Clerk, David Smith; Treasurer, Seth C. Sadler; Assessors, Parley Warner, William Tanner; Commissioners of Highways, D. H. Baker, Pardon Hicks, William W. Booth; School Inspector, Henry C. Riggs; Directors of the Poor, James Thorp, Parley Warner. 1848.-Supervisor, J. P. C. Riggs; Town Clerk, George Le Roy; Treasurer, Seth C. Sadler; Justices of the Peace, William M. Thurber, R. F. Morris; Assessors, William H. Shaw, Charles W. Johnson; Commissioner of Highways, Joseph Harris, Jr.; School Inspector, R. F. Morris; Directors of the Poor, Parley Warner, James Thorp, Hiram B. Madison. 1849.-Supervisor, J. P. C. Riggs; Town Clerk, J. B. Hamilton; Treasurer, Seth C. Sadler; Justice of the Peace, Charles Kelley; Assessors, Parley Warner, William Tanner; Commissioner of Highways, Martin Dast; School Inspector, IH. C. Riggs; Directors of the Poor, P. Warner, J. Thorp. 1850.-Supervisor, IIeman Harris; Town Clerk, David Smith; Treasurer, Abel D. Hunt; Justice of the Peace, S. N. Warren; Assessors, Hiram Lamb, Walter Davenport; Commissioner of Hlighways, John Sackner; School Inspectors, Luther Field, Abel D. tIunt; Directors of the Poor, James Thorp, Parley Warner. 1851.-Supervisor, S. N. Warren; Town Clerk, Luther Field; Treasurer, Wm. 11. Shaw; Justice of the Peace, Seth C. Sadler; Assessors, Daniel Odell, Parley Warner; Commissioner of Highways, Joseph Harris; School Inspector, Abel D. Hunt; Directors of the Poor, Parley Warner, James Thorp. 1852.-Supervisor, Morris Ripley; Town Clerk, Charles 11. Turner; Treasurer, William 11. Shaw; Justice of the Peace, Henry C. Riggs; Commissioner of Highways, Charles E. Stroup; School Inspector, Thomas Hollowell; Directors of the Poor, Parley Warner, James Thorp. 1853.-Supervisor, Joseph Harris; Town Clerk, William H. Shaw; Treasurer, William Colbrath; Justices of the Peace, William Birdsall, Homer B. Smith; Commissioner of Highways, E. M. Crane; School Inspectors, Charles H. Turner, Abel D. Hunt; Directors of the Poor, Parley Warner, James Thorp. 1854.-Supervisor, Lorin C. Miles; Town Clerk, Alva U. Wood; Treasurer, Abel D. Hunt, Jr.; Justices of the Peace, Win. H. Shaw, Charles Kelly; Commissioner of Highways, 1H. W. R. Donaldson; School Inspector, Marshall M. Johnson; Directors of the Poor, Parley Warner, James Thorp. 1855.-Supervisor, John P. C. Riggs; Town Clerk, Alva U. Wood; Treasurer, John Sackner; Justice of the Peace, Joseph Harris; Commissioner of Highways, George F. Gamber; School Inspector, George W. Wilmot; Directors of the Poor, William H. Shaw, Charles Cooper. 1856.-Supervisor, John Galloway; Town Clerk, Constance G. Young; Treasurer, John Sackner; Justices of the Peace, Lorin C. Miles, Luther Field; Commissioner of Highways, David Springsteen; School Inspectors, Lewis Severance, William F. Hovey; Directors of the Poor, Parley Warner, Morris Birdsall. 1857.-Supervisor, John Galloway; Town Clerk, William P. Guest; Treasurer, F. A. Waterman; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Little; Commissioner of Highways, Asa Martin; School Inspector, W. H. Cook; Directors of the Poor, Seth C. Sadler, D. Smith. 1858.-Supervisor, Claudius T. Thompson; Town Clerk, Elias M. White; Treasurer, Frederick A. Waterman; Justice of the Peace, Robert B. Reed; Commissioners of Highways, Ben Township records, 1838. FENTON TOWNVSHIP. 201 jamin Bangs, Elam W. Crane; School Inspectors, John Booth, Wim. White; Directors of the Poor, Seth C. Sadler, John Sackner. 189.-Supervisor, Claudius T. Thompson; Town Clerk, Elias M. White; Treasurer, James B. Moshier; Justice of the Peace, Benj. F. Fry; Commissioner of Highways, Y. E. Benton; School Inspector, B. F. Stone; Directors of the Poor, J. B. Hyatt, Elam W. Crane. 1860.-Supervisor, Claudius T. Thompson; Town Clerk, George W. Wilmot; Treasurer, James B. Moshier; Justices of the Peace, William P. Guest, Henry C. Riggs; Commissioner of Highways, George W. Ripley; School Inspector, Dexter Horton. 1861.-Supervisor, James B. Moshier; Town Clerk, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Treasurer, P. Y. Foote; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Little; Commissioner of Highways, II. W. R. Donaldson; School Inspector, Edwin IIovey (resigned, and William R. Marsh appointed to fill vacancy). 1862.-Supervisor, James B. Moshier; Town Clerk, James F. Bishop; Treasurer, P. Y. Foote; Justices of the Peace, II. C. Riggs, Wm. 1I. Cook; Commissioner of IIighways, Julian Bishop; School Inspectors, James M. Jameson, William R. Marsh. 1863.-Supervisor, David Smith; Town Clerk, C. J. K. Stoner; Treasurer, Myron Ripley; Justice of the Peace, Aaron B. Durfee; Commissioner of Highways, George W. Ripley; School Inspector, Thaddeus G. Smith. 1864. —Supervisor, David Smith; Town Clerk, James E. Bussey; Treasurer, Myron Ripley; Justice of the Peace, William P. Guest; Commissioner of Highways, Frederick Waterman; School Inspector, Nelson B. Covert. 1865.-Supervisor, David Smith; Town Clerk, J. E. Bussey; Treasurer, Allen Beach; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Little; Commissioners of Highways, A. B. Durfee, John Reeson, Asahel Martin; School Inspectors, Thaddeus G. Smith, Lorenzo D. Cook. 1866.-Supervisor, James B. Moshier; Town Clerk, J. E. Bussey; Treasurer, John Sackner; Justice of the Peace, Erastus M. Stevens; Commissioners of Highways, Henry G. Clark, John Reeson; School Inspector, William R. Marsh. 1867.-Supervisor, James B. Moshier; Town Clerk, John W. McCollunm; Treasurer, Elbert N. Chandler; Justice of the Peace, J. B. Fairbank; Commissioner of Iighways, John Reeson; School Inspector (no record). 1868.-Supervisor, Lorenzo D. Cook; Town Clerk, James E. Bussey; Treasurer, Elbert N. Chandler; Justice of the Peace, William 1. Cole; Commissioner of Highways, Aaron B. Durfee; School Inspector, Edwin M. Adams. 1869.-Supervisor, Lorenzo D. Cook; Town Clerk, J. E. Bussey; Treasurer, E. N. Chandler; Justice of the Peace, IIugh McCann; Commissioner of Highways, Noel IIarris; School Inspector. Aaron B. Durfee. 1870.-Supervisor, James B. Moshier; Town Clerk, J. E. Bussey; Treasurer, E. N. Chandler; Justices of the Peace, Edwin E. Bridges, Michael W. Johnson; Commissioner of Highways, John Reeson; School Inspector, William R. Marsh. 1871.-Supervisor, Lorenzo D. Cook; Town Clerk, F. D. Adams; Treasurer, Delos A. Perkins; Justices of the Peace, Aaron B. Durfee, Robert Deming; Commissioner of Highways, Aaron B. Durfee; School Inspector, S. W.'Pearson. 1872.-Supervisor, Lorenzo D. Cook; Town Clerk, F. D. Adams; Treasurer, D. A. Perkins; Justice of the Peace, Robert Deming; Commissioner of Iighways, Noel Harris; School Inspector, John Owen; Drain Commissioner, Asahel Martin. 1873.-Supervisor, Elbert N. Chandler; Town Clerk, Lewis V. Curry; Treasurer, John Owen; Justices of the Peace, Samuel S. Knight, John WV. Ingrain; Commissioner of IIighways, John Reeson; School Inspectors, Silas K. Warner, Rufus Z. Smith; Drain Commissioner, Jerome Z. Fairbank. 1874.-Supervisor, Elbert N. Chandler; Town Clerk, John W. Davis; Treasurer, Noah G. Kelsey; Justices of the Peace, Edmund E. Bridges; Commissioner of Highways, Jesse D. Crane; School Inspector, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Drain Commissioner, Noel HIarris. 1875.-Supervisor, Elbert N. Chandler; Town Clerk, John.W. Davis; 26 Treasurer, Alonzo M. Holladay; Justice of the Peace, Jerome Z. Fairbank; Commissioner of Highways, John Reeson; Township Superintendent of Schools, Joseph M. McGrath; School Inspector, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Drain Commissioner, Noel Harris. 1876.-Supervisor, Elbert N. Chandler; Town Clerk, John W. Davis; Treasurer, Noah (G. Kelsey; Justice of the Peace, John W. Ingram; Commissioner of Highways, John Reeson; Township Superintendent of Schools, J. M. McGrath; School Inspector, Anson Morehouse; Drain Commissioner, Noel Harris. 1877.-Supervisor, Dexter Horton; Town Clerk, Robert Deming; Treasurer, Albert H. Buck; Justice of Peace, Isaac Sluyter; Commissioner of Highways, A. B. Durfee; Township Superintendent of Schools, George E. Cochran; School Inspector, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Drain Commissioner, Addison P. Chapin. 1878.-Supervisor, Benjamin F. Stone; Town Clerk, Charles H. Turner; Treasurer, Anson Morehouse; Justice of the Peace, Edmund E. Bridges; Commissioner of Highways, Ambrose S. Sadler; Township Superintendent of Schools, George E. Cochran; School Inspector, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Drain Commissioner, John Reeson. 1879.-Supervisor, Benjamin F. Stone; Town Clerk, Charles II. Turner; Treasurer, Edwin M. Hovey; Justice of the Peace, Leonard II. Pierce; Commissioner of Highways, Joseph Thorp; Township Superintendent of Schools, George E. Cochran; School Inspector, Aaron W. Riker; Drain Commissioner, John Reeson; Constables, Andrew E. Downer, Thomas Balis, Edwin Rogers, Emerson C. Horton. FENTON CENTRE MILLS. In the year 1856, W. W. Booth built a grist-mill on the Shiawassee River, south of Long Lake and northwest of Fenton village (section 23), at which he carried on a considerable custom business. He built a dam and raised a pond, which latter was long known as " Booth's Pond." The property was finally purchased by William Colbrath, who made extensive improvements in the mill,-set in place new turbine wheels and three runs of French burrs, thereby affording facilities for grinding and packing 100 barrels of flour daily. He conducted a large and profitable business. On the night of Jan. 6, 1873, the mill was burned down, and was never rebuilt. The dam has also been destroyed, and the marsh exists as it did previous to 1856. The business of the mill was principally transferred to the mills at Fenton, which are among the heaviest in this portion of the State. IMPROVED STOCK IN FENTON. Considerable attention has been paid in late years to the breeding of fine-wooled sheep and short-horn Durham cattle in this township. About 1855-56 a man passed through this vicinity with a large flock of merino sheep, and wintered them on the farm of Alonzo J. Chapin. The latter purchased ten head, and became the first breeder of this variety in town. For a number of years afterwards merino sheep were the principal ones handled, but in more recent years sheep-breeding has declined somewhat. Mr. Chapin's second son, Addison P. Chapin, was the first veteran breeder of short-horns in the township, and the first bull recorded from Gcnesee County (recorded at Buffalo, N. Y.) was owned by him. This was about 1870-71. This well-known breed has since been exten sively introduced in this region. Mr. Chapin still breeds to as great an extent as the size of his farm will allow. A 202 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. gentleman named Stewart, residing in the township of Grand Blanc, started a herd with animals purchased of Mr. Chapin, and has since become an extensive breeder and dealer, having probably the largest herd at present in the county. The qualities of the short-horn Durhams have rendered this particular breed the favorite with most farmers and dealers throughout this section of the State, and they were introduced farther westward even before they were here. RESIDENTS OF TOWNSHIP IN 1844. From the assessment roll for the year 1844, is taken the following list of tax-payers in this township at that time. Some are yet residents. A considerable number of those named were non-residents, and the list is perhaps half made up of those living at the time in the two villages of Fenton and Linden. The names are: William Crawford, John Cook, Murzah Chapin, Cook & Gordon, Solomon F. Cook, Joseph Child & Co., Walter Davenport, Michael Davenport, Rial Durkee, John F. Durkee, Wallace Dibble, Nathan Eddy, Lafayette Fairbank, Zenas Fairbank, Henry C. Fairbank, Francis C. Fairbank, Joseph S. Fenton, John Findley, James Green, Asahel II. Lamb, Hiram L. Lamb, Richard S. Lamb, Henry Lee, Jacob Lurvey, Don F. Morris, H. B. Madison, Joshua Meeker, Philip H. McOmnber, Sr., Philip II. McOmber, Jr., Peter McCollum, John Nichols, Daniel Odell, Jesse Odell, John Orr, Thomas Owens, Mary Owens, Alanson Owens, Z. L. Perkins, Harvey Smith, Jonathan Shepard, Claudius T. Thompson, James A. Thorp, John Thorp, William Tanner, Asahel Ticknor, Alden Tupper, David Terrill, John Wilber, Benjamin Westerbee, Samuel N. Warren, Moses Walton, David W. Woodworth, E. C. Waterman, Parley Warner, William White, Levi Warren, Augustus St. Amand, Joseph Jacobson, Henry H. Bradlcy, Charles R. Pratt, Thomas Steere, Sr., Jefferson Bowen, Charles Beardslee, John Iarmon, S. W. Pattison, Leonard Wesson, C. J. Birdsall, Joseph McLean, Benjamin Rockwell, Daniel Runyon, John Decker, David Smith, Ienry C. Stanard, Samuel N. Warren, Joseph Harris, D. D. Young, Isaac Russell, Warren Filkins, Eber Weed, Joseph Hedges, Elisha Holmes, William M. Thurber, James M. Wilcox, Lorin HI. Norris, D. Burrows, William M. Fenton, Henry Bradley, H. W. R. Donaldson, Augustus R. Hall, John C. Gallup, J. A. Hamilton, Joseph Parker, Ebenezer S. Pratt, Charles R. Pratt, Seth Rhodes, William Remington, John Reeson, Anson Ripley, Morris Ripley, Alanson Ripley, John Roberts, Lauren P. Riggs, Augustus C. Riggs, Mrs. Walter Sluyter, Seth C. Sadler, Ephraim Stone, Samuel Stone, Matthias Graves, William Gibbs, Abel D. Hunt, Heman Harris, Joseph Harris, James Houghton, Robert Jadwin, Patience Jones, Charles W. Johnson, John Kimball, Elisha Lamed, Peter Lamb, Oliver P. Lamb, Ira Lamb, John Ball, Elias Baley, Jared Ball, Jesse Bugbee, 0. D. Beden, Jefferson Bowen, Samuel Cheney, Mrs. Dustin Cheney, Orlin Chipman, Alonzo J. Chapin, Merrick S. Chapin, Henry W. Cooper, Benjamin Castle, Estate of Samuel Castle, Richard H. Carl, Liberty Chamberlin, Jeremy Chapin, Warren Clough, E. A. Byram, E. T. Glass, E. Crane, D. Averill, W. Hoisington, G. Pratt, G. L. Downer, Frederick F. Riggs, P. Lathrop, Judge Witherell, D. H. Chandler, J. F. Bliss, J. L. Wheeler, James Turner, John Turner, J. Sturges, A. Colvin, Jeremial Odell, Reuben Kellogg, William Kellogg, H. HI. Dennison, William Gutridge, Newbold Lawrence, George Odell, Thomson & Lyon, E. D. Bingham, D. Sutherland, NM. W. Scott, John Duncan, EI. & W. R. Hawkins, A. Noyes, W. Blair, J. S. Clark, J. M. Murray, M. Singleton, E. J. Penniman, C. B. Baldwin, A. Bunce, George Doty, Granger & Carroll, Solomon Jeffreys, John Patterson, D. B. Moore, S. S. Sage, John Sackner, M. Miller. The tax levied in the township for the year mentioned (1844) was apportioned as follows: State, county, and township tax.............. $754.97 H ighway tax............................................. 45.05 School tax................................................ 133.73 Four per cent.................................. 37.38 Total............................ $971.13 POPULATION.-OTHER STATISTICS. From the pages already written a close estimate may be made of the resources of the township of Fenton during its earlier years. For the sake of comparison the following table is made up fiom the State census of 1874: Population (males, 1841; females, 1965)......... 3,806 Number of acres of taxable land................... 19,024 " " land owned by individuals and companies................................ 19,204 Number of acres improved land................... 11,435 " "l of land exempt from taxation. 180 Value of same, with improvements............... $130,00 Number of acres in school-house sites............ 30 " < church and parsonage sites 5 t t" burying-grounds............. 45 "' "< railroad right of way and depot grounds.................................. 100 " of farms in township......................... 221 " acres in farms.......................... 17,650 Average number of acres in farms................ 79.86 Number of acres of wheat sown in 1874......... 2,724 C " " " harvested in 1873.. 2,699 " c corn " " 787 " bushels of wheat " "t 28,233 " corn " " 20,320 "' " of all other grain harvested in 1873................... 27,320 " potatoes raised in 1873.. 8,718 " tons of hay cut in 1873............... 2,222 " lbs. of wool sheared in 1873......... 13,717 " pork marketed "......... 26,345 " butter Imade "......... 14,595 " acres in orchards ".... 548 Value of all fruit and garden vegetables, 1872.. $8,395 " " " " 1873.. $7,296 Number of horses, one year old and over, owned in 1874.................................. 436 Number of mules, 1874............................ 1 C" work-oxen, 1874...................... 22 " milch cows, 1874.............. 489 " neat cattle, one year old and over, other than oxen and cows, 1874. 452 " swine over six months old, 1874... 426 " sheep " " " "... 4,318 " " sheared in 1873................. 3,972 Number of flouring-mills in township in 1874.. 2 Number of persons employed in same......... 9 Amount of capital invested................... $40,000 Number of runs of stone........................ 6 Number of barrels of flour made.............. 18,000 -Value of products.................................. $137,000 Number of saw-mills, 1874.......................... 2 Number of persons employed.................. 3 Capital invested................................ $5,500 Number of feet of lumber sawed............... 355,000 Value of products.................................. $5,680 Foundries and machine-shops.................... 2 Persons employed.................................. 9 Capital invested.................................... $15,000 Value of products............................... $9,000 * See description of mills as at present operated. 203, FENTON TOWNSHIP. Agricultural implement works..................... Persons employed.................................. Capital invested..................................... Value of products.................................. Carriage-factories..................................... Persons employed................................... Capital invested.................................... Value of products................................... Furniture- and chair-factories...................... Persons employed................................. Capital invested.................................... Value of products.................................. Pump- and safe-factory............................... Persons employed.................................. Capital invested................................... Value of products.................................. Stave-factory............................................ Persons employed................................. Capital invested..................................... Value of products.................................. Coopering establishments........................... Persons employed................................... Capital invested..................................... Value of products.................................. Tannery.................................... Persons employed................................... Capital invested................................... Value of products................................... Saddle-, harness-, and trunk-factories.......... Persons employed................................... Capital invested..................................... Value of products................................. Breweries (one since discontinued)............... Persons employed................................... Capital invested..................................... Barrels of beer brewed............................ Value of products................................... Woolen-factory (burned 1879)..................... Persons employed.................................. Capital invested.................................... Value of products.................................. Artificial and cut-stone works..................... Persons employed................................... Capital invested..................................... Value of products................................. 1 3 $7,000 $10,000 3 18 $29,500 $14,500 2 6 $7,500 $7,100 5 $8,000 $5,250 1 11 $8,000 $11,000 2 14 $7,500 $13,500 1 2 $5,000 $5,000 3 10 $17,000 $18,400 3 6 $18,500 850 $7,050 1 30 $30,000 $22,000 1 6 $4,00) $4,500 The following extracts are from an address delivered by Hon. Dexter Horton at the dedication of the new enginehouse and firemen's hall in the village, March 9, 1876: "Early in the year 1834, Clark Dibble was threading his way through a trackless wilderness from Shiawassee to Grumlaw* (now Grand Blanc), and by some mistake he got on the White Lake trail. Reaching what is now Iillman's, he started to make farther north, and first discovered this beautiful place which is now our village. He was so forcibly struck with its location that he stopped for a day and examined thoroughly the lay of the land. So taken up was he with the place that on his arrival at 'Grumlaw' he induced Dustin Cheney, Loren Riggs, and John Galloway, with their families, to come with him to this spot. Cheney and family came first, then Clark Dibble, then Galloway and Riggs,-all in April, 1834. "Mrs. Dustin Cheney was the first white woman that stepped on the spot where our flourishing village now stands. To day she is slowly passing away. She resides within one mile of where I now stand, having acted well her part in the great drama of life,-the mother of eight children. For the last fifteen years she can truly say, ' I'm blind, ol, I'm blind.' Go and visit her, as I have done, and listen to her words of wisdom and her talc of pioneer life, and then say, if you can, if she has not performed well her part in life. Though blind to the world, though darkness obstructs her vision, she sees across the river with a vision as bright as the dazzling rays of the noonday sun. What a chapter, what a history might be written of this truly good woman! " Harrison Cheney was the first white child born here, and both mother and child are living. Cheney's family built the first house, on the ground where Mrs. B. Birdsall [now Mrs. Gass] now resides; Riggs the next, where Ellery Anderson now lives; Galloway the next, near the gate to the fair-ground. " Many weeks had not passed before the cry came from the little band in the wilderness, Lost! lost! Louisa Cheney, a little prattling, sweet cherub of seven years, had strayed away. Her mother, with some of the older children, had gone around a little swale, where Chandler's house now stands, to see if there would not be a good place to plant corn. She told the little girl to go back, but somehow she strayed away, and the cry of lost! lost! reached Grand Blanc, Groveland, Holly, and White Lake, and the pioneers came to assist. " On the third day, R. Winchell, who had been at work on Dibble's mill, and who had been hunting for the child, came in nearly exhausted, and threw himself on the bed at about twelve o'clock. At about two o'clock he awoke, having dreamed where the child was. He immediately put on his hat, and went and found the child in the exact spot where, but a few moments before, he saw her in his dream. She had been lost three days, and was found just over beyond the hill where the Baptist seminary now stands, near a little pool of water. She was in nearly an exhausted condition. The little thing would crawl down and take a Numerous changes have been made in the five years which have elapsed since the compilation of the last census, and that for 1880 will show a great difference in many respects. VILLAGE OF FENTON. The village now bearing the above name is located in the extreme southeast corner of the township, on the Shiawassee River and the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railroad. Its site is one of great beauty, extending as it does across the valley of the Shiawassee and over the hilly and undulating ground in the vicinity. In the southern portion rises the gravelly ridge previously mentioned, from the summit of which fine views may be obtained of the surrounding country, the vision covering an area of many miles. The improvements of the village are many and excellent, and are evidence of the taste of its inhabitants. Numerous elegant residences and fine blocks for business purposes have been erected, shade-trees planted in abundance, yards and lawns tastefully laid out, and pleasant homes reared where, but a comparatively short time since, "Along the narrow, winding trail, The dusky warrior bounded, And cries of wolves through sunny vale And forest aisles resounded." The first settlement in this portion of the county was made here by persons who had previously located in the township of Grand Blanc, which they reached by following the main trail leading from Detroit to Saginaw. From there they prospected in this direction, and established themselves permanently in a settlement where Fenton now stands. '* Thus pronounced in the almost unintelligible Canadian patois,-a mixture of poor French, worse English, and Indian. 204 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. drink of water, and then crawl back on dry ground to die. She afterwards became the first wife of Galen Johnson. " Dibble built the first saw-mill, in 1834, and got it running in the fall. One by one the pioneers came: P. H. McOmber and family, Uncle Dick Donaldson and family, R. Le Roy, W. M. Fenton, E. Larned, W. Remington, Walter Dibble, E. Pratt, A. Bailey, etc. " The first hotel was built, in 1837, by R. Le Roy and W. M. Fenton, where the Everett House now stands, and Mr. Fenton opened it with a dance. July 4th of the same year, Uncle Dick Donaldson's band did the fiddling and Elisha Lamed gracefully made music with the tumblers and decanters behind the bar. " R. Le Roy opened the first store, where Richardson's wagon-shop now stands, in 1837, and in 1838 was appointed first postmaster, and held that office for thirteen years. A Mr. Taylor succeeded him, and after his death a part of the post-office was found in his pocket. " This year (1838) the first school-house was built, and a Mr. Nottingham was the first teacher. At that time the right of the schoolmaster to whip was not questioned, and a deeper and more lasting impression was often made with the gad than with the blackboard. "At this time, and in this old log school-house, a pioneer and gentleman, now living a short distance from here, was called, as he thought, to preach, and in an hour of work and religious excitement, he had what was called in those days the 'power.' He rolled over and over on the floor. Scott McOmber played that the young man had fainted, seized a pail of water, and immediately the 'power' left him and the would-be preacher revived. " The first physician was Dr. Pattison; the first blacksmith was Elisha Holmes, and the first bricklayer John Harmon. The first church organization was that of the First Presbyterian Church, which took place Feb. 28, 1840, in the third story of the now Britton store, and the following constituted its membership: Silas Newell, Sarah Newell, George H. Newell, John Hadley, Jr., Sophia Hadley, Benjamin Rockwell, Louisa Rockwell, Daniel Le Roy, Mrs. Le Roy, Lucy Thorp, John Fenwick, Jane Fenwick, James K. Wortman, John C. Gallup, Mrs. Gallup, Eliza McOmber, and Lucy Le Roy.* The giant oaks were felled, migration continued to flow in, and God was in the wilderness, and soon other churches were organized. In the same year the clerk reported 75 persons able to do military duty. "March 2, 1841, the town board licensed as tavernkeeper, H. M. Le Roy; retailers, M. S. McOmber, L. Wesson, A. St. Amand, Consider Warner, and D. Smith; common victualler, S. C. Sadler.. "I first became a resident of Fenton in 1859, and the prominent business men then were: " H. Beach, who ran a dry-goods store where Clark's liquor and cigar store is now; B. Birdsall, who also sold dry goods in a wooden store on the same ground where his brick store stands;t J. Buckbee also sold dry goods from a little wooden store where Thurber & Murray now keep a clothing-store; H. A. Willover kept a little shanty grocery on the east side of Le Roy Street, where Whittle & Algoe are now located; A. G. & W. C. Davis sold drugs from a little wooden store where Curry's hardware-store now stands; N. T. Thurber & B. F. Stone rattled out the hardware from a small store on the ground of Howard's crockerystore; M. Ayers bought wheat in a little shanty on the ground where the post-office now stands; W. W. Booth was tinkering at watches in the building where George the Barbour now is; R. Le Roy sold groceries and liquors where he is to-day; C. H. Turner, in the building just vacated by George the Barbour, fitted nearly every one with boots and shoes, as well as gave nearly every one a letter; R. L. Sheldon was cutting tape and tearing calico where Johnson now sells harnesses; L. C. Miles, H. C. Riggs, E. H. White, and A. U. Wood were the prominent attorneys. There were, of course, other business men, whom I will not stop to mention. " The war came upon us in 1861. The scenes of fifteen years ago rise again before us. The signal-gun on Sumter ushered in the bloody strife, and we heard the call to arms which came from the national capital.. " The boys who went from Fenton have a history in every army. Thick they stood and nobly fell in the Army of the Potomac; they took good aim with Grant in the Vicksburg campaign; they were close at hand when Hooker was fighting among the clouds at Lookout Mountain; they stood like a stone wall with Thomas at Chickamauga -yes, at Chickamauga. How well some of you remember how the line wavered back and forward, like a flag in the wind, and seemingly how little one could do in that blinding tempest, when a great, broad-shouldered man rode up, with lines of courage and pluck written all over his face, realized his situation, took the flag from the color-bearer, glanced his eye along the wavering front, and, with that voice that could talk against the rattle of musketry, Gen. Stedman said,' Go back, boys, go back! but that flag can't go with you!'-wheeled his horse and rode on, and Michigan columns containing some of our Fenton boys closed up, swept down on the foe, and made a record that will live.. "A number of the Fenton boys, who took their lives in their hands, sleep in unknown graves; others sleep here. "Luman Van Wert died at Edwards' Ferry at the age of twenty-one. A noble youth, a gallant soldier, he sleeps, as do the brave, in our burying-ground. "Carlton, his brother, at the age of nineteen, sleeps near Culpeper in an unknown grave. He laid down his young life that the Government might stand. "David A. Colwell, a brave and true boy of the 8th Michigan Cavalry, was a victim of typhoid fever at Mount Sterling, Ky. He rests in yonder burying-ground, a willing sacrifice on the altar of his country at the age of eighteen. God will take care of him. " Exposed to the damp, cold ground and the cold rains of Virginia, a fine soldier boy of the 8th Michigan Infantry died of inflammation of the lungs. George C. Hall rests in a soldier's grave, at the age of twenty-three, at Fairfax Court-House, Va. Miles, his brother,-his brain was crazed, -a minie-ball at Antietam was the cause of his death, and he died without a murmur, and sleeps just over here. See history of this church on another page. t Store recently occupied by William 0ibcrson, Jr. FENTON TOWNSHIP. 205 "Theodore McOmber was captured first by guerrillas and was released by paying $60. He soon joined his regiment, the 8th Michigan Cavalry, and while on the Stoneman raid was taken prisoner and send to Andersonville. It was his fate to beg for water; it was his lot to plead for a morsel of bread, and have it denied him; he was starved-starved! lie was exchanged in time to once more see the old flag, and, seemingly, immediately expired. True, large-hearted boy, he rests quietly over yonder with the rest of them, at the age of twenty-three. "Chester Kinney enlisted for the war in the 5th Michigan Cavalry. He served faithfully nine months in the adjutant-general's office at Jackson, and before the call came for him to go to the front (for which he was ready) he was taken with congestive chills, and this good and true soldier boy died Nov. 23, 1864, at the age of twenty-three. Our burying-ground is where he sleeps. "J. W. Anderson, first a gallant soldier of the 11th Michigan Cavalry, then a captain in the 6th United States Regiment, fought the battles of his country with zeal and bravery. He did not enlist as a Fenton boy, but after fighting the battles of life, and fbr ten years a citizen of Midland, he sought the quiet of our beautiful village in which to die and be buried. Michigan had no truer soldier, no better citizen. Aged thirty-five years.. "The war closed in 1865, and our boys returned home to pursue the vocations marked out for them. From that time to this we have been marked with evidences of thrift on all sides. Blocks and stores have been built, streets have been laid out and nicely arranged, and seemingly but little has arisen to mar r our progress." Dr. S. W. Pattison, the first physician to locate in the village of Fentonville, in 1836, furnished the following article to the Washtenaw County Pioneer Society in 1878: INCIDENTS AND EVENTS IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. " My first visit to Michigan was in the summer of 1835. I came in company with two friends, who were on an exploring expedition to what was then considered ' the far West.' We came up the lake, landing at Detroit, and took the Chicago road to Ypsilanti, then in its inchoate condition, stopping overnight with my two fiiends on the east side of the river, at a house kept by a Mrs. Ballou. In the morning my associates concluded to continue West to Illinois, while I made up my mind to confine my visit to Micligan, and hired a Mr. Freeman, who had been an Episcopal preacher in Ypsilanti, to carry me to Ann Arbor, where I took a stage for the town of Sharon, walking some miles to John Everett's, Esq., a pioneer in that town. Inhabitants were ' few and far between.' Uncle Everett furnished me a horse and I went through Unadilla, following most of the way an Indian trail, to a point on Grand River, twelve miles north of Jackson. I began to feel uneasy, fearing I should fail to find shelter for the night; all appeared like one vast wilderness; but my mind was soon relieved by coming in sight of a newly-erected --— '- -J Z 3 - board shanty, around which lay several recently emptied boxes, and on which I read Edward Freeman. The name called to my memory that a cousin had married a gentle man of that name, and approaching the door, there being no picket-fence to hinder, I hailed the inmates, and was cordially and unexpectedly welcomed, having an interesting visit with these relatives. " In the morning I continued my short trip, and went to Jackson and made up my mind to make that my future home. I returned to Esq. Everett's, who was my mother's youngest brother, and spent the Sabbath very agreeably, and attended a prayer-meeting in a rough school-house. This was conducted mostly by Methodists, who were the pioneers in introducing and sustaining religious meetings in Michigan. " I then returned to my home in New York, stopping, however, in Detroit long enough to have an interesting visit with my father's old friend and family physician, Judge Wetherel, father of Judge Benjamin Wetlerel; both father and son now in the spirit world. "The next spring, near the last of May, I started with my family to seek a new home in the Territory of Michigan, expecting to go directly to Jackson, but after landing in Detroit was persuaded to take the northern route instead of the central. " The spring of 1836 had been up to this time dry, and the roads were in good condition, but heavy rains came on and the lowlands between Detroit and Birmingham were almost impassable,-in fact, we had to exchange teams with each other, and then, with four horses to almost empty wagons, we made slow progress, having to go back and bring on the wagon we left behind. While doing so I met George Washington Patterson, who was then or shortly after lieutenant-governor of New York, and at present, in his advanced age, a representative in Congress from the 33d District, New York. He was on foot, with pants rolled up to his knees and boots and stockings in his hand, splashing through mud and water. " Mr. Patterson had been West, making some purchases as a speculator, and was now returning home. We were about two days in reaching Birmingham, then called ' Piety Hill.' It obtained this title from a circumstance which occurred at an early day, when one of those pioneer Methodist preachers, at a prayer-meeting, in his fervid zeal, with his voice on a high key, prayed that this might become a ' ill of piety-ah l' Here we rested our jaded team and refreshed ourselves, feeling that we were on solid earth. At Pontiac we remained a day or two, and then took the Saginaw turnpike. Near Stanard's we left the turnpike and took a new road, hoping to find our way to Grand Rapids, by the way of Dibbleville. And now again came the tug of war, especially in low places. The long rains had made the ground soft, and our progress was slow indeed. Though the distance is but a few miles, we had to stay overnight at a Mr. Runyon's, the first house on the route for several miles. I think there was but one room, but we were made very comfortable, sleeping on the floor, -seven of us and other travelers. This road was through oak-openings, and the ground was really beautiful with flowers, filling the air with their fragrance. There was something quite inspiring in the novelty of the scene, and my wife and children seemed to enjoy it, though one of them, about ten years old, was an invalid. I could not but 206 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN..I remember the words of Jacob, ' I will lead on softly, for the children are tender.' The next morning we reached Dibbleville (now Fenton), on the east branch of the Shiawassee. The rains had swelled this little stream so that we crossed with great difficulty, but kind helpers aided, and we found ourselves on the west side. This place was named Dibbleville, from a Mr. Clark Dibble, an Indian trader, trafficking mostly in whisky with the Indians. Mr. Dibble, however, was naturally a generous, kind-hearted man. The roads were so bad at this time, and the stream so high and without bridges, we concluded to occupy an old house used by Mr. Dibble as a store in his Indian traffic, and which he had just vacated, and, having no furniture, we commenced housekeeping in a truly rural style, but all were cheerful and hopeful of the future. After making the best arrangements for my family that circumstances would allow, I left them, and, in company with a young merchant who was returning to Milwaukee, continued on to the mouth of the Looking-Glass, where it empties into the Grand River, across which we were ferried by two Indians; and here, giving my friend one horse and riding the other myself, we took an early start, and before breakfast rode eighteen miles before we had an opportunity to break our fast, which we did at a Frenchman's shanty. His wife was a squaw. I never relished a meal better than I did this. Fresh venison and well cooked, but we had to envelop ourselves in smoke to prevent being devoured by mosquitoes. They were an improved breed; myriads is a faint word. This was not uncommon in the new settlements, and a terrible scourge to man and beast. A day after I had a demonstration of this. While taking my own dinner my horses became wild and frenzied from the constant stinging and biting of the horse-flies. They actually ran several miles without stopping, and it cost me five dollars to obtain them again. After exploring a few days through parts of Shiawassee, Clinton, Ionia, Barry, etc., I returned to my family, and as the roads leading to the various settlements were mostly dry and passable, concluded to stop for a short season anyway. Dibbleville, now Fentonville, was a central point where several Indian trails came together, about sixty* miles from Detroit and twenty-eight miles from Pontiac, having Holly on the east, Rose on the south, Byron on the west, and Mundy on the north. I was satisfied that eventually it would become a place of some importance, and time has justified my expectation. "At this time the Indians were in the neighborhood in large numbers, cultivating some land near by. I will relate a little circumstance to illustrate the state of society in Dibbleville in 1836. While I was abroad exploring, as already stated, leaving my family in the building where the Indians had for a long time procured whisky, they could not realize the change, and still visited the house in search of their poison,-whisky. One day a very fierce and uglylooking Indian came in and insisted upon being furnished whisky. Peeking around, he discovered a small trunk, and shaking it, produced quite a jingling, as it contained $100 or $200 in silver. His conduct quite alarmed my wife, who feared she would receive another visit from this uglylooking savage. Her fears were fully realized, for about one or two o'clock at night he commenced a violent knocking at the door, which was well barricaded, saying he wanted scoter (fire). He continued his knocking until it was evident lie would break down the door. Wife calling for a gun to shoot the Indian, my son (the editor of the Ypsilanti Commercial), then twelve years of age, found his way out from a chamber entrance and alarmed Mr. Dibble, who scared the marauder off, and the next day scared him from the vicinity. " It soon became known that a physician had settled at Dibbleville, and I had professional calls quite a distance,to Highland, White Lake, Grand Blanc, Deerfield, Hartland, etc. I was guided to many of these places through timbered openings by marked trees, often following Indian trails. At this time government lands were being rapidly taken up, and while some lands were taken by speculators, the country was being dotted all over by real residents, and the greater number were enterprising, thrifty, and intelligent, making good society. Highland, generally known as ' Tinney Settlement,' and White Lake are samples, building school-houses and churches almost from the first settlement. " Many of the first settlers, however, were poor, and when they had taken up their homes had but little left to live on, and provisions were very high. I well remember paying $15 for a barrel of flour, and every kind of eatables in proportion. Much of corn, oats, etc., came from Ohio, but Tinney settlement was our Egypt. There was corn there. The second vear I made several meals among the farmers on boiled wheat for bread, and it was no sacrifice. This scarcity was of short duration. Soon there was a surplus of provisions, and Detroit, sixty miles away, was our market, and money was as scarce as provisions had been. During the months of August and September the intermittent and remittent fevers-diseases peculiar to low or flat countries-prevailed to a large extent. The well were the exception; whole families were down; many became discouraged, and some fled back to New York, but it was remarkable that most of these returned again to Michigan. But here and there an old pioneer can realize the privations and hardships of the first settlers of this part of Michigan. They were generally industrious, and the axe and the plow soon converted the forests, oak-openings, and prairies into fruitful fields. "The first Sabbath-school at Dibbleville was begun in my house and conducted by my wife, assisted by Norris Thorp, then a young man. It was soon after removed to a log school-house on the east side, and, strengthened by a Mr. Warren's family and others moving in, it became a permanent institution. "The first clergyman I met in Michigan was the highlyesteemed Rev. John Booth, then settled at Pontiac. My first opportunity with him was short but very pleasant. "The next was a Methodist circuit-rider, the Rev. Mr. Jackson, a real pioneer, visiting the new settlements, and where practicable forming a class; thus doing much to break up Sabbath desecrations, visiting, hunting, and fishing. In the fall of 1836 the Rev. Samuel Jones settled in Holly, and preached in several neighborhoods up and * Fifty miles r m Detroit. FENTON TOWNSHIP. 207 down the east branch, making Dibbleville rather a central point. Mr. Jones was a Baptist clergyman, quite an acceptable preacher, and a warm supporter of temperance, Sabbath-schools, etc. "In the spring of 1837 a Rev. Mr. Dudley, a very worthy and self-denying man,-a Presbyterian,-conducted a protracted meeting in Dibbleville, which was mostly attended by children, and was blessed in the conversion of several, among them were my oldest two. Society was gradually undergoing a change. That you may realize something of the hardships of a pioneer physician, I will relate one or two instances among many. "Quite late in the afternoon a message came for me to go to Esq. Crawford's, in Byron, Shiawassee Co., sixteen miles off, and that I would have to leave my horse two and a half miles short of Mr. Crawford's, as there was no bridge across the Shiawassee. I made all diligence, leaving my horse in good hands at the river, and crossed on trees fallen in and across the stream. It was early in November, and my path was an Indian trail leading through oak-openings, and through what is now Byron village, but at this time not a house, only one, a Mr. Jennings', between the crossing and Mr. Crawford's. It soon began to snow, and darkness almost like Egypt hid every object, my only guide being the Indian trail, and the snow soon covering that, so that I had to find it by kicking away the snow; and to add to my perplexity there were two trails from the river, meeting in perhaps half or three-quarters of a mile, and when I came to the junction I was bewildered and took the upper trail back to the river. I now had to retrace my weary steps, and finally reached Mr. Jennings', expecting he would guide me, but he was on the bed sick, and his wife with the sick family half a mile farther; I undertook it, and soon found myself back, and Mr. Jennings, sick as he was, guided me till I could see the light of Mr. Crawford's house, where I was joyfully received, as I was needed. Had I lost the trail so well worn by Indian feet, I had no guide many miles north,-not a house,-and I should probably have wandered in vain for a shelter. My organ of locality is pretty good, but here it failed. "My readers will pardon a little egotism in relating the following incident: At the organization of the town in which Dibbleville is located, I was chosen supervisor and re-elected next year, serving two terms. Esq. Stow, of Flint, and Judge Rice, of Grand Blanc, with myself organized the county of Genesee. "In the month of October, I received a message from Judge A. L. Williams, of Owasso, to make him a professional visit,-distance thirty miles and twenty-five miles from Flint,-where the board were to meet next day, at nine o'clock A.M. The twenty-five miles was through an unbroken wilderness, much of the distance heavy timber, and the traveler was guided only by blazed trees. I found Mr. Williams very sick with the malarial fever, and assuming a somewhat typhoid type, and I felt it my duty to remain with him until two o'clock the next day, when I left, with that noble man, John Swain, for a guide, well supplied with fireworks and Indian blankets, in case we had to lie out overnight, as the nights had become cold and frosty. We met with some hindrances, but when night came we were some three miles short of Flint village, and although Mr. Swain was an experienced woodsman, he failed to find the marked trees, so we struck a fire and waited for the day. And although the wolves howled in the distance, being very tired, I slept a portion of the night very sound, taking a severe cold, but able the next morning to meet the board, and assist in transacting the usual business of the county. At this meeting we awarded several bounties for wolf-scalps. "William M. Fenton, afterwards lieutenant-governor, after whom the town and village were named, and Robert Le Roy, made purchase of quite a large portion of Fentonville, and moving in, made improvements, which gave a new impetus to the place. Although, in the result, the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad came through Fentonville, the original plan was a northern, central, and southern road; the northern from Port Huron, through Flint, Owasso, etc., to the mouth of the Grand River at Grand Haven, leaving Fentonville without a thoroughfare. This, with the unsettled state of society, and its being the outside of the county, together with the prospect that Owasso would be the county-seat, led me to make the change, which, however, I did with great reluctance, having formed a wide acquaintance north, south, east, and west, through good roads for a new country..." In the issue of the Fenton Gazette for Feb. 27, 1866, II. C. Riggs, Esq., began a series of articles upon the early history of the village, published over the nomn de plume of " Fabricius." In May following the historical pen was taken up by Hon. William M. Fenton, and some very interesting chapters furnished by him, extracts from which it is thought proper to reproduce here. They were published under the head of HISTORICAL INCIDENTS. "Dibbleville-so called fiom Clark Dibble-in 1836 comprised a small saw-mill, situated where the flouringmill in your village now stands, a small frame shell of a house, near Clark's house (a shell also), and another occupied by Dr. S. W. Patterson.* "The road from Springfield passed the house of James Thorp east of the village and crossed near the present bridge. Dibble's house was near the west end of the bridge. Thence the road to the 'Grand River Country' passed on to the west, striking the present road near the public square; thence by L. P. Riggs' and Bailey's farms and on by' Sadler's Tavern' west. Another road branched off to ' Warner's Mills,' now Linden, passing John Wilbur's and Dustin Cheney's farms. Wallace Dibble occupied the farm south and Ebenezer Pratt that north of the village, and a road ran north passing McOmber's and so on to William Gage's and thence to Grand Blanc. "The above names comprise the nearest settlements at that time, and the above all the roads, which were simply tracks marking the first passage of teams through the country. This point was early noticed by business men of Pontiac, which was the market for flour at that time from Scott's Mills at De Witt; the flour being drawn down - This name should be spelled Pattison. 208 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.!~I.. w this road crossed the stream here, thence to Springfield and to Pontiac. Scott's gray team was familiar with its load to all on this line, walking at the rate of four miles an hour day after day, and fed only nights and mornings. "In the year 1836, Robert Le Roy and William M. Fenton were selling goods in Pontiac. Their attention was turned in this direction. Judge Daniel Le Roy (father of Robert) predicted that this point would be on the great and principal thoroughfare and line of railroad to the western portion of the State, and Le Roy and Fenton, having the choice of buying here or that part of Flint west of Saginaw Street and south of the river, chose by Judge Le Roy's advice this point, established themselves here in December, 1836, and at the judge's suggestion platted and named the village Fentonville in the spring of 1837. The work of starting a village was commenced by putting the little uncovered saw-mill, with its single saw, in motion; a road to Flint (present plank-road), another to White Lake, etc., were projected, and a new saw-mill, a grist-mill, tavern, store, and dwellings begun. Benjamin Rockwell purchased a third interest, and added by his means to the enterprise. The first building they erected was the house corner of Adelaide Street and Shiawassee Avenue (southwest corner), built of plank, sawed within the week in which it was erected, and at once occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Fenton as residence and boarding-house for fifteen to thirty mechanics until the hotel was built. "The household goods were brought on lumber-wagons from Pontiac, and the stream was crossed on a bridge of logs. I well remember driving such a load, reaching the stream after dark, finding it swollen by rains, hailing' Clark,' who came down to the river-side with a lantern, and then, with its light as my ' guiding star,' cracking my whip and driving across, every log afloat and sinking a foot or more under the horses' feet; but we were safely across, and that little pioneer experience only added a zest to our enjoyment of new scenes and primitive modes of life, which must be seen to be appreciated. "In the spring of 1837 a township-meeting was held at the house called 'Sadler's Tavern,' four miles west of Fentonville. The towns of Fenton and Argentine were then one, and called Argentine. About two o'clock P.M. of town-meeting day, a load of working-men (as were all the pioneers) from Fentonville drove up to the polls and offered their votes. James H. Murray and Dr. S. W. Patterson were on the board and refused to accept the votes, stating they had voted for supervisor in the morning and ' declared off.' The secret was they had declared off for a Whig and the load were Democrats. They feared the result. An argument ensued; they canvassed and counted up, and finding the vote offered would not change the result, received them, Dr. Patterson stating their way of declaring off was the law, because they did so in ' York State.' We couldn't see it, and the result of this trifling affair was that application was made at the next session of the Legislature, and through the influence of Daniel B. Wakefield, then Senator from this district, the township of Fenton was set off, and henceforward managed its own business in Michigan, and not in York State, fashion... " Prudence and forethought arc seldom the characteris tics of the pioneer. To illustrate: On visiting this place in the winter of 1836-37, Clark Dibble's house furnished the only entertainment. He was a pioneer proper. He had a wife and plenty of small children; his house was a shell, only sided up; rooms it had none, but a blanket separated the boarders from the family; the latter occupied the stoveroom, in which were a bed, a few chairs, and a table. Here were the family, and what few clothes belonged to them, with some broken sets of crockery, knives, and forks; and here we must eat or starve. Clark would arise with the lark, go to a log he had drawn up before the door, chop off enough to make a fire, then take his gun and go to the woods, and, in a little time, bring in a deer. Venison was the staple meat, and buckwheat-cakes the bread. Tea could be had at intervals, and whisky occasionally; butter, wheat, flour, and pork were scarce commodities. " Many a curious scene has transpired in that shanty. Old Nate Bailey was one of the characters, John Wilbur another, and the traveler stopping to warm would be regaled by a conversation, and see the peculiar leer of the eye and shrug of the shoulders of those half-ragged and bandit-looking men, and feel, as he left them, he had escaped a danger. Peace to Clark Dibble's ashes! He has gone from among us, killed by the fall of a tree on his own place, to which he had removed over the hills south. But his housekeeper must come in for a note in ' historical incidents.' " At dinner, one day, the boiled venison and buckwheatcakes were being rapidly bolted by hungry men; more venison was called for; she put her fork into the kettle for another piece and raised, to the consternation of his guests, what?-not a piece of venison as was anticipated, but one of Clark's cast-off stockings, no doubt accidentally inserted in the boiling vessel by one of the little imps cutting capers around bed and stove! It can be better imagined than described how hungry men seized a buckwheat-cake, and declared themselves perfectly content to go their ways and eat no more of that particular mess of pottage. "One of Wilbur's familiar illustrations, when he wished to be considered as saying something shrewd, was, ' There is a wheel within a wheel, Mr. Le Roy;' and for many years the settlers were amused by his sayings, while they recollected and recounted their earliest impressions of Uncle John and old Nate Bailey,-the latter peculiarly looking the brigand, although in fact as harmless as a dove. "One of the maxims of that day was that a barrel of whisky was better in a family (especially to bring up a family) than a farrow cow. This may be so,-it is not necessary to argue the point,-but there seemed reason to believe that ' Argentine Madeira,' as whisky from Murray's was called, had a good deal to do with the brigands, their queer looks and mysterious sayings and shrugs. "Let not Old Nate be confounded with one of the earliest settlers,-Elisha Baily. He was a well-digger, and, although advanced in years, at one time received upon his back, in the bottom of the well, a falling tub filled with stone. Most men would have been killed by the blow; Baily survived, and while much injured, still recovered and dug more wells.... "The immigration of 1836 was continued, but with some abatement, in 1837. The influx of settlers in and 209 FENTON TOWNSHIP. around Fentonville was large; firmers settled about the village, and for several miles in each direction, and each made his bee and summoned all to his aid; mechanics and men of all employments sought this point, and soon after the opening of the spring a store and hotel, saw-mill, gristmill, blacksmith-shops, and carpenter's and painter's shops, and houses were under way and in rapid progress of construction. The hotel first built was what is now known as the Riggs House;* the first store on the opposite corner of the street, since changed south, and is the building now standing on the northwest corner of Shiawassee Avenue and Le Roy Street; no better store or tavern was known north of Detroit in those days. The house on north side of public square (occupied by Sheldon) was erected also by Wm. M. Fenton, and then considered a big thing; houses on both sides of the river were erected; Judge Le Roy built the house now constituting part of Le Roy Hotel, and Benjamin Rockwell one on thie iorth side of the ricer, now occupied by Nathaniel Hodge. "These, in my recollection, not to forget Elisha Holmes' blacksmith-sllop, were among the first buildings, and mostly finished in 1837-38. The lumber was sawed principally at the old mill, and the new, after it was up,-including some pine logs from Long Lake. Whitewood and basswood were used to a considerable extent, but the better quality of pine required, including sash- and door-stuff and shingles, were hauled from Flint. " This spot showed in that year all the bustle, activity, and enterprise of a village soon to grow into large proportions; and here let me remark, as a well-known fact, that but for the pecuniary embarrassment and want of caplital of the early proprietors, Fentonville in its first three-years' growth would have increased in population at least fourfold beyond what, with its limited means at hand, it was destined to reach. But there was no lack of perseverance and unity of feeling then among its population; all labored late and early, and when any public occasion called them out none remained behind. The Fourth of July was celebrated that year in perhaps as gay and festive style as it ever has been since. The hotel was unfinished, but its roof was on and sides inclosed and floors laid, and Esquire McOmber invited to deliver the usual address. Marshal Hamilton, as lie was called (a carpenter, since removed to Tuscola), in the red sash of one of his ancestors, directed the procession, and an extensive one, rest assured, it was; not a pioneer-wagon for ten miles around had deposited its load in the forest but it was here tlat day, with all its former living freight, and the newborn infants to boot. Fifes and drums, too,-the reminders, perhaps, of some York State militia-training,-were in requisition, and guns were fired from Holmes' anvil. Shiawassee, Livingston, and Oakland turned out in numbers large for the time, and seats of rough boards were placed for the assemblage as they gathered to that promising building -the hotel. Esquire McOmber delivered one of his finest speeches, a free lunch was zealously partaken, the toasts were 1, t riotic to the core, and, to crown all, we had, as usual, not ol.y great heat, but a violent thunder-storm just at the close of our feast, which shook the earth and heavens, and made the building tremble and dishes rattle, whereat Esquire McOmber, being in his happiest mood, turning his eyes upward, poured forth a stream of fervid eloquence, and made use of some tremendous expletives which it becomes not a veracious writer of history-to be read by all the human family hereabouts-to relate. The old settler, if any read this, will remember and supply the omission. " Philip H. McOmber, the father of the McOmbers now known in Fenton, was a lawyer from Saratoga Co., N. Y. At an early day (say 1835 t) he settled in Genesee County. Long Lake was the spot he selected, and upon its banks, where now stands the Long Lake Hotel, he erected a dwelling. Enterprising and talented as a lawyer, lie soon became widely and favorably known,.. and it is due to Philip H. McOmber, as well as to his sons, that honorable mention in this sketch of our early history should be made of one who, with others, made the wilderness 'to bud and blossom as the rose.' For many years, on the banks of Long Lake, a hospitable mansion welcomed all who came, and the delicious peaches raised by him for many years on the banks of the lake were freely bestowed, and gratified the palates of all who ranked amnong his fiiends, or who made his house their home for the time being. He, with many other pioneers of this region, has gone to his last resting-place, and to him, with others, we who survive should not hesitate to award the meed of praise for their untiring energy in bringing into notice this region of country, now teeming with its busy population and its industrious citizens. ' "Among the many incidents of interest in the early settlement of this town, let me not forget to name the fact that the first piano, the tones of which were heard in Fentonville, was brought here in 1837 by Mrs. Benjamin Rockwell, a sister of W. M. Fenton. It was placed in the hotel (now Riggs House), in the large room southeast corner, second story. Mrs. Rockwell and Mrs. Fenton were both good players. At a place north of Long Lake resided a band of Indians; many of them were well known, but more especially the one called ' King Fisher.' He was the chief of the tribe, and from year to year received the presents of his tribe, not only from the United States, but from Canada, traveling annually for that purpose to Detroit and Malden. The band was large. Fisher, the chief, was, on occasions of his visits, dressed in a frock coat of navy blue, a tall hat of furs, ornamented with silver bands and medals, rings pendent from his ears, gaiters and leggings of deerskin, and strings of wampum and beads appended. Take him all in all he was worthy of his name. Small in stature, but with a bold, manly bearing, erect and dignified, he trod the earth as one of nature's noblemen, which he certainly was. His house (of logs) was always open to welcome and cherish the weary traveler, and no more hospitable board or convenient lodging was found in all the country round. The traveler was furnished with the skins and furs of the wild beasts of the forest for his bed; and as by magic, when he retired to repose, around him fell, in gentle folds, the light gauze protection from the enemy of sleep (mosquitoes), in those days so little known to ordit 1834; had live] two years in Grovelani, Oakland Co.:Present "(Everett House." 27 210 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - -~ ~,- - - I nary inhabitants, but carefully provided for his quiet by 'King Fisher.' Would you know how in those days he looked, find the portrait of Aaron Burr, or one who has seen him as he trod Wall street in his failing days, and the one is a counterpart of the other. Fisher, with some of h's family (now living and known to most of the readers), came down to hear the music of which he had been told. lie in his full dress was, with some of his tribe, ushered up, and in his kingly majesty took the chair offered him and sat, but without uncovering; his attendants stood respectfully about him and a little retired. Petowauoquet, an Indian and a good deal of a joker, familiar to the pioneers and usually full of fun, awed by the presence of majesty, stood back in respectful silence. Mrs. Rockwell struck the keys; the Indians generally seemed enchanted; King Fisher's muscles were rigid, not a movement or sound of surprise fiom'him; he was all dignity, and bore himself as a king; the piece played, the song sung, and he turned to Mrs. Fenton and, through Dan Runyon, who was present as his interpreter,-for he disdained to speak English, although he fully understood it, as in his sqliby (drunken) moods was readily seen,-asked her to dance! Of course this was too much, and was respectfully declined, but it was about as much as kingly dignity could do to prevent all the little Indians from tripping it on the light, fantastic toe, to the music of the piano as played by Mrs. Rockwell. Arising with the dignity peculiar to his race, Fisher exclaimed, as he gazed on the piano, ' Man could ntot make it; Manitou made it!'. "In fiont of the Riggs Iotel, and near the sidewalk, stood then two or three oak-trees of medium size and fine shape. In preparing for building, these were carefully preserved until after the hotel was completed, and travelers and others began to hitch their horses near, when the constant stamping of horses and cattle about their roots caused their decay. I have often thought it would have been money well invested to have inclosed these trees with a substantial fence, far enough from their roots to have preserved them. Like the one which still remains at the house of Ben. Birdsall, those trees would now have towered up in the grandeur of the ' tall oak of the forest,' and spread their branches wide, and shaded and sheltered and protected fiom storm and sun not only the hotel, but many buildings near, and the traveler and pedestrian as they passed along Le Roy Street. But they have gone; the doom of decay was upon them, and, like all things terrestrial, they were soon passing away. " My recollection is that the first preaching we had in Fentonville was from Elder Jones (late of Holly, and whose sons are settled there, or near), a Baptist minister, and that he held forth at the house of Dr. Patterson. "' On the north side of the river, about where David Smith's house is, was a log school-house. Ministers of other denominations made occasional visits, and preached there. The want of some convenient place for church and public meetings was soon seen, and a house for that purpose was built by William M. Fenton on the southwest corner of Elizabeth and Le Roy Streets. It was a one-story building of fair length and width, fitted up with seats and a plain desk, and answered the purpose, not only for relig ious but public meetings for some years, and was free of rent. The first Presbyterian minister was Mr. Van Ness, who was succeeded by Mr. Bulghlardt, and all seemed very glad to have a place for worship. Several political meetings were held there also, and a debating-school was started with headquarters in the same building. It may be tlhat the numerous young men of Fentonville who have become somewhat eminent in the legal profession gained their first ideas of oratory in that same first church edifice, which, after the building of the First Presbyterian church, was sold to Robert Le Roy, who removed it to where Roberts' Hotel is, and it now constitutes his bar-room. Among the young men, graduates from Mr. Fenton's law-office, which stood adjoining, may be named Thomas Steere, Jr., now of Woonsocket, R. I., and late United States consul at Dundee, Scotland; Thomas A. Young, late a soldier in the 13th Micligan Infantry, killed and buried on the battle-field of Shiloh; J. G. Sutherland, of Saginaw, now judge of that circuit; and Ienry Clay Riggs, Esq., well known among us, now journeying to the far West, seeking perhaps a new home and more room for his ambition to soar in. They have all done themselves credit in their profession, and we need not be ashamed that their first training constitutes part of our early history. Among the merchants of Fentonville may be named Samuel N. Warren and William M. Thurber, now of Flint, and David Shaw, of the same place. Physicians of an early day were Dr. Patterson, before named; Dr. Thomas Steere, long and favorably known, whose remains, with those of his wife, now repose in the cemetery; Dr. Gallup, now principal of a female seminary in Clinton, N. Y., all intelligent and highly respectable as practitioners and as citizens, and doing themselves and the residence of their adoption credit while among us. "The log house was soon found too small for the rising generation (for be it known that pioneers are generally young married people, whose offspring conle fast upon the stage, and require scliooling), and a school-house of fair dimensions and tolerable appearance was erected near the site of the First Presbyterian church. The lot for this, as well as the church, were donations-so was the cemetery-to the public, but church and school-house have disappeared. The title to the lots is vested in private persons, but the cemetery remains a monument to those who have passed away, and there are none among us who visit its scenes without being reminded of the familiar and beloved faces of fiiends, relations, and companions, who once trod the stage of life and mingled in the busy scenes of the little village in its incipient enterprise and gradual development. Among the earlier mechanics were one Sage, a very neat joiner; Snapp, a millwright, living now, I believe, and one of the first who helped to start East Saginaw in building its first mill. David Smith was prominent among them, and could then do more work in a day than any man I ever knew; perhaps he can now,-at all events, he is reliable every way. Ed. Franks was another; he is father-in-law of Russell Bishop, of Flint, and keeps hotel at Mackinac. IMrs. Bishop was born in Fentonville (I believe in the second story of the store, corner Le Roy and Shiawassee Avenue, where Franks kept house). Let me not forget Seth Rhodes, who was a timber-hewer, and one of the best ever known. 211 - FENTON TOWNS HIP. It was said after a stick was tolerably scored and Rhodes had struck his line, each blow of his broad-axe (and it was a very broad one) would carry the keen edge through the stick, leaving a surface as straight and smooth as if countershaved. Rhodes had forty acres of land adjoining Wilbur's, enough to have made him comfortable, could he have kept it. But, alas! like many others, his running expenses outran his income, and after he had got out and hewed the timber for the first grist-mill and settled his accounts, he found it necessary to sell out to pay his debts; and it was familiarly said of him that he with his family (all huge eaters and provisions high) had eaten up his year's work and forty acres of land. Ie, too, has gone from among us,-peace to his ashes,-yet history would be imperfect without mention of his name. "The first regular hotel-keeper was Thomas Irish, and at that hotel the first town-meeting was held after the organization. Irish was a carpenter also-in fact, there was no man among us who could not turn his hand to building fences, putting on siding, laying floor, painting, etc., and this all who participated in the earlier settlement of our place will remember well. In the early part of March, 1838 (say 5th), the ground between Ben Birdsall's house and the west line of the village, extending from Shiawassee Avenue down north to the marsh, had been plowed and was sowed with oats. It was protected by a rail fence. During the month there was no rain in the daytime, but, like the period in the building of King Solomon's temple, gentle showers watered the earth at night. The air was balmy and warm as in the months of June and July, and vegetation was far advanced, until before the close of the month (say 25th) there could be seen, where now stand several fine dwellings, a beautiful green field-oats springing up luxuriantly, and the oak-openings all around presented to the eye the beauties of spring. In the early history of the country it was not unusual to plow in February, but in this year (1838) crops were generally sown in March. The variation of the seasons then was remarkable, for the preceding year ice was upon the ground up to April. "Some one who has preceded me in relating the historical incidents of this town has said that the changes in streets have created some confusion, and that the record tlhereof could not be found. For the convenience of reference to inquiring minds in that regard, 1 have caused examination to be made, and find that the record exists among the archives of the Circuit Court for the county of Genesee, in the first volume, on page 75. It is an order vacating certain streets, and was made the 7th of March, 1842. Before that time the highway commissioners (in 1839) had altered Shiawassee Avenue, and the dwellinghouse of Judge Le Roy had changed ends. Its front, once north, had been reversed to face the new street, and in a short time after, by the aid of the first church moved to its new front, was converted into the ' L Roy House,' and kept for a while by Robert Le Roy. It is a little curious to examine that old record. It was made at a time when the court had what the lawyers called epaulettes-that is, asso ciate judges. At that time the counties kept in office by election two judges, who sat upon the bench with the circuit judge (who was also a justice of the Supreme Court, as then formed), and that is about all they did, viz.: to sit on the bench with the presiding judge. True, the two could, being the majority of the bench, overrule the presiding judge, but they seldom did it. Sometimes their sympathies for their neighbors involved in litigation, perhaps under indictment, would lead them to act, and in such case, if they happened to differ with the learned circuit judge, he would, after consultation, give the judgment of the court accordingly, but with a fiown and a distinct announcement that' it was not his opinion, but he was overruled by his learned (?) associates. " In the court where the order referred to was made sat only one, as the records show,-Lyman Stow, formerly of Flint, now sleeping that long sleep that knows no waking. No one accused Judge Stow of any remarkable legal acumen, but he was one of the earliest of the pioneers of our county, and as such deserves honorable mention. When the red man was almost the only human being in all the country round, Judge Stow penetrated the forest and preceded at first, but ultimately lived to see developed the march of civilization which levels the forest and brings in train enterprising villages, mills, and manufactories, and converts the wilderness into productive farms. May he be as happy in the home to which he has gone as his honest worth in this world would seem to entitle him " One of the earlier settlers of the town was Joseph A. Byram, who lived on a lake bearing his name (Byram Lake). Ile was from Flushing, Long Island, and with his family had lived in luxury. The quiet of his grounds was seldom disturbed by the white man's tread until Augustus St. Amand-then a young Frenchman, just from Paris, who by the way of New Orleans and the Mississippi had reached Iichligan-made Byram's acquaintance. The result was he came out with Byram from Detroit and purchased near him. His fowling-piece and fishing-rod brought with him afforded him amusement, and in the bachelor's hall which he erected out of logs were all the various articles of luxury he had been able to bring with him. He was hospitable and glad to entertain any friend who might visit himindeed, we found in the first experience of pioneer life a real treat and pleasure in visiting the beautiful openings and clear lakes, as well as the hospitable dwellings of both Byram and St. Amand. Not the least romantic of the earlier scenes of pioneer life was what befel St. Amand. In one of his journeys to Detroit for provisions (for be it known what little money a man brought here was soon used up in that way), on his return, when on the Saginaw turnpike, near Springfield, he found a carriage broken down; a gentleman and lady were there-father and daughter; the lady appeared to be in distress, the gentleman taking things easy as was his wont. But the chivalric feelings of St. Amland could not be restrained, especially as he gazed on that young form and saw the youth and beauty, with the intelligence and sparkling eye of a damsel in distress, and quick as thought he was upon his feet, rendering such assistance as was required to repair damages and see the travelers on their way to Pontiac. St. Amand could at that time speak but few words of English, but a look of gratitude and admiration beamed in tender eyes, and St. Armand felt the dart of love piercing his heart, as moving 212 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIIGAN. his hand he bade the damsel adieu, and exclaimed, 'au revoir.' It was indeed with them 'au revoir,' for the attachment formed on that then romantic and forest road soon culminated, and Augustus St. Amand became the husband of Caroline Le Roy. Sweet girl she was, and became the mother of sons, one of whom has laid down his life in the cause of his country, falling a sacrifice in the war to restore the Union. " Farewell, Caroline! You rest in your quiet grave, but there is hope you will meet in the realms of bliss those you loved so well and so kindly cared for in this world.... "In times gone by there was an excitement known as ' Anti-Masonry,' in Western New York, and there was a place called Stafford, near Batavia. At the first-named place dwelt, among others, a man named Elisha Holmes, who removed to and became one of the pioneers of Fentonville. In the days of our early settlement, after Holmes had finished his labors in his shop (he was a blacksmith), he would regale his listeners with racy anecdotes, and many a tale of how Morgan was supposed to pass through Stafford, inside the stage-coach of the ' Swiftsure Line,' gagged and manacled, on his way to ' that bourne from which no traveler returns,' just before the dawn of day, and, as he was postmaster, he would say,' If there was anything of the kind, wouldn't I have known it?' And so he would defend those who had been accused of the high crime of abduction, and wind up by saying that ' Weed, the whisker-clipper, circulated the story, and boasted that the body he found was a good enough Morgan until after election.' "Elisha Holmes was a man of strong memory, and especially in the political history of the country unequaled. From his post-office of Stafford lie brought barrels of newspapers, and, if ever at a loss for facts (which seldom happened), would ransack the barrels until he found the document,-and he was always right, his memory infallible. "The first mail obtained in the new village was by a mail-route, procured after a long effort, running from Pontiac via White Lake twice a week. I well remember, in those days of slow mails, the anxiety we experienced on the eve of any important event. One with which Holmes was connected is illustrative of many: "The national convention of Democrats was assembled for nomination of a President in 1844, and anxiety to hear the result was general. Cass was a candidate, and others. A crowd had assembled, waiting for the expected mail, which was sure to bring the news, and after much speculalation, Holmes, in his dry way, said, 'Gentlemen, you are all mistaken. The nominee will be a new man; guess who.' Many names were mentioned, but not the right one. At last Holmes said, 'Gentlemen, I have got the history of this country, and its statesmen in and out of Congress, in my head, and the nominee will be James K. Polk.' 'Polk-Polk-who is he?' 'Why,' said Holmes, 'you don't read the newspapers: it is James K. Polk, of Tennessee.' Yet the bystanders were not satisfied; indeed, they all agreed that for once Holmes was mistaken. But the mail came, and Holmes was right. The old anvil was brought out, the nomination saluted in ancient style, amid shouts of 'James K. Polk, of Tennessee, The very man I thought 'twould be,' and Holmes was triumphant. But the town goes on; enterprise still exists. Even at an early day David L. Latourette, Esq., now an enterprising citizen and banker among us, came to a Western home. He was the first to encourage the growth of flax, and entered into the manufacture of linseed oil. Like many other pioneers, this didn't make him rich, but his enterprise in another sphere of action did (so said); and now, with new life and energy, he is putting his shoulder to the wheel to open another iron road to our pleasant village. May his efforts meet the success they deserve! " Among the men of Pontiac who came here at an early day was Judge Daniel Le Roy, of whom mention has before been made. He was singular in many things, not the least of which was that he became pious, joined the church, and thereupon became one of the abolitionists of the old stamp, who, though in a very small minority, thought they were right, and went ahead, believing that time would, with patience and perseverance, accomplish all things, and, like Wellington at the battle of Waterloo, that they could pound the longest,- and so they have.... This is a digression, perhaps, but illustrative of the times when the judge took the only abolition paper circulated in Fentonville,-the Star in the rEast,-published in the State of Maine. " While on this subject let me call to mind some of the scenes of 1840,-' Tippecanoc and Tyler too.' There was an immense gathering and great excitement in our usually quiet village. Tom Drake and others were here, and the frame of the new flouring-mill was up and the roof on. There the people began to assemble. Drake walked to and fro in front of the hotel,-hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground,-digesting the matter for the coming speech and preparing, as well as he could, to digest the pork and beans and hard cider with which the crowd was to be regaled. Wagons with hard cider were drawn up in fiont, the kettles were on the fire, the pork and beans were boiling, and one team had arrived from Flint with a load of shingles to be used in dealing out the refieshments; for be it known that knives, forks, and spoons were alike interdicted, and pork and beans were served on shingles, and from a split shingle spoons were formed. The speeches went on in the usual way; the people were told that in the White House gold spoons were used,-that Van Buren contemplated a standing army of at least 20,000 men, and insisted on that odious scheme called the 'Sub-Treasury,' whereby the money of the people was to be locked up and we were all to be reduced to beggary,-a shilling a day and a sheep's pluck for wages and meat,-and 'that same old coon,' dead but stuffed, was run up on a pole, and all tile people shouted and roared, and drank hard cider, and pulled out their 'latch-strings,' and ate pork and beans off a shingle with a split shingle for a spoon, while Elisha Holmes, quietly hammering away at his anvil, looked down the vista of time, ransacked his memory for a parallel, and, with prophetic vision, exclaimed, 'Go it while you're young, boys; feel good while you may; but if my name is Elisha Holmes, your " Tyler too" will be a Tartar; for my history tells me Tyler is a life-long Democrat, and you will find FENTON TOWNSHIP. 213 his policy stamped on the next administration, or I am not Elisha Holmes.' "And history has recorded the truth of his prophecy. Would that there were more among us who looked to the lessons of the past, and so performed their duties as good citizens to bring about the greatest possible good in the future! " Another of our early settlers deserves mention here,IHon. Jeremiah Riggs, who settled in Michigan when it was a Territory, was a member of the Territorial Council (as was Judge Le Roy), and at the formation of the State government took part as one of the framers of the first and best constitution,-for surely innovations have not improved our first constitution. He was a man of kind and genial disposition, beloved by all, and for many years after he came to this village might be seen at the Riggs Hotel, his mind treasured with memories of the past and his conversation instructive and amusing beyond what is often found. lHe has left behind him sons, some of whom are among us, and a memory which will be cherished with respect by all to whom he was known." Clark Dibble saw service in the war of 1812, and in his after-years was wont to sing numerous patriotic songs, among which one was called "Granny O'Wale," which he satig lustily, displaying his musical powers in a most energetic manner, and so loudly that the forest re-echoed his tones far and near, and all knew that one man, at least, was a staunch patriot. Dibble was also noted for being a most excellent rifle-shot, and many a deer fell before his unerring aim. After Dustin Cheney had arrived and built his log cabin, roofing it with elm-bark, those who followed immediately, viz., Clark Dibble, George Dibble, Lauren P. Riggs, John Galloway, and Robert Winchell, camped on a fiat south of where the mill now stands, and remained there for a month while constructing their log shanties. Those who attended these early raisings were the persons above mentioned, together with Alexander Galloway, William Gage, and Hannibal Vickery, and their voices were lifted up in the wilderness as they strove with their might in rolling up the logs of which their shelters were composed, and the sturdy backs of the pioneers bent and their muscles knotted in response to the hearty "yo-heave-oh's" of the " boss." The primitive habitations appeared almost like magic, and the foundations of a prosperous settlement were rapidly laid. John Galloway, one of the persons who settled at Dibbleville in April, 1834, was born Sept. 23, 1805. His father was a native of Orange Co., N. Y. In March, 1819, the son left Marion, Wayne Co., N. Y., to which his father had removed, and proceeding to Black Rock, below Buffalo, embarked there, April 4th, on the steamer "i Walk-in-the-Water," the first that braved the perils to be met with on Lake Erie, and at the time new, and came to Detroit, where he arrived on the 10th, after a six days' trip. lie was accompanied by his father's family, and at Detroit met Col. Hotchkiss and family. In a short time an open Durham boat was procured, and the two families placed themselves and their baggage on board, rode up the Detroit River, across Lake St. Clair to the mouth of the Clinton River, and up that to the site of Utica, Macomb Co. Thence, with two carts drawn by oxen, they proceeded across the country, following an Indian trail to the banks of the Clinton at another place, camping where now is the village of Auburn, Oakland Co., southeast of Pontiac. The next day they moved on to the land owned by Col. Hotchkiss, near Pontiac, where, with the assistance of a few men furnished by the " Pontiac Company," they built a log house, covered it with elm-bark, and the two families slept that night beneath its roof. The following day a log hut was built on Alexander Galloway's land, and the Galloway family at once occupied it. A lake near by is still known as " Galloway's Lake," and its proximity to the farm owned by that gentleman rendered the property of considerable additional value. After four years John Galloway returned to the State of New York, where he remained until 1834, when he again removed West, and took up his abode with the hardy few at Dibbleville. Mr. Galloway was quite prominent among the early settlers, and was much respected by them. His decease occurred ori the 19th of October, 1870, when he had reached the age of sixty-five years. Perhaps the first potatoes planted in the township were those placed in the ground by Mr. Galloway upon his arrival here, in April, 1834. John Wilber was another veteran of 1812 who settled early in the village, and he is well remembered by many yet living here. Ile was so unfortunate, during the struggle in which he served, as to be captured by the British, taken to Montreal, and cast into prison, where he was kept for some time on an exceedingly meagre diet, consisting of bread and water. Such a mixture of solid and liquid as this was more than he was used to, and he languished under a troubled spirit and with sharp cravings at the stomach. In time, however, he was exchanged, and the heart of the hero was glad within him. "Johnny," as he was called, became quite a character in Fenton. He was not possessed of a remarkable education, but withal was a jovial companion and a person noted for his quaintness and honesty. It being too much of a task, possibly, to write his name in full, lie always signed it with a cross, and there was no mistaking his mark for that of any one else, for, like all his sayings and doings, it was full of originality. Politically, during the days of Whig and "Locofoco" parties, he was conservative. On one occasion arrangements were made for the celebration of the anniversary of the nation's independence in a manner befitting so important an event. Dr. John C. Gallup, an earnest Whig, and since a prominent educator in Oneida Co., N. Y., was deputed to read the Declaration of Independence. The day arrived, the village was filled with those who had come to "the Fourth of July;" all faces wore looks of pleasurable anticipation, and they were not disappointed, for the celebration passed off perfectly satisfactorily, and -everybody was happy. Dr. Gallup read the Declaration in his best style, the assembly cheered, and thoughts of other days undoubtedly filled the minds of those present; but Johnny, true to his political instinct, emphatically pronounced the whole thing a Wh/g lie, to the no small amusement of the listeners. 214 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. When, in October, 1856, the rails were being laid on the extension of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, Johnny watched the operation earnestly. Placing himself in the middle of the track and gazing intently eastward, he at length, with earnest tone and sober mien, remarked, "Hut, tut! they'll have to steer their wagons pretty straight to run 'em on these!" At the age of seventy years he became a widower. According to the fashion of the day, he placed weeds on his hat, but after forty-eight hours of mourning, he began to pay attention at one and the same time to two widows. Neither suspected that the other was being courted, and the result was that as each had promised to become his bride, elaborate preparations for wedding-dinners were being made in both houses. The day approached (the same day had been set with both widows), and it appeared that Johnny was rapidly being entangled in an inextricable predicament. At length Rumor, with her thousand tongues, secretly whispered to Mrs. N. that Mrs. P. was her rival in love, and forthwith her temper was roused, and she set herself to seek satisfaction. Repairing to her neighbor's domicile, her strawberry nose changing to a deeper hue as her anger rose nearer to fever heat, she demanded an explanation and a settlement for damages. Her wrath was finally appeased by the payment of a ten dollar bill by her rival; the wedding cookery of the latter was transferred to the house of the former, and the wily Johnny and the energetic Mrs. N. were soon made one. Mr. Wilber lived more than fourscore years, and in April, 1879, was taken home to rest in the bosom of mother earth. His good qualities are kindly remembered; his defects are overlooked; and his memory is cherished as that of one who braved the perils of the wilderness, and aided, to the extent of his ability, in developing and improving it. Richard Donaldson was another of the pioneers of Fenton. He was familiarly known as " Uncle Dick Donaldson," and settled here at some date previous to 1840. HIis death occurred Feb. 22, 1868, when he had reached the age of seventy-four years. Silas Bullard, now engaged in business in Fenton, although not numbered among the first arrivals in the village, is still a pioneer of the State, having located in 1836 in the township of Commerce, Oakland Co., together with his brother, Benjamin Bullard. Their farm in Commerce was near what are known as Barrett's Corners. The Bullard brothers brought into Commerce the first threshing-machine ever used in that township. Silas Bullard has, during his residence in Michigan, lived in Oakland, Calhoun, Livingston, and Genesee Counties, and has formed a large acquaintance with the southern portion of the State. Asa Reynolds, Esq., another of Oakland's pioneers, came to that county from the State of New York in October, 1836, and purchased and settled upon land in the township of Rose, where he lived for upwards of thirty years. He was chosen to fill numerous offices in the gift of the people of his township, among them serving many successive terms as supervisor. Subsequent to the war of the Rebellion he removed to Fenton, where he yet resides, a respected and honored citizen. Dustin Cheney, the first settler in the village or town ship of Fenton, saw considerable service during the war of 1812, and was in several engagements along the Niagara fiontier. In December, 1833, he cane to Gencsee County from the town of Parma, Monroe Co., N. Y. He arrived with his family a few days before Christmas, and located in the township of Grand Blanc, where he remained until his removal to Fenton, in April, 1834. His log shanty-the one he first erected-stood on the lot afterwards owned by Ben Birdsall, and some distance back from what is now Shiawassee Avenue, or nearly on the spot where the present residence of M. T. Gass (estate of Mr. Birdsall) is located. Mr. Cheney's son, Harrison Cheney, now living northwest of the village, was the first white child born in the township, the date of his birth being July 22, 1835. The elder Cheney has long been dead, but his widow is yet livingover eighty-two years of age-with her son, James Cheney. Mrs. Cheney deserves special mention for her noble deeds during the early years of her residence here, for few have passed through the experiences she has and lived to so great an age. For many years she has been totally blind, owing to the fact that she at one time cared for a smallpox patient so faithfully that she caught the terrible disease, and ruined her eyesight in consequence. She was at once a most kind fiiend, a philanthropic neighbor, and a noble mother, and her care and watchfulness over the sick, and her generosity in affliction, are no mere idle subjects; all are cognizant of them who knew her in those years, and they render her the honor which is her due. Robert Le Roy, the partner of William M. Fenton in laying out and building up the village, came with his father, Daniel Le Roy, from Binghamton, Broome Co., N. Y., to Detroit, in 1818. About 183() he removed to Pontiac and engaged in business, entering partnership, during his residence there, with Mr. Fenton, and coining with the latter to the village now bearing his name, in the winter of 1836 -37. Messrs. Le Roy and Fenton opened the first mercantile establishment in the village upon their arrival, and its magnitude and importance were considered great for the time. Previous to the time these gentlemen started here in business, the trading-points for the settlers had been Ann Arbor and Pontiac. Those living at Dibbleville went usually to Pontiac, twenty-five miles away. Mr. Le Roy is now the oldest merchant in the place, not having, however, continued in the same business since his first arrival. He has been for many years in his present location on the west side of. Le Roy Street, south of the river, and next door south of the Everett House. David Baker, familiarly known as " Uncle Dave Baker," died in Fenton, June 7, 1871. He was a native of the State of Vermont, and about the year 1840 settled at Pontiac, Oakland Co., Mich. He subsequently purchased a farm in Holly township, in the same county, to which he removed. About 1847 he came to Fenton, and established the first wool-carding-mill in the township. William Tremper, from Fairport, N. Y., emigrated to Michigan in 1834, and at some date previous to 1850 lo cated in Fenton village, where his death occurred on the 13th of March, 1875. Austin Wakeman, long and well known in this place, FENTON TOWNSHIP. 215 came to this section of the State in 1828. For twenty-five years he was one of the most prominent among the business men of the community. He died Dec. 13, 1876, aged seventy-three years. Hon. Dexter Horton, a resident of Fenton since 1859, is a native of Michigan, his father, Henry W. Horton, having settled in Groveland, Oakland Co., in the winter of 1830-31, entering his land in March of the year first named, and settling with his family in the following February. On the farm still belonging to his father, Dexter Horton was born in 1837. After attaining to sufficient age he attended the college a short time at Albion, Calhoun Co., Mich., and afterwards taught school and worked on his father's farm until twenty-one years of age, when lie came to Fenton and located. His entire capital at that time consisted of two colts and fifteen bags of corn. His perseverance and business tact have enabled him to accumulate a competency. He deals extensively in grain and agricultural implements. In 1861, when in his twenty-fourth year, he received the appointment of postmaster at Fenton, but in 1863 resigned the office and accepted a colmmission in the army as captain and commissary of subsistence. lie was promoted to the rank of major during his service. Was with the Western army under Sherman. At the close of the war he was reappointed postmaster, but for political reasons was removed by President Johnson. In 1867 he was appointed assistant sergeant-at-arms in the State Senate, and in November, 1869, was elected to represent his district in the lower house of the Legislature. He was nominated also in 1871, but was defeated by thirty-one votes. IIe is at present one of the prominent business men and most respected citizens of the village. Hon. Jeremiah Riggs, an early resident of Fenton, came from Litchfield, Conn. In the employ of the father of the celebrated divine, John Pierpont, he learned the trade of a clothier, or cloth-dresser. In 1828 he removed to Michigan, and in Grand Blanc township purchased 400 acres of land, lying principally on section 15. He located upon it in April, 1829. In the winter of 1835 or '36 he removed to Saginaw, having received the appointment of " Indian farmer" for the tribe in this locality. In 1813 he clanged his dwelling-place to Fenton, where his son, Henry C. Riggs, now a prominent attorney, had previously settled. Another son, J. P. C. Riggs, had also come to Fenton and entered one of the stores as a clerk; he is now living on a farm near Silver Lake, on the road from Fenton to Linden, while a third son, Frederick F. Riggs, also resides in the village. Mr. Riggs, Sr., upon locating here, became proprietor of the hotel which had been built by Messrs. Le Roy & Fenton, and which was then given the name "Riggs House." Another early resident of the State is Maxwell Thompson, of Fenton village. Hle is from Cayuga Co., N. Y., and first visited Michigan in 1833. In 1836 he returned and purchased large tracts of land in various portions of the State, including considerable in what is now Gaines township, and also in Barry, Calhoun, Livingston, and other counties. Finally, about 1839, having made various improvements in previous years, he settled in the township of Mundy, although not permanently until 1841 or 1842. Since the spring of 1867 he has resided in Fenton village. He has, since his removal to Michigan, been engaged in farming and mercantile pursuits, although his principal occupation has been speculating in land. That which he purchased from the government in 1836 has long been disposed of; and he owns none at this day which he bought then. Upon that trip he stayed in Mundy with Morgan Baldwin, who was keeping public-house on the same place where he yet resides. Mr. Thompson's business operations have been generally successful, and he is not liable to be reduced to want in his age. South of Shiawassee Avenue, the Indians were accustomed to congregate in considerable numbers, camping and hunting and fishing in the neighborhood. Until they lost control of themselves under the influence of whisky, they were at all times peaceable and quiet, but with the liquor down their throats, their savage nature often showed itself. After Alonzo J. Chapin had moved to the farm now owned by him immediately west of the village, 300 or 400 Indians on one occasion camped upon it. Peter McCollum kept a tavern in a building now standing in the western part of the village. At that tavern the stages plying over this route changed horses after a trip west from Pontiac or eastward from some point farther west. Mr. Chapin told McCollum that the Indians would want whisky, and warned him not to give it to them lest they make trouble. lie (McCollum) paid no heed, but went into his tavern, and when liquor was called for dealt it out to them. Several of them soon became intoxicated, and it was evident to McCollurn that he had made a mistake, for two of them drew their knives and drove the whole family out of doors. At that crisis Mr. Chapin entered the house and was accosted by one of the drunken Indians, who wished him to " treat." This he refused to do, and the Indian threatened to knife him if lie persisted. He backed towards the stove, reached around and picked up an iron griddle, and, the Indian becoming altogether too demonstrative, he struck him a terrible blow with it and felled him senseless to the floor. The others crowded around him, shook hands, and called him " brave che-mo-ke-man!" His courage had won for him friends, even though he had nearly killed one of their warriors. It was characteristic of the Indians to think much more of a man who proved himself no coward even if his display of prowess caused subsequent mourning among them. The first circus which showed in Fenton arrived here about 1850, and pitched its canvas in the rear of the lot now owned by A. J. Chapin. It had no regular tent,only a canvas cover, and, in comparison with the gorgeous pageants of to-day, was but a small affair. Yet people came from near and fiom far to see it, and returned home happier for having done so. A circus was an event of as much or more importance then as now, and the country maid and her dusty escort joined with the village people in laughing at the antics of the clown and admiring the fourfooted denizens of a far country, which they were privi leged to gaze upon. And when the " show" had disappeared, it was as great a matter of satisfaction to relate experiences after visiting it as it has ever been since. 216 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I PROMINENT PHYSICIANS. The first physician who located here-Dr. Samuel W. Pattison-came in 1836, and extracts from an interesting article from his pen are found elsewhere. He is now living at Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., in his eighty-second year. Dr. Thomas Steere, the second to make the village of Fenton his home, came from Norwich, Chenango Co., N. Y., about 1838, and during his life here enjoyed an extensive practice. He died Oct. 6, 1860, and his remains lie in the old cemetery. By his own request he was buried just at sunset, and in a black-walnut coffin. He was a most worthy citizen and an excellent physician. Dr. John C. Gallup was here at the same time with Steere, and practiced a few years. The physicians in those days could scarcely collect money enough for their services to pay them or to enable them to live comfortably. Dr. Gallup subsequently removed to Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y., where he established and became the principal of a wellknown seminary for young ladies. Dr. Isaac Wixom, now of Fenton, has practiced in his profession for half a century in Michigan. He was born near Hector, Tompkins Co., N. Y., in 1803. He studied for a time in the office of a country physician near his home, and subsequently attended lectures and graduated at Fairfield, HIerkimer Co. I-e was not at that time of age, and in consequence could not be granted a diploma, although his standing entitled him to one. In 1824, when he had attained his majority, he received a diploma from the Medical Society of Penn Yan, Yates Co. Ile immediately began practice in Steuben County, continuing four years. In the spring of 1829 he emigrated to Michigan, whence his father had preceded him, and settled near the latter, in the township of Farmington, Oakland Co. During his stay there he is found engaged in practice and in tavern-keeping. Fifteen years of constant labor in his profession, together with his other duties, wearied him, and in 1844 he removed to the township of Argentine, Genesee Co., where he entered the mercantile and milling business, thinking to avoid medical practice for at least a short term of years. He had been too successful and won too great a reputation for such hopes to be realized, and his fanme followed him. It became necessary for him to continue in the path he had chosen, and pay attention to both medicine and surgery. The doctor purchased his land in Argentine in 1844, and moved his family the following year. For fifteen years lie continued in business at Argentine, building up the greater portion of that village, which for years was a point of greater commercial importance than Fenton. The completion of the railway to the latter place blasted the prospects of Argentine, and scarce a tithe of the business of former days is transacted there at present. While living at Argentine, Dr. Wixom was frequently called upon to perform difficult surgical operations in remote parts of the State, as well as in other States. In 1838 he was elected to the lower house of the Legislature, -then convened at Detroit,-and for two years was a member of the House Committee on Education. While in that capacity he took an active part in measures relating to the founding of the University of Michigan. In 1841 he was elected to the State Senate. During his term he, in com I pany with Hon. James Kingsley, drew up the first (?) railroad charter granted in the State. He is now the only surviving member of that Senate. In 1861 the doctor aided in raising " Stockton's Independent Regiment," afterward known as the 16th Michigan Infantry, and accompanied it to the field as its surgeon. For two years he remained with it, participating in twentytwo engagements. Owing to his failing health he found it necessary to resign, and in 1863 he returned to his home in Argentine. In February, 1869, he located in Fenton, where he has since resided. He contemplates returning to Argentine and giving up his practice to his son, thinking he has devoted as much of his life as is really necessary to the care of the afflicted. He has at present a large practice,-attending principally to the surgical branch, and for thirty years has performed more of the necessary operations than all the other surgeons of the county. Some of his operations have rendered him one of the most distinguished surgeons the country has ever produced. His oldest son, William W. Wixom, is one of the most accomplished surgeons on the Pacific coast, and is at this time a resident of California. Dr. Wixom's first vote was cast for Andrew Jackson. Since he was twenty-one years of age he has been a member of the Masonic fiaternity, and has taken all the degrees which can be conferred in this country. Has aided in organizing various lodges, and was long a prominent member of Fentonville Lodge, No. 109. Although the doctor has earned enough in his fifty-four years of practice to place him beyond the possibility of want, his circumstances are not such as might be wished for, and it has been said of him that rather than dun a patient he would attend him free of charge. Fenton has its full complement of physicians at present, all of whom do credit to their profession and merit the confidence of the people whom they serve. Besides Dr. Wixom there are A. W. Riker, - Sue, and L. E. Knapp. Dr. H. F. Douglas is the oldest dentist now in the place, having located here in the fall of 1869, and taken the office of E. G. Miles, who had been engaged in the same business. P. R. Hovey, who left when Dr. Douglas came, had practiced dentistry here for ten years. The office of Dr. Douglas is over the post-office, and is one of the best arranged in the county or elsewhere. During his stay here lie has won the confidence of all in his work, and enjoys an enviable reputation. PROMINENT LAWYERS. The first law-office in the village was opened by IIon. William M. Fenton, and several who afterwards became able practitioners received the rudiments of their legal education in his office. Mr. Fenton's father, Hon. Joseph S. Fenton, settled here early and became a prominent citizen of the place. IIe died Nov. 14, 1851. He is remembered as a thorough gentlemen, and many recollect his numerous deeds of kindness. Hon. Alexander P. Davis, an eminent lawyer of Fenton, died in the village March 4, 1871. He was a native of the town of Aurelius, Cayuga Co., N. Y., and at an early day emigrated to Livingston Co., Mich., where he en FENTON TOWNSHIP. 217 gaged in the practice of his profession. In 1842 lie removed to Flint, and eventually came to Fenton, where his remaining years were passed. He was another of the lighly-esteemed citizens of the place of his adoption. For several years he held the position of prosecuting attorney, and was also chosen to the State Senate. At his decease, the Genesee County Bar met and passed resolutions of respect to his memory, and attended his funeral in a body. J. L. Topping, of Fenton, removed to Livingston County in 1836, from Cayuga Co., N. Y., with his father, Ilon. Charles Topping. In 1855 he married a daughter of Dr. Isaac Wixom, and was for some time engaged with the latter in the mercantile business at Argentine. This he finally discontinued, and began the study of law. He was very successful, and in 1859 he was admitted to the Genesee County bar. He served, during two years of the war, as lieutenant in the 16th Michigan Infantry, and, in consequence of severe injuries received at the battle of Fredericksburg, he was discharged in May following, when he returned home to Fenton, and resumed the practice of his profession. IIon. Thaddeus G. Smith, now of Flint, practiced in Fenton from 1861 to 1877. He came here fiom the city of New York, and during his sixteen years of residence in the place was chosen to fill several responsible positions,-Representative in Legislature in 1862, served two years; member of Michigan Constitutional Convention in 1867; State Senator, in 1868, serving two years; and Judge of Probate in 1876, removing to Flint, in 1877, to assume the duties of that office. MI ERCHANTS. The person now in Fenton who has been longest in business is Robert Le Roy, as previously mentioned. He has not, however, continued in the same branch of trade since lie and Mr. Fenton started together on their arrival here. The oldest established business house in the village is the boot- and shoe-store of Charles H. Turner. This gentleman came fiom Rochester, N. Y., in 1850, and located in Fenton, beginning his trade here the same year. He at first occupied a building on the south side of the river, which he still owns, and which is now occupied as a meatmarket. In 1866 he built his present store on the north side of the river, and east side of Le Roy Street. IIe has, during his residence in the village, become one of its most influential citizens, and identified himself with its numerous interests to a great extent. He has long been connected with the Union School board, and done much to bring that institution to its present state of perfection. Ben Birdsall, who was at the time of his death the oldest dry goods merchant in Fenton, died at San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 15, 1873. His health had been failing for some time, and the trip to the Pacific coast was made with the hope of deriving some benefit fiom the change. At that time lie had been in business here for nearly thirty years, and was a highly-esteemed citizen. His residence was at the northwest corner of Adelaide Street and Shiawassee Avenue, and was built by William M. Fenton. The house is yet standing and occupied by Mr. Birdsall's widow, now the wife of M. T. Gass, the principal of the Fenton union school. 28 I The firm of Beach & O'Hare was formed in 1866. Mr. Beach is a native of the township of Troy, Oakland Co., Mich., where he was born in 1834. When but eighteen years of age lie went to California to try his fortune, and during his stay there experienced many hardships, although lie was successful in his search for wealth. Returning to Michigan, he established himself in business at Fenton in 1856, conducting it for ten years alone. In September, 1874, this firm started a store at Byron, Shiawassee Co., but because of sickness were obliged to discontinue it in 1877. Mr. Beach's father, Michael Beach, was a soldier of 1812, and received a grant of land from the government for his services. The father of Michael Beach served in the patriot army during the Revolution. John O'Hare, Mr. Beach's partner, came here in 1856 from Redwood, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and for three years engaged as clerk. The stories of wealth to be obtained in the golden land of the West allured him also, and in 1859 he went to the Pike's Peak region. His success was poor and he soon returned. In 1862 he raised a company for the 5th Michigan Infantry, afterwards transferred to the 8th. A captain's commission had been promised him, but instead that of a lieutenant was tendered, which he indignantly refused and resigned. For two years, from 1864 to 1866, he held the position of postmaster at Fentonville, and in the latter year entered into a copartnership with Mr. Beach in the general dry goods trade. The store of this firm is located in the Masonic Hall Block, on Le Roy Street, diagonally opposite the post-office. The building was erected in 1869, and is one of the numerous fine business blocks of the place. Zera Patterson, a prominent merchant of Fenton, came with his father, John Patterson, to Putnam, Livingston Co., Mich., in 1836. The elder Patterson had been a soldier of 1812. The son was for a number of years in trade in Livingston County, and in 1872 removed to Fenton and established a new dry-goods house, dealing also in wheat and wool. In May, 1879, he moved into a building on Le Roy Street, south of the post-office and near the Methodist church, where he has the finest salesrooms in the village. Nathan T. Thurber, of Fenton, emigrated to Michigan, from the State of New York, in 1849. For six years he was employed as clerk in stores at Pontiac and Flint, locating first at Pontiac, and afterwards moving back there from Flint. From Pontiac he came to Fenton, built a store, and entered into the hardware and produce trade, continuing it until 1868. In 1866 he superintended the building of the Fenton Woolen-Mills, and in 1869 purchased and refitted the old "Long Lake Hotel," at Long Lake, giving it the name of "Idlewild," and still owns that property. In 1871 he established a clothing-house at Fenton, and has remained in that branch of business to the present. Rooms in the Masonic Hall Block, the same in which those of Beach & O'Hare are located. Among other prominent merchants of the place are B. F. Stone, L. V. Curry, W. D. Murray, Dunlap & Hovey (druggists), and Mrs. M. A. Helm (druggist), on the north side, and J. M. Barrows, J. Van Winkle, and others on the south side. 218 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. FENTONVILLE POST-OFFICE. The settlement had grown to such dimensions in 1838 that it was deemed necessary to have a post-office. Therefore, the requisite steps were taken to procure one, and before the close of the year it was an established fact, and Robert Le Roy had received the appointment of first postmaster. Mail was first brought here over the Grand River road. On one occasion it came wrapped up in a pocket handkerchief, which fact was duly reported to the department by Mr. Le Roy. It was usually carried on horseback, but at last a line of stages was put on the road, and the mails were transferred to their care. Mr. Le Roy remained in office for thirteen years,-a longer term than any of his successors. A Mr. Taylor was the second, and was succeeded by Dexter Johnson. Charles H. Turner received the appointment in 1853, and held the office until 1861, when he was succeeded by Dexter Horton. Mr. Turner's commission came during President Pierce's administration, the appointment being made by James Campbell, then postmaster-general. Mr. Horton, after discharging the duties of the office for two years, resigned his position and entered the army. His place was taken in July, 1863, by John O'Hare, who held it until Mr. Horton returned, when the latter was reappointed. He was subsequently removed by President Johnson for political reasons, and his successor was E. M. Hovey. In 1868 the present incumbent, William P. Guest, was appointed, and has most satisfactorily discharged his duties since; in fact all who have held the office since it was established have been popular men. Mr. Guest came here from Madison Co., N. Y., in 1853. The post-office received the name of Fentonville, after that of the village at the time, and has retained it, although upon incorporation the last syllable was dropped from the name of the village. The office has once (1869) suffered a visit from the fire-fiend, but fortunately not much inconvenience was caused. It at present occupies neat and commodious quarters in the brick building next north of Colwell Hall, and is as well arranged and conducted as any office in a place of the size in the State. The front portion of the room is occupied by a well ordered news-room and jewelry establishment. Here also is located the telegraphoffice. PLATTING OF VILLAGE-VARIOUS ADDITIONS. The original plat of " Fentonville" was laid by Fenton & Le Roy in August, 1837, and included the portion which extends from the section-line (Robert Street) on the north to South Street on the south, and from East to West Street in the other direction. The survey was made by Hervey Parke, of Oakland County, one of Michigan's veteran surveyors. The following additions have since been made, viz.: Booth & Miles' Addition, June 24, 1859; M. T. Spaulding's Addition, December 14, 1861; Thurber's Addition, May 10, 1860; Henry C. Riggs' Addition, May 14, 1862; Church's North Addition, May 13, 1864; Bangs' Addition, July 5, 1865, and Aug. 15, 1866; Oakwood Addition, by D. L. Latourette, Aug. 12, 1864; Thompson's Addition, January 11, 1866; Sackner's Addition, Oct. 19, 1866; Wakeman's Addition, Nov. 15, 1866; Beach & O'Hare's Addition, June 13, 1867; Bergen's Addition, June 21, 1867; Davis & Thompson's North Addition, Aug. 21, 1867; White & Mowry's Addition, Oct. 7, 1867; Trump & Wilmot's Addition, Dec. 14, 1867; C. 0. Adams' Addition, March 28, 1868; Booth's Addition, March 28, 1868; Joseph Thorp's Addition, May 10, 1868; Wood & Birdsall's Addition, June 29, 1868; Church's South Addition, Aug. 6, 1868; Davis & Thompson's South Addition, Nov. 2, 1868; Miles' Addition, section 25 (west part east half southwest quarter, and south part west part east half northwest quarter), Nov. 1, 1869; Broad's Out Lots, Aug. 24, 1870. The place was called Dibbleville until Messrs. Fenton & Re Roy laid their plat in 1837, and at the present time Clark Dibble and the settlement which was named for him exist but in the memory of pioneers or the archives of the past. INCORPORATION-VILLAGE OFFICERS. On the 10th of September, 1862, a notice signed by twenty-five legal voters residing in the territory they desired to have incorporated was posted, according to law, setting forth that a petition for incorporation would be sent to the board of supervisors of Genesee County at their session in the following October. The petition was duly presented, and the order for incorporation given Jan. 8, 1863, as follows: "On reading petition of R. A. Jenney and eighty-five others, legal voters, residing within the territory hereinafter described, praying for an order incorporating said territory, situate in the town of Fenton, in said county, into a village under the name of the village of Fenton, and on recording the notice of this application and proof of posting the same, by which it appears that all the requirements of the act of the Legislature of the State of Michigan, providing for the incorporation of villages, approved February, 1857, have been complied with by such petitioners; that such territory has the requisite number of population; that said petitioners are all legal voters residing within such territory; and that the notice of this application has been duly given; and that no part of such territory is included within any incorporated village. After hearing the respective parties for and against such application, it is ordered by such board that the following described territory, situate within the town of Fenton, in said county of Genesee, and in the State of Michigan, to wit: the northwest quarter of section thirty-six (36); the northeast quarter of section thirty-five (35); the north half of the southwest quarter of sectCon thirty-six (36); the north half of the southeast quarter of section thirty-five (35); the south half of the southwest quarter of section twenty-five (25); and the south half of the southeast quarter of section twenty-six (26), all in town five north, of range six east, and together containing one square mile of territory only, shall be an incorporated village, and the same is hereby made and constituted an incorporated village under and by the name of the 'Village of Fenton;' and it is hereby further ordered that William P. Guest, Charles 11I. Turner, and Benjamin Bangs, three legal voters residing within such territory so incorporated, be and they are hereby appointed inspectors of elections to hold the first election in said village, required by the said act of the Legislature above referred to; and that Tuesday, the third of March, A.D. 1863, at the town-hall in said village, is hereby appointed as the time and place of holding the said first election. "SAMUEL N. WARREN, Chairman. "GEoRGE R. GOULD, Clerk." In 1869 a new charter was granted, giving extended powers and taking in additional territory, so that now the corporate limits extend to the county line on the east and south. The first election was held April 20, 1863, instead of in March; and the following officers chosen, viz.: FENTON TOWNSHIP. 219 'President of the Village, Benjamin Bangs; Trustees, Dexter Horton, Thaddeus G. Smith, William Dunham, IIiram Beach, Henry A. Willover, Samuel G. Alexander; Corporation Clerk, Benjamin F. Stone; Treasurer, Robert L. Sheldon; Marshal, George G. Perry; Assessor, David Smith; Street Commissioners, Henry Judevine, Kingsley Beckwith; Poundmaster, Edward E. Bridges; Fire-Wardens, Gordon 0. Chipman, George S. Riker, James Baker. The principal officers of the village from 1864 to 1879, inclusive, have been the following: 1864.-President, Henry A. Kipp; Trustees, John L. E. Kelley, William F. Hovey, Charles H. Turner, Orlando Topping, John B. Hamilton, William R. Marsh. 1865.-President, Charles H. Turner; Trustees, Henry C. Riggs, Benjamin Grace, William R. Marsh, Seth Byram, Henry A. Willover, William Albertson. 1866.-President, Charles H. Turner; Trustees, Michael Ayers, II. A. Willover, William Albertson, C. Bergen, William P. Guest, B. F. Stone. 1867.-President, Benjamin Grace; Trustees, David G. Colwell, David B. Mason, Michael Ayers, John B. Hamilton, D. Burrows, Abner Roberts. 1868.-President, Charles IL. Turner; Trustees, A. Parkhurst, D. B. Mason, Alva U. Wood, W. II. Jackson, E. M. Adams, Davis Terbush. 1869.-President, James E. Bussey; Trustees, C. Bergen, C. Metz, C. Bush, M. M. Johnson, C. F. Rolland, W. II. Jackson. Under the new charter but three trustees are chosen annually, and those for a term of two years. At the special election in 1869, after the charter was obtained, the following were chosen, viz.: President, Josiah Buckbee; Trustees (2 years), V. R. Durfee, Aaron Riker, John Egan; Trustees (1 year), Cornelius Bergen, Michael Ayers, W. II. Jackson. 1870.-President, Josiah Buckbee; Trustees, Abner Roberts, Peter Metz, A. Parkhurst. 1871.-President, D. B. Mason; Trustees, John O'Iare, A. II. Lawrence, Orville Gurney. 1872.-President, E. M. Hovey; Trustees, Robert Deming, Lewis Algeo, William Albertson, William Russell (to fill vacancy). 1873.-President, W. H. Jackson; Trustees, George L. Lee, John O'Hare, Lewis V. Curry. 1874.-President, E. M. Hovey; Trustees, B. F. Stone, C. E. Rolland, E. H1. Kimball. 1875.-President, E. M. Hovey; Trustees, William Albertson, Walter Blackmore, Lewis V. Curry. 1876.-President, Benjamin F. Stone; Trustees, Andrew J. Phillips, James E. Bussey, Dexter Iorton. 1877.-President, Charles H. Turner; Trustees, A. V. Anderson, Joseph Thorp, George W. Johnson. 1878.-President, Dexter Horton; Trustees, Truman Hinman, Lucius Fitch, James E. Bussey. 1879.-President, Charles Ht. Turner; Trustees, A. J. Phillips, Walter Blackmore, J. B. Harris; Assessor, Benjamin F. Stone; Treasurer, Louis Walton; Clerk, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Marshal, E. Rogers. FIRES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT. Fenton has been visited by numerous small and several destructive conflagrations, and many thousand dollars' worth of property destroyed. At this writing ruins of but a few weeks' standing appear as blackened and crumbling monuments of once prosperous manufactories, and the citizens have awakened to the necessity of providing against as great inroads of the fire demon in the future. The two most disastrous conflagrations the village has suffered occurred Jan. 19, 1869, and April 24, 1879. The former occasioed a total loss of about $100,000, destroying the Town-ilall block, where now are Colwell Hall and the post-office; also several stores and the dwelling of Mrs. Perry. In the Town-Iall building were the pcst-office, law- and insurance-offices, news-room, jewelry-store, Masonic Hall, lecture-room, Ladies' Village Library, and in the basement a saloon. The fire broke out in the night (Tuesday). The last fire, that of April 24, 1879, also began in the night, and by many was supposed to be of incendiary origin. A terrific gale was blowing from the east, and the burning brands were swept in storms upon the doomed buildings to the westward of the cooper-shop, where the fire was first discovered. The shop mentioned, the large saw-mill and lumber piles belonging to Colwell & Adams, the fruit-drying establishment of Buskirk & Britton, and the woolen-factory, in turn were consumed, together with several other buildings and the bridge across the Shiawassee River. The property destroyed cost originally in the neighborhood of $100,000, but had greatly depreciated in value at the time it was swept away. The following is a list of the losses, to compensate which but about $5500 had been taken in insurance: Colwell & Adams, saw-mill........................... $3,000 " *' lumber.............................. 200 " h( barrel-factory..................... 2,000 A. V. Anderson, barrel stock and tools............ 1,500 J. II. Thompson, fruit-drying house............... 1,500 Buskirk & Britten, evaporating machinery and stock..................................................... 1,200 George A. Lee, Fenton woolen-mills............... 10,000 Leslie Lewis, groceries................................. 1,000 M rs. C. Lewis, building............................... 1,500 A. Hoisington, dwelling and store.................. 1000 Le Roy Street bridge.................................. 1,500 C. E. Owen, buggies and cutters................... 250 Baptist church, damaged............................... 200 Firemen's Hall, ".............................. 100 Manning & Bishop..................................... 25 E. H irst.................................................... 25 Total estimated loss........................... $25,000 Efficient service was rendered by a fire company from Owasso, who reached the scene at five o'clock in the morning, and played with good effect with their steamer on the ruins. The village department did all in its power, and citizens aided manfully in the efforts to save property. It is a notable fact that the Ada Gray theatrical company, which was then filling an engagement at Colwell Hall, lent their aid also in the good work, and numerous strangers bore a willing hand in endeavoring to extinguish the flames and save property. Efforts had many times been made to organize a fire coumpany, but they were attended with poor success until 1874 -75, when a hook-and-ladder company was formed, and proved to be competent to render sufficient service in time of need. It consisted of thirty-six members, as accepted by the village board, March 4, 1875, and was given the name, "Hook-and-Ladder Company, No. 1." The following apparatus was purchased at the prices given: Hook-and-ladder wagon................................ $350.00 Four Champion extinguishers...................... 168.62 Twenty-four rubber fire-buckets.................... 46.55 Ladders................................................ 29.12 Sundry fixtures............................... 33.26 Total.......................................... $627.55 The officers of the company, as chosen for 1879, are: President, George W. Barbour; Vice-President, G. B. Smith; Foreman, B. Byram; Assistant Foreman, W. M. Lusk; Secretary, Melvin J. Fitch; Treasurer, C. B. Albertson; Janitor and Librarian, Dustin Thorp. 220 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. --— I The experience of 1879 has taught the inhabitants of Fenton that, however efficient a hook-and-ladder company may be,-and the one in Fenton is by no means pool,it still cannot cope successfully with an extensive fire, and in the month of May of the year named a fine Silsby steamer was procured, and a greater sense of security will undoubtedly be enjoyed in the future. The apparatus belonging to the department is kept in the new engine-house, on North Le Roy Street. The lots on which the building was erected were secured at a cost of $800. The building itself is of tasteful design, constructed of brick, is two lofty stories in height, surmounted by a bell-tower, and was dedicated March 9, 1876, having been begun the previous year. Some time during the following autumn a fine town-clock and bell were placed in the tower. The bell is from the Buckeye Bell-Works, at Cincinnati, Ohio. It weighs about 1600 pounds, and has a clear, deep tone. Its clanging on the night of April 23-24, 1879, and the anxiety of the people lest their engine-house, with its bell and fixtures, should be destroyed, will not soon be forgotten by those who witnessed the scenes of that night. BUSINESS BLOCKS. The Andrews Block, consisting of five brick stores, was built by C. Andrews, in 1867, and is located on the corner of Le Roy Street and Shiawassee Avenue. In the upper portions are offices, the rooms of the Ladies' Library Association, and those of the Fenton Independent. Colwell Hall Block is located on North Le Roy Street, and was built by D. G. Colwell and D. Horton, in 1869, on the site of the burned town-hall. The post-office was moved into it as soon as it was completed and ready. Mr. Guest was then (as now) the postmaster. The hall in the main building is named for Mr. Colwell, and is used as the place for holding township-meetings, etc., besides being neatly and conveniently fitted for the use of dramatic associations. It is one of the best halls for this purpose in the interior of the State, and was formally opened on the evening of Feb. 14, 1870, by the Fenton Amateur Dramatic Association. The play presented was entitled ' Love's Sacrifice; or, The Rival Merchants," and the receipts were tendered as a "grand complimentary benefit to Mr. Colwell." The building has a most creditable appearance both outside and in, and the citizens of Fenton are justly proud of it. Mr. Colwell is at present (spring of 1879) engaged in building a large brick block immediately south of the hall, and this will complete an imposing row, filling the gap between Colwell Hall and the store now occupied by Zera Patterson. The new building will also be fitted for stores. Another notable building is the Roberts Block, on the west side of Le Roy Street, next south of the Central Hotel. Many of the stores in the village are built of brick, while a few of the original frame structures still remain. They must in time give place to more substantial edifices and lessen the danger from fires. HOTELS. The first hotel, or" tavern," built in Fenton was the one erected by Fenton & Le Roy, and afterwards named the "Riggs House." Its first regular landlord was Thomas Irish, and it was occupied in 1843 by Judge Jeretliah Riggs, fiom whom it derived its name. It has in recent years been extensively repaired. It is a large fiame building, standing north of Shiawassee Avenue, on the west side of Le Roy Street, and is still in use, known at present as the " Everett Iouse." The "Le Roy House," fitted up by Robert Le Roy subsequent to 1840, and formed by combining the residence of Daniel Le Roy and the first house of worship built in the place, is now known as " King's Hotel," fiom the name of its proprietor. It is situated on the north side of Shiawassee Avenue, west of Le Roy Street. The large brick and frame hotel near the railroad, known as the " Fenton House," was built soon after the completion to this place of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, or about 1856-57, the road having reached here in 1856, Holly having been its previous terminus. Messrs. Seed & Flint were the builders and owners of the hotel, and Mr. Seed himself became its first landlord. It passed through several hands, and was for a number of years kept by Abner Roberts, who had previously kept the one now known as "King's HIotel." Mr. Roberts' widow is the present proprietor. This house has also recently undergone much improvement. The " Everett House" as originally built was constructed of oak plank, the work being done by a man named Blanchard. Thomas Irish, its first landlord, removed to Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Co., at or near which place he died. The present proprietor of this house is George Butcher. The " Central House," a frame hotel on the south side of the railroad, was originally built for a dwelling by Eben Pratt. After the advent of a railroad it was converted into a hotel by Lorenzo McGinnis, and has since been in use as such. MANUFACTURES OF FENTON. A dam was constructed across the Sliawassee, and a sawmill built by the Dibbles, previous to 1837. When Fenton and Le Roy came, in 1837, they purchased the property and improved the power greatly, building also a grist-mill afterwards. The following explains itself: "KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That we, Wallace Dibble and Maria H., wife of said Wallace, of the town of Argentine, County of Genesee, and State of Michigan, in consideration of Fifty Dollars to us in hand paid by Robert Le Roy and William M. Fenton, of the same place, the receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge, have granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, and quit-claimed, and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, remise, release, and quit-claim unto the said Robert Le Roy and William M. Fenton, and to their heirs and assigns, the right to flow with water all that portion of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section Thirty-six, in Township Five north, Range Six east, which adjoins the east branch of the Shiawassee River, and which is or may be flowed by means of the raising of the water to nine feet above low water-mark, at the dam now erected across the said river, on lands owned by the said Le Roy & Fenton, on the section aforesaid. And we, Wallace Dibble and Maria H. Dibble, do hereby covenant with the said Leroy & Fenton that we are lawfully seized in fee of the afore-granted premises. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the 12th day of July, 1837. "WALLACE DIBBLE. [SEAL] " MARIA H. DIBBLE. [SEAL] "Witness, Ebenezer Pratt and Thomas Steere, Jr." FENTON TOWNSHIP. 221 The old mill gave place to a second one, which was built on the same site by Riker & Adams, in 1858. This mill was burned, and a new one put up. The property is now owned by Messrs. Colwell & Adams, who entered into business in 1867. Mr. Colwell is a native of Livingston County, and Mr. Adams came here from the army, after the close of the war of the Rebellion. The mill stands on the site of the original one built by Le Roy & Fenton, who expended $21,000 upon it in repairs and improvements in 1876. The original building was much smaller than the present one. "The first operation was to raise this building two feet, after which it was enlarged by an addition in front and rear, making its present dimensions 38 (?) by 102 feet, with a new brick engine-house, 38 by 30 feet, erected on the north side, and also the addition of an elevator capable of disposing of 500 bushels of grain per hour into bins which are situated in the second and third stories, and which are capable of storing 10,000 bushels."* The mill is four stories high, with an attic, and its full flouring capacity is about 1000 bushels of wheat, or 200 barrels of flour, daily. It contains six runs of burrs. An annual average of 30,000 barrels of flour is manufactured, aside from all custom-work and retail trade, the latter being very large. From Aug. 1 to Nov. 1, 1877, 10,000 barrels of flour were ground at this mill. Messrs. Colwell & Adams handle at their warehouse about 100,000 bushels of wheat annually, or more than any other firm in the place. The warehouse was built in 18G5, by J. R. Mason, and stands on the east side of Le Roy Street, immediately north of the railroad. Before the fire of April 24, 1879, this firm was engaged to a large extent in the manufacture of lumber, coopers' material, apd barrels, but their mills were destroyed at that time and are not yet rebuilt. Fenton Woolen-Mills.-About 1855-56, Samuel G. Alexander located in Fenton. He was an Englishman by birth, and a practical worker in woolen cloths. He had formerly been employed in the mills of the Messrs. Stearns, at Pittsfield, Mass., and upon coming to Fenton engaged in buying wool and selling cloths for the Pittsfield mills. IIe in time started a small woolen-factory here, but for want of capital could do but little. Finally the citizens became interested, and on the 15th of October, 1864, "The Fenton Manufacturing Company" was organized, with a capital stock of $60,000, taken by the principal business men and farmers in the vicinity. David L. Latourette was the heaviest stockholder. The large factory was built and furnished at a cost of about $64,000, and the material manufactured was of the first quality, while for some time an extensive business was transacted. In January, 1868, the stock was increased to $100,000. Upon the failure of Mr. Latourette in 1871, and the consequent collapse of his bank, the woolen-factory was forced to suspend operations. A. Wakeman became Latourette's assignee. The factory long stood idle, and its price to any purchaser continued to decrease, until finally it was bought, in the spring of 1873, by Mr. Wakeman's son, L. B. Wakeman, F. H. Wright, and J. H. Earl (the latter of Flint), for $8000, the firm-name being Wright, Wakeman & Co. Mr. Wright purchased a half-interest. Earl failed to pay up his entire share, and proved unscrupulous, and his partners bought him out, after which they continued the business, after the great panic of 1873, until they had sunk all their capital, and the stockholders generally had lost. They were finally obliged to close up and make an assignment for the benefit of their creditors, since when the factory had not been in use up to the time it was destroyed. It had furnished employment for as many as thirty hands, and was closed in October, 1877. It was subsequently purchased on a mortgage by George L. Lee, of Detroit, who owned it when it was burned (April 24, 1879). Its destruction caused a total loss to him, as it was uninsured. There is no present indication that it will ever be rebuilt. A steam carding and wool-manufacturing house was erected in 1871 by S. G. Alexander & Son, after the closing at that time of the factory. It was subsequently transformed into a cotton-batting factory by the same persons, but is not now in operation. Mr. Alexander had been manager, and B. Bangs secretary of the Fenton Manufacturing Company. Alden IF'lit-Preserving Factory.-The subject of building a factory of this character at Fenton was broached to the citizens of the place in March, 1873, through the columns of the Fenton Gazette, by Charles A. Keeler. It was not until 1876 that it was established, however. A Reynolds dryer was first put in, but proved unsatisfactory, and the proprietors, Messrs. Buskirk & Britton, inserted a Williams machine in its place, which dried the fiuit very rapidly and without changing its color. In the fall of that year (1876) 100 bushels of apples were dried daily. The institution was destroyed, with others equally unfortunate, in the great fire of April 24, 1879, but will possibly be rebuilt ready for the fruit season, or at any rate will have quarters where the drying process may still be conducted, as this industry has become an important one in the vicinity. Whip-Socket Factory.-The " Rose Manufacturing Company" was incorporated under the general laws of Michigan on the 31st of January, 1879. It had commenced fitting up a building at Fenton about the first of the previous December, and early in March following began operations, having purchased also all the machinery, tools, etc., of the Ypsilanti Whip-Socket Manufacturing Company, and besides the new varieties, it makes all the styles formerly manufactured by the company named. The stock of the Rose Manufacturing Company is $10,000. George P. Rose, the patentee of the most of the varieties of sockets made, is the general manager, superintending the entire work at the factory. The main office and depository is at 71 and 73 Jefferson Avenue, Detroit. The goods made are undoubtedly the finest the country produces, and Mr. Rose states that the factory is the best arranged of any in the United States. The rooms in use occupy three stories of the building at the north end of Le Roy Street, erected for a carriage-manufactory by Cole, Kimball & Campbell, which firm is not now in business. This half of the building is 22 by 60 feet in dimensions. The motive-power is furnished by a twenty-horse engine. Mr. Rose had been engaged in this business for some time before coming to Fenton. About * Fenton Gazette. 222 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. thirty-five varieties of sockets are manufactured, and eight persons are at present employed. A fine japanning-oven is one of the features of the establishment, in which 1000 sockets can be japanned at once. Malleable iron sockets are cast from patterns made by Mr. Rose. Tubular sockets are also made, and an extensive trade has been worked up in the short time the factory has been in operation. Michigan Pump- Works.-On South Le Roy Street is a large brick building, which was erected originally by Messrs. Hirst & Boyes for use as a grist- and oil-mill. It was operated by them about a year, and purchased in 1869 by A. J. Phillips, who converted it into a pump- and safefactory. Mr. Phillips employs six workmen, and manufactures very fine iron and porcelain-lined pumps, double and single water-drawers, and milk-safes of all kinds. Planing, matching, sawing and resawing, turning, etc., are also done to order, and a good business is transacted annually. Brewery.-Thomas Whittle had operated a brewery on a small scale previous to 1870, in a building north of the river and west of Le Roy Street. In the year named, he, in company with Messrs. Colwell & Adams, built the brick brewery now owned by the former on Le Roy Street north of the railroad. Three hands are employed and 500 barrels of beer manufactured annually. Foundry and M.achine-Shop.-About 1854-56 a foundry was started by Henry Van Alstine, who came to Fenton from Byron, Shiawassee Co., and erected some of the buildings which are still in use on South Le Roy Street. Besides numerous other articles, he manufactured what were known as " Empire" plows, and had a fair custom. The establishment is at present owned by Messrs. L. Fitch & Son, who employ five men and manufacture plows, cultivators, and various other implements, and also have the exclusive right for manufacturing Goldie's patent shinglemachines, which are so constructed as to cut perfectly smooth shingles from rough blocks at a very rapid rate. They also do general job-work. The Messrs. Fitch have been proprietors of this foundry since the fall of 1873. Mr. Fitch, Sr., is one of the pioneers of Oakland County, having removed to the township of Oxford, situated therein, from Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1839. William Goldie, the inventor and patentee of the shingle machine above mentioned, which is the most perfect instrument for the purpose known to lumbermen, is one of the heaviest stave-manufacturers in the State of Michigan, owning extensive mills at Kawkawlin, six miles north of Bay City. The saw in use is run at the rate of 5200 revolutions per minute, or faster than any other for a like purpose in the State. Mr. Goldie resides in Fenton. Fenton Novelty Works.-This institution was established by II. S. Andrews about April 1, 1878. Picture-frames in all styles, rustics, brackets, etc., are manufactured, and from six to ten persons furnished with employment. Mr. Andrews is one of the earliest emigrants from New York to Michigan now living in the latter State. In 1820, when a boy, he came with his father, Ira Andrews, upon the steamer " Walk-in-the-Water," the first upon Lake Erie, from Buffalo, N. Y., to Detroit, where his father became one of the early hotel-keepers. Mr. Andrews, Sr., afterwards removed to West Bloomfield, Oakland Co., and died at Birmingham. In 1844, H. S. Andrews worked at his trade, that of blacksmith, in Fenton, subsequently moved away, and ultimately returned, having resided in the village at this date (1879) about twelve years. For years before moving here he was well acquainted with the region, and when a boy was personally acquainted with Rufus Stevens, the first settler in Grand Blanc. Mr. Andrews for some time owned and kept the " Andrews House," in Fenton, now "King's Hotel." He has written numerous historical articles for the press, all interesting as descriptive of the early settlement of the region which has so long been his home. Upon his premises are two pear-trees, which were set out by Judge Daniel Le Roy in 1843, and one of which in a recent season yielded fifteen bushels of fruit. Aside from the manufactures enumerated, may be mentioned a small tannery, a machine-shop, owned by C. W. Coe, and a full complement of cooper-, wagon-, carriage-, and blacksmith-shops. The only establishment now operated by water (since the burning of the saw-mills) is the gristmill of Colwell & Adams, and this not entirely. Steam is used to a great extent, especially in case of low water, and the same motive-power is also utilized in other manufactories. The Shiawassee River, although but a small stream, furnishes a remarkable amount of power, and that without flooding as extensive a tract as would be supposed from the nature of its shores. MINERAL WELL. The existence at Fenton of waters tinctured with various mineral deposits has been proved by numerous experiments, and several wells have been sunk along the Shiawassee River, which contain waters possessing considerable medicinal virtue. A flowing well at the woolen-factory was found to -possess this property in such a degree that it was at one time proposed to arrange bath-rooms, etc, and endeavor to bring the waters widely into notice, but the scheme was finally abandoned. The following analysis of the water of this well was made by Prof. Samuel P. Duffield, Sept. 19, 1871: Specific gravity................................................. 100 Temperature...................................................... 51 r Bicarbonate of soda................................................... ( lime.................................................. i magnesia............................................. " iron.................................................. Chloride potassium.................................................... magnesium....................................... " sodium...................................................... Phosphate lime, a trace. Grains..5400 16.3440 4.1210 0320 2600 1448 8768 Sulphate lim e.............................................................0350 Silica....................................................................... 1.0440 Total mineral matter in United States gallon............ 23.3976 Amount of carbonic acid in cubic inches, per gallon......... 2500. "This belongs to the class of calcareous waters, and will be useful in dyspepsia in which there is acidity, and also in uric acid gravel and rheumatism of the chronic form. " SAMUEL P. DUFFIELD." BANKS. The First Nationlal Bank of Fenton was organized in the summer of 1863, with David L. Latourette as president and manager. He also established a bank at Grand Rapids. In 1871, affairs having been for some time indi 22-3 FENTON TOWNSHIP. eating that serious changes were about to take place, the culminating point was reached,-Latourette failed, the bank was closed, the operations of the woolen-factory were suspended, and stockholders suffered severe losses. Many were disposed to blame Mr. Latourette, and others were more lenient. The circumstances are well known to the citizens. State Bank of Fenton.-After the suspension of the First National Bank its business was principally transferred to the State Bank, which had been established the preceding January (1871). The capital of this bank is $50,000. It was organized under the State law, and is not a bank of issue. Its first' officers were Josiah Buckbee, President; Edwin Trump, Cashier; Josiah Buckbee, Andrew Cornwall, John F. Walton, Harvey Farrington, and Erastus T. Tefft, Directors. Present officers: Josiah Buckbce, President; Josiah Buckbee, Andrew Cornwall, John F. Walton, Charles Walton, and Joseph E. Terry, Directors. The bank was first located in a building on the east side of Le Roy Street, now occupied as a clothing-store by Harry Goldberg. It is now on the west side of the same street, nearly opposite its former location. Mr. Buckbee, the president, came from Jefferson Co., N. Y., in April, 1856, and engaged in the dry-goods trade, which he continued until the bank was established. J. Cranson's Bank.-This is a private institution and was established by Job Cranson, in February, 1876. A general banking business is transacted. Mr. Cranson is one of the early settlers in Michigan, having removed from Madison Co., N. Y., in 1830, with the family of his father, Elisha Cranson, and settled in the town of Webster, Washtenaw Co. In 1833, Job Cranson removed to the township of Brighton, Livingston Co., where he made the first purchase of land and became the first settler. A few people, living at the time in the southern townships, comprised the total number of the inhabitants of the county. Until his removal to Fenton, in 1867, Mr. Cranson was engaged in farming, and after coming here was, for a short period, secretary of the Fenton Manufacturing Company. SOCIETIES. Fentonville Lodge, No. 109, F. and A. 3M.-About 1847-48 a Masonic lodge was organized in Fenton, consisting of seven members, and called " Fentonville Lodge, No. 53." Among the original members were Dr. Isaac Wixom, Thomas Patterson, and Daniel Donaldson. Dr. Wixom was its first Master. He had been a Mason since he was twenty-one years of age, and he and one other were the only ones versed in Masonic matters. Thomas Patterson succeeded the doctor as Master, the latter having removed to Byron, Shiawassee Co., about 1853-55, where he organized a lodge and remained until the war began. Among other early members of the old lodge were Josiah Buckbee, Asa Reynolds, Bela Cogshall, William Cole, James Webster, William Hemper, and others. In 1850 its membership was 26. Many of its members entered the service during the war, and several died or were killed in action. In 1857 the charter of the old lodge was surrendered, and the same year "Fentonville Lodge of Strict Observance" was organized, under dispensation froml the Grand Lodge. In 1859-January 14-a charter was granted, and it has since been known as " Fentonville Lodge, No. 109." The first Master under the new charter was Michael Ayers. The membership of the lodge, April 26, 1879, was 153, and the following were its officers, viz.: W. M., W. J. Fitch; S. W., W. D. Murray; J. W., E. R. Barnes; Sec., C. B. Albertson; Treas., Josiah Buckbee; S. D., C. L. Hubbard; J. D., O. Topping; Tiler, M. J. Fitch. Genesee Chapter, N1o. 29, R. A. 21., was chartered Jan. 12, 1864. The oldest Royal Arch Masons in Fenton are George W. Wilmot and Dr. Isaac Wixom, both of whom became members of Oakland Chapter, No. 5, at Pontiac, previous to 1860, the former joining in 1858, and taking his degree Jan. 5, 1859. The present officers of Genesee Chapter are: H. P., Burdick Potter; K., John W. Ingram; Scribe, William Albertson; Sec., George E. Cochran. Genesee Clouncil, ro. 17, R. and S. J.-This organization was chartered June 21, 1865, and has a present membership (May, 1879) of 51. Its officers for 1879 are, T. I. G. M., E. M. Adams; D. I. G. M., Burdick Potter; P. C. W., W. D. Murray; Rec., W. J. Fitch. FentonG Conmmlandery, No. 14, Knights Tenmplar, was chartered June 17, 1864, and on the 1st of May, 1879, had a membership of 56, with the following officers: E. C., Josiah Buckbce; G., James H. Cummings; C. G., E. M. Adams; P., W. C. Way; S. W., R. Itowchin; J. W., Voorheis Green; Treas., James E. Bussey; Rec., George W. Wilmot; St'd B'r, George E. Cochran; Sw'd B'r, W. J. Fitch; W., George C. Paine; S., Melvin J. Fitch. In 1869, subsequent to the burning of the town-hall, in which the Masonic rooms were located, a new building was erected on Le Roy Street, nearly opposite the old site, and fine rooms fitted up for the use of the order. The dedication services were held Nov. 12, 1869, when a large number of Sir Knights were present from various places, and the occasion was one long to be remembered by those of the fraternity who participated. The dedicatory address was delivered by A. T. Metcalf, M. W. Grand Master, of Kalamazoo, and he was followed in a few appropriate and eloquent remarks by Henry M. Look, R. W. Grand Visitor and Lecturer, of Pontiac. Fenton Lodge, No. 125,. 0. O. F., was instituted Thursday, Dec. 17, 1868, at which time numerous members were present from lodges at Flint and Byron. The present number of members is about 35, and its principal officers are: Noble Grand, Charles D. Phipps; Vice-Grand, James Pratt; Sec., Addison P. Chapman; Treas., W. S. Boardman. Rankin Encanmpment, No. 46, 1. O. F., was organized in the winter of 1870-71, with 11 members, and during the time which has since elapsed its membership has doubled, being at present 22. The officers are: Chief Patriarch, George W. Barbour; High-Priest, H. N. Calderwood; Senior Warden, John Owen; Scribe, J. W. Davis; Treasurer, Robert Piper. M.artha Washington Lodge, No. 17, Daughters of Rebecca, is an organization of several years' standing, and has at present a good membersbi,, altbouggh it bolds meetinlgs but seldom.l Its annual picnics at Long Lake leave been 224 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. sources of much enjoyment to those who participated. The rooms occupied by the order are in the upper story of the post-office building, Colwell Hall Block. Fenton Lodge, No. 395, Knights of HIonor.-A lodge of this order was organized in Fenton, Nov. 2, 1876, by Deputy Grand Dictator Alfred Terry, of the Grand Lodge, and the following officers were chosen, viz.: Past Dictator, E. M. Hovey; Dictator, Lewis V. Curry; Vice-Dictator, F. C. Steers; Assistant Dictator, Robert Perry; Reporter, Cicero J. K. Stoner; Financial Reporter, Walter Blackmore; Treas., Benjamin F. Stone; Chaplain, J. H. Phipps; Guide, William Albertson; Trustees, Walter Blackmore, B. F. Stone, L. V. Curry. "The object of this order is to unite fraternally all acceptable men of every profession, business, or occupation; to give all moral and material aid in its power to members of the order by holding moral, instructive, and scientific lectures, by encouraging each other in business, and assisting them to obtain employment; to establish a benefit fund fron which a sum not to exceed two thousand dollars shall be paid, at the death of a member, to his family, or to be disposed of as he may direct; to provide for creating a fund for the relief of sick and distressed members; to ameliorate the condition of humanity in every possible manner." The Odd-Fellows' lodge-rooms are rented by this society, the membership of which is 25. The officers for 1879 are: Past Dictator, William Albertson; Dictator, W. Blackmore; Vice-Dictator, George E. Cochran; Assistant Dictator, C. J. K. Stoner; Reporter, M. T. Gass; Financial Reporter, J. W. Davis; Treas., G. W. Johnson; Chaplain, L. V. Curry; Guide, George W. Barbour; Guardian, J. W. Hinkle; Sentinel, E. M. Hovey. Fenton Lodge, No. 64, Ancient Order of Unliteed orkmen, was organized March 21, 1879, with 21 members. Its objects are similar to those of the Knights of Honor. The present membership of the lodge is about 30, and the officers are: Past Master Workman, George E. Damon; Master Workman, James E. Bussey; General Foreman, Charles D. Phipps; Overseer, William M. Lusk; Recorder, H. F. Douglas; Financier, John R. Allen; Receiver, Justus R. Barnes; Inside Watchman, H. K. Leonard; Outside Watchman, Charles S. Johnson. The lodge-room is the same occupied by the grange, over the Gazette office. Fenton Grange, ANo. 126, Patrons of JIusbandry,* was organized, under dispensation, Nov. 17, 1873, and chartered March 21, 1874. The first Master was John L. Smith, who is at present proprietor of a warehouse and elevator near the railroad, opposite that of Colwell & Adams. The building will soon become the property of the grange. The association occupies neatly-fitted rooms over the Gazette office, sharing their use with the A. O. U. W. Lodge. The present membership of the grange is about 100; its officers are: Master, John L. Smith; Overseer, Darius Smith; Sec., John Carmer; Treas., Elijah Clow; Chaplain, Rev. L. L. Rogers; Lecturer, Fred. Wood; Steward, Charles Tanner; Assistant Steward, Frank Seaton; Gatekeeper, Marin Craft; Pomona, Mrs. Darius Smith; Flora, Mrs. Kinney; Ceres, Mrs. John L. Smith; Lady Assistant Steward, Mattie Joslyn. The Tenmperance Societies arc a division of Sons of Temperance and the Fenton Reform Club. Of the former no satisfactory information has been obtained. The latter was organized April 5, 1877, by the popular temperance lecturer of Michigan, Dr. Reynolds. He began his work here on the evening preceding, when 450 persons signed the pledge. On Thursday, the 5th, a " White Ribbon Club," composed of 350 ladies, was formed, having the following officers. viz.: President, Mrs. J. Bainbridge; Vice-Presidents, Rev. Mrs. Taylor, Rev. Mrs. Potter, Rev. Mrs. Applegate, Rev. Mrs. Church, Rev. Mrs. Wright; Sec., Mrs. J. O'Hare; Corresponding Sec., Mrs. C. H. Turner; Treas., Mrs. M. M. Johnson; Visiting Committee, Fanny Thompson, Kitty Dennis, Mima Grace, Susie Blackmore, Anna Dowd, Elsie Van Dorn, Estelle Dunning, Georgie Conrad, Estelle Kenyon, Anna Derio, Emma Bemer, Bettie Ray, Mrs. A. V. Anderson, Mrs. G. W. Boice. In the evening of the same day a " Dare to Do Right Reform Club" was organized with a membership of 327 men. Its officers were chosen as follows: President, J. C. Perry; Vice-Presidents, A. J. Phillips, Henry Yeager, Alvah Marsh; Sec., C. H. Neely; Treas., Burdick Potter; Marshals, M. J. Fitch, WV. H. Jackson; Steward, R. Bailes; Sergeant-at-Arms, William Peters; Financial Sec., Dexter IHorton; Executive Committee, J. H. Lacy, D. Horton, A. J. Phillips, H. Yeager, A. Marsh; Finance Committee, J. E. Bussey, A. V. Anderson, L. V. Curry. The following Saturday evening the number of men was increased to 416. A reading-room was opened by the ladies of the club at Firemen's Hall on the evening of Friday, June 1, 1877, and is still continued. In April, 1879, the club held its second anniversary, upon which occasion Dr. Reynolds was present and took part in the exercises. Ladies' Librart y Association.-An organization known as the " Fenton Ladies' Library Association" had existed in the village previous to 1869, in January of which year, at the burning of the town-hall, their books were nearly all destroyed. The same year several ladies of the south side organized the above society, and secured a charter, dated May 5, 1869. The charter members numbered 16. This association occupies rooms in the Andrews Block, at the southwest corner of Le Roy Street and Shiawassee Avenue, and has a library consisting of 725 volumes, of which something over half are works of fiction, the balance being biographical, historical, poetical, travels, laws, public documents, etc. The present membership is about 75, and the officers of the association are: President, Mrs. H. C. Riggs; Secretary, Mrs. E. M. Adams; Treasurer, Mrs. H. N. Jennings; Librarian, Mrs. Dr. Paul Sue; Assistant Librarian, Miss S. E. Mason. The affairs of the library are managed by a book-committee of 15 persons. Ladies' Literary and Library Association.t-" In November, 1867, Mrs. H. Riggs and Mrs. Denio first determined upon starting a circulating-library in Fenton, and, after some deliberation, concluded they would canvass the town, procuring subscribers and getting the different views on the subject. Our town is divided by a river, and in l'i From inlformatlon furnished b~y Jolhn L. Smith. t Principally from an article prepared by Mrs. M. A. Helm, in 1876. FENTON TOWNSHIP. 225 this matter, as in every other, we had to pay due regard to the north and south sides of it. Mrs. H. C. Riggs, a resident of the south side, canvassed there, obtaining 23 subscribers; Mrs. Denio canvassed upon the north side, obtaining 43. In this enterprise we were more than successful, for in two days' time we had obtained about $130, a fair list of books, and a good many opinions of our ultimate success or failure,-and we found quite as many believing in our failure as in our success. "The two ladies had decided upon purchasing a list of books before any organization should take place. In the mean time they had procured price-lists, and so were prepared to buy without any delay. On December 4th we purchased of E. B. Smith, of Detroit, $50 worth of books. On the receipt of these a meeting was held, a constitution and by-laws adopted, and officers elected for six months. Mrs. Denio furnished a book-case, and, by the kindness of Mrs. Helm and Miss Hersey, we were given the use of their store for issuing our books; and inside of two weeks our library was an established fact, prosperous, and resulting in much good. On December 9th we purchased another list of books, costing over $50, and in Marcl we made another purchase. " During our first year, and a greater part of the second, nothing of importance was spent, excepting for books. The second year was just as prosperous in money matters, but little difficulties were springing up, as we were growing and talking of renting rooms, as to which side of the river our library was located. These little things were sometling of a source of annoyance, but near the end of the year a desirable location in our town-hall building, on the north side, but centrally located, was accepted, and we purchased a fine book-case, some chairs and other necessaries, moved our library, then consisting of nearly 400 volumes, and considered ourselves doing well, if nothing more. "In the beginning of the next year came the fire, consuming the hall and everything belonging to our association but 43 volumes of our cheapest books, and we were not insured. This cast a gloom over us, and our members upon the south side, and a greater portion of our masculine inhabitants, fully decided we could not rally and go on in the old way. " But we had had a taste of prosperity, and very likely the opposition we were meeting helped a few of us to continue our work; so, taking our old book-case, and being permitted to come again into our old quarters at the store, with 43 books and a good deal of courage, we were still a circulating library, but were minus about twenty of our south-side members in the beginning of the third year, who had determined, if they could not have matters in their own hands belonging to our library, they would have one of their own, and have it upon their own side of the river. Consequently, they have a ' Library Association' on the south side, and we, the originals, obtained a charter and took the name of the 'Ladies' Literary and Library Association,' and I believe we are both better for going our respective ways. ".4We kept on, making our way slowly, raising money by festivals, lectures, and socials, for two years or more, and when we had obtained about 300 volumes we again pur29 chased book-cases and rented a small room. But in these times we were building up slowly. Our losses, discouragements, and the opposition, had served to lessen the zeal of many of our members, and not having a desirable room our subscription list did not increase, although we had reduced our terms to $1 a year. " But during these years our town-hall was rebuilt, and, in 1873, we rented a fine room in this building, and by giving entertainments, New England suppers and socials, which in every case were successful, we furnished our rooms, increased our number of books, and altogether seemed to get new life and new energy, and now we believe these last years have been the most satisfactory of all our years of labor..." The membership of the association in May, 1879, was about 200, and the number of volumes in the library 550; the latter consist of works on travels, fiction, history, biography and poetry, and public documents. The officers of the association are President, Mrs. M. A. Helm; VicePresident, Miss L. L. Hersey; Secretary, Mrs. E. Reeson; Treasurer, Mrs. R. Albertson; Librarian, Mrs. Emma Howard; Directors, Mrs. N. T. Thurber, Mrs. N. C. Green, Mrs. D. W. Denio, Mrs. M. A. Helm, Mrs. Reeson. Rooms still in Colwell Hall building. Fenton Guards.-An independent militia-company, bearing this title, was organized in the village, Oct. '22, 1877, and when the first officers were elected the membership was 41. At present there are about 60 members, and efforts are being made to gain admission to the State service, which will probably succeed. The company is neatly uniformed, and armed with the Springfield muzzle-loading rifle. Most of its members saw service during the great civil war of 1861-65, several regiments being represented in Michigan, Ohio, and New York. Its captain served during the Rebellion, and afterwards, for five years, in the regular army, beig ng naged in the famous Indian campaign of 1876. Tie armory of the company is at present over Phillips' pump-factory. Its officers are the following-named persons: Commissioned: Captain, Samuel P. Spalding; First Lieutenant, Albert Middlesworth; Second Lieutenant, Ernest Winter. Non-Commissioned: First Sergeant, A. H. Marsh; Second Sergeant, George Dunn; Third Sergeant, E. J. Hollister; Fourth Sergeant, R. Wyckoff; Fifth Sergeant, J. Harrell; First Corporal, I. H. Lawrence; Second Corporal, A. D. Neely; Third Corporal, HI. Shultheis; Fourth Corporal, H. N. WVisner; Fifth Corporal, J. Murphy; Sixth Corporal, George W. Baker; Seventh Corporal, S. B. Bentley; Eighth Corporal, A. J. Kidney; President, E. M. Adams; Vice-President, M. J. Fitch; Treasurer, A. Middlesworth; Secretary, I. H. Lawrence. Knights Templar Band.-A band was organized here in 1857 known as "Turner's Silver Cornet Band," with Charles II. Turner as leader. Most of its members entered the army during the war, a portion joining Custer's Brig ade and others being stationed at Knoxville, Tenn., to do post-band duty. The present organization was formed in 1871, under the auspices and patronage of the Commandery at Fenton. Its present membership is 16, with C. H. 226 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Turner as leader. It is finely uniformed and is composed of proficient musicians. Fenton Union Agricultural Society.-The original association was formed in 1858, with Dewart Danton, president, and W. W. Booth, secretary. Charles H. Turner succeeded Mr. Booth as secretary, and held the position seventeen years. Grounds covering an area of 23 acres were purchased in the southeast part of the village, and with the exception of one year, 1877, when the society was newly-organized and incorporated, fairs have been held annually, and have been very generally attended with success. A few speed premiums were offered during the early exhibitions. New grounds were purchased in 1877, in the northwest part of the corporation, from William Remington and Henry C. Riggs. These comprise, including highways, about 30 acres, and upon them a half-mile track, said to be the finest in the State, has been laid out and graded. The first meeting of the new organization was held in October, 1878. The grounds have been finely improved. The capital stock is $10,000, in shares of $25 each, and all has been taken that the company cares to dispose of The officers for 1879 are: President, Zera Patterson; Vice-President, E. M. Hovey; Secretary, Walter Blackmore; Treasurer, John O'Hare; Directors, George W. Stewart, of Grand Blanc; James Algeo, of Rose, Oakland Co.; G. M. Eddy, Dexter Horton, D. G. Colwell, Josiah Buckbee, L. V. Curry, C. H. Turner, of Fenton; John Barron, of Linden. The Fenton Horse Association was organized in 1873, in which year its first meeting was held on the old fairground. Of this association Burdick Potter was the first president, D. W. Denio treasurer, and H. J. Larned secretary. Three meetings were held, all successful, and several noted racers were driven here. The society was finally discontinued, and races are now held in connection with the fairs of the agricultural society. CEMETERIES. The old cemetery at Fenton lies south of what is called " Prospect Hill," and was for years the only place of burial used by the settlers. It was located in the timber, and numerous trees are yet standing within its limits. Here are buried many of the early settlers of the vicinity, amid the scenes of their trials and hardships; here they are laid at rest, after lives of toil and manful struggles with the wilderness, under the shade of the trees where first they reared their humble cabins and began the life of the pioneer. Among those buried in this cemetery are the following persons, many of whom will be recalled to the memory of those who were their companions in toil and their friends in time of tribulations: James Thorp, died Sept. 12, 1866, aged 74 years. Sally, wife of Rev. William Pattison, died Aug. 25, 1837, aged 65 years. Altamont Donaldson, died Jan. 26, 1847, aged 83 years. H. W. R. Donaldson, died Feb. 21, 1868, aged 75 years. Henry Bradley, died Aug. 22, 1845, aged 54 years. Cephas Jones, native of Massachusetts, died Nov. 5, 1851, aged 54 years. Abijah Rogers, died Oct. 5, 1865, aged 72 years. Benjamin Jayne, died April 14, 1851, aged 69 years. Pardon Hicks, died Dec. 4, 1854, aged 49 years. Jacob Lurvey, died July 25, 1851, aged 64 years. Dustin Cheney, died Oct. 24, 1841, aged 49 years. John B. Lobdell, died Jan. 31, 1862, aged 81 years. David Smith, died -. Hugh Hamilton, died Feb. 21, 1863, aged 78 years. Jeremiah Riggs, died June 22, 1858, aged 80 years. Joseph S. Fenton, died Nov. 14, 1851, aged 71 years. Philip H. McOmber, Sr., died Nov. 27, 1848, aged 59 years. Philip H. McOmber, Jr., died Oct. 21, 1856, aged 59 years. Michael Ayers, native of Ireland, sailor on 'Ripon," 74 gun-ship, 67 naval battles, died March 27, 1867, aged 80 years. Judge Daniel Le Roy, died-. His daughter, Mrs. Caroline St. Amand, wife of Augustus St. Amand, died April 12, 1847, aged 31 years. Upon her tombstone is the following inscription in French: " Ici repose Caroline St. Amand, nee le 6 Mars, 1816; bonne fille, vertueuse epouse, excellente mnre, elle mourit bonne chr6tienne, le 12 Avril, 1847." Mrs. Judge Le Roy, died July 10, 1818, aged 68 years. Rev. James McLaurin, a Scotchman, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, died May 11, 1860, aged 64 years. Rev. John Booth, native of Chatham, England, died July 18, 1869, aged 73 years. William W. Booth, died April 7, 1869, aged 48 years. Dexter B. Johnson, died Sept. 5, 1866, aged 64 years. Ben Birdsall, died as mentioned elsewhere. Dr. Thomas Steere and wife, died -. Edgar C. Waterman, died Nov. 19, 1863, aged 67 years. Asa Bishop, died Nov. 6, 1857, aged 87 years. Elijah Dunham, died Aug. 1, 1858, aged 73 years. Oakwoodl Cemetery contains 23 acres of ground, and lies immediately southwest of the old cemetery. It was laid out in 1869, and opened for use in the summer of 1870, being dedicated July 1st of the latter year. The dedication services were very impressive. Introductory exercises were held at Colwell Hall, after which a procession formed, consisting of the Flint City Band, a delegation of Sir Knights from Flint, the Fenton Commandery, representatives of the Masonic order from Howell, Livingston Co., and many citizens, which marched to the cemetery. There the dedicatory address was delivered by Rev. A. McSween, and a poem composed by a resident of Fenton for the occasion was read by Col. E. II. Thomson, of Flint, who also delivered a lecture on Shakspeare in the evening. The following is the poem mentioned: " Home of the dead! 0 sacred place! 0 place of rest for those who die! How many shall, when life is spent, Within thy solemn precincts lie? "Unlike the tombs of ancient kings, And vaulted sepulchres of old, Are thy green hills and peaceful glens,Sweet charms that nature's toils unfold. "Oft will the tears of grief be shed, As mourners through yon gateway pass, Forgetful of the joys of earth In sorrow for the dead, alas! "And yet, 'tis meet to lay the dead In this sequestered, lovely spot, Among the flowers and the trees, Where the molester cometh not; "And where the living, as they tread Along thy quiet, winding ways, May feel the power of nature's God, And give to him their fervent praise. '"The voice of God hath nade us know Our bodies must return to dust; And, Oakwood, thou shalt ever be To us a place of hallowed trust." FENTON TOWNSHIP. 227 The main avenue of the cemetery is fifty feet in width, and the paths from five to twenty-five feet; most of the lots, except fractional ones, are ten by twenty feet. The groundplan of the cemetery is of exceedingly tasteful design, and so arranged as to coincide to the best advantage with its natural features of hill and dale. The officers of the association are: President, Charles H. Turner; Secretary, E. M. Adams; Treasurer, J. E. Bussey; Superintendent, Charles Rolland. Comparatively a small portion of the cemetery has at this date been utilized for burials. DECORATION DAY-LIST OF SOLDIER DEAD. Decoration day was for the first time formally observed in Fenton, May 30, 1878, when large numbers aided in the exercises, which were very impressive. A procession half a mile in length was formed, composed of the Knights Templar Band, Fenton Guards, old soldiers, fire department, village officers, officers of the day, schools, and citizens in carriages and on foot. Professor C. Van Dorn, of Fenton Seminary, delivered the address. Twenty-five soldiers " sleep their last sleep" in the Fenton cemeteries, the following being their names: Revolutionary.-Altamont Donaldson. War of 1812.-Benjamin Jayne, Abijah Rogers, Dustin Cheney, H. W. R. Donaldson, Hugh Hamilton, David Bentley, John Wilber. War of the Rebellion.-Seth Ingram, David H. Colwell, J. W. Andrews, John Bell, M. AI. Johnson, B. F. Hicks, Ransom Brown, Samuel H. Thomas, Levi Curtis, W. W. Booth, Chester D. Kinney, Reuben S. Terry, Theodore C. McOmber, Luman Van Wert, Miles T. Hall, Albert Dickilson, Levi Thatcher. This list is but a small proportion of the brave boys who volunteered from this village and township. Fitting tribute has been paid them by a brother soldier, and the memory of the fallen shall ever be revered. "In gory beds they're laid to rest, The nation's blue enshrouds each breast, And o'er their grassy graves By darksome swamp and rolling tide, By stream and mount, the nation's prideA free flag-ever waves." EDUCATIONAL. The first school-house in the village has been mentioned by Col. Fenton as having stood on the corner north of the present site of the post-office, where now stands a brick dwelling. This building was used until a larger one became necessary, when a frame school-house was erected, a short distance farther east, and is yet standing, although in use for other purposes. District No. 1, or the Union School district, was organized in 1856, previous to which time the district was numbered two. The old part of the present main school-building was erected in 1859, and greatly enlarged in 1867. During the first three years after the organization of the Union District schools were held in the old frame building and in the second story of a building on the south side, the lower portion of which was used as a store. In 1864 two brick ward school-houses were built, one on each side of the river, and in September, 1878, it was voted to expend $3000 in constructing new ones, which will probably be done during 1879. The number of children enrolled in the district is in the neighborhood of 700. The teachers for the present school year, which began Aug. 9, 1878, are: Superintendent, George E. Cochran; Principal, M. T. Gass; Preceptress, Miss Linna Schenck; A Grammar Department, Frank H. Thompson, resigned, and Ira Thompson appointed to fill vacancy; B Grammar Department, Miss Lizzie M. Jennings; A Intermediate Department, Miss Calista Conant; B Intermediate Department, Miss A. S. Gifford; C Intermediate Department,* Miss Hattie Davis; South Ward, Miss S. C. Hamilton; North Ward, Mrs. S. Ingram. The salaries paid to teachers are: superintendent, $1000; principal, $800; preceptress and grammars, $400 each; A and B intermediates, $320 each; total paid to teachers, $4580. The estimated expenses of the district for the school-year are $5580. The district-board is composed of the following officers, viz.: Moderator, Dexter Horton; Director, Charles H. Turner; Assessor, Josiah Buckbee; other Trustees, A. W. Riker, J. E. Bussey, B. F. Stone. Fenton Seminary.-This institution is the property of, and is conducted by, the Baptists of the State of Michigan, and was founded with the intention of making it a feeder for the Kalamazoo College. A two-story frame building was at first used in which to hold school, one of the first teachers being Mrs. P. C. Dayfoot. On the 25th of August, 1869, the new building was dedicated, and the first term within it opened with Mr. Wedge as principal. The building stands in the southwest part of the village, is four stories high, with a French roof, and is constructed of stone. Its cost was $30,000. The site was donated by David L. Latourette, who also gave the greater portion of the funds necessary to erect the building. Prof. C. Van Dorn was for a number of years in charge, and prosperity lingered about the institution. At present, although entirely fiee from debt, its affairs are not in as flourishing a condition as could be wished by those who have its interests at heart. Its future, however, is hopeful. The present faculty consists of the following persons, viz.: Prof. W. L. Moore, Principal and Professor of Classics, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences. Miss Sarah E. Wason, Teacher of English Branches and French. Mrs. Bertha Fitch (native of Germany), Teacher of German. Mrs. Celestia A. Northrop, Teacher of Music, Painting, and Drawing. Prof. Moore has been in charge a year. The number of pupils in attendance is about 30. Trinity Schools (Episcopal). —In March, 1868, a proposition was made by the diocese of Michigan to the people of Fenton and vicinity to build in the place two edifices to cost about $10,000 each, provided subscriptions to a certain amount were raised. Scholarships were to be sold at $250 each. The design was to establish a seminary or highschool for boys, which should "afford facilities for a thorough English and classical education, and probably a * School held in basement of Presbyterian church. 228 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. special course for any young men who may be looking forward to the ministry " also "a school of like grade for girls, which shall present an extensive course of instruction, combining the useful and ornamental branches usually taught in the schools of the highest order." The institutions were incorporated Sept. 14, 1868, under the name of "Trinity Schools." In 1872 the trustees were Right Rev. Samuel A. McCoskry, Bishop of the Diocese; James Burtenshaw and William N. Carpenter, of Detroit; C. H. Turner, B. K. Dibble, F. H. Wright, and Rev. O. E. Fuller, of Fenton. The building for boys was erected first, and given the name of "Latimer Hall." It stands on a tract of five acres of ground in the western part of the village, is built of brick, and is 40 by 46 feet in dimensions, with four floors. It was formally opened and dedicated Nov. 14, 1872, the dedicatory address being delivered by Rev. T. C. Pitkin, D.D., of St. Paul's, Detroit. The girls' school-Ridley Hall-was not then completed, but on that occasion considerable sums to further that object were subscribed by other parishes. The walls of the buildingwhich is the same in size as Latimer Hall-had been put up at the same time with the latter, but it was not until the fall and winter of 1875 that the work was carried forward to completion, or so far as they were ever completed. But one wing of each building, as provided in the plans, was erected. Ridley Hall occupies a beautiful location in the eastern part of the village, on a lot containing 1 acres. It was opened in charge of Ezra Bauder, from Virginia, during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Applegate, the successor to Rev. O. E. Fuller. The former, while in charge of the affairs of the parish at Fenton, devoted the greater part of his time to the schools. Contributions had been forwarded from Pennsylvania and other States, but the venture finally, after a few years of struggle against fate, was necessarily discontinued, and the buildings were sold on a mortgage. The projects of converting Ridley Hall into a ward school, or selling it to the State to be used as a branch of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind Asylum, have been discussed, but thus far with no definite result. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. The first religious services in the village were of the class known only to pioneer settlements where no organization had been completed, and where missionaries of several denominations struggled for.the mastery. After the log school-house mentioned had been built, meetings were held in it by different sects, of which the Methodists and Presbyterians were principal. The former were first in the field, and for some time had-services but once in four weeks, owing to the fact that the Methodist circuit preachers or missionaries had such an extensive tract of country to supply. After a time they and the Presbyterians convened alternately, once in two weeks, in a building which had been erected at the southeast corner of Le Roy Street and Shiawassee Avenue.* This building served all purposes required of it,-church, public hall, etc. Methodist Episcopal Church. —Early Methodist meetings were also held in the house of Judge Daniel Le Roy ' See Col. Fenton's article. t From information principally furnished by Oliver Warren. after the log school-house had been abandoned. The first Methodist sermon preached in Fenton (then Dibbleville) was delivered by Rev. Washington Jackson, in January, 1837. A class was formed on the 19th or 20th of March, in the same year, by the same person, who was from the Livingston Mission, in the Adrian District, of which Rev. William Herr was presiding elder. The class as organized consisted of the following persons, viz: Oliver Warren, Class-Leader; Levi Warren, Steward; Eleanor Warren, John Thorp, Isaac Thorp, Elizabeth Thorp, and Wealthy Eddy (now the widow of Peter McCollum). Of these the only survivors are Oliver Warren and Mrs. McCollum. In 1836 the Michigan Conference embraced the northern parts of Indiana and Ohio and the whole of the then Territory of MIichigan. At the Conference held in the fall of that year (in Ohio), Mr. Jackson (above mentioned) was appointed to the charge of such classes as had been formed under the Livingston Mission, and to seek new work. He laid out a field extending nearly to Grand Rapids, on the Grand, Maple, and Looking-Glass Rivers. After Conference the circuit was named "Shiawassee," and arranged to he fully supplied once in four weeks. Mr. Jackson and Isaac Bennett were appointed to it, and each man was expected to travel four hundred miles and fill thirty-two appointments once in the time. A new district was organized about this time, known as the " Flint River District," and Samuel Shaw was its presiding elder. This was by act of Conference in 1837. In 1838 the circuit was divided, remaiinig, however, in the same district, and Rev. Elijah Pilcher was appointed presiding elder, and Isaac Bennett preacher in charge, with a work taking three weeks to accomplish. The next year, 1839, Rev. Flavel Britton was appointed to the circuit, Mr. Pileher retaining his position. Mr. Britton remained two years. In 1840, Rev. S. C. Stringham was appointed as a supply to aid him with a fourweeks' work. Rev. A. Billings followed Mr. Pilcher as presiding elder. About that time a smaller circuit, having but seven appointments, was organized, and Rev. James Webster appointed to its charge. It was transferred to the Ann Arbor District, of which Rev. Henry Colelazer was presiding elder, and was afterward changed to the Milford circuit (same district), with Revs. George Bradley and F. Britton, preachers. These were followed by Revs. Alfred Allen and Young, with L. W. Chatfield, presiding elder. After this the class was only occasionally supplied, and ministers for some time came without regular appointments. When the first church was begun the pastors on the circuit were Revs. William Blades and G. N. Belknap, and when the building was dedicated (July 16, 1853) Rev. George Brown was pastor. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. George Smith. This church was a brick building. The heaviest contributors to the fund for erecting it were Oliver Warren and A. J. Chapin. The foundation was caused to give way by excavating under the church for a class-room, and the walls fell. Among others who have preached here are Revs. Jefferson Joslin, now of Garland Street Church, at Flint, Orrin Whitmore, Wooster, and others. Oli ver Warren was early licensed to exhort, and traveled the circuit in company with Rev. Webster. The first quarterly meeting in the village was held in FENTON TOWNSHIP. 229 the log school-house, in December, 1837. At that time the class belonged to the Shiawassee circuit. The anecdote related by Dexter Horton, in his address at Firemen's Hall, in which he speaks of a certain young licentiate "getting the power," will be noticed. Mr. Warren is authority for the statement that this man was the Rev. Mr. Jackson, then an ordained deacon in the Conference, and a regular member of the traveling connection. He also says that the joke of throwing the water caused no harm to any one concerned. Since the early days of this church the circuit has been changed numerous times, and at present Fenton Station belongs to the Detroit Conference. The present building owned by the society stands on the site of the old one, on North Le Roy Street. It was commenced June 29, 1868, and dedicated Jan. 10, 1869, and cost $9549.04, of which amount $5600 were raised on the day of dedication, and all indebtedness removed. The membership in May, 1879, was about 300, and the pastor, Rev. E. E. Caster. A Sunday-school is sustained, with a membership of nearly 200, of which Zera Patterson is the superintendent. The school possesses a library of some 400 volumes. The first Sabbath-school in the place has been mentioned by Dr. Pattison. This was merged into a union affair, organized by the Methodists and Presbyterians, and numbering from 45 to 50 members. It was held in the frame building now a part of King's Hotel. Joseph S. Fenton was the first superintendent, and among the teachers was Mrs. Eliza Chapin, wife of Alonzo J. Chapin. Presbyterian Church.-The second religious organization in the village was that formed by the Presbyterians, Feb. 28, 1840, with 17 members, by Rev. John Gray, of Utica, Macomb Co. The church as organized was called "The First Presbyterian Church of Fentonville." The following were the original members: Silas Newell and wife, and George H. Newell, from Sodus; John Hadley, Jr.; Sophia Hadley; John Fenwick and wife, from Clyde, N. Y.; James K. Wartman and wife, from White Lake, Mich.; Benjamin Rockwell and wife, New York City; John C. Gallup and wife, Mount Clemens, Mich.; Daniel Le Roy and wife, Pontiac, Mich.; Eliza McOmber, Fentonville, Mich.; and Lucy Le Roy, Grand Blanc, Mich. The following ruling elders were elected and ordained: John C. Gallup, Chairman; Silas Newell, Deacon; Benjamin Rockwell, Clerk; John Hadley, Jr. After the foregoing business was transacted, the session adjourned to meet at the house of Benjamin Rockwell, March 1, 1840. At the meeting subsequently convened the following additional persons were admitted to membership: Elisha Lamed, George Dibble, Sarah Ballard, Jane Fenwick, Jacob Vandenburgh, Ira C. Alger, Mrs. Lucy Thorp. Benjamin Rockwell and wife removed to Flint early in 1841. From June 1 until Sept. 1, 1841, Rev: P. S. Van Nest served the church as stated supply, and then ceased because of feeble health. In 1843, when located at Flint, he preached at Fenton, as did also Rev. L. P. Bates, of Pontiac. Rev. P. H. Burghardt was the second pastor, coming Dec. 24, 1843, and remaining one year. Rev. I. Hopkins, D.D., was mod erator of the session June 8, 1845, and Rev. John G. Atterbury, of Flint, Feb. 1, 1846. Rev. John Beach, of Flint, was moderator from July 5, 1846, until May, 1848, when the name of Rev. T. Waterbury appears, he remaining until June 15, 1851. Rev. Andrew Govan was moderator June 26, 1852. Mrs. Lucy Thorpe, one of those who united with the church March 1, 1840, met her death in February, 1854, by falling from a load of hay while on the public road. She was sixty-nine years of age. Rev. Govan's pastorate terminated March 26, 1854. He was succeeded the same year by Rev. James McLaurin, who remained until the spring of 1860, when Rev. Thomas Wright assumed charge. Aug. 27, 1860, thirty-nine persons were granted letters of dismission and recommendation to unite with the church newly formed at Holly, Oakland Co. Mr. Wright remained until February, 1864, and was succeeded in May following by Rev. E. Dickenson, Rev. Mr. Leonard, of Detroit, having supplied the pulpit in the interim from February to May. Mr. Dickenson's labors here closed in the latter portion of 1867, and Rev. Nathan Bangs Knapp became the pastor Jan. 1, 1868, remaining until the close of 1869. From that time until Feb. 13, 1870, Rev. Mr. Waldo, of Linden, acted as supply; and at that date Rev. C. W. Wallace, of Delphi, Ind., began a series of meetings, and commenced labor as stated supply April 3d following. He closed his work here March 30, 1873, and on the 20th of the succeeding April Rev. D. H. Taylor began as stated supply. He was elected pastor on the 23d of November, in the same year, and still holds the position. Elisha Lamed and Benjamin Bangs have been ruling elders in this church since Feb. 4, 1856. The others at present are Charles K. Covert and Galen T. Johnson. The members number about 2(0, of whom 140 are residents. The Sabbath-school, of which M. Davis is the superintendent, has 150 members, and a library of several hundred volumes. The first house of worship used by this society was that erected at the southeast corner of Le Roy Street and Shiawassee Avenue, now the bar-room of King's Hotel. The second was a brick church which stood on Adelaide Street, and was destroyed by fire. The present frame edifice on South Le Roy Street was built about 1860 to 1861, and cost in the neighborhood of $000. Baptist Church.-The Baptist society of Fenton is third in age in the place, having been originally organized at some date between 1840 and 1848. Previous to 1849 it was disbanded, part of the members going to Linden and the others to Rose, Oakdale Co. A new society was organized at Fenton, in March, 1850, by Rev. A. Lamb, of Parshallville, Livingston Co. Meetings were held in the school-house on the north side of the river. About 1856 -57 a hall was built by Rev. John Booth, then pastor, which is still standing on Le Roy Street, south of Mr. Cranson's bank. This was occupied by the society until the present stone church was built. The pastors succeeding Mr. Lamb were Revs. John Booth, Prof. S. A. Taft (supply for six months), S. Wilkins, John Haskins, C. W. Olney, J. N. Titterington, J. Ward Stone, and the present incumbent of the 230 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHI~GAN. position, Rev. S. Albert Northrop. The society as organized in 1850 consisted of H. Lamb and wife, William W. Booth (first clerk) and wife, Mr. Thorp and wife, Joseph Thorp, Mr. Weed, Mr. and Mrs. J. St. Clair, Mrs. Dr. Thomas Steeire, Mrs. Dustin Cheney, Mr. and Mrs. Beall, and one other not now recollected. Of these but four are left, viz., Joseph Thorp, Mrs. St. Clair, Mrs. W. W. Booth, and Mrs. Cheney. The first Baptist minister who preached in this township was Elder Jones, of Holly, who delivered an address at Linden from the top of a pile of saw-logs. The membership of this society on the 8th of May, 1879, was 254, which included 100 who had united during Mr. Northrop's pastorate of two years. As this is his first charge, his success must be somewhat flattering. A flourishing Sabbathschool is sustained, with 164 members and a library of about 300 volumes. The value of the church property is set at $15,000. The corner-stone of the present substantial stone church was laid in the summer of 1863. After five years the building was completed, and dedicated May 31, 1868, when nearly $6000 of indebtedness was cleared up. In the fire of April 24, 1879, the church narrowly escaped destruction, being damaged to the extent of about $200. St. Jude's Church (Episcopal).-This church was organized June 7, 1859, with the following-named members: Charles H. Turner, William A. Wiggins, George E. Sloat, R. B. Reed, B. Grace, Ben Birdsall, R. L. Tracy, J. A. Gardner, Edward Thorp, William H. Sager, Josiah Buckbee, Henry C. Riggs, John Vandenburgh, William P. Guest, and P. Y. Foot. Mr. Guest was chosen secretary of the association. The first church-meeting was held at Grace's Hall, July 18, 1859, when the following officers were elected: Edwin Thorp, Senior Warden and Vestryman; John Vandenburgh, Junior Warden and Vestryman; J. A. Gardner, William P. Guest, Charles H. Turner, B. Grace, J. Buckbee, and R. L. Tracy, Vestrymen. The present frame church was built in 1860, and stands south of that owned by the Presbyterians, on Le Roy Street. The first clergyman who held Episcopal services here was Rev. Henry Barnwall, now of Port Huron, who came occasionally, as did also Rev. Mr. Dooley afterwards. The first settled clergyman was Rev. 0. E. Fuller, who took charge in February, 1865. He had previously resided at Saginaw. Feb. 1, 1869, he resigned in order to devote his time and attention more fully to the Trinity schools, which had been established here. He was several times recalled to serve as rector afterwards. Revs. A. B. Flower and Robert Wood officiated at different times as his assistants. Rev. John W. Clark was rector about three months, but resigned, and was succeeded by Mr. Fuller. He in turn resigned, and in March, 1871, a call was sent to Rev. Lewis L. Rogers, who accepted, and assumed charge on Palm Sunday, April 2, 1871. In October, 1873, Mr. Rogers resigned, and Mr. Fuller was again called to the rectorship, beginning his labors in January, 1874. He finally resigned in April, 1875, and, in August following, Rev. L. W. Applegate, of Mauch Chunk, Pa., took charge, having been chosen rector June 1, 1875. In June, 1877, he resigned. Mr. Rogers accepted a second call, and has continued in the position to the present. The communicants numbered in the early part of May, 1879, about 50. The Parish Social has 25 members. A Sunday-school is kept up, with some 35 scholars and 7 teachers. It has a library of 150 volumes. A neat parsonage stands in the rear of the church, which latter cost to build about $2000, and is sufficient in size for all the demands of the society. St. John's Church (Roman, Cttholic).-For some years previous to 1868 a small Catholic society existed in Fenton, and services were held in private houses, but it was not until the year named that the erection of a church was begun. The present frame edifice was commenced July 29, 1868, and is not yet completed, although it is hoped the finishing touches may be put on during the present summer (1879). Its cost, thus far, has been about $2500. The tastily-designed parsonage was built in 1871, during which year the resident clergyman arrived, Rev. Father Thomas Rafter. Services had previously been held by clergymen from Pontiac and Hartland, the first ones having been held by a clergyman from Flint, to which this church was then attached. Succeeding Father Rafter, the pastors have been Rev. Fathers James Wheeler, now at Owasso, Shiawassee Co., and the present one, William Kilroy, who came in September, 1876. Forty-eight families are connected with this church, some living in Holly, Groveland, Tyrone, etc. Services are held here every Sunday evening during the summer, and but once a month during the winter. Father Kilroy also has churches in Gaines and Deerfield (Livingston County), and missions at Holly, Oakland Co., and Cohocton, Livingston Co. No churches have yet been erected in either of the latter places. Many Catholic families who once resided in and about Fenton have removed to other and newer-settled localities, as they were in most instances members of the laboring class, -having to depend upon job work for their living. A general summary of the business of Fenton at this date (May 29, 1879) will include about fifty stores of various kinds, with the necessary complement of mechanic shops, aside from the institutions more explicitly mentioned. Two newspapers also flourish,-the Fenton Gazette and the Fenton Independent,-for a description of which, with those earlier published, the reader is referred to the general chapter upon the press of the county. VILLAGE OF LINDEN. The first settlers in what is now the corporation of Linden were Richard and Perry Lamb, and the first white woman in the place was the wife of the latter, who still resides in the village. These persons settled on section 20, in the fall of 1835. A log house was built on Richard's place, and he remained through the winter, while Perry went to Ann Arbor, and returned with his family in the spring of 1836. Richard Lamb subsequently removed from town, and Perry died. His widow became the wife of Maxwell Fisk. For a long time the house of Perry Lamb furnished accommodations for travelers, and Mrs. Lamb was known far and wide as an excellent housewife, a courteous entertainer, and a most exemplary pioneer lady. When Perry Lamb returned to Linden, in March, 1836, he brought with him his wife's brother, J. Z. Fairbank, then a boy. The latter had come fiom Wayne Co., N. Y., in the fall of 1835, with his father, Zenas Fairbank, and FENTON TOWNSHIP. 231 located in Washtenaw County, where they remained that winter. The elder Fairbank followed his son to the village in May, 1836, when the only houses here were those of Richard and Perry Lamb, standing in its eastern limits, near the river. Mr. Fairbank purchased land just outside what is now the corporation, but subsequently moved within its limits, built and opened the second store, and carried it on two or three years, his death occurring in December, 1852, while yet in business. Mr. Fairbank had studied medicine some, and upon locating at Linden engaged in practice, which became quite extensive. Although not a regularly educated physician, his services were called into requisition by settlers living in many instances miles away. He traveled into adjoining townships, and many an afflicted family had cause to remember his kindness and skill. HEe was the first who practiced medicine in Linden, and the second in the township, Dr. Pattison, of Fenton, having but a short time preceded him. When he (Fairbank) moved up with his family fiom Washtenaw County, there were no roads after leaving Highland, Oakland Co., and an Indian trail was followed fiom there to Dibbleville, where they stayed overnight with Dustin Cheney, who brought themn to their destination the next day via Silver Lake, with an ox-team, following also an Indian trail. Mr. Fairbank's daughter, Mrs. Perry Lamb, became anxious, in the winter of 1836, to see fiiends in Ann Arbor, fifty miles away, of which distance more than half was along a trail. Accordingly, mounting an Indian pony, and being accompanied by a lad named Lorenzo Cheney, she started, Cheney going on foot, and bringing back the pony after Mrs. Lamb had reached her destination. Huckleberries and wild plums were abundant in the neigllborhood, and J. Z. Fairbank relates that he and his sister-Mrs. Lamb-used to cross the Shiawassee on a log, and go huckleberrying. The settlers at Linden, in common with others in this region, experienced considerable trouble fromn a scarcity of provisions. On one occasion, Mr. Fairbank and his son, Francis C., went to Ann Arbor, purchased 43 pounds of pork, paying 18 cents per pound, and walked back with it to Linden,-first one carrying the load and then the other. It was in a sack, and they were very careful of their burden, as pork was considered by the pioneers "more precious than gold." The only music the settlers had was that furnished by the wolves, who howled in exciting chorus the long nights through. The fires which annually swept across the country had kept down vegetation to such a degree that an insufficient quantity had decayed to enrich the soil to a great degree, and it was consequently thin and poor. The first crops raised yielded only from three to seven bushels per acre, but in a few years-as soon as fences were built and fires kept down-the soil deepened and the yield rapidly increased. After a year or two of cultivation everrybody became sick, and many left discouraged. It is to be remarked, however, that a large proportion of those who left returned in time and located permanently. Of the family of Zenas Fairbank, one son, James, for some time a merchant in Linden, now lives in Nebraska; another, Dr. Henry C. Fairbank, is a resident of Flint, and enjoys an extensive practice; while two others, La Fayette and Jerome Z., are still at Linden. Asahel Ticknor, who settled at the village in 1836, was firom the State of New York, to which he returned after a residence of a few years in Michigan. IHe was a veteran of the war of 1812. Byram Lake, immediately south of Linden, was named from Charles Byram, who settled on its north shore in February, 1836. His brother, Joseph Byram, arrived shortly after. The first election for the township of Argentine was held in the board shanty belonging to Charles Byram, in the fall of 1836. Seth C. Sadler, from Monroe Co., N. Y., a native of Massachusetts, emigrated to Michigan, in 1831, and settled in Oakland County, where he lived for several years in the townships of Bloomfield and Troy. In October, 1835, he purchased 120 acres of land on sections 31 and 32, in Fenton township, built a small shanty thereon, and early in February, 1836, moved up his family from Oakland County a few days before the arrival in town of Charles Byram. When Mr. Sadler came his nearest neighbor on the west was John Knaggs, a half-breed Indian trader, in Shiavwassee County. In the spring of the same year James Murray, William Lobdell, and others located west of him, in what is now the township of Argentine. In what now constitutes Fenton township, the only persons then living were Lauren P. Riggs, Clark Dibble, Dustin Cheney, John Wilber, and James Thorp. Others who had been here had moved away. Of those mentioned Mr. Riggs had moved upon a farm two and one-half miles west of Dibbleville. The village of Linden dates its origin from Feb. 3, 1840, when it was laid out by Messrs. Warner & Harris. Additions have been made since as follows: Walter Davenport's addition, Jan. 28, 1857; Linden Cemetery addition, by J. Z. Fairbank and Mrs. Fisk (formerly Mrs. Perry Lamb), April 20, 1870; Fairbank's addition, by J. Z. Fairbank, in the summer of 1878. Consider Warner, one of the original proprietors of the village, came here in the fall of 1836, from Genesee Co., N. Y., in company witl several others, constructed a damn across the river and erected a saw-mill,-the latter in the fall of 1837. Tlhe frame of a grist-mill was raised in 1838, and when the latter building was completed it contained one run of stones and a tub wheel. It was finally destroyed by fire, as was also the saw-mill, and the property lay idle for a number of years. In the winter of 1845-46 it was purchased by Messrs. Thompson & Reeson, who erected the frames of a saw-mill and a grist-mill, but did not complete them while they were the owners. In 1850, Seth C. Sadler purchased the saw-mill, and lie and M. Warren became proprietors of the grist-mill. They finished the work on the buildings and operated the mills successfully. The grist-mill, which is yet standing, contains three runs of stones, and is owned by I. B. Hyatt. Eben* Harris, the partner of Mr. Warner in business, and one of the original proprietors of the village, canie here in the fall of 1838, from Pontiac, Oakland Co. In 1839 the firm opened a store in a frame building which:' Should this be lIeman Harris? 232 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. they had erected the same year on the same ground where now stands the west end of the brick " Union Block." It has been moved across the street and largely repaired, and is now used as a drug-store by Dr. S. D. Harris. The frame hotel now known as "Springer's Hotel" was built by Warner & Harris in 1840, the timber being drawn from the woods by Alonzo J. Chapin. It was afterwards the property of Seth C. Sadler, who rebuilt it, and has since been extensively repaired. It is now owned by Mrs. James B. Moshier, formerly the widow of Henry Springer. Seth C. Sadler moved from his farm to the village of Linden in April, 1851, and engaged in business, purchasing the saw-mill and a share in the grist-mill, as stated, also the hotel. He built a carding-machine and a cloth-dressing machine in 1851, and operated them in company with others; these were burned after the war of the Rebellion, as was also the saw-mill. The latter was rebuilt by Joseph A. Gardner, now of Petoskey, and a plaster-mill was subsequently added by the same man. He finally sold to Myron Harris, who built a wagon-factory near, which is known as the " Linden Wagon-Works," and now owned by Harris & Beach, who manufacture on quite an extensive scale. Jonathan Shephard, who died in 1878, was one of the early settlers of Linden, coming with Consider Warner fiom the State of New York, and helping build the first mills at the place. Benaiah Sanborn settled at Linden in the fall of 1836, and on the site of the present Union Block built the first log shanty that was erected in the main part of the village. Two others were constructed at nearly the same time, by Richard Newton and Joseph Irving, the latter a Scotchman. Mr. Sanborn came from Genesee Co., N. Y., in company with Consider Warner, for whom he worked that winter and helped build the saw-mill. In the following spring (1837) he removed to a farm south of Flint, where he died in 1861. His son, Rev. O. Sanborn, a minister of the Methodist denomination, is now in charge of that church at Linden, serving his second term of three years. He was but ten years old when his father moved here with the family. Mr. Warner did not bring his family with him when he first came, but boarded with some of those who came with him, either with Mr. Sanborn or Mr. Newton. His foreman, Heman Harris, boarded with the former. The first bridge across the Shiawassee River at Linden was a log structure which stood about a hundred rods above the present dam, and was built at some date between 1836 and 1840, probably in 1836 or '37, as, when the dam was raised, it was carried off by the water. Soon after, a fiame bridge was thrown across at the same place where the stream is now spanned, and since then several have been built, all, including the present one, frame. The first marriage in the village was that of Jared Ball and a Miss Sage, which was solemnized about 1840-41. Lafayette Fairbank and Almeda Hunt were also married early, as were Walter Davenport and Lucinda Hunt, and Alden Tupper and Louisa Lamb. The first school in Linden was taught in a long, lowroofed, one-story shanty which stood: in front of the gristmill, by a daughter of Abel D. Hunt, in the summer of 1839. Hunt had settled here the same year.* The house was a temporary affair which had been used as a boardinghouse by the men at work building the saw-mill. Walter Brown taught at the same place the following winter. This school, although the first in the main settlement, was not the first in the vicinity, as another had been taught in 1838, three-fourths of a mile east, by Walter Brown. The first building erected purposely for a school-house in what are now the corporate limits of the village was a log edifice which stood in the southeast corner thereof. A frame structure was afterwards built on the street running south from the hotel and "Union Block," and about thirty rods south of the hotel. The log house was built about 1840. Louisa Hillman and John Morris were among its early teachers. It was used but about two years, or until the frame building was erected. North of Linden the first school was taught in the summer of 1840 in a small frame school-house, built by the district on the north end of Morris Ripley's farm. The teacher was a lady, whose name is forgotten. This schoolhouse has been removed and a new one erected farther east. The Linden post-office was established in the fall of 1850, principally through the efforts of Seth C. Sadler, and Claudius T. Thonpson received the first appointment as postmaster. His successors have been William l1. Cook, Frank Fry, Charles Brown, and the present incumbent, N. B. Cochran. James Fairbank, now in Nebraska, about 1865-66, built the first brick store in Linden, and opened a hardware establishment in it. The building is now owned by Myron Harris, who has enlarged it to accommodate his business. It stands opposite (west of) Springer's Hotel. The brick "Union Block," on the north side of the main street and opposite the hotel, was built in 1868-69, under the superintendence of I. B. Hyatt. The parties owning the property and who built the block were William Middlesworth, Hyatt & Moshier, J. J. Johnson, Charles Brown, W. H. Cook, and Allen Leonard, beginning at the west end. Of these, Middlesworth is dead; Moshier went out to take charge of the hotel; and Leonard's part is owned by Asa Whitehead. The others still remain. James B. Moshier came to Linden in January, 1852, and in 1860 engaged in the mercantile business, which he continued until May 1, 1879, when he relinquished it in order to attend to the affairs of the hotel. He is from Warren Co., N. Y. I. B. Hyatt also located here in January, 1852, and entered into business with his brother, Jacob Hyatt. Their stock-considered large in those days-consisted of a wagonload of goods which had been purchased at and brought from Detroit. I. B. Hyatt subsequently entered partnership with J. B. Moshier, with whom he long continued. He is the present owner of the grist-mill, and was the first Master of the Linden Masonic lodge. Charles Brown, still in business in the Union Block, started the first drug-store in the place, in 1858, and has continued since in the same line of trade. He came from the State of New York. ' A. D. Hunt, Jr., informs us that he came in 1838, and his father in 1836. The above was obtained from other parties.-HISTORIAN. 233 FENTON TOWNSHIP. About 1858-59 a foundry was built and started by Stephen Clark, who did general furnace work, and in two or three years added a steam stave-cutter. The foundry is now the property of Sadler & Lobdell. The addition laid out by Walter Davenport near the railroad is called North Linden. About 1857, a hotel was built near the depot by Mr. Davenport, since deceased. The present proprietor is William Gamber. The frame elevator and warehouse near by was built about 1868, by Joseph Middlesworth, and is still owned by him. Grain, lime, salt, land-plaster, etc., are handled. Mr. Middlesworth's father, John Middlesworth, settled in Argentine township in 1838, coming from New Jersey. He purchased 1600 acres of land in the southwestern part of said township from second hands. He is now deceased. Linden Cemetery.-Perry Lamb, at an early date, gave to the township half an acre of land, to be used for burial purposes, and afterwards sold an additional half-acre for $10. Subsequently F. C. Fairbank added half an acre on the east side, laid it out into 40 lots, and sold it for $20. J. Z. Fairbank and his sister, Mrs. Mary E. Fisk (widow of Perry Lamb), have since added 181 lots, and the cemetery now contains about 3~ acres. Of this one acre-that given and sold by Perry Lamb-is free to the township, while the balance is owned by the individuals who made the additions. The first person buried in it was James Ball, a millwright by trade, who, in August, 1836, while building a mill at Shiawasseetown, in Shiawassee County, fell about eight feet, striking on a rock and killing him. He lived at Linden, where the funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Hiram Madison, a Free-Will Baptist minister, and one of the first of that denomination who preached in this neighborhood. Linden Lodge, No. 132, F. and A. M., was organized under dispensation early in 1861, and chartered Jan. 10, 1862. It started with 7 members and has at present about 90. Its first Master was I. B. Hyatt. The hall is in Union Block. Three of the members belong to Fenton Commandery, No. 14, K. T., and several are Royal Arch Masons. The officers for 1879 are: Worshipful Master, A. H. Beach; Senior Warden, George West; Junior Warden, A. B. Hyatt; Sec., James McFarland; Treas., James B. Moshier; Senior Deacon, John Sleman; Junior Deacon, L. Fairbank. Strict Account Lodge, No. 276, I. 0. O. F., was organized March 17, 1876, with 11 members. Its first executive officer was E. R. Parker. The present membership is about 40, and the officers are: Noble Grand, Warren G. Ripley; Vice-Grand, Albert Billings; Treas.,J. G. Hicks; Sec., E. D. Webber; Permanent Secretary, Frank Luce; Treas., J. G. Hicks. Linden Division, No. 103, Sons of Temperance, was organized Jan. 25, 1877, with about 30 members, and had at the beginning of May, 1879, about 150, with the following officers, viz.: Worthy Patriarch, E. D. Webber; Worthy Associate, William Collins; Past Worthy Patriarch, John G. Snook; Recording Scribe, William Hyatt; Assistant Recording Scribe, Miss Jenny Cooper; Treas., Thomas Gerow; Financial Scribe, Arthur Webber; Chaplain, Mrs. Alfred Cooper; Conductor, Silas Henry; Assistant Conductor, 30 Miss Annie Gerow; Inside Sentinel, Joseph Miller; Outside Sentinel, L. M. Howe. The first religious society in the village was organized previous to 1838 by the Free-Will Baptists, and kept up for a considerable number of years. Its first minister was Rev. Mr. Jones, from Holly, Oakland Co., who preached his first serman here as early as 1837, from a pile of sawlogs in the mill-yard. Rev. Hiram Madison was also early, -having preached a funeral sermon in August, 1836, as mentioned.* The early meetings were held in the log houses and barns of the pioneers, and afterwards the schoolhouses were pressed into service. The Baptists have no organization here at present. Methodist Episcopal Church.-The second religious organization in the place was formed by the Methodists, who organized a class about 1838-39, and had services in connection with the church at Fenton. An early minister was Rev. Daniel Miller, a local preacher, who was sent here as a missionary from Miller's Settlement, now Hamilton Station, on the Chicago and Lake Huron Railway. Among the pastors since the organization of the society have been Revs. 0. H. P. Green, R. McConnell, P. 0. Johnson, James Armstrong, Joseph Shank, John G. Whitcomb, T. J. Joslin, D. W. Hammond, Orlando Sanborn, John Hamilton, and Mr. Sanborn a second time, he being at present in charge. Linden Circuit" has charges in Fenton, Argentine, and Mundy townships. The only church edifice among the Fenton township charges is at Linden. It was commenced in the summer of 1867 and dedicated Oct. 18, 1868. The other two churches on the circuit are located, one at Argentine, built and dedicated in 1873, and the other at South Mundy, dedicated in December, 1872, having been built that year. All three are frame buildings. The appointments on the circuit are at the following places, viz.: Linden, head of Long Lake, and " Sand Bar" schoolhouse, in Fenton township; Argentine and Dodder schoolhouse, in Argentine; and South Mundy church, in Mundy. The membership of these is as follows: Linden, 149; Long Lake, 53; Sand Bar school-house, 25; South Mundy, 90; Dodder school-house, 27; Argentine, 34. Mr. Sanborn has the supervision of the entire circuit, and by the aid of local preachers all the appointments are regularly filled. The Long Lake class was first organized in 1837, at or near the Odell school-house in Mundy; it was afterwards changed to a location near the township line, where a log church was built, and was finally transferred to Long Lake. The South Mundy class was organized in 1840; the Argentine class in February, 1869, by Rev. J. W. Holt, with B. G. Whitney as first class-leader, attached to Linden circuit in 1870, having been previously on Oak Grove circuit; Blair school-house class, in Fenton, organized in February, 1867, by Rev. James Berry, B. F. Hitchcock first class-leader, changed since to Dodder school-house in Argentine. Linden circuit was organized in the Conference of 1869, - There seems to be some disagreement in dates. It is stated that Mr. Jones was the first Baptist minister here, and so generally conceded, and that he first preached from the saw-logs. If the mill was built in 1837 this statement would seem to be at fault. Perhaps the mystery may be solved by some old settler, although the above infQrmation is vouched for by numerous persons. 234 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I.................... I... - -- -- and Rev. D. W. Hammond appointed pastor. The classes then connected were Linden, Long Lake, South Mundy, Kennedy school-house, and Blair school-house. Rev. Orlando Sanborn was appointed to the circuit in 1870, and remained three years. During that time a debt of $1000 on the church at Linden was cleared up, and the churches built at Mundy and Argentine, at a cost of $2500 each. The organizations of this denomination in Mundy and Argentine, belonging to the Linden circuit, are the only ones of the kind in those townships. The church at Fenton is separate from this circuit.* The Presbyterian Church at Linden was organized about 1863, during the war of the Rebellion, and the present frame church built at the same time, at a cost of about $1700. The first pastor was Rev. Thomas Wright. Those since have been Revs. -- Herrick, -- Wallace, and D. H. Taylor, the latter now in charge and living at Fenton, being the pastor also of the church at that place. The membership of the Linden church is about 55. A good Sabbath-school is sustained with an attendance of about 70. It possesses a library of 200 volumes or more, and is superintended by A. B. Hyatt. Both church and school are in good condition. INCORPORATION. The village of Linden was incorporated by act of the Legislature in 1871. The first village election was held on the 6th of March of that year, when the following officers were chosen, viz.: President, William H. Cook; Clerk, L. D. Cook; Marshal, E. H. Spencer; Treasurer, Myron Harris; Assessor, James B. Moshier; Trustees (two years), John J. Castle, I. B. Hyatt, L. H. Pierce (one year), Parley Warner, L. A. Curtis, J. Z. Fairbank. The presidents and trustees of the village since have been the following: 1872.-President, William H. Cook; Trustees (two years), 0. F. Jameson, Parley Warner, James R. Cooper. 1873.-President, Y. E. Benton; Trustees (two years), John J. Castle, Michael W. Johnson, Julius P. Warren. 1874.-President, Beach J. Whitney; Trustees (two years), Y. E. Benton, Silas K. Warner, James R. Cooper. 1875.-President, Homer B. Smith; Trustees (two years), Allen Leonard, Allen J. Beach, Julius Warren. 1876.-President, Silas A. Cook; Trustees (tvo years), Silas K. Warner, Charles Brown, James R. Cooper. 1877.-President, Myron Harris; Trustees (two years), Eugene S. Cram, Morris L. Groom, Alonzo B. Hyatt. 1878.-President, Alfred Cooper; Trustees (two years), Anson Morehouse, John J. Castle, George W. Davenport. 1879.-President, Leonard It. Pierce; Clerk, William H. Johnson; Treasurer, John II. Leal; Assessor, Stephen T. Davenport; Marshal, Lorenzo M. Howe; Trustees (two years), Alfred Cooper, Seth C. Sadler, Jr., George West. FIRE DEPARTMENT. A fire company was organized June 24, 1871, with 17 members, and buckets were supplied for use at fires. In the spring of 1879 the company was furnished with hand extinguishing pumps, the utility of which is to be demonstrated. Fire wardens are appointed each year, and the company is kept up to the regulation standard, 18 members. The village has suffered fron but few fires, none of which * See Fenton churches. were extensive, and all except one or two occurred before incorporation. In May, 1879, the village contained thirteen stores, a foundry, a wagon-factory (Linden Wagon-Works), a carriage-factory (property of Joseph Beach & Son), Beach Platform Truss Gearing Company's factory, an axe- and pick-handle factory (owned by Gerow & Orton), a saw-mill, a grist-mill, two churches, a graded school, with one brick school-building and a small frame one, a newspaper called the Linden Record, edited and published by Orlando White,t several physicians, of whom the oldest is Dr. Leonard H. Pierce, who has practiced here twenty-five years, and the usual number of blacksmith- and other shops found in a place of the size. Its population is estimated as being in the neighborhood of 800. Immediately north of the village of Linden resides Parley Warner, who came to the township with his father at an early date, and who happened unfortunately to be absent from home when called upon for information. Farther north is the farm of Morris Ripley, who came from Queenstown, Warren Co., N. Y., to Michigan, in 1836, and located land where he now lives. In the fall of 1839 he returned to New York and was married, and in the spring of 1840 brought his wife with him to their future abiding-place in Michigan. He had then a log shanty built and one field cleared on the place. At that date (1840) no one lived in Fenton township north of them, and a road had not yet been cut through the timber. Mr. Ripley's brothers, Anson and Alanson Ripley, followed him to the township, the former locating three-fourths of a mile east of him, and the latter next south. Anson Ripley is since deceased, and Alanson resides at present in the township of Mundy. MOUNT PLEASANT. John and Solomon Cook were probably the first settlers in the immediate vicinity of this village, which was laid out by the former Aug. 8, 1840, and an addition platted by him Oct. 27, 1845. John Cook died many years ago; his brother still resides here. In August, 1856, Capt. Charles Bennett, an old lake sailor, came from Washtenaw County and located here. He was formerly from the State of New York. Since settling at this place he has entertained many persons in search of pleasure, having fitted grounds and built boats purposely for their accommodation. He is the owner of "Bennett's Island," in Long Lake, containing about 23 acres, which has been supplied with tables, sheds, and all necessaries to make it a most desirable picnic-ground. He owns the boat" Mettie Helm," formerly a steamer, now used for the accommodation of Sunday-school parties, etc. It is towed by the gay little steamer "Evening Star," which contains the engine formerly in use on the first-named boat, and which was built in 1874 by the captain's son, Capt. W. H. Bennett. The latter also sailed a number of years on the lakes, and during the winter of 1860-61 he stayed with his father on the island of St. Ignace, in Lake Superior. t See chapter on the press. 4~ JEROME Z. FAIRBANK. SETH C. SADLER. ( J. H. HIPPS, PHOTOGR.) MRS.G.W. BERRYMAN G G.W. BERRYMAN. X.1 c, 0 m z CCC) P1 0 0 P1 rri ao z 0 co z m x z: P1 C3 0 I:):::;::: -*s 235 FENTON TOWNSHIP. Capt. W. H. Bennett and his brother, Charles J. Bennett, are the proprietors of a saw-mill at the place, where the latter built and still owns a small hotel. The present "Long Branch House" is a large frame hotel which was erected in 1876 by Hugh McKean, who is still the owner. It is open every season for boarders and visitors. A small grist-mill has been recently built on the northeast shore of the lake, and is owned by Mr. Judson. " IDLEWILD." On the eastern shore of Long Lake, below the "narrows," Philip H. MeOmber settled in 1834, and long kept a public-house known as the "Long Lake House." A line of stages plying over the road, passing through Fenton to Flint, brought business to the door. This house was kept in 1867 by John Snow. In the fall of 1868, N. T. Thurber purchased the property with the view of repairing or rebuilding the house and opening a summer resort which should become popular throughout the immediate region. Extensive repairs were made, and in June, 1869, the house was thrown open to the public with D. W. Denio as landlord. The latter has remained in charge since, with the exception of one year, when he occupied the " Fenton House," at Fenton, Cornelius Bergen administering the affairs of Idlewild. This has become the popular resort desired by its projector. A commodious steamer was built in the spring of 1875, named the " George C. Langdon," after the then mayor of Detroit, who comes here with his family every summer. No finer sheet of water for its size can be found in the State, and "Idlewild" and "Long Branch" and "' Mount Pleasant" have become widely and favorably known. Year Ending Seiptember 2, 1878. Report of Township Schools for the DISTRICTS. 0 = a) C 1.f la Q).r-;.;. C; ~z c 4. 4) E E: h, Z,~;4 ~ j bo0.r a u ce -ad ct -!I a 5. c; s._ (21:S ao I.0 = m~c P4I cd, 4 ss a'aM z d (1 EZ.:,: E = a) = a t NUMBER OF SCIIOOLHOUSES. Brick. Frame..E cn; 41. 40 560 140 No. it it.i 6 6s i 4 dis I it 1............. 3............ 4............. 5............. 6............. 7............. 7............ 18'........... 762 186 29 53 22 41 32 44 21 694 108 22 49 15 44 29 36 19 Pa S.;,, 0> 4; $40,000 1,200 500 4 600 400 800 200 1,000 600 47... 7 3 1..i 2000 143 160 1 60 162 165 160 157 NUMBER OF TEACHERS. 3 1 *.. * *.. TEACHERS' WAGES.. '14 - I I -. -.-.. I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I Male. 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 Female. 7 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 Malo. $2,000 450 86 44 120 157 150 100 iemale. $2,800 39) 20 32.50 83 101.62 36 10 36.60 48 Total receipts for school year, $10,000.94; amount on hand Sept. 2, 1878, $903.54; expenditures, less amount on hand, $9097.40; number of private or select schools in township, 3; number of pupils attending same (estimated), 50. Those who read the foregoing history of Fenton township, with its villages, etc., will readily perceive that its compilation has been a work of no small magnitude. To those who have furnished information earnest thanks are hereby tendered, and if, in the mass of matter presented, there should be a few inaccuracies, it must be remembered that to straighten a mass of conflicting testimony and place facts in print is an almost impossible task. However, the belief of the historian is that his labors have not been in vain, and he feels confident that a reliable history is here presented. Among those who have aided him in his researches are the following, viz.: At Fenton, Alonzo J. Chapin and wife, Robert Le Roy, Dr. Isaac Wixom, Elisha Larned, Charles H. Turner, William Remington, Maxwell Thompson, Joseph Thorp, Mrs. Dustin Cheney and family, the pastors and many members of churches, members of various societies, proprietors of newspapers, manufactories, etc., and many whose names are not recalled. At Linden, Seth C. Sadler, J. Z. Fairbank, Myron Harris, I. B. Hyatt, Rev. Orlando Sanborn, James B. Moshier, and others. * Frnct'onal districts. In various parts of the township, J. P. C. Riggs, Mrs. Morris Ripley, D. W. Denio, the family of Capt. Charles Bennett, and many others. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JEROME Z. FAIRBANK. Jerome Z. Fairbank, son of Zenas Fairbank, was born in the town of Rose, Wayne Co., N. Y., Dec. 10, 1827. When eight years of age his father removed with his family to Michigan, settling in Washtenaw County, where he remained until the following May, when he removed to the town of Fenton, whither his son Jerome had preceded him, and where he resided until his death, which occurred in December, 1852. The early life of Mr. Fairbank was replete with hardship and privation, and as showing their impecunious condition on their arrival in Michigan, and what they had to contend with in consequence, Mr. Fairbank relates that their household goods were held in Detroit for a freight bill of nine dollars. But industry and energy seldom go unrewarded. In a comparatively short space of time they were in easy circumstances. When nineteen years of age he made his first purchase of thirty-nine acres of land, running in debt two hundred dollars. On attaining his majority he found himself free from debt, and possessed of a yoke of oxen and some farm implements. From this 236 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. time success attended his efforts, and the little farm of thirty-nine acres has increased in size until he now counts one hundred and eighty acres of valuable land under a high state of cultivation. In December, 1857, Mr. Fairbank was married to Miss Amelia Clark, of Linden. She was born in Eaton, Madison Co., N. Y., March 27, 1825. Four children have been born to them, three of whom are now living. Mr. Fairbank has been prominently identified with Linden in all its interests, and occupies an enviable position among its more prominent citizens. He has taken a deep interest in educational matters, and has been an active member of the school board for years. In his religious affiliations he is a Presbyterian, and a zealous supporter of church interests. All in all, Mr. Fairbank is one of those courteous, Christian gentlemen, whose identification with any community is always productive of good. SETH C. SADLER was born in Ashfield, Franklin Co., Mass., March 12, 1809. He was the son of John and Sarah (Church) Sadler, who had a family of nine children. When a child his father removed to Madison Co., N. Y., where he remained until Seth was seven years of age. The elder Sadler was a blacksmith by trade, and a steady-going, industrious man. Seth remained with his father until he was twenty years of age, when he married Miss Sarah Anderson, and bought a small farm, upon which he remained until 1831, when, desirous of bettering his fortunes, he exchanged it for eighty acres of new land in the town of Bloomfield, Oakland Co., Mich., and in September of that year moved on to it with his family, then consisting of his wife and one child, Seth C., Jr. Mr. Sadler remained upon this farm until the following spring, when he sold it. After several changes, he bought, in 1835, one hundred and twenty acres of land in the town of Fenton. He immediately removed, and has since been a resident of the town. In 1850 he exchanged his farm for sixty acres, which comprised nearly all of what is now the business portion of Linden. The land was for the most part unimproved, there being only six or seven families in the town. In connection with the property there was a saw- and grist-mill, which he operated successfully until about 1864. Mr. Sadler has been engaged in various business enterprises, and has probably done as much as any other man in building up the village of Linden. Since 1850 he has been actively engaged in business. Owing to his energy and good management he has been successful in all his undertakings. Mr. Sadler has filled many responsible positions with fidelity to the trust reposed in him, and with credit to himself. For over forty years he has served his fellow-townsmen in various capacities. He has been prominent in political matters, but has always shunned rather than courted political preferment. He is now in the seventieth year of his age, and is still hale and hearty, and possessed of much of his old-time energy. He has achieved success in all departments of life, and is an exemplar of the capabilities of character and manhood. GEORGE W. BERRYMAN, one of the prominent farmers of Fenton, was born in the town of Aurelius, Cayuga Co., N. Y., Sept. 24, 1822. He was the eldest in the family of John and Catherine (Covert) Berryman, which consisted of five children. The elder Berryman was a prominent farmer, and met his death by accident when George was eleven years of age. Although a mere boy, he assumed control of his father's affairs, which he conducted successfully. At the age of sixteen he started in life by taking jobs of various kinds, among which were several contracts on the New York Central Railroad. Although young, what he lacked in years and experience he made up by energy and application; and all his projects were successfully carried out. In 1849, Mr. Berryman was united in marriage with Angeline, daughter of James and Sally Seymour, of Vestal, Broome Co., N. Y., where Mrs. Berryman was born July 28, 1825. After their marriage, he purchased a farm in Aurelius, where he resided until his emigration to Michigan in 1867, at which time he purchased the farm where he now resides,-a view of which we present on another page. Mr. Berryman is a prominent and successful agriculturist, and his highly-cultivated fields and commodious buildings attest his thrift and enterprise. .~.1~~.-;~:~-~~. iiT 1~~.-~ t:.~..il. 5'i; ;lli ~.:~ "-i n~-:-~ ~~;*:::i:i ir... 1,.. ~~; )'I,..._: *.;~:; ~~~ r:~' 1 RESIDENCE OF HON.ALEXANDER P. DAVIS,GRAND BLANC,GGENESEE CO.,MICH. GR A N D GRAND BLANC, the oldest township organization in Genesee County, is situated upon the south border, and is designated by the United States survey as township No. 6 north, range No. 7 east. Its boundaries on the north, east, and west are the respective townships of Burton, Atlas, and Mundy, in Genesee County, and Oakland County on the south. The surface is a rolling upland. Originally, the northern part was covered with dense forests of the deciduous trees so common to Michigan, while the central and southern parts of the township afforded a fair representation of the lands called hazel-brush openings. Thread River, its principal water-course, takes its rise in Oakland County, and flowing to the northwest, leaves the town near the centre of the north border. This stream in its course affords good water-power privileges, which are not utilized, and, with its numerous small tributaries, renders feasible the complete system of ditching and drainage now being adopted where swampy lands exist. Grand Blanc Lake includes a small portion of section 31; Slack's Lake, of sections 34 and 35. A small lake of some 20 acres in extent, called Smith Lake, is situated upon section 22. Numerous springs are found in various parts of the township, some of them quite strongly impregnated with magnesia. The soil is of an excellent quality, and consists of a dark, sandy, and gravelly loam, alternating with clay loam and alluvial deposits of a vegetable character. Peat beds are found in some portions of the township, also brick and potter's clay of a good quality. Iron ore, in small quantities, exists in the northwest and central parts. The people are agriculturists chiefly, the staple products being live stock, wool, pork, corn, fruits, and the various cereals. In the cultivation of winter wheat they are especially successful. The population in 1874 was 1389. LAND-ENTRIES. The first entry for land in township 6 north, range 7 east, was made by William Thompson and Charles Little, of Livingston Co., N. Y., and Samuel B. Perkins, from Ontario Co., N. Y.;- all of whom made purchases at the same date, viz.: June 17, 1824. Thompson's purchase embraced the northeast quarter and east half of the southeast quarter of section 9, and the southwest quarter of section 10, in all a tract of 500 acres, Little's the southeast quarter of section 15; while Perkins chose the west half of the northwest quarter of the same section. All of section 15 was taken up prior to July 4, 1829. Edmund and Rowland B. Perry purchased the east BLA N C. half of the southwest quarter of section 11 Oct. 20, 1825, and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 14 eight days later. Other early entries were by Augustus M. Dutton, on section 11, Sept. 15, 1827; Edward H. Spencer, section 9, May 25, 1827; Simeon M. Perry, section 14, Sept. 25, 1827; Caleb Embury, sections 12 and 23, June 2, 1829; Caleb S. Thompson, section 23, June 2, 1829; George E. Perry, section 13, June 3, 1829; same, on section 12, Sept. 25, 1829; Jonathan Dayton and Ezekiel R. Ewing, on section 9, June 2, 1829; Charles Butler, the northeast quarter of section 35, Oct. 12, 1830. The following list, arranged by sections, embraces the names of those who purchased in this township from the government: Section 1, 1836:* Jacob Snapp, Rowland B. Perry, Norman Burgess, Warren Annable, Sylvester Day, Samuel Day, Francis G. Macy, Alvah Bishop, William Fairhurst. Section 2, 1835: Samuel Colby, Xury Williams, Elihu Remington, William W. Paul, William Roberts, Rowland B. Perry, David Lyon, Samuel Thompson, Francis G. Macy. Section 3, 1832: Alfred Brainard, Alvah Brainard, John Remington, Peter Van Tifflin, Uriah Short, William Allen, Elihu Remington. Section 4, 1828: John Tupper, Jonathan Kearsley, Jonathan Davison, Alfred Brainard, Oliver Short, Justus Smith. Section 5, 1832: Edward Brooks, Alonzo Ferris, Justus Smith, Chauncey Chapin, Tobias Stoutenburgh, Nicholas Bowns, Benajah Tupper, Nathaniel Ladd. Section 6, 1835: Joseph M. Irish, Grant Watkins, Tracy W. Burbank, Zenas Goulding, James A. Kline, John A. Kline, William Blades. Section 7, 1835: James H. Williams, Thomas Beals, Nathan Watkins, Arthur L. Ellsworth, Horace W. Bronson, Chauncey Bronson, John W. Moore, Erastus Webber. Section 8, 1833: Daniel R. Williams, Philander Williams, Abial L. Shaw, William Blades, John Richards, Asa Bishop, Charles D. W. Gibson, Elisha S. Frost, Thomas Sheldon, Ira Davenport. Section 9, 1824: William Thompson, Edward H. Spencer, Jonathan Dayton, Ezekiel R. Ewing, Polly Dayton, George Dibble. Section 10, 1824: Williamn Thompson, Jeremiah Ketchum, Ellis Miner, Joseph McFarlen, Jr., Amasa Short, John Richards, John Remington. Section 11, 1825: Edmond and Rowland B. Perry, Augustus M. Dutton, John P. Fritz, Xury Williams, Gilbert Phelps, Thomas Barger, Simeon M. Perry. * The figures denote the year of the first purchase upon each section. 237: i 7 238 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - --- Section 12, 1829: Caleb Embury, George E. Perry, Pearson Farrar, John I. Carr, George E. Perry, Sylvester Day, Joseph Charters. Section 13, 1829: George E. Perry, Nehemiah T. Burpee, Thomas Cartwright, William Fairhurst, Samuei C. Robinson, William Collins, Silas Titus. Section 14, 1825: Edmond and Rowland B. Perry, Simeon M. Perry, Benjamin Perry, Cyrus Baldwin, Edmond Perry, Jr., Ira Davenport. Section 15, 1824: Charles Little, Samuel B. Perkins, Eurotas P. Hastings, Henry Howard, George E. Perry, Jeremiah W. Riggs. Section 16: School-lands. Section 17, 1833: Philander Williams, Sephrona Straw, Daniel Williams, Asa Bishop, Nathan P. Wells, Frederick F. Riggs, Gilbert Phelps; Amos Hallock, Augustus W. Hovey. Section 18,1835: Othniel Williams, Asa Bishop, Horace W. Bronson, Chauncey Bronson, Ira Justin, John W. Moore, James M. Wilcox. Section 19, 1836: Gilbert Phelps, Alllira Phelps, James W. Wilcox, James I. Opp, Ely T. Marsh, Alfred Putnam, Prentice Yeomans. Section 20, 1835: John Tupper, Silas Smith, James M. Wilcox, Gurdon G. Cook, Ira Davenport, Seth Beckwith, James Adams. Section 21, 1834: John H. Waterous, Jeremiah R. Smith, Lucy Roberts, William Roberts, Gershom Lewis, Ira Davenport, Seth Beckwith, Russell Bates. Section 22, 1829: Jeremiah W. Riggs, Silas Smith, Moses H. Lyon, Phineas Thompson, Elbridge N. Johnson, Washington Thompson, Jeremiah R. Smith, Silas Smith, Edward Parsons. Section 23, 1829: Caleb Embury, Caleb S. Thompson, Washington Thompson, Hiram Stevens, Robt. McCartney, David Forsyth. Section 24, 1834: Caleb S. Thompson, John M. Winegar, Caleb Embury, Russell Forsyth, William Collins. Section 25, 1834: Nicholas West, Leonard Carlton, Jean Pier Dat, Alanson P. Hurd, Wilson McCarty, Phineas Thompson, Samuel Thompson. Section 26, 1831: Robert McCarty, Sarah Miller, Ira Dayton, Reuben T. on, t on, ns Owen, Moses P. Butler, Charles C. Hascall, Samuel Thompson. Section 27, 1832: John M. Coe, Levi Parsons, Moses P. Butler, Peter De Graff, Joseph P. Worden, Stephen Grant. Section 28,1832: David M. Lawrence, Charles Little, Edward Parsons, Gurdon Waterous, Robert Pollock, IIiram Brown. Section 29, 1835: Alpheus Chapman, Nelson H. Emmons, Abial L. Shaw, Barrage Rice, Levi Parsons, Joel Rice, Ira Davenport, Hiram Brown. Section 30, 1835: Daniel R. Williams, David La Rue, Levi Parsons, Ira Davenport, Eliza Ripson, Ely T. Marsh. Section 31, 1835: James Van Valkenburgh, Henry Straight, Caleb Embury, David La Rue, David Handy. Section 32, 1831: Paul G. Davison, William Eames, Alvah Kennedy, Caleb EnIbury, Henry Brusie, Samuel Thompson. ' * -; X '-.. Section 33, 1832: Benjamin Chase, John H. Waterous, Nathaniel Wood, Lewis Kennedy, Gurdon Waterous, Ira Davenport. Section 34,1835: Peter De Graff, David Butts, Charles Butler, Samuel Thompson, Ira Davenport, Jacob Parsons. Section 35, 1830: Charles Butler, Ezekiel R. Ewing, John Butler, Marston W. Richards, Mary Booge, Samuel Thompson. Section 36, 1830: Charles and John Butler, John M. Coe, Anson Dayton, Caleb Embury, Charles C. Hascall, Samuel Thompson. FIRST SETTLEMENTS. Jacob Stevens and family, the first white family to reside in Grand Blanc township, and in all the territory now known as Genesee County, came from the State of New York, and arrived at Detroit during the month of August, 1822. The family consisted of Mr. Stevens and wife, sons Rufus W. and Sherman, and daughters Eunice, Martha, Charlotte, Elizabeth, and another daughter, the youngest, then some six years of age, whose name is now unknown. They first settled in Oakland County, on the old Saginaw trail, about twenty-five miles northwest of Detroit. Here they remained until the following spring, built a log house, dug a well, and made other improvements; but, finding that the title to the land they were upon was defective, they sold out their improvements to Oliver 'Williams, the future father-in-law of Rufus W., and removed to Grand Blanc in the spring of 1823. Mr. C. P. Avery, in his history of the Saginaw Valley, speaks of Jacob Stevens as follows: " He was a true type of the gentlemen of the old school, to whose moral and physical courage as a pioneer was united a rare intelligence marked by a literary taste, showing itself conspicuously even in the few scattered remnants of his correspondence which have come down to this day." The following interesting letter, written by Mr. Stevens while his was the only white fmilily in the present towin of Grand Blanc, will prove of great interest to many readers, as it preserves to present generations facts of history which otherwise would have been lost: "GRANBLAW, July, A.D. 1825. " HONORED PARENTS,-The period since I wrote you I acknowledge is a long one; and I have not sufficient reasons to offer to justify so shameful a neglect. Various, indeed, have been the changes and vicissitudes of my life since that time. An attempt to describe them in a single letter would be unavailing. No family, perhaps, the size of mine can have enjoyed better health, say for twenty years past. Our doctors' bills have scarcely exceeded that number of dollars. "I sold my farm in Lima, soon after the close of the war, for $4000. I was some in debt, and my intention was to have waited a few years to see what the turn of the times might be, and then purchase somewhere quite within the bounds of my capital; but fate or fortune determined otherwise. The family soon became uneasy at having no permanent home of their own. Indeed, I disliked a state so inactive to myself, and determined to purchase, and did, to nearly the amount of my money. It was well laid out, but at a bad time. "I was sensible a depreciation on property must take place, but put it off till by and by, and some way or other was blind to its approach. The farm admitted of great improvements being made, and a good house among the rest would be very convenient; and, accordingly, the best means we had were taktn to procure materials, viz.: stone, brick, lumber, etc. About this time the amazing fall in the value of real estate, as well as of all other property, and the many complaihts CHARLES DE WITT GIBSON. MRHS. ARTEMIS8IA GIBSON. CHARLES DE WITT GIBSON. Charles De Witt Gibson was one of the earliest of the pioneer business men of Genesee County. His long, active career and intimate connection with the development and improvement of the county from the time it was almost an unbroken wilderness, peopled almost exclusively by Indians and wild animals, with here and there at long distances apart an embryo settlement of a few hardy and adventurous pioneers, make it proper and fitting that he should occupy a conspicuous place in the annals of a county in which for forty-two years he had borne so distinguished a part. The ancestors of Mr. Gibson were of Welsh and Irish origin, and settled in the United States at an early date. John Gibson, the father of our subject, was a native of Montgomery Co., N. Y., where, in early life, he was married to Catharine Wasson, of the same county. They reared a family of nine children,-five sons and four daughters, -of whom Charles De Witt was the second son. He was born at Palatine, Montgomery Co., on the 4th day of January, 1800. His boyhood was spent in assisting his father in the labors of farm life, and in obtaining a limited common-school education. He also learned the trade of cabinet-making. After reaching his majority he started out for himself, went to Western New York, and settled at Avon, Livingston Co., where he engaged in cabinet making. Here he became acquainted with Miss Artemisia Frost, daughter of Elisha and Artemisia Frost, old residents of Lima, in the same county. This acquaintance ripened into courtship and marriage, and they were united on the 11th day of August, 1831. Soon after his marriage Mr. Gibson began to look with longing eyes to the new and unsettled territories lying west of Lake Erie, which at that time presented a fine field for the activity and enterprise of the daring adventurer. Accordingly, in 1833, he left home with the purpose of securing a location somewhere in the Territory of Michigan. He finally decided on settling in the interior. He purchased at second-hand one hundred and sixty acres on which there was a small improvement, and soon after two hundred and forty acres more of the government, in the present township of Grand Blanc, Genesee Co. He then returned to New York and purchased a stock of goods, which he shipped to the Territory, and then with his wife and child, his widowed mother, and a sister, came on to the new home in the wilderness. They were also accompanied by Chauncey S. Marvin, now deceased, who was for many years an inmate of Mr. Gibson's family. After his arrival Mr. Gibson opened a store and sold goods to the few early settlers, and traded with the Indians, who at that time were very numerous. Besides selling goods and clearing off and improving his lands, he in a few years became extensively engaged in other enterprises, such as building and running saw-mills, asheries, etc. He was also for many years engaged in the purchase and sale of lands in various parts of the State, both for himself and as the agent of others, and throughout his long and active life was uniformly successful in his business undertakings. His keen insight into the motives that govern human nature, sound, practical judgment, shrewdness, sagacity, and ripe experience in so many branches of business, united to unflinching integrity, honorable dealing, and unassuming manners, commanded the unlimited confidence and esteem of all; and he was known all his life as a man whose word was as good as his bond. Besides conducting and managing his many business interests, he at various times served his town and county as magistrate, supervisor, county treasurer, etc., and in all positions of trust and responsibility acquitted himself with satisfaction to his constituents. During his life he lost many thousand dollars by fire and otherwise, but at his death there still remained a handsome fortune for his widow and children. He was for many years a member of the order of Odd-Fellows, and in religious faith was a Protestant, with ultra-liberal views of the Unitarian and Universalist type. Mr. Gibson lived to the age of nearly seventy-seven years. His death occurred on the 3d day of May, 1876, his being the only death in the family since that of an infant daughter forty years before,-a remarkable fact in a family of eleven children. The memory of Mr. Gibson is fondly cherished in the hearts of his children and bereaved wife, and although the kind and indulgent father, the tender and affectionate husband is no longer here, the wise counsels, useful lessons, pure life and example of one of nature's noblemen is ever present with them. A far richer legacy is an honorable name and blameless life than silver and gold, or houses and lands. Mrs. Gibson, who is still a remarkably fine looking and intelligent lady, has nobly performed her full share of life's duties to her husband and children, and is held in great esteem by a large circle of warm and admiring friends and relatives. She resides at the old home, in the midst of kind friends and pleasant surroundings, in the peace and tranquillity of a long life well spent. Mrs. Gibson and her deceased husband were the parents of eleven children, named as follows: Thornton W., Jane W., Charles F., Chauncey W., Caroline A., Corodon De Witt, John E., Mary A., Sarah J., Frances A., and Stanford S. All of whom are now living except Jane W., who died in infancy, and all are married except Mary and Stanford, who reside with their mother at the old home. This page, containing the portraits of this venerated old pioneer couple, with a brief notice of their life-work, will be greeted with pleasure and pride by all their old friends and acquaintances, and with love and reverence by their children and descendants. 71 M'11 - T,, "'i 4 I GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. 239 I from other people, whom I thought forehanded, but in debt to me, was alarming. I told Rufus (who seemed the boy destined to live at home) my fears, and I thought we had better sell off our lumber, etc., and endeavor to back out. Naturally ambitious, this idea he could not brook. He preferred to drive the building, and risk the consequences. We finally did, and it is only necessary to observe that it flung us completely in the background in bad times. Since that we have had many shifts, and but few shirts. Too proud to be poor among my old friends, I determined to try a new country again. Michigan seemed the most proper, being about the same latitude, and easiest of access. We arrived in Detroit the latter part of August, 1822, with about $800 in cash and so'me other property. Misfortune, however, seemed unwilling to quit us at this point. Rufus had been in the country one year previous to this, and had contracted for a piece of land, second-handed, and had done considerable labor on the same. I did not altogether like the land, but concluded to make a stand and go to work. We built a good log house, dug a well, and made some other improvements, but before one year had passed we found we could get no title to the land. This place was about twentyfive miles northwest of Detroit [probably in the vicinity of Pontiac], and what to do in this case was a material question. Our expenses drew hard upon our little capital, and to spend more money and more time there was preposterous. Eventually, we agreed to try another venture. At this time there were troops stationed at Saginaw, a place about seventy-five miles northwest of Detroit, and on our route. A settlement had been commenced there, and the spirit of settlement seemed bent for the northwest. We sold our improvements to Mr. Oliver Williams, and took his notes for $35 a year, for five years, reserving the use of the house for one year. In March, 1823, Rufus and I started to explore to the northwest. We were much pleased with the country and prospects at this place. The road thus far had no obstacles to impede a team with a reasonable load for any country, and at this time was considerably traveled by officers, Indians, traders, and settlers at Saginaw. We believed that an establishment here might not only be beneficial for ourselves, but convenient for travelers and emigrants. " It is an old Indian settlement, situated about twenty miles from our first place, and about the same distance from the farthest white settlement northwest of Detroit. There are some French families seven miles northwest of us [Flint], and no more until we reach Saginaw. Rufus and I flung up a small log house, and on the 23d of May, 1823, Eunice, myself, two youngest children, Rufus and Sherman, with a good team, and as many goods as would make us comfortable, arrived here. We cleared, plowed, and sowed with wheat and oats about ten acres, completing the same June 10th. "Mrs. Stevens and the children then returned, and one of the girls kept house, and so through the season. At this time we felt morally certain of having neighbors the next spring; but here, sir, I must inform you that the government saw fit the winter following to evacuate the post at Saginaw, which Imeasure has, so far, completely paralyzed all settlements to the northwest, turning the tide of emigration, which has been very great, to the south and west. This was, indeed, very discouraging, but for us there was no fair retreat.". After speaking of his Indian neighbors, who were very friendly, he concludes as follows: "Several purchases have lately been made of premises adjoining us, and, we have little doubt, will be se;tled next spring; and preparations seem to be making once more for a settlement at Saginaw. * We have this year 170 shocks of wheat and about 9 acres of corn, the stoutest growth of corn I ever raised. If nothing befalls, I anticipate 50 bushels to the acre. We have two yoke of oxen, two horses, five cows, plenty of hogs, and a number of young cattle; and such is the country that they keep fat summer and winter. The winters are surprisingly mild. Last winter, in fact, was no winter at all. We did not spend three tons of hay with all our stock. A large portion of the country is openings, and the cattle get their living in old fog and basswood sprouts in the swales. The greatest country for wild feed and hay I ever saw. We can summer and winter any number of cattle if we had them. Blue point is the principal grass in the low meadows. On the higher parts is found considerable red-top and foul meadow grass. Jemimani -s has a family, and lives in the State of New Jenmima (Mrs. Samuel B. Perkins), Horatio, and Augustus were children of Jacob Stevens, who remained in the State of New York. York. Horatio and Augustus are merchants in that State. Horatio, I understand, is quite forehanded. Augustus is also doing well. Eunice and Charlotte are there at present on a visit. Patty keeps school this summer in the Territory. The rest of the family are in the woods.", The elder Stevens is described by those who saw him here in 1826 as a gentleman of fine proportions, about sixty years of age, who was then living in a comfortable log house which stood upon the site of Col. Sawyer's present residence. His son, Rufus W., had built a small log house upon the site of the present hotel, and was engaged in trade with the Indians,-trading whisky, tobacco, flints, cheap brooches, and such articles, for furs. The log trading-house of Rufus W. Stevens was replaced in 1828 by a more pretentious one, the walls of which were constructed of timbers hewn square and placed upright side by side. This building, inclosed by clapboards, now forms part of the present Grand Blanc Hotel. He then, besides following his vocation as an Indian trader, became the postmaster of Grumlaw, and opened the doors of his house to the public as a " place of entertainment." Many Indians were still located hereabouts. It is related by Mr. Brainard, in his pioneer sketches, that the Canadian government at this time gave every male Indian, young or old, a yearly bounty of fifty cents in silver, besides blankets, etc. On their return to Grumlaw they would spend it all with Stevens for whisky. To catch their half-dollars he sold them whisky for fifty cents per gallon. They would appoint one of their number to take charge of their guns, knives, and hatchets, whose duty it was to secrete the weapons and remain sober. A general drunk would be inaugurated, which lasted some two or three days, during which time they fought, shouted, and performed all manner of antics. Stevens would then begin to water the whisky he sold them, and by degrees they became sober. This was his way of getting rid of them. In 1829, Rufus W. Stevens purchased a portion of section 19, in Burton township, and a year later, of Daniel Le Roy, a tract which adjoined his, though situated on section 18 in the same township. This place afterwards became noted as the Thread Mill property. A saw-mill was cornmenced by Stevens in 1830, and soon after a gristmill was erected, which for years supplied all the people living between Pontiac and Saginaw. The Stevenses never purchased of the government any lands situated in Grand Blanc. The land upon which they first settled was entered by Samuel B. Perkins, Jacob Stevens' son-in-law. The elder Stevens, with the majority of his family, returned to New York about 1831, where was passed the remaining portion of his life. Rufus W. Stevens removed to Flint a few years later, and became identified with its interests. Sherman, the other son, was connected with the building of the first railroad between Detroit and Pontiac. In October, 1825, Edmund and Rowland B. Perry entered lands situated upon sections 11 and 14. Rowland was a nephew of Edmund Perry. During the following February, the same, accompanied by Simeon and Eliza, children of Edmund, left Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., and traveled through Canada with horse-teams to Detroit, thence by the Saginaw trail to Grand Blanc. They were 240 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. twenty-five days upon the road. Upon their arrival here they were received under the hospitable roof of Jacob Stevens, where they remained some four weeks, or until a house of their own could be erected. The Fourth of July, 1826, was celebrated by all the white inhabitants of Genesee County sitting down to a banquet spread under a cherrytree which stood in Jacob Stevens' yard. Those assembled were entirely of the Stevens and Perry families. In the fall of 1826 Edmund Perry returned to New York, and brought out with him the rest of his family, viz., his wife Mercy, and children Clarinda, Edmund, Jr., Seymour, Irene, Esther, and Manson. Edmund Perry, Sr., died Jan. 13, 1864, aged eighty-five years. He was a native of Rhode Island, and an educated Quaker. His great energy and force of character, united with his love for pioneer life, induced him to battle with the wilderness, clear a number of farms, then leave them to plunge again into the forests when neighbors became too plenty. He was a respected member of society, an excellent citizen, a kind friend, and believed in doing good without ostentation. His surviving sons were Simeon, Edmund, Seymour, and Manson. Isabella, a daughter of Simeon, was the first white child born in the county. Mary Perry, a daughter of Edmund, now the wife of Addison Armstrong, Esq., was born soon after. Edward H. Spencer, from Windsor, Vt., purchased lands situated upon section 9, May 25, 1827, and became the next settler, during the same spring. In the spring of 1828 William Roberts came into the settlement, also George E. Perry, from Connecticut, Judge Jeremiah Riggs, with his sons Augustus C., Frederick T., and others of a large family. They located where Phineas Thompson now resides, and purchased from the government a large tract of land. Augustus C. Riggs was the first constable and collector in the township, and for several years township clerk. It is related that at the time of his marriage. a general invitation was extended to the citizens of Grand Blanc and its vicinity to attend the " infair." At this gathering Sam Russell and his fiddle were particularly conspicuous, and during the festivities of the evening, while the merry party assembled were in the midst of a dance, the sleepers gave way, and the floor caved in, funnel-fashion, precipitating to the cellar beneath with their fair partners, Phineas and Caleb Thompson, Rowland B. and Simeon Perry, Jeremiah R. Smith, Jonathan Dayton, Joseph McFarlen, John Todd, and others. No bones were broken, but the party was, and the dance was terminated. Joseph McFarlen, who married Eveline, a daughter of Edmund Perry, Sr., in 1824, came from Rush, Monroe Co., N. Y., and settled in Grand Blanc during the month of May, 1828. He purchased a fine tract of land from the government, which he cleared, and where he resides at the present time. Mr. M. is eighty years of age; his wife seventy-seven. Jeremiah Ketchum came at about the same time. He boarded with Jacob Stevens, purchased land upon section I), and died soon after, his being the first death in the township. On the 9th day of June, 1829, Caleb S. Thompson, Jonathan Dayton, Caleb Embury, and Ezekiel R. Ewing c uie into the settlement. Ezekiel R. Ewing was from Windham, Vt. He purchased land situated upon section 9, then returned to the East, and did not become a permanent settler until two years later. Messrs. Embury, Thompson, and Dayton were from Livingston Co., N. Y. They also bought lands of the government, and settled the same year (1829). Mr. Thompson, who is still a resident of the township, was married to Clarinda Perry, daughter of Edmund Perry, Sr., in 1830. He relates that at the time of his arrival here there were about forty-five persons in Grand Blanc, all of whom, with one or two exceptions, were from Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y. Edward H. Spencer had a rough log house, and about one acre cleared and planted to corn, potatoes, etc. The Stevenses had some forty acres under cultivation, and there were some fifty or sixty acres in cultivation in the Perry settlement. Judge Riggs and his sons had also made a good beginning. Thirteen lots lying along the Saginaw road, and seven lots on Perry Street, had already been purchased, and ten more eighty-acre lots were entered during the remaining part of the year 1829. The Saginaw road was laid out and staked so that it was easy to find it, but no work had been done upon it. The traveled highway, which followed the Indian trail, went rambling around through the woods, avoiding hills and swamps, and was quite a comfortable wagon-road. The streams and low places had been bridged some time previous by the United States soldiers stationed in garrison at Saginaw. In the fall of 1829 Mr. Thompson returned to New York, and taught school the following winter. Feb. 22, 1830, he again began a journey to Michigan. He drove out an oxteam, and was twenty-five days on the road. His father, Washington Thompson, and brother Phineas, from Monroe Co, N. Y., became settlers in Grand Blanc the same year (1830). Judge Jeremiah R. Smith, long a prominent man in the township, Silas Smith, R. T. Winchell, Clark Dibble, Thomas Cartwright, the first hatter, George Dibble, Jonathan Davison, and Pearson Farrar all settled prior to the winter of 1830-31. In 1832 the settlement was still further increased by the arrival of John Tupper and sons,-Alden, Charles, Benjallin, Reuben, Newell, and Harrison, from Rush, Monroe Co., N. Y.; Uriah Short and sons, from Otsego Co., N. Y.; Alvah Bishop, Montgomery Co., N. Y.; Charles, John, and Moses P. Butler, from Genesee Co., N. Y.; Albert Miller, afterwards prominent as Judge Miller, of Bay City, Mich.; John P. Fritz, from Rush, Monroe Co., N. Y.; Amasa Short, a brother of Uriah, and soldier of 1812; Alfred and Alvah Brainard, from Monroe Co., N. Y. Mr. Alfred Brainard was prominent as one of the founders of the Baptist Church, and a respected citizen. Alvah Brainard, who died in April, 1879, claims to have erected the first frame dwelling-house in Grand Blanc without whisky, in March, 1833, and the first brick dwelling-house in Genesee County, July 4, 1850. During the last years of his life he prepared for publication a small pamphlet, entitled "' A Pioneer History of Grand Blanc," wherein several amusing incidents are told in an amusing manner. During the year 1833, Ellis Miner, Emmaus G. Owen, S. D. HALSEY. MRS. S. D. HALSEY. SILAS D. HALSEY. The family of Mr. Halsey dates back to an early period in the history of the settlement of the English colonies in this country. His father, Abraham Halsey, was born at Hanover, Morris Co., N. J., on the 19th day of February, 1764. He was married, in 1791, to Miss Nancy Beach. After his marriage he removed to Dutchess Co., N. Y., where he remained until his death, which occurred May 27, 1822, at fifty-eight years of age. He became eminent as a physician, and was a man of great influence and consideration. His wife died in 1805, at thirtyeight years of age. She was the mother of Wm. E., Susan D., Samuel B., Abraham A., Silas D., and Electa D. The doctor's second wife was Lucretia Green; they were married in 1806. By this marriage there were no children. She survived the death of her husband but a short time, dying the same year. Silas D. Halsey was born at Fishkill, Dutchess County, on the 22d day of November, 1801. His boyhood days were passed in the schools and on his father's farm until he came to manhood, when he left home and became a clerk for his brother-in-law, at the Rockaway Iron-Works, in New Jersey, where heremained until 1831. During this timehehad become acquainted with Miss Stella A. Ross, of Rockaway. They were united in marriage on the 12th day of September, 1826. In 1832 he became a manager in the iron-works of William Scott, of Powerville, N. J., where he remained one year. He then removed to Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., where he purchased a farm, upon which he settled, and from that time to the present farming has been his principal occupation. At Avon Mr. Halsey was bereaved in the death of his loved wife and companion. She died on the 10th day of September, 1834, at the age of twenty-nine years. She was the mother of four children, named David R, Wm. J., Mary A., and Samuel P. Mary and Samuel are still living, and reside in Brooklyn, N. Y., the latter being the pastor of a Presbyterian church in that city. The death of his wife was a sore loss and affliction to Mr. Halsey, as he was left desolate and alone, with the care of three young children. Both inclination and necessity combined to provide a second mother for his little ones, and a companion to fill the vacancy in his heart and home. He sought and obtained the hand of Miss R. C. Pierson, the daughter of David and Huldah Pierson, old citizens of Avon. They were united on the llth day of February, 1835. In 1837, Mr. Halsey, having made an exchange of his farm in Avon for two hundred acres of wild land in the town of Grand Blanc, Genesee Co., Mich., removed his family to their new home. On his arrival he erected a log house, dug a well, and moved on to his land. The first season he cleared off three acres, and from that time on he was busily engaged in clearing up and improving his new farm. At the first town-meeting after his arrival he was elected assessor, which office he filled successively for the next seven years; he was then elected supervisor, and afterwards treasurer, and then again supervisor; and nearly all his life Mr. Halsey has served the public in some position of responsibility, with honor to himself and satisfaction to the public. By his second marriage there are three children, named Amanda M., David P., and Sarah J. Amanda died at five years of age. David is married to Artemisia Watrous (daughter of John H. Watrous, an old settler of Grand Blanc). They reside at Flint, and he is the present county clerk; they have one child. Sarah is the wife of Charles J. Case, and they reside on their farm, adjoining that of Mr. Halsey, and they have two children. In politics Mr. Halsey is a staunch Republican. In religious faith a Presbyterian, of which church he has been an honored member for over fifty years. Mr. Halsey has always enjoyed the unlimited confidence and esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. A man of modest and unassuming manners, courteous and polite in social intercourse, charitable and tolerant to those with whom he differs in opinion, a kind and indulgent father, a tender and affectionate husband. He is honored by his friend loved and reverenced by his relatives. Mrs. Halsey has nobly redeemed her promise ma4d at the marriage-altar, forty-four years ago. She has been o her husband a helpmate indeed, and has borne her full share of the labors and privations of a pioneer life, and to-day she enjoys that best reward of the fond and affectionate mother, -her children settled in comfortable homes and occupying honorable positions in society and in the esteem of their fellow-citizens. She was born at Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., on the 11th day of November, 1811. She is still ai active housewife and incessant worker, a member of the a:i church with her husband, and they together are walkif hand in hand up the highway that leads to the Eternal Gty. Mr. Halsey and his estimable wife, by industry and god management, have accumulated a comfortable competence for their declining years, and are to-day living in the peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of a well-employed life. Mr. Halsey, who is at this time seventy-eight years of age, still acts as notary-public, and transacts business for his neighbors with all the ability of his younger days. This page, containing their portraits, and this brief notice of their life-work, is by them dedicated to the patrons of this work, and to their children and descendants, with their benediction. dr WI —_i "II ~"pi -: GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. 241 and Josiah Owen, from Genesee Co., N. Y.; Gilbert Phelps, John and Elihu Remington, Peter Van Tifflin, Xury Williams, a soldier of 1812; Philander Williams, Daniel R. Williams, Othniel Williams, James H. Williams, all from Monroe Co., N. Y.; Dr. Cyrus Baldwin, the first resident physician, who was from Lysander, Onondaga Co., N. Y.; and Charles D. W. Gibson, a prominent and most worthy pioneer merchant, from Livingston Co., N. Y., settled in the township. The year 1834 witnessed the settlement of Elbridge N. Johnson, from Massachusetts; Lewis and Alvah Kennedy, from Onondaga Co., N. Y.; John H. Waterous, Abial L. Shaw, and Nobles, from Livingston Co., N. Y.; Charles Bates, Yates Co., N. Y.; Dr. John W. King, well known as one of the pioneer physicians of the county; Judge Samuel Rich, -- Burrage, and Joel Rice, from Steuben County, N.Y. Judge Rice was an early supervisor, and served his townsmen in that and various other official capacities for many years. He was also the first judge of probate in Genesee County. Mr. Nobles was the first wagon maker, and Mr. Shaw the first blacksmith. Together they made the first wagon ever manufactured in the county. The iron was procured from Detroit, and every screw was made by hand. This wagon was constructed in 1834. In 1835, Messrs. Stage and Wright established the first store, Mr. Orrin Safford clerk. Their stock consisted of a general assortment, including drugs and medicines, and was valued at $20,000. They continued here from October, 1835, to June, 1836, when the goods were removed to a building prepared for them in Flint River village. Edward Parsons came from Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., in May, 1835, purchased land from the government, and immediately began an improvement. He built a small log house, which was situated near his present dwelling, and for several months kept bachelor's hall. His lonely condition in life afforded much amusement to his Indian neighbors as they repeated the words, "white man got wigwam, no squaw." Their remarks must have had a marked effect upon him, however, for we find that in 1836 he chose as a life-partner Miss Baldwin, a daughter of Dr. Cyrus Baldwin, and together they still continue life's journey, the centre of a wide circle of friends and relatives. The exodus from the northwestern counties of the State of New York to the wilds of Michigan, during the years from 1836 to 1840, was unprecedented. Districts and towns in the old State were almost depopulated by the emigration of a class of hardy yeomanry who desired cheap lands and homes of their own. Grand Blanc and adjacent towns received a due share of these settlers, among whom were Sylvester and Samuel Day, from Genesee County; James Adams, Warren Annable, William Allen, Tracy W. Burbank, William Blades, Thomas Beals, Asa Bishop, Thomas Barger, Russell Bates, David W. Butts, Chauncey Chapin, John J. Carr, William Collins, John M. Coe, Alpheus Chapman, Gurdon G. Cook, Ira Dayton, Peter De Graff, Anson Dayton, A. L. Ellsworth, William Eames, Alonzo Ferris, Russell Forsyth, Zenas Goulding, Amos Hallock, Adam C., John A., and James A. Kline, brothers; David Lyon, Nathaniel Ladd, Gershom Lewis, 31... Z v David M. Lawrence, Robert Pollock, Levi Parsons, Jacob Parsons, Marston W. Richards, John Richards, Thomas Sheldon, Nathan Watkins, Grant Watkins, James M. Wilcox, Nicholas West, Joseph P. Worden, Nathaniel Wood, Gurdon Waterous, Walter Walker, from Monroe County; Henry Hoffman, Genesee County; John Burrington, England; Silas D. Halsey, Livingston County; George Rinehart, Ontario; David McNiel, Vermont; and Col. Edward Sawyer, from Canandaigua, N. Y. Mr. Sawyer, now about ninety-two years of age, resides upon the farm opened by Jacob Stevens in 1823. Asa W. Darling, from Ontario Co., N. Y., settled in the township in 1845; also at about the same time Addison Armstrong, Esq., the present postmaster, and senior member of the mercantile firm of Armstrong & Son, Grand Blanc; James Greattrack, from Livingston Co., N. Y., located in the southwestern part of the town in 1847. The following alphabetical list embraces the names of all the resident tax-payers in the township in 1844: Adams, James. Goff, Charles W. Allen, William E. Goff, James M. Allen, David B. Gillman, Dudley. Allen, Adin L. Golden, Zenas. Annable, John R. Gamball, Joseph. Abbott, Joshua K. Abbott, C. H. Brainard, Eli. Boss, John S. Burrington, John. Bates, Charles. Brainard, Alvah. Brainard, Gurdon S. Brainard, Alfred. Brown, Chauncey. Bardwell, Joel. Bigelow, Hiram. Blades, William. Bishop, Julian. Bishop, Asa. Butts, David W. Butler, Moses P. Butler, Charles. Burbank, Tracy W. Chapel, Samuel B. Chapel, William. Chapman, Alpheus. Collins, William. Cartwright, Nathan. Chapin, Chauncey. Curtis, Samuel. Cartwright, Thomas. Chapin, Barton B. Cook, Gurdon G. Dayton, Jonathan. Dayton, Ira. Dayton, Anson. Dickinson, Luther. Day, Samuel. Day, Sylvester. Embury, Caleb. Eames, William. Eckley,. William. Ferris, Alonzo. Fritz, John P. Farrar, Pearsons. Forsyth, Russell. Forsyth, Orlando. Fritz, Alfred T. Ferguson, Charles. Goff, Sylvester D. Gibson, Charles D. W. I-empstead, Richard B. Hamilton, Thomas J. Hewett, Cyrus. Hallock, Amos. Hallock, harmon C. Hallock, Alfred. Hempstead, James. Halsey, Silas D. Hall, James. Harger, Stephen. Hemnpstead, Peter. Jennings, Elisha O. Johnson, Elbridge N. Kennedy, Iorace. Kennedy, Lewis. Kennedy, Alvah. Kempfield, Nehemiah. King, James. Kline, Adam C. King, William. King, John W. Kane, Francis. Lewis, Gershom. Ladd, Nathaniel. Lowden, Thomas. Lyon, David. Long, Peter. Lyon, William II. C. Miner, Philo. McFarlen, Joseph. Main, Henry. Main, Henry V. McNeil, David. Owen, Emmaus. O'Donahue, James. Parsons, Edward. Pollock, Major R. Pettis, Charles. Perry, George E. Perry, Rowland B. Perry, Edmund. Perry, Edmund, Jr. Perry, Simeon M. Perry, Seymour. Pierson, Charles C. 242 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.! Phelps, Gilbert. Thompson, Caleb S. Richards, Maston W. Tyler, Lewis S. Remington, Elihu. Turner, William. Remington, Levi. Tupper, Newell. Roberts, William. Tupper, Benajah. Rice, Samuel. Van Valkenburgh, James. Remington, John. Van Tifflin, Peter. Russell, Nicholas. Woodworth, Amos. Reed, John. Williams, Xury. Shaw, Abial L. Wakefield, Daniel B. Southworth, Edward. Wood, John. Sheldon, Thomas. Williams, Othniel, Schram, Isaac. Walker, Walter. Stephens, John. Waterous, John H. Swift, Seth. West, Nicholas. Smith, Silas. Worden, Joseph P. Smith, Jeremiah R. Williams, Philander. Sawyer, Edward. Watkins, Grant. Smith, Zar. Williams, Daniel. Seaver, Aaron. Watkins, Nathan. Townsend, Abial. Watkins, Henry. Thompson, Phineas. Alexander W. Davis was born in Westerlo, Albany Co., N. Y., Oct. 30, 1824. His father, Ebenezer Davis, removed to Lewiston, Niagara Co., N. Y., in 1826, and was one of the jurors during the trial before Judge Marcy of the Morgan abductors. In May, 1836, the family began a journey to Michigan via Canada to Detroit, thence by the Saginaw road to the region now known as Tuscola County, then Sanilac County. The place of their settlement was in the present township of Tuscola. They brought with them from New York a team of horses and two cows, which were the first owned in Tuscola County, and they were the second family to settle there, Mr. R. L. Hurd's being the first. In 1844, Alexander W. Davis, the fifth child and fourth son of a family of fourteen children, came to Grand Blanc and commenced work for Jeremiah R. Smith, remaining with him for several years. In April, 1847, he enlisted in Company A, 15th Regiment United States Infantry, and accompanied the regiment to Mexico, serving for a period of eighteen months, or until the close of the war. This regiment was commanded by Col. George W. Morgan, and assigned to Gen. Pillow's division. In the battle of Churubusco Davis was severely wounded. After the close of the war Mr. Davis returned to Grand Blanc, married the daughter of Joseph McFarlen, bought a farm, and, with the exception of two journeys to the Pacific coast in 1853 and 1873, has continued his residence here to the present time. He represented the First District of Genesee County in the State Legislature during the session of 1861-62, and has served as a justice of the peace for a long term of years. " This act shall be in force on and after the first Monday of April next." The above-described territory included the present townships of Fenton, Mundy, Flint, Mount Morris, Grand Blanc, Burton, Genesee, Atlas, and Davison. Its name is French, signifying Great White, and was pronounced by the early French as though spelled Gron Blong, and by many of the earlier settlers and Indians as Granblaw or Grumlaw. Its derivation is unknown to present residents, as the locality now known as Grand Blanc village obtained the name of Grand Blanc long prior to the settlement of Jacob Stevens in March, 1823, or of any other Englishspeaking people. FIRST TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.* The first township-meeting for the election of officers was held at the house of Rufus W. Stevens, April 1, 1833. Jeremiah Riggs, Lyman Stow, and Jeremiah R. Smith were chosen as Inspectors of Election, Mr. Riggs served as Chairman, and Mr. Stow as Clerk of the Board. The officers elected were as follows: "Norman Davison, Supervisor; Jeremiah R. Smith, Township Clerk; Rufus W. Stevens, Lyman Stow, Charles Butler, Assessors; Norman Davison, Lymanra Stow, Jeremiah R. Smith, Justices of the Peace; Augustus C. Riggs, Constable and Collector; John Todd, Edmond Perry, Jonathan Dayton, Highway Commissioners; Elijah N. Davenport, Constable; Loren P. Riggs, Clark Dibble, James W. Cronk, Trustees of School Lands; Jeremiah Riggs, Jeremiah R. Smith, Norman Davison, Commissioners of Schools; David Mather, Paul G. Davison, Caleb S. Thompson, School Inspectors; Edmund Perry, Director of the Poor. Overseers of Highwvays.-District 1, George Oliver; District 2, Jonathan Davison; District 3, Norman Davison; District 4, Ira Dayton. " Voted, not to allow stud-horses to run at large. Voted, to adopt the school act of the Territory. Voted, that this meeting be adjourned to the barn of Rufus W. Stevens, until the first Monday of April next. (Signed) " LYMAN STOW, Townl Clerk. "Dated at Grand Blanc, April 1, 1833." At a meeting of the township board, composed of Messrs. Rufus W. Stevens, Supervisor, Norman Davison and Lyman Stow, Justices of the Peace, and Caleb S. Thompson, Town Clerk, held Sept. 30, 1834, the following accounts were presented, examined, and allowed, viz.: Lyman Stow...................................... $7.50 A. Park.......................................... 28.25 Jeremiah Riggs......................................... 6.50 Alfred Brainard...................................... 5.00 C. S. Thompson........................................... 9.75 E. N. Davenport.......................................... 14.50 James W. Cronk........................................ 8.25 Norman Davison.......................................... 2.00 Rufus W. Stevens.....................1......... 1.00 Total................................................... $82.75 CIVIL HISTORY. By an act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, approved March 9, 1833, the township of Grand Blanc was formed as follows: "All that district of country comprised in townships 5, 6, 7, and 8 north, in range 6 east, and townships 6, 7, and 8 north, in range 7 east, and townships 6 and 7 north, in range 8 east, shall form a township by the name of Grand Blanc; and the first township-meeting shall be held at the house of Rufus W. Stevens. * The proceedings of township-meetings, lists of officers elected, and various other records, from 1833 to 1848 inclusive, and from 1870 to 1878 inclusive, have been lost through the carelessness of those who in previous years have had the records in charge. It seems as though inefficient township clerks had conspired to leave a grand blank to the searcher for historical data. The compiler has endeavored, as far as possible, by referring to county records and various other sources, to fill up the missing links in the civil list. The report of the first township-meeting was obtained from the files of the Wolverine Citizen, and is from an article contributed by Hon. J. R. Smith in 1858. l Y t RESIDENCE OF DAVID MC. NEIL, GRAND BLANC,MICHIGAN. I v GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. 243 - -- ----------- - - -- -- -— I On the 30th of March, 1835, the same board of auditors held a meeting, and examined and allowed the following statement of accounts: Norman Davison................................. $2.50 Edmund Perry......................... 11.00 E. N. Davenport......................................... 9.75 Jeremiah R. Smith..................................... 7.75 F. F. Riggs......................................... 1.50 James J. McCormick............................. 7.50 Lym an Stow........................................ 1.00 Jeremiah Riggs......................................... 4.00 J. W. Cronk........................................ 9.75 William Roberts..................................... 2.63 Caleb S. Thompson................................. 2.50 Rufus W. Stevens....................................... 1.00 Ogden Clark.......................................... 4.00 James W. Cronk, Clark Dibble, and Loren P. Riggs, trustees of school lands................... 13.00 64.88 Audit of Sept. 30, 1831, brought forward........ 82.75 $147.63 We thus find that the total amount of expenditures for township purposes for the year ending March 30, 1835, in the territory embraced by the nine townships previously mentioned, was $147.63. Jeremiah R. Smith's fees for services as township clerk for the year ending April 1, 1834, amounted to $11. The itemized account of Norman Davison, supervisor and school commissioner, for the year ending April 1, 1834, reads as follows: Town of Grand Blanc, To Norman Davison, Dr. To holding election, 1 day................................$1.00 " returning votes from said town to county clerk's office, 4 days........................................... 4.00 " services as school commissioner, I day.......... 50 " " " axeman on road, A day.................. 50 " " with town board, 1 day..................... 1.00 $7.00 The first board of highway commissioners met April 1, 1834, and submitted the following report: "Amount of days assessed, 224~, which was returned satisfied by the overseers of highways of the several districts. Commute-money not expended, $2.18. We have an opinion that there is no use for raising money for the repair of bridges or roads in said town. "JOHN TODD, " EDMUND PERRY, "JONATHAN DAYTON, "Dated April 1, 1834. Commissioners of Highways." EAR-MARKS. At an early day, when the flocks and herds of the pioneers roamed at will, and mingled together, it became necessary for the owners to have some marks upon them by which to distinguish their own from their neighbors'. Hence arose the custom of marking the ears of cattle, sheep, and swine, and of recording each one's special mark in the office of the township clerk. The following list, besides showing the names of many early settlers, also describes their individual mark: Norman Davison, square crop off the left ear. Paul G. Davison, square crop off the right ear. O. P. Davison, square crop off the right ear, and slit in the same. James W. Cronk, swallow fork in the left ear. E. N. Davenport, swallow fork in the right ear. Jeremiah R. Smith, square crop off the left ear, and slit in the same. Joseph McFarlen, slit in the left ear. John Butler, slit in the under side of the left ear. E. R. Ewing, slit in the under side of the right ear. Jonathan Davison, slit in both ears. Rufus W. Stevens, square crop and half crop off the left ear. Ira Dayton, a ha'penny on the under side of the right ear. Caleb S. Thompson, notch in the under side of the right ear. Augustus C. Riggs, half crop, the upper side off the left ear. Nathaniel Ladd, crop from the back side of the right ear. Silas Smith, slit in the right ear, and ha'penny in the back side of the left ear. John Tupper, half crop off the back side of the left ear. J. P. Fritz, square crop off the left ear, and hole in the same. Alonzo Ferris, notch in the under side of the left ear. Newell Tupper, crop off the left ear, and swallow fork in the right. Benjamin Pearsons, square crop off the right ear, and slit in the left. Edmund Perry, half crop off the under side of the left ear. William Roberts, square crop off the left ear and slit in the right. Cyrus Baldwin, square crop off the left ear and slit in the under side of the same. Simeon M. Perry, half crop off the right ear and slit in the left. Emmaus Owen, slope crop off the upper side of the left ear. Luman Beach, hole in the right ear. Jonathan Dayton, crop off the left ear and ha'penny in the forepart of the right. Ebenezer Bishop, half crop from the forepart of the right ear. Benjamin Kimball, slope crop off the left ear. Frederick F. Riggs, notch in the under side of the left ear and slit in the same. Chauncey Chapin, slope crop off the upper side of right ear. Moses P. Butler, swallow fork in left ear and hole in the same. C. D. W. Gibson, a slit in the right ear. Charles Bates, square crop off the left ear. Xury Williams, square crop off the right ear. Samuel Rice, swallow fork in both ears. Benajah Tupper, slit in the under side of right ear. Col. Sawyer, half crop in the under side of the right ear and swallow fork in the left. J. W. King, square crop off the left ear and a slit on the under side of the same. Nelson H. Emmons, slit in the left ear. James Van Valkenburg, notch on the under side of the left ear and slit in the same. Alfred Brainard, crop off the left ear and half crop off the under side of same. Amos Hallock, crop off the under side of right ear. 104 Hl STORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I I _ _ George E. Perry, crop off the right ear and notch on Super under side of the same. 136. Samuel Ri 1837. " Edward Parsons, notch on upper side of left ear, near 1838. the end. 1839. " Charles Ferguson, a hole through each ear. 1840. 1841. Adin L. Allen, square crop off the right ear and slit in 1842. 1842. C. D. W. same.. " 1843. Philander Williams, crop off the right ear and a notch in 1844. William 1 the upper side of left. 1845. Jeremiah 1846. " Alpheus Chapman, notch on the under side of right ear 1847. silas D. H and slit in the left. 1848. Jeremiah Philo Fairchild, half crop under right ear and notch 1849. " under the left. 1850. Julian Bis 1851. Jeremiah Parson Farrar, square crop off the right ear and two 1852 Jeremian P o F r 1852. Julian Bis ha'pennies in the left, one above, one below. 1853. John Rem William Eames, slit in the right ear. 1854. Julian Bis J. K. Abbott, square crop off both ears. 1855. Charles C. Pierson, square crop off right, slit in the left. 1856. Jeremiah 1857. Julian Bis David McNiel, notch from the under side of left ear. 1858 Dennis W, Garrett Freland, square crop off the right ear and two 1859. " half crops from under side of left. 1860. John Rem 1861. " C. L. Knowlton, square crop off right ear and hole in the 186 1862. Silas D. 1H left. left. 1863. " Jeremiah Slack, square crop off right ear and hole in 1864. Alfred Hal same. 1865. " Othniel Williams, square crop off right ear, notch in the 18 1867. " under side of same, and a slit in the upper side of the same 1868. ear. 1869. " John W. King, square crop off the right ear. 1870. T. Porter ] Lewis Kennedy, square crop off the left ear. 1871. John SlacE 1872. Michael Fe James Greattrack, half crop in upper side of the left ear. 1873. Stephen C. Douglas, notch or ha'penny in the under side 1874. " of the left ear and slit in the same. 1875. Edwin Ha Orson Seaver, a hole in the right ear. 1876. 1877. Jonathan ( Dudley S. Reed, square crop off the left ear and a slit 1878. in the under side of the same. 1879. Oscar C. B. Elisha Taylor, a hole in the left ear. Hannah Hallock, slope crop off the right ear, notch on under side of the left.Jeremiah R. Smi Gurdon Wat The following is the manner of entering notices in the Smith 1853 Smith, 1853 "Estray-Book:" John Slack, "Came into the inclosure of the subscriber, about the 1858; Alfrec 1st of November, 1838, one horse brown, with one white R. Stith, 18i lock, Chaunc hind-foot and white spot in fore hedd, and white streak. Davis, 1 oblike across the nose." 1867; John n "Come into the inclosure of Abial L. Shaw, on the eve for the years of Saturday, Nov. 25, 1843, two oxen, of good size sup- Slack, Denni Alexander W5 posed to be about ten years old, one of them entirely red, Jn etbJohn Slack, 1 with large long horns, the other red, with the exception of a small white spot under the belly, and a part of the tail is white with the horns sawed off."Gurdon G. Cook Cook, Alvah TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.Cook Alvah ard, James List of the principal officers from 1833 to 1879, inclusive, Williams, Ir: except for those years which cannot be filled by reason of A. L. Ellswoi the loss of town records, through the carelessness and Ellsworth, 18 of tows i liams, 1848; neglect of township clerks:as, 1 Joseph McFa Supervisors. Township Clerks. Treasurers. 1853; Alfred 1833. Norman Davison. Jeremiah R. Smith. No record. ington, 1856; 1834. Rufus W. Stevens. Caleb S. Thompson. " sejl Forsyth, 1835. Samuel Rice. Augustus C. Riggs. " Russell Forsy rvisors. Township Clerks. Treasurers. ice. Augustus C. Riggs. No record. " Caleb S. Th(mpson. " " i t Jeremiah R. Smith. s " {" " Alfred Brainard. Gibson. Joshua K. Abbott. " " cf s,~ t. iL hlades. " " Jeremiah R. Smith. R. Smith. Caleb S. Thompson. " " " Joshua K. Abbott. Silas D. Halsey. lalsey. " " No record. R. Smith. " " " " " Asahel King. shop. Othniel Williams. Nicholas West. R. Smith. " " Thomas Cartwright. shop. " " Silas D. Halsey. ington., " " " " shop. Simeon M. Tyler. Alexander W. Davis. " " " Addison Armstrong. R. Smith. Cicero J. K. Stoner. " " shop. Charles L. Smith. Morgan L. Curtis. olverton. " " Benajah Tupper. ington. " " Zerah Curtis. ". " " ci [alsey. Morgan L. Curtis. Thomas Cartwright. " Charles D. Long. Elisha 0. Jennings. hlock. Morgan L. Curtis. " " " " " Alfred B. Miner, " " " David P. Halsey. " James Parsons. " " John W. Snell. * McWain. No record. No record. erguson. " " Daniel E. Salisbury. Addison Armstrong. rvey. Charles J. Case. " " G. R. Parker. " " Crapser. And. J. Hempstead. " " Arthur C. McCall. " " eals. " " Arth'r B. Armstrong. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. th, Thomas Lowden, 1849; John Remington, 1850; terous, 1851; Charles Butler, 1852; Jeremiah R.; James M. Goff, 1854; Philander Williams, 1855; 1856; Jeremiah R. Smith, 1857; James M. Goff, I Hallock, 1859; David P. Halsey, 1860; Jeremiah 61; Gibson B. Shaw, John Slack, 1862; Alfred Ial. cey S. Marvin, 1863; John Slack, 1864; Alexander 865; Chauneey S. Marvin, 1866; Alfred Hallock, Slack, 1868; Alexander W. Davis, 1869. No record from 1870 to 1873, inclusive. Hugh McCall, John is Wolverton, 1874, 1875; David J. Morse, 1876; V. Davis, Joseph P. Cook, 1877; Joseph P. Cook, 1878. HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS.,John Remington, John Butler, 1841; Gurdon G. Brainard, Jeremiah R. Smith, 1842; Gurdon G. Brainard, 1843; Caleb S. Thompson, Alvah BrainVan Valkenburg, 1844; Caleb S. Thompson, Xury a Dayton, 1845; Othniel Williams, James M. Goff, rth, 1846; Othniel Williams, James M. Goff, A. L. 347; William Eames, James M. Goff, Othniel WilArthur L. Ellsworth, Othniel Williams, 1849; grlen, 1850; Alfred Hallock, 1851; Xury Williams, I Hallock, 1854; Isaac Schram, 1855; John RemAlfred Hallock, 1857; Isaac Schram, 1858; Rus1859; Alvah Brainard, 1860; Isaac Schram, 1861; th, 1862 Isaac Schram, 1864; Lucius King, 1865; If * * ;o 0 Cn Lo -o ea 0 70 0 w C9* 2G 0,,'. r,4 N GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. 245 Alvah Brainard, 1866; Isaac Schram, 1867; Benjamin Newman, 1868; Alvah Brainard, 1869. No records for the years from 1870 to 1873, inclusive. Joseph P. Cook, 1874; Alvah Brainard,.1875-1878. CONSTABLES. Asahel King, Lucius King, 1849; Dudley S. Reed, Nicholas West, 1850; Nicholas West, Dudley S. Reed, 1851; Alanson Burt, Asahel Goff, 1853; Asahel Goff, John Case, 1854; Asel Goff, Lester II. Williams, 1855; James A. Rice, Lucius King, 1856; Charles A. Baker, Morgan L. Curtis, 1857; Benajah Tupper, Theodore J. Wells, George Kline, Asel Goff, 1858; Lucius King, Willard J. Lamb, Edward A. Sawyer, Asahel Collins, 1859; William J. Lamb, Orville Owens, Asel Goff, Horace Embury, 1860; John J. Case, Asel Goff, 1861; Asel Goff, John J. Case, Thos. Sheldon, 1862; Benajah Tupper, Lucius King, Orville Owens, 1863; Benjamin Newman, Asel Goff, William IL. Butts, 1864; Alfred Bushaw, Benajah Tupper, Benjamin Newman, Robert Barnes, 1865; Benajah Tupper, Benjamin Newman, Robert Barnes, 1866; Benjamin Newman, Benajah Tupper, Henry Eckley, Joseph Wakeman, 1867; Wing C. Eames, Benajah Tupper, Benjamin Newman, Edward C. Waterous, 1868; Benajah Tupper, Harrison Williams, Benjamin Newman, Daniel D. Howell, 1869. No records for the years 1870, 1871,1872, 1873. William B. Evatt, Benajah Tupper, Benjamin Newman, Wing C. Eames, 1874; Benjamin Newman, Daniel D. Howell, Benajah Tupper, George Borden, 1875; Daniel D. Howell, Benjamin Newman, John Scott, Joseph Taylor, 1876; George W. Thompson, Arthur McCall, Benjamin Newman, Jos. A. Wakeman, 1.877; Arthur C. McCall, Benjamin Newman, John G. Cook, D. Freeman Kline, 1878. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. Joseph King, 1849; Edward Parsons, 1850; Julian Bishop, 1851; Joseph King, 1853; Edward Parsons, John Slack, 1854; Levi L. Way, 1855; Morgan L. Curtis, 1856; Edward Parsons, 1857; Henry C. Fairbank, 1858; Jacob L. Parsons, 1859; Henry C. Fairbank, 1860; Morgan L. Curtis, 1861; Marcus D. Curtis, Henry C. Fairbank, 1862; Jacob L. Parsons, 1863; Henry C. Fairbank, 1864; Charles J. Case, Jacob L. Parsons, 1865; Darius H. Stone, 1866; Charles J. Case, 1867; Morgan L. Curtis, 1868; George R. Parker, 1869. No records for the years 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873. Edward D. Parsons, 1874; Jesse P. Dewey, 1875; Wing C. Eames, 1876; George S. Porter, 1877; Charles J. Case, 1878. The officers elected in April, 1879, were Oscar C. Beals, Supervisor; Arthur C. McCall, Township Clerk; Arthur B. Armstrong, Treasurer; Darwin H. Forsyth, T. Porter McWain, Justices of the Peace; Charles Baker, Jr., School Superintendent; Charles J. Case, School Inspector; Isaac Schram, Highway Commissioner; George R. Shear, Drain Commissioner; Arthur C. McCall, George W. Thompson, G. F. Campbell, Freeman Kline, Constables. VILLAGES. The village of Grand Blanc, a station on the line of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway, is situated seven miles southeast of the city of Flint. It contains two churches (Congregationalist and Methodist Episcopal), two stores of general merchandise, one drug-store, one agricultural implement store, one small steam grist-mill, post-office, schoolhouse, several small mechanical shops, and about 250 inhabitants. Although it is the point where the Stevenses first settled in 1823, is situated on the old Saginaw road, and for many years was prominent in the history of Genesee County, its growth as a village dates only from the completion of the railroad in 1864. The post-office-Rufus W. Stevens, postmaster-was established in 1826. He opened his house to the public at about the same time. Previous to this, and for some years after, he sold goods to the Indians. The first regular store was opened by Robert F. Stage and Ira D. Wright in October, 1835. Thomas Irish and Daniel B. Wakefield were also early tavern-keepers here. The bond given by Irish, Jan. 5, 1835, is herewith appended: "You, Thomas Irish, do acknowledge to owe unto the United States of America the sum of fifty dollars; and you, John Todd and Phineas Thompson, do acknowledge to owe unto the United States of America the sum of twenty-five dollars each, to be levied of your several goods and chattels, lands and tenements, upon condition that whereas the above-bounden Thomas Irish is admitted to and allowed by this township-board to keep a tavern for the space of one year next ensuing, and no longer, in the house now occupied by the him, the said Irish, in the town of Grand Blank, and no other; now, therefore, if the said Thomas Irish, during the time aforesaid, shall keep and maintain good order and rule, and shall suffer no disorder nor unlawful games to be used in his house, or in any of the dependencies thereof, and shall not break any of the laws for the regulations of taverns, then this recognizance shall be void; otherwise, to remain in full force and effect. This you do severally acknowledge. "THOMAS IRISH. "JOHN TODD. "PRINEAS THOMPSON. "GRAND BLANK, Jan. 5, 1835." Whigville, a small village of about 100 inhabitants, and known at various periods as Dibbleville, Grand Blanc, and Gibsonlville, is situated about one and one-half miles northwest of Grand Blanc Centre. It contains the church edifice of the Baptist Society, a school-house, and a few small shops. Here was erected the first saw-mill in the county, by Rowland B. Perry, in 1828. At one period-during the lifetime of Mr. C. D. W. Gibson-considerable business was done here. Stores, taverns, and busy shops existed. But since the completion of the railroad its trade has been transferred to the centre. SCHOOLS. The first school-house-a small frame building-was erected by Edmund Perry, Sr., about 1830. It was situated upon his own land, near the banks of a small stream, called the Big Run; and Miss Sarah Dayton, sister of Jonathan Dayton, taught the first school in this house. Mr. Edward Parsons, school inspector, presented the following account to the board of town auditors in April, 1842, which was allowed: "The town of Grand Blanc in account with Edward Parsons, as school inspector: 1842. Dn. Jan. 26. To visiting schools in the Farrar and Perry districts, and inspecting a teacher...................................$1.00 Feb. 2. To visiting schools in the Smith and Butler districts, and inspecting a teacher................................... 1.00 Feb. 9. To visiting school in Gibson district...................... 50 Feb. 15. To meeting the inspectors of another town for the purpose of removing Mr. Parker....................... 50 March 9. To traveling for public money, and attending a meeting of the board to distribute the same............... 1.00" From the school directors' reports for the year ending Oct. 1, 1845, are taken the following statistics: Children between the ages of 4 and 18 years, residing in the township, 374; under 4 years of age, attending school, 9; over 18 years of age, attending school, 20; attending school during the year; 352. Months taught in each dis trict by qualified teachers, 6. Amount received from township treasurer, $239.77; raised by taxes in the districts, $129.12. Number of whole districts, 7; number of frac 246 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. --- —----— "111 --- —------------------- 1 tional districts, 3. Average amount per month paid teachers for winter term, $12; average amount per month paid teachers for summer term, $4. Names of teachers employed during the year: District No. 1, Joseph King, Emina Wilson; No. 2, Ann L. Thompson; No. 2,* Lucy Bigelow; No. 3, Jonathan Fellows, Laura King; No. 4, Laura King, Susan Dickinson; No. 5, Thomas O. Townsend, Mary Webster; No. 6,* Maria Ferris, Jane Smith; No. 7, C. C. Pierson, Ellen Ferguson; No. 8, Catharine Gorton, Adaline Main; No. 8,* Eliza Perry. School Directors.-District 1, Adam C. Kline; No. 2, J. K. Abbott; No. 2,* Edmund Rix; No. 3, James O'Donoughue; No. 4, C. C. Pierson; No. 5, Alvah Brainard; No. 6,* A. L. Ellsworth; No. 7, James Hall; No. 8, William Roberts; No. 8,* Samuel Winship. SCHOOL STATISTICS-1878. Whole districts, 6; fractional, 4. Children of school age residing in township, 420; attending school during the year, 381. Frame school-houses in township, 9; brick, 1. Seating capacity of all the school-houses, 555. Value of school property, $6450. Male teachers employed during the year, 10; fbmale, 12. Months taught by male teachers, 45; by female, 37. Paid male teachers, $1227.10; paid female teachers, $588.90; total, $1816. Receipts for the year from moneys on hand, Sept. 3, 1877, two-mill tax, primary school-fund, district taxes for all purposes, and raised from all other sources, $2614.10. _Expenditures.-Paid teachers, $1816; paid for building and repairs, $141.80; paid on bonded indebtedness, $22.59; paid for all other purposes, $242.80; amount on hand, Sept. 2, 1878, $390.91; total, $2614.10. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. Previous to the organization of any religious society in this township, the early settlers had been visited at irregular intervals by Elders Benedict and Gambell, Baptist preachers, and Rev. I. W. Ruggles, a Presbyterian minister from Pontiac. Meetings were held in the small log school-house in the Perry settlement, and frequently in the dwellinghouses of the inhabitants. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. This society was organized June 1, 1833, with 26 constituent members, as follows: Daniel Williams, Alfred Brainard, John Tupper, Newell Tupper, Alden Tupper, Harrison Tupper, Alexander K. Tupper, Jason D. Austin, Philo Miner, John P. Fritz, Robert T. Winchell, Philander Williams, Betsey Tupper, Hannah Tupper, Isabella Tupper, Aseneth Brainard, Sarah Brainard, - Miner, Susanna Fritz, Electa Williams, Sophronia Straw, Almira Phelps, Lovina Gilbert, Lovina Williams, Sarah Perry, and Eunice Austin. At the first meeting it was voted "that Brother Alfred Brainard copy the articles of faith and government, and take our minutes for this day. That Brothers Williams, Winchell, and Brainard be a committee to request brethren from the Association to meet in council, and present us be* Fractional districts. fore said council for fellowship." Deacon Daniel Williams was chairman and Alfred Brainard clerk of this meeting. At a covenant-meeting, held Oct. 5, 1833, it was voted "that $21.25 be paid Elder Benedict for preaching, and that the clerk give Elder Benedict a writing expressing our satisfaction with his labors and faithfulness, and request, ing his appointment as a missionary for another year, and request him to forward the same to the committee of the American Baptist Home Mission Society." Eli Gilbert was received by baptism Aug. 4, 1833, and Mrs. Phelps by letter the same day. Other admissions during the year 1833 were Amasa Short, Thomas A. Fritz, Lester Williams, John Richards, and Rhoda Richards. In 1834, Mr. Cheney and wife, Julia Ann Remington, Hannah Van Tifflin, and Joseph and Sarah Gambell. Those received during 1835 were Norris Thorp, E. N. Johnson, Esther Allen, Deborah A. Allen, Aseneth Remington, Dudley Brainard, Perry Lamb, Mary Lamb, and Phebe Thorp. In 1836, Barton B. Chapin, Caroline Chapin, David Lyon, Eunice Lyon, Edwin Lyon, Jonathan G. Firman, Marila Firman, David Gregory, Abigail Gregory, Elihu Remington, Charles Goff, Parmela Goff, Julia Ann Watkins, Electa Stiles, Laura Tupper, and Amanda Watkins. In 1837, Margaret Williams, Anna Goff, Hopkins Allen, Mrs. M. Johnson, Nancy Snapp, Eliza King, Alvah Bishop, and Electa Bishop. In 1838, Elijah Jordan, Betsey Jordan, Laranthia Bigclow, David Allen, Sophia Allen, and Alsina Parker. The pastors of the society since Elder Benedict have succeeded each other as follows: Elder Joseph Gambell, 1834, who remained two years. July 12, 1836, it was voted 'that Dudley Brainard preach when we have no other preaching." Rev. Elijah Jordan came in January, 1838; J. A. Keyes, 1839. May 24, 1839, Dudley Brainard was given a letter " to preach the Gospel wherever God, in His providence, may cast his lot." Revs. R. D. Pierce, 1840; Samuel Jones, 1842; Daniel Delano, 1844; Joseph Gambell, 1845; Nelson Eastwood, 1849; T. H. Facer, 1851; C. Deland, 1853; Israel Fay, 1855; A. H. Cole, 1856; Israel C. Atherton, 1859; C. Johnson, 1864; Harley Miner, 1866; M. Mulcahy, 1869; P. Olney, 1871; S. T. Grow, 1871; R. J. Lobb, 1872; 0. B. Smith and C. H. Richardson, as supplies; B. D. Miller, 1875; Samuel Needham, 1875; George Sharp, 1876; Edgar Randall, present pastor, April, 1879. The present church edifice was commenced in 1849 and completed in 1851. It is situated in the small village of Whigville, and has sittings for about 200 people. It was dedicated May 21, 1851; sermon by Rev. T. H. Facer; text, Matthew 6, 10,-" Thy Kingdom Come;" dedicatory prayer by Rev. Joseph Gambell. In February, 1874, 25 members obtained letters of dismission to form the Mundy Baptist Church. Present membership, 78. Scholars in Sabbath-school, 66. Mrs. Hannah Tupper, superintendent. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CIIJRCI. On the 13th day of July, 1833, a number of professed Christians met at the house of Deacon Josiah Owen, in Grand Blanc, for the purpose of uniting together in the fellowship and communion of a church. Rev. Isaac W. z C') rrl m 0 r-i M C) C) H En I m C0 z r-~ m C,, P1 C-) 0 C;z I wr 0 tc, C) 0 m~ P1 C) C) I? &I rS. L r;:;i:::: -: ~: i:.:::: ~ GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. 247 t - Ruggles, a missionary of the American Home Missionary Society, was present, and served as moderator. After a season of prayer, those present gave a relation of their experience. Letters from the churches from whence they came were then read, and those present, viz., Josiah Owen, Susan Owen, Cyrus Baldwin, Charles Butler, John Butler, Sarah P. Butler, Emmaus Owen, Cynthia Maria Owen, Almira Smith, Cornelia Smith, and Sarah Ann Butler, then entered into covenant to walk together as a church in all the ordinances of the gospel. They resolved to take Congregationalism as the rule of church government. At this meeting Josiah Owen and Cyrus Baldwin were chosen deacons, and articles of fiith adopted. Samuel Rice represented the society at the meeting of the Detroit Presbytery, Feb. 10, 1835. The first meetings were held in the log house and barn of Deacon Josiah Owen, then in the Butler school-house, and still later in the Smith school-house, where they were continued until their prescl.t church edifice was completed. Until 1836 the society had no regular pastor, the pulpit being supplied occasionally by Revs. John Beach, Isaac W. Ruggles, Jollh Dudley, and Hiram Miller. George Hornell, their first regular pastor, began preaching one-half the time in 1836. He was followed by Philander Bates, in 1838; Ebenezer McDowell, 1841; Ira Dunning, 1841; Joseph W. Smith, 1842; George King, 1844; Chauncey Osborn, 1846; George Winters, 1853; Alonzo Sanderson, 1862; Samuel Breed, 1867; John V. Hickmott, 1869; William Woodmansee, 1874; Lewis P. Frost, 1876; and Alfied T. Waterman, the present pastor, in 1878. Other early members who joined the society were, in 1834, Samuel Rice, Abigail. Rice, Susan Baldwin, Julia A. Webster, Samuel C. Baldwin, Edwin Baldwin, Sarah M. Baldwin, Moses P. Butler, Eliza Butler, Moses A. Buell; in 1835, Maria Brigham, Abigail Owen, Andrew Slack, Sarah Slack; in 1836, Henry Le Roy, Lucy Le Roy, Edward Parsons, Ann Butler; in 1838, Sophia Dayton; in 1839, Silas Smith, John Burrington, James Rice, Eliza A. Boss, Elizabeth Burrington, Grace Burrington, Sophia Coy, Sophia Rice, Jane Elsefer, Emeline Davison, Rebecca Brown, Helen Brown, Silas D. Halsey, David W. Lawrence, Ann Lawrence, Gurdon G. Cook, Wealthy Cook, Margaret A. Cook, Gavin McCoy, Mary McCoy, Susan McCoy, and Harriet McCoy. The first board of trustees was elected in 1836, and was composed of Samuel Rice, John Butler, and Jeremiah R. Smith. The church edifice was dedicated Sept. 12, 1855, and cost $2600. It has sittings for 300 people, and is situated in the village of Grand Blanc. Present membership, 64. Scholars attending Sabbathschool, 86. G. Russell Parker, superintendent. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. This organization, probably the first class in Methodism instituted in the territory now known as Genesee County, like a large majority of those of this denomination, has no written history or records of the past that are available. It is stated that the first class was formed in the schoolhouse at Gibsonville, by Rev. Oscar North, in the year 1835, the first members being William Blades, Charlotte Blades, Thomas Cartwright, Catherine Cartwright, Daniel Nobles, and Susan Nobles. The school-house in Gibsonville was used for a place of worship until 1854, when a church edifice situated in the village of Grand Blanc was completed at a cost of about $2000. A parsonage was erected at the same time, which cost about $1000. The trustees in 1854 were Adam C. Kline, Jay Adams, Arthur Ellsworth, Edwin Ellsworth, and Abial L. Shaw. George Smith, presiding elder. G. N. Belknap, pastor in charge. The pastors of the society since 1851 are the same as those of the Burton Methodist Episcopal Church, both being in the same charge, viz., Revs. Mr. Blades, Bradley, Lee, Belknap, Cawthorne, Crane, Allen, Frazer, Sutton, Crippen, Seelye, Crippen, Joslin, Shore, Mosher, Whitmore, Brown, Westlake, Hicks, Hamilton, and Gage, present pastor. Present membership, 40. Joseph Taylor, superintendent of Sabbath-school. We desire to return our thanks to Hon. Alexander W. Davis, Joseph McFarlen, Caleb S. Thompson, Newell Tupper, John P. Fritz, Adam C. Kline, Edward Parsons, J. C. Wolverton, Addison Armstrong, E. A. Sawyer, Arthur C. McCall, Mrs. C. D. W. Gibson, Mrs. Phineas Thompson, Mrs. E. N. Johnson, and others, for much valuable information. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. SIMEON M. PERRY. The oldest living male settler in Genesee County is Simeon M. Perry. He was born in Schenectady, N. Y., Sept. 22, 1804. His father, Edmund Perry, was the second settler in the county, and located the second farm in the county. Edmund Perry purchased of the government in 1824 two lots of land, and in March, 1825, settled thereon with his family. This was in what was then called Grumlaw, now Grand Blanc. Simeon M., his sister, and a cousin (Thompson) came West with Edmund Perry in March, 1825. The father and sister returned to New York, while Simeon and his cousin remained on the farm, and kept bachelor's hall until the return of the family in the fall. He remained with his father eight years, helping him clear up the new farm. On the 3d day of December, 1830, he bought of the government the west half of the northwest quarter of section 14, in Grand Blanc, and in 1839 the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 11, in the same town. In 1834 he built a small frame house on his " eighty," and moved into it. He had prior to this occupied a log house near where Seymour Perry's house now'stands. In that log house Miss Isabel Perry, the first white child born in the county, first saw the light of day. Simeon Perry is a man possessed of a strong constitution, and has been a great worker. He has helped to clear two hundred acres of land,-part of it being the farm where he now resides, the balance the farms owned by his father. 24R1 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. He has seen, as a pioneer settler, many hardships, and has been subjected to exposures which hate caused him many hours of pain. In the first year of his residence in the county his father's stock ran at large, and, in searching for them through the marshes and swamps, he was often wet to the skin for hours at a time. Often the cattle would wander miles away, causing him all-day tramps to find been entirely helpless and dependent upon "the care of his daughter Isabel, who is devoting herself with filial care to his every want. Mr. Perry was formerly a Democrat, casting his first vote for Andrew Jackson. On the organization of the Republican party he joined it, and has since been a member of the same, although he has never solicited or held office. He has been a member of the Baptist I/ SIMEON M. PERRY. them. Hle relates an instance, when he had been looking for them all day, with nothing to eat, and had got some ten miles away from home, suddenly he came upon an Indian seated at a fire partaking of a muskrat-stew. The Indian invited Mr. Perry to eat, which he gladly did, and he now declares food never tasted better than did that stew. In 1865 he was prostrated by disease, which was brought on by his hardships and exposures, and for five years he has GURDON G. COOK. The ancestors of Mr. Cook were among the early English settlers of New England. Deacon Gurdon W. Cook was a native of Connecticut, and in 1805 removed with his family to Western New York, and settled at Lima, Livingston Co. He reared a family of four sons and four daughters, of whom Gurdon G. was the second son. He was born at the old home in Connecttcut on the 7th day of June, 1802. He was reared on the farm, and at the age of seventeen went to learn the trade of a tanner; he followed that occupation at Avon and Bethany for several years, during which time he became acquainted with Miss Wealthy Pierson, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Pierson, old settlers of Avon. They were united in marriage, Feb. 15, 1827. After his marriage he continued the same business until 1834, when he took charge of and managed the farm of his father-inlaw. In the spring of 1836 he made a trip to Michigan in quest of a home: he selected and purchased of the government two hundred and forty acres of land in the present township of Grand Blanc, Genesee Co., about ten miles south of the city of Flint. He then returned to New York, " ' MRS. SIMEON M. PERRY. Church for thirty-five years. On the 19th day of March, 1828, he married Miss Sarah Cartwright, daughter of Thomas and Isabel Cartwright, who was born March 17, 1806, and died Sept. 17, 1875. The result of this union was six children,-Isabel C., born May 13, 1829; Emily A., born July 26, 1831; Joseph and Mary, born March 7, 1833; Mary E., born Aug. 31, 1837; and Esther, born Nov. 22, 1840. settled up his business, and in the fall of the same year removed with his family to their new home in the wilds of Michigan. The family moved into their new log house in the following February. Then followed the usual routine of chopping, logging, clearing off the timber, and all the other hard work, hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, together with anxieties and fears of wolves and Indians on the part of the mother, for the first year or two. But in a few years the Indians and wild animals disappeared, and were replaced by settlers and neighbors; and, under the sturdy stroke of the pioneer axe, the forest had given place to fields of waving grain. The adventurous family, who a few years before had braved all the discomforts and dangers of settlers in the wilderness, had fully realized all that their hopes and anticipations had pictured to them of a comfortable home with peace and plenty smiling around them. Mr. Cook was a man of genuine piety, and an honored member of the Congregational Church for upwards of forty years. For the last fourteen years of his life he was blind, the result of an accident in early life and subsequent inflammation; but under this terrible affliction he always GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP. 249 - - r maintained a cheerful and hopeful spirit, and continued to manage his farm and business with all his accustomed precision and sagacity. In 1853 he made an addition of eighty acres to his farm, so that at his death, which occurred Oct. 6, 1860, it consisted of three hundred and twenty acres. He left to his bereaved widow and children a comfortable fortune and an unblemished character. Mrs. Wealthy Cook, his widow, comes of a long line of honored ancestors. The Pierson family is also of English origin, and embraces some of the earliest settlers of New England. Ephraim, the grandfather of Mrs. Cook, lived and died in Connecticut. He left a family of ten children,-six sons and four daughters. Joseph, the fifth son, was born at the old Connecticut home, and while a young man went to Albany, N. Y., where he was married to Sarah Watrous. le first settled on a farm in Albany County, but in a few years he removed to Livingston County, bought q farm, and settled at Avon. He reared a family of three sons and six daughters, of whom Mrs. Cook was the sixth child. She was born at Avon, Dec. 26, 1801; was reared on a farm, and in the pure atmosphere of farm life, along with its duties, habits, and toils, she acquired a strong and vigorous constitution, and a knowledge and experience which in after-years were of great value to her husband and children. She resides at the old home in Grand Blanc, tranquil and happy, enjoying a ripe old age in the society of her children and time-honored friends. She and her deceased husband are the parents of four children, named Joseph P., Sarah M., Henry H., and Ellen A., all of whom are living. Joseph is married to Julia H. Slaght and has six children; he resides on a part of the old home-farm, and is a man of much consideration and influence in his locality. Sarah is unmarried, and resides with her mother at the old home. Henry is married to Sarah D. Parker, and has four children; he also owns and resides on a part of the old homefarm. Ellen is the wife of Andrew J. Cronk, and resides on their farm in the town of Burton; they have two children. On another page may be found a view of the home of this old pioneer couple. MICHAEL FERGUSON was a native of Oneida Co., N. Y., and born on the 31st day of March, 1815. He was left an orphan at ten years of age, and found a home with his uncle, Charles Ferguson, with whom he resided until he was twenty-one. He obtained a good education, and also learned the trade of wagon-making, which business he followed at Fort Plain, N. Y., until 1834, when he came to the Territory of Michigan, and purchased eighty acres of government land in Shiawassee County. He remained with his uncle in Grand Blanc two years, when he returned to New York, and became engaged on the Erie Canal, first as an ordinary "hand," afterwards as captain of a boat, and finally as contractor. He continued in that business some ten years, when he engaged in the commission business, which he followed for ten or twelve years. In 1860, on the first day of January, he was united in marriage to Miss Margaret S. Hager, of Fort Plain, N. Y. 32 In 1865 he removed to Michigan and settled on a farm of one hundred acres in the township of Grand Blanc, where he remained until his death, which occurred on the 18th day of November, 1874. He was the father of five children, named as follows: Everett, George R., Annie E., Edward E., and Joseph M., all of whom are living except the first named. Mr. Ferguson was a man of great influence and consideration among his fellow-townsmen, who manifested their confidence by repeatedly electing him to positions of responsibility. He served his town for three years as supervisor, a position he held at the time of his death. In politics he was a Democrat of the old school. He was a man of pure life and morals. He was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, and whether as apprentice, master, or companion, was always known and regarded by the craft as that highest type of a Mason, an honest man. His widow still resides on the home-farm, and is at this time (1879) the wife of Joln Bloom, to whom she was married on the 12th day of October, 1876. On another page may be seen a fine view of the home of the family. CALEB S. THOMPSON, of whom this brief sketch is written, was born in Northbury, Worcester Co., Mass., April 23, 1805. His father, who was a tanner and currier by trade, moved into Oneida Co., N. Y., when Caleb was five years old, and followed his trade and also farming. In 1816 he moved to Avon, N. Y. Here Caleb grew to manhood, and although he went only to a common school, he acquired more than an average education. He was a great student, and having free access to the library of Dr. Little, he made good use of it and stored his mind with much useful knowledge. On the 30th day of May, 1829, he, in company with Jonathan Dayton and Caleb Embury, started for Grand Blanc (then called Grumlaw), in Genesee Co., Mich., going by canal-boat from Rochester to Buffalo, and thence to Detroit by the steamer " William Penn." From Detroit to Grumlaw they went by team. There they found the Riggs, Stevens, Spencer, and Perry families. At that date Genesee County contained but forty-seven inhabitants. Soon after his arrival he bought of the government the east half of the northwest quarter of section 23, in Grand Blanc, and subsequently the west half of the northwest quarter of the same section. On thistract he settled and commenced its improvement. The next fall he returned to New York, and taught school through the winter, having previously taught,-an employment which had given him his start in life. In February, 1830, he again came West, this time with his own conveyance,-an ox-team,-going through Canada. The following summer he cleared and sowed sixteen acres, and the next season harvested one hundred and sixty bushels of wheat; from that time he considered starvation out of the question. During the next six years he so added to his farm that he owned four hundred acres of land, two hundred and ten acres of which he had plowed and three hundred acres fenced. He had six hundred bushels of wheat, and owed no man. From 250 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. this time on he continued to improve his farm, each year adding to his wealth and to his reputation as a successful business man. In 1856 the subject of a plank-road from Holly to Grand Blanc was being agitated, and finally became a fixed fact through the enterprise and energy of Mr. Thompson, who took the contract of building the road; he did build it, although he lost many thousands of dollars by so doing. But what was his loss was the people's gain, as the road was the means of finally securing to Grand Blanc active services of one of its most enterprising and publicspirited citizens, and Mr. Thompson of the pleasure to be derived from an active and successful career. Still he bears his sad lot with patience, watched over and cared for by an affectionate and faithful wife and a loving daughter. On the 4th day of February, 1832, he married Miss Clarinda Perry. Their union was blessed with the following children: Susan, born Dec. 4, 1834, and Rush, born April 4, 1836. Mrs. Thompson died June 4, 1840. For CALEB S. THOMPSON. MRS. CALEB S. THOMPSON. a railroad, which has been of incalculable value to not only its people, but to those of Holly and the surrounding country. Mr. Thompson's loss in this enterprise resulted principally from his inability to manage the affairs of the roaa personally, by reason of his being stricken down with the rheumatism, which finally resulted in his becoming a helpless invalid. For more than twenty years he has not been able to get out of his chair or turn over in bed without assistance. This great affliction deprived the county of the his second wife Mr. Thompson married, May 9, 1848, Miss Ermina C. Wilson, who was born March 5, 1824. There has been born to them one daughter, Clara C., born April 9,1849. In politics Mr. Thompson was first a Whig and later a Republican; he has always taken great interest in political matters, and was an active worker before his sickness. He has held most of the township offices: was clerk for twenty years, and for a considerable period held the office of deputy sheriff. " It JONATHANl FROlST. RESIDENCE OF THE LATE JONATHAN FRUSI, ATLAS,MIGH. ATLAS. THE township of Atlas, known in the United States survey as township No. 6 north, range No. 8 east, is situated in the southeast corner of the county. Its boundaries on the north and west are the respective townships of Davison and Grand Blanc, in this county, while Lapeer County lies upon the east and Oakland County on the south border. The surface is rolling, and, in a state of nature, was quite heavily timbered in the north part. The southern portion consisted generally of rose-willow and hazel-brush openings. The soil-a sandy loam-is of an excellent quality, and in the quantity and excellence of its products Atlas takes a front rank among Genesee County townships. Its water-courses are the Thread and Kearsley Rivers. The former takes its rise in Oakland County, and flows in a northwest course across the southwestern corner of the township. The latter stream also finds its source in Oakland County, and, entering the township from the southeast, receives as a tributary the outlet of Lake Neshinaguac, flows on in a northwesterly direction through the central part of the town, and leaves it from the north border of section 4. In its passage the Kearsley affords excellent water-power privileges, which have been in use at the villages of Goodrich and Davisonville since the first settlement of the township. Neshinaguac Lake, with an area of about 160 acres, lies in the central part of section 27. The mill-ponds on the Kearsley formed by the dams at Goodrich and Davisonville each cover an expanse of about 100 acres. Other small bodies of water are situated upon section 3. Numerous springs, several of whose waters are impregnated with iron, exist in all portions of the territory described, and as a whole the township is well watered and drained. The people are successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, their farms are in an advanced state of cultivation, and neat, tasteful residences and outbuildings abound on every side. The population in 1874 was 1316. FIRST SETTLEMENTS. Asa Farrar, the first settler in this township, was a brother of Pearson Farrar, who settled in Grand Blanc during the year 1830. They came from Monroe Co., N. Y., and it is very probable that they made the journey to Michigan in company. Pearson settled upon section 12, in Grand Blanc, while Asa located his lot upon section 18, in this township. They were upon adjoining sections, and in the eastern part of the settlement, then known as Grumlaw. Asa purchased the west part of the northwest quarter of section 18, Sept. 2, 1830. He then built a log house, and became a permanent resident during the latter part of the same year. The first birth and the first marriages in the township occurred in his family. His son Nelson was born in the latter part of 1833, and his daughters, Eveline and Almira, were married to the brothers Roswell and Daniel Holcomb, respectively, in the spring of 1834. Norman Davison, then justice of the peace for Grand Blanc township, performed the marriage ceremony. Judge Norman Davison and family, the second to settle here, came from Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y. He visited the township in the summer of 1831, purchased land situated upon section 8 in July of the same year, and soon after erected a two-story frame house upon the same, the lumber being obtained from Rowland B. Perry's mill. He then returned to New York, and brought out his family the same fall. His family consisted of his wife, Huldah; sons, Paul G., Oliver P., Dewitt C., Benjamin F.; and daughters, Sylvia, Jane A., and Maryette. The two elder sons, viz., Paul and Oliver, accompanied their father on his first journey, and remained here chopping and clearing, while he returned for the remaining part of the family. At this time Michigan was a dense and almost unbroken wilderness. Here on the banks of Kearsley Creek this healthy, resolute, and indomitable family pitched their abode, beneath the shadows of a stately forest, and on the spot where now stands the village of Davisonville. A sawmill was erected in 1833, followed by a grist-mill in 1836. Well do the early travelers in this region remember being directed over long and weary miles by Indian trails and marked trees to Davison's Mills. The first township-meeting was held at these mills in April, 1836, and here the first post-office was established. Judge Davison's commission as postmaster was dated March 13, 1837, and signed by Amos Kendall, postmaster-general. He was a member of the convention that met in Detroit the second Monday in May, 1835, to frame the first State constitution; the first supervisor of the old town of Grand Blanc, in 1833; and at an early day, when Atlas formed a portion of Lapeer County, was one of the judges of the latter county. When Congress proposed to settle the " Toledo war" by surrendering a portion of the State to Ohio and Indiana in exchange for the Upper Peninsula, Judge Davison was one of the delegates who assembled at Ann Arbor. He held various other offices, in the discharge of the duties of which he gave general satisfaction, and secured the respect and esteem of a wide circle of fiiends and associates. John and Aaron Brigham, brothers, came from Lewis Co., N. Y. They purchased land situated upon section 5, Dec. 13, 1833, and immediately put up a small log house, where they kept bachelor's hall for a period of eleven weeks. In 1836 they removed to Hadley, Lapeer Co., where both at present reside. Mr. Aaron Brigham is quite certain that at the time of his settlement in this township the 251 252 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. only families then here were those of Asa Farrar and Judge Davison. Daring the summer of 1834, Nehemiah S. Burpee, from Livingston Co., N. Y., settled upon section 18, and in the fall of the same year Samuel Lason, from Rush, Monroe Co., N. Y., settled upon the same section. Both of them had been residents of Grand Blanc since 1830. The settlers of 1835 were Alexander Lobban and his son James Lobban, upon section 5; James McCraith, and his two sons; Ezra K. Paschall, from Ontario Co., N. Y.; Noah Owen, and his son William, from Niagara Co., N. Y.; Joseph R. Johnson, and his son Joseph, from Crawford Co., Pa.; James G. Horton; Talford and Daniel Powell; Lewis Mentor. In September, 1835, the brothers Moses and Enos Goodrich came from Clarence, Erie Co, N. Y., and purchased of the general government more than 1000 acres of land, situated upon different sections in the central part of the township. They built a small log house on section 20, and then returned to their home in Clarence. In February, 1836, accompanied by their mother and brothers, Reuben, Levi W., John S., and several other members of the family, they again journeyed to the wilds of Michigan. The father, Levi H. Goodrich, a native of Hampshire Co, Mass., joined his family here in the fall of the same year. He was supervisor of the town of Clarence at that time, and delayed his departure for Michigan until after the fall meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Erie Co., N. Y. From the period of their settlement in Atlas township to the present time the name of Goodrich has been inseparably interwoven with all its social, commercial, and political history. They founded mills, a village, and stores, and opened to cultivation wide fields of the finest lands found in this portion of the State. Moses Goodrich, the elder brother, still resides upon the fine farm which was included in the purchase of 1835. Surrounded by an affectionate family, and all the comforts which an honorable, industrious life so surely entails, he bids fair to remain a pioneer, a link connecting the present with the past, for many years. In the fall of 1846 Enos Goodrich was elected to represent this constituency in the lower house of the State Legislature. The session of 1847 which followed was memorable for being the last held in Detroit. Mf. Goodrich took an active and conspicuous part in the struggle which ensued for the removal of the State capital to Lansing, and in 1852 was sent to Lansing to represent this county in the State Senate. After a long and eventful career in the village and township which he assisted to found, he removed, a few years since, to Watertown, Tuscola Co., where he at present resides. Although he has arrived at the age when most men relinquish the cares and burdens of an active life, we find him, with mind unimpaired and physically strong, still battling successfully with life and its duties. His brother Reuben, who for so many years was associated with him in business in the village of Goodrich, is now a resident of Traverse City, Mich. John S. wasii successful attorney, and attended at the opening of the first courts established in this county. He died early. Aaror Goodrich, another brother, who came here later i than other members of his:family, removed to Tennessee at an early day, where he was admitted to the bar, and practied successfully for several years. He was, though a Whig, elected to the Legislature of that State in a Democratic district, beating the since notorious traitor, Isham G. Harris. This was in 1847, 1848. During the latter year he was elected a Presidential elector on the Whig ticket. In March, 1849, he was appointed by President Taylor Chief-Justice of Minnesota, and took up his residence in St. Paul. He held the first term of court in Ramsey and other counties; was one of the corporators of the Historical Society in 1849, a charter member of the first Masonic lodge in St. Paul and of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. He resumed the practice of law in 1851. In the early days of the Republican party he was one of its most ready and effective campaign speakers, and drew up the first Republican platform adopted in Minnesota. In 1858 he was a member of the convention to prepare a code of pleadings and practice, and submitted a report of marked ability. He was a member of the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1860, which resulted in the nomination of Abraham Lincoln, though he labored for William H. Seward. Through the friendship of that statesman he was appointed secretary of legation at Brussels in 1861, which position he held eight years. Returning to St. Paul in 1869, he again resumed the practice of his profession, devoting his leisure moments to writing a work entitled " A History of the Character and Achievements of the so-called Christopher Columbus," wherein he opposes the claim of Columbus being the discoverer of America, or of his name being Christopher Columbus. In 1872 he was a member of the convention which nominated for the presidency Horace Greeley, although voting constantly for Judge Davis, of Illinois. He resides at the present time in St. Paul, Minn. During the year 1836 many other families took up their residence here. Among them were Daniel and Manley Swears (brothers), Hiram Fillmore (a cousin of President Fillmore), Albert Demaree and his sons David, Cornelius, Jacob, and Garrett, Daniel Swears, Sr., Janes Black, James Kipp, all from Erie Co., N. Y.; Peter Lane, from Ontario Co., N. Y.; John Mancoar, from New York City; James Burden, from Essex Co., N. Y.; Jacob and Thomas Vantine, John Hosler, from Erie Co., N. Y.; William Carpenter, Niagara Co., N. Y.; Joseph Russell, Hiram Husted, from Genesee Co., N. Y.; John L. McNiel, from Chittenden Co., Vt.; Jacob Thomas and Levi lreston, from Cattaraugus Co., N. Y.; Lewis Cummings, from Erie Co., N. Y. John L. McNiel, a descendant of a sterling family of patriots, who participated with the colonists in the Frenchand-Indian wars, also in the Revolutionary struggle, was born in Charlotte, Chittenden Co., Vt. At the age of twenty-one years he began working for his father, at the rate of $5 per month. He afterwards became proprietor of the hotel-stand in Charlotte, a property which had been retained in his family since 1790. Here, by good management and a close attention to all the details of his business, he succeeded in accumulating a few hundred dollars, which he determined to invest in Western lands. Accordingly, in the spring of 1836, with a horse-team and wagon, and some few necessary articles, he began a journey I I ;: lo;::;:: A-a l is -- H C~~t GU= sr3=3E liff.t esl ol R D O E I RESIDENC~o E OfE E'I ' I/ IC 0* f t;...,S t "';" I %:, M. ~-... JOHN L. MW NElL. MRS. JOHN M? NEIL, ~"~"To, I -..~ ~~1:..I:_7- ~.~ r -,- 1 RECJENLCE OF JOHN L. MC NEIL, ATLAS, GENESEE COUNTY MICH. ATLAS TOWNSHIP. 253 I via Saratoga, Johnstown, Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, and the usual route to Buffalo; thence by the lake to Detroit. It was his intention to stop at Toledo, and locate lands in Northern Ohio, or Southern Michigan. But the captain of the steamer for some reason would not make a landing at the latter city, and young McNiel, with others, came on to Detroit. He then visited Davisonville, and soon after purchased the north half of section 11. Returning to Detroit, the horse-team was sold, and a yoke of Ohio steers substituted in their stead. After building a shanty, some six feet square, which stood near his present barn, he began cutting down the forest, and cleared a few acres of its primeval growth. His neighbors were two or three miles distant in either direction, wolves hovered about him each night, and as the Fourth of July came on, being of a social nature, he fully realized his lonely and uncomfortable position, especially as his mind wandered.back to the good old patriotic State of Vermont, and he viewed in thought the noisy celebration of the nation's birthday by his former friends and associates. Our young pioneer then determined to abandon the pursuits of a life in the backwoods and return to the haunts of civilization. After placing his house in order and closing all modes of ingress, he proceeded to Judge Davison's residence, and acquainted him with his determination. Judge Davison was an intensely practical man, a thorough pioneer, and soon pointed out to young McNiel the benefits surely to arise by a continued, undeviating course in the path he had already marked out here. Judge Davison's counsels finally prevailed, coupled with the attractions of his daughter Sylvia, who was married to Mr. McNiel in the fall of 1837. Mr. McNiel recalls the fact that he walked sixteen miles-to Lapeer-to obtain the marriage certificate. His brother, Charles McNiel, settled in the township in the fall of 1836, and another brother, David, in Grand Blanc, a few years later. John L. McNiel has occupied many prominent official positions in the gift of his political friends, which is more particularly referred to in an accompanying biographical sketch. Among the settlers of 1837 were Dr. Cyrus Baldwin, from Grand Blanc, the first resident physician; Lewis Van Cleve; his son, Lewis, Jr.; Samuel Winship; Elias Rockafellow, the first blacksmith and iron-founder in the township; Fitch R. Tracy, the first merchant; Samuel Walker, John K. Pearsons, from Canada; William Goodrich, Moses Wisner,* and Michael Bowers,-all from Cayuga Co., N. Y. Other settlers who became residents at about this time, or in years very soon thereafter, were Bradley Cartwright and Freeman Coolage, from Genesee Co., N. Y.; John Vantine, Erie Co., N. Y.; Julius Barnes, who settled upon section 2; Amos H. Fisk, from Genesee Co., N. Y.; Stephen Horton, William Surryhne, Moses Frost, William Roberts, Joseph Tyler, Edward Fortune, Albert Vantine, Charles Vantine, Jonathan Frost, Ephraim S. Frost, Ralph C. Atkins, Albert J. Bates, Ira G. Hooton, Peter Vantine, Paul Liscomb, James Vantine, John Perritt, Mathew P. Thomas, Jacob H. Howe, Isaac Carmer, Elijah Carmer, Oliver Palmer, who established the first woolen and cloth dressing works at Davisonville, Nathaniel Fairchild, Clark Hutchins, Hiram Maxfield, and Marlin Davison, brother of Norman Davison. Many of these men, whose names have been but briefly mentioned, possessed an unwritten history which, if told in all its details, would rival the works of the most imaginative author. But deaths and removals leave a blank which one who seeks to reproduce facts cannot fill. Their places are now filled by others. The wilderness with which they once battled has given place to cultivated fields. Agriculture now spreads out its fields and lawns where the Indian pursued his game. Turnpikes and railroads are substituted for deer-paths and Indian trails, and the hum of the spindle and scream of the locomotive have taken the place of the yell of the panther and howl of the wolf. The following table gives the resident taxpayers in 1844, also the sections upon which taxes were assessed. Adams, Eber, 7, 8, 9. Burpee, Nehemiah S., 18. Bates, Albert J., 32. Burden, John, 18, 19. Burt, John C. Bird, John. Buzzell, John, 8. Barnes, Julius, 2, 3. Bates, Ira, 31. Blackall, William, 13. Buzzell, Robert, 31. Burden, James, 19. Blair, James, 22. Barnum, Charles M., 14. Brannock, Lyman 11., 14. Britton, John, 35, 36. Baldwin, Cyrus, 35. Black, Henry. Britton, William, 35. Britton, John (3d). Beardsley, F. D., 22. Barney, Daniel D., 8, 10. Berry, Nathaniel M., 10. Brigham, John, 19, 22, 28. Carpenter, William, 21. Chadbourn, John, 7. Campbell, Charles S., 8. Coolage, Freeman, 14. Cummings, Lewis, 3. Carmer, Elijah, 36. Case, David, 8. Caldwell, James, 7. Davison, Marlin, 17. Davison, Paul G., 8, 9, 22. Davison, D. C., 9. Demaree, David, 26, 27. Demaree, Garrett. Dancer, Elias, 27. Farrar, Asa, 18. French, Joseph L. Frost, Moses, 6. Frost, Jonathan, 24. Frost, Ephraim, 23, 24. Fairchild, Nathaniel, 15. Goodrich, Reuben, 22, 23. Goodrich, Enos, 22. Goodrich, Moses, 15, 29. Goodrich, John S., 15, 21, 22. Goodrich, Levi W., 9, 17, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28. Goodrich, L. I1., 29. Grow, Stillman T., 24. Gridley, Barton, 17. Horton, Ira J., 32, 33. Iloffmnan, Henry, 13, 18. Hutchins, Clark, 18. HIolcomb, Daniel, 17. IIartwell, Daniel, 1. IIartwell, Daniel F., 1. Hurd, Lovell, 25, 30. IHasler, George, 25, 30. Horton, James G., 32. Hunt, Elias, 32. Hlammell, Barney, 8. Harding, Daniel, 18. Holcomb, Evaline, 6. Horton, Stephen, 5. Iusted, Hiram, 25. Johnson, Joseph R., 32. Johnson, Jonas P., 36. Knowles, Robert, 8. Kipp, James, 26, 35. Kline, John A., 6. Lobban, William, 5. Larabee, Samuel, 10. Lason, Samuel, 18. Lane, Peter, 23, 24, 26. Lane, David. Lobban, James, 4, 5. Liscomb, Paul, 34. Lobban, Alexander, 8. McNiel, John L., 2, 11. McNiel, Charles, 1, 2. Mancour, John, 20. Mitchell, George C., 27, 34. Manning, Lyman H. McCraith, James, 5. Norris, Jacob, 33. Owen, Noah, 31. Owen, William, 31. Owen, George, 32. Oldfield, Aaron, 8. Preston, Levi, 10. Pearsons, John K., 12. Pearsons, Joseph, 1. Preston, Roswell, 9, 10. P(well, Talford, 31. Powell, Daniel, 28. Parshall, Ezra K., 10, 32. Porter, Alanson H., 28, 34. Pixley, Theron, 24, 25. Palmer, Oliver P. & Co. (gristmill), 8. Rockafellow, Elias, 8. * Afterwards Governor of Michigan. 254 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I Rinehart, George, 6. Updegraff, George, 15. Rhodes, John, 27. Vantine, James, 35, 36. Russell, Joseph, 34. Vantine, John, 2, 8, 15, 22, 2 Rogers, William, 14. 33. Reece, Andrew, 34. Vantine, Jacob, 26. Sanford, Henry C., 19. Vantine, Charles, 26, 27. Smith, George M. C., 13. Vantine, Thomas, 33. Swears, Manly, 26. Vantine, John T. Swears, Daniel, 26, 35, 36. Vantine, Peter, 33. Stephens, David, 21. Vantine, Albert, 8, 17. Simons, Simeon, 34. Van Cleve, Lewis, 23. Surryhne, William, 5. Williams, L., 10. Swift, Albert, 19. Walker, Samuel, 2. Thomas, Jacob, 2, 11, 14. Wright, George, 5. Thomas, Mathew P., 14. Wilson, Samuel, 7, 34. Titsworth, George, 26, 27. Winship, Samuel, 18. Titsworth, Jacob, 15. Woodworth, Abial A., 8. Thompson, Henry M., 8. Withee, John, 13, 14. Tracy, Fitch R., 8. Prominent among the early physicians of Genesee Coun was Dr. Elbridge G. Gale. He was born at Warwic Franklin Co., Mass., Feb. 2, 1811, and removed with h parents to Shoreham, Addison Co., Vt., in 1818, where i acquired a common-school education. He commence teaching school at the age of sixteen,-teaching each wi ter and working at farming during the summer seasor He afterwards attended three or four terms at the Newt( Academy, in Shoreham. He studied medicine with D Hill, of Shoreham, Vt., and graduated from the Vermo Medical College, at Castleton, Vt., in 1834. In April, 1835, he married Mary Rich, of Shorehar Vt., and immediately removed to Niagara Co., N. Y., whe he commenced the practice of his profession, and remaine there until November, 1844, when he, with his family, r moved to Atlas, Genesee Co., Mich., where he continue the practice of his profession until 1851. The members his family who came to Michigan with him were his wif Mary R. Gale, and son, Adrian R. Gale. His wife died i June, 1863, at Shoreham, Vt., while on a visit to hi native place, and her funeral sermon was preached by tl same minister who married her, nearly thirty years befor Elbridge G. Gale was a member of the Constitution Convention of Michigan in 1850, a member of the low< house of the Legislature in 1853, and a member of tl State Senate in 1861. He was appointed surgeon of ti Provost Board of the Sixth District of Michigan in 186: and held the same office to the close of the war. He wa also collector of internal revenue for the Sixtl Distri, for two years. His mother, who is descended from tl Sargents and Washburnes of Massachusetts, is now livin at Atlas, in the ninety-third year of her age. Dr. Gal although owning property in Atlas, resides in Vermont i the present time. LAND-ENTRIES. The first entry for land in this township was made b Asa Farrar, who, on the 2d day of September, 1830, puu chased the west part of the northwest quarter of sectio 18. The next by Norman Davison, who bought the norti east quarter of section 8, July 23, 1831. Hiram For purchased the east one-half of the southeast quarter ( section 5, Oct. 26, 1831. George P. Morse the northweE part of northwest fractional quarter, May 2, 1833. Norma Herrick the east part of southwest quarter of section 7 *d!: - S,^ f t; ff *; \ -:::: X: May 10, 1833. Nehemiah S. Burpee, northwest quarter of southwest quarter of section 18, June 5, 1833. Aaron and John Brigham the west half of southeast quarter, northeast quarter and southwest quarter of section 5, Dec. 13, 1833. The names of those who purchased from the government lands situated in this township are embraced in the following list. The figures indicating years show the date of the first purchase upon each section. 1833, section 1: George P. Morse, Alonzo Davis, John Vantine, Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Robert H. Stone, Schuyler V. Brown. 1836, section 2: John Thompson, Duncan McKenzie, John Vantine, John Dancer, Daniel McIntosh, Julius Barnes, Jacob Thomas. 1836, section 3: John Thompson, Amos H. Fisk, Lewis ty Cummins, Thomas Sweet, Abel Seelye, William J. King. k, 1835, section 4: Alexander Lobban, Francis G. Macy, lis Robert Thompson, Horace B. Harrison. ie 1831, section 5: Robert Thompson, Hiram Ford, Aaron ed Brigham, John Brigham, James McCrath, Alexander Lobn- ban, Stephen Horton, Huldah Davison, William Surryhne, 5s. James Lobban, Elijah W. Jones. on 1836, section 6: Fitch R. Tracy, Ira Davenport, Moses r Frost. nt 1833, section 7: Norman Herrick, John L. Carr, William Roberts, David Bardo, Nathaniel Ewers, Joseph Char", tres, Joseph Tyler, Ira Davenport, Edward Fortune. re 1831, section 8: Norman Davison, Oliver P. Davison, d Albert Vantine, Celemma Bates, Sylvia Davison, Paul G. e- Davison. Af 1833, section 9: Norman Davison, Alpheus Gould, Samof uel Bassett, Levi Preston, Paul G. Davison, Phineas e, Thompson, Francis G. Macy. in 1836, section 10: Levi Preston, Ezra K. Parshall, er Lewis Cummings, Charles Vantine. he 1836, section 11: John M. Winegar, John L. McNiel, e. John Lawton, Jacob Thomas. a 1836, section 12: Thomas Wiard, Jr., John K. Pearer sons, David N. Clark, Seth Beckwith, Calvin Carter. ae 1836, section 13: William Goodrich, Moses Wisner, ie Michael Bowers. 3, 1836, section 14: Moses Wisner, Bradley Cartwright, as Jacob Thomas, Freeman Coolage. ct 1836, section 15: Levi H. Goodrich, Moses Goodrich, e Nathaniel Fairchild, Hiram Fillmore, Francis G. Macy. Section 16: School lands. e, 1835, section 17: Moses Goodrich, Albert Vantine, at William Dancer, William Carpenter, John Vantine, Truman Andrus, Francis G. Macy. 1830, section 18: Asa Farrar, Nehemiah S. Burpee, y Samuel Lason, Samuel C. Robinson, Pearson Burpee, Saml. r- Winship, Clark Hutchins, Hiram Maxfield (land-warrant). n 1833, section 19: James Burdon, Augustus McDermott, i- Levi H. Goodrich, John M. Winegar, Clark Sanford. d 1834, section 20: John Mancour, Moses Goodrich, Enos )f Goodrich. st 1836, section 21: Levi W. Goodrich, William Carpenter, n Francis G. Macy, Aaron Goodrich, John S. Goodrich, Ed7, ward Fortune. RESIDENCE AND FARM OF STEPHEN JORDAN, ATLAS,GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1~: I::~: ~,~ -LI ATLAS TOWNSHIP. 255 1835, section 22: Levi H. Goodrich, Enos Goodrich, James McCrath, Ira Davenport, Smith Titus, Paul G. Davison, Levi Preston, Eliza S. Goodrich, Clinda Fay, Francis G. Macy. 1835, section 23: David Demaree, Ephraim S. Frost, Smith Titus, Peter Lane, James Kipp. 1836, section 24: Ephraim S. Frost, Peter Lane, Jonathan Frost. 1836, section 25: Ira Davenport, E. Stone, A. B. Merrill, M. P. Thomas, Aaron D. P. Sackett, Hiram Husted, Peter Lane, Moses Wisner. 1835, section 26: David Demaree, Daniel Swears, Manley Swears, Jacob Vantine, James Kipp, Charles Vantine, Ira Davenport. 1835, section 27: David Demaree, Charles Vantine, Ralph C. Atkins, Francis G. Macy. 1835, section 28: Enos Goodrich, Albert Demaree, John Vantine, Charles Vantine, Eliza S. Goodrich, Francis G. Macy. 1835, section 29: Levi W. Goodrich, John S. Goodrich, Aaron Goodrich, Francis G. Macy. 1836, section 30: Charles Hobson, Nelson McCarty, Phineas Thompson, Edmund Perry, Jr., Francis G. Macy. 1833, section 31: Noah Owen, Wallace Godfrey, Francis G. Macy, Gerard Fitch, William Owen, Charles Holton. 1834, section 32: Ezra K. Parshall, Samuel T. Horton, Joseph R. Johnson, Albert J. Bates, Huldah Bates, Roswell Hasford, Ira J. Horton, Daniel Powell. 1834, section 33: Samuel T. Horton, John Vantine, Peter Vantine, Charles Vantine, Joseph Jennings, Jr., Roswell Hasford. 1836, section 34: Hiram Fillmore, Harriet Conly, John Hassler, Paul Liscomb, Caleb Mills. 1836, section 35: James Vantine, James Kipp, Stephen York, Daniel Swears, Jr., John Perritt, Cyrus Baldwin. 1836, section 36: James Vantine, Ira Davenport, Matthew P. Thomas, Jacob H. Hoover, Julia A. Webster, Isaac Carmer. CIVIL HISTORY. By an act of the State Legislature approved March 23, 1836, Atlas township was formed as follows: " All that portion of the county of Lapeer designated by the United States survey as township six, north of range number eight east, and the south half of township number seven, north of range number eight east, be and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Atlas, and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at ' Davison's Mills,' in said township." That portion which is now included in Davison township, viz., the south half of township seven, north of the same range, was set off to the former township in 1840. By an act of the Legislature approved March 9, 1843, Atlas, with other townships; viz., Davison, Richfield, and Forest, was detached from Lapeer and annexed to Genesee County. At the first township-meeting held in the township of Atlas, on the 4th day of April, A.D., 1836, Moses Goodrich was chosen moderator, and Ezra K. Parshall clerk of the day. There were 22 voters present, and the election for township officers resulted as follows: "Ezra. K. Parshall, Supervisor; Norman Davison, Township Clerk; John Brigham, Asa Farrar, James G. Horton, Assessors; James Lobban, Collector; Moses Goodrich, Aaron Brigham, Directors of the Poor; Moses Goodrich, Paul G. Davison, Asa Farrar, Commissioners of Highways; James Lobban, Constable; Oliver P. Davison, Levi W. Goodrich, Ezra K. Parshall, School Commissioners for three years; Norman Davison, Ezra K. Parshall, Moses Goodrich, Alexander Lobban, Justices of the Peace; Moses Goodrich, Oliver P. Davison, Alexander Lobban, Samuel Lason, Fence-Viewers; Norman Davison, Pound-Keeper; Road District No. 1: Oliver P. Davison, Overseer; Road District No. 2: John Brigham, Overseer; Road District No. 3: Samuel Lason, Overseer; Road District No. 4: Moses Goodrich, Overseer; Ezra K. Parshall, Oliver P. Davison, James G. Horton, Paul G. Davison, Levi W. Goodrich, School Inspectors. "Voted, That all fences be built of logs, poles, rails, and boards, and to be five feet high, and the spaces between the logs, poles, rails, or boards shall not exceed four inches, until it rises two feet above the ground, to constitute a lawful fence. " Voted, That ten dollars be raised on the taxable property of this township for the purpose of purchasing blank books and stationery for the use of said township. "Voted, That the next annual township-meeting be held at Davison's Mills, in said township. (Signed) "MosES GooDRICH, ~fModerator. "EZRA K. PARSHALL, Clerk. "NORMAN DAVISON, Justice of the Peace." The following is a list of the jurors selected May 4, 1839: Daniel Hartwell, Elias Rockafellow, Oliver P. Davison, Moses Frost, Ira Bates, Ezra K. Parshall, James G. Horton, James Kipp, John Vantine, Lewis Mantor, Jacob H. Hoover, Charles Vantine, William Carpenter, Levi Preston, Charles McNiel, Jr., John K. Pearsons, Nehemiah S. Burpee, Marlin Davison, Lewis Cummings, Ira J. Horton, A. A. Woodworth, Roswell Holcomb, John L. McNiel, Aaron Oldfield. The following were chosen as jurors for 1840: Ralph C. Atkins, John Anderson, Julius Barnes, Bradley Cartwright, Elias Dancer, Jonathan Frost, Nathaniel Fairchild, Enos Goodrich, Joseph Russell, Fitch R. Tracy, William Thomas, Jacob Thomas, Albert Vantine, John Chadbourn, Hiram Fillmore, Ephraim Frost, John S. Goodrich, Henry Hoffman, Daniel Harding, Peter Lane, James Lobban, William Owen, William Surryhne, Manley Swears, James Vantine, Lewis Van Cleve, Jr. TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. The principal township officers from 1836 to 1879, inclusive, are as follows: Supervisors. 1836. Ezra K. Parshall. 1837. Enos Goodrich. 1838. Ezra K. Parshall. 1839. James Kipp. 1840. " " 1841. " " 1842. Fitch R. Tracy. 1843. " " 1844. " " 1845. James Kipp. 1846. " " Township Clerks. Norman Davison. Thomas Wilkes.* F. R. Tracy. James Lobban. I( tt Fitch R. Tracy. D. C. Davison. Collectors. James Lobban. ". cc (i Treasurers. Elias Rockafellow.t Rt rc " a Reuben Goodrich. is it * Elias Rockafellow elected in November, 1837, to fill vacancy. t First treasurer. 256 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.. I Supervisors. 1847. James Kipp. 1848. " " 1849. George Kipp. 1850. " " 1851. " " 1852. " " 1853. Elbridge G. Gale. 1854. George Kipp. 1855. " " 1856. " " 1857. " " Township Clerks. E. G. Gale. i, it it it George C. Bidwell. Jesse Cram. Wm. H. Putnam. Wm. L. Barnum. John Algoe. 1858. William H. Putnam.Fred. G. Bailey. 1859. Hiram Adams. D. C. Davison. 1860. Elbridge G. Gale. Oscar H. Gallup. 1861. " " " " 1862. " " Jesse Eeles. 3863. George Kipp. " " 1864. " " Wm. W. Lockwood. 1865. " " Isaac P. Roberts. 1866. Elbridge G. Gale. Calvin Hyde. 1867. Thomas Mathews. A. W. Mattice. 1868. " " Jesse Eeles. 1869. " " " " 1870. Wm. IH. Putnam, Jr.David M. Scriver. 1871. " " Enos H. Goodrich. 1872. Jacob Bedtelyon. A. W. Mattice. 1873. " " F. C. Delano. 1874. Wmi. H. Putnam, Jr. " " 1875. Jacob Bedtelyon. Amos Dalby. 1876. " " " " 1877. " " " " 1878. Wm. II. Putnam, Jr. " " 1879. Adrian P. Gale. " " 1. Collectors. Reuben Goodrich. George Owen. Reuben Goodrich. Fitch R. Tracy. <(: Jacob H. Hoover. Elias Rockafellow. Jesse Eeles. Myron Bunnell. Jacob Vantine. B. Vantine. i t Daniel W. Campbell. Calvin Hyde. Calvin Bunnell. James R. Kipp. t A Isaac P. Roberts. Jacob II. Frost. it it Joseph Goodrich. II. E. Rockafellow. ai it Addison Davis. Samuel Spicer. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. Norman Davison, Ezra K. Parshall, Moses Goodrich, Alexander Lobban, 1836; James Kipp, 1837; Samuel Winship, 1838; James G. Horton, 1839; Fitch R. Tracy, 1840; James Kipp, 1841; John L. McNiel, 1842; Elias Rockafellow, 1843; Levi H. Goodrich, 1844; James Vantine, 1845; John L. McNiel, Alanson L. Barnum, 1846; Elias Rockafellow, 1847; George Kipp, 1848; Jesse Eeles, 1849; Charles Kipp, 1850; Alvah Bentley, 1851; James Kipp, 1852; Jesse Cram, John Vantine, 1853; Junius Sanford, David Royce, Levi Preston, 1854; Jesse Eeles, Ezra M. Crosby, 1855; William H. Putnam, Richard C. Satterlee, George Kipp, 1856; B. E. Rust, 1857; Jesse Eeles, David Royce, 1858; Francis King, 1859; George Kipp, 1860; Levi Gillett, Myron Bunnell, Horace C. Tuttle, 1861; Bradley Cartwright, 1862; Horace C. Tuttle, Daniel L. Hartwell, 1863; Jacob C. Rose, Isaac P. Roberts, 1864; Levi Gillett, William Owen, 1865; Thomas Mathews, George Kipp, Samuel Larabee, 1866; Harrison Withee, 1867; John M. Withee, Samuel Larabee, 1868; Thomas Mathews, 1869 -70; Samuel Larabee, Jacob Bedtelyon, 1871; William H. Putnam, Jr., 1872; Isaac P. Roberts, Adrian P. Gale, James R. Kipp, 1873; Hezekiah R. Dewey, 1874; Adrian P. Gale, 1875; Roswell Preston, 1876; Henry W. Brown, 1877; William H. Putnam, Jr., 1878; Adrian P. Gale, 1879. ASSESSORS. John Brigham, Asa Farrar, James G. Horton, 1836; John Vantine, John L. McNiel, Peter Lane, 1837; John Vantine, John L. McNiel, Samuel Winship, 1838; John Vantine, James Lobban, Lewis Mantor, 1839; John Vantine, Daniel Hartwell, John S. Goodrich, 1840; James G. Horton, Daniel Hartwell, Daniel Harding, 1841. The supervisors have done the assessing since the latter date. COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS. Moses Goodrich, Paul G. Davison, Asa Farrar, 1836; John Hosler, Talford Powell, Moses Frost, 1837; Charles Vantine, John K. Pearsons, Asa Farrar, 1838; Ira Bates, John K. Pearsons, Arial A. Woodworth, 1839; Ira Bates, Elias Dancer, Levi Preston, 1840; Ira Bates, James Vantine, Charles McNiel, Jr., 1841; Charles McNiel, Jr., James Vantine, William Owen, 1842; Ira Bates, Charles McNiel, Jr., James Vantine, 1843; Charles McNiel, Ira Bates, Arial A. Woodworth, 1844; George C. Mitchell, Paul G. Davison, Charles McNiel, Jr., 1845; William Owen, George C. Mitchell, Charles McNiel, 1846; Bradley Cartwright, William Owen, Samuel Wilson, 1847; John Vantine, Bradley Cartwright, William Owen, 1848; Phineas Thompson, 1849; Daniel D. Barney, 1850; George Hosler, 1851; John Vantine, 1852; Reuben Goodrich, 1853; James Hamilton, 1854; John Vantine, 1855; Barney Hammell, 1856; Jonathan Frost, 1857; Ira B. Gale, 1858; William Owen, 1859; Barney Hammell, 1860; Ira B. Gale, 1861; Roswell Preston, 1862; William L. Palmer, 1863; Ira B. Gale, 1864; Jacob Bedtelyon, 1865; Roswell Preston, 1866; Jonathan Frost, 1867; Jacob Bedtelyon, 1868; Henry C. Sanford, Orrin R. Strong, Roswell Preston, 1869; Philip Mothersill, 1870; Orrin Strong, Elijah A. Rookafellow, 1871; Jeremiah Marvin, 1872; Calvin Hyde, E. A. Rockafellow, 1873 -74; James R. Kipp, 1875; George Campbell, 1876-77; James Mancour, 1878; Robert T. Rockafellow, 1879. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. Oliver P. Davison, Levi W. Goodrich, Ezra K. Parshall, 1836; Cyrus Baldwin, Paul G. Davison, John S. Goodrich, 1837; Moses Wisner, Paul G. Davison, F. R. Tracy, 1838; Paul G. Davison, F. R. Tracy, Samuel C. Baldwin, 1839; Ezra K. Parshall, John S. Goodrich, Paul G. Davison, 1840; Paul G. Davison, Ezra K. Parshall, James Lobban, 1841; Samuel C. Baldwin, Paul G. Davison, Fitch R. Tracy, 1842; Paul G. Davison, Henry C. Sanford, 1843; Albert L. Barnes, 1844; Paul G. Davison, 1845; William J. Lusk, 1846; George Kipp, Paul G. Davison, 1847; George Kipp, Paul G. Davison, 1848; Alvah Bentley, 1849; A. L. Barnes, 1850; Jasper Bentley, 1851; A. L. Barnes, Samuel C. Baldwin, 1852; Samuel C. Baldwin, 1853; Albert L. Barnes, James O'Donahue, 1854; Samuel H. Morris, 1855; Francis King, Wm. J. Lusk, 1856; Richard C. Satterlee, 1857; Myron Bunnell, Wm. J. Lusk, 1858; Horace C. Tuttle, 1859; Ira Tuttle, Henry C. Crane, 1860; Myron Bunnell, 1861; Oscar H. Gallup, William 11. Putnam, Jr., 1862; John K. Dunn, 1863; Oscar H. Gallup, 1864-65; Horace Dunning, 1865; Thomas Mathews, Horace H. Dunning, 1866-67; Thomas Mathews, 1868; Geo. Kipp, Philip Mothersill, 1869; Philip Mothersill, 1870; James R. Kipp, 1871; Daniel W. Campbell, 1872; Henry L. Hawes, James R. Kipp, 1873; Wm. Carpenter, Jr., 1874; C. I. Horton, 1875-76; George H. Cummings, 1877-78; Calvin Bunnell, 1879. CONSTABLES. James Lobban, 1836; George Hosler, James Lobban, 1837; George Ilosler, James Lobban, 1838; George Hosler, Roswell Preston, 1839; George Hosler, Roswell Preston, 1840; John Britton (3d), Roswell Preston, 1841; George H-osler, John Vantine, 1842; William S. Farrar, John Britton (3d), George Hosler, 1843; George Hosler, David Case, 1844; Barney Hammell, George Hosler, 1845; George Hosler, Barney IIammell, Austin Macumber, Eber Adams, 1846: George Owen, L. H. Brannock, 1847; John C. Rockafellow, Jesse Eeles, 1848; John C. Rockafellow, Luman G. Husted, 1849; Austin Macumber, 0. Owen, 1850; Henry II. Sheldon, Austin Macumber, 1851; Samuel Larabee, John Buzzell, 1852; Simeon H. Hart, Austin Macumber, 1853; Samuel Larabee, Barney Hammell, 1854; Samuel Larabee, Lowell Roberts, 1855; Samuel Larabee, IH. B. Falls, 1856; Samuel Larabee, Marvin Cummings, 1857; Walter P. Hyde, James Freeman, 1858; Samuel Larabee, Walter P. Hyde, 1859; Simeon H. Hart, Aaron Crego, 1860; Aaron Crego, Israel P.Witmer, 1861; Aaron Crego, Walter P. Hyde, Calvin Hyde, Albert N. Badgely, 1862; Aaron Crego, Calvin Hyde, Edward Hoard, E. G. Gale, 1863; Aaron Crego, Edward Hoard, Orlando Caswell, Harrison Withee, 1864; Edward Hoard, Aaron Crego, Adrian P. Gale, Roswell Preston, 1865; Edward Hoard, Walter P. Hyde, 1866; Edward Hoard, Daniel W. Campbell, Harrison Withee, Roswell Preston, 1867; Edward Hoard, Roswell Preston, 1868; William Lewis, Roswell Preston, Aaron Crego, John Joy, 1869; Edward Hoard, Roswell Preston, Walter P. Hyde, Orlando Caswell, 1870; Edward Hoard, Roswell Pres ton, 1871; Edward Hoard, Geo. W. Enders, 1872; George W. Enders, Ira Howard, 1873; Hendy Hart, Robert Wood, 1874; Henry E. Rockafellow, Addison Davis, 1875; Orlando Caswell, . I: I I~ I I i: I I..I ~-:~:s:: -~.~, t~ Z~ i~~ j I 3 4.I''~;. _r,.,' - 'N.;!~; I iL i-1;;. I,.r,.,,, iI (., " I 11 F~l I Ir. ~)iit I;, li.~ s~ 1B i "" I ~ ' ~b X11::.:~ I i I: I r. 1,.1.1 ~ ~~t 11-.: I.,:-~?~; a:;-:-~~. ~~.0 k Z I 1 I, -1I- ~., '.. ~ I. I: i t I 3 ATLAS TOWNSHIP. 257 Henry E. Rockafellow, 1876; Byron Burt, Ienry E. Rockafellow, Orlando Caswell, 1877; IIenry E. Rockafellow, William A. McCandlish, 1878; Ienry E. Rockafellow, Orlando Caswell, George W. Enders, William Carpenter, Jr., 1879. VILLAGES. The village of Goodrich* is situated upon the Kearsley River, and occupies a central position in the township. It is sixteen miles southeast from the city of Flint, and contains three churches,-Congregational, Methodist Episcopal, and Free-Will Baptist,-one hotel, one saw-mill, one flouring-mill, four stores of general merchandise, one union graded school, a post-office which receives a daily mail, many small mechanical shops, and about 450 inhabitants. The first land entered upon its site was by Levi H. and Enos Goodrich, in November, 1835. The mill-site, including a tract of 40 acres, was entered in the name of Enos Goodrich. In October, 1836, he underbrushed about one-quarter of an acre, and built a house of poplar logs 18 by 30 feet in size, which stood east of the Kearsley Creek, and about two hundred feet south of where the Congregational church now stands. The first framed building was erected in December of the same year, and was placed upon the southeast corner of Main and Clarence Streets, directly opposite the present brick store, and across Clarence Street, east from Bushaw's Hotel. Small as it was, it fulfilled a variety of useful purposes, chief among which was a general store and the site of the " Goodrich Bank," an institution that honorably redeemed its circulation, and procured the full discharge of its securities from the auditor-general. The next building erected in the village was the saw-mill, which was framed during the winter of 1836 and 1837, raised in March, and commenced to cut lumber in the month of April of the latter year. Nathaniel Fairchild came fiom Clarence, Erie Co., N. Y., and built and established the first blacksmith-shop in the fall of 1837. The first framed dwelling-a small one-story structurewas built by Enos Goodrich, with his own hands, in the summer of 1838. It is still standing, and constitutes a part of the house in which the late William H. Putnam lived and died. The grist- and flouring-mill, known as the " Goodrich Mill," was built by the Goodrich Brothers in the year 1844. It was commenced in the spring of that year, but did not commence grinding grists until the fall or winter, and was not finished for merchant work until the following year. The entire cost of the mill and dam, with raceway and other fixtures, was $8500. The brick store, the first brick structure in the village, was built about 1852. The post-office was first established in January, 1846, Enos Goodrich, postmaster. His commission was signed by Cave Johnson, Postmaster-General, appointment made Jan. 13, 1846, commission dated Feb. 21, 1846. It was first known as the Atlas post-office, but was changed to the name of "Goodrich"-its present title-March 1, 1849. llcius P. Atkins, who now resides in Bay City, was the i.-t mail-contractor, and he agreed to carry the mails from Stony Run, in Oakland County, for the proceeds of the office, not exceeding $12 a quarter. The first tavern was built and controlled by a Mr. Haskins, about the year 1846. Hon. E. H. Thomson, the first attorney, and at present a prominent lawyer in the city of Flint, first settled here in 1837. DAVISONVILLE, known as Atlas Post-Office,-the oldest village settlement in the township,-is situated on the Kearsley River, about three miles northwest fiom Goodrich. It contains two churches,-Baptist and Methodist Episcopal,-one flouring-mill, one saw-mill, one plaster-mill, one plow-foundry, one store of general merchandise, post-office, district school, a few small shops, and about 125 inhabitants. The first settlers in its vicinity were Judge Davison and his family, who settled here in 1831. Here were located the first mills, workshops, post-office, schools, and merchants in the township. Elias Rockafellow established the blacksmith-shop in 1837, and began casting plow-points and other necessary iron castings very soon thereafter. Fitch R. Tracy began the mercantile business at about the same time (1838). Norman Davison was appointed postmaster in March, 1837, and, it is believed, was in partnership with Tracy in the store. Oliver Palmer first began wool-carding and stock-drcssing here about 1841. William Thomas opened the first tavern, in 1840. SCHOOLS. The earliest school of which we have any record, and very probably the first, was taught by Miss Sarah Barnes, a daughter of Junius, in 1837. The building occupied was a lean-to, adjoining Davison's saw-miil, which had been erected as the dwelling-place for Lewis Mantor, sawyer for, and son-in-law of, Judge Davison. Mr. Mantor's wife, Sarah, died in 1836, the first adult to depart this life in the township. Mr. Mantor, becoming discouraged with his prospects here in the wilderness, returned to New York, and subsequently his house was used as a school-room. The following are the school statistics for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878, as compiled from school inspectors' annual report: Number of whole districts, 6; number of fractional districts, 4. Number of children in the township of school age, 378; number of children attending school during the year, 354. Number of frame school-houses, 10. Seating capacity of school-houses, 513. Value of school property, $7203. Male teachers employed during the year, 3; female, 15. Months taught by male teachers, 18; months taught by female teachers, 70. Paid male teachers, $960; paid female teachers, $1137.72; total, $2097.72. Receipts.-From moneys on hand Sept. 3, 1877, twomill tax, primary-school fund, tuition of non-resident scholars, district taxes, and from all other sources, $3913.73. Expenditures. -Paid teachers' wages, $2097.72; for building and repairs, on bonded indebtedness, and for all other purposes, $1313.05; amount on hand Sept. 2, 1878, $502.96; total, $3913.73. Total indebtedness of the districts, $758.33. '* Historical data derived from lion. Enos Goodrich. 33 258 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. i"""""""""" -- RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. The Methodists were the first to hold religious meetings in the township. As early as 1836 their circuit preachers traversed this region, and held meetings in Judge Davison's house and the school-house, but no record of their names or the proceedings of these early meetings have been preserved. THE ATLAS BAPTIST CHURCH. On the 2d day of April, 1843, several members of the Baptist denomination, who resided in Atlas township, met at the house of Eber Adams and resolved, "That as there is no church of our faith or order that we can conveniently unite with, and the moral destitution being very great, therefore, under these circumstances, after frequent consultations and prayerful deliberations, we deem it our duty to maintain the worship of God in this place, and that we do now band ourselves together for this purpose, and covenant with each other to observe the Sabbath, and constantly meet together to pray, speak, and sing of His goodness, every Sabbath, and oftener, as occasion may require. That it is our duty to raise the standard of the cross, to maintain the preaching of the word and the administration of the ordinances as delivered by the great Head of the church, and that freely relying on His grace and promises, in His strength and through His assistance, we will thus do." The church thus formed consisted of six members,-two males and four females. Eber Adams was chairman of the meeting, and C. P. Jacobs clerk. April 15th of the same year the little church was recognized by a council, at which the churches of Highland, Grand Blanc, Athertons, and Hadley were represented. The following-named ministers took part in the services of the day,-Elders Jones, Potter, Grow, and Boothe. At this time the church had no minister, and the records are silent as to occasional preaching. The early meetings were held in school-houses, and frequently in the dwelling-houses of members. In July, 1843, a letter was received from the Hadley Church, signed by 18 members,-apparently the whole church,-requesting to be received as a branch of the Atlas Church. The request was granted on certain conditions, which are not stated in the records. This union continued until April, 1848, when the Hadley Church, by its own wish, again became an independent body. In 1853 the members resolved to build a church edifice. This was completed under the ministry of Elder Fuller, in 1855, and cost about $3500. A parsonage was erected in 1867, at a cost, including site, of $2000. The following ministers have labored with this church, the dates given being the time of their respective settlements: A. K. Tupper, 1844; Daniel Anderson, 1847; A. Stark, 1849; I. H. Facer, 1850; W. Purdy, 1851; S. Goodman, 1852; W. H. Fuller, 1854; W. G. Wisner, 1856; S. Wilkins, 1860; I. C. Atherton, 1862; E. J. Bennett, 1865; B. Freeman, 1870; I. C. Atherton, 1871; B. Freeman, 1872; D. B. Miller, 1873; A. H. Wilkinson, 1875; A. G. Cameron, present pastor, 1878. The church edifice is situated in the village of Davisonville, and has sittings for about 300 people. Present membership, 47; scholars in Sabbath-school, 60. Mr. John Macumber, superintendent of Sunday-school. The deacons of the church have been Messrs. Eber Adams, Ira J. Horton, Oliver Palmer, John Bainbridge, Oscar H. Gallup, and B. E. Rust. Messrs. Horton and Rust are the present incumbents. FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. In 1844, a class of some 10 or 12 members was formed in the village of Goodrich. Among them were John Thomas and wife, Jonathan Frost and wife, and John Withee and wife. The first meetings were held in the village school-house, and were continued there until 1852, when the present church edifice was completed, at a cost of $3000. The site, containing one acre, was donated by a non-resident, a Quaker by the name of Hussey. Among the early ministers were Revs. William Blades, - Hemingway, and Israel Cogshall. Present membership, 50. Rev. C. R. Church, present pastor. The church building is situated in the village of Goodrich, and has sittings for about 300 persons. SECOND METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. This society was organized in the fall of 1849, in the school-house, village of Davisonville, Rev. Israel Cogshall presiding. Among the first members were John Buzzell and wife, Mrs. Jane Joy, Mrs. Lucia Selleck, Levi Gillett and his wife, Eliza M. This organization now forms part of the Goodrich circuit. The following is an incomplete list of those ministers who have labored with this church since Mr. Cogshall: B. F. Pritchard, N. H. Brown, Thomas Wakeland, John Livingston, - Belknap, Thomas Seeley, Isaac Crawford, Wesley Hagadorn, -- Hascall, Bancroft, B. H. Hedger, H. W. Hicks, S. J. Brown, W. J. Jolnston, WVm. Birdsall, -- Ramsdall, - Lyon, J. W. Crippen. Hood, J. B. Varnum, Steer, and C. R. Church, present pastor. A church edifice, situated in the village of Davisonville, was commenced in 1870 and completed and dedicated Aug. 1, 1872. Rev. William Fox preached the dedicatory sermon, Rev. William Birdsall being the pastor in charge. It has sittings for 300 people, and cost about $3000. The site upon which it is located was donated for church purposes by Judge Norman Davison, many years previously. Present membership, 12. FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH. This society was organized in Hadley township, Lapeer County, about forty years ago. The first meetings were held in the Davenport school-house. In later years the Brigham and Pierson school-houses were occupied as places of worship. The first membership was composed entirely of people residing in Lapeer County, but at the present time a large majority are residents of Genesee County. Their church edifice, a brick structure, is situated in the village of Goodrich, and was completed in 1867, at a cost of $4500. It has sittings for 300 persons. Among those ministers who have at various periods assumed the pastorate of this church are mentioned Elders Kingsbury, Good rich, Jones, Williams, Shaw, Mills, Westgate, Howard, McElroy, Spencer, and N. H. Farr, the present pastor. Present membership of the society, 45; scholars in the 4 I elir:: A, r-3 -N I I8t -j~i 'y'-';"~~ il44 8"Z" 7!s~ ~cYk NA AM;N k-; —,: -:l:: ~-i' ~ -::::~ -~ —::~-~-::r.:.]:: * ~~- ~-: —;:;~-:::- _~ i~':~~,~;~ ~~;`:-~'~~:s,~~~~~~ tV~:-~;i''~~-:~~~~:;~ RESIDENCE & FARM-^Or-LEWIS 0 MEDB(JRY, ATLAS, GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ATLAS TOWNSHIP. 259 Sabbath-school, 110. E. E. Stimson, superintendent of Sunday-school. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. During the summer of 1854, a number of persons residing in the village of Goodrich and its immediate vicinity, feeling disposed to unite for purposes of worship under the Congregational form of church government, began a correspondence with Rev. Henry Bates, of Middlebury, Ohio, with a view of securing his services as a pastor. This resulted in the coming of Mr. Bates, and he began his labors in the village of Goodrich, October 1st of the same year. A meeting was held at the house of Reuben Goodrich, Jan. 25, 1855, at which it was resolved that a regular organization should be effected. At an adjourned meeting, held Feb. 2, 1855, a committee consisting of Rev. Henry Bates, Dr. J. Eastman, and J. W. Campbell was appointed to take the necessary steps to effect a regular organization, to prepare articles of faith, covenant, and by-laws. At an ecclesiastical meeting held in the church edifice of the Methodist Episcopal society, in the village of Goodrich, Feb. 28, 1855, composed of ministers and delegates from Detroit, Owasso, Pontiac, Romeo, Campbell's Corners, Utica, and Canandaigua Churches, Rev. H. Fletcher was chosen moderator, Rev. H. R. Hurd scribe, and the organization of this church regularly effected. The members of this first organization were as follows: Henry Bates, Cyrus Baldwin, Samuel Baldwin, John W. Campbell, Joseph Eastman, William Saunders, George Hosler, S. Hall Morris, Keziah Bates, Susanna Baldwin, Lucy Baldwin, Eliza Campbell, Nancy Eastman, Ann McAllister, Electa Hosler, Mary Saunders, Lorinda Pratt, Hannah Cram, Mary Hoover, Eliza Goodrich, Martha Cram, Hannah Ferris, Margaret Woodworth. March 3, 1855, John W. Campbell was elected deacon, and Joseph Eastman clerk of the society. A church edifice, costing about $3000, was completed in the fall of 1858. Rev. Herbert Read delivered the dedicatory address. The following pastors have succeeded Mr. Bates in the care of this church, viz.: Revs. Alonzo Sanderson, D. B. Campbell, A. M. Ashley, A. Blanchard, Alonzo Sanderson, and H. K. Crane. Present membership, 36. In the preparation of the history of Atlas township we have been ably assisted by information derived from the IHon. Enos Goodrich, Hon. John L. McNiel, Mrs. J. L. McNeil, Messrs. Moses Goodrich, Wm. Carpenter, Hiram Husted, Adam Brigham, J. W. Campbell, Samuel Lason, Morgan Davison, B. E. Rust, Mrs. E. M. Gillett, and many others, to all of whom we desire to return our sincere thanks for their uniform courtesy and kindness. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. LEWIS O. MEDBURY. The ancestors of Mr. Medbury were early settlers in Rhode Island, and of English extraction. Charles Medbury emigrated to New York while a young man, and..... _. settled at New Berlin, Chenango Co., where he married Miss Lucretia Arnold; he reared a family of ten children. He was engaged nearly all his life in the mercantile business; served as sheriff, and held numerous offices in his town and county. He died at the age of seventy-nine years. Samuel, his eldest son, was born at New Berlin, in 1808. He was reared and educated to the mercantile business, which he followed with success, at New Berlin, up to the year 1857. In 1836 he married Miss Lucretia R. Moss, of the same town. In 1857 he moved with his family to Detroit. He had previously become largely interested in several business enterprises in Michigan, such as banking, railroads, etc. Mr. Medbury came to Detroit shortly after the panic of 1857, and, in connection with his two brothers-in-law, took charge of and managed the Peninsular Bank, in which they were heavy stockholders. After three years they disposed of their stock to other parties, and Mr. Medbury subsequently became prominent in the organization of the State Bank of Michigan, the forerunner of the present First National Bank of Michigan. I-Ie was also for several years a special partner of K. C. Barker & Co., in the tobacco trade; he finally disposed of his interest in the latter firm, after which he gave his attention almost entirely to real estate, of which he was a large owner, embracing city property, pine-lands, and farms in various portions of Michigan and other States. His death occurred on the 19th day of July, 1874, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. lie left his widow and two children the memory of an unblemished character, the example of a moral and virtuous life, and a competency of this world's goods. Esther A., the daughter, resides with her mother at the old home-residence on Woodward Avenue, in the city of Detroit. Lewis 0., the son, was born at the old home of the family, in New Berlin, July 9, 1837. His boyhood days were passed in the schools, until the family came to Detroit, when he was employed in the Peninsular Bank; after which he was engaged in the lumber business in Sanilac County for four years, and the ensuing five years in the firm of K. C. Barker & Co., in the tobacco business. In 1873 he purchased, in the town of Atlas, Genesee Co., what was known as the old Gould Davison farm, consisting of about three hundred acres, to which he has since added about ninety acres. Since his father's decease he has been engaged in improving and managing the farm in Atlas, and in looking after the interests of the estate. On the 19th day of July, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Sherwood, of Union City, Pa. Mr. Medbury has, since his residence in Atlas, made extensive improvements on his farm, in fencing, farm-buildings, tenanthouses, residence, etc. It ranks, in all its appointments, as one 6f the finest in the county. His residence has all the modern improvements, furnaces, gas, and every convenience. Mr. Medbury and his esteemed wife are the parents of five children,-two sons and three daughters,-named Lucy R., Truman M., Samuel, Julia L., and Mary R., all at home with the parents. The reader may find elsewhere in the pages of this work a fine view of the farm-home of Mr. Medbury in Genesee County. 260 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. STEPHEN JORDAN. The ancestors of this gentleman were natives of Surry, England. John Jordan, the father of our subject, was born in 1791, on the same farm on which his father before him lived all his life. He was reared and educated a farmer, and at the age of thirty years married Ann Brooker, of the same place. She became the mother of eight children, viz.: Mary, Caleb, John, James, Stephen, William, Ann, and Louise. Of these all are living at this time except John, who died in the twentieth year of his age. Mrs. Ann Jordan died in 1835. The year after his wife's death, Mr. Jordan decided to emigrate to the United States, where he could better provide homes for himself and motherless children. Accordingly, in March, 1837, he embarked with his children for New York City, where they arrived after a six weeks' voyage. He went to Orleans County, N. Y., where he remained until the spring of 1839, when he removed to Michigan, and settled at Grand Blanc. Soon afterwards he broke up housekeeping, and placed the children in different families for homes; three years later they were again united as a family under the charge of Caleb, the eldest of the children. From that time onward, until his death, John Jordan made his home with his children. His death occurred in January, 1878, aged eighty-six years. Stephen Jordan was born at the old Surry home, in England, on the 24th day of February, 1829. He was about ten years of age when the family came to Michigan, and the young lad was only twelve years old when he went to live with Charles Bates, an old settler of Grand Blanc. He remained with Mr. Bates until he was twenty-one years of age, attending the schools in the winter, and working on the farm in the summer season. On becoming of age he received from Mr. Bates one hundred and twenty dollars; after which time he worked for Mr. Bates six months, and with his brother Caleb about a year, when he was seized with the "gold fever." He went by the Nicaragua route to California, arriving there in June, 1852. He went to Coloma, where his brother James was already located. With his brother and Esquire Davis, of Grand Blanc, he engaged in mining, in the placer and ravine diggings, with the " Lonc Tom" of early mining days in that country. For four years he followed mining, and then returned to Michigan, where he purchased his present farm, in the town of Atlas, Genesee Co. His first purchase was one hundred and fifty acres, bat he has increased it since by another purchase of one hundred and seventy acres. He next sought and obtained the hand of Miss Emily A. Perry, with whom he had been acquainted since boyhood. They were married Feb. 24, 1857. Mrs. Emily Jordan is the daughter of Simeon and Sarah Perry, and one of a family of six children, whose names are Iabel, Emily A., Mary, Joseph, Mary (2d), and Esther. Mrs. Jordan's parents came to Michigan among the first settlers of Genesee County. Simeon Perry campe to the Territory with his father in 1827, and afterwards returned to New York and married Miss Sarah Cartwright, of Genesee County, N. Y. He has resided ever since on his farm in Grand Blanc. His wife died Sept. 17, 1876, in the seventy-second year of her ae. Mr. Jordan and his esteemed wife are the parents of six children, named as follows: Mary E., Frank P., Jennie E., Louie A., Charles S., and Belle C., all living at home with their parents, except Mary, who died Feb. 21, 1877, aged eighteen years. Mr. Jordan is the owner of a valuable and fertile farm, beautifully situated and well adapted to the production of all the grains and fruit for which his locality is so widely celebrated. The portraits of this worthy couple, with a view of their farm-home, may be found on another page. EDGAR E. STIMSON is the descendant of an old New England family. Robert Stimson and his family emigrated from Massachusetts about 1797, and settled on a new farm in West Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., where they remained until old age, when they went to Ohio and resided with their son, Robert, until their deaths. They were the parents of eleven children,-Robert, Rebecca, Sutley B., Nancy, Harriet, Betsey, Emily, Catharine, Mary Ann, Sarah, and Martha. S. B. Stimson was born Nov. 7, 1800, at West Bloomfield, N. Y. From boyhood he was a natural mechanic, and he became a carpenter and builder, which occupation he followed all his life. In 1822, on January 1st, he married Polly Earl, of Mendon. She was born March 30, 1800, and became the mother of six children, named Morris M., Charlotte T., Edgar E., Fancher, Jane, and Harriet H.,-all of whom are living except Harriet, who died in childhood. Mrs. Polly Stimson died at the age of thirty-two years, Feb. 23, 1832. On the 28th day of April, 1836, Mr. Stimson married Olive Mansfield, of Mendon, by whom he had two children,-Warren and Robert E. His second wife died Oct. 8, 1851. Dec. 2, 1852, he married his third wife, Mrs. Cynthia Herrick, of West Bloomfield; there were no children by the latter marriage. In 1859 the old gentleman emigrated to Kansas, where he lived for the ensuing eighteen years; his wife died in 1876, and about the same time he had a stroke of paralysis. His son Edgar brought him to his home in Michigan to reside with the children. He died at the home of his son Morris, in Kalamazoo, in May, 1877, at the age of seventy-seven years. Edgar E. Stimson was born at West- Bloomfield, N. Y., Sept. 6, 1826. He lost his mother before he was six years old; for two years after this event he had a home with Abel HI. Peck, after which he remained with his father until he was seventeen years of age, when he went out into the world to do for himself. He worked at farm labor in the summer seasons and went to school in the winter; at the age of twenty he commenced teaching school, which lie followed for several winters. He then, in company with his father, bought a grist-mill and farm at West Bleomfield, and carried on milling and farming for several years. Ie subsequently exchanged his interest in that property for a new farm in the town of Waterford, Oakland Co., Mich. ATLAS TOWNSHIP. 261 He married Miss Frances C. French, of West Bloomfield, N. Y., on the 11th day of April, 1854. Soon after his marriage he removed to Michigan, settled on his new farm, built a shanty, and commenced clearing and improving his land. In 1865 he sold off his personal property and worked at the milling business in Ortonville; soon after he sold his farm in Oakland, and purchased a farm of one hundred acres in the town of Atlas, Gencsee Co., to which he has since added fifty-two acres, and has made extensive improvements in the farm-buildings, etc. Mrs. Frances C. Stimson, who is a remarkably intelligent and agreeable lady, was born at East Bloomfield, N. Y., on the 19th day of July, 1829; she was the daughter of John B. and Betsey French, old residents of the lastnamed place. She was one of eight children, namely,Alexander H., Timothy D., John B., Marcia J., Reuben E., Mary M., Frances C., and Helen M. HIer family were originally natives of New England, and settled in Western New York at an early day. Mr. Stimson and his wife are members of the Free-Will Baptist Church, and take an active interest in the advancement of the Gospel, and all enterprises for the upbuilding of society. They are both deservedly esteemed for their Christian and social qualities. They are the parents of five children, viz.: May V., Hattie L., Celia A., Frank E., and Lizzie J., all of whom are at home with the parents, except Hattie, who is the wife of Henry Brigham, and resides on the old farm-home of that family in Lapeer Co., Mich. On another page of this work may be found a view of the farm-home of this worthy family, with the portraits of the owners. THE McNEIL FAMILY. Tile ancestors of this family were of Scotch and Welsh nativity, descendants of whom settled in New England at an early date. Charles McNeil was a native of Vermont, educated and reared a farmer. He married Jerusha Lyman, daughter of Maj. Lyman, of Vergennes, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, and received his death-wound at the battle of Plattsburg. Charles McNeil came into possession of the old home-farm of his father, on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, at Charlotte. The farm consisted of five hundred acres, on which he resided all his life. He also owned the ferry between Charlotte and Essex, across the lake. He reared a family of fifteen children, named as follows: Frances, Mary E., Nancy H., Laura L., John L., Charles, David, James B., Charlotte, Henry, Jane, George, Ellen, William, and Julia. Of this large family eleven are still living. Charles died in 1860, at the age of seventy-nine years, and his widow attained to the same age, her decease occurring in 1864. John L. McNeil, the eldest son, was born at Charlotte, Oct. 10, 1813. His boyhood was passed in attending the common schools and in farm-labor until he was twenty-one, when he worked for his father a few months (at five dollars per month), and for the next year took charge of his father's hotel in Charlotte. In 1836 he concluded to go West and select a location for his future home. On the 2d day of May, of that year, he started with a light, covered wagon, in which he carried some extra clothing, provisions, a couple of log-chains, an axe, a set of drag-teeth, and various other tools. He came by way of Saratoga, Johnstown, Auburn, and Geneva to Buffalo, where he shipped his team and wagon for Toledo. On account of storms they did not land at Toledo, but came on to Detroit, when, hearing ill accounts of the Toledo country, he decided to settle in Michigan. He followed the old Saginaw road into the wilderness of Lapeer County; selected and bought of the government three hundred and twenty acres in the township of Atlas, in the present county of Genesee, about sixteen miles southeast of the city of Flint. He then sold his horses and wagon, bought a yoke of oxen, built a small log house which he covered with elm-bark, and moved in and kept house, as happy as a king. About a year later he erected a commodious log house, in which he and his brother Charles kept bachelor's hall until the fall of 1837, when he married Miss Sylvia Davison. He went sixteen miles on foot to obtain the necessary license of the county clerk. They were united on the 26th day of October, 1837. From that time he was busily engaged in clearing and improving his land, and in erecting suitable farm-buildings. In 1838 he was elected one of the assessors of Atlas, and two years later justice of the peace, which latter position he filled for the ensuing eight years. In 1818 he was elected a representative to the State Legislature. In all of these positions he served the public in a satisfactory manner. For the last forty-two years lie has been a zealous adherent of, and active worker in, the Democratic party. Mr. McNeil has become widely known as a fine stock farmer, making wool-growing a specialty, and has done much towards the introduction and improvement of the fine wool varieties in his locality. John L. McNeil and his excellent wife are the parents of three children. Charles, the eldest, died in infancy; Mary J. and Lyman are unmarried, and reside at home with their parents. Mr. McNeil is a man in whom the community have unbounded confidence,-shrewd and cautious in his business ventures, plain and unassuming in his manners, courteous and affable in his intercourse, and honorable in his dealings. He has never in the course of a long and active life had a suit at law. The ancestors of Mrs. Sylvia McNeil were also natives of New England and of Scotch descent. Paul Davison, the paternal grandfather, emigrated to Western New York, and settled on a farm at Lima, in Livingston County. He reared a family of seven children,-three sons and four daughters. Norman, the eldest child, was born in 1786; was reared a farmer, and also became a carpenter. Nov. 9, 1806, he married Huldah Brown. After his marriage he carried on farming for several years in various places in Monroe and Livingston Counties. In the spring of 1831 he ant his two eldest sons made a trip to the Territory of Michigan in quest of a location for their future home. They came to Detroit, and thence followed the old Saginaw trail into the wilds of Lapeer. They selected and bought a government lot at the place now known as Davisonville, in the township of Atlas, now GeneseeCoy l:.: is was the second entry of land in Lapeer Coui1& He erected a two-story fiame house, which was the second Niuilt in 262 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. — I Atlas. In the fall of that year he returned to New York, and moved his family to their new home in the wilderness. To the west of them their nearest neighbor was two and a half miles distant, and in the opposite direction none nearer than Port Huron. His family consisted of his wife and ten children,-viz., Sarah G., Paul G., Oliver P., Sylvia, George A., Henry P., Dewitt C., Benjamin F., Jane A., and Mary F. Mr. Davison was in the early and pioneer days of Michigan a man of much influence and consideration, and under the Territorial laws was made judge of the courts by Governor Mason. He also served as supervisor and as magistrate of his town. He died in 1841 at the age of fifty-five, and his widow in 1848 at the age of sixty-two years. Their fourth child, Mrs. Sylvia McNeil, was born at Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., March 28, 1812. She received the wholesome lessons and practical education of a farmer's daughter, and possessed with it the vigorous constitution and robust habits common to the atmosphere of farm-life. She was about nineteen years of age when the family emigrated to the wildwoods home in Michigan, and she retains to-day a vivid remembrance of their early pioneer life,-of the days when the forests were alive with deer, wolves, and bears. She has always been an active, industrious housewife, and has nobly performed her full share of life's duties. She enjoys the respect and esteem of all her acquaintances, and the love and reverence of her children. On another page of this work may be found the portraits and a view of the home of this old pioneer couple. DAVID MCNEIL was born at the old home, on Lake Champlain, April 21, 1816. He was also reared on the farm, attending school in his boyhood in alternation with farm labor. He remained with his father until he was twenty-three years old, when (in 1839) he came West. Soon after his arrival in Michigan he purchased at second-hand one hundred and sixty acres of wild land in the township of Grand Blanc, Genesee Co. He next built a log shanty, and therein kept bachelor's hall for three years; worked the while on his new farm, clearing off the timber, etc. During this time he made the acquaintance of Miss Jane A. Davison, the third daughter of Judge Davison, of Atlas. They were united in marriage on the 1st day of January, 1844. He then erected a more commodious log house, into which they moved. In a few years, by incessant toil and good management, Mr. McNeil had become a well-to-do farmer, and one of the "solid" men of the county, known and esteemed by a large circle of friends and acquaintances for his many good qualities as a citizen and neighbor. David McNeil and his wife have been blessed with four children. Ellen J., the eldest, is the wife of Sherman Townsend, and resides in Ionia; Norman J. is married, and owns and resides on his farm adjoining that of his father; George D. and Arthur G. are young men, and reside at home with the parents, assisting in carrying on the old home-farm, which embraces two hundred and forty acres of fertile land, well adapted to all kinds of grain and fruit. On another page will be seen a fine view of the farm home, accompanied by the portraits of David McNeil and his excellent wife. JONATHAN FROST. Among the early settlers of Atlas township there was no one who did more to advance the growth and prosperity of his township than he whose name heads this sketch. Jonathan Frost was born in South Bristol township, Ontario Co., N. Y., Dec. 25, 1817. His father, dying when he was quite young, left him to find a home as best he could. For a time he lived around among his relatives, but finally made his home with his uncle, Col. Hawes, with whom he lived until he grew to manhood. His chances for an education were limited to a few months in the winter at a district school, his summers being passed in working on his uncle's farm. He commenced life with only his hands, backed by an indomitable will, combined with energy and industry. In 1836 he came to Michigan and bought of the government the northeast quarter of section 24, and of his brother the east half of the northwest quarter of the same section, in Atlas township. He remained in Atlas during the fall and winter of 1836, and then returned to New York, where he worked at farming by the month until after his marriage, in May, 1839, when with his wife he moved on to his farm in Atlas, no portion of which was then cleared. A log house was soon built, and life in the wilderness commenced. Under his skillful management the forest disappeared, and soon a beautiful farm, with fine buildings, orchards, and all the modern improvements, appeared where, but so short a time before, the wolves, deer, and other wild animals roamed undisturbed. To the two hundred and forty acres Mr. Frost added from time to time, until at the time of his death his farm comprised four hundred and ninety-three acres of fine land, pronounced to be one of the best in the township. As above stated, Mr. Frost commenced life with nothing, and for several years after moving into the woods life with the new-married couple was no holiday. He did the most of his clearing himself, and many times worked half the night burning off the fallows, often burning his hands to a blister handling the charred logs. As time passed and prosperity dawned upon him, Mr. Frost branched out in business. lie dealt largely in real-estate and invested in mills, thus doing much to help his township. In early life Mr. Frost was a Democrat, but upon the organization of the Republican party, and thenceforward until his death, he was one of its most ardent supporters, although he never solicited office. He experienced religion at the age of fifteen, and was ever afterwards an earnest and sincere Christian. After he came to Michigan he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was active in the organization of that church in Atlas, and was for many years one of its officers. Mr. Frost died April 14, 1873. In his death Atlas lost one of its most enterprising citizens,-one respected and esteemed by friends and neighbors. Ile was married to Olive Cobb, May 30, 1839. She was the daughter of Job and Rhoda (Abbey) Cobb, and was born March 3, 1818. There were born to them the following children: Maryette, born Sept. 17, 1840; Rhoda A.; born Dec. 1, 1843; Emily and Emery, born June 23, 1847; / (Iag Ia li-r *-;'a: I i.,. z( r; Iti iil i.11;rx-tr:,x:::l~.iy?-~f I:rz rt~~. Eic:^iC:*,;,,s.:F:."'' -~ri~ 'ir~l~IV 1~ ie z~, r;?: "` ~-~~"v'~"nr=n~ii)r-;XL3r.`S(i i._I ^ I-~~ Y-.raacucu.~IPRLaaaHs*CuLcd;la3'Y"' —:::I.I-':;,: ~.::-:::I::;:-i::: :: - — - c*`"~"l"~"""'"-tt~tu E.19rY;! X I _r v!js. I;i i: r ~; 1CI" ~:~:::. —.-.-~II:::::: RESIDENCE OF W. M. CARP^NTERATLAS, GENESEE COUNTY, MICH. ATLAS TOWNSHIP. 263 Ephraim, born Dec. 15, 1852. Emery died Oct. 15,1848; Ephraim died March 3, 1877. Mrs. Frost died Dec. 16, 1852. For his second wife Mr. Frost married Mrs. Ann S. Hawes, daughter of William and Prudence (Case) Paul. She was born April 6, 1828. Their union was blessed with one daughter, Jenny Frost, born Aug. 22, 1861. THE CARPENTER FAMILY. The ancestors of this numerous family are from a long line in English history. Of those who settled in New York was George Carpenter, who reared a large family of children. His youngest son, George, grew to manhood, and was married to Abigail Gildersleeve. He was a farmer in Dutchess County; about the year 1812 he removed with his family to Saratoga; and settled on a farm. His wife, who died in 1811, was the mother of Henry, Pamelia, Mary, Amy, Peter, William, and Abigail. He was afterwards married to Mrs. Jerusha Case, of Dutchess County, by whom there were no children. He remained on his farm until 1837, when he came to Michigan, and made his home with his son William. He died at the extreme age of one hundred and two years, according to the family records. William Carpenter, the youngest son, was born Sept. 16, 1805, at the old Dutchess County home. He remained with his father until he was fourteen years of age, when he launched out for himself. He was employed on the farm of Jacob Denton, near Saratoga, where he remained fourteen years. During this time he paid court to Miss Luranie Pierce, who was also employed in the family of Mr. Denton. They were married in 1833, and soon after moved to Niagara County, bought a farm of fifty acres, upon which he settled and remained two years, when he sold out, and, in the spring of 1836, he, in company with Levi Preston, started for Michigan. They came on foot through Canada to Detroit, thence by the old Saginaw road to Atlas, Gcnesee Co. Mr. Carpenter selected and bought of the government two hundred acres, about fourteen miles southeast of the city of Flint. He next erected a log house, cleared off two acres, put in oats and potatoes. He then returned to New York, settled up his business, and with his wife and child started for the new home in the West. Mr. Levi Preston and his family came in company with them. The journey was performed with ox-teams,-two yoke of oxen to each wagon. The wagons, besides the family, contained beds, clothing, provisions, tools, etc. They were thirty days on the tedious journey, but arrived safely at the selected home in the wilderness. And from that little beginning in the wild woods, after passing through all the trials of pioneer life, has arisen the beautiful home of the Carpenter family, in Atlas, where William Carpenter and his worthy wife still reside, enjoying a happy old age in the companionship of their children and old neighbors. They are the parents of seven children —Jacob D., Mary E., Julia A., William, Jr., Amos, Pamelia, and George E.,-all of whom are living except Mary E, who died in the eighteenth year of her age. Jacob is married, and resides on his farm in the town of Burton, and the others are all married, and own and reside on farms in Tuscola County. William Carpenter, Jr., was born on the 9th day of August, 1844, at the old homestead in Atlas, where he has passed his life thus far. His boyhood days were spent in the schools and on the farm. At the age of twenty-two he married Miss Kate Colwell, daughter of James and Ann Colwell, old settlers of Atlas. They were united on the 24th day of October, 1865. In 1867, William Carpenter, his father, divided his property among the children, since which time William, Jr., has bought out the others, and now owns the old homestead and farm, consisting of two hundred and forty-five acres. He has made extensive improvements in the residence, farm-buildings, etc. As will be seen by reference to the view on another page, he has one of the finest farms in that part of the county. JEREMIAH NARRIN. The ancestors of this gentleman were of Scotch and Welsh origin, and among the early settlers of New York State. Peter Narrin, the grandfather of Jeremiah, emigrated fiom Wayne County, N. Y., in 1838, to Michigan. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of government land in the town of Groveland, Oakland Co. His family, which consisted of his wife and three sons, with their wives and children, all came at the same time and settled in the same locality. The names of the sons were William L., John S., and De Witt C. Together they located and occupied about one thousand acres in the same neighborhood. Peter Narrin died in 1851, at the age of seventy-four years, and his widow, in 1852, at the age of sixty-four years. William L., the eldest son, was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., April 21, 1811, and Feb. 1, 1832, he married Miss Sally Moore. In 1838 he sold his farm in New York, and, as above stated, came to Michigan, bought and settled on three hundred and twenty acres of government land in Oakland County. This becat:e his home, where he reared his children, and where he rdmained until eight years since, when he removed to Ortonville and purchased two hundred acres adjoining that village. His death occurred on the 14th day of May, 1879, at the city of Flint, while under medical treatment for stone in the bladder. He was the father of six children, three of whom died in infancy; the others (John S., Jeremiah, and George W.) grew to manhood. John S., the eldest son, went to the Western country about twenty-two years ago, and the family have had no tidings of him for the past twelve years. George W., the youngest son, resides on the old homestead in Groveland. Jeremiah Narrin, the second son, was born June 20, 1838, at the old home in Wayne County, N. Y., and while he was an infant his parents moved to Michigan. From the time he was fifteen months old he lived with his grandmother, until her death, when he had attained to his four teenth year. By the old lady's bequest he became the owner of the old home-farm of Peter Narrin, in Oakland County. After the death of his grandmother he worked 264 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. by the month for Enos Goodrich, with whom he continued six years, during which time he " courted" Miss Matilda L., the daughter of his employer. He was successful in his suit, and they were married on the 4th day of October, 1859. He had previous to this sold his farm in Groveland, and after his marriage he purchased his present farm in the town of Atlas, on which he settled and where he has resided ever since. Mr. Narrin has made extensive improvements on his farm, so that now it is one of the best farm-homes in that locality. Mrs. Matilda L. Narrin, who is a remarkably intelligent lady, of pleasant and agreeable address, is the eldest child of Enos and Ann Goodrich, who were among the earliest settlers of the town of Atlas. Enos Goodrich was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., Aug. 11, 1813. He came with the Goodrich family to Michigan in 1836, and settled at the place where now stands the village of his name. In com pany with his brother Reuben he erected mills, stores, and other buildings at that place, and carried on an extensive business for many years. On the 26th day of June, 1838, he married Miss Ann Atkins, of the same place. They are the parents of two children,-Matilda L. and Enos H. Since 1863, Enos Goodrich has resided at Watertown, Tuscola Co., where he is engaged in farming. His son, Enos H., is married, and also resides on a farm near his father. Mrs. Matilda Narrin was born in the village of Goodrich, April 4, 1841. She is the mother of three children, namely, Annie E., Ella C., and Ellis, the latter of whom died in infancy. Annie and Ella are at home with the parents. Mrs. Narrin resided in the village of Goodrich until fifteen years ago, when she removed to the farm one and a half miles southeast of the village. The reader's special attention is called to the view of their beautiful farm-home, on another page of this work.. —o- - coo --- FLUS HING. TEE township of Flushing lies on the western boundary of the county of Gencsee, and includes township 8 north, in range 5 east, as denoted on the United States survey. It is watered by the Flint River and its tributaries, the stream named entering near the southeast corner of town, and, after a winding course, leaving it near the centre of the northern boundary. The mill-sites along the river were early improved, and it still furnishes power at numerous places within the limits of the county. Along the river the surface of the township is somewhat varied, the banks in places being high and steep and the land in the immediate vicinity rolling, while at others they are gently sloping and the neighboring country nearly level. A large portion of the township is exceedingly level, and the whole was originally covered with a dense growth of heavy timber, in which was considerable pine. The soil of Flushing is of the nature of that common to this region, having a large proportion of sand. Upon the lands where pine grew thickly it is more sandy than elsewhere, and some of the "pine plains," or "pine barrens," as they are called, are of comparatively small value. Game was exceedingly plenty during the earlier years of settlement, and but for this fact many of the pioneers would have endured even greater suffering than they did through the scarcity of provisions at times.. Life in the wilderness at that period was attended with manifold difficulties, and hard trials and extreme privation fell to the lot of nearly all. LAND ENTRIES. The entries of land in township 8 north, range 5 east, now constituting Flushing, are as follows: SECTION 1. Acres. Elisha B. Strong, Monroe Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 80 James Wadsworth, Livingston Co., N. Y., July, 1836............ 364.59 Hugh Birkhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836........................ 240 age A SQ A A; 0 nd S; 0 SECTION 2. Acres. A. McArthur and C. Hurlbut, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836.. 80 Elisha B. Strong............................................................ 240 James Wadsworth, Livingston Co., N. Y., July, 1836............. 371.49 SECTION 3. Thomas J. Drake, Oakland Co., Mich., October, 1835........... t i (( t (............ Charles C. Ilascall, " " " February, 1836......... Isaac I. Voorhcis and Ira C. Seeley, Oakland Co., Mich., February, 1836.................................................... Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836............................................. 03.60 68 51.35 6.52 81.82 175.89 186.20 SECTION 4. Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836...............Entire, 646.10 SECTION 5. Charles D. Bartlett, Hampshire Co., Mass., June, 1836......... John 11. Cherwuand, New York City, June, 1836................. Eph. 1. Bishop, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836.................... James Bailey, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1840............... John Reed, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1840.................. Vacant..................... 80 188.52 160 40 120 80 SECTION 6. James Butler, Livingston Co., N. Y., September, 1836.......... 112.44 Thomas 1lough, Sr., Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1842.............. 40 Thomas Hlough, Jr., " " " " " i............ 440 Joseph Vernon, " " " July, "............ 40 William Bailey, " " " August,"............ 40 John Tibbles, land-warrant, January, 1852.......................... 133.13 Enoch Vernon, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1853.............. 40 George Bush, ' *" " October, 1854................ 94.92 V acant......................................................................... 40 SECTION 7. Erastus Jones, Genesee Co., Mich., September, 1836.............. 80 Martin Curley, Monroe Co., N.Y., October, 1836.................. 108.04 James Wood, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1842...................... 40 Samuel Wood, " " "40 Satmnuel Wood, " i " a i i. (,....................... 40 Richard Bowden, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1842............... 80 Harvey Miller, land-warrant, July, 1852.......................... 108.20 Martin Darby, Erie Co., Ohio, November, 1853.................... 40 Richard Bowden, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1854.................. 40 LAflPJIMflfl1JL FIvE LL.,.I1n v~Iaff LL.L., I litli iLI Unl I L.IJu5IItP1IvI~tJIE I M L " I I 4": FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. 2635 Acres. SECTION 8. Acres. Charles D. Bartlett, Hampshire Co., Mass., June, 1836.......160 Glaylord liaskins, Onondaga Co., N. Y., June, 1836......... 80 Jolio Knowles, Jr., Madison Co., N. Y., June, 1836..........240 Frederick St. John, New York City, June, 1836............160 SECTION 9. Royal R. Latham, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, May, 1836..........160 Orange Lathain, fi" tI t i ".80 Charles 1). Bartlett, Hampshire Co., Mass., June, 1836......80 Frederick St. John, New York City, June, 1836............320 SECTION 10. Thomas J. Drake, Oakland Co., Mich., October, 1835....... 46.63 Elijah D. Farnham, Niagara. Co., N. Y., October, 1835.......149.16 Thomas J. Drake, Oakland Co., Mich., October, 1835........21.45 Thomas L~. L. Broot, Virgrinia, April, 1836...............160 George Macomber, (Genesee Co., N.Y., June, 1836....8..... )s Noah Hart, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836.............. 80 Frederick St. JOhn, New York City, June, 1836........... 80 SECTION 11. Thomas J. Drake, Oaklanld Co., Mich., October, 1835........ 8.91 -Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836..............159 it t i 64 it April, 1836.............144.10 Eurotas P. HaStings, WayneC CO., Mich., June, 1836.........160 Jeremiah Benton,.... t t I. 80......s Alexander D. Fraser, It t It it. 80,SECTION 12. E. S. Stickner, Tompkins C O., N. Y., J u ne, 1836..........240 Lyman Strobridge, ".1................. 60 Albert (G. Stone, " " i I" i "..........160 John Demnund, "t i it I " "..........s SECTION 13. Lyman Strobridge, Tompkins Co., N. Y., June, 1836.......160 Amnos Smnith, Huron Co., Ohio, June, 18,36.1.............I60 IIugh Birkhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836.............320 SECTION 14. Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, May, 1836...............160 Jawmes Meballeti, Tompkinis Co., N. Y., June, 1836.........160 Amos Smith, Huron Co., Mich., June, 1836.S............O Hugh Birkhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836..........;...240 SECTION 15. Thomas J. Drake, Oakland Co.. Mich., October, 1835.......46.02 Newell Furmian, Niagara- Co., N. Y., October,.1835.........92.30 Moses Smith, (Xenesee Co., Mich., November, 1835.........1,54.60 Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836.............292.52 SECTION 17. Frederick St. John, New York City, June, 1836...........400 Seth. Beachi, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836............. 80 John H1ollstauider, Livingston Co., Mich., April, 1837........40 Ralph D. Curtis, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1844......... 80 Asa-hel. Johnson, 4 it It October, 1854.........40 SECTION 21. Thomas J. Drake,' Oakland Co., Mich., Novemiber, 1835. Win. Loekyer, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1836........... Herman Camp, Tomnpkins Co., N. Y., July, 1836.......... Ralph D. Curtis, Glenesee Co., Mich., August, 1844........ Swamp laends, " " " " " 6....... Win. Locker, " " it November, 1854....... Win. J1. Kent, " " it it ",...... Asahel Fuller, " " i January, 1855........ SECTION 22. John Paton, Essex Co., N. J., Jnne, 1834.............. Thomas J. D)rake, Oakland Co., Mich., October, 1835.... John 11. Kcllogw, (Gcnesee Co., N. Y., October, 1835....... John Paton, (lenesee Co., Mich., February, 1836......... Thomas L. L. Birent, Virginia, Matrch, 1836............. Thomais L. L. lirent, Virginia, April, 1836............. Julio Evans, Genesec Co., Mich., April, 1836............ 80 80 160 80 40 80 80 40 83.20 64.35 1,45.25 80 158.08 4.0 40 SECTIN~ 23. John (Ireenfield and C. Hlurlbut, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836. 80 Ira Arms and Sol. Smead, Franklin Co., Mass., June, 1836... 560 SECTION 21. Armns and Smnead, Franklin Co., Mass., June, 1836.........640 SECTION 25. Waterman Neff. Cenesee Co., Mich., September. 1835.......80 AV. Neff anti Clark Albee, Windham. Co., Vt., October, 1,83-5... 80 Thiomas L. L. Brent, Virginia,, March, 1.836.............160 Abner 11. Enos, Eric C 'o., N. Y., June, 1836.............160 Alleim Bulmp, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1842.............80 El~iah Anderson, (Gcnesec Co., Mich., September, 1845......40 William Avery, it It " Novemiber, 1854......40 SECTION 26. Hfunt, Farley & Biddle, Detroit, Mich., Mly, 1823.........90.10 James Murphy, Shiawassee Co., Micim., September, 1834.... 4(.25 Clark Altiee, (1icuesce Co., Mich., September, 1835.........77.15 Litting Coutant, Wayne Co., Mich.. January, 1.836.1.......I60 Thomas L. L. Brent, Virgini., March, 1836.............240 S 'CTION 27. John Paton, Essex Co., N. J., June, 1834.............. Jamies Murphy, Shiawassee Co., Mich., September, 1834..... George WV. Newell, Tioga Co., N. Y., October, 1834........ John Wehr, Trumbull Co., Ohio, January. 1835.......... C. and WV. J. Cronk, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835..... Alex. Ten Broebk, Ulster Co., N. Y., November, 1835...... Julio Paton, Essex Co., N. J., November, 1835........... Thommas J. Drake, Oakland Co., Mich., November, 1835..... 47.85 23.90 56.60 55.12 911.45 157.38 77.60 69.60 SECTION 28. James Seytnour, Monroe Co., N. Y., March, 18-36......... Hernman C-amp, Tomnpkins Co., N. Y., July, 1836.......... Robert Pollock-, Westchiester Co., N. Y., September, 1836.... Brio-ham Wood. Gleiiesee Co., Mich., October, 1836........ 160 320 80 80 SECTION 18. Eleazer S. Holdridge, Niagara Co., N. Y., June, 1836...... E. Cash and IiL Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y., August, 1836.. G-xeorge 1R. Somers, Cleveland, Ohio, May, 1847........... Julio Batesly, 6 it July, 1848........... SECTION 19. 160 16(1 108.67 108.80 SECTION 29. Samuel A. Godard, Birmingham, England, Ang-ust, 1836.....80 John Truesdell, Genesee Co., N. Y., October, 1836.........80 Win. Binghamn, "C 9 it " " ".........80 Rowley Morris, " " it IC IC......80 Nathaniel WVood, Livingston Co., N. Y., October, 1836......320 SECTIo.N 30. Lewis Halsey, Tompkins Co., N. Y., June, 1839.......... Andrew Harrison, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1842......... William Turner, I December, 1843...... Wmn. J1. Snooks, land-warriant, April, 1843.............. John MeCartney, Genesec Co., Mich., Novemnber, 1843...... hlirami Enos, "t it " December, 1843...... hfiramn Enons, it" " t it...... Walter J. Crook, ' " " March, 1854......... Eph. Morgon, Medina Co., Ohio, April, 1854............ 98.94 80 40 41) 41) 49.46 49.46 4(0 80 Philander Truesdell, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836..... John T. Van Vlcck, St. Joseph Co., Mich., October, 1836...... Eben Storer, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836.......... Thomais Diamoond, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1838......... Walter J. Crook, "i "C " October, 1851....... 160 107.20 80 80 108.40 SECTION 20. E. Cash and 11. Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y., August, 1836....160 Enoch Sweat, tGenesee Co., Michm., August, 1836.......... 81) Isaac Baldwin, " " " February, 1841.........80 Abiel C. Bliss, cc t it December, 1841.........80 Warren Y. Swatzee, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, August, 1842...... 4(1 Harry N. Payne, Oakland Co., Mich., January, 1851.......80 L. P. Beardslee, Genesee Co., Michi., June, 1.853...........40 Julio Huntey, C$ " " March, 1848..........4(0 John Hunter, "t. it October, 1848.........40 34 SECTION 31. Thomas Manchester, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836.......80 Herman Van Veebten, (Genesee Co., Mich., September, 1836... 208.16 Rowley Morris, Genescc Co., N. Y., October, 1-836.........160 John T. Van Vleck, St. Joseph Co., Mich., October, 1836....113.80 SECTION 32. Samuel A. Godard, Birminigham, England, August, 1836....160 Paul Hhildreth, Worcester Co., Mass., September, 1836.......80 Rowley Morris, Gen-esee Co., N. Y., October, 1836.........240 Joseph S. Whitney, Oaklk od Co., Mich., August, 1842......80 Iliramo Ransomn, Genesee Coi., Mich., April, 185 3..........401 Swamp land.................................40 266 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. SECTION 33. Acres. George W. Bullock, Monroe Co., Mich., May, 1836............... 160 E. B. Bishop, Wayne Co., Mich., July. 1836........................ 160 E. Cash and H. Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y., August, 1836..... 80 Samuel A. Godard, Birmingham, England, August, 1836...... 80 Asa A. Norton, Yates Co., N. Y., September, 1836................ 160 SECTION 34. Elijah Curtis, Trumbull Co., Ohio, October, 1835.................. 76.50 James Hossie, Essex Co., N. J., November, 1835.................. 560 SECTION 35. John Biddle, Detroit, Mich., May, 1823............................. 3.82 William Curtis, Trumbull Co., Ohio, June, 1835.................. 78.30 Thomas J. Drake, Oakland Co., Mich., November, 1835......... 32.60 Alex. McArthur, A. D. Fraser, Wayne Co., Mich., February, 1836........ 200 Chauncey Hurlbut, Thos. L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836........................... 160 Harriet E. Hoyes, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836................ 80 Isaac Bennett, Onondaga Co., N. Y., April, 1836.................. 80 SECTION 36. John Biddle, Detroit, Mich., May, 1823.............................. Robert Le Roy, Oakland Co., Mich., February, 1834............ Henry Cobb, Crawford Co., Ohio, March, 1835...................... Rufus Harrison, Shiawassee Co., Mich., June, 1835............... Henry French, Windsor, Vt., October, 1835........................ Thos. L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836........................... Isaac Bennett, Onondaga Co., N. Y., April, 1836.................. 33.60 57 169.39 78.5) 1(9.50 80 80 EARLY SETTLEMENTS-PIONEER INCIDENTS. The first white man known to have taken up his abode within the limits of what is now the township of Flushing was Rufus Harrison, who settled in the fall of 1835, on the farm in the southeast part of the township, on the north side of the river,-locally speaking,-where Wm. Schram now lives. Mrs. Harrison is yet living in the township. She and the wife of David Penoyer, who came a little later, were always close friends, and have so continued to the present. William D. Penoyer mentions the fact that Mrs. Harrison made him, during the early days of their residence here, two pairs of deerskin pants, which caused his boyish pride to swell to the utmost. Mr. Ilarrison built the first house in the township-a simple structure of logs —upon his farm, and resided in it for some time. Two young men, named Clark Abby (or Albee) and Waterman Neff, entered land on the north side of the river (section 25), in the fall of 1835, and came on and did some clearing upon it, but only stayed a short time. They sold their farms to Jarvis Bailey, who settled with his young wife in 1836. They had come directly from the State of New York. The second permanent settler in the township was Henry French, now of the village of Flushing. In the fall of 1835 he and his brother, Ira French, passed through this vicinity in search for land, and Henry finally located on section 36, in the month of October, of that year. Ira French went on to Saginaw, but is now a resident of Flushing township. The French's were from Windsor Co., Vt., -town of Woodstock,-at which place their father, A pollos French, a native of Taunton, Mass., was an early settler. When Henry French purchased his land there was no one living in the township, but Harrison came soon after, as stated, as Mr. French settled the same fall. Before the seson was over he was married to Miss Abigail Ensign, also from Vermont, and then living in Grand Blanc. The marriage took place at Flint, and aside from the f:act that Mr. French is now the oldest male settler in the township, he was the first one from it to be joined in matrimonial bonds. He was also one of the many who worked at some time for Thomas L. L. Brent, and in 1836 aided in building the latter's saw-mill. Mr. French's brother, Ebenezer French, at present residing south of Flushing village, located in town in the fall of 1836. John Evans, from Manchester, Eng., emigrated to the United States in 1830, and located at Stockport, Columbia Co., N. Y., where he remained five years. In October, 1835, he moved with his daughter to Flushing, the trip occupying three weeks, and that portion of it from Detroit forward being made on foot. They settled in November, 1835, and a log house was built on the place, the latter now forming part of the farm owned by John Paton, who married Mr. Evans' daughter Mary, Nov. 22, 1835. John Paton, a native of Blackford, Perthshire, Scotland, and later a resident of the State of New Jersey, came to Genesee County in 1834, and purchased part of his present farm-land, on sections 22 and 27, in June of that year. Owing to the fact that no one else was at that time living in the township, Mr. Paton settled up the river a few miles, in what is now Flint township, on the farm at present occupied by Mr. Warren. Nathan and Isaac Miles were the only persons between that location and Flint, while down the river there was no one between Mr. Paton and a Mr. Hayden, who was eighteen or twenty miles away, in Saginaw County. In February, 1837, Mr. Paton brought his family to what is now Flushing township, and settled on the farm he still occupies. After living some time with his wife's father, Mr. Evans, he built a fiame house on his own place, and moved into it. lenry French, Mr. Iarrison, and a few others were then living in the neioghborhood. In July, 1837, Mr. Paton found a dead squaw, the scent of the body having attracted the dog to the spot. She had died with the smallpox, having been left to her fitte by the Indians, with a cup of water and a crust near her. Mr. Paton and others from the settlement buried her. Mr. Paton's entry was the first one made in town with the view of settling, but he did not choose to locate permanently until later. For several years after his arrival he and his family experienced witl -others the stringency of the times and the hardships which accompany the life of a pioneer. A letter which was written by Mrs. Paton in the spring of 1843, to a friend in England, was published in the Manchester (England) GuardiaL, and, as it illustrates better than anything else the condition of affairs at that day, it is reproduced here for the benefit of the reader. It was written during the closing days of the famous "( hard winter:" "FLusHING, NEAR FLINT RIVER, April 6, 1843. I will not attempt to apologize for not writing earlier, but let the simple truth suffice. I have had four letters, I may say, written (one entirely finished), but lacked fllds to pos)t thel. It is easier to release a dozen letters than to prepay one. For the one they will take produce, for the other they exact cash; and that is a very scarce article here, for our business is carried on mostly by barter. We sold about two hundred dollars' worth of stock in the last year, and it was with great difficulty we got six dollars in cash. Times have been very hard, and I fear not yet at the worst. According to accounts that can be relied on, we have had the hardest winter that has occurred for L~ i EO 'l: iiv ^ i.;';: f;t")s. i;:';-'' *'; 2677 FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. I fifty-four years. It commenced in October, and is now snowing; the snow in the woods is from two to three feet deep. But we don't suffer on the timbered land anything like those on the oak-openings, as regards our stock, although we are destitute of anything in the shape of fodder in our barns, for we have the woods to resort to, where there is plenty of maple and basswood, and we cut them down, and the cattle feed on the tops, and look pretty well where they are well attended to. But we hear of cattle dying in all directions, and of some farmers knocking the whole of their cattle on the head, to save them from a lingering starvation, after feeding out all their store; others sustaining them on flour victuals, all other being exhausted. Last winter (i.e., 1841-42) we had an unusually open season and a very early spring. Our fields never looked so well,-fruit-trees in full bloom,-and all seemed cheering in the month of April, but our hopes were soon blighted. We had severe frost in May, which cut off our blossoms, and, what was still worse, our' corn; then a tedious drought succeeded, which almost burnt up the wheat,-at least stunted it so the straw was little worth; then, to finish, when it was in the milk, there were sunny showers that struck it with rust,-the late sown suffered most.... I am happy to say I have enjoyed better health this winter than I have since I came in the woods (over six years), and, if the torimenting ague will keep away, I will excuse it. It is a singular thing to find, one part of the day a person will feel able to go about and do a little work, and another part not able to rise from the pillow, and as crazy as can be. Such has been hanging on me four years. New settlers generally have it, but after they get acclimated it is very healthy. Considering the hard times, our country is settling very fast. There are six families from Stockport settled near to us, and there are several more coming out from there this spring. We have let a brick-ground to two of these. I must tell you we have had the good luck to find a coal-mine on our farm, but we have not been able to ascertain its extent; it is of excellent quality. We sold seven dollars' worth of it last fall when we found it. Things generally prosper with us since I last wrote you." Mr. Paton had emigrated to America in the spring of 1827, with his sister, landing at New York May 8. He was a weaver by trade, and soon began work at Paterson, N. J. lie continued in that business until his removal to Michigan, in 1834, since which time his attention has been turned exclusively to agricultural pursuits, and with marked success. One of the most prominent among the early settlers of Flushing was Thomas L. L. Brent, who, before coming lere, had acquired a national reputation, and was the possessor of a large fortune. IHe expended the latter in purchasing government lands in Michigan, and lived on section 3, in Flushing. He at one time paid taxes on about 70,000 acres of land in the State, and it is said of him that he would never dispose of a good lot at a reasonable price. The farm on which he lived is now owned by Mr. Mcintyre. Brent built a log cabin on his place, and planted locusttrees around it for shade and ornament. He was a Virginian by birth, and married a noble Spanish lady, with whom he had become acquainted while on a mission to that country in the employ of the United States Government. In the face of the bluff near his cabin he constructed a wine-cellar, where the choicest brands were kept. He had one son and one daughter. Various stories are told concerning his family relations, and, although differently presented, all point to the undoubted fact that his married life was more or less unhappy. When he died he was taken out of the small upper window of his log cabin. His death came at a time when he had sunk his fortune and become " land poor." According to the memory of all the men now living who 1 were here at the time, Brent built a dam across the river in 1836, and erected a saw-mill on his place in the summer of the same year. Jarvis Bailey, previously mentioned, was employed as foreman, at a salary of $600 per annum, and his wife and William D. Penoyer, then a boy, did the work for the 10 or 15 hands who were working in and around the mill. This mill was destined never to perform the work intended for it. In the spring of 1837 a severe freshet in the river washed away the dam, and the mill was only saved by rolling logs into it. Five basswood-trees near one end of the dam were wasled out, which left the water free to undermine it. The following extract from an act of the Legislature approved March 22, 1837, speaks for itself: "Section 7. Thomas L. L. Brent, his heirs, administrators, and assigns, are authorized to construct a dam across Flint River, at some point on section 3, in township 8 north, and in range 5 east, in the county of Genesee; said dam shall not exceed 6 feet in height, and shall contain a convenient lock for the passage of boats, canoes, rafts, and other water-craft, and shall not be less than 75 feet in length and 15 feet in width." The old mill was repaired but was never used, and logs lay in the mill-yard until they rotted. A second mill was built on a small stream some sixty rods away, and up fiom the river, out of danger from freshets. This part of the township contained a large acreage of pine, but none of consequence is now left. The best is now probably on the farms of William D. Penoyer and the Messrs. De Land, farther south. Some authority states that Alden Tupper contemplated building a mill on the river below the site of Flushing village, but it was never constructed. Nearly every man who located early in the township worked at one time or another for Mr. Brent, clearing up land, and thus earning money enough to pay for homes of their own. The " Brent farm" was widely known throughout this region. James Penoyer, from Onondaga Co., N. Y., and afterwards for two or three years a resident of Ohio, moved from the latter State to Michigan in 1838, and settled in Flushing, south of the village, on the town line. He had, in 1836, been here and worked on the Brent farm with his brother, David Penoyer. He now resides north of Lyons' Corners, in the township of Clayton. David Penoyer came first to Michigan in the spring of 1835, and in the fall of the same year, after having been back to New York, returned and purchased a small tract of land (fifty-seven acres), where John L. Green now lives. This second trip he made with a horse, and traded the animal for the land. In the early part of May, 1836, his family followed, landing at Detroit on the 9th of that month, and meeting Mr. Penoyer there. Acquaintances named Belden lived at Birmingham, Oakland Co., and thither they repaired. Jarvis Bailey, who had started from Baldwinsville, Onondaga Co., N. Y., a week before Mr. Penoyer's family, arrived at Detroit the same day they did. William D. Penoyer, a son of David, left the family 'at Birmingham and came on with Mr. Bailey, who settled on the farm now owned by John Sutton, of Flint, and occupied by Calvin Luce. Bailey had purchased this land on f~:~ 268 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. a previous trip made in the company of David Penoyer. When Bailey and the younger Penoyer came in there had been an ox-team driven through by Messrs. Abby (or Albee) and Neff, the parties whom Bailey bought out. They had made a few improvements on the place. Wm. D. Penoyer thinks he drove the first horse-team and wagon which entered the township. Mrs. John Paton is of the opinion that the first horse-team which came through here was driven down to the Brent place by Samuel Weeks, of Flint, who took down a load of goods. Weeks (afterwards Judge Weeks) was then in Brent's employ. This circumstance is not remembered by Henry French, who thinks goods were transported at that time by water. And from these three opinions the reader is left to choose the right. About six weeks or two months after Bailey and Penoyer arrived, the former, with his wife, hired to Thomas L. L. Brent, and William D. Penoyer went down with them. In the succeeding fall the latter's father took a job of clearing fifty acres for Brent, on the east side of the river, where the buildings of Sidney McIntyre now stand. Mr. Penoyer died in 1846. When the families went down the river to the Brent farm, it was necessary to build rafts upon which' to transport their goods, as no roads had been cut through, and no boats larger than Indian canoes plied on the river. Mr. Penoyer lived on the Brent place something over a year, or long enough to pay for 160 acres of land in work. This land joined the 57 acres he had previously purchased. When he left he had to cut a road, as the current in the river was too swift to raft against. William D. Penoyer has lived on the farm he now occupies, north of the village of Flushing, since the winter of 1850. Considerable of his land, like other in the neighborhood, had originally a large proportion of pine growing upon it, and the array of pine-stumps rolled into line for fences bears witness to the labor necessary to clear up ready for cultivation. The first resident white child born between Flushing and Flint was John Paton, Jr., now in business in Flushing village, his birth occurring September 15, 1836, while his parents were living on their farm in Flint township. The first birth in Flushing township was that of Henry French's son, George French, which occurred on Nov. 13, 1837. Mary M. Paton, sister to John Paton, Jr., was born July 23, 1839. Among the first settlers in the township was a man named Terbush, who located down the river from the present village, on a stream called " Cold Creek," where he built a log shanty and lived for six or eight years. This was on the farm at present occupied by Erastus Packard. Simeon M. Smith lived upon it after Terbush had removed, and died there. Terbush moved to Oakland County, and is now living in Bay City. He traded his farm in Flushing to Smith for another in Oakland County. Ezra Smith, the father of Simeon M. Smith and Mrs. Alexander Barber, came with his wife and one son, Ezra Smith, Jr. (the latter accompanied by his wife and two children), in the fall of 1839, as did also Alexander Barber and family. All were from Madison Co., N. Y., and lived - about four miles below Flushing village. Mr. Barber subsequently moved into the village, where he died in Feb ruary, 1878. Settlers, when these families came, were accustomed to go quite often to mill at Pontiac, and the hardships endured can scarcely be described. Mrs. Barber feared the Indians very much, never having seen any before coming to Michigan. They, at one time, dug up Mr. Barber's potatoes after the sprouts were six inches high, leaving the sprouts in the ground, and the reason why they did not grow faster was only discovered when Mr. Barber dug down to see what the trouble was. Origin Packard settled in town as early as 1838. In the fall of 1839 he had a small board shanty built on his place. His wife did her cooking at a burning log-heap near by. The shanty was formed by setting up a few poles and covering them with boards. When the Smiths and Barber came, in 1839, Packard had chopped 10 or 12 acres, and was burning the logs. He piloted these families to their land along an Indian trail, Mrs. Barber stopping with Mrs. Packard while they were gone, in response to that lady's invitation to "come and sit with her by her log-heap." This was Mrs. Barber's first neighborly call in the wilderness, and the circumstance is still fresh in her memory. Some of the trees felled by Mr. Packard obstructed the trail, and the wagons had to be carefully engineered around them. Mr. Packard died in June, 1879. John Hallock, now living below Flushing village, was an early settler of the township, as was also Asahel Johnson, residing on a farm on the west side of the river. Andrew F. Sutton, a native of New Jersey, moved into town about 1853, and purchased a portion of the Jarvis Bailey farm. His wife's mother, Mrs. Davenport, settled about 1837, near Clarkston, Oakland Co. Mr. Sutton's brother, John Sutton, resides in Flint, where he settled in 1841. THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT. In the northwestern part of town is what is known as the " English Settlement," from the fact that it was early settled by a number of families from England, some of whom yet reside in the vicinity. The first families of that nativity to locate in the neighborhood were John Reed and James Bailey, who came in the fall of 1840. Mr. Bailey's family followed at a later date. Samuel and James Wood came from Lancashire,* England, in May, 1842, to Flushing, and in March, 1843, the former was married to Mrs. Mary Vernon, a widow who had come over the same spring with her father, John Bailey (father also to James Bailey), and lived at Flushing village. Her mother died on the Samuel Wood place, and the latter died in March, 1875. His widow still survives him, and lives with her son-in-law, Thomas H. Kelland, on the old place. Mr. Kelland came from England in 1850. Other families of the same nativity who settled here were those of Thomas LHough, Sr. and Jr., Richard Bowden, William Bailey (brother of James Bailey and Mrs. S. Wood), and Thomas Newell, now of Flint, who came with the Houghs and Bowdens. The houses of J. Wood, Bowden, and Hough were all erected in one and the same day. Most of the English families who settled here had been farmers in the old country, but some of them were entirely *' Were natives of Derbyshire. James brought his family. RESIDENCE OF WM SCHRAM, FLUSHING, MICHIGAN. FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. 269 new at the business, and knew nothing about chopping, milking, etc., and the consequence was some of their experiences were laughable in the extreme. When these settlers came, they hired a surveyor from Flint to come out and locate their land for them, paying him a sovereign in gold for his services. James Wood says that, in those days of " wild-cat" money, the whole county of Genesee could have been bought for $1000 in gold. Thomas Hough bought a yoke of oxen some four miles south of the settlement, paying ~4 in gold for them. They were four years old, yet Hough said he believed that "for another sovereign he could have bought the old man's farm and his wife too." It was necessary to hire a man to drive the oxen up, and after he left they were kept yoked night and day, as no one knew how to yoke them. They were fed on basswood-leaves, and at the end of two months were nearly starved. The oxen were greatly afraid of the Indians; as one of the early settlers remarks, " they didn't like the smell of 'em!" John Reed, who it seems was possessed of a fiery temper, on one occasion became angry with his cow, and drove her away into the woods to the north, kicking her at every step, until finally both were tired out. He had tried to turn her back at first, but she was obstinate, and that roused his ire. His boot came up at the same time, and when at last he stopped to rest he found himself in a strange neighborhood, lost in the forest. He finally pulled off one of his boots, milked the cow in it, drank the milk, and lay down on a log, where he was found the next day by the neighbors, who had instituted a search for him. He had fought mosquitoes all night, and looked somewhat the worse for his adventure. Bears, wolves, and other species of wild game were exceedingly plenty, and the pig-pens of the settlers suffered upon numerous occasions. James Wood had a single hog, weighing about 200 pounds, which was one night killed and dragged off by a bear, leaving a track as if a "sawlog" had been dragged along. RESIDENTS OF FLUSHING TOWNSHIP IN 1844. The following list of resident tax-payers in what is now Flushing in 1844 is made up from the assessment roll for Dye, Reuben. Dimond, Thomas. Delbridge, William. Evans, John. Ewing, E. R. Eddy, William. Eggleston, John A. Eggleston, John D. French, Ira. French, Ebenezer. French, Henry. Farnham, Elijah D. Green, Robert. Goff, William. Gilbert, Anson. Greenfield, John. Granger, Eli. Godard, William. Gilkey, Levi. IIopson, Nathaniel. HIughes, William IH. Harrison, Rufus. Hayes, Aaron G. Horton, John. Ilyslop, Andrew. IIerrick, Alanson. Hosie, James. Hosie, Andrew. Ilosie, John. Hough, Thomas. Heal, Charles. Johnson, Asahel. Jenner, William. Kelley, Dominick. Locker, William. Miles, Nathan. Miles, Theophilus. Miller, Jeremy T. Miller, James H. McCormick, Joseph. Marshall, John. Martin, Asahel. Person, Marvin B. Parrish, Nathaniel. Parsell, Robert. Paton, John. Packard, Thomas J. Penoyer, David. Penoyer, Hiram. Pettingill, Samuel. Pettingill, Daniel. Person, David. Packard, Asahel. Perry, George R. Packard, Origin. Runyon, Vincent. Ransom, Benjamin. Ransom, Robert. Rino, Aaron B. Rino, Stiles. Rail, Benjamin. Rall, Jacob W. Rood, G. B. Rood, Norman L. Reed, John. Stoddard, John. Smith, Oren. Shepard, William. Sullivan, Daniel. Smith, Simeon M. Smith, Ezra B. Seymour, James. Turner, William. Taylor, John. Thorn, John. Todd, Joseph. Vernon, Joseph. Vosburgh, Edward. Van Antwerp, Norman. Welch, Russell. Wright, Alvin. Wood, James. Wood, Samuel. Washburn, Philip. Wallace, Robert. Williams, Henry A. that year: Armstrong, James. Atkins, Robert. Adams, Montgomery. Bowman, Richard. Bliss, Abial C. Bailey, Jarvis. Bennett, Isaac. Brown, William. Bowen, Benjamin. Bump, Elias J. Boucher, William. Barker, Joseph. Begole, Thomas. Begole, Frederick. Bump, Gideon. Barber, Alexander. Bartlett, Charles D. Baldwin, Isaac. Bailey, William. Bowden, Richard. Bailey, James. Brent, Thomas L. L. Beebe, Sylvester. Chamberlain, Barney. Carpenter, Joseph C. Chase, William. Cooper, William H. Coutant, Latin. Cogswell, Chauncey. Chapman, James. Crocker, George. Crocker, Stephen. Curtis, Hiram. Carpenter, Barnard. Case, James II. Carter, James. Chase, James. Curtis, David. Curtis, Comfort. Chilson, C. C. Dehm, Jacob. Dimond, Henry. NAME AND ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPCIVIL LIST. The township of Flushing was formed in 1838, and originally included the whole of townships 7 and 8 north, in range 5 east, and the west half of townships 7 and 8 north, in range 6 east. This territory has been subdivided until the present town of Flushing includes only township 8 north, in range 5 east, as designated on the United States government survey. At a preliminary meeting, held at the house of Ezekiel R. Ewing, in what is now the edge of Mount Morris township, to choose a name for the proposed new township, a considerable number of settlers were present. Each one offered a name, and that of Dover, given by Ebenezer French, was finally adopted, and sent in to the Legislature. Owing to the fact that another township of the same name existed in the State, that body substituted Flushing, and as such the township was organized and still remains. The early records of' the township cannot be found, and it is therefore impossible to give a complete list of township officers. The first town clerk (1838) was Abiel C. Bliss; Aaron G. Hayes followed in 1839; Alfred Pond, in 1840 -41; Jeremy T. Miller, from 1842 to 1846; and B. F. Warner, in 1847. Abiel C. Bliss and Jarvis Bailey were 270 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I school inspectors in 1838. The officers from 1848 to 1879, inclusive, have been as follows, viz.: SUPERVISORS. COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS. 1848. Ezekiel R. Ewing. 1849. Eber G. Langdon. 1850. John Hallock. 1851. James Seymour. 1852. Warren Harrison. 1853. Eber G. Langdon. 1854-56. Warren Harrison. 1857. John Hallock. 1858. Eber G. Langdon. 1859. Asahel Packard. 1860. Charles F. Deland. 1861-65. Ebenezer French. 1866. William J. Kent. 1867-79. Charles F. Deland. 1848. Eber G. Langdon. Henry French. Amos M. Woodruff. 1849. Alvin Wright. 1850. Alexander Barber. 1851. John Hallock. Joseph Deland. 1852. Truman Herrick. Arthur C. Andrews. 1853. Andrew Fisher. 1854. Amos M. Woodruff. 1855. Robert Parsell. Ezra B. Smith. 1856. Ezra B. Smith. 1857. William Lockyer. 1858. Robert C. Ransom. 1859. Charles F. Deland. 1860. John Kimmell. 1861. John Hallock. 1862. Nelson Talbot. 1863. Henry Bowden.-' 1864. James Ingham. Algernon S. Freeman. 1865. Ransford W. Graham. 1866. Nelson Talbot. 1867. John Hallock. Henry French. James Ingham. 1868. Alex. J. Deland. Jacob Kimmell. 1869. Jacob Kimmell. 1870. Carlos Packard. Ebenezer French. 1871. James W. Brown. 1872. John Rowe. 1873. Ebenezer French. Carlos Packard. 1874. John H. Button. 1875-76. Nelson Talbot. 1877. William A. Garner. 1878. John Dillon. 1879. James W. Brown. TOWN CLERKS. 1848. Alanson Niles. 1849. Washington I. Warner. 1850. Robert H. Green. 1851. Eber G. Langdon. 1852-54. Arthur C. Andrews. 1855. Alanson Niles. 1856. Jacob Rezeau. 1857. Minor S. Newell. 1858. Charles Seymour. 1859-60. Hiram A. Packard. 1861. John Paton, Jr. 1862-64. David Sanford. 1865. Franklin A. Niles. 1866. Hiram A. Packard. 1867. Wallace R. Caldwell. 1868. Theron E. Haskins. 1869-70. Franklin Boman. 1871-78. William IIosie. 1879. Daniel B. Perry. TOWNSHIP SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. 1875-76. Lewis J. Gibson. 1877. Gilbert V. Chamberlain. 1878. James L. Spencer. 1879. Albert E. Ransom. TREASURERS. 1848. John Hallock. 1849-50. Warren Harrison. 1851. No record. 1852. John Hallock. 1853. Warren Harrison. 1854. Henry French. 1855. John Hallock. 1856-58. Henry French. 1859-60. Robert Parsell. 1861-62. Daniel W. Robinson. 1863. Charles Lusk. 1864. George W. Hicks. 1865. Oscar F. Clarke. 1866. John Kimmell. 1867-69. Alanson Niles. 1870. Nelson Talbot. 1871. Alanson Niles. 1872-74. Hiram A. Packard. 1875. Hiram P. Ransom. 1876. Mortimer N. Park. 1877. Franklin Boman. 1878. Hiram A. Packard. 1879. Henry A. Ingham. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. 1848. Hiram S. Penoyer. 1849. Elijah D. Farnamn. Eber G. Langdon. Jeremy T. Miller. 1850. Alanson Niles. 1851. Alexander Barber. 1852. Nelson W. Butts. Eber G. Langdon. 1853. William J. Kent. 1854. Eber G. Langdon. 1855. William J. Kent. 1856. Eber G. Langdon. 1857. Alanson Niles. 1858. Eber G. Langdon. 1859. Milton B. Deland. 1860. Alanson Niles. Arthur C. Andrews. 1861. Bronson Turner. 1862. Franklin A. Niles. 1863. Alanson Niles. Solon C. Bliss. 1864. Bronson Turner. Alex. J. Deland. 1865. Samuel B. Kimmell. 1866. Lodowick C. York. 1867. Selden A. Banning. 1868. Alexander J. Deland. 1869. Theron E. HIaskins. 1870. A. J. Deland. Jacob C. Rezeau. 1871. No record. 1872. Franklin Boman. 1873. Alexander Barber. 1874. Franklin Boman. 1875-77. Alexander Barber. 1878-79. Ebenezer French. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1848. E. G. Langdon. Andrew J. McDowel. 1849. Truman Herrick. E. G. Langdon. 1850. Thomas Chapin. 1851. No record. 1852. Andrew Fisher. 1853. Eber G. Langdon. 1854. Benjamin F. Warner. 1855. Henry French. Robert H. Green. 1856. Ogden Clarke. 1857. Eber G. Langdon. 1858. Minor S. Newell. 1859. Asahel Packard. 1860. George Worden. 1861. Thomas Hough, Jr. 1862. Alanson Niles. Solon C. Bliss. 1863. S. C. Bliss. Charles F. Deland. 1864. Oscar F. Clarke. C. F. Deland. S. D. Sanford. 1864. C. J. Reed. 1865. Ezra B. Smith. Samuel B. Kimmell. 1866. Harrison Parker. Arthur C. Andrews. 1867. William Grinnell. 1868. Consider S. Swain. 1869. Ezra B. Smith. 1870. Arthur C. Andrews. 1871. Henry L. Williams. Isaac G. Hotchkiss. 1872. Jacob C. Rezeau. 1873. Isaac G. Hotchkiss. Daniel Tarry. John H. Button. 1874. A. C. Andrews. Seth S. C. Caldwell. 1875. lHiram Howe. 1876. David Sanford. 1877. Isaac G. HIotchkiss. 1878. A. C. Andrews. W. E. Partridge. 1879. William E. Partridge. OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 1848. W. I. Warner. William Coutant. 1849. Isaac Bennett. Ebenezer French. 1850-52. B. Chamberlain. A. A. Martin. 1853. A. A. Martin. Alanson Payson. 1854. A. A. Martin. 1854. S. S. C. Caldwell. 1855. George W. Hicks. John B. Copp. 1856-57. Consider Swain. George W. Hicks. 1858. George W. Hicks. James Ingham. 1859. Asahel Johnson. William W. Brown. DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1872. Henry French. 1873. Daniel Tarry. 1874. A. S. Partridge. 1875. Alexander Barber. 1 1876. Nelson Talbot. 1877. William A. Garner. 1878. George A. French (two years). 1848. S. Wright. Ezra B. Smith. 1849. Harry Behan. Truman Herrick. 1850. Robert Ransom. ASSESSORS. 1850. Truman Herrick. 1851. Charles F. Deland. A. Fisher. 1852. Asahel Johnson. Allen Bump. CONSTABLES. 1848-49. William D. Penoyer. 1852. Daniel Pettingill. Seth S. C. Caldwell. Wm. D. Penoyer. 1850. Joseph Dunbar. 1853. Henry Van Buren. S. S. C. Caldwell. Daniel Pettingill. 1851. No record. Wm. D. Penoyer. X Resigned, and Henry French appointed to fill vacancy. 271 FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. 1853. Asahel Packard. 1854. Daniel Pettingill. Asahel A. Martin. 1855. A. A. Martin. Homer Penoyer. 1856. Wm. ID. Penoyer. Perry Smith. John B. Reed. Homer D. Penoyer. 1857. Wm. D. Penoyer. Daniel Cotcher. Jacob Kimmell. Charles D. Fisher. 1858. Arthur L. Ellsworth. Wm. D. Penoyer. Daniel Cotcher. Edwin F. Elmore. 1859. John R. Reed. Asahel A. Martin. Peter W. Rifenbury. John It. Spitzer. 1860. Wm. D. Penoyer. Wm. E. Hicks. Edwin F. Elwell. Elisha B. Coddington. 1861. Willis K. Hill. James E. Barnhart. Win. E. Hicks. Edwin F. Elwell. 1862. W. K. Hill. C. Birockaway. Henry Bowden. E. F. Elwell. 1863. Wm. D. Penoyer. E. F. Elwell. Wln. E. Hicks. Henry Bowden. 1864. Erwin Cady. John Caldwell. Henry Hough. John H. Rosemire. 1865. Arza N. Niles. James E. Barnhart. 1865. Franklin Boman. George A. French. 1866. Willis K. Hill. 1866. Hiram E. Parker. John Yatter. Dennis Falby. 1867. Arza N. Niles. Homer D. Penoyer. Henry Hough. John M. Caldwell. 1868. Daniel N. Fenner. Charles Knapp. Alex. J. Deland. Lafayette W. Wisner. 1869. Wm. J. Ottawa. L. W. Wisner. Wm. Ingham. George Itosie. 1870. L. W. Wisner. A. N. Niles. Horace D. French. Daniel N. Fenner. 1871. Murza Swartz. Samuel E. Ottawa. Amos B. Hurd. Cornelius E. Rulison. 1872. S. E. Ottawa. C. B. Payson. Elliott Hough. John Caldwell. 1873. A. D. Elliott. F. T. Baker. J. A. Rezeau. John Allen. 1874. George Jeffers. John Allen. Harley Hills. Charles E. Mallory. 1875. It. P. Ransom. N. Partridge. H. H. Kahl. C. B. Payson. 1876. G. W. Parmelee. 1876. S. Mulkins. S. E. Ottawa. 11. H. Kahl. 1877. S. E. Ottawa. H. H. Kahl. W. E. Partridge. Robert Hosie. 1878. S. E. Ottawa. J. B. Brown. 11. H. Kahl. Robert Hosie. 1879. Henry H. Kahl. Benjamin F. Freeland. James B. Brown. Samuel E. Ottawa. SCHOOLS. In October, 1838, the township of Flushing was divided into five school districts, the school inspectors being Abiel C. Bliss and Jarvis Bailey. As the township was then nine by twelve miles in dimensions, or containing one hundred and eight square miles, the districts were very large; yet, as the population was scattering, but few schools could be sustained. Perhaps the first school in the township, as it was then, was taught by Marshall Talbot (a cousin to William D. Penoyer), in a board kitchen attached to the house of Ezekiel R. Ewing, just across the line in what is now Mount Morris,-the first farm east of the Rufus Harrison place. To this school children gathered to the number of about 15, some of them going a distance of five or six miles. Mr. Ewing had originally settled in the town of Grand Blanc. His son, Lucien Ewing, was born in the latter town, and is said to have been the first white child born in Genesee County. At the English settlement a frame school-house was built about 1845 on the corner near the location of James Wood's present dwelling, and Huldah Ann Felt, whose parents lived in Clayton township, taught the first term of school. From the school inspectors' report for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878, the following table is arranged for this township, showing the condition of its schools at that date: DISTRICTS. No. 1................ 2 2............... " 4.............. " 7................ '' 9*........... " i1............... " 13............... " 14................ " 16................ " 17.7.............. Ha 44 200 29 64 67 69 24 65 70 52 59 Cd 48 47 -2 39 59 47.... a.._ a c 0 38 2 * *................. me 136 Is 200 138 160 78 146i 138 160 157...... ScHooI-HOUSES. Brick. 1. 1.. *. *... Frame. 1 1 1 1 I 1... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 50 5S 70 -70 3. 50 56 100 60 P. 0 410 500 $600 10t)00 500 600 800....... 700 5()0 I I Male. Female. 1 1 5 1 1.... 2 1... 1 1 1 1 1 1... 2... 2 ____ i ___ NUMBER OF TEACHERS. TEACHERS' WAGES. Male. $700 91.25.U.... 120 112 70 140 160......... Female. $130 900 33 138 60 48 48 80 198 130 Total receipts for year, $4969.63; amount on hand Sept. 2, 1878, $454.85; total expenditures, less amount on hand, $4514.78; number of private or select schools in town, 1. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ENGLISH SETTLEMENT. The houses of the several English families who settled in this township, as mentioned, were built nearly at the same * Fractional districts. time. That of Samuel Wood was built last, he living with his brother, James Wood, until his own was completed. Not long after the settlement, a Methodist Episcopal class was formed, and the first meetings were held in James Wood's log house. Their first preacher was one Mr. Whitwam, a mason by trade, who was afterwards killed at Flint by a fall. The first class-leader was James Wood, who says, "' We were Methodists when we came, and didn't want to go long without meetings." The frame for a 272 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN... church was raised in 1863, and the building was finished in 1864. Rev. Albert Allen was the preacher in charge at the date of its dedication. The first quarterly meeting was held at Flushing village, in a barn, about 1844, and for the benefit of the hungry, a turkey was baked in an oven built by James Wood. The church now belongs to Hazleton circuit, in charge of Rev. Duncan Ward, of Hazelton, Shiawassee County. It has a membership of about 40, and sustains a good Sundayschool, with Henry Kahl as superintendent. A Roman Catholic church is located in the west part of the township. EARLY ROAD. The first road cut in the township was the river-road from the east, which was surveyed, in the summer of about the year 1835, through to the farm of John Paton. That gentleman was instrumental in procuring the road, and brought the surveyors down from Flint. They were Messrs. Williams, of Grand Blanc, and Benjamin Pierson, of Flint. This road has been changed somewhat since, and extended. COAL AND SALT. The first coal discovered in the township was that found on John Paton's farm, in the fall of 1842. It is a bituminous coal of fair quality, and exists on both sides of the river. It has never been worked except where it cropped out at the river. The vein on the Paton farm was 29 inches thick. Several parties have prospected on the west side and taken out considerable quantities, and one or two geologists, who have examined the locality, aver that plenty of coal would be found by digging. The dip of the strata is towards the north. Some parties, in boring for coal on the farm of Henry French, on the south side of the river, above the village, passed through thirty feet of sand-rock. A company owning coal-mines at Corunna, Shiawassee Co., leased considerable land along Flint River, in Flushing, drilled a few holes and did no further work, and the people were unable to ascertain whether they found coal or not. A well was at one time drilled here for salt; brine was struck at a depth of seven hundred feet. The hole was deepened subsequently to fourteen hundred feet, and from some cause abandoned. Brackish water still flows from it. FLUSHING SANDSTONE. A gray sand-rock crops out at several places along the river in this township, and at a few of them has been quarried. The principal beds, or those nearest the surface, are on the farms of Henry French and John Sutton, east of Flushing village, and the Hallock farm, below the village. The first quarries were opened on the French farm by the " Flushing Stone-Quarry Company," since discontinued, and on the Luce (now the Sutton) farm by Sutton and Luce. O. W. Parsell, J. W. Kimmell, and others formed a company and opened a quarry on the Hallock farm. John Sutton, of Flint, is the owner of the principal quarry; the stratum is from ten inches to four feet in thickness, and the stone can easily be quarried, as the water does not run in from the river, as it does in other places. By a light stripping, about 15 acres on the Sutton place can be pre pared for quarrying. The river is lined here with sandstone for three-fourths of a mile, and large slabs occupy the bed of the stream. St. Paul's Episcopal church, in Flint, was constructed from this stone, 126 cords being taken from the Sutton farm, and a considerable quantity from that of Henry French. About 400 cords have been quarried on the Sutton place, and used in various places. The foundation of the Flushing mills is of this material, and much has been used in numerous buildings in Flint and elsewhere. Owing to inadequate means of transportation, the work has been temporarily abandoned. The stone appears to harden by exposure to the atmosphere, and has been pronounced by experts to be of excellent quality for building purposes, and the best in the lower peninsula of Michigan. The first of any account taken out was for the church at Flint. Robert Patrick, who came to Flint, Aug. 27, 1835, and still resides there, took a contract from the State, about 1841, for removing stone in the river-bed in Flushing, and changing and improving the channel, in order that rafts might be run down. Some very large slabs were removed. A lock was inserted in the dam at Flushing village, and everything prepared for " raft-navigation." STATISTICS FOR FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. The following items from the State census for 1874 will serve to show the condition of the township in that year, and enable the reader to compare its resources and present standing with those of the same territory two-score years in the past Population (939 males, 926 females)..................... Number of acres of taxable land....................... " " improved land....................... " " land exempt from taxation...... Value of same, with improvements...................... Number of acres in school-house sites.................. " church and parsonage sites...... 1865 21,910.75 7,807 11.25 $1,255 3.25 3 " " burying-grounds.................... 5 " " of wheat raised in 1874............... 1,558 " " " " 1873............... 1,458 " corn raised in 1873................. 822 " bushels of wheat raised in 1873............ 22,765 ( " corn raised in 1873............. 23,705 " all other grain raised in 1873 36,503 " " potatoes raised in 1873......... 11,683 ( tons of hay cut in 1873...................... 2,088 " pounds of wool sheared in 1873............ 8,852 1" C " pork marketed in 1873.........80,668 i" " butter made in 1873............83,270 " barrels of cider made in 1874............... 91 " pounds of maple-sugar made in 1874..... 6,339 " acres in orchards............................... 420 bushels of apples raised in 1872............18,713 ( " " " 1873............ 7,972 " bush. melons and garden vegetables, 1872 225 " " " " " 1873 700 Value of all fruit and garden vegetables, 1872.......$6,863 (( " "( "( " 1873.... $5,506 Number of horses one year old and over, 1874....... 478 " mules, 1874. 3 "f m ules, 1874....................................... 3 " work-oxen, 1874................................ 82 " milch-cows, 1874............................ 676 " neat cattle, one year old and over, other than oxen and cows, 1874............. 624 " swine over six months old, 1874............ 501 " sheep over six months old, 1874............ 2,482 " sheep sheared in 1873......................... 2,008 Number of flouring-mills in township................... 1 Number of persons employed in same............... 4 Amount of capital invested............................ $7,000 Number of barrels of flour made..................... 5,000 Value of products....................................... $35,000 Number of saw-mills..................................... 2 Number of persons employed...................... 10 Capital invested.......................................$6,50() Feet of lumber sawed............. 615,1)00 Value of lumber............................................ $6,150 :A 'A ";EI - I!!.T... V tS e L i FARM & RESIDENCE OF A. F.SUTTON, FLUSHING, MICHIGAN. I~ I FLUSHING Number of planing-mills.................................... Persons employed...................................... Capital invested............................................ Value of products.......................................... Number of agricultural implement shops and foundries...................................................... Persons employed...................................... Capital invested...................................... Value of products....................................... 1 5 $3,400 $1,400 1 2 $1,300 $1,000 VILLAGE OF FLUSHING Horace Jerome, from St. Clair, Mich., purchased the water-power at what is now Flushing village, in 1836. In the previous fall (1835) Charles Seymour, of Litchfield Co., Conn., had been to the State and purchased lands up the Flint River. He afterwards employed Jerome to look up pine-lands for him, and finally entered into partnership with him. The original bargain between them was that Jerome should build a saw-mill and Seymour should furnish the logs to cut. In the winter of 1836-37 a large amount of timber was prepared with which to construct the mill and dam, and the fiame of the mill was put up in the summer of 1837, on the east side of the river, at the village. The circular had been issued by President Jackson authorizing land-agents to receive nothing but specie for government lands, owing to the extensive circulation of " wildcat" money, and Mr. Seymour returned to the East in the winter of 1837-38, bringing with him when he came back a quantity of good money.* He bought 42 lots of pineland (all on shares), and had altogether over 18,000 acres. On this land he thinks grew the best pine the region afforded, and he was so fortunate as to have first choice. The original plan had been to have a saw-mill and grist-mill combined,-two saws and a run of stone. The saw-mill part was completed, but the other project was abandoned. The saw-mill irons were made at Brockport, N. Y., where Mr. Seymour had lived a few years before coming to Michigan. In the winter of 1838 a portion of the dam was washed away. One saw was then in operation. Jerome soon after left, and Seymour repaired the mill and carried it on until 1843, when he sold the property to his brother, James Seymour. Charles Seymour did not move to the county to make it his permanent home until February, 1843. On the first Monday in April of that year, election day, the snow lay on the ground to the depth of three feet. This was at the close of the memorable " hard winter." Charles Seymour afterwards built a mill with a single saw on the west side of the river. In the year 1840, after the completion of the first saw-mill, he, in company with Benjamin Bowers, built the first grist-mill in the place. It stood on the site of the present "Flushing Mills," contained two runs of stone, and was finally destroyed by fire. When James Seymour purchased the property at Flushing he lived at Brockport, N. Y., and it was not until some time later that he moved out. He subsequently removed to Lansing, where he died. He was one of the ablest men of his time in the State. Horace Jerome, who had been Charles Seymour's partner, conceived the idea of establishing a "wild-cat bank" at Flushing, and in company with Rufus Brown and Delos * Mr. S., now of Flint, says he never owned a "wild-cat" bill in his life. 35 TOWNSHIP. 273 Davis, of Detroit, started the institution in the fall of 1838. Each man gave his note for $30,000; a building was erected and preparations made for carrying on the business according to the fashion of the day. Whatever business was done was transacted at Flint. The concern soon broke down, Jerome lost repute and left the country, and the notes of the three men were sold at auction for $5 each! The building erected for a bank is now used as a barn. Jerome died within recent years somewhere in the Saginaw Bay region. The bank was known as the "Flint Rapids Bank." The failure of this institution resulted in considerable loss to its stockholders and others. A village plat, bearing the name of Flushing, after the township in which it was located, was laid out Dec. 3, 1840, on sections 26 and 27,-both sides of the river,-by Charles Seymour. Sufficient allowance was not made in the survey for variation from the true meridian, and in 1847, after the property had passed into the hands of James Seymour, the second plat of the village was laid by him, surveyed by Eber G. Langdon. This was not properly recorded, and it was not until July, 1855, that a full description was placed on record. James Seymour laid out an addition Feb. 22, 1850, and block 31 was subdivided by Charles Seymour June 1, 1857. The mills finally became the property of Judge Ogden Clarke, who settled at the village in 1846. He had located as early, probably, as 1834 on Kearsley Creek, above Flint, in Genesee township, where he owned a farm, and was also the proprietor of a store and a mill. The original mill was burned in 1864, and Messrs. Hart and Clarke-the owners of the present structure-built another one, which burned in 1872. The present new mill contains five runs of stone, and manufactures in prosperous times about 8000 barrels of flour annually. The same firm owns a mill a few rods below, which is not now in operation. It was built for a sash, blind, and door factory, by Benjamin F. Warner and William F. Cull, and afterwards converted into a grist-mill, being finally purchased by the present owners. Oscar F. Clarke, one of the firm, came here with his uncle, Ogden Clarke, in 1846; he was born in 1837, in Genesee township. Orrin Hart, the other member of the firm, settled in Genesee township in 1836. Probably the first person who sold goods in the:village was Eber G. Langdon, although he had no regular store. One of the Hendersons, from Flint, afterwards brought in a stock of goods and sold them out, and Ogden Clarke established the first permanent store in the place upon his arrival in 1846. He owned also an ashery. Messrs. Rogers and Payson established the next store of any account. Daniel Cotcher is at present the oldest merchant in the. village; that is, he has been in business here longer than any other now in the place. He came here in 1855. Daniel O'Sullivan lived early on the site of what is now the " Half-way House," on the river road, between Flint and Flushing, and worked at the latter place on the early mills. He is now engaged in the mercantile business at Flint. Robert Parsell, from the town of Newstead, Erie Co., N. Y., came with his wife and one child to Flushing town 274 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ship in September, 1837. For one season he cleared land for Thomas L. L. Brent, and in the spring of 1838 moved upon a farm of his own on section 36,-that now owned by C. L. Fuller. Upon it he resided until January, 1865, when he purchased and moved into the hotel in the village known as the " Flushing Exchange," of which he is still the proprietor. This hotel was built by Eber G. Langdon as early perhaps as 1840; it was the first and long the only one in the village. Langdon kept it for a considerable period, and became one of the prominent men of the village and township. Mr. Parsell purchased the building of Asahel Fuller (since deceased), who had kept it six years. Langdon removed to Bay City, where he died. The house was kept by numerous other parties before it passed into the hands of Fuller. The "Lyons House," originally a store, was converted into a hotel by D. B. Lyon, now a prominent merchant of Flint. It stood on the opposite (north) side of the street from the " Exchange," and was finally torn away by Mr. Lyon, who has the present season-1879-erected a substantial brick hotel on the same site. A building which stood on the ground now occupied by the " Laurel House" was converted into a hotel, and, in 1878, was destroyed by fire. The " Laurel House" is a three-story brick building, with French roof, since erected by Mrs. Passmore, its present proprietress. Mr. Parsell keeps a livery in connection with his hotel, and is also proprietor of a blacksmith-shop. The first institution of the latter kind in the place is said to have been opened in 1842, by Isaac Lyons, Esq., of Clayton. IIis was but a temporary shop, and in the same year Messrs. Sharp and Van Wormer established the first permanent one. Mr. Parsell's father, Robert Parsell, Sr., settled in the township of Clayton several years after his son had located in Flushing,-probably about 1842,-and died in the firstmentioned township. His son, Harry Parsell, settled in Flint in 1840, and another son, Hiram, came in 1848. These two are both residents of Flint. Walter and Porter Cronk, brothers-in-law to Robert Parsell, came with the latter to Flushing in 1837. Mr. Parsell's oldest son, Eugene, recently sheriff of Genesee County, was a year old when his father's family came. A daughter, Olive Parsell, now the wife of Robert McGlinchy, of Clayton, was born in Flushing township, Feb. 21, 1839, and is therefore one of the oldest white natives thereof. Mr. Parsell is the father of 14 children, 11 by his first wife, who died in 1868, and 3 by his second. He was first married in 1835. James Ingham, from Onondaga Co., N. Y. (a native of Sharon, Schoharie Co.), visited Flushing in the summer of 1838, looking for land. His wife's half-brother, Calvin Clark, also related to the Penoyers, purchased for Mr. Ingham 50 acres off from an 80 owned by James Penoyer. Mr. Clark lived in Medina Co., Ohio, and he and Mr. Ingham came from there together. The population of Flushing at that ti:wwas very meagre. Mr. Ingham visited the locality oneb afterwards, on his way back from Iowa, where his parents were living. In 1845 he removed with his family to this place, having but seventy-five cents left on his arrival. He had given the landlord of a Grand Blanc hotel, where he stopped on the way, a due-bill for $2.50, and this he paid several years afterwards. He never moved upon the place which had been bought from Penoyer, but lived farther up the river until 1849, when he purchased and moved upon the one he now owns in the village. When he came he had nine children, and the entire family experienced the hardships of a pioneer life. Mr. Ingham worked on a farm and in the pineries for $10 a month, and the family lived on " bagas" and "johnnycake." Mr. Ingham was one of the first abolitionists in the place, and always fearlessly advocated his principles. The first post-office in the neighborhood of Flushing was kept by Ezekiel R. Ewing, two miles up the river fiom the village, in what is now Mount Morris township, as early as 1839-40. The first one at the village was kept at the store of Messrs. Green & Langdon, with Loren Green as first postmaster. The mail was brought from Flint, and was at one time carried by Samuel Paine. A stage at present plies between Flushing and Flint, carrying the mail. The present incumbent of the office at Flushing is Mrs. Mary Hills, who, upon the death of her husband, was appointed to succeed him. The village was incorporated March 21, 1877, by the following " Act to Incorporate the Village of Flushing:" "Sec. 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That the following lands and territory in the township of Flushing, county of Genesee, and described as follows, to wit: The southeast quarter of section 27, and all that part of the southwest quarter of section 26 as lies northerly of Flint River, and all the land on said section 26 lying between Flint River andl Chamberlain Street, as said street is laid out, and extending easterly to Flint River, the same being in township 8 north, of range 5 east, be and the samne is hereby constituted a village corporate, by the name of the village of Flushing. " Sec. 2. The first election of officers of said village shall be held on the second Tuesday in May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, at Flushing Hall, in the said village. " Sec. 3. A. N. Niles and William HIosie are hereby constituted a board of registration, for the purpose of registering votes for the first election to be held in said village; and said board of registration are hereby required to meet on the Saturday preceding the second Tuesday of May, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven aforesaid, and register all persons presenting themselves for registration, and having the qualifications of voters at annual township-meetings. "Sec. 4. Notice of said first election of officers of said village shall be posted in three of the most public places in said village, at least ten days before the time of said election, -which notice may be signed by any five freeholders in said village. "Sec. 5. The bridge or bridges now built, or that may ereafter be built, across Flint River, within the territory described in section one of this act, shall be built and maintained, as heretofore, by the township of Flushing at large. " Sec. 6. The said village of Flushing shall in all things not herein otherwise provided be governed by, and its powers and duties defined by, an act entitled ' an act granting and defining the powers and duties of incorporated villages,' approved April first, eighteen hundred and seventy-five. " Sec. 7. In case the said officers are not elected at the time designated in section two of this act, an election for officers may be had at any time within one year from the time designated in said section two of this act, on notice being given as provided in section four of this act. "Sec. 8. This act shall take immediate effect." The first village election was held May 8, 1877, when 82 votes were polled. The following officers were chosen, viz.: President, Oscar F. Clarke; Trustees (1 year), William J. Ottaway, Daniel Cotcher, Corydon Cronk; (2 years), ;P-", I 1 -76~S~,r~ ~,,es.: hS rF"" _i:' -1~.~-_-.' _;,~;-~~:.~ 2:~P" ~~~~, — - '-r~ ~~l~~ii~ii-~~~; -;' -;;u.~ 4 *.;*:;*2~:i' i~,,.~ -~,~i:~~~,:~ i —:i "":?' ~:i~-.. — -.-; ~i; ~~-~ r-: 1.: J i;~i~::: - ~~: ~-~-~.::." ~;~i- -.r h;l r;: *3 iii.. i~-.~ 81 rr::'-1 ~I~ r~:-:~: — c b ~: ^BL ^K~^^^^^sy^ fK ^i~ ^s~-lnii...^~~;:B: r <2r ~-r — —;: FREDERICK GRAHAM.:,-.?.': - - JAMES W. GRAHAM:.::: M RS.JAMES W.GRAH:AM. ATTIE GRAHAM. RESIDENCE OF JAMES W.GRAHAM, FLUSHING, MICH. M - FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. 275 Henry French, Jacob Kimmell, Hiram P. Ransom; Village Clerk, William Hosie; Treasurer, Hiram A. Packard; Street Commissioner, Samuel E. Ottaway; Assessor, Azariah S. Partridge; Constable, Joseph Topham. Samuel E. Ottaway was subsequently chosen marshal. 1878.-President, Arthur C. Andrus; Trustees (2 years), James W. Brown, George W. Button, Mortimer N. Park; Clerk, William Hosie; Assessor, Carlos Packard; Treasurer, Nelson Talbot; Street Commissioner, S. E. Ottaway; Constable, George W. Parmelee. 1879.-President, Arthur C. Andrus; Trustees (2 years), Nelson Talbot, Jacob Kimmel, Elisha B. Coddington; Clerk, Wesson G. Sprague; Treasurer, Hiram A. Packard; Assessor, M. M. Bliss; Street Commlissioner, S. E. Ottaway; Constable, George Ball. The " Wolverine Fire Company" was organized about the year 1874, with about 35 members. Arza N. Niles was chosen first chief engineer. A subscription was raised, and a small hand-engine, bell, buckets, etc., were purchased. These were turned over to the village after its incorporation. The engine was made by Capt. Haas, of Flint, and is of his own model and patent. It is an excellent one for a small engine, and in 1878 was the means of saving the business portion of the village from entire destruction by fire. A saloon and hotel were at that time burned on the corner where the " Laurel House" now stands. NEWSPAPERS. The Flutshing Patrol, a seven-column folio sheet, was established October 18, 1878, by D. C. Ashmun, the present editor and proprietor. A small job-office is operated in connection. The subscription list of the paper numbers 700 or 800. A small amateur paper had been previously printed for a time by a young man named Burton Smith, a nephew of O. S. Pond. BRIDGES. The present wooden bridge across the river at the village is about 200 feet in length, and was built in the neighborhood of 1872. Its predecessor, also a wooden structure, stood some sixteen years, and the first one-wood-about the same length of time, having been built about 1839-40. MANUFACTORIES. A woolen-factory, carding-machine, etc., was operated here at one time. It was finally discontinued in that capacity and moved up and made part of a flouring-mill, which stood below the present one, and was afterwards burned. The saw-mill now standing on the west side of the river was originally built by Messrs. Cull & Warner (the same who owned the present lower grist-mill) for a sash-factory. The furnace now owned by Mr. Somers, near the west end of the bridge, was originally built for an ashery by Mr. Henderson, of Flint, and converted into a furnace by Ogden Clarke. Green & Langdon used it for a time as an ashery. A shingle-factory on the north side of the street, west of the bridge, belongs to Mr. Willett, and a saw-mill and rake-factory near it is owned by Mrs. Henry French, and managed by Smith & Martin. An old steam saw-mill stands on the flat above the grist-mill, but is not now in use. In June, 1879. the village contained ten or twelve stores of various kinds, and the usual number of mechanic-shops found in a place of its size. SOCIETIES. The secret orders are Flushing Lodge, No. 223, F. and A. M.; Rankin Lodge, No. 139, 0... F.; Valley Lodge, No. 693, Knights of Honor; The Royal Templars' Lodge, a temperance organization; Flushing Grange, No. 387, Patrons of Husbandry. THE FLUSHING CORNET BAND is a fine organization, numbering sixteen members. It is under the leadership of U. L. Smith. A neat uniform of gray is worn on parade. As early as about 1849 a band was formed in the village, having nine members, and at first without drums. After a year or two a teacher was hired and music procured. Upon the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861 some of the members of the band entered the army, and the organization was nearly broken up, but after the war it started again in better shape. The first leader was William Reed, who is playing again with the present band. He is the oldest player among the number. Henry French joined soon after the original band was formed, and, with the exception of a couple of years, has belonged to it until the present. This band is much better than the average of those found in places of equal size. FLUSHING PUBLIC SCHOOL. District No. 2, including the village, was organized as a union district previous to 1866. The present fine twostory brick school-house was built in 1871, at a cost of $5000. The present trustees of this district are A. S. Partridge, Director; M. N. Park, Daniel Cotcher, J. Paton, Jr., O. F. Clarke, J. B. Gallup. The teachers are: Principal, James Spencer; Assistant, Hattie Chipman; Intermediate Department, Hattie L. Collar; Primary Department, Prudie E. Andrews. CHIIURCHES. Metlho(ist Episcopal Church.-The Methodists have the honor of having organized the first religious society in the village, as a class was formed previous to 1840. But two of those who were members at that time are now living; of these, one is Mrs. David Penoyer, of the village. Meetings were held for some time in the old school-house, and afterwards in a building whicl stood on the south side of the main street, cast of the bridge. In 1845 the society began getting material together for the purpose of building a church, but, through some misfortune, it was not completed for two or three years. It is a frame edifice, standing in the eastern part of the village. A portion of the original spire has been taken down. This church has been prosperous from the beginning. Among the early preachers were Revs. Bigelow, Barnes, Seth Reed, T. J. Joslin, Sylvester Calkins, and others. Elder William J. Kent became a member of the church when he first came to the township, in 1843, and is still connected with it. He was one of the most steadfast supporters of the early church, as were also Columbus Chilson, William Lockyer, and Ogden Clarke. The first circuit embraced a large number of ap 276 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. pointments, and the work of the pastor was by no means light. First Baptist Church.-The Baptists organized the second society in the village, and at first had services as a branch of the Flint Church, but in time became an independent organization. The members of the Deland family were early influential members, and Elder Deland, father of Charles F. Deland, was for a long time the pastor. The present frame building occupied by the society stands in the western part of the village, and was erected for a union church by the Baptists and others. It subsequently became the property of the Baptist society alone. Among the more recent pastors have been Rev. P. Reynolds, in 1868; succeeded in 1870 by Rev. A. Tilden, and he by Rev. Edward Selleck. The church was then supplied for a time, but had no settled pastor until Rev. Edward Blanchard came, in August, 1876. The latter is still in charge. The membership of this church is about 150. A Sabbathschool is sustained, with a good attendance, and has for its superintendent Eugene Herriman. The Presbyterians organized the third society and also built a frame church, the Seymours being among the most influential members. The organization has become greatly depleted in numbers, has no pastor and does not hold meetings, and practically does not at present exist. FLUSHIING CEMETERY. A cemetery association was incorporated in 1847, land purchased from Barney Chamberlain, and the "Central Burying-Ground" laid out upon it. Adjoining land was subsequently purchased and added by the township, to which it still belongs, while the cemetery corporation owns the original purchase. The first meeting of the association was held March 6, 1847. The original members were eighteen in number, viz.: William Coutant, Seth S. C. Caldwell, Asahel A. Martin, Columbus C. Chillson, E. R. Ewing, William L. Delbridge, Richard Bowman, John Paton, Thomas J. Packard, H. S. Penoyer, Joseph Dunbar, R. H. Green, James E. Brown, E. B. Smith, Ebenezer French, William J. Kent, Alexander Barber, A. M. Woodruff. The present officers are: President, Henry French, since May, 1872; Secretary, Samuel J. Paine; Treasurer, Ebenezer French; Sexton, John Caldwell. Among the societies of Flushing village is the " Flushing Ladies' Library Association," which was organized at the house of Mrs. James A. Button, July 30, 1873, when Mrs. George Button was chosen President and Mrs. E. G. Bryant; Secretary. Fifty-two persons became members at the organization, and a fund of $67.60 was the amount in the treasury. Mrs. T. V. Rogers was chosen as first permanent president. The first order for books, 41 volumes, amounted to $63. The number of volumes in 1876 was 480, and the membership was 102. Sincere thanks are tendered to those who have aided in the compilation of the foregoing sketch of this township and village. Among the number who have kindly rendered valuable services are Henry French, Mr. and Mrs. John Paton, Sr., James Ingham, Robert Parsell, Messrs. Hart & Clarke, Daniel Cotcher, and numerous others in the village; Elder William J. Kent, William D. Penoyer, James Wood, Mrs. Samuel Wood, and others in the township; and various manufacturers, members of churches, the town and village clerks, beside many whose names are not recollected. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. HENRY FRENCH. Henry French was born in Woodstock, Windsor Co., Vt., in the year 1813. His father, Apollos French, came from Taunton, Conn., at an early date, and settled in the place where our subject was born, where he married Miss Abigail Carpenter. The fruit of this union was as follows: Robert, Rhoda, Betsy E., Ira, Ebenezer, Henry, George, Photo. by J. P. Rhodes. HENRY FRENCH. and Joseph,-all living except George and Rhoda. Mr. Apollos French died at his son's residence in Flushing, and was buried in Flint. Mrs. French died in Vermont, and was buried there, previous to her husband's coming to Michigan. At the age of fifteen, Henry French was bound to Tracy Bingham, in Woodstock, Vt., and lived with him until he attained the age of twenty-one. He subsequently worked for Mathew Cushing and Seth Brewster, and until he started for what was then considered the t" Far West," the State of Michigan, with his brother Ira. They traveled by wagon and canal to Albany, rail to Schenectady, thence by canal to Buffalo, and by steamer to Detroit. Remaining in Detroit but a single night, he started out (in company with his brother and two young men) on a prospecting tour in the new country, arriving at the village of Flint (consisting at that time of a few frame houses) about the 18th of October, 1835. He located on section 36, township 8, since called Flint and Flushing, taking up one hundred and nine and a half acres of land. Constructing a log house, he commenced his labors, fully prepared for the hardships and privations which all early settlers had to undergo.:: 4 DANIEL COTCHER. MRS.DANIEL COTCHER. FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. 277 He married in Flint, in November, 1835, Miss Abigail Maria Ensign, of Greenwich, N. Y. By this union were born a family of four children, viz.: George, Althea, Rhoda, and Henry H.,-all living. Mrs. French departed this life the 16th of November, 1871, and was buried in the Flushing cemetery. He married, June 23, 1872, for his second wife, Mrs. Susan Delbridge, widow of William L. Delbridge, with whom he now resides. Mr. French, by his industry, has acquired a competency sufficient to enable him to live in ease. He has enjoyed the full confidence of his townsmen, they having successively elected him town treasurer and justice of the peace; the latter position he filled for six years. At the present time (September, 1879), he is sixty-six years of age, and seems to be possessed of as much energy as a young man of thirty. He believes this to be the result of a life of total abstinence. Photos. by J. P. Rhodes, Flushling. EBENEZER FRENCH. MRS. EBENEZER FRENCH. EBENEZER FRENCH. The rock-ribbed Green Mountain State sent many of her hardy sons to the western wilderness to help build there a mighty and prosperous commonwealth, and than those from the green-clad walls of the State, whose people " in the name of Vermont defied all the world," none nobler nor more staunch came to this region to erect their homes. The gentleman above named was born in Woodstock, Windsor Co.. Vt., May 12, 1810, and lived with his father until sixteen years of age, after which time he worked out during summers, and attended the district schools winters until he was twenty-one. Still continuing his farm labors, he taught school winters until 1834. On the 31st of August, in that year, he was united in matrimony to Martha S. Dunham, daughter of Simeon and Sophia Dunham. Sept. 6, 1836, he started for Michigan with his family, going over the mountains to Whitehall in a lumber-wagon, thence down the canal to Troy, thence by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and from the latter place to Detroit by steamer. From Detroit the remainder of the journey to what is now Flushing township was traversed in a lumber-wagon. Mr. French purchased and settled on land in this town, and in common with the other settlers endured the various privations and sore hardships incident to the life of a pioneer. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. French, viz.: Martha A., Harriet E., Mary S., Horace D., Morris F., Harriet E. (2d), Simeon E., Wilber F., and Willard 0. Of these all are living except Harriet E. (1st) and Simeon E. Mr. French has been placed by the citizens of the township in nearly all its offices, of which he held that of supervisor seven years, and is at present inspector of schools. DANIEL COTCHER. This gentleman was born in Bethlehem, Albany Co., N. Y., Oct. 10, 1833, his father, John Cotcher, having emigrated from England about 1820, and settled in that town, about two miles from the city of Albany. He owned a farm and managed it until 1846, when he removed to the township of West Bloomfield, Oakland Co., Mich., purchased a place, and lived upon it till his death, which occurred Jan. 13, 1873, when he was seventy-six years of age. His widow and one son, James Cotcher, still reside there. Until 1848, Daniel Cotcher aided his father in his farm duties, but in that year he entered the store of 0. C. & R. B. Morris, at Pontiac, and remained there five years. The greater part of the two following years he spent in the West. Nov. 5, 1855, he came to Flushing village and began work at his trade in the establishment of Charles Seymour, Mr. Cotcher doing the first tinner's work in the first tin-shop in the village. He subsequently purchased the tin-shop and hardware department, and conducted business for himself about eight years. In the spring of 1865 he entered into a business partnership with Franklin A. Niles, forming the firm of Niles & Cotcher, which has continued to do a successful business to the present time. Mr. 278 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN... -- -- -— I Coteher has been continuously in trade in Flushing longer than any other merchant now residing in the village, and his mercantile life has not been marked with any of the disasters which many less careful managers have experienced. He has served a number of years as a member of the union school board, and was one of the first board of village trustees, elected in 1877. Sept. 25, 1860, Mr. Cotcher was married to Mary M. Woodruff, a native of Pittsfield, Mass., where she resided most of her life previous to her marriage. Her father, Amos M. Woodruff, settled in the township of Flushing about 1844, and died April 17, 1875, aged sixty-four years. Mrs. Cotcher is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Flushing. Two children-a son and a daughterhave been born to this couple. The family is one of the most highly esteemed and respected of any living in the place. JOHN PATON. At least one native of' "Auld Scotia" built for himself a home in the wilds of this township, entering his land before a single white inhabitant had reared his humble cabin in its forest. Born in Blackford, Perthshire, Scotland, Nov. 5, 1801, his thread of life has spun out to more than an average degree, owing largely, perhaps, to the pure air inhaled among his native hills in his youth. He learned the trade of a weaver, and followed that occupation until his removal to America. On the 21st day of March, 1827, in company with his sister, Marian Paton, he left his old home, and, after stopping a short time near Glasgow, sailed for New York on the 9th of April, arriving at the latter place May 8, 1827. There he saw the first colored people his eyes had ever rested upon, and the sight was a novelty to him. The day following his arrival in New York he visited Paterson, N. J., and a few days later commenced weaving duck at that place for a friend, Mr. Burton. He shortly after obtained a situation in the factory of Mr. Heights, at Little Falls, near Paterson. He afterwards, in company with James Woodhouse, operated a factory on commission, and continued in the business until he came West. Early in 1834, Mr. Patton came to Micligan, and in June of that year purchased land which comprises the principal part of his present farm. As he was unwilling to move upon it at that time,-so far from any others,-he located up the river in what is now Flint township, on the place at present owned by Mr. Warren. Farther up the stream, and about five miles out from Flint, were then living Nathan and Isaac Miles, and eighteen or twenty miles below, in Saginaw County, was one Mr. Hayden. These were the nearest families to Mr. Paton living on the river, and the only ones in the distances mentioned. At the time he located in Flint township, Mr. Paton was unmarried, but was accompanied by John Stothers and wife, fiom Canada, Mrs. Stothers doing the housework. This couple remained but a short time. Nov. 22, 1835, Mr. Paton was married to Miss Mary Evans, and in February, 1837, moved with his wife and one child to the farm where they now reside. Mrs. Paton was born Jan. 30 or 31, 1816, in Manchester, England. Her parents, although natives of Ireland, were both of English descent. Her mother died in England, and in 1830 her father, John Evans, removed with his daughter to Stockport, N. Y., five miles north of Hudson, Columbia Co., where they remained five years. Their trip, in October, 1835, to Flushing, occupied three weeks' time, the journey being made by canal to Buffalo, thence to Detroit by boat. The Saginaw turnpike was not then completed, although work was progressing upon it, and as Mr. Evans was unable to procure a team in Detroit, he wished his daughter to remain there until he could go to Flushing and bring a team back after her. She demurred, however, thinking she was as well able to walk as her father, and together they started, making Hamilton's tavern, eleven miles out, the first day. The following day they walked to Waterford, twenty-one miles farther, and attended a quilting at that place in the evening. The third day they reached Thomas Irish's tavern in Grand Blanc. Upon arriving there, Mr. Evans drank a quantity of cider when quite warm, and serious results very nearly followed, he becoming for a short time like one dead. His daughter was greatly alarmed, and the presence of a crowd of roughs and horse-thieves, who deliberately proceeded to strip her father and hunt for his valuables, tended to heighten her anxiety, she in the meanwhile being scoffed and jeered by them. At length the landlord appeared and stayed proceedings. Mr. Evans finally recovered, and the next day they walked on through Flint and down to where Mr. Paton was living. In November following, Mr. Paton and Miss Evans were married, as stated, and after moving to Flushing (in 1837) stayed for a short time in Mr. Evans' log house until a frame structure could be erected on their own place. They are the parents of four children, all living but one, who died at birth. The names and births of those living are respectively as follows: John Paton, Jr., born in Flint township, Sept. 15, 1836. Mary M. Paton, born in Flushing, July 23, 1839. Annie B. Paton, born in Flushing, Feb. 12, 1842. Since coming to Michigan, Mr. Paton's occupation has been that of a farmer. He and his wife were both members of the Presbyterian Church at Flushing, which society is now so disorganized as to hardly be considered an organization. The daughters are both members of the Methodist Church. Politically, Mr. Paton was a member of the old Whig party until the Republicans organized, since which time he has stood on the same platform with them. For some account of the trials this estimable family endured in the days when they were pioneers, the reader is referred to the foregoing history of the township of Flushing. THOMAS H. KELLAND. In the northwest part of Flushing township is a neighborhood known as the " English Settlement," from the fact that those who located there were from the mother-country, and others have arrived in later years. Mr. Kelland, who was born in Devonshire, England, July 18, 1835, emigrated with his sister to America in 1850, and for two years lived south of Flint, removing subsequently into the border of Shiawassee County, west of his present residence. After remaining there two years he came to the place he now occupies, formerly the home of Samuel Wood, and still partly owned by his heirs. On the 30th of April, RESIDENCE OF THE LATE ALEXANDER BARBER, FLUSHING, MICHIGAN. FLUSHING TOWNSHIP. 279 1862, Mr. Kelland was married to Mr. Wood's daughter, Martha A. Wood, who was born on the farm July 19,1844. To Mr. and Mrs. Kelland have been born two children, viz.: Fannie A., born Aug. 18, 1864; George E., born Dec. 8, 1868. Both Mr. Kelland and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, located near their residence. Politically, Mr. Kelland is a Republican. Mrs. Kelland's father, Samuel Wood, a native of Derbyshire, England, emigrated from Lancashire in May, 1842, and in March, 1843, was married to Mrs. Mary Vernon, also from Lancashire, who had come with her father, John Bailey, the same spring, and lived at Flushing village, where Mr. Bailey soon after died. His wife died on the Wood place. Samuel Wood's death occurred March 22, 1875, when he was sixty-one years of age. His widow, who was also a widow when married to him, still survives, and her home is with her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Kelland. A more full account of the settlement of the English families, with their experience as pioneers, will be found in the township history. ANDREW F. SUTTON. Mr. Sutton, the third son and the third child in a family of seven children, was born Nov. 20, 1817, in the State of New Jersey. His parents were Micaiah and Rachel (Freeman) Sutton, and were farmers. The elder Sutton also carried on the tanning and currying business. A. F. Sutton came to his present location in Flushing about the year 1853, and purchased-opposite his present residence-a farm of Jarvis Bailey. After his arrival in Genesee County, Mr. Sutton was married, in Flint, to Jeannette Boomer, who died in Flushing, and in 1865 he married the widow of Linus Jacox. Mrs. Sutton was born Aug. 15, 1817, in Putnam County, N. Y., and about 1837 came to Michigan with her mother, Mrs. Davenport, who purchased a farm near Clarkston, in Oakland County. Mr. Davenport's decease occurred before the family removed from New York. The daughter was subsequently married to Linus Jacox, who also lived near Clarkston, and about 1854 came with her husband to Flushing, he purchasing the place where Mr. and Mrs. Sutton now reside. Mr. Bailey, the former owner, had cleared to some extent on the farm, but made no further improvements, and Mr. Jacox built the house now standing east of Mr. Sutton's residence, and also erected barns. The present dwelling of Mr. Sutton was built in 1875. The farm now contains one hundred acres. Linus Jacox died in November, 1861, and his widow (whose maiden name was Rachel Davenport) was married to Mr. Sutton, as above stated. Mr. Sutton and Mrs. Jacox had each four children-three sons and a daughter-when married. Mr. Sutton is a Republican in politics, and both he and his wife are connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church at Flushing. ALEXANDER BARBER. Among the residents of Flushing who were during their lives held in great esteem, the person above named is one of the first to be mentioned. His birth occurred Oct. 17, 1815, among the hills of the town of Morrisville, Madison Co., N. Y. April 15, 1838, he was married to Amanda Smith, who was also a native of Madison County, the date of her birth being May 24, 1816, and the town, Hamilton, of classic notoriety. In the spring of 1839 they buried an infant son, and in June of the same year Mr. and Mrs. Barber removed to Michigan, stopping until fall with Mrs. Barber's brother, Simeon M. Smith, in Groveland, Oakland Co., where he had settled early. He afterwards came to Flushing, where he died Upon their arrival in Flushing, Mr. Barber and his wife located on a farm on the west side of Flint River, four miles below the village. Mrs. Barber's father, Ezra Smith, came to the township with his wife and one son-Ezra Smith, Jr. (the latter having his wife and two children with him),-and both owned land down the river. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Barber, and both died in infancy. Mr. Barber's principal occupation was that of a farmer, although much of his time was spent in teaching school-principally winters —in both New York and Michigan. In 1865 he moved to Flushing village, where his widow still resides. During the last ten years of his life he had the agency for several insurance companies, among them the " Watertown," of Watertown, N. Y. He was a firm Republican in politics, and one of the most prominent citizens of the township, as is evident from the fact that for many years he was elected to its various offices, and honored with the trust and confidence of those whom he represented. He was a member of the Baptist Church at Flushing, with which Mrs. Barber is still connected, she having, before her marriage, united with the church of that denomination at Hamilton, N. Y. The farm Mr. Barber settled on when he came to this township he purchased from second hands, yet no improvements had been made upon it. Until he and Mr. Smith could erect board houses on their own places, they lived in a small shanty on the Brent farm. Mr. Barber's board house, when completed, was twelve by sixteen feet in dimensions, and one story high. The hardships the settlers endured in those early days are scarcely to be described, but they live vividly in the recollection of those who experienced them. Sickness was added to other trials, and many times were the dwellers in the wilderness discouraged at their gloomy prospects, but the end truly crowned the work, and success and prosperity at last smiled upon them. A couple of years after he settled, Mr. Barber met with a serious accident. While riding his Indian pony in the pursuit of his township duties, it fell with him and crushed his foot badly, and he never fully recovered the use of it. This and his age prevented his acceptance as a volunteer during the Rebellion, which circumstance he very much regretted. He suffered much from sickness, especially during the last eight months of his life, and a combination of the most serious diseases finally caused his death, on the 27th of February, 1878, and those who were acquainted with him and knew his worth were called upon to mourn the loss of a respected friend and citizen, while the wife who had stood by him in trial and in prosperity was left utterly alone, to mourn till she, too, is called. MUND Y. THE township of Mundy includes Congressional township No. 6 north, in range 6 east, or one-half the territory originally set off to it. It is bounded north by Flint township, east by Grand Blanc, south by Fenton, and west by Gaines, which was until 1842 included within its limits. The natural characteristics of Mundy are much the same as those of its sister-towns, consisting of a generally level surface, with portions considerably undulating, a variety of soil, and a considerable acreage of timber. In many respects it is one of the best townships in the county, and its improvements are very generally excellent. It was settled by an energetic, thrifty class of farmers, and the success which has attended their efforts to build up substantial and comfortable homes in the wilderness is everywhere apparent in the fine forms, tasty dwellings, and the various accompaniments of a well-ordered agricultural community. Unlike many portions of the country, its first settlers possessed a greater intelligence than those in other localities, and this, combined with enterprise, wrought a wonderful change in the face of the region which frowned upon them over forty years ago in all the majesty of a forest-crowned domain, where the brute creation held almost undisputed sway and the axe of the pioneer had never swung nor its strokes echoed through the primeval aisles. But as change is the order elsewhere, so was it here, and the pleasant and peaceful homes of to-day are a marked contrast to the wilderness of earlier years. LAND ENTRIES. The following is a list of land-entries in this township, transcribed from the tract-book of George M. Dewey, Esq., of Flint: SECTION 1. Acres. James Spier, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................... 240 Joseph Lawrence, Westchester Co., N. Y., June, 1836........... 168.73 Jonathan G. Firman, Oakland Co.; Mich., Nov. 1835............ 80 Hiram Rusco, Genesee Co., Mich., Nov. 1835...................... 169.03 SECTION 2. Nathaniel Nelson, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836............... 167.59 James Spier, Livingston Co., N. Y., " ".............. 80 Noble Beagle, "* " " " 80 John Hatner, Monroe Co., "............... 160 Samuel Preble, Genesee Co., " " "...... 86.75 Wm. Taylor, Saratoga Co., " July, 1836'.............. 80 SECTION 3. James M. Hutchings, Monroe Co., N. Y., June, 1836........... 80 Bradbury Eastman, Genesee Co., N Y. " "............ 80 Phebe Hatch, " "........... 80 Dewitt C. Gregory, Chenango Co., N. Y., July, 1836............ 80 Abraham C. Mattron, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1836............ 80 Win. Taylor, Saratoga Co., N. Y., July, 1836,....................... 85.89 Robert Cann, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836................ 163.67 SECTION 4. Henry H. Howland, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836............ 80 Benj. Simmons, ".. "........... 80 Abigail Simmons, "............. 80 Abraham Beckorn, Morris Co., N. J., June, 1836.......,.... 80 Wm. Taylor, Saratoga Co., N. Y., July, 1836........................ 163.38 Wm. Eddy, Genesee Co., N. ~., March, 1836.............. 84.25 Abraham Buckland, Genesee Co., N. Y., April, 1836........... 80 280 SECTION 5. Acres. Henry H. Howland, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836............. 160 Hiram Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836................... 8;3.94 Thomas Durfee, ". i "..................8 80 Cook & Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836..................... 160 Truman B. Wilkinson, Genesee Co., Mich., Oct. 1836........... 164.58 SECTION 6. John L. Eastman, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836................. 159.80 A. E. Mather, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836....................... 488.62 SECTION 7. A. E. Mather, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836..................... 80 Isaac W. Morton, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June, 1836............ 40 Daniel Tooker, Orange Co., N. Y., September, 1836.............. 321.16 Sprague Wilkerson, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836.......... 160 David Gibson, " " April, 1839............. 40 SECTION 8. Jonathan Collins, Jr., Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836........... 80 Alonzo F. Alger, Genesee Co., " June, 1836.......... 120 Smith Titus, Cayuga Co., N. Y., "........ 120 Samuel Dibble, Litchfield Co., Conn., " "......... 160 Elijah Bishop, Jr., Chautauqua Co., N. Y., " "......... 160 SECTION 9. A. H. Howland, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836................... 80 Wm. M. Hlodge, Otsego Co., N. Y., June, 1836..................... 80 Bildad Hodge, I" " " "d..................... 80 Abigail Simmons, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836................ 80 Abraham Beckorn, Morris Co., N. J., "................ 80 William Smith, Oakland Co., Mich., " "................ 80 " " " " July, 1836..................... 80 Sprague Wilkerson, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836.......... 80 SECTION 10. McHenry, Hurley, Kurcheval, and Smith, United States, May, 1836..................................................................... 160 Irwin C. Simmons, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836............... 80 Jacob Bentley, Ontario Co., N. Y., "............... 80 Charles Wilcox, " " " "............... 40 Samuel Perry, Columbia Co., " "............... 200 Stephen Chatfield, Oakland Co., Mich., " "............... 80 SECTION 11. Volney Stiles, Monroe Co., N. Y., November, 1833............... 40 Eli Gilbert, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1835......................... 40 Birdsell N. Johnson, Broomie Co., N. Y., September, 1835..... 120 Dennis Brainard, Niagara Co., " November, 1835..... 40 J. Whipple and G. Bartlett, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836 240 Samuel Perry, Columbia Co., " " "t 80 John R. Martin, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836.................... 40 Ira D. Wright, Genesee Co., " July, ".................... 40 SECTION 12. Bradbury Eastman, Tompkins Co., N. Y., November, 1833..... 40 Hiram Rusco, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1835............... 120 John Lewis, Jackson Co., " February, 1836................ 80 Smith Titus, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836........................ 320 " " " " ".................. '40 Chauncey Brown, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836............. 40 SECTION 13. Daniel Williams, Lapeer Co., Mich., May, 1833.................... 80 John Lewis, Genesee Co., " November, 1835............ 160 Bradbury Eastman," " March, 1836................. 80 Peter Crise, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836......................... 320 SECTION 14. John Richards, Niagara Co., N. Y., September, 1833............ 80 Birdsell N. Johnson, Broome Co., N. Y., September, 1835...... 40 Isaac W. Morton, Wshtenaw Co., Mich., February, 1836...... 80 John Hempstead, Monroe Co., N. Y., May, 1836.................. 280 Seth Beckwith, Livingston Co., " " ".................. 80 Washington D. Morton, Washtenaw Co., Mich., May, 1836..... 80 I j ~14 ~I:.:~~.:;:-~h:-~~-if;:-; ~~-. I..,1,. ~~ 7:.;~L, ~~ ~ L1 li1:I::: - -: r i'-;::~::;-:1 - i I ~.~-. I ~~~~~~,~~~-::: 1 - c~: ~ l:::;; t:-:II:~~:':i;::::~~~i~~ ~' ~i~::~:.; I.~-: 6~~r rl -. I —: l; 1::'1:'::: z;.;:.. I::-;",. ~;~:,::::BF o -~~, m I I 5~: 1. 1 - ~i,,; I.;;~ 8u ~ (~- ':::: i~ c ~ r~i~, jlI: I:;, 3 kS1 i.:::::.~;~:.-, 1..- ~:~' ~. - ~SI t; ~~~ i:i:~r:: I:,,.,. -'i!:17t.i:;:. Li~i~ _::: -:-:(,i:::.,,~~;::ii::: _ I ii ~i i i:.~~:-:-:-t-,r.t1.I _,II-:'::;::-: `I~,:: —: ~:: ~~: ~` 'r':::.: MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 281 SECTION 15. Acres. McHenry, Kurcheval, et al., United States, May, 1836.......... 640 SECTION 17. Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836.................... 160 Maxwell Thompson, Ontario Co., N. Y.,.......................... 160 Elijah Bishop, Jr., Chautauqua Co., N. Y., June, 1836.......... 320 SECTION 18. Newbold Lawrence, Npw York City, May, 1836................... 160 Morris Tyler, Sandusky City, Ohio, "............ 8) David Shank, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836..................... 81.18 Jacob Morton, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June, 1836................ 80 A. E. Mather, Wayne Co., " " ".2................ 241.30 SECTION 19. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836............. 321.48 Morris Tyler, Sandusky City, Ohio, May, 1836..................... 80 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, " "..................... 160 Daniel Mercereau, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836................. 81.24 SECTION 20. Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836.................. 80 William Thompson, ' " " "t t.................. 320 Maxwell Thompson, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1836............... 16 Edmund Probyn, Gloucester, England, June, 1836............... 80 SECTION 21. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836............... 0 Josiah Alger, Oakland Co., Mich., " "I............... 160 A. B. Alger, " " "c "............... 80 Lewis H1. Alger, " " "............... 80 Cornelius Valentine, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836............ 80 Joseph Carr, Wayne Co., N. Y., " "............ 160 SECTION 22. Ka-ka-ge-sic, Shiawassee Co., Mich., December, 1835............ 120 William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., 4pril, 1836............... 80 Messrs. Parks, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................... 80 Easter Alger, It " * " "................. 80 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836................... 280 SECTION 23. Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836................. 160 Miron B. Smith, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1836................. 160 David M. Jewett, New London, Conn., " "................ 160 Levi Parsons, Onondaga Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................... 80 Hiram L. Dickinson, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836............ 80 SECTION 24. Eunice Austin, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1835................. 40 Levi Parsons, Onondaga Co., N. Y., March, 1836................. 80 Ebenezer Bishop, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1836............... 80 Samuel L. Chapin, Livingston Co, N. Y., May, 1836........... 160 Royal Chamberlin, Orleans Co., N. Y., May, 1836................. 120 Andrew Snider, Cayuga Co., " "................ 160 SECTION 25. James Van Valkenburgh, Livingston Co., N. Y., May, 1835... 40 David Shunk, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1835....................... 320 Daniel R. Williams, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1835.............. 40 Hiram Sherwood, " " " May, 1835.............. 80 Stephen Sherwood, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836........... 160 SECTION 26. Nelson Meaker, Shiawassee Co., Mich., November, 1834......... 40 Thomas Van Sickle, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1835............... 120 " " " " " " September, 1835...... 80 Edmund L. Jennings, Tioga Co., N. Y., ' "...... 160 Cornelius Bray, Ontario Co., N. Y., October, 1835................ 80 IHiram Sherwood, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836................. 80 Stephen Sherwood, Livingston Co., N.Y., June, 1836........... 80 SECTION 27. Morgan Baldwin, Tioga Co., N. Y., March, 1834.................. 160 James Iloughton, ".................. 80 Wa-be-be-nes-se, Shiawassee Co., Mich., January, 1835...... 40 Lois G. H. Conant, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, February, 183........ 80 Chester Reynolds, Genesee Co., N.Y., June, 1835................. 80 Cyrenius Simmons, Oakland Co., Mich., August, 1835........... 160 Wa-be-be-nes-se, Shiawassee Co., Mich., December, 1835........ 40 SECTION 28. Horace Wetmore, Oakland Co., Mich., August, 1835.............. 80 Calvin Nelson, Jr., Ontario Co., N. Y., September, 1835....... 40 Josiah Alger, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................. 80 Hester Valentine, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836............... 80 Cornelius Valentine, " " May, 1836................ 80 Stephen S. Durkee, " " " March, 1836.......... 80 William Evans, " " " July, "..........40 36 Acres. Robert Covel, Jr., Tioga Co., N. Y., July, 1836................... 80 Ruel W. Scovel, Oneida Co., N. Y., October, 1836.................. 40 John F. Durkee, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1837............... 40 SECTION 29. George W. Paul, Ontario Co., N. Y., September, 1835............ 160 Asa T. Pierce, " " " October, "............ 80 Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836................ 80 Josiah H. Alger, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................. 80 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836................... 80 Nelson H. Sanders, Niagara Co., N. Y., May, 1836............... 160 S rTION 30. Sally Pierce, Ontario Co., N. Y., October, 1835..................... 40 Charles Smith, Genesee Co., N. Y., April, 1836..................... 242.80 Josiah 11. Alger, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................ 240 William Evans, " "; " " i................. 40 Sprague Wilkerson, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836.......... 82 SECTION 31. Oliver Phelps, Ontario Co., N.Y., September, 1835............... 480.80 Betsey Evans, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836.................... 82.40 David Shunk, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836...................... 80 SECTION 32. George W. Paul, Ontario Co., N.Y., September, 1835........... 160 Maxwell Bray, " " " October, "............ 160 Asa Pierce, " " " " "............ 80 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836.................... 80 John B. Shunk, Cayuga Co., N.Y., June, 1836............... 160 SECTION 33. William Baldwin, Tioga Co., N. Y., June, 1834.................... 160 Samuel Bassett, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 18:35................... 160 Calvin Nelson, Jr., Ontario Co., N. Y., September, 1835......... 80 Thomas BI. Remington, Ontario Co., N.Y., October, 1835....... 80 Nathan W. Sheldon, Genesee Co., N. Y., October, 1835.......... 80 Samuel Bassett, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836.................. 80 SECTION 34. Thomas Clover, Wayne Co., Mich., November, 1834.............. 40 David Gibson, " " " " "............. 40 William Odell, Oakland Co., Mich., December, 1834............ 160 Peter Y. Henry, Seneca Co., N. Y., June, 1835..................... 120 Noah L. Whitmore, Oakland Co., Mich., November, 1835...... 40 David Gibson, Genesee Co., Mich., December, 1835............... 40 Hiram Marsh, Ontario Co., N.Y., May, 1836....................... 80 Reuben Bingham, Upper Canada, August, 1836................... 40 Noah L. Whitmore, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836.............. 40 Stephen F. Durkee, " " " March, 1836........... 40 SECTION 35. George Judson, Oakland Co., Mich., March, 1834................ 80 William Stewart, Wayne Co., N. Y., September, 1835............ 40 Reuben Wright, Wayne Co., Mich., i" "............ 40 Abigail Dunning, Cayuga Co., N.Y., October, 1835.............. 80 George Judson, Genesee Co., Mich., " "t.............. 40 Moses Odell, " i " April, 1836.................. 40 Thomas Hubbard, Ontario Co., N. Y., April, 1836................. 80 Asa Sprague, Wayne Co., N. Y., May, 1836......................... 120 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836.................... 120 SECTION 36. David Hume, Monroe Co., N. Y., June, 1835....................... 80 Eber Handy, Shiawassee Co., Mich., August, 1835............. 160 Newbold Lawrence, New York City, May, 1836.................... 320 David Shunk, Cayuga Co., N.Y., June, 1836....................... 80 EARLY SETTLEMENTS. Regarding the first early settler in what is now the township of Mundy there is some dispute, but the dates which will here be given must settle the matter conclusively, as they are all authentic. It has been generally accepted as a fact that Morgan Baldwin and George Judson were the first to settle in this town, and even those gentlemen themselves still believe such to be the case. It is undoubtedly true that, in the then existing condition of the country, covered as it was with timber, it must have been difficult to learn at once who the inhabitants of the neighborhood were, and this probably accounts for the mistaken opinion regarding the first settlement. 282 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. On the 17th day of May, 1833, Daniel Williams purchased the west half of the northwest quarter of section 13,-eighty acres,-which he divided equally between Eli Gilbert and Jason L. Austin, who had come with him, and who settled on the portions assigned to them at the same time. Mr. Williams returned to the State of New York, and in October of the same year (1833) came back to Mundy in company with Volney Stiles. The latter, in November following,* entered the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 11, and settled upon it immediately. Mr. Stiles is yet living at Mundy Centre, and beyond a doubt came into the township earlier than any person now numbered among its residents. He and Lester Williams built a shanty and lived in it together,t neither of them being at the time married. Morgan Baldwin, a native of Elmira, Chemung Co., N. Y., started fiom that place for Miclhigan on the 6th of September, 1833, and on the 10th arrived at Put-in-Buy, where the passengers cheered themselves hoarse in honor of the gallant commodore and the men who had aided him to win so signal a victory just twenty years befole. Aftel his arrival at Detroit, Mr. Baldwin pushed on immediately for Bloomfield, Oakland Co., where his uncle, Wilkes Durkee, was then living. In December following lie went back to Elmira, sold his property, and returned to Bloomfield, arriving in that town early in February. During the same month (St. Valentine's Day) he married a second time, his first wife having died some time previously. In the spring of 1834, Mr. Baldwin and George Judson started together on a land-hunting expedition, and, after ranging over the counties of Livingston and Shiawassee, finally selected locations in what is now Mundy, the entries being made in March, 1834. Mr. Baldwin still lives on the place he then purchased. Mr. Judson first chose the next lot west of Baldwin's, but soon changed it for the place he now occupies. Mr. Baldwin the same month built a log house 16 by 24 feet in dimensions, with a puncheon-floor, blankets hungI up to answer for doors, etc. In this work he was helped by George Judson, and by Stephen Durkee, of Oakland County, a carpenter by trade. Some Indian traders who lived fifteen miles away, in Shiawassee County, and who were passing over the trail near which Mr. Baldwin located, also helped raise, and the favor was returned two or three years later by the two gentlemen going to some place in Shiawassee County and helping raise a barn. Mr. Baldwin moved into his house April 5, 1834, the same day Dustin Cheney settled at what is now Felton, and was one of the party who a few days later aided in the search for Mr. Cheney's little girl, who had been lost in the woods.t Four years after Mr. Baldwin settled his wife died, and he is now living with his third wife. When he came here with his family he cleared five acres. One day an Indian trader fromt the West came by, and Baldwin told him if he knew of any one who wanted to hire out to send him along. Soon afterward Nelson Meaker made his appearance at the place, and Mr. B. hired him. He squatted on a piece of ' Record of entry, November, 1833, in tract-book for Genesee County. t Information by T. P. Stiles. j See history of Fenton. land near by, afterwards selling his " chance" for it to David Gibson. Meaker lived in the township many years, and is now a residen of the township of Argentine. George Judson, who had helped Mr. Baldwin build his house, went back to Oakland County to make preparations for coming on to his own land and clearing up a portion of it. When Baldwin went after his family he met Judson on his way to begin chopping. The latter cleared a tract on his place and put in some wheat and potatoes, in order to have something to live on. He did not move upon his farm, however, until November, 1834. He had also built during the same summer. Mr. Judson is a native of Otsego Co., N. Y., and his parents were from Connecticut. He lived in Elmira, Chemung Co., N. Y., until 1832, in which year he came to Michigan, locating in Bloomfield, Oakland Co., where he remained until his removal to Mundy at the date above given. Thomas Glover, firom Birmingham, England, and a Scotchman named David Gibson, entered land in November, 1834, on section 34, and settled upon it the same fall. The two men arranged for their wives to remain in Detroit until they could come on and prepare a shelter for them, but Mrs. Glover tlought herself as well able to stand the journey as her husband, and accompanied him, living with Mir. Baldwin's family until her future home-the proverbial log shanty-was ready for occupation. Mrs. Gibson stayed in Detroit until everything was ready for lher, and then moved on and occupied the shanty her husbald had prepared. Seth Kitchen and family settled in the fall of 1835. Several members of the household were consumptive, and all who were afflicted finally died with that dread disease. The first one to go-and the first death in the township, so far as is now recollected-was Mrs. Kitchen herself; who died in the spring of 1836. Her children-Thomas, William, and Mary-followed her within the year, also the wife of her son John. The first burials were in what is still used as a cemetery near the school-house in District No. 1. Among those buried here are the following: Daniel Odell, died April 9, 1872, aged 69 years. Reuben Wingct, died May 27, 1859, aged 53 years. Thomas Glover, died Feb. 14, 1855, aged 50 years. Robert Cox, died July 16, 1868, aged 52 years. John IIollowell, "born at Ravensthorp, Northamptonshire, England, October 16, 1794; died Selhtenmber 11. 1859." John Judson, died March 24, 1865, aged 70 years. Eber Handy, died Oct. 15, 1846, aged 52 years. Ebenezer Conant, died Dec. 31, 1833 (in the East), aged 36 years. Lois, his wife, died Sept. 26, 1843, aged 42 years. Al igail, wife of henry Borst, died April 6, 1841, aged 33 years. Harriet, wife of J. Meaker, died Nov. 13, 1843, aged 22 years. Susannah, wife of George Judson, died Aug. 14, 183(6, aged 24 years. Emily, wife of George Judson, died March 29, 1874, aged 61 years. Delilah P. Sage, died Feb. 10, 1857, aged 62 years. Mary Jane, wife of M. Baldwin, died March 31,1838, aged 22 years. Besides these, there are numerous other old settlers, at whose graves headstones have never been placed. Ebenezer Bishop, from Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., came to Michigan in 1833, and stopped at Springfield, Oakland Co., through that fall and winter, with his father's cousin, Giles Bishop. In the spring of 1834, Mr. Bishop came on into Grand Blanc, where he remained until tile fall of 1836, when he returned to New York, married, and A Ir , S// ///I A // R. JOSIAII II. ALGER. JOSIAH ALGER. JOSIAH ALGER AND FAMILY. The family of Algers, which are widely scattered over the States, sprang, according to the best genealogical records, from three brothers who came to this country from Wales during the seventeenth century, settling in Massachusetts,-the home of the Pilgrim Fathers. Josiah Alger, the subject of this sketch, and Ira Alger, twins, were born in Massachusetts, June 3, 1782, coming with their parents to Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., in 1793, then a wild and unbroken wilderness,-their sister being the first white woman married in that vicinity. Mr. Alger was married, in 1803, to Esther, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Scovel, of Vermont. They reared a family of ten children, of whom but two are now living, Josiah II. and Lewis. Ile emigrated to Troy, Oakland Co., Mich, November, 1823, where he located lands, clearing up a large farm. Selling out in 1835, he, in company with others, took a ramble through Livingston, Shiawassee, and (enesee Counties, locating eleven lots of land in the town of Mundy, Genesee Co., and moved on to it in May, 1836. He was one of the first settlers, being one of the organizers of the township then comprising the townships of Gaines and Mundy, with but eighteen voters in both. The first town-meeting was held at his house in 1837, and he was the first supervisor, which office he held for several years. In profession Mr. Alger was a physician; in politics, a Democrat; and in religion, a strong Universalist to the last. Hle suffered the change called death, March 6, 1852, but from information gleaned of old residents, and incidents recited by their children, he died not out of the memory of any who were so fortunate as to have made his acquaintance. He is accredited by the remaining pioneers-Mr. Glover, Thompson, Baldwin, and others -as being a man without an enemy, and they relate many incidents of his benefaction; among which was sending a team to Pontiac several times for flour and meal to feed those in destitution, refusing to sell to the above relators and others because of their having the means of purchase. Mr. Alger was most truly a benefactor to his countrymen, always dispensing justice, and where most needed. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, as was his father, Josiah, in the Revolution, of whom there still remain among the relatives mementos of his chivalry and art. Mrs. Alger was a most estimable woman. Was born in Vermont, Aug. 19, 1785, and died in Mundy, of consumption, Jan. 21, 1843. Ira Alger, the twin brother, settled near Holly, Oakland Co., and died there about 1848. Josiah H. Alger, son of Josiah, was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Dec. 3, 1809. Came to Michigan with his parents in 1823; he remained at home, helping to clear up the farm, until the age of twenty-two. He then started out for himself with a fair education, mostly self-acquired, and an abundant capital of physical strength and energy, which have made their record all along his line of march. He commenced by taking jobs of chopping, rail-splitting, etc., until he acquired the means to buy one hundred and sixty acres of land in Macomb County. In the spring of 1836 he located four lots of land on sections 29 and 30, in Mundy, Genesee Co. He was married, April, 1837, to Mary A., daughter of Wm. and Susan F. (Howland) Stanley, of Troy, Oakland Co. Worked his father-in-law's farm for four years. Selling his Macomb lands, he moved on his own lands in Mundy, in March, 1841, being compelled to cut a road one and a half miles in order to reach it; but, by dint of persevering energy and the impetus of a strong will, he soon had a trail to his land, a log house staked, chinked, a stone and mud fireplace, to which he improvised a mud and stick chimney, a floor of split-stuff, doors, etc., after occupancy. The first year he grew of potatoes, roots, corn, and oat fodder sufficient for self-use, and some to spare. In the fall he sowed some twenty acres of wheat, which, when harvested, he threshed with a flail on a ground-floor, taking it to Pontiac and Detroit, and exchanging it for store pay at three shillings and sixpence per bushel. Those were the times that tried the souls of men, even of iron nerve, to meet the demands of nature and taxation,-the latter of which often periled all. As but little of the wild-cat money had an exchange value, and nearly all business was conducted by barter and exchange of produced commodities, the pioneers experienced trials which only an indomitable courage and an abiding faith in the future enabled them to meet, and to persevere until the dawn of "better times." In those days there was no social ostracism. The crotch dray and ox sled were the principal means of transit, and with these neighbors used to get together, winding their way through the woods to each other's homes on winter evenings to dance, scrape a turnip, exchange hunting tales, and other life-scenes; speculate on new projects, public and private, and after the midnight banquet of biscuit (baked in a tin-oven-there being no stoves) and wild honey, with a bit of dried venison, or perchance bear, they repaired to their several homes, without bickering, happy and content with each other and their surroundings. The men and women then wore homespun for common and nice, with factory, colored with butternut and oak-bark, for a change. Calico then filled the place that silks and worsteds do now, with from ten to twenty less yards in a pattern. They had no use for hippodromes and other paraphernalia, simply the naked requisites. Their boots and shoes were made of cowhide, and of home manufacture, as nearly every pioneer was a cobbler. Thus Mr. and Mrs. Alger, by dint of their united efforts, perseverance, and economy, soon had cleared a large farm, and had otherwise given to that which but a few years before was a wilderness and Indian huntingground the appearance of a home of plenty. They are spoken of as very estimable neighbors, and universally esteemed by all in their old home, where they resided for sixteen years, during which time Mr. Alger filled the office of supervisor and that of commissioner for several years. Having, in 1849, by heirship and purchase, become owner of the Wm. Stanley farm, in Troy, two hundred and fifty acres, he rented his Mundy farm, four hundred and forty acres, and removed there in 1857, where he remained until 1870, when he purchased a fine residence in Birmingham,-three miles from his farm,-where he intends to spend his days. Mrs. Alger was born Feb. 29, 1820, in Richmond, Ontario Co., and died Nov. 26, 1874, of heart-disease, leaving many bright oases along the pathway of her busy life, as lasting memorials to her relatives and numberless friends who still miss and mourn her demise. Mr. Alger, for his second wife, married Mrs. Clarissa Armstrong, Nov. 1, 1875, a most estimable widow lady, with whom he nowl ives, surrounded by a host of friends, and with every needful comfort in their declining years. WILLIAM R. ALGER, son of Josiah H., was born May 10, 1838, in Troy, Oakland Co., Mich. He came with his parents to Mundy in 1841, and returned with them to Troy in 1857. Having obtained a good academic education, he commenced teaching in 1859. During 1860 he roamed over the South and West, traveling through nine States. Returning in January, 1861, he taught school in the village of Big Beaver, Oakland Co., three months. During the summer he worked his farm of forty acres and a part of the homestead, teaching the same school the following winter. In the fall of 1861 he exchanged his farm with his father for eighty acres of his Mundy farm, and rented the balance for five years. On the 8th day of March he was married, at the Antisdale House in Detroit, to Miss Julia Jenette, daughter of John and Rachel Bookham. The next April he moved to Mundy. In 1866 he purchased the eighty-acre meadow adjoining his farm for two thousand five hundred dollars. The following year he sold the one hundred and sixty acres to J. M. Peck for five hundred dollars, and the same day purchased the old homestead. On this farm Mr. Alger has built an elegant residence, repaired the outbuildings, cleared twenty-five acres, and put in six miles of underdrain, making his farm one of the finest in the county. Mrs. Alger was born in Troy, Oakland Co., Dec. 25, 1842. Was one of a family of seven children. Her parents emigrated from Manchester, England, in 1841. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Alger two children,John J., born Aug. 14, 1863, and Agnes A., born Dec. 12, 1864. In religion and local politics Mr. Alger can well be called a liberalist. In national matters he votes the Democratic ticket. He is one who makes friends among all classes, and especially among the poor and unfortunate, to whom he has ever extended a helping hand. He has been supervisor three terms, having been elected on the People's ticket by a large majority, in the strongest Republican town in the county, and has filled the office with credit to himself and his constituents. He is a strong temperance man and a moralist. Is well read historically and othei wise, and possesses the traits necessary to make him a leader among men. .-.. I, I I. Ad 2'hS,~ 1-... z, -, - 'k 7. '; ". I ". 1 I- I",,,,:~~;t' 1 00: 1X~s.'I i*id s.:. A -. -SSB~^/ M-9 Fi 1 If. VILW F WM'. RAL4ER.-MRS,W,,. WM. R. ALCER. MRS. WM. R. RESIDENCE OF WM. R. ALGER, MUNDY, MICHIGAN. MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 283 in June, 1837, settled in Mundy, on the place he still occuPies. Jason L. Austin and Randall Williams were then living near him. The former, who has been previously mentioned, lived in a log house. His wife died within a year or two, and he sold out and removed to Saginaw County, locating near the Tittibawassee River. Williams soon sold to C. D. W. Gibson, who lived at Whigville, in Grand Blanc township, and went away with the Mormons. Chauncey Cogsdell, now of the township of Flint, came to Mundy when a boy, in company with Ebenezer Bishop. He had worked for the latter's father and father-in-law in New York, and was allowed to come to Michigan with Mr. Bishop. He stayed with him until he became of age, working with him also afterwards. When Mr. Bishop came (1837), there were living near him-besides those mentioned-Harvey Parks and Gilbert Phelps, the latter just over the line in Grand Blanc. Parks lived on section 13, on what was afterwards the Daniel Mason, now the Todd, farm. He removed not long after to the township of Oceola, Livingston Co., where he died. The region of "oak-openings" extended north into Mundy as far as the farm of Mr. Bishop, or a little beyond, his place being close on the edge of the heavy timber. Swartz Creek was the division between the timber and the openings. After numerous attempts in this town to hear of some hairbreadth escape fiom wild animals, or desperate struggle in a swamp, or other of the tales so often told, the following incident was the only one related which could be safely called an adventure. Mr. Bishop was on one occasion ' packing" home some fiesh meat, and while yet some distance away from home, and in the township of Grand Blanc, the howl of a wolf broke upon his ear, causing him to quicken his pace. It was answered by others, and finally he imagined he saw one of the savage brutes standing in the pathway ahead of him. Making up his mind that it would be worse for him to run than to advance boldly forward, he took out his jack-knife and opened it, and prepared to manufacture an excellent article of mince-meat from the carcass of the wolf. Upon arriving at the object, he was agreeably surprised at finding it to be nothing more dangerous than an oak bush, which in the moonlight he had taken for a wolf. Mr. Bishop thinks many of the wonderful adventures related have no more foundation in fact than this of his own. Josiah Alger, a native of Massachusetts, and afterwards a resident of Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., settled in Troy, Oakland Co., Mich., in 1823, and removed to Mundy in May, 1836, with his fhmily. At that time the township was thinly populated, but the same season witnessed the arrival of several families. Mr. Alger was one of the organizers of Mundy township, and became its first supervisor, holding the position a number of years. He located a large amount of land in the township, and lived on section 21. His family consisted of ten children,-seven sons and three daughters; and of these two are now living,-Josiah II. Alger, at Birmingham, Oakland Co., and Lewis Alger, now of the township of Fenton. Mr. Alger gave 80 acres to each of his children. He was by profession a physician, and the first who practiced in the township. His journeys were always performed on foot, and he is remembered as a kind neighbor and an excellent nurse. In connection with other offices, he held that of justice of the peace for many years. He was a man of great general information, a Universalist in religious matters, and exceedingly well posted in Scripture. He died in Mundy, on the 6th of March, 1852. Josiah H. Alger, son of the above, located the farm where his son, William R. Alger (present supervisor of Mundy), now lives. He did not settle until 1841, but in that year made the first improvements on the place,-built a log house with split stuff for doors, a stick chimney, etc. In 1857 he moved back to Oakland County, and since about 1870 has resided at Birmingham. He was also for some years supervisor of the township of Mundy, besides holding other positions. William R. Alger, aside from his farming operations, is engaged to some extent in dealing in stock, as was also his father while living here, and has at present a few head of improved stock,-horses, cattle, and sheep. He is one of a family of eight children, six of whom are living. His only brother, John F. Alger, is now in Colorado. One of the early settlers in the Alger neighborhood was Mr. Barnum, father of Daniel P. Barnum, who now lives on the old farm. The first white male child born in the township of Mundy was Thomas Glover's son, Henry Glover, and the first white female child was Hannah Baldwin, daughter of Morgan Baldwin, her birth occurring March 30, 1835. What is known as the " Baldwin road" was the first one laid out in the town, and follows in places nearly the route of an old Indian trail which extended from Springfield, Oakland Co., to Shiawassee. This was the main traveled route through the township. Asa Pierce, a native of Massachusetts, and afterwards a resident of Ontario Co., N. Y., came to Mundy with his family in 1835. His son, Asa T. Pierce, still living in town, came in the fall of the same year, and settled on the place he yet occupies, about a hundred rods east of the spot on which his father resided. The latter died Feb. 11, 1853, aged sixty-three years, but his widow is yet living at the old place, and is now eighty-five years of age. Asa T. Pierce is also a native of Massachusetts (town of Rehoboth), his father moving into the State of New York while his son was a small boy, or not long subsequent to the year 1814. His wife, Mrs. A. T. Pierce, is a native of the town of De Kalb, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., in the famous " Black River Country," and came with her husband to Michigan in 1835, settling on section 32. The nearest house east of them was that of Morgan Baldwin, two miles away, and beyond that there were but two or three families in a distance of ten miles. Mr. Pierce and his wife, then both young, were much impressed with the gaudy trappings of the Indians, and their manners and customs, which were so novel to them, and their monotonous chant, as they passed by in single file, walking or riding, is vividly remembered. Among the earlier settlers on the " Baldwin road" were the Odells and Leach's, and the following items, fur nished by Mrs. William Odell, a daughter of Jeshurun Leach, will prove interesting: 6 284 EIHISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. "' William Odell, from Southport, Tioga Co., N. Y., came to what is now the township of Mundy in the year 1834. The 6th day of December he purchased 160 acres of land from government. In March, 1835, he built a log house, and in April his mother came. He was then twenty-three years of age. In November, 1836, he was married to Miss Mary Sly, of Oakland County. He voted at the first townmeeting, and attended the first court held in Genesee County as petit juror. He has cleared 140 acres of his land, and still lives upon it. Has had ten children, ofwhom five are living. His wife died in August, 1872, and he is now living with his second wife, whose maiden name was Lois H. Leach. She came to Mundy in 1835, being then six years of age. " Jeshurun Leach came from Ohio to what is now the township of Mundy in April, 1835. He was formerly from Clarence, Erie Co., N. Y. His family at the time he came consisted of his wife, three sons, and two daughters. He purchased 80 acres of land at $1.25 per acre for his wife's sister, Mrs. Conant, who came with her family the following June. Mr. Leach did much towards improving the country while here. Was one of the first voters in the township. In October, 1837, he returned with his family (to which had been added one more son) to Ohio. In April, 1843, Mrs. Leach returned to Mundy (Mr. Leach and the oldest daughter having died in Ohio) with five sons and two daughters, the youngest two born while in Ohio. The youngest daughter died soon after; the rest lived to act in various capacities. Several school districts in the township remember them as teachers, the oldest three sons and the daughter having taught. The second son, D. C. Leach, taught as many as twelve terms in the Baldwin district. HIe was in the State Legislature, and was also sent from the Sixth Congressional District two terms as member of Congress. He is now in Springfield, Mo. The eldest son, M. L. Leach, has been a practicing physician in Clinton County for more than twenty years. A. J. Leach, the third son, has settled in Nebraska. William H., the fourth son, who was a Methodist minister, died in 1876. The youngest son, W. H., has settled in Kalkaska Co., Mich. The only remaining daughter is the present wife of William Odell, of Mundy. Mrs. Leach died in 1872." Mrs. Odell mentions that her father (Mr. Leach) used to go to Pontiac to mill, and on one occasion heard her mother say they were out of flour. She suddenly imagined herself very hungry, but felt better after her father procured some flour of George Judson. At one time provisions were so scarce that the family lived for two weeks on potatoes and salt. It was not unusual for an Indian to come in and lie by the fire' during a cold night, and, as the latch-string was always out, their red neighbors came as they pleased. The children knew not the feeling of fear in the presence of the Indians. Fisher, the chief, is described as being a noble specimen of his race. Hon. D. C. Leach, who for a number of years resided at Traverse City, Mich., is now living at Springfield, Mo., where he is engaged in the publishing business, being editor and proprietor of the Patriot Advertiser. In his connection with the Grand Traverse Herald before leaving Michigan he won distinction among the journalists of the State. John Remington, living near Mundy Centre, although but a short time a resident of this town, settled in Grand Blanc in 1834, and lived there until 1865, holding numerous important offices. It is related of Dr. Josiah Alger that at one time when provisions were very scarce in his neighborhood, and the settlers were glad even to gather cowslips and use them for greens, he made occasional trips to Pontiac, and brought back supplies of necessary provisions, and dealt them out to those who had neither money nor food, while those having funds he told to get what they wanted at the same place he did. As a remarkable case of ingratitude, it is stated that some of the poorer ones, who afterwards had plenty of money, never remunerated the doctor for his kindness in their hour of need. The following " Reminiscences of Early Michigan" were furnished for the Fenton Gazette by W. I. Williams, of Mundy, and published in that paper in the spring of 1871. They are descriptive principally of the experiences of the family during their residence of four years in Saginaw County, before coming to Mundy, yet are applicable to all cases of pioneer life, as those who participated in the scenes of forty and fifty years ago will readily acknowledge. The experience was, generally, nearly the same,-the actors only were different. Mr. Williams' article is as follows: " I have often thought that, could every one having any experience, practically, of pioneer life in Michigan, be prevailed upon to furnish a written statement of those experiences, all, compiled in book-form, would make one of the most interesting works of the kind in existence. " How often do we dwell, more or less, upon scenes of early days, in our commonplace lives, where all has been smooth and placid, with naught to ' trouble or make afraid,' or drive us from the even tenor of our ways! How much more, then, should the vivid imaginations of the early settlers of Michigan be interested in the past,-those recollections of early life in a new country, often beset with difficulties and dangers connected with the hardships incident to a pioneer life in the wilderness. "Living in the State of New York, in 1835, when a mere lad, I often heard strange stories of the wilds of Michigan,-of its Indians, wolves, and bears,-little dreaming that my experiences in after-life would be so closely allied with its interests. Well do I recollect the excitement of moving to Michigan, in the fall of 1836, and a brief sketch of the journey may not be uninteresting. My step-father hired a man with his team to move us and our household goods to Buffalo, a distance of sixty miles or more, starting from Mount Morris, Livingston Co., on or about the middle of September. We stayed two nights on the road, and after a tedious journey of three days over rough and muddy roads, we arrived at the port of Buffalo just in time to take passage on the steamer 'Governor Marcy,' which plied between Buffalo and Saginaw every two weeks, and which many of the early settlers of Michigan will probably recol lect. Nothing occurred worthy of notice except a good deal of sea-sickness on Lake Erie (which, by the way, is about the stormiest of all the lakes), until we arrived at:: i::::::i::~,:::~ hESIDENCE o- WM. I. WILUAMS, MUNDY, MICHIGAN. II X: MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 285 Detroit, where we stopped for wood and passengers, and had a chance to see what there was of the City of the Straits. It was then, comparatively speaking, a small villege by the side of its present dimensions, with but one business street of any importance, buildings mostly of wood, and small at that. While lying at the wharf, a negro, black as the ace of spades, left the boat with a large satchel in hand, and soon after a general stir was made to find him. A new overcoat belonging to one of the officers was missing, and the theft was laid to him, which proved to be true, as a general search brought him to light with the missing overcoat done up compactly in his large satchel. The negro showed some fight, which gathered quite a crowd on the quay, but he was soon brought under by putting the irons on his wrists and marching him off to jail, where he was probably dwelt with according to law. Thus ended quite an exciting scene to my boyish imagination. "All went well as we continued our voyage until we arrived near the entrance of Saginaw Bay, when a severe northeaster came swooping down upon us, making every timber in the old ship creak and tremble, while many a stout heart quailed under the threatenings of the fearful tempest. Towards the close of the day preceding that fearful night there was strong talk among the passengers that the captain should put about for port, but he still kept on his course, regardless of the warring elements. We had strong hopes of weathering the storm, now we were so near our port of destination, but with increasing fury the wild storm sped, and, when nearly midnight, the violence of the gale forced our captain to return back to port, where we arrived next morning. The turning back was often spoken of as a critical moment in our existence, as we turned on the top of a huge wave, when, if we had turned in a trough of the sea, the probabilities are that none would have lived to tell the tale. But the horrors of that fearful storm, together with the wailings of anguish which rose above the howling of the tempest, will never be erased from my memory. The scenes of that dismal night of storm, dark and rainy; the loud cries of those bewailing their hapless fate, and wishing themselves on shore; and often when some bold dash of the elements, more furious than common, would override all barriers, and deluge the innermost cabin to the tune of ankle-deep in water,-then you might hear, far above the roar of wind and water, the cries and wailings of the distressed, calling on the good Lord to deliver themi out of the depths of the sea in all the agony of a broken and contrite spirit. Well do I recollect my sensations as I lay crosswise the boat in my berth, holding on to a stanchion for dear life, as the old boat careened first to one side and then the other, describing the various gradations of an inclined plane with my head and feet. One of the eccentricities of our captain I will have to relate, although it may not be much to his credit. He was a very still sort of personage as a general rule, rather rotund in form, apparently given to good living, as well as good drinking; you would think, to see him, there was (to use a common phrase), not much snap about him; but when the storm broke upon us, a new spirit seemed to take possession of him. With oaths more dreadful than the storm itself to the tired sailors, his pent-up tongue was let loose with voluminous imprecations on God and man, while with stentorian lungs he gave his commands about ship, and the louder the storm or the wailings of the fearful, still above all you could hear his allpowerful commands, efficiently setting the ship to rights; but when the storm had ceased, the spell was broken, and once more the calm and placid serenity of manner, before noticed, had spread its mantle upon him. "After the storm on Saginaw Bay we arrived the next day safely in the harbor of Fort Gratiot. Here we had to lay over until the next morning, for some slight repairs and the lulling of the storm, which had been quite severe on all the lakes. Some few of our goodly company left us here to make the balance of the journey by land, feeling quite averse to a renewal of the preceding night's ' unpleasantness.' Here we had a chance to look about the premises, and, it being quite a pleasant day, the most of the passengers made good use of our delay in seeing the sights about the fort and vicinity. Long rows of bristling cannon, recently painted black, run out from under their rough sheds to dry, made things look quite warlike, and to those of us who never saw anything of the kind before, the sight was quite interesting. Each row of cannon had a number of soldiers on duty to guard them, and many times through the day would they have to speak sharply to some of the boys, whose curiosity demanded a closer inspection, to keep ' hands off,' and not a few had black hands to show for their pains. After a few days' sojourn on terra firma, the most of the passengers had regained somewhat their wonted equilibrium, and the pleasant weather, succeeding so severe a storm, made them feel more courageous in regard to renewing their journey by water. The next morning, on awaking, the thumping of machinery and noise about the decks told us that we were once more on our journey. The bright sun overhead, and a steady breeze from off shore, gave us high hopes of reaching our place of destination without again coming in contact with nature's warring elements. We had a pleasant day running up the bay, as near the land as was prudent, often looking with spy-glasses at the native Indians, gathered about their wigwams, watching the 'big canoe,' or roaming the forest in all its pristine loveliness. The weather towards night changed somewhat, and we had the first snow of the season just as we were entering the mouth of Saginaw River. It turned to rain in the evening. Our journey up the river was rather dismal than otherwise,-the snow and the extensive marshes for miles inland, covered with water, looking more like a lake than a river,-with no human habitation on either shore to break the monotony of the scene. Some few miles below Saginaw City, all hands, as well as passengers, were called on deck to help get the boat adrift, as we had run out of the main channel and stuck in the sand. First to one side of the boat and then the other we were all ordered to run at the word of command, while the opposite wheel would turn a few strokes each time, helping us to wiggle the boat, like some huge anaconda, through the sand. After an hour's struggle, where all got some tired,-although having considerable merriment at each other's expense, some tumbling about like porpoises, as the boat careened nearly on her beam ends, we finally shoved into deep water and steamed on our course, by where East Saginaw now 286 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. stands (which, by the way, was a howling wilderness down to the water's edge), and soon arrived at the only dock in Saginaw City. A sightly place indeed to be called a city! A clearing in the woods, extending in area perhaps two hundred rods back from the river, and about three hundred in length, with a very few houses,-a large majority of which were log, or block, as some were called, being made of hewn timber, with port-holes, and the frame houses small and inconvenient. " We landed Oct. 1, 1836, having been nearly eight days in making the passage from Buffalo, and you may suppose that it was a great relief to many anxious hearts when we arrived; for all, more or less, had friends, relatives, and acquaintances whom they were anxiously expecting on this boat, which was the only one then plying between Saginaw and Buffalo, making the trip generally in two weeks. As we landed the whole city turned out en masse to welcome us, offering us the best hospitalities it afforded, and its free range-if we had a mind-afoot in the mud. As it was about the time that cities generally lighted up their gas, we looked in vain for any intimation of such a state of things, except what was bandied between the crew and some jolly fellows on shore. It was said we were a city within a city, for the population aboard the boat numbered nearly as many as those on shore, there being about thirty families. The boat had brought up quite a number of influential men-men of capital-representing the most of the real valuation of the city, and speculators in lands of the surrounding country. This great addition to the place in population and capital bade fair to make it one of the most thriving cities of the then far West. Thriving, I say, and safely so, for who ever heard of a city doubling its population in so short a time? Among those most conspicuously governing its interests were the Littles, the Richmonds, the Millers, and a few other forehanded gentlemen, who came to make this their permanent abiding-place. But the main question was, after we had all debarked, Where are we going to lodge? Where are all the taverns?-the Metropolitan, the National, the Waverley, anywhere to get out of the pitiless storm that was drenching us to the hide? In vain we listened for runners to these different hotels, but we soon had the unwelcome assurance that there were none, except the Saginaw Hotel, and there we proceeded, tramp, tramp, through the mud ankle-deep, and soon arrived at-what? A common double block-house, the only tavern in the city. The old stockade fort, with its heavybuilt block-houses, were still in passable order, but rather on the decaying list, as might be noticed in the mossy roof and in the decayed pickets, here and there one falling over by its own weight. On a closer inspection you might see the traces of the leaden missiles that years before, perhaps, were sent with deadly intent, marring the houses and pickets in many places. One general dry-goods store, two or three groceries, one or two saloons, one steam saw-mill, and one log tavern constituted the principal places of business in the city. " At the date of which I write there was no farming community of any importance settled about the vicinity of Saginaw, as that branch of industry was in its first stages of ipfaincy. Consequently we had to depend almost entirely on receiving our supplies of provisions from regular trips of the steamboat ' Governor Marcy,' which made the roundtrip-generally-once in two weeks. "At one time during the summer of 1837, some accident happening to the boat, its trip was delayed nearly four weeks, which caused nearly a famine in our community. Famine prices were necessarily prevalent, and glad was many a poor family if it had a potato even to still the appeals of hunger. More than one family was known to have dug up its seed potatoes after planting, so great were their necessities, to keep from starving. Some instances were known where they had planted potato-parings and were forced to exhume them to satisfy the demands of nature. Money seemed to be plenty among the business portion of the community, but that we could not eat, and a few who were dealers in provisions made small fortunes on what they had to sell. But when the boat did arrive, was there not a day of rejoicing? Some men in canoes brought the intelligence up the river, ahead of the boat, that she had been sighted on the bay, and such a turnout, according to the population, is seldom witnessed as that which gave them welcome. Provisions generally were about the following prices, to wit: $15 per barrel for flour; $40 per barrel for pork; 75 cents per pound for butter; $1.50 for potatoes; and other things in proportion. So, you perceive, it wanted no small capital to set up housekeeping in the line of the necessaries of life. " This was about the period when ' wild-cat banks' were plenty, and speculations of all kinds were in vogue on the high-pressure principle. Especially was this the case in real estate. Agents were continually sent East with the avowed intention of swindling the Eastern capitalists out of their money, and the chief outfit of an agent would be his map of Saginaw City, or perhaps a map of some imaginary city gotten up for the occasion, penciled and colored in the highest style of perfection that art could produce, showing the many hundreds of blocks and streets you might search for in vain, even with a map and compass,not forgetting a guide,-for you would be likely to find some of the best pictured avenues or blocks an hour's walk in the dense forest, where you would need some expert to guide you out into the sunlight. And so it was in numerous instances where there was not the least foundation for such a swindling operation. Some ' very eligible' sites were located on the extensive marshes lining the shores of Saginaw River, and you might search for them in almost any season of the year, and there would be nothing to be seen but one wide expanse of water. But the excitement of speculation was in its zenith, and many a fortune was made easily by the sharpers of the day in duping Eastern men who had taken the Western fever, which nothing but a step off into one of their imaginary streets would cure. It was rather laughable, sometimes, to see a trio of Eastern men starting out on a voyage of discovery, with canoes and guides, in quest of real estate, and more so to see them on their return, chopfallen and disheartened, though puttting the best face they could on the matter, hoping to dupe some one else to get their money back; and instances were known where they doubled on their money instead of losi ng. '&,,,, i; -; - "7..", - -.1.'m, 7-.'.,',,,-";, "-,, -7,;, '-.II".-',,,,,",,.7" W; -: , ", __ I~ jjt"" ~-.I., el3" L~i-_:L.I:i:*c-4?i -71:'J'4" \~ El-:". "i~t~: -rr-~ — i~~~-I, r-d:TiT":-...i-~ ~-;9?; ~~ :~-:~ -~1 — ~I:;'":c, I;~ —~.i; I\;~ I~~~-;-::.~~ — "ii: -~:~.; ~;~-:.?::1:1~~:-'-~:: T":"I "C ";' "j.::-~~.....;:~: ~,R:.7 ~~ ~~si L ':~ .I~:~ 'al-J ~ ~:'"'~:~ s.i N —: —. 2 -~~::~'~r p Z ~::~'.I i,.i'-._ ~:: F,, ~i i:::-::. I % s., ',.T, ' i~~:~:~:IU: r,;:~j~I~ rl~-'-t::,::::::'-;:r:r;.::..:~.~;' _~..;.1;~":1 r-~:;:~,:.~.::rl~-~ -~~~:1-:~ ii.: ~.~~:-.I:~.~;:~-; ;_.zA "~-::~rC --:cr:~i.~~~ p o iz+ill I~~:g;;,-.5-:~-J;lil " ~~~r I~[n,( ~";eiacsa,:-;b..-~~.:r ~:~-' "'~~~ ~:1;::- '-:;~:~-.-;tC ~;-;" Ii 1. -_, i,'* RESIDENCE OF JOHN L JENNINGS,MUNDY, MICH. I MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 287 "Under the wild-cat excitement Saginaw must needs have a bank, and men and money were on hand in plenty to invest in the speculation. The denomination of twenty-five dollars was to be called a share, and it was within the reach of all to participate to some extent. But the speculation, after running a few months, culminated in the absorption of the little fish by the larger ones,-the 'busting' of the bank,-and some one made money out of it. So ended the first experiment of the banking system in Saginaw City. At that time the place looked very well, as far as the site was concerned, fiom the river for perhaps a half-mile back, when it degenerated into a rather low, wet, and heavy-timbered country, where one commodity was easily raised by simply presenting your card in person, viz.: mosquitoes. When planting-time came it was a common practice to wear gloves and veils, and have them well tied on, or it was impossible for human nature to stand the pressure. While speaking of the natives of the forest I will give you a short chapter on wolves. It was nothing uncommon, almost any evening, to listen to a serenade from their melodious throats, and as they could be heard the whole length and breadth of the city, the music was rather too cheap to be popular. Many an evening, while their melodious voices were in full concert, have I sat and listened to highly-wrought pictures of their ferocity and deadly encounters with some of the first settlers as well as Indians, which would make one's hair seem to stand on end. The first day after our arrival, towards evening, having just moved into a house near the suburbs of the city, our people saw something they took to be a dog, resting its forepaws on a log solme ten rods from the door, but which some of the neighbors, who happened to be present, told us was a wolf,-a rather early call on neiglibors, we thought, before we could get settled. While living at Saginaw, which was nearly four years, my stepfather caught about a dozen in large traps, which I used to go with him to set just in the edge of the woods, and many an exciting time did we have in dispatching them. On going near them, when fast in the trap, they would look sneaking enough, and would hardly make the least resistance while we dispatched them with hand-spikes. "I recollect one large gray wolf wlich we had trapped and killed, and which we brought up to the door as usual and laid down on the doorstep, caused quite an excitement among the bystanders who happened to be present. A large cat happening to pass by the wolf and smell of it, some one of the company picked it up and threw it with full force on the wolf as it lay stretched at full length in front of the door, upon which the wolf immediately sprang up, as with a new life, gave a leap in the air, and with one long-drawn sigh breathed his last. You can readily guess there was a scattering among the curious who stood immediately over, and some screecling among the ladies, who were considerably frightened. "There was one very large wolf which we caught in the trap, and concluded to take him bodily to town for a show while alive, to receive the bounty, wlich I believe was $8. So we got some bark for cords, and after lassoing him around the nose lie gave up completely, while we bound himt securely; then, running a long pole between his legs and under the thongs, carried him in triumph to the city. After interviewing him to their hearts' content, some of the citizens, who had lost quite heavily by the devouring nature of him and his brethren, concluded to make an example of him. So, after making up a purse to replace the bounty, which could not be drawn from the State unless the wolf was killed, they commenced to treat poor Mr. Wolf after the manner of the barbarous savage. First they cut off his ears close to his head, next his tail close to his body, otherwise making him look as hideous and unlike himself as it was in their power to invent; then they put on his neck a loud-sounding cow-bell and sent him on his way rejoicing (they, not he) to 'see his friends once more.' It is hardly possible to conceive the alteration made in his looks, and I am sure his most intimate friends would not have recognized him. The result was the wolves were cleaned out of the adjoining forests for a long time afterwards. About six months afterwards the famished remains of a wolf with a bell on were found in the edge of a clearing in the city." In the spring of 1840 the writer of the foregoing, Williaml Ira Williams, came fiomn Saginaw in company with his mother and step-father, Arden Moses, the fiamily locating on a rented farmn in Grand Blanc. In the spring of 1842 they settled on a farm in the north part of Mundy township. now owned by Joln L. Jennings. Mr. Moses died a few weeks later, and in the fall of the same year the family moved south to a location on the Baldwin road, half a mile east of MIr. Williams' present residence. Mrs. Williams, Sr., is yet living. Her son purchased the farm he now owns in the winter of 1849-50, and made upon it the first clearing at the corners, except a lot which had been made ready to build a school-house upon in 1847. Mr. Williamns prepared a considerable amount of cooperstuff fiom timber whicl grew upon his place, made a part of his tools and bought others, learned the trade alone, and worked at it some six years. lie now has a finely-improved farm, and in connection with it is keeping the Mundy postoffice and a snall general store. He has written to considerable extent for the press of the county, and aspired to poetical fame with greater success than have many who inflict their effusions of poor rhyme and bad grammar upon publishers. By reference to the list of township officers it will be seen that lie has been the recipient of numerous official favors from the hands of his townsmen. Although yet comparatively young, there are few in the township who have better-improved farms, and none, perhaps, who are better or more influential citizens. The following poem, by Mr. Williams, was read by the author at one of the meetings of the Genesee Pioneer Society: TIHE PIONEER. Once more, my friends, we meet again on this our festal day, To talk of scenes of early youth and trials by the way When first the wilds of Genesee by white men's feet were trodWhen first our cabin-walls were reared, when first we broke the sod. We love to dwell upon these scenes, though often some were sad, While others ofttimes in their sheen have made our spirits glad. Then let us talk together of those days now past and gone, While distance fresh enchantment lends to feed our minds upon. When first with axe in brawny hands we felled those oaks of yore, We little dreamed this fruitful land, so plentiful in store, 288 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Would be our happy lot to own, which blossoms as the rose, And brings us what our toil has won-a prosperous repose. When first we cleared the crooked roads that led us to our doors, And chinked the logs with basswood, of which we made our floors,Twas then we sang our merriest songs to keep our spirits up, While the spirits that we drank those days were from the brook and cup. With coat thrown off and sleeves rolled up, we grappled with the work, While throughout all this goodly land you found no lazy shirk, But all with one accord endured the hardships of the day, And night's refreshing sleep would chase all gloomy thoughts away. 'Twas then with hearty relish the pork and beans went down, With johnny-cake in plenty, all done so nicely brown. Oh yes, those days were happy ones, without a sorrowing tear, When first we felled the forest, a hardy pioneer. 'Twas then the partners of our joys, with ever-ready hands, Would help to pile and burn the brush and poke the burning brands; And oft with song and words of hope would fill our hearts with cheer, That made us glad we undertook to be a pioneer. Our children, fat and ragged as seldom children are, With freedom roamed the forests and plucked the cowslips fair With which we eked our scanty store, while oft the timid deer At the crack of our trusty rifles would fill our homes with cheer. Our smoke-house was the chimney-top, our chimney mud and sticks, With wall and hearth of clay and stone, for want of better bricks. Our roof was covered o'er with bark, held firmly down with poles; Our bakery the ashes, whence came the sweetest rolls. Then, as we cleared our homesteads and let the sky-light in, It made us think of youthful homes, where all our past had been, And as the opening widened, with vigorous nerve and hand We'd roll together ponderous logs to clear the goodly land. And often, as the shade of night its sable mantle spread, We'd kindle bonfires to give us light to bow the forest's head; And often in the gloaming would you hear the deafening sound, When the lofty oak would tremble, and then come thundering down; While wife and children merrily would cheer us on our way, Knowing full well the darkest night would lengthen into day. Then, when the rich and blackened ground was ready for the seed, With axe instead of hoe we'd plant the corn for winter's need; For many a mile of crooked road we'd have to travel o'er, If industry should fail to give to us the bounteous store. Yet still we fought on manfully to do our humble part, While joy and sorrow often mingled in the peasant's heart. But through them all we often saw the placid seas beyond, Which gave our strength new energy, and bade us not despond; For ofttimes in the future would we see the welcome light That came to us in prophecy, and made our hearts delight. How well do we remember that dear old brindle cow Which gave us milk, and raised those steers to which we hitched the plow; That drew our wood, our fallows logged and helped us many a time; And the boys would strive to see which should drive the oxen-Duke and Dime. And often when the bright moon shone would we hitch to the woodshod sleigh To visit some near neighbor, perhaps five miles away; While the glistening trees with splendor shone, and childhood's happy shout, With happiness o'ersurging, went merrily ringing out. How happy were those visits!-and we often made them o'er, And which were oft returned again-by which we set much store. Thus, mingling oft together, we cheered each other on, When taking from each other's hopes would bid our cares begone.:' / ' ' Though oft through many a care-worn path we trod the walks of life, We had no neighbors' gossip, no neighbors' feud nor strife,No jarring nor discordant notes to give our bliss alloy, For all was peace and unity, which gave a genial joy. And when new-comers sought our doors, latch-strings were always out, With hearty welcome to our fare, which never gave the gout; And often, with the compass as our only guide and friend, Would we look with them for future homes, a helping hand to lend. How every man, with axe in hand, would hurry to the spot, When told that a new-comer needed help to raise his cot,When logging-bees were plenty, and huskings all the go, Aud youngsters tripped, with merry zeal, the light fantastic toe. Oh, yes, those days were happy ones, the thoughts of which still cheerWhen first we cleared the forests wild, a hardy pioneer. Indelibly those times of yore are stamped upon the mind, And who would e'er forget them? 'Twould not be human-kind. So oft through many hardships the pioneer has passed, Till hopes, now in fruition, have come to him at last; And many of life's changes bright visions often seem, While early days of hardship are but a pleasant dream. The wolf no more with fearful howl his nightly vigils keeps; No more the luring panther will wake you from your sleep. No more the savage war-cry shall give you harrowing fear, For such things long have given way to things of better cheer. Instead, the church bell's welcome sound comes ringing through the air, And noisy cars, with human freight, go hurrying here and there,With the busy hum of thousands, which falls upon the ear,But withal you still remember when you were a pioneer. And once where nature's forests covered all this land, You now see towns and cities in their places stand,And ask in wondrous awe,-who made such changes here? While we but answer truthfully, the hardy pioneer. Nathan W. Shelden, a native of Haddam, Conn., and afterwards a resident of the town of Le Roy, Genesee Co., N. Y., came to Michigan in 1835 and took up the land upon which his widow now resides. In 1836 he came again, cleared a small tract, and partly built a log house. An idea had entered the heads of some of the settlers that he was only a speculator, and it was with difficulty he could get help enough to raise his house. He moved here with his wife in October, 1838, arriving on the 26th of the month, and here has been the home of the family since that time. The log house was finished and occupied December 13th succeeding their arrival. During the interim they had lived with the family of Henry N. Thompson, next east of their own place. Mr. Thompson, who was a carpenter by trade, was then working in Highland, Oakland Co. Times were so hard that it was almost impossible to obtain provisions. As an example of the effect of Michigan food on the cattle the following will answer: Mr. Selden at one time bought of George Judson a quarter of beef, paying at the rate of seven dollars per hundred-weight, and from it Mrs. Selden procured but two pounds of tallow! Yet no one had any better, and people could not complain of being in worse circumstances in this respect than others. On one occasion the families of H. N. Thompson, Esquire Baldwin, and Daniel Brewer-the latter also an early settler in the neighborhood-had to put their provisions together in order to have enough for a meal, for neither C n \ L o.W11 -NI r? wUrKA i 4 - RESIDENCE OF PETER HEMPSTED,MUNDY, MICH. : Z K 'I ; : I,je MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 289 had a sufficient quantity alone. Mr. Brewer, who had settled a little previous to 1838, afterwards returned to New York, but finally settled permanently in Michigan, in which State he died. Mr. Selden died in May, 1869. For the first two or three years after coming here the times for all the settlers were the hardest. Dr. Alger, on one of his missions of mercy, went to Pontiac and bought several barrels of Indian meal,-a portion of it sour, which mattered not to the hungry,-and out of the whole used but two messes in his own family, having distributed it among his suffering neighbors. Mr. Selden was known to have sent to Fenton, Flint, Grand Blanc, Highland, and even to Pontiac, for tea, but without success, nor could he get it any place nearer than Detroit. John Thompson, from Cayuga Co., N. Y., came to Michigan in 1841 and located in the township of Convis, Calhoun Co., where he lived until 1843, working at his trade (that of a mason) part of the time in Battle Creek, where he helped build the first brick building. In the latter year he removed to Mundy and settled on the place where he now lives, section 26. He purchased of Maxwell Thompson, now of Fenton, and the latter had purchased the place from Cornelius Bray, who had entered it in October, 1835, cleared about 7 acres, and built a log house. Bray became dissatisfied and returned to New York. Mr. Thompson helped build the first brick house in Genesee County,*a small brick school-house on Chauncey Paine's lots on the north side of the river at Flint. Hazelton's brick block, on Saginaw Street, was built the same season. Mr. Thompson continued to work at his trade until about 1876, since which time his whole attention has been paid to his farm. John Slaght, a native of New Jersey, and later a resident of Seneca Co., N. Y., to which he moved in 1802, has lived in Mundy since June, 1847, and is now in his eightyninth year. During the war of 1812 he belonged to an independent rifle company, which " went out to the lines." Mr. Slaght, who had been badly poisoned in his limbs, was unable to follow them until two weeks later. Mr. Slaght's sons-Dr. Andrew Slaght, of Grand Blanc, and his brother, Joseph Slaght-had come to Hillsdale County the previous spring, and the rest of the family came the following winter. Peter Hempstead, from Genesee Co., N. Y., came to Mundy in December, 1843, and settled on the place where he now lives, having previously resided several years in Grand Blanc. He married there the widow of James H. Beebe, who settled in Grand Blanc about a year after Mr. Hempstead had come, or in 1836. Mr. Beebe and his wife had lived a short time in Ohio. Mr. Hempstead's father also settled in Grand Blanc, living near Whigville.t Jason F. Allen came with his family from Mendon, Monroe Co., N. Y., to Genesee County in 1837, and settled in the township of Burton. He had previously lived in Livingston Co., N. Y. In 1843 he came to Mundy and purchased a farm north of his present residence, a part of which he still owns. He made the first improvements upon it, and has only lived upon his present place since about 1862. The latter was originally settled by Mithra J. Barrett several years before Mr. Allen came to the township. Barrett committed suicide on the place by cutting his throat. John Richards, from the State of New Jersey, settled in Grand Blanc some time previous to 1840, and subsequently moved into Mundy, where he held numerous offices. His son, David Richards, is a resident of the town of Richfield, in this county. William Richards, father of the present town clerk, was also from the State of New Jersey, and a nephew of John Richards, above mentioned. He came to Grand Blanc with his family about 1846-47, and after two years removed to Mundy, settling on the farm now owned by A. Bigelow, northeast of Mundy Centre. He lived there about eleven years, and then removed to the farm where his son, Philetus Richards, now lives, and finally to the place his son, John Richards, now occupies. He died in the fall of 1873. When he located on the present Bigelow farm he made the first clearing upon it, and built a log house a short distance south of where Bigelow's present residence stands. Henry H. Howland, a native of the town of Ira, Rutland Co., Vt., moved with his father to Monroe Co., N. Y., when very young, and when but nine years old went with the family to Middleport, Niagara Co., in the same State, his father removing to that place. In the fall of 1829, Mr. Howland emigrated to Michigan, and settled in Troy, Oakland Co. His father was a soldier of 1812, and his grandfather a veteran of the Revolution. In 1836 he purchased land in Mundy, went back to New York after his wife, and, owing to her sickness, was obliged to stay there until March, 1837, when they came on to their home in the forest. Their nearest neighbor at that time was the widow Simmons, who had moved in with one daughter and three sons,-Cyrenus, Benjamin, and Lowell Simmons. Sonime of the family afterwards became involved in the counterfeiting business, and were obliged to leave the neighborhood. Mrs. Howland's father, Peter Van Tifflin,-now living in Grand Blanc, aged eighty-three years,-occupies the same farm he took from the government. When he settled there he had to procure his flour and provisions at Detroit. One of his sons, Reuben Van Tifflin, is a prominent citizen of Flint, and another son, William, lives in the township of Mundy. In 1838, Mr. Howland raised some corn on his place, and when it was ripe shelled out a bushel and a half, took it on his back, carried it to John Cook's " pepper-mill," at Long Lake.-eight miles away,-and, on arriving, found he could not get it ground for some time; so he left it there, started homeward, and borrowed 79 pounds of flour at a house one mile on his way, and carried it home. The way the family relished a portion of it when cooked will undoubtedly never be forgotten by them. Iu October, 1837, Mr. Howland was summoned to Flint on county business, and walked up in the morning without a cent in his pocket, sat there all day, and walked home at night in time to do his chores. In the matter of opening and working highways, Mr. Howland has perhaps done more work than any other man in the township. Samuel Dibble and John Newton were * So Mr. Thompson was told at the time. f Information by Mrs. Hempstead. 37 290 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. also influential in that direction, and these three acted as chief movers in building excellent highways throughout the township. Of this trio of sturdy and enterprising citizens Mr. Howland is the sole survivor. When Mr. Howland came with his family he moved up from the south and stopped with Josiah Alger until the 5th of April, when his log shanty was near enough finished to serve as a habitation, although it had neither doors nor floor. Samuel Dibble came to the township about 1839, took up land where Henry Hill now lives, and settled upon it. He was a native of Connecticut, but had moved here from Hudson, Columbia Co., N. Y. He started with a wagonload of goods to peddle, and, on arriving in Michigan, chose to locate. He was then unmarried. On one occasion, while hunting land, he lost his way in the woods, and climbed a tree in order to ascertain where he was. He afterwards married and settled, and his widow is now living east of Mr. Howland. Henry Hill and his father, Darius G. Hill, came to the township in the fall of 1839. The elder Hill bought land of Chauncey Simmons, and made the first improvements upon it. He was quite prominent in the township, and both he and his wife died on their farm, on section 10. Henry Hill is yet living in the township. The next farm east of the Hill place was located by Josiah Chatfield, who settled in June, 1837. He and his wife both died here. His son, Cyrus G. Chatfield, is one of the prominent citizens of the township, and his daughter is now the widow of Alvah Bigelow. Jacob Bentley, who lived still farther east, settled a few days before Mr. Howland came, and Charles Wilcox came some time later, and settled on the farm adjoining Bentley's on the east. Smith Titus purchased land south of Mr. Howland the same day with the latter, but never settled upon it. It was afterwards taken by some Frenchmen,-Peter Coquigne and his son-in-law, Francis Larobardierre. They stopped at first on section 1, where they cleared up 240 acres of land for a man named Baldwin, and with the money thus earned purchased the land above mentioned. They came soon after 18-0, and were in very destitute circumstances, having scarcely anything save a yoke of oxen. They have been prosperous during their residence here, however, and are worthy citizens. Bradbury Eastman settled opposite the Bentley place as early as 1837-38, and he and his wife both died in the township. John Newton purchased land of H. H. Howland in 1838, and settled next east of the latter, on section 4. His wife and Mr. Howland's first wife (who died in 1838) were sisters. Of the family two children are left, one sonGeorge-occupying the old farm, and a daughter teaching in the high-school at Flint. Bildad Hodge and his son William lived in 1838 a mile south of Howland's Corners. Both are now deceased. A grandson is a resident of the township. Old Mrs. Hodge fell in the fire and received injuries which caused her death. Her husband was a man of much intelligence and ability, but the demon of strong drink obtained possession of his faculties, and he was too often seen under the influence of some one of the various distilled poisons in use at that day. A man named Nelson bought land on section 2, and settled upon it in the spring of 1838. None of the family now live in town, and the farm is divided among other persons. Jonathan G. Firman was one of the earlier settlers in the northeast part of the township, where he was living in 1835. The Indians who lived in Mundy and owned property finally sold out. Some of them are now living in Gaines township. Others went to Pewonigawink, and some to Shiawassee. There were about two hundred of them in Mundy at one time, and they owned altogether about 160 acres of land. Of this amount Fisher, the chief, owned 40 acres. They gave as a reason for leaving, that there were " too many white folks-Mill all muskrat." L PODUNK." In 1844 a raceway was cut through from Long Lake, passing across the farm of George Judson, the water finally finding its way into tributaries of Swartz Creek. On Mr. Judson's place an oil well was built by David L. Latourette, who then lived at the head of Long Lake, in Fenton township. The business of manufacturing linseed oil was conducted with varying success for a year or more. Other parties succeeded Latourette, among them Smith & Griswold and George C. Thorp. After several years the building was converted into a grist-mill by Edward Thorp. It was finally abandoned, and none is now in operation in the locality, called "Podunk," which euphonious title is ever ready to be applied to places of equal importance. OLD TAVERNS. Along the old plank road from Fenton to Flint which formed the eastern boundary of the township for four miles were built at an early date numerous taverns. The one known as L" Mason's Tavern" stood on the southeast corner of section 13, and for many years was owned and conducted by Daniel Mason and his brother. It was flourishing finely some time previous to 1850. Daniel Mason now lives in Flint, and a Mr. Todd owns the property. "Reed's Tavern," on the northeast corner of section 13, was built considerably later, by John Reed, now deceased. He was an early settler in the township. His family lives opposite the old tavern in Grand Blanc township. A tavern was built on the southeast corner of section 17 in the summer of 1867, by Solomon Bloss, who moved here that spring from Saratoga Co., N. Y. Mr. Bloss is now deceased, and the building is no longer kept as a tavern, although occupied by his family. POST-OFFICES. A post-office called "Elgin" at one time existed in the eastern part of town, and was kept at Mason's tavern. After the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway was completed, the line of stages which had long run between Fenton and Flint was taken off, and the office was discontinued. About 1845 an office was established in Fenton township, north of Long Lake, and called "Long Lake Post / K. Irkle. T A-6 RESIDENCE OF C. L. BADGLEY, MUNOY, MICHIGAN. II MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 291 Office." In March, 1851, it was moved to George Judson's place, in Mundy township, Mr. Judson appointed postmaster, and the name of the office changed to Mundy, which it still retains. About 1858 the office was moved to the " Baldwin Road," and Benjamin Hunt appointed to take charge of it. He held it about two years, and was succeeded by Morgan Baldwin, who held it about the same length of time. Ara Hopkins was postmaster from about 1862 for several years, and was succeeded by Nathan W. Selden, now deceased. From 1869 to 1873 it was held by William H. Borden, and in the spring of the latter year, William I. Williams, the present incumbent, assumed charge and has held it since, keeping the office at his house. Up to and including Mr. Baldwin's term of office mail was brought from Fentonville, but since then from Linden. The following were resident tax-payers in 1844, as appears from the assessment roll for that year: Allen, Hopkins S. Alger, A. B. Alger, Lewis H. Alger, Samuel W. Austin, Jason L. Alger, Josiah H. Beckwith, Lodowick. Bentley, Thomas E. Bentley, Josiah. Brainard, Dudley. Bigelow, Alvah. Bishop, Alvah. Bigelow, Jairus, Jr. Brainard, Hiram. Bigelow, Albert. Barrett, Mithra J. Bishop, Ebenezer. Borst, Henry. Barnum, Braymond. Curtis, Joseph A. Chatfield, Josiah. Chatfield, Cyrus. Clark, William D. Dibble, Samuel. Davis; Samuel B. Dunning, Ira. Eastman, Bradbury. Firman, Jonathan G. Fairchild, Philo. Fellows, Jonathan. Gillett, Daniel. Gillett, Gardner. GlQver, Thomas. Gregory, Lewis. Gibson, David. Gilbert, Eli. IHowland, Henry H. Hill, Henry. Hlodge, Bildad. Hill, Darius G. Huxley, Hiram. Hempstead, Peter. Ioughton, James. Hathaway, Daniel D. Hopkins, Ara. Handy, Eber. Johnson, Timothy J. Johnson, Abner C. Judd, Henry. Jameson, John B. Judson, George. Kirklinger, Andrew. Kirklinger, Jacob. Linsley, Orange. Lawrence, Joseph. Lewis, John. Lovejoy, Palmer. Leach, De Witt C. Lovejoy, David B. Lamoreux, Joseph. Morton, Washington D. Meaker, Nelson. Martin, Mrs. Mead, Burton. Marble, David C. Nelson, Nathaniel. Newton, John. Odell, William. Odell, Moses. Odell, Daniel. Parrish, John. Parks, Harvey. Phillips, Joseph. Phillips, James. Pearsall, Joseph. Pierce, William B. Pierce, Asa T. Pease, Granger. Perry, Joseph. Rusco, Hiram. Rix, James. Rusco, Horace. Richards, John. Stearns, Edmund. Storrs, Harvey. Smith, William. Scovel, Ruel W. Scovel, Nathan. Smith, Homer B. Sage, William. Selden, Nathan W. Stuart, William. Thompson, Lyman. Tupper, Charles. Thompson, Maxwell. Volentine, Cornelius. Wilcox, Henry. Wilcox, Charles. Whitmore, Horace. Wilkerson, Sprague. White, George. White, Orson. White, Alpheus. Whitmore, Noah L. Winget, Reuben. NAME AND ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPCIVIL LIST, ETC. When the petition for a new township was sent in to the Legislature, the name Independence was proposed for it, but owing to the fact that a township in Oakland County bore the same name, that of Mundy was substituted by the Legislature, in honor of Edward S. Mundy, then lieutenant-governor of the State. The act forming the township was approved March 11, 1837, and reads as follows: "SEC. 9. All that portion of the county of Genesee designated in the United States survey as township 6 north, of ranges 5 and 6 east, be, and the same is hereby, set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Mundy; and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house of Josiah Alger, in said township." On the 16th of February, 1842, the west half of the township, as formed above, was set off and organized into a separate township, called Gaines, leaving Mundy with its ~ present dimensions, or including township 6 north in range 6 east. " The election in the town of Mundy, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, met at the house of Josiah Alger, in said town, on Monday, the 3d day of April, 1837. First chose Josiah Alger, Moderator, and Morgan Baldwin, Clerk. Then, moderator and clerk being duly sworn, the meeting proceeded to business according to law, and made choice of Seth Kitchen, George Judson, Benjamin Simmons, Inspectors." This extract is from the account of the first town-meeting, as it appears in the township records. It was " Voted, That all overseers of highways shall be fence-viewers; all horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs shall be free commoners." The following were the officers chosen, viz.: Supervisor, Joseph Alger; Town Clerk, Morgan Baldwin; Assessors, Jonathan G. Firman, Morgan Baldwin, Benjamin Simmons, Seth Kitchen: Collector, George Judson; Commissioners of Highways, J. G. Firman, George Judson, Jeshurun Leach; School Inspectors, Jonathan G. Firman, Ira Dunning, Dudley Brainard; Justices of the Peace, Benjamin Simmons, one year; Josiah Alger, two years; Morgan Baldwin, three years; Henry M. Thompson, four years; Constables, George Judson, Volney Stiles. At the above election but eighteen votes were cast, and of these only three were from the west half of the township. At the annual election in 1838 it was " Voted, That $100 be raised by a tax for the purpose of assisting to make bridges acrost the Swartz Creek in said town," but at a special meeting held on the 25th of September in the same year, the appropriation was voted down. At an election held Nov. 4 and 5, 1839, to vote upon the amendments to the State constitution, as proposed by the Legislature of 1838, they were rejected by a vote of 40 to 9. At the general election in November, 1840, 89 votes were cast, the following being the names of the voters: 1. William Gazley.. 8, Marvin Williams. 2. William Smith. 9. Seth Hathaway. 3. Morgan Baldwin. 10. Gideon Hathaway. 4. Palmer Lovejoy. 11. Nelson Meaker. 5. William J. King. 12. W. D. Morton. 6. J. W. Morton. 13. E. D. Crane. 7. William Pierce. 14. Josiah Alger. 292 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.. 15. W. B. Young. 16. David Gregory. 17. J. H. Williams. 18. David Cosler. 19. Joshua Dart. 20. George Judson. 21. Frederick Wilcox. 22. William Knapp. 23. Henry H. Howland. 24. Bildad Hodge. 25. Aaron Decker. 26. Philander McLain. 27. Elisha Martin. 28. Martin Dart. 29. Marvin Davis. 30. Sprague Wilkerson. 31. G. M. Dart. 32. David Gibson. 33. Jesse B. Martin. 34. Harvey Parks. 35. Noah Whitmore. 36. Hiram Huxley. 37. Lodowick Beckwith. 38. Almeron Atherton (?). 39. William Lovejoy. 40. Ruel W. Scovel. 41. H. A. Brainard. 42. Eber Handy. 43. Jason L. Austin. 44. Lewis Gregory. 45. Dudley Brainard. 46. Ira Dunning. 47. Ebenezer Bishop. 48. A. Bishop. 49. Horace Whitmore. 50. Myron Whitmore. 51. Orange Lindsey. 52. Henry Hill. 53. William Stewart. 54. L. H. Alger. 55. Jacob Bentley. 56. Josiah Chatfield. 57. N. W. Selden. 58. B. B. Bradley. 59. Charles Wilcox. 60. Bradbury Eastman. 61. Gardner Gillett. 62. Daniel Brewer. 63. T. J. Johnson. 64. A. B. Alger. 65. Nathaniel Nelson. 66. William Sage. 67. W. M. Hodge. 68. John Newton. 69. Henry Borst. 70. Hiram Rusco. 71. Jonathan G. Firman. 72. Horace Rusco. 73. William Odell. 74. Moses Odell. 75. Elisha Rusco. 76. James Houghton. 77. Jonas M. Martin. 78. Joseph W. Bissell. 79. Darius G. Hill. 80. Burton Mead. 81. A. R. Pease. 82. Ephraim Fletcher. 83. Thomas Glover. 84. Cornelius Volentine. 85. John Wood. 86. Reuben Winget. 87. Asa Pierce. 88. Josiah Bentley. 89. Thomas E. Bentley. 1867-69. Cyrus G. Chatfield. 1870. No record. 1871. John A. Kline. 1872-73. No record. 1874-75. William I. Williams. 1876-77. William R. Alger. 1878. Cyrus G. Chatfield. 1879. William R. Alger. TOWN CLERKS. 1838. Morgan Baldwin. 1839. William Smith. 1840-41. Josiah Alger. 1842. Asahel H. Beach. 1843. Morgan L. Leach. 1844. Albert Bigelow. 1845. No record. 1846. William Griswold. 1847. Josiah Alger. 1848. John Richards. 1849. Benjamin Phelps;. 1850. Cyrus Chatfield. 1851. Benjamin Phillips.* 1852-53. Cyrus Chatfield. 1854. David Richards. 1855. Benjamin Phillips. 1856. Edward W. Savage. 1857. William I. Williams. 1858. Albert Hathaway. 1859-60. William I. Williams. 1861-63. Samuel C. Baldwin. 1864. Charles M. Odell. 1865. Andrew Slaght. 1866-68. John Richards. 1869. Samuel A. Williams. 1870. No record. 1871. William I. Williams. 1872-73. No record. 1874. Volney Stiles. 1875-78. Henry G. Mason. 1879. John Richards. ASSESSORS. 1838. Jonathan G. Firman. Josiah Chatfield. Cornelius Volentine. David Gibson. Volney Stiles. 1839. Thomas Glover. William Gazley. W. D. Morton. 1840. Thomas Glover. W. D. Morton. Martin Dart. 1841. Samuel Dibble. E. D. Crane. Asa T. Pierce. 1842. Josiah Alger. Nelson Meaker. 1843. Gardiner Gillet. 1843. Josiah H. Alger. 1844. John B. Jameson. Lyman Thompson. 1845. No record. 1846. John Parrish. Asa T. Pierce. 1847. No record of assessors. 1848. Cyrus Chatfield. John Parrish. 1849. Caleb Winget. John Richards. 1850. J. H. Alger. J. Chatfield. 1851. M. J. Barrett. E. Stearnes. 1852. Same as previous year. The following are some of the stock marks which were adopted by the settlers in the township in 1837: Morgan Baldwin's mark, square crop on left ear. J. G. Firman's, " hapiny" under side each ear. Ira Dunning's, one hole and crop in right ear. Abigail Simmons', slit in right ear, "hapiny" under left. Josiah Alger's, crop off left ear and "hapiny" under right. Seth Kitchen's, square crop off left ear, hole in right. George Judson's, "hapiny" under right ear. Dudley Brainard's, square crop in right ear, slit in left. Volney Stiles', two slits in end of left ear. William Odell's, swallow fork in right ear. Reuben Winget's, slit in left ear. David Gibson's, hole in left ear. The following is a list of officers of the township, from 1838 to 1879, inclusive, as compiled from the township records: SUPERVISORS. COLLECTORS. 1838-39. George Judson. DIRECTORS 1838-40. George Judson. Josiah Alger. 1841. William Smith. Palmer Lovejoy. 1842. C. Volentine. R. W. Scovel. 1843. Palmer Lovejoy. Jairus Bigelow. 1844. P. Lovejoy. H. S. Allen. 1845. No record. 1846. Bradbury Eastman. P. Lovejoy. 1847. Thomas Glover. Ruel W. Scovel. 1848. William Smith. Hopkins S. Allen. 1849. William Sage. John C. Mathewson. 1850. Josiah Bentley. [ 1840-41. Cornelius Volentine. OF THE POOR. 1850. Thomas Glover. 1851. D. G. Hill. H. H. Howland. 1852. Reuben Winget. J. Chatfield. 1853. Peter Hempstead. J. Chatfield. 1854. R. W. Scovel. M. J. Barrett. 1855. John Reid. William Griswold. 1856. R. W. Scovel. James Hempstead. 1857. M. Baldwin. J. Slaght. 1858. P. Hempstead. M. Baldwin. 1859. Robert Jadwin. R. W. Scovel. 1838-39. Josiah Alger. 1840. George Judson. 1841. David Gibson. 1842. Darius G. Hill. 1843. Nathan W. Selden. 1844. Ebenezer Bishop. 1845. No record. 1846. Ebenezer Bishop. 1847. Homer B. Smith. 1848. Ebenezer Bishop. 1849-51. George Judson. 1852. Josiah H1. Alger. 1853-56. Abner C. Johnson. 1857. Silas Jameson. 1858. Ebenezer Bishop. 1859. H. B. Smith. 1860. Julian Bishop. 1861. Ebenezer Bishop. 1862-63. Cyrus G. ChatfieId. 1864. Abner C. Johnson. 1865. Cyrus G. Chatfield. 1866. William I. Williamls. COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS. 1838. Jesse B. Martin. George Judson. W. D. Morton. 1839. George Judson. William Odell. EphraimFFletcher. 1840. George Judson. Sprague Wilkerson. Ephraim Fletcher. 1841. Thomas Glover. Walter Beers. Noah Whitmore. -* Probably same name. MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 293 1842. E. Handy. M. J. Barrett. Wm. Smith. 1843. Timothy J. Johnson. David Gibson. H. Whittemore. 1844. Hiram Rusco. David Gibson. Homer B. Smith. 1845. No record. 1846. David Gibson. Jason F. Allen. Henry H. Howland. 1847. Josiah H. Alger. Jacob Bentley. David Gibson. 1848. Reuben Winget. A. Howland. 1849. John Slaght. 1850. Josiah Bentley. 1851. Henry H. Howland. 1852. William Odell. 1853. Caleb B. Winget. 1854. J. B. Jameson. Samuel Dibble. 1855. Francis Wilson. 1856. H. Kennedy. 1856. Jacob Bentley. William I. Williams. 1857. Timothy Johnson. 1858. John C. Mathewson. 1859. Isaac P. Dumond. 1860. David Handy. 1861. J. C. Mathewson. 1862. Asa Bigelow. 1863. W. M. Armstrong. Henry Hill. 1864. Geo. W. Peer. 1865. Joshua C. Covert. 1866. Cyrus Hewitt. Win. M. Armstrong. 1867. Henry H. Howland. 1868. Walter Cross. 1869. William M. Armstrong. 1870. No record. 1871. Walter Cross. Joseph M. Peck. 1872-73. No record. 1874. William R. Alger. 1875-76. John L. Jennings. 1877. B. Glover. 1878. Benjamin F. Pease. 1879. George W. Peer. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1838. Henry H. Howland. 1839. Josiah Alger. 1840. Washington D. Morton. 1841. Nathan Selden. 1842. Josiah Chatfield. 1843. Ebenezer Bishop. 1844. W. D. Morton. 1845. No record. 1846. Josiah Bentley. 1847. Ebenezer Bishop. 1848. Jabez Close. 1849. Nathan W. Selden. 1850. Norwin C. Johnson. 1851. John Thompson. 1852. Josiah Bentley. D. C. Leach. 1853. N. W. Selden. James E. Spicer. 1854. N. C. Johnson. J. Bentley. Silas Jameson. 1855. Asa T. Pierce. 1856. Josiah Bentley. 1857. John B. Jameson. 1858. John H. Slaght. 1859. William I. Williams. 1860. Josiah Bentley. David Winget. 1861. N. W. Selden. Josiah Bentley. 1862. Ebenezer Bishop. 1863. Volney Stiles. 1864. David Richards. 1865. Nathan W. Selden. 1866. Josiah Bentley. 1867. Ebenezer Bishop. 1868. David Richards. Henry Hill. 1869. Nathan W. Selden. 1870. No record. 1871. Ebenezer Bishop. 1872-73. No record. 1874. John H. Slaght. 1875. John Richards. 1876. Charles D. Hoyt, Jr. 1877. Reuben W. Sage. 1878. John H. Slaght. 1879. S. A. Williams. Hiram B. Gilbert. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. 1838. Dudley Brainard. W. D. Morton. Josiah Alger. 1839. Nelson Meaker. *W. D. Morton. Josiah Alger. 1840. W. D. Morton. G. Judson. M. Dart. 1841. Nelson Meaker. W. D. Morton. Dudley Brainard. 1842. W. D. Morton. A. H. Beach. N. Meaker. 1843. Ira Dunning. Dudley Brainard. 1844. Dudley Brainard. 1845. No record. 1846. Albert Bigelow. Maxwell Thompson. 1847. Jabez Close. 1848. Jabez Close. N. C. Johnson. 1849. DeWitt C. Leach. Jabez Close. 1850. Jabez Close. 1851. D. C. Leach. 1852. W. I. Williams. S. Mathewson. 1853. Marshall Armstrong. 1854. Francis Hopkins. 1855. W. M. Armstrong. 1856. Andrew Slaght. 1857. William M. Armstrong. 1858. Stephen Mathewson. 1859. James Jameson. 1860. Albert Hathaway. 1861. William M. Armstrong. 1862. David Richards. 1863. Andrew Slaght. 1864. David Richards. 1865. James Brewer. 1866. David Richards. 1867. James T. Brewer. 1868. M. D. Stuart. John C. Howland. 1869. John L. Jennings. 1870. No record. 1871. Henry Mason. 1872-73. No record. 1874. George Hill. 1875. Joseph M. Peck. 1876-78. Nathan E. Selden. 1879. Theodore George. TOWNSHIP SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. 1875. Abram Peer. 1876. Theodore George. 1877-79. De Witt J. Lawrence. TOWNSHIP DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1874. Nehemiah Countryman. 1875. Dudley S. Reid. 1876. E. H. Sherwood (2 yrs.). No record since. CONSTABLES. TREASURERS. 1838. George Judson. Almeron S. Simmons. 1839. George Judson. Isaac W. Morton. Albert B. Alger. 1840. Cornelius Volentine. Isaac W. Morton. William Young. 1841. Cornelius Volentine. Isaac W. Morton. Palmer Lovejoy. 1842. William Odell. Josiah Bentley. Isaac W. Morton. John Wood. 1843. John Richards. Jairus Bigelow, Jr. Palmer Lovejoy. Charles Wilcox. 1844. Andrew Kitchen. Henry Judd. Cyrus Chatfield. Charles Wilcox. 1845. No record. 1846. Levi Hodge. Charles Wilcox. Henry Judd. Alpheus White. 1847. Charles Wilcox. Palmer Lovejoy. Ara Hopkins. Jacob Bentley. 1839. Cornelius Volentine. 1840-41. William Odell. 1842. No record. 1843-44. John Richards. 1845. No record. 1846. John Richards. 1847-49. Charles Wilcox. 1850-51. Thomas Glover. 1852. John C. Mathewson. 1853. Reuben Winget. 1854-56. George White. 1857. Cyrus Chatfield. 1858. William M. Avery. 1859. Andrew Slaght. 1860. John IT. Slaght. 1861. Iliram B. Gilbert. 1862. John C. Mathewson. 1863. Elisha A. Moses. 1864. Edward H. Savage. 1865. Francis Hopkins. 1866. Josiah Bentley. 1867-68. Edward 11. Savage. 1869. John Richards. 1870. No record. 1871. George White. 1872-73. No record. 1874. Francis P. Alger. 1875. George S. Witherell. 1876-77. Francis P. Alger. 1878. John L. Jennings. 1879. Francis P. Alger. 1848. Henry S. Richards. A. S. Hopkins. Cyrenus Parrish. James Northway. 1849. Hopkins S. Allen. Edmund Rix. 1850. Alvah Bigelow. Charles Wilcox. E. Rix. Orson White. 1851. 0. White. J. T. Williams. L. B. Jewett. Barnabas Greenfield. 1852. George Brown. J. T. Williams. D. L. Lighthall. 1853. John Howe. J. Bigelow, Jr. D. L. Lighthall. J. O. Northway. 1854. Nelson Stormes. J. T. Williams. Wm. Van Tifflin. 1855. J. C. Pratt. A. Hallock. J. Bigelow, Jr. J. T. Williams. 1856. John Howe. Everett Booth. Samuel A. Williams. John Slaght. 294 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHI[GAN.. 1857. William Avery. Nelson Stormes. A. Hallock. Charles Wilcox. 1858. William M. Avery. John Wells. Samuel Brown. Almon Hallock. Henry Childs. 1859. J. T. Williams. James Lovejoy. Thomas Davis. 1860. Ira Remington. Reuben Sage. Daniel Gillett. J. T. Williams. 1861. Walter Cross. Riley Tupper. Reuben Sage. Asa Wilson. 1862. W. Cross. R: Tupper. Salmon Lacy. Samuel Brown. 1863. R. R. Tupper. W. Cross. Charles Bell. Samuel Brown. 1864. John L. Jennings. Peter Phillips. Stewart Curle. Manville Bloss. 1865. Jesse Buck. Cyrenus Hodge. Peter Phillips. Samuel Brown. 1866. W. Cross. R. Tupper. Alfred Lovejoy. John D. Light. 1867. Caleb Gillett. 1867. W. Cross. R. Tupper. John D. Light. 1868. C. Gillett. John D. Light. Riley R Tupper. Reuben W. Sage. 1869. R. R. Tupper. Chester Collins. George Borden. Samuel Brown. 1870. No record. 1871. Stewart Curle. John A. King. George Borden. Almon Hallock. 1872-73. No record. 1874. James Hempstead. Riley Tupper. George Borden, Peter Phillips. 1875. Eugene George. Edward H. Sherwood. John H. Soper. James Hempstead. 1876. James Hempstead. John H. Soper. Lockwood Barnum. Peter Phillips. 1877. P. Phillips. John Hill. Charles Eckley. John H. Soper. 1878. Peter Phillips. John Hill, Jr. Dan Brown. 1879. Peter Phillips. William Cross. Wm. E. Van Tifflin. Charles Eckley. SCHOOLS. The first school district organized in the township was what is still known as District No. 1, in the Baldwin neighborhood. It was organized in the spring of 1837,* and a school taught the summer following, by Miss Mary Gazley, in a log school-house which stood on the corner of the farm now owned by LaFayette Odell. This building was subsequently burned. Before this school was taught-or in the summer of 1836-the few settlers living in the neighborhood, wishing for a school to send their children to, hired Mrs. Conant, the widowed sister-in-law of Jeshurun Leach, to teach one for them, paying her ten shillings a week for her services. The school was held in her own house,-a small log shanty,-and she proved an excellent teacher. This was the first school taught in the township.' Mrs. Conant was the mother of Avery G. and Wesley Conant, now of Fenton. The first winter term was taught by a Scotchman named McClergant (or McClagan). DeWitt C. Leach taught a number of terms afterwards, as is elsewhere mentioned. In Fractional District No. 9, also on the Baldwin road, a lot was cleared and a log school-house built about 1845. This building was never finished or used. In 1847 a frame school-house was put up on the opposite corner, and is the one still in use. The first teacher in this district was Mary Ann Odell, who taught in the summer of 1847. In what is now District No. 6 a log school-house was built about 1841-42, on the northeast corner of section 29, and Mary S. Williams, sister of William I. Williams, was probably the first teacher. The following was the condition of the schools in Mundy township on the 2d of September, 1878, according to the annual report of the school inspectors: I DISTRICTS. I iI a b w F.- 9 llc a) 10 E-4. u o a) +. to C.. 4) -.11, 0;,. 4.' k 4 0 C) r m z;. 10 Cs = 0, (1) 41;04 Al 17 45. 68 53 37 89 44 62 34. bo 0 O,v, (D S. U te r W R P-4 lt r. (2) 4..'41 -.4 40 35 54 48 27 65, 3 0 60 31 In 94 w._ ~0 P4 C (z 4 *.. *... 2 *.i 3 4 10 16 16 89 6178 1680 150 160 140 I; 4 0 A C) w I r4, I Q LD. 7) 0 1 6 o I x Frame. i 1 I - I I. 1 I 1 1. 1 I 1 6 S 1 4.." t: rj, 4. 0 4) O q 60 ' 50 80 60 65 6 40 t (2) P4 0 1. p6q 4-4 0 a) z Cd $600 300 800 300 600 500 1000 250 400 NUMiER OF TEACHERS. TEACHERS' WAGES. No. it it ft it 1..................................... 2...................................... a..................................... 6............................................ 10...........o......................... 11..................................... 41.................................... 9t...................................... 10..................................... Male. 1 1 1 1 1 1 Female. 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 Male. $160 105 120 100 112 115...... Female. $44 56 64 48 40 151.40 102 56.25 136 Receipts for year, $2001.88; amount on hand, Sept. 2,1878, $341.51; total expenditures, less amount on hand, $1660.37. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MUNDY CENTRE. On the 28th of July, 1844, a church was formed, and given the name of the "' First Presbyterian Church of Mount Pleasant." March 7, 1856, the name was changed to the "First Presbyterian Church of the Town of Mundy." An organization had previously existed, which was known as the "First Church of Christ in Mundy," but this was finally discontinued, and the Presbyterian church formed in its place. The latter was organized by Rev. Peter H. Burghardt,. of Fenton, and consisted of the following members, viz.: Nathan W. Selden, John Cook, Palmer Lovejoy, Theophilus Stone,-these four from the " First Church of Christ in Mundy,"-and Joseph Child, from the Houston Street Presbyterian Church, in New. York City. Nathan W. Selden was chosen ruling elder, and held the position until his death, in May, 1869. Joseph Child was first clerk. Aug. 10, 1844, four additional members were re* 1836 according to some authority. t Information by Hon. D. C. Leach, of Springfield, Mo. 4 Fractional districts. MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 295 ceived, viz.: William B. Ferris, Mrs. Emeline Roys, Mrs. Sophia McOmber, and Mrs. Isabella Cook. The first services were held by Rev. P. H. Burghardt. Revs. George P. King and Ira Dunning preached in 1845, and in June or July, 1846, Rev. J. Copeland came, remaining about three months. Rev. J. B. Jewell became stated supply in September, 1851, and preached for a number of years. He finally removed to California, in which State he yet resides. While ministering to this church he lived in the township of Gaines. Rev. Alanson Herrick and family united with the church in February, 1864, and Mr. Herrick began preaching soon after. He was succeeded by Rev. Armon Spencer, whose name first appears on the records in August, 1873. Rev. William Woodmansee, from the Congregational church at Grand Blanc, was the next pastor, coming in 1874. Rev. L. P. Frost took charge in May, 1876, and, after a stay of two years was succeeded in May, 1877, by the present pastor, Rev. A. T. Waterman. For many years this church was only a mission, and received aid from the Home Missionary Society. The present frame house of worship was built in 1869, a portion of the funds being taken from the "' church-erection fund" of the Presbyterian society. The dedicatory sermon for this church was preached by Rev. Mr. McSween, of Flint. The membership in June, 1879, was 51. A Sabbathschool is sustained, with John H. Slaght as superintendent. Meetings were at first held in different school-houses. BAPTIST CHURCH, NEAR MUNDY CENTRE.* This society was organized in 1845, and has a present membership of about 50. A tasty frame church has been erected. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, NEAR MUNDY P. O. This is known as the " South Mundy Methodist Episcopal Church," and has a membership of about 90. A class was formed in 1837, at or near the Odel school-house, and a log school-house was subsequently built near the south line of the township. The location was finally changed to Long Lake, in Fenton township, where a class still exists. The South Mundy class was organized in 1840, and is at present a part of the Linden circuit. The present frame church was built in 1872, and dedicated in December of that year free from debt. The pastor in charge of the Linden circuit is Rev. Orlando Sanborn, now servilng his second term of three years. To those who have furnished information which has been incorporated in the foregoing history of Mundy township, the thanks of the historian are hereby tendered. Among those included are Hon. DeWitt C. Leach, of Springfield, Mo., Mr. ald Mrs. William Odell, Volney Stiles and his son, T. P. Stiles, Morgan Baldwin, George Judson, John Thompson, William I. Williams, Mrs. N. W.'Selden, Asa T. Pierce, William R. Alger, Mrs. J. F. Allen, Henry H. Howland and wife, John Richards, Ebenezer Bishop, Mrs. Peter Hempstead, John * Items furnished by John Remington. It is regretted that nothing further was learned of this organization, which is the second in age in the township. Remington, and many others not now recollected. Numerous points in the history of the township have been difficult to ascertain correctly, but this article is submitted with the belief that it is accurate and reliable so far as it is possible to make it so. *- <. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. MORGAN BALDWIN. Around the name and memory of the first settler of a town, county, or State, there will always cling a peculiar interest,-an interest felt for no other class of men. Who was the first settler of this town? Why did he come in here alone? What must have been his feelings when he knew that for miles around him there was no other white Photo. by J. H. Philps, Fenton. MORGAN BALDWIN. man?-will be the queries in after-years. Such a man was Morgan Baldwin, the first white settler in the town of Mundy. EIe was born July 15, 1796, in what was, then called Newtown, Tioga Co., N. Y., but what is now known as Elmira, Chemung Co. His father, Col. Thomas Baldwin, was born in Norwich, Conn., Feb. 23, 1755, where he resided with his parents until the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, when he joined the American army, and served as a private in Gen. Morgan's command. He served seven years and participated in many battles and skirmishes. He was slightly wounded at Red Bank and Brandywine, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yrktown. After the war, he, with his father's family, emigrated to the Wyoming Valley, where they lived until the Wyoming massacre, when they were driven out, two of his uncles being killed by the Indians. After the massacre, Col. Baldwin joined Gen. Sullivan as a scout, and for meritorious conduct was breveted ensign. The history of Sulli-,t 296 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. van's campaign speaks of Ensign Baldwin being wounded at the battle of Chemung. In another place the history speaks of him as Col. Thomas Baldwin, and mentions that he was severely wounded. Col. Baldwin afterwards purchased as his farm the ground where he fell wounded, and the orchard he set out still stands near the battlefield. On this farm he lived until his death, which occurred Jan. 14, 1810. Morgan lived with his parents until he arrived at his majority, when he started out in life for himself. In February, 1818, he married Miss Hannah Sly. The result of this marriage was three children, viz.: Almira, Mary, and John. Mrs. Baldwin died Aug. 4, 1826. After the death of his wife, Mr. Baldwin resided with his father-in-law until the fall of 1833, when he resolved to seek a home where land wasg plenty and cheap. He came to Michigan, and in February, 1834, located the land he now owns, on section 27, in Mundy township. There was then no white residents in the township, nor for many miles around. The following March he built a log house on his land, and April 5th following moved his family into it. He had previously (Feb. 14, 1834) married Mary Jane Yanger. Their dauglter, Hannah, born March 31, 1835, was the first white child born in the township. She married David Joslyn. Mr. Baldwin had lived in the town a year and nine months, when Thos. Glover and David Gibson moved in and settled near him. Mr. Baldwin says it seemed to him then that the town was full, and he the happiest man in the county. The first summer he cleared ten acres, and in the fall sowed five acres of wheat, which yielded twentyseven bushels to the acre, and was threshed by Thomas Glover. Mr. Baldwin soon learned to talk with his Indian neighbors, with whom he lived on intimate and very friendly terms. They were of great assistance to him, and saved his family much suffering. The land he first bought has increased by subsequent additions to two hundred acres under good cultivation, upon which he still resides, and intends to pass the remainder of his days. He has lived to see the wilderness disappear, and in its place fine farms, with beautiful homes, churches, and schools. The six miles square of woods and swamps, which he saw when he first settled, is now one of the finest towns in the county. Then, the home of the Indians and wild animals; now, the home of an intelligent, enterprising people. Mr. Baldwin in early life was a Whig, and is now an ardent Republican. He was one of the first justices of the peace in the town, and held the office several years. Was town clerk, and has held other minor offices. In the war of 1812 he enlisted, but saw no active service. Has been for twenty years a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Baldwin married, for his third wife, Eunice Dart, daughter of Joshua and Susannah (Stebbins) Dart. She was born Jan. 16, 1816; married Dec. 13, 1838. Children,-Mathew S., born Sept. 17, 1839; Ency, born April 12, 1842; Thomas, born Dec. 27, 1844, die4 Oct. 26, 1847; Morgan G., born Aug. 26, 1847; Susan, born June 7, 1851; and Vine, born Oct. 12, 1854, died Dec. 5, 1857. *4 PETER HEMPSTED was born in Rice township, Monroe Co., N. Y. His father, John Hempsted, was born in Dutchess Co., N. Y., in 1776, where he grew to manhood; he was a weaver by trade, and worked at it when he was not farming. Soon after his marriage to Miss Amy Barker he moved to Monroe Co., N. Y., where he bought a small farm. Here Peter lived until he was twenty-three years old, working on the farm, or at whatever he could get to do. In 1836 he was attacked by the Western fever, and determined to go West and make himself a home where land was cheap. He came to Grand Blanc, in Genesee County. The first year he worked for Roland Perry; in 1837 he bought of his father the west half of the southwest quarter of section 14, in Mundy township, a lot which his father had purchased of the government. On this farm, now one of the best in the county, Mr. Hempsted still resides. In 1843 he built a small house on his farm, and made a permanent settlement. At that time there was no road to his land, and the family came and went by blazed trees. From Flint and Grand Blanc he carried his supplies to the new home in the woods with the help of an old fashioned neck-yoke. Their nearest neighbors were Indians, with whom they lived on the most friendly terms. The wolves were then a great source of annoyance, killing their sheep and making it unsafe for the family to be out in the evening. Mr. Hempsted is one of the most successful agriculturists in the county, and his farm is a model after which the young men of to-day would do well to pattern. One secret of his success is his versatile skill in labor, making most of his farming tools, and assisting to erect his buildings. In politics Mr. Henmpsted is a Republican, but not a seeker of office. He has been a member of the Baptist Church for nearly half' a century, as has also his wife. He is spoken of by his neighbors as an honorable and successful business man, one whom to know is to respect. On the 8th day of June, 1841, he married Mrs. Mindwell Beebe, daughter of Guernsey and Asenath (Brainard) Goff. She was born Jan. 9, 1814. There have been born to them eight children: Arthur, born April 6, 1842; Adelia, born Feb. 22, 1844; Eliza, born Feb. 11, 1846, died March 24, 1848; Cyrus, born April 30, 1848; Emeline, born Dec. 17, 1849, died Aug. 6, 1850; Sylvester, born July 23, 185i; Peter J., born Oct. 12, 1853; and Frank, born Dec. 9, 1857. To Mrs. Hempsted, by her first husband, were born two children,-Zala Beebe, born Oct. 25, 1837, and Edmund Beebe, born Nov. 25, 1839. Three of their children served in the Union army during the war of the Rebellion,-Arthur Hempsted, in Co. E, 5th Michigan Battery, enlisted Dec. 9, 1862, and served until the war closed; Zala Beebe, served in the same company and battery about a year; Edmund Beebe, enlisted Dec. 9, 1862, and served during the war in the same company as his brother. EBENEZER BISHOP. Among the early settlers of Mundy, there is no one who has done more for the advancement of the township and the county at large than Ebenezer Bishop. He was born in I MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 297 Montville, New London Co., Conn., April 9,1807. In 1818 his father moved to Livingston Co., N. Y., and bought a farm, on which Ebenezer grew to manhood, working with his father, and spending a few of the winter months at the district school. At the age of twenty-one he left the paternal home, and started out in life for himself. For two years he worked out by the month, then leased his father's farm for three years. With the money thus earned he started for Michigan, anriving at Springfield, Oakland Co., in 1833. The next spring he came to Grand Blanc, Genesee Co. The following year he was sick, and instead I was his loss was the community's gain, as they still have the benefit of five miles of gravel road built by Mr. Bishop. At an early day Mr. Bishop was a Whig, and later a Republican, of which latter party he is a firm adherent. He has been supervisor of his township several times, and one of its justices for more than thirty years. Mr. Bishop is now, at the age of seventy-two, a hale and hearty man, -one of whom his neighbors and fellow-citizens speak in the highest terms. To the farm of eighty acres first bought of the government, he has added until he now owns a fine farm of over three hundred acres under good improvement. April 10, 1837, he married Miss Mary P. Morgan, who was born in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., July 17, 1817. She was a daughter of John and Mary (Pierce) Morgan. Their union has been blessed with three children, viz.: Thomas S., born Oct. 24, 1838; Eliza W., born Jan. 16, 1844; and Mary Frances, born May 10, 1858. JOHN L. JENNINGS was born in Ennis township, Shiawassee Co., Mich., April 1, 1842. His father, Abram M. Jennings, was born in New Jersey, Aug. 26,1802; he married Miss Emily Layton, and afterwards lived for a time in Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y. In 1837 he emigrated to Shiawassee Co., Mich., and purchased an eighty-acre lot of the government. On this lot he built a log house and barn, and commenced to improve. At the time of his death, which occurred Jan. 13, 1848, he had improved his land and made a comfortable'home. John L. continued to live at home after his father's death and until he was sixteen years of age, when he started out in life for himself. His chances for an education were very limited, yet he acquired enough book knowledge to do any ordinary business. His start in life was obtained by working on the farms of his neighbors at twelve dollars per month. In 1863 he purchased the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 9 in Mundy township, and ran in debt for the same and for his team. The only assistance he received was two hundred dollars from his father's estate. Since then Mr. Jennings has owned more land than he now possesses, but, believing that more money can be made on a small farm properly managed, he has reduced his farm to sixty acres, and his success proves the truth of his belief. He is accounted as one of the most successful and energetic business men of his town. In politics he is and ever has been a Republican. He has always taken an active interest in political matters, and has held the positions of town treasurer and commissioner of highways. On the 16th day of April, 1868, he was married to Miss Harriet E. Dibble, who was born Dec. 11, 1842, in Mundy. She is the daughter of Samuel and Juliza (Hill) Dibble. Their union has been blessed with four children, as follows: Julia D., born Feb. 23, 1863, married to Charles Countryman, April 30, 1879; Henry M., born Aug. 20, 1865; Emma J., born Nov. 11, 1872; and John D., born Jan. 3, 1874. A view of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jennings will be found elsewhere in this work. EBENEZER BISHOP. of gaining ground he ran behind over one hundred dollars, In 1835, Mr. Bishop bought a farm near Flint, but soon sold it. During the next year he bought and sold farms, and helped new comers in locating land. In the fall of 1836 he returned to New York and there spent the winter, but returned to Genesee County the ensuing spring, and brought his newly-married wife with him. Previous to this he had purchased from the government eighty acres of the farm he now owns, on section 24. At that time Mundy was a new and wild country; there were no roads, and but few white people. Mr. Bishop procured his supplies from Grand Blanc, going by an Indian trail and bringing the goods home on his back. On this lot of wild land he built a log house, and at once commenced to improve and clear the land. Their neighbors were Indians, of whose kindness Mrs. Bishop speaks in the highest terms. Some of the Indians' descendants still visit them, and are always kindly received. When the plank road was built from Flint to Fentonville, Mr. Bishop took an active part in its construction, and at one time owned a controlling interest in the same. He was throughout one of its directors, most of the time its treasurer, and for a while its president. The road did not prove a financial success, and Mr. Bishop lost many thousand dollars in this enterprise. Still, what 38 298 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. JOlN SLAGLT. MRS. JOHN SLAGHT. JOHN SLAGHT. This venerable gentleman is the fourth in a family of eight children, his birth occurring in the State of New Jersey, June 2, 1790. The name, as its orthography indicates, was originally Holland Dutch, although a portion of French blood flows in the veins of those in this family. Mr. Slaght and one sister, residing in Ingham Co., Mich., are the only survivors of the family of their father, Matthias Slaght. Time dealt gently with all its members, and their years were prolonged much beyond the ordinary span of human existence. Mr. Slaght's father served a few months in the patriot army during the Revolutionary war, being at the time but sixteen years of age. When the son was twelve years old his father removed to Seneca Co., N. Y. Upon the breaking out of the war of 1812 the young man was not found lacking in a love of country, but went to the front with the rifle company to which he belonged, commanded by Capt. Swick. Mr. Slaght grew to manhood upon his father's farm of two hundred acres, receiving a common-school education and experiencing the varied phases of pioneer life in the then wild region of Central New York. On the 13th of December, 1814, he married Miss Phebe Howell, and began work for himself on his father's place, erecting thereon a small tannery and a saw-mill, both of which he operated for many years. Mrs. Slaght, who was born Aug. 6, 1792, was one of a family of seven children,-five sons and two daughters. Her grandfather and his brother emigrated to this country, before the Revolution, from Scotland, and settled in New Jersey. Her father, too young to serve as a soldier in the Revolutionary army, yet aspiring to fame, carried dispatches for the American commanders, placing them between the soles of his shoes. After the war was ended he settled also in Seneca Co., N. Y., and engaged in farming and the manufacture of bricks. Mr. and Mrs. Slaghft were the parents of eight children, as follows: Mary, born Nov. 5, 1815; Joseph, born Dec. 6, 1817; Matthias, born Jan. 12, 1821; Catherine, born May 9, 1823; Susan, born Oct. 8, 1825; Julia, born Oct. 10, 1828; John, born Dec. 6, 1830; Andrew, born Dec. 1, 1832. Mrs. Slaght died July 8, 1871. In 1847, Mr. Slaght sold his property in Seneca County and removed with his family to Michigan, locating in Mundy township, upon the farm he still owns. He purchased two eighty-acre lots from Peter Chriss, and, aided by his sons, has cleared up the farm, upon which no timber had been felled when he came, and built his present residence. Mr. Slaght's hospitality has been almost phenomenal, he never having turned a person away from his door. Politically, he was a Democrat until the organization of the Republican party, since when he has been found in the ranks of the latter. He voted for the lamented Lincoln, thus aiding in the overthrow of slavery in the Republic. For many years not a drop of liquor has been tasted by him, and for more than sixty years he has been a member of the Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian Churches, first of the former in New York, and, since coming to Mundy, of the Presbyterian Church at the centre. At the age of eighty-nine he possesses much vigor, yet the weight of years is reminding him. at length of a home with those who have " gone before." WILLIAM I. WILLIAMS. Among the self-made men of Genesee County there are none who better deserve the title, or who by their acts have made their influence more felt, than William I. Williams, of whom this brief sketch is written. Mr. Williams was born in Darlington, Canada, May 31, 1828. His father, Adna Williams, was born in Connecticut, but moved to Canada, where he married Miss Ellen Cutcher, who was born Oct. 23,1809. Soon after William's birth his father moved back to the States, and settled in Livingston Co., N. Y., where he worked at his trade, that of a machinist. After the death of his father his mother again married, and the family at once came to Michigan, settling in Saginaw, then a place of about two hundred inhabitants. This was in 1836. In 1840 they moved to Grand Blanc, where his step-father worked a rented farm. He afterwards purchased the farm now owned by John L. Jennings, but, his death occurring a few weeks later, the farm was given up. William I. was then but fourteen years old, and the eldest MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 299 of the children; he thus early became the head of the family. With the help of an uncle a log house was built, and the first three acres cleared and got into wheat, but the farm had to be given up as above stated. IIe then bought five years of a ten-year lease of fourteen acres of land on the farm of Mr. Baldwin, and paid the rent for the same by clearing land. He lived on this land five years, and endured niany privations, there being days in their lives when, with nothing in the house to eat, hunger and grim want stared theni in the face. Yet William showed himself equal to the occasion, and the family were reared and educated, he himself having had but limited opportunities in that direction, being wholly embraced by a few months' attendance at a winter school and studying nights by the light of a fireplace. So well did he avail himself of his advantages that when seventeen years of age we find him teaching school, which he followed successfully for several terms. In 1850, Mr. Williams bought the south half of the west half of tie southwest quarter of section 28, which was then all new, he cutting thereon the first tree. On this tract he built a log house, and moved his mother's family into it. Six years after, lie bought the remainder of the eighty acres which he now owns, and which are under a good state of improvement, with a fine new house, good barns, orchard, etc., and where the aged mother still finds a home. Mr. Williams owes his success in life to tle fact that he has always been able to turn his hand to almost any kind of work. He has worked at the cooper's trade, has helped build his own buildings, in his younger day was a successful sheep-sllearer, and has never refused to work on account of' low wages. lie is now working his farm and is also engaged in the mercantile business, keeping a small stock of general merchandise in connection with the post-office at Mundy, of which he is and has been for several years postmaster. He has for several years passed his leisure hours in writing poetry and articles on temperance and pioneer life, many of which he has contributed to the county press. In politics he is a Democrat. He has been for five years supervisor of his town, filling the office to the satisfaction of his constituents; has also served as town clerk for several years, and many times as highway commissioner and school inspector. In 1870 he was the Democratic nominee for State senator, and in 1872 for sheriff, but, his party being largely in the minority, he was not elected. On the 1st day of January, 1859, Mr. Williams married Miss Julia Merrill, daughter of Horace Merrill. This union was blessed with one child, Ida J., born Sept. 19, 1859. Miss Williams is now teaching in Oregon. Mrs. Williams died April 3, 1862. For his second wife Mr. Williams married Miss Selina L. Peck, daughter of William A. and Eliza (Lindsley) Peck, born May 15, 1839, married March 29, 1869. There have been born to them four children,-Charles B., born Dec. 8, 1868; William E., born March 8, 1870; Julius I., born April 15, 1873; and Clarence M., born Dec. 25, 1875. VOLNEY STILES was born in Aure!ius, Cayuga Co., N. Y., April 16, 1811. His father moved to Livingston Co., N. Y., when Mr. Stiles was a small lad, and engaged in farming. Volney, like the farmers' boys of that day, worked on his father's farm as soon as he was old enough, and went to school a few weeks during the winter months. Arrived at his majority, lie started out in life for himself, with only his industrious habits and health and strength as his capital. IHis first money was made fiom raising wheat on shares. But VOLNEY STILES. this was too slow a method, and he determined to go to a new country where land was cheap, and there obtain a farm of his own. The fall of 1833 found him in Mundy township, Genesee Co., Mich., then an almost unbroken wilderness. Two or three settlers only had preceded him. Mr. Stiles, who was then a single man, bought of the government the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 11, and erected a shanty thereon. He passed the winter of 1833-34 on his lot, and made a clearing. In tile fall of 1834 he sowed a few acres of wheat. Two years later he sold this land and bought the west half of the northwest quarter of section 13, in Mundy, a few acres only of which was improved. On this he built a log house, and cleared and improved thirty acres. The wolves were then numerous, and their howling at first kept Mr. Stiles awake, but he soon became accustomed to it, and slept as soundly as though in the midst of civilization. The subsequent death of his wife was a sad bereavement, and caused him to sell his place and, for a time, work for others. In 1840 he again married, and then bought another (new) farm, in Grand Blanc, which he cleared up and improved. Since then Mr. Stiles has owned several farms, and has done his share towards improving and making Genesee County what it is to-day. And now, at a ripe old age, respected and esteemed by his fellow-townsmen, he resides in the town 301 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ship which he has seen develop from a wilderness into one of the finest in the county. In politics Mr. Stiles is a Democrat. He has held the offices of town clerk and justice of the peace, filling the latter position for eight years. He is liberal in his religious views, and is not a member of any church. In 1834, Mr. Stiles married Miss Mary Page, who was born in Lowell, Mass. Their union was blessed with one child, Caroline E., born Dec. 25, 1835. He married, Jan. 28, 1840, Rhoda Dayton, who was born, Dec. 2, 1805, in Bennington Co., Vt. There have been born to them the following children: Thomas P., born Oct. 13, 1842; and Mary L., born Nov. 16, 1844. Thomas P. married, March 8, 1869, Miss Wealthy Whitmore, who was born Dec. 18, 1844; they have had two children, viz.: Horace, born Feb. 25, 1871, died Aug. 15, same year; Edith May, born May 6, 1876. HENRY H. HOWLAND. Since the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth Rock, the pioneers of America have been men of iron nerve, of energy and perseverance, -men who, when they had once turned their faces westward, turned not back for trifles, but kept resolutely on, until to-day a great and beautiful country shows the work of their strong arms and willing hearts. Such a man is Henry H. Howland, one of the first settlers in the town of Mundy. He was born in the town of Ira, Rutland Co., Vt., April 30, 1807. His father, Banister Howland, was born in the town of Scituate, R. I. After his marriage to Miss Mary Forbes, the elder Mr. Howland moved to Monroe Co., N. Y., where he bought, in 1808, a farm of unimproved land. Here he remained four years, when he moved to the town of Hartland, Niagara Co., N. Y., of which section he was one of the first settlers. The country was then an almost unbroken wilderness. He had just got a start in the new home when the war of 1812 broke out; he was drafted, and served through the war, as his father, Samuel Howland, had previously in the Revotionary war. At the close of the war Banister went back to his farm, and lived there until 1836, when he again emigrated to a new country, settling in Oakland Co., Mich., where he died, June 11, 1856. Henry H. lived at home with his father until he was twenty-two, helping to clear up and improve the new farms, and having but a limited chance to acquire an education. He then started out for himself, with no capital save a strong constitution and an abundance of energy and industry. He commenced by taking jobs of chopping and clearing land, and in this way earned the money to buy eighty acres of new land in Troy, Oakland Co. This farm he sold in 1836, when, in company with his uncle, he came to Mundy, Genesee Co., looking for land. It was then a wilderness, with but few inhabitants save its original owners, the Indians. They followed the section lines by the aid of the trees marked by the surveyors. When they came to the land now owned by Mr. Howland, he told his uncle he should locate there unless he found something better. They went west till they struck the big swamp. Mr. Howland climbed a tree, and saw before him only swamp, with the water up to a man's arms.. They then struck south, and the uncle selected his land in Gaines township, while Mr. Howland bought of the government four eighty-acre lots, two hundred and forty acres of which he now owns. There was then no one within one mile of his land, and but twelve families in the town. The next spring, at the first town-meeting, there were but eighteen voters in what is now Gaines and Mundy. In the spring of 1837, Mr. Howland moved his family, consisting of his wife and two children, to the new home. He had built a log shanty, eighteen by twenty feet, covered with shakes, and without doors or windows. He had to cut his roads in, and ford the streams. Swartz Creek was partly frozen over, and Mr. Howland waded it seven times in one day, with the water up to his arm-pits, breaking the ice with a pole, and then driving his own and his fatherin-law's team through, the last trip leading a pig through by the ear. In the log shanty they lived five years, while Mr. Howland was clearing and improving his farm. His supplies were bought in Bloomfield, and five days were consumed in making the trip with an ox-team. He sold his first wheat for " three-and-sixpence" a bushel, oats ten, and potatoes eight cents per bushel,-not for cash, but in trade out of the store. He was then a man of great strength and powers of endurance, there being few men who could do more of any kind of work than he; by his energy and industry the forest disappeared as if by magic, and soon a well-improved farm was to be seen where so short a time before was only a wilderness. The howl of the wolf was no more to be heard, but in its stead the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle. In 1854 the old home was replaced with the present commodious home, which was at the time of its erection the finest house in Mundy. At the first term of court held in Genesee County, Mr. Howland was one of the jurors, few of whom now survive. Mr. Howland is now in the seventy-third year of his age, the owner of one of the finest farms in Genesee County, the reward of a lifetime of labor; and here, under his own " vine and fig-tree," he intends to spend the remainder of his days. Hle is spoken of by those who know him well as a citizen esteemed and respected by all. There are but few men of his age who, like Mr. Howland, can say they never drank a glass of liquor, or any beverage save water. In politics Mr. Howland is a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, having in early days been a Whig. His sons likewise are all Republicans. Mr. Howland married, for his first wife, Polly M. Sprague. She was born June 12, 1814. They were married July 15, 1832. Their children were:.Barnibas S., born Sept. 8, 1833, died July 23, 1859; Harley H., born Sept. 10, 1836, died July 12, 1854; Banister F., born Aug. 7, 1839, enlisted in Co. G, 8th Michigan Infantry, in July, 1861; killed June 16, 1862, at James Island, S. C., while storming the fort at that place. Mrs. Howland died Dec. 4, 1839. For his second wife he married Esther P. Van Tifflin (born in Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 25, 1822), daughter of Peter and Hannah (Allen) Van Tifflin. There have been born to them five children: Mary P., born Sept. 28, 1840; Aretus S., born Dec. 14, 1841; John C., born Sept. 27, 1843; George W., born April 30,1845; Millard F., born 9. I 6; awl TENANT H OUSE EN RY ,H LAO. g.g;i rRESIDC J;MUNDYMICHIGAN. V MUNDY TOWNSHIP. 301 March 15, 1856. The latter was killed by the cars at Durand, Dec. 9, 1877; he was conductor of a freight train, and was making his last trip as such, prior to taking the, position of a passenger conductor. Aretus Howland is now living on and owns a part of the old farm. The daughter, Mary P., is married and lives at Charlotte. John C. graduated in the literary class of 1870, at Ann Arbor, and afterwards was graduated in the law school. He subsequently practiced law three years with Judge Swift, in Detroit, but is now by himself, and has a good practice. George W. went to Ann Arbor in 1867, and was graduated in the medical school in 1870; he practiced medicine in Pontiac during 1869; since graduating he has had an office in Flint, where he has a good practice. SAMUEL W. ALGER. The subject of this sketch was born in West Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., Dec. 2, 1821. He was the son of Josiah Alger, of whom an extended notice is given on another page of this work. Samuel W. came into the town of Mundy in 1836, where he grew to manhood. By long association with the Indians he learned to talk their language fluently, and became an interpreter for them, often going with them to Detroit, where they exchanged their furs for blankets, provisions, etc. He was looked up to by them, and t) them his advice and word were law. His son Alvah well remembers his being called to their village to settle disputes. Arrived at his majority, his father gave him the east half of the southwest quarter of section 22 in Mundy, which was then all new. There was then no road to it, Mr. Alger going and coming by Indian trails. On this land he built a log house, set out an orchard, and improved it. He afterwards bought the west half of the southwest quarter of section 22, and also the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of the same section, which he improved, and part of which is now owned by his son, Alvah W. In politics, Mr. Alger was a Democrat, although he never took an active part in political matters. He was married April 24, 1843, to Mary Lovejoy, who was born Oct. 27, 1826. There were born to them Alvah W., born April 11, 1846; Albert, born Dec. 25, 1847; and Charles, born March 21, 1857. Mr. Alger died July 18, 1865. ALVAH W. ALGER was born on the old homestead, and intends to make it his permanent home. He has done much to beautify it, having built a new and handsome house, good outbuildings, fences, etc. He was married April 17, 1867, Miss Roseltha Childs becoming his consort. She was born in Broone Co., N. Y., April 24, 1846. She is a daughter of Jesse and Clara (Hubbard) Childs. There have been born to them two children, as follows: Bennie E., born Aug. 22, 1871; and Alonzo, born Nov. 28, 1875. In politics, Mr. Alger is a Democrat. JOHN REID was born in the township of Rush, Monroe Co., N. Y., July 16, 1822. His father, Benjamin T. Reid, came, with his family, to Michigan in 1834, with the intention of locating, but were taken with the cholera on their way, and within five weeks of their arrival Mr. and Mrs. Reid, one son, and a daughter died. John was then a boy of twelve, and was thus left an orphan and without any means.: He made his home with his sister, Mrs. Tupper, with whom he resided until after his marriage. The country was then JOHN REID. new, and his chances for an education were limited; still he acquired sufficient to fit him for the active and successful business man he afterwards became. He first bought fiftyfour acres of land in Clayton, which he afterwards deeded to Dudley Brainard in exchange for the one hundred and twenty acres now owned by his wife, and which is called the Reid farm. One consideration of the exchange was that Mr. Reid should support Mr. Brainard and his sister during their lifetime. This was his start in life. The farm was cleared and improved by his hard labor, and to it he added, until at the time of his death he was the possessor of three hundred acres of land under improvement. He was the owner and proprietor of the Reid House for twelve years, and became widely known. In politics, Mr. Reid was an ardent Republican, and used his influence and money to advance the interests of his party, although he was never an officeseeker or office-holder. He died Jan. 12, 1875, mourned by a large circle of fiiends and acquaintances. Mr. Reid married, Nov. 20,1845, Miss Almira Halleck, daughter of Amos and Rachel (Crane) Halleek. Mrs. Reid was born, March 5, 1824, in Chittenden Co., Vt. Their union was blessed with four children, as follows: Adelaide J., born May 27, 1847; Susan A., born April 4, 1853; George W., born Nov. 1, 1857; and Alfred H. born Sept. 3, 1860. NATHAN W. SELDEN was born in Haddam, Conn., Nov. 25, 1810. When he was four years old his father moved to Leroy, Genesee Co., N. Y., where Nathan grew to manhood, going to school winters and working on the farm summers. Arrived at his majority, he started out for himself, with nothing to com 302 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. mcnce with but a strong constitution and rectitude of purpose. He worked by the month on a farm, and at other times dug wells, thus getting his first start by the hardest kind of labor. In 1835 the Western fever was at its height, and Mr. Selden with many others determined to seek his fortunes in a new country. To think with him was to act; and he came to Michigan and bought of the government the east half of the northwest quarter of section 33, in the town of Mundy. He then returned to New York and stayed one year; the following year he returned, and during the winter cleared a small spot and commenced a log house, after which he returned again to New York. On the 10th of October, 1838, he led to the altar Miss peace, wlich office he held until his death, with the exception of four years,-an incumbency of twenty-four years. He also served as supervisor of his township. Before leaving Leroy, Mr. Selden joined the Presbyterian Church, and he continued a member of that society until his death. Two years after his final settlement in Michigan the first Presbyterian Church of Mundy was organized, Mr. Selden taking an active part in its institution and growth. He was one of its first deacons, and filled that office while he lived. There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Selden eight children, as follows: Phineas C., born July 17, 1839, died Aug. 1, 1839; John E., born Feb. 12, 1841, died June 24, 1841; William H., born May 5, 1842; Nathan E., NATHAN W. SELDEN. MRS. NATHAN W. SELDEN. Harriet I. Dudley, a native of Madison, New ILiten Co., Conn., and daughter of Phineas and Elizabeth A. (Graves) Dudley. Soon after their marriage the young couple moved to the farm previously purchased in Mundy, where a partly finished log house awaited them. The house was soon completed, and life in the wilderness began. There were no roads, and near them no clearings; while white neighbors were few and scattering. Yet Mrs. Selden, who proved to be a true pioneer wife, says they enjoyed themselves, and she believes those were the happiest days of their lives. The Indians were their nearest neilghbors, but were very friendly, and Mrs. Selden was never afraid of them. Wolves, deer, and other game were numerous, but were unmolested by Mr. Selden, as he was no hunter. With his accustomed energy he at once commenced to improve his place, and soon a well-improved farm, with good buildings, orchards, etc., took the place of the forest. And on this farm he passed the remainder of his life, respected and esteemed by all who knew him. He died May 1, 1869. In politics Mr. Selden was in early life a Whig, subsequently a Republican. He always took an active interest in political and educational matters, and was for many years a school-director. In 1841 he was elected a justice of the born April 10, 1844; Eliza A., born Dec. 12, 1845; Stephen D., born July 18, 18-17; Mary E., born April 20, 1849; and Francis G., born May 16, 1851. CEIHANCEY L. BADGLEY was born in Batavia, Genesee Co., N. Y., March 5, 1836. His father, William H. Badgley, was born in New York about the year 1809. I-e married Miss Lovica Green. The result of this union was thirteen children, Chauncey L. being the sixth. The elder Mr. Badgley moved to Michigan in 1849, and settled in Grand Blanc, Genesee Co., where he worked land on shares. When Chauncey was fifteen he went to Flint to learn the moulder's trade, and worked for King & Forsyth. Remained in Flint three years, then went to Grand Rapids, where he worked at his trade one year. Until 1858 he worked in Chicago and Grand Haven at his trade, and also in a saw-mill. In 1858 he joined a party which was formed in Grand Haven to go to California. In St. Louis the party broke up, and Mr. Badgley, who was determined to see the Western world, enlisted on the 29th day of January, 1858, in Co. I, 7th X LaJ z z Ld LI 0 a z 0 LIU. 0 Lai U 0 LaJ a: ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP. 303 Regiment U. S. Infantry, Major Paul commanding. Soon afterwards his company went to, Utah, where they were kept scouting after the Indians and watching the Mormons. From Utah they were sent to Fort Filmore, New Mexico, marching the entire distance. Remained there, doing frontier service, until the war of the Rebellion broke out. After the first Bull Run, he, with the entire command, was surrendered by Maj. Lynde to the rebels without firing a gun. They were paroled and sent to Fort Montgomery, Rouse's Point, N. Y., where they remained until October, 1862, when they were exchanged, sent to the Army of the Potomac, and assigned to the 5th Corps. Mr. Badgley was in the battle of Fredericksburg and other minor engagements. His time having expired, he was discharged Jan. 29, 1863. Mr. Badgley lost three brothers in the war; one died in Andersonville. After his discharge he returned to Rouse's Point, the attraction being one of its fair daughters. He was married, Feb. 11, 1863, to Miss Anna Doty, daughter of Samson and Arrilla Doty. She was born Nov. 12, 1836, at Peru, Clinton Co., N. Y. Tier father, Samson Doty, was born int Wallingford, Rutland Co., Vt., Feb. 23, 1809; her mother, Arrilla Sutfin, was born in Northumberland, Saratoga Co., N. Y., July 19, 1803. Of their two children, Mrs. Badgley was the eldest. Mr. Doty came to Michigan in 1863, and on the 22d day of February, 1864, lie enlisted in Co. F, 8th Michigan Infantry Regiment. Although exempt from military service by reason of his age, he was an ardent patriot, and resolved to fight for his principles. IHe was killed the 6th day of May, 1864, in the battle of the Wilderness. After Mr. Badgley's marriage, he, with his father-in-law, came to Michigan and purchased the east half of the southwest quarter of section 28 in Mundy, to which have since been added ten acres. The farm was partly improved, but the subsequent labor and care bestowed upon it have developed it into one of the finest in the town. Mr. Badgley is a Republican, but not a politician. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Badgley children as follows: Katy Doty, born April 19, 1864; Ida I., born Sept. 6, 1866; Lillian M., born Feb. 6, 1869; Ruby, born Oct. 10, 1871; Chauncey L., Jr., born June 27, 1875; and Mary E., born Jan. 19, 1878. ARGENTINE. ARGENTINE is the southwest-corner township of Genesee County, and is bounded north by Gaines, east by Fenton, south by Livingston County, and west by Shiawassee County. Much of its surface is rolling, and many pleasing landscapes are beheld within its borders. Its soil has the same characteristics as all that in the immediate region. Fine improvements are met with throughout the township, and evidences of prosperity and wealth are seen on nearly every hand. The township is well watered by the Shiawassee River and its tributaries, which furnish considerable power, and numerous lakes and ponds add to the water-area. Principal among the latter are Lobdell, on sections 35 and 36, named after an early settler on its shore; Murray, on section 34, named after the first settler in the township; McKane, on sections 28 and 32; McCaslin, section 22; Bass, section 27, etc. Lobdell Lake has been changed somewhat in area by the raising of a darn at Argentine village. The shores in many places are marshy, and in various parts of the township tamarack-swamps exist. This township at first included what is now Fenton, which latter was first settled. A large acreage of timber is yet left, although but a portion of this township was heavily timbered, the balance being " oak-openings." Through this town, as through all others in this region when first settled, roamed great numbers of wolves and deer, with an occasional bear or panther, and the lover of sport could enjoy himself to the utmost. LAND ENTRIES. The following is a list of the entries of land in what now constitutes the township of Argentine: SECTION 1. Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co, N. Y., April 6, 1836.............. Nelson Stickney. Oaklind Co., Mich., June 14, 1836............. Gilman Davis, WAayne Co., Mich., June 14, 1836.................. Phineas Davis, " " " Aug. 3, 1836.................... Ira Lamb, Genesee Co., Mich., Nov. 14, 1836...................... Philip S. Hubbell, Livingston Co., Mich., Nov. 14, 1836....... Acres. 85.84 80 95.41 240 80 80 SECTION 2. Cyrus Eddy, Jefferson Co., N. Y.. June 13, 1836.................. 160 Hliram Bellows, Franklin Co.. N. Y., June 25, 1836............ 80 John Patterson, Wayne Co., N. Y., Aug. 1, 1836.............. 176.57 Ifiniman Rexford, Livingston Co., Michd., Aug. 3, 1836.......... 174.27 David Tillman, Genesee Co., Mich., Nov. 14, 1836................ 80 SECTION 3. David and William I. Willia.ms, Jefferson Co., N. Y., June 13, 1836.................................................................... 80 tIorace Parmnelee, Clermont, N. 11., July 16, 1836................. 160 James Wadsworth. Livingston Co., N. Y., July 16, 1836........ 343.12 Charles Conden, St. Clair Co., Mich., June 18, 1846.............. 40 Thomas 11. Gilbert, Genesee Co., Mich., June 16, 1849.......... 40 SECTION 4. Allen Spencer, Allegany Co., N. Y., July 13, 1836................ 657.73 SECTION 5. Allen Spencer, Allegany Co., N. Y., July 13, 1836.............. 488.83 James Bogert, Orange Co., N. Y., July 16, 1836.................. 169.72 SECTION 6. Sarah A. Preston, Oakland Co., Mich., July 13, 1836............ 85.66 James N. Smith, Ulster Co., N. Y., July 14, 1836................. 160 Foster D. Preston, Oakland Co., Mich., Aug. 1, 1836............ 79.60 Scott, Bixley & Co., Addison Co., Vt., Aug. 2, 1836............... 238.84 Clarissa B. Preston, Oakland Co., Mich., July 14, 1836......... 80.08 SECTION 7. John Myers, Cayuga Co., N. Y., July, 1836......................... 80 Scott, Bixley & Co., Addison Co., Vt., August, 1836.............. 80 Phineas Davis, Wayne Co., Mich., " " "............. 237.36 George Goff, Ontario Co., N. Y., October, 1836..................... 80 *" " t ""..................... 155.84 3M4 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. SECTION 8. Acres. Phineas, Datvis,Wayne CO., Mich., August, 1836...........80 Seth. Weed, tay~ugla Co., N. Y., September, "........... Georz eM Goff, Ontario Co., N. Y., October, "...........160 Ab~ram Middlesworth, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836.... 80 David T~illwan, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836.......80 John. Myers, Cayuga' Co., N. Y., September, 1837..........80 Sc'rioN. 20. Acres. Daniel H1. Chandler,'Genesee Co., N. Y., May, 18.36.........480, Alfred, L. Coy and Win. Lathrop, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836. 160 SECTION 21., Sblomou" Sutherland,, Orleans Co., N. Y., May, 1836....... Elijah Bird, W-ashlenaw Co., Mich., July, 18365.......... Oraites HI. Wright, Addison Co., Vt., July, M 16........... Alfred Coy and Wmn. Lathrop, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1 836... Elijah Bird, Gtnesee Co.,- Miich.,June, 18.38............. 160 320, 40 80 40 ~SECTION 9. BIlartimetts Packard, Jr., Wayne Co., N. Y., June, 1836..... Cook& Gordon, Wayn'e Co., Mich., July, 1836..-.. E. L. Goodman, ~ August, 1836....... Zjba. Gull, Ontario Co., N. Y., October, 1836............. William Brady, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1849.... David- Myers, "4 "i " December, 1853....... Thoma s Wharam, " di " January, 1854........ Gussta'vu's V. Condon, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1854... Truman Atherton, Decemlber, 1854...SECTMoN 10. William 'B. Mead, Tioga Co., N. Y., June, 1836.......... M; L. Pratt, Ontario Co., N. Y., July, 1836.............. John Patter'son,,Wtayne Co., N. Y., August, 1836.......... Delos Davis, Wayne Co., Mich., Septemnber,. "........... Jacob ~A. Clark, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1853......... To be entered................................. SECTION 1 1. William B. Mead, Tioga Co., N. Y., June, 1836........... David Brooks, Oakland Co., Mich., July, "........... Moses S. Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., August,"........... Scott, Bixley, Morgan, and Richards, Addison Co., V't., August, 1836.................................... William H. Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., Augrust, 1836....... 80 160m 160 80 40'.40 40 40' 80 1 60, 160 80 1160 40 40 160 120 160 120 80 SECTION 22~ A. Coy and Win. Lathrop, Otserro Co., N. Y., July, 1836.....240 John Paitterson, Wayne Co., N. Y., August, 1836..........160 13. BMKircheyal, Wayne Co., Mich., Decemnber, 1816.......80 Nathan E. Shaw, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1836. 80.....s Not given....................................80 SEC~rioN 23. Daniel 11.. Chandler, Genesee Co., N., Y.' 'June, 1836........240 A. Coy and Win. Lathrop, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836.....400 SECTION 24. 11. a nd R. Rhodes,, Washtenaw Co, Mich., January, 1836.... Philemon C. Murray, Washtenaw Cos., Mich., February, 1836'.. E. J. Pennimnan, WaN ne Co., N. Y., March, 1836.......... A. Coy and Win. Lathrop, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836.... S~cTo.N 25. Philemon C. Murray, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Februry, 1836.... Philothy Dutcher, "t "9 "t "6 64. Wmn. IBeamer, Oakland Co., Mich., February, 1836........ Jir'ah Ilillinan, Lewis Co., N. Y.. May, 1836....... H4enry-Si-ngleton, Devonshire, England, June, 1836........ John Patterson, Wayne Co., N. Y., August, 1836.......... 80 160 240 160 80 80 80 160 160 80 SECTION 12. Asahal Ticknor, Oakland Co., Mich., September, 1836...... Edwin A. Seymour, Albany City, N. Y., "... ".... Joseph Hadley, O-aklanid Co., Mich., October, 18:16........ Everett L. Yates, Montgromery Co., N.Y., Nov ember, 18311.... Philip S. Hubbell, Livingston Co., Mich., Swamp land.................................. 80 160.8tt 160 80 80 SECTION 13. William Matnifold, Washte-naw Co., Mich., June, 1836.......80 Samuel WV. PAttison, Genesee Co., " " ".......80 Alfred A. Coy and Win. athrop, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 18316. 480 SECrION 14. Enoch Stark, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June, 1836..........160 As-a~lh C. Sinithi, Oakland Co.,...........160 Edwin A. Seymour, Alb-any City, N. Y., September, 1836.....160 Philip S. ilubbell, Livingston Co., Mich., November, 1836.... 160 SEcrrION 15. Enoch Stark, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June, 1836..........80 hleczekiah Seely, Seneca, Co., N.Y., "t 4 "..........160 John Myers, Cayuga Co., N. Y., July, 1836.............80 John Patterson, Wayne. Co., Mieb., August, 1836..........80 Delos Davis, " " " Septemnber, 1836........160 Daniel Alger, Orleans Co., N. Y., December, 1836...........80 SECTION 16. School land...................................640 SECTION 17. Isaac R. Middlesworth, Sussex Co.,,N. J., June, 1836.......320 Ziba Gulf, Ontario Co., N. Y., October, 18,36..............160 George Goff, Genesee Co., Mieh., July, 1838.80...........s Saimnuel Kelley, " " " September, 4838..........40 Abram Middlesworth, Genesee Co., Mich., January, 185 4.....40 SECTION 18. SECTION 26. Jaqmes' B. Olney, Monroe Co., N. V., May, 1836..........320 Elijh bCrane, Waynje Co, Mich., May, 1826.............80 Dav-id 11. Chandller, Genesee Co.., N. Y., Juone, 1836.......80 Samuel Fowler, Maeomb Co., Mich., January, 1837.........40 Swamp lands..................................120 SECTION 27. Samuel W. Dexter, New York, November, 1824...........160 Charles E. Grecin, Washlenaw Co., Mieh., March, 1836......80 Calvin W. Ellis, " i" "t June, 1836.......80 Charles A. Green, it " " " "c.......40 John Patter son, Way'ne Co., N. Y., August, 1836...........80 Win. C.: Ruby, Maconib Co., Mieh., Novemiber, 1837.......80 John Middlesworth, Warren Co., N. J., October, 1838....... 40 Marga ret Bird, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1843............40 'Swamp land..................................40 SECTION 28. Jarvis Bailey, Onondaga Co., N. Y., March, 18316..........120 Thomas Sturgis, Oa.1kland Co., Mieh., May, 1836...........160,Joseph D. Beers, Tompkins Co., N. Y., May, 1836.........120.Calvin W. Ellis, Washtenaw Co., Mieh., June, 1836.........80 ~Benljamin L. King, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836.......160 SECTION 29. David Penoyer, Onondaga Co., N. Y., March, 1836........ J. and S. Beers,'-Tomnpkins Co., N. Y., May, 1836.......... John Myers, Cayuga Co., N. Y., JIuly, 1836............. Ilenry L1. Wliipple, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836....... John Myers, Cayuga Co., N. Y., Septemiber, 1836.......... B. Thorp, Cuiyahoga Co., Ohio, May, 1850.............. SECTION 30. John.Myers, Cayuga Co., N. Y., July, 1836.............. William Clmapmiman, Washtenaw Co., Mich., July, 1836.....,John Cooper, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., July, 1836.......... 'Elizur L. Goodman, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836....... Abram Middlesworth, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836.. SEc~riost 31. Boutwell and Moore, United States, May. 1836........... McG'regor and McGraw, Boston, Mass., June, 1836........ John Myers, Cayuga Co., N4. Y., July, 1836............. Alfred Coy and Win. Lathrop, Otsego Co., N. V., July, 1836.. Francis G. Murray, Erie Co., N. Y., August, 1836......... 120 80 160 80 80 120 148.04 80 200 148.76 401 80 66.60 147.34 240 80 Jahin W. Elliott, Wayne Co., Mich., Jun-e, 1836......I... Abramfi Middlesworth, Sussex Co., N.'J., Ju'ne, 18.36........ Scott, Bixley, Morgan, and Richard Addison, Vermont, Au-,gust, 1836.............................. William IL. Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., August, 1836....... Ralp~h J. Smith, Livingston Co., N.Y., September, 1836..... Calvin W. Ellis, Genesee Co., Mich., January, 1839........ 76.36 160 154.52 so~ 80 76.36 SECTION 19. Samuel W. Dexter, New York, Septemnber, 1824...........160 t it I it i December, 184160 William Chapman, Washtenaw Co., Mich., April, 1836...... 80 Azel Pettibone, Genesee Co., N. Y., May, 1836............221.04 SECTION 32. 'McGregor and McGraw, Boston, Mass.-. May', 1836........ 160 E. J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836...........160 I RESIDENCE OF W. T. JENNINGS, ORGENTIN, ENSEE CO.,MICH. ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP. 305 - Henry B. Holbrook, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836................ E. J. Penniman, " " " " "................ Bethuel Norris, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1853............... Warren J. Lobdell, " " " July, 1854.................. V acant......................................................................... Acres. 40 40 40 80 40 SECTION 33. B. L. King, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836........................ 240 Fletcher Collyer, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1837............... 80 McGregor and McGraw, Boston, Mass., May, 1836............... 320 SECTION 34. James H. Murray, Washtenaw Co., Mich., November, 1835... 80 Asa Sprague, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836........................ 120 Anthony Paddock, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836................ 40 Calvin W. Ellis, Washtenaw Co., " " "............... 40 John Ryan, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836........................ 160 Abram Middlesworth, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836.. 80 Calvin W. Ellis, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1838............ 40 John Halpin, Wayne Co., Mich., "............ 80 SECTION 35. Sally Murray, Washtenaw Co., Mich., November, 1835......... 80 Asa Sprague, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836........................ 40 Anthony Paddock, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836............... 40 James HI. Murray, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836......... 80 Samuel Fowler, Macomnb Co., Mich., January, 1837............... 40 John Kimball, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1854.................. 40 C. Sutherland, " " " November, 1854............. 160 (" " " January, 1855................ 80 V acant......................................................................... 80 SECTION 36. William Lobdell, Wayne Co., Mich., February, 1836............ 120 E. J. Penniman, " " " March, 1836................ 80 Daniel I-. Chandler, Genesee Co., Mich., May, 1836.............. 160 John Freeland, Macomb Co., Mich., September, 1836............. 80 E. J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., November, 1837............ 40 Castle Sutherland, Genesee Co., Mich., January, 1855............ 80 Vacant........................................................................ 80 EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first white men who became residents of what is now Argentine township were James H. Murray and William Lobdell, who located in March, 1836, but it is at this time impossible to determine which of the two came first. The former has been generally given the credit, but neither his widow,-now Mrs. Palmer,-who is yet living at Argentine village, nor the widow of Mr. Lobdell, who resides at Linden, can tell positively the facts in the case. Beyond dispute, however, they settled during the same month and very nearly at the same time, and it is probable that Murray was in first. James H. Murray, who formerly lived near Rochester, N. Y., came from Cayuga County, in that State, to Michigan with his family in May, 1830, and settled in the township of Superior, Washtenaw Co. In the fall (November) of 1835 lie located land in Argentine, purchasing four 40 -acre lots, in order to secure a water-privilege. On the 4th of March, 1836, he moved in with his family, and immediately after built the dam now standing at the village, and erected a saw-mill, which was put in operation the same season. At the date of his arrival there was no house nearer than one owned by a man named Bennett, two miles south, in Livingston County. Seth C. Sadler lived four miles east, in Fenton township, and to the west a wilderness, sixteen miles across, intervened between Mr. Murray's and the nearest house,-away in Shiawassee County. Mrs. Murray (Palmer) recollects seeing Mr. Lobdell before her husband's saw-mill was completed. The mill-irons were made in Washtenaw County, and brought up by Mr. Murray on a wagon. William Bennett, who settled the same spring, in Livingston County, at "Bennett's Bridge," had drawn logs up and prepared to build a saw-mill at his place east (above) of Argentine, but Murray proved the more energetic of the two, and completed his mill while Bennett was still making preparations, and the plan of the latter was not carried out. The old Murray saw-mill is not now standing. In the course of two or three years, Murray built a large frame grist-mill, and placed in it two runs of stone. From it flour was drawn to Detroit in wagons, and Argentine soon became a village of considerable importance. The grist-mill is the same now owned by Messrs. Hall & Bishop. The first store in the village was established by Mr. Murray, and stood opposite the grist-mill. Goods were purchased in Detroit. Previous to 1845 it was rented to William Axford, who carried it on for a time. The first hotel was built by Abram Middlesworth, and the second by Mr. Murray, and both had considerable custom. The one now owned and occupied by J. H. Page was built subsequent to 1844 by William Bennett, who had moved in from his place in Livingston County. It is a large frame building. Murray's hotel stood on the north side of the street. Mr. Murray, at a later day, established a cooper-shop and a blacksmith-shop on the east side of the river previous*to the building of the grist-mill. A man named George Elliott worked in the blacksmith-shop, but, his wife becoming dissatisfied with the place, he finally moved back to Plymouth, Wayne Co., from which place he had come. A tailor-name not remembered-came to the village at an early day, built a house, and worked at his trade several years. Castle and George G. Sutherland located here early. The former built the stone blacksmith-shop on the west side of the river, and the latter built the planing-mill he is now operating. Their father, Col. Sutherland, lived in Livingston County. In 1845, Dr. Isaac Wixom, now of Fenton, moved with his family to Argentine, from Farmington, Oakland Co., where he had resided since 1829. He was the first resident physician at the place. He purchased the Murray property, including the mills and store, and managed the milling and mercantile business for fifteen years. Mr. Murray moved to Farmington, but about 1860 came back to Argentine, where he died in 1871, in the house where his widow at present resides. Dr. Wixom, who had purchased the property before moving upon it, laid out the village-plat of Argentine, Oct. 9, 1844, since which time no additions have been made. He built to considerable extent, and through his efforts the place became of much importance, having at one time three stores and numerous other establishments. The building of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway through Fenton and Linden, leaving Argentine so far to one side, effectually destroyed all its hopes of future greatness. The doctor located -at Fenton in 1869, since which time that village has been his home.*; For more extended notice of Dr. Wixom see Fenton history. 39 306 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. William Lobdell, who came from near Auburn, Cayuga Co., N. Y., settled near Argentine village, as stated, in March, 1836. He built a log house on his place, chinking up the crevices. He had come to Detroit with his family in the fall of 1835, and stayed at that place during the winter. He was the owner of a wagon and three horses, and found plenty of employment in transporting pioneer families and their effects through to Grand River. On one of these trips he found the land upon which he afterwards settled. He teamed more or less after settling in Argentine, besides working his farm. The lake near the village was named for him. Mosquitoes were so plenty during those days that it was almost impossible to live in comfort, or to open the mouth, or go through the woods without taking something to brush away the troublesome pests. Mr. Lobdell's house, like nearly all other pioneer habitations, was always open to settlers who were on their way to their new homes, and one night forty persons slept in it. As usual the mosquitoes were on hand with their bills, and sleep was almost out of the question. One Irishwoman among the number remarked, "The muskethers crawl through a very small hole." They were coming in through the chinks. While the settlers themselves were inventing means to keep off the mosquitoes, it was necessary also for them to look well to their pig-pens, lest the wolves should carry off the inhabitants thereof, as those animals were numerous, and never loath to indulge in a choice morsel of fresh pork of their own killing. Upon the old Lobdell farm (which was east of Argentine village, and is now owned partly by John Hyatt, of Fenton) were two most excellent springs, one of which was near the shore of the lake, and never froze over. Murray's dam finally caused its overflow by back-water. The other was farther back, and the Indians often encamped beside it. In Mrs. Lobdell's possession is a fine fossil tooth, which was found on the farm when it was first settled. The first death in the township was very probably that of an infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lobdell, which died in June, 1836. A man named Bugbee lived in the neighborhood, and perhaps a son of his, born on his place, was the first white child born in town. It died when about a year old. Mr. Lobdell's little girl, Esther L., who died when a year and a half old, was also born in the township, and one or two children were born early in the family of William Beamer, who had settled early in the summer of 1836. He stayed with William Lobdell until he could build a house for himself. He finally sold out to Benjamin Taylor. A man named Ayers, who lived on the White Lake road, in Tyrone, Livingston Co., showed Mr. Lobdell the land he purchased, and in 1837 the Messrs. Rhodes, who lived also in Tyrone, came up and helped Mr. Lobdell cut his marsh hay; this was plenty, and the only kind to be procured. The log house built by William Beamer was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1837 or 1838, including its con tents, among which was a lot of maple-sugar and maplesyrup. The families made maple-sugar on an island in Lobdell's Lake. Hannibal Lee, although not a resident of Argentine, lived close enough to be a neighbor, his home being just across the line in Livingston County. His place was subsequently sold to Daniel Locke. After a short time, Charles Green settled to the west of the village. The Middlesworths, David and Abram, settled early,-the latter opposite the present hotel in the village, and the former farther west. William Alger and William Jennings settled a short distance east. Among the early residents of the village were William and Henry Pratt and Ira Murray; the latter was a cousin to James H. Murray, and moved afterwards to Owasso, Shiawassee Co., where he died. Israel Crow lived west of the village. Calvin W. Ellis, brother to Mrs. J. H. Murray, came with Mr. M. to the village. He was then a single man; afterwards owned and lived on a farm on the bank of McCaslin Lake, where he died. Mr. McCaslin, for whom the lake was named, occupied the same farm in later years; he is also deceased, but two of his sons live on the place. Before Murray's grist.mill was built, Benjamin Taylor came in from Vermont, and lived with Mr. Murray seven or eight years. He afterwards married and settled in Linden, where he died about 1869. A post-office was established at the village at an early day, and called Booton, but, owing to its inconvenience on account of another office existing in the State with a somewhat similar name, it was finally changed to Argentine. James H. Murray was the first postmaster, and to him is given the credit of naming the township. Mail was carried on horseback over a route which extended from Pontiac to Ionia. William Hubbard, now of Flint, was an early mailcarrier, as was also Brown Hyatt, now of Linden. The present incumbent of the office is Luman Bishop. Amos Sturgis, a native of Avon, Oakland Co., Mich., came with his father, Thomas Sturgis, to Argentine in 1837 or '38, the latter settling with his family on the Byron road, two miles northwest of Argentine village. Two other sons, John and Lewis Sturgis, are also now living in the township. Among the residents of the town when the Sturgis family came were James H. Murray, David Brooks, Solomon Sutherland,-who kept a tavern on the bank of what is now known as Myers' Lake,-William Lobdell, Halsey Whitehead, and possibly George Goff, who was either here then or came soon after, and is now living in Byron, Shiawassee Co. Asa Atherton settled about 1838, and took up considerable land, including that upon which his son, Freeman Atherton, now lives. He lived north of the railroad, on the place now occupied by Stephen Atherton. Samuel Atherton, Asa's brother, came soon after the latter, and now lives east of Freeman Atherton. Halsey Whitehead, a native of Hanover, Morris Co., N. J., and afterwards a resident of Seneca County, N. Y., came to Michigan in 1832, and in 1837 settled in Argentine, where he lived until his death, which occurred Sept. 2, 1874, when he had nearly reached the age of eightythree years. He was a prominent citizen of the township, and had served in the army during the war of 1812. David Brooks, who located first in Oakland County, settied in Argentine in 1836. He was elected, in 1837, the I I I k-4:-::^;:-:^::*;^\;:-;;:.^l/:^ ^^fa CD 0 slmIS LARRING' 410 1IDENCE OF LEWIS A~~rAGNIE EEE 'CtW, I ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP. 307 first justice of the peace in the township, and has continued to hold the office to the present. Most of the supplies for family use had then to be procured at Detroit, while Pontiac was the customary objective point for those wishing grists ground, as the nearest grist-mill was at that place. Mr. Brooks one year raised 40 bushels of wheat, which he had threshed out with a flail and winnowed by pouring back and forth between two blankets laid on the ground and held down by rails. He finally took 30 bushels of wheat in his wagon, hitched two yokes of oxen to it, and started with that and his family to Pontiac, to get a grist ground, having to cut his road a good share of the distance, and being guided the greater part of the way by marked trees. On the evening of the second day after starting they reached Pontiac. On going to the mill, Mr. Brooks found the miller reading. The latter inquired of Mr. B. if he had come to mill, to which he replied that he had come forty miles, cutting his road most of the way, and asked when he could have his grinding done. His disappointment can scarcely be imagined when he was told that he would have to wait four weeks, as the water was very low! Upon mentioning to the miller that he and his family had lived for three weeks on boiled wheat,-which was a fact,-his heart softened, and he at once ground Mr. Brooks' grist and let him go on his way rejoicing, even though the mill was then full of grain waiting to be ground. It took two days to grind the 30 bushels. John Boyd, of Scotch descent, located in the township in the spring of 1845, returning soon afterwards to Hartford, Conn., for his family, and bringing them back with him. The farm upon which he settled had a log house previously built upon it and a few acres improved. Mr. Boyd died in March, 1862. George W. Hovey, from Livingston Co., N. Y., came to Argentine in 1843. Upon his arrival in Flint he traded his horses and wagon to George M. Dewey for the 80 acres upon which he now lives, and after the transaction was completed had but thirty cents left. In 1850 he built a saw-mill, which he continued to operate until 1875. Stephen Jennings, a cooper by trade, settled half a mile south of the village in 1843. Isaac R. Middlesworth, a surveyor by profession, from Newark, N. J., bought 400 acres of land in the township June 1, 1837, and settled in 1840. From the assessment roll for 1844 is made up the following list of resident tax-payers in Argentine township in that year: I Middlesworth, David. Murray, James II. Mason, William P. (one distillery, together with one acre of land adjoining James H. Murray's gristmill). Myers, William. Mitchell, Dominicus. Parker, James E. Starks, Epoch. Sturgis, Thomas. Sturgis, Amos. Shaw, Nathan E. Smith, Robert. Smith, Reuben. Stroger, John. Sutherland, Solomon. Tillman, David. Thomas, Ezekiel. Taylor, Benjamin. Whitehead, Halsey. The heaviest resident tax-payer was James H. Murray, whose property was valued at $3200, and whose total tax was $117.60. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION AND PARTIAL CIVIL LIST. The following act creating the township of Argentine was approved July 26, 1836: " SECTION 1. Be it elnacted by the Senate and House of Representatiles of the Sttte of Miehigan, That all that part of the county of Genesee comprised in surveyed township number five north, of ranges five and six east, be a township by the name of Argentine, and the first townshipl-meeting be held at the now dwelling-house of Charles Byram, in said township, on the second Monday of August next." The house of Charles Byram was on the shore of Byram Lake, in what is now the township of Fenton, formed from the east half of Argentine, in 1838. The early records of the township of Argentine cannot be found, and it is impossible to give a full list of her officers. Some account of the first township-meeting will be found in a historical address included in the history of Fenton village. The records preserved in the town clerk's office in Argentine begin with the year 1850, from which date to 1879, inclusive, the officers elected each year have been as follows, viz.: 1850-53. William H. Hicks. 1854. Isaac Wixom. 1855. A. Middlesworth. 1856. Isaac R. Middlesworth. 1857-58. William H. Hicks. 1859. William Myers. PERVISORS. 1860-62. John B. Cochran. 1863. William Myers. 1864-65. J. C. Wilcox. 1866-67. John B. Cochran. 1868-73. Horton Healey. 1874-79. Jacob S. Dodder, TOWN CLERKS. 1850. W. W. Wixom. 1851-53. Isaac Wixom. 1854-55. J. G. Hicks. 1856. Horatio N. Richards. 1857-58. James L. Topping. 1859. Isaac Wixom. 1860. J. L. Topping. 1861. Franklin Bradley. 1862. D. N. Roberts. 1863. Richard R. Britton. 1864. J. W. Sherwood. 1865-67. B. Stevens. 1868. M. V. B. Wixom. 1869. Anson Shotwe 1870. Albert E. Hall. 1871-72. Bimsley Stevens. 1873-74. Edward B. Field. 1875-76. Albert E. Hall. 1877. Michael Iull. 1878. Lorenzo V. Fletcher. 1879. Albert E. Hall. Alger, Daniel. Alger, William. Atherton, Asahel. Bird, Elijah. Brooks, David. Barron, John. Craw, Israel. Bushnell, Joseph. Cummins, William. Chase, John F. Cochran, John B. Collins, Norman. Campbell, Miner. Cory, Cyrus 11., & Co. (near Murray's Mill). Dodge, Ira. Ellis, Calvin W. Ferris, William B. Goff, Ziba. Goff; George. Green, Charles A. Holdson, Robert. Harmon, Almond. Hicks, William II. Hallock, Almon. Johnson, John I. Kelly, Samuel. Lobdell, William. Middlesworth, Isaac R. Middlesworth, Richard R. Middlesworth, John. Middlesworth, William. TREASURERS. 1850-52. William Myers. 1853. Abram Middlesworth. 1854. Oliver H. Whitehead. 1855-56. Elijah Bird. 1857-58. William Myers. 1859-61. Oliver H. Whitehead. 1862-63. Franklin Bradley. 1864-65. R. R. Britton. 1866-67. J. W. Sherwood. 1868-69. Jacob S. Dodder. 1870-71. William T. Jennings. 1872-73. Jacob S. Dodder. 1874. William Harper. 1875-77. John Barron. 1878-79. Alexander Gillespie. t 308 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1850. William Cummins. 1851. Halsey Whitehead. 1852. Jefferson H. Downer. 1853. Reuben M. Ford. John Barron. 1854. Matthias Cummins. 1855. Joseph Collins. David Brooks. 1856. George A. Fletcher. Ashley T. Craw. 1857. James F; Mead. Castle Sutherland. 1858. Mathias Cummins. 1859. J. L. Topping. David Brooks. 1860. Lorenzo C. Fletcher. 1861. J. L. Topping. 1862. Matthias Cummins. 1863. David Brooks. 1864. Jacob S. Dodder. 1865. Franklin Bradley. D. N. Roberts. 1866. M. Cummins. 1866. H. G. Whitehead. 1867. David Brooks. N. J. Whitehead. 1868. Sedgwick P. Stedman. 1869. S. P. Stedman. George Fox. 1870. Matthias Cummins. J. L. Wolverton. 1871. David Brooks. D. N. Roberls. 1872. Peter Acre. 1873. R. R. Britton. John A. Royce. 1874. M. Cummins. Benjamin Van Riper. 1875. David Brooks. B. Stevens. 1876. Richard R. Britton. 1877. Bimsley Stevens. 1878. Robert K. Struble. 1879. 11. L. Bishop. F. Atherton. 1850. William Crane. William Myers. 1851. No record. ASSESSORS. | 1852. IIalsey Whitehead. Elijah Bird. COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS. 1850. Matthias Cummins. 1851. John Barron. 1852. John B. Cochran. 1853. William Myers. 1854. John Barron. 1855. John B. Cochran. 1856. John D. Williams. 1857. Henry H. Brownell. 1858. John B. Cochran. 1859. William H. Hicks. 1860. Jacob S. Dodder. 1861. James C. Wilcox. David N. Roberts. 1862. Bimsley Stevens. 1863. Matthias Cummins. 1864. No record. 1865. D. M. Case. 1866. 9. B. Whitney. 1867. M. Cummins. D. N. Roberts. 1868. Robert K. Struble. 1869. D. N, Roberts. J. B. Cochran. 1870. Eliphalet Lillie. 1871. Robert K. Struble. 1872. Lewis Lahring. 1873. Asa Devore. 1874. Warren Luce. 1875. Robert K. Struble. 1876-77. Bimsley Stevens. 1878. E. F. Lillie. 1879. William J. Tower. 1875. J. E. Vail. 1876. Jesse M. Crandall. DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1871. John B. Cochran (appt'd). 1872-73. Warren Luce. 1874. William Tummingly. 1875. William L. Smith. 1876. William Tummingly. 1877. E. F. Lillie. 1878. Freeman Atherton (2 yrs.). CONSTABLES. 1850. Daniel M. Case. Samuel Fields. Castle Sutherland. John D. Bennett. 1851. John D. Bennett. C. Sutherland. D. M. Case. Jacob G. Hicks. 1852. L. F. Thompson. Warner Lobdell. Oliver Whitehead. William Myers. 1853. Lafayette Lampson. Amos Lobdell. David M. Case. Charles Whittaker. 1854. Wm. H. Hicks. D. M. Case. N. J. Whitehead. Ashley Craw. 1855. George W. Chase. N. J. Whitehead. Jacob W. Craw. Norton G. Skinner. 1856. John I. Middlesworth. N. G. Skinner. George W. Chase. Jason Whitehead. 1857. Halsey Whitehead. L. F. Lampson. D. M. Case. Ambrose Kitchen. 1858. D. M. Case. Jacob Shank. L. F. Lampson. HIalsey Whitehead. 1859. Jacob Shank. D. M. Case. Isaac Wixom, Jr. Halsey Whitehead. 1860. Jacob Shank. Isaac Wixom, Jr. D. M. Case. Halsey Whitehead. 1861. Halsey Whitehead. D. M. Case. John F. Wise. Jacob Shank. 1862. Jesse Harris. William Brady. Jacob Shank. H. Whitehead. 1863. J. Shank. H. Whitehead. Freeman Atherton. Albert Voorheis. 1864. M. V. B. Wixom. F. Atherton. R. R. Britton. A. N. Newman. 1865. II. Whitehead. D. M. Case. Amos J..'* John Niles. 1866. M. V. B. Wixom. Anson Shotwell. D. M. Case. Halsey Whitehead. 1867. J. S. Wolverton. David Niles. Anson Shotwell. D. M. Case. 1868. D. Niles. Bimsley Stevens. John T. Wolverton. John Middlesworth. 1869. William Bowk. D. R. Reed. Andrus Betterley. Byron Hopkins. 1870. George Lillie. D. R. Reed. Warren Hawley. Stuart Douglas. 1871. D. N. Reed. Charles Devena. B. Stevens. Ralph Collins. 1872. James H. Page. George Lillie. D. N. Reed. James C. Whalen. 1873. John Baird. John Develin. Ralph Collins. D. R. Reed. 1874. D. R. Reed. George Miller. James IH. Page. Ralph Collins. 1875. J. H. Page. George Dodder. D. R. Reed. Edgar Durfee. 1866. M. V. B. Wixom. 1867. M. V. B. Wixom. Wm. Harper. 1868. N. J. Whitehead. David R. Reed. 1869. David R. Reed. 1870. William Harper. 1871. No record. 1872. Albert E. Hall. 1873. William Harper. 1874. Albert E. Hall. 1875-78. William Harper. 1879. Stephen B. Cooley. TOWNSHIP SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. 1877. James R. Burr. 1878. Aaron R. Ingram. OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 1850. Halsey Whitehead. Isaac Wixom. 1851. No record. 1852. H. itehead. M ias Cummins. 1853. H. Whitehead. William Cummins. 1854. H. HI. Brownell. 1855. A. Fletcher. 1855. Wm. Cummins. 1856. Joseph Middlesworth. A. S. Harmon. 1857. John Kimball. Green Ilicks. 1858. Green Iicks. Halsey Whitehead. 1859. D. N. Roberts. H1. Whitehead. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. 1850. William Whitehead. 1851. George S. Fletcher. 1852. Jefferson H. Downer. 1853. Jacob G. Hicks. Reuben M. Ford. 1854. N. J. Whitehead. W. W. Faulkner. 1855. N. J. Whitehead. 1856. William W. Faulkner. 1'857. Isaac Wixom. 1858. Jacob G. IHicks. 1859. James L. Topping. 1860. Jacob G. HIicks. H. H. Brownell. 1861. Washington W. Faulkner. 1862. J. G. Hicks. J. C. Wilcox. 1863. N. J. Whitehead. 1864. M. V. B. Wixom. 1865. J. C. Wilcox. J. W. McCollum. 1866. Geo. W. Chase. * Record illegible. :C) ''.*:.: I.^*.:;r~;_,-.~:;:~; *:C: -.- ' ^. ^ M 'lijil lJB -IS:. * ^ ^ B li^^ *.*ki:_~~~ -~~~-~ ~ n;~ I ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP. 309 1876. Hugh Murray. 1878. H. Murray. Edgar Durfee. John Cowell. James C. Whalen. Moses Parker. D. R. Reed. Frederick Moran. 1877. H. Murray. 1879. William Hatt. J. R. Burr. James H. Page. J. C. Whalen. Hugh Murray. D. R. Reed. James B. Stedman. SCHOOLS. The first school in the township was taught in a small cooper-shop, owned by James H. Murray, as early as 1838-39, by Sarah Murray. A log school-house was built, probably the next season, on land owned by James Olney, and afterwards the property of Halsey Whitehead. It now belongs to Allen Leonard. The following report of the township school-inspectors shows the condition of the schools in town for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878: District No. 1* has one frame school-house with 60 sittings; value of property, $200; one male and one female teacher; number of school-children, 54; attendance during the year, 47; school taught 180 days. District No. 2 has one frame school-house, 50 sittings; property worth $600; one male and one female teacher; 58 school-children, of whom 45 attended during the year; school taught 160 days. District No. 3 * has one frame school-house; 39 schoolchildren, all in attendance during the year; school taught 160 days; number of sittings, 40; value of property, $450; two male teachers. District No. 4 has one frame school-house with 44 sittings; value of property, $1000; 49 school-children, and 31 in attendance during the year; school taught 160 days; two female teachers. District No. 5 has one brick school-house, 60 sittings, and property valued at $500; one male and one female teacher; 65 school-children, of whom 55 attended during the year; school taught 160 days. District No. 6 has 47 school-children, 46 in attendance; school taught 158 days; two female teachers; one frame school-house; 43 sittings; value of property, $600. The amount paid to the teachers of these six schools was: five male teachers received $485; seven female teachers received $420; aggregate, $905. Total receipts for the year, $1468.23; expenditures (less amount on hand), $1158.99. RELIGIOUS. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ARGENTINE VILLAGE. A class was organized here in February, 1869, by Rev. J. W. Holt, with B. G. Whitney as class-leader. The appointment was at first on Oak Grove circuit, but was changed to the Linden circuit in 1870. The frame church now standing was built and dedicated in 1873. The present membership of this church is 34, and the pastor is the Rev. O. Sanborn. THE " DODDER SCHOOL-HOUSE CLASS" was originally organized in Fenton township, at the Blair school-house, in February, 1867, by Rev. James Berry. B. F. Hitchcock was chosen first class-leader. This class * Fractional district. was subsequently changed to the Dodder school-house, in Argentine, where its meetings are still held. It is a part of the Linden circuit, in charge of Rev. O. Sanborn, and has a membership of 27. Among those who have furnished material aid in the compilation of this chapter, and to whom thanks are hereby tendered, are Mrs. Palmer, of Argentine village (the widow of James H. Murray); Mrs. William Lobdell, of Linden; David Brooks, Dr. Isaac Wixom, of Fenton; Amos Sturgis, Albert E. Hall, town clerk (for use of books of record), and others. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JOHN BOYCE COCHRAN was born in Camden, Maine, Nov. 13, 1812, and died at Argentine, Mich., March 8, 1876. He was the son of the Rev. Thomas Cochran, who graduated at Brown University in the class of 1799, and who, subsequently (in 1805), received from his Alma Mater the degree of Master of Arts. Mr. Cochran's mother, whose maiden-name was Mary Barstow, was the daughter of Nathaniel Barstow and Elizabeth Cushing, who was the daughter of the Hon. Judge Joseph Cushing, of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Cochran's father died when he was quite young, and he went to reside with one of his paternal uncles at New Boston, N. H., the birthplace of his father. His ancestry on his father's side was of that hardy, noble Scotch-Irish race that settled New Boston, N. H., where the earth rises to meet the heavens; where cataracts foam and waters leap; where, above the herds that graze and the fields that bloom in the valleys below, the eagle wheels to his home in the cliffs. It was there, among those hills and bold and majestic scenery, that he spent his youth and early manhood. Mountainous regions have always produced a race possessed of sterling qualities, hardy, ardent, generous, patriotic lovers of liberty; simple and sometimes blunt in their address, they are men who have always distinguished themselves in seasons of emergency; and Mr. Cochran had many of these characteristics. It has been said that "New Hampshire is rough and rocky, her climate cold and uncongenial, and the productions of her soil granite and ice." This is true in part, but there is a product of which she may justly feel proud. She has raised good men, and from her native hills a living stream has swept over this land, enriching, like the Nile, every spot where it has flowed, and Michigan and "old Genesee" have received the benefit of their intelligence, principles, and morals. Mr. Cochran was a native of one State and the adopted son of another, but he was proud of both. Though he never desired to forget from whence he came, yet his interests and sympathies were all with the State and community of his adoption. His temperament was ardent, nervous, and generous. He was a lover of his race, a man of broad charity and deep sympathies,-a genial, large-minded man, upright in his conduct, " the very soul of honor," commanding the confidence and esteem of all. He was full of "the milk of human kindness," which was re 310 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. cognized in the glance of his eye, the tone of his voice, and the pressure of his hand. His heart overflowed with sympathy towards those around him, and many who repaired to him for counsel and advice could testify to the warmth of his feelings, as well as to the rectitude of his judgment. He was a man of great energy and decision of character. In his home he was kind, confiding, and unostentatious; sensitive to the cry of pain, zealous to alleviate suffering, and careful of wounding the feelings of others. How unstudied, and yet how effectual, his power to throw around him the sunshine of a loving and confiding heart, his four sons (John L., Varnum B., George E., and Clarence F.), who have all arrived at man's estate, and all others who had access to that home, will ever remember. He was married, Sept. 1,1839, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Fletcher, who was born at Lowell, Mass., March 20, 1820, and died at Argentine, Mich., Aug. 15, 1877. She was the daughter of Jonathan Fletcher and Mary Varnum, who was the daughter of Col. Prescott Varnum, of Dracut, Mass. She received a liberal education, and the fall after after her marriage (Sept. 21, 1840), she, with her mother, accompanied her husband to Michigan, arriving at Detroit, Sept. 27, 1840. After spending a year at the " City of the Straits," they moved into the township, Oct. 8, 1841, and commenced " clearing up" the farm where they ever after lived. It was a great change for Mrs. Cochran, from the society and comforts of an Eastern city to the quiet and solitude of an almost unbroken forest; but for her young husband she felt, "Whither thou goest, I will go; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried." How true, indeed, of her! as she only survived her husband a short time, and her mortal remains now rest by the side of her husband's, in the beautiful cemetery at Linden, where, in her own words," The silent sleepers, one by one, Rest with their kindred dead; Where youth and age put off their pride,Forget there's rank or birth. And by this softly-rippling tide Mingle again with earth. And so 'twill be in after-years Our forms will slumber too; Friends will plant flowers amid their tears, Which fall like evening dew. Strangers will walk amid these grounds, Drink from this purling spring, And joyous birds above these mounds Will linger oft to sing. Oh, sacred spot,-serenely calm, To rest at life's glad ev'n With glorious hope,-the spirit's balm, Of a home above, in heaven." Though Mrs. Cochran wrote of Massachusetts, her native State,"I hail thee with pride, dear State of my birth, And think thee the fairest and brightest of earth,"she lived to love her own adopted county, Genesee, and wrote of her,"I've wandered 'neath the orange tree, And culled the tropic flowers;' My cheek was fanned by ocean breeze, I've dreamed in Southern bowers; But naught so fair, no air so free, As thy fair county, Genesee." __ --- —— _ ---. —__ Mrs. Cochran was a lady of fine literary tastes and talents, and often contributed both prose and poetry to the periodical press of the country. Many of her productions appeared from time to time in the different county papers. It was a pleasure for her to write; and, as she often expressed it, " she wrote for her own amusement." A prominent lady of Flint, in writing to The Democrat at the time of Mrs. Cochran's death, said: "She was a lady of great strength of character and much ability as a writer, and I felt honored in being able to class her as among my personal friends. But now she is numbered with those who have passed to that land from whence no traveler returns to tell us of its hidden mysteries. I seem as one left alone upon a dreary waste, with chilling winds moaning over the deserted plain." Her life was one of active usefulness and unselfish devotion to her family, and it was here in the home circle, as wife and mother, that her many noble qualities of head and heart found fullest play. She always gave her personal attention to the education and instruction of her children, and was largely instrumental in giving them all a liberal education. Her influence and interests were by no means circumscribed by the walls of her own home, but extended to all who needed her assistance and friendship. It can truly be said that she was always foremost in promoting the interests of religion, education, and temperance in the community where she was so long and favorably known. During the late Rebellion she was active in collecting supplies to send forward for the benefit of our wounded soldiers, and many will remember her as one ever ready to carry sympathy and comfort to the home of suffering and distress. Is it not possible that the influence of her life, which lives after her, is a most fitting answer to her own beautiful words?"And when others fill these places, Which have echoed to our tread, May we leave some bright memento Which will speak though we are dead." LORENZO C. FLETCHER was born in Lowell, Middlesex Co., Mass, Sept. 16, 1815. His father, Jonathan Fletcher, was a merchant in his early life, but later became a builder, which occupation he followed until his death, which occurred in 1830. He was an estimable man of much energy and determination, and successful. Lorenzo received an academical education, and at the age of eighteen years was apprenticed to the trade of a builder, which occupation he followed until 1854. In 1839, in company with his brother George, he came to Michigan, and settled in Detroit, where he remained until his removal to Argentine, in 1854. During his residence in Detroit, a period of nearly fifteen years, he was prominently identified with the city, and was twice elected alderman, which position he filled with credit to himself, and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. In 1854 he disposed of his property in Detroit, and purchased of Governor Fenton three hundred and twenty acres of wild land in Argentine, which he has improved, and to which he has ( 'SddWlHJ'r A SO-tOHd ) 'S)iOO8 OIAVO 'S>OONi 8 OIAVaO' s! tC C 1 ~ 3~r"I ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP. 311 I added about four hundred acres, making one of the largest farms in the county. In 1845, Mr. Fletcher was married to Miss Julia A. Harris, of Macomb Co., Mich. She was born in Burrelville, R. I., Jan. 28, 1821. They have reared a family of three children,-two sons and one daughter. Mr. Fletcher is a man of decided opinions, and of invincible determination. He possesses the elements of a successful business man,-keen perceptive faculties, coupled with good judgment and an abundance of will-power. Socially, he is courteous and genial, winning and retaining the regard of all with whom he comes in contact. He is in every way worthy of the position he holds among the representative men of Genesee County. JOHN BOYD was of Scotch parentage, born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1815. He was the son of David and Rebecca Boyd. At the age of twenty he came to America, and shortly after his arrival went to Hartford, Conn., and entered the employ of H. & 11. Freeman, manufacturers of boots and shoes. He remained with this firm nine years. In the spring of 1845 he came to Argentine, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. Returning to Hartford, he arranged his business, and with his family-which consisted of his wife and two children, William D. and Colwell-returned to his new home. He was a man of very industrious habits, great energy, a successful farmer, and a valuable citizen. He died in March, 1862. In 1840, Mr. Boyd was married to Margaret Pattison, of Hartford. She was born in Philadelphia, in 1820, and was the oldest child in the family of James and Martha (Allen) Pattison. Her father was a weaver by occupation, and came to Hartford in 1838, where he resided until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd reared a family of seven children,-five sons and two daughters. John Boyd was emphatically a self-made man. Starting in life with only his natural resources for his capital, he attained success, and became not only prominent in his calling, but an esteemed and valuable member of society. LEWIS LAHRING. This gentleman, one of the prominent farmers and early settlers of Argentine, was born in Hanover, Germany, March 24, 1825. His parents, John and Elizabeth Lahring, had a family of six children,-four boys and two girls. The elder Lahring died when Lewis was but six years of age, and in 1837 the family emigrated to America, and settled in Holly, Oakland Co. He commenced life as a farm-hand, which occupation he followed three years. In 1849 he came to Argentine, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, where he now resides. He was at this time unmarried, and built a log cabin in the woods, in which he lived alone for two years, when he married Miss Sally, daughter of Halsey Whitehead, one of the town's first settlers. She was born in the town of Tyre, Seneca Co., N. Y., Sept. 8, 1828. When four years of age Halsey Whitehead came to Michigan, and settled in the town of West Bloomfield, Oakland Co.; in 1838 he came to Argentine, where he resided until his death, which occurred Sept. 2, 1874, having lived in the town thirty-seven years. He filled various offices of public trust to the satisfaction of all. He was born in the town of Morris, Hanover Co., N. J., and while young moved to Tyre, Seneca Co., N. Y. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was a man highly esteemed. Mr. Lahring is a thrifty and successful agriculturist. To his first purchase he has added two hundred acres, and his farm is justly considered to be one of the best in the county. WILLIAM T. JENNINGS was born in the town of Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., July 31, 1837. His father, Stephen Jennings, was a native of Massachusetts, and a cooper by occupation. In 1843 he came to Argentine with his family,-which consisted of his wife and two children, Elvira HI. and William T.,and settled near the village, where he purchased eighty acres of land. This he exchanged in 1858 for one hundred and sixty acres, which is a part of the farm now owned by his son; to this William T. has added two hundred acres, making one of the largest farms of the town. In 1859 he married Miss Savilla Middlesworth, daughter of Isaac R. Middlesworth, one of the pioneers of the town. Mrs. Jennings was born in Newark, N. J., June 1,1837. Mr. Jennings has been prominently identified with Argentine, and is one of the successful and progressive farmers of the county. He has an interesting family of five children,-two boys and three girls. DAVID BROOKS. Among the venerable pioneers of Genesee County who, by their own industry and energy, laid the broad foundation for its present wealth, none are more worthy of a conspicuous place in the annals of its early history than David Brooks. He was born in the town of Homer, Cortland Co., N. Y., Dec. 17, 1808. His father, Samuel Brooks, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was killed in the battle of Queenstown Heights. About 1815 the family removed to Cayuga County, where they resided until Mr. Brooks' emigration to Michigan, in 1831. He first stopped in Rochester, Oakland Co., where he was engaged as a teamster; this occupation he followed some sixteen months. At the expiration of his term of service he was married to Miss Abigail Shipey, daughter of Stephen Shipey, one of the town's first settlers. Mrs. Brooks was born in the town of Adams, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Sept. 8, 1812. When she was seven years of age her parents emigrated to Oakland County. After a residence of three years in Oakland County, Mr. Brooks came to Argentine, and " took up" the farm where he now resides. At that time there was only one other white person in the town,-Mr. James Murray, who had settled in what is now Argentine village. Pioneer life in Genesee was at this time replete with hardship and privations, and Mr. and Mrs. Brooks had HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 312 their full share. The nearest mill was at Pontiac, and for nearly all articles, either for the farm or household, they were obliged to go to Detroit. He speaks of the kindness of the Indians, by whom he was highly esteemed, and says that they frequently rendered him material assistance. Many interesting incidents occurred, for which we refer our readers to the township history. Mr. Brooks' farm was originally heavily timbered; the fine farm of to-day is the result of years of toil, and a lasting monument to his industry and energy. In 1837 the town of Argentine was organized, and Mr. Brooks was elected its first justice, which position he has since held,a period (1879) of over forty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have had eight children,-four sons and four daughters,-five of whom are now living. One son, Edward, was a member of the 8th Michigan Infantry, and lost his life at the battle of Coosaw River, N. C., in January, 1862. He was a brave soldier, and in the fatal charge was so far ahead of his comrades that his loss was not discovered unti, the company left the field. The other sons, James and William, served through the war,-the former as a member of the 7th and the latter of the lth Infantry Regiments. Mr. Brooks has passed his " threescore and ten;" is possessed of most of the virtues and but few of the failings of humanity. He has endeared himself to a large circle of friends and relations. no-, P 300 - -- MOUNT M ORRIS. MOUNT MORRIS, one of the latest township organizations in the county, was formed from Flushing and Genesee by an act of the State Legislature, approved Feb. 12, 1855. An interior township, it is joined on the north by Vienna, east by Genesee, south by Flint, west by Flushing, and in the field notes of the United States survey is designated as township No. 8 north, of range No. 6 east. In its natural features it is very similar to other interior divisions of the county already described, the surface slightly rolling, and covered originally with heavy forests of beech, maple, oak, ash, and many other varieties of deciduous trees indigenous to the soil in this section of the State. The Flint River, in its flow to the northwest, crosses the extreme southwest corner. Devil Lake, a small body of water containing from ten to fifteen acres, is situated upon section 35. Brent's Run takes its rise from this lake, and flows northerly through the central part. Several other small tributaries of the Flint cross the township and flow in a general northwest course. Stone similar to that obtained in the Flushing quarries is found in the bed of the river upon section 31. The soil is very productive. The people, who number about 2000 at the present writing, are chiefly agriculturists, and wool, live-stock, and wheat the principal products. ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT. To one engaged in preparing a historical sketch of Mount Morris whose field shall be confined within its present boundaries, the task is a most arduous one. From the date of its first settlement (in 1833) to 1836, its territory formed part of Grand Blanc township. Flint was formed in the spring of the latter year, and from that time until early in 1838, this township was under the jurisdiction of Flint. In the year last mentioned the townships of Genesee and Flushing were erected. By the act of their formation the east half of surveyed township No. 8 north, of range No. 6 east, was assigned to the township of Genesee, while the west half was included within that of Flushing. This condition of affairs, so far as the present town of Mount Morris was concerned, remained unchanged until 1855. Consequently, the early social and political history of the township was so clearly divided by an imaginary line, separating the east from the west half, and so interwoven with those townships with which they were connected, that old residents of today, when they go back in their recollections to years prior to 1855, still insist, when speaking of friends and neighbors who reside in the east half, as of being in Genesee, those in the west half as of Flushing. Another obstacle confronts the local historian at the outset, viz.: the almost total disappearance from the vicinity of those who witnessed or took an active part in the first improvements. However, it is conceded by those most conversant with the facts that Benjamin Pearson-" Uncle Ben," as he was more familiarly called-was the pioneer of Mount Morris. He came from Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., early in the spring of 1833, and immediately after his arrival at Todd's tavern devoted many days to "land-looking," as it was his purpose to become a permanent resident of the new country, and also to invest a considerable sum in the purchase of desirable lands. He finally made choice of the south half of section 25, and the east half of the northeast quarter of section 36, as the place of his future residence, and purchased the same from the general government early in May, 1833. At the same time he entered lands situated in the present township of Genesee. A few years subsequently he became the owner by purchase of many other tracts situated in this and adjoining townships. About the time that Mr. Pearson had decided where to locate, there arrived at his hostelry (Todd's tavern) Lewis Buckingham, John Pratt, Isaac N. Robinson, and Richard Marvin, from Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., also in search of lands and a homestead in the promising young Territory. Desirous of securing them as neighbors, Mr. Pearson volunteered to show them " some of the nicest land they had ever seen." The following morning, May 2, 1833, he guided them to a point on the Saginaw road about x" 7e 77 W A 12 Al RESIDENCE OF CHAS. JOHNSON, MT MORRIS, GENESEE CO-MICH. f MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP. 313 four miles north of the present city of Flint. The location suited all except Marvin, and two or three days later Pearson, Pratt, Buckingham, and Robinson repaired to Detroit and entered lands in what was to be known a few months later as the " Coldwater settlement." After assisting to build a log house for Luman Beach, which was located in the present township of Genesee, they all returned to New York. In the month of August, or early in September, 1833, Benjamin Pearson and John Pratt returned from the East, accompanied by their families. Mr. Pearson then erected, and before the 1st of October was occupying, the first dwelling built in Mount Morris township. This was situated upon the northeast corner of section 36. Mr. Pratt lived with Luman Beach until the completion of his cabin, which was situated a short distance north of Pearson's. It is stated that later in the same season Lyman G. Buckingham and Alanson and Luther Dickinson arrived and settled on section 36; also Asahel Beach and a Mr. Ballard, who located on the west side of the Saginaw road. Daniel Curtis settled upon section 35 in the fall of 1834. During this and the succeeding year the " Coldwater settlement" was considerably increased in numbers by new arrivals, all of whom, and their place of settlement, we are now unable to trace. Schools were opened, a society of Presbyterians organized, and the principles of temperance disseminated and practiced in their midst. Ezekiel R. Ewing, the first supervisor of Mount Morris, came to Grand Blanc in 1829. After residing there and at the Flint River settlement for a number of years, it is believed that he settled upon section 31, in this township, some time during the year 1835. During the period that the west half of this township formed part of Flushing, Mr. Ewing was prominently identified with the public interests of the latter, and was also conspicuous as a county official. Charles N. Beecher, from Livingston Co., N. Y., settled upon section 24 in the fall of 1835. Years later he became a resident of the city of Flint. He was always a prominent man in Genesee County, and was the recipient of many official favors in the gift of an appreciative public. Years ago, while reciting some of his pioneer experiences, he mentioned that Peabody Pratt came to Genesee with him. There was then a turnpike, 99 feet wide, opened five miles north of Flint, terminating near Benjamin Pearson's farm. The roads out of Detroit were wellnigh impassable. He paid $1.25 per hundredweight to have his goods brought from the latter city. It was no unusual sight to see babies packed in baskets and carried through on horseback. Edwin Cornwell, from Middletown, Conn., arrived in the township in October, 1836, and settled near the central part, upon section 14. He, with his family, consisting of a wife and two children, shared the hospitality of Norman Cone, an early settler of Genesee township, until a log dwelling could be constructed, and a road cut out by himself, leading from the Saginaw turnpike to the place of his (Cornwell's) present residence. Without a doubt, Mr. Cornwell was the first permanent settler in the central part of the township. He relates that during the first winter 40 he killed nineteen wolves, and that his nearest and only neighbor on the west was Jacob Dehn, a German, who had settled upon section 18* early in 1836. Frederick Walker settled in the northeast corner at about the same time as Cornwell, and their dwellings were " raised" the same day. Among other settlers, not already mentioned, who were here prior to Mr. Cornwell's settlement, were Juba Barrows, at whose house the first township-meeting for Genesee was held, and Richard Johnson, from England, one of the early leading Methodists. Frederick Walker, a native of England, came from Dutchess Co., N. Y., in October, 1836, and settled upon the present site of the village of Mount Morris, being the first settler in that vicinity. Mrs. Walker remembers that their nearest neighbors were Grovner Vinton, two miles distant to the northward, and William Woolfitt, who was on section 13, one and a half miles south. Albert H. Hart was on the opposite side of the road, in Genesee township. Mr. Walker, during his lifetime, was ever active in advancing the best interests of his townsmen, and discharged with rare fidelity the many duties imposed while wearing official honors. He was the first postmaster in the village, and, besides serving in various official capacities in Genesee township, represented Genesee County in the State Legislature during three terms. Henry Parker also settled in the northeast part in 1836. In 1837, George Selby bought of Frederick Walker 30 acres, and the first dwelling built by him (Walker). A few months later Selby died. William Bodine then purchased the Selby place, and lived there for many years. In July, 1839, Rodman W. Albro, a native of Rhode Island, came from the city of New York, and purchased of H. I. Higgins the west one-half of the southwest quarter of section 13, which he still owns. IIe was accompanied by his wife and three children. Mr. Albro's recollections of those residing in the east half of the township at the time of his arrival are as follows: " Manley Miles, Lyman G. Buckingham, Alanson Dickinson, William Pierson, John Rusco, near Devil's Lake, Jesse Clark, Porter Flemings, John Pratt, Daniel Curtis and his father-in-law Bacon, Luther Trickey, who had been here two or three years, Juba Barrows, Elder Cobb, of the Presbyterian Church, Daniel Andrews, Pratt's brother-in-law Humphrey Hunt, Charles N. Beecher, who owned a large tract of land, Edwin Cornwell, Linus Atkins, Twogood, William Woolfitt, Frederick Walker, Henry Barber, George Schofield, with a large family of sons, William Bodine, and Richard Johnson. A man named Moffat had settled on section 19, built a small log house, and done some clearing, but removed prior to 1839. Samuel Stewart had buijt a house, but after living here a short period had gone away; also a man named Hopkins, who made a beginning on the property now owned by Louis Cornwell." He was not so conversant with those living in the west part, as heavy forests separated the Flushing. and Genesee settlements, but believes that " James Armstrong, Abial C. Bliss, Sylvester Beebe, William Chase, Jacob Dehn, Eze kiel R. Ewing, Nathaniel Hopson, William H. Hughes, * On the farm known as the Travis place. 314 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Dominick Kelly, Vincent Runyon, Russell Welch, and Alvin Wright were all there prior to 1840." The resident tax-payers of 1844, alphabetically arranged, together with the sections were as follows: Andrews, Henry, 23. Albro, Rodman W., 13, 14. Armstrong, James, i8. Buckingham, Lyman G., 36. Barber, Henry, 2, 3. Barrows, Juba, 24. Bodine, William, 12. Bacon, Nathan, 25. Bliss, Abial C., 31, 32. Brown, William, 30. Bowers, Benjamin, 31. Beebe, Sylvester, 21. Cornwell, Edwin, 14. Curtis, Daniel, 24, 25. Chase, William, 29. Cooper, William H., 30. Chilson, C. C., 27. Daly, Patrick, 2. Dickinson, Alanson, 36. Dickinson, William, 36. Dehn, Jacob, 18. Ewing, Ezekiel R., 31. Hunt, Iumphrey, 24. upon which they paid taxes, Hopson, Nathaniel, 9. Hughes, William H., 28. Iloyes, Aaron G., 31. Johnson, Richard, 1, 10. Kelly, Dominick, 29. Miles, Manley, 36. Pearson, William S., 36. Pratt, A. B., 24, 25. Pettengill, Samuel, 32. Pettengill, Daniel, 32. Rusco, J. A., 36. Runyon, Vincent, 29. Ransom, Benjamin, 31. Rood, G. B., 31. Schofield, George, 3. Shepard, William, 30. Todd, Joseph J., 32. Thayer, Washington (personal). Woolfitt, William, 13. Walker, Frederick, 12. Welch, Russell, 32, 33. Wright, Alvin, 33. Williams, Henry A., 31. LAND ENTRIES. - The sixth section of Smith's reservation, allotted in the survey of 1820 to Messawwakut, or Harriet M. Smith, includes the southeast corner of section 32 and the southwest corner of section 33. The first purchase of lands from the general government seems to have been made early in May, 1833, by Benjamin Pearson and John Pratt, both from Livingston Co., N. Y. Pearson's choice rested upon portions of sections 25 and 36, while Pratt chose parts of sections 24 and 25, all resting upon the Saginaw trail. In June, 1833, Benjamin Cory, from Livingston Co., N. Y., entered the east half of the northeast quarter of section 24. In October of the same year Hiram Green, also from Livingston Co., N. Y., purchased the south half of the southeast quarter of section 13. Alvah Peabody from the same place, and the same day, entered the north half of the last.mentioned quarter. The following list embraces the names of those purchasing from the government lands situated in this township, designating also the year the first entry was made upon each section. Those whose names are in italics became actual settlers. 1835, section 1: Timothy J. Walling, Benjamin Pearson, William Sissins, Richard Johnson, Healey & Kircheval. * 1835, section 2: Joshua Pattee, Mink Healey and B. B. Kercheval, William Thayer, John Lyon, Elizabetk Eaton, Orville S. Allen, Hugh Birckhead, Bouck, Gebherd & Deitz. 1836, section 3: Richard Marvin, Juba Barrows, John Lyon, John Taylor. 1836, section 4: Healey & Kercheval, Daniel Webster, Boston, Mass., Thomas H. Perkins, David Pifford. 1836, sec.tion 5: Thomas H. Perkins, Samuel Perry, i a I Horace Perry, Hiram Sibley, Charles F. Dickinson, Charles S. Boughton. 1836, section 6: Ambrose Smith, Daniel Webster, Hiram Sibley, Denton G. Stewart, George M. Dewey, IIenry Tolles, Samuel Wright. 1836, section 7: Lyman Strowbridge, William S. Taylor, Charles F. Dickinson, Charles Boughton, George M. Dewey, John D. Armstrong. 1836, section 8: Hiram Sibley, Charles F. Dickinson, and C. S. Boughton. 1836, section 9: Daniel Webster, Thomas II. Perkins, David Pifford, Jabez W. Throop. 1836, section 10: Richard Marvin, Healey & Kercheval, James Abrams, Jabez W. Throop. 1836, section 11: Newell French, Moses Camp, James Wadsworth, James Abrams. 1834, section 12: William M. Parker, Harvey Woodford, David Pifford, John Palmer, Albert Hosmer. 1833, section 13: HirIam Green, Alvah Peabody, Wim. M. Parker, TVilliam Woolfitt, David Pifford, Timothy Walkley, Charles N. Beecher, Sarah A. Beecher. 1836. section 14; Edwin Cornwell, Pardon K. Fay, John Holtslander, Adam Iloltslander, Bouck, Gebherd & Deitz. 1836, section 15: Alvah Beach, James Wadsworth. 1835, section 17: Abraham Bevier, Charles Twogood, Bouck, Gebherd & Deitz, Socrates Smith, Dickinson & Boughton. 1836, section 18: Samuel S. Dunning, James Armstrong, Calvin S. Wheeler, Hiram Sibley. 1836, section 19: Abigail and Sarah Cronk, Herrick Allen, Richard Taylor, Nicholas C. Haywood, John Greenfield, Nathaniel Hopson, Edward Armstrong, Jacob S. Deland, Andrew Fisher, Robert Patrick. 1836, section 20: William Capron, Thomas C. Mahon, William Taylor, Herrick Allen, Nicholas Bouck, John C. Gebherd, and David Deitz. 1836, section 21: Electus Boardman, Thomas C. Mahon, Thomas H. Perkins, David Pifford, Bouck, Gebherd & Deitz, Sylvester Beebe, George M. Dewey. 1836, section 22: Electus Boardman, Isaac N. Robinson, David Pifford. 1836, section 23: IHenry Andrews, David T. Bacon, Pardon K. Fay, Healey & Kercheval, Bouck, Gebherd & Deitz. 1833, section 24: John Pratt, Benjamin Coy, Abraham Bevier, Charles N. Beecher, John Pratt, Mary Bodine. 1833, section 25: John Pratt, Benjamin Pearson, Daniel Curtis, John Pratt, Betsey Arthur. 1836, section 26: James Hosmer, Benjamin Pearson, Loren Coy, Benjamin Coy. 1836, section 27: Healey & Kercheval, Fitch Read, Prentiss Williams, Hiram Hall, Thomas Durfee. 1836, section 28: Alanson Payson, Wm. Molby, Smith Titus, Prentiss Williams, William F. Crane, Hugh Warren, Cortland Lindsay, Nicholas C. Haywood. 1836, section 29: Ira Payson, Ira French, Jacob Dehn, William S. Taylor, Herrick Allen, Dominick Kelly. 1836, section 30: George Macomber, Leonard Cutler. 1834, section 13: Aaron G. Hoyes, Andrew Donaldson, MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP. 315 Jr., Ezekiel R. Ewing, John Glass, eIcnry Cobb, Noah Hamilton, George Macomber. 1836, section 32: David M. Jewett, F. R. Ewing, Erastus Jones, Joseph J. Todd, Jacob Dehn, Voorhies & Seeley, Solomon Mathews, Jeremiah C. Thomas, Hiram Hall. 1835, section 33: Russell Welch, Samuel WVright, Jared Newell, John Tolle. 1836, section 34: James Hosmer, John Tolle, Jonas G. Potter. 1835, section 35: William H. Carpenter, Samuel C. Holden, Albert Hosmer, Herman Camp, Malachi Loveland. 1833, section 36: Benjamin P1earson, Leyman G. Buckingham, Alanson Dickinson, Luther Dickinson. CIVIL AND POLITICAL. During the session of 1855 the State Legislature passed the following act: "SECTION 1. Thepeople of the State of Michigan enact, That township number eight north, of range number six east, be and the same is hereby set off from the towns of Genesee and Flushing, and organized into a separate township, under the name and style of Mount Morris, and the first township-meeting shall be held on the first Monday of April next, at such place as the County Treasurer of the county of Genesee shall determine; and said County Treasurer shall be and is hereby required to give at least ten days' notice of said meeting by posting notices in at least three of the most public places in said township. "This act shall take effect immediately. "Approved February 12th, 1855." The township derives its name from Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., the early home of many of the first settlers. Pursuant to the act of organization, and the notices previously posted by the county treasurer, the legal voters assembled for the purpose of holding their first township election, April 2, 1855. The place of meeting was in an old abandoned log house which stood on the west half of the northeast quarter of section 34, and an organization was effected by choosing Ezekiel R. Ewing, Moderator, Bradford P. Foster, Clerk, Sylvester Beebe, Assistant Clerk, and Frederick Walker, a justice of the peace, Inspector. The whole number of votes polled at this election was 74, and at its close the following-named officers were declared elected: Ezekiel R. Ewing, Supervisor; Bradford P. Foster, Township Clerk; Samuel R. Farnham,* Treasurer; Frederick Walker, H. S. Root, Daniel Pettengill, Justices of the Peace; Alanson Payson, Rodman W. Albro, H. S. Root, Highway Commissioners; G. L. Ewing, J. L. Deland, School Inspectors; Alanson Payson, William S. Pierson, Overseers of the Poor; E. L. Johnson, Constable. The residents assessed for taxation upon the first assessment roll were one hundred and sixteen in number; their names, and the sections upon portions of which they paid taxes in 1855, were as follows: Austin, -, 30. Barber, Henry, 1, 2, 3. Albro, Rodman W., 13. Baker, Adin, 14, 23. Beebe, Sylvester, 32. Baker, Ezekiel, 23. Beecher, Charles N., 24. Baker, Oringer, 24. Beaham, Mathew, 26. Buckingham, Lyman G., 36. Barrows, Juba, 24. Baker, R. H., 23. I I Baker, Byron, 16. Brown, Foster, 18. Beckwith, Thomas, 22. Brockway, J. L., 3. Baker, Thomas, 12, 23. Baker, H., 35. Clark, Jesse, 26. Cornwell, Edwin, 14. Campbell, John, 25. Copeland, William, 14. Clapham, John, 2. Carpenter, Rowland, 27. Cooley, Isabella, 12. Chase, W. L. (estate of), 29. Cramer, I. D., 30. Cogswell, Hiram, 16. Craig, Andrew, 16. Deland, J. L., 18. Davis, Edward, 19. Dempster, A., 16. Donley, John, 35. Dewey, E. B., 36. Daly, Patrick, 2, 10, 11. Ewing, E. R., 31. Ewing, G. L., 31. Ewing, C. H. (personal). Elder, James, 32. Edin, A. W. (estate of), 2. Farnum, Samuel R., 33. Ferris, Gano, 12. Foster, Bradford P., 25. Fleming, Porter, 26. Fisher, A. (estate of), 19. Giberson, -, 12. Gay, Masten, 35. Grover, E. D., 12. Graham, Thomas, 10. Gilbert, Lucius, 35. Gilbert, Philo, 23. Gilbert, J. M., 27. Hughes, Edward, 13. Hughes, William, 13. IIughes, John, 13. Huhes, Christopher, 1, 12. Hughes, William H., 34, 36. Hart, George, 2. Herrington, Win. II., 3. Herrick, Chauncey, 13. Hosmer, Henry, 13. Holtslander, Abram, 14. Hopson, Nathaniel, 19. Hosford, Nevi, 20, 21. Hovey, A., 16. Harrison, Rufus, 31. Johnson, Richard, 10. Johnson, Abraham, 28. Johnson, Edmond, 1. Judge, F., 16. Kenney, Patrick, 36. Kelley, Barney, 29. Lent, Stephen F., 35. McDowell, Lewis, 30. Mann, Wm. H., 12. Maloney, John, 3. Moseman, Charles, 18. Miller, Benjamin, 24. Miles, Nathan M., 32. Olerick, -, 12. Parmington, Aaron, 23. Pierson, William S., 25, 26, 36. Pearson, Benjamin, 36. Perry, John, 36. Pettee, E. N., 36. Pangburn, Wm., 2. Pattee, Joshua, 2. Pettengill, Daniel, 32. Pettengill, Samuel, 32. Payson, Alanson, 28, 29. Russell, Thomas, 12. Reardon, Patrick, 28. Ransom, Benjamin, 31. Root, H. S., 30. Root, Wm. W., 31. Simmons, A. G., 16. Spear, Daniel, 28. Scutt, Truman, 29. Seeley, George, 16. Sackrider,, 4. Stimpson, —, 14. Schofield, George, 3. Sissins, William, 1. Staley, Henry (personal). Thayer, C. W., 31. Tyler, P. II., 4. Wisner, E. G., 24. Wisner, James, 24. Woolfitt, William, 13. Walkley, T. A., 25. Walker, Frederick, 12. Wait, George W., 19. Wright, Sewell, 33. Wright, Alvin, 33. Welch, Russell, 32, 33. Wilson, John, 10. At the township election held in April, 1866, it was voted that $150 be raised to build a town-house, and Hiram S. Root, Frederick Walker, and Rodman W. Albro were appointed the building committee. The site selected was the northwest corner of the west one-half of the northeast quarter of section 22. Walter Maxwell was the builder, and the house was completed in October, 1866. TOWNSHIP OFFICERS FROM 1856 TO 1879, INCLUSIVE.t 1856.-Whole number of votes polled, 85. Ezekiel R. Ewing, Supervisor; Bradford P. Foster, Township Clerk; Samuel R. Farnham, Treasurer; Eli L. Simmons, Juba Barrows, Assessors; Rodman W. Albro, Highway Commissioner; Aaron Parmeter, School Inspector; Frederick t Many of the earliest residents were prominent as officers in Flushing and Genesee, and the reader is referred to the civil lists 'of those townships for information. *; Sometimes spelled Farnum. 316 HISTORY OF GENEgS COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I Walker, William H. Mann, Justices of the Peace; William H. Perrington, Constable. 1857.-Whole number of votes polled, 69. Ezekiel R. Ewing, Supervisor; Oranger Baker, Town Clerk; William B. Albro, Treasurer; Aaron Parineter, Sylvester Beebe, Justices of the Peace; Edmond Hughes, Highway Commissioner; G. L. Ewing, School Inspector; Thomas Gahan, John Donley, Poor-Masters; John Middleton, James Holtslander, James Gahan, Gilbert Travis, Constables. 1858.-Whole number of votes polled, 131. William B. Albro, Supervisor; Daniel Pettengill, Town Clerk; Joseph L. Brockway, School Inspector; Edmund D. Grover, Treasurer; Alanson Payson, Poor-Master; Nathaniel Hopson, Highway Commissioner; Joel L. Deland, Justice of the Peace; Hiram G. Cogswell, James Chase, Elisha T. Mott, John ID. Armstrong, Constables. 1859.-Whole number of votes polled, 143. William B. Albro, Supervisor; Oranger Baker, Township Clerk; Barney Kelley, Treasurer; Job Nichols, Ezekiel R. Ewing, Justices of the Peace; George L. Ewing, School Inspector; Aaron Parmeter, Highway Commissioner; John HIoltslander, Andrew Creery, Poor-Masters; Whitman Dean, Abraham Pierson, James Holtslander, Charles Elder, Constables. 1860.-Whole number of votes polled, 135. William B. Albro, Supervisor; Oranger Baker, Township Clerk; Barney Kelley, Treasurer; Henry Barber, Justice of the Peace; Edward H. Hughes, Highway Commissioner: Charles H. Penoyer, Charles H. Ewing, School Inspectors; Chauncey C. Hodge, John Middleton, James Gahlan, Charles Elder, Constables. 1861.-Whole number of votes polled, 129. Job Nichols, Supervisor; Orrin Soper, Township Clerk; Sylvester Beebe, Justice of the Peace; Charles Elder, Treasurer; James Gahan, Highway Commissioner; Charles H. Ewing, John Donley, School Inspectors; Edward H. Barber, Eli Simmons, Frederick R. Holts, Caleb W. Stevens, Constables. 1862.-Whole number of votes polled, 150. Joseph L. Brockway, Supervisor; Harrison C. Pettengill, Township Clerk; Charles Elder, Treasurer; Joseph L. Brockway, School Inspector; Hiram S. Root, Highway Commissioner; Frederick Walker, Justice of the Peace; Daniel C. Crandall, Walter Wisner, Thomas Barber, Porter Fleming, Constables. 1863.-Whole number of votes polled, 148. Joseph L. Brockway, Supervisor; Silas E. Prior, Township Clerk; Daniel C. Crandall, Treasurer; Darwin B. Foster, Byron G. Baker, School Inspectors; Rowland Carpenter, Highway Commissioner; Phineas H. Tyler, Justice of the Peace; Thomas P. Barber, Henry Nichols, Porter Fleming, John Woolfitt, Constables. 1864.-Whole number of votes polled, 135. Joseph L. Brockway, Supervisor; Harrison H. Pettengill, Township Clerk; Daniel H. Crandall, Treasurer; Charles G. Johnson, School Inspector; William H. Hughes, Justice of the Peace; Edmund D. Grover, Highway Commissioner; Hardin Young, William Cady, Thomas P. Barber, Andrew G. Wilcox, Constables. 1865.-Whole number of votes polled, 140. William B. Albro, Supervisor; William Halston, Township Clerk; Andrew J. Wilcox, Treasurer; Harrison C. Pettengill, School Inspector; Hiram S. Root, Highway Commissioner; Joseph L. Brockway, John Shank, Justices of the Peace; Daniel C. Crandall, James S. Wetherby, Daniel Beckwith, Thomas Barber, Constables. 1866.-Whole number of votes polled, 173. William B. Albro, Supervisor; Rodman W. Albro, Township Clerk; Andrew J. Wilcox, Treasurer; Charles Johnson, School Inspector; Rowland Carpenter, Highway Commissioner; Frederick Walker, Robert L. Johnson, Justices of the Peace; William Cady, Charles Griffith, L. W. Beckwith, Thomas Barber, Constables. 1867.-Whole number of votes polled, 173. Aaron Parmeter, Supervisor; Rodman W. Albro, Township Clerk; Thomas B. Elder, Treasurer; Henry Barber, Justice of the Peace; Gilbert Travis, Highway Commissioner; James Craven, School Inspector; Horace Sharp, M. Beebe, James Gahan, Constables. 1868.-Whole number of votes polled, 243. Aaron Parmeter, Supervisor; Rodman W. Albro, Township Clerk; Thomas B. Elder, Treasurer; Sylvester Beebe, Justice of the Peace; Charles H. Penoyer, School Inspector; William B. Albro, Highway Commissioner; Henry Tolls, R. ID. Pratt, Washington Miller, James Haligan, Constables. 1869.-Whole number of vote3 polled, 234. Andrew M. Felt, Supervisor; Charles Penoyer, Township Clerk; Michael Hughes, Treasurer; William M. Wright, Justice of the Peace; Alfred Walworth, Highway Commissioner; John W. Birdsall, School Inspector; Gold Perry, J. L. Brockway, James Davis, William Cady, Constables. 1870.-Whole number of votes polled, 267. Thomas B. Elder, Supervisor; Michael F. Hughes, Treasurer; Charles H. Pcnoyer, Township Clerk; Peter O'Hare, Justice of the Peace; James Elder, School Inspector; Robert S. Pailthorp, Highway Commissioner; Henry Tolls, John Giberson, James H. Rush, James Haligan, Constables. 1871.-Whole number of votes polled, 247. Thomas B. Elder, Supervisor; James Davis, Township Clerk; Michael F. Hughes, Treasurer; Henry Barber, John Donnelly, Justices of the Peace; Robert L. Johnston, James Craven, School Inspecters; Joseph Davis, Highway Commissioner; Henry Tolls, James H. Rush, James Maloney, Edward L. Baker, Constables. 1872.-Whole number of votes polled, 221. Thomas B. Elder, Supervisor; Rodman W. Albro, Clerk; Michael F. Hughes, Treasurer; James Craven, Sylvester Beebe, Justices of the Peace; Herman L. Pierson, School Inspector; James Davis, Highway Commissioner; Patrick Dolan, Drain Commissioner; Henry Tolls, James Haligan, Harvey C. Downing, Jesse Warren, Constables. 1873.-Whole number of votes polled, 206. Thomas B. Elder, Supervisor; Rodman W. Albro, Clerk; Isaac Gault, Treasurer; Robert L. Johnston, Justice of the Peace; Charles H. Penoyer, School Inspector; George Beckwith, Highway Commissioner; John Donnelly, Drain Commissioner; Henry Tolls, Harvey C. Downing, William Doran, Constables. 1874.-Whole number of votes polled, 266. Thomas B. Elder, Supervisor; Richard H. Hughes, Clerk; Edward MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP. 317 Hughes, Treasurer; Joseph L. Brockway, Justice of the Peace; Thomas Schofield, Highway Commissioner; Stillwell Burroughs, Joseph W. Granger, Richard O'Leary, Harvey C. Downing, Constables. 1875.-Whole number of votes polled, 297. Thomas B. Elder, Supervisor; Richard H. Hughes, Clerk; Edward Hughes, Treasurer; Hiram Green, Justice of the Peace; Walter Johnson, School Inspector; Robert L. Johnston, School Superintendent; Rodman W. Albro, Highway Commissioner; Joseph W. Granger, Henry Tolls, James E. Ruby, Washington L. Miller, Constables. 1876.-Whole number of votes polled, 299. Alfred C. Nichols, Supervisor; John Baker, Clerk; Edward Hughes, Treasurer; William S. Pierson, Jr., Richard Maginn, Justices of the Peace; M. S. Newell, School Inspector; IH. C. Pettengill, School Superintendent; William B. Albro, Highway Commissioner; William Wheeler, Drain Commissioner; Joseph Granger, Thomas Hughes, James Ruby, Barney Kelley, Constables. 1877.-Whole number of votes polled, 310. Richard H. Hughes, Supervisor; Richard Hopson, Clerk; Edward Hughes, Treasurer; Joseph Davis, Justice of the Peace; Richard O'Leary, School Inspector; William W. Root, Highway Commissioner; Barney Kelley, Thomas Hughes, John O'Conner, Thomas Reddy, Constables. 1878.-Whole number of votes polled, 303. Alfred C. Nichols, Supervisor; Patrick W. O'Hare, Clerk; George Monroe, Treasurer; Richard Maginn, Justice of the Peace; Thomas Schofield, Drain Commissioner; Jarvis Albro, School Superintendent; Richard O'Leary, Highway Commissioner; Robert L. Johnston, School Inspector; Barney Kelley, John Perry, William Selby, Harry C. Downing, Constables. 1879.-Whole number of votes polled, 324. M. S. Newell, Supervisor; Patrick W. O'Hare, Clerk; George Monroe, Treasurer; Hiram Green, Justice of the Peace; Charles Johnston, Jarvis E. Albro, School Inspectors; W. W. Root, Highway Commissioner; L. R. Beckwith, N. D. Olmstead, Porter Flemming, W. J. White, Constables. SCHOOLS. The children of those people who first settled on the west side of the Saginaw road attended the first school organized in the Coldwater settlement, and Lewis Buckingham, Esq., claims that the first school in the settlement was taught in his house by Miss Sarah Curtis, sister of Daniel Curtis, as early as the winter of 1835-36,-possibly a year earlier. Some eight or ten scholars attended. Miss Elizabeth Pratt was also an early teacher. In 1836 or 1837 a school district was organized and a log school-house built upon section 31 in Genesee township. Miss Harriet Hoyes was the first teacher in this house. Soon after, another log school-house was built on Moses Camp's farm, situated on section 19, Genesee township, in which, it is claimed, Newton Robinson taught the first school. The Beecher school-house, the first school structure erected in Mount Morris township, was built about the year 1848. In it D. G. Wilder was an early teacher, and perhaps the first. At the first meeting of the school inspectors of Mount Morris township, held April 14, 1855, present Levi De land and George L. Ewing, Miss E. Avery was examined as to her qualifications for teaching, and a certificate granted her for two years from date. On the 28th of the same month, Elizabeth and Lucinda Chase were granted certificates. Charles Ewing, Henry Brockway, and Miss E. Robinson were given teachers' certificates Nov. 3, 1855. Seven school districts were formed in 1855, and their boundaries described as per township records. The whole number of children of school age then residing in the township was 174, and the total amount of public money apportioned, $175.78. The following statistics, from the school inspector's report for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878, show the present condition of schools: Whole districts, 4; fractional districts, 3. Children of school age in township, 379. Whole number of children attending school during the year, 303. Frame school-houses, 7. Seating capacity of school-houses, *9. Value of school property, $2250. Male teachers employed during the year, 3; female teachers, 9. Months taught by males, 12; by females, 40. Paid male teachers, $392; female teachers, $772.90. Receipts.-Total resources for the year, from moneys on hand, Sept. 3, 1877: two-mill tax, primary-school fund, tuition of non-residents, taxes for all purposes, and raised from all other sources, $1986.05. Expendittrtes.-For teachers' wages, building and repairs, and other purposes, $1420.69; amount on hand Sept. 2, 1878, $565.36. VILLAGE OF MOUNT MORRIS. The incorporated village of Mount Morris is situated on the line dividing Genesee and Mount Morris townships, and occupies within its corporate limits the southeast quarter of section 1 and the northeast quarter of section 12 of Mount Morris, the southwest quarter of section 6 and northwest quarter of section 7 in Genesee, or a total area of one square mile. It is pleasantly located, and is a station on the line of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway, seventy-two miles from Detroit and seven miles north of Flint. The local government is vested in a president, six trustees, treasurer, clerk, assessor, street commissioner, and marshal. The village contains three churches,-Methodist Episcopal, Congregationalist, and Catholic,-one grist-mill, one saw-mill, one steam grain-elevator, a fine district-school building, a post-office,-which receives daily mails,-American Express and Western Union telegraph offices, two hotels, four stores of general merchandise, and various small mechanic shops, and minor places of business. The present population is estimated at 700. The first settler in or near the village site was Frederick Walker, who made permanent settlement on the northeast quarter of section 12 in October, 1836. He was also the first postmaster of the village, the office being kept in his dwelling-house. About 1840, William Pailthorp located where Grovner Vinton now resides. Carlos Seeley also came here about the same time. However, there was nothing to indicate this as a village, or as the place for one, until the projection of the Flint and Pbre Marquette Railway, in January, 1857. 318 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIIGAN. After the line had been surveyed and active operations commenced in 1858, quite a number of families settled upon the site of the village in prospective. But it was not until the arrival of the first locomotive in January, 1862, that the settlement took on the true aspects of a village. As much difference of opinion exists among Mount Morris people as to the time the road was first opened fiom their village northward, we insert the following from the Wolverine Citizen, of Saturday, Jan. 25, 1862: "The Flint and PNre Marquette Railway was regularly opened for passengers and freight-traffic in connection with Boss, Burrell & Co.'s line of stage-coaches on Monday last. The railway is now completed from East Saginaw as far as Mount Morris station, within six miles of Flint. The company has iron on hand to continue the track to Flint as soon as the season opens." Five years later, or in 1867, an act incorporating the village passed the State legislative body, then in session. Pursuant to this act, the legal voters within the territory so incorporated assembled at the hotel of Wright Douglass on the second Tuesday in April, 1867. By a viva voce vote, Frederick Walker and Edmund D. Hurd were chosen inspectors of the election, and Dexter Douglass clerk. The whole number of votes polled was 57, and the officers elected as follows: AWm. J. Adderley, President; Adna Lewis, William Berry, Edmund D. Hurd, Andrew Costello, Wright Douglass, Michael Hughes, Trustees; Enos Palmer, William Deal, Assessors; Henry A. Tibbetts, Marshal; Edward Hughes, Treasurer; Dexter Douglass, Clerk; James Murray, Charles Kelley, Enoch Streeter, Street Commissioners; Joseph Barber, PoundMaster. Among the first acts of the village fathers was the purchase of a piece of land from Mr. Look for the construction of a village pound. The job of building the same was awarded to John Mason for the sum of $43.75. They also resolved "to lay a sidewalk from the church to the burying-ground, to be laid on the south side of the street, said walk to be four feet wide, of four parallel planks one foot wide." The following is a list of the officers of the village from 1868 to 1879, inclusive: 1868.-Whole number of votes polled, 85. William J. Adderley, President; Wright Douglass, Michael H. Hughes, Andrew Costello, Edmund D. Hurd, Hosea Pratt, William Berry, Trustees; William M. Wright, James B. Murray, Assessors; Edward Hughes, Treasurer; Dexter Douglass, Chester Wadsworth, Street Commissioners; Henry A. Tibbetts, Marshal; Franklin A. Wright, Pound-Master. 1869.-Whole number of votes polled, 66. Edmund D. Hurd, President; Frederick Walker, Enos Palmer, Charles Kelley, Edwin W. Gilbert, Adna Lewis, Edwin F. Lamb, Trustees; Darius Smith, Waterman S. Fuller, Assessors; Frank A. Wright, Treasurer; Charles W. Grover, Street Commissioner; Henry A. Tibbetts, Marshal; John A. Edwards, Pound-Master. 1870.-Whole number of votes polled, 102. Edward Hughes, President; Edward Rogers, Wesley J. Martin, Hiram Bardwell, William Birdsall, Franklin J. Bonney, Andrew Costello, Trustees; James B. Murray, Charles A. Kelley, Assessors; Albert K. Hunton, Treasurer; William O'Sullivan, Clerk; Charles W. Grover, Street Commissioner; Daniel C. Crandall, Marshal; Frank Booth, PoundMaster. 1871.-Whole number of votes polled, 80. Frederick Walker, President; Henry A. Tibbetts, Hiram H. Bardwell, Edward Hughes, Lewis S. Adams, Austin Herrick, William J. White, Trustees; Michael H. Hughes, William Wright, Assessors; Andrew Costello, Treasurer; Edmund D. Hurd, Street Commissioner; Edward Cox, Marshal; Frank Booth, Pound-Master. 1872.-Whole number of votes polled, 78. William Giberson, President; John S. Elwell, Nicholas Cashin, Darius E. Smith, Trustees; Albert K. Hunter, Assessor; Andrew Costello, Treasurer; William Sullivan, Clerk; John Giberson, Street Commissioner; James B. Murray, Marshal; Frank Booth, Pound-Master. 1873.-Whole number of votes polled, 88. James B. Murray, President; William Hughes, William J. Adderley, Brooks Serven, Trustees; Edwin Mann, William Owens, Assessors; Andrew Costello, Treasurer; Alanson Burr, Street Commissioner; Joseph Granger, Marshal; Hiram N. Bardwell, Pound-Master. 1874.-No record. 1875.-Whole number of votes polled, 91. Thomas S. Read, President; Enos Palmer, Chauncey W. Chandler, William J. Adderley, Trustees; William M. Wright, Martin Mills, Assessors; Andrew Costello, Treasurer; David Babcodk, Street Commissioner; Lewis S. Adams, Marshal; William Giberson, Pound-Master. 1876.-Whole number of votes polled, 117. Hiram H. Bardwell, President; Dexter Douglass, Alanson Burr, Grovner Vinton, Trustees; Edward S. Johnson, John R. Bensen, Assessors; Andrew Costello, Treasurer; William Sullivan, Clerk; Martin Mills, Street Commissioner; Walter Palmeter, Marshal; Sanford Schoolcraft, Pound-Master. The village was reincorporated in March, 1877, subject to and under the provisions of the general act approved April 1, 1875. The first election of village officers under this act was held at the engine house, on Monday, March 19, 1877, with the following result: 1877.-Whole number of votes polled, 104. Hiram H. Bardwell, President; Edmund D. Hurd, Enos Golden, Edmund S. Johnson, Frederick Walker, Darius E. Smith, Dexter Douglass, Trustees; Albert L. Adams, Clerk; Horace G. Mann, Treasurer; Peter Close, Street Commissioner; John R. Benson, Assessor; John A. Edwards, Constable. 1878.-Whole number of votes polled, 114. Thomas S. Reed, President; Peter Close, Nicholas Cashin, William Berry, Trustees; Albert L. Adams, Clerk; Horace G. Mann, Treasurer; Harvey S. Warner, Assessor; Oscar Severn, Street Commissioner; Joseph W. Granger, Constable. 1879.-Whole number of votes polled, 109. Darius E. Smith, President; Enos Palmer, Hiram H. Bardwell, Brooks Serven, Trustees; Edwin F. Lamb, Clerk; Edward Hughes, Treasurer; Daniel E. Adams, Street Commissioner; Otis E. Snyder, Assessor; Joseph W. Granger, Constable. MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP. 319 FIRE DEPARTMENT. The first fire company was formed in 1869, with about 15 members, - Slack, foreman. Its apparatus consisted of two dozen fire-buckets, a force-pump, and one hundred feet of one-and-a-half-inch hose. The fire-engine possessed by the village at the present time was manufactured by Cowens' & Co., Seneca Falls, N. Y., and purchased through Forsyth, White & Co., of Flint, in January, 1871, at a cost of $650. A hose-cart costing $50 was manufactured in the village. The fire-apparatus at present in possession of the village authorities is valued at $1200. An engine-house, two stories in height, was constructed in 1871, mainly with money contributed by the citizens. The village has been visited by two disastrous conflagrations. The first, in 1871, destroyed five buildings; the second, which occurred one year later, was not stayed until fifteen buildings were in ashes. POSTMASTERS. Frederick Walker was the first postmaster, and, as before mentioned, kept the office at his house. He was succeeded by William Giberson, who kept the same at his store. The third was Henry A. Tibbetts, the fourth Edwin W. Gilbert, who was succeeded in 1871 by Edwin F. Lamb, the present incumbent. PROFESSIONAL. The legal fraternity is represented by Daniel E. Adams, the medical by Drs. Hiram H. Bardwell and Thomas S. Reed. At an early day the people of Mount Morris township were attended by Dr. John A. Hoyes, of Flint, and Dr. Fish, of Genesee. SECRET BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATIONS. UNION LODGE, NO. 213, T. O.. F., in the village of Mount Morris, was instituted with seven charter members by Deputy Grand Master G. S. Curtis, Aug. 21, 1873. The first officers were Carlos J. Greene, N.G.; Edgar J. Wait, V. G.; Albert L. Adams, Rec. Sec.; Alanson Burr, Treas. The following embraces the names and terms of office of the Noble Grands from date of organization to the present time: Edgar J. Wait, from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1874; Albert L. Adams, from July 1 to Dec. 31, 1874; William D. Bird, from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1875; Walter K. Parmeter, from July 1 to Dec. 31,1875; Frank C. Hazen, from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1876; Walter K. Parmeter, from July 1 to Dee. 31, 1876; Carlos J. Greene, from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1877; Albert E. Owens, from July 1 to Dec. 31, 1877; Wellington F. Stephens, from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1878; Albert L. Adams, from July 1 to Dec. 31, 1878; William Owens, from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1879. - Other present officers are William 0. Boughton, V. G.; Edwin F. Lamb, Sec.; Wellington F. Stephens, Treas. The lodge meets every Saturday evening, in Odd-Fellows' Hall, Mount Morris village. MOUNT MORRIS LODGE, NO. 1383, KNIGHTS OF HONOR, was organized with twenty-six charter members by E. Newkirk, Deputy Grand Dictator of the State of Michigan, Jan. 27, 1879. The first and present board of officers were Hiram H. Bardwell, Dictator; William J. White, ViceDictator; John A. Ohapell, Assistant Dictator; Dexter Douglass, Reporter; Edwin F. Lamb, Fin. Reporter; Enos Golden, Treas.; Rev. L. S. Tedman, Chaplain; Carlos J. Greene, Guide; Lawson L. T. Smedley, Guardian; Sanford Schooleraft, Sentinel; William 0. Boughton, Past Dictator. Meetings are held in their lodge-rooms in Mount Morris village on the second and fourth Wednesday evenings of each month. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. The earliest religious association which included residents of this township was formed in the " Coldwater settlement," on the Saginaw road, in 1834. Among the prominent Mount Morris members were John Pratt and Charles N. Beecher. The society were Presbyterians, yet it is said they were liberal enough to denominate as members those who assisted to pay the minister. A house of worship was built on lands owned by Daniel Curtis, and completed in 1836. Soon after, Elder Cobb became the pastor, and was to receive as salary $400 per year, and the use of a parsonage. The church edifice was used for religious purposes for a period of twenty years. It was then sold, removed some fifty rods north of its original site, and is now occupied as a dwelling by Orrin Firman. For further particulars concerning the history of this society, the reader is referred to Genesee township historical sketches. THE FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF GENESEE. This was the second church formed in the old town of Genesee, the class dating back to about 1837, and consisting originally of Richard, Elizabeth, and Mary Johnson, Benjamin F. and Clarissa Robinson. B. F. Robinson was the class-leader, and Richard Johnson was the steward. The first meetings were held at Mr. R. Johnson's house, and the preaching was done by a minister named Whitney, who occupied the position in connection with Rev. William Brockway, a missionary. Until 1848 the class formed an appointment on the Flint circuit, but at that time it was set off and Mount Morris circuit was organized. The same ministers who preached in Flint also preached here until that time. The pastors since that time have been Revs. Andrew Bell, 1848; Samuel P. Lee, John Whitmore, Thomas Wakelin, D. S. Freeman, - Hollenbeck, Lewis Mitchell, Rufus H. Crane, Giles Belknap, M. S. Leet, William Blades, 1864; William Birdsall, 1865-67; John Wesley, 1868; W. Hagedorn, 1869; John Hamilton, 1870-72; C. W. Austin, 1873; R. C. Lanning, 1874-75; J. B. Goss, 1876-77; L. S. Tedman, 1878. The church was built in 1840, while Rev. S. P. Lee was preacher in charge on the Flint circuit. The presiding elder, Rev. George Bradley, took an active part in the work of raising the money to build it. A church site was donated by Frederick Walker. It contained one-half acreon the northeast corner of section 12, in the town of Mount Morris. The work was done under contract by Ezra G. Wisner, and was completed so that the dedication occurredin the early summer of 1841, Rev. George Bradley deliv 320 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I ering the dedicatory sermon on that occasion. The cost of the building was about $1000. In 1865-66 it was moved to its present location on the site of one-half acre purchased of Mrs. Fairbanks. At that time an addition of 12 feet was built on the front, giving the building at present a seating capacity of about 200. The first parsonage was built in 1853, on a lot donated by Seeley and Imrie, the title to revert to them when it should cease to be used for church purposes. It cost about $500, and was sold in the fall of 1869 to Robert Ferguson. In the fall of 1870 the present parsonage and lot were purchased of William Birdsall, and when finished the cost amounted to about $1000. The first trustees of the church were Richard Johnson, John Inrie, Frederick Walker, and Benjamin F. Robinson. The present board of officers is composed as follows: William Owen, E. S. Johnson, Class-leaders; Austin Herrick, George Hart, William Johnson, Stewards; William Johnson, Charles Johnson, George Hart, James Craven, Austin Herrick, Trustees. The Mount Morris circuit includes three appointments, the two others being known respectively as the Mount Morris Centre class and the Southwest Vienna class. The membership is divided among the three churches as follows: Mount Morris, 100; Mount Morris Centre, 20; Southwest Vienna, 65. William Morrish is the leader of the class at the centre, and James Halliday of the Vienna class. The Sabbath-school was organized many years ago, with John Imrie as superintendent. The present membership is about 177, of which number 21 are officers and teachers. The officers are as follows: E. S. Johnson, Superintendent; Roswell C. Burroughs, Assistant Superintendent; Charles Johnson, Secretary; William Woolfitt, Treasurer; Shepard Bliss, Librarian; Daniel Mann, Assistant Librarian; Austin Herrick, Chorister; Carrie Tedman, Organist. The library consists of about 150 volumes. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF MOUNT MORRIS. In 1868 there were 30 Catholic families living in this vicinity, who desired to form themselves into a church and build up an edifice in which they could enjoy the privileges of their religion. Christopher Hughes was the leader in the enterprise, and gave six acres of ground in addition to a money subscription to found the church. This land was equally divided, three acres being for the church and parsonage ground and three for a burial-ground. William Adderley, Stephen R. Hughes, John Hughes, Stephen Hughes, Jr., Christopher Daly, James Gahan, Michael H. Hughes, Edward Hughes, Nicholas Cashin, John Benson, Robert Ferguson, Frank O'Hare, and others also contributed towards this object, and sufficient money was speedily raised to enable the building committee-consisting of Stephen R. Hughes, Christopher Hughes, Edward Hughes, William Adderley, John Hughes, James Gahan, and Peter O'Hare-to commence work on the church. It was completed that summer, at a cost of about $2700, and was ded icated in September by Rev. Charles L. Deceuninck. The parsonage was built in 1870, costing, with furniture, about $1600. The pastors of the church have been Revs. M. Canters, G. V. Girard, and E. M. Dekiere, the last named being the present one. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AT MOUNT MORRIS. This church was organizAd by Rev. Mr. Lucas in 1869. He came here to live, and, thinking the chances good for building up a society, undertook the task. At first there were only nine members, among them being Mrs. Sarah H. Fairbank, Mr. and Mrs. E. 0. Taylor, and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wright. Frank Wright was the first deacon, and E. O. Taylor was the second one chosen. Mrs. S. H. Fairbank gave a church lot, and in 1870 the church was built, at a cost of $1000. It was dedicated by a minister from Flint in the fall of the year named. The church gradually died out, several of its members moving away, and after the removal of Mr. Lucas no active church organization was kept up. In the society, however, it was perpetuated by the election of trustees to hold the property. March 25, 1879, the following board of trustees was chosen, viz.: 0. E. Snyder, James Craven, Alanson Curtis, William Ellis, Darius E. Smith, and M. C. Hoyt. The pastors of the church were Rev. Mr. Lucas, Rev. Mr. Borden, and Rev. J. C. Thompson. At present Rev. J. P. Sanderson is preaching once in two weeks. The Sabbath-school connected with this church was first under the superintendence of E. O. Taylor, and flourished for a time, once reaching a membership of 40 scholars. It was kept up until about the time that Rev. Mr. Lucas went away. CEMETERY. THE MOUNT MORRIS CEMETERY ASSOCIATION was incorporated Feb. 16, 1878, and organized by the election of the following officers: Grovner Vinton, President; William Johnson, Vice-President; Roswell C. Burroughs, Secretary; George Hart, Treasurer; Rodman W. Albro, Charles Johnson, and James Craven, Directors. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. RICHARD JOHNSON. Richard Johnson, one of the pioneers of Mount Morris, was born in Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, Sept. 26, 1797. He was a laborer, and in 1835 came to this country and settled in Oakland County. After a two years' residence at the latter place he removed to Mount Morris, and settled on the farm now owned by his son Charles, where he lived until his death, which occurred in June, 1861. Mr. Johnson was married in May, 1821, to Elizabeth Sessions, of his native town, by whom he had nine chi'dren, seven of whom were born in England. Charles, the youngest, was born on the old homestead, Jan. 8, 1830; Nov. 21, 1867, he was married to Caroline Woolfitt, daugh ter of John Woolfitt, Esq., of Genesee, one of the pioneers of that town. The elder Johnson was an industrious and successful farmer, a worthy citizen, and his name is prominently identified with the early history of Mount Morris. ANSI'( '4 qhz Li] L~i LLJ,tC,, I" GENESE E. THE township called Genesee received its name fiom the pioneers, many of whom came from the " Genesee Country" in Western New York, and a goodly number of them from Genesee County. It was but natural that they should desire to perpetuate the name of that fair country, whose fertile soil and lovely scenery had already made it famous throughout the country as a sort of modern Arcadia, where to dwell was to enjoy the best things of life,-not alone in a material, but also in an aesthetic sense. And it was also fitting that this township, having so large an area of the beautiful oak or timbered openings, thus resembling in its primitive form that pleasant land, should also bear its name. Genesee is known in the minutes of the surveys as township 8 north, range 7 east, contains an area of about 22,614 acres, is centrally distant from Flint, the county-seat, six miles, and adjoins the towns of Thetford on the north, Richfield on the east, Burton on the south, and Mount Morris on the west. Its surface is comparatively level, though it might properly be called lightly rolling in some parts, principally on the south and east side of the river. About onefourth of the surface was originally covered with pine, the pinery generally following the course of the river and lying principally on its south bank. The soil of the pine-land was of a light, sandy nature. Tie rest of the town was timbered with hard-wood, white-oak predominating, and in the southwest part there was considerable timbered opening. The soil in the parts of the town free from pine is of a fine quality, and composed of a rich clayey loam, mixed with some gravel and sand. The town is well watered. Flint River, the principal water-course, enters from Richfield, near the southeast corner of section 12, and pursues a somewhat tortuous course through the town in a general southwest direction, passing through some parts of sections 12, 13, 11, 10, 15, 16, 21, 28, 29, and 32, at the southwest corner of which it crosses the line in the town of Burton. Its course is crooked and its current generally sluggish. Near the southwest corner of section 11 it is more rapid, and furnishes a very good water-power, which has been utilized for many years. The stream second in importance is Kearsley Creek, which enters from Burton at the southwest corner of section 35, crosses sections 34, 33, and 32 till it reaches Flint River, into which it discharges its waters a little south and west of the centre of the latter section. The stream is more rapid, and furnishes two mill-seats,-one on section 32, and one on section 34. The third stream is Butternut Creek, coming from the north, draining portions of the towns of Forest and Thetford. It enters near the northeast corner of section 1, crosses it in a southerly direction, flows across the corner of 41 section 12, turns to the west, and crosses section 11 till it joins the Flint River, a little distance east of Geneseeville. Stanley Creek, Bray Brook, and a half-dozen or more lesser streams are tributaries of Flint River. The town has eleven and one-half miles of railroad. The main line of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway crosses sections 31, 30, 19, 18, and 7 in a north and northwest course, and the Flint River Division, leaving the main line at the junction near the cast quarter-stake of section 19, running northeasterly, crosses sections 20, 16, 15, 10, 11, 12, and 1. Near the east quarter-stake of section 1 it crosses the line into Richfield. The stations in this town are Mount Morris on the main line, and Geneseeville on the branch. Trains on the branch also stop at the junction and Rogersville, where there is another station on the town-line between Genesee and Richfield. SETTLEMENT. The first settlement in this town was begun in the summer of 1833. Regarding the identity of the first settler there are conflicting statements which render the historian's task somewhat unpleasant and emphatically a thankless one, since, let the case be decided which way it may, there will be dissent and dissatisfaction. In this case, therefore, it seems to be best to give a brief statement of the facts as presented by the different sides, and let the reader judge for himself as to the real truth of the matter. The honor is claimed for two persons, Luman Beach and Addison Stewart. It is conceded that Mr. Stewart did not settle in the town until the 1st of August, while it is claimed by some that Beach was residing on his land as early as May or June. Mrs. Stewart, who is still living in Flint, is positive that she was the first white woman to live along the Saginaw trail north of Flint, while Mr. Lewis Buckingham and wife and Mr. Isaac N. Robinson believe Beach and his family to have been the first. The question of priority in point of time does not involve any great difference, as will be seen. To still more complicate the matter, the records show that, while Stewart entered his land in June, the land on which Beach settled was not purchased from the government until the 28th of September. With this brief statement we will proceed to relate the history of the settlement. There were residing in the town of Mount Morris, in Livingston Co., N. Y., four young men, who were, as young men are generally supposed to be, anxious to improve their circumstances. Their names were Lewis Buckingham, Isaac N. Robinson, John Pratt, and Richard Marvin. They consulted together, and finally came to the conclusion that there was no opportunity offered for them to better their fortunes that promised better than that of coming to the West to 321 322f HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. purchase farms of the government and assist in the developmnent of the wilderness. Having come to the conclusion, they at once set about carrying their resolution into practice, and, procuring a team and wagon, started on their journey. They intended to go to Chicago and settle on some of the fertile prairie lands of Illinois. Reaching a friend's residence in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., they stopped a few days, then proceeded to Cleveland, where they took passage for Detroit on a boat that was just starting up the lake. From Detroit they came to Pontiac to see Elisha Beach, a step-brothcr of Mr. Buckingham, and were induced by him to visit the country about Flint, where he owned some land. He left his store in Pontiac in charge of some one else, and himself piloted the party along, the Saginaw turnpike to Flint, where they arrived on the evening of the 1st of May, and sought accommodations at John Todd's, tavern. There they met Benjamin Pearson, who had just returned from a trip to the north in search of land. He, being from Avon, in the same county of L~ivingston, was interested in having, these men for his neighlbors, and told themr that in the morningc hle would take them to look at some of the nicest land they had ever seen. The morning of the 2d of May dawned bright and clear. The party left Todd's inn about nine o'eloek, and, after a few hours' pleasant travel, arrived at the place where Pearson had located his land. The scene was beautiful in the extreme, and captivated the, hearts of the emigrants at once. The timbered openings in which they were, were dressed out in their freshest and most attractive garb, and they feasted their eyes with the beauty of Nature, while they satisfied their hunigry stomachs with the substantial lunch they had brought with them. After finishing their repast each one set about getting a description of the land lie wished to enter, and then all returned to Flint. The next morning they started for Detroit, and on the following day entered land as follows: Benjamin Pearson entered the south half of section 25 and the east half of the northeast quarter of section 36, in township 8 north, range 6 east (the present town of Mount Morris), and the south half of section 30 and the west part of the northwest fractional quarter of section 31 in this town. Lewis Buckiagham entered the west part of the northwest fractional quarter, the northeast quarter of the northwest fractional quarter, and the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 30 in this town. Isaac N. Robinson entered the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter, the west part of the southwest fractional quarter, and the southeast quarter of the,southwest fractional quarter of section 19 in this town. John Pratt entered the east half of the southeast quarter of section 24 and the east half of the northeast quarter of section 2 5 in the present town of Mount Morr-is. Richard Marvin alone of all the party did not take up any of the land. The little band of pioneers returned to Flint, and remained there various lengths of time before returning to the East. Mr. Robinson was the first one to return, being recalled by the dangerous sickness of his wife, and Lewis Buckingham was the last, arriving home at Mount Morris about the 20th of June. Before they returned East they assisted Luman Beach to build a log house on section 30. It was about 22 by 24 feet square, with 15-foot sides. The boards for floors, gables, etc., were procured at the Thread River saw-mill, then being run by George Oliver. Into this house Luman Beach, with his wife and one child (a daughter), is supposed to have moved in 'May or June, 1833. In the month of August or early in September, John Pratt and Benjamin Pearson returned from the East with their families, and moved on to their farms in the present town of Mount Morris. September 29th, Lewis Buckingham and Isaac N. Robinson arrived. Pearson had then got to living in a log house he had built, and Pratt was living with Beach. Pratt had a house under way, and Buckingham had a house (put up during his absence) without doors or windows. For two days and nights the four families were domiciled in Beach's house, the men finding sleeping apartments in the. unfinished house belonging to Mr. Pratt. At the expiration of that time Buckingham and Robinson moved into the former's house, and the latter began work on a house of his own, which had progressed sufficiently in two weeks to allow of his moving his family into it. In the time intervening between Beach's settlement and the return of the Mount Morris people from the East, Addison Stewart had entered the west part of the southwest fractional quarter of section 31, and about the 1st of August moved into a small board cabin or shanty he had erected there. He lived in it while he was building a more substantial and comfortable log house for a winter residence, which he moved into about the 1st of November. That same season Asahel Beach, Luther and Alanson Dickinson, and a Mr. Ballard had also come on from the East and joined the settlement along the Saginaw road. They were all on the west side of the road, in the present town of Mount Morris, and their houses were built by Mr. Stewart, who contracted to build four houses for $400. The settlement, thus begun, grew a little from time to time, and the settlers were all people of exemplary habits and irreproachable character. In the matter of the use of intoxicating drinks they all took a very advanced ground for the times: they were all total abstainers. This abstinence not only gave to the settlement the name of " The Coldwater Settlement," but it also left the system strong and healthy to resist the attacks of the malarial diseases so prevalent at that time. Good health gave them good appetites, and their less abstemious and more afflicted neighbors conferred on the settlement the name of " Hungry Hill." During the time that intervened between the arrival of the emigrants and the spring of 1834, work was pushed in the clearings, and the mighty monarchs of the forest were laid low by the sturdy blows of the settlers' axes, wielded by arms whose sinews were toughened by constant exercise and strengthened by the thoughts of future competence and comfort. When the spring opened, small fields of corn, potatoes, and oats were planted and sowed, and garden vegetables were planted by all of the pioneers. No wheat was sown, however, until the fall of 1834, when several small fields were sown, Mr. Buckingham putting in about five acres. This crop, harvested in the summer of 1835, was a good one for the times, considering the state of the soil and the:/ MRS.W. S. PIERSON. W. S. PfErRSON. WILLIAM S. PIERSON. The name of Pierson, though worn with becoming modesty by the present generation, is one that traces its ancestry back for nearly two and a half centuries, where we find the family in Yorkshire, England. In the mother-country their surroundings were such as to endear them to the associations of their native country; but in the large family circle were some ambitious spirits who desired to explore the wilds of the western world, and, in 1639, Rev. Abram Pierson came as the pioneer of the family, and forty years after died in Newark, N. J. Later came a second Rev. Abram Pierson, who settled in Connecticut, and was a man of scholarly attainments. To him belongs the proud distinction of having been the first president of Yale College. For a period of years the family continued to reside in Connecticut until later generations left New England and located in the Middle and Western States. The branch of the family whose biography is embraced in this brief sketch are descendants of the Yorkshire stock, though it is not our purpose to trace them in the direct line of descent for want of space. William S. was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Pierson, and was born April 21, 1806, in Hartford, Ontario Cot, N. Y. He came from Livingston Co., N. Y., in 1839, and purchased six hundred acres of land in Genesee township, Genesee Co., Mich., desiring to make of it a home farm, though he had other land in the county. Having permanently established himself, he returned the following year and brought his family to their Western home. The large tract of land Mr. Pierson purchased required much labor and judgment to cultivate successfully, and he devoted himself exclusively to the pursuits of a farmer. He was never ambitious for political honors, and accepted few offices, desiring rather to lead a quiet life. He enjoyed an enviable reputation as a neighbor and citizen, and his opinions were held in esteem not less for the sound judgment than for the fairness which inspired them. After a long life of industry he died, April 14, 1878, aged seventy-two years, having been twice married; first to Fanny M. Arthur, Oct. 12, 1829, and second to Fanny Ladd, Dec. 2, 1834. By the first marriage he had one child, and by the second six. His son, Herman L., is one of the proprietors of the thread-mills in Flint. Mrs. Fanny Ladd Pierson, the secondwife of William S., whose portrait accompanies this sketch, was marrie(l in Avon, N. Y., and resided during the greater portion of her life in Michigan. She was a native of the Green Mountain State, and removed very early in life to Livingston Co., N. Y. Her death occurred Oct. 15, 1876, in Genesee township. %I7 -je GENESEE TOWNSHIP. 323 facilities for cultivating it, the yield averaging about 25 bushels to the acre. From this beginning the settlement extended to other parts of the town, and in the space of seven years, or previous to 1840, settlements had been begun in many places. We have not the space to spare to enable us to give a detailed personal sketch of all of the pioneers, but we will give a brief mention of the individual history of these first and consequently most prominent ones, tracing their subsequent lives. Lewis Buckingham remained on his place three years. In the fall of 1836 he was elected sheriff of the county, and in February, 1837, removed to Flint. After serving four years in that office, he purchased a farm in the town of Flint, and moved on to it and remained until he was again chosen to the office of sheriff, in 1858, when he moved to the city of Flint, where he still resides. His wife is also still living, and looks back upon the experiences of their pioneer days with pleasure and satisfaction. Luman Beach remained a resident of Genesee for several years, then removed to Wisconsin, where both he and his wife died,-he in 1870, and she some time previous. Isaac N. Robinson was a native of Schoharie Co., N. Y., his family being fiom Connecticut. His childhood and youth were spent in Greene County. From there he went to Genesee County, where he met, wooed, won, and married Eliza Buckingham, in the year 1837. Miss Buckingham was a sister of Lewis Buckingham. In 1833 he came to Michigan, as has been related. Ile lost his wife in 1839, was subsequently married again, and in 1855 removed from his farm to his present home in the city of Flint. He came of a good family,-genuine Puritan stock,-and boasts some illustrious relatives, Hon. Lucius Robinson, the present Governor of the Empire State, being his nephew. He has always been prominent in religious circles, laboring with all his powers to promote the interests of his Master's kingdom. Addison Stewart was born in Truxton, Cortland Co., N. Y. Educated for a teacher, he came West to Genesee Co., N. Y., in search of employment. He there met Miss Lucy Tilden, and a mutual attachment sprang up between them, which led to their marriage on the 22d of April, 1833, he being then twenty-one and she twenty years of age. They immediately started on a bridal-tour to the wilds of Michigan, traveling in a covered lumber-wagon to Buffalo, where they took boat for Detroit, it being the first boat up the lake that season. Reaching Detroit, they learned that the cholera was raging there; so that, stopping only to get dinner, they at once started on and came to Grand Blanc, where they remained over the Sabbath at the house of a friend, Judge Riggs. They then came on to Flint, and about the 1st of August moved on to their farm. They lived on this place until 1843, when they moved to Flint, where Mr. Stewart died on the 8th of March, 1848. Mrs. Stewart is still residing there. Norman and Francis Cone, from East Haddam, Middle sex Co., Conn., settled in this town on section 20, in June, 1835. Norman Cone made the journey from Connecticut on foot, following the canal through the State of New York, and bought his land. He then returned to Connecticut, I was married, and in June became a permanent settler on the farm he is now residing on. The Stanley settlement, deriving its name from Sherman Stanley, the most prominent settler there, was begun in 1835. It is located at the corners of sections 8, 9,16, and 17. In the summer of 1835, Mr. Stanley left his former home in Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., and came to Michigan in search of land. During the month of May he entered 640 acres of land on sections 3, 8, and 9. He then returned to New York, and in the early part of September started with his wife and five children, and in company with Albert T. Stevens, with his wife and two children. Stanley gave Stevens the description of some land which he thought was desirable, and, while passing through Detroit, he entered 40 acres, it being the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 17. They arrived in this town Sept. 17, 1835, and both families moved into a vacant house belonging to Luman Beach, which stood on section 17, and lived there nearly a month, while they were building their houses. Stanley's house stood about one hundred rods east of the southwest corner of section 9, and Stevens' on the site of his present residence, near the northeast corner of section 17. About the 1st of October, Cyrenus Lake, with his wife and five children, came and settled on section 9, adjoining Stanley on the east. A month later Joseph Simons, with his mother, two sisters, and three brothers, settled on section 17, west of Stevens. During the winter of 1835-36, Stanley cleared about ten acres of ground and Stevens about five acres. Lake did not clear much, as he, being a carpenter, had plenty of work at his trade, building several barns in the Coldwater settlement, and Simons, being a poor man, did no clearing, because he was obliged to work out by the day to get provisions to support the family, which was entirely dependent upon him. In the spring of 1836, Stanley and Stevens each sowed a piece of spring wheat, harrowing it into the ground without any plowing being done. The yield was only about ten bushels to the acre, but was quite a help towards provisioning the families. Ezra Stevens, father of Albert T., with his wife and son Ralsa W., his son Weed H., with his wife, one son, and one daughter, and his son William, with his wife and two sons, came from Caroline, Tompkins Co., N. Y., in May, 1837, and settled in Genesee, Weed H. on section 8 and the others on section 9. Peter Snyder and Henry D. Hunt settled on section 8 in 1838, and Charles R. Cooley and an Irishman named Patrick Daly on section 18. These families constituted the Stanley settlement. All except Daly and Cooley and the three Stevenses were from Mount Morris, N. Y. Daly was from Ireland, and Cooley from Wayne County, N. Y. During the first few years the settlers were all more or less dependent upon outside sources for a considerable portion of their provisions, and suffered, as all pioneers, in a timbered country, especially, are called upon to do, many hardships and privations. Most of the settlers brought iron plows with them,-generally the Livingston County plow, 324 HEII STORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. which was quite a favorite,-but Mr. Lake manufactured for his own use a wooden plow, which served during one or two seasons. Sherman Stanley was a very thorough, energetic farmer, a man of the strictest integrity, and a conscientious member of the Baptist Church. His life in Genesee was a long and useful one, and enabled him to witness many and great changes in this part of the country. He died about eighteen or nineteen years ago, at the age of sixty-five years and five months. His wife, who died about one and a half years before, also lived to the same age. Cyrenus Lake's wife died in 1841, and, soon after, he moved to Grand Rapids, where he died of brain-fever, in 1846. Joseph Simons subsequently married Miss Eunice Damon, of Mount Morris, who was then living with her cousin, Henry D. Hunt. They are still residents of the town. Charles R. Cooley died in this town about the year I Charles D acres each on Ira D. Wri each on sectio Lewis Baci 1833, 137 ac: on section 5; Albert It. i 80 acres on se 40 acres on se Benjamin 1833, 299 ac June 23, 183 55 acres on s, acres on sectic 6, 80 acres on 862 acres. David Thor 40 acres on I 1853. acres on sectic Of the Stevenses, Ezra died in 1848; Abigail, his wife, and 80 acres c in 1841; Ralsa W., in October, 1875. William remained tion 21; total here only four weeks, and then removed to Ohio. He died Allen Peck in New London, Huron Co., Ohio, in 1876. Weed H. ferson Co., N. and Albert T. are still residents of this town. To the and 160 acres last named we are indebted for much of the information Russel S. contained in this sketch. 1835, 160 acr John Woolfitt, a native of that country on whose do- section 8; tot minions the sun never sets, settled on section 19 in 1835 James A. 1 or 1836. Benjamin F. Robinson also settled on the same 1836, 80 acre: section in the latter year. total, 125 acre These are not, by any means, all of the first settlers. Martha Be The following list, prepared from the tract-book on file on section 10, in the register's office, shows the names of some others. Lott Clark It is, however, intended to show the names of all who York, Feb. 13 entered land from the government. The names of those section 11,161 who are known to have actually settled here are printed in and 80 acres italics. The list shows the names, residences, dates of section 11, 79 entry, number of acres entered, and the number of the and 90 acres c sections on which it was located. We first give a list of John Cliffo those who entered land on more than one section: 68 acres on s Thomas L. L. Brent, of the State of Virginia, March 16, acres on sectic 1836, 259 acres on section 1, 255 acres on section 2, 240 15; March 17 acres on section 13, 320 acres on section 14, 94 acres on Thomas R. section 15, 120 acres on section 21, 320 acres on section 160 acres on s 22, 120 acres on section 27, and 40 acres on section 28; on section 33, total, 1768 acres. Henry Dwi Ira Davenport, of Steuben Co., N. Y., May 25, 1836, 50 acres on se 80 acres on section 1, 80 acres on section 2, 351 acres on 70 acres. section 3, 96 acres on section 4, 80 acres on section 6, 161 Hiram Lyo acres on section 11,160 acres on section 14, and 160 acres acres on sectiol on section 35; total, 1168 acres. acres. Frederick St. John, of New York City, June 2, 1836, 80 Moses Caml acres on section 9; June 9th, 95 acres on section 2, 80 acres 80 acres on se on section 4, 349 acres on section 5, and 160 acres on sec- 160 acres. tion 9; total, 764 acres. James Seyn Sherman Stanley, of Livingston Co., N. Y., May 30, 84 acres on se 1835, 80 acres on section 8, 160 acres on section 9; May 244 acres. 18, 1836, 160 acres on section 3, 80 acres on section 8, and Francis G. 160 acres on section 9; total, 640 acres. three entire sec:: f L 0. Seymour, of this county, Mlay 26, 1836, 80 sections 4 and 5; total, 160 acres. ght, of this county, Nov. 9, 1836, 80 acres ns 4 and 9; total, 160 acres. kiugham, of Livingston Co., N. Y., May 4, res on section 30; June 2, 1836, 240 acres total, 377 acres. flart, of Livingston Co., N. Y., Sept. 8, 1835, iction 6, 120 acres on section 7; Oct. 29th, ction 7; total, 240 acres. Pearson, of Livingston Co., N.Y., May 4, 2res on section 30, 62 acres on section 31; 34, 40 acres on section 32; November 4th, ection 32; May 22 and Sept. 26, 1835, 164 on 32; September 18th, 122 acres on section section 18, and 40 acres on section 29; total, npson, of Wayne Co., Mich., Jan. 29, 1836, section 7, 80 acres on section 17, and 40 on 32; February 8th, 160 acres on section 6, mn section 7; February 19th, 80 acres on sec-,480 acres., Seth Hooker, and Walter Nimocks, of JefY., April 22, 1836, 80 acres on section 7, on section 8; total, 240 acres. Parker, of Livingston Co., N. Y., Nov. 3, es on section 17; Oct. 25, 1836, 80 acres on al, 240 acres. Van Dyke, of Wayne Co., Mich., April 18, s on section 8, and 45 acres on section 18; es. ach, of this county, Sept. 26, 1835, 80 acres and 46 acres on section 15; total, 126 acres. and Stephen Warren, of the State of New 3, 1836, 72 acres on section 10, 148 acres on 5 acres on section 12, 65 acres on section 13, on section 15; February 22d, 78 acres on acres on section 12, 80 acres on section 15, )n section 21; total, 857 acres. rd, of Genesee Co., N. Y., Sept. 14, 1835, ection 11, 142 acres on section 13, and 56 In 28; March 16, 1836, 80 acres on section 7th, 30 acres on section 28; total, 376 acres. Roby, of Monroe Co., N. Y., March 1,1836, ection 11, 320 acres on section 12, 160 acres and 120 acres on section 34; total, 760 acres. ght, of Ontario Co., N. Y., Feb. 11, 1836, ction 12, and 20 acres on section 13; total, n, of Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 2, 1834, 80 n 17, and 80 acres on section 20; total, 160 I, of Livingston Co., N. Y., June 2, 1835, ction 17, and 80 acres on section 20; total, tour, of Monroe Co., N. Y., March 1, 1836, ction 21, and 160 acres on section 28; total, Macy, of Erie Co., N. Y., May 28, 1836, ctions, 23, 24, and 25; total, 1920 acres. 0 I RESIDENCE OF WALTER KNICKERBOCKER,GENESEE,GrEESEE CO.,MICH. I. —I- -.II —,11, lqll -111..-:._- `.--., ,, z,,,,, -,,,,,',,,',- -'..,,-,-, ---, ",'7..,:,-, 7 ,...,,;,-. :i.I - - ,,,,-,.;, gj 7 j ",I,.; "-, '. I,,,,.,,.. llll- i N'l- 1 —i, ''. "I,_.,; i. I, %, 1. 1,, -.",I.,,,,,. -._: t',IT '-, A, ,,; 4e-,j,,,.;,,' IIII. II1. —.:C__11.1'-._'-,.', — -, -, '. Ili, ',-,, f, - , -..,..;i I,: -.',,, ,.-X.I. -,' Zi.A#,.',,._. f. .i.. 1.., I-I. —l-l- ,4.,I - -IN -;'11117 Fa I I SY;, IIA —;, ",W I II-, ''..'j.,:', .%',.' '. :.-,-;" —;,,. I.'.II,I.. .", -lt,I- i,,_- ?.1""l-l" W.,.". `il, -,1-1 - ll_,&,"-(4,- —, vll,, -,"' -, 7t;,. 'I.1. ;4..;T',,t.&)IL I,,.,-li,I-11 `IL,, -1-4-, -—,-,, -,,,,,,%,l!,, '.-,,` ",T,...,,, k",,, ,`..' -,-.I1,,..I,,I I:,..-. IIT, p,l ''. . ,, - __-, 1,-,:,-, -'I,l>i't;-!",-,,_-, —ii"",-." _,'. i"I't I..''..,,4;vW.-i'Ais, i, i.I.1.,-,., _,".-Ill'-, _-, ___-". "...;Vt," '' _"I." A-_:,;,'-,.,"...,_l :''.. _'`, jI.IA,2 A 8v,;I. —,. —, — II"",-, -',!-II 171 1 9.!,,,.,-I..._, ".,1 —,l-,f%-,, - All - ,.,,,". t".,'is", U I.,,I_ —,,_,,;, ,-ft`- .'rt.`,41'%,"4.;i!, "u,$'',,,-,-,-'!, ,, " , I..,,,,.,,,.,I,l 1, "',I.Wl, 1-..6,,.. - -. -, ,.. "',7f - ii- ','j,_Vj,42;&,' II...",:', -, ---t,4`-,. I,,;'.1',.:,,4_!,.- -—,. —).,. ;:,..,-,, I1, —i", '': ,., -,-. 1. -- ''. _-,.- __m111'_";;", 'M v I-4," I-.II"'',,,,;;I;,,,. il.-.-"'-3,... —.,,, I",;,,..,,- -,,., 1.,, 4 k,, I-,, ,,, I 1,.. .,,.., ", -., '.,"Ct., A-WtWi -11; t.11...... -1 - - .I 6);l-'.,l'l I. . '_,,-.._ - ",,,lr _ - IIIINN I,-'i -I.-N. - -'l.t-" -., s,. - -,""` `;,_,., ,I: , -_ - " ,,T, -,.:!-'11;,-_,," —,-,I1," .,,I, '',....,'.,,. ...",,:! ,:-' ,t, - -,,-`, "., -,.!, -,:;,- '.'f, ',,ll*_,ji7,._,_,-, ",;"";,_; ", -..- ,,,,,, ,,':,"I.19.7, lvzll._. "I,"', ,-,' tested, `,'.., -,,,.f _,-, 1.,- ", _e..1.,,,_ - "" _Ii.,., - -,_,"....:.:"I' _V,,rv11 `v I.:, I-- -,1;" — 'i, '`' II1.,.,I -,,.',;-'l - I, ., _--',;, .. II-,-. Q -,,,.I.. -, "'i,'. ._;.-"I,.!",M ",,-X-_i;' _z,-J I.-, _, '- 1 ".lv,#'-_ — i-',,,.-- ,,,'i, ,:i!"7-c,"':. ' -':. " ,':.,! *, 4. '4 'k,, ", I.....".,.-,..'.I 4,,,.e ,-,-.1-111:- i_ , l — ,11,, Y.4s.'l ";P-,,,,,U P. I-,,,. --,..,!, - 75,.,-,_54.41N; Z ". Ali,, A,,t:-41- I,, I, r,'.44,,7,'_,,,,.:,,.;. I:-, ,-,,_1A,... -,'. -' llIp..'...I'. t".;'-_,"'',,: `r,;" 11, li ",V ,'.., -, -, R,I,,'41 1,,`,, - " '-% 1 A'I'tli,'J.i%-,., -i,Iw., :,: 11.1. ".,,, I- " O. '- — "I -,!",."-;,"..,f",-i-;:",, .", '), 'r. ',_,_,,., ',..:,":n, "I 11 I I _-.,- -.: i.,.- ' —:,.." -!;, ",,;Ip,-.,.,',.,: ----,-,-f.,-I.n, ,,",:"-; -'.:,,'f, , t',,.,f,,:..,5;.,, .,-.-4,,,"AZT,!, " .l, '., 1! -,' -; "',.., -.,,.YY Ni. I. -,,,",-1 __ -Xl kkiw I -''- - -, - ", " 4,,", ! _`,,_ -.I.I..: _- , 11. - ., ",",i_,Z.'l, I.-.,.1.,l-2":.,"I.."I''I'l-,-.111',.'!, -?,, ',',:, ,V,,,..1 Lt"i"I'll...... X:t,,,',(,,,';`,t,'!4,s,, II1.-:,-,,` !,`.`.:::,,'."",;.,.-,.;,,..,,,,.,,,, ",".,,,""-,-,-,:,-.-'_-if,.I .- - - 11 " ui;9,`,;5'.Yil.?, -,-,-i..' `-! - -—,, --.-kl,11 i,,:,, —_1.741,,-,, , -..,, ",.- - 11, —.,."4kT,"'' ---, " - - - l, I, `-,':".",i'g,-.',',' -.,..,)., I -— V I ll,.,,,,,t, I,;"' -I--,-, . '_,.,.. , " w-, —!,M,.,'i-f,,, , 4., ".. - 11,, -, A,m II-.;,,",, " "1.,.,,-,-:11 —, ---':.-;,,;,IUil; "I'i!,,,l.-I.,,,-,-,""7'',.:'','.,.-,',,-i'7,.,,,-1-1.'I, "I, -_:-.,I-,'', -,- - 1, I..." 4_ "",,-X, ',`5 1 -.-,,,,!,,' " " 1- - I ,.,il;:7;,..,;,,,.,, ---,,,,i-,-, - --- IIi- ;, " ',,-v;,i",,,, ','Vik-,N,,j W,--f` 1.1),;i.., —:,-;,,v,-,.. 4 If .; _- " -, -;,1''..7, ", —,,-11,l,";Ic'I'l —.,;-,""I.","t";-,f.','i-"4;.i-;, - .1 ., "A""4",.- V,,-, — -:,,IT-f4i.,-f,'A — ", IL: -," ': ' `-''_ ',I-;',,Tll 'Ut I - ll__ __-l''.0_1. , z. "" ' vl.-,I., ..,,', Ix 4 "P' _ —'!, -;7",;,-., - _1',.-5 —i'. 'jl:"r.,.__,:,, __,,L.,,;.`',;,,,,.. t,4 ; 1, t,"7'. -,,,, r-.,' 0-.-: Yl;-."".,,r4g.",,4',Z,111'411-,,- 1111_1'1'-`l -?,:;l,-,,:_,',.4,:,-.-,.k:r-Z I;",,_;,.;,,, - -,-'e',,V,,Iv'j,,'.47,,;', ., "), V`LI_ `;t.'."_, ,.. 1: qll-,, _'_ - -.,,,;i,:,.:',,",- _, I.1I-,, I'., — 11;-.,_-. "-, '-,,.'j. —"':M4 6-41P,.',-n,Ji., 11,,',:" ", " - " '' ,,- .'.1- I 1,' - 1,,,:;,?i,,.-i.-_,;, , .-,-.`-' -... I ", —l:- 0,,._,,... IIj'w'f-`.'l , "i I.:",,,, ',', :, - ', , ,,;"".," ", - —, I,,-, ,_;." k, . N;- -—.-., __.11.w,- - . , lq_. Z :. N, -,!: 2., I.,, .. '. i,,,.I ".-3."'..- "-11 11- I., —,-, ,,.. , -'--',, -- -, VW Iv", I..-,.; " - "P-,,,, , 1,, -,,, ":.": ---,-,-I- -...:"-;'I. -W'.`_Ill.,.,;_, —,-,, ,,".-"i:,,.',,i,,.-,.,",.,.Ii ..'j-,;;,, "-'?,II; "'i.",,.,, t,--, -',,,,,,., ". - -, —,,,""il-)" -` -,, - ".7 "".l,!, -,,-,. " ";, -1; ".1 li-;- IsT ", " —,,3... k,-., ",.,-,,,,,,_-,,:,j;,!",_;i,,.,, I,,` il .,",-', ',;", ;,,, "V:%,,. 'j", ',;',;.,.,k .-.: _ j. .;l,".,"","?,.".,'"'.,.-."I", -",,:._' I, ',- -, -': t,, -- -,:i! 1,, -,!,, --. ----.1, " -, :, .!-,iK.V ""; "..,,,-,,I,..., 4Ye,-,..", ".,, T 1,,.,,'..', Y —r'..-'r. -..". ",:(,, -- ': .-. —, -P- ,-;"-i. -, -.'I-N'O-f — -- 11.1-'I`I,,, 2 -,,":" -i 1%` -,-,4- -- ", -. '_ " I.- ",,.' ':,.,,, .:,,, -11 ', -,j,,,,_,,,::;,.,',,,:n., """ 17.. 11.1,, , .-,,,...., I", 1: 1, I .1.."I"",,Z..!".,.,-,:;-:,,': -, ., ,, - —,,I,,-._,,'.,-7,. —,.,fP,_,T4 - "W - : , ,,-,,,c.:;_,:, -.1, - -,. —: -,- AJ_,",, I..:.:. -,. , 1 ,,?.. % 4 I I - .. I ,,, ,, ",, "., _ , '.,-.,,,g.,.-.,,, "".,,--.,.. I,,111.4 T -z"," lll.",,. ',.,,!-' -, ': - ;:'!, a,,-.,- , ''!", ,.,,'-,:Jf —."".-4e -n,,-,W. ',i,.-IC. -"';,.,,1, I —:"-, -1, -. ;-,, -N I:'' .,,'.. '. r,L. _-,7.1,,.,,..,,:O": —',,K,'-' -1" —.", - -:" . I.,.,, ) _, "-, :, -,:;,f, ", -,' ','I, AF4.;XJ,.,.F,. —,', " I'_' ,,.1,Z,-t -,x V.,.-".:.,,,,.','. " e., V. i.,. I,,.:'ll',....,,;,,, '.,,,;,:,,_;,. I,. .I.I..,,",,",`;,-.,_., 7.-.. i.,"I,,, -.,, "",,v", %,.KCI I.? , - " -, 2 - -—., . I W,,.':, ". ,:;-4"",:;,,..,,;, 14......;, ,`,.1-,V: ";, ". ":,", -,,,:vI.,..;I; v?!:4", r;'i, t,,4 .;-l -.IY,,'.,',, ',,....,,, I,4":,,ii' .,,. " _-. I "_,i-...-..-_.,... -,,, -' - ,;' :,, ", —i,,,?!,_' —J,,,,-.4_;',.!,',,'-'jj!,-,-,-, 9!" ,;,!.' i., II III'l.i..1-11.1, If -Zc",.-,,.:-,., ',' "'.:,!, _-','l , ". N-,,""',.". I;- -.,:'_-,',,".,;-1 I - 11 l..I., - . -,-,- -,,:%,' ', . _.:,,.,,,. ,,.; 1,'r 4.1 4, j,,',:;,.II-"-1 -.,.1 ',_, X,:,l,-,;, "'. — 11 . ", ".,i.I,__ - 1-3-1,,,,, -,, i.-.,,,,- ', ", "'V4 4,," ,; ", ,.,.;,Y, _'l, `,,`I.-,,,,-- —,",", -",`.,,, I,,.', - , l - -1:,__.1`-`,_'l,. 'l 4,'. *,.,, — I 1,,:.'-`.,:,.4,-..,,,i :i:'_ ,_,.Y I. II.11;;- 11 ", " :_. 7,". , I t- I kl-'I,,,:, ':;`, "-"i,3-:` —p-. ""; —_C;, , -I-,;;"V, '-,,'4,,"', ";; ",,... _'. ,. I,.-''.,fo - -;-,,-,,l,-.;!t,'i-"",fs, "", "-,,-,,;_A-"%?,.:z.. ",,-,,, "I..,,, I.. '',,,,,,';,,' -, " "' " i, ;,71 1'; ',z-..'I),' — ",, ",.,,. :-:','-l ",,,.-,,; 1- - -, ` . 4,` i,'.&I'l -,, ",. -,,if.,", ", II -I.." 11 ", -k ,, 11.,I",I-, ", ,., , -, -`-?,, ,"ii_ T- .,- ", "'.., " ; -I,,I.,!:"," " "I-..,".'i , ',-,, -,. —.:,.,"___ ', -i.11,. ::, ` ,,'u', " —,;".% "I.;,f1!"r!',,.7, "' -;,''.-II,.. - - I- L-,,-'.'!, -,-,.,,I.I,.,-,,,,.,-,,..II.``. -.-!:':`,I:i-,,I.,I.1, 1'-.`,%:f, .,.:.;:,. — ".:,. ".,.,, ", '.. '. '... "-.;,'.,-,-, -.,,.-, ",. I.. ..". -%:I'k,:,..,,,,,. . -II 1`1 1, '. '-,,, ", "';,V.-. -., -,,-, -:!",;, 1,`,.-,',,-.,, --,,II.IIII,-, -:v.,..", ., .-1,.., .".,,-".,,::;;,-.',',,,,-,,.,.,-.i "',, j".%:.1, -.I- , _,""',",,'-,-,_'.."',,'',,: '.7i:1, - ,-l-. I.' :,-,_w'_._,,-_ —.:,- "...!, . ,,,,.-,,, %, 4,,,,,,." "',-l'..,;x"w- 4"", -`!-II -.-,., -. - -, I..I. " r,.,.II-I..II. 1.,.1,-,,. " .,"",,., -.V.S'. I", "'. I ` -11. '.;'..,;;,!"? ".., ir "., -, I ": _."', _:.. , "..,, -.. , j '.-,......., I..1, _.III.. -,.,, ",_ ,,,, I,-,.,I -'1,.:.,'.-,,,-,',,; —;__-.1, ":"I,,.-,,,. -*,..'_,,X,- _ I!,..I.i,.: -,,,.,fkJ-.-V, 1 - f, ';, ' 1, k-! — '.' - -,,, I,, -I-1 -,,4 I,I ,,._ ",..I.1, .I,, ',.',, —1, ';, -- -",,1. ":;, - -::""4,:I i'l.11,,,, "-",V.;' ,,L`i"".,_','T'l " "-..I:- ''I.," ,,,.,Z, ! ..,,., "_,.1.-",.,i ",, . —T..-'.,..-_l,, 7,,,,, —"'!;:, -., -:,- -, i,: ' "',,,. ".- "o -` -,- 4z' —.a.,',-4.1-I"- ',, -.., - 1;,!- :,,, —,-I.. J i "-,."-, -'j,'t 4-,,.,." 1_,,,1_.I, l l 1,:.,,,.,: ',; - _-;""" -.., r,.,_,"'i -,'.,'_:,,I,..,".:.:J, -_i Z,, ''...I.'%,-.J',,., ll, f ":-.'.-:-#.: -,,.! -.,. -, - 11,,,,, I -,. - ",41"-.-:,.r,-""-.,.,7,. -'- -,:,,.1:, —II..., ---,.I, - -i - -:,,-, - ,_:",,- -;,-,A,-.,,,1.IC. -j,-,;7. ", %.,, I N-,.,,:':-,',._.3111!;`I-, _'II,,, - ,:", ,I.- -",;-',"..,,, ", '. , ", Il ,II.,,,"..,_".;;'Il.,".,, 4. ___ _ —._! ,-',',,4,;,'IiII` 1;l-II.,,, ---. ',_.i.,:,;-, 0..,-'' _ 7 "-,,`,!t.,, , 17'. %-,,,: I,.,.,,,,:- —,,,. ZI'.,, " -"";,.';-j 1'""'f, —,.'I,.I,'. ".. -o'l-_ , ", ,.,,.., '.,,.,,-.., 'i,,' ',IL,.,-.! %_ J, j-. 1, ,- _.;Ill 4 -I.I.,,- i ` _,.,,,",,-,".1 —,;,'I,,-.:,,,', "; II,-'_;,...-,, -,,", . .:,i %I -', '. - 1-.., , ".. -,, I;k.'-'.y: ,, :, :., ,", "',, -_`;':f '-, ,, i l,':." 1,,,,-,I.4:, e". " —1,.III:'I".... ': ",I, —':z.;,,-;,-fl ., -.,. i", I'll II,...-, , --,, , -,: ,,:, -." —'': _'.1.11-A,-, 5, —!;f,;;-, _!-.,,::".,;%,,_-,-j;j Il,'..-;,`14,I.N -.1 —.-., .,,,' ',7:j ;. ": ,.,:, -, i,,, ,',..,,,,,,," I I", "",,.._.,; — '" —.,i,. -,.I.. -! , " a,,, -,;, —.-,.,. -,'-.', ili'. -,,VI;,. " ,.,. "-, 7:;.,",.-,-,,,,i-Jv"'l,": ""'f, .-,."".;,,:;iIIL '..' "'. ", -, ,,-. 'i `i.A:,..,-,,. --"::.,, ,: " -,:,,,,.:,0.,,x -! "',, ",, ,-., -,- .,,-,,,_ ,4 —,'-.` "I,,;, "F I i -..,!,', -?,:!.,,, ,,.._:,,l,;;.,4, -;,,, ,"', Ii-,, ",-,. i 1"'.1, - -,, I,-,:,I.I ..,, -, k.,,,,., I.I. —,!:',",.,,- .,-.,.",, ".,.,-,,-,,- -'!, -,,:,-. " '_, II iII,, -,, 1I... —,K'E-.'? I.. I —,-,,."""" - '', ', —i. I I"":" "'.. "..",-,. -;I. Z, ,,,:: I,';:,,. - !:Y4-;,I! t-,1,4 fit,_-,,,, , _ "., _ ,,,;,I! r -I, ll.-, 1,-:'.-,:.-., V`,It,%4 I .. -:II:.,,-, .. 1:;. ; , "',.,I,,,, I,-,I-,-,I,I:I-....,v-,,:,l i. — _411.,:;,.: _:;:.1; I,,11-, -;,, -1,".. ". i"..,._...r;, "- ,""',.-'%'.j,4 '. l I-I q., --,::.'' :,,:j, '-"?',;f,- -1;.Il -,..,-,-.,. "I .':;'., 4, —)L'.":_,.1",_! — ; -. -__; -,, -, " II:1,;,,,-e,- -_, -,, ",-," -';' ,,-k._ —;k v,.,'s ",l,.'.,!' "",j;,; 1; r, _-, ,. ,,.,,,.: - . ,-i, '.- - ""',I- _, - ". I..-11, I.I:;.., I"'I ",:;,,,, ".,,-,.",,',,.% I, ,,.::v,,71"_ _ ` t, "'. ,.,,,,;,,_,,.- -%,'I il! :-I',: 1. ;...,:,:,iItI ,('l,I:.3, ;# ,,,-- '4-",,, 1., —,_..,i'_`,,,..-,!'.- `i;Y. o.,I,....I.4,''....,, b7,-.;-,- _,?-, — 's .; ' —,:"',.,., -II.,'k I-l-, I ...,,,,, - --",:-!I;;:4, :-,,;_ ".,.-, z_ ;j --,,,, "".,.Z.,1 —,-o,;-..I;..,..., .. -.rlk,,.,-,, ,, -.;:."'W',....,-,I_- -, "I,.7A . -',,.1..-7,.I- —,.;",;.,,.,'j".I...IIII,.., -,;,v _.,-f; —,lC,-",, ,..I"-,a —-, u,"14,-,wf.-,"Ll., 17 "I I:-., - - -- " .". I,,-`,;,'N. --_0.,5;j,_, .. —17.-III-ii.,,,,,.,". 1-1-.I - - ,,' f "I I._, I-, ` '71 -,-., I-,,, -, O. -.""Z-",-.-,,,-,.,.,-,.,,4,.11!71"'.i,'..i _'-`1111'_ N4,3,: II`,,.V.` -0'I...: lv"!, A-,, --- I, ',''I!I'; _);,,,,-..."... ".-,;,!;, 'I.. ,... -_,, —;;,,-`-:,..II - i, —.; , o,,.,,,' —','.,-.,-i". , f;"-;,,;'A,-, ",. " II;.: -.1, ". III.:,."""-!,-,..., " &-,X,', 1.,,'',I;:,."-,.,-.,..,i,;,f"ilil!,-,-.'-,,".,i-,,., "-_,,VI.I,,"I. -(.-" -'Z,,-,- - I;-1. ,.......":: i_,. -,;.-,! --- 1- _:;I. I,, I,.;.,":.- -,,.,,, -,.! -',,.`,'A',%',.`,,,-,;,, 14,rll-,_- -, ".1 I.,NI,, -11-11 i i"'I'l.-J,., -,,,;.',,;;. ,', ----._,I:i.,-I,,,.-,,, I;,-:':,I..,. —.I-I ; .i-i ".,-`;75,-, -'I.l - 1,;."",", -1 I - 1, , -,V; - ,.. F.. -.I-_ —.."..%-t",-,'.- I -.11-,..,..":.,,, " "; i;- -".,-,V"f,,;j,, . P. I-_ - II.I. '-;:,.t,-.-'` '- - -,,I,, 1''. IIx.` — I , ;.,,, - , ", il - - f llt:f 1 ,III.._ Ii,,,:,., "..,_,_,...! ", I-.,l.,,, -,;4, j'.. __.I,,,!:':':.,,410,;-,;,,,4_,:. .....-I,.1, , .w I. I;- I Ip-,. 1 -.-,-", ,t-_,-,`,-,`,', — ';',-,,',,II.. ., I,.--,,A,: —',Vo-i, t. ,.,;:;:,->,--Y- - '...," 7,-;1-,, 1:.VX',,-_,i, I I.I. -I. —-, — ";,,.., v. A`-,;- —,`; " I,. I. , . —, -., -:,, '..., ,,;"; _'. _'.. I.1. . -,-, —,,'' -, - —, - ,, ", .,,,- N.,,,"f...,-,,-:: ".". _-,,.-,:,., I"',,-, ",-, 1,,.,11,11,19'.. ", " -.- , , I -.... 1.,..1,-l,,.i.,-,,',':." I - I,,;- -,- -1 ", 4`:, I i, " I., -:.;, - —,!.,,.,; 'I, tl:.,., ll.',,.. ,.;. I; 11 -,;,I* '',, — 1..,.,,,`S`-,-;` ,'". ". -,;,!,, _!.,I f -..I.I.1,.:t,, - `. " ". '_,-, "".,;...... 57",-,-j I `, jm:,. _'f,, " I -,,.1. , I 1. 1:` 1;, 1 ,.'i I:;;.-,., %:Ii 1:. 1.:, - t-, `., ". -,;, 4,.. .,'..,',- ,_, wl I.. ", ,,.I.I.,,-7,-Yo,.,:1;, II.I,.., - __..,oi.'.,,'? " I" 'I - -.I 11.1 I I I. I,, -. I C "..IIII- -, 1;.,, ,-, I, I, li.. I.-,. .IIIII,, . 1. "., '',.I..1-..III.II,,-,-I- _ --.;, 1,,-4_,. I t,III: :,!.-,,,,,,,,.':',,_ %, `,-, -:%,-,,""" I..I- —,,I.1 I I -.I..., ..II..1, ,-II,. ,If AI.:``-,w.,,,." —,;-, -,'," - I.....1I;-11,-!., - —,; 't" 1. I u I't, II: rn r. - -,.-4.- ; 1 .-,,. _.,.". I.-.,.,,, .,,; -1:.1, r - ;.. I.-.-,:.! ,,_,,,"- -,, " I,.-l I..I,;..", ,..,.. _. 1, (f) I -;. - -.' ---- 2_ I I I. :,,,:. :::,-,.I:". ""-::,- -, ."-,:,I.I - ;, II..II. — 1I GENESEE TOWNSHIP. 325 George R. Perkins, of Livingston Co., N. Y., June 22, 1836, 400 acres on section 27; August 26th, 240 acres on section 22; total, 640 acres. Ogden M. Willey, of Livingston Co., N. Y., June 13, 1836, 320 acres on section 26, and 320 acres on section 36; total, 640 acres. William Young, of Montgomery Co., N. Y., Sept. 12, 1834, 22 acres on section 28, and 159 acres on section 29; total, 181 acres. Gilbert Howell, of Wayne Co., N. Y., Oct. 10, 1835, 68 acres on section 29; October 15tb, 39 acres on section 28; total, 107 acres. Enoch Jones, of Wayne Co., Mich., March 1, 1836, 160 acres on section 28; March 2d, 320 acres on section 34; total, 480 acres. Daniel Curtis, of Livingston Co., N. Y., Sept. 6, 1833, 80 acres on section 31; Dec. 17, 1835, 40 acres on section 32; total, 120 acres. The remaining entries, for convenience, are classified by sections, the list showing, in addition to the details heretofore given, the area of each section. The reason that so many sections fall short of the full sectional area is that, in addition to the fractional sections on the north and west borders, those sections through which the river passes have considerable " meandered lands," which are not counted in. The list continues as follows: Section 1, 677.56 acres: Nov. 9, 1836, Oliver G. Wesson, of this county, 80 acres; Eunice Beach, same county, 160 acres; Nov. 10th, Nathaniel Thurston, same county, 981 acres. Section 2, 669.05 acres: May 30, 1836, William Devinney, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 80 acres; $Samuel Devinney, same county, 80 acres; Alva Thayer, same county, 80 acres. Section 3, 671.04 acres: March 14, 1836, Waldo Howard, of Monroe Co., N. Y., 160 acres. Section 4, 673.83 acres: March 30, 1836, Aaron Foster, of Tompkins Co., N. Y., 160 acres; May 27th, Peter Richardson, of Oakland Co., Mich., 178 acres. Section 5, 669.36 acres. Section 6, 564.38 acres: May 22, 1835, Calista Arthur, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 28 acres; June 25, 1836, Thomas M. Howell, of Canandaigua, Ontario Co., N. Y., 95 acres. Section 7, 556.48 acres: Sept. 25, 1834, William Sissons, of Lapeer Co., Mich., 40 acres, and the same party, Oct. 29, 1835, 40 acres; Nov. 15, 1834, Timothy J. Walling, of the same county, 36 acres; Feb. 3, 1836, Loren Parsons, of this county, 80 acres. Section 8, 640 acres: May 30, 1835, Peter Snyder, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 160 acres. Section 9, 640 acres. Section 10, 634.16 acres: Feb. 3, 1836, Bradford P. Foster, of Tompkins Co., N. Y., 160 acres; Feb. 11th, Lansing B. Mizner, of Ontario Co., N. Y., 2? acres; April 16th, Morgan L. Schemerhorn, of Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 160 acres; May 30th, Harley Thayer, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 160 acres. Section 11, 615.20 acres: March 30, 1836, Bradford A. Potter, of Tompkins Co., N. Y., 80 acres. Section 12, 614.29 acres. Section 13: 627.52 acres: March 28, 1836, Douglas Houghton, of Wayne Co., Mich., 160 acres. Section 14, 640 acres: Sept. 16, 1836, Joseph Jones, of this county, 80 acres; Jan. 25, 1851, Peter Kinney, of Niagara Co., N. Y., 40 acres; June 3, 1852, George W. Goodenough, 40 acres. Section 15, 610.29 acres: Oct. 13, 1835, Nelson K. Moore, of Wayne Co., Mich., 891 acres, and the same party, October 30th, 59 acres; April 9, 1836, Gideon Lee, of New York City, 80 acres. Section 16, about 625 acres: school land. Section 17, 650 acres: April 22, 1835, Nathaniel Fisk, of Wayne Co., Mich., 160 acres; September 26th, Albert T. Stevens, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 40 acres; October 29th, Joseph Simons, of the same county, 40 acres. Section 18, 574.20 acres: June 23, 1834, Fidelia Arthur, of Lapeer Co., Mich., 50 acres; September 25th, John Woofitt, of the same county, 45 acres; October 16th, William M. Parker, of Oneida Co., N. Y., 80 acres, and the same party, May 27, 1835, 160 acres; Dec. 1, 1835, Charles R. Cooley, of Wayne Co., N. Y., 80 acres; Feb. 6, 1836, William Smith, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres. Section 19, 587.52 acres; May 4, 1833, Isaac N. Robinson, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 134 acres, and the same party, July 10, 1835, 80 acres; June 17, 1833, Benjamin Coy, of the same county, 53 acres; March 30, 1835, Alanson Sheley, of Wayne Co., Mich., 240 acres; October 29th, Benjtamin F. Robinson, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 80 acres. Section 20, 640 acres: Oct. 2, 1834, Amos Gillett, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 240 acres; April 1, 1835, Nelson If. Chittenden, of Wayne Co., Mich., 160 acres; May 16th, ANorman Cone, of Middlesex Co., Conn., 80 acres. Section 21, 607.94 acres: March 30, 1835, Anson Gilbert, of Wayne Co., Mich., 197 acres; Feb. 22, 1836, Joshua Terry, of Oakland Co., Mich., 38 acres. Section 22, 640 acres: Sept. 16, 1836, Amos Jones, of this county, 80 acres. Section 23, 640 acres. Section 24, 610 acres. Section 25, 640 acres. Section 26, 640 acres: Sept. 14, 1836, Charles Wright, of this county, 160 acres; Nov. 6, 1851, Alva Rogers, 160 acres. Section 27, 640 acres: Sept. 7, 1835, Asa Bishop, of this county, 40 acres; December 3d, Charles D. W. Gibson, of the same county, 40 acres; December 30th, Shubael Atherton, of Oakland County, 40 acres. Section 28, 625.71 acres: May 6, 1834, Burnett Scott, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 80 acres; Feb. 24, 1836, Thomas Hadley, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres. Section 29, 623.01 acres: July 6, 1833, Joshua Young, of Montgomery Co., N. Y., 80 acres; December 11 th, Ltuman Beach, of Lapeer Co., Mich., 40 acres; June 23, 1834, Bradley Ilatchinson, of the same county, 80 acres, and May 16, 1835, the same party, 76 acres; March 30, 1835, Charles Ivison, of Wayne Co., Mich., 80 acres. Section 30, 595.64 acres: Sept. 28, 1833, Elisha Beach, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; June 10, 1835, Watit Beach, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 80 acres. Section 31, 571 acres: June 22, 1833, Addison Stewart, 326 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. i of Lapeer Co., Mich., 42 acres; September 11th, Hiram Brown, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 80 acres; November 5th, Thomas W. Mather, of New York City, 80 acres; June 23, 1834, Ransom Stewart, of Chenango Co., N. Y., 68 acres, and the same party, November 4th, 40 acres; September 22d, Constant Terry, of Wayne Co., N. Y., 80 acres; September 18th, Charles Toogood, of this county, 40 acres. Section 32, 615.56"acres: Sept. 11, 1833, Daniel Brown, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 52 acres; Jan. 29, 1834, Hervey Andrews, of Lapeer Co., Mich., 100 acres; Dec. 26, 1835, Seeley Ilarger, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; Feb. 1, 1836, Albert J. Smith, of this county, 35 acres. Section 32, 640 acres: Sept. 5 and Nov. 3, 1834, Ogden Clark, of Oakland Co., Mich., 120 acres; Oct. 8, 1835, Samuel Clark, Jr., of the same county, 40 acres; December 7th, John McCormick, of this county, 40 acres; December 22d, John Pratt, of this county, 40 acres; Feb. 9, 1836, Charles M. Bull, of Wayne Co, Mich., 80 acres; February 20th, Asa Spencer, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres; February 26th, Benjamin G. Barker, of Wayne Co., Mich., 120 acres. Section 34, 640 acres: Nov. 27, 1835, Nathan Ilerrick, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres; March 5, 1836, George W. Keeney, 80 acres; May 21st, Oliver E. Maltby and Amon W. Langdon, of the State of New York, 80 acres. Section 35, 640 acres: April 1, 1836, Bushnell Andrews, of Wayne Co., Mich., 80 acres; July 11th, Herman Camp, of Tompkins Co., N. Y., 240 acres; September 14th, Charles Wright, of this county, 160 acres. Section 36, 640 acres: June 21, 1836, Samuel Bassett, of Oakland Co., Mich., 320 acres. From this list we are able to trace the tide of immigration in its force and progress. In 1833 a little more than 1200 acres was taken up; in 1834, a little more than 1500 acres; in 1835, almost 4000 acres; and in 1836, when the grand rush came, and the tide of immigration was at its flood, over 15,000 acres were entered. As showing the names of others of the pioneers, and also their comparative wealth at that time, we give the following copy of the roll of resident tax-payers for the year I --— --- — Names of Taxpayers. No. of Section. Robert Ferguson........................................ Bradford P. Foster..................................... Daniel Foot...................34........................... Isaac N. Robinson...........19........................... - Fitch....................24........................... Lorenzo Gere.................. 32...... Elisha Galpin.................20........................... Chester Goodale......................................... Patrick Gribben......................................... William Hughes.............18........................... A. tH. Hart.....................7........................... Waldo Howard............... 4........................... Simeon Howard............... 4........................... Henry D. Hunt............... 8........................... George HIovey................ 2........................... W right J. Horton............19........................... John Imrie....................6................ L. G. Jones....................28 and 33.................. Merritt Johnson.............. 22........................... Gardner Kellogg.............16 and 20.................. M. S. Kellogg.................21........................... Walter Kittredge............ 17........................... Chester McComb............. 9........................... John Martin..................19........................... David Mather................31........................... J. D. Morehouse............29........................... Macy............24........................... Reuben McCreery............10, 11, 12, 13, and 15.. Lyman Oaks..................28........................... Russel S. Parker............ 7............... Sarah Parker..................17........................... A. B. Parker..................18........................... Peabody Pratt................ 19........................... William Palethorpe................................... David Powell................. 33........................... Benjamin F. Robinson.....17........................... Jairus Robinson..............17........................... John Rose..................... 17........................... John C. Russell..............30........................... Howland Russell............Personal.................. Joseph Simons............... 17........................... D. M. Seymour...............18........................... Charles D. Seymour.........4 and 5..................... Asher Simons................. 5........................... D. H. Seeley..................3........................... Orrin Seeley...................9........................... C. B. Seeley................... 6............. Stillman Stanley........................................ Sherman Stanley............. 8 and 9................... Weed H. Stevens............ 4 and 8................... Ezra Stevens.................. 9........................... Ralsa W. Stevens............9.......................... Seth Stevens.................. 8........................... Polly Snyder.................. 8........................... Peter Snyder.................. 8.......................... Ransom Stewart.............31........................... Lewis Stevens................20........................... Albert T. Stevens............ 17........................... Simon Smith.................. Personal.................. Charles Toogood.............17........................... Edward Taylor...............15, 21 and 28............ John E. Upton............... 3........................... Polly Van Riper........................................ Abraham Voorhees..................................... Franklin Vinton.............34........................... Loren Williams............... 3........................... Reuben Wetherell............19 and 20................. A. E. W ilcox..................20........................... Harvey Wilcox...............20........................... Chauncey Wisner............ 2........................... John Woolfitt.................18........................... No. of Amount Acres. of Tax. 80 $3.12 160 8.90 40 1.64 107 6.05 240 5.99 52 2.52 43 5.70 80 4.07 40 1.05 40 2.65 156 9.07 80 4.33 95 2.59 80 4.26 80 1.99 120 5.24 80 2.93 440 18.72 80 2.29 120 4.91 87 2.85 86 4.46 40 1.77 80 5.63 80 4.51 27 1.47 160 3.99 769 21.93 160 4.70 100 3.49 40 1.37 160 6.95 146 10.17 19.54 44 1.39 80 4.57 72 2.94 80 2.46 108 18.54.64 40 1.87 80 3.56 140 3.93 20.50 160 8.73 40 1.69 75 3.33 40 2.14 240 12.35 100 3.64 17.71 23 1.29 10.25 10.25 80 3.34 80 3.38 20.50 40 1.62.37 20 1.12 313 8.67 80 3.87 40.75 80) 1.50 40 1.25 80 2.76 90 5.80 55 2.49 60 1.50 80 3.03 60 3.37 1844. Names of Taxpayers. No. of Section. James Abram.................. 5........................... Nicholas Abram.............. 5........................... Bushnell Andrews..........29 and 30............... Ilervey Andrews.............32 and 33.................. William Algate...............20.......................... Josiah W. Begole.....1.... 0........ Abraham Bodine............. 3.......................... Brown & Dickinson.........31........................... David Brown..................34............. Orson Bingham...............34................. Timothy Boies.......... 32........................... Luman Beach................Personal.................. Richard Bush................. " Ogden Clark................. 34................. Ogden Clark (administrator, etc.).....................34 and 35.................. Moses Camp...................19........................... Nelson H. Chittenden...... 20........................... Noah Chittenden............21........................... Norman Cone...............20.......................... Francis Cone..................20........................... Charles R. Cooley............18........................... William Chamberlin........28, 29, and 30............ Widow Cawden............... 7......................... Samuel Devinny.............. 4........................... Widow ID ly,..............18........................... acob m e.............21............. a. ay............20 and 2 1..... No. of Acres. 80 80 165 158 60 160 80 145 80 80 54 200 100 107 80 47 80 72 78 250 40 80 40 40 121 Amount of Tax. $3.59 3.24 9.01 7.13 2.25 6.86 3.12 10.02 6.08 2.18 2.86.37.25 5.19 4.49 6.17 5.51 1.91 6.27 3.93 4.96 9.82 1.24 2.86 1.96 1.40 7.58 REMINISCENCES. The first saw-mill in the town was built by Mr. Hargcr. Benjamin Pearson, familiarly called " Uncle Ben," was interested in it to some extent either at the time of building or soon after. It was probably built in the summer of 1834. The power was furnished by Kearsley Creek, which was dammed for that purpose about one hundred rods above its junction with the river. The mill was not very large, having a capacity of about 2000 feet per day, but it nevertheless furnished lumber for many of the pioneer houses in the northern towns of the county. A second mill was built on the Kearsley, in 1836, by the Joneses. It was known as the Jones mill. and was about a 'i~ a RESIDENCE OF WHITMAN F. CLAPP, GENESEE, GENESEE CO.MICH. :1' GENESEE TOWNSHIP. 327 mile above the first, or Harger, mill. The builders of this mill had considerable trouble to get a dam that would stand the pressure of the water and the thumps given it by the floating logs that filled the stream during certain seasons of high water. A third mill was built on the Kearsley, in 1837, by Ogden Clark. It was on section 34, and on the site at present occupied by Pettis' grist-mill. The fourth saw-mill was built on the Flint River, near the west line of section 11, at Geneseeville. It was built by Lot Clark and Stephen Warren, who purchased the site of the government, and also procured a charter granting them the privilege of damming the river for the purpose of furnishing a mill-power. The property was by them transferred to Reuben McCreery, Oct. 6, 1847. McCreery sold one-half of his interest to Simon King, April 24,1848, and in 1849 they built the first grist-mill in town. By deed dated June 14, 1861, King reconveyed to McCreery his halfinterest, and on June 13, 1865, he sold to Drake & Bingham (Hastings E. Drake and Samuel Bingham). They ran the grist-mill four years, and then sold to William E. Alexander, Dec. 29, 1869. Alexander sold to the present owner, Isaac 0. Rogers, July 1,1872. From 1872 to 1874, George W. Lissett owned a half-interest in the property. These have been the owners of the grist-mill. A second saw-mill was built by McCreery & King, in 1853, and this was subsequently owned by William Throop, who sold to William Hovey, who was the owner when, in 1878, it was dismantled and torn down. At this time his right in the water-power was sold to Dyer Ainsworth, who transferred it to Mr. Isaac 0. Rogers. The grist-mill is still in operation, converting the product of the farmer's field into the white dust which is so necessary to the existence as well as happiness of civilized man. It is still in its original form, none other than ordinary repairs having been made, and is one of the landmarks of the section. Its dimensions are 40 by 50 feet, with 30-foot posts, giving two and a half stories in height above the basement. The power is applied to the three run of stones and other machinery by means of four iron turbine water-wheels, of the Walker pattern, each of which is four feet in diameter and two feet deep. The dam is nearly forty rods in length, and affords a head of water of about six feet. The capacity of the mill is about 100 barrels of flour per day. During the past year it has done but little work aside from custom grinding. At first the pioneers had no bridges across the river, and had to ford it when business or pleasure necessitated their crossing it. But this state of affairs could not long exist among so stirring and progressive a people as those who had undertaken to bring order out of the chaotic wilderness and replace the trees of the gloomy forest with smiling roof-trees, whose cheering welcomes should ever gladden the hearts of their inmates as well as of the stranger who should be fortunate enough to find a temporary resting-place beneath their beneficent shadows.. The project of bridging the turbulent waters of the Flint was often and thoroughly discussed, and in 1843 or 1844 the work was undertaken. The place chosen was that on section 32, below the mouth of the Kearsley where " the Oliver road" crossed. The work was done under the supervision of Joseph Smith, not by any means the redoubtable apostle of Mormonism, but a much more honorable, upright, and exemplary citizen, -and the necessary materials and labor were furnished or paid for by the voluntary contributions of the citizens. There is not at present any bridge at this point. The second bridge was located at, or a little west of, the corners of sections 10, 11, 14, and 15, and was built under the supervision of Reuben McCreery. It was rebuilt in 1875, and is now the only bridge across Flint River in this town. A third bridge, called " the Fay Bridge," was built about 1860 at the southwest corner of section 21. After being in use about nine years it was abandoned. Though the woods were frequently filled with wandering Indians, these aborigines had no village or special campingplace within the limits of this town. The most prominent, and perhaps the only real, trace of their former residence here, is found in the northwestern part of section 12, where a ridge of land, running from the river-bank northward until it crosses the railroad, bears indisputable evidence of once having been used as a burial-ground. The soil is sandy and dry,-facts that account for its selection for this purpose, as the Indians, having only the rudest kind of implements for excavating purposes, naturally selected places where the soil was light, loose, and easily worked. At the time the Flint River Railroad was built a cut was made through the northern part of this ridge, and while working this cut the workmen discovered human bones, which led to further explorations and further discoveries. Probably the first white person born in the town of Genesee was Damon Stewart, a son of Addison and Lucy Stewart, who was born on the 5th of February, 1834. We say probably, because Edward, a son of Luman Beach, was also born in the same month, and we have no means of knowing the exact date of his birth. He removed to Wisconsin with his parents, was married there, and died without issue. Damon Stewart lived on the farm until his parents removed to Flint, in 1843, when he went to that place with them. He studied in the common schools till the death of his father; soon after which event, at the age of fifteen, he commenced life for himself by working as a clerk in the "Scotch store." At the breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted as a member of the Flint Union Grays, and was a member of the 2d Michigan Infantry. At the battle of Williamsburg, May 5, 1862, he was wounded, and, before returning to the field after his recovery, received an adjutant's commission in the 23d Michigan Infantry, being mustered in as captain of Company K. After serving till the close of the war, he returned to Flint, where he has most of the time since been engaged in the mercantile business. Oct. 23, 1868, he was married to Miss Frances N. McQuigg, by whom he has a family of two sons and three daughters. The first marriage among the pioneers occurred in the fall of 1838, when Henry Cadwell and Ann M. Stanley, a daughter of Sherman Stanley, were united in the silken bonds of matrimony. They lived in this town for a time, and then removed to Flint. Mr. Cadwell died in Detroit about ten years after his marriage. Mrs. Cadwell, now Mrs. G. V. S. Youngs, is living in the village of Mount Morris. During this same fall the first death occurred among the 328 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. settlers. Weed EH. Stevens' little two-year-old daughter, Abigail, while playing about the house found a screw, which, child like, she put into her mouth. By some means it got into her throat, and in spite of all efforts to relieve her choked her to death. She was buried in the woods on the farm of Sherman Stanley. The grave has long since subsided to the level of the surrounding surface and no trace of it remains, and, stranger than all, its location even is now unknown. The first death of an adult was that of Eliza Buckingham, wife of Isaac N. Robinson, who died Feb. 23, 1839. Her death resulted from disease of the heart, and, though not unexpected, was very sudden. The people who formed the population of the Coldwater settlement were intelligent and progressive to a degree that insured the prompt establishing of schools for the education of their children. The first school was kept at the house of Lewis Buckingham by Miss Sarah Curtis, a sister of Daniel Curtis. It was as early as the winter of 1835-36, and possibly a year earlier than that. There were some eight or ten scholars, and one room of the house was set apart for their sole use. Miss Elizabeth Pratt, a daughter of Peabody Pratt, subsequently kept a school in the neighborhood, and not long after-probably in 1836-37-a school district was organized and a school-house built on section 31. Miss Harriet Hoyes taught the first school in that house. In 1837-38 a log school-house was built on the north line of section 16, near the quarter-stake. It was a small affair, probably not larger than 14 by 18 feet. The first term of school was kept by Miss Delia Fish, a daughter of Dr. George W. Fish, of Flint, and the school numbered about a dozen scholars. The board of school inspectors met at the town clerk's office, Sept. 22, 1838, and divided the town into five school districts. The number of children of school age was as follows: District No. 1, 28; No. 2, 30; No. 4, 19; and No. 5, 14. At the present time there are eight school districts in the town, three of them (Nos. 1, 3, and 11) being fractional. There are nine frame school-houses, District No. 3-Genesee and Mount Morris-having two, and their aggregate value is $6000. The school at Mount Morris village is the only graded school in the town. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1878, 8 male and 11 female teachers were employed, teaching an aggregate of 77 months. The sum of $1360.56 was raised by tax. $1112.25 was paid to male teachers, $1046 to female teachers, and an aggregate amount of $3291.06 was expended for all school purposes. The first blacksmith in town was probably Washington Todd, who worked at Geneseeville when the mill was being built. The first burial-ground opened in Genesee was purchased by the town from John E. Upton, in 1840 or 1841. The first person buried there was Horace Freeman, whose death resulted from an accident. He was going to Flint with D. H. Seeley, and, while riding along near what was known as the Beecher school-house, a tree in which the fire had been working fell on them. Freeman was badly crushed and lived but a few hours, and Seeley had a leg broken by the falling tree-top. This burial-ground has always gone by the name of the Upton ground. It was purchased at the petition of the citizens in tlhe northeast part of the town, and consisted of one acre of ground on the south part of the southwest quarter of section 3. It was to be cleared and surrounded by a board fence, and cost the town $50. The township had in 1839 purchased an acre of ground of Daniel Curtis, and in 1840 had it fenced and graded, making its total cost about $60. This, being in the present town of Mount Morris, is not accounted as first in this sketch. CIVIL AND POLITICAL. As originally organized in 1838, this town comprised, in addition to its present territory, the east half of the present township of Mount Morris. This arrangement continued until the year 1855, when the town of Mount Morris was organized. Of the steps preparatory to the formation of the town, the conferring upon it of a name, and other interesting details we have no record from which to glean the facts, and are consequently debarred from giving to them the prominence they rightfully deserve. The first town-meeting was held in what is now the town of Mount Morris, at the Coldwater settlement. Juba Barrows' house was the place of meeting, and the following copy of the record will show better than we can otherwise describe what business was there transacted. The record reads as follows: "Record of the proceedings of the first Town-meeting held in the town of Genesee, County of Genesee, and State of Michigan: "The Electors of said Town assembled at the house of Juba Barrows, in said Town, on Monday, the second day of April, 1838, and organized by Choosing Chas. N. Beecher Moderator. A. II. Hart was chosen Clerk. Peabody Pratt, Daniel Curtis, and Bushnell Andrews were chosen inspectors. The above-named persons being duly sworn and qualified, and having selected Elsworth Walkley and Josiah Begole as clerks of election, and being given that the poles were open, proceeded to receive votes for town officers for the ensuing year; and upon canvassing the Votes it was assertained that the following persons were duly elected to the several offices set oposite their respective names, to wit: John Pratt, Supervisor. Chas. N. Beecher, Town Clerk. Addison Stewart, Daniel Curtis, A. II. Hart, Assessors. Addison Stewart, Juba Barrows, I. N. Robinson, School Inspectors. Sherman Stanley, Bushnell Andrews, Alanson Dickinson, Commishioners of Highways. A. II. Hart, Jeremy Hitchcock, C. N. Beecher, Asa Spencer, Justices of the Peace. L. G. Buckingham, Collector. L. G. Buckingham, Frederick Walker, Albert T. Stevens, G. L. Jones, Constables. John Martin, Peabody Pratt, Directors of the Poor. Road District No. 1, B. Piersons; No. 2, N. Cone; No. 3, Win. Thayer; No. 4, Sherman Stanley; No. 5, J. Hitchcock; No. 6, Win. Tillori; No. 7, Samuel Clark, Jr.,-Overseers of Highways. "The following bye Laws were proposed & adopted, to wit: "ARTICLE 1ST. The compensation of all Town officers Shal be fifty cents pr day in addition to what was before prescribed by the Statute Law. "ART. 2D. the over Seers of Highways shall act as fence-viewers & pound-masters. "ART. 3D. a fence four & a half feet high shall be considered a lawful fence. "ART. 4TH. No pigs or swine of Less weight than Twenty-five pounds shall be free commoners. "A vote was taken and carried to Raise fifty Dollars for the benefit of the Town poor. " It was also voted that the next Town-meeting be holden at the school House in District No. two, near I. N. Robinson's, in said town of Genesee. "A. H. HART, Clerk. "C. N. BEECHER, Moderator." Then follows a paragraph telling how the justices of the peace drew for the respective terms of one, two, three, and four years: H. D. HUNT. MRS.H. D. HUNT. HENRY D. HUNT. THIs gentleman, whose name and history is prominently associated with the township of Genesee, was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., July 2, 1812. He was the son of Humphrey and Margaret (Moore) Hunt, who had a family of thirteen children,-seven boys and six girls,-all of whom, with the exception of Henry D., are now deceased. The elder Hunt was a native of Vermont. He was a farmer by occupation, and at the age of seventeen entered the Continental army as a private soldier. He was with Washington at the time of Burgoyne's surrender. He was afterwards transferred to Sullivan's command. He served through the war with credit, and at its close returned to Vermont, where he lived until 1802, when he removed with his family to Cayuga Co., N. Y. In 1827 he went to Livingston Co., N. Y., where he resided until his death, which occurred in May, 1828, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. He was a man of excellent principles, energetic, and moderately successful in business. At the age of sixteen Henry D. was thrown upon his own resources by the death of his father, and by his labor supported his widowed mother and two younger brothers, one of whom he educated as a physician. In 1834 he was married to Miss Agnes Parker, of Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y. She was born in Connecticut in May, 1809. She died in November, 1864. The result of this union was five children. In 1867 he was again married, to Mrs. Lucy Beam, of Albion, N. Y. She was born in Seneca County in 1818. In 1837, Mr. Hunt came to Michigan, and settled in Genesee, where he purchased eighty acres of land, on which he now resides. Mr. Hunt has been successfil in his chosen vocation; to his first purchase he has added two hundred and twenty acres, and he is considered one of the prominent farmers of the county. In his religious and political affiliations he is a Congregationalist and a Republican, and has been a justice of the peace for twenty-four years. He has five children living, — Agnes M., now Mrs. George Seely; Fanny, wife of Henry Lee; and Ira, Emma, and James S. )-IRAM ~. BARDWELL,M.D. RESIDENCE OF, HIRAM H. BARDWELLAMD. MOUNT MORRIS, MICH. I GENESEE TOWNSHIP. 329 I "On the 12th day of April, 1838, the justices elect for the town of Genesee were classed as follows, to wit: Asa Spencer drew for four years, Albert H. Hart for three years, J. Hitchcock drew for one year, C. N. Beecher for two years." The following list of officers of the town comprises all that could be found by a careful examination of both the town and county records. The town records of elections and town business for the years from 1856 to 1869, both inclusive, are not to be found. The list during those years is not, consequently, complete. CIVIL LIST. SUPERVISORS. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1838. Jeremy Hitchcock (1 yr.). Charles N. Beecher (2 yrs.). Albert H. Hart (3 years). Asa Spencer (4 years). 1839. Jeremy Hitchcock (f. t.)|| Albert IH. Hart (v.)~ 1840. Charles N. Beecher (f. t.). Reuben Fish (v.). 1841. Albert 1I. Htart. 1842. Hiram Brown. 1843. Ogden Clark. 1844. Daniel It. Seeley (f. t.). Charles N. Beecher (v.). 1845. Albert H. Hart. 1846. John Martin. 1847. David Brown. 1848. Richard Rich. 1849. Frederick Walker (f. t.). Josiah W. Begole (v.). 1850. Lyman G. Buckingham. 1851. David Brown. 1852. Josiah W. Begole. 1853. John Imrie. 1854. Rodman W. Albro. 1855. David Brown (f. t.). 1855. Henry D. Hunt (v.). 1856. Wright J. Horton. 1857-58. No record. 1859. Sherman Stanley. 1860. Stillwell Burroughs (f. t.). Charles P. Smith (v.). 1861. Calvin W. Wisner (f. t.). Talman T. Slafter (v.). 1862-66. No record. 1867. Job Nichols (f. t.). Charles P. Smith (v.). 1868. Charles A. Kelly. 1869. No record. 1870. Ephraim Allen. 1871. Job Nichols. 1872. William M. Wright. 1873. Marvin L. Seeley. 1874. Abram Cleveland. 1875. Henry D. HIunt. 1876. William M. Wright (f. t.). Charles P. Smith (v.). 1877. Henry C. Ayers. 1878. Hastings E. Drake. 1879. HIiram H. Bardwell. 1838-39. John Pratt. 1840. Walter Kittredge. 1841. Benjamin F. Robinson. 1842. Charles N. Beecher. 1843. John Pratt. 1844. Addison Stewart.* 1845. Reuben McCreery. 1846. Ellsworth Walkley. 1847-48. Charles N. Beecher. 1849. George Gibson. 1850-52. Charles N. Beecher. 1853-54. Lester P. Stutson. 1855-56. Josiah W. Begole.t 1856. Charles N. Beecher. 1857. Wright J. Horton. 1858-60. Chandler Il. Rockwood. 1861. Nelson H. Chittenden. 1862. Marquis F. Baldwin. 1863-67. Chandler H. Rockwood. 1868-69. William Johnson. 1870. Isaac A. Chapman. 1871. Abram C. Eldredge. 1872. Isaac A. Chapman. 1873-74. Chandler II. Rockwood. 1875-76. Philo D. Phillips. 1877-79. Henry B. Diller. COLLECTORS. 1838-39. L. G. Buckingham. 1 1840-41. Albert T. Stevens. HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS. TOWN CLERKS. 1838-41. Charles N. Beecher. 1842-43. Richard Marvin.T 1843-44. Moses Camp. 1845. Ellsworth Walkley. 1846. Hiram Brown. 1847. T. Allen Walkley. 1848-49. L. G. Buckingham. 1850. Daniel Curtis. 1851. Manley Miles, Jr. 1852. A. E. Wilcox. 1853-54. Wright J. Horton. 1855. A. E. Wilcox. 1856. Nelson II. Chittenden. 1857. M. W. Lake. 1858-59. II. A. Goodale. 1860-61. A. R. Bray. 1862-63. R. C. Burroughs. 1864. William B. Wetherell. 1865. Hamilton Stanley. 1866. Nelson II. Chittenden. 1867. T. T. Slafter. 1868-69. R. C. Burroughs. 1870. William B. Wetherell. 1871. Dexter Douglass. 1872. James B. Murray. 1873-74. Job Nichols. 1875-76. William Sullivan. 1877-78. Frank Booth. 1879. Edmund D. Hurd. 1838. Sherman Stanley. Bushnell Andrews. Alanson Dickinson. 1839. Sherman Stanley. Bushnell Andrews. Humphrey Hunt. 1840. Sherman Stanley. Nelson H. Chittenden. Alanson Dickinson. 1841. Benjamin F. Robinson. Manley Miles. Nelson II. Chittenden. 1842-43. Manley Miles. Abram Bodine. Richard Johnson. 1844. Henry D. Hunt. Richard Johnson. Daniel Foote. 1845. David M. Seymour. John Hall. Alanson Dickinson. 1846. David Brown. John E. Upton. 1846. David M. Seymour. 1847. Nelson Gee (3 years). John Daly (2 years). Timothy Boies (1 year). 1848. Carlos B. Seeley. 1849. Joseph W. Metcalf. 1850. Joseph D. Morehouse. 1851. Daniel Rich. 1852. Reuben McCreery. 1853. Sherman Stanley (f. t.), Nelson Gee (v.), 1854. Walter Knickerbocker. 1855. Edwin Taylor. 1856-69. No,record. 1870. Henry Knickerbocker, 1871. Wright J. Horton. 1872. Nathan Brown. 1873. Jackson Fox. 1874. Simon King. 1875. Jackson Fox. 1876-78. Charles G. Walker. 1879. Chandler H. Rockwood. TOWN TREASURERS. 1839. John Pratt. 1840. Walter Kittredge. 1841. Moses Camp.~ Hiram Brown. 1842. Humphrey Hunt. 1843. Peabody Pratt. 1844. Josiah W. Begole. 1845. Daniel H. Seeley. 1846. Asahel Simons. 1847. Rodman W. Albro. 1848. Joseph Simons. 1849. Russel S. Parker. 1850. A. E. Wilcox. 1851. Stillman Stanley (2d). 1852. Walter B. Wetherell. 1853. Henry Stanley. 1854. Oliver Stanley. 1855-56. Alanson Burr. 1857-58. Edwin Tanner. 1859. M. S. Rogers. 1860-61. HIastings E. Dralke. 1862-63. Nathan Brown. 1864. Orrin F. Gilbert. 1865-66. William Johnson. 1867-68. Homer Cathcart. 1869. Samuel Bingham. 1870-71. Jackson Fox. 1872-74. IHiram A. Gilbert. 1875-76. George A. Hutchinson. 1877-78. Edwin A. Russell. 1879. Edwin L. Foote. ASSESSORS. *' Unable to attend meeting of the Board, and Moses Camp was appointed, October 12th. t Removed to Flint, and Charles N. Beecher appointed to fill the vacancy. I Removed from the town, and Moses Camp appointed to fill the vacancy, October 20th. # Resigned November 3d, and Hiram Brown appointed to fill the vacancy. 42 1838. Addison Stewart. Daniel Curtis. Albert H. Hart. 1839. Addison Stewart. Juba Barrows. Albert H. Hart. 1840. John Martin. Moses Camp. Russel S. Parker. 1841. Albert H. Hart. Lyman G. Buckingham. Cyrenus Lake. 1842. Lyman G. Buckingham. Carlos B. Seeley. 1843. David Brown. 11 Full term. 1843. Carlos B. Seeley. 1844. Edward Taylor. Carlos B. Seeley. 1845. William Sisson. Proctor Williams. 1846. Nelson Gee. Josiah W. Begole. 1847, Lyman G. Buckingham, Sherman Stanley. 1848. Patrick Daly. John E. Upton. 1849. David Brown. John E. Upton. 1850. David Brown. Albert H. Hart. ~ Vacancy. 330 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -- ~ - --- --- -- --- -— I I OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 1838. John Martin. Peabody Pratt. 1839. Jeremy Hitchcock. Elisha Curtis. 1840. Reuben Fish. Alanson Dickinson. 1841. Reuben Wetherell. Reuben Fish. 1842. Alanson Dickinson. Cyrenus Lake. 1843. Peter Snyder. Lyman G. Buckingham. 1844. John E. Upton. Benjamin F. Robinson. 1845. Reuben Fish. Richard Johnson. 1846. Chauncey Wisner. 1846. Richard Johnson. 1847. Chauncey Wisner. Josiah W. Begole. 1848. Russell S. Parker. David Brown. 1849-50. Josiah W. Begole. Timothy Boise. 1851. Josiah W. Begole. John Imrie. 1852. Daniel Curtis. Luther Gilbert. 1853. Richard Rich. David M. Seymour. 1854. John Woolfitt. Richard Rich. 1855. Albert Wisner. Luther Gilbert. SCIHOOL INSPECTORS. 1838-39. Addison Stewart. Juba Barrows. Isaac N. Robinson. 1840. Moses Camp. Josiah W. Begole. Henry Cadwell. 1841. Moses Camp. William Chamberlin. Josiah W. Begole. 1842. Ellsworth Walkley. Addison Stewart. Josiah W. Begole. 1843. Almon B. Pratt (2 years). Albert H. Hart (1 year). 1844. Addison Stewart, 1845. Frederick Stanley (f. t.). Moses Camp (v.). 1846. Ogden Clark (f. t.). Ellsworth Walkley (v.). 1847. Ellsworth Walkley (f. t.). Daniel Foote (v.). 1848. William Chamberlin. 1849. Manley Miles, Jr. 1850-51. William Chamberlin. 1852. Almon B. Pratt (f. t.). I. N. C. Miles (v.). 1853. Patrick Daly. 1854. Robert Johnson. 1855. Almon B. Pratt (f. t.). William Chamberlin. 1856. William Chamberlin. 1857. T. W. Lamphierd. 1858. M. F. Baldwin. 1859. E. W. Gilbert. 1860. M. F. Baldwin. 1861. C. Norwood Van Wormer. 1862. Stephen Burroughs. 1863. W. H. Troop. A. B. Pratt. Stillwell Burroughs. 1864. C. N. Van Wormer. Philo M. Begole. 1865. E. W. Gilbert. Wright J. Horton. Alexander R. Bray. 1866. T. W. Lamphierd. Hlaiilton Stanley. 1867-68. No record. 1869. J. W. Birdsall. C. H. Penoyer. 1870. B. Edward Fay (f. t.). James F. Hall (v.). 1871. Hiram 11. Bardwell (f. t.). William B. Wetherell (v.). 1872. Daniel HL. Seeley. 1873. Iliram H. Bardwell (f. t.). 1873-74. Darwin B. Foster (v. tnd f. t.). 1875. Charles G. Westover. 1876. Henry B. Diller. 1877-79. Charles G. Westover. rome Clark, 1845-46; Josephus Stanley, 1846; Edward Hughes, J. P. Wetherell, 1847; Gibbens Wentworth, 1847-48; Ezra G. Wisner, 1848-49; Henry Stanley, Lorenzo Gere, 1849; William S. Rogers, 1849-51; Stillman Stanley, Isaac N. C. Miles, 1850; Robert Johnson, 1851; Hiram A. Gilbert, 1851, '56; Hiram Cogswell, Joseph W. Metcalf, 1852; Daniel C. Crandall, 1852, '59, '68, '70; Oliver Stanley, John Perry, John Hughes, 1853; Porter Colton, 1853-54; Alanson Burr, James Gahan, Edmund Johnson, 1854; Andrew Rhykard, Nathan Brown, 1855; Orson Bingham, 1855, '75; Joseph D. Morehouse, 1855-59; Orson Jennings, 1856; Jerome M. Lampman, 1859; George A. Hutchinson, 1859-79; Marshall F. Dunn, J. A. Peck, Ansel D. Seeley, 1861; Charles B. Wetherell, 1868; Chauncey M. Braddock, 1868-74; Jackson Fox, 1870-71; Simeon H. Church, 1870-72; John A. Edwards, 1870-71, '73, '75 to 79; Horace J. Stevens, 1871, '76 to 79; Charles H. Mosier, Martin Richmond, 1872; William B. Wetherell, 1872-73; Joseph Worden, Alexander Ferguson, 1873; James H. Bement, Austin Stevens, 1874; George Crow, 1874 -75; William D. Bird, 1875; Stephen Olen, 1876-78; William H. Allen, 1876-77; Edwin L. Foote, 1878-79. The town has repeatedly voted on the question of licensing the sale of liquor, and uniformly against thus legalizing the traffic. Some of the votes have been as follows: In 1846, for license, 2; against license, 36; in 1847, for license, 2; against license, 45; in 1850, for license, 17; against license, 66. June 20, 1853, at a special meeting to vote on the question of adopting the prohibitory law, the vote for its adoption was 110, and the vote against it but 51. The population in 1874 was 1550, divided as follows: Males under five years, 121; from five to twenty-one years, 88; from twenty-one to forty-five years, 241; from forty-five to seventy-five years, 149; from seventy-five to ninety years, 5; from ninety to one hundred years, 1. Females under five years, 105; from five to eighteen years, 111; from eighteen to forty years, 260; from forty to seventy-five years, 159; from seventy-five years upwards, 3. Total males, 781; total females, 769. These were classified according to their condition in life as single, 855; married, 652; widowed and divorced, 43. From the census tables we glean the following facts: The area of taxable lands is 22,364 acres, 11,4461 acres of which are improved lands. The railroad right of way and land occupied by their buildings amounts to 120 acres. There are 264 farms, averaging 78.79 acres each. The products for the year 1873 were as follows: Wheat, 36,071 bushels; corn, 24,025 bushels; all other grains, 40,605 bushels; potatoes, 16,632 bushels; hay, 2200 tons; cider, 269 barrels; wool, 14,292 pounds; pork, 35,973 pounds; cheese, 100 pounds; butter, 54,732 pounds; maple-sugar, 1600 pounds. It thus ranked as the fifth town in the county in the quantity of wheat produced, sixth in corn and cider, second in potatoes, and seventh in hay and butter. Its orchards covered 479 acres, and produced 9289 bushels of apples. The number of head of stock kept that year was as follows: Horses, 437; mules, 4; work-oxen, 58; milch-cows, 511; other neat-cattle, 632; swine, 565; sheep, 2530. The town has two villages. The largest is Mount Mor ris, an incorporated village, first platted in 1862, lying partly in the town whose name ift bears, and partly in this town. A full history of this village accompanies the history of the SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. 1875-76. Hiram H. Bardwell. 1879. Byron S. Jennings. 1877-78. John A. Chapell. DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1871. Roswell C. Burroughs. 1876-77. Charles P. Smith. 1872. William Algate. 1878. Charles G. Walker. 1873. William L. Palmer. 1879. Chandler 11. Rockwood. 1874-75. Ralph M. Stimpson. CONSTABLES.* Lyman G. Buckingham, 1838 to '44, '46 to '48; Frederick Walker, G. L. Jones, 1838; Albert T. Stevens, 1838-40, '42, '45; John Woolfitt, Samuel Clark, Jr., 1839; Charles R. Cooley, 1840; Asahel Simons, 1840, '45, '48, '50-52; Joseph Simons, 1841; Ezra Stevens,1841-42; Humphrey Hunt, 1841 to '44; William M. Glover, 1843; Daniel Foote, 1843-44; T. Allen Walkley, 1844-46; Je* For the years 1857-58, '60, '62 to '67 inclusive, and '69, there are io reords of the constables elected. For the years 1856, '61, and '68 there is a partial record. RESIDENCE OF HENRY B. DILLER, GENESEE, ENESEE CO.. MICH. . - " "-.. Il I GENESEE TOWNSHIP. 331 town of Mount Morris, to which we refer the reader for further information. The other village, named Genesee, but in local parlance known as Geneseeville, lies on sections 10 and 11, a few rods north of their southern boundaries. It was platted Nov. 19, 1856, by Reuben McCreery and Simon King, the plat being recorded in the register's office on the 20th. At that time it was a mere rudiment of a village, with three or four dwellings and the saw- and grist-mills. The first store was built a few years after by Nathaniel Blackmer, and is still standing on the north side of the street running along the railroad, being now used as a dwelling. Mr. Blackmer was succeeded in the business by Martin W. Lake, of Flint. Another store was brought from the north part of the same sections in 1872, and was occupied by its present owner, Horace Clapp. A third store was built by George Crow, in 1872, on the east side of the road. It is now occupied as a dwelling. The hotel was built by Winm. E. Alexander in the summer of 1872, and was subsequently sold by him to its present owner, Mrs. Hubbard. At the present time the village consists of a hotel, a grist-mill, a store, two blacksmith-shops, a wagon-shop, a cooper-shop, and about fifteen dvwellings. Its population is about 100. The post-office was established as early as 1859. The first postmaster remembered by our informant was Martin W. Lake. His successors were William M. Rogers, Charles G. Walker, Mosher Hovey, John R. Begel, and the present incumbent, Martin Richmond, appointed in 1872. The town' has not been entirely unknown outside of its own limits, as it has been honored abroad in the person of the following of its citizens: Reuben McCreery, County Treasurer in 1852 and 1854, and Sheriff in 1846 and 1848; Chandler II. Rockwood, Representative in 1866; and Philo D. Phillips, Sheriff in 1876 and 1878. RELIGIOUS. The first religious services held in this town were in the Coldwater settlement. Among the earliest were Methodist meetings, held in 1836 at the house of Lewis Buckingham, which were addressed by Rev. William Brockway, a missionary and Indian agent, who, traveling along the route between Detroit and Saginaw, sometimes stopped there to break the Bread of Life to the small band of Christian brethren who so eagerly greeted his coming. Elder Gambell, of Grand Blanc, a minister of the Baptist denomination, also held occasional services as early as 1834 and '35, generally at John Pratt's house. The pioneers had come here bringing their religion with them, and as soon as possible they prepared to organize themselves into a church society. The result of their movement was the formation of the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF FLINT. It was organized on the third day of May, 1834, by Rev. Mr. McEwin, of Detroit, either at the house of John Pratt or Isaac N. Robinson, with the following members: Lewis Buckinglam and wife, Isaac N. Robinson and wife, Luman Beach and wife, John Pratt and wife, and Almira Bacon. John Pratt, Isaac N. Robinson, and Lewis Buckingham were chosen and ordained as elders of the church, and John Pratt and Isaac N. Robinson were chosen and ordained to the office of deacons. They adopted the covenant and articles of faith in the usual manner. One article took very advanced ground in favor of total abstinence, which, at that early day, was quite remarkable, as the temperance sentiment of the time did not usually reach so far. It read as follows: "ART. 3. We believe that the manufacture and vending and use of all intoxicating liquors, except for medical and manufacturing purposes, is morally wrong, and consequently do agree to abstain therefrom." The society erected a church edifice either in the summer of 1834 or that of 1835. It was a comfortable frame building, about 30 by 40 feet in size. It was never painted, but remained in use until about 1855, when it was sold to Mr. Freeman, moved some forty or fifty rods north from its former site, and converted into a dwelling. The site was donated either by John Pratt or Daniel Curtis (it being a part of the Curtis farm), and, when the church was removed from it, reverted to its former owner. During the twenty-one years that had elapsed from the time of its organization the meetings were regularly sustained. When no pastor or minister was at hand to occupy the pulpit, sermons would be read by some of the members. Isaac N. Robinson was generally the reader, but sometimes John Pratt or Nelson H. Chittenden would officiate. The Sabbath-school, too, was kept up throughout the year. It was organized before the church was formed, with Isaac N. Robinson as its superintendent, a position in which he remained for a period of ten years. In 1855, owing to the removal of a large number of its members, the society was broken up. The following ministers acted as pastors: Revs. John Dudley, N. Cobb, Cyrus H. Baldwin, John Beach, E. T. Branch, and 0. Parker, an evangelist. THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCI OF GENESEE. In the month of February, 1837, Rev. John Beach, of Flint, came to this town and organized a church at the house of Jeremy Hitchcock. Bradford P. Foster, Albert T. Stevens, and John E. Upton were chosen as the first deacons. The original members were Jeremy Hitchcock and wife, B. P. Foster and wife, and Albert T. Stevens. In the summer of 1840 a church site was given by John E. Upton, and a small frame church was built. It was about 20 by 30 feet in size, and stood on the southwest corner of section 3. It was used until about the year 1856, when a larger building was demanded to accommodate the growing congregation, and for the convenience of the majority of the members it was decided to change its location. The old church was therefore sold, and a new one built on the southwest corner of section 9, where Sherman Stanley gave one acre of ground for a site. The new church was built in the summer of 1857, at a cost of about $1700. Its size is 36 by 50 feet, and it will comfortably seat about three hun dred people. The building was put up under contract by Levi McCarn, and he, having some trouble about getting his pay, retained possession nearly two years before the 332 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. society settled his claim and had the building formally dedicated. The society was incorporated Feb. 24, 1844, at a meeting whose officers were Rev. John Beach, Moderator, and John E. Upton, Clerk. The following officers were elected: Daniel H. Seeley, John E. Upton, Ezra Martin, Trustees; Josiah W. Begole, Clerk. In addition to the deacons first chosen, Josiah W. Begole, Crawford Barkley, and Charles G. Westover have been ordained to that office. The two last named are the present deacons of the church. The church has been served by a multiplicity of pastors. The names of those who preached in the old church, as near as we can ascertain, were Revs. John Beach, John Dudley, Sanborn, Copeland, Branch, and McDowell. In the new church, Revs. A. B. Pratt, Leroy Warren, Wm. Birdsall, John Rose, - Borden, Enoch Atkins, Charles Thompson, J. P. Sanderson, and James Italliday. The highest membership was reached in 1856, when the society numbered 73. During the pastorate of Rev. A. B. Pratt, who was very strict in his views regarding discipline, there was quite a falling off, and the church has never fully recovered from its effects. The present number of members is about 30. A revival of more than usual interest occurred under the preaching of Rev. William Birdsall in the winter of 1867-68, at which 34 persons were converted. The present officers are W. F. Stevens, John Sharr, Crawford Barkley, Trustees; W. F. Stevens, Society Clerk and Treasurer; Charles G. Westover, Church Clerk. The Sabbath-school was organized in the old church, and had about 10 or 15 scholars. Daniel Rich was the first superintendent. His successors have been J. W. Begole, Bradford Goodale, A. B. Pratt, J. B. Morehouse, Lewis Cornwell, Philo M. Begole, Henry D. Hunt, Charles G. Westover, and W. F. Stevens. The school now numbers about 60 members. Sumner A. Mills is the superintendent, and Irving Bray the secretary and treasurer. The history of those churches whose site is included in the corporate limits of the village of Mount Morris will be found in the historical sketch relating to the latter in Mount Morris township. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. HENRY B. DILLER. This gentleman, one of the prominent farmers and honored citizens of Genesee, was born in Clarence, Erie Co., N. Y., Aug. 15, 1840. He was the eldest son of Abram and Catharine (Drudge) Diller, who had a family of five children. The elder Diller was a farmer by occupation, and was born in Clarence, N. Y., Jan. 25, 1815. In 1864 the family came to Genesee, where the elder Diller resided until his death. He was a man highly esteemed by all who knew him for his industry and integrity. Henry B. received an academical education, and has always followed the calling of a farmer, in which he has been highly suc cessful. In 1877 he was elected supervisor, which office he has since filled with fidelity to the trust reposed in him, with credit to himself, and to the satisfaction of his fellowtownsmen. In 1865 he married Lydia Strickler, of his native town, by whom he has had six children. Both he and his wife are prominent members of the Baptist Church and liberal supporters of religious interests. Altogether, Mr. Diller is one of those kind, Christian gentlemen, whose identification with any community is always productive of good. GEO. W. HOVEY was born in Owego, N. Y., Jan. 19, 1815. He was the son of Lorenzo and Anna (Hinman) Hovey, who had a family of nine children,-five boys and four girls. The elder Hovey was a farmer and miller by occupation. He died in Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., in 1845, in the seventy-first year of his age. The early life of Mr. Hovey was devoid of incidents. The family were in limited circumstances, and his advantages for an education were meagre. He started out in life as a farmhand. In 1843 he moved to Michigan, with his family and his household goods loaded in a wagon drawn by a pair of horses. From Buffalo they came up the lake to Detroit, and from thence directly to Flint, where Mr. Hovey disposed of his team, wagon and horses, to George M. Dewey, for eighty acres of land, where he now resides. After paying for the recording of the deed,.he had just thirty cents left. Soon after his settlement in Genesee, Mr. Hovey erected a saw-mill and commenced the manufacture of lumber, in which business he was successfully engaged until 1875. In connection with his lumbering interests, he carried on his farm. To his original purchase he has since added two hundred and forty acres. On the 13th of December, 1838, Mr. Hovey was married, Miss Lucinda Snyder, of Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., becoming his life companion. Five children have been born to them, viz.: William (the eldest, died March 29, 1871), Martha S., Charles M., Emily C., and Fred. A. Mr. Hovey has been a successful business man, and has attained an enviable position among his fellow-men. SIMON KING was born April 24, 1802. He was the son of Simon King, who was a native of Connecticut. The elder King was a farmer by occupation, and died when our subject was a child. Simon, Jr., spent his early life in the town of Wheatland, Monroe Co., N. Y., where he resided until 1849. He then came to Michigan and settled in Pulaski, Jackson Co., Mich., where he remained four years, when he gave the property to his sons, Simon and Hiram, and came to Genesee to engage in the manufacture of lumber and flour in company with Reuben McCreery. This business he carried on extensively until 1861, since which time he has been engaged in farming. Mr. King has been twice married,-first to Isabel, daughter of Joseph and Martha McCreery. By this union there were born to them six chil *!iiiii!ii, iii!iiS~,:? ~~~'ii i!~',0: ~ ~ ii???? ~~~ iff:0:t ~i?~ ~ '::!~ MRS.SIMON KING. SIMON KING. MRS. G.W, HOVEY. G.W. HOVEY. 5 t y 7 s t s s -I - - ___ ___ - _ - I"_'V,.",.":l'-4-t4!&;, V, '. ,,,,i;,,,'%,,,-&,V;,, '. -,_", '',-. "" - " -': ,-", "..,.,,, 1;, -,..,,, -.,,, .% ".I.,, :...,: ",-,,, ` - ": - -.-" -:t:,!',n-.,-, "-, 7,. -r , ,,,., - ",, I,; —.,.,, - -, — -.- -.- -. ., ",'.,.-,,.,_, -,,.-,-,,.::,.,,,,-If;.,;,"-,. I.,,.,4, %, II! , 7:w ",INU; I-,."...,- .: ,'',,%, -!: ;-.',,I' "-""4, —`,,,",,-*, I- "'.,,'...'k 11,. '.,, . -,.,,..- m, I,.:.... - ","., I., -,,-,,, . ,: ", ".., -,",,_:', 'ts, ", ,",!, 1, 1,.,.,, ""-,-,`,.:, ':,, '',;-,,,!, --, ,,-,, 1, z.". ": %,, """ -I.,.., !-I11,,. '.,,-, % !..,,,.,,., -, -.., -,; ,- ""., -- - "'., I.". , -- ..., ",."'W'::,%,,,,- -t, F,,. "ll - 1. -..'Y,t"(,.:-W_ vIly,._,.,. -! '-_,',,,,:.' 7'.., - osw.. .i —s.-_.:,,, '' ,,, ,,t,. "". __.; Z l''_Ik,;4;";,,,',,,., k:" `I,,,'' " -,",., 0. ":,;, - ,-,::,,, _"",_ ", ", 4,:'I -,,.,.;, 1, _1 n , "', ',:.-' ,41'". ".,I., -.7, J'N,4 it . -I,' 1;1 1, ": I _,,,,,. I,,-"I .zl WI I..,". 'I,. —"'Ii i "'.. :,,, -,. "-q!" _ .,,.,,':'..... I',;.,,':, ., , - i "'..., ,-, -,,,I,,". '. , :,,- 7;` , ,, ",'.,",.,,,.,.',,.-"'- I:t -..,, ,viW.`,,',,,',"'A"'4 '_ -,,,,,, - '' 'I,, —,-...ilz,,, * _ —It-,,.,,",_If,,_f_;_,", ", '";-"t, L, -.,, -, - -, - - r -.,,',",',,',., ", , — ." '' -, -:".., — - "', " g_., _,.,l ,.,,, -,...",,,,',,.,-.., -,,": —:,"'I"'.1.1'," -"' I -.,,. _. --,, '... - - -.:,"., ",, ,,,.,jj- -, '.. I,,,,_;, -,.. -,., 'j _p. "e ',. I-.., -. -.-,,.." 1,,,, 4, ,., :, ". ". ,-7 - _",-,_- 1,1.:,." ,, —,,,:, -,t.,', '. , -,,"- ",,,,,",,,'." —,'. I.I-.11,,,,'', —,, - -.II" ",.I. `!iI., 'It -_. a'".,.,Z,,,4 ,_ ,,;,it, -,,, I I'.." . - ".,-.-. -,-., -',!,-,.-,".,,",...`I- .I- I-,1, 2Z., II ',.fI,I I,,;-,,- , " "' k - I.,,-...I-,:-I "I ''- ; , .,:-,!,, , - '. 'II . ,:,,. -,, -"",, ,_-'Z111 I I-.,. - - :I,' I p. -,,,Ill.;',.", "!,,,.%,,.,,_ -, - -, -54,-,-;. ""-,,t,,.,,,,-,, —. "..,, , "'%, -,,,.,,,,,,i,,.,".'...11.,.,,,,,.. , I-,.:1.1III.",,,,-,31. 1,.-!:,--".,,,,".-;,-,-.",.." -,-'!,-.1.. , 1 -":", -- -i 4,.. t,"..,.,".I.,.,4.,,- ",".Z-, .-, —, —., -,,,,.. i.., — """,,.-, —3"-" -F, I_,. —,I..,,r.,...i,.,, , ,,,;,x_-,,,,.i,....",, -, I.. I,..,.-..:mI ,-...I.,.', 11 I. w, .',.z, ,,..;, '14,.,,,.7 1111,s,,"._", I:: . -, "!,.: .,-_, ",-..,-, ",,,. 7,,". " 7, ",.1,.,o-.- iL: I,":_:,:,,.:_1e.;.,..,. '',,::,S.- - 'j.O.'a"", -1,, 1 ":,: `,'::! -, ,-, — ' -, — ,-_A"11114!'_-I'r-' "I"I", _& -,,'. - :, '.;:,, ,'_'a ",-,, -;.1 ' '-,,..'..'"I-,:,.-,-l'.,.', t"" - -,, ",,7 .-, -, " ,.",y,,;I,- -,,.- - -., .'.-I,,-,,,-',`:,-,. _'. "',-,,"',,,,,,-,., " -.:, ", , "I,'_-,, ,:.,. _ ",.-,t,',,,,,,.,,-. i,,.,.., "',': -4,.! l," t.,`,._'111'1_11','M..,I.1,-,,.',-.,. I I-';,.,,' ,,I-,,,,Xt,, 1.;",.,. "Z I,," I,'. I.., —,,,14`1_j,..r " 1,1.1,., ,,'."1,,'.., "'' ,,- '.,"-*",,:-,,;, ",.;I —x v - "M., "I,,,...:,., _ -.!, ": ,., ;:,,,,, ,,,!,,.,._,,,, .. I-,,",,""':,_ —,__,,.,,,f, ---.;";",-,-,,,-,, -' -'..,,,- - I.,4,,, —"-;,,a 6", 4;.1.,;.-,, --—,'; : -,...-,.,,,' -,, .t.1. ;:.:,;.,.,-,!.."-,.'- ".,. I,,,,i,,-I-,,,.,, ,_-- x",,.1. I, I 1II- e.,.,., , 't,,-,,.;-,-.k,-,, . -,-, q, — —,.._'. ;,.,.".".,',,., -,,,,:f,-.,, --—,- -,;,,,.', -',.,,,,,-:: -1,. —.. -: ", ", i — " - -;;- -, - -, - '', _.,,.,-,, . - , i-,,,-,-..-:,- l" I.,,,..,. ,.;,""; ",.,.., ,:.,,.,,7,',, I ---;.,..",,-.! -,.",." ,,, ,,;.". I ",. -,-.4, ,,1f ,_.,,, __ ,.,,..,. —,,'.,.,.. I,,, I 11I, , ,,, .. , —,", —,..,,,_t ,,. i Z,"2,..""'., — I-",',' 11,. -_'-..-,.", -,I" _: _',, _..._', __-.-' '.1" It'. ',_"', - -, -.: ".".:,,: —,;.',4.-_,.,':,,..' ----,", -,.:.,.,: 1-1.1'.,,,,,,;, I",",.,, " ,l. I ; 7 , :,,: 1 :-:,::II..,,,, -,.,!, 91 ;,', -,f,, ,, -., ,-. 3, -,.,",", - - -, 1,: i.,,.I,-.: , -",. -' '_ '-,,, -, - - ;,', k , ',,,."",, -,.., -'-,;__,-,...",",_,,,,,. -i, ,:"" —?,.',"-?,, ",-',., ,,..,I,-:, '...,,,,,- ,..",,,,, .,-.,4:,,..: "" ., -'-;,,, J.,.,.,..'..,.. ",,:-,. -1!", y,,..,., —,,,,,. ,...., , -,t -,-,.- -,, -,..' 'i!-,! I-, 4" -, '...,:',',, -,:%,,!"".-....; ",..",,,,,:,,.."-",: :.,.! ,',,,:,;-!., '::'.",, -.!.,I,,.1,,.- '.,11,iAfrican',,t, _7 -', " ',: , .,,,,,",i",-"!, "--, -,'-,-',,,",-,,";,- "";"-", -,,,.,,,,, ",. I-,I, -,, —.. —, — -,,,,-,,,, .!,.,.. .,-,, -,,-.".,.'I,,, ,.. L'. " -,, ",," —,1. ";NI-,,, ",-,,,,.,,;i",,,-.',,:..-r-,"",.!,-.,,,.. -- - I,.,." _; 7,'...:.,.,-.,.. " ",,,_,,,",,t,:!-, :.`IP-!- " --- -I --- IIIII-:,,;, '' ": ,"-' '- '.,-, -_,",-, —,:,, - % —,", .: 11 -,.,"...,,-1,,..,".-4,, I ", - 11"I-,. —,--,, P, _-._."i, -.,-:",, 51-.,-,.I., 41 "._,:, I,i-,v".,,, ;,,,,-!-":, - , - ,., -.."'. - ,.,.;,.,,l.,:",.,' " , " ":, -, zl._, "I" '%,,'.,,.'-.';,,, " i. .'-,,..-..,,, ', ", -,,, ,' ,,-. I", ;, - ,..I-!- I I. ,.,. ",, 4.-;-,,",',-, ".,,,,.: , -,,,...,.1."I-,,,, ;.."i", -. ,, " I. ',, ',. ":z, -., t.,; ,.,.,.. ". "" , -;,,'...,..",,, -'. —,..,,,.".,,, —:-,;,.-"-,,.,,,,.-,,-, ,,Z_, _,, ., -.,,%.',' -,,", -, " la,,,i,.-(.-.-,:!... —:;.-,,, ----, —"";:...,, -, '- '-.,.,.-,-";i, -,,_.. --.;,.,., - -,..- ", -,,. ," -. ", -!',"," —". ;''" ".,,,-,,":'! .., I "-'.:' %.':....'__,_,,.'..';;,.,: .,, _ - L, , ",. I., ",. ";""-,"- -.,,,."-,, -,'-,,,, t,,,,-,:-,,,,"""'. ,",,,,..,- ,',',, -..,, - '.. - .. ',,, .,,,..,,.. 11,", _ ., ", i -....,, ", — .,_ —i,-,',,',,-,',,t- , ",,, ,:,.,. 1.,,,-., - -:, - ,: ' ,,,,..,." ",.?,..., ",,.' ".,, -Z,44i:- - —,, ,, "-,- , , : ;, :,-" ",- t. 4,,,,, —, -"...,:'::. —_-,. —, —,-:'. —,', "c.,. ",., -,,,,:",,,,,.,-', ,:!.,,, f', ,,t,`, -,, t'! -.,,, ) — ,, —_...,..,,1,";",........ ",,. - " -,.., ,.,..,,: I , -., ;."-., -,...", -,,,,-.,,,,, -r:,,,,4" 1., , 7,,.-,!,:,,"".-.!;,:.;',;,,:,":,.,_"!" ",;;- "_ - - " - ''!-.,.,,,,,- - I.,,..,.:,,: 1". I,"',,-"! 4 ", '', -, _,:-~,i,', —", —",,,,- , -, I,... _, L,.,... " -,, " C,.:;,..-,-......-,,,, '.! ",- "I "' ... -,, '!,,!""; '.' -1 - -, -, , 1, .::, -,: - -,,- -- , - " -,, -,,,,,."- -,.., - ,'- ',' -.,, " - ",, "?, -.,,,,I,!,, -,," -,: ,; "'., " -1 . " -. "', ,.,.,., _- ..,, "",,7. - " -,,, i - -.,,, . _...,-, - - -, -, , , ,:. —I , '; I. i-.,,-,,4;,",- " -, - -, -.-':, " -. - -".,;"'.S"-",,J '-,.,' -",` ,,, I -1 -, I 'I' ' , -, j1 _I ", ', :_-., .,,.".':,"'."', ll.,;.: -— ,,,,.,,,,, -,,.,.:i.,`,',,,' ,,;,. t'.,,', ",, — -, ,_ - p. '...,.:: ,::.:,,,,-, -,,'',,". '!,,- :,7 -r,,, "`,,-,',,.,..,-,. -, -,ij,:,,,',.',',,,,,, - , ": -z!- i. -.-,,,,'-,:,"',.,,- f,-;'; 1,, 4:,-.1 '.. I,,?, ";..., r'.' ",':,. I, I -,.,- -,,,,;,;.,, , ", —:,..- w..',".;:,- , "".,:;!,;, ,,,,,,..., -,'- .",." - " t. -,,,"-,, , ,, , '.,,, I: ;:, -, " " , -,,,,, "..:"4;, z'-::,., .,., -,.,, I -,,,,,ii.,, ,,II,. -,.., II,...,.1,, 1.,,, ",, -..,,,.,, , " -,...-,.., " i ',-.,',.". - -,., '..,, " - - -.,,.. .,,,.,,'.,-,...,.:', nw,", -,.I-.\ - I, ", 't,',, -., - - - i -,-,-,, ,,,., j I,, -I, '.., ,,.,. _, t,, —I'" "_' ",, ''_,..,- ,, ` :_!,i,-:,',, l-_,"..,,,,, " .., -,,,..-i,-,, .,- - -,,...,,, . 1 I I..; ,.1 _,'., -..,, -,, I ,, - " -`.': V —.:-.,-- "..,,,,.,,- I-I,,-. 11.1 1. -, .',,,,,;, ",,,,,., "" -, i ,,:, - I, -,..,..., -, ".6,,,. zi . ,,,.'-,. "',,.. ll ",.:,,,.-. T. ,:,.,.:-,,-_ __,;:,_,_-,, I;,,, -*-, I, I I, -; — ",,:, ,,,.:.. - , .: 11.1 ; —",,`,-,-, — i 't,, .,.,.,"",ll. ---,,..1-i..:-,;,:..Ii -,,`,,,4-,',,'.,,., ,.,. "' -, -,, - 1,. _", "", ,-:-, :! 211 '..!-'! - I,,-, -11 - I"",,"-;i::-..-, —,4:-,-""",,,I_:, -. - - I,!, - -, -, % - - - -, -, -,, -. I,,, -. II'..,,,,i , —',z,",", ---o;- -;,z, _, , .Ii ,., .',,,I,. , . ",.,..,..,.,, " %, i. ---.-, -. —.-;, i., " t- C-., , I;., .- w::,: c'' -,-,, -',,,.,'. a,. ,., 11 11 -, 11,,,i!'..,!,l -r ,;,.,..,..- I'll-.1 I'- ,, -,' ' -?.. f m'...,;d,', 7.,,,.',_,-',J,'_-.. -".:", """,,",I - -,,, i'Y'. x " 1": -! `` -.''..':,.:."".-,.-',-.'-.","I",. _,_,;,-,,,,,,- —,-,,""',,.."r-..,i,,',. — "'", _,',. "-,., -; '',,,. _, ,,,-,,,".,,, '' "''.. ', ". ,,:;', -,_,".. ','.,': `. ",-, i,,,..',,,!, -:,, " - —,,,.,.,-..;'..,,.,,-,., - -,,,:;'. ",I...;, I ',,,.,,,, i",,:" ,,,:,-,: -,,.,,;,;4'.."zY., —., -I";,,,,.., ".:. "".., -, - -r- I ,;,-,,: I I'_,Z, ",, I.... _ ',,,t_,;,.I,...-,:.; ... I-.-,,. , .". "",",, ,T.,-,,," —4, ... '' , I " ,,, -, I, ", - 4 ". 'Cliff' -,, - , m-: :,;-: ' -: -,.". " ,,,!... -",,", %- I pi., "_,"; I:, —: -,,.t., ", — ,,;,',,_n",i',! z.-Pi.1"", I I., -,.. -, w -,.. " 1..-.: w":., Z, '. ',_,. -l.,,,,.7., ,,,,;.,-,..,I",, I'!.-,_ . _. ",",,,,,, - ----- -' -. -,.:4;, I!I-",;. ',,,,',? :,-p.-.,_;,-t ",,,V ' -Z, I 11 , - "- -;,'.,';' " -o ,,I,,,.;. ",,i,',..- — —,',- -Y,,.,;'. ': ...,, -,,.t.I.,,,,,,. _4,..';,.. I,, I...,,, - —;,.,., - 11 __,,. "" —,, - r, w , "" " — I' --..;.I-,,, — ._ .,..,.,,,1. I..II'. ..tire ,, ?, - - , -,, ",,.II.-5 -,. .I .,'.- --;,,.,,, .I.il..,;i.i,.1, 1'.'_. -,,;,,,,.,...,,",,.,.., ',.,,;-,,,,-,-'...,', t11.1,11.111',4,,!",-, : , '. ..,. I I. -...,4,.;,:,, ,,-."., — Ill "I '114,,,,. I.1. I !",v, :,- r!, ",,,.,, - ,,:,I:,, ,.:" ' 1,,1-_', ,v,, ", , I.. " 4,,, -.-.. —,,,,- 't, I -, ,, ,,_. —4..!,,.- -'..-,;-,., ItI: -,-:-,: . , -, ",,1, ,.. ,, " -,,, II'-.., '.. " -, 1,- ". -,, ---i.,4"":,;.11, ''.;, —,-?,;:,111,:;-, .,, ;_." ,' ',.. ',;,",'..,,i, - I,, -1 --,' I, — z; -',I41 'I. 11 li"I'l.",',,_,"",,,,,- ",_,.I.,, . ; I ",,- .,% -,-,:,' - ., I... 1.,',- -'-:-'.",,.,;,'.,., -_I""!,,, -,--,,`-,;"-. ,: " , '.",,",4 - " L,.; `3;_ - i" I-:.,,-:,-..-::,_. -,-,,,, ',-,, a_,.: -..;, ,,,. -.,.;_., K.- - ",:,, ..,,i:_:'-'.",,,,"i,, , .: -'..',- -.1 ", — -, -"I,," . i,,'....-x"- -, 7-, - t, -,,_..,, -, ".., :,.",. ""_.,', ,.,-.1 —', —.;.',,-"!."."?, I ;,.,,.,,-,-,-,i, m. - ,-z - - - -, -, 4,.. , - —,'-, .,, —,,,, -,,,,--,'.-"i-! -, t!,'.;,7,:: -.',- '. ,14%, _-, 1'1 I-,,,-: -,4z4 -' -, -, "A, -,.'i -,-_-,:,,, It,,,: : "'.,,::.-,-" ,,:.", " —,;,, ,,,,,. - -Z'? ,',"!%Xll .., ,,_Q ,,,,.,:, -::."! ' , -,, ",, _, 1-", - t.,., , " -:,,,,,,-:',,,i% ,-:,. " - _, -; %, , " -, -.',:::,, -:- ; —, __-".'. "-,.., 1.,,. Z, ' Y", . - ll'-,"..-,- -" ', -:-_ !,!, —,, ";,.", -,;-, t,,]'.. _. - -li?,", -:- "I _, Z t, < ,', -,,,I ", _"_,_, "-., -..-,,X,,'jz ".-',., -,, !,. 4:,, I -,, ,.,- -.,_Io", '!. ". %.:. -, -''.,,, ". ' ,, ., - -,,. -',;.t, ,,,,"""',,,,_, A:t,,,*, " 1_ ""...,I,: ;-. ,-, i "l."!w,"'lz,.',,:..:-.,, I. .,,,,,, ,,- -- -,,., -'-, - -.-.; -,,,, ---, —,-',' ", ".,- " ;, .,; ;, -,,, -,,%_,,.',,,,-,,,,, , "',,,,,,,.., -. , ";:..I,, — ',- -!;,.,.,.-.'-,, I;.' '' ", I,,.,,.1 ';,.,,t,""..":1, -4,,,, I -",,, ' ' I tattt u? I r * -- X I~ I;, "',,, -, " -, let I,, i'4,,., ,: j ;- _11w.- L , l- bl;,ll - - Ili f 4 HENRY KIENICKERBOCKER. MRS. HENRY KNICKERBOCKER. HENRY KNICKERBOCKER. Henry Knickerbocker was born in Pine Plains, two children,-Andrus H. and Maggie M. The Dutchess Co. N. Y., Aug. 24, 1815. He was the former was born in Thetford, Oct. 3, 1848; the son of Andrus and Margaret (Heisrodt) Knicker- latter, Oct. 3, 1846. Mrs. Knickerbocker was born booker, who had a family of eleven children,-five Dec. 21, 1814, at Moravia, Cayuga Co., N. Y. She boys and six girls. The elder Knickerbocker was came to Flint in 1834. Henry Knickerbocker and a native of Columbia Co., N. Y., where he was born his wife are both deceased. in 1792. He followed the calling of a farmer. He Mr. Knickerbocker was emphatically a self-made served in the war of 1812 as a private soldier. After man, and possessed many, if not all, the requisites of the war he returned to the farm, and in 1825 re- a successful business man. He was industrious, enmoved with his family to Genesee County, where ergetic, shrewd, and possessed of keen perception. he died in 1873, in the eighty-second year of his On coming to Genesee he first hired out as a farmage. hand; he worked in this capacity eighteen months, Henry lived at home until he was twenty years of and with the proceeds bought his first farm-one age, and pursued different avocations up to the time hundred and twenty acres-in Thetford. Success of coming to Michigan, in 1840. He first located in attended his efforts, and he became one of the promithe town of Thetford, where he remained until nent wealthy farmers of the county. We present to 1867, when he moved on to the farm now owned our readers his portrait, as also that of his wife, who by his son, Andrus H. Mr. Knickerbocker was was all that is expressed in the terms amiable and married to Miss Sarah Morrow, by whom he had intelligent. GENES'EEE TOWNSHIP. 333 ENESE T I dren,-two sons and four daughters. In 1864, Mrs. King died, and in 1867 he married Mrs. Philinda Bodine. Mr. King has been a successful business man, and has endeared himself to a large circle of friends and relations. JOHN WOOLFITT was born in the city of Lincoln, England, on the 24th day of May, 1804. HIe was the son of John and Mary Woolfitt, who had a family of ten children. The elder Woolfitt was a laboring man, industrious, energetic, and a devout member of the Episcopal Church. He died at an advanced age. As soon as our subject was old enough to work he was hired to a farmer, which occupation he followed for fifteen years. In 1834 he, in company with Richard Johnson, sailed from Hull, England, for America. After a tedious voyage of seven weeks he arrived safely in Quebec, from whence he went by water to Detroit, where he arrived July 4th of that year. From Detroit he went to Pontiac, where he shortly after engaged his services to John Pratt to work on the Saginaw turnpike. In the fall of that year he took up the land where he now resides, and on which he has since lived. The following May his house was burned, and he was obliged to work out to redeem his loss. After five years of hard labor and privation he felt the need of some one to share his joys and sorrows; he accordingly married Miss Jane M. Allen, of Flint, in July, 1839. They have been blessed with nine children,-six girls and three boys. Mrs. Woolfitt was born in the province of Ontario, town of Cramah, July 8, 1819. She was left an orphan at the age of nine, and at the age of thirteen came to Michigan with Mr. Isaiah Merriman, by whom she was adopted. WALTER KNICKERBOCKER was born in Pine Plains, Dutchess Co., N. Y., April 8, 1824. On attaining his majority, he started in life as a farm-laborer. In 1815 he came to Michigan, and took up one hundred and twenty acres of land in the town of Thetford. He lived in Thetford until 1852, when he disposed of his property there, and came to Genesee, where he now resides. Mr. Knickerbocker has been twice married,first, to Miss Caroline Morrow: she died in 1854, and in 1855 he married Miss Mary Abrams, of Genesee. She was born in Lansingburgh, N. Y., Jan. 23, 1838; her parents came to Genesee at a very early day. By his first wife Mr. Knickerbocker had two children, James L. and Charles S. By his second wife he had ten children, viz.: George E., William, Esther (deceased), Jennie G., Martha C., Julia, Mary, Anna, Walter, and Herman H. Mr. Knickerbocker is one of those vigorous, iron-willed men who attain success in every department of life despite of all obstacles. His success is an evidence of what can be accomplished by industry, economy, and good executive ability. WHITMAN F. CLAPP. This gentleman, one of the prominent farmers and a pioneer settler of Genesee, was born in the State of New York in 1824. His father, Benoni Clapp, was one of the early settlers of the town of Thetford, and came to Michigan with his family in 1836, since which time the.family have been prominently identified with the history of Genesee and Thetford. The life of Mr. Clapp has been comparatively uneventful, and marked by few incidents save such as occur in the lives of most farmers. He is the architect of his own fortune, and his fine farm (a view of we present on another page) is the result of his own energy and industry. He has well and honorably earned the position he occupies,-that of one of the most prominent and successful farmers of the county. Mr. Clapp has been married four times,-first, to Miss Cornelia Ann Stevens, daughter of A. T. Stevens, of Genesee, one of the town's first settlers. Mr. Clapp is a man of decided opinions and tastes, liberal in all matters, public-spirited to a fault, generous to the extreme, and well worthy of the prominent position he holds in the town of Genesee. HIRAM H. BARDWELL. Genesee County is noted for the proficiency and high standard of its medical men, and none occupy a more deservedly popular position than Dr. Hiram H. Bardwell, of Mount Morris. A successful practice, extending over a period of fifteen years, has fully demonstrated his general worth and assigned him a conspicuous position in the history of the medical profession of the county. Hiram H., son of Joel and Harriet Bardwell, was born in the town of Burton, Genesee Co., Mich., April 2, 1839. He spent his boyhood days upon his father's farm, sharing the privations and hardships of a pioneer family. He received a good common-school education and acquired the trades of wheelwright and carpenter and joiner, which occupations he followed until he was twenty-two years of age, when he enlisted in Company K, 23d Michigan Infantry, as a private. He was soon detailed for the medical department, in connection with the hospitals; he served in this capacity during the war, and at its close returned home and went to the State Medical College, at Ann Arbor. He first established himself in the practice of his profession at Geneseeville, where he remained about three years, in which time he built up an extensive practice. He then went to the "Rush Medical College," at Chicago, where he graduated with honors in 1868. On his return to Genesee County he established himself at Mount Morris, where he has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession. He has been eminently successful. In 1859, Dr. Bardwell married Miss Jemima E., daughter of Isaac P. and Miranda W. Allen, of the township of Burton, who were prominent among the pioneers of that town. The doctor has taken a deep interest in educational matters, and has identified himself prominently with the best interests of the village, of which he has several times been president. Dr. Bardwell is a gentleman well and favorably known and very highly esteemed. He possesses the necessary qualifications of a physician other than knowledge,-geniality of disposition and firmness blended with kindness and compassion. In his domestic relations he is kind and affectionate, a good husband, father, and friend, and in every sense a worthy citizen. GAINE S. THE township of Gaines lies on the western border of Genesee County, and is bounded north by Clayton, east by Mundy, south by Argentine, and west by Shiawassee County. It includes township 6 north, in range 5 east, as located on the United States survey. Its surface is generally very level, and was originally covered with a dense growth of heavy timber. In places slight undulations are met with, but nothing rising to the dignity of hills. The soil is very good, and adapted to the growth of all grains raised in this region. The township has a large acreage of timber, and its development has been perhaps less rapid than that of most of the other townships in the county. That its resources are abundant, however, is evident from the fine improvements in its older settled portions. It has no streams of consequence, a branch of Swartz Creek, in the northern part, being the principal one. Along the banks of the latter, in early years, were extensive groves of maple, and a trail reached from Flint, which was used by the Indians, who manufactured here large quantities of maple-sugar. A small amount is made each year at the present time, but the ancient trail has disappeared, and the dusky people who threaded it forty years ago and more have sought homes more suited to them, or been laid to rest beside their fathers, and entered upon the happier hunting-grounds of which they dreamed. The following is a list of the entries of land in the township, as shown by the land-office records: Acres. John Warriner, New York City, November, 1836................. 160 Nathan Rublee, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1837................. 80 Lambert Acer, Cayuga Co., N. Y., October, 1850.................. 40 Swam p land.................................................................. 40 SECTION 5. Joseph Yerkes, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836................... 320 Win. and B. B. Morris, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1836...... 80 David Johnson, land-warrant, January, 1850...................... 133.47 Abraham B. Knight, land-warrant, October, 1852................ 46.33 " " " "............... 46.34 George Crocker, Genesee Co., Mich., July, 1853................... 40 SECTION 6. William Yerkes, Oakland Co., Mich., February, 1836............ 160 Wm. and B. B. Morris, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1836......... 80 Charles Keckinson, Ontario Co., N. Y., August, 1836. 71.72 Charles S. Boughton, I.. Hiram Sibley, Monroe Co., N. Y., August, 1836................... 348.85 SECTION 7. Jacob L. Woodruff, Ontario Co., N. Y., July, 1836................ 160 Perry Gardner, Oakland Co., Mich., May, 1837.................... 80 Clarinda Gardner, " " May, 1837.................... 67.20 Charles R. Yerkes, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1844........ 40 Swamp lands................................................................. 270.24 SECTION 8. Joseph Yerkes, Wayne Co., Mich., March, 1836................... 240 t " "................... 80 John Cook and L. G. Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., July, 1836. 160 Wm. and B. B. Morris, Oakland Co., Mich., July, 1836......... 160 SECTION 9. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836............... 240 Paul Hildreth, Worcester, Mass., September, 1836................ 80 Benjamin Tounly, land-warrant, January, 1852................... 40 Shahnuhnuhguhum, Genesee Co., Mich., January, 1854......... 40 Swam p lands................................................................. 240 SECTION 10. Sylvanus Hour, Wayne Co., Mich., September, 1836............. 160 Paul Hildreth, Worcester, Mass., " "............. 160 ShawwannaquaWum, Genesee Co., Mich., April, 1847............ 40 Mashaquit, ) Sawgoossway, Genesee Co., Mich., February, 1850........... 40 Waulitshewunt, Henry Willcox,. " January, 1851............ 40 " " " " November, 1853.......... 40 Swamp lands................................................................. 160 SECTION 11. Hugh Birckhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836................ 320 Henry Willcox, Genesee Co., Mich., April, 1846.................. 40 Rufus Case, " " " July, 1849................... 40 Henry Willcox, " " " October, 1848............... 40 Henry King, " " " May, 1849................... 40 Erastus P. Hodge, " " " October, 1853............... 40 Henry Willcox, " " " November, 1853............ 40 Swamp land.................................................................. 80 SECTION 12. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836............... 160 Hugh Birckhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836...................... 160 Jacob L. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N. Y., September, 1836......... 320 SECTION 13. Maxwell Thompson, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1836............... 160 Hugh Birckhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836....................... 320 Elijah Kent, Wayne Co., N. Y., September, 1836.................. 160 SECTION 1. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836............... Daniel Miller, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. Elijah Bishop, Jr., Chautauqua Co., N. Y., June, 1836.......... Charles He~al, Genesee Co., Mich., June, 1836...................... Hugh Birckhead, Baltimore, Md., July, 1836...................... Acres. 160 47.46 177.40 47.46 240 SECTION 2. Philander McLean, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836............... 93.91 "............... 94.23 Seth Hathaway, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1836........ 80 Marvin Williams, " November, 1838........... 40 Ebenezer Morse, " " January, 1846.............. 40 Calvin Morse, " " February, 1846............. 40 Thomas M. Bowles, " " March, 1846................ 40 Willard Eddy, " " September, 1846........... 40 Henry King, " " May, 1819.................. 40 Swamp lands................................................................ 120 SECTION 3. Chauncey Edson, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 95.49 Adam Miller, Oakland Co., Mich., August, 1836................. 95.59 Paul Hildreth, Worcester, Mass., September, 1836................ 160 Simon Law, Genesee Co., N. Y., March, 1837................... 40 Peter Acer, " " November, 1849............... 40 E. B. Dewey, {" July, 1851....................... 40 Charles C. Decker, Genesee Co., N. Y., October, 1848............ 40 Swamp lands................................................................ 160 SECTION 4. David Smith, Ontario Co., N. Y., August, 1836................... 93.50 Charles B. Hatch, Macomb Co., Mich., August, 1836............ 94.18 Paul Hlildreth, Worcester, Mass., September, 1836................ 160 334 I 1. A HESIDENCE OF U I-NAM:lU KJUN; iAINES, IENESEE bO. MICH. GAINES TOWNSHIP. 335 SECTION 14. Acres. Maxwell Thompson, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1836.............. 80 Charles Sprague, Broome Co., N. Y., May, 1836.................. 320 James Turner, New London, Conn., June, 1836................... 80 Healey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836................... 160 SECTION 15. Ephraim Fletcher, Orleans Co., N. Y., June, 1836................ 160 Jared Turner, New London, Conn., June, 1836................... 320 Jacob L. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N. Y., September, 1836......... 160 SECTION 17. John L. Eastman, Seneca Co., N.Y., April, 1836.................. 160 William B. Young, Gencsee Co., Mich., June, 1836............... 160 William Langley, Wayne Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 160 Healey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836................... 160 SECTION 18. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N.Y., April, 1836................ 320 Cook & Gordon, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836................ 131.56 Paul Ilildreth, Worcester, Mass., September, 1836................ 160 SECTION 19. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836............... 160 William Hay, Wayne Co., Mich., April, 1836....................... 146.16 Don C. Cooper, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836................... 160 Mosly Stoddard, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 146.76 SECTION 20. William Thompson, Seneca Co., N.Y., April, 1836............... 160 Orrin Rose. Herkimer Co., N. Y., June, 1836....................... 160 Barzillai Waldron, Oakland Co., Mich., September, 1836....... 80 Morgan Baldwin, Genesee Co., Mich., September, 1836......... 240 SECTION 21. John Carroll, Seneca Co., N. Y., June, 1836........................ 160 Marcus S. Marsh, Ontario Co., N.Y., June, 1836.................. 160 Elihu Morse, Jr., " " i1" " ".................. 160 IHealey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836................... 160 SECTION 22. John Turner, New London Co., Conn., June, 1836............... 80 " " " " "............... 320 Willard Osgood, Oneida Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................... 80 Eben B. Morehouse, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836................ 80 Elijah Kent, Wayne Co., N. Y., September, 1836.................. 80 SECTION 23. Maxwell Thompson, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1836............ 160 Ward Gazlay, Orleans Co., N. Y., June, 1836...................... 160 Ward Gazlay, Jr., " " " ' t................"...... 80 John Turner, New London Co., Conn., June, 1836................ 240 SECTION 24. John Demott, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836...................... 320 Maxwell Thompson, Ontario Co., N. Y., May, 1836............... 160 Isaac E. Frisbee, Hartford, Conn., June, 1836..................... 40 Eben B. Morehouse, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836................ 120 SECTION 25. Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836................ 80 Charles Smith, Genesee Co., N. Y., April, 1836................... 160 McHenry, Kurcheval, etc., United States, May, 1836............. 80 James B. Thompson, Seneca Co., N. Y., June, 1836............... 320 SECTION 26. McHIenry, Kurcheval, Healey & Smith, United States, May, 1836...................................................................... 320 Eben B. Morehouse, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836................ 320 SECTION 27. McHlenry, Kurcheval, etc., United States. May, 1836............ 320 Samuel Nash, Niagara Co., N. Y., June, 1836...................... 160 John Myers, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June, 1836........................ 160 SECTION 28. Wm. II. H. Shildon, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836............ 80 Hiram S. Banker, Seneca Co., N. Y., June, 1836.................. 160 Josiah Wilson, " " " " "................... 160 Lyman Turner, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836............... 80 George Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., June, 1836..................... 160 SECTION 29. James Edwards, Albany City, N. Y., June, 1836.................. 160 HeiLley & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836................... 160 Abel Aplin, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836..................... 80 John Turner, New London, Conn., June, 1836..................... 80 Eben B. Morehouse, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836............... 160 SECTION 30. Isaac E. Frisbee, Hartford Co., Conn., June, 1836................ Orrin Rose, Herkimer Co., N. Y., June, 1836...................... Eben B. Morehouse, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836................ SECTION 31. Martin M. Toms, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................ Isaac E. Frisbee, Hartford, Conn., June, 1836..................... Horace Parmelee, Clermont, N. Y., July, 1836..................... Robert Covell, Jr., Tioga Co., N. Y., July, 1836................... Acres. 307.32 160 147.16 147.68 160 160 148.76 SECTION 32. James Edwards, Albany City, N. Y., June, 1836.................. 80 Joseph S. Whitcomb, Orleans Co.,'N. Y., June, 1836............. 120 Erastus T. Hatch, Madison Co., N. Y., June, 1836................ 240 James Bogert, Orange Co., N. Y., July, 1836....................... 80 Nelson Bosworth, Worcester, Mass., September, 1836............ 120 SECTION 33. Hartford Cargill, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................ 160 Algernon S. Hollister, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836......... 80 Miles V. Rood, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836..................... 200 Erastus T. Hatch, Madison Co., N. Y., June, 1836............... 80 Charles J. Woolson, Clermont, N. H., July, 1836.................. 80 William Durfee, Newport Co., R. I., February, 1837............ 40 SECTION 34. Isaac E. Frisbee, Hartford Co., Conn., June, 1836................ 160 Charles J. Woolson, Clermont, N. H., July, 1836................... 240 James Wadsworth, Livingston Co., N. Y., July, 1836........... 100 Hartford Cargill, Oakland Co., Mich., April, 1836................ 40 William Durfee, Newport Co., R. I., February, 1837............. 40 SECTION 35. Amos Jones, Oakland Co., Mich., June, 1836...................... 160 James Wadsworth, Livingston Co., N. Y., July, 1836............ 160 George Van Valkenburgh, Oakland Co., Mich., February, 1837 80 t" " " " April, 1837..... 40 Henry V. Main, Genesee Co., Mich., February, 1854............. 80 Swam p lands................................................................. 80 Not entered.................................................. 40 SECTION 36. John Turner, New London Co., Conn., June, 1836............... 80 Eben 1B. Morehouse, Otsego Co., N. Y., July, 1836............... 320 Abijah B. Dunlap, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1836................ 80 Thomas Evans, Wayne County, Mich., April, 1836............... 80 In the northern part of the township is the extensive and well-ordered stock-farm belonging to the Crapos, of Flint, and which is one of the most important of the kind in the State. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first settler in what is now the township of Gaines was Hartford Cargill, who moved in from Bloomfield, Oakland Co., in 1836, and located on the farm now owned by Mr. Yerkes, on section 33. Of Mr. Cargill very little can now be learned, as none of his family live in the township. It is related that in 1839 he built a frame barn, and went as far as Linden for help to raise it. In 1846 he built a new house on his place, the carpenterwork being done by Abel D. Hunt, Jr., of Linden, then but twenty-two years of age. Ephraim Fletcher, from the State of New York, settled in 1836, in the locality known as "Fletcher's Corners," and on the opposite (west) side of the road from his present residence. The first town-meeting for the township of Gaines was held at his house in 1842, and Mr. Fletcher was chosen township treasurer. William Gazlay settled half a mile south of Fletcher's Corners, in 1840, on the place now owned by Mr. Lowther. Of the Indians who formerly occupied this region, but few are left. Three families are living in Gaines, and all have small farms. These are Wabaness and two sons of 4 S., 336 1 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Chief Fisher,-Joseph and Madison. The land of the 1865 former lies south of the Crapo stock-farm, and the Fishers First live still farther south. Occasionally an Indian family 1869 comes to the township and stays a short time, visiting with four those mentioned, but the latter are the only permanent the s residents who are representatives of the red race. super Edward S. Dart, now living east of Fletcher's Corners, Pu is the son of Joshua Dart, who settled, on the place now came owned by the former, in September, 1839. He, with an- fall o other son, Martin Dart, purchased 80 acres from James Lyon Turner, who had entered from government, but made no Ingh improvements. Martin Dart had a three-fourths interest fall o in the place, and for him E. S. Dart cleared twenty acres, No i afterwards buying it. Another son, George Dart, had upon come in the fall of 1838, and purchased a quarter-section had of Turner, located a mile north of Fletcher's Corners. wood Part of a tract of land at the corners which Martin Dart prese purchased of James Turner is now owned by Ephraim alone Fletcher, and part by J. T. Williams. Mr. Dart is now a the I resident of California, and his father is deceased. The only finee member of the family now living in the township is Ed- Of tl ward S. Dart, who was one of the many to suffer from the excel effects of the great civil war of 1861-65. He was a Tl] member of Col. Fenton's Eighth Michigan Infantry, and year during his term of service lost his left leg at James Island, It wa South Carolina. with When the Darts moved in, a man named James Wil- A liams lived opposite the western part of the place, upon A which Edward S. Dart now resides. B Philander McLain, from the town of Fleming, Cayuga B Co., N. Y., came to Michigan in June, 1836, and purchased the farm on section 2, in Gaines, where he now re- B sides. In the summer of 1838 he moved his family to B Oakland Co., Mich., where they remained until December B of the same year, when they moved into the house he had made ready for them. Mr. McLain thinks the only set- B tiers in town at that time were Hartford Cargill, the B Fletchers, and the Darts, but, as the Dart family did not B move in until the following year, Cargill and Fletcher were all. It is said that at the first town-meeting in Mundy c, (which then included Gaines), in April, 1837, but eighteen C votes were cast, and of these only three were from the C Ca portion of which Gaines was afterwards formed. Mr. McLain mentions the fact that Joshua Dart, being the old- D est man in the township at the time of its separate organi- D zation, was given the privilege of naming it, and did so, D D after an acquaintance of his,-General Gaines. D James Van Vleet, now of the city of Flint, came from D Romulus, Seneca Co., N. Y., to Michigan, in April, 1844, D to examine land he had previously purchased in Gaines. D He returned for his family, and soon settled with them on D section 21, where he still owns a farm. He has land also E on sections 22, 27, and 28. He purchased from second E: hands, but no improvements had been made upon the place, E Fl and at that time no road had been laid or cut near it. F The nearest improvement was then on Hartford Cargill's G place, one mile south. o, Since he first came to the county, Mr. Van Vleet has Go continuously held office of some kind. While residing in Gaines he was its supervisor for eighteen years, and fromGo; to 1869 held the position of representative from the Legislative District of Genesee County. In January,, he removed to Flint, and since then has been for years county treasurer and three years a deputy in Dame office, and is now serving on the fourth year as rvisor of the Third Ward of Flint. itnam Burton, now living on section 5, in Gaines, from Ovid, Seneca Co., N. Y., to Michigan, in the f 1831, with his father, Jacob Burton, who settled in is township, Oakland Co., and is now a resident of am County. Putnam Burton came to Gaines in the f 1850, having purchased his land in May preceding. improvements had even at that late day been made the place, and the only road was where the bushes been cut away to enable teams to get through the s. Mr. B. built a log house near the site of his nt frame house, and lived in it a year and a half, raising 12 acres of wheat during the time. Before brush was burned on his place he set out the present orchard west of his house, consisting of 126 trees. his orchard he is justly proud, as it has proved an lent producer and a considerable source of profit. le following is a list of the tax-payers in Gaines for the 1844, as taken from the assessment roll of that year. is not so arranged that the residents could be selected certainty, and the entire list is therefore given: llen, James P. 1lpin, Abel.;artlett, Erastus II. lackburn, John. eebe, Constantine. eers, Walter B. owles, Josiah W. ishop, Elisha. urkhead, Henry. aldwin, Morgan (of Mundy). anker, Hiram S. ryant, James. osworth, Nelson. argill, Hartford. argill, Nathan. ook & Gordon. ooper, Dan C. Larroll, John. arroll, Robert. ecker, Aaron. ickson, John M. art, Martin. art, Joshua. avis, Marvin. art, Lucy M. art, Edward S. ickerson, Charles F. unlap, John. unlap, Elijah. uffee, William. dson, Chauncey. astman, John L. dson, James. letcher, Ephraim. risbie, J. E. azlay, William. regory, David. ardner, Clarinda. -ardner, Perry. azlay, Miles. azlay, Ward. Hathaway, Seth. Hildreth, Paul. Hatch, Charles B. Howe, Sylvanus.. Hay, William. Hatch, Erastus T. Joslin, Moses A. Joslin, Charles W. Jones, Amos. Kent, Elijah. Law, Samuel. Larzalear, Jacob L. Langley, William. McLain, Philander. Martin, Elisha. Morris, William & B. B. McHenry and others. Morse, E., Jr. Marsh, M. F. Morehouse, E. B. Myers, John. Nash, S. Parmelee, Moses. Rood, Miles V. Rood, Carlton A. Rood, John. Root, Erastus. Root, John W. Rublee, Nathan. Rose, Orrin. Stedman, S. P. Smith, David. Sibley, Hiram. Sprague, Charles. Stoddard, Mores. Stood, William O. Thomas, Joseph P. Tomlinson, David. Thompson, William. Thompson, Maxwell. Turner, James. Turner, John. GAINES Ti Turner, Lyman. Whitcombe, Joseph S. Wheeler, William. Wilson, Charles. Williams, Marvin. Wadsworth, James. Wilcox, Frederick. Yerkes, Jonathan. Waldin, B. Young, William B. Warner, Thomas. Yerkes, Joseph. Wilson, Josiah. Yerkes, William. It will be seen from this list, which includes both residents and non-residents, that the population of Gaines, in 1844, was very small as compared with the present. For the sake of comparison the following items from the State census of 1874 are inserted, as pertaining to this township: Population (736 males, 664 females)............... 1,400 Number of acres taxable land........................ 22,910 " i" improved land..................... 6,439 " " land exempt from taxation..... 114 Value of same, with improvements.................. $6,475 Number of acres in school-house sites............. 5 t" church and parsonage sites.... 2 " " burying grounds................... 2 (" " railroad right of way and depot grounds.................. 40 " farms in township........................ 250 " of acres in farms....................... 19,059 " " wheat raised in 1874.............. 1,70t " " " t" 1873.............. 1,424 "' " corn " ".............. 443 " bushels wheat " ".............. 18,657 " ' corn " ".............. 12,572 " " all other grain raised in 1873 25,615 " " potatoes 't " 5,856 " tons hay cut in 1873....................... 1,476 pounds wool sheared in 1873............ 8,758 " " pork marketed "............ 29,390 " butter made "............ 33,065 " barrels cider made ".......... 176 pounds maple-sugar made in 1874..... 5,950 " acres in orchards "..... 415 " bushels apples raised in 1872............ 10,265 " " " " 1873............ 7,220 Value of fruit and garden vegetables, 1872...... $4,106 " " t" " l1873...... $3,612 Number horses, 1 year old and over, 1874........ 443 " work-oxen...................................... 91 " m ilch-cows...................................... 555 neat-cattle, 1 year old and over, other than oxen and cows..................... 443 " swine over 6 months old.................... 744 " sheep over 6 months old................... 2,350 " sheep sheared in 1873....................... 2,302 Number saw-mills in township, 1874............... 1 Number persons employed in same.............. 10 Amount of capital invested........................ $8,000 Number of feet of lumber sawed................. 500,000 Value of products.................................... $4,000 Number planing-mills.................................. 1 Persons employed.................................... 4 Capital invested...................................... $15,000 Value of products.................................... $500 Stave-, heading-, and barrel-factory............... 1 Persons employed.................................... 25 Capital invested....................................... $12,000 Value of products..................................... $8,000 TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION-FIRST TOWN-MEETING-CIVIL LIST. On the 16th of February, 1842, it was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, "That all that portion of the county of Genesee designated as township number 6 north, of range number 5 east, be set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Gaines, and the first township-meeting therein be held at the house of Ephraim Fletcher, in said township." From the records of the township is made the following extract descriptive of its first election: "At a Township Meting held April 4, 1842, at the hous of Ephraim Fletcher, in pursuant to an Act of the Legeslature setting off and organizing into a separate Township all that tract of Country known and described in the United States Survey as Township No. six (6) north, of Rang No. five (5) east, into a separate Township by 43 OWNSHIP. 337 the name of Gaines,-Wm. Gasley* was chosen Moderator,-and adjourned to meat at the School-house fourthwith. " Met pursuant to adjournment. "Made chois of Wm. B. Young, Frederick Wilcox, Martin Dart, and Walter B. Bearst as a Board of Inspectors, and James P. Allen, Clark. The Board being sworn, it was Voted, To have Assessors; Voted, To have two Constables for the year ensuing, and no more; Voted, That this Board, for the time being, shall receive no fees. "The poles being open, and ballot Given for those officers required to be chosen by ballot; Overseers of highways chosen; Voted, To Canvace; Voted, That no Boars shall be alowed to run at large between the mounths of May and December, on pain of fifty cents fine and all daemaye; Voted, To rais the sum of eighty dollars for contingent Township expences for the year ensuing." At this election 21 votes were polled and the following officers chosen, viz.: Supervisor, Wm. B. Young; Township Clerk, Martin Dart; Treasurer, Ephraim Fletcher; School Inspectors, Martin Dart, Marvin Williams, Walter B. Beers; Directors of the Poor, IMartin Dart, Ephraim Fletcher; Commissioners of Highways, James P. Allen, Lyman Perkins, William Gazlay; Justices of the Peace, James P. Allen, Philander McLain, Walter B. Beers, Frederick Wilcox; Constables, Elisha Martin, Lanlman Davis; Overseers of Highways, Win. B. Young, Jonathan Yerkes, Marvin Williams, William Gazlay, Walter B. Beers, John Rood, Hartford Cargill, Fred. Wilcox, Elijah Lyman. The justices elected drew lots for the respective terms, the result being as follows: Walter B. Beers, one year; Philander McLain, two years; Frederick Wilcox, three years; James P. Allen, four years. " At a meeting of the Assessors and Township Clerk of the Township of Gaines, County of Genesee, and State of Michigan, held at the school-house by E. Fletcher's on the 19th day of May, 1842, to review the Assessment roll, the fowlliin persons were selected to surce as grand Petty Jurers for the year ensuing: "Names of Grand Jurers: William Gazlay, Walter B. Beers, Philander McLain. Names of Petty Jurers: Marvin Williams, John Rood, Edward S. Dart."T: A special meeting was held in July, 1842, and Edward S. Dart and William Smalley elected constables in place of Elisha Martin and Lanman Davis. The last-named person had left the State. The following is a list of the officers of the township of Gaines from 1843 to 1879, inclusive: SUPERVISORS. 1843-44. William B. Young. 1845. Martin Dart. 1846. Sedgwick P. Stedman. 1847-51. James Van Vleet. 1852. Sedgwick P. Stedman. 1853-58. James Van Vleet. 1859. Thurston Simmons. 1860-61. George B. Runyan. 1862-68. James Van Vleet. 1869. Zenas A. Gage. 1870. John M. Clark. 1871-72. Henry F. Bush. 1873. Zenas A. Gage. 1874. Henry F. Bush. 1875. Zenas A. Gage. 1876-77. Thurston Simmons. 1878-79. Samuel C. Goodyear. TOWNSHIP CLERKS. 1843. Martin Dart. 1844. William Wheeler. 1845. Sedgwick P. Stedman. 1846-49. B. C. Covert. 1850-51. S. P. Stedman. 1852. B. C. Covert. 1853. Haynes B. Krewson. 1854. Hartford Cargill. 1855-56. Daniel T. Ward. 1857-58. Haynes B. Krewsor * Gazlay. t 1859. J. B. Randolph. 1860. James Van Vleet. 1861. Charles H. Currie. 1862. David P. Cargill. 1863. Jefferson H. Downer. 1864. Zenas A. Gage. 1865-71. George B. Runyan. 1872. A. B. Van Vleet. 1873-79. George B. Runyan. n. Beers. I Town Records. 338 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. TREASURERS. 1843. Ephraim Fletcher. 1844-45. Sedgwick P. Stedman. 1846-52. Ephraim Fletcher. 1853-54. John Blackburn. 1855-56. William Martin. 1857-58. Ephraim Fletcher. 1859. John Blackburn. 1860. John Carpenter. 1861-63. Ira J. Chatfield. 1864-70. Edward S. Dart. 1871-72. Ira T. Gilbert. 1873. George C. Holnes. 1874-75. Charles McLain. 1876-78. Henry E. Giddings. 1879. Horace W. Gilbert. i 1864. D. Brown. 1865. Peter Acre. 1866. Nelson Proper. 1867. A. H. Whitmore. Jacob Westrich. 1868. Morgan Webster. 1869. James Lawther. 1870. Seth Terry. 1871. F. M. Oliver. I 1871. Charles Borst. 1872. Wm. H. Crane. Wm. D. Bailey. 1873. George L. Underhill. 1874. Marcus F. Storrs. 1875. William II. Crane. 1876. Charles McLain. 1877-78. William D. Bailey. 1879. John Goodyear. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1843. Walter B. Beers. Martin Dart. 1844. Philander McLain. 1845. William Wheeler. 1846. B. C. Covert. S. P. Stedman. 1847. James Van Vleet. 1848. William Wheeler. 1849. Joseph Yerkes. 1850. S. P. Stedman. B. C. Covert. 1851. Henry D. Howes. James Van Vleet. 1852. S. P. Stedman. William Wheeler. 1853. H. B. Krewson. Jesse N. Doan. 1854. B. C. Covert. William Wheeler. 1855. Jacob W. Rall. James Van Vleet. 1856. Daniel Brown. 1857. Jacob W. Rall. 1858. Thurston Simmons. 1859. James Van Vleet. George E. Houghton. 1860. Daniel Brown. 1861. George B. Runyan. 1862. Ira T. Gilbert. 1863. James Van Vleet. 1864. Daniel Brown. 1865. G. B. Runyan. Ira J. Chatfield. 1866. Jacob W. Rail. John Young. 1867. James Van Vleet. Ira T. Gilbert. 1868. Constantine Beebe. 1869. G. B. Runyan. J. W. Rall. James Lawther. 1870. J. W. Rall. J. J. Gorden. 1871. Harrison P. Doan. Daniel Brown. 1872. Daniel Brown. 1873. William Proper. 1874. Ira T. Gilbert. 1875. George A. Evans. 1876. Daniel Brown. 1877. G. B. Runyan. C. M. Miller. 1878. Ira T. Gilbert. Wm. H. Borst. 1879. Wm. 1H. Borst. John Donaldson. ASSESSORS. TOWNSHIP DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1872. John N. Clark. 1873. Sidney S. Lee. 1874. Daniel Brown. 1875. George P. Perkins. TOWNSIIIP SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. 1875. James Lawther. 1878. Devere Hall. 1876-77. William M. Brown. 1 1879. George F. Brown. SCIOOL INSPECTORS. 1843. W. B. Beers. David P. Cargill.t 1844. W. B. Beers. 1845. William Wheeler. 1846. H. B. Krewson. James Van Vleet. 1847. Haynes B. Krewson. 1848. H. B. Krewson. James Van Vleet. 1849. H. B. Krewson. Nathan Cargill. 1850. James Van Vleet. H. B. Krewson. 1851. Haynes B.'Krewson. 1852. William Wheeler. 1853. H. B. Krewson. James Van Vleet. 1854. Isaac G. Soule. William Wheeler. 1855. J. W. Rall. Ira T. Gilbert. 1856. J. W. Rail. George H. Lyon. 1857. Isaac A. Worden. 1858. Nelson Meaker. 1859. Amos Stark. 1860. Ira J. Chatfield. 1861. Amos Stark. 1862. Ira J. Chatfield. 1863. Frank A. Smith. 1864. St. Clair HIamlin. 1865. James M. Wilson. 1866. St. Clair iamnlin. 1867. Charles McLain. 1868-69. Bela Cogshall, Jr. 1870. Bela Cogshall. G. P. Power. 1871. St. Clair IHamlin. 1872. George F. Aldrich. John Proper. 1873. Hiram D. Soule. 1874. Samuel C. Goodyear. 1875. John Chapell. 1876-77. Charles M. Miller. 1878. George F. Brown. 1879. Albert Van Vleet. 1876. John N. Clark (2 years). 1878. Franklin Bort (2 years). 1879. John N. Clark (v.). 1845. William Wheeler. James Van Vleet. 1846. Wm. B. Young. James Van Vleet. 1847. S. P. Stedman. Wm. B. Young. 1848. Wm. B. Young. COMMISSIONERS 1843. David P. Cargill.* Martin Dart. Aaron Decker. 1844. Charles Joslin. Ephraim Fletcher. Walter B. Beers. 1845. Ephraim Fletcher. Haynes B. Krewson. Philander McLain. 1846. Constantine Beebe. F. Wilcox. Sedgwick P. Stedman. 1847. S. P. Stedman. Charles Joslin. William Wheeler. 1848. C. Beebe. W. B. Beers. C. W. Joslin. 1849. William Sutton. W. B. Beers. 1848. II. B. Krewson. 1849. Wm. B. Young. Nathan Cargill. 1850. Wm. B. Young. S. P. Stedman. 1852. Isaac G. Soule. H. B. Krewson. OF HIGHWAYS. 1850. Jesse Welch. 1851. Isaac N. Tewksbury. 1852. Henry Howes. Jesse Braford. 1853. John Knight. Silas Simonson. Jesse Doan. 1854. H. B. Krewson. Constantine Beebe. 1855. C. C. Decker. 1856. George H. Lyon. 1857. Constantine Beebe. 1858. Edward S. Dart. Isaac A. Worden. 1859. Ira T. Gilbert. 1860. Thurston Simmons. 1861. Wm. B. Young. Nelson Proper. 1862. Joshua L. Wilcox. 1863. Nelson Proper. OVERSEERS OF TIHE POOR. 1843. David Tomlinson. Wm. Gazlay. 1844. Erastus Root. William Gazlay. 1845. Aaron Decker. E. S. Dart. 1846. Wm. Gazlay. Ephraim Fletcher. 1847. Wm. Gazlay. Erastus Root. 1848-49. Wm. Gazlay. C. White. 1850. S. P. Stedman. B. C. Covert. 1852. Wm. Gazlay. Marvin Davis. 1853. William Coy. William Gazlay. 1854. Wm. Wheeler. Hartford Cargill. 1856. Philander McLain. James Van Vleet. 1857. Peter Acre. Edward S. Dart. 1858. James Van Vleet. Peter Acre. 1859. Philander McLain.* Aaron H. Whitmore. CONSTABLES. 1843. Edward S. Dart. D. P. Cargill. Constantine Beebe. Aaron Decker. 1844. Charles Jaslin. E. S. Dart. Erastus Root. Carlton Reed. 1845. C. Van Vleet. Ed. Van Vleet. H. B. Krewson. Aaron Decker. 1846. John Rood. Ephraim Fletcher. Wm. Gazlay. William B. Young. * Dart resigned and Cargill removed, and William Wheeler and t These failed to qualify, and at a special meeting W. B. Beers and Philander McLain were elected to fill vacancy. Edward S. Dart were appointed in their places. GAINES TOWNSHIP. 1847. II. B. Krewson. C. Van Vleet. John Blackburn. 1848. Erastus P. Hodge. John Wood. William B. Young. Haynes B. Krewson. 1849. John Wood. Charles White. 1850. E. Fletcher. E. P. Hodge. Joseph Yerkes. Jesse Braford. 1851. E. Fletcher. Jesse Braford. 1852. Robert C. Covert. Ephraim Fletcher. Jesse Braford. Erastus P. Hodge. 1853. E. P. Hodge. C. C. Decker. John Blackburn. William W. Fay. 1854. Stephen Brown. Putnam Burton. Jesse Braford. Christopher C. Decker. 1855. Wells B. Miller. E. M. Bailey. 1856. E. M. Bailey. Solomon Henry. Peter Acre. Albert Simonson. 1857. Thomas Cowan. Stephen Brown. Samuel A. Sunderland. E. S. Dart. 1858. Nelson Meaker. Stephen Brown. S. A. Sutherland. E. M. Bailey. 1859. Stephen Brown. E. S. Dart. Jacob Westrich..Iaynes B. Krewson. 1860. Cyrus C. Atherton. John Carpenter. Ira T. Gilbert. Joseph Hershey. 1861. George Lefever. John Covert. Solomon Henry. Stephen Brown. 1862. Jacob Strein. Spencer Miner. H1iram V. Weeder.* Orson Joslin. 1863. Henry C. Parks. Frank A. Smith. Paul Davidson. Philander Decker. 1864. Stephen Brown. C. Hamlin. George Lefever. William Fletcher. 1865. S. Brown. John J. Strein. Orson B. Joslin. Jacob Westrich. 1866. S. Brown. E. S. Dart. H. C. Park. Solomon Henry. 1867. George W. Simonson. Alfred J. Skinner. Orson B. Joslin. Stephen Brown. 1868. Albert J. Potter. Morgan Webster. Wm. Evans. Charles H. Davis. 1869. E. S. Dart. Dewitt C. Mapes. T. Doloharty. Wm. Evans. 1870. Elias M. Jackson. Wm. Evans. William Wray. Adolphus Perry. 1871. Harvey L. Tibbils. Wm. Newton. Elam Bailey. William D. Brown. 1872. John Goodyear. H. L. Tibbils. William Newton. Elam Bailey. 1873. Charles Yerkes. John S. Smith. Wm. D. Brown. H. L. Tibbils. 1874. Elias Jackson. Robert Carter. Wm. D. Bailey. Frank Myers. 1875. Leonard Sprague. 1875. Frank Myers. H. L. Tibbils. Wm. Evans. 1876. H. L. Bogartis. Jerome Clark. Artemas R. Commins.t Lewis B. Hopkins. 1877. D. C. Mapes. Jerome Clark. Edmund Clark. 339 1877. L. B. Hopkins. 1878. John Beebe. Frank Myers. John McSorley. Eugene Fox. 1879. John Beebe. John McSorley. Jerome Clark. Frank Whitmore. SCHOOLS, EARLY AND PRESENT. Owing to the fact that this township was less rapidly filled up' with settlers than the others, schools were not taught nor districts organized until a comparatively late day. The earliest record of the formation of a school district after the separate organization of the township is in the spring of 1842. From the school record the following extracts are made: "At a meeting of the board of School Inspectors of the township of Gats, County of Genesee and State of Michagan, the Followingnamed persons was examinied as Candidates for teaching primary school and found Compitent, and certificates given them, viz.: philometa Dunning and Lois Leach. "GAINS, July the 10, A.D. 1843. " MARTIN DART, " Clerk of the School Inlspectors." Samuel C. Stiles given certificate, Nov. 30, 1844. Other early teachers were Zuleima Austin, Sarah Hallock, Nancy Bowles, Mary Ann Howes, Louisa Vosburgh, Mary Vosburgh, Julia Slaght, Miss Greattrack,t Hannah Williams, Ira Williams, and others. About 1845 the settlers living in the Van Vleet and Cargill neighborhood hired a teacher, and had a school kept on the Cargill place. A daughter of Mr. C. was possibly the teacher; Miss Mary Vosburgh taught here after the district was organized. District Number 9, including the village of Gaines, was organized in 1858, and a frame school-house was built in 1859, the same which is a part of the house now in use. The school has two departments and a large attendance. The various schools of the township exhibited the following condition Sept. 1, 1878, as shown by the report of the township school inspectors at that date: Receipts for the year, $2630.33; amount on hand Sept. 1, 1878, $200.48; expenditures for year, less amount on hand, $2429.85. 0O " ~ = ' ' | NUMBER OF TEACHERS. TEACHERS' WAGES. DISTRICTS. 'I c c | I | | | X; Pa- fit| || -| --------- z ~ ' Frame. Male. Female. Male. Female. No. 2....................................... 47 37 1 160 1 50 $500 1 1 $100 $48 " 3....................................... 6 55 4 158 1 80 400 1 1 140 72 " 4....................................... 25 34 5 160 1 44 600... 2 104 " 6....................... 55 6 157 1 50 1000 1 1 120 48 " 1...................... 60 64 6 160 1 70 600... 2...... 142 7................................ 90 99 4 165 1 60 350 1... 296.......... " 9................................ 137 200 1 100 500 2 3 483 215.80 1..................................130 1 60 500... 5003...... 85 * Resigned, and Stephen Brown appointed. t This name appears as " Miss Great Track" on the record. t Resigned, and E. M. Jackson appointed in his place. # Fractional districts. 340 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The attendance in district No. 9 was not given on the report, but in June, 1879, it was about 100. VILLAGE OF GAINES. On the 4th of July, 1856, the first passenger-train over this portion of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway passed over the site of the village, then in the midst of the forest. This train ran as far west as Owasso, and, in November following, the track was extended, and trains ran to St. John. The first building erected here was the railwaydepot. James B. Simonson, now a prominent banker of Holly, Oakland Co., was the first station-agent. He held the position a short time, and was succeeded by George B. Runyan, who resigned in 1859, at which time a telegraph.office was established, and Mr. Runyan was fearful he could not learn the latter business. The first house in the village was erected by Thurston Simmons, who had come from Livingston County. Mr. Simmons moved with his mother and brothers from Mlarion, Wayne Co., N. Y., to Oakland Co., Mich., in 1833, after the death of his father. After one year he returned to New York, and when but nineteen years of age was married. In November, 1840, he started for Conway, Livingston Co., Mich., where he subsequently settled on a farm otf 40 acres. Had borrowed money to enable him to get there, and when it was gone borrowed more of another friend. He stopped a few months at Pontiac on the way, and earned enough to pay what he had last borrowed. In March, 1841, he reached his place in Livingston County, without a cent in his pocket, and his wife had but one calico dress, orange and blue. He cleared a small space, built a log cabin, and began life in the wilderness. Both he and his young wife were filled with ambitious desires, and the cloud of adversity in time passed by. Mr. Simmons bought a cow, paying for it by laboring nineteen days, and split 1600 rails for a pair of calves, intending to raise them for a team. Hauled pork to Pontiac, selling it at a dollar and a half per hundredweight, and receiving " storepay." Calico was then worth two shillings a yard. In the spring of 1850, Mr. Simmons went to California, but sickness obliged him to return in January, 1851. He finally sold his farm in Livingston County, and in 1856 removed to Gaines, where he built the first house, as mentioned. In a part of this building he placed a stock of merchandise valued at about $250, and started the first store in the place. The woods were so dense that the depot, only fifteen rods away, could not be seen from his house. When he first started in business here, it is related that he was induced to deal in liquor, and after much coaxing bought half a barrel of whisky, of which he sold a small part and poured the rest on the ground, and since then that article has not been enumerated in his stock. George B. Runyan, a native of Ovid, Seneca Co., N. Y., and one of a family of twelve children, came with his wife and one child to Michigan, in September, 1839, and located in Kensington, Oakland Co., early in October. In June, 1841, he removed to section 24, in the town of Vernon, Shiawassee Co., and in his own house opened what he says was the first tailor-shop in that county. In April, 1848, he removed to Byron, in the same county, where he con tinued to work at his trade for several years. When the railroad was built and a village was started at Gaines, he purchased a lot, cleared it up ready to build on, and in November, 1856, moved his family here, following the next month himself. The only buildings then standing in the village were the store, dwelling, and tavern of Thurston Simmons (keeping boarders in the same house where he lived and had his store), which stood next north of the store now occupied by James A. Perkins, the latter built by Silas Simonson, who owned a farm near by, the depot, and a small dwelling occupied by C. C. Atherton, who still resides in the village. About 1857, Mr. Runyan was appointed agent for the American Express Company, which established an office here, and, with the exception of one year, when the Merchants' Union Company had the line, he has held it until the present time. During the year mentioned Thurston Simmons was the agent. Thurston Simmons kept the first " public-house" in the village, although from necessity, and not as a special calling. The first regular hotel was kept by Mr. Wcstrich, in a building now standing opposite Mr. Simmons' store, on the west side of the street. H. L. Tibbils also kept a hotel a short time opposite the depot. The present "Larned House" was built by Peter Van Ness in 1864 or '65. The northern portion was used as a store, and the balance as a hotel. Van Ness kept it until 1871, and since that time it has had several proprietors, and been known at different times as the " Gordon House," " Orth House," and "Roberts House." It is the only hotel now in the place, and is managed by Horace J. Larned, of Fenton, who became proprietor early in the summer of 1879. POST-OFFICE. The first post-office in the township of Gaines was established in October, 1852, east of the village site, on the farm of Bergen C. Covert, who received the appointment of postmaster. Ie was from Seneca Co., N. Y., and held the office, which was called Gaines, as long as it existed. After the one at the village was established, Mr. Covert was wont to carry the mail fiom here to his own office in his hat. The advent of a railway rendered it necessary to have an office at the village, and accordingly " Gaines Station PostOffice" was established in November, 1856, with George B. Runyan as postmaster. He held until 1861, when Thurston Simmons succeeded him. Under President Johnson, Runyan was reappointed, and when Grant was elected the position was again given to Mr. Simmons, who was succeeded in the spring of 1879 by Harry S. Cook, the present incumbent. The original plat of Gaines village was laid out by Henry N. Walker, and acknowledged May 10, 1859. Additions have since been made, as follows: William Walker's plan, Oct. 11, 1871, on the northeast quarter of section 5; Walker's replat of outlots 11 and 12, Feb. 25, 1873. The Gaines cemetery was laid out May 24, 1870. The village was incorporated in 1875, the following being a part of the act incorporating it: "AnT. 1, SEC. 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That all that certain tract of land situated in the county of Genesee and 341 GAINES TOWNSHIP. State of Michigan, being in township number six (6) north, of range number five (5) east, and described as follows, to wit: Being southeast quarter of section thirty-one (31), and west half of southwest quarter of section thirty-two (32), is hereby constituted a village corporate, known and designated as the Village of Gaines." It was directed in the act that the first election for village officers be held at the hotel of William Roberts, in said village, on the first Monday in March, 1875. The election was, however, held April 12, 1875, and the following officers chosen, viz.: President, James A. Perkins; Clerk, George B. Runyan; Marshal, Wallace Bowers; Treasurer, Thurston Simmons; Assessor, William Roper; Trustees for one year, Orson W. Tock, William Myers, Frederick M. Oliver; for two years, William Williams, Smith M. Cogshall, Reed Larue. The officers for the succeeding years have been the following: 1876.-President, James A. Perkins; Clerk, Friend D. Simmons (resigned, and E. M. Roberts appointed, who in turn resigned, and G. B. Runyan was appointed); Marshal, Jacob Croop; Assessor, George B. Runyan; Treasurer, Thurston Simmons; Trustees, two years, Orson W. Tock, William Myers, William Ireland. 1877.-President, Frederick M. Oliver; Clerk, G. B. Runyan; Treasurer, Henry F. Bush; Assessor, George B. Runyan; Marshal, Artemas R. Commins; Trustees, two years, Robert Carter, William Williams, George Still. 1878.-President, William Roper; Clerk, Smith M. Cogshall; Treasurer, Henry F. Bush; Assessor, Smith M. Cogshall; Marshal. John W. Beebe; Trustees, two years, Joseph Fowler, William Ireland, William Myers. 1879.-President, William Roper; Clerk, Eugene E. Pratt; Treasurer, Henry F. Bush; Assessor, Eugene E. Pratt; Marshal, E. M. Jackson; Trustees, two years and two for vacancy, Wallace Simonson, Thomas Vandenburgh, James L. Middlesworth, William H. Brooks, Charles Davis. In the spring of 1879 the village contained sixty-eight voters, six stores of various descriptions, a school-house, two restaurants, one hotel, two churches, three millineryshops, three blacksmith-shops, two shoe-shops, three wagonshops, one harness-shop, some extensive charcoal-kilns, owned by Smith & Brainard, a stave-factory, two grainelevators, and three physicians. A steam saw-mill and a broom-handle factory have been recently in operation, but at present are idle. The first physician who located here was probably Dr. Harris, now of Linden, who stayed but a short time. The first permanent one was Dr. Bela Cogshall, now of Flint, son of a prominent lawyer of the same name living at Holly. Dr. Cogshall established the first drug-store here, in company with Charles Hood. Both these men were from Oakland County. The present physicians of the place are Drs. G. E. Waters, Joseph Marshall, and Isaac Parks, the latter a practitioner of the homoeopathic school. The Masonic order has twice established a lodge here, the Odd-Fellows once, and others at different times, but no secret orders at present have lodges in the place. James A. Perkins, originally from Utica, Oneida Co., N. Y., went from there to Canada in 1845, and at Kingston built a large saw-mill. From that place he removed to Brantford, the burial-place of the famous Indian chieftain, Joseph Brant, or Thayendanega, whose remains Mr. Perkins aided in removing to a new sepulchre. After a residence of twelve years at Brantford, Mr. Perkins came to Detroit, and thence in 1863 to Gaines, at which latter place he built a steam saw-mill, which was subsequently burned. He also built the stave-factory now owned by Henry F. Bush, to whom he sold. About 1868 he purchased the store he at present owns, and since then has been engaged in the mercantile business. Henry F. Bush is a native of Deerfield, Livingston Co., Mich. (born in 1837). During the famous excitement over gold discoveries in California he went to that land of promise, and was quite successful in his efforts to accumulate wealth. In 1863 he returned to Michigan, and entered the photographic business at Battle Creek. He afterwards built the Ionia Stave-works, and in the fall of 1868 came to Gaines and purchased the stave-factory of James A. Perkins, which he still continues to operate. In 1875 he built his elevator. RELIGIOUS. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, GAINES VILLAGE. In 1858 or 1859 a Methodist Episcopal class was organized here, being supplied with preaching from the Byron circuit, to which it belonged. The class consisted of about a dozen members. One of the first preachers who held services here, and possibly the first, was Rev. Mr. Prindle, now superannuated. The present frame church was built in 1869, during the pastorate of Rev. Orlando Sanborn, and while the charge was yet a part of the Byron circuit. Gaines circuit was organized in the fall of 1869 or 1870. The more recent pastors have been Revs. D. B. Millar, William Birdsall, Mr. Lanning (now of Byron), and the present incumbent, Rev. John Wesley. The latter has charge of classes at Durand and the " Hough School-house," both in Shiawassee County. The membership of the church at Gaines is in the neighborhood of 60. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH in the village was built about 1871, and is a part of the charge of Rev. Father William Kilroy, of Fenton. To those who have furnished data for the foregoing sketch of the township of Gaines thanks are hereby tendered, with the assurance that their aid is highly appreciated. Among them are Philander McLain, Putnam Burton, Edward S. Dart, the family of Ephraim Fletcher, G. B. Runyan, Thurston Simmons, James A. Perkins, and numerous others. Some account of the village of Swartz Creek will be found in the Clayton township history, to which the reader is referred. BURTO N.. THIS is an interior township, and is designated by the United States survey as township No. 7 north, of range No. 7 east. It lies directly east of the city of Flint, which includes within its corporate limits the whole of section 18, and portions of sections 6, 7, 17, and 19 of the Congressional township. On the north, east, south, and west are the respective townships of Genesce, Davison, Grand Blanc, and Flint. Its surface is comparatively level, yet sufficiently elevated above the bed of its water-courses to afford good surfacedrainage. It was heavily timbered, originally, with fine forests of beech, maple, red and black oak, basswood, and other varieties of deciduous trees. Upon sections 5, 6,19, and 20 was found considerable pine, while sections 27 and 34 were what was termed by the original settlers " staddle lands." The Flint, Thread, and Kearsley Rivers are the principal water-courses. The former flows in a southwesterly course across the northwest corner of the township; the latter runs in a northwesterly direction across the northeast corner of the same; while Thread River enters the town from the south, and, flowing in a general northwest course, leaves the township near the centre of the west border. Thread River mill-pond, formed by a dam across the river, lies mainly within section 20, and embraces an area of about 140 acres. The soil consists of an admixture of sand and clay loam, alternating with a dark vegetable mould, and in its general characteristics the same as predominates in all drift-formations. It is highly productive, and, with careful cultivation, yields handsome returns to the husbandman. The people are chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits. Their farms are under a good state of cultivation, and neat farm-houses and substantial outbuildings abound. The population in 1874 was 1260. LAND ENTRIES. The first entry for land in this township was made by Rufus W. Stevens, March 10, 1829. His purchase consisted of the east half of the northeast quarter of section 19. Daniel Le Roy and Elisha Beach purchased 93 acres of section 18, March 3, 1830. Their purchase included all that remained of that section outside of the reservation. Levi Gilkey took up a portion of section 7, May 11, 1831. Peter Stiles, of Monroe Co., N. Y., purchased 120 acres of section 32, June 13, 1834. The next was Reuben Tupper, from Genesee Co., N. Y., who entered the east half of the southeast quarter of section 19, the west half of the northwest quarter of section 29, and the east half of the northeast quarter of section 30, Aug. 29, 1834. Other early entries were made by Samuel S. Todd on section 6, 342 Sept. 27, 1834, Levi Walker, June 24, 1835, and by Adonijah, Shubael, and Perus Atherton, and Pliny A. Skinner, July 10, 1835. The following list of names embraces those who purchased of the general government, and whose lands were situated in this township: 1836,* section 1: A. McArthur, A. D. Fraser, Chauncey Hurlbut, Enoch Jones, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1836, section 2: -- McArthur, Fraser & Hurlbut, Lewis Goddard, William Shaver, Ogden M. Willey, Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins. 1836, section 3: James Barns, Ogden M. Willey, Jacob Eldridge, Moses W. Scott, H. and V. R. Hawkins. 1836, section 4: Enoch Jones, William Tilton, Jacob Plass, Daniel Powell, Simeon M. Johnson, Edwin P. Hoyt. 1835, section 5: Benjamin Pearson, John Clifford, Levi Walker, Thomas Dole, Nathaniel Curtis, Shubael Atherton, Adonijah Atherton, Samuel Stewart. 1834, section 6: Samuel S. Todd, Levi Walker, Elizabeth Smith. 1831, section 7: Levi Gilkey. 1835, section 8: Ephraim S. Walker, Levi Walker, Trumbull Carey. 1836, section 9: Charles B. Hubbell, Joseph Thompson, Enos Talmadge, Lyman Sherwood, Samuel L. Fuller, Jonathan E. Robinson. 1836, section 10: Enos Talmadge, Lyman Sherwood, Charles B. Hubbell, Joseph Thompson, Edward Eldridge, Peter V. Moore, Seymour Boughton. 1836, section 11: Philo Fairchild, Ralph Lester, Hiram Bellows, Ira Bellows. 1836, section 12: Enoch Jones, Thomas L. L. Brent, Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Joseph Thompson, Hanford Lyon, Ellen Jane Voorheis. 1836, section 13: William Ware, Seymour Boughton, Orson Beebe, Heman Ferris, Calvin Cartwright, Harris Hibbard. 1836, section 14: Franklin Clark, Calvin Rose, George Chandler, Ellen J. Voorheis, Anthony W. Martin. 1835, section 15: Zenas Goulding, Thomas L. L. Brent, Enos Talmadge, Lyman Sherwood, Charles B. Hubbell, Joseph Thompson, Seymour Boughton. Section 16: School-lands. 1834, section 17: Nathaniel Nelson, Jesse Whitcomb, Henry A. Brewster, James W. Cronk, Frederick W. Brewster. 1830, section 18: Daniel Le Roy, Elisha Beach. 1829, section 19: John A. Hoyes, Rufus W. Stevens, * The figures show the year the first purchase was made upon each section. A :t ::;:: -::::::::-: ~;.:::::::-:.~::i;::.: a 343 BURTON TOWNSHIP. March 10, 1829, Olmsted Chamberlin, and Gideon O. Whittemore, Augustus C. Stevens, Reuben Tupper, Elijah Smith, James Reed, James W. Cronk, Henry Dwight, Mark H. Sibley, Reuben H. Tupper, Mark H. Sibley. 1835, section 20: John L. Gage, Orlando Murray, Albert G. Gage, Frederick Buhl, Eliza Alexander, James C. Delong. 1835, section 21: John L. Gage, Perus Atherton, Shubael Atherton, Adonijah Atherton, Jonathan Harrington. 1835, section 22: Shubael Atherton, James Ingalls, Elihu Atherton, Thomas L. L. Brent, Jacob Alexander, Asahel Robinson, Joseph Thompson, Hanford Lyon. 1836, section 23: Daniel Hiller, William D. Chambers, Joseph Thompson, Hanford Lyon, Elihu Atherton, Seymour Broughton. 1836, section 24: Daniel B. Dye, Nathan Lamson, James N. Smith, George A. Neal, Silas O. Long, Bradford Knapp. 1836, section 25: James Whyte, Amasa Short, Daniel Estes, Nathan Lamson, Peter Jay, Charles P. Day, Bradford Knapp. 1836, section 26: Henry Schram, Ira Donelson, John Hiller, Jr., Chauncey Baker, Adonijah Atherton. 1835, section 27: Nathaniel Curtis, James Ingalls, Barnabus Norton, Tunis Cole, Timothy B. Tucker, Ira Donelson, Pliny Curtis. 1835, section 28: Pliny A. Skinner, Nathaniel Curtis, Sidney S. Hosmer, James M. Heath, George Beckwith. 1834, section 29: Reuben Tupper, Andrew Cox, Cephas Carpenter, Nathaniel B. Overton, James M. Heath, Stephen Hill. 1834, section 30: Reuben Tupper, John A. Iloyes, Jesse Chapman, Horace Blackmer, Thomas B. Worden, Henry Dwight, Rexford Wittum, Origen D. Richardson. 1835, section 31: Ebenezer Bishop, Ira Donelson, Joseph M. Irish, Joel Bardwell, Jr., James Jones, Samuel C. Stiles, Abel S. Donelson, Origen D. Richardson. 1834, section 32: Peter Stiles, Tracy W. Burbank, Isaac N. Stage, Henry Dwight, Joseph Gamball, William Churchill. 1834, section 33: John Hollister, William Churchill, Lot Clark, Stephen Warren, Warren Annable. 1834, section 34: Uriah Short, Oliver Short, Colonel T. Gorton, Benjamin Bullock. 1836, section 35: Josiah W. Alexander, Charles B. Hubbell, Joseph Thompson. 1836, section 36: Levi M. Fox, Mark M. Jerome, Alvah Bishop, Deborah Ewer, Adoniram Dan, Col. T. Gorton. FIRST SETTLEMENTS. Levi Gilkey, one of the very earliest pioneers in the vicinity of the city of Flint, came from Genesee Co., N. Y., and on the 11th day of May, 1831, purchased of the general government 681 acres, described as " being the fractional part of section 7," or all that part remaining of said section outside of the reservation. His location was on and near the mouth of the small stream which still bears his name. He became a resident soon after the date of his land-entry, thereby becoming the first settler in the surveyed township outside of the city limits. Very little is known, or can be learned, concerning the history of Mr. Gilkey. It transpires, however, that he became involved in many law-disputes, and remained here but a very few years; doubtless he left the country, as many have since done, and will yet do, in disgust. Reuben Tupper, brother of a numerous family of the name, who settled at an early period in Grand Blanc, was the next settler in the township. He also came fiom Greene Co., N. Y., and purchased lands situated upon sections 19, 29, and 30. Aug. 29, 1834, during the fall of the same year, he located upon the Saginaw road, section 19, where he erected a small log house, which stood nearly opposite the present residence of Mr. Ball. About 1830, Shubael Atherton came from Henderson, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and settled in Pontiac. In 1833 he was joined by his brother Perus, a soldier of 1812. The brothers continued their residence in Oakland County until the fall of 1835, when, having purchased lands of the government situated in this township, they began preparations,for a removal to their new homes. At the time last mentioned, Perus Atherton and Pliny A. Skinner-the latter of whom had also purchased land at the same date as the Athertons-came on from Pontiac, and found Reuben Tupper settled, as before stated. They began their labors by cutting out a road sufficient for the passage of a team and wagon, commencing at the point where the railroad crosses the old Saginaw turnpike, thence due east along the section lines to Thread River, or the proposed " Atherton settlement." This was the first road opened in the township other than the Saginaw road. The two pioneers then constructed two log houses, one for each of them, and after their completion a third one was erected for Shubael Atherton. The families of Skinner and Perus Atherton were settled in November; Shubael Atherton joined them a few weeks later. These three families passed the winter alone in the wilderness, and formed the nucleus of what was destined to be a thriving settlement of thirty families ere the lapse ot the ensuing twelve months. Henry Schram was born in Schenectady, N. Y., and with his father's family settled in Jefferson County, of the same State, at an early period. In September, 1835, he left Adams, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and arrived in the "Atherton settlement" October 3d. He was accompanied by his wife, a daughter of Nathaniel Curtis. His first work was to build a log house for the reception of Curtis' family. He purchased the west half of the northwest quarter of section 26 of the government, March 16, 1836, and 80 additional acres on the same section May 26th of the same year. His father, John Schram, and brothers Isaac, William, Truman, James, George, David, and one sister, Mary Jane, became settlers in the township in the spring of 1836. In May, 1836, Capt. Nathaniel Curtis (a soldier of 1812), Adonijah Atherton (brother of Shubael and Perus), Asahel Robinson, Elisha Salisbury, all with families, and Harmon Clark (a young man employed by Capt. Curtis), came from Adams, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and, after a journey of fourteen days, arrived in the settlement during the same month. Barnabus Norton, James Ingalls, Joseph Chambers and sons, also from Jefferson Co., N.Y., became settlers soon:::~ —~ 344 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -I after. It is related that William and Jeremy Chambers walked the entire distance from Jefferson Co., N.Y., to their place of settlement in Michigan. John Hiller, from Ogden, Monroe Co., N. Y., purchased 320 acres upon sections 23 and 26 in June, 1836, and settled upon his purchase in September following. His present residence was the first framed house erected in the eastern part of the township; it was built in 1843, and his barn, the second framed one, in 1842. Among others who settled in 1836 and early in 1837 were William Tilton, Thomas Bownes, William Bendle, Benjamin Boomer, Horace Boomer, Clark Boomer, Cephas Carpenter, Tunis Cole, Adoniram Dan, Daniel Estes, Col. T. Gorton, John L. Gage, Ovid Hemphill, Harris Hibbard, Charles Johnson, John McCormick, Samuel McCormick, Benjamin F. Olmsted, Walter Rall, William Rall, Thomas Sweet, Ephraim Walker, and Jesse Whitcomb. The following-named settlers purchased lands of the general government, and located in the township at an early day: Jacob Eldridge, Edward Eldridge, from Livingston Co., N. Y.; John Clifford, from Genesee Co., N. Y.; Levi Walker, from Cayuga Co., N. Y.; Benjamin Pearson, Samuel S. Todd, Zenas Goulding, Charles P. Day, Nathaniel B. Overton, Jesse Chapman, and Joel Bardwell, Jr., from Oakland Co., Mich.; Jonathan IHarrington and Albert G. Gage, from Ontario Co., N. Y.; Daniel Hiller, Ira Donelson, Timothy B. Tucker, Peter Stiles, Samuel C. Stiles, and Abel S. Donelson, from Monroe Co., N. Y.; George Beckwith, Oneida Co., N. Y.; Warren Annable, Oliver Short, and a large family of sons, from Otsego Co., N. Y.; Nathan Lamson and Mark I. Jerome, from Jefferson Co., N. Y.; and Andrew Cox, from Montgomery Co., N. Y. A majority of the early settlers of Burton, or, as it was then known, Flint township, came from the towns of Adams and Henderson, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and their location was known for many years as the " Atherton settlement." Here they cleared up the forests, built themselves houses, established a school and a church, and laid the foundation of a thriving Christian community. Of those who came among them and settled here during the fourth decade of the present century, none became better known in the county and State, and in later years in many of the Eastern, Middle, and Western States, than Rev. Orson Parker, the evangelist. Mr. Parker was the grandson of a veteran of the Revolutionary war, and was born near where the city of Lawrence, Mass., now stands, in 1800. In 1814 he went to Jefferson Co., N. Y., where his father had removed with his family in 1811. They settled in the town of Henderson, not far from Henderson Harbor, Lake Ontario. In 1821 he began the study of law with the late Judge Thomas C. Chittenden. "He eventually became the law partner of Mr. Chittenden, and continued to practice with marked success until an event occurred which completely changed the whole course of his life, and led to results in after-years which far exceeded in their importance the most brilliant successes which he could possibly hop to gain in the profession of law."* He was married in 1827 to Miss Celestine Gridley. One boy was born to them, who lived but three months. A year and a half after their marriage the young wife died. He then began a careful study of the Bible. The effect produced upon his mind by the loss of his wife and child, and his strong desire to fulfill his promise to her to meet her in heaven, made his heart peculiarly susceptible to religious influences, and during a revival in Adams, under the ministrations of Rev. Jedediah Burchard, he became converted. He then gave up the practice of law, and entered the Auburn (N. Y.) Theological Seminary. After a year's study he returned to Adams, was examined and licensed to preach by the Black River Association. In 1832 he married Diana Eleanor, a daughter of Adonijah Atherton, of Henderson, N. Y. The same year he was called by the Presbyterian Church of Belleville, N. Y., where he continued one year. He was then employed by the Black River Association to hold protracted meetings in the churches within their limits. He was called to Cassville, N. Y., in 1834, remaining two years. From there he went to Ohio, held revival meetings all through the Western Reserve, and for a few months supplied the pulpit in Painesville. In August, 1837, he came from Ohio with his family, consisting of his wife and three young children. With a single horse and buggy, he brought his family from Detroit -to which place they had come from Sandusky-to his father-in-law's house, in the wilds of Northern Michigan. At that time, the country north of Detroit was sparsely settled; only here and there was a little clearing in the forest, where some sturdy pioneer had begun to hew out a home for himself and family. There was no public conveyance. The road was a mere trail through the woods, almost impassable except in the driest part of the season. Leaving his family at the home of Mr. Atherton, he began a mission, which ended only with his life, March 14,1876. His first work in the State was in the village of Flint, then a place of a dozen or twenty houses. The first communion was administered by Mr. Parker, in the fall of 1837, the congregation meeting in the unfinished loft of a store. At an early period he purchased the fine farm in Burton at present occupied by his widow. This place, and Flint, with the exception of a few years spent elsewhere, have been the residence of the family since 1844. Mr. Parker labored incessantly in promoting revivals. His seasons of work were usually from about the first of September till the last of April or May. His field extended from Massachusetts to Iowa, from Canada to Maryland. He died at Havana, N. Y., of paralysis, while in the midst of his labors. He died, as he wished to die, with the harness on. During the last months of his life he wrote a work, entitled " The Fire and the Hammer, or Revivals, and how to Promote them," which was published soon after his death. The first years were trying ones to the people in the Atherton settlement. The removal from New York to Michigan and the purchase of their lands had, in most instances, exhausted their all. For a year or two many of them worked for the Atherton brothers, Capt. Curtis, and Pliny A. Skinner, who, at this time, were considered forehanded. Soon their resources were gone, eaten up; poor crops followed an unfavorable season, and all were poor in * Extract from a biographical sketch of his life. RESIDENCE OF HENRY SCHRAM, BURTON, GENESEE COUNTY, MICH. S4 BURTON TOWNSHIP. 345 ----- -- common. Destitution and privations existed upon all sides; women nurtured amid the comforts and luxuries of their Eastern homes wept and prayed alternately, as their vision took in the waste of forests and the few acres of cleared, yet stumpy land, which environed their rude cabins. But the bond of common suffering more firmly knit the ties of friendship and neighborly affection. With strong arms and undaunted hearts, the men whose names are mentioned in this chapter finally wrought from the frowning wilderness a competence, and many of them are to-day, with their children, enjoying the fruits of an honorable, industrious life in one of the most fertile regions of the State of Michigan. The resident tax-payers in 1844 were, Allen, Isaac P. Alger, George. Annabel, Warren. Allen, James. Allen, Jason. Alexander, William E. Atherton, Shubael. Atherton, Elihu N. Atherton, Adonijah. Atherton, Perus. Alexander, John F. Brown, Chauncey. Bowns, Thomas. Bowns, John. Bentley, James. Bentley, Henry. Bentley, Seymour. Bendle, William. Best, Richard. Barber, Elisha M. Boomer, Benjamin. Boomer, Horace. Boomer, Clark. Beasley, Jesse J. Brown, Isaac. Brown, David E. Bingham, Lorenzo. Barkham, Joseph. Craper, Albertus. Cole, Tunis. Clark, Harmon. Curtis, Crandall N. Cox, Andrew. Carpenter, Cephas. Chambers, William D. Curtis, Charles G. Chambers, Joseph. Chambers, Enoch N. Chambers, Jeremy R. Curtis, Nathaniel, Chase, Ira. Curtis, Asahel. Calvin, Randall. Delbridge, John. Dan, Adoniram. Donelson, Horace L. Donelson, Abel S. Day, Charles P. Estes, Daniel. Estes, David. Field, Bethuel. Forton, James. Griswold, John C. Greer, James. Gorton, Col. T. Gage, John L. HIiller, John. 44 Hemphill, Ovid. Hall, Truman. Hall, Willard. Hibbard, Harris. Ingalls, James. Johnson, Charles. Judd, Asahel. Judd, Henry. Jerome, Mark M. Jerome, Nathaniel C. Knowlton, Abraham. Lamson, Nathan. McCormick, John. McCormick, Samuel. Neidhammer, Jno. F. Norton, Barnabas. Norton, Nelson. Olmsted, Benjamin F. Parker, Orson. Peck, Jesse P. Parrish, Jasper. Pierce, Caleb. Pierce, Silas R. Preston, Daniel. Plass, Jacob. Rall, Walter. Rail, William. Rall, Benjamin. Robinson, Asahel. Robinson, Isaac N. Seymour, Burr. Short, Uriah. Short, Amasa. Short, Augustus. Short, Charles. Short, Albert. Short, Delos. Schram, Truman. Smith, David. Skinner, James M. Stone, Salmon. Schram, John I. Schram, Henry. Skinner, Pliny A. Sweet, Thomas. Tilton, William. Tupper, Reuben. Thompson, Francis D. Vodden, Henry. Whittlesey, William. Whittlesey, IIarlow. Walker, Ephraim S. Whitcomb, Jesse. Webster, Steward H. Wolcott, Jno. J. Wittum, Rexford. Wittum, Sylvester. CIVIL HISTORY. Burton township, originally a part of Grand Blanc, became a portion of Flint in 1836. In 1839, sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, by an act of the State Legislature, became the south part of the now obsolete township of Kearsley. By the same authority, these sections were reannexed to Flint, March 7, 1843. The Board of Supervisors of Genesec County, by preamble and resolutions, of date Oct. 12, 1855, resolved as follows: "Whereas, Application has been made, according to law, to divide the township of Flint into two townships; and whereas, the township of Flint includes two surveyed townships, except that part included in the city of Flint. " Therefore, resolved, by the Board of Supervisors of the county of Genesee: "SECTION 1. That all that part of the township of Flint included in township No. 7 north, of range No. 7 east, be, and the same is hereby, set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Burton; and the first township meeting for the election of officers shall be held on the first Monday of April, 1856, at the Atherton school-house in said township; and that Harlow Whittlesey, Henry D. Frost, and Nelson Norton, be, and they are hereby, appointed to preside at such meeting, appoint a clerk, open and keep the polls, and exercise the same powers as inspectors of elections at any township meeting; and that Harlow Whittlesey be, and he is hereby, appointed to post up notices, according to law, of the time and place of such meeting, in the newly organized township of Burton." By sections 2 and 3 of the same resolution, township No. 7 north, of range 6 east (Flint), was organized into a separate township by the name of Garland. These sections were amended at a session of the board of supervisors, held Feb. 5, 1856, and the name of Flint substituted in the place of Garland. FIRST TOWNSHIP-MEETING. At the first township-meeting of the town of Burton, held on the 7th day of April, 1856, Henry D. Frost, Nelson Norton, and Charles G. Curtis served as inspectors of election, and Henry D. Frost as chairman of the board. The whole number of votes given the candidates for the office of supervisor was 159, of which Harlow Whittlesey received 103, and John L. Gage, 56. The followingnamed officers were elected at this meeting: Harlow Whittlesey, Supervisor; Daniel E. Salisbury, Township Clerk; Robert Chambers, Treasurer; Henry D. Frost, School Inspector; Jacob M. Eldridge, Talman Frost, Nelson Norton, Joel Bardwell, Justices of the Peace; Enoch M. Chambers, Abalino Babcock, Harrison G. Conger, Highway Commissioners; Ira Chase, Salmon Stone, Directors of the Poor; Edward Eldridge, Lorenzo T. Frost, Charles Pettis, Perry Judd, Constables. Overseers of Highways: District 1, William Van Buren; 2, Francis Hitchcock; 3, James Bigelow; 4, Jacob Plass; 5, Richard Bush; 6, Joseph W. Metcalf; 7, Salmon Stone; 8, John F. Alexander; 9, Caleb Gillett; 10, Daniel Jeffers; 11, Ambrose Jones; 12, William L. Van Tuyle; 13, Perus Atherton; 14, Henry F. Franklin; 15, John O'Conor; 16, David Smith; 17, Joel Bardwell; 18, Asa Wolverton; 19, Ira Chase; 20, Wallace W. Gorton; 21, Rufus Chase; 22, Henry F. Hill. 346 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The following is a list of the principal township officers from 1856 to 1878, inclusive: Supervisors. Township Clerks. 1856. Harlow Whittlesey. D. E. Salisbury. 1857. t" "i " 1858. " " Dewitt Parker. 1859. " " Samuel R. Atherton. 1860. " " " " 1861. " " " " 1862. " "t " " 1863. " "{( i 1864. David Schram. " " 1865. " " " " 1866. " "t t 1867. " "{ i 1868. " " " " 1869. Samuel R. Atherton. George M. Curtis. 1870. " " Jesse J. Beasley. 1871. " " " " 1872. " " " " 1873. " " " " 1874. " " Hiram Bidleman. 1875. Andrew J. Cronk. " " 1876. " " Jesse J. Beasley. 1877. " " " " Treasurers. Robert Chambers. Gust. A. Atherton. David A. Salisbury. Wm. J. Montgomery. i;n Oscar M. Cole. David Schram. Charles G. Curtis. Romain Putnam. Walter Phillips. Jesse J. Beasley. George M. Curtis. John Webber. Elbert T. Pettis. John C. Wolverton. No record. Fred. NV. Fuller. Andrew J. Cronk. Harvey Noble. Daniel R. Pratt. Thomas Baker. 1878. John C. Wolverton. Lewis Hiller. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. Talmon Frost, William Hammond, Joel Bardwell, 1857; Nelson Norton, Robert Chambers, 1858; William Bendle, 1859; Joshua Vose, James Forton, 1860; Robert Chambers, Albert Short, 1861; Abalino Babcock, Robert Chambers, 1862; James Forton, 1863; Talmon Frost, 1864; Robert Chambers, 1865; Peter A. Montgomery, 1866; John Webber, 1867; Charles G. Curtis, 1868; Robert Chambers, 1869; Peter A. Montgomery, Adelbert C. Schram, 1870; David Schram, Nathan Lampson, Abalino Babcock, 1871; no record for 1872; Harrison G. Conger, George R. Howe, 1873; John D. Joslin, Samuel R. Atherton, 1875; George R. Howe, Samuel R. Atherton, 1876; Harrison G. Conger, Harvey Noble, 1877; John Webber, 1878. HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS. Enoch N. Chambers, Abalino Babcock, Harrison G. Conger, 1856; Henry Schram, 1857; Enoch N. Chambers, 1858; Harrison G. Conger, 1859; Henry Schram, 1860; Robert Chambers, 1861; Harrison G. Conger, 1862; Ienry Schram, 1863; Uriah Pratt, 1864; Robert Chambers, 1865; Henry Schram, 1866; James R. Bigelow, 1867; Harris Hibbard, Allen B. Jones, 1868; Charles G. Curtis, 1869; Harrison G. Conger, 1870; Robert Chambers, Henry Schram, 1871; no record, 1872; Isaac Johnson, 1873; Robert Chambers, 1874; Henry Schram, Robert Chambers, 1875; Henry Schram, 1876-77; William Murrill, 1878; Henry L. Franklin, Drain Commissioner, 1878. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. Ilenry D. Frost, 1856-57; David Schram, 1858; Henry D. Frost, 1859; H. H. Schram, 1860; Henry D. Frost, Charles A. Crapser, 1861; Walter Phillips, 1862; Henry D. Frost, 1863; Adelbert C. Schram, 1864; George M. Curtis, 1865; Adelbert C. Schram, 1866; George M. Curtis, 1867; Adelbert C. Schram, 1868; John C. Wolverton, 1869; Adelbert C. Schram, 1870; John C. Wolverton, 1871; Henry D. Frost, Thomas HI. Baker, 1873; no record for 1872; Thomas H. Baker, 1874; Henry D. Frost, 1875; Samuel R. Atherton, 1876; Adelbert C. Schram, 1877; Theophilus Harrington, 1878; Robert F. Baker, Town School Superintendent, 1878. CONSTABLES. Edward Eldridge, Lorenzo T. Frost, Charles Pettie, Perry Judd, 1856; Harrison G. Conger, Albertus Crapser, Charles Pettis, Lorenzo T. Frost, 1857; John Covert, Henry F. Hill, David R. Smith, John McAllister, 1858; John C. Covert, Ruftis Chase, Lorenzo T. Frost, Russel J. Enos, 1859; Norman F.'Decker, Abalino Babcock, John Webb, Jonathan Cuen, 1860; Abalino Babcock, Jesse J. Beasley, Caleb Gillett, Edward Eldridge, 1861; Jesse J. Beasley, Caleb Gillett, Rufus Chase, Erastus K. Carrier, 1862; Rufus Chase, John Webber, Jesse J. Beasley, John E. Covert, 1863; Erastus K. Carrier, Jesse J. Beasley, Romaine Putnam, Palmer A. Green, 1864; Jesse J. Beasley, Nelson Norton, John E. Covert, Erastus K. Carrier, 1865; Henry D. Frost, Thomas C. Bush, George S. Lum, Jesse J. Beasley, 1866; Thomas C. Bush, Henry Enos, Adelbert C. Schram, George S. Lum, 1867; Thomas C. Bush, Jesse J. Beasley, Milo Goodrich, Edwin Van Tuyl, 1868; Andrew D. Holford, Alexander O'Rourke, George H. Robinson, Daniel Gillett, 1869; Harrison Parker, Daniel Gillett, Amos Crapser, Alfred S. Skinner, 1870; James Montimore, Robert W. Day, Alexander O'Rourke, 1871; no record for 1872; Amos S. Crapser, Hiram W. Biddleman, Alexander O'Rourke, John Webber, 1873; Alexander O'Rourke, James Pierce, Leonidas II. Green, Thomas C. Bush, 1874; James Pierce, Alexander O'Rourke, Adelbert C. Schram, John Perry, 1875; Alex. O'Rourke, Elbert T. Rettis, James Pierce, George H1. Robinson, 1876; James Pierce, Alex. O'Rourke, Daniel Gillett, Wm. W. Merrill, 1877; Anson Parks, Danvers W. Farrar, Thomas Bush, 1878. SCHOOLS. The first school-house was built in the Atherton district in the summer of 1836, and the first school was taught by Miss Betsey Atherton, daughter of Adonijah. She was a most estimable young lady, and her death, which occurred a few months later, was the first in the settlement. From 1836 until 1856 the schools and school-reports are so interwoven with those of Flint township, of which this then formed a part, that no intelligible data can be gathered as to the condition of early schools. The following statistics are taken from the school inspector's report for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878: Number of whole districts, 4; fractional districts, 4. Children of school age in the township, 328; attending school during the year, 249. Frame school-houses, 8. Seating capacity of school-houses, 437. Value of school property, $4850. Male teachers employed during the year, 2; female teachers, 15. Months taught by male teachers, 54; by female teachers, 55~. Paid male teachers, $67.75; female teachers, $942; total, $1009.75. Receipts.-From moneys on hand, Sept. 3, 1877, twomill tax, primary-school fund, tuition of non-resident scholars, district taxes for all purposes, and raised from all other sources, $1832.09. Expenditures.-Teachers' wages, $1009.75; for building, repairs, and all other purposes, $644.04; amount on hand, Sept. 2, 1878, $178.30; total, $1832.09. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. During the year 1836 some thirty families settled in the township. A majority of them were, or became soon after, members of the Baptist and Congregational societies. Shubael Atherton was a deacon of the Baptist Church. His brother, Adonijah, was a deacon of the Congregational Church. The first religious meeting in the township was held in Shubael Atherton's dwelling-house, some time during the summer of 1836. The following winter a revival took place. Meetings were held in the school-house. Baptists, Congregationalists, and Methodists joined in the services, and, as a result of these meetings, except one family, every man, woman, and child of the thirty families was converted and baptized. : & RESIDENCE OF JOHN C.WOLVERTON, BURTON,MICH. * BURTON TOWNSHIP. 347 I BURTON METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. This society was organized in December, 1838. Rev. Mr. Hazen and Mr. Whitney were early preachers. Their first meetings were held in the Atherton school-house. During the winter of 1838-39 they held meetings in HIarmon Clark's log house, and continued them there for about two years. The Cole school-house was then occupied as a place of worship, and still later the Donelson school-house. The members of the first class were John Hiller and wife, Pliny A. Skinner and wife, Tunis Cole and wife, John Schram and wife. Iarmon Clark and wife joined soon after. This class was kept up with indifferent success until the spring of 1846, when a second class was formed in the township, called the Southeast Methodist Episcopal Class in Burton. This latter class was composed of the following original members, viz.: Ira Lum, Catherine Lum, David Estes, Elijah Estes, John Stephens, Jr., George Alger, Mark M. Jerome, Daniel Estes, and Mariam Estes. Peter A. Montgomery and his wife, Matilda, joined a few weeks later. Those remaining in the old organization then united with the new one. The first meetings were held in the dwelling-houses of Ira Lum and P. A. Montgomery, afterwards at the Donelson school-house, where they were continued until the completion of their present church edifice in 1858-59. It cost $1400, and has sittings for 175 people. Among the first preachers were Revs. Mr. Bell, Whitmore, and Seth Read. Other pastors settled as follows: WVm. Blades, 1851; George Bradley, 1852; S. P. Lee, 1852; G. N. Belknap, 1853; I. P. Cawthorne, 1854; R. C. Crane, 1855; A. Allen, 1857; - razer, 1858; Joseph S. Sutton, 1860; J. W. Crippcn, 1861; S. T. Seelye, 1863; J. W. Crippen, 1864; T. J. Joslin, 1865; A. C. Shaw, 1866; C. Mosher, 1867, 0. Whittemore, 1868; H. N. Brown, 1871; E. Westlake, 1872; HI. V. IHicks, 1873; John Hamilton, 1876; Rodney Gage, present pastor, 1878. George Howe, superintendent of Sabbath-school. THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF EAST FLINT. On the 25th of March, 1842, a meeting of those favorable to the organization of a Baptist society in the " Atherton settlement" was held at the house of Shubael Atherton. At this meeting Elder Chase presided as chairman, and Elihu N. Atherton served as clerk. Committees were appointed to visit brethren and sisters, and to prepare articles of faith and covenant. The meeting was then adjourned for two weeks, and again was adjourned from time to time, on account of the " bad going," until April 28,1842, when, at a meeting held in the school-house, presided over by Rev. Joseph Gambell, chairman, and Shubael Atherton, clerk, articles of faith and covenant were adopted. It was further resolved " that this church be known as the Baptist Church of East Flint, and that the churches of Grand Blanc, Highland, and Pontiac, and the churches presided over by Elders Grow and Barnes, be invited to meet us in council on the last Wednesday in May next at ten o'clock in the forenoon." Shubael Atherton was then elected dea con, James M. Skinner clerk, and Perus Atherton and Ovid Hemphill a standing committee of the church. The original members were 19 in number, as follows: Shubael Atherton, Randall Colvin, Perus Atherton, Ovid Hemphill, James M. Skinner, Elihu N. Atherton, Adin L. Allen, Henry Colvin, Franklin Alexander, I. Childs Atherton, Sarah Atherton, Lucy Atherton, Eunice Skinner, Cynthia Skinner, Susan Colvin, Elizabeth Read, Deborah A. Sweet, Sarah Gambell, and Philinda Chambers. This small church then went forward, and continued in an active state of existence until January, 1854, when, at a special meeting, it was resolved "' that we deem it a duty we owe to God and our fellow-men, and the best interests of the Redeemer's kingdom, to dissolve this church by voting all the members in good standing letters of dismission and recommendation, and that the following persons have letters, to wit: Elder Wm. H. Fuller and wife, Elder Stillman, T. Grow and wife, Perus Atherton and wife, Philo Miner and wife, I. C. Atherton and wife, Samuel R. Atherton, Sarah Atherton, Ovid Hemphill, Elizabeth Read, David Smith, Sarah Smith, Louisa Van Wormer, Sally Overton, Wm. D. Chambers and wife, Mary Alexander, Isaac Allen and wife, Tirzah Allen, Thomas Sweet and wife, and Cephas Carpenter; and that if any brethren or sisters have been overlooked, the clerk be instructed to give such letters." A large portion of those just mentioned then joined the Flint and Grand Blanc Baptist churches. During the continuance of this society 88 members were admitted, and a parsonage was erected on Deacon Shubael Atherton's farm. The meetings were held in the schoolhouse usually, though very frequently in Deacon Atherton's house. Their first pastor, Rev. Joseph Gambell, continued with them until October, 1845. Rev. S. Barnes commenced his labors Nov. 1, 1846, and remained until August, 1849. Rev. Stillman T. Grow then supplied until the coming of Rev. William H. Fuller, Jan. 1, 1850, who remained until the disbandment of the society, in 1854. Rev. Israel C. Atherton, son of Shubael, one of the constituent members of this church, became a Baptist minister, and at different periods was pastor of the Novi, Grand Blanc, and Atlas churches. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES. The Second Congregational Church of Flint, situated in the " Atherton settlement," was formed in the school-house in the same settlement, Sept. 19, 1839. Rev. Orson Parker and Barnabas Norton presided at the first meeting, and Asahel Robinson, Asahel Curtis, and Henry Schram were elected trustees. This society was reorganized as the First Congregational Society of Burton, Feb. 2, 1859, and among the prominent members were Asahel Robinson, Ira Chase, Talman Frost, Henry Schram, Heman Robinson, C. G. Curtis, H. D. Frost, and David A. Salisbury. The trustees then elected were Heman Robinson, Henry Schram, and Ira Chase. This society still exists, and is connected with the Grand Blanc Church, services being held at either place alternately. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. A society of this denomination was formed and incorpo rated in the southeastern part of the township, Dec. 28, 1854. Present: Rev. John W. Courthorne, Ira Lum, Peter A. Montgomery, Rufus Chase, Delos Short, Uri Pratt, Isaac 348 IIISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIGAN. Jennings, David Estes, and Lorenzo Stevens. A church edifice has since been erected, and the society is in an apparently flourishing condition. PROTESTANT METIODIST CHURCH. This society was formed in 1843 by the Rev. Lorenzo Warren, at the Horton school-house, in Atlas township, the first members being Harmon Clark, Harris Hibbard, and Phoebe Surryhine. Among other early members were Warren Annable and wife, Samuel Day, and John Annable. A church edifice was built in the southeast part of this township some ten years ago. Present membership about 80; Rev. Mr. Wright pastor. Other data were respectfully requested from official members of the churches last mentioned, but they failed to furnish them. Our thanks are due to Messrs. Henry Schram, Samuel R. Atherton, Pliny A. Skinner, John Hiller, Peter A. Montgomery, Daniel Estes, Harmon Clark, Perus Atherton, Mrs. Diana E. Parker, and many others, for valuable information and courteous treatment. BIOGRAPHICAL SKEITCHES. THE ATHERTON FAMILY.. Nearly a century and a half ago, there came to the shores of America, in company with a small colony of people who had left England to seek homes for themselves in the wilds of the New World, a man named Atherton, who was the first of that name in this country, and the ancestor of numerous descendants, among whom are the members of the Atherton family of Genesee County, to whom this biographical sketch has especial reference. Neither the Christian name of this ancestor nor anything of his history is known, except that he settled among the hills of Massachusetts, and at his death (the date of which is not recorded) he left a son named Shubael Atherton, who at the breaking out of the "old French-and-Indian war," in 1755, was a farmer at Greenfield, in that State. The settlers in that exposed region at that time lived in such constant dread of the incursions of the savages, that the words of Scripture (Nehemiah iv., 17, 18), might well be applied to their condition: " They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded." And so it was with the farmers of the Connecticut River Valley at that time. They worked in their fields in companies, leaving their loaded rifles in charge of one of their number, who acted as sentinel, to give timely alarm in case of the sudden appearance of danger. But upon one such occasion, when Shubael Atherton was working with the others in a field of corn, the red foe crept upon them unawares, notwithstanding their precautions, and he, with some of the others, was killed and scalped. He left one son to perpetuate the family name. This son (born in Hampshire Co., Mass., Aug. 6, 1750) was named Adonijah, and became a farmer, as his father had been. He married Temperance, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Worthington, and fiom this marriage there were born five sons and six daughters. Of the sons, two died in childhood; the three who survived were named, respectively, Adonijah, Shubael, and Perus. During their childhood their parents removed to Shelburne, Franklin Co., Mass., where the family all became inured to the hardships of the life of the New England farmer. As the sons approachcd the years of maturity they saw that the farm was too narrow for all, and that some of them must eventually seek other homes. As the parents had become advanced in years, the eldest son, Adonijah, had very naturally assumed the head of affairs on the farm, and it was mutually understood that the second son, Shubael, should leave the homestead and try his fortunes in the new country lying farther west. So, in the year 1808, at the age of twenty years, he left the home of his childhood, with little or no capital save an honest purpose, a good name, and the benediction of his fond, Christian parents, and, facing westward with a stout heart, found himself in due time near the shore of Lake Ontario, in Jefferson Co., N. Y. (then regarded as the "far West"), where he located a tract of land in the town of Henderson, near Henderson Harbor. Here he applied himself with untiring perseverance to the task of clearing the farm which he designed for his future home, and had so far progressed by the autumn of 1810 that he returned to Massachusetts for a wife. On the 10th of October, in that year, he was married in Shelburne, to Miss Clarissa Childs, a young lady of his own age, with whom he had been acquainted from childhood. The newly-married pair set out in a lumber-wagon to make the trip of two hundred and fifty miles to their future home in the wilds of Northern New York, where they arrived safely, and commenced life in an humble, earnest way, and where, not long after, the eldest and youngest brothers, Adonijah and Perus, with their aged parents and surviving sisters, joined them, all settling in the town of Henderson. Adonijah Atherton had married, in Shelburne, Miss Esther Long, daughter of Dr. John Long; and the younger brother, Perus, married, subsequent to his removal to Henderson, a young lady named Lucy Bogle, of that place. The younger (and now the only surviving) sister and her husband, Mr. Jonathan Cole,-whose united ages number one hundred and sixty-six years,-are still residents and prominent members of society in Henderson, retaining and occupying the same farm upon which they commenced life sixty years ago. Adonijah Atherton, Sr. (son of that Shubael who was killed by the Indians at Greenfield, Mass., and father of the family who are here especially mentioned), died at Henderson, on the homestead,-then occupied by his son Adonijah, —Sept. 17, 1822, at the age of seventy-two years. His widow, the honored mother of the family, passed her later years with her daughter, Mrs. Cole, and died June 24, 18-44, aged eighty-eight years. The three adult sons of this venerable couple all professed their faith in Christ in early manhood, and became I J. C. ATHERTON. P. ATHERTON. MRS 1'f;. S.R.ATHERT O N-* S.R. AT -. T ON.;.S.R.ATHERTON S.R.ATHERTON. - V. X: 0 f: f ft00000 fE:0000d 4 im:: BURTON TOWNSHIP. 349 eminently useful in their practical devotion to the interests of Christianity. Adonijah became a member and deacon of the Presbyterian Church; Shubael and Perus were chosen to the same office in the Baptist Church, with which they had become identified as members; and these positions of trust and confidence they ever continued to fill with fidelity. All of these three brothers were also engaged in the military service of their country during the " last war with 'England," serving with credit in the operations at Sackett's Harbor and other points. Perus, the youngest, now aged eighty-four years, is among the few honored survivors of that memorable war. The household of Shubael Atherton was early invaded by death; and by the month of October, 1818, he had followed to the grave the partner of his youth, and four beloved children. In the following year, 1819, he was again married at Shelburne, Mass., to a sister of his first wife, Miss Sarah Childs, who became a mother to his daughter Clarissa, then eight years old, and the only survivor of his five children. This child afterwards became the wife of Jacob Wilkinson, of Vernon, Shiawassee Co., Mich., where she spent many years of usefulness, and died a sincere Christian, Oct. 30, 1865, aged fifty-four years. The first child of Shubacl and Sarah Atherton was a son, Israel Childs Atherton, born Sept. 7, 1823. In 1825, Shubael Atherton, with his wife and two children, and his nephew, Pliny A. Skinner (who had made his home with his uncle, after the death of his mother, Mrs. Dr. Skinner), left New York, and emigrated to Michigan to settle on a farm which he had acquired by exchange. This new home (where the family arrived May 9, 1825) was in the " Donelson neighborhood," in the eastern edge of the present town of Waterford, Oakland Co., and about two miles west of Pontiac. When the township was organized the name Waterford was given to it at Mr. Atherton's suggestion, on account of the numerous beautiful lakes within its borders. During their eleven years' residence in Oakland County, Mr. and Mrs. Atherton were members of the church in PIontiac, and fully identified with its interests and Christian work. Two other children were born to them there, viz., Sarah, born Oct. 31, 1829, died May 20, 1834, and Samuel Rufus, born May 10, 1832; the last-named being now the only surviving member of the family. In 1836, Mr. Atherton caught the then prevailing fever which was setting a strong tide of emigration towards the new lands of Genesee County. and he concluded to leave his fine farm in Oakland to seek a newer country. So, in company with his brother Perus (who had emigrated from New York and settled in Waterford some two years prior to this), he started out on a prospecting tour. The two soon found themselves in the town of Vernon, Shiawassee Co., where their nephew, Pliny A. Skinner, had then just commenced clearing a tract which he had selected. They, however, concluded to look further, and Mr. Skinner, being desirous of remaining with his uncles, dropped his axe and accompanied them. The three then took an Indian trail, and soon found themselves at Flint River village, where the land-office had then just been established. After exploring the Flint River region for a few days, and being much pleased.with its appearance, each one finally located for himself a tract of government land on the Thread River in the present town of Burton. The two brothers then returned to Waterford to secure the crops, which Shubael had not included in the sale of his farm, and which would all be required for the support of the families and their stock in Gencsee County during the succeeding winter. About this time the eldest brother, Adonijah, arrived in Michigan from the State of New York; lie also being on a prospecting tour to find a Western home for his family. Upon examining the lands in Genesee, he too became greatly pleased with the prospect, and decided to remove and settle with his brothers, provided he could obtain a farm on the Thread River, but was not disposed to content himself with a location away from it. His two brothers and Mr. Skinner had taken all the eligible lands in their immediate vicinity on that beautiful stream, but to remove the difficulty Shubael Atherton gave up one-half his claim on the west (supplying himself by additional purchase on the east), and so made a place for Adonijah on the stream, between his two brothers. Thus these four men formed " the Atherton settlement," a name which it has borne for more than forty years, and which it will bear for many a year to come. After about twelve years of happiness and prosperity upon his new farm, Adonijah Atherton followed to the grave the wife of his youth, who had been for many years the light of his home, and a devoted Christian mother to his children. Her death occurred Sept. 4, 1848. Some three or four years later he married Elizabeth Phelps, a maiden lady in middle life, who was constantly devoted to the promotion of his happiness and comfort during the remnant of his declining years. Becoming unable, by reason of increasing age, to continue the management of his affairs, he finally sold his farm, and removed to a honme which he had purchased in the city of Flint, and there he died Aug. 20, 1853, at the age of seventy years. A few years after his death his widow removed to West Lebanon, N. H., her former home, and there closed her peaceful and eminently useful life. For nearly thirteen years after his first settlement on the wooded banks of the Thread River was Shubael Atherton, the second brother, permitted to live in his prosperous and truly Christian home. In all these years '; the names of Uncle Shubael and Aunt Sally Atherton were among the most familiar household words with all classes and conditions of people, old and young, regardless of distance or territorial lines. Always identified with every enterprise that promoted the industrial, moral, and religious interests of the community, his home became both the asylum and the chapel. His confidence and counsel were constantly sought, and both were the spontaneous outgrowth of his generous nature." But his years of pioneering toil had told upon his naturally vigorous constitution, and at last, early in the year 1849, he was prostrated by an attack of inflammation of the lungs, from which he never recovered. " He readily accepted the fact that his earthly work was done, and but little time was required to place his business matters in satisfactory form, when, releasing himself from all anxiety, he calmly entertained the prospect of his disolution as a most welcome theme, and became wholly absorbed in the 350 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. unveiled view of the wondrous work of redemption. In the morning of March 6, 1849, he bade his friends a cheerful farewell as the welcome message came and released his willing spirit." The farm was sold by mutual consent of the family, in 1854, and in November of that year Mrs. Sally Atherton, widow of Shubael, set out with her youngest son to visit the home of her childhood in Shelburne, Mass., which she had not seen since she left it, a bride, thirty-five years before. On her arrival the first place she visited was the old cemetery, where she knew there were more of her old acquaintances than she would find in the lomes of the living. But the emotions awakened by the thronging memories of the place proved too much for her strength, and almost immediately afterwards it became apparent that she had returned only to die in her childhood's home. A brain fever set in, which a week later resulted fatally, and Dec. 1, 1854, this Christian mother passed to her heavenly reward. Perus Atherton, the youngest of the three brothers, lived on his Thread River farm until well advanced in years and enfeebled in health, when he sold this property, and purchased a home in the city of Flint, where he removed with his wife, and where, within convenient distance of their place of religious worship, they anticipated an enjoyment more precious to them than they could ever experience from increase of worldly goods. And these hopes were being realized when, in the morning of Aug. 26, 1872, the last summons came to Mrs. Atherton, and she passed away, at the age of seventy-six years; fifty-six of which had been spent with the companion whom she left behind, and who now, at the age of eighty-four years, waits patiently his appointed time, ever firm and joyful in the Christian faith. The children of the three Atherton families, at the time of their settlement on the Thread River, were thirteen in number, varying in age from young men and women approaching maturity to infants of three years. The children of Adonijah were then four sons, Elihu, Orville, Fisher, and Dudley; and three daughters, Eleanor, Ortentia, and Betsey. An elder son, John, had died before, young in years but rich in Christian faith. The elder daughter, Eleanor, had previously married the Rev. Orson Parker, who subsequently purchased and improved the Parker homestead in the Atherton settlement. Orville, Fisher, and Betsey, all exemplary Christians, died in middle life. The daughter, Ortentia, somr years later married Isaac N. Robinson, and they are now living in the city of Flint. The elder son, Elihu, married and remained fbr several years in Genesee County, but afterwards moved with his family to the north part of the State of Ohio, where he was prominent agriculturist. Later, he moved farther west, and remained until about two years ago, when failing health and advancing years admonished him to return to his friends in the East, and he is now a welcome and lionored inmate of the home of his son, Fisher Atherton, in the city of Buffalo. Dudley Atherton, the youngest of his father's family, married, at the age If thirty, Miss Maria Bigelow a teacher of experience. They have been extensive travelers through the Western States and Territories to the shores of the Pacific. The family of Perus Atherton, at the time of his settlement in Genesee County, consisted of two sons, Gustavus and Shubael, and two daughters, Emily and Lucretia,-all being at that time in the golden years of childhood. The eldest son married Miss Sallie Filkins, and remained with his parents until the homestead was sold, when he purchased and removed to his present home in Burton. The second son, Shubael, purchased, about 1850, a farm adjoining his father's,-the same which is now owned by S. R. Atherton,-and to this lie soon after brought his newlymarried wife, Miss Maria Chambers. Their married life was a happy but a short one, as he died Dec. 25, 1854. His sister Emily married Gary Chambers, and is now living a widow. The daughter, Lucretia, died at the age of eighteen years, a sincere Christian. The children of Shubael Atherton were Israel C., born in Henderson, N. Y., and Samuel R., born in Oakland Co., Mich., as before mentioned. The elder (usually known among his friends and acquaintances as Childs Atherton) was married to Miss Susan C. Colvin, and they, with the widow and younger son of Shubael Atherton, remained on the homestead after the death of the latter, until the sale of the property in 1854. Then he (Israel C. Atherton), with his wife and two children,-Sarah and Alberta,-removed to Novi, in Oakland County. They afterwards returned to Genesee County, where lie died in 1874. An obituary notice, written by a friend soon after, giving a truthful account of his life and death, and paying a just tribute to his many virtues, is here given: "Died, at his residence in the township of Atlas, Genesee Co., Mich, of consumption, on the morning of July 4, 1874, Rev. I. C. Atherton, after a lingering illness of many months. "The deceased was fifty years of age, and a son of Deacon Shubael Atherton, well known among the early pioneers and standard-bearers of this county. At the early and tender age of fifteen years he made a public profession of his love to Christ, and furnished unmistakable evidence that the bright morning of his Christian life had dawned. IIe at once exhibited more than ordinary interest in the spiritual welfare of others, laboring intently in private and in public. He was wont to tender encouragement and render real service in the maintenance of a young people's prayer-meeting; and not unfrequently was the solicitude and anxiety of his parents aroused on his account, as he lingered long and earnest in his sacred retreat, bearing in his arms of faith and prayer the case of some friend or acquaintance; pleading earnestly for their salvation. Such places about the parental home were made peculiarly sacred, and often have we remained spell-bounl while being deterred from our course on hearing these sweet words of prayer. In the mean time he united with the Baptist Church, of which he has since remained an earnest and faithful member; and by his even and consistent life, morally and religiously, he soon secured for himself a large circle of friends, both in and out of the church. Early in his Christian life was the gospel ministry impressed upon his mind; yet his timid nature led him to entertain such impressions quite unfavorably. " At the age of twenty-one he married, and with his wife remained upon the home-farm in the town of Burton, assisting in its management as far as his already frail health would permit. Four years later his loved and honored father died, after a brief illness, leaving a most sad and irreparable blank in the household. Consequently the main burden of management and care was transferred unexpectedly to the son's hands. And although his life was being made eminently useful, yet again and again was the duty of preaching the gospel of Christ to a perishing world impressed with redoubled force upon his mind. And not until the homestead had passed to other hands, and he had removed with his family to the town of Novi, Oakland Co., and had buried a fond Christian mother (whose sainted remains rest quietly among the New England hills of her native town), did he re z i~: _~' ~':j '` '' ir. ~ -: ':~.:: - ~: i: RESIDENCE OF D.W. RICHARDS, BURTON, GENESEE COUNTY, MICH. i__ BURTON TOWNSHIP. 351 spond to the divine call and become willing to say, ' Here am I, send sue.' "In entering upon his new work at this point in life, he went, as it were, direct, yet tremblingly, from the plow to the pulpit, feeling that his only reliance and hope of success was in a life shadowed and sheltered by the Cross of Christ. lie was afterwards called to ordination by the church in Grand Blanc, which he was then serving. " In reviewing his pastoral work in different localities, which has been somewhat familiar to us, we feel justified in remarking that the same has been made quite acceptable, and characterized by many evident tokens of the Divine favor. "While visiting his sick-room from time to time, and enjoying the privilege of administering to some extent to his wants, we were led to place a much higher estimate upon the real worth of Christianity. "And if we were to indulge in the envy of a real good, we would desire first of all that the influence of his life and the spirit of his prayers, together with his parting blessing, might live with us while we live, and that our last end might be like his. " In view of a Christian life consummated in a triumphant death, may we not exclaim,' To live is Christ, to die is gain'? lie leaves a wife, son, and daughter, also a large circle of friends, to mourn his loss; but well may we regard our loss as his untold gain, and rejoice in the fact that an additional beacon-light beckons heavenward." The younger son, Samuel R. Atherton, who was present with his mother in Massachusetts at the time of her death, in 1854, returned soon after to Genesee County, and in December, 1855, was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Lloyd, with whom he commenced life on a farm which he had then recently purchased in the township of Burton, and the same on which he still resides, the only survivor of his father's family. He is one of the most exemplary and respected citizens of Genesee County, and is now filling the office of county treasurer, to which he was elected in 1876, and re-elected in 1878. The records do not show that this family have ever been specially characterized for extensive accumulations of wealth, neither as personal actors in the busy whirl of political strife; but rather that sterling worth and integrity of character have been among the more prominent features marking their career. PLINY ATHERTON SKINNER was among the earliest settlers in the town of Benton, and the first in the locality known as the Atherton settlement. He commenced his pioneer life in this town on section 28, in July, 1835. To get his first log house raised, he was forced to get help from Flint,-Mr. Cronk, Rufus Stevens, and Oliver Wesson among others assisting him on that occasion. He was born in the town of Henderson, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Dec. 30, 1808, and went with his parents to the Genesee country at an early age. His father, Elias, was a native of Shelburne, Mass., and married Miss Abigail Atherton, a sister of Shubael Atherton, subsequently of this town, by whom he had two children,Eunice and Pliny A. After his removal to Western New York, Elias continued to reside in Genesee, Livingston Co., until his wife's death, in 1822, when he returned to Jefferson County, and died there some twenty years later. He was a physician, and earned the reputation of being a very successful and skillful practitioner. His daughter Eunice married Eli Lloyd, in Jefferson County. and about thirty years ago emigrated to Ohio, where the family settled at Bradner, Wood Co., their present residence..She has six children,-Elias, Dwighlt, Albert, Dewitt, Hattie, and Mary. Dewitt is now living in Burton, and Mrs. Mary Atherton (wife of S. R. Atherton) in Flint, in this county. After the death of his mother, Pliny A. went to live with his uncle, Shubael Atherton, in Jefferson County, and remained with him until he was twenty-one, coming to this State with him, and living in Pontiac. For the four years succeeding his arrival at man's estate lie was variously employed in farm-work, surveying, and in improving some land which lie had purchased with his earnings. April 14, 1833, he espoused Delia Alvord, of Pontiac, a daughter of Thaddeus Alvord, formerly of Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y., and commenced housekeeping on his one-hundred-and-twenty-acre farm in Pontiac. Two years later he sold his place to a Mr. Wilder, and not long after purchased in Burton, where his uncle, Shubael Atherton, also located. lie purchased of the government the northeast quarter of section 28, and Mr. Atherton the southeast quarter of section 21. ' Here he and his wife began their pioneer life in the woods, suffering the hardships and privations usual to the lot of first settlers in a timbered country, and laid the foundations for a pleasant home and a comfortable competence. Mr. Skinner has cleared, mostly with his own hands, about one hundred acres, and has brought his place into a fine state of cultivation. About a year previous to his leaving Pontiac he experienced religion, and united with the Methodist Church, of which denomination he has since been a faithful and zealous member. He was largely instrumental in the establishing and sustaining of the Burton church, of which he was class-leader for several years after its organization. In March, 1879, he left his farm and moved into the city of Flint, at the same time transferring his membership to the First Methodist Episcopal, or " Brick," Church in that city. Having now reached the declining side of the hill of life, he has retired from active business pursuits, and while, with his faithful and worthy companion, awaiting the summons to his eternal home, can look back with proud satisfaction upon a life well spent,-its labor well performed, and its duties faithfully discharged. His children are two in number,-Martha Jane, born May 24,1836, and Alfred L., born Aug. 25, 1848. Martha J. is married to Morris J. Putnam, and lives in the city of Flint. Alfred L. married Ettie Ketchum, of Newfane, Niagara Co., N. Y., and lives on the homestead in Burton. DANIEL W. RICHARDS. William Richards, the father of Daniel W., was a native of Massachusetts, born in the neighborhood of Boston. lIe was married at about twenty years of age to Dolly Thayer, a young lady of about his own age, who was a member of the Christian Church, and had already developed marked ability as a speaker and exhorter. They lived in a number of different places in Massachusetts, and finally removed to the town of Parish, Oswego Co., N. Y., where Mr. Richards worked at his trade of cloth-dressing for about 352 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ---— I l I four years, when he bought and located upon a farm. Several years later he traded his thirty acres of improved land for one hundred and sixty acres in the town of Scioto, Shiawassee Co., Mich. He emigrated in the early fall of 1844, and arrived at his land only to find it in possession of another man, who refused to leave it. It was then ascertained that the title held by the person with whom he had traded was only a tax-title, and eventually proved utterly worthless. Having no place to go into, Mr. Richards obtained permission to move into a vacant school-house, where the family tried to make themselves comfortable. Soon after, his son, Daniel W., was taken sick, and before he was sufficiently recovered to allow of his removal three months had elapsed. They then moved in with the family of John Cross, and lived with them a year and a half, during which time they all had a serious time with the fever and ague, then very prevalent there. They then moved four miles west of Laingsburg, on the Pontiac and Grand River road, where they kept tavern for two years, their nearest neighbors being a mile and a half distant. For two years they had several Indian neighbors, which suited the boys, who learned many tricks of woodcraft, and joined heartily in the sports of their dusky companions, whose language they also acquired to a considerable extent. From there they moved to Independence, Oakland Co., and bought forty acres of land, at least half of which was swamp, and sold cheap on that account. Four years later they formed the acquaintance of James Allen, who owned eighty acres in the town of Burton, and who desired to dispose of it, because of its low situation and the execrable roads leading to it. Mr. Richards was desirous to get more land, in order to furnish home-work for his sons, one of whom had been compelled to work out; both parties being of a willing mind, a trade was speedily effected. They moved on to this place-the north half of the northwest quarter of section 24-in 1852, and continued to reside there until they purchased forty acres on section 23, upon which he located, leaving his son Henry on the old farm. Two years after, Mr. Richards and his wife removed to Holly, where she is still living, and where he died about nine years since. Their lives have both been exemplary ones, and their care and guiding example is well shown in the characters of their somewhat numerous family of children. Mrs. Richards continued to employ her talent as a preacher of the gospel until the infirmities of age prohibited the labor it involved. Their children were Minerva, Mary, Melzer, Lucy, Dolly, Abigail, Daniel W., Henry, Chloe, Nancy A., and two others who died in infancy. Melzer remained in New York when his parents came to Michigan; entered the Union service as a captain, served faithfully, and was promoted to major; was mortally wounded is a skirmish during Lee's retreat from Richmond to Appomattox. Dolly also died in New York, and Abigail in Michigan. Of the others, Mrs. Minerva Edick lives in Parish, Jefferson Co., N. Y.; Mrs. Mary Norton, at Bridgeport, Mich.; Henry, at Midland City, Mich.; Mrs. Lucy Johnson, Mrs. Chloe Burgess, Mrs. Nancy A. Hill, and Daniel W., in Burton. Henry married Harriet Bentley, and lived on the homestead until September, 1878, when he sold it and removed I to Midland City. He has proved himself a worthy scion of the religious and temperate stock from which he sprang, and possesses in a high degree the confidence and esteem of his large circle of acquaintances. Daniel W., who was born at Amherst, Mass., July 14, 1829, had saved up some money, which he had earned by hunting, trapping, and tanning deer-skins while living at home, with which small capital, at the age of twenty-three years, he began life on his own responsibility. He purchased of Martin Rose the southeast quarter of section 14 in Burton, and let his brother-in-law, Simeon Burgess, have the west half of it. Oct. 9, 1853, he was married to Miss Sarah Vodden, daughter of Henry and Mary (Delbridge) Vodden, natives of England, but residents of Batavia, N. Y., where she was born April 19, 1837. They came to Michigan, and settled on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 14 in Burton, in 1844. Her father lived there until 1861, when he died. Her mother now resides in Flint. From this union have sprang eight children, whose names and dates of birth were as follows: Effie, April 3, 1856; Cora, Oct. 19,1858; Susan, Feb. 19,1861; Phoebe, April 2, 1864; Eben, Dec. 13, 1866; Mary, July 4,1869, died when two years old; Bertha, Aug. 22, 1874; Daniel, W., Jr., June 24, 1876. During his life in Burton, D. W. Richards has devoted his energies to the improvement and tilling of the farm, which he has enlarged to two hundred acres, and brought to a fine degree of cultivation. For a time he paid particular attention to the raising of sheep, but on account of the low price of wool he changed to a dairy business, which finally culminated in cheese-making and the building of a cheese-factory in 1875. During the eight years that he has engaged in cheese-making he has been a successful exhibitor of cheese at the Genesee County fairs, invariably carrying off the first premium. Mr. Richards is in no sense a politician, and has escaped the cares of office thereby. Being more than usually interested in the temperance reform (having given up the use of tobacco, tea, and coffee seventeen years ago), he has engaged in the Red-Ribbon movement, and in July, 1879, was a delegate to the Mass Temperance Convention held at Lansing. Being descended from parents of strong religious predilections, he is naturally of a religious turn of mind, but his conservative character prevents him becoming in any sense bigoted in his religious views. Believing that there should be but one universal Church of Christ, he has held aloof from every sect, aiming to live an exemplary life, and thereby exemplify the beauty and truth of his Master's gospel. IRA CHASE. This gentleman was born in the town of Parrish, Oneida Co., N. Y., Sept. 9, 1805. He was an only child, and, his father dying when he was but nine months old, lived with his maternal grandfather until he was about nine years old, when his mother married a Mr. Curtis. He made his home with them until he reached his majority, when he leased his step-father's farm. Some years later, desiring an education, he attended the Belleville Academy. While pursuing his studies his health failed him, and he took a trip BURTON TOWNSHIP. 353 to the coast of Labrador, by which he was so much benefited as to be able, upon his return, to resume his studies at the academy. In 1835 (October 10th) he married Mrs. Sarah M. Beebe, and, three years later, they came West and settled in the Atherton settlement, in the town of Burton, where they have since resided. They have had three chil-. dren, Charles, George A., and Edward R., none of whom are now living. The youngest son, Edward R., served four years in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting as a private in August, 1861, and rising to the rank of captain. Upon his return from the army he entered Oberlin College, where he remained one year, when he went to the Theological IRA CHASE. MRS. IRA CHASE. Seminary, in Chicago, where he pursued his studies for two years more. At the close of his course of study he received a call to the pastorate of a church in Clyde, Ohio, which he accepted, and served till the time of his death, three years later. Mrs. Chase has two children by her former marriage, JOHN C. WOLVERTON. The Wolverton family in America sprang from a good old Quaker of that name, who emigrated from England with Penn's colony, and settled where the city of Philadelphia now stands. After a few generations the family began to spread abroad, some going to Canada and others to the State of New York. Among the latter, or among their immediate descendants, was Asher V. Wolverton, grandfather to the subject of this sketch. He was educated as a physician, and served as surgeon in the American army during the war of 1812, at the close of which he settled in Tioga Co., N. Y., and from there moved to Rochester, N. Y., where he practiced his profession very successfully for many years until his death, which occurred some thirty years ago. His wife survived him about two years. They had seven children,-Dennis, Stephen, Orpha, Thomas, Samantha, Asher, and Almira. Thomas died at Enterprise, Miss.; Stephen, in Little Falls, N. Y.; and Samantha, in Brooklyn, N. Y. The others are living,-Dennis, in Grand Blanc; Orpha Wolcott, in Batavia, N. Y.; Asher, a physician, at Enterprise, Miss.; Almira Van Zandt, at Rochester, N. Y. 45 one of whom resides at Swartz Creek, in the town of Flint, and the other lives in the State of California. For upwards of forty years Ira Chase has been a deacon in the Congregational Church; he has always been a most liberal and zealous supporter of the Church, and an exemplary Christian. Dennis, the father of John C., was born about 1809-10, and at the age of twenty-one was married to Susan Dunham, a daughter of William and Isabel Dunham, who were refugees from Canada during the war of 1812. They afterwards removed to West Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., and there spent the remainder of their lives. After his (Dennis') marriage, which occurred in Saratoga County, he removed to Tioga County, and from thence to Rochester in 1844. He lived there nine years, when he came to Michigan and settled on the north part of section 4 in the town of Grand Blanc, where he still resides. He lost his wife by a very painful accident. On the evening of Dec. 22, 1873, her clothes caught fire from a candle while performing some household duty, and she was fatally burned. She lingered in an unconscious state until about five o'clock the next morning, when death relieved her sufferings. Their family consisted of eleven children,-Margaretta; Jane Eliza, born June 19, 1836; William C., born Aug. 5, 1838; John C., born July 22, 1840; Joseph M.; Sarah S., born in October, 1844; Asher; Thomas 0., born in January, 1848; Susan G., born in October, 1850; Orpha Isabel; and Asher (2d). Margaretta, Joseph M., Orpha I., and the 354 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. two Ashers all died in childhood of the same disease,scarlet fever. Mrs. Jane E. Dayton and Mrs. Susan G. Jenny live in Flint; William C. is practicing law at Muskegon; Thomas 0. lives with his father on the homestead in Grand Blanc, and John C. and Sarah S. reside in Burton. John C. Wolverton lived with his parents until he was nearly of age, taking advantage of all his school opportunities, and thus secured a good education. In 1861, while attending school at Ann Arbor, he was aroused by the echoes of the first guns fired upon the flag at Sumter; he left the school and, June 12th, enlisted in the Fenton Light Guard, under command of Capt. William M. Fenton. He was, with his company, mustered into the 7th Regiment and transferred to the 8th, of which Fenton was made colonel. He served with the regiment until April, 1862, when he was transferred to the Signal Corps, with which he served until October, 1865, when he was mustered out as a second lieutenant, the commission having been issued to him the previous April. During the siege of Fort Sumter, and the other forts about Charleston, he was constantly called upon to serve in dangerous positions, and acquitted himself with such credit as to win encomiums from his superiors ip office. He was thrice wounded,-first, at Bluffton, S. C., where he received two buckshot in his leg; second, at Black Creek, Fla., where he received a carbine-bullet in his neck; and third, at St. Mary's Ford, near Olustee, where, while riding at full speed, his horse was shot under him and, falling, threw him against a tree with such violence as to break his arm. At the time of Gen. Sherman's arrival at the seacoast, Mr. Wolverton was sergeant in charge of the signalstation, and conducted the correspondence that resulted. He now has in his possession a treasured memento and valuable relic in the shape of the flag with which the first dispatch was signaled to the victorious army and its gallant commander. Returning to Grand Blanc, he purchased a small farm in Burton, on section 32, to which he has made additions until he now owns one hundred and fifty acres. He was married Nov. 21, 1867, to Miss Frances E. Mason, daughter of Daniel and Anna M. (Best) Mason, of the town of Mundy, by whom he has two children,-Irving Mason, born Jan. 29, 1869, and Charles Howard, born July 1, 1871. In his political belief he holds to the principles of the Republican party, but has not been noted for his activity as a politician. He has held the offices of superintendent of schools, treasurer, and supervisor of his town. a, I OF MICHAEL DONAH 00. CLAYTON, GNESEE C~.,MICH. C L A Y T O N. CLAYTON includes the division of land known on the United States survey as township 7 north, in range 5 east, of the principal meridian of Michigan. It was set off from Flushing, of which it had previously comprised a part, and organized as a separate township, by an act of the Michigan Legislature approved March 25, 1846. It lies in the centre of the western tier of townships in the county of Genesee, and, with the exception of a few slight undulations, is generally level. The soil is of the nature peculiar to this part of Michigan, and from the appearance of the farms and their improvements-Clayton is exclusively an agricultural township-the inference is that its fertility is beyond question. Originally the township was covered with a dense forest, where the nightly howl of the wolf resounded; where the lithe panther often lurked; where bears found safe retreats; where the pride of the forest-the deer-had his home; and where the red man was the only human being who trod its mazes, "ambushed his foe, and stalked his game." A more herculean task than that of clearing away this sturdy greenwood, and preparing the pleasant farms which to-day dot the surface, can scarcely be imagined. It was only the indomitable will and perseverance of the pioneers, coupled with their ability to undergo a long and severe toil, with all its attendant hardships, that accomplished the mighty work. That it was accomplished is the pride of the actors in the scenes, and the history of its accomplishment it is the purpose of these pages to relate,the story having been learned from the lips of those who, axe in hand and rifle on shoulder, marched conquering through the wilderness. But very few of the first settlers of Clayton are at present residing within its limits, and at this day it will be acknowledged impossible to garner so great a store of fact and incident as might have been done before so many of the earlier arrivals had fallen into their last long sleep or removed to more remote localities. It was very seldom the case that a person who settled early in any part of the country kept any account of his life at the time, or of arrivals of others who became his neighbors, and in the absence of all facts except those that memory recalls the supply is very meagre. Yet the record that is here presented will, it is hoped, be accepted as the best which could be compiled at so late a time, and credit will surely be given for the comparatively large amount which has been gathered. LAND ENTRIES. It is believed an excellent plan to present a record of the land entries in the township complete, and the list is subjoined. From the books it appears that no entries were made in what is now Clayton earlier than the month of January, 1836, when Robert Mathers, of Wayne Co., Mich., located the northeast part of the northeast fractional quarter of section 1,-a trifle over 51 acres. Cornelius Pierson, from the same county, entered 120 acres on the same section in February, 1836, and Thomas L. L. Brent, of Virginia, purchased on this and other sections in March of the same year. Brent afterwards settled in the northern part of Flushing township, and is well remembered by many now living in the county. Particular mention of him and his operations will be found in the history of the township of Flushing. The following is a list of land entries in this township, as shown by the records of the land-office: SECTION 1. Acres. Robert Mathers, Wayne Co., Mich., January, 1836............... 51.58 Cornelius Pierson, " " February, 1836....... 120 Thomas L. L. Brent, State of Virginia, March, 1836............ 93.41 Healey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836................. 120 Philander L. Luce, Erie Co., N. Y., " ".................. 80 Ellsworth Willis, " " " " ".................. 51.58 Grosvenor Willis, " " " " "................ 80 Patrick Bradley, Monroe Co., N. Y., May, 1836.............. 80 SECTION 2. Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836............... 90.46 Healey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836................. 250.63 Truman Luce, Erie Co., N.Y., June, 1836..................... 160 Nathan Willis, " " " " ".......................... 160 SECTION 3. Thomas L. L. Brent, Virginia, March, 1836........................ 186.28 James Norton, Erie Co., N. Y., June, 1836....................... 80 Healey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836.......... 240 Warren Luce, Erie Co., N. Y., June, 1836................... 80 William L. Cole, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1836............. 80 SECTION 4. Walter Norton, Erie Co., N. Y., June, 1836....................... 169.87 Healey & Kurcheval, United States, June, 1836.................. 485.37 SECTION 5. John C. Clement, Tompkins Co., N. Y., July, 1836............... 320 Joseph Lyons, " " " October, 1836.......... 80 John Welch, "...... 163.18 Thomas S. Canfield, Orleans Co., N. Y., December, 1854...... 82.83 SECTION 6. John C. Clement, Tompkins Co., N. Y., July, 1836............... 160 Chesley Blake and Alvin Hanmer, Michigan, July, 1836...... 123.88 Jacob L. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N. Y., September, 1836......... 300.92 SECTION 7. R. J. S. Page, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1836.................. 80 Robert R. Howell, Wayne Co., Mich., August, 1836.............. 80 Hugh Qucenan, Genesee Co., Mich., September, 1836............ 121.61 George L. Martin, Monroe Co., N. Y., October, 1836..... 160 Alonzo Torrey, Genesee Co., Mich., March, 1854.................. 123.67 SECTION 8. John C. Clement, Tompkins Co., N. Y., July, 1836............... 320 Robert Patrick, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1836........... 40 Benjamin S. Glover, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 1836......... 40 John A. Iloyes, i" "......... 80 Darius A. Ogden, Yates Co., N. Y., Sentember, 1836............ 160 355 356 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. S NCTION 9. Acres. James B. Brown, Erie Co., N. Y., June, 1836............80 William Lockyer, Genesee Co., Mich., Augrust, 18:36.......80 E. Catsh and 1I. Wright, (3enesee Co., Mich., August, 1836... 160 Jacob L~. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N. Y., September, 1836.....160 Herman Van Veebten, (lenesee Co., Mich., "1 6 ".....160 - SECTION 10. Healey &I Kureheval, United States, June, 1836..........320 Arthur Davis, Oakland Co.. Mich., July, 1836............120 Nick C. Hayward, New York City, September, 18:36.......80 John Dayton, Wayne Co., Mich., September, 1836.........80 Robert Patrick, Genesee, Co., Mich., Decetn'ber, 1836.... 40 SECTI&N I1. Healey & Kurcheval, United State's, June,'1836............160 Solomon Stone, Erie Co., N. Y., July, 1836.80...........s James W. Armstrong, Erie Co., N. Y., Jtmly, 1836........ 81) Lorenzo Clifford, Wanshtenaw Co., Miich., June, 1836.......120 John Gritnfield, Wayne Co., Mich., Septetuber, 1836.......40) John Dayton, " " " ".......160 SECTION 12. Leonard Cutler, Genesee Co., N. Y., June, 1836............320 A lbert Ilos mner, ' 1 t i " "......... 1... I10 Patrick Bradley, Monroe Co., N. Y. May,...........120 James W. Crouk, Genesee Co., N.Y., August,...........40 SECTION 1.3. John Algoe, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1836..............80 Amiasa Whitneyv, Jefferson Co., N. Y., July, 1836..........240 iliramt Sibley, Monr-oe Co., N.Y., August, 1836.1..........I60 John S. Woodward,, Monroe Co., N. Y., Se ptember, 1836.....160 SECTION 14. Richard, P. Hubbard, (ienesee Co., Mich., Septetuber, 1836....160 Andrew C. Wickham, Monroe" " " 80 Marvin 13. Persons, GI'enesee.......40 Gidleon bee, New Yo rk City, Decemiber, 1836............ 16 )) William Rider, Ontario Co., N. Y,, July, 1837............200 SECTION 15. John Dayton, Wayne Co., Mich., Septemnber, 1836.........80 A. 11. O wen,- Genesee Co., N. Y., " ' "................160 Bcnjaniin Ransom, Genesce Co., N. Y., Septem~er, 186......160 Marvin B. Persons, - "- " '...... 160 Ardin Persons, - " " " "1 "......... 80 SECTION 24. Acres. David J. Boyd, New York City, June, 1836..............320 Amasa Whitney, Jefferson Co., N.Y., July, 1836..........160) Robert F. Stage, Genesee Co., Mich., August, 18;36.........160 SECTION 25. David J. Boyd, New York City, June, 1836.............320 Ephraimf S. Johnson, New York City, Augrust,13 80 Ira D. 'Wright, Genesee Co., Micb., August, 1836..........80 Emir Woodin, Jefferson Co., N. Y., "..........160 SECTION~, 26. Emir Woodin, Jefferson Co., N. Y., August, 1836..........160' Peter A.' Palimer, Genesee Co., N. Y.,4............ 160 Gilbert Stevenson, Genesee Co., Mich,"..........40 Ja-cobL. Woodruff', Ontario Co., N. Y., September, 18-36. 80....S Darius A.'Ogden, Yates Co., N. Y. ". 120 John Lu Valley, Orleans Co., N. Y., October, 1853.80.......s SECTION 27. Jacob L.-Woodruff, Ontario Co., N. Y., September, 1836......240 George Dun-smnore, Washtenaw Co., Micti., May, 1837....... 2)00 Win. Duns'Inore, Jr., " " " May and July, 1837 120 Zerah Stedman, Genesee Co., Mich., October, 1851t.........40 11. M. Henderson, land-warrant, June, 1852.............40 SECTION 28. E. Cash and H. Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y., August. 1836. Jacob L. Larialea4r, Seneca Co., N. Y., September, 183)1..... C. C. 1Iutchinson,.4~'enesee Co., N. Y., "......... Isaac Whitconmb), Trumbull Co., Ohio, January, 1837....... Joseph C. Bmfiley, Lansingr, Mich., July, 1853............ Nancy M. McCarthy Genesee Co., M~ich., May, t849....... SECTION 29. Jacob L. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N. Y., September, 1836..... Patrick Conlin, Oneida Co., N. Y., " "..... Richard P. Hubbar~d, Genesee Co., Mich.,..... James Lewis, land-warrant, June, 1852................ SECTION 30. Jacob L. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N. Y., Septemuber, 1836..... Patrick Conlin, Oneida Co., N. Y., "..... Barnard Leonard,."..."..." Barnaird Leonard, Genesee Co., Mich., "..... Sed-wiek Stedmoan, " " " Febru r, 8 0 Loren Perkins, " " " January, 1852...... Michael Donahoo, " it " November, 1854.... 160 16) 80 160 40 40 320 8)) 160 80 316.48, 4)) 12)). 4)) 38.341 41)) 38.36 SECTION 17. harris Newton, Rutland Co., Vt., Novemuber, 1836........ Edward G. Faile, New York City, 4........ Mortimner. Wadh am11s, Monroe Co., N.Y., March, 183)1....... Emerson Ewell, Genesee Co., N. Y., May, 1836........... SECTION 18. Sherman Stevens, Oakland Co., Mich., October, 1836....... Johno McNeil, Boston, Mass., December, 1836............ Charlks C. Hascalf, Genesee Co., Mich., Decemiber, 1836.. 4 6 46 1 ii i 64March, 1837....... Richard Rich, Wayne Co., Mich., June, 1837............ D. P. Alvord, Livingston Co., N. Y., Decemuber, 1837....... Jacob L. Larzalear, Seneca Co., N.Y., September, 1838. SECTION 19. John Conlin-, Schenectady Co., N. Y., Septemnber, 1836..... Sherman Stevens, Oakland Cou, Mich., October, 1836....... John Willing, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 1836........ Datniel H1arding, "............... Samuel Hfurd, "r "l "c i it"........ 80 160 80 320 160 80 50.79 46.74 80 80 80 160 160 40 152.77 99.52 SECTION 31. Hliramn Sibley, Monroe Co., N. Y., August, 1836............319.12 Charles F. Dickinson -and Charles S. Iloughton, Monroe Co.,.N. Y., August, 1836...........................317.28, SECTION 32. Hiram Sibley, Monroe Co., N. Y., August, 1836............320 Socr-ates Smith, 6 t i t 4......... 16)) Aaron B. IRyno, Lucas Co., Oltio, Septemuber, 1836........... O Charles Os~borti, Gcnesee Co., Mich., March, 1849......... 140 George Crocker, "t 4 it May, 1853............40 SECTION 33. Hiram Sibley, Monroe Co., N. Y., August, 1836........... 80 Socrates Smnmith, "1 4 it it it........... 8)) E. Cash and 11. Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y., August, 1836....16)) Catharine Ryno, Lucals Co., Ohio, September, 1836..........160 Aairon B. Ryno, " ".........160 SECTION 34. IHardin Bigelow, Monroe Co., N. Y., June, 1836..200 Robert F. Stage, Genesee Co, Mich., Augut, 1836. 160 Socrates Smith, Monroe Co., N. Y.,...... 280 SECTION 35. Adam Miller, Livingston Co. N. Y. June, 1836...........160 Ezekiel 13. Denison, Livingston Co)., N. Y., June, 18-36......80 William,Burdle, Genesee Co.. Mich., June, 1836...........16)0 Hiraut Sibley, Monroe Co., N. Y.. Auut 8680 C. T. Dickerson and C. S. Boughton, Monroe, Co., N. Y., August, 1836............)).................. Peter A. Palmer, Genesee Co., N. Y., Augrust, 1836.80.......s SECTION 36. Juba Burrows, Wayne Co., Mich., May, 1836............ 8)) Da-niel Miller, Livingston Co., N. Y., June, 1836........... 8)) Elijah Bishop, Jr., Chautauqua Co., N. Y., June, 1816.lt Jamjes Blake, Hluron Co., Ohio, June, 1836.............. 8)) Gilbert G. Townsend, Livingston Co., Mich., July, 1836.... 80 Jamies McAllister, Genesee Co., Micb., August, 1836.......0.s Daniel Miller, Oakland Co., Mich,. 80....s SECTIoNs 20 AND 21. Z. D. Bassett and M. Cobb, Barnstable Co., Mass., June, 1836..1280 SECTION 22. Benjamin Ransom, Genesee Co., N. Y., September, 18,36.....80 Gideon Lee, New York City, December, 1836.............160 John Noble', lan'd-warrant,,may, 1851..................160 Ilosea Bratord, " "................. 160 Charles Shoup," "1 i Febrtuary, 1853...............40 SECTION 23. Jacob L. Woodruff, Ontario Co., N. Y., September, 1836..... Gideon Lee, New York City, Decemnber, 1836............ John Le Valley, Orleans Co., N. Y., October, 1853........ Sheldon Stewart, Genesee Co., Mich., November, 18,54...... 160 320 80 SO RESIDENCE OF PETER LENNON, CLAYTON, MICHIGAN. CLAYTON TOWNSHIP. 357 EARLY SETTLERS. The locality known as the " Miller settlement" was the first in what now constitutes Clayton township to receive the attention of.settlers. In June, 1836, Adam Miller, from Livingston Co., N. Y. (from Germany in 1795), made a trip here and entered land, returning to New York for his family, bringing them back in August following. There was then not a person living on the route between their land and Flint, and part of Mr. Miller's family remained in the latter place until some time in September, or a sufficient time to allow him and his sons to prepare a shanty for their reception. This was erected very nearly where the Methodist church now stands, on section 35, and the next season a log house of fair dimensions was built a short distance farther west. Mr. Miller was accompanied fiom New York by his wife and three sons,Joseph, David A., and Enos M. Two other sons, Peter and Daniel, followed in the fall of 1837, and all but two of the sons located land for themselves, partly in Clayton, and partly in Gaines, living, however, in the former. Of the Miller family, one son, Enos M. Miller, lives in the township, and two daughters are yet in the county,-Mrs. John IHartsock in Clayton, and Mrs. Rev. J. C. McAllister in Flint. Rev. Daniel Miller, an early local preacher in the Methodist denomination in the vicinity of the settlement, is now a resident of the town of Glen Arbor, Leelanau Co., Mich., where he was sent on missionary services. Adam Miller was the first settler in the township of Clayton. From Flint he chopped a road through to his place over nearly the route which afterwards became the "Miller Road." In the spring of 1837 he sowed probably the first grain in the township,-spring wheat, oats, etc. His death occurred in March, 1841. His son, Enos M. Miller, resides on a part of the old homestead. The second settler in this part of the township was John M. Nash, who located on the northeast quarter of section 34 in February, 1837. He was also from the State of New York. John Hartsock, also from Livingston Co., N. Y., settled in the spring of 1837, soon after the arrival of Nash. Seth Silsby, Emir Woodin, and Seth Hathaway all settled in the same neighborhood in the fall of 1837, and a man named Finch had previously-in 1836 or 1837-located in the northeast part of town. A son of the latter was thefirst white child born in the township. A son was born a few months later-in the fall of 1837-in the family of Thomas Nash. Sedgwick P. Stedman, an early settler in the township, left Canada during the famous Patriot war excitement, 1837-38, and during his residence here held the office of justice of the peace. He is now living in the township of Argentine. The first road in the Miller settlement neighborhood was the one now extending from the asylum at Flint out through the former place, where it becomes a township-line road between Clayton and Gaines. It is known as the "Miller Road." James Ottaway and Joseph Burbridge, from England, settled near the centre of the township in 1837, and Mr. Burbridge still resides upon the place he then located. In 1839, Mr. Ottaway's brothers, Stephen and George Ottaway, direct from England, settled in the township with their families, and another brother-John-followed with his family in the summer of 1840. Stephen Ottaway was the father of the present town clerk. James Ottaway was unmarried at the time of his settlement. These four brothers are all deceased; the widows of Stephen and George are yet living in the township. In the northwest part of the town is what is known as the "Lyons settlement." Four brothers, William, Isaac, Daniel B., and Abram H. Lyons (latter died in 1877), in company with Jacob H. Coddington and John C. Clement, came from Tompkins Co., N. Y., to Flint, Mich., in August, 1836, and in the winter of 1839, Isaac Lyons, Coddington, and Clement moved into the township of Clayton, and settled in the locality bearing the name mentioned. Mr. Lyons still lives on the old place, Mr. Coddington at Flushing, and Mr. Clement is dead; his widow resides in Flint. The two younger Lyons brothers, D. B. and A. H. Lyons, were not married when they came to the county. The former* is now engaged in mercantile pursuits at Flint. When Isaac Lyons moved into this township his nearest neighbor on the east was Robert H. Wallace, distant four miles, and the latter is yet living in the township with his son, Theron Wallace, who came with him. James Hosie lived a little farther away, in Flushing. James E. Brown moved into Clayton in 1840, and was also east of Lyons. He was one of the most prominent men in town, and held the office of supervisor for many years. Isaac Lyons, Sr., the father of the brothers named, purchased ten eighty-acre lots in Clayton from the government. He and his wife both died in Flint. His son, Isaac Lyons, Esq., now of Clayton, helped build the first bridge across Swartz Creek, in 1836, within the limits of what is now Flint City. This was on the Asylum, or Miller, road. When, in 1838, Isaac Lyons, with his brothers-in-law,Coddiigton and Clement,-came into Clayton to build their log houses, they were three days on the way, having to cut their road. The pine timber necessary for their use they procured from a pine grove in what is now the Fourth Ward of Flint. Isaac Lyons helped also to build the old "Genesee House," in Flint, for Thomas J. Drake, on what is now Detroit Street, in that city. Mr. Lyons built a log blacksmith-shop on the corner of his place in Clayton, where his present frame shop stands, and, especially on stormy days, had all the business in the blacksmithing line that he could attend to. This was the only shop of the kind within a large radius, none being then in existence even at Flushing. Mr. Lyons thinks the first blacksmithing at the latter place was done by himself, about 1842, he being employed in repairing mill-irons, etc., in Seymour's mill. Pine-trees near by were cut down and their tops made into charcoal, which was used in the forge. Mr. Lyons has held the office of justice of the peace since the organization of the township of Clayton, in 1846. Albert Granger, William Goyer, and Richard C. Geyer all settled in the township about 1840-42. R. C. Goyer * This gent!dean leaves off the final letter as above, writing his name Lyon. 358 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I. I married a sister of Mr. Granger, and the latter married a sister of Isaac Lyons, Esq., who is now deceased. These three men were sailors, and for several seasons after moving there followed their calling on the Western lakes. R. C. Goyer is now in Flushing, and William resides in Flint. James W. Cronk was one of the early settlers of the township also. He was a good surveyor, and aided many of the settlers in locating their land. He and his son, Norton Cronk, entered the service during the Mexican war, and the elder died in Mexico. His father, Col. James Cronk, located land on the east side of the turnpike, in what is now Flint City. He held a colonel's commission in the war of 1812, whence his title. E. W. Fenner and James Glass, living east of Lyons Corners, are among the later arrivals in the township. South of the Miller settlement, in the township of Gaines, maple timber grew in abundance along the branch of Swartz Creek, which flows through that locality, and the Indians congregated there annually for the purpose of making maplesugar. A well-worn trail extended from Flint, but went no farther than the "sugar camp." This trail the Millers followed when they came into the township. Maple-sugar is made in the neighborhood yet to a small extent. " Erin's green isle" sent a number of her sons to become residents of Clayton, and several are yet living in the township. The first of this nationality to settle here were Bernard Lcnnon and Patrick Conlen, who left Ireland about 1833-34 and emigrated to the United States. They first lived in the State of New York, afterwards in Ohio, and about 1838-40 moved to Clayton. Mr. Conlen still lives where he settled at that time. Mr. Lennon is deceased, and his family has removed from the township. A nephew, Peter Lennon, Clayton's present supervisor, lives next south of his uncle's former home. Messrs. Conlen and Lennon both married sisters of Michael Donahoo, now living in town, the former before leaving Ireland, and the latter after. Michael Donahoo, Esq., from the North of Ireland, came to America in 1845, and proceeded at once to Genesee Co., Mich., whither those mentioned and others had preceded him, and in September of that year purchased land in Clayton, opposite his present residence, afterwards buying the site of the latter. The property had been originally located by Daniel Harding, but he had made no improvements upon it. It passed through several other hands before it was purchased by Mr. Donahoo, who made the first improvements. He built a log house on the north side of the road (not amounting to much as a road then); the old structure has totally disappeared. His present frame residence is on the south side. Mr. Donahoo's mother, who left Ireland with him, died on the passage across the ocean. His wife also accompanied him, they having no children at that time. His two brothers, John and Peter Donahoo, came at the same time, and purchased land in the vicinity. Both are since deceased. Bernard Traynor, who married a sister of Mr. Donahoo, came with the latter and located east of him, in the same neighborhood. He is now deceased. His sons, Paul and Michael Traynor, are both residents of the township. Three brothers, William, Peter, and John Carton, settled about 1842 in the northern part of the township, and of these John Carton is the only one yet living here. He resides on the same farm where he then settled. Peter Carton is dead and William went to California, since when nothing has been heard from him, and he. is also supposed to be dead. Patrick Bradley located four miles east of Lyons Cor. ners at an early day. He is also deceased, but has children residing in the county. " Squire" Donahoo has been favored with numerous offices by the citizens of Clayton, and for nearly twenty years has been a magistrate. When he came to the township he thinks there was but one team of horses in it, except a span of ponies owned by Daniel Miller, although several owned one horse. For teaming oxen were used universally. No road extended nearer than three miles away from Mr. Donahoo's place, other than where the underbrush had been trimmed down, and in a dark night it was necessary to feel the way to avoid losing the track. Settlers could get very little for their produce, and never were paid in money except at Detroit, and even at the latter place they were obliged to take half in store pay. Butter was there worth sixpence per pound. At Flint, which was the nearest market, it was utterly impossible to get money, and bartering was the only system of trade. Settlers often carried grists to mill on their backs and returned the same way, and as the woods abounded with wolves these journeys were seldom pleasant, although it is not known that a single person ever lost his life in an encounter with these animals, or ever suffered more severely from them than the loss of some of his stock. Peter Lennon, Sr., the father of the present supervisor, emigrated from the North of Ireland to the United States in 1837, and settled in Luzerne Co., Pa., where he lived until 1853, when he removed to Clayton, and located on land now owned by his son, Peter Lennon. He died in 1861. The son served four years in the 5th Michigan Infantry, during the war of the Rebellion, holding a captain's commission. His regiment was in the Army of the Potomac. Since the war he has lived but three years in Clayton, having been in business in Flint. During the three years, however, he has served one term as treasurer, and is now in his second year as supervisor of the township. The following is a list of the resident tax-payers in what is now Clayton in 1844, according to the returns for that year for the township of Flushing, which then included Clayton: Brotherton, Harry. Bradley, Patrick. Burbridge, Joseph. Brown, James E. Brotherton, Emery. Ballantine, John. Clement, Wright N. Cronk, James W. Cronk, Walter. Cronk, Porter. Calkins, Caleb. Chapin, Thomas. Carton, William. Clement, John C. Conlen, Patrick. Coddington, Jacob H. Ellsworth, Arthur L. Fenner, A. H. Fletcher, Sherman. Finch, Henry F. Fenner, Daniel M. Glass, Bartholomew. Goodrich, James. Glass, John. Goyer, Richard C. Goyer, William. Hlowes, William. Howes, Caleb IX. Ilartsock, John. Henry, Silas. Jacox, David. Kent, William K. Lyons, Isaac. Lyons, Ann. -B. TRAYN OR. PAU LE. TRAYNOR. RESIDENCE OF PAUL E.TRAYNOR, CLAYTON TP., MICH * CLAYTON TOWNSHIP. 359 Lyons, Abram. Lyons, Daniel B. Lyons, William. Lennon, Bernard. Miller, Enos M. Miller, Peter. Miller, Daniel. Miller, David. Morrish, Thomas. McAllister, James. Miles, James. Marshall, George. Marshall, William. Nash, John M. Newal, Minor. Newal, William D. Niles, Alanson. Ottawa, Stephen. Ottawa, George. Ottawa, James. Ottawa, John. Person, John. Piper, William. Parsell, Henry. Porter, Joseph. Perkins, Peter. Parker, Hiram. Peabody, Austin. Patrick, Robert. Penoyer, James. Perkins, Lyman. Pond, Alfred. Richardson, Alfred. Stowell, Daniel W. Silsby, Seth. St. John, Alanson. Sharp, John. Wickham, Samuel. Walllce, Theron. Wood, E. It is possible that in this list are a few names which should be credited to what is now Flushing, as the old record from which they are taken is in such shape that it is nearly impossible to determine the location of all. CEMETERIES. The township contains two cemeteries, one at Swartz Creek (Miller settlement), and the other near the Lyons settlement, in the northwest part of town. Possibly the first death in the township was that of a child in the family of Seth Hathaway, which occurred about 1838. The first adult who died (Miller settlement neighborhood) was a man named Wheaton. The two cemeteries in town each contain about an acre of land. That at Swartz Creek was originally taken from the Miller property, and the persons who died, as above, were buried in it before the ground was laid out for cemetery purposes. It was given to the township by Adam Miller, and in it rest the remains of the following early settlers, together with a few Indian children and one or two Indian adults: Caleb H. Howes, died Feb. 5, 1873, aged seventy-nine years. Adam Miller, died March 11, 1841, aged seventy-one years. Margaret, his wife, died Nov. 4, 1864, aged eighty-six years. Jacob Rail, died Dec. 26, 1878, aged sixty-five years. Peter Miller, died April 26, 1859, aged forty-five years. Joseph Miller, died Sept. 23, 1858, aged forty-two years. Stiles Ryno, died Dec. 22, 1861, aged sixty-one years. Hosea Bradford and wife, who lived in town a short time at an early date; also Elisha Martin and wife, who were old settlers. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION AND CIVIL LIST. When the petition for organizing a new township from the part of Flushing now comprising Clayton was sent to the Legislature no name was sent with it, and that of Clayton was given it by that body. The following are the proceedings of the first town-meeting, as shown by the records: "In pursuance of an Act of the Legislature of the State of Michigan, passed March -, 1846, organizing the township of Clayton, the first annual township-meeting was held at the school-house in Dist. No. 6, on the 6th day of April, 1846, in compliance with the provisions of said act. Present, Thomas Chapin, Justice of the Peace. The meeting then proceeded to elect Alfred Pond, Caleb Calkins, Isaac Lyons, and Caleb H. Howes, Inspectors of Election, and Alanson Niles, Clerk. After the Board of Inspectors was respectively sworn, they then proceeded to receive votes for township officers." The subject of license was also voted upon, 30 ballots being cast for it, and 21 against. The following were the officers chosen, viz.: Supervisor, Alfred Pond; Town Clerk, Francis Brotherton; Treasurer, Theron Wallace; Justices of the Peace, Seth Newell, Isaac Lyons, Caleb Calkins; Assessors, Harry Brotherton, Seth Silsby; Commissioners of Highways, Richard C. Goyer, John C. Clement, John M. Nash; Inspectors of Schools, Alanson Niles, Alfred Pond; Directors of the Poor, Alex. H. Fenner, Barnard Carpenter; Constables, John M. Nash, Silas Henry, Elhanan W. Fenner; Overseers of Highways, Alfred Richardson, Wright N. Clement, Albert Granger, Alexander H. Fenner, William Piper, Bernard Lennon, John M. Nash, Morgan D. Chapman, Abram Knight, David Felt. At the meeting in 1847 it was " Voted, To raise a tax of ten dollars for the purpose of erecting a bridge across the Michtegayich Creek, on the northeast quarter of section 17, in town 7 north, of range 5 east." The following list comprises the township officers from 1847 to 1879, inclusive: 1847.-Supervisor, Alfred Pond; Town Clerk, Alexander H. Fenner; Justices of the Peace, Isaac Lyons, Jacob W. Rall; Treasurer, Silas Henry; Commissioners of Highways, Theron Wallace, Richard C. Goyer, Jacob H. Coddington; School Inspector, Alfred Pond; Directors of the Poor, David Felt, Caleb H. Howes; Constables, Fisher J. Griswold, Seth Silsby, John M. Nash, Albert Granger. 1848.-Supervisor, John C. Clement;* Town Clerk, Alexander H. Fenner; Treasurer, Silas Henry; Justice of Peace, Caleb Calkins; Assessors, Harry Brotherton, Seth Silsby; Commissioner of Highways, Jacob W. Rail; School Inspector, Austin Peabody; Directors of the Poor, John C. Clement, David Felt; Constables, Silas Henry, William Goyer, John M. Nash. 1849.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Alexander H. Fenner; Treasurer, Harry Brotherton; Justice of the Peace, Caleb H. Howes; Assessors, Barnard Carpenter, Sedgwick P. Stedman; Commissioners of Highways, Harry Brotherton, Emir Wooden; School Inspector, Alfred Pond; Directors of the Poor, James E. Brown, Harry Brotherton; Constables, F. J. Griswold, Solomon T. Granger, John J. Van Vechten. 1850.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Roswell Hilton; Treasurer, Harry Brotherton; Justice of the Peace, Alfred Pond; Commissioner of Highways, Theron Wallace; Assessors, A. H. Fenner, William Howes; School Inspector, Caleb H. Howes; Overseers of the Poor, Caleb Calkins, Alex. H. Fenner; Constables, William Goyer, Fisher J. Griswold, Albert Granger, Solomon T. Granger. 1851.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Alfred Pond; Treasurer, Harry Brotherton; Justice of the Peace, Isaac Lyons; Commissioner of Highways, Caleb H. Howes; School Inspector, Caleb Calkins; Overseers of the Poor, Roswell Hilton, Daniel Miller; Constables, Solomon T. Granger, William Goyer, Abram B. Knight, John Meaker. 1852.-Supervisor, Seth Newell; Town Clerk, Joel Draper; Treasurer, Roswell Hilton; Justice of the Peace, * Resigned, and Alfred Pond appointed to fill vacancy. 360 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ----------------- ---— I - ---- William McGlinchy; Commissioners of Highways, Morgan D. Chapman, George Ottaway; School Inspector, Philo Newell; Constables, Solomon T. Granger, Fisher J. Griswold, William V. Hilton, Milo Goodrich. 1853.-Supervisor, Seth Newell; Town Clerk, Peter Miller; Treasurer, Benjamin Rall, Jr.; Justice of the Peace, Sedgwick P. Stedman; Commissioner of Highways, George Ottaway; School Inspector, Andrew M. Felt; Overseers of the Poor, Emir Wooden, David Felt; Constables, Francis Brewer, Milo Goodrich, F. J. Griswold, Jacob W. Rall. 1854.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Sedgwick P. Stedman; Treasurer, Benjamin Rail, Jr.; Justice of the Peace, Caleb Calkins; Commissioner of Highways, Jasper Taft; School Inspector, Cyrus Peabody; Overseers of the Poor, Stiles Ryno, William Goyer; Constables, John Meaker, George Perkins, Solomon T. Granger, Fisher J. Griswold. 1855.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Andrew M. Felt; Treasurer, Benjamin Rall, Jr.; Justice of the Peace, Isaac Lyons; Commissioner of Highways, Michael Donahoo; School Inspector, Caleb Calkins; Overseers -of the Poor, Caleb Calkins, Cyrus Peabody; Constables, Horatio W. Felt, Joel Draper, James Lwis, Solomon T. Granger. 1856.-Supervisor, Sedgwick P. Stedman; Town Clerk, Caleb H. Howes; Treasurer, Enos M. Miller; Justice of the Peace, Solomon T. Granger; Commissioner of Highways, Isaac Lyons; School Inspector, Jacob A. Goodwin; Overseers of the Poor, Caleb Calkins, John B. Passmore; Constables, Edmund Calkins, Emmet Todd, James Lewis, Michael Donahoo. 1857.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, William Wheeler; Treasurer, Enos M. Miller; Justices of the Peace, S. P. Stedman, David A. Miller; Commissioner of Highways, Benjamin Rall; School Inspector, Charles P. Nash; Overseers of the Poor, H. D. Howes, Caleb Calkins; Constables, Edmund Calkins, Solomon T. Granger, Christopher Downey, A. D. Miller. 1858.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, William Wheeler; Treasurer, E. M. Miller; Justices of the Peace, Alfred Pond, William Wheeler, Caleb H. Howes; Commissioner of Highways, Dan. W. Stowell; School Inspectors, Jacob Goodwin, Orville Green; Overseers of the Poor, C. Downey, John B. Passmore; Constables, E. Calkins, James Goodrich, Elias Whitmore, Oliver H. Granger. 1859.-Supervisor, Alfred Pond; Town Clerk, James E. Brown; Treasurer, Enos M. Miller; Justice of the -Peace, Isaac Lyons; Commissioner of Highways, Isaac Lyons; School Inspector, Orville Green; Overseers of the Poor, Hiram Goodwin, William Howes; Constables, James Goodrich, Seth Silsby, Benjamin Rall, James E. Brown. 1860.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Andrew M. Felt; Treasurer, Sedgwick P. Stedman; Justice of the Peace, Michael Donahoo; Commissioner of Highways, Michael Donahoo; School Inspector, Alfred Pond; Constables, Emmet Todd, Eli Barnhart, Solomon T. Granger, Seth T. Wheeler. 1861.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, Andrew M. Felt; Treasurer, William Wheeler; Commissioner of Highways, William Morrish; School Inspector, Seth S. Wheeler; Justice of the Peace, William Wheeler; Constables, Oscar H. Shattuck, Emmet Todd, William L. McGlinchy, John J. Gordon. 1862.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, A. M. Felt; Treasurer, William Wheeler; Justice of the Peace, Edmund Calkins; Commissioner of Highways, John J. Gordon; School Inspector, Alfred Pond; Constables, Daniel Calkins, Charles H. Goyer, John J. Gordon, Robert McGlinchy. 1863.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, A. M. Felt; Treasurer, William Wheeler; Justice of the Peace, Isaac Lyons; Commissioner of Highways, Michael Donahoo; School Inspector, Robert C. Passmore; Constables, William L. McGlinchy, James Glass, John J. Gordon, James E. Ottaway. 1864.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, A. M. Felt; Treasurer, William Wheeler; Justice of the Peace, Michael Donahoo; Commissioner of Highways, William Morrish; School Inspectors, James Glass, Philip Crotsley; Constables, Robert McGlinchy, Seth Silsby, James W. Brown, Orlando W. Parsell. 1865.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, A. M. Felt; Treasurer, Michael Donahoo; Justice of the Peace, Philip H. Crotsley; Commissioner of Highways, John J. Gordon; School Inspector, John Passmore; Constables, Solomon T. Granger, Robert McGlinchy, John J. Gordon, James W. Brown. 1866.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Theron Wallace; Justices of the Peace, Alfred Pond, Peter Gordon; Commissioner of Highways, E. W. Fenner; School Inspector, James Glass; Constables, Robert McGlinchy, John J. Gordon, Michael Traynor, Daniel E. Calkins. 1867.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Theron Wallace; Justices of the Peace, Isaac Lyons, Benjamin Ingalls; Commissioners of Highways, Michael Donahoo, Daniel Calkins; School.Inspector, John Passmore; Constables, John Burleson, Michael Traynor, Robert McClinchy, James W. Brown. 1868.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, William Morrish; Justice of the Peace, Michael Donahoo; Commissioner of Iighways, Benjamin Ingalls; School Inspector, Philip Crotsley; Constables, John Burleson, Walter F. Granger, George Evans, RI. McGlinchy. 1869.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, William Morrish; Justice of the Peace, George A. Evans; Commissioner of Highways, E. W. Fenner; School Inspectors, John Passmore, John Noble; Constables, Robert McGlinchy, John W. Hartsock, Thomas Mundy, W. F. Granger. 1870.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Michael Donahoo; Justice of the Peace, Alfred Pond; Commissioner of Highways, Willis Nichols; School Inspector, James Glass; Constables, Robert McGlinchy, Daniel W. Fuller, Walter F. Granger, John W. Hartsock. 1871.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, I1;. Ak, RESIDENCE o- JAMES PENOYER, CLAYTON, GENESEEC MICH. A~ CLAYTON TOWNSHIP. 361 James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Michael Donahoo; Justices of the Peace, Isaac Lyons, Charles H. Chapman; Commissioner of Highways, William Morrish; School Inspector, John Passmore; Drain Commissioner, Isaac Lyons; Constables, John Noble, Robert McGlinchy, Luther O. Jones, Daniel W. Fuller. 1872.-Supervisor, James E. Brown; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Michael Donahoo; Justice of the Peace, Michael Donahoo; Commissioner of Highways, E. W. Fenner; School Inspector, John Noble; Drain Com'r, Isaac Lyons; Constables, Robert McGlinchy, John W. Hartsock, Aaron Crowder, Walter F. Granger. 1873.-Supervisor, James Glass; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Michael Donahoo; Justice of the Peace, Charles H. Chapman; Commissioner of Highways, Henry D. Howes; School Inspector, George E. Houghton; Drain Commissioner, Isaac Lyons; Constables, Robert McGlinchy, C. C. Decker, Benjamin Ingalls, John Conlen. 1874.-Supervisor, James Glass; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, William Morrish; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Messick; Commissioners of Highways, William Morrish, Josiah Rock; School Inspector, John Passmore; Drain Commissioner, Michael Donahoo; Constables, Luther O. Jones, Rob't McGlinchy, M. Donahoo, Jr., J. W. Hartsock. 1875.-Supervisor, George E. Houghton; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Charles H. Chapman; Justice of the Peace, Isaac Lyons; Commissioner of Highways, William Morrish; Township Superintendent of Schools, Norman A. Beecher; School Inspector, John Passmore; Drain Com'r, M. Donahoo; Constables, Rob't McClinchy, C. H. Lyons, Hamilton Bogardus, Michael Donahoo, Jr. 1876.-Supervisor, George E. Houghton; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Charles H. Chapman; Justice of the Peace, Michael Donahoo; Commissioner of Highways, William Morrish; Township Superintendent of Schools, Norman A. Beecher; School Inspector, John Passmore; Drain Com'r (two years), C. C. Decker; Constables, C. L. Lyons, M. Donahoo, Jr., Win. Stone, C. C. Decker. 1877.-Supervisor, George E. Houghton; Town Clerk, Edwin J. Goodwin; Treasurer, Peter Lennon; Justice of the Peace, George A. Evans; Commissioner of Highways, E. W. Fenner; Township Superintendent of Schools, John Passmore; School Inspector, Henry D. Howes; Constables, Nelson Burleson, John A. McCrea, Charles L. Lyons, Darwin A. Countryman. 1878.-Supervisor, Peter Lennon; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway (did not accept, and Herbert Anthony was appointed); Treasurer, Isaac Lyons; Justice of the Peace, Theron Wallace; Commissioner of Highways, John T. Parker; Township Superintendent of Schools, John Passmore; School Inspector, William Stone; Drain Commissioner (two years), M. Donahoo; Constables, C. L. Lyons, Charles L. Countryman, Willis S. Nichols, Hiram Morrish. 1879.-Supervisor, Peter Lennon; Town Clerk, James E. Ottaway; Treasurer, Sylvenas Graves; Justices of the Peace, Isaac Lyons, Sr., Paul Countryman; Commissioner of Highways, John F. Parker; Township Superintendent of Schools, Henry R. Kellicut; School Inspector, William Stone; Constables, Charles L. Lyons, Charles L. Countryman, James H. Moores, Edward Redman. SCHOOLS. The first school in the township was very likely taught in the Miller settlement. In the spring of 1838 a log school-house was built across the line in Gaines, and a term of school taught that season by a Miss Watkins, of Mundy. This building was used but one year. In 1839 a frame school-house was erected on the north side of the line, where the store of the Messrs. Miller now stands (southeast corner section 35, in Clayton). The present frame building used for school-purposes is on the Gaines side of the line. About 1844 a log school-house was built on the corner of Isaac Lyons' land, where the present house in District No. 8 stands. The first school in it was a winter term, taught by Miss Angeline Smith, now the wife of Robert C. Ransom, of Flushing. There were then few children of school-age in the neighborhood. Mr. Lyons had but one, yet his tuition was $3.75, even though the wages paid the teachers were low. The district then contained sixteen sections. In the Donahoo neighborhood there was no school until 1854. In April of that year a log school-house was built on Barnard Lennon's land, and a summer term taught in it by Miss Electa Perkins. The first year the school was carried on by the aid of rate bills, afterwards partly with public money. The district (No. 2) was organized April 22, 1854, with Michael Donahoo as director. The present frame school-building in this district stands 200 rods east of the site of the original log building. The following is the report of the schools of Clayton township for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878: DISTRICTS. - 0 4 bo c, - C a, 0 " )2 1;z 4 2 rF... 4.00 C ' a c11 c = sv H: 140 140 160 140 160 140 147 140 140 n-bea 0 ' dW Frame. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1!t c 2 Xo P a - 4t s o II P7 NUMBER OF TEACHERS. TEACHERS' WAGES. i ( i i 4 4 4 ( i ( 9 4 i c...................................... 2...................................... 3....................................... 5...................................... 6....................................... 8..................................... 9.................................. 12..................................... 13.................................... 48 48 61 35 52 44 20 57 30 60 43 57 23 40 36 22 59 28 65 60 50 50 40 60 35 60 60 $1100 800 800 100 500 300 500 1000 700 Male. 1 1 1. 1 1 I.I Fenale. 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 Male. $100 87.50.."i;.... 105 120 100 80.... Female. $30 42 156 27 40 30 35 132 30 Fractional districts. 46 362 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. — I Total receipts for year ending as above, $2514.34; amount on hand Sept. 2, 1878, $621.45; total expenditures, less amount on hand, $1892.89. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SWARTZ CREEK. As early as the fall of 1837 regular preaching was held here by this denomination, Rev. Mr. Whitney, then stationed at Flint, filling the appointment. A Methodist class was organized at the same time, and meetings were for a number of years held in the school-house. Finally, in the spring of 1856, the present frame church was built on land taken from the Miller property. Daniel Miller, now of Leelanau County, was one of the early pillars of the church. The society has at present a very fair membership, and is in good condition. The pastor at this time (July, 1879) is Rev. Joel B. Goss. SWARTZ CREEK POST-OFFICE (HAMILTON STATION). During the infancy of the settlement people coming here from the direction of Flint spoke of going " up the Swartz," and in time the small stream flowing near became known as Swartz Creek, though only a branch of the main stream. A mail-route was finally established, extending from Flint through to Hartwellville, on the Grand River road, in Shiawassee County, via Vernon and old Shiawasseetown. This was probably in the fall of 1842. An office was at the same time established at the Miller settlement, and named Swartz Creek. Arthur L. Ellsworth received the first appointment as postmaster, and after discharging the duties of the office about one year he moved away. Mail was then carried on horseback. Ellsworth's successor was Peter Miller, who held the office about eight years. Henry Snyder was next appointed, then Caleb H. Howes, and about the close of the war of the Rebellion, Enos M. Miller was placed in charge, and still continues in that capacity. As early as 1842, Miller & Rail sold the first goods in the place. They were the proprietors of an ashery, and carried on a large business. Goods were given in exchange for ashes, and were also sold to others needing them. This industry is numbered among the things of the past, although while in operation it proved lucrative. Three or four years before the railway was completed through the place a store was built, and a stock of merchandise opened by William M. Thurber, of Flint. This was afterwards burned. It stood on the Gaines side of the line. A short time previous to the completion of the road (now known as the Chicago and Northeastern Railway) a small grocery was started by a man named Wright, but was not long continued. The village now contains four stores, a flour- and feedmill, one hotel, a meat-market, a shoe-shop, three blacksmithand wagon-shops, one harness-shop, three millinery-establishments, and one physician (Dr. Gordon). The hotel mentioned is on the Gaines side, and is called the " Bristol House." It was built by Ephraim Fletcher, in the summer of 1877, and is a large frame structure. The railway was completed and began operations in October, 1876. The station was named Hamilton, in honor of William Hamilton, of Flint, one of the directors of the company. As the names of the station and postoffice are different, much trouble is caused in shipping goods, and also in mail connections, as another place called Hamilton exists in the State. Efforts have been made to secure a change in the name of the station, but thus far unsuccessfully. On the 17th of March, 1877, a village-plat was laid out on, the northeast fractional quarter of the northeast fractional quarter of section 2, in the township of Gaines, and given the name of Swartz Creek, to correspond with the post-office. Two lots had been previously sold,-one to Benjamin Ingalls, and the other to Charles H. Evans, and, in consequence, their names appear with that of Julia Miller (widow of Peter Miller) as village proprietors, although they owned but the two lots. The plat was laid on a portion of Mr. Miller's estate, and has been built upon to some extent. Most of the business of the village is, however, in Clayton township, where a few lots have been sold to individuals, while as yet no regular plat has been made and recorded. The post-office and most of the stores are on the north side, and in both townships are elegible sites for building. SOCIETIES AND ORDERS. LIBERTY GRANGE, NO. 255, PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY, was origanized under dispensation, Feb. 26, 1874, and chartered July 7, 1874. Its first Master was F. F. Kellicut. The present membership is about 45. The building in which the post-office and Miller's store are located is the property of the Grange, whose room is in the second story. The officers for 1879 are: Master, E. J. Goodwinll; Overseer, W. M. Morris; Secy., W. L. Miller; Chaplain, Joseph Remington; Lecturer, William Holden; Treas., E. Calkin. GOOD-WILL LODGE, NO. 309, I. O. 0. F., was chartered Feb. 5, 1878, with the following members, viz.: Edward S. Dart, William E. Short, George Jeffers, John McSorley, and William D. Bailey. Its present membership is about 35, and its officers are: Noble Grand, John Ford; Vice-Grand, Henry Kellicut; Secy., Paul Countryman; Permanent Secy., D. A. Countryman; Treas., John C. Smith. The Lodge holds its meetings in the Grange Hall. PEARLY FOUNTAIN LODGE, NO. 60, I. O. G. T., was chartered Feb. 27, 1878, with 16 members. Darwin A. Countryman was the first executive officer. The present membership is about 30, and the officers are the following: Worthy Chief Templar, D. A. Countryman; Worthy ViceTemplar, Mrs. D. A. Countryman; Secy., John Moorhouse; Financial Secy., Andrew Barlow; Treas., Mrs. Paul Countryman. The lodge-room is also in Grange Hall. MYRTLE LODGE, NO. 1415, KNIGHTS OF HONOR, SWARTZ CREEK, was organized Feb. 22, 1879, with 24 members. The membership is the same at present. The organization meets in Grange Hall. Its officers are: Past Dictator, G. G. Gordon; Dictator, W. L. Miller; Vice-Dictator, John I I CALEB CALKINS. MRS. CAROLINE CALKINS. CALEB CALKINS. This estimable gentleman, born in New Hampshire, Nov. 26, 1804, was descended from a good old Welsh family, whose representative came to this country many generations ago. His father, also named Caleb, who died in April, 1804, at the age of forty-five years, was one of a family of seven brothers, all the rest of whom lived to a good old age,-from seventy to one hundred and four years. His mother's maiden name was Hannah Barber. At the age of twenty years he took unto himself a wife in the person of Miss Caroline Piper, who was born in the State of Connecticut, June 12, 1804. She was a daughter of Samuel and Betsey (Lucas) Piper. Her father was of German descent, and served in the American army during the war of 1812. He was four times married. His first wife, to whom he was married in 1795, was Betsey Lucas, who bore him five children,-Betsey, Olive, Dimmis, Mercy, and Caroline. She died in June, 1805, and a year later he took a second wife, whose name was Annie Coville. By her he became the father of nine other children, who were named, respectively, Polly, Nelson, Matilda, Maletta, Ann, Eliza, William, Fanny, and George. (This youngest son enlisted in the Union army, and was captured by the rebels, incarcerated in Libby prison, and died from the starvation and inhumanity to which he was subjected.) In 1837, having again become a widower, he married for his third wife a lady of the name of Thayer. The last marriage occurred in 1854, after he had passed the eightieth anniversary of his birth. The name borne by this fourth wife was Farr. His death occurred in August, 1860, he being then upwards of eighty-six years old. Caleb Calkins and Caroline Piper were married in the "Green Mountain" State, on the 22d day of February, 1825. The following spring they gathered together the household goods and removed to the famous Genesee country, in Western New York, where they started a home in the town of Wheatland, Monroe Co. From there they moved to Oakfield, N. Y., where Mr. Calkins and his brother Daniel had purchased a farm in the then wilderness, which was overrun by the wolves and Indians. He subsequently sold his interest in that place and bought on the West openings. His next move was to start out with his father-in-law to look at the lands of Michigan. They came to Calhoun County, traveling on foot, and selling pins, needles, and notions by the way to pay their expenses. He had previously sold his farm on the openings, and now bought a farm in Michigan. He subsequently sold it, however, and bought another in the town of Alabama, Genesee Co., N. Y., where he resided several years. In 1840 he traded that place with his brother Daniel, taking in exchange one hundred and sixty acres in the town of Clayton, seven miles west of Flint. Having examined his latest acquisition, and let to Samuel Wickham the job of clearing two acres, sowing it to wheat, and harvesting the crop, he then returned to New York. In 1841 he sent his household goods by team to Buffalo, and shipped them on a lake craft to Detroit, and then, with his family in an emigrant wagon drawn by a good pair of horses, started to found a home in Michigan. lie crossed the Niagara at Lewiston, traveled through Canada, crossed the Detroit River at Detroit, and arrived at his new home in October. They were accompanied by Mr. Calkins' sister, Mrs. Sherman Fletcher, whose husband had preceded the rest of the party by a couple of weeks for the purpose of having a house ready for their joint occupancy before the party arrived. In this intention, however, he failed, and the families temporarily moved in with Samuel Wickham, remaining there some eight or ten days before Fletcher's house was ready. Both families lived in the Fletcher house for three weeks. Mr. Calkins traded his team of horses with Jarvis Bailey, getting a team of oxen, a cow, a hog, and lumber for his house in exchange. At the expiration of the three weeks his own house was ready and the family moved in. There are many interesting incidents connected with their pioneer experiences, some of which we briefly mention. In the winter following their arrival (1841-42) fodder for the cattle could not be obtained, and as a consequence they were forced to live upon "browse," or the tender twigs of trees that were felled for that purpose. In January, 1843, the family were out of flour and had no money. As an expedient, Mr. Calkins purchased a load of lumber (giving his note in payment), hired a man to draw it to Milford, and traded it for two barrels of flour of very poor quality-about what would now be classed as "No. 1 middlings." To settle the note forty bushels of wheat was given the next harvest. In 1848 he sent his eldest son to Pontiac with a load of wheat, and he brought back a load of apples, which were the first brought into Clayton. Mr. Calkins was fond of hunting, and very proficient in the use of the rifle; both his own and his neighbors' tables were well supplied with venison furnished by his skill. He built the first framed barn in Clayton, and also the first school-house. The "raisings" were attended by every man in Clayton, and some from Flushing and Flint. For several years Mr. Calkins worked among the neighbors at shoemaking, coopering, and carpenter and joiner work. In his lifetime he was honored by his fellow-citizens by being called to office, serving as school inspector and justice of the peace, demonstrating in each position his ability and probity of character. Both he and his wife were honored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, lived consistent and exemplary Christian lives, and passed from earth secure in their faith in Christ, and the loving regards of their friends and acquaintances. Mr. Calkins died Aug. 5, 1860, and his wife Nov. 12, 1863. Mr. Calkins had a family of thirteen children, of whom six still survive. Their names and residences are as follows: Edmund, Daniel, Elijah, and Elisha Calkins, of Clayton; Mrs. A. M. Felt, of Mount Morris; James H. Calkins, of Owasso. Of the deceased, Edmond, Rosina, and Matilda died young in the State of New York; Edwin, and Caroline, wife of William Morrish, in this town; Dimmis, wife of Thomas Morrish, in Flint; and John W., a soldier in Co. H, 4th Michigan Cavalry, in August, 1864, at Cartersville, Ga. CLAYTON TOWNSHIP. 363 Ford; Assistant Dictator, Charles L. Countryman; Reporter, Charles McLain; Financial Reporter, M. S. Osgood; Treas., Benjamin Ingalls; Chaplain, F. W. Fuller; Guide, George Jeffers; Guardian, John C. Smith; Sentinel, J. L. Goodrich. SWARTZ CREEK LADIES' LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. The idea of forming an association of this nature in the village was first conceived and mentioned by Mrs. Benjamin Ingalls, and to her and Mrs. D. E. Salisbury is due the praise for carrying out the plan. The society was organized in May and June, 1877, with about 30 members. The plan of the work is somewhat different at present, subscriptions being taken. The number of volumes in the library in the middle of June, 1879, was 181. These are principally works of fiction, although a considerable number of religious and other volumes are included. The societyroom is in Grange Hall. The present officers are: President, Mrs. J. C. Parsons; Vice-President, Mrs. Charles Crapser; Recording Secretary, Mrs. D. E. Salisbury; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Jenny Hill; Treasurer, Mrs. Davison; Librarian, Mrs. Ingalls. The society is not yet incorporated. Among those who have kindly furnished information in this township, and to whom thanks are therefore due and hereby tendered, are Enos M. Miller, Isaac Lyons, Esq., Jacob Coddington (of Flushing), James E. Ottaway, John Carton, Michael Donaloo, Esq., Peter Lennon, and nunlerous others, whom there is not space to mention. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. PAUL E. TRAYNOR. Bernard Traynor was born at Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland, in 1810. He lived at home with his parents, who were farmers, until about 1836, when he married Ellen Donahoo, and commenced farming on his own account. In 1844, in hopes of being able to better his condition, he joined the tide of emigrants then crossing the ocean to found new homes and build up futures in the country whose name had become to them the synonym of hope and promise, and, with his wife and three children, landed in New York in due time. Some years previous his brothers-in-law, Bernard Lennon and Patrick Conlen, had come to America, and had finally settled in Clayton. They had written back glowing reports regarding the cheap lands and rich soil there so abundant, and Lennon, to encourage his brother-in-law to come, had promised to give him forty acres of land. Upon his arrival in Clayton he at once moved on to this land,-the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 30,-and began improving it, in the mean time, also, working out at day labor to support his family. He arrived in July, just at harvest-time, and worked during that season on the Card farm, in Shiawassee County, six miles from his home, walk ing back and forth each day, and receiving two bushels of wheat for each day's labor. By his industrious habits and energetic efforts, actuated I by a laudable ambition to become "forehanded" in the world, he not only cleared and improved the forty acres he originally owned, but also about two hundred and forty acres more which he was able to add to it. His wife died in 1847, and he survived her some twenty-eight years, living a widower till his death, which occurred May 13, 1875, from consumption. His children were Paul E., Edward, Susan, Michael, and Mary A., all of whom live in Clayton, Paul E. and Michael occupying each a part of the homestead. Paul E. Traynor was born in Ireland, Aug. 15, 1839, and lived with his parents until the winter of 1862-63, when, in February, he enlisted as a private in Company H, 23d Michigan Infantry, and went forth to fight the battles of his adopted country against the hosts of its rebellious citizens. He participated in the battles of Nelson, Crab Orchard, Stone River, and Resaca, in the latter engagement receiving an injury in his right side from being struck by a spent shell, which sent him to the hospital and kept him there until he was discharged, in June, 1865. Since his return he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits in this town, where he has one hundred and sixty acres on section 20. PETER LENNON. It is not always the oldest citizens of a town who are the most intimately connected with its development and progress. In this case we write of a man who, though yet young in point of years, has demonstrated his ability and made his mark in the world. He springs from the hardy race of Irish farmers who have done so much towards developing the resources of this country. His father, Peter Lennon, was born in Belle Bay, County Monahan, Ireland, in 1814. He was a son of Edward Lennon. In 1833 he was married to Margaret Bowen, and, three years after, came to this country. He settled in Wayne Co., Pa., and from that time until 1853 was engaged as a contractor in constructing railroads, mostly in that State. From there he came to this town (Clayton), where his brother Bernard had long resided, and, purchasing the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 30, commenced the business of farming, which he carried on, with painstaking industry, until his death, which occurred Jan. 16, 1861. His wife died July 7, 1859. Their family consisted of a son and a daughter,-Peter, born in Pennsylvania, Aug. 3, 1839, and Anna J., born Jan. 18, 1843. Anna J. is a school-teacher, and still makes this town her place of residence. Peter came to Michigan with his parents when he was fourteen years of age, and lived at home until he was twenty-two, attending the common schools as opportunity occurred, and, by application and a natural aptitude for acquiring knowledge, obtained a good, practical English education. At that time the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion aroused his patriotism, leading to his enrollment, Aug. 7, 1861, as a private in Company D, 5th Michigan Infantry, in which he served four years, re-enlisting on the 25th of December, 1863; he was mustered out July 27, 1865. Entering the service as a private, he rose through all the grades to 364 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.. captain, receiving a commission as such a short time before being mustered out. He was in the Army of the Potomac, and participated in the battles of Williamsburg, Seven Days' Fight before Richmond, Harrison's Landing, second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, at New York during the draft riots, Bristoe Station, Wilderness, the siege of Petersburg, and numerous lesser engagements. He was severely wounded in the head at Williamsburg, received a slight wound in the right leg at Gettysburg, and a more severe one through the calf of the same leg at the Wilderness. After the battle of Chancellorsville he was, with several others of his brigade, decorated with the " Kearney Cross" for meritorious conduct on the field. This honor was conferred by General Order No. 48, issued May 16, 1863, by D. B. Birney, brigadier-general, commanding 1st Division, 3d Corps, Army of the Potomac, which was Kearney's old division. Oct. 27, 1864, he was taken prisoner at the battle of Hatch's Run, and after being confined in Libby prison one week was taken to the prison-pen at Salisbury, N. C., where he was subjected to the usual inhumanity exhibited towards Union prisoners by the rebels, until, on the 4th day of January, 1865, he, with fourteen others, eluded the guard and made his escape. In company with one other, he continued his efforts to reach the Union lines, and after traveling about four hundred miles across the country, mostly in the night-time, finally found assistance and protection with the Union troops at Strawberry Plains, near Knoxville, in East Tennessee, where they arrived Feb. 7, 1865. Rejoining his regiment, he took part in the closing campaign of the Rebellion, and was present at Lee's surrender. This record of a gallant soldier is one of which any one might well be proud, and Mr. Lennon, though in no spirit of boasting, refers to it with pardonable pride. For six years after his return home he served as a member of the Flint Union Blues. Upon his return he accepted the position of superintendent of the Flint River Boom Company, which he filled for nine years, when he moved on to his farm in Clayton. He now owns five hundred acres, and is engaged in agriculture, making something of a specialty of wheat-growing. He is well known as a War Democrat, and has no sympathy with the present tendency of the party in the direction of States' Rights. He has held the office of treasurer and supervisor of the town, as will be seen by reference to the history of Clayton township in this work. Jan. 9, 1872, he was wedded to Miss Susan Traynor, of Clayton. Their children have been four in number,-Peter, born Oct. 6, 1872, died Oct. 14, 1872; Wilbur James, born Sept. 16, 1874; Mary Ellen, born July 9, 1876; Peter Bernard, born Aug. 7, 1878. MICHAEL McENRUE. This prominent farmer of the township of Clayton, who has done so much towards developing the town, was born in County Cavan, Ireland, in the month of October, 1826. His parents were farmers, and bore the names of Owen and Catharine (McCabe) McEnrue. He remained with his parents, assisting in the work on the farm, until he reached the age of twenty-three years, when he conceived the idea of emigrating to America, to make his fortune in the land of liberty. Taking passage for New York on the sailing ship "' William Cooper," he, after an uneventful voyage, reached the modern Gotham, and remained there two years before coming West. In the fall of 1851 he came to Flint, and went to work on the farm of Allen Walkley, with whom he remained nearly four years. In the time that thus intervened he purchased the western half of the northeast quarter of section 29, in Clayton. Soon after his marriage he moved on to this place and began to improve it, and by his energy and good management, backed by a vast amount of hard labor, he has increased its size to three hundred and forty acres, nearly half of which is under cultivation, and has been cleared mainly by the work of his own hands. He was married, in December, 1853, to Margaret Redmond, of Flint, who was the daughter of James and Bridget Redmond, of County Wexford, Ireland. They have had nine children, as follows: James, born Aug. 24, 1855; Anna, born July 25, 1857; Kittie,born March 16,1859; Bridget, born July 25, 18(61; Mary, born Sept. 30, 1863; Michael, born May 5, 1865; John, born Sept. 10, 1866; Sarah, born Aug. 30,1867; and Julia, born Nov. 6, 1870. Mary died Aug. 30, 1868, John died in infancy, and the rest are at present living in Clayton. JAMES PENOYER. Descended from a French family, whose representative or representatives came across the sea many generations ago, and settled in some part of New England, the present generation of Penoyers have no means of tracing their direct genealogy for more than three generations in the past. James Penoyer, grandfather of the present person of that name, was a resident of Lee, Mass., for many years, and from there moved to Onondaga Co., N. Y., in the early days of the settlement of that section of the country. His home was in the town of Fabius, where he and his wife died at a ripe old age. Their children were named Reuben, David, Jacob, Truman, Silas, Zina, and Doty. They all lived and died in Onondaga County, with the exception of the youngest son, Doty, who served in the war of 1812 as drum-major, afterwards enlisted in the regular army, served several years in the West, and died somewhere in the Yellowstone country. Jacob was the father of the subject of our memoir. He was married in Massachusetts (probably at Lee) to a Miss Crocker, by whom he became the father of five children, named, respectively, Sally, Mercy, David, Josiah, and Zina. His first wife dying, he subsequently married Lucy St. John, who bore him four other children,-Anna, James, Julia, and Abigail. His wife died June 22, 1828, aged fifty years, and two years later he was called from earth, his death occurring July 13, 1830, at the age of fifty-six years. Of his children but five are now living. Their names and residences are: Mrs. Mercy Fairchilds, Cortland, CLAYTON TOWNSHIP. 365 N. Y.; Mrs. Zina Woodroe, Pekin, Ill.; Mrs. Anna Ingham, Flushing, Mich.; Miss Julia Barnes, Clay, Onondaga Co., N. Y.; and James Penoyer, of Clayton. James Penoyer was born in the town of Fabius, Onondaga Co., N. Y., Oct. 1, 1812, and spent his boyhood and early youth at home, attending the common schools some portion of the time. After his mother's death, at the age of fifteen years, he was apprenticed to Marovia Marsh, of Pompey Hill, to learn the trade of a hatter. Four years later his brother Josiah, who was a hatter doing business at Tully Corners, purchased his time, and with him he finished his term of apprenticeship. In June, 1834, he left his brother's employ, and came West as far as Medina Co., Ohio, where he stopped and went to farming, part of the time on some land of his own. In December, 1836, he came to this county and commenced work for his brother David, of Flushing, who was clearing fifty acres of land on what is known as the McIntyre farm for Thomas L. L. Brent. About a year later he purchased one hundred and seventy acres of land,-ninety acres being on section 3, in Clayton, and eighty acres on section 34, in Flushing. He continued in his brother's employ most of the time until the summer of 1838, when he returned to Ohio, and June 11th was married to Miss Nancy M. Freeman, of Westfield, Medina Co., who was born at Truxton, Cortland Co., N. Y., Dec. 29, 1817. She was a daughter of Rufus and Clarissa (St. John) Freeman, of that place. The Freeman family were Vermonters, Rufus' father being one of the earliest settlers in that State. They came from Truxton to Westfield in the spring of 1825, and were among the earliest settlers there. Rufus bought in all three hundred acres of land, which he owned at the time of his death. He was a Baptist preacher as well as a farmer, and served as pastor of a number of churches while living in Ohio, renting his farm when he was not situated so as to manage it himself. He died in Westfield, March 8, 1875, having survived his wife nearly twenty-one years. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Penoyer came to Michigan, but did not occupy their farm until Oct. 31 1869, living meantime in Flushing. Then, to enable Mr. Penoyer to work during the winter at clearing his land, they moved across the river, before the fall rains had swelled it enough to prevent its being forded, and commenced life in a rude, unfinished log cabin, which had been constructed amid the towering oaks, eight of which stood within arm's length of its walls. Here they encountered, defied, and triumphed over all the trials that their situation entailed upon them. Their first crop of wheat, which promised finely, was destroyed by a sharp frost in the month of June, and for a year or two flour was a scarce article in their household. Its lack was made up by an abundant supply of potatoes, milk, and meat,-the latter consisting of pork and wild game,-and was not so serious an affliction as it would otherwise have been. These hardships, their disagreeable features having been softened to the memory by the lapse of time, are now remembered as interesting reminiscences, and are a source of honorable pride and satisfaction, as evincing the courage and fortitude that enabled the pioneer to conquer them. Fifteen years ago they exchanged farms with Thomas J. Packard, and removed from Flushing to Clayton, taking up their residence on the northeast quarter of section 5, where their pleasant and attractive home is still maintained. Their lives have been quiet and retired, filled with the pleasures incident to industrious home-life rather than those of social and public life; and now, surrounded by family, friends, and the comforts of competence, they calmly await the passing of the years till, like well-ripened sheaves, they shall be gathered into the garner of the Lord. Both have long been members of the Baptist Church in Flushing, and have exemplified by their practice the principles they profess. Their children, four in number, are all living. Their names are Lura Clarissa, born May 25, 1839, married A. S. Partridge, and lives in Flushing; Rufus James, born Aug. 14, 1842, now living in Colorado; Hiram Floyd, born July 11, 1849, residing in Flushing; and Byron Lewis, born March 8, 1855, living in Clayton. ISAAC LYONS. The Lyons family sprang from an Irish emigrant who settled in Connecticut many years ago. From that State the family migrated to Sussex Co., N. J., where Isaac ISAAC LYONS. Lyons, Sr., was married to Polly Shepard, and afterwards removed to Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N. Y, where they lived a long time and had a numerous family of children. Their names were William, Jacob, Squire, Joseph, Maria, Eliza, Isaac, Daniel B., Abram H., Mary, and Ann. Jacob, Squire, Joseph, and Mary died in New York, Abram H. in Flint, Mrs. Maria Coddington in Flushing, and Mrs. Ann Granger in Clayton. The other four are still living,-William in Detroit, Mrs. Eliza Clement and Daniel B. in Flint, and Isaac in Clayton. In the fall of 1836, Isaac Lyons, Sr., with his wife and most of his family, came to Michigan and stopped in Flint. He purchased ten eighty-acre lots on sections 5, 6, and 8, in Clayton, for the occupancy of his children. They moved on to the lands in the fall of 1838 and spring of 366 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1839. He and his wife, however, continued to reside in Flint till their deaths,-she dying in 1842, and he some years later. Isaac Lyons, Jr., was born in Ithaca, N. Y., Jan. 29, 1816. In May, 1836, he married Caroline Livingston, a daughter of John and Lena (Cole) Livingston, of Hector, in the adjoining county of Schuyler. John Livingston was a native of Pennsylvania, and Lena Cole of New Jersey. He died in Schuyler County, and his wife is still living there, with a son, at the great age of ninety-three years. Isaac was a blacksmith by trade, and after his marriage came to Michigan with his parents, and built the second blacksmith-shop in Flint, where he worked for a couple of years before settling on his land, which was the east half of the southeast quarter of section 5, in Clayton. From that time on he has continued to reside on the place, working a good share of the time at his trade, having succeeded in getting most of his land cleared by exchanging shop-work for chopping with his neighbors, and has increased the size of his farm by purchasing the west half of the quarter-section. A strong Democrat in his political belief, he has never missed but one election since he became a voter, and, being in sympathy with the political majority in his town, has often been elected to office. He has held the offices of highway commissioner, drain commissioner, and town treasurer. He was elected a justice of the peace at the first town-meeting held in Clayton, and is still holding that office, having served continuously for upwards of thirtyseven years. His family consists of five sons,-John, born Jan. 19, 1839; Smith, born Aug. 18, 1841; Isaac, Jr., born Oct. 10, 1846; Andrew J., born July 12, 1849; and Charles L., born Sept. 1, 1853. John died March 27, 1849, and Andrew J., Aug. 18, 1850. The others are living in Clayton. MICHAEL DONAHOO. In the town of Amgeslin, County Cavan, Ireland, lived an Irish farmer by the name of Michael Donahoo, who had wooed, won, and married a blooming lassie of the neighborhood, by the name of Mary Coyle. From this union sprang a numerous family of children, one of whom, bearing his father's name, is the subject of this sketch. Their names and births were as follows: Ann, 1806; John, 1808; Mary, 1810; Ellen, 1812; Michael, 1818; Rose, 1820; Bridget (died in childhood); and Peter, 1830. Ann mar ried Patrick Conley; Mary married Bernard Lennon; and both came to this country in 1832, and settled in Clayton in 1838. Ellen married Bernard Traynor, and in 1845, in company with others, came to America. Michael, Sr., died in Ireland, April 1, 1839. His son Michael married in April, 1845, his bride being Miss Ann McGrath, a daughter of Nicholas and Rose (Conoley) McGrath, of Cootehill, County Cavan. The 8th of May following, they, in company with his mother, his brothers John and Peter, his sister Ellen and her husband, set sail for New York. On the voyage, his mother, whose health had been quite poor for some time, succumbed to the hardships of the voyage, and died at sea a few days before the vessel reached its destination. The rest of the party came directly to Clayton, where Michael purchased of a Mr. Gifford the west half of the southwest quarter of section 19, and set about building up a home for himself and family. From that time on he has remained a substantial and respected citizen of the town, and one of its most successful farmers. His farm has been enlarged to one hundred and sixty acres, and is in an excellent condition, the result of thorough cultivation and careful judgment. With his own hands he has cleared about one hundred acres of his own, besides clearing considerable for others in the vicinity. He has recently erected a commodious and comfortable residence, where he and his wife dispense their hospitality in that generous, free-hearted, kindly way that has rendered " Irish hospitality" proverbial the world over. Always connected with the Roman Catholic Church, he has, since his residence here, and since its organization, been a worthy member of the church at Flint. In politics he has ever been a Democrat, and has held the offices of highway and drain commissioner, town treasurer, and justice of the peace. In the last-named office he has now served upwards of nineteen years. His children have been ten in number,-Mary, born Feb. 14, 1846; Rose, born March 24, 1847; John, born May 27, 1849; Sarah, born Aug. 21, 1851; Anna, born June 3, 1853; Michael, born March 24, 1855; Ella, born Oct. 21, 1857; William (1st), born September, 1859; William (2d), born Aug. 24, 1861; and Ida, born Aug. 14, 1868. John died April 1, 1865, and William (1st) died Nov. 23, 1861. Mary married Michael Nolan, and now lives in Grand Blanc; Anna married Thomas Burns, and lives in the adjoining town of Gaines. All of the other children are residents of Clayton. I I V I E N NA. TnII township, which is designated by the original survey as township number 9, of range number 6 east, is situated upon the north border of the county, west of the centre. It is bounded on the north by Saginaw County, and on the east, south, and west by the respective townships of Thetford, Mount Morris, and Montrose, in Genesee County. Its surface may be described in general terms as an elevated plain, cut by the rather deep ravines formed by its water-courses. On several sections to the immediate west and southwest of Clio village pine originally predominated. The remainder of the township was covered principally with heavy forests of deciduous trees, common to this portion of the State. Brent's and Pine Run are the principal water-courses. These streams flow towards the northwest, and ultimately empty their waters into Flint River. They have rendered service in former years to assist in sawing into merchantable lumber the valuable pines which once swayed their towering tops over a large portion of the township, and the latter stream does duty at the present time in propelling the machinery of the grist-mill in Clio. The people are chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits, the staple products being wheat, corn, and live-stock. Since the disappearance of the pine forests and lumbering interest the attention of the inhabitants has been more exclusively devoted to agriculture. The soil, though light and sandy in those portions once denominated " pineries," is well adapted to wheat and other cereals. The whole township is being rapidly developed into good farming-lands, and a corresponding increase in wealth and population is the result. According to statistics of the State of Michigan published in 1874, this, in area, is the largest township in the county, and contains 23,119 acres. It now has a voting population of 500, and an approximate total population of 2000. PIONEER SETTLEMENTS. The first settler in this township, Charles McLean, was formerly a resident of the State of New York, and emigrated to the Tittabawassee River country, in Saginaw County, about the year 1826. There he remained until July, 1833, when, having purchased of the government the northwest one-fourth of the northwest one-fourth of section 24,-a tract on the line of the old Saginaw Road, and the site of the present small village of Pine Run,he soon after erected a strong, though rude, log cabin, became a resident during the fall of the same year, and long before he was joined by others than his own family and hired assistants had opened his house to the public as a hostelry and place of entertainment for those who journeyed over the then widely-known route to Saginaw. A single man, by the name of Sylvester Vibbard, came here with Mr. McLean, and in August, 1833, purchased the west onehalf of the southwest one-fourth of section 13,-a tract lying adjoining and directly north of McLean's purchase, and now owned by Charles L. Cole, Esq. When Mr. McLean first established his tavern, it was the only public-house on the route between Flint River village and Saginaw. At an early date he built the first framed house in the township. Its site was nearly opposite the present village school-house. In this house was kept the post-office for all the region lying between Flint and Saginaw. The office was established about 1836 or 1837, Charles McLean postmaster. Here also was held the first township election, in the spring of 1837. During the year 1835, Hiram Benjamin, from Pontiac, Josiah C. Winters, and Humphrey McLean, a brother of Charles, became residents of the little settlement since known as Pine Run. Mr. Benjamin was a cabinetmaker by trade, and at a period shortly fbllowing his settlement here opened a small store or trading-post. The goods were brought from Pontiac at the time of his settlement, and when they were sold out his stock was never replenished. He was the first township clerk of Vienna, in 1837, a territory which then comprised the present townships of Vienna, Thetford, and Montrose. To him is also ascribed the honor of being the sire of the first child born in the new settlement,-a daughter,-which event occurred early in 1836. In 1836 the settlement was still further increased in numbers by the arrival of George Sparks, Waterman W. Neff, Clark Abbey, George Huyck, Theodore P. Dean, from Saginaw County, who built the first saw-mill * in the township, in 1838, Reuben J. Warner, and his son, Daniel P. Warner. Prominent among the settlers of 1837 was Russell G. Hurd. He, with a family consisting of Nelson, Calista, Eliza, Hiram, George, Franklin, and Sawyer, came from Pike, Wyoming Co. (then Allegany Co.), N. Y., and arrived in Vienna in February. Their route led them through Canada, crossing the waters which divide the homes of the free from Victoria's dominions at Port Huron. The stock brought in consisted of two yoke of oxen, two cows, and a team of horses,-the first horses owned in the township. A log house was hastily erected upon the premises now owned by one of the sons, Sawyer Hurd, and occupied before its completion. During the following summer provisions and produce were procured in Pontiac, for which they paid $20 per ton for hay, for wheat $2, po* This mill was erected on the site of the present grist-mill in Clio village. 367 368 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. tatoes $1, and oats 75 cts. per bushel; for pork 25 cts. per pound. Mr. Nelson Hurd remembers the fact that some one of the family was kept upon the road going to and returning from Thread Mills and Pontiac the greater portion of the first six months to obtain and bring in the necessary family supplies. Mr. Hurd, about the year 1840, erected a frame building which was occupied by him as a store. He also established an ashery, whereby the early settlers were enabled to exchange ashes for dry-goods. In 1855, assisted by his sons, he built a saw-mill, which was situated one and onehalf miles west of Clio. The following year a grist-millthe first in the township-was put into operation. This is the mill now located at Pine Run. Mr. Hurd succeeded Mr. McLean as postmaster, and was in various other capacities prominently identified with the best interests of his township. The mails at an early day were taken on horseback. The route extended from Flint to Saginaw, and semiweekly trips were made. Tim Wallen and Nelson Hurd were early mail-carriers. No bridge spanned Cass River then, and very frequently the carriers found it necessary to swim their horses. After the completion of the plank road, about 1856, Messrs. Boss & Petty ran a daily line of stage-coaches over the route for the carrying of mails and passengers. Among other settlers of 1837 were William Hotchkiss, from Niagara Co., N. Y., who enjoyed the distinction of being the first supervisor of the township; Isaiah Merriman, one of the first justices of the peace; Edward Maybee, the first collector; Christopher Hughes, who now resides in the village of Mount Morris; William Sissins, and Joshua Pattee, the latter from Monroe Co., N. Y. Mr. Pattee settled in East Bloomfield, Oakland Co., in 1820, and remained there till the date of his settlement in this township. His land, situated upon section 35, was purchased of the government in December, 1835, being the first tract entered upon that section. He served as justice of the peace for many years. His son, L. W. Pattee, who was born in Vienna in December, 1838, still resides on the homestead. In 1838, George T. Bingham, Samuel Rone, John R. Whittemore, tavern-keeper at Pine Run, Ormond Booth and Joel, his brother, Marcus Goodrich, Nahum N. Wilson, the surveyor, Lemuel Johnson, John Jackson, Charles Montle, a son-in-law of Charles McLean, Justin S. W. Porter, and Nicholas Sigsby became residents in the township. Mr. Rone had been a soldier in the war of 1812, was severely wounded in the battle of Black Rock, and in recognition of his services was early granted a pension. The only United States pensioners residing in the county of Genesee, June 1, 1840, were Reuben Robinson, aged eightytwo years, living with J. N. Robinson, township not stated, and Samuel Rone, of Vienna, aged fifty-two years. Daniel N. Montague, a native of Hadley, Mass., settled in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., in 1834, and removed from thence to his present premises in this township in the spring of 1839. He represented his county in the lower house of the State Legislature in 1855, and has most worthily filled t many other official positions in the gift of an appreciative public. Capt. Robert L. Hurd, a native of Connecticut, a gallant soldier of the Revolutionary struggle with Great Britain, and the father of Russell G. Hurd, became a resident in 1846. He died Aug. 27, 1856, aged ninety-four years. The resident tax-payers in 1844,* alphabetically arranged, with the sections upon wl follows: Benjamin, Hiram, 23. Benson, Henry, 26. Bogue, Almond, 22. Bingham, George T., 26. Booth, Ormond, 23. Beebe, Anson, 23. Blackmer, Rensselaer, 14. Conrad, William C., 4, 14. Colby, Zachariah J., 33, 34. Dean, Theodore P., 14, 23. Ensign, S. W. (Montrose), 22. Farrand, Ira T., 22, 24. Goodrich, Marcus, 22. Hinkley, Harry G., 14, 25, 29. Hurd, Russell G., 13, 14, 22, 26. Huyck, George, 26. Hughes, Christopher, 25. Heath, Urial, 23, 27. Johnson, Lemuel, 22. Jackson, John, 36. Montague, Daniel N., 36. Metcalf, Joseph W., 33. hich they paid taxes, were as McLean, Humphrey, 13. Montle, Charles C., 1, 13. Neff, Waterman W., 25, 26. Pattee, Joshua, 25. Phillips, Jacob, 13, 24, 26. Porter, Justin S. W., 26. Sigsby, Nicholas, 35. Sparks, George, 24, 25. Travis, Richard (Montrose), 23. Taylor, John, 24. Taylor, Richard, 23, 24. Van Patten, John, 14, 24. Wright, William, 20, 27. Wright, John C., 27. Wright, Joshua, 20. Willis, Hiram, 21. Woolfitt, Thomas, 36. Williams, David, 1. Warner, Reuben J., 13. Warner, Daniel P., 13. Wilcox, George (Montrose), 23. Grovener Vinton, one of the early pioneers in the northern part of Genesee County, and a resident of the village of Mount Morris at the present time, came from Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., in January, 1830, and settled on the Tittabawassee, four miles from the present city of Saginaw. Having, in 1835, purchased lands of the government, situated in the present townships of Vienna and Thetford, he removed to the latter township in February of the same year, and immediately began the improvement of his purchase. He was located in the vicinity of what was soon afterwards known as the Pine Run settlement, and found that Charles McLean and Vibbard were the only ones who had preceded him as settlers. Mr. Vinton was present at the first township election in Vienna, and was elected highway commissioner and fence-viewer. Upon the erection of Thetford as a separate township, in 1842, he became a citizen of the latter. In 1844 he removed across the road, and again became a resident of Vienna, where he continued until 1875. Since the last-mentioned date the village of Mount Morris has been his place of residence. Mr. Vinton is a remarkably well-preserved man, physically and mentally. The long years of an active, arduous pioneer life, with all its attendant privations, for a period of nearly a half-century, rest lightly upon a head scarcely yet sprinkled with the frosts of old age. His voice is full and resonant. He speaks promptly and decisively, and his recollections of events connected with the early settlement of Genesee County are most vivid and interesting. Surrounded by the comforts and luxuries which a long life of industry, true economy, and sobriety so surely brings, he bids fair to '* The township then included Vienna and Montrose. VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 369 I remain conspicuously as one of the loved and respected landmarks of the past for many years to come. Seth N. Beden, one of Michigan's pioneers,-although a resident of this township only since 1866,-came, with his father's family, from Rose, Wayne Co., N. Y., and settled in Hadley, Lapeer Co., Mich., in 1836. His grandfather, William Beden, a native of Massachusetts, joined the Continental army immediately after the battle of Lexington, and remained in the service until thle close of the war. Smithfield Beden, son of William, was the first white child born in Smitltfield,-now the town of Fairfield, Vt., — in 1789, and to the newly-born Vermonter was granted forty acres of land by a unanimous vote of the people. During the war of 1812, the veteran of the Revolution, with his son Smithfield, served with credit with the New York State forces. Smithfield, with a wife and family of seven children, settled, as before stated, in Lapeer County, in 1836. Seth, the sixth child and third son of Smithfield, served with the 4th Michigan Cavalry* during the war of the Rebellion. During the latter part of the war he was detailed on special service as topographical engineer on the staff of Gen. Wilson, the cavalry leader. LAND ENTRIES. The first entry for lands in this township occurred in June, 1830, when David A. Rhodes, from Steuben Co., N. Y., purchased the east half of the southeast quarter of section 14. The next tracts were entered by Charles McLean and Sylvester Vibbard, both from Saginaw Co., Mich. Mr. McLean purchased the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 24 in July, 1833, while Vibbard bought the west half of the southwest quarter of section 13 in August of the same year. Harry G. Hinckley, also from Saginaw County, entered the first land upon section 25 in October, 1834. During the year 1835, Grovener Vinton, Humphrey McLean, Joshua Pattee, and others, became purchasers from the general government. The following is a transcript from the land-office records, so far as showing the names of those who purchased from the government at the rate of $1.25 per acre. The figures denoting years show the date of the first purchase upon each section: 1836, section 1: Whitney and Crawford, Daniel R. Prindle, William Hotchkiss, David Adams, Charles Bunn, Charles Grunewold, Francis Jacobs, John Cook. 1836, section 2: Richard E. Dibble, John Simpson, Hugh Birckhead, John Diamond. 1835, section 3: Andrew Mack, Wnm. HIotchkiss, David G. Hanmer, Richard E. Dibble. 1836, section 4: Herman Camp, Orrin Safford, Benjamin Pearson, H. M. Henderson. 1836, section 5: Jabez W. Throop, Hugh Birckhead, William Newton, Hiram Boom. 1836, section 6: Edward Otley, Jabez W. Throop, Charles H. and Wm. T. Carroll, Waterman W. Neff, Hiram Boom. 1836, section 7: Edward Otley, George H. Howe, Rich I ard B. Bailey, Jacob Duell, Miles Gillctt, Francis Wiggins, Giles Bishop. 1836, section 8: Joseph Lawrence, Adrian Abbott, George W. Howe, I. I. Charrand & Co., F. Buell, Hugh Birckhead. 1846, section 9: John McNeil, Isaac Waterbury, Schuyler A. Stowell, Alexander Dibble. 1835, section 10: Sally P. Bogue, Russell Bishop, Herman Camp, Ienry M. Henderson, Isaac Waterbury. 1836, section 11: A. D. Fraser, Alexander McArthur, C. Hulburt, James Denison, A. Ten Eyck, Henry A. Walker, Herman Camp, Hugh Birckhead. 1836, section 12: Ierman Camp, Hugh Birckhead, Charles J. Stedman, George Sparks, Joseph D. Morehouse. 1833, section 13: Sylvester Vibbard, Russell G. Hurd, Clark Abbey, Lemuel Beckwith, Nelson Hurd, William W. Whitney, Eber Crawford, Reuben J. Warner, Parley Ewell, George Sparks. 1830, section 14: David A. Rhodes, Isaiah Merriman, Miles Dorman, Harry G. Hinckley, Lewis Williams, George W. Williams, Sewell Wesson, Susan Baxter, Royal H. Waller. 1836, section 15: Daniel Goodwin, Edwin Rose, Herman Camp, Hugh Birckhead. 1836, section 17: Joshua Howard, Sally Hunter, Jason Swift, John II. Norton, John W. Palmer, Peter Vedder, John K. Kneeland, David Anderson. 1837, section 18: Peter Sharp, Amelia Anderson, John Welch, William Aylward, Amos G. Griffin, David Anderson, Nelson Hurd, John Welch. 1836, section 19: Thomas L. L. Brent, Charles and Albert Draper, John H. Parmelee, Nahum N. Wilson, Wm. Aylward. 1836, section 20: Thomas L. L. Brent, Levinus Munson, Jacob Huyck, Oscar F. North, John Curran, George and Henry Sparks. 1836, section 21: Thomas L. L. Brent, Patrick Gribben, Consider Warner. 1836, section 22: Edwin Rose, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1835, section 23: Humphrey McLean, Theo. P. Dean, Charles McLean, Daniel Goodwin, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1833, section 24: Charles McLean, Humphrey McLean, Miles Dorman, Charles D. Hinckley, Gardner D. Williams, Benjamin Clapp, William Hotchkiss. 1834, section 25: Harry G. Hinckley, Benjamin Pearson, Timothy G. Walling, Benjamin G. Parker, Clark Abbey, William Lund. 1836, section 26: Clark Abbey, Joseph McFarlen, John S. Boss, Russell G. Hurd, Edward Maybee, C. J. Woodson, and R. Cooper. 1836, section 27: James Stage, Robert Duff, Luther Pierce, Daniel James, Henry James. 1836, section 28: Thomas L. L. Brent, Johnston B. Clark, John Cooper, Allen Cooper, Wm. H. Parker. 1836, section 29: Thomas L. L. Brent. 1836, section 30: Thomas L. L. Brent, Alfred Jones. 1836, section 31: David Pifford, Bouck, Gebherd, and Dietz, Enoch Sweet, Peter Vedder. 1836, section 32: Thomas L. L. Brent, David Pifford, David E. Evans. i ' A detachment of this regiment captured Jeff Davis in petticoats. 47 370 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1836, section 33: Thomas L. L. Brent, Samuel Rose, Thomas Utter, David Pifford, II. & V. R. Hawkins. 1836, section 34: Healey & Kircheval, James Stage, Luther Pierce, David E. Evans. 1835, section 35: Joshua Pattee, John and Thomas Kennedy, David Pifford, Lyman and Alanson Pritchard. 1835, section 36: Grovener Vinton, Benjamin Pearson, William Sissins, Alanson Dickinson, James Hosmer. CIVIL HISTORY. The State Legislature, by an act approved March 11, 1837, enacted as follows: " All that portion of the county of Genesee designated in the United States survey as township 9, north of ranges 5, 6, and 7 east, be, and the same is hereby, set off and organized into a separate township, by the name of Vienna; and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house of Charles McLean in said township." Thetford was set off in 1842, and Montrose, as Pewonagowink, in 1846. At the first election Thomas J. Drake, a lawyer from the village of Flint River, assisted the electors with his presence and advice. Until the election of Gen. Harrison, in 1840, Vienna was usually counted upon as a Democratic stronghold. Its vote was thrown for the hero of Tippecanoe, however, and from that time until the disbandment of the Whig organization, neither party was certain of a majority until the votes were counted. Since the Republicans rose to power, its vote has been cast, usually, for the latter party. FIRST TOWNSIIP-ELECTION. At a meeting of the voters of the township of Vienna, held at the house of Charles McLean, on the first Monday in April, 1837, convened for the purpose of electing township officers, "It being the first meeting held in said township, and there being no persons in said township authorized by law to act as inspectors of election, the voters present, by viva voce, elected William Hotchkiss, Moderator, Hiram Benjamin, Grovener Vinton, Josiah C. Winters, Inspectors of Election, and Thomas J. Drake, Clerk." As a result of this meeting, the following-named persons were declared elected to the offices set opposite their respective names, viz.: William Hotchkiss, Supervisor; Hiram Benjamin, Town Clerk; Clark Abbey, Isaac Van Tuyl, George Sparks, Assessors; Edward Maybee, Collector; Charles Mcl4ean, Theodore P. Dean, Directors of the Poor; Grovener Vinton, Hiram Benjamin, Waterman W. Ncff, Highway Commissioners; Edward Maybee, Charles McLean, Constables; Russell G. Hurd, William TIotchkiss, I. Merriman, School Inspectors; Russell G. Hurd, Hiram Benjamin, George Sparks, Isaiah Merriman, Justices of the Peace; Grovener Vinton, Hiram Benjamin, Russell G. Hurd, Fence-Viewers; Charles McLean, Pound-Master; Russell G. Hurd, Overseer of Highways. "Resolved, That thirty dollars be raised for the support of the poor." At the gubernatorial election in 1839, William Woodbridge received 15 votes; and Elon Farnsworth 18 votes. In 1860, Austin Blair received 159 votes, and John S. Barry 80 votes. The following is a list of the township officers from 1838 to 1879, inclusive: 1838.-Russell G. Hurd, Supervisor; Corydon E Fay, Town Clerk; George Sparks, Isaiah Merriman, Joshua Pattee, Assessors; Edward Maybee, Collector; Charles McLean, Clark Abbey, Overseers of the Poor; Hiram Benjamin, Grovener Vinton, Iumphrey McLean, Highway Commissioners; Joshua Pattee, Justice of the Peace; Isaial Merriman, Nahum N. Wilson, Russell G. HIurd, Inspectors of Common Schools; Edward Maybee, Humphrey McLean, Waterman W. Neff, Constables; Charles McLean, Grovener Vinton, Clark Abbey, Fence-Viewers. 1839.-Nahum N. Wilson, Supervisor; Russell G. Hurd, Treasurer; Corydon E. Fay, Clerk; Joshua Pattee, George Sparks, J. R. Whittemore, Assessors; Humphrey McLean, Hiram Benjamin, Grovener Vinton, Highway Commissioners; Joel A. Booth, Collector; Russell G. Hurd, Nahum N. Wilson, John R. Whittemore, School Inspectors; Charles McLean, George J. Bingham, Directors of the Poor; James Goodrich, Joel A. Booth, Constables. 1840.-Nahum N. Wilson, Supervisor and Treasurer; Corydon E. Fay, Clerk; Reuben J. Warner, Justice of the Peace; Benoni Clapp, John R. Whittemore, Leonard Beckwith, Assessors; Albert Castle, Grovener Vinton, George T. Bingham, Highway Commissioners; Humphrey McLean, Waterman W. Neff, Nelson S. Van Tuyl, Constables; Waterman W. Neff, Collector; George T. Bingham, Nahum N. Wilson, John R. Whittemore, School Inspectors; Charles McLean, Joshua Pattee, Poor-Masters, Charles McLean, Waterman W. Neff, Thomas Aplin, Grovener Vinton, Ezra Martin, Overseers of Highways. 1841.-George Sparks, Supervisor and Treasurer; Benoni Clapp, Russell G. Hurd, Hiram Benjamin, Assessors; D. Lyons, Joshua Pattee, Daniel N. Montague, Highway Commissioners; Daniel N. Montague, Russell G. Hurd, Smith W. Porter, School Inspectors; Isaac Van Tuyl, Justice of the Peace; Corydon E. Fay, Clerk; W. W. Boughton, Constable and Collector; Samuel Rone, Hiram Benjamin, Poor-Masters; Nelson S. Van Tuyl, O. Booth, Humphrey McLean, Constables. 1842.-Whole number of votes cast, 31. Nahum N. Wilson, Supervisor; George Sparks, Treasurer; George T. Bingham, Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Joshua Pattee, Justices of the Peace; Nahum N. Wilson, Joel A. Booth, David Lyons, Joshua Pattee, Assistant Assessors; Reuben J. Warner, Justin S. Porter, David Lyons, Highway Commissioners; Dan. N. Montague, N. N. Wilson, Justin S. Porter, School Inspectors; Joshua Pattee, George Sparks, PoorMasters; Humphrey McLean, George Huyck, Constables. 1843.-Whole number of votes cast, 32. Daniel N. Montague, Supervisor; William Wright, Treasurer; Theodore P. Dean, Town Clerk; John C. Wright, Russell G. Hurd, Justices of the Peace; Harry G. Hinckley, J. S. Porter, Laben Spencer, Highway Commissioners; Daniel N. Montague, Russell G. Hurd, School Inspectors; George T. Binghlam, Hiram Benjamin, Assessors; George HTuyck, Samuel Rone, Poor-Masters; Humphrey McLean, Nelson S. Hlurd, Constables. VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 371 1844.-Whole number of votes cast, 42. John Taylor, Supervisor, unanimous vote; George T. Bingham, Town Clerk; George Sparks, Justice of the Peace; William Wright, Treasurer; Hiram Benjamin, Rensselaer Blackmer, Joshua Pattee, Assessors; Joseph W. Metcalf, Reuben J. Warner, George W. Huyck, Highway Commissioners; Nelson S. Hurd, Justice; S. W. Porter, Munson A. Stanton, Constables; Russell G. Hurd, Harry G. Hinckley, School Inspectors; Daniel N. Montague, Tleo. P. Dean, Poor-Masters. 1845.-Whole number of votes cast, 45. Daniel N. Montague, Supervisor; William Wright, Treasurer; George T. Bingham, Town Clerk; John Taylor, Justice of the Peace; Joshua Pattee, Leonard Beckwith, Assessors; Humphrey McLean, John Van Patten, Christopher Hughes, Highway Commissioners; Daniel N. Montague, John Phillips, School Inspectors; Anson H. Beebe, Humphrey McLean, Poor-Masters; Munson A. Stanton, Daniel P. Warncr, Hamilton Pattee, Constables. 1846.-Whole number of votes cast, 68. Daniel N. Montague, Supervisor; John Taylor, Treasurer; George T. Bingham, Town Clerk; Joshua Pattee, Justice of the Peace; Ezra B. Sparks, School Inspector; Samuel Hubbard, Harry G. Hinckley, Assessors; Grovener Vinton, Hiram Benjamin, Humphrey McLean, Highway Commissioners; Reuben J. Warner, Richard Taylor, Poor-Masters; Lorenzo B. Curtis, Jeremiah Hunter, Munson A. Stanton, Hamilton Pattee, Constables. 1847.-Whole number of votes cast, 57. Harry G. IIinckley, Supervisor, unanimously; William Bodine, Town Clerk; Isaac Van Tuyl, Treasurer; Truman Herrick, Justice of the Peace; John Van Patten, William Franklin, Uriah Heath, Highway Commissioners; George T. Bingham, School Inspector; Hamilton Pattee, Samuel Aplin, Justin S. Porter, William Whitehouse, Constables; Grovenor Vinton, Poor-Master; Wm. C. Conrad, 1, Daniel N. Montague, 2, Henry Plew, 3, Wm. H. Parker, 4, Overseers of Highways. 1848.-Whole number of votes thrown, 72. Isaac Van Tuyl, Supervisor; George T. Bingham, Town Clerk; Harry G. Hinckley, Treasurer; George Sparks, Justice of the Peace; Ezra B. Sparks, School Inspector; Justin S. W. Porter, Commissioner of Highways; Daniel N. Montague, Joshua Pattee, Overseers of Poor; Munson N. Stanton, William Whitehousc, Hamilton Pattee, Samuel Aplin, Constables. 1849.-Whole number of votes thrown, 62. Daniel A. Montague, Supervisor; William Bodine, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Alanson Dickinson, Isaac Van Tuyl, Justices of the Peace; John I. Phillips, Russell G. Hurd, School Inspectors; Grovener Vinton, Highway Commissioner; Rensselaer Blackmer, Russell G. HIurd, Poor-Masters; Samuel Aplin, Munson A. Stanton, Hamilton Pattee, HIiram Benjamin, Constables. 1850.-Whole number of votes given, 56. Daniel N. Montague, Supervisor; John I. Phillips, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Benjin n Paor Trrer; nanine, John Taylor, William Bodine, Justices of the Peace; Humphrey McLean, Highway Commissioner; Ira T. Farrand, School Inspector; Rensselaer Blackmer, Harry G. Hinckley, Poor-Masters; I Samuel Aplin, Hiram Hurd, William Whitehouse, Oscar Bradley, Constables. 1851.-Whole number of votes given. 88. Daniel N. Montague, Supervisor; John I. Phillips, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Reuben M. Ford, Justice of the Peace; George W. Huyck, Poor-Master; George T. Bingham, School Inspector; Samuel Aplin, Hiram Hurd, William C. Conrad, William Blackmer, Constables. 1852.-Whole number of votes given, 99. William Bodine, Supervisor; John I. Phillips, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; George Sparks, Samuel C. Munson, Justices of the Peace; Ezra B. Sparks, School Inspector; John Taylor, W. W. Neff, Commissioners of Highways; Rensselaer Blackmer, Grovenor Vinton, Poor-Masters; Samuel Aplin, Isaac Huyck, Theodore Abbey, Oscar Bodine, Constables. -1853.-Whole number of votes polled, 104. William Bodine, Supervisor; Ezra B. Sparks, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Russell G. Hurd, Albert F. Young, Justices of the Peace; George T. Bingham, School Inspector; Uriah IIeath, Oscar Bradley, Highway Commissioners; George Iart, R. Blackmer, Poor-Masters; Theodore B. Abbey, Isaac Huyck, William Whitehouse, Hiram Hurd, Constables. 1854.-Whole number of votes polled, 127. Albert F. Young, Supervisor; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Oscar Bradley, Justice of the Peace; Ezra B. Sparks, Town Clerk; David R. Itammontree, Highway Commissioner; John I. Phillips, School Inspector; Jacob Phillips, John Jackson, Poor-Masters; William Whitehouse, Jacob Phillips, Mortimer Bodine, William Gibson, Constables. 1855.-Whole number of votes polled, 154. Daniel N. Montague, Supervisor; Ezra B. Sparks, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; James Bradley, George T. Bingham, School Inspectors; Grovenor Vinton, Highway Commissioner; Jacob Phillips, John Jackson, Poor-Masters; Richard Rone, David Huyck, Jacob Phillips, Joshua Coon, Constables. 1856.-Whole number of votes cast, 161. George Sparks, Supervisor; Ezra B. Sparks, Township Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Austin Griffes, Justice of the Peace; Win. Whitehouse, Uriah Heath, Highway Commissioners; Austin Griffes, James A. Sheldon, Poor-IMaters; David S. Griffes, School Inspector; Justin S. Porter, Richard Rone, Marlin R. Reed, Jacob Phillips, Jr., Constables. 1857.-Whole number of votes polled, 171. George Sparks, Supervisor; George S. Warren, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; Nathan S. Reed, Justice of the Peace; David R. Hammontree, Highway Commissioner; Ezra B. Sparks, School Inspector; Russell G. Hurd, Oscar Bradley, Poor-Masters; William Canfield, Aram Knapp, Justin S. Porter, Abram Reed, Constables. 1858.-Whole number of votes polled, 216. Charles L. Cole, Supervisor; Samuel Lathrop, Township Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; John Taylor, Ira S. Begole, Justices of the Peace; Nelson F. Ganoung, Highway Commissioner; Daniel N. Montague and Alanson Dickin son, Directors of the Poor; Daniel N. Montague, Myron G. Miller, Assessors; William Canfield, Abram Reed, John Ballard, Justin S. Porter, Constables. 372 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1859.-Whole number of votes polled, 195. Charles L. Cole, Supervisor: Benjamin F. Leland, Town Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; George R. Gould, Lovett W. Stanton, School Inspectors; E. R. Frost, Alanson Dickinson, Poor-Masters; Daniel J. Frazer, Milton B. Stage, Highway Commissioners; George Sparks, George R. Gould, Justices of the Peace; Stephen H. Stanton, Justin S. Porter, Richard Rone, John Ballard, Constables. 1860.-Whole number of votes cast, 187. James Bradley, Supervisor; Ezra B. Sparks, Township Clerk; Justin S. Porter, Treasurer; George Hart, Justice of the Peace; William Whitehouse, Highway Commissioner; George R. Gould, School Inspector; Justin S. Porter, William Canfield, Stephen H. Stanton, Jacob Phillips, Constables. 1861.-Whole number of votes polled, 171. Anson Jackson, Supervisor; William M. Canfield, Treasurer; Ezra B. Sparks, Township Clerk; Charles L. Cole, Lovett WI. Stanton, Andrew J. Sumner, Justices of the Peace; Darius Diamond, Highway Commissioner; Wim. J. Burnett, Chester M. Burk, School Inspectors; Stephen E. Webster, Wm. M. Canfield, Ira Delling, Orson J. Knapp, Constables. 1862.-Whole number of votes polled, 200. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; Garrett Post, Township Clerk; Wm. M. Canfield, Treasurer; John Jacobs, School Inspector; Benjamin F. Tinney, Highway Commissioner; John Van Patten, Justice of the Peace; Caleb W. Stearns, George Fairman, Orson J. Knapp, Darius Diamond, Constables. 1863.-Whole number of votes polled, 198. Fletcher Linsley, Supervisor; John Jacobs, Clerk; William M. Canfield, Treasurer; Isaac Beeman, David S. Halsted, School Inspectors; Daniel J. Frazer, Edmund S. Johnson, Highway Commissioners; William Wadsworth, Justice of the Peace; Justus Beebe, Sylvester B. Bartholomew, John Sloan, Henry A. Tibbetts, Constables. 1864.-Whole number of votes polled, 181. Fletcher Linsley, Supervisor; John A. Jackson, Clerk; William M. Canfield, Treasurer; Philander B. Taylor, School Inspector; Richard Rone, Highway Commissioner; George Hart, Phineas Upham, Justices of the Peace; WVm. H. Gillett, John Sloan, Duane Reed, Philip Devoe, Constables. 1865.-Whole number of'votes polled, 124. George Hart, Supervisor; John A. Jackson, Township Clerk; Sawyer Hurd, Treasurer; David S. Halsted, School Inspector; Sylvester B. Bartholomew, Robert Johnson, Highway Commissioners; Charles L. Cole, James A. Sheldon, Justices of the Peace; Milton S. Benjamin, William M. Canfield, John Sloan, Andrew J. Sumner, Constables. 1866.-Whole number of votes polled, 236. Charles L. Cole, Supervisor; Horace G. Webster, Township Clerk; David R. Hammontree, Treasurer; Hiram H. McCullough, School Inspector; John Wallace, Justice of the Peace; Darius Diamond, Highway Commissioner; Chester Wadsworth, Daniel P. Day, James Sissins, Joseph Heath, Constables. 1867. —Whole number of votes polled, 273. Charles L. Cole, Supervisor; Daniel E. Salisbury, Township Clerk; David R. Hammontree, Treasurer; David Franklin, High way Commissioner; James A. Sheldon, Justice of the Peace; David S. Halsted, School Inspector; Elijah Heath, John Sloan, Samuel Rone, Hiram D. Cole, Constablos. 1868.-Whole number of votes polled, 333. Joseph Van Buskirk,* Supervisor; Richard H. Halsted, Township Clerk; David R. Hammontree, Treasurer; Philander P. Taylor, Richard H. Halsted, School Inspectors; Ebenezer Hill, Justice of the Peace; David P. Waldo, Highway Commissioner; Darius Diamond, George Ladue, John Benjamin, Charles Parmlee, Constables. 1869.-Whole number of votes polled, 270. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; Hiram H. McCullough, Township Clerk; Isaac W. Andrews, Treasurer; Chas. L. Cole, Justice of the Peace; Richard H. Halsted, School Inspector; Richard Rone, Highway Commissioner; Elijah Heath, Philip Devoe, Garrett Post, Charles Palmer, Constables. 1870.-Whole number of votes polled, 326. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; William Reardon, Township Clerk; Isaac W. Andrews, Treasurer; John Wallace, David S. Halsted, Justices of the Peace; Mark D. Seeley, School Inspector; Richard Rone, Highway Commissioner; Elijah Heath, Herrick C. Lefevre, Garrett Post, John Sloan, Constables. 1871.-Whole number of votes polled, 363. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; Charles B. Mann, Township Clerk; George L. Holmes, Treasurer; James A. Sheldon, Mark D. Seeley, Justices of the Peace; Richard H. Halsted, School Inspector; Alanson L. Foster, Highway Commissioner; Seth N. Beden, Drain Commissioner; Amos Webster, G. N. Elwood, George Brown, Elijah Heath, Constables. 1872.-Whole number of votes polled, 365. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; George L. Holmes, Treasurer; Thomas Reardon, Township Clerk; James L. Curry, John White, Justices of the Peace; Mark D. Seeley, School Inspector; Darius Diamond, Robert Johnson, Highway Commissioners; Garrett Post, Julius C. Stocking, Philip Devoe, George L. Holmes, Constables. 1873.-Whole number of votes polled, 315. Philo M. Begole, Supervisor; Darius Diamond, Treasurer; John K. Frost, Township Clerk; Charles L. Cole, Justice of the Peace; George Aplin, School Inspector; George Palethorp, Highway Commissioner; Milton B. Stage, Drain Commissioner; Amos U. Webster, Garrett Post, George Berridgc, Joseph Hempsted, Constables. 1874.-Whole number of votes polled, 267. Philo M. Begole, Supervisor; Darius Diamond, Treasurer; S. Jerome Oliver, Township Clerk; David S. Halsted, Justice of the Peace; John M. Sanborn, School Inspector; Catlin W. Munsell, Highway Commissioner; Robert Johnson, Drain Commissioner; Jacob A. Springer, John White, Sidney W. Smith, Garrett Post, Constables. 1875.-Whole number of votes polled,.328. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; Darius Diamond, Harold F. Congleton, Clerks; John K. Frost, Justice of the Peace; Sherburne Gunn, School Inspector; Archibald D. Metz, Superintendent of Schools; George Palethorp, Highway Commissioner; Robert Johnson, Drain Commissioner; Joseph Wilson, Sidney W. Smith, Hiram D. Cole, Jacob A. Springer, Constables. 1876.-Whole number of votes polled, 375. Ezra B. * Resigned Dec. 17, 1868. Charles L. Cole appofnted to fill vacancy. VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 3 173 Sparks, Supervisor; Darius Diamond, Treasurer; Charles Berridge, Township Clerk; James L. Curry, George Hart, Justices of the Peace; John K. Frost, School Inspector; Archibald D. Metz, Superintendent of Schools; William S. Palethorp, Highway Commissioner; David Franklin, Drain Commissioner; William H. Baker, Jacob A. Springer, Crocker Williams, James Inkster, Constables. 1877.-Whole number of votes polled, 429. Ezra B. Sparks, Supervisor; HIenry Herring, Treasurer; Charles Berridge, Township Clerk; Charles L. Cole, Justice of the Peace; Sherburne Gunn, School Inspector; Archibald D. Metz, Superintendent of Schools; James Inkster, Highway Commissioner; Sidney W. Smith, Crocker Williams, Charles Woolson, Jacob A. Springer, Constables. 1878.-Whole number of votes polled, 422. William H. Davis, Supervisor; Henry Herring, Treasurer; Charles Berridge, Township Clerk; Benjamin Paine, Justice of the Peace; Sherburne Gunn, School Inspector; Archibald D. Metz; School Superintendent; Howard M. Rice, Highway Commissioner; Benjamin W. Tinney, Drain Commissioner; Jacob A. Springer, Charles Woolson, Earl Ware, Crocker H. Williams, Constables. 1879.-Whole number of votes polled, 474. William H. Davis, Supervisor; Harold F. Congleton, Treasurer; Charles Berridge, Township Clerk; George Hart, Justice of the Peace; John M. Sanborn, School Superintendent; Sherburne Gunn, School Inspector; William Wadsworth, Iighway Commissioner; Emmett 0. Knapp, Charles Woolson, Earl Ware, Jacob A. Springer, Constables. VILLAGES. The villages of Vienna are Clio, Pine Run, and Farrandville. CLIO, the principal commercial centre, is situated upon the small stream known as Pine Run, and one mile east of the geographical centre of the township. It is also a station of some importance on the line of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway, and contains two churches,-Congregational and Protestant Methodist,-one hotel, five stores of general merchandise, two hardware-stores, three drug-andgrocery stores, two grocery-stores, one furniture-store, one liquor-store, a graded school, two grist-mills, one grain-elevator, one warehouse, a meat-market, saloons and restaurants, several millinery-, dressmaking-, tailoring-, harness-, blacksmith-, wagon-, watch-repairing., boot- and shoe-shops, and about 450 people. The medical profession is represented by Drs. Samuel Lathrop, W. H. Russell, and L. L. Fuller; the legal by Messrs. J. Z. Richards, and R. Jones. Capt. James L. Curry, postmaster; C. C. Rice, express-agent; John Chambers, station-agent. Theodore P. Dean began the first improvement upon the village site in 1837 or 1838, when he erected his saw-mill. From that time until the building and completion of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway, in 1861, its history was uneventful. Pine forests occupied a portion of its site, and hundreds of acres of the same valuable timber were standing in its immediate vicinity. But the stupid cu pidity which actuated one or two men in or near the old village of Pine Run, during the building of the railway, was Clio's opportunity, and this new avenue of commerce, which would have more fully developed and built up a neat little village already an important trading and manufacturing point, was diverted from its proposed route, Pine Run was given the go-by, and the station of Clio established in its stead. The prosperity of Clio was then assured. A village was platted, stores and manufacturing establishments sprang into existence, lurbering became an important interest, and the new village rapidly increased in numbers. In 1873 steps were taken to obtain a village charter. This was accomplished by an act approved March 13,1873. The act of incorporation, together with the names of village officers from 1873 to 1879, inclusive, are herewith appended. By Senate Bill No. 234, dated at Lansing, Mich., March 13, 1873, the people of the State of Michigan, represented in Senate and House of Representatives, enacted as follows: "SEC. 1. That all that tract of country situated in the township of Vienna, in the county of Genesee, in the State of Michigan, designated and described as the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 23, and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 14, and the east half of the southeast quarter of section 15, and that part of the west half of the southeast quarter of section 15 lying south of Pine River Creek, and the north half of the northeast quarter of section 22, in township 9 north, of range No. 6 east, be, and the same is hereby, constituted a town corporate, under the name of Clio." It was further declared that the inhabitants within the boundaries aforesaid be a corporation, by the corporate name of " The Village of Clio,' and that the first meeting for the election of officers be held at the Clio Hotel, on the second Monday in April, 1873. The plat as described aforesaid has since been enlarged by Curry's and Sumner's additions, and now contains about 480 square acres. At the first charter election for the election of village officers, held on the 28th day of April, 1873, at the Clio House in said village, 74 votes were given to the candidates for the office of president, and the following officers declared elected: David S. IHalsted, President; Isaac K. Kelsey, George L. Holmes, Jerome B. Garland, Trustees; Charles B. Mann, Clerk; William W. Blackney, Assessor; Isaac M. Beeman, Treasurer; Sidney W. Smith, Marshal. 1874.-Votes cast, 61. James L. Curry, President; George L. Holmes, Daniel Reid, Trustees; Jerome Oliver, Clerk; Isaac M. Beeman, Treasurer; George N. Elwood, Assessor; Sidney W. Smith, Marshal. 1875.-Votes polled, 51. Julius F. H. Miller, President; Isaac M. Beeman, Trustee; Henry Herring, Clerk; George B. Congleton, Treasurer; George N. Elwood, Assessor; Sidney W. Smith, Marshal. 1876.-Whole number of votes polled, 75. John White, President; Daniel Reid, Henry Herring, Trustees; Harold F. Congleton, Clerk; George B. Congleton, Treasurer; George N. Elwood, Assessor; William H. Baker, Marshal. 1878.-Whole number of votes cast, 97. David S. Halsted, President; Harold F. Congleton, Clerk; George B. 374 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I - — I Congleton, Treasurer; Jerome B. Garland, Richard H. Halsted, Trustees; Isaac K. Kelsey, Assessor; Roland Franklin, Marshal. 1878.-Whole number of votes polled, 94. Ansel C. Fuller, President; Harold F. Congleton, Clerk; George B. Congleton, Treasurer; Henry Herring, Isaac K. Kelsey, Julius F. H. Miller, Trustees; Charles B. Mann, Assessor; Crocker Williams, Marshal. 1879.-Whole number of votes polled, 82. Alden M. Varney, President; Archibald D. Mctz, Clerk; George B. Congleton, Treasurer; Charles Bcrridge, Charles L. Canfield, Solomon J. Oliver, Trustees; Charles B. Mann, Assessor; William H. Herrington, Marshal. PINE RUN. The village of Pine Run, the site of the first settlement in the township, is situated upon the old Saginaw road, and one mile due east from the village of Clio. It contains the church edifices of the Congregational and Christian religious societies, two iron-foundries, one grist-mill, two hotels, two stores of general merchandise, one drug-store, one grocerystore, a post-office, and a population of about two hundred inhabitants. As previously mentioned, Charles M cLean Iiram Benjamin, Iumphrey McLean, Sylvester Vibbard, Isaiah Merriman, Theodore P. Dean, and John R. Whittemore were among the earliest settlers upon its site and in the immediate vicinity. Iere was established the first postoffice on the route between Flint and Saginaw, and from the date of the county organization until the commencement of Clio's history as a village, here was centred an important trade which extended into the townships of Montrose, Thetford, Mount Morris, and Genesee. Ephraim K. Frost, a native of New IIampshire, came from Athol, Mass., and settled here in 1855. He has since been engaged in the boot and shoe trade and general merchandising. The merchants in business here at the time of his arrival were Ezra B. Sparks, George Warren, and the brothers Oscar and James Bradley. Dr. Samuel Lathrop was the physician,-the first resident physician in the township. Garrett Post was the blacksmith, while Aram Knapp and A. F. Young presided over their respective places of entertainment for man and beast. The Congregational church edifice was then in course of construction by William Sheldon, and the Gencsee and Saginaw plank road had just been completed. George C. Eceleston, a native of Norwich, Chenango Co., N. Y., came in as the first shoemaker the same year,-1855. Abram Reid's steam shingle-mill was also in operation. William Tinker and son came from Ashtabula Co., Ohio, in December, 1865, and soon after established the present foundry and machine-shop. Their work consists in manufacturing and repairing plows and other agricultural instruments. Previous to 1871 their attention was mainly devoted to the manufacture and repair of stationary engines. Peter Smart, who located in Pine Run in 1866 and followed the occupation of blacksmithing, erected a small iron-foundry in 1875, and began the manufacture of castiron plows, points, etc., and also does a general repairing in iron-work. A steam grist-mill was erected by Duane Read in 1870. FARRANDVILLE. The small village of Farrandville, which forms the northern apex of the triangle made by roads connecting it with Clio and Pine Run, is situated about one mile distant fiom the villages just mentioned. It contains the church edifice of the Free Methodists, and about fifteen dwellings. It was platted and receives its name from Ira T. Farrand, an early settler in its vicinity. SCHOOLS. The first board of school inspectors, composed of Messrs. Russell G. Hurd, Isaiah Merriman, and William Hotclkiss, met at the house of Charles McLean, May 10, 1837, and resolved as follows: " That the town should be divided into two school districts [the town then comprised the present towns of Montrose, Vienna, and Thetford], and all that part of the said town of Vienna lying north of sections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, in surveyed township 9 north, and ranges No. 5, 6, and 7 east, shall constitute and be denominated school district No. 1, and all that part remaining of said town, to wit, sections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36, in said township 9, and ranges 5, 6, and 7 east, shall form a school district, to be designated No. 2." A school-meeting was held in the house of Charles McLean on the 19th of the same month, when Russell G. Hlurd was chosen Moderator; George Sparks, Assessor; and Hiram Benjamin, Director of Schools. On the 13th day of November, of the same year (1837), a meeting was held in the school-house* in district No. 1, when it was voted to " raise $500 for the purpose of building a school-house and locating a site; to raise $5 for a library-case, and $10 for the purchase of books for said district; also to raise $20 for repairing the school-house, and for fuel the ensuing winter, and the additional amount of $60 for the use of schools in said district the current year." In December, 1838, the boundaries of the school districts were changed as follows: " Resolved, That hereafter school district No. 1, in said township, shall contain the following territory, to wit, sections 11, 12, 13, 14, east half of 15, east half of 22, and the whole of 23, 24, and north half of northwest quarter of 26, in township 9 north, of range 6 east, also the west half of section 9, west half of section 18, west half of 19, in township 9 north, of range 7 cast. That school district No. 2 shall contain hereafter the following extent of territory: Section 26, except the north half of the west quarter, all of sections 25, 35, 36, in township 9 north, of range 6 east, and sections 30, 29, west half of 28, west half of 33, and all of sections 31 and 32, in township 9 north, of range 7 east." In March, 1840, district No. 3 was organized as follows: ' All that territory comprised in the south half of section 10, southwest quarter of section 11, the whole of section 15, west half and southeast quarter of section 14, whole of - This house was a frame structure. It was situated in the village of Pine Run, and is now used as a blacksmith-shop. It was also the first framed building erected in the township, and in it the Holl. Josiah W. Begole, now a prominent citizen of Flint, taught the first school, in the winter of 1837-38. VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 375 7 22 and 23, south half of 27, whole of 26, south half of 24, north half of 25, whole of 35, south half of 34, east half and northeast quarter of 34, all in township 9 north, of range 7 east, shall constitute district No. 3." The district organizations continued as in the foregoing until the formation of Thetford as a separate township, in 1842. Since the latter event, and especially since the formation of Montrose, in 1846, many changes have been made in school-district boundaries. The amount of primary-school money apportioned to the town of Vienna and the territory at present known as Montrose township, in 1843, was $15.17. The first record made regarding the granting of certificates to teachers shows that Miss Nancy McLean and Miss Melissa Pattee received certificates as qualified teachers, May 6, 1843. Miss Elizabeth V. Stone was granted a certificate July 17th of the same year. The $15.17 before mentioned was apportioned as follows: To district No. 1, 22 scholars, $8.14; No. 2, 19 scholars, $7.03. Other early teachers were licensed as follows: H. P. Ferris, Dec. 11, 1843; Clarinda Dean, May 4,1844; Caroline Johnson, July 31, 1814; Martin Miller, Feb. 14, 1845; Darius M. Robinson, November, 1845; Misses Mary Ann Skinner, Sophia Wetherill, Catherine Bodine, Julia Ann Barnes, May, 1845; Maria A. Ierrick, Thomas E. Young, December, 1845; Sarah Johnson, Clarissa Johnson, Ezra B. Sparks, William H. Iarrison, 1846; Caroline A. Johnson, Margaret Robinson, William T. Van Tuyl, Mary L. Rone, 1847; Amelia N. Fitch, Melissa Pattee, 1848. From a report of the board of school inspectors for the month of May, 1847 (the first report after the separation of the township of Pewonogowink), it is found that the amount of money apportioned, and the number of schools in each district entitled to school-money, were as follows: Amount to be apportioned.................................... $44.16 To District No. 1, 34 scholars...... $10.80 ' Fractional District No. 1, 35 "..... ll.1 "District No. 2, 28 "...... 8.893 i " " " 3, 24..... 7.63 " " "t 9, 18 "...... 5.72 Scholars in township, - 139............ - $44.16 In comparison with the foregoing, the following statistics, taken from the report of the school inspectors for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878, are appended: Whole districts, 6; fractional districts, 5. Children of school age in the township, 847; attending school during the year, 511; number of school-houses in township, 11; frame houses, 11; seating capacity of school-houses, 737; value of schoolproperty, $5950; graded schools, 2; male teachers employed during the year, G; female teachers, 16; months taughlt by males, 33; months taught by females, 62; paid male teachers, $1252; paid female teachers, $1188; total, $2440. SECRET BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATIONS. VIENNA LODGE, NO. 205, F. AND A. M. The first meeting, under a dispensation from the Grand Lodge, was held in Masonic Hall, in the village of Pine Run, Oct. 23, 1866, and the following-named officers ap pointed: Russell Johnson, W. M.; Joseph Van Buskirk, S. W.; Livius Tenny, J. W.; Joseph Lonsby, Treas.; John I. Phillips, Sec.; Harmon Van Buskirk, S. D.; David I. Hammontree, J. D.; William M. Rogers, Tyler. A charter was granted Jan. 9, 1867, when the beforementioned board of officers were elected for the ensuing year. The office of Worthy Master has since been filled as follows: 1868, Joseph Van Buskirk; 1869, Russell Johnson; 1870, Russell Johnson; 1871, Harmon Van Buskirk; 1872, Russell Johnson; 1873, John K. Frost; 1874, John K. Frost; 1875, Harmon Van Buskirk; 1876, Roland Franklin; 1877, Roland Franklin; 1878, Russell Johnson; 1879, Russell Johnson. The officers for 1879 are as follows: Russell Johnson, W. M.; Eliphalet HIartson, S. W.; David L. Halsted, J. W.; David R. HIammontrce, Treas.; Harmon Van Buskirk, Sec.; Shannon Scott, S. D.; Homer L. Johnson, J. D.; George C. Eccleston, Tyler. Present membership, 77. Regular communications are held at their hall in the village of Vienna, Pine Run P. 0., Tuesday evenings, on or before the full moon. VIENNA LODGE, NO. 191,. 0. 0. F. This Lodge was instituted June 26, 1872, at Clio, Michigan, by acting M. W. G. M., F. H. Rankin. The following list embraces the names of the Lodge D. D. G. M.'s, N. G.'s, and secretaries, and the time served by them, from date of organization to the present: 1872.-F... Rankin, D. D. G. M.; Roger Rathbone, N. G.; W. W. Blackney, Sec. 1873.-Charles L. Cole, N. G.; H. D. Cole, Sec. W. W. Blackney, N. G.; J. D. Aken, Sec.; G. M. Keys, D. D. G. M. 1874.-Charles L. Cole, D. D. G. M.; David Strouble, N. G.; H. D. Cole, Sec..D.Cole,ole, N. G.; C. L. Campbell, Sec. 1875.-F. II. Rankin, D. D. G. M.; E. B. Sparks, N. G.; J. A. Springer, Sec. C. L. Campbell, N. G.; II. D. Cole, Sec. 1876.-C. L. Campbell, D. D. G. M.; J. A. Springer, N. G.; Charles Berridge, Sec. Duane Osborn, N. G.; J. C. Thompson, Sec. 1877.-L. L. Fuller, D. D. G. M.; William Whitehouse, N. G.; A. T. Getchell, Sec. Shannon Scott, N. G.; H. Van Buskirk, Sec. 1878.-Charles L. Cole, D. D. G. AI.; E. 0. Knapp, N. G.; WVm. M. Patterson, Sec. S. B. Bartholomew, N. G.; L. L. Fuller, Sec. 1879.-J. A. Springer, D. D. G. M.; C. II. Williams, N. G.; W. A. Bates, Sec. Regular meetings are held in their hall, now situated in the village of Pine Run, Wednesday evenings of each week. Present membership, 44. AMARANTH LODGE, NO. 66, DAUGIITERS OF REBECCA, was organized Sept. 9, 1875. The principal officers to the present time are as follows: 1875.-H. D. Cole, N. G.; Bethany M. Sparks, V. G.; Jennie C. Cole, Sec. 376 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1876.-E. B. Sparks, N. G.; Anjenett Scott, V. G.; Jennie C. Cole, Sec. 1877.-J. A. Springer, N. G.; Martha A. Bartholomew, V. G.; Anjenett Scott, Sec. 1878.-Martha A. Bartholomew, N. G.; Harriet Miller, V. G.; Anjenett Scott, Sec. 1879.-Harriet Miller, N. G.; Sarah E. Fuller, V. G.; Anjenett Scott, Sec. Present membership, 36. CLIO LODGE, NO. 1382, K. OF II. This Lodge was instituted Jan. 27, 1879, with twenty charter members, by E. Newkirk, D. D. G. D. The officers are D. L. Halsted, Dictator; II. Herring, Vice-Dictator; Charles Berridge, Asst. Dictator; L. L. Fuller, Past Dictator; C. B. Mann, Treas.; Archibald D. Metz, Reporter; S. J. Oliver, F. Reporter; Crocker Williams, Guide; Edgar Webber, Sentinel; Charles L. Canfield, Guard. Present membership, 23. Regular meetings are held in their lodge-room, Clio village, the second and fourth Monday evenings in each month. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. As in many other localities, the Methodist Episcopal churchmen were the first to inaugurate religious meetings here. Their circuit preachers visited the settlement of Pine Run as early as 1836, usually once in four weeks, and very frequently, when the roads were impassable for horseback riding, they made the journey from Flint, Pontiac, and Saginaw on foot. That some of them were eccentric in manner, exacting, and rigid in their adherence to fixed rules, is fully proven by the following incident: Mr. D. N. Montague relates that in 1839 he attended a meeting held at the house of Corydon Fay. Due notice had been given, and a cordial invitation was extended to all in the neighborhood to attend. But when the audience had assembled, there were but eight persons, all told. The preacher-a Methodist divine-then arose and announced it as his rule not to preach unless nine or more were present. As the ninth listener was not forthcoming, the little gathering dispersed, disappointed, perhaps, in their failure to hear the preached Word elucidated. During these early years people possessed of religious convictions assembled in their respective school-houses, and listened to the reading of sermons and portions of the Bible by one of their own number. Sabbath-schools were also held during that season of the year when pupils could attend barefooted. In 1837 and 1838 a class in Methodism was formed in Pine Run. Among the members were Isaiah Merriman, the leader, women of the McLean families, Theodore P. Dean, his mother and sisters, the Taylors and Van Pattens. But this society has been disbanded for many years, and none exists in the township at present. Rev. Donald B. Campbell, Congregationalist, became the first resident pastor in 1858. CONGREGATIONAL ChIURCHES. The Congregational Church of Vienna, whose house of worship is situated in Pine Run, was organized in the early part of the year 1845 by Rev. Orson Parker, an evangelist, and a resident of Burton township in this county. The original members were 22 in number, and George W. Huyck and George Sparks were chosen the first deacons. For a number of years the society had no preachers of its own denomination, although meetings were held nearly every Sabbath in the school-house, where circuit preachers of the Methodist Episcopal Church spoke, or a sermon was read by some one of the members. The first stated supply was Rev. E. T. Branch, who preached here part of the time during the years 1852 and 1853. Revs. A. B. Pratt and McDowell also were here before the completion of the church edifice in 1856. The church was dedicated June 18, 1856, the dedicatory sermon being preached by Rev. Herbert Read, of the American Home Mission Society. From May, 1858, until April, 1861, Rev. D. B. Campbell was the pastor. He was followed by Rev. Jonas Denton, who administered to the spiritual wants of the society for the period of two years. Edwin Booth, a licentiate from Oberlin, Ohio, was here a few months in the winter of 1864-65. In May, 1865, Rev. W. F. Rose came, and remained until October, 1867. Those who succeeded himi were Rev. E. W. Borden, who came in July, 1868, remained one year; Rev. W. I. Hunt, 1871; Rev. J. C. Thompson, June, 1874; Rev. I. Caldwell, 1875; Rev. Jared Warner, the last pastor of this society, preached one year, closing his labors in September, 1877. On the 12th of November, 1877, the society voted to give each of its members letters of recommendation to unite with the Union Congregational Church of Vienna, and the old organization was then disbanded. There is no definite record preserved of those who were received into the church fiom its first organization until the year 1859. From the latter date until its disbandment in 1877, 65 were admitted. In August, 1867, the Clio Congregational Society was organized and duly incorporated. The first board of trustees was composed of James L. Curry, Joseph Van Buskirk, Austin Griffes, Iiram Benjamin, and William H. Dunn. This society went forward and erected the.present church edifice in Clio, and continued as an independent church until the consolidation of the Vienna and Clio Congregational Churches as the Union Congregational Society in 1877. The pastors of the independent Clio Church were Revs. E. W. Borden, for two years fiom April 1, 1868; Ward I. Hunt, for two years from Nov. 1, 1871; William E. Caldwell, two years from Aug. 29, 1874; and J. Halliday, one year from Dec. 1, 1876. Dec. 10, 1877, the Union Congregational Society of Vienna was formed by the consolidation of tile Pine Run and Clio societies. The union organization began an existence with 45 members,-16 males and 29 females, the males as follows: Seth N. Bedcn, Charles Montague, Daniel N. Montague, H. Hurd, Ezra B. Sparks, A. F. Nichols, J. B. Garland, Sr., Charles L. Cole, Sawyer Hurd, James A. Sheldon, C. C. Rice, J. F. Loomis, Stephen Griswold, Sherburne Green, Milton B. Stage, and C. B. Mann. The fol ': I Ir I A It at, JAMES L. CURRY. MRS.JAMES L.CURRY. 11- ". I,7,-t~C4 __ __ CH. VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 377 lowing board of officers was then chosen: Daniel N. Montague, President; Seth N. Beden, Secretary; James A. Sheldon, Treasurer; Sawyer Hurd, M. B. Stage, Sherburne Green, Ezra B. Sparks, A. F. Nichols, and Charles Montague, Trustees. Rev. John P. Sanderson became pastor of this society Dec. 30, 1877, and still continues in the discharge of his ministerial labor here. Services are held alternately at Clio and Pine Run. Flourishing Sunday-schools also exist at both places, their superintendents being Rev. J. P. Sanderson at Clio, and A. F. Nichols at Pine Run. Present membership of society, 60. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF VIENNA. This church was organized about the year 1864 by the Rev. Alanson Wilcox. The first series of meetings were held in the church edifice of the Congregational society in Pine Run; afterwards in the Pine Run village school-house until 1867, when their own house of worship was erected in the same village at a cost of $2000. It has sittings for about 300 people. Among the first members of this society were David Havens and wife, S. Gross and wife, William Canfieid and wife, Philander Taylor and wife, John Taylor, Isaac Andrews and wife, Benjamin Drudge and wife, George C. Eccleston and wife, Philip Devoe and wife, David R. IHammontree and wife, William Whitehouse, David Franklin and wife, Mr. Hempsted and wife, Mr. Sherrick and wife, and others, enough to make 92 members in all. Revs. Smedmor, S. J. Smith, Elias Sias, Edwards, and Cornick have at various periods assumed the pastorate of this church. The pulpit is supplied at the present time by elders of the society. Present membership, 40. William Underhill, superintendent of Sunday-school. A Protestant Methodist Church exists at Clio, and a Free Methodist Church at Farrandville, but no data have been obtained, although the same were respectfully requested from official members of both organizations. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JAMES L. CURRY, a resident of Clio, was born in Enfield, Tompkins Co., N. Y., Dec. 30, 1825. In 1847 he settled in Huron Co., Ohio, stopping in New Haven and Greenwich, engaged in selling merchandise, and from 1853 to 1856 he lived at Clyde and Kenton, engaged on the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. From 1856 to 1860 he resided in Mason Co., 1ll., engaged in farming, and in grading two miles of the Illinois River Railroad. In the spring of 1860 he removed to Tontogany, Wood Co., Ohio, and engaged in the drug business, which he sold out to enter the army. In August, 1851, he was commissioned as first lieutenant in Company H, 21st Ohio Vol uteer Infantry, and after the battle of Stone River was commissioned captain of Company A. He was with his regiment in all its campaigns in the Army of the Cumberland, until August, 1863, when he was 48 detailed for duty as provost-marshal at Cowan, Tenn. In December he joined his regiment, and commanded it at Chattanooga until March, 1864, when, on his return from recruiting service with his regiment, which had re-enlisted, he was stricken with disease, from which he never fully recovered. After a few months spent in hospital and on court-martial duty at Chattanooga, he rejoined his regiment, in front of Atlanta. In August, 1864, was mustered out at Lick Skillet, Ga. In 1865 he went to Clio, Mich., whither he moved his family in the summer of 1866.' During his residence at Clio he has been enghged in lumbering, as one of the firm of Campbell, Curry & Co. at Arbela as Curry & Brown, and at Midland as Curry & Merrick, at each of the places named owning mills. He was also one of the firm of Jennings, Halsted & Co., merchants, at Clio, whom he succeeded in business. In 1874, having lost several thousand dollars by parties in Toledo, and a valuable mill at Midland by fire, he retired from lumbering and turned his attention to farming and the duties of a justice of the peace. In 1868 he was elected to the Legislature, and in 1872 to the State Senate, but in 1874 declined a renomination, on account of business cares. In 1850 he married Sarah H., daughter of William Trembley, of Ripley, Huron Co., Ohio., and has one son, Frank M., born at New Haven, Ohio, Sept. 3, 1851, and one daughter, born at Tontogany, Wood Co., Ohio, Oct. 14, 1865. He has traveled extensively in the States east of the Mississippi, and is very familiar with American history and biography. Liberal in his opinions, public-spirited, and energetic, he has been one of Clio's leading and enterprising citizens. In politics he is a Republican, and has always strictly adhered to the principles and interests of his party. His business and official positions have given him a large acquaintance with public men. At the present time he is postmaster of Clio, and at the same time carries on a farm adjoining the village. DAVID S. HALSTED was born Aug. 23, 1833, in Coxsackie, Greene Co., N. Y., where he resided until he was twelve years old, when his father moved to Cortland Co., N. Y., where he purchased a small farm. There David grew to manhood, working on the farm and at the carpenter's trade summers, and attending school winters. His father's early death left him to care for himself and to assist the family, he being the eldest child. Still he obtained at the district schools and the Cortland and Homer Academies an education which enabled him to teach school and to become one of the energetic, enterprising business men of Genesee County, where he settled in 1855. In the fall of 1854 he came to Pontiac, Mich., and taught school near there. The next spring he located in Pine Run, where he remained until 1867, when he commenced the mercantile business in Clio. Previous to this he taught school and worked at his trade, except two years, during which time he was in the lumber business, also a partner of George S. Warren in a saw-mill. The saw-:. |D. d **~~ ~ ~ 0 0, 0 do.**.,,,.n * 1 ' ' \ ^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^ '~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~:f::;f00; l?. - l':.lt *.* ' ^ * ^ *.*^ 'I ' Js a aa 378 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I I mill proved to be anything but a success financially, and left Mr. Halsted to begin life anew. He again fell back on his trade and teaching, until, as above stated, he moved to Clio and engaged in the mercantile business, becoming a member of the firm of W. H. Jennings & Co. Since that time he has been in the mercantile business, the last eight years alone. In 1876 he bought at sheriff's sale what was known as the Mount Morris Saw and Patent Hoop Mill. TThis he has successfully managed, and is now doing an extensive business in that line. As a business man Mr. Halsted is looked upon as one of the most enterprising and energetic in his town, and as a citizen and neighbor respected and esteemed by all. On the 13th day of December, 1862, Mr. Halsted was married to Miss Lydia J. Van Buskirk; she was born in Smithfield, Genesee Co., N. Y., Oct. 31, 1846. There have been born to them three children, as follows: Jennie, born March 13, 1864; Albert K., born Feb. 13, 1867; and Harry, born Oct. 6, 1874, died Aug. 23, 1878. In politics Mr. Halsted is an ultra Republican, though he has never sought nor cared for office. Has held minor offices in his town, and was for seven years postmaster at Clio. MILTON B. STAGE. MRS. MILTON B. STAGE. MILTON B. STAGE, the subject of this sketch, was born in the township of Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., May 4, 1825. His grandfather, Peter Stage, was one of the earliest settlers in Stafford (then known as the Holland Purchase), having settled there in the year 1800. The farm he bought was new, not a stick having been cut. Milton's father, James Stage, was born in New Jersey, on the 3d day of August, 1791. He served in the war of 1812, and was in the battles of Fort Erie and Lundy's Lane; he was afterwards in the boat service, and carried supplies to the American forces at Fort Erie. In this service he endured hardships and privations, from the effects of which he never fully recovered. He married Miss Mary Butler. Joel Butler, Mr. Stage's grandfather on his mother's side, was a sailor, and served through the war of the Revolution as a privateersman. The privateer in which he sailed was captured by a British man-of-war, and Mr. Butler, with the rest of the crew, was taken to England and confined in a prison-ship, where he, with others, suffered untold horrors. One of the mementos of Mr. Butler's seafaring life, a copy of the "Seaman's Daily Assistant," published in London in 1774, is now in the possession of Mr. Stage, and is a very interesting relic. The early life of Milton B. Stage was passed in Genesee County, attending the district schools of his town, and subsequently the high-school at Leroy and the seminary at Lima, N. Y., which latter he attended three years, making the study of mathematics and engineering a specialty. After leaving school he worked on his father's farm three years, and afterwards was employed as civil engineer on different railroads. He worked two years on the Williamsport and Elmira Railroad, as surveyor and engineer, under Maj. William H. Morrell, chief engineer, closing his service as assistant engineer in charge of a party, and to the entire satisfaction of Maj. Morrell, who testified his approbation of his services in a commendatory letter to Mr. Stage. In 1854 he moved to the town of Vienna, in Genesee Co., Mich., and settled on three hundred and twenty acres of land, part of sections 27 and 34, bought fiom the government by his father in 1836. The land was entirely new, and for a mile Mr. Stage had to cut his own road. In 1854 his father gave him a deed of the land, which he still owns, and which is in a good state of cultivation, with fine buildings, etc. Mr. Stage has for many years been deputy surveyor, and in the fall of 1878 was elected county surveyor, notwithstanding Genesee County is a strong Republican county, it RESIDENCE OF NAHUM N.WILSON,THETFORD,MICH. THETFORD TOWNMSHIP. 379 F T I 3 while he is, and has always been, a Democrat. At different times he has held minor offices in his township. Mr. Stage has for forty years been gathering Indian relics, and has now a very fine collection. Oct. 30, 1845, he was married to Miss R. Dorothy Harper, daughter of John and Joan (Vernon) Harper, who was born Dec. 20, 1825, in Appledore, Devonshire, England. There have been born to them four children, as follows: Mary Ella, born Dec. 28, 1849; Sarah L., born March 6, 1852; Rosabelle M., born July 6, 1857; and Frank E., born March 12, 1859. Wawa ocod-e TH ET FORD. THIS township, although still somewhat new, especially in the northern part, contains some of the choicest farming lands in Genesee County; and the beautiful scenery, the well-tilled fields, the majestic woods, and the fine dwellings and barns that denote the thrift and industry of its people, well repay the observant traveler for the trouble incidental to a trip through the town. Down to a period of time as late as the beginning of the year 1835 it had been a wilderness. The surveyors in the employ of the United States had passed through the trackless maze of its dense forests, recording their progress by, and leaving as tokens of their presence, the " blazes" on trees that marked the section-lines and corners. Some wandering, adventurous white hunter or trapper may have casually passed through in pursuit of his perilous calling, but, aside from these persons, it is probable that, of humankind, none save the moccasined foot of the Indian had trod the virgin soil or rustled the leaves with which the lofty trees had carpeted the earth beneath their spreading branches. These Indians belonged to the Chippewa nation, and were only transient inhabitants here, they not having any village within the limits of this town. They came here to hunt and fish, though the latter sport was not as plentiful as the former on account of the lack of lakes and large streams. They had a well-defined trail, which started from the banks of the Flint River, in the present town of Richfield, and ran in a direction a little west of north and in a nearly direct course to Tuscola, on the Cass River, and to Saginaw Bay, near the present site of Bay City. This trail entered Thetford not far from the southeast corner and followed the pine ridges passing through the present Richard Buell farm, and crossed the line into Tuscola County near the corner of sections 3 and 4. Along this trail the Indians traveled for many years, sometimes in large parties and again singly or by twos and threes. They were generally mounted on their hardy ponies, and in sandy places the hoofs of these sturdy little animals had worn away the soil to the depth of a foot or more. These Indians remained here many years after the settlement of the country by the whites began, and the most amicable feelings existed between the two races at all times. They had a favorite camping-place near the residence of Richard Buell, where two or three families, more or less as the case might be, would come and stay for a few days at a time while they hunted the deer and other game with which the forest teemed. They were on especially friendly terms with the Buell family, for whom they had conceived a great liking when they first settled here, and with whom they often engaged in trade. Another of their favorite camping-grounds was on the banks of Butternut Creek, in the southeast corner of the town, near the present village of Whitesburg. In the work of cultivating the soil the farmer's plow frequently brings to the surface some relic of the aborigines, in the shape of flint arrow- or spear-heads, stone knives, pipes, or pieces of rude pottery. Frequently, too, the plow breaks into the shallow grave of some of these former dwellers, and turns their bones up to bleach in the sun,to be destroyed by the chafing fingers of the storm and the ever-destructive touch of time. Do these senseless bones represent the once proud form of the haughty warrior who strode forth defiantly to battle with his equally haughty and courageous foe, and fell beneath his enemy's superior prowess? Do they speak to us of the ancient Indian brave or the decrepid squaw left alone to die or be dispatched by the tomahawk of some relative too impatient to await the slow marches of a natural dissolution of the vital forces? Or do they tell of some gentle, soft-eyed, darkskinned beauty of the forest, whose life-romance terminated in death by disease, accident, or at the hands of some jealous suitor or envious rival? Who shall draw aside the veil and reveal to us the mysterious past, describe the joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, loves and hates, virtues and vices, of the person whose bones are now insensible to the indignity?-kicked thoughtlessly about by the feet of the indifferent or curious looker-on? " 0 shade of a departed race, high-spirited and proud, Who loved to gaze on Nature's face, on shining sun and cloud! Who saw the mighty hand of God in storms that swept the sky; In lightning's flash, in thunder's roll, in torrents foaming high! Look not us with stony eyes, indignant, fierce, and dread; Nor curse the hand that hath disturbed the slumbers of thy dead. TIME, as the ages onward roll, grim retribution yields; Our bones, like yours, shall lie unmarked in future toilers' fields.",One of the earliest settlers in this locality, Nahum N. Wilson, while working the place known as the Judge: 0200e 380 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - Hotchkiss farm, in the present town of Vienna, plowed up a number of pieces of earthenware which were evidently portions of a large circular vessel resembling a potash-kettle. On some of the best preserved of these pieces could be traced the outlines of rudely-drawn pictures of deer, dogs, bears, horses, etc., which must have been scratched upon the plastic material with a pointed stick, or similar implement, before the vessel was submitted to the influence of the intense heat necessary to harden and fit it for use. It is surmised, from the presence of so many fragments of different-shaped vessels found in that locality, that the Indians-or possibly their predecessors as a race-had at that point a kiln where they manufactured such vessels and utensils as their rude housekeeping demanded. Early in the year 1835 the first ripples of the oncoming tide of immigration reached this town, and the land began to be taken up. During that and the two or three succeeding years a large share of the town was purchased from the government, and scattered settlements made in different parts. A considerable portion of the land, especially that most thickly covered with pine, was taken up by speculators. The following list shows the names of all persons who entered lands in this town, with their residence (when known), the number of acres purchased, the section on which it was located, and the date of entry. The names printed in italics are those of the actual settlers, though it was often the case that they did not take up their residence here until several years after the entries were made. The first portion of the list comprises those who entered land on more than one section, classified thus for convenience of reference and to economize space: Charles H. and William T. Carroll, of Livingston Co., N. Y., June 27, 28, and 29, 1836, 1226 acres on sections 4 and 5, being the entire sections, 307 acres on section 3, 80 acres on section 6, 160 acres on section 7, 480 acres on section 8, 360 acres on section 9; Aug. 25, 1836, 80 acres on section 1, 160 acres on section 2, 138 acres on section 6, 240 acres on section 11, 160 acres on section 12, and 160 acres on section 14; total, 3551 acres. John Dunn, of Monroe Co., N. Y., June 28, 1836, 160 acres on section 8; Nov. 28, 1836, 80 acres on section 24, and 160 acres on section 25; total, 400 acres. John P. Gale, of Livingston Co., N. Y., June 22, 1836, 40 acres on section 9, and 160 acres on section 17; total, 200 acres. Frederick B. Leonard, of Rensselaer Co., N. Y., July 9, 1836, 160 acres on section 10, 160 acres on section 11, 320 acres on section 14, 320 acres on section 15, 320 acres on section 22, 80 acres on section 23, 160 acres on section 26, and 80 acres on section 27; total, 1600 acres. David Miller, of Ontario Co., N. Y., July 9, 1836, 160 acres on section 10, 80 acres on section 15, 160 acres on section 22, 160 acres on section 23, 160 acres on section 26, and 80 acres on section 34; total, 800 acres. Origen D. Richardson, of Oakland Co., Mich., Oct. 19, 1836, 80 acres on section 10, and 80 acres on section 11; total, 160 acres. George Johnson, Aug. 12,1852, 40 acres on section 10; Oct. 24, 1853, 40 acres on section 26; total, 80 acres. Joshua W. Waterman, of Detroit, July 14, 1853, 160 i acres on section 11, 40 acres on section 12; total, 200 acres. Charles W. Schlosser, of this county, April 21, 1847, 40 acres on section 13, 40 acres on section 24; Nov. 20, 1854, 40 acres on section 13; total, 120 acres. Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins, of Genesee Co., N. Y., April 22, 1837, 160 acres on section 14, 160 acres on section 23; total, 320 acres. Samuel Baldwin, of Monroe Co., N. Y., June 28, 1836, 160 acres on section 15, 320 acres on section 17, and 240 acres on section 21; total, 720 acres. Gordon Baldwin, of Monroe Co., N. Y., June 28, 1836, 160 acres on section 17, 240 acres on section 21, and 160 acres on section 22; total, 560 acres. Hfiram Benjamin, of this county, Sept. 24, 1836, 80 acres on section 18, and 80 acres on section 30; total, 160 acres. Charles M. Boutwell,* of Monroe Co., N. Y., Sept. 14, 1836, 160 acres on section 19, 80 acres on section 29, and 80 acres on section 30. Crawford Barkley, of Gcnesee Co., N. Y., May 27, 1836, 80 acres on section 33; November 28th, 40 acres on section 21; total, 120 acres. Walter Knickerbocker, of this county, Oct. 27, 1845, 40 acres on section 23; Aug. 12, 1846, 40 acres on section 24; June 19, 1847, 40 acres on section 23; total, 120 acres. L. G. Gordon and John Cook, of Detroit, Aug. 25, 1836, 160 acres on section 25, and 160 acres on section 36; total, 320 acres. - Amasa Carrier, of Middlesex Co., Conn., June 16, 1836, 80 acres on section 27, and 160 acres on section 28; total, 240 acres. Cyrus Prentice, of Genesee Co., N. Y., Sept. 23, 1836, 80 acres on section 27, and 80 acres on section 28; total, 160 acres. Charles Johnson, of this county, Sept. 17, 1836, 80 acres on section 29, and 80 acres on section 32; total, 160 acres. Benjamin Pearson, of this county, Sept. 26, 1835, 114 acres on section 31; June 6, 1836, 170 acres on section 30; total, 284 acres. Richard H. Hall, of Trumbull Co., O., June 20, 1835, 80 acres on section 31; June 20, 1836, 80 acres on section 30; total, 160 acres. Frederick St. John, of New York City, May 27, 1836, 240 acres on section 33; June 9th, 320 acres on section 32, 320 acres on section 34, and 160 acres on section 35; total, 1040 acres. Seth Miller, Jr., of Genesee Co., N. Y., Sept. 23, 1836, 80 acres on section 33, and 80 acres on section 34; total, 160 acres. Ira Davenport, of Steuben Co., N. Y., May 25, 1836, 320 acres on section 35, and 320 acres on section 36; total,640 acres. The remaining entries, classified by sections, were as follows: Section 1: Feb. 1, 1854, David Long, of this county, 40 acres; November 11th, George H. Blanchard, of this:- Now spelled IBouittell. I _ — L-77 '. -- -^-' -gg FARMAND RESINCE OF -HAS.MBOUTTLL THET ORD,MICH FAR AN REIDECEOF CHA M OTTELL, THETFORD,MICH. I I w I i i i I w THETFORD TOWNSHIP. 381 county, 108 acres; Robert Golden, this county, 151 acres; November 22d, Zadock Cooley, this county, 80 acres; November 24th, Jacob Jobson, this county, 80 acres; December 28th, Oscar M. Roberts, this county, 80 acres. Section 2: Aug. 11, 1853, Joseph Long, of Perry Co., Pa., 80 acres; Nov. 8, 1854, John Jobson, of this county, 66 acres; November 11th, Leonard Wightman, this county, 147 acres; December 4th, John Austin, of Oakland Co., Mich., 160 acres. Section 3: Nov. 16, 1836, William B. Middleton, of New York City, 160 acres; May 3, 1854, John Irvin, of this county, 68 acres; November 11th, Abraham F. Conant, this county, 80 acres. Section 6: July 9, 1836, Wm. W. Whitney and Eber Crawford, 75 acres; Jan. 9, 1851, Cornelius L. Russell and Seth McLean, of this county, 40 acres. On this section there were 120 acres of swamp land. Section 7: Nov. 11, 1854, Justus Stevens, of this county, 37 acres. On this section are 271 acres of swamp land. Section 9: Jan. 16, 1837, Vincent M. D. Hornell, of Steuben Co., N. Y., 160 acres; Sept. 27, 1851, Betsey Iiinckley, 40 acres; April 20, 1853, Sidney B. Smith, of Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 40 acres. Section 10: May 23, 1851, Arad Way, 80 acres; Sept. 27, Joseph S. Bartholomew, 40 acres; Jan. 31, 1853, John Stannard, 80 acres. Section 12: May 16, 1851, John O'Neil, 160 acres; May 18, 1852, Charles Benjamin, 40 acres; August 6th, Jacob Sha(fer, 80 acres; August 12th, Judah Butler, 40 acres; July 2, 1853, William S. Patrick, of this county, 40 acres; Oct. 17,1853, and Nov. 11, 1854, Delos I Johnson, of Erie Co., N. Y., 80 acres. Section 13: Oct. 29, 1845, John Schlosser, of this county, 80 acres; June 26, 1849, Richard Case, of Oakland Co., Mich., 160 acres; May 8, 1851, Patrick Welsh, 160 acres; April 9, 1852, Samuel Graham, of this county, 40 acres; Oct. 20, 1854, Nathan S. Johnson, of this county, 40 acres; November 13th, David A. English, of Walworth Co., Wis., 80 acres. Section 14: April 22, 1837, Thaddeus C. Andrews, of Oakland Co., Mich., 160 acres. Section 15: Dec. 14, 1852, Lebbeus D. Stannard, 40 acres; Dec. 1, 1854, Andrew C. Beckwith, of this county, 40 acres. Section 18: May 31,1836, Leonard Beckwith, of Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 76 acres; July 14th, John Henry, of Lenawee Co., Mich., 80 acres; September 19th, Josiah W. Begole, of this county, 80 acres; September 26th, Justus D. Ingalls, of this county, 40 acres; Feb. 1, 1850, Rufus A. Leonard, of this county, 76 acres; Feb. 25, 1852, John Parshall, 40 acres. Section 19: June 6, 1836, William Lund, of Wayne Co., Mich., 322 acres. Section 20: June 25, 1836, Mosely Stoddard, of this county, 160 acres; Thomas Durfee, this county, 160 acres; April 27,1837, Abraham Botsford, this county, 160 acres. On this section there were 80 acres of swamp land. Section 21: Nov. 12, 1836, Peter Richardson, of Oak land Co., Mich., 80 acres; Nov. 11, 1854, Solomon Johnson, of Geauga Co., Ohio, 40 acres. Section 23: Dec. 2, 1839, HIenry Knickerbocker, of this county, 120 acres; April 28, 1851, Andrus Knickerbocker, 40 acres. Section 24: Nov. 28, 1836, James S. Gordon, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 160 acres; Grant Watkins, of this county, 80 acres; Oct. 18, 1838, Thomas Woolit, this county, 40 acres; Feb. 22, 1841, Quartus W. Clapp, of Genesee Co., N. Y., 40 acres; July 6, 1843, INathan Me Comb, of this county, 80 acres; Oct. 9, 1844, Perry Kroll, this county, 80 acres. Section 25: Sept. 26, 1838, Mrs. Phalle Richardson Willson, of this county, 80 acres; October 4th, William Fay, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 40 acres; Oct. 19, 1839, Reuben Dye, of this county, 80 acres; Sept. 27, 1843, Franklin E. Dodge, of this county, 40 acres; June 12 and Sept. 23, 1847, Silas II. Payne, of this county, 80 acres. Section 26: April 2, 1840, Alfred Judson, of Oakland Co, Mich., 40 acres; Aug. 9, 1842, William Ogden, of this county, 80 acres; William H. Clark, this county, 40 acres; Nov. 9, 1849, Ezra B. Sparks, this county, 40 acres; Jan. 1, 1852, Joseph Williams, 40 acres; July 2, 1853, Joseph Tinkham, of this county, 40 acres. Section 27: Sept. 23, 1836, George Kellogg, of Genesee Co., N. Y., 160 acres; Aug. 27, 1851, Samuel Dewitt, 160 acres; Nov. 1, 1852, Ellsworth Walkley, 40 acres; Nov. 10, 1853, Andrew T. Cowles, of this county, 40 acres. Section 28: July 9, 1836, Jane L. Nicholas, of Ontario Co., N. Y., 400 acres. Section 29: Aug. 27, 1836, Isaac Van Tuyl,* of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; Nelson S. Van Tuyl, same county, 120 acres; September 23d, Lewis Buckingham, of this county, 240 acres; November 26th, Jonathan P. Webster, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres. Section 30: Nov. 3, 1835, Corydon E. Fay, of this county, 100 acres. Section 31: Jan. 2, 1835, Grovener Vinton, of Oakland Co., Mich., 109 acres; June 4th, same party, 80 acres; June 25th, Thomas M. Howell, of Canandaigua, Ontario Co., N. Y., 160 acres. Section 32: Aug. 27, 1836, William L. Van Tuyl, of Oakland Co., Mich., 160 acres; John B. Watson, same county, 80 acres. Section 33: Sept. 14, 1836, Franklin Vinton, of Genesee County, N. Y., 80 acres; September 15th, Timothy B, Tucker, of Oakland Co., Mich., 160 acres. Section 34: Sept. 10, 1852, Benoni Clapp, of this county, 40 acres; Sept. 30, 1853, George Bidwell, this county, 40 acres; Nov. 17, 1854, Jesse W. Hicks, this county, 80 acres. Section 35: July 11, 1836, Hermon Camp, of Tompkins Co., N. Y., 160 acres. Section 36: Feb. 27, 1837, Luther Bennett, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres; Oct. 5, 1847, Artalus H. Matthews, of this county, 40 acres; Nov. 28, 1849, David Turel, this county, 40 acres. The following is the tax-roll of the resident tax-payers of Thetford in 1844: * Spelled also Van Tryle. 382 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Names. Sections. Thomas Aplin................................18............ Samuel Aplin.................................. Personal.... Richard Buell...............................14 and 23.. Crawford Barkley................... 21 and 33.. William W. Boughton......................29............ Uzial Boutwell................................30............ Charles M. Boutwell......................19............ Joseph S. Bartholomew.....................32............ Benoni Clapp............................ 34 and 35.. Bela Clapp.....................................35.......... Quartus W. Clapp.....................24............ Franklin E. Dodge...........................25............ Henry Ferguson............................. 26............ Corydon E. Fay.............................30............ John W. Johnson........................ 18 and 20.. Milton Johnson...............................32............ Henry Knickerbocker.......................23............ Robert Lenzey....................... Personal... Ezra Martin...................................33............ Henry Merrow...............................2............ Nathan McComb........................... 24........... William Ogden................................26............ Silas Payne.................................25.......... William Rice..................................18............ Paschal Richardson.........................25 and 26.. Elias Randall......................24........... Simeon Simmons............................ 35............ Grovener Vinton..............................31............ Isaac Van Tuyl...............................29........... " " (trustee)...................10 and 32.. Nelson S. Van Tuyl........................29 and 32.. David Williams...............................18......... Nahum N. Wilson......................... 25............ Acres. 156 280 120 80 80 160 40 120 40 40 80 40 102 120 80 120 80 160 80 80 80 41 160 40 79 268 80 160 200 39 80 Amount of Tax. $8.65 10 9.46 5.90 2.81 3.39 5.74 1.07 9.54 1.34 2.09 2.13 1.19 6.06 4.95 2.52 5.48 69 3.48 5.98 2.38 2.38 2.38 2.32 10.22 1.62 4.13 15.65 3.96 4.37 6.81 1.25 3.79 It will be seen from this list that the first land taken up in this town was that entered by Grovener Vinton on the 2d day of January, 1835. Mr. Vinton was also the first settler. 'He was a native of the State of New York, and lived in Avon, Livingston Co., when, in January, 1830, he determined on coming to Michigan to found a home. At that time he was a young man in the prime of life, and well fitted by his powers of physical endurance, as well as by his high courage and indomitable spirit, for the life of the pioneer in this then new and densely-timbered country. He first settled in the Saginaw Valley, and engaged in farming. In the month of August, 1831, he was married to Miss Harriet Whitney, formerly of Nelson, Madison Co., N. Y. This wedding is believed to have been the first that took place among the settlers of the valley. From this time till he came to Thetford (then Vienna) he remained on his Saginaw farm. Soon after purchasing his land here he began the work of removal, which was performed with an ox-team and sled. They had to make four or five trips to get all their household goods and effects to their new location, and they commenced living in this town in February, 1835. At this time they had one child, a daughter, named Sarah M., who came with them. She subsequently married Samuel J. Dickinson, and is now living at East Saginaw. Mr. Vinton had taken up 109 acres on section 31 in this town, and 80 acres adjoining it on section 36 in the present town of Vienna. He built his first house on the east side of the Saginaw turnpike, and about three-quarters of a mile north of the town's south line. It was a log house, some 20 by 24 feet, and 12 feet high at the eaves. The lumber used for floors, doors, window-frames, gables, etc., was brought from Benjamin Pearson's mill, on Kearsley Creek. With the help of one hired man ten acres of ground were cleared, and in the spring planted and sown to potatoes, corn, and oats, and in the fall two acres were sown to wheat. In the month of May following their second child was born. It was also a daughter, and received the name of Roxy Ann. She was the first child born in this town. She grew to womanhood here, attending the common schools, and finished her education at the high-school at East Saginaw. In December, 1855, she married William S. Johnson, formerly of Geauga Co., Ohio, and has since resided in Thetford. At present they occupy a part of the old Vinton homestead. Mr. Vinton continued to improve his land, and found it to be one of the best in the fertile region in which it was located. He made it an exemplification of his thrift and industry, and brought it to a high state of cultivation. About the year 1851 he went largely into the dairy business, and manufactured large numbers of cheeses. This business he continued until about 1864. In 1855 he built a new residence on the opposite side of the Saginaw road, and by moving into that became a resident of the town of Vienna. Mrs. Vinton died June 24, 1874, and in the spring of the next year Mr. Vinton divided his large farm among his children, purchased a small place in the village of Mount Morris, and removed there, where he is now living with his second wife, formerly Mrs. Orilla Newberry, of Tuscola County. His children, besides the two already mentioned, were Jennie L., Sylphinia, and Whitney G. The latter died when twenty-two years old. The others are married 'and still living, Mrs. Jennie L. Tyler at East Saginaw, and Mrs. Sylphinia Wellman in Flint. Mr. Vinton has always occupied a prominent and influential position among his fellows, and has enjoyed their unlimited confidence and esteem. Having come here into a wilderness and lived to see the country develop into one of the loveliest agricultural regions of the State, he takes great interest and pride in recalling the many scenes of trial and hardship he has passed through, and the many interesting incidents and the great changes he has witnessed. To the historian he has been a willing and invaluable assistance in the line of reminiscences connected with this vicinity. Still hale and hearty, he bids fair to live yet many years, and witness still many changes and much improvenient in the region with whose history his name is so intimately connected and interwoven. Mr. Vinton's was the only family in town until the fall of 1836, when Isaac and Nelson S. Van Tuyl came from Oakland County, and settled here. They were formerly from Seneca Co., N. Y. Isaac brought a wife and two daughters with him and settled on section 29, building his log house near the middle of the south line of the section. Nelson S., who was Isaac's son, had a wife and one or two small children. His house was a few rods west of the southeast corner of section 29. A year or two later another son, William L., came and settled on the west half of the southeast quarter of section 32. Of the Van Tuyls, none are now living in Thetford. They were good citizens, fairly successful farmers, and rather prominent in the political affairs of the town. They were members of the Whig party, and all at some time held some of the town offices. About the time of the breaking out of the Rebellion they removed, Isaac and Nelson going to Shiawassee County and I I -.-I - I -1.-- -, --.I',-,- - —,I -. - I.; .. I -... - - l.. l,. I -,-.o-,.I- -,' !' - "I", 7.. r; _-; —, I 1, I,,.,11,' —, ,:.' I . .. -i:.. I " I ,, 1., .I,I.,. ':.' '..1.,,,; ',,,:I:,-I...-,--.,, , ';1 — ; -"", —1:., 1.: %, I.I,,..-,. " t I.-:,..; III...II-,.7,II.I..,II.,,,:,,,,.. -I; ,,,,. "',.. -.,I.I-III.I..I...,:... —;,, ., .. ,1, -,`- i`.I-.;., I III..i.w.1.l 1. -,.1 —f, - I.,.. , -, '.4 - -, - --,.....w. I,.,.....,. I I I, -., , ; ": `-"o:4.',':-' i, `. I:, ,.-.'..,' :',', — `,. I. I,,.I ., - - - -, I;..,,.- ",.:-i,,,.-"` ---. I I- ... II.. -,, - -!,. '-' 1:1,, :1. I,?Y,, -..:,, " ,-., '. I:, -., I -. I; '. '.-:i` I.,,,-,:2. I1, I I I.. I.1. -. I.. 1, II. I .. 1. I I I. I II II11, -`,.. ---;-'j-, — e..:,-?- - -, -, , II I'. .I i, -,. -,." I.. a,.I.,.,;.;,..1, I I I., . I I. g.: I,..1.- - I ,". .. I..,..,,,. II, 1. I II I ", ,'. ",.! " I II.II.IIiII.I, ;." - 1. I..II1, ', 'I - I"-, I,' II11 I ; .:, -..,, - I-,,.,, II.I. I.i ---,, IIIII-,,-. - .II;:;,....:-l ".I.;,r L 1,.w i,.:, - I., I,. - I.I..,, ,.,, : - -.. I. I IIr,. ,.,. I.,,. —.., 11 mI I : ", -, I!:.- - i-r,: I I..I.. 11,;, - - - 1,,.;I1". - 'A;. I, I I I I - - - - - - - - 7- ., I.,,11,. -,. -.. I I I, I,..I,'.:,-. I. -,....-I ;.., 'I, I, I I.I -,,,-, I I Ik.. - I . I - -..,I.,,,,-:! - I-, I I.1,I I o ,,.. I I. I.. , -, II ,::.,,,, , I I, I z -1,, - " I. i,:,.,,. I - '. I':I I I ..1 ",, I'. ". ".'. — kill,, -. I I -",Z -f I. t.1, 1:1.1 I 11. I, I I I aI -.,, - 1. I I I-,,. "..I'- " -,- I.. 1 t —,',.. I 11: , - I I. I j, J!.. -..., 1 - 1 -r , - I 'l Im 11 7,-, I I.., -: -, i I.- I 11 '..:, I.,,. I I I1. I., I I i, -, 'l , 7,, -, ",,, i 'l.",: 4 ,: ;,'. I I It", - l.. II11 I;-". —gl 5;! "- : -, 1l '. I -, I I. I , ;l -, l T; ", ,. - I, -, I * 'r-,-,.l 'k : - - ',: II:.- -,V, -; I 1, I I. I, - -1 I. I II., I,,:.,,,,,..-,,,.,,.";,I".. " - - 1 7 -. -,-,. - I, "i...I , , ,, ..1,;,..',., ., - ,,,. -, i.- .,:., A. f ,."", r !,. -,,, I 'Ili ,,., 4.;',,. 11. ". I,, r.. I I . 7 — 11, , 7 f - '.I '. i . III.I.II:,., I. r..I I.: ;,,, I,. -11 ` -,., m:,:., f. - I I I I Ill - 4 l,.. IL 1, I.I. -." ,!, I r -,.: 1. II -, -,- - -4 I...: ., I... I I I I I ., I l..., C. I. % I - 0. -. t-., I I I .. I. I., . I. -, , I; . 11 i I I..,., -,.I I,,-., -, 7 -,,;u I:A W, i,. I . I I - I - -...";,;;. -71I,... I,,e,,,,.... I.,. -III;...,:,-,.: .,".1 . I..,,, I 1, Ir. "I II,-,I,,I-p., #I 1 - .11 ". - I, I 'k, -1..iI4i %., " -I-". ", I 'i :,-..,-;.' %: I (, -,. -.,,.-:., 1. ZI.1, -, I.. I. I;I j, l ,,, I I11 1. m.4 t -11:, .:,:-%,`. -. . , - , I. I. ... I I.: -. i;l - 11 Em, I. I,i f. I I 5 i" I. -, -:, I '. ":. l Al rn I.1 I, , I. Z I; Z ,,. _, - -.II, — I.: I; I -#j. - i I -...,, ..,,.11 - I... ",.-.. I. I : I .., -I.. i"-''' - l. I , , - -: I .,,,,;.-;'.-. rl,,.,...1 1, - -.,';I-, " i' -, ,.,, . : -?-'!-,-,.", .:.I l - 3' I I,,,,,,, `,.""",, I!. ,;.. I. I -, -;. ,, ...:.I,, -,,-',,: ',;;!!, `-;` - l I f. I 1. I I I...., -., -, - - - -, -l" I,., I' ll, -, "' -,,.,, C;., -,,., - II I I - 1, - I'.,,.I I I THETFORD TOWNSHIP. 383 William L. to the town of Burton, in this county. Isaac died a few years later, in his new home, and the other two are now living in Shiawassee County, William having removed there at a later date. The next settler was Corydon E. Fay, who was for several years one of the town's most prominent citizens. He came from Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., and in the fall of 1837 settled on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 30 in Thetford. His house was about a quarter of a mile north of Vinton's. He was a young man when he first came West, and worked on a farm three miles north of Flint, for Benjamin Pearson, until he had saved up sufficient money to enable him to purchase this land. After purchasing his land he went to Toledo and lived a while before coming to settle on it. About this time he was married. He was a blacksmith by trade, and built a small log shop on the section corner, where he began working at his trade and taking pay for the work he did for his neighbors in clearing and breaking up his land. In this way he succeeded in getting about sixty acres of his land cleared and brought under cultivation. He was the first blacksmith in this town, and at the time the only one in the region, and the settlers came from great distances to get their blacksmithing done at his shop. In 1850 travel on Saginaw turnpike began to assume proportions that called for houses of entertainment for travelers along its course, and Mr. Fay built a large frame house and opened the first inn kept in the town. It was called the Fay House, and was well known and held in good repute by the travelers then thronging the roads leading to the pineries of Michigan. Mr. Fay continued to keep this hotel until the fall of 1855, when he traded it and his farm with William Green for his farm in the town of Bloomfield, Oakland Co., and removed to that place. He afterwards removed to and kept hotel in the village of Royal Oak, where he died some four or five years ago. Mr. Fay was a man of more than ordinary business ability, and might have risen to positions of trust and honor had it not been for his unfortunately being a victim to the habit of intemperance, which impaired his usefulness. As it was, he was one of the foremost citizens in conducting the business of the town, and held several town offices. During this same fall or the year following, Benoni Clapp, with a large family of boys, came from the town of Clarence, Erie Co., N. Y., and settled on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 34. Coming to this town with but a small store of worldly goods, he was indebted to the good-will of his neighbors in Genesee for a cow, which they generously presented him. By his untiring energy, industry, thrift, and good management he has succeeded in accumulating a handsome property, and in bringing up a family of children, who resemble him in point of energy and ability. He is emphatically one of the pioneers of the town, and well exemplifies the sturdy virtues of that class of our citizens who have developed this Western country. He has served many years as commissioner of highways, and has proved himself a very efficient officer. He is still living on his farm with his son, Benoni, Jr. Quartus W. Clapp, now a resident of the town of Forest, is a nephew of Benoni, and accompanied his uncle when he came to this town. He commenced for himself on section 24, about 1842-43. He married Miss Nancy Begel, daughter of Stephen Begel, of Forest. In May, 1837, Crawford Barkley married Sarah C. Haynes and settled on the east half of the southwest quarter of section 33. This first settlement in the State was in 1825, when he came with his parents from Montgomery, Orange Co., N. Y., and settled in Oakland County, near Pontiac. For a while just previous to coming here he worked on the Territorial road through the Bean Creek Valley, in Hillsdale County, in the south part of this State. A sketch of his life is given in the chapter of biography appended to this sketch. Charles M. Bouttell came here from Monroe Co., N. Y., among the earlier settlers, and located on section 19, where he built his first house, a few rods west of the quarter-post, on the east line of the section. His farm was one mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, lying on the east line of the section. His biography will be found elsewhere. His brother, Uzial Boutwell,* settled here at a later date, and is still a resident of the town. Richard Buell, about the years 1839-40, settled on section 23, on the east half of the northwest quarter, which land he purchased of Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins. He was at that time living with his second wife, and brought six sons and three daughters with him. His land was largely covered with pine timber, of which he cut and burned several acres, and commenced farming operations. The balance of the pine was cut and made into shingles by Jacob Smith & Co., who afterwards established a shingle-mill on section 14. Mr. Buell lived to a good old age, and died while still a resident of the town, four or five years ago. At about the same time of Buell's coming, Ezra H. Martin settled on section 14, north of Buell's. He moved from there to the Taylor farm, in the west part of the town, and afterwards to Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Thomas Aplin, at about the same time, made a settlement on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 18. He remained only a few years; then removed to Flint, where he continued to reside till the time of his death. Leonard Beckwith also settled, at this time, on the south. west fractional quarter of section 18. He lived here many years, and finally, about ten or twelve years ago, sold out and removed farther west, settling in Minnesota. William Rice came from Batavia, N. Y., at about the same time, and located on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 18. He removed to Flint some years later, and died there three or four years ago. William W. Boughton also came, about this time, and settled on the farm, on section 29, which is now occupied by his sons, W. 0. and G. A. Boughton. He died in this town some ten or twelve years since. Reuben J. Dye was another of these settlers. His farm was on section 25, and consisted of the west half of the northwest quarter of that section. He sold out in 1843 to Paschal Richardson, and moved to the town of Flint, where he died three or four years ago. Nahum N. Wilson, who is the oldest resident settler of ~ Spelled also Bouttell. 384 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - ~ ~~~ _ - ---- the town, and has always been among its most prominent citizens, purchased 80 acres of land on section 25, in the early fall of 1838. He did not, however, live upon his place until about five years later. Previous to this time he had been engaged in a store near Flint, where considerable trading was done with the Indians. While engaged in this business he was adopted by the Copneconnick tribe, and given the name of Winnebidagayis, signifying " the rising sun." From that place Mr. Wilson moved on to the Judge Hotchkiss farm, in Vienna, and worked it till he moved on to his own place in this town, in 1843. In July, 1840, he made the first improvement on his farm. Assisted by Humphrey McLean, Leonard Beckwith, and John Bartlett, he chopped ten acres in a week's time. This was logged and burned the following April, and a crop of corn raised on it that yielded 300 bushels. On this farm Mr. Wilson has since resided, and has now one of the finest and pleasantest places in the vicinity. In his biography a more detailed story of his life will be found. While living in Vienna, Mr. Wilson came from that place with Richard Andrews for the purpose of hoeing his corn, in which the weeds were getting too good a start to suit him. It was a hot Friday morning in July, and they expected to be able to finish the work in two days, and get back home on Saturday night. They worked along through the day until about four o'clock in the afternoon, when clouds began to form in the sky and the weather grew threatening. As is usually the case just before a storm at that season, the air grew muggy and the heat very oppressive. The swarms of flies, gnats, and musquitoes also'became very savage in their attacks, and at last forced the men to retire from the field. Leaving Andrews at the rude shanty which afforded them shelter to cook some supper, Mr. Wilson took his gun and, followed by his dog, went out into the woods to try to get a shot at a deer. Before going far he saw a deer, shot at it, and succeeded in wounding it, but not severely enough to prevent its flight, followed by the dog. While Mr. Wilson was reloading he lheard a sharp crackling in the bushes behind him, and turning about saw a large bear which was passing some six or eight rods distant, and which seemed not to have discovered his presence. He made a noise to attract the bear's attention and hurriedly finished reloading. The bear stopped to investigate the cause of the mysterious noise, but, having halted behind a tall oak-stub, did not offer a good shot. His hips were, however, exposed, and after waiting a little without having any better chance for a shot, Mr. Wilson aimed at this exposed portion of the bear's body and fired. Bruin fell to the ground and made the woods resound with his cries of rage and pain, but while Mr. Wilson was reloading began a retreat into the forest. Thinking him badly wounded, and expecting to soon overtake and finish him, Mr. Wilson pressed on in pursuit. The chase proved a long one, and after following the bear till dark and getting two more shots at him he finally lost him just at dark in a large swamp. With the fall of night the storm broke and torrents of water came pouring down through the trees. After a few vain attempts to start a fire Mr. Wilson sheltered himself beneath the leaning trunk of a huge oak, and there spent the night, relieving the tedious hours by walking back and forth between that and another tree, between which the underbrush was less dense than on either side. In this manner he passed the night. With the first light of dawn he began his search for landmarks to determine his whereabouts, and shortly found that he was near the northeast corner of the town of Forest. By aid of his pocket-compass he took his bearings, and fixing upon a course a little west of southwest began retracing his steps towards his clearing, which he reached about seven o'clock. He found Andrews and Reuben J. Dye (his nearest neighbor) just ready to start out in search of him. The dog had returned to the cabin in the night covered with blood from the deer, which he had caught and partially eaten, and they thought Mr. Wilson had encountered and been killed by some ferocious beast of prey. Franklin E. Dodge and Daniel F. Bennett, in 1845, Napoleon B. Fay, in 1846, and Amasa Carrier, in 1852, were among the most prominent of the later settlers. Biographies of some of them accompany this work. The heavy growth of excellent pine timber that clothed the surface of a large portion of the town afforded a lucrative business in preparing it for market, and necessitated the erection of a number of mills for the performance of that work. The first of these mills was the one built about 1846, by Gordon & Cook, on Butternut Creek, on section 36. It was a water-mill, the creek at that point furnishing sufficient fall to make it a desirable mill-seat. Some six years later, Richard Buell and his son Jay built a steam saw-mill, the first in the town, about eighty rods north of the southeast corner of section 14. Three or four years later, Root, Anderson & Co. built a mill on section 13, nearly opposite the Buell mill. A. N. Baird owned a mill which stood about a mile north of the centre of the town, and Capt. J. T. Baird owned another, still farther north, on section 3. There were two other mills devoted to the making of shingles, the one farthest north owned by Delos I. Johnson, the other by Jacob Smith & Bro. The business of lumlbering in Thctford is now among the things that were, the pine lumber being nearly all used up, and what little remains is being worked into shingles by the mills now running in the town. The mill built by Root, Anderson & Co. was afterwards owned by Eben B. Parker, and was twice burned, and then, after being changed to a shingle-mill, was burned a third time. Mr. Parker then purchased the Buell mill, and shortly after that too was destroyed by fire. This was rebuilt as a shingle-mill, and is still in use. The Gordon & Cook mill was sold to Argalus S. Matthews about 1848, by him to Clark White, and by him to Henry Hollister. Since 1862 it has run down and the machinery has been removed. The first and only grist-mill in Thetford was built at Whitesburg, in 1852-53, by Isaac O. Rogers. It was a water-mill and had two runs of stones. The water-power was supplemented by steam-power some three years ago, and the mill-now owned by Dodge & Schroeder-is doing a very good business. As before mentioned, the first crop of wheat was raised by Grovener Vinton and was harvested in the summer of 1836. The first wheat sown in the east part of the town was put in by Reuben J. Dye. He had a four-acre lot pre --ilr:r~~ ~;~,-i~' " ~i:;:'~':~~ ~-.:c,*rYnr:-..i-i.:.~ ~~ - ~, RESI DNCE OF D.F BENNET, 1HETFORD, MICHIGAN. *r: D TIIETFORD TOWNSHIP. 385 pared, and went to Vienna for his seed. lie procured of N. N. Wilson sufficient seed of the best quality of red chaff bald wheat,-a variety which Mr. Wilson thinks identical with the present widely-known and highly-valued " Clanson" wheat,-and sowed his ground. The wheat grew nicely and the next spring gave promise of an excellent crop. Just as it had begun to head nicely a heavy rain came on, followed by a nipping frost that cut the wheat to the ground. In a few days a new growth sprang from the roots, and grew so strong and thrifty that Mr. Dye congratulated himself upon it and told his neighbors lie would have a fine piece of wheat yet, in spite of the unseasonable cold. But as its growth was nearly finished, and he examined it more closely to find the incipient heads, he made the exasperating discovery that his wheat was nothing but chess, and went at work to cut and cure it for fodder. Among the earliest. births in Thetford was that of John N. Wilson, a son of N. N. Wilson, who was born on the 19th of November, 1843. He grew to manhood in this town, and received his education in the common schools. He became a member of the Disciples, or Campbellite Church, and was finally ordained as a preacher of that denomination, and is now preaching in Rupert, Bennington Co., Vt. The first job of blacksmithing done in Thetford was performed by Corydon E. Fay, and consisted of making a plow-clevis out of the poles of two old axes. The clevis was made for Grovener Vinton, and was used by him for many years. It is not definitely known who was the first person that died in this town. Among the earliest were those of Phoebe Clapp, a niece of Benoni Clapp, Mrs. Benoni Clapp, and Mr. Martin, father of Ezra H. Martin. All of these were buried in the Upton burying-ground in the town of Genesee. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWN was brought about in accordance with the wishes of its citizens during the meeting of the State Legislature in the winter of 1841-42. By that act the tract of land known in the records of the United States survey as township 9 north, of range 7 east, was erected into a separate town under the name of Thetford, and the first town-meeting was appointed to be held at the school-house near Corydon E. Fay's. The name was taken fiom the town of Thetford, in Orange Co., Vt., and was selected by Nahum N. Wilson. The territory thus made a town lies on the north line of the county, in the second range of townships from the eastern boundary. It is bounded north by Arbela, a town of Tuscola County, east by Forest, south by Genesee, and west by Vienna, towns of this county. Its surface is lightly rolling. Tile south half of the town was originally heavily timbered with a variety of hard-wood trees, and its soil is composed of a rich clay loam very evenly distributed, easily worked, and very fertile. The north half of the town was covered with fine timber, generally of excellent quality and large size, interspersed with other kinds of forest trees. The soil in this part is lighter, composed mostly of sandy loam, but is still valuable for agricultural purposes. Underlying the surface soil in the southwest part of the town is a soft, blue clay of a putty-like consistency, which also 49 probably extends throughout the town, though perhaps at a greater depth below the surface. The only bodies of water in the town are Buell and Little Lakes in the northern part. The largest part of these is the first named, which covers an area of about 100 acres. Its length is about one mile from east to west, and its average width is fiom forty to fifty rods. It is irregular in form, surrounded by pine ridges and knolls, is quite deep, and has a generally muddy bottom. This lake lies partially in each of three sections, 2, 3, and 11. Little Lake lies south from Buell Lake, and is wholly in section 11. It covers but a few acres, and in general character resembles the other one. Both tlese lakes empty their waters through "Perry Creek," which flows northward, and finally empties into the Cass River. The other streams of the town are Butternut Creek, which crosses section 36 in a southwesterly direction, and Clapp's Creek, which rises near the centre of the town, flows southeast, and empties into Butternut Creek. Taken as a whole, the town ranks well as to the productiveness and value of its land with other towns in the county, and the south part is, especially, a fine farming country. The following statistics, taken from the report of the census of 1874, show what its productions for 1873 were: wheat, 21,759 bushels; corn, 18,272 bushels; other grain, 32,499 bushels; potatoes, 11,657 bushels; hay cut, 1591 tons; wool sheared, 7182 pounds; pork raised, 32,297 pounds; cheese made, 600 pounds; butter made, 40,330 pounds; fruit dried, 2172 pounds; cider made, 86 barrels; maple-sugar made, 3345 pounds. The amount of live stock kept that year was as follows: horses, 380; mules, 2; working-oxen, 115; milchcows, 464; other neat-cattle, 501; swine, 454; sheep, 1081. It contains a total area of 21,383.82 acres, according to the figures of the United States survey, of which 471 acres were designated as swamp lands. The census reports 19,877 acres of taxable land and 6710 acres of improved land; also that this was divided into 220 farms, averaging 75 -6 acres each. There were 252 acres of orchard, which produced, in 1872, 7622 bushels of apples. In 1850 the population of the town was only 303; in 1860 it had risen to 934, and in 1870 to 1260, divided as 1058 native born, 202 foreign born, and 3 colored. The census of 1874 reports a population of 1184, a loss of 76 in four years, and classifies them as single, 662; married, 489; widowed and divorced, 33; males under five years, 95; from five to ten years, 66; from ten to twenty-one years, 157; from twenty-one to forty-five years, 204; from forty-five to seventy-five years, 112; from seventy-five to ninety years, 8; females under five years, 73; from five to ten years, 69; from ten to eighteen years, 102; from eighteen to forty years, 194; from forty to seventy-five years, 101; from seventy-five to ninety years, 3. Pursuant to the provisions of the act erecting the town, the first annual town-meeting was held at the Fay school house on the first Monday in April following the passage of the act. The following account of the proceedings is taken from the town clerk's record: 386 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. "At the first annual township-meeting held in the township of Thetford, this fourth day of April, 1842, Isaac Van Tuyl was chosen chairman of said meeting, and Richard Buell, Albert Castle, Grovener Vinton, and Corydon E. Fay inspectors. Said board of inspectors appointed C. E. Fay as clerk. Said board being duly sworn by Isaac Van Tuyl, Esq., the inhabitants present proceeded to vote for the following officers." Then follows a list of the officers to be chosen, and a statement of the number of votes east for each candidate for the several offices. From this we learn that there were 23 votes cast. Isaac Van Tuyl, the Whig candidate for supervisor, received 18 votes, and Benoni Clapp, his Democratic competitor, received 5. Corydon E. Fay, for the office of town clerk received 22 votes, showing conclusively that he had scruples against voting for himself. The rest of the officers received about the same vote as did Van Tuyl for supervisor. The record then continues: " It was also resolved that the southwest quarter of said town shall constitute road district No. 1, and that the northwest quarter of said town shall constitute road district No. 2, and the east half of said town shall constitute road district No. 3. "Also voted, that all town officers shall receive one dollar per day, for every day actually spent in town business. Also voted, to raise the sum of $125 for contingent expenses the current year. Also voted, to raise the sum of $38 for the support of schools. Also voted, that the next annual township-meeting shall be held at the school-house near C. E. Fay's. Also voted $10 for books for the town clerk." The justices of the peace then drew lots to determine their respective terms of service, and then the meeting adjourned. The following list contains the names of all the town officers from 1842 to 1879, inclusive: CIVIL LIST OF THETFORD. SUPERVISORS. TOWN CLERKS. 1842. Corydon E. Fay. 1843-44. Nahum N. Wilson. 1845. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1846. Nahum N. Wilson. 1847. William L. Van Tuyl. 1848. Nahum N. Wilson. 1849. William L. Van Tuyl. 1850. Daniel F. Bennett. 1851. Nahum M. Wilson. 1852. John Taylor, Jr. 1853. Nahum N. Wilson. 1854-55. N. S. Johnson. 1856. Delos I. Johnson.t Daniel F. Bennett.T 1857-60. David Long. 1861-64. Samuel Graham. 1865-66. Jacob W. White. 1867. John Walter.. 1867-69. David Long.|l 1870. Nahum N. Wilson. 1871-73. Rodney Lyman. 1874. John N. Wilson.~ 1874-78. William H. Long.-, 1879. William E. Price. TREASURERS. 1842-43. Simeon Simmons. 1844. Grovener Vinton.tt 1844-45. Simeon Simmons.t+ 1846-48. Franklin E. Dodge. 1849-50. Joseph S. Bartholomew. 1851. William II. Randall.. Richard Sutton iii 1852. Samuel Graham. 1853. Henry Morrow. 1854-5C5. Sherman Moulthrop. 1856. Charles Scott. 1857. 1orace IL. Ramsdell. 1858. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1859-63. Charles Scott. 1864. Napoleon B. Fay. 1865-68. William S. Johnson. 1869-70. Jacob W. White. 1871-74. Sherman Moulthrop. 1875-78. James W. Averill. 1879. Thomas D. Fletcher. JUSTICES OF TIE PEACE. 1842. Isaac Van Tuyl (1 year). Richard Buell (2 years). William Rice (3 years). Ezra H. Martin (4 years). 1843. Isaac Van Tuyl. 1844. John W. Johnson (f.t.).~~ Elias Randall (v.).,:": 1845. Benoni Clapp (f t.). John W. Johnson (v.). 1846. Richard Buell. 1847. Corydon E. Fay. 1848. Judah Butler. 1849. Henry Merrow. 1850. Nahum N. Wilson. 1851. Corydon E. Fay. 1852. Daniel F. Bennett. 1853. Jose M. Riddle. 1854. Nahum N. Wilson (f. t.). Lebbeus D. Stanard (v.). 1855. Corydon E. Fay. 1856. Clark White (f. t.). Orlando Johnson (v.). 1857. David Case. 1858. Nahum N. Wilson (f. t.). William H. Randall (v.). 1859. R. P. Baker. 1860. Clark White (f. t.). 1860. Jacob W. White (v.). 1861. Abram Cudney (f. t.). Harrison Lewis (v.). 1862. Ezra Cleveland. 1863. Joseph B. Drudge (f. t.). Alonzo Dickinson (v.). 1864. David Long (f. t.). Harrison Lewis (v.). 1865. Clark White (f. t.). Daniel F. Bennett (v.). 1866. Isaac 0. Rogers (f. t.). Harrison Lewis (v.). 1867. David Case. 1868. Rodney Lyman. 1869. William H1. Randall. 1870. Daniel Morse. 1871. Clark White. 1872. Rodney Lyman (f. t.). 1872 —73. Thomas D. Fletcher (v. and f. t.). 1873-74. Daniel F. Bennett (v. and f. t.). 1875. Philander B. Taylor. 1876. Augustus Holden. 1877. William S. Coddington. 1878. Daniel F. Bennett. 1879. Theodore Johnson. 1842-43. Isaac Van Tuyl. 1844-45. Corydon E. Fay.; 1846-48. Daniel F. Bennett. 1849. Corydon E. Fay. 1850. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1851. Daniel F. Bennett. 1852. Jose M. Riddle. 1853. Daniel F. Bennett. 1854. Nahum N. Wilson. 1855-56. John Brabazon. 1857. Daniel F. Bennett. 1858-60. John Brabazon. 1861-64. Ithiel W. Wilber. 1865-66. David Case. 1867. Ithiel W. Wilber. 1868-69. Isaac O. Rogers. 1870. Daniel F. Bennett. 1871-78. Jacob W. White. 1879. Daniel F. Bennett. * At the election of 1844 a Mr. Paschal Richardson was elected supervisor, and also school inspector. Mr. Richardson moved into the town and State in the month of October previous, but not at as early a day in the month as that on which the election occurred in April. From this arose a question regarding his eligibility, and the following formal protest was recorded, following the record of the proceedings of the meeting, viz.: "Isaac Van Tuyl objects to election of Supervisor and School Inspector Mr. Paschal Richardson, for the reason that he (Richardson) has not been in the State long enough to vote. "ISAAC VAN TUYL, "Justice of the Peace." Soon after this Richardson removed to Flint, and on the 8th of May following, Van Tuyl, who had held over pending the decision of the question, resigned his claims to the office, and the town board met and appointed Corydon E. Fay to fill the office for the unexpired term. HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS. 1842. Benoni Clapp. Crawford Barkley. Thomas Aplin. 1843. Benoni Clapp. William Rice. Henry Merrow. 1844. Benoni Clapp. Crawford Barkley. Uzial Boutwell. 1845. Benoni Clapp. Milton Johnson. John W. Johnson. t Resigned May 22, 1856, because of poor health. t Appointed May 22,1856. ~ Removed from the town. II Appointed Sept. 9, 1867. ~ Resigned Oct. 7, 1874. *-* Appointed Oct. 7, 1874. tt Resigned. 1t Appointed. {# Resigned Dec. 5, 1851. 1111 Appointed Dec. 5, 1851. ~~ Full term. *-* Vacancy. a- ' i t:0:s0::::- l; f:0:f':fX ~:-::'0. ~'~; ": FR: ` RESIDENCE OF JACOB W. SHARICK, THETFORD, MICH. I~~a THETFORD TOWNSHIP. 387 _ 1846. Perry Kroll. Jose M. Riddle. Charles M. Bouttell. 1847. Perry Kroll (3 years). Jose M. Riddle* (2 years). Milton Johnson (1 year). Simeon Simmons.t 1848. Charles M. Bouttell. 1849. Benoni Clapp. 1850-51. Franklin E. Dodge. M. Johnson (appointed). Charles M. Bouttell (f. t.). Luther Scott (v.). 1853. Benoni Clapp. 1854. Joseph S. Bartholomew. 1855. Edmund Jones. 1856. David Long (f. t.). Joseph B. Drudge (v.). 1857. William S. Johnson. 1858. Joseph B. Drudge. 1859. Samuel Graham. 1860. William S. Johnson. 1861. Henry Knickerbocker.t 1862. Alonzo Hurd. 1863. Reuben Johnsonl (f. t.). 1863. Alonzo IIurd (v.). David Long. l 1864. Uzial Boutwell (f. t.). Sanford Stafford (v.). 1865. Augustus Holden. 1866. William H. Long. 1867. henry Schrader. Joseph B. Drudge.~ 1868. Charles M. Bouttell (f. t.). Perry Kroll (v.). Wm. II Long (appointed). Nathan D. Barlow " 1869. William H. Long (f. t.). Charles E. Rockwell (v.). 1870. A. S. Munsell. 1871. Thomas D. Fletcher. 1872. William E. Price. 1873. Ziba E. Sanborn. 1874. Ezra S. Cleveland (f. t.). Perry Kroll (v.). 1875-76. Nahum N. Wilson. 1877. Stephen Griswold. 1878. William H. Underhill. 1879. Nathan F. Scott. OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 1842-43. Benoni Clapp. Grovener Vinton. 1844. Elias Randall (died). Benoni Clapp. Q. W. Clapp (app'd). 1845. Paschal Richardson. Uzial Boutwell. 1846-47. Henry Knickerbocker. 1846. David Newbegin. 1847. Simeon Simmons. 1848. Asa Parker. 1848-50. Charles M. Bouttell. 1849. Henry Knickerbocker. 1850. Walter Knickerbocker. 1851. No record. 1852. Orson C. Jacols. Isaac Moulthrop. 1853. Simeon Simmons. 1853. Henry Knickerbocker. 1854. David Long. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1855. Delos I. Johnson. Richard Buell. 1856. William H. Butler.llll Henry Knickerbocker. W. W. Boughton (app'd). 1857. Henry Drudge. ill Arminius Butler.llll Perry Kroll (app'd). C. Y. Capron (app'd). 1858. Moses Hayden.llll Jonah Johnson.11t D. F. Bennett (app'd). Jacob Shafer (app'd). 1859. Henry Drudge. Jacob Shafer. ASSESSORS. 1842. Albert Castle. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1843. Quartus W. Clapp. Grovener Vinton. SCHOOL IN 1842. Richard Buell. Isaac Van Tuyl. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1843. Isaac Van Tuyl. 1844. Paschal Richardson. 1845. Isaac Van Tuyl. 1846. John Taylor, Jr. 1847. Nelson S. Van Tuyl. 1848. John Brabazon.'-' Daniel F. Bennett.tt 1849. Elizur AndrewsTT (f. t.). Daniel F. Bennett (v.). Jay Buell.tt 1850. Nahum N. Wilson (f. t.). 1850-51. William L. Van Tuyl (v. and f. t.). 1851. Daniel F. Bennett.tt 1852. Richard Buell. 1853. John Brabazon. 1854. William L. Van Tuyl. 1855. Nahum N. Wilson (f. t.). Alfred N. Baird (v.). 1856. Bradford Goodell. 1857. Joseph B. Drudge.-'* John Taylor.tt 1858. Daniel F. Bennett (f. t.). John Taylor (v.). 1859. Christian Rhoades. 1844-45. Quartus W. Clapp. Ezra 11. Martin. 1846. Quartus W. Clapp. Uzial Boutwell. ISPECTORS. 1860. Jacob W. White. 1861. Aaron Pearce. 1862. William 11. Long (f. t.). 1862-63. J. Brabazon (v. and f. t.). 1864. William H. Long (f. t.). Augustus Iolden (v.). Harrison Lewis.tt 1865. John Walter. 1866. C. PenoyertI (f. t.). Newton A. Lord (v.). 1867. George Aplin. Daniel F. Bennett.Q 1868. Christian Rhoades. 1869. Jacob W. White. 1870. William H. Randall. 1871. James II. Jones. 1872. Harrison Lewis. 1873. James H. Jones.4t Henry Lewis.t Charles E. Rockwell.tt Ziba E. Sanborn.tt 1874. Philander B. Taylor (f. t.). 1874-75. Jacob W. White (v. and f. t.). 1875. Daniel T. Bennett.tt 1876. Abram H. Coddington. 1877. James H. Jones. 1878-79. George Pierce. DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1871-72. David Long. 1873-74. Clark White. 1875. David Long. 1876. Charles Ogdcn. 1876. Nahum N. Wilson.~~ 1877. Philander B. Taylor (res.). 1878. Wm. O. Boughton (app'd). 1879. Nathan F. Scott. CONSTABLES. William W. Boughton, 1842-44, '47; Quartus W. Clapp, 1842, '44 -47; Uzial Boutwell, 1842, '48-49, '51, '53, '56; Samuel Aplin, 1843, '44; Joseph S. Bartholomew, 1845; David Newbegin, 1846; William II. Randall, 1847, '56-57; William II. Butler, 1848, '63 -65, '74-75; William P. Patterson, 1849-53; Sherman Moulthrop, 1850; Myron C. Butler, 1851; Charles Scott, 1852; Silas II. Payne, 1853; Carlos P. Wilson, Isaac Moulthrop, 1854; Andrew C. Beckwith, 1854-55; Judah Butler, 1854, '56, '60; J. B. Kendall, Joseph Bidwell, 1855; John Rhoades, 1855-56, '66; J. L. Russell, Nathaniel McComb, Asa White, 1856; Horace Buell, 1856, '58-60; Daniel Morse, 1857, '65; Randolph W. Willis, 1857-58, '65; Peter P. Angle, 1857; Jacob Anderson, C. A. Bell, 1858; William 0. Boughton, 1859; Joseph B. Drudge, 1859-62; Casey Potter, 1859-63; Luther Scott, 1860, '64; Leonard 0. Johnson, 1861-62; Orson C. Chapel, r861; Elias Randall, 1862; Ezra S. Cleveland, 1863; Henry Drudge, 1863-64, '68-72, '77; Philo Dewey, 1864; Dennis Gilbert, 1865; Edmund D. Hurd, B. Long, Sherman Scott, 1866; Christian Rhoades, Parker Scott, 1867; Clarence L. Case, 1867, '69-70; William II. Long, 1867, '69; Ephraim Back, Eber Woolfit, Andrew Burch, 1868; Levi Darling, 1869-70; William Mead, 1870; John N. Wilson, 1870 -71; Andrew Cole, 1871; Samuel C. Fuller, 1871-72; Shannon W. Scott, 1871-72, '74, '77-79; John Tryon, 1872; Stephen Stonehouse, 1872-75; Henry Cimmerer, William M. Ellis, Jacob Jobson, Horace Scott, 1873; Daniel C. Crandall, James Fuller, 1874; Charles S. Griswold, Enos A. Lauer, 1875; George Buell, William E. Price, Albert Holden, 1876; Franklin Bennett, 1876, '78; Jacob Rhoades, 1877; William H. Fairman, 1877-79; Nelson Dake, 1878; Myron L. Swartz, Frederick J. Wilber, 1879. At the meeting in the spring of 1844, Thomas Aplin was elected as the first pound-master, and cattle, sheep, and swine were made free commoners. In 1850 this town was represented in the October meeting of the board of supervisors by Corydon E. Fay, who had been appointed as supervisor pro tern. during the absence of the regular official. For a number of years after its organization the town' was controlled by the Democrats, who had quite a large majority, though occasionally some popular Whig candiIIl Did not qualify. ~ Appointed May 8, 1876. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. 18 Philander B. Taylor. 1875-76. Philander B. Taylor. 1877. Abram H. Coddington. 1879. Abram H. Coddington. * Removed from the town in 1847. t Appointed vice Riddle. t Removed from the town in 1863. Q Resigned 1863. Appointed vice Knickerbocker. ~ Elected Dec. 9, 1867, vice Long. Did not qualify. tt Appointed. H Resigned. ## Appointed Sept. 9, 1867, vice Penoyer. 388 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. date was elected to office. Upon the organization of the Republican party, in 1854, and the disruption of the Democrats by the bolting of the Free-Soil faction, the Democracy immediately sank into a minority, and the Republicans carried the day with scarcely a single exception from 1855 to 1879, when, at the spring election, the National or Greenback ticket was chosen by a small majority. The first record of a general election now found in the clerk's office is that of 1852, when the vote for the office of governor was divided as follows: Robert McClelland, Regular Democrat, received 40 votes; Isaac P. Christiancy, FreeSoil Democrat, received 28 votes; Zachariah Chandler, Whig, received 15 votes. On the electoral ticket the vote was: Democratic, 39, Free-Soil, 28, Whig, 19. In the election of 1862 the comparative strength of the parties was: Republican, 96, Democrat, 58. April 6, 1868, the vote of the town on the several constitutional amendments proposed was as follows: for the constitution, 76; against it, 99. For prohibition, 75; against it, 86. For biennial sessions of the Legislature, 143; for annual sessions, 13. For the proposed loan, 1; against it, 171. The'first town meetings and elections were generally held at school-houses in different parts of the town until the hotel was built at the centre, when they were held there. In 1869 it was thoulght advisable to set about the work of building a town-house, and a resolution was passed at the town-meeting, April 5th, authorizing the purchase of the school-house at the centre and its removal to the site already secured for use as a town-house. For some reason the purclase was not concluded, and the matter rested until April 5, 1875, when a tax of $500 was authorized by a vote of 111 for to 42 against, for the purpose of building a suitable house. In 1876 another step was taken by the appointment of Philander B. Taylor, Nahum N. Wilson, Sherman Moulthrop, Daniel F. Bcnnett, and Ithiel W. Wilbur as a building committee. They were authorized to choose a plan, let the contract, and expend a sum of $800, if necessary, in the erection of a suitable building. It was also ordered that the house be finished in time to be used at the general election of November, 1876. It was completed within the time specified, and at a total cost of $569. It is a neat and convenient building, well calculated for its intended use, and stands a few rods south of the centre of the town. The first symptoms of village growth in this town made themselves manifest about the time that Corydon E. Fay built his tavern on the Saginaw road. Several other buildings were erected there about that time, and quite a settlement sprang into being there. In addition to the Fay House, there were three stores kept by George Waist & Bro., Samuel Seamans, and Alanson Dickinson; a schoolhouse, a blacksmith-shop, a wagon-shop, and about half a dozen dwellings. Its village life was a short one of only four or five years, when it began to decline, and soon ceased to be of any importance. The Fay House was sold to William Green in 1855, and was kept by him until the time of his death, some ten or twelve years ago, when it was discontinued as an inn. It is now occupied as a dwelling by his widow and son..-.. -—:- --— ~~ --- —--- - ----- ~ ----c ~ At Thetford Centre, altllouh no village grew up, a hotel -which did a flourisling business for a number of years while the work of lunbering was being vigorously pursued in this region-was built there by Mrs. Moulthrop and her son Albert about twenty years ago. Albert enlisted in the Union army, and never returned, though his fate has ever remained an uncertainty. Tlie hotel was continued by the mother, and became widely known as " Granny's Tavern," a name which it still retains, though it has not been kept as a tavern for nearly a half-score of years. While the Buell and Root mills were running, a little settlement arew up in their neighborhood at the four corners of sections 13, 14, 23, and 24. It contained a store kept by Rodney Lymlan, who is still in business there, and is the present postmaster. Another store was built by W. W. Allen in 1878. At present the village contains about a dozen dwellings, a shingle-mill, two stores, a school-house, and a blacksmith-shop. The real name of the settlement is East Thetford, which is the name of the post-office, but the name by which it is most commonly and generally known is ' Henpeck." It is said to have been given at an early day on account of the scolding propensities of some of the matrons of the homes at that pilace. It also once rejoiced in the appellation of " Dog-Town," because of the innumerable throng of canines that infested the region. Near the centre of section 36 is the village of Whitesburg, the principal settlement of the town. Its existence dates from the building of the Gordon & Cook saw-mill in 1846. At that date the only buildings in that vicinity were the farm-houses of Daniel Morse, Rufus Reik, and William Smith. The mill emnployed some eight or ten men, and these generally put up rude houses or shanties in which to live. Other buildings were erected fiom time to time, and a better class of dwellings replaced the first ones, until at present the village contains a grist-mill, blacksmith-shop, wagon-shop, a store, a school-house, and fifteen or twenty dwellings. The saw-mill and grist-mill have been heretofore described, and we will briefly mention the other business enterprises entered upon here. The first blacksmith-shop was built by Daniel Morse. It was the second one in the town, and in it Mr. Morse worked at his trade for many years, until the time of his death, some five or six years ago. The first store was built by Abram Cudney in 1858-59, and was kept by him until the draft occurred, four or five years after, when he was lucky enough to be chosen to represent the town in the Union army, but, being reluctant to go there, chose rather to cross the frontier into Canada, where he remained until the Amnesty bill was passed by Congress, when he returned to this county and settled in the town of Flint. He was quite a ' fiddler," and fitted up a hall over his store where dancing-parties were frequently held. By combining this fascinating pastime with the business of selling groceries and liquors he drove a very prosperous business. The building he erected is still in use for mercantile purposes. A village-plat, containing eight or ten acres, was surveyed and recorded by Carlos P. Wilson, a few years ago, and was named Whitesburg in honor of Clark White, one 1, i,... - i_ 11%.....: r 1 ~~~1. -i..: i'.I ~::L~; r'. ....I ~.;;. w~ -; ~.jl: ~-~.~:.:: -~rl-.f-C; ,."*-"::1::::::.il1: r I ~. ..t~ Lit cS.3.c... ~, II.....~ RESIDENCE or J. G. GEIGER THETFORD, MICHIGAN. I TIHETFORD TOWNSHIP. 389 of the most prominent men in the settlement. The opening of the Flint River Railroad, in 1872, and the establishing of a station at Rogcrsville, tended to check the growth of the village, and transferred considerable of its business to the new one at the station. The first post-office in Thetford was established at Fayville, about the year 1842, with Corydon E. Fay in the role of postmaster. It was called Thetford, and was kept in Fay's log house. At the time the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad was built this office was removed to Mount Morris. The second post-office was established in 1855-56. It was called East Thetford, and was located at the residence of N. N. Wilson, who was the postmaster. This office was on a route running from Pine Run to Lapeer. About the time the first office was removed to Mount Morris, this office was removed to, and its name changed to, Thetford Centre, and Sherman Moulthrop was commissioned as postmaster. The mail was then brought from Clio. In 1872 the office was removed to Henpeck, rechristened as East Thetford, and Rodney Lyman made postmaster. In 1861, or about that time, a third post-office was established, which was located at, and bore the name of, Whitesburg. Alanson Dickinson was appointed as postmaster, and served until, in 1872, the office was removed to Rogersville. At present the East Thetford post-office, Rodney Lyman, postmaster, is the only one in the town. The first physician who practiced his profession while residing in this town was Dr. Warren A. Mesick, who established himself at Whitesburg in 1856-57, purchased forty acres of land, and succeeded in working up quite an extensive practice. His nearest professional rivals were at Pine Run and Flint. After two or three years had elapsed he removed to Wisconsin, and, in 1878, once more returned to this State and located at Pine Run, where he is now living. Drs. W. Goodell and Charles Spencer also engaged in the practice of medicine in this town for brief periods of time. At present the only physician in town is Dr. Abram II. Coddington, who resides in the west part of the town. The first school-house in Thetford was the Fay schoolhouse, which was built on the northwest corner of section 31 in 1838. It was a frame building, size 20 by 24 feet, and was built by Isaac and Nelson S. Van Tuyl. At that time there were only two settlements in what are now the towns of Montrose, Vienna, and Thetford, which then was known as the town of Vienna. These were Pine Run and Fayville, and there was considerable strife between them regarding the location of a school-house, of which they began to feel the necessity, and which they thought they would be able to build and to sustain, by reason of the taxes on the land, which was nearly all taken up, but was mostly non-resident. At last it was decided to build two school-houses, and the town was accordingly divided into two districts. The first or northern district consisted of a four-mile strip running across the three townships, and the second or southern district, containing the remaining two-mile strip. In this southern district the Fay schoolhouse was built. The first teacher in Thetford, Miss Calista Hurd, of Pine Run, taught a school in this house during the summer of 1838. From time to time, as the growth of the town made necessary, new districts were formed. The second was in the Boutwell neighborhood, and the third in the Wilson neighborhood, in the east part of the town. In this last-named district Mark D. Seelcy taught the first school, and Mary Hurd and T. T. Slafter were other early teachers there. Mr. Grovener Vinton thinks that the first school taught in the town was kept in a private log house by Josiah W. Begole, but this is not positively known to be the case. At the present time there are ten whole districts and one fractional district in the town. All the school-houses are frame buildings, and aggregate a value of $6300. The town paid out for school purposes during the year ending September, 1878, the sum of $2270.49. The first settlers in the town had a serious task before them in opening up roads through the dense forest, and it was quite a long time after the first one came before there was much more than a bridle-path from one clearing to another. Tie Saginaw road along the west line of the town for a little more than a mile north of the southwest corner was the first road opened, and this was followed at different times by a road running three miles east from the Saginaw road on the south line of the town to Crawford Barkley's, another leading from Pine Run past Boutwell's to the centre, and another leading to the east line of the town in tire Wilson neighborhood, where it joined the road through Forest to Otisville. These were all opened previous to 1840. During the four years following that dark hour in our country's history when the dark cloud of rebellion, which had so long been lowering along the horizon, suddenly swept up the political heavens and darted its fiery forked lightnings at the little band of devoted heroes who in Fort Sumter upheld their country's flag and maintained the national honor, this town never faltered in its earnest, energetic efforts to sustain the strength of the government and to stamp out the treason that had reared its hydra-head against it. Though fourteen years have rolled their weary lengths around since the close of that fearful struggle, the memory of those days is yet fresh in all our hearts, and it is not necessary to call special attention to the brave deeds and noble self-sacrifices of the boys in blue, so many of whom shed their life-blood for their country, and laid down to die on the blood-stained fields of battle, in the white wards of the hospital, under the canvas coverings of the field hospital, in the crowded dungeons of Libby and Belle Isle, or on the burning sands of the horrible prison-pens of Salisbury and Andersonville. These deeds shall live when the generations for whose benefit they were performed shall have gone to their graves, and their very memories have perished from the earth. They are immortal, and, so long as freedom, liberty, justice, and patriotism shall be cherished as principles of government and shall be dear to every lover of truth and the right, so long will they endure,-the brightest star in the firmament of this world's history. Suffice it to say that Thetford furnished its full quota of men, and was well represented in the field. There is but one cemetery in this town, and that is on section 21, about forty rods south from Thetford Centre. In 1850 the town purchased one acre of ground of Joseph S. Bartholomew, to be used for burial purposes, and subsequently another acre was added thereto. It is owned by 390 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. the town, and is cared for by a sexton, who is appointed annually for that purpose. it is pleasantly situated on a beautiful slope, and is capable of being made a very attractive groun d. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. There are three church organizations in this town, the Adventists, Evangelical Association, and Protestant Methodist, but only one which has erected a house of worship. The first one formed was THE CHURCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION IN THETFORD, which was organized by Rev. C. Deike, of Ohio, in the spring of 1866. There had been a class of this denonination in existence some four or five years later, but this had gone down on account of the removals of many of its members. During the winter of 1865-66, Rev. Mr. Deike had held a series of meetings at the houses of members of the denomination in this vicinity (the south part of the town), and having met with a considerable degree of success it was thought best to organize a church. For this purpose a meeting was held at the house of Charles Brady, and the organization was effected. The first members were George Geiger, Ettie Geiger, Matthew Pflentrer, Katharine Pflentrer, Mrs. Katharine Stengel, Charles A. Fent, Katharine Fent, Charles Brady, and Anna Brady. Matthew Pflentrer was chosen classleader and steward. The meetings were held regularly at private houses until the church was built. This occurred in the spring of 1872. At that time a site was donated by Matthew Pfientrer, consisting of one half-acre of ground in the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of section 27, and a building committee was appointed, composed of Rev. E. Weis, George Geiger, and Charles Brady. Under their supervision the work progressed rapidly, and the edifice was completed by the 1st of June. On the first Sunday of that month it was dedicated by Rev. William Jost, of Cleveland, Ohio, and a remainder of debt amounting to $200 was liquidated by subscriptions. The church is a frame building, 36 by 40 feet in dimensions, capable of seating 200 persons, and cost about $1200. At about the time of the completion of the building the society became incorporated under the general statutes, by the election of Charles Brady, Matthew Pflentrer, and Charles A. Flint as a board of trustees. This church is one appointment on the Flint circuit, and the same pastors who have served this church have also served the churches at Flint, Richfield, and Oredon. The names of these pastors in the regular order of their service are Revs. C. Deike, John W. Fox, E. Weis, C. A. Raehm, - Whitebread, John W. Hang, M. Speck, E. Weis, C. Ude, C. A. Raehm, C. Blumm, F. Lump, and J. K. Portius. Under the preaching of Mr. Blumm a revival was experienced, but otherwise the history of the church has been uneventful. The membership has fluctuated to some extent, and at present is 17. John G. Miller, class-leader, and John G. Miller, Charles Brady, and Matthew Pflentrer, trustees, are the present officers. The Sabbath-school connected with this church was first organized in 1868, with Mathew Pflentrer as superintendent, and a membership of 15 or 20 scholars. Mr. Pfientrer is still the superintendent, and the school now numbers about 30, including its officers and teachers. THE SEVENTII-DAY ADVENTISTS' CHURCH OF THETFORD CENTRE. This society grew out of a series of meetings held at Pine Run, by Elders John Corliss and E. B. Lane, in April, 1875, for the propagation of the doctrines of their peculiar sectarian belief. As a result of these meetings, a sufficient degree of interest was manifested to induce Elder R. J. Lawrence, in the winter of 1875-76, to deliver a course of lectures on the subject of the second coming of our Lord and Saviour, in the school-house at Thetford Centre. In the following summer he returned and organized a society with about 15 members. The organization was effected at a meeting held at the house of H. C. Sweet, and Ziba Sanborn was chosen elder. In 1877, C. Rhoades was chosen elder, and Ziba Sanborn clerk. In 1878, H. C. Sweet was chosen elder. The pastors of the church have been Revs. Kiig, E. B. Lane, J. O. Corliss, - Wellman, and D. II. Lawson. Meetings have been regularly held at the school-house every Sabbath down to the present time. The present membership is ten. In the spring of 1878 a Sabbath-school was started and run through the year, with Ziba Sanborn as superintendent. In the spring of 1879 it was formally organized, with a membership of about 25 scholars, and the following officers: Superintendent, Mrs. Joseph Weatherwax; Secretary and Librariarr, Mrs. Ann E. Moulthrop. A library, embracing books, pamphlets, tracts, and papers, belongs to the church, and is used for members of church and school. A METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH was formed at Thetford Centre about the year 1867, by Rev. Mr. Birdsall, with about 30 members. Henry Baker was the class-leader, and Randolph Willis was the steward. It had but.a brief existence of two years, and was then broken up. It belonged to Mount Morris circuit. A Sabbath-school was connected with it throughout its existence. In the spring of 1879 a union Sabbath-school was organized at the centre, with a membership of about 40, of which Ziba Sanborn is the superintendent. Of the Whitesburg Church we can only say that it is of the Protestant Methodist denomination, repeated inquiries failing to elicit any satisfactory information regarding it. B1OGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. CRAWFORD BARKLEY. The oldest pioneer now living in the town of Thetford, and the fifth settler in the township, is Deacon Crawford Barkley. He was born in the town of Montgomery, .,, I RESIDENCE OF CRAWFORD BARKLEY, THETFORD, MICH. I 1 I1 THETFORD TOWNSHIP. 391 Orange Co., N. Y., Nov. 17, 1813. His father, Josiah Barkley, owned a farm, which he sold in 1825, and then moved to Oakland Co., Mich., settling near what is now Pontiac, buying from the government six lots of land, part of which he still owns and occupies. Crawford, who was then thirteen years old, came with his father; and, like all sons of pioneers, was at once set to work helping to clear and improve the land. Arrived at his majority, he started out in life for himself; went in 1834 to Hillsdale County, and helped to build roads in the Bean Creek Valley. He assisted in building the first bridge across Bean Creek. With the means thus earned he, in 1836, bought of the government the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 21 in Thetford. In the same year he bought of the government the east half of the southwest quarter of section 23 in the same town, and at once commenced to improve the same. Mr. Barkley says he shall always remember his first night on his farm. His father and brother had brought him from the old home to the farm, and they had put up a shelter for the night; while cooking their supper the smell of meat attracted the wolves, who made the night hideous with their howling. The next spring he put up a log house, and the following spring brought a wife into the woods to cheer and make pleasant his new home. At that time there were no roads, and the nearest neighbor was a mile and a half away; yet they were happy, and even now look back to those days as the happiest of their lives. The deer and other game were plenty, often coming within shooting distance of their home. Mr. Barkley joined the church soon after he came to Michigan. Years have passed, and still Mr. Barkley and his wife, a hale and hearty couple of nearly " threescore-and-ten," live on the old homestead. Beautiful farms are now to be seen where they once saw only the forest; the howl of the wolf is no more to be heard, but the hum of improved farmmachinery instead, while beautiful homes, schools, and churches are to be seen on every side. And here they intend to pass the remainder of their days. They have been members of the Congregational Church nearly a half-century, and are known as sincere and devout Christians. In politics, Mr. Barkley is an ardent Republican, but has never sought office. He was married, May 10, 1837, to Miss Sarah C. Haynes, who was born in Orange Co., N. Y., Aug. 10, 1811. She was the daughter of Nathan and Jane Haynes. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Barkley five children,-Josiah N., born Jan. 25, 1839; Charles W., born Nov. 18, 1840; Robert Y., born Nov. 22, 1842; Frances J., born Nov. 1, 1844; and Antoinette, born Jan. 25, 1847, died Aug. 10, 1860. FREDERICK S. TAYLOR was born in Conneaut, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. His father, David Taylor, married a Miss Jerusha Seekels; both were born in Ashfield, Mass. The death of his parents left him an orphan when he was but seven years old. He and the other heirs were defrauded out of the inheritance left them by their father, and from that time he had to earn his own livelihood. This he did by working for farmers and at the blacksmith trade with his brother. IIe went to school winters and acquired a good common-school education, sufficient to qualify him for any ordinary business. In 1853 he came to Tuscola Co., Mich., and had sixteen dollars only as his cash capital. Ile at once went to work, doing whatever he could find to do. His motto was to work, and not lie idle, no matter how low the wages. Three years after his arrival he purchased a farm of sixty acres (all new), and paid "cash down" for it. This he improved as he had time, when not working for others. Nov. 2, 1861, Mr. Taylor enlisted in Company A, 14th Michigan Infantry, as a private, and served three years; he re-enlisted as a veteran in April, 1864, and served nine months longer, being promoted to sergeant. He took part in the battles of Stone River, siege of Corinth, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee River, Atlanta, Bentonville, and the skirmishes and marches of Sherman's campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to the sea. At the close of the war he took part in the grand review in Washington. He was mustered out July 18, 1865. During the war he bought sixty acres of land, making him a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. Sept. 9, 1866, he married Mrs. Jennctte Cook, daughter of Abijah and Minerva (Porter) Lee. After their marriage they went on to their farm, where they lived six years. They then sold, and bought the beautiful farm they now own and occupy in Thetford and Gcnesce townships. This farm contains ninety-three acres of land well improved, a view of which is given on another page of this history. There has been born to them one clild, Leon A., born Jan. 15, 1875. N. N. WILSON. Among the first settlers of Genesee County, few, if any, have done more for its advancement and improvement than Nahum N. Wilson. He was born Jan. 10, 1805, in Newport. N. H., where his parents resided until he was ten years old, when they moved to Norwich, Vt., where Mr. Wilson passed his youthful years. Until he was nineteen, he worked on his father's farm in the summer and went to school in the winter, making such good use of his opportunities that at that age he commenced to teach school. This he did for eight successive winters, part of the time in Vermont, the remainder in Lower Canada, where he had purchased one hundred and forty acres of land. This farm of wild land he partly cleared, and built upon it a house and barn. But, not liking his situation, he sold, and in 1834 emigrated to Genesee Co., Mich., which was then "the Far West." He settled in what was then called Thread Village (now the city of Flint), and worked at the carpenter's trade. Mr. Wilson helped build the first bridge across Flint River, and the first dry-goods store,known as the Elisha Beach store. He also helped to erect the Stage & Wright mill, which was the first on Flint River. In this mill Mr. Wilson fitted and hung the first saw ever run in the place, and sawed the first stock of boards turned out by the mill. In the spring of 1838 he moved into the town of Vienna, and worked on a farm for the ensuing year. After this he worked the Hotchkiss 392 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. farm in Vienna, either on shares or by paying the rent by chopping off and clearing land. With his first year's earnings he bought of the government the east half of the northwest quarter of section 25, in the town of Thetford, which he still owns. When the town of Thetford was christened, Mr. Wilson gave it its present name, after a town in Vermont. In the spring of 1843 he moved, with his wife and four children, into a small log shanty which he had built upon the twelve acres which he had previously cleared. Life on his own farm then commenced,-a life destined to be a laborious although an honorable one. In the fall of the same year he built a block-house on the site of his present commodious mansion. To the eighty acres first purchased he has added until he now owns six hundred and fifty acres of land, two hundred and fifty of which are finely improved. He has also given his sons over three hundred acres. In 1838, at the second town-meeting held in Vienna, he was elected supervisor, holding the office three years. After moving into Thetford he was elected town clerk, which position he held several years. This shows the esteem and confidence of his townsmen, as Thetford has always been strongly Republican and Mr. Wilson is a Democrat, his first vote having been cast for Andrew Jackson. He has been a justice of the peace for twelve years, and in that capacity, and as notary public, has done the most of the conveyancing for the country around him for many years. HIe was East Thetford's first postmaster, holding the office many years. In an early day Mr. Wilson did considerable surveying. He surveyed and subdivided a good share of the north half of the county. Mr. Wilson has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Phalle R. Slafter, who was born in Norwich, Vt., Jan. 1, 1806. They were married March 17, 1828, and their union was blessed with eight children, as follows: Mercy E., born July 26, 1830; Carlos P., born March 9, 1833; William H., born Aug. 8, 1839; Farwell A., born July 18, 1841; John N., born Nov. 19, 1843; Persis A. born March 1, 1846; Samuel J., born Sept. 3, 1849; and Nahum T., born Feb. 22, 1852. Mrs. Wilson died Aug. 13, 1863. Mr. Wilson remained a widower until Oct. 31, 1867, when he married Miss Mary Woodward, who was born in Hartford, Vt, July 12, 1819. He has ever been distinguished for his generosity and liberality towards those less fortunate than himself, and, while thus assisting the needy and unfortunate,-never turning the wanderer hungry from his door,-he has been prospered, proving the truth of the saying, that " the liberal soul shall be made fat." We close this brief sketch of Mr. Wilson's life by appending the commendation of his neighbors and fellowtownsmen: He is a man honorable and upright in all his dealing; one against whom not a word is said; one loved by his friends and esteemed by all who know him." CHARLES M. BOUTTELL was born in Oneida County, N. Y., on the 8th day of November, 1809. The death of his father, when he was thirteen years old, threw him upon his own resources, and was, no doubt, the means of developing his character for self-reliance and good judgment in business matters, which has made him so successful in life. After his father's death he worked on a farm for three years, then went on the Erie Canal as a driver. For five summers we find him driving,-a life of hardship and privations, truly, but an exciting and fascinating one. Then for four years he was a steersman on the canal. But he was looking ahead to something better than boating, and in 1836 he came to Miclligan and bought of the government eight eighty-acre lots, four in Shiawassee County, the others in Thetford, Genesee Co. This took all his means, and lie then drove team in Flint for two years, after which he again returned to his old business of boating, which he followed for four years and then quit it forever. In 1841 he came West and permanently located on his land, about thirty-five acres of which he had had cleared while he was boating. When he went upon his farm his residence was a small log house, which stood a little to the rear of where his barns now stand. He lived alone, but knowing he must eat, even in the wilds of the West, he came prepared, bringing with him a barrel of beans, twenty bushels of potatoes, and pork enough for ten men. His needy neighbors soon relieved him of his surplus supplies, and blessed the ignorance which brought them into their vicinity. At different times Mr. Bouttell has owned over one thousand acres of land, and he now owns three hundred and sixty acres, two hundred and fifty acres of which are under good improvement. Politically, he is a Democrat, but has never sought office. He has always taken great interest in educational matters; and has long been one of the school officers of his district. In 1841, Mr. Bouttell led to the altar Miss Harriet Payne. Their union was blessed with two children, Emma and Eleanor. Mrs. Bouttell died June 22, 1853. Jan. 1, 1854, lie married Miss Jane Nixon. There have been born to them. the following children: Castillo, born Nov. 10, 1854; Lovias, born April 11, 1856; Morris O., born April 16, 1858; Jerome 0., born June 28, 1860; Harriet, born Aug. 8, 1862; William H., born Jan. 11, 1865; Charles R., born Oct. 1, 1867; Wesley M. and Leslie B. (twins), born Dec. 23, 1871; Laura J., born April 29, 1876; and Horace T., born Aug. 19, 1878. JACOB W. SHARICK, the subject of this sketch, born in Lancaster Co., Pa., July 4, 1825, was one of thirteen children. His father and mother, Abraham and Fanny Sharick, were born in Lancaster, Pa., and at the time of the birth of Jacob W. were living on a farm which had been in the family many years. When Mr. Sharick was nineteen, his father sold his farm in Pennsylvania and moved to Genesee Co., N. Y., where he bought a large farm. Jacob grew to manhood, working on the farm summers, and going to school winters. At the age of twenty-five Mr. Sharick left home and commenced life on his own account, his worldly possessions consisting of a team of horses. After working land for other people for eleven years, he determined to have a farm of his own; and so came to Michigan, where land was cheap, and bought ;,;;. —.t RESIDENCE F F. S.TAYLOR,THETFORD, MICHIGAN. ie at: THETFORD TOWNSHIP. 393 one hundred and twenty acres, it being part of section 29, in Thetford, Genesee Co. He now is owner of one hundred and sixty acres of as fine land as can be found in the State, on which he has erected a fine house and numerous outbuildings. A fine view of Mr. Sharick's farm-home is presented on another page of this work. In politics Mr. Sharick is, and has always been, an ardent Republican. He believes that all men should be free, and allowed all the rights of citizenship, without regard to race or color, wealth or station. In every relation of life Mr. Sharick holds that honesty is the best policy; and it has ever been his motto to do as he would like to be done by. As a citizen and neighbor he is highly esteemed. On the 26th day of February, 1853, Mr. Sharick married Miss Elizabeth S. Smith, daughter of Christian and Mary Smith. She was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., Jan. 26, 1827. Their union has been blessed with two children,-John W., born April 23, 1854, and Benjamin F., born Jan. 18, 1856. They have also an adopted daughter, Annie E., born Sept. 19, 1865. WILLIAM GREEN. MRS. WILLIAM GREEN. WILLIAM GREEN was born in the State of New York, Feb. 8, 1810. While yet a boy he came to Michigan, stopping in Oakland County, where he grew to manhood. He had no one to care for him, and hence earned his support by working at anything he could get to do. His chances for an education were very limited, but what little book-knowledge he obtained, added to good judgment and an untiring energy, made him very successful. On the 4th day of February, 1836, he married Miss Abigail Hibbard, daughter of John and Roxcy (Bartlett) Hibbard. She was born in Vermont, Jan. 31, 1812. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Green moved into the town of Lapeer, Lapeer Co., and bought a farm of new land, after paying for which they had just enough left to buy a cow. Mr. Green at once built a log house, and with his accustomed energy commenced to clear and improve his farm. Fifty acres had been cleared and an orchard set out when he sold, and bought an improved farm in the town of Bruce, same county. Here they lived fifteen years, being prospered and every year adding to their worldly goods. They then sold out and bought Mrs. Green's old home, in Oakland County, where they resided four years, when they sold, and purchased a farm in Birmingham, in the same county. The latter they traded for a farm in Thetford, and made a permanent settlement, where Mrs. Green still resides. The fauru then consisted of one hundred acres of 50 well-improved land, to which he made additions until they owned, at one time, three hundred acres. For many years Mr. Green kept a hotel in the house where his widow now lives, and was known far and near as a genial host and a man respected and esteemed for his honesty and integrity. He died Nov. 6, 1867, mourned by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Green six children,-Henry, born Jan. 10, 1837; Alvard, born Jan. 11, 1839; Minerva, born Jan. 4,1841; Margaret, born April 2, 1844; Roxey, born Dec. 14, 1846, died Dec. 10, 1847; and John, born Dec. 10, 1849. FRANKLIN E. DODGE. Among the early settlers of Thetford there are few, if any, who have seen so much of the world, or led a life so full of adventures and romance, as Franklin E. Dodge. He was born in the town of Colchester, New London Co., Conn., Jan. 29, 1821. The.death of his father, when he was eight years old, left him to make his own living. He lived with his uncle until he was fifteen, when he started for the State of New York, working his way and earning money to buy the clothing he so much needed. For the next four years he wandered about, working some of the time on a farm and one season as a driver on the canal. He then got the whaling fever, and went to New York with a m.tn who was '394 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. hiring whalers; but a couple of weeks in a sailors' boarding-house gave him an idea of the life of a whaler, and he gave the scheme up. But in 1836 he shipped on the line-ofbattle-ship "Ohio," which was then fitting out in Boston for her first voyage, under the command of Commodore Hull, of the U. S. N. Mr. Dodge helped ship her rigging, guns, etc. They sailed from Boston to New York, and from there on a three years' cruise to the Mediterranean Sea. Visited all the ports of that sea, and the ports of the principal countries in Europe. He saw many of the crowned heads of the Old World, which only made him love still more the free government of his native land. While in the port of Toulon lie saw the French frigate which went after the remains of the first Napoleon. The news of the Patriot war started his ship for home, where they arrived in 1839, after a voyage full of excitement and with the daily expectation of war and carnage. He was paid off and discharged in Boston, and then went to Avon, N. Y., to visit his nmother. Here he remained some time, although he was very uneasy and longed for the excitement and freedom of a sailor's life. The earnest protestations of his mother prevailed, and he worked at whatever he could find to do until 1843, when he came to Thetford and purchased of his stepfather the forty acres on which he now resides, and the forty acres east of it, of the government. Mr. Dodge had but little means, and the next spring he returned to New York and worked through the summer; then came back to his farm, and built a house and commenced to improve. In 1845 he went to a neighbor to buy some boots, and got not only his boots, but a wife, who proved to be a true pioneer's helpmeet. She never stood back and said " go," but was always willing to put her own shoulder to the wheel also. Her maiden name was Miss Mary Skinner, and they were married Oct. 12, 1845. Miss Skinner was born March 18, 1826. A few days after their marriage they moved to their new home, Mrs. Dodge driving the cow, while Mr. Dodge drove the oxen which hauled all their goods in a wagon-box,-going five miles through the woods. They lived some time in a shanty until a log house was erected. 1 is first crop of wheat he hauled through the woods to Square Wilson's, who had a board floor on which he could thrash it. At that time there were no roads or paths; their going and coming were by blazed trees Mr. Dodge had marked. Though they lived in the woods, cut off from churches and their Christian associates, still, as Mr. Dodge very feelingly says, they felt that God was with them in the wilderness, as he had been with him in his seafaring days, when he knew that his mother's prayers were with him. Mr. and Mrs. Dodge have both been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church for over thirty-six years. Mr. Dodge was a Democrat until 1864, since which time he has been an ardent Republican. There have been born to them nine children, as follows: Elizabeth, born March 2, 1847; Byron E, born Jan. 12, 1849; Franklin A., born Sept. 29, 1850; Emma L., born Nov. 13, 1852; Ellen A., born Dec. 21, 1854; Herbert W., born Sept. 12, 1857; Lydia F., born Dec. 23, 1860; Nelson E., born March 14, 1865; and Mary E., born Nov. 21, 1867. I GEORGE GEIGER, JR. I Of the foreigners who come to America to carve out for themselves homes and fortunes, there are none who are more gladly welcomed than the Germans. A frugal, industrious, and honest people, they become citizens of whom a country may well be proud,-citizens who, in days gone by, have supported our government with their money and their lives. J. George Geiger, Jr., was born in Goppingen (Hanigo), Wiirtembcrg, Germany, Jan. 5, 1832. His father, J. George Geiger, Sr., was also born in Wiirtemberg, and there resided until 1850. He was a farmer, and in that year he sold his sniall farm for over two hundred dollars per acre, and with his wife and six children shipped at Antwerp for America. After a voyage of thirty- nine days, he landed in New York City, whence he went to Erie Co., N. Y., where he engaged in farming. J. George, Jr., worked in Erie Couinty at such employment as he could find to do, until he earned enough money to buy two eighty-acre lots of wild land in 'Thetford, Genesee Co., Mich. The deed was taken in his father's name, and in 1854 the falmily moved into it. After coming to Michigan, he worked in Flint until 1857, when he went upon one of the eighty-acre lots, which his fthter deeded to him. He has since bought forty acres, and has now a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres under good cultivation,-all of which is due to Mr. Geiger's good management and industry. He married Miss Henrietta Hoppe, July 12,1857. She was born in the city of Horn, Germany, Jan. 17, 1839. She was the daughter of Gotfried and Sophie (Althoff) Hoppe, who came from Germany about the same time as Mr. Geiger's tamily. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Geiger three children, as follows: John G., born July 20, 1858; Frederick, born Feb. 25, 1861; and Herman, born Aug. 25, 1869. WILLIAM H. LONG. David Long was born in Greenwood, Perry Co., Pa., Dec. 21, 1815. His wife, Miss Ann Schaffer, was born il Wittenberg, Germany, Dec. 4, 1817. They were married in Pennsylvania, and soon after went to Erie Co., N. Y., where he bought a small farm. This he sold, intending to move West, but instead again bought and resided there three years longer, when he sold and (in 1851) came to Thetford, purchasing the farm he now owns, which he has cleared and built upon. Mr. Long has had a family of eight children, six of whom are now living, and of whom William H. Long, the subject of this sketch, is the eldest. He was born in Lancaster, Erie Co., N. Y., Oct. 5, 1839. Mr. Long's chances for an education were meagre, being limited to the common schools, and after he was twelve years old he was only privileged to attend in the winter. At the age of twelve he came to Michigan with his father, and from that time on his services were required on the new farm during the summer. In the winter shingles, which were then their medium of exchange, had to be made; so he worked at shingle-making at night that he might go to school during the day. In this way he fitted himself for teaching, which he commenced in 1860, and has followed during the winters ~~2: r~~W Africa ~~ ~;~ ~La ~~;.-. ~~..~~~~-~~:~; i:~:~;.' I.';i:'~~-~:-.1P ~;I r ~ ': ~; '~.~~irl-,. ~ i~r t.. ~, ~i~..:;-.i-i ~~ i.: — '1 "..., Z,Ssl nidr r _S *r I-: I:-.i r\~ ~ ~: ~ r-~~:~ j r rs, FPlit i"*, b IM - I-::, ~C I Ic RESIDENCE O6F HENRY DRUDGE, THETFORD,MICH. TH ETFORD TOWNSHIP. 395 (with four exceptions) since that time, and with marked success. In 1867 he purchased part of the northeast quarter of section 36. To this, his first landed possession, he has since added, so that he has now a fine farm of sixtyseven acres, mostly cleared and improved. Mr. Long has taken an active interest in educational matters, his knowledge of which has been made good use of by his fellowtownsmen, who elected him as school inspector and superintendent for six years, and as one of the directors for ten years. Mr. Long is an ardent Republican; he takes a deep interest in the politics of the country, and especially so in township matters. He has also served as clerk of the town four times. On the 20th day of June, 1867, he was married to Miss Persis A. Wilson, daughter of Nahum N. and Phalle R. (Slafter) Wilson. She was born in Thetford, March 1, 1846. Their family embraced three children, as follows: Nahum W., born May 17, 1870; Mary A., born Feb. 22, 1874, died Sept. 7, 1875; and Ralph D., born Sept. 17, 1876. DANIEL F. BENNETT. Among the earlier settlers of Thetford there are none who stand ligher in the respect of the people, or who have done more to advance the growth and prosperity of the town, than Daniel F. Bennett, of whom we shall attempt a brief mention. He was born, March 31, 1821, in the town of Chili, Monroe Co., N. Y., where he resided until 1837, when his father moved to Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. Here he grew to manhood, working on his fhther's farm summers and going to the district schools winters. At the age of nineteen he commenced life for himself; teaching winters and farming summers. He bought a farm, which he owned until the fall of 1844, when he deeded it to his brother on condition that he should take care of his parents. He then set out for Michigan, his outfit being a team, wagon, and harness, and about ten dollars in money. In the spring of 1845, Mr. Bennett bought, on a contract, the eighty-acre lot where he now resides. It was heavily timbered, and all new. He built a small frame house, doing the carpenter work himself; being a natural mechanic, and life in the woods commenced. The forest soon disappeared, and to-day a well-improved farm of over two hundred acres is the result of his industry and good management. In politics Mr. Bennett had been a Democrat until the fall of 1878, when he joined the National party. He has for nine years held the office of supervisor, two years has been town clerk, ten years justice of the peace, and school inspector for twenty years. Has also been the candidate of his party for legislative honors Of his popularity and good standing in his township nothing need be said. The fact that for thirty years he has been in some office to which his fellow-townsmen have elected him speaks louder than words, and is a tribute of which any one may well feel proud. Mr. Bennett has been twice married,-first to Miss Ursula Scott, in the spring of 1839. She died Nov. 18, 1868. They had five children, named as follows: Sabra, Joanna, Frances, Franklin P., and Ernest. For his second wife he married Mrs. Mary A. Pierce, Dec. 28, 1869. I I JACOB KURTZ. Among the sketches written for the county histories there are none we like better to peruse than those which give the record and history of those who, when the tocsin of war sounded, sprang to the front and risked life and limb in the defense of the " Stars and Stripes." Such a man was Jacob Kurtz, the subject of this short narrative. His father, Jacob Kurtz, was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., on the 21st of March, 1813. He adopted farming as his occupation and always followed it. His wife, Anna Leib, was born Feb. 17, 1818, in Pennsylvania. Jacob, Jr., was born in Erie Co., N. Y., July 7, 1843. His education was obtained at the district schools of his native town, where he resided until the breaking out of the Rebellion. Sept. 5, 1862, then but nineteen years old, he enlisted as a private in Co. B, 116th New York Volunteer Infantry. He served three years, and was promoted successively to corporal and to sergeant. Mr. Kurtz was engaged in all the skirmishes and battles his regiment took part in, including Plain Store, siege of Port Hudson, Coxe's Plantation, Sabine Cross-Roads, Pleasant Hill, Cane River, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. He was mustered out in June, 1865. He came home from the war and again engaged in farming. In 1866, Mr. Kurtz bought a half-interest in a grocery-store in Buffalo, which proved a poor investment, and after fourteen months he sold out at a loss. He then purchased his grandfather's old home in Clarence, and worked it six years successfully. He then sold at quite an advance on what he paid, and thus got a fine start in life. He then came to Thetford and bought one hundred and thirtyone acres of land, known as the Ed. Clapp farm, to which he has since added, so that it now contains two hundred and seventy acres, with splendid improvements. In politics Mr. Kurtz is a strong Republican. On the 27th day of November, 1866, he was married to Miss Susannah Diller. She was born in Clarence, Erie Co., N. Y., Sept. 11, 1845, and is a daughter of Abram and Catherine (Drudge) Diller. Abram Diller was born in Erie County, Jan. 25,1815; Mrs. Diller in the same county, April 1, 1819. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz three children,-Franklin A.. born Nov. 4, 1867; Edith A., born Dec. 31, 1869; and Charley, born April 14, 1872. Mr. Kurtz was wounded in the leg by a minie-ball at the battle of Cedar Creek, Oct. 19, 1864. HENRY DRUDGE was born in Erie Co., N. Y., Nov. 9, 1823. His father, Joseph Drudge, was a large and successful farmer, of whose large family Henry was the fourth. Henry lived on the farm, going to the district schools winters and farming summers. When he was nineteen his father died, leaving each of the children a small farm. Henry worked his own, and also farmed for others on shares. In this way he got his start in life. In 1857 he sold his land and moved to Thetford, where he bought the farm he now owns. It was nearly new, but a few acres having been plowed. But the energy and good management of Mr. Drudge soon made the wilderness blossom as the rose. Now, at the age of fifty-six, he is living on as fine a farm as it is often the lot d -0 43,96 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of man to see. In 1878 he commenced building a beautiful house, which stands near where the old one stood,-a house that is at once an ornament to the town and a source of pride and pleasure to Mr. Drudge and his family. A view of his home adorns a page of this work. In early days a Whig, upon the organization of the Republican party he joined its ranks. He has never sought office, but has served several years as deputy sheriff of the county. On the 15th day of February, 1844, he married Miss Mary C. Bills, daughter of Zelotia and Polly (Ellsworth) Bills. She was born in Erie Co., N. Y., April 28, 1827. The names and record of their three children are as follows: Harriet C., born Feb. 2, 1846; married to Edwin A. Seeley, March 7, 1865; Sarah A., born Sept. 28, 1850; married to Geo. P. Seib, Feb. 10, 1873; Charles O., born March 4, 1864, and now living at home with his parents. AMASA CARRIER. MRS. AMASA CARRIER. AMASA CARRIER was born in Marlborough, Hartford Co., Conn., March 25, 1792. His father was a farmer, and with him he resided until he arrived at his majority, when he commenced life for himself. He went to Canada, engaged as a peddler and teacher of singing-schools during winters, and working at farming summers. On the 25th day of November, 1818, he married Sophronia Ackley, who was born in Chatham, Middlesex Co., Conn., Aug. 16, 1792. Their marriage was blessed with the following children: Cornelia Jane, born Sept. 10, 1819; Stephen A., born June 20, 1822; George B., born Jan. 21, 1825; Olive S., born Aug. 3, 1827: Joseph, born Nov. 23, 1830; and Emma C., born Aug. 28, 1835. Mrs. Carrier died Nov. 4, 1847. Five years after his wife's death, Mr. Carrier again married, his bride being Mrs. Harriet S. Brainard, who was born in Chatham, Middlesex Co., Conn., Nov. 8, 1792. She was the daughter of Thomas and Jerusha Selden. They were married Feb. 18, 1852. There have been no children by this marriage. After his first marriage, Mr. Carrier lived on the farm of his wife until 1842, when he moved to Colchester, Conn., where he built a house, his object in moving thither being to give his children the benefit of the fine schools located there. After a residence there of six years he returned to Marlborough, and went on to the farm formerly owned by hii grandfather,-a property then owned by himself, and which is now owned by his son, Joseph Carrier. The farm has been in the Carrier family more than a century. In 1836 he came to Thetford, Mich., and bought of the government three eighty-acre lots. In 1852 he moved on to his farm, building upon the southwest quarter of section 28. Here he made his home until his death, which occurred Sept. 25, 1878. Mr. Carrier was an energetic, industrious man, and won the respect and esteem of all who knew him. He was in early days a Whig, and when the Republican party was formed joined its ranks, and is a firm believer in its principles. He was for more than half a century a member of the Congregational Church, which in his death lost one of its most ardent supporters. Mrs. Carrier has been a member of the same church for sixty-four years. JACOB W. WHITE. Among the self-made, men of Thetford township, there is none who can better claim this title than Jacob W. White, who was born in the city of Buffalo, N. Y., on the 25th day of August, 1836. He was left an orphan at the tender age of six years, with no relatives or friends to care for him. Three years later found him in Alden, a few miles from Buffalo. Here he resided with different families, working summers at whatever he could find to do, and winters working for his board and going to school, until he was I.:r~n ~P.I:l"~. ~i~i iI ~I i - --.:: —:i 11- - i P; -,:: I...t S'; i,,-, i:':::' I;:I::::,-.; - -. -.i' -:"I.I e- ~-, 'f.': _ -'I_ '.:. I ~I IP!,,. J. 1 ~. ~-R;",,,::, I " I~~I - I 7C:: ( _ ic C~: ~ I1: ~::r~:s;~:::i:~~li: ~~ I., '. - ~:-:::: " '.:~:r I-:~a:;:I i " a!. i - -, I I r, ~~il',1,":,.I I ' 1;t l:; ~ ~ -. " rl..,I.I I':~si~,::.: ~:;::' 0. ~~~_~;~~',.'' -I I I THETFORD TOWNSHIP. 397 twenty years of age, when he came West and settled in the town of Thetford. He at once engaged in teaching, alternated with laboring on a farm and making shingles. At the breaking out of the Rebellion, in 1861, he enlisted in Company G, 1st Michigan Engineers, as a private. Mr. White was promoted through the grades of sergeant and orderly sergeant to the rank of lieutenant. He was in the battles of Mill Springs, Perryville, etc., and was mustered out of the service Oct. 31, 1864. After the war he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, being part of sections 15 and 16 in Thetford, partially improved and now under good cultivation, with good house, barns, etc. Mr. White is an ardent Republican, and has always taken an active part in political matters. He has held some township office the most of the time since his residence in the town; has been three years clerk, two years treasurer, and eight years supervisor,-filling the offices with credit, and considered by his fellow-townsmen one of the best supervisors the town ever had. In the fall of 1878 he was nominated by his party for the office of register of deeds, but was defeated by the combined efforts of the Democratic and Greenback parties. In 1862 he married Miss Louisa Scott. She died in January, 1870. To them was born one daughter, Winnie, born Feb. 21, 1865. On the 12th day of December, 1878, MIr. White was again married, the lady of his choice being Miss Laura Riddle. D AVI S O N. TnI township of Davison, designated by the United States survey as township No. 7 north, of range No. 8 east, is situated upon the east border of the county. It is bounded on the north, west, and south by the respective towns of Richfield, Burton, and Atlas, in Genesee County, and east by Lapeer County. Its surface north of a line drawn diagonally from the northeast corner to the centre of the west border is comparatively level. That portion lying south of the abovedescribed line is rolling, with an altitude of perhaps fortyfive feet above the former. Kearsley and Black Creeks are the principal water-courses. The former enters the township from the south, and, flowing in a general northwest course, leaves it on the west border of section 7. The latter takes its rise from Potter Lake, and, flowing thence north, describes, in its passage through a portion of Richfield township, the arc of a circle. It then enters Davison from the north border of section 2, and continues in a southwesterly course until it effects a junction with the Kearsley, on section 7. Potter Lake, containing an area of about 150 acres, lies mainly within section 1 of this township, the remainder in Lapeer County. Hasler Lake, considerably larger in extent than the former, lies also across the line dividing the counties of Genesee and Lapeer, though the greater portion is within section 36. Vast tamarack-swamps, comprising hundreds of acres, extend across sections 1, 12, 13, 14, 23, and 24, making an almost continuous water-way between the two lakes. The soil is of the same character as that of surrounding townships,-a sandy loam on the knolls and higher portions, a dark alluvium mixed with vegetable mould on the lowlands. A system of drainage has been inaugurated by many land-owners within the past few years, by which the value of their hitherto tillable acres has been vastly enhanced and many other fields reclaimed and rendered productive which, but a few years since, were considered valueless. This was a timbered township originally, oak, beech, maple, and other varieties of deciduous trees predominating. Small groves of pine were found on portions of sections 14, 27, and 33. The people are chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits, stock-raising, wool-growing, and the cultivation of fruits, corn, potatoes, and the cereals being the specialties. The imports consist principally of live stock, wool, pork, and wheat. Although this is a new country, compared with some other portions of the county, many fine farms, residences, and commodious out-buildings already dot its landscape, giving evidence of the enterprise and thrift of the people who reside here, and that they are rapidly surrounding 398 themselves with all the comforts, conveniences, and many of the luxuries or life. Its population at the taking of the last census (1874) was 1294. LAND ENTRIES. The first to enter lands in this township was James Hosie, from Essex Co., N. Y. His purchase was made Nov. 14, 1835, and consisted of the northeast quarter and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 20, also the west half of the northwest quarter of section 21. Thomas L. L. Brent, of Virginia, entered the northeast quarter of section 18, March 16, 1836. Andrew J. Seelye, of Charleston, Saratoga Co., N. Y., purchased the northeast quarter and east half of the northwest half of section 33, a tract of 240 acres, in May, 1836. His brother, Alson Seelye, entered the west half of the last-mentioned quarter-section in July of the same year. The greater portion of the township was owned originally by speculators and others, who never became residents. The following list comprises the names of all those who purchased from the general government lands situated in Davison township: 1836, section 1: Robert J. S. Page, John Clark, Ira Potter, James H. Jerome, Samuel M. Spencer. 1836, section 2: Francis G. Macy, Robert I. S. Page, Frederick G. Guenther, Joseph 1M. Leon. 1836, section 3: Francis G. Macy, Edward Fortune, Andrew J. Seelye, Cyrus Comstock, James Hadley, Charles W. Henderson, John McClellan. 1836, section 4: Edward Fortune, Walter Davenport, Isaiah Davenport, Martin Paint, Cyrus Comstock. 1836, section 5: Thomas P. Sawyer, Jesse S. Church, Josiah Willard, Robert F. Stage, Walter Davenport, Isaiah Davenport, Enoch Jones. 1836, section 6: James C. Alexander, Peter A. Palmer, Jesse S. Church, Josiah F. Willard, George W. Metcalf, Thomas Aplin, David Phelps. 1836, section 7: James H. Titus, Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Francis G. Macy, Robert H. Stone. 1836, section 8: Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Ramsey McHenry, B. B. Kerchevel, Mark Healey, F. 0. T. Smith, Francis G. Macy. 1836, section 9: Joseph Crandell, Francis G. Macy, Thomas Aldrich, James H. Jerome, Samuel M. Spencer, Daniel Eastwood, George W. Wilther (land-warrant). 1836, section 10: William Odell, Thomas P. Sawyer, Numan C. Griswold. 1836, section 11: Francis G. Macy, Samuel J. Ashley, Numan C. Griswold, Thomas P. Sawyer, Walter Davenport, Isaiah Davenport, Ira Potter. 1836, section 12: Samuel M. Spencer, James H. Jerome, Walter C. Weeks, Eli Ewell, Henry B. Ewell. DAVISON TOWNSHIP. 399 1836, section 13: Charles Holton, John Bownes, Erastus Short, Elisha G. Langworthy, Levi Beecher (landwarrants), Adell Bates, Benajah Rich, Henry C. Walker, Anson Rich. 1836, section 14: Charles Holton, Thomas W. Allis, Levi True, Samuel M. Spencer, Harrison G. Conger, Ho. ratio Cummings. 1836, section 15: John W. Young, Jesse S. Church, Josiah F. Willard, Abraham Lane, Huldah Davison, Duty Cummins, Lewis Cummins. Section 16: school lands. 1836, section 17: John McDonnell, Francis G. Macy. 1836, section 18: Thomas L. L. Brent, Francis G. Macy, Robert R. Howell, Abraham V. Ayres. Robert I. S. Page. 1836, section 19: Francis G. Macy. 1835, section 20: James Hosie, Francis G. Macy, Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon. 1835, section 21: James Hosie, Francis G. Macy, Gershom M. Williams, Peter Desnoyers, John McDonnell, James G. Crane. 1836, section 22: Gershom M. Williams, Peter Desnoyers, Francis G. Macy, John Taylor, Goodenough Townsend. 1836, section 23: Goodenough Townsend, Edward Covell, Joseph Gilman, Elisha S. Robbins, Horatio Cummings. 1851, section 24: William Scott Irons, Levi Ketchum (land warrant), Milo N. Miller, Edwin Gridley. 1836, section 25: Eli Ewell, Martin W. Fairfield, John W. Farrar, Dudley Glynn, Clark Sanford (land-warrant). 1836, section 26: Aaron B. Adams, Christopher Miller, Abel Seelye, David Hartwell (land-warrant). 1836, section 27: Robert F. Stage, Douglas Houghton, Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Francis G. Macy, Samuel Gilman, Thomas Martin, Hiram Andrus, Adams P. Woodford, Jonathan D. Bean. 1836, section 28: Josiah Beers, Stephen D. Beers, Francis G. Macy, Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon. 1836, section 29: Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Francis G. Macy. 1836, section 30: Oliver E. Maltby, Amon W. Langdon, Nathan Bradley, Justin Sheldon, Thomas Durfee. 1836, section 31: Lucy Langdon, Francis G. Macy, Samuel March, Abalino Babcock. 1836, section 32: Francis G. Macy (entire section). 1836, section 33: Andrew J. Seelye, Maltby and Langdon, Francis G. Macy, Alson Seelye. 1836, section 34: Douglas- Houghton, Amos H. Fisk, Maltby and Langdon, Francis G. Macy, Edmond Perry, Jr., Thomas Martin. 1836, section 35: Elijah Canuer, Edmund Perry, Jr., John C. Miller, Jacob Miller, Christopher Miller, Ariel A. Woodworth, Ebenezer Ford, William Walker, Sarah Ann Miller, Mathew Walker, John Tharrett. 1836, section 36: Isaac Adams, Lewis Cummins, Chas. Piquette, Noah Ferris, William Walker (last two landwarrants), Daniel T. Hartwell. FIRST SETTLEMENTS. Andrew Jesse Seelye came from Charleston, Saratoga Co., N. Y., in the fall of 1835, and passed the following winter with his cousin, Seelcy Harger, who then resided in Waterford, Oakland Co., Mich. In May, 1836, he purchased 240 acres, locating the same upon section 33, in this township. His brother Alson and sister Debby arrived in Oakland County a few weeks later, where they continued to reside until the spring of 1837. Previous to this time, however, the brothers-then young, unmarried men-visited the land purchased by Andrew Jesse, and in the fall of 1836 erected a small log house, cleared and sowed to wheat some two or three acres of land. Early in the spring of 1837 the brothers and sister began a permanent residence here, and the first, we believe, in the township.* In September, 1837, the father, Abel Seelye, accompanied by his wife, Abigail, and children, Abel, Jr., Abner, Arsena, and Aaron S. J., came from Saratoga and settled near those of their family already here. Andrew J. Seelye commenced the erection of the first framed building in the township, a barn, in 1838, and died before its completion, in the spring of 1839, his being the first death of an adult to occur in the settlement. He was buried upon the land purchased by him from the government, and there his remains still repose. Miss Debby Seelye was married to Seth J. Wicker in June, 1842. They resided in Oakland County until 1848, when Mr. Wicker removed to Davison. In 1852 he erected the first hotel, the property now owned by his son, Seth J., and also sold the first goods in the same building. He established an ashery, and received the appointment of postmaster upon the accession of Franklin Pierce to the Presidency. He died at an early age, and his widow again married her cousin, Seelye Harger. She is again a widow, and still resides near the centre of a township which was her home at a time when she had no other female associate. Tile other surviving members of this pioneer family are her brothers, Abel and Aaron S. J. Seelye, all residents of Davison. During the journey of Alson Seelye and his sister, which was accomplished by horseteam and wagon via the usual route from Saratoga to Niagara, thence through Canada to Detroit, they met with a fearful experience near Canajoharic, N. Y., where they, with wagon and horses, fell through a canal bridge some fifteen feet in height. Alson was severely injured, but was enabled, after a slight detention, to proceed on his journey. The horses, strange to relate, received no injury whatever by their unceremonious manner of reaching the towingpath beneath. Christopher Miller, together with his sons, John C. and Jeremiah, came fiom Chautauqua Co., N. Y. They purchased of the general government lands situated upon section 35, in September, 1836, and it is believed settled upon * It is stated that during his life-time Christopher Miller claimed to have been the first settler in the township. We find that he, with his sons, purchased lands situated upon section 35 in September, 1836. If he began a residence here prior to March, 1837, then he was the first settler. But Mrs. Debby Harger (formerly Miss Debby Seelye) still resides here. She is apparently in the possession of all her faculties, and is quite positive in the assurance that at the time of her settlement here in the spring of 1837, Mr. Miller's family had not yet come in. As the distance between the two families was but little more than one mile, it would seem that they would know of one another's presence at a period when families living ten miles distant were termed " neighbors." 400 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. their purchase in the summer of 1837. He erected the first framed house in the township, in 1839, and the first school was taught in his vacated shanty at about the same time by Miss Sabrina Barnes. Ira Potter, a native of Vermont, accompanied by his wife, Clarissa, and children, Robert E., Ira W., James A., Mary E., and Francis, came from the city of Rochester, N. Y., and settled at Knapp's Mill, on Black River, distant twentytwo miles from Port Huron, Mich., in 1834. The father and sons were accustomed to all the duties pertaining to saw-mills, and were so engaged on Black River. In 1836 the family removed to Flint, and shortly after to a mill on the Kearsley, in the present township of Genesee. While engaged here in the manufacture of lumber, in August, 1836, he purchased of the government the east one-half of section 1, Davison township. In September, 1837, Mr. Potter, assisted by his son Ira W., Samuel Johnson, James Wood, and Roswell Pettengill, started from the mill in Genesee with the purpose of opening a road to, and commencing an improvement upon, his new purchase in Davison, then Richfield. From the route known as the Irish road to the west bank of Potter Lake-a distance of four miles, nearly-a road was opened through the unbroken wilderness, and the party were three days in traversing the distance of some ten or twelve miles. They arrived upon the ground at midday, and before darkness set in had erected the walls of a substantial log house, 12 by 14 feet inside, although Wood and Pettengill started on their return home about 3 o'clock P. M. Mr. Potter and family finally took up their residence here in January, 1838, thus becoming the first settlers in the north half of the township. He died Sept. 29, 1839, at the early age of forty-seven years. His widow survived until May, 1870, having attained the age of seventy-seven years. The surviving members of his family still own and occupy the original purchase, have added many acres thereto, and at the present writing no family in this portion of Michigan are more comfortably and pleasantly situated. Ira T. Potter, son of Robert E., was born in October, 1840, and is believed to have been the first male child born in the township, a daughter having been born to S. M. Fisk and wife a few months previously. Ira Potter's family did not suffer the wants and privations so common to the lot of many pioneers, as he purchased in Detroit and brought in here with him sufficient flour and pork to last one year. Still for many years they were far from markets, Pontiac being the principal point, and but little money comparatively was received for farm products. Mr. Ira W. Potter recalls the fact that he very frequently made the journey to the latter city, hauling with an ox-team thirty bushels of wheat, for which he received five shillings per bushel, the journey occupying three days' time. All other early residents here can relate the same experience, and recall with great animation the terrible condition of early roads and the consequent struggle to obtain a few dollars in money at far-away markets. Among other settlers of this period (1838) were Justin Henry and William Sheldon, from Erie Co., N. Y., who located upon section 30; Abelino Babcock, from Oakland Co., Mich., who settled on section 31; Jacob Teachout, upon section 5; Harrison G. Conger and Samuel Crandall, upon sections 11 and 14. Goodenough Townsend was born in Wheelock, Caledonia Co., Vt. His grandfather, Thomas Townsend, marched with Benedict Arnold to Quebec, and two grand-uncles served with the Continental army during the long and bitter struggle for national independence. During the year 1832 the father of Goodenough, with his family, removed from Vermont to Monroe Co., N. Y. In 1836, Mr. G. Townsend visited various portions of Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, in search of a tract upon which to make his future residence. He at last decided to locate in this township, and in September of the same year purchased 120 acres situated upon section 22, and 40 acres upon section 23. He then engaged in the occupation of schoolteaching, which he continued until the winter of 1838 and '39, when he erected a log house upon his purchase, married Miss Mary Ann Fisk, of Genesee township, and became a permanent resident of Davison thenceforth. Mr. Townsend immediately became identified with the public interests of Davison. He was largely instrumental in the passage of the act for the organization of the new town, and at the first election for township officers, held at his house, April 6, 1840, was elected supervisor. Again, in 1843, when Davison, with other townships on the east border of Genesee County, was detached from Lapeer and annexed to this county, he was prominently conspicuous in the consummation of the project. From the organization of the township until within a very recent period, he has served his townsmen in many other official capacities, as will be seen by reference to the list of township officers. During the Whig administration, -Taylor and Fillmore,-from 1849 to 1853, he was appointed the first postmaster. The office was then known as Davison Centre. He established the first Sabbath-school in 1842, and succeeded, by the aid of small contributions fiom his neighbors, in purchasing at the same time a Sabbathschool library of 100 volumes. Much more might be added concerning Mr. Townsend, of his individual worth, and the esteem in which he is held by his townsmen, as well as by a wide circle of acquaintances throughout the county; but we suffice with the remark that he is still a hale, active, well-preserved gentleman, the possessor of a fine property, the broad acres of which were cleared of their primeval growth by his own strong arms, and that he bids fair to attend pioneer meetings many years hence. Calvin Cartwright, for many years supervisor of the township, and ever an active business man1 came from Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., and settled in Grand Blanc in 1836; In 1842 he removed to Davison, which township has since been his place of residence. Prior to 1844 the following additional settlers were residents: James A. Kline, Almeron Perry, William Phillips, Henry Hastings, Thomas Park, William Thomas, Clark Potter, Eleazer Thurston, Samuel Johnson, Abram Hotchkiss, Samuel J. Ashley, Abner Hotchkiss, Robert Knowles, John Austin, David Casler, John Casler, Daniel D;ytorr, Hart W. Cummins, Silas S. Kitchen, Iddo H. Carley, S. M. Fisk, Ira Cobb, Elias Bush, and Thomas O. Townsend.. DAVISON TOWNSHIP. 401. - - -- Among those settlers who purchased land of the government at quite an early period, and not previously mentioned, were Daniel Eastwood, William Odell, Benajah Rich, Wm. Scott Irons, Milo N. Miller, Edwin Gidley, Hiram Andrus, Adams P. Woodruff, Jonathan D. Bean, Edmund Perry, Jr., Jacob Miller, Ebenezer Ford, Mathew Walker, and John Tharrett. The following is a complete list of the resident taxpayers in 1844, showing also the sections upon which they resided, or upon which they were assessed for taxes: Ira W. Potter, I and 2. Robert E. Potter, 1. Clark Potter, 1. Eleazer Thurston, 10. Samuel Johnson, 11. Samuel J. Ashley, 11. Samuel Crandall, 11 and 14. Harrison G. Conger, 11. Abram Ilotchkiss, 15. Abner Hotchkiss, 15. Abel Seelye, 3, 15, and 26. Elias Bush, 22. Goodenough Townsend, 22. Thomas O. Townsend, 23. Christopher Miller, 26 and 35. John C. Miller, 26. Jeremiah Miller, 35. Ira Cobb, 25. S. M. Fisk, 34. Iddo II. Carley, 26 and 35. Silas S. Kitchen, 27. Hart W. Cummins, 36. Daniel Dayton, 36. Abelino Babcock, 31. John Caslor, 29. David Caslor, 30. John Austin, 31 and 32. Henry Sheldon, 30. Robert Knowles, 33. William Thomas, 31. Thomas Parke, 6. Jacob Teachout, 5. Henry Hastings, 6. William Phillips, 5. Almeron Perry, 20. James A. Kline, 20. Calvin Cartwright, 20. Alson Seelye, 33. William Sheldon, 30. — Churchill, 5. Davis,* 5. CIVIL HISTORY. Prior to 1840 the south half of this township was attached to Atlas, and the north part to Richfield. During the session of the latter year, Goodenough Townsend, with other residents, sent in their petition to the State Legislature, praying for the organization of a separate township within the boundaries of the territory designated by the United States survey as township No. 7 north, of range No. 8 east, and also requested that the new township be named lMiddleblury. Their petition as regarded the formation of a new township was granted by the august body then in session. But as the people of a township in Shiawassee County had already possessed themselves of this honored and ancient appellation, and as it was designed that each township in the State should bear a dissimilar title, the Legislature saw fit to bestow the name of Davison, in honor of the Davison family, of Atlas. Section six of an act to organize certain townships reads as follows: "Be it enacted by the Senate and Iouse of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That all that portion of the county of Lapeer designated by the United States survey as township number seven (7) north, of range number eight (8) east, be and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Davison, and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house of Goodenough Townsend, in said township." In accordance with the foregoing act, the inhabitants of the township who were qualified by law to vote assembled at the house of Goodenough Townsend on the Gth day of April, 1840. Abel Seeley* was chosen moderator, Jacob - Spelled also Seelye. 51 Teachout clerk, and Goodenough Townsend, Abelino Babcock, Justin Sheldon, Robert E. Potter inspectors of election. There were fourteen legal voters in the township, viz.: Goodenough Townsend, Justin Sheldon, Abel Seelye, Abel Seelye, Jr., Robert E. Potter, Ira W. Potter, Samuel Crandall, Harrison G. Conger, Christopher Miller, John C. Miller, Abelino Babcock, Jacob Teachout, Alson Seelye, Aaron B. Adams, of whom all received an office or offices except Christopher Miller and Aaron B. Adams. The election resulted as follows: Goodenough Townsend, Supervisor; Jacob Teachout, Town Clerk; Justin Sheldon, Treasurer; Abel Seeley, Jr., Collector; Jacob Teachout, Robert E. Potter, Alson Seeley, Assessors; Jacob Teachout, Robert E. Potter, Goodenough Townsend, School Inspectors; Justin Sheldon, Abel Seeley, Directors of the Poor; Abelino Babcock, Goodenough Townsend, Harrison G. Conger, Highway Commissioners; Jacob Teachout, Goodenough Townsend, Abel Seeley, Justin Sheldon, Justices of the Peace; Ira W. Potter, Abel Seeley, Jr., Constables; Samuel Crandall, Pound-Master; Harrison G. Conger, Jacob Teachout, Justin Sheldon, John C. Miller, Abel Seeley, Jr., Overseers of Highways. " Voted, That Samuel Crandall's stable shall be the pound of the township of Davison for the ensuing year. "That the collector of said township shall be entitled to five per centum on what he may collect, and one per centum on what he may return to the Treasurer of Lapeer County. " That $125 be raised for the expenses of the township for the ensuing year, and for books and boxes, $15." At the annual township meeting in 1841 it was voted, "That no person or persons shall kill any Deer in the limits of this township between the 10th day of January and the 10th day of July of each year, and all persons killing Deer contrary to this law shall forfeit the sum of five dollars for every Deer killed in said township, and such offenders may be prosecuted before any Justice in said township or county." In 1842 it was voted that the next annual townshipelection " should be held at the Town-House, on the southeast corner of section sixteen." At the ensuing meeting the clerk made the following entry: "DAVIsoN, April 3, 1843. "The electors of the township of Davison met on the southeast corner of section sixteen agreeable to a vote of the previous townshipmeeting, and organized by choosing Harrison G. Conger clerk; there not being a convenient place to hold said meeting the electors adjourned to the shantee of G. Townsend, and left Ira Cobb, a constable, on the spot. They then proceeded according to law, and elected township officers for the ensuing year." It seems that the proposed log town-house had not yet been erected. An unseasonable snow-storm came on, and "town-meeting day" found the ground covered with snow to the depth of three feet. Ira Cobb was stationed on the corner with instructions to notify electors as they assembled where the polls were being held. But it is laughingly asserted by those who were present that Cobb deserted his post soon after the board adjourned to Townsend's house, and by making a wide detour through the snow and woods retired unobserved to his shanty on section 25. 402 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Davison was annexed to Genesee County by an act of the Legislature, approved March 9, 1843. The first highway laid in the township was done by order of Paul G. Davison and Asa Farrar, highway commissioners of the town of Atlasand dated March 28, 1837, the route described as follows: "Commencing at the southeast corner of section 31 in township 7 north, range 8 east, running north three miles, and ending at the corners of sections 17, 18, 19, and 20." The following is a list of the township officers from 1841 to 1879 inclusive: 1841.-Jacob Teachout, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; Abel Seeley, Collector; Jacob Teachout, Robert E. Potter, Goodenough Townsend, School Inspectors; Jacob Teachout, Ira W. Potter, Abel Seeley, Jr., Assessors; Abel Seeley, S. M. Fisk, Poor-Masters; Abelino Babcock, Robert E. Potter, Goodenough Townsend, Highway Commissioners; Samuel Crandall, Justice of the Peace for four years; S. M. Fisk, Justice of the Peace for two years; Abel Seeley, Jr., Abelino Babcock, Constables. 1842.-Jacob Teachout, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; S. MI. Fisk, Justin Sheldon, Daniel Dayton, Justices of the Peace; Abelino Babcock, Jacob Teachout, Ira W. Potter, Highway Commissioners; Goodenough Townsend, Jacob Teach*out, Robert E. Potter, School Inspectors; William Martin, Abel Seeley, Overseers of the Poor; A. Babcock, Benjamin S. Lockwood, Ira Cobb, Abel Seeley, Jr., Constables; Samuel Crandall, Abel Seeley, Jr., Assistant Assessors. 1843.-Daniel Dayton, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; Jacob Teachout, Justice of the Peace; Robert E. Potter, Calvin Cartwright, Assistant Assessors; Ira W. Potter, James Kline, Abel Seeley, Jr., Highway Commissioners; Robt. E. Potter, Jacob Teachout, Inspectors of Schools; Abel Seeley, Daniel Dayton, Poor Overseers; Thomas Park, I. H1. Carley, B. B. Knight, William Sheldon, Constables. 1844.-Daniel Dayton, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Town Clerk; Abel Seeley, Jr., Treasurer; Goodenough Townsend, Robt. E. Potter, Justices of the Peace; Jacob Teachout, School Inspector; Calvin Cartwright, Thomas O. Townsend, Assistant Assessors; James A. Kline, Ira W. Potter, Abel Seeley, Jr., Highway Commissioners; Daniel Dayton, Alson Seeley, Overseers of the Poor; Elias Bush, Thomas Park, Jeremiah Miller, B. B. Knight, Constables. 1845. —Jacob Teachout, Supervisor; Calvin Cartwright, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; Daniel Dayton, Justice of the Peace; Eleazer Thurston, Hart W. Cummins, Elias Bush, Highway Commissioners; Hart W. Cummins, Abel Seeley, Jr., School Inspectors; Elias Bush, Hart W. Cummins, William Streeter, Constables. 1846.-Jacob Teachout, Supervisor; Calvin Cartwright, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; S. M. Fisk, Justice of the Peace; James A. Kline, Eleazer Thurston, Edmund Perry, Jr., Highway Commissioners; Thomas O. Townsend, Eleazer Thurston, School Inspectors; Daniel Dayton, Abel Seeley, Overseers of the Poor; Henry Hastings, H. H. Sheldon, Elias Rush, John Tharrett, Constables. 1847.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; Calvin Cartwright, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; Samuel J. Ashley, Justice of the Peace; H. H. Sheldon, Ira W. Potter, Calvin Cartwright, Highway Commissioners; Hart W. Cummins, Thomas O. Townsend, School Inspectors; H. H. Sheldon, Henry Hastings, Jeremiah Miller, Russell Eastwood, Constables; S. M. Crandall, John Caslor, Overseers of the Poor. 1848.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; Calvin Cartwright, Town Clerk; S. M. Fisk, Treasurer; Calvin Cartwright, Justice of the Peace; W. G. Merrill, School Inspector; Nicholas Hosner, Highway Commissioner; Daniel Dayton, Edmund Perry, Jr., Overseers of the Poor; H. H. Sheldon, H. Hastings, Lothrop Ford, Horace Bachelor, Constables. 1849.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; Calvin Cartwright, Town Clerk; S. IM. Fisk, Treasurer; W. G. Merrill, Justice of the Peace; Ira W. Potter, Henry Ball, Highway Commissioners; Henry Ball, School Inspector; Nathaniel Cole, Elias Lacy, Alexander Caslor, Franklin Langdon, Constables; Daniel Dayton, Edmund Perry, Overseers of the Poor. 1850.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; W. G. Merrill, Town Clerk; Calvin Cartwright, Treasurer; Robert E. Potter, Job Conger, Justices of the Peace; Edmund Perry, Joseph Hill, Overseers of the Poor; Nicholas Hosner, Highway Commissioner; Elias Lacy, Alexander Caslor, Eleazer Thurston, William Thomas, Jr., Constables. 1851. —John Tharrett, Supervisor; W. G. Merrill, Town Clerk; Samuel J. Ashley, Treasurer; David S. Hastings, Thomas O. Townsend, Samuel Robinson, Justices of the Peace; Calvin Cartwright, Highway Commissioner; Nathaniel Cole, School Inspector; Nathaniel Cob, Alexander Caslor, Miles F. Washburn, Russell Eastwood, Constables; Elias Bush, Edmund Perry, Jr., Poor Overseers. 1852.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; W. G. Merrill, Town Clerk; Walter J. Cole, Treasurer; Goodenough Townsend, Henry Ball, David Hollenbeck, Justices of the Peace; Abel Seelye, Jr., Highway Commissioner; Daniel Dayton, School Inspector; Elias Bush, David S. Ijastings, Overseers of the Poor; Alexander Caslor, J. H. Carley, Ransom Hill, Elias Bush, Constables. 1853.-Robert E. Potter, Supervisor; William G. MIerrill, Town Clerk; Walter J. Cole, Treasurer; Samuel J. Ashley, Edmund Perry, Jr., Justices of the Peace; Wn. Jordon, School Inspector; Ira W. Potter, Highway Commissioner; Job Conger, Jeremiah Miller, Overseers of the Poor; Alexander Caslor, Horace Bachelor, Miles F. Washburn, Silas Kitchen, Constables. 1854.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; Thomas O. Townsend, Township Clerk; David Hollenbeck, Treasurer; Wm. G. Merrill, School Inspector; Joseph Hill, Highway Commissioner; Charles Rogers, Justice of the Peace; Iosea Hill, Jeremiah Miller, Overseers of the Poor; Calvin Wakefield, Elias Lacy, Elias Bush, Alexander Caslor, Constables. 1855.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Thomas 0. Townsend, Township Clerk; David Hollenbeck, Treasurer; Edmund Perry, Jr., Justice of the Peace; William Jordon, School Inspector; S. J. Wicker, Highway Commissioner; C. Cartwright, Robert E. Doty, Overseers of the Poor; Elias Bush, Elias Lacy, Silas S. Kitchen, Daniel Chamberlin, Constables. I DAVISON TOWNSHIP. 403 1856.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Joseph Hill, Treasurer; Henry Ball, Justice of the Peace; Ira W. Potter, Highway Commissioner; Hosea Hill, School Inspector; Robert E. Potter, Calvin Cartwright, Overseers of the Poor; O. D. Watson, S. R. Hacket, Henry Haynes, R. Hill, Constables. 1857.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Nathaniel Cole, Treasurer; Thomas Dayton, Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Highways; George W. Goodenough, Robert E. Potter, Overseers of the Poor; William G. Merrill, Aaron J. S. Seeley, School Inspectors; William Odell, Samuel R. Hackett, Hiram Applebee, Silas S. Kitchen, Constables. 1858.-John Tharrett, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Nathaniel Cole, Treasurer; David Hollenbeck, Justice of the Peace; Elijah A. Rockafellow, School Inspector; Lathrop Moss, Highway Commissioner; Calvin Cartwrigllt, George W. Goodenough, Overseers of the Poor; Goodenough Townsend, Calvin Cartwright, Jonathan Coomer, Harris Marsh, Constables. 1859.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; GoodenoughTownsend, Township Clerk; Nathaniel Cole, Treasurer; John C. Rockafellow, Justice of the Peace; Joseph Goodenough, School Inspector; Robert I. Ray, Highway Commissioner; Abel Seelye, Jr., Joseph Hill, Directors of the Poor; Leonard G. Worden, Harris Marsh, Daniel D. Stone, Hiram Applebee, Constables. 1860.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Joseph Goodenough, Treasurer; Joseph Baxter, Highway Commissioner; Guy Hewett, Justice of the Peace; Hosea Hill, John C. Rockafellow, School Inspectors; Oliver D. Watson, Daniel D. Stone, Leonard G. Worden, Charles H. Henderson, Constables. 1861.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Aaron J. S. Seelye, Treasurer; William McAllister, Justice of the Peace; Walter W. Worden, Highway Commissioner; Elijah A. Rockafellow, School Inspector; George A. Daly, Daniel D. Stone, John Hill, Levi H. Johnson, Constables. 1862.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Joseph Eastman, Township Clerk; Joseph Goodenough, Treasurer; Goodenough Townsend, George W. Goodenough, Justices of the Peace; Goodenough Townsend, School Inspector; Robert E. Potter, Commissioner of Highways; Daniel D. Stone, Jacob Fenner, Justin Hewett, HIorace Kingman, Constables. 1863.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Joseph Eastman, Town Clerk; A. J. S. Seelye, Treasurer; Ira T. Potter, School Inspector; Thomas Dayton, Justice of the Peace; John C. Rockafellow, Commissioner of Highways; Daniel D. Stone, Jacob Fenner, Robert E. Potter, Constables. 1864.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Joseph Goodenough, Treasurer; Joseph Eastman, Justice of the Peace; L. G. Goodenough, School Inspector; Abel Seelye, Highway Com missioner; Henry A. Black, Samuel R. Hackett, Leonard G. Worden, Constables. 1865.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Samuel A. Cur rier, Township Clerk; Sylvester Haynes, Treasurer; Ira T. Potter, School Inspector; Thomas Dayton, Commissioner of Highways; George W. Goodenough, Job Conger, Justices of the Peace; Levi H. Johnson, Rufus R. Worden, William N. Thompson, John Knapp, Constables. 1866.-Joseph Eastman, Supervisor; Samuel A. Currier, Township Clerk; Lafayette Hathaway, Treasurer; Lucian G. Goodenough, School Inspector; George R. Howe, Highway Commissioner; John C. Rockafellow, Alexander Campbell, Justices of the Peace; Charles H. Henderson, Leonard G. Worden, Hiram Thomas, Alexander Lobban, Constables. 1867.-Calvin Cartwright, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Lafayette Hathaway, Treasurer; Ira T. Potter, School Inspector; Abel Seelye, Highway Commissioner; Thomas Dayton, Charles Rogers, Justices of the Peace; William U. Thompson, L. G. Worden, Lafayette Hathaway, Bryant R. Hill, Constables. 1868.-Ira T. Potter, Supervisor; Goodenough Townsend, Township Clerk; Lafayette Hathaway, Treasurer; Alexander Campbell, George W. Griffin, Justices of the Peace; Lucian G. Goodenough, School Inspector; Hiram Applebee, Highway Commissioner; Samuel A. Currier, James Campbell, Calvin Cartwright, Joseph Eastman, Constables. 1869.-Ira T. Potter, Supervisor; Aruna B. Scott, Township Clerk; Lucian G. Goodenough, Treasurer; George W. Goodenough, Samuel R. Hackett, Justices of the Peace; William N. Monroe, School Inspector; Horace Bachelor, Highway Commissioner; Charles Robinson, Rufus Worden, Goodenough Townsend, Hiram V. Munger, Constables. 1870.-Goodenough Townsend, Supervisor; Lucian G. Goodenough, Treasurer; A. B. Scott, Township Clerk; Jacob S. Fenner, Justice of the Peace; Lucian G. Goodenough, School Inspector; George W. Griffen, Highway Commissioner; John N. Welch, Constable. 1871.-Goodenough Townsend, Supervisor; Seth J. Wicker, Treasurer; L. S. McAllister, Clerk; Thomas Dayton, Justice of the Peace; Wm. N. Munroe, School Inspector; L. G. Worden, Highway Commissioner; John N. Welch, Otis Eastman, Rufus R. Worden, Philip Hill, Constables. 1872.-John Campbell, Supervisor; John F. Cartwright, Treasurer; L. S. McAllister, Township Clerk; Alexander Campbell, Justice of the Peace; Dwight Babcock, School Inspector; Alexander Campbell, Highway Commissioner; Lucian G. Goodenough, Drain Commissioner; Philip Hill, Marvin Cummings, Rufus R. Worden, Constables. 1873.-John Campbell, Supervisor; John F. Cartwright, Treasurer; L. S. McAllister, Township Clerk; George W. Goodenough, Justice of the Peace; Lucian G. Goodenough, School Inspector; Morris E. Burton, Highway Commissioner; George W. Griffen, Rufus R. Worden, Henry A. Black, Jacob F. Fenner, Constables. 1874.-John Campbell, Supervisor; John F. Cartwright, Treasurer; Lester S. McAllister, Township Clerk; Jacob S. Fenner, Justice of the Peace; Wm. N. Munroe, School Inspector; Gilbert O. Torrey, Highway Commissioner; Alexander Campbell, Drain Commissioner; Alexander Lob 404 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ban, Robert Knowles, Stephen S. Moore, William U. Thompson, Constables. 1875.-John Campbell, Supervisor; Lester S. McAllister, Township Clerk; Seth J. Wicker, Treasurer; Albert E. Hurd, Justice of the Peace; William N. Munroe, School Inspector; Alexander Lobban, School Superintendent; Aaron J. S. Seelye, Highway Commissioner; George H. Moss, Drain Commissioner; Rufus R. Worden, William U. Thompson, Henry A. Black, Edward Verrill, Constables. 1876.-John Campbell, Supervisor; William N. Munroe, Treasurer; Lester S. McAllister, Township Clerk; Alexander Campbell, Justice of the Peace; William N. Munroe, School Inspector; Alexander Lobban, School Superintendent; Gilbert O. Torrey, Highway Commissioner; Calvin Wakefield, O.. Hathaway, Goodenough Townsend, Wm. U. Thompson, Constables. 1877.-John Campbell, Supervisor; William N. Monroe, Treasurer; Albert E. Hurd, Township Clerk; Harmanus B. Foll, Justice of the Peace; William N. Monroe, School Inspector; Gilbert O. Torrey, Highway Commissioner; Henry S. Horrell, Jacob D. Carpenter, B. Foll, B. R. Hill, Constables. 1878.-John Campbell, Supervisor; Setl J. Wicker, Treasurer; Lester S. McAllister, Township Clerk; Thomas Dayton, Hosea Hill, Justices of the Peace; Edward D. Black, School Superintendent; Alexander Lobban, School Inspector; Gilbert O. Torrey, Highway Commissioner; Alexander Campbell, Drain Commissioner; Henry S. Horrell, Andrew Seeley, Frank McDonald, Horace Raymond, Constables. 1879.-John Campbell, Supervisor; Seth J. Wicker, Treasurer; Sanford McTaggart, Township Clerk; Abel Seelye, Justice of the Peace; Henry A. Black, Justice of the Peace, to fill vacancy; William N. Monroe, School Inspector; Charles W. Seaton, School Superintendent; Philip P. Hill, Highway Commissioner; Henry S. Horrell, David Riegle, John F. McDonald, John C. Yewance, Constables. DAVISON STATION, a small village on the line of the Chicago and Lake Huron Railroad, is nine miles east of the city of Flint. It contains two churches, - Methodist Episcopal and FreeWill Baptist,-one hotel, post-office, district school-house, 2 stores of general merchandise, 1 drug-store, 1 harnessstore, 1 provision-store, a cheese-factory, steam saw-mill, grain-elevator, Masonic hall, 1 stave- and heading-factory, several small mechanical shops, and about 175 inhabitants. Its site includes portions of sections 3, 9, and 10, and its history dates back only to the completion of the railroad, in 1871. The first settler upon its site was Eleazer Thurston, who located upon a portion of section 10 in 1842. Messrs. Dunn & Darling established here the first sawmill in the township, in 1871. Dr. L. W. Hanson, the first physician; Damon Stewart, the first merchant and postmaster; and Henry S. Rising, the first tavern-keeper, all began here in 1872. The cheese-factory was started by Messrs. R. E. and I. W. Potter and Sanford McTaggart in 1873, and the flouring-mill by Messrs. Clemens, Miles & Co. in 1873. A cheese-factory association, composed of Messrs. R. E. Potter, I. W. Potter, Sanford MeTaggart, D. S. Woolman, George Mann, Corbett Pratt, C. B. Updegraff, George W. Griffin, Henry Mann, J. W. Goodenough, and Ira T. Potter, as members, was incorporated April 20, 1876. This factory is in successful operation, uses the milk from about 200 cows, and will manufacture 65,000 pounds of cheese annually. The Atlas and Davison Union Cheese-Manufacturing Company was incorporated as a stock company Jan. 15, 1876, with the following members: Stephen Jordon, John Campbell, Jacob D. Carpenter, Charles Blackmer, Henry Ball, Albert Armstrong, Adrian P. Gale, Alexander Lobban, and George Leach. The factory is situated in the Ball neighborhood, and uses the milk from about 175 cows. MASONIC SOCIETIES. GOODRICH LODGE, NO. 236, F. AND A. M., commenced work under a dispensation, Oct. 11, 1867, at the village of Goodrich, in Atlas township. A charter was received from the Grand Lodge of Michigan, Jan. 10, 1868. The first officers under the dispensation were George C. Graham, W. M.; William H. Putnam, S. W.; Jesse Eeles, J. W.; Ezra K. Parshall, Treasurer; C. W. Pengra, Secretary; E. Darwin Parshall, S. D.; J. H. Blodgett, J. D.; Israel P. Whitmer, Tiler, who were all charter members. Charles W. Pengra was the first Master under the charter. Subsequent Masters have been as follows: Edward Couse, 1869; William H. Putnam, 1870; Charles W. Pengra, 1871-72-73, and to June, 1874; Adrian P. Gale, from June, 1874, to June, 1876; John F. Cartwright, from June, 1876, to December, 1876; Adrian P. Gale, from December, 1876, to December, 1878. The present officers are Adrian P. Gale, W. M.; Ira T. Potter, S. W.; Sanford McTaggart, J. W.; Seth J. Wicker, Treasurer; Albert E. Hurd, Secretary; M. H. Hutchins, S. D.; E. A. Rockafellow, J. D.; L. W. Hanson and L. S. McAllister, Stewards; Asa Sowle, Tiler. The Lodge was moved from Goodrich to Davison Station, March 10, 1876. RELIGIOUS. The church edifices of the Methodist Episcopal and FreeWill Baptist societies are situated in the village of Davison Station. No data have been obtained concerning the Methodist Episcopal Church, although official members were earnestly requested to furnish the same. THE FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH OF DAVISON was organized about twenty years ago, at the Herrick schoolhouse. There were present at that time the following ministers: Rev. C. B. Mills, Rev. Almon Jones, and Rev. C. P. Goodrich. For many years meetings were held in the Herrick schoolhouse. But finally this small school-house became too small to accommodate the growing congregations, and a commodious edifice was erected two miles away, at Davison Station. The church is built in Gothic style, and is elegant and tasteful in design. It will seat comfortably 275 persons. The property, including sheds, fencing, etc., is worth $3000. The church was finished and occupied in the year 1872. DAVISON TOWNSHIP. 405 The society has been blessed with the labors of many excellent and talented ministers. Rev. Almon Jones was the founder of the church, and did most efficient service for many years on a very small salary. Rev. C. P. Goodrich here thundered with his usual vigor for the cause of God. Rev. S. A. Williams and Rev. C. H. Nichols occupied terms of service. Rev. S. A. Currier, one of the fathers of the denomination in this State, has written a history of good in many years of hard toil at various times in the life of this church. He had much to do with the securing the present advantageous location of the church property, and the erection of the church building. Rev. S. Bathrick, Rev. F. P. Augir, and Rev. C. B. Mills have also added character to the pulpit ministrations, and are embalmed in the memory of the people. Rev. E. M. Corey is now pastor of the church, and has been since the spring of 1878. The society is in a prosperous condition. There have been nearly 40 additions during the past year, and it now numbers 100 members. A good parsonage, begun in 1879, is nearly finished; and in it the society have added a property worth $1000 to their other possessions. A successful Sabbath-school is carried on, with Brother Tenney as superintendent, numbering about 100 scholars. The foregoing was kindly furnished by the pastor. CEMETERY. THE PINE-GROVE BURYING-GROUND CORPORATION was incorporated Jan. 29, 1853. John Tharrett, Thomas Dayton, Abner Seelye, and Jeremiah Miller were named as the first officers. Their grounds include 1-5%- acres. SCHOOLS. The first school was taught by Miss Sabrina Barnes about 1839-40, in the shanty formerly occupied by Chris topher Miller as a dwelling-house. Although school districts were laid out and schools taught in different portions of the township previously, it was not until about 1845 that schools, school boards, and districts were regularly organized and conducted. Miss Catharine Hoyle was granted a certificate to teach in District No. 2, in May, 1845. The teachers licensed in 1846 were John Tharrett, Caroline Cady, Anna Tucker, and Catharine Winship. In 1848, Catharine Gorton, Catharine Stow, Emeline Walker, Mary Jane Center, and Catharine Winship received certificates; and Deborah Roberts, Arceny Seelye, Gulielme Fitch, Deborah Crandall, and Henry Barnes, in 1849. Data showing the number of districts, number of scholars attending schools, and the cost of sustaining the same at that period, have not been preserved. The following statistics are taken from the annual report of the board of school inspectors for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878: Whole districts, 7; fractional districts, 2. Children of school-age in the township, 394; attending school during the year, 374; non-residents attending school, 32. Frame school-houses, 7; log school-houses, 2. Seating capacity of school-houses, 428. Value of school property, $5190. Male teachers employed during year, 4; female teachers, 13. Months taught by males, 22; by fenales, 50. Paid male teachers, $752; female teachers, $718; total, $1470. Receipts.-From moneys on hand Sept. 3, 1877, 2-mill tax, primary school fund, tuition of non-resident scholars, district taxes, and from all other sources, $2316.24. Expenditures.-Teachers' wages, $1470; building repairs, $84.44; bonded indebtedness, $45.63; all other purposes, $388.95; on hand, Sept. 2, 1878, $327.22; total, $2316.24. R I CH FI E L D. THIS town lies on the cast border of the county, on the second tier of townships from the north, and is known in the records of the United States survey as township 8 north, range 8 east. It is centrally distant from Flint about ten and a quarter miles, and is bounded by Forest on the north, Oregon, Lapeer Co., on the east, Davison on the south, and Genesee on the west. Its superficial area is 22,439TZ& acres. The surface is slightly rolling, being roughest in the northeast part and along the course of Flint River. The original forest of this town was in most parts a variety of all kinds of hard-wood timber, but along the course of the river was a belt of pine of an average width of about one and a half miles, and along Hasler's and Briar Creek similar growths were found. This pine, covering about one-third of the town, was to some extent interspersed with other timber, and was of good quality and size. The soil of the pine lands is lighter than that of the rest of the town, which varies from a sort of marl to a black gravelly or sandy loam, fertile and easily tilled. The best part of the town for agricultural purposes lies in the southwest half, but all is productive, and well repays the toil of the husbandman with remunerative crops. Unlike many townships in Michigan, there are none of those small lakes, so common in this State, within the borders of Richfield. The principal water-courses are the Flint River and Black Creek. Flint River enters the town near the northeast corner of section 12, and runs in a somewhat tortuous but generally westerly course, passing through portions of sections 1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, and 18, passing into the town of Genesee near the southwest corner of section 7. Its course in this town is about twelve miles in length, and its current rather sluggish. At two points it has been dammed to make a water-power, but neither dam is now used. Black Creek, which is the outlet of Potter Lake, enters the town near the centre of the east line of section 36, runs westerly about a mile and threequarters, turns sharply to the south, and passes into Davison. Hasler's Creek is the outlet of a lake of the same name lying in the town of Elba, Lapeer Co., and runs northerly along the east border of the town through section 13, and in a northwest course across section 12 till it reaches the Flint River, and unites its waters with those of the larger stream. Briar Creek, Belden Creek, and four other small streams are tributaries to Flint River. The two first named unite with it in the eastern part of section 18, the former flowing from the north, and the latter from the south. The Flint River branch of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad cuts across the northwest corner of the town on section 6, and has a station there called Rogers'. This company has about five-eighths of a mile of track in the town. 406 Many traces still remain to testify of the presence here of the aborigines,-those nomadic wanderers who have now so nearly disappeared from this country which was once one of their favorite hunting-grounds. Numerous trails led in various directions through the town, the principal ones being the Saginaw trail near the Irish road, and one from the vicinity of' Ncpessing joining the Saginaw trail near the river. The Indians had a sort of village near Nepessing Lake, in Lapeer County, and in this town had a camping-place on the south bank of Flint River, in section 11. Near this place they cultivated some corn on a sort of opening, which gave to the locality the name of " the Indian garden." On sections 20 and 21 and in other localities in the town they had "sugar-bushes," where they tapped the maple-trees and in their rude way manufactured an inferior kind of maple-sugar. Among these traces of former inhabitants of this section of our country none possess a greater interest to the antiquary or the historian than the mysterious mounds that here and there lie scattered about throughout the State. In the pinery, on section 25, is a large mound, evidently formed by the work of human hands, as is proved by the mixed condition of the soil composing it. Its diameter is some twelve or fourteen feet, and its elevation above the surrounding surface about five feet. A smaller mound on the bank of Black Creek, in section 35, was opened and a skull and some other bones taken out. Upon these mounds large forest-trees were growing at the time of the first settlement, indicating that they had then reached an age of at least a hundred years since the mounds were piled up. THE SETTLEMENT of this town was not begun until the spring of 1836, though a little of the land had been taken up by speculators late in the month of December, 1835. In the year 1836 nearly all the land in the town was bought from the government and several settlements begun in different parts. The names of the original purchasers of these lands are contained in the following list. Those printed in italics became actual residents of the town at an earlier or later date. We first give the names of those who purchased land on more than one section. The residence of the purchaser at the time of purchase is given in each case where it is known. The list is as follows, viz.: James Seymour, of Monroe Co., N. Y., March 1, 1836, 466 acres on section 1, and 62 acres on section 10; total, 528 acres. Elon Farnsworth, Delos Davis, and Rufus Brown, Jr., of Wayne Co., Mich., June 9, 1836, 163 acres on section 1, 582 acres on section 2, 1334 acres on sections 3 and 4 (the entire sections); total, 2079 acres. RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP. 407 Orsimus Bassett, of Genesee Co., N. Y., Aug. 26, 1836, 160 acres on* section 23; November 12th, 80 acres on section 6; and November 21st, 80 acres on section 7; total, 320 acres. Thomas R. Roby, of Monroe Co., N. Y., March 1, 1836, 164 acres on section 7, and 320 acres on section 17 total, 484 acres. Rufus Brown, Jr., and Delos Davis, of Wayne Co., Mich., June 3, 1836, 160 acres on section 7, and 480 acres on section 8; total, 640 acres. Robert J. S. Page, of this county, Aug. 24, 1836, 80 acres on section 35; September 13th, 80 acres on section 7; total, 160 acres. William Draper, of Pontiac, Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 21, 1835, 151 acres on section 17, 98 acres on section 18; December 28th, 57 acres on section 18; Feb. 20, 1836, 145 acres on section 17; June 2d, 160 acres on section 8; total, 611 acres. John Todd, of Flint, Dec. 28, 1835, 50 acres on section 9, and 40 acres on section 10; total, 90 acres. Thomas L. L. Brent, of Virginia, March 16, 1836, 197 acres on section 9, 62 acres on section 10, 552 acres on section 11, 213 acres on section 12, 240 acres on section 13, 320 acres on section 14, 320 acres on section 15, 260 acres on section 18, 242 acres on section 19, 160 acres on section 20, and 240 acres on section 30; total, 2806 acres. Lewis Godard, of Wayne Co., Mich., Feb. 9, 1836, 60 acres on section 2, 100 acres on section 10, 80 acres on section 11, 152 acres on section 12; March 16th, 104 acres on section 9; total, 496 acres. Sylvanus P. Jermain, of Albany Co., N. Y., April 7, 1836, 102 acres on section 9, and 86 acres on section 12; total, 188 acres. Lot Clark and Stephen Warren, of the State of New York, Feb. 22, 1836, 51 acres on section 18; March 1st, 151 acres on section 12, and 60 acres on section 18; total, 262 acres. Frederick B. Guenther, of New York City, Aug. 27, 1836, 160 acres on section 13, 80 acres on section 14, 80 acres on section 22, 160 acres on section 24, 160 acres on section 27, 80 acres on section 35, and 160 acres on section 36; total, 880 acres. Joseph M. Leon, of New York City, Aug. 27, 1836, 240 acres on section 13, 160 acres on section 24, 240 acres on section 25, 80 acres on section 26, 160 acres on section 34, and 240 acres on section 36; total, 1120 acres. David Piffard, of Livingston Co., N. Y., July 6, 1836, 160 acres on section 14, 240 acres on section 22, 160 acres on section 27, and 160 acres on section 35; total, 720 acres. Rial Irish, of Oakland Co., Mich., March 1, 1836, 80 acres on section 19, 160 acres on section 20; June 14th, 40 acres on section 19; total, 280 acres. Ebenezer Larned, of New London, Conn., June 4,1836, 80 acres on section 20, and 80 acres on section 21; total, 160 acres. George Oliver, of this county, May 7, 1836, 40 acres on section 21; May 20th, 40 acres on the same section; Jan. 17, 1837, 78 acres on section 30; total, 158 acres. t John Newton: Jr., of this county, Aug. 26, 183(6, 320 acres on section 23, and 320 acres on section 24; total, 640 acres. David L. Belden, of Hartford Co., Conn., July 1,1836, 640 acres on section 28, 360 acres on section 29, 560 acres on section 32, and 400 acres on section 33; total, 1960 acres. Thomas Hosmer, of Oakland Co., Mich., April 2, 1836, 40 acres on section 20, and 160 acres on section 29; total, 200 acres. Luman Brownson, of Oakland Co., Mich., June 11, 1836, 40 acres on section 29, and 160 acres on section 30; total, 200 acres. George A. Shoemaker, of Ontario Co., N. Y., June 14, 1836, 80 acres on section 31, and 80 acres on section 32; total, 160 acres. The other entries are classified by sections: Section 1: Origen D. Richardson, of Oakland Co., Rich., Feb. 16, 1836, 9 acres. Section 5: Charles B. Hubbell and Joseph Thompson, of Fairfield Co., Conn., May 21, 1836, the entire section,680 acres. Section 6: Abraham Hogan, of Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 20, 1836, 40 acres; Ephraim W. Knight, of this county, Nov. 10 and 12, 1836, 158 acres; Emery Church, of Genesee Co., N. Y., Nov. 10, 1836, 80 acres; Hiram Wright, of this county, Nov. 12, 1836, 91 acres; Thomas Warren, of Genesee Co., N. Y., 226 acres; Andrew Cook, of this county, July 12, 1843, 40 acres. Section 7: Henry Dwight, of Ontario Co., N. Y., Feb. 11, 1836, 7 acres; Ramsey McHenry, B. B. Kercheval, Mark Healey, and F. O. J. Smith, May 24, 1836, 160 acres. Section 9: Apollos Smith, of Rutland Co., Vt., June 17, 1836, 160 acres. Section 10' Albert J. Smith, of this county, Feb. 1, 1836, 110 acres; Morgan L. Schermerhorn, of Cuyahoga Co., O., April 16, 1836, 160 acres; Ogden Clark, of this county, Sept. 30, 1836, 80 acres. Section 14: James Adams, of Monroe Co., N. Y., July 5, 1836, 80 acres. Section 15: Francis L. Tibbetts, of Onondaga Co., N. Y., May 7, 1836, 40 acres; Asa Davis, of Genesee Co., N. Y., June 28, 1836, 40 acres; Ira Donelson and Mary Donelson, of Oakland Co., Mich., July 5, 1836, 240 acres. Section 18: Edwin Rose, of Wayne Co., Mich., March 1,1836, 106 acres. Section 19: William Dickinson, of Monroe Co., N. Y., June 18, 1836, 160 acres; Thomas Reynolds, of Oakland Co., Mich., July 9, 1836, 80 acres; Isaac Voorhees, of same county, July 12, 1836, 40 acres. Section 20: Orsamus Cooley, of Oakland Co., Mich, April 25, 1836, 40 acres; David Johnson, of the same county, May 30, 1836, 160 acres. Section 21: Hiram Dodge, of Lenawee Co., Mich., May 12, 1836, 80 acres; Harvey Dodge, of Oakland Co., Mich., same date, 40 acres; Benjamin Huger, of the United States Army, June 4, 1836, 40 acres; William Durkee, of Mon roe Co., N. Y., same date, 160 acres; William Taylor, of the same county, June 18, 1836, 160 acres. Section 22: Levi Reynolds, of this county, May 6,1836, 408 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 40 acres; Thomas Clark, of Lenawee Co., Mich., June 28, 1836, 200 acres; Jeremiah C. Thomas, of this county, July 2, 1836, 80 acres. Section 23: E. Cash and H. Wright, of Genesee Co., N. Y., Aug. 26, 1836, 160 acres. Section 25: Willard Tucker, of this county, August 26, 1836, 80 acres; Jeremy Chambers, of the same county, and same date, 80 acres. Section 26: Jacob Snapp, of this county, Aug. 26, 1836, 80 acres; Thomas Cooley, same county and date, 320 acres; Thomas J. Gillett, of Allegany Co., N. Y., Sept. 26, 1836, 80 acres; James Greer, of this county, same date, 80 acres. Section 27: Levi Newton, of Genesee Co., N. Y., Aug. 26, 1836, 320 acres. Section 29: George B. Durkee, of Monroe Co., N. Y. June 18, 1836, 80 acres. Section 30: Lyman Curtis, of Wayne Co., Mich., June 20, 1836, 78 acres; Jacob Teachout, same county and date, 80 acres. Section 31: David S. Crandall, of Genesee Co., N. Y., June 14, 1836, 80 acres; Edwin Taylor, of Monroe Co., N. Y., June 18, 1836, 158 acres; M. Langley, of Wayne Co., N. Y., June 20, 1836, 80 acres; Samuel Bassett, of Oakland Co., Mich., June 21, 1836, 155 acres; David Brown, of this county, July 5, 1836, 80 acres. Section 33: Henry Mead, of Oakland Co., Mich., July 11, 1836, 160 acres; John Rettan, same county and date, 80 acres. Section 34: Nelson G. Parmelee, of Ontario Co., N. Y., July 11, 1836, 160 acres; Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins, of Genesee Co., N. Y., same date, 320 acres. Section 35: Charles Wright, of this county, Aug. 24, 1836, 160 acres; Daniel Le Roy, of Oakland Co., Mich., same date, 160 acres. Section 36: James Davis, of Oakland Co., Mich., Aug. 27, 1836, 80 acres; Arthur Davis, same county and date, 160 acres. From this list we see that the first entry of land in this town was made by William Draper on the 21st of December, 1835, and that with a single exception-that of Andrew Cook on section 6-all the land was taken up within thirteen months afterwards,-certainly a very expeditious sale. Among the most extensive purchasers of land was Thomas L. L. Brent, who came here from Virginia with considerable money, and made large purchases of land in different parts of the county. He lived in the western part of the county, and, in explanation of his buying so much land, told his neighbors (for all the settlers were neighbors in those days) that he and his wife had a little money that they did not want to use, and they thought they would put it into land " to keep the land out of the hands of the d —d speculators!" It is said that after holding some of this land for several years, and meantime paying considerable taxes upon it, he was finally forced to sell it for just what he paid the government for it. As a matter of course the foregoing list does not embrace any of the land on section 16, which, being school-land, was held for some time, and sold to settlers at a higher rate than the government price. The first settlement in the town was made in the early spring of the year 1836. There was at that time a man living at Pontiac whose name was Rial Irish,-and who for some reason-probably to secure a larger farm-decided to settle in this then unbroken wilderness. So, getting together his family and household goods, he struck out for his new home, following the Saginaw road north until he reached Stony Run, in the town of Groveland. There he branched off from the main road and followed an old disused Indian trail that led north very nearly along the section line one mile east of range 7. Traveling along this trail, cutting his way through the underbrush and traveling slowly because of the many obstructions to be removed, he at last reached his land on sections 19 and 20 of the present town of Richfield, some time in March. He was accompanied in his pilgrimage by his wife and three small children and his younger brother Raphael. The road they thus made was some twenty miles long, and forned a route by which many other settlers came into this region. It has always been, and is now, known as " the Irish road." Mr. Irish came here with the intention of following the occupation of a farmer, and immediately went at work and built a log shanty on section 19, about eighty rods south of the northeast corner of the section, and near the bank of a small creek. Upon the completion of this habitation, the work of clearing was begun, and two acres of spring wheat were sown in a rude manner among the stumps and logs. This was the first wheat sown in the town, and was harvested by George Oliver, who cradled it, and Pheroras Clark, who raked and bound it. A short time after his settlement here he found that there was considerable excellent pine in the town, some of it on his land, and he conceived the project of building a saw-mill to convert it into lumber. The work of building this mill was not begun until the spring of 1837. He then began work by digging a race from a point some one hundred rods up Belden Brook, from the section corner to the site selected for the mill, about fifty rods farther down the stream. At the head of this race a dam was built across the brook. It was made by driving crotched sticks into the bed of the stream, from each of which a long basswood pole was laid, with one end buried in the bottom of the brook. On these transverse poles were laid, and then the whole structure was covered with brush, leaves, and dirt to form a dam. After the dam and race were completed, and the frame to the mill had been raised, he decided to leave the town, and sold out to a man by the name of Church, who soon afterwards sold it to David L. Belden for $7000. Mr. Belden had come here as the agent for a colony of Connecticut people, and had entered a large amount of land for them. This land lie mortgaged to secure the payment of the $7000, which was to be paid in lumber in annual installments. The obligation was held by a man named Darrow, who lived in Pontiac. Mr. Belden employed Church to complete the mill, which was done so that it began operations in the spring of 1839. Owing to his inexperience and the extremely moderate price at which lumber had to be sold, Mr. Belden was unsuccessful, and, being unable to meet his payments, was forced to turn out a tract of land in payment of his matured obligations. This operation was repeated from time to time until not only the lands owned by RICI1FIELD TOWNSHIP. 409 lim, but also those owned by the colony, had been swallowed up. IIe then gave up and removed to Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Of the colony, only one beside Belden ever came here. That one was John Judd, who came at the same time with Belden, and who is now living at Corunna, Shiawassee Co., Mich. Rial Irish and Church both returned to Pontiac when they sold out here. Following closely upon the heels of the first settler came George Oliver, with his wife, three sons, and one daughter. He had been a resident of this State for several years, and was the first white man married in Flint. His wife's name was Keziah Tobey. Before coming to Richfield he was a resident of the town of Genesee, where he owned an interest in the saw-mill near the mouth of Kearslcy Creek, known as the Harger or Pearson mill. He built a small house on section 21, about one hundred rods south of the centre of the town. It was a small log house roofed with elm-bark. He, that spring, cleared a small piece of ground and planted a few potatoes. During the seven or eight years of his residence here, his principal occupations were shingle-making and acting as guide to new-comers who were looking for land. He also cleared some land and farmed it to a limited extent. While living on this place a daughter was born to them, which was the first birth of a white child in the town. Mr. Oliver removed to East Saginaw in 1843-44, where he had purchased some land within the present city limits, and where he engaged in working the highways under contract and in fitting his land for cultivation. He became quite wealthy, through the rise in value of his Saginaw property, and returned to this county, settling at Clio, where he died some four or five years ago. Mr. Oliver was accompanied to this town by a man named Samuel Johnson, who worked for him a while and then went off to some other locality. He came with Oliver more for company's sake than with an idea of settling in Richfield. His possessions consisted of a horse and wagon,both rather dilapidated and showing the effects of age and hard usage, -a boy, a pig, and a tame bear. For convenience in transportation the pig was put into the wagon, the bear (which was not full grown) was carried in his arms, and the boy trudged along on foot. The journey was not totally devoid of incident, for the road was rough and the wagon was jolted and bounced about, much to the discomfort of its porcine occupant, who vented his displeasure in disconsolate grunts and heart-rending squeals. The bear, too, restless because of the tiresome journey, gave tokens of his displeasure by various uneasy movements and struggles to free himself from the enfolding arms of his master. At last the wagon, in passing over a larger log than usual, received such a shock that the board on which the pig's weight rested was broken, and the pig fell to the ground in such a manner as to break his neck. And then, while Johnson was engaged in the twofold task of holding the bear and trying to assist the pig, Bruin took it into his head to test the sharpness of his teeth, and sank them into the flesh of his owner, who was thereby so greatly exasperated that he seized the offender by the legs and attempted to repeat pig gie's fate by striking the bear against a tree. In the struggle that ensued the bear made his escape, and Johnson and 52 the boy were left to pursue their journey with the carcass of the defunct pig. Thomas Clark was the third settler. He was a native of Rutland Co., Vt., and removed from that place with his parents to Saratoga Co., N. Y., where he subsequently married Miss Rebecca Wing, and with her removed to the town of Butternuts, in Otsego County, in that State. He afterwards removed to the town of Lorraine, in Jefferson County, and four years later to the town of Lyme, in the same county, where he lived fourteen years, the first seven of them on Grenadier Island. From the town of Lyme he came to Michigan in the spring of 1836, starting for his new location in the then far West on the 4th day of May. The company, consisting of Mr. Clark, his wife, Rebecca, two sons and two daughters, embarked on a schooner, and, sailing the length of Lake Ontario, disembarked at the mouth of Niagara River, and continued the journey with their own conveyance, traveling by way of Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Adrian, and Clinton to a small settlement near the latter place, known by the euphonious appellation of Slab City. Here the family remained until the month of August. In the mean time Mr. Clark went to Detroit to get from the land-office the plat of a township in the southern part of the State, where he was intending to settle. That departmlent of the office was closed at the tinme of his arrival, and he had to wait until the next day before lie could obtain the desired plat. While lie was waiting he met a man named Asa Davis (of whom we shall speak hereafter), who had come there to locate some land. Entering into conversation with him, he questioned him about the land in this part of the State, and was well pleased with the description given of it. Davis offered for $7 to give him the description of two hundred acres of what he considered as good land as there was in the township. The offer was accepted, the description given, and, trusting to the honesty as well as the judgment of his new acquaintance, Mr. Clark entered the west half of the northeast quarter, the east half of the northwest quarter, and the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 22, and decided to make Genesee County his future home. In August he brought his family, and they, the third family in the town, became tie first permanent residents. Their house was constructed of logs. Two apartments were built eighteen feet square, with a space of about eight feet between them. Basswood poles of the proper length were split, hollowed into troughs, and made into a roof that covered both apartments and converted the space between into a sort of hall. A puncheon floor, also made of basswood, was laid down, and the family began living in their new domicile, having the satisfaction of knowing that they were living in the best house in town. The work of moving was performed with a team of horses, and several trips had to be made to get the goods, nearly all of which had been shipped by way of the lakes from Sackett's Harbor to Detroit, and had to be brought here by team from the latter place. The work of moving necessarily occupied considerable time. On the last trip the horses were traded for a yoke of oxen. During the time which had thus elapsed between the arrival of the family and the setting in of winter the two oldest sons, Pheroras and Sullivan, had cleared about one and a half acres of ground, and 410 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MlIC[IIGAN. sowed it to wheat. This was the first winter wheat sown in Richfield. Pheroras had brought some apple-seeds with him from the East, and these he sowed that fall and from them raised a few apple-trees, which he set out as soon as they had attained a suitable size. This was certainly the first orchard set out in Richfield, and, with the possible exception of a few trees brought in by Rial Irish, were the first apple-trees brought into town. Some of these trees may still be seen on Mr. Clark's farm, where they are still furnishing their supply of fruit in its season. Late in the fall it became evident that there was not a possibility of getting enough fodder to keep both of the oxen through the winter, so the one that was in the best condition was killed and packed in the beef-barrel to help furnish sustenance for the family. Early in the spring another ox was purchased of George Oliver, but this was quite weakly and was killed by the wolves, leaving both of the settlers without a team. All of the plowing and dragging done for Clark and Oliver that spring was done with the one ox, for which a single yoke was made. In the early part of the following summer the stock of provisions began to run low, and it was found that no flour could be obtained nearer than Detroit, so a cart was improvised from the hind wheels of the wagon, to which a box and a pair of shafts were attached, and to this the ox was hitched and the journey made. It occupied about a week's time, and two barrels of flour, one for himself and one for Oliver, were procured and brought home. This ox was very much afraid of Indians, many of whom it saw in Detroit, and this circumstance caused it to present a very spirited appearance, which attracted the attention of the numerous cartmen, who frequently bantered Mr. Clark for a trade. Thomas Clark remained an honored citizen of the town to the time of his death, July 10, 1864, and departed this life at the age of eighty-six years, mourned by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. His wife died Nov. 7, 1855, aged eighty-four years. Of his children, five are dead, three-Pheroras, Otis, and Mrs. Elizabeth Warren-are still living in Richfield. Sullivan is a resident of the State of Kansas, Asa W. of New York, and Mrs. Thurza Pixley of Illinois. Pheroras married Harriet A., a daughter of Joseph French, and is now living on a portion of the old homestead. To him we are indebted for valuable assistance in the work of compiling this history. A little later in the fall of 1836, Orsimus Cooley came from the town of Farmington, in Oakland County, and commenced a clearing near the southwest corner of section 20, on the east side of the Irish road. As soon as he had cleared a small piece and built a log shanty he returned to Farmington, and in January, 1837, brought his family, consisting of a wife and five children, to their new home. His father was among the earliest settlers in Farmington. They were originally from Massachusetts; and Orsinus, with his family, followed his father to this State, in 1830, living in Farmington until the time of his removal to this town. Mr. Cooley is still a resident of the town in which he has spent the years of his manhood, and, bowing beneath the weight of years, is calmly waiting the summons of the Master to go from hence to join the partner of his earthly joys, who departed this life on the 26th of December, 1872, at the age of seventy-one years. During the early years of the settlement, Mr. Cooley was a famous guide through the wilderness for many parties of land-lookers, and was as familiar then with the trails and blazed paths as he now is with the well-worked highways that traverse the town. One of his adventures is deemed worthy of record here, because of its unusual nature. Some time in the summer season of 1840 or 1841 there was a " raising" in the town of Genesee, to which all the settlers far and near were invited, and as such occasionsfurnishing as they did fine opportunities for social converse and learning the news of the different localities-were eagerly looked forward to by the settlers, Mr. Cooley and two companions started out quite early in the day to attend it. IIe told his two companions to start out in a certain direction, while he would bear off in another towards a favorite runway of the deers, with the expectation of getting a shot at one on his way. As he neared the runway he entered a dense swamp, and while passing through came into a sort of opening through the branches, and looking along this opening saw outlined against the sky a dark figure, which he immediately made out to be a bear. The animal was quite a long distance away, but taking a careful aim he fired, and evidently with success, for the bear gave a spasmodic leap upwards and fell with a crash into the underbrush. With the care which had become almost a second nature to the woodman, lie hastily reloaded his rifle and then turned to go forward and witness the result of his shot. But just as he turned and cast his eyes towards the spot where the bear had fallen, the branches were suddenly agitated, and a second bear came into view. Though this bear did not present a favorable position for a fatal shot, Mr. Cooley blazed away, and was again successful in causing the animal to fall from his perch into the underbrush, where he thrashed about with loud cries of pain and rage. Again the wary hunter reloaded, and was greatly astonished when a third bear presented itself at the opening. Once more he fired with fatal accuracy, and added another carcass to the pile of game. He then reloaded for the third time, and cautiously approached the spot where the bears had appeared. He found that a large tree had been overturned by the wind, and in falling had struck across a log, which caused one end of it to tilt upwards into the air. Up this tree-trunk the bears had walked, and it was while it was looking about for a path that the first one was shot. When he arrived at the scene two of the bears were dead and the third nearly so. Mr. Cooley was soon joined by his companions, who were attracted by the rapid firing, and with their help skinned the bears. One of them was an old one, who had given the settlers considerable trouble and had been shot at several times. One ball was found which Cooley was confident had been fired from his rifle two or three years before, and which had passed through the bear's body and lodged against the skin on the opposite side. The other two bears were younger ones, but full grown. The next family to arrive in town was the Teachout family. William Teachout was the head of the family, which consisted of his wife, three sons, and seven daughters. The eldest son, Jacob,-in whose name the land was entered,-became quite a prominent man in the town. RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP. 411 The family were New Yorkers, and came here in the spring of 1837, following the Oliver road fiom the mouth of Kearsley Creek to their land on section 30. On their farm, in the season of 1838, was erected the first frame barn in Richfield. Mrs. Temperance Tucker and Mrs. James Woods are the only children of William Teachout now living in this town. Thomas J. Gillett was probably the next settler. Ife stayed here a few years, and then removed elsewhere. In the spring of 1839, Elias Van Schaick and family left their home in the town of Lyme (now Cape Vincent), Jefferson Co., N. Y., with the intention of going to the State of Illinois to settle on the fertile prairie lands regarding which such favorable reports were rife in the East. They traveled with their own conveyance to Buffalo, where one of the horses was taken sick, and they were compelled to take boat up the lake. They took passage for Toledo in a boat that was just leaving for Detroit, the mistake being the result of the unscrupulous representations of a " runner," whose zeal was largely il excess of his veracity. Upon his arrival in Detroit, his horse still being too sick to undertake the tedious journey to Chicago, he resolved to hunt up the Clarks with whom he was intimately acquainted, and visit them a few days before going on farther west. In this way he came to Richfield, and, being pleased with some of the heavily-timbered land he saw, finally decided to go no farther, but to settle here instead. He then bougllt of Robert J. S. Page, of Flint, the east half of the northeast quarter of section 35, and there founded his home. During his long residence in this town he has added to his landed possessions another 80-acre lot on section 26. The work of clearing this land of its heavy growth of forest has been done mainly by his unaided efforts, though his wife-a true pioneer woman-often assisted him in this laborious task. They are both still living on their homestead, well advanced in years, and enjoy the confidence and affection of their neighbors. Mr. Van Schaick has for some time suffered the great affliction of the loss of his sight, and it is a beautiful and touching sight to see the little children, with whom he is a great favorite, eagerly discussing who shall have the honor and pleasure of leading " grandpa" along the way as they go to school. Old age and childhood; helpless man and helpful children; how pleasant the spectacle! A few weeks later than Mr. Van Schaick, Jeremiah R. Stanard came and settled on a fractional part of the northwest quarter of section 6. The farm contained 114 acres. Mr. Stanard formerly lived in Genesee Co., N. Y., in the town of Stafford (now Pavilion). While living there he married Dorothy Davis, of Java (now in Wyoming County), and with her came to Flint in the month of October, 1835. The city of Flint was then in its infancy, and could boast of only three or four dwellings. Stanard was a carpenter and joiner, and worked at his trade in Flint for a while, and also took up 80 acres of land in the town of Flint. In the spring of 1839 he exchanged this with William Van Slyke for the land he owned in this town. During his residence here Mr. Stanard was repeatedly called upon to serve his town in a public capacity. In 1862 he changed his residence to the town of Oregon, in Lapeer County, where he is now living. In June of this year (1839), Argalus H. Matthews came and made a settlement on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 6. He was a native of the town of New Haven, Addison Co., Vt., and lived for five years in Orleans and Niagara Counties in the State of New York before coming to Michigan. In January, 1837, lie was married to Miss Rebecca C. Sullivan, in the town of Ala. bamna, Genesee Co., and in the following September came to IMichigan and took Rufus Stevens' saw-mill, on the Thread River, to run by the 1000 feet for a term of six months. He then took a chopping job on Swartz Creek, where he worked till the month of November, 1838, when he went into Chauncy Payne & Co.'s hydraulic saw-mill, and worked there until he had earned money enough to purchase 80 acres of land, a cow, and provisions enough to last till after harvest, when he moved on to his land in Richfield, having to cut his own road from the present village of Whitesburg. To that point a road had been opened by a man named James Roach, who was sent there by Cook & Gordon, and was engaged in making shingles for them. In the work of building his log house he was assisted by J. R. Stanard and Alanson Webster. All of the logs had to be carried together and laid up by hand, as neither of them had a team. During the summer a few potatoes were raised, and an acre and a half of wheat was sown that fall. During the harvest, Mr. Matthews worked for Benjamin Pearson at the Coldwater settlement, and received in payment 8~ bushels of wheat, his wages being 1 bushel and 1 peck per day. Pearson paid him 1 bushel in flour, and the other 7 bushels were taken to the Thread mill to be ground. Some of the difficulties to be overcome by the pioneers are shown by what Mr. Matthews lad to go through with to get this small quantity of wheat prepared for use. Ile had no team or wagon, and, to get them, had to work one day for the wagon and two and one-half days for the oxen. Then it took him one day to get the oxen, go after the wagon, and get to his home ready for a start to the mill. All the next day was spent in getting to the mill with his grist, and then he found that lie could not get it ground under two or three weeks. So home he returned and took his wagon and oxen to their respective owners. Three weeks later the performance had to be repeated to get the flour home. Each night that he remained in Flint he had to pay one dollar for his entertainment, so that when he finally cast up accounts, he found that he had given thirteen days' work and two dollars in money to get seven and onehalf bushels of wheat ground into flour. In 1848, Mr. Matthews bought the Cook & Gordon sawmill at Whitesburg, and operated it about five and a half years. In the summer of 1855 he erected the tavern at the southeast corner of section 6, which was the first public-house opened in the town, and kept it seven years, when it was rented to other parties, and, in 1865, was sold to Robert D. B. Alexander. It was afterwards sold to a M1r. Rush, and is now owned and occupied by James P. Wheeler. Mrs. Matthews died April 22, 1863, and Sept. 27, 1865, Mr. Matthews married Mrs. Almira S. Miller (formerly Kelch), and is now living with her in the pleasant home recently built on the southwest corner of section 5. Mr. 412 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Matthews also built and opened a store at the corners in the year 1867. Among those who settled in the town at an early day was Asa Davis, who, in addition to.his merits as a pioneer and an agriculturist, had the honor of being one of the first ministers of the gospel who preached in this section. He was a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church. A native of the State of New York, he removed to and lived at Shorellam, Addison Co., Vt., till the fall of 1830, when he decided to remove to Michigan. He had married Miss Rebecca Bingham while living in Vermont, and was accompanied to this State by her and their three children. They first lived in Soutlfield, Oakland Co., where Mr. Davis worked out by the day. In the spring of 1832 he moved to Pontiac, and afterwards returned to Southfield, where his wife died in January, 1835. IIe remarried, his second wife being Miss Martha A. Warren, and moved to Clark's Mills, on Kearsley Creek, in the present town of Genesee, where he'worked for Ogden Clark in cutting and handling logs and lumber. In February, 1839, he settled on the land he had taken up in Richfield nearly three years before. It is said that he made the first shingle used in the town, though this seems doubtful, since George Oliver, who was a shingle-maker, moved in nearly three years earlier than Davis. Mr. Davis lived in this town till 1863, when he moved to Genesce, and in 1865 to Forest, in the south part of which latter town he lived till his death, which occurred Jan. 28, 1877, at the age of seventy-three years. His widow survives him, and lives on the homestead. Of his children, Mrs. Rebecca Amidon and Mrs. Elva Pettitt live in Richfield; William P., Almon, Asa, and Mrs. Sarah A. Coe, in Forest; and Mrs. Julia Goodell in Saginaw County. Many others settled in the town at an early day, and deserve a place among the pioneers. While we have not the material or the space for extended biographies of them, we give the names of as many as we have been able to learn. They are as follows: William Draper, E. B. Witherbee, Isaac and Phineas J. Tucker, Zebulon Dickinson, Andrew Chappell, John Van Buskirk, Joseph French, Frederick Olds, Francis Davis, Amherst W. Matthews, Alanson Munger, Jephtha Stimpson, Nathaniel Hart, Joseph Morford, William Throop, John, Sr., John, Jr., and Leander L. Hill, Garrett Zufelt, Stephen Cady, Caleb Lankton, Henry F. Shepard, Nelson Warren, Samuel Elmore, Thomas Dibble, William Munger, Noah Hull, William W., Cyrus, and Isaac L. Matthews, Laban and Alvah Rogers, and Andrew Cook. As showing the names of some of the early citizens of this town we give the following list of resident tax-payers, as shown by the tax-roll of 1844: Names. Sections. Thomas Clark................22.......... Aaron Crossman................15..................... Nathaniel Cortrel....................................... Zebulon Dickinson.............29................... Francis Davis...................36..................... Asa Davis.........1..............10, 14, and 15..... George Dibble........................................... David Dickinson.............. 21.................... David Gardner...................................... Jeffrey Gardner......................................... Clark Gardner.......................................... Jeffrey W. Gardner.................................... Thomas J. Gillett...............26............... Stephen R. Gates...............15.................... Noah Iull.......................18 and 32........ S. W. Harrington............... 8, 17, and 18..... William Hoyle, Jr.............24.................... William Hoyle, Sr.............21 and 34........... Thomas Jenkins...............33.................. Samuel Johnson................36................. Albert and Egbert King.....19.................... Abel Kidder.....................19..................... Benjamin S. Lockwoo.............................. Argalus 11. Matthews......... 6..................... Alanson Munger.............................. Joseph Morford.................28................. William Munger.............. 28......... George Oliver...................21 and 22........... Frederick Olds..................15..................... Linus Parker............... 2)..................... William J. lPhillips............32 and 33........... Morrison Powelson............23................... Alva Powelson.......................................... David Parke....................21..................... Stephen S. Roberts.................................... Daniel K. Roberts........... 24..................... Erastus Roberts................ 24.............. Levi Reyno!ds....................................... Jeremiah R. Stanard............................... William Scott...................31.................... Jesse Smith......................34.................... Henry F. Shepard..............21.................... Williim Sluper.......................................... Eli Skinner......................28..................... Daniel B. Skinner......... 28..................... Phineas J. Tucker..............2, 30, and 32... Isaac Tucker.....................30..................... William Throop................30..................... William Teachout............30..................... Timothy B. Tucker............32.................... Willis Tucker.................30..................... John Van Buskirk.............19..................... Elias Van Schaick............. 35..................... Asa N. Warren... 1...................... Garrett Zufelt...................20..................... Total tax........................................ Acres. Tax. 120 $6.50 80 2.03 1.14 160;; 6.32 239 5.71 160 4.43....67 80 1.60 29......... 2......... 23......... 23 23 80 3.26 40 95 180 3.96 528 19.30 80 1.60 280 7.73 80 1.60 1 21 120 2.77 81) 1.95........ 13 8) 3.38 80 2.25 80 2.36 160 3.43 77 ~ 4.98 40 1.86 40) 1.49 200 3.19 328 8.26 57 40 1.32.......23 80 1.60 160 3.33 88.34 2.87 70 1.62 80 1.82 160 5.15 42 ~ 1.6() 91...i;.... 91 40 80) 240 9.11 120 4.88 160 4.05 120 7.44 80 2.43 40 96 120 2.63 80 2.52 40 1.26 160 7.24................. $214.21 The following is a summary of the schedule of taxes for the town of Richfield that year: State and county tax..... $321.41 Rejected taxes.............. 6.19 School district, of district No. 2, per judgment in favor of Anna Tucker, costs and interest...... 10.20 Highway tax............... 142.56 Township poor tax........ 60.00 Township tax.............. 121.81 Library tax................. 23.00 Total................ $685.1.7 Resident taxes............. $214.21 Non-resident taxes........ 470.96 Total............. $685.17 Names. Sections. Nelson Annis...................18............... James Amy....................15.................. Nathaniel Blackmer, Jr......17 and 18........... Asahel Bryan........................................... Jonas Bellinger.................31........... Andrew Cook............ 6, 19, 20, and 29 Orsimus Cooley.................20 and 30........... Alexander Churchill...........31.................... Lyman Curtis...................31..................... Hiram Curtis...................29..................... Andrew C. Chappell...........13 and 14.......... Stephen Cady..................28............ Riley Carpenter................27............ Pheroras Clark.................. 22..................... Acres. 40 80 90 80 360 80 80 80 40 160 80 80 80 Tax. $$0.80 2.16 3.36 50 2.10 14.40 2.95 3.73 2.40 87 5.99 1.60 1.60 2.42 William Draper and E. B. Witherbee, from Pontiac, purchased considerable land in this town, and in the fall of 1836 had come on with a gang of laborers and improved the Irish road, so that it was for those times an excellent road. In the spring of 1837 they were busily at work building a dam across the Flint River on section 17, a few rods east of the Irish road, and in putting up a large sawmill. The mill was completed, and commenced running in the spring of 1838. It was the largest and best mill ever built in the town, and was in operation for nearly a score of years. The dam is still to be seen across the course of the river, but the flood-gates having long since disappeared RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP. 413 it only frets and worries, instead of obstructing, the current. Neither Draper nor Witherbee remained resident of the town for any great length of time. The second saw-mill was the Belden mill, heretofore described, and the third mill was built in 1852-53, a little above the Draper mill, by Higgins & Blackmer. After running for some time as a lumber-mill it was eventually transformed into a shingle-mill. A fourth mill was built by Maxfield & Goodrich, in 1855, on Flint River, a mile north of the centre of the town. It was the first steam saw-mill in the town. It was fitted up with one upright saw, one butting-saw, one shingle-saw, and one lath-machine, and had a capacity of about 5000 feet per day. This mill was sold, some ten or twelve years later, to John Clemons, who removed it to Richfield Centre and operated it as a shingle-mill. Some time after it was changed into a gristmill (tle first and only one ever in the town), and finally the engine was sold and taken to Davison's Station, and the frame was converted into a barn. This completes the list of mills that have existed in this town. The first bridge across Flint River in this town was built at the crossing of the Irish road, in 1848. It was once carried away by logs striking it at a time when the water was unusually high, and has been rebuilt two or three times. The second bridge was built on the State road, north of the centre, and the third and last one on the road crossing the river on section 12. The first couple married in Richfield were R. E. Potter and Abigail Clark. They were married on the 5th of January, 1840, at the residence of the bride's father, Thomas Clark. The ceremony was performed by Nathaniel Smith, Esq., of the town of Forest, then a part of this town. The company present on the happy occasion consisted of the families of the parties, George Oliver and wife, and Elias Van Schaick and wife. Mrs. Potter died Aug. 19, 1845, leaving three children, the oldest of whom was the first white male child born in the town. Mr. Potter is still living on his farm, now in the town of Davison. The sedond marriage was that of Caleb Lankton and Maria Teachout, which took place about two years later. This couple are still living in the adjoining town of Genesee. The first death was that of Sarah, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Clark, a young lady of twenty-two years, who died Sept. 25, 1837, of tubercular consumption. She was buried on her father's farm, but was afterwards taken up and removed to the White Church burying-ground, in the southwest part of the town. Almost the first thought in the minds of the settlers after they had provided for the clamorous wants of the physical nature was to provide educational facilities for their children. The first school-house was built in 1838, in the southwest part of the town. The labor and expense of building were furnished by voluntary contribution. Phineas J. Tucker furnished the lumber; Isaac Tucker, who was a carpenter, framed it and superintended its erection; Orsimus Cooley furnished the shingles, nails, glass, putty, etc.; and others assisted in the work of building. The first teachers now remembered as having taught in this house were Miss Hannah Tucker and a Miss Hart. The second school-house was built on the school section, in 1839, and was also erected through voluntary contributions. It stood a little west of the southeast corner of the section, on the site now occupied by Turner's barn. Miss Elizabeth Clark taught the first school kept in it. The third school-house was built in 1843. On section 6 there were four families, each living near one corner of the section, and to accommodate them all the school-house was built in a small clearing near the centre of the section. From each settlement a path led to it. In this house a daughter of Stephen Cady kept the first school. In this building Elder Freeman, of Flint, used to preach occasionally, and in the summer-time the rude seats would be filled by a goodly company of men, women, and children, all listening to the sermon, but also energetically waving branches covered with leaves to defend themselves from the attacks of the swarms of gnats, mosquitoes, and flies, that did not recognize the Sabbath as a day of rest, but recklessly pursued their usual vocations. Even the minister was forced to wave his leafy wand to protect himself from these tormentors, who were no respecters of persons and had no reverence for the priestly garb. The first blacksmith in town was Ambrose Eckler, who had a shop on the east half of the northwest quarter of section 23. He afterwards moved it to the southeast corner of section 26. The first physician that settled in this town was Dr. John Deniing. He located at Richfield Centre about 1858. He remained but a short time, and was succeeded by Dr. Thomas Hutchins, who remained a couple of years. Following these have been Dr. Win. Rogers, Dr. Merchant, Dr. Begel, and Dr. Henry Smith, the present physician at the centre. The first post-office was established in the early part of Harrison's administration, and was located on section 30, at the house of the postmaster, Phineas J. Tucker. It was called Richfield, and was kept at private houses for a number of years. The postmasters, as nearly as they can now be traced, have been Henry F. Shepard, Otis Clark, Willard Tucker, Elisha Kinsman, E. W. Rising, Leander L. Hill, Willoughllby Matthews, Levi McCarn, F. B. Lowell, and J. R. G. Turner, the present incumbent. During Hill's tern of office it was kept at his store, and since that time has been kept at the centre. In 1872 the name was changed to Richfield Centre. VILLAGES. The first symptoms of village growth manifested themselves in this town at the time when V. Maxfield and E. R. Goodrich built their saw-mill, in 1855, near the place where the State road crosses the river. The mill furnished employment for eight or ten men, and these wanted places on which to build houses for their -families. A tract of land containing about eighty acres was accordingly set apart for a village site, and was surveyed into lots by Julian Bishop, the county surveyor. Several lots were sold to mill hands and others, and a number of rude dwellings were built. A draughtsman living in Detroit was employed to make an ontline map of the plat, but before he completed his task he removed to the city of Buffalo, and as a consequence the plat was never put on record. It was intended to call the 414 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. village Richfield, but this name has never come into general use, the common appellation given to the settlement being "Maxfield's." " Captain" Maxfield built a tavern there in the summer of 1857, which remained in use as a public-house for about twelve years. It has been since that time and is now used as a residence by Mr. Maxfield. Anson Withey built a store on the west side of the street in the winter of 1857-58. The building is now occupied as a dwelling by Charles Burnett. Another store was built at this settlement by John Seeley some years later. A couple of years after it passed into the hands of Bradshaw & Co., of Detroit, and was kept by John Simpson. Two years after it was destroyed by fire. Lyman Calkins put up a blacksmith-shop in 1862-63, which was afterwards removed to the centre. At present the only business carried on at this point is that of coopering, by William Amy. The village now contains about a dozen dwellings, and boasts about forty inhabitants. RICHFIELD CENTRE is a small hamlet at the centre of the town, which has grown up there without any special reason, except the gregarious habit of the human mind, that induces human beings to congregate together for purposes of social intercourse and business convenience. Its growth has been very slow and gradual, extending over a period of some twenty or twentyfive years. The first building erected here after the farmers' residences in the vicinity was a blacksmith-shop, built by a man named Hosmer, who was the second blacksmith in the town. He soon after went to the southwest part of the town and built a shop there, in which he continued his business. On the site thus left vacant E. W. Rising put up a framed shop, which was occupied by George Boyer. This is the same shop now used by Richard Cottrell. About the same time Merritt Blackmer and Leander L. Hill built a store on the southeast of the four corners, and opened the first regular store kept in Richfield. They had previously kept a small stock of goods in a part of Hill's house. This store was afterwards moved to the southwest corner, and from there to its present location, on the northwest corner, where it is now occupied as a store and postoffice by J. R. G. Turner. The wagon-shop was started by its present proprietor, Mr. Fellows, in 1867. In 1866-67 the school-house and town-house were also built. In 1877 a cider-mill was built by Orlando Grove and Julius Kinsman, and in 1878 F. E. Stoddard built his present store on the first site of the Blackmer & Hill store. At the present time (1879) the Methodist Episcopals are building a church a little east of the four corners. The village now contains about 20 dwellings, and has a population of about 85. ROGERSVILLE. Two brothers, Laban and Alvah Rogers, settled on the west line of the town, in section 6, the first named in 1846 and the last in 1848. From them the little settlement that has grown up about the railroad received its name. When the railroad was built and commenced running, in the fall of 1872, the post-office, which had been located at Whitesburg, was transferred to the station, and S. J. Rogers was appointed as postmaster. Albert Van Brunt is the present postmaster, and was commissioned in the spring of 1879. The railroad company did not feel willing to go to the expense of putting up buildings for a station, although they were willing to stop their trains at this place for the accommodation of the public. So some of the citizens got together and contributed the amount of $1000 to be used in the construction of a depot, which was built in the spring of 1874. Those who contributed towards the erection of this building were R. D., S. J., and C. W. Rogers, and Peter Reece. In 1875 the hotel was built by R. D. Rogers, its present owner and occupant; a blacksmith-shop was built by Richard Cottrell; the cheese-factory was built by Peter Reece and C. W. Rogers, at a cost of $1470; and the store was built by S. J. Rogers. The cheese-factory was run for three seasons, but has since that time been idle. It is expected it will again commence operations in the season of 1880. The store was sold to its present occupant, Albert Van Brunt, in the spring of the present year (1879). In 1877 a grain-elevator storehouse was built near the depot by R. D., S. J., and C. W. Rogers, at a cost of $2200. They make a business of buying grain and produce, and in the season of 1878 bought and shipped about 2000 bushels of wheat, besides large quantities of other grains and produce. In addition to the buildings already mentioned Rogersville boasts half a dozen dwellings. POLITICAL AND CIVIL HISTORY. At the time of settlement the town of Richfield was a part of Lapeer County, and embraced within its limits the present towns of Forest and Richfield and the north half of Davison. It was set off from Lapeer and attached to Genesce County in 1843. Its first separate existence as a town was effected in the session of the Legislature in the winter of 1836-37, and the first town-meeting was held on the first Monday in April following. Of this meeting, and of all the proceedings of the town from that time down to the year 1857, we have only the knowledge afforded by tradition, for the records, which should be carefully treasured, have disappeared through the shameful carelessness of those whose duty it was to see that they were preserved. The first town-meeting occurred at the time when work on the Draper & Witherbee saw-mill was being pushed with vigor, and, for the convenience of the most of the widely scattered population, was held in a small shanty, which had been erected for temporary shelter while the mill was being built. Less than a dozen voters were present, and there was more trouble to find candidates for the several offices than to find offices for all the candidates, as is generally the case at this time. According to the best evidence now obtainable, the following were the officers chosen: Supervisor, William Draper; Town Clerk, E. B. Witherbee; Collector, George Oliver; Justices of the Peace, Orsimus Cooley, Thomas Clark, George Oliver, and Nathaniel Smith; As RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP. 415 I sessors and School Inspectors, George Oliver and Thomas Clark; Commissioners of' Highways, George Oliver, William. Draper, and Thomas Clark; Constable, William Rettan. The following- is the most perfect list of officers of the town that we have been able to obtain, and covers the years from 1837 to 1879 inclusive: CIVIL LIST 0]? RICILFIELD. SUPERVISORS. 1857. Stephen L. Blodgett. 1858. Satnuel C. Murdock (f. t.). William J. Phillips (1. v.). A. H. Matthews (s. v.). 1859. Amherst W. Matthews. 1860. Otis Clark. 1861. William J. Phillips (f. t.). Augustus Ilolden (v.). 1862. Alonzo A. Drake (f. t.). Augustus Hlolden (v.). 1863. Richard Garlock (f. t.). Elias Van Schaick (v.). 1864. Clark M. Lucas. 1865. William J. Phillips. 1866. Alonzo A. Drake (f. t.). Amherst W. Matthews (v.). 1867. Cyrus A. Matthews (f. t.). Frederick Olds (v.). 1868. A. W. Matthews (L. tL). 1868. David S. Woollman (v.). 1869. Ephraim Allen (f. t.). William J. Phillips (v.). 1870. Alonzo A. Drake (f. t.). Silas Hart (v.). 1871. William W. Moore (f. t) Walter J. Cole (v.). 1872. William Amy (C. t.). Amherst W. Matthews (v.). 1873. Pheroras Clark (C. t.). Amherst W. Matthews (v.). 1874. David Richards. 1875. Daniel B. Skinner. 1876. William W. Moore. 1877. George Garrett (f. t.). William J. Phillips (v.). 1878. David Richards. 1879. Jacoh Shafer. 1837. William Draper. 1838-42. No record. 1843-44. Phineas J. Tucker. 1845-47. William Munger. 1848-50. Josiah King. 1851. Pheroras Clark. 1852. Josiah Kino. 1853. Jacob King. 1854. Elisha Kinsinan. 1855-56. William Munger. 1857. Jacoh King. 1858. Andrew Cook. 1859. Frederick Olds. 1860. Pheroras Clark. 1.861-64. Frederick Olds. 1865-72. George E. Taylor. 1873-74. Simeon R. Billings. 1875. Edwin G. Clark. 1876. Simcon R. Billings. 1877-79. William W. Moore. COMMAISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS. TOWN CLERKS. 1837. E. B. Witherbee. 1838-39.-No record. '1840-41. Caleb Lankton. 1842. A. G. Pratt. 1843. Henry F. Shepard. 1844. William Mung(er. 1845. C4mleh Lankton. 1846-47. Elisha Ilinsman. 1848-49. John Ilill, Jr. 1850. Merritt Blackmer. 1851-52. hlenry F. Shepard. 1853. William Mummer. 1854. Henry F. Slsepard. 1855. Sullivan Clark. 1.856. Leander L. Hill. 1857-58. William Monger. 1859. Jacoh King. 1860. Lorenzo Latimer. 1861. Jacoh Kingr. 1862. Homer Cathcart. 1863. Amherst W. Matthews. 1864. Henry G. Cook. 1865. David W. Hliller. 1866. Edwin G. Clark. 1867. Alouzo A. Drake. 1868-71. Edwin G. Clark. 1872. Frederick E. Stoddard. 1873. William 11. Smith. 184-75. Frederick E. Stoddard. 1876. Alonzo A. Drake. 1877-78. Frederick E. Stoddard. 1879. George N. Porter. 1837. George Oliver. William Draper. Thomas Clark. I:1)S8. George Oliver. Jacoh Teachout.. Orsimus Cooley. Vandorus Smith. 18S')9. R. E. Potter. Phineas J. Tucker. George Oliver. 1840. Joseph Morford. Nathaniel Smith. George Oliver. 1841. Joseph Morford. Geor,,e Oliver. Nathaniel Smith. 1842. Stephen Cady. Joseph French. 1843. Alanson Mungrer. S-tephen Cady. William Throop. 1844. Alsunson Monger. Pheroras Clark. Zehulon Dickinson. 1845. Andrew Cook. William J. Phillips. Garrett Zufelt. 1846. Alanson Monger. Andrew Cook. Willians Hoyle, Jr. 1847. Frederick Olds. William J. Phillips. Argalus II. Matthews. 1848. Jeremiah R. Stanard. William J. Phillips. 1849. No record. 1850. Frederick Olds. J. R1. Stanard. 1850. Alhert King. 1851. Augustus Blolden. Frederick Olds. 1852. Frederick Olds. Augustus IHolden. 1853. No record. 1854. E. W. Rising-. Jacoh King,. 1855. No record. 1856. Lorenzo Latimer. 1857. Francis Davis. 1858. Frederick Olds. 1859. Franklin Cooley. 1860. Francis Davis. 1861. Samuel Clemuons. 1862. Franklin Cooley. 1863. Argalus H1. Matthews. 1864. William Odell. 1865. Oscar Clemons (C. t.). William J. Phillips (v.). 1866. Amherst W. Matthews. 1867. William J. Phillips (f. t.). William Odell (v.). 1868. Amherst W. Matthews. 1869. Alhert A. Elmeore (f. t.)..Iamaes Roherts (v.). 1870. David Caldwell (C. t.). Wheeler C. Althouse (v.). 1871. Sereno G. Lucas. 1872. Francis Davis (C. t.). John WV. Moore (v.). 1873. David Oshorn. 1874. David Dickinson. 1875. David Oshorn. 1876. Frederick Olds. 1877. Oscar Clemons. 1878-79. Francis Davis. TOWN TREASURERS. 1837-39. G co. Oliver (collector). 1840-41. Thomas Clark. 1842-47. Pheroras Clark. 1848-50i. Jacob Teachout. 1851. Josiah Kingr. 1852-54. William J. Phillips. 1855. Argalus IH. Matthews. 1856. ]David L. Cleveland. 1857. Lorenzo Latimer. 1858. Albert Kingr. 1859. Pheroras Clark. 1860. William Monger. 1861. Argalus II. Matthews. 1862. Daniel B. Skinner. 1863. Hart N. Lucas. 1864. Amherst W. Matthews. 1865. Argalus 11. Matthews. 1866. Samiuel Clemons. 1867-68. Albert A. Elmore. 1869. John hi. Etmore. 1870. Heieman Thompson. 1871. William Monger. 1872. Pheroras Clark. 1873-74. Edwin G. Clark. 1875. John II. Elmore. 1876-77. Julius G. Kinsman. 1878. Enos Parker. 1879. Franklin Cooley. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1837. Nathaniel Smith. Orsimus Cooley. (ieorge Oliver. Thomas Clark. 1.838. George Oliver. 1839. Jeremiah Rt. Stanard. 1840. Orsimus Cooley. 1841. Nathaniel Smuith. 1842. George Oliver. 1843. Jere'hi R. Stanard (C. t.).* Asahel Bryan (v.).t 1844. William Monger (C. t.). Leander L. Hill(v) 1845. Caleb Lankton. 1846. E. Roberts (C. t.). William Throop (v.). 1847. Alanson Monger (f. t.). John Hill, Jr. (v.). John A. French (v.).t 1848. Francis Davis (C. t.). Frederick Olds (v.). 1849. William J. Phillips. 1850. C. Clack. 1851. Clark White (C. t.). George Corwin (v.). 1852. Samuel M. Elmore. 1853. William J. Phillips (C. t.). Jacob King (v.). 1854. Zelum Dibble. 1855. No record. 1856. Jacob King (C. t.). Jacob Teachout (v.). 1837. George Oliver. Thomas Clark. ASSESSORS. 1840. William Teachout. Elias Van Schaick. No record for any other years than these is now to be found. OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 1838. David L. Belden. 1840. Asnos Begel. 1843. Stephen Cady. 1857-58. Andrew Cook. John Van Buskirk. 1859. Garrett Zufelt. No record otber than the above is now obtainable. * full term. t Vacancy. t1 Elected at special election May 29th.Nor c d ot e th n he a vei n w ob i a l. 416 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. SCHOOL INSPECTORS. 1837. Thomas Clark. George Oliver. 1838. Thomas Clark. David L. Belde 1839-40. No record. 1841. George Oliver. Asahel Bryan. 1842. Thomas Clark. Joseph French 1843. William Throo William Mung 1844. Leander L. Hi William Throo 1845. Leander L. Hi William Mung 1846. No record. 1847. Daniel B. Skin William Mung 1848. Leander L. Hi] John Hill, Jr. 1849. Augustus Hold John Hill, Jr. 1850. Augustus Hold Pheroras Clark 1851. Augustus Hold F. B. Higgins. 1852-53. John 1-. El Augustus I 1854. Augustus Holden. William J. Phillips. 1855. Lorenzo Latimer. en. William J. Phillips. 1856. Otis Clark. Leander L. Htill. 1857. Augustus Holden. 1858. Otis Clark. 1859. Elisha Kinsman. p. 1860. George E. Taylor. er. 1861. Jerome Putnam. 11. 1862. George E. Taylor. )p. 1863. Elisha Kinsman. II. 1864. Solomon I. Beach. er. 1865. Edwin G. Clark. 1866. George E. Taylor (f. t.). iner. 1866-67. John II. Elmore (v.). er. 1868. David S. Woolman. 11. 1869. Nelson 11. Smith. 1870. David S. Woolman. len. 1871. Nelson H. Smith. 1872. George E. Taylor (f. t.). len. Edwin G. Clark (v.). K. 1873. David W. Htiller. len. 1873-74. Joseph F. Billings. 1875-77. James Roberts. more. 1878. David S. Woolman. iolden. 1879. Joseph F. Billings. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. 3illings. 1 1878-79. George Garnett. 1875-77. Joseph F. I DRAIN 1872-73. Frederick Olds. 1874. Joseph Cottrell. 1875-76. David S. Woolman. COMMISSIONERS. 1877. Jacob Shaffer. 1878-79. John Good. From that time till the Republican party was organized, in 1854, the Whigs generally carried the day, though occasionally a popular Democratic candidate would be elected. The majorities, however, were small in either case. The Free-Soil movement and the opposition to the extension of the abominable and inhuman system of American slavery found a fertile soil in the hearts of the liberty-loving people of MAichigan, and nowhere more so than in Richfield; and when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise showed beyond a doubt the tendency of the Democratic party to become the active champion of the South and its peculiar institutions, these people were ready to unite with any body of citizens to oppose them. Thus the formation of the Republican party was hailed by them with delight, and they united with it to become among its most earnest and zealous members. From that time to the present the Republicans have maintained control of the town. The National-Greenback-Labor-Reform party first cast a separate vote at the fall election in 1878. The vote on the State ticket then stood about as follows: Republican, 150; National, 145; Democrat, 41; Prohibitionist, 4,-showing an opposition majority of 40 votes. In the election of last spring (1879) the Nationals coalesced with the Democrats, and probably thus lost their distinctive organization, the town giving a Republican majority of about 25 votes. This town has been honored in the person of some of its citizens by their being called to perform the duties of offices of trust and responsibility outside of the town. Among these are George E. Taylor, elected register of deeds of Gencsee County, and Hon. Simeon R. Billings, elected county surveyor, and also senator in the State Legislature. The town held its meetings at the school-house at the centre for many years. In the winter or spring of 1866 this school-house was destroyed by fire, and the board of town officers, according to the previous adjournment, met, as the record says, " on the site where the Centre schoolhouse had stood, and adjourned to Lyman Calkins' blacksmith-shop." At that meeting it was decided to build a town-house. Five hundred dollars were voted for the purpose, and E. W. Rising, Frederick Olds, and Argalus H. Matthews were appointed a building committee, with full power to purchase a site, draw a plan, and erect a building to be finished by the 1st of October of that year. The committee bought a quarter acre of ground on section 15, just north of the school-lot, of John W. Moore, paying him $40 for it, and then commenced the building. The amount of money voted was found to be insufficient, and the building was not completed until the following year, when $400 more was voted to finish the building and fence the lot. The total cost was nearly $1000. The three school districts already mentioned have now grown to twelve in number. Eight of them are whole districts, the other four fractional. The school-houses of all these twelve districts are in this town. They are all frame buildings, and aggregate a value of $6600. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1878, the sum of $2252.26 was expended in Richfield for the support of schools. The following statistics regarding the town at the present time are taken from the State census of 1874: P'opulation.-Males under five years, 85; from five to CONSTABLES. The names of only a few of these officers are known previous to the year 1857. Those known are as follows: Zelum Dibble, 1848; Argalus H. Matthews, 1813-68; Asa Davis, 1847-57; Daniel B. Skinner, 1847; John Boyd, 1848-50; Leander L. Hill, John Chadborn, 1849; Seymour Hill, 1850-58; Henry F. Shepard, 1857-59; Heman Thompson, 1857-58; Samuel Elmore, 1857; Amherst W. Matthews, 1858-64; Prescott F. Wilkins, Myron Benjamin, 1859; Joseph Cottrell, 1859-62, '72 -'73; Ransom D. Rogers, Augustus Iolden, James Stoddard, 1860; Edson Hayes, Oscar Clemons, 1861; Albert A. Elmore, 1861-62; William Amy, James Rising, 1862; Joseph Kinsman, William t1. Davis, Rensselaer Hallock, 1863; Benjamin Britten, 1863, '69, '71; Samuel S. Clemons, 1864; Melvin Woolman, 1864, '66; William Odell, 1864, '67, '68, '71; William C. Brown, Elhanan Maxfield, 1865; Levi McCarn, 1865-67; William Hart, 1865, '74; Frank Crittenden, 1866-68; Willard W. Clemons, 1867, '68, '72, '75, '76; Lafayette Matthews, 1869; William 1I. Smith, 1869-71; Enos Parker, 1869, 73; Hiram E. Woolman, David S. Center, 1870; Monroe Caldwell, 1871, '74; David W. Hiller, 1872, '73; John Cottrell, 1872; Frederick E. Stoddard, 1873; Peter J. Randall, 1874; Henry J. Simons, 1874-76; Jacob M. Sehnitzer, James Hancock, 1875; Almon Skinner, 1876; William H. Martin, 1876-78; Charles Root, 1877, '78; George A. Smith, 1877-79; Chauncey Fuller, 1877, '78; Dewitt Zacharias, Jacob Grove, Amasa S. Turner, 1879. In its political bias the town was originally quite evenly divided between the Whig and Democratic parties, with the odds a little in favor of the latter, but when the town of Forest was organized it took from this town not only six miles square of its territory, but also a large share of its Democratic voters, leaving the Whigs in the ascendency. RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP. 417 ten years, 71; from ten to twenty-one years, 174; from twenty-one to forty-five years, 220; from forty-five to seventy-five years, 132; from seventy-five to ninety years, 2. Females under five years, 109; from five to ten years, 89; from ten to eighteen years, 122; from eighteen to forty years, 201; from forty to seventy-five years, 151; over seventy-five years, 2. Total males, 684; total females, 667. Total population, 1351. Of their condition in life, we are told that 710 are single, 595 are married, and 46 were widowed or divorced. The area of taxable land is put down at 22,862.25 acres, of which 96331 acres are improved. This percentage of improved land is now considerably increased. The Flint River Railroad track and buildings occupy 7' acres. There are 241 farms in the town, averaging nearly 95 acres each. In the quantity of its products for the year 1873, Richfield ranked third in the county in corn and butter, and seventh in wheat and other grains. The following table shows the aggregate products for that year: Bushels of wheat, 29,140; bushels of corn, 27,065; bushels of other grains, 41,633; bushels of potatoes, 10,372; tons of hay, 1580; pounds of wool, 13,752; pounds of pork, 42,225; pounds of cheese, 120; pounds of butter, 72,295; pounds of dried fruit, 40; pounds of maple-sugar, 1650; barrels of cider, 194. The number of acres of orcharding is 414, which produced 15,941 bushels of apples in 1872, and 6800 bushels in 1873. The stock kept was reported as follows: Horses, 465; mules, 2; work-oxen, 105; milch-cows, 640; other neatcattle, 786; swine, 610; sheep, 2640. The valuation of the town, according to the assessment of the present year (1879), is as follows: Real estate, $641,995; personal property, $98,265; total, $740,260. This is supposed to be the actual market value of the property, as the assessment was made in accordance with the late decision of the courts, which made that the only legal manner of assessing. A history of Richfield would be quite incomplete if it did not mention something that occurred in the first half decade of its existence which was of such a novel nature as to make it peculiarly interesting. At the time spoken of George Oliver and Joseph Morford were members of the board of highway commissioners, and were the active members of the board. For work done on the highways, they, being a majority, often issued orders on the town treasurer without going through the needless formality of calling a meeting of the full board to audit accounts. Probably it was not deemed necessary to be so exceedingly formal in the transaction of business at that early day, for so anxious were they to be accommodating that when they happened to be absent when an account was presented, Mlis. Morford would (to accommodate) write out an order for the requisite amount, and sign her husband's and Oliver's names thereto. At last these orders began to appear in such numbers that an investigation was had, and the modus operandi as above described discovered. And this was not all, for it was found that considerable quantities of goods had been purchased at Lapeer and paid for in " Commis53 sioners' orders," and Morford, being in need of a yoke of cattle and not having the money to buy them, had resorted to the same method to secure them. A Mr. Hart, of Lapeer, held large quantities of these unauthorized obligations, and, they being repudiated by the town, he brought a number of suits against the town to compel their payment. On the trial the manner in which they were issued was brought out and their worthlessness shown. What a pity that the peculiar talents of these officers are not now available to further the schemes of the Nationals! They issued the fir " fiat money" used in Richfield, and could properly claim the paternity of the organization that believes in the power of making something out of nothing. The war record of this town is not materially different from that of other towns throughout the county. Special township-meetings were held on the 23d of February and 1st of September, 1864, and Jan. 3, 1865, also a meeting of the town board, March 14, 1865; and at these meetings discussions were had as to the best method of filling the quota of the town under the several calls for troops. The plan finally adopted was to issue bonds of the town to raise a sufficient sum to pay each volunteer credited to the town the sum of one hundred dollars in addition to all other bounties he might receive. Bonds amounting to about $2700 were issued, and paid when they came to maturity. The quotas of troops were thus speedily filled, and Richfield did her duty towards the government in its time of trial. Many of her brave sons went forth in defense of their country, and of these several lost their lives in the service. These martyrs of liberty left behind them a heritage of glory that belongs alike to us all. Wherever the name of the American soldier is spoken it is recognized as synonymous with the bravery, heroism, self-sacrifice, and devotion of the patriot. Let us, therefore, cherish the memories of these men, write their names not alone upon the monumental marble, but upon the more enduring tablets of memory, and engross their achievements in the recesses of grateful hearts as well as upon the pages of history. Among those who thus testified to their disinterested love of country we mention the following who were residents of Richfield, and of whom she should be proud: Warren Davis, Silas E. Van Schaick, John Judd, John Kinsman, Daniel Boyer, Delien Hill, Edwin Belden, Dexter Gary, Seth Williams, Charles Lucas, Morris Miller, and Joseph Thomas. Pea.ce to their ashes! Honor to their memories! RELIGIOUS. As was generally the case in this Western country, the Methodists were the first denomination to enter this field of religious labor, and they commenced preaching in this town as early as 1839 or 1840. The first preachers came on a kind of missionary labor, but after a class was formed it became an appointment on Flint circuit, and was regularly served by the ministers on that circuit. The class was organized with but a few members, among them being Asa and Martha Davis, Nelson and Elizabeth Warren, Joseph and Julia Morford. Asa Davis was the first class-leader. From this small beginning has grown 418 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF RICHFIELD CENTRE. For nearly a score of years this church remained connected with Flint circuit. In 1858-59 it was transferred to Genesee circuit. In 1864-65 it was connected with Forest (now Otisville) circuit, and in 1873 it was attached to Davison circuit, as at present. During the early years of its existence, the circuit being a large one, the quarterly meetings were held at widelyseparated points, and the older members can remember the long rides taken on sleds or wagons, drawn by oxen, through the dense forests and over the execrable roads, to attend quarterly meetings at Flushing or Flint. For the first few years the meetings were generally held at private houses, then at the Centre school-house, and since the completion of the town-hall the meetings have been held in that. No steps were taken towards the erection of a church edifice until January of the present year, when a meeting, was held at the house of Pheroras Clark, and the society incorporated by electing the following board of trustees: Frederick Olds, Pheroras Clark, William Brown, Albert Powelson, Albert A. Elmore, Truman Drake, Nathan Root, Melvin Woolman, and - Couck. Frederick Olds, Melvin Woolman, and Truman Drake were chosen to act as a building committee. A site, containing three-quarters of an acre, was purchased of F. E. Stoddard for the sum of $75, and work was begun on the church early in the spring. At present (August, 1879) the frame is up, but the house is not finished. The size of the building is 35 by 55 feet, and it is estimated to cost $2000 when finished. The laying of the corner-stone was made the occasion of quite a celebration, which was participated in by a large number of people. It occurred on the 24th of June, 1879, and at 11 o'clock A.M. the stone was laid in place by the presiding elder, Rev. A. F. Bournes, assisted by George Garnett. The exercises consisted of addresses by Revs. A. G. Blood, of Otisville; E. D. Daniels, of Detroit; C. Mendenhall, of Richfield Centre; 0. Sanborn, of Linden; W. C. Way, of Holly; H. S. White, of Port Huron; and T. J. Joslin, of Flint, and singing by the choir. In the cavity of the stone the following articles were placed, viz.: A tin-box, dimensions 10 inches long and 5 inches wide and deep, inclosing copies of the Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, National Repository, New York Christian Advocate, Michigan Christian Advocate, Annual Reports of Missionary and Freemen's Aid Societies, Minutes of Detroit Annual Conference (1878); Report of Church Extension Society, Report of Committee on Revision of Hymn-Book, Catalogue of Albion College, names of the officers of Methodist Episcopal Church of Richfield, and a portrait of Mrs. Copp, the pastor's wife. The parsonage belonging to the circuit is located at Davison's Station, and has recently been completed at a cost of about $850. The first preachers, whose names are now remembered, were Revs. Steele, Francis Bangs, - Jennings, Alfred Allen, William Mothersill, - Cowles, and - Reed. Their meetings were generally held on week-day evenings, at the log school-house at the centre, or at the " red-side" school-house in the southwest part of the town. The list of pastors herewith given is somewhat incomplete, part of it having been obtained only through the recollection of some of the members. We name them as follows: Rev. S. P. Lee, 1851; Thomas Wakelin, 1855; E. C. Wright, 1859; R. Johnson, 1860; L. S. Tedman, 1863; N. W. Pierce, 1866-67; A. Gee, 1868; L. S. Tedman, 1869-71; W. J. Clack, 1872; L. S. Tedman, 1873-75; W. M. Campbell, 1876; James Balls, 1877; R. Copp, 1878; E. B. Daniels, the present pastor, commencing in July, 1879. The membership of the church has never been very large, probably not exceeding 30 at any time, and at present is about 25. The board of trustees remains as first chosen; Pheroras Clark is the present class-leader; Frederick Olds and Melvin Woolman are the stewards; and Goodenough Townsend is the recording steward of the circuit. The first protracted meeting in Richfield was held by Elder Cowles, in the winter of 1844-45, at the house of Mr. Pheroras Clark. There was no place of meeting large enough to accommodate the congregation that assembled, so Mr. Clark had the partitions in his house taken down, thus making the whole ground-floor into one large room, and there the meetings were held, continuing for a period of about three weeks, and resulting in the conversion of quite a large number of people. From an early period there has been a Sabbath-school connected with this church. Part of the time it has been a union school, but in the spring of the present year it was organized as a Methodist school, with the following officers: Superintendent, Truman Drake; Assistant Superintendent, Melvin Woolman; Secretary, Melvin Woolman; Treasurer, Henry Chapman; Librarian, Charles Woolman. The Protestant Methodists next put in an appearance, and organized a class at Matthews' Corners as early as the year 1848. Lyman Blodgett was the first class-leader, and after flourishing a few years the class was broken up. In 1858-59 it was revived under the same leadership, receiving the name of THE COTTAGE CLASS OF RICHFIELD, the name being derived from the school-house in which the meetings were held. It was then an appointment on Marathon circuit. Blodgett remained class-leader until a revival occurred in the winter of 1859-60, adding a good many members to the class, when he was succeeded by Cyrus A. Matthews. Commencing with 8 members, it has increased to 23, which is the present number. Considering the fact that the denomination has built two churches in other parts of the town, it is not to be wondered at that this class has not yet undertook to build a house of worship. The present officers are Wallace W. Moore, Class-leader; Perry Van Wormer, Steward; Cyrus A. Matthews, Circuit Steward. There has been a summer Sabbath-school at the corners for twelve or fifteen years, of which Richard Garlock was the first superintendent. At present the school numbers, including officers and teachers, about 50, and is officered as follows: W. W. Moore, Superintendent; Newton Urch, Treasurer; Sylvanus lunger, Librarian. RTIHFIELD TOWNSHIP. 419 FIRST PROTESTANT METHODIST CHURCH OF RICHFIELD. The second class of the Protestant Methodist denomination was that known as the Cook class, and was organized at the Cook school-house, by O. H. P. Green, Aug. 9, 1851. The class then numbered about 20 members. Among them were Andrew and Irena Cook, Josiah and M. King, John and Roxy Hibbard, William Kinsman and wife, John Hibbard, Jr., and wife, Zebulon Dickinson and wife, William Throop and wife, Nathaniel Blackmer and wife, and George Williams and wife. Josiah King was the first class-leader, and George Williams the first steward. For about fifteen years the meetings were held at the Cook school-house, but at the expiration of that time the society considered itself strong enough to warrant it in undertaking to build a church. In the winter previous (1865-66) a protracted meeting had been held by the pastor, Rev. A. C. Fuller, and had resulted in the conversion of some seventy persons, a large share of whom naturally united with this class. The first day's circulation of the subscription paper secured the sum of $1600, Mrs. Irena Cook heading the list with a subscription of $500. The desired amount was very quickly secured, Mrs. Cook donating an acre of ground near the northwest corner of section 20 for a site, and work on the church was immediately begun in April, 1866. The building was finished in the following December, and was dedicated early in January, 1867, by Rev. Mr. Mahan, president of Adrian College. Its size is 30 by 50 feet, and cost, including furnishing, the sum of $2468. It was built by John W. Moore, under the supervision of a building committee consisting of John Hibbard, Jr., Sereno G. Lucas, David Parker, Edwin Tanner, William Jennings, David W. Hiller, and Mr. Glover. The society was incorporated at a meeting held at the church, May 16, 1867. John Hibbard, Jr., presided, D. W. Hiller acted as secretary, and John Hibbard, Jr., D. W. Hiller, and Sereno G. Lucas were elected trustees. The present membership is 80, and the present officers are Jared Hiles, Class-leader; J. P. Hiller, Steward; D. W. Hiller, H. C. Hill, Edwin Tanner, Trustees. This church, which is commonly called the "Brown Church," from the color with which the building is painted, has always been an appointment on Flint circuit, and has been served by the following pastors: Revs. O. H. P. Green, O. Earls, Charles Mann, O. H. P. Green,Hobson, Thomas Plackett, C. D. Covil, J. A. Nichols, Thomas Howland, G. M. Lyon, Amos Bradshaw, John Selby, H. W. Hicks, A. C. Fuller, C. S. Green, F. Traver, D. Whiteley, Robert Mulholland, S. Riley, A. C. Fuller, R. C. Myers, William Pope, C. D. Covil, and B. F. Wright, who is the present pastor. There were quite extensive revivals of religion under the preaching of Revs. Nichols, Fuller, and Wright, the number of converts being reported respectively at 100, 70, and 90. Of the Sabbath-school Andrew Cook was superintendent for several years, and was probably the first one. At present the school numbers about 60 members. D. W. Hiller is the superintendent, and William Jennings, Jr., is the secretary and treasurer. RIVER CHAPEL. This organization resulted from the labors of a local preacher of the Protestant Methodist denomination named Jefferson Teller, who resided at Richfield Centre. Being quite a good singer, as well as an exhorter, he was quite successful in a series of meetings he held at the Miles school-house, one mile north and one mile east of Richfield Centre. Quite a revival followed his labors there, and a class of 15 members was formed. Their names were William and Mary Amy, Oscar and Sabra Clemons, Joseph and Orvilla Weber, Peter and Betsey All, Avery and Susan Miller, Esther Miles, Loretta Miller, L. A. Harter, Judson Miller, and Mrs. N. Maxwell. William Amy was appointed class-leader and Oscar Clemons steward. This was also an appointment on Flint circuit, and the same pastors-commencing with Rev. Robert Mulhollandthat preached at the Brown Church have also preached here. The meetings were held in the Miles school-house until the 1st of January, 1879, when the school-house was closed against religious meetings, and steps were then taken to build a house of worship. A meeting was held at the house of Samuel Miles in February, at which meeting the society incorporated by electing Oscar Clemons, George Cottrell, and Samuel Miles trustees. A church site of one-half acre, on the northwest corner of section 14, was purchased of Asa Miller for $50, a building committee, consisting of D. W. Hiller, Samuel Miles, George Cottrell, Oscar Clemons, and Frank Hiller, was appointed, and on the 11th of March work was actively begun. The church, which is a frame building 28 by 40 feet in size, was finished in June, and cost about $1000. It was dedicated June 29, 1879, by Rev. G. B. McElroy, of Adrian College. His text was, " It is more blessed to give than to receive." The church at present numbers 25 members. Oscar Clemons is the class-leader and Ransom Withey the steward. William Amey was superintendent of the Sabbath-school, which was organized about the time the church was. R. H. Cottrell is the present superintendent, and the school numbers about 30 scholars. FIRST FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH OF RICHFIELD. This society was organized by Rev. Almon Jones, in the Cook school-house, some time in 1851-52. It then numbered about 15 members. Alvah Rogers was the first deacon. The meetings were held at the school-house until the Union or White Church was built. Then the meetings were held there, the members of this society owning a considerable share of its stock. For the present year no preaching has been done here by this denomination. Revs. Almon Jones, Cephas Goodrich, Samuel Currier, F. P. Angir, C. B. Mills, and G. B. McElroy have served as pastors of this church. ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH IN RICHFIELD. This belongs to the Roman Catholic denomination, and is in the Detroit diocese. The church at Flint had several members living in the southeast part of Richfield, most of whom were Germans 420 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and understood the English language quite imperfectly. The priest at Flint not being able to preach in German, meetings were held at the houses of some of these members, and Father John Busche, of Lapeer, came and preached to them in their native tongue. In the spring of 1871 a church was organized by Father Quinn, with about 25 communicants, and steps were taken to build a church. Mrs. Magdalen Conrad donated 1~ acres of land for a church site and burial-ground, and a church 20 by 40 feet in size was erected at a cost of about $1000. Among those who contributed to this object were B. Conrad, Joseph Schmidt, Jacob Hannel, Ludwig Snoor, Jacob Donner, Alexander Collins, and Thomas Cain. The first trustees were B. Conrad, Joseph Schmidt, and Thomas F. Hogan. The present ones are Ludwig Snoor, Jacob Hannel, and George Straffel. The church has always been connected with the Flint or Lapeer churches, and has consequently never had a resident pastor. At present the church numbers about 40 members. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF RICHFIELD. For nearly twenty-five years prior to the organizing of this society ministers of the Christian denomination had preached in the " red-side" school-house, in the southwest part of Richfield, to accommodate those members of the Davison's Station Church who lived in that neighborhood. After the building of the union church the meetings were held there. March 8, 1873, a meeting was held for the purpose of forming a church society, and after consultation William Munger, Daniel B. Skinner, William J. Phillips, Jacob Shafer, and Benjamin Bidleman were appointed to draw up articles of association to present at an adjourned meeting. March 22d they reported, and an organization was effected with the following members: Daniel B., Catharine, A. A., Doretta A., and E. A. Skinner, Jacob and Catharine Shaffer, Fernando, Harriet, and Anna Dewey, William J. and Nancy M. Phillips, W. W. and Fanny Throop. The following is a copy of a portion of the articles of association reported, viz.: "ARTICLE 1. We, whose names are hereunto annexed, do hereby agree by the help of the Lord to walk together as a church of Christ, faithfully maintaining its ordinances, taking the Bible for our only rule of faith, the New Testament for our guide in practice, church order, and discipline, making Christian character the only test of fellowship. "' And whereas, Good men honestly differ in opinion, and every one must give account of himself to God, therefore, " Resolved, That we extend to each individual the God-given right to 'search the Scriptures' and understand for themselves, and in all matters of opinion we will not censure each other but exercise charity, and in all things strive to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, and no one can rightfully be subjected to trial or exclusion but from want of Christian character." From the time of its organization the church has always been at peace with all the world, and perfect harmony has always prevailed among its members. The circle of mem bership, now enlarged to 38, has not yet been broken by the visit of the angel of death. The pastors of this church have been two in number. Rev. S. Snyder, who organized it, remained in the pastoral charge for a little more than four years, and was-Oct. 14, 1877-succeeded by Rev. Cyrus Mendenhall, who still retains that relation to the church. The society has never built a church, but owns, through its members, about one-third of the union church, where the meetings are held, this being the only society now occupying it for purposes of religious worship. The first officers of the church were as follows: William J. Phillips, Chairman; A. A. Skinner, Secretary; Fernando Dewey, Treasurer; Daniel B. Skinner and Jacob Shafer, Deacons; all of the above named, Trustees. The present officers are the same, with the exception of George Cotharin, Treasurer. RICHFIELD UNION LYCEUM BUILDING SOCIETY. Pursuant to a notice properly given, the citizens met at the school-house in District No. 1, on the 9th of February, 1867, for the purpose of organizing a society to build a church opposite the Union burying-ground, to be used on funeral occasions and for purposes of religious worship. Rev. Samuel Currier was chosen chairman and Daniel B. Skinner secretary. A committee of five was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws for the government of the society, and the meeting then adjourned. Before the time for the adjourned meeting it was decided to organize under the provisions of chapter lxi. of the Revised Statutes; and under a warrant issued by A. A. Drake, Esq., justice of the peace, a meeting was called, and held at the Wilite school-house. William J. Phillips presided, and William Munger acted as secretary. Resolutions, adopting the name. above given and declaring the purpose of the organization, were adopted. It was resolved to issue shares of $5 each to the amount of $2000, and expend that sum in building the edifice. The following officers were also chosen at that meeting: President, Orsimus Cooley; Secretary, William J. Phillips; Treasurer, Daniel B. Skinner; Trustees, John Van Buskirk, David Dickinson, Henry G. Cook, and Norman Treadwell; Building Committee, John Van Buskirk, William Munger, R. C. Lombard, Orsimus Cooley, and Daniel B. Skinner. The plan presented by Charles Rose, of Genesee, was approved, and the building was erected by him. Work was begun as early as practicable that spring, and the building was completed in the fall. In the latter part of November, or the early part of December, it was dedicated by Rev. C. Dearing, of Romeo. Its total cost was about $3000, all of which was paid or pledged before the dedication. The annual meeting for the election of officers and the transaction of business is held at six o'clock P.M. of the first Monday in February in each year. The present board of officers is composed as follows: President, John Van Buskirk; Secretary, William Munger; Treasurer, Daniel B. Skinner; Trustees, David Dickinson, H. G. Conger, James Cooley, Edwin Fuller. RICHFIELD UNION BURYING-GROUND SOCIETY. The inhabitants of the town formerly buried their dead in different parts of the town in private or family grounds, but this practice was found unsatisfactory, and in 1840 it Ii e? o t -j ~; s l RICHFiIELD TOWNSHIP. 421 R TWSI was decided to have a public ground where all could bury, and where the resting-places of the dead could be more conveniently cared for than when they were so widely scattered. In view of this object, Orsimus Cooley, Phineas J. Tucker, Isaac Tucker, William Teachout, and Lyman Curtis purchased half an acre of ground of P. J. Tucker for $10, cleared it, and, inclosing it with a rail-fence, opened it to the public. At subsequent times additions have been made, until the ground now contains 1~ acres. An association was formed a number of years ago to take control of the ground, and is still in existence, although the record of its organization is lost. Its present officers are William Munger, President; Simeon R. Billings, Secretary; William J. Phillips, Treasurer. There is another burying-ground on the north side of the river, on the north line of section 8, which contains a little more than an acre of ground, and was purchased of Myron Benjamin, in the spring of 1857, for the sum of $5. The purchase was authorized by a meeting of the citizens, which elected Argalus H. Matthews, Thomas J. Stimpson, and Ralph Stimpson trustees to obtain and hold the title. They are still acting in the same capacity. The ground was cleared under contract by Bradford 0. Carpenter for $62.25. The first burial was that of Isaac L. Matthews, in the fall of 1858. SOCIETIES. The only society in Richfield representing the many fraternities is a Lodge of Good Templars known as ELEANOR.LODGE, NO. 93, I. O. G. T. It was the outgrowth of an interest in the work of temperance reform aroused at a lecture given by John R. Clark at the town-hall on the evening of the 5th of April, 1879, and was given its name in honor of the wife of the speaker. It was formally instituted at F. E. Stoddard's hall, on the 12th of April, by A. J. Kellogg, of Otisville, District Deputy, with 29 charter members. The membership has increased to 33, and regular meetings are held every Saturday evening at Stoddart's Hall. The first officers, who are also the present ones, are as follows: W. C. T., William H. Smith; R. H. S., W. F. Amy; L. H. S., Miss Mattie Fuller; W. V. T., Mrs. Harriet A. Clark; W. Sec., Merritt Hutchins; W. A. Sec., Alonzo A. Dibble; W. F. Sec., Miss Flora Miles; W. Treas., William H. Coe; W. Chap., Henry Chapman; W. M., George Lawrence; W. D. M., Miss Fanny Grove; W. I. G., Miss Susie Kornung; W. 0. G., George Kilbreth; P. W. C. T., W. H. Chapman; L. D., Merritt Hutchins. In closing this sketch the historian desires to return his most hearty thanks to those kind and considerate friends who have so generously assisted him in his labors, and have thus enabled him to make a much more complete and satisfactory sketch than he could have possibly done had they all been as disobliging and discourteous as was one man who brusquely refused to listen for a moment or give the least information, though the historian had, upon the recom mendation of many citizens, walked four miles through the hot sun and dusty roads to see him. To him we owe no thanks; to the others, many and hearty ones. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. SIMEON R. BILLINGS was born in the township of Gaines, Orleans Co., N. Y., March 17, 1835, the fifth of a family of six children. His father, Col. Laurence Billings, was born in the township of Smyrna, Chenango Co., N. Y., March 21, 1801. He was a farmer, and soon after his marriage to Miss Roxana Roxford he emigrated to what was then the wilds of Western New York, Orleans County. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of the Holland Purchase. It was all new, but Mr. Billlings' industry soon made the "wilderness blossom as a rose," and a fine farm is the result of his labor. Upon it he still resides at the age of seventy-eight years. In early life he took a great interest in military affairs, and was at one time colonel of a militia regiment. On the old homestead Simeon grew to manhood, receiving an academic education; after which his summers were passed on his father's farm, the winters in teaching in New York and Michigan. After his first marriage he purchased a farm in the town of Kimball, Orleans Co., in which he resided until 1867, when he sold and moved to Richfield, Genesee Co., Mich., buying what is known as the Cook farm. On this farm he has built a fine house and barn, and made many improvements, which have placed it in the front rank of fine farms of Genesee County; in 1871 it took the first premium, awarded by the Agricultural Society for the best farm in the county. Mr. Billings has always been a Republican, and has taken an active interest in political matters. In Orleans County he held township offices. Since coming to Michigan he has been three terms supervisor of his township, and has three times been elected and served as county surveyor. In 1875 the people of his representative district, recognizing his abilities and his fidelity, elected him to represent them in the State Legislature, which place he filled with such acceptance that they re-elected him in 1877. In 1879 he was again placed before the people by his friends,-this time as a candidate for the State senatorship, to which position he was elected by a large majority. In both houses he served as chairman of the committee on State affairs, and was highly complimented by the President of the Senate. The Lansing Republican, in speaking of the leading senators, says: " Mr. Billings is rapid and impetuous, rather sarcastic, an uncompromising foe to all class or special legislation; his only defect being an indistinct utterance, which was more than counterbalanced by his sterling honesty." By his fellow-citizens he is looked upon as one of Genesee's enterprising and representative men. Mr. Billings married for his first wife Miss Carrie E. Gray, who was born at Carlton, Orleans Co., N. Y., Oct. 8, 1839; died April 24, 1868. She was a daughter of Everett and Elizabeth (McCauley) Gray. Resultant of their union were two children, viz., Bertha H., born Aug. 2, 1863, and Willie G., born March 24, 1866. For his second wife he married Miss Nancy R. Ashley, born in Genesee Co., Mich., Feb. 2, 1842, and daughter of Samuel J. and Helen (Wylie) Ashley. There has been born to them one child, Carrie E., born May 3, 1874. 422 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. FREDERICK OLDS. MRS. FREDERICK OLDS. FREDERICK OLDS. Frederick Olds was born in the town of Randolph, Windsor Co., Vt., Sept. 5, 1808. Wlile he was still a babe his father moved to Genesee Co., N. Y.; and bought ninety acres of new land on the Towanda Creek flats in the town of Alexander. He was drafted in the war of 1812, and was in several engagements, in one of which he received a wound in the leg. After the war he returned to his farm, which he partly improved. Afterwards he was engaged in the hotel business, but subsequently sold his hotel and worked at the cooper's trade. In 1836 he came to Michigan and settled in the town of Union, Branch Co., where he resided until his death, in 1846. Frederick lived with his father until after his marriage, when he started out in life for himself. He worked at the cooper's trade in Middleburg, in Stafford, and in Warsaw. We next find him in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., where he bought a piece of new land, which he partly cleared. This land he sold, and in 1836 he came to Michigan to find a home where land was cheap. In May of that year he arrived in Macomb County, where he worked at his trade. He next took a job on what was called the Shelby and Detroit Railroad. This proved a failure, and Mr. Olds lost all his earnings. In February, 1838, he moved to Branch County, going with an ox-team, and being ten days on the road. He bought thirty acres of wild land in Union township, built upon it a shanty, and cleared about ten acres. In 1841 he sold, and with an oxteam moved his family into what was then the town of Richfield, Lapeer Co., where he bought eighty-five acres, part of the southeast quarter of section 15. The land was new, not a stick having been cut. There were then but two houses between his place and Flint, and not a house in sight for several years after he came. This farm Mr. Olds has improved and built upon; and here, under his own vine and fig-tree, he quietly passes the declining years of his life, respected and esteemed by his neighbors and friends as an upright citizen and a true Christian. In politics Mr. Olds is a Republican of the stalwart kind, it never having been a question to which party he belonged or on which side of a political question he stood. Has been justice of the peace many years, overseer and commissioner of highways over twenty years, drain commissioner three years, and Richfield's war supervisor, holding the latter office for seven years. He was active in sending soldiers to the field, and deserves much of the credit for saving the town from the draft. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for forty-two years. On the 4th day of November, 1828, he married Miss Sally Hill, daughter of John Hill. She was born in Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., Jan. 13, 1808. There have been born to them the following children: Mortimer M., born Aug. 26,1829,-he married Miss Francis Potter, who was born Dec. 25, 1833; Amanda C., born Sept. 30, 1833, married Nathan Root, who was born Jan. 16, 1823; Althea V., born March 9, 1842, died Feb. 7, 1865, married Samuel Clemens; Wilbur E., born April 20, 1850, died May 21, 1857. FOREST. TOWNSHIP 9 north, of range 8 east, was formerly a part of the town of Richfield, and belonged to Lapeer County. It was set off from that county, erected into a separate town, under the name of Forest, and attached to Genesee County by the Legislature of 1842-43, the latter act having received the approval of the governor March 9, 1843, and going into effect on the 31st day of the same month. The reasons for this change of county relations were principally business convenience and ease of communication, the main business of the people centring at Flint, and the river forming their principal means of communication and for the transportation of their produce and manufactures. All the towns of range 8 now belonging to Genesee County participated in this change. The new town embraced a territory nearly six miles square and contained an area of 23,027.40 acres, 1016 acres of which were rated as swamp-lands. The territory thus named forms the northeast corner town of the county, is centrally distant from Flint (the countyseat) thirteen and one half miles, and is bounded on the north by Millington, Tuscola Co., east by the town of Marathon, Lapeer Co., south by Richfield, and west by Thetford. Its lands were originally heavily timbered, and generally with pine of fine quality and large size, intermingled with oak, maple, beech, ash, elm, butternut, and many other varieties of timber in limited quantity. Owing to the fact of the existence of this pine timber, the land was largely taken up by speculators, or by those who held them till lumber was worth a price which would warrant them in cutting the timber. The following list comprises the names of all persons entering land of the government, together with the section on which they located, the number of acres entered, and the dates of entry. Those whose names are printed in italics actually settled in Forest, though not always at the time when the lands were entered. Where the residence of these parties is known it is also given. The list is as follows: William Maxwell, of Livingston Co., N. Y., Oct. 20, 1837, 304 acres on section 1, and 137 acres on section 2. Benjamin F. Partridge, Sept. 30, 1852, 156 acres on section 1; October 14th, 160 acres on section 1, 137 acres on section 2,400 acres on section 12,160 acres on section 13; October 15th, 80 acres on section 14; December 1st, 40 acres on section 12, 120 acres on section 14; Jan. 22,1853, 80 acres on section 13; total, 1333 acres. John Hayes, of Cleveland, Ohio, June 23, 1851, 320 acres on section 9,160 acres on section 15; June 26th, 320 acres on section 10, 160 acres on section 15; July 3d, 40 acres on section 28, 80 acres on section 33; July 12th, 40 acres on section 28; September 29th, 320 acres on section 2, 160 acres on section 3, 160 acres on section 10; October 13th, 320 acres on section 14; total, 2080 acres. Francis W. Otis, Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 22, 1851, 160 acres on section 10; September 1st, 433 acres on section 3, 594 acres (the entire section) on section 4; total, 1187 acres. Liyman Crowl, of this county, Jan. 9, 1854, 40 acres on section 22; February 10th, 80 acres on section 5, 40 acres on section 23; total, 160 acres. Horace Hopkins, of this county, June 13, 1854, 40 acres on section 5; Feb. 6, 1855, 30 acres on section 6; total, 70 acres. William Van Slyck, of this county, Feb. 3, 1844, 40 acres on section 18; Nov. 16, 1854, 80 acres on section 5; total, 120 acres. Jay Buell, of this county, Oct. 21, 1850, 80 acres on section 7; Nov. 10, 1851, 40 acres on section 18; June 30, 1852, 40 acres on section 7; total, 160 acres. John W. Diniond, of this county, Sept. 15, 1851, 40 acres on section 18; Dec. 28, 1853, and May 8 and 23, 1854, 141 acres on section 7; total, 181 acres. Ephraim S. Johnson, of New York City, Aug. 26, 1836, 240 acres on section 8, 320 acres on section 9, 160 acres on section 21; total, 720 acres. Horace Loomis, of this county, Aug. 26, 1836, 320 acres on section 8, 320 acres on section 17; total, 640 acres. Theron B. Smith, of Rutland Co., Vt., Nov. 14, 1836, 80 acres on section 29,160 acres on section 32; November 23d, 160 acres on section 15, 160 acres on section 31; total, 560 acres. Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins, of Genesee Co., N. Y., April 17, 1837, 160 acres on section 17; April 22d, 80 acres on section 21, 160 acres on section 22; total, 400 acres. L. G. Gordon and John Cook, of Wayne Co., Mich., Aug. 25, 1836, 98 acres on section 19, 518 acres on section 30, 263 acres on section 31; total, 879 acres. Stephen Begel, of Oakland Co., Mich., July 25, 1837, 80 acres on section 21, 80 acres on section 28; total, 160 acres. Orin Skut,* of this county, Feb. 20, 1837, 240 acres on section 22, 80 acres on section 26, 80 acres on section 35; total, 400 acres. John Miller, of Wayne Co., Mich., March 10, 1837, 160 acres on section 27; July 7, 1851, 40 acres on section 13; total, 200 acres. William Moreland, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Feb. 17,1837, 160 acres on section 25, 120 acres on section 27; total, 280 acres. * Probably usually spelled Schutt. 423 424 FOREST TOWNSHIP. Cornelius W. Fairbanks, Wayne Co., N. Y., Feb. 20, 1837, 80 acres on section 26, 80 acres on section 35; total, 160 acres. Vandorus Smith, of Oakland Co., Mich., Nov. 14, 1836, 80 acres on section 27, 80 acres on section 33, 80 acres on section 34; total, 240 acres. Artemas Thayer, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., April 15, 1837, 80 acres on section 28, 160 acres on section 32; total, 240 acres. Isaac L. Smith, Oakland Co., Mich., April 19, 1837, 160 acres on section 28, 160 acres on section 33; total, 320 acres. Robert McCarty, of Trumbull Co., O., Dec. 1, 1836, 80 acres on section 32, 160 acres on section 36; total, 240 acres. Jonathan Shearer, of Wayne Co., Mich., March 10, 1837, 160 acres on section 35, 80 acres on section 36; total, 240 acres. The foregoing persons entered land on more than one section. The following comprises the rest of the entries classified by sections: Section 5: Nov. 19, 1853, John Schlosser, of this county, 40 acres; Feb. 3, 1854, Ira Davenport of Steuben Co., N. Y., 80 acres; Nov. 30, 1854, Isaac Turner, of this county, 139 acres, and December 11th, the same person, 40 acres; June 13, 1854, Mary Hopkins, of this county, 95 acres. Section 6: June 11, 1852, David Wilcox, 160 acres; June 13, 1854, Edmund Hopkins, Geauga Co., 0., 40 acres; Dec. 12, 1854, Manson P. Perry, of this county, 56 acres. On this section there were 370 acres of swampland. Section 7: March 18, 1837, Ebenezer Rush, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres; Feb. 9, 1852, George Shannon0, of this county, 40 acres; July 14, 1853, J. W. Waterman, of Detroit, 208 acres. There were 80 acres of swampland on this section. Section 8: March 18, 1837, William Wilbur, of Medina Co., 0., 40 acres. In this section were 40 acres of swampland. Section 11: Nov. 13, 1837, Horace Perry, of this county, 80 acres; Jan. 9, 1839, Harvey Perkins, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; Sept. 29, 1851, Martin Myers, 160 acres; Oct. 13, 1851, Joseph Dupras, 160 acres; Thornton F. Brodhead, 160 acres. Section 12: Sept. 20, 1853, Edgar Sheldon, of Yates Co., N. Y., 120 acres. This section had 80 acres of swampland. Section 13: Sept. 15, 1838, Daniel M. Baker, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; July 7, 1851, Samuel Brevout,* 160 acres; Feb. 6, 1854, Lorenzo D. Morse, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres; Nov. 28, 1854, Edmund Perry, of this county, 80 acres. Section 14: Dec. 23, 1839, Matthew Mc Cormick, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 40 acres; July 7, 1839, Elijah Look, 8( acres. Section 15: March 27, 1837, Sally Nash, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 160 acres. Section 17: Dec. 8, 1853, Henry Pettingill, of this county, 160 acres. Section 18: Dec. 9, 1844, Nelson Valentine, of Lapeer Co, Mich., 40 acres; Aug. 21, 1845, William Henry Dimond, of this county, 40 acres; May 22,1850, Wellington Ferguson, of this county, 40 acres; Nov. 21, 1851, Lydia Cone, 40 acres; March 1, 1852, Elizabeth M. Beagle, of this county, 40 acres; April 8, 1852, John Darling, of this county, 93 acres; Oct. 5, 1852, Ransom G. Root, of this county, 40 acres, and Dec. 2, 1854, the same party 40 acres. On this section there were 126 acres of swamp-land. Section 19: Nov. 9, 1836, Edward Davidson, of Livingston Co., Mich., 80 acres; Henry Hiester, of the same county, 160 acres; July 19, 1837, the latter entered 40 acres; Oct. 5, 1841, and Jan. 11, 1843, Newell Orr, of Oakland Co., Mich., 95 acres; Nov. 3, 1851, James Hawley, of Orleans Co., N. Y., 40 acres; March 2, 1852, William N. Stanard, 40 acres; June 28, 1852, John Jobson, 40 acres; Aug. 8 and Sept. 19, 1853, George Moore, 80 acres. Section 20: Aug. 26, 1836, George C. Loomis, of Addison Co., Vt., 320 acres; April 15, 1837, Levi Townsend, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres; John Taylor, of Portage Co., Ohio, 80 acres; Aug. 21, 1849, John Taylor, Jr., of this county, 40 acres; Feb. 21, 1853, Horace Buell, 40 acres; March 10, 1854, Isaiah Merriman and Richard A. Gossler, of this county, 40 acres. This section had 40 acres of swamp-land in its limits. Section 21: July 25, 1837, Amos Begel, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres; August 30th, Jas. C. Wells, of Allegany Co., N. Y., 80 acres; October 16th, Michael Koan, of this county, 80 acres; April 6, 1852, Jas. Robertson, 40 acres. On this section there were 80 acres of swamp-land. Section 22: April 22, 1837, Benjamin Dutton, Jr., of Genesee Co., N. Y., 80 acres; September 26th, Peter Sellers, of this county, 80 acres, and Jan. 26, 1838, the same party, 40 acres. Section 23: Feb. 20, 1837, Daniel Cammings and William Davidson, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres; March 10th, Asa J. Groendycke,t of Monroe Co., N. Y., 40 acres; June 24th, James Davis, of Oakland Co., Mich., 40 acres; Jan. 7, 1853, John Britten (2d), 80 acres; February 2d, Abraham Bicksler,j 40 acres; July 10, 1854, Samuel Lapham, of this county, 40 acres; December 27th, Thomas Becksmith, of this county, 120 acres; Jan. 2, 1855, Albert Hawley, of this county, 40 acres. This section contained 120 acres of swamp-land. Section 24: Feb. 28, 1837, John Crawford, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres; Robert Henderson, same county, 80 acres; March 28th, George W. Williams and James Frazer, same county, 160 acres; September 22d, James Crawford, same county, 200 acres; Dec. 25, 1852, Daniel D. Dewey, 80 acres. On this section there were 48 acres of swamp-land. Section 25: Oct. 17, 1836, Julius B. Hart, of Lapeer Co., Mich., 160 acres; Feb. 17, 1837, Shadrach Dunbar, Washteuaw Co., Mich., 160 acres; April 17th, Joseph Pendrigh, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; June 3, 1839, John Nixon, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres. * Probably intended for Brevoor t. t Grovendycke. t Bixler. FOREST TOWNSHIP. 425 Section 26: Feb. 17, 1837, John Minzy, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 240 acres; February 20th, Charles Skut,* of Wayne Co., N. Y., 80 acres; March 27th, Grove Spencer, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres; Jan. 31, 1853, Stephen Woodruff, 40 acres, and February 11th, the same party, 40 acres.. Section 27: Feb. 20, 1837, Jonathan Skut,* of Wayne Co., N. Y., 80 acres; March 20th, Jabin W. Elliott, same county, 80 acres; April 28th, Alden Coburn, of Upper Canada, 40 acres; August 4th, Horace B. Harrison, of New York State, 80 acres. Section 28: Nov. 14, 1836, Carlton M.J Smith, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; Nov. 17,1851, Ann Elijaht- Biddle, 80 acres; June 17, 1840, Jenny McCormick, Lapeer Co., Mich., 40 acres. There were 40 acres of swamp-land on this section. Section 29: Nov. 10, 1836, Isaac Parshall, of Livingston Co., Mich., 80 acres; Samuel W. Burt, same county, 80 acres; April 17, 1837, Peter F. Le Roy, of this county, 400 acres. Section 30: Aug. 24, 1836, William G. Stone, of Oakland Co., Mich., 160 acres. Section 31: Nov. 9, 1836, George Luther, of Livingston Co., Mich., 80 acres; November 24th, Burnett Scott, of Oakland Co., Mich., 110 acres; November 26th, William Morgan, of Livingston Co., N. Y., 80 acres. Section 32: Sept. 28, 1836, William J. Bingham, of Addison Co., Vt., 160 acres; November 15th, Harrison G. Conger, of Lapeer Co., Mich., 80 acres. Section 33: Nov. 14, 1836, Willaamn R. Smnith, of Oakland Co., Mich., 80 acres; November 24th, Loren Coy, of this county, 160 acres; April 15, 1837, Calvin Townson, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 80 acres. Section 34: Nov. 24, 1836, Thomas S. Clark, of Huron Co., O., 80 acres; Josiah A. Gales, of Franklin Co., Mass., 80 acres; Jan. 23, 1837, Gilman McAllaster, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., 160 acres; Jacob Hathaway, of Seneca Co., N. Y., 160 acres; March 20th, Zerial Waterman, of Detroit, 80 acres. Section 35: Jan. 23, 1837, John S. Kidder, of Hillsboro' Co., N. H., 160 acres; February 11th, Levi Reynolds, of this county, 40 acres; February 20th, Lewis Seeley, of this county, 40 acres; William Lamb, of Wayne Co., N. Y., 80 acres. Section 36: March 1, 1836, James Seymour, of Monroe Co., N. Y., 240 acres; Jan. 18, 1837, Jared Beardsley, Jr., of Cayuga Co., N. Y., 160 acres. From this it will be seen that James Seymour entered the first land in this town, March 1, 1836, on section 36. Henry Hiester was the first actual settler who entered land, his being recorded Nov. 9, 1836, while the next, the Smiths', was not taken up until the 14th of that month. The latest entry seems to have been that made by Horace Hopkins, on section 6, dated Feb. 6, 1855. Probably about three-quarters of this land was covered with pine timber. It stood in its natural state for several years, but is now pretty well used up. The soil is varied in its composition, being composed of * Schutt. t Eliza. sandy, gravelly, and clayey loam, distributed very irregularly. It is all underlaid by a heavy clay subsoil of great depth, and is fertile, and, were it not for the pine-stumps, which are still numerous, is easily worked. It is well suited for the cultivation of general crops, and is excellent for wheat. According to the report contained in the State census of 1874, the amount of crops produced in 1873 was as follows. of wheat, 10,206 bushels; of corn, 23,169 bushels; of all other grains, 16,916 bushels; of potatoes, 5074 bushels; of hay, 690 tons; of wool, 2235 pounds; of pork, 4995 pounds; of butter, 32,620 pounds; of dried fruits, 153 pounds; of cider, 8 barrels; and of maple-sugar, 800 pounds. Taking into consideration the area of improved lands as compared with the other towns of the county, Forest takes high rank in the quantity of its productions. The census further informs us that the town has 22,942 acres of taxable lands, of which 4442 acres are improved and 90 acres are used by the railroad as right of way and for depot grounds. One hundred and seventy-eight acres were at that time devoted to orchards, and furnished a product, in 1872, of 2287 bushels, and in 1873 of 1958 bushels of apples. The stock then kept was classified as follows: horses, 230; mules, 6; work-oxen, 106; milch cows, 321; other cattle, 351; swine, 403; sheep, 790. The surface of the land is usually lightly rolling in its nature, though in some parts it becomes a little more uneven, and rises in low hills. In the south part of the town lies what is known as Compton Hill, which is the point rising highest above the surrounding surface. Probably the most elevated part of the town is the northern portion. Commencing with the lakes, near Otisville, a strip of territory made up of alternating knolls and marshes runs in each direction, reaching nearly across the town from north to south. There are quite a number of small lakes scattered about the town. At Otisville a cluster of them, seven in number, lies south and cast of the village. It is supposed that originally these were all united in one body of water, but that the changes in the streams, the decreased rainfall caused by the clearing up of the forests, and the accumulation of decayed vegetation, have lowered the surface of the water, and built bars and marshes that now separate them one from another. Two others of these lakes are found one and a half miles west of Otisville, one on section 20, and one on section 29. Another, known as Crawford's Lake, is located in the south part of section 24. Near the northeast corner a small portion of Otter Lake extends into this town. These lakes are all of the same general character, having an average depth of some thirty or forty feet, and a sandy or muddy bottom. The shores in some places are bold, and in others more or less marshy. These lakes were formerly abundantly supplied with fish of various kinds, and, though somewhat depleted by unseasonable and unsportsmanlike fishing, still furnish a fine field for sport to the lover of the piscatorial art. The principal stream of the town is the outlet of Otter Lake, which flows across the town diagonally, in a southwest course, entering Thetford near the west quarter line of. 54 426 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. section 31, and is a tributary of Flint River. Its shores were originally covered along its whole course with a heavy growth of butternut-trees, which fact gave it the name of Butternut Creek, a name which it still bears. It receives the waters of a few tributary streams, the largest one being the outlet of the Otisville lakes. The present population of the town is undoubtedly somewhat greater than it was in 1874, when the census showed that it was 1365. Of this number, 732 were males, and 633 were females. In classes arranged according to age, the statistics were as follows: under five years of age, 113 males and 95 females; from five to ten years, 100 males and 115 females; from ten to twenty-one years, 165 males, and from ten to eighteen years, 101 females; from twenty-one to forty-five years, 262 males, and from eighteen to forty years, 229 females; from forty-five to seventy-five years, 90 males, and from forty to seventy-five years, 89 females; from seventy-five to ninety years, 2 males and 4 females. Of these, 787 were single, 548 married, and 30 widowed or divorced. SETTLEMENT. Until the year 1837 no white person resided in the town of Forest. The foot of the Indian brave, or the white trapper and hunter and an occasional trader, had alone trod the mazes of its dense forests. The winds of heaven had swept the towering pines and struck from their yielding branches that soft, sweet, weird music, like the sound of distant waters washing on pebbly shores; the tempests had run their powerful and destructive course, swaying the monarchs of the woods, twisting off weak limbs, and occasionally overthrowing the body of some less deeply rooted tree, leaving its prostrate trunk prone upon the earth, to tell of its fallen glory, and testify of the tempest's power. The animals of the forest had roamed its fastnesses in pursuit of their prey, or lain securely in their hidden lairs almost entirely unmolested by the hand of civilized man. But all this was to be changed. The mighty forest must fall before the sturdy strokes of the pioneer's axe, and be replaced by verdant meadows, fertile fields, and fruitful orchards; the wild and virgin soil must be broken up and made to yield of its strength to produce the food of man; the wild beasts must feel the power and learn the strength of that decree which made man ruler over all living things. And now the first step in this revolution was to be made, the first experiment of the hardships of pioneer life to be undergone, in order that these good results might be brought about. The first settler in this town was Henry Heister, who came here from Livingston Co., Mich., early in the spring of 1837, bringing with him his family, consisting of his wife and three children. He was, as his name indicates, descended from a Dutch family, and is believed to have come to this State from some of the counties in Southern Pennsylvania. In person he was tall and of large frame, but, from some inherent weakness of his constitution, was rather sickly, and incapacitated for the proper performance of the almost herculean tasks necessarily falling to the lot of the pioneer. Selecting as his future home the southwest quarter of section 19, he erected a small log house, some 18 by 24 feet, on the bank of Butternut Creek, near the southeast corner of his land. Here he remained for a few years, and then, having an opportunity to exchange his farm for one much better improved in the town of Genesee, he sold out his interests here and moved there, remaining a resident of the town till the time of his death, which occurred many years ago. While living in this town he had a son born, whose birth was among the earliest in the township. Indeed, it was sometimes claimed that his was the first birth among the settlers. Apropos of this, it is related that on one occasion Mrs. Heister, in conversing with a physician somewhat noted for his rather rough manner of speech, referred to the fact that " George was the first white child born in Forest." Now, George's complexion was a little dark, and this fact caused the doctor, who was quite a joker, to retort, " and not so very d —d uwhite either." For about two months the Heisters were the only white residents of the town. Then the Smith family came. While we would not dare to venture upon the work of giving even the most cursory history of the Smith family in its numerous branches and multitude of persons, and while that is not necessary for the purposes involved in this work, still it will not be entirely out of place to mention a few facts relating to the genealogy of this, the second family settling in this town. The head of this family was Nathaniel Smith, who was the fifth child and youngest son of William Smith, who was the third son of Nathaniel Smith, Sr., a native of Suffield, Conn., born in 1751, who settled in Vermont, near Pawlet, when about twenty-five years of age. This branch of the Smith family is descended from the Rev. Henry Smith, one of the Puritan settlers of Connecticut, who is supposed to have landed in this country in 1639, and was the first settled minister of the church at Wethersfield, Conn. William Smith married Mary Johnson at New Marlboro', Mass., settled first at Rupert, and afterwards-about 1784-at Orwell, Vt. His son Nathaniel was married to his cousin, Sarah Royse, and continued to live at Orwell for a time. From there they removed to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. Some years later, having become somewhat involved by business disasters, he determined to move his family to Michigan, hoping in that new and undeveloped country to retrieve his fortunes, build up a home, and secure a competency for his family. His first settlement in this State was made in the town of Troy, Oakland Co., where he lived for several years. In the summer of 1837 he came to this town, and with his sons-Vandorus, William R., and Carlton M.-entered lands on the adjoining four corners of sections 27, 28, 33, and 34, which locality received and still retains the name of Smith HIill, though it is but slightly elevated above the surrounding surface. In June, Mr. Smith, with his wife, one son, and one daughter, left their home in Troy and came to Forest, by way of Flint and the Stanley settlement, and followed the road made by Mr. Hiester until they reached his cabin. The family remained there two days, while the men were selecting a route for a road to reach their land, and then the march was resumed. Mr. Smith went ahead with his axe, cutting off all the young saplings that stood in the way, his son-in-law, Walter Johnson, drove the team, and his son, William R., drove the cows they had brought with FOREST TOWNSHIP. 427 them. The road wound about through the woods in a very eccentric manner, in order to avoid the large trees and the. largest logs, and the wagon pitched, rolled, and tumbled about, as it passed along the rude thoroughfare, in a manner that sometimes grew almost alarming. The journey of four miles occupied the whole of one day, and at its close the party-having built a fire, cooked and eaten their supperunhitched the cattle and turned them out to graze, stretched themselves out to sleep, wearied and worn by the toils and exertions of the day. Work was at once begun on a log house, which was soon ready for occupancy. It was built of unhewn logs, had a floor made of pine logs split, edged, and hewn to some degree of smoothness on the upper side, and a roof of elm-bark. The three men did the work alone, with the exception of putting on a few of the top logs, in which they were assisted by a wandering Indian who happened along and volunteered his services. There was but one window, and in this was placed a sash that had been provided for the purpose before leaving Pontiac. The building completed, Johnson and William Smith returned to their homes in Oakland County, leaving Mr. Smith to devote himself to the task of clearing and cultivating his land. This house served the family as a place of residence for about five years,-having the bark roof replaced by a shake roof in the interval,-and was then exchanged for a larger and more pretentious log house. In the fall of that same year, Vandorus, William R., and Carlton M. Smith, with their respective families, came from Oakland County, and settled on the lands they had taken up; and in February following (1838), Walter Johnson and his family came and settled near the town-line, in section 34, on 40 acres of land he had purchased of his father-in-law. To protect himself against the claims of his Eastern creditors, all the lands belonging to Nathaniel Smith had been entered in the name of his son Vandorus. The new-comers at once erected log dwellings, and quite a settlement sprang up at Smith Hill, there being four houses within a stone's throw of each other at the corners. The Smiths seem to have been endowed by nature with a roving disposition, and, as will be seen, this was in some way communicated to the son-in-law as well. Nathaniel Smith was a man of a religious turn of mind, steady and industrious habits, and upright, straightforward, irreproachable character. His religious principles caused him to affiliate himself with the Baptist denomination, but there being no church of that denomination here he united with the Protestant Methodist class (of which his last wife was a member) some time before his death. About nine years after his settling here he sold out to his son Vandorus and went to Indiana, intending to settle there, but, on account of there being so much sickness there, remained only a few weeks before he returned to Michigan and settled in the town of Highland, Oakland Co. Early in the winter of 1847-48 lie returned to this town, and lived at Smith Hill. In May of that year his wife died. IIis second wife was a Mrs. Fuller, and his third wife (who survives him) was a Mrs. Branch. He died Feb. 1, 1861, at the age of seventy-two years. Of his family of four sons and four daughters, but one-Henry-is now living in Forest. Vandorus Smith was born in 1813. After living in this town about eight years he removed to the State of New York, and settled near Lockport, where his wife's relatives lived. In 1848 he came again to Forest, and, remaining about five years, once more returned to Lockport. In 1867 he settled at Flint, in 1876 he removed to Clayton, and in 1879 returned to Flint, where he now resides. He had five children, only two of whom lived to maturity. One of these, a son named Horace, went to the Lake Superior mining regions, was employed on a railroad there, and was killed by falling between the cars. The other child, a daughter, Mrs. Jeanette Adams, is now living in Clayton. William R. Smith partook less of the movable nature than the rest of the family, because his second wife, Sarah Begel, was opposed to a migratory life. With the exception of one year spent at Royal Oak, Oakland Co., about the year 1840, he remained a resident of this town until his death, Nov. 29, 1866. He married Patience Johnson, of Oakland County, and they had one child at the time of their settlement in this town. While living in Royal Oak his wife died, and, returning here, he married Sarah, a daughter of Stephen Begel, by whom he had three children, only two of them living to maturity. His son by his first wife was named Charles. He enlisted in the Union army during the Rebellion, and died, of disease, in the service. His children by his second wife were Calvin and Martha. The former is dead. The latter married William H. Begel, and lives in this town a mile south of Otisville. William R. Smith was a man respected and beloved by his neighbors and friends. They placed the utmost confidence in his strict integrity of character, and it was never betrayed. As an instance illustrative of this we cite the following incident: He was treasurer of the town for several years. Being rather illiterate,-school privileges not being as abundant in his youth as at the present day,-hlie was in a measure dependent upon others to get his accounts into proper shape for settlement with the town board. On one such occasion the officers had got the accounts made out to their satisfaction, when he refused to accept it as correct, saying, "I have twenty dollars here that does not belong to me. It must belong to the town." The accounts were gone over repeatedly, but the error was not discovered. Still he persisted in his assertion that the money was not his, that it belonged to the town, and insisted on its being so reported, which was finally done. He was a religious man, conscientious and consistent in his walk and conversation, and belonged to the Protestant Methodist Church. He also, at one time, was a member of the Christian Church. Carlton M. Smith remained a resident of Forest about six months, and then returned to Oakland County, settling in Royal Oak. Two years later he returned to this town, remained a year, and again returned to Royal Oak, where he lived until about fifteen years ago, when he removed to the town of Clayton, where now resides. Walter Johnson married Caroline, daughter of Nathaniel Smith, while the family was living in Oakland County, and removed to this town as before sta.ted. The history of his life shows him to have been of a very restless, uneasy disposition, and few, if any, have ever changed their place of residence so frequently as did lie. He lived in Forest some six or seven years, and then removed to Indiana. 428 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I A year and a half later he left that State and settled in Highland, Oakland Co. Lived there one year and then returned to Forest. In 1852 he again moved to Indiana; from there to Wisconsin, near Milwaukee; and from there to Beaver Island, near Grand Traverse. Some time after, he returned to Forest and lived in Otisville three or four years. During this time his wife died, and he went again to Indiana, and from there to Beaver Island. After a year's absence he again appeared in Otisville, and lived there till his death, which occurred in November, 1870. He enjoyed the distinction of having cast the first Whig vote in the township now known as Forest, at that time a part of the town of Richfield. It was at the Presidential election of 1840. The election was held two days, one at Richfield Centre and one at Otisville (as the places are now known), and Mr. Johnson cast his ballot for " old Tippecanoe" on the last day. All the other residents of the township at that time (some twelve in number) were Democrats, and deposited their votes for " Little Van," who consequently had a large majority in this town. Mr. Johnson's first child was a daughter, named Electa J., who was born about the month of August, 1838, and was the first white child born in the town. From the somewhat roving life led by her parents, she may be said in a manner to have grown up on the road. She married a man named Van Wert, who is supposed to have perished in an accident on a railroad, and subsequently joined her fortunes with and assumed the name of Mr. Flavius Smith. She is at present living in Detroit. Next after the Smith family came the Begel family, from the town of Howard, Steuben Co., N. Y. The head of the family was Stephen Begel, a native of Rensselaer Co., N. Y. At the time of his removal to this State, he had recently married for his second wife a widow lady, Mrs. Phoebe Beach. By his first wife he had nine children, and Mrs. Beach had four, so that the united family numbered thirteen children. They left Howard in two wagons, one drawn by two yokes of oxen and the other by a span of horses. They also brought two cows with them. One of his children, his eldest son, Amos, was married and brought a wife and one son with him. The route they traveled was by way of Buffalo, through Canada to Detroit, where they crossed the river and first set foot on the soil of the State they had selected for their future homes. Leaving Detroit they traveled twenty miles to Birmingham, where Ira Begel, a nephew of Stephen, was living. The family stopped there while Stephen and Amos came on, selected their locations, returned to the land-office, and entered their land, which consisted of 200 acres, on sections 21 and 28, near the present site of the village of Otisville. They then made preparations for getting settled on the land they had selected. It was decided that only part of the family should go on at first, and Stephen, Amos, Luther, Sarah, and Ann Begel were chosen to make the journey. Uriah Beach, Stephen's step-son, and two hired men, Lorenzo Begel and one familiarly known as "Old Charley," but whose name is not now remembered, completed the party. They followed the route opened by Hiester and Smith until they reached Itiester's house. From that place they had to cut their own road, and found it a tedious and exhausting job. They arrived at their destination at the close of the day, on the 7th of August, 1837. Turning the cattle into the woods to graze and browse, they pitched a canvas tent they had brought with them, and, after cooking and eating their suppers, resigned themselves to sleep, forgetting in secret slumber the thousand worries and the wearying tasks of the day. In the morning the bells of the cattle were not heard, and a hasty search failed to find any trace of them. Luther was sent back along the road they had traveled to see if their tracks could be discovered in the mud where, in coming, they had crossed a swampy place, but was unsuccessful in finding any signs. While in a quandary regarding the proper thing to do next, the party were surprised at receiving a morning call from Nathaniel Smith and his daughter Mercy, then a girl of eleven years. Mr. Smith had heard the sound of cow-bells in the woods, and, expecting Mr. Begel's people about that time, had come through the woods to see if his neighbors had arrived. From his report it was certain that the cattle had gone south, and search was instituted in that direction, as without them the work of building could progress but slowly. It was two weeks before the cattle were recovered. They went south to the Flint River, and followed the course of that stream till they were found about four miles from Flint by some men who were drawing a load to the mill of Draper & Witherbee, in Genesee. They unhitched their own oxen, yoked the estrays to the load, and drove them to the mill. Mr. Witherbee had heard of Begel's loss and sent him word where his cattle could be found. After the cattle were recovered the work of building progressed more rapidly. It was, however, nearly a month later before the house was ready for occupancy, and even then it had no floor. The door was made from a pine board purchased in Flint for that purpose. The house, which was the third erected in Forest and the first one in Otisville, stood on the north side of the outlet of the lakes, a few rods west of the State road. The log house afterwards built by Mr. Begel on the same site is still standing on the lot owned by William Simmons, and was used as a dwelling until the fall of 1878. While the first log house was building the family remained in camp (about one half-mile south of Otisville), which, considering the warmth of the season, was not very disagreeable. They were not molested by wild beasts, though several times some of them were heard prowling about the camp, and one, approaching closely in a thicket, was fired upon, and vanished with a terrifying shriek, leaving the pioneers in doubt as to its nature and power to do them harm. As soon as the house was ready the rest of the family were sent for and came on, following the same route passed over by the others. Work on the clearing was then pushed forward with all possible vigor, to get some ground ready for crops. During the fall Amos built a log house on his land on section 21, and moved his family there from the somewhat crowded house of his father, where twenty persons had been domiciled during the time that had thus elapsed. Stephen Begel was a plain, unpretending, practical farmer, and devoted his life to the pursuit of that industry. Of the lands he entered he cleared about one-third (a little more FOREST TOWNSHIP. 429 than 50 acres). His habits were frugal and industrious and he was of a religious turn of mind. He enjoyed the respect and friendship of all who knew him, and his death, which occurred Feb. 11, 1852, caused heartfelt sorrow in the breasts of his numerous friends and acquaintances. His family consisted of fourteen children, six sons and eight daughters. Nine of them are still living. They are Luther and John R. Begel and Mrs. Nancy Clapp, of Forest; Almon Begel, of Pine Run; Mrs. Eliza Valentine, of Mount Morris; Mrs. Phoebe Richmond, of North Branch, Lapeer Co.; Leonard Begel, of Jackson; Calvin Begel, living in Indiana; and Mrs. Clarissa Compton, living in Minnesota. From the fact that Stephen Begel's family, at the time of his settlement here, comprised among its members five marriageable daughters, it may be inferred that, as other settlers began to make homes in this locality, Mr. Begel's family came to be very popular and influential, especially among the young men. It is stated that soon after his first house was finished lie built another small building close by, which was used as a kitchen. Overhead in this building he stowed away a lot of pine staves he had worked out for the purpose of making some sap-buckets, thinking they would get thoroughly seasoned there before he wanted to use them. Now the girls (so different from the girls of to-day) thought that this isolated building was a much nicer place in which to entertain their beaux than the log house where the rest of the family were sitting, and used fiequently, nay, almost invariably, to retire thither with them. The woods at this period were full of bears and wolves, and it required a good stock of courage on the part of the " sighing swains" to enable them to tempt the terrors and dangers of the forest, even in the laudable endeavor to win the affections of the bright-eyed beauties who had captured their hearts. So to fortify their sometimes failing courage, to protect themselves from the dangers of the forest, and to light them along the dark and gloomy way, they often carried torches. It did not take them very long to discover Mr. Begel's stock of staves, nor to learn by experience their utility as torches. It is said the old gentleman remonstrated strongly against this misapplication of the fruits of his toil; but his most earnest remonstrances failed either to save his staves or to frighten away the beaux. Amos Begel died in this town Nov. 28, 1864, aged sixty years. Iis first wife, Phoebe, died June 26, 1855; his second wife, Mary, June 16, 1859; and his third wife still survives him, residing in this town, as does one of his daughters, Mrs. Dolly Graham. Late in the fall of 1839, Matthew McCormick, an Irish emigrant, who had for some time been living in Washtenaw County, took up his residence in Forest, locating his first house, which was the third in the vicinity of Otisville, on the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 28, about 40 rods west of the present residence of Mrs. C. E. Osborne. He was accompanied by his mother (Mrs. Jenny McCormick) and his wife. Their first child was a son, Joln II., and lie was the second white child and the first male white child born in Forest. He was born in 1840, removed with his parents, and a few years since again took up his residence in Forest, at Otisville, where le is now living, engaged in the milling business. The McCormicks remained here about six years, and then removed to Flint. After living in several different places they finally settled in Davison, where Matthew is still living. His mother died in Groveland, Oakland Co., about 1856. The next settler was Stephen J. Seeley, who, with his wife and five sons, settled in this town in July, 1841. A daughter, wife of H. G. Conger, remained in Genesee. They came from Gallatin Co., Ky., in the fall of 1836, and lived in Pontiac until February, 1838, when they moved to the town of Genesee, and settled on Kearsley Creek, where two of the sons, Chauncey W. and Judson, had purchased an interest in a lumber-mill. From that place they came to Forest, and engaged in the business of agriculture. Stephen J. Seeley was a man of fair education, good natural abilities, and had acquired a considerable knowledge of the law from a somewhat extensive course of reading. He was elected justice of the peace in the spring of 1846, and served in that capacity nearly a score of years, doing most of the legal business of the town during that time. He also served as clerk of the town for several years, besides holding other town offices. His wife died on the 19th of January, 1869, and he survived her a little more than two years,-till the 18th of May, 1871,-when he, too, crossed the bounds of time and entered the eternity that lies beyond. His age was eighty-three years. Of his children three are still living in Forest. They are Chauncey W.,* Judson, and Norris Seeley, and are all engaged in farming. Chauncey W., who married Mary A. Dickinson, of Richfield, in 1844, lives on the homestead, where he has recently erected a fine brick dwelling. Another son, Alanson A., was killed in a saw-mill in February, 1860. His clothing got caught and drew him into the machinery. IHe lived about two hours after the accident occurred. The next settler was John Nixon, who located on section 25, and about the same time Harvey Perkins, of Oakland County, attempted to settle on 80 acres of land he had located on section 11. He came by way of the Territorial road through Lapeer to Marathon, and from there cut a road some four or five miles through the woods to his land. He had cut some timber and got the body of a log cabin rolled up, but for some reason gave up his project and returned to his former home. John Crawford was the next settler. He was of ScotchIrish extraction, being a native of County Antrim, Ireland. In 1827 he married Jane McCullough, and in 1830, with her and two children, emigrated to this country. On the voyage, when near Quebec, the youngest child, Mary, a babe of four months, died, and was buried at Quebec. Mr. Crawford came up the river and settled in Oswegatchie, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., where he engaged in farming. Being dissatisfied with hit progress there, and thinking he should be able to better himself by coming West, he, in 1833, brought his family to Ypsilanti, and hired a farm of Mr. Gibbs, in the town of Pittsfield, which he worked on shares for several years. In 1837 he entered the west half of the southwest quarter of section 24 in this town, and in April, * Since this history was prepared Chauncey W. Seeley has passed from life. His. death was very sudden, being caused by disease of the heart, and occurred at his home in Forest, on the 13th of August, 1879. 430 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1842, moved his family to it, and began the work of clearing. At this time his family consisted of eight sons and two daughters. Mr. Crawford continued to reside on that place until about eighteen years ago. After clearing about 20 acres of it, he bought a 40-acre lot on section 25, and cleared 30 acres of that. In 1861 he exchanged with his brother David for the farm on section 22, where he now resides. His wife is also still living, and they are enjoying on their pleasant farm, in their good old age, the comforts so well earned by the privations and toil of their younger days. The family of ten children are all living, and are residents of this town with the exception of William, who resides at Alpena, in this State. James Crawford, John's father, came to this town in 1844, from Pittsfield, Washtenaw Co., where he had lived for about three years after coming to this country. His family consisted of his wife, two sons, and one daughter. They settled on section 24. James died there about the year 1858, and his wife about a year later. Of his children, William, and Mrs. Betty, wife of William Davidson, are still residents of this town, and David lives in Flint. William has been quite prominent in town matters, and has served a good many terms as clerk of the town, besides holding other town offices. Jeremiah Olds came from Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1844, and purchased a new farm on section 35. William 11. Dimond, from Canada, settled on section 18 in 1845, and has there made himself a nice, comfortable home. John H. Fry, also from Canada, settled on a new farm on section 7 a few years later. He still lives on the place which he has cleared and improved, enjoying the reward for his toil and privations. John Darling settled, in 1852, on section 18, coming to this town from Macomb Co., Mich. Quartus W. Clapp, now a resident of this town, first settled in Thetford, in 1840, on section 20. He was fiom Genesee Co., N. Y. During the first years of the settlement the pioneers were called upon to do and suffer to a degree that would astonish the citizen of to-day were the same lot awarded him. The heavy timber had to be felled and burned before any crops could be raised, and it often occurred that the stock of provisions ran low, and had to be eked out with wild fruits and herbs until more could be brought from the distant market. And not only was the market distant, but often almost beyond reach because of the horrible condition of the roads, which storms and heavy loads had made practically impassable. Sometimes in going to mill, a distance of twenty to fifty miles, from three days to a week's time would be taken up in the journey. On one occasion Matthew McCormick and Amos Begel started early in the morning with Stephen Begel's wagon, drawn by two yokes of oxen, and loaded with ten bushels of wheat. The ground was frozen sufficiently to form a crust, but when the wagon would reach a mud-hole this would break, and down into the mud would go the wheels. Then the bags would have to be taken out, and the wheels pried up till the slough was passed, when the bags would be reloaded and the wagon proceed till another mishap would cause the same V. proceeding to be gone through with again. In this way the journey progressed through the day, and the falling shades of night found them still only about four miles from home. During times of scarcity it would often happen that the only food to be had would be pounded corn (or samp) and potatoes, sometimes only potatoes and salt, and once in a great while potatoes without salt. The finest of the pounded corn-meal would be sifted out and made into " johnnycake," and the coarser part was boiled into a sort of mush and eaten in milk. Many incidents connected with such experiences are vividly remembered by those who participated in the events, but the present generation can never fully appreciate the disadvantages under which their fathers labored before the railroads and telegraphs, postal facilities and improved roads, brought the frontier and the centres of trade into such near contact. The settlers, too, had to contend with many enemies. Wolves, bears, wildcats, hawks, snakes, and mice were some of their foes, and none of them to be ignored or despised. Many losses of stock occurred, especially among sheep, cows, and calves. On one occasion a large bear entered the clearing of Mr. John Crawford, and going to the pig-pen, where were a sow and a litter of young pigs, took the former and started for the woods. In spite of the struggles of the pig and the fierce and continued attack of two dogs, the bear succeeded in escaping into the forest with his prey. Even down to within a very few years occasionally a wolf or bear would be seen, but they have not for a number of years been here in sufficient numbers to do any particular damage. For the space of fifteen years after the first settler entered the town its growth in population was slow, and the only business carried on was farming, except in the winter-time, when the farmers would cut a few logs, a lot of stave-bolts, or a quantity of shingles, and run them into market, generally selling them at Flint, but sometimes at Saginaw. As has been said, a large part of the land, especially that constituting the best pine land, had been taken up by speculators, and yet this was not done to any great extent until about 1845-50, when the trade in Michigan pine lumber began its growth, and persons having capital to invest began to purchase these lands as offering fine chances for moneymaking. A reference to the list of entries will show who these persons were. In the spring of 1851, John Hayes, of Cleveland, Ohio, entered 80 acres of land on section 28, which now forms the southeast part of the settled portion of the village of Otisville. He had selected this land because it adjoined the lakes and furnished an eligible site for a lumber-mill. One James McGinnis was associated with Hayes in the enterprise, but is not believed to have been pecuniarily interested. They commenced to build a large saw-mill in June, 1851, and completed it in October. They cut considerable lumber that winter and spring. This mill, the first one in the town, stood opposite the present grist-mill, just south of the outlets of the lakes. It was run by steam-power, the engine and machinery being placed in position and put in operation under the supervision of John P. Hamilton, who was employed to come here for that purpose. The capacity of this mill was then about 10,000 feet per day. FOREST TOWNSHIP. 431 The following year the mill became the property of Francis W. Otis, of Cleveland, and was operated under the management of Lyman Crowl, and shortly after the capacity of the mill was enlarged to an average of 25,000 feet per day. This mill, then owned by Wm. A. Otis & Bros., was burned about the 1st of July, 1863, was rebuilt by them, and again commenced operations in the spring of 1864. The decade succeeding 1860 witnessed the erection of numerous saw-mills in different parts of the town, and at one time, about ten or twelve years ago, nearly or quite a dozen mills were in operation in Forest. We have not the facts at hand for a full, detailed sketch of these mills, but mention some of them in the order of their erection, as nearly as may be. The Seeley mill was built by Alanson A. Seeley on the Seeley farm, and was operated several years. The Crawford mill was built on the south shore of Crawford Lake, by James and William Crawford, in 1862. Its capacity was about 8000 feet per day, and it also cut some shingles. It was operated by II. Wolf, and afterwards by George Freeman. In 1864, Ira S. Begel built a saw-mill on the east side of the bridge between the lakes, opposite the present site of the Lake House. It was afterwards sold to Mr. Griffith. McCrary & Ivory, in 1865, built a mill in the south part of section 28, and operated it about three years. It was a portable mill, having a capacity for cutting 25,000 feet per day. In the same year David Hinkle built a mill on section 17, which was subsequently moved to section 9. It was also a portable mill, and had facilities for cutting about 8000 feet per day. During this same year Mr. Griffith built a frame mill on lands of E. F. Weeks, on section 29. It had a capacity of 15,000 feet per day, and a year after it was built passed into the hands of Mr. Weeks. It was run about four years in all. In 1866, William and Farwell Wilson erected a mill on section 17, with a capacity for cutting 10,000 feet per day. It was operated about three years. The same year McLane Brothers, of Pine Run, built a mill on section 5. Its capacity was about 8000 feet per day. In 1867 it was sold to J. W. Begole, of Flint, was operated by him about two years, and then burned. It was rebuilt and run as a shingle-mill for about one year. In 1867 a Mr. Huughes, of Mount Morris, put up a mill near the northwest corner of section 24. Its capacity was about 15,000 feet per day. A couple of years later it burned, and was rebuilt and used another season. Ira S. Begel also built a mill that same season (1867). It stood just on the lake-shore, a little southeast from the Lake Iouse. It was burned two or three years later. Most of these mills were used for a brief term of years, until the pine timber conveniently near them was used up, and were then dismantled, and the machinery moved farther north into the pineries. There were also several shingle mills in the town at different times. But the only mill now in operation is the successor of the first one built, now known as the Hunton mill. In 1866 this mill was owned by Otis & Crocker, to whom it had been transferred by William A. Otis & Bros. Up to that time it had not cut probably to exceed 5,000,000 feet of lumber. It was then sold to Weeks, Hunton & Co. (the firm being composed of E. F. Weeks, Wellington Hunton, George E. Hunton, and Albert K. Hunton). The Otises had purchased altogether about 5000 acres of land in this town, and sold to their successors 4200 acres on which the pine had not been touched. The new firm operated the mill one season at the old place, and then removed it to Butternut Creek, on section 16, where they built a dam across the creek and made a large pond in which to float their logs to the mill. In February, 1872, the mill was destroyed by fire. It was immediately rebuilt, and its capacity increased by the addition of more machinery, and it began work in May of that year. The cost of rebuilding was about $26,000. In May, 1873, Mr. Weeks and Wellington Hunton sold their interests to the other partners, who continued the business under the name of Hunton Bros., until November, 1875, when A. K. Hunton became sole proprietor, and has since that time so continued. The mill now has a capacity for cutting 70,000 feet of lumber, 50,000 shingles, and 15,000 lath daily. Its annual product will average about 6,000,000 feet of lumber, 4,000,000 shingles, and about 1,500,000 of lath. The machinery used consists of two circular-saws, two shingle-machines, and one lath-mill, and the number of hands employed is 53. The engine is rated at eighty-five horse-power. The pine timber of this town is now nearly all cut. The Otter Lake Saw-mill Company have cleared about 1000 acres in this town, and have their last lot of logs in the lake now. Mr. Hunton will next winter finish cutting the pine on the balance of his land, and then the lumbering for Forest will be ended. The burning of charcoal for market is also one of the branches of business carried on in this town. J. W. Begole and George Cummings have four pits or kilns in operation,two of them near Otter Lake, and two a mile southwest, beside the track of the railroad. Among the earlier births in this town, aside from those already mentioned, were George, son of Henry Heister; George, son of Amos Begel; and Hugh, son of Daniel Cummings. The first death was that of Mrs. Daniel Cummings, which occurred soon after her coming here, probably about Christmas of the year 1814. The second death was that of Sylvester Decker, a young man who died of consumption, in the spring of 1848. According to the best evidence now to be obtained, the first wedding in Forest was that of Nelson Valentine and Eliza Begel. The second wedding was that of William R. Smith and Miss Sarah Begel, daughter of Stephen Begel. Mr. Smith's wife died while they were living at Royal Oak, and after his return here he had paid his addresses to Miss Begel with matrimonial intent. Upon the occasion of their wedding he had made a party at his house and invited all the young folks in the vicinity. About a dozen had assembled, for the population of the town was then very meagre, and were having a merry time, when 432 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. some one proposed to have a marriage ceremony to enliven the occasion. To this all agreed, and Mr. Smith and the blushing Sarah took their places, and Nathaniel Smith, being the oldest man present, performed the ceremony amidst great enthusiasm. The actors in the scene had all been chosen with reference to the event, for Nathaniel was a justice of the peace, and the company were astonished when, after the joke had been fully enjoyed, they were told that they had witnessed a bona fide marriage. It proved a happy one, and both parties lived many years to multiply their mutual pleasures and divide their mutual woes. The first school-house was built about the year 1845, and stood on the west side of the State road, near the northeast corner of section 33. It was a small frame building, and was known as the Smith school-house. William IR. Smith was the first teacher. In order to obtain their proportion of the school-money it was necessary to have a school taught for a certain length of time, and Mr. Smith, though not an educated man, was the only one willing to undertake the task. Anna Johnson, of Mount Morris; Caroline Stanley and Jane Devinney, of Genesee; Melissa Scott, of Thetford; and Ruth Bogel and Esther Crowell, of Forest, were among the earliest teachers. The first frame house in town was erected on his farm by W. R. Smith soon after his second marriage, and is yet standing, though not occupied as a dwelling for some time past. The first blacksmith-shop was the one attached to the saw-mill of John Hays. James McGinnis was the first blacksmith who worked in it while the mill was building, and a man named Stanley also worked there some. After Mr. Crowl was made the agent here, Charles E. Kingsbury occupied the shop, and may be said to be the first resident blacksmith. The first wheat sown in Forest was in the fall of 1837, when Henry Hiester, Nathaniel Smith, Stephen Begel, and Amos Begel each sowed a small piece. Hiester's contained about two acres. The Flint River Railroad was built in the summer of 1872,-work in this town being commenced in April,and the first regular trains began running about the 15th of August. The first agent of the company had charge of all the stations on the line, and used to go with the train, which stopped at each station long enough to enable him to sell tickets, bill freight, and transact the business connected therewith. His name was T. J. Slafter. The agents at Otisville have been T. J. Slafter, W. L. Laing, A. F. Blake, F. E. Palmer, and Gilbert R. Chandler, who has held the position since September, 1874. The town was erected in 1843, in accordance with the wishes of its people. In the petition no name had been mentioned, and the representative sent to have some name selected. The name of Paris was presented by Nathaniel Smith, was agreed to, and was forwarded to the Legislature; but, upon examination, it was found that this name had already been used; so a facetious member of the House said, " As it is all woods, and nobody lives there, I think we had better call it Forest," and Forest it was called. The first town-meeting was held at the house of Stephen Begel, on the first Monday in April, 1843, and it is said there were only 13 voters present. From the fact that the. I records of the town previous to 1861 were so carelessly kept that they were, practically, not kept at all, we are left very much to imagination to supply points in the civil history which recollection leaves unsupplied. So it is that we have no record of this first meeting. So far as can be ascertained, the following officers were chosen, viz.: Supervisor, Nathaniel Smith; Town Clerk, Chauncey W. Seeley; Treasurer, Wim. R. Smith; Justices of the Peace, John Crawford, Nathaniel Smith, William R. Smith, Amos Begel; Commissioners of Highways, John Crawford, Nathaniel Smith, Amos Begel; Overseers of the Poor, Amos Begel, Nathaniel Smith. The following list of officers of the town is necessarily very imperfect previous to 1861, but is the best we have been able to make from the data at hand: CIVIL LIST OF FOREST. SUPERVISORS. 1843-45. Nathaniel Smith. 1846. John Crawford. 1847-49. George W. Piper. 1850-54. John Crawford. 1855-56. William 11. Dimond. 1857-58. Lyman Crowl. 1859. John Crawford. 1860. John P. Hamilton. 1861. Charles F. Morse. 1862-64. George Reed. TOWN 1843. Chauncey W. Sceley. 1844. John Taylor. 1845-46. William Crawford. 1847-48. Stephen J. Sceley. 1849-54. William Crawford. 1855-56. Lyman Crowl. 1857-60. John P. Hamilton. 1861. Abel C. Smith. 1862. Philander B. Taylor. 1863. E. C. Freeman. 1864. Salvin F. Kellogg (app'd). 1865. Garrett S. Swayze. 1866-68. George Reed. 1869. Abel C. Smith. 1870-74. George Reed. 1875-76. Matt. T. McCormick. 1877. George Reed. 1878. Nathaniel Crawford. 1879. Abel C. Smith. CLERKS. 1864. Anthony D. Burnell. 1865. Robert B. Shaw. 1866-69. William II. Begel. 1870-71. Oscar F. Swift. 1872-74. William 11. Begel. 1875-76. John W. Nicholson. 1877. Ozias C. Swift. 1878. John S. Elwell. 1879. Allison W. Whipple. TOWN TREASURERS. 1843-44. William R. Smith. 1860-61. Garrctt S. Swayze. 1845-47. Lanson Webster. 1862-64. Ira S. Sanders. 1848. William R. Smith. 1865-66. Anthony 1). Burnell. 1849. William Davison. 1867-68. Abel C. Smith. 1850. William R. Smith. 1869-70. Stephen P. Lee. 1851-54. Chauncey W. Seeley. 1871-74. James W. Averill. 1855. William R. Smith. 1875-76. Asher Look. 1856-57. Lanson Webster. 1877. Abel C. Smith. 1858-59. Norris O. Seeley. 1878-79. Levi Metz. HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS. I 1843-14. John Crawford. Nathaniel Smith. Amos Begel. 1850. William Davison. Quartus W. Clapp. 1853. Amos Begel. John R. Begel. 1854. David Crawford. William Van Slyck. 1855. Amos Begel. John R. Begel. 1858. Richard A. Gossler. William Crawford. William Van Slyck. 1860. Enoch B. Woodman. Ransom G. Root. John Crawford. 1861. Levi G. Alexander. 1862. Westel Mudge. 1863. John Crawford (f. t.). Lanson Webster (v.). Uriah Beach (app'd, died). 1863-61. William Van Slyck. Salvin F. Kellogg (v.). 1865. David Crawford. 1866. Christian E. Osborne. 1867. William Van Slyck. 1868. William Crawford. 1869. Thomas Branch. 1870. William 11. Begel. 1871. William Crawford. 1872. William Van Slyck. 1873. William H1. Begel. 1874. William Crawford. 1875-76. Alfred M. Benedict. 1877. Henry Warren. 1878-79. Willard P. Ranney. FOREST TOWN~SHIP. 433 FRS T N I 433 JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1843. Amos Begel (1 year). Nathaniel Smith (2 years). Win. R. Smith (3 years). John Crawford (4 years). 1844. Amos Begel. 1845. Nathaniel Smith. 1846. Stephen J. Seeley. 1847. Samuel Shufelt. 1848. William Davison. 1849. Amos Begel. 1850. George W. Piper. 1851. Stephen J. Seeley (f. t.). Win. IH. Dimond (v.). 1852. Wm. H. Dimond (f. t.). Wm. Davison (v.). 1853. No record. 1854. Samuel Lapham. 1855. Stephen J. Seeley (f. t.). Amos Begel (3 years). E. B. Woodman (2 years). 1856. Wm. Van Slyck. 1857. Lyman Crowl. 1858-60. No record. 1861. George Reed. 1862. Hiram S. Griswold (f. t.). Christian E. Osborne (v.). 1863. Mark D. Seeley. SCHOOL IN 1843-60. No record. 1861. Mark D. Seeley (f. t.). Christian E. Osborne (v.). 1862. Hiram S. Griswold. 1863. Mark D. Seeley. John Hamill (appt'd). N. Crawford (appt'd). 1864. J. W. Lane (f. t.). L. N. Begel (v.). 1865. William IH. Begel.1866. Stephen P. Lee. J. W. Lane.t 1867. William H. Begel (f. t.). 1864. Salvin F. Kellogg (f. t.). Levi G. Alexander (I. v.). John Crawford (s. v.). 1865. Garrett S. Swayze. 1866. Wm. Van Slyck. 1867. Wm. Davison. 1868. John Crawford (f. t.). Salvin F. Kellogg (v.). 1869. Nathaniel Crawford. 1870. Wm. Van Slyck. 1871. George W. Merriam (f. t.). Joseph J. Seymour (v.). 1872. Eleazer S. Swayze. 1873. Fred. G. Shepard (f. t.). Nathaniel Crawford (v.). Samuel H. Crowl (v.). 1874. Alexander McClue (f. t.). Eugene Ostrander (v.). 1875. John S. Elwell (f. t.). Nathaniel Crawford (1. v.). Salvin F. Kellogg (s. v.). 1876. Nathaniel Crawford (f. t.). Daniel W. Allen (v.). 1877. Wm. E. Harris. 1878. Farmon E. Judson. 1879. Christian E. Osborne. qSPECTORS. 1867. Leander Osborne (v.). 1868. George W. Merriam (f. t.). Leander Osborne (v.). 1869. Samuel P. Lee. 1870. William II. Begel (f. t.). 1870-71. Samuel P. Lee (v., f. t.). 1872. Leander Osborne (f. t.). Samuel Davison (v.). 1873. Thomas W. Averill (f. t.). Leander Osborne (v.). 1874. Samuel 1-. Crowl. 1875-78. John Gowdy. 1879. James B. Jones. Olmstead (appt'd), 1866; Alva B. Powelson, 1866-68; William H. Wilson. 1867; Willard Ranney, 1867-69; Thomas Branch, 1867-70; Theron Woodruff, 1868; Peter McClue, 1868-69; Oscar F. Swift. Charles P. Slack, 1869; Samuel Fuller, 1870; Abram D. Van Gordon, 1870-79; James Williams, 1870-75; Henry Hurd, 1871; Edward Salisbury, Daniel Stockwell, 1872; Charles Olds, 1872-73; Frank Branch, Noble Ingell, 1873; John T. Alexander, 1873-76; Jesse Warren, Charles Amy, 1874; Jeremiah Osborne, 1874-78-79; William Sanford, 1874-76-78; Andrew J. Whaling, 1875; William W. Burnett, 1875-76; Ozias C. Swift, 1876-77; George Webster, Horace Warren, 1877; Robert Beemer, 1877 -78; William J. Gillett, 1878; Edgar B. Olds, George Hiscock, 1879. In the early years the questions of partisanship did not enter to any great extent into the politics of the town. At the town-meetings, which were usually held at the house of Stephen Begel until the school-house was built, the questions considered were those of the fitness of the candidates for the different offices, and a union ticket was usually formed, which was elected by a unanimous vote, or at least without serious opposition. At the general elections party lines were more strictly drawn. The town was first strongly Democratic, but was afterwards controlled by the Free-Soilers, and lastly by the Republicans, who are still in the ascendant, and have a majority of about 80 votes. Previous to the active commencement of the lumbering business the town had but few roads. Paths through the woods, following the easiest and most direct route from one settlement to another, were the commonest thoroughfares opened previous to 1855. In that year the State Legislature authorized the laying out of a State road, passing through this town from north to south. The act was approved Feb. 13, 1855, and the survey was made in that year under the supervision of Enos Goodrich and Townsend North, commissioners appointed by Governor Kingsley S. Bingham for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of the act. The survey-bill was filed in the town clerk's office, Nov. 20, 1855, and describes the road as running north nearly on the section lines, commencing at the south corner between sections 33 and 34, and leaving the town a few rods west of the corner between sections 3 and 4. Two years later, in 1857, a large number of highways were laid out by the town commissioners, the surveys being made by Julian Bishop, of Grand Blanc. The first post-office, and the only one ever established in Forest, was brought into existence in the spring or early summer of 1855. The people felt the need of better mail facilities, and had been petitioning for the appointment of different persons, among them Amos Begel, Ira S. Begel, and Lyman Crowl, but for some reason the petitions were ineffective to accomplish the purpose. At last, through the influence of ex-Governor Fenton, E. S. Williams, and Russell Bishop, an office was created with John Crawford as postmaster. This office was then at his residence on section 24, and remained there till 1859, when it was removed to Otisville, and Robert D. Shaw appointed deputy-postmaster to take charge of it. He was afterwards postmaster, and has been succeeded by George Reed, Ellis S. Swayze, Asher Look, and John W. Nicholson, the present incumbent. The office was called " Forest" until about 1861, when the name was changed to Otisville. It was at first on route No. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. 1875. John B. Laing. 1877. William HI. Begel. 1876. Thomas W. Averill. 1878-79. John B. Laing. DRAIN COMMISSIONERS. 1871. William 11. Begel. 1876. Alfred M. Benedict. 1872- 73. No record. 1877. Andrew Ferris. 1874. William H. Begel. 1878-79. No record. 1875. Christian E. Osborne. OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 1843. Amos Begel. 1843. Nathaniel Smith. ASSESSORS. 1865. Lanson Webster. 1866. William Van Slyck. William Crawford. John Hamill. CONSTABLES.1 Isaiah Kitchen, 1861-62; Chas. Kingsbury, 1861; Horace H. Ranney, 1861-64; Myron 11. Butts, 1861-62; Garrett S. Swayze, 1862; Matthew Davison, Andrew Moore, 1863; William Rawling, 1863 -64; Stephen L. Begel, 1864-68-71; Jefferson Wakefield, 1864; William 11. Clark, Joseph Heath, John Branch, 1865; John S. Decker, 1865-72; Frederick Smith, Melvin Beebe, Nathan F. - Resigned April 3, 1866. t Appointed, vice Begel, April 9, 1866. t No record previous to 1861. 55 434 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 13,074, running from Lapeer to Pine Run, the mail being carried once a week each way by Luther Scott, of Thetford. It is now supplied with two mails a day by way of the Flint River division of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad. Previous to 1858-59 the medical business of this town was principally done by two non-resident physicians. They were Dr. Congdon, of Marathon, Lapeer Co., and Dr. Lamond, of Flint. Lamond was first in the field, but Congdon, who commenced practicing about 1$56, rather took the lead after that time. Among the other physicians were Drs. Drake and Willett, of Flint; Orr and Goodell, of Genesee; and Lathrop, of Pine Run, who was the leading physician for several years. The first resident physician was Dr. Griswold, who owned a farm about two miles east of Otisville, and began practicing medicine here about twenty years ago. He lived here a number of years, and then removed to Grand Blanc. Next, some four or five years later, Dr. Rich came and stayed a year or two. Then, in 1863, Dr. Luke N. Begel came, and remained for a period of ten years, being very successful, and receiving the confidence as well as the custom of his patients. Since 1874 he has been located at Pine Run. After Begel came Drs. Bardwell, Hanson, Henderson, two Rogerses, A. W. Nicholson, J. B. Laing, and E. D. Lewis, the three last named being still in business at Otisville. On Tuesday, May 15, 1855, this town was visited by a mighty hurricane, one of those resistless tempests whose power, derived from some-to us-mysterious source, is so painfully manifest. It was late in the afternoon of an almost preternaturally beautiful, clear day that a dark cloud appeared, seeming to form in the clear sky, and the wind blew with an ever-increasing force. Torrents of rain began to fall as the storm gathered strength and fury and began moving eastward at a comparatively slow rate of speed. The diameter of the whirlwind was apparently about 40 rods, but the great force was spent within a space of 20 rods along the line its axis passed over. Its course lay along the north line of sections 28, 27, 26, and 25, and then leaving this town it entered Marathon, and passed nearly half-way across the town before its force was spent. During its duration, which was but a few minutes at any given point, the air was filled with boards, rails, limbs of trees, and all kinds of movable things that were situated in its path. Poultry, especially, suffered greatly from its rude transportation. Within the space of 20 rods of the central part of the tornado the trees were mowed down like grass before the scythe of a strong-armed mower, and piled this way and that in the most inextricable confusion. Outside of this, for ten rods on either side, the trees less deeply rooted than their companions were overthrown, but the more sturdy ones withstood the tempest, though many limbs were twisted and torn from them. The Crawford school-house, on the northeast corner of section 26, was completely demolished. The roof and some of the top logs of the house of Daniel Cummings was torn off, much to the amazement of Mr. Cummings, who was within the building, but escaped injury. Some of these logs were thrown to a great distance, one of them being found fully 40 rods south of the house. The roof of Mr. John Crawford's barn was half torn off, and portions of it carried a mile and a half east. When the storm passed over Crawford's Lake the water was caught up by the wind and a waterspout formed by it. From this fact a rumor spread over the surrounding country that the lake had been entirely emptied, and people came the next day from some distance, bringing baskets in which to carry away the fish they expected to find floundering in the mud. They were, however, disappointed, for at the time of their arrival the lake had resumed its normal appearance, and presented no trace of its recent violent agitation. During the war of the Rebellion, Forest did its full share to sustain the government in its struggle for existence, and by men and money upheld the administration until the sword of Lee was surrendered beneath the historical appletree of Appomattox. A special town-meeting was held Feb. 20, 1864, at which it was voted to issue bonds of the town to the amount necessary to pay $100 each to every volunteer accredited to this town, till the quota under the pending calls was filled, or a draft took place. A second special meeting was held on the 18th of August following, and the bounty was raised to $300, to be paid to each volunteer credited to the town on any call as long as the war should last. THE VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE had no existence until the building of the Hayes saw-mill brought to this place the necessary force of men to run the mill, and to cut the timber and get the logs to the mill. At that time there were three houses within the present incorporation, viz.: Stephen Begel's, Amos Begel's, and Matthew McCormick's. The mill was built in 1851, and Hayes built a house for his own occupancy on the site of Mrs. Freeman's present residence. The mill company also built a boarding-house and a store, and several of the mill hands built small houses for themselves. This store was the first one kept in the township. It stood a little south of Hayes' house. The boarding-house was near the present site of Robert Alexander's house. About the same time Ira S. Begel built a house, the one now owned by James Moshier. In 1852 a change was made in the management of the mill, and Lyman Crowl was placed in charge of the business. He then built a house on the southwest corner, where the road cominDg from the west intersected the State road, and George Reed built the first hotel in town-the American House-on the opposite or northwest corner. The corner room of this building he fitted up for a store, and rented it to Robert B. Shaw, who put a stock of goods in it and kept store there for a while, and then sold out to E. C. Freeman. In 1859, Ira S. Sanders built a store on the north end of the public square, and occupied it for a few years. Then Ira S. and John R. Begel, in 1860-61, built a store about two rods east of the present post-office. Ira was considerable of a surveyor, and resurveyed the east-andwest road through the village. He then found that the line of the road ran a couple of rods farther north than had been supposed, and thus a strip of ground on the south part of Main Street, and north of Crowl's line, was found to still belong to the Begels. On to the east end of this strip FOREST TOWNSHIP. 435 they moved their store, where it still stands, having been afterwards sold to Mr. E. C. Freeman. During this time a number of dwelling-houses had been erected by new-comers, and the village had attained a considerable size. A foundry, devoted to plow and customwork, and employing four or five hands, had been built by Salvin F. Kellogg and R. W. Woodruff, on the north side of the outlet of the lakes. Woodruff sold out to Kellogg in 1859. A room had been built as an addition to the saw-mill and fitted with one run of stone, bolts, etc., necessary for a grist-mill, and had done considerable grinding. In 18(;0, Otis & Crocker built the present grist-mill, which was fitted with two run of stone and corresponding machinery. This mill is now owned by John H. McCormick. June 6, 1863, William F. Otis and T. D. Crocker made a village plat, and placed it on record in the register's office at Flint. Dr. Rogers recorded an addition Sept. 3, 1866, Ira. S. Begel and Robert B. Shaw another one Aug. 5, 1867, Freeman and Crowl another March 19, 1868, and Mr. Beecher another June 22, 1872. In 1864, Ira S. Begel built a saw-mill, and in 1867 another one, both of which are mentioned elsewhere. In the latter year he also built a hotel, which has always been known as the Lake House, and of which he was the host for a time. In 1868 he enlarged this hotel. He also built a store on the corner where the post-office now stands, which, together with the drug-store of Ellis S. Swayze, standing just east of it, was destroyed by fire. On its site the present Hunton Block was built by Hunton Bros., in 1875. The foundry was traded by Mr. Kellogg to M. S. Prescott, in 1875, and was by him converted into a furniturefactory. It was then sold to Silas Patten, who made broomhandles there until a year ago, since which time it has been used for storage purposes. A steam saw-mill and sash-and-blind factory were also built by George Reed, near the depot, and run by him for a time, but are now dismantled and idle. School district No. 5, which is the largest district in the town, includes the village of Otisville, and was formed in its present shape about twenty-five or thirty years ago. The school-house then used stood about one-half mile south of Otisville, on the State road. The present school-house, which is a commodious, convenient, and well-proportioned frame building, was erected in 1867, on land reserved for the purpose by Dr. Rogers when his plat was laid out the year before, and at that time the school was divided into a primary and a grammar department, with William H. Begel as principal. Since that time the primary department has been supplemented by an intermediate department. The cost of the building was about $4000. The principals in charge of the school, succeeding Mr. Begel, have been Mr. Van Vleet, Jefferson Lewis, A. D. Metz, William L. Laing, and Winm. H. Begel, who has now nearly finished his third year of continuous service. The present number of scholars enrolled is 130, and the average attendance about 100. A branch primary school is kept at Hunton's mill for the accommodation of the smaller children in that part of the district. Though claiming no special merit, this school claims to average well with similar ones in the State, and points with pride and satisfaction to the list of teachers who have gone out from among its pupils. The present statistics of the village show about as follows: There are ten stores, including one drug and two general stores, and the usual variety of the different branches of trade. There are seven or eight mechanics' shops of the usual kinds. In the line of manufactories there are two establishments. The first is the stave-factory of Silas Patten, which is run under the supervision of Joseph Myles. It was first built by J. W. Hinman, in 1872, on section 32, two and a quarter miles southwest of its present location. In 1874, having been sold to Messrs. Norris & Hinkle, it was moved to its present location; it was then manufacturing sawed staves and headings. In October, 1875, it was sold to Silas Patten, who then introduced the manufacture of cut staves. Since 1878 the manufacturing of broom-handles has also been carried on. The mill uses a twenty-five-horse-power engine, employs fifteen hands for about four or five months in the year, and turns off an annual product of about $7000 in value. The second establishment mentioned is the grist-mill of John N. McCormick, which has two runs of stones operated by steam-power, and does considerable flouring in addition to its extensive run of custom grinding. There are also two hotels in Otisville,-the American House, recently rebuilt, and running under the management of Branch Brothers (Thomas and Frank Branch), and the Lake House, which is kept as a temperance hotel by Eugene Ostrander. There is one church belonging to the Methodist Episcopal denomination; also the fine school-building already spoken of, the depot of the Flint River Railroad, and about 75 dwelling-houses, some of them quite large and tasty modern houses, and all indicative of a thrifty, progressive spirit on the part of the inhabitants. The population is about 375. The village was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, approved by Governor Charles M. Crosswell on the 21st day of March, 1877. The territory included in the corporation limits is one mile square, and is distributed on four different sections,-on sections 21 and 28 three-eighths each, and on sections 22 and 27 one-eighth each. The charter limited the powers of taxation for general purposes to one per cent. per annum of the assessed valuation of all the taxable property in the corporation. The first election was designated to be held on the first Monday of May, 1877, at the public hall in said village. This was understood to mean the hall at the Lake House; but when the election came to be held the board gave a liberal construction to the act, and the election was held at the office of John S. Elwell, Esq. As a step preparatory to the election, George Reed, Matthew T. McCormick, and Christian E. Osborne were appointed as a board of registration, and met on the Saturday preceding the election for the purpose of registering the voters. At the election officers were chosen, whose names and also those of their successors down to the present time will be found in the following list of OFFICERS OF OTISVILLE VILLAGE. PRESIDENTS. 1877, George Reed; 1878, Salvin F. Kellogg; 1879, John H. McCormick. 436 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. CLERKS. 1877, Anthony D. Burnell; 1878-79, Frank C. Trowbridge. TREASURERS. 1877-78, Albert K. Hunton; 1879, F. W. Nicholson. TRUSTEES. 1877, George E. HIunton, John H. McCormick, Christian E. Osborne, Ozias C. Swift, Salvin F. Kellogg, Eugene Ostrander; 1878, John W. Nicholson, Alien B. Clark, Charles Moon, Silas Patten (v.); 1879, Robert B. D. Alexander, John B. Laing, Silas Patten. STREET COMMISSIONERS. 1877, H. O. Cheney; 1878-79, Edgar Rawling. ASSESSORS. 1877, Allen B. Clark; 1878, Anthony D. Burnell; 1879, John S. Elwell. MARSHALS. 1877, Abram D. Van Gordon; 1878-79, John S. Decker. CONSTABLES. 1877, Alexander A. Dingman: 1878, Charles Wesley; 1879, William Gott. The village has been greatly improved in many respects since this act of incorporation went into effect. Throughout the thickly-settled part fine, broad plank walks have been built, which very greatly facilitates and adds to the pleasure of traveling the streets. A basement in the Crawford Block has been fitted up for a " lock-up," and in it refractory violators of the laws of the commonwealth are sometimes restrained fiom the enjoyment of their personal liberty. A small hand fire-engine has been provided as a protection against fires, and the work of building reservoirs to store water for use at such times is now about to be undertaken. The village rents a room in the Hunton Block, and there the trustees meet, on the first Monday evening in each month, to transact the business connected with the management of the affairs of the corporation. A volunteer fire department was organized Nov. 6, 1878, with the following members: F. W. Nicholson, J. Ostrander, A. M. Smith, Eugene Alexander, John E. Smith, E. R. Freeman, M. L. Eckler, M. A. Bentley, William Gott. The trustees of the village then placed the management of this department in the hands of a chief-engineer, and appointed Charles Moon to fill that position. The other officers were chosen as follows: Foreman, William Gott; First Assistant Foreman, Eugene Alexander; Second Assistant Foreman, J. Ostrander; Engineers, F. W. Nicholson, A. M. Smith; Secretary, F. W. Nicholson; Treasurer, E. L. Freeman. The company now numbers twenty members. The charter elections are held on the first Monday in March in each year. The village also boasts one paper, The Otisville Observer, published monthly, by Rev. A. G. Blood. It is a small folio, devoted to home news, and forms an excellent medium for advertising the wares of the business men of the town. It was started in October, 1878, and is a very readable publication. THE SOCIETIES OF FOREST. The first society organized in this town, of which we have any account, was OTISVILLE LODGE, I. 0. G. T. It was instituted on the 14th day of August, 1876, by Charles P. Russell, with twenty-eight charter members. There had been a lecture at the church the evening before, and the preliminary steps were then taken to organize the Lodge. The following officers were chosen at the organization, viz.: W. C. T., John S. Elwell; W. V. T., Mrs. Amanda M. Burnell; W. Sec., Joseph Myles; W. F. S., A. J. Kellogg; WV. Treas., Charles Moon; W. Chap., William Birdsall; W. M., John S. Decker; P. W. C. T., Charles Hanchett; W. I. G., Mary E. Lansfield; W. 0. G., Sylvester Fuller; R. H. S., Mrs. Irvilla Myles; L. H. S., Elsie Cheney; W. A. S., Susan Reed; W. D. M., Mrs. Mary E. Hanchett; L. D., A. J. Kellogg; Trustees, H. O. Cheney, C. H. Hanchett, Charles Moon. The Lodge hired a room above Freeman's store, and fitted it up for their use at an expense of about $75 for furniture and regalia. After holding their meetings there for a year or two they rented, and moved to, a hall owned by John H. Fuller. A few months later they removed one and three-fourths miles west of Otisville, to a hall furnished by William H. Butler, where the meetings are now held. Commencing with 28 members, the list was rapidly enlarged until within a year they numbered 100. Since then the membership has grown smaller, but is now again on the gain, and is at present 30. The lodge has been more than usually successful in promoting temperance work, and points to the reformation that in certain cases has been worked by the strong influence, the pure principles, and the effective teachings of the order. The present officers are as follows: W. C. T., George Webster; W. V. T., Mrs. Lucia Webster; W. Sec., Charles Weeks; W. F. S., William H. Butler; W. Treas., Mary Begel; W. Chap., Mrs. Mary J. Butler; W. M., E. Begel; W. I. G, Charles Branch; W. O. G., Harley Butler; P. W. C. T., Joseph Gillett; R. H. S., Margaret Butler; L. H. S., Jennie Butler; W. A. S., Mrs. Angeline Gillett. The red-ribbon movement was first inaugurated here by Charles Johnson, of Flint, in the spring of 1877. He delivered an address on that phase of the temperance reform at the Methodist church, and organized a club with about 100 members. He was followed by other speakers, and the interest of the movement was well sustained for a few months, when it began to decline. In November, Mrs. Gertrude Barnes, of Detroit, came and aroused the enthusiasm of the temperance community by an able, eloquent, and effective address, which infused new life into the movement. She came twice afterwards, at intervals of about one month, and by her efforts succeeded in increasing the membership of the club to 211. The club at that time held weekly meetings at the church. After a while the meetings were held semi-monthly, then monthly, and at last were discontinued entirely. e Another Lodge of Good Templars was organized in the Dimond neighborhood, which was called EUREKA LODGE, I. O. G. T. It was instituted by Mr. Andrews, of Flint, in the early part of November, 1877, with 20 charter members. There FOREST TOWNSHIP. 437 had been several temperance meetings held at the Dimond school-house, which were addressed by Stephen Griffin, and to his efforts the success of the attempt was mainly due. The organization was effected at the house of D. Moody, and the following officers were chosen and installed: W. C. T., Stephen Griffin; W. V. T., Anna McClellan; W. Sec., Bird Root; W. F. S., Louisa Dimond; W. Treas., John Bodine; W. Chap., Perry Dimond; W. M., Morris Bidwell; W. I. G., Clarence Wakefield; W. O. G., Henry Dimond; P. W. C. T., Denman Moody; W. A. S., George Rohrer; W. D. M., Laura Daniels; L. D., Joseph Bidwell. The Lodge meets every Saturday evening in a hall rented of Morris Bidwell. It has been fairly prosperous, having reached a membership of 30 in 1877-78, and is now in a prosperous condition, with a membership of 25. The present officers are as follows: W. C. T., Perry Dimond; W. V. T., William Rohrer; W. Sec., Byron Iouser; W. F. S., Stephen Griffin; W. Treas., Joseph Bidwell; W. Chap., J. Bodine; W. M., Charles Upper; W. I. G., C. Kennedy; W. O. G., Robert Harris; P. W. C. T., Morris Bidwell; R. H. S., Miss Ella Hiscock; W. A. Sec., C. Williams; W. D. M., Mrs. A. Lee; L. D., William Rohrer. EAGLE LODGE, NO. 320, I. O. O. F., was instituted at a meeting held in a hall over Beemer's blacksmith-shop, on the 17th of October, 1878, by E. H. Thompson, G. M. of the State. The number of charter members was 5. The Lodge has been prosperous, having increased its membership to 23, and has expended about $200 in fitting up its lodge-room and purchasing regalia. It meets every Saturday evening. The first officers-and they are also the present ones — were as follows: N. G., Charles E. Kingsbury; V. G., William E. Clark; Sec., A. J. Kellogg; Treas., Allison W. Whipple; I. G., N. T. Wilson; O. G., Samuel Wilson; Con., D. W. Allen; Warden, John Bodine. BRYANT LODGE, NO. 1334, KNIGHTS OF HONOR, was instituted by Edward Newkirk, of Bay City, Jan. 13, 1879, with 22 charter members, and the following officers, viz.: D., J. B. Laing; V. D., John S. Elwell; A. D., T. W, Averill; Rep., A. W. Nicholson; F. R., F. W. Nicholson; Treas., Joseph Myles; Chap., Charles Moon; Guide, Willard P. Ranney; Guardian, William Gott; Sent., Robert Beemer; P. D., Frank C. Trowbridge; Trustees, Charles E. Kingsbury, John S. Elwell, Silas Patten. The present membership is 23, and the Lodge meets regularly on the first and third Tuesday evenings of each month in Odd Fellows' Hall. RELIGIOUS. The first religious meetings in Forest were held at the houses of Nathaniel Smith and Henry Heister. The people of the vicinity would assemble at one or the other place on nearly every Sabbath, and employ an hour or two in prayer and praise to God, and in exhortation to one another to continue on in the true path to happiness in this world and in eternity. Whenever any one happened to be present who could preach, a sermon was had from them, and the others considered these occasions-though, perhaps, the preacher was rough and uncouth, and his discourse more earnest than elegant-rare spiritual treats, and enjoyed them with a gusto unknown, to.a great extent, in our more modern religious assemblages. As soon as the Smith school-house was erected the meetings were held there with more or less regularity. These meetings were not in any sense denominational. Christians of all shades of religious belief joined together in perfect harmony to worship the one Lord, who is the head of all Christian churches. About the year 1848, one Orlando Johnson, a minister of the Protestant Methodist denomination, organized a class of that Church at the Webster school-house, at Weeks' Corners. This was the first church organized in the town. It grew out of a protracted meeting held by Mr. Johnson, and was quite large. It maintained an existence for a period of about twenty years, and then died out. A couple of years later than the Protestant Methodists came the Christian denomination, and through the efforts of Mrs. Dolly Richards, one of its ministers formed a church at Weeks' Corners, with a small membership, which was rapidly increased, and in a short time reached about forty in number. This church maintained its organization until about the year 1870, and held meetings at the Weeks' and Butler's school-houses during the time. Among the ministers who served the church were Revs. George Osborne, Mr. Fifield, Mr. Copelalld (colored), Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Jennings, L. I. Wicker, Mr. Dodge, and Mr. Warner. The Metlodist Episcopals next came into the field, and organized a class at Otisville in 1853. A history of this church, which follows this sketch, kindly prepared for the work by Rev. A. G. Blood, its present pastor, gives in detail the matters connected with this church. The Free Methodists organized a class of about a dozen members at the Dimond school-house in 1866. A year or two later a small class was formed at the Weeks' Corners school-house. Both appointments are on the Richfield circuit, and are kept up, though the north class has changed its place of meeting to the school-house just over the townline in Millington. At a revival, resulting from a protracted meeting held in the Weeks' school-house during the winter of 1876-77, several persons were converted and joined the class, which now numbers about a dozen persons. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF OTISVILLE. There may have been preaching by Methodist Episcopal clergymen at an earlier date, but the records begin with the proceedings of the First Quarterly Conference of Marathon mission, held at Marathon, Nov. 26, 1853. Rev. George Smith, Presiding Elder; Rev. Charles Haynes, Preacher in charge; David Burritt and John Coley, ClassLeaders, were present. Richard A. Gossler, William W. Brown, John Coley, James McDowell, and Lafayette Warren were appointed stewards. Abram Herrington, David Burritt, and John Coley were appointed a missionary committee. The preacher's salary was as follows: quarterage, $264; table expenses, $100; traveling expenses, $15; presiding elder's claim, $12; total, $391. A missionary appropriation was received, amounting to $50, and the 438 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I balance was apportioned among the different appointments, one-half on either side of Flint River. Of the appointments of the mission, classes had been formed at Marathon, Millville, Gray's school-house, Moore's school-house, Steammill in Forest (Otisville), and North Branch, and among the other preaching places mentioned were Lathrop's, Warren's, Railroad, Le Valley's, and Brownson's Lake. Of these several classes, that at Marathon had a membership of 13; that at Millville, 9; Gray's school-house, 9; Moore's school-house, 11; North Branch, 6; and Steam-mill, Forest, 6. The names of those forming this latter class, from which the Otisville Church has sprung, were as follows: Richard A. Gossler, class-leader; Elizabeth Gossler, Brother Herrington, Sister Herrington, John Herrington, and Sister Woodman. About this time Nathaniel Crawford was chosen as steward. The appointment belonged to Marathon mission until the Detroit Annual Conference was organized, when it became an appointment on the Marathon circuit, Flint district. In 1858 it was a part of Forest circuit, and the name was changed in 1872 to Otisville circuit, as it is now designated, and includes, at present, appointments at East Forest, Marathon, and Otter Lake. The pastors who have had charge of the mission and circuits to which this class has belonged have been as follows, the date given being that of their appointment by the Annual Conference in the fall of each year: 1853, Rev. Charles Haynes; 1854, Rev. William Sly; 1855, Rev. George Chipman and Rev. Isaac Hallenbeck; 1856, Rev. Henry Carlton; 1857, Rev. Jesse Kilpatrick; 1858, Rev. E. C. Wright; 1859, Rev. R. Johnson; 1860, Rev. William Downing and Rev. Mr. Eldredge; 1861-62, Rev. L. S. Tedman and Rev. Mr. West (asst. 1861); 1863, Rev. E. B. Prindle; 1864-65, Rev. S. P. Lee; 1866-67, Rev. N. W. Pierce; 1868, Rev. A. Gee; 1869-71, Rev. L. S. Tedman; 1872, Rev. W. J. Clack; 1873-74, Rev. D. B. Millar; 1875-76, Rev. S. L. Ramsdell; 1877-78, Rev. A. G. Blood. The list of local preachers and exhorters includes the names of John Hamilton, John Branch, Salvin F. Kellogg, and William Birdsall, who have at different times served the church and employed their talents for the furtherance of the interests of the Master's kingdom. Among those who have held position as official members of the church we find the following names recorded: Richard A. Gossler, Nathaniel Crawford, Amos Ranney, Isaac Hemingway, Ira S. Sanders, Lyman Crowl, John Goudy, E. C. Freeman, George Merriam, John H. McCormick, Silas Patten, Abel C. Smith, and Henry G. Cook. A parsonage was purchased in 1856 for $150, which was improved in 1862, and sold in 1871, when the present site was secured and the present parsonage built thereon. The subject of building a church was broached in 1865, but no steps towards its erection were taken until the year following, when, at the second Quarterly Conference of that year, S. P. Lee, Joseph Burlingame, Frederick Olds, F. E. Dodge, Emory How, William W. Brown, Anthony D. Bur nell, and Robert B. Shaw were elected as a board of trustees, and they let the job of building the church to Benjamin Moses, for the sum of $3600. The building of the edifice progressed through this and the two years following, and the dedication was held in September, 1869, Rev. J. S. Smart being present, and, we infer, preaching the discourse upon that occasion. The debt upon the society aggregated $1438, and they held notes and subscriptions estimated at a net value of $800, with which to meet these demands. In 1872 this debt still remained at about $1000, and there was also a debt upon the parsonage of $368, which was in the form of a mortgage held by E. C. Freeman. In 1874 the pastor, Mr. Millar, endeavored to raise the load of indebtedness under which the church had so long labored, but, on account of an unfortunate dissension that manifested itself, the effort was but partially successful. In 1876 the clouds of financial distress which had so long loomed dark and threatening in the sky, seemed about to culminate in a devastating storm. The reported debt on the church had risen to $1500, and that on the parsonage to $600, and to meet this the officers of the society had but $200 or $300 in notes. The Quarterly Conference voted to let the parsonage go on the mortgage, a nd instructed Joseph Myles to make out the necessary papers, reserving the use of it till September, 1878. In the spring of 1878 a compromise was effected with the creditors, and, through the efforts of the pastor, Rev. A. G. Blood, subscription notes were obtained sufficient to cancel the obligations of the church. Then an excursion was planned from Otter Lake to Bay City, which took place Aug. 13, 1878, and met with almost perfect success. It netted to the church the sum of $628, which, with the addition of $50, sufficed to pay off the entire indebtedness of the society, and left it to breathe the atmosphere of freedom from debt for the first time in a series of long, weary, worrisome years. On Sabbath, August 18th, a praise-meeting was held at the church and thanksgiving rendered to the Good Father for this gracious deliverance of his people. The seed sown on Marathon mission and its successors during the past quarter of a century, watered by the dews of Divine grace, has in its processes of development produced North Branch, Mayville, Millington, Davison, and Otisville circuits, has sent forth several heralds of the cross to spread the glad news of salvation, has prepared many good souls for an eternity with the spirits of just men made perfect, and still has a large corps of earnest workers achieving new victories for the cross of Christ. At the present time this church numbers 65 members, reports the value of church at $1500, and parsonage at $800, and has the following officers: Class-Leader, Amos Ranney; Local Preacher, John Branch; Stewards, Amos Ranney, Silas Patten, Allen B. Clark; Trustees, F. E. Dodge, William Hallenbeck, Amos Ranney, Nathaniel Crawford, Silas Patten, C. E. Osborne, John Owens, Allen B. Clark. The records mention two Sabbath-schools as being connected with this circuit in 1855, but whether one of them was located here or not is uncertain. In 1856, however, mention is made of a school in " Forest-ville." At present there are two schools located in this town, the one at Hen derson's, or East Forest, having a membership of about 75 scholars. The school at Otisville has a membership of about 120, including 16 officers and teachers, and an aver-. F"OREST TOWNSHIP. 439 FN age attendance of about 80 scholars. It has a library of upwards of 300 volumes. The present officers are Rev. A. G. Blood, Superintendent; Miss J. E. McCormick, Assistant Superintendent; Joseph Myles, Secretary; Mrs. Susan Merriam, treasurer; Frank W. Nicholson, Librarian; and Mrs. Irvilla Myles, Organist. CEMETERY. There is but one cemetery in Forest. It is owned by the town, and a sexton is appointed at each town-meeting to take charge of it for the next year. It lies on the west side of the State road as originally surveyed, about a quarter of a mile south of Otisville, and contains between one and two acres. Its location is on an easterly slope, and overlooks the village. The first burial in this ground was that of Sarah, wife of Nathaniel Smith. Sylvester Decker and two children, one of them William R. Smith's and the other Vandorus Smith's. had been Dreviously buried near Smith's Hill. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. CHAUNCEY W. SEELEY. MRS. CHAUNCEY W. SEELEY. CHAUNCEY W. SEELEY. One of the first settlers in Forest township was Chauncey W. Seeley, who was born in the town of Rutland, Meigs Co., Ohio, May 5, 1816. His father, Stephen J. Seeley, was born in Ballston, Saratoga Co., N. Y., April 3, 1788, where he grew to manhood. His parents were wealthy, and he received what was then considered a fine education. After his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kent he emigrated to Rutland, Ohio, where he bought from the government a new farm. After four years spent in clearing and improving his farm he sold out and went to Southern Indiana, where he resided six years. He then emigrated to Kentucky, where he lived until 1836, when he accompanied his sons Judson and Chauncey W. to Michigan, where he resided until his death, which occurred May 18, 1871. Mr. Seeley was a man of marked ability, which was made good use of by his fellow-townsmen in Forest, who kept him in office most of the time. He was a justice of the peace over twenty years, and for many years was town clerk. As above stated, Chauncey W. and his brother came to Michigan in 1836. They stopped at Pontiac and rented a saw-mill, which they ran one year, doing a good and prosperous business. After the expiration of their lease they bought an interest in the Pierson & Harder saw-mill, located on the Kearsley, three miles from Flint. This investment proved unfortunate, and the year 1841 found them out of business and almost penniless. Mr. Seeley then came to Forest and bought the east half of the northwest quarter of section 32. It was new, as was the whole township at that time. He at once put up a shanty and commenced to clear his land. The same year he built a log house and moved his father's family into it. Mr. Seeley was a large, powerful man, one who could turn his hand to almost any kind of labor, a man of great industry and a good manager, hence his success in life. The eighty acres of new land-his first purchase-he has increased to two hundred acres of as fine land as can be found in the township, upon which is located a large and commodious brick house, 440 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. recently finished. Mr. Seeley's schooling was limited to less than two years at a district school, yet he made good use of it, as is proven by his successful business life. In an early day he was a Democrat, but joined the Republican party when it was first formed, and has since been one of its strongest supporters. He was elected town-clerk at the first town-meeting, and held the office two years; was towntreasurer for four years, and was elected justice of the peace, but would not qualify. Sept. 28, 1845, he married Miss Mary Ann Dickinson, who was born March 31, 1822. She is a daughter of Zebulon and Esther Dickinson. Mrs. Seeley has proved to be a true pioneer wife,-one who has made the most of her surroundings,-always ready to do her part and bear her share of life's burdens. To them have been born six children, all of whom are now living. Their names are as follows: Deniza Ann, born Nov. 2, 1846; Cassandra E., born May 29, 1848; Mary Jane, born Dec. 4, 1851; Mark D., born Nov. 4, 1853; Angeline F., born Feb. 8, 1856; and Charley P., born Sept. 30, 1858. MONTR OS SE. THE township of Montrose, which is situated in the northwestern corner of Genesee County, was formed from Vienna, as Pewonigowink, in 1847. It is designated by the United States survey as township No. 9 north, of range No. 5 east. Its boundaries are Saginaw County, oe- the north and west, and the respective townships of Vienna and Flushing, in Genesee County, on the east and south. The surface is varied, and cut by the valleys and ravines formed by the Flint River and its tributaries. This was a pine township originally, and during the first years of the white man's occupancy,in fact, until within a very recent period,-the inhabitants were chiefly engaged in the various occupations incident to a lumbering region. For this reason, added to the fact that it was the latest settled district in the county, Montrose of to-day wears a general aspect of roughness or newness in strong contrast to the major portion of the county. The present inhabitants are principally employed in the pursuits of agriculture. The soil, though in many places light and sandy, produces favorably, and with intelligent culture, time only is needed to bring the products of this up to the average of other townships in the county. Its principal water-course, the Flint River, enters the town near the centre of the south border, and, flowing in a general northerly direction, passes through the central part and leaves the township just west of the centre of the north border. Brent's Run enters from the southeast corner, and, flowing in a northwest course, discharges its surplus waters into the Flint on section 15. Pine Run, another tributary of the Flint River, in flowing to the northwest crosses the extreme northeast corner of the township. Coal -and rock similar to the Flushing sandstone-crops out in the bed of the Flint on section 28. A portion of the Pewonigowink reservation of the Saginaw C/hi)ppewas* extended into this township, including the whole of section 4, the west half of section 3, the east half of section 5, the north half of section 9, the northeast quarter of section 8, and the northwest quarter of section 10. The grounds of the Flint River Valley Agricultural Society are situated upon section 4, west side of the river. This association numbers among its members those who reside in the adjoining counties of Saginaw and Shiawassee, and will not be further mentioned as a township institution. The present population is computed at 1200. FIRST SETTLEMENT. Seymour W. Ensign, the first settler in this township, came from Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1832, and first halted in Grand Blanc. He was accompanied by his wife and sons, Seymour W., Jr., and George G. After assisting Alden Tupper in brick-making until the fall of the same year, he removed to Saginaw County, and remained a pioneer of that county for a period of ten years; In the spring of 1842 lie visited this portion of the county, and purchased from Thomas L. L. Brent the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 22. Returning to Saginaw he soon completed his arrangements for removal to his new home, which was accomplished by taking his teams and family to Flint vit the Saginaw turnpike, thence to Brent's farm in Flushing. At the same time another party employed by him transported a large share of the household goods, etc., by means of canoes and the Flint River. The large canoes were lashed together, a deck laid across them, the cargo placed thereon, and the whole towed by hand up the river, a distance of fifty miles. During the first year he with his family resided upon the Brent farm, in Flushing, in the mean time erecting a small frame house upon his purchase in this township. In the spring of 1843 lihe became the first actual white resident in the township. During the same season, however, lie received as neighlbors George Wilcox, who came from Canada and settled upon the east half of the southwest quarter of section 23, and Richard Travis, from Oxford, Oakland Co., Mich., who settled upon the east lihalf of the southeast quarter of the last-mentioned section. The assessment roll of Vienna township shows that the only tax-paying residents in this township in 1844 were Messrs. Ensign, Wilcox, and Travis. Mr. Travis was a man whose health unfitted him for the herculean task of hewing out a home here in the wilderness, and, after a residence of but two or three years' duration, he returned with his family to Oakland County. IMr. Wilcox continued here until his death, which occurred about 1852, and he was followed by the pioneer of them all, Seymour W. Ensign, who died Aug. 21, 1854, aged fifty-three years. The next settler-the most prominent man in the township during his lifetime-was John Farquharson, who came from Scotland about 1830. After a residence of seven years in Albany, N. Y., and its vicinity, he settled in Saginaw Co., Mich., near the mouth of Flint River, in 1837. In 1842 he purchased lands situated upon section 4, on the Indian reservation, and in 1845 he, together with his son, John R. Farquharson, became residents of the township. Upon the organization of the township of Pewonigowink, in 1847, he was the first supervisor elected, and for eight years in succession did his twelve Democratic henchmen march up to the polls, re-elect him, and then march back again. He was in fact the governor of the State of Montrose, and one can imagine with what trepidation Truman Herrick, the first Whig in the township, came to the 441 -* For particulars concerning these Indians, see general history. 56 41t2 HITSTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIGAN. polls and tremblingly deposited his lone ballot in opposition. To Mr. Farquharson is also ascribed the credit or discredit of changing the original Chippewa appellation Pewonigowink to the Scottish one of Montrose. He reasoned that the latter would sound better in the ears uf his fiiends in Scotland than the euphonious term plucked from the Chippewa dialect. John R. Farquharson, his son, who, during the early years, served as township clerk and in various other official capacities, still resides here. Charles Hartshorn and Amos M. Woodruff also settled in 1845. John McKenzie came from Aberdeen, Scotland, and settled in Spaulding township, Saginaw Co., in 1838. He remained there until March, 1847, when, having purchased lands situated upon the Reservation in this township, he also became a resident of Pewonigowink. The remaining settlers of this period are shown by the following list, which comprises the names of all who were assessed as resident tax-payers in 1847, together with the sections upon which they resided and paid taxes: Seymour W. Ensign, 22. Richard Travis, 23. George Wilcox, 23. John Farquharson, 4. John R. Farquharson, 4. Charles Hartshorn, 24. Edward Johnson, 25. John McKenzie, 9. Joseph Mayhew, 27. John Smith, 34. Asahel Townsend, 25. William Wilcox, 23. El:iott Young, 23. Archibald Morse (personal). Seymour W. Ensign, Jr. (personal). Jolln Berry, the present township-clerk and postmaster, came from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and settled here in 1854. George McKenzie, from the same shire, also settled upon his present premises the same year. He has since occupied a prominent position in his township, In later years a considerable number of Scotch families of sterling worth have made Montrose their home, Owing to the lumbering interests and the fact of its being one of the interior districts, far removed from the usual avenues of trade and travel, the increase of population, until within very recent years, has been slow, yet steadfast. The voters in 1859 numbered less than 50, and were as follows: LAND ENTRIES. The first entry for public lands in this township was made in December, 1835, by Daniel Pifford, fiom Livingston Co., N. Y. His purchase consisted of lands lying along the Flint River, and included portions of sections 9, 10, 15, 21, 27, 28, and 34. The names of all others who purchased from the general government are shown in the following list, and the year in which the first purchase was made upon each section. 1836, section 1: A. D. Fraser, Alexander McArthur, J. Davison, A. Teneyck, John J. Chanaud, Frederick Buell, Solomon Johnson, Charles Patterson, William Newton, Charles K. Patterson. 1837, section 2: Mortimer Wadhams, Herman Camp, Samuel Patrick, Russell S. 'Parker, David Parks, Edmund Tompkins, Charles Johnson. 1836, section 3: Ira S. Seeley, John E. Seeley, Herman Camp. 1854, section 5: Elisha Leach, Whitney Worden. 1836, section 6: D. Houghton, J. A. Wells, Henry G. Hubbaird, Ira Davenport, Elisha Leach, Whitney Worden. 1854, section 7: Edwin Crane, Rolla Glover, George 11. Rapp. 1836, section 8: David Pifford, Elisha Leach, Rolla Glover. 1825, section 9: David Pifford, Edwin Rose, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1835, section 10: David Pifford, Edwin Rose, Thomas L. L. Brent, Loomis Thayer. 1836, section 11: Loomis Thayer, Ralph C. Markham, Mortimer Wadhams, Hiram Hunt, James R. Brewer, Palmer Nichols, Benjamin Crane. 1836, section 12: Ralph C. Markham, David Cummings, Edward J. Jenks, William Pingra, Lamson V. Carpenter, Benjamin F. Waterman. 1853, section 13: George M. Dewey, George Foote, John Cross, John Welch, Jacob Duell. 1836, section 14: Thomas L. L. Brent, Henry Warner, John Cooper, Dudley Gillman, Oscar Adams. 1835, section 15: David Pifford, Edwin Rose, Jonathan Kearsley, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1857, section 17: Samuel Smith, Moses Wisner, Moses P. Hutchins, Peter Hoose. 1854, section 18: James Carter, Aaron Beebe, Ephraim Sommers. 1854, section 19: Harvey Miller, Zenas Goulding, Jacob L. Miller. 1842, section 20: State of Michigan, Moses P. Hutchins. 1835, section 21: David Pifford, Thomas L. L. Brent, Aaron D. P. Sackett. 1836, section 22: Harvey Stringham, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1836, section 23: Thomas L. L. Brent. 1836, section 24: Thomas L. L. Brent. 1836, section 25: Archibald Dixon. 1836, section 26: James Wadsworth, Nicholas C. Hay ward, Edward S. Blakeslee. 1835, section 27: David Pifford, Ienry H. Brown, Thomas L. L. Brent, James Wadsworth. Aiken, Edward. Albee, Howard. Bliss, M. M. Brewer, James R. 13erry, John. Burtis, Francis. Barnard, W. S. Crane, Benjamin. Chase, William. Deal, William, Daly, William. Quell Franklin. Ensign, Seymour W. Ensign, Ephraim W. Francisco, John H, Farquharson, John R, Gillman, Dudley. Hulburd, William. Hartshorn, Charles. Ide, Mason. Levitt, Edward L. Larkin, Homer. Luke, Christopher. McKenzie, John. McKenzie, George. Mead, George M. Nichols, William. Nelson, Samuel. Ober, Harry. Ober, Francis. Petty, Willard. Paul, George, Patterson, Charles K, Slade, Orrin L, Sommers, Ephraim. Stufflebeam, Michael. Trumbull, E. W. Tompkins, Edward. Thompson, William, Tibbetts, Charles F. Waterman, Benjamin F. Wood, Nathan. Wells, Levi. We ttver, E. A. Wilcox, William. Way, Hiram. Way, Abram. MONTROSE TOWNSHIP. 443 1835, section 28: David Pifford, Ienry H. Le Roy, Thomas L. L. Brent, Archibald Dixon, Mary Palmer. 1842, section 29: State of Michigan, George M. Dewey, Moses P. Hutchins. 1842, section 30: State of Michigan2 Isaac Howell, Mason Ide. 1842, section 31: State of Michigan, Mason Ide, William Golden, Robert H. Mysick. 1836, section 32: Archibald Dixon, State of Michigan, Moses P. Hutchins. 1836, section 33: Thomas L. L. Brent, John Doran, Anson Rogers, David Pifford, Archibald Dixon. 1835, section 34: David Pifford, Henry H. Brown, Thomas L. L. Brent. 1836, section 35: David Pifford. 1836, section 36: David Pifford, Archibald Dixon, Martha Bowns, Benjamin Jones. LANDS ON THE RESERVATION. 1842, section 4: John Farquharson, Archibald Morse, John R. Farquharson. 1854, section 8: John Farquharson. 1847, section 9: John McKenzie, John R. Farquharson, Charles Hartshorn, John Farquharson. FIRST ROADS. The route of the first Iighway contemplated was surveyed by Nahuin N. Wilson, of Vienna, by order of Humphrey McLean and Grovener Vinton, highway commissioners of Vienna township, Sept. 11, 1838, but it was never opened. The next, being the road which led from Pine Run to the Ensign settlement, was surveyed by Wilson, and described as follows: "Commencing at section corners 22, 23, 26, and 27 in township nine, north of range six east; thence running west four miles and forty-eight links to town post L, in township nine, north of range five east; thence to town post V in said township; thence running south forty-eight links to town post L in said township; thence running west two miles and one hundred and sixty rods, terminating at quarter post fiom L to V at 3, according to the U. S. A. survey. The whole distance being six miles, one hundred and sixty rods, and forty-eight links. "VIENNA, June 6, 842." The Flushing and Saginaw State road was laid April 19, 1849, by Ogden Clark and James Seymour, State commissioners. SOME OF THE FIRST EVENTS. Seymour W. Ensign erected the first framed dwelling in 1842, and raised the first crop of wheat in 1843. The first marriage was that of Benjamin H. Morse to Mary J. Ensign. In 1845 was born the first white child,-Amanda J. Ensign. Sarah, a child of a few years, and the daughter of George Wilcox, was the first to depart this life in the township. William H. Reed kept the first tavern, in 1866 and 1867. In the same building Thomas W. Pettee, from Flushing, established the first store in October, 1867. Previous to this time Mr. Baldwin had sold some groceries at his mill for the convenience of those employed by him. Charles Cooper built the first saw-mill for James Sisco.* It was situated on Woodruff's Creek, and was completed about 1849. A few months later Russell Wells erected a saw-mill on Brent's Run. J. M. Soutter established his store in 1872. A small steam-tug and a schooner were built near Streeter's, in 1869. In 1874, Seth P. Ames, a native of Massachusetts and relative of Oakes Ames, began the construction of a schooner of 90 tons burden near the residence of George McKenzie, Esq. She was completed and launched in March, 1879, and as the "Seth P. Ames" is, with the other vessels mentioned, now plying the waters in Bay City, Saginaw, and vicinity. Mr. Ames died three days subsequent to the launching of his vessel. CIVIL HISTORY. The first legislative action looking towards the formation of the new township was during the session of 1845-46, and read as follows: "SECTION 3. That township number nine north, of range number five east, now forming a part of the township of Vienna, in the county of Genesee, be, and the same is hereby, set off from said township of Vienna and organized into a separate township by the name of Pewonagowink, and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of James Farquhison,t in said township. "Approved March 25th, 1846." An amendment to this act, yet approved the same day, viz., March 25, 1846, was as follows: " And the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of George Wilcox in said township, on the first Tuesday in May, 1846." It appears from the township records, however, that the first township meeting was not held until April, 1847. The proceedings at this first election were as follows: "At a meeting of the electors of the township of Pewonagowink, held at the house of George Wilcox, April 5th, 1847, for the purpose of electing the first board of township officers, the meeting organized by those present choosing John Farquharson, Moderator; John McKenzie, Clerk; Benjamin II. Morse and Asahel Townsend, Inspectors of Election. The meeting was then adjourned to the schoolhouse in district No. 3, where the election was continued until 3 o'clock P.M. The polls were then closed, the votes canvassed, and the following persons declared elected: John Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; George Wilcox, Charles IHartshorn, Benjamin II. Morse, Asahel Townsend, Justices of the Peace; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Archibald Morse, Assessors; John Farquharson, Benjamin H. Morse, Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., Highway Commissioners; George Wilcox, School Inspector; Benjamin H. Morse, John McKenzie, Directors of the Poor; William Wilcox, Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Constables; Charles Hartshorn, John McKenzie, Overseers of Highways." By an act of the State Legislature, approved Jan. 15, 1848, the name of the township was changed to Montrose. The following comprises full lists of township officers from 1848 to 1879, inclusive: 1848.-John Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; Asahel Townsend, Justice of the Peace; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Asahel Townsend, * Sisco was a colored man, and married a daughter of Mayhew's, the Frenchman. t Farquharson. 444 IIISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIGAN. I School Inspector; Benjamin II. Morse, Charles IHartshorn, Directors of the Poor; Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., Hlighway Commissioner; John B. Hamer, Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Constables. 1849.-Johln Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; Benjamin H. Morse, Justice of the Peace; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., School Inspector; Charles Hartshorn, Benjamin I. Morse, Poor -Masters; Benjatmin H. Morse, Highway Commissioner; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr.. Constable. 1850.-John Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Russell Wells, Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., Justices of the Peace; Russell Wells, School Inspector; Russell Wells, John McKenzie, Directors of the Poor; John Farquharson, Archibald Morse, Highway Commissioners; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Benjamin Decker, Constables. 1851.-John Farquharson, Supervisor; George Wilcox, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; George Wilcox, Stanton S. Latham, John McKenzie, Justices of the Peace; Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., School Inspector; Russell Wells, John R. Farquharson, Poor-Masters; John B. Hamer, John McKenzie, Assessors; William Wilcox, Highway Commissioner; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., John B. HIamer, Constables. 1852.-John Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Samuel Smith, Elijah Wiggins, Justices of the Peace; Elijah Wiggins, School Inspector; John McKenzie, Stanton S. Latham, Poor-Masters; John McKenzie, Martin Swartz, Assessors; Elijah Wiggins, John Smith, Highway Cominissioners; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Constable. 1853.-John Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Reuben Smith, Charles Hartshorn, Martin Swartz, Justices of the Peace; Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., Martin Swartz, School Inspectors; Martin Swartz, John McKenzie, Assessors; John Smith and John McKenzie, Poor-Masters; John Farquharson, Martin Swartz, Highway Commissioners; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Calvin Wright, Constables. 1854.-John Farquharson, Supervisor; John R. Farquharson, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Reuben Smith, E. C. Paine, Justices of the Peace; Andrew Smith, School Inspector; John McKenzie, John Smith, PoorMasters; E. C. Paine, Highway Commissioner; Seymour W. Ensign, Sr., Constable. 1855.-A. Pettengill, Supervisor; P. F. Le Roy, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; William Streeter, Justice of the Peace; Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., George Foltz, Highway Commissioneris; Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., Andrew Miller, School Inspectors; Jesse Mizncr, Nathan Wood, J. D. Stufflebeam, Constables; B. H. Morse, R. L. Smith, Poor-. Masters. 1856.-AM. W. Smith, Supervisor; S. W. Ensign, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; William Nichols, Justice of the Peace; George Foltz, Samuel Smith, Highway Commissioners; George Farrand, Orrin Slade, School In spectors; John McKenzie, Archibald Morse, Poor-Masters; Mason Ide, Nathan Wood, James R. Brewer, Francis Ober, Constables. 1857.-,-William Hulburd, Supervisor; S. W. Ensign, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Orrin L. Slade, Benjamin F. Waterman, Justices of the Peace; William Streeter, Highway Commissioner; Reuben L. Smith, School Inspector; John Francisco, Francis Ober, James R. Brewer, Jacob L. Miller, Constables; Charles Hartshorn, Nathan Wood, Poor-Masters. 1858.-William Hulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Town Clerk;. M. M. Bliss, Treasurer; Harvey Miller, William Stufflebeam, Highway Commissioners; Reuben L. Smith, William Hulburd, Justices of the Peace; John Crawford, School Inspector; William Nichols, Harvey Miller, Poor-Masters; John 0. Stufflebeam, John Crawford, Nathan Wood, John Francisco, Constables. 1859.-William Hulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Town Clerk; M. M. Bliss, Treasurer; William Hulburd, Levi Wells, Poor-Masters; Orrin L. Slade, Geo. McKenzie, School Inspectors; Orrin L. Slade, Charles K. Patterson, Highway Commissioners; William Hulburd, George McKenzie, Justices of the Peace; Nathan Wood, Win. Nichols, Wm. Deal, Jacob L. Miller, Constables. 1860.-Wm. Hulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Town Clerk; MI. M. Bliss, Treasurer; Chas. K. Patterson, Reuben L. Smith, Justices of the Peace; Chas. K. Patterson, Highway Commissioner; George McKenzie, School Inspector; Jacob L. Miller, Ephraim Ensign, Benjamin F. Waterman, Nathan WVood, Constables. 1861.-Wm. Hulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Town Clerk; M. M. Bliss, Treasurer; Winm. Hulburd, Highway Commissioner; Reuben' L. Smith, School Inspector; MI. M. Bliss, Justice of the Peace; Edward L. Levitt, Ephraim Ensign, Benjamin F. Waterman, Ephraim Summers, Constables. 1862.-WiVm. tIulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Morris M. Bliss, Highway Commissioner; George McKenzie, School Inspector; Reuben L. Smith, Justice of the Peace; Jolhn II. Francisco, Joseph Wilson, James Shanks, Mason Ide, Constables. 1863.-William Hulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Town Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; William HIulburd, Seymour W. Ensign, Justices of the Peace; Benjamin F. Waterman, Ephraim Sommers, Highway Commissioners; Reuben L. Smith, School Inspector; John IH. Francisco, Elnathan Beebe, Ebenezer Baldwin, John A. Stufflebeam, Constables. 1864.-William HIulburd, Supervisor; Seymour W. Ensign, Township Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Charles K. Patterson, Justice of the Peace; Win. Hulburd, HIighway Commissioner; IHiram Wetherell, to same, to fill vacancy; George McKenzie, School Inspector; John 0. Stufflebeam, John E. Wells, Benjamin F. Waterman, Ebenezer Baldwin, Constables. 1865.-M. W. Smith, Supervisor; John Berry, Township Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Morris M. Bliss, Highway Commissioner; W. H. Smith, Justice of the Peace; M. W. Smith, School Inspector; James Herring ton, Walter Larkins, Nelson Wilcox, John Francisco, Constab.es. 1866.-M. W. Smith, Supervisor; John Berry, Town MIONTROSE h TOWNSHIP.4 445~ ship Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; George W. C. Smith, Justice of the Peace; George McKenzie, Highway Commissioner; Orrin L. Slade, School Inspector; James Shanks, Walter Larkins, William Gilman, John 0. Stufflebeam, Constables. 1867.-Menzo W. Smith, Supervisor; John Berry, Township Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; J. H. Strecter, Orrin L. Slade, Justices of the Peace; John R. Farquharson, Highway Commissioner; M. W. Smith, School Inspector; Walter Larkins, James Shanks, Seymour W. Ensign, Constables. 1868.-Wm. Hulburd, Supervisor: John Berry, Township Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; William Wier, Justice of the Peace; Orrin L. Slade, George McKenzie, School Inspectors; George Parmelee, Highway Commissioner; James Shanks, Samuel Parks, James Merwin, Win. Anderson, Constable. 1869.-Hiram Wctherell, Supervisor; George W. C. Smith, Township Clerk; John McKenzie, Treasurer; Henry Herring, Justice of the Peace; Wliamrwinilliam Corwin, William Dorwood, Highway Commissioners; T. W. Pettee, School Inspector; Walter Larkins, John Francisco, James Pollock, Edward L. Lcvitt, Constables. 1870.-Hiram Wetherell, Supervisor; John McKenzie, Treasurer; John Berry, Town Clerk; Thomas W. Pettee, Justice of the Peace; George McKenzie. School Inspector; Edward Eckles, Highway Commissioner; James Shanks, Constable. 1871.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; John McKenzie, Treasurer; John Berry, Town Clerk; Hiram Wetherell, William Streeter, Justices of the Peace; Seymour W. Ensign, School Inspector; Morris M. Bliss, Highway Commissioner; George Miller, James Shanks, Crandall Loveless, Constables. 1872.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; Hiram Wetherell, Treasurer; Simeon L. Moon, Clerk; Seymour W. Ensign, Orrin L. Slade, Justices of the Peace; George Millard, School Inspector; George Patterson, Highway Commissioner. 1873.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; Stephen M. Kent, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; John Dunham, Justice of the Peace; William R. Goff, School Inspector; John McKenzie, Highway Commissioner; William Streeter, Drain Commissioner; James Shanks, Hiram Horning, Horace Gillett, Constables. 1874.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; Rufus Swartz, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; William Hulburd, Justice of the Peace; Simeon L. Moon, William Hulburd, School Inspectors; M. M. Bliss, Highway Commissioner; James Shanks, Benjamin F. Waterman, Calvin Stafford, Oscar Gallup, Constables. 1875.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; Rufus Swartz, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; Orrin L. Slade, Justice of the Peace; Lewis P. Compton, School Superintendent; Simeon L. Moon, School Inspector; John McKenzie, Highway Commissioner; James Shanks, Charles L. Slade, Miles Predmore, Constables. 1876.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; Rufus Swarts, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; Nathan W. Marble, Justice of the Peace; Abraham Horning, School Inspector; Thomas W. Pettee, School Superintendent;. M. Bliss, Highway Commissioner; Nichols D. Vanarnam, Drain Commissioner; Charles M:. Slade, James A. Shanks, Elijah Joslin, Calvin Stafford, Constables. 1877.-George McKenzie, Supervisor; William Dor-: ward, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; John Dunham, Jus-. tice of the Peace; Allen Richardson, School Inspector; Simeon L. Moon, School Superintendent; James Mackey, Highway Commissioner; James Shanks, Willard Jolnson; George Patterson, George Phillips, Constables; Walter Larkins, Drain Commissioner. 1878.-John M. Spear, Supervisor; William Dorward, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; William Hulburd, Justice of the Peace; Nathan W. Marble, School Inspector; M. M. Bliss, Highway Commissioner; James Shanks, James R. Brewer, Solonion Powell, John E. Sharp, Constables; John W. Barber, Superintendent of Schools; Louis Feller, Drain Commissioner. 1879.-John M. Spear, Supervisor; William Clements, Treasurer; John Berry, Clerk; Orrin L. Slade, Justice of the Peace; Seymour W. Ensign, School Inspector; John E. Taylor, School Superintendent; James Huggins, Highway Commissioner; John Wier, N. P. Vanamon, James P. Quick, James Shanks, Constables. Should errors be found in the spelling of names in the foregoing list it may be attributed to the illegible manner in which the records have been kept. POST-OFFICE. The Montrose post-office was first established in 1854, William Streeter, postmaster. He was succeeded by Seymour W. Ensign, under Buchanan's administration, and William HIulburd, under Lincoln's. John Berry, the present incumbent, has occupied the office since 1866. Mail received weekly. EDUCATIONAL. The boundaries of the first school district were established by Russell G. Hurd, George T. Bingllam, and Daniel N. Montague, of Vienna, in the spring of 1845, and the district included sections 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, and 36, or the exact southeast quarter of the township. The first school-meeting was held at the house of George Wilcox, April 11, 1845, and was then adjourned to the house of Amos M. Woodruff. An organization was effected by electing William Wilcox, Moderator, Amos M. Woodruff, Director, Richard Travis, Assessor. At this meeting it was voted to raise $80 to build a school-house, and the site of the same to be one-half acre, situated on the northwest corner of the east one-half of the northwest quarter of section 26, or nearly opposite the present residence of R. Swartz. It was further voted to have the school opened the fourth Monday in June, 1845. The school-house, a log structure, was duly completed, and a school opened at the appointed time by Mrs. Barnes, the wife of Albert Barnes, a Mormon. They were young people, and lived in the schoolhouse. Seymour W. Ensign taught in the same house in' 1850. Among other early teachers were Jane Pettengill, who taught the first school in district No. 2 in 1854, Jane Ewing, Olive M. Dodge, Eliza J. Cobb, Lydia Balentine, and Louisa Wright. 446 HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN... The number of children of school age residing in the township in 1856 were in district No. 1, 25; in district No. 2, 19; in district No. 3, 14; in fractional district No. 1, 10; in fractional district No. 2, 17; total, 85. The amount of primary-school money to be apportioned for the same period was $12.62. The following is a summary of the township school report for the year ending Sept. 2, 1878: Whole districts, 7; fractional districts, 1; children of school age in the township, 352; children attending school during the year, 295; frame school houses, 8; seating capacity of schoolhouses, 418; value of school property, $3300. Male teachers employed during the year, 2; female teachers, 11. Months taughlt by males, 7; by females, 45. Paid male teachers, $185.04; paid female teachers, $772.15; total, $957.19. Receilts.-From moneys onb hand, Sept. 3, 1877, twomill tax, primary-school fund, tuition of non-resident scholars, district taxes for all purposes, and raised fiom all other sources, $2016.54. Expenditures.-Paid teachers, $957.19; building and repairs, bonded indebtedness, and all other purposes, $811.94; amount on hand, Sept. 2,1878, $247.41; total, $2016.54. The township possesses no buildings dedicated to religious worship. Meetings of various denominations are held in the school-houses. Albert Barnes, the Mormon, preached the first sermon in George Wilcox's house in 1845. Rev. Mr. Bradley, a Methodist divine, was also an early preacher. The Montrose Cemetery was laid out Nov. 14, 1859. It is situated in the central part of the township, and contains three acres. -. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. SEYMOUR W. ENSIGN, SR. There can be but one first settler in a township, and around his name there will always cling pleasant and cherished memories. Pleasant, to think he was the first to break in on the solitudes of the forest. Strange, why he should leave the settlements, and go alone into the wilderness to start a new town. Perhaps, what will in time be a great city! It may be only a rural township, yet the pioneers all testify to the fact that their first years in the new homes were happy ones; that each stroke of the axe, with its answering echoes, spoke to them of cleared farms and beautiful homes. Such a man was Seymour W. Ensign, Sr. He was born in the town of Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., June 22, 1801. There he grew to manhood, working at his trade, —that of a miller. Mr. Ensign married Miss Tamma Husted, and their union was blessed with eight children. In 1838 he emigrated with his family to Saginaw Co., Mich., where he rented a farm. At that time his means were very limited, having only money enough to take his family to Saginaw. By working rented farms he was enabled to get a small start, and in 1842 bought of the Brent estate forty acres on section 22, in Montrose township. At that time there was not a person living in the township; there were no roads nor clearings. Mr. Ensign tied two canoes together and built a platform upon them, on which the family, goods, and stores were piled. This primitive vessel he towed up Flint River, to what was called the Floodwood farm. Here the floodwood prevented further advance, and they waited ten days for the river to be cleared, when they went on to the Brent farm, just beyond the town of Montrose, where they resided one year. Their stock had to be driven by the way of Flint, as there was no way of going direct to Montrose. During the following winter Seymour W. Ensign and his brother George built a shanty on the forty acres in Montrose, and spent the winter months in cutting down trees for the cattle to browse upon, to keep them from starving. In the spring of 1813 a small house was constructed, and the family moved into it. Thus Montrose saw its first white family. Mr. Ensign at once commenced to improve, and at his death his small farm was under a good state of cultivation. He died Aug. 21,1851, highly esteemed and beloved by his fellow-townsmen. Seymour W. Ensign, Jr., was born in Stafford, Genesec Co., N. Y., Nov. 5, 1826. Up to the time he was sixteen he had never been to school, but after coming to Michigan he worked for Thomas L. L. Brent, who taught school in his own house; for his services Mr. Brent gave him four hours' schooling daily. After that he attended school three winters; he then taught school three winters, working on the farm. summers. In 1850 he bought on contract the balance of the eighty-acre lot from which his father's forty was taken, and paid for it by teaching and lumbering. He now owns the old homestead, working in all eighty acres of well-improved land, with good house, barns, etc. In politics Mr. Ensign is a Republican, and has been many times elected to the different offices in the gift of his township. Was town clerk ten years, commissioner of highways six years, and justice of the peace two years. Sept. 20, 1864, he was drafted, and was assigned to Company I, 15th Michigan Infantry. He joined Sherman's army at Beaufort, S. C.; in January, 1865, was at the battle of Bentonville, although his corps did not become actively engaged. He took part in the grand review in Washington, at the close of the war,-a scene long to be remembered by him. He was discharged May 30, 1865. He was married to Miss Hannah Vernon, July 4, 1851. She was born June 22, 1851, and was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Vernon) Garside. Their family embraced the following-named children: Anastasia A., born March 14, 1852, died Aug. 11, 1856; Eugene H., born Aug. 18, 1853; Clarence S. W., born Aug. 2, 1855, died Jan. 26, 1873; Isabella E., born April 2, 1858; Ida S., born March 2, 1861; Alice E., born Sept. 25, 1862; and Cora L., born July 8, 1867. Mr. Ensign's sister Amanda was the first white child born in the town of Montrose. His sister Mary's marriage to Benjamin H. Morse was the first marriage in the town. I A I f I ` I i l, 1% i. a re ) 1 7 VI i % I 11r., ---;.f 7" -, I I — ) t I I 3 I ~ '1 I I 1i 4I; ~~I ii;btA iMi II