. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , V m M M. ............... ............ ............ ...... ....... .... ...... ... ... ..... . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . ..... ON AN M. MI'll . . . . . . ..... .......... MINE '5z ........... M ..... ....... .. gA,&Z@ nz. . . . . . . . . . . . . R-1 . . . . . . . . . . . .    Ip I S F (] f x£2 ri '4 . r o "1 k c3 - Ico F o c O OF14& - -t-I Or 0F-P cl eo d o - P4ciar ~ c 07o-lN' e aC! l ! 0o =lCc'c Moc^ A - - - -I I I I S II N I 1 I 1I IC? ?C ry ,- r-r4r-4 :V ! i N i CNlN i ("I-v T ^IaI mN Y N y I t-0 rr. Q a R/- 0C N. 0 C': H z H z [4 H H H 0 (0 N p11 ~~:, J ..- .± , n y ru+ r.. + - ' ti _ r y _ /" r _ S I I "r. [-Ir ! I I r- r-+ ! C 0 t- 1 I 1 L .s r 1 .: M I" / Ir"I f ..d w r tic fr .". . r 7. L. f Jj C' . . ' . ~ !+ .,r 'IJ i " I w I .. _ : n _ .. G " ( , r ..r _ ..r ^ ~ {.. «+ .: .r ...w ...r i. w _ 4. . . - r T y _ w r J . I y a + I I ++ Y_ n + , . '!. 'v v - j _ v . v ^ {.' 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N o vtoc ellto F-c4 oo 00 DNf NNNa00 c ' r " Sy 4.60 " to Q" 3 Nn- 1 C "ON N -I - .5 E'554q r41- 4 4 "0r4r-r r r -4r K 4O 9tr~ 5 rC 4 -4r I1 II F z i r r: r-+ - t IN .I I ti ' .1 I I- - 1"y J - III7 e 0 to> Y_ 7) I- NlcyN:?l L7 '000 -Or .VINI'N 00o'> '.0P-- r--4OI N. " "/ N . " " . . " . . . " 000+ 0 V CJ CI CJ ^1 t- ^J': J J 'C N C oN N.AN. -NO 7 - N O - .f S .=ti j a Li +a 0 ct F-to - cr 03 rc rrNis c. S 0. r E-A E- ' -'c: vi TABLE OP CONTENTS. VIEWS, PORTRATTS, .AJSFD BIOC-RA'I2TES Residlence of Jas. Tlaonpson, willi portraits of self and( wife, ftcring 1 HG' Js slE h irliaer, with p let aits f ef lr s11ri 6, 1 It Octavinis Rolbinslln, with p rtraits Ef slf, son, and wives (dEll0lille page) Is twnel 1 88, 189) " holtert tner, wE ih potrits of IsElfe' and wife,, tacinlg 19i) [{ R. 1). Vorh1en t ts{' 490 1o9 99 Selring Xoortieis 49 191 .l aiies 1F air........ ............191 It Peter XIII rileis lull V ololis' 1aiitin,,with u etrl i PAGE Personal 'Sketch Elflanmes 'Moore 229 « 4 James MEndllani........... ..229 i It Tliomao lit ly . . . ... . .229 (G ts J,)ImEKIEy.......... . .. . ..229 " t 11. Crawford ................... Novi To w,,snie. Reside nce of A. J1. Welsh, with poetnaits of self andi wife, facing 2:30 44 Amos Ilently....................2:1 .1. XV. Mrse, with lllrtraits of self, wife, and sort 2132 W ost iiiigtln Wrest. . . . .. 2:12 0). F. \'iipp......................2:12 .141111 1t.isset 1, with lortrit of self " 23t3 A. S. lirioks, with plortraits Elf self andi wife, 2:1:3 lii by C. Simwe, with PiertlliltsElf self, wife, and ft hir................. ..ig 231 Jlnilil~sl Ii'ltiii ll 41t town ha.1.............. ......:1 Resilience o illhtard C.. Si ninois, a itt) IwrtrEIt Elf self and1 wife, Elf Self and11 SE e Persu~rlal Sketch ElfEear-tii llqikins . 11111Ra1phXt. I 4ltklIitlE « Eit ilin is (a Etlier 64lasohn .1.XIrlo t S0AillnlJ. 1oliiir cc t ' lter l tl1ili lt iilltilP Elf Rlbert tears oli Chas. "lillstiihit, lalt Ilirtrait if self cc San11iel (Ir01.ui, With liii it Siilrlls1Wiin. e: W . E. flier, sitti l Ill'llit Elf self :11111 wift cc N. T. Elliott, E Pirloplrty of It Stit PersolrttSketch Ef Will iam E. tier X1,11.1 Ii Stiff.......... .. 94N:tilatn 1'. Elliott facring 19'2 19:1 18x9 19 1:11 11 fiig 19 1 II 1+1)1 «i 131 21111 200 R r I i 't I&1. (;. Porter leestial Sketell if A. S.111Ek .I41111WX. llesl John 1 iassl~t c 'c A. .t. X',lsI i cc is ites 4 . Simiw cc cc Philip Slhiw Oli [.tl+!t~u O NOII11 an10f Itl c 1llS~EtI 41111 IIII ruilfteaI oiXVllliii (aiOnplI Ilasil X1 lliailll IIi I jliE'l A. IM. ROEkcr i1.- l~l S lt fi lvill X illia is .'~kI1 11, '111 1ll~ili li',ralIIISkietltc f14115lcol Willams C1 fae i Iig;2:16 2:16 . . :3:t19 :1:12 * facirlg 2:16 l et wllri2:18,2:9 fit iiig 2.11) c.24() 24'1) c 21 2.11 2412 facing 298 :12 Residlence of PrtyA .'I'r t111.witIl111' itnts 1 If lli twife. ff~ling 22 It It. F. flasislon, SlitE IETl'ilit Elf self Hill wife S:tn',lE S., i:11111. N. hast.i -ni . . fihig 21, Poritraiit Elf Squ~irel . X.1}« 1' 'r lers t~ial Sltcti Elf N,1li1lliri I lasisoii . .. .2"11 {C CE llE1lj. 1. 14aviolii. . . . . . . 4l il Party A. fr'ittlri cc it Sqltiiue X. 1111. . . . .2116 LNrlltl:FNl Es:rII EEiE IIT. Ilesidernie Ef ..anld 11. lRe. . . . . . . ill:~ 208 PcI.11tXIII hli, Ith lEtaiscEfIlI"r. ID1w1v1. . . . . facing 25i2 AIl lrewster. . . . . . . . .2 11. It. Anilr.,io, SI itlEpletrtaits Itself hil wifE Elit253: l'llihllts Elf 111l'itlEtl (lieEi.)n i. ... . . ..4254 It'-siilll III Elof iil.i. 1. fl lilk. Ii ilhi I IttE~Isoh self Eanl wife, facinrg 2.i4 t'uetl:its ElfN. IH. IFosdick, hE., 1W111 Ils. Eiiit J.. fo-Itilk Elk 2.4 lersli:E1 Slkll It )llr11i-ti~ill I Il. . . . . ... 214 El El XXlliam .XIEIlsoln . . . . 54 El II XWilliam tl 11. Eltiik.. . . ... .2.;.1 ((llEtiN f'lSNr tttl. 1111 rnr fI) hio1t trle (1111ii, with I strtitsElf sElf litil wife, facitig 2.i6 l.. 11 i iiilillgss'ay', .'II iE 25 7 Ci . A. (lr1eililter, ii cc Ii Ii 2581 E .l K. I i.(lf II 'till', G El l " 25,-9 Valey vhills, 11. (;. Itui1l.l1 Soti.................Mil)) hlleai~llt El f Ilohnii I Il1i . . . . . . 2411 Perona 11 Sitcli Elf IChis. 1K. arpenitir. . . . .2514 .k L 'Ia .A. 4 :rliitlr. . . . .26)% i E I I Iiiiig ;y. . . . . 2601 Itos: T[s sstit. fil'siEtllC II)of Slolilli 1 .Sktllle, Swithi forttiaits of Self xhull WSli . .. . .. . .aing 2412 f iiltillof 41;ElhigE . (ihhinElr, S itli l1Iltrlihs Elf sellfunit suife, I" 261: 1t';ll.91 i is 1). E1lio11, El (L E l E '_264 Iliii Iloly, El El Sivcs 1 265 I'l~r Illof . Esf1tEn ll5, 55 thE lbiolgrifply . . . . . .4 lI111 l Ill (aft Ill Eiirrso, iEli: i pletitofI ltself lan i i, faiing 2)6 I'r-llilal Stl ll. i oltg, Igrner Elt El6 Eihll~nti~lt'. Sb till It. . . ... . 26- PAGE. Personal Sketch of Flis Doly ..2" El49 Caleh Everts. . . . . .26 5 El " lIon. Maccuts DPElliott......... ...266-. SouTtFinirrn TowNsrrre. Residence of John N. Reth, with portraits of self and wife, facing 268 El Will alm Shiirttt..................68 El Melvini Drake, with Illrtihtits tfselfanl wife, El" 0617! Francis Xnng . . . . .,i2 Pllrtraits Elfof orio Jeniks amitwife 0 2. ti Carles V. ilil1cIck atot wife cc. El 272 El Samulel 14. 1111k mii 11272 Residerice oElflliti t.tailill, with Ill traits Elf self lull wife, ilt MIrs.,luills lllii1. . . . . . .tig 27:3 Personal Sketch Ef Isiac I iilt.. . . . . . ...::3 EDEl Ieacon11 Iiii Pink.............::: Setltl;t il:ltt'I'o115511 ii' RI Ieill Elof i lll I FlrtEr, swithIipllrteaits Elf selt aiil Sif{, ftacilg 271I Elli Illlillig;, ,withI pteirts If self litdIwife, 27.5 El FredIerick lISI st, with poritra its Elf self tint 'sile fainug 276 it 12dttnil fotEr... .. .. 276 El .. Tin+uh111, with lIl trlits If self Slt lwifE, El 277 El rs. HarriEt l;. X1ighil, wot ithlotlaits of self a itll laililA.XWeigli............fairinlg 2711 El aTunic Neal, with I +thrail s It self lull1wi 1271 El MIMs tlaartiwi Il l Ililr ails Ef sElf atilwife, E 2) lersollullSketchi Ef Iredeik F1. ster . . . . . .2s1 itl altis Neal ............. ....2 Portraits Elf N lIon thlgElw at i lfe II iith 1tillEg lipty) . . 282 El Jontah i (it.s55ailid wife ,Ilittih iligrlilhiy) . . . 283 Personiil Sketci Elf I (is IA.XWrightl.......... ..28:1 El El .ltel'ii511t1 16 liall . 5 : I i Eli fle llige.. .. . .28-4 El tEl Sintt E Fster. . . . . . . .24 Tit~ErTowsasitt RlesilieneofElfoIsse 1 Stilt, writhIllrtraaits If self anil wife, fairig 285 El Al Tromwrilgv, SithElll rriits Elf self Eth~l wife, '' 28 El ila IIt.VW ttle.;. . " 287 El Iwiug 11. Nit's, unti1l lit traits Elf JolllolntiNibesanil Portrait If X'illtalnt lttpletEh tanlwSife 9 El Mrs, lley .11111. . . . . . . ..1; .IlliEE;hlus S litti. ... ...iiig 218 cc A..1. I'rE sty. . . . . . . . . .21 ll silEti 11111 F nk flit1, IE itlipor'tr'itls If self 11111 wifE i +i t l'~ltruitsEl1f WliE}1111 E l lllEV ht l ife, Iithilil atl y . . 112+191 l'et ill1 SkEti hioftJll 1,1 N ills . . . 211 thll"he.[tiill anl lstIllgs Fitiiilii's ...9 El El Atilt 1111 ('1 EE2lE El El \VIsllilI5 Si.llleli..................E El 1aE A 4u lrlllt rtillI .21, E El 11 IL. till ((liEU aStunt .9..i 2) El" litiE rinl lfig' .: XX TtrnttaftlTlS1 sutt 1lesidlentceof .X fro~t XVi Ilil ll It t ru~ts+If pElf' halt oile, fairl g 211 Farmutatdlt iSillenl l of filliasm Whittili, ssitht Iltrtlil if Self ,iiiil wiX atl\Il{rWis t lilta n ra :ifr t lls I ih. h t .t11,.1r El J.f).flartwsriglit, withl fortratits If self h11ilt ssif e. .la ci ig n :3:1 it Ars. folly l lllisn1, ndt tililI ltiis it ati, eithpr t11118sElf iisliti, Pall), :1w111Atliht hllints~llE, tariig :322 IlIngt li Iig,flirtilgiiin. . . . .cinug :2:1" hPortrait of XWti. l[wc's hitld ISf . * :126 htesillelce Elf IltEnElIillS, atill heil If sel filth Slife . I 2 El fflirfttiII Siltt, hinll Eelrtit sel tiuihitn wife, :El :1 tersollttISkEtch If .1i t .imoE~s .328 htesidene If .1,1 ii Slytill portraits If self lull wife . facing 2691 Persontal SketchEfItiIET t. Sly ... *33cI.(.r~rgr 3 ccl 64i Dr EEnezer llaiyiale33 i II } I { i i I i M C i r I II i 1 I r I k t i I I f l x _ ------k i ACkmo Q iJtJ4iD U U ii / -. _ __ __ .- a -- r .* ''" ..-W..-.' _ IGO"" .S'.ea.i 3 4 I. f c . ("I , 1 . IfIz 1te 1 H 0I k -i A C} L r, _ k stol 7torii I' 'p 111en7:n,1 4I1 y4, r_ 1 t 1. S j I Q fir; i S notsmm__ IL -Dfl Irr7T I. fez u I ! 'si) A P E E , WTI- C war } wi i f f I I rrWr...w .PT kd= "-Prof wI.S !t e x T, TOM go's 4 -4 'AWN w , Dirt k! = n,' Mize r. first; 41 ML C 0' r I . VIP, li 1 1.11!1 ii M..- - wwo 11 i 1 \ - _ _ i :Hi 1T i u1 1! r.rr tri I i i I j f t +i i+ f I fI I 4 I I I f{ I1 4 j I J I i e i i I i !I I i I 3 I I I I i I ' I I 1 1 I I I I I i ' l I CP"i 11 0 z ___ _ 5prineiel ate lo. f I. -- - rz r 21 T L riff i'C4L °yJ I /+;, L+ I"' IL C sl,.i u z.s i*e 71 1 , , dtu !. . i 7 WL nlx 7 rx r r { 1 1 i I i I i i i i jj I 1 { { I I 'i 4! f 4 I i &I' -!!N P Ila- "L:, 'a I mAR t 1 } i '' -, + I t'll i.; . r ,; . , .,- mt- - " - W-mv SH T 0 A Y F _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _I L .- ._.. _.. . - --- m  INTRODUCTORY. The general surface of the country is elevated from three to four hundred feet above the water-level of the great lakes, and its drainage is comparatively good. GEOLOGY. Oakland County presents very little of interest to the student of geology. Its surface belongs wholly to the drift period, which buried nearly the entire penin- sula beneath a mass of debris composed largely of loose sand, gravel, and bowlders. No rock, in situ, appears in any part of the county, and the lowest cuttings of the streams have nowhere penetrated through the immense diluvial deposit, which is probably hundreds of feet in depth. No minerals are known to exist, except, pos- sibly, in isolated particles mingled with the drift. Professor Alexander Winchell, in an article upon the geological structure of Michigan, discourses as follows: "The lower peninsula occupies the central part of a great synclinal basin, towards which the strata dip from all directions. The basin structure is bounded on all sides by anticlinal swells and ridges. Thus, north of Lake Ontario, Georgian bay, and Lake Huron is a portion of the great Laurentian ridge, whose branches extend from this region towards the northeast and northwest. On the northwest is the elevated granitic and dioritic region, stretching from Marquette southwest through northern Wisconsin. On the southwest, south, and southeast is a bifur- cating gentle swell of the outcropping Devonian and Silurian strata, which stretches southward to Cincinnati and central Kentucky. "The limits of this great geological basin exceed somewhat the bounds of the lower peninsula, as the centripetal dip can be traced on the east as far as London, Ontario; on the west to Madison, Wisconsin; on the northwest to the vicinity of Marquette, and on the north to the Sault St. Marie. Within these limits the outcropping edges of strata, older and older in the series, are passed over in traveling from the centre of the peninsula outward. The whole series of strata may be likened to a nest of wooden dishes. "The great hydrographic features of the region present a striking conformity to the trends of these out-cropping strata, as will readily be seen by comparing the longitudinal axes of Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan, as of Georgian, Little Traverse, and Green bays, with the strikes of the neighboring formations, as deline- ated on the geological map." The following table exhibits the various formations of the State. CLIMATOLOGY. The meteorological conditions existing in and around the lower peninsula of Michigan are wonderfully peculiar and interesting. Perhaps in no other portion of the globe do the same peculiarities exist, and for the reason that nowhere else are similar conformations of land and water found. The hydrography of Michigan is peculiar to itself. The lower peninsula is surrounded on three sides by vast bodies of fresh water of great depth, whose mean temperature changes but slightly from one season to another, and the influence of which upon the climatic conditions of the region inclosed by them furnishes an interesting study for the scientist. The temperature for January at Traverse City, in latitude 440 45', is the same as that of Des Moines, Iowa, two hundred miles farther south, while the July isotherm of 700 is the same as that of Milwaukee, nearly one hundred and fifty miles to the south. The extremest cold of St. Louis has been below the extreme at Traverse City, and these facts account for the presence of a fine fruit belt along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. Peaches are raised from Mackinaw to New Buffalo without difficulty, even when they are killed by excessive cold in southern Illinois and Missouri. Approaching the centre of the peninsula, the temperature of both summer and winter changes materially, though it is neither as warm in summer nor as cold in winter as in regions to the westward of Lake Michigan. The summer isotherm for Pontiac is 720, and it is nearly the same as that of southern Ohio; but as it passes westward it reaches the latitude of Saginaw, in the centre of the peninsula, and thence deflects southward, passing into Indiana around the southern end of Lake Michigan, as far south as Ottawa, Illinois, which is upwards of one hundred and fifty miles south of Saginaw. From Ottawa it trends quite rapidly to the northwest, and in Minnesota reaches beyond the parallel of 45°. The winter temperature of Pontiac is about 200. which is something colder than other places in the same latitude in Michigan, being the same as that of Mackinaw in the extreme north of the lower peninsula. There is a region of more than the average cold in southeastern Michigan, caused undoubtedly by its elevation, and its summer temperature is considerably modified for the same reason. The extreme minimum winter temperature of Pontiac is almost precisely the same as that of St. Louis, the difference in latitude being four degrees, or about two hundred and eighty miles. The extreme minimum of twenty-four passes through 3Maumee City, in Ohio, near Pontiac, across the point of Saginaw bay, running thence to a point in the interior a little northwest of Alpena, thence southwest through Grand Rapids and across the States of Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. Traverse City, and the whole eastern shore of Lake Michigan, are on the extreme minimum of 16°, or eight degrees warmer than Pontiac and St. Louis. PRECIPITATION. The average precipitation of rain and snow at Pontiac, which is in latitude 420 37' 44", is about thirty-five inches, of which eighty-two per cent. falls during the three warm seasons, spring, summer, and autumn. Owing to the proximity of the great lakes the springs are usually cool and vegetation proportionally backward, but under the excessive heats of the summer months and the influence of the sandy loam of the soil, vegetation comes forward with astonishing rapidity. The autumn months are usually agreeable, and frosts are uncommon before October. The climate of Michigan is particularly favorable for the growth of wheat, as the immense production of 1877 amply testifies, and for all small grains, except corn; the latter having its true home in the prairie region. For the production of most of the fruits of the temperate zone Michigan justly takes high rank, and if her magnificent forests can be preserved to any considerable extent, the State will always remain the leading one in the north- west as a fruit-growing region.* SThese remarks upon the climatic conditions of Michigan have been deduced largely from Professor Alexander Winchell's admirable isothermal charts. EOZOIC GREAT SYSTEM. I. LAIlENTIAN SYSTEM. II. IIrURONIAN SYSTEM. PALIEOZOIC GREAT SYSTEM, 2680 III. ShxnIAN SYSTEM...............920 Lake Superior Sandstone........ 300 Calciferous Sandstone............. 100 Trenton Group..... ........... 60 Cincinnati Group .................... 60 Niagara Group...................... 250 Niagara Limestone................. 218 Cibstm, Suf Group ................ 32 Salina Group......... ........ 54 Lower Ilelderberg Group......... 100 IV. D)EvoNIAN SYSTEM.............1040 Corniferous Group............. 120 Little Traverse Group............. 200 Huron Group........................720 Black Shale........................ 20 feet. Portage Nub Group................. 500 " ('henung Sub Group.......... 20 " feet. V. CAnoNnoNF s SEousSYSTEM......... 720 " c" Marshall Group ................ 160 Michigan Salt (Groue)............... 185 " Carboniferous Limestone......... 70 " S Coal Bearing Group............305 " "t l".cPrm c(onylomerate..........14444 " " Coal Measures....................... 125 " " Woodrille Sandstone............... ,o " " CiENOZOIC GREAT SYSTEM. " VI. QUATERNARY SYSTEM. " Bowlder Deposits. " Modified Drift. " Lacustrine Clays. " Bogs, Marls, Dunes, Soils, etc. "c The stratifications and formations underlying Oakland County, or portions of it, next below the drift, are as follows, commencing with the uppermost, and all belonging to the Paleozoic great system, and to the Carboniferous system. The coal measures are supposed to underlie a fraction of the county lying northwest of Holly; below this comes the Parma sandstone, which reaches a little farther into the county; below this in turn is found the Carboniferous limestone, with a still greater area; and next below this follows the Michigan salt group, which is supposed to underlie about two-fifths of the county; succeeding this, at a still greater depth, we find the Marshall sandstone group, which is supposed to underlie nearly the entire county; and lastly the Huron group, which extends beyond the limits of the county. Borings in the northwest corner of the county would penetrate all of these formations, while in the southeast corner only the Huron group would be found. The centre of this immense geological basin would be near the line between Gratiot and Midland counties, where the dip of the underlying strata is probably the deepest; from thence gradually rising toward the margin of the basin. Fossils of various forms are found in the drift of Oakland County. 1 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. BY PROFESSORS S. W. DURANT AND H. B. PEIRCE. CHAPTER I. PRE-IIISTORIC RACES-TRADITIONS-INDIAN NATIONS. ANTEDATING the various copper-colored nations found occupying the North American continent by the earliest European discoverers, from the tenth to the sixteenth centuries, was a people whose history is completely buried in oblivion. The various Algonquin nations had many mysterious and unsatisfactory traditions of a wonderful people who "many moons ago" occupied the valleys of the Mis- sissippi, the Ohio, and their numerous tributaries, who were found by the pro- genitors of the Lenape and lfengwe, when those people came from the western portions of the continent at a remote period, inhabiting a vast region, and dwell- ing in fortified towns, where they had developed, as compared with the bar- barians surrounding them, a remarkable degree of civilization. This unknown race, which may have been contemporary, and possibly identical, with the Aztec and Toltec races of Central and Southern America, inhabited an extensive region. Remains of their once flourishing empire are found from the head-waters of the Ohio to the canebrakes of the Arkansas, and from Lake Superior to the valley of the Tennessee. Their conical mounds abound in Wisconsin and northern Illinois, and through- out the valleys of the Mississippi and the Ohio are scattered the ruins of a vast and complicated system of fortifications, exhibiting a knowledge of engineering and the mechanic arts akin to that of the ancient Egyptians and the swarming millions of southern Asia. Along the immediate valley of the Mississippi river are found immense mounds, rivaling in dimensions the famous pyramids of the Nile. The great mound at Cahokia, Illinois, is said to measure seven hundred by five hundred feet, with an altitude of ninety feet. Their various implements of husbandry, of the chase, and of war, and the sacred vessels employed in their religious ceremonies, are turned up by the plow throughout tho broad region now occupied by ten or twelve of the most important States of the Union. They had a knowledge of metals, for the evidence is indisputable that they worked the copper deposits of the upper peninsula of Michigan, and there is reasonable evidence that they built large cities. Certain writers claim that a great manufacturing centre once existed in the vicinity of Rock Island, Illinois, where they had a system of canals connecting the Mississippi with the Rock and Green rivers, and where immense deposits of flint chips and implements would indicate the location of a great manufacturing town. The materials were brought by water conveyance from distant parts of the country, for nothing of the kind exists in the vicinity,-most probably from Minnesota and Dakota,-and here hfashioned by skilled workmen, the fragments of whose labor, after the lapse of unknown centuries, evinces a knowledge not unworthy a more modern age. If these people were the same as those who occupied the southwestern parts of the present United States and peopled and ruled over Mexico and Central America, it is evident that in the course of time they gradually rose from a semi- barbarous condition to one of comparative civilization, as their pyramids in Cali- fornia and Mexico and the gigantic ruins of Yucatan amply testify. It is even doubtful whether the changes introduced by the Spanish conquerors of these ancient people have on the whole been beneficial. Their rule was at 2 least destructive of a comparatively advanced civilization, and in the place of a peaceful and evidently happy race we have now the mixed Spanish and Indian blood, and its resultant anarchy and crime. Looking at all the evidences which confront us, bearing upon the history of the American continent, who shall say that when the British Islands and all northern Europe were inhabited by bar- barous tribes, when the cave-bear and the gigantic elk of pre-historic times roamed over the finest tracts of Gaul and Britain, there may not have been upon the great American continent a race of beings equal in intelligence to those who peopled the historic valley of the Nile and left their sign-manual upon the banks of the Euphrates and in the jungles of Siam ? True, they reared no gigantic rock-built temples "or column trophied for triumphal show," but the vast re- mains of fortifications, complicated and systematic earthworks, and wonderful mounds are worthy to stand even beside those crumbling monuments that en- cumber the plains of Egypt and Asia Minor. Archmologists and antiquarians have written volumes to prove the descent of the American nations from some imaginary Asiatic race, and cited as evidence of the truth of their propositions the apparent similarity in the languages of the American and Asiatic peoples. Did it ever occur to these philosophers that the American continent, being older geologically than most portions of the eastern hemisphere, may have been peopled anterior to the other, and possibly have given the eastern continent its earliest inhabitants ? No one pretends that America is indebted to Asia for its fauna and flora; but it might be asserted with as much show of reason and evidence that the great Sequoias of California and the majestic tulip-tree of Indiana and Alabama were emigrants from the slopes of Mount Libanus and the plains of Lombardy, as that the original human inhabi- tants sprang from some ambiguous and mysterious tribe on the banks of the Euphrates or the Yang-tse-kiang. This ancient people were known to the Indians as the Tallegawe or Allegeci, from whence comes the musical word Allegheny. The outlying branches of this great family quite probably occupied portions of the lower peninsula of Michigan, unless we assume the period of their occupation to have been prior to the last great subsidence of the upper lakes, in which case it is probable that a large pro- portion of the peninsula was at least marshy, if not under water, and consequently uninhabitable. There are no very satisfactory evidences of their occupation, but they may have built temporary cabins among the beautiful lakes and streams of Oakland, and made the region their annual hunting- and fishing-ground. Un- doubtedly, a population much more dense than the copper-colored races ever attained to own occupied a large portion of the region lying eastward of the Rocky mountains, and it is more than speculative that a portion of it found at least a temporary habitation in southern Michigan. Conjecture is entirely at fault regarding the period of occupation by this un- known people. Immense forest-trees were found growing upon the gigantic mounds of the south and west, whose ages were counted by centuries, and the storm-washed and time-furrowed fortifications and earthworks in the valley of the Ohio bear the marks of venerable age. TIlE INDIANS. Succeeding this ancient race, no doubt, came the tawny nations found inhabit- ing the country by the early European explorers. The nation occupying the 9 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. greatest area was undoubtedly the Algonins, which might with propriety be di- vided into three great branches-Algoqiupts proper, Lenope, and Mengwe. The territory inhabited by these nations comprehended the vast basin of the St. Law- rence and the great lakes, and also included all of New England, the present area of the Middle States, the Ohio valley, and the Atlantic coast as far south as the Carolinas. The lengwe, Iroquois, or Five Nations, occupied substantially the southern and central portions of the State of New York, but their conquests reached the tribes of the St. Lawrence and New England on the north and east, the IHerons, Ottwas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Ojibwas, and Illinois on the west, and extended over the Delawares, and southward to the country inhabited by the Mobilian nations. Covering the hills of Pennsylvania and New Jersey were found the ancient people calling themselves Lenni Lenape,--" original men,"-acknowledged by more than forty nations as their "grandfathers," and known to the English as Delawares. They were also called by the French the Loops, or Wolf Nation. The nations or tribes found occupying the lower peninsula of Michigan at the date of the earliest visits by the French were the Ottawas, Ojibwas, Chlippccas, and Potueatomties, with here and there families and groups of the neighboring h rons, lMiamis, and perhaps others.* CHAPTER I. EARLY EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES BY TIHE FRENCII-CARTIER, ROBER- VAL, CIHAMPLAIN, LA SALLE. IN order to a correct understanding of the processes through which the territory of the present State of Michigan t was settled by and became a dependency of the French, it is necessary to consider briefly the early voyages and explorations which first gave to the world a knowledge of the most remarkable rivers and fresh-water seas on the face of the globe. The dliscoveries of Columbus and Ponce de Leon in the closing years of the fifteenth and the opening ones of the sixteenth century developed a wonderful spirit of enterprise amont the leading nations of Europe. Spain monopolized the regions of the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America, and planted colonies, within the boundaries of the present United States, along the Atlantic ocean and the Mexican gulf. England occupied all the middle region lying between Florida and the Bay of Fundy, while France poured her adventurous spirits into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and thence through the majestic river into the basin of the great lakes, and eventually into the rich valley of the Mississippi. In 1534, Francis I., of France, commissioned Jacques Cartier, of St. Malo, to prosecute discoveries in the western ocean, and the first expedition under this in- trepid ofiicer, consisting of two small vessels of sixty tons each, and crews aggre- gating sixty-one nien, set sail from St. Malo on the 2)th of April, 1534. lIe made a safe and prosperous voyage, during which he explored a portion of the bleak coast of Newfoundland, and arrived in France on the 15th of September of the same year. Ilis report was favorably received, though he had not touched the mainland, and his explorations had furnished very little actual knowledge of the countries towards which the eyes of Europeon nations were eagerly turned. Preparations were immediately made to send out another expedition. Three vessels were fitted up, -the "Great lHerminia," of one hundred and twenty tons, the "Little Herminia," of sixty tons, and the "IHermirillon." of forty tons. The fleet sailed from St. Malo on the 15th of May, 1535. The weather was tempestuous, but after a wearisome voyage the shores of Newfoundland at length appeared in sight. Passing to the north of the great island, they entered, on St. Lawrence's day, the gulf which Cartier named in honor of the saint, and which name subsequently attached to both river and gulf. Proceeding up the river, they reached an Indian village named Nta-d,-co-na, which occupied a part of the present site of Quebec. The natives were greatly awed by the appearance of the strange craft, and the flame and thunder of their guns, but their chief, Don-a-co-na, a wary and careful leader, determined to learn the character of the new-comers, and approached the squad- ron guardedly with a fleet of twelve canoes filled with warriors. When within speaking distance hlie arose and made a speech to Cartier, which a Gapin' Indian interpreted, and in turn translated Carrier's reply. Amicable relations were soon , The total number of nlians within the State in 1870 was about twelve thousand. 1 This name is said to i e derived from the Indian word .lieh-norw-y-e-.o, meaning " Lake Country." It is also said to be the Indian name of Lake Michigan, meaning " Great Lake." established, and the chief shortly afterwards again visited the fleet with five hundred of his warriors. After resting and refreshing himself thoroughly, Cartier determined to explore the river. Leaving his other ships at anchor near the Indian town, he proceeded in the " Hermirillon" and two boats as far as Lake St. Peter, where hlie was compelled to leave the vessel on account of shallow water. Pushing onward with the small boats, lie arrived on the 2d of October at the Huron village of Ilochelaga, situated on the island now occupied by the city of Montreal. Returning to Sta-da-co-na, hlie wintered in the St. Charles river, a little below the present city of Quebec. Although Cartier had been peaceably received and generously treated by the natives, he was unprincipled enough to entice Don-a-co-na and two other chiefs and eight warriors on board his vessel, when hlie immediately secured them and carried them in triumph to France, where the greater part of them soon died. On his arrival in France, Cartier reported the newly-explored country as desti- tute of gold and silver, and a bleak and inhospitable region. This report dampened the ardor of those who had been enthusiastic upon the discovery of the " New World," and it was not until 1540 that any further attempts were made to continue the explorations or plant colonies on the St. Lawrence. Early in the year last mentioned, Francis I. granted patents conveying all terri- tory lying north of that claimed by the English to Fran;ois de la Roque, Scigneur de Roberval. The commission also invested him with supreme power within its bounds. In the summer of 1540 a squadron of five vessels was fitted out for " New France," as the country had been named. Cartier was appointed to the command, and after a very prosperous voyage they reached the St. Lawrence, and in a few days cast anchor before the Indian town of Sta-da-co-na, where they were at first hospitably received by the natives, who supposed they haind brought back their chiefs and warriors. On learning that some of them were dead, and that none would ever return, they became hostile, and Cartier was obliged to move higher up the river, to Cape Rouge, where hlie laid up three of his vessels, and sent the others back to France with letters to the king. At this point he built a fort, which hlie named Charlesbourg. Here he passed a very rigorous winter, and, waiting for supplies which were expected during the next season, hlie remained until too late to return to Europe, and was compelled to pass another winter in the country, which completely disheartened him. Early in the spring of 1542 hlie resolved to return, and, sailing down the river and over the stormy gulf of St. Lawrence, he put into the harbor in Newfound- land since called St. John, where he found Roberval, who was on his way to Canada with a company of adventurers, well supplied with stores and provisions. But Cartier was satisfied with his experience and refused to return, and, to avoid forcible detention, weighed anchor in the night and put to sea. Roberval sailed up the river to Charlesbourg, which ihe strengthened with addi- tional fortifications, and where he passed the ensuing winter. Leaving a garrison of thirty men, in the spring of 1543 hlie returned to France, where he was detained by his sovereign to assist in the wars against Charles V. After the peace of Cressy, RIoberval, in company with his brother Achile and a numerous train of adventurers, again set out for America, but the fleet was never afterwards heard of, and was supposed to have foundered at sea. This terrible calamity completely disheartened Henry II., then (1543) king of France, and he made no further efforts to colonize the Canadas. From this time until 1598 no movement of any importance was made looking to a settlement of the new country. In that year the Marquis de la Roche, a nobleman of Brittany, encouraged by King Henry, fitted out a large expedition for the " New World." As volunteers were slow in coming forward, owing to former disasters, convicts were permitted to join. Nothing of importance resulted from this expedition; the only noticeable ftct in connection with it being that forty convicts were left on Sable Island, near the coast of Nova Scotia. The marquis attempted to equip another expedition, but he was not encouraged at court, and the attempt proved a failure. Chagrined and weary, lhe soon after sickened and died. The convicts, left on the barren island and unnoticed for several years, suffered untold hardships, which in the course of twelve years reduced their original num- ber to twelve. They were finally taken, by a vessel sent to ascertain their fate, to France, where the king pardoned them and supplied them with a liberal sum of money. In 1599 another expedition was fitted out by M. Chauvin, of Rouen, a naval officer, and one Pontgrave, a sailor-merchant of St. 3M1alo, who, in consideration of a monopoly of the fur trade granted by the king, undertook to establish a colony of five hundred persons in Canada. In the spring of 1600 two vessels were equipped, and Chauvin, with a party of settlers, landed safely at Tadoussac, where hlie erected a fort and engaged in the fur business. This settlement continued until 1603, when the death of Chauvin caused it to be abandoned, and once more Canada was without a European settlement. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 11 CIIAMPLAIN. After two more unsuccessful expeditions, one under De Chaste,* who was accom- panied by Samuel Champlain, and the other under De Mots, the latter obtained, in 1607, a commission from the king for one year, and, under the representations of Champlain, hlie resolved to found a colony on the St. Lawrence. Accordingly, hlie fitted out two vessels and placed them under the command of Champlain, who was a bold and experienced navigator. This expedition sailed from Harfleur on the 13th of April, 1608, and arrived at Tadoussac on the 3d of June following. Leaving Pontgrave to traffic with the Indians, Champlain sailed up the river, and, after a careful examination of the country, fixed upon a promontory covered with noble forest-trees and a luxuriant growth of wild vines, called by the natives "Quib ," or " Quebec," and on the 3d of July, 1608, founded the city of Quebec.t This was the third permanent settlement in the Atlantic region of North America; St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565, and Jamestown, in Virginia, founded in 1607, having preceded it. The succeeding season-1609-Champlain discovered and explored the long, narrow lake which bears his name and around which throng historic memories. HIe thoroughly explored tihe St. Lawrence, the Grand Ottawa, Lake Champlain, and large tracts of country immediately adjacent, and also selected the site and founded the city of Montreal in 1611-13. Ile was a most indefatigable explorer and adventurer, and had the honor of founding two of the largest commercial cities of the St. Lawrence valley. Hie made repeated voyages between Canada and Europe, and in 1615 brought out four fathers of the Recollet order, who came as missionaries to locate and labor among the Indians.4 These were the first priests who settled in Canada. In 1616, Champlain returned to France, and in 1620 made another visit to Canada, where he encouraged and assisted settlements, and labored in many ways for the benefit of the infant colonies. During the war which broke out between England and France in 1628, Charles I., of England, commissioned Sir David Kirkt, a French refugee, commander of a squadron, and authorized him to conquer Canada. Kirkt appeared before Quebec the same year and demanded its surrender, but was finally driven off. QUEBEC TAKEN BY TILE ENGLISH. In 1629, however, when Champlain was reduced to the last extremity for the necessaries of life, Kirkt again appeared before Quebec, when, seeing no hope of successful resistance, and being exposed to the attacks of the Iroquois, hlie finally accepted the very honorable terms offered by the English commander and surren- dered the city and province. Champlain went to England and soon after to France. The English held possession of Canada for a period of about three years, but, attaching little value to it, they restored it to France upon the conclusion of peace in 1632, when Champlain was once more made governor of the colony. He died in 1635, after an active connection with the French possessions in America of upwards of thirty years. Possessing the control of the St. Lawrence, and holding the gateway to the sea, the French, as a natural consequence, were the first to explore the region lying to the westward and around the great inland seas which give the St. Lawrence its steady, unceasing flow, and make it one of the grandest rivers upon the globe. "The purposes of Champlain were more religious than commercial, and he esteemed the salvation of a soul worth more than the conquest of an empire." "IHis charter recognized the Indian convert as a citizen of France, and the Fran- ciscans were chosen to conduct his missions." But the more active order of the Jesuits eventually took possession, and their missionaries, Jean de Brebwuf, Daniel and Gabriel Lallemand, passed up the Ottawa river to Like Huron, and thence to the Sault St. Marie, and established missions at St. Joseph, St. Louis, and St. Ignace among the Ierons. These operations took place between the years 1634 and 1640. In the latter year Fathers Raymbault, Isaac Jogues, and Pizard labored among the nations situated around Lakes Huron and Nipissing. The war between the Hurons and Iroquois involved these missions, and many of them were broken up and dispersed, and the missionaries tortured with all the hellish ingenuity of the savage. In 1641, Raymnibault and Joggues passed in a birch canoe around the north side of Lake Huron and held a council with the C/iippewas at the Sault St. Marie, where they first heard of the 1',lonnessies, or Sioux, who dwelt eighteen days' journey to the westward of the great lake. But, notwithstanding their piety and zeal, these adventurous spirits were subject to the same vicissitudes and perils as other men. In 1642, Jogues and Bressani were captured by the Iroquois and * Written also De Chatte, and said to have been governor of Dieppe. t" Quebec," according to Charlevoix, is derived from the Algonquin word Qcbeis, signifying a strait. ++ Lanman's "IHistory of Michigan," published in 1839, says in 1612. savagely tortured to death. In 16-48 the mission of St. Joseph (near Fort Gratiot) was destroyed and Father Daniel slain; and in 1649 St. Louis and St. Ignace were taken and Brebmeuf, a veteran soldier of the cross, and the young but zeal- ous Lallemand captured while ministering to the sick and dying, and most barbar- ously tortured by the blood-thirsty Iroquois. In 1660, Father Rend Mesnard visited the south shore of Lake Superior, gathered a church at the bay of St. The- resa, and was afterwards lost in the forests on Keweenaw peninsula. His cassock and breviary were said to have been found among the ,S'ioux long afterwards. Meanwhile a change took place in the government of the colony of Canada. The " Company of the Hundred Associates," which had ruled since 1632, re- signed its charter, and New France passed under the jurisdiction of the " Comn- pany of the Indies."'§ In 1665, Tracy was made viceroy, Courcelles governor, and Talon intendant. The duties of the latter included a supervision of the policy, justice, and finances of the colony. Under the new government the Jesuit mis- sions were fostered and encouraged, and Father Claude Allouez was sent out the same year, gia the Ottawa. to the far west. From the Sault St. Marie hlie passed along the south coast of Lake Superior, and landed at the bay of Chegoinmegon, where was located the principal village of the Chi)ppewas. Here, in August, 1665, he established the first permanent mission on the lake, and made an alliance, on behalf of the colony, with tihe Jlottawtomies, Sucs, Foxes, and Illiuis against the Jroquo/s. The next year, accompanied by a band of Ottawas, lhe crossed to the north shore of Lake Superior, and, voyaging along to the western extremity, met the Sioux, who described to him a great river flowing to the south, and called by them " Missippi."l In 1668, Claude Dablon and Jacques' Marquette established a mission at the Sault St. Marie, and, during the succeeding five years, Allouez, Dablon, and Marquette explored the region lying south of Lake Superior and west of Lake Michigan, and founded the missions of Mlichlimhckinac and Green Bay (the " Bale des Puans" of the French). In 1670, Nicholas Perrot was sent out to propose a congress of all the western Indians, and in 1671 a great council was held at the Sault St. Marie, at which, with much pomp and ceremony, the nations of the northwest were taken under the protection of France. MARQUETTE AND JOLIET. Not satisfied with mere display, Talon, the intendant, was determined to explore the country and learn more of the great river of which Alloucz had heard. To this end hlie authorized and directed Marquette and M. Joliet, of Quebec, to explore the region where it was supposed to be. Then followed the remarkable voyage of these adventurers (1673) through the lakes to Mich ilnackinac,** and from thence in bark canoes up Green bay and the Fox river, over the portage to the Wisconsin (Ouitscontsda), and thence down to the Mississippi, which they reached on the 17th of June. Boldly entering, against the advice of the natives, they leisurely sailed down the Mississippi as thr as the A-kamoc.s (since corrupted into Arkansas), and from thence returned to Lake Michigan, via the Illinois river, along whose lux- uriant shores swarmed every species of game known to the country, in immense numbers. The party safely reached Green bay in September. Time discoveries made by Marquette and Joliet were among the most important of that age, and awakened an interest which eventually cuminated in the still more remarkable voyages of LA SALLE AND HENNEPIN, extending over a period of eight years, from 1679 to 1687. " Robert Chevalier de la Salle was a native of Rouen, in Normandy. LIe was educated in a semi- nary of the Jesuits, and probably being designed for the church, received no share of his father's estate. For some unknown reason he left the seminary, with, however, the approbation of his superiors, camne to Canada about the year 1667, and engaged in the fur trade. But his active mind was busied with specu- lations far beyond the details of his business. It was the belief of that age that a passage through the American continent might be found to China and the East, and La Salle's mind was so filled with the idea, and with the hope of realizing it, that his trading post on the island of Montreal was named La Chine. And thus he was occupied with great thoughts of discovery when Marquette and Jolict returned."tt He at once laid his ideas and plans before Frontenac, then governor-general SThe "one hundred associates" had become reduced to forty, and had sold their rights and privileges for one thousand heaver-skins.--Lut,man's " History of MiJch/i (r." According to Lanman, " MiJh-i-s-pee." According to Charlevoix, Joseph. * This name is said to be lderivedl from the Indian word lfih-(-mark-i-,nae, meaning a great turtle, or the Chippewa word Mich-ie-muk-i-nonk, signifying the place of giant fairies. t" 'Annals of the West." HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of Canada, who warmly indorsed them. La Salle's great ruling idea was to explore the country lying between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico, via the Mississippi river, and connect the two widely-separated regions by a chain of strong posts and fortifications, the first step in which project was the rebuilding of Fort Frontenac or Catarocony (sometimes spelled Cataruqui) substantially of stone. Count Frontenac saw in La Salle's suggestions the germs of a magnifi- cent empire in America, whose advantages should wholly accrue to his beloved France and the glory of whose discovery and upbuilding should link the names of those conspicuous in the enterprise with the history of all coming time. He warmly espoused the cause of La Salle, and advised him to proceed at once to France and lay the matter before the king and his counsellors, and, to aid him in his suit, gave him letters to the renowned Colbert, minister of finance and marine. La Salle returned to France in 1675, and laid his plans, together with Count Frontenac's letter, before the minister, who at once entered into the spirit of the adventurer. La Salle was made a chevalier, and invested with the seigniory of Fort Catarocony, upon condition that hlie would rebuild it, and received from the noblemen and princes of the kingdom assurances of aid and good will. He soon after returned to Canada, where hlie labored diligently in the reconstruction of Fort Frontenac until the close of 1677, when he again visited France and re- ported his progress. Ile was a second time received with great favor, and, at the instance of Colbert and his son Seignelay, then minister of marine, he was granted new letters patent, with additional privileges. On the 14th of July, 1678, hlie sailed from Rochelle for Quebec, accompanied by Henri de Tonti,* an Italian, as lieutenant, and thirty men. They arrived at Quebec on the 15th of September, and soon after proceeded up the river to Frontenac. Here, quietly working, was Louis Hennepin, a friar of the Franciscan order, and of the Recollet variety. He had come to Canada about the time of La Salle's return from his first visit to the court, and had, in the mean time, made a journey among the Iroquois. He was appointed by his religious superiors to accompany tile exploring expedition about to start for the unknown west, under La Salle, and was awaiting him at Fort Frontenac on his arrival from France. The chevalier's first steps were to send forward agents to trade among the Indians, and by timely presents and pacific counsel to prepare the way for his coming; and on the 18th of November, 1678, hlie himself embarked in a small brigantine of about ten tons burden to cross Lake Ontario. This, says one of his chroniclers, was the first "ship" that ever sailed upon that fresh-water sea. The weather was so unpropitious, and the lake so boisterous, that hlie was nearly four weeks beating up from Frontenac to Niagara. Near the Iroquois village of Niagara, La Salle erected magazines for the storage of supplies, and commenced work upon a fort, which the jealousy of the Iroquois compelled him to desist from for a time. On the 26th of January, 1679, at the mouth of Cayuga creek, on the Ameri- can side of the river and about six miles above the great falls, La Salle laid the keel of the first vessel built by Europeans on the western waters.t Leaving his men to continue work upon the vessel, he returned to Frontenac to collect and forward the necessary stores, cables, anchors, etc., for the new vessel. Through the cold winter days some of his men worked upon the vessel, which was christened the " Griffin," after the arms of Count Frontenac, while others trafficked with the neighboring Indians for furs and peltry, until the 20th of January, 1679, when the chevalier returned from Frontenac. His little brigan- tine was wrecked by bad management, and a large share of the stores ard provisions went to the bottom. Early in the spring La Salle returned with a store of furs to Frontenac, with which to procure another outfit, while Tonti went forward to explore the lake coasts, collect the mien together, and make ready for the voyage into the upper waters. On the 7th of August, 1679, the "Griffin" was ready to sail, and with Te Deums and the discharge of fire-arms, she stood out upon the deep, blue waters before her and began the first voyage ever undertaken by a European-built ship upon the waters of the vast inland seas, whose aggregate area is equal to ninety- four thousand square miles. Over the dancing waters of Erie, past the sunny islands in the west, through the rapid St. Clair, over the shallow lake beyond, and up against the strong cur- rent of the blue "d'etroit," between luxuriant shores, they swept out upon the tumultuous waves of the Huron sea, where they encountered storms terrible as those of the Atlantic, and, after many days of perilous adventure, sought safety in the roadstead of Michilimackiac on the 27th of August. * De Tonti accompanied La Salle in most of his voyages, and was long a resident of Detroit. f " Annals of the West," page 56. Here the bold adventurers remained until the middle of September, founded a fort (to be famous in after-years), explored the adjacent shores, and trafficked with the red men. From thence he pursued his voyage to Green bay (" Bale tdes Puans"). At this place, finding a large quantity of furs, he loaded the " Griffin" and sent her down the lakes to Niagara. She sailed on her return on the 18th of September, under command of a pilot supposed to be experienced and trustworthy, while La Salle with fourteen men proceeded up the western coast of the lake in boats or canoes, leisurely examining the country as lie passed along. Tonti was to look up some men, who had straggled, and join La Salle at the head of the lake. The chevalier arrived at the mouth of the St. Joseph river (then called Miamis) on the 1st of November, having coasted around the southern end of the lake, past the sites of Chicago and Michigan City. At this point he built a fort,± and re- mained nearly a month, when, hearing nothing from his vessel, he determined to continue his explorations. Leaving ten men to garrison the fort, on the 3d of December hlie started, with about twenty men and three nionks, on "his great voy- age and glorious undertaking." Following up the St. Joseph river as far as the present city of South Bend, Indiana, lie crossed a short portage to the The-a- ki-ki, since corrupted into Kan-ka-kee, and made his way through its marshy channel to the Illinois river. At a deserted Indian village within the limits of La Salle county, Illinois, hlie found an abundant store of Indian corn, which lihe appropriated, and, floating down the Illinois river, arrived on the 4th of January, 1680, at a widening of that streanm, since called Peoria lake, at the southern ex- tremity of which hlie constructed a fort, and gave it the name Crevecwur (Broken Heart). This fort most probably stood upon a site now occupied by the thriving city of Peoria. Whether La Salle had heard of the loss of his vessel, which most likely occurred upon the stormy waters of Lake Huron, is not known, but the name given to his little stockade is at least suggestive of a mind depressed with gloomy forebodings. Remaining here until the last of February, La Salle determined to return to Canada and procure more men and supplies wherewith to continue his exploration of the western rivers. In the mean time lie dispatched Hennepin with a small party to explore the Mississippi towards its source, and leaving Tonti with the larger nunmber of the men to work upon the fortifications and extend his inter- course among the Indians, hlie started with a few companions and traversed a wilder- ness of at least twelve hundred miles, from Illinois to Fort Frontenac, along the south- ern borders of Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario, and at last reached his destina- tion. His worst forebodings were realized. The " Griffin" had foundered, his agents had proven false to their trust, and his creditors had seized all his remaining goods. Almost any other man, under such circumstances, would have given up in despair, but La Salle, nothing daunted, straightened up his affairs, and by mid- summer was again on his way to rejoin his little band in Illinois. But on his arrival, in December, 1680, or January, 1681, he found the fort deserted and no tidings of the fate of those hlie had left behind. After La Salle's departure the commiand of Tonti had suffered from the sur- rounding Indians and a war party of Iroquois, who had made their way from their homes in New York to make war upon the Indians of the prairies. Their commander at length became disheartened, and in September, 1680, aban- doned the post and made his way to tIhe lakes, and finally to Michilimackinac. Once more discouraged, La Salle turned his face towards Canada, and, return- ing by way of Lakes Michigan and Hurn, found his lieutenant on his arrival at Michilimackinac, in June, 1681. Meanwhile, Hennepin proceeded from Crevecour and reached the Mississippi in seven days. Embarking upon its turbulent waters, he paddled his way against the ice-encumbered stream, and on the 11th of April arrived at the mouth of the Wisconsin river. At this point hlie was taken prisoner by a band of northern Indians, who treated him and his companions with comparative kindness, and took them up the river to the falls of St. Anthony, which was named by Hennepin in honor of his patron saint. This was on the 1st of May. From this point they traveled by land to a village of the Sioux, situated two hundred miles northwest of the falls. Here, after a sojourn of three months, a band of French explorers, under command of one Sieur de Luth,§ reached them by way of Lake Superior. With this officer the captives returned to Canada in November, 1680, just after La Salle had returned to the wilderness. IHlennepin soon after proceeded to France, where, in 1684, he published a his- tory of his adventures. After La Salle met Tonti at Michilimackinac they returned together to Fron- tenac, where they fitted out another expedition, and in August, 1681, were on their way once more towards the goal of their hopes, the Mississippi. On the 3d The Jesuits subsequently established a mission here. SFrom whom Duluth was probably named. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of November they reached St. Joseph's, from whence, about the middle of Decem- ber, he started with twenty-three Frenchmen, eighteen eastern Indians, ten Indian women, and three children, and crossed to the present site of the city of Chli- cago, and made the portage thence to the head-waters of the Illinois river. The party traveled on foot, with their baggage upon sledges. Leaving Chicago about the 6th of January, 1682, they passed down the Illinois, found Fort Creve- coeur in good condition, and reached the Mississippi on the 6th of February. At a point on one of tihe Chickasaw bluffs a Frenchman, named Proudhomme, was lost while hunting on the 26th of February. A fort was built upon the spot and named after him, though lie was afterwards found. Passing down, on the 6th of April, 1682, they discovered the three great openings by which the river discharges its waters into the sea. On the 7th they examined the sea-coast, and on the 9th erected a cross, to which were affixed the arms of France, with this inscription: "LOUIS LE GRAND, ROI DE FRANCE ET DE NAVARRE, REGNE, LE NEUVIEME AVRIL, 1682." La Salle then took formal possession of all the lands watered by the great river, in the name of the king of France, and the ceremony ended by a salute of fire- arms and cries of " Tve le Roi !" Thus the bold and determined navigator and explorer laid the foundation for the claims which the French made to a vast region, and which they stubbornly defended for three-quarters of a century,---a region which to-day comprises the largest and most fertile area of land upon the face of the globe drained by a single stream, with the exception of the basin of the Amazon, in South America, and cap- able of sustaining a much denser population than the valley of the latter stream. The expedition did not remain long in the lower Mississippi. Returning up the river, everything progressed favorably until they arrived at Fort Proudhomme, when La Salle was taken violently sick and compelled to stop. His lieutenant, Tonti, ivas sent forward with dispatches to Count Frontenac, and La Salle him- self followed, and arrived at St. Joseph in September. From this latter point he sent Father Zenobe with dispatches to represent him in France, while he engaged in the fur trade in the northwest, and is said to have completed a fort, called St. Louis, upon a high and commanding bluff of the Illinois river, which the French writers describe as being two hundred and fifty feet high, and inac- cessible except upon one side.* In the autumn of 1683 the chevalier returned to France. In July, 1684, a fleet of twenty-four vessels sailed from Rochelle for America, four of which, hav- ing La Salle and a large party of emigrants on board, were destined for Louisiana. The subsequent trials, misfortunes, and adventures of this intrepid navigator are well known to every student of history. He missed the mouth of the Mississippi, and finally landed at Matagorda bay, in Texas, where lie built a fort out of the wreck of one of his vessels, which he named St. Louis. He remained here until the spring of 1687, exploring the country and fighting the hostile sav- ages, and on the 20th of March, 1687, while on an exploring expedition, was treacherously waylaid and shot by his own men near a river called the Cenis, in Texas. Thus perished one of the most remarkable men of any age. We have given this somewhat lengthy account of La Salle because Ie was tire first European who visited the present territory of Michigan in a sail-vessel, and also because he was instrumental in locating and erecting at least two prominent fortifications within her limits,-Michilimackinac and Aifamis, on the St. Joseph. In the course of his voyages and journeyings by sea and land, lie passed en- tirely around the lower peninsula and examined many of its bays and rivers, and his journey in the winter of 1680-81, from Fort Creveceur to Frontenac, on foot, through the wilderness, quite likely included the route from the St. Joseph river to the head of Lake Erie, through at least a portion of Michigan. CHAPTER III. TIHE FRANCISCANS AND JESUITS-INDIAN WARS-EARLY SETTLEMENTS IN MICIIIGAN-FIRST SETTLEMENT AT DETROIT-SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT- FIRST SIEGE OF DETROIT--MILITARY ROAD TO THE 01110 RIVER-FIRST APPEARANCE OF PONTIAC-DETROIT SURRENDERED TO THE ENGLISIH. To tihe Franciscan and Jesuit branches of the Romish priesthood more than to any other class of men is the region around the great lakes indebted for its ear- * The French vastly overrated heights and distances. The highest rocks along the Illinois are in La Salle county, and are perhaps one hundred feet high. The location of this work is at present unknown. . - ' - (: .t (7./, r , K '/ / , /- liest settlements; and to their influence more than any other cause may be attrib- uted the almost unlimited sway exercised by the civil and military rulers of France over the children of the forest. As has already been shown, the earliest settlements within the territory of Michigan were established by the Jesuits at St. Josepih, at the foot of Lake Huron; at St. Ignace, St. Louis, and Mackinaw, near the straits; at the Sault St. Marie; at St. Joseph, on Lake Michigan; and at several points along the southern shore of Lake Superior. The first missionaries among the Indians were Le Caron, Viel, and Sagard (Franciscans), as early as 1616, under Champlain's administration. Owing to tihe fierce hostility of the Iroquois, the French had rarely visited Lake Erie or the rivers connecting it with Lakes St. Clair and Huron. Their line of operations had been by the valley of the Ottawa river, Lake Nipissing, and Lake Huron, whose borders were occupied by the friendly Hierons, or Wyandots, until they were expelled by the Iroquois in 1649. The Ottawas had formerly lived in the valley of the Ottawa river, in Canada, from whence they had been driven by tihe terrible Iroquois. The Ottawas, Ojib- was, and Pottawatomies had banded themselves together in a sort of confedera- tion for mutual defense. The Ojibwas were said to have been the most numer- ous, and were principally located around Lake Superior, with a small portion on the lower peninsula, near Michilimackinac. The Chippewas, another western tribe, probably lived along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. Two warlike nations occupied the peninsula lying between the Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron: the Iiurons or Wyandots, and the Neutral nation. The Herons lived along tihe eastern borders of the great sea which bears their name, while the Neutral nation occupied the region lying along the north shore of Lake Erie, with their left flank thrown across tihe Niagara river. Both these nations spoke a dialect of tihe Algonquin language. The population of the IIHuron nation has been variously estimated at from ten thousand to thirty thousand souls, but it did not probably exceed the smaller estimate. In 1649 the dreaded Iroquois broke in upon the quiet of the Ihurons, cap- tured their principal village, and slaughtered or carried into captivity its inhab- itants, scattering the entire nation. Some found a refuge among the French inhabitants of Lower Canada, and many fled to the region north and west of Lake Superior, where, encountering the bands of the fierce DacotahIts, they were driven back, and finally established themselves about the outlet of the great lakes, among the adjacent shores and islands in the northern part of Lake Huron. About the year 1680 a colony of them made a permanent settlement on the site of Detroit, " iwhere, by their superior valor, capacity, and address, they soon acquired a marvelous ascendency over the surrounding Algonquins." It is claimed by some that as early as 1620 the site of Detroit was occupied by an Indian village called Teuch-sa Gron-die, but to what nation or tribe its people belonged, or what became of them, is not known. The Indian nations were so much mixed together in their transient settlements, and each particular tribe had so many appellations, that it is next to impossible to speak with any degree of certainty regarding them. In the vicinity of Detroit were found lIarons, Ottawas, Ojibwas, Pot/awato- roies, Ottagamies, lascoutins, Twiqhtwees, or il/amis, and here and there scat- tering bands of the iroquois, and probably others. The Neutral nation was completely destroyed by the Seuccas, and soon after the Eries and Andostes shared tire same fate. Between the years 1649 and 1672 the Iroquois destroyed or drove into exile four of tIre most warlike nations of the continent. FIRST SETTLEMENT AT DETROIT. In 1694, Antoine de la Motte Cadillac was placed in command of Mackinaw then the most important post in the northwest. In 1699 hie visited France and proposed the establishment of a post at Detroit, and Count Ponchartrain, the prime minister of Louis XIV., approved of his plan. Both the French and English were anxious to establish a settlement at this point, and the former power soon took the necessary steps to occupy the ground and forestall its great rival. Preliminary to carrying out the plan, and as a pre- cautionary measure, a great council of all the Indian tribes from the St. Lawrence, to the Mississippi, including the Iroquois, was held at Montreal in the spring of 1701, at which the matter was presented to the Indians and fully discussed. The project was strongly opposed by the Iroquoils, who stated that they had already refused the English the coveted privilege; but the governor-general declared that the land belonged not to the Indians, nor the English, but to the king of France and that it would be occupied at once and in force.' Immediately following the council, Cadillac, who had been granted a tract of land on the proposed site of the post by the king, started from Montreal with about one hundred men, accompanied by a Jesuit missionary, and arrived at the strait on the 24th of July, 1701, where he immediately began building a tfortifica- HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. tion and establishing a permanent settlement. The fortification hlie named in honor of the prime minister, PONCIIARTRAIN. It was a stockade, and inclosed the settlement on all sides. The name Detroit comes from the French word (d'etroit, signifying the strait. The lands in the immediate vicinity of the posts, Detroit, Mackinaw, St. Joseph, and Green Bay, were eventually more or less occupied by French set- tiers and converted or friendly Indians, who cultivated small strips or gardens. The posts and all adjacent settlements were under the absolute rule of the mili- tary commandant, which, however, was seldom very rigorous in its nature. The most important business interest of these various posts was the fur trade, which' grew to large proportions and became very lucrative, and still constitutes a valu- able portion of the business of the great lakes and their tributary streams. The settlements in southeastern Michigan gradually spread until they occupied a belt of country extending from the head of Lake Erie to the foot of Lake Huron, more or less densely inhabited, according to circumstances. Each hamlet and village had its resident priest and its primitive chapel, surmounted by the omnipresent cross, and furnished with the necessary bell to call the people to their religious devotions. Among these quaint and quiet surroundings for many years the zealous Jesuits propagated the tenets of their faith. Here gathered listening groups of painted savagres, who readily conformed to all the outward ceremonies of the Catholic church, but upon whose minds Christianity really made no perma- nent impression. When not engaged in the pursuits of hunting and fishing, or the more impor- tant business of the war-path, they were content to lounge about their dirty villages and listen with their habitual stolidity to the platitudes of the Romish priesthood, whose zeal and industry vainly endeavored to transform the tawny barbarian into a cultivated and respectable human being. After the lapse of more than two hundred years, it is a curious commentary upon their labors that their utmost efforts have not been able to make any serious or permanent impression upon the Indian race, or in any marked degree to preserve them from the inevitable fate of all inferior peoples. A few representative men like Philip of Mount Hope, Red Jacket, Pontiac, Osceola, Little Turtle, and Tecumseh, have risen among them, who would no doubt even in a civilized community have been remarkable and prominent men; but the great bulk of the race would never be taught the arts of civilization further than they were connected with war and the chase, but, faithful to their ancient traditions and savage progenitors, have perished from the earth; essen- tially the same as they were when Ponce de Leon encountered their yelling legions in the Everglades of Florida, or when De Soto felt the weight of their terrific onslaught among the forests of Alabama. The MAodoc and the S/o.x are to-day the same fierce, treacherous, uncompro- mising, blood-thirsty miscreants, whose prototypes greeted the Pilgrims with a shower of arrows on Plymouth Rock, who stormed with fiendish yells the fortifi- cations of Montreal, and battled with Braddock and Bouquet amid the hills of Pennsylvania. Large communities of the Ifurous (or llandots), the Pottawatomies, and Munnls were located around Detroit and St. Joseph, and the Ottawas had a village on the Canada side, opposite Detroit, and very likely occupied the present county of Oakland. About the year 1704 the Ottawas were invited to visit Albany, New York, where they were persuaded by the English that the French in- tended to exterminate them and occupy their country. This cunning talk highly inflamed them against the French, and on their return they attempted to burn Detroit, but the garrison were on the alert and extinguished the flames. Soon after, their warriors having made a successful foray in the country of the Iroquois, they became emboldened and made hostile demonstrations in the vicinity of the fort. But 3M. Tonti, the commandant, sent the Sicur de Vincennes against them, who defeated them and rescued several Iroquois prisoners. In 1712 the Ottaga- nmies, or Foxes, and the Mascoutins, both of whom probably had their principal abiding-place on the head-waters of the Illinois river and in southern Wisconsin, and were supposed to have been in league with the Iroquois, projected a plan for the destruction of the French posts and settlements; but M. Du Buisson, then in command at Detroit, learning, through a converted Indian, of their designs, hastily prepared for the emergency by putting the fort in the best possible state of defense and sending warning messages to the friendly Indians. ATTACK UPON DETROIT. On the 13th of May, 1712, the savages began the attack with terrific yells. A brave defense was made by the little garrison, which consisted of only twenty soldiers, and the Ottawas, P"ottawatomies, and Iurons, who were absent on hunt- ing excursions when the attack commenced, soon returning, the fight became more equal, and was maintained with the utmost desperation for a period of nineteen days, when the fierce warriors retreated up the river, hotly pursued by the French and friendly Indians. Routed a second time from their intrenchments by the artillery of the French, they were dispersed with a loss estimated by MI. Du Buis- son at over one thousand men, women, and children. The remnant fled to the vicinity of Green bay, where they were joined by the rest of their tribe. Forti- fying themselves again, they sent out their war-parties to plunder and destroy. Exasperated at their continued incursions, the French fitted out a formidable expedition against them, under command of MI. De Louvigncy, consisting of a mixed force of French and Indians. The Indians were found intrenched at a place called by the French "Butte des Mforts," or Hill of the Dead. Seeing the French commander preparing to surround them and sit down to a regular siege, the savages capitulated, and from thenceforward were no longer formidable. About the year 1749 there was a large emigration from France, and it is said that, during this year, the French commandant at Detroit cut a military road from Detroit via the Maumee rapids to the Ohio river. Detroit continued to be an important point until after the close of the cele- brated " old French war" of 1755-59. From its strong stockades issued many a plumed and painted band of savages, whose terrible war-whoop blanched the checks of many a mother and her children on the frontiers of the English colonies. Here, in the summer of 1759, was collected a mixed array of French and Indians from all the adjacent posts in Michigan and Illinois, and hurried forward for the relief of Fort Niagara, which was closely besieged by General Prideaux and Sir William Johnson. The French, under command of General D'Aubrey, appeared before the English lines on the 24th of July, but were met and completely defeated by Sir William Johnson, to whom Niagara soon after surrendered. General Pri- deaux was killed during the siege by the bursting of a coehorn. Quebec was captured in September by Wolfe's army, and Montreal fell in September of the following year. DETROIT SURRENDERS TO MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS. On the 12th of September, 1760, four days after the surrender of Montreal, Major Robert Rogers, a provincial officer, born in New Hampshire, and a fellow- soldier with Stark and Putnam, received orders from Sir Jeffrey Amherst to ascend the lakes with a detachment of rangers and take possession, in the name of his Britannic majesty, of Detroit, Michilimackinac, and other western posts included in the late capitulation. He left Montreal on the following day with two hundred rangers in fifteen whale-boats. They passed the chapel of St. Anne's, where Canadian voyayeurs, bound for the northwest, received absolution and paid their votive offerings. Stemming the surges of La Chine and the Cedars, they left behind them the straggling hamlet which bore the latter name and formed at that day the western limit of Canadian settlement. They gained Lake Ontario, skirted its northern shore amid rough and boisterous weather, and, crossing at its western extremity, reached Fort Niagara on the 1st of October. Carrying their boats over the portage, they launched once more above the cataract, and slowly pursued their voyage, while Rogers, with a few attendants, hastened on in advance to Fort Pitt to deliver dispatches, with which he was charged, to General Monckton. This errand accomplished, he rejoined his command at Presqu' Isle about the end of the month, and the whole proceeded together along the southern margin of Lake Erie. The season was far advanced. The wind was chill, the lake was stormy, and the woods on shore were tinged with the fading hues of autumn. On the 10th of November they reached the mouth of Cuyahoga river, the present site of Cleveland. No body of troops under the British flag had ever advanced so lhr. The day was dull and rainy, and, resolving to rest until the weather should improve, Rogers ordered his men to prepare their encampment in the neighboring forest. The place has seen great changes since that day. A busy city of more than a hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants has usurped the spot where the fish- hawk and the eagle, the wolf and the bear, then reigned in undisputed mastery. FIRST APPEARANCE OF PONTIAC. Soon after the arrival of the rangers a party of Indian chiefs and warriors entered the camp. They proclaimed themselves an embassy from Pontiac, ruler of all that country, and directed, in his name, that the English should advance no farther until they could have an interview with the great chief, who was already close at hand. In truth, before the day closed Pontiac himself appeared; and it is here for the first time that this remarkable man stands forth upon the page of history. He greeted Rogers with the haughty demand, " What is your business in this country; and how dare you enter it without my permission ?" Rogers informed him that the French were defeated, that Canada had surren- dered, and that hlie was on his way to take possession of Detroit, and restore a general peace to white men and Indians alike. Pontiac listened with attention, but only replied that hlie "should stand in the path until morning." Having HISTORY OF( inquired if the strangers were in need of anything which his country af withdrew With his chiefs at nightfall to his own encampment, while th( ill at ease and suspecting treachery, stood well on their guard through1 In the morning, Pontiac returned to the camp with his attendant c made his reply to Rogers' speech of the previous day. He was willing to live at peace with the English, and suffer them to remain in his long as they treated him with due respect and deference. The Indian provincial officers smoked the calumet together, and perfect harmon established between them. Up to this time Pontiac had been in word and deed the fast all French, bat it is easy to discern the motives that impelled him to ren old adherence. The American forest never produced a man more shrev and ambitious. Ignorant as he was of what was passing in the world, clearly see that the French power was on the wane, and he knew his ow too well to prop a falling cause. By making friends of the English lihe gain powerful allies, who would aid his ambitious projects and give h! creased influence over the tribes; and hlie flattered himself that the ni would treat him with the same studied respect which the French h4 observed. In this and all his other expectations of advantage from th hlie was doomed to disappointment. A cold storm of rain set in, and the rangers were detained several day encampment. During this time Rogers had several interviews with Poi was constrained to admire the native vigor of his intellect no less than t lar control which he exercised over those around him. On the 12th of 2 the detachment was again in motion, and within a few days they had re: western end of Lake Erie. Here they heard that the Detroit Indian, arms against them, and that four hundred warriors lay in ambush at the of the river to cut them off. But the powerful influence of Pontiac wa in behalf of his new friends. The warriors abandoned their design, rangers continued their progress towards Detroit, now within a short dis SURRENDER OF DETROIT. In the mean time, Lieutenant Brehm had been sent forward witha Captain de Bellestre, the commandant at Detroit, informing him that Ca capitulated, that his garrison was included in the capitulation, and that lish detachment was approaching to relieve it. The Frenchman in gro at the tidings disregarded the message as an informal communication, and to keep a hostile attitude to the last. lie did his best to rouse the fu Indians. Among other devices he displayed upon a pole before the yelli tude the effigy of a crow picking a man's head, the crow representing and the head, observes Rogers, "being meant for my own." All his eff unavailing, and his faithless allies showed unequivocal symptoms of def the hour of need. Rogers had now entered the mouth of the river Detroit, whence he ward Captain Campbell with a copy of the capitulation, and a letter Marquis of Vaudreul, directing that the place should be given up, in at with the terms agreed upon between him and General Amherst. De was forced to yield, and with a very ill grace declared himself and his gv the disposal of the English commander. The whale-boats of the rangers moved slowly upwards between the 1 of the river, until at length the green uniformity of marsh and forest was by the Canadian houses, which began to appear on either bank, the ou the secluded and isolated settlement. Before them, on the right, they c the village of the Wyandots, and on the left the clustered lodges of tl watomits, while a little beyond the flag of France was flying for the I above the bark roofs and weather-beaten palisades of the little fortified to The rangers landed on the opposite bank, and pitched their tents meadow, while two officers with a somall detachment went across the rive possession of the place. In obedience to their summons the French defiled upon the plain and laid down their arms. The ,fler de lis was from the flagstaff, and the cross of St. George rose aloft in its place, whi hundred Indian warriors, lately the active allies of France, greeted the sit a burst of triumphant yells. The Canadian militia were next called toge disarmed. The Indians looked on with amazement at their obsequious behavior, loss to understand why so many men should humble themselves before Nothing is more effective in gaining the respect or even attachment of than a display of power. The savage spectators conceived the loftiest English prowess, and were beyond measure astonished at the forbearance conquerors in not killing their vanquished enemies on the spot. It was on the 29th day of November, 1760, that Detroit fell into the the English. The garrison were sent as prisoners down the lake, but the ( OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 15 inhabitants were allowed to retain their farms and houses on condition of swear- ing allegiance to the British crown. An officer was sent southward to take possession of the forts Miami and Ouia- tenon, which guarded the communication between Lake Erie and the Ohio, while Rogers himself, with a small party, proceeded northward to relieve the French garrison of Michilimackinac. The storms and gathering ice of Lake Huron forced him back without accomplishing his object, and Michilimackinae, with the three remoter posts of St. Marie, Green Bay, and St. Joseph, remained for the time in the hands of the French. During the next season, however, a detach- ment of the Sixtieth Regiment, then called the Royal Americans, took possession of them; and nothing now remained within the power of the French except the few posts and settlements on the Mississippi and the Wabash, not included in the capitulation of Montreal.* The population of Detroit in 1761 was estimated by Major Rogers at twenty- five hundred, but this probably included the whole settlement along both sides of the river. CHAPTER IV. TTTD ER E2IWLISI- RTLE. DISAFFECTION OF THE INDIANS-TIHE DELAWARE " PROPIIET"---PONTIAC S WAR-SECOND SIEGE OF DETROIT-CIIAGRIN AND DEATH OF PONTIAC- ENGLISII OPERATIONS IN THE WEST DURING TILE REVOLUTIONARY WAR -GENERAL GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. THILE control of the Canadas had scarcely been transferred to the English when mutterings and rumors of discontent began to be heard. The treatment of the Indians by the English was in marked contrast to that of the French, who had always conducted their business relations as if the Indians were their equals, and paid them the greatest respect. On the contrary, the English looked upon them with scorn and contempt. The fur-traders resorted to every possible subterfuge to cheat and defraud them, and around the posts and garrisons they were not only looked down upon in a haughty and supercilious manner, but were maltreated and ordered out of thie way. The French inhabitants, who hated the English, delighted in feeding the flame of growing discontent, until it finally culminated in one of the most form- idable outbreaks in the history of the American continent. As early as 1761-62 plots were laid for the total destruction of the English posts and settlements; but Captain Campbell, in command at Detroit, getting in- formation of them, they were thwarted for the time being. By the Treaty of Paris, in February, 1763, France ceded all her Canadian pos- sessions to the English, and the people of England and the Colonies fondly hoped that their troubles and difficulties were at an end; but they were doomed to a cruel disappointment. While everything seemed quiet upon the surface a volcano was seething and boiling under their feet, which burst forth in the spring of 1763 with unparalleled violence and ferocity. The Delawares, and at least a portion of the Six Nations, the lWyandots, the Shawnees, and all the western nations, were in the plot, and the blow fell simultaneously upon the frontiers, from Lake Superior to the Susquehanna. The leading spirit of this most formidable con- spiracy was Pontiac, the principal chief of the Ottawas, then about fifty years of age, and undoubtedly the ablest Indian statesman and leader at that time upon the continent. At the head of the eastern Indians was the no less celebrated Seneca chief, Kyasuta or Guyasutha, whose home was on the Allegheny river. Both Pontiac and Kyasuta were said to have been at the head of their warriors at the slaughter of Braddock's army on the Monongahela, eight years before. As a strategist and military leader Kyasuta stands deservedly high among celebrated Indians, as his operations during the siege of Fort Pitt and the desperate battle of Brush Run against the genius of the able and accomplished Bouquet amply testify. A great prophet had arisen among the Delawares, who, like " Peter the Her- mit," preached a crusade against the whites. He claimed to have been called by the " Great Spirit" for this special purpose, and the Indians gathered from far and near to listen to his speeches and incantations, which wrought them to the highest degree of excitement and enthusiasm. The great Pontiac in like manner claimed to be in league with a higher power, who had appeared to him in a '" Conspiracy of Pontiac." 16 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. wonderful vision, and promised, if his instructions were faithfully fulfilled, to sweep the English from the continent. He sent the war-belt by his principal chiefs and warriors throughout all the western nations, and succeeded in uniting them in a grand league, which had well-nigh proved the destruction of all the border settlements, from the lakes of the west to the Allegheny mountains. The long-meditated blow fell simultaneously, and suddenly as a crash of thunder from a clear sky. Every post from the mountains to Lake Superior was captured either by force or stratagem, and their garrisons massacred or taken prisoners, ex- cepting Niagara, Fort Pitt, and Detroit. The posts of Michilimackinac, Green Bay, Miami, Ouiatenon, St. Joseph, San- dusky, Presqu' Isle, and others of lesser note, were taken and destroyed. Kyasuta with a swarm of warriors besieged Fort Pitt, while Pontiac reserved for himself the task of reducing Detroit. The place was under command of Ma- jor Gladwyn,* a veteran soldier, who had served in Braddock's campaign, with a small force of eight officers and one hundred and twenty-two regular soldiers, to- gether with some forty fur-traders and engagds. Two small armed schooners-the "Beaver" and the "Gladwyn"--were anchored in the stream, and the fort mounted several light guns. Pontiac had laid a daring plan to surprise the fort. He was to come to the fort with sixty of his best chiefs and warriors, and demand admission under pre- tense of holding a council. Each warrior was to carry a rifle under his blanket, shortened by being filed or sawed off, so that it could be more easily concealed. Pontiac would make a speech, at the close of which he would offer a peace-belt, which would be the signal of attack. The chiefs would instantly spring to their feet and fire upon the officers, and the Indians, who were to collect around the fort, would attack the garrison. But " the best-laid plans o' mice and men gang aft aglee," and the wily chief was foiled in his calculations in a remarkable man- ner. An Ojibwa maiden lived in the Pottawatomnic village who had formed a connection with Major Gladwyn, and was much attached to him. On the after- noon of the 6th of May, Catherine, as she was called, repaired to Gladwyn's quar- ters, bringing a pair of elk-skin moccasins, which the major had engaged her to make for him. " There was something unusual in her look and manner. Her face was sad and downcast. She said little, and soon left the room; but the sentinel at the door saw her still lingering at the street-corner, though the hour for closing the gates was nearly come. At length she attracted the notice of Glad- wyn himself, and calling her to him, he pressed her to declare what was weighing upon her mind. Still she remained for a long time silent, and it was only after much urging and many promises not to betray her that she revealed her momentous secret."t Heretofore Gladwyn had treated with contempt the idea that the Indians meditated treachery, or even thought of breaking the peace; but the revelations of the Ojibwa girl at once opened his eyes to the imminent danger of his situa- tion. He was a tried soldier, full of courage and true Anglo-Saxon energy and determination, and, comprehending at a glance the situation, he took instant measures to meet the savages promptly on the threshold. Thanking his faithful mistress and promising a large reward, lie dismissed her to the village, and, calling his officers together, informed them of what he had heard. The fortifications of the place were extensive, and would require a much larger garrison than the one under his command for a successful defense against the powerful body of Indians which had gathered around it, variously estimated at from six hundred to two thousand. There was great apprehension that the savages might by some sudden impulse make an attack that very night, and extraordinary precautions were taken. Half the garrison were ordered under arms, and all the officers spent the night upon the ramparts. The following beautiful description of the situation is from the " Conspiracy of Pontiac," by Parkman: "It rained all day, but cleared up towards evening, and there was a very fair sunset. .-. . A canopy of clouds spreads across the sky, drawn up from the horizon like a curtain, as if to reveal the glory of the west, where lies a transparent sea of liquid amber immeasurably deep. The sun has set; the last glimpse of his burning disk has vanished behind the forest; but where he sank the sky glows like a conflagration, and still, from his retreat, lie bathes heaven and earth with celestial coloring. The edges of the cloudy curtain are resplen- dent with gold, and its dark-blue drapery is touched with blood-red stains by the floods of fiery radiance. The forests and the shores melt together in rich and shadowy purple, and the waters reflect the splendor of the heavens. "The light departed, and the colors faded away. Only a dusky redness lingered in the west, and the darkening earth seemed her dull self again. Then night * This name is spelled by some writers Gladwin, but it is undoubtedly of Welsh origin, and spelled with a y. t " Conspiracy of Pontiac." descended, heavy and black, on the fierce Indians and the sleepless English. From sunset until dawn an anxious watch was kept from the slender palisades of Detroit. The soldiers were still ignorant of the danger, and the sentinels did not know why their numbers were doubled, or why, with such unwonted vigilance, their officers visited their posts. "Again and again Gladwyn mounted his wooden ramparts and looked forth into the gloom. There seemed nothing but repose in the soft, moist air of the warm spring evening, with the piping of frogs along the river-bank, just roused from their torpor by the genial influence of May. But, at intervals, as the night wind swept across the bastion, it bore sounds of fearful portent to the ear,-the sullen booming of the Indian drum and the wild chorus of quavering yells, as the war- riors around their distant camp-fires danced the war-dance in preparation for the morrow's work." At an early hour the next morning the common was thronged with a motley crowd of Indians, and about ten o'clock Pontiac arrived, accompanied by about sixty chiefs and warriors, and was admitted within the fort. Then followed the council, and the speeches of Gladwyn and the chief, and the discovery by Pontiac that all his plans were known to the English commander. After satisfying the savages that their treachery was understood and their power despised, Gladwyn permitted them to withdraw unharmed from the fort. Pontiac, chagrined and enraged beyond measure, still controlled his feelings, and attempted to regain the confidence of Gladwyn, but finding all his efforts fruit- less, he at length threw off the mask and commenced a fierce attack upon the fort. Foiled in his attempts to take the place by surprise, and unable to carry it by assault, he finally settled down to a regular siege, which was maintained more or less vigorously for fifteen months. To supply his men with provisions, Pontiac levied contributions upon the Cana- dians, and issued certificates drawn upon birch-bark, which were afterwards scrupu- lously redeemed. He intrenched his camps, and when a bold attack was made upon it by Captain Dalzell with a powerful reinforcement of troops, hlie defended it gal- lantly, and repulsed the English with heavy loss. His fierce warriors attacked a reinforcement for the fort, on Point Pelee, capturing three out of five large boats with their crews, and dispersing the rest with severe loss. Convoys of prisoners and stores were attacked on the Detroit river, and captured or driven back into Lake Erie, and the garrison was at times reduced almost to starvation. Repeated attempts were made to destroy the works and dwellings by firing burning arrows upon them, and every artifice which Indian cunning and ferocity could invent was put in practice for the destruction of the fort and its gallant defenders. The Ottawa chief still clung tenaciously to the hope that France would once more send her white-coated legions against the English, and that together the French and Indian arms would triumph, and the "long-knives" be driven beyond the Alleghenies. But at length the unwelcome truth forced itself upon his mind that the power of the French in America was gone never to be restored, and de- spairing of success against the English unaided, he sullenly raised the siege, upon the approach of Bradstreet's army, in August, 1764, and withdrew to the head- waters of the Maumee, where he still endeavored to stir up the red race against the whites. But the power of the Indians was broken by Bouquet's defeat of Kyasuta in the forests of Westmoreland, and the repulse of Pontiac under the walls of Detroit, and the great chieftain could not induce them to continue the war. In July, 1766, Pontiac attended a great council held at Oswego, New York, between Sir William Johnson and the Indian nations, where lie made a speech, and signed a treaty of perpetual peace with the English. Returning with pres- ents to his new home on the Maumee, he remained there until the spring of 1769, when he removed to Illinois, for what purpose is not certainly known, though many of the English traders believed he was stirring up the Indians to another onslaught upon the settlements. Soon after his arrival in Illinois he visited St. Louis, and called upon his former friend, St. Ange, who was then in command of that post. After leaving the fort he proceeded to the house of which young Pierre Clioteau was an inmate, where the prominent citizens paid him their respects, and enter- tained him in the most sumptuous manner. Choteau, to the last days of his long and eventful life, never forgot the appear- ance of the great chieftain. He was dressed in the full uniform of a French officer, which the Marquis Montcalm had presented to him as a special mark of respect towards the close of the French war. He remained at St. Louis for several days, when, hearing that a large number of Indians were assembled at Cohokia, on the opposite side of the river, hlie said he would cross over and see what was going on. St. Ange tried to dissuade him, but he said lie was a match for the English, and with a few of his followers crossed over, and the party never saw him again. Entering the village, hlie was soon known, and invited to a grand feast where liquor was freely circulated. The chief, with all his dignity, could not resist the native passion for strong drink, and imbibed deeply. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 17 An English trader, named Williamson, lived in the village, and he looked upon the presence of Pontiac with a jealous eye, and resolved to put him out of the way if possible. The chief, after the feast was over, strolled down the village street into the adjacent woods, where he was heard to sing his medicine songs, in whose magic power, like all the savages, he implicitly trusted. It is said that William- son bribed a Kaskaslkia Indian, with a promise of a barrel of rum, to assassinate the chief. The savage followed him into the timber, and, watching his opportu- nity, stole behind him and dispatched him with his tomahawk. The dastardly deed was soon known to his followers, who gathered with terrible cries of vengeance, but being few in numbers were soon driven out of the village by their enemies. The murdered chief lay where he fell until St. Ange, hearing of the catastrophe, sent over and had the body taken to St. Louis, where it was interred with the honors of war near the fort. A terrible vengeance followed this great crime. The natives of the northwest united, and almost totally exterminated the Illinois Indians, the remnant of wlhom never afterwards cut any figure in history. This renowned chief and warrior, it is said, made the region of beautiful lakes lying to the southwest of Pontiac his favorite summer abode. Pitching his tent on the charming island in Orchard Lake, called by the natives " JIe-nah-sa-gor- fing," signifying " the place of the orchard," hlie passed the warm season amid the sylvan beauty of a locality nowhere surpassed in the west. When the whites first settled this region there were apple-trees growing upon the island, the seeds of which were probably obtained from the French at Detroit. It is within the bounds of conjecture that possibly some Jesuit missionary may have penetrated to this delightful spot and chosen it for a hermitage, where, undisturbed by the bustling world, he could live in peace. Whether the great chieftain made this his place of abode is perhaps question- able, but hlie no doubt often passed through the charming region, and his name is therefore probably perpetuated by the beautiful capital of Oakland County. And not alone in Michigan is his name remembered, for on the broad-spreading prairies of Illinois another flourishing city does honor to the most princely Indian that ever trod the soil of the mighty west. Soon after Bradstreet's arrival at Detroit the posts of Michilimackinac, Green Bay, and others upon the lakes were reoccupied by English troops, after having been for more than twelve months in possession of the Indians. From the time of the "great siege" until 1774 Michigan was without the pale of civil government. The commandant was both civil and military ruler, com- S bining within himself the legislative, judicial, and civil powers. "TIHE QUEBEC ACT." In 1774, while Lieutenant-Governor Henry Hamilton was in command at De- troit, an act was passed called the ' Quebec Act," establishing the boundaries of Canada, which included Michigan, and extended thence to the Ohio and Missis- sippi rivers on the south and west, and to the lands of the Hudson Bay Company on the north. " This act granted to the Catholic inhabitants the free exercise of their religion, the undisturbed possession of their church property, and the right, in all matters of litigation, to demand a trial according to the former laws of the province. But the right was not extended to settlers on lands granted by the English crown. "The enterprise of the people was not wholly confined to the fur trade. As early as 1773 the mineral regions of Lake Superior were visited, and a project was formed for working the copper ore discovered there, and a company in England had obtained a charter for that purpose. A sloop was purchased and the miners commenced operations, but soon found, hoWever, that the expenses of blasting and transportation were too great to warrant the prosecution of the enterprise, and it was abandoned. The fur trade was successfully prosecuted. In 1783 a company called the Northwest Fur Company was organized, and store- and trading-houses were erected at many places on the lakes, and agents were located at Detroit, Mackinaw, the Sault St. Marie, and the Grand Portage, near Lake Superior, who packed the furs and sent them to Montreal for shipment to England."* During the American revolution Detroit was the British headquarters for the northwest, and the relentless and cruel Indian warfare which was prosecuted against the frontier sttlements of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia received its inspiration, direction, and remuneration largely from this point. At Montreal and Detroit the savage allies were met by agents of the British government and paid a stipulated price for the scalps of men, women, and children who had perished beneath thIe murderous tomahawk on the borders. Mackinaw was also an impor- tant point during the war, and was strongly fortified and occupied by a British garrison. Two remarkable expeditions were fitted out from Detroit to act against the * Tuttle's -' istory of Michigan." American settlements and interior posts. One, under the command of Captain Byrd, was destined to attack Louisville, at the falls of the Ohio, but it only resulted in the destruction of a few small stockades and the massacre of the inhabi- tants. The other was under the immediate command of Governor Hamilton, and was directed against the old French post of Vincennes, on the Wabash, which had been captured by the renowned Indian fighter, Colonel George Rogers Clark. This expedition started out in 1778, and arriving at Vincennes succeeded in cap- turing the post, which was held by Captain Helm and a private soldier named Henry. Governor Hamilton remained through the winter, until February, 1779, when hlie was surrounded and compelled to surrender by a small force under Clark, which had made a winter march from Kaskaskia, on the Mississippi, through snow and mud and water, and caught the doughty Briton unawares. Hamilton was sent a prisoner of war to Virginia, where he was confined, and the garrison were disarmed and suffered to return to Detroit. Major Lernoult was left in command of Detroit by Hamilton when he started upon his expedition to the Wabash. This officer was succeeded, in October, 1779, by Major De Peyster, under whose direction Byrd's expedition was sent into Kentucky in 1780. From this time forward until the occupation of the country by the United States nothing of special importance transpired at Detroit or in its neighborhood. It was occupied by the English in force, and continued to be one of the principal places of rendezvous for the surrounding Indian tribes. The settlements increased very slowly, if at all, and no special attention was paid to agricultural pursuits. The principal business continued to be the fur trade, and it was not until after 1796 that emigration began to penetrate the borders of the peninsula, and not till the close of the war with Great Britain and the humbling of the Indian tribes that any considerable progress was made in developing tihe great natural resources of the country. The population, on the whole, at tihe close of the English rule, had not advanced materially from what it was in 1760, when it was estimated at two thousand five hundred people. CHAPTER V. U3NDER THE UNITED STATES ULE- AS A PART OF TIIE NORTHWEST TERRITORY-CAPTAIN PO/'TER TAKES POS- SESSION OF DETROIT-COUNTY OF WAYNE-GOVERNOR ST. CLAIR-GOV- ERNMENT OF TIHE TERRITORY-DELEGATE IN CONGRESS-INDIANA TERRI- TORY-MADE A SEPARATE TERRITORY-DETROIT DESTROYED BY FIRE- GOVERNOR IIULL-INDIAN TREATIES AND COUNCILS-POPULATION-INDIAN DIFFICULTIES-WAR OF 181 2-SURRENDER OF DETROIT-PROCTOR'S DE- FEAT-GOVERNOR CASS-FIRST COUNTIES ORGANIZED-SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS-FIRST STEAMER ON TIlE LAKES-SUMMARY OF TERRITORIAL IIIS- TORY. BY the treaty of peace of 1783 between tire United States and Great Britain, Michigan became a part of the United States, but was.not actually evacuated by the British troops until July 12, 1796, at which time Captain Moses Porter, with a company of sixty-five men, marched in and took possession of Detroit, under the provisions of Jay's treaty. It then became a part of the Northwest Terri- tory, of which General Arthur St. Clair, a veteran officer of the reyolution, was appointed governor. The county of Wayne, named in honor of General Anthony Wayne, was formed from a portion of the Northwest Territory August 11, 1796. It in- cluded all of the lower peninsula, portions of northern Ohio and Indiana, and also parts of Illinois and Wisconsin. It elected delegates to the first Territorial legislature. This large county was organized by Winthrop Sargent, secretary of the Northwest Territory, in September, 1796. In 1797, according to Weld, Detroit, the capital of tihe county, contained three hundred houses. In Congress, on the 7th of April, 1798, the act organizing the Territory of Mississippi was passed, and Winthrop Sargent, secretary of the Northwest Terri- tory, was appointed governor. His place was filled by William Henry Harrison, who was very popular with the people of the northwest. Harrison held the position until hie was appointed a delegate to represent the Northwest Territory in Congress. On the 29th of October, 1798, Governor St. Clair, by proclamation, directed an election for representatives to be held on the third Monday of the following December. These representatives, when assembled, were required to nominate ten persons, whose names were to be sent to the President of the United States, R9 18 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. who selected five, and, with the advice and consent of the senate, appointed them as a legislative council of the Territory. In this way the northwest passed into the second mode of territorial government. The representatives elected under the governor's proclamation met at Cincinnati, January 22, 1799, and under the provisions of the ordinance of 1787, nominated ten persons. From among these, on the 2d of March, the president selected Jacob Bennet, James Findlay, Henry Vanderburgh, Robert Oliver, and David Vance, and they were confirmed by the senate as the legislative council of the Northwest Territory. The Territorial legislature met and were organized at Cincinnati on the 24th of September, 1799. The house of representatives consisted of nineteen members, of whom seven were from Hamilton county, four from Ross county, three from Wayne county, two from Adams county, and one each from Jefferson, Washing- ton, and Knox counties. On the 3d of October, 1799, the Territorial legislature elected William Henry Harrison as delegate to Congress. Although he represented the Territory but one year, he succeeded in obtaining some important advantages for his constitu- cots ; among them the passage of an act authorizing the subdivision of the public lands, though it was bitterly opposed by the speculators, who wished to be the retailers of the lands to the settlers. INDIANA TERRITORY. On the 7th of May, 1800, the Territory of Indiana was formed, which included that part of the Northwest Territory lying west of a line drawn from opposite the month of the Kentucky river, thence to Fort Recovery, and thence due north to the line dividing the United States from the British possessions. This meridian would cross near the straits of Mackinaw, and intersect the inter- national line above the Sault St. Marie. At the same session, the permanent seat of government for the Northwest Territory was fixed at Chillicothe, and for Indiana Territory at Vincennes, on thIe Wabash. These enactments to take effect from and after July 4, 1800. William Henry Harrison was appointed governor of Indiana Territory, and was connissioned the following year, 18(11. General St. Clair was reappointed governor of the Northwest Territory in 1801. Upon the erection of Ohio into a State in 1802, the whole of Michigan became a part of Indiana Territory. TERRITORY OF MICHIGAN. On the 11th of January, 1805, Congress passed an act for the organization of the Territory of Michigan. The governor and judges were appointed by the president and endowed with legislative power. On thie 26th of February, of the same year, the president nominated the Territorial officers. General William Hull, a veteran officer of the revolution, was appointed gov- ernor and Hon. A. B. Woodward jresiding judge. On tmhe 29th of June, Judge Woodward arrived at Detroit, and the governor on the 1st of July. On the 11th day of June preceding their arrival, Detroit had been totally destroyed by fire. Tie new functionaries, in their report to Congress in October following, in speaking of Detroit, say, " The place which bore the appellation of the town of iDetroit was a spot of about two acres of ground, completely covered with build- ings and combustible materials, the narrow intervals of fourteen or fifteen feet, used as streets or lanes, excepted, and the whole was environed with a very strong and secure defense of tall and solid pickets." Congress, being petitioned for the relief of the suffering inhabitants, passed an act granting them the old town and ten thousand additional acres lying immediately around it. The town was subsequently laid out upon an enlarged and greatly improved plan, covering the original plat and the adjacent " commons." The government of the Territory of Michigan commenced its existence on the 2d of July, 1805. It included within its boundaries all of the lower peninsula. When Illinois was admitted as a State, in 1818, all of what is now Wisconsin was added to Michigan Territory, and in 1834 Iowa and Minnesota were included for temporary purposes. INDIAN TREATY. On the 17th of November, 1807, Governor Hull made a treaty with the Otta- iys, Chippewas, lIyzodots or Ilvrons, and the Pottawatonies, by which a large tract of country lying between the Maumee river and Saginaw bay was transferred to the United States. The boundaries of this tract were described as follows: " Beginning at the mouth of the Miami of the Lakes (now known as the 31au- mee); thence up the middle thereof to the mouth of the great Auglaize river; thence due north until it intersects a parallel of latitude to be drawn from the out- let of Lake Huron, which forms the St. Clair river; thence running northeast the course that may be found shall lead in a direct line to White Rock in Lake Huron; thence due east until it intersects the line between the United States and Upper Canada; thence southerly, following said line down said lake through the river St. Clair, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit river, to a point due east of the mouth of the aforesaid Miami river; thence west to the place of beginning." The present territory of Oakland County was included within these limits. In September, 1809, a special council was held by the governor with the IIn- rons, at which their principal chief, Wlalk-bt-the- Water, detailed the grievances of the Indians, who were greatly dissatisfied with the results of the treaty of Green- ville. In the mean time, Tecumseh, the great Shawanese chief, and his brother, the Prophet, were busy stirring up the Indians throughout the west and southwest to a general war against the whites. The Territory of Michigan was at that period in a very defenseless condition. There were but nine settlements of any impor- tance within its limits. These were situated on the rivers Miami and Raisin, on the Huron of Lake Erie, on the Ecorce, Rouge, and Detroit rivers, on the Huron (now Clinton) of Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair river, and on the island of Mack- inaw. The total population of these settlements and posts amounted to about four thousand eight hundred, three-fourths of whom were French and Canadians, the balance Americans. The long-premeditated Indian war opened prematurely near the Prophet's town, on the Tippecanoe river, in Indiana Territory, on the morning of the 7th of November, 1811, when the Prophet, at the head of a mixed band of from six hundred to one thousand warriors, attacked Governor Harrison, who was marching northward for the purpose of either making a treaty with the Indians or, in the event of a failure, of destroying their towns and laying waste their country. The governor was at the head of about seven hundred men, partly United States troops and partly volunteers. After a desperate night-battle of two hours' dura- tion, the saavges were beaten at all points and several of their towns destroyed. Chagrined and exceedingly angry at the Prophet's defeat, Tecumseh could no longer screen his plans, and was compelled to inaugurate open war. WAR OF 1812. A large body of troops was at this time or soon after collected in Ohio, amount- ing to about twelve hundred men, raised by order of the president, which was soon largely reinforced by volunteers. They were divided into three regiments, and placed under the command of Colonels McArthur, Findlay, and Cass. A fourth regiment, under Colonel Miller, afterwards joined them, and the whole was placed under the conmanid of General IHull, governor of Michigan Territory. The general began his march from Dayton towards Detroit, and when near the river Raisin, on the 3d of July, learned of the declaration of war by the United States against Great Britain on the 18th of June preceding. With this force General Hull crossed into Canada about the 7th of July, and established himself at Sandwich, opposite Detroit. He soon after issued a procla- mation to the Canadians. Here the army remained for about a month, while foraging-parties scoured the adjacent country and brought in large quantities of provisions and forage. A reconnaissance was also made towards Fort Malden. IHearing of the capture of Mackinaw, and the defeat of a small command under Major Van Horn, who had been sent as guard to the mail-carrier between Ohio and Michigan, the general seemed to lose all his former soldierly qualities, and hastily, on the 7th of August, retreated across the river to Detroit, where, on the 16th, he surrendered his whole force and the Territory of Michigan into the hands of the British general, Brock. This most cowardly and contemptible act ever performed by an American officer was bitterly cursed by his officers and men, and indignantly condemned in unmeasured terms by the American people. The British held possession of Detroit and the adjacent region until after Perry's great victory over the veteran Commodore Barclay, on Lake Erie, Septem- ber 10, 1813, when Proctor, who had succeeded Brock, immediately destroyed his works at Malden, and commenced a rapid retreat up the river Thames into the interior of Canada. He was quickly followed by Harrison, and finally brought to a battle at tme Moravian towns, where, on the 5th of October, he was totally routed, his Indian allies beaten with great slaughter, and the celebrated Tecumseh slain. General Hull was tried by a court-martial and sentenced to be shot, but, in consideration of his distinguished services during the Revolution, and his advanced age, he was pardoned by the president, but his name was stricken from the rolls of the army. COLONEL LEWIS CASS APPOINTED GOVERNOR. On the 13th of October, 1813, Colonel Lewis Cass was appointed governor of Michigan Territory, which office hlie held until hlie was called to a seat in the cabi- net of President Jackson, in 1831. Under his able administration Michigan commenced that career of prosperity which has made it what it now is. SLAVERY AGITATION. It is, perhaps, not generally known that an attempt was made, commencing in 1796, when four men petitioned Congress from Kaskaskia, Illinois, to introduce HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 19 slavery into Indiana Territory, but such was the fact. In 1803 the subject was again brought before Congress, when it was strongly opposed by John Randolph, of Virginia. In 1804 it was a third time urged, and a resolution was introduced in the House suspending the ninth article of the ordinance of 1787, thereby establishing or permitting slavery in the Territory, under certain restrictions. This resolution was laid over or referred until 1807, when it was finally disposed of by the Senate, which declared it inexpedient to suspend the ninth article of the ordinance of 1787, which expressly prohibits slavery in the Northwest Territory. FIRST COUNTIES ORGANIZED. The first county organized after Michigan became a separate Territory was Wayne, by proclamation of the governor, November 21, 1815. It embraced all that portion of the territory to which the Indian title had been extinguished by Governor Hull's treaty with the Indians in 1807. Monroe county was established September 4, 1817; Macomb, January 15, 1818; and Mackinaw, Brown, and Crawford counties, October 26, 1818.* FIRST PUBLIC LANDS IN MARKET-FIRST STEAMER. In 1818 a portion of the public lands, which had recently been surveyed in the southeastern part of the Territory, were brought into market. During this same season the first steamer made her appearance on Lake Erie. She was called the " Walk-in-the-water," after a celebrated chief of the Iurons.t DELEGATE IN CONGRESS. In 1819, Michigan was authorized to send a delegate to represent her people in the national legislature. The opening of markets for the sale of lands, and the advent of steam navigation, gave a wonderful impetus to immigration, and Michigan began to fill up rapidly. In 1820 the population was eight thousand eight hundred and ninety-six, and in 1830 it had increased to thirty-one thousand six hundred and thirty-nine. In 1823 a legislative council was authorized, consisting of nine members ap- pointed by the president of the United States. From this time the judges ceased to exercise legislative power. In 1825 the number of the council was increased to thirteen. In this year, also, all county officers, excepting those of a judicial character, were made elective; and the appointments remaining in the hands of the city executive were made subject to the approval of the council. The opening of the Erie canal from Albany to Buffalo, in 1825, greatly in- creased the flow of emigration to the west. In 1827 the electors of the Territory were authorized to choose a number of persons corresponding with that at which the members of the council was fixed, and their election was made absolute. The legislative council was empowered to enact all laws not inconsistent with the ordinance of 1787, subject to revision by Congress, and the absolute veto of the territorial governor. A judiciary system was established and the militia organized. During Governor Cass' administration an expedition for the exploration of the northern portions of the Territory, then but little known, was fitted out in the spring of 1820. The expedition was under the control of Governor Cass, and was accompanied by a mineralogist, a topographical engineer, and a physician. The escort consisted of about thirty regular soldiers, and the whole formed a company of sixtysix men. The celebrated Indian delineator, Henry R. School- craft, also accompanied the party. The commanding officers of all the posts upon the lakes were directed to aid and assist by every means in their power. The expedition left Detroit on the 24th of May, in bark canoes, manned by voyageurs and Indians. They passed along the shores of Lake Huron, visited Mackinaw, and soon arrived at the Sault St. Marie, which was considered a favorable location for a military post. Here a council was held with the Indians, who were at first opposed to the establishment of a post, and very hostile; but the bold course of the governor overawed them, and a treaty was concluded by which the Indians ceded a tract of land four miles square around the Sault. The expedition visited the south shore of Lake Superior, and made valuable discoveries and examinations, and finally returned to Detroit by way of Lake Michigan. Schooleraft after- wards published an account of the expedition. Upon the resignation of his office of governor by General Cass, to take his seat in President Jackson's cabinet, General George B. Porter, of Pennsylvania, was appointed in his stead. This change occurred in July, 1831, and Governor Porter entered upon the discharge of the duties of his office in September following. * The last two are now in Wisconsin. His Indian name was .lly-ce-rah. The only disturbing element during Governor Porter's administration was the short and decisive Black Hawk war of 1832-33, but this was confined princi- pally to that part of the Territory now constituting the State of Wisconsin. During his administration many new townships were organized, and roads con- structed into the interior. During 1832 the following roads were constructed or authorized by the council: from Point-du-chene to the Fort Gratiot turnpike; from Battle Creek to the mouth of the Kalamazoo river; from a point in the Chicago road to the county-seat of Calhoun county; from Pontiac to Ann Ar- bor; from Southfield to Detroit; from Rochester to Lapeer; from Pontiac to Adrian; from Vistulat to Indiana; from Branch county to the mouth of the St. Joseph river; from Ten Eyck's to the principal meridian; from Ecorce to the Chicago road; from Jacksonburgh to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, and from Monguagon to St. Joseph. The same year the legislative council passed an act to provide for the establish- ment and regulation of common schools. An act was also passed incorporating the " Lake Michigan Steamboat Company," with a capital of forty thousand dollars. The first act authorizing the formation of a railroad company was also passed this year. This was the act incorporating the Detroit and St. Joseph railroad company. The same council also passed an act incorporating the " Bank of the River Raisin," with a branch at Pontiac. This was the third bank established in the Territory. The Bank of Michigan, with a branch at Bronson, had been incorporated in 1817, and the Farmers' and Mechanics' bank of Michigan, with a branch at St. Joseph, in 1829. The same council authorized a vote of the inhabitants to be taken on the question of organizing a State government. The vote was taken on the first Tuesday of October of that year (1832), which resulted in a small majority in favor of the measure. But the vote was so light that it was very doubtful if it represented the sentiments of the majority of the people, and no further steps were taken in that direction for the space of two years. It was about this time that a change was made in the manner of disposing of the public lands, which was of great benefit to the settlers in the west. Previous to 1820, the price of government land was two dollars per acre. One-fourth of this was to be paid at the time of purchase, and the remainder in three annual installments. The land was subject to forfeiture if these payments were not promptly met. A discount was allowed of eight per cent. if the whole amount was paid in advance. This system was found to be productive of serious evils. Under the new arrangement the price was reduced to one dollar and a quarter per acre, and the whole was required to be paid at the time of purchase. On the 6th of July, 1834, occurred the death of Governor Porter, and the secretary, Stevens T. Mason, by the provisions of the law for the government of the Territory, became governor. CHAPTER VI. PRELIMINARY STEPS LOOKING TO TIlE FORMATION OF A STATE GOVEIN- MENT-CENSUS OF TIlE TERRITORY-CONVENTION AND FORMATION OF A STATE CONSTITUTION - ELECTION OF STATE OFFICERS-ADMITTED INTO TI!E UNION-FIRST GOVERNOR-TIIE TOLEDO WAR -TIlE MEXICAN WAR -WAR OF TIlE REBELLION-GOVERNORS AND RULERS UNDER TIlE VA- RIOUS NATIONALITIES-STATE AND COUNTY OFFICERS. THE ordinance of 1787 provided that tIhe Northwest Territory should be di- vided into not less than three nor more than five States, as Congress should de- termine. Three States had already been formed from that Territory, viz., Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. By that ordinance, and subsequent acts of Congress con- ferring upon Michigan the benefits of its provisions, Michigan was entitled to admission into the Union as a State so soon as her free white population num- bered sixty thousand. In 1834, Michigan took the preliminary steps to secure for herself the rights to which she claimed to be entitled./ On the 6th of Sep- tember of that year, the legislative council passed an act directing a census to be taken. The result showed that there were eighty-seven thousand two hundred and seventy-three free white inhabitants in the Territory. At the next session of the council, in January, 1835, an act was passed authorizing a convention to be held at Detroit on tIhe second Monday of May following. This convention was composed of eighty-nine delegates. It met upon the day specified, and con- + Now Toledo, Ohio. 20 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. tinued in session until the 24th of June. A constitution was formed and sub- mitted to the people in the October following, and by them adopted. At the same election, a full set of State officers and a legislature were elected to act under the Constitution. In November following the legislature met, and the whole machinery of a State government was set in motion. Stevens T. Mason, the secretary of the Territory, and acting governor after the decease of Governor Porter, was the governor of the new State. -In 1835-36 occurred the famous "Toledo War," upon the question of the boundary line between Michigan and the State of Ohio. The line, as defined by the ordinance of 1787, sometimes called the "Fulton Line," from the name of the surveyor, would have given Michigan the mouth of the Maumee bay, and the ground on which the busy city of Toledo now stands. - The excitement ran so high that the militia of Ohio and Michigan Territory was organized to the amount of some ten thousand men upon each side, and matters looked serious until Congress by an act passed January 27, 1837, settled the dispute and admitted Michigan as a State, with the upper peninsula thrown in to balance the loss of the valuable strip of country along the southern border. The constitution of 1835 remained the fundamental law until the revised con- stitution of 1850 was adopted. MEXICAN WAR. During the war with the Mexican republic Michigan furnished one volunteer regiment of infantry, under command of Colonel Thomas V. Stockton, and one independent company of cavalry, raised at Detroit by Cap ain A. T. McReynolds. There were also three companies recruited in the State for the Fifteenth Regular Infantry, United States army, to wit: Company A, Captain Samuel E. Beach, recruited at Pontiac; Company C, Captain Isaac D. Toll, at present a prominent citizen of St. Joseph county; and Company G, Captain Winans, raised in Monroe c)unty. A historical sketch and complete roll of Captain Beach's company will be found in the military record of the county. TIHE GREAT REBELLION. When the terrible storm of civil war broke over the country in April, 1861, the sons of Michigan responded grandly, and during the four succeeding years ) the State furnished an aggregate of ninety thousand seven hundred and twenty- seven men of all arms to the Union army. Of this large force, three hundred and forty-six commissioned officers and thirteen thousand and fifty-nine men laid down their lives in defense of a common country, and for the perpetuity of a free government. " Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead, Dear as the blood ye gave; No impious footsteps here shall tread The herbage of your grave ; Nor shall your glory be forgot While Fame her record keeps, Or Honor points the hallow'd spot Where Valor proudly sleeps." A history and roster of the troops furnished by Oakland County will be found in another place. POPULATION OF THE STATE. The population of the State of Michigan, according to the various United States and" State censuses, has been as follows: 1765. James Murray. 1766. Paulus Emilius Irving. 1766. Sir Guy Carleton. 1770. Hector T. Cramahe. 1774. Sir Guy Carleton. 1774. Frederick Ilaldimand. ENGLISII.t 1774. Henry Hamilton. 1775. Hlenry Hope. 1776. Lord Dorchester. 1778. Henry Hamilton. 1791. Alured Clarke. AMERICAN TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS. 1805-1812. Wm. Hull. 1813-1831. Lewis Cass. 1831-1834. Geo. B. Porter. 1835-1839. Stevens T. Mas 1840-1841. William Woodl Part of 1841. James Wrig 1842-1845. John S. Barry. 1846. Alpheus Felch. 1848. William L. Gre 1848-1849. Epaphroditus 1 1850-1851. John S. Barry. 1852-1853. Robert MeClell I 1834-1835. Stevens T. Mason. + 1835-1836. John S. Horner. STATE GOVERNORS. on. Part of 1853-1854. Andrew Parsons + bridge. 1855-1858. Kingsley S. Bingham. ht Gordon.+ 1859-1860. Moses Wisner.+ 1861-1864. Austin Blair. 1865-1868. Henry 11. Crapo. enly.4 1869-1872. Henry P. Baldwin. tansom. 1873-1876. John J. Bagley. 1877-1879. Charles 31. Creswell. and. LIEUTENANT-GOVERNORS. 1836-1839. 1840-1841. 1842-184 5. 1816-1847. 1848-1851. 1852. 1853-18 54. 1855-1858. 1836-1841. 1836-1840. 1840-1845. 1841-1847. 1845-1848. 1848-1849. 1847-1853. Edward Mundy. James Wright Gordon. O. D. Richardson.. Wm. L. Greenly. Win. 31. Fenton.- Calvin Britain. Andrew Parsons. Geo. A. Coe. SENATORS I John Norvell. Lucius Lyon. Augustus S. Porter. William Woodbridge. Lewis Cass. Thomas 0. Fitzgerald. Alpheus Felch. 1859-1860. 1861-1862. 1863-1864. 1865-1866. 1867-1868. 18s69-1872. 1873-1874. 1875-1876. N CONGRESS. 1850-1857. 1853-1859. 1857-1875. 1859-1861. 1861-1871. 1871-1877. Edmund B. Fairfield. James Birney. Charles S. May. Ebenezer O. Grosvenor. Dwight May. Morgan Bates. Henry II. Holt. Alonzo Sessions. Lewis Cass. Charles E. Stuart. Zachariah Chandler. Kingsley S. Bingham. Jacob 31. Howard. Thomas W. Ferry. DELEGATES AND REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS. The delegates in Congress during Territorial rule were as follows :11 Sixteenth Congress: First Session, 1819-20.-William Woodbridge. Second Session, 1820- 21.-Solomon Sibley, in place of Mr. Woodbridge, resigned. .'erenteenth (Congress: First Session, 1821-22, and Second Session, 1822-23.-Solomon Sibley. Elighteenth Congyress : First Session, 1824, and Second Session, 1824-25.-Gabriel Richard. Nineteenth Congress : First Session, 1825-26, and Second Session, 1827.-Austin E. Wing. Twentieth Cngres8s: First Session, 1827-28, and Second Session, 1828.-Austin E. Wing. Twenty-First Congress: First Session, 1829-30, and Second Session, 1830-31.-John Biddle. Twerenty-Second Congress: First Session, 1831-32, and Second Session, 1832-33.-Austin E. Wing. Twenty- Third Congress: First Session, 1833-34, and Second Session, 1834-35.-Lucius Lyon. Twcnty-Fourth Congress: First Session, 1835-36.-Geo. W. Jones. The members who have represented the district from Oakland County, since the admission into the Union, have been: James B. Hunt, 1843-47; Hester L. Stevens, 1853-55; Rowland E. Trowbridge, 1861-63; Augustus C. Baldwin, 1863-65; and Mark S. Brewer, 1877-79. JUDGES OF TERRITORIAL SUPREME COURT. In 1810 ..4,762 n 1 10 ............... .. ................ 4,762 S 1820 .. ......................... 8,896 1830 .................................... 31,639 1"840................ 212,267 185 .............................. . .....397,654 In 1854 .................................... 507,521 " 1860 . ...... ....... ............ 749,113 " 1864.................. ............8...... 03,661 S 1 70 ..................................... 1,184,282 S 1874.................................... 1,334,031 1805-1824. 1805-1808. 1806-1824. 1808-1828. 1824-1836. Augustus B. Woodward. Frederick Bates. John Griffin. James Witherell. Solomon Sibley. 1824-1827. 1827-1832. 1828-1832. 1832-1836. 1832-1836. John Hunt. Hlenry Chipman. William Woodbridge. George Morell. Ross Wilkins. GOVERNORS UNDER TIIREE NATIONALITIES. The governors of Michigan under the various authorities of France, England and the United States have been as follows: FRENChII. 1608-1635. 1635-1647. 1648-1658. 1658-1660. 1661-1653. 1663. 1665. 1666. 1672. 1682. Sir Saml. Champlain.* i. de Montmagny. 31. de Aillebout. Viscount de Argenson. Baron de Avangour. M. deo Mesey. Marquis de Tracy. 3M. de Courcelles. Louis, Count de Frontenac. 31. de la Barre. 1685. 1689. 1699. 1703. 1726. 1747. .,.... 1752. 17655. A. de Nouville. Sieur de Frontenac. Sieur de Callieres. Count de Vaudreuil. Marquis de Beauharnots. Count do Gallissoniere. Baron de Longucil. Marquis Duquesne. Sicur de Vaudreuil de Cavagnac. CIIANCELLORS 1837-1842. Elon Farnsworth. 1842-1846. Randolph Manning. JUDGES OF SUPREME COURT 1836-1842 William A. Fletcher. 1836-1847. Epaphroditus Ransom. 1836-1842. George Morell. 1837-1848, 1852-1855. Chas. W. Whipple. 1842-1845. Alpheus Felch. 1843-1846. David Goodwin. 1848-1851. Edward :lundy. 1845-1852, 1854-1857. Warner Wing. 1846-1850. George Miles. 1848-1854, 1856-1858. S. 31. Green. 1851-1858. George Martin. " Tuttle's " lHistory of Michigan." + A From Oakland County. F From Oakland County. + OF UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1835. 1852-1857. Joseph T. Copeland.C 1852-1857. Saml. T. Douglas. 1852-1857. David Johnson. 1851-1857. Abner Pratt. 1855-1858. Nathaniel Bacon. 1856-1858. E. II. C. Wilson. 1857. Benj. F. II. Witherell.' 18A7. Benj. F. Graves.' 1857.. Josiah Turner.** 1857. Edwin Lawrence.* cting. rom "Annals and Debates," in State Library. To fill vacancy in latter part. TIHE STATE. 1846. Elon Farnsworth. + With the exception of ree years, from 1629 to 1632, during which Conada was held by the English. ,, .7 I- ' l p « c HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 21 JUDGES OF SUPREME COURT UNDER PRESENT ORGANIZATION. 1858-1868. George Martin. 1858-1873. James V. Campbell.t 1858-1864. Randolph Manning.0 1865-1875. Thomas M. Cooley.. 1858 to close of 1873. Isaac P. Christiancy. 1868-1875. Benj. F. Graves. DELEGATES IN TILE LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS. In the various legislative councils for the Territory of Michigan, from 1824 to 1836, Oakland County was represented as follows: Council of 1824.-Col. Stephen Mack, Ilon. Roger Sprague. Council of 1826.-lion. Wm. F. Moseley, lion. Sidney Dole. Council of 1828.-IIon. Thomas J. Drake, lion. Stephen V. R. Trowbridge. Council of 1830.--lion. Thomas J. Drake, lion. Daniel Le Roy. Council of 1832.-lion. Charles C. Hascall, lion. Roger Sprague. Council of 1834.-lion. Saml. Satterlee, lion. Charles C. Ilascall. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. In January, 1835, an act was passed by the legislative council authorizing a convention for the purpose of framing a State constitution. This convention, which was composed of eighty-nine delegates, met on the second Monday in May, 1835, at Detroit. The following is a list of the delegates from Oakiand County: Isaac I. Voorheis, Benjamin B. Morris, Randolph Manning, William Patrick, Seneca Newberry, Jonathan Chase, Joshua B. Taylor, Thomas Curtis, Elijah F. Cook, Norman Davidson, Ebenezer Reynolds, John Ellenwood, Saml. White, and Jeremiah Riggs. The constitution framed by this convention was submitted to the people at the October election of that year and adopted. The vote of Oak- land County stood nine hundred and twenty-five for adoption, and four hundred and ninety-five against it. Farmington was the only town in the county that voted against it. The senators for Oakland, chosen at this election, were John Stockton, John Clark, and Ebenezer Reynolds; and the representatives were Origen D. Richard- son, Johnson Niles, Isaac I. Voorheis, George Brownell, John Ellenwood, and Hiram Higby. The legislature met at Detroit, in November, and elected John Norvell and Lucius Lyon United States senators, but it does not appear that it transacted any considerable amount of business. The new State government was submitted to by the people, although at the same time a Territorial government was in existence, with John S. Homrner as nomi- nal governor. In June, 1836, Congress passed an act admitting the Territory under the conditions that the people by the action of a convention chosen for that sole purpose should accept the State boundary on the south as claimed by Ohio, and as a compensation for this surrender receive the upper peninsula. Oakland County elected the following six delegates to this convention, which met at Ann Arbor, on the fourth Monday of September, 1836: William Dra- per, Origen D. Richardson, Seth A. L. Warner, Samuel Satterlee, Edward W. Peck, and John L. Brownell. This convention, after due deliberation, rejected the proposition of Congress; but the interested office-holders, elected in 1835, and some others who were very anxious that the State government should continue, called a second convention, which was nicknamed by its opponents the " Frost-Bitten Convention," and which also met at Ann Arbor, in December, 1836. The delegates from Oakland County to this second convention were twelve in number, as follows, and were unanimously elected, according to the returns on file in the clerk's office: Gideon O. Whittemore, James B. Hunt, Hiram Barrett, Joseph Coats, David Chase, Benjamin B. Morris, Charles Grant, Parley W. C. Gates, John S. Leavenworth, Henry S. Babcock, William R. Crooks, and Samuel White. This convention proceeded at once to ratify and accept the conditions offered by Congress, and although there was much discussion as to the legality of the proceedings, the people eventually concluded to make a virtue of necessity and abide by the action of the last convention; and when Congress, after a hot debate, finally admitted the State in January, 1837, everybody breathed more freely, and from that time the machinery of a State government has been in successful opera- tion. STATE SENATORS, THIRD DISTRICT. The members of the State Senate since the admission, from Oakland County, have been as follows: 1837. Elijah F. Cook, John Benton. 1838. Stephen V. R. Trowbridge (full term), Thomas J. Drake (to fill vacancy). 1839. Thomas J. Drake, John P. Le Roy. 1840. Stephen V. R. Trowbridge, Daniel B. Wakefield. 1841. Daniel B. Wakefield, Isaac Wixom. 1842. (Changed to sixth district.) Sanford M. Green. 1843. Alvin N. Hart, Johnson Niles. 1844. Gardner D. Williams. 1845. Sanford 31. Green, Win. M._Fenton. 1846. Andrew Parsons, Elijah B. Witherbee. The latter died, and in 1847 Alvin N. Hart was elected to fill the vacancy. 1847. Edward II. Thompson, James McCabe. 1848. Jonathan P. King, Alvin N. Hart. 1849. Thornton F. Broadhead, Noah Beach. 1850. Samuel Axford, Elijah J. Roberts, John P. Le Roy; the latter to fill vacancy. In 1852 the county was divided into two districts,-the fourth and fifth, and elected for the fourth district Seneca Newberry, and for the fifth, David A. Wright. 1854. Fourth district, Alfred J.J.Boss; fifth district, Willard B. Arms. 1856. Districts changed to fifth and sixth; fifth district, Rowland E. Trowbridge; sixth district, Willard B. Arms. 1858. Fifth district, Rowland E. Trowbridge; sixth district, James 31. IHoyt. 1860. Fifth district, Byron G. Stout; sixth district, John G. Owen. 1862. Fifth district, Charles V. labcock; sixth district, Peter Dow. 1864. Fifth district, Loren L. Treat; sixth district, James M. Iloyt. 1866. Made one district; fifth district, Charles Draper. 1868. P. Dean Warner. 1870. Layman B. Price. 1872. (Made twentieth district.) Mark S. Brewer. 1874. Volney C. Babcock. 1876. Elliott It. Wilcox. REPRESENTATIVES IN TIIE STATE LEGISLATURE. The members of the House of Representatives in the State legislature from Oakland County since Michigan was admitted into the Union have been as follows: 1836. Pitts Phillips, Win. Burbank, Ilaran IHaskins, Geo. W. Wisner, Henry K. Foote, William Yerkes. 1837. L. N. Gantt, Isaac Adams, Isaac Wixom, D. B. Wakefield, Jesse Decker, F. J. B. Crane. 1838. Jonathan Chase, John S. Livermore, Jeremiah Clark, Jesse Decker, Isaac Wixom, Ammos Davis. 1839. Aminmos Davis, John II. Button, Rollin Sprague, Daniel F. Ingalls, IHenry R. Foote, Daniel F. Johnson. 1840. There is no certificate of the election of representatives in the clerk's office. But by a tolerably careful examination of the township election returns on file it appears thatth e fol- lowing persons were chosen, though the vote was exceedingly close: Jeremiah Clark, Rufus Tinney, O. D. Richardson, Thomas Curtis, Nathan S. Philbrick, Joseph Coats. 1841. Alfred II. Hanscom, John S. Livermore, Henry S. Babcock, Joseph Arnold, John A. Wendell,'Samuel Axford. 1842. William Poppleton, Win. A. Pratt, Win. Snell, William Gage, IHarvey Seeley, Daniel S. Lee. 1843. Wm. A. Pratt, Elbridge G. Knowlton, A. C. Baldwin, Pliny Power, John Davis, \"Vm. Snell. 1844. Augustus S. Johnson, Win. A. Pratt, John Galloway, Alfred II. Hanscom, Seymnour Arnold, Horace Stevens. 1845. John Davis, Hiram Barritt, John Thomas, A. C. Baldwin, James Webster, Charles Baldwin. 1846. Peter D. Makeley, Thomas N. Loomis, Oliver P. Davison, Jesse Seeley, Thomas McGraw, Milton C. Botsford. 1847. Almon Mack, Solomon W. Denton, Zebina 31. lowry, Isaac I. Voorheis, Francis *Baker, Ezra P. Baldwin. 1848. Nathan C. Parkhurst, David A. Wright, Friend Belding, Seeley Iarger, Robert W. Davis, Major F. Lockwood. 1849. Win. Axford, Peter Dox, Win. T. Snow, Jacob Price, Delabar Burroughs, Marshall 31. Welles. 1850. James Patterson, Sardis Hubbell, Paschal D. Warner, Melancthon W. Hicks, Hiram Voorheis, Lewis 31. Covert. In 1852 the county was subdivided into districts, numbered from 1 to 5, and each district elected one representative biennially: 1852. First district, Henry Miller. Second district, Nathan C. Parkhurst. Third district, Win. R. Marsh. First district, Byron G. Stout. Second district, Samuel Chamberlin. Third district, Asa Reynolds. First district, Byron G. Stout. Second district, Levi Bacon, Jr. Third district, James B. Simonson. First district, Uriah Beebe. Second district, Charles K. Carpenter. Third district, Philip S. Frisbee. First district, Lysander Woodward. Second district, Sloane Cooley. Third district, John Hadley, Jr. Fourth district, Eli II. Bristow. Fifth district, Orrin Poppleton. 1854. Fourth district, Morgan L. Smith. Fifth district, Nathan Power. 1856. Fourth district, William Yerkes. Fifth district, Win. H. IHaze. 1858. Fourth district, Benjamin Brown. Fifth district, Henry S. Buel. 1860. Fourth district, Henry K. Foote. Fifth district, George Blakeslee. I * From Oakland County. f Term expires 1879. } Term expires 1877. 22 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. First district, John N. Donaldson. Second district, Francis W. Fifield. Third district, Ahasuerus W. Buell. First district, Benjamin F. McDonald. Second district, Henry 31. Look. Third district, Squire W. Rowe. First district, Jeremiah C. Wilson. Second district, HIoratio Wright. First district, Elliott R. Wilcox. Second district, Bela Coggeshall. First district, Almon B. Frost. Second district, Alanson J. Webster. First district, Aaron Perry. Second district, Alonzo S. Knapp. First district, Allen Campbell. Second district, Peter Dow. First district, Edwin G. Clark. Second district, MA. D. Elliott. 1862. Fourth district, Seebring Voorheis. Fifth district, William I. Haze. 1864. S Fourth district, Abram Allen. Fifth district, Paschal D. Warner. 1866.* Third district, Paschal D. Warner. Fourth district, Erastus Spaulding. 1868. Third district, George Vowles. Fourth district, Darwin 0. White. 1870. I Third district, John L. Andrews. Fourth district, Darwin 0. White. 1872.f Third district, Elisha Zimmerman. 1874. Third district, John D. Norton. 1876. Third district, John D. Norton. in the county, occasionally did surveying for individuals until a regular county surveyor was appointed. John Mullett was the first district surveyor, and ap- pointed Captain Hervey Parke his deputy, in 1822. Captain Parke had done some surveying in 1821, and during the years between 1821 and 1829 he did a very large amount. The surveying was under the charge of district surveyors until 1833, when a county surveyor was elected by the people. Calvin C. Parks held the office for about two years, 1833-34, and Captain Hervey Parke was elected about 1835; John Southard succeeded him in 1837-38, and Captain Parke was again elected, and served in 1839-40, and John Southard again in 1841-42. Since 1842 the surveyors regularly elected have been as follows: 1843. 1845. 1847. 1849. 1851. 1853. 1855. 1857. 1859. Hiram Barritt. Algernon Merryweather. Algernon Merryweather.[ Sloane Cooley. John Southard. Carlos Harmon. Henry Nicholson. lervey Parke. Reuben Russell. 1861. 1863. 1865. 1867. 1869. 1871. 1873. 1875. 1877. IHervey Parke. Sloane Cooley. Elias C. Martin. Reuben Russell. Horatio Merryweather. Sloane Cooley. Horatio Merryweather. Julian Bishop. Julian Bishop.'! SH ERIFF. The sheriff was at first appointed by the governor of the Territory, from 1820 to 1836, in the fall of which latter year, at the general election, the office was filled by the vote of the people. Under the Territorial laws the sheriff appointed an under-sheriff, who was his principal deputy, and, in case of the death or removal of the sheriff, succeeded to the office. The following is a list of those who have filled the position since the organiza- tion of the county: COUNTY OFFICERS SINCE ORGANIZATION, 1820. 1820-1827. 1 827-1835. 1835-18:17. 1837-1838. 1839-18 43. 1 8.13-18.18. 1849-1 852. 1853-1854. 1855-1858. 1820-1827. 182,-1832. 1 832-1 834. 1835-1837. 1837-18:39. 1839-1842. 1843-1i846. 1847-1850. 1851-1852. COUNTY CLERK. Sidney Dole.t 1859-1860. Elias Comstock. 1861-1862. II. N. Howard. 1863-1864. Charles Draper. 1865-1866. Pierce Patrick. 1867-1870. Joseph It. Bowman. 1871-1872. John T. Raynor. 1873-1874. Alfred Treadway. 1875-1876. Edward W. Peck. I 1877-1878. REGISTER OF DEEDS. Sidney Dole. 1853-1856. Thomas J. Drake. 1857-1858. Walter Sprague. 1839-1860. Francis Darrow. 1861-1868. Morgan L. Drake. 1869-1870. Ransom R. Ielding. 1871-1872. Thomas J. Hunt. 1873-1874. E. 11. lludington. 1875-1876. T. A. Flower. 1877. Charles V. Bahcock. Zephenianh 11. Knight. Philip M. Parker. James D. Bateman. John Fitzpatrick. Alexander G. Comstock. John Fitzpatrick. Theodore W. Lockwood. Daniel L. Davis. Robert W. Davis. Joel P. Toms. Charles A. Howard. Daniel A. Button. Robert W. Davis. Thaddeus A. Smith. Albert Richardson. Thaddeus A. Smith. James 11. llarger. 1820-1827. William Morris. 1828. Schuyler Hodges. 1829-1831. Ilervey Parke. 1832-1836. Orison Allen. I 1837-1840. Caleb Bucknam. Some time during the winter of 1839-40 acting Governor William Woodbridge removed Mr. Bucknamn and ordered a special election in April, at which he was again elected by the people, and held the office during the balance of the term. 1841-1844. Warren Hunt. T 1845-1848. Edward Martin.U 1849-1852. Moses G. Spear.' 1853-1856. Arthur Davis. 1857-1860. Clarki Beardsley. 1861-1864. Austin N. Kitnmis.U 1865-1868. Samuel E. Beach. 1869-1870. William Satterlee. 1871-1872. Edwin S. Ilarger. 1873-1874. Ahijah J. Wixom. 18 75-1876. Edwin S. liarger. 1877. Lovett W. Stanton. The principal under-sheriffs and deputies in the early days were Ziba Swan, Schuyler Hodges, Orison Allen, Almon Mack, and Warren and Thomas J. Hunt. CORONER. The office of coroner was filled by appointment until October, 1825, when it became elective. The names in connection with this office which appear in the records are as follows: The first deed recorded in the office of the register of deeds was from Joseph Almy and wife Abigail to John Rossiter, November 7, 1821. " The south part of the northeast quarter section 24, Bloomfield, eighty dollars." 1825-1829. 1829-1835. 1836-1837. 1838-1839. 1810-1842. 1843-1844. 1815-1818. 1849-1850. 1851-1856. COUNTY TREASURER.? William Thompson. 1857-1860. Samuel Satterlee. 1861-1862. James A. Weeks. 1863-1864. John P. Le Roy. 1865-1866. Hlorace C. Thurber. 1867-1870. Bernard C. Whittemore. 1871-1872. William S. llendersm. i 1873-1876. Jacob llendrickson. 1877. Samuel E. Beach. Harry C. Andrews. Erasmus E. Sherwood. Robert Yerkes. Charles C. Waldo. Lysander Woodward. Iliram Voorheis. Albert B1. Simpson. Alanson Partridge. 1829. S. V. R. Trowbridge, Joseph Mor- rison. 1832. S. V. R. Trowbridge. 1835. Pierce Patrick. 1836. Leonard Weed, Orange Foote. 1838. William Terry, Nathan Hlerriek. 1840. Nathaniel A. Baldwin, Benjamin Mlareer. 1842. Ilaniel V. Bissell, John Vincent. 1841. Jonathan T. Allen, to fill vacancy. 1846. Jonathan T. Allen, re-elected, Jacob Loop. 1848. Bela Coggeshall, Win. R. Marsh. 1850. Elias S. Woodman, Bela Coggeshall. 1832. Archibald Waterbury, Everett Wen- dell. 1854. Zihba Swan, Harrison Smith. 1856. Charles V. Babcock, Benjamin V. Redfield. 1858. Francis B. Owen, Ilosea B. Richard- son. 1860. IHlosca B. Richardson. Zuriel Curtis. 1862. Stephen Reeves, Corydlon E. Fay. 186I64. )rrin E. Bell, Abram Miller. 1866. Archibald 11. Green, Orange Culver. 1868. Curtis Babcock, John Campbell. 1870. David A. Wright, Carlo Glazier. 1872. Ira Goodrich, John Hlighfield. 1874. George P. Ilungerford, George E. Proper. 1876. George P. Hungerford, David A. Wright. COUNTY SURVEYOR. Previous to the organization of the county the government surveyors had run it into townships. The prominent ones who worked in the county were Colonel Wampler and Horatio Ball, who probably subdivided quite a number of townships. Colonel Wampler had surveyed as early as 1816. Mr. Ball surveyed the road from Detroit to Pontiac, and was the man who marked the "Royal Oak" with the letter " H." Major John Anderson surveyed and platted the original town of Pontiac, but there is no evidence that lie performed any other work in the county. Dr. Wil- liam Thompson, who was also the first physician and judge of the first court held * Districts reduced to fiour. t Districts reduced to three. + Sidney I ole was the first county clark, register of probate, and clerk of the board of county conmnissioners, and one of the first justices of the peace. lie was also a member of the legis- lative council of the Territory in 1826-27. MAr. Dole was a cautious and conscientious officer, and enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people. lie died at Pontiac, July 20, 1828. L This office was made elective in October, 1825. COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS. This office was established by act of the legislature in 1866-67, and continued until 1875, when it was abolished, and a law enacted creating the office of town- ship school superintendent, giving Oakland County twenty-five, and each supreme within his jurisdiction. In April, 1867, Charles HIurd was elected, and served until September of the same year, when hlie resigned, and Philip M. Parker was appointed in his place, and filled the balance of his term of two years. In April, 1869, William Littell was elected, but did not qualify, and Mr. Parker was re- appointed in his place. In September, 1870, hlie resigned, and - Wilbur was appointed to fill his term. In April, 1871, Johnson A. Corbin was elected, and re-elected in April, 1873. The law was repealed in 1875, as before stated. Re-elected. Two terms. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 23 COUNTY DRAINAGE COMMISSIONERS. A law establishing this office went into operation in 1869, commissioners to be elected biennially. The same year Almerin Whitehead and George Gray were elected, and in 1871, Clark Beardsley and Francis C. Tanner,-which closes the list, the office having been abolished, and officers are now elected in each township who discharge the same duties. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. Under the Territorial law three commissioners were appointed by the governor to transact the necessary county business, which law continued in force until 1825, when the office became elective, and continued until 1827, when it was abolished and the board of township supervisors established in its place. In 1839 the board of supervisors for the county was abolished, the supervisors continued as township officers, and a board of three county commissioners again established, which con- tinued until 1842, when it was once more displaced and succeeded by a board of supervisors, which has been continued to the present time. The first board of county commissioners, appointed in 1820, consisted of the following gentlemen: Ziba Swan, Enoch Hotchkiss, and Jonathan Perrin. In 1825 they were first elected by the people, and the board consisted of Stephen Reeves, Wm. Burbank, and Arthur Power. In 1839, when they again came into power, the board consisted of Isaac I. Voorheis, George Brownell, and Wm. M. Axford. It would appear that Mr. Brownell resigned or died, as on the 6th of January, 1840, John W. Hunter was sworn in in his place. The last meeting of this board was held on the 9th of March, 1812.* / "Now, therefore, I do, by virtue of the provisions of the ordinance of Congress passed July 13, 1787, determine the limitations in the said act of the governor of this Territory, and I do hereby declare the tract of country included within the said boundaries to be the county of Oakland, and the inhabitants thereof hence- forth entitled to all rights and privileges to which by law the inhabitants of the other counties of this Territory are entitled. "And I do, in conformity to the report of the commissioners appointed by the act aforesaid, establish the seat of justice of the said county at the town of Pontiac.t " LEW. CASS." ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS. The first subdivision of Oakland County was made by the following proclama- tion of William Woodbridge, secretary and acting governor, June 28, 1820: " Whereas, it is deemed expedient, and for the more convenient execution of the laws within the county of Oakland, that the said county should be subdivided into two separate townships, and the county commissioners thereof having prayed that the said townships be created; " Now, therefore, I, the said William Woodbridge, in virtue of the powers in me by law vested, and in pursuance of the provisions of the ordinance of Congress of the thirteenth of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, do by these presents lay out and divide the said county of Oakland into two separate townships, in the manner following, that is to say: Of all that part of said county, lying north of a surveyed line, which, commencing at the eastern boundary of said county, and running west to the western boundary thereof, separates the surveyed townships Nos. 2 and 3, in ranges 11, 10, 9, and 8, I do by these presents constitute and establish one separate township, to be known and designated by the name of Oakland. "And of all that part of said county which lies south of the east and west line, herein above described, I do by these presents constitute and establish one separate township, to be known and designated by the name of Bloomfield. § " WILLIAM WOODBRIDGE." OAKLAND COUNTY IN 1820. CHAPTER VII. ORGANIZATIOl T OF & OACLAT=D COUTTTY. PROCLAMATIONS OF GOVERNOR CASS-AREA-SUBDIVISIONS-TAXATION- COUNTY OFFICERS UNDER TERRITORIAL LAWS-ORGANIZATION OF TOWN- SIIIPS-SURVEYS--MILITARIY LANDS-EXPLORATIONS-EARLY ROADS. TIIE first official act relating to the county of Oakland, of which there is any record, is an executive proclamation by HIon. Lewis Cass, governor of the Terri- tory of Michigan, bearing date January 12, 1819, as follows: "A PROCLAMATION. " Whereas, a petition has been presented to me, signed by a number of the citi- zens of the said Territory, requesting that the boundaries of a new county, and the seat of justice thereof, may be established by an act of the executive, which shall not take effect until the arrival of a period when its population shall require such measure; "Now, therefore, believing that a compliance with the request will have a tend- ency to increase the population of such parts of the Territory as may be included within these boundaries, and prevent those difficulties which sometimes arise from the establishment of counties when settlements are formed, and conflicting opinions and interests are to be reconciled, I do, by virtue of these presents, and in con- formity with the provisions of the ordinance of Congress of July 13, 1787, lay out that part of the said Territory included within the said boundaries, viz., be- ginning at the southeast corner of township 1 north, range 11 east, north of the base line; thence north to the southeast corner of township 6, in said range; thence west to the Indian boundary line; thence south to the base line; thence east to the beginning, into a new county to be called the county of Oakland. And I hereby appoint John L. Leib, Charles Larned, Philip La Cuer, John Whipple, and Thomas Rowland, Esqs., commissioners for the purpose of examining the said county, and reporting to me the most eligible site for the seat of justice of said county. To take effect from and after the 31st of December, 1822, unless sooner determined by the governor. LEWIS CASS." The following proclamation relating to the county was made by the governor on the 28th of March, 1820: W hereas, the inhabitants residing within that part of the Territory included in the county of Oakland, as the same was laid off by an act of the governor of the Territory, bearing date the 12th day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, have requested that the said county should be organized; * A list of the judges and court officers will be found in the chapter devoted to the legal pro- fession. I J- 0IP KA T 0J PONTIAC. U 7aI B-RO-O- -F-I-E-L-D.--- Range 7. llange 8. ange 9. Range 10. Range 11. Eat, a 0 C 0 ADDITIONAL COUNTIES LAID OUT. On the 10th day of September, 1822, six additional counties were laid out, to wit: Lapeer, Sanilac, Saginaw, Shiawassee, Washtenaw, and Lenawee, of which t ie first four were attached for judicial and civil purposes to the county of Oak- land. This extensive jurisdiction covered all the territory now occupied by the coun- ties of Oakland, Lapeer, Sanilac, Trescola, Huron, Genesee, Saginaw, Shiawassee, and eight congressional townships in Livingston, four in Ingham, four in Midland, t "Territorial Laws," vol. i. pp. 328, 329. + This description leaves out range 7, but the intention was no doubt to include the whole county. SAppendix to "Territorial Laws," vol. ii. page 801. 24 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and about five and three-fourths in Bay; altogether equivalent, by careful com- putation, to nearly one hundred and ninety-five congressional townships, or about seven thousand square miles; nearly equal to the area of the State of Massa- chusetts. TAXATION. The following act was adopted and published on the 9th day of March, 1822: " Be it enacted by the Governor and Judges of the Territory of Micltiganc, Thht the county commissioners of the county of Oakland be, and they are hereby authorized and empowered to raise and levy annually, in said county, such an amount of taxes on the ratable property in said county as shall be necessary to meet the expenditures of said county; provided, that no tax in said county shall in any one year exceed the rate of one per cent. on every dollar of the adjusted valuation of the property. And this act shall continue in force for the term of four years from the date of its passage, and no longer. "The same being adopted from the laws of one of the original States, to wit, the State of Ohio, as far as necessary and suitable to the circumstances of the Territory of Michigan. "LEWIS CASS." SECOND SUBDIVISION OF TIIE COUNTY. An act dividing Oakland County into townships, approved April 12, 1827: " Be it enacted by /the Legislative Council oJfthe Territory of fiychigan, That all that part of the county of Oakland known and distinguished on the survey of the United States by township No. 3, north of the base line in range 11, east of the principal meridian, and townships numbered 4 and 5 in the same range, and townships numbered 4 and 5 in the 10th range, be a township by the name of Oakland, and that the first township meeting be held at the house of William Russell, in said township; and all that part of the said county of Oakland known as townships numbered 1 and 2 in the 11th range, be a township by the name of Troy, and that the first township meeting be held at the house of Riley Crooks, in said township; that townships numbered 1 and 2 in the 10th range, and town- ship numbered 2 in the 9th range, in said county of Oakland, be a township by the name of Bloomfield, and that the first township meeting be held at the house of John iHamilton, in said township; that all that part of the said county of Oak- land known as township numbered 1 in the 9th range, townships numbered 1 and 2 in the 8th range, and townships numbered 1 and 2 in the 7th range, be a town- ship by the name of Farnington, and that the first township meeting be held at the house of Robert Wixom, in said township; that all that part of the county of Oakland, which is not herein described, all that part of the county of Lapeer which is at present annexed to the county of Oakland, as aforesaid, and the coun- ties of Shiawassee and Saginaw, shall be a township by the name of Pontiac, and that the first township meeting shall be held at the court-house, in said township."* The date of the organization of the various townships of the county is given in the State census report for 1874, as follows: Addison......................................1837 Avon..........................................13:35 Bloomfield ..................................1327 Brandn................. .................... Commerce ........... ....... 1834 Farmington .................................18S27 Groveland....... ............................18 :35) Ilighiand............. ...................1 35 Holly........................................1838 Independence.............................1836 Lyon....................... ..................1834 N ilford........................................ 34 Novi......................................... 1832 Oakland................................... .1827 Orion ......................................1835 Oxford.........................................1837 Pontiac.......................................1 27 Pontiac City .................. .......1861 Rose ...........................................1837 Royal Oak..................................1832 Southfieldt ................................1830 Springfield4...............................183( Troy...........................................1827 Waterford...................................1834 West Bloomfield...........................1833 White Lake.................................1836 OAKLAND COUNTY IN 1827. ' IA P Y- . _._ _ - - - - i-Ii SURVEYS.§ For the purpose of facilitating the surveys of the lower peninsula of Michigan, a principal meridian arid a base line were established in 1815. The principal meridian runs north and south through the central portions of the State, crossing the Ohio State line about fifty miles west of the north cape of Maumee bay and terminating on the north, opposite the eastern end of Bois Blanc island, in Lake Huron. The base line runs along the north side of the counties of Wayne, Washtenaw, Jackson, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren. The ranges are numbered east and west from the principal meridian, and the townships north and south from the base-line. Theoretically, the State is cut into townships six miles square, and each con- taining thirty-six square sections, or square miles. The sections are subdivided into four quarters of one hundred and sixty acres each, and these again into four quarters of forty acres. The subdivision of townships was done by contract, and much of it very imperfectly; and there is scarcely a section, or the subdivision of one, in which the lines and corners do not vary, and sometimes vary materially, from the mathematical precision, which is supposed, by those not famiuliar with the business, to exist in the system of surveys first introduced in the western reserve of Ohio about 1800. The present county of Oakland is composed of townships No. 1, 2,3, 4, and 5, north of the base-line, and in ranges 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, cast of the principal meridian. SOLDIaERS' LANDS. "On the 6th of May, 1812, Congress passed an act requiring that two million acres of land should be surveyed in the then Territory of Louisiana; a like quan- tity in the Territory of Illinois, north of the Illinois river; and the same quantity in the Territory of Michigan; in all six million acres, to be set apart for the soldiers of the war with Great Britain. " The lands were surveyed and appropriated under this law in Louisiana and Illinois, but the surveyors reported that there were no lands in Michigan fit for cultivation."I The following is the surveyor-general's report relating to the Michigan lands: DESCRIPTION OF TIHE MILITARY LANDS IN MICHIGAN. " The country on the Indian boundary line, from thie mouth of the Great Auglaize river, and running thence for about fifty miles, is (with some few excep- tions) 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 east- ward, the number and extent of the swamps increases, with the addition of num- bers of lakes, from twenty chains to two and.three miles across. "Many of the 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. "TThe 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 land is composed of little, short sand-hills, forming a kind of deep basins, the bottoms of many of which t Organized as asseaw, July 12, 1330. Name changed to Southfield, July 29, 1830. + Re-organized as Pinesrille, in 1837. Changed to Springfield again in 1833. ( The system of surveys adopted in the northwest is said to have been recommended by General Wm. II. Harrison when a delegate in Congress, in 1799. I Tuttle's "History of Michigan," page 412. T c a L1, --I. _ _ __.. ... .', .. ... ~rN" Base Lino. Range 7. flange 8. Range 9. Range 10. Range 11. East. *" Territorial Laws," vol. ii. page 477. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MIICHIIGAN. 25 are composed of marsh similar to the above described. The streams are gener- ally 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 a similar situation, and in many places are literally afloat. On approaching the eastern part of the Military lands, 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 has been explored, and to all appear- ances, together with information received concerning the balance, is so had there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there would he one out of a thousand, that would in any case admit of cultivation."* The effect of this report upon Congress was, that they passed an act on the 29th of April, 1816, repealing so much of the law of 1812 as related to Michi- gan, and providing for locating an additional one million five hundred thousand acres in Illinois, and five hundred thousand in the Territory of Missouri, in lieu of the two million acres located in Michigan. It is somewhat difficult to understand atthis day how such a report could have been honestly made. It proved a serious drawback upon the country, which was very naturally considered as of little value for agricultural purposes, if not worth- less altogether. But during the years 1817 and 1818, a few venturesome pioneers braved the dangers of the forest and morass, and demonstrated the report of the surveyors to be egregiously at variance with the facts. The visit of Major Oliver Williams and his companions in the fall of 1818 entirely changed the current of popular opinion in and around Detroit with regard to the natural resources and condition of the country, for it proved beyond a ques- tion that there was a beautiful and fertile country in the interior, when once the immigrant had penetrated through the low and marshy belt surrounding Detroit. EARLY ROADS. One of the greatest drawbacks to the settlement of the country was the want of roads. The Indian trail from Detroit to Saginaw was the nearest approach to a road leading towards the region now comprising the county of Oakland, and this was nearly impassable during the greater part of the year, and even in the dryest season was only practicable for footmen and ponies. A military road was begun about 1817 or 1818, starting from Detroit and tollowing the Saginaw trail; and Colonel Leavenworth, then in command of the post, had worked it about three miles previous to 1819, besides corduroying several additional miles. An act to establish a road on this route was passed December 7, 1818, and the following proclamation by Governor Cass, completing the legislation relative to the road, best explains itself: "iBY LEWIS CASS. GOVERNOR IN AND OVER TIlE TERRITORY OF MICIIIGAN" " A PROCLAMATION. if hereas, by virtue of the provisions of an act of this Territory, passed the 7th day Pf December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, entitled ' An Act to establish a certain road,' the governor was em- powered to lay out and make a public highway and road mentioned therein, and to appoint three commissioners for carrying the said act into effect; and whereas, John Hunt, Ezra Baldwin, and Levi Cook, Esquires, commissioners as aforesaid, did, on the 13th day of December, instant, transmit to me their report upon the subject of the said road; " Now, therefore, By virtue of the said act, and in conformity with the said report, I do lay out the following as a public road or highway, namely: com- mencing at the centre of the military square in Woodward avenue, in the city of Detroit, and running thence along said avenue to Withierell street; and thence with Witherell street to the commencement of the space of one hundred feet between lots numbered 56 and 57, in Fletcher's plan of the survey of the tract of land granted by the act of Congress passed April 21, 1806, and entitled ' An Act to provide for the adjustment of the titles of land in the town Tuttle's " [istory of Michigan." of Detroit and Territory of )lichligan, and for other purposes ;' thence along tihe said space of one hundred feet, and with the course thereof; through the said tract; thence westwardly on the road which was opened and cut by the troops of the United States to the termination thereof; thence westwardly to a large oak- tree standing on the right of the Saginaw trail, so called, and within a short distanmce of the same, the said tree being marked with the letter II; thence west- wardly, in a direct line as surveyed and marked by Horatio Ball, to the main street in the village of Pontiac. and thence along said street to its termination and the line surveyed as aforesaid is to he the centre of the road. " In testimony whereof I have caused the seal of the said Territory to be here- unto affixed. Given under my hand at Detroit, this fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen. " LEWIS CASS. "By the Governor: WILLIAM WOODBRIDGE, " Secretary qf Michigan Territory." This road, originally commenced by Colonel Leavenworth, was extended from time to time, under various acts of legislation, by the Territorial government until it reached a point some six miles beyond the present city of Flint, about 1834. It was cut out of the width of one hundred feet through its whole course, and graded to a width of eighty feet. Subsequent to the admission of Michigan as a State of the Union, it has been worked by the various counties through which it passes, until it has become the splendid turnpike of the present day. At one period in its history it was transformed into a plank-road, between Detroit and Pontiac, under the control of a chartered corporation; and where it had become impassable by wear and tear it was solidly graded with gravel, and is now one of the finest and smoothest roads in the country. The portion of the road from Pontiac to Saginaw was surveyed and located by George W. Dole. in 1826. By an act approved June 23, 1828, a road was ordered laid out from the northeast corner of Oakland County, running south along the county line until it intersected the Detroit and Pontiac turnpike. Under the same act a road, coim- mencing at the bridge over the Clinton river in Pontiac, and running along the north side of Pine lake, the east side of Orchard lake, and the north side of Walled lake, and thence to Ann Arbor, was also ordered. By an act of the council, approved March 4, 1831, a road was ordered laid from Pontiac running southwest to a point on the road from Monroe to Ypsilanti. By an act of June 26, 1832, a road was ordered running from section No. 18, in Southfield township, to Detroit. April 4, 1833, a road was authorized from Pontiac to Livingston county. April 20, same year, a road from Bloomfield running west to intersect the road from Pontiac to Monroe; and by the same act a road from Bloomfield through Auburn to Flint. Most if not all of these roads have since been handsomely graded and graveled, and made toll-turnpikes. There seems to have been abundance of legislation upon the subject of roads. It appears that the act of 1819, ordering time Detroit and Pontiac turnpike, was not fully carried out, for we find that in June, 1822, another act was passed by the legislative council authorizing the governor to appoint three commissioners " to lay out and establish" a road from Detroit wia Pontiac to Saginaw, or the Saginaw river. Again, an act approved August 5, 1824, incorporating the " Pontiac and Paint Creek Turnpike Company," with time following-named incor- porators: John R. Williams, Daniel Le Roy, Peter I. Desnoyers, William Thompson, Solomon Sibley, Amasa Bagley, James IcCloskey, David Sauard, Benjamin Woodworth, Jonathan Kearsley, Johnson Niles, David C. MicKinstry, Thomas Palmer, Cyrus Chipman, and Olmstead Chamberlain. This turnpike was to extend from a point three miles from tihe Detroit river, on the present road, by the most practicable route via Royal Oak to the court-house in Pontiac, with a branch from Royal Oak to a point on Paint creek to be fixed by the com- missioners. The stock of this corporation was fixed by the act at eight hun- dred shares of twenty-five dollars each. James McCloskey, Daniel Le Roy, and Johnson Niles were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions. This was to be a toll-road, with two gates,-one near Detroit and the other within a half- mile of where the Paint creek branch commenced. The contrast between the smooth turnpike-roads of the present day, upon which an ordinary roadster can easily make eight miles per hour, and the bridle-paths and subsequent " corduroys," where the speed was seldom more than one or two miles per hour, is indeed wonderful. The first twelve miles from Detroit on the Saginaw trail was nearly an impenetrable swamp, covered with heavy timber, and so level that the water stood upon the surface a greater part of the year. Many a venturesome pioneer, who had perhaps found his way from New York or New England, has had the last atom of faith in the new country taken from him in this indescribable morass. 26 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. CHAPTER VIII. EARLY SETTLEMENTS AND ENTRIES OF LANDS-PROCEEDINGS OP COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS-COURT-HOUSES AND JAILS- COUNTY ASYLUMI-EASTERN ASYLUM FOR TIHE INSANE-CANALS AND RAIL- WAYS---GROWTII AND PROSPERITY- CENSUS -LANDS-AGRICULTURAL-- STOCK-MANUFACTURES-BANKS-PIONEER SOCIETY. ABOUT 1816 adventurers and United States surveyors began to venture be- yond the great swampy belt that encircled Detroit and shut from observation the interior of the Territory of Michigan, which was then popularly believed to be a vast region of sandy ridges and impenetrable swamps and morasses. The earli- est explorers came in by way of Mount Clemens and the Clinton river, then called the " Huron of St. Clair." Among the surveyors who had seen the country was Colonel Wampler, who protested to Captain Henry Parke, in 1821, that he never signed the unfavorable report made by the United States surveyors about 1816. EARLY PURCIIASES AND SETTLEMENTS OF TIHE COUNTY. The first settlement within the bounds of Oakland County was made on the 17th day of March, 1817, in the township now known as Avon, by James Gra- ham, his son Alexander, Christopher Hartsough, and John Hersey. The next succeeding settlements were made at Pontiac, by the Pontiac company, under the direction and supervision of Colonel Stephen Mack, the company's agent, late in the fall of 1818. Accompanying the colonel were Orison Allen, William Lester, and Major J. J. Todd, with their families. The same autumn and winter settlements were commenced at Birmingham, Royal Oak, and other places above the Detroit and Saginaw trail; and in March, 1819, Major Oliver Williams and his brother-in-law, Alpheus Williams, settled in Waterford township. Captain Archibald Phillips also settled in Waterford very early. Settlements were com- menced in Troy township at an early date. Among the first to enter land were Messrs. Castle, Hunter, Hamilton, and Fairbanks, in February, 1819. Lands were entered in what is now Oakland township, in March, 1819, by Benjamin Woodworth and William Russell. In what is now Farmington township, lands were purchased in October, 1822, by Eastman Colby, and in January following Arthur Powell purchased. The first purchase of land in West Bloomfield was made by James Herring- ton, in May, 1823. Land was first purchased in Independence township in October, 1823, by Alpheus Williams. The first entry of land in Bloomfield was made January 28, 1819, by Benja- min H. Pierce. On the 16th of March following lands were entered by Peter Desnoyer, and by Colonel David Stanard in July succeeding. In what is now Southfield the first entry was made by John Wetmore, in May, 1821. Colonel Stanard made the first entry of lands under the "ten-shilling act," in the county. The first entries in Orion township were made by Judah Church and John Wetmore, in October, 1819. These were among the earliest purchases and settlements in the county.* The townships of Groveland and Brandon were the latest settled,-both in 1835. The first mills were put in operation at Rochester and Pontiac, 1818-19. TIlE FISCAL MANAGERS OF TILE COUNTY. In the year 1817 (November 25), the governor and judges of the Territory of Michigan provided for the management of the fiscal concerns of the organized coun- ties of the Territory, courts of general quarter-sessions of the peace, composed of the justices of the county courts and justices of the peace in the respective counties, and vested these courts with full power to levy taxes for the needs of the conduct of public affairs of the county, and provided for the appointment of assessors and county treasurers by the governor. On the 30th of May, 1818, these courts were abolished, and their powers vested in three commissioners, to be appointed in each of the organized counties of the Territory by the governor, the powers of the assessors vested in the sheriff, and the limit of taxation fixed at one-quarter of one per cent. The clerks of the county courts were made the clerks of the com- missioners. The first commissioners appointed for Oakland County were Ziba Swan, Enoch Ilotchkiss, and Jonathan Perrin, who held the appointment until October, 1825, when their terms expired by legislative enactment, and new com- missioners were elected. The second board was composed of Stephen Reeves, William Burbank, and Arthur Power, who were elected for a term of three years, but who were super- SFor particulars relating to early settlemenuts, see histories of townships and villages. seded in 1827 by the board of supervisors, who were vested with the powers of the commissioners in the management of the fiscal concerns of the county. The board of county commissioners levied taxes, built a court-house and jail, partially completing the same, pledged the faith of the county on indebtedness maturing beyond their lease of power, laid out roads, granted licenses, and per- formed, for the space of six years, all the functions pertaining to their office; and yet there is no record in existence of any business done by them, so far as we have been able to discover, and has not been for years, with the single exception of a stray sheet of foolscap which is now doing duty as a wrapper for the files in the estate of Joseph Crippen, deceased, in the office of the judge of probate, which we accidentally found while examining the records of that court. That sheet con- tains the record of the last meeting of the first board, and the following business was done: October 3, 1825.-Present, Enoch Hotchkiss and Ziba Swan, commissioners. Accounts allowed: Sidney Dole, clerk, forty-seven dollars and fifty cents; one wolf's scalp, four dollars; one pauper bill, five dollars; three commissioners' bills for services, Jonathan Perrin's included, fifteen dollars; under-sheriff, three dol- lars; and a reference to one previously allowed G. Taylor and family, for pauper relief, fifty-four dollars. The commissioners levied a tax of two thousand and seventy dollars and twenty- seven cents, in the year 1825, on an assessment made by William Morris, sheriff, and S. V. R. Trowbridge, the same including seventy-eight thousand nine hun- dred acres assessed, all of which except two thousand acres lay within the county limits proper. In 1826 the tax-levy amounted to eighteen hundred and forty- one dollars and seventy-six cents. TIHE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. On the 30th day of March, 1827, an act of the legislative council of the Ter- ritory was approved, providing for the election in each township of a supervisor and other township officers; and on the same day another act of the council was approved, providing for the meeting of the supervisors of the several townships Sof a county at the county-seat annually, on the third Mondays of January, April, July, and October, and at such other times as they should find convenient, not exceeding eight days in any one year, and perform as a county board the duties theretofore imposed on the county commissioners. They were empowered to ap- point their own clerk, and fix his compensation for such time as they saw fit. On the 12th day of April following an act was approved formally abolishing the board of county commissioners, and vesting the powers thereof in the board of supervisors. TIHE FIRST MEETING of the board of supervisors of Oakland County was begun and held in Pontiac, at the court-house, on the third Monday and Tuesday in July, 1827; present, Roger Sprague, from Oakland township, S. V. R. Trowbridge from Troy, Lemuel Castle from Bloomfield, Amos Mead, Farmington, and Jacob N. Voorheis from Pontiac. Roger Sprague was chosen chairman, and Joseph Morrison clerk of the board. The following bills were allowed at the first day's session: Thomas J. Drake as prosecuting attorney, twenty-five dollars; Arthur Power, ten dollars for services as county commissioner for 1826. Hiram Willmarth, twelve dollars and fifty cents; Solomon Walker, four dollars and fifty cents; and Wareham Lee. three dollars and fifty cents, for services in laying out a road from Farmington to Orchard lake. E. S. Fish, six dollars and thirty-three cents for washing clothing for Imri Fish, a lunatic in the county jail. William Morris, sheriff, six dollars for summoning jury, and Schuyler Hodges, six dollars and fifty cents for distri- buting road warrants and attending court. On the second day a resolution was adopted offering a bounty of five dollars to any white person who should kill a wolf or panther six months old, and two dollars and fifty cents each for wheios. The first record of bounties paid by this board was to Chauncey Parker, of four dollars for a wolf killed April 7, 1827, the same having been killed previous to the limit assigned in the bounty resolution, thirty days before its passage, and the bounty being paid under a previous resolution of the county commissioners. The first bounty paid under the supervisors' resolution was to Enos Walker, for a wolf killed May 20, 1827. He also received four dollars for one wolf killed earlier. Bills for road-viewing, twenty-one dollars; Sheriff Morris, for boarding Imri Fish, thirty-eight dollars; Amos Mead, four dollars, and Joseph Elding, five dollars, for wolf-bounties, were allowed, and H. Willmarth's bill allowed on the first day reconsidered, and cut down two dollars, and ten dollars of the allow- ance to Drake cut off, the account being withdrawn by Supervisor Sprague. Su- pervisor Mead was ordered to procure blanks for assessment rolls, and a book for a supervisor's record. Elijah S. Fish was directed to furnish materials for fur- nishing a room in the southeast corner of the second story of the jail, and finish the same by "lathing and plastering the walls, plowing and grooving the lower floor, and laying the same in a workmanlike manner, grate the windows with iron, and HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 27 glaze them, and make a door cheap and substantial ;"' for which service and ma- terials Fish was to render a just and true account, and was to receive on account therefor a claim the county held against Sheldon M. Perry, for about forty dollars. The clerk was ordered to publish a notice in the two papers published in the Territory (at Detroit),-a notice calling on all holders of county orders'issued by the commissioners of Oakland County to present the same at the October meet- ing of the board, for exchange for others bearing legal interest, and payable at the county treasury. At the October meeting, held on the 15th of that month, at the same place and with the same presence, a per diem of one dollar was fixed as the full com- pensation for the services of all township officers not otherwise provided for. The contingent expenses of the townships were estimated as follows: Farmington, one hundred and thirty-six dollars; Troy, seventy-two dollars and fifty cents; Pontiac, one hundred and forty-three dollars; Oakland, eighty-three dollars and seventy- five cents; Bloomfield, ninety-nine dollars; which amounts were ordered to be levied on the assessments returned in the several townships, and in addition thereto, one-half of one per cent. was levied thereon for county purposes. The amount raised for county purposes was nineteen hundred and forty dollars and sixty-nine cents, the assessment being therefore about three hundred and eighty- eight thousand one hundred and thirty-eight dollars in the county, the assess- ments by townships being as follows: Pontiac, one hundred and twenty-three thousand three hundred and twenty-eight dollars; Bloomfield, seventy-one thou- sand two hundred and fifty-four dollars; Troy, sixty-eight thousand six hundred and eighty dollars; Oakland, seventy-seven thousand four hundred and sixty-six dollars; Farmington, forty-seven thousand four hundred and ten dollars. The taxes for 1827 were all collected excepting two hundred and eleven dollars and eighty-nine cents on non-resident lands, and six dollars delinquent personal tax. The Bloomfield lands were equalized with regard to those of the balance of the county, by reducing them from a dollar and fifty cents to a dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. Supervisor Mead's bill for blanks and stationery, nine dollars and fifty cents, and fourteen dollars for road-work, were allowed. E. S. Fish's bill for work on court-house, thirty-three dollars and twenty-four cents, was allowed, and the sheriff was allowed twenty-eight dollars and sixty-two cents for boarding Imri Fish, and the board declared they would allow no more hills for his keeping; but they forgot their declaration by the time the next meeting in January came around, and allowed twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents more for the same purpose, and continued to make such appropriations for some time. Elias Comstock secured an appropriation, for services as clerk of the commissioners, of twenty-nine dollars, and as clerk of the courts, of fourteen dollars. Drake received a five-dollar fee for prosecuting some unfortunate, and eighty dollars were appropriated for finishing two rooms in lower story of jail, and one in upper story in southeast corner, and Schuyler Hodges put in charge of the work. The supervisors allowed themselves thirty-four dollars, Morrison, their clerk, eight dollars eighty-seven and a half cents, and one wolf-bounty, and adjourned. At the January meeting, 1828, begun on the 21st of the month, the full board was present. Seventeen wolf-bounties were allowed. Hodges' bill, one hundred and seven dollars and seventy-six cents, for work on jail, was also allowed, and a bill of eight dollars and sixty-eight cents for hinges and straps, and a dollar and twenty- five cents for iron. C. C. Hascall, a justice of the peace of Pontiac, was allowed three dollars and sixty-eight and three-quarter cents for costs assessed against Queeche, an Indian, who was charged with theft and convicted (of course), but had no "wampum" wherewith to discharge his fine. Seventy-eight dollars were allowed for court expenses, eighteen dollars and a half for furniture for clerk's office, and thirty-three dollars and fifty cents for supervisors' services on revenue account. The district attorney was directed to look after the fines and forfeitures uncollected in the courts and before the justices, and collect the same if possible. At the April meeting, 1828, there was the same presence. The clerk was re- appointed, and his compensation fixed at a dollar and fifty cents per day, when actually employed. Ten wolf-bounties were allowed, and Fish was still a county charge. The county treasurer was allowed three per cent. on receipts and dis- bursements, and Drake compromised a suit he had previously brought against the board for non-allowance of a claim hlie had filed against the county. At the October meeting, 1828, the clerk of the courts was allowed thirty-one dollars and fifty cents for services in the " mildam" suits. At the March meeting, 1829, the prosecuting attorney was advised to use sound discretion in the prosecution of the mill-dam suits, and to discontinue the same if, in his opinion, the public interest required such disposition. A window in the county jail was ordered grated with iron, and another one with timber, and E. I. Fish put in charge of the work. His bid for the same amounted to fifty-nine dollars and ninety-three cents, which was allowed the next October. The jailer was put in search of stray plank and timber belonging to the county, and when found to take care of it. The assessment for 1828 was as follows: Troy township, $63,190; Bloomfield, $59,368; Farmington, $44,000; Oakland, $66,074; Pontiac, $10,377,-total, $339,009. The total taxes were as follows: Coutty. Bloomfield..............................................$144.34 Troy ...................... ............... 150.04 Farmingto(n.............................................. 104.53 Pontiac ................................................... 253.24 Oakland................................................... 174.16 Total ............................................$826.31 Town. $155.50 73.00 64.04) 194.00 118.91 $605.41 Total. $299.84 223.04 16S.53 447.24 293.07 $1431.72 The property assessed in 1828 consisted of horses and cattle of one year old and upward, wagons, carts, clocks, and watches, all assessed at their actual value. Notes, bonds, money, and stock in trade assessed similarly, and indebtedness de- ducted therefrom. The assessment of 1829 produced the following taxes: Town. Pontiac ....................................................$460.00 Bloomfield................................................205.00 Troy........................................................ 47.00 Oakland ...................................................1 06.00 County. $168.00 67.00 61.00 59.00 Total. $568.00 272.0) 108.00 165.00 Farm ington .................................. .... ... 66.00 48.00 114.00 Total ........................................$984.00 $403.00 $1227.00 At the March session, 1830, the following, called by the officials a moderate cash valuation, was fixed by the board as the rates of assessment for that year: Stallions kept for stock purposes, one hundred and fifty dollars; other horses, first- rate, seventy-five dollars; second-rate, forty dollars; third-rate, twenty dollars; oxen for the same rates, fifty dollars, forty dollars, and thirty dollars per yoke; cows, same grades, sixteen dollars, twelve dollars, and eight dollars; hogs over one year old, one dollar and fifty cents; sheep not valued. Household furniture and books exempt. Wagons rated as above, forty dollars, thirty dollars, and sixteen dollars; pleasure carriages, forty dollars; carts, twenty dollars; no other farming utensils valued, or to be assessed. Clocks and watches, five dollars and upward. Indebtedness to be deducted from personal property valuation. The sheriff was ordered to finish and furnish the court-room, and get it ready for occupancy by October 1, next ensuing. In October, Supervisor Hunter was directed to get a stove for the court-room. The taxes for 1830 amounted to five hundred and thirty dollars for township purposes, two thousand and thirty-nine dollars and sixty-seven cents for county purposes,-in all, two thousand five hundred and sixty-nine dollars and sixty-seven cents. In March, 1831, the job of completing the court-house was let to John W. Hunter and G. O. Whittemore; and at the, same meeting, in 1833, the balance was paid to the contractors and the work ac- cepted. At the October session, 1831, Elias Comstock appeared as clerk of the board, and at this session Southfield township was first represented thereon by Henry S. Babcock, its first supervisor. This meeting was held at the house of Solomon Close. Many meetings were held at Colonel D. Stanard's house in Bloomfield, in 1831-34. The tax levy of 1831 amounted to two thousand one hundred and forty-nine dollars and ninety-one cents for township and county pur- poses, including Sagana (Saginaw county), ninety-five dollars and fifty cents, and Southfield, one hundred and seventy-two dollars and ten cents. At the March meeting, 1832, Gardner D. Williams, supervisor of Sagana township (Saginaw county), appeared as a member. The assessment for 1832 amounted to six hun- dred and nine thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars, Southfield being placed at thirty-one thousand four hundred and seventy-nine dollars, and Sagana (all of Saginaw county) at twenty-six thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight dollars. The treasurer's report, made in 1MIarch, 1833, showed the following dis- bursements for the one year last past: poor account, five hundred and forty-four dollars and thirty-nine cents; jail repairs, two hundred and forty-three dollars and one cent; wolf-bounty, four hundred and ten dollars; general expenses, five hun- dred and ten dollars and seventy-five cents,-total, seventeen hundred and eight dollars and fifteen cents. At the October session, 1833, the following newly- organized townships were represented by their first supervisors: Royal Oak by Major Curtis, Novi by Samuel Hungerford, and Grand Blanc (county of Genesee) by Norman Davison. The total assessment, that year, of the county and its dependencies amounted to eight hundred and nine thousand eight hundred and forty-eight dollars, and the total taxes to five thousand five hundred and fifteen dollars and eighteen cents. The new townships' first tribute as the price of inde- pendent sovereignty was as follows: Assessment. County Tax. Town. Total. NoWi.....................85,941.00 $424.15 $102.07 $526.22 Royal Oak............ 28,966.00 143.14 48.41 191.55 Grand Blanc.............. 22,906.00 112.61 116.45 229.06 E. Jewett was allowed fifteen dollars for arresting and taking to jail an Indian named Pa-ba-mash. 28 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. At the October meeting, 1834, four new townships were represented, viz.: Mia, in the county of Lapeer, by Oliver Bristol, supervisor; Commerce by Harvey Dodge, West Bloomfield by Terrel Benjamin, and Lyon by Win. Dutcher. The assessment of the county was equalized by adding one per cent. to the assessment of Farmington, Troy, and Grand Blanc. The aggregate assessment of the county and territory under its jurisdiction amounted to nine hundred and ninety-six thousand and eighty-one dollars, and the total levy of taxes to three thousand three hundred and forty-seven dollars and six cents for county, and two thousand six hundred and ninety dollars and eighty-three cents for town purposes. The new townships were assessed and taxed as follows: Asessrnent. Mia.................................$8,774.00 W est loomitietd............... 40,971.00 Commerce ....................... . , 136.0 Lyon ............................... 34,,E64.0 County Tax. $36.26 169.15 1 49.6 141.85 Town. $44.74 57.2 103.26 Total. $81.00 OO 226.44 247.11 The bounty of five dollars for wolfs' scalps was repealed, and one of three dollars, in conjunction with the State bounty of ten dollars, offered. ITp to this time, from 1827, three hundred and seventy and more wolves had been killed in Oakland County. At this meeting the board resolved to allow the county officer no more rent for office room furnished by them. At the October meeting, 1835, the following new towns were represented by their first supervisors: Waterford by Isaac I. Voorheis, supervisor of Pontiac on preceding board; Milford by Abel Peck; highland by R. Tenney; Avon by Win. Price; Groveland by Nathan Herrick; and Orion by Jesse Decker. The total assessment of tlhe county for 1835 amounted to one million forty-seven thousand seven hundred and ninety-five dollars, and the tax levy to four thousand two hundred and forty-nine dollars and seventy-nine cents for county, and two thousand and eighty dollars and seventy cents for town purposes. The new townships' proportion of these amounts were fixed as follows: Assessment. Avon...................................$89,209 Watcrford ...... .. ..........:16,0:,8 High land.............................2:12:1 Millford................................ 22,0:14 Orion.................................. 21,530 (roveland...........................10,089 County Tax. $361.47 116.11 94.15 So9.28 87.23 40.87 Town Tax. $1 55.40 3 S.-12 55.84 18.0)9 :18.68 21.18 Total. $516.87 18,4.53 1 .49.99 17.37:1 125.91 on.05 dollars for trimming the judge's chair, and elected the first county superintend- ents of the poor, viz.: Win. Price, Harvey Seeley, and Friend Belding, for a term of one year. They abolished the distinction between county and township poor, adopting them all as a county charge. At the January meeting, 1840, John W. Hunter appeared as commissioner, rice Brownell, whose term of one year had expired. At the August meeting of the same year, Commissioner Axford being absent on the first day, Stephen Reeves, the judge of probate, was sworn as special commissioner, as provided by law in such cases. There was no change in the composition of the board from this time on to the last meeting thereof in March, 1842, at which time the curtain fell on their brief drama, and rose again on the anniversary of the natal day of the republic, as the new dramatis persona, the restored board of supervisors, made their re-entrance and assumed direction of affairs. John Ellinwood was chosen chairman of the re-established authority, all of the towns being repre- sented except Milford. The assessment of 1842 was fixed at two million one thousand nine hundred and six dollars on real estate, and at one hundred and thirty-eight thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine dollars on personal property. Total, two million one hundred and forty thousand six hundred and eighty-five dollars. At the January meeting of the board in 1862, one of the members, the supervisor from Oakland, Mr. Redfield, having received a commission in one of the Michigan volunteer regiments, his brother members presented him a sword and belt at the close of the session one day. The action of the board during the war of the Rebellion was prompt and patriotic. The amount raised for relief of soldiers was liberal, and for the encouragement of enlistments munificent, some two thousand three hundred and twenty-six dollars and fourteen cents of bonds being issued for the latter object. At the October meeting, 1865, a bill for stores furnished the county jail con- tained a charge of forty cents for tobacco, which was at first rejected, but after- wards, after a warm discussion, allowed, by a vote of twelve to seven, the ayes and nays being demanded on the question. One of the supervisors introduced a resolution indicting the custom of furnishing the weed to the prisoners at the county's expense, and which indictment contained a general count against the practice of using the same by anybody, but it touched too near the individual members, probably, for it was laid on the table. Among the first wolf-bounties paid, was one paid on the following certificate: " Territory of Michigan, K County of Oakland. j "' I hereby certify, that Win. Keyes produced a skeip of one woolf, beang above the age of six months ould (which skelp and ears was destroid in my presents. I, William Keyes, do solemnly swear that the woolf mentioned in the above cirti- ficuit was killed in the town of Troy, in the county aforesaid, and was killed on the 7th day of Nov., 1828. And further, I have not spared the life of any bitch woolf in my power to kill with a dcsing to increase the breed. I further believe th e said woolf was above the age of six months ol . Sworn and subscribed, &c., before L----- W---- , J. p.' The report of the county treasurer to the board of supervisors for the year ending December 31, 1876, showed an amount of ninety-two thousand four hundred and twenty-two dollars and eight cents received by him; twenty-two thousand and sixteen dollars and twenty-three cents being for State taxes, forty- six thousand two hundred and fifty dollars for county taxes, and nine thousand one hundred and eighty-three dollars and eleven cents the liquor taxes paid in the county. Among the disbursements were eleven thousand one hundred and seven dollars and fifty-three cents for pauper relief on the poor-farm, in the townships and at the insane asylum at Kalamazoo; twenty-eight thousand and thirty-eight dollars and ninety-five cents for the general expenses of the county; five thousand one hundred and fifty dollars for salaries; and four thousand two hundred and twenty-five dollars and ninety-eight cents for jurors and witnesses. The assessment and taxes of the county for the year 1876 were as follows, by townslhips: At the October meeting, 1836, but one new sovereignty appeared among its peers, White Lake sending her first chief officer, Alex. Galloway. The first assessment of the property of the township for taxation was placed at fifteen thousand eight hundred and forty-two dollars, and the taxes to be paid thereon at sixty-three dollars and thirty-six cents for the county, and thirty-nine dollars and seventy-three cents for the township. At the October session, 1837, six new townships were present by supervisors or tax list, viz.: Addison by Lyman Boughton; Brandon by G. P. Thurston; Independence by J. Clark; and Rose by J. A. Wandle. Oxford and Springfield paid taxes that year, but were represented at the October meeting. The total assessment of the county was fixed at two million two hundred and eight thousand three hundred and fifteen dollars. The first State tax was paid this year, and Oakland's proportion amounted to two thousand and forty-three dollars and seventy-seven cents; the county taxes amounted to six thousand eight hundred and ninety-three dollars, and the town- ship levies to three thousand six hundred and ninety-five dollars and eighty-four cents, making a grand aggregate of twelve thousand five hundred and thirty-two dollars and sixty-one cents. Of these amounts the new towns bore the following proportion Assessment. Addison...........................$59,063 Brandon......................... 43,666 (Ox ford ...........................62,509 Independence................. 73.818 Rose.............. ............... :3,727 Springfield....................... 73.37 State Tax. $54.23 40.30 57.7,2 6,8.28 58.94 67.82 County Tax. $184.54 1:3.4S 195.7!) 230.$8 199.09 229.45 Town Tax. $115.78 54.0) 101.04 801.0(1 127.48S 1353.00 Total. $:154..5 2:30.6(8 354.55 379.16 :45.51 432.27 At the October meeting, 1838, Holly came into and completed the circle of towns, by J. T. Allen, her first supervisor, and was assessed by so doing a tax of one hun- dred and three dollars and six cents for State purposes, two hundred and thirty dollars and eleven cents for county uses, and her own necessities called for seventy- three dollars and thirty-nine cents more, making her first tribute amount to four hundred and six dollars and fifty-six cents, levied on an assessment of sixty-six thousand six hundred and thirty-four dollars. The legislature of the State did not seem to take kindly to the supervisor system, and in 1838 remanded the strong-box of the county into the keeping of a board of county commissioners, who made their ddbut before the people, their masters, on the 7th day of January, 1839. the following gentlemen appearing and being sworn into office: Isaac I. Voorheis, George Brownell, and Win. 1. Axford. They organized the board for business by choosing Commissioner Voorheis chair- man. They allowed eleven dollars and three cents for burying a pauper, and four Assessment. Addison ............$241,440 Avon......................... 542,470 lBloom fiold .................. 34,921 Brandon ..................... 222,200 Commerce ................ 321,480 Farmington................ 5:4,100 Groveland................ 20.1,91i Highland....................272,110 Holly .........................:1)3,1915 Independence............. :18,000 ,yon..................... .11,10 M ilford .....................421.4111 Novi...................... 4:.8,22:, Oiakland ...................... :1;16,13 Orion .......................27,1 1) State Tax. County Tax. Town Tax. School Tax. Total. $757.2s 1701.81 1677.,81 696.9: 1008.34 1675.241 642.10 85:x.17 1 03.7 1i151.25 1486l,.t:; 1:111.): 1:17 .1..52 11:74.32 s72.::o $1052.73 2365.71 2332.31, 968.84 1401.72 2:328.78 893.45 11 S).02 1419.71 1601.53 1833.111; 1910.7.1 1 31111)18 1212.11 $326.7S 1450.00 683.00 764.00) 250.00 1850.00 329.24 50.00 .70.09 2:.11)11 1025.{0 200.00 lil). 1141 $1222.73 3217.54 3658.54 20:34.111 2284.93 3215.88 1611.10 1637.61. 5482.1 S 293s8.13 2.38.10 1719.6)1 26011.9-1 2)0.110 2152.08 $3339.52 8735.16 8351.71 4464.3S 4944.9!4 9069.911 31s4.49 3926.8;' 8428.13 6 017.2:1 5792.5:} 3117.21 3195.27 4:136.91 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 29 Assessment. State Tax. County Tax. Oxford .....................$ 7 70 Pontiac Township ...... :1l ,1t Pontiac City, 1st Va rd.. 12.1.10 " 2d Ward .. 174,4130 " :84 Ward .. 2:17.225 4th Ward.. 324,460 Rose................. 223,891 Royal Oak................. 285,680 Southfield ..... ......... 75,!71) Springfield ..................260,:'p1 Troy ...... ........... 11),730 Waterford...................375,900 West Bloomfield........... 323,sS0 White Lake............. 222,180 Total..............$9,63s5,733 118 3 s$ 04 3 11.1.90 1417.79 74.1.111 0117.118 708.51 896.04 1177.31 816.56 1601.94 1171:.(17 1191.87 $30,2S5.63: I0S.23 675.74 1 0:14:314 1034.34 1414.71 9S4.72 1245 58 1:163.68 11 :;s.1:1 2226.88 '}li) SSI 1412.18 98.75 Town Tax. $4o00.00o 450.0 1892.81 2054.17 2848.42 39114.74 5036.00 5110.001 500.011 :325.011 :1351.51 200.0J) 223.00 2350.00 School Tax. $210.52 14:111. 59 298'2.64 :1284.26 41SS.67 244.43 1143.111 2743.1 2 1804.31 2701.70 8 31 6.67 :1878.280 1l;7S.25 Total. 41.43.72 60:7." 41l77.72 91135.49 12,141.56 :3:374.39 5384.74 3712.63 31081.90 688 2.0:; 63:4.69 313:1.03 3793.9 0 $42,!00.00 $23,701.36 $80,927.11 $177,217.70 The State board of equalization, at their last meeting in 1876, placed the proportion of Oakland's assessment for State purposes at twenty-six million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which sun forms the basis of State taxation for five years,-1876 to 1880, both years inclusive. The total assessment of the State was placed at six hundred and thirty millions of dollars, on which amount the levies of the years before named have been and will be made; and the amount charged to Oakland will be such proportion as the assessment before named bears to the entire assessment, which will be collected on the local assessments of the townships, as equalized by the county board of supervisors. The equalization of the State and Oakland County remains unchanged from the valuation of 1871. There were five hundred and thitty-three thousand five hundred and three acres assessed in 1876 in Oakland County, exclusive of city and village property, at an average of thirteen dollars and ninety-one cents per acre. The valuation of per- sonal property in the county was fixed at one million five hundred and thirty-three thousand nine hundred and seventy-three dollars, being a per capita valuation on the population of 1874 (thirty-eight thousand and eighty-two), of forty dollars and twenty-eight cents. The chairmen of the board of supervisors from 1827 to 1877, inclusive, have been as follows: Roger Sprague, 1827-31 ; Lemuel Castle, 1832 and 1835; Amos Mead, 1833; Major Curtis, 1834; Johnson Niles, 1836-37 ; L. M. Part- ridge, 1838; John Ellinwood, 1842; Erie Prince, 1843-44; Isaac I. Voorheis, 1845 and 1851; L. M. Mowrey, 1846; Chas. Blanchard, 1847; Chas. Baldwin, 1848 and 1853; Joseph R. Bowman, 1849-50; Win. Axford, 1852, 1854, and 1860; Francis Darrow, 1855-56; N. W. Clark, 1857; J. H. Butler, 1858; Win. Cone, 1859; Chas. V. Babcock, 1861-66; Thos. L. Patterson, 1867-75' Win. E. Littell, 1876-77. The board elected in April, 1877, have not at this writing met and organized. TIHE COURT-IIOUSE AND COUNTY JAIL. The first public buildings of Oakland County were erected in 1823-24, or, at least, their erection was begun in one or the other of those years. They were a court-house and jail combined in one building, which was built of squared logs and framed work, the lower portion being used for jail purposes, and the upper, or second story, the framed portion, being used for a court-room. Major Oliver Williams, of Waterford, had the contract for getting out the timber, and the plank of which the cells were made, and which was six inches thick, was sawed at Mack's mill, Colonel Almon Mack, now living at Rochester, in Oakland County, acting as sawyer. The jailer's residence was in the upper story of the building also. The proprietors of the village plat of Pontiac made large concessions in aid of the erection of this building, subscribing heavily therefor. It stood very near the location of the present court-house. The upper portion of the building, however, was not finished during the existence of the board of county conm- missioners, by whom it was begun, and at the first meeting of the board of supervisors a room was ordered finished in the southeast corner of the second story, which was done in 1827, and two additional rooms finished off in the jail- hall, early in 1828. The court-room was not finished until the summer of 1830. At the March session of the board of supervisors, 1835. a resolution was intro- duced to petition the legislative council for a law authorizing a loan to build a court-house, but it was Yejected by a vote of nine to four. At the February term of the circuit court, 1835, the grand jury indicted the court-house for inconvenience, and asked the board of supervisors-in which request the presiding judge of the court joined-to take immediate steps towards the erection of a convenient court-house, and the action of the supervisors was above shown. At the October term of the supervisors, 1835, a resolution to appoint a com- mittee of five to procure drafts and plans for a court-house was lost by a vote of ten to eight. At the March session of the board a committee reported in favor of extensive repairs on the old court-house, and again in October another appro- priation was made for finishing the prison-cells, the whole amount appropriated for the Yearamoting to two thousand dollars. An act was passed in 1835 autho- thiyearnatel. * E'stima~tel. rizing the board of supervisors to loan sufficient funds to build a convenient court-house, fixing no limit to the amount to be expended, but limiting the taxa- tion therefor to one-fourth of one per cent. in any one year. In October, 1836, another resolution looking to the erection of a court-house was voted down at the board of supervisors, twelve to six. In March, 1837, a resolution was carried through the board of supervisors, appointing supervisors Richardson, Niles, and Mack agents to negotiate a loan for the erection of county buildings, at a rate of interest not exceeding seven per cent., and to contract for the erection of a court- house, and to prescribe the plans. In case the legislature did not authorize the effecting of a loan by the county for such purpose, then the agents were to con- tract for brick and lumber necessary for the work, to be paid for out of the taxes of 1837. The committee effected nothing, and in October the clerk was ordered to give notice to the inhabitants of the county to take into consideration at the next annual town-meetings the expediency of making a loan for the erection of county buildings; subsequently, a committee, consisting of John Davis and N. B. Newcomb, was appointed to notify the people. At the March session of the hoard in 1838, the matter of a loan was referred to the people at the November elections next ensuing, and John Davis directed to give due notice of the same. At the October session, 1838, a sum of one hundred and eighty dollars was raised to pay the rental of a certain building for county purposes, and a committee was appTointed to secure a lease of the same for six months, from January 1, 1839. In March, 1839. two hundred dollars were appropriated for repairs on the old court-house and jail, and in October following six hundred dollars more went the same way. In June, 1840, the board ordered the sale of village lots, 29 to 34, inclusive, in Pontiac, the same belonging to the county, and the proceeds covered into the treasury fbr county purposes. In April, 1841, a contract was made by the county commissioners with Solomon Close, for the erection of a building for county offices, for the sum of nineteen hundred and thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents. John W. Hunter was appointed superintendent of con- struction, but he resigned, and E. B. Comstock was appointed to the position. This building stood just in front of the present court-house. The last session of the county commissioners, March 9, 1842, passed the following resolution relative to the county offices: " Resolved, That if E. B. Comstock shall by the first day of July next com- plete, build, and fix fifty-nine feet of balustrade on the roof of the front side of the building of county offices, made panel work of good pine lumber, paint, sand, and letter the same with the words, ' Oakland County Offices,' he then and in that case shall be entitled to the sum of sixty-four dollars." But the supervisors at their July session, 1842, rejected Comstock's bill, and allowed him but twenty-fivedollars, on the ground that hlie had not fulfilled his contract with the commissioners. In October, 1843, a committee of the board reported the jail insecure and the court-house unfit to use, and the grand jury indicted the same as a public nui- sance; and, thereupon, under this pressure, the supervisors submitted to the people the question of raising a sum, not exceeding eight thousand dollars, for the pur- pose of erecting new buildings, and the clerk was instructed to give due notice of the same for the April town-meeting in 1844. The people voted the proposition down, and at the October session, 1845, a resolution to appropriate two thousand dollars and appoint a committee to contract for a new court-house was rejected. Abner C. Smith, Esq., of Minnesota, writing of the old days in Oakland, says of the old court-house, " An old New England red school-house would be a fool compared to the ragged edges of the old tables, chairs, and benches, to say nothing of the judge's fixtures, all of which had once been in apparent good society." At every meeting heavy bills for repairs on the old buildings were audited. In June, 1846, a resolution was passed that it was "highly necessary and proper that measures be taken for the erection of county buildings, and a committee of three be appointed to procure plans and specifications." In October following a committee of three was appointed to procure plans for a jail, and another com- mittee appointed to receive proposals for the erection of a new jail, to cost not exceeding four thousand dollars, which sum, at a subsequent meeting, was stricken out. The committee on plans reported October 16, and their report was accepted. November 26, 1846, the bid of Solon B. Comstock, of five thousand three hun- dred and seventy-eight dollars, being the lowest one received for the construction of a jail, was accepted, and a contract made with him accordingly. The lot cost two hundred and twenty-five dollars, and in October, 1847, Comstock was allowed one hundred and six dollars and fifty-one cents for extras on his contract. In June, 1848, Comstock's work was fully accepted, and his bond returned to him. At the October meeting, 1851, the supervisors resolved it was " expedient to build a new court-house, and that the sum of four thousand dollars be raised," and submitted the same to the people at the next annual town-meeting, who put their foot on the proposed luxury. At the October session, 1852, the board met in the Hodges House hall at a rental of two dollars per day, and during that year the old court- 30 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. house was so dilapidated that a resolution was actually passed making a contract with the city authorities of Pontiac for the use of Firemen's Hall for the use of the courts, and the sheriff directed to move the furniture from the court-room to the hall; but the matter was carried no further, and the committee reported that the court-house could be repaired for one hundred and thirty-five dollars, and made comfortable, and thereupon that sum was appropriated, and the repairs ordered. In January, 1854, resolutions looking to the erection of a court-house, embodying the raising of three thousand dollars in the assessment of 1854, and directing plans and specifications to be prepared, were passed by the board and submitted to the people, who were not ready yet for the expenditure, and set the seal of their objections on the same by a vote of eighteen hundred and twenty-eight nays to fifteen hundred and ninety-three yeas. The jail was repaired in 1854. In October, 1854, the board resolved to raise twenty-five hundred dollars for a court-house, but the sum was not raised, and in January, 1855, the board resolved again to raise the same sum, and appointed a committee to advertise for proposals for buildings, provided the people were willing and so expressed themselves at the town-meeting in April, 1856, which they did not. The removal of the county-seat from Pontiac was agitated during this period of attempted court-house building, which added to the interest and uncertainty of the movement. But at last, in 1856, the matter was settled, and proposals were called for and received for building the new court- house. C. W. Tuthill proposed to put up the building for fourteen thousand seven hundred dollars, and take the "Henderson property" as part payment, at two thousand dollars. D. J. Pratt offered to erect the building for twelve thousand two hundred and ninety-four dollars, and take the same property at twenty-five hundred dollars, and for three hundred dollars more would complete it in two years. William Scott's bid was for fourteen thousand six hundred and ninety-seven dol- lars, and to take the property at twenty-one hundred dollars. The contract was awarded to Pratt, and a building committee chosen by ballot, consisting of Francis Darrow, S. T. Bryan, and R. E. Trowbridge, who were authorized to sell the building known as the "county offices." The proposition for the erection of the court-house was carried before the people at the April town-meetings in 1856 by a vote of twenty-two hundred and seventy-seven yeas to seven hundred and forty-four nays. The building was erected in 1856 and 1857. In 1857 the people voted a tax of two thousand dollars per annum for court- house purposes. Joshua Terry contracted to remove the old buildings. In 1874 five thousand dollars were voted to build fire-proof vaults in the court-house, which were so built in the county clerk's, judge of probate, register, and treas- urer's offices. Besides this, the county treasurer's safe is a burglar-proof chest, secured with a chronometer lock, in which he keeps his official valuables. The court-house has an area of sixty by one hundred feet, is two stories in height,- the walls being some thirty or more feet from the water-table to the rafters. A hall runs through the building on the lower floor, from the front on Saginaw street to the rear on the alley, on either side of which hall the offices above named are situated. The court-room is in the second or upper floor, and is about sixty feet square, with jury and judge's rooms attached. The whole building is surmounted by a wooden tower. The county jail stands on the opposite side of the alley, in the rear of the court-house, and contains some fourteen cells on the second floor, the sheriff occupying the lower apartments as a residence. Both the jail and court-house are built of brick. THE COUNTY ALMSHOUSE. The first action taken by the authorities of Oakland County looking towards the acquisition of a county almshouse was that of the board of supervisors of 1834, at the October sessions, at which time a committee of three were appointed to inquire into the expediency of procuring such an institution for the county. Messrs. Yerkes, Steel, and Gregory were the committee, and they reported ad- versely to the project; but, at the same session, another committee, consisting of Babcock, Castle, Dutcher, Gregory, and Stephens, made inquiry as to the expedi- ency of purchasing a location for a county farm, and reported in favor of pur- chasing eighty acres, which report was accepted, and seven hundred dollars appropriated, and the sum apportioned to the different towns as follows: Farmington, sixty-six dollars and sixty-seven cents; Lyon, twenty-five dol- lars and forty-two cents; Southfield, thirty-eight dollars and fifty-four cents; Troy, sixty-five dollars and ninety-nine cents; Grand Blanc, Genesee county, twenty-three dollars and ninety-eight cents; Pontiac, one hundred and sixty-four dollars and twenty-eight cents; Oakland, one hundred and twenty-two dollars and nine cents; Sagana (Saginaw county), thirty dollars and fifty-one cents; Novi, forty- eight dollars and twenty-nine cents; Bloomfield, sixty-four dollars and fifty-seven cents; Commerce, twelve dollars and sixteen cents; West Bloomfield, thirty dol- lars and thirty-one cents; Royal Oak, thirty-seven dollars and seventy-two cents; Mia, six dollars and forty-nine cents. Total, seven hundred and thirty-seven dollars and two cents. The report of the committee last above named was subsequently reconsidered and rejected, and another committee appointed to examine a location, consisting of Messrs. Castle, Curtis, Babcock, Dodge, Price, and Voorheis; and at the March sessions, 1835, Messrs. Castle, Curtis, and Voorheis were elected a committee to take charge of the funds already raised therefor, and purchase and fit up a farm for county poor purposes, at an expense not exceeding eight hundred dollars, to be paid in four annual installments. This committee purchased the east half of the northeast quarter of section 2 in Waterford, of Thaddeus Alvord, for ten hundred and fifty dollars; and in March, 1836, there was an allowance of seven hundred and eighty-eight dollars made for stock, farming utensils, and superintendent's salary. The total expenses on account of pauper relief in 1835, in the county, were fifteen hundred and ninety-one dollars and thirty-one cents. On the 2d of May, 1835, the committee advertised the poor-house ready for occupancy. In 1839 the county commissioners abolished the distinction of county and township poor, assuming them all as a county charge. Theretofore, only those persons who had acquired no legal residence in the county had been helped directly by the supervisors as a county body corporate, the townships providing for actual residents. At the first meeting of the commissioners, in January, 1839, they also elected the first county superintendents of the poor, viz.: William Price, Harvey Seeley, and Friend Belding, whose terms of office were fixed at three years. The expense of the poor-farm system the first year was two thou- sand and eighty-three dollars and sixty-eight cents. This farm, bought in 1835, was occupied by the county until 1857, when it was turned in for a payment on a new farm purchased of Mead, in Waterford, of three hundred and seventeen acres, the old farm being taken at forty dollars per acre, and the balance of the purchase-money on the new purchase, nine thousand four hundred and sixty-six dollars and forty cents, secured by mortgage. The land was situate in Waterford, and was known as the northeast quarter and west half, southeast quarter and southwest quarter, section 27, except ten acres reserved therefrom. There were good buildings on the farm. In January, 1858, the board resolved to dispose of the Mead farm, and buy another containing about one hundred acres, and a committee reported in favor of disposing of a portion of the Mead farm and erecting build- ings on the balance. Mead offered to take back the land on the north side of the road at thirty-five dollars per acre, which proposition was not accepted by the board of supervisors, but about the year 1860 the farm reverted to the original owner, Mead, by default in the payments on the mortgage, and the first farm and the expense incurred in remodeling the buildings on the second farm lost by the county. William W. Martin, of Bloomfield, was then engaged by contract to support and care for the county paupers, for some years, and received nine shil- lings per week per head for the same. At the October meeting, 1863, the com- mittee on the poor-house, F. W. Fifield, E. B. Comstock, and Noah Tyler, re- ported as follows: " In regard to the system now practiced of farming out the paupers, it is extremely objectionable, repugnant to humanity, and in opposition to the true interests of the county. The paupers under this system are not cared for, or as comfortably situated, as the dictates of humanity or requirements of justice demand, notwithstanding the.keeper is doing the best he can for them. The buildings in which they are kept are inadequate to the wants and absolute necessities of the inmates, and are uncouth, unshapely, and, worse, uncomfortable and unwholesome, and the committee recommends the purchase of eighty acres of land, and the erection of suitable buildings at once." In 1864, in accordance with the recommendation, the board authorized the county superintendents to purchase a farm, and accordingly they bought, April 1, 1864, one hundred and twenty acres, being the one-half of the northwest quar- ter, section 35, and southeast quarter of southwest quarter, section 26, township 3 north, range 9 east, of Joel Benedict, for four thousand eight hundred and thirty- three dollars. This farm was subsequently sold to T. F. Harrington, and on June 23, 1866, one hundred acres purchased of Mortimer F. Osmun, being the east part of northeast quarter, section 24, in Waterford, for six thousand dollars. On the 6th of April, 1869, thirty acres or more were purchased of Ira K. Terry, being the southwest part of northwest quarter, section 19, township 3 north, range 10 east, for two thousand five hundred dollars, the total cost of the land being eight thousand five hundred dollars, and the farm containing about one hundred and thirty-seven acres. In January, 1866, the superintendents of the poor were authorized to receive proposals for buildings on the county farm, the cost of which should not exceed fifteen thousand dollars. The buildings were erected in 1866-67. The value of the property is estimated by the county superintendents in their report to the secretary of state as follows: farm and buildings, twenty-nine thousand two hundred and ninety-five dollars; live-stock on the farm, one thousand three hundred and thirty dollars; farming implements, four hundred and eighty-eight dollars; all other property, nine hundred dollars; total valua- tion, thirty-two thousand and thirteen dollars. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 31 In the year 1875, ending October 15, the pauper labor was estimated at two hundred dollars for the year; the estimated value of all farm products was placed at' sixteen hundred and ninety-seven dollars and twelve cents, the actual sales of farm products amounted to three hundred and eighty-nine dollars and forty-seven cents, and the per cent. of value of farm products to capital invested was 5.30. The amount paid to superintendents during the same year was two hundred and eighty-two dollars, and to supervisors during same time, two hundred and eighty dollars and fifty cents, for the dispensing of the county charities. Of the one hundred and three inmates of the almshouse in 1875, fifty-nine of them were American born, eight were English, sixteen were Irish, four Scotch, five German, one Swede, four Canadian, two negroes, one mulatto, and three of unknown nativity. The amount expended for pauper relief in 1875 was ten thousand three hundred and eighty-four dollars and seventy-nine cents. The cost of maintaining the poor-house, exclusive of interest on capital invested and the value of the pauper labor, was four thousand and fifty-two dollars and forty-six cents, the cost per week of each pauper being one dollar and fifty-one cents. The keeper's salary was five hundred dollars, and the cost of medical attendance amounted to three hundred and twenty-eight dollars, and eighty-two dollars and fifteen cents were paid in transportation to and from the house. The amount ex- pended for temporary relief in 1875, outside of the county-house in the different townships, was three thousand five hundred and thirty-seven dollars and seventy- eight cents; the funeral expenses of inmates of poor-house amounted to two hun- dred and ninety-eight dollars and seventy cents. The cost of the insane paupers at Kalamazoo footed up two thousand one hundred and nine dollars and ninety cents. The report of the county superintendents for the year ending October 1, 1876, makes the following exhibit: One hundred and seven persons were admitted dur- ing the year; thirteen died in the house, fifty were discharged, leaving forty-five inmates at the date of the report,-the average maintained for the year being forty-seven. The receipts from the sale of farm-products amounted to four hun- dred and forty-three dollars and two cents. There were raised on the farm during the year three hundred and twenty bushels wheat, three hundred and thirteen bushels oats, one hundred and fifty bushels peas, one thousand bushels (ears) corn, two hundred and twenty-five bushels potatoes, four hundred bushels bagas, twenty barrels apples, sixteen tons hay, twenty loads corn fodder, and nine hundred heads cabbage. The live-stock on the farm consisted of three horses, seven cows, three two years old, three yearlings, three calves, seventy sheep, forty-one hogs, one hundred fowls, and the farm was well stocked with farming implements. The expense of the farm for the year was four thousand four hundred and fifty-six dollars and nine cents, and for temporary relief four thousand two hundred and fifty dollars and twenty-five cents, and for the cost of maintaining the insane at the asylum some twenty-five hundred dollars. There was raised for 1877 nine thou- sand dollars for farm and temporary relief, and twenty-eight hundred dollars for the insane poor. The buildings consist of a large brick central building, a suit- able one of same material for the insane, four barns, corn-house, wash-house, and smoke-house, all in good order and repair. The facilities for bathing are two bath-rooms with tubs and shower-bath. The main building is warmed by three furnaces, and the building for insane by a stove. The ventilation is good, and is created by the furnaces, registers, and draft-flues, and the inmates are well cared for and comfortably clothed and fed, and cared for when sick by physician in charge. The children do not stay long enough to make schooling feasible. Fifty- three acres are under cultivation, and the whole farm is divided into fourteen fields, well fenced. The present keeper is David Mowhinney, who, with his wife, lives on the premises. The contrast between the care given to this unfortunate class now and in the early days is best shown by an incident which the report of one of the early directors of the poor of one of the townships of the county preserves. He was applied to by a blind man for relief, but by a judicious work- ing upon his fears (by threatening to have him locked up as a vagrant) he was frightened out of the county by the shortest road, and thus the county saved the expense of his relief. "Rattle his hones over the stones. lie's only a pauper, whom nobody owns." This unfeeling method of shifting the responsibility upon some one else's shoulders was not always practiced, however, for the very same meeting to which this report was made provided for the support of a poor orphan boy, and paid his tuition fees, in order that he might not grow up in ignorance. Bills were allowed, too, for articles of luxury which would hardly pass the auditing com- mittee's marking nowadays. One very common bill of items used to read thus: "To clothing furnished John Jones .............................................. $2.01 To whisky (several items aggregating) ................................................ 1.50 To tobacco ...................................................... 2.1)0 $5.51" And they were allowed, the idea being that a pauper had but few pleasures, and those of the cheapest kind. The county superintendents of the poor have been as follows: 1839-42, Win. Price, Harvey Seeley, and Friend Belding; 1842-44, Samuel White, Ziba Swan, Jr., and Ira Donelson; 1845, Salmon J. Matthews, Orison Allen, and Ira Donelson; 1846, Geo. Patten, Ziba Swan, Jr., and George Dow; 1847, C. H. Woodhull, Ira Murlin, and Geo. Patten; 1848, Isaac I. Voorheis, Geo. Patten, and Francis Darrow; 1849, F. Darrow, G. Robertson, and F. Belding; 1850 to 1853 inclusive, Jas. A. Weeks, I. I. Voorheis, and Win. Yerkes; 1854, I. I. Voorheis, Stephen Reeves, and D. M. Judd; 1855, Stephen Reeves, F. Belding, and Phil. S. Frisbee; 1856, IH. W. Hiovey, Henry Mead, and F. Belding; 1857, Almeron Whitehead, J. H. Button, and F. Bradley; 1858, Whitehead, Button, and Stephen Reeves; 1859-60, no superintendents elected; 1861, J. H. Button, Robt. M. Davis, and Wm. Cone; 1862, Jas. New- berry, J. H. Button, and Andrew Bradford. In 1863 three superintendents were elected, one for one year, one for two years, and one for three years. Andrew Bradford was elected for the long term, Jas. Newberry for two years, and J. H. Button for one year. J. H. Button was elected in 1864 for three years, and again in 1867 for three years, but resigned in 1869. Bradford resigned in 1865, and Francis Baker was elected to fill the vacancy. James Newberry was re-elected at the end of his first term of two years for a term of three years. Horace Thurber, 1866-69; Caleb Terry, 1868- 71; John W. Leonard, 1869-71, to fill vacancy of J. H. Button; Augustus W. Hovey, 1870, 1873, 1876, 1879; Wm. M. McConnell, 1871, 1874, 1877; J. W. Leonard, 1872, 1875, 1878. EASTERN ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE. The legislature for 1873 appropriated four hundred thousand dollars for the purpose of building an additional asylum for the insane, and a locating board was appointed to select a site. This board, after visiting various localities and making extensive examinations, selected the present site at Pontiac, in June, 1874. Some delay was occasioned in securing the land, but on the 16th of December, 1874, the titles having been all acquired, the board adopted the plans prepared by Mr. Myers, of Detroit, under the supervision of Dr. E. H. Van Deusen, and on the 18th advertised for proposals for the construction of the asylum. In response to this advertisement twenty-one proposals were received, and on the 16th of February, 1875, were opened in public, and Messrs. Coots and Top- ping, of Jackson, were found to be the lowest bidders, and the contract was awarded to them, in the sum of three hundred and six thousand three hundred and eighty-four dollars and fifty-six cents. This contract provides for all the mason and carpenter work, but does not pro- vide for sewerage, drainage, gas, water, steam, laundry, or kitchen apparatus, beds, bedding, or furniture. The board had guaranteed to bidders the use of a side-track from the Detroit and Milwaukee railroad to the building, but the railroad being placed in the hands of a receiver about that time, they were obliged to advance seven thousand seven hundred dollars for the construction of this siding, which money is being gradually repaid by the company. The asylum farm consists of three hundred and seven acres, embraced between the White Lake road, Elizabeth Lake road, Asylum avenue, and Detroit and Milwaukee railroad track. Of this, but one hundred and sixty-four acres had, at the time of purchase, been plowed, there being, besides forty-four acres of woodland, large ranges of pasture, much of which was covered with undergrowth. Since the purchase the farm has been self-sustaining, and considerably improved by the addition, by clear- nlug and grubbing, of thirty-seven acres of hitherto unproductive land, by laying four hundred and two rods of drain, by opening avenues, by removing stones, and by planting trees. Nothing has been omitted that could add to its usefulness in fulfilling the object for which it was erected, while the artistic arrangement of the transverse and longitudinal divisions, bay windows and pilasters, dormer windows, towers and ventilators, breaks the monotony of so large a structure, and the effective use of cut stone adds beauty and elegance to its appearance. For a more minute description we make the following extract from the recent report of Superintendent C. M. Wells: " From this ground-plan and perspective given above, and the scale accompany- ing, can be obtained the number of stories in each division, and the form, dimen- sions, and relative position of each building or division. The ground-plan in general design corresponds with that of the new asylums at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Elgin, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio, Morristown, New Jersey, Poughkeepsie, New York, and with both the old and new asylums at Kalamazoo, being composed essentially of a centre or administration building, with wings or wards for patients, extending 32 IHISTORY OF OAKLANI) COUNTY, MICHIGAN. both right and left en echelon, while the necessary buildings for cooking, heating, power, and workshops are grouped in the rear of the centre building. This arrangement of longitudinal and transverse wards either side of a central division is known as the ' Kirkbride plan,' from Thomas S. Kirkbride, superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane at Philadelphia. The centre building serves to divide the sexes. The longitudinal divisions are the wards proper, con- sisting of a central corridor with rooms on each side, each room occupied by a single patient, and belonging to hint exclusively. These rooms vary in size from nine by twelve feet, to eleven feet eight inches by twelve feet eight inches, the larger size predominating, and the clear space between floor and ceiling is in every case thirteen feet. The corridors are used as day-rooms, while the large bay-win- dow in the centre of each main corridor affords opportunity for the inmates in common to enjoy the sunshine and to look without. The large rooms in tile front of the transverse division can either be used as day-rooms or parlors, or as asso- ciated dormitories for a special class of patients. In the four main transverse divisions are grouped the dining-rooms, bath-rooms, clothes-rooms, lavatories, water-closets, and shafts, and it will be seen that each ward has a group of these auxiliary rooms readily accessible. The long, narrow wards render it possible to admit light and sunshine into each patient's room, while the transverse divisions perfect the classification by dividing the wards, and serve to break the view, so that patients in the different wards cannot shout across and annoy each other. Each story of the centre building and wings is a counterpart of the one shown. A basement, nine feet clear space, is excavated beneath the entire main building. "The divisions in the basement corresponding to the corridors and passages in the first story are made tight, and afford continuous air-passages for the supply and distribution of fresh air. From these basement corridors a great number of flues start, and lead within the walls to the corridors of each story. Constant and regulated ventilation is secured by means of a large fan, situated in the shop build- ings, and driven by steam-power. The air from the tfin-room is forced by the fan through large underground air-ducts or tunnels, six feet by eight feet, into the basement, and thence a constant stream passes up each flue, and is distributed to every portion of the building. In addition to these supply-fluies, each single room has a separate and distinct ventilating flue of its own for the exit of vitiated air, leading within the brick walls directly to the attic, and the larger rooms have two or more such flues. The air forced into the corridors finds no egress except up these flues to the attics, and out through large ventilators placed in the roof. "Steam will be used for heating, mainly, indirect radiation. Beneath the chapel is a large pipe-duct, designed to conduct steam- and water-pipes from the boilers and pumps at the shops forward to the main building. These steam-pipes on reaching the centre building branch right and left, and extend within the air- passages through the basement to the extreme divisions. In the basement, at the base of the supply-flues, radiators or coils of pipe are placed, each connected with the steam-main. The air in its passage to the flue is forced in contact with the hot surface of the iron, and is warmed. In addition to this indirect radiation, a system of summer pipes, to be used in chilly or damp weather, when the main apparatus is not in operation, will extend through the building, connected with direct radiators at various points. " Within the pipe-shafts, accessible at all times, will he the pipes for distributing hot and cold water, and the waste- and soil-pipes leading from the bath-rooms, lavatories, and water-closets to the sewers. " The sweepings on the various wards will be passed through an opening in the base-board into a dust-shaft, and will fall directly to the basement. Soiled clothes will be similarly dropped to the basement through shafts provided for the purpose, whence they will be taken to the laundry. There are also drying-shafts for drying dish-cloths and towels, and for thoroughly ventilating the sinks connected with each dining-room. Other shafts are divided at each story by means of a lattice or open floor. Inside of some are placed boots and shoes, or brooms; in others pails, mops, etc. A current of air driven up through these shafts removes at once all obnoxious scents from the building. "A car-track, for the distribution of food, leads from the general kitchen both north and south through the basement. Connecting with each dining-room on each floor is a dumb-waiter, which raises the food from the car in the basement to the dining-room where needed. Thus one kitchen will supply sixteen dining- rooms within the wards, besides preparing the food for the domestics and shop help. "A four-inch brick arch forms the ceiling of each inmate's room, and of the corridors. This arched ceiling receives the plastering, and serves both as a deaf- ening and as a protection in case of fire. The floor-joists are above the arches, but not in contact. In rooms too large to be arched, and in the centre building, the same end is attained by laying two sets of joist, but disconnected, the upper set carrying the floor, the lower set the ceiling and the mortar-deafening. " Iron sash will be used throughout the wards, but they are made the same in form as wood sash, and are painted white to make the resemblance more perfect. "Exterior walls rest on concrete two feet deep, and from three feet two inches to four feet six inches wide; the interior walls rest on one foot two inches of con- crete. With few exceptions all walls are carried up to the roof, which they sup- port. The frame-work for the roof can therefore be made comparatively light. The roof-covering is slate, except the tin deck-roof of the centre building. " In stone ornamentation the main building is rich, and the great variety in the forms of the stone-work is a noticeable feature. Cornices of wood; ventilators of galvanized iron. A central tower, a tower at each end, peaks ascending from bay projections in front, and from ventilators on the roof, break the monotonous lines necessary in so extensive a building, and give a pleasing effect. "The capacity of the asylum as now designed, is as follows: Divisions. lst Floor. 2(1 Floor. No. 1. First longitudinal division.......................... . S 3 No. 2. First transverse division .............................. 16 16 No. i. Second longitudinal division ................... 32 32 No. 4. Second transverse division.......................... 12 12 No. 5. Second transverse division......................... 11 11ii No. 6. Rear cross division....................................1 2 12 Totals............................................................ 121 121 3d Floor. 38 24 26 o.. 88 Totals. 114 56 64 50 2'2 24 330 " If the day-rooms are used as associated dormitories, allowing fifty superficial feet for each occupant, the total capacity will be four hundred. " It will be seen that, with an appropriation designed to provide for three hun- dred insane, an asylum is being constructed which will accommodate normally three hundred and thirty, easily three hundred and fifty, and without crowding, four hundred. " Outside of the contract of Messrs. Coots & Topping, the sewers, drains, gas, water, and steam-heating works had to be supplied. " A contract was made September 5, 1876, with Messrs. Shlianahian & M[cLogan, they being the lowest bidders, for the construction of six cisterns of a capacity of five hundred and eighty-seven barrels each, also for laying the pipes to connect them with the downfall conductors from the roof, and for all sewer- and drain- pipe about the buildings, the State providing the pipe; in all eleven thousand two hundred and ninety-six feet of different size pipes, making a most thorough and complete system of drainage. "This contract was completed November 24, 1876, at the contract price of three thousand eight hundred and seventy-three dollars and thirty-two cents, without an extra. "A large blower is placed in the fan-room, and forces air through the un- derground air-duct in the basement corridors, where hot-air flues are open, having radiators in front of the opening. The air, being forced through the hot radiators to reach the flues, becomes warmed, and ascends the flues to the dif- erent floors, where the flues open into the corridors. The warm air in the corri- dors passes in at the open doors or transoms of the inmates' rooms, and, becoming vitiated, passes out at the ventilating flues, and being collected into foul-air ducts, is conducted to the roof, and escapes at the little pagoda-like structures seen on the perspective, called ventilators. " Proposals were opened February 28, 1877, for gas-piping and gas-works, and a contract was at that time awarded for all the gas-mains and gas-pipes within the buildings to the lowest bidders, James McEwen & Co., of Detroit, for two thou- sand one hundred and fifty-six dollars. There are within the buildings nine hundred and seventy-one burners, and twenty gas-stoves for warming eatables, flat- irons, etc. " Eight propositions for gas-works were received, varying from three thousand seven hundred dollars to ten thousand three hundred dollars, for various kinds of gas. These bids were fully considered, and an award was made to Mrs. Lucetta R. Medbury for supplying the gas from the works owned by her in the city of Pontiac, for five years, at the rate of two dollars and fifty cents per one thousand cubic feet. " The work of plumbing the asylum was awarded, May 29,1877, to Samuel I. Pope & Co., of Chicago, for the sum of eight thousand five hundred and forty- two dollars and six cents. This work includes twenty-two bath-tubs, forty-eight hand-basins, marble top, six steel tanks for cold water, holding about sixty barrels each, twenty-seven water-closets, twenty-four sinks, all hot-water pipes, cold-water pipes, both soft and hard, waste-pipe, ventilating-pipe, etc. SThe contract for heating the building was awarded, May 12, 1877. to The Walworth Manufacturing Co., of Boston, for the sum of thirty-seven thousand three hundred and thirty-two dollars and seven cents. "The system of heating is low-pressure steam and indirect radiatioh, but this is supplemented largely with high-pressure and direct radiation. Steam for low- pressure will be generated within two large fire-box, drop, return-flue boilers, each eight feet diameter and twenty-ix feet long, built throughout from steel plate,- HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 33 the first boilers of this class built of steel in this country. Steam is conducted from these boilers in a pipe twelve inches diameter, which, branching and re- ducing, reaches all portions of the basement. "To heat the building requires eighteen thousand one hundred and eighty super- ficial feet of indirect radiating surface, and three thousand one hundred super- ficial feet of direct radiating surface. The direct surface is supplied with steam from a single, tubular, steel boiler. This boiler also supplies the steam for power to run the machinery throughout, and the steam for heating all water used hot. "The steam condensed in the heating-apparatus is carried back to the boilers direct through a six-inch pipe, without the intervention of pumps or traps, thus forming a continuous circulation. " The heating contract provides for six large hot-water boilers for heating water, for two large pumps for boiler, tank, and fire purposes, and for all auxiliaries to make the heating complete in all its parts. "At the present time (July 9, 1877) all brick- and stone-work is done, the roofs completed, glazing nearly done, air- and pipe-ducts in, plastering one-half done, and floors and interior wood-work commenced. The gas-piping is done, the plumbing is well under way, and the heating just begun. Sewers, drains, and cisterns about the building finished, and a portion of the grading done. "To complete the asylum ready for occupancy will require, in addition to the completion of the contracts now in progress, expenditures, mostly by contract, for the following classes of work and materials: Locks and hinges, cooking-appa- ratus and utensils, laundry, drying and ironing apparatus, hoisting apparatus for dumb-waiters and elevators, baking apparatus, fans for forced ventilation, engine, shafting, and machinery for wood and iron working, and for furnishing the build- ings throughout. "In addition, the farm must be stocked and provided with implements, utensils, and vehicles, and barns, sheds, ice-house, granaries, and coal-house built. " The selection of a site for the asylum was intrusted to a board consisting of E. H. Van Deusen, of Kalamazoo, Geo. Hannahs, of South Haven, and Amos Rath- bone, of Grand Rapids. It must not be overlooked that the citizens of Pontiac, by their liberality, aided largely in inducing the board to select the present site. This liberality consisted in donating to the State two hundred acres of land within the city limits, at a cost of twenty thousand dollars, and in making certain offers in relation to supplying water and removing the sewage from the asylum, the ex- ecution of which offers will cost several thousand dollars. At the present time, in the discharge of these obligations, the citizens are digging a mammoth well for the use of the asylum. This well will have an internal capacity of twelve feet at the bottom, will go at least ten feet into the water, and in all probability will not be less than seventy feet deep. In the negotiations with the board, pending the location of the asylum at Pontiac, Hon. H. W. Lord and Hon. C. H. Palmer were notably foremost. "Since the selection of the site the asylum has been in charge of the following board of commissioners: W. M. McConnell and M. E. Crofoot, Pontiac; George Hannahs, South Haven; S. G. Ives, Chelsea; 'W. G. Vinton, Detroit. " C. M. Wells, the superintendent of construction, and secretary, has had the immediate charge of the work, and has designed all work not included in the contract of Messrs. Coots & Topping. " Hon. Mark SBrewer is treasurer. " The legislature, at its session of 1876-77, appropriated sixty-seven thousand dollars for completing and furnishing the asylum,-fifteen thousand dollars less than was asked for,-making a total of four hundred and sixty-seven thousand dol- lars appropriated in all. The work has now progressed so far that it is entirely safe to say that the total cost of the asylum, complete in every particular, will not ex- ceed five hundred thousand dollars. Counting the capacity of the asylum at four hundred insane (and many asylums no larger are crowded to six hundred), this gives one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars as the complete cost for each insane person. The asylum should be ready for occupancy early in the spring of 1878." CANALS AND RAILWAYS. Canals.-The people of Oakland County, in common with those of other por- tions of the Peninsular State, were early alive to the importance of establishing improved lines of communication, and very naturally the subject of constructing canals claimed their attention. The roads leading towards Pontiac from Detroit were in the early days almost impassable at certain seasons, and the cost of conveying the products of the country to market nearly equaled their total value. The valley of the Clinton river was thought to present a feasible water-route to Lake St. Clair, and the mat- ter of improving the navigation of the river was pushed so persistently that the legislative council of the Territory passed an act (approved by the governor April 12, 1827) incorporating the " Clinton River Navigation Company" "for the pur- pose of removing obstructions from the Clinton river, and making such river navigable for boats from the village of Mount Clemens to Mack's lower mills (so called), in the county of Oakland." The length of this proposed improvement was about thirty miles, and it was cal- culated that it would afford invaluable shipping facilities to a large extent of rich agricultural country. It was the first incorporated company for similar purpose, in the Territory, and but for the advent of railways would no doubt have been a success. The incorporators of this company were Nathaniel Millard, Jonathan Kearsley, Levi Cook, Charles Larned, Ellis Doty, John R. Sheldon, Christian Clemens, Alfred Ashley, Jacob Tucker, Ignace Morass, and Joseph Hayes. The company were required, under the act of incorporation, to clear out the river to the east line of Oakland County, commencing on or before the first day of July, 1827, and when they had made it navigable for flat-bottomed boats or bateaux to the line of the county, they were to be entitled to collect toll, not exceeding fifty cents per ton for the whole distance, and proportionally for less distances. When the river was made navigable as far as Mack's mill, and a good tow-path constructed on one bank, the company were entitled to demand toll not exceeding seventy-five cents per ton for the whole distance, and in proportion for a less distance. Parties owning water-power on the river below the east line of Oakland County were required to construct locks at every dam sufficient for the passage of the company's boats. The river above the said line was declared by the act of incor- poration a public highway, but persons owning land extending across the river had the right to construct dams for water-power purposes by putting in the necessary locks, or the company could construct them at the expense of the parties owning the lands. The improvements were finally completed as far as Rochester, a portion of the State loan of five millions being appropriated to the work. Business was carried on to a small extent for a number of years, but the enter- prise was never a prosperous one. About 1844, Amos Brown, of Rochester, constructed and launched a log flat- boat, and, collecting a party of his friends, they proceeded to celebrate the occa- sion by a grand ride on the canal; but when they came to the first lock they found their craft too wide to admit of a passage. The locks were constructed of logs., and the pressure of the superincumbent earth against their sides had sprung them in, narrowing the space considerably. A fellow who had served a term in the State prison made quite a speculation by burning some of the locks and selling the old iron. Brown afterwards built, at Rochester, a peculiar craft, in the form of two cigars laid side by side, upon which was a deck, raised some four feet above them. He put in an engine, and calculated the nondescript would make the voyage from De- troit in twelve hours. It was not a success, and was afterwards reduced to the menial occupation of bringing wood to the city of Detroit. Brown was at one time quite wealthy, but his speculations nearly ruined him. He afterwards pub- lished a work in defense of infidelity. He is at present residing in Detroit. Railways.-Thesubject of railways began to be discussed at a very early day in Michigan. The project of constructing a railway from Detroit to Pontiac was agitated in Oakland County as early as the spring of 1830, and an act incorpo- rating the " Pontiac and Detroit Railway Company"* was passed by the legislative council of the Territory, and approved by Governor Cass July 31, 1830. The original incorporators were John P. Helfenstein, Gideon O. Whittemore, Win. F. Moseley, William Thompson, and Hervey Parke, "and such other per- sons 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 was to consist of one thousand shares of one hundred dollars each, and the incorporators were authorized to open subscription books and receive subscriptions as they deemed most advantageous. It would appear that there were insurmountable difficulties in the way of the construction of a rail- way at that time, as no road was constructed, and the charter became null and void in consequence of the failure of the company to comply with its provisions. A second company was formed and a new charter obtained, which was approved by the governor March 7, 1834. Under this act Win. Draper, Daniel Le Roy, David Stanard, Johnson Niles, Seneca Newberry, Elisha Beach, Benjamin Phelps, Joseph Niles, Jr., and Augustus C. Stephens were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock of " The Detroit and Pontiac Railroad Com- pany," the amount of which was fixed at one thousand shares of fifty dollars each (fifty thousand dollars). The company was vested with the power to construct a single or double track, but the work was to be commenced within two years from the passage of the act and completed within six years, or otherwise the rights, privileges, and powers of the corporation were to become null and void. "Probably the history of no railroad ever built is replete with more amusing and SThis was the first railway company chartered in the State. 34 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. grotesque incidents, or marked by more financial perturbations, than that of the old Detroit and Pontiac road. At an early period in the history of Detroit it be- came a desideratum to establish railroad connections with the rich agricultural region of Oakland County, whose milling facilities were already in a fair stage of development." As has been stated, a charter was obtained in March, 1834, with the capital stock fixed at fifty-thousand dollars. The principal stockholders and managers were Alfred Williams and Sherman Stevens, of Pontiac, their control continuing until 1840, during which period their financial operations, if they could be presented in full, would make a most racy chapter. The building of the road, in the mean time, made slow progress, banking enterprises engaging the principal attention of its managers. It was finally completed to Birmingham in 1839, and in September of that year the late Henry J. Buckley, agent and conductor, put forth his advertisement in the papers for twotrips a (lay to Birmingham, the cars running in connection with " post coaches" to Pontiac and Flint, together with a semi-weekly line to Grand River. The introduction of steam was regarded as a notable event, the cars, during the period for which Royal Oak had been the terminus, having been run by horse- power.* In 1840, parties in Syracuse, New York, having claims upon the road, procured its sale under an execution. It was bid in by Gurdon Williams, of De- troit (Salina, New York?), and Giles Williams and Dean Richmond, of Buffalo, but was soon afterwards transferred to other parties in Syracuse. It was finally com- pleted to Pontiac in 1843. The road was subsequently leased by the Syracuse owners for ten years to Gurdon Williams, who was to pay a graduated amount of rental, averaging about ten thousand dollars a year. In 1848, before the expira- tion of the lease, steps were taken to rescue the road from the slough of despond into which it had been sunk by a heavy load of indebtedness, which finally resulted in its coming into the possession of a company headed by I. N. Walker, Esq., and that eminent, but ultimately unfortunate financier, N. P. Stewart. Mr. Walker, who was elected president, negotiated bonds of the company for a sufficient amount to re-lay the track. The accession of this company was the turning-point in the fortunes of the road. The laughable anecdotes of its early days, in which "snake-heads" and hair-breadth escapes are the leading staples, would fill a respectable-sized volume. On the 3d of April, 1848, a charter was obtained by the " Oakland and Ottawa Railroad Company." It was financially weak, and its bonds were negotiated with difficulty, and it was only through the most strenuous exertions that any progress was made. In 1852 work was commenced, and in 1853 Mr. Walker went to Europe in the interest of the road, where hlie purchased twenty-six hundred tons of rail, being sufficient to lay the track to Fentonville. The " Detroit and Pontiac" and " Oakland and Ottawa" railroads were consoli- dated on the 13th of February, 1855, under the name of the Detroit and Milwaukee railway. In July of that year Mr. Walker made a second trip to Europe, where hlie negotiated the company's bonds to the amount of one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Subsequently, Mr. Walker visited Europe for the third time, during which visit an arrangement with the Great Western railway com- pany was effected which was calculated to put an end to financial embarrassment. The mortgage was closed in 1860, and the name permanently changed to Detroit and Milwaukee railway. It may be added, as a curious fact, that while those who were early engaged in pushing forward this enterprise made much greater sacrifices to promote the land- grant policy than were made by any other interest in the country, the road was ultimately deprived of all aid in the way of a grant. The road was completed only by the most herculean efforts, but all these great sacrifices have been requited by the immense influence it has exerted in aiding the development of the country. The Detroit and Milwaukee railway passed diagonally through the county from the southeast to the northwest, traversing the townships of Royal Oak (touch- ing Troy), Bloomfield, Pontiac, Waterford (touching Independence), Springfield, Rose, and Holly. The stations on this line within the county are Royal Oak, Birmingham, Pon- tiac, Drayton Plains, Waterford, Davisburgh, and Holly. Number of miles of track in the county, about thirty-six. The Flint and Pere Marquette railway was completed from Holly to Flint in 1862. The Holly, Wayne and Monroe railway in 1870. The two were after- wards consolidated under the present name, Flint and Pere Marquette railway. It traverses the townships of Novi (touching Commerce), Milford, Highland, Rose, and Holly; and the stations, commencing at the south, are Novi, Wixom, Milford, Highland, Clyde, and Holly, and the number of miles of track in the county is about thirty-three. The Detroit and Bay ('ity road was completed through Oakland County in * A portion of this time the cars were run upon woodl " ribbons." 1872. It runs through the townships of Avon, Oakland, Orion, and Oxford, in the northeastern part of the county, and has about twenty miles of track within its limits. The Detroit, Lansing and Northern passes through the extreme southwestern part, with a length of about four miles within Oakland County. The total number of miles of track in the county, not counting sidings, is about ninety-three. A line known as the " Michigan Air-Line" has been surveyed through the county, traversing the townships of Milford, Commerce, West Bloomfield, Pontiac, and Avon, and passing through the villages of Milford, Commerce, city of Pontiac, Auburn, and Rochester. The only portion of this line at present in operation is from Port Huron to Romeo, in Macomb county, a distance of some thirty-five miles. The roads in operation in Oakland County are all doing a good share of business. For additional statistics see history of the various townships and villages and the city of Pontiac. GROWTH AND PROSPERITY. The growth of the county in population and business was comparatively slow until the era of railways. The population in 1820 was three hundred and thirty, and it had increased in 1830 to about five thousand, which, though a very large percentage, was small in the aggregate; but from 1830 to 1840 the increase was something extraordinary, being about five hundred per cent., or from four thou- sand nine hundred and ten to twenty-three thousand six hundred and forty-six. Turnpike- and plank-roads began to be constructed, and the first railway-track made its appearance at Birmingham in 1839. In this decade the various towns and villages of the county made rapid progress, and every industry was flourish- ing. It is probable that even the famous " wild-cat" money was, on the whole, the means of a considerable increase in the business of the time, and, though it eventually brought disaster more or less extensive upon many of the enterprises of the day, yet it was not an unmitigated evil. In " flush times," when credit is unlimited, and the circulating medium abundant, whether it may have a stable foundation or otherwise, until the final crash comes, improvements progress with wonderful vigor; and in spite of many drawbacks, Michigan, on the whole, increased rapidly, and the actual wealth of the country, no doubt, increased in proportion to that of the population. From 1840 to 1850 the growth of the county was quite rapid, the percentage of increase being over twenty-five, or from twenty-three thousand six hundred and forty-six to thirty-one thousand two hundred and seventy. From 1850 to 1860 it was somewhat less, the population at the latter date being thirty-eight thousand two hundred and sixty-one, or at the rate of about twenty per cent. The population reached the culminating point in 1870, when it stood at forty thousand six hundred and eighty-seven, by the United States census; an increase of only about five per cent. for the decade. The war of the Rebellion drew off over three thousand six hundred who entered the army, and, no doubt, many more who left the county for vaious reasons. In 1874, according to the State census of that year, the population was thirty-eight thousand and forty-two, show- ing an actual falling off during the ten years of two thousand six hundred and forty-five. This was owing to a variety of causes. The return of peace brought with it a redundant currency, and great activity in various departments of indus- try, more particularly in the direction of railway enterprise. Many of the young men sought new fields of adventure in the west; the business built up by the war at Pontiac gradually fell off, and the tendency among the smaller farmers of the county was to sell and remove to a region where they could get cheap lands. The agricultural interests of the county have not by any means diminished, but the heavy land-owners are constantly buying out the weaker ones, and the lands of the county are being consolidated in fewer hands; and while the actual wealth of the various townships is undoubtedly increasing, yet the population is, for the reasons assigned, slowly diminishing. There is no probability that the rural population will increase; on the contrary, it will most likely diminish to a still smaller figure, and another decade will see the agricultural interests of Oakland County still more concentrated, but with an increase of capital and productiveness. Improved breeds of all kinds of stock and every variety of improved farm machinery are being introduced, and the farmer of the future will be enabled to realize the greatest amount of production with a minimum of manual labor. The city of Pontiac has a very large trade, but the growth of Holly, Rochester, Oxford, and other points, will tend to divide it somewhat, and her business men can hardly hope for an increase except they encourage local manufactures. A judicious outlay of capital in this direction would undoubtedly result advanta- geously to the interests of the place. Surrounded by a rich agricultural region, and beautifully situated, it needs but careful management to become one of the most flourishing inland cities of the interior of the State. The grain crops of the present year are bountiful beyond HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. precedent. As a contrast to the present populous and flourishing condition of the county we append a few figures and statements for the year 1825, when the population was estimated at thirteen hundred and sixty-two. The " Pontiac company" was taxed upon one hundred and eighty-six lots in and around the village of Pontiac, upon a valuation of eleven thousand dollars. In Pontiac and Auburn there were forty-six lots taxed to individuals. At that date there were in the county two hundred and eighty-two houses, forty-seven barns, and two thousand six hundred and twenty-one acres of improved land. Major Oliver Williams, Colonel Stephen Mack, and John Sheldon were taxed on sixty acres each of improved lands, being the only ones in the county who could boast of that amount. POLITICAL. The political sentiments of the people of Oakland County, in the past and present, may be known by the result of the several presidential elections in which they have participated, beginning with the noted campaign of 1840, when Har- rison and Van Buren were the standard-bearers of the Whig and Democratic parties respectively. At this election the vote was as follows, by townships: Total Population. In 1820.................. .............................................. 330 IS:O.............................................................. 4,910 " 184I1......................................................................... 23,646 " 185(.. .......................... ...................31,270 " 154 (by State census)................................................31,757 S1860 (by United States census)............................. 38,261 ' 1864 (by State census) ................................................ 35,625 " s1870 (by United States census)........ ................... 40,867 " 1874 (by State census)................................................38,042 Colored. 9 19 56 64 309 290 Whig. Avon....................................... 185 Addison ................ ........ 25 Bloomfield ........................ 143 Brandon.................................... 46 Commerce....................... .......... 86 Farmington............ ........ 207 Groveland ............... .................. 85 HIolly ................................... .... 25 H ighland .................................. 57 Independence.............. ............... 44 Lyon ......................................... 133 M ilford..................................... 104 N ovi......................................... 181 Orion .......................... . 50) Oakland..... ................... 63 Oxford ...................... ..... 77 Pontiac .............. .......... 178 Royal Oak ............................. 92 Rose .......................................... 37 Springtield............................... 84 Southfiel l...................................108 Troy ......................................... 157 Waterford ...... ................. 64 West Bloomnfield................ 77 White Lake.. ................... 45 Total............................ 2353 Democrat. 148 67 159 39 96 143 47 56 55 121 I11 63 112 107 107 60 211 81 45 31 86 134 115 102 60 2365 Abolition. 9 1 5 7 4 26 .oo ... o... o... .o.. ,.. ...o 26 Total. 342 92 302 85 183 355 132 90 112 165 244 167 293 157 170 137 396 173 82 115 194 291 179 179 109 4744 At the election of 1844, the Democratic vote was 2833; the Whigs numbered 2225; and the Abolitionist seed had grown into a crop of 377 votes-making a total cast of 5435. In 1848, the Democrats polled 2781, the Whigs 1942, and the Free-seoilers 694 votes. In 1852, the Democratic poll numbered 3178, the Whigs tallied 2376, and the Abolitionists cast 552 votes-the total footing up 7006 votes. In 1856, the Republicans cast 4105 votes, the Democrats 3276, and there were 81 votes scattering-7462 in all. In 1860, the Republican vote was 4411, the Democratic 3768, and scattering, 102-a total of 8281 votes. In 1864, the Democratic vote was 3816, and the Republican 3709-a total of 7525. In 1868, the Republican vote was 4737, and the Democratic 4442-total, 9179. In 1872, the Republicans polled 4490 votes, the Democrats gave Mr. Greeley 3327, O'Conor received 202, and Black 76-total poll, 8095 votes. In 1876, the poll in the several townships was as follows: The falling off from 1860 to 1864 was no doubt a consequence of the war, though the number of troops credited to the county-three thousand six hundred and forty-four-does not equal the apparent difference. The relative rank of the county in 1854 was second in the State; in 1864, fourth; in 1870, fifth; and in 1874, seventh. CENSUS OF THE COUNTY FOR 1874, BY TOWNSHIPS. Addison........................................... 987 Oakland ......................................... 972 Avon ... . ........................... 1856 Orion ........................... .. ...........1186 Bloomfield....................................... 1912 Oxford.......................................... 1342 Brandon .. ................................. 1170 Pontiac township.. ............... ...........1021 Commerce.............. ............. 1 o a k...............12 6 Pontiac city........................ 3651 Farmington...................................... 1791 Rose ..... ....................................... 1084 Groveland ........................................ 1095 Royal Oak........................................ 1542 H ighland.......................................... 1267 Southfield ......................................... 1451 Holly ...............................................2507 Springfield ......................................1247 Independence................ .................... 1274 Troy................................................ 1550 Lyon ............................... 1271 W aterford....................................... 1231 M ilford............................................. 2069 W est Bloomfield................................ 1046 Novi...................... ....................... 1282 W hite Lake...................................... 1002 Total......................................................................................38,082 The estimated population of the county for various other periods, based upon the votes, was as follows: 1825, vote 454; population 1362. 1829, vote 589; population 1767. 1835, vote 1478; population 7390. LANDS. The total area of Oakland County, supposing every section to be full, is nine hundred square miles, or five hundred and seventy-six thousand square acres. According to the State census of 1874 there were five hundred and thirty-six thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight acres of taxable land, with sixteen hun- dred and sixty-two acres exempt from taxation. The four hundred and fifty lakes of the county cover an approximate estimate of twenty thousand acres. The balance of the calculated area, amounting to seventeen thousand four hundred and twenty acres, is accounted for by the fractional sections along the west side of each township, which diminish, as they get farther from the base-line, by the areas of mill-ponds not estimated, by discrepancies in surveys, etc. The area of improved lands, according to the same authority, was three hun- dred and thirty-one thousand one hundred and sixty-six and one-quarter acres. The number of farms in the county was four thousand two hundred and fifty- three, and the number of acres included in them four hundred and twenty-five thousand six hundred and seventy-seven, making an average to each farm of one hundred and one-eighth acres. The kinds of land exempt from taxation are homesteads settled not more than five years, school-building sites, church and parsonage sites, cemeteries, owned by persons unable to pay taxes, railways, public parks, fair-grounds, and sites for library, scientific, benevolent, and charitable institutions. The total value of these exempt lands in Oakland County, including improve- ments, was, in round numbers, five hundred thousand dollars.* There appears to have been in 1874 one homestead of forty acres exempt. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS. Oakland County stands deservedly high in its agricultural productions, though its apparent standing, as compared with other counties in the State, is largely owing to its greater area. it being the largest in the lower peninsula, with the single exception of Sanilac, which is comparatively a new county, with a much larger proportion of waste land. In the production of wheat for 1873 (the latest statistics), it ranked third, Calhoun and Washtenaw exceeding it. In the production of Indian corn it stood sixth, the counties exceeding it being Calhoun, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lena- wee, and Washtenaw. In all other grains it ranked number one. In the pro- duction of potatoes it stood at the head of the list. In the number of tons of hay cut it ranked third, Jackson and Lenawee exceeding it. In wool it stood second, Washtenaw alone exceeding it. In pork it was ninth, the counties of Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, and St. Joseph exceeding it. Its cheese product stood second, Lenawee only exceeding it. In butter it was also second to Lenawee county. * This does not include the new State insane asylum. Rep. Addison ................................... 75 Avon........................... 251 Bloomfield.... .................270 Brandon................................... 174 Commerce ................................ 93 Farmington.............................. 269 Groveland................................ 150 Highland................................ 208 Holly ....................................... 292 Independence . ................. 135 Lyon .................... .............. 231 Milford.................................... 285 Novi.....................................244 Oakland................................... 74 Orion ............ ..... ........ 110 Oxford ................ ...............217 Pontiac township ........................ 87 Pontiac city ..............................442 Rose ................... . ..............142 Royal Oak ................................. 210 Southfield .............. ....... 178 Springfield................................. 211 Troy ...................................... 257 Waterford ....................... ......... 127 West Bloomfield ............ ........ 124 White Lake..............................97 Total .............................5053 Dem. 18,4 248 216 198 170 181 135 119 324 246 119 275 146 193 225 287 167 587 157 150 175 123 132 214 160 182 5313 Cooper. r 23 4 2 .o.. ..o 4 ... 5 21 "i 5 "1 ... 41 Smith. ..1 2 9 2 ... 2 2 3 ... 2 6 4 3 2 .37 ... 37 Total. 260 522 488 381 363 454 IN7 332 618 381 356 568 390 270 341 508 254 1032 299 360 360 334 394 346 284 279 10,446 POPULATION OF THE COUNTY. The population of Oakland County for different periods has been as follows: since its organization 36 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The total productions of the county under this head, for the year 1873, were as follows: Wheat, bushels, 846,714; corn, bushels, 945,533; all other grains, 879,291; potatoes, bushels, 332,106; hay, tons, 54,648; wool, pounds, 595,180; pork marketed, pounds, 2,092,097; cheese made, pounds, 263,057; butter made, pounds, 1,824,391; dried fruit for market, pounds, 64,774; cider made, barrels, 10,307; wine, gallons, 480; maple sugar, in 1874, pounds, 22,800. PRODUCTIONS OF ORCHARDS, VINEYARDS, AND GARDENS. In acreage of orchards Oakland County stood second, having 12,932, and Berrien, 14,001. In the cultivation of the vine it is reported as having only 191 acres in 1873; in berries and small fruits it had 53 acres, and in melons and garden vegetables 360 acres, standing fourth in the list, Berrien, Eaton, and Wayne exceeding it. The productions in this branch of industry for 1872 and 1873 (part of the various crops being given for these years) was as follows: Apples, bushels, 517,642, being the largest amount produced by any county in the State, Lenawee coming next with 404,000 bushels; peaches (a very small showing), 287 bushels; pears, 3824 bushels, being second to Berrien only, the latter producing 9591 bushels; cherries, 8415 bushels, being the largest amount reported in the State; grapes (small), 399 hundredweight; strawberries, 603 bushels; currants and gooseberries, 522 bushels; melons and garden vegetables, 55,203 bushels, being second only to Wayne county. The total value of all fruits and garden vegetables was $184,884, being the fifth in the State, Berrien, Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Wayne exceeding it. LIVE-STOCK. Oakland also ranks high among her sister counties in the production of live- stock, standing first in the number of horses, second in milch cows and sheep, and tenth in swine. The number of the various kinds of animals in the county in 1874 was as follows: horses, one year old and over, 14,136; mules, 149; work oxen, 333; milch cows, 14,397. Neat cattle, one year old and over, excluding oxen and milch cows, 11,626; swine, over six months old, 13,698; sheep, over six months old, 126,370; sheep sheared in 1873, 128,193. MANUFACTURES. In the line of manufactures Oakland County does not rank very high, owing largely to her lack of heavy water-power; nevertheless, she is credited with the largest number of flouring-mills of any county in the State,* and makes a very respectable showing in several other branches. The total number of manufac- turing establishments in the county in 1874 was one hundred and four, of which thirty-five were operated by steam, fifty-two by water-power, and the remainder by other power. They employed three hundred and eighty-eight hands; had a capital of five hundred and forty-nine thousand two hundred dollars invested, and turned out a value in finished work of one million two hundred and ninety- two thousand one hundred and. ninety-six dollars.t TIlE OAKLAND COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. A society by the above name was organized October 6, 1830, with the follow- ing officers: Hon. Win. Thompson, president; Amos Mead and S. V. R. Trow. bridge, vice-presidents; Calvin Hotchkiss, John W. Hunter, Joseph Morrison, Oliver Williams, Abner Davis, Ezra Rood, Erastus Ingersoll, directors; and Cyrus A. Chipman, secretary and treasurer. The society adopted a lengthy constitution and set of by-laws, and never met again. ' On the 22d day of February, 1838, another society was organized under the same name, with the following officers: Amos Mead, president; Samuel Satterlee, 1st vice-president; Amasa Andrews, 2d vice-president; John Goodrich, recording secretary; Geo. W. Wisner, corresponding secretary; Win. Draper, treasurer; Hiram Barrett, of Commerce, John Hibbard, of West Bloomfield, Joseph Morri- son, of Pontiac, S. A. L. Warner, of Farmington, and Win. Thompson, of Avon, directors. This society also adopted a constitution, and decided to hold a fair October 31, 1838, and offered ninety-eight dollars in premiums; but the induce- ments did not appear to be sufficient to get the people interested, as no fair was held, so far as report goes, and no other was called, and the society again lapsed. On the 17th of January, 1842, another society was organized under the same name, with the following officers: Amos Mead, president; Joseph Morrison, S. V. R. Trowbridge, and Daniel Windiate, vice-presidents; Seth Beach, secretary; O. D. Richardson, treasurer; and the following board of managers: Nathan Bower, of Farmington, E. RII. Kearsley, of Avon, John W. Hunter, of Bloomfield, John F. Hamlin, of Avon, John Emery, of Novi, J. B. Davis, of Pontiac, Asahel Fuller, of Springfield, W. G. Stone, of Troy, Clark Johnson, of Independence, and D. F. Johnson, of Holly. They did not adopt a constitution, but it made no difference, no report of any further business being done is to be found. In 1849 an organization was effected on July 7, under an act of the legislature, approved April 16, 1849, for the encouragement of agriculture, manufacturing, and mechanical arts. Horatio N. Howard was the secretary and Asa B. Hadsell treasurer. The first fair was held October 9, 1850, and five hundred and fifty dollars in premiums were paid, among them the following first awards: On cattle, J. B. Ward, best short-horns; J. L. Brownell, best Devons; Daniel Whitfield, best working oxen. Horses, Luman Fuller, best stallion and best pair matched horses; Wm. White, best brood-mare; F. A. Williams, best merino sheep; Win. Whit- field, best boar; Jno. Valentine, best breeding sow; M31. B. Smith, best plow; John Windiate, best butter; John Griffith, best cheese; Mrs. G. W. Collins, best pair wool blankets; Mrs. Perry, best needlework; L. Bronson, best and greatest variety apples. At the fair of 1851 Hon. J. B. Hunt delivered an address, and that year the board of supervisors appropriated two hundred and twenty-five dollars for the assistance of the society, and in each succeeding year since that time a tax has been levied or an appropriation made of greater or less amount, in furtherance of the objects of the society. At the fair of 1876, held in the early part of October, there were premiums awarded to the amount of $1033, distributed as follows : On cattle, $266; horses, $260; sheep, $97; swine, $19; sheep, $13; carriages and farming implements, $85; miscellaneous articles, $69; needlework and embroidery, etc., $95; natural flowers, $23; domestic arts, $69; fruits and vegetables, $45; wine, $8; grain, $14. The society have obtained and prepared in a convenient and suitable manner ample grounds in the city of Pontiac, which are easily accessible and comfortable for exhibitors and their animals. The society is prospering, and creating yearly more interest in the objects for the encouragement of which it was organized. BANKING. The first bank of issue established in Oakland County was the Bank of Pontiac, which was a franchise of the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad Company, given the company by charter approved March 26, 1835, which charter allowed the railroad incorporators, or their successors, to locate and operate a bank of issue, under the name of the Bank of Pontiac, at Pontiac, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars. The books for the subscription to the capital stock of the bank were opened on the 26th day of May, 1835, in Pontiac, and the whole amount, less one thousand dollars, taken, and ten per cent. in cash paid in on the same day. Bank-notes were shortly after put into circulation. On the 26th of July, 1836, the bank, by Sherman Stevens, cashier, called for the payment of ten five per cent. instalments, to be paid in on the stock subscriptions between Sep- tember 22 and October 3 of that year. During the suspension of specie pay- ments in the panic of 1837, the bank of Pontiac redeemed its bills in specie for a time, after all the other banks in the State had suspended. It finally collapsed, but was resuscitated by one Joseph Dows for a time, and E. B. Comstock became connected also with it; but it made a final exit after a short period, and the cur- tain dropped upon it forever. The " wild cat" system, as the general banking law of 1837 was called, pro- duced six or more of the " failures" which depredated on the good people of Oakland County, four of them having their haunts in Pontiac, one in Auburn, and one in the rural solitudes of Troy. The jrst one was "kittened" in July, 1837, and was yclept the Bank of Oak- land. It had a capital of fifty thousand dollars, and its board of directors was as follows: Daniel Le.Roy, president; G. O. Whittemore, cashier; Schuyler Hodges, C. C. Haseall, Amasa Bagley, Ohlmstead Chamberlain, G. W. Williams, and Francis Darrow. This was soon followed by another, called the Farmers' and Mechanics' bank, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, of which Schuyler Hodges was president, G. W. Williams cashier, and G. O. Whittemore teller. In December, 1837, the Clinton Canal bank was established with the same amount of capital, Win. S. Stevens being president and Alfred Treadway cashier of the institution. In the early part of 1838 the Farmers' Bank of Oakland and the Bank of Auburn, each having a capital of fifty thousand dollars, were successively and successfully inaugurated, and all were issuing promises to pay, which the people, with more or less misgiving, received, and called money, and proceeded to cir- culate it as suchas fast as possible. The circulatory power of the felida proved to be of but short duration, as they all suspended payment in 1838, on the de- cision of the supreme court relieving the stockholders from any liability touch- * Thirty-three mills. T See history of the various villages, cities, and townships. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 37 ing the redemption of the bills of the banks. The Clinton Canal bank was reported in good standing with the State institutions in June, 1838; but in Octo- ber it was enjoined against further operations, and S. Beach appointed receiver of its assets. The Farmers' and Mechanics' went by the board July 9, 1838, Win. Draper being appointed receiver therefor, and the others were wound up shortly after. Samuel York, at Lee, was the receiver of the Farmers' Bank of Oakland. THE SAFETY FUND SYSTEM produced one bank only,-the Oakland County bank,-which was chartered April 28, 1836, and on the 2d of December, 1842, called in ten per cent. of the stock, being the first business done. An injunction had been laid upon its operations, but was dissolved, and the bank continued its business. On the 1st of March, 1843, its published statement exhibited the following as the condition of the bank: Discounts....................................................................................$6,120.65 Exchange maturing in New York .................................. 3,633.28 Personal property....................... ................................. 3,681.75 Profit and loss .................. ...... ................................ 6,302.19 Specie-paying lk-notes.................................................$4,824.00 Coin............................................................. ............... 10,512.79 ----- 15,336.79 Total assets.......................... .......................... $35,074.66 Liabilities- capital stock..................................... ............$25,000.00 Deposits ..... ...................... ................... 2,176.66 Circulation ................................................................. 7,888.00 --- $35,064.66 Excess of assets over liabilities other than to stockholders................. $18,697.81 J. L. Severance was the cashier. In July, 1843, the bank statement showed the discounts to be $11,242.75, and its coin and notes of specie-paying banks and New York exchange $18,485.64, and its circulation had increased to $17,685. In August, F. A. Williams was president, A. B. Mathews and G. W. Rogers directors, and in October Norman Rawson was cashier. The real owner and operator of the bank, however, was one Wesley Truesdell, who also owned the Monroe bank, which he removed to Detroit and operated. The Oakland County bank suspended in 1846, after it had succeeded in getting out a large amount of circulation in Detroit. There were little or no deposits in the bank at the time of its failure, and the only loss that was incurred by its suspension was by those who held its promises to pay, in the shape of bills. The charter was repealed in 1847, and two years given the bank to close up its affairs. No other banks of issue were established in the county until the National banks were founded under the national banking law. There are four of these sound and popular institutions in the county, established, officered, and operating as follows: THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF PONTIAC, which was organized April 29, 1864, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, which has since been increased to one hundred thousand dollars. The first board of directors were W. H. Perry, Charles R. Durand, Theron A. Flower, Joseph R. Bowman, and Milton Seaman. Mr. Perry was elected the first president of the bank, but never qualified, and Mr. Flower was elected, but immediately resigned, and E. B. Comstock was elected in July, 1864. Milton Seaman was elected the first vice-president, and Chas. R. Durand the first cashier. The bank began busi- iTess May 28. A. Gustin was elected vice-president in August in place of Sea- man, and Mr. Durand and Mr. Comstock resigned, and Jas. Andrews was elected president and Comstock cashier. The officers remained unchanged through 1866 and 1867. The first dividend was paid to stockholders May 2, 1865, and was eight percent. on the first fifty thousand dollars and three per cent. on the second fifty thousand dollars of capital. The capital stock was increased in April, 1865. In 1868, E. W. Peck was elected president, Chas. Dawson vice-president, and Mr. Comstock cashier. In 1869, Mr. Dawson was promoted to the presidency, D. R. Shaw was made vice-president, and Mr. Comstock was retained as cashier, and A. II. Comstock given the position of assistant cashier, and there was no change in the officers until 1874, when David Ward was elected president, Edw. W. Peck vice-president, Chas. Dawson cashier, and Henry J. Gerls assistant cashier. In 1875 the vice-presidency was changed only,'W. W. Gray comining in. In 1876, Mr. Gray succeeded to the presidency, and J. D. Norton came into the vice-presidency. In 1877, M1Ir. Dawson changed the cashier's chair for the president's, and Mr. Norton to the vacated chair, Reuben Adams being called to the vice-presidency, Mr. Gerls remaining the courteous assistant. The semi-annual report of the First National, made July 1, 1877, shows the total net profits of the bank to have amounted to $154,448.16, of which $132,625 have been paid to stockholders, $20,000 passed into the account of surplus funds, and $1823.16 remain as undi- vided profits. The following quarterly statement, published in July, 1877, shows the condition of the bank at the close of business, June 22, 1877: RESOURCES. Loans and discounts..................................................................$190,403.72 O verdrafts .......................................................................... 216.54 U. S. bonds to secure circulation ................................. ..... 100,000.00 U. S. bonds on hand ............................................................... 1,400.00 Other stocks, bonds, and mortgages.................................... 12,850.00 Due from approved reserve agents................................... 18,916.91 Due from other National banks ................................................... 4,060.87 Due from State banks and bankers.................. ..................29.56 Real estate, furniture, and fixtures................................................... 15,250.0) Current expenses and taxes paid ...................................................... 4,032.24 Checks and other cash items ........................................ 1,042.53 Bills of other National banks........................................ 3,510.00 Fractional currency, including nickels............................................... 265.00 Specie, including gold treasury notes ..................................1,125.68 Legal-tender notes .......................................................................... 10,050.00 Redemption fund with U. S. treasurer (five per cent. of circulation) ... 4,500.00 Total...................................................................................$367,653.05 LIAnILITIES. Capital stock paid in.................................... ...................................$100,000.00 Surplus fund.................................................... 20,000.00 Other undivided profits.................................................................. 10,962.02 National bank notes outstanding ...................................................... 90,000.00 Individual deposits subject to check................................................. 38,183.62 Demand certificates of deposit......................................................... 108,507.41 Total................................................................................. $367,653.05 THE SECOND NATIONAL BANK OF PONTIAC was organized September 1, 1865, and began business October 13 following. The subscribers to the capital stock of the bank, which was fixed at one hundred thousand dollars, were M. Lamont Bagg, Theron A. Flower, Stephen Baldwin, Horatio N. Howard, A. A. Lull, and Win. Brown; and these gentlemen, with the exception of Mr. Brown, composed the first board of directors. Dr. M. L. Bagg was the first president, Theron A. Flower vice-president, and Alba A. Lull cash- ier. Mr. Lull has remained at the cashier's desk to the present time. Mr. Flower and H. Woodward have served the bank as president, and Win. M. McConnell has filled the position for the past three years. The fine bank building on Sagi- naw street was erected by the bank in 1868, at a cost of sixteen thousand nine hundred dollars, complete and furnished. The last quarterly statement, dated June 22, 1877, is as follows: RESOURCES. Loans and discounts ........................................................................$188,392.24 Overdrafts........................................ ........................................... 858.49 U. S. bonds to secure circulation ....................................................... 100,000.00 U. S. bonds on hand ....................................................................... 150.00 Due from approved reserve agents ................................... 23,836.44 Due from other National banks............ .......................... 2,124.18 Real estate, furniture, and fixtures...................................8,653.18 Current expenses and taxes paid.............................. ....................... 2,228.49 Prem ium s paid..................... ...................................................... 5.00 Checks and other cash items........................................................... 327.52 Bills of other National banks............................ ............................. 12,840.00 Fractional currency, including nickels .............................................. 239.05 Specie, including gold treasury certificates .......................................... 705.26 Legal-tender notes.......................................................................... 19,508.00 Redemption fund with U. S. treasurer (five per cent. of circulation)....... 1,400.00 Total......................................................... ..... . ...............$361,267.85 LIABILITIES. Capital stock paid in...................... . .....................................$100,000.00 Surplus fund............................ ................................................ 20,000.00 Other undivided profits ......................... .................9,086.5 National bank notes outstanding............................................. 88,580.00 D ividends unpaid......................................................................... 50.00 Individual deposits subject to check................................................ 32,124.79 Demand certificates of deposit.................................... 111,426.51 Total.......................... . ......... .........................$361,267.8. TIE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HOLLY was organized in December, 1870, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, which was increased to sixty thousand dollars, January 1, 1872. The heaviest deposits at one statement have been sixty-three thousand dollars, and the heaviest loans have aggregated one hundred and six thousand dollars in any one statement. The total profits have been thirty-seven thousand dollars, thirty thousand dollars of which have been paid to stockholders and the balance passed to the account of surplus. The present officers are Jas. B. Simonson, president; J. K. Tindall, vice-presi- dent; J. C. Simonson, cashier. The last statement published by the bank, dated June 22, 1877, is as follows: ItESOIUIRCES. Loan an iscounts Loans and discouuts............ .................................86,45 Overdrafts.................................. .......................1,065.21 U. S. bonds to secure circulation.................. . ................................... 30,0 . Other stocks, bonds, and mortgages ...................1,864.98 Due from approved reserve agents ................................................... 3,283.68 Due from other National banks .... ............................................... 2,039.35 Real estate, furniture, fixtures ........................................................ 2,303.oo eestae funiture, fixtures.i5d0.0 Current expenses and taxes paid .................. 382.64 Checks and other cash items ........................................ ... .261.26 Bills of other banks ................................................. 969.00 Fractional currency (including nickels) .......................................... 104.43 Specie, silver.............. ......................... ..................... . " " 101.15 Legal-tender notes ......................................................:.. .2,465.00 Redemption fund with U. S. treasurer (5 per cent. of circulation)........... 1,350.00 Total .............. ...... ....................... .......$135,640.54 38 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. LIAnIrLITIES. Capital stock paid in ........................................................................$60,000.00 Surplus fund .................................................................................... 3,000.00 Undivided protits.................................................................. 5,567.10 National bank notes outstanding........................................................ 27,000.00 Individual deposits subject to check .....................................$9,278 35 Demand certificates of deposit ..................... ..................... 30,795 03 40,073.38 Total...................................................................................$135,640.54 THE MERCHANTS' NATIONAL BANK OF HOLLY was organized and began business May 10, 1872, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars. Its heaviest deposits at any one time amounted to forty-seven thousand dollars, and its heaviest discounts reached seventy-eight thousand dollars. The total net profits of the bank have been twenty-eight thousand dollars. The present officers of the bank are Thomas Hadley, president; D. R. Stone, vice- president; and Sidney S. Wilhelm, cashier. The last quarterly statement, dated June 22, 1877, is as follows: RESOURCES. Loans and discounts........................................................................$65,986.40 Overdrafts...................................................................................... 700.00 U. S. bonds to secure circulation ........................................................ 50,000.00 Due from approved reserve agents ...................................................... 2,362.96 Due from State banks and bankers ..................................................... 1,460.46 Real estate, furniture, fixtures ........................................................... 5,341.00 Current expenses and taxes paid........................................................ 967.50 Premiums paid...... ............ ............................... 4,500.00 Checks and other cash items.................. ....................... 1,700.69 Fractional currency (including nickels) ............................................... 25.01 Specie (including gold Treasury certificates) ......................................... 334.00 Legal-tender notes........................................................................... 4,207.00 Redemption fund with U. S. Treasurer (5 percent. of circulation)............. 2,250.00 Due from U. S. Treasurer, other than 5 per cent. redemption fund............ 500.00 Total.....................................................................................$140,335.02 LIABILITIES. Capital stock paid in ......................................................................$50,000.00 Surplus fund...................................................... 2,400.00 Undivided profits............................................................................ 2,009.01 National bank notes outstanding ....................................................... 45,000.00 D ividends unpaid.............................................................................. 59.00 Individual deposits subject to check..................................................... 4,892.13 Demand certificates of deposit................................... ........................ 35,170.67 Due to other National banks ............................................................. 764.58 Due to State banks and bankers ......................................................... 39.63 Total...................................................................................$140,335.02 PIONEER SOCIETY OP OAKLAND COUNTY. Social gatherings of the pioneers of Oakland County had been held at various times, from 1860 down, but the first organization in a permanent form was effected January 21, 1874, in response to a call signed by John Southard, Thomas J. Drake, Hervey Parke, and Henry Waldron, dated January 6, 1874. The meet- ing assembled at the court-house, and organized by choosing Hon. Thomas J. Drake temporary chairman and James A. Weeks and C. F. Kimball secretaries. On taking the chair the venerable Judge Drake thanked the meeting for the honor conferred upon him, and briefly stated the objects of the gathering, which were to organize a pioneer association for Oakland County, for the interchange of social courtesies, and for the preservation in tangible form of the recollections of' the early days. Judge Drake offered the following: " Resolved, That we do hereby form ourselves into an organization to be known as the ' Pioneer Society of Oakland County;' that the society shall have a presi- dent, vice-presidents, and a secretary; and, further, that we recommend the forma- tion of auxiliary societies in each township, and that the president of each auxiliary society shall be ex officio a vice-president of this society." The resolution was adopted, and Hon. Henry Waldron was elected president of the society and James A. Weeks secretary. . The society has met annually, or oftener, since its permanent organization, and its records are replete with interesting recollections of early settlers, with anec- dotes, facts, fun, and fancy. The articles furnished by the various contributors cover a great variety of subjects. There are able addresses by Judge Drake, interesting historical letters by Captain Hervey Parke, now in his eighty-eighth year, Diodate Hubbard, Mrs. M. A. Hodges, Colonel Almon Mack, J. B. John- son, John Southard, C. Z. Horton, Linus Cone, L. C. Harger, Melvin Drake, E. S. Ingersoll, Peirce Patrick, Deacon A. P. Frost, Daniel M. Judd, Benjamin Horton, E. M. Francis, George Malcom, Jedediah Durkee, Mrs. Betsey Davis, George Dow, Jacob J. Perry, Edward Martin, Samuel Andrews, Mrs. Susan Button, Cyrus A. Chipman, Alfred Judson, and many others. They abound in historical sermons, stories of pioneer life, adventures with wild animals, hardships, sports, and reminiscences of the times that" tried the souls" of men and women. Not the least interesting portion of these records are the poetical effusions of various male and female citizens of the county, prominent among whom are Samuel M. Leggett, Andrew McKinley, Johln Southard, Pheroras I. Perrin, W. K. Van Syckle, Mrs. Ruth Green, Mrs. J. A. Jackson, H. C. Judd, and others. These poems touch upon all conceivable subjects, and are written in every variety of style, composition, and tone, " from grave to gay, from lively to severe," affording an inexhaustible fund of pathos, of wit and humor, and aptly illustra- ting the great variety of tastes and characteristics among the forty thousand people of Oakland County. The amount of material collected since the organization of the society is very considerable, and it is mainly owing to the indefatigable labors of the worthy secretary, Mr. James A. Weeks, himself a veteran pioneer, that so much inter- esting historical data has been brought' together and preserved in durable and convenient form. Mr. Weeks takes great interest in all matters touching the early history of Oakland County, and his personal knowledge is practically unlimited. The number of names upon the pioneer roll in September, 1876, according to Mr. Weeks' report, was six hundred and thirty-six, including both sexes, and being the names of those who came mostly prior to 1840. In the coming years, when the last of the "pioneers" shall have " Wrapped the drapery of his couch about him, And laid down to pleasant dreams," these records will have an added value, and the interest of future generations shall not diminish as they ponder the story of those that have passed away. In the language of the prophet, they will " remember the days of old," and " con- sider the years of many generations." CHAPTER IX. COTRTS TD LEA r TEr PRO ESSIoIT. THE LAW COURTS-KINGLY JURISPRUDENCE-PARLIAMIENTARY PROVISIONS --CONGRESSIONAL ENACTMENTS-TERRITORIAL DECREES-GUBERNATORIAL COMMANDS-CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS-THE COUNTY COURT-TIHE CIRCUIT COURT-TIHE CHANCELLOR S COURT-THIE CRIMINAL COURT-TIlE PROBATE COURT-TIHE BAR AND ITS REMINISCENCES-CELEBRATED TRIALS -AN OLD DOCKET-THE MEDICAL PROFESSION: ALLOPATHY AND HOM(EOPATHIIY. THE present excellent system of judicature of Michigan has been developed through a tortuous way. The white inhabitants of the territory included in the limits of the State, from the earliest settlement at Detroit, in 1701, to the present time, have been governed by the edicts of kings, the decrees of imperial parlia- ments and provincial governors, the orders of military commandants, the ordi- nances of national congresses, the enactments of Territorial governors and coun- cils, the provisions of State constitutions, and the laws of State legislatures. From the coftume de Paris to the State constitution and the enactments of 1877, one hundred and seventy-six years of progress have left their impress along the way. In the admirable paper of Judge A. D. Frazer, of Detroit, which forms the preface to the authorized reprint of the " Territorial Laws of Michigan," a sum- mary of the different systems of judicature which have been in vogue in Michi- gan previous to the organization of the Territorial government in 1805 is given, from which we quote: "The customs of Paris, and the ordinances of the kingdom, were introduced by the French into Canada at a very early period. These, with certain arrgts and decrees of the French governor, and other authorities of the province, consti- tuted the rule of civil conduct in that extensive region of country. The admin- istration of justice, however, seems to have been limited to the densely settled portions of the country. There, only, courts of justice were established . The only civil officer located at any of the northern posts was a notary public, duly commissioned by the governor. He was always an educated man, well versed in the ' coftnme de Paris,' and a very important official, in view of the duties cast upon him by law, being required to keep a register of all the legal in- struments he drew, as also the original documents, certified copies being furnished interested parties. In all matters of controversy between the inhabitants, justice was meted out by the commandant of the post in a summary manner. The party complaining obtained a notification from him to his adversary of his complaint, ac- companied by a command to render justice. If this had no effect, he was notified to appear before the commandant on a particular day, and answer the complaint; and, if the last notice was neglected, a sergeant and file of men were sent to bring HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 39 i him in,-no sheriff, no taxation of costs. The recusant was fined, and kept in prison until he did his adversary justice. Such was the condition of things in the early settlements, protected by the northern forts, up to the very time that France transferred Canada and her other possessions in the country to the crown of Great Britain in 1763. The laws of England, civil and criminal, were introduced into the four separate and distinct governments,-Quebec, East and West Florida, and Canada,-but neither Michigan nor any part of the territory north of the Ohio was embraced in the limits of either of these provinces, and for eleven years the country continued to be without the pale of civil government. At length a bill was introduced into the British parliament to 'make more effectual provision for the government of Quebec, in North America;' and, upon the motion of Burke, amended so as to embrace the whole of the Northwest Territory, and the bill became a law, Michigan and the northwest being embraced in the province of Quebec. By the provisions of the act, ' Canadian subjects were to hold and enjoy their property and possessions, with all customs and usages relative thereto,' and all their civil rights were guaranteed them, the same as under the French authority, and in all matters of controversy relative to property and civil rights the laws of Canada should be the rule of decision. The criminal law of Eng- land was to be continued in force in the province . . . Notwithstanding the adop- tion of this act, the inhabitants of Michigan did not at once realize the benefit of a civil government, a few justices of the peace being commissioned only; but in 1776 a flagrant case occurred in Detroit which terminated tragically, and brought about an improvement in the administration of justice. Two persons were accused of theft, and the commandant of the post directed a justice of the peace (Dejean) to try them by a jury, which was done, and the culprits convicted, sentenced to be executed, and accordingly put to death. The whole proceedings were a mockery and a gross violation of law, and warrants arrived in Detroit for the arrest of the commandant and justice, but they escaped." In 1779 the governor, "getting tired of administering justice, proposed to the merchants to establish a court of trustees, with jurisdiction extending to ten pounds, Halifax. Eighteen of these entered into a bond that three of them should be a weekly court in rotation, and that they should defend any appeal which might be taken from their decision. They rendered judgment and issued execution and imprisoned the defendant in the guard-house." The inhabitants of Michigan seem to have gained but little by the change of sovereigns or the change of laws. No courts had been established by either, no competent judge appointed or jail erected. At length, in 1788, the captain-general of the prov- ince laid out the province into separate districts, and that which embraced Michi- gan was called " Hesse;" and in 1790, on the 25th of November, the Imperial parliament passed another act, by which the province of Quebec was divided into two provinces, called respectively the province of Upper and Lower Canada, each of which was granted a legislative council and general assembly to make all laws not repugnant to the act, and to be approved by the king or the governor. The governor and executive council (to be appointed by the king) were created a court of civil jurisdiction for hearing and determining appeals. Michigan belonged to Upper Canada, and the legislature of that province, by an act bearing date Octo- ber 15, 1792, repealed the law of Canada and every part thereof as a rule of de- cision, but reserved all rights which had accrued under the same, and declared the laws of England should be the rule of decision in all matters of legal contro- versy. Subsequently, legislation introduced jury trials, established a court of request in each district, and provided for the building of a court-house and jail in each district. In 1793 an act was passed to legalize certain marriages pre- viously solemnized in the province by the commanding officer of a post, adjutant or surgeon of a regiment, or other persons in public office, for the reason that there was no Protestant parson or minister duly ordained then residing in the province. Courts of general quarter-sessions of the peace were established the same year, and terms and places of holding the same fixed; and also the further introduction of slaves prohibited, and a court of probate and a surrogate court established in all the districts. Juries were regulated very minutely by an act passed the same year, and a law passed establishing a superior court of civil and criminal jurisdiction, and to regulate the court of appeal. An act to establish a court for the cognizance of small causes was also passed, and by the same " the court for the western district is required to be holden in the town of Detroit." The last term of the district court was held at Detroit, January 29, 1796, and an execution, issued on a judgment then obtained, was made returnable before the court on the 1st of September thereafter; but early in the month of July, 1796, the posts of Mackinac and Detroit were surrendered by the British government to the United States, in accordance with the provisions of Jay's treaty. On the 15th day of the same month Governor St. Clair, by proclamation, organized the county of Wayne, which included the northwest part of Ohio, the northeast part of Indiana, and the whole of Michigan, then embracing a part of Wisconsin, and annexed the same, by a mere executive act, to the Northwest Territory, and the laws of that Territory were silently introduced into Michigan as a part of the county of Wayne, and the curtain allowed to drop on the laws of Upper Canada forever, and no inconvenience was caused thereby or litigation resulted in conse- quence of that course. These laws were never formally repealed until September 16, 1810. The different Territorial courts were held at Detroit, as the county- seat of Wayne county. In May, 1800, the Territory of Indiana was carved out of the Northwest Territory, and in 1802 the State of Ohio was organized and Michigan attached to Indiana Territory, and so continued until January 11, 1805, when Michigan Territory was created. The governor and judges were the law- making power from the latter date until 1824, when the Territory entered upon the second grade of government and the legislative council came into power. In S1835 the State constitution was adopted, and the State admitted into the Union in January, 1837, and constitutional authority was supreme. In 1850 the or- ganic law was revised, and, with some amendments since adopted, is now in force. The courts which have exercised jurisdiction in Oakland County since its organ- ization are as follows: The first court established in the Territory was the supreme court, consisting of three judges, one chief, holding the earliest commission, and two associates, ap- pointed by the president of the United States. This court was created by Gov- ernor Hull and Judges Woodward and Bates July 24, 1805, and had original and exclusive jurisdiction of all cases, both in law and equity, where the title of land was in question, and original and concurrent jurisdiction in all cases where the matter or sum in dispute exceeded two hundred dollars, and appellate juris- diction in all cases whatsoever, and original and exclusive jurisdiction in all crimi-4 nal cases where the punishment was capital, and of divorce and alimony. Oh the 25th day of July, 1805, the same authority created district courts, dividing the Territory into judicial districts, viz., Erie, Detroit, and Huron, and Michili- mackinac. The jurisdiction of these courts was "over all persons, causes, mat- ters, or things which shall exceed the value of twenty dollars, whether brought before them by original process or by any legal ways or means whatsoever, except in cases exclusively vested in any other court." Justices of the peace were given cognizance of all actions where the amount in dispute or the penalty to be inflicted did not exceed twenty dollars, and the marshal of the Territory and his deputies were the executors of the processes of the courts and justices. The judges of the Territory of Michigan were required to hold the district courts on their first creation, but on the 2d of April, 1807, the act creating the courts was amended by the same authority that created them, with the exception of Judge Griffin, who had come into the place previously occupied by Judge Bates; and the governor was empowered to appoint for each district one chief judge and two associates, " persons of integrity, experience, and legal knowledge," residents of the district in which the court was held, to hold their office during good behavior, the judges to appoint their own clerk. They also had the power to levy and collect taxes for district charges. On the 16th day of September, 1810, the legislation had between June 2, 1807, and September 1, 1810, was repealed; however, all accrued rights under such legislation were saved. On the same day, also, the act establishing district courts was repealed and the business unfinished on theii dockets transferred to the supreme court, and the justices of the peace, according to the respective juris- diction of each, to close up, the jurisdiction of the latter being extended to sums and matters not exceeding one hundred dollars, upon consent of parties, and the jurisdiction of the former was extended to matters exceeding one hundred dollars in controversy and to the probate of wills. On the 24th of October, 1815, an act was passed by the governor and judges creating vTHE COUNTY COURTS of the rnm, to be held by one chief and two associate justices, either of whom should form a quorum, which courts were given original and exclusive jurisdiction in all civil matters, both in law and equity, where the matter in dispute exceeded the jurisdiction of justices of the peace and did not exceed one thousand dollars, but had no jurisdiction in cases of ejectment. The courts also had exclusive cognizance of all offenses the punishment whereof was not capital, and had the same power to issue remedial and other processes, writs of error and mandamus excepted, as the supreme court had. The court had appellate powers over justices of the peace, whose jurisdiction could not exceed twenty-dollar wrangles, unless a person voluntarily confessed judgment, in which case the jurisdiction was enlarged to one-hundred-dollar judgments. Until the Territory contained more than one county the court was held at Detroit. The judges were appointed by the governor, as well as the justices. Judgments could be rendered against the plaintiff in favor of the defendant if the former was found culpable or indebted. Executions commanded the body if sufficient property was not found to satisfy the same. One sheep, one cow, one hog, the apparel, bedding, and tools of the defeated party were exempt from execution. A grand jury was 40 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. provided for August 14, 1805, for the supreme court, and the provisions of the act extended to the county courts December 31, 1817. On the establishment of the county courts, the jurisdiction of the supreme court was confined to all matters where the amount in dispute exceeded one thousand dollars, except actions of ejectment, of which it had exclusive cognizance. On the 13th of June, 1818, the powers of a chancery court were extended to the county court, and the supreme court was given concurrent jurisdiction with and appellate powers over the county courts, and the governor was authorized to ap- point a master commissioner in chancery for either court. The county of Oakland was defined by metes and bounds January 12, 1819; Sand on the 30th of March, 1820, the terms of the county court were fixed for the county,-to be held on the second Monday of February and third Monday of July in each year. The first court was accordingly held at Pontiac, July 17, 1820, with the following presence: Hon. Win. Thompson, chief justice; their honors Daniel Bronson and Amasa Bagley, associates; Win. Morris, Esq., sheriff; and Sidney Dole, Esq., clerk. The court was opened by due proclama- tion by the sheriff, who returned the venire for the grand jury, which being called appeared as follows: Elijah Willits, Ziba Swan, John Hamilton, Elisha Hunter, Win. Thurber, Ezra Baldwin, Asa Castle, Elijah S. Fish, Alpheus Wil- liams, Oliver Williams, Alex. Galloway, Henry 0. Bronson, Nathan I. Fowler, Josiah Goddard, James Graham, Enoch Hotchkiss, and Calvin Hotehkiss, who were sworn to discharge their duties according to law. Spencer Coleman, Esq., of Detroit, was, on his own application, admitted to the bar of the court to prac- tice his profession as an attorney, and, on his application, Daniel Le Roy, formerly an attorney of New York, was also admitted. (Mr. Le Roy located in Pontiac, being the first resident attorney in the county of Oakland.) Win. Thurber applied for a license to keep a tavern in Bloomfield for one year, and Elijah Willitts also asked for the same franchise in the same township. Both petitions were granted on the principals entering into recognizance in the sum of fifty dollars each-the former with John Hamilton and Willitts as his security, and the latter with Win. Morris and Wm. Thurber as his security-to keep a respectable house. The grand jury came into court after dinner, and were dis- charged for lack of something to do in the peculiar line of their duty. The first case on the record appears to be one of Daniel P. Clark vs. Stephen Phelps, Ira Selby, Alexander Galloway, and Ezra Shepardson, in an action of assumpsit, bail having been given by the plaintiff, as required. The defendants ap- pearing, the bail was discharged on motion of Le Roy, attorney for defendants, who also moved to dispense with that aid entirely, the writ having, as he alleged, been improperly issued, the attorneys for the plaintiff not having been admitted to the bar. But Mr. Le Roy withdrew his motion, and George Throop and Joshua S. Terry were entered as special bail for Galloway, conditioned that Galloway should satisfy the condemnation of the court if he was condemned, or surrender his body to the sheriff in lieu thereof, and in default of Galloway to perform his under- takings his securities would pay the condemnation for him. Subsequently the special bail surrendered their principal, and he was taken in charge by the sheriff. Le Roy entered his appearance as attorney for Galloway, and moved the court that plaintiff file his declaration on or before the next rule day of the court, or that judgment by default should be taken by the defendant, and the court granted the reasonable rule. Solomon Sibley, afterwards judge of the circuit court, was ad- mitted to the bar, and the court adjourned for the day. On the second day the court announced the rule days of the court to be the first Mondays of May and October. The petit jury was called, and there being no prospect of any of their peers being desirous of a hearing and adjudication of their disputes at their hands, they were discharged. The court' ordered the private seal of the clerk to be used for the public seal of the court until a suitable one was procured. The defendant, Galloway, came into court on this day, and was admitted to bail, Samuel Beaman and Joshua S. Terry being his security for his appearance at the next term of the court, and to secure the payment of the condemnation of the court, if one was given against him, and a dedinmus potestatem provided for to take testimony in the State of New York, if wanted, and the court adjourned for the term. At the second term of the court, begun February 12, 1821, with the same presence, the grand jury was impaneled, sworn, and discharged the same day, there being no depredators against the public peace. Daniel Fowler failed to ap- pear in obedience to the summons of the sheriff, and was fined five dollars and costs, and the fine subsequently remitted. In the suit of Clark vs. Galloway et al., the plaintiff was nonsuited in default of filing his declaration. On the second day, Solomon Woodford was granted a license to keep a tavern in Bloomfield, John W. Hunter being his surety therefor. In July of the same year the court met again, and the grand jury was im- paneled, Oliver Williams being the foreman, and returned into court the first indictment, the same being found against Deacon Orison Allen for assault and battery, to which accusation Orison pleaded guilty, and was mulcted by the court in the sum of one dollar and costs. The petit jury was called, and discharged for lack of business. A writ of habeas coipus cum causa was received from the supreme court, and in obedience thereto the case of William Bronson vs. Ira Roberts ordered carried up to the latter tribunal for adjudication. The clerk was ordered to appoint a deputy, and Horatio Ball was approved as the appointee. The clerk was also directed to issue licenses thereafter C. O. D., and to collect all costs not paid in advance, or within a reasonable short time, by attachment, and to provide a parchment for an attorney's roll. Orison Allen was appointed crier of the court, and two defaulting jurors were fined, and their fines remitted. Joseph Van Netter, a Revolutionary soldier, came before the court and made declaration of his service in the Colonial armies for pension purposes. His property was valued at nine dollars, and he served during the war, being at the battles of Monmouth and Yorktown. At the July term of the court, 1822, the grand jury found a true bill for felony, and ignored another, and the first petit jury trial was had in the case of Jairus Baldwin vs. Ziba Swan, Jr., on the 17th day of the month. The verdict was for six cents damages and costs, and a motion for a new trial was overruled by the court. In the case of the United States vs. Jacob Smith, indictment for felony, the jury said on their oaths the prisoner was not guilty, whereupon he was discharged, and John Grant, the prosecuting witness, muleted for the costs, and compelled to give his note for the same, with Colonel David Stanard as his indorser. Le Roy gave his services as attorney gratuitously, which was made a note of on the record. There being no other business, the grand and petit juries were discharged. At the July session, 1823, there were two indictments found. At the February term, 1824, the second judgment was rendered, in an award by referees, against the plaintiff, for ten dollars and sixteen cents and costs; the referees being Joshua Chamberlain, Amasa Bagley, and David Stanard, nineteen witnesses being sworn before them. One indictment was found for assault and battery, and the indicted fined three dollars and costs. Two orders of specific performance were entered against the administrators of the estate of Aaron Web- ster, deceased, on contracts filed in the court, and an indictment was found against David B. Ford for selling liquor to the Indians. At the July term, 1824, Ford's attorney, Larned, moved the court to quash the said indictment, for the following reasons : " First, the law prohibiting the sale of liquor to the Indians was uncon- stitutional, and contrary to the provisions of the ordinance of 1787. Second, the words 'then and there' were not in the indictment. Third, the name of the Indian to whom the whisky was alleged to have been sold was not given; and fourth, it was otherwise uncertain and defective." The defense made such an elaborate display of force the court recognized Ford to appear at the next term, and continued the case. Fletcher, afterwards judge of the circuit, as attorney for Baldwin, indicted for an assault and battery, moved to quash the indictment against his client because twenty-four grand jurors found it instead of twenty- three, but the court overruled the motion. The third judgment was rendered at this term, and for six cents damages and costs, and that, too, pro confesso. In- stead of adjourning, the court at this term "took a respite" from the evening unto the morning, and at the nooning recess. Baldwin was found guilty by twelve of his peers of an assault, and the court fined him two dollars and costs, to which sentence of the court he, by his attorney, Fletcher, then and there ex- cepted, and filed his bill of exceptions, and gave bail with S. Satterlee to appear at the next term. David B. Ford, on trial, was found by the jury not guilty in manner and form as charged in the indictment against him for selling liquor to the Indians. Daniel Le Roy, Esq., appeared as prosecuting attorney at this term of the court. An amicable suit was brought at this term of the court by Faber Wilcox against Le Roy, on a note, and the latter confessed judgment on the same, and agreed the clerk should liquidate the damages and interest. The re- cord does not say whether the clerk was agreeable to that arrangement or not. A jury said James Marshall was not guilty of perjury, the indictment of the grand jury to the contrary notwithstanding. At the February term, 1825, a jury gave Charles C. Haskell a judgment of two dollars and fourteen cents against Elias Swan, another one gave a similar verdict for Ezra Baldwin against Isaac L. Smith for one dollar and four cents damages, and the first criminal trial was had wherein a verdict of guilty was returned, as charged in the indictment. The cause was the United States vs. Sheldon M. Perry, for assault and battery. The defendant's attorney moved to quash the indictment because one of the grand jurors who had found the bill had been previously convicted of petty larceny, but the court re- fused to grant the motion, because it was not made until after four of the traverse jury had been sworn on the trial. The sentence of the court was one dollar and costs. The prosecuting attorney entered a nolle prosequi in the case of the United States vs. Baldwin. There was a jury trial which resulted in a twenty- dollar verdict, and the court, after five days' session, adjourned. At the July term, 1825, the judgments amounted to thirty-eight dollars and eighty-eight cents. Thomas Gay sued Elias S. Swan, and a jury was called, and after retiring FAGSIMILE OF THE FIRST LEGAL WRIT ISSUED IN OAKLAND COUNTY. F It It . da7y/Atewtc4 07 C -ec2A~l ?& ... _.. .r. .-.. .. r_.._.. ... ._ ..... __. _-.. . ._-..- __.. _..... IIL- W E ENDORSEMENTS ON THE BACK OF THE FIRST LEGAL WRIT. A / /6'i /zr2 1004-40 if 7/p4ople 4- S'7021St J . , A ui a rRECIPE IN THE CASE OF DANIELRP CLARK vs. STEPHEN FHELP'S,ET AL ________5 ~1 1 '4 Age/2crA - i C W=Vttm-o- -00 r!K-1 bZo r +' s y A4i-- IE-:  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 41 to consider of their verdict returned into court for further instructions, and in- quired as to the effect of proof of confessions of either party against himself. The court advised the jury that such confessions were good evidence, but that they must consider the manner of such confession, whether made in the street or in a bar-room, etc. The jury failed to agree, but at the next term of the court the jury gave Gay a verdict for forty-eight dollars and eighty-three cents, the judgments of the term amounting to two.hundred and forty-three dollars and thirty-three cents. Two indictments, tried at the July term, 1826, for selling liquor to the Indians, resulted in verdicts for six cents damages, and two others were notl. pros'd. Amasa Bagley brought a replevin suit against Ezra Baldwin (the first one on the docket), and was awarded thirty-one dollars and ninety-three cents damages for the detention of the property by the defendant, and the property as well. At the February term of the court, 1827, the first order for the sale of real estate was made by the court, the same being in the estate of John Huff, deceased. There were six applications for such decrees, five being granted orders of publication in Detroit papers, one being specifically named,-the Micligao Herald. Four orders of sale were granted at the November term, 1827. At the April term, 1829, the first alien appeared and foreswore his allegiance to his former sovereign, and declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States. John D. Evins was the man, and his sovereign was George IV., "king, by the grace of God, of Great Britain and Ireland." The April term of 1832 was the last term of the court under the Territorial government. In 1846 the county courts were reconstituted, with similar powers and jurisdiction to the first court, and were vacated by the constitution of 1850, the last term closing December 31, 1851. The following gentlemen held the office of chief justice of the Territorial county court: Dr. William Thompson, 1820-27; Smith Weeks, 1828; Daniel Le Roy, 1829-32. Associates, Daniel Bronson and Amasa Bagley, from 1820 to 1832. The county judge under the reorganization of the county court, who was the pre- siding judge of that court, was Charles M. Eldredge, from 1846, through the en- tire existence of the court, to January 1, 1852. Win. C. Hoyt was the second judge,-1846-48,--and Hiram Smith, 1848-51. These second judges had the powers of a master in chancery and of a judge in vacation only. Q " TILE CIRCUIT COURTS of the cou tiesof the Territory were created by the legislative council in August, 1824, and which re-enacted the same in April, 1825, the act taking effect the September following (1825). These courts were held in each of the organized counties of the Territory by the justices of the supreme court. They had original jurisdiction, within their respective circuits, in all civil actions at law where the balance due or thing demanded exceeded the sum of one thousand dollars, and con- current jurisdiction with the county courts in all civil actions where justices of the peace had not jurisdiction, and of all actions of ejectment and of capital criminal cases, and appellant powers over the county courts. The first term of the court for Oakland County began June 19, 1826, with the following presence: Hion. John Hunt, judge; Win. Morris, sheriff; Win. F. Mosely, prosecuting attorney; Sidney Dole, clerk. Calvin C. Parks, Walter Sprague, and Joshua S. Terry at- tended the court as constables, and Ziba Swan, Jr., and Schuyler Hodges as deputy sheriffs. Wm. Burbank was foreman of the grand jury. The grand jury found four indictments for murder,-two against Imri Fish, and two against a Chippewa Indian called Sa-kosse-lea. The indictments against Fish were for the murder of Polly and Cynthia Ann Utter. The jury brought him in not guilty on one, and the other indictment was not pros'd by the prosecuting attorney. The prisoner was discharged from the indictments, but held under charge of insanity, which was proven on the trial. He was kept in the county jail for a time, and finally died not long afterwards. In the trial of the Indian, Sa-kosse-ka, for the murder of Sha-bo-ga-shek, Whitmore Knaggs was sworn as interpreter, and A. 31. Rob- ertson and 0. D. Richardson were assigned as the Indian's counsel. The jury returned the prisoner not guilty; and the second indictment against him for the murder of Ka-ka-on-quet was nol. pros'd. Mosely was allowed fifty dollars for his work for the term. At the June term, 1827, H-Ion. James Witherell presided, and one Win. Dunlap declared his intention to become a citizeni of the United States, which constituted the entire business of the term. Judge Henry Chip- man presided in March, 1828, one day only being held. In October, 1828, Judges Woodbridge and Sibley presided. The first conviction for horse-thieving was had at the March term, 1829, Platt Winchell being indicted and tried at that time, and sentenced to six months' confinement in the county jail and a fine of two hundred dollars and costs, and to stand committed until fine and costs were paid. The March term was opened by IHervey Parke, sheriff. The October term, 1832, held by Judges Sibley and Ross Wilkins, was the last term of that court. On the 15th day of April, 1833, "the circuit court of the Territory of Michi- 6 S gan" was created, the organized counties of the Territory constituting one circuit, and the presiding judge to be styled the circuit judge, to be appointed by the governor, and who must be a person learned in the law, and should hold his posi- tion for four years. Two associate judges were also to be appointed in each county, to hold their offices three years. Any two of the judges could form a quorum for the transaction of the ordinary business of the court, but no flagrant crime could be tried in the absence of the circuit judge, unless the person charged therewith consented to a trial. These courts possessed chancery and common law jurisdic- tion, original in all civil cases where justices had not jurisdiction, and had cog- nizance of all offenses not similarly cognizable by justices, and appellate powers over justices. The circuit courts existing at the time of the passage of the act were in the act denominated "tlhe superior circuit courts of the Territory of Mich- igan," but the business on their dockets was transferred to the new tribunal. The first term of this court was begun June 24, 1833, in Pontiac, iHon. William A. Fletcher, circuit judge, presiding, with Amasa Bagley as associate judge. Judge Fletcher's commission, issued by Governor Porter, was read, and spread on the record. At the July term, 1834, Daniel Le Roy and Bagley appeared as asso- ciate judges. The June term, 1836, was the last term of the circuit court of the Territory of Michigan, held in Oakland County. though in November the last representatives of the old regime-John Goodrich, deputy clerk; Orison Allen, sheriff; and Oliver Torrey, the crier-met, and the sheriff returned the venire for the grand and petit juries, the most of whom appeared, but no judge came, and the court was adjourned by the clerk until the next morning,-November 2,-when the same august presence came into the court-room at nine o'clock A.M., and the balance of the jury; but the day wore on, no judge appeared, and at five o'clock of the second day the court stood adjourned sine die. The constitution of 1835 provided for a supreme court, and as many others as the legislature should conclude to establish, including one probate court in each county. The supreme court was to consist of one chief and three associate jus- tices, appointed by the governor, on nomination of the senate, for seven years' terms. The State was divided by the legislature, in 1837, into four judicial circuits, the justices of the supreme court holding the courts in the several coun- ties. The courts had the same jurisdiction as under the territorial organization, except in chancery cases. Two associate judges were to be chosen in each county, one of whom was to sit with the presiding judge. In 1840 both associates were empowered to hold the courts in the absence of the presiding judge. The first term of the circuit court of the County of Oakland. in the State of Michigan, was held in May, 1837, beginning on the first Tuesday of the month; Hon. George Morell, one of the associate justices of the supreme court, presiding, with Samuel Satterlee and David Paddock associates. G. A. C. Luce was the first attorney admitted to the bar in the State court, May 2, 1837. This style of the court continued until October, 1839, when a court was held. styled the cir- cuit court of the fourth circuit within and for the county of Oakland, at which Hon. Charles W. Whipple, one of the associate justices of the supreme court, and presiding judge of the fourth circuit, presided, with associates Satterlee and Pad- dock. In the March term, 1840, the placita, whether designedly or not we (1o not know, changed to the circuit court of the county of Oakland. In 1847, at the September term, Judge Whipple held the term alone, the associate justices falling out by law, on the re-establishment of the county court. In April, 184,, another change was made in the courts, the supreme court being reorganized, and made to consist of one chief and four associate justices, and the State was divided into five judicial circuits, each one of the supreme court justices to hold at least two terms in each county in the circuit assigned him, and in the execution of that duty to be styled circuit judge. The constitution of 1850 vested the judicial power of the State in one supreme court, circuit courts, probate courts, and justices of the peace. Municipal courts to be provided for the cities at the will of the legislature. For six years the judges of the circuit court, to be elected in each of the eight circuits the State was districted into, were to form the supreme court of the State, after which the legislature was to provide for a reorganization of the latter court by the election of one chief and three associate justices for terms of eight years,-the term of one judge to close every alternate year. The legislature had power to alter the limits and increase the number of the circuits, and the courts had original juris- diction in all matters civil or criminal, not excepted in the constitution nor prohibited by the law, and appellate and supervisory powers over all inferior tribu- nals. The county clerks are the clerks of the court. The first chancery case hrought in the county was commenced in the circuit court, October 2, 1830,-John Biddle, of Detroit, complainant, and Henry Rey- nolds, of New York, defendant,-the action being a bill for the foreclosure of a mortgage. The bill was drawn by G. O.. Whittemore, solicitor for complainant, and describes the mortgaged premises as " being situate, lying, and being in the county of Oakland, in the Territory of Michigan, and known and described as 42 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. the west part of fractional section 11, township 2 north, range 9 east, of lands directed to be sold at Detroit, by the act of Congress entitled 'an act providing for the sale of the lands of the United States in the Territory northwest of the Ohio and above the mouth of the Kentucky river.' " After laying before their honors the court the complaint of his client, expressed in piteous terms, the solicitor concludes the same by a most humble prayer that their honors would grant their orator " the most gracious writ of subpoena, in the name of the United States of America," etc. The first divorce suit was brought in this court July 12, 1834, being the bill of complaint of John Runyan against his wife, Eunice Runyan, who, he alleged, had deserted him, and also had been guilty of adultery. John obtained a decree of divorce from Eunice in February, 1835, which released him and his property from any claim she might make by virtue of her former wifehood rights; but the decree did not specifically say either party might marry again. The com- plainant was fifty-eight years old and the defendant fifty-five. At the October term, 1837, of the circuit court, fifteen libel suits were brought on charges of corruption growing out of the election for member of Congress, in September of that year. There were two days used in polling the votes at that time, and General Crary, the Democratic candidate, came out some thirty odd votes behind his competitor in the race in Pontiac township, much to the chagrin of his friends. Some of them charged certain of the Whigs with tampering with the ballot-box, and issued a hand-bill to that effect, which called forth the suits above named. Four of the suits were compromised by taking a judgment of fifty dol- lars, which were affirmed by the supreme court; seven were dismissed; one was tried, and a verdict of three hundred and thirty-three dollars given for the plain- tiff, and affirmed by the supreme court; and the others were transferred to Gen- esee county for trial. As an instance of the free-and-easy grace with which judges, jurors, and law- yers looked upon the proprieties of society in the early days, we give an incident that transpired in the National House of Pontiac, while under the regime of Almon Mack. Card-playing was the favorite and almost universal pastime of the day, and it was noised abroad that, in order to make the game more interesting, stakes of money were played for at the National. This coming to the ears of one of the citizens of Pontiac, he felt himself called upon to interfere for the suppression of the supposed outrage upon the law against gambling, and he, thereupon, told Mr. Mack of what had come to his knowledge, and his intention to present him, Mack, before the grand jury. Mack said lie could not stop it without material injury to his business, as all his patrons, irrespective of position or standing, played for small stakes. The self-constituted censor said it made no difference; it was contrary to the law, and the duty of every good citizen was plainly pointed out, and lie could not disregard it so far as he was concerned, and the conversation ended. That evening Mack sent for his neighbor, who came about nine o'clock, and was by the landlord conducted into one apartment where the grand jury were engaged in their favorite amusement with silver quarters for antes; into another, where the petit jury were similarly engaged; and out upon the porch, where, en- joying the coolness of the evening, were congregated the bench and the bar, at the same game, made interesting by the same stakes. Mack, after taking his visitor about the house, said, " Well, what do you think of your presentment now'?" " Good-night, Mr. Mack," was the response, and nothing further was heard of the matter. The most fitting comment now, perhaps, on the then state of things is that contained in the old Latin proverb, " Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis." The judges who have held the circuit courts in Oakland County throughout its varied history of jurisdiction and nomenclature are as follows: Hon. John Hunt, 1826; Ion. James Witherell, 1827; Hon. Henry Chipman, 1828; Wil- liam Woodbridge, Solomon Sibley, Henry Chipman, and Ross Wilkins from 1828 to 1833, when the circuit court of the Territory was created. From June, 1833, to 1837, Judge Wmn. A. Fletcher, an associate justice of the supreme court, as chief justice, and Daniel Le Roy and Amasa Bagley as associates, held the court. The judges of the first circuit court, from 1826 to June, 1833, were all members of the supreme bench of the Territory. In 1837 and thence to 1839 the courts were held by Hon. George Morell, one of the associates of the supreme court, and Samuel Satterlee and David Paddock, associate judges of Oakland County. From 1839 to 1848, Charles W. Whipple, an associate of the supreme bench, was the presiding judge of the circuit court of Oakland, Daniel Paddock, G. 0. Whittemore, Jeremiah Clark, and Ziba Swan being the associates. In 1848, Judge Whipple was made chief justice of the supreme court. From 1848 to 1852, Hon. Sanford M. Green was the circuit judge. In 1851, HIon. Joseph T. Copeland was elected judge of the circuit, being the first one so chosen in the circuit, and presided over the court until 1857, when lie gave place to Hon. S. M. Greene, who again assumed the ermine, and wore it until 1867. He was suc- ceeded by Hon. James S. Dewey, who held the position until 1873. and was suc- ceeded by HIon. Levi B. Taft from September, 1873, to December, 1875; Hon. Augustus C. Baldwin, the present incumbent, presiding at the January term, 1876. TIIE PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS who have conducted the people's prosecutions against evil-doers in Oakland County are as follows: Daniel Le Roy, 1820-26; G. O. Whittemore, W. F. Mosely, Thomas J. Drake, 1827-30 ;. Origen D. Richardson, 1830-36; John T. Raynor, George Wisner, James B. Hunt, James McCabe, A. H. Hanscom, H. L. Stevens, 1837-1853; A. C. Baldwin, 1853-54; Charles Draper, 1855-60 and 1873-74; Junius Ten Eyck, 1861-62; Michael E. Crofoot, 1863-66 and 1869-70; Oscar F. Wisner, 1867-68; Henry M. Look, 1871-72; James K. Patterson, 1875, and present incumbent. These officers were appointed by the governor up to 1851, when they were and have been since elected by the people. INJUNCTION MASTERS. Sanford M. Green, 1847; Alfred Treadway, 1848 to 1851, inclusive. CIRCUIT COURT CO3MMISSIONERS were provided for in the constitution of 1850 to take the place and possess the powers of the masters of chancery prohibited by that instrument, and the first one was elected in 1851. Previous to this time masters in chancery had been appointed by the governor, and among those who filled the office at different times previous to 1851 were Morgan L. Drake, 1847, and Calvin C. Parks, 1848. The first cir- cuit court commissioner elected was William W. Phelps, who held the office two years,-a single term, 1852-53. He was succeeded by Junius Ten Eyck, 1854-57; Edward P. Harris, 1858-61 ; James A. Jacokes and Joseph R. Bowman, 1862-65; Mark S. Brewer and Byron L. Ransford, 1866-69; James K. Patterson and James A. Jacokes, 1870-71; Joseph E. Sawyer and Thomas Curtis, 1872-73; James A. Jacokes and Edward J. Bissell, 1874-75; Edward J. Bissell and George W. Smith, 1876-77, present incumbents. THE COURT OF CHANCERY provided for by the constitution of 1836 was created in 1837, and the sessions of the court held at Detroit up to 1840. The powers of this court were co-extensive with those of the chancery courts of England, unless otherwise specially pro- hibited in the constitution or by legislation. The presiding judge was called a chancellor, and was appointed by the governor for the whole State, and registers were appointed for each circuit. The first circuit included Oakland County, but in 1840 two new circuits were formed, the fourth circuit comprising the counties of Oakland, Genesee, Lapeer, Saginaw, Shiawassee, and Clinton, the headquarters of the circuit being at Pontiac. In 18 39 the chancellor's court was given cogni- zance of the banks, and in 1841 the power was extended to partition and sale of lands concurrent with the circuit court. The supreme court possessed appellate powers over this court. The first term of the court of chancery was held in Pon- tiac in September, 1840, Hon. Elon Farnsworth, chancellor, being present, and Frederic A. Williams, register. The first case on the docket of this court was that of W. H. H. Sheldon, complainant, vs. Henry Bishop, Jane Bishop, Charles Postal. and James Minot. The first two defendants were residents of Michigan, and the other were non-residents, and the complainant was ordered to publish notice of the pendency of the suit in the State paper at Detroit. On the 20th of May, 1840, the chancellor ordered a private seal to be used until a public one was obtained for the circuit. J. R. Bowman was appointed assistant register, and Alfred Treadway taxing-master. The first decree of foreclosure entered in this court was on May 5, 1841, in the case of Joseph B. Varnum, Dudley B. Fuller, John A. Graham, complainants, vs. Olmstead Chamberlain, Mary C. Chamber- lain, and Moses Wanzer, defendants. The amount of the decree was two thou- sand four hundred and eleven dollars and seventy-seven cents, and the premises ordered sold was lot 66, of Pontiac. In the spring of 1842 the official head of the court changed, Randolph Man- ning coming into the office, which position hlie held until 1846, when Hon. Elon Farnsworth came again into power, and so continued until the court was abolished in 1847. Alfred Treadway was appointed register of the circuit in 1842, and held the position during the remainder of the existence of the court. The busi- ness of the court was transacted and closed up by the associate justices of the supreme court, who held chancery terms of the circuit court. The injunction masters succeeded the associate judges of the circuit court in 1847, and were sued ceeded in turn by circuit court commissioners in 1852. / TIIE DISTRICT COURT of the counties of Wayne, Oakland. Washtenaw and Jackson was created March 9, 1843, and vested with full power over all crimes, misdemeanors, and offenses com- mitted against the laws of the State. The presiding judge was appointed by the HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 43 s governor for a term of five years, and the associate judges of the circuit court were to hold the same position in this court. Two terms per year were held in all of the counties of the district except Wayne, where four terms per year were held. The county clerks were the clerks of the court, and the presiding judge received a salary of one thousand dollars per annum, paid out of the State treasury, and the associates one dollar and fifty cents per day while court was in session, paid by the county treasurer. The presiding judge alone, or with an associate, could hold the terms of the court. The first term of the court held in Pontiac convened April 18, 1843, with Hon. B. F. H. Witherell the presiding judge, and David Paddock and G. 0. Whittemore associates, Joseph R. Bowman clerk, Jonathan Chase foreman of the grand jury. The bulk of the criminal causes on the circuit court docket were transferred to the docket of this court, and nineteen were dis- posed of by entering a nolle prosequi; two indictments were quashed, three were tried and defendants acquitted; ten defendants were fined six cents and costs, and one five dollars and costs. One indictment was found against Horatio A. Howard for maintaining a nuisance, his dam obstructing the free course of the water of Clinton river, and he was tried and convicted, and the sheriff ordered to break the dam. Several defaulting jurors were attached for contempt, but purged them- selves therefrom, and were allowed to depart the court without costs. The last term of the court was held in November, 1846, Judge Witherell pre- siding throughout the entire existence of the tribunal. TILE PROBATE COURT. The ordinance of 1787 provided rules of inheritance which should govern the Northwest Territory until such time as its own governors and assemblies should prove other laws regulating the line of descent and proof of wills. The widow's dower was preserved, and wills were to be attested by three witnesses, and, when duly proven, were to be recorded within one year after offices for such purposes were provided. On August 31, 1805, the governor-Hull-and Judges Wood- ward and Bates passed an act providing for the probate of wills and the adminis- tration of estates. Wills were to be recorded by the clerk of the district court in his office. Previous to this time the assembly of the Northwest Territory had provided for the same duties and their discharge; and previous to 1796 wills had been executed and proven and intestacies administered upon by virtue of the English and French rules and requirements in force in the Territory. In January, 1809, the law of wills and intestacies was amended, and more safeguards thrown around estates of deceased persons, but this law was repealed in September, 1810. On January 19, 1811, the probate law was re-enacted and amended, and a register of probate provided for, with the authority of a judge in the probate of wills and granting administration on intestate estates, and wills were recorded in his office; there being a register in each of the judicial districts into which the Territory was then divided. Power to compel specific performance on contracts of decedents for conveyance of land was vested in the register, and also the power to decree the sale of lands to pay the debts of decedents. On the 27th of July, 1818, the gov- ernor and judges passed an act creating a probate court in each organized county, which were held by a judge appointed by the governor. A register of wills was also appointed by the same authority, who was also register of deeds until 1835. The probate court had full cognizance of mortuary matters, and the supreme court had appellate jurisdiction over the same. The probate law was amended from time to time by the Territorial authority, and has been since the State was first admitted into the Union, until now the administration of estates is simplified and made almost absolutely free from court costs, the judge being paid a salary and keeping his own records. Litigants, however, like other luxurious livers, pay for their own pleasures. In 1837 the power to sell real estate for the payment of debts was given the probate court concurrently with the circuit and chancellor's courts. The first session of the probate court in and for Oakland County was held at the house of Colonel David Stanard, in the township of Bloomfield, in said county, on the 15th day of June, 1822, Judge William Thompson presiding. On the application of Major Joseph Todd, Mrs. Elizabeth Harding was cited to appear on the 27th instant next ensuing, before the court, and file her petition for administration on the estate of Eliphalet Harding, deceased, and the court adjourned to that time and the same place. On the 29th of June, Mrs. Hard- ing appeared, and, together with John Todd, was appointed administratrix of the estate of her late husband. Messrs. David Stanard, Calvin Gibbs. and Charles Howard were appointed appraisers. Before the inventory and appraisement were returned the widow married, and Judge Thompson considered her wedding equivalent to her funeral, evidently, for he designated ever afterwards Mr. Todd as the surviving administrator. The Harding estate proving insolvent, the late widow received one hundred and sixty-two dollars and eighty-fobur cents only of the goods and chattels of the estate. The first inventory filed in the court was that of the estate of J. S. Davis, deceased, September 7, 1822, the same footing up four hundred and ninety-eight dollars and fifty cents on personal property and three hundred and ninety dollars on real estate. The widow received three hundred dollars of the personal prop- erty, and the balance was sold by the appraisers. Sidney Dole and David Perrin were commissioners to audit the claims against the estate. The third session of the court was held at the house of Olmstead Chamberlain, in the village of Pon- tiac, the next session at Colonel Stanard's, and the fifth one at Major Joseph Todd's, in Bloomfield. All of these sessions had been special ones, held as emer- gency called tfor the exercise of the authority of the court. But at the fifth session regular sessions were ordered to be held on the first Saturday of each month, in Pontiac, at the office of Daniel Le Roy, Esq. The first order of dis- tribution of an estate was entered April 5, 1823, in the estate of John Prindle, deceased, upon which administration was granted December 16, 1822. The first letters of guardianship were granted August 22, 1823, to Nathaniel Millard, guardian of Maria, Aaron W., and George B. Webster, children of Aaron Web- ster, deceased. On December 15, 1823, regular sessions were ordered to be held at Bloomfield, at the office of the register, on the first Saturday of each month. The first lunatic examined and restrained was Imri Fish. Elijah S. Fish was appointed guardian of his estate May 7, 1825. The first will probated in the court was that of Alpheus Williams, deceased, which was proven September 6, 1826, and executed on the 19th of April preceding. The will of John Powers, deceased, was proven the same day, and was executed July 21, 1828. In the estate of James Harrington, deceased, upon which administration was granted in 1826, there was a will, but it was never proven before the court, although among the files of the court. This will was dated April 20, 1822, and duly executed, Amos Gould of Cayuga county, New York, being named therein as executor. He was held by the court to be incapable of discharging the trusts of the will, and Mrs. Harrington declining to serve as administratrix, William Thompson, former judge of the court, was appointed administrator. The will of Arthur Powers, of Farmington, probated in 1835, covers a super- ficial area of twelve feet by twenty inches, and consists of twelve sheets, twenty- four pages of ordinary foolscap. The items of the bills allowed by the probate court against the pioneers' estates read strangely in the presence of the sentiment of to-day. One among many similar ones was allowed against the first estate brought into the court, which reads thus: "April 19, 1819. To 1 whisky-barrel, liu t ........................ ..,................. $1.00 Nov. 8. To 5 gallons of whisky, at 5 shillings ....................... 3.13 April 17, 1822. To interest on the ,rhisky......................... 43 $4.56" Another one was for refreshments furnished at the sale of the personal effects of a deceased person, and included one bottle of brandy, two bottles of whisky, etc. The judges of probate from the organization of the county up to 1836, all of whom were appointed by the governor, were as follows: Dr. William Thompson, 1821-24; Nathaniel Millard, 1825-26; Smith Weeks, 1827; G. O. Whittemore, 1827-28; W. F. Mosely, 1828; Ogden Clarke, August, 1828, to August, 1832; Stephen Reeves, August, 1832, to 1837; and he was then elected for a term of four years, and re-elected for another term of same duration, ending December 31, 1844. He was succeeded as follows: M. La Mont Bagg, 1845-48; M. E. Crofoot, 1849-56; Oscar F. North, 1857-61; Harry C. Andrews, April, 1861-64; Francis Darrow, 1865-68; Alfred Crawford, 1869-72; J. C. Powell, 1873-76; James C. Jacokes, 1877, present incumbent. CAUSES CELIBRES. Among the causes of note tried in the Oakland courts were the trials, for alleged murder, of Dr. Russell and the Tully boys. The first one is commonly known as THE BISMUTH MURDER, OF PONTIAC, and was tried in 1846. The facts of the case were briefly as follows: Dr. James G. Russell, a young man, came to Pontiac from Monroe county, New York, in the spring of 1845, and entered the office of Dr. Isaac Paddock as a medical student of two or three years' reading. He practiced some, was well received, and was generally spoken of as a young man of something more than ordinary promise in the profession. He attended the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a prominent member of the choir. Some time during the summer his wife came to Pontiac, from Greece, Monroe county, New York, a daughter of a wealthy and long-es- tablished merchant of that place, of the name of Graham. November 1, 1845, 44 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1 Russell went to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend his first course of medical lectures, and returned about the Ist of March following. During his absence his wife and child, the latter about a year old, remained with Dr. Paddock's family. On his return Russell resumed his reading and practice with Dr. Paddock, and leased a house and began housekeeping. About the middle of May his wife was taken violently ill with purging and vomiting, which lasted a few days, and from which attack she died. Her difficulty was supposed at the time to have been inflamma- tion of the stomach, but after a few days it began to be rumored that she was probably poisoned, which led to the disinterment of the body, and a post-mortem examination and inquest. The stomach and liver and a portion of the intestines were removed, and sent to Ann Arbor for a chemical examination and analysis. Russell went to Cleveland immediately after his wife's death, but, on learning of the rumors concerning the cause of her decease, returned to Pontiac, and was arrested on the charge of murder and committed to jail, where he remained until his trial in November, 1846, but always asserted his innocence concerning the alleged crime. During the trial, Dr. Douglass, of the university, who made the chemical analysis, exhibited some arsenic which was obtained from the stomach and other portions of the viscera sent him. Dr. Paddock testified that he adminis- tered to Mrs. Russell subnitrate of bismuth frequently during her sickness, and it was proven by the defense that in nature bismuth is found in combination with arsenic, and that traces of arsenic are sometimes found in specimens of bis- muth which were supposed to have been chemically pure. A sample of bismuth obtained from the same source from whence Dr. Paddock procured his supply was analyzed by a chemist from Detroit, and was found to contain arsenic. These points were made the ground of defense mainly, and Judge Crofoot elaborated the theory very ingeniously and with consummate skill, and the result of the trial was the acquittal of the accused by the jury. Many of the citizens of Pontiac, however, were not convinced by the developments of the trial and the arguments of the defense, and felt so scandalized by the verdict of the jury that they attempted summary vengeance on Russell, and hlie was followed from house to house during the night following his discharge, but the darkness favoring him, he made good his escape. The people then gave vent to their feelings by hang- ing the effigy of the doctor on a gallows erected in front of the court-house, intended for the doctor himself. Some months after the end of the trial a letter of inquiry was received by the county clerk, Joseph R. Bowman, asking informa- tion in regard to the trial, and a transcript of the record was sent in reply thereto, and a few months later the news came of the shooting of Russell, in Texas, by the brother of a young woman whom the rascal, under promise of marriage, had seduced, in Georgia or Alabama. The case was most ably conducted for the people by George W. Wisner and General H. L. Stevens, and as ably defended by Howard, Thomas J. Drake, and Michael E. Crofoot, then a young practitioner, but whose admirable management of the defense gave promise of that success of which his later years have given full fruition. TIIE TULLY MURDER CASE was a no less celebrated trial than the bismuth murder. Hon. Charles Draper conducted the case for the people, and Thomas J. Drake, Moses Wisner, and Judge Crofoot managed the defense. The facts of the case, as charged in the indictment, were these: On the fifth day of December, 1857, John, Robert, and Charles Tully, sons of Patrick Tully, willfully murdered their father, the motive therefor being supposed and alleged to be to get possession of six hundred dollars in money the old gentleman had laid away in the house. The trial was had at the March term of the circuit court, 1858, and continued nine days, and resulted in the conviction of Robert and John and the acquittal of Charles Tully. The conviction of Robert and John was followed by their sentence to the penitentiary for life, and their immediate incarceration in the prison at Jackson. The excite- ment was most intense, the seemingly undoubted guilt of the victims, sons of the deceased, adding to the otherwise horrible atrocity. But the lawyers for the de- fense, impressed with the innocence of their clients, which the prisoners stoutly and persistently maintained, set about the procuring of a new trial and the reversal of the first verdict of guilt. A supersedeas was granted by the supreme court, and a new trial ordered, on the ground that the jury in rendering their verdict did not define the degree of the crime, when they ought to have done so, specify- ing in their verdict that the prisoners were guilty of murder in the first or second degree, as the case might be. The verdict was simply, "Guilty in manner and form a-s charged in the indictment," and, although the indictment charged the prisoners with willful and deliberate murder, yet technically the law was not fol- lowed, and the new trial came off in March, 1860, resulting in the discharge of both Robert and John. Charles Tully, having been acquitted on the first trial, was admitted to the witness stand on the second trial, and his evidence was mainly the cause of the acquittal of his brothers. Affidavits of fellow-prisoners of Robert and John also were produced, inculpating other unknown parties, and ex- onerating the sons from the horrible crime of killing their own father for his money, and, the excitement having died away, the verdict was received as a matter of course. The docket of G. O. Whittemore, Esq., justice of the peace, has the following for its first entry: "Burleigh Hunt ure July 15, 1826. Judg't confessed by defendant on "Orson Bartlett note for the use of Win. F. Mosely- " Damages . . . . . . . . . . 6.49 " Entering action, 1s.; Judg't, 1s.; Satisfaction, 6c. . . .31 $6.80 " Execution to issue after ninety days. "Ex'on . . . . . . . . . .25 "Execution issued October 17, 1826 (Hodges, const.). "Ex'on returned satisfied December 27, 1826. "Reed damages and costs. G. O. WHITTEMORE, Jus. Peace. "Rec'd the amount of damages in full of plff. " W. F. MOSELY, Att'y for B. Hunt, by H. Cole, Esqr." The first summons was issued by Justice Whittemore, July 29, 1826, in the case of Aaron Smith vs. John Hearsay. Judgment was rendered for ten dollars, by default, August 7, at two o'clock P.m., and October 26 the amount of judg- ment and costs was paid to the court. August 1, the court, at the instance of Win. Thompson, issued an attachment against the goods and chattels of Win. Johnson, and one bond, appraised at thirty-one dollars and five cents, and one ox, appraised at twenty-five dollars, were taken thereon by Constable Schuyler Hodges, from which twenty-one dollars and thirty-four cents were subsequently made. Dr. Thompson got after John Squiers, who was about to abscond, and the law, supplemented by a capias ad respondendum, held him fast, and hlie entered his plea-of nil debit before his honor, on the 23d of August; and by the request of the defendant, the court was held open until the next morning at eight o'clock, when the parties appeared, and George Lee was sworn for the defense, but as the record reads, "says nothing,-nothing material." Judgment for plaintiff; damages, nine dollars and twenty-four cents; costs, one dollar and forty-three and a half cents. Execution issued August 28 at ten o'clock A.MI., and returned same day, and the defendant committed, with three dollars and six cents additional costs to pay. The first criminal proceeding before Justice Whittemore was had January 13, 1827, when Josiah S. Caldwin complained of an assault and battery received at the hands of Elijah Willets. Willets was brought before the majesty of the law on the 15th, and, on the testimony of Baldwin and Calvin Ball, held to answer to the county court, under fifty dollars bonds, whereupon the punisher and pun- ishee came together and settled their differences, and the court discharged the recognizance on payment of costs by the defendant. On the 26th of February, 1827, the learned professions of the law and medicine were brought to the bar for the adjudication of the bench. Daniel Le Roy, a lawyer, sued Cyrus A. Chipman, a doctor, and the lawyer and the judge were one too many for the doctor, and the latter confessed judgment to the amount of eight dollars and thirty-four cents; and another doctor, Thaddeus Thompson, became surety for his brother physician, and a stay of execution was ordered for ninety days, at the end of which period, it is safe to say, the lawyer and judge were physicked out of the damages and costs by the doctor's pills and lotions, which were more potent and less uncertain than the law's delays to bring men to terms of settlement. March 6, 1827, Thomas Harrington sued Joshua S. Terry in an action of trespass, for that the defendant had taken a silver watch of the value of seventeen dollars, the property of the plaintiff. The defendant pleaded not guilty, and justi- fied under an execution as constable, and then moved the court for a non-suit. because the plaintiff should have brought his suit in trover, and the court granted the motion and mulcted the plaintiff for the costs, ninety-four cents. Henry 0. Bronson sued Nelson Hitchcoek for one dollar, for horse-hire, and made oath that Hitchcock was a man of no family, and that he, the plaintiff, was in danger of loosing the said dollar unless hlie proceeded by warrant, where- upon a capias was issued and the body of the defendant produced in court. The defendant admitted he had the horse, but claimed the charge was too high for its use, and asked for a continuance till the 27th March, 1827, which was granted. Alexander Ostrander becoming surety for his appearance; but on the 24th the parties appeared in court. when the defendant paid the plaintiff the dollar and fifty cents for witnesses, and one dollar and eighty-eight cents for costs-of court, HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 45 I making three dollars and thirty-eight cents for his frolic; but then he got his name on the public records. Thomas J. Drake sued the board of supervisors for a rejected claim of five dollars for attorney's fees in a criminal case, and Trowbridge, Jacob N. Voor- heis, and Mead were appointed by the board to defend the suit. They did so, and demanded a jury, and, from twenty-two men, obtained six to try the case, Hervey Parke being the foreman. The jury gave Drake his claim, and the costs were seven dollars and eighty-seven and one-half cents, which were paid at the end of an execution. Drake sued Edwin Edwards, March 6, 1828, on three notes, payable in buckskin gloves and mittens. Drake "got the mitten," so far as his quid pro quo was concerned; but he locked up the fellow who "mittened" him on a judgment of forty-six dollars and seventy-seven cents. Justice Whittemore adjudicated one hundred and ninety-three cases during his first year of office, two hundred and five the second, and one hundred and seventy-eight the third. At the close of the record of each case, when the damages and costs had been paid, hlie wrote in large letters " DONE." The old docket is coverless, and made of unruled paper, now yellow with age. The sand with which the record was liberally dusted to absorb the ink, rubs off freely, and brings back vividly the memory of the days of the gray goose-quill, the sand-box, and the red wafer, which have given place to the steel pen, the blotting-pad, and mucilage. THE BAR of Oakland, in the early days of its history, was second to none in the Terri- tory, and afterwards State, of Michigan, unless that of Detroit be an exception. The members of the Detroit bar practiced in the Oakland courts, and their names occur frequently on the court records for many years after the organization of the State. Woodbridge, Sibley, Fletcher, Lamrned, Goodwin, O'Keefe, Coleman, and others of the City of the Straits were among the practitioners before the circuit court of Oakland; but they never resided in the county. The first resident lawyer in the county was Daniel Le Roy, who was admitted to practice in the county court, the first court held in the county, and on the first day of the first term thereof,-to wit, July 17, 1820. Mr. Le Roy was from Binghamton, New York, and was a regularly-admitted and practicing attorney in that State previous to his coming to Michigan. He was the prosecuting attorney of the county for some years, and chief justice of the county court from April, 1829, to the abol- ishment of the same in 1833. He was also the first attorney-general of the State, being appointed to that office by Governor Mason, in 1836. Judge Le Roy was a lawyer of ability, and ranked high in the bar of the State. He retired from practice late in life, and died at Fenton, Genesee county. A son of Judge Le Roy resides now in Fenton, and a daughter-Mrs. Francis Darrow-resides in Pontiac. The next resident lawyer in the county appears by the record to have been William F. Mosely, who was admitted to practice before the county court at the February term, 1825; and was appointed by the court prosecuting attorney for the term. At the June term, 1826, the first term of that court held in the county, Mr. Mosely was admitted to practice before that court; and in 1828 was judge of probate. He removed from the county into Shiawassee county, where he died in 1860, while prosecuting attorney. He was from Connecticut. At the same February term, 1825, of the county court, Thomas J. Drake was allowed to act as attorney for such parties as had given him powers of attor- ney for that purpose. Mr. Drake first came to Pontiac in 1822, when there were scarcely half a dozen houses in the township. He was a leading and prom- inent advocate for nearly two generations. Hon. A. C. Baldwin, judge of Sixth circuit, says of him, "lie 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 clement when advocating the interests of the people." Hle was a member of the third legislative council in 1828, and, with S. V. R. Trowbridge, represented the whole northern portion of the Territory. Mr. Drake was the ac- credited author of the liberal exemption laws of Michigan, hlie introducing them into the legislative council at a time when they were so unpopular not a single member, save himself, dared to vote for them. From 1828 to 1845 he was prominent in political matters, being a Whig in party affiliation and policy. He was elected in 1834 to the State senate to represent a district which extended from the base-line of the State to the head of Lake Superior, embracing two- thirds of the area of the State. Hle was president of that body. In 1840 he was one of the Whig presidential electors for Michigan at her first participation in the choice of a president and vice-president of the Republic. In 1828 lihe was register of probate for the county, and in 1827 prosecuting attorney, and was also the first prosecuting attorney elected in the county, and held the position from 1850 to 1852. In 1864, President Lincoln appointed Mr. Drake chief justice of the United States courts in Utahi, which position he held for several years, discharging the duties thereof with signal ability and fidelity. and thereby provoking the bitter hostility of Brigham Young and his cohorts. " The Mor- mons hated him as cordially as he hated their customs and practice." Judge Drake's associate justice in Utah said, " When once the judge made up his mind that he was right, no power under heaven could swerve him from the path of duty." He died in Pontiac, April 20, 1875. Judge Drake in 1842, or there- abouts, conducted the publication of a Whig newspaper in Flint, which in the winter of 1843-44 was removed to Pontiac, and established as the Gazette. He also built the Genesee House, in Flint, and resided there some years, doing much for the prosperity of the village. The next attorney admitted to the bar in the Oakland courts who attained a "local habitation and a name" in the county was Origen D. Richardson, who, for nearly thirty years, was a leading and prominent member of the bar, and noted as well throughout the State. He was admitted at the July term, 1826, of the circuit court, having been a regularly practicing attorney in Vermont, from whence hlie came to Michigan in 1826. He began and completed his study of the law, preparatory to his admission to practice, with his brother-in-law, Israel P. Richardson, in Vermont. He was prosecuting attorney of the county in 1832, and was elected lieutenant-governor of Michigan in the fall of 1841, and again in 1843,-serving the State in that position during the years 1842-45. In the fall of 1854, Governor Richardson removed to Omaha, Nebraska,-a Territory then, -and, as a member of the first and second sessions of the legislature of the new State, "acted a prominent and useful part in framing some of the laws now on its statute books." He was one of the three commissioners to codify the laws of the State. He died at Omaha, November 29, 1876, at the advanced age of eighty- one years, of apoplexy; and was followed by his almost equally aged wife and companion but a brief period subsequently., and with her was laid to rest in the same grave in Prospect hill cemetery, and on the same day. Another prominent attorney and citizen of Oakland County, who was admitted to the practice of the law before the courts of the county at the same time as Governor Richardson, viz., February term, 1826, was Gideon O. Whittemore, Esq., who located at Pontiac, and was afterwards judge of probate, master in chancery, and prosecuting attorney. He was also a prominent justice of the peace; and removed to Tawas, in this State, where he died some years ago. Mr. Whittemore was one of the first regents of the university, in 1837. The next attorney who located in the county was Robert P. Eldridge, who was admitted in the county court November, 1828. He read law with Governor Richardson, and removed early to Mount Clemens, where hlie is now in practice. He came from the State of New York to Michigan. He prides himself on his Indian blood, claiming to be a lineal descendant of Pocahontas. His son, who is also his legal partner, is the judge of probate of .Macomb county. Mr. Eldridge was prosecuting attorney of the court at the term of which hlie was admitted to the bar, and was secretary of State under Governor Barry from 1841 to 1846. Seth A. L. Warner was the next attorney to receive a license to practice his profession, being admitted to the bar of the county court in March, 1830, and in the circuit court in April following. He located at Farmington, and came from Seneca county, New York, where he previously followed the practice of the law. He is now dead. P. Dean Warner, Esq., is a son, and who has been speaker of the House of Representatives of the State one term, and resides now in Farming- ton, and was for many years a prominent member of the board of supervisors. Isaac Stetson was admitted in October, 1830, having practiced his profession previously in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. In October, 1832, John Goodrich, known by the bar as "old" John Good- rich, in contradistinction to a younger man of the same name, was admitted to the practice of the legal profession, and died in September, 1838. Henry S. Cole was admitted in October, 1833. At the same term William Draper, the father of Hon. Charles Draper, who succeeded to his practice, was admitted to the Oakland bar, hlie having been a regularly-admitted and practicing attorney previously in Massachusetts. Mr. Draper was a good lawyer, well read, and had an extensive practice. In 1838 hlie had over one hundred suits on the dockets of the courts. He was the president of the first Ann Arbor convention to act upon the Congressional terms imposed upon Michigan's admission into the Union. He was located in Pontiac, where hlie was buried, having died while on a pleasure trip to Mackinac, in July, 1858. Mr. Draper was a very sedate and dignified gentleman, and some of his ways were a little inclined to eccentricity. Several anecdotes are told by his old confreres which are too good to be lost, and we reproduce two or three of the best. He was a born sportsman, and, when the duties of his profession would allow, enjoyed most thoroughly the piscatorial pleasures afforded by the well-stocked lakes of Oakland. In order to facilitate such enjoyment hlie constructed a boat, and fitted it on the running-gear of a light wagon, with which hlie would on days too dark and dull for office-work, and "just dark enough for good fishing," drive to some one of the many beautiful sheets of water that spread their fair expanse in the openings of Oakland. and, unshipping 46 HISTORY OF OAKLAND) COUNTY, MICHIGAN. his wagon-body, would launch the same upon the waves, and proceed to his pisca- torial delights with the same zest that he pursued larger fish in the meshes of the law. He kept his boat under the shed of the Congregational church, and in an adjoining stall the hearse of the village was also kept. One day Mr. Draper concluded to try his usual sport, and sent his Milesian man of all work down to the shed for his turn-out. But Patrick, by some mis- take, hitched the old gray to the funeral-car instead of the Waltonian vehicle, and backed it up in front of the lawyer's residence. The sportsman soon made his appearance, equipped with rod and lines, and, stepping precisely down the walk, his eyes rested on the black-plumed carriage at his gate, whereupon he stopped suddenly, and, with his peculiar gesture of his forefinger and a sort of snort, said, with grim humor, "Patrick, take it back ! I'm not ready to ride in that carriage yet !" Rufus Hosmer always was full of fun, and, though a nephew of Mr. Draper, called him, as did many others, " Father Draper;" and hlie used to relate with great gusto the following anecdote: One day Mr. Draper and Hosmer were called to Farmington to attend a lawsuit, and, in going to the same, Rufus drove. On coming to the top of a hill of some considerable height, the old gray mare Mr. Draper drove for many years struck a brisk trot, and the somewhat careless driver did not strive to check her speed down the declivity; but on arriving at the bot- tom a bridge, which traversed a small creek, was found to be unplanked. How- ever, it was too late to stop, and the old gray cleared it somehow, and the wheels, by the strangest fortuity, struck squarely the sleepers and passed in safety. Not a word was spoken until they arrived at the village, when the condition of the bridge was commented on calmly. After the trial was over the lawyers set out on their return, Mr. Draper taking the reins into his own hands. They stopped a few minutes at Birmingham, and just as they were seated in the buggy and Mr. Draper's hands, with a rein in each, planted on either knee and ready for a start, a Spanish jack, confined in the yard alongside the hotel by which they were standing, put his lhead over the high board-fence that separated him from the rest of the world, and lifted up his voice as only that animal can. Old Gray "shot" from her standing like an arrow, and tore down the pike on a swinging gallop, Mr. Draper sitting bolt upright, his fists firmly pressed on his knees, and Rufus cling- ing for dear life to the buggy-seat. Down the long smooth pike sped the gallant gray, not a word being spoken by the lawyers whom she carried. Past farm- houses the flying vehicle dashed with clattering noise, dogs barked, children hur- rahed, men stared, and wondered what had got into Father Draper. Dashing into Saginaw street with unchecked lope, the old mare made straight for her wonted stable, nor stopped nor stumbled until she bumped her nose against the gate she had left a few hours before. She gave a long breath and looked back, not at her drivers, but her followers; and Mr. Draper, in solemn tones, first broke the silence that had been maintained throughout the entire seven miles' ride. Says he, "Rufus, what an awful noise that was!" Among the prominent names of the Oakland bar Randolph Manning's shines conspicuously. He was admitted about 1828-30, and was a practicing attorney in New Jersey previously. He was an able though not a brilliant lawyer, con- scientious and sound, and a most excellent solicitor in chancery. He held the position of chancellor of the State, by appointment of Governor Barry, from 1842 to 1846, and was one of the judges of the supreme court of the State when his death, which was very sudden, occurred. He was secretary of State from 18:18 to 1840, by appointment of Governor Woodbridge. Philip A. McOmber, an attorney in the State of New York, was admitted to the Oakland bar in February, 1835. The same year John T. Raynor was ad- mitted, and located at Birmingham. He was district attorney in 1838, being the first appointment of Governor Mason. He was county clerk for four years, and was a most efficient officer. He held for several years an official position in Washington, and died in Lansing. Morgan L. Drake, of Pontiac, was admitted in July, 1834, and became a lead- ing solicitor in chancery,-none better in the State. He was also well versed in railroad law. He died some years ago in Pontiac. He was a brother of Thos. J. Drake. Edward P. Harris located at Rochester. He was circuit court commissioner in 1860, and was a collegiate of Vermont, where he was first licensed as an attorney. IHe died in Rochester some six years ago. He was an excellent lawyer. Alfred Treadway was admitted somewhere about 1836, and was county clerk, clerk of the supreme court, register in chancery, and injunction master, and in after-years received an appointment as document clerk to the United States sen- ate, and is now holding an appointment under the present administration. George A. C. Luce, of Rochester, was admitted to the bar May 2, 1837, and died at Troy, having been for many years in feeble health. On the 9th of November, in the year last named, John P. Richardson was ad- mitted to the bar. Hie read law with Israel P. Richardson, and was first licensed as an attorney in Vermont. He removed to Leavenworth, Kansas, from whence hlie was driven during the troublous times of 1853-56, but afterwards returned, and died there. Charles Draper, the present Nestor of the bar of Oakland County, was admitted to the practice of his profession November 27, 1838. He and Rufus Hosmer, both of whom read law with Wmin. Draper, were admitted at the same time. Mr. Draper is still engaged in an extensive practice, in which hlie is assisted by a son,-Warren N. Draper, Esq. Mr. Draper was the first clerk of the courts under the State constitution, and held the position two years,-to 1838. He was also prosecuting attorney, and has served the county in the State senate. He was in partnership for many years with his fatther, Wm. Draper, and has an extensive and valuable library, and ranks high in his profession in the State. Mr. Hosmer was a native of Massachusetts, where he was thoroughly edu- cated. He was a cousin of Mr. Draper, and formed a copartnership with the Wisners soon after his admission to the bar, and subsequently went to Detroit to assume charge of the Detroit Advertiser. He was also State printer at Lansing for a time, and was appointed consul to the Netherlands, but died before going to his post of duty. He was a brilliant genius, most companionable, and always ready for a joke. The following good story is told at his expense: He was a very in- different scribe, and when the trial of his first case came on in the circuit court, at the very term of his admission to the bar, Thomas J. Drake, the opposing counsel, moved the court to quash the declaration in the case, because it was drawn in a foreign language. The court being struck with the point, asked to see the paper, and on examination granted the motion, and gave the young lawyer twenty-four hours to file a new narr. George W. Wisner came from New York city to Pontiac in July, 1835. He was formerly editor and had a half proprietary interest in the New York Sun, which he disposed of in September of that year, and removed his family to Pon- tiac, and at once commenced the study of the law with William Draper, and was admitted in January, 1839, to the practice of his profession. He and Alfred Treadway were in partnership for a time, and succeeding that copartnership was one with his brother Moses and Rufus Hosmer, which was a strong one and successful. In 1837 he was a member of the first legislature of the State, and was prosecuting attorney for some years. Politically, he was a Whig, with anti-slavery leanings. In the fall of 1847 he purchased, with Norman Rawson and H. H. Duneklee, the Detroit Advertiser, and managed the editorial columns so effectively that hlie was given the credit of largely influencing the Whig triumph in the spring of 1848 in that city. He died in September, 1849, young in years but ripe in experience. His widow survives him, and is a resident of Pontiac, and two sons, Oscar F. and Henry C. Wisner, are members of their father's profession, one at East Saginaw, and one-Henry-in Detroit, both in lucrative practice. A touching incident is related in connection with Mr. Wisner and Morgan L. Drake. While riding through the woods to a distant circuit, on legal business intent, they stopped one night at a cabin to ask for shelter, and found the lonely hut inhabited by a man and wife, the latter just expired. They were miles away from another house, and the night was dark and the roads mere trails through the woods. Under these circumstances those who asked for ministrations of hospi- tality became the ministers of mercy to the stricken husband. They assisted him to prepare his dead for burial, and cheered him in his sorrow as best they could; and when the morning dawned they dug a grave in the vicinity of the clearing, and, with as appropriate ceremonies as the occasion would admit, committed the remains to the earth, and rode away, leaving the grief-stricken mourner alone with his dead. Alfred H. Hanscom, said to be the most eloquent advocate who ever lifted up his voice in defense of innocence and the maintenance of right at the Oakland bar, was admitted to the same in 1838. He was a native of Rochester, New York, from whence he came early to Macomb county, and thence removed to Troy, in Oakland County. He was educated in the eastern schools, and was, in 1842, speaker of the House of Representatives of the legislature of Michigan. He was the district attorney of the county of Oakland for some years, and re- moved to Ontonagon in 1850 or thereabouts. He died on his return from a visit to Pontiac, some twenty years ago, en route, on shipboard, between Marquette and his house. Hon. Jacob Summers, familiarly known as " Uncle Jake," resident of Macomb county, and one of Judge Whipple's "right and left epaulets," as the side judges of the circuit court were sometimes called, once came to Mr. Hanscom to get his services in procuring a divorce. Summers was a man of strong natural parts, but uneducated, indolent, and slovenly. Hanscom inquired what his grounds for a divorce were, but Uncle Jake could not succeed in making the cause of his com- plaint quite clear to his counsel; and, thereupon Mr. Hanscom took the statute and began to read the causes enumerated for which a divorce could be granted. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 47 " 1st. Adultery." " Pass on," said Uncle Jake. " Desertion," read the lawyer. " Pass on," quoth the client. "Cruelty," propounded the man of law. " Pass on," said the petitioner. " Impotency." " Hold on," broke in the injured hus- band, " that's it! she is impudent as h-1!" Samuel G. Watson was admitted to the bar previous to 1838, and was prose-. cuting attorney for a time. He subsequently removed to Detroit, and died there. Henry C. Knight was a member of the firm of Richardson (0. D.) & Knight. He removed to Detroit, where he resided several years, and died in that city. James B. Hunt was admitted to the bar in 1840, in the Oakland courts, hav- ing been licensed as an attorney, in New York, in 1824. He was prosecuting attorney from 1841 to 1843, by appointment of Governor Barry, and in 1842 was elected to the lower house of Congress from the district then including Oak- land in its limits, and served therein two terms, 1843-47, and on the termination of his second term returned to his former home in New York, in ill health, and died there. Ransom R. Belding was admitted in October, 1839. He was clerk of the courts for four years, and edited the Jacksonian for a time, during the politi- cal campaigns of 1840 and 1842. He is now deceased. Artemas Thayer, Jr., was admitted about the same time as Belding, and soon after removed to Flint, where he now resides. Hon. Moses Wisner was one of the lawyers whose power and abilities reflected great credit on the Oakland bar. His father was a farmer residing near Auburn, New York, and Moses and his brother, George W., even in childhood, while toil- ing and drudging on the farm, evidently were bent on some other development in life's work, for they shirked the labor whenever they could, and turned their attention to the cultivation of their minds. George, as has been previously shown, went to New York into journalism, for a time, previous to his removal to Michi- gan, and Moses, after a time, came to the forests of Lapeer county, and began life in the, to him, unpromising line of an agriculturist, and after some months of incessant toil hlie one day stuck his axe into a tree, and said to himself, " There, if I cannot make a living at a more congenial employment I will starve !" and immediately turned his steps towards Pontiac, where his brother George had already gained something of a standing in the practice of the law, and entered his office as a student, and was admitted to the bar in 1841. He returned to Lapeer county, where hlie acted as prosecuting attorney for two or more years, and then returned to Pontiac and entered into copartnership with his brother and Rufus Hosmer. On the departure of George to Detroit, Moses continued the practice alone. In the noted case of the Tully boys, tried for the murder of their father, Mr. Wisner was associated with Judge Crofoot and Hon. Thomas J. Drake in the defense, and made a most searching analysis of the testimony. In the celebrated burglary case, wherein Guy M31. Trowbridge's house was bur- glarized, Governor Wisner aided the prosecution, and made a very fine argument in closing the case, and also made a very effective illustration in the course of it, by discharging a pistol which was claimed to be unloaded. He was careful to point it where no damage could accrue to persons, but it damaged with telling effect the defense and its theories. In 1858 Mr. Wisner was elected governor of Michigan, and served the State two years, 1859 and 1860, though he did not turn his attention to politics until after the presidential election of 1852. He was an effective speaker on the stump, as well as a powerful advocate before a jury. In the campaign of 1856 he addressed a Fremont gathering, and the opening sentence of his speech will give the key to what followed. It was delivered in the peculiar deep chest-tones of the speaker, and thrilled the audience with its earnestness and power. He said, " Two hundred and forty years ago was heard the first clank of chains on a slave on American soil !" At the close of his guberna- torial term Governor Wisner returned to Pontiac and resumed his profession, and remained so engaged until the summer of 1862, when he entered the field of war at the head of the Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, which was raised largely by his own exertions, as colonel, but was taken ill with typhoid fever, and died at Lexington, Kentucky, January 5, 1863. He lies in the Pontiac cemetery, and a massive monument attests his valor and patriotism. There is a good story told of the governor, which illustrates his rather reckless manner of quotation, and also his ready repartee. His knowledge of the law was good, but his general reading had not been carried to the same extent as his legal attainments, and his quotations were generally rather wide of the mark in matter of authorship, and especially so was it in relation to the Scriptures, which was his favorite source of quotation. While prosecuting a case of felony before Judge Turner, Judge Cro- foot being on the defense, the instance in question occurred. Judge Crofoot had made one of his powerful appeals to the jury for sympathy for the prisoner on account of his poverty and family, and when the governor rose to reply he at once proceeded to counteract, if possible, the evidently strong impression the op- posing counsel had made on the jury for his client. He said. "The law knows no difference between the rich criminal and the poor one. the criminal with a family and one without, but, in the language of the Holy Scripture, he that danceth must pay the fiddler ."' A shout went up from jury, counsel, bench, and audience, and Judge Turner, albeit a very dignified jurist on the bench, but en- joying a good thing when it came in his way, as soon as the merriment subsided, leaned over, and said, "Governor, give us the chapter and verse, if you please." Again the laugh went round at the expense of the statesman, but he, unabashed, and with dignity and an air of well-affected astonishment, turned to the desk, and, with his peculiar expletive, exclaimed, " Great God! is it possible that we have upon the bench a person so ignorant of the Holy Scriptures ?" And then the laugh recoiled from his excellency to his honor, in which the latter joined heartily. John S. Goodrich was from the State of New York, and was admitted to practice in the Oakland courts in November, 1840. He was appointed a judge of the supreme court after he removed from Oakland to Genesee county. He was unmarried, rather ungainly in personal appearance, painfully awkward in manner, but possessed of the most wonderful powers of memory, and was a library in himself. It is said he read Hume's history of England through in forty-eight hours, and from that single and rapid perusal could give every important event and its date, recorded therein. He died in 1851, at Goodrichville, in Genesee county,-a village to which his family gave its name, and where a brother now resides. Calvin C. Parks was admitted February 4, 1841, and located at Pontiac. iHe formerly lived at Auburn, and was for many years a prominent justice of the peace of the county. He removed to Illinois, and died at the residence of his son in Waukegan, Calvin C. Parks, a prominent blooded-stock breeder. James McCabe was admitted to the bar March, 1842. He was a mason by trade when hlie turned his attention to law, and afterwards was a partner for a time of James B. Hunt, and now resides in California. Hon. Augustus C. Baldwin was admitted to the bar in May, 1842. He had for years an extensive practice, and was prosecuting attorney in 1853-54. He was in the legislature in 1844-46, and served the fifth Congressional district in the thirty-eighth Congress of the United States. He was elected to the bench of the sixth judicial circuit in 1875, and is now the presiding judge of the circuit. He is a profound jurist, and the ablest member of the Oakland bar during its entire history. His power lies in his extensive research and depth of reasoning in the law, and, always good before a jury, sometimes rises to grand periods of eloquence. He has gathered about him the best law and literary library owned by any private individual in the northwest, possessing, in 1871, one of the only three complete sets of American Reports in the United States, but which hlie has since disposed of. Charles B. Lord was admitted November, 1842. He was formerly from Buf- falo, New York, and now resides in St. Louis. He was a fair lawyer and a writer of considerable note, being a frequent contributor to larper's Magazine. A. Bernard Cudworth was admitted to the bar in Lapeer county in November, 1842, and for twelve years was located at Rochester, when hlie came to Pontiac, where he has since resided. He is still actively engaged in the pursuit of his profession. He is a man of rare natural eloquence, quick at repartee, and a good lawyer. He was mayor of the city of Pontiac in 1865, and attorney of the city previously. His parents were natives of Massachusetts, but he was born in Schenectady, New York, but removed to Genesee county when quite young, and from thence to Michigan. Ezra P. Baldwin was admitted to the bar December 11, 1843, and located at Birmingham, and removed to the west some years ago. He was a member of the legislature, but never gained a very large practice in the courts of record as a lawyer. Loren L. Treat was admitted November 20, 1844, and located at Canandaigua, now Orion village. Ie was State senator, and had a good practice in the county. He now lives in Oxford township, and gives his attention to farming. He was well read, and possessed of considerable power before a jury. Thornton F. Brodhead was admitted to the bar in August, 1843. He was subsequently postmaster of Detroit. He was also a lieutenant in the Pontiac company in the Mexican war, and colonel of the First Michigan cavalry, and was killed at the second battle of Bull Run. De Witt C. Bancroft was admitted in December, 1845, and is now deceased. Judge Levi B. Taft is a native of Bellingham, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, where lie was born August 6, 1821. He camine to Michigan in 1834, and read law with Hion. Jacob 31. Howard and Messrs. Barstow & Lockwood, and graduated from Dartmouth college in 1843, and was admitted to the bar in 1845, in the supreme court, and also in the United States courts. Hie practiced his profession in Chicago sixteen years, and from that city came to Pontiac and continued his practice until 1873, when he was elected judge of the sixth judicial circuit, and presided over the courts of the same until December 31, 1875, when hlie retired from the bench and resumed his practice in Pontiac, which hlie still continues. In 1845. General Hester L. Stevens, an eminent attorney of Rochester, New 48 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. York. located in Pontiac, and began the practice of his profession. He was pros- ecuting attorney in 1847-48, and with Judge Baldwin formed a law partnership in 1849 and 1850. In 1851 hlie was elected to Congress from the district in which he resided, and took up his residence in Washington after his congressional term expired, and practiced extensively before the court of claims. He was an able lawyer and a man of high social position, and is now deceased. Josiah W. Crane was admitted in December, 1846, but never attained to any eminence in the profession. He removed to Milwaukee, where he became a most successful insurance manager, and amassed a fortune. He is now dead. Edwin J. Bell was admitted at the same time with Crane. Dr. Bell, of Ox. ford, is his son. He died in Oxford. Sardis F. Hubbell was admitted also in December, 1846, and soon after re- moved to Howell, Livingston county, where hlie is still in practice. Win. P. Yerkes also was admitted in December, 1846. He subsequently re- moved to Detroit, where hlie was elected judge of probate, and held the position for some time, being succeeded in the position by a nephew. He resides in that city at the present time. W. H. Wilder was admitted in 1840, and located at Birmingham, and after- wards removed to Texas, where at last advices hlie was living. Charles Rhinehart was admitted in August, 1846, and, though an Oakland boy, never practiced here, but removed to Ohio. Albert G. White was admitted August, 1843, but practiced but little, if at all, in the county. Wm. L. Webber, now of East Saginaw, was admitted to the bar in Oakland County in 1850, having read law with Judge Baldwin. He located first at Milford. John D. Irvine was admitted in 1850. John R. Sharpsteen was admitted in 1847, but did not remain in the county long. He removed to Wisconsin, and held the position of attorney-general of the State for a time, and is somewhat prominent there now. Judge Michael E. Crofoot, one of the leading members of the Oakland bar, and whose powers as an attorney have reflected honor upon the profession of the law, was admitted to the practice of the same in Rochester, New York, previous to 1846, and in the Oakland courts February 12, 1848. His first great case was the trial of the bismuth murder case, so called, wherein hlie gained much celebrity in the defense of the accused, and procured the acquittal of his client. He pursued his legal studies with General H. L. Stevens. He was judge of probate eight years. He has also an office in Detroit, whither hlie goes every day when not en- gaged in the courts elsewhere, and has an extensive practice both in Oakland and the city. Judge Crofoot's power is greatest in getting in his proofs, but is also otherwise effective with a jury; and is always ready for his arguments, and uni- form in his manner of presenting the same. His success has been and is marked. Mark Arnold was admitted in December, 1853, and resided in Farmington. He died sonime years ago. Junius Ten Eyck, a prominent member of the bar, resides in Pontiac, and was admitted in the supreme court of the State at a session thereof held in Pontiac in October, 1852. He pursued his legal studies under Governor Wisner. He for- merly resided in Waterford, and was the prosecuting attorney of the county in 1861-62, and circuit court commissioner four years, in 1854-57. ie is a good lawyer, and excels rather as a counsellor than as an advocate. Erastus Thatcher was admitted to the bar April 16, 1853, but was not a suc- cess thereat. He was the first mayor of Pontiac, and was re-elected for a second term. Joseph R. Bowman was admitted October 3, 1854. He was clerk of the county for six years, and deputy clerk four years. He was a good office-lawyer and a most excellent official. Mr. Bowman was an Englishman by birth, and a noble-hearted man. Jacob Van Valkenburg came from Buffalo, New York, where hlie had been in the practice of the law, and was admitted to practice in the Oakland courts, April 27, 1853. Israel P. Richardson was a veteran practitioner in Vermont previous to his admission, pro forma, in the Oakland courts, December 31, 1856. He never practiced his profession in the county, but on account of his age was made presi- dent of the bar association. He was the father of the gallant General I. B. Richardson, of the army of the Potomac, who was mortally wounded in the action of Antietam, and who sleeps in the Pontiac cemetery. He is now living in Wash- ington, in sightless old age, with a daughter who is a clerk in one of the depart.- ments of the government. Henry M. Look, a prominent attorney in the county, and noted for his elo- quence throughout the State, is a native of Michigan, and of what was once Oak- land but is now Lapeer county, being born October 27, 1837, in Hadley. He began the study of the law in the office of his brother, in Kentucky, and comn- pleted the same with Messrs. Baldwin & Draper, and also attended a course of lectures at the law department of the University of Michigan in 1859,-and was admitted to the bar, while attending the lectures, by an open examinatioi n the supreme court at Detroit in November, 1859. He was admitted to practice in the United States courts in July, 1867. Previous to this last date he followed the practice of his profession and that of teaching in the south for a time. He was a member of the legislature of Michigan in 1865-66, prosecuting attorney for Oakland County 1871-72, city attorney for Pontiac for several years, and is holding the position now, and was a member of the board of education of the city in 1864-67. Mr. Look has a wide reputation also as a writer, of which we speak more at large elsewhere. He was a partner of Judge Baldwin for a time. Mr. Look's family originated in Scotland, and five generations back of him emigrated therefrom to Martha's Vineyard, near the beginning of the seventeenth century, and Mr. Look's father, H. 3M. Look, Sr., removed from western Massa- chusetts to Michigan. Elbert Crofoot, Jr., was admitted to the bar February 14, 1859, and is now in practice in Detroit. Thomas H. Terwilliger was admitted in January, 1860, and located in Spring- field, and is now deceased. Oscar F. Wisner, a son of George A. Wisner, now of Saginaw, was admitted June 9, 1860. He went to Chicago and engaged in the practice of his profession for a time, and then returned to Pontiac, and subsequently removed to Saginaw, where, in company with C. Stuart Draper, he has an extensive and lucrative practice. He is a rising attorney. James Z. Dewey was admitted at the same time as Mr. Wisner, and was circuit . judge in 1868-73, when he resigned. He is now a member of the Detroit bar. Judge James A. Jacokes was admitted to the bar in 1861. He is a son of the veteran Methodist clergyman and presiding elder, Rev. Daniel C. Jacokes, who has been a preacher of the Michigan conference forty years and more. Judge Jacokes was circuit court commissioner in 1862-65, 1870-71, and 1874-75, and in 1876 was elected judge of probate, which position he now worthily occupies. He is an excellent counsellor. Charles M. Dwight was admitted June 27, 1862, and located in Pontiac, and is now deceased. William B. Jackson was admitted December 20, 1862. He read law in Mil- ford, from thence came to Pontiac, and from thence removed to Detroit, where lihe now resides. Hon. Mark S. Brewer, now of Pontiac, was admitted to the practice of his profession March 10, 1864. He is a native of Addison township, in Oakland County, where hlie was born in October, 1837, and received his education at the schools of the county and the academy at Romeo. He read law with Governor Wisner and Judge Crofoot, and was for a term of years-from 1864-76-a partner of the latter. He was circuit court commissioner from 1'867-71 inclusive; city attorney for Pontiac, 1866-67; State senator, 1872-74; and at the November election of 1876 was elected member of Congress for a full term. He is an able lawyer and has a fine practice. John B. Farnham, now deceased, was admitted December, 1865. Oscar C. Pratt was admitted in September, 1865, having been in practice pre- viously in Ohio. He committed suicide in Omaha. C. Stuart Draper, oldest son of Charles Draper, Esq., now at Saginaw, a mem- ber of the law firm of Wisner & Draper, was admitted in December, 1865. He went to Chicago and engaged in practice there for a time, and from thence re- turned to Pontiac, and from there removed to Saginaw, where he is engaged in a lucrative practice with Oscar F. Wisner. He is an able young attorney. Elijah F. Dewey, now of Manistee, was admitted at the same time as Mr. Draper. He is a brother of Judge Dewey. Thomas Curtis, now deceased, was originally a physician in Lyon township. IIe was admitted to the bar late in life, and removed to Albion, Calhoun county, and from thence to Holly, in Oakland County, where he died. Arthur R. Tripp was admitted June 9, 1876, and is at present in Judge Jacoke's office as clerk of the probate court. George W. Brock, who died at Farmington a few years ago, was admitted to the bar January 26, 1866. Jerome B. Short was admitted April 27, 1866, but did not build up any prac- tice of moment in the county, and shortly after removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where hlie engaged in life insurance business, and is now deceased. George X. 3M. Collier was admitted June 23, 1866, and is now in practice in Detroit. J. E. Colby was admitted at the same time as Collier, and is now in Cleveland, Ohio, in the insurance business. Fred. A. Baker was admitted June 14, 1867, and now resides in Detroit. He was a member of the legislature one or more terms, and is a man of promise. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 49 James K. Patterson was admitted June 14, 1867, and located in Pontiac, where he now resides. He was prosecuting attorney two terms. Hirn-n J. Hoyt read law with Judge Crofoot, was admitted to the bar in Sep- tember, 1866, and is now in a lucrative practice in Muskegon. He is the oldest son of Dr. James M. Hoyt, of Walled Lake. Milton M. Burnham, now a resident of Holly, was admitted August 17, 1868. O. W. Hewitt, residing at Birmingham, was admitted to the practice of the law May 25, 1869, late in life, having been a physician previously. Adolphus W. Burtt, now a partner of Judge Crofoot, was admitted to the bar May 25, 1869, and is a painstaking, careful lawyer. Joseph E. Sawyer, of Pontiac, was admitted September 29, 1859, and is now in practice. Chas. B. Howell was admitted December 8, 1868. Thomas L. Patterson, of Holly, was admitted August 17, 1868, and was for several years chairman of the board of supervisors. Judson D. Holmes, now of Alpena, was admitted September 19, 1868. Ile studied law in Pontiac, but did not follow his profession in the county, except for a short time. M. Luther Tindall was admit- ted April 12, 1869, and removed to Memphis. Warren N. Draper, a son and partner of Hon. Charles Draper, was a student in his father's office, and admitted to the bar May 13, 1870. He is fast rising to a prominent place in the profes- sion. John Fitz Patrick, of Pontiac, was admitted February 22, 1870, and was two terms county clerk. James D. Bateman, now at Walled Lake, was admitted April 18, 1870. He was county clerk one term. E. S. Woodman, now in North- ville, Wayne county, was formerly at Novi, and was admitted April 18, 1870. He was an old man and a farmer when he turned his attention to the law. Geo. M. Holton was admitted September 20, 1870, but is now out of practice. Cassius M. Beardsley, also, was admitted in November 20, 1870, and is not in practice. Elliott R. Wilcox was admitted January 6,1871, and is now residing at Roch- ester. He has served the county in the senate and house of representatives of Michigan. Edward J. Bissell was admitted April 17, 1871, is located at Milford, and has a good and increasing practice. IHe is at present one of the circuit court com- missioners. Joseph H. Wendell, now of Wisconsin, was admitted September 29, 1871. His grandfather, John Wendell, was a prominent politician of the pioneer days. He is a young man of considerable promise. Alexander G. Comstock, formerly county clerk of Oakland County, was admit- ted to the bar in November, 1872, and located at Holly. He removed to Detroit, and is now a leading magistrate in that city. Win. C. Hoyt, the second judge of the county court in 1848-50, was admitted to the bar September 24, 1873, but became insane, and is now an inmate of the asylum at Kalamazoo. He was located at Milford, and served one term in the legislature. Silas T. Fenn, now of Oxford, was admitted April 14, 1873. Henry C. Wisner was admitted September 11, 1872. He was a graduate of the naval school at Annapolis, read law with Oscar F. Wisner, and removed to Detroit, where lie is at present in practice. Jerome W. Robbins, now in practice in the county, read law in Pontiac, and was admitted Jauuary 11, 1873. Thomas J. Davis was admitted August 29, 1874, and is still in practice in the county. Charles Kudner, now a partner of Judge Crofoot, in Detroit, read law with that gentleman, and was admitted to the practice of his profession August 29, 1874. George W. Smith, of Pontiac, a rising member of the bar, was admitted to the profession September 21, 1874, and is one of the circuit court commissioners of the county. Robert J. Loundsbury, now of Pontiac, was admitted to the bar June 22, 1875. E. S. B. Sutton, an Orion boy, was admitted to the bar in 1875, and is located at Oxford. Aaron Perry, a partner of Judge Taft, in Pontiac, was admitted to the bar March 21, 1876. He is a native of Oakland County, and a graduate of the Uni- versity of Michigan. iHe was a member of the legislature of 1873-74. He is a good lawyer. John O. Hadley, of Holly, was also admitted in 1876; and E. W. Porter, also. The latter is not now a resident of the county. Robert Hovenden, formerly a minister of the gospel, turned his attention to the law, and was admitted to the bar September 14, 1876. He was a graduate of the law department of the university at Ann Arbor, and is now located in Pontiac. C. D. McEwen, located at Royal Oak, was admitted May 14, 1877. 7 Washington W. Webb, an attorney in Ohio previous to his location at Orion, where he died, was once a member of the Oakland bar; as was also Cyrus A. Poole, of Clarkston. The latter removed some years since from the county. Z. B. Knight, a son-in-law of Governor O. D. Richardson, and now a promi- nent citizen of Omaha, Nebraska, was once located at Clarkston, and practiced the profession in the county. Judge Horace A. Noyes, for twelve years judge of probate of Calhoun county, was admitted to the bar in the Oakland circuit court, in June, 1835. Ile died in May, 1877. Hon. W. T. Mitchell, now one of the circuit judges of the State, was also admitted to the bar in this court, in November, 1839. Harleigh Carter, a judge of the United States courts in one of the Territories, under President Lincoln, was admitted to the bar in the Oakland circuit court, in October, 1839. He was a resident of Utica, Macomb county. lion. B. F. iI. Withereil, the judge of the district court of Wayne, Oakland, Monroe, and Jack- son counties, used to practice in the courts of Oakland. IHis father, Ion. James Witherell, was one of the judges of the Territory of Michigan. Another one of Oakland's worthy sons was William Wallace Phelps, who was born in the county, June 1, 1826, and died at Spring Lake, Michigan, August 4, 1873, of cancer of the stomach. He graduated at the University of Michigan in 1846, studied law under Judge Crofoot, and was admitted to the bar in 1848. From 1851 to 1855 he edited The Jacksonian, published at Pontiac, and was circuit court commissioner of the cou ty 1851-52, being the first one ever elected in the county. In 1854, he was appointed by President Pierce register of the United States land-office at Red Wing, Minnesota, and held the position till 1858. In 1858-59, he served his district in Congress. In 1860, he assumed editorial control of the Red Wing Sentinel, and when the rebellion broke out abandoned a lucrative practice, and in 1862 went into the service as captain of Company D, Tenth Minnesota Infantry, and served a year, when he resigned. He was twice elected mayor of the city of Red Wing, and was one of the most popular and effective speakers in the Democratic party of Minnesota. Hion. Charles W. Whipple, judge of the supreme court in 1839, and for many years afterwards, made his place of residence at Pontiac after his appointment to the bench, being a member of the Detroit bar previously. Hle was a fine speci- men of an old country gentleman, a man of fine culture and good literary taste, an excellent common law practitioner; would split a hair with the precision of an artist, and comb down an opponent with the choicest rhetoric. He was quite as nice and precise in person as he was exalted in intellect, and was for many years an ornament to the bench. Once on a time, while hlie was holding court in Lapeer, some half-dozen lawyers from Pontiac were in attendance; being detained longer than was anticipated, their linen became quite badly soiled, and they had none for a change with them. His honor one morning politely but sharply re- proved the bar for their slovenly appearance. The next morning the judge was noticed as himself wearing soiled linen, but did not seem to fully conmprelhend the joke till, looking down upon the bar, he discovered that his own wardrobe had been quietly invaded, and the contents thereof appropriated to the use of the bar, every member of which was encased in a clean white dickey, with high standing-collar, and white neck-tic. The bar needed no further reproof, but the judge was non est as early as practicable. Apropos of the bench is a story that is told of the effectiveness of a speech one of the side judges made in the legislature--" Uncle Jake" Summers, before named. He lived on the line of Macomb and Oakland counties, his barn being in Oak- land and his house in Macomb, and consequently is about as much of an Oakland character as of Macomb. He was, in person and mental attainments, the antipode of Judge Whipple, but was naturally gifted with considerable hard sense, and was a noted character in the pioneer days. He was a member of the legislature at the session of 1842, at which session a bill was introduced appropriating twenty thousand dollars to continue Dr. Douglas Houghton's geological survey of the upper peninsula. A number of the members were a little restive under the continued expense of the survey, but Dr. Houghton had made a canvass of the members, and confidently relied on the passage of the bill. He had, how- ever, given Uncle Jake a wide berth, a slight which had deeply aggrieved the old man; but he said nothin',, and did not commit himself till after the Oakland members and Wm. Norman McLeod (the latter one of the most eloquent men Michigan ever produced) had made big speeches in favor of the bill. Then Uncle Jake arose, and, with a gravity unexcelled, said he was ' sorry to see so much disposition in this body tending to extravagance; that hlie had long thought it time to inaugurate an era of reform, and for one, it was his deliberate opinion that the State had long since paid out all it could afford for pickling butterflies and boring holes iii the ground." He moved the previous question, and sat down. The effect of his speech on politicians of his ilk can be imagined. The bill was defeated, and Dr. Houghton's operations were substantially suspended for the season. 50 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. THE MEDICAL 1PROFESSION. ALLOPATHIC SCHOOL. The first physician who located in Oakland County to minister to the ills of mortality was D)r. William Thompson, who camne to Michigan in 1818 from Owego, Broome county, New York, and stopped for a short time only in Detroit, and went thence to Mount Clemens, where he remained also but a brief period, and came to Avon township, then known as Oakland, the same year, settling near the iersey mills. In the winter of 1819-20 he removed to Pontiac, where lie located permanenltly. lie was appointed by Governor Cass the first judge of the county court of Oakland County, and held the first court ever held in the county, in July, 1 820. lIe was also appointedl by Governor Cass the first judge of probate of the county, and also received the first appoi ntment in the county of a county treasurer. As a physician lie was eminent in his profession, and had an extensive lpracetice, and was especially celebrated in obstetrics. His panaceas fir the ills of his numerous patients were calomel, opium, and luinline. lie was kind and generous to a fault to the unfortunate settlers, and frequently rendered his services as a gratuity. Ie often remarked, " I ought not to com- plain, or charge anything for my services, for the poor creatures I treat have the worst oft it; they have to take my horrible medicines, while I ride around the country and chew my tobacco. But I pity my poor horse. HLe goes night and day without food, and is lhimself food for b 4th flies and mosquitoes." )r. Thoump- son died on his farm, where a son-in-law now resides, in Avon township. Dr. Sterling W. Allen, one of the pioneer physicians, removed to Oakland County in 18'S5, and located at Pontiac. He came from Monroe county, New York, where he studied medicine with Dr. Ellwood. He was a skillful physician, and now residles at Grand Rapids. )Dr. Olmnstead Chamberlain came from Lewiston, New York, to Pontiac about the same tinme as l)r. Allen, but did not follow his profession as a business. He settled in Pontiac in 1821. lie was born in Richmond, Vermont, in 1787. lHe was a pirmiinent ciizen of Pontiac and Oakland County for forty-three years, and was lpostmaster of Pontiac fir several years. While a resident of Pontiac in the early days, an epidemic broke out among a company of United States troops stationed at Saginaw, from which many soldiers died, and the surgeon of the post was stricken lown. A courier was sent to Pontiac for aid. The only road was anl I(ndian trail through the woods, but the doctor at once mounted his horse, and traveling ,nihlt and day, at times obliged to) dismount and feel for the trail on his hands and knoees, arrived in good time, and rendered good service for the suf- ferers. In 181- l he left Pontiac and went to residle with a Soi, Samuel, at Wanm- pumnt, Wisconsin, with whom he remained till October 1 0, 1876, at which date he died, aged eighty-nine years. Dr. Johnl Chamberlain came from near Auburn, New York, in 1825, or there- abouts, and located at the village of Auburn. He was the most learned physician in the county in his day, and was a most able practitioner. Ile removed from the county in or about 1830, and dlied several years ago. Dr. Thaddeus Thompson, a brother of the first doctor of the county, located in Troy previous to 1828. Ie was a very fine man, and an excellent physician. He removed to Detroit some years ago. His sons are prominent citizens of that city. Dr. Ezra S. Parke, a native of Middle Haddam, Connecticut, and brother of Captain Hervey Parke, of Pontiac, came to Bloomfield, from Onondaga county, New York, in 1822. He studied medicine with Dr. Ransom, of Camden, Oneida county, New York. He had a good practice, which he continued to follow until his death, which occurred in 1846. He was postmaster at Bloomfield for several years. Dr. Cyrus Chipman came to Avon township in 1821, and was for many years a prominent physician in the township. He held the position of postmaster twelve years, and then removed to Rochester village. He was originally from Vermont, and about 1850 removed to Grand Rapids, where he died a few years ago. He was a good practitioner and a very excellent man. He was in Troy for a time previoums to his removal to Grand Rapids. Dr. Ezekiel Webb, of Farmington, was a Quaker. He came from Farmington, New York, in 1824, or thereabouts, and removed to Adrian in 1830-31. He is now dead. Dr. J. C. Emery came to Novi from Seneca county, New York, in 1829, and died many years ago. Dr. Ziba Swan, of Bloomfield, was born in Connecticut, but came to Michigan from near Albany, New York, in a very early day, and (lied about 1850. Dr. Ebenezer Raynale was born in Vermont, but spent the most of his life, till 1828, in New York and Pennsylvania. At this date he carne to Michigan, and located at Franklin, in Southfield township. He read medicine in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, and Niagara county, New York, and had for many years an extensive practice in Oakland County, and even beyond, in the early days. IHe retired from practice in 1873, on account of ill health, surrendering his business to his son, Dr. Chas. M. Raynale, of Birmingham, with whom the old doctor still resides. The young doctor read medicine with his father, and is a graduate of the Detroit medical college, and has been in practice some eight years in Birming- ham. Dr. Ebenezer Raynale was a prominent citizen outside of his profession, and was a member of the State senate in 1836-37, and also a member of the first and second constitutional conventions of Michigan, and is.the only living member of the senate who voted for the first United States senators from Michigan. Dr. David L. Porter came from Troy, New York, to Pontiac in 1829. IHe was the son of an eminent physician, lie died in 1834. He was well read in materia medica, and a hard worker in his profession. IHe was found dead in his office. Dr. Brumley came to Rochester in 1829. Dr. Isaac Paddock came to Pontiac in 1831, from near Utica, New York, and was for many years the principal physician in that village and vicinity. He was a skillful physician, and died about 1870. Dr. F. Curtis camne to Royal Oak in 1829, from the eastern part of New York, on the Hudson river. He did not have an extensive practice, and died many years since. Dr. Bradley came the same year to Royal Oak, from western New York. iHe subsequently located at Birmingham, and removed to Fenton some years ago, and died there. Dr. Rose came to Royal Oak in 1831. After several years' practice hlie re- nmoved to Detroit, where hlie now resides. Lie read medicine with Dr. Pliny Powers. Dr. Isaac Wixom, of Farmington, came there too from Seneca county, New York, in 1830. HIe pursued his medical course in Hector, in that county, and was licensed there to practice. He became in after-years an eminent surgeon. He was a member of the legislature one term. lie now resides in Fenton, whither lie removed some thirty years since. Dr. Hudson, of Farniington, came from western New York in 1832 to Pontiac. Hle had a good practice, and died in Lansing, whither hie had removed. Dr. A. Hayes was an early comrner to Michigan, and located as a physician in Farm- ington in 1832. ie removed to Lansing, where he at present resides. He was also a Methodist minister. Dr. Geo. W. Williams came to Auburn about 1830 from Wash inigton county, New York, and was in after-years located in Pontiac. lie died in Waterford, on his farm near Silver lake, where a son now resides. Ile became a successful physician, and had a good practice. Dr. Caleb Lamb, a Baptist divine as well as a physician, came to Oakland County in 1830 from western New York, and located first in Bloomfield, at G(lilbert's lake, and subsequently located at Farmington for a time. HIe now resides in or about Ypsilanti. lIe changed his practice during his later years in Oakland County to the homnoeopathic school. Dr. Stebbins located in Troy in or about 1834, where he remained a few years, and then removed to Detroit. In Birmingham, between the years 1838 and 1874, there were a large number of physicians who located for a longer or shorter period, among whom were the following: Dr. Waldo came in 1838 from Oswego, New York, and died in Pontiac in 1843-44. Dr. Brice and Dr. Vandeusen were there also, and the latter remained some three or four years, and then removed to Detroit. Dr. i. S. Smith, now of Detroit, was there in 1856. He afterwards located in Pontiac, and became some- what noted in his profession. Dr. Crookes was in Birmingham for a time, and returned to New York, where he died. Dr. O. S. Hewitt, now in practice, came in 1862 from Steuben coimty, New York. He is also a lawyer of the county. Dr. Shanklin came in 1860, and, after two or three years, went to Dowagiac. Dr. Post, now in practice, located in Birmingham in 1866, or thereabouts. He is a graduate of the medical department of the University of Michigan. In Franklin village Dr. Pratt located in 1838, coming there from Steuben county, New York. He removed to Kent county. Dr. Henry S. Budel, now in practice in Franklin, came there from Vermont in 1840. His son Julius is also in practice with him, and they have a good busi- ness. Dr. Henry S. Cox is also in practice there, locating since the war. He is an Englishman. At Walled Lake Dr. James 31. Hoyt is the veteran practitioner. Lie located in Commerce in 1839-40, and removed to Walled Lake in 1841. He came from near Buffalo, New York, and was educated for his profession there. his father was an eminent physician in that county. Ile has a son in practice with himt at the lake, and also a son in practice in Detroit. The doctor is something of a politician also, and is a prominent citizen of the county. Dr. N. B. Eldridge, of Commerce, located there previous to the time that HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 51 _....F - I / Dr. Hoyt did. He is now a resident of Adrian, and is following the profession of the law. Dr. Jeffery located in Southfield in 1837, coming there from Cortland county, New York. Hle gave more attention to farming than he did to the profession, and died on his farm a few years ago. Dr. Mathewson, now in practice in South- field, located first in Commerce, coming from Pennsylvania. Dr. Leland was from Massachusetts, and located in Pontiac, and was in prac- tice with Dr. Paddock for a time. Hle removed to Detroit, where he died. Dr. R. D. Lamond located in Pontiac previous to 1833, coming there from Canada, but was a native of the United States. He removed to Flint, where lihe was for many years the principal physician of the place. Dr. A. W. Rogers was in Pontiac in 1840. Dr. Henry K. Foote came to Milford in 1838 from Commerce, where he had been in practice previously. Ie was in the State legislature in 1861, and died in the service as lieutenant in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry. He was highly esteemed by all of his acquaintances far and near. Dr. Josiah Alger located in Troy in or before 18:;1. Dr. Z. 3M. Mowrey came to Milford in 1840, and was in practice with Dr. Foote; was in the legislature in 1849, and in the constitutional convention in 1850. He died in 1874 with the harness on. actively enragedl in his profession. Dr. F. Curtis, of holly, located first at Rochester in 1832. At one time he was the physician of every family in Livingston county, when there were not well persons enough to take care of tbhe sick. This was between 18:35 and 1840. Dr. 3M. Liamont i Iagg, was one of the physicians of Pontiac between 1833 and 8-40. lie now lives in St. Jolhn's, and has retired from practice, and is following the business of a druggzist. Dr. McCollum came to Auburn about 1832. lie removed to Wisconsin some years since. He was a fine man and an excellent physician. Dr. B. P. McConnell, a brother of Witi. M. McCoonell, of Pontiac, was for many years a prominent physician of that city. He was a skillful surgeon, and went into the military service as surgeon of the Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, Colonel Wisner conmmnanding, lie removed to Ludington in 1873, where lhe is now in practice. lIHe is a graduate of the Cincinnati medical college. Dr. Barnes settled early at the village of Commerce, and now resides in Owasso. Dr. Smead located in Birmingham in 1837, and removed to Troy in 1840. From Troy lie removed to Lansing, where hlie bought thirty acres of ground; on whlichl the city of North Lansing now stands, which investment has made the doctor's widow and children comparatively wealthy. Dr. Burnett located at Royal Oak in 1842. Hle was a young man of promise, but died in a short time after his location was made. Dr. Burns, an educated Scotchman, settled at Orchard Lake, but gave his at- tention more to land speculation than to the practice of medicine. He returned to New York. Dr. William Wilson settled at Pine Lake in 1835. Hle was a Scotchman, and educated thoroughly at the Glasgow University, and had a very extensive prac- tice. He was a skillful surgeon. He died in August, 1863. His son, John P. Wilson, read with his father, and graduited at the New York College of Physi- cians and Surgeons in 1851, and has been in practice ever since, lie was sur- geon of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, and also brigade surgeon of the cavalry brigade. Dr. Andros located in Franklin in 1834, and is now at McGregor, Iowa, and has a good practice. lie was originally from Boston. Dr. J. B. Richardson, now of East Saginaw, was a brother of Governor Rich- I ardson, and was located in Pontiac in 1832, or earlier. Dr. D. K. Johnson was in Pontiac in 1849, and for a time was in company with Dr. Bagg, they having a heavy practice. Dr. Johnson was surgeon of the First Cavalry, and afterwards medical inspector of the army, and is now at Grand Rapids. Dr. W. G. Elliott was first located in Pontiac previous to 1850, and removed shortly after that date to the State of New York, from whence he entered the hospital service of the army at Alexandria, and after the war returned to Pontiac, where hlie is still following a lucrative practice. ie pursued his medical studies with Dr. Paddock, and graduated at the Cleveland medical college. Dr. Ilumphrey Adams was an old physician of the county in 1828, and John S. Livermore in 1832. Dr. M. L. Green practiced in Pontiac in 1862, and died there in 1866-67. ie had during the war a good practice. A. D. Voorheis, in 1835, practiced in the county. Dr. Robert Le Baron, of Pontiac, is a graduate of the University of Michigan, class of 1861. Ile practiced with Dr. Hayes, in Livingston county, one year, was two years surgeon of the Fourth Michigan Infantry, and located in Pontiac in 1864. Dr. F. B. Galbraith, of Pontiac, is a graduate of the University of Michigan, class of 1860, and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York City, in 1861. He was surgeon in the Tenth Michigan Infantry and Fourth Michigan Cavalry, and located in Pontiac in 1865. Hie has a good practice. Dr. W. B. Cady, a graduate of the University of the City of New York, came to Pontiac in 1877, and is in practice with Dr. Galbraith. Dr. Chauncey Earle graduated, in 1853, at the Michigan University, having pursued his studies under Dr. Spaulding, of Oxford, previously. Dr. Earle began his practice in Addison township, where he remained one year, and then removed to Orion, where he remained till the fall of 1866, when he came to Pontiac, where he still continues to follow his profession. Dr. Spaulding was located at Oxford previous to 1848. He came from the State of New York. Dr. Pliny Powers came to what was known as Deming's Corners, in Oxford township, in 1837, from the State of New York. In 1838, Eghert Burdick, of New York, was associated with him in practice, and at Oxford village, in 1839. He removed to Detroit, where he died. Dr. Burdick is still in practice at Oxford. Dr. Lawrence located in Oxford village in 1862. Dr. Morrison is practicing in Addison. He came there in 1842. Geo. W. Orr is a graduate of the University of Michigan. in 1877, and is located at Pontiac. Dr. Hudson, a brother of the Dr. hudson before mentioned as practicing in Farmington, located in Rochester in 1840. IHe read and pursued his studies with his brother. Dr. J. N. Donaldson came to Lakeville in 1854. He pursued the study of medicine under the instruction of Dr. AsalIel Barnard, of the United States army, at Dearborn, Michigan, and graduated at the University of Michigan in 1853:. IHe practiced sixteen years in Lakeville, and then removed to Pontiac, where he opened a drug-store, and continuedl in the business for four years, when ill health compelled him to cease business entirely. He died in Pontiae, July 15, 1877. lie was a native of Mendon, Monroe county, New York. Dr. 'Drake came to Royal Oak in 1849 from Cayuga county. New York. lie was a brother of Hion. Thomas J. Drake, and died some ten years ago. Dr. Brewster, now in Royal Oak, settled there in 1845. Hle was from Vernmont, and is an old practitioner. Dr. (lazier also located at Royal Oak in 1852. or there- abouts. He was born in Troy. Oakland County. Dr. Lathrop came to Boyal Oak in 1868. ie practiced in Oakwood in 1850. )r. Whitney came to Lake- ville in 1848, and Dr. Bughee to Orion in 1838. Dr. Thomas B. Johnston located in Brandon in 1855, and Dr. Samuel C. Allen in Independence ( Clarks- ton) about 1839, and Nelson Abby in 1845 (and died in 1873). THE HOMGOPAT1IC SCHOOL. The first practitioner of the school of Hahnenmann was Dr. Caleb Lamnib, who located first in Farmington, and practiced under the allopathic system, but canme to Pontiac in 1847, and began the practice of hliomeopathy. Hie removed from Pontiac in December, 1847. Dr. Amos Walker, now of Pontiac, is the oldest homneopathie physician in the county, he having begun the practice in 1847, in Brooklyn, Jackson county, Michigan. He was educated under the allopathic system, graduating at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, of which State he is a native, in 1834. He removed to Attica, New York, the same year, and began the practice of medicine, and in 1836 removed to Manchester, Washtenaw county, where lie remained eight years, and then went to Brooklyn, and from thence came to Pontiac in 1848, where he has ever since remained, with the exception of the years 1871-73, when he was in Arkansas. His practice as a homtopathist has been a very fine one, especially previous to his removal to Arkansas. Since his return he has been gradually regaining it. His oldest son, Abel W. W alker, was a graduate of the St. Louis Hiahnemann college, and was in business with his father four years, till his death, which occurred in 1865, from overwork and consequent exhaustion. The country was afflicted that year severely with typhoid fever, and the young doctor rode night and day, and so enfeebled his physical condition that he fell a victim to the disease, being con- fined to his bed but a week. He was a man of rare promise in the profession. Dr. E. C. Fuller came to Pontiac in 1863, from Dutchess county, New York; was a graduate of the Geneva medical college, and afterwards graduated at the Detroit homeopathic college in 1872. He was in-Detroit in 1876, and, with that exception, has been continuously in practice in Pontiac since his first location. Dr. C. S. Morley came from New York to Pontiac in 1876. He is a graduate of the Cleveland homeopathic college. Dr. Ide is practicing at Rochester, where he has been located for a short time only. Dr. Porter and Dr. Staunton are located in Oxford, where they have been in practice for more than ten years past. / 52 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Dr. Bartholomew has been practicing some five or six years at Holly, where Dr.- Malcohn has been for several years until within a short time since, when he returned to Canada. Milford has a homoeopathic physician, who came there within a year past. Dr. Root has been located some four years at Farmington. Dr. W. N. Griswold came to Pontiac in 1866, and began practice with Dr. Walker; but after a year he returned to California, where hlie is now in practice, in San Francisco. ECLECTIC. Dr. Hopkins, of Pontiac, practices according to the eclectic system. BOTANIC. Dr. Davis was a celebrated physician of the botanic school in 1835, and was located in Rochester for a time. THIE OAKLAND COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY was organized some time previously to 1835. The anniversary was held July 2, 1835, at Pontiac, R. D. Lamond, secretary. At the anniversary held July 1'2, 1838, Samuel W. Pattison, W. Z. Blanchard, and H. O. Chipman, M.D.'s, were admitted as members. The society has not been in existence for several years past, and the records are non est so fhr as we have been able to ascertain. The allopathic school were the organizers of the society, and only such physicians were admitted to its membership. SURGEON DENTISTRY. Dr. Smith was the first surgeon dentist who made a specialty of that branch of the profession in Birmingham. 1)r. E. Parker, who is now there, has been located there two years. John A. Harris, a doctor of dental surgery, located in Pontiac in 1863, and still practices the profession. Harrison Dewey and Oliver Dewey located there in 1865, and are still there. W. A. Cornyn has been in practice in the same city since the early part of 1877. CIIAPTERI X. EDUCATIO\TAL ANTD 1RELIGIOUS. SCIIOOLS-REIIGIOI'S SOCIETIES-TIILE 'PRESS OF OAKLAND COUNTY. EDUCATIONAL. THE education of youth early called the attention of the forefathers of the American Republic, and the matter began to be discussed very soon after the first settlements in New England and other parts of the colonies. Schools, par- taking largely of a religious character, were taught during the colonial days, and the subject was never forgotten even in the darkest days of the Revolution.' State systems were adopted soon after the close of the war, and we find Con- gress acting upon the matter as early as 1785, in May of which year an act was passed reserving the sixteenth lot or section in each township of govern- ment lands for school purposes; and the ordinance of 1787, framed for the gov- ernment of the Northwest Territory, contained a provision declaring that "schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." An act passed in 1804, providing for the sale of lands in the northwest, re- served from sale section 16 in every township ' for the support of schools ;" and all the rights and privileges which thee various acts contained were affirmed to the Territory of Michigan upon its organization in 1805. The first school-law of the Territory was enacted in 1827. By the provisions of that act the citizens of any township having fifty householders must provide themselves with a school- master of good morals, to teach the children to read and write; and a township containing two hundred householders was required to have a school-master who could teach Latin, French, and English. Neglect to comply with these require- ments rendered the people of the township liable to a fine of from fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars. In 1833 this law was superseded by another creating the office of superin- tendent of common schools, and providing for three commissioners and ten inspec- tors to take charge of the school lands, which had by act of Congress, in 1.828, been under the supervision of the governor and council. The intention of Con- gress was to give to each township the sixteenth section to be disposed of as they thought best. But these lands were frequently under water, or otherwise com- paratively worthless, and were the source of much trouble. To obviate these difficulties, the convention, in forming a State constitution, in 1835, included therein a clause providing, " that section shall be granted to the State." The ordinance admitting Michigan into the Union in January, 1837, declared " that section No. 16, in every township of the public lands (and where such section has been sold or otherwise disposed of, other lands, equivalent thereto, and as contiguous as may be), shall be granted to the State for the use of schools." The original and present constitutions required that these lands should "remain a perpetual fund for that object." This provision greatly simplified the work of managing the school lands and the accruing fund. One great advantage of this plan has been that all sections of the State shared equally and at once in the benefits of this general fund. The loss in consequence of poor sections was shared by the whole State. The amount of lands donated to the school-fund approximated one million acres. In addition, the fund derives a large income from the sale of swamp lands. The amount of those lands remaining unsold on the 30th of September, 1875, was four hundred and forty-seven thousand three hundred and nineteen acres. The accumulated fund (exclusive of swamp-land fund), at the same date, was $2,837,743.85. Add to this from swamp lands $150,000, and the firund amounted to near $3,000,000. The ultimate available fund is prospectively estimated at five million dollars. UNIVERSITY LANDS. The act of Congress of 1804, for the disposal of public lands in the northwest, reserved three townships "for the use of seminaries of learning," and one of these townships was for that part of the Territory now constituting the State of Michigan. Three sections were granted by Congress, in 1817, to the " College of Detroit." The proceeds of this last grant were afterwards added to the "uni- versity fund." The university was established by an act of the legislature in 1837, which provided for the establishment of branches at several points in the State, one of which was Pontiac; and we find, by reference to files of the Pontiac Courier, that it was opened on the 15th day of September, 1237, with Professor George P. Williams as principal. The magnificent plan of Judge Woodward for a grand central university, with outlying branches, was quite thoroughly tested, but after a few years it was found that the funds were insufficient for the central school at Ann Arbor. and the last appropriation by the legislature for the branches was made in 1846. Under a more practicable plan, the university has become one of the foremost institutions in the land. THE PRIMARY SCHOOL-LAW was enacted by the first State legislature, in 1837. It provided for the division of the State into districts containing a sufficient number of inhabitants to support a school with one teacher. Thie schools were composed of pupils of all grades. As the population increased the districts were subdivided. This system was modeled upon that of Prussia. The primary schools constituted the founda- tion and superstructure of the system, and the university its crowning dome. GRAI)ED SCHOOLS. The system of branch universities having been abandoned, a new one was de- vised. In the cities and villages they were united under the name of " union schools," divided into departments called primary, intermediate, grammar, and high schools. This, in its modern perfection, is called the graded system. The curriculum of the high school is the same as that adopted by the best academies, and a diploma from these admits the scholar to the university. For the first ten or twelve years after the organization of the school system very little attention was paid to the character of the buildings. They were gen- erally of the cheaper kind, inconvenient, ill ventilated, and utterly inadequate to the necessities of the times. At this day Michigan stands in the foremost rank, both as regards the perfec- tion of her school system and the prominence, cost, and beauty of her buildings. All large towns and cities have splendid accommodations for their schools, and edifices costing from twenty thousand to upwards of one hundred thousand dollars are not uncommon. STATISTICAL. According to the report of the superintendent of public instruction for 1875, Oakland County contained 220 school districts, with 224 buildings, of which 15 were of stone, 26 of brick, 182 frame, and 1 log. The total value of buildings and school property was $316,572, and their seating capacity 14,731. The total number of school-children between the ages of 5 and 20 years was 12,467, of whom 10,773 attended school during the year. The average number of months' school was 7.7. Number of graded schools in the county, 12. Number of teachers, 472; males 136, females 336. Total wages for the year, males $29,- HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 53 470.81 ; females, $33,910.44. Grand total, $63,381.25. Average wages per month, males, $47.53; females, $22.79. Total school resources of the county, $108,722.93. In the value of buildings and lots Oakland is eighth in rank among the counties of the State, being surpassed by Berrien, Calhoun, Kent, Lenawee, Saginaw, Washtenaw, and Wayne. In the number of its accommodations it is fourth; in number of scholars it is seventh; and in amount of wages paid, fifth. Total indebtedness of the various districts in the county, $55,121.65. EARLY SCHOOLS. Probably the first school taught within the limits of Oakland County was opened in a little square room in the loft of Major Williams' sheep-pen or house, in the fall of 1821. The room was about fifteen feet square, and had three small slide windows, a stove, and some rough seats and writing-desks. A young man by the name of Brett, from Ohio, who had ventured out into the wilderness, was the first teacher, and the" first term" showed a roll of seven scholars. The committee and directors consisted of Major Williams and Dr. William Thompson, the last named having been the first physician in the county. These two heads of fami- lies furnished all the scholars. The young man taught six months, and left for his home in Ohio before the sickly season came on, highly pleased with his expe- rience. In 1822, Jacob Stevens joined the Williams settlement with his family, con- sisting of a wife, two sons, and three daughters, two of the latter being teachers. This addition of scholars made it necessary to enlarge the school facilities of the neighborhood, and accordingly a new log school building was soon erected, and one of the Stevens girls opened the second term with twelve scholars. Mr. Stevens' eldest son was a fine singer, and Major Williams' eldest son also understood music, and a singing-school was organized in a room of the major's dwelling. The class consisted of four ladies and three gentlemen, and after a little practice they became quite proficient, and made the log cabin and sur- rounding forest ring with hymns "and psalms" two evenings in the week. They also diverted themselves with spelling, rehearsing in grammar, and playing various games,'then common among the settlers, such as chess, whist, and draughts. The original school opened in Major Williams' outbuilding probably had its counterpart in almost every neighborhood in the county, sooner or later. The studies were confined to the common English branches,-reading, spelling, writing, and the first four rules of arithmetic. ACADEMIES. Two academies were incorporated in Oakland County while under Territorial rule, the first at Auburn village, under an act approved March 2, 1831. The "trustees of Auburn academy" were seven in number, and as follows: Benjamin Phelps, 8. V. R. Trowbridge, Elizur Goodrich. Ezra S. Park, Reuben Woodford, Seth Beach, and George Iornell.*' The second was incorporated by an act approved April 23, 1833, and called the " Pontiac Academy." The original trustees were Saniuel Sherwood, Hervey Parke, Olnstead Chamberlin, Amasa Andrews, and Win. Thompson.t- With the advent of public schools these academies, and the various private and select schools, gradually disappeared, and the new system has grown with the growth of the country, and improved from year to year as necessity demanded or wisdom suggested, until it is to-day, perhaps, all things considered, the most com- plete and perfect in all its departments of any in the Union. There is no excuse for ignorance in Michigan, for it costs no more to school the youth of the State than to abstain from it; in fact, the ultimate expense to the Commonwealth is much less, for it is apparent to the dullest i tellect that the great bulk of the pauperism and crime of the age is directly traceable to a neglect of early education. Notices of academies and schools will be found in connection with the histories of Pontiac and the various villages and townships. The lack of a county super- intendent of schools is a serious drawback in tmhe way of btaining the necessary information for compiling a satisfactory article upon fsubject. RELIGIOUS. Man is a religious being. Instinctively he looks with reverence and awe upon the countless manifestations o Almighty power that compass himn on every hand. He beholds the starry heavens with their wonderful and mysterious worlds, spin- ning upon their innumerable centres, obedient to an occult but all-controlling will. Hlie gazes with mingled feelings of wonder and admiration upon the over- whelming majesty of a universe he can neither measure nor comprehend. With- out going beyond the diminutive sphere whereon he dwells, and fondly imagining it to be of vast importance in the economy of that indestructible Cosmos whose hid- den springs of action and whose destiny he fathoms not, he has abundant mate- rial whereon to build theories and construct conjectures. Vast mountain chains ridge the earth like the furrow of the husbandman; immense and boundless seas encompass all the lands; mighty rivers and undulating plains, lakes, hills, and vales, give beauty and variety to the broad, spreading earth; and the unnumbered forms of animal life, both upon the land and in the depths of the sea, fill his mind with constantly accumulating evidence that somewhere in the depths of im- mensity-far in the grand centre of this "mighty maze, though not without a plan-dwells OMNIPOTENCE. Far back in the dim ages of antiquity, when his attempts at picturing the thoughts that thronged his dark, unlettered mind were but strange and fantastic creations, we find the primal man giving precedence to his religious, or, if you please, his superstitious nature, and bowing in adoration before the rude personi- fications of that power to which hlie knelt in humble submission, and to which he applied in his hour of trouble, and offered sacrifices and chanted strange music in his hour of prosperity. In all ages man has erected his costliest temples, and dedicated them to the worship of the Eternal principle, under various creeds and forms of belief, giving it a name and attributes in accordance with the measure of his intelligence. It matters little what particular system of religious beliefli he may live under, the grand central idea of all religions is adoration of the inconceivable, the in- comprehensible, the OMNIPOTENT. The Christian church, in its multiform phases, is dominant in the United States, and whether it embodies absolute truth, or dilutes and adulterates with the super- stitions of the far-off ages, is not a matter for the consideration of the historian. Hie should be a truthful chronicler of events, and " Naught extenuate, nor aught set down in malice." As in everTtther portion of the American Union, the church and the Sabbath- school came with the foremost pioneers of Oakland County, from the hills and valleys of New England, from the banks of the Hudson and the Genesee, and from the'plains and mountain-slopes of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Congregational and Baptist elements are largely from New York and New England. The genuine Presbyterian traces his origin back through the domain of Penn to I " r~ntind tinvn~ r~ firn~ " I co n s renowne t, romnanu anili /. .The Episcopalians, not numerous in this part of the ountry, are largely com- posed of English people, while the Methodist denomination, whi . is tmhe most numerous of any in the county, is composed, like the contents of tie net seen in the wonderful vision of him who denied his Master, of a great variety of people, claiming no particilar lineage. The Roman (4tholics are numerically weaker than the others, being made up principally of the French and Irish portions of the population. , FIRST CIIURCII ORGANIZATIONS. Probably the earliest congregation or society organized in the county was the Baptist, which dates back to 1822 in Pontiac. The Presbyterians appear in 1824, and the Congregationalists in 1827, the two former at Pontiac, the latter at Rochester. Methodist circuit-riders visited in this region at an early date, and their first society was formed about 1826. The Episcopalians first organized about 1829, in Troy township. The Catholics came at a later date, but the data for fixing their earliest appearance are not at hand. The Universalists had an organization in Rochester as early as 1838. The denomination known as Free Methodists is of recent formation in Oak- land County, their first preaching having been on the fair-grounds in Pontiac, in the autumn of 1873, by Edward Mathews, an Englishman. They now havet small gatherings in the county, one at Auburn, and another at South Lyon. X small settlement of Mormons at one time existed in Highland township, and there were scattered individuals in other sections. STATISTICAL. According to the latest census returns (1870), there were in Oakland County 74 religious organizations and 63 church edifices. Of the organizations 14 were Baptist, 6 Congregationalists, 6 Episcopalians, 26 Methodists, 15 Presbyterian, and 4 Catholics, with sittings as follows: Baptist, 3790; Congregational, 2250; Episcopal, 900; Methodist, 5800; Presbyterian, 4700; Catholic, 1350.. + For details see history of the various townships, cities, and villages. 0 See " Territorial Laws," vol. iii. p. 879. f Ibid., p. 1205. 54 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. In these statistics the subdivisions of the Methodists and Presbyterians are not given. In 1870 the total number of sittings in the county was 18,790, and the total value of church property $249,100. The increase since the census was taken has been, perhaps, about five per cent., which would give, at the present time, an aggregate as follows: Organizations, 78; edifices, 66; sittings, 20,000; and a total value of church property of $261,550. The most costly church buildings in the county are those of the Congrega- tional, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal denominations in the city of Pon.- tiac. The church buildings generally throughout the county are neat, tasty, and convenient. Most of the congregations have Sabbath-schools connected with them, and generally they are in a very satisfactory condition. A particular history of nearly every religious society and organization will be found in connection with the history of the respective townships and villages. These histories have been mostly prepared by pastors and prominent members from authentic records, and can, therefore, be relied upon as very accurate and completc. Some of the other organizations are treated in exteoso. The religious historical matter lhas been as thoroughly worked up and com- piled as possible. No pains have been spared to make this department all that could be desired; and if there should seemnt to be anything lacking, it is in conse- quence of a failure to obtain tho necessary information, after thorough opportu- nity had been given. THIE PRESS of Michigan has been ably represented in Oakland County since the earliest days of its history. The fourth newspaper published in the Territory had a beginning here, and was known as THE OAKLAND CHRONICLE, the initial number of which was issued Monday morning, May 31, A.D. 1830, by Thomas Simpson, editor and publisher. The terms of publication were three dollars per year, in advance, or three dollars and fifty cents, if paid at the end of year. It was, as the "lprospectus said, Jeffersonian in politics, in which tfith tilhe editor had been nurtured, and therefore supported the Jacksonian administration heartily and without reserve. Howbeit, its editirials were nwit fiercely partisan, but somewhat mildly drawn; probably the cause tfor this amiable disposition was the absence of a counter-irritant-a Whig paper-in the Territory. We make the following extracts from the files, which we have had the pleasure of perusing, through the courtesy of M. Beckman, Esq., of Pontiac, at which place the paper was published. The initial number contained the account of the passage of the bill by Congress reducing the price of the public lands. The report of the chairman of the House committee on post-roads and mails (Johnson, of Kentucky) on the Sunday mails, petitions for the suspension of which had been presented to Congress, was given at length, wherein the majority recommended the rejection of the prayer of the petitioners. The next number contained the minority report of McCreery, to sus- pend the mails. The first number also contained a lengthy report of the celebra- tion at Washington of Jefferson's birthday,--May 13,-the account of which had just been received direct. Governor Cass' message (speech, the editor called it) to the fourth legislative council also was reported, which convened in Detroit, May 11. Besides these, this number contained well-selected miscellany, a bank- note table, and a salutatory, altogether making a heavy issue. The second number contained the notice of the appointment of Amos Mead as postmaster at Farmington, -ice Dr. F. Webb, resigned. During the month of June the Oakland Temperance Society was advertised to meet at the school.house near Judge Amasa Bagley's, July 5. August 27, the state of health of Pontiac was reported as follows:" fever, three cases; ague, four cases; all able to walk about, and not a death in the village that season," up to that date. A spicy cor- respondence was carried on for some weeks in the columns of the paper between Sheriff IHervey Parke and certain of his fellow-citizens, under various noms de plume, relative to his farming out his official duties at a reduced rate of fees. He denied the soft impeachment in toto. The first week in October, 1830, the Indians assembled at Saginaw to receive their annuities from the Uinited States for their lands sold, and while waiting for the disbursement, one Pa-ba-mash, in a fight, let daylight through the vitals of a fellow-brave, whereupon Esquire Stanard issued a warrant for the turbulent war- rior, who sent word to the court, if lie had any " heap big" constable he wanted ate up, to send him on to Saginaw, and he, the aforesaid Chippewa, would ac- commodate him. Esquire Stanard found a constable who did not fear the red man on his native heath, more especially as the aforesaid red man had alienated the aforesaid heath; and therefore Pa-ba-mash was brought before the court in Pontiac, and, upon examination, turned over to Sheriff Parke to await the result of the wounds on the injured man. Pa-ba-mash was subsequently released, more on the ground that if the victim died it would be one Indian less to guard against than for any other reason. November 5, 1830, the editor, in commenting on the news from France, in- dulged in bright fancies of future good close at hand, which have not yet been realized. He says, " The time is not far distant when the nations of earth will elect their own public servants," and then quotes the Declaration of Independence, and immediately proceeds to take the anti-administration papers in the Union to task for their baseness. The census of Oakland County was taken that year by Amos Mead, who reported 2708 white males, 2183 white females, 18 free colored persons, and one claimed as a slave. Total, 4910. The fall of 1830 was a very mild one, and November 26 the editor noted "pumpkins in blossom, and young pumpkins growing six inches in diameter, sallau, cabbage, radishes, and beens half grown,-second erop,-and strawberries ripe and green." December 17, John Iluggins had tired of huggin' his wife Jemina, and advertised his intention to apply to the next legislative council for a divorce. The Christmas announcement was a reduction of the subscription price of the Chronicle to two dollars, in advance, and two dollars and fifty cents at end of year; and four bushels of wheat would be taken as an equivalent for the ad- vance price. February 25, 1831, David Paddock tannounced himself as a candi- date for the legislative council, and modestly asked the " freemen" of O()akland County if they deemed 1in worthy of their suffrages tof say so by giving hint a majority of their votes. David Hannmmond carried thirty-two barrels of flour from Pontiac to Detroit on a sleigh, on the last day of February, and sold the same fbr one hundred and fifty-four dollars. The last ,number of the Clo-hronicle was issued April 22, 1831; the paper was purchased by General John R. Williams and Major Joseph Campan, and taken to Detroit, where it reappeared as the Democratic Free Press, the beginning of the present publication in that city of that name. TIHE OAKLAND PATRIOT was published in Pcitiac from the latter part of December, 1834, until some time in March, 1836, by Eghert J. Van Buren. It was Democratic in politics, and made things lively in the Whig camp which had been pitchled in thel Territory. Van Buren went to Centreville, St. Joseph county, and published the I'eninsiular for a year or more, and then to White Pigeon, where he published the Gazette, a Whig paper. TIHE OAKLAND WIIIG first appeared January 28, 1835, under the auspices of Arthur G. Sparhawk, a young man of energy and ability, who conducted the same as an aggressive par- tisan organ, and from that time forward Oakland County has never lacked a plurality of newspapers. The first number of the Iftig, the entire files of which are also in Mr. Beckman's possession, contained the message of Acting Governor Stevens, a ringing editorial on politics, in which love for anybody but neutrals was expressed. Notices of Whig meetings all over the county were published, and the editor was in ecstacies at the prospect of a grand tidal wave of whiggery. The first tax sale (1835), for the taxes of 1832, was advertised in May, and so on throughout the summer, the same to come off in September. The first adver- tisement occupied nearly two columns, but before tme sale came off the payments on the delinquent tracts had shrunken its proportions to less than a column. The " M1orus multicaulis" fever struck Oakland that summer, and cocoons, and worms, and silk, and principally mulberry-trees, were advertised and dilated on largely in the various issues of the year. The issue of June 24 stated Chicago ' had three years previously (1832) hut fifty-fhur inhabitants, and then it had four thousand,-thirty merchants, and five churches." Which last statement was wide of the mark, as there were not four thousand persons in Chicago in 1837. On the 2d of September the editor apologized for the dearth of editorial matter, and excused the omission by saying that the ague had been a persistent com- panion of his, and any one who knew the proelivities of that companion would understand the force of the apology. On the 1st of February, 1836, the name of the paper was changed to TIHE PONTIAC COURIER, the politics and editorial management remaining unchanged. On the 23d of February the Oakland County Free Discussion and Anti-Slavery Society was organized at Pontiac, Deacon Elijah J. Fish in the chair, John P. Le Roy sec- retary. A constitution was adopted, and Dr. Win. Thompson elected president; Deacon Fish, vice-president; J. P. Le Roy, secretary; Francis Darrow, treas- urer; and Geo. W. Wisner, corresponding secretary. The discussion of the southern boundary between Ohio and Michigan waxed hot in the two juris- dictions, and the Courier opposed any surrender of the territory in dispute vigor- ously, and in writing of the Congressional demands says, "Right is not contended HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 55 for, but expediency. It is expedient that a part of our soil be given to Ohio, and it is expedient that we be forced to take in lieu thereof a portion of territory the farthest bound of which is one thousand miles from our seat of government." The last page of the issue of October 24, 1836, was headed- "STATE RIGITS NOMINATIONS! " DON'T GIVE IP THE LAND ! " The sons of Michigan will never he slaves While the earth lears a plant, or the sea rolls its waves !" And then followed the Whig nominations for State officers. On the opening of the third volume, January 30, 1837, the subscription price of the Courier was increased, and the editor informed his patrons that the paper would be enlarged just as soon as he could get a larger sheet to print it on. Professor Cowles, of Oberlin, lectured in Pontiac against slavery during the early part of 1837, and N. S. Gantt, the editor of the Balance, and some others, as was testified by Charles D)raper, John Goodrich, C. Roosevelt, and several others of the leading citizens of the village, created a disturbance, and tried to prevent the professor from finishing his course; but the determined action of George W. Wisner, A. G. Sparhawk, and a few others, backed up by a majority of the audience, caused Gantt's efforts to be without other effect than to cement and strengthen the feel- ing ill the community that free speech should be tolerated there. July 24, 1837, A. G. Sparhawk surrendered the editorial columns of the Courier to a committee of citizens preparatory to a sale outright of the office, and, on September 4, S. Fletcher & Co. assumed the proprietorship of the paper. The excitement over the election of 1837 was intense, and the editorials were hlot and intemperate in both papers. The trial of Irish vs. Wisner, brought to recover the stakes of a bet, was reported at length in the Courier, and the doings of the witnesses and parties were spread before the readers of the paper, and commented on by the exchanges cast and south just in the vein their' political sympathies biased them. One Prosser was given a ticket to read, to identify it with one hlie claimed to have voted. liHe looked it over awhile, and, being urged by Wisner to read it, handed it back and said, " If you want it read, read it yourself, G0 you !" Gantt drew a chair and threatened to knock Wisner down during the progress of the trial, which bit of pleasantry Wisner called on the court, Esquire Henderson, to protect him from, but which the court declined of do, whereupon Wisner drew a pair of pistols from his pocket and proceeded with his argument unmolested. The excitement all died away and has been forgotten, except to be laughed over by the old pioneers. J. Dowd Coleman succeeded Fletcher & Co. in the ownership of the paper in the early part of 1840, the name of which he changed to the Jeffersonian. Coleman, soon after the election of 1840, sold the paper to W. M. Thompson, who restored its former name of the Courier, and continued its publication until November 23, 1842, when one William Sherwood succeeded to the proprietary, and removed the material first to Corunna, where the paper appeared as the Shia- wassee Democrat and C'nton Express, and after a time to Flint. Mr. McCracken, of Detroit, who is at present engaged in compiling a valuable work, entitled " Michigan in the Centennial," was a 'prentice in the Courier office, under Thompson. THE PONTIAC ADVERTISER AND DEMOCRATIC BALANCE was first issued in the summer of 1836, shortly after the suspension of the Patriot, by Nicholas S. Gantt, editor and manager. It was Democratic in its politics, and spoke its sentiments without reserve or polish. It and the Courier carried on a wordy war through the columns of the respective sheets during the entire exist- ence of the Balance, which finally suspended December 20, 1837. TILE PONTIAC HERALD was established in the winter of 1R38 by W. S. Stevens, who conducted it as a Democratic paper until June, when he sold his interest in the same to Benjamin Irish, who continued its publication until January 1, 1839. when Irish disposed of the office and material, and it was removed to Flint. A. W. Hovey, Esq., edited the Herald, while Irish published it. TIlE PONTIAC REFORMER was issued for a short time' in 1840 by Samuel Cudgel (an appropriate name for a reformer); but the great fire which devastated Pontiac business houses, June 30,1840, laid waste the Reformer so thoroughly it never appeared again. TIlE PONTIAC JACKSONIAN was established in the spring of 1838, the first number appearing March 24. Its founders were Eldredge and Denton, the former being afterwards judge of the county court of Oakland County. In 1840, Eldredge disposed of his interest in the paper to Augustus W. Hlovey, who, with Denton, continued the publication until the spring of 1844, when the firm of Denton & Hovey sold the .Jacks, nian to Julius C. Smith and A. W. Adams (known then, as now, as " Wash" Adams). The new proprietors continued to issue the paper for a time,-two or more years, -when they disposed of their interest, and from 1851 to 1855 the Jack'sonian was under the control of WnVm. WV. Phelps, an eminent politician and writer, and who afterwards removed to Red Wing, Minnesota, where he became prominent in the politics of that State. After Mr. Phelps retired from the paper Judge A. C. Baldwin was for a time owner of the paper, and sold it to Mr. Peabody in 1862- 63. In 1864, D. H. Solis acquired a half-interest in the JaTcksonian, and soon after became sole owner, and so continued until his death, il June, 1871, H1. M. Look, Esq., editing the same in 1865-67. On the death of Mr. Solis, his widow continued the publication until September following, when she disposed of a half- interest therein to Wm. B. Cole, and for a time the paper was issued by Cole & Solis, Mr. Cole succeeding to the sole management and ownership of the same in 1872. In May of that year a Mr. Sheridan purchased a half-interest in the Jack- sonitao, and in the fall succeeding the paper and material was removed by the new firm to Ludington, where it soon after appeared, and is still published, as the Ludinyton Appeal. The .Jacksonian was ably edited (luring a portion of its ca- reer, and held an influential position in the councils of the Democratic party, of whose policy and measures it was ever a stanch advocate. Ransom RI. Belding was the associate editor in 1840, and on the opening of the new volume, No. 3, the sheet was enlarged and provided with a new dress and clean face. It was then a six-column folio. In the .Jacksonian of March, 1840, a catechism appeared, impeaching General Harrison's military genius, taken from the Nashville Tiron, and from that time forward, during the fierce political campaign that followed, there was but little local news in its columns. In fact, both the Courier and .Iacksonian filled their columns with politics, to the exclusion of almost everything else interesting. The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert was duly chronicled, and thenceforward the squibs and jokes at the royal couple's expense flew fast and frious. Caleb Buck- nam, sheriff of Oakland County, was removed from office by Governor Wood- bridge for alleged malfeasance, but the people took him up and re-elected him to fill his own vacancy. In the fall of 11840, however, he proved to be a defaulter, indeed, and ran away with certain funds, and the ,Jacksonian "went for" him without gloves. On the burning of the " Caroline." and murder of Woods by Captain McLeod, which provoked so much diplomacy between Great Britain and the United States, the JJacksonian came down strong on any disposition to give McLeod up. Hie was tried in the Utica (New York) court, and acquitted. In the issue of May 7, 1841, appeared some poetry (?), one verse of which was as follows: " Gone, gone forever am the hope For which I long have thirsted: Ann Maria has taken slope, And I am (lone and busted." The issues of June, 1841, contained ithe conjectures of the press on the loss of the steamer "President" at sea, with all on board. It was stated in one of the July issues that "a man by the name of Grouse had been stealing pigeons from Mr. Quail. Constable Hawk pounced on him, and carried him before Justice Wolf." In June, 1841, General Macomb, "general-in-chief" of the United States armies, died, and General Scott was appointed his successor. The first page of the issue of October 1, 1841, was displayed after this fashion: DEMOCRATIC NOMINATIONS: Fon GOVERNOR, JOHN S. BARRY. Fon LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR, ORJOEN D. RICHARDSON. ISAAC WIXOM, ALFRED 11. IlANscOMr, EIINRY S. BABCOCK, JOIN A. WENDELL, Fon SENATORS, D. B. WAKEFIELD. For Representatives, JOHN S. LIVERMORE, JOSEPHII ARNOLD, SAMUEL AXFORD, JR. FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONEn, WM. M. AXFORD. Motto: 'SPECIE-PAYING BANKS, OR NO BIANKS. In February, 1842, Robert Golden offered one mill reward to any person who would apprehend and return to him a certain apprentice who had "walked away" from him, provided the party returning the same came prepared to make his own 56 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. change, and added an intimation that no extra pains need be taken to effect the apprehension of' the walk-away. The issue of March 18, 1842, reported the decision of the supreme court of the United States declaring unconstitutional the laws of free States giving run- away slaves the right of trial, and the editor said the decision " knocked the linch-pin out of the main wheel of the abolition car, and would have a salutary effect in repressing the incendiary movements of the abolitionists, and in quieting the just apprehensions of the South." Subsequent results hardly justified the prediction. That spring the abolitionists of Pontiac nominated a full town ticket, but, of course, came nowhere near of electing them. The Jacksonian waxed facetious over its report of Congressional news, and gave the national body a palpable hit. Thus, " Congress.-3Messrs. Stanley and Wise had a bit of a fight while returning from a horse-race, and it is supposed a duel will grow out of it. No other Congressional news." May 12 a frost cut off the fruit prospects of the year almost entirely, and June 10 another visit of the " eager and nipping" norther killed much of the late- sown wheat. In the July 29 issue the editor published some extracts of a " pome," entitled " Euphalia," wherein, through sixteen stanzas, " Euphalia" pictured her woes, brought upon her by an unfortunate union with a "brute of a man ;" but the " poetry" was not appreciated by the unappreciative soul of the Jacksonian man, who thus waved his farewell to his correspondent: " There, Euphalia, you may go now. Darn your husband's stockings; hang your harp on the pig weeds, and never attempt to write poetry again." In justice to the editor we quote one of the two verses he published: " I cannot leave my child in his hands; lie forced me to give him a deed of my lands; The heed I burnt, the land to save, For my boy when I am in the grave." It is, perhaps, just as well that the editor nipped that sprouting genius in the bud. On the 24th of August, James G. Birney addressed a large anti-slavery gather- ing in Pontiac. "Tariff" and " no tariff" were the party slogans from 1842 and forward till after the campaign of 1844. In July, 1843, Mrs. J. Durkee and Miss Susan Dickinson spun one hundred knots of woolen yarn each, and reeled it all on one reel, between sunrise and five o'clock of the same day, and the Jacksonian pointed the lady readers of the item to the fact, as worthy of their emulation. THE PONTIAC GAZETTE. On the first day of January, 1843, J. Dowd Coleman issued the first number of the Genesee Ierald at Flint, and continued to publish the same at that point as a Whig paper until January, 1844, when the Herald ceased, and Coleman broughlt his material to Pontiac; and on Wednesday, the 7th day of February, 1844, he issued the first number of the Oakland Gazette, upholding the same po- litical sentiments. On the 1st of March following, W. M1. Thompson succeeded to the paper, and continued its publication for some years, and was succeeded by J. B. Seymour for a time, Thompson re-entering into possession April 1, 1850. In January, 1854, Z. B. Knight succeeded to the proprietorship of the Gazette, and changed the name to its present title, and conducted the same until some time in the year 1858, when he disposed of the office to 3. E. N. Howell and R. II. Hosmer, the latter retiring in June of the same year. Charles B. Howell was associated in the ownership and editorial management of the paper in 1861, and in 1863 the Howells were succeeded by Beardslee & Turner, who found but an apology for an office, the establishment being run down and badly managed. Beardslee was succeeded by Rann in 1867, and the latter by Tomlinson in 186S, who retired in June, leaving Mr. Turner sole manager for a short time; Mr. Rann coming into the paper again in September, and continuing therein until 1872, when the present proprietors, C. F. Kimball and C. B. Turner, under the name and style of the Pontiac Gazette Company, became the owners of the office. Mr. Turner became first connected with the paper in 1863, and found it had been conducted by non-professional printers, and was scarcely worthy the name of a newspaper, and the new firm at once began to renovate the office and build up the business of the same. They removed into new and clean quarters, added new material as the demands of the office called for it, and these improvements were continued throughout Mr. Turner's entire connection with the establishnment, the present proprietors adding, in 1874, steam-power to their office. The Gazette is now printed on a first-class Potter cylinder press, and is a sheet thirty-six by forty-eight inches, eight pages of seven columns each. Its mechanical appearance is neat and clean, and its advertising columns well filled and displayed. The job office is second to none in the State, outside of Detroit, in point of equipment, and its press facilities are even equal to those of the city. The circulation of the Gazette is nearly sixteen hundred copies weekly, and it is the largest paper in the congressional district. It is ably conducted by Mr. Kimball, whose labors in behalf of the Republican cause have been acknowledged by his appointment to the postmastership of Pontiac. The politics of the Gazette have been Whig and Republican, " without variableness or shadow of turning." It is high-toned in its editorials and radical in the defense of what its editor deems the right. TIlE BILL-POSTER. The first number of the Bill-Poster was issued January 14, 1868, by William P. Nesbett. It was continued by its founder as a gratuitous advertising sheet, under the compound cognomen of Bill-Poster and Monthly Visitor, until the July number, when it was enlarged from its original size of a folio, sixteen by twenty-two inches, and fifty cents per annum charged for its subscription price. Two thousand copies had been distributed monthly. March 1, 1869, it was en- larged again to nearly double the size of its first appearance, and in April, J. C. Vial bought a half interest, and the firm of Nesbett & Vial continued the publi- cation to March 20, 1871, when Nesbett succeeded to the sole ownership again. On July 7, 1869, the first weekly issue appeared. On June 28, 1871, the paper was enlarged another column, and Nesbitt continued the publication alone until January 1, 1874, at which date Elbert J. Kelly purchased a half-interest, and this new firm continued to issue the paper until January 1, 1876, when Mr. Kelly became sole proprietor, and so continues at the present time. On the 30th of May, 1877, he enlarged the paper to nine columns, the sheet being twenty- eight by forty-four inches. In February, 1877, the Bill-Poster was furnished with a new dress throughout, and presents a remarkably neat and fresh appear- ance. From very small beginnings, and against the combined prestige of two old-established papers, the Jacksonian and the Gazette, which had for many years occupied the field, the founder of the Bill-Poster, by persistent energy, placed the new candidate for the public favor on a sound and prosperous basis. Its office is now furnished with steam-presses, and a well-selected assortment of job and news type and material, and has every facility required for turning out all kinds of job work with neatness and dispatch. Previous to July 19, 1871, the Bill-Poster had not meddled with politics, being neutral and silent on that subject, but in the issue of that date the editor announced the paper as thereafter an advocate of the Democratic policy and measures, and it is at the present time the only paper advocating that policy in the county. For six years it has been the official paper of the city of Pontiac, and since January 1, 1877, it has occu- pied the same relation to the county. TIlE PONTIAC COMMERCIAL was established in 1876, the first number appearing June 20, by Charles IH. Chapman & Brother. It was, at first, a six-column folio, but enlarged April 10, 1877, to eight columns. It is independent in politics, and the prime object of the publishers is to make their sheet a spicy, fresh, local newspaper. It is well patronized, having already a circulation of one thousand copies weekly, besides a ftir share of the advertising patronage of the community. THE COMMERCIAL PRINTING HOUSE was established in December, 1876, by Egbert Champlin, in the same building with the Pontiac Commercial, 136 Saginaw street. It does a general jobbing business, and makes a specialty of printing transparent cards. The office is now located on East Lawrence street, whither it removed the fore part of July, 1877. TIlE HOLLY REGISTER was the first newspaper established at Holly. Its first issue appeared in 1865, under the control of a Mr. Crawford, who continued its publication about a year, and then sold the paper to E. Frank Blair. On the 29th of May, 1869, Henry Jenkins purchased it, and has continued its publication since to the present. The Register is a seven-column folio, and its weekly edition numbers some five hundred copies. It is printed on a hand-press, said to le the first one introduced into Oakland County, having been long used in Pontiac. It is a " patent," one side being printed in Chicago and one side printed at home. TILE HOLLY CIRCULAR was started in 1872. by Fish & Frain, who ran it six months, when Frain stepped out and Fish continued to circulate the Circular alone for half a year longer, when the circle of its first year and the Circular also was completed, and the publication ceased for a time. Le Roy 0. Fallis, a tip-top printer, then took possession of the office and resuscitated the Circular, and sent it out among the people for eighteen months or thereabouts, when it was again suspended and the office material scattered by piecemeal over the country. Fallis made the Circular HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 57 a very readable and spicy sheet, but was so radical on temperance he lost his patronage. TIHE HOLLY TIMES, an eight-column folio, was established in December, 1875, by Thomas V. Perkins. It was a live sheet, and had sixteen columns of home advertisements. It was all printed at home, and had a circulation of about five hundred copies weekly, but, owing to unforeseen difficulties, it dwindled away, and finally ceased to be. THE OAKLAND ADVERTISER, a four-column folio, was established May, 1877, by Fred. Slocum. It is neutral in politics, and issues an edition of about one thousand copies monthly. It reaches the hearts (and pockets) of the business men, as appears by its large advertising patronage. THIIE ROYAL OAK EXPERIMENT has but just started out on its career, being but six months old, and is as yet an undemonstrated experiment. It is conducted by a young gentleman and lady (brother and sister), and is somewhat of an amateur adventure. THE OXFORD ENTERPRISE was the first attempt at journalism in the village of Oxford, but it was a feeble effort, and the enterprise was of short duration, and after a few issues the publi- cation was suspended. TIHE OXFORD TIMES was a second venture, as brief in its existence as its predecessor. S. A. Fitzpat- rick brought the weakling to the birth, and successfully accouched it, but it proved to be of insufficient vitality to weather the adversities of journalism, and soon ceased to be. THE OXFORD WEEKLY JOURNAL made its appearance on the 15th day of May, 1875, as a neat seven-column folio, published by Waggott & Stair. In May, 1876, Mr. Stair disposed of his interest in the paper, and the publication was continued by Waggott & Stoddard, who en- larged the sheet to eight columns. In January, 1877, the Journal passed into the ownership of the present proprietors, Stoddard & Wait, who are conducting it in a satisfactory and popular manner. The circulation has steadily increased from the first issue until at present its weekly edition numbers one thousand copies. Its typography and general mechanical appearance is neat and tasteful, and it is printed in a fine building erected especially for its use. TIHE MILFORD TIMES was established by I. P. Jackson, its present proprietor, in 1871, the first num- ber appearing February 18 of that year. It was first printed on a small cottage press, and in size was about twelve by eighteen inches. At the expiration of six months a No. 6 Washington hand-press and other printing-material were added to the office, and the paper enlarged to an eight-column folio. The Times is the pioneer paper, being the first one published in the village. In politics it is inde- pendent, and is liberally patronized by both political parties. It has a good, healthy circulation, and a fair advertising patronage. In August, 1871, T. B. Fox, of Saginaw, located at Milford, and established THE MILFORD WEEKLY ERA. It was first issued as a six-column folio, and was subsequently enlarged to eight columns. After an existence of about a year and a half, its publisher received .an advantageous offer, and accepted the same, and removed the paper to Rochester, where he issued it as TILE ROCHESTER ERA, the first number appearing May 22, 1873. It is at present a neat eight-column fblio, twenty-six by forty inches, independent in politics, has a good, healthy, in- creasing circulation, and fair advertising patronage. It is mainly devoted to local news and the interests of Rochester, which latter it advocates freely and fearlessly, according to the editor's idea of the fitness of things. TIHE ROCHESTER SUN began to shine May 19, 1876, under the manipulation of Van Burget & Macoy, the latter being a practical printer who writes its editorials and sets 'em up, and works the press, being editor, typo, )ressman, and Mephistopheles at one and the same time. The orbit of the Sun is a fair one and gradually increasing in area, and its advertising patronage is also fair for the business of the village. It "shines for all" politically, being independent in that direction. Its mechanical appearance is neat, and its columns are devoted to the interests of the village of Rochester mainly. THE ORION GOOD NEWS was the first newspaper published in Orion. It was established in or about 1873 by Rev. J. R. Cordon, editor and proprietor, and was devoted to temperance and 8 religious reform and local news. It was a small sheet, published semi-monthly, and its publication was continued by its founder for about two years, when the publication passed into the hands of James W. Seeley, who continued its issue for about a year longer. In September, 1876, Mr. Seeley began the publication of a live seven-column folio, called THE ORION WEEKLY TIMES. It is independent in politics, and casts its influence on the side of temperance and reform, and is well patronized, both in advertising and subscription. CHAPTER XI. .IT0 E _A.TY. LEGEND OF IE-NAI-SA-GOR-NING-POEMS AND ADDRESS BY HON. HIENRY M. LOOK-SELECTIONS FROM TIHE PIONEERS' RECORD. LITERARY excellence belongs theoretically to regions where man has attained his highest development; where all the avenues of knowledge known to earth are open to him who seeks the heights "Whence Fame's proud temple shines afar ;" where civilization has become crystallized by gradual processes into that condition which men call enlightenment. The wild life of the pioneer is not favorable to the cultivation of luxuries, either physical or mental; and the critic who should demand results which attach only to an ancient order of things from a young and undeveloped people would be as foolish and inconsistent as he who should expect "figs from thistles," or the exquisite melody of the organ from the harsh war-drum of the Dah-co-tah. It is true that a certain love for the beautiful and the ideal is sometimes present amid the roughest and most uncultivated community, like the glittering diamond in the muddy waters of Caffraria, but it is the exception which only proves the general rule. The grand old English " Elegy," the "Thanatopsis" of our own veteran poet, and that master-piece of English composition, " Childe Harold's Pilgrimage," could never have been produced from the surroundings of the back- woodsman, independent of the influences of a higher civilization. All composition is en rapport with the antecedents and present surroundings of its author. An intuitive taste, knbwledge obtained by extensive travel, and ripe scholarship are necessary to the production of those exquisite models of literary composition which, " like the lovely master-piece of the Grecian artist," blend all the perfections in one marvelous ideal. But we may, perhaps with truth, believe that the development and progress of the present inhabitants of the United States of America has been without pre- cedent or parallel in all those branches of human industry which tend to elevate and adorn the race. A nation has sprung, as it were in a day, into the full vigor and understanding of mature years. The arts and sciences flourish in mighty rivalry of the Eastern world, and the cultivation of poesy is advancing with won- derful strides to the proud position once the glory of Greece and Rome. Where lately stood the rude wigwam of the savage rises the finished and beautiful tem- ple, and the appliances of civilization are fast replacing the rougher accompani- ments of border life. SIn support of these propositions we append a chapter, compiled from the pro- ductions of various individuals who were " native, to the manor born," or adopted citizens and residents of Oakland County. There are passages in this collection as fine as any in the English tongue, and others which are given merely as char- acteristic samples of primitive literature. The beautifiul poem by Samuel M. Leggett, into which is skillfully woven much of the legendary lore of the aborigines, and which gives an additional charm to the romantic sheet of water known as Orchard lake, we reproduce here for the benefit of our readers. It is a curious and well-written poem, valuable not only for its vivid illustrations of Indian mythology but for its intrinsic merit. The introduction is necessary to an understanding of the poem, and is given verbatim. " TIHE LEGEND OF ME-NAII-SA-GOR-NING. " In the State of Michigan, in one county alone, that of Oakland, is a chain of beautiful lakes, some hundreds in number, many of them miles in length and width. Around these wind the roadways, over beaches of white pebbles, and shaded by the 'forests primeval.' Two rivers, the Huron and Clinton, run through these lakes, and in their tortuous forms wind, and turn, and twist, till, 58 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. after a course of hundreds of miles, they at last rest in Lakes Erie and St. Clair. These rivers are in summer dotted with the water-lily, as they flow on through the 'openings,' and on their banks are huge old oaks, under which, in the 'days that are gone,' stood many a wigwam. "The legend which I have attempted to versify is founded upon an incident occurring at Orchard lake long before the coming of the white man, and while the grand farms now lying around it were merely a vast 'oak opening,' its sole occupants the Indian and the wild beast. "Very near the centre of this Orchard lake is a large island, wooded to its very shore. On it are a few apple-trees, ' old and gnarled,' remnants of an orchard planted so long ago that the Indians even have no data concerning it. Its name, 'MAfe-nah-sa-gor-ning,' meaning 'apple place,' still lives in tradition. " On this island the Algonquin chief, Pontiac, had his lodge, after his repulse at the siege of Detroit. On the high bank of this lake, opposite the island, is still to be seen the ancient burial-ground of the Sacs, IlHurons, and Wyandots. "Tradition says that, back beyond the memory of the tribe, a young chief sick- ened and suddenly died. The maiden to whom hlie was betrothed became insane, and whenever she could escape from her guardians, would take the body of the chief from its resting-place in the old ground, across the lake, and carry it back where his lodge formerly stood. "At last, weary of guarding her, with the advice of their 'medicine man,' the tribe killed her, upon her refusal to marry. This crime, so directly opposed to all former Indian custom, so offended the Great Spirit that he avowed his inten- tion to totally destroy the tribe, and to give the maiden, ' as long as water flowed,' complete control over it. " She alone has power to assume her form at any time. She can compel the attendance of the tribe at any time by the beating of the Indian drum. At this sound they must gather and wait where an old canoe has been gradually covered by the drifting sands. Upon the signal of her coming with her dead the warriors must meet her on the shore, bear the chief on his bier, and lay him down by the ashes of his council-fire, and, waiting beside him until she can caress him, bear him back to his resting-place. " All, however, must be done between sunset and sunrise,-a foggy night being always chosen, to elude observation. 5. "On the cedar-crowned beach of Me-nah-sa-g r-ning, Where the waves o'er the pebbles roll slowly ashore; Where the ruby-eyed gull, with its head 'neath its wing, Sleeps calm on its nest when its dlay's flight is o'er, II. " Lies an ancient canoe, buried'deep in the sand That the storms in their fury have over it spread; And at eve, when the fog rolls away o'er the land, This canoe rises up, and is launched by the dead. IM. " As the night-hawk whirls by with a swoop overhead, And the loon's trilling call rises shrill from the bay; In the west the calm lake is with diamond-dust spread, And in garnet-hued clouds the red sun fades away. IV." "O'er the marsh hangs a fog, and all wildly it trends, Rolling backward and forward o'er valley and hill; And it wavers like smoke where the still river bends, And it toys with the alders, yet never is still. v. "Then it fondles the flags, and its pearly drops press The soft cheek of the iris while filling its urn And it spreads o'er the mosses a spray-covered dress, And it trickles adown the green fronds of the fern. '-I. "At the roll of a drum the gaunt wolf leaves his prey, While the dead rise from graves 'mong the roots of the trees, And they listen a moment, then hasten away, Till their footfall is heard on the fog-laden breeze. VII. "They are seeking faint trails, and they halt as each sign Comes again, as of old, on their 'wildering sight; And they wind through the trees till their torches of pine Gleam like nebulous stars through the curtain of night. . In. VIII. "They are gathered, all armed, where the stranded canoe On the mist-liidden lake floats as light as of yore; And they wait on the beach till a distant halloo Rolls away on the night from the opposite shore. Ix. "O'er the lake where the pines laugh the wild winds to scorn, And still sigh for the dead who are dust on earth's breast, Echo shouts to old Echo till, far distant borne, Like a play-wearied child it sinks down to its rest. X. "With a sound on the air like the loon's pattering feet, When it drags o'er the lake as it rises for flight, A canoe's glistening prow cuts the waves as they meet, And mingles their spray with the dew-drops of night. xI. "There's a swaying of reeds where the ripples pass through, With a murmur of waves seething over the sand, When through rifts of the fog looms a tiny canoe, Which an Indian girl slowly guides to the land. XII. "In the frail birchen shell she is paddling alone, As it surges along o'er the white-crested wave; And she heedeth no sound, save a low undertone Like the dirge that the mourners chant over a grave. XIII. "Bending low o'er a form that seems nodding in sleep, With her paddle she checks the canoe's rapid way, Till it noiselessly rests where the sentinels keep Steadfast watch all the night for the coming of day. xIv. "Ere her light-floating bark crush the beautiful weeds That are draping each stone with their emerald green, She has guided its prow where the brown-tufted reeds Throw their buds in her lap as she passes between. XV. "As she leaves her small craft by the stranded canoe, And glides in through the mist where the warriors meet, In the hush of the night-time, the shoal water through, Comes a dull, plashing sound, as of moccasined feet. XV'. "Looking back like the doe when the wolf's distant cry, Swelling loud on the wind, breaks at night on her ear, Stands the maid in deep shadow, while silently by Aged warriors pass with the chief on his bier. XVII. " With a sound like slow rain, each foot moves a leaf That has mouldered long years in the old forest trail; While the drone of the wave and low chant for the chief Float quiveringly up over hill-top and dale. "'Neath an old fallen pine, whose bared roots are all torn, And are knotted and twined like huge serpents in fight, On dressed skins of the deer lies the chief they have borne Over moss-covered paths through the darkness of night. xxx. "From the rain-dimpled ashes, time-furrowed and gray, Through the cedars the council-fire glimmers once more; And its flame through the mist throws a pale, lurid ray On the maiden's slight form as she comes from the shore. xx. " She kneels in the midst of the warriors there, With her little hands clasped o'er her blanketed head; And far out o'er the lake on the fog-thickened air Floats the dirge which the mourner chants over her dead. xxI. "'I have borne thee again from the far-distant shore, I am kneeling, beloved, beside thee once more, And the night goes by- Dost thou think of me still in the Spirit Land? Oh, loved! oh, lost! could'st thou clasp my hand I would gladly die. XXII. "' They will bear thee away from my sight again, And the autumn's dried leaves, and the summer's rain Will fall on thy breast;- Wilt thou think, love, of me, when the evening showers Shed their tears with mine on the beautiful flowers, Where thy head shall rest?' HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 59 i xxIIl. " Once again the mute throng, with a slow, muffled tread, Wend their way o'er the beach to the stranded canoe,- Once again through the foam, gently bearing the dead, Go the warriors, plashing the shoal water through. xxiv. "Kindly hands take her own: with a look of despair, While yet warm on her lip breathes the simple refrain, She moves on in the trail of the sad mourners there, As the fawn follows on when the doe has been slain. xxV. "In the silence of grief, peering out through the dark, On the shore with her dead stands the listening maid, When, rocking light on the wave, the once stranded bark Slowly glides where the bier of the chieftain is laid. xxvI. " Not a sound on the beach from that shadowy crew As they lift the dead form of the warrior there; Not a sound on the lake, as that ancient canoe Floats as silently out as the mist on the air. xxviI. " Leaning forward, she stands with her hand to her ear, Afid she listens, where all seems as still as the grave, And she peers through the gloom-not a sound can she hear, Save the moan and the plash of the incoming wave. XXVIII. "Then the maid, stooping down, holds her little brown hand, Where the waves, flecked with foam, die away on the shore; Till she knows that the swell surging up o'er the sand Is a messenger back from the bark passing o'er. XXIX. "She has passed through the mist as the sentinel's cry, Telling daylight is near, rises piercing and shrill; And again o'er the lake the old echoes reply, Then, murmuring, turn in their sleep and are still. xxx. "In their old forest graves sleep the shadowy band,- And the fog melts away with the first ray of morn,- While the ancient canoe sinks again in the sand, And the gulls scream aloud in their greeting of dawn." The following are selections from contributions, by various writers, to the litera- ture of the day. Those of Hon. H. M. Look are especially fine: VOICES OF TIE SEA. BY HENRY n. LOOK. List, the melancholy murmur of the sea! The reverberating anthem of the sea! I can hear its great heart beating, And its foamy lips repeating Their mournful and eternal symphony. In the night-time, when the billows boom and roll, When the spirit spurns mortality's control, Iow the never-resting ocean Will communicate its motion To the stormy sea of passion in the soul. There are thoughts that bloom like lilies on the deep- Exhalations from the stilly breasts that sleep In the palaces of amber Where the sea-weeds wind and clamber- They are secrets that the ocean cannot keep. There are fantasies that fill the misty air, Floating goldenly as Berenice's hair; Where the plumy foam is bending They are flitting, they are blending. Oh, the meaning and the mystery they wear! Roll forever, 0 reverberating Sea! Peal thy thunders, 0 thou everlasting Sea! For their measured detonation Is the pmean of creation- Time's lofty and eternal symphony. PONTIAC, Micu., February, 1876. THE POWER OF BEAUTY: AN INCIDENT. BY IIENRY M. LOOK. Alone within his closed and silent room, At noon of one autumnal night, sat one Of noblest skill in his most noble art: One whom, for generous qualities, I loved, Albeit not all men loved him. On his breast, In thoughtful mood, his curl-crowned head was bowed, And as the struggling flame cast now and then A gleam athwart his face, thou mightst have caught The eager lineaments where Genius dwelt, And high Ambition held her shadowy seat. Not his the hard heart of the charlatan; His steady hand, that could the scalpel guide So closely past life's throbbing portal that The soul should startle in its citadel, Was gentle as a woman's, and as kind. A cautious step came to the door. Within The lock the turning key scarce made a sound. The door swung silently, and in there stalked A strong, rough man, who bore a sheeted load. The surgeon waved direction with his hand, And when the burden was bestowed, in tone Subdued demanded of the boor: " Where didst Thou dig ?" "Within the Strangers' Quarter." "Some Unknown and friendless wretch, God grant." "Unknown, Maybe, and friendless; but no wretch, as I'm No Christian." "What ?" "Thou'It see." "Is't man, or woman ?" "Woman. Give me my fee." " Here. Now begone." Once more alone, the surgeon turned to look Upon the form that lay so still, so straight, Wditing so speechlessly his cold, keen knife. There gleamed on either hand the implements Of his deft art, yet he forebore their use. There seemed a bar between him and the dead. lie touched her not, but pondered bodingly. Then came a longing to behold her face. Misgivingly, for wonder who she was, lie laid the vestments off and looked upon Her features. HIe shrunk back as if the dead HIad spoken in her shroud! How a dead face Will sometimes smite us with its patient, sad Rebuke! Oh! I have seen a singular Transparent beauty, waxen, wonderful, Cling to a coffined corse. Such beauty clung To her. Decay stood yet aloof, as loth To shatter with his ashy wand a form So fair. The mingled hues of death and life Like a seraphic atmosphere suffused Her o'er; a glory supernatural Encompassed her. Silent a space he stood. Erelong, as musing half aloud, he spake; Yet brokenly, still stopping oft to gaze: "Sleep on, nor fear profaning hands. Like some Lost princess of the dead thou seemest, cast 'pon this boundary of doom to be The sorceress of my unresting thought. In my rapt mind I liken thee unto That miracle in marble of the Greek Cleomenes. whose hushed enchantment checks The laughter of the Florentine. Thy head Lies proudly in its lustrous wealth ; a spell O'erfloats it, like a cloudy dream. Thy hand, Stretching to inme its misty fingers from The tomb, is beauteous as that peerless Scot's Whose blood was shed by great Elizabeth. Thy limbs that lie in whiteness, and thy small, Pale feet-where have they walked, where danced or knelt? What home was glorified by thee? Who saw The splendor of thine eyes ? Who kissed thy lips ? Who loved thee, and who weeps for thee to-night ? Voiceless and cold-alas ! how cold !-How canim'st Thou in the Strangers' Quarter ? Possibly Thou wast an outcast for thy wrong, and sought'st In a strange land a stranger's grave. I know Not, little reck; for thy supernal grace 60 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. lath wrought such marvelous control of me That I perforce am reverent. My hand, That fain had traced thy tender nerves, and searched The chill, deserted chambers of thy heart, Is stayed by a mysterious power. Oh ! whence, If not from high Infinity, d(oth come The sway ineffable that Beauty hath ? Wiser, mayhap, than our dogmatic creeds, Was the embodiment the sages gave-. The crown of roses, the Olympian seat. Beauty enthroned with the Eternal sits, And her bewitching cestus is the charm Of Heaven and Earth. Like a sweet vestal doth She breathe upon the world, and fan the flame Of immortality in human hearts. Upon each life her blest ideal lies. Men carve and paint and build to compass her; Uncomprehended still she dwells and reigns- A spirit kin to the Supreme-a touch Of Deity ennobling the poor dust. Here do I swear to her divinity ! Naught less had thwarted my resolve, nor held Me back. Sleep on." The taper waned; the sad Moon touched the dim horizon's circle; still The waking watched the wakeless. Morning broke. A purple beam crelpt in and rested on The sleeper's face, and touched with brilliance soft The heavy hair, the curtained eyes, the calm, Unmoving lips. It was as if the soul, Because none other came, in pity stooped From its celestial seat to kiss its clay. Mutely the watcher turned. There bloomed a rare White lily by his flowery casement, that The night had wept on. Breaking it, all pearled With tremulous transparent drops, he laid It o'er the stainless billows of her breast, A sacrifice to Beauty. In her hair lie placed, as telling what his words could not, Geranium and amaranth; meet crown For her, the slumbering bride of Death. Alone Through all the morn he labored to atone For breaking of her rest; surrounding her With all of hest and costliest that could Befit her in her tomb. At noon he kissed The lips that kissed him not again, went out, And left her lying in the lonely room. At eve I met him; and he told me all The tale, as I have told it thee. lie begged Me I would go and help him give the dust To dust again. In the still night we ope'd The kind Earth's breast, and gave her back her child. No bier, save oply our clasped hands; no light But the lorn moon; no mourners but the stars- The silent, everlasting stars-and we Who weeping closed the nameless grave. As through The rising dawn I homeward walked, I saw The Star of Beauty burning in the east. Wide from her sapphire throne the Goddess waved 11er wand, and breaking down the dusky arch Of night, let in the lay. She touched the bills With glory, and the clouds, and all the seas, As late she touched the features of the dead. With lifted hand I hailed and blessed her, bright Enchantress of the universe! PONTIAC, M Aclc., January, 1876. PRO PATRIA. [ On witnessing the uaseiling of the Michigan Soldiers' Monument, at Detroit, April 9, 1872.] BY IIENRY M. LOOK. Through glade and glen, from deep to deep, The silent hosts of heroes sleep- rrr Their arms at rest, their labor done, Their battle fought, the vict'ry won. O'er some, through all the golden day, Fame's loudest echoes grandly play, And immortelle and myrtle weave A dewy wreath for them at eve, While floats around them, low and sweet, The prayer which loving lips repeat. O'er many more no trophies rise,- U'nnamed, unknown each sleeper lies, With wilding fern or asphodel Alone to mark where valor fell. What though above their dreamless sleep No mourner's head be bowed to weep ? What though no sage their record write, Nor grateful bard their fame indite? Their glory gleams o'er every plain That bears their blood's redeeming stain: Like the soft splendor of the stars When first they break their twilight bars, The pure effulgence pours around, And hallows the historic ground. Pile ye the granite, rear the bronze For Freedom's brave, immortal sons. Rich though the tribute, rare the pains, A prouder guerdon yet remains. When bronze shall waste, and granite fall, And dark oblivion mantle all, On generations yet to be Shall break the anthem of the free, Forever wafting with its tone The names ye carve in crumbling stone; Porever bearing-blest refrain!- The honors of the nameless slain. Then sleep, ye silent heroes, sleep, Through glade and glen, from deep to deep; Nor foeman's shaft nor coward's blame Shall reach your everlasting fame. And thou, 0 Empire of the Free! Beloved land, God compass thee! Still keep and guard thee in thy ways, Still prosper thee in coming days! And ye, 0 People brave and blest! Love still your country's cause the best: Uphold her faith, maintain her powers, Defend her ramparts and her towers. While waves her dauntless flag on high, While joyous salvos shake the sky, Be praise to Him whose flat broke The traitor's steel, the tyrant's yoke. TILE RESCUE OF CHICAGO. ai HENRY M. LOOK. I saw the city's terror, I heard the city's cry, As a flame leaped out of her bosom Up, up to the brazen sky! And wilder rose the tumult, And thicker the tidings came- Chicago, queen of the cities, Was a rolling sea of flame! Yet higher rose the fury, And louder the surges raved (Thousands were saved but to suffer, And hundreds never were savedl), Till out of the awful burning A flash of lightning went, As across to brave Saint Louis The prayer for succor was sent. God bless thee, 0 true Saint Louis! So worthy thy royal name- Back, back on the wing of the lightning Thy answer of rescue came; HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.. 61 But alas! it could not enter Through the horrible flame and heat, For the fire had conquered the lightning, And sat in the Thunderer's seat ! God bless thee again, Saint Louis! For resting never then, Thou calledst to all the cities By lightning and steam and pen: "IIo, ho, ye hundredI sisters, Stand forth in your bravest might! Our sister in flame is falling, Her children are dying to-night !" And through the mighty Republic Thy summons went rolling on, Till it rippled the seas of the tropics, And ruffled the Oregon. The distant Golden City Called through her golden gates, And quickly ran the answer From the City of the Straits; And the cities that sit in splendor Along the Atlantic sea, Replying, called to the dwellers Where the proud magnolias be. From slumber the army started At the far-resounding call-- "Food for a hundred thousand," They shouted, "and tents for all." I heard through next night's darkness The trains go thundering by, Till they stood where the fated city Shone red in the brazen sky. The rich gave their abundance, The poor their willing hands; There was wine from all the vineyards, There was corn from all the lands. At daybreak over the prairies Re-echoed the gladsome cry- " 1o, look unto us, ye thousands, Ye shall not hunger nor die !" Their weeping was all the answer That the famishing throng could give To the million voices calling, " Look unto us and live !" Destruction wasted the city, But the burning curse that came Enkindled in all the people Sweet charity's holy flame. Then still to our God be glory! I bless Him, through my tears, That I live in the grandest nation That bath stood in all the years. PoNTIAC, MAcu., October 11, 1871. The following beautiful extracts we clip from Mr. Look's exquisite poem, entitled " Cut BoNo? A SERIOUS SATIRE," delivered at the opening of the Grove high school building in Pontiac: * a * a s So every mind's most lofty achievement, Its proudest triumph, or deepest bereavement, Its utmost word for the true or good, Is conceived in the silentest solitude. In every soul is a secret cell, Void of eucharist, book, or bell, Where never the foot of a stranger fell, Nor echoed a stranger's laughter; Where thoughts, like the roots of the regia, grow, Where passions burn with a smouldering glow, Where purposes ripen, which none can know, That shall reach to the far hereafter. Ah! one I saw, and still can see:- As a picture dim she seemeth to me, By the hand of a master painted; Around the picture a halo clings, And the face that memory backward brings Is like the face of the sainted. * 0 * 0 * Once, in the hush of a winter night, I sat with her and watched the flight Of the stars in their shining courses, And listened entranced to her words of fate Till the lordly sun through the eastern gate Was reining his fiery horses. The wisdom of all departed ages, Of orient poets and olden sages, The riddle of life, the lesson of time, Flowed from her lips in a musical rhyme, Till the magical rhythm, the murmuring motion, Seemed thrilling the earth and sky and ocean. I saw her how her beautiful head At the fatal Messenger's words of dread: I1er thin gray hair on his white beard lay, Like a filmy cloud on the breast of day, As he clasped her closely, and hand in hand They vanished into the Silent Land. Clothed in her immortality, Her wonderful spirituality, Washed from all sensuality, She entered the glowing portal! I caught the flash of a shining wing As the opal doors d(lid backward swing. And a rapturous burst of triumphing, And the royal welcome of the King,- The King of the realm immortal! Often, amid life's dull refrain, I strive to recall her magical strain; iBut the dust of toil and the rust of time Iave obscured the words of the musical rhyme; And they only come like a far-off hymn Chanted in some cathedral dim- Only a wandering waving swell, Like the dying tone of a minster bell: Yet, bending close, and listening near, This murmurous strain I still can hear- leing may chang, and years tmay roll, Blut youtlful forever remins the soul ; Brigyttcni 119, rising it endless lone, For ife is immortatl, and lore itife- This, and the dirge they sang for her When all the great bells rang for her. Where is the master that shall teach, With loving purpose and eloquent speech, The unknown wisdom that all men preach,- The uncomprehended ideal? Anti banishing all our folly hence, All our ignorance and pretense, Give us the glorious recompense,- The true, the right, the real ? Yet who shall teach a fool his folly ? Sad it is, most melancholy, That with all our schools and masters, With books and presses everywhere, With creeds unnumbered, and to spare, Taught by unnumbered pastors, The golden god still holds his throne, With Pride and Passion,-three in one; Still rolls, like waves of Acheron, The tide of time's disasters. a - a- : Victoria regia, queen of the lilies That float and bloom by the warm Antilles, Is the theme of the seaman's story; But under the ocean's sounding caves, Where never a breaking billow raves, Is gathered its odorous glory. ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HENRY 31. LOOK AT TILE DEDICATION OF CLINTON HALL, PONTIAC, AUGUST 6, 1867. Our American civilization is not the achievement of a generation, but the de- velopment of centuries. It is not an indigenous growth, but a magnificent exotic, to which the influences of the New World have indeed added glory, and strength, and beauty, but never gave being. Its germ is as old as the ages, and its roots strike so deep into the mould of the past that they clutch the bones of the Pha- raohs, and twine about the stones of the altars of Isis. Its science, its philosophy, its literature, its art, its worship, are all " rich with the spoils of time," filled with the gatherings of all the nations. I do not admit the doctrine of modern degeneracy. The world does not retro- grade. To progress is the great law of all true civilization, and improvement foil- lows in the path of that law, as flowers and fruitage follow in the path of the sunshine. Our civilization, compared with that of former centuries, is as much better as it is wiser, and as much wiser as it is older. In it are blended the ex- cellences of the ancient, the mediaeval, and the modern ages. It is imbued with the poetry and the arts of Greece, the wisdom and the eloquence of Rome, the romance and chivalry of the feudal nations, the thought, energy, and intelligence of our own republic, and glows with the light of the literature of all time. 62 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. A few centuries ago a spirit entered the forest solitudes of a new continent, and, as by some wonderful enchantment, changed them to gardens and to fruitful fields, " and shed a charm Like to the fabled Cytherca's zone, Binding all things with beauty." By the same mysterious agency a new nation was founded, based upon new principles, and, amid struggles and convulsions, launched forth upon the path of destiny. Time swept onward, and still the spirit lingered among its beautiful creations, as the long June days linger among their roses. By a gradual process of assimilation, it became blended with the new government, the new principles, the new land, and the new people, until all were united in a new social harmony. That spirit was the European civilization of the seventeenth century; that new social harmony, the American civilization that blesses us to-night. The enlightenment of Europe broke in upon America as upon a continent of darkness. It came suddenly, like the wave of an overflowing ocean. There was no lengthened and gradual breaking down of the barriers of barbarism, as in the Old World; they fell at once. The barbarism of America was innate and un- mixed; it had no prestige of feudal domain or hereditary rule, and the first en-. counter with its overmastering foe shattered it forever. Just one hundred years ago expired the great chieftain whose name our city bears. Only a little more than a century since, hlie encamped here with his war- riors, and discussed in council his grand scheme of uniting all the northwestern nations against the whites. It took Europe twelve centuries to recover from the barbaric sway of Alarie and Attila. .l.ancenturyMichigan has sprung from a deeper barbarism a loftier enlightenment. Yet, as I have said, our ilization is not t ite achievement of a generation. Th h enturies of th at the might task was wrought by spirits as true and brave as ever bat the right. This night marks an era in our local history and our local advancement. I have spoken of the great chief Pontiac. With what a rage of bitter indignation would his savage breast heave could he now behold the edifice that rises upon the ruins of his rude empire ! How would he curse the beauties of its architecture, and what wrathful and defiant contempt would hlie pour upon the public spirit that celebrates its completion! But the old warrior sleeps quietly on the banks of the Mississippi, and the children of the pale-faces whom hlie hated are rejoic- ing in the possession of his ancient domains; domains which, savage though lihe was, he defended with a Spartan courage and patriotism. His memory is en- shrined in the name of the pleasant city, but there is no other vestige of his power remaining. The mighty tide of civilization has overwhelmed him and his people forever. It has come with its science and its arts, its institutions and its anners, and has set up a kingdom that shall have no end. t is to the spirit of that civilization that we render our homage to-night. By our presence, we give public sanction and support to one of its most ancient, most noble, and best established institutions-the stage. This beautiful hall, embel- lished with an architecture worthy of the purpose to which it is devoted, we now dedicate to the genius of literature--to the histrionic, the oratoric, and the poetic muses-to thought, to passion, and to melody. Here, from night to night and from season to season, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello will appear; here Desde- mona and Juliet will weep; here Petruchio and the Wives of Windsor will laugh; here Lady Teazle will be subdued, and here Miss Hardeastle will "stoop to conquer." Here, too, the eloquence of the nation's great orators will resound, and the harmonies of Handel, Beethoven, and Mozart will vibrate. The stage has come to include, at the present day, something more than a mere play-house. Anciently its uses were purely theatrical. Now, not the actor alone appears in the proscenium, but the singer, the poet, and the orator, and the same audiences sit in the same seats before them all. Old prejudices have died out, old Puritanical notions have gradually yielded, ideas falsely called religious have been overcome, until now the stage is sanctioned ind patronized by all classes of American society, except the very insignificant few whose literary tastes can never get the better of their asceticism. Abraham Lincoln, who is almost deified by a portion of the public, met his fate in a theatre; thus testifying that he re- alized and courted the powerful influences of the stage. Yet it was by slow degrees, and through centuries of the most arduous and constant warfare, that the drama finally won its great victory. I say the drama; for it was the legitimate drama, pure and unmixed, that alone went through the great struggle, and alone achieved the ultimate triumph. All of its more dazzling accompaniments, its scenic effects, and its spectacular appliances, have been added since the tide of the battle turned. It is proper, upon an occasion like this, that we glance over the dramatic record, and trace the Thespian muse through some of the more noticeable passages in her changeful career. The history is in itself a drama, with ever-changing scenes and an ever-evolving plot. A mere "bill of the play" is all that can be given in a single evening. The origin of the drama is wrapped in mystery; but among the earliest traditions of that most ancient of peoples, the Chinese, the theatre holds a conspicuous place, and to this day it leads all the public amusements of the Celestials. It .was during the ten years that Pisistratus was in power that the drama first appeared at Athens. It formed a portion of the religion of state, and the profession of the actor was regarded with peculiar respect by the people. The lyric element existed before the age of Thespis and Pisistratus, but the spoken tragedy dates from this period, about five centuries before the Christian era; and the new theatre found its first hearty hater in the law-making Solon, who directed, with- out avail, all the terrors of his edicts against it. He saw in the drama that won- derful influence over popular sentiment which it has always possessed, and it be- came an offense to him, as it has to every tyrant since. But the populace, with that natural and passionate devotion always manifested for the stage, rallied to its defense, and from morn till dewy eve the open and roofless theatres, capable of containing from fifteen to twenty thousand persons, were filled from the ground to the topmost seats, in the sweet spring-time, which was the sole theatrical season of the Greeks. In Rome the profession was well requited, but despised. Disgrace and dis- franchisement were the penalties laid upon the professional Roman actor. Never- theless, the calling had in Italy something of a religious character, for one of the early writers speaks of a company of Etruscan actors,-a kind of ballet-panto- mimists,--who were employed to avert the anger of the gods during a raging pesti- lence. These Etruscans seem to have been the originators of the drama in Italy. It consisted at first of a song, then a song and dance, and a little later the inter- woven story. The first actual Latin theatre dates from the period of about 240 before the Christian era, the literature of which became extinct about the time of Julius Casar, when the mimes-actors of an inferior grade, who performed a class of satirical burlesques-took possession of the stage. The legitimate drama never rose again in Italy. The licentiousness and barbarism of the Roman people in the days of the emperors conquered it utterly. The noble spirit of genuine and refined tragedy could find no home amidst the bloody and shameful spec- tacles of the Circus Maximus. It was against the Roman stage, thus exclusively given up to those scandalous exhibitions to which I have alluded, that the early Christian fathers leveled their denunciations. Those fathers would have approved a " well-trod stage," as Milton did, but they had only anathemas for those hor- rible scenes where men were torn by wild beasts, and where danced and postured Bathyllus, Pylades, and the nude though graceful Paris. The most eminent of the Greeks were actors; the nobles of Rome were only spectators, and looked with contempt upon that profession, the Attic dignity of which had been de- graded by the Roman manners to such base and scandalous uses. Yet even in Rome it appears that the talents of the histrionic artist sometimes freed him from the disgrace which attached to his vocation, for Roscius, the great comedian, who was contemporary with Cicero, was elevated to the equestrian dig- nity; and 1Esopus, the tragedian, was the friend and associate of Cicero himself. But these were notable exceptions from the general character of the profession at Rome. The comparative merits of the Greek and Roman actors were well repre- sented by the laurel wreath and monumental marble which rewarded the one, and the extravagant largesses that corrupted and debauched the other. As the Greek drama was obscured by the licentiousness of the Roman manners, so the Italian spectacles went down at last in the night of barbarism. With the fall of the Western Empire even the corrupt semblance of the drama disappeared. The plays of the mimes ceased, the games of the arena were forgotten, and the grand amphitheatre of Vespasian, at the dedication of which, through one hun- dred days, five thousand victims bled, was defaced by the axes of the hosts of Alaric. During the long night of the Middle Ages the muse of the drama slept, as did the sister arts of poetry, eloquence, painting, and sculpture. But it was in England, after the revival of letters and the invention of printing had broken the prestige of the feudal institutions, that the drama was to arise in more than its original splendor, and attain at length that purity and perfection which 'have finally won for it the high rank it now hold, as one of the noblest and best established institutions of modern civilization. The English mind and heart have always been open to dramatic impressions. The Druidical rites contained the elements of dramatic spectacle. When the period of Christianity succeeded, its teachers took from the pagan epoch what best suited their purposes. They dramatized the lives of the saints, and even the life of Him who was greater than the saints; and thus rendered intelligible and pleasing what would have been dull and incomprehensible to the idle rabble if otherwise presented. In castle and in hall, before farm-house fires and in the market-places, the men who best united the offices of missionary and actor were at once the most popular preachers and players of the day. The legend informs HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 61 us that St. Adhelm, the greatest of them all, when his audience grew weary of serious matters, would take his harp from under his robe and strike up a song that would render his hearers hilarious. This mixture of the sacred and secular in the early English drama prevailed for a long period. It is a singular fact that one of the first English theatres, that erected at Dunstable, had a monk for its manager. After descending, through a long series of these sacred and legendary theatricals, these serio-comic mixtures of sermon, song, and comedy, known to history as the "t miracle-plays," we arrive, in the thirteenth century, at legitimate tragedy and comedy-in short, the true drama. Until this time the church had as regularly employed the stage for religious ends, as did the old heathen magistrates. As early as the accession of Richard III., in 1483, the religious plays were nearly superseded by what was the prelude to ithe Shakspcarean drama. Richard him- self, when Duke of Gloucester, kept a company of actors attached to his house- hold. The fashion thus set by the prince was soon followed by the nobility, and led finally to the formal and legal recognition of the dramatic profession by the royal license of 1572, whereby the actors were authorized to play throughout the realm, and were protected from interruption. Richard having thus ennobled the art, the aristocracy and the gentlemen of the inns of court soon took it up, and kings and queens, lords and ladies, vied in applause of the captivating scenes. No sooner was the stage thus divorced from the church than the anathemas of the holy fathers began to thunder against it. The tragic mask was sacred while sup- ported by a monk, but an abomination when worn by the profane. Still the royal favor was upon the drama, and steadily it gained upon the affections of the people. In 1576, when the good Queen Elizabeth was on the throne, the monastery of Blackfriars was converted into a theatre. Elizabeth loved and fostered all true literature, and hence loved and fostered the drama, which found in her not only a generous patroness, but a just censor. Her afternoons at Windsor Castle were made pleasant to her and to her court by her players, and even when the magnifi- cent success of Shakspeare's "Richard II." aroused her jealousy, her glorious dramatic passion overcame her petulance, and she was a constant auditor at the old Globe theatre. The drama became as popular at the two universities as at court, and entered all the public schools. Not only were the Blackfriars and Globe theatres crowded, but on every closing-day the mimic stage was set in array by every pedagogue throughout the land, in spite of the denunciatory thunders of the pulpit. And what wonder that it was so? A new era was dawning. The mighty genius of Shakspeare was rising upon the world. That wonderful pen that was to electrify the universe had begun to move, and all the opposing alliances of earth could not check for a moment its tremendous influence. Doran has beautifully said, "The great poet came into the world when England was deafened by the thunder of Archbishop Grindal, who flung his bolts at the profession which the child in his cradle at Stratford was about to ennoble forever." Alt, that "child in his cradle at Stratford !" What millions have wept and laughed and trembled at his creations! Every chord of the human heart has he touched, and at every touch has awakened emotions as uncontrollable as the swell of the ocean. As well might the English clergy have tried to preach down a raging tempest as to combat the genius of William Shakspeare. The man who alone of all the world could create a Richard, a Hamlet, and an Imogen was invincible. The war of the clergy waxed warm as Shakspeare waxed great; but each new play of the mighty dramatist was a bomb-shell in the ecclesiastical camp, and they soon fell so thick that the assailants gladly abandoned the contest. The face of Elizabeth still shone upon the players, and the Blackfriars and the Globe were crowded nightly. Shakspeare, in the short space of twenty years, gave to the English drama a literature which the world of letters, by a unanimous verdict, has declared the grandest of all time. He raised the stage in a single generation from the coarseness of the old miracle-plays to a degree of grandeur and refine- ment that challenged at once the attention and admiration of the British public and of Continental Europe. It was on the stage of the old Blackfriars theatre, London, in which he was then a shareholder, about the year 1590, that he first assumed the buskin. He played the Ghost in his own immortal tragedy of "Hamlet." For an uncertain number of years hie was both player and author; but he who could shake the world with a single line was only respectable as an actor. He retired from the stage and from literature at about the same time, and quietly passed the evening of his days amidst the early splendors of a fame that has only grown brighter with the friction of time. The drama continued to flourish through King James' reign. In dramatic literature Shakspeare was ably succeeded by Ben Jonson, and the stage soon boasted the most brilliant department in the field of letters. But the terrible political troubles of the seventeenth century came on, and the merry arts of the stage declined. England was to lay aside the mock tragedy for the real. Kings were no longer to be beheaded in jest, but in earnest. During the fiery contests of the Tories and Roundheads, and the Cromwellian protectorate, the vocation of the players well-nigh ceased. But with the restoration of Charles II. came peace. The gentler arts revived, and the drama, firmly rooted in the Shak- spearean literature, rose at once to its former dignity and influence. The voca- tion of the actor became again an established profession, and old Drury Lane became the classic ground of the English drama after the restoration, as Black- friars and the Globe had been before. Dramatic authorship increased. Davenant, Dryden, Tate, Brady, Lee, Otway, Wycherley, Congreve, Cibber, and Vanbrugh devoted their pens to the literature of the stage. The English stage of 1580 needed two things for its perfection-a noble litera- ture and woman. Shakspeare and Ben Jonson gave the first, with the revival of the drama after the restoration came the second. Formerly the female characters had been assumed by the fairest and most effeminate youths that could be pro- cured; now woman herself stepped upon the stage, and lent to the creations of the dramatic poets the charm of her own grace, beauty, and naturalness. The first lady who trod the English stage was Anne Marshall, who appeared in the character of Desdemona, at Killigrew's theatre, in 1661. She afterwards played Juliet, with the great Thomas Betterton as Romeo. No wonder the public were enraptured! Who but a woman could ever play Desdemona or Juliet ? The English drama has had its four grand eras: the abandonment of the old miracle-plays for the true drama, that of the Shakspearcan literature, the appear- ance of woman as an actress, and we now reach the fourth era, when the great actor adds the glory of his art to the grand conceptions of the dramatic authors. The age of Elizabeth had perfected a glorious literature, but the actors, pre- vious to the restoration, were mediocre. It was in 1661, the year after the acces- sion of Charles II., that a character appeared upon the London stage upon whom, for fifty years, the attention of the world was fixed. Every lover of the literature of the stage knows that I allude to Thomas Betterton. Let me touch upon his entrance and his exit. In turning over the annals of the stage I find that on a night in December, 1661, there was a crowded house at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Every seat was filled, from the orchestra to the topmost tier. The ladies and gentlemen of the court, the judges and the members of the learned professions, and the students from the university were there, and the votaries of fashion crowded the boxes, to show how empty heads looked under fine feathers. The play was" Ham- let," in which Mr. Betterton took the part of the Dane. He had been on the stage but two years, yet his fame was whispered in the court circles, in the uni- versities, and at the bar. The audience were listless through the opening scenes. At Hamlet's first address to his mother a murmur and a thrill went round, but at the close of his first interview with the ghost the house was conquered, and there was a perfect hurricane of applause. Doran has painted him well. He says, "How grand the head, how lofty the bearing, what eloquence and fire in the eye, how firm the mouth, how manly the sum of all! How is the whole audience subdued almost to tears at the mingled love and awe which he displays in the presence of the spirit of his father !" Cibber says of him, "Sit in a full theatre and you will think you see so many lines, drawn from the circumference of so many ears, while the actor is the centre." Look upon him fifty years later. It was his benefit night, and he played Me- lantius, in "The Maid's Tragedy." Time had marked him, but he was still the chief glory of the English stage, as he was in tite second year of King Charles. The scene opened, and Betterton appeared. The whole house rose spontaneously, and those plaudits that had never died out through the entire half-century greeted ,the ear of the old actor. He played under an almost continuous roll of applause, and when, at length, looking full in the faces of his audience, he said,- " That little word was worth all the sounds That ever I shall hear again," their tears fell like the April rain. The curtain went down amid thundering peals of approbation, and the last play of Betterton was closed. Perhaps hlie had a pre- sentiment that those were indeed the "last sounds that ever he should hear" from the public that had so loved to honor him, for forty-eight hours afterwards Thomas Betterton lived only in the history of the stage to which his talents had given such lustre. I have said thus much of Betterton, not because hlie was the greatest of Eng- lish actors, for such he probably was not, but because his appearance marks an era in the history of the English drama. He was followed by a galaxy of stars equally well worthy of mention, but your patience would be overtaxed were I to speak of them all. The splendor which the genius of Betterton gave to the histrionic art was nobly sustained, among actors, by Booth, Quin, Wilks, Garrick, Cibber, Barry, Foote, Macklin, Kemble, and Kean; among actresses, by Mrs. Oldfield, Mrs. Sid. dons, Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Pritchard, Mrs. Cibber, Anne Barry, and Kitty Clive; greatest among whom were David Garrick, Sarah Siddons, and Edmund Kean. 64 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. To notice these three as they deserve would require as many separate lectures; yet it would be almost sacrilege to pass them in utter silence. The name of David Garrick stands higher, probably, than that of any other actor in history. He was in the drama what the Earl of Chatham was in gov- ernment-an absolute monarch, who ruled by the power of his own superior mind. He was a man of the highest culture, a thorough gentleman, and great in the true sense of the term. He made his last appearance in June, 1776, as Don Felix, in the play of "Wonder." Instead of joining in the closing scene of the comedy, he stepped forward in front of the splendid audience that greeted him, and in a few touching words bade adieu to the scenic world where he had won a fame so honorable. Sarah Siddons, the most brilliant female name in all the annals of the stage, was as pure in her character as she was great in her acting ; and the pious Han- nah More as heartily applauded the one as the other. "She was," says the histo- rian, "not only a great artist but a thorough lady, a true, honest, exquisite woman, -one of the bravest and most willing of the noble army of workers." Her last appearance was in Lady Randolph, in 1819. She died in June, 1831, leaving a name second to none in theatrical history. The last mentioned of the great actors, Edmund Kean, during his later years dishonored his profession by his excesses. He closed his career on the night of the 25th of March, 1833, at Covent Garden, where hlie played Othello; his son, Charles Kean, playing Iago. " He had scarcely strength," says his biographer, "to pass over him the dress of the Moor; so shattered in nerve was he, that he dreaded some disaster." He went through the part, until, after giving the cele- brated farewell, ending with "Othello's occupation's gone," hlie attempted to utter the next sentence, when he fell upon the shoulder of his son and whispered, "I am dying-speak to them for me !" and the curtain descended upon him forever. Fitting indeed was it that the prince of tragedy should die beneath Othello's mantle. With the elevation of dramatic literature, and the improvements of art, came the machinery of dramatic representation. To the eloquence of the poet and the grace of the actor was added the effect of elaborate scenery, and all the appliances of the spectacular drama were by degrees introduced. The Greek tragedies and the Roman pantomimes were played without scenery, and generally without cos- tumes; but a modern audience would lose half the spirit of" Midsummer Night's Dream," or "The Tempest," if played without the arts of the green-room and the machinery of the scenes. Betterton refused to play upon any but a completely furnished and well-appointed stage, and thus at once raised the scenic element of the drama to a level with its literature. Movable scenery was first used by Dave- nant, in London, in 1662. Shakspeare had no other scenery than tapestry hang- ings. The stage of the Globe theatre was strewn with rushes, and the curtain was drawn upon iron rods. To this day the theatres of China and Japan are witfout scenery. The architecture of the theatres kept pace with the improvement of the drama. The theatres of Greece and Rome were open to the sky. The old Globe theatre in London was a hexagonal edifice, partly open at the top, and partly thatched. In the middle was an uncovered court, or " pit," where the common people stood, and around three sides ran the covered galleries where the nobility and gentry sat. But in the days of Garrick and Siddons the drama could boast the finest audience-rooms in London, Edinburgh, and Paris; and to-day if we would find the most beautiful specimens of in-door architecture in this country, the national capitol excepted, we must go to the opera-houses and the theatres. I have thus endeavored cursorily to trace the drama from its origin to the period of its final triumph, about the close of the eighteenth century. At this period it led the world in literature, numbered among its actors some of the brightest intellects of the age, of both sexes, and was countenanced and patronized by the most brilliant and intelligent audiences of the most enlightened nations upon earth. After a struggle of ages, it stood forth as one of the noblest and most thoroughly established institutions of modern civilization. The position which it achieved in the eighteenth century it still holds, both in the Old World and the New. With the establishment of European civilization in America came the institu- tions of that civilization-among them, of course, the drama. The first Ameri- can theatre was opened at Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1752, others in New York and Annapolis in 1753, and in rapid succession at Albany, Baltimore, Charleston, and Boston. When the players made their first appearance in the Puritan city of Boston, in 1792, they called their performances dramatic recitations, to avoid collision with a law of Massachusetts forbidding "stage plays." But no sooner did the players gain a footing than popular sentiment began to clamor for the repeal of the law, which was accomplished in the year following. Immediately afterwards the Federal Street theatre was built, and opened amid great rejoicings, with a prize prologue by Robert Treat Paine. The drama has grown with the growth and strengthened with the strength of the nation, until now it is estab- lished in every considerable town of the republic, and is frequented, as I have said, by every class and profession among the people, from the chief magistrate to the newsboy. Among American actors, the names of Booth and Forrest stand pre-eminent. In its literature, the American drama will doubtless follow the European, until another Shakspeare shall be born-at least, so let us hope. Let no one imagine that I intend to apologize for those faults which too often characterize the drama-for the vices of some of its devotees, or the immoralities of some modern sensational scenes. The drama, like every other institution upon earth, has its evils and its abuses. While Betterton, Garrick, Siddons, Booth, - and Forrest are the pride and glory of the dramatic profession, Menken, Pearl, Fisher, and Vestvali are its disgrace and scandal. It is the classic drama, pure and legitimate, that I would uphold; and I would uphold it upon principle. There is in human nature a taste, an almost irrepressible passion, for dramatic spectacle. The very church herself, in all her branches, both Catholic and Prot- estant, recognizes this fact; and accordingly we find that all her most sacred ordinances and most solemn ceremonies are highly and intensely dramatic. HIer traditions and associations are all dramatic. The incarnation, trial, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of the Saviour, the tragical deaths of the early mar- tyrs, the persecutions, the struggles of the reformation, the glories and horrors of the future world, all combine in a volume of dramatic power the effect of which is absolutely wonderful. What gives to war its strange fascination ? Nothing but the dramatic association of ideas-its "pomp and circumstance," its sights, its sounds, its struggles, its dangers, its grandeur of movement, its glory of action. It has "A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, And monarchs to behold the swelling scene." Again, man loves amusement. Amusements are as necessary to the well-being of a people as laws or labor. The passion for amusement is as pure and as sacred as any other. The Creator never gave to his creatures a feeling or a passion which they might not rightly gratify, if in a reasonable and proper degree. Those amusements are most delightful which awaken in the ideal that which is most fascinating and moving in the real; hence the drama. The emotions thus awakened are more refined than those awakened by mere facts, in proportion as imagination is more refined than mere consciousness; hence the strange and almost inexplicable power of the drama to gratify public taste and mould public sentiment. In the sublime, the beautiful, and the true, is the legitimate field of the drama. Degrade it to the merely sensual, or, if you please, the sensational, and it becomes an engine of incalculable evil; it becomes debased by just so much as the sensual is baser than the intellectual and the moral. What can be more sublime, more true, than "King Henry V.," "Macbeth," or "Julius Caesar"? what more refinedly humorous than "She Stoops to Conquer," or "The School for Scandal"? what more pure than the character of Imniogen? Let us not con- demn an institution that is noble in all its true essentials, and faulty only in its abuses. Let us not decry a whole profession because some of its members offend us. Vice enters every institution of our civilization, sacred and profane; sin haunts every profession, divine and secular. Great crimes may be found in the pulpit, at the bar, and upon the stage; and so may great virtues. The tinselry of the green-room may cover a saint, and the robes of the vestry may hide a devil. Then let us frankly recognize in every great institution whatever of true great- ness it possesses; let us honor the genius that ennobles humanity, whether we find it before the altar or before the foot-lights. The drama springs from among the people, addresses itself to the people, and lives upon the sympathies of the people; hence it has always been devoted to the interests and the liberties of the people. In the days of the Revolution the stage dealt heavy blows for independence, and its powerful influence has constantly been upon the side of the republic. When, just at the breaking out of the late civil war, a great actor lifted his country's flag upon the stage, and, after counting all its stars, rapturously exclaimed, "Thank God, they are all there !" the words and the deed of the actor thrilled the nation, and like a bugle-call rallied her sons to defend the honor of that flag. The drama will remain true to liberty, as long as the people shall prefer free- dom to tyranny; it will adhere to an elevated and refined literature, as long as the popular taste shall be elevated and refined; it will maintain a pure morality. as long as the popular heart shall be pure,-but no longer. The stream cannot rise above the fountain-head. Public amusements are the sure indices of public taste, public morals, and public intelligence. Give inme the character of the public amusements in a city, and I will give you the exact degree of popular taste and intelligence in that city. If these walls shall ever echo the blasphemy of atheism, the jeers of ribaldry, or the aspersions of treason-if upon this stage shall ever appear a scene to bring a blush to the cheek of modesty or a pang to the heart of HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 65 I virtue, the public, and not the drama will be responsible. The clouds will drift with the wind, and the waters will flow whither they are drawn. God forbid that this place, which we set apart to-night as the seat of a sublime and noble literature, should ever be usurped by sensuality I! As long as one stone of it shall be left upon another let it remain sacredly devoted to the purity of virtue, the grandeur of thought, and the liberties of the republic. Iii .4jtmorianzl. CHARLES T. LOCKWOOD. Born October, 1835.-Died October 19, 1870. The breath of true genius upon the world is the breath of life. Under its power, hearts dead and cold are warmed and uplifted, and the most sluggish pulses are quickened. Its most powerful manifestations are in the poet, the orator, the musician, the painter, and the sculptor. In this exalted company, he whose life and labor we commemorate to-night held a just place. Time, that tests all things, has established his rank and title. Charles T. Lockwood was born at Alcott, New York, in October, 1835. He was the son of a farmer, was reared under a healthful home discipline, and received a common school education. At sixteen, he adopted music as his profession, and at once entered upon its careful study. After various changes of location, lihe settled in Pontiac in 1862, where hlie resided until his death, October 19, 1870. The work which established his fame was almost his last. He did not flash like a meteor; lie grew like an oak. He was past thirty years of age before he took rank as a leading American composer. The struggle was long, at times almost desperate; but at last he "dragged up drowned honor by the locks." It was my fortune, during the last six years of his life, to be his intimate asso- ciate and friend. I knew his kind and generous heart, his true and manly qualities. I knew, too, his aspirations and his triumphs, his disappointments and his hopes. He was a man of good mind, but without remarkable mental endowments, except in his chosen field; here he was a master. At times, in his highest and best efforts, he was overshadowed by that indescribable, controlling inspiration which only a born artist ever feels. This was always to me one of the highest proofs of his genius. His compositions number more than fifty. Among these are many models of excellence, but his masterpiece, by the verdict of the public, as well as his own judgment, is "Gathering Home." He toiled upon it secretly for months. When it was completed he brought it to me, and said, "I believe I have at last written something that will live." He already had words for it, but they did not satisfy him. He destroyed them in my presence, and continued, "I have embodied the spirit of this piece in music. I want you to embody it in language. No one else must do it." As best I could, I complied with his request. A few days after I presented him the words of "Gathering Home," and stood by his side at the first full rehearsal of the piece. He was himself at the piano. As the closing refrain died away, he lifted his eyes to my face, they were filled with tears. I shall always be touched with a grateful pride that he deemed the poem worthy to be inseparably blended with his loftiest production. How little did we then dream we were writing his requiem! Lockwood was great, if only in a single, yet in a triue sense. Weaknesses he may have had, yet he performed a grest work. A great man may do a small thing, but a small man can nzever do a great thing. Except to a few, his person- ality is lost in his immortal work. He is not to-night a man moving and walking among us, but an msthetic and moral force; not an individual, but an influencer. That influence, which vibrates through the years like an ever-repeating echo, is only for good. He never wrote but upon the side of purity and truth. When the earth fell upon his coffin one said, "It seems strange that he should be taken now, when his best work seems just begun." Yes, strange to us, and yet "Perhaps the cup was broken here That Heaven's new wine might show more clear." Lockwood is gone, but his tuneful bequest remains to the world. Death could rob us of him, but his achievements defy the King of Terrors. His dust sleeps to-night in the kind bosom of the earth; his spirit walks with Israfel,---Israfel the Bright, whose voice, the Moslem says, entrances Paradise. April 15, 1874. HENRY 3M. LooK. GATHERING HOME. DY HIENRY M. LOOK. Set to music by C. T. Lockwood. 1. The sunset fades along the hills- Floods of golden light, Dying into night; Soft twilight now the valley fills- Dim the shadows fall Over all. Hark to the song the reapers sing As they gather home, Blithely gather home; Hark, how the vtales and woodlands ring; Hark, hark the song the reapers sing. (Refrain) Oh! sweetly peals the echoing strain, As they joyfully come, Gathering, gathering home; Oh! gently steals the glad refrain- Echoing, echoing far, Echoing far. IT. The huntsmen ride along the hills In the golden light, While the coming night From spirit wings the dew distils, Bidding quiet fall Over all. IIark to the huntsman's winding horn, As they gather home, Blithely gather home; The tones on twilight zephyrs borne- Hark, hark the huntsman's winding horn. (Refrain) Oh! sweetly peals the echoing strain, As they joyfully come, Gathering, gathering home; Oh! gently steals the glad refrain- Echoing, echoing far, Echoing far. III. Oh! soon for us no more shall be Morn nor evening light, Earthly noon nor night; But death's unfathomed mystery, Settle like a pall Over all. Then, if the golden harps we hear, As we gather home, Safely gather home, We'll know our Father's throne is near. IHow sweet those golden harps to hear! (Refrain) Oh! sweet will peal that heavenly strain, While the blessed come, Gathering, gathering home; And peace shall fill the glad refrain, Ever, evermore, Evermore. Sara Stevens, the actress, is the daughter of Sherman Stevens, one of the early residents of Pontiac, now deceased. She gave early evidence of superior talents, and was possessed of fine personal attractions. Having received a thor- ough education and some theatrical training, she adopted the dramatic profession. She was almost immediately successful, and was a great favorite at Wallack's theatre, Newy York, for a long time. In 1862 she went to England, where she made her dibut as Eily O'Connor, in the "Colleen Bawn," at Drury Lane theatre, London, June 23. Returning to America, she married John C. Heenan, and now resides in the city of New York, having retired from the stage some years since. THE SKELETON'S APPEAL.* BY SAMUEL I. LEGGETT. Stand back, good friends! for many years have sped Since I last saw the sun. Are any dead Yet lying 'neath your feet ? Please take your hand And press my temples, though begrimed with sand. Tall trees bent o'er me when they laid me here, And the red Savage sat beside my bier And scared the wolf away; and all night long The leaves above me sang a funeral song. I look into your eyes, and though I soee A multitude of faces, none to me * Written on the disentombing of the dead on the site of the old Presbyterian church in Pontiac. 66 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 7 Seem as those friends of old. Is this the earth ? Or have I waked, at last, to second birth ? Why dig ye round my grave? Is there, dear God, For these old yellow bones no sacred sod, No grave where they may rest, no peaceful home Where I may wait till thine own angels come? I hoped through long and weary years to lay In peace, and undisturbed, till called away; And when I heard this trampling o'er my head I thought 'twas Gabriel, summoning the dead. Come hither, friend! For charity, please hide My naked frame; the crowd is many-eyed And foul of tongue. Instead of "bated breath," They bandy jests, even in this home of death. Oh! kindly friend, with silvered board and hair, Wilt take my bones into thy gentle care And give them back to earth ? And so at last Some friend shall pity thee when all is past. PONTIAC-ITS PAST AND PRESENT. (Suggested by the recent fall of the ancient oak under which Pontiac gathered his warriors in the past.) DY MRS. JULIA A. JACKSON. Home of the Red Man,-old Pontiac's strong-hold: I see him as of yore, when defiant and bold, Grim sage of the council-fire, painted and plumed, By warriors encircled, flame-lighted, illumed; The flash of his tomahawk times the war-songs, And dark eyes burn vengeful for numberless wrongs. Hero the barbaric boy in his merciless joy- The lordling of the forest-finds full employ; With his unerring arrow and faultless bow lie lays his bleeding victims low. Perchance the trembling deer, with its deep eye clear; Perchance more noble game,-the pale-faced pioneer. Here the lithe, swarthy maiden, once her people's pride, Attired in her blanket with yellow strings tied, In her light canoe hopefully, merrily sings, As round the circling eddies she poises and swings, Or as fairy of the forest, crowned with wild-flowers, Her beauty unsullied by sunshine or showers. To other forms than ours has this soil given birth; Other hearts' treasures been consigned to this earth; Others have sighed in sadness, moaned in madness, And moved to the measure of mirth the music of gladness. IIumanity's children, all uncultured, untaught, Yet with common humanity's interests fraught. They have passed away,-this once lordly race,- Their lands to strangers have given place; In the soil low lies the chief of olden fame, His monument the city which now bears his name. We cannot eclipse that proud name if we would,- Nay, grand old sachem, would not if we could. To his once home an aged exile returns, his once dark hair is snowy, low the life-taper burns; He looks for the old oak that the winds have o'erthrown; Where his cabin once stood the steam-whistle is blown. To the graves of his dead he stealthily wends; O'er the moundless turf, as he mournfully bends, Hears the Centennial guns of the pale-face,- The knell of his doom and the dirge of his race. A sore lament pours forth, and a broken prayer, With a pathos and passion only known to despair. The arrow is harmless, the bow is unstrung; Gone are the bards who our valor once sung! The wampum is broken, the steel red with rust, The warrior's proud plume lies low in the dust! The war-whoop, that rang over valley and hill, Is hushed in repose, all silent and still! The council-fire gone, its ashes are blown- By the reckless sifted and scattered and strewn! The child from the forest hath melted away Like snow that has lingered in spring's balmy day; On the mouldering stern of the maiden's canoe The owl pours his dismal too-hoo ! too-hoo ! "Fire-water has hastened our young men's decay! Our lands are all plundered and bartered away; Our oaken forest hath the pale-face laid low, And to the far setting sun bade the red man to go !" O'er the graves of his dead they heedlessly tread,- O'er the slumbering warrior's lowly bed. Only nature, true to her trust, marketh his tomb With the nodding wild-flowers that over it bloom; No marble may tell how bravely he fell, And naught but the sighing winds breathe a farewell. Say, brave Pontiac! iii the spirit-land art thou ? Are thy maidens and warriors beside thee now- Roaming the forests and hunting-grounds there ? Or for thy red race hast thou ceased to care? SEVENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO. BY MRS. RUTII GREEN, aged seventy-seven years. Just seventy-seven years ago last May I commenced to travel life's weary way; Have found some pleasure, and much more pain: I woul dd not travel it over again. The first of the way was pleasant and fair, I knew not a trouble, I had not a care; A good home, and kind parents,-in stature I grew,- Dear brothers and sisters, and friends not a few. And as years passed along I was happy and gay,- No more thought for the morrow than birds on the spray; But a dark cloud was rising to obscure my bright sky,- My mother was fading, and surely must die. And there came to me then a sorrowful day, When my own blessed mother was taken away; My guardian and guide, in whom I could trust, Was called from her loved ones to mingle with dust. My heart was now filled with grief and dismay, . The cloud had passed o'er me, and dark seemed the way; But of courage and strength I possessed a good share, So I thought 'twould not do to sit down in despair. And now to go forward was duty, I knew; The work was before me, in plenty, to do. At first it was hard, for I had much to learn,- To make bread and pies, and butter to churn. Iy mother's kind' teaching then came to my aid, My tasks by these means much lighter were made; I grew quite ambitious and wrought at my best, And when I was tired could take time to rest. I could sweep, scrub, and scour with soap and with sand,- On my dress not a ruffle, not a glove on my hand;- Could spin wool in summer, in winter spin flax;- If the fire burned too low, could handle the axe. But house-work always was hard for me; Hustle it over I never could; Not that I cared so much who should see, As not satisfied if not done good. My sisters-one older, one younger than I- Could for comfort and help on each other rely; While we were together each one, as a rule, Shared the duties of home, and in going to school. The years they have come, and the years they have passed, Both sunshine and shadow been over'me cast; Where my life has been faulty I truly regret; When I have met kindness I do not forget. Now the friends of my childhood and youth are all gone, They have left me to finish my journey alone. Soon the summons will come, I shall lay down the strife; My eyes will be closed to all things in this life. LAND OF THE LAKES. sv J. LOOAN Cr5PtAN. I. Land of the lakes, upon whose bosom gleams The varied glory of each jeweled sheen; Land of deep waters, lit by flashing beams, Reflecting Nature's most luxuriant green; Home of bright aspects, beauty stern or wild; Of sunsets gorgeous in their dreamy tints; Of sylvan shades and fir-clad mountains wild; Of bowers 'mid which the vocal brooklet glints; Land of the pine, of legend, and of song, Whose whispering leaves and waves recount the tale Of peoples dead, of peoples fresh and strong; Land of the beetling crag, the west wind's wail, Of knightly deed, of grand old Time's romance; Land which erst slumbered on her watery bed Till Freedom claimed and waked her from her trance, And filled her gaze with Liberty instead; Grand in all aspects, beneficent to man, Land of the crystal lakes, my own fair Michigan! S~~~ L"N'k~ U E A P ~ w Sy; M T NyN N 1~ o d N 'Na ., /HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. / I Of the other four sons, Robert B. (a member of Congress) was colonel of the One Hundred and Sixth New York Infantry; David was major of the First New York Artillery, and was killed at Fair Oaks; Edward P. was in the First Mechanics' and Engineers' Regiment of Michigan; and Jacob was in one of the Wisconsin cavalry regiments, and all served with distinction. The judge himself wa" a patriotic old war-horse, who "lifted up his voice in the midst of the trumpets," in the numerous meeting in the county, in aid of enlistments and sanitary supplies, and whose tongue, if not his neck, was clothed with thunder against the traitors to the government. PONTIAC TOWN SHIP. Tuis township constituted a part of the original township of Oakland (formed by proclamation of Acting-Governor Woodward, June 28, 1820) until the 12th of April, 1827, when the county was subdivided by an act of the legislature into five townships, one of which was called Pontiac. When first formed it in- cluded all of congressional townships Nos. 3, 4, and 5 north, in ranges 7, 8, and 9, and township 3, in range 10 east; and also had attached to it, for township purposes, a portion of the present county of Lapeer, and all of the counties of Shiawassee and Saginaw. On the 29th day of May, 1828, the present township of Orion was detached from Oakland township and attached to Pontiac. Sub- sequently the counties' of Lapeer, Shiawassee, and Saginaw were organized, and the following townships have been organized, at the dates given, from the original territory of Pontiac township, in Oakland County proper, viz.: Waterford, in 1834; Orion, Highland, and Groveland, in 1835; Springfield, Independence, and White Lake, in 1836; Brandon and Rose, in 1837; and Holly, in 1838. In March, 1837, the village of Pontiac was incorporated by act of the legisla- ture, with limits including section 29, the north half of 32, the west half of 28, and the northwest quarter of 33, being one and a half miles square, and containing fourteen hundred and forty acres. The citizens of the village continued to be voters in the township until March 15, 1861, when a city charter was obtained, since which the city and township have been distinct from each other. The city limits were originally the same as the village limits. By an act approved March 20, 1867, the city limits were extended to their present bounds, which include the south half of sections 19, 20, 21, and all of sections 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33, being two and a half miles by three miles square, and having an area of four thousand eight hundred square acres, or a little over one-fifth of the township. The present area of the township is twenty-eight and one-half square sections, equivalent to eighteen thousand two hundred and forty acres. GEOGRAPHY, DRAINAGE, TOPOGRAPHY, ETC. The township is situated in the east central part of the county, and is bounded on the north by Orion, on the south by Bloomfield, on the east by Avon, and on the west by Waterford townships. It is wholly drained by the Clinton river and its tributaries, Galloway and Pontiac creeks. The Clinton river enters the township on the southwest quarter of section 31, and passes, in a serpentine course, through sections 31, 32, 29, and 28, leaving the latter near the northeast corner, where, also, it crosses the city line of Pontiac. Thence it runs in a general southeast direction to the village of Auburn, when its course changes to the northeast, and it leaves the township in the southeast corner of section 24, two miles north of the southeast corner of the township. There is a considerable amount of low bottom or meadow land along this stream, partic- ularly between the built-up portions of the city, and the lakes to the southwest, and also above and below the village of Auburn. For a stream of its size it affords a remarkable amount of water-power, there being no less than six dams within the limits of the township, including five in the city of Pontiac. During the cooler months in the spring and autumn it is a remarkably clear and swift-flowing stream, but during the warm months its channel is more or less filled and obstructed by water-plants and grasses. Being the outlet of the group of lakes in the centre of the county, its waters are not subject to floods, the large area of water surface covered by the lakes acting as an equalizing reservoir, and hence its flow is remarkably uniform at all seasons. Galloway creek heads in the southeast part of Orion township, crossing into Pontiac very near the northeast corner of section 1, from whence it flows in a general southwestern course across sections 1, 2, 11, and 10, turning on section 10 to the southeast, in which direction it flows across section 15 and into the centre of section 23, where it changes and flows in a northeast direction, leaving the township on the southeast quarter of section 13. A small tributary of this stream rises in two small lakes located on sections 4, 5, and 9, and flows southeast, and unites with the main creek on section 10. Gal- loway creek passes through a small lake lying partly in sections 14, 15, 22, and 23. The lakes of the township are Three-Mile lake, on sections 6 and 7, covering some three hundred acres in Pontiac township, a part of Upper Silver lake, on sec- tion 7, Osmun, Terry, and Harris lakes, on sections 18, 19, and 20, and Mud lake, on section 32. There are also small lakes on sections 14 and 34. The aggregate water-surface of the township (not including estimate of the Clinton river), is probably about six hundred square acres. Pontiac township has great variety of surface,-level plains, valleys, and hilly lands,-with every quality of soil, from the sandy and gravelly hill-tops to the rich black loam and alluvial deposits of the bottom-lands along the lakes and streams. The production of small grains and corn is excellent, and for clover the sandy loam of Michigan is nowhere excelled. The highest point of land in Oakland County, and one of the highest in the region south of Saginaw bay, is claimed to be "Bald mountain" (so called), sit- uated on the northwest quarter of section 1 in this township, and having a spur extending north into Orion township. Lying a short distance west from this summit is also another collection of hills of considerable altitude. The height of Bald mountain above the level of Lake Huron is something over five hundred feet. Its height above the surrounding country is probably from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet. From its breezy summit on a clear day the vision extends over a vast region. On the cast, north, and west can be descried the various groupings of conical hills, with which the surface of southeastern Michi- gan is broken, and a good glass discovers shipping upon Lake St. Clair. Although this point does not compare with the mountains of New York and Pennsylvania in its altitude above the sea, yet its comparative elevation above the surrounding country is sufficient to furnish a most beautiful view. The collection of hills in this vicinity is composed of the various ingredients of the drift period,--chiefly gravel, sand, and bowlders. ROADS. The township is well supplied with good wagon-roads, and there are four fine graveled turnpikes diverging in various directions from Pontiac: one directly east through the village of Auburn; one northeast, towards Orion; one north- west and one southwest, towards Orchard lake and Commerce. The Detroit and Milwaukee railroad passes through the southwest part of the township. The early settlers will be found under the headings of Pontiac village and city and Auburn village. FIRST TOWN-MEETING. The first town-meeting for the township of Pontiac was held at the court-house, on Monday, May 28, 1827. Present, Sidney Dole, Charles C. Hascall, Gideon O. Whittemore, Henry 0. Bronson, and David Stanard, justices of the peace. The meeting was organized by choosing Joseph Morrison, Jr., as moderator, who was duly sworn, after which the meeting proceeded to business. The polls were declared open for the reception of voters. It was moved, seconded, and carried that three assessors be chosen. Moved and carried that no more than three constables be chosen. Moved, seconded, and carried that no additional bounty to the sum assessed by the supervisors be voted by the town for encouraging the killing of wolves. It was moved, seconded, and carried that two hundred dollars be raised by tax to defray the town expenses. Voted that a fence-viewer be allowed nothing fr his services. The town was divided into eleven road districts. Voted that no stallion above the age of one year be suffered to run at large, under a penalty of five dollars. The path-masters of the several road-districts were authorized to act as fence- viewers. On motion it was ordered " that every farmer destroy all noxious weeds inju- rious to sheep's wool, together with the Canada thistle, on one-half of the road opposite to his premises ;" and in order toq compel every man without distinction of calling to do his full share of the public service, it was ordered that "lawyers, doctors, and mechanics, and all other persons, keep the roads clear of the above- described weeds opposite their premises." The path-masters were ordered to remove the residue, " and that they incur a penalty of five dollars for neglect of this duty." On motion it was resolved that the next township-meeting be held at the court- house in Pontiac, according to law. On motion it was ordered that the supervi- sors be requested to appropriate five dollars for the completion of the public well. The meeting then adjourned. The following were the respective individuals chosen to fill the various offices at this meeting: for supervisors there were three names presented, Jacob N. Vuor- heis, Elisha Beach, and Oliver Williams. The whole number of votes cast for this office was one hundred and ten, of which Jacob N. Voorhcis received seventy- four, and was elected. 118 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. r For the office of town clerk there were two candidates: Captain Hervey Parke received seventy-two votes, and Almon Mack received thirty-five. For the office of assessor there were a large number of candidates, among them Leonard Weed, Shubael Atherton, Joseph Morrison. Henry 0. Bronson, Harvey Seeley, John M. Mack, and Charles C. Hascall. The three first named were elected. The commissioners of highways elected were Abner Davis, Harvey Seeley, and David Lyon, Jr. Orison Allen and Schuyler Hodges were candidates for collector, and Allen was elected. The constables chosen were Schuyler Hodges, Orison Allen, and Win. Thomas. For overseers of the poor, Enoch Hotchkiss received seventy-five votes, and Jeremiah Curtiss seventy-two. The path-masters of the several road districts were as follows: district No. 1. Asahel Whitney; district No. 2, R. W. Stevens; district No. 3, Joseph Morrison; district No. 4, David Stanard; district No. 5, Chester Webster; district No. 6, Henry Thomas; district No. 7, Charles C. Has- call; district No. 8, Joseph Lee; district No. 9, Shubael Atherton; district No. 10, Jesse Chipman; district No. 11, Joseph Harris. At the second annual town-meeting, held on the first Monday of April, 1828, there were present Sidney Dole, Gideon 0. Whittemore, Leonard Weed, and Stephen Reeves, justices, and Hervey Parke, town clerk. Major Oliver Williams was chosen moderator. At this meeting the office of pound-master was first established, and Major Oliver Williams was appointed pound-keeper. The number of road districts was increased to twelve, and the following persons appointed path-masters: district 1, David Stanard; district 2, Edmund Perry; district 3, Harvey Seeley; district 4, Oliver Williams; district 5, Joseph Hoax; district 6, Allen Briggs; district 7, Clispa R. Gardner; district 8, Johnson Green; district 9, Moses V. Merlin; district 10, Samuel L. Millis; district 11, James Day; district 12, David Lyon. At this meeting it was voted that the sum of two hundred dollars be raised for the maintenance of the poor, and as bounty for the destruction of wolves, bears, wild-cats, and panthers. " It was motioned, seconded, and carried that the school act be rejected for one year." The officers elected at this meeting were-Supervisor, Jacob N. Voorhcis; Town Clerk, Hervey Parke; Assessors, Calvin Hotchkiss, Harvey Seeley, Joseph Mor- rison, Jr.; Collector, David Churchill; Overseers of the Poor, Enoch Hotchkiss, Aaron Smith; Constables, William Thomas, Edmund Lamson, Jr., David Churchill. David Churchill refused to serve as collector, and a special election was held on the 25th of November of the same year, at which Joshua S. Terry was duly elected in his place. FIRST AUDITORS' MEETING. The first accounts against the township of Pontiac were audited on the last Tuesday of September,.1828, as follows: Hervey Parke, $7.31; John Southard, $2.00; Almon Mack, $0.75; Calvin Hotchkiss, $8.75; Jeremiah Curtis, $13.50; Isaac I. Voorheis, $23.25; Joseph Morrison, Jr., $20.00; Harvey Seeley, $8.00; Samuel Murlin, $21.00; Harvey Sceley, $7.66; Abner Davis, $12.50; Gideon O. Whittemore, $5.00; Stephen Reeves, $3.75; Leonard Weed, $3.75; Hervey Parke, $17.12; Joseph Morrison, Jr., $1.25; Hervey Parke, $31.00; Charles C. Hascall, $3.75; Hervey Parke, $1.25; David Paddock, $1.25; Jacob N. Voorheis, $1.25,-amounting in the aggregate to $194.09. For this indebted- ness corresponding township orders were issued, but their approximate value we are unable to give. The highway commissioners of the present day would hardly covet the work their predecessors of 1829 were expected to perform. For instance, it is on record that road district No. 1 included the entire county of" Sagana," then attached to Oakland County for civil and judicial purposes. District No. 2 included town- ships 5, 6, 7, and 8, of ranges 6, 7, and 8. Colonel David Stanard was overseer of the " Sagana" district, and Edmund Perry of district No. 2. At the election in April, 1829, Jacob N. Voorheis was elected supervisor, Charles C. Hascall, town clerk; Harvey Seeley, Abner Davis, and Calvin Hotch- kiss, assessors; Joshua S. Terry, collector; Elisha R. Gardner, Joshua S. Terry, and Jonas M31. HIigby, constables; Isaac I. Voorbeis, Jeremiah Curtis, and Jesse Decker, commissioners of highways; and Enoch Hotchkiss and John Clark overseers of the poor. The justices of the peace for 1829 were Gideon O. Whittemore, Charles C. Hascall, Stephen Reeves, David Paddock, and Leonard Weed. At this time the road districts had been increased to fifteen, and the following persons were ap- pointed overseers of the respective districts from one to fifteen: Gardner D. Wil- liams, Edmund H. Spencer, Nathaniel Foster, Nathan Curtis, James Valentine, Charles Johnson, Elisha Beach, John R. Smith, Charles Cahoon, Samuel L. Millis, Stephen Reeves, Joseph Morrison, Roswell Mathews, Heman Harris, Samuel C. Munson. At this meeting it was voted that "stud-horses, rams, and boars should not be suffered to go at large, that hogs and cattle should not go at large in the win- ter season, and that every man's barnyard should be a pound for keeping cattle, hogs, etc." At a meeting of the town board held at the house of Solomon Close, in Sep- tember, 1829, accounts against the township to the amount of four hundred and twenty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents were audited, and the clerk (Charles C. Hascall) was instructed to draw orders for the respective amounts. At the annual town-meeting held at the court-house in Pontiac, on the first Monday in April, 1830,.there were present, G. O. Whittemore, Leonard Weed, E. Comstock, David Paddock, justices of the peace, and Charles C. Haseall, township clerk. Jeremiah Riggs was chosen moderator. Voted, that there be five constables and three assessors elected. The following officers were elected: Supervisor, Abner Davis; Township Clerk, Hervey Parke: Assessors, Henry Dean, Gideon O. Whittemore, and Jacob N. Voorheis; Collector, Joshua S. Terry; Constables, Joshua S. Terry, Rowland B. Perry, Eleazer Jewett, and William Thomas; Town Treasurer, Calvin Hotchkiss; Directors of the Poor, Thomas J. Drake, Judah Church, David Paddock, David Stanard, and Rufus W. Stevens; Commissioners of Highways, Isaac I. Voorheis, Heman Harris, and Jeremiah Curtis; School Commissioners, Hervey Parke, Harvey Seeley, Abner Davis, Leonard Weed, and Roswell Hilton. The names of the township officers who have filled the respective offices of supervisor, township clerk, and justices of the peace, since 1831 to the present time, have been as follows: 1831.-Supervisor, Abner Davis; Town Clerk, Gideon O. Wittemore; Justices, -David Paddock, Leonard Weed, Elias Comstock, Henry Dean, Stephen Reeves. 1832.-Supervisor, Jacob N. Voorheis; Town Clerk, G. O. Whittemore; Justices, David Paddock, Leonard Weed, Henry Dean. 1833.-Supervisor, Isaac I. Voorheis; Clerk, G. O. Whittemore; Justices, Stephen Reeves, Benjamin Phelps, William Thompson, Leonard Weed, Elias Comstock. 1834.-Supervisor, Isaac I. Voorheis; Town Clerk, James A. Weeks; Jus- tices, Benjamin Phelps, Elias Comstock. At this time the township was divided into forty-one road districts, extending from Pontiac to Bay City. 1835.-Supervisor, Schuyler Hodges; Town Clerk, James A. Weeks; Jus- tices, Samuel Sherwood, Elias Comstock. 1836.-Supervisor, Schuyler Hodges; Town Clerk, Win. S. Driggs; Justices, Harvey Seeley, Calvin C. Parks, O. D. Richardson. At a special town-meeting on the 28th of April, 1836, Charles Draper was elected town clerk in place of Win. S. Driggs (resigned).* William S. Henderson was elected justice of the peace, in place of Harvey Seeley, December 12, 1836. 1837.-Supervisor, Alphonso B. Newcomb; Town Clerk, Cornelius Roosevelt; Justice, Clark Beardslee. 1838.-Supervisor, Chester McCollum; Town Clerk, B. C. Whittemore; Jus- tice, Samuel N. Gantt. 1839.-Supervisor, Chester McCollum; Town Clerk, Charles M. Eldridge; Justice, Win. S. Henderson. A special election was held November 25, 1839. Bernard C. Whittemore and Milton Hyde were elected justices of the peace, to fill the vacancies caused by the removal of Clark Beardslee and Samuel N. Gantt. 1840.-Supervisor, Chester McCollum; Town Clerk, Joseph R. Bowman; Justice, Calvin C. Parks. 1841.-Supervisor, Chester McCollum; Town Clerk, Joseph R. Bowman; Justices, C. C. Parks, B. C. Whittemore, Win. S. Henderson. 1842.-Supervisor, Schuyler Hodges; Town Clerk, J. R. Bowman; Justices, Win. S. Herndon,t C. C. Parks, B. C. Whittemore. 1843.-Supervisor, Schuyler Hodges; Town Clerk, J. S. Carpenter; Justices, Warren Dunning, B. C. Whittemore. 1844.-Supervisor, John Bacon; Town Clerk, J. S. Carpenter; Justices, Warren Dunning, B. C. Whittemore. 1845.-Supervisor, B. C. Whittemore; Town Clerk, James S. Carpenter; Justices, John P. Le Roy, Win. S. Henderson, Enos Church (resigned), Chas. 1I. Eldridge. 1846.-Supervisor, Corrington Blanchard; Town Clerk, James S. Carpenter; Justice, Milton Hyde. * There seem to have been three township-meetings in April, 1836. t [The historian has written this name plainly llcrndon, but we think it possible it should be Ilenderson, he having held the same office in 1836, 1839, 1841, and 1845.-T iE PUBLISHERS.] HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 119 1847.-.Supervisor, C. A. Blanchard; Town Clerk, Edward P. Rankin; Justice, Alfred Treadway. 1848.-Supervisor, H. N. Howard; Town Clerk, Peter Hogan; Justice, John P. Le Roy. 1849.--Supervisor, Joseph R. Bowman; Town Clerk, Henry V. R. Hubbell; Justices, Samuel E. Beach, Hiram A. Rood (to fill vacancy). 1850.-Supervisor, J. R. Bowman; Town Clerk, H. V. R. Hubbell (resigned), E. H. Whitney elected in his place; Justice, Hiram A. Rood. In this year the total number of voters in the township was four hundred and eighty-three, as shown by the poll-list. The township was divided into thirty-six road districts. 1851.-Supervisor, Gideon O. Whittemore; Town Clerk, E. H. Whitney; Justice, Erastus Bacon. 1852.-Supervisor, Win. M. Thompson; Town Clerk, E. H. Whitney; Justice, Ira Bromley. 1853.-Supervisor, Francis Darrow; Town Clerk, Hiram A. Rood; Justice, Samuel E. Beach. 1854.-Supervisor, Francis Darrow; Town Clerk, C. A. Howard; Justice, Hiram A. Rood. 1855.-Supervisor, Francis Darrow; Town Clerk, Geo. R. Hixson; Justices, Warren Dunning, Joseph R. Bowman (to fill vacancy). 1856.-Supervisor, Francis Darrow; Town Clerk, G. R. Hixson; Justices, Ira D. Smith (to fill vacancy), Charles C. Waldo (to fill vacancy). 1857.-Supervisor, George R. Hinson; Town Clerk, Chas. C. Waldo; Justice, Joel Loomis. 1858.--Supervisor, Geo. R. Hixson; Town Clerk, C. C. Waldo; Justice, J. R. Bowman. In this year the township contained thirty-two road districts. 1859.-Supervisor, Geo. It. Hixson; Town Clerk, Alvin C. High; Justices, James Carhart (full term), Francis Darrow (to fill vacancy). The road districts.- were increased this year to thirty-four. 1860.-Supervisor, John L. Bradford; Town Clerk, Alvin C. High; Justice, F. Darrow. On the 15th of March, 1861, the village of Pontiac was incorporated as a city, with the same boundaries as the village, and from that date the township and city were separate, and independent of each other in all matters of municipal and local government. Township officers elected in 1861 were-Supervisor, Henry Bishop; Town Clerk, Willard W. Hubbell; Justices, Warren Dunning (for four years), Ephraim Colby (for three years), Tomkins Buckbee (for two years), Levi Burlingham (for one year). 1862.-For this year there are no records, but the supervisor was John L. Bradford. 1863.-Supervisor, John L. Bradford; Town Clerk, James Carhart; Justice, Ephraim Colby. 1864.-Supervisor, John L. Bradford; Town Clerk, Raymond F. Dunning; Justice, Henry Bishop. 1865.-Supervisor, Philo C. Davis; Town Clerk, Mark Walters; Justice, James Carhart. 1866.-Supervisor, Philo C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justices, Tomkins Buckbee (full term), John Miller (to fill vacancy), Edwin Phelps (two years). 1867.-Supervisor, Philo C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justices, Morgan J. Spencer (full term), Andrew Bradford (vacancy). 188.-Supervisor, Philo C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justice, Edwin Phelps (full term). 1869.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justice, Andrew Bradford. The road districts were reduced this year to twenty-eight. 1870.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justice, Tomkins Buckbee. 1871.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justice, M. J. Spencer. 1872.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, Andrew Bradford; Justice, Andrew Bradford. 1873.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, Julius S. Bradford; Justices, Tomkins Buckbce, George Terry (to fill vacancy). 1874.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, James S. Bradford; Justice, Edwin Phelps. 1875.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, James S. Bradford; Justice, M. J. Spencer. 1876.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, James S. Bradford; Justice, John E. Bulman. 1877.-Supervisor, P. C. Davis; Town Clerk, James S. Bradford; Justice, Jerome B. Galloway; Treasurer, George A. McDonald; Superintendent of Schools, Marion H. Short; Commissioner of Highways, Daniel D. Terry; Drain Commis- sioner, Uriah Terry; School Inspector, George Reeves; Constables, George A. McDonald, Win. Johns, Jr., Win. J. Kimball, Giles Austin. ITEMS FROM TIHE TOWNSHIP RECORDS. In the early days of Pontiac it required men of " good moral character" to keep a tavern and sell intoxicating liquors, as will be seen by the following: "County of Oakland, ss. At a township board, held for the township of Pontiac, convened at the office of G. O. Whittemore, in said township, on the 27th day of April, A.D. 1831, present, Abner Davis, supervisor, G. O. Whitte- more, clerk, and Elias Comstock, Leonard Weed, Stephen Reeves, David Pad- dock, and Henry Dean, justices of the peace, all of which are officers of said township, residing therein, and now forming a township board: upon the appli- cation of Amasa Bagley and Solomon Close, of the said township, to the said board for permits to keep a tavern in the houses in which they now reside, in said town- ship, having duly considered the said applications, it is therefore considered that Amasa Bagley and Solomon Close are of good moral character, and of sufficient ability to keep a tavern, that they have accommodations to entertain travelers, and that taverns are absolutely necessary at those places for the actual accommodation of travelers; we, the undersigned, having satisfactory evidence of the same. "In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names on the day and year and at the township named as aforesaid. " ABNER DAVIS, Supervisor. "G. O. WIIITTEMIORE, Clerk. "DAVID PADDOCK, "LEONARD WEED, "ELIAS COMSTOCKI, " HENRY DEAN, " STEPHEN REEVES, "Justices of the Peace." At the annual town-meeting in April, 1834, it was voted that the path-masters be fence-viewers, and "That the supervisors of the county of Oakland be re- quested to renew the county bounty on wolf-scalps." Electa Dewey, a county pauper, was bid off by Joseph Hunt, to be kept by him at one dollar per week during the time she may continue to be county charge, not to exceed one year. From a statement of the township auditing board, made December 20, 1834, it would appear that the township expenses for the current year were four hundred and nine dollars and eighty-two and a half cents. The beauties and benefits of "wild-cat" money are illustrated in the proceedings of the township board in September, 1838, at which the following preamble and resolutions were placed upon the township record: " Whereas, There is in the hands of the township clerk of this township the sum of ninety-seven dollars, uncurrent funds, that were raised last year for the purpose of repairing certain bridges in this township; therefore, Resolved, That the supervisor procure the passage of a resolution of the board of super- visors ordering said sum to be raised for the present year, and said uncurrent money be placed in the hands of the receivers of the several banks where it belongs, as the property of the township." Signed by the town board. 'At a meeting of the township board in January, 1839, licenses were granted to the following parties to keep taverns: Artemas Hitchcock and Messrs. Boss & Barber, in the village of Pontiac, Warren Dunning, in the village of Auburn, and Amasa Green, a retailer's license, in Pontiac. During the season of 1839 the highway commissioners, Mahlon Hubbell. Ephraim Colby, and Peter Van Dyke, constructed five bridges in the township, the most expensive one costing one hundred and fifty dollars, being at Auburn. In the same year the amount expended in the support of the town poor was two hundred and twenty-three dollars and forty-nine cents. The total amount of labor expended on the highways of the township for the current year was equivalent to one thousand and twenty.six days' work. The following persons were selected by the assessor and clerk to serve as grand and petit jurors for the year 1840: Grand Jurors.-Phineas Silsby, John Bacon, Calvin Hotehkiss, Enos B. Ham- mond, Francis Darrow, Horace C. Thurber, Abel H. Peck, Orison Allen, W. 1M. McConnell, Joshua Terry, Alonzo Barber, Leonard Weed. Petit Jurors.-Abner Davis, David Parker, Samuel Brotherton, Augustus W. Fuller, Ira Bromley, Benjamin Phelps, Ephraim Colby, Elnathan Phelps, Moses V. Murlin, Chester Webster, Lewis W. Mann, Win. Beam, Jr. At a meeting of the township board, held April 7, 1843, Levi Holden ap- peared and testified under oath that William Lorie, director of school district No. 10, in the township of Pontiac, had received nine dollars and seventy-five 0 120 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. cents belonging to said district (five dollars of which was in bills of the bank of Michigan), that hlie had illegally used the same (except the five dollars of the bank of Michigan), and that he refused to pay over the said money on demand. Notice was immediately served on Lorie to appear before the board and show cause why he should not be removed from his office. Upon the appearance of Lorie, the matter was carefully examined by the board, the charge was sustained, and he was summarily removed. SMALLPOX. It appears that a "scare" occurred occasionally in Pontiac in the early days, and that unusual precautions were taken by the authorities to prevent the spread of this dread disease. In 1846 the township board acted as a board of health under provisions of the statute, and at a meeting held January 20 of that year, it being shown that the disease was in the family of Dr. Max Myers on Perry street, a resolution was passed that the said street be fenced between the Methodist church and J. Hlien- drickson's barn, and A. N. Hitchcock was appointed to build the same. John Gowerman was appointed to see that there was no communication allowed with any portion of the street so fenced in. Drs. Bagg, Leland, Paddock, and Allen were authorized and required to vaccinate all persons in the village, and to make a charge for such services against the township. A building for hospital purposes was procured, and patients placed under proper care. A CASE OF VAGRANCY. At a meeting of the township board, held October 9, 1846, the case of Sylves- ter Francis came up for consideration, upon petition of sundry of the inhabitants, who represented him as guilty of excessive drinking and idleness, and requested the board to take notice of the matter according to the provisions of the statute. Whereupon the board drew up a complaint, directed to the judge of probate for Oakland County, and asking that a guardian be appointed over him. The aiiount of license money for taverns charged by the town board for 1848 was ten dollars. NEW BRIDGES. During the year 1850, according to the report of the highway commissioners, there was raised for repairing and building bridges the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, which was expended as follows: For bridge over Clinton river on Pike street, Pontiac..........................$125.00 " " Huron " "o ........................ 75.00 " Galloway creek (road district No. 14) .......................... 40.00 "i " " " " 11 ......................... 10.00 $250.00 FINANCIAL. By the report of Lorenzo T. Sperry, township treasurer, the receipts and ex- penditures for the current year (1850) were: receipts, $4571.42; expenditures, $3859.51; on hand, $711.91. In 1854 the subject of building a new court-house was extensively agitated, and the proposition of raising by tax the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars being submitted to the people of the county, Pontiac voted almost unanimously in favor of the same, the vote standing four hundred and sixty-six for, and only three against the proposition. The subject was agitated and discussed from year to year, until the project finally succeeded, and new buildings were erected. WAR BOUNTIES. . In 1864 the question of raising a certain sum of money by taxation upon the real and personal property of the township, for the purpose of creating a bounty- fund for the payment of one hundred dollars each to volunteers, was discussed and finally submitted to the voters of the township. The vote was small, but the proposition was carried by a vote of seventy-one in favor to seventeen against it. The township furnished its full share of brave men to the ranks of the gallant armies which triumphed over anarchy and rebellion. VILLAGE OF AUBURN. The first settler at Auburn* was a man by the name of Elijah Thornton, sup- posed to have been from some part of Canada, who settled on the south side of the Clinton river, a little above Auburn, on land now owned by Wellesley Evans, -some time in the early part of 1821. He did not purchase land, but merely "squatted," built him a log cabin, and made some "betterments." Aaron Web- ster, from the town of Aurelius or Fleming, Cayuga county, New York, was the first property-owner and permanent settler in Auburn. He settled in Troy town- ship in 1821. The nearest mills at that time were at Pontiac. Thither Webster proceeded to get lumber for building purposes; but he thought the price asked by Colonel Mack (ten dollars per, thousand) was too high, and concluded hlie would * Named by Aaron Webster after Auburn, New York. build a saw-mill and cut his own lumber. He had noticed tmhe water-power at the point where Auburn now stands, and visited Thornton at his cabin and told him he was going to purchase a large amount of land in that vicinity and improve the water-power. He finally told Thornton hlie had better get himself some land, and offered him one hundred dollars for his "betterments" and claim, which was accepted, and Thornton settled near Romeo, Macomb county. His cabin was on the northwest quarter of section 36. Webster immediately disposed of his property in Troy township. About two hundred and seventy-five acres were sold'to Elizur Goodrich, also from Fleming, Cayuga county, New York, who had come out in the spring of 1822, looking for an eligible location to settle. Webster was a wealthy man, and entered three hundred and twenty acres of government land, including that upon which Thorn- ton had "squatted" and the water-power. Hie at once proceeded to build a dam and a mill-race, and erected a saw-mill. William Morris,,the first sheriff of the county, dug the race fdr him. The saw-mill was completed and in running order, and timber was prepared for the erctidn of a grist-mill, when, in August, 1823, Webster sickened and died of typhloid fever. After his death the entire property was purchased by Ebenezer Smith, who also came from the same township and county with Web- ster and .Goodrich. Two men, named Burk and Allen, had built the saw-mill for Webster, and together with Smith's son Aaron they built the grist-mill, which was completed some time during the year 1824. Elizur Goodrich, before spoken of, purchased a large quantity of land in see- tions}, 6, and.7 in Troy township, in 1822, amounting altogether to about seven hundred acres. According to his son Ira's recollection, he built a house on the northeast quarter of section 7. Captain Robert Parks, from the same neighbor- hood in Cayuga county, came with him, and entered about four hundred acres in his immediate vicinity. Mr. Goodrich did not bring his family until 1823. In the mean time his wife died. Both Mr. Goodrich and Captain Parks were soldiers of the war of 1812-15, and Mr. G. was wounded at the battle of Chippewa, July 5, 1814. About 1825, Mr. Goodrich married for his second wife a daughter of Ebenezer Smith. By his first wife he had eight sons. The seventh son died in the State of New York. Five of the boys-Alanson, Zenas, Chester, David, and Willard -settled in Troy township. Ira, the third son, came to Auburn in 1823, and opened a blacksmith-shop in company with Leonard Weed. The youngest son Elizur, Jr., died in Auburn in 1825. Elizur Goodrich, Sr., built him a house and removed to Auburn after the death of Ebenezer Smith. He purchased the saw-mill and operated it for a year or two, when he sold it to John K. Smith, a son of Sylvester Smith, and grandson of the old gentleman. Mr. Goodrich, about 1827 or 1828, returned to his homestead in Troy township, but soon after divided his property there among his boys, and purchased of S. V. R. Trowbridge two hundred and ten acres of land in the same township, upon which hlie erected a dwelling about 1839, where he lived until his death in the last days of April, 1850. His second wife sur- vived him until about the year 160. By this marriage he had three children,- two sons, FitzJames and Philip, and one daughter, Lydia, who married John Winn, and is now living south of Pontiac, in Bloomfield township. Mr. Good- rich gave this daughter, in lieu of land, three thousand dollars in money. Ira Goodrich, third son of Elizur Goodrich, was born in Fleming, Cayuga county, New York, February 2, 1806. He learned the blacksmith's trade in Scipio, in the same county, and after his arrival at Auburn he associated with Leonard Weed, as before stated, with whom he continued for some time. He and John Shippey manufactured the first millstones (one set), for the grist-mill of Ebenezer Smith, from a large bowlder which was found on Samuel Satterlee's land in Bloomfield. Mr. Goodrich gave up the smithing business in Auburn in 1850, and went to California, where he operated three shops at different points. His eyesight becoming affected, hlie was obliged to abandon his business and return home, which he did after an absence of about eighteen months, and purchased the farm where hlie now resides. The village of Auburn was laid out in September, 1826. The proprietors were Ebenezer Smith, I. L. Smith, Elizur Goodrich, Aaron Smith, and Sylvester Smith. The surveying and platting was done by Captain Henry Parke.t Ebenezer Smith died soon after the village was laid out, and the saw-mill fell into the hands of Elizur Goodrich, who operated it for a year or two, when hlie sold it to John K. Smith, as before stated. Smith carried on the business for several years, when hlie sold it to other parties; it eventually fell into the hands of IR. O. Quatermass and Charles Torrey, who are still owners of what remains of it. The grist-mill became the property of Aaron Smith at his father's death, and, t There were two additions to the place in 1836, by John Fernier, William Qucal, Eli Welch, Almira. Woodford, and Seth Beach. aI j0 0} 40 6 i~ 5 y. si aI aIi 3. wl r s Y k v' > c x , pit 4h 14 A x s v .. wn Z, a t^ 2 .l" i HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 121 I after several changes of ownership, Benjamin Phelps became its proprietor; and hlie afterwards sold the property to N. P. Stewart, an extensive speculator of Rome, New York, who tore away the old mill, and erected in its place one of the best mills in the State. It contained four run of burrs, was thirty-eight by seventy cet in dimensions, and cost about twenty-eight thousand dollars, including the power. While engaged in this and other extensive speculations, Stewart associated with him John Bacon, a brother of Levi Bacon, Jr. Not long after the building of this mill Stewart became bankrupt and the mill was sold. By reference to the files of the Pontiac Jacksonian we find the property offered for sale for several weeks in the latter part of 1843 and early part of 1844, by Seth B. Roberts, of Rome, New York, and Richardson & Green, attorneys, Pontiac. John F. Ham- in, of Avon, afterwards owned the mill, and he sold to his brother Elijah, and hlie to Messrs. Austin & Miller, and these last-named disposed of the property to the brothers Miller, from Albany, New York. While in their possession the mill took fire and was totally consumed about 1870. It is said that it was heavily insured at the time. CARDING AND CLOTII-DRESSING. About 1824, Ebenezer Smith sold water-power to one Pennel* for the purpose of erecting carding and cloth-dressing works; but hlie confined him to that special branch of business and nothing else in his deed, and it was this which more than anything else contributed to the downfall of Auburn as an important point. The power could only be purchased for specific purposes named in the deed, and peo- ple, and especially capitalists, very soon tired of investing money under such re- strictions. Pennel erected a mill, however, dye-house, etc., and purchased three sets of carding machines, at a cost of eight hundred dollars each, in New York. Pennel had abundant means, and purchased and improved considerable additional property in Auburn. He operated his clothing works for some ten years, and at one period John K. Smith was probably associated with him in business. The works changed hands a number of times, and eventually became the property of N. P. Stewart, who allowed them to go to decay. The machinery was sold and taken to some other point, and the building was finally moved away and used as a barn. A TRIP-IIAMMER SHOP was erected by Miller and Silsby about 1837, and the firm carried on quite an extensive business in the manufacture of scythes, axes, etc. This establishment was carried on for some fifteen years. TANNERY. 0 cUM1tr k J Among other manufactories, a tannery was put in operation by Woodford and Welch as early as 1833, and continued for about ten years. A second saw.mill was built by C. C. Parks about 1830. He built a new dam below the one erected by Webster, and the back water at length got him into trouble, and the business was abandoned. Still another dam was built by Win. Beem about 1833, a little below where the bridge now is on the road leading north from Auburn. He dug a long race (the ruins of which still remain) and built a saw-mill which was in operation for a number of years, and eventually fell into the hands of John Bacon. It was abandoned about 1855. A large chair-factory was in operation for a number of years, and there was also a cabinet-shop doing a good business. Auburn in those days was a better town than Pontiac, and probably the largest business point by all odds in the county. It had a post-office, a jeweler, a gun- smith, several large stores, two tailoring establishments, and two extensive black- smithing works by Ira Goodrich and the Silsby brothers, each with three fires. There was also a large hotel, and the place was a central point for militia mus- ters and celebrations. TIlE FIRST POST-OFFICE was established in 1823, with Johnson Green. as postmaster, who held it for a ood number of years, and was probably succeeded by Milton Hyde. Other ostmasters were C. C. Parks, Harvey Sceley, John Bacon, Leonard Weed, War- ren Dunning, and the widow King, who was also the last. The office was dis- continued about 1866-67. The first hotel in Auburn was opened by Charles C. Hascall as early as 1825. Among those who kept tavern in the village were Warren Dunning, 1840; Thomas J. Strong, 1843; Daniel Wallace, in 1848. The first store was opened by Zolman Carver, who married a daughter of Ebenezer Smith, and brought in a stock of goods about 1823-24. One of his first trades was with the Goodrich boys, who sold him forty "coon-skins" at twenty- five cents each. Carver sold them at eighteen and three-quarter cents, charged the difference to profit and loss, and went out of the fur business for a while. The second store and first distillery were put in operation by Phoenix Hinch- * Pennel afterwards removed to Northville, Wayne county. 16 man in 1825. He built a distillery below the grist-mill, and brought water from a spring on the mill company's land above the village. Hinchman conducted the distilling business for several years, and sold to Aaron Smith, who continued it for some time. The third store was opened by Oliver Newberry, an early settler in Detroit, and Seth Beach, about 1826-27. Newberry resided in Detroit, where lie was doing a large business, and Beach conducted the business in Auburn. They carried the heaviest stock in the place, and carried on business for six or seven years. Among the many merchants who sold goods in Auburn were Keeler and Niles (Johnson Niles and Roswell Keeler), who did business for four or five years; Major and Thomas Cummings; Parks & Mathews (C. C. Parks and Calvin Mathews); Stewart & Bacon, who had an extensive trading-house in connection with their mills; C. C. Hascall and Eugene Seeley; George Hosler, the widow King (in connection with the post-office), and the widow Hubbard. TIHE FIRST SCHOOL was opened in a double log building, which stood on the bank of the river about 1824. The building had a wheelwright's shop in the opposite end. The second school was opened in a new school-building erected on a lot given by Aaron Webster for school purposes, and which he curiously deeded to " Governor Cass and his successors in office forever, to be used only for school purposes," and the fee-simple is in the governor of the State to-day, though the lot is no longer used for school purposes, and has been fenced up and sold. This building was acci- dentally destroyed by fire soon after it was built. None of the names of the early teachers are now recollected. TIHE AUBURN ACADEMY was established by an act of the legislative council approved March 2, 1831. By the act seven trustees were named, viz.: Benj. Phelps, S. V. R. Trowbridge, Elizur Goodrich, Ezra S. Park, Reuben Woodford, Seth Beach, and George IHornell. The present schools of Auburn occupy the building formerly used by the Auburn academy, and are in a highly prosperous condition. The charter was obtained chiefly through the exertions of Hon. C. C. Hascall, then a member of the council. A good building was erected, and this institution was in operation for a number of years. In January, 1838, Francis B. Coleman was principal, and Miss R. W. Torrey preceptress of the female department. We take the following article from the old Oakland Qhronicle, of June 11, 1830, as showing the importance of Auburn at that date, and the extravagant anticipa- tions indulged in by 'many of the people: " This young and flourishing place is located on the banks of the Clinton river, three and a half, miles east of Pontiac, on the main road leading from Mount Clemens to the county-seat of Sciawassa. The banks of the Clinton are gently and beautifully elevated on either side. The water privilege is rarely sur- passedl, and exceeded by none in the Territorym. There are now erected fifty buildings, and a population of three hundred inhabitants; also in operation a grist-mill, with two run of stone, a saw-mill, carding-machine, two smith-shops, a furnace, wheelwright, cabinet-maker, tannery, and chairmaker, all aided by water-power; two merchants, men of capital and enterprise; a large and com- modious house of entertainment, recently established. The completion of a road -about one mile---will soon be effected, on a direct line to Hamilton's tavern, on the Saginaw turnpike, which will only make a difference of two miles from Detroit to Auburn, and a much better road. Auburn is situated nearer the centre of population than any other village in the county."t Among early settlers in Pontiac township, outside of the villages of Pontiac and Auburn, were Christopher Bulman, from Schenectady, New York, in May, 1831. Henry Thomas and sons settled somewhat earlier. Ephraim Colby set- tIed in 1830. Levi Stockwell settled a mile north of Auburn in 1837. Moses V. and Samuel Murlin, from western New York, settled somewhat earlier than Bulman. Peter Van Dyke settled about 1830. About 1840 lie returned to New York, where lie remained about two years, when he removed to Will county, Illinois. Messrs. IHarrington and Butson settled cast of Auburn at an early date. The present manufactures consist of the following: A new flouring- and custom-mill, recently erected by H. Gillette and J. C. Romine. It stands on the spot occupied by the old Stewart mill, is forty-eight by thirty-four feet in dimensions, and contains four run of burrs. It is fitted up with the best modern machinery,-turbine water-wheel, etc., and expects to do as good work as any mill in the country. Mr. Gillette is a practical man at the business, and has been a resident of the county some forty years. He and his brother owned and operated one of the Rochester mills for fourteen years. Mr. R"omine is from New Jersey, and has been in Oakland County about three years. t This description of Auburn shows not only the importance of the place, but also the scholarship of the writer. 122 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. A wagon-shop is owned and operated by S. A. Barnier, and doing a very fair business; and Messrs. Saml. and Fred. Durrant are running quite an extensive and very flourishing business of blacksmithing. H. Adolph Schinemann carries on the business of coopering. The original village was laid out in a beautiful piece of ground, and had it not been for causes over which, perhaps, the people of Auburn had no control, it might have been possibly for many years the best town in the county. The water-power was very good for the size of the stream, and, as is shown, was at one time extensively utilized. RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. The first religious body organized in Auburn was probably the Presbyterian, which properly began operations in Bloomfield, and was soon after transferred to Auburn, about 1824. In 1841 it was removed to Pontiac. At one time there was a small number of Christians in the place, and they probably held some sort of meetings, but, so far as known, never organized as a church. One of the manufacturing firm of Silsby Brothers was said to have been a preacher, and possibly held services.* At present the only religious society in the place is the Free Methodist. The first preacher of this denomination was Edward Mathews, an Englishman, who held services on the fair-ground at Pontiac, in 1873. He organized a society in Auburn in the spring of 1874, and preached for about two years, when hlie went to South Lyon, then in the same charge. From South Lyon lie removed to Jackson. Rev. Archibald Springsteen succeeded him. Auburn and South Lyon were divided and made two separate charges in 1876. Mr. Springsteen remained only a few months. Rev. S. Johnson took charge in October, 1876. The present number of members is twenty-nine: and there are twelve in Pon- tiac and fourteen in Avon, who also meet at Auburn. A Sabbath-school was organized in May, 1877, with five teachers and about forty scholars, including three Bible-classes. At present the society occupies the second story of the school-building, but it is in a flourishing condition, and there is some talk of erecting a house of worship. They have preaching every Sabbath, class-meetings Tuesday evening, and prayer-meetings Thursday evening. The denomination forbids the use of tobacco and all superfluities of dress.t BURYING-GROUND. The first place of sepulture was upon ground given by Aaron Webster, about 1822-23, and consisting of about one acre. It was surveyed and platted by Judah C. Marsh, an early settler, whose daughter was the first person interred in the ground. The first interments of adults were Aaron Webster and his wife and their son-in-law, named Crippen. This is still the only public cemetery in Auburn. In the Oakland Chronicle, under date of May, 1830, the Female Benevolent Society of Auburn acknowledge the laudable patronage and assistance severally rendered by the young gentlemen of Auburn. August 24, Edmund Lamson advertises himself as a chairmaker, at "No. 16 Kingdom of Wrath." There was a genera muster at Auburn in October, 1830. In that year Ira Goodrich was carrying on blacksmithing, and Smith & Dean were running the woolen-mill. The temperance movement seems to have been lively in Auburn in January, 1831. A great meeting was held at Hascall's assembly-room on the 31st of that month, at which a township temperance society was formed, with the following officers: President, Joseph Morrison; Secretary, John Southard; Vice-President, John R. Smith; Treasurer, Jacob N. Voorheis; Auditor, Stephen M. Brewster. Charles C. Hascall, of Auburn, was appointed in July, 1836, receiver of public moneys for the district of Michigan. The following items are taken from the Oakland Whig: In February, 1835, Pennel & Smith were running a carding and cloth-dressing mill. In March of the same year D. K. Noble and C. C. Parks were carrying on the business of wagon- and carriage-making, and R. Keeler & Co. advertise a general store. The 4th of July, 1835, was celebrated with great declat at Auburn. The fol- lowing gentlemen composed the committee of arrangements: S. V. R. Trowbridge, C. C. Hascall, L. Castle, Leonard Weed, David Baggs, L. W. Mann, G. O. Whit-. temore, T. A. Sprague, Orison Allen, Hiram Higby, Ed. Martin, Jesse Decker; James Graham was president, and Thomas Murlin vice-president, and an oration * There was a small Methodist class and irregular preaching at Auburn as early as 1827. They never had a house of worship, and afterwards united with the church in Pontiac. f There are no religious societies, outside the city of Pontiac and the village of Auburn, in the township. was delivered by P. McOmber, Esq. Revolutionary soldiers were invited free of expense. Among the patriotic toasts was the following: "The patriots and heroes of the Revolution. "We love to think of Bunker Hill, . Yorktown and Brandywine; We love those old Green Mountain boys, Who mounted John Burgoyne." INDIAN TRAIL. The great Indian trail from 'Mount Clemens to Pontiac and Orchard lake passed through Auburn. PRESENT SCHOOLS OF TIIE TOWNSHIP. The township of Pontiac, outside of the city, has seven full school-districts, and there are five fractional districts, being composed of sections in the township and others in adjoining townships. There are eight school-buildings in the town- ship, outside the city, and three others in the fractional districts on the township lines. Probably the most populous district is No. 1, including the village of Auburn. Districts Nos. 11 and 17 are largely outside the city limits, but have their buildings in the city. The schools are all in a flourishing condition and have mostly good buildings; but in the absence of statistical reports we are unable to give particulars. The abolition of the office of county superintendent seems to have been an unwise step. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JUSTIN S. NEWMAN, son of John and Mary (Hilton) Newman, was born in the town of Lima, Liv- ingston county, New York, July 16, 1811. Hie is one of a family of six chil- dren,-four sons and two daughters,-and is the only one of the sons now living. He has two sisters and a half-sister living. His parents were early settlers in Livingston county, New York. His father was one of three brothers, who settled at an early day in the State of Delaware. They were natives of England. J. S. Newman's father died before hlie was old enough to know him, and in 1833 the latter, then in his twenty-second year, visited Michigan for the purpose of purchasing land. He finally bought the northeast quarter of section 12, in Pontiac township, Oakland County, from second hands, and returned to New York. On the 11th of January, 1835, hlie was married in the town of Ogden, Monroe county, to Miss Hannah A. Fisher, daughter of John Fisher, of that county. She is a native of the town of Covert, Seneca county, New York, where she was born September 30, 1812. In the latter part of the month of May following their marriage (1835), Mr. Newman and his wife turned their course westward, and on finally arriving in Michigan, settled on the farm hle had purchased in 1833. A log house, twelve by sixteen feet, roofed with basswood troughs, lapped over each other in order to shed rain. had been built by the former owner, George Teeples, who settled here with his brother Harry, probably previous to 1830. Into this primitive structure Mr. Newman and his wife moved their household effects, and began life as pioneers. George Teeples, from whom Mr. Newman purchased, afterwards joined the Mormons. Mr. N. owns the same land he originally purchased,-one hundred and sixty acres. Mr. and Mrs. Newman are the parents of eight children,-four sons and four daughters. Five are married,-two sons and three daughters. Joan J. NEWMAN, the oldest son, was born January 6, 1836; now living on the old Utley farm, section 10, Pontiac township. WILLIAM R., born August 1, 1839; living at home; lately purchased a farm on section 12, Pontiac. CONDACE A., born June 4, 1841; now the wife of G. A. Giddings; living north of her parents. HARRIET B., born March 16, 1843; married to C. L. Bullock, and living in Toronto, Canada. ALFRED F., born June 24, 1845; living at home. EDWIN F., born April 23, 1848; living on his brother William's farm. MARY A., August 16, 1851; married to William H. Axford; living in Pontiac City. ADA GRACE, born January 13, 1860; living at home. Mr. Newman is yet an "old-line Abolitionist" in politics, and has never united with any party in particular, although ostensibly a Republican. When he and his wife were married the ceremony was performed in a Baptist church by Elder Zenith Case, who afterwards emigrated to the west, and died. They are now  4 44 44 4 ~ 44:4,4 44 1 4 <'~ 4 I I 4\ / 1 '' 'iJ~< ' I A A SNYQEF? fr1RS~A~A NYDE~7 Ii 7 < 44 4 4 ~<44" 44 4~44~/<> 44444 4444 « ' < 4, ' < < 4, 4,4< 4' '4 I , , 4 ' 4 4 < I, ' ' 4 -' I K I 4 ' 4 ' ' :44' 44 4 ' " 44< 4' , 44 44444 /4 1< <~' ' 44 444 ' 4444 ' 4 4 A <~ '><"'l ~4 " ' 4 ~ <' ' 4 44 ''4 :4444'44 '' ' 4 ' >4 4 >4, '< ~ , 44 44 >4 <4:4>4> 1 / 44 4:44 <4144 4/61 <>4> "4 4>4 ,' 4 44 4< '" 4 4 '4"4 < ' /4>4: ' 44 1~ 44 I ' 4 4' :4 ' S 4'' ' 14 ' ' < > < 4' I2A~3u ____________________________ _____ n AASNY ' TI~AAKLANDGQ~M K Lv rssCo ILA T  44 2 f 0 0 L . . h~0 , ) I' 'C HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 123 I members of the Oakland Baptist church of Oakland township, with which organi- zation they united in 1844 or 1845. Mrs. N. was a Baptist previous to her marriage, having professed religion in 1830, and joined that society. Mrs. Newman's father, John Fisher, was born in the State of New Jersey, March 21, 1772, and emigrated from Monmouth county to New York. His wife, Sarah (Praul) Fisher, was born July 16, 1774. Mr. Fisher settled in the town of Covert, Seneca county, New York, with his wife and five children in 1809. Two children were afterwards born in the family in that county; these were Mrs. Newman and her next older sister. Mrs. Fisher died in Seneca county, Novem- ber 30, 1820, and in 1822 her husband removed to the town of Ogden, Monroe county. In 1835 he accompanied his son-in-law, J. S. Newman, to Michigan, and lived with his son, William Fisher, south of Mr. Newman's, until February 24, 1864, when hlie died, having reached his ninety-third year. While living in Monroe county, New York, he married Mrs. Mary Newman, Justin S. Newman's mother, in October, 1822. One daughter was born to them, and is now living. His second wife died December 16, 1851. MORGAN J. SPENCER. [WAYNE COUNTY.] Was born in the parish of St. Mary's Church, in Glamorganshire, South Wales, on the 13th of July, 1816. He was the son of William Spencer, and the second of ten children. He remained at home, working on his father's farm until 1837, when, like thousands of others, he concluded to try and better his condition, and accordingly emigrated to America, settling at first in Syracuse, New York. He subsequently learned the tanner and. currier trade with his uncle, John Spencer, living twelve miles south of Syracuse. On the 7th of February, 1839, hlie married Margaret Jones, daughter of David Jones, Esq., of St. Faggans, Glamorganshire, South Wales. Her father died in his native country some years before, and the family came to the United States in 1837, along with Mr. Spencer's family, and settled at Syracuse. Mr. Spencer removed to Webster, Washtenaw county, Michigan, in 1846, where he purchased a fine farm on Boyden's Plains, and built one of the best farm residences in that county... Here he remained until 1864, giving his attention to the ancient and honor- able employment of agriculture, and making grain-raising a specialty. During his residence in Washtenaw county he occupied the honorable position of postmaster for a period of twelve years, and held several other offices in the township and county.-- In 1864 he disposed of his farm, and removed with his family to Plymouth, Wayne county, Michigan, where he remained two years, when he purchased the farm where hlie now resides. In 1867 he was elected justice of the peace, and has held the office continu- ously since. He also holds the office of notary public by appointment of the governor. - - v t"- Qm ADDISON TiE extreme northeast township of Oakland County is called Addison. It is a full congressional town, described as town 5 north, range 11 east, and, until 1837, formed a part of Oakland township. The surface of Addison is greatly diversi- fied,-generally level in the east, broken by lakes and marshes in the centre, and hilly in the west. The only local elevations are in the southwest, having the na- ture of a plateau, whose height above the general level is about one hundred feet. Its surface is tillable, and there is a tradition that the Indians cultivated several hundred acres of it before the settlement of the whites. Nearly the entire area of the township was originally covered with a growth of timber, a considerable portion of which was pine. Dense forests of this timber yet exist in the northern part of the township, and it is estimated that fifty million feet of timber can be cut in that region without exhausting the supply.. Fine groves of oak also abound, and other varieties of timber grow in limited quantities. There are no extensive plains in the township, and the soil generally is a loamy clay, susceptible of easy cultivation, and remarkable for its fertility. Three-fifths of the area are under cultivation, and the acreage of the several products for 1873, by the census returns, was as follows: Wheat, 3244 acres; corn, 920 acres; oats, 400 acres; barley, 300 acres; and the remainder in grass. Bushels of wheat, 40,727; corn, 30,690; all other graiiis, 29,766. There are about two thousand acres of waste land in the township, including one thousand acres of water-surtface. The natural drainage of Addison is good. There is a general depression, several miles wide, extending north and south through the town, containing a chain of lakes. Lakeville, the largest of these, is situated principally on sections 22 and 27. Its area is about seven hundred acres, which was produced, to a great extent, by the dam across its outlet. This had the effect of overflowing the intermediate surface of several small lakes, producing a vast pond or lake. The water, consequently, is shallow in places, affording excellent feeding-grounds for the finny tribes. The contour of the lake is very irregular, and its circuit embraces many miles. Its extreme length is one and one-half miles, its width three-fourths of a mile. There are some fine islands compassed by its waters, one of which has been improved for pleasure parties. The outlet of the lake is Stony creek. This stream has a southerly course for a short distance, then flows east along the south line of sections 26 and 25 into Macomb county. It receives the waters of several streams, and drains the contiguous country. There is also a series of small lakes in the northern part of the township. They flow in a general easterly course, and their outlet is a small stream flowing in a southeasterly direction through section 12. A number of springs are found in the western part of the township, and excellent water can everywhere be procured at a moderate depth. TOWNSHIP. FIRST ENTRIES OF PUBLIC LANDS The pioneer did not enter the bounds of Addison as soon as some of the adjacent towns. The tide of immigration flowed by on the south, passing west- ward. The first entry of land of which we have any record was that made by Henry Connor, in January, 1826. He then bought a lot on section 27. Four years later, in 1830, Samuel D. Wells purchased a tract of land in Addison. This was followed, about the same time, by TIHE FIRST SETTLEMENTS. Sherman Hopkins, an enterprising New Yorker, located the mill-site on section 27, in 1830. He built a small house of cedar poles, and at once commenced work on a dam for a saw-mill, getting workmen from Macomb county. After operating the mill a short time he sold it and all his interest in the place to Addi- son Chamberlain, in 1831. Mr. Chamberlain had come the year before, and had determined to cast his lot in this new country. He was a man eminently fitted to take up the work begun by Hopkins and carry it to a successful completion. Bringing his faniily from New York, his native State, he began developing the resources of his property with a zeal that inspired the new-comers with confidence; and he was always their friend,-generous to a fault, and honorable in all his transactions. He was instrumental in introducing many improvements, and was for many years the leading town official. In 1832, Nicholas Ferguson, of Wayne county, New York, located on section 12. He built a log house twenty-four by twenty-six feet, dressed smooth on the inside, and neatly chinked. It was in those days a building of aristocratic pre- tensions. He also cleared twelve acres, and seeded nine of them to wheat that fall. He was a great worker, and made a useful citizen. The same year brought a settlement to section 36. Aristarchus Willey, a Baptist elder, and David Tan- ner, had located their lands the year before, and they now brought their families. Mr. Tanner had a son named Lewis, who settled on the same section, near his father, in 1832. He had also a son, D. W. Tanner, who still resides on that section. Jonathan Niphon, a New Yorker, settled on section 36, in the fall of 1832. A number of settlers came in 1833, and settled as follows: Dennes Snyder, a native of New Jersey, on section 33. By the roads he had to go at that time it was four miles from any settlement. He located there on account of the excel- lent water afforded by numerous springs. Near some of these he hastily built a log house, without doors or windows, hanging up a blanket for a door. They did their cooking out of doors, in the most primitive fashion. With the assistance of his sons, Cornelius, Jacob, and Abram, he cleared twelve acres of ground, and 124 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. seeded it that fall. He also built a good log house, completing it some time in November, about the time of the great meteoric shower. This event was regarded by the superstitious as a sign of the dissolution of material things. But a work- man on Mr. Snyder's house took a more practical view of the matter: " Get up! get up !" he shouted, "and see the stars shooting. It will be as cold as Green- land to-morrow." And his prediction came true. A cold, stormy season fol- lowed, putting the settlers to much inconvenience, and causing some suffering. James McGregor located on section 26, Timothy Townsend on section 15, Lester Sowles, from Genesee county, New York, on section 11. He helped to build the dam at Hopkins' saw-mill, and was at one period a joint owner of Hopkins' second mill. Caleb Gilbert, on section 12; Philarman Cook, on section 36. He opened a small store there a few years after. Peter Brewer settled on section 25. He had four sons when hlie came to the township,-Addison, Peter, John, and Abra- ham,-who have identified themselves with the interests of Oakland County. Mark S., another son, was born in Addison. He was elected to Congress in 1876. In 1834 and 1835 immigration was large, and Addison received a fair proportion of those coming to Oakland County. Lyman Boughton, a well-edu- cated New Yorker, located on section 3 in 1834. He was elected the first super- visor. Rev. William T. Snow, from New York, on section 28, in 1835. Ie was an excellent man, and did much for the town. The Indians esteemed him highly, and under his preaching many embraced Christianity. Joel Dudley located in the northwestern part of the town. Hiram and Stephen Ferguson came about the same time, and located on sections 12 and 1; David Bolton and John Glover also settled on section 1 in 1835. Elathan Townsend, from Green county, New York, came to Oakland County in 1833, and in 1835 settled on section 24 in Addison. Jacob Snyder, of New Jersey, on section 15; William Raub and Samuel Miller, Pennsylvanians, on section 15; Jefferson Teller, a New Yorker, on section 14; John Ryman, on section 35; and John Wallace, on the same sec- tion, about the same time. Nicholas Boice, a native of New Jersey, settled on section 29; Morgan Freeman, on section 32; and Peter Dudder and Alonzo Marvin on the same section. Samuel D. Axford, on section 22; and Phineas Bell, on section 33. William Hagerman, a native of Northampton county, Penn- sylvania, located on section 4 in 1834. He received a patent from the govern- ment for five hundred and sixty acres, and was at that time and for many years the largest land-owner in the township. He had four sons, Alfred, John, Frank, and Cornelius, all now citizens of Oakland County. After selecting a good build- ing site, lie constructed a shanty, which answered very well for all the purposes of his household until the weather became warm. Then the mosquitoes became so troublesome that hlie had to construct sleeping apartments of his wagon-box. IHe raised it several feet from the ground, and, by keeping the cover closed, man- aged to outwit the "pesky critters." Mr. Hagerman cleared fifteen acres, and sowed it with wheat that fall. Next spring he built a good log house. Among those settling in the township from 1836 to 1838 were Oliver White- head and Henry Blanchard, natives of New York, who located on section 11; George Fisher, on section 1; George Crawford and Enoch Fosbinder, on section 15; and Jacob Bowers, William Lockwood, Robert Arnold, Jesse Elwell, James Clack, Lyman Sowles, Zimri Curtis, John Layton, Peter Shoemaker, Ernest Mann, Leonard Kingsbury, and Seymour Arnold, locating principally in the western part of the town. TUE FIRST FRAME HOUSE. Addison Chamberlain erected a small frame house in 1832, near his saw-mill, now in the village of Lakeville. It was used for a dwelling-house for some years, and subsequently for a tavern. It was enlarged by numerous additions, until it was quite an extensive establishment at the time it was destroyed by fire, in 1870. In 1834, Mr. Chamberlain also built the first frame barn. It was opposite his house, from which it was separated by a street. The frame was thirty by forty feet, and is still in use. Mr. William Hagerman planted an orchard in 1835, which was, perhaps, the first one of any size in the town. He procured his trees in Macomb county. Arnold Mack, an enterprising farmer, used the first reaper, in 1847. It was a Seymour & Morgan machine, and was purchased in New York, and shipped to Mr. Mack direct. Thomas Baker was one of the earliest, if not the first carpenter in the town- ship. He was assisted by his son-in-law, Andrew Myers, and most of the early houses and barns were constructed by them. Many of them remain as they were erected. A country store was kept by Philarman Cook, on section 36, about 1836. It was the only trading-place ever established in the township outside of the village of Lakeville. Mr. Cook continued in business only a short time. MANUFACTURES. In its strictest sense, Addison is purely an agricultural township. The chief industry of its people has always been the cultivation of the soil; but it has some tanufacturing interests which deserve a place in this connection. Immediately after Sherman Hopkins had built his cedar-pole shanty, hlie began work on a saw-mill, and built a dam across Stony creek, on section 27, near the outlet of Lakeville lake. This was in the summer and fall of 1830. When Addison Chamberlain bought the milling privileges at that point the property passed into his hands, and was very successfully operated by him for a number of years. The saw-mill was subsequently destroyed by fire. In 1832, Sherman Hopkins, John Sowles, and James Thornton purchased one hundred and sixty acres of government land on sections 1 and 12, including a splendid body of pine timber and a fine mill-site. They built a saw-mill on section 1, on the stream which drains the lakes in the northern part of the town, and had a good power. Subsequently the mill was burned down, but has been rebuilt and improved, giving it a much greater capacity than that of the original mill. The property is now widely known as the Brewer & Killam saw-mill, and is one of the best in the northern part of the county. These gentlemen have important lumber interests in Addison township and Lapeer county, and manufac- ture a large quantity of lumber annually. The Beach mill was erected by Milton Beach, on the west half of section 1, about 1840. Its capacity was never great, and it has seldom been worked to its fullest extent. About 1854, Samuel Miller built a saw-mill at the head of Lakeville lake. Soon after, lie met his death while on his return from the east, whither he had gone for funds to prosecute his work. The property remained in the possession of his family for some time thereafter, but at present belongs to Thomas J. Baker, and is known as the Baker saw-mill. About 1838, Addison Chamberlain erected a grist-mill about thirty rods south of his saw-mill. It was a small structure, having but one set of burrs. It was known as the Chamberlain mill. Robert Jarvis was the miller, and the flour he produced was a delight to the pioneer housewife. The mill was consumed by fire in 1846. TIIE CIVIL ORGANIZATION of Addison was effected in April, 1837. Until then it was annexed to Oakland township, and had a fair representation in the meetings of that town, electing several of her citizens to prominent offices. The name Addison was bestowed on the new town as a compliment to one of these, Addison Chamberlain, and the first town-meeting was held at his house, the small frame building already men- tioned as the first one in the town. David Tanner was chosen moderator; Caleb Gilbert, Joel Dudley, and Lyman Boughton, inspectors; and William T. Snow, clerk. A full list of officers was elected, as shown in the following roster: Supervisor, Lyman Boughton. Town Clerks, William T. Snow, Caleb Gilbert. Assessors, Uriah Townsend, William ilagerman, Leonard Kingsbury. Com- missioners of Highways, David Tanner, Caleb Gilbert. Collector, Ephraim B. Case. Constables, James S. Deming, Lester Sowles. Commissioners of Schools, Addison Chamberlain, Seymour Arnold, A. Willey. Directors of the Poor, William IIagerman, Dennes Snyder. Justices of the Peace, Lyman Boughton, William T. Snow, Joel Dudley, Philarman Cook. Since 1837 the full-term principal officers have been,- Sipervisors.-Addison Chamberlain, 1838-39; Seymour Arnold, 1840-43, 1856; Jacob Bowers, 1844-45, 1855, 1857-62, 1864-67; Joseph Arnold, 1846; William T. Snow, 1847-54 ; Lewis Mack, 1863; M. D. Ribble, 1868-77. Town Clerks.-William T. Snow, 1838-39; Joseph Arnold, 1840--45; N. P. Winans, 1846-47; E. B. Case, 1848-50; Thomas C. Carr, 1851-52; Robert Arnold, 1853; Francis llagerman, 1854, 1863-64; John N. Donaldson, 1855- 62, 1868-70; Matthew D. Ribble, 1865-67; D. B. Ketcham, 1871-73; Wil- liam H. Wilkinson, 1874-75; John W. Anderson, 1876-77. .Justices of the Peace.-Peter Townsend, 1838; Addison Chamberlain, 1839; Jacob Bowers, 1842, 1846, 1850, 1854,1858, 1862, 1866; E. M. Phelps, 1843; Seymour Arnold, 1844, 1853; Stephen Ferguson, 1845, 1849; Robert Arnold, 1847, 1852; John Johnson, 1848; Horace P. Winans, 1851; Harvey Perkins, 1855; Joseph Arnold, 1856; Matthew D. Ribble, 1857, 1861, 1865, 1872; Lester Sowles, 1859, 1868; William Baker, 1860; Lyman Sowles, 1863; Lewis Mack, 1864; Samuel E. Ferguson, 1867-76; George W. Allen, 1869, 1873-77; Abram A. Snyder, 1870, 1874; William H. Wilkinson, 1871; John H. Butts, 1875. Some interesting excerpts have been taken from TIHE TOWN RECORDS. It was voted at the first election, "That Addison come under the act regulating common schools." "That each section line shall be deemed a public road." "That all sheep and cattle shall be free commoners." " And that the next town-meeting be again held at the house of A. Chamberlain."  ,i A, ;,, 0 0 0 0 I'1 P1 <'7 U 7 0 0 ii 7 jij< 0 0 r~i 0 71< 7/I  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 125 I In 1838 it was decided to have a town-pound, although there is no record of a law to restrain animals. " That a pound twenty feet square and seven feet high be constructed of tamarack logs, near Chamberlain's saw-mill, in the cheapest possible manner; and five dollars be raised for building it." Ephraim B. Case was invested with the title of pound-master. For the sum of one dollar, paid to Supervisor Chamberlain, George Larzelier was licensed to keep tavern, in 1839, at what is now known as Lakeville. Mr. Larzelier's efforts to entertain the public must have been appreciated, as he was again licensed to retail spirituous liquors, and to keep tavern, in 1841, "when he shall have paid five dollars into the treasury." ROADS. The resolution passed at the first town-meeting, ordering roads on section lines, was carried out as far as practicable, and these roads, and such other highways as have been found necessary, are the only avenues of communication the township possesses. No railroad or turnpike has ever been built within its bounds. SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL-IIOUSES. Considerable interest was manifested in educational matters by the early settlers of Addison, and a year after the town was organized eight districts were formed. In the fall of the srme year,-1838,-Elizabeth Arnold, Sally Ann Hoyt, and Mariette Tedman were examined by the town school-board, "in respect to moral character, learning, and ability to teach," and were adjudged worthy to receive certificates. The following year Miss Kendricks was complimented in a like manner. A shanty erected on section 23, in 1835, was perhaps the first building dedi- cated to education in the township. Here, in the summer of that year, Mariette Tedman had gathered the Hagerman children, the Tellers, the Bakers, and others of that vicinity, to instil into their young minds the rudimentary principles of knowledge. She was highly esteemed for her devotion to the work, and her amiable qualities. Polly Baker followed her as one of the other early teachers. A substantial school-house took the place of the old one in a few years, and was also occupied for religious meetings. In the northeastern part of the town the first school was held in Nicholas Fer- guson's barn in the fall of 1836. The building had just been erected, and, as the neighbors desired a school, Mr. Ferguson told them that one corner of his barn was at their service for this purpose. Accordingly, a board was put up to show where the school-room ended and the barn began. Miss Sarah Gilbert was in- vested with the honor of teaching in this novel school-house, at the very moder- ate salary of six shillings a week. Her pupils were the Gilberts, Whitcheads, Blanchards, and Fergusons. Subsequent schools were kept in dwelling-houses until 1838, when a small frame school-house was built on section 12. Miss Ken- dricks was the first teacher there. The first school-house in the southwest part of the town was erected in 1838. It was a frame building, not very large, but for those times quite comfortable. It was situated on section 27, about eighty rods west of Lakeville. Borden Taylor, Mary Snow, and Mariette Tedman were among the first to fill -the teacher's posi- tion, and the pupils came chiefly from the Snyder, Dudder, Bowers, Snow, and Larzelier families. But previous to the building of the school-house there was a private school kept by Mrs. Leonard Jarvis, in her shanty on section 33, proba- bly in 1836, which was attended by the children of that part of the township. The township is now well supplied with a fair class of buildings for school purposes, and some of those more recently built are noteworthy for their fine appearance and convenience of arrangement. The school-house at Lakeville especially is marked in these respects, and is a credit to the place. MARRIAGES, BIRTHS, AND DEATHS. Respecting the first marriage in the township there is some difference of opin- ion. In the absence of more definite information we can only give the dates of some who assumed the bonds at an early day. George K. Snover, of Oakland town- ship, married Charity Hulick, at the house of Dennes Snyder, in the fall of 1834. A year or so later William Tupper married Sarah Snyder. Nothing definite can be learned as to the first child born in Addison, and we do not venture an opinion as to whom this distinction belongs. Among the first deaths in the township was that of Austin Roy, who had come to see the country. He was taken ill, and died very unexpectedly in the latter part of 1836. He was buried on section 32, and his grave is at present in a neglected condition. About this time an elderly man, named Smith, was drowned in the lake, while fishing. He was buried at the Snyder school-house, on section 23. In 1838 a Mr. Hotchkiss, a blacksmith, who came into the country in 1836, and settled on section 11, was buried at the same place. Aside from a few private burying-grounds, the grave-yard on section 23 was the only one used by the early settlers. It was never thought a very desirable location, and was probably selected on account of its proximity to the school-house. In 1843, Ernest Mann donated one acre of ground on section 34 to the public, for its use as a cemetery. To this spot most of those interred elsewhere were trans- ferred. Derrick Hulick, a soldier of 1812, who died in 1843, was the first person buried in what is now known as the Lakeville cemetery. The situation of the cemetery is exceedingly fine, and when it is improved, as contemplated, it will indeed be a beautiful "city of the dead." SOLDIERS OF 1812. To Jesse Elwell-who lived on section 19-and Derrick Huliek belong the honor of having served our country in the struggle with Great Britain. Both served in New York, but their company connections cannot be ascertained. The former died in 1874, the latter in 1843. THE VILLAGE OF LAKEVILLE. The very first settler of Addison seemed to realize that somewhere on section 27, at or near the outlet of the principal lake of that region, would be the site for the village which would serve as a trading-point for the township. And when, in 1830, Sherman Hopkins built a small log house and a saw.mill on the spot where Lakeville now stands, hlie really laid the foundation of the place. His successor, Addison Chamberlain, completed the work; and in 1840, Frederick S. Clark, Payne K. Leech, and Richard L. Clark laid out the village of Lakeville on section 27. There are thirty-four blocks of eight lots each, and two half-blocks, included in the plat. The location of Lakeville is beautiful, almost romantic. The hills bordering the lake on the east are so elevated that not only the waters of that body can be overlooked but a considerable portion of the surrounding country lying below them, presenting, with its variegated surface, a very pleasing picture. Fringing the little stream are clumps of cedar, whose dark green contrasts sharply with the foliage of surrounding deciduous trees, while here and there tall pines appear, rearing their lofty forms of majestic beauty towards the sky. On one of these hills Mr. Chamberlain built his frame house, which was soon enlarged, and became the first tavern, where the genial Chamberlain provided for the comfort of his pioneer guests as only a generous host can. Another addition to his house made a store-room, where lie, in 1835, opened the first store. He continued in the mercantile business for several years; then hlie turned his attention to milling. erecting the grist-mill mentioned elsewhere in the history of the township. George Larzelier having purchased the tavern and store, devoted his entire at- tention to them. The Larzelier tavern had more than a local reputation. It was the headquarters of several stage-lines,,and the customary stopping-place between Royal Oak and Lapeer. Hence it soon became a popular resort for a lot of" hale fellows well met," and many were the convivial feasts they there enjoyed. The build- ing was destroyed by fire in 1870, and thus passed away one of the most familiar land-marks of the township. TIE POST-OFFICE AND MAIL-ROUTES. About 1838 a post-office was established at Lakeville. George Larzelier was the postmaster. The mail-route was from Royal Oak to Dryden, in Lapeer county. The mail was carried on horseback, a small pony being used. Very often he was obliged to swim the streams. A "stage" was put on the route soon after. It was a " democrat" wagon, capable of carrying four passengers, if the roads were not too muddy. A short time after, mail-routes were established from Lakeville to Bald Eagle lake, and from Lakeville to Beebe, now Ridgeway. Since then Lakeville has lost her prestige as a mail-centre, and has now only one route, which furnishes a semi-weekly mail. TIlE FIRST BLACKSMITH to locate permanently at Lakeville was Ephraim B. Case. His shop was the cedar-pole shanty erected by Sherman Hopkins. He was a good workman, and was greatly respected by his neighbors. EARLY PHYSICIANS. Among the early healers of the sick in Addison were Doctors Morrison and Whitney. Both located at Lakeville, the former in 1842, the latter in 1848. THE LAKEVILLE MILLS. After the destruction of the Chamberlain mill, in 1846, Charles W. Chapel secured the mill site, and in 1847 erected a fine three-story and basement mill, having a dimension of forty by fifty feet. He supplied it with two run of stone and good machinery, which is propelled by a thirteen-foot overshot wheel. The capacity of the mill is fifty barrels of flour per day. Messrs. Frink and Gray are the present proprietors. 12 IHISIOI Y (A oAK.! UNI COHN JY, 1(1110 AN ~4 ) I Yt ~y Ann, Juiy 8~)~ IS S ~ I I w Ja a SaenA' imiattic apemied in I S~,i, W4$ die iii~i cue iii the t'i11uig~t Which catiied ~ ~u stark £ 8 PP '1 S2mt ; Ibimiedi Naveinher I I ~d Be ii 13 Pram K. (vrytline rem u>mired it da trde imii that tiaa~ trail his hmdhIia~ af a ad IX eciaher 9, 182.1 , ~cd teuummes, March 1 d, 1827. ~scvder ciarrasl his secccd with. Mary reami thramiglm. 4 Ixhmnl, a rival village cc its wcst, i~aheville emujayed aim envhmhl ha ~1~hu~th YR A. Iltiliek, hut rejmctaticii ha tradc. Its Rescat hasicuss is candactad hy the helacuumauned litmus did iict have ~mcy ehihiteim hy this icarriage. She alsa preceded her hcshaiid hi General iacre, B, B. Price ; hatel, A. A. Sc', der, pnpdetar ; Ihamalry, .thhn ~ ,tth~ Pu Mimrtili A) I 5(4 N. Scyder amid scum cmm.rperumge, Juices Wiuuum ; hlaeksnmith mmimd wagamuhemaim. ,lchiu Alier his cmarrce'e ~l r Siuyder settled an a Ihruc in New Jersey, awl lived N. Sumyder amid scum ; Imli)aieiamm, Williacm I). Wilhicsmjc ; 15uttaa,~ter, isaac ~iiymau there maitil May 20, 15113, Whelm lie started (hr Ylielmigac with his hmcmilv aiim1 his Witch 5istei>~ llama Isimaums iii all. liumiharhaug cii the selmaccer Cacmnmadare tier ruicrrmalrisa' rriscaeai. ei.tt'ireu~i. I rry,'' at Ilmithila, liar reaelad ileircit aim due 2(4th af dccc, after mm. twelve days 'flue first religiaiis iceetluig held mc tIme tawiushup was a prayenumeetimig at die ~ ~h Pram tlmis phice tc Jalium S. A xthrmls, ddrty nuiles frcin Itetraiti aim cadesumim lmccse af Win. hdagerniami. Mai..t at' thase warmuhipilig there prefessed the Mcd was taheim, aumml after three mihays' travel their destimiatiami was reached, Shardy adist limithi. umltlicagh cthers a1' dillitrent ereeds undued With diem. Ahact I Situ .ihiei', lim, tiummt't',I tim his hiumd cc seetimmc 33, Additaum, ht~iiig the tliirml thumily ta Bev. Cludield Was aplsmimiteml as the first " ciremnt liteselai', hat hug a auimuiher at Sm tile iii tl~it tAiWiiidiip. Ihis fliruim war at that time feam' miles h'cci the settles tither almpmuiutttmieuits all mr'rmi' tlim~ emuusmitty. tl~c am'gaudr.etl timi, Metliedists at' AmhmIti itiemits, utah las lictime rams a sanjule lag mahuiuu, destitute af tIme cm~crmthrts auid ccnve~ sari imita a chuss, which clause 'Williaumi htagi'rnmac Imammlem' aumd Jetfersaum 33'llem' cx~~ umieuices umaw facial in thin, lmammrest hemmne lii Adilisac. After yrars af mail auiml harter. TIme mnemnhers were the ahavi' aiim1 their wives, J mmccli Suiymiem' amid with hat'mI5liil~5. he Wim5 rewardeml hy the cwmimmrship at' a very hue tuna, whase mirigimml ,I£miaclm ,Faahimider anmi Wih.t, thea. Crawtiard aiim1 with, Mary Cu'aw hurml, Mrs. N. ditmaimisiums had heeui mmmcli immereased hmy schsemjcemmt purchases. mum1 his last ditys 'fcwcmmermd, cud SalamIs Met3regar. 'fhiey had regular pm'eamdiicg at the Simyder sm.thaahharmse, arid tIme uimeedrmgs were well attemudeml. Quarterly icectimme's were ~eumerally hehml Pm harmis, as the sclmmsmhlimmase was lana stimall ma mc.'eauacuadmute all whi a umiunmuhemll an sach ceemisimeas. The increase t.d' the menihiershmip mit' the r'luss war~ ramiteml its divisimmn ahiact 184(1, Imiirt af mIre memchaers gahug tum tIme sehiaal~hanse west at' i~akcville, the remmiuiuuder n.~ the schiaal..hmaiiae mmii seetimuti I , hum'uimiui '~ twin, pm'mma~ehirmg~places. 'In 18(4(1 lt was determiiimie34, IMr 'P cm at. lIt (a tyn nrchasealin'mninItI/ Jan t qa itly 4 $1) <1 WO id n'Jit't 8 1' 8 h ~ y'r A s'a'cr n~ z a d~~ M -i Agd_ fro HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 129 ----r-- thus engaged on his father's farm until he was of age, when hlie purchased a portion of the homestead and began life for himself. In 1853 he married Mary C., daughter of E. W. Lawrence, of Lapeer county, and the year following moved on his farm. On the death of his father, in 1861, Samuel purchased the homestead, and has since resided there, erecting the build- ings and making the improvements shown elsewhere in this work. He has de- voted himself strictly to the interests of his calling, and has prospered, being now the owner of two hundred acres of land under a good state of cultivation. The married life of Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson has been blessed with four children: Almira, born September 20, 1854, died August 22, 1863; Evert, born August 4, 1857; Lizzie, born February 1, 1866; Homer, born March 28, 1868. Mr. Ferguson has served his town in various ways, and is now a justice of the peace. He is a worthy, unobtrusive citizen, and is a member of the Congrega- tional church at Almont, Michigan. PETER BREWER. Peter Brewer and Mary, his wife, late of the township of Addison, whose portraits are herewith given, may well be classed with the " pioneers" of Oak- land County. The father of the former, whose name was also Peter, was born in Holland, April 1, 1740, and at the age of twenty-one years came to America, landing in the city of New York, where he remained until 1767, when hlie married Elizabeth Stone, and soon after settled in Westchester county, where hlie resided until the beginning of the Revolutionery war, when he entered the army to assist in sustaining the independence of the colonies, which had been proclaimed by the patriot fathers. At the close of the war hlie settled in Dutchess county, where Peter Brewer, his son, was born, June 8, 1791, being the youngest but one of sixteen children. In 1795, Peter Brewer, Sr., removed with his family into Grcene county, among the Catskill mountains, where he died in 1804, his wife surviving him until 1828. In 1824, Peter Brewer, the subject of this sketch, married Mary Ternes, the daughter of John and Mary Ternes, who was born in the north of Ireland, April 16, 1804, and when three years of age came to America with her parents, who settled, and remained until she was about twenty years of age, in the city of New York, and then, with her father's family, moved into Greene county. In the month of August, 1833, Peter Brewer and his wife Mary, with their family of four children, set out in search of a new home in the then almost unknown Territory of Michigan, coming from Catskill in a sloop, thence to Buffalo on the Erie canal in what was known as a "line-boat." They sailed from Buffalo for Detroit on board the steamer " New York," a comparatively new boat. On their arrival at Erie, Pennsylvania, the boat ran on a sand-bar, where it remained nearly three days, when the passengers were transferred to the "Su- perior," one of the first steamboats that sailed the lakes. Their journey from Catskill to Detroit occupied more than two weeks. They remained at the latter place only a few hours, when they started out with two hired teams through the unbroken wilderness, over a road that was nearly impassable on account of mire and fallen trees. After a toilsome journey of three days they arrived at Elisha Townsend's, a brother-in-law, living in the township of Washington, Macomb county, twenty-eight miles from Detroit. After remaining there a few days, they started for their new future home on section 36, in what is now known as the township of Addison, it being then un- organized as a separate township. At that time there were but few settlers in the township. There was a saw-mill at what is now the village of Lakeville, but no grist-mill nearer than Stony Creek, ten miles away. Neither were there any churches nor school-houses in the township, and the winding trail of the Indian was for some time the pioneer's only road. The wolf and deer, with other wild animals, were abundant, and none save the Indian contested their rights or dis- puted their jurisdiction. Here these pioneers labored from year to year, suffering all the privations in- separable from a frontier life, until the log dwelling gave way to the beautiful white farm-house slhown in the accompanying engraving, and the church and the school-building of the pale-face supplanted the wigwam of the savage. On the 23d of September, 1866, beloved and respected by all, and surrounded by children and friends, after a short illness, this aged couple, within a few hours of each other, surrendered up their spirits to Him who gave them. They left five sons and four daughters: Addison P. Brewer, Ann E. Brewer, Peter W. Brewer, John A. Brewer, Abram N. Brewer, Mark S. Brewer, Mary L. Brewer, Lydia NI. Brewer, and Sarah E. Brewer, all of whom have become men and women, and still live to love and cherish the memory of kind and indulgent parents. CORNELIUS SELFRIDGE was born in the town of Argyle, Washington county, New York, October 30, 1820, and lived at the place of his birth until he was twelve years of age, when his father removed his family to the town of Caledonia, Livingston county, where hlie afterwards died. At his father's death hlie was compelled to rely upon himself, and at an early age learned the trade of a blacksmith, at which hlie worked a portion of the time, and a portion he employed working on a farm by the month. In 1853 hlie removed from Caledonia to Le Roy, Genesee county, New York. In 1850 lihe married bliss Adelaide L. Kendall, of Le Roy. She was born in Massachusetts, February 8, 1825. He eventually removed from Genesee county to Michigan, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land where he now lives. lIe owns, at present, a finely-improved farm of one hundred and eighty-five acres, a view of which is given in this work. Mr. Selfridge is a characteristic type of the class so prominent in the history of all new countries,-self-made men,-and does honor to the roll. His life happily illustrates the possibilities which lie in the path of every young man in America, if he will but rely upon his own good arm and determine that no ordinary obstacles shall prevent him from winning distinction in some respectable branch of human industry. - C- - AVON T TIE division of Oakland County bearing the above name was until 1835 a part of the original town of Oakland, established June 28, 1820. At page 1420, third volume of the "Laws of Michigan Territory," appears the following: " An act to organize the township of Avon, in the county of Oakland. " SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Council of the Territory of lichi- gan, That all that part of the county of Oakland comprised in surveyed township 3 north, range 11 east, be a township by the name of Avon, and the first town- ship-meeting be held at the place to which the township-meeting for the township of Oakland stands adjourned. SECTION 2. That the township-meeting for the township of Oakiand shall be holden at the new dwelling-house of William Snell, in said township, any law to the contrary notwithstanding. "t SECTION 3. That this act shall take effect and be in force on and after theim first Monday of April next. "Approved March 30, 1835." In this township the first settlement in the county was made, and the reason is 17 OWNSHIP. unexplained why the name of Oakland was not retained here, where it properly belonged. The surface of Avon is generally undulating, and along the streams rises to ele- vations worthy to be designated as hills. Notably is this the case in the vicinity of Rochester, and in the northeastern portion of the township, along Paint and Stony creeks. But a very small area of marshy or uncultivatable land is found, and, although in early years much of the land in the township was considered too poor to cultivate, a careful system of farming and the judicious use of fertilizers have so improved it that the bountiful returns amply repay the agriculturist for his outlay of labor and capital. Wheat is especially a good crop, while the various other grains, as well as the different fruits, yield abundantly. The township is well watered by the Clinton river, Paint, Stony, Sargent's, Galloway's, and other creeks, and numerous smaller tributaries. The larger streams aford considerable power, which was utilized by the first settlers, and has been made to turn a number of mill-wheels since. Clinton river has had no less than six dams built across it within the boundaries of ithe township, and Paint and Stony HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. creeks have also performed their share in furnishing motive power for numerous mills and manufactories. The latter stream, though small, is very rapid and con- stant, and several dams breast its waters within the distance of a mile and a half. The southern portion of the township is more generally level, and was originally quite heavily timbered. A comparatively large area of timber is yet standing, and many trees from two to four feet through are seen. The varieties are elm, white-oak, basswood, sycamore, ash, maple, and 6thers indigenous to the soil of this region. Wherever there is an extensive tract of timber the growth is luxuriant, and in these days of exemption from forest fires, the underbrush is usually thick and heavy. The township contains the small village of Stony Creek and the incorporated village of Rochester, and had a population in 1874 of eighteen hundred and fifty- six. The D:troit and Bay City railway crosses the northeast part, passing through the village of Rochester, and having within the township limits a length of about five miles. The first passenger train over this road arrived in Rochester some time in October, 1872. The survey of the Michigan Air-Line railway also passes across the township, following the valley of the Clinton river. Nothing further has been done on this line than surveying it. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first permanent settlement within the limits of Oakland County was made in this township in 1817, and here cluster many of the associations of pioneer life of that day. The first white persons to settle in Avon township, or in Oakland County, were James Graham and his son Alexander, and Christopher Hlartsough,* who, on the 17th of March, 1817 (St. Patrick's Day), arrived on the site of the present village of Rochester, and located on the bank of Paint creek. James Graham soon after removed to section 21, and "squatted" on a farm afterwards (spring of 1819) occupied by Dr. William Thompson. In early life old Mr. Graham resided near Tioga Point, on the Chemung branch of the Susquehanna river, in Pennsylvania. He afterwards removed to Oxford, in Upper Canada, and in 1816 emigrated to Macomb county, Michigan, where he settled at Mount Clemens, and stayed there until his final settlement in Avon. The first entry of land in the township and county was made by John Hersey, on the 29th day of October, 1818, including the southeast quarter of section 10, now within the corporate limits of the village of Rochester, the price paid being two dollars per acre. Mr. Hersey also nominally entered the southwest quarter of the same section, but received no title for it, and, in the fall of 1819, it was taken by Messrs. William Russell and Benjamin Woodworth, the latter the pro- prietor of the old "Steamboat hotel" at Detroit. Russell was the only one of these two men who settled here. The latter parties also made the first entry in the present township of Oakland, in March, 1819. In 1819 the following persons entered land in what is now Avon township, viz.: A. E. Wing, T. C. Sheldon, Solomon Sibley, James Abbott, Daniel Leroy, Alexander Graham, William Williams, J. Baldwin, D. Bronson, J. Myers, Ira Roberts, Nathaniel Baldwin, George Postal, Dr. William Thompson, John Mil- ler, and Isaac Willets. In 1821 land was entered by Cyrus A. Chipman and Frederick A. Sprague; in 1822, by Champlin Green, Gad Norton, William Bur- bank, and Smith Weeks. 7 " At the opening of the land-offices in Michigan the public lands were offered at auction. Such as were not sold were subject to sale to individuals at two dol- lars an acre, one-fourth to be paid down, the remainder in one, two, and three years, with interest. All the lands which were entered previous to the 3d day of July, 1820, were purchased under this act. " On the 23d day of April, 1820, Congress passed an act authorizing the sale of public lands at one dollar and a quarter an acre, payments in full at the time of the purchase."t The passage of the act establishing the price of public lands at one dollar and a quarter an acre was followed by a large immigration into Michigan, and the fact that after settlers had paid their money they were in no danger of losing their property from inability to pay a balance caused a wide-spread feeling of relief. They be- came owners at once of homesteads, and, although times might be so hard that it was difficult to secure a good living, yet the conviction that they possessed homes led the pioneers of the land to plod on perseveringly in the wilderness, and they succeeded in erecting a proud inheritance for their children, and most of them passed the latter part of their lives in comparative ease after years of toil and privation. An old settler gives the following list of persons living in Avon township in * Spelled by some Ilartaaw. t From an article by the late ion. Thomas J. Drake. 1821, according to his recollection: Hon. Daniel Leroy, Francis Leroy, Robert Leroy, Hon. Daniel Bronson, William Bronson, HIon. Mr. Davis, William Wood (blacksmith), John Hersey, James A. IHersey, George Hersey, Obadiah Murray, John Sargent, Dr. William Thompson, Captain John Miller, George Postal, Sr., George Postal, Jr., Elisha Postal, William Postal, Mr. Secord, Ebenezer McCoy, James Graham, Alexander Graham, Benjamin Graham, John Wilson, Sr., John. Wilson, Jr., Stephen Wilson, William Russell, Nathan Fowler, Sr., Nathan Fow- ler, Jr., Daniel Fowler, Samuel Fowler, Thomas Sturgess, Benjamin Sturgess, Moses Olmstead, Salmon Olmhnstead, James Ellison, Gideon Ellison, Jonathan Perrin, David Perrin, Samuel Beeman, Ira Roberts, Hon. Roger Sprague, Walter Sprague, Frederick A. Sprague, Roger Sprague, Jr., Asahel Sprague, George W. Sprague, Thomas Sprague, Cyrus Chipman, M.D., Cyrus A. Chipman, Samuel F. Chipman, John M. Chipman, William F. Chipman, George A. Chipman, Daniel C. Chipman, Linus Cone. Of these many are now deceased, others have removed to different localities, and but a comparatively small number are left in the township to tell to the seeker after historic lore the "tales of other days." George Postal, Sr., from Canandaigua,'Ontario county, New York, settled, with his wife and seven children,-four sons and three daughters,-on section 20 in 1818.4 One son was born after the settlement, and of the eight children but four are living,-three in Oakland County (George and two sisters) and one son in Macomb. Mr. Postal entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, for which lihe paid at the rate of two dollars per acre. He died on the old place at the age of seventy-two years. When they came into Oakland County they passed up the Detroit river and Lake St. Clair to the mouth of the Clinton river, thence up that stream to Mount Clemens, Macomb county, then across the country to Utica, and finally to their new home in Avon. The trip was made in this manner, as there were no roads running any distance out of Detroit at that time. On arriving at the spot destined to be his future abiding-place, Mr. Postal built a log house, eighteen by twenty- four feet in dimensions, floored with split basswood logs. It was quite a respect- able house for the time, although the roof, which was made of white-elm bark, soon began to give evidence that it could not withstand the beating of the rain, and the consequence was, articles in the house could be kept but little dryer in a storm than they would have been if exposed completely. About 1825, Mr. Postal erected a saw-mill on his place, the power being fur-' nished by the Clinton river, and a number of years afterwards his son, Charles) Postal, built a grist-mill near by. George Postal, Jr., now residing on section 29, is the earliest settler at present living in the township. Although but a lad when his parents moved to the town, hlie is now a man well advanced in years, having reached the age of seventy-one (born February 2, 1806), and has passed nearly sixty years of his life in the neighborhood where hlie lives. Hle has -occupied his present farm since about 1828, and witnessed since his settlement here the wonderful transformation which has been made in the aspect of the country. His first wife was a sister to James A. Weeks, present secretary of the Oakland County Pioneer Association. George Postal, Sr., was a carpenter by trade, and is said to have built the first frame dwelling in the county, at Pontiac. Dr. William Thompson located in Avon in the spring of 1819, and made some improvements on the farm now owned by P. Lomason, section 8, but finally settled on section 21, where James Graham had "squatted," in 1817. He some time afterwards sold his property to Levi Leroy. Daniel Leroy had settled in the spring of 1819, but Levi did not arrive until considerably later. In 1820, Dr. Thompson built the first frame barn in the township. Another frame barn in the southwest part of the town, built some time later, was struck by lightning and partially destroyed. The place it was on was at the time occupied by one Dr. Bradley, a teacher in the early schools. The vicinity of Auburn, Cayuga county, New York, furnished a large number of people who settled in Oakland County, many of them locating in the township of Troy. Aaron Webster, Sr., from Aurelius, near Auburn, settled in Troy in 1820,§ oh section 6. He was accompanied by his wife and seven children,-four sons and three daughters. They lived in Troy about two years, and then removed to Auburn, Pontiac township, where, in 1823, he built a saw-mill, and was pre- paring also to build a grist-mill, but died in August of that year, before completing the latter. Aaron Webster, Jr., purchased the place where he now resides, on section 35, Avon, about 1839. About 1842, he built a blacksmith-shop on the northwest corner of the section, where the stone shop now stands. It was the first one at the place, and was largely patronized. tAuthority of George Postal, now living on section 29. Judge Drake stated that Mr. Postal entered his land in 1819, therefore we give both authorities. § Other authorities place this date at 1821. ( ' r w F ,. . ~ , . , y ;- . . ,;, ., , . r . ; P . F , .. q . r ' )rir r 't ;' - ",P' .,. , , y, c K,. Grr a Oil, e . iz rry its, a V, x a y t. <. a t , P r .y f. r r. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 131 ~1 The following extract from a letter written by William Bronson, from Califor- nia, March 11, 1875, to Dr. F. 3M. Wilcox, of Rochester, will prove interesting, as MIr. B. had lived over half a century in Avon: " I was born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, November 23, 1793. My father, Daniel Bronson, moved to the Genesee country and settled in East Bloom- field February 15, 1794, and moved from thence, in 1818, to Michigan, by sleighing, and located in Avon, Oakland County, before the county was organ- ized, on section 24, township 3 north, range 11 east, where hlie lived and died. I lived in Michigan fifty-five years. I crossed the plains and Rocky mountains in 1853, in five months, with my son Marion; returned in 1854, by water, in twenty- three days, to New York; went to California, by rail, in 1873, in seven days, having been absent twenty years and twenty days. Three of my boys are in California, one in Oregon." Mr. Bronson's last journey to California was made when hlie was eighty years of age, and was quite beneficial in partially restoring him to good health, he having been afflicted for some time. The following article, from the pen of Cyrus A. Chipman, is given as it was published in the Rochester Era in 1876, and is a truthful and vivid description of the trials and incidents attendant upon the life of the early pioneers. It will refresh the memory of the gray-haired men who experienced them, and illustrate accurately to the younger people the hardships their sires and grandsires found it necessary to brave in order to erect homes for themselves and their families in the " howling wilderness." " In 1821 a company of six or seven of us left Ontario county. New York, for Michigan, to look at the country, with the view of finding a new home for the families belonging to several of the parties. " At Black Rock we shipped aboard of the old ' Walk-in-the-Water,' the first steamboat ever built on Lake Erie, commanded by Captain Sherman, and which was wrecked in November of the same year. The party consisted of the fol- lowing-named persons: Roger Sprague, Sr., Dr. Cyrus Chliipmnian, Gideon Gates, Asahel Bailey, Alanson Weston, Richmond Pitts, Walter Sprague, and Cyrus A. Chipman. On reaching Lower Sandusky we were joined by my brother-in-law, Jaques Hulburd. There we procured horses for two of the oldest men of the party, and most of the company proceeded by boat to Detroit. Mr. Hulburd, Mr. Pitts, and myself took the horses and came by land through the Black swamp by a rather blind bridle-path, the horses being obliged to jump logs sometimes half as high as their backs. " We reached Fort Meigs, on the Maumee river, about dark, and stayed over- night at a small settlement at the foot of the rapids of the river, and in two days more reached Detroit, and found the rest of our company all safe and in good spirits. Here we were joined by others, which made up a company of eleven,- a man by the name of Hill, and one by the name of Le Verity, a Frenchman, whom we engaged as guide and cook. S"At Detroit we laid in a stock of provisions, and hired a man and his team to take us to the Flint river, where the city of Flint now stands. Only one wagon had been through before. The Campaus of Detroit had built a trading-house there for the purpose of traffic with the Indians. We stayed in Pontiac the first night from Detroit, and reached Flint on the third day out. For about two weeks, up to this time, the weather had been dry and pleasant, but the rains now set in, and we had a very wet time. We went a little way up the river, and ( felled a large pine-tree, and dug out a canoe large enough to carry four men and our provision-chest, which was started down the river for Saginaw, with directions to the men to stop at Reaum village, an Indian settlement, about sixteen miles by land from our camp on the river, and wait for us until we came up with them. We started the next morning, expecting to reach there by noon, but it had rained hard all night, and some of the small creeks were so much swollen that we had to swim our horses over, and fell some trees to cross on ourselves, which so delayed us that we did not reach the place until night, but to our great disappointment the men with the canoes and provisions had passed on without waiting for us. Here we were, in a fix; we had eaten our breakfast at Flint, and had had no dinner, and with a certainty we should get nothing to eat until we reached Sag- inaw the next night. We were obliged to stay with the Indians that night. They were very kind and friendly, and cleaned out an old wigwam, and laid down some fresh barks for a floor, and roasted and pounded some corn, and seasoned it with bear's grease. Little of it did we eat. We fought the musical mosquito all night, and the next morning we bought of the Indians one canoe and hired another, which were sufficient to carry the whole party. We proceeded down the river, sometimes browsing on the tender twigs of the basswood which hung over the stream. " About four o'clock r.1. we came to Saginaw, glad to find the men with the provisions all safe. We had been about thirty-six hours without food; our dinner relished well. " One night while encamped at Flint a rattlesnake found its way into our tent, which soon made a scattering among the inmates. His snakeship was soon dis- patched and consigned to the flames. "We examined the country about the Saginaw river, and concluded it was too low and wet for farming purposes, and probably would be sickly, which proved to be the case. When government undertook to establish a garrison there they were obliged to withdraw it on that account. "Our French cook and guide was not of much service to us as cook. He would often scratch his head with the knife he was eating with. We thought this would hardly do for Yankees, and one of the party was substituted in his place. " While at Saginaw it rained almost constantly, until it produced quite a flood. Large trees were often seen floating down the river, which had been torn up by the waters above. Above the mouth of the Titabawassee the prairie on both.sides of the river presented the appearance of a large lake. The wild rice, which stood some eight or ten feet high when we went down, had now disappeared. "We now concluded to return to Detroit. Campau, who had a trading-house also at Saginaw, had a large quantity of Indian sugar which he wished to send to Detroit, so a part of the company, with our French guide, loaded a barge with the sugar and went by the way of Saginaw bay and Lake Huron. Three of us took the canoe we had hired at the Indian village, and an Indian for a guide, and started into the mouth of a small creek; following that up a little way, we struck off by marked trees, the water standing up as high as the marks on the trees. Thus we went nine miles through heavy-timbered land, and struck the Flint by a much shorter route than following the river. We made land about forty rods from the river, and had to draw our canoe over and launch it again in the stream. We had hung our portmanteau containing our provisions on a pole of an Indian wigwam while we were hauling over the land; when we came to examine it we found the Indians had stolen all our provisions. We had eaten nothing since morning, and might not get anything to eat until the next afternoon. We rowed on up the river until we found an open spot on the banks, where we pitched our tent for the night. " We had encountered a heavy thunder-shower coming through the woods. We were as thoroughly drenched as though we had been in the river; our blankets as wet as we were. " We built a large fire at the mouth of the tent to keep the mosquitoes out, and lay down in our wet clothes and wet blankets, none the better for it the next morning. We found our horses at Reaum village, where we left them on our way down. We reached Campau's trading-house on the Flint some time in the afternoon, having again gone nearly thirty-six hours without food. In two days more we reached Detroit. The balance of our company not having yet arrived, we took a trip west as far as the river Huron, where now stands the city of Ypsilanti. At that time there was but one house west of Dearborn. We returned to the city the next day, and glad to find the balance of the company all safe. We then took a trip north by the way of Mount Clemens, and followed up the Clinton to Utica. There was then living near where the village now stands a family by the name of Huntley, another by the name of Scott, and another by the name of Squires, whose son is now living just below the town. A few miles north, we came to Job Hoxey, who was somewhat notorious in the time of Jefferson's em- bargo in running a boat called the ' Black-Snake' to escape the revenue officers. He was a squatter on Uncle Sammy's land, and had made a small opening, and was raising ,some vegetables. The land was bought from under him soon after by Mr. George Wilson, who lived on it until a few months since, when he deceased. We went as far north as Romeo. I liked the land west of what is now the main street of the village, but my father thought there was too little timber, and we returned to Detroit without selecting any land. On his return to Detroit my father passed through here and was quite pleased with the land, but we made no purchase then. "We returned to New York, and about the last of August my father with his family of eleven children left our native home for Michigan, arriving in De- troit the first week in September. I came with my father out here to see the land, and on our return to Detroit purchased the southwest quarter of section 26, town 3 north, range 11 east, on which I have lived ever since. There were then where Rochester now is two houses occupied, besides a vacant one into which we moved in a few days. There were two boys of us able to do a man's work, and some smaller ones could help some, and a hired man, who came through Canada with several cows, one of which, after being landed on the Canada shore, not well pleased with his majesty's dominions, walked a distance up the river at Lewiston, plunged into the stream, and swam safely across to the United States again. The boat returned and brought her back again, with the assurance she should see the United States once more. The cows were wintered well on bass- wood browse and a little corn. The man was Mr. Champlin Green, now living in Farmington, in this county,-a genial companion, who did much to enliven the HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. dull hours of the first year in Michigan. We immediately built a shanty on our new place, and soon had logs cut for a house. We would take our provisions from Rochester sufficient for a few days, and sleep in our shanty nights. Moon- light evenings we would go out and fell large trees for the fun of the great noise they would make in a still night. By the next summer we had nearly thirty acres cleared ready for summer crops and wheat in the fall. From that we raised provisions enough for our own use. " At a meeting of pioneers of Oakland County a short time since, one gentle- man stated that hlie came to this county in 1830, and that there were then but three houses in Pontiac. Either he or the printer was at fault, for there were as many as three houses there in 1821, and in 1830 it was quite a flourishing village; being the county-seat, it could not have stood still for nine years. It is now a respectable city. At the time of my coming here the following persons were living in this town,-viz., Dr. William Thompson, Daniel Leroy, Judge Bronson, Wil- liam Bronson, John Hersey, Nathan Perrin, Samuel Beeman, Nathan Fowler, Samuel Fowler, Thomas Sturgess, George Postal, Roger Sprague, and Solomon Olmstead. Mr. William Bronson, son of Judge Bronson, Daniel Fowler, and George Postal are still living in this town.* Gideon Gates and Asahel Bailey late in the same autumn settled at Romeo. Mr. Hill, of our party that went to Saginaw, and myself are the only surviving members of the company. "There were in the county at this time of those I can now remember, besides those mentioned above, Aaron and Joel Wellman and their father, Erastus Fer- guson, Diodate Hubbard, Ezra Baldwin, Dr. and Tilca (?) and Elias Swan, Amaza Bagley, William Morris, Judah Church, Dr. Olmsted Chamberlin, Orson Allen, Colonel Hiotchkiss, Oliver Williams, Alpheus Williams, and Archibald Phillips, and maybe several other individuals I do not now remember." Cyrus Chipman, M.D., was the second physician in Avon township, and a prac- titioner under the old allopathic school of medicine. Hle was nearly sixty years of age when hlie settled here, and only practiced from necessity. Thaddeus Thomp- son, M.D., a brother of Dr. William Thompson, settled not long afterwards in Troy township, and Dr. Chipman resigned his practice to him. The Chipman family, at the time of its settlement in Avon, consisted of the doctor and his wife and ten children, six sons and four daughters,--while two other children stayed in New York. Dr. Chipman died in 1840, four years after the death of his wife. Cyrus A. Chipman was married in 1828 to Mary Lawson, a resident of Ma- comb county, Michigan, where she located with her parents in 1827. She was a native of the State of New Jersey. Her death occurred in March, 1876. Hon. Roger Sprague was born at Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1769, and in 1701, when twenty-two years of age, walked to the "Genesee country," New York, carrying his necessary provisions, clothing, etc., on his back, and settled in the town of East Bloomfield, Ontario county, becoming one of the first settlers in that region. He was married in the town hlie settled in, and became the father of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, all born in New York. He was sheriff of Ontario county for seven years at an early period, nearly the whole of western New York being included in his field of operations. The auction sale of the lands in the "Holland purchase" was held at his house, and Aaron Burr came all the way from New York city on horseback to bid them in. Sprague made out the deeds to purchasers, and after his settlement in Michigan frequent application was made to him for testimony regarding the sale and the parties who purchased. Mr. Sprague was a member of the legislature of the State of New York at the time of the passage of the bill authorizing the construction of the Erie canal, probably in 1816-17, as the canal was begun in 1817 and finished in 1825. In 1820 he visited Michigan, looking for land, and finally purchased on sections 26 and 27, in what is now Avon township, Oakland County. In August, 1821, he moved his family and located with them on section 27. A small shanty was at first erected, in which they lived until the fall of the same year, when a log house twenty feet square was built, and occupied by them. Of Mr. Sprague's children but three (sons) are now living. He passed from life in July, 1848, sincerely mourned by a large circle of acquaintances and friends. His wife died on the old place, in Avon, in 1827, and was buried in the garden, being the first of about twenty persons there interred. Mr. Sprague was a member of the first legislative council of the Territory of Michigan, in 1823, and was elected to the council several times afterwards. While a resident of Ontario county, New York, he was elected judge of the county courts, and his memory is preserved to those who knew him by his title of "judge." His son, Roger Sprague, Jr., located on the place where he is now living, section 23, Avon, aboUt 1830, and made the first improvements upon it. Another son, Thomas Sprague. has been a resident of California for thirty years, *See letter of Mr. Bronson in another place. and the other son now living, Asahel Sprague, resides in Avon township. Judge Sprague's old place is now occupied by his grandson, Edward N. Sprague, son of R. Sprague, Jr. Linus Cone, who settled in the county in 1821, emigrated with his parents from Durham, Connecticut, at an early date, and settled in Bloomfield, New York (Ontario county). He was one of six children who accompanied their parents to New York at that time. When but seventeen years of age, Mr. Cone started with ten dollars in his pocket, on foot and alone, for the "great west." He stopped one year at Port Stanley, and six months at it. Thomas, in Canada; and in November, 1821, started with a stout heart and a fortune of eight dollars for Michigan, arriving in Troy township, Oakland County, the last day of that month. He first settled land in that town, and after a year or two traded it for the place in Avon where his son, Frederick Cone, now lives. Mr. Cone was one of the most successful farmers in Michigan, and his experience was remarkable, inasmuch as he cut the first timber and made the first improvements on his farm, and lived long enough upon it to see it made the best regulated and finest im- proved farm anywhere in his locality. His articles published in the columns of the old Michigan Farmer, and subsequently in the Genesee Farmer, also in the early numbers of the Rural New Yorker, were standard authority on the subjects they treated regarding agricultural matters. Among the early pioneers of Avon, the name of Colonel John Frank must not be overlooked. He emigrated from the State of Vermont in April, 1823, and purchased government land in this township. In December of the same year he was married to Arabella Chipman, daughter of Dr. Cyrus Chipman, and be- came the father of eleven children. His wife died in 1847, and on the 1st of March, 1849, hlie was married to Adelaide Kettle, of Troy township. Of those who were his townsmen and neighbors when he first came here, but few are now living. The following article was written by Christian Z. Horton, an old settler of Avon, in 1874, and is preserved in the records of the Oakland County Pioneer Association : "It having been suggested that a history of the pioneers of Michigan would be interesting to many of the citizens of Oakland County, I thought I would give a history of the events of the immigrating of my father's family to this county, in the year 1825, as my father was the principal actor in bringing the number of persons comprising the company to this (then) Territory. The com- pany consisted of the following heads of families, namely: George Horton, the father of the principal actor, wife, and daughter; Cornelius Decker, wife, and four children; a brother-in-law, Robert Crawford, wife, and five children, among which was the now Rev. Riley C. Crawford, chaplain of the State prison at Jackson; Benjamin Horton, wife, and six children; together with two hired men, named respectively Calvin Chapel and Truman Burgess. There were also three teamsters employed, who returned, named Squire Johnson, Isaac Vansickles, his son James, and one Benjamin Doan, who remained some three or four months and returned. The company consisted of thirty persons, with four wagons, eight yoke of oxen, one yoke of steers, eight cows, four head of young cattle, one horse, fourteen sheep, and eight swine. "We left South Yarmouth, Elgin county, Ontario, on the 25th of February, 1825. On the first day we arrived beyond what was called the ' Five Stakes,' in Westminster, at one Lyon's, a log inn. There an incident occurred, which was this: As we approached near the inn a horn was blown with much vigor; it, was • for Mr. Lyon, who was engaged in his sugar-bush, to return to his house, not because of the company coming, but upon the account of his hired girl, who, -although unmarried, was about to become a mother,-all of which passed off quite satisfactorily. On the 26th, after proceeding a mile or two farther, traded dogs! At night we arrived at 'Brigham's,' on the Thames, at Delaware, and immediately commenced crossing the river. Our company here divided for the evening's accommodations to one Allen's, opposite. On the 27th several teams that assisted returned. An incident occurred with one of the swine, which, after being ferried across the river, determined not to proceed farther, and rushed into the river and swamn nehrly across : was driven back, and Burgess, endeavoring to catch him to prevent another rush, got bit on the wrist, when some of the men tapped him on the head and settled him.t His remains were left to enrich the Dominion. We proceeded on, and, after passing the burial-grounds of the M oravian Indiafis, arrived at ' Ward's.' "During the night it rained some: misty and quite mild. The 28th, proceeded to Aljoe's,' seven miles.in the 'long woods.' March 1, proceeded on our weary journey some nineteen miles to a French inn, 'Shepherd's,' near Chatham, on the opposite side of the river. On the morning of the 2d there were some two or three inches of snow. We proceeded, and arrived at 'Wilcox's,' at the mouth " It was the "porker" that was "settled," and not Burgess. ,/ v / r / Eye5/5 saw,~,, A <5 u55 DE ~r $FUAVHO$ NY A AF N ~f A _ _____ ____ J~ wcox ~JM~i Y DENG0 J LUV AVN 7 AKLAD COM i HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 13 of the Thames, having concluded the forty miles' travel through the long woods this day, although fain we were out of sight of timber. Remained over the 3d, it being the Sabbath. On the morning of the 4th we resumed our journey along the shore of Lake St. Clair. The lake was very low, in places being nearly a mile to the water. A countless number of wild geese could be seen flying, and swimming in the lake, and also ducks were numerous. We drove most of the way on the beach, for the reason that the road was rutted by the vehicles of the French, not being as wide as ours, and they using one beast, and, if more, it was attached in front, never by the side. Here it made hard work for our teams, making ninety-five miles (?). Arrived at ' Levallus' inn, nine miles from Windsor. On the 5th arrived at Windsor, and immediately com- menced crossing Detroit river. The river was so low that for several rods the scows had to be drawn by teams, and wagons driven into the river to receive the goods. In unloading and loading the scows in Windsor, men had to stand to their waists in water to assist in loading and pushing off the scows. Here father lost a silver watch worth then thirty dollars, supposed to have been drawn from his pocket in assisting loading. We finished crossing on the 6th, and our goods were seized by the Hon. Warren Wing, assistant custom-house officer of Detroit, which cost us, I think, thirty dollars to be sent on our way rejoicing towards our new home in Michigan. Besides, my youngest brother, Hugh A., a babe of one and a half years, being quite sick, we put up at one ' Holly's' hotel. It stood between Woodbridge street and the river, east side Woodward avenue, a frame building. The proprietor was a brother-in-law of the late Charles C. Haseall, of Flint. The weather was fair and quite warm during our crossing the river. In crossing, Squire Johnson caught me after we passed the centre of the river and ducked my head in the water, he said to baptize me and make an American citizen of me. On the 7th we proceeded on pur first travel in Michigan. The rain, which had fallen on the 27th, and 4th of March, having been quite heavy, the frost had come out of the ground in many places, especially in low, swampy ground, and streams were overflown with water. Our wagons would at times sink to the hubs. Some five miles out from Detroit we passed old 'Mother Handsome's,' known by most of the immigrants coming in northern Michigan.* After leaving Mother Handsome's a short distance our road meandered west of the turnpike or gravel road, and in the travel we passed the residence of one Flinn, an old acquaint- ance of father's; thence to Royal Oak, when it commenced to rain. We con- tinued on, and arrived at David Crawford's residence, corner of west half south- west quarter section 33. Here was the destination of Robert Crawford, who settled on the north half of said quarter section, beside his father. On the 8th we left Mr. Crawford's and proceeded, passing the residences of Josiah Alger, southeast quarter section 32, and one Parks, son-in-law of Alger, northeast quarter section 32, Ira Toms, on southeast quarter section 28, William Stanley, northeast quarter section 29, Riley Crooks, northeast quarter section 20, Jones, northeast quarter section 21, Murray on the southwest quarter of section 9, and Silas Sprague on southwest quarter section 4. These are all the residences I remember. Passing through the town of Troy, on the southwest quarter of section 33, in Avon, Walter Sprague and Linus Cone's residences were passed; then we mean- dered through this section 33, passing the residence of Henry Vannatter, crossing the north line near the (present) residence of Albert Terry. Nathan Fowler's residence and blacksmith-shop were to the left, on southeast quarter of section 28, near to Terry's. " Our road continued to cross the east line of section 28 and west line of 27, some sixty rods north of the section corner opposite the dwelling of one Secord. We continued to William Burbank's residence, about one hundred rods cast of the northwest corner of section 27,-our place of destination. Mr. Burbank, having heard of our coming, met us near the residence of Mr. Secord. On Mon- day, the 10th, Johnson Vansickles and son started on their return home. Grand- father and Uncle Decker and their families settled on the southeast quarter of section 21, and my father, Benjamin Horton, on southeast quarter section 22, on the 12th day of March, 1825. Our immediate neighbors were as follows: On southwest quarter section 23, Nathaniel Baldwin; northwest quarter section 23, Ira Roberts; cast half' northeast quarter section 27, Roger Sprague, Sr.; south- west quarter section 26, Cyrus Chipman, M.D.; southeast quarter section 27, Jonathan Perrin; northwest quarter section 35, Morris M. Anderson and Cham- plin Green; southwest quarter section 35, James Green; northeast quarter sec- tion 34, Samuel Beeman; southeast quarter section 26, John Frank; southwest quarter section 28, James Graham; northwest quarter section 28, John Wilson; northwest quarter section 22, Stephen Shippy; southwest quarter section 15, Alex- ander Graham; on section 13, John Sheldon; east half northwest quarter section 24, Daniel Brownson; Mr. Ferrington, on northwest quarter section 15; John Hersey, southeast quarter section 10, with his family of several children; and sev- Southern Michigan must be meant. eral others, whose names I have forgotten. Among them was a Mr. Wood, a blacksmith, who was also a bell-maker. He made a bell, and bet ten dollars it could be heard all the way to Pontiac. The bet was taken. He borrowed a pony, tied the bell to the pony's neck, and got a man to go with him, and went to Pontiac, and returned and claimed the bet. " Mr. Hersey erected in his saw-mill a run of stone for grinding grain, and bolted the same by hand, and also a mill for swingling flax, which proved a failure. " On the west half, southwest quarter section 9, John Sargent resided; on northeast quarter section 15, Gad Norton, Esq., owned and ran a saw-mill; and on the northwest quarter of section 14 Colonel Stephen Mack owned a grist-mill, a man by the name of Ruby having charge of the same. There were many tran- sient persons at work around, whose names I have forgotten. In Stony Creek and vicinity were Lemuel Taylor, Joshua B. Taylor, Elisha Taylor, and their father, also Nathaniel Millerd, Levi W. Cole, William Price, Eleazar Millerd, one Comstock, who kept a small store, Craig Parmenter, Bellows, and Thorpe, and many others whose names I have forgotten." The settlers, for a number of years after the first arrivals, were subjected to trials innumerable, the roads not yet being in good condition, and accommodations for man and beast extremely meagre. Illustrative of the time fourteen years after the first settlement was made in the county, we give the following EXPERIENCE OF JONATHAN PIXLEY, OF AVON. "I was born A.D. 1799, in the township and county of Tioga, in the State of New York. I lived there until March, 1823, when, with my family, I moved to Monroe county, western New York. I lived there eight years, when, in company with my late brother David, I emigrated to Michigan. We started from Brok- port, on the Erie canal, on Thursday, the 12th day of May, 1831, and arrived in Buffalo the Saturday following. We stayed there until Monday morning, when we shipped on board the steamer ' William Penn.' After a very rough voyage, we arrived at Detroit on the 20th, at about four o'clock P..M. We put up at the 'Old Yankee Boarding-House.' After getting my family stowed away, I went down to the dock to see to my' old traps.' This done, I came to the tavern about twelve, midnight. I had some trouble to find my family, but after a while found one of my children in a ' field bed' on the floor. I asked where the rest of them were, and they told me they did not know, but they were there somewhere. As I did not wish to disturb them further, I camped down on the floor, with my clothes on, and lay quiet until morning. There was then a general rush. The house was jammed full of emigrants, and such snarling among the children I never heard before. After breakfast I put out to find a yoke of oxen. I soon found some for sixty-five dollars. Went to a shop, and bought a yoke for them, and driving down to the dock, hitched them to my wagon; put on a few things, drove up to the tavern, put my family on board, and started for Oakland. "The mud was hub deep, and I had to walk by my oxen's heads, for I did not know what caper they might cut up. We came to what is now called ' Four- Mile House' the first night. Just before reaching thllis place we had to drive over a large whitewood tree that had fallen across the road. I knew that my oxen could not jump over the log while they were hitched to the wagon, so, driv- ing as near as I could, I unhitched them and made them jump over; then hitching the chain to the end of the tongue of the wagon, soon pulled it over. We stayed here all night, and but little sleep did we get, for the mosquitoes were determined to have one fill. The next morning the landlord came to my room and told me that there was a man who wished to see me; I hurried out, and behold it was Linus Cone. He came there some time in the night, on his way to Detroit. The landlord told him that there was an immigrant there who was moving to Rochester. He wished to bring back a load of goods, and wanted fifty cents per hundred. I thought this a big price; he said I would not think so by the time I got there. I gave him an order for my goods, and made up my mind it was cheap enough. We started for this place soon after breakfkst, with two or three other teams in company, for Royal Oak. At noon we arrived at a place then called' Mother Handsome's;' took dinner there, but had nothing for my oxen. I told the old lady that we were not very hungry, but wanted a good cup of tea. She said, 'By G-! you shall have it!' We got it, and so strong I did not know whether it was herb tea or what. After dinner we started from there, and farther on came to Chase's Corners, on the Crooks road, where, seeing a good bite of grass in Mr. Chase's garden, he let me turn my oxen in to bait. They ate up what there was in a hurry. I bought a bushel of potatoes, and started on. Our next stopping-place was at Mrs. Guy Phelps', in Troy. It being Saturday night we stayed there until Monday morning, when we took an early start for our home. Got'as far as Benjamin Horton's by noon, where we took dinner, after which we resumed our journey and arrived at our present home, on the northeast quarter of section 23, then the township of Oakland, now Avon, on the 2.4d day of May. Nothing occurred during the summer worthy of note until the 12th of Septem- 134 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. her, when all but myself were taken sick with typhoid fever. This was a great drawback for us, but I had good and kind neighbors, for which I shall always be thankful. My neighbors cast of me were old Mr. John Sheldon, Daniel and William Bronson, and Asa B. Underwood; on the west, Ira Roberts, Nathaniel and Augustus Baldwin, Benjamin Horton, J. F. Hamlin, Judge Sprague, Ebe- nezer Knighlt, and ir. Shippey. These were all in a circle of three or four miles. Now they are all gone or dead but one, and he is in California,-Mr. William Bronson. Rochester had just begun to bud, and never got into full bloom until July 4,1872. There are but six now living that were citizens when I came here -Esquire Mack and wife, S. Newberry, L. J. Wilcox, William Burbank, and Mrs. F. A. Brooks.* "In conclusion I would say, beside being very homesick the first season I had to work out by the day for bread for myself and family of eight. My exertions to get out of debt were in vain, for at the end of the first year I was fifty dollars in debt. This debt I contrived to pay the following year. Now I have a good farm of one hundred and fifty acres, free from debt. According to my record I am seventy-four years of age, my birthday being the 10th day of last September.- Have lived in Michigan just forty-three years last May; have raised a family of thirteen children. " P.S.-After I got settled down I stuck my stake and made a resolve that, if Providence would permit, I would have a good farm here and comfortable buildings, if hard work would do it; but when I was taken sick I began to think I should not accomplish it, but I was pretty gritty, and worked night and day to bring it about. I cut wood daytimes and hauled it nights, and sold it for sev- enty-five cents per cord, and store-pay at that, and, as the Queen of Sheba said to King Solomon, 'the half has not been told;' and further this deponent sayeth not." George IHopkinson, a native of Westmoreland, Oneida county, NeW York, came to Pontiac in 1831 and located eighty acres of government land in what is now Avon township; returned to Palmyra, New York, and worked for means to remove his family, which he accomplished in 1842, and has resided here ever since. He chopped wood in Wayne county, New York, receiving pay at the rate of eighteen cents per cord, and by this means raised sufficient money to pay for the land mentioned. During the summer season hlie cut grass with a scythe for fifty cents per acre, and boarded himself. It was by such determination of purpose and rigid self-denial that a large number of people became at last enabled to purchase homes for themselves in the west, and they knew "no such word as fail." Their success has been complete, as the rich appearance of the country to-day indicates. The characteristics of the pioneers of Avon, as well as those of the entire west, were, like those of their fathers before them, marked by one universal feature,-that of a determination to win in even the hardest undertaking. Adam Manwaring, whose death occurred April 17, 1874, when he had reached the advanced age of ninety-two years, was born in the State of New Jersey, in the year 1782, and distinctly rememnbered seeing General Washington a number of years afterwards, at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1836 he emigrated from New Jersey and settled in this township, where lie resided until his death. He voted at every presidential election from Thomas Jefferson to General Grant's second term, and was greatly esteemed by all who knew him. Cyrus A. Chipman, previously mentioned, in 1826 or 1827 brought about seventy sheep from the State of New York, which had been left there when the family moved west in 1821. To secure them from the wolves at night he built a pen about eight feet high of rails laid snug together, in which they were in- closed. One morning when he went out to release them from the inclosure he discovered that the wolves had killed about forty sheep and lambs. The balance of the flock was destroyed in the course of a couple of years. Such experience as this taught the early settlers the necessity of waiting until the country was more thickly populated and the wild animals exterminated, be- fore attempting to do much in the way of raising sheep. The drawbacks were finally removed, and Oakland County has now a wide reputation for the quantity and quality of its wool products. The following names appear among the early settlers of the township: John Sargent, settled in 1819, helped build the Hersey saw-mill at Rochester; Jacob and Michael Van Wagoner settled in 1823, with their father, Michael Van Wag- oner, Sr.,-the latter died a year or two afterwards; Captain John Miller, a sol- dier of 1812, settled in 1819 ; lie and his Irother were proprietors of a boat which plied at an early day between Detroit and Mount Clemens; John Miller was acptain of the boat,-hence his title; he married Eunice, daughter of Lemuel Taylor, Sr., and lived three miles northwest of Rochester. Joseph Dunbar and brother settled about 1823-26; John Bigler (or Bigelow), on northeast quarter section 9, about 1823. About 1820, Jedediah and Amasa Messinger located on the southeast quarter of section 11, and lived there several years, finally moving to the neighborhood of Romeo, Macomb county. The land where they settled in Avon (section 11) was probably entered by a man named Par- tridge, but the Messingers made the first improvements upon it. They had previously lived near Utica, Macomb county. Ezra Bellows, who was born near Bellows Falls, Vermont, and afterwards re- moved to Middlebury, in what is now Wyoming county, New York, emigrated to Michigan in 1822, landing in Detroit on the first day of June. He proceeded as far as Pontiac, and for several months lived near Galloway lake with an old acquaintance by the name of Joseph Miller. He then removed to the town of Washington, Macomb county, but only stayed there a short time, and finally rented a farm on section 12, Avon township, Oakland County, which he after- wards purchased. He was accompanied by his wife and three children,-two sons and one daughter,-the younger son (and youngest child)-Ezra-being at the time but a year old. Captain William Price, a native of the State of Maryland, and afterwards a resi- dent of Monroe county, New York, where his parents moved when he was small, settled in Washington township, Macomb county, Michigan, in April, 1823, his parents coming the following June. The latter died in that township. Captain Price was married to a daughter of HIon. Samuel Axford, judge of the Macomb county probate court, and in 1830 removed to Avon (then Oakland) and located on section 12, on a place originally owned by William Scott, and now the prop- erty of H. Wheeler. In the spring of 1837 he moved his family to the farm where Mrs. Price is at present residing,-section 1,-where hlie purchased the Hersey property,$ including the farm, grist-mill, and carding-mill, which he ope- rated for twelve or fifteen years. Hie had worked in the old mill. The mills are now the property of Joseph Winkler, hlie having purchased them of the sons of Captain Price after the death of their father. The carding-mill has long been removed. In April, 1827, the arrival is chronicled of Craig Parmenter, his wife, and five children,--four sons and one daughter,-from Onondaga county, New York. Mr. Parmenter had been out in July, 1823, and purchased the property, it being the east half of the southeast quarter of section 1,-the same now occupied by his son, Almon Parmenter. Four children were born after the settlement, and five of the nine are now living. The first house built by Mr. Parmenter was a log structure which stood a short distance west of Almnon Parmenter's present residence. The old house was torn down about 1836. Mr. Parmenter died on the place hlie had settled in August, 1868, aged nearly eighty-three years. His wife died the year previously. Leonard Sprague, from Ontario county, New York, visited Michigan in 1825 for the purpose of selecting land. In 1827 hlie emigrated with his family and settled in the township of Farmington, where hlie remained but one year, and re- moved to the south part of Avon township in 1828. Hle resided in the town- ship until 1867, when he removed to Pontiac, having been a citizen of Avon for thirty-nine years. Lewis Tibbals, a native of Cayuga county, New York, and later a resident of Monroe county, emigrated with his family to Michigan in 1826, and located on the Pontiac and Rochester road, five miles east of Pontiac, where he lived for twenty-five years on a farm lie purchased from the government. From thence he removed to Lapeer, where he resided two years. Returning, he located a second time in Avon, and here spent the balance of his days. His death occurred on the 4th of May, 1876, when he was in the ninetieth year of his age. He was a resident of Avon for almost fifty years, and at the time of his death was the oldest citizen of the township. Daniel A. Dennison accompanied his parents to Michigan in 1831, being one of a family of nine children who removed here at that time. His father was a minister of the gospel, and settled in the township of Avon, one mile east of the "Oakland Baptist church," where he remained about three and a half years, finally selling his property, and removing to Warren, Macomb county. There he resided' for nineteen years, cultivating his farm and preaching, and in 1854 sold his place and came to Troy, Oakland County. In November, 1865, he again gathered his household effects together and removed to Bay City, where hlie resided until his death, October 16, 1866, when he had reached the seventy-seventh year of his age. He died at the house of his son, Elias B. Dennison. Smith Weeks, a native of Westchester county, New York, and later a resident of Hloncoye Falls, visited Michigan in 1822, and purchased in Avon, on sections 19, 20, and 29, afterwards returning to New York. In 1824 hlie again came to Michigan, being alone, and built on his place a log house and log barn. The house had a good shingle roof, which was something remarkable for those days. ( See history of Stony Creek. * Some of these are deceased since this article was written. f 1873. )Ii HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 135 His son, James A. Weeks, now a resident of Pontiac, where he has lived since 1833, emigrated to Michigan in 1826, and the balance of the family followed in 1827. Smith Weeks was a descendant of John Weeks, of Rhode Island, one of the persons mentioned in the old charter of that State, granted by King Charles the Second, of England, in the fourteenth year of his reign. He was also third in descent from the famous Anneke Jans, one of the owners of the old Trinity church property in New York. In 1810, or perhaps earlier, Smith Weeks brought to Honeoye Falls, New York, what was said to have been the first card- ing machine in that part of the State In 1827 he brought the iron-work for a saw-mill to Avon township, and was preparing to build the mill on the Clinton river. His death, which occurred in 1829, prevented his completing the work. He was the father of six children, of whom but three survived him, and but one is now living-James A. Weeks, of Pontiac. The latter is the secretary of the Oakland County Pioneer Society, and has been a prominent mnian in Oakland, having held county offices and various other positions of trust. Smith Weeks entered the Methodist ministry at the age of eighteen years, and the ordination paper from Bishop Asbury, the first Methodist bishop in America, creating him an elder in that church, is now in the possession of James A. Weeks. The following is a copy of this interesting document: " KNO IV all Men by these Presents, That I, Francis Asbury, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, under the Protection of Almighty GOD, and with a Single Eye to his Glory, by the Imposition of my Ilunds and Prayer, did, on the Day of the Date hereof, set apart SMITII WEEKS fir the Office of an Elder, in the said Methodist Episcopal Church; a man whom we judge to be well qual- iped for that P'ork: And do hereby recommend him to all whom it may concern, as a proper Person to administer Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and to feed the flock of Christ, so long as his Spirit and Practice are such as become the Gospel. " In Testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this Twenty- fourth Day of September, One Thouszand Seven Ifundred and Ninety-five. " FRANCIS ASBURY." Mr. Weeks labored as a local preacher while living in Oakland County, and was possibly the first Methodist preacher who worked in the ministry of that de- nomination in the county. He was a prominent man in many respects. He was at one time appointed path-master of nearly one-fourth of Avon township. He served as probate judge of the county, and was the first chaplain of the Masonic grand lodge of Michigan, in 1826. At the organization of that body lie walked all the way from Avon to Detroit, in order to attend the meeting, returning in the same manner. He was sixty-two years of age when lie died. Meetings were held at an early day by the Methodist Episcopal church mem- bers in the Postal neighborhood, also in the Vannetler settlement, and they were kept up for some years; but finally, on the organization of societies at Pontiac and Rochester, they joined with them, and the old associations were broken up. Williston Stuart, from Fairfield county, Connecticut (town of Sherman), settled with his failnily, consisting of his wife and nine children, in Avon in the spring of 1834. He purchased eighty acres each on sections 8 and 9. One of his sons was married at the time they settled, and brought his family with him. Ir. Stuart died in August, 1855, and his wife five years previously. Five of his children are now living,-one son, O. G. Stuart, near the toll-gate on the Mount Clemens road, at Pontiac. The wife of the latter is a daughter of Ira Hammond, who immigrated to Michigan from the town of Ogden, Monroe county, New York, in the fidl of 1827, landing at Detroit the 1st day of October, and coming im- mediately thereafter to the township of Oakland, where lie settled, one mile north of the Oakland Baptist church. There he cleared and improved his land, and resided upon it until his death, which occurred in March, 1863. In the northwestern portion of Avon township, the Deweys, Hemingways, and Baldwins were among the earlier settlers, coming between 1820 and 1827. Charles Baldwin, who donated the land for the Oakland Baptist church, is now a resident of Pontiac. The following list of settlers in Avon is gleaned from the records of the Pioneer Society, at Pontiac: James A. Weeks, native of Mendon, New York, settled in Avon in 1826. Simon and Ira Stowell, natives of Gates, New York, 1826. Thomas Curtis, of Onondaga, New York, 1832. C. A. Green, Richmond, New York, 1825. T. A. Gardner, of Mentz, New York, 1838. Charles Adams, native of East Bloom- field, Ontario county, New York, settled in 1826. Almira P. Brownson, of West Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, emigrated in 1824. Herman Bennett, of Steuben county, New York, emigrated in 1822. John W. Barger, of Staten Island, New York, emigrated in 1824. Charles F. and Theodore C. Cook, of Johnstown, Montgomery county, New York, emigrated in 1833. William Fisher, of Hinsdale, New Hampshire, emigrated 1838. Laura Fisher, first white female child born in Avon; birth occurring July 25, 1821. Wilson Fenner, of Oxford, Warren county, New Jersey, emigrated 1837. George Garter, of Otsego county, New York, emigrated 1843. Laura Hamlin, of Covington, Genesee county, New York, emigrated 1822. Simon P. Hartwell, of Warrensbury, Warren county, New York, emigrated 1835. Jacob Hadley, of New Hampshire, emigrated 1837. Newell C. Jones, of Henderson, Jefferson county, New York, emigrated 1822. John Kinney, orf New Jersey, emigrated 1839. Henry M. Look, Sr., native of Sangersfield, Oneida county, New York, settled in Hadley, Lapeer county, 1834; now a resident of Rochester. Mrs. Mary Martz, of Johnstown, Montgomery county, New York, emigrated 1832. John M. Norton, of Richmond, Ontario county, New York, emigrated 1824. Mary Lambertson, of Sweden, Monroe county, New York, emigrated 1831. Julia Vandeventer, of Sweden, Monroe county, New York, emigrated 1831. Seneca Newberry, of East Windsor, Con- necticut, emigrated 1827. Hosea B. Richardson, of Northfield, Vermont, emi- grated in 1832. Mrs. Charlotte Richardson, native of Ontario, emigrated 1822. Smith Shippey, of Adams, Jefferson county, New York, emigrated 1822. Mrs. Morrison Swift, of Phelps, Ontario county, New York, emigrated 1834. David Summers, of Oxford, Warren county, New Jersey, emigrated 1833. Stephen Shreeves, emigrated 1830. John 31. Wilcox, of Bristol, Ontario county, New York, emigrated 1832. Peter Wilcox, of State of New York, emigrated 1831. George W. Vandeventer, of Romulus, Seneca county, New York, emigrated 1834. Isaac 31. Benedict, of Oriskany, New York, settled in 1835. Benjamin Dutton, of Hartford, Vermont, settled in 1837. Chauncey W. Greene, of Richmond, New York, settled in 1825. TIHE FIRST WHITE CHILD born in the township and county was James Graham, a son of Alexander Graham, his birth occurring early in the year 1818. Abraham Hill, now residing at Stony Creek, was born January 14, 1819, and George W. Hersey in the succeeding March. Mr. Hill is the only one of these three now living. TIHE FIRST PERSON MARRIED, who was a resident of Avon township, was John Sargent, who lived west of Roch- ester. The date of this marriage we are unable to give. Mr. Sargent's choice was a young lady named Sweet (probably Amy Sweet), a resident of Shelby, Macomb county. The ceremony was performed in the latter township, by 'Squire Scott, who was appointed justice of the peace under the Territorial governor. This was the first time he had been called upon to perform the marriage rite, and was con- sequently an occasion of considerable importance. The squire had committed the marriage service to memory, so as to be ready in case of an emergency, but when the time arrived for him to tie the knot his memory failed him, and he was obliged to return to his home after the necessary document before he could proceed with the ceremony. Once back, with the book before him, all was right, and the happy couple were soon united, and "went on their way rejoicing.", The history of the INDIANS of Avon and the surrounding country is replete with many items of interest, yet thesubject has been too generally treated upon to admit of much space here. When the township was first settled the appearance of the surface of the ground was such as to indicate that it had at some distant day been tilled and made to produce crops of some kind,-most probably Indian corn, or maize. Ridges sim -4-" ilar to rows of corn-hills were found running in a direction a little west of north and cast of south, and being about four feet apart each way. Beside this, all the stones had been piled up, with the exception of a few scattering ones which were deeply imbedded in the earth. Near the dwelling of Edwin T. Wilcox, some two miles south of Rochester, on the Paint creek road, there were deep indentations in the ground, from ten to twelve feet across, some of them over two feet in depth. They numbered per- haps a hundred, and were from four to six feet apart, following the line of the ridge, and were parallel, having the appearance of masses of earth thrown up around their winter wigwams. It was afterwards discovered, by digging into them, that they contained ashes and charcoal. On the lot owned by Simeon P. Hartwell the same indications of former occupation and cultivation were observed, and on the Chipman farm was an old burial-ground. It is said that these signs were never noticed north of the Clinton river. The Indians, who always choose the best soil for raising what crops they use and the best localities for their villages and winter encampments, certainly did not choose unwisely when they located their habitation on the fertile lands of the southern part of Avon. Here were timber, water, and plenty of game, and long ere the sound of the settler's axe rang in the "sea-like solitude," the red race held undisturbed sway amidst the handiwork of nature as here displayed. 1360 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. TIHE FIRST TOWN-MEETING for the township of Avon proper was held on the 6th day of April, 1835, at "the house where the last town-meeting of the town of Oakland was held." Nathaniel M illerd was chosen moderator, and John S. Livermore clerk. The following township officers were elected: Supervisor, William Price; Town Clerk, Hiram Higley ; Assessors, Bennett Beardsley, Nathaniel Millerd, Horace Foot; Collector, Lyman J. Wilcox; Commissioners of Highways, Orange Foot, Elijah Hamlin, William 1I. Jewett; Directors of the Poor, Abner Livermore, John Bigler; Con- stables, Lyman J. Wilcox, Silas D. McKeen; Commissioners of Common Schools, Joshua B. Taylor, Abner Livermore, Uri Adams; Inspectors of Common Schools, John S Livermore, Herrick Bromley, Abner Livermore, Silas D. McKeen, Martin Hayden; Overseers of IHighways, district No. 1, Gad Norton; No. 2, Jona- than Perrin; No. 3, Eleazer Millerd; No. 4, John II. Axford; No. 5, Ezra Thorp; No. 6, Calvin Chapel; No. 7, Benjamin Horton; No. 8, George A. Chipman; No. 9, Bennett Beardsley; No. 10, William S. Adams; No. 11, Leonard Adams; No. 12, John Bigler; No. 13, Charles Baldwin; No. 14, Mil- ton Sargent; No. 15, William HI. Jewett; No. 16, George Postal; No. 17, John H. Ackerman ; No. 18, Roswell Bromley; No. 19, Philip Ernsberger; No. 20, Lewis Tibbals; No. 21, Wilder Winslow. The supervisors of the township, from 1836 to 1877 inclusive, have been as follows: 1836, Almon Mack; 1837, John F. Iamlin; 1838, Seneca Newberry; 1839, Amos Brown; 1840-44, Charles Baldwin; 1845-47, Norman Ransford; 1848. Charles Baldwin; 1849, Norman Ransford; 1850-52, Almeron Brotherton; 1853, Charles Baldwin; 1854, Almneron Brotherton; 1855, Charles Baldwin 1856, Lysander Woodward; 1857, James Newberry; 1858, Charles Baldwin; 1859-60, Almeron Brotherton; 1861, Eli H. Bristol; 1862-75, Albert Terry; 1876-77, Lysander Woodward. Township Clerks.-1836. Rollin Sprague; 1837, no choice at regular election; special meeting held April 15, at which Henry Miller was elected; 1838-45, Henry Miller; 1846, Hiram Higley; 1847, George W. Hersey; 1848. Henry Miller; 1849, John H. Kaple; special meeting held July 3, at which E. P. Harris was elected to fill the vacancy; 1850, Hliram C. Farrand; 1851-52, James Newberry; 1853-54, Rollin Sprague; 1855, Seneca Newberry, Jr.; 1856, George Middaugh; 1857, F. A. Brooks; 1858-62, Heman D. Calkin; 1863-64, Edward S. Cook; 1865-66, Hiram Lambertson; 1867, F. D. Newberry; 1868-70, Hiram La:nmbertson; 1871-72, Joseph Reimer; 1873, Hiram Lambertson; 1874-75, Julian S. Peters; 1876-77, John J. Blinn. Justices o the Peace.-1836, Charles Baldwin, John Bennett, Uri Adams, ('yrus A. Chipman; 1837, Orange Foot; 1838, Cyrus A. Chipman; 1839, Calvin H. Hamlin; 1840, John L. Smith ; 1841, Orange Foot; 1842, Hiram Higley ; 1843, Charles Baldwin; 1844, Nathaniel A. Baldwin; 1845, Almon Mack special election held November 4 of this year, at which John F. Hamlin was elected to fill vacancy caused by death of N. A. Baldwin; 1846, Rollin Sprague; 1847. John Frank; 1848, Weller Warring; 1849, Henry Miller; 1850, John L. Smith; special meeting held November 5, at which Calvin Parks was elected to fill vacancy; 1851, Charles Baldwin; 1852, Almon Mack; 1853, Lysander Woodward; 1854, Eli H. Bristol; 1855, George Middaugh, William Price; 1856. Almon Mack; 1857, Ilezekiah Shoot; 1858, Robert l. Harper; 1859, Win. Burbank, Joshua Van Iloosen; 18611, Henry Miller; 1861, Peter F. Le Roy; 1862, Jeremiah C. Wilson; 1863, James Newberry; 1864, Jedediah Millerd ; 1865, Samunel Barnes, John Kinney; 1866, J. C. Willson; 1867, William Bur- bank ; 1868, Johnson Matteson; 1869, Joseph Reimer; 1870, Elliott R. Wil- cox; 1871, James Newberry; 1872, Isaac W. Richardson; 1873, Newland C. Jones; 1874, Henry M. Look; 1875, James Newberry; 1876, Asa J. Bateman, Edwin 0. Patch; 1877, Isaac Lomason. VILLAGE OF STONY CREEK AND VICINITY. The first settlers on the site of this village were Lemuel Taylor, Sr., and his five sons,-Lemuel, Jr., Elisha, Joshua B., Henry, and Daniel, the latter the yvungest. Of these not one is now living; the last one to be consigned to the universal inheritance of mankind-" six feet of earth"-being Henry, who be- camine an able physician. His death occurred in the spring of 1877. Mr. Taylor's sin-in-law, Nathaniel Millerd, was also one of the party, but for a year hlie lived in the township of Troy. The Taylors settled here in 1823, Lemuel Taylor, Sr., purchasing five lots of cighty acres each, and giving his sons, with the exception of Daniel, then quite young, forty acres each. Mr. Taylor lived with his son Elisha. While a resi- dent of the State of New York he had become a Baptist exhorter, and, after removing to Michigan, exhorted about a year, .amid was then ordained. He was a man of weak constitution, and had become so much broken in health as to be unable to perform manual labor, and on the 7th of August, 1827, his long and eventful life was closed, when he had reached the age of sixty-seven years. The land settled by the Taylors included a mill-privilege, and, in 1824, Mr. Millerd removed here from Troy township, purchased an interest in the property, and he and the Taylors built a saw-mill and a grist-mill. Both were frame build- ings, and the grist-mill contained originally but one run of common stone. An old-fashioned tub-wheel was used, and for the space of two or three years the mill had but little custom. Finally, a run of burr-stones was added, and business increased as the country became more thickly settled. Lemuel Taylor was a chair-maker and wheelwright by trade, and very soon after his settlement ihe built a shop in which those articles were manufactured. A blacksmith-shop was opened in a small log building, in 1824, by Elisha Taylor and Peter Groesbeck. The latter was the blacksmith and performed the work, while Taylor furnished the means for carrying on the business. The first store, containing a small general stock, valued at two or three hun- dred dollars, was established by Judge Millerd, probably at his residence. Very soon after, in 1824-25, a larger stock was opened by Elkanah Comstock, who had erected a small building for the purpose. Millerd continued his residence at Stony Creek until his death, and was sincerely mourned by the entire community, as well as by the people of the county, who had elected him to positions of trust, and become acquainted with his many virtues,-his sterling integrity, his force of character, and tihe many attributes which bind a man firmly to his associates and render-his memory dear to them. In 1836-37 a frame building was erected, which John Bennett opened as the first hotel. It was quite an extensive establishment for those days. At present the village is without an institution of this kind. A post-office was established as carly as 1824-25, and Judge Millerd appointed the first postmaster. This was probably the second post-office in the township, the first having been established a short time previously at the house of Dr. Cyrus Chipman, on section 26, south of Rochester. Dr. Chipman was appointed postmaster, and is said to have been the first who held that position in the old township of Oakland. The office was called Oakland, and Dr. Chipman held it for twelve years. In the spring of 1824 the Herseys, who settled at Rochester in the fall of 1818, removed to the vicinity of Stony Creek, anid, some distance up the creek, John Hersey and Burton Allen built a dam and a saw-mill, getting the mill in opera- tion immediately after the Millerd and Taylor mill began work. Hersey & Allen placed a run of stone three feet and nine inches in diameter in their mill, and did considerable grinding. Mr. Hersey had sold his interest in the mill at Rochester to Charles Larned, of Detroit, and the latter afterwards became one of the pro- prietors of that village. A flax-spindle was, after two or three years, added to the establishment on Stony Creek, but was never used much, as but little flax was grown. Mr. Hersey died in March, 1855 or '56, in the eightieth year of his age. His son, James A. Hersey, now resides in the township of Oakland. Stony Creek village was laid out October 18, 1830, by Nathaniel Millerd, Elisha and Joshua B. Taylor. Mr. Millerd made an addition in 1842. STONY CREEK WOOLEN-MILL. The building now occupied by this establishment was erected about 1845-47, for a grist-mill, by Judge Nathaniel Millerd, being the second one he built in the vicinity (the first at the village by Millerd and the Taylors in 1824). In 1866 Johnson Matteson purchased the property and converted it into an establishment for manufacturing woolen fabrics. He sold a half-interest in 1867 to a man named Beale, and the two operated it until December 5 of that year, when Beale sold his interest to Philander Ewell. Early in August, 1868, Mr. Ewell also pur- chased Matteson's .interest, and has since been proprietor. He has built up an excellent reputation and a large business,-the latter entirely domestic. About sixteen thousand pounds of wool are used annually, the running time of the mill averaging about nine months in the year. The machinery used is of the best manufacture, and is as follows: one set of cards for manufacturing and two for custom work; one spinning-jack, with two hundred and forty spindles; three Crompton looms,-one broad and two narrow. Water is tmhe motive power used, which furnishes a twenty-feet head. A team and sale wagon are kept on the road constantly. Mr. Ewell emigrated from what is now Wyoming county, New York, in 1830, and settled in Macomb county, Michigan, where hlie resided until 1869, since which time he has lived at Stony Creek. STONY CREEK CEMETERY. The deed for the lot on which this cemetery is located was given March 8, 1839, by Nathaniel Millerd and wife to Richard Lacy and others, the land to be used for burial purposes, and the consideration amounting to fifty dollars. The Cemetery association was organized as a corporation on the 21st of February, H QU C C A i 1 0 3 3i '2 a22 Fem y ', H 4 >/2 22 <2/222/2K <2> ' f 6 n t a Jb (y x e 4 v; f v a. .r, c a C i a HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 137 1861, with the following officers: President, William Bradley; Clerk, Johnson Matteson; Treasurer, Peter Thorpe; Sexton, Robert Gregory. These gentlemen were also trustees. The first person buried in this cemetery was Michael Van Wagoner, Sr., who settled in 1823, and died in 1824 or 1825. The remains of many of the pioneers of this region are here at last "peacefully at rest," among them the Millerds, Millers, Taylors, and others, whose names are fresh in the memory of those now living who knew them well. Their record is universally bright, and their fame shall long live after them, a stanch monument to their worth. The cemetery has a fine location on the hill southwest of Stony Creek, on the Rochester road, the land being a part of the northeast quarter of section 11. Many neat head-stones are placed here, indicating to the stranger the last resting- place of those who conquered the wilderness and brought prosperity upon the land; who endured hardships unappreciable by those who have never experienced them, and after lives of toil and usefulness passed peacefully to their reward. "For them no more the blazing fire shall burn, Nor busy housewife ply her evening care; No children run to lisp their sire's return, Nor climb his knees the envied kiss to share. "Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield; Their furrow oft the stubborn glehe has broke; How jocund did they drive their teams afield ! how bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!" STONY CREEK LODGE, NO. 5, F. AND A. 31. This organization was chartered probably in 1825, and included in its member- ship many of the most prominent citizens of the vicinity. An octagon house was built on one of the hills at the village, and the lodge-rooms were kept in it. The location was called "Mount Moriah." This lodge was the only one in Mich- igan which sustained its organization and kept its lodge-room open on regular meeting occasions during the anti-Masonic excitement consequent to the Morgan affair. It was kept up by one man, who was determined it should not lose its identity, no matter what the excitement. It was the nucleus of the present flour- ishing lodge at Rochester, to which place it was removed. TIHE STONY CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH was organized as a society in the month of June, 1824, but who the original members were we have been unable to ascertain, save Deacon Millerd and Deacon Lemuel Taylor. On the first day of July following the formation of the church society Olive Cressy and Sally B. Millerd were admitted by letter. On Feb- ruary 12, 1825, Nathaniel Millerd was also admitted by letter, and Jeremiah Lockwood on September 10, and Lebbeus and Caroline Lockwood, and Jesse Thorp September 26. In 1826, Hiram Calkins, Abigail and Esther Miller were admitted on August 12, and on the 14th day of April, 1827, the first ceremony of baptism was performed, Fanny Taylor being so admitted to the church. On the 29th of January, 1828, the second candidate was baptized, Philinda Waring. A church edifice was erected in 1833, of some considerable preten- sions, which was used by this society until its demise in 1856-57. It was built by John L. Smith. It now stands, a monument of the past, in desolation and ruin, its arched windows guiltless of glazing, having been made the targets of mischievous boys, whose stone-throwing proclivities have made a sad wreck of the once more than ordinary work of the sash-maker. Rev. Orestes Taylor wasthe first resident Baptist minister in Stony Creek, and is claimed by some to have been also the first one in Michigan. The Rev. Ahasuerus Willy was also an early pastor. In 1854 the Rochester Baptist church was formed in this old building, which drew off its chief membership, and in 1855 another society was formed from this pioneer church, and its candle flickered awhile, and finally was extinguished, and its candlestick was removed out of its place. The last society formed of former members of this old church was known by the name of The First Particu- lar Baptist church of Avon and Oakland. It was organized at the house of Chauncey Copeland, August 31, 1855, by choosing the following members trustees: Charles Copeland, Johnson Matteson, and Asahel Whitcomb. No record is found of this society having maintained an existence, and further particulars cannot be given. OAKLAND BAPTIST CIIURCII. As early as 1831-32 an organization was formed here, with a membership probably numbering less than twenty. Among the original members the follow- ing-named persons are remembered: Charles Button and wife, Samuel Hilton and wife, Roswell Hilton and wife, Ezra Howell and wife, John Miller and wife, and Mr. Dennison and wife. Mr. Dennison was ordained as the first regular 18 pastor of the church after its organization. He had settled a mile east of it in 1831. He preached here until his removal to Warren, Macomb county, about 1834-35. He was followed by Stephen L. Goodman. Succeeding the latter came Elder Asa W. Button, who was ordained while preaching, and soon after went away. A man named Starkey preached a short time, but was probably never installed as regular pastor. The next who appears in the pastoral connection is Elder George W. Pennell, who was succeeded by Elder Samuel Morse, the latter being ordained at this place, and continuing in charge for seven years; he after- wards preached to them considerable at different times. Elder Lawrence preached for some time, but owing to his decided leaning towards the Adventist doctrine he was relieved from charge, and was followed by Elder Keth. The next pastor was probably Elder Zenas Coleman, who stayed two years, and divided his time between the congregations at Oakland and Rochester. He afterward died in Illinois. Elder David Ward camne next, and was succeeded by Elder S. Gard- ner, and he in turn by Elder William Fuller, the latter remaining four years. Elder McLane also ministered here to some extent, but was perhaps never regu- larly installed. Others had charge in the same way. The church at present has a membership of about twenty-five, and is without a pastor (July, 1877). A Sabbath-school was organized about the time the church was built,-1843-44,-- and was kept up summer and winter for many years. Meetings were held in school-houses and other places until the frame church (yet standing) was built. The lot, containing one acre, was donated by Charles Baldwin, whose wife was a member of the church. An additional acre was donated, on which to build a parsonage, but none has ever been erected. Sheds for twenty teams have been built immediately est of the church. SCHOOLS. Probably as early as 1823 a school was taught on what was afterwards the William Burbank farm, Mr. B. settling in 1824. The school was kept in a log shanty, and taught by Susan Baldwin. About the same time a school was taught in Alexander Graham's old log house, at Rochester, the teacher being a man named Farrington. This man built a tannery on the old Pontiac road, three-fourths of a mile west of the business por- tion of the village, which was the first one in the neighborhood. It stood near a large spring, which furnished the necessary water. In the Stony Creek settlement a school was taught in 1825 in a plank house which stood a short distance east of the present site of the village. The teacher was John Chapman, a man reported to have been a fine mathematician. He was a justice of the peace for a long period, and a man of strict truth. Previous to the opening of this school the body of a log school-house had been raised, but the building was never completed. About 1825-26 a log school-house was built on the southeast part of section 27, a short distance west of the corner, and Alanson Brooks was one of the first teachers. Cyrus A. Chipman, after his marriage (1828), moved into this build- ing, and occupied it a year, or until his present frame was built in 1829. The next school-house in this neighborhood was built in 1836, a mile north of the old one. The first teacher was Miss Charlotte Brooks, who afterwards married a man named Hosmer, of Dubuque, Iowa. She was a daughter of Birdseye Brooks, who came here about 1825-28 from East Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York. He has grandchildren now living at Utica, Macomb county, Michigan. As early as 1821 a small school, having six or eight pupils, was taught in the Postal neighborhood, in a log shanty built for the purpose. The teacher was an old man, who was a kihd of half-way doctor, and his name is now forgotten. He owned no property, and was hired to teach this school probably to give him a chance to earn his living for at least a short time. He was a roving character who had no permanent home, and it is not known what finally became of him. DISTILLERY. The farm now owned by Edmund L. Goff was originally settled bya man named Jacob Miller, who was probably of German descent. He was familiarly known as " Dutch Miller." As early as 1824 he built a small distillery here, which he carried on for a number of years. It stood in the hollow formed by a small run, a short distance west of the present residence of MIr. Goff, who has lived on the place since 1852. Miller had his milling done at Auburn village, in Pontiac township, ten miles away. John Axford, who was through here about that time looking for land, and who finally settled in Macomb county, used to tell the following anecdote with great satisfaction. He and Ezra Burgess were together hunting land, the latter acting probably as guide. When they had arrived nearly to Miller's distillery, Axford remarked to Miller that he was getting pretty dry, and asked if there was not some place where they could get something to drink. " Why, yes," said Burgess, " there is a distillery right down here." Accordingly the two men went down, taking along a jug they had with them, and 138 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I found Miller at his work. They requested him to let them have some liquor, telling him to fill the jug, and give them some besides. He said, " Oh, yes, yes! You can have all you vish. I tink it will not hurt you, for it is made of bran !" This distillery was one of the earliest in Oakland County, and possibly the very first, but the fact is uncertain. BUSINESS. The following is a summary of the business of Avon township, outside of Rochester, as it stood in 1876: Stony Creek woolen-mill, Philander Ewell, proprietor. (See history of mill in another place.) Stony Creek flouring-mill, Elishur Robinson, proprietor; two run of stone capacity, forty thousand bushels of grain annually; grinds about fifteen thousand bushels, all custom work; present proprietor (July, 1877), John Stead. Flouring-mill near Stony Creek; Joseph Winkler, proprietor; two run of stone; capacity, sixty thousand bushels; grinds twenty thousand; five hundred bushels merchant work. Saw- and cider-mills, on Clinton river, two miles southeast of Rochester, William Yates, proprietor. Saw- and cider-mill, on Clinton river, two miles west of Rochester, Harlow Green, proprietor. Saw- and planing-mill, on Clinton river, half a mile below Rochester, Milo Newberry, proprietor. Blacksmith-shop at Stony Creek, Marcellus Taylor, proprietor; also one at same place by Charles Johnson. Dry goods and groceries, Stony Creek; Ed. Patch. The entire business transactions of the township, including Rochester, amounted to about two hundred thousand dollars, of which the various establishments outside of Rochester had a proportionate share. FANATICISM AND CRIME. The faithful historian must record the facts of history as hlie finds them, un- pleasant and abhorrent though they may be. We would fain draw the curtain over certain events that stain the fair fame of Avon, and cast a blot on her other- wise spotless escutcheon, but an impartial and complete record of the township precludes such a course, and we record here the salient points of a series of acts, culminating in crime, and disgrace to the principal actors, whose names are omit- ted in deference to their relatives, and especially for the children's sake. During the excitement of 1843-44, on the subject of the second advent of Christ, or, as it was then called, Millerism, a certain citizen of the township figured as a leader in the movement, and gathered to himself something of a following. Among them, a certain man and his wife became so infatuated that they left their former residence and took up their abode on the farm of the leader aforesaid, where they waited the expected apocalypse, but which, as is known, failed to come off as ad- vertised, in 1844. Being disappointed in their expectations, some of the ad- herents of the new doctrine fell away from the leader, while others remained steadfast. The leader and his faithful adherents began to correct their spiritual chronometers and get their bearings under the new phase of affairs, and the re- sult of their observations was that a singular hallucination took possession of their minds, and they believed the advent had really taken place and the day of judgment was truly begun, and that Christ would ere long manifest himself in one of their own number. Still further investigations or "experiences" settled them in the belief that the expected one had already taken possession of the bodily form once occupied by the leader himself, and thenceforward he was de- nominated God the Father, and his will was absolute among them. Soon after other "experiences" were had by others of the parties, and the man who had taken up his residence on the leader's farm became "possessed" and believed himself to be John the Forerunner, but the assumed Godhead gave him the name and distinction of John the beloved disciple. The wife of John became Mary, and the wife of the leader became Martha, and they all lived together in communism. Others received other names of the ancient disciples and followers of Jesus when on the earth. Matters continued thus for a number of years, until "John the beloved" began to tire of cultivating the farm of the so-called father, and doing the drudgery, while the father was simply a tyrannical "boss;" and he at length withdrew, and tried to induce his wife to go with him, but she was still too fast bound in the chains of fanaticism to break them, and refused to go back to their oldhome in another county. After a year or more the former disciple came again, and after much persuasion induced the wife to return with him; but after she had been at home a few months she went back to the Father (so-called) again, and matters con- tinued as they had been until the latter part of the year 1864, when the wife of the leader made a most horrible and disgusting confession, showing that her hus- band had been living in crime with the five or six women who had formed his household. Her children had, in the mean time, been taken away from the fester- ing iniquity, and had escaped its loathsome contamination. Previous to this revela- tion the matter had been looked upon by the community as deep-seated fanaticism only, but had no suspicion of criminal action, or at least there was no overt act that would justify the interference of the law in the ease. But on the confession being made public measures were at once instituted to purge the community of the foul disgrace, and the leader was arrested and brought before the magistrates for examination, when thie most disgusting and blasphemous details were brought to light. The principal actor was bound over for trial before the circuit court, on the charges of adultery and incest, and, on the trial for the former offense, con- victed and sentenced to the penitentiary for one year, and was accordingly incarce- rated and served out the sentence, the other charge being held in suspense over him. We are indebted to the following persons for valuable information regarding the history of Avon: James A. Hersey (of Oakland), C. Z. Horton (of Roch- ester), George Postal, Roger Sprague, Cyrus A. Chipman, Aaron Webster, Mrs. S. Price (Stony Creek), Almon Parmenter and brother, P. Ewell, J. M. Wilcox, E. L. Goff, J. Barwise, Lysander Woodward, O. G. Stewart, and J. A. Weeks (of Pontiac), and others; and have also gleaned largely from the pioneer records at Pontiac. THE VILLAGE OF ROCHESTER. The advance-guard of the hosts of civilization first pitched its tents in Oakland County, on the site of the village of Rochester, on the 17th day of March, Anno Domini 1817. It was but a handful of the hosts to follow and hold the conquest, but it was the most venturesome of them all. This little band consisted of James Graham and his son Alexander, and Christopher Hartsough, and their families, who made their first stopping-place on the banks of Paint creek, and rolled up the first log house erected in Oakland County near the lot now occupied by John Barger. James Graham was of Irish parentage, his father being a type of the "foine ould Irish gintleman, one of the raal ould shtock." He emigrated from the Emerald Isle some years before the American Revolution, and settled in Penn- sylvania among a company of Hollanders, who pronounced his name " Grimes." Hie is said to be the original of the old ditty, which every school-boy used to sing with great gusto, and which was composed on the death of Mr. Graham. The first verse runs thus: "Old Grimes is dead, the good old man, q We ne'er shall see him more; lIe used to wear an old blue coat All buttoned up before." The original settler in Pennsylvania, the father of the pioneer of Oakland, raised a large family in that colony, James being born in 1749. The latter married Mary Vandemark, and the following children, nine, were born to them: James, David, John, Alexander, William, Benjamin, Chester, Martha, and Mary. The elder Graham moved fromn Pennsylvania to Canada, and settled on the farm where the city of Ingersoll now stands. He remained on it about six years, and then removed to Michigan, in 1816, which was then a vast uncultivated wilder- ness, outside of the settlements at Detroit and Monroe and that vicinity. His residence in Pennsylvania was near Tioga point, on the Chemung branch of the Susquehanna river. His first location in Michigan was at Mount Clemens, which township his son Benjamin' assisted to survey, in 1816, under Colonel Wampler. The father made a squatter's location, ip 1817, on the northwest quarter section 21, township 3, range 11 east, the farm afterwards located by Dr. Wm. Thompson, and on which the old doctor died. His sons, Benjamin and William Graham, bought the southwest quarter section 23, in the same township, to which the old veteran removed and spent the remainder of his days. His hospitality was unbounded, and his kindness proverbial. Not only was he highly esteemed by his white neighbors, but also was he held in repute by the Indians, who would do anything Mrs. Graham asked of them. Mr. Graham served one year in the Revolutionary army, from April 15, 1777, to April 15, 1778, and was engaged with the enemy at the battle of Wyoming, as is more fully detailed in the military history of the county. Alexander Graham married a Miss Hawskins, and setled on the east side of what was afterwards called Main street, in the house before mentioned, where his eldest son, James, named in honor of his grandfather, was born, early in the year 1818, and who was also the first white child born in the county. The proprietors of the village subsequently gave the lot on which this pioneer baby was born to the youngster, who owned it till his decease, when it passed into the possession of its present owner. Alexander Graham cleared off a portion of the land on the west side of Main street, and in 1825 a fine crop of wheat was harvested on the same for Nathaniel Baldwin. The south line was near the south line of the HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 139 present lot of Mrs. Dr. Hudson, in the direction of the Congregational church; then passed along the west line of Walnut street to the present dwelling of Mr. Kirby; thence to the site of Lambertson's store; thence to Mrs. Hutaf's present location, partly down the east line of Main street, taking in the site of the stone store of Dr. Sprague; then southerly to about the corner of Second street; and contained about eight acres. Mr. Graham then purchased the west half and southwest quarter of section 15, where hlie lived a number of years. His wife dying hlie married again, sold out his property, and moved to Oakland, on section 5 or 6, and died there, and was buried with his family in the cemetery at Rochester. He was a genial companion, always ready for sport, and was known for many years as " Elder" Graham. He once went to Pontiac, riding a small bay pony, at a time when long-continued rains had swollen the waters of the Clinton, and, during his absence, the planking of the bridge at Auburn had been swept away. The night on which hlie returned was very dark, but notwithstand- ing the pony carried his rider safely across the flood on the sleepers of the bridge. The pony thereafter became a household treasure, and remained in Graham's possession until the latter's death. Mr. Graham had become familiar with the Indian language, and was many times employed as an interpreter. Christopher Hartsough married one of the daughters of James Graham, and, after stopping a short time with his brother-in-law, Alexander, settled near Plymouth, Wayne county, where hlie died shortly after. The next comer to the site of the future village of Rochester was John Her- sey, who located on the north bank of Paint creek, in the fall of the year 1818; and on the 29th day of October in that year entered at the land-office in Detroit the south half of section 10, township 3, range 11 east, under the act of Congress which fixed the price of the public lands at two dollars per acre, and gave the pur- chaser time to make his payments, the first quarter of the purchase-money being paid at the time of the entry. This entry was the first one made of public lands in the county, and the sale at which it was made was the first public land sale in Michigan. In the summer of 1819, Mr. Hersey sold his claim on the southwest quarter of section 10 to Benjamin Woodworth, a hotel-keeper in Detroit, and William Russell, the latter only residing in Rochester. This summer (1819) the saw-mill was built on Paint creek, by Hersey, Russell, Woodworth, and Graham, as detailed elsewhere. John Hersey was a native of Cummington, Massachusetts, and later a resident of Erie county, New York, and his family, which came with him to Oakland, con- sisted of three sons and five daughters. James A. Hersey, now a resident of Oakland township, was one of those sons. When the mill of Hersey and others was built there was no other mill nearer than Mount Clemens, where grinding was done, some twenty miles distant. The Mount Clemens mill was owned by Mr. Tremble (pronounced Trombley), and was built about the same time as the Hersey mill; perhaps earlier, by a year. Joshua Sly, a resident of Rochester in 1842, was a miller in Tremble's mill. The pio- neers relate the following incident concerning the Tremble mill, in connection with the Graham boys, John and William, which is as follows: These two pioneers having occasion to get a large grist ground, took a sufficient number of bags to hold the bran, and agreed upon a certain course of action, to ascertain the reason of the excessive shrinkage such large grists were invariably subject to at this mill, which conundrum had been puzzling the brains of the settlers for some time. They arrived at the mill, where the grist was received, but could not be ground until late in the night. William had taken a good supply of buffalo-robes and blankets, and resolved to sleep in the mill, and made his bed near the hopper. Tremble wanted the customers to go to Mount Clemens for some whisky, and John went, while William slept with one eye open. Tremble took the required toll; and after John returned, as the night wore on the mill-stones ground slowly, and the grist was again tolled; whereupon William arose and replaced the last tolling, and as much more. An hour or so passed and another tolling was required and performed; and again the sleeping sentinel arose and replaced the tolling and its duplicate. Still the mill went round slowly, atd the grist lingered; and the toll- ing was again made by the indefatigable miller, and again replaced with interest by the zealous watcher; and still another toll, and another return was made; the guardian of the grist dumping into the hopper all the wheat he could find in the mill. The grinding at last was done, and the bags the Grahams had brought' would not suffice to hold the flour their grist had made, and they left the surplus and the bran to be called for at another time, but failed to call; and thus was the shrinkage of ancient grists turned into excess. William Russell was the next comer to the future village, and he located there in 1819, and built himself a log house, and, as has been before stated, erected, in company with Hersey, Woodworth, and Graham, the saw-mill, and subsequent grist-mill. "Father" Russell, as he was familiarly called, was a candid, unas- suming man, an example of sociality, and benevolent and just in all his ways. Benjamin Woodworth never lived in Rochester, but was a constant friend to the i . {, i . .^ i inhabitants of Oakland. He was for many years the proprietary host of the Steamboat hotel in Detroit. and "had a heart full of kindness, and a hand always ready to help the distressed." He died November 10, 1874, at his home in St. Clair county, aged ninety-one years. Previous to the laying out of the village, in 1826, but few settlers came, and among them were, beside those already named, John Shippey, the Jacksons, and Hill, on the Clinton. In 1823-24 the flouring-mill was built on the Clinton by Perrin and Mack, and David Dort was the resident miller. In 1826, Governor Cass, Austin E. Wing, and Charles Larned, of Detroit, laid out the original plat of the village. Apropos of these gentlemen, the following incident is related concerning their tour of observation through Oakland, when the village plat was selected: Daniel Le Roy, afterwards a prominent figure in the history of the county, was living at the time of the incident on his farm in Avon, and the party before named, accompanied by Colonel Mack, of Pontiac, on their tour down the Clinton, called on Mr. Le Roy some time before dinner, and in the course of the conversa- tion which followed told the host what their business was, whereupon he invited them to partake of his hospitalities, proposing in the interim to accompany them on their quest, which was acceded to by the party, much to the mortification of Mrs. Le Roy, who, knowing the destitution that reigned in her larder, was in tears at the prospect of providing for a governor, a delegate to Congress, and a member of the Detroit bar, and in her extremity she called Mr. Le Roy aside and reproved him sharply for his inconsiderateness; but he reassured his weeping dame, and told her to give them the best she had, and he would guarantee satisfaction on the part of the visitors. The party proceeded with their prospecting, and returned to the house betimes, where Mrs. Le Roy, with much trepidation, placed before her distinguished guests the very best, and all, she had in the house for their entertainment, which was partaken of with a zest only to be awakened by a long tramp or ride such as the hungry travelers had just indulged in. The bill of faitre was simple, but palatable, and consisted of baked potatoes and milk,-" only this, and nothing more." No words of apology were offered, or deprecating remarks made; the guests knew well it was the best the hospitable host had to give, and they partook of the hospitality in the spirit in which it was tendered, and departed. A week or so afterwards a Frenchman, riding a pony and leading another bearing a pack, stopped before the door of Mr. Le Roy's house and inquired if it was Mr. Le Roy's residence, and on receiving an affirmative answer commenced to unpack his animal. As package after package of flour, meal, tea, sugar, coffee, pork, etc., were placed on the ground by the side of the cabin, Mrs. Le Roy protested there must be some mistake committed, but Johnny Crapeaud shook his head and said hlie was ordered to deliver his charge safely to Mrs. Le Roy; whereupon the lady, still more astonished, proceeded to call her liege, but on his arrival the pony and his master had departed, and Mr. Le Roy at once discovered.,that the bread-i.e., the potatoes and milk-he cast upon the waters (spread before his guests) had indeed returned to him, and not many days after. There was one happy woman in Avon that day, certain. George M. Shaw came to the village in 1825, or earlier, and Gad Norton built his saw-mill on the Clinton in 1824-25. Seneca Newberry came to the village in 1826-27, being the first merchant of the place. He was for many years a prominent citizen, not only of Rochester, but also of the county. He was born in Connecticut, where he spent his youth. About 1826 he came to Detroit, and engaged in mercantile business for his cousin, the late Oliver Newberry, a noted merchant and steamboat-man of De- troit. After spending about a year in Detroit, he bought a general stock of goods suited to the demands of the pioneer trade, and located in Rochester, where he conducted a flourishing business for years. He was a member of the first constitutional convention of Michigan, in the labors of which he bore a conspicuous and influential part. He was also a dele- gate in the second constitutional convention, wherein he added to his previous fame. He was afterwards State senator. Soon after his location in Rochester, he was united in marriage to a most esti- mable lady, who bore him four sons, all of whom survive. Mrs. Newberry died about 1847. Mr. Newberry died in Rochester, May 13, 1877, aged seventy-five years. Lyman J. Willcox came to Avon township in 1824, from Oneida county, New York, on foot and alone, through Canada. He located near Chipman's Corners, and in V28 was married to Hopey Green, of Ontario county, New York, and took up his residence in Rochester, since which time, until quite recently, he has been actively engaged in business there. His manufacturing history is detailed elsewhere. At the time he was conducting his mill and distillery he was also engaged in cultivating a section of land in the township. In 1833-34 he was the collector of taxes of Oakland township, comprising then the present townships of Oakland, Avon, Addison, and Oxford; the inhab- 140 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. itants of which township came to Rochester to hold their town-meetings. In 1834 the population of the four townships was 1701. When he arrived at Rochester, hlie found resident there, beside those previously named, William Bur- bank and Dr. Morrison. Mr. Willeox had four children born to him by his wife, Hopey Green, who are now living: Randall J. and Lyman G. (twins), born in 1831 ; Elliot R. Will- cox, now a resident of Rochester, and a prominent manufacturer of the village, and lawyer; and a daughter, now living in Bay City. His second wife died in 1872. HIe now resides in Rochester. Dr. Morrison came to Rochester from Vermont in 1827, and built the first frame house in the village. Hle continued to reside there for a few years, and removed to his farm near Utica, where he died. William Burbank came to Rochester with his family in March, 1828, and began cabinet-making. He was born in Maine, resided in his youth in Vermont, and grew to manhood in New York, and came to Michigan in October, 1822, and located on a farm two miles southwest of Rochester, the same being now owned by Mr. Taylor. He is, at an advanced age, still a resident of the village, in the family of his son-in-law, C. HII. Green. Mr. Burbank is one of the original members of the Congregational church of Rochester, formed fifty years ago,-July 1, 1827,-and has been one of its stanchest and most steadfast supporters. He was one of the first justices of the peace of Oakland County, being commissioned in 1824 by Governor Cass. The first constable in the township was John F. HIamlin. Edwin T. Wilcox came to Avon township in 1825, in the spring of that year, from East Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, and located in sections 23, 25, and 26, which tract of land he still owns. He was born in East Bloomfield, No. vember 5, 1799, and that township and that of Avon are the only townships lihe has ever resided in. He is now a resident of the village of Rochester. He was married in 1831, in Ontario county, New York, and has been mainly engaged in farming, though hlie learned the art of cloth-dressing, and followed the trade for a time; and has also been engaged as a merchant and a miller, and in his younger days was a teacher. In September, 1830, the village gained an inhabitant who for forty-seven years has gone in and out before the people, either in a public or private capacity, and who still lives among them honored and esteemed. We refer to Honorable Almorin Mack, who opened the second stock of goods for sale in the village on the first day of Septembei in the year last named, and continued in active trade until 1853. He is the son of Colonel Stephen Mack, deceased, one of Pontiac's earliest and most prominent citizens. He put his stock in the front room of the main building now occupied by Dr. Wilson as a residence. In the rear room George M31. Shaw and a family of twelve persons resided, while Mr. Mack's family and clerk occupied the upper back chamber. At this time there were not a dozen houses in the place, about one-half of which were frames. Mr. Mack was born in Tunbridge, Vermont, and was educated at the military academy at Nor- wich, under the instruction of Captain Partridge, the last two years of his resi- dence there. He came to Michigan in 1822, when sixteen years of age, and was married in 1827 to an orphaned girl,-Alvira Jemison,-who had found a home in his father's family. She died at Rochester, January 21, 1876, aged nearly seventy years. Although childless themselves, Mr. and Mrs. Mack have per- formed the duties of parents to three orphaned children,--Mrs. Wm. Parmelee, of Grand Rapids, Mrs. J. E. Wilson, and Mrs. E. S. Cook, of Rochester. She was a member of the Rochester Congregational church for thirty-eight years. Her charities and hospitalities were without stint, and, together with her intelligence and amiability, won her the affectionate regard of all who had the pleasure of her acquaintance. Mr. Mack, in 1824, was prostrated with sickness for nearly the whole summer, and has never enjoyed robust health since. He has been a promi- nent public man in the county, and has held many positions of honor and trust. In 1848 he was a member of the legislature, and dispatched business intrusted to him with rapidity and accuracy. The legislation on plank-roads was on the tapis that session, and the Pontiac people desired a charter for a road to Lapeer, and by some fatuity the utmost celerity was required in the passage of the bill. Mr. Mack received the letter one evening after the adjournment of the legislature, and prepared the bill, presented it the next morning, and the next night the bill was a law, and a copy of it on its way to Pontiac, having passed through the various stages of its passage-the first reading, second reading, engrossment, and final reading and passage in both houses, and the approval of the governor, and its enrollment among the public laws of the State-inside of six hours. In 1824, Mr. Mack was tendered the position of secretary to the first legisla- tive council of the Territory, but owing to his ill health he was forced to decline the same. He, at the request of a caucus of politicians, wrote the names of nine candidates for the first legislative council, who were selected by the president of the United States out of eighteen nominees to form that council. The nine names he wrote were those of the appointees. He was the main-stay of his father, Colonel Stephen Mack, in the management of his latter's extensive mercantile and manu- facturing business; kept the books of the concern, and was general manager, and settled up the estate of his fiather on the latter's decease. He is still vigorous in intellect, though feeble in body, and discusses with all the interest of his youthful Sdays the various subjects of public importance which arrest the attention day by day. He has a twin sister living in Utah, between whom and himself there has ever existed a remarkable physical and mental sympathy, the same diseases afflict- ing each, and at the same time, tlhough removed from each other by long distances. Hosea B. Richardson came to Rochester in 1832, from Rochester, New York. Hle has been interested in manufacturing, mainly in the village, to the present time, as will be seen in connection with the history of manufactures of the vil- lage. He was born in Vermont, but removed to New York at an early age. He was married in Oakland County to Sarah Le Roy, sister of John P. Le Roy, by whom he had two sons and two daughters born to him, all now living in Roches- ter or Avon township. Both of the sons are in the Rochester woolen-factory. * One daughter is married, and one is at home in charge of the household, her mother being dead. She died in 1841, and the second Mrs. Richardson died in 1874. Calvin Chapel came to the village in 1830, and Dr. Rollin C. Sprague about or soon after that time. Edward P. Harris located in the village in 1833. More detailed sketches appear elsewhere of these last-named settlers. In 1832, Chris- tian Z. Horton came to the village from his father's farm, to learn the black- smithing trade, when nineteen years old, and has resided in the village ever since, marrying there, and raising his children around him. Benjamin Horton, the father of C. Z. Horton, emigrated from Northampton county, Pennsylvania, where hie was born November 10, 1783, to Canada, in 1809, together with his father, George Horton, a Revolutionary soldier in 1783. The son, Benjamin, married, May 10, 1810, Jane Zavitz, at Port Colborne; moved to Yarmouth, Elgin county, Ontario, in 1820, and in March, 1825, arrived in Detroit, and came to Avon township, and settled two miles south of the village of Rochester, on sec- tion 22, which location hie subsequently exchanged for the west half of the north- east quarter of section 7, whereon hIe died November 6, 1858. Hle was a justice of the peace eight years, and about 1828-29 was interested in manufacturing in the village. Mr. C. Z. Horton is prominently identified with the pioneer history of the township of Avon, having written several articles on the pioneers and Indians, which have been published and preserved in the records of the Avon Pioneer Society, of which Mr. Horton is secretary, and also in the records of the Oakland County Pioneer Society. Among the prominent citizens of Rochester not otherwise particularly men- tioned was General Charles M31. Griffin, who was a native of New Jersey, and who camne to the village in or about the year 1850, and engaged in milling. HIe was prominent also in politics, and, though moving quietly and without bluster, made his influence felt in the Democratic party for years. He was of a genial nature, and the very soul of hospitality. He returned to New Jersey during the war (1863-64), where he died. Henry M. Look, Sr., though a late-comer to Rochester, making his residence there in 1873, is an early pioneer of Lapeer county, coming thereto May 10, 1834, being ten days on the road from Avon, New Ybrk, via steamboat from Buffalo to Detroit. Hon. Henry M. Look, of Pontiad, a leading and eloquent lawyer and charming poet, his son, was born at Farmdr's Cleek, now called Had- ley, in Lapeer county. The family is of Scotch $traction. Mr. Look removed from Lapeer county to Avon township in 1853. Orange Foote was an old resident of the village, and a justice of the peace many years. Lambertson was an early comer to the village, and he and his sons, John V. and Hiram, have been prominently engaged in business for more than thirty-five years. J. V. Lambertson & Brother are private bankers, and also carry the heaviest stock of general merchandise in the village. Joseph Reimer, C. S. Goodi- son, Thomas Sprague, Win. J.'Weir, Theo. C. Cook, J. C. Baker, Win. L. Barnes, F. M. Holman, Harvey Green, John B. Martz, Geo. W. Vandeventer, in business in the village at the present time, are all of long standing, some of them dating their residence in the village as early as 1840. John M. Mack, a son of Colonel Stephen Mack, was the first landlord in the village, and came thereto in 1828, and opened the hotel. He remained but about two years, or thereabouts, and is now a resident of IHIamtramck, Wayne county, where he has resided for many years past. James Newberry is one of the leading business men of Rochester, of several years' standing. TIHE ABORIGINES, who used to make their home about Rochester, buried their dead in three dif- ferent places within or near the present limits of the village. One burial-place LJMUNDL40F 4~ OMU OL OFF £60 C 0 UMUN L c12AVO TPOKLAOu: t0 ,0 AI0 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 141 was on the site now occupied by the store of Mrs. Rollin C. Sprague, one on the hill north of Barnes & Bro.'s paper-mill (which was demolishod by exca- vating for the canal), and the other was north of Green & Son's saw-mill, on the brow of the hill, about midway between the mill and the fence of Mrs. Perrin. Some five or six persons were buried in each of the first and last places; in the second, three persons, two males and one female, were buried. In the spring of 1825 the Indians encamped on the ground now occupied by Hartson Gillett, and occupied it during the fishing season. Many of them were expert spearmen. Here, too, they used to have their dances, which continued for several evenings. On those occasions there would be assembled twenty-five or thirty persons, and but few children. They had one drummer, his drum being made of a hol- low log about a foot in diameter, nearly two feet in length, dressed quite thin, and a raw skin of some kind drawn over it, the drummer using but one drum- stick, with which he made one continued succession of strokes, like the beating of a clock. They had also a flute or flageolet, upon which they could make three or four different tones by means of finger-holes with desperate blowing. They would build two fires about ten or twelve feet apart, and between the fires drive a stake, on the top of which a piece of red flannel, about a foot square, would be placed, and a plug of tobacco laid on the flannel. When the ceremo- nies were to begin they sat down around the fires, excluding the children, lighted a pipe, and passed it around the circle for each one, male or female, to whiff. It was the pipe of peace or calumet dance. As soon as the smoking was over, at which ceremony guests are expected to participate, the chiefs or head men, or guests, made an address, each one speaking who desired; but always short speeches were made. The speaking being over, the terpsichorean pleasures began. Each person would have the skin of some small animal, a weasel, or black, gray, or red squirrel, prepared for the purpose, and which were used to extort a "treat" from the bystanders, who must respond to the request or dance, and sometimes both. When the "treat" went around all stopped dancing and joined in the more imperative demands of hospitality. Their dancing was something between the modern " Boston dip" and " Kangaroo dive," and was brought about by stepping on one foot and slipping it forward once; then the other foot in a similar man- ner, and so alternately. The dances were pleasant for the participators as long as they kept sober, but became scenes of confusion, and frequently of bloodshed, by reason of too freely partaking of the "fire-water" of the pale-face. In 1824 an interesting ceremony was conducted by the Indians south of Barnes Bro.'s mill, near the hill, on land occupied now by Ezekiel Dewey. The Indians cleared of all of the flat and built a large log-heap and set it on fire, leaving an opening in the centre of the heap, as they constructed it. Then they brought forth two white dogs, fantastically decorated with red flannel around their necks, in their ears, and around their legs and tails, and when the pile had become fairly ignited they threw the canines into the aperture in the midst of the blazing pile. They then began their songs and dances, which they kept up all night, making hideous and horrible noises. In the summer of 1825 a wigwam was constructed in front of Win. Burbank's residence, in which two young braves were incarcerated to fast and dream and see visions, according to the superstitions of their race, whereby a totem or deity might be selected for them. Among the most noted of the Indians who frequented Rochester were the fol- lowing: "Josh," who was chief among them, Wab-a-shaw, Ne-shance, Peter- wa-wa, Pete-on-e-quate, Ca-cob, As-te-quam, Alvin Hyde, Jim, and Nooh-tuc-e-too, which latter was also a chief who would occasionally come from Nipising, in Tus- cola county, and camp with his band in and around the plains on Plum brook and Union Corners for hunting. A young man named Win. Fish, from Pennsylvania, married Nooh-tue-e-too's daughter, a beautiful girl, in 1831, and lived with her for a year or more, but on his parents' removal to St. Joseph, they compelled him to leave his Indian wife, who died, as it is said, by reason of the separation. Nooh-tue-e-too was a powerful man, of good habits, and a character for integrity, and was esteemed by all who knew him, being materially superior to most of the Indians in this section of the country. " Josh" was a stout, athletic man, quite aged, and had two wives and several children, and was inclined to dissipation. HIe was blind for a number of years before his death, which occurred, according to his.claims, when hlie was several years past a century old. Wab-a-shaw was an old man, and much dissipated. Hle died and was buried in the hill north of the paper-mill. Ne-shance was a duplicate in life, death, and burial of Wab-a-shaw, and Pete-on-e-quate was a no better man, though younger, ., and very quarrelsome. Peter-wa-wa married a daughter of "Josh,"-a pretty Indian maid, who wasanamiable, and gained the esteem of her acquaintance. She was very neat and modest in her bearing, and her husband was a successful hunter, tall, athletic, a man of integrity, and trustworthy. Later in life he fell into evil ways, and died in Canada, with the smallpox, and was carried through Rochester xA, on a stretcher to Nipising for burial. As-te-quam, a half-brother of Peter, was a fine-appearing young man, but he ended his career, like the rest of his race, of too much "squiby." Ca-cob also married a daughter of" Josh." He was a half-brother to the wife of Hion. Louis Beaufait, of Detroit, who was a member at one time of the legislative council. Ca-cob was small of stature, fair complexion, an in- veterate talker, naturally light-fingered, and at one time tied to a stake in the vil- lage and whipped for a theft of tobacco and other articles from Mr. Newberry, and ordered not to return again to the village under penalty of another flogging. He turned out like his brothers, dissipated and miserable. "Jim" was a half- brother to Ca-cob. He was rather reticent, but was a clever boy, and a boon com- panion of the white boys of the neighborhood. Alvin Hyde was a fair specimen of an Indian, could read and write, and for a time was temperate, but soon fell into dissipated habits, and-" died as the fool dieth." Another character among the Indians, called We-se-gah, was one of thunost turbulent spirits in this region. He was a muscular fellow, and when in liquor was always "spoiling for a fight." Of his quarrelsome and pugilistic propensities none of the white settlers were better acquainted than Alexander and Benjamin Graham, as they had both quarreled with him several times. We-se-gahl at one time drew his tomahawk on Benjamin while the latter was at work on his shoe-bench, for which diversion the luckless savage received at the hands of the shoemaker a sound thrashing; and at another time hlie attacked Alexander. After a long strug- gle of near an hour's duration, Alexander finally overpowered the Indian. We- se-gah, drawing his blanket over his face, sat down and waited for Graham to dispatch him according to the Indian custom, by burying a tomahawk in his head. Graham instead raised the blanket, and said to his conquered foe, "Go! and never come back. If you do, I will kill you !" The dusky fighter followed the good advice, and was never seen in the neighborhood afterwards. TIIE FIRST HOUSE erected on what was afterwards the village plat of Rochester, was the log house rolled up by Alexander Graham, in March, 1817, on the lot now occupied by John Barger. This was also the first permanent dwelling-place built by a white man in the confines of Oakland County, as its boundaries are at present defined. The first frame house erected in the village was that of Dr. Morrison, in 1825- 26. It had one small room for general living purposes, a smaller bedroom, and a still smaller pantry. J. G. Barger, on Main street, now occupies the site of the doctor's castle. Then the road went winding around through the hazel-brush, and by the edge of the tamaracks, and passed t'rough the swamp by the present site of Eureka mills, over a corduroy most fearfully and wonderfully made. The old hotel kept by John M1. Mack was the first frame house of any pretensions erected in the village. The house built by Geo. 31. Shaw for Charles Larned, one of the proprietors, was a nice little store, but it looked large to the pioneers of 1827. In 1827, in May, the village contained nine small houses, as follows: William Bur- bank's framed house and a log house near by, the frame tavern afterwards opened by Mack, a double log house west of the tavern-house, still west of the double log, Russell's log house, a little log house on the site of Dr. Wilson's residence, a small plank house on the present site of the Newberry dwelling, Dr. Morrison's frame house, opposite the present post-office, and a small house near the stone store. Larned's store-house was on Goodison's corner. The first brick house was erected by Edward P. Harris. Among the many comfortable dwellings and cosy homes that adorn the streets of Rochester at the present day, the most notable ones are the spacious mansions of Mrs. Rollin C. Sprague, Thomas Sprague, C. S. Goiodison, C. S. Mathews, Win. Barnes, Almon Mack, H. M. Look, and James Newberry. Among the business houses, Lambertson's brick store and the stone store of Mrs. R. Sprague, the brick livery-stables of Swayze and the elevator building of Newberry, are noticeable. TIIE FIRST WHIIITE CHILD born on the site of the village was James Graham, a son of Alexander Graham, whose birth occurred early in the year 1818. The second child was George W. Hersey, son of John Hersey, born in March, 1819. Abraham Hill was born January 14, 1819, but whether on what was afterwards included in the village plat or not is not definitely known. TIIE FIRST DEATH that occurred in the village is said to be that of one James Trimmer, an Eng- lishman, who died -about 1830, and near that time a soldier died in the village, both of whom were buried in the cemetery of the village. Not far from that date two other deaths occurred in the village, being those of Fuller and Conkey. THIIE MUNICIPALITY. On the 10th of August, 1826, the original plat of Rochester was surveyed 142 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and laid out.on the northwest quarter of section 14 and northeast quarter of sec- tion 15, township 3, range 11 east, by the proprietors thereof,-Governor Lewis Cass, lIon. Austin E. Wing, then the delegate in Congress from Michigan, and Chas. Larned, a prominent lawyer of Detroit. On the 1st of February, 1847, Hosea B. Richardson and Isaac Adams surveyed and platted an addition lying east of the original plat, and subsequently Lysander Woodward surveyed and platted an addi- tion on the north half of the southwest quarter of section 11, township 3, range 11 east. The original plat is most eligibly and beautifully located on a high plateau lying between the Clinton river on the south and Paint creek on the north, the latter also winding its sinuous way along the eastern side of the plat. The conformation of the natural surface is interesting in a geological point of view, as well as to the sense of vision. "The bluff sides of the plat on the south show the former channel of Paint creek, as in the glacial and immediately succeeding days its much heavier floods undoubtedly cut its channel through the moraine, seeking its present level. In this wearing-away process it has left two or more conical- shaped mounds, which, at first appearance, might seem to some to be the handi- work of man, but upon a closer inspection the architect stands revealed, and is the apparently modest little creek that winds along their base. In cutting its way through the moraine, and wearing it down to the present level that lies between these mounds and the plateau of the village, the floods of the creek found their level before the entire moraine was denuded, and these mounds are simply the re- mains of the moraine left by the receding floods as they found another channel. The bluffs on the north and east side of the creek, and along the Clinton, add picturesqueness to the otherwise beautiful prospect. The village, as such, remained under the general government of the township of Avon, of which it forms a part, until the 12th day of April, 1869, when the in- habitants made a bold push for an independent government, decided by an almost unanimous vote to incorporate the village, and elected the following government: President, Jesse E. Wilson; Trustees, John HI. Hutaf, Win. Newell, Daniel L. Jennings, and Geo. W. Vandeventer; Clerk, MIarsden C. Burch; Assessor, Wm. J. Weir; Treasurer, Hugh D. Bitters; Marshal, Herman Bennett. The board of trustees appointed Marsden C. Burch city attorney, C. Z. Horton deputy clerk, and John Barger .pound-master. The boundaries of the corporation in- clude within their limits the northeast quarter of section 15, northwest quarter of section 14, southwest quarter of section 11, and southeast quarter of section 10, township 3, range 11,-one mile square. The village has no water-works, fire- engines, or other public improvements, save a good system of sidewalks and good police regulations. The president's office has been filled as follows since the incorporation of the village: J. V. Lambertson, 1870; W. J. Weir, 1871; Jno. H. Spencer, 1872; G. W. Vandeventer, 1873 and 1875; H. M. Look, Sr., 1874; Thomas M. Hol- man, 1876. The office of clerk has been filled as follows: C. L. Boughton, 1870; John J. Blim, 1871 and 1875-76; Julian Peters, 1872-74. The pres- ent government is as follows: E. R. Mathews, president; N. B. Taylor, clerk Trustees, D. L. Jennings, James Newberry, S. H. Richardson, 0. F. Comstock; Marshal, Chas. St. Bemis. MANUFACTURES. The first manufacturing done in what was afterwards the village of Rochester was the work of a saw-mill, erected in the summer of 1819, on the southeast quarter of section 10, by William Russell, Benjamin Woodworth, John Hersey, and Alexander Graham, the first sawing being done in October of that year. Subsequently a single run of stone was put into the mill for gristing purposes, but owing to the imperfect gearing, but about one bushel of grain per hour could be ground. The stones were thirty inches in diameter, and were bowlders taken out near Stony Creek, and dressed by one of the Messinger family. Sev- eral stones, five runs and one single stone, were taken out southwest of Roehes- ter, and dressed by John Shippey, from the State of New York. One or more runs, four and one-half feet in diameter, were dressed for Governor Cass, which were put into the old Knox mill in Detroit. This mill (Hersey's) was on or near the present site of the Eureka mills, on Paint creek, and vestiges of the old dam are still traceable along the banks of the stream at that point. The mill served its purpose and fell into decay, and was torn down to make room for other improvements. In 1823-24, Colonel Stephen Mack, of Pontiac, built a dam on the Clinton, and erected a flouring-nmill on the site of the present a r-mill of Barnes B and which contained one run of stones, procured in tmhe vicinity. David Dort was the miller. The bolt of this mill was operated by hand. In 1867-68 the mill was remodeled by the Barnes Bros., who put into it paper-making machinery, and operated it as a paper-mill until June, 1875, during which month it was de- stroyed by fire. During the same year Barnes Bros. rebuilt the works in a very safe and substantial manner, with slate roof and full precautionary improvements against fire, and equipped it with first-class machinery, and recommenced business in 1876, adding steam as an auxiliary power when'the water of the Clinton is low. The cost of the building and its equipment was twenty-eight thousand dollars. Its capacity is one ton per day of a fine quality of print- or book-paper. George M. Shaw erected on Paint creek, previous to 1826, a wagon- and black- smith-shop, in which lie worked until the winter of 1828-29, when Hiram Higley reconstructed the internal arrangements and began the business of tanning leather. It finally went into decay, and was carried off by the spring floods of the creek. In 1828, William Burbank began the manufacture of chairs and furniture. In tihe year 1826, Messrs. Griggs & Taylor began the erection of a distillery on Paint creek, which was completed and operated for a time by one Jackson. In the fall of the same year, Charles Larned, one of the proprietors of the village plat, and Benjamin Horton, began the erection of another distillery, which they put into operation during the winter of 1827, buying out Jackson, and removing the first building-fixtures to their own establishment. Lyman J. Willcox bought out Larned's interest, and the new firm ran the business a while, MIr. Willcox suc- ceeding to the entire interest in 1829. Mr. Willcox put a four feet bowlder.stone in his distillery and ground grists. This distillery and mill was in service until 1840, when Mr. Willcox rebuilt the same at a cost of seven thousand dollars, putting in two run of burrs, and continued to operate the establishment until 1850, when he sold the property to Barnes, and some four years after the build- ings were destroyed by fire, while owned by Jonathan Hale. This establishment was located on the present site of the Eureka mills. On the conversion of Shaw's shop into a tannery, in 1829, hlie built another building, in which he carried on his trade of wagon-making, in which he was succeeded by Calvin Chapel. Ross & Arkins now occupy the building-a self-evident relic of by-gone days-for the manufacture of sash, doors, and blinds. In 1824-25, Gad Norton built a saw-mill on the Clinton, below the present bridge on Main street, which was operated until 1837, and then abandoned. In 1833, Miller & Badger built near by the saw-mill a furnace, which was operated by the same power as the mill, and continued to do business until 1836-37, when it, too, was abandoned, the power being needed by the ROCHIIESTER MILLS, erected in 1837, by Johnson Niles, who constructed a new dam on the Clinton, above the site of the old one, and fitted up his mill for extensive flouring opera- tions. It subsequently passed into General C. M. Griffin's possession, who oper- ated the same for nmany years, during which time it became known extensively as the Griffin mills. The property is at present owned and operated by Cook & Kirby, who have been so operating it since 1874. It has three run of stone, and does a merchant-work of forty barrels of flour per day, and a custom-work of one hundred bushels of grain in the same time. In 1844, Hosea B. Richardson built a wool-carding and cloth-dressing factory on Paint creek, just a few feet below the present woolen-factory of his son. It contained two carding-machines, and continued to do a good business, with more or less profit to its owners, until March 4, 1867, when it was destroyed by fire while owned by J. W. Roberts, who proceeded in 1869 to rebuild the works, which are now known as time ROCHESTER WOOLEN-MILLS, which are a fine brick edifice, equipped with all of the modern improved machinery for the manufacture of yarn socks and mittens, to which it is exclusively confined. The cost of the mills, complete and equipped, was thirty-two thousand dollars. Twelve persons are employed on an average throughout the year, and its annual product reaches the value of twenty-five thousand dollars. S. H. Richardson, a son of the original builder, now owns the establishment. In the year 1859, D. L. Jennings commenced the foundry business in Roches- ter, which lie has steadily pursued to the present time in the building formerly built for a store by Johnson Niles, on the bluff near the Rochester mills. He makes plows and agricultural implements, and is about to add to his manufac- tures that of bell-casting. His business amounts to about ten thousand dollars per annum. THE EUREKA MILLS were erected, in 1868, by Doctors Jesse and Jeremiah Wilson, on tihe site of the old Willcox distillery. The establishment contains three run of stone, and has a capacity of about sixty barrels of flour per day, and one hundred bushels of grain of custom-work. The mill is now owned by Lorenzo D. Hoard, who has im- proved the water-power largely by replacing the old tumble-down flume by a capacious pen-stock two hundred and eighty feet in length and four feet in diam- eter. The abstract of title to this property begins with thefollowing item: "John Hersey, October 29, 1818.-Entry, southeast quarter section 10, town- ship 3, range 11 east," and contains fifty changes of title and entries of incum- brance. This was the first entry of public lands in Oakland County. b E ' ;x n R x bl, ti a b a _- x 3 s K 020 low 1> HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 143 - TIHE WILLCOX PAPER-MILLS were erected in 1873-74, by Hon. Elliot R. Willcox, and are a fine establish- ment, equipped with first-class machinery for the manufacture of fine print- and book-papers, though engaged to the present time on coarse paper as a more profit- able product. The investment of Mr. Willcox in the property amounts to twenty- five thousand dollars. The mills are located on Paint creek, above the Eureka mills, where a power of twenty feet head has been secured for the powerful Leffel and Logansport wheels, by which the machinery of the mills is propelled. In 1874, S. H. Richardson built the planing- and turning-mill, which is located just alongside the railroad track, near the depot of the Detroit and Milwaukee rail- road, where custom-work only is done. It is operated by the water of Paint creek. NEWBERRY'S ELEVATOR was erected in 1872-73, on the advent of the railroad, by James Newberry, who purchased in the season of 1876-77 over three hundred thousand bushels of grain, aggregating in cost over two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars The firm of Newberry & Mathews operate the elevator, and are the only produce-buyers in the village, aside from the mills. TRADE. The first merchant to open a stock of goods for sale in Rochester was Sercca Newberry, who brought in his wares in the spring of 1827. He was followed by Almon Mack, in September, 1830, both of whom kept a general assortment of such goods as were needed in a pioneer community. The trade was largely with the Indians for a long time. Mr. Mack, who is still a resi- dent of Rochester, relates the following incident of trade in the olden time. Whisky was an article of common use by all of the people, and at one particular time both Mr. Mack and Mr. Newberry ran short of the beverage, and before they could stock up again a brisk demand was created. The farmers of the neigh- borhood for miles around came in with their jugs and kegs to be filled, and find- ing the supply exhausted, left them for filling with the article needed for the prevention of malarial diseases, to which the owners of the aforesaid jugs and kegs were disposed and exposed in the cool, foggy mornings and hot, dry days of harvest, and the damps and dews of evening. When the fluid finally came, Mr. Mack ex- hausted one entire barrel in filling the various receptacles left by his customers. These customers were not drunkards, but sober, pious, and industrious men, who believed they needed the stimulant for the preservation of their health. Dr. Rollin C. Sprague opened the first drug-store in 1831-32. TIlE PROFESSIONS. The first professional man to make Rochester his home and place of business was Dr. Morrison, who came to the village in 1826, from Vermont. He practiced there for some years, and then retired to his farm near Utica, Macomb county, where hlie died in 1852. Dr. John S. Livermore came from Massachusetts to Rochester in 1828, and died at Lake Superior in or about 1860. Dr. Henry Brumley came from Vermont in 1834, and settled in Rochester, where hlie died in 1853. Dr. Phillips came from Utica, Michigan, in 1852, to Stony Creek, and from thence to Rochester, in 1855. Dr. L. K. Hudson came to Rochester from Farmington in 1852, and died in the former place in March, 1866. Dr. Jesse Wilson came to Rochester in 1855, where he was followed, January 1, 1857, by his twin brother, Dr. Jeremiah Wilson. They were of American parentage, but "born on the wrong side of the line," as Dr. Jerry puts it. They are graduates of the Michigan University, and also of the Castleton Medical College, of Vermont, and have been in extensive practice ever since their first location in the village. They have also been largely interested in manufacturing, having built the Eureka mills, in the village, which they operated successfully for some eight years. They are now in trade, having a large stock of goods on hand. Dr. Jeremiah Wilson is also somewhat of a politician, and was a member of the State legislature in 1867. Dr. Francis M. Wilcox located here in 1865, and has an extensive practice. He is a thoroughly-educated physician, and is a graduate of the medical department of the Western Reserve College, at Cleveland, Ohio, class of 1849-50. He was born in Clarence, Erie county, New York, October 4, 1825. Dr. Farren was for a time in practice with Dr. Hudson. Dr. Rollin C. Sprague, a nephew of Judge Roger Sprague, commenced practice in Rochester in 1830, but did not remain long, and went to the State of New York, where he was in the druggist's business for a time, and then returned to Rochester, where he died. Dr. McCollum was located in Stony Creek in 1826, from whence he removed to Auburn. He taught school in that hamlet in 1827, and was a constable, with an extensive bailiwick. Dr. Ide is the only homoeopathic physician in the village, locating there in 1876. Dr. Stanton, of thie same school of practice, located here the same year, but removed shortly afterwards. TIHE BAR. The members of thie legal fraternity who have had their local habitation in Rochester are Edward P. Harris, A. Bernard Cudworth, and Hion. Elliot R. Willcox, who are more specifically named in the history of the bar of the county. TIIE POST-OFFICE was first established at Rochester in 1828-29, George 31. Shaw being the first postmaster. He was succeeded by Seneca Newberry, in 1837, and Mr. New- berry by Dr. Rollin C. Sprague, in 1841. E. W. Lawrence came in with Pres- ident Polk, in 1845, and Edward P. Harris with President Taylor, in 1849. John B. Martz was appointed in 1853, and J. V. Lambertson in 1856. James Newberry succeeded to the mail-bags in 1858, and gave way to David Pixley in 1861. Dr. L. K. Hudson was appointed in 1863, and held the position until his death, in 1866, when F. A. Brooks was appointed, and was succeeded by the present incumbent, W. J. Weir. The office has been kept at Dr. Hudson's place of business since his appointment in 1863. The mail was first brought in on horseback, and afterwards by stage, from Royal Oak. The business of the office at present may be realized by the amount of stamps sold thereat during the year ending June 30, 1877, which was nine hundred and forty dollars and fifty-six cents. IIOTELS. The first hotel was opened in the year 1828, by John M. Mack, in the house built by George 31. Shaw in 1826-27. Esquire Riggs was landlord of the same house afterwards, but not Mack's immediate successor. This old hotel was located on the lot now occupied by Holman Brothers, and was burned after passing under the management of different individuals. In 1832, Elnathan Wilcox erected the Pavilion, and was its landlord for four or five years. He is now in Orleans county, New York. He sold to Hyatt in 1836. It is now kept by John Fisher. The Lambertson House was built by J. V. Lambertson in 1847, and has been occupied for the past sixteen years by the present popular caterer, G. G. Lomason. WAYS AND MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. In the early pioneer days the roads leading into and out of the village were such as were common to the country, and particularly horrible were the corduroys which led over the marshes of thIe Clinton and Paint creek. In 1837 the fever for internal improvements which attacked virulently the people of thIe new States, and found in Governor Mason more than a convalescing patient, was epidemic in Macomb and Oakland counties, and exhibited itself in the form of a canal from Mount Clemens to Rochester, connecting the latter place with the lakes. It was a part of the scheme to connect the Lakes Michigan and Erie with a canal, but failed of accomplishment after a heavy outlay of money. The canal was com- pleted to Rochester in 1842, but no boats ever came through. A Mr. Brown built a boat above the lock, but on launching it found it was too large to pass through the same, and it rotted down in the basin. The canal was finally sold to a stock company, who use it for propelling machinery; and two large flouring- mills and one pulp-mill are now operated by it. The State rented the power at one time to Calvin Chapel for three hundred and twenty dollars per annum, and under the contract was bound to keep the canal in repair, and owing to the breaking away of the same, expended one hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars to make the contract good. In 1848 the plank-road legislation was perfected, and lines projected from Rochester to Royal Oak, and thence to Detroit; but in after-years the law was amended, allowing the companies organized under the same to contract grave- roads or turnpikes instead of plank roads, which was done, and toll charged, as originally. The pike from Rochester to Royal Oak is a most excellent one. STAGE LINES. The first stage line established, connecting Rochester with the outside world, was during the war of the Rebellion, from Romeo and Almont via Rochester to Pontiac, tapping the Grand Trunk railway at Ridgeway and the Detroit and Milwaukee at Pontiac. For a time it had a heavy business, and Rochester was a relay station. RAILROAD. The only railroad Rochester has in its limits is the Detroit and Bay City rail- road. The company was organized May 16, 1871, in the office of the lion. Elliot R. Willcox, who was the secretary and attorney, and also one of the first board of directors of the road. He and Lysander Woodward, of Avon township, the first president of the road, were largely instrumental in procuring the sub- scriptions to the capital stock of the company, and in acquiring the right of way of the road. The people of Rochester subscribed fifty thousand dollars in aid of amk 144 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - a the road, and have the evidence to-day that their money was well invested, in the increased prosperity of the village since the advent of the cars of the road, the first passenger train arriving in October, 1872. The road is now under the management and control of the Michigan Central Company, and its business for the seven months ending with March 1, 1877, was as follows: Freight forwarded, seven million one hundred and thirty-six thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven pounds; freight received, four million two hundred and seventy-three thousand five hundred and seventy-seven pounds. About ten thousand barrels of apples were shipped, and the balance of the shipments was mostly wheat, a few car- loads of live-stock being shipped also. The passenger traffic in the same time amounted to one thousand four hundred and sixty dollars and sixty-one cents. J. A. Swayze is the agent of the company, and by his courtesy the above state- ment of business was obtained. THE BUSINESS OF TILE PRESENT comprises two flouring-mills, two paper-mills, one woolen-factory, one foundry, one planing-mill, three wagon- and carriage-manufactories, one bank (private), two newspaper- and printing-offices, four blacksmith-shops and carriage-ironers, one tailor-shop, two harness- and carriage-trimming-shops, two cabinet- and furniture- shops, one undertaking establishment, one jewelry manufacturer, one cigar manu- f Nub * o ths ke u mar~ ay, daughur of DaXvid a i Rud Li~u ~ t~ ~j~et~f ti~**k~Ah~ a* bi~n u ~ vu~hp ufL~u.~ub, oks and uit r to R~iey, ti eariy piulueer uP setiun 2, August tS, I 37. ~Jyi~utThis.uQitufwr std wu h the Luuerif d wrh hso L:tFrAd r ck was burn Jianuary, fatuty u udiuh, (utniu uunr, N~tv urk Y~nt~ Lai, a thuaguuP Riuy, thu suuund sun, Vuhraary, 1 29; an Lureunwu thu third sun, Aprii, scvntun, itha ruu riinan pai. n hs hnkuuuainng aant wadruu, 18 Ai all of whunm aru stil h uing,-FrPsderink un the hunnmstuad, Rluy nuar inulan tni statudaluu an unIhu Iit Kutle{fruh, anaa Wvt, her hUtic atni Loren/u un lands suhseeuuntiy hought, near thu uhi hunteatu mire adr a ungwear muuey liat~sr,. nd eaty eaaturedhutnutM r( Cruuks wa ni hn in Rilunund. Outariu uuunty, Nuw Yurk, May 11, 18 ', p~~>j Nt trek 181 and ematrated ti tuhtggui wtth hur ruthur and hruther, and std with thutm An iuidnt uuurud hll hu a~tjutrnuyug n Cnadawurhy P nintin, on setibu 20t. nown 2 nurth uP range 11 uast, in 1822 In the spring uf 1824 as i~hwing tu eunage, eergyand duuriniud pti~iusuMP yuug (Lat. htuet rtdss CrtdrW rturnul withWilliauhPuplutunhurrhuthurwniawtu hiuutund atr it hunse wurnn Nve w f hesaute merreund with hun and his ftmrully toMiuhhutn arrivin'' latu in Detuner uP that year. Misu Urnulks wadked fluerit uauu dun witha thu, indnatingthat t uuuaiuudaunieting muwuhtandnealy th wtmue distrtue mdutnNemehuutakNew hrk, t rherhbuthurs inMiuhii wuaiti apir I Ph hen'whehernu~ e lth~, htia vryqu~stiiiahh I gan, autanpamyimig Mr. Pupphtun, whu nrd hurm mhruugh (aid, hy teatt ther di th ne~ hu le hueverhal h1ma kiuwi t mae Th tuti ere way. What wettl tour dittin oft the ipresuiit day, whe den thenielvus uP tian' umiuttithi attd seutiidruly lukit~ tmue'h ii uxite te ditrtts uP te he (Linhrigeahl ageatid apeinmitt tia jthertneesitiu ur eretim stateus u ther sittmnf anti iti aunse t whti t~y pn is itttp ns pa k an phtiiiyualtihted peasur at iuna eheuieduthtawt uttdrt akhsucha jertinyat 5u hmitpupituns aseastti u the weighty utdr eta istpey wirg tin deuht ituuntaintaldeui, as that itt rhttse the year days atisi itut I lit t tt~ ip~l It I aatmiu rutdiuti tifthu itatdn, Tiuy skudte Sahi, uwevr, wee th v umo' wnienuP tese tnys.Ply heir duestium ami w~t/ atae Lruihu demiuu~trth~m;~ it rtardld~prngt~ss fiing th wiltirnuss, which is new duttetd aver with highlyettlivatedl' tutim and I~uhierat.ly aisiig te t~le tt hi Lie, cukimi it mid iuuiig tetalie ade tihbanital, legaithhihliigswithfielsras tolmtat ank lsat itsthereieettmsm in Mary, urAttut Plly, asshin ismitume amimihirly caled, stil survies, amiereside awtthtt tirethihithetuesead d anerahe itt yearsa wurihty hihittitate ttiher watrtlt hiushantl, estimig upit her wellearited reht atiutt uk"pwell timme, grktd midhIkith. of th venyPith hmhiasewilLrif itmitk uttrupamiirtmm ttiif hetmhearly' hulanche Upo arivngat isdesimtio h enagd t wrk r yer r CloelIch se iihwas rvalo anti pttemmrhy atin admimuksivhtib sIteif e eed i Boswkk a exoffce ofth riisharayon uhs sree, earthemllumf ey ttnum latin w'hit liat, uuetipulousid yt'a'st, Mr Crat t'ommmtmusmac h wit It Yout tithand, muearvu ititntil ttnhtiemieutttresCaolititinoii tattithli St ittp hits Am deliltheimmipmue tipru his wtrtetuitltigsetin titieh, ami thmthItmIhIt atilt ahutim li thlly an well dd lie di it, etlm liehtmatty atyiuhin etttitrhdu tedirakil u'e "riciatai'a beig egaed o orkbr ude Srae, f Aon an Mers an i 1l4 e tis wasidrii ntit' te I hikhaot Citmy Ag>ietl itna t.it sat uind tin bouht heeas }M o te suteas qartr f scton oin os 2rvrh o a anth ltiny emat i ito ipithitittutmmttts e hin ee'ii and "rc ti ititiw givng range11 est, n wht isnow te tonshi of roythen laur as tuomele.aitl d'arugt r i se sueie ipns thetit ly nomilnami byJ iose In epemer 125,hereuredto lorniedNe Yokreurin toMyauthdo 1. Liter iii hildulit' It al'tcr .ttt at ijuo te ac lthmilit ut cn iaiet anti by ate PotoBufid, i Apil 186, n he HoryC s;" hesamattrixatipgl haht his itividii townh.dt a in t ha i itty d Hi tI tut at thame ebngd ha lndwih anwHaib te as hlfofth ouhwstqurtrueian im east'.r his, was ad itti rs titt tumimin" tts thin t hi mIi tHi' I hutittimi'3diret ittilti' tthjht ofitri m tt 1tttid st imtwh' muthuti a hihehiowendeimtt' HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 151 I in 1832. Mr. Wilcox died in 1839, and on the 18th day of November, 1841, his widow was married to John Bennett. She died January 14, 1871, after an eventful life of nearly seventy-six years. J. M. Wilcox was married November 22, 1849, to Maria A. Bennett, a native of Washington township, Macomb county, Michigan, where she was born April 27, 1831. The fruits of this marriage have been a family of thirteen children, of whom ten are now living,-eight sons and two daughters. The children are as follows: OBED, born May 26, 1851. NEWELL, born June 15, 1853. SUSAN, born June 12, 1855; died January 21, 1856. HARRY, born January 28, 1857. FABus, born October 1, 1859. NAOMI, born January 20, 1862. WILLARD, born January 16, 1864. FRED, born February 18, 1866. ROBERT, born June 1, 1868. CLARENCE JAMES and CHARLES AUGUSTUS, twins, born June 2, 1871; Clarence died November 12, 1871. BESSIE ANN, born November 15, 1873. An infant, still-born, May 7, 1877. Mr. Wilcox is the owner of one hundred and seventy acres of land in the town- ship. The farm upon which hlie resides is finely improved. In politics he is a firm Republican. He and his wife are both members of the Congregationalist church at Rochester, with which organization Mr. Wilcox united about 1838-39, and his wife some years later. Mr. W. has always worked princi- pally at farming, and it can truly be said that hlie has been eminently successful in the business, as his present surroundings will show. EDMUND L. GOFF. The ancestry of the Goff family in the United States dates back to the days after the deposition of Richard Cromwell from the throne of England, and the res- toration of the Stuarts. William Goff, who was one of the judges that condemned Charles the First to death, was the great-great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. His eventful history in New England is familiar to all students of history, and the narration of the experience of the judges in what has since been known as the " Regicides' cave" is a matter almost as well known as the" nursery tales" of childhood. Guernsey Goff, the father of Edmund L., was born November 13, 1766, in IHaddam, Connecticut. In 1804 hlie removed to the town of Rush, Monroe county, New York, making the journey the entire distance with a team. He was accompanied by his wife and seven children. What is now Rush was then called Hartford, the latter having been formed in 1789 and Rush organized in 1818.* Guernsey Goff was known throughout western New York as the " blind cooper." He was stricken with blindness while living in Connecticut, about the year 1793, and afterwards learned the cooper's trade. ie made all kinds of cooper-work, besides pocket-knives, jewsharps, and other trinkets. Specimens of his work are preserved in Grand Blanc, Genesee county, Michigan, and in Orleans county (near Albion), New York. By strict economy and indomitable perseverance Mr. Goff accumulated considerable property. He was a member of the Baptist church for more than fifty years, and the text chosen by the minister for his funeral sermon was most appropriate: " He was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost."-Acts xi. 24. His death occurred August 6, 1835, and he was buried near the village of East Rush. His wife, Asenath Brainerd Goff, was born September 20, 1772, in Middletown, Connecti- cut. She was also a member of the Baptist.church, and a most worthy and ex- emplary Christian woman. She died July 15, 1825, in the town of Rush, Monroe county, New York. Comfort Goff, father of Guernsey Goff, was born in the State of Rhode Island in 1736. He was a soldier during the French and Indian war of 1753-64, and also served in the Revolution. Three of his sons, Charles, Squire, and Comfort, were also soldiers during the Revolutionary war. All these persons removed to Rush, Monroe county, New York, where Comfort Goff, Sr., died in 1814, at the age of seventy-eight. Charles Goff, father of Comfort Goff, Sr., was a native of Wales, and came to Rhode Island about 1700. His father, Judge William Goff, was born in Eng- land in 1607, and died at New Haven, Connecticut, about 1678. He was of Puritan stock, and was a judge during the reign of Cromwell. His part in the condemnation of King Charles I. has been mentioned. * See Hiistory of Monroe County, New York. Edmund L. Goff, the subject of our sketch, was born in Rush, Monroe county, New York, January 6, 1817. In 1838 he came to Michigan, and located near Flint, Genesee county, where he engaged in the fur business. In June, 1839, he returned to New York, and after selling his land in Rush, removed to Michi- gan for a permanent residence in October following. During the winter of 1839-40 he taught school in the town of Grand Blanc, Genesee county, and in February, 1840, purchased land of Philander Pendleton, in Shelby, Macomb county, to which he removed. He taught school several terms in that locality, and on the 31st of March, 1844, was married to Miss Lucy Bellows, a native of Avon township, Oakland County, where she was born May 8, 1823, being the second daughter and fourth child of Ezra and Anna Bellows. Hers was among the earlier births in Oakland County. The marriage of Mr. Goff and Miss Bellows was solemnized by Rev. A. H. Curtis. Mrs. Goff's father, Ezra Bellows, was born at Bellows Falls, Vermont, March 22, 1786, and about 1817 removed to Covington, Genesee county, New York, where he resided until 1822, when he emigrated to Michigan, coming to Buffalo by team, thence to Detroit on a schooner, and landing at the latter place on the first day of June. Pushing on to Oakland County, he stopped a few months in Pontiac township, near Galloway lake, and from there removed to Washington, Macomb county, where he remained until March, 1823, when he made a location on the northeast quarter of section 12, in what is now Avon township, Oakland County. In March, 1830, he again changed his place of abode, and settled on section 1, in the town of Shelby, Macomb county, where he passed the remainder of his days. He died March 18, 1862. His wife, Anna Gibbs Bellows, was born near Three Rivers, Lower Canada, August 1, 1792, and, in 1803, went to live with her brother in the State of Vermont, where she was married. She is now living near Rockford, Kent county, Michigan, and has i'eached the advanced age of eighty-five years. After his marriage Mr. Goff sold his farm in Macomb county to Jedediah Millerd, of Stony Creek, Oakland County, and in April, 1852, removed to Avon township, where he now resides. The farm he is living upon he purchased of Seneca Newberry, of Rochester, Decembor 13, 1852, and is the southeast quarter of section 12. Mr. Goff, since coming to this place, has been farming and dealing in money. (See township history for notice of old distillery.) Mr. and Mrs. Goff are the parents of seven children, as follows: CELIA ANN, born in Shelby, Macomb county, January 9, 1845. GUSTAVUS, born in Shelby, Macomb county, November 17, 1846; was a member of Company H, Tenth Michigan Infantry, and died in the army July 5, 1862. GILBERT, born in Shelby, January 31, 1849. CHARLOTTE V., born in Shelby, October 16, 1851. ELLEN E., born in Avon, March 20, 1855. EVA A., born in Avon, January 7, 1859. LEWIs B., born in Avon, July 10, 1861. JOHN M. NORTON. Prominent among the sturdy yeomanry of Oakland County is found the sub- ject of this sketch, John M. Norton, who was born in the town of Richmond, Ontario county, State of New York, May 5, 1820, and removed with his parents, in 1824, to Michigan. His father, John Norton, was a native of Massachusetts, and a Free-Will Baptist minister by profession and practice. His mother, also a native of Massachusetts, was, in her girlhood, Naomi Short. The parents located in the spring of 1824, in the township of Oakland, on one hundred and sixty acres in section 25, and erected a house on the same, which is now owned by Mrs. Townsend. The father was extensively identified with the early settlement of the township, and died universally respected, in June, 1832. John was thus, at the tender age of twelve years, thrown wholly upon his own resources, his mother having died when he was but five years old. From the date of his father's death till he was twenty-seven years old, as boy and man, he wrought as a farm laborer. At the last date (October 6, 1847), he was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Hazen, whose nativity was the same as his own, though she was ten years his junior, being born January 22, 1830. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Norton removed to the township of De Witt, in Clinton county, where he remained, however, but one summer, when he sold out his purchase of one hundred and sixty acres and returned to Oakland County, and purchased a farm in the township of Novi, whereon hlie remained for eight years, when hlie disposed of the same, and removed into the township of Avon. From Avon he removed to the township of Troy, where he purchased an excellent farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, but which, in 1865, he disposed of, and returning to Avon, purchased one hun- dred and sixty-seven acres, on which he now resides, and to which he subsequently added forty acres. He has improved it, until at the present writing it is one of 152 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. b the best of the many most excellent homesteads in the township. A view of the fine residence, and portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Norton, adorn another page of our work. Five children-four sons and one daughter-have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Norton: Alvira, born December, 1849; William H., born April 11, 1852; John T., September 15, 1855; Clarence S., December 20,1859; and Grant, Sep- tember 20, 1869. Mr. Norton has been identified with the Republican party in his political affiliations since its organization. He has filled acceptably to the people the office of under-sheriff of Oakland County six years, town collector three years, and other positions of less note. He is orthodox in his religious views and sentiments. He is a most systematic farmer, and, per consequence, a highly successful one, and is in his personal char- acteristics benevolent and affable, and is one to whom the needy never apply in vain for relief. JOHN KINNEY. Among the pioneers of Avon township, the memory of John Kinney will remain ever fresh and fragrant. A courteous Christian gentleman, in the broadest acceptation of the term, "None knew him but to love him, None named him but to praise." He was a native of the town of Oxford, Warren county, New Jersey, being born January 5, 1811, and was the youngest in a family of seven children, all of whom are now deceased. He received a good common-school education in his native town, and in 1833 was united in marriage to bliss Eliza S. McCracken, of his native State, and daughter of the late John McCracken, of Macon county, Michigan. Shortly after their marriage, the young couple bought a farm in their native town, whereon they remained until 1837, when they came to Michigan to hew out for themselves a home amid the charming lakes of Oakland. They made the journey with their own conveyance to Buffalo, thence by lake to Detroit, from which latter point they drove again to Avon township their own team. On his arrival, Mr. Kinney purchased one hundred and eighty-six acres on section 25, upon which farm lie resided the remainder of his earthly career. This homestead (a view of which, together with portraits of its master and mis- tress, we present to our readers on another page of our work) well attests the industry of its proprietor, as no better or more highly cultivated one can be found in the county. The worthy pair of whom we write by frugality and industry accumulated a goodly store of worldly wealth, insomuch that later in life they were independent of hard labor and anxiety touching the future " rainy days." This competency was enjoyed not only by those who had gained it, but by all who were so fortunate as to be numbered among their numerous and frequent guests. In politics Mr. Kinney was a Jacksonian Democrat, and was called upon by his fellow-townsmen to fill many positions of trust in their gift. He united in his youth with the Methodist Episcopal church, and his whole life adorned the BRAND ON THE township of Brandon occupies the centre of the northern tier of towns. It is known in official records as town 5 north, range 9 east. Its surface presents a varied aspect. It is generally hilly, with an occasional plain of some consider- able extent. Most of the land surface was originally timbered, some of it with dense forests of oaks. There are yet vast bodies of this timber in the township, especially in the southwestern part. Small belts of pine and cedar abound, but little of the timber is large enough for building purposes. Brandon has its quota of lakes, but they are, with few exceptions, small and unimportant, being bor- dered by marsh surface. Cranberry lake, situated principally in the southwestern corner of section 11, is noted for the presence of this fruit. Bald Eagle is the largest lake in the township. It is located on sections 19 and 30, and is a fine sheet of water. It derived its name from the presence of a family of eagles, which used to build their nest on an island in this lake. Formerly, fish were very abun- dant here, and this lake was a great resort for the Indians, who used to encamp there for months at a time. Seymour lake, on section 34, named after John B. Seymour, an early settler in its vicinity, ranks second in size. Its area is about profession of his boyhood. He fell asleep in the full expectancy of the realiza- tion of his hopes, January 9, 1877. Mrs. Kinney was born December 6, 1812, and received what was considered in those days a good education, and, although now in her sixty-sixth year, retains her mental vigor and bodily health in a marked degree of superiority. She is a genial and affable lady, and pleasing conversationalist. ALBERT TERRY. Among the estimable citizens of Oakland County none rank higher than does Albert Terry. His father's family were natives of Berkshire county, Massa- chusetts, from whence they emigrated to Livingston county, New York, in the early part of the nineteenth century. The subject of our sketch was the eldest of a family of fourteen children, equally divided between the two sexes. He was born in Lima, Livingston county, New York, September 10, 1817, where he received a good common-school education, and taught school for a time previous to his majority. When he arrived at that important period of a young man's life (Octo- ber, 1838) he came to Michigan, with no means of moment, and spent three months in Macomb county, and then returned to New York, and in April follow- ing (1839) with his father's family came back to Michigan and purchased the northeast quarter of section 33, in the township of Avon, on which lie now resides. In October, 1839, he returned to New York and brought from thence to his western home an estimable lady as his wife, Mliss Delia Lathrop. To his first purchase Mr. Terry subsequently added one hundred and thirty-two acres, his farm now comprising one hundred and ninety-two acres, and is one of the best farms in the township. From a wild, unbroken tract he has brought it up to a finost excellently tilled and cultivated farm. In politics, Mr. Terry is a Democrat, and one of the most convincing proofs of his ability and integrity, and the high esteem in which he is held by his towns- men, is the fact that for fourteen years continuously, from 1862 to 1876, he has been chosen to fill the office of supervisor of his township, though the people are largely opposed to him in political sentiment, the township being Republican during the entire period. Mrs. Terry bore to him seven children, and died in 1859. In 1860, MIr. Terry brought to his home another companion, Miss Lucina Richardson, daughter of Isaac Richardson, formerly of Pontiac. She was born in August, 1837, in the town of Howard, Kent county, province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada. By steady and persevering industry, correct habits, and straightforward up- rightness, Mr. Terry has gained a competency, which hlie is now enjoying in his old age, cheered and pleased by the richly-merited regard of his neighbors arid fellow-citizens. We present to our readers a view of the old homestead of Mr. Terry, and also the portraits of himself and his worthy helpmeet, on another page of our work. TO WNSIIP. one hundred acres. The shores of the lake are low, but form a sandy beach. Its waters afford fine fishing. The only stream of any size is the Kearsley creek. This rises in section 15, flows south and west to the east line of section 16, thence north to Truax lake; from this it has a westerly direction to section 18, when it changes to the north- west, flowing through sections 7 and 6 into Groveland. It affords a water-power on section 7, which has been improved. There is also a small branch of the Paint creek in the southeastern part of the township, rising in section 25, and flowing southeast through section 36. Aside from the channels of these streams there are a number of hollows and depressions which afford drainage. Some fine springs are found in the township. Several of the most noted flow from the side of Cedar hill, over a hundred feet above the village of Ortonville, situated at its base. The soil of Brandon is generally fertile, although rather light in some localities, pro- .ducing in abundance the products common to this part of the State. The hills are especially adapted to grazing, and considerable attention has been paid to stock-raising and wool-growing. Wool is one of the principal articles of shipment. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 153 I EARLY LAND PURCHASES. Compared with the purchases in some of the surrounding towns, those made in Brandon do not rank as early ones, none dating back prior to 1831. In June of that year, Elijah B. Clark, Asa Owen, and Jesse Decker, citizens of Orion township, made purchases on section 25. It is probable that these lands were bought for speculative purposes, as none of these men ever became residents of the town- ship. The next purchases of which there is any record were made in 1833, by John G. Perry, Alexander G. Huff, and Mary Quick: At least two of these became residents a few years later. In 1835, among those who secured real estate were G. M. Giddings, Henry Forster, Daniel Hunt, and George P. Thurs- ton. About this time TIHE FIRST SETTLEMENTS were made. John G. Perry, a native of New Jersey, but who had lived for some years in Oakland township, moved on to the land lie purchased in 1833 (in sec- tion 35), some time in the spring of 1835. He erected a log house and made a clearing on the plains. The summer of 1835 proved a sickly season, and as no settlements followed soon, the family was in a disgusted frame of mind. In the fall of 1835, George P. Thurston, of Rochester, New York, located land on sec- tions 28 and 29. Leaving his family at Pontiac, he took a load of his household effects and went to this land for the purpose of building a log house. After lihe had completed it he returned to Pontiac. Late in October he took the remainder of his goods, and with his wife and child, in company with Vine Kingsley and family, and a man named Munson Elliott, who had engaged to work for him, pro- ceeded to their new home. They arrived at what they supposed was the locality, but could see no sign of their house. A prolonged search revealed the unpleasant fact that it had been destroyed by fire in Mr. Thurston's absence, presumably hy the Indians, as many little articles, such as razors and hatchets, were missing. Not at all discouraged, they took their families to Mr. Perry's, four miles distant, and, leaving their wives and children there, proceeded to Orion for boards to build a shanty. This they hastily constructed,-twelve feet square,-and lived in it all winter, there being eight inmates in all. That winter they built a log house for Mr. Kingsley on his place on section 33, and early in the spring of 1836 began work on a frame house for Mr. Thurston. This was so far completed that he was enabled to move into it in May. It was a fair-sized building, and was used for a dwelling about ten years. It was then changed into a corn-house. Early in February, 1836, David Lawrence and James T. Rhodes, New York- ers, moved their families to the lands purchased by them some time before. Law- rence settled on section 33, and Rhodes on section 28. Lawrence contented himself to live in a shanty, with fourteen-feet boards for a roof, but cleared con- siderable ground that season. In the fall he sowed seventeen acres of wheat, and was rewarded with a bountiful crop. Rhodes made more substantial improve- ments, among them a log house, which is still used as a dwelling by Robert Bailey, Jr. Later in 1836, a large number of settlers came to Brandon, among the first being John B. Seymour, a New Yorker, who located on section 34, on the south shore of a fine lake. This received his name, which it still bears. iHe lived in a shanty for a short time, but that summer built a fine two-story block-house, which was regarded in those days as a place of aristocratic pretensions. Mr. Seymour was a man of great energy, and could not content himself to live in the country. Some years after he removed to Pontiac, where he engaged in journalism, and thence to California. Subsequently he returned to New York, and afterwards moved to a souithwestern State, where he died. Joseph W. Shurter, from Saratoga county, New York, came to this neighbor- hood in the fall of 1836. He purchased a piece of land of Lawrence, located on section 34, where he built a log house, eighteen by twenty-six feet, which was used until 1861. Isaac B. Shurter, Joseph's brother, settled on section 33 about the same time; and, a few years later, John Shurter followed them, settling in the same locality. Alexander G. Huff, from Chili, Monroe county, New York, settled on his land on section 12 in the summer of 1836. He built a log house, with two windows, but the house was not chinked, and had no chimney. The smoke was allowed to find its way out of the building the best way it could through an opening in the roof. They did all their cooking in an old-fashioned fire-place. Mr. Huff died sonime years ago, but Mrs. Huff survives him, and lives at present at Oakwood. Thomas N. Lomis, Madison county, New York, cast his lot in this settlement in May of this year. He received a patent from the government for four hun- dred and twenty acres of land, principally in section 12. His log house was somewhat better than those of his neighbors, because it had a Dutch chimney, and was chinked. The same season brought George Giddings, Orson Griffin, Lyman Parker, and William Weed, all from the State of New York, as settlers on section 1. 20 Both Alexander Huff and George Giddings had sown some wheat the year before they moved, in the fill of 1835, and reaped a fair crop the first summer they lived there. Addison Cowden, a native of Livingston county, New York, settled a little west of these, making purchases on sections 3, 12, 13, and 14, in May, 1836. Some months later in that year, Jacob Lomis and Caleb Stanley, also from New York, settled on section 12. Another settlement was made in 1836, on sections 4 and 9, by the Drapers and Truaxes. Oliver Draper located on section 4, Seymour Torrance on section 9, and Isaac Truax on section 16. These settlers made the usual improvements, and endured many hardships on account of the scarcity of roads rendering communi- cation very difficult. In this part of the township game was very plenty, espe- cially deer, and venison was the principal meat of the settlers. It was customary to carry along the rifle, even to religious meetings. One Sunday, as Mr. Truax was passing through the woods, he started a large deer, which lie pursued directly by the door of the place where hlie wanted to attend meeting. The baying of the hounds brought the woman of the house, who was very pious, to the door to ascertain the cause of the commotion. Seeing her neighbor with his gun in his hands, running in the direction of the dogs, she was inclined to reprove him for breaking the Sabbath. But when hlie assured her that he had wounded the deer, and needed but pursue in order to capture him, she urged him to use all dili- gence, as they had the meeting at their house, and needed the meat for dinner. The Perry settlement also received a share of the immigrants. Henry IHouser, of Tompkins county, New York, located on section 35. Among the first work he did was the digging of a well, as hlie was determined not to use surface water. This was probably the first well in the township. Then followed a log house, fur- nished in a novel manner. The furniture was made of tamarack poles, and yet they enjoyed it right royally. He now resides in a two.story brick house, the only one in the township. William King settled on section 27 about the same time. He was appointed the first postmaster some years after. William H. Osmun located on section 35, near Houser's, about the same time, in 1836. In the mean time the southwest part of the township was attracting a portion of the settlers. Among the first to make a beginning in that locality was Isaiah Rathbun, a New Yorker. His first house, erected in the summer of 1836, on section 29, was indeed a primitive affair. Two forked sticks, supporting a cross- piece, were leaned against a tree. Upon these lie placed boards, making a shed- roof. This served as a dwelling until hlie could erect a log house. His brother, Harry Rathbun, was a Methodist preacher, but opened a place in this locality about this time. James Arnold, a Mohawk Dutchman, and a soldier of 1812, located this year on section 31. His son-in-law, Jonathan Ball, also from New York, came at the same time and located on the same section. Other settlers in that region were N. D. Bingham, of Onondaga county, New York, on section 31; James Cassaday, on section 32; and Asahel Kent, who settled on section 30, in 1837. Peter A. Smith, a native of New Jersey, came to Brandon in 1837, locating on section 27. He received a patent from the government for one hundred and sixty acres, which he improved, and still lives upon. Robert Bailey settled on the same section a short time after, and built a house, which is still standing. Thomas Streater, of Monroe county, New York, joined this settlement the next year. A. B. Travis, from Dutchess county, New York, located on section 25, in 1837. He built a good log house, eighteen by twenty feet, and sowed twenty-six acres of grain that fall. South of him, on sectioh 36, Ethel F. Benedict, Stephen Scott, Frederick Schurtz, and John Hammond located in 1838. About this time, or soon after, the Hlummers and Summers families settled in the central part of the township. George Middaugh soon came to the same locality, and Schuyler D. Johnson, Jacob Price, Heman D. Calkins, and Thomas J. Kellicutt, with many others, became citizens of Brandon prior to 1840. TIHE INDIANS. When the first settlers came to Brandon there were a great many Indians within its bounds. With few exceptions these were orderly and peaceable, although naturally inclined to pilfer. Bald Eagle lake was a favorite camping-ground for the .. "dusky sons of the forest" when they passed through the country, and hither came a tribe yearly, for some time after the country was settled, to hunt and fish. Their chief was able to speak English with some fluency, and was the soul of honor. While hunting on the lake it chanced that his gun fell overboard, sinking to the bottom. He came to Mr. Shurter and asked him for the loan of his rifle, offering, as a pledge for its return, his tomahawk and other articles precious to an Indian. He further covenanted that hlie would bring Mr. Shurter a quarter of every deer 154 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I he should kill. This promise Mr. Shurter thinks he faithfully kept, judging from the venison hlie brought him every few days. When hlie left the country hlie re- turned the rifle in good order. Not so honorable were the whites in their dealings with the "simple children of the wilds ;" they imposed upon them in various ways, and often cheated them outright, which a little incident well illustrates. While roaming through the woods, an Indian found a bee-tree. Not having an axe with him, he borrowed one from a settler living some distance from the tree, agreeing to divide the honey for the use of the implement. Proceeding to the tree, the white permitted the Indian to chop down the tree alone, but when the honey was laid bare, in the shape of a tube, better filled, of course, at the lower part, the white came to his assistance, dividing it so as to take his share from the lower end, and giving the Indian's portion from the upper. EARLY ROADS. In 1838 roads were located on the town-lines east and south of Brandon, and other roads in the interior of the township, on section-lines, where the nature of the country would permit. Previous to this the Indian trail was followed in its course from one lake to another, and often proved a valuable guide to the settlers when lost in the woods. On one occasion the father of Alfred Van Wagoner, who was then living in Oxford, but who became a resident of Brandon in 1842, while hunting his cattle lost his hearings and wandered around a day, completely bewil- dered. Ile passed the night in a hollow tree, and the next day came to John B. Seymour's cabin. In the mean time search had been instituted, and after a long hunt hlie was found at Seymour's by following one of these trails. But Mr. Van Wagoner was so completely bewildered that he failed to recognize his own sons, and when he was brought home insisted that hlie did not live there. It was only after some time and much persuasion that hlie was induced to believe that hlie was found, and had really reached his home. ORCHARDS. The success attending the cultivation of fruit in the other townships induced the early settlers to plant orchards at once. Among those first set out was one by Orson Griffin, in 1837; Stephen Perry, the same year; Jonathan Ball, in 1837 and 1838; and by A. B. Travis, who carried the trees on his back all the way from Troy, in 1838. Nearly all of these trees are yet in a flourishing condi- tion; and there are now orchards in Brandon containing thousands of trees. TIHE FIRST FRAME BARN. The first structure of this nature in the township was erected by George P. Thurston, in the summer of 1837. It was a good frame, twenty-six by thirty- six feet, and was raised without liquor. This fact having been announced, and the men appearing so heartily in response to the invitation, speaks well for the tem- perance sentiment which then existed, while this raising was unquestionably the first temperance meeting held in the township. IMPROVED STOCK. At a very early day sheep proved remunerative, the hills of Brandon being especially adapted for grazing, and much attention was paid by the farmers to the improvement of their flocks. In 1845, Thomas Lomis introduced the Spanish merino. This had the effect of stimulating still greater attention to this branch of industry, and further importations followed, with good results. In 1865, Henry Houser brought a full-blood Durham cow to Brandon. It was the first of this breed, and from her have descended nearly all the grades of this blood in the southern part of the town. FARM MACHINERY. The use of improved farm machinery became quite general at an early day, although it cannot be determined to whom the honor of its introduction belongs. Nor have the citizens of Brandon been satisfied with the use of machinery made abroad. Some of her own people have exercised their inventive talents. Nota- bly among these is Mr. A. B. Travis. Believing that wheat might be made more productive if cultivated like other crops, he turned his attention to the construction of a tool for this purpose, and in 1875 invented a wheat-hoer, which is remarkable for its simplicity and the ease with which it can be operated. He exhibited it at the International Exhibition at Philadelphia, where it re- ceived the warmest commendations, attracting the especial attention of British agriculturists, who have been using machines of this nature with much benefit. Ir. Travis has given his machine a practical test, and finds that its use adds largely to the yield of his wheat crop. It will, no doubt, soon be generally used where fall wheat is grown. PIONEER BLACKSMITIIS. Jonathan Seldon, a good workman, opened a shop in 1840, on section 16. He carried on his trade there for several years. In 1842, Ezra Auten built a shop on section 22, where hlie has conducted his business ever since. Years ago hlie was an excellent horse-shoer. About 1852 he shod a horse for Jacob Hummer, who went to California overland. The shoes wore all the way to Salt Lake City, without re-setting, being then but slightly worn. Other workmen opened shops at Oakwood and Ortonville, which will be noticed in that connection. COUNTRY STORES. A small store was kept. on section 13 by John Thomas, an Englishman, in 1842. He continued in business only about two years. In 1847, A. B. Travis, living on section 25, put a stock of goods in an old log house, where hlie kept store three years. He then built a frame store-room, where he continued to carry on the business until 1864. These two were the only trading-points outside of the villages. COUNTRY POST-OFFICES AND MAIL-ROUTES. The first post-office in Brandon was located on section 27. It was established about 1845, and William King was appointed postmaster. The mail-route was from Lakeville, and the carrier was .D Arnold, noted now as one of the principal booksellers of Detroit. In 1848 it was removed to MIr. Travis' store, where it remained until he went out of business in 1864. It was then moved to section 30, with a mail-route from Pontiac. EARLY MARRIAGES, BIRTIIS, AND DEATIIS. The first wedding of which there is any account extant was that of Calvin Fos- dick and Salinda Draper, daughter of Oliver Draper, November 8, 1838. All the neighbors were bidden to the feast, and a grand time was anticipated. As tihe appointed minister did not come, Addison Cowden, then a newly-elected justice of the peace, performed the ceremony, with much trepidation and many misgivings of his ability to carry it out. However, he succeeded, and the guests expressed their approbation by calling upon Seymour Torrance, a drummer, who was pres- ent, to serenade them. This he did, making the occasion one long to be remem- bered by the pioneers, who still delight to recur to Salinda Draper's wedding. In 1840, Joseph W. Pelton married Mary F. Cowden; and many others were soon driven by the " little god" into the folds of matrimony. Among those first born was a daughter in the family of Thomas Lomis, in 1837. Little Emily grew to womanhood in the township, and married one of her schoolmates, Marshal Frost, who is now a merchant at Oakwood. Catherine Mary Houser was born in June, 1837. She grew to womanhood, and then died, September 22, 1855. But before this the stern death-angel had claimed his own in tihe township of Brandon. He camne to one first who was just about to realize the promise of life brought by manhood. Among the first deaths was that of James Schurtz, in 1839. Hie was interred in the town of Independence. Thie name of Mrs. Vine Kingsley was added to the long roll the same year. She found her last resting- place on section 34, where half an acre of ground had been set apart sacred to the dead. This was one of THE CEMETERIES provided by the town. It is still in use, and is generally spoken of as the Shurter grave-yard. Another burying-ground is on section 5. But the principal ceme- teries of the township are the following: The Seymour Lake cemetery, located on section 35. Five acres of ground, finely situated and wth good natural drainage, were secured for this purpose in 1875. It is now neatly fenced and well kept, being controlled by an association formed for this purpose. The present officials are: President, Henry Houser; Secretary, E. E. Sherwood; Sexton, W. J. Sherwood. Rural cemetery, comprising several acres in the town of Groveland, just oppo- site Ortonville,'was established in 1869. It is used mostly by the people of Brandon, and is controlled by an association composed of her citizens, of which Charles Seaman is now president and John D. McIntire secretary. SCIIOOLS AND SCIIOOL-IIOUSES. In 1837 a little log school-house was erected on section 33, and, as no lumber could be had for a floor, Aaron Thurston and Joseph Shurter hewed one out of trees and logs. In this the first school was taught, in the summer of 1838. A Miss Halstead, of Oakland township, was the first teacher of the thirteen pupils, who went many miles to enjoy this privilege. Another school was taught in the Cowden neighborhood about the same time, or shortly after. Here Julia Pelton held sway over Jacob, Frank, and Mary Lomis, William, Fred, and Nancy Stan- ley, Eliza Cowden, Oliver A., Mary, and Rebecca Perry, and William and Sarah Beardsley. The school-house was destroyed by fire the year following, when Fred. Kellicutt taught. It was rebuilt the next year, and Miss Pelton again became the teacher. { , i './ HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 155 I- The Seymour lake school-house was built about 1839. The teacher's office was held by Sarah Ann Baldwin, Aurilla Streator, and Norville Norton. Among the early pupils were William and Betsey King, Gideon and Ann Hummer, Eliza. Streator, Eliza Seymour, and Sophronia Thompson. In the Rathbun neighborhood the principles of education were first imparted about 1842. A log house was dedicated to this purpose, and here, in 1844, Hiram Ball taught the first winter school. Among his pupils were nine children from one family-Rathbun's. Subsequently, a portion of this district was annexed to Ortonville. The township made early provision for the education of its children. It is now well supplied with good school-houses, some of them being very fine. The Oak Hill school-house challenges the admiration of every one who sees it. It was erected in 1876, and is an appropriate memento of not only the centennial year, but of the citizens of the district who take so warm an interest in the educa- tion of their children. CIVIL ORGANIZATION. In 1827, Brandon became a part of Pontiac township. This relation was sus- tained until 1837, when it became a separate township. The first town-meeting was held at the house of John B. Seymour on the 3d day of April, 1837, and was organized by choosing Oliver Draper moderator, and Enos Gage clerk. The election resulted in the choice of the following list of officers: Supervisor, George P. Thurston; Clerk, Schuyler D. Johnson; Assessors, Isaiah Rathbun, Orson Griffin, Barret Draper; Commissioners of Highways, Vine Kingsley, Seymour Torrance, Caleb Stanley; Justices of the Peace, George P. Thurston, Oliver Draper, Addison Cowden, John B. Seymour; Overseers of the Poor, Thomas N. Lomis, Isaiah Rathbun; Collector, Caleb Stanley; Constables, Isaac Shurter, Caleb Stanley; Fence-Viewers, Jas. P. Rhodes, Geo. Giddings. The total expenses of the town for 1837 were fifty dollars and seventy-five cents, leaving a balance of sixty cents in the treasury. A wolf-bounty of three dollars was voted. This was increased shortly after to five dollars, and in a few yea, s after that to ten dollars. Among those receiving bounties for wolves killed were Thomas Streator and Isaac Truax. The principal officers elected for constitutional terms since 1837 were,- Snpercisors.-George P. Thurston, 1838, 1840; A. Kent, 1839; Heman D. Calkins, 1841; George D. Price, 1842; T. N. Lomis, 1843, 1846, 1849, 1851, 1856, 1860, 1863-65; N. D. Bingham, 1844; Caleb Stanley, 1845; Addison Cowden, 1847, 1850, 1855; Isaac P. Benjamin, 1848, 1868-72; Justin H. Butler, 1852-54, 1857-59; Fred. H. Kellicutt, 1861-62; Paine Chappel, 1866- 67; George D. Cowden, 1873; Leman Allen, 1874-75; John D. McIntire, 1876; Milton T. Young, 1877. Town Clerks.-Schuyler D. Johnson, 1838; George Middaugh, 1839-40; Thomas J. Kellicutt, 1841-42, 1844, 1847, 1850; Isaac B. Shurter, 1843; John Shurter, 1845-46, 1848, 1852-53; Elisha H. Scott, 1849; Charles Der- byshire, 1851 ; Orimel G. Stuart, 1854; Sylvester Wells, 1855, 1857; David Young, 1856; Frederick H. Kellicutt, 1858, 1860; Thomas B. Johnson, 1859; Lewis H. Tucker, 1861; Barret Draper, 1862; Paine Chappel, 1863-65; John C. Jenkins, 1866; S. NI. Wiggins, 1867, 1869-70; James Gordon, 1868; Wil- liam F. Bingham, 1871; Jonathan Omans, 1872; Horace H. Markham, 1873- 74; John D. MeIntire, 1875-76; George N1. Woohnan, 1877. ,Jnstices of the J'eace.-Addison Cowden, 1838; John B. Seymour, 1839; George Middaugh, 1840; Asahel Kent, 1841; Heman A. Calkins, 1842; John Shurter, 1843; John W. Paine, 1844; Isaac P. Benjamin, 1845, 1849; David MeKnight, 1846; George P. Thurston, 1847, 1851, 1855, 1859, 1863; James Bushnell, 1848; Samuel F. Gregory, 1850; Barret Draper, 1852; Alfred Van Wagoner, 1853, 1857, 1861; Alfred J. Burleson, 1854; Amos Orton, 1856; Sanford Maynard, 1858; Sylvester Wells, 1860; Joseph McKay, 1862; Jacob Arnold, 186-1; Orrin E. Deming, 1865, 1873, 1877; Andrew Govan, 1866; Daniel H. Polhemus, 1867; Charles B. Kent, 1868, 1872; Oliver P. Gool, 1869; Albert King, 1870; John Allen, 1871; Moses Taylor, 1874; William F. Bing- ham, 1875; James Arnold, 1876. PIONEER MEETINGS AND CIIURCIIES. The Baptist missionary "went up and possessed the country" as early as 1837. A Rev. Grow was one of the first to come. He preached at the houses of Oliver Draper and Addison Cowden to large and attentive congregations. At the first meeting sixty-two persons were in attendance, and, as no provision had been made for seating so many, the chamber floor, which was put down loose, was taken up and the boards used for seats. In 1838 a class of the Baptist faith was organized at Mr. Cowden's, consisting of ten persons. Regular preaching was now main- tained by Elders Potter, Fuller, and others. For a time the work was very pros- perous; but dissensions arose among the members and caused the disruption of the society. Subsequently, an effort to unite those professing the Baptist creed was crowned with success. And from this has resulted TIIE FIRST BAPTIST CIIURCII, at Ortonville, whose history was prepared for this work by Thomas Wilders. In the fall of the year 1848, Elder Win. Wilders, an aged Baptist minister from England, with his family moved into the township of Brandon, and imme- diately commenced preaching in the school-houses. Finding a number of Baptist brethren and sisters residing in that neighborhood, who formerly belonged to a Baptist church in that township which had become extinct, an invitation was given to all such persons to meet at the Hoover school-house to consider the pr.o- priety of forming a new Baptist church. On the day appointed a number of brethren and sisters met, and after prayer and considerable discussion it was finally agreed to form a new charch, to be called the Brandon Baptist church. The fol- lowing names were enrolled: Elder Win. Wilders, Sr., Thos. Wilders, Elizabeth Wilders, Wm. Wilders, Jr., Melicent Wilders, Henry Wilders, Elizabeth Wilders, Israel Wilders, Ann Wilders, Samuel E. Wilders, Sophia Wilders, Daniel A. Am- merman, and Leah Ammerman. This was on the 31st day of December, 1849. Elder Wilders was unanimously chosen as their pastor. About this time a Sab- bath-school was formed in the Draper school-house, which was well attended. Win. Wilders, Jr., was superintendent. On the 12th of March, 1851, the little church was recognized by a council in which the churches at Hadley, Davisonville, and Groveland were represented. Elders W. D. Potter and T. II. Facer took part in the services of the day. Dur- ing the first four or five years of this church's history there was regular preaching alternately at the Draper school-house and at the stone church near the northwest corner of the town of Brandon. The congregations at both places were uniformly good, and though but few were added to the church, yet by the faithful preaching of the gospel and other public means the way was preparing for future prosperity. The hard feelings which individuals had towards each other, who had formerly seen members together in the old church, were gradually softening, so that some of them could meet and unite in prayer and covenant-meetings. During the whole of this time the church was very united and happy, and it was frequently said that few churches enjoyed more union and brotherly love than this little church. In the midst of this peace and harmony, and while the prospects around seemed encouraging, the aged and much-esteemed pastor was taken away by death. He died September 15, 1854, aged seventy-three years and nine months. He was pastor in England over the general Baptist church at Sutton, Bonington, twenty- six years, and over the general Baptist church at Kegworth fourteen years, after which hlie removed with his family to America, and settled in this place. As a minister hlie was plain and faithful, delighting to exhibit the love of God to poor lost sinners. After his death the church invited Elder S. Gardiner, of Oxford, to become its pastor. He commenced his labors among them at the close of the year 1854, and continued its pastor two years. About this time several of those who were formerly members of the old church came and united with this ; also several young converts from the Sabbath-school were added by baptism. In March, 1857, after a sermon by Elder S. T. Grow, a most wonderful out- pouring of the Holy Spirit was manifest; many in the room were crying for mercy, and asking God's people to pray for them. As the church was without a pastor, Elder Potter, of Hadley, was requested to come and hold a series of meet- ings. He came, and with a little assistance from Elders Grow and Gardiner con- tinued the meetings for two or three weeks. The result was that twenty-seven were baptized, and several backsliders were reclaimed. Elder S. T. Grow was in- vited to become pastor of the church about this time. He accepted the invitation, and continued to preach five years. Elder W. H. Fuller became pastor June 13, 1862, and closed his labors with the church April 8, 1864. Elder S. Gardiner became pastor a second time in October, 1865, and closed his labors among them in October, 1866. In thie summer of 1866 the Draper school-house, where most of the meetings of the church had been held, became so dilapidated that the church was compelled to find some other place to meet in. After mature deliberation the church resolved to hold its meetings in future in the school-house in Ortonville, until a meeting- house could be erected in that place. The following year a house was built, at an expense of about three thousand dollars, including the cost of the organ. Elder W. HI. Fuller, of Oxford, became pastor a second time February 16, 1867, and preached half the time, till compelled by sickness to resign in May, 1869; Elder S. T. Grow gratuitously preaching the other half. In the summer of 1868 the meeting-house was dedicated by Elder S. W. Titus, of Flint. The collection, with pledges, was sufficient to pay off the entire in- debtedness. Elder I. C. Atherton became pastor of the church July 1, 1869, and preached half the time (Elder Grow preaching the other half), till compelled by sickness to resign, in March, 1870. E. N. Selleck commenced his labors with this church on the first Sunday in April, 1870, and was ordained to the gospel ministry in August of the same year. He closed his labors with them in Octo- 156 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ber, 1873. A parsonage was built in the summer of 1870, costing about eight hundred dollars. May 4, 1872, the name of the church was changed from the Baptist church of Brandon to the First Baptist church of Ortonville. Elder W. H. Fuller be- came pastor the third time in October, 1873, and closed his labors, through de- clining health, in October, 1874. S. Needham, a licentiate, preached for the church one year, commencing November, 1874. Elder Samuel Smith, from Par- shalville, became pastor November 14, 1875. In January, 1877, he labored hard in a union protracted meeting with Elder Howard, of the Free-will Baptist church, which resulted in the conversion of a considerable number of young persons, and, though he continued to preach for about eight weeks, it was evident to his friends that his health was gradually declining. Consumption seized upon him, and on the 26th day of April, 1877, hlie closed his labors on earth to enjoy his reward in heaven, aged fifty-nine years. Elder W. II. Prentiss, the present pastor, commenced his labors in May, 1877. Since the formation of the church its statistical changes have been as follows: Baptized, ninety-seven; received by letter, sixty-eight; received by experience, twenty-five; restored, sixteen; dismissed, sixty-nine; excluded, twenty-nine; dropped, ten; died, twenty-one; present number, eighty-two. The pastoral changes have been as follows: 1849-54, Elder Win. Wilders; 1854-56, Elder S. Gardiner; 1857-62, Elder S. T. Grow; 1862-64, Elder W. II. Fuller; 1865-66, Elder S. Gardiner; 1867- 69, Elder W. H. Fuller; 1869-70, Elder I. C. Atherton; 1870-73, Elder E. N. Selleck ; 1874-75, S. Needham; 1875-77, Elder S. Smith; 1877, Elder W. Hi. Prentiss. Number of scholars in Sabbath-school, one hundred and forty-five; number of volumes in library, one hundred and forty-three; W. H. Parker, superintendent. THE FREE-WILL BAPTIST CIHURCII OF ORTONVILLE was organized in February, 1859, at the house of M. H. Fillmore, about two miles north of Ortonville. Thie original members were Rev. C. P. Goodrich, Elam White, Harriet White, Cornelius B. Allen, Harriet M. Allen, Myron H. Fillmore, Sarah Fillmore, and Malvina Goodrich (eight). The first pastor was Rev. C. P. Goodrich, and the place of holding meetings was a public hall over the store of Amos Orton. The present church building was erected in 1861, and the number of members at that time had increased to fifteen. During the winter of 1867 a protracted meeting of thirteen weeks' duration was held by Rev. A. A. Myers, which resulted in the addition of one hundred and twenty-six to the membership of the church, and greatly strengthened the adjoin.- ing churches. The present number of members is one hundred and twenty-nine. In the full of 1867, Rev. A. W. Westgate succeeded Rev. C. P. Goodrich; and in the spring of 1870, Rev. Geo. II Howard, the present pastor, entered upon his labors. A Sabbath-school was sustained just prior to the organization of the church, and has been kept up to the present time, numbering now one hundred and twenty-five. The first superintendent was Thomas Wilders, and the present one is Iiram Ball. This church has from the first been thoroughly earnest in its advocacy of tem- perance, and for a number of years has used only unfirmentcd wine at its commu- nion services. The Methodists entered Brandon about the same time as the Baptists, but con- fined their labors to the southern part of the town, preaching in the neighborhood of Seymour lake. Here they organized the first religious society in the township, at the house of Joseph Shurter, in 1837. Some of the persons then joining were John Shurter, Elizabeth Shurter, Elvira Rathbun, Elizabeth King, and Louisa Kingsley. This class was the germ of the society which now worships at TILE SEYMOUR LAKE CIIURCIIH. The first meetings were held in houses, and at the school-house when that was erected. The first quarterly meeting was held at Joseph Shurter's barn. The circuit preacher at that time was Rev. Flavel Britton. His successors were: In 1842, Revs. Salmon Steele and Richard Pengilly; in 1845 and 1846, Revs. John Gray and John Burnham. At that time it was known as the Brandon class, and formed a part of Oakland circuit. In 1845 it became a part of Clarkston circuit, and was supplied in that connection, and in 1850 it became a part of Oxford cir- cuit. This relation was maintained until 1869. It was then united with the class at Oakwood, and made a separate charge, called the Brandywine circuit. 1Rev. John Wesley was the first preacher in charge. Hlie remained two years, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Secley. In the fall of 1872, N. G. Lyons, then a young local preacher, was appointed by the presiding elder-Rev. Seth Reed-to this charge. The preacher was then supported partially by the mission- ary society; but during his connection the charge became self-supporting, and raised one hundred dollars missionary money per year beside. At the close of the first year the members requested the return of Rev. Lyons. The elder con- sented, on condition that they would build a church. This they agreed to do, and the corner-stone was laid May 29, 1874, by the Rev. William Fox and others. It is an imposing frame edifice, thirty-four by sixty-two feet, and is very hand- somely finished, at a cost of four thousand dollars. It was dedicated October 27, 1874, by Dr. B. I. Ives, of New York, assisted by Revs. Fox, Bancroft, Cordon, Wood, and Lyons. The membership of the church is at present eighty-five, seventeen of whom were added the past year. Rev. Lyons was succeeded by the Rev. B. H. Hedger, the present pastor, who has served the church since 1875. Rev. Lyons is now a member of the Detroit conference. THE CIHURCII AT OAKWOOD. The Methodist class at this place has had preaching in connection with the Seymour Lake class. Until the summer of 1877, their meetings were held in the Congregational church. The increase of membership the class had the last few years induced it to build a church of its own. The building is now (1877) in process of erection, and will be essentially like the Seymour Lake church. TIHE CONGREGATIONAL CIIURCII AT OAKWOOD dates its origin to thie labors of Rev. Ruggles, and others of that belief, in 1840- 48. In May, 1848, the present society was organized, with the following members: David McKnight and his wife Elizabeth, Mrs. Sophia Barnes, John L. Farrar and his wife Phoebe, Isaac Parker, Elvira Huff, and Hluldah Hunt. The first board of trustees was composed of William Campbell, Alexander Huff, Welcome Camp- bell. Edwin Baldwin, and David McKnight. The society had a prosperous career, and commenced to build a church at Oakwood in 1854. It was a frame build- ing, thirty-four by fifty-four feet, containing three hundred sittings. The cost of the edifice was fifteen hundred dollars; three hundred dollars of this amount was donated by the Congregational union. On the 16th of January, 1855, it was formally dedicated by Rev. D. L. Eaton. The pastoral connection since then has been Revs. Branch, Winters, Whitney, Phillips, Hovender, and Bullock, who is now the pastor, having been called in September, 1876. Until that time this church was connected with the one at Orion, and was served conjointly with that, some of the pastors residing at Oakwood, the others at Orion. There are now services every Sunday, which have been the means of increasing the spiritual life of the church and adding largely to its membership, which is at present sixty-four. A Sunday-school was established in this church some years ago. Deacon Me- Knight was the superintendent. It is still continued, and has at present a mem- bership of eighty-five. Paine Chappel is the superintendent, and Miss Frances Ilill is secretary. OAKWOOD VILLAGE. The village of Oakwood is situated in both the towns of Brandon and Oxford, principally in Brandon. The place was formerly known as Campbell's Corners, and dates its settlement from 1836. That year Alexander Huff, from Chili, Monroe county, New York, settled on section 12, on the forty-acre lot which now forms the principal site of time village. The Campbell brothers settled on the Oxford side about the same time. The improvements these men made, in the shape of log houses, were thme only ones in time place for a number of years, but they were the nucleus of the present village ; and when, in 1843, a blacksmith- shop was built here by Thomas Streator, the other adjuncts of a village followed, as a matter of course, in the succeeding half-dozen years. A wagon-shop, built by Samuel Gregory about 1848, was the next mechanical industry. A hotel, by Welcome Campbell, was opened about the same time. The post-office came next, with mails from Pontiac to Lapeer. Dr. Lathrop was the first physician to settle here, about 1850. Some years after, Dr. Armstrong also located, and both prac- ticed for some time at this place. The settlement began to grow, and it was thought a saw-minll was the next essential to the welfare of the place. Alexander Hulf undertook the project of erecting a steam saw-mill, although with but a faint prospect of success, for the machinery was crude and skilled labor rare. The work had so far progressed by May 2, 1854, that tihe mill was set running on that day. The first lumber sawed was purchased by Addison Cowden. Now followed a series of vexations. The mill got out of order so firequently that there was no dependence on it; besides, it was found that the enterprise did not pay: there was not enough demand for lumber. About this time the property passed into the hands of William Giddings, and, in 1856, he and his son changed from sawing to grinding. They procured mill machinery, with two run of stones, and operated the mill three years, only to find that it was an unprofitable enter prise. The mill was then dismantled, and the machinery removed to other points. In this period several stores were kept at Oakwood. The first in 1854, by A. Huff; shortly after by Huff & Lathrop. Welcome Campbell also embarked in a merean- P1 CIt's a,. 0x ~WCc- A Vz Vt] jc ACoWDN R.A ODN T~~~~ N,.M NLM HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. tile enterprise about this time. Other interests were developed in time, and the village has had its successive stages of prosperity and adversity to the present, leaving the business in Brandon township as follows: Dry goods, M. M. Frost; groceries, D. Swain; boots and shoes, Erastus Bache- lor; harness, C. S. Swain; hotel, Fred. Madison; physician, W. J. Bachelor; postmaster, 31. 3. Frost; Congregational church, Rev. 31. A. Bullock. T. I. Rice is the proprietor of a foundry, which is a pretty extensive establish- ment, manufacturing plows, castings, and general farm machinery. The main shop is thirty by fifty feet, thlr moulding-room is twenty-four by thirty feet, and the wood-shop is eighteen by twenty-six feet. Being located in a rich agricultural country its work finds a ready sale at home, although some shipments are made. VILLAGE OF ORTONVILLE. Aside from an occasional farm-house there were no buildings at what is now Ortonville prior to 1848. That year Amos Orton built a dam across Kearsley creek, near the south line of section 7, and erected a small saw-mill to work up the pine growing on sections 7 and 8. This mill was operated with more or less intermission until 1865, when Messrs. Algor and Elliott, who then owned it, re- placed it with a new mill, which is still in working order. In 1852, Amos Orton also built a small feed-mill, with one set of burrs, near his saw-mill. This remained until 1856, when hlie erected the present structure, a frame three stories high, thirty-six by forty-eight feet long. The mill has three run of stones, giving it a capacity of three hundred bushels per ten hours. Both mills are now the property of 31. H. Filhlnore. The first house erected where Ortonville now stands was a small frame, by Orsamus Doty, in 1850. It was destroyed by fire in April, 1877, and was the only building ever consumed by that element in Ortonville. Thomas Tripp was the next to build, in 1851. Amos Orton and Hiram Ball both built houses in 1852. All these buildings yet remain in good condition. A small blacksmith-shop was built by Amos Orton in 1850. Here Nelson Chase carried on his trade for several years. In 1852, Israel Jay built a shop near the present mill, where he did something for nearly a year. The building is now used by Mr. Waterfield as a barn. George Wiggins built a wagon shop about 1853. He was the first worker in wood at Ortonville. Dr. Thomas B. Johnson was the first settled physician in the place, coming about 1855. 1)r. Drummond followed him in 1860, and hlie was succeeded by Dr. R. E. Campbell. In 1867, Dr. C. P. Felshaw located at Ortonville, and re-, mained until 1876. About 1856, Dr. Johnson opened a small store in a building which stood on the site of the present hotel. Amos Orton purchased this some years after, enlarged it, and kept a good country store. A post-office was established in or about 1855. Amos Orton was the post- master, who appointed Hiram Ball deputy. lIe kept the office in his dwelling. The mail was brought via Clarkston to Goodrich, by Samuel Laraby. Ie also had a stage-line, which was purchased several years after by N. E. Duel. Orton- ville now has daily mails from Thomas, its shipping-point, via Oakwood. An express runs over the same route. A frame school-house was erected at Ortonville in 1864, which was used until the district purchased the seminary building. This house was erected by a stock company, called the Seminary Association, in 1867. It is an imposing structure, thirty-four by fifty feet, twenty-four fet posts, surmounted by a dome twelve feet square. It has a square root; relieved by fine brackets. The building can ac- commodate two hundred pupils, and is well furnished. The seminary was opened in the winter of 18ti7, under the principalship of Professor Parker. It was con- ducted us a private school a few years, when the building became the property of district No. 10, and a graded school was formed. This is at present taught by Profhssor J. B. Allen, assisted by competent teachers. Ortonville having assumed tfir proportions, and giving promise of future growth, was platted in 1866 by IIiram Ball, L. P. Miller, W. H. Parker, Charles Herrington, George Wiggins, James Quill, William Algor, and N. K. Elliott. The principal site is on section 7, with a few blocks on section 18. In 1868, Jonathan Ball and L. P. Miller platted an addition of several acres on section 7. Since that time the village has had a slow but steady growth. Its present manu- factories are- Ortonville Foundry, established in 1875, by William Brokenshaw, the present proprietor. The products are plows, harrows, and general farm machinery. Marble-works, W. H. Parker proprietor, and established by him in 1856. S Principal shop is eighteen by forty feet, and gives employment to four hands. This establishment has an excellent reputation, and produces some artistic work. Carriage-factory, by W. L. Guiles; main shop is thirty by sixty fect, and was built in 1874. This factory employs four hands. The general business of Ortonville is transacted by the following firms: Blacksmiths, J. H. Wells, Cole, Guiles & Woolman, James Waterfield; boots and shoes, O. Cummings, Sevener & Keller, R. Leece; cabinet-maker, George Eaton; cooperage, J. J. Walter; dentistry, G. L. Webster; drugs, A. J. Wilders ; dry goods, William F. Bingham, John Omans; groceries, William Cobb, N. E. Irish; harness, L. C. Truax, H. R. Jones, J. J. Everett; hotel, S. Bellenger; joiner, T. H. Stuart; jewelry and notions, Hiram Ball; livery, Flavel J. Smith; millinery, Mrs. H. Ball, Mrs. T. H. Stuart, Mrs. William Cobb; meat-market, Adelbert Carr; physicians, William Aeheson, W. T. Sheadel; postmaster, A. J. Wilders; tinware, N. E. Irish; undertaker, L. 31. Torrance; wagon-makers, Jonathan Ball, S. M. Wiggins. SOCIETIES AND ORDERS. Oakwood Lodge, Yo. 100, F. A. M., was granted a dispensation on the 3d of June, 1857. On the 16th of January, 1858, it was chartered with the following members: Sloan Cooley, Allen McKey, Abram Hunt, Joseph MIcKey, D. M. Fitch, Alexander Huff, Benjamin Reed, William Giddings. The present mem- bership is sixty-five, with the following officers: Geo. D. Cowden, W. 3.; 3. Armstrong, S. W.; Henry McKey, J. W.; Abram Hunt, Treasurer; E. R. Skinner, Secretary; Homer A. Thomas, S. D.; Austin Deming, J. D.; Ralph Hunt, Tyler. Ortonville Lodge, No. 339, received a dispensation from the grand lodge, dated October 27, 1875, and was officered under the dispensation by Flavel J. Smith, W. M.; William Acheson, S. W.; Squire M. Wiggins, J. W. The lodge received its charter on the 24th of January, 1877, bearing the names of Flavel J. Smith, William Acheson, S. 3!. Wiggins, Volney Cole, H. H. Markham, James Ball, T. H. Stuart, Oliver P. Gould, Jonathan Omans, and George M. Woolman. The present membership is twenty-four, with the same officers as named above. John D. McIntire is the present secretary. Ortonville Grunge, No. 385, Patrons of Ilusbandry, was organized April 22, 1874, with twenty-three charter members. B. F. Scott was chosen thIe first Master, and William Algor, Secretary. The grange has had a very flattering in- crease of membership, and now numbers sixty-eight. It meets in a handsomely- furnished hall, twenty-four by seventy feet, part of which is a store-room fo the sale of supplies, purchased at wholesale, and sold at a slight advance. The present officers are Flavel J. Smith, Master, and B. F. Miller, Secretary. For infbrmation furnished concerning this town we are under obligations to Geo. P. Thurston, Henry Houser, A. B. Travis, Thomas Lomis, Addison Cow- den, Isaac Truax, Joseph Shurter, Hiram Ball, Flavel J. Smith, John D. Melntire, George M. Woolman, Alfred Van Wagoner, Mrs. Alexander Huff, A. J. WVilders, and others. BIOGRAPHICAL SK-ETCH. THOMAS N. LOMIS. The life of this man affords another instance of the representative American farmer, and how usetul a man may be, even though but a tiller of the soil, if he will only improve his opportunities. The parentage of Thomas N. Lomis is traceable to the old Bay State. There his thther, Jacob L. Lomis, married Nancy Noble, and, turning their eyes in the direction of the " star of empire," left their nativity lbr the then " west," settling in the town of Hamilton, Madison county, New York, where the subject of this sketch was born in 1807, and where, twenty years later, hlie was married. Ile re- mained a resident of New York until 1836, when he followed the example of his parents, and " went west" to the new State of Michigan, locating in the eastern part of Brandon township, in which vicinity hlie has lived ever since. Upon coming to Brandon, Mr. Loumis at once identified himself with her inter- ests, and helped to develop her rich resources as a tfrming country, practically illustrating it by opening a large fathrm, which has prospered him pecuniarily. Nor did her public interests suffer at his hands. He was ever ready to aid in every good work, and was a church or school-house to be built, he was foremost with his contributions. Hle shirked not the petty cares and annoyances attending the hold- ing of township offices, and repeatedly filled them to the great satisfaction of his fellow-citizens. He was supervisor of Brandon during the trying times of the Re- bellion, and provided so well and liberally for tihe families of the soldiers that the record of that town speaks an abundance of praise for his patriotism and human- ity. Retiring from the active cares of the farm, hlie became a resident of the vil- lage of Oakwood, where he lives surrounded by the comforts of life, respected by his neighbors for his benevolence and generosity as well as his other good quali- ties as a citizen. COMMERCE A LITTLE more than half a century ago the first white settler arrived in Com- merce, and after an almost solitary existence of four or five years left his habi- tation and moved away. This first pioneer was a man by the name of Abram Walrod, who located on the present site of the village of Commerce in 1824 or 1825. It is within the recollection of some yet liVing that where now we behold, with mingled feelings of admiration and pleasure, the cultivated farms and rural residences, thriving villages, abodes of wealth and happiness, naught but an un- broken wilderness met the gaze of the early settler. Who have wrought this change ? The pioneer men and women who sought a permanent home amid the primeval forests, in the solitary wilds of the west, and there, by energy and per- severance, persistent toil, and unremitting industry, planted an indelible impress of development and progress that is as admirable in its results as its accomplishment was difficult. The township contains a remarkable diversity of soil, mostly a sandy loam, with here and there a small area of heavy clay. On the margins of the lakes a rich alluvial soil abounds, which, like the other, is fertile and productive. The surface is gor4erally level, in places rolling, with occasionally a hilly spot. The township is watered by the Huron river and several of those beautiful miniature lakes for the number of which Oakland County is noted. Among these the principal ones are Long lake, Lower Strait, Commerce, and Walled lake,* of which about one-third is in Commerce, the rest being in Novi township. These lakes are plenteously supplied with various kinds of fish, and afford both pleasure and recreation to thie inhabitants of the township. A peculiar phenomenon is presented by the existence of subterranean lakes, over which is a thin crust of conglomerated decayed vegetable matter and a sward of grass. It was found very difficult in an early day, and also at a later period, to construct roads over these spots. A heavy growth of tamarack or American larch exists on the margin of these natural curiosities. In the year of our Lord 1834 the congressional township of Commerce was detached from Novi and organized in the usual manner, of which more hereafter. The consideration of the early settlement of the township and its subsequent development are items which now claim attention. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first permanent settlement effected was by Abram Walrod, who came in May, 1825, from the State of New York, and settled on section 10, in which Commerce village is now situated. He built a plain log house on the lot now occupied by William Till, and lived in it for two or three years, and then moved into one of the counties in the western part of the State. He was said to have been a worthy and industrious person." ( Succeeding Walrod came the u ° llowing: Walter B. Hewitt came in June, erected a plain log house, in which lie resided for a few years, and then moved to Ypsilanti, where le now lives, le was an emigrant from the State of New Yjork. Bela Armstrong arrived May 1, 1826, and settled on the farm now owned by J. J. Moore. iHe died the year following his arrival. iHe came from Monroe county, New York. Cornelius Austin, a soldier of the war of 1812, and still a resident of the town- ship, accompanied by his family, was the next to add his fortunes to the strug- gling colony. Mr. Austin was born in New Jersey, but at an early age removed to Lyons, New York, from thence to Indiana, and next, in 1829, to Commerce, taki,n lp his residence near the site now occupied by the dwelling of Sidney C. Case, about one hundred rods northeast of Deacon Denny's house, which was over the line in Novi township. Here hlie lived a year and then removed to his present residence, on the north side of Walled lake, where hlie has lived contin- uously for nearly half a century. Lie is now in his eighty-seventh year, hale and hearty, and bids fair to become a centenarian. As illustrating the simplicity of his habits we mention an assertion we heard J. D. Bateman make, which was to the effect that Uncle Austin wears the same clothes he wore fbrty years ago. We may add that the above hdas a dual signification. It illustrates the characteristics of both men,-the utter ignorance of the fashions by the one, and the penchant for grotesque bonhommnie of the other. * So called from the natural walled-like appearance of its banks, which somewhat resembles artificial stone. 158 TOWNSHIP. The year 1830 was more prolific in the accessions to the settlement. Among those coming in this year were Jesse Tuttle, who came from Pennsylvania, and settled on section 34, on the present site of the house now occupied by Mrs. Martha E. Crumb, in Walled Lake village. Lewis Norton arrived in the fall of the same year, and settled on the farm now owned by Willard C. Wixom, on section 30. Mr. Norton removed to Livingston county in 1839, and soon after was killed by lightning while seeking shelter under a tree from a thunder-storm. Matthew McCoy, who is still living, at the advanced age of eighty-seven, on the place he first settled in 1830, came from New York city. The deed for his place bears date July 1, 1831, and is'signed by Andrew Jackson. Alonzo Sibley, Esq.,t settled on the farm hlie now occupies, being the west half of the southwest quarter of section 32, in May, 1831. William Gamble came from the State of New York, and settled on the farm now owned by G. HII. Shear, on section 18, about the year 1832. William Loughrey came in and settled on the farm lie now occupies, on section 7, in 1832. His house stood about eighty rods from its present location, in what used to be termed the Mormon settlement. Ephraim Burch emigrated from Canada in 1832, and took up two eighties, one on section 19 and the other on section 30. HIe made his home on the latter, which is now occupied by his son, William H. Burch. Ephraim, another son, has the eighty on section 19. Reuben Wright came from Orleans county, New York, in the faill of 1832, and took up one-eighth of section 10. Ile now resides in the village, one of the old and respected pioneers of his township. Jesse Clark came in from Seneca county, New York, in 1833, and soon after his arrival returned for his family, and settled on section 19, a part of which lihe had purchased of the government. He erected his shanty on what is now the centre of the road, but subsequently built the frame house now occupied by David Morrison. Mr. Clark and his wife are both dead. Amniong other prominent citizens who came in this year may be mentioned the following: Seymour Devereaux, from New York, settled on the farm now occupied by his son, Orso Devereaux. William Riley, from Pembroke, Wyoming county, New York, as early as this year, possibly in 1832. William Holmes came into the township from New York city in July, 1834, and settled in the place hlie at present occupies, on section 18. Patrick Gillick came from Troy, New York, in the fall of the same year, and settled on the farm now owned by his son, Thomas, on section 30, where hlie died a number of years ago. John Coulter arrived from New York city in 1834, and settled in the south- west quarter of section 8, which is now owned and occupied by his elder son, Andrew. John W. Carns came, in company with William Holmes, in 1834, and settled on the southeast quarter of section 32. He resided on his place till his death, which occurred under peculiarly melancholy circumstances, Tuesday, July 24, 1867. He was cutting wheat with a combined reaper and mower, when the wheel of the machine came in contact with a stone or some other obstruction, by which he was thrown under the horses' feet, by one of which he was kicked in the bowels. ie was removed to his house and attended by Dr. J. NI. Hoyt, but he was beyond the power of medical skill, and expired the day after the accident occurred. The honored names of others who swelled the list of arrivals this year are H. C. S. Caruss, from Wyoming county, New York; Joseph B. Tuttle, from Luzerne county, Pennsylvania; James Welfare (father of George and James Welfare), from Ontario county, New York; Charles Mascord, from Orleans county; born in England; resided in Commerce village for thie past twenty-two years. Among the prominent arrivals in 1835 were Robert E. and William Noe, from New York city; Charles Severance, Jonathan Van Gordon (now residing in White Lake township). Abraham C. Taylor came from Luzerne county, Pennsyl- vania, to Michigan in 182-1. and first settled at Troy, Oakland county; moved to Commerce, and located on section 21, in 1835, and has since lived in the town- ship. HIe now resides in Commerce village. 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TIta.taaat are Vat tat'aa 4aItyaIa'I~aaait ha tlmat a'amaaaaay wltatate am'a'it'aalma masatatainte laiman"""llm'. iteyaaaaId~a~ aal' BIt/~ tatistniamtaas, asad Ps'. 4~laas'aIsek. ati' 9aa~Iiaa'4. laaaaasam a aaia'4a.aaa.'~ama wblnb attatamat ajitasa laaaaa iaa that wltttnr atl' I 87ba'7t1, wlalela wa~a tIan reatailt ad' eajaaaasaa'sa tam tiatlal, oa:aamamaiaaameal ,aA~a{aaaa ~at. tttay'a', ~at~ta. lay blat a~enla~atma daat'aatiaaaa tat imia pt'sala'mamaiaaiaal alattla'ma, he is asow amnarly siatpa'it'ed a;af eyam~ noutaty, Neat' Yaat'k, 4)etaaVat' ii. 1847. Ella Ilatltet'. Jaaaamatiaitst ii t, aa'aaa maaa niasa" nlglsa. atwitag ta.> wlsiatla Ian Ia aaaaw, ~at alma., agat atl' iiIiy~taiataa1 lam aaaaita~aaa'atlaa'e aanelamaia.aam. tat 4 tt'n a~aa, tam! 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Tat 1atta'feea Itima matatallatma Ise esatet'nal that taiftatam !ia4atimat nlaaat'aala saf' Waliatal Lanka'. TIa daaelaaa"ma wlaa'ale easteem' aalfni'ma at liatat iliaamaam'ta~ ol' Jim'. Maamalaa4i, mast>1 altea'a'lty alea'it's'aI alan mada'asatagaama tat' Iaaaaajaiaal pt'ametiate; tIme tlatam ati' Tnaaaaymaaaaa'ma attatmltlatta."-" doattata' Iaaaiaag lIme ~a4tyitlatlttsa itt stlaat'gn tal' timam Maat'itae iiaama4aitmal ol' tlant nit>'. itt'. ~ daaadt nan' itaaaaaaa ttasan a.'aaa'aann5a~ leyt gm'aalstaaa.'d atasal a'eaaeia'eal Ida all jdataamtma itt alan tleaaet'a Mndlatal Catlltage, sat' N~nw Anal niaaatata' taitata ttsaaaa Nna'ataasa t~Iaaat~t~" FARMINGTON TOWNSHIP. -00-- FARMINOTON is one of the southern tier of townships in Oakland County, and is joined on its north, west, and east, respectively, by West Bloomfield, Novi, and Southfield. In its northwestern part the land is in a few places inclining to be swampy, but the remainder of the township has a fine rolling surface and a most productive soil, which gives to Farmington a rank with the best of the town- ships in the county. It is watered by several small streams, all following in a southeasterly direction, and all eventually joining their waters with those of the Rouge river. The prin- cipal of these takes its rise near the northwest corner of the township, and flowing obliquely through it, past the village of Farmington, turns the wheels of the differ- ent saw- and grist-mills of the town, and then passes out through the southwest quarter of section 36. Signs of very old Indian occupation are found in various parts of the township; perhaps the most noticeable of these was a place of ancient graves upon the farm of J. B. Francis, in the southwest quarter of section 19, near the Novi town line. At this place seven skeletons were found in a single grave, while over another was growing a tree of nearly two feet in diameter. Probably, however, there were no large established Indian villages here. The township was originally covered with dense forests, which were highly prized by them as hunting-grounds; and through here, too, passed their long path, known as the Shiawassee trail, over which they came and went on their predatory or hunting expeditions; but the margins of the limpid lakes that lay farther north and west, and gave them fish in unlimited supply, these were the places where they preferred to plant their lodges, rather than in the comparatively unwatered region of which we write. FIRST SETTLERS-FIRST BIRTH AND DEATH. About the 1st of February, 1824, a party of pioneers, consisting of Arthur Power (a Quaker), his sons John and Jared Power, with David Smith and Daniel Rush, men working in Arthur's employ, all of Ontario county, New York, set out from Mr. Power's home in Farmington, five miles west of Canandaigua, in that county, with the purpose of making a settlement in Michigan, on lands which he had entered the year. before, in surveyed township 1 north of range 9 east, in the county of Oakland. Their conveyance was a sleigh, drawn by a pair of good horses, and they headed their team westward with light hearts and no lack of courage. Crossing the Niagara river, they laid their course through Upper Canada, and, meeting with no adventures more exciting than such as arise from extremely bad roads and worse lodgings and fare, with the occasional howl of wolf or scream of pan- ther, to break the monotony of the route, they arrived at Windsor, opposite Detroit, on the 15th of February. After the usual delay in Detroit for the purchase of supplies and the transac- tion of other necessary business, they traveled by the Saginaw road to Royal Oak, and thence to Hamilton's (now Birmingham), from whence they proceeded by the settlements of Jenks, Sly, Durkee, and Baker to their place of; destination, which they reached late in the afternoon, when the sun was within an hour of his setting. Not much time was lost in preliminaries; they saw the foe be- fore them,-the great forest-trees, which the pioneer universally recognizes as his enemy,-and they moved to the assault unhesitatingly. Two of the party seized their axes, and, selecting one of the largest trees, attacked it on both sides at once. The old woods rung and echoed to the strange music of the axes, whose strokes fell with rapid and regular beat until, before the sun had set, the old giant, which had stood there unharmed for a century, trembled, swayed, and fell crash- ing to the ground. This was the first tree felled in preparation for white settle- ment in the township of Farmington; the day was the 8th of March, 1824, and those pioneer choppers were John Power, who four years later was laid to his rest in the old cemetery, and David Smith, who, at the age of eighty years, is still living, a mile and a half from the spot where his axe first tried the quality of Michigan timber more than half a dentury ago. The spot where they commenced their clearing is now included in the farm of Charles Chamberlin; not where his dwelling stands, but a short distance farther east, by the bank of a small run. Mr. Power had purchased this one hundred and sixty acres for his son Nathan. He had also purchased, or promised to pur- 166 chase, a quarter section for each of his other sons,-John, Ira, Samuel, Abraham L., and William,-and a tract of eighty acres for each of his daughters. He had, however, promised his eldest daughter, Mary,* who was the female head of his household (he being then a widower), that hlie would purchase for her an addi- tional eighty, in consideration of her remaining at home to superintend the dairy and other feminine departments; and to Nathan, who had also consented to remain and conduct the operations of the farm during his absence, hlie had promised that his first clearing and improvements in Michigan should be made on his (Nathan's) tract, the northeast quarter of section 22. In pursuance of this promise the clearing was commenced there, and the work was pushed so energetically that a good log house was finished, and nine acres of wheat and six acres of corn were put in, that season. Other immigrants came very soon after the advent of the Power company. Seven weeks after their arrival came George W. Collins, who brought with him his wife, the first white woman who entered the township. Mrs. Collins remained at Mr. Power's clearing for several weeks, and attended to the cooking and other affairs of the house, while her husband was making a start upon his own land, and preparing a log house for their occupancy. They settled in the southwest cor- ner of section 28, upon land now the property of B. B. Mosher. Mr. Joshua Simmons distinctly recollects an excellent breakfast (his first meal in Farmington) which he ate at their house in October, 1826, when on his way to settle on his land in Livonia. During the year 1824 there also arrived Solomon Walker, who settled in the northeast corner of section 30; Samuel Mansfield, on the northwest quarter of section 27, on the stream near where Shackleton's mill now is; George Tibbets, on the town line, in section 13; Orrin Garfield,-now living in Holly,- Sanford M. Utley and his sons, George and Peleg S. Utley, who came in July, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 12; and Robert Wixom, Sr., who came from Hector, Seneca county, New York, and settled on the southwest corner of section 15, the central point of the township. He had four daughters and five sons,-Ahijah, Benjamin P., Isaac, Robert, and Civilian,-three of whom were already grown to man's estate; Benjamin P. Wixom settled a mile northeast from his father, on the northwest quarter of the same section. It was scarcely more than half a year after the first settlers came before death sounded his dread summons in their midst. His first victim was Mrs. Sanford M. Utley, who died in two months after her arrival, from the effects of a fall from their wagon, just as they first came in sight of the spot whichwas to be their home. It was a singular circumstance that the day on which her remains were committed to the earth was also the birthday of John Collins, the first white child born in the township. Both he and his mother, Mrs. George Collins, are now residents of Farmington village. QUAKERTOWN. As soon as Arthur Power had reared the log buildings and completed such work as was the most immediately necessary upon the land of his son Nathan, he proceeded with his force to clear a site and erect a large log house on the high ground on the northeasterly side of the creek, opposite the present village, and this house he made his residence for a time. About two years after, however, he built another large, long log house on his land in the northeast quarter of section 28, the location being now within the village, where stands the orchard of his son, William Power. Dr. Ezekiel Webb, who had been a neighbor and friend of Mr. Power in Ontario county, New York, and who was also a member of the society of Friends, was one of the immigrants of 1824. He arrived late in the season, and built a large double log house in the northeast quarter of section 28, the spot being pre- cisely where now stands the house of Mrs. Cynthia Collins, in Farmington Centre. Dr. Webb was the first and only resident physician in the township, and his establishment there, in addition to the building of the large house by Mr. Power, and his (Power's) contemplated erection of a mill upon the stream, seemed to 'confer on that point and its vicinity an importance beyond that possessed by any other neighborhood in the township, and to mark it as the possible site of a future village. Thus it became a place of comparative note, and was known * Now Mrs. Stewart, and living at IHannibal, Missouri.  16~ II n I/y~% x F 1 f "# HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 167 I among the settlers for several miles around as " Quakertown;" the designation being given on account of the religious tenets of several of the neighboring resi- dents, but more particularly with reference to Mr. Power and Dr. Webb. SOME OF TIHE SETTLERS OF 1825. The number of settlers was very largely increased during the year 1825. Among those who arrived that season were Howland Mason, a Quaker, who settled opposite to Solomon Walker, on the southeast corner of section 19; Solo- mon Woodford and his wife, who for a time took charge of the household affairs of Arthur Power; George Thayer and Rufus Thayer, Jr., brothers, who settled on the northeast quarter of section 31; George Brownell, who came early in the year, and built his cabin just west of Buckhorn Corners; Timothy Tolman, a carpenter, also at the corners, on the farm now owned by J. 31. Tolman; Nathaniel Tolman, Timothy's cousin, who, in the next year (1826), was married to Mary Lewis. (This wedding'was the first which took place in Farmington. It was solemnized before 'Squire Amos Mead, at the place where Charles Parkerson now lives; and the couple commenced their married life in a house in the northeast corner of section 24, where John Boyle's house now stands.) Warren Lee, a son-in-law of Solomon Walker, settled on the northwest quarter of section 28, now the premises of Mrs. Mason; Ephraim Hildreth Utley (not a relative of the Utleys at Buckhorn Corners), Timothy Allen, Calvin Ray, and - Drown, coopers, who came in with Deacon Erastus Ingersoll, of Novi; 4os3Lgd, south- west quarter of section 21, where R. H. Hatten's place now is; Horace Hopkins, Samuel Mecad, who settled on southwest quarter of section 20, and brought, in his employ, a young man named Myra Gage, from Seneca county, New York; Luther Green and Leland Green, on sections 29 and 32; William B. Cogsdill, Abraham Aldrich, and his sons Royal and Jesse; Hezekiah B. Smith, who settled a mile north of the base-line; Charles Grant and David Grant, brothers of Mrs. George Brownell, near Buckhorn Corners, and Philip Marlatt, a mile and a half west of that point; Seymour Newton, on the northwest corner of section 33; David Maden and Willard Wadsworth, both bachelors, the former of whom established his hall on the east side of the town, one mile north of the base-line, and the latter in the south part of section 20, on land now owned by Deacon J. M. Adams. Seth A. L. Warner came in that year, and settled in the northwest quarter of section 15; John Crawford on section 6; Esek Brown, a blacksmith, settled a mile south of Farmington Centre. Orange Culver came in from Wayne county, New York, and arrived in the township on the 8th of May, 1825, and, with his wife, occupied a part of the log house of Benjamin P. Wixom until a cabin could be make ready upon his own land. Into this cabin they moved before a floor had been laid or the gables closed, and in this condition they occupied it for many months, and in that house hlie says they received many a visit from Indians, whom he always found friendly and well-behaved. In company with him came his brother George, who, in the previous year, had entered the southwest quarter of section 10, and it was upon that quarter that the brothers made their settle- ment. Mr. Culver afterwards removed to other lands which he purchased on the northwest quarter of section 3, North Farmington. George now lives near Bath, Clinton county, Michigan. The Rev. Eri Prince and Edward Steel came in 1825, as also Constantine Wood, who arrived in the month of November, from Perrinton, Monroe county, New York. He died in less than a year after his arrival in Michigan. David Smith, who, with John Power, had felled the first tree in the township, having now completed his year's service with Mr. Power,-for which he received one hundred and thirty-six dollars,-purchased and settled upon the east half of" the northeast quarter of section 23, being enabled to do so by pecuniary assistance generously afforded him by his former employer. Daniel Rush, the other man whom Mr. Power employed in New York to come with him to Michigan, had been seized with violent homesickness immediately on his arrival, and, after en- during the pangs of the terrible malady for nearly three weeks, and seeing no prospect of alleviation, had started on foot for Detroit, intending to return thence to his eastern home, which probably he reached in safety. OTIIER EARLY IMMIGRANTS. Rufus Thayer, Sr., came to Farmington in the fiall of 1826. He was the father of Rufus and George Thayer, who came the previous year, and settled in the southwestern section of the township. He, the elder Rufus, brought with him his wife and five daughters; a very desirable accession, for women were yet very scarce in Farmington. John Brownell, brother of George, came that year, and settled near Buckhorn Cotners; and Elisha Doty located on section 2. Hiram Wilmarth arrived in October, 1826. He was a surveyor and school-teacher by profession. After his arrival he kept house for a time in the bachelor's hall of Willard Wadsworth. Nathan S. Philbrick, Harman Steel, Benjamin Andrews, Jonathan Lewis, Clark Cogsdill, Willard Porter, Elihu Cooley, and John Thayer, a surveyor, from Richmond, New York, all came during the season of 1826. Chauncey D. Wolcott, a Baptist preacher, came in 1827, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 3. Samuel Gage, from Seneca county, New York, arrived May, 1827, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 7. Thomas Johns, same year, on northeast quarter of 18. John Brownell, Sr., father of George and John, settled in the east part of the town near his sons, and Horatio Lee two miles south of them. The following, whose dates of arrival cannot be given, were among the earlier settlers in Farmington : Ross Phillips, son-in-law of Samuel Mansfield, and John Phillips, his brother, both of whom worked in Mansfield's 'employ, Ebenezer Stewart, who married a daughter of Arthur Power, Thomas Ingersoll, cousin of Deacon Erastus Ingersoll, Darius Lawson,-now living at Grand Ledge,-David Wilcox, John Wilcox, John Walcott, father of Chauncey D. Walcott, Theron Murray, from Ontario county, New York, Samuel T. Bryant, William Daily, James B. Mellady,-died 1876, aged eighty-two; Salmon Stilson settled on north- west quarter section 6; Champlin Green, who settled for a time in Troy before coming to Farmington; Chauncey W. Green, who settled in Avon in 1825, and afterwards moved to Farmington; Alanson Brooks, from Saratoga, New York; David Coomer, who settled on the northwest quarter of section 2, with a family of nine children, and who, it seems, was in rather better worldly circumstances than many of the immigrants; William Serviss, northwest quarter section 5; Warren Servis; - Barnum, on section 22, in whose family the dreaded cholera first made its appearance in the township, in 1832; Nathan Smith, Ste- phen Jennings, Darius Cowles, Frederick Monroe, Joseph Horton, Jacob Wood; these and others swelled the number of settlers, so that the first township assess- ment-roll bore the names of seventy-nine resident tax-payers. ESTABLISIIMENT OF A POST-OFFICE. The first postal facilities were obtained for the people of the town in the fall of 1825, through the efforts of Dr. Webb, who was himself appointed post- master, and the office was kept in his large log house at Quakertown. The service was infrequent, the mail-matter coming up once a week from Detroit, and being delivered by the doctor himself, when it was in any way convenient for him to do so, on his professional tours. Two shillings was the price which the pioneers paid for each letter at that time, and it was from this source that the medical postmaster realized his only compensation, excepting the privilege of franking his own letters. Such a mail service would at the present day be considered as little, if any, better than none, but at that time the people regarded it as a very great favor and accommodation, and were most grateful for its establishment among them. THE FIRST SCHOOL. The first school in the township was taught by Nathan Power, at Quakertown, in the year 1826. Its sessions were held in a small log building that stood near the bank of the creek, at a point about opposite where is now the house of Dea- con Adams. As late as 1830 this was the only school taught in the town; and during the winter of 1828-29 it was still under the charge of its first teacher. Thaddeus Andrews, now of Farmington Centre, and who was one of Mr. Power's pupils, recollects that one morning "the master" met him with rather a thoughtful and troubled expression of countenance. " Thaddeus," said lie, "I lost one of my oxen last night; how does thee suppose I will manage to get an- other in his place ?" But as Thaddeus could not suggest any feasible plan to meet this unexpected necessity, the teacher explained to him that he had decided to catch wolves enough, so that the bounty upon their scalps would supply the necessary means. The State bounty was then eight dollars, and the county offered an additional five dollars; and before the opening of spring the proceeds of the sales of wolves' ears had reached an amount sufficient for the purchase of the ox, and meanwhile the teacher's school duties had not been neglected in any particular. The female teacher who first wielded the rod of command during the summer term was Miss Polly Ann Mead, afterwards Mrs.Lacld, The terms were short, and of course this school, like all others at that time, were supported by subscription; the publiefchool system not going into effect until some years later. The general law ordering the laying off and numbering of school districts in townships was passed in 1833. INITIAL ENTERPRISES AND EVENTS. Thie first of the mechanical trades commenced in the town was that of shoe- making, by Mr. Green, already mentioned as having worked and died near Amos Mead's. Blacksmithing was first started by Esek Brown, who, soon after his arrival in 1825, opened his trade in a log shop, about a mile south of Quakertown. The carpenter-shop is supposed to have been that of Timothy Tolman, at Buckhorn Corners; although young Myra Gage, who came in with Deacon Samuel Mead in the spring of 1825, was not only a carpenter and millwright 'by trade, .8 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MIICHIGAN. but was also both shoemaker and blacksmith by practice, and worked at all four of his callings in Farmington. He might, perhaps, dispute the seniority not only of Tolman as the first carpenter, but also of Mr. Green and Esek Brown in their respective crafts. He, however, had no shop or regular place of business, but contented himself with performing such jobs in either of the trades as might present themselves. The first coopers in Farmington were Calvin Ray and - Drown, who arrived in 1825, and worked together for a time in a small building not far from Amos Mead's. The first mill in the township was the saw-mill built by Arthur Power, at Quakertown. From the time of his first arrival hlie had entertained the project of the erection of such a one upon the stream at that point; and so, after having completed his large log house on the northerly side of the creek, and attended to such other work as was indispensable upon the clearing, hlie commenced the cutting of timber and other preparations for its erection. The damn was thrown across the stream nearly opposite where the Baptist church now stands, and from this dam the water was curried by a canal, constructed on the west side of the stream, to the mill, which stood some little distance below. Much of the work on this canal was performed by Gilbert Bagnell, who came from New York to work for MIr. Power. Dam and mill were completed and ready for operation before the last days of the year 1826. The millwright was Win. A. Burt, now of Saginaw. The establishment probably never did a very large business; the stream at its best was not copious, and in the dry season there was great scarcity of water, and this trouble was greatly aggravated by the imperfect construction of the dam, which never could be made reasonably tight by all the repairs which were expended on it from time to time. The mill, however, answered its purpose tolerably well, and being then the only one in the township, its importance was estimated accordingly. The first grist-mill was built in the year 1827. It was located on the west branch of the creek, in the southeast quarter of section 17, and about two and a half miles north and west of Quakertown. The proprietors were Edward Steel and Harman Steel. An interest in it was also owned by Howland'Mason, who him- self performed most of the mill-work; hlie being a competent millwright, who had worked at Auburn and elsewhere, under that skillful mechanic and machinist, Aaron Smith, who was then pretty widely known hereabouts as " Fifty-crooks." It is said that the bed-stone and runner were manufactured from bowlders found somewhere in the vicinity. The mill was completed, ready for work, in the fall of the above-named year, and the first grist was ground for Orange Culver, who brought the grain and carried away the flour upon his shoulder, a distance of a mile and a half each way. This was not only the first grist-mill in Farmington, but in all the southwest- ern part of the county, and it was long known, and somewhat famed, as the "Steel mill." A few years after its erection it was sold to Joseph Coon and his son-in-law, Frederick Neidheimer, who were excellent millers, and fully sustained its reputation. Afterwards it passed through the hands of several other owners, among whom was John T. Little, who, designing to sell flour in Detroit, so as to do a more extended business than was afforded by the local custom, named the mill and his brand of flour the "Pernambuco." Little had followed the seas in earlier life, and in this calling had visited Pernambuco, in Brazil, and doubt- less it was this fiat which had suggested the name to him. His successors, how- ever, dropped the name, and it has long been known as the " Hardcnberg mill." Its first half-century of service is now almost completed. The first framed dwelling-house in the town was built by Timothy Tolman, at Buckhorn Corners, in the year 1828. Being himself a carpenter, doubtless Timothy wished to set such an example to his neighbors as would prove in the end beneficial to them as well as to his own calling. Mr. David Smith thinks that the frame house built by Arthur Power, on the spot where is now the house of his son, William Power, may have been earlier than Tolmnan's, but from a comparison of other information, it seems certain that Mr. Power's house must have been erected fully two years later. It stood, as has been said, on the present site of William Power's dwelling-house; and it was destroyed by fire in the year 1851, when the present house was commenced at once on tihe same spot. Tolmnan's house, however, was not the first building of any kind which was framed in Farmington. That precedence belonged to the frame barn which Samuel Mansfield built in 1826. Next was Arthur Power's saw-mill, and then, in the next season, a barn was framed and erected by Solomon Walker, and a third-date. not precisely known-by George W. Collins, on his farm, a mile and a half southwest from Quakertown. In Farmington as in most other towns there are several conflicting accounts of the first barn-raising carried through without the use of intoxicating liquor, and it is wholly impossible to say who was really the first to accomplish the end so worthy and much to be desired; but the accounts seem pretty clearly to establish the fact that it was neither George Tibbets nor Chauncey D. Wolcott, as has been supposed by some to be the case. At Mr. Wolcott's "raising," which occurred in 1836, and at which hlie proposed to raise his barn-frame without whisky, the work, after proceeding to a certain stage, encountered an obstacle which appeared to be absolutely insurmountable without fiurther strength and assistance; which Orange Culver then at once dispatched himself to procure. He soon returned with a strong reinforcement, namely, four men and a stone jug, by the aid of which the heavy frame was soon reared and every pin driven home. At the raising of Mr. Tibbets' barn (the date being considerably earlier than that of Mr. Wolcott) there appeared to be an abundance of strength present; rather too much, it would seem, than too little, for in "plowing the plates," an operation which required the combined force of several men, the tool became clogged fast in the wood, and the power of the human team being irresistible, the timber itself was in a twinkling carried out of sight into the neighboring brushwood, from which it was found impossible to recover it without recourse to an expedient similar to that which was found so effectual at Mr. Wolcott's. It must be said, however, of Mr. Tibbets and Mr. Wolcott, that in the matter of excellent and wholesome cheer, both solid and fluid, to stand instead of the alcoholic auxiliary, they had provided most amply; and having done their best to accomplish the desired end, tihe failure could in no manner be laid to their charge. Distilleries have never flourished in the township of Farmington. The first one was established about 1830, by Seymour Newton, on the stream in the north- west corner of section 33, opposite George W. Collins' store and potashery. Another was started on the mill stream below Slab city, by a Mr. Teas, from Pennsylvania; and another, on the creek in the village, by Elijah F. Cook, who came there a tailor, then became lawyer, and member of the constitutional convention of 1835. He is now established in law in the city of Milwaukee. His distillery was discontinued in 1842. These comprise the whole list of distilleries which have been run in the township. The first tannery was put in operation by David Wilcox, on the stream in the northwest quarter of section 12, probably about the year 1835. Another was by - Lewis, on a little stream near the present school-house, in district No. 1. Potash-works were started at teveral points in the township at a very early day. The first of these was by Arthur Power, at Quakertown, in 1825. Another was built by Samuel Mansfield about the same time, near where Shackleton's mill now is; and still another, not long after, by George W. Collins, at his farm, a mile north of the base-line. The first to embark in the business of merchandising in Farmington was Lyman Boughton, before the year 1830. His store was located one mile north and one mile west from the territorial centre of the township. Another very early store . was that opened by George W. Collins, in the southwest corner of section 28, before his removal to the village. Another store (but not one of the earliest) was John T. Little, at his Pernambuco mill. This was destroyed by fire during his proprietorship, and was not rebuilt. TIlE FIRST TAVERNS. The openings of early public-houses are usually regarded as events of some importance in new settlements. In after-years, the sight or mention of these old houses, gray and dilapidated, or perhaps utterly wrecked and abandoned, often brings thronging recollections to the minds of those who, in their youth, knew them as resorts of pleasure, and welcome havens of shelter and refreshment to the traveler; as places of exciting military or political gathering, or perhaps as centres which brought those first small beginnings of travel and trade which afterwards caused villages or towns to spring up around them. The first tavern in Farmington was opened by Solomon Walker, in the year of the township organization, 1827. It was an unpretending log structure, that stood on the north line of section 30, in its northeast quarter. It was completed and opened towards the last of the year, so that a dedicatory new year's festival was held there at the commencement of 1828, on which occasion there was a very large attendance of young people, and perhaps some who could hardly be termed young, except in their perennial fondness for dancing and festivity. The revel- ers came from near and from far off. Their conveyances were exclusively drawn by oxen, with the single exception of a horse-team which brought its load from Bloomfield. No doubt their enjoyment that night was as keen as if their teams had been fleeter, and their hall accommodations more spacious and splendid. Small as it was, Walker's tavern soon became a place of some note, and in 1829 the annual township-meeting was first held there, though its location was by no means a central one, being only a mile from the western line of the town. It was not long before Mr. Walker built a frame tavern building, a little east of the old log house, and this hlie sold to Nathan S. Philbrick. He in turn sold it to Robert Wixom, Jr., who increased its size by building to it, and it remained a o $ / & > K~Kf 4  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 169 prosperous place for a long time under his proprietorship. It became a stopping- place for the stage-coaches of Hibbard & Burrill's line, and during their day was well known to travelers. Though now no longer a public-house, it remains with its low porch and ample barn, suggesting, in spite of its deserted aspect, thoughts of the bustle and cheerfulness which once reigned there. Another tavern was opened by Nathan S. Philbrick in the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 15, now Fisher Chamberlin's place of residence. The precise date we are unable to give. Some of the old residents think it was in tlhe same year in which Walker opened; others date it later. The township-meeting in the spring of 1828 was held at Philbrick's house, but that is not conclusive evi- dence that it had been then opened as a hotel; for, as it stood only half a mile away from the territorial centre of the township, this may have been the reason of its selection as a place of meeting, though not a public-house, just as the meeting had been held at the private house of Robert Wixom the preceding year. But whichever may be the correct date of its opening, it is certain that Phil- brick's tavern, although not so located as to secure the trade of a great thorough- fare, yet became well known through a large section of country, and was highly regarded for the abundance and excellence of its entertainment. Mr. Philbrick was also for a short time proprietor of the Solomon Walker House before Wixom, as has already been mentioned. Hie filled several public offices, among them that of justice of the peace, and hlie was a most respected and esteemed citizen. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. For three years after its first settlement, township 1, of range 9, was for all political purposes and intents a part of Bloomfield, under which name had been comprehended the two southern tiers of townships in the county. But in the spring of 1827 several new townships were formed, and among them was that of Farmington, which, at its erection, included not only its present territory but also that now embraced in the four southwestern towns of the county, Commerce, Milford, Lyon, and Novi. An act of the legislative council, approved April 12, 1827, provided and directed that the townships above mentioned I, be a township by the name of Farriington, and that the first township-meeting be held at the house of Robert Wixom in said township;" and accordingly the first meeting was duly held at Mr. Wixonm's house, on the last Monday in May of that year. An account of the proceedings at that meeting cannot be given, because of the total destruction of the township records on the morning of the 9th of October, 1872. We know, however, that Amos Mead was chosen supervisor, and Robert Whixom clerk, and that William Yerkes, Seth A. L. Warner, and Amos Mead at that time held the office of justice of the peace, under appointment by the governor, and that the assessors elected at that first meeting were William Yerkes, Samuel Mead, and Philip Marlatt; Amos Mead being elected supervisor. Hie also filled that office for the years 1828 and 1833. Following are the names of some of those who held the position of supervisor after him: Edward Steel, 1829, 1832, 1834,1835; Loring Doney, 1836; Daniel S. Lee, 1837; Benjamin P. Wixom, 1838; Eri Prince, 1842-1844; John H. Button, 1845, 1853; Samuel T. Bryan, 1854- 1859; Henry F. Cobb, 1860; Jesse B. Aldrich, 1861; P. Dean Warner, 1862- 1866; Henry R. Mason, 1867-1869; Ahijah J. Wixom, 1870; Oscar S. Harger, 1871; Jas. L. Wilber, 1872; Hix Horton, 1873-1875; B. F. Grace, 1876-1877. Among the incumbents of the office of justice of the peace are found the fol- lowing: by appointment from the governor, under the Territorial form, George Brownell, commissioned September 19, 1833; Elijah F. Cook, February 24, 1834; Amos Mead, August 12, 1833; Nathan S. Philbrick, February 14, 1834. And the following, among others, have been elected to the office since the adop- tion of the State constitution: Nathan S. Philbrick, 1838 and 1840; Amos Mead, 1836 and 1838; Isaac Wixom, 1837; Benjamin P. Whixom, 1836 and 1857; George Brownell, 1836 and 1848; John Hovey, 1839; E. G. Stevens, 1841, 1847, and 1862; Charles K. Nichols, 1842; Warren Serviss, 1843 and 1850; Levi W. Rodgers, 1844; George W. Collins, 1845; Samuel T. Bryan, 1846, 1852, and 1853; Simeon Gage, 1849; Mark Arnold, 1851, 1856, 1860; An- drew C. Walker, 1854, 1862; Isaac Placey, 1861; William L. Coonley, 1861, 1877; Andrew J. Croshy, 1862; Jacob A. Drake, 1863; J. W. Crandall, 1865; Eber Durham, 1856 and 1866; John A. Fairfield, 1867; Thomas Russell, 1870 and 1875; Horace A. Green, 1871; Dexter W. Green, 1876; John N. Power, 1876; P. Dean Warner, 1855 to 1863, and 1867 to 1875. Among those who have filled the office of town clerk since the organization we mention: Lyman Boughton, 1829 to 1833; H. Miller, 1835; John McCarthy, 1841; John Stewart, 1842; E. G. Stevens, 1843; John T. Little, 1844; Henry F. Walker, 1845, 1847, and 1850; P. Dean Warner, 1846, 1858, 1859; Samuel S. Gale, 1851; Harley Ingersoll, 1852; M. Augustus White, 1857 and 1860- 69; H. G. Saxton, 1870-71; Frank D. Clark, 1872; and he is the present in- cumbent. 22 CLARENCEVILLE. In the extreme southeastern corner of the township is a small cluster of build- ings known as Clarenceville. It lies on the line of the Detroit and Howell plank- road, and it was to this thoroughfare, known in the early days as the Grand river military road, that the hamlet owes its existence. Its commencement was the building of a tavern at that point by Stephen Jennings, in the year 1836, for the accommodation of the travel over the road. He also opened a store there soon after. During all the days of staging over this road Jennings' tavern was a regular and favorite stopping-place,-the sixteen-mile station out from Detroit. Clarenceville contains one general store, one wagon-shop, and two blacksmith- shops, and the hotel now kept by Milton G. Botsford; but the travel which sup- ported it in the old time is no longer there, and its consideration as a public-house has departed with the stage-lines which created it. NORTH FARMINGTON. Although the neighborhood known as North Farmington does not reach the importance of a village, yet as the location of a post-office it may be proper to mention it in that connection. The establishment of the post-office of North Farmington was in the year 1850, with Chauncey D. Wolcott as the first postmaster. The first location of the office was at Wolcott's Corners, one mile south of the town line. Mr. Wolcott was succeeded as postmaster by Nathaniel Thompson. At his death, about 1865, Thomas Marston was appointed postmaster, and the office was moved up to the town line, in the northeast quarter of section 4. The successor of Marston was John H. Button, who, on his removal from Farmington, was in turn succeeded by Theodore C. Armstrong, the present incumbent, who removed the office to his house upon the north side of the road, this being in the township of West Bloomfield. lion. John H. Button, the last resident postmaster of North Farmington, located his lands upon the northeast quarter of section 4, May 19, 1828, and settled on them in the year 1831. He resided there until 1872, when lie removed to Flushing, Genesee county, Michigan, and died there December 1, 1876, having reached a good old age. During his residence in Farmington lihe filled many important and honorable offices, and stood high in the esteem of his fellow-townsmen. FARM3INGTON VILLAGE. The village of Farmington embraces within its corporate limits a territory one mile square, being the west half of section 27 and the east half of section 28. The business centre of the village is one and a quarter miles south of the geo- graphical centre of the township. The creek, which furnishes water-power to the Hardenberg, the Shackleton, and the Loveridge" mills, flows diagonally through the northeast quarter of the corporation. We have seen how its first commencement was made by Arthur Power, in the building of his large log house on the left bank of the creek, and how its first claim to comparative importance was created by the settlement of Dr. Webb, the first and only physician of the township, and still further adtanced by the establishment of the post-office, and the erection of Mr. Power's mill; and we have seen how, because it owed its settlement and progress chiefly to these two men, and in less degree to others of the Friends who had settled in and near it, it came to receive the distinctive name of Quakertown. This name, however, although not objected to by them on account of its reference to their sect, was not favored by Dr. Webb and Mr. Power, who desired instead that it should be named in honor of the old home which they had left, in Ontario county, New York. This purpose had been in a great measure accomplished by them when the post- office was established by the name of Farmington; for, from being first given to the office, it gradually displaced that of Quakertown, and then, naturally enough, came to be applied to the whole township, and finally was officially adopted in the organization. In or about the year 1830, Arthur Power added a grist-mill to the list of his real estate at Farmington. It was built upon a new dam which lie threw across the stream sbme distance below the leaky one which he had built for the saw-mill, and by the new arrangement both the saw- and grist-mill took their water from the new dam, and the first one, as well as the canal which led from it, were discon- tinued. This mill continued in operation there for many years, but it never attained as high a standing as that enjoyed by the Steel mill. The dam and the wreck of the mill building may still be seen just above the upper road leading from the village across the stream to the northward. Before 1830 another physician came to Farmington, in tho person of Dr. Isaac Wixom. He located not far from the Quaker meeting-house, just outside the village, but within the present limits of the corporation. Not long after came Dr. Hudson, a bachelor, who first took board in the village, but'soon married. 170 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. He afterwards removed to Lansing, where he died. With three resident physi- cians the people of the village and of the township had no longer any lack of medical advice and treatment; and not only had they these three, but also Drs. Ebenezer Raynale-just across the town line, in Southfield-on the one hand, and Dr. J. C. Emery on the other, in the eastern edge of Novi; both excellent physicians, and both of whom practiced considerably in Farmington. Dr. Webb had, however, at this time, in a great degree withdrawn from practice, and (chiefly in consequence of a disagreement in matters of property between himself and Arthur Power) was preparing to remove from Farmington, which hlie did soon after; disposing of his property to George W. Collins. There had been no public-house in the village until about 1830, when one was opened on the north side of the Detroit, or Shiawassee road, as it was often called, then the main street of the village. This tavern (there were no hotels in those days) stood a little cast of where the Baptist church now is, and but a short dis- tance from the bank of the creek. We are not able to state positively whether it was the same building which was erected in 1826 by Constantine Wood, for upon this point the opinions of those who remember the house are about equally divided, some being positive that it was the Wood house, and others asserting with equal earnestness that it was not. But whoever may have been the builder of the house, it seems to be quite certain that Dr. Isaac Wixom was its first landlord. After Dr. Wixom it was kept by Myra Gage, who was followed by several other land- lords during the time of its existence, which was about twenty years. Among the first of the village mechanics was Ebenezer G. Stevens, who opened the business of shoemaker in 1830, in a shop built for him by Arthur Power, on the north side of the road (or main street), and just cast of the tavern, while nearly opposite to him a blacksmith-shop was opened about the same time, by two brothers named Dutcher. In the business of merchandising at Farmington village Stephen Page was the pioneer. His store was opened in a dwelling-house which stood on the north side of the main road, west of the present location of the Baptist church. Another store was opened soon after near Page's, by Henry Miller, who is now living in Califor- nia. His store was also built for him by Arthur Power, who seems to have been foremost in the encouragement of all enterprises calculated to promote the growth and prosperity of the village. Whether the stores of Page and Miller proved profitable to their proprietors is not known. Among the other early stores in the village were those of Wells (who died by suicide upon the bank of the creek, at Farmington, in 1836), James I. Mead, and George W. Collins. Mr. Collins had moved from his farm into the village, and succeeded Dr. Webb as postmaster when the latter removed from town. He also purchased the property of the doctor, and opened his store in a small red building at the corner, west of the tavern. This red store was afterwards removed, and changed into a school-room for Mr. HI. P. Daily, then again moved and trans- formed into a tin-shop, and finally destroyed in the fire of October 9, 1872. John Thomas and Daniel S. Lee were also early merchants of Farmington. PLATS AND ADDITIONS. The dates and locations of the various plats and additions of the village of Farmington are found recorded as follows: Ebenezer Stewart's plat, eastern part, located on section 28, March 8, 1841. W. D. Power's plat, located on northeast quarter of section 28, December 8, 1846. Henry P. Daily's plat, located on northeast quarter section 28, April 30, 1850. Davis' addition, located on the Davis farm, by Henry N. Walker, proprietor, September 3, 1850. Abraham Lapham's addition, located on section 27, May 2, 1867. Gardurus Webster's addition, located on section 28, October 10, 1870. FARMINGTON IIOTEL-STAGE-LINES. In 1850 the old tavern which stood on the Territorial road, near the creek, was consumed by fire. At the time of its destruction it was kept by Horace Swan, who then at once set about the erection of the present Farmington hotel. It was completed in due time, and was opened as a public-house by Mr. Swan in 1851. Its location was a fatvorable one, being on the Grand river road, which had then passed into the hands of the plank-road company, and had become the main street of the town, and the stage-route from Detroit to Lansing, which had then recently been established as the State capital. This, and the planking of the road to Lansing, which was finished in the following year, gave a great impetus to the stage traffic, for which the new hotel became (that which the old one never had been) a stopping-place and a station. The travel, required two four-horse stage-coaches each way daily, with frequent extras as far as the Farmington hotel or the Wixom tavern, and often the extras were obliged to continue as far as Brighton, and even to Howell. Twenty-four passengers were carried by each coach, and they almost always ran with a full freight both ways. It was a usual thing to see nine passengers riding upon the top, so great was the travel at that time. These coaches were owned by Hibbard & Burrill, of Detroit, though at various times during the days of staging Hibbard had other partners; as, for instance, Mr. Rose, of Mount Clemens, who died in Pontiac, proprietor of the Rose hotel at that place. The stage-lines flourished until the opening of the Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan railroad, after which they declined, first reducing their capacity to a single daily stage, and finally disappearing entirely; and with them departed the days of prosperity to the public-houses along their former route. The Farming- ton mail now comes and goes via Fisher's, and the passenger travel by way of Novi; both stations are on the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railroad. INCORPORATION. The village of Farmington was incorporated, with boundaries as above men- tioned, in the winter of 1866-67. The first charter election was held, in accordance with a provision of the act of incorporation, on the 6th of May, 1867, and resulted in the election of Justus B. Webster, Anson J. Cloyse, and George Matthews as trustees; P. Dean War- ner, president; and John A. Fairfield, recorder. At the first meeting of the council, held on the 9th of the same month, it was "resolved that Mortimer Serviss be appointed marshal for the village of Farmington. Adopted,-yeas, Cloyse, Warner, Fairfield; nay, Webster," and Henry Riley was appointed pound- master. The present officers of the village are: P. Dean Warner, president; Frank ). Clark, recorder; Gardurus Webster, treasurer; Louis Philbrick, John Jackson, Abraham L. Power, trustees. THE FIRE OF 1872. On the morning of October 9, 1872, there occurred a fire which destroyed several of the business structures in the heart of the village, and which was quite a severe blow to Farmington; more disastrous than any of the kind which she ever experienced. The buildings destroyed were a dwelling and shoe-shop, owned by Miss Lester, the shop being occupied by - Saxton; a store, owned by P. Dean Warner, and occupied by Porter Shepherd; a small wooden building, owned and occupied by Miss Pierman as a millinery-store; the stone stores of W. B. Selby and Oliver B. Smith the latter being occupied by Wesley Horton, and a hall over the store by the Masonic lodge; a drug-store, owned and occupied by Dr. E. Woodman; a blacksmith-shop, and a barn and carriage-house in the rear. The stores of Selby and of 0. B. Smith were joined as a block, and were the same which were erected in 1850 by Warren E. Selby and Joshua Simmons. Mr. Warner at once rebuilt upon his lots the substantial and most creditable building known as Warner's block, and good buildings have been erected on nearly all the area which was devastated by the fire. It was in this conflagration that the township records were consumed. PRESENT IIUSINESS-BUILDINOS, ETC. Farmington village now contains three churches, the town hall, school building, one hotel, a market, three physicians,-two allopathic and one homoopathic,--one insurance agency, four general stores, one drug-store, one millinery and fancy- goods store, one hardware-store and tin-shop, one shoe-store and manufactory, two jewelers, one cabinet-shop, two saddlery- and harness-shops, two shoe-shops, three blacksmith- and carriage-ironing shops, two wagon-shops, one foundry, one saw- mill, and one grist-mill. TIlE TOWN-ITALL. The Farmington town-hall is a two-story brick building thirty by sixty feet in dimensions, which stands on the principal street, near the business centre of the village, and is an edifice which, in solidity and architectural beauty, is excelled by very few, if any, of similar character, in Michigan, remarkable as this State is for the superiority of its public buildings. The lot-about five-cighths of an acre-was purchased of Mrs. Cynthia M. Col- lins for eight hundred dollars, of which five hundred dollars was subscribed in the village as an inducement to secure the location of the building t re. It was erected in 1876, and was completed, ready for occupancy, in December of that year. The contract price was four thousand one hundred and fifty dollars, which by certain extra expenditures was increased to a total of four thousand three hundred dollars. Of this the Masonic lodge paid eleven hundred and fifty dollars for a perpetual lease of the upper portion of the building, which left the whole expense incurred by the township at three thousand four hundred and fifty dollars, including the lot. Prior to the completion of the hall, the township-meetings had been held at the public-houses, since the days of Nathan S. Philbrick and Solomon Walker. i !y , k.r b a < 1 w a , Zvi r. "Ar a s 3E d e+ 1. r. s e t 141 i c v a, s a F tia al _ a a , HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 171 I TIHE FARMINGTON FOUNDRY, located in Lapham's addition, was built and first operated by Joshua Simmons. From Mr. Simmons it passed into the hands of George Hilicker & Brother; then to the proprietorship of Kent & Sprague, after whom it was carried on by Laphamn & Wilber, who were succeeded in the business by the present proprietor, George M. Alfred. The foundry was formerly used in the manufacture of stoves; but at present its chief production is that of agricultural implement castings. SITACKLETON'S MILLS. The grist- and saw-mills of John H. Shackleton are located on the mill-stream a few rods below the centre of the village, but within the corporation limits. The water-power at this point was first utilized by Samuel Mansfield, who built a saw mill here (the third in the township) about 1833. A grist-mill was afterwards built at the same dam by Samuel Power. At the raising of the frame of this mill an accident occurred by which Thaddeus Andrews sustained severe injury,- the breaking of both wrists. The mills have now a steam-engine, auxiliary to the water-power, which was rendered necessary both by increase of business to the grain-mill and by the steady decrease of water in the stream; a result which always follows the clearing of lands and demolition of the original forests. TIHE LOVERIDGE MILL. The Loveridge saw-mill, about half a mile below Shackleton's, on the same stream, occupies the seat of the old saw-mill built by Darius Lamson about 1833. He also kept a small tavern there, and the place was at that time generally known as "Slab City." Across the end of his stable he had painted, in conspicuous Scharacters, " 18 miles to Detroit." The tavern was afterwards demolished, and Lamson removed to Grand Ledge, where he is still living. The mill was purchased and run by Pheroras I. Perrin and Henry Maxon. In the year 1874 it was destroyed by fire, and then the present mill was built in its place by A. N" Loveridge. Thaddeus Andrews was the millwright. A cider-mill, propelled by water from the same dam, was put in operation there by Louis Philbrick in 1876. DELLING'S SAW-MILL. The Delling saw-mill, on a more easterly branch of the Rouge, which flows into Southfield, and is known there as Lee's creek, is located at the town line, on the eastern edge of section 13. It was built in 1828, by George Tibbits. Like all similar mills, it formerly enjoyed a much larger and more profitable business than at present, when logs are comparatively scarce, and the volume of water in the stream much lessened by the clearing and draining of the country. It is now owned by Elijah Delling. THE BIGELOW MILL. The location of this mill is in the extreme northeastern corner of the township, on that branch of the Rouge river which flows through the village of Franklin, in Southfield. The first mill upon the Bigelow site was a saw-mill, erected in 1833, by Dorus Morton, who afterwards sold it to Edward Proctor and Francis Gurney. After them, the property was owned by William Adams and others, until it became the property of Mr. T. A. Bigelow, the present owner. The mill was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1873, and has not been rebuilt for sawing purposes; the entire water-power being now used for the manufacture of drain-tile and pressed bricks, both of which had been manufactured to a considerable extent before the burning of the mill. OTHER MILLS. Several other mills have at various times been erected and operated in the town- ship, but have now passed out of existence. About the year 1835 a saw-mill was built near the centre of section 17, by Rev. Eri Prince, a Presbyterian clergyman, who was evidently a man of enterprise, and did not regard his sacred vocation as a bar to the exercise of another honest and honorable calling. His mill was above Steel's, on the same stream. Probably it never performed a very large amount of work, and a few years ago it ceased to be used for the manufacture of lumber. It was then fitted up by John E. Davis as a cider-mill, and is still in that use. About the same time a saw-mill was built on the stream a few rods below the Steel grist-mill, by Edivard Steel and Byro French,-the latter a young man who had worked for a considerable time in Steel's employ. This was destroyed by fire in 1837, and then the irons, gearing, and dam were purchased by Myra Gage, who, being himself a millwright, rebuilt the mill, and afterwards sold it to Collins Miller. He in turn sold it to Warren Serviss and Mark Arnold, who were both coopers, as before mentioned, and who carried on their trade in connection with the mill. A saw-mill was built about 1831, by Dr. Ebenezer Raynale, in the northwest quarter of section 12, about a mile and a half above the Tibbets mill, and upon the same stream. The mill was sold by the doctor to John Wilcox. Its history was that of nearly all small dry mills. It remained in operation for a time, and then fell into dilapidation and disuse. A few years ago a steam saw-mill was built on the southeast corner of section 30, by - Corey. During its existence it passed through the hands of several, and was finally destroyed by fire. TIlE FARMING INTEREST. Agriculturally, the township stands high. The farmers, as a rule, are men of intelligence, and of advanced and liberal ideas, who readily adopt the most ap- proved methods of cultivation, and arm themselves in their calling with the best modern implements of husbandry. With these influences acting on a soil which the hand of nature left exceedingly fertile, it is not strange that Farmington has attained the high agricultural rank which she holds among her sister townships. A marked characteristic is the great number of fine springs in nearly every part of the town, which are invaluable for stock and dairy purposes. Perhaps the most remarkable of these is at the house of Mr. Francis, on the gravel road, about a quarter of a mile east of the Novi line. Here, in excavating his cellar, there was struck, at the depth of a few feet from the surface, a spring of cold, clear water, with a rapid flow, and of sufficient volume to fill a pipe four inches in diameter, forming a rivulet which ripples along by the roadside, till it falls into the larger stream at the foot of the hill. Such a location as this could not be surpassed in its capabilities for the extensive manufacture of butter or cheese. A factory of either kind, and of the largest class, could here be more than sup- plied with the requisite cooling facilities. Of butter, there is no manufacture in Farmington, except by hand-process, at the farm dairies; but of cheese-factories there are several in the township, namely: The Spring Brook cheese-factory, owned by a company of ten stockholders, is located a mile west of North Farmington post-office, and a quarter of a mile south of the line of West Bloomfield. The South Farmington cheese-factory is one mile south and half a mile west from Farmington village, its site being on land now or formerly owned by J. Walton. This is the oldest factory in the township. The Silver Creek cheese-factory is located two miles east and one mile north of Farmington village, nearly opposite the farm-house of Mr. David Smith. The cheese-factory of A. D. Power is located near the southwest corner of the township, and is doing a large business. The manufacturing season at these establishments is from April to the last of November. SOCIETIES. Farmington Grange, No. 267, Patrons of HIusbandry, was organized February 16, 1874, by C. L. Whitney, State deputy, with fifty-nine male and fifty-five female members. The following were elected and installed officers of the grange: Master, John H. Smith; Overseer, Theodore C. Armstrong; Lecturer, James L. Wilber; Steward, Charles Dingman; Assistant Steward, Perry E. Smith; Chap- lain, James M. Adams; Treasurer, L. W. Simmons; Secretary, H. R. Mason; Gate-keeper, Abraham Laphamn; Ceres, Ellen Lapham; Pomona, Nellie Nichols; Flora, S. Emma Wilber; Lady Assistant Steward, Alice Thayer. The officers for the year 1877 are: A. J. Crosby, Jr., Master; Addis Emmett Green, Overseer; Rufus T. Courter, Lecturer; Frank McDermott, Steward; Charles W. Button, Assistant Steward; William S. Beach, Chaplain; E. H. Roberts, Treas- urer; W. L. Coonley, Secretary; James L. Wilber, Gate-keeper; Miss Mary Petti- bone, Ceres; Miss Nellie Lapham, Pomona; Mrs. Cetella Murray, Flora; Mary B. Crosby, Lady Assistant Steward. The meetings of the grange are held in Dorhany's brick building, in Farm- ington village. Farmington Lodge, NAo. 151, F. and A. M., was chartered January 30, 1865. The first officers of the lodge were: Oliver B. Smith, Master; Oliver P. Hazzard, Secretary; H. HI. Jackson, Senior Warden; B. Weidrick, Junior Warden. Their first place of meeting was the hall in the stone building of Oliver B. Smith, in Farmington village; and after its destruction by fire, in October, 1872, the lodge met for a time in the wooden building of Norman Lee, whence they removed to the hall in Warner's block, upon its completion, and this they occupied until December 27, 1876, when the new Masonic hall was dedicated. It embraces the entire upper story of the town-hall building, the lodge holding a lease of the premises for the term of nine hundred and ninety-nine years, for which was paid a cash consideration of eleven hundred and fifty dollars. MILITARY. At the present time there is no military organization in the township. In the war of the Rebellion, however, there was no lack of patriotism here, and the names of those who then went to the front, from Farmington, will be found on another page, with the general list of the brave volunteers from the county of Oakland. 172 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I In the old times of military ardor, forty-five or fifty years ago, there existed in Farmington a fine independent military company, which was called the " Farm- ington Riflemen," in accordance with the prevailing taste of that day, which ran almost exclusively in favor of the sharp-shooting arm of the service. The company was organized in 1831, their officers being: Captain, Warren Lee; First Lieutenant, George Brown; Orderly Sergeant, Fitz Smith. Their uniform consisted of gray trousers and coat, with worsted on the shoulder, and chapeau surmounted by a green plume. Those who recollect the organization and uniform, remember both as being most creditable. They joined with the militia in the general trainings at Auburn or Walled Lake, and were regarded as "minute-men," to be called on to the northwestern frontier in case of sudden exigency. We have been unable to learn how long this company existed before its disbandment. SCHOOLS. The schools of the township are ten in number, and in excellent condition. The houses are good, several of them very noticeably so. In district No. 5 (Far- mington village) there are two departments, a higher and a lower, respectively in charge of a male and female teacher. The terms aggregate forty weeks per year. The annual salary of the male teacher in the village district is one thousand dol- lars, that of the lady teacher four hundred dollars. The other districts employ male teachers only in winter, the summer terms being taught by females; the re- muneration of the former being from thirty-five to fifty dollars per month, and of the latter two dollars and fifty cents to three dollars and fifty cents per week. The township school superintendent for the present year (1877) is Addis Em- mett Green, Esq. ; township school inspector, James L. Wilber, Esq. TIHE PRESBYTERIAN CIIURCII. The first Presbyterian church in Farmington was organized at the house of Amos Mead, on the 13th of August, 1826. The original members were Seth A. L. Warner and wife, Mrs. Stevens and her daughter, Mrs. Charity Walker, Miss Polly Thayer,-afterwards Mrs. Francis Courter,-Deacon Erastus Ingersoll, Mrs. Cynthia M. Collins, wife of George W. Collins, Mrs. Gould, and Amos Mead, Esq. Before this time the Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles, of Pontiac, had occasionally preached to them, sometimes at one and sometimes at another of their dwellings, and it was chiefly through his efforts and influence that the little band had crystallized into a church organization. In the spring of 1827, Rev. E. Prince became their pastor, and labored with them for several years. About the time of his coming a Sabbath-school was commenced under the superintendency of Harman Steel, and proved to be a pow- erful auxiliary to the church. Worship continued to be held at private houses, or in the old log school-house on the northeast corner of section 18, until the year 1833, when they built and completed a neat frame church upon the extreme southeast corner of section 18. Deacon Ingersoll was very instrumental not only in procuring its erection, but in determining its location. It was dedicated in the autumn of that year with appropriate ceremonies, conducted by the pastor, Mr. Prince, assisted by Rev. Mr. Cleveland. Mr. Prince's successor in the pas- torate was Rev. George Eastman, after whom came Rev. Mr. Bridgman, under whose ministry the church saw prosperity and increase. After some years the location of the church came to be regarded as incon- venient for a majority of the members, and so its removal to Farmington Centre was decided on and executed; its new location being at the upper end of the vil- lage, not a great way from the residence of one of its most influential members,- Amos Mead, Esq. At this period the congregation was at its greatest numerical strength, and for a time all went well; but the highest point of their prosperity as a church had been reached and passed; their numbers began to decrease, then dwindled away to such an extent that preaching could no longer be supported. It was finally discontinued, and this was followed by a complete disintegration of the church, some of the members going outside the township to attend Presbyterian services, and others distributing themselves according to inclination, and worshiping with some of the other denominations in Farmington. The church building was for a time leased to the Good Templars, and then sold to Mr. Fairchild for secular pur- poses. It is now used as a shop or out-building by Mr. L. Cowley. It would have caused great grief to Rev. Mr. Rugglecs if, when he established the church, hlie could have foreseen the manner of its decadence and end THIE BAPTIST CHURCII. The organization of the Baptist church in Farmington was effected late in the year 1826. The original members were Deacon Samuel Mead and wife, Philip Marlatt and wife, Rev. Moses Clark and wife, and Mrs. S. W. Tibbets. That these were zealous and earnest worshipers is attested by the fact that prior to the organization they had thought it no insuperable hardship to travel in ox-carts a distance of twelve or fourteen miles over the bad roads of that day to attend at the services of Rev. Elkanah Comstock, at Pontiac. After their organization they held their meetings in the old log school-house north of Thomas Johns' residence, or, in warm weather, in the commodious barn of Samuel Mead, where they wor- shiped under the ministration of Rev. Moses Clark, who, however, was not their settled pastor. He soon after moved to Northville, Wayne county, and the Rev. Nehemiah Lamb was regularly installed over the Farmington church, remaining with them until the year 1842. As they grew in numbers they seemed to require a more convenient and per- manent place for holding their meetings, and, by strong and persistent effort in that direction, they were enabled, during the year 1835, to build and dedicate a frame church building of proper size for their worship. This was located in the northwest corner of section 17, opposite the present site of the school-house of fractional district No. 4. In the year 1837 a remarkable series of protracted meetings was held in the new church, under the leadership of Reverends - Barrett and E. Wever, and so great was the awakening at that time that the membership of the church was increased to more than one hundred. Other revivals followed this, but none equaled it in the number of souls brought to the shelter of the Saviour's fold. After many years of good service rendered by the old church building, it grad- ually became to be regarded by the worshipers as an undesirable place of meet- ing, on account of its remoteness from many of their residences and from the central viliage, and so, little by little, it fell into disuse, and was at last abandoned as a place of worship. It is now used as a barn, upon the farm of Alonzo Sprague. The new organization of the Baptist church, at the village of Farmington, was effected August 19, 1857. The constituent members were J. M. Adams, Polly Adams, Jacob Loomis, Mrs. Therina Tibbets, N. J. Taylor, Celora Loomis, Rebecca Cater, Jane Allen, Lydia Andrews, John H. Rasco, Lucinda M. Rasco, Rosina T. Babcock, Parmela Pusey, and Elizabeth A. Green. Their first minister was Rev. John H. Rasco, at whose house the first meeting was held. For three years they met in private residences, school-houses, and the hall at Farmington village. In 1859 the subject of the erection of a church was agitated, and a lot, one hun- dred by one hundred and fifty feet, was purchased of John Thomas, for ninety-six dollars. A frame building, twenty-eight by forty feet, was built at a cost of six- teen hundred and eighty dollars, and dedicated in September, 1860. This edifice, their present place of worship, and the largest of the three churches in Farming- ton village, stands on the north side of the old Territorial, or "Shiawassee" road, which was once the main street of the village, and the church lot lies partially in each of the sections 27 and 28. The pastors who came after Elder Rasco were Revs. David Loomis, N. East- wood, William B. Grow, W. W. Northrup, Elder Bulis, S. S. Wheeler, S. Boy- den, T. H. Carey, Elder Perry, Elder Bloomer, and G. Crocker. The present membership is forty-two. In connection with the church is a Sabbath-school, with an average attendance of twenty. THE UNIVERSALIST CIIURCII. This church edifice, standing on Warner street, in Davis' addition to the village of Farmington, and known also as the " Union church," is in no small degree the result of the determined energy and zeal of Mr. Sergus P. Lyon, whose object in its erection was not only to secure a place wherein he and his fellow-worshipers might hold such service as their hearts and consciences approved, but to be able to offer the same privilege to other Christians of whatever creed; to be able, as Mr. Lyon himself says, to extend to others a courtesy which had been denied to themselves. Before the building of the church, Universalist worship had been held in Farmington from time to time, whenever both a preacher and a place of meeting could be secured. Among the first of these ministers was Rev. IMr. Woolley, of Pontiac, who preached occasionally in a room over George Wright's wagon-shop, and afterwards in a room which Mr. Lyon had fitted up to be used by Henry P. Dailey for a school-room, but also with a view to its use for purposes of worship. This school- and preaching-room had been adapted from the old red store of George W. Collins. At first the Universalists were very few, not more than five or six in number,- Messrs. Lyon, Philbrick, Green, Blakeslee, and two or three others,-and their commencement was extremely unpromising. At their first meeting, notwithstand- ing it was invested with the charm of novelty, there could not be seen the flutter of a solitary ribbon among the hearers,-not a female was present; but in a very short time there were three ladies who attended regularly. From this beginning the numbers increased so much that after a while it became necessary to place props under the floor of the meeting-room to insure its safety. H QII YJ H 7N 30N0 YV JA0z  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 173 In the spring of 1853 it was thought that the time had arrived when they should have a more commodious and proper place of worship; but when a sub- scription was circulated for ithe purpose of raising the means, Mr. Lyon was told that his life would not be long enough to secure the necessary sum. The fallacy of this prediction was soon shown, for in nine weeks from that time the site, embracing nearly one acre upon the Delos Davis plat, had been purchased for two hundred dollars, and the building materials bought and delivered upon the ground ready for the commencement of the work of erection. During that summer the church was completed, and.was dedicated and occupied the same season. That edifice is their present place of worship, being on the easterly side of Warner street, and the lot on which it stands extending on that street from Thomas to Third. The size of the church is thirty by forty feet, and its cost was nine hun- dred dollars. The society purchased and owns a share iu the bell of the Meth- odist church (which stands near by), as their own tower was not built with view to such a use. The parties who have served this congregation since Rev. Mr. Woolley have been Rev. Mr. Cook, now residing on his farm in Eaton county, between Delta and Grand Ledge, Rev. A. Knickerbocker, who remained ten years, and was suc- ceeded by Rev. H. Sisson, who was followed by Rev. A. M. Sowle, the present pastor. The congregation is now numerous and flourishing. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CIIURCII. There had been a few irregular services held by Methodist worshipers in Farmington prior to 1827; but it was not until the summer of that year that the first stated meetings were commenced by Rev. John A. Baughman, who preached once in every six weeks at the house of Samuel Mansfield, just east of where Farmington Centre now is. Regular meetings were also held by Rev. William T. Snow at the log house of Warren Lee, and a few months later at the residence of Amos Mead. The first class was organized in 1829 with about twenty mem- bers: John Gould (class-leader), Mrs. John Gould, Mrs. Samuel Mansfield, Mrs. Hiles, John Thayer, Leander Walker, Lucetta Walker, Samuel B. Mead, Wil- liam W. Mead, Fanny A. Mead, Caroline M. Mead, Seymour Newton and his wife, Matthew Van Amburgh, James Vanduyne, Calvin Ray, and four or five others, whose names are not recalled. Their meetings were then held at the log school-house on Solomon Walker's land, near where now stands the toll-gate, just cast of the Wixom tavern. Afterwards they worshiped in some of the other school-houses, particularly that at Quakertown, now Farmington Centre, which, as the village grew to comparative importance, became their regular meeting- place. After more than ten years of irregular gathering in school-houses and in the hall at Farmington, it was resolved that a larger and more appropriate house of worship was indispensable, and that such a one should be built. For that pur- pose a lot containing about three-quarters of an acre, upon the north side of the (then) main street of the village, was donated by Ebenezer Stewart ; timber was procured, and, on the 3d and 4th days of July, 1840, the frame was "raised." The work of building, however, seems to have been attended with some difficul- ties and delay, probably from the usual cause,-lack of funds,-so that four years had elapsed before the building-their present church-was completed; its size being forty-six by fifty six feet, and the total cost over three thousand dollars. It was dedicated in August, 1844, the services and ceremony on that occasion being conducted by the pastor, Rev. Oscar F. North, and Rev. James V. Watson, who died in Chicago, as editor of the Northwestern Christian. Among the predecessors of Mr. North were Rev. James Shaw and William H. Ransom, and his immediate successor to the pastorate was Rev. David Thomas, who labored one year, and after him the following ministers filled the sacred office at different times, and nearly, though perhaps not exactly, in the order in which they are named: Revs. Ebenezer Steele, Isaac F. Collin, Thomas Wakelin, Frederick Warren, Flavel Britton, William Stambaugh, D. C. Jacokes, O. M. Goodell, Curtis Mosher, John Gridley, Richard McConnell, Rufus Crane, Barton S. Taylor, Erastus Hascall, William Donnelly, S. E. Warren, William C. Way,- afterwards chaplain in the army,-Samuel Kitzmiller, Raynor S. Pardington, John A. Mcllwaine, William J. Clack, and S. E. Warren (again), the present pastor. The membership is now (1877) about one hundred. A Sabbath-school con- nected with the church was commenced in the year 1834, in the log school-house at Solomon Walker's, and has been continued to the present time. It now has an average attendance of about eighty. TIlE QUAKER MEETING. Forty-five years ago, Arthur Power donated two acres of ground lying a little north of the centre of section 28, and in its northeast quarter, to be used by the Quaker people of Farmington for church and cemetery purposes, one acre for each. Those two acres are now just within the western boundary of the corporation of Farmington village. Upon this ground the old Quaker meeting-house, a good frame structure, was built in the year 1832; Mr. Power himself furnishing a goodly share of the necessary means. It was the intention that the ground which was not covered by the building should be utilized as a grazing-place, where the horses of thle worshipers might refresh themselves while their owners were within the temple awaiting the moving of the spirit; and for these purposes the building and the glebe were used by the peaceful, unostentatious Quakers and their beasts for a space of about thirty years, until death's ravages had so far thinned their congregation that the few survivors thought it best to discontinue their meetings as a sect. This is all the history of the Quaker church. Its existence was marked by no ceremonious installations, no schisms or bickerings, and no revivals, or notable harvests of souls. The generation have passed away, and the old house, whose walls witnessed their undemonstrative worship for many years, is now a dwelling-house, occupied by some of the descendants of Farming- ton's first Quaker man. Arthur Power. THE QUAKER BURIAL-GROUND adjoining tihe church, and donated by Arthur Power, as before mentioned, received as its first occupants Mrs. Selinda, wife of Nathan Power, and their only daughter, seven years of age; both of whom died of cholera on thle morning of August 7, 1832, and were interred there in one grave in the afternoon of the same day. The second interment was that of Robert Power, brother of Arthur, in December, 1834. The third was that of John Whitman, who died May 18, 1836. Arthur Power was buried there August 8, 1837, and there his ashes rest to-day, with those of five sons and two daughters-Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Bots- ford-near him. The acre is well filled with graves now, and is still used as a .place of interment, principally by the relatives and descendants of those who first projected and occupied it. THE FARMINGTON VILLAGE CEMETERY. This is an inclosure of about two acres, lying on the north side of the Howel road, half a mile northwest of the centre of Farmington village. The ground was part of the original purchase of Arthur Power, and the old grave-yard, the nu- cleus of the present cemetery, was first used as a place ofsepulture in the year 1825, by the interment of a Mr. Green, the first male who died in Farmington. He had plied the trade of shoemaker in a little log house which stood a few rods norlth of the present residence of W. S. Beach, on the west side of the road, where it is now fringed by a row of young and thrifty willows. There he worked, and lived, and died; and from there they carried himnt to the place of his final rest. The next person buried there was Mrs. Sybil Hopkins, wife of Horace Hop- kins. The third burial was that of Constantine Wood, in October, 1826,;* and half a year later came that of the wife of David Smith, who died April 8, 1827. Another among the first interments there was John, son of Arthur Power, July 21, 1828. His remains were removed to the Quaker ground in 1867, by direction of his brother William. Seymour Newton was also buried here, in 1832. Four years after the incorporation of the village of Farmington (March 25, 1871) the ground was surveyed and platted, and lots were then sold under the regulations, rules, and restrictions usual in cemeteries. It is a spot of natural beauty, and has been creditably decorated. TIlE .UTLEY BURYING-GROUND, situated on the south line of section12, and half a mile west of Buckhorn Cor- ners, is the oldest place of graves in Farmington. Its name was given partly be- cause it was donated from the original purchase of Peleg S. Utley, and partly, and more particularly, because his mother, Mrs. Sanford M. Utley, was the first of its occupants: buried September 26, 1824. Around this lonely grave-the first ever made for a white person in Farmington-others clustered in due time, establishing it as a ground of public burial. Some years ago, it having become quite populous and its extension seeming to be necessary, the inhabitants of the village enlarged its area by the purchase of adjoining land. TIlE WOLCOTT CEMETERY. The location of this cemetery is on the eastern side of the road which leads from Farmington Centre to the North Farmington post-office, and three-fourths of a mile south from the latter point. It is owned and controlled by a cemetery association, which was incorporated in March, 1837, under the leadership of Chauncey D. Wolcott, Orange Culver, and John H. Button, who held its leading offices at the time of the organization. The first interment in this ground, made after the laying out, but before the incorporation, was that of a young daughter of Austin Nichols. The second burial was that of Gardner Frink. * The stone above his grave bears the date of 1827, but this is incorrect, the date being fixed by his widow (now Mrs. Ahijah Wixom) as October, 1826. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. On account of irregularities or neglect in the keeping of the records the organi- zation was lost, and a re-incorporation became necessary. This was accomplished in February, 1874. By the original plat the area of the ground was a little more than half an acre, being nine rods square. This has been added to by two different purchases, so that its present dimensions are ten by twenty-two rods; area, one and three- eighths acres. The site is excellent, and the cemetery a handsome one. Formerly, before the laying out of the cemetery, there was a cluster of graves just south of the house of C. D. Wolcott, and on thed same side of the road. The first who was laid in it was Horace Cowles, a young man, son of Darius Cowles. He died of consumption about 1830. The next burial was that of John Wolcott, father of Chauncey D. Wolcott, and the next after him was Lucy Cowles, who was laid beside her brother Horace. These remains were afterwards transferred to the cemetery. GRAVE-YARD AT TIlE OLD BAPTIST CIHURCII. There is an ancient burial-ground on the northwest corner of section 17, ad- joining where stood the old Baptist church of 1835. It is still used as a place of burial, and the graves have become numerous. The name and date of the first interment within it cannot with certainty be given. This is really the successor of a still older ground, which was situated half a mile farther south, on land of Thomas Johns, and opposite the present residence of his son, Daniel Johns. The first person buried in this old grave-yard was a son of Thomas Johns. The whole number of interments made there was probably about fifty. OTHER INTERMENT-GROUNDS. There is, upon the farm of Ledyard Cowley, a spot of ground where several in- terments were made years ago. It might be called the Wixom grave-yard, as all its occupants were of that name, save one, Mrs. Conrad Hayner, whose remains, as well as those of Mary Jane Wixom, were removed and reinterred in the town cemetery. Robert Wixom, the ancestor of all the Wixoms of Farmington, was buried in this place. In the west part of the town, a little north of the gravel road, near the old Wixom tavern, is an inclosure containing several graves of members of the Courter family ; that of Harmenius Courter being the most noticeable, by reason of the more conspicuous monument which has been reared over it. This inclos- ure is on land owned by Francis Courter, and which was part of the original entry of Hiowland Mason. The writer is under special obligations to the following persons, who have furnished valuable information: Dr. E. Woodman, W. L. Coonley, Esq., S. P. Lyon, John Collins, Mrs. Cynthia M. Collins, David Smith, E. G. Stevens, Thaddeus Andrews, C. Wixom, Myra Gage, of Novi, William L. Power, Esq., Orange Culver, Mrs. W. S. Beach, Milton G. Botsford, Thomas Pinkerton, of Novi, Deacon J. M. Adams, and Dr. Ebenezer Raynale, of Birmingham. BIOGRAPHICAL SKIETCH. SERGIUS P. LYON. Eli Lyon, the grandfather of our subject, was one of the pioneers of western New York, he being one of the earliest settlers in East Bloomfield, Ontario county. He was there at the first census, and there were at that time just ten families in the town. Hie was a millwright by profession, and built the first saw- mill in the city of Rochester for Judge Gorham. Hle was the father of two sons and two daughters. Horace, the eldest son, was a mechanic and farmer, and was the father of five children, named respectively Joanna, Sergius P., Horatio, Eli, and Burton, who are all living in the State of Michigan, except Eli and Burton, who are deceased. Sergius had limited advantages for an education at the common schools of that day, which he attended until thirteen years of age. He was a natural mechanic, and at that early age commenced to work with tools. He soon became engaged in joiner-, brass-, and clock-work, in which hlie was engaged many years. At the age of twenty-eight hlie became acquainted with and married Miss Lucinda W. Davis, of Canandaigua, a native of Bristol. They resided in East Bloomfield until the summer of 1837, when they emigrated to the new State of Michigan and settled in the town of Farmington, where hlie engaged in building barns, houses, etc.; many evidences of his superior handicraft may be pointed out to-day, among which is the fine old family mansion of Joshua Simmons and others. In 1844 hlie settled in the village of Farmington and engaged in the manu- facture of self-regulating stoves, which at that time were almost entirely made by hand from sheet-iron; many of his stoves are still in use in various parts of the country. He continued in this business about thirteen years and changed to that of an undertaker, which he has followed ever since. He now owns and runs two very fine hearses of his own manufacture, and his business extends over a large scope of country. Although having no children of their own, they have reared and brought up to manhood an adopted son, now deceased, and also another child, who is now a young lady and a member of their family. Mr. Lyon has long been an honored member of the Masonic brotherhood. In religious faith a Universalist, and in politics Democratic. He and his excellent wife are models of kindness and liberality,-universally respected, honored and loved by all. And it is with pride and pleasure we chronicle this brief tribute to the character and worth of this old pioneer couple, and present in these pages, as a monument to their memory, their portraits and a view of their residence. w. Ii. B. GROVELAND This township, known on the government surveys as town 5 north, range 8 east, was organized in 1835 from a part of Pontiac township, and until 1838 included also what is now Holly township. The surface of Groveland is generally hilly. In the northern and southern portions it is comparatively level, while throughout the balance the land is much higher and considerably broken. A high ridge stretches across the centre of the township from east to west, broken by occasional valleys, and the highest point is probably the hill west of the residence of D. C. Narrin, near the corner of sec- tions 14, 15, 22. and 23. The view from this elevation is extensive, and the eye beholds from its summit a broad and fertile country, dotted with field and forest, lake and stream, while the green of the prevailing foliage is occasionally contrasted with the darker hue of various clumps of evergreens. The white cottages of the "dwellers in the land" are seen peeping from among surrounding orchards, and away to the northeast the village of Ortonville appears cosily nestled among the hills. The soil is in general sandy. On the central ridge vast quantities of loose stone-bowlders and "cobble stone"-abound, and the greatest work of the farmer TOWNSHIP. is that of clearing his fields from these rocky fragments. The stones are utilized for building fences, rendering the farms more valuable, and the use of timber almost unnecessary in that particular. FIRST ENTRIES OF LAND, EARLY SETTLEMENTS, ETC. The following paragraph is quoted from an address by the late Hlon. Thomas J. Drake, delivered to the pioneers of Oakland County at the court-house in Pontiac, February 22, 1860: "In town 5 north, range 8 east, now called Groveland, on the 3d day of Sep- tember, 1829, William Roberts, then of the countyof Oakland, made the first purchase. On the 29th of May, 1830, John Underhill, E. W. Fairchild, and Masten W. Richards purchased. In 1830, Henry W. Hiorton purchased at a point then known as 'Pleasant Valley.' In 1831, Franklin Herriek, Alexander Galloway, and Constant Southworth purchased. Mr. Southworth settled on a famous spot on the old Saginaw trail, known in those days as the 'big springs.' Those who have taken the trouble to descend from the road-side to the spring of water will bear testimony to its great beauty. It was ever held in great venera- 0f 0s 0R 0r  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 175 tion by the Indians, and they seldom passed it without refreshing themselves. SThose who have looked into that crystal fountain and beheld the sparkling water as it came bubbling up from the secret chambers of the earth, will not wonder that the red man saw in the aqueous mirror the Chemnanito or Great Spirit." Judge Drake held many positions of prominence, yet amid all his public duties never forgot old associations in the county of his choice, and in the above para- graph pays a fitting tribute to the locality which he mentions. The first actual settlers in the township were William Roberts and Masten W. Richards, who built cabins on the old trail, near the site of the present Hadley cemetery. Henry W. Horton,* a native of what is now Tompkins county, New York, came to Michigan in March, 1830, and located land on sectiofi 7. In the fall of the same year, after having returned to New York, he emigrated with his family, settled on section 7. and has lived at the same place until the present. He is the only one of the earlier pioneers now living in the township. Ezra Herrick, with a family consisting of his wife and five children,-four sons and one daughter,-came from Huron county, Ohio, and arrived at the farm on section 28, near where his son, Lyman Herrick, now lives, on the 8th day of February, 1837. The snow at the time was over two feet deep. The family moved into a small log cabin, which was owned by a man named Simeon M. Smith, a resident of the State of New York. They built a log house on section 28, and lived in it for three years. One son, Cyrus Herrick, now living in Hardin county, Ohio, was born after the family settled. In 1840, Mr. Herrick built a small frame house on section 33, and moved into it from the log house. They came through from their home in Ohio with a wagon and a team of horses, making the trip in six days. After reaching Pontiac they found the snow very deep. Mr. Herrick died in the fall of 1874, at the age of eighty-one or eighty-two years. His wife had preceded him to the "unknown beyond" thirty years be- fore,-her death occurring January 12, 1844, when she was thirty-eight years of age. One son, Alanson, lives in Flint, Genesee county, and Lyman on section 33, in Groveland, Oakland County. These two, with their brother Cyrus, of Ohio, are the only ones of the children now living. Mr. Herrick purchased three eighty-acre lots from second hands, paying for the land the sumn of four hundred dollars. The property is high and rolling, and from Lyman Herrick's house an extensive view may be had of the surrounding country. Sidney Smith came from the town of Newfane, Niagara county, New York, in the fall of 1839, leaving his old home October 3 of that year. He was accom- panied by his wife and two sons. They lived in the township of Novi until the month of April, 1841, when they removed to Groveland and located on the place on section 26 where they now live. Mr. Smith here purchased forty acres of Thomas Terwilligar, for which hlie paid one hundred dollars. In the fall of 1840 he went back to New York on business, and while passing through Detroit at- tended a "log cabin" campaign meeting, where the old songs of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" and other campaign ditties were loudly sung, and eloquent orators proclaimed the ability of their favorite candidates. Mr. Smith is the father of seven children, of whom six are now living,-four sotis and two daughters. He was born August 11, 1810, in the town of Wan- tage, Sussex county, New Jersey. His parents removed to Niagara county, New York, just after the war of 1812, his father having been out the summer before the war, cleared land, and sowed wheat. The settlers in that part of the State were few at the time. Sidney Smith came on a visit to Michigan in 1836, looking the country over for land. Thomas H. Terwilligar came from the city of New York in 1836 or '37. and settled on the southwest quarter of section 26. He afterwards kept the hotel at Austin Corners, and died July 4, 1871, aged fifty-six years. Archibald Cogshall came from Saratoga county, New York, in 1840, and settled near the site of Mount Bethel Methodist Episcopal church, in Groveland. He was a native of Connecticut, and had removed to New York State in 1811. Ile was by profession a Methodist minister. When he came to Michigan he was accompanied by his wife, one son, and two daughters. He died August 31, 1850, aged sixty years. His wife died in February, 1876, at the age of eighty-five years. Mr. Cogshall's son, Bela Cogshall, now of Holly village, came to Michigan in August, 1836, and settled on section 34, in the same neighborhood where his father afterwards located. He was married a little more than a week before hlie left New York, and was accompanied west by his wife. Another son, Henry Cogshall, came in the spring of 1839 with his wife and two children. None of the Cogshalls are now living in the neighborhood. Bela Cogshall is a prominent attorney at Holly, and is connected with various public institutions. * See personal sketch. Henry Hunt came in company with his son-in-law, Bela Cogshall, in 1836. His daughter was Mr. Cogshali's first wife. His wife and two sons also accom- panied him. He lived in the neighborhood most of the time until his death, which occurred in November, 1874, when he was eighty-five years of age. One of his sons, Perry Hunt, lives on the old place, on section 35, and is the only one of the children now living. Mr. Hunt originally settled the west half of the north- west quarter of section 35,-eighty acres. Henry Covert came from Seneca county, New York, and in 1837 settled in Michigan, locating on the farm now owned by his son, George Danforth Covert, section 22. His wife, three sons, and two daughters came with him. He pur- chased eighty acres of Thomas Belone (or Belona), who had entered the land. Mr. Covert made the first improvements upon it,-built a log shanty, with a "shake" roof, etc. Of his children four are now living,-three sons and one daughter. Mr. Cogshall died December 23, 1866, aged seventy years, and his wife March 29, 1865, also aged seventy. Mr. Covert's children first attended school in the Bird district, three and a half miles distant. MIr. Covert was a very hardy man, strong and athletic, and able to perform a great amount of manual labor. On one occasion hlie carried a beetle, an axe, and two iron wedges to the southeast corner of Holly township, split five hundred rails, and returned the same evening, carrying his tools and the additional weight of seventy pounds of flour. The farm upon which hle settled is equal in fertility to any in the neighborhood. Alexander Downey came from County Down, Ireland, in 1833, with his wife, whose maiden name was Jane Hamilton, a native of the parish of Killinchy, County Down. They settled in the town of Elba, Genesee county, New York, in July, 1833, and lived there until the fall of 1835, when they sold their place, and with a span of horses and a yoke of oxen, each team hitched to a wagon, they removed with their goods to Michigan. They came through Canada to Detroit, and thence along the new Saginaw turnpike to Groveland. When they arrived their means were nearly exhausted, but they went bravely at work in the wilder- ness, and ere long were as comfortably situated as any of the pioneers around them. A log house had been previously built on the place by John Phipps, from whom Mr. Downey purchased. In 1838, Mr. Downey and his wife became members of the first Methodist class formed in the township, of which very few of the original members are now living. Mrs. Downey died April 4, 1875, aged sixty-eight years. She had lived with her husband over forty-six years, and was the mother of twelve children, of whom nine are now living,-four sons and five daughters. One daughter, Eliza, is now the wife of Captain Allen Campbell, living on section 16, Groveland township. Captain Allen Campbell came from near Aberdeen, Scotland, with his parents, in 1827, and located at Paterson, New Jersey. In 1829 he went to Columbia county, New York, and lived for some time with his uncle on a farm. In 1835 he left there and went on a whaling voyage on board a vessel from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Hie sailed until 1847, and during the Mexican war commanded the United States transport schooner " Heroine," a light-draft vessel, as were all used in those seas. At the close of the war, in 1847, the cholera and yellow fever both broke out and raged along the coast of the gulf, and Captain Campbell came north to escape them. He came to Groveland and purchased school land on sec- tion 16, locating one hundred and twenty acres, which he still owns. He was married in 1847 to Mary Campbell, daughter of Allen Campbell, who had settled in the township in 1836. She lived but a few years, and after her death the captain spent another year sailing, principally on the Gulf of Mexico. His present wife is Eliza, a daughter of Alexander Downey, to whom he was married in 1854. He is the father of four children, one by his first and three by his second wife. The latter-one son and two daughters-are all living. His son, Alexander J. Campbell, is the present township clerk. In 1875, Captain Campbell represented the first district of Oakland County in the State legislature. While sailing, he says he was "almost everywhere," and after wearying of a seafaring life came away out to Michigan to find a permanent home. He came to Groveland because his uncle had settled here. His first wife was his own cousin. He has a fine farm, well improved. Abram D. Perry came from the town of Ontario, Wayne county, New York, in the spring of 1836, and settled in Oakland County, Michigan, living through that summer in the township of Royal Oak, and removing to the farm where J. W. Perry now lives, on section 17, Groveland, in the fall of the same year. IHe was accompanied from New York by his wife and two sons,-the latter both small,- and another son was born at Royal Oak, in the summer of 1836, while Mr. Perry and his family were stopping there. A daughter was born after they came to Groveland. An older daughter was married in New York, and came with her husband, John S. Narrin (who now lives east of J. W. Perry's residence, on sec- tion 20), at the same time with the rest of the family. J. W. Perry is the only 176 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. one of the children now living. One son, Abram D. Perry, Jr., was wounded at a battle near Cold Harbor, Virginia, early in June, 1864, and died afterwards at Washington, D. C.. from the effects of his wound. He had first enlisted in the Eighth Michigan Infantry, and was wounded at James Island, near Charleston, South Carolina, discharged, and afterwards re-enlisted in the Second Michigan Infantry, to which organization hlie belonged at the time of his death. Abram D. Perry, Sr., died January 2, 1851, aged fifty-six, and his wife in August, 1873, aged seventy-five. De Witt C. Narrin came from the town of Walworth, Wayne county, New York, and arrived in Michigan in October, 1837, landing in Detroit with his wife on the second day of that month. Coming on to Groveland township, he located on section 21, and stayed there one season. In 1838 hlie traded for the place which he now owns on section 23, and removed to it the same year. The farm hlie is living on was taken up by his brother, John S. Narrin, the two exchanging properties in 1838. When D. C. Narrin came from his first location on section 21 to build a house on his present place, the grass was so tall that hlie was obliged to haul an old tree-top through it and through the woods with a yoke of oxen, in order to make a path, so he might not get lost on his way back. In the immediate neigh- borhood the timber was quite heavy. The old log house he built in 1838 is still standing near the frame dwelling he now occupies. Mr. Narrin is the father of seven children, of whom five are now living,-one son and four daughters. Narrin lake derives its name from the Narrin settlement, and lies in sections 13, 14, 23, and 24. The land in the vicinity is very hilly and broken. Peter Narrin, the father of D. C. and J. S. Narrin, came to Michigan in 1838, and located on section 23, next east of D. C. Narrin. He died in April, 1851, aged seventy-four years. His wife died the next April (1852), at the age of sixty-four. William L. Narrin, another brother of D. C. and J. S. Narrin, came to the township in 1838, and took up the south half of section 14. He brought his wife and two sons with him; is now living in Ortonville, Brandon township. Daniel, Timothy, and Jesse Jones came from Orwell, Rutland county, Ver- mont. Jesse was born in Essex county, New York, between Lake George and Lake Champlain. Timothy Jones came to Michigan in 1836, and settled in Springfield township, Oakland County, as did also Daniel, who came in 1837. Timothy stopped awhile in Ohio before coming to Michigan. Jesse came in 1838, and stayed one season in Springfield township, and in 1839 located on section 13, in Groveland, where hlie has resided ever since. Daniel Jones had one son with him when he came to Michigan, having lost his wife before moving west. The father of these men, Solomon Jones, came to the State in the fill of 1843, and first stopped in Springfield, where his wife died. He lived five years after- wards with his son Jesse in Groveland, and then went back to New York, where he stayed some time, and finally returned to Michigan and lived with Jesse until June, 1865, when he died, at the extreme old age of one hundred and five years. He had served in the Revolutionary war, although but fifteen years old when first called upon to bear arms. Of the sons, Jesse and Timothy are now living, the latter in Texas. Captain Isaac Case and William Richmond came to the township in 1836, in company with others, who settled the same year. Captain Case is now living in Ortonville, Brandon township, and Mr. Richmond lives on his old farm. Captain Case was born in Roxbury, Hartford county, Connecticut, and served in the artillery arm of the service during the war of 1812, enlisting in New York city. lie came to Detroit in 1817, and was quartered at Fort Shelby. He came up on the steamer " Walk-in-the'Water,"' the first steamer on Lake Erie.* In February, 1826, he was married in St. Clair to Jane Hoyt, who died in 1834. In May, 1836, lie came with his three children to Groveland township, and set- tled on the northeast quarter of section 26, which hlie still owns. Hlie served the entire duration of the war of 1812, and now draws a pension for his services. He was born in February, 1796, and is consequently in his eighty-second year. David Irish and family settled in the fall of 1837. Mr. Irish purchased eighty acres each for his eight sons, and forty acres each for his two daughters. One of his sons,-Norman,-who brought a wife and three children with him to Michi- gan, was killed a number of years afterwards by the kick of a horse. Two of David Irish's sons-Damon and George-are now living in the neighborhood. Stephen Woodruff came from New Jersey, and located at Birmingham, Oak- land County, Michigan, about 1832. While living at that place he was married to Angeline MacGoon, whose father, Joseph MacGoon, had come from Cayuga county, New York, in 1832, the same year Mr. Woodruff came from New Jersey. * According to the best information, this boat made her first trip to Detroit in 1818; con- sequently, Captain Case must have come that year. In 1837: Mr. Woodruff and his wife, with two children, came to Groveland, and settled that spring on the farm where Mrs. Woodruff and family now reside. They built a log shanty, twelve by fourteen feet, and lived in it until they could erect a more suitable and comfortable structure. Mr. Woodruff at first entered forty acres of government land on section 11, where his family still lives. Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are now living,-four sons and three daughters. Mr. Woodruff died June 18, 1875, aged nearly sixty-seven years. Abraham Bicksler was born in Pennsylvania, and when young removed with his parents to Erie county, New York. On the breaking out of the war of 1812, hlie went back to Pennsylvania on a visit, and while there was drafted for three months and entered the United States service. He was married in Erie county, New York, and in the fall of 1847 came with his wife, one son, and one daughter to Michigan, and settled where his son, Jacob Bicksler, now lives, on section 2, in Groveland township. Jacob is the only one of his children now living. Mr. Bieksler died June 24, 1876, aged eighty-four years and eight months. His wife is yet living, at the age of seventy-eight. The farm was settled in 1841 by a man named Sawyer, who built a log house and made other improvements, and lived on the place some two years, finally sell- ing to Alexander Jenkins, who, after occupying it four years, sold to Mr. Bieksler. The farm originally contained the same as now,-one hundred and twenty acres. Thomas Van Tine came from Niagara county, New York, in 1836, and settled on section 33, Atlas township, Genesee county, Michigan, close to the line between Genesee and Oakland counties. He was accompanied by his wife, one son, and one daughter. Two other children stayed in New York for some time, and came afterwards to Michigan. Two of his children-sons John T. and Peter-are now living, the former in Groveland, and the latter near Goodrichville, Atlas township, Genesee county. Thomas Van Tine was born June 19, 1786, and is now living with his son, John T. Van Tine, in Groveland. Although not a settler of Oakland County, he is one of the first who located in Genesce, there being but two other families in the neighborhood when hlie came. Owing to convulsive fits, hlie was exempted from all military duty during the war of 1812, although lie was twenty-six years of age when war was declared. His father was a native of Holland, and came with his two brothers to America at an early date. Their ancestors were very wealthy citizens of Holland, and owned seven- teen acres in the heart of the Hague, one of its principal cities. Carrh D. Barron settled in the township with his wife, in 1840. HIe was from Cayuga county, New York, eight miles south of the city of Auburn. IHe came on horseback to Michigan, in 1835, and located two hundred and eighty acres of land in Groveland, on sections 9 and 10. He then went back to New York, and re- turned for a permanent settlement in 1840.t Darius Thayer came from what was originally Pembroke (now Darien) town- ship, Genesee county, New York, and in the spring of 1831 located eighty acres of land in West Bloomfield township, Oakland County, Michigan. In the fall of the same year hlie went back to New York, and returned to Michigan in the spring of 1832. He finally sold his land in West Bloomfield, and located one hundred and twenty acres of government land on section 4, in Groveland, where he now lives. He had been back to New York and stayed two years previous to this, and came to Groveland in April, 1835. He was then accompanied by his wife and two sons. Four other children were born in Michigan, and of the six there are four now living. Mr. Thayer and his wife are both living, and reside on the old farm on section 4. Allen Campbell came from Perthishire, Scotland. In 1822 he left Aberdeen and came to New York. He was a machinist by trade. He brought his wife and six children-four sons and two daughters-with him, and had but a shilling when he arrived in New York, and that he spent for a loaf of bread. He worked at his trade in New Jersey until 1832, when he came with his family to Michigan, and located finally on section 8, in Groveland township, Oakland County. None of the family had the first idea of farming, and had everything to learn. One son, John, now living in the township, was married in 1841 by Henry W. Horton, Esq., to Ann Laubly, and paid all the money he had-two dollars-to Mr. Horton for performing the ceremony. His wife's father, Joseph Laubly, was a native of the canton of Berne, Switzerland, and had long served under Napoleon Bonaparte. HIe settled, when he came to the United States, first in New York, and in 1832 came with his wife and two daughters and located on the southeast quarter of section 5, Groveland township, and afterwards on section 8, where hlie lived until his death, which occurred in 1841, when he was nearly fifty-eight years of age. When Mr. Campbell first came to the township hlie located on section 5, where Henry S. Husted now lives, but in 18351 sold this to Mr. Husted and removed t See personal sketch. 1836, according to Mir. Iusted's recollection. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 177 to the place on section 8, where his son John now resides. Two children were born after the family settled,-Solomon and Elizabeth,-the latter now the wife of Chester S. Wilkins. They had thirteen children altogether, of whom John, James, George, William, Allen, Elizabeth, and Grace-the latter now Mrs. Solomon Tobey-are living. James was the first lieutenant of Company D, Twenty-seventh Michigan Infantry, during the rebellion, and was wounded at the battle of the Wilderness, in May, 1864. Solomon enlisted in the Thirty-seventh Ohio, while on a visit to that State, and was mortally wounded by rebel guerrillas, near Nashville, Tennessee, in March, 1863, and died a few days afterwards. He had been sick for some time, and after becoming convalescent started with a body of a thousand or twelve hundred others, all unarmed, to join their regiments in the field. While on their way they were attacked by guerrillas, and many killed and wounded, Solomon being among the latter. Allen Campbell moved to Detroit in 1854, to work at his trade, and on the 4th of July of that year both hlie and his wife died of the cholera. It has been mentioned that when Mr. Campbell and his family came to Grove- land they were perfectly ignorant as to the modus operandi of carrying on a farm. As an example of their extreme innocence and an incident of pioneer life, the fol- lowing is related: Mr. Campbell had a lot of corn, which lie had ground up, making sixteen busheds qf meal! Of course it moulded and spoiled, and nearly the whole lot was lost. Then the oldest son, John, worked out and earned some money, buying ten bushels of wheat with a part of it, and having a balance of three dol- lars left. With that hlie started for Pontiac, twenty-six miles away, and arriving there purchased twenty-four pounds of pork, placed it in a sack, and walked home the same day, carrying the pork on his back, and making fifty-two miles on his trip. It may be imagined that the family looked on the pork as their salvation, and prized it more highly than they would the visit of an old friend. The pork lasted them some time, and this bit of experience undoubtedly taught them a lesson which was never forgotten. Daniel F. Johnson came to the township, in 1834, from Genesee county, New York, and loeated the northeast quarter of section 6, afterwards purchasing addi- tional land on 5 and 7. His father, Joseph Johnson, came in the fall of 1835. Daniel F. Johnson is still living on the o!d place. (See biographical sketch.) John Algoe came originally from Scotland, and settled in New Brunswick. In 1836 he left New Brunswick, with his wife and eight children, and came to Grove- land, where he settled on the farm where his family now lives, on section 6. He located eighty acres of government land. Mr. Algoe died in 1845, aged sixty-two. His wife is now living on the old place, at the age of eighty-seven. Of his chil- dren, one stayed in New Brunswick, and of the nine there are eight now living. Henry S. Husted came from the town of Elba, Genesee county, New York, and in September, 1836, settled where lie now lives, on section 5, Groveland township. He first purchased two eighty-acre lots, on section 5, of Allen Campbell, who had settled the land, and afterwards bought an additional forty on section 4. Ie was accompanied from New York by his wife and six children. Two children were afterwards born to him in Michigan, and four of the eight are now living,-all sons. Campbell had built a small log house on the place, and cleared and broken about three acres on the west side of the Thread river, which flows through it, being here a small but rapid and never-failing stream. The house stood just west of the spot where Mr. Husted's barn now stands. Mr. Husted lived in the old log house about two years, and then built a second log house close to the site now occupied by his frame dwelling. The house built by Mr. Campbell was roofed with boards, and was a mere shell. Mr. Husted's father, Benjamin Husted, came to Michigan with his wife in 1835, and for two or three years lived in the northeast part of Holly township, near the Saginaw turnpike. His son Alfred, who came with Henry S., purchased a piece of land in Groveland township, east of Henry W. Horton's, and old Mr. Husted moved upon it and lived there until his death, which occurred Sep- tember 3, 1855, when lie was eighty-one years of age. His wife died about three years afterwards, at nearly the same age. Henry S. Husted has two sisters living in Oakland County, and two brothers in Genesee. One brother, William, settled in 1831 on section 18, Groveland town- ship, where Ira H. Marsh now lives. William Husted is now residing in Vienna, Genesee county. He married a daughter of Lot Tobey's wife, who was a widow when she married Mr. Tobey, the-name of her first husband having been Earle. Mr. Tobey settled in the fiall of 1830, and while he lived was a prominent man in the township. Henry S. Husted has an almanac for each year, from 1836 to 1877 inclusive. The one for 1836 lie purchased just before leaving his home in Genesee county, New York. His father removed from Cortland county to Genesce in 1811, and was out a short time, in 1812, during the "last war" with Great Britain. He was injured at Black Rock by being knocked down with the butt of a British 23 musket. He returned to Batavia and enlisted for nine months, but the war was virtually over, and he saw but little hard service. H. S. Husted is now living with his second wife. His first wife was a native of Venrmont,-born in the town of Walden, Caledonia county. Her father's old Bible, purchased July 29, 1815, is now in possession of Mr. Husted. It was printed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1813. Mr. Husted's present wife is a daughter of Seth Brannock, who died in the State of New York. His wife (second) came west with her son-in-law, Hiram Husted, in 1838-39, and located in Genesee county, Michigan. HiramI Husted now resides in Goodrich, same county. Henry S. Husted, now seventy-nine years of age (born September 13, 1798), is a man of strict temperance principles, and although lie has performed a great amount of hard labor during his life, lie is remarkably well preserved, and bids fair to live " lo! these many years." Thomas Phipps came, with his wife, from London, England, in 1834, and set- tled on section 17. He took up eighty acres of government land, and he and his wife began life as pioneers. It was new work to them, and for a long time was up-hill business, both being novices at farming. They were both members of the Episcopal church. A daughter, Ellen, was married to William Campbell. Mr. Phipps died in 1870, and Mrs. Phipps, April 8,1875. Mrs. P. was nearly eighty- three years of age. John Hadley came from Northumberland, England, with a wife and a large family of children, and located in the State of New York (Seneca county). In 1835 he came to Michigan, and settled on section 19, Groveland township, Oak- land County, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres of land. Hle after- wards made an additional purchase, on section 18, and removed to it. The mem- bers of his flmily have become wealthy and influential citizens of the county, and have fine properties in various parts of it. John Phipps came from London, England, and in 1833 located on section 8, Groveland township, where hlie purchased forty acres of government land. He stayed on that place from the fall of 1833 till the spring of 1835, when lie re- moved to section 31, where lie purchased eighty acres, also government land. His son, H. C. Phipps, lives on the old place, on section 31. Mr. Phipps brought his wife and four children with him from London, H. C. Phipps being the youngest. All are now living,---one in Washington, D. C., and the others in Michigan. John Phipps died in August, 1864, aged sixty-three years. His wife died several years previously, at the age of forty-seven. Simeon Marsh came from Otsego county, New York, and settled in the fall of 1836 in Holly township, where his grandsons, Lewis and George Marsh, now live. His family was principally grown. He came alone and located his land, and stayed upon it, his wife and three children-two sons and one daughter-coming in the spring of 1837. The sons were Ira H. and Jacob, and the latter died the same full (1837). The daughter was named Martha, and died in 1838. Ira H. Marsh is now living upon the place where his brother Elisha settled in 1839. It was originally settled by William P. Husted. Ira H. Marsh is the present postmaster at Groveland post-office, which is located at his house. He was postmaster once before for two years. Simeon Marsh died December 14, 1842, aged fifty-six years, and his wife April 14, 1855, aged sixty-seven. Four of the sons are now living,-Ira H., in Grove- land; Joseph, in Holly; Elisha, in Kansas; and Ely T., in New York. The latter never came west to settle. Linus Lamb came to Washington, Macomb county, Michigan, in 1824, from the town of Covington, Genesee county, New York. Old Mr. Lamb was the first postmaster at Washington, Macomb county. Linus Lamb removed to Oakland County in 1836, and settled on section 27. He was married January 24, 1839, to Hannah Eastman, whose father, James hi. Eastman, lived near Groveland cottage. Mr. Lamb afterwards sold his place on section 27, upon which he had made the first improvements, and moved to Austin post-office, where hlie now lives. His purchase on section 27 included ninety acres, which he procured from second hands. No improvements had been made upon it. Among the later arrivals in the township are John and I. S. Bird, who located in the eastern part in 1844. TIIE FIRST WHITE CHILD born in the township was Joseph Lee Horton, a son of Henry W. Horton, whose birth occurred November 27, 1832. The first death was that of a man named William Proctor, who was accidentally killed on the farm of D. F. Johnson, in 1834, while deer-hunting. He was out in company with James Hadley (now deceased) and a man named Ellsworth. They started a deer near a low spot of ground, and Proctor raised his gun to fire, but it snapped. Proctor had pre- viously wounded the deer. When his gun missed fire Ellsworth raised his rifle and fired, and Proctor, who was between him and the deer, fell, shot through the 178 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I head, dying almost instantly. He was buried near where Ira H. Marsh now lives, but was subsequently removed to the Hadley cemetery. It was thought by some that the shooting of Proctor was not as accidental as it appeared to be. The first marriage license which appears on the township records was issued to Thomas liusted and Lonora Proctor, July 2, 1835. There were also issued licenses to James Murfee and Harriet Steward, January 29, 1837, and David W. Lawrence and Ann M. Jackson, December 25, 1836. Henry W. Horton, Esq., informs us that the first marriage in Groveland, after the town was organized, was that of Solomon Tobey and Grace Campbell, the ceremony being performed by Mr. Horton, in 1835. The first petit jurors were chosen May 11, 1839, the following being their names: D. F. Johnson, A. D. Perry. Harris Stilson, Constant South worth. TIHE FIRST TOWN-MEETING was held at the house of Calvin Herrick, April 6, 1835, agreeably to the act of the legislative council, passed March 17, 1835, creating the township of Grove- land. At this meeting Philip H. McOmber was present as justice of the peace for said township, having been previously appointed. William Gage was chosen moderator, and Constant Southworth clerk. Thirteen votes were cast, the de- ciding ballot being given by Peter Fagan, now of Holly township, which was at that time included in Groveland.* The following were the officers elected, viz.: Supervisor, Nathan Herrick; Town Clerk, Henry W. Horton; Assessors, Con- stant Southworth, William Gage, Joseph Jennings, Jr.; Commissioners of High- ways, Lot Tobey, William P. Husted, Vincent Runyon; Directors of the Poor, IT. W. Horton, John Tobey; Commissioners of Common Schools, Constant Southworth, P. II. McOmber, Henry W. Horton; Constable and Collector, Cal- vin IHerrick; Inspectors of Common Schools (elected by yeas and nays), Alex- ander Galloway, Henry W. Horton, Calvin Herrick, Constant Southworth, P. 1H. McOmber. Overseers of Highways-District No. 4, Constant Southworth; Dis- trict No. 5, Jehiel Gardner. The road commissioners held a meeting April 30, 1835, and established five road districts; and at a special town-meeting, held at the house of Calvin Her- rick, May 15, 1835, William Gage was elected.overseer of road district No. 1, Alexander Galloway of No. 2, and John Tobey of No. 3, those for 4 and 5 having been elected at the previous town.meeting. At a meeting held October 6, 1835, the following vote was cast for the three county officers,-register of deeds, treasurer, and coroner: for register of deeds, Francis l)arrow, sixteen votes; for treasurer, James A. Weeks, fourteen, S. Slier- wood, two; for coroner, Pierce Patrick, fourteen, W. Hunter, two. From 1836 to 1877 inclusive, the supervisors of Groveland have been as fol- lows: 1836, Daniel F. Johnson; 1837-38, Elbridge G. Knowlton; 1839, Abram D. Perry; 1840, Asahel Fuller; 1841, E. G. Knowlton; 1842-43, Henry W. Horton; 1844-45, Amos Orton; 1846, Henry W. Horton; 1847, James Wilkins; 1848, William H. Putnam; 1849, John Campbell; 1850, Wil- liam H. Putnam; 1851, Daniel F. Johnson; 1852, Amos Orton; 1853-58, Horatio Wright; 1859, John Campbell; 1860, Horatio Wright; 1861, John Campbell; 1862-65, Chester S. Wilkins; 1866-67, John Campbell; 1868-72, Chester S. Wilkins; 1873, John Campbell; 1874-75, Horatio Wright; 1876-77, Allen Campbell (3d). Townaship Clerks.-1836-39, Henry W. Horton; 1840, Alexander Downey ; 1841, Alexander Ter Bush;t 1842, William L. Narrin; 1843--45, Alexander Downey; 1846, Constant Southworth; 1847-48, John Campbell; 1849, Gabriel S. Ogden; 1850, Chester S. Wilkins; 1851, Allen Campbell, Jr.; 1852-60, Chester S. Wilkins; 1861-65, Allen Campbell; 1866, C. S. Wilkins; 1867-68, Allen Campbell; 1869, David Hadley; 1870, Allen Campbell; 1871, William II. Ritchie; 1872, Oliver H. Perry; 1873-75, Allen Campbell (3d); 1876, Chester S. Wilkins; 1877, Alexander J. Campbell. Justices of the Peace.-1836, Constant Southworth, Philip H. MeOmber, Daniel F. Johnson, William Gage; 1837, D. F. Johnson, Henry Hunt; 1838, Simeon M. Smith, Ezra Herriek; 1839, Henry W. Horton; 1840, Joseph Jen- nings, Harris Stilson; 1841, Henry Hunt, William H. Putnam; 1842, Samuel C. Munson; 1843, Henry W. Horton; 1844, Thomas H. Terwilligar, Matthias T. lRobinson; 1845, William H. Putnam, Elibridge G. Knowlton; 18-16, William L. Narrin; 1847, Alexander Downey; 1818, Harvey Mudge; 1849, William H. Putnam; 1850, William L. Narrin; 1851, Henry W. Horton, Daniel Mer- ritt; 1852, Horatio Wright, Alexander Wheeler, Lewis H. Husted; 1853, Lewis H. IIusted; 1854, James Wilkins; 1855, Henry W. Horton; 1856, Horatio Wright; 1857, Lewis H. Husted; 1858, James Wilkins; 1859, Henry W. Horton; 1860, Horatio Wright; 1861, James Campbell; 1862, William L. * See history of Holly township for incidents at this election. t Ter Bush moved out of township, and Calvin IIusted was appointed to fill vacancy. Narrin; 1863, Alexander Downey; 1864, Horatio Wright; 1865, Thomas Phipps, Jr.; 1866, William L. Narrin, John H. Thomas; 1867, Alexander Downey; 1868, Horatio Wright; 1869, Benjamin F. Miller; 1870, William L. Narrin; 1871, John Campbell; 1872, Horatio Wright; 1873, Benjamin F. Miller; 1874, John Bird; 1875, Moses Carr; 1876, Robert Potter, Worthington Thompson; 1877, James Algoe, John H. Thomas. TIHE FIRST PUBLIC ROAD recorded on the township books was laid out June 2, 1835. It started at the line between sections 1 and 12, where it is crossed by the United States road, and continued west and southwest about four miles to the centre of a highway leading into Genesee county. Previous to this time the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike had been laid out, and finished in 1834 to a point six miles north of Flint, Genesee county. This was long the great thoroughfare of the township, and for a number of' years presented a busy scene. During the days of immigration and stage-coach travel the white tops of the pioneers' wagons, the crack of the stage-driver's lash, and the merry notes of his horn were heard "all along the line," but those were accompaniments of "long ago." SCIIOOLS. Groveland township was divided into eight school-districts in the spring of 1838. The districts were afterwards changed, more or less, and at present the township contains eight districts besides those which are fractional. The first school-house in the township was a small log building which stood immediately on the line between Groveland and Holly. It was built about 1832- 33. The school was quite popular, and was attended by nimany of the older children of the settlers,-those who had reached a more mature age than that of pinafores and jackets. The first teacher was an Irishman named Hugh Dough- erty, called by some of the Galloways, out of mischief, " Dog-harty." The Had- leys, Hortons, and others attended the school. The building was burned down several years afterwards, having been abandoned for school purposes. This school- house was used for various purposes; occasionally "preaching" was held in it, and meetings of different kinds were here convened. Nothing is left to mark the spot where it stood. The first school in the township was taught in Henry W. Horton's house, for the benefit of his own children, in the winter of 1832. The teacher was Miss Sallie Parshall. These two schools were indeed primitive affairs, yet were all- sufficient in their time and place. In district No. 5 a frame school-house was built as early as 1840, and is still standing, though at present unused. Among the early teachers Lewis Husted figured prominently. The present frame school-house was built some twenty years ago, and stands on the northwest corner of section 22. In district No. 2 a log school-house was built about 1838, and was used for a number of years. It stood on the spot now occupied by the "cobble-stone" school-house, on the southeast corner of section 4. The first teacher was Mary Ann Johnson, who lived in the western part of the township. The present stone building has been standing four or five years. The present TOWN-IIALL was built in 1876, at a cost of four hundred dollars. It is a neat, substantial frame building, standing on section 22. TIE FIRST DANCE in Groveland township was held in 1834, at the house of William hhusted, on tire Saginaw turnpike. The settlers sent to Flint, or Grand Blanc, Genesee county, for a fiddler named Cronk, but failed to secure his services, as he was not at home. Accordingly, as music must be had of some kind, a couple of the women volun- teered to singy bmncing-tunes for them! Their repertoire of tunes was exceedingly limited, there being but two on their schedule, and those were "Miss McCloud's Reel" and one other. However, they made the most of circumstances, and " tripped the light fantastic toe" to the repeated strains of those old-fashioned pieces. What they would have done for waltz or polka music, had they wished it, is left to the reader to surmise; but happily those were days when the reel, hornpipe, and other dances of a like character were greater sources of enjoyment than the fancy dances of the present would have been, and the Terpsichorean art was unembellished in the cabin of the backwoods settler, and devoid of the touches given it by association with city ball-rooms and professional dancing-masters. RELIGIOUS. The first preacher who ever held forth within thie limits of Groveland township was a minister of the Baptist persuasion, who was familiarly known as " Old Elder Gamble." He lived in Grand Blanc, Genesee county, and used to come and HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 179 preach occasionally in the old town-line school-house and the log dwellings of Lot Tobey and Henry W. Horton. He was a very eccentric man, and is well remem- bered by those who are living and heard him preach. MOUNT BETHEL M31ETIIODIST EPISCOPAL CIIURCII. In the winter of 1837-38 a Methodist class was organized in the southeast part of the township, with seven members, by Rev. - Smith, who was at the time preaching in this section of the country, it being as far west as the society had at the time ventured. Smith was here under an appointment from the presiding elder of the Ohio conference, and stayed about six months. In 1839 the class was increased to the number of nine by the addition of Henry Cogshall and wife. Meetings were at first held in the school-house. In the fall of 1840 the cemetery on section 34 was staked out, and a church, twenty-two by thirty-two feet in di- mensions, built of hewed logs. The church was not entirely finished until the spring of 1841, and was considered quite a fine structure for that day. It was used until 1872, when the present frame church was built. This building is a neat and commodious structure, surmounted by a spire, and will seat about three hundred people. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Hedger, now on his second year at the place. A Sabbath-school was organized several years after the first church was built, when the children had become large enough to attend. The first superintendent was Bela Cogshall, now of Holly village. GRIOVELAND 3METIIODIST EPISCOPAL CHIIURCII (NO. 2) was organized about 1839-40, and was the second church organized in the town- ship. It started on a firm basis, having originally some forty or fifty members. Some of those who united with it were originally Presbyterians, but as there was no church of that denomination nearer than Grand Blanc, Genesee county, they assisted in establishing a Methodist class, a revival being held at the school-house, at which forty-four persons joined. Besides these, there were ten or twelve per- sons in the neighborhood who were " old Methodists." They at first held meet- ings in private houses and school-houses, and some ten years after the organiza- tion erected a frame church, which is still standing, on section 7. When the class was organized it was on a mission, but finally a circuit was established which embraced a large territory, including Groveland. The first pastor was Rev. William Mothersill. Local preachers held meetings the greater part of the time. Before the class had any regular appointment they hired Elder Jones, of Rose town- ship, to come and minister to them. They were old church-members, and had become, as Alexander Downey says, "hungry for preaching." When Mr. Mothersill came hlie was accompanied by Rev. William Bigelow, now a presiding elder. Soon after Mr. Mothersill's advent the members subscribed means and erected a log parsonage, in which.Mr. Mothersill lived during his two appointments. It was built on land owned by Henry W. Horton, as was also the church. The latter will seat about two hundred persons. Alexander Downey was on the church- building committee, and has been a trustee from the organization. The present membership of the society is seventy or eighty. A Sabbath-school has been kept up nearly every year. The appointment is nowv on the Goodrich circuit. A re- vival was held during the winter of 1876-77, and the congregation increased by thirty-five or forty members. The present pastor is Rev. Nelson Lyon, of Good- rich, Genesce county. OLIVE-BRANCII METIIODIST EPISCOPAL CIIURCII. This is the latest church organization in the township, a class having been made up about 1842-44, with some fifteen members. A local preacher named Jacob Van Steenberg, who was the first at the place, organized the society, and named it from the locality he was from in Ulster county, New York, where he had been a presiding elder. In 1857 the present frame church was built, when the membership was about fifty. The building is thirty by forty feet in dimensions, surmounted by a spire, and will scat about two hundred persons. It stands on section 31. A cemetery is located opposite. For about seven years the church has not been used for meetings, most of the members having changed to Holly. Before the church was built the congregation formed a part of the one at " Groveland." A Sab- bath-school was always sustained until the congregation broke up, and for many years was the largest in this part of the county. When the church building was erected Rev. Thomas Wakelin was preacher in charge of Groveland circuit. CEMETERY. The largest cemetery in the township is known as the" Hadley Cemetery," and is located on sections 18 and 19, west of the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike. The first burial in it was that of Lot Tobey, who died September 7, 1836, at the age of fifty-four years. His wife died September 21, 1854, aged eighty-one. The cemetery contains the remains of many of the pioneers of the neighborhood, principally those of Groveland and Holly townships. Among them are the following: DIED A Merret Ihall, a native of Massachusetts ........... Dec. 8, 1841. Henry I. Montgomery, a native of Ireland.... July 6, 1852. Lovina (his wife), a na- tive of Chautauqua co., N. Y................. Feb. 23, 1851. William Becket............ May 26, 1849. Lydia, wife of Henry S. Iusted................... Oct. 12, 1855. George Wiggins........... Feb. 8, 1854. John Tobey................ Dec. 6, 1854. Solomon Tobey............ Sept. 18, 1856. Adah, wife of Henry WV. IHorton................... Jan. 20, 1856. Jane, wife of Alexander Downey .................. April 4, 1875. Abram D. Perry........... Jan63, 1851. Martha (his wife)......... Aug. 8, 1870. John Ritchie.............. Aug. 21, 1872. Benjamin Ihusted......... Sept. 3, 1855. Thomas Petherbridge... April 12, 1861. Terrance Fagan, a na- tive of Ireland.......... Jan. 20, 1852. Bridget (his wife)........ Dec. 10, 1857. Jacob Deeter.............. Feb. 21, 1858. Julia Ann (his wife)..... Jan. 19, 1851. Henry W. Peck............ Dec. 25, 1864. Ellen, wife of Samuel Gilmore, native of co. Down, Ireland.......... Mar. 24, 1863. Thomas McWhinney..... July 7, 1875. Rosey Ann (his wife).... Aug. 15, 1861. Robert Algoe.............. Jan. 2, 1872. GED Peter Ingersoll............ 64 Catherine (his wife)...... Henry Covert .............. 43 Ann (his wife)............ Matthew Walker.......... Sarah (wife of same).... 35 Mercy (wife of same).. 70 Hugh Queenen, a native of the parish of Ba- 55 hamlish, county Sligo, 67 Ireland................. 42 Esther A., wife of John 42 hIusted................... Ephraim Iusted.......... 56 Elcy IIusted.............. John Hadley, native of 67 Northumberland, 56 England................. 72 Margery (his wife), na- 72 tire of Northumber- 81 land, England.......... 69 Jonathan T. Allen....... Mary C. (his first wife). 85 Rebecca (his wife) ..... 82 Johnl Burns, from co. 62 Down, Ireland......... 54 Margaret (wife of John 66 Burns, Sr.?)............ Thomas Phipps........... Submit Phelps, of Au- 65 burn, N. Y ............... 84 Elizabeth, wife of Wil- 82 liam Hamilton......... 62 Noah Owen................ DIED AGED April 22, 1868. 78 June 6, 1858. 71 Dec. 20, 1866. 71 May 29, 1865. 70 Jan. 17, 1872. 103 Dec. 4, 1861. 78 April 15, 1846. 20 Nov. 9, 1852. 60 Dec. 14, 1865. 64 Mar. 6, 1846. 72 Mar. 15, 1848. 64 Sept. 1, 1873. 84 July 28, 1854. 64 Nov. 26, I 65. 85 Jan. 18, 1820. 29 Aug. 18, 1835. 33 Sept. 25, 1802. 47 Sept. 20, 1862. 75 April 4, 1870. 81 Sept. 14, 1854. 68 Mar. 12, 1865. 79 Feb. 6, 1846. 65 The cemetery is on a side-hill, and has a very pleasant location. Many tasty head-stones and monuments are seen, and the ground is kept in good order. It is a credit to the citizens of the township who have here provided a last resting- place for those who settled and lived in the neighborhood so long. Green be the turf above them! The neighborhood in which the cemetery is located was the first settled in the township, and the improvements are here of a high order. Within a short distance are the fine farms of David Hadley, Ira H. Marsh, Henry W. Horton, and others -names well known among the early pioneers, and men who have gained for themselves a wide reputation and become prominent in the township and county. TILE MICIIIGAN MIDLAND. RAILWAY was surveyed about 1868-69, and it was supposed that the road would certainly be built. But through certain parties lending their aid to the building of the Detroit and Bay City Railway the Midland fell through, and nothing has since been done. No stock had been subscribed, consequently no loss was sustained. Groveland Grange, o. .443, Patrons of IIusbandry, was organized at the house of J. W. Perry, May 20, 1874, with thirty-four members. The first offi- cers were,- Master, J. W. Perry; Overseer, John Campbell; Lecturer, Oscar Horton; Steward, William Morehouse; Assistant Steward, Lewis H. Marsh; Treasurer, William Campbell; Chaplain, David Hadley; Secretary, Byron S. Foskett; Ceres, Mrs. Mary J. Hadley; Pomona, Mrs. Lewis H. Marsh; Flora, Mrs. Sarah Perry; Lady Assistant Steward, Mrs. William E. Morehouse. In the summer of 1876 a fine hall was built for the use of the grange, at a cost of about sixteen hundred dollars. It is a neat frame building, and stands on the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 17. It contains five rooms, besides a good cellar and an attic, or store-room. One room contains a small stock of groceries, for the use of those living in the vicinity. The dining- room and kitchen have stove, tables, benches, etc., and the main hall is fitted up conveniently for all purposes required of it. A ladies' room occupies the south- west coi-ner, furnished with the various articles used in such a place. The hall proper is twenty-four by forty-four feet. The building has the shape of an " L," and is fifty-four feet front on the west and south each. The two small rooms are ten by twelve feet, and the dining-room and kitchen (one room) twenty by twenty- four feet. The store is ten by twenty-four feet, and occupies the southeast cor- ner. The hall proper occupies the greater part of the main building. The en- trance is on the south front. Sheds are built in the rear for the accommodation of forty horses. The land was donated for grange purposes by J. W. Perry. The membership May 2, 1877, was seventy-six. A porch extends twenty-five feet north and east from the southwest corner. At what is known as 180 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. GROVELAND COTTAGE there was at one time a considerable settlement, including two hotels, a store, sev- eral blacksmith-shops, etc. This was during the days of stage-coach travel, the place being located on the old turnpike. It was then a place of considerable im- portance, and was well known by all who traveled over the Saginaw turnpike. Groveland post-office was originally established here. probably about 1837, with Elbridge G. Knowlton as first postmaster. The building known as " Groveland Cottage" was a large log house, built by Philip HI. MeOmber, the first settler on the site. lie sold to Knowlton. The original post-office had the same name as at present, viz., " Groveland Post-office." AUSTIN POST-OFFICE was established about 1845-46, during Polk's administration, through the efforts of David A. and Horatio Wright. It derives its name from David Austin Wright. At the time it was established a stage-line had been running since about 1837 ; E. N. Pettee had opened a hotel at the " corners," and teams were changed here on the stages. Pettee was one of the proprietors of the line be- tween Pontiac and Flint, and built the hotel purposely for a changing station. Ie lived at the place but a short time. The first postmaster at Austin was David A. Wright. Previous to the establishment of this office the nearest place to get mail was several miles away, at Springfield post-office, in Springfield town- ship. Mr. Wright kept the office a number of years, and was succeeded by Thomas H. Terwilligar, during whose stay the name was changed to Taylorsvile, but finally changed back again. Terwilligar was postmaster but a short time, and the office was again settled on Mr. Wright,-this during the early part of Lin- coln's administration,-and he continued in the capacity of postmaster until the present occupant, Robert Potter, came in. Mr. Wright had at one time a foundry and a blacksmith-shop at the corners. In the foundry he manufachetured castings for plows and other articles as they were ordered. When the post-office was first established it was kept in Mr. Wright's house, he being at the time a resident at the place. It was afterwards located in a store owned by John Snyder, who now lives on a farm in Flushing, Genesee county. Mr. Wright afterwards kept it at his house, half a mile down the turnpike, in Springfield township, on a farm to which hlie had moved. It was finally taken back to the corners, where it has since remained. Mr. Potter, the present occu- pant, also has a wagon-shop, and does a considerabld business in that besides the necessary labor of attending to the office. A portion of the hotel building now standing was built by Thomas H. Terwil- ligar, who kept the house some twelve years, and amassed a considerable fortune during the time, the custom being very heavy. A st'nm Lodge, AX. 48, F. d A. LM., was organized in 1850, with eight mem- bers, as fIllows: Bela Cogshall, John B. Hamilton, James Webster, James and Samuel Wilkins, S. S. Lord, Daniel R. Lord, and John Bowman. The officers were--W. M3., Bela Cogshall ; S. W., J. B. Hamilton; J. W., John Bowman; S. D., James Wilkins; J. D., D. R. Lord. Mr. Cogshall held the office of W. M. far four successive years. David A. Wright and Edgar C. Bartlett held the office next, one year each, after which Mr. Cogshall filled out the time until 1867. The present offlicers (May, 1877) are-W. 1I., Horatio Wright; S. W., John D. Ogden; J. W., Porter Wright. Membership about ninety. This lodge was the third one of the kind in Oakland County. A nstfn Chapter, No. 44, R. A. M., was organized in 1863 or 1864. Horatio and David A. Wright, natives of Gr-anville, Washington county, New York, removed with their parents, in 1824, to Oneida county. They afterwards went to Genesee county, and in 1843 they all came to Michigan, arriving in Springfield township August 15 of that year. They purchased land in the north part of Springfield, close to the Groveland line, and near Austin Corners. In the spring of 18417 Horatio Wright removed to his present location, on section 34 in Groveland township, just east of Austin. David A. Wright died January 19, 1877. PATRIOTISM OF GROVELAND CITIZENS. On the 22d day of February, 1864, a special town-meeting was held for the purpose of voting pro and con on the subject of raising money on the taxable property of the township to pay bounties to persons enlisting from it. The said township had a quota to fill on the call made by the president, January 20, 1864. The question was also to be decided whether bonds should be issued sufficient to pay one hundred dollars to each volunteer or drafted man accepted and credited to quota of said township, to fill the call made by the president, February 1, 86-1. One hundred and fifty-two votes were east at this meeting, as follows: For raising entire tax required by both calls, one hundred and twenty-one; for raising bounty for last call, seven; for raising no tax, twenty-four. The following persons advanced money to the township to pay bounty to volun- teers to fill quota of township on the call made by President Lincoln, January 20, 1864: John B. Auton, 814; Jerome Austin, $23; Ransom E. Burgess, $20; Ben- well Brosius, $10; Seth Arnold, $14; Albert Austin, $20; John Brannack, $16; Win. Brosius, $5; Peter Brosius, $5; Jonas Bowman, 85; Joseph Bird, 83; E. C. Bartlett, 810; John Boughtenfellow, $5; Thomas S. Bird, 820; T. S. Bird, Jr.. 85; Israel S. Bird,.$20; John Buckell, $10; Walter Buckell, 85; John Bird, $20; George Campbell, $16; Charles Buzzard, $19; George Brockenshaw, $14; Win. Campbell, $14; Allen Campbell, Jr., 814; Allen Campbell, 85; Henry Cogshall, 85; Leander Clark, $5; Wm. H. Case, $7; Isaac Case, 818; Carlton Cornell, $2; Bela Cogshall, $20; Alexander Downey, 83; N. F. Decker, $10; Otis Donpier, $5; Thomas J. Ewell, $41; John Daly, 810; Charles Dixie, $2; Luther Felton, $10; John Frick, Jr., $20; George Fall, $8; Daniel Fuller, 83; Hiram Greene, $15; James Algoe, 820; Win. Gotwalt, 85; Edmund Husted, 88; Alva Husted, $8; Henry S. Husted, $11; Lewis I. Husted, 83; Austin B. Hathaway, $14; Charles Henry, $1 ; Thomas Halsted, $14; Alfred B. Husted, 825; Charles Halsted, 818; Henry Horter, 814; Sydney Hovey, $8; Alvord I. Holmes, $5; James M. Houghton, $14; Perry Hunt, $10; An- drew J. Hill, $14; Win. Hollister, $5; Archelaus Hibbler, $2; Lyman Herrick, $11 ; Seth L. Herriman, 84; Isaac IIalsted, 83; David Hadley, 820; Damon Irish, $14; Daniel Johnson, $20; George Irish, $10; Jesse Jones, 85; D. F. Johnson, $3; Fred Long, 85; Alexander N. Jones, $4; Joseph Lepard, $10; Dennis Lamb, $11 ; George S. Leland, $10; Bernard Lennon, $3; Win. Lacey, $5; James Lawrence, $14; Lafayette Mitchell, $5; B. F. Miller, 821; James M. Merwin, 84; Robert Martin, 88; Truman Moore, $5; Jeremiah Miller, 82; Emery Moore, $21; John M. McGinnis, 810; Daniel Merritt, $5; Jacob Moore, 84; Samuel Malby, $14; Win. Van Steenberg, 87 ; Oscar Mudge, 814; Sarah Miner, $0.25; Charles Mosher, $20; Andrew B. Marquette, $1 ; Hiram Malby, $14; Charles McGinnis, $6; Michael McCabe, 85; Salem Marsh, 83; John S. Narrin, 85; Norman Mills, $10; Win. L. Narrin, 810; Win. A. Narrin, 85; Harvey Phelps, $20; Sarah E. Ogden, $1; Derbin Ogden, $1 ; Joseph Perritt, $10; Henry Quick, $10 ; John Peck, $13; Henry C. Phipps, $25; John Ritehie, $3; Benjamin T. Richmond, $15; Win. H. Ritchie, $5; Fitch J. Richmond, 814; John Ritchie (2d), $14; O. C. Swift, $15; James E. Smith, $14; Lafay- ette Stranahan, 810; Irving G. Smith, $14; Sidney Smith, $25.25; Joel Snyder, $7; Abram V. Shepard, $3; Peter C. Sargent, $2; Albert Shepard, 814; Seth D. Thayer, $14; Elstin J. Tobey, $14; George J. Thomas, $14 ; W. B. Thomp- son, $10; Stephen Woodruff, 85; Win. Wolf, $5; Charles C. Walton, $14; Nelson Wilkins, 85; Alexander Downey, Jr., $14; Oliver C. Miller, 827. Total, $1401.50. On this call the following persons enlisted, were accredited to the quota of the township, and received their bounties of one hundred dollars each: Oliver C. Miller, Charles J. Whartman, Robert W. Ironshaw, Abram De Graff, Peter Shein, John Dibler, Jerome Ferguson, Daniel Rohumin, Francis Smith, Thomas McWhinney, James E. Richmond, Barney Leonard, Henry Harter, and Joseph Halsted,-a total of fourteen. Those who enlisted to fill the call made February 1, 1864, were as follows, each receiving a bounty of one hundred dollars: February 29, 1864, Luman G. Husted, Wellington V. Husted, George W. Horton, Win. T. Phillips,-four; March 7, 1864, Win. II. Moore, Abraham Frick, Campbell P. Miller, Wray Mitchell, Edwin C. Peck, Harmon Brant,-six. Succeeding the call of July, 1864, the following persons enlisted and were paid bounties of one hundred dollars each: August 25, 1864, Daniel Parkhurst, Wnm. Phipps, Franklin WV. Thayer, Thomas J. Ewell (enlisting officer), Henry Hanert, Win. A. NaiTin, Francis A. Peck, Norman P. Leland, George L. Wheeler, John N. Perritt, Michael Lennon. Total, eleven. Bonds were delivered to the following persons (one hundred dollars each) in the spring of 1865: James L. Horton, Charles R. Fuller, Cassius M. Burt, Allen Campbell (2d), James Campbell, Robert Martin, George Gotwalt, Wm. H. Bige- low, James Danser, Wm. Hlollister, Wm. Brokenshaw, Nelson Bowman, James L. Johnson,-thirteen in all. The total number of bonds issued was therefore forty-eight, amounting to the sumn of four thousand eight hundred dollars. The following is a list of persons to whom we are indebted for valuable infor- mation, furnished us while mnaking researches into the eventful history of tIhe township: Henry W. Horton, Alexander Downey, Daniel F. Johnson, John Campbell, Mrs. Algoe, Thomas Van Tine, Carrh D. Barron, Darius Thayer, Jacob Bicksler, Mrs. Woodruff, Jesse Jones, D. C. Narrin, Sidney Smith, J. W. Perry, Lyman Herriek, Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Wright, G. Danforth Covert, and many others. It will thus be seen that our historical items have been gleaned from every ~/7 /17~~ y;:/7/ / 1/ /? '7 7,,, v, 77 " '~" ', 7<7<7~47 4<{4I74777, , '7 4 7 '' - 7,> 7 ' '' ,7 <'7'7 r 77 7/ 17<77",, ~> K} 77 '' 4'77 7'' 4' 77li7 4 ' , 7>"' 0I z 0 0F 0eg rii HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 181 source calculated to impart information, and are virtually made a history by the people as well as of them and for them. Many interesting anecdotes of the early days have been brought to light, and here preserved in a lasting shape; and although it is impossible to write a full history of every one, or to give complete reminiscences of all persons who settled in the township, yet the minds of the people who came early to the vicinity have been cleared of the cobwebs which were woven around their memories and recollection has been revived, with the result found in this sketch of the now prosperous township of Groveland. To one and all who have aided us in our researches are returned many thanks for their trouble. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. CARRH D. BARRON* was born February 15, 1809, in Owosco, Cayuga county, New York. His father, Bethuel Barron, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and died at Clarkson, Monroe county, New York, about 1813, when C. D. Barron was small. On the 9th of May, 1840, Carrh D. Barron was married to Eliza Eggleston, then living in Owosco. She was born March 25, 1810, in Marcellus, Onondaga county, New York, and died November 5, 1869. The issue of this marriage was a family of five children, born as follows: ALMON, born August 6, 1841; married November 15, 1865, to Sarah, daughter of Daniel F. Johnson, also of Groveland. M.aRY E., born April 24, 1843; married to Oscar Mitchell, of Atlas, Genesee county, Michigan. January 1, 1865. SARAn E., born May 2, 1845; married to William Brosius, also of Atlas, Genesee county, October 5, 1862. UDOLPIIA II., born September 16, 1848; died April 5, 1851. BARTON D., born October 31, 1851; married to Ella Phipps, of Groveland, in November, 1869. Mr. Barron was married March 2, 1870, to Mrs. Sarah M. (Thurston) Beach, of Brandon township. His present wife is one of a family of ten children, all living but one. Her father was twice married, and had five children each by his two wives. She was born July 6, 1812, in Rochester, New York, where her father, Aaron Thurston, was an early settler. Her grandfather, Moses Munson, was one of the early settlers of Michigan, having settled in Oakland township, Oakland County, in 1825, when Mrs. Barron was in her thirteenth year. He built a saw-mill in that township. He was accompanied by his own fhmily, and that of his son, Samuel C. Munson. Mrs. Barron, whose maiden name was Sarah M. Thurston, was married to Erastus Beach, in the State of New York, in 1830, she having gone back to that State. She had four children by her first husband, two sons and two daughters,-all dead but the oldest child, ANN ELIZA, now the wife of Aaron Smith, of Brandon township. She was born June 28,1831. NEWTON It. BEACH (Mrs. B.'s second child) was born September 18, 1843; GEORGE E., November 16, 1844; ELLEN, December 13, 1845. Mr. Barron is a Republican in politics, and a very successful farmer. (See view and portraits.) HORATIO WRIGHT was born in Granville, Washington county, New York, on the 20th of February, 1818, and when six years of age removed with his parents to Oneida county, and in 1839 lie located in Genesee county. In 1813 he came with the rest of the family to Michigan, most of them coming by team through Canada, and his father by boat to Detroit. On the 15th day of August, 1813, they arrived in Spring- field township, and settled on land in section 3, where the old lo, house is yet standing. In the spring of 1847 Horatio Wright removed to his present location on section 34, in Groveland township. On the 9th of November, 1842, he was married to Sarah M. Campbell, in Genesee county, New York, and his wife accompanied him to Michigan. Mrs. Wright is a native of Ogden, Monroe county, New York, where she was born December 14, 1823. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wright, their births occurring as follows: Austin Millard Wright, November 11, 1847, in Springfield township, and now living in the city of Chicago, Illinois; Irving Campbell Wright, December 14, 1849 ; Mary Jane, January 21, 1853; Horatio Lee, September 12, 1854; Julietta, September 16, 1856; William Milton, June 2, 1800; Rosa, July 26, 1865. Win. M. Wright died November 11, 1862. Mary J. Wright was married to Charles L. Tinsman, of Holly township, Novem- ber 9, 1870, and Julietta to Henry Evans, of Groveland, November 30, 1876. *'See township history of Groveland for additional items. In 1866, Mr. Wright was elected on the Democratic ticket to the lower house of the Michigan legislature, from the then second district of Oakland County, comprising the townships of Groveland, Holly, Independence, Rose, Springfield, Waterford, and White Lake. lie has also held numerous offices of public trust in Groveland township; was supervisor for eight years, being elected the first time in 1853. He served as justice of the peace for twenty-four consecutive years, from 1852 to 1876, and is also a prominent member of Davisburgh grange, No. 245, Patrons of Husbandry. He has long been connected with the Masonic fra- ternity, and is at present Master of Austin lodge. The farm on which he is living was entered by Oliver Powelson, the patent for the same being issued in 1837. Mr. Wright has now reached the age of fifty-nine years, and beyond the whitening of his hair there are but few indications that lie is growing old. Mrs. Wright, now nearly fifty-four years of age, bears still the looks of a lady otf foirty years, and both she and her husband bid fair to live " many a year" to enjoy earth's blessings. Their lives thus far have been useful, and their places in the community where they have so long resided could not easily be filled. HENRY W. HORTON was born in Tioga (now Tompkins) county, New York, May 31, 1797. When he was five or six years of age his parents removed to Ontario county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. On the 31st of January, 1819, Mr. Horton was married to Adah Jennings, and the same year removed with his wife to Niagara county. The issue of this marriage was a family of eleven children,-seven sons and four daughters,-of whom eight are now living. A son and daughter died in New York, both small and another son, Emerson C. Horton, died at Richmond, Missouri. after the Re- bellion. He was thirty-five years of age, and had served during the war, with the exception of three months subsequent to his discharge, after being released from a rebel prison. In Sherman's grand campaign of 1864 lie was under General Kilpatrick, in the cavalry arm of the service. In March, 1830, Mr. Horton made a trip to Michigan on horseback, and located the first land in the township of Groveland,-three hundred and sixty acres. On a part of it he afterwards settled with his family (section 7). While on his way out upon his first trip hlie found snow near the Rivet Thames, in Canada, which stream he crossed at Delaware town. The snow was two feet deep or more, and after passing the Thamc it was forty miles through a dense forest to another house. His horse was a spirited and hardy animal, however, and he started on undaunted. After riding some distance he found a man busy at work digging rails from under the snow. He stopped his horse and spoke to him, but received no answer, undoubtedly because the man was greatly frightened at the unusual sound of a strange voice. Mr. Horton, bent on learning whether hlie was alive or dead, spoke again, saying, " 1Young man, how came you here ?" The frightened individual dropped his tools as if shot, and turning quickly, said, " Wait a minute and I'll tell ye. I am here and can't get away, and by G- Ibelieve this is the centre of creation !" Mr. Horton was satisfied and rode on. He says every pio- neer who left his home and came into the wilderness so far that he "couldn't get away" was, sooner or later, led into the conviction that the spot he had selected was the "centre of creation," and became greatly attached to it. This was his own experience, as his sojourn of forty-seven years upon the spot where he first settled will testify. In the fall of 1830, Mr. Horton, who had returned to New York for his family, brought them back with him to the place destined to be their future home, on the " beautiful peninsula." His family then consisted of his wife, two sons, and two daughters. They came all the way by land from Niagara county, the trip occu- pying seventeen days, and the route being through Canada. A log house, or shanty, sixteen by twenty feet, was built, and the family moved into it on the 3d day of February, 1831. There was then a depth of six or eight inches of snow upon the ground, and the weather was bitter cold. The house was without door, window, or chimney, and a floor was only partially laid. A blanket was hung up at the entrance to serve in lieu of a door, and a huge fire was built against the logs to keep the family from freezing. The roof consisted of boards roughly laid on, and through the crevices between them the snow or rain passed almost " without let or hindrance." When they moved in, the last house they passed was at Waterford village, fourteen miles away. Game and Indians were plenty, the latter being almost the only neighbors for several years. They were never troublesome, although a thousand of them would sometimes pass along the trail in a single day. The first potatoes the family had were procured by Mr. Horton in the north- east corner of Troy township, thirty miles away. He sowed the first grain in 182 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Groveland township, and made the first actual improvements, although William Roberts and Masten W. Richards are accredited as being the first settlers. Mr. Horton procured his first plow at Birmingham, Mr. Richards probably bringing one in about the same time. His first drag he made with his own hands. In the fall of 1831 he went to Pontiac, in company with Lot Tobey, and purchased some apple-trees. The two men brought the trees to their respective farms, and set them out the same day with each other, these being the first orchards in Groveland. The trees are nearly all standing. In the old log house Mr. Horton lived for about ten years, and then built him a frame dwelling. His wife died January 20, 1856, aged fifty-six years, and on the 20th of September of the same year hlie was married to Mrs. Mary E. Losee, widow of Isaac J. Losee. One son was born to them, but died in infancy. Mrs. Horton's fither, Cornelius Davis, camne from Ulster county, New York, and located on the site of Davisburgh, in Springfield township, in 1836. Both he and his wife are now deceased. At the first town-meeting held in Groveland township, which then included what is now HIolly, Mr. Horton was elected township clerk, and was re-elected for four successive years afterwards, holding the office during the years from 1835 to 1839 inclusive. In 1842 and 1843, and 1846, lie was chosen supervisor, and in 184-13 was also elected justice of the peace, which office lie has hleld a number of times since. In that capacity lie performed the first marriage in the township. During the famous "Toledo War," in 1835, when Governor Mason called upon the militia to advance to the frontier, Mr. Horton, who commanded a military company raised in the territory now included in the townships of Groveland and Holly, Oakland County, and Grand Blanc, Genesee county, accompanied them to Pontiac, where he resigned. As the affair ended amicably by the decision of the United States government, no blood was spilled from the veins of Oakland County patriots, and all returned safely to their homes. Mr. Horton is the only one of the first settlers who is now living, and has reached the ripe age of eighty years. In politics hlie is Republican to the core, and has (lways been opposed to tile principles of slavery. He has lived a strictly temperate life, taking an early stand against the use of and traffic in intoxicating liquors. In religion hlie is a Methodist, and joined the Groveland church when it was organized, in 1839 or 1840. Hie has been one of its main supporters, and has stood by it in time of need from its organization until the present. In him is seen a pleasing example of happy old age, and, though his life has been a checkered one and his sinews have been long strained with manly toil, yet the weight of his years rests lightly upon .liim, and his decline promises to be as peaceful as his life has been interesting and his success remarkable. The place where Mr. Horton settled was called "Pleasant Valley" by. the French or Indian traders. The location is extremely pleasant, and what nature did not do toward beautifying it the art of man has supplied. Mr. Horton's son, JosEPH LEE HortrON, born November 27, 1832, was un- doubtedly the first white child born in thie territory now including the townships of Groveland, Holly, Rose, Springfield, and Brandon, in Oakland County, and Fenton, in Genesce county. In the same territory there were no houses when M1r. Horton came, except those of William Roberts and Masten Richards in Groveland (before mentioned). Another son, Emerson C. Horton, whose death (which occurred April 4, 1873) has been previously mentioned, spent two years, subsequent to the War of the Rebellion, in South America, and soon afterwards married Miss Lamira Bryant. At his death lie left one ehild,-a son,-John Emerson Horton. A third son, Dexter Horton, served three years under Sherman in the western army. He served for a time in the commissary department, and eventually rose to the rank of major. The first school in Groveland township was taught in Henry W. Iorton's house, for the bendfit of his own children, by Miss Sallie Parshall, about the winter of 1832. The parents generally were poor, and could not afford to give their children the education which can be acquired at the present day at a compara- tively small cost. DANIEL F. JOHNSON. Joseph Johnson, the father of the person whose name appears at the head of this article, was born in Horseneck, Connecticut, in 1776, and at an early day located in Greene county, New York. About 1805 he removed with his wife and four children-two sons and two daughters-to Delaware county. The sons were Orrin, the eldest, who died when but twelve years of age, and Daniel F., who was born January 29, 1801, in the old town of Canton (now Cairo), Greene county, New York. The daughters were Mahala, now the wife of Charles Hus- ted, of Watertown, Tuscola county, Michigan, and Mindwell, now the widow of Alexander Merwin, of Groveland township, Oakland County, Michigan. In the latter part of 1823, Joseph Johnson removed with his fainily to Genesee county, New York, and in the fall of 1836 came to Michigan, and settled in the town of Atlas, Genesee county, where hIe died in 1849, at the age of seventy-three years. His wife, who was born in 1770, died at the age of eighty-eight. Mr. Johnson was drafted during the war of 1812, but being tenmporarily crippled was not called upon to serve. One of his brothers, however, enlisted from Delaware county, New York. Mr. Johnson was raised a farmer, but had acquired a knowledge of several trades, and worked considerable in a machline-shop, at blacksmithing, etc. On the 30th of January, 1828, Daniel F. Johnson was married to Amanda Husted, of Genesee county, New York. She is a native of the town of Scipio, Cayuga county, to which her father, Benjamin Husted, emigrated early from the State of Connecticut. The issue of this marriage was nine children, as follows Amanda, born December 25, 1828, died April 18, 1831; Harriet, born Decem- ber 9, 1830, died September 26, 1831 ; Clarinda Moranda R., born December 3, 1832-these three in the State of New York; Daniel, February 22, 1835; Julia Ann, May 2, 1837; Nancy Evaline, March 25, 1839; Phidelia, March 17, 1841 ; Margery Ann, April 15, 1843; Sarah Elizabeth, August 3, 1845- the six last named all born in Michigan. The children are all living except the eldest two, who died in New York. Clarinda M. R. Johnson was married January 1, 1852, to Ransom E. Burgess, of Groveland township; Daniel married Sarah Harpst, of Royalton, Niagara county, New York, July 13, 1856; Nancy E. was married to Eli Jennings, of Atlas township, Genesee county, Michigan, February 8, 1857; Julia Ann was married to John T. Peck, July 12, 1858; Phidelia was married June 3, 1863, to John Campbell, also of Genesee county, Michigan, and a very prominent and most excellent man; Sarah E. is now the wife of Almon Barron, of Groveland, to whom she was married November 15, 1865; and Mar- gery A. was married in February, 1872, to Silas Downey, son of Alexander Downey, Esq., of Groveland. Mr. Johnson's wife was born September 17, 1806, and was consequently in her twenty-second year when she was married. She has reached the age of seventy- one years, of which period forty-nine years have been passed in the enjoyment of married life. Perhaps the worthy couple have also known the weight of sorrow, but if so it has left no impress of its visit upon their countenances at least, how- ever much their hearts may have been affected. In 1834, Mr. Johnson made a trip to Delaware county, Ohio, but the induce- ments were not sufficient to make him take up his residence there, and hIe stayed but a week, returning at the end of that time to the township of Spring, Craw- ford county, Pennsylvania, where his father had been residing for two or three years. D. F. J. made no permanent stay in that county. In tihe summer of 1834 hIe came to Michigan, and purchased from the government the northeast quar- ter of section 6 in the township of Groveland. Hle afterwards purchased addi- tional land on sections 5 and 7, and owned a little more than half a seetion in all. After mnaking his original purchase, he went back to Pennsylvania after his wife and child, Clarinda, then but two years of age. Ile made a trip to New York, and settled some matters pertaining to his old farm, and after shipping his goods by boat in care of a lad named Jacob Irwin, who was living with him, he hitched a good team of horses to a lumber wagon, and, in company with his wife and child, set out overland for Michigan. The route lay through northern Ohio, and the trip occupied about twelve days, which was quite rapid traveling, con- sidering the state the roads were in,'especially through the "Black Swamp" of the Maumee region, where the mud was, to use a hackneyed expression, "simply fearful." On arriving in Groveland township they stopped for some time with Mrs. Johnson's brother, William P. Husted, who was living on the place now oc- cupied by Ira HI. Marsh. There they stayed until Mr. Johnson was enabled to build him a house of his own. This house was a log structure, eighteen by twenty-two feet in dimensions, and the family moved into it on the 9th day of December, 1834. It was, like many others when they were first occupied by the pioneers, without door or windows, and but a portion of a floor had been laid. It was covered with a good shingle roof, however (and in that respect was ahead of many more pretentious edifices), and the storms could not beat in from above. Mr. Johnson procured his roof-boards and shingles at the saw-mill of Captain Archibald Phillips, at Waterford village. When the new house was occupied the snow lay upon the ground to the depth of about two inches, and the weather was very severe. At night the gray wolves which then abounded "made night hideous" with their cries, and sniffed uncomfortably close to the house on many occasions. With stout hearts and strong and willing hands, they went to work improving the spot destined to be their future home, and, truly, the end has crowned the work. Children were born to them, changes many and im- portant took place in the general aspect of the country, and Mr. Johnson and his wife no doubt changed in common with the others. "All things worked ?;6 lip, x v ti a p r , too, gwg z' F > r1t N7 0M s0og 0 "1 T- rd . 0N r4 C> 7 7< I? ECE MRSJ CTAYL W~LAK P OKLAN CaM.. ;'< k: . v , e ~: ,, ,. '. r'' g ~v ,: , ~ - ,c'; w i , n ° < c.. v .: , . F ~ r= ), , a , a, ;. < F; ua , :. .. v '+ >.. J., . ;r .,. , - N:. . 5. s~. ' r / /, v ,.: h .r .. ,y , ,,; / ~. , . , 5 s, s8« 3 ,e '% _  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 189 1834, emigrated with his fatlily from New York, coming by team through Canada. Mr. Hopkins was a skilled deer-hunter, and during the close times following his settlement was obliged to rely greatly on his marksmanship for a supply of meat. At the first town-meeting, held April 4, 1836, Mr. Hopkins was elected to the office of assessor, and afterwards held other township offices. Was also chosen one of the first elders of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake at its organiza- tion, August 1, 1835. He followed the occupation of a farmer during his entire active life. He was naturally an adept in the use of carpenters' tools, and erected most of his own buildings. He died July 9, 1876, aged nearly seventy-two years. He was three times married; his first wife died February 28, 1838, and was the mother of five children, of whom three grew to manhood. His second marriage was with Climene Clark, a native of Westhampton, Hamp- shire county, Massachusetts, and was consummated in May, 1839, at Prattsburg, Steuben county, New York. His second wife became the mother of three chil- dren, all of whom are now living. She died November 1, 1864, and on the 1st day of January, 1867, he was married to Mrs. Abigail C. Dole, of New Haven, Connecticut. She was a sister of his second wife, and he married her in Oakland County. Of Mr. Hopkins' children, one son, Daniel G. Hopkins, was wounded at the battle of South Mountain, Maryland, September 14, 1862, and died at the Lu- theran church hospital at Frederick, Maryland, on the 8th of the following November. HIe was a member of Company 1E, Seventeenth Michigan Infantry,- the famous " Stonewall" regiment. Another son, George H. Hopkins, was in the same company, and is now engaged in the practice of law at Detroit. Wil- liam W. IHopkins, the oldest of Mr: Hopkins' children, was a member of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, and was discharged with the regiment at Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, whither it had been sent for the purpose of quieting some trouble- some Indians, in 1866, after having served two years. Ile died at Frankfort, Benzie county, Michigan, of the typhoid fever, probably induced by the effect of an accidental gunshot wound he had received some time previously. All of Mr. Hopkins' children who are living reside in Detroit, except his son Ralph W., who is in business at Oxbow. Those living in Detroit are the chil- dren of his second wife, and are George W., Charles C., and Lydia C. Hopkins. Charles C. Hopkins is a recent graduate of te law department of the State uni- versity at Ann Arbor, and has lately begun practice in Detroit. The son now living at Oxbow, RALPH TW. HOPKINS, was born at Prattsburg, Steuben county, New York, July 20, 1832. In 1834 he was brought to Michigan by his father, together with one other son, William. A third son, Daniel, was born at Oxbow in 1836. R. W. Hopkins was married February 2, 1862, to Ann R. Olmsted, daughter of Harley Olmsted, the first settler of White Lake township. He has held the position of postmaster at Oxbow post-office since it was established (June 11, 1873), and is also proprietor of the saw- and planing-mills at that place. His father was a Whig in politics until the Republican party was formed, when he became a member of it, and Ralph has followed wisely in his footsteps, be- lieving that the party which by a mighty effort broke the shackles of the slave and removed the curse of slavery from the land is the one to support. THOMAS GARNER was born in cqunty Antrim, Ireland, in the year 1756. He was of Scotch de- scent, his father having been among those who were obliged to flee from Scotland during the reign of terror consequent upon religious persecution. They managed, however, to save their Bibles, which were more precious to them than " all else beside." Mr. Garner married Ann Crawford, and they became the parents of thirteen children,-seven sons and six daughters,-of whom three-a son and two daugh- ters-died in Ireland when young. Mrs. Garner was also of Scotch parentage, her people being among the fugitives from persecution, as were the Garners. Her male ancestors were men of marked ability and influence. They also settled in county Antrim, Ireland. After the three children died, it was sixty-seven years before there was another death among them (the children). Thomas Garner was engaged in the Irish Rebellion, and for three years carried documents inciting the men of Ireland to rebellion against the English govern.- ment and the establishment of an independent government for themselves. Mr. Garner was a manutfacturer of fine linen, and followed that business for manyyears while living in Ireland. He left the land of the shamrock in 1801, and in May of that year arrived at New York. lIe immediately settled in the township of Hardiston, Sussex county, New Jersey, where hlie followed farming and milling. He owned a flouring-mill, and operated it for twenty-one years, when lie sold out and removed to Paterson, New Jersey, and worked at manufac- turing. In September, 1825, he again caught the spirit of moving, and emigrated to the township of Pultney, Steuben county, New York, where he resided in the vicinity of the famed Crooked lake. While in that county he followed farming. In 1833, when the " Michigan fever" began to be felt among the inhabitants of New York, hlie again pulled up, although seventy-seven years of age, and came to Oakland County, and purchased a farm in White Lake township, upon which lihe lived for five years. His death occurred on the 2d day of September, 1838, when' he was eighty-two years and six months old. His wife, to whom hlie had been married over fifty years, was now left to mourn him who had been her companion for so long a time. She lived until 1861, and died in her ninety-second year. She had been a woman of great strength of character, and influential in every community in which she had lived. Always a foe to intemperance, she so thor- oughly instilled her principles into the minds of her children that not one of them ever indulged in the use of liquor, tobacco, nor profane language. Mr. and Mrs. Garner were both exemplary Christians, and lived up to their creed. They were members of the Presbyterian church from their youth, and were among the first members of the church of that denomination, which was organized at White Lake not long after they settled in the township (August 1, 1835). JOHN GARNER, son of Thomas and Ann Garner, was born in the township of HIardiston, Sussex county, New Jersey, April 6, 1805. He lived there with his parents until he was sixteen years old, helping his father on the farm and in the mill, and then removed with them to Paterson, New Jersey, where his father worked at manu- facturing cotton cloths until the fall of 1825, and then removed to the town of Pultney, Steuben county, New York, where hlie and his sons managed a farm. John Garner speaks of an incident which occurred while living in New York that taught him an important lesson. His father one day said to him, "John, go and split that big pine log on the Borden lot into rails." Taking his tools, he " ham- mered away" at it till noon, some of the neighbors remarking that they "guessed John Garner had his match at last." Hle finally split thie log open, and went to dinner. It made one hundred rails, and Mr. Garner says hlie never undertook to split another pine log through thIe heart! At the age of twenty-two hlie left home and went to Bath, Steuben county, New York, and purchased one hundred and seventy acres of wild land. After working upon it a year hlie married Miss Christiana Bachman, daughter of Dea- con Bachman, one of the most influential citizens of the neighborhood. This was in the town of Pultney, and occurred April 8, 1828. He went with his wife (who was born January 27, 1808) to his farm in Bath, and lived there until June, 1833, when he sold out and camne to Michigan with his fatther, and located in White Lake township, Oakland County. HIe was accompanied by his wife and three children, and settled finally where he now lives, on section 5. On the 1st of August, 1835, he and his wife became members of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, organized that day. Mrs. Garner became the mother of thirteen children,-six sons and seven daughters,-and died March 13, 1852, aged forty-four years one month and sixteen days. The names of her children are as follows: JACOB B., born April 9, 1829; died September 27, 1852. TmOMAs C., born May 2, 1831; now a professor in the high school at Owosso, lichigan. ROBERT B., born December 16, 1832; farming in Livingston county. SARAH B., born December 1, 1834; now living at Milford, Oakland County, with her second husband, William Lamphear. NANCY, born September 21, 1836; wife of 0. P. Morgan, of Shiawassee. LucY ANN, born November 19, 1838; died October 23, 1859. JAMES, born February 10, 1841; fhrming in Tuscola county, Michigan. WILLIAM, born April 8, 18-43; farming and milling at Parkersville, Kansas. MARY JANE, born August 16, 1844; now Mrs. James Gordon, of Highland township. JOSEPrINE, born September 1,1846; died April 17, 1852. GEORGE B., born January 16, 1849; died when four days old. CIIRISTIANA, born February 1, 1850; died when two days old. JULIA ANN, born March 9, 1852; died when nine days old. Mr. Garner moved into the old log house on his place in August, 1833, and lived in it until 1846, when he built the stone house he now occupies. He began life in the Michigan wilderness under close circumstances, and had a wife and three children to support. Money was so scarce that it was extremely difficult to get enough to pay the postage on letters, which was then twenty-five cents in HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. silver each. Mr. Garner speaks of having three letters come for him to Pontiac, in 1834, the combined postage being seventy-five cents. He was unfortunate enough to be without the money, and in order to raise it took his axe and beetle, went to his father and begged a job of rail-splitting. After splitting one hundred and fifty rails, at the rate of fifty cents per hundred, he received his money, and went afoot to Pontiac for his letters. Mr. Garner always carried his rifle with him when away from home, and the first season after hlie settled hlie killed over fifty deer. He and Harrison Voorheis, who lived close by, had many an adventure together. On one occasion Garner caught a wounded deer by the tail, and swung around a tree to hold it, and hung on till Voorheis came up and cut its throat. Mr. Garner and his two brothers, William and Thomas, were excellent shots with the rifle, and killed a great many deer. On the 18th of September, 1852, Mr. Garner the second time entered matri- mony, being married that day to Miss Sarah Coryell, of the town of Pultney, Steuben county, New York. She was born July 20, 1822, and was the daughter of Deacon John Coryell, a respected citizen of the township. He was an early settler in the locality, coming there at an early day with his father, David Coryell, from the State of New Jersey. John Coryell is now living, at the age of eighty- one; but his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ellis, is deceased. The father of Mr. Garner's first wife, Jacob Bachman, settled at an early day in the town of Romulus, Seneca county, New York, and afterwards removed to Pultney, Steuben county, where he was living when Mr. Garner married his daughter. The second marriage of Mr. Garner has been blessed with a family of seven children, as follows: JoHN CORYELL, born August 29, 1853. JOSEPHINE, born December 28, 1854; widow of Daniel Kellogg, who died December 1, 1876. JOSEPH, born April 20, 1856; lives at home. LEROY G., born August 20, 1859; lives at home. CHARLES M., born March 10, 1861 ; lives at home. THEODORE, born July 23, 1863; died the next day. ANNIE GRACE, born June 5, 1865; lives at home. Mr. Garner has given his sons, who are married, the sum of one thousand dol- lars each, and to his married daughters eight hundred dollars each. He now owns two hundred and sixty acres of land, lying in sections 4, 5, 6, and 8, and his farm is one of the best in the township. He and his wife are members of the " White Lake church." The building is owned by him and his brother Robert, and these two are the main supporters of the society. In politics hlie is a Republican, and also an earnest advocate of the principles of temperance. He is a member of White Lake grange, No. 253, P. of H. ROBERT GARNER, fifth son and ninth child of Thomas and Ann Garner, is one of a pair of twins, a son and a daughter, and was born in the township of Hardiston, Sussex county, New Jersey, September 2, 1810. When in his eleventh year he moved with his pareits to Paterson, New Jersey, and in September, 1825, to the town of Pultney, Steuben county, New York. In April, 1833, he came with his father to Oakland County, Michigan, and the two located land on sections 5 and 8, the elder purchasing for himself and sons, and Robert in his own name. They re- turned to New York, and immediately thereafter, on the 20th of May, 1833, Robert Garner was married to Miss Mary E. Armstrong, whose father, Andrew Armstrong, was of Scotch and her mother of German descent. Three weeks after his marriage, or early in June, he emigrated with his father and brothers (himself, his brother John, and his father having families) to Michi- gan, and settled on the land he and his father had entered in April. They passed the last house on the way, that of Harley Olmsted, on section 36, eight miles from their new home, and camne on through the woods. They built a shanty at first, in which all three families lived for some time. This was on the land of Thomas Garner, Sr. A log house was next erected close to the site of the shanty, and they lived in that for some nine months. Previous to this, however, John Garner had moved into a house on his own 'place, and in the spring of 1834 Robert moved into a log house, eighteen by twenty-six feet, one and a half stories high, which he had built on his own place on section 5. He first occu- pied it May 21, 1834, one year and a day after his marriage. His present'sub- stantial stone dwelling was built in 1847. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Garner are the parents of eleven children,-two sons and nine daughters,--of whom four are now living. Their children are as follows: JANE, born March 13, 1835; died March 27, 1837. MAROARETTA and MARY, born July 8, 1836; Margaretta died April 17, 1856, and Mary, January 27, 1837. MARY JANE, born November 14, 1838; married November 30, 1858, to Lyman Mathews; now living in Highland township. DEVINA, born November 23, 1840; married "April 1, 1862, to Isaac W. Mills; also living in Highland township. ANDREW A., born September 23, 1843; married May 19, 1870, to Corn Kelly; now living near his father. ANN, born January 13, 1846; died February 20, 1847. MATTIE, born February 18, 1850; married October 16, 1872, to James Pepper; living near her father. CHARLES C., born November 11, 1853; died May 23, 1855. ADA M., born October 20, 1856; died April 9, 1860. CLARISSA, born May 3, 1859; died August 13, 1874. In the fall of 1832, Mr. Garner experienced religion, while 'living in the State of New York, and in August, 1835, united with the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, being chosen one of its first elders. About 1846 hlie joined with other members of the Presbyterian church and formed an independent congrega- tion, which has never been connected with any organization. It is now known as the "White Lake church," and both Mr. and Mrs. Garner are members. Mrs. Garner was converted at the first revival held in the old Presbyterian church, and united with that organization. Mr. Garner was superintendent of the first Sabbath-school in the neighborhood, which was organized about 1837, for the accommodation of all who chose to attend, whether Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, or of other belief. He has been superintendent of six different Sabbath-schools, and holds that position at present in one in the south part of White Lake township. He is also a prominent member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry; was for three terms Master of White Lake grange, No. 253, and is now Overseer of Pomona grange, No. 5, at Pontiac. His father was a Democrat in politics, and in 1832 Robert cast his first vote, for Andrew Jackson. Finally he left the Democratic party, and joined the Whigs, who he considered possessed more honest principles. Was afterwards an abolitionist and finally a Republican, voting for Lincoln in 1860. He has always been a foe to slavery and a strong advocate in favor of teetotalism. He was a candidate at one time for State senator, on the Prohibition ticket, and was defeated by a party vote. His name was used because his temperance principles were so well known. Previous to that time hlie had been a candidate for repre- sentative in the legislature, on the Republican ticket, but was defeated, although hlie ran far ahead of his ticket, and his opponent was only elected by a very small majority. This in a district containing but two Republican towns speaks well for Mr. Garner's popularity. He has always been foremost in matters of reform, and also in the general improvement of the county. Railways, plank-roads, etc., have been aided in a large degree from his means, although the returns have not always proved profit- able to himself. He has perhaps done more than any other man in this portion of Oakland County for the general advancement and improvement of the country he chose to make his home more than forty-four years ago. ie is the present owner of two hundred and forty-five acres of land, and has given a considerable amount to his children. He makes a specialty of wheat- raising, and has harvested in one season as high as two thousand five hundred bushels. He also raises a large amount of clover-seed, and invests to a con- siderable extent in fine stock. His farm is well improved and in excellent condition. OCTAVIUS ROBINSON was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1815, and died May 19, 1871, aged nearly fifty-six years. In 1840 he came to America. Was married on the 18th of May of that year to Ann Mills, and left for America the 28th. On arriving in Michi- gan, Mrs. Robinson stopped a few days in Detroit, while her husband pushed on to Waterford township, Oakland County, and hired out to Daniel Windiate, with whom he stayed for some time. He rented a house, and brought his wife from Detroit and began housekeeping. About 1844-45 he removed to White Lake township, and located on section 2, where he lived the balance of his days. The farm was originally settled by one Daniel Gunn, from whom Mr. Robinson first rented and afterwards purchased it. It now contains three hundred and twenty acres. Mrs. Robinson did not long survive her husband, and followed him to the "land of the hereafter" on the 15th of May, 1873, when fifty-nine years old. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were the parents of two children, of whom the elder, ROSAMoND, was born about 1841. The younger, a son, OCTAVIus ROBINSON, J., was born October 21, 1854. Rosamond is now the wife of John Walls, and Kr G. 0X k0 0Mr e e ,j a, ~ 4J , u ..z x0 '"0 , 71 rI 'k7 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 191 resides in Macon county, Missouri. Octavius was married June 22, 1876, to Abigail Windiate, of Bloomfield township, and is living on the old farm. Mr. Robinson was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and belonged to the lodge at Clarkston, Independence township. He was a prominent man among the Masonic brethren, and reached the degree of R.A.M. His funeral was con- ducted by members of lodges from Pontiac, Waterford, Clarkston, Holly, and Fentonville (Genesee county). In politics he was a Democrat. His occupation was always farming, which he followed on a general plan. During the last few years of his life he turned his attention considerably to raising fine stock, his farm being well adapted to that purpose. ALANSON J. WEBSTER, son of Chester and Mary Webster, who settled in Pontiac township in 1823, was born in that township on the 21st of August, 1827. He was the third of a family of ten children. He lived in Pontiac township until 1851, and was married August 24, of that year, to Delia Richmond, of White Lake. A few days after their marriage the couple moved to the farm in the latter township, where Mrs. Webster is now residing. The land was originally settled by Stephen Fisk, who afterwards traded it to John Austin, the latter making the first improvements on the place. Mr. and Mrs. Webster became the parents of five children,--one son and four daughters,-all now living. The following are their names and dates of birth: ELMER RANDOLPII, born February 10, 1855. E33IA JANE, born August 1, 1865. CIHLOE MATILDA, born January 2, 1869. HATTIE MAY, born February 5, 1872. ADA J., born April 22, 1876. Elmer, the oldest, is now taking a classical course at the university at Ann Arbor, and the others are all at home. Mrs. Webster was born in the town of Galen, Wayne county, New York, Sep- tember 27, 1829, and in 1836, when seven years of age, came with her father, John Richmond, to White Lake. Mr. Richmond settled in the western part of the township, and had a family then consisting of his wife, four sons, and four daughters; two children, a son and a daughter, had died previously in New York while small. Mrs. Webster was next to the youngest in age. Her father died in the fall of 1869, aged eighty-four years. Mr. Webster was a member of the Baptist church at Waterford, as is also his wife. They united with the congregation at Clarkston about 1860, and after- wards changed to Waterford. He was also a member of the Masonic fraternity for nearly twenty years preceding his death. He at first joined at Clarkston, and then became a member of the lodge at Waterford. Politically Mr. Webster was a Democrat, and a very popular man with all classes. In the fall of 1870 he was elected to the representative branch of the legislature, and served one term. In White Lake township he held numerous important offices: was elected supervisor in 1860, and served three successive terms; elected a fourth time in 1865, and held the office continually fordfive terms; in 1871 and 1872 he also filled the position, and was the last time chosen in 1875, his term not yet having expired when he died. He was township treasurer once, and in 1870 was elected justice of the peace, but did not qualify for the position. For some time before his death he had been troubled with a severe cough, and finally was subjected to a violent attack of bleeding at the lungs, after which he constantly weakened, until in a few weeks death ended his sufferings. He was much esteemed by all who knew him or had ever transacted business with him, and at his funeral, which was held in the Webster school-house, the building was entirely inadequate to accommodate the throng of friends who had gathered to listen to the last sad rites and take a parting glance at the features now stamped with the seal of the Great" Destroyer. "Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, And stars to set,--but all, Thou hast all seasons for thine own, 0 Death !" JAMES THOMPSON was born on "Erin's green isle," in county Donegal, and in 1839 came with his father, John Thompson, to the United States, landing at New York on the 15th of June. From New York they proceeded a few days afterwards to Albany via the Hudson river, thence to Buffalo by canal, and from Buffalo to Detroit by boat. From Detroit to Royal Oak they came on the old railway, thence to Bir- mingham by stage, and from Birmingham they drove to Commerce township with a team they had hired. The trip from New York to Commerce occupied two weeks' time. There were seven children in the family, including James, three sons and four daughters,-of whom four are now living. They settled on section 4, in the township of Commerce. About 1845, James Thompson located upon the farm he now owns, in sections 28 and 33, White Lake township, having purchased the property from third hands. Part of it, a forty-acre lot on section 33, had been entered from government by Joel Parker. On the 30th of December, 1857, Mr. Thompson was married to Syene M. Phillips, a native of Milford township, where her father, Pliny Phillips, had settled as early as 1836-37, coming from Rochester, Monroe county, New York. About 1838 or 1840 he moved into Commerce township. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are the parents of four children,-three sons and one daughter,-all living at home with their parents. They are WILLIAM PLINY, GEORGE, JAMES EDGAR, and EMMA Z. In politics Mr. Thompson is a Republican, and was always bitterly opposed to human slavery. He has always worked at farming, following that business on a general plan, and has been very successful. His present farm consists of two hundred and eighty acres of fertile and finely-improved land. He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian church at Commerce, in which Mr. Thompson has held the office of elder for about two years. ROBERT D. VOORHEIS. The subject of this sketch was born in the township of Pultney, Steuben county, New York, January 20, 1816, and in 1834 removed to Michigan with his father, Joseph Voorheis, who settled in Pontiac, about three miles northeast of the village. Robert was one of a family of twelve children who came with their parents to Oakland County, and four others were born afterwards. Joseph Voorheis died in Pontiac township. Robert D. Voorheis was married March 18, 1840, to Lucinda Stockwell, and in 1842 came with his wife and infant daughter to White Lake township, and located on the farm where he now resides, owning land in sections 21 and 22. His father had purchased the place from the government about 1836, and it had been occupied by R. D. Voorheis' brother, Dr. Andrew Voorheis, for some time. The latter built a log house, which stood on the opposite side of the road from Mr. Voorheis' present residence, and a short distance farther west. This house was occupied by Mr. Voorheis and family until 1854, when they moved into their present frame dwelling. Mrs. Voorheis was born in the town of Ira, Cayuga county, New York, July 6, 1815, and is one of a family of eight children. Her father, Levi Stockwell, brought his family to Michigan in 1837, and located a mile north of the village of Auburn, in Pontiac township. Mrs. V. lived with her father dntil her mar- riage, and taught several schools in the county, including two years in her own district. Her father has been dead over twenty years, and her mother died in February, 1875. Mr. and NIrs. Voorheis are the parents of three children, of whom two are now living, both daughters; a son died in infancy. The elder daughter, Harriet, married Charles Wesley Lyman, who afterwards died, and after living a widow for six years she was married to Thomas D. Bartholomew, a Presbyterian minister, and they are now living in Huron county, Ohio. Lavangy, the younger daughter, is the wife of Charles Harger, now living in Pontiac. Mr. Voorheis had followed farming from his youth, and owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres where he is now living. He is a Democrat in poli- tics. In 1854 he was elected to the office of justice of the peace, and served one term. He and his wife are both members of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, with which organization they have been connected since their set- tlement in the township. Mr. Voorheis was formerly a member of the Presbyte- rian church at his native place in New York, and Mrs. V. united with that denomination at Pontiac. SEBRING VOORHEIS. This gentleman was born in the town of Fayette, Seneca county, New York, January 7, 1815. He came to Michigan in 1836, and for three years lived in the neighborhood of Ypsilanti, Washtenaw county. His father, Peter Voorhecis, had come to the State about 1828, and purchased land in the township of Van Buren, Wayne county, but never settled upon it, and never in fact settled in the State. Sebring Voorheis was married on the 11th day of September, 1839, to Sarah Bachman, in Steuben county, New York, he having returned to that State after a stay of three years in Michigan. Soon after his marriage hlie brought his wife HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. to Michigan, and located the same year (1839) in White Lake township. After residing one year on the farm belonging to his cousin, Harrison Voorheis, he settled on the place where hlie now lives, section S. Hie also owns land in section 9. The property was purchased from second hands, although he made the first improvement upon it. le erected a log house, sixteen by twenty-four feet, in which lie lived a number of years. Hle now occupies a brick dwelling, which stands some forty or fifty rods east of the site of the old log house, which gave way to the ravages of time and the elements about 1871-72, and has been removed. Mr. Voorheis has been twice married. By his first wife hlie was the father of two children, both sons: MI ON, born December 10, 1840; now living in White Lake township. PETER, born September 11, 1843, is a graduate of the State university at Ann Arbor, and now engaged in the practice of law at Grand Rapids. MIr. Voorleis' first wife died April 14, 1860, and on the 11th of September, 1867, hlie was married to Julia A. Yerkes, of Plymouth, Wayne county. Since this union a son, CARL STEWART VOORTIEIS, has been born to them, his en- trance into life occurring March 29, 1872. Mrs. Voorheis' father, John Yerkes, was one of the pioneers of Plymouth township, Wayne county, Michigan, having settled there in 1826. He was one of a party of sixteen persons who came at that time, part of the number being the family of his brother, William Yerkes. They were from Romulus, Seneca county, New York. Mr. Yerkes died February 14, 1877, aged seventy-eight years. Mrs. Voorheis was born in Plymouth, Michigan, February 20, 1832. Mr. Voorhis' first wife was born December 6, 118, in the township of Pult- ney, Steuben county, New York, where her father, Jacob Bachman, was an early settler. Mr. Voorheis has always followed general farming. Owns one hundred and fifty acres of finely improved land where hlie lives, He and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, hlie having united with that organization in 1840. In politics hlie is a Republican, and in 1876 was elected supervisor of the town- shipl, although it is usually strongly Democratic. Has held the same office a number of terms previously, having been elected first in 1843. In the fall of 1862 lie was chosen to represent his district in the lower house of the legisla- ture, and served one ternm. Mr. Voorheis' life has been void of over-excitement upon any cause outside of deaths in his family, and his years rest lightly upon him. Ie is much esteemed ly all who have an acquaintance with him, and when the grim " reaper whose name is Death" calls for himn, hlie will take to his final home one of the best of White Lake's citizens. PETER VOORHEIS, son of Peter and Catharine (Sebring) Voorheis, and brother of Sebring Voorheis, of '1White Lake township, was born in the town of Fayette, Seneca county, New York, February 19, 1820. In the autumn of 1841 he came to Michigan, leaving home October 9 of that year, and arrived in the State on the 15th, after a six days' trip. For three years thereafter he lived during the summer season in the township of White Lake, and taught school winters in White Lake, Waterford, and Pontiac. On the 17th of April, 1845, he was married to Miss Arvilla E. Barr, then on a visit to the State. She had come in the fill of 1843 to Lapeer county with relatives, and in some mysterious manner Mr. Voorheis finally per- suaded her to stay in the " Wolverine State." They were married in White Lake township, to which Miss Barr had come in 1844. Her father, Rufus Barr, was a native of Massachusetts, and a descendant in a direct line from the ancient Puritan stock. lie had settled in the town of Westport, Essex county, New York, previous to his daughter's birth, near the now famous Adirondack Springs. Here in the picturesque valley of Lake Champlain, in the "Shade of the mountains, cold and gray," the first cry of the child, who is now living so far from her native place, was heard, and the grand old hills, frowning forth upon the placid waters of the lake, welcomed the being just born in their midst. Her earliest recollections savor of the beauty of her mountain home, and the old place still has greater attractions for her than any other spot of her acquaintance, with perhaps that of the one where she has so long lived in Michigan. In common with her husband she takes great pride in beautifying their home, and both are exemplars of the great class who believe, with tIhe poet, that "'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." Mr. Voorheis' father, Peter Voorheis, Sr., was born in that land of fruitful pro- duction, the State of New Jersey, and when eight or ten years of age moved with his parents and the rest of the family to Virginia. When twenty-one years old, or in 1804-5, he turned his footsteps northward, and finally settled in Seneca county, New York, where he was married to Catharine Sebring, whose parents lived in the town of Ovid. Mr. Voorheis lived in Fayette. Peter Voorheis, of White Lake, is one of a family of ten children,--eight sons and two daughters,-of whom six are now living, all in Michigan. Since their marriage, Ir. and Mrs. Voorheis have been blessed with two children, both sons, only one of whom is at present living. Their older son, GEOR.E P. VOOltRIlElts, was born August 20, 1847, and is now an attorney-at- law, residing at Port Huron, St. Clair county. He was married May 14, 187-4, to Miss Anna Boyce, of Ypsilanti. Hie was graduated from the State university at Ann Arbor, in the class of 1872. DARtiu S. VOORItIEIS was born September 3, 1849, and died August 25, 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Voorheis are members of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, with which Mr. Voorheis united in 1844, and Mrs. Voorheis in 1855. She had previously been a member of the Methodist society, and from her youth was an earnest worker in the " Master's vineyard." Politically, Mr. Voorheis is a Republican. HIe has always worked at farming. In the spring of 1844 he purchased one hundred acres of his present farm (con- sisting of two hundred and twenty acres), and settled upon it in 1845. The per- son from whom hlie bought, Samuel Arthur, had made some improvements. A log house, which stood a short distance west of his present residence, was first occupied by Mr. Voorheis, and in 1849 he built the frame dwelling which he now occupies. By patient and enduring labor he has made the surroundings of his home very pleasant. The orchard, shrubbery, etc., now growing, were all set out by him, and his home of to-day is emphatically the work of his own hands, aided, of course, by the partner who has lived with him "lo! these many years." But a few minutes' wAlk to the westward, at the foot of a gentle slope, the clear waters of White lake roll up to the sandy beach, and " Voorheis' landing" is one of the pleasantest spots to be found in the township. With its fine improvements and picturesque surroundings, there is no wonder that Mr. Voorheis and his family are so strongly attached to their home. HOLLY TOWNSHIP. TUE territory embraced within the limits of Oakland County was divided, in 1820, into two townships, named respectively Oakland and Bloomfield. The former included the north three fifths of the county, and the latter the south two- fifths. This arrangement was continued until 1827, when these two townships were subdivided and five townships erected from the same territory. These were Oakland, Bloomfield, Farmington, Troy, and Pontiac. The latter included, with others, within its limits the present townships of Groveland and Holly. Grove- land township was organized in 1835, including what is now Holly. The legis- lature passed an act on the 6th of March, 1838, creating a new township, called HOLLY, from the west half of Groveland, or the congressional township desig- nated on the government surveys as " town 5 north, range 7 east." Strenuous efforts had previously been made to organize a separate township for civil pur- poses, but the project was opposed by several of the settlers in better circum- stances, from the fact that the population within its limits was then so small that they would have the bulk of tihe taxes to pay if the parties for the division should attain the object they were seeking for. Principal among the opposition party was Peter Fagan, then thIe largest property-owner in the township. Finally ihe withdrew his opposition, as did the others, and the new organization was effected. y Ott; a .. i w. w ALI, ii 1< 0 t f~/~ } z I" ~f< 0 0 0 / HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 193 I The township was named by Jonathan T. Allen, after Mount Holly in New Jersey. THIE SURFACE of the township is much diversified, and the landscape is dotted with hill and valley, lake and stream, marsh and swamp, smiling fields and green forests, while in nearly every part the improvements which have been made keep pace with the general advancement of the country, evince the taste of its inhabitants, and lend a pleasing variety to the vieiv. The higher lands, though not rising to the alti- tude reached in other parts of the county, are of sufficient elevation to be classed as hills, and are of the formation so common in the southern peninsula of Michi- gan,-merely upheaved piles of gravel and bowlders, the latter worn smooth in their tossings and grindings during the period of glacial drifting, when the mighty com- motion of ice and water which swept over the land hollowed out the depressions where now are found lakes and swamps, and rolled together promiscuously the deposits of rock and mineral which were borne on their icy car from regions far- ther north and west. Holly township contains a considerable number of lakes, mostly surrounded by marsh and tamarack swamp. All abound in fish of a fine quality, and the disciple of Izaak Walton here finds rare sport in angling for the varied members of the finny tribe, while in their season vast numbers of wild fowl frequent the country, seemingly created for their especial benefit, and the crack of the sportsman's gun is heard far and near. Principal among the lakes are Bush, Crotched Pond, Gravel, Fagan, and Bevins. There are in the township about fifty lakes and ponds, and by them and their outlets, including Swartz creek and the Shiawassee river, it is well watered. The soil is generally sandy. Through a system of summer fallowing and persevering labor it is made to produce excel- lent crops of wheat, which is the staple grain of this part of the State. Other small grains are raised with very good success, and corn averages fairly with that raised in any other township in the county. Much land-plaster is used, its fer- tilizing properties being of great assistance in preparing the land for successful returns for the labors of the farmer. IRON ORE appears in places in the quality known as "bog ore," but not in sufficient quanti- ties to pay for working. The township contains in the western part many min- eral springs, some of their waters possessing strong medicinal qualities. By a small outlay some of these springs might be made the source of a considerable income, and the " Holly Springs" become as famous as those of Saratoga, New Bedford, or Berkeley. THE TIMBER of the township is principally of the several varieties of oak, and in but few places are there any remains of the heavy timber, it being generally of a second growth. When the country was first settled the underbrush was kept down by the extensive fires which swept over its surface, and only since the fires have ceased has the new supply been allowed to grow. As a result the young timber stands thick upon the ground, and the supply is unlikely soon to be exhausted. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. William Gage, a pioneer from the State of New York, had the honor of being the first white man who made a settlement within the limits of. what is now Holly township. Some time during the year 1831 he came with his family and located on section 6, where he built the first house in the township. It was of the same description as all the houses built at first upon the then borders of civili- zation,-a small structure of logs, with the various peculiarities so well known to those who yet remember their own experience in the settler's log cabin. Mr. Gage's son John, born in the latter part of 1832 or early in 1833, was most probably the first white child born in the township. The following story has been related to us, but as it is not known where the child was born, and the exact date of its birth is not given, it is proper to conclude that John Gage was the first. As the "Patriot war in Canada" mentioned did not occur until 1837, it is not possible that this was the first child; but we give the story: Acompany of soldiers, on their way to Canada to participate in the " Patriot war," stopped one morning at the old Beach hotel, on section 12, and partook of some liquor. On their departure they left an old, ragged, and sleeveless coat rolled on the table, and the landlord seized it and was about to toss it out of doors, when the wail of an infant was heard from its interior. It is said "mine host of ye inn" became very faint for a moment or two, but finally recovered sufficiently to examine the bundle. His surprise may be imagined when he found a healthy female infant, of an extremely tender age, wrapped up in the dirty old garment. ,It had evi- dently been born but a very short time previously, and had not as yet been washed nor dressed. Mrs. Peter Ingersoll took the child and cared for it, and the set- tlers came from all directions to see the little stranger, cast so unceremoniously upon the charity of the world. A number of applications were made by persons 25 wishing to adopt it, and finally the child was delivered into the custody of Mrs. James P. Allen, who lived with her husband on the shore of what is noy known as Simonson's lake, within the present limits of the village of Holly. The child grew and prospered, and ultimately earned a worthy reputation as a school-teacher. MIr. Allen finally removed from the place, for the reason, it is said, that hlie feared the child might learn that he and his wife were not its parents. The second settler in the township was Nathan Herrick, who erected his log dwelling on section 1, and moved into it in the spring of 1832. He had pre- viously lived for some time in Bloomfield township. He became a prominent personage among the settlers, and in April, 1835, at the first election in Grove- land, was elected supervisor of that township, which then included Holly. STerrence Fagan, from the town of Worcester, Otsego county, New York, was the third settler in the township, locating with his family in 1833. He came and entered land on sections 2, 3, 10, and 11, in the spring of that year, and moved his family soon afterwards. His log house was the third one erected in the township. His son, Peter Fagan, visited Michigan in October, 1832, on a tour of inspection. iHe examined the land in Holly, which both he and his father afterwards purchased, and returned to New York. He came back with his father's family, and in 1834-35 entered the land hlie now owns. He is re- siding on section 15. In the fall of 1832 he worked for Nathan Herrick, on the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike road. This was a military road, laid to accom- modate the soldiers passing between Detroit and Saginaw. It was finished in 1834 to Mount Morris, six miles north of Flint, Genesee county, that point being as far as the Territorial government had charge of its construction. Terrence Fagan was a native of Ireland, and died on the 20th of January, 1852, when within but three days of eighty-five years of age. His wife, Bridget Pagan, died December 10, 1857, aged eighty-two. The first marriage in Holly township was that of Peter Fagan and Eliza L. Dains, which was consummated on the 18th of November, 1838. The ceremony was performed by Ira C. Alger, justice of the peace, now a physician, living in Holly. iMr. Fagan and his bride moved immediately after into his log house, said building being ten feet square and about six feet high, with a huge fire- place in one end, while the other was occupied by a bed, a flour-barrel, and a pork-barrel. Mr. Fagan had for some time "kept bachelor's hall" in this im- posing edifice, and his newly-made bride perhaps remembered the old saying, "What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," and correctly reasoned that she could live in it for a time if he could. They are now pleasantly situated, and have around them the accumulated comforts which are the results of thirty- nine years of patient toil, together with a rigid practice of economy, and a faculty for making everything go to its uttermost extent. It was a cause for thankful- ness in those days to be the possessors of a barrel of pork or a barrel of flour, although either could be purchased for three dollars. Many were often without even a cent of money, and, as a sample of the hard times, the fact may be stated that people were very often without the necessary amount of funds to pay the postage on letters which came to them, and were obliged to work and earn it be- fore they could take the letters from the office. Postage on letters from the east was then twenty-five cents each, and if a man were so lucky-or unlucky-as to have three or four arrive for him at once, it is possible that the satisfaction of re- ceiving news from friends may have been overbalanced by the regret caused at being bbliged to pay so much postage. All were not left in such condition, many of the settlers having plenty to live upon, and never seeing the time when there was not sufficient provision in the house to set a comfortable table. In matters of dress, and the obtaining of the necessary implements with which to cultivate the soil, the supply was sooner brought to their doors than in localities farther east, which were settled at a much earlier day. Stores were more quickly started, and it was not necessary for the settlers to make long, weary trips across a hilly or mountainous country to secure the needed articles for either household or farm use. A ready market was near by, at Detroit, although a trip to .that city " by the blue and rushing river" was attended, before the era of turnpikes and railways, with trials which would make many persons flinch from the ordeal at the present day. Terrence Pagan was buried on his eighty-fifth birthday. He and his wife sleep side by side in the " Hadley cemetery," which is located on sections 18 and 19, Groveland township. This cemetery contains the remains of many of the early settlers in both Holly and Groveland. When Mr. Fagan came to Michigan he was accompanied by his wife and their three sons, Peter, John, and Thomas. The sons are all living in Holly township; Peter is the only one ever married. He has a considerable family, and is now somewhat *dvanced in years, which rest lightly upon him. He is the oldest resident of the township now living within its limits. The first death was that of a daughter of Stephen Davis. She died of con- sumption, in 1836. Her mother died some time during the fall of 1837, from the HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. effects of a severe cold. On the day site was buried the only persons at the house when the hour for her burial arrived were her husband, their two sons-George and John-and William Young. It appeared necessary for the sons to help Mr. Young in the work of interment, and great was their trouble. It seemed not enough that their beloved mother should be stricken from their midst,-they themselves must help bury her as an additional weight of sorrow. At an oppor- tune moment, however, two young gentlemen from Pontiac, George W. Wisner and Morgan L. Drake, drove up and stopped. They at once appreciated the situ- ation and offered their aid. But some kind of a funeral ceremony must be had, and the question was how to arrange it. The two young men were out on an electioneering tour,* and Wisner, who is said to have always been equal to an emergency, offered to conduct the services. He remarked that he was " not a minister, nor yet a professor, to his shame, and therefore would not pray, but he could read." Accordingly, he read a chapter from the Bible, and then expounded upon it at some length, after whiclh lie and his companion kindly and reverently assisted 3Ir. Young in lowering the coffin into the grave and covering it from mortal gaze, and then passed on their way. Mr. Wisner was afterwards elected to a position in the State senate. Mr. Young, who is still living in Holly village, yet affirms that to this day he has never leard a better sermon than the one preached by the minister pro temporeto that congregation of five persons, includ- ing tire mourners; and doubtless Mr. Wisner spoke with much feeling, for such an occasion, in such a locality, was one to awaken deep sympathy, and touch a tender chord in the most hardened heart. The fillowing is a nearly perfect list of the settlers who came to thie township from 1832 to 1837, inclusive: Calvin Ilerrick, Nathan Herrick, William Gage, Peter Fagan, John Fagan, IIannibal Vickery. These were all in town some time during 1832, although they did not all settle that year. In 1833 the following persons came: T[errence Fagan, Thomas Fagan, Alonzo Rt. Rood. In 1834, Burnett Scott, Asa Beach; the latter kept a tavern on the old turnpike, on section 12. In 1835, Darius Austin, John Runyon, Matthiew Morehouse, Jonathan T. Allen, Edwin Edwards, Alexander Galloway, George Mitchell, John Forsyth, and possibly Masten W. Richards re- moved from Groveland township the same year; he had settled in the latter in 1830h. In 1836, William Young, Moses Smith, William Haas, Robert Kennedy, Stephen Dains. John Dains, Ira C. Alger, Edward Bray, II. HII. Bartlett, Isaac Springer, Nichiolas Yorton, Isaac Taylor, Meshek G. Norris, Sr., Edward Hull, John Stringer, John Stone, Sylvanus Bartlett, Filer Frost. In 1837, David Ackerson, William B. Decker, W\Villiam Bevins, Willet C. Day. Of some of these men more extended sketches are given. A majority of them have passed away from earth, and are "Only remembered by what they have done." Alonzo R. Rood is a native of Orleans county,Wrermont. When quite young, his father, Ezra Rood, removed with the family to Batavia, Genesee county, New York. In 1822, Ezra Rood brought his famnily, then consisting of his wife and eight chil- dren, to Oakland County, Michigan, and settled in Bloomfield township. Four children were born to Mr. Rood and ils wife in this county. In the fall of 1833, Alonzo R. Rood came to Holly township (then Groveland), and located land on section 26, where lie now lives, purchasing fiom government. ie and his brother- in-law, Vincent Runyon, came together at that time, and cut hay south of where Peter Fagan now ilves.t The first timber cut in the neighborhood was that used to build Ir. Rood's log house, which stood just cast of the spot now occupied by his barn. his house, which was little else than a "shanty," contained a floor made of' hewed planks, and was covered with what was known as a " cob-roof," made of poles and " shakes." Mr. Rood's frame house, built about 1836-38, is claimed to have been the first frame dwelling erected in the township. It is still standing. For a considerable time after the country was settled grain was thrashed on the ground with flails, and cleaned with the old-faishioned " fans." Next, thrashing- floors were laid, and the grain was cleaned up by "winnowing." Finally, greater improvements were introduced, and with their use and lapse of years the old cus- toms are almost forgotten. For music the settlers had nothing better than the nightly howling of the wolves, which animals infested the country in great num- bers. They could always be heard nights, but were seldom heard or seen in the daytime. The long-drawn howl of the wolf is well known to all who have heard it as a most mournful sound, and the noise made by a very small number of these animals will cause the listener to imagine there are hundreds of them in full chorus close by. When "The evening sky shone bright and clear And the evening stars camne on," * Possibly on their way to court in another county. t This is given on the authority of Mir. Fagan, who says Rood did not make an actual settle- ment until the spring of 1835. the pioneer, returning to his rude couch, was lulled to sleep, after becoming used to the sound, by the cries of the wolves, and soon those strange "Lamentings heard i' the air" were thought but little of. Occasionally, however, a scare would be created by some person being chased to his home by a hungry pack of the gaunt creatures, or their ravages among the pig-pens in the " wee sma' hours ayent the twal'." Nothing is related to show that they ever did personal injury to any of the settlers, and in comparison with their breed in other localities they were harmless. Bears were somewhat numerous, but not many of them met a tragic fate in this part of the county. Deer were everywhere plenty, and the supply of meat for any family need never get low so long as the hand of the settler was steady, his aim true, and ammunition on hand quantum sufficit. Feathered game was also abun- dant, wild turkeys, etc., being found in most localities. All these have disap- peared from the country, and the sportsman must needs lay aside his rifle and take up his shot-gun, and be content with practice upon the migratory birds which frequent this "land of lakes" during the spring and autumn. The largest game for the rifle in this part of the State is the squirrel, though even these bright little animals are becoming scarce. It has been mentioned that William Gage was the first actual settler in the township. This is true, although be did not enter land until it had been taken up in another locality. TIIE FIRST ENTRY OF LAND IN HOLLY was made by Nathan lerrick, on the 16th day of September, 1830. He entered a part of section 1, on the old Saginaw trail, afterwards the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike. William Gage and Isaac Parish nmade entries on section 6, in 1831. Gage settled on his purchase near where the old Indian trail to Shiawassee and Muccopenakoneag crossed Swartz creek. In 1833 land was entered by Alonzo R. Rood, Terrence Fagan, Vincent Runyon, David Hiusted, and Edwin Edwards. Edwin Edwards came to Oakland County, in the year 1822, from Ithaca, Tomp- kins county, New York. He stopped for some time in Detroit and then came to Pontiac, at which place he arrived in September, 1822. The same fall lie settled at Waterford village, in Waterford township, and while living there married Nancy Williams, a daughter of Alpheus Williams. She died April 22, 1826, and hers was the second burial in the old cemetery at Waterford village. Her brother, Oliver Williams, Jr., was the first person buried in it. Mr. Edwards was afterwards married to Hannah Lewis, and in November, 1835, came to Holly township and settled on the fatrm in section 8 upon which lie now resides. His second wife died in 1855, and in 1856 lie was married to Mrs. C. Robinson, who came with her first husband, Michael Keating, to the township of Groveland, in the year 1836. She is from Chittenden county, Vermont. Mr. Edwards was the first settler on the land where lie is living.' It was en- tered from government by his father, Edward Edwards, who had previously settled at Sturgis, St. Joseph county, Michigan, where hlie finally died. He had been one of the first settlers in. Broome county, New York. His grandfather (Edwin Edwards' great-grandfather) was the famous Jonathan Edwards, of Con- necticut. Edwin Edwards is now in his seventy-eighth year (born in October, 1799), and has spent his l.ife principally in Oakland County since his emigration to it, fifty-five years ago. ie has been a great deer-hunter in his day, and says it Was never any trouble for him to keep the family supplied with meat. He is the only one living of a fanmily of ten sons. Mrs. Edwards, then Mrs. Keating, speaks of some of her trials when she and her husband settled in Groveland township. There was a beaver-dam across a small stream near their house, and the spot was frequented i)y some very large sand- hill cranes. She was unacquainted with such birds, and was greatly alarrAed lest they should carry off her child. A neighbor at last told her the birds were harm- less, and her fears were allayed. Jonathan T. Allen came originally from the town of Hlowell, Monmouth county, New Jersey, in 1825, and after stopping a few weeks in Detroit settled in Macomb county, Michigan, where lie lived ten years. HIe was accompanied from New Jersey by his wife and eight children, and three of his children were afterwards born on Michigan soil. In 1835 he removed from Macomb to Oakland County, and settled on section 35, in Holly township, where lie lived until within a few years of his death, which occurred in 1865 or 1866, when lie was a few days over eighty-five years of age. Of his children there are ten living-seven of them in Oakland county, and six of the seven in hIolly township. The place now occu- pied by Ira Allen was taken up by his father at the same time with the other land. Jonathan T. Allen built his house-a log structure-on section 35, in September, 1835. William Young came from Orleans county, New York, to Michigan in May, 1836, and purchased land in Holly township on sections 22, 23, and 27. He 0y x it HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 195 I built a log house-the first one in the immediate neighborhood-on section 22, and it is still standing. Mr. Young is a native of New Hampshire, and before going to New York resided for a considerable period in Vermont. He purchased his land in Holly from government, with the exception of one tract of forty acres, which he bought from second hands, after moving his family to the State. As soon as he had completed his log dwelling in 1836 he returned to New York, and in March, 1837, came back with his family, which then consisted of his wife and five children. Settlers were arriving in considerable numbers at that time, and Mr. Young kept " open house" from sheer necessity. In 1851 lie went to Spring- field Post-Office, in Springfield township, and stayed at that place about a year and a half. Hle has since moved on and off his farm several times, and for y ars kept tavern while living on the old place. In the fall of 1868 lie came to Holly vil- lage and purchased the old " Northern," or " Union" hotel, on the corner of Sag- inaw and Maple streets. He rebuilt it, erecting a large building thirty-six by sixty feet, which hlie called the " Mansion House." This hlie sold to his son-in-law, Meshek Norris, and it was burned September 23, 1876. Mr. Young is now living on Saginaw street, in Holly village. He is the father of eleven children, of whom five are now living, three sons and two daughters. In the fall of 1835, Moses Smith came, with his wife, four sons, and one daugh- ter, from the town of Olive, Ulster county, New York, and lived during the fol- lowing winter on the "Saginaw turnpike," near the Hadley cemetery, in Grove- land township. Mrs. Smith wove carpets for the settlers, and in May, 1836, the ftmily removed to the fatrm on which they now reside,---section 36, Holly township, where Mr. Smith built a substantial log house, which hlie says was then the best one in the neighborhood, although when they moved in it was without floor or doors. It had a good shingle roof, however, and in that respect possessed great advantage over the common cabins, many of which were covered with mere roofs of bark, which, in case of a storm, were little better than no roofs at all. Mr. Smith purchased government land, which was principally in the "oak openings," and had but little heavy timber. At that time there were but few settlers in the neighlborhood, and the country was generally considered very poor. Notwith- standing, people began to arrive in considerable numbers during that season, and many of them stayed with Mr. Smith until they could construct shanties of their own. 1836 and 1837 were the years when the " Michigan fever" reached its height, and neighbors were soon plenty. To-day it scarcely seems that such great changes have been wrought in the comparatively short space of forty years; yet, "Where once frowned a forest a garden is smiling," and the scenes of long ago are known no more in the land to the inhabitants thereof. Mr. Smith followed the route generally taken by those whose faces were look- ing westward, viz.: from Buffalo to Detroit by boat, and thence with teams the remainder of the distance. After leaving Detroit hlie came over the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike, with no definite idea of the locality hlie should settle in. When he left New York he had not made up his mind whether he would locate in Michigan, Illinois, or elsewhere. Of Mr. and Mrs. Smith's children five are now living,-three sons and two daughters. Some of the sons were in the army during the rebellion, and served in the Third Michigan Cavalry. One son-Dennis-died of disease and exposure at San Antonio, Texas. Joel Warren came from the town of Murray, Orleans county, New York, about 1837, and purchased eighty acres of land on section 22 from William Young. Soon after he went to Ypsilanti, Washtenaw county, to visit his son-in-law, Lyman W. Spalding, now living in Holly, after which he returned to New York, and in the fall of 1838 came again to Michigan, this time accompanied by his family, consisting of his wife, four sons, and three daughters. Two daughters and one son had previously married and emigrated to Michigan. The son-Erastus- settled at Ypsilanti previous to the excitement caused by the famous Black Hawk war of 1832-33. He was a painter by trade, and enlisted during that war. He was thrown from his horse and badly injured, and is now drawing a pension from government; resides in St. Joseph county, Michigan. Charles Warren lives on section 22, Holly township, next east of his father's old farm. Joel Warren and wife have been dead,-the former about ten, and the latter about five years. Both had reached an advanced age. Samuel Green was born in the State of New Jersey, where his father, Morris Green, who came from England, settled at an early day. Samuel Green removed from New Jersey to Canada, thence to Tompkins county, New York, and finally to Michigan. He came to Oakland County in 1836, and lived two years near Pontiac. In 1838 lie changed his place of abode to Holly township, and settled on section 7, where A. Ostrander now lives. There hlie lived until 1844, when lihe died at the age of fifty-six years. He brought his wife and eleven children with him to Michigan, while the oldest son, who had never left New Jersey, remained in that State. Two children were born to him in Michigan, and of the entire number all but one are living. Mrs. Green died some twenty years after the death of her husband. Reuben Green is the only one of Samuel Green's children now living in Holly township. The farm on which he resides was settled by Nicholas Yorton in 1836. In the winter of 1876-77, Mr. Green erected a mill on his place for the purpose of grinding feed for stock; and besides what he man- ufactures for his own use, lie has considerable custom from others. Nicholas Yorton, who settled the present Reuben Green place, is now living on section 7, in the northwest part of the township. At the first election held in Groveland township (which then included Holly), in April, 1835, the candidates for the office of supervisor were Nathan Herrick and Philip H. McOmber. Thirteen votes were cast, and Herrick was elected by a ,majority of one. The deciding vote was cast by Peter Pagan, who, before voting, inquired how it then stood, and on learning that they had six apiece, dropped in one for Herrick, and elected him. When MeOmber learned that he was defeated, he went to Fagan and asked him if he knew who it was that had cast the last vote, and Fagan told him that Joseph Jennings was the offending party. Jennings was pledged to support McOmber (and of course had done so), and the idea that hlie had not been true to his promise somewhat nettled McOm- ber, who walked up and knocked Jennings down. As the latter was an excessive stammerer, hlie did not have a chance to explain before McOmber's fist laid him low. It seems that the politicians of that day were as apt to wax wroth at defeat as those of the present, and were not backward in showing their disappointment. It is not related whether amicable relations were afterwards resumed, nor that Jennings ever learned who had made him the bruised victim of a practical joke. At the FIRST TOWN-MEETING held in the township of Holly proper, in April, 1838, at the house of John Runyon, on land noW owned by William Green, the following were the officers elected, according to the memory of the old settlers, the records for a number of years after the organization of the township having been lost: Supervisor, Jonathan T. Allen; Township Clerk, Ira C. Alger; Treasurer, Willet C. Day; Highway Commissioners, Peter Fagan, Daniel Donaldson, Edwin Edwards; Justices of the Peace, Ira C. Alger, William Gage, John Stone; School Inspector, Filer Frost; Constables, Daniel Donaldson, William Bevins, Calvin Herrick, and one other, whose name is now forgotten; Assessors, Peter Fagan, Edwin Edwards, and the supervisor, ex-oficio. At that time there were forty-three voters in the township, most of whom set- tied in 1836. From 1839 to 1842 it is impossible to give the supervisors of the township, from the fact that the county business during that period was transacted by a board of county commissioners, and the names of the supervisors do not appear on the county records. Since 1842 they have been as follows: 1842-43, Filer Frost; 1844-47, Francis Baker; 1848, Ira C. Alger; 1849- 50, James Patterson; 1851, Peter Fagan; 1852-56, James Patterson; 1857- 60, Harrison Smith; 1861, Ahasuerus W. Buell; 1862, Harrison Smith; 1863- 77, Thomas L. Patterson, the latter serving continuously for the unusual period of fourteen years. Justices of the Peace.-1839, Jonathan T. Allen, Ira C. Alger, Simeon Marsh; 1840, Franklin Hurlbut; 1841, Andrew Moses; 1842, Filer Frost, William Gage; 1843, John Stone; 1844, Jonathan D. Parker, Franklin Hurlbut; 1845, Nicholas Yorton; 1846, Filer Frost, Thomas Joslin; 1847, John Stone, Jr.; 1848, Peter Eliot; 1849, Thomas Joslin; 1850, Filer Frost; 1851, John Sage; 1852, Ira C. Alger, Darius R. Stone; 1853, Francis Baker, Daniel Donaldson; 1854, Francis Baker; 1855, Darius R. Stone, Edwin Hall; 1856, Jackson McHenry; 1857, Ira C. Alger; 1858, John Hawley, James Patterson; 1859, Elisha H. Marsh, David S. Martin; 1860, Daniel Green; 1861, Daniel Donald- son; 1862, Francis Baker, Norman Fredenburg; 1863, Elisha H. Marsh; 1864, , 1865, Daniel Donaldson; 1866, Francis Baker; 1867, James M. An- drews, James B. Simonson; 1868, Elisha H. Marsh; 1869, Alexander G. Comn- stock; 1870, Charles C. Waldo; 1871, Francis Baker, Bela Cogshall; 1872, -; 1873, Thomas H. Fagan, Francis Baker; 1874, Milton M. Burnham; 1875, Rosecrans Devine; 1876, Charles C. Waldo; 1877, Chauncey Stewart. It is probable that Jonathan T. Allen was supervisor of the township from 1839 to 1842. The present township officers are: Supervisor, Thomas L. Patterson; Town Clerk, Charles Burger; Treasurer, Edward Hadley; Highway Commissioner, Case J. Allen; Drain Commissioner, Georgo C. Everts; Township Superintendent of Schools, James G. Mitchell; School Inspector, Moses A. Plumer; Justices of the Peace, M. M. Burnham, R. K. Devine, C. C. Waldo, Chauncey Stewart; Constables, D. R. Burnham, W. G. Evans, Willard Fullam, Julius L. Jones. [96 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. TIIE FIRST POST-OFFICE is erroneously supposed by many to have been established at Stony Run, on sec- tion 1; but this office was established half a mile across the line, in the town of Grand Blanc, Genesee county, where Masten W. Richards had moved from Grove- land township.* (He possibly lived at one time in Holly.) This office was established in 1836, and was afterwards removed to Holly township (Stony Run), Oakland County. In the history of Holly village a sketch of the post-office at that place will be found. The mail-route through the old post-office of Stony Run was from De- troit to Saginaw, over the turnpike between those points, and via Flint, Genesee county. There are at present four post-offices on this turnpike, northwest of Pontiac, to wit: Springfield, Austin, Groveland, and Stony Run; the latter now being the northern terminus of the mail-route. The mails were orignally carried on horseback. MISCELLANEOUS. William Young erected a building and opened a blacksmith-shop in 1839, the first one in the township. It stood on section 22, and Mr. Young hired a man named Hiram Hadstead to do his blacksmithing. The latter personage made a contract with his ex-wife to perform the work in the second story, and it was not long before this twain were again made "one flesh." The ceremony was performed by Filer Frost, J. P., and the second marriage of this couple was also the second marriage which took place in the township. Nothing being said to the contrary, it may be supposed they "lived happily ever afterwards." The first hotel in the township was built at Stony Run, in 1834, by Smith Jenks and Thomas Irish, and in its day was well patronized. In the fall of 1844, Thomas Joslin came to Michigan from Steuben county, New York, and in the spring of 1845 moved to the place where he now lives, on section 17. He purchased the land from government, and, in order to get to his place, cut a road through for two miles. He brought his wife and five sons with him. They are all living, and his children are well settled in life. One son is engaged in the practice of law at Grand Rapids, two are ministers of the Metho- dist Episcopal faith (at present on the Detroit conference), one lives on a farm adjoining his father's place, and the other owns a fine farm in the southwest part of the township, where he has lived for three years, having been for many years previously editor of the Saginaw Enterprise, published at East Saginaw. He is the oldest son, and only relinquished the newspaper business on account of failing health. Thomas Joslin himself, who at first built him a rough log house, at pres- ent occupies a neat frame building on his old place, and is living contentedly on the spot where he has passed more than thirty-two years. THE FIRST ROAD in the township was that portion of the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike which crosses the northeast corner, on sections 1 and 12. This was completed in 1834, as previously stated. From all accounts given by settlers, the lower or southern portion of this road was long a terrible mud-hole. The distance from Detroit to Royal Oak, thirteen miles, was almost impassable, and many teams were unable to advancq at a more rapid rate than five miles a day. When Peter Fagan came, in 1833, this was the best time he could make over that portion of the route, and he had a good ox-team and a span of horses drawing his wagon. For many years after Detroit was settled it was supposed that there was no "hard land" within a great many miles of it, and when some adventurers, more bold than others, pushed out through the almost interminable swamp, and found the beautiful country in the neighborhood of Royal Oak, their story was scarcely credited. It finally be- came a settled fact that there was fine farming country to the northwest of De- troit, and then a great excitement was raised in the small city, and its inhabitants flocked forth to invest in the newly-discovered "land of promise." A plank-road was laid from Holly to Flint in 1855-56, and was for some time kept in good repair. It was finally left to run itself, and at present the only traces of it are occasional worn pieces of plank pushing up at various angles, in about such shape as Mississippi river snags, although not quite as great sources of danger. This was the only plank-road ever constructed in the township, and will most probably be the last. MILITARY. When the rebel guns opened upon Fort Sumter in April, 1861, the echoes traveled with lightning speed to the north, and were answered by responsive throbs in the heart of every patriot in the land. The desire to at once take up arms and wipe out the insult to the nation was everywhere at the highest pitch, and nowhere was the excitement greater than at Holly. Immediately succeeding the president's call of April 15, 1861, for seventy-five thousand men for three months' service, the following persons volunteered from the township of Holly: * Authority of Peter Fagan. Edwin Joslin, John McCann (rejected), Thomas Smith (rejected), John Goodrich, and Virgil Halstead. In 1862 nearly the whole of Company C, Eighth Michigan Cavalry, was raised in the township, and rendezvoused at Mount Clemens, Macomb county. The original officers of this company were Jerome B. Calkins, captain; John M. Baird, first lieutenant; William Merryweather, second lieutenant. It is said that the first bounties offered in the county were paid at a meeting held at the old school-house, on Saginaw street, in Holly village. The money was advanced by William Young and James Patterson. About one hundred and sixty men volunteered from Holly township during the war. Twenty of them were reported killed or dead of disease, and six were brought back and buried in the home cemeteries. The direct war taxes on the township amounted to thirteen thousand six hundred dollars. Thus it will be seen that both men and means were furnished as soon as needed, and the patriotism of the citizens of the township never can be doubted. Her sons "fought the good fight," and helped to conquer. Those who safely returned bear the laurels richly earned, while those who rest on southern fields, their bones again mingled with the dust from which they sprang, have taught a rescued country the value of gratitude. Theirs was the fate of the patriot, and in their green graves, by river, mountain, and plain, let them calmly sleep till they shall awake to the sound of the final trump, and greet again the ones who, next to their coun- try, were best beloved. The first celebration 9f the anniversary of American independence was held on section 22, July 4, 18 9, at the hotel kept by Win. Young. Mr. Young had arranged two tables, each twelve rods in length, and fed the hungry at the rate of fifty cents a couple. Hle had also brought a gun and a gunner from Clarkston, and the forest re-echoed to the thundering salvos belched forth from the brazen throat of the single piece of ordnance, while the people listened to strains of elo- quence which proceeded from the lips of Michael E. Crofoot and Hiram Rood, of Pontiac. who were the orators of the day. The " forest primeval" probably never had a gathering beneath its shade at which greater good feeling was manifested or a happier company of people congregated. Those of the pioneers who are living yet recall the occasion as one of the bright links which connect the history of the past with that of the present, and could the same people be gathered together to- day, the reunion would be most pleasant and the enjoyment of all complete. SCIOOLS. A school was opened in 1833 in a log school-house, which was built on the turnpike, where it crosses the line between Groveland and Holly. The building stood immediately upon the township-line, and was the first school-house built in either township. The first teacher was an Irishman named Hugh Dougherty, who taught a very popular school. The original number of pupils was twelve. Some members of a family named Galloway were wont to mischievously pro- nounce the teacher's name "Dog-harty." The school-house was burned to the ground some years after it had been abandoned for school purposes. While it was in use occasional preaching was held in it,-".old Elder Gamble," of Grand Blanc, Genesee county, a clergyman of the Baptist denomination, holding forth in the neighborhood at different periods. The second building erected for school purposes was built in 1837, on section 26. About a dozen pupils attended, and were taught by Anna Dobkins in the branches then deemed of most importance. The first male teacher in this build- ing was C. P. Jones. About the same year (1837) a log school-house was built on section 36, and stood on the opposite side of the road from the present residence of Moses Smith. The first teacher was a young lady named Adelia Young, who is said to have been an excellent lady, and a good teacher, though at that time but fifteen or six- teen years of age. She afterwards married John Allen, thereby terminating a courtship, it is stated, of seven years. A frame school-house was some time after- wards built near the site of the present frame structure, on land taken partially from the Moses Smith farm. There are at present eight schools in the township outside of Holly village, and all are neat and substantial buildings. The number of school-children is in the neighborhood of seven hundred. The population of the township, including the village, is about two thousand seven hundred, of which number about two thousand are in the village alone. VILLAGE OF HOLLY. This place owes its start and subsequent growth to the location through its site of the Detroit and Milwaukee railway. This line was completed as far as Holly in 1855, the first train arriving in October of that year. Previous, however, to the building of the railway, a small settlement had been formed, which was the nucleus of the present thriving and busy village. The first station-agent at this / 17 ,% 7 i>7jjI " e; r , F g , ff' s. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 197 I point was Ira C. Alger, and the first car-load of wheat shipped to Detroit was forwarded by Everett Wendell and A. W. Buell. The amount of freight for- warded from Holly station for the year ending July 1, 1876, was 18,980,946 pounds; amount received, 7,909,179 pounds; total, 26,890,125 pounds; or nearly 13,500 tons. The number of passenger tickets sold for the same period was 19,491. These figures show nearly the annual average of the business of the road at this station since it was completed. A considerable number of the employees reside in the village, and the annual aggregate of their wages is some- thing over 813,000. An accommodation train runs from this place to Detroit, leaving early in the morning, and is of much advantage to persons doing business in the city and living outside, or to those going to it to trade. The Flint and Pere Marquette railway was completed between Holly and Flint in 1862, and the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railway opened for travel as far as Monroe in 1870. These two roads were afterwards consolidated, and the name "Flint and Pere Marquette railway" now applies to the entire line. For the year ending July 1, 1876, the amount of freight forwarded over this road was 12,586,834 pounds; freight received, 25,910,090 pounds; total, 38,496,924 pounds; or over 19,200 tons. The number of passenger tickets sold during the same time was 18,953i, with an estimated value of $22,000. Over twenty of the employees reside in the village, and are annually paid over $14,000. The machine-shops are located here, and all breakages between Flint and Monroe are here repaired. All the hand-cars and track-tools used on the road are manu- factured at these shops, and Holly has become one of the most important stations on the line. THIE FIRST FRAME HOUSE built on the site of the village was erected by Charles Warren, now living on sec- tion 22, before the Detroit and Milwaukee railway was completed. A saw-mill was built by Ira C. Alger in 1843, and the first log was sawed therein on the 18th day of August of that year. The next year (1844) Mr. Alger erected a grist-mill, which contained two run of four-feet stones. The first grain was ground in December, 1844. This mill afterwards became the prop- erty of William F. Hadley, who sold in 1857 to the present proprietor, Martin Stiff.* The latter has greatly enlarged and improved it, and it does probably more business than any like institution in the county. A foundry was established in 1858 by Samuel Adams. The next year it passed into the hands of the present proprietor, James E. Church. A second foundry was erected by Daniel Smoke, in 1870. Mr. S. is still operating it. Both foundries do a fair business. A post-office was established in 1846, mainly through the instrumentality of Peter Fagan. This was the first post-office in the township, and was kept by Marcus Young, postmaster. The name-" Holly Mills post-office"---was given to it by Mr. Fagan. The mail-route was from Groveland cottage, on the turn- pike, in Groveland township, to Holly, and the mail was carried on horseback by Daniel Donaldson. The office now has several thousand patrons, and handles a large amount of mail matter, including periodicals. A considerable business is done in money-orders. David Hobart is the present postmaster. Besides the newspapers and magazines received through the office, the different news-dealers dispose of a large number additional. The number of packages an- nually received by express numbers over six thousand. The first school in the village was taught by Miss Caroline Norris, in the win- ter of 1845-46. The old school-house stood on Saginaw street, and was used for various purposes. The Holly Union school-building was begun in the fall of 1867, and completed the following summer, at a cost, including grounds and furniture, of over $26,000. The Union school was organized in the fall of 1868, and the school census of that year shows an enrollment of three hundred and seventy-three pupils, and an average attendance of two hundred and fifty-five. The cost of maintaining the school was two thousand eight hundred and eighty dollars. The course is divided into primary, grammar, and high school departments, each department requiring four years to complete, thus making the entire course twelve years, beside a preparatory course to entering the State university. An- cient languages are taught without extra charge, and there is also provided a good chemical and philosophical apparatus for the use of students. The teachers for the school-year of 1876-77 were : Principal, William Thomas; Preceptress, Miss Alice Cooper; Grammar Department, Miss Kate M. Miles, Miss Ella A. Farnsworth; Primary Department, Mrs. Amelia Norris, Miss Georgie Holland. The total annual expenses of the school, including the salaries of teachers, janitor's wages, fuel, lights, etc., are over three thousand dollars. The building is a large brick structure, three stories in height, surmounted by a belfry, in which hangs a fine bell. The grounds are located in the eastern part * See biographical sketch. of the village, occupying the south half of the block bounded by Maple, Centre, East, and College streets. The union school building being deemed inadequate to accommodate the large number of pupils, a one-story brick school-house has recently been erected in the southwest part of the village, at a cost of one thousand dollars. The teacher for the school-year of 1876-77 was Miss Ada Plumer. The people of Holly have just cause for pride in their schools and school buildings. The first hotel in the village was located on Broad street, and kept by Leicester Hodsky. The next was the " Donaldson House," also on Broad street, and now used for boarding-house purposes. The third hotel in the village, and at the time the most extensive, was built by Ira C. Alger.- The present "National House" was built by William Sickles about 1860-61.+ He carried it on for a while, and since his time it has been run by a number of persons, among them Dr. Ira C. Alger and Henry Springer. The present pro- prietor is E. Van Every, who came to the county in 1836 and located in the village of Franklin, Southfield township, eight miles south of Pontiac. After residing at that place a number of years he removed to a farm in Rose township, where he lived till 1862, when he came to Holly and engaged in hotel-keeping in the old " Northern Hotel," on the corner of Saginaw and Maple streets. Mr. Van Every changed its name to " Union Hotel" while occupying it. This was the same building afterwards purchased and rebuilt by William Young, and finally burned. On the corner where the " Washington House" now stands was originally a small one-story frame dwelling, which George Alger purchased and enlarged and transformed into a saloon, and finally into a hotel. The location is in the busi- ness part of town, and the hotel enjoys a good reputation with the traveling public. The present proprietor is William H. Van Steenberg. The "Exchange Hotel," the largest in the village, was erected about 1864 by Henry Springer and Jacob Van Steenberg. The latter, while the house was under construction, attempted to cross the railway track in front, and was run over by a locomotive, which cut off one of his legs. Springer some time afterwards committed suicide. This house was formerly known as the "Holly Exchange," but the name has been altered to "Exchange Hotel." Mr. A. Calkins, one of the present proprietors, assumed charge of the house about eight years since, and under his management it has become one of the best hotels in the county. It is located near the railway station, and convenient to travelers generally. Numerous other hotels on a small scale have been in operation at different times, and the business has always been well represented in the village. Several disastrous fires have occurred among them. Besides the business transacted at the three hotels and the numerous boarding- houses, the restaurant at the station has a large custom, many of the trains on both roads stopping here for refreshments. The first cabinet-shop was opened by Joseph Winglemire, who still continues in the business. Ahasuerus W. Buell established the first dry-goods store, and Mr. Bristol the first grocery. The first saloon was opened by Robbins Jones. The second store was probably started by Messrs. Tindall and Arms. The first resident physician was Dr. - Carter, who came at the same time with A. W. Buell. The members of the medical fraternity at present residing in town are Drs. De Witt C. Wade, L. E. Wickens, Oscar N. Tindall, Daniel D. Bartholomew, Thomas B. Johnson, L. I. Wicker, Ira C. Alger, and D. R. Stone. The first regular attorney was Thomas A. Young, son of William Young. Those now living in the village are Thomas L. Patterson, Fred. P. Watrous, Milton M. Burnham, and H. M. Norris. The fine brick block on Broad street, known as the "Balcony block," was built by John M. Baird and others in 1870, and was at the time the best in the county. On the ground-floor are six store-rooms, all large, well lighted, and convenient; the second story contains a number of offices, and several rooms occupied for dwelling purposes; the third story is divided into two large and fine halls,--the one known as " Baird's Hall," for public use, and the Masonic Hall. This block is a credit to the enterprise of the citizens of Holly, and would grace the street of any town or city in the State. The original plat of the village of Holly was laid out by James G. Mitchell in 1855, and in 1858 he made an addition which was called "J. G. Mitchell's Northern Addition." A. W. Buell made additions in 1857 and 1858, and others were platted as follows: William Sickels' addition, 1858; John M. Baird's ad- dition, 1865; William L. Young's addition, December, 1865; James B. Simon- son's addition, 1865; Moses B. Jones' addition, October, 1865; Edward Tenny's addition, 186; Thomas Smith' addition, September, 1867; Stiff's addition, Authority of XI. M. Burnham, Esq. T Authority of E. Van Every. -0 0 198 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. November, 1865; James B.'Simonson's second addition, 1867; H. 31. Baldwin's addition, June, 1867; Baird and Green's addition, by John M. Baird and Oliver HII P. Green, 1869; Bela Cogshall's addition, 1869; John 31. Baird's western addition, 1871; Iadley's addition, by Charles F. Hadley et al, 1874. The village was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1865, and the follow- ing were the first corporation officers elected, viz.: President, James B. Simonson; Recorder, John G. Crawford; Treasurer, A. P. Waldo; Trustees, Francis Baker, William Van Steenberg, and William Stiff. The present elected officers are: President, Darius H. Stone; Recorder, James G. Mitchell; Treasurer, Sidney S. Wilhelm; Trustees, George Dudley, Bela Cogshall, Moses A. Plumer. The corporation is one and one-fourth miles square, and includes the south- west quarter of the southeast quarter of section 27, the south half of the south- west quarter of section 27, the south half of the southeast quarter of section 28, the east half of section 33, and all of section 34 except the east half of the north- east quarter and the east half of the southeast quarter; in all, one thousand acres. The immediate vicinity of the corporation, across the line in Rose township, is quite thickly settled, and within its limits are Simonson's, Bevins', and a portion of Bush lakes, besides the mill-pond. THIE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HOLLY was organized in December, 1870, with a capital of $50,000, which was increased to $60,0001 January 1, 1872. The highest amount of deposits at any one time has been $63,000, and the highest amount of loans $106,000. The total net profits to date (July 1, 1877) have been $37,000. Dividends paid to stockhold- ers, $30,000; leaving surplus profits, $7000. The present officers are: Presi- dent, James B. Simonson; Vice-President, Jefferson K. Tindall; Cashier, J. C. Simonson; Teller, E. M. Newell. J. B. Simonson, the president of the bank, came from Roxbury, Delaware county, New York, and settled in Royal Oak in September, 1835. His wife and one child, a son, were with him. In 1841 hlie removed to Birmingham, and stayed there two years. In 1844 hlie again moved, this time to Springfield town- ship, and located at Springfield post-office, on the old Detroit and Saginaw turnpike. While residing at that place he was postmaster for twelve years, and also kept a general store. Mr. Simonson finally sold his stock at Springfield post-office, and opened another store at the Anderson settlement, in the same township, where he stayed but a short time. He had previously (in 1858) built and opened a gen- eral store in IIolly,-the building now known as the "Simonson block," on Saginaw street. He finally came to Holly, and has made it his place of residence ever since. At the time hlie came first to the village there were but four buildings north of the railroad track, and they were all small. One of them was a saloon, kept by D. G. Collier, and there were several saloons in full blast south of the track. MIr. Simonson now occupies a fine residence on Maple street. His son, J. C. Simonson, present cashier of the bank, has been married for some time; and a daughter, Miss Lizzie Simonson, has lately become the bride of Hon. Mark S. Brewer, of Pontiac, representative in Congress from the sixth district of Michigan. TIlE MERCHANTS' NATIONAL BANK OF IIOLLX" was organized May 10, 1872, and began business with a capital of $50,000. The highest amount of deposits held at any one time has been $47,000, and the high- est amount of loans $78,000. The net profits to July 1, 1877, have been $28,000. The present officers are: President, Thomas Hadley; Vice-President, D. R. Stone; Cashier, Sidney S. Wilhelm; Directors, Thomas Hadley, Joseph Hadley, Charles F. Hadley, D. H. Stone, D. K. Stone, S. S. Wilhelm, Bela Cogshall, W. H. Hovey, H. W. Downing. The bank is located in the brick block on Saginaw street, oppo- site the post-office, and occupies two rooms. A short r7isuimd of the business of Holly will serve to show its importance in the county and State: The Holly flouring-mills, during the year 1875, purchased 111,539.46 bushels of wheat, at a cost of $184,783.75; 9228.03 bushels of oats, costing $3053.74 ; 4071.10 bushels of corn, costing $1888.43; 392.15 bushels of buckwheat, cost- ing $271.36; total, 12,523,074 bashels of grain, costing the large sum of 8189,997.28. The total sales of mill products for the same season amounted to $215,706.48. The annual expenses of running the mill, including the wages of ten hands, are over $5000. The average daily production of flour is one hundred and fifty barrels, although the capacity of the mill is two hundred barrels per diem. The sales of the merchants and manufacturers of all classes, exclusive of the products of the Holly mills, and the business of coal, lime, and ice, amount to the annual sum of over half a million dollars. Considerable business is done in the stock line, large numbers of cattle, sheep, etc., being annually shipped from this station, with an estimated value of two hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Jay Adams is the heaviest stock-dealer in the place. The manufactures, exclusive of the products of the Holly mills, amount to seventy-nine thousand and fifty dollars. The coal consumed costs annually over five thousand dollars, principally used for manufacturing purposes. There is insurance on property in the village and township to the amount of more than six hundred thousand dollars. The various ice companies have storage room for ten thousand to fifteen thou- sand tons of ice. During the winter of 1875-76, the amount harvested and housed by companies and individuals was ten thousand five hundred and ten tons, and large quantities were shipped south, as there was no good ice formed that winter south of Oakland County. The winter of 1876-77 was more generally cold, and the ice supply was large in all localities, and it was not necessary to store as much at Holly. TIlE FIRST NEWSPAPER in the village was the holly Register, established by a MIr. Crawford, in 1865. Crawford carried it on about a year, and sold to E. Frank Blair. On the 29th of May, 1869, it was purchased by Henry Jenkins, the present editor and pro- prietor. The paper is a twenty-eight column weekly journal, with one side (" patent") printed at Chicago, and the other on a hand-press in the office. This press is said to have been the first one ever brought to Oakland County, and was used for a long time at Pontiac. The circulation of the sheet is something over five hundred. The Holly Times, a thirty-two column paper, also issued weekly, and all printed at home, was established in December, 1875, by Thomas V. Perkins. Its circu- lation was over five hundred, and the business men of the place gave it sixteen columns of advertisements. It would have proved a paying institution if rightly managed, but was allowed to run down, and finally its publication ceased altogether. The Oakland Advertiser, a sixteen-column monthly journal, neutral in politics, was established in May, 1877, by Frederick Slocum, and already has a circulation of over one thousand. It is a thoroughly alive sheet, and meets the demands of the business men, besides furnishing the news. The village can boast of having more than eight miles of sidewalks, in addition to her many other improvements. TIlE LAKESIDE CEMETERY was laid out in 1875. This beautiful resting-place for the dead is located in the northeastern part of the corporation, on the shore of Bush lake, and is truly a credit to the place. The walks are laid in beautiful curves, and the nature of the ground has been studied and considered in the work of platting. A considerable number of neat head-stones are already in place, and the citizens point with just pride to the ground where they "must shortly lie." " There is a calm for those who weep, A rest for weary pilgrims found; They softly lie and sweetly sleep, Low in the ground." And a more enchanting spot could not have been chosen for a burial-place than that occupied bj" this new and beautiful cemetery. A remarkable incident is given in connection with this notice, which is worth preserving. About the middle of March, 1877, a man named Crapo Lake, an old and esteemed citizen and pioneer of this section, died, and, though living near a cemetery, desired to have his remains interred in the Lakeside cemetery. After his funeral it was deemed proper to place his mother, who had been buried over fourteen years, beside him. They went to her grave and began the work of exhumation, and when down about the depth of an ordinary grave the spade struck against a hard substance, supposed to be a rock. Their surprise was great when the supposed rock was found to be the body they were in search of, petrified to the consistency and appearance of marble. A coffin was procured, as nothing remained of the old one, and four men were taxed considerably in strength in lifting the body into it. It was said by the sexton, who had charge of the proceeding, that every lineament of form and feature was as perfect as in life. This circumstance created great excitement for a while, and was an event long to be remembered. SECRET ORDERS. Holly Lodge, No. 134, F. and A. M., was chartered A.L. 5859, with the fol- lowing officers and members: John S. Huston, W. Mi.; James Patterson, S. W.; Dr. Martin, J. W.; Dr. Davis, secretary; A. 31. Joslin, William Sickles, Jerome Calkins, Matthew Moore- house, Everett Wendell, Henry S. Andrews. The present officers are W. H. Hovey, W. 31i.; Richard Howehin, S. W.; H. V. Weeden, J. W.; William Beebe, Treasurer; William H. Jones, Secretary; William Moorehouse, S. D.; E. E. Clark, J. D.; S. H. Whalen, Tyler. r. t t o~ s s y r S r, , e a k e, e r z Q- F; i s t k t p w a t m u i 'r r HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 199 holly Chapter, No. 80, R. A. M., was organized July 7, 1871, and has a mem- bership at present of about fifty. The officers are Bela Cogshall, H. P.; Daniel Seeley, K.; T. W. Lockwood, S.; D. E. Brewster, Secretary; T. W. Lockwood, Treasurer; R. Howchin, C. H.; William H. Hovey, P. S.; William H. Van Steenberg, R. A. C.; J. G. Fisher, G. 31. 3 V.; Lemuel Fullam, G. M. 2 V.; B. A. Calkins, G. 31. 1 V.; S. H. Whalen, Sentinel. holly Council, R. and S. M., was organized in 1874. Present officers: Bela Cogshall, T. I. M.; J. G. Fisher, D. I. M.; Richard Howchlin, P. C. W.; Voris Green, C. G.; - - P. C. C.; E. E. Brewster, Secretary; Daniel Seeley, Treasurer; Evans Buzzell, Sentinel. Protection Lodge, No. 202, K. of II., meets second and fourth Tuesdays in each month. Organized December 14, 1875, by P. L. Teeples, Deputy Supreme Dictator. Charter members: De Witt C. Wade, Richard Hiowchin, L. H. Ripley, David Hobart, F. E. Starker, J. P. Boyd, William Wallace, Charles C. Green, E. Frank Blair, George E. Pomeroy, L. Truesdale, Thomas V. Perkins, M. A. Wat- son, Charles R. Pomeroy. First officers: R. Howehin, Dictator; D. W. C. Wade, Past Dictator and representative to Supreme Lodge; D. Hobart, Vice Dictator; C. C. Green, Assistant Dictator; E. F. Blair, Chaplain; F. E. Starker, Guide; J. H. Stone, Reporter; L. H. Ripley, Financial Reporter; G. E. Pomeroy, Treasurer; C. R. Pomeroy, Guardian; L. Truesdale, Sentinel; D. W. C. Wade, L. H. Ripley, and E. F. Blair, Trustees. The membership, July 1, 1876, was nineteen. The present officers are D. W. C. Wade, Dictator; D. Hobart, Past Dictator; E. F. Blair, Vice Dictator; L. H. Ripley, Assistant Dictator; J. B. Starker, Reporter; Charles Pomeroy, Guide. The Grand Lodge of Michigan was organized on the 30th of June, 1876. The Masonic bodies occupy one of the best lodge-rooms in the State. It is located in the third story of the Balcony block, on Broad street. The lodge- room of the Knights of Honor is on the second floor of the same building, and is neatly furnished. The Independent Order of Odd-Fellows organized a lodge in 1865, and after continuing about two years, and reaching a membership of forty or more, trouble arose, and the charter was finally surrendered. Holly Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, was organized February 6, 1874, with thirty-four members. Milan Perry was the first Master; Marcus D. Elliott, Overseer; and Sylvester D. Mosin, Secretary. Its first meeting was held on the evening of February 24, 1874, and the first application for membership received at that time. The number of its members has increased from thirty-four to more than one hundred. The officers for its second year (1875) were-M. D. Elliott, Master; Win. W. Slocum, Overseer; S. D. Mosin, Secretary. For 1876, Wil- liam W. Slocum, Master; Allen Campbell, Overseer; S. D. Mosin, Secretary. For 1877, Harrison Smith, Master; H. M. Elliott, Overseer; S. D. Mosin, Secre- tary. The recently organized Red Ribbon movement in the great cause of temperance and reform has met many warm supporters in the village, and everywhere the badge of the society is seen, and its motto, "Dare to do right," placarded. The Holly Red Ribbon club has engaged and fitted up a neat room on Saginaw street, and holds meetings every Monday evening. The club has a large membership, and prospers in its endeavors towards reforming the people. METIIODIST EPISCOPAL CIURCII. The first sermon preached in Holly by a minister of this denomination was in the spring of 1856, by Rev. Ira W. Donaldson. On the 1st of April, 1857, a class was organized by Rev. Thomas Wakelin, at that time preacher-in-charge of Grand Blanc circuit. This class consisted of seven members, viz. : William R. Kendall, Sara E. Kendall, Fidelia P. Wightman, Elizabeth Wakelin, Sophia C. Bird, Ira Wightman, and Abynia Warren. The pastors of this society have been successively as follows: Revs. Thomas Wakelin, Isaac Crawford, John W. Crippin, Isaac C. Cochrane, L. C. York, John 0. Bancroft, John G. Whitcomb, William Taylor, E. H. Pilcher, - Warner, Orlando Sanborn, S. B. Kimmel, and William Way,-the latter being the present pastor. Up to July 1, 1876, three hundred and twelve persons had been in full connec- tion with the church, and at that time the number was one hundred and sixty- four, with thirty-two on probation. The church, a substantial frame building, was erected in 1859, the contractor for the work being A. W. Buell. This was during the pastorate of Rev. Isaac Crawford. The building was dedicated by Bishop Simpson. In September, 1870, the spire was shivered by lightning, but was repaired, and a bell weighing one thousand pounds hung in it the same year. This bell was first rung for service on the morning of New Year's day, 1871. TIlE CHRISTIAN CIIURCII was organized in May, 1854, by Rev. L. I. Wicker, who continued its pastor for a number of years,-five or six in all. The original number of members was thirteen. The society, though now small and without a pastor, are the owners of a neat brick church, the only one in town. The pastors succeeding Mr. Wicker were Revs. A. Sleeper, John W. Noble, and William W. De Geer. TIHE FIRST" BAPTIST CHURCII OF HOLLY was organized in 1839, at the Jones school-house, in the township of Rose. Its first pastor was Rev. Samuel Jones. In 1858 the congregation removed to Holly, and held services in the old school-house on Saginaw street, under the leadership of Rev. HII. Stowitts. In 1862 the present frame church was built, being at first somewhat smaller than it now is. It was enlarged to its present size in 1870, through the efforts of its pastor, Rev. J. H. Morrison. A Sunday-school was organized in May, 1863, with James E. Church as super- intendent. The present number of pupils is about one hundred and fifty. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Morrison. TIlE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CIIURCII was organized in the school-house on Saginaw street, July 7, 1859, with the fol- lowing members, viz.: William Stiff and his wife Elizabeth, Clarissa Stiff, Wil- liam Johnson Stiff, H. H. Palmer and his wife Lucy, and Thomas Hadley and his wife Martha. The first pastor was Rev. George Winter. The Sunday-school was organized in January, 1862, with a membership of thirty. The first superintendent was A. P. Waldo, and Mrs. Plum, Thomas Hadley, John Hadley, Margery Hadley, and William Hadley were teachers. The church-the present frame building-was built in 1861, and occupied the first time January 1, 1862. The present membership of the society is between one and two hundred. The pastor is Rev. Joseph Swindt. Among those who have furnished valuable information concerning the history of Holly township are the following-named persons: 31. 31. Burnham, Esq. (article compiled in summer of 1876), William Young, Bela Cogshall, Martin Stiff, and others in the village; Peter Fagan, Edwin Ed- wards, Samuel and Reuben Green, Moses Smith, Ira Allen, A. R. Rood, Charles Warren, N. T. Elliott, William E. Pier, and others in the township. We have drawn to considerable extent from Mr. Burnham's article, having found that it was generally correct; besides is given a large number of items gathered from interviews with old settlers themselves. Occasionally different opinions are expressed on the same subject, and in such cases the information is given as received, and can best be definitely settled by the people themselves. It is aimed to give a concise and truthful record of events from the days of log cabins, pioneer privations, and btruggles in the wilderness, to the present, teeming with its evidences of prosperity, with a glance also at the business of to-day; and the hope of the historian is that his labors may not have been performed in vain, and that their result may prove satisfactory and interesting to all concerned. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCIE S. WILLIAM E. PIER, son of Moses and Marcia Pier, was born in Vergennes, Addison county, Vermont, March 15, 1808. On the 4th of October, 1831, he left that State, and came to Michigan, arriving in Detroit at the end of a sixteen days' trip. He was at the time unmarried, and was accompanied by a young man named E. S. Hitchcock, a cousin of the lady Mr. Pier afterwards married. Hitchcock finally settled near Galesburg, Knox county, Illinois. When Mr. Pier came from Vermont he traveled from Albany to Schenectady over the then new railway between those points, thence by canal to Buffalo, being two weeks on the trip. From Buffalo to Detroit hie came on the steamer " Henry Clay," soon afterwards lost. From Detroit hlie went via " Plymouth Corners," as it was then called, to Farmington, and afterwards to Pontiac, at which latter place ihe worked one month in the woolen-mill then operated by Judge Paddock, having learned the business while at home. He was then solicited to take charge of a district school, two and one-half miles east of Pontiac, and did so. He taught in this school and at Auburn village for two years and a half. On the 11th of March, 1834, hie was married to Mary M. Munger, and the same day removed with his bride to a farm hie had purchased in the township of Farmington. They lived on that place until 1851, when Mr. Pier traded it for the farm where the new insane asylum now stands at Pontiac. On this place the fimily resided for sixteen years, or until 1867. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Pier took place in the second frame house ever built in Pontiac, which stood on the site now occupied by the Humphreys House. - 0 0o 0! ?r 0r d, m 200 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I Mrs. Pier came with her widowed mother from Cheshire (now Sullivan) county, New Hampshire, in June, 1832. She was born in that county April 12, 1809, at the town of Claremont. She was one of four children-one son and three daughters-who came with their mother to Michigan. Mrs. Munger had friends living in Oakland County, and a daughter in Washltenaw, and came west to visit them. She died in Farmington township in the spring of 1833. Mr. Pier moved with his family to Groveland township from Pontiac, and lo- cated on a farm of two hundred acres hlie had purchased, where his son Benjamin S. Pier now lives. He stayed there several years, and finally let his son have that farm, and again removed, this time to the place where hlie now resides, on section 36, Holly township. This farm hlie had bought in 1870. He has followed farm- ing since the first two and a half years of his stay in Oakland County, and has been very successful in the business. The farm where hlie lives is well kept and finely improved, and in all respects a model. (See view.) Mr. Pier was mustered with the militia during the famous " Toledo War" of 1835, but was never called out. In politics he is a Republican. While living in Farmington he was supervisor and assessor for three years, and township clerk two years. Also held the office of school inspector for some time. Both him- self and wife are members of the First Presbyterian church of Holly, in which organization Mr. Pier is the oldest of six elders, having held the position five years. Hie was long a member of the Congregational church of Farmington and Pontiac. MIr. and Mrs. Pier are the parents of nine children,-three sons and six daugh- ters,-all living, married, and having families of their own. The grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Pier number seventeen. The children are all living in Oakland and Genesee counties, Michigan, except a daughter, who resides at Oil City, Pennsyl- vania. It is remarkable that in this family, large as it is, there has never been a death, and all are in the full enjoyment of health and prosperity. MARTIN STIFF was born May 2, 1835, in Stevensburg, New Jersey. In 1842, when hlie was seven years of age, his father, William Stiff, emigrated with his family to Michi- gan, and located at Pontiac. William Stiff had followed the business of a mill- wright, and after coming to Michigan operated a grist-mill at Clintonville, in Waterford township, until 1857. During that year Martin Stiff and his father came to Holly, where they have since resided. Martin Stiff purchased the " HIolly mills," then owned by William F. Hadley, and then containing two run of stone. He has since added five additional run, and a seventy-five horse-power steam engine, for use when the water is low. He employs ten regular hands, and does probably the largest business of the kind in the county. Besides manufac- turing a daily average of one hundred and fifty barrels of flour, he has a large custom trade. Most of the flour manufactured is shipped to points east, while a considerable portion goes to Toledo. Mr. Stiff has made a remarkable success in his line, and both himself and his manufactures are widely known. He is the oldest of a family of three children, .--two sons and one daughter. Was married in May, 1860, to Almira Bartow, also a native of New Jersey, but living at the time in Holly. Mr. and Mrs. Stiff are the parents of three children,-one son and two daughters,-all living. In politics Mr. Stiff is a strong Republican. He and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian church of Holly. SAMUEL GREEN. The subject of this sketch was born in the State of New Jersey, February 3, 1832. In 1834 his father, John Green, removed with his family to Michigan, and settled in Independence township, Oakland County, where hlie purchased two hundred acres of land from second hands. The family at the time they came to Michigan consisted of Mr. Green, his wife, and seven children. Three were born afterwards in this State, and all are living, with the exception of one, in Oakland County. One son resides in Saginaw county. John Green died June 22,1851, aged fifty-six years. His wife is yet living, at the age of seventy-three. Samuel Green was married October 14, 1852, to Harriet A. Judd, a native of Saratoga county, New York, where she was born February 8, 1832. At the time of her marriage she was living in Independence township. Mr. and Mrs. Green have been blessed with a family of three children, their births occurring as follows: CALISTA M., October 21, 1853; died February 8, 1858. ELLA E., February 19, 1856. EURETTA J., September 13, 1861. Ella E. Green is now the wife of Charles Buzzell, of Holly village. In politics Mr. Green is a Democrat. He has two brothers living in the town- ship,-Morris, on a farm adjoining, and William, in the village of Holly. Samuel Green came to the farm on which he is living early in March, 1854. The land, which comprises the southwest quarter of section 4, was entered from government by a man named Carerger, who lived in the State of New York. Mr. Green made the first improvements on the place. At the time he came it was mostly covered with "white oak grubs," and Mr. Green has, by his own labor, cleared it, and made it the finely-improved farm it is at present. He attends more especially to raising wheat, which is the most profitable crop of this section. For a better idea of his premises the reader is referred to the lithographic view inserted in this volume. NATHAN T. ELLIOTT was born May 21, 1821, in the town of Florida, Montgomery county, New York. His father, Alexis Elliott, was also a native of that county, and in 1829 removed with his family to Otsego county. Nathan T. Elliott is the oldest of a family of seven children. When young he learned the broom-making trado, and still works at it occasionally. He removed from Otsego to Herkimer county, New York, and, in February, 1844, he and his father started for Michigan on foot. After walking as far as Rome, however, they began to think that a journey of several hundred miles on foot was not as pleasant as riding, consequently they took the cars from Rome to Buffalo. From there they again started afoot, and, after coming through Canada, walking most of the way, they arrived at last in Michigan, and finally came to the township of Holly. Some two or three years afterwards he purchased an interest in the farm now owned by Timothy Ostrander. In the mean time his father had re- turned to New York. Mr. Elliott taught school to some extent while living in New York, and also in Michigan, both before and after his marriage. On the 21st of January, 1850, he was married to Williamine Broas, then visiting relatives in Holly township. She was born in the town of Union, Broome county, New York, July 26, 1830. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are the parents of seven children, of whom four are now living,-two sons and two daughters. The sons are both teachers. The daughters, ELLA GRACE and BERTHIIA J., are living at home. The elder son, CHARLES B. ELLIOTT, is at present attending the Northern Indiana Normal school, at Yalpa- raiso, Indiana. The other son, D. CARTER ELLIOTT, is attending school at Fenton, Genesee county, Michigan. Mr. Elliott was for several years school inspector in the township of Holly. In politics he is a Republican. He was formerly a Democrat, and facetiously remarks that " he is as much of one now as he ever was, but the party has left him !" He and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Holly, which society they united with soon after its organization. They were formerly members of the " Olive Branch Methodist Episcopal church," of Grove- land, and afterwards of the Methodist Episcopal church of Fenton, Genesee county. Mrs. Elliott taught one term of school when site was young, and was entirely satisfied with the extent of her experience that far, and has never tried it since, although she was very successful as a teacher, as was also Mr. Elliott when in the same vocation. When living on what is now the Ostrander place, in the neighborhood of the Olive Branch church, soon after their marriage they lost their property by fire. Mr. Elliott finally sold that farm, and in March, 1854, came to the one upon which he now resides, section 21. He owns at present one hundred and twenty acres, lying on sections 16 and 21. A man named Dennison Scranton made the first improvements on the place, built a log house, etc. Mr. Elliott lived with his family in this house until 1873, when he erected the fine brick residence he now occupies. (See view.) The frame building now standing on the opposite side of tihe road from Mr. Elliott's house was originally used as a barn. A cousin to Mr. Elliott's father, Peter Elliott,* settled on the farm now owned by W. Rexford, on section 29, as early as the fall of 1843. He had been out the same summer and purchased the land, and moved his family in the fall. His brother, Luke Elliott, came to the township several years later. Both are now deceased. In common with all who came into this region when it was new, and worked their way perseveringly to wealth and independence, Mr. Elliott has seen his share of hard trials, reverses, and successes, and can look back on his life of thirty- three years in Michigan with the satisfaction that, by his own industry, he has accomplished so great results, and created the pleasant surroundings of his present home. * Spelled on the old township records Eliot. {i0 vi0 HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP. IJIGIILAND was organized as a separate and distinct township by an act of the Territorial legislature, approved March 17, 1835. We quote the clause relating to the same, which is as follows: "All that part of the county of Oakland comprised in surveyed township 3 north, range 7 east, by the name of Highland; and the first township-meeting be held at the school-house on the farm of Jesse Tenny." By section 3 of an act approved March 26, 1835, we find "that all that part of the county of Oakland comprised in surveyed township 3 north, range 7 east, and all that part of the county of Livingston attached to the county of Oakland for judicial purposes, shall be attached to, and comprise a part of, the township of Highland, for the purposes of township government."* The proceedings of the first township-meeting, and other matters pertaining thereto, will be found in the succeeding pages, in their proper chronological order. The name "Highland" was given to the new township because of its elevated position. Its surface was then supposed to be the highest land in the settled part of Michigan, and is possibly as high as any south of Saginaw. The water runs both north and south within the limits of the township. The Pettibone creek heads in section 10 and runs south; and a branch of Buckhorn creek heads on section 3 and runs north, the heads of these streams not being much more than a mile apart. The surface of the southwest part of the town is quite level, or gently rolling, the north part more hilly, and the northeast part hilly and marshy,-a part of it being very hilly, and aptly designated as " the knobs." The soil is mostly sandy loam. There is a strip one mile and a half wide, commencing in section 12, and running southwesterly to and through section 33, that is a light sandy soil, some of it being extremely light. TIHE LAKES. The township abounds in those beautiful bodies of water designated as lakes. There are twenty-two of these, of which the most important are Peninsular, Grass, Duck, Curtis, and Pettibone. Most of these (tihe only ones designated by names on the map) are named with reference to some local peculiarity, or after early settlers who resided on their banks. INDIAN HISTORY. There are but few incidents connecting the aborigine with the history of High- land. There formerly existed within the limits of the township, on the east side -. of section 34, a general camping-ground, where the Indians used to halt in their peregrinations through the forest, and there be those who still remember the camp- ing-ground, and the interesting scenes which its remembrance presents; they were here when the wilderness still waved in its pristine luxuriance; when the marsh- hay and the wild-flowers still covered lowlands and the hill-sides, and made the valley fragrant with their rich perfumes; when the deer continued to frequent his ancient haunts; and when the habitations of the new settlers were so widely and so thinly scattered that the nearest neighbors could scarcely have exchanged the courtesy of the periodical visit without the aid of the seven-leagued boots of knightly days. But though in solitude, they lived without fear. There were none to molest or make them afraid. If they had few friends, they had no ene- mies. If the Indian halted at the settler's door it was to solicit hospitality, not to offer violence. But more frequently he stalked silently by, timid of giving offense to the white man, whom he doubtless regarded as an intruder upon his own ancestral domain, but whose possession he had been taught to respect, because he had ever found it guarded by a strong and swift arm, that had never failed to repay aggression with tenfold vengeance. Their trails abounded in this township; one entered it near the southeast cor- ner of section 35, and ran nearly northwest through the township, and was called the Shiawassee trail. This was intersected in southeast quarter of southwest quarter of section 35 by one from the south, called Walled lake trail, which was doubtless a by-road leading from the Grand river trail. All traces of both the Indians and his trails are now no more. Where he once trod exists the out- growth of modern civilization, as represented by the much-frequented roads and the hum of a busy population. EARLY SETTLERS. The first purchase of land in what now constitutes Highland township was *" Territorial Laws," vol. iii. p. 1404. 26 made by Naham Curtis, September 6, 1832. It was the east half of the south- cast quarter of section 36. He and his brother Jeremiah sold out soon after- wards and left with the Mormons, a small settlement of whom existed in this neighborhood where the Curtises settled prior to 1836. James Aldrich, Richard Willett, and Samuel Myers, Jr., purchased land in the township the same year. Naham Curtis came to Michigan from Pennsylvania, and settled at Pontiac as early as 1824. He had a large family, some of whom were grown up when lihe settled in Highland. We believe that none of his family now reside in the township or county. In the fall of 1833, Alvah and Rufus Tenny arrived from Wheatland, Monroe county, New York, and purchased the south half of section 30, and the north half of section 31, and returned home. Alvah's wife's friends were opposed to his coming to Michigan, so he sold his interest to his brother Jesse, who started from his home in the east in the month of February, 1833. Rufus Tenny continued to reside on the farm hlie located in section 31 until his death, which occurred in the spring of 1858, aged sixty-five. His wife, Eunice, died in the spring of 1875, at the advanced age of eighty-one years. Some of their descendants still occupy the old homestead. Jesse Tenny was accompanied by John C. Morse, and came with a two-horse team through Canada, arriving at their destination on the 7th of March of the same year. In May, 1833, Noah P. Morse came in with his wife and father-in-law, Almer Hyde, and his family, and commenced clearing up the farm on which hlie now resides. Anlmer Hyde and family, with Mr. Morse, were from the town of Nor- wich, New London county, Connecticut. Among the most pronminent of the early settlers of Highland was Jonathan F. Stratton, the first justice of the peace of the township, who came from Eriec county, Pennsylvania, to Ann Arbor in 1825, and to Highland in 1833. He settled on section 27, on the farm now owned by Chester M. Chatfield and others, constituting the south half of the northwest quarter of the above section, and the east half of the northeast quarter of section 28. - Michael Beach came from Troy, Oakland County, Michigan, in 1833 or 1834, and settled on the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 28. He made but a brief stay on his first purchase, for we find that he sold it to Madison Adams in 1836-37, and subsequently purchased of the government the cast half of the southeast quarter of section 21, and of a Mr. McCormick the west half of the northeast quarter of section 28. He settled on the lot contained in section 21, on the farm now owned and occupied by his son, Davis Beach. The lot on 28 is now owned by William E. Clark, who bought it of Benjamin Beach, another son of the original purchaser, in 1875. SRobert Findley emigrated from Scotland with his son Alexander-then a boy, but now a prominent citizen of Milford-and his son-in-law, Duncan McCall, in 1834, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 34. After Robert Findley's death the land was divided, Alexander taking the south half of the quarter sec- tion, which he subsequently sold to a Mr. Pierce, of the State of New York. The latter traded with Samuel Burtch, and it is now owned by Cornelius, a son of the Samuel Burtch above mentioned. Mrs. McCall took the north half of the quar- ter section, which, after her death, was sold to T. A. Smith, and by him to J. C. Lanning, and by him to William N. Burnett, the present owner, in the winter of 1875. Lockwood Clark and his father, E. A. Clark, came in 1834 or 1835, and settled on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 15, and sold to Wil- liam A. Waterbury about 1845, and he to John Van Wormer, the present owner, in 1855 or 1856. Peter McPherson and wife emigrated from Scotland (came in with Messrs. Findley and McCall) in 1834, and settled on the south half of the southwest quarter of section 27, now owned by his widow and their son William. P. W. Wheaton came from New York State in 1835. He took up the east half of the southeast quarter of section 5 and the northeast quarter of the north- east fractional quarter of the same section, in all one hundred and thirty-six and one-quarter acres. In 1840, after having built a house and made some other im- provements on his place, he retiarned to New York, and brought his family to his new home the year following. He still resides on the old homestead. Elijah Dunham arrived from Monroe county, New York, in 1835, and took up two eighties on section 18 and six eighties on section 17. 201 202 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. i Purdy A. Tuttle camne from Steuben county, New York, and settled on sec- tion 1, where hlie now resides, in 1836. Elias Cowles, from Erie county, New York, May 10, 1836, and settled on sec- tion 18, where hlie still lives. Daniel M., Major F., and Martin Lockwood, three brothers, came in from Monroe county, New York, in 1836, and settled in the neighborhood where Wil- liam M. Lockwood, a son of the first named of the three brothers, now resides. Henry Hurbert, who was afterwards elected a justice of the peace for the town- ship, came in from New York in 1836, and took up two hundred acres on sections 1 and 2. He subsequently returned to Detroit. Enos Leek, Esq., came into Highland from Ann Arbor, where hlie settled in 1828, this year (1836), and located on the old Stratton farm.* Simon Hough came from Warrensburg, New York, in 1836, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 26 and the east half of the southeast quarter of section 27. Phineas Davis arrived from New York in 1837, and took up eight hundred acres on sections 2 and 3 and 10 and 11. He came in as a speculator, and was drowned while returning from the Sandwich Islands. Alfred Barrett came in February, 1838, from Ashtabula county, Ohio, and set- tled on section 6, about eighty rods north of where his son David now resides. The next important item in the history of a locality to the early settlement is its subsequent improvement and development. We find that the first farm opened in Highland was that of Naham Curtis, who commenced clearing, fencing, and tilling his land immediately after settling on the same, in the early sum- mer of 1832. He sowed the first wheat the ensuing fall, which turned out advantageously, and tolerably free from smut. The first orchard was planted by J. F. Stratton, Esq., who brought in a variety of trees from Ann Arbor, and put them in during the spring of 1834. It is the orchard now owned by Lyman B. Congdon. The first log house was erected by Naham Curtis, in 1832. It was built of round logs, hlie evidently not deeming it expedient to hew them, as hlie only occu- pied the house for about two years. He built the first frame barn erected in the township, in 1833. Its dimensions were thirty by forty feet. The first frame house was built by Eber Adams, about 1835. It is the same now occupied by Elisha and Melvin A. Grow, on section 29. The first brick house was erected by Luther Freeman, in 1845. It is located at Clyde, and is now occupied by Lyman Johnson. TIIE FIRST ROAD was that known as "Tenny's road," and is described in the survey as follows: "Commencing at the qounty line, at the northwest corner of section 31, in township 3 north, range 7 east, and running north 891, east 101.50 chains, on section line (68.50 to the northeast corner of section 31); thence south 471, east 59.90 chains; thence south 291, east 44.00 chains to the Territo- rial road leading from Livingston to Pontiac; thence 50 links west to the south- west corner of section 33, in township 3 north, range 7 east. Variation, 3 degrees east. "Surveyed May 25, 1835. "5. F. STRATTON, Surveyor. who operated it until October 1, 1871, when he sold it to W. C. Lockwood, the present owner. The amount of work done during the past year (1876) was eighteen hundred barrels of flour and eight thousand bushels of custom-work. TIHE MIANUFACTURING INTERESTS of the township have been few, as Highland is almost exclusively an agricultural region. The first who worked at any sort of manufacturing were the blacksmiths, and we find that among the earliest of these was Lyman Shattuck, who established himself at IHighland Corners as early as 1835. Isaac Waterbury had a shop on the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 15 in 1847 or 1848; Elihu Wait had one on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 22 in 1855. IIIGIILAND CIDER- AND VINEGAR-WORKS. In the spring of 1867, Daniel B. Chatfield sold to Chester M. Chatfield the lower water-power (the old saw-mill power). The latter gentleman, the same year, put up a building for a water-power cider-mill, and in 1869 sold the same to John B. Crouse, the present owner. He put on additions to the building, and con- verted it into the Highland cider- and vinegar-works, as at present. ThIe product of the works for the past year was twenty-five hundred barrels of cider and vinegar. EARLY STORES AND MERCHANTS. In the year 1836, Simon Hough brought on a small stock of goods and sold them at his house, but did not replenish. In the fall of 1842, Hough sold to Daniel St. John, and he to D. B. Chatfield, and he to J. B. Crouse, the present owner. THIE FIRST MARRIAGE. The first marriage in Highland township was celebrated in the fall of 1834. The contracting parties were John Cranson and Mary, daughter of Abner Hyde. Mr. Cranson came in from Pleasant valley in 1833. As showing the nature of an old-time divorce, we quote from Squire Stratton's official record the subjoined marriage-license: " MR. WILLIAM GARDNER, April 4,1836. " MRS. BETSY SESSIONS. April 4, 1836. " On application of the said William Gardner, I examined him, the said Wil- liam, on solemn oath respecting the legality of such contemplated marriage with Mrs. Betsy Sessions, who made the following statement on oath: I have had a wife, who I do not know to be dead. I received an acquittal from her by giving a covenant bond for her maintenance, and securing her acknowledgment to an ac- quittal from all matrimonial contracts. This acknowledgment was taken by David Sweet, Esq., justice of the peace and commissioner for the acknowledgment of deeds, etc.2 for the county of Herkimer, State of New York. This acknowledg- ment bears date March 5, 1834. This was considered a lawful acquittal from the marriage covenant by James Hyde, Esq., master in chancery for Herkimer county, New York. I know of no lawful objection why the marriage covenant may not be solemnized between me and Mrs. Betsy Sessions. "Therefore license is hereby granted by me. "5 . F7. STRATTON, 7T. ('Jerk. "Married by me April 10, 1836. "J. F. STRATTON, Justice of the Peace." THE FIRST BIRTH was that of Mary, daughter of Lavins Tenny, in May, 1833. She afterwards married James Ramsy, and resided till her death near the village of Howell, Michigan. "- The first death was that of Samuel Stratton, who died April 24, 1834, and was interred on the farm of J. F. Stratton, Esq., his son. THE FIRST CEMETERY in the township was located in the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of section 29, and was laid out about 1835 or 1836. The first interment therein was that of an infant child of Isaac Cornell. The first adult burial in the ceme- tery was that of a Mrs. Davis, the wife of a transient settler who worked for Eber Adams. THE HIGIILAND CENTRE BURYING-GROUND. In the year 1849 the township bought of William H. Leonard one acre in thie southeast corner of the north eighth of the west half southwest quarter of section 22, and one acre of Germain St. John in the northeast corner of the south five-eighth of the same lot, for a burying-ground. It was surveyed and platted into burial-lots by L. L. Armstrong, surveyor, on the 13th, 14th, and 15th days of August, 1849. The first interment in the new burying-ground was that of Harden Eddy. There were a number of bodies removed that had been buried on farms before the " J. F. STRATTON, " H. H. GRAVES, " Commissioners of .Highways. "Recorded March 31, 1836. "Attest: J. F. STRATTON, Clerk." THE FIRST SAW- AND GRIST-MILLS. In the year 1834 or 1835, Eber Adams located the east half of the southeast quarter of section 22 and the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 23, and thereby secured a good water-power. A few years afterwards he sold to 0. P. Davison, who sold to Major F. Lockwood and Jonas G. Potter, then doing business in Milford as the firm of Lockwood & Potter, who bought of Major Alderman the privilege of raising the water on the northwest quarter of section 23, thereby making a double water-power; and in the spring of 1846 built a saw-mill near the south end of east half of the southeast quarter of section 22. In May, 1863, the mill was destroyed by fire. Lester St. John. had a turning-lathe and some joiner and cabinet tools burnt in the mill. Lock- wood & Potter dissolved partnership about 1835, and the former moved to Spring Mills (then Highland), and in 1856 built the present flouring-mill. In the fall of 1859, Lockwood sold the property to J. B. Baker, of Detroit, who took pos- session of it January 1, 1860. September 24,'1864, Baker sold to Daniel B. Chatfield and Robert Boyce. In April, 1865, Chatfield purchased the interest of Boyce. September 22, 1868, Chatfield sold the flour-mill to J. B. Crouse, SScoe under head of "Spring Mills." . , y . ~ ._.. .,,.. _... .._ , s T j - .. .F :.m .. r.: " P J YL { I° £, .p , ° Li .. J. ., / r r y h r i. r - . o< x 5 i ' r' c, m b } a HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 203 I ground was laid out, who were reinterred in it, but none, we believe, before Mr. Eddy. FIRST TOWNSHIP-MEETING. We quote from the early records of the township the subjoined matter relative to the first township-meeting: "A record of the doings of the electors of the township of Highland, county of Oakland and Territory of Michigan, at their first regular township-meeting, held on Monday, the 6th day of April, A.D. 1835. "Assembled at the school-house on the farm of Jesse Tenny, agreeable to an act of the legislative council authorizing the holding of said meeting. "After calling the electors to order, the motion being made and seconded, Rufus Tenny was chosen moderator and Noah P. Morse clerk of the meeting. "The necessary oaths of the moderator and clerk were administered by Jonathan F. Stratton, Esq., justice of the peace. " On motion, the meeting adjourned to the house of Noah P. Morse by the unanimous vote of the electors present. "On motion, it was agreed that the vote be balloted by general ticket. "A motion being made and seconded, it was voted that all actual settlers should have the privilege of voting for township officers. "The polls being opened, the following persons were elected to the offices op- posite their names, respectively: Supervisor, Rufus Tenny; Township Clerk, Jonathan F. Stratton; Constable and Collector, Noah P. Morse; Assessors, Jesse Sceley, Daniel Dunham, John Williams, Jr., Maxfield Ludlow; Commissioners of Highways, Jonathan F. Stratton, Cornelius G. Wikoff, Harley H. Graves; Commissioners of Common Schools, Jesse Tenny, John R. Howlin, Noah P. Morse; Overseers of the Poor, Naham Curtis, Eli Lee. Twenty-two votes were polled for each of the above-written officers. "The following persons were chosen overseers of highways: Jesse Seeley, district No. 1; Erastus Hopkins, district No. 2; Ira Stowell, district No. 3; Nahlam Curtis, district No. 4; Jonathan F. Stratton, district No. 5; Jesse Tenny, district No. 6; Eli Lee, district No. 7; Harley H. Graves, district No. 8. " On motion, the several overseers of highways were chosen fence-viewers in their respective districts. "On motion, twenty-five dollars was voted to be raised the current year for the support of the poor of the township of Highland. "On motion, it was voted that the next annual township-meeting should be held at the house of Jonathan F. Stratton, Esq.; and the meeting was adjourned accordingly." Annexed we give a list of the supervisors, township clerks, and justices of the peace of Highland from 1835 to 1877, inclusive: Supervisors.-Rufus Tenny (two years), Stephen Armstrong, Simon Hough, Lyman Shattuck, Major F. Lockwood (two years), Rufus Tenny, Hiram A. Hills (two years), 'Squire W. Rowe, Enos Leek, Nelson Tenny,* Rufus Tenny, Edwin A. Tenny, Nelson Tenny (two years), Enos Leek, Nelson Tenny, Enos Leek (two years), Major Alderman (two years), 'Squire W. Rowe, Benjamin F. Davison, 'Squire W. Rowe (two years), Alonzo Tenny (two years), 'Squire W. Rowe, Henry E. De Garmo, 'Squire W. Rowe, Henry E. De Garmo, Franklin Cate, Henry E. De Garmo, Elijah W. Kent (four years), Henry A. Kipp, Jesse G. Lindsley, M.D., Benjamin F. Davison, Jesse G. Lindsley, M.D., present incumbent. Townshp Clerks.-Jonathan F. Stratton (two years), Enos Leek (eight years), James B. Lord, William Waterbury, Enos Leek (three years), William H. Leon- ard (two years), Isaac Waterbury, William Alderman, Isaac Waterbury (two years), Lorenzo D. Ruggles, Elijah W. Kent (two years), John Dunhamt (by lot), Elijah W. Kent, Enos Leek (eight years), Archibald D. De Garmo (four years), Enos Leek (three years), Frederick Harris, present incumbent. Justices of the Peace.-Jonathan F. Stratton, Daniel Dunhamh, Abner Hyde, Jason W. Crandall, Hiram A. Hills (full term), Simon Hough (three years), Daniel M. Lockwood (two years), Daniel M. Lockwood (full term), Jason W. Crandall, Henry Hurlbert, Hiram A. Hills, Simon Hough, Daniel M. Lockwood, Archi- bald Waterbury, Oliver P. Davison, Pardy A. Tuttle, Daniel M. Lockwood, Archi- bald Waterbury, Gershon G. Everts, Pardy A. Tuttle, Stephen A. Lockwood, Archibald Waterbury, 'Squire W. Rowe, Daniel Phipps, Stephen A. Lockwood, Archibald Waterbury, 'Squire W. Rowe, Pardy A. Tuttle, Orin Cole, John Dun- ham, Mark T. Boice, Jackson Gifford, Orin Cole, John Dunham, Anson W. Baker (vacancy), Thomas Curdy, Jackson Gifford, Daniel B. Chatfield (vacancy), Anson W. Baker, Lorenzo D. Ruggles (vacancy), William F. Auton, Daniel B. Chat- field, James D. Rowe (vacancy), Pardy A. Tuttle, Joseph S. Stockwell (vacancy), Orin Cole, James D. Rowe, Anson W. Baker (vacancy), Daniel B. Chatfield, Calvary Richman, Anson W. Baker, James D. Rowe, Newton B. Babcock. e On a tie vote, himself and Rufus Tenny each receiving fifty-six votes. t A tie vote, himself and Enos Leek each receiving eighty-eight votes. The first audit of township accounts, made for the year 1835, was as follows : "C. G. Wikoff, highway commissioner................................................. $1.00 A. II. Graves, " .................................................. 3.00 John W illiams, Jr., assessor............................................................ 3.50 Daniel Dunham, " ............................................................. 3.00 Jesse Seeley, " .................. 4.50 axfield Ludlow, " ............................................................. 3.00 J. F. Stratton, township clerk and highway surveyor........................... 10.00 Total...................................................................................... $28.00 (Signed) "RurFus TEN.NY, Supertisor. "J. F. STRATTON, Clerk." SPRING MILLS (HIGHLAND). This village was platted under the name of Highland in 1846, by Jonas G. Potter and Major F. Lockwood, and an addition made thereto by the latter and John Dunham, May 27, 1859. It is located on the southeast quarter of section 22. In the summer of 1846 they erected a saw-mill, and in the fall erected the house now standing on lot 2, block 2, of the village plat. A POST-OFFICE was established here in 1857, and was at first supplied by special from Milford, and afterwards attached to Pontiac and Howell route. Enos Leek, Esq., was ap- pointed the first postmaster, and held the office until the 1st of January, 1874, when the name was changed, and the office removed to Highland Station, and Newton B. Babcock appointed postmaster, as mentioned under the head of " Highland Village." Among the old and prominent citizens of Spring Mills is Enos Leek, who came from New Haven, Connecticut, to Michigan in 1828. He came via New York city, and up the North river to Albany, thence by Erie canal to Buffalo, thence across the lake in the steamer "William Penn," Captain Wight, and after a tempestuous voyage landed in Detroit, October 8, 1828. The next day he went to Ann Arbor, and he and his brother, who accompanied him, located together on sections 9 and 10, Scio township, Washtenaw county. In April, 1836, lie removed to Oakland County, and lived in the south half of the north- west quarter of section 27 (the Stratton farm) until the winter of 1839. In the fall of 1836 he located the north half of the southwest quarter and the west half of the southeast quarter of section 35. He sold the southwst quarter of the southeast quarter of 35 to James Everts, which is now owned by Jacob Buffie, and the northwest quarter of southeast quarter and ten acres of the east of north half of the southwest quarter to John Taylor. The remainder his family lived on until the fall of 1862. In the fall of 1856 he settled in the village, and sold goods in the mill-office, and in 1858 erected the building for a store and dwelling he now occupies, which was the first store in the place. The building is on lot 25, block 3. Mr. Leek has held the office of either township clerk, supervisor, or justice of the peace nearly all the time since 1836, and has always transacted the business of these various offices with fidelity and ability. Spring Mills now contains two stores, a grist-mill, blacksmith- and wagon-shop, and several other industries. HIGHLAND VILLAGE was first started as such on the completion of the Flint and Pere Marquette rail- way, in 1871. It was laid out and platted by German St. John and Ahuon Rug- gles, in 1872. It includes parts of sections 22 and 27. The first store was erected by H. H. Willover, of Fentonville, in the fall of 1872. About one year from that time lie sold out to N. B. Babcock, Esq., who conducted the business until 1874, when he built another store building, and in 1875 purchased his present store of J. B. Cross. Contemporary with the establishment of the first store Mfr. Willover built a grain-warehouse, which is now conducted by Mr. Babcock. Highland is a good grain-market, being surrounded by a fine agricultural region. The amount of grain annually shipped here is about thirty thousand bushels. The Highland Centre House was erected by H. H. Bush in the fall of 1870. He continued its proprietor until 1875, when lie disposed of it to Patrick Kelley, the present owner. The post-office (Highland Station) was removed from Spring Mills and estab- lished at Highland in 1874. N. B. Babcock was appointed postmaster, and holds that position at present. The gross proceeds of the office from June 1, 1876, to June 1, 1877, for stamps, stamped envelopes, and postal cards, was one hundred and fifty dollars. The wagon-shop was established by Charles St. John in 1874, and is still operated by him. The blacksmithy was erected by Samuel Bache in 1874. It is now owned by H. H. Calvin, and conducted by Frederick Harris. The religious interests of the village and vicinity are represented by the 204 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. IIIGIILAND CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, which is composed of various religious denominations. The association was or- ganized March 25, 1875. The chaplain is Rev. E. C. Harrington. The officers are: President, George St. John; First Vice-President, S. S. Lawrence; Second Vice-President, R. H. Waterbury; Secretary, N. B. Babcock; Treasurer, R. H. Waterbury. The memhership is eighty-four. The association holds its meetings in the school-house of district No. 4. It is in a generally flourishing condition. IIIGIILAND CENTRE CLASS of the Methodist Episcopal church, Detroit conference, Owosso district, and Hartland circuit, was organized January 8, 1866, with seven members, namely: Benjamin Predmore, Mrs. Mary A. Predmore, Mrs. Salim Otis, Joseph Stratton, Mrs. Rosanna Stratton, Mrs. Julia Eddy, and Mrs. E. Woodworth. A change in the designation of the class recently occurred, whereby it was attached to Flint district and Highland circuit, the conference remaining as above. The first pastors were Revs. J. M. Holt and A. B. Clough. The class-leader from its organization to the present has been Joseph Stratton. The present pastor is Rev. F. E. Pearce. The membership is fifteen. Place of holding meeting, the schlool- Shouse of district No. 4. Society in a generally prosperous condition. IIIGIILAND RED RIBBON REFORM CLUB was organized May 8, 1877, with a membership of about sixty, which has since increased to seventy. The first and present officers are: President, D. B. Chat- field; Vice-President, S: S. Lawrence; Secretary, Miss M. St. John; Financial Secretary, Mrs. M. Ruggles; Treasurer, N. B. Babcock; Marshal, Fred. Law- rence; Sergeant-at-Arms, Martin Yarbell. The place of holding meeting is the Ihighland Centre school-house (district No. 4). HIGHLAND CORNERS is a hamlet and post-office located on sections 19 and 20, and 29 and 30. It was settled at an early day, probably about 1835. Zenas Phelps and George Lee were among the first settlers of the place. The first store was kept by David Allison, about 1815. He had a small general country store, in the house now occupied by Mrs. Myra Stockwell as a grocery-store and post-office. The first tavern was kept by Zenas Phelps, as early as 1840. He was followed in the business by C. L. Northrup, now a merchant of Milford; and he by Hiram Giddings. The postmasters have been as follows: George Showerman, the first appointee, in 1845, O. P. Davison, Mrs. Rachel E. Perry, O. P. Davison (re-appointed), William Fulford, Jonas Hewitt, Alva Stockwell, who died in office, and his widow, Mrs. Myra Stockwell, the present incumbent, was appointed. The place now contains a general store, blacksmithy, Baptist church, post-office, and an assemblage of a few families. The village at Highland Station has superseded the old village of Highland Corners. CLYDE is a small village and depot on the Flint and Pere Marquette railway. The first settler in the place was Morris Wheeler, who came into the township as the hired man of Phineas Davis, a person who speculated extensively in real estate at an early day. He purchased some eight hundred acres of land in Highland, located on sections 1, 2, 10, and 11, which included the present site of Clyde. Mr. Wheeler settled where he now resides in 1849. The first house in the place was erected by John Wendell, in 1836 or 1837, on the southeast corner of the village lot, and is the one now occupied by William Wheeler. It was first purchased by Phineas Davis, by whom it was moved to its present location, and afterwards bought by the present owner. The first store was built and run by the Roscoe brothers, in March, 1873. The first blacksmithy was built by Lawrence MeGrain, and was conducted by James Swits. In the spring of 1875, Levi Wooster purchased the shop, and now conducts the same. The first school was taught in the house now owned by Mr. Wheeler, about 1840. June 3, 1875, Clyde was surveyed by Julian Bishop, county surveyor, for Lyman Johnson. The plot occupies almost thirteen acres of the cast half of the northwest quarter of section 10. Mr. Johnson moved into the place in the spring of 1872, and purchased one hundred and five acres of Charles Merrill, a portion of which he laid out into building-lots, as above referred to. Clyde now contains, in addition to the institutions above enumerated, the fol- lowing business enterprises: a post-office, Western Union Telegraph office, an office of the American Express Company, a general store kept by Andrew S. Taggett, an agricultural establishment kept by Lyman Johnson, a lumber-yard, and a resident physician, Dr. George F. Hunter. The estimated population of the village is sixty. At a very early date in the settlement of Highland religious matters appear to have received attention. The pioneer religious association of the township is the HIGHLAND BAPTIST CIIURCII, which was organized January 16, 1834, with the following original members, namely: Jesse Tenny and wife, Daniel Dunham and wife, Eli Lee and wife, Isaiah J. Hudson and wife, Noah P. Morse and wife, J. C. Morse, and Mrs. Harriet Smith. Of these, but two-Messrs. Noah P. and J. C. Morse-are now connected with the society, and but two others-the widows of Isaiah J. Hudson and Daniel Dunham-are in the land of the living. At first meetings were held in the old school-house on section 30, which was used as a place of worship for many years. The first pastor of the church was an Elder Morrell, from Massachusetts. The first deacons of the church were Jesse Tenny and Daniel Dunham, and J.C. Morse the first clerk. The present place of worship is a church edifice about midway north and south on the east line of sec- tion 30. A Sunday-school was organized at an early day, with Nelson Tenny as its first superintendent. Present incumbent, C. L. Mills. Members, eighty. FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH OF HIGHLAND. This religious body was organized July 10, 1855, by Rev. Samuel Wire, a ven- erable and much-respected minister of that denomination, who has figured quite conspicuously in matters pertaining to the church in Highland and neighboring townships. At the time of the organization the number of members was seven, namely: Mr. and Mrs. A. Lockwood, Mr. and Mrs. E. Lockwood, Mr. and Mrs. William Banker, and Lydia Wheeler. A few years subsequent considerable ac- cessions were made, until the membership has increased to fifty-one. There have been ten pastors over the church, as follows: Revs. Samuel Wire, - Starr, D. C. Parshall, S. A. Williams, S. A. Currier, B. F. Herrick, J. B. Drew, William Murdin, Lewis Clark, and E. M. Corey, the present incumbent. In 1869 the congregation erected their present substantial church edifice, at a cost of two thousand dollars. It is a frame structure, and has a seating capacity for one hundred and fifty persons. The parsonage and barn, which have been since added, are valued at seven hundred dollars, including the lot. The members of the society who have passed to the church triumphant are five in number, and in name as follows: Mrs. Sabrina Lockwood, Mr. Alfred Lock- wood, Mrs. Maria Baker, Mr. Charles H. Lockwood, and Mr. Amos C. Kent. The Sunday-school was organized in 1870. The first superintendent was Charles Lockwood. The present membership is sixty; volumes in library, about one hundred. The church and Sunday-school are both prospering. TILE FIRST METIIODIST EPISCOPAL CIIURCII OF IIIGIILAND was organized in 1835, with Elder Goodell as preacher and D. M. Lockwood as class-leader. The original members were H. Scollard and wife, A. C. Taggett and wife, D. M. Lockwood and wife, and L. Flint and wife. It at first formed a part of Milford circuit, but in 1848 was transferred to that of IHartland. In 1866 it was formed into what is now Highland circuit. O. Sanborn was the presiding elder and H. Wood minister in charge, and the following officers were elected: Stewards, H. Morgan, G. W. Glins; Recording Steward, J. Highfield; G. Stratton, E. Chase, and A. C. Taggett, district stewards. The latter was first elected to the stewardship in 1850, and has retained the position ever since. The trustees elected in 1866 were E. A. Law, G. W. Glins, M. B. Lyon, G. Halls, J. Mills, D. McCrossan, and A. C. Taggett, the last-named being chosen chairman of the board. The church edifice was erected in 1869, and dedicated December 16 of the same year. Its dimensions are thirty-two by forty-six feet, and its cost was two thousand five hundred dollars. The society is now erecting at Clyde a parsonage, sixteen by twenty-two feet, with an upright wing of the same size, which will cost about twelve hundred dollars. The pastors of the church have been as follows: J. Balls, D. B. Miller, Elder Tidman, Elder Weslake, W. Cook, J. Balls, and Elder Pearce. TIIE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF WHIITE LAKE was organized October 11, 1842, with Elder T. Baker as pastor. The original members were Elder Baker and wife, Deacon T. Doty, S. Doty, E. Corwin, J. Corwin, C. Ware, A. Ware, R. Arthur, M31. Arthur, J. D. Standish. The society first met at the old red school-house in Highland township, in what was known as the Lyman district. The preachers from May 24, 1845, to November 15, 1876, are as follows: Amasa Heath, 1845; H. Stowits, 1852; Elder Atwood, 1860; Elder Brooks, 1863; Elder J. E. Morse, 1863; J. Eisenbury, 1867; T. H. Cary, 1868; Win. Saunders, 1869 (ordained April 3, 1870); Rev. J. D. Perry, 1870 r r,0 Pon, tc w0 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 205 (called to ordination January 21, 1871); Elder W. King, November 15, 1876, present incumbent. The first church edifice was erected in the summer of 1856, and is located on the town-line between Highland and White Lake townships, one-half mile west of White Lake village. Its dimensions are thirty by seventy feet, with twenty- feet posts. It will comfortably seat three hundred persons, and is valued at nine hundred and fifty dollars. The present church officers are L. S. Johnson, church clerk; t. Doty, Wil- liam Lockwood, L. J. Johnson, deacons. The church is in a generally flourish- ing condition. EDUCATIONAL. One of the first things that received the attention of the pioneers was the best method for educating Itheir youth, and immediately after the regular organization of the township schools were regularly established in accordance with the admirable common-school system which has for the past half-century formed the principal corner-stone of our freedom and independence. Oftentimes schools were held in the log cabins of the early settlers prior to the organization of the district schools. Here we adduce an instance of this kind: In the fall and winter of 1835 and 1836 a school was taught in the house of Jonathan F. Stratton, Esq., on the south half of the southwest quarter of section 27, by Miss Eliza A. Sessions. Among the first pupils now known to be living are Joseph Stratton, Mrs. Rebecca Everts (then Rebecca Beach), and George Beach. The subjoined is the order in which the six district schools were originally organized: District No. 1.-The school-board organized by appointing Win. B. Wright moderator, and then proceeded to establish a school district, denominated district No. 1, which was bounded as follows: " Commencing at the southwest corner of township 3 north, range 7 cast, and running east on the section-line on the north side of sections 31 and 32 to the southwest corner of section 33; thence north to the east line of sections 32, 29, and 20, to the southeast corner of section 17; thence west on the north line of sections 20 and 19 to the northwest corner of section 19; from thence south on the west line of sections 19, 30, and 31, to the place of beginning. "DANIEL M. LocKWOOD, "WIM. B. WRIGHIT, School Inspectors. " May 16, 1837." District .No. 2.-Commencing on the west township-line at the quarter-post on the west side of section 19, and running north three and one-half miles to the northwest corner of the township; thence east two miles on the north township- line to the northeast corner of section 5; thence south three and a half miles on the east section-line of sections 5, 8, 17, and 20, to the quarter-post on the east side of section 20; thence west two miles to the centre line of sections 20 and 19, to the place of beginning. Established May 24, 1837. District N1o. 3.-Containing sections 1, 2, 3, and 4, and 9, 10, 11, and 12, in the township of Highland. Established October 7, 1837. District No. 4.-Containing sections 16, 21, and 28, except Hiram A. Hill's land on the last-named section, and so much of sections 34, 27, 22, and 15 as lies on the west side of Pettibone creek. Established December 9, 1837. District No. 5.-Containing the west half of sections 24 and 25, and all of sections 23, 26, and 35, and so much of sections 22, 27, and 34 as lies on the cast side of Pettibone creek and lakes. Established December 11, 1837. District Nb. 6.-Containing section 1, 2,11, and 12, in the township of High- land. Established March 25, 1838. These districts have been altered as circumstances required, and fractional dis- tricts have been formed, all of which have neat and substantial school-houses, and thorough and competent teachers. TENNY PLAINS GRANGE, NO. 335. This grange was organized March 17, 1874, by C. M. Wood, of Pinckney, Livingston county, Michigan, with the following-named persons as charter members: B. F. Davison and wife, Lyman Cate and wife, J. W. Whitney and wife, H. S. Holdridge and wife, Walter Nichols and wife, R. H. Tenny, Julia E. Tenny, Melvin Grow and wife, Samuel McCartney, Harrison Gaunt and wife, J. S. Bamber and wife, Thomas Pierson, R. S. Potts and wife, William St. John and wife, Anna Davison, Hattie Lee, Sadie Ross, Mary and Sarah Lyon, A. Gilson and wife, Oliver Tenny, Giles Ross, James Watkins, in all thirty-four, from whom the following were elected officers: B. F. Davison, Master; Walter Nichols, Overseer; Lyman Cate, Lecturer; Melvin Grow, Steward; RIt. S. Potts, Assistant Steward; J. W. Whitney, Chaplain; H. S. Holdridge, Treasurer; It. H. Tenny, Secretary; Harrison Gaunt, Gate- keeper; Mrs. Lyman Cate, Ceres; Mrs. B. F. Davison, Pomona; Mrs. H. S. Holdridge, Flora; Miss Hattie Lee, Stewardess. The officers elected at the last annual meeting were: B. F. Davison, Master; A. W. Baker, Overseer; R. S. Potts, Lecturer; J. W. Whitney, Steward; Har- rison Gaunt, Assistant Steward; Mrs. B. F. Davison, Chaplain; H. S. Holdridge, Treasurer; R. H. Tenny, Secretary; Ira Bradley, Gate-keeper; Mrs. J. W. Whitney, Ceres; Miss Sarah Whitney, Pomona; Hattie Lee, Flora; Mrs. H. S. IHoldridge, Stewardess. Present membership thirty-seven. The grange is now building a suitable hall in which to hold its meetings. We are indebted to the following gentlemen for valuable information touching the history of Highland township, namely: Enos Leek, Noah P. and John C. Morse, Joseph Stratton, A. C. Taggett, D. S. Barrett, B. F. Davison, Elias Cowles, Pardy A. Tuttle, R. H. Tenny, Frederick Harris, township clerk, and others. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. NORMAN DAVISON, one of the pioneers of old Oakland, was born in the Susquehanna valley, in August, 1784. He was a son of Captain Paul Davison, a commissioned officer of the Revolution, who settled in Lima, Livingston county, New York, in the summer of 1788, and was, therefore, one of the very earliest settlers west of Geneva, New York. In June, 1831, lie (Norman Davison) emigrated to that part of Oakland County now included in Genesee, and with his sons, Paul G., Oliver P., Do Witt C., and Benjamin F. Davison, settled at Davisonville, where they erected a saw-mill-one of the first in that section of country-in 1833, and a grist-mill in 1836. He was one of the delegates that met in convention at De- troit on the second Monday of May, 1835, and framed the first constitution ,'" Michigan. Was also a delegate to the convention at Ann Arbor, called for the purpose of acting upon the terms proposed to the people of Michigan to surrender a portion of the State to Ohio and Indiana in exchange for the upper peninsula, as set forth in the act of Congress relating to the matter. He was elected one of the judges of Lapeer county, and held various other offices, in the discharge of the duties of which he gave general satisfaction and secured a deserved personal credit. After a life of rare usefulness lie died in March, 1841, leaving behind him a reputation for sterling integrity, sound judgment, and remarkable general ability, which won for him the respect and confidence of the peopJe. In his pub- lic career lie was successful from the fact that he was never biased by political cliques, but did his duty fearlessly and to the best of his ability. He was a man whose deeds will follow him, and will ever redound to his honor. BENJAMIN F. DAVISON, son of the gentleman whose history we have thus briefly recorded, was born in Livingston county, New York, April 12, 1821. He went to the common schools of his native town, and acquired as much knowledge as the limited educational facilities of time time afforded. He removed to Michigan with his parents in 1831, and to the farm he now occupies in Highland township in 1842. On the 16th of May, 1849, he married Miss Huldah M. Gue, and had by her four children, namely: Jane Ann, born November 30, 1853. Flora Ella, born February 1, 1856; died October 16, 1871. Norman, born August 2, 1858. Benjamin F., Jr., born January 16, 1862; died November 20, 1873. On the 30th of August, 1866, he sustained the loss of his estimable wife, which was to him a sore bereavement. He married again January 1, 1867, to Miss Sarah S. Wells. This union has been blessed with two children, both living: Bertha, born October 5, 1869. Margaret S., born August 23, 1871. Mr. Davison was twice elected supervisor of his township, and also several times its treasurer. These and various other offices he has filled to the satisfaction of his constituents and with honor to himself. In politics lie is Democratic, of the old Jeffersonian, Simon-pure school of Democracy. In religion hlie is liberal, never being affiliated with any particular religious denomination. His creed is embodied in the old precept, "Do to others as you would they should do to you." By in- dustry and prudential care he has accumulated a hfair competency. Hie now owns two hundred and eighty-five acres of land, of which about two hundred are under cultivation and the balance in timber. His buildings are substantial and com- fortable, and constitute a fair sample of the beautiful rural homes of which Oak- land County contains so many. powlda In Jut h Istw>ri onfa we hy Are a as suh hdk a t i ~ w ~11hiw \n y II In pIto Puin QI in un i Fi - r sac N ., M1 = v n z 35 ~3 a r" t a z e 5 it a it fv j.. ;. fii K LIa 1f VA I 114 Ill HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 213 I ing to reach Mr. Davis, then, at a signal from their leader, left the place, keeping up their infernal yells. That night they destroyed nearly the entire flock of sheep belonging to a neighbor, which appeased their hunger, and no more annoyance was caused by them. Acknowledgments for assistance rendered and information given are gratefully made to Guy Selden, A. H. Cross, Hon. E. G. Clark, N. B. Smith, M. H. Clark, William Holcomb, William Daniels, N. J. Clark, J. S. Fletcher, Harrison Walter, E. Stiff, Deacon Riste, R. N. Clark, J. H. Dresser, Moses Case, Mrs. Malby, Peter Voorheis, E. T. Beardslee, Orsamus Beardslee, Arthur Davis, Mrs. Arthur Davis, and Mrs. M. A. Hodges, from whose recollections and personal accounts this history of Independence was largely compiled. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ORSAMUS BEARDSLEE. The subject of this sketch belongs to that large and useful class of citizens known as self-made men. Whatever success he has attained in life is the result of his own efforts, and in spite of fortune, which had classed him among the poor and toiling millions of our country. He was born the oldest son of Aaron Beardslee, October 24, 1825, in Sussex county, New Jersey. In 1832 he re- moved with his parents to Michigan, settling first on the Sashabaw plains, and the year following on section 13, which has since been his home. The only edu- cational privileges hlie enjoyed were those afforded by the pioneer schools, and lihe could not avail himself of these to their fullest extent, because the circumstances of his parents often obliged him to remain at home to work, on the little farm they were opening. His father's death, when Orsamus was but thirteen years of age, left the care of the famunily to a large extent on his hands. He manfully assumed this charge, under the direction of his mother, and at the age of sixteen became sole manager of the farm, having ever since been a farmer in the town- ship of Independence, and owning at present a fine tract of land. In December, 1847, he married Miss JANE HIBLER, of Orion township, by whom hlie had one ehild,-a son,-JoIIN. He was bereaved of his partner in September, 1852, and three years later,-in October, 1855,-was married to his present wife, then Miss CLARISSA BEARDSLEE. This happy union has been blessed with five children,---EsTELLA, AARON, ELMER, SUSIE, and WILLIE. Although closely devoted to his farming interests, Orsamus Beardslee has never neglected his duties as a citizen. He has ever manifested much concern in school matters, public improvements, and town affairs. His fellow-citizens have appre- ciated this interest, and have often called him to assume the cares of office, as the records of the township attest. PETER VOORHEIS. There are men in every community who are regarded as leaders, upon whom devolves the duty of inaugurating every new movement, and who must bear the brunt of every new work and improvement. Such a man is Peter Voorheis, and the record of his life teaches us what may be accomplished by a determined pur- pose. He is a son of Peter D. Voorheis, and was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, August 14, 1812. When Peter was three years old his parents moved to Seneca county, New York, and subsequently to Ogden, Monroe county, in the same State. Here they resided until their removal to Michigan, in 1832. They located on section 35 of the present township of Independence, Peter remaining with his parents until the next year, when he-then not quite twenty-one years old-began making a home for himself, by locating a piece of government land on section 22. On this he lived the life of a pioneer for nine years, when he purchased his present farm on sections 26 and 27. After having built himself a humble home young Peter took unto himself a helpmate, in the person of Mary Fisher, on the 27th of November, 1834. This lady is a daughter of Adam Fisher, of Warren county, New Jersey, and cainme with her father from that State in 1833. She is now the only surviving member of that family. Mr. Voorheis' marriage brought a family of ten children to cheer and bless his home: Fisher A., John, Margaret, Nancy Ann, now Mrs. E. H. Tompkins, Elizabeth, now Mrs. Mark Hixson, Mariette, now Mrs. Luke Voorheis, Ruth Ann, now Mrs. Gideon Gates, Peter, Elisha S., and Isaac I. Three of these have died,-John, Margaret, and Nancy Ann,-the others have grown up useful men and women, and have been aided in life's conflict by the provision made for them by Mr. Voorheis. Although thus mindful of the welfare of his family, Mr. Voorheis has not neglected the duties pertaining to his citizenship. He par- ticipated in the organization of his township, and has held various offices, as supervisor, justice of the peace, etc. He is a member of the Presbyterian churchl, and helped to organize the Sashliabaw society and the Cemetery Associa- tion at that place Under his able superintendence the cemetery has become one of the finest in the county, and is, aside from the esteem in which his neighbors hold him, a fit monument of his worth as a man and citizen. HARRISON WALTER. This gentleman is the oldest son of a family of eight children. His father, Jacob Walter, was a native of Somersetshire, England, who came to America about 1830, settling in Oakland County about 1837. He purchased a farm on section 9, in Independence, that year, and here Harrison was born, July 15, 1840. His boyhood days were spent on this farm, working on it in summer and attend- ing the common schools in winter until hlie was eighteen years old, when his father gave him his freedom. The youth began at once to hew out his own fortune, by engaging to work by the month for some years to enable him to attend school abroad. This he was permitted to do in 1860, entering the Mishawaka (Indiana) high school, and remaining there a year. He now returned home, and varied his occupation as a farm laborer by teaching school in winter. By exercising economy lie accumulated six hundred dollars in two years' time. With this he purchased his present tfarm, going in debt for a balance of four thousand four hundred dollars. This obligation hlie was enabled to discharge at the end of six years, and all from the products of his farm. Having his homestead clear, he now began a series of improvements on his place, which have resulted in the splendid buildings shown elsewhere in this work. Mr. Walter is now devoting his attention to fruit-culture, making a specialty of the apple. He has, at present, an orchard of two thousand trees of this fruit, and, by the use of improved methods of storing his apples, is enabled to make shipments as late as August. Mr. Walter has always been a total abstinence man, and attributes his success in life to this fact, as well as to his frugal and industrious habits. H is example should stimulate young men to make vigorous efforts to achieve the mastery of a fortune, by leading them to see what can be accomplished in the legitimate pursuit of farming by pluck and enterprise aided by sound judgment. In 1864, Mr. Walter was married to Miss Mary M., the oldest daughter of Samuel Howell, of Brandon, and by her hlie has had a family of three children, two of whom are now living. A. H. CROSS. This gentleman is descended from English parentage. His father, Moses Cross, was born in England, February 25, 1815; his mother, whose maiden name was Essie Gallagher, was a native of Ireland, and was born May 22, 1820. When quite young Moses Cross emigrated to America, becoming a citizen of the State of New York, where he lived until 1835, when he came to Michigan, settling in the northern part of Independence township, in which locality he lived until his death, March 29, 1875, at the age of sixty years. In this neighborhood, and within one mile of his present home, A. H. Cross was born, December 30, 1837, being one of a family of three sons and tivo daughters, all of whom survive except a younger brother. The subject of this sketch married Miss Matilda Jones, of Independence, when he was twenty-three, and has had a family of three children,---one boy and two girls. Mr. Cross is still a young man, is a farmer by occupation, and is noted for his energy and enterprise. His home, on section 6, is one of the finest in the town- ship, and has been procured by his own industry. JUDGE JEREMIAH CLARK. The name of Jeremiah Clark recalls another of Oakland County's best-known pioneers. He was born in the State of Vermont on the 19th day of September, 1790. While he was but a lad his father, also named Jeremiah, moved to Nelson, Madison county, New York. Here young Clark abode until he had attained his majority, when lie became a citizen of Onondaga county, where hlie soon after secured an interest in a salt-manufacturing establishment, in the prosecution of which business hlie was engaged several years. Then lie moved to Albany, New York, to attend to a contract hlie had received on one of the public works of the State. After three years he returned to Syracuse, where he engaged to teach the greater part of a year, at the same time making preparations to move to Michigan. On the 4th of July, 1831, lie left Syracuse for that Territory, and settled at HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Detroit, where he conducted a bakery and grocery-store for several years. In the mean time he prospected for land in Oakland County, making purchases soon after, principally in Independence township. To one of these tracts he moved his family, and engaged in farming, opening a farm most of which is yet owned by one of his sons. In 1838 hlie purchased the Holeomb mill property, at what is now Clarkston, and in 1839, in company with his brother, Nelson WV., erected a fine grist-mill, which is still used, and is favorably known as " the Clarkston mill." Although not making politics a business, Jeremiah Clark was ever ready to assume his duties as a citizen and discharge them for his country's good. His townsmen frequently bestowed office upon him, calling him to serve them as their first supervisor and as justice of the peace for a number of terms. He was elected to the Michigan legislature in 1839 and 1841, where his services were characterized by the exercise of sterling good sense, and won for him a reputa- tion which evinced his sound judgment, and hlie was soon after called upon to serve the people in the capacity of a judge. In a brief time after this, August 29, 1847, he died, whlile yet possessing the strength and vigor of manhood. Judge Clark was married, in 1814, to Phoebe IHoldridge, of Vermont, and had six children: Edwin G., born April 8, 1815; Darwin F., born June 6, 1816, died 1841; Washington L., born May 14, 1818, died 1854; Milton H., born January 13, 1820; Newton J., born October 18, 1821; Phoebe J., born Novem- ber 13, 1825. Mrs. Clark died August 29, 1838, and the family now consists of three sons and the daughter, who still reside near their pioneer home, where the efforts of their parents have aided them in securing homes of plenty and comfort. S IHON. EDWIN G. CLARKI This gentleman is tIe oldest son of Judge Jeremiah Clark, and was born in the town of Manlius (now called De Witt), Onondaga county, New York, April 8, 1815. His boyhood was spent in that State, and he was educated in the common schools of that day. His parents came to Michigan when he was sixteen years of age, and to Oakland County about the time he had attained his majority. One of his first acts on becoming a citizen of Independence was to assist in the organization of that township, and lie has ever since manifested a warm interest in its affairs. His townsmen have appreciated this interest, and have repeatedly called him to serve in an official capacity. He was constable nine years, justice of the peace twelve years, and supervisor four years. In politics, Mr. Clark is a Democrat, and was elected by that party to the legislature in 1876. His services there reflected credit upon himself and proved acceptable to h oinstituents. Mr. Clark is a farmer by occupation, and now resides in easy circumstances on his farm, on section 7, honored and respected by his neighbors. He was married on the 11th of August, 1834, to Miss Mary Lyons, of Wayne county, Michigan, and has had a family of nine children, only four of whom are living,-Mary J., Lovina J. (now Mrs. James Harris), Edwin W., and Lawrence C. I 4 LYON T TiE township of Lyon was detached from Novi, legally o-ganized March 7, 1834, and designated in the United States survey as town 1 north, range 7 east. The first secular meeting ever held in the township was for the purpose of peti- tioning the Territorial legislature to organize a new township ; as Novi, as then con- stituted, was altogether too extensive for judicial and other purposes. A committee was appointed to circulate the petition and forward it to the legislature. The meeting was held at the house of Eleazur E. Calkins, and among those present were Joseph Blackwood, I.srael Whipple, Jacob IHannan, Thomas Jones, William Thompson, Dr. Thomas Selhlnan, Chester Adams, John Tlhayer, William Harman, and Jacob Burton. Considerable interest was manifested and some humor indulged over the naming of the township. The pioneers present seemed to think that they had found the best place in the world,-a place in comparison with which the first settlement on the banks of the Euphrates, of which we read in Genesis, was insignificant. Thinking thus, they were anxious to bestow upon it an appropriate name. After several proposed names had been rejected by the meeting, Chester Adams pro- posed the name " Fruitland." This name was adopted and petitioned for, but the legislature gave the township the name of LYON, in honor of Lucius Lyon, then a member of the Territorial legislature. The entire proceedings of the first township-meeting for the election of officers, etc., together with a list of those having held the most prominent offices in township, will be found fatrther on in this history. The topography of Lyon presents a varied aspect. The northern part of it is oak-openings, and tihe southern part was also covered with a growth of various kinds of timber. The surface is generally level, in places rolling, and everywhere sufficiently undulating to be fertile and productive. It is watered by Kensington lake. thme Huron river, Davis creek, and other small streams. It abundantly pro- duces wheat, corn, oats, barley, and potatoes, and any cereal or other crop capa- ble of cultivation in this section of country or climate. The soil is of a gravelly or dark sandy loam, generally of great richness and durability. INDIAN TRAIL. An Indian trail entered the township on section 6, and ran through sections 5, 4, 10, 14, and 24. and thence through Novi southerly. It passed through Kensington, and on the bank of the lake there was once a regular camping-ground of thie noble red man. Who can tell but that in the times long since gone the Indian planted his wigwam on the borders of Kensington lake, and there celebrated some success- ful hunting expedition, and held there tihe peace jubilee, or chanted the song of war? Perchance oncesthe placid bosom of the lake was dotted over with the bark OWNSE I P. canoe, and here and there could be seen tihe swarthy maiden or thie paint-bedecked warrior cautiously angling for the sportive bass or graceful pickerel. But those days are gone! The pioneer remembers the indolent aborigine, and as hlie takesa calm retrospection of the past, and recalls the days of yore, when the stalwart brave spread his blanket within the pale of civilization, and gradually, under the beneficent in- fluence of the white man's kindness, commenced a friendship which endured until their removal beyond the Missouri, methinks lie will be filled, momentarily at least, with pity at their present lot, and compassion for their future. Verily, the illustration of tihe brave, who, while in council assembled, to treat with the white man as to his ultimate destination, sat upon a log, and moving along gradually until he came to the end, said, " So have the white men driven us from our pos- sessions. At first we lived in the fair country, which was located, as it were, at this end of the log. Then we were removed farther on, into a less fertile and lovely country, where the hunting-grounds were less plenteously filled with game; then farther and farther, until at last we shall be driven to a barren and sterile land, where exists not sufficient herbage for the deer, and where flowers bloom not to gladden the Indian's heart." A pertinent and truthful illustration. TIHE EARLY SETTLEMENT. Clustering around the pioneer settlement of Lyon township are memories re- plete with privations and hardships, commingled with those of joy and gladness. For even in the early settlement of a new country the sacred pleasures of the domestic hearth are enjoyed, and tend to counteract the wearisome toil and the arduous labor incident to pioneer life. Those who, nearly half a century ago, made their first habitation amid the smiling forests, and laid the foundation for the future progress and development of this township, remember the days of yore, but do not regret the active part they took in bringing to pass the grand results of the present. "There are moments in life that we ne'er forget, Which brighten and brighten as time steals away; They give a new charm to the happiest lot, And they shine on the gloom of the loneliest day." The first permanent settlements in what now constitutes the township of Lyon were perfected in the year of grace 1830. Prior to this nothing but the unbroken wilderness was presented on every hand. The only marks that gave any evidence that the foot of civilized man had pressed the soil in this region were the blazed trees that denoted the section-lines. Such was this township,- without inhabitants, or even name, except that the United States surveyor had designated it " Township 1 north, range 7 cast." In such a place as this, in the year 1830, came Bela Chase, who first located 1 19 Y n vn adz wi e ' e a v. , e s e ' 4 e r v tot, b o '". 10, 11 ^y G': b ,i ,N o 4 , , .. r / / / HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 215 on the base-line of the township, where he stayed but a short time, when he re- moved to a farm on section 27, and there resided until his death. The place is now owned by Samuel Carpenter. The same year Robert Purdy came in from Seneca county, New York, and settled on section 35, on the farm now owned and occupied by Levi Deake. Also John Thayer, originally from New York State, but then from Wayne county, Michigan, where he had located as early as 1825. He settled in the northwest quarter of section 36, on the farmn now owned and occupied by James Moore. He leaves one daughter, now the wife of Daniel Harman, a resident of the township. The same year, also, Eliphalet Sprague came in from Seneca county, New York, and settled in the north half of section 26, the farm now owned and occupied by his son, James M1. Sprague. Several of his descendants are now residents of the county and State, but none, except the above-named son, of the township. These four, with their families, constituted the entire population of the settlement of Lyon up to the close of the year 1830. In 1831 quite an influx of immigration poured in, among whom were the following: Thomas Jones, who settled on the northwest corner of section 23. He is still living, and is the oldest living resident of the township. George Fawcett took up and settled on the northwest quarter of section 24, and lived there until his death in 1876. Of his family but two daughters remain. Louisa married William Blackwood, and the other a son of H. B. Johns. Russell Alvord, one of the original proprietors of the present site of the village of New Hudson, came in from Monroe county, New York, and settled on the northeast fractional quarter of section 3. He was accompanied by his brother Eugene. Samuel Barton, of bogus coin fame, came in and settled at what, through the depredations of himself and others, has since been known as BOGUS CORNERS. The Corners are now owned by Walter Bowers, George W. Button, and Jona- than Taylor. Among others interested in the manutfacture of the spurious article were Henry Eddy (who subsequently died of poison) and Peter Loomis, who was a blacksmith by trade, and the principal workman of the gang. He was subse- quently sent to the penitentiary for counterfeiting. A story is told of how one of these worthies passed off a batch of their coin on an unsuspecting farmer. It was accomplished in this wise. He went to the farmer, and said that hlie had to go east on business, and had a box full of silver, which, owing to its weight, was inconvenient for him to carry; would not hlie let him have bills for it, and keep it as security, but not to change it under ten days ? If lie did not then hear from him, why, hlie was at liberty to do as lie saw fit with it. Why, the farmer had no objection to accommodate his neighbor, not he; so he exchanged bills for the coin, and the neighbor departed. The farmer waited two or three weeks, and, not hearing from the party who left the "silver" with him, and requiring money for immediate use, lie passed considerable of it to the unsuspecting pioneers, and no one appears to have doubted its genuineness until the final expos6 of the gang. Another similar organization existed on the base-line (which particular spot of it constituted a very base locality for the time being), of which one Van Sickle was the chief. This was also broken up, and several of those implicated either left or were imprisoned. James St. Clair came in from Ovid, Seneca county, New York, this year (1831), and settled on section 15, on the farm now occupied by his son Daniel. Nehemiah P. Smith came in during the year, and located his land, which was on section 18, but returned to Ann Arbor, from whence he came, not perfecting his settlement in Lyon until about three years subsequently. Eleazur E. Calkins, Esq., came in 1832, and settled on section 21, on the farm now owned by the Blackwood estate. He resided there until his death, Decem- her 26, 1866. He left three sons and one daughter, namely: Sylvester, Elisha A., and Kingsley, who reside in South Lyon, and Lucy A., the widow of John Kesley, who now lives in the village of Milford. Levi Wilson, the first township clerk, came in 1832, from Monroe county, New York, and settled on section 28. He subsequently removed to the vicinity of Coldwater, Michigan. Thomas Dunlap, the genius of the pioneer settlement, a sort of Jack-of-all- trades, who could do any mechanical work, from cobbling a shoe to making a thrashing-machine, came from Seneca edunty, New York, this year, but it is sur- mised that the original stock came from Vermont, the home of the ingenious Yankee. He settled on section 19, the farm now owned by his son David. Zachariah Eddy, a genuine pioneer, tall and stout-built, full of rough humor, and always on hand at "logging-bees" and "raisings," where lie would lay away whisky as long as the jug held out. He will be remembered by many in his capacity of" whipping the cat,"-that is, going around from house to house with his kit of tools, and in the fall of the year make up the family supply of boots and shoes. He settled on section 27, on the farm now owned by J. Clark. Thomas Sellman, the first supervisor of the township, came in from Canan- daigua, New York, and settled on section 5, on the farm now occupied by his son George. Joseph Blaekwood, a pioneer well and favorably known, came from Seneca county in 1832, and settled on section 34, taking up also the northwest quarter of section 35. Several of his family survive. Rev. Ira M. Olds, of sacred memory, came from Seneca county, New York, and settled on the base-line of the township, on section 32. His connection with and deep interest in the Presbyterian church of Lyon make his name as a household word with many. Israel Whipple, a much-respected and extensively-known pioneer, also arrived this year. He came from Ontario county, New York, and took up land located on sections 27 and 28, and settled near the present site of the residence of his son Eben Whipple. Joseph Hayes arrived in 1832, from Monroe county, New York, and settled on the farm now owned by James Barnhart, and occupied by his son, on section 4. Wm. Hayes is still living.- Daniel Richards, one of the original proprietors of the village of New Hudson, came in from Ypsilanti, where hlie had settled in 1827. He located a part of section 4, and built a plain log house, and then succunmbed temporarily to theI " feve'neg.".._ The years 1833 and 1831 were very prolific in the arrival of settlers; hence we are debarred from particularizing more than a few who came in the former year. We shall, however, mention the names of such of those who came in between 1833 and 1840 as we have been able to procure correctly. Mark N. Spellar came from Ontario (Wayne) county, New York, September 11, 1833. He traveled to Buffalo in a covered wagon, with his wife and three children. There they embarked on the steamer "New York," and came to Detroit. From thence by wagon, on the Chicago road, by way of Ann Arbor. They settled on the northwest fractional quarter of section 4, which Mr. Spellar purchased of the government at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. He now resides about one-half of a mile southeast of where lie originally settled. Benjamin Ellis, a noted hunter of the pioneer settlement, came from Ontario county, New York, and settled on section 21, on the farm now occupied by his widow. He was the father of William M. Ellis, the present supervisor of the township. William Goldey took up the farm on section 3, where lie now resides, in 1833. He came from Pennsylvania. In the fall of this year, Jonathan Shores came in from Ann Arbor, and settled on section 8. Hie now resides on section 9. In May of the same year, Alexander Duncan came in with his father, James Duncan, from Seneca county, New York, and settled on the east half of the north- west quarter of section 2S. He now resides in the village of South Lyon. Jacob Ilannan, a prominent pioneer, came in from Ontario county, New York, and settled on section 22, on the frirm now occupied by his sons Daniel and Alex- ander. Among his children, who are now residents of the township, are William, Louisa (the wife of William M. Ellis), Elizabeth (wife of Alexander Duncan), Daniel, Alexander, and Violet (wife of David Brown). William M. Calkins, from Perrinton, Monroe county, New York, settled on section 28, and now resides in the village of South Lyon. Among the honored names of those coming in between the years above desig- nated (1833 and 1840) appear the following: John and Lewis Clark, James S. and John Rodger (early school-teachers and pioneer members of the Presbyterian church), Benjamin Hungerford, Dr. Cyrus Wells, Michael and Daniel Marlatt, James B. Bradley, Joel Redway, William Carpenter, David Gage, Eli M. Bancroft, Ralph Quick, William Lyman, IIiram Covey, Henry Huntington, Horace B. Johns, Silas and Melvin Rose, Heman Smith, William Hagadorne, Philip Marlatt, Joseph Elder, Jacob Sexton, Charles Coggeshall, Rewbell Sherman (seven years township clerk), and many others. After the arrival of the early settlers their first care was to build their humble habitations, which generally consisted of a plain log house, though in a few in- stances a hewn log building was erected. The first log house built was that of Bela Chase, in 1830. It was constructed of plain logs, and stood on the base-line of the township, on section 35. The first frame house was erected by Rev. Ira M. Olds, on section 32, two years later than the above. Every man was his own mechanice in those days, and with the assistance of one another at what they termed their "raisings," they did their own work, and had in view durability rather than elegance. ?11 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Thie first frame barn was built by Garrett Hougbtaling in 1833, on section 28. After undergoing several repairs and some additions, it still stands on the farm of Nathan W. Smith. The first brick building erected within the limits of the township was that in- tended for the Kensington bank, in 1838. The first brick dwelling by N. F. 'Butterfield, at Kensington, about 1840. The first farm opened was by Eliphalet Sprague, in.1830. It is located on section 26, and is now occupied by his son, J. M. Sprague. By him was also sown the first wheat in the township. With the exception of a superabundance of smut, it was a good crop. The first orchard was planted by Bela Chase, in the southern part of the town- ship. The first carpenter was Jonas Hood, who had learned the trade east, and put up several of the frame buildings erected in 1834-35. The first blacksmith was Garrett HIoughtaling, who settled on section 28, and erected thereon a small log structure, which served all the necessary requirements of a shop, in 1832. The first physician was Thomas Curtis, M.D., a practitioner of the regular school of medicine (and oftentimes a very costly one), who settled on section 4, on the present site of the village of New Hudson, in 1832. Dr. Thomas Selhlman was about contemporary, but as a practitioner was not near as well known. Dr. Cyrus Wells followed, in 1836. He paid more attention to agriculture than to the practice of medicine, as was his intention when hlie emigrated to the west. THIIE FIRST MARRIAGE, as nearly as it is possible (in the absence of the records) to ascertain, was that in which Aaron Vader and Samantha Haynes were the contracting parties, and E. E. Calkins the justice who, by virtue of his office, "tied the knot," in 1833. About the same time Richard Boughton and Esther Burton followed suit. The first birth was that of George, son of Oscar Sprague, and grandson of Eliphalet Sprague, who was born in February, 1831. He is now a worthy rep- resentative of the agricultural class, and resides in Eaton county, Michigan. The first death is said to have been that of Phoebe, daughter of Daniel W. Calkins, who died in 1833. TIIE FIRST BURYING-GROUND. The burying-ground in South Lyon was first used in the early part of 1835. The first interment in it was that of Phoebe Calkins, whose remains were removed from their former resting-place and re-interred in the new ground immediately after it was authorized to be used for such purposes. Among the prominent set- tiers whose ashes repose in it are Garrett Houghtaling, Ives Smith, Ovid Letts, Alexander Dunlap, Asahel Buck, William Buck, John Letts, Daniel Brown, Daniel Dunlap, and others. TIIE NEW HUDSON BURYING-GROUND. The first regularly laid-out burying-ground was on an acre of ground donated for that purpose by Daniel Richards, and surveyed by one Ingersoll, in April, 1835. It is located on the southeast corner of the east half of the south part of the northeast fractional quarter of section 4. The first interment was that of Annie, daughter of Mark F. and Hannah Spellar, who was buried therein April 7, 1835. The first trustees were Mark N. Spellar, Russel Alvord, and Josiah Wilkins. Among the prominent settlers whose remains repose there might be mentioned Heman Smith, Ezra Platt, Lansing Smith, Nathan Andrews, Jonas Bowers and Polly his wife, Jacob Sexton, Harvy Hart, Lewis Mead, Truman Rathbun, Alfred Town, Linus Foot, and many others. TIlE FIRST ROADS. The first road laid out in Lyon township of which any record exists was the one " commeneing at the southeast corner of section 19 and southwest corner of section 20, and running thence north on the section-line to the corner of section 7 and northwest corner of section 8. " JOSEPH BLACKWOOD, " RUSSEL ALVORD, " Commissioners of Highways. "April 27, 1833." The roads were not very good up to 1835. In this year the township had be- come largely settled, and there were perhaps nearly as many families as at present, if we except the three villages now within its limits. Improvements of all kinds were meagre, the roads still winding around the swamps and low places, and as rough as can well be imagined. An old gentleman, Israel Blood by name, came out here from the State of New York to visit his children, and on his way back, via Northville, jostling over logs and ruts in a lumber-wagon, he asked if it was as bad all the way to the village. The driver replied, "We shall soon reach the base-line, and then I think we shall find it better." "If," said Mr. Blood, "you have any line baser than this I don't care to see it." We quote the following from an old document before us: "The commissioners of highways of the townships of Lyon and Novi having met together to take into consideration the division of the township-line road be- tween the above-mentioned townships, do, by virtue of our office, declare, that commencing at the east end of said township-line road, and thence west across, one section and forty rods on the next section west on said township-line road, shall belong to township 2 north, range 7 east, and the remaining part of said township-line road, until it intersects the Ann Arbor road running southwest, shall belong to the township of Lyon. " JOEL REDWAY, " DARIUS HODGES, " Commissioners of Lyon Township. " HARVEY STEEL, " R. W. HOLLEY, " Commissioners of Novi Township. " March 28, 1835." During the session of Congress in 1834-35 an appropriation was made by it for constructing a turnpike from Detroit to Grand River. It was opened and worked through Lyon township, and the Huron river was bridged at Kensington, -that being the first bridge constructed in the township. The first church was that of the Episcopal Methodists, erected at South Lyon in 1841. The first school was taught in the old district No. 3, about 1834-35. ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSIIIP. The first annual meeting for the township of Lyon was held at the house of Eleazur E. Calkins, April 7, 1834. The same was called to order by William Dutcher, Esq. Thomas Sellman was chosen moderator, and William J. Smith clerk, pro tern. The board then proceeded to receive the votes of the several townships for officers, of which those elected were: Supervisor, Thomas ellman; Clerk, Levi Wilson; Assessors, Robert R. Thompson, Joseph Younglove, Russel Alvord; Commissioners of Highways, Joel Redway, Robert R. Thompson, Darius Hodges; Directors of the Poor, George McIntosh, Titus Zerkes; Commissioners of Schools, Eleazur E. Calkins, William J. Smith, James Duncan; Constable, William Thompson; Inspectors of Common Schools, Parley W. C. Gates, Joseph Blaekwood, Eliphalet Sprague, William J. Smith, William Dutcher. Overseers of Iighways.-Asa Parker, district No. 1; P. W. C. Gates, district No. 2; Thomhas Sellman, district No. 3; Joseph Younglove, district No. 4; Wil- liam Thompson, district No. 5; Jacob Hannan, district No. 6; Charles Adams, district No. 7; John Mead, district No. 8; Bela Chase, district No. 9; Benjamin E. Calkins, district No. 10; Robert RIt. Thompson, district No. 11. " Voted, That overseers of highways be also fence-viewers in their respective districts." The principal offices in the township government, from 1834 to 1877, have been held by the following-named persons: Supervisors.-Thomas Sellman, Titus Zerkes, Levi Wilson, Jacob Hannan (two years), Moses Bartow, Charles Coggeshall (two years), Eleazur E. Calkins (two years), Parley WV. C. Gates, Cyrus Wells, P. W. C. Gates (two years), Charles Coggeshall, Ralph Quick, Nehemiah P. Smith, Ralph Quick, William Hannan (three years), Joseph Blackwood (two years), Walter Bowers (two years), James B. Bradley (two years), George Vowles (two years), Lewis Hungerford, Ralph Quick (two years), James B. Bradley (two years), Ralph Quick (three years), William Hannan, James M. Sprague, David Gage, James B. Bradley, David Gage, George Vowles, William M. Ellis (present incumbent). Clerks.-Levi Wilson, Jacob Hannan (two years), Ira Davis, Eleazur E. Cal- kins, Jacob Hannan, Nehemiah P. Smith (two years), Jacob Sexton (two years), Cyrus Wells, Rewbell Sherman (four years), James B. Bradley, De Witt C. Olds, Rewbell Sherman, Do W. C. Olds, Rewbell Sherman, D. W. C. Olds, John N. Clark, Rewbell Sherman, David Dunlap (four years), Ralph Quick (three years), Roswell Barnes (five years), Edward D. Howell (two years), Charles Ellis, David Dunlap, Sylvester Calkins (two years), Alexander Duncan, Dwight Dunlap (two years), present incumbent. Justices of the Peace.-Parley W. C. Gates, E. E. Calkins, E. S. Hooker, and William Dutcher (elected in 1836). Alfred A. Dwight, Robert R. Thompson, James S. Rodger, E. E. Calkins, P. W. C. Gates, David Gage, Albert Smith (vacancy), Jonathan Shores, Moody R. Fletcher (vacancy), E. E. Calkins, P. W. C. Gates, David Gage, Jonathan Shores, E. E. Calkins, Henry HI. Huntington, Nehemiah P. Smith, Philip Marlatt, James B. Bradley, Henry H. Huntington, William Palmer, Mark N. Spellar (vacancy), David Gage, John B. Bradley, George s F w z k. 3 r Mfr AD! 0 r r Y 14 8 w v {Y" wj w r k HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 217 W. Button, Nehemiah P. Smith, Michael C. Hughston, Morgan B. Hungerford, George W. Button, Nehemiah P. Smith, Michael C. Hughston, Nehemiah P. Smith, Walter Fitzgerald, Philip Marlatt (vacancy), George W. Button, William Duncan, Samuel Donaldson, David Gage, Philip M31arlatt (vacancy), William Dun- can, David Gage (vacancy), George Vowles, James D. Covert, David Gage, Syl- vester Calkins, Edward D. Howell, Lucian D. Lovewell (vacancy), Henry Smith, E. I. Arms (vacancy), Horace B. Johns, George W. Button, Griffith Carpenter, Edward D. Howell, David Gage (vacancy), Edwin M31. Sellman. KENSINGTON. Kensington, or " Kent," as it was familiarly called, was settled at an early day (about 1832), and developed into a place of no inconsiderable importance. It was ahead of New Hudson, and vied successfully with Milford for half a decade or more, when it began to decline, and gradually disappeared as a village. Its site is now mostly occupied with fields, and the waving corn or golden grain now grows where once was the scene of business activity. Here was established, in 1838, the famous, or more properly speaking, the infamous Kensington bank, which, during the exciting speculative tendency of that time, lured many to financial shipwreck, who, had their inclinations been honest, might have secured to them- selves a competence and the esteem of their fellow-citizens. Of this institution more hereafter. Among the early settlers of Kensington were Joel Redway, Alfred A. Dwight, Dr. Thomas Curtis, N. F. Butterfield, Caleb Carr, Joseph Elder, and others. The first step towards the establishment of a village here was the erection of a saw-mill by Joel Redway, who purchased the water-power of one Pettibone, who was a government surveyor, and had selected several eligible spots in the vicinity. The mill was completed in 1834. The water-power was furnished by the Huron river, upon both sides of which Kensington is located. The first house was erected by Joel Redway. It was a plain log structure, and was built the same year as the mill. Dr. Thomas Curtis erected the first tavern, on the present site of the dwelling of Edward Hurley. The first store was kept by Alfred A. Dwight, and was the building which now constitutes the main part of George Fisher's hotel. He brought in a large stock of general goods. Following him in the mercantile business have been Chauncey L. and Robert Crouse, in 1838; N. F. Butterfield, from 1840 to 1852; George W. Button, 1846; John Dally and his widow to about 1860, since when there has been no store. In reverting to the mercantile history of Kensington, it may here be remarked that the eastern wholesale merchants were bamboozled so much there, that it became a by-word among several of them whenever a loss occurred that "the goods had gone to Kent." Mir. Redway subsequently sold his interest in the village site to Alfred A. Dwight and Enoch Jones (the latter of Detroit), by the former of whom it was platted in 1836. THE KENSINGTON BANK. The era of extravagant speculation in Michigan was inaugurated in 1835, and lasted until about 1840. During this period an inflated and frequently worth- less currency was issued by "wild-cat banks," and was in general circulation. Of this class was the Kensington bank. The original organizers of this institution were Alfred A. Dwight and his sister, B. P. and Frederick Hutchinson, Enoch Jones, Sherman D. 'Dix, and a man by the name of Fisk (probably a near rela- tive of the immortal James). These parties established themselves into a bankirig company, and according to the State law then in existence,-which was to the effect that twelve freeholders issuing a fund for one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars would be empowered to start a bank with a capital of fifty thou- sand dollars,---went around and induced several of the moneyed men of the place to sign with them, and also to take stock in the concern. Those who signed (other than the originators above mentioned) were Neil F. Butterfield, Joel Redway, Chauncey L. Crouse, Joseph Wood, and Kingsley S. Bingham, afterwards governor of the State. The next step in this brilliant enterprise was to send a delegation to Detroit to borrow a certificate of deposit from the Farmers' and Mechanics' bank of that place, representing that the Kensington banking corporation of Kensington, Oakland County, Michigan, had deposited in that concern fifty thousand dollars. When the bank inspector came around the management produced this certificate, and were by him authorized to commence business. And they did it. They sent east and got a supply of bank-note paper, and went to work signing the notes with a charming alacrity. What nice crisp notes they were, too! The circulation didn't meet their expectation, so Messrs. Sherman D. Dix and Alfred A. Dwight took several thousand of them, without the knowledge or consent of the directors, and 28 went on a tour of speculation. They landed in Milwaukee, and went to buying everything, from a farm or village lot to a pinchbeck time-piece or a suckling calf. During their absence the legislature passed an act making it incumbent on banking corporations to give real-estate security. Presently the bank commis- sioner came to Kensington, and lo!I of all the stockholders there were but two who owned real estate; those of the others who did had taken the precaution to transfer it. These two, Messrs. Crouse and Butterfield, began to feel queer. The commissioner insisted on their recalling their issue and winding up the concern. They put their heads together (of which two are said to be better than one, even if they be those of an innocent quadruped), and concluded to insert the following advertisement in the Detroit and Pontiac papers: " Absconded with fifty thousand dollars of the notes of the Kensington bank, two persons of the following description (here follows a pen portrait). Two hun- dred dollars reward will be given for their return, or for such information as will lead to their arrest," etc. Soon after, the worthies were arrested by the sheriff of Milwaukee and returned. The money was afterwards mostly recovered. In less than a year from its establishment in 1839 K ley S. Brigham. was appointed t receiver, and the Bank of Kensington soon followed the numerous other similar ventures of those days. In the interval, however, a red brick building was erected by Dwight, and was intended to be used as the bank. It has since done service as a house of worship for the Wesleyan Methodists, and who knows but that the subsequent sanctity of the place has obliterated its original iniquity ? THE VILLAGE OF SOUTH LYON. The pleasant rural village of South Lyon, although as early settled as almost any portion of the township, as a village is of more recent origin. We find settle- ments perfected here as early as 1832, and what now constitutes a portion of the village was for many years known as "Thompson's Corners." The first house was a plain log structure, built by the Widow Thompson, in 1832. It occupied the present site of the store of S. Calkins. The first store was kept in a small log addition to the house above mentioned, by William Thomp- son, a son of Mrs. Thompson. A post-office was established at the village in 1847, and called South Lyon, after which the village was named. The postmasters have been as follows: Z. C. Colvin, William Palmer, Charles Borden, E. J. Knowlton, Hiram Jones, Charles Ellis, and Sylvester Calkins, the present incumbent. Among the early settlers of the village now residing therein are S. and E. Calkins, Thomas and Dwight Dunlap, Charles Borden, and Albert Letts. About 1847, Hiram Godfrey opened a small hotel in part of the building now owned by Henry Whipple, and conducted by him for the same purpose, called the "Whipple House." It was moved to its present location from the Calkins lot in 1872. As early as 1835 William and Robert.R. Thompson erected a steam saw-mill on the lot now owned by Isaac Burnhunt, and operated it a number of years. The present mill, owned by Robert Dunlap and Robert Parks, was erected in 1871. The same year the Detroit, Lansing and Northern railroad was constructed, and a depot erected at South 'Lyon. This gave an impetus to the prosperity of the village. In 1873 it received corporate honors. TIlE VILLAGE INCORPORATION was perfected by the State legislature, under a regular charter, in 1873, as above stated, and the first annual election was held on the second Monday in April of that year. The lists of presidents and clerks comprise the following names: Presiden ts.--Hon. A. S. Knapp, 1873; Wilber Hodgman, 1874 and 1875; Kingsley Calkins, 1875 and 1876; Lewis Allen, 1877. SClerks.-Dwight Dunlap, 1873 to 1875; E. D. Howell, 1875 and 1876; Frederick Spring, 1877. The present trustees of the village are L. R. Mosher, Robert Parks, George Parker, J. W. Odell, Charles Ellis, and John Bay. The educational interests of the place have received commendable attention; and for the better education of the youth, in 1876 the west half of school district No. 3 was organized as a graded school, of which Horace Johns is principal, and Miss Aggie Clark assistant. The school enrolls one hundred and five scholars, and is in an eminently flourishing condition. In 1876 a large frame building was erected, at a cost of two thousand five hundred dollars. The business of the village is now represented by the following firms: Kingsley Calkins, 31. W. Hodgman, and Dwight Dunlap, general stores. Thomas Dunlap, drug-store. Drugs and groceries, S. Calkins; groceries, Charles Borden; hard- ware and groceries, J. B. Adams; hardware exclusively, Peebles & Berry; tin and hollow iron-ware and stoves, L. R. Mosher; boots and shoes, H. L. Stevens; furniture, Hiram Jones; hotel, Henry Whipple; post-office, Sylvester Calkins. 218 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The manufacturing interests are controlled by Wilber Jones and A. G. Barnes, planing-mill and lumber-yard; steam saw-mill, Robert Dunlap and Robert Parks; steam grist-mill, William Weatherhead; carriage- and wagon-shops, John Challis and Odell & Cooley; blacksmiths, Richard Blridson and John Bay; cider-mill, Robert Parks. The village is located on the Detroit, Lansing and Northern railroad, thirty- four miles from Detroit, and forty-nine miles from. Lansing. It is surrounded by a rich and fertile agricultural region, and it furnishes a good market for all the products of the farm. It has three churches,*-one Methodist Episcopal, one Presbyterian, and one Free Methodist,-and is in every respect a healthy, moral, and businesslike village. NEW HUDSON. Settlements were made in the vicinity of the present village of New Hudson as early as 1831 or 1832. Among the first settlers in the neighborhood were Daniel Richards and Russel Alvord (who laid out the village in 1837), Mark N. Spellar, John A. Hand, William Goldy, Heman Smith, and others. The village is located on both sides of the Detroit and Howell turnpike, and is surrounded by a rich farming country. The first log house was erected by Daniel Richards, in 1832. The first frame dwelling was built by A. I. Allen, in 1837. The first brick house was erected by Lansing Smith, in 1853. The first tavern in the village was erected by Russel Alvord. It is a frame structure, the original portion of it still doing duty. Hemnan Smith purchased it about 1842, and built the ball-room. After passing through several other hands, it came into the possession of the present owner and proprietor, Albert Hollon- back, in 1868. The first store was kept by Dr. John Curtis and John A. Hand, in a small log building on the site of the dwelling now occupied by the widow of John B. Taylor. This establishment was first opened in 1834, but was preceded by a very small mercantile venture by one Goodspeed, who had formerly dispensed a small stock of goods from the same building. The first post-office established at New Hudson was in 1834, and Dr. Curtis was appointed postmaster. It was known to some that the doctor contemplated moving to Kensington, and to those he promised not to move the office. He took it and its enormous emoluments with him, however. 'Twas worth from ten to fifteen dollars a year. The first blacksnmithy was that of Joseph Elder, in 1839. The shop was burned during his occupancy of it. The first school was taught in the old district No. 6, about 1836. This, with district No. 7, was consolidated in 1867, and organized into a graded school. The year following a fine brick school-house was erected, at a cost of six thou- sand dollars. The building committee consisted of Messrs. George Vowles, War- ren Hodges, and N. G. Pinney. The first teacher was Thomas Bogart; the present one is Miss Hattie Warren. The business of the village is now represented by two general stores, a hotel, post-office,-lHenry Vowles, postmaster,-a wagon-shop, which was established by Orlando Gurnee in 1855, employs four hands, turns out work to the amount of three thousand dollars annually. There is a blacksmith's shop, two harness- shops, two churches,-one Universalist and one Methodist Episcopal,*-and the graded school above noticed. The Detroit and Howell Turnpike Company was organized in 1850, and the road constructed through the village about that time. The toll-gate was estab- lished there, and Lansing Smith was made the first toll-gate-keeper. The village is in a flourishing condition generally, and is a neat and tasty place. LYON ORANGE, NO. 452, was organized May 29, 1874, with twenty-nine charter members, namely: E. I. Arms, W. M.; J. B. Adams, O.; II. H. Smith, S.; C. II. Smith, Chap.; D. B. Stark, L.; W. Yanson, Asst. S.; W. D. Corson, Treas.; Alonzo Borden, Sec.; A. Herald, G. K.; Sarah Smith, Ceres; E. Yanson, Pomona; A. Berden, Flora; R. Gready, L. A. S.; George Gready, Sophia Gready, Mrs. A. J. Stark, Mrs. C. A. Corson, Mrs. Mary Adams, Morris Gready, W. Callen, Mary Gready, Marie Gready, Thomas Gready, J. Dailey, Jennie Dailey, E. E. Gage, Carrie Borden, S. F. Borden. The grange meets in the Masonic hall at South Lyon, and now has a membership of forty. The present officers are: A. Borden, W. M.; D. B. Stark, O.; A. S. Knapp, L.; J. Dailey, S.; A. Hagadorn, Asst. S.; Marie Gready, Chap.; W. D. Corson, Treas.; 0. M. Bentley, See.; J. B. Adams, G. K.; Carrie Borden, Ceres; Rose Gready, Pomona; Jennie Gready, Flora; H. M. Knapp, Lady Assistant Steward. SSee under head of" Iteligiozs." RELIGIOUS. Many events of secular historical importance cluster around the religious history of Lyon township, particularly as regards that of the Methodist Episco- pal church of South Lyon, which is the pioneer religious organization in the township. We present the subjoined historical sketch of Methodism in Lyon, from data furnished by S. Calkins, a gentleman eminently qualified for the task by a life- long association with the Methodist church herein described. In 1832, Eleazur E. Calkins and Levi Wilson located lands on sections 22, 27, and 28, and in the montlh of November settled in log cabins with their families. In January, 1833, only a few weeks after the settlement of these two families referred to, one Saturday evening, the family of Mr. Calkins was seated around a bright and cheerful log fire, and the conversation had for some time been of loved ones left in New York State, and of the more advanced religious privi- leges and associations from which they had so recently separated. While in the midst of this conversation a vigorous rap was heard at the door. The hearty " Walk in" was responded to by the appearance of a venerable man, who greeted those present with the scriptural salutation, "The peace of God be upon this house." He then went on to introduce himself as Jesse Jessup, an exhorter of the Methodist Episcopal church. He had come from Plymouth on foot, following a brush road which wound around swamps and over rough places, and reached the Calkins dwelling between eight and nine o'clock at night. On the Sabbath morning following, some five or six fathmilies-all that were within reach-were notified that there would be a meeting at the Calkins residence at eleven o'clock. A congregation of about twenty listened to an earnest and touching exhortation,- the first ever delivered in Lyon township. From this time Mr. Calkins' house was a place of worship, until the Lord's house was built. At first, services were held every two weeks, but soon each succeeding Sabbath found a small band of faithful and earnest worshipers there, listening to the words of comfort from the mouths of local preachers or exhorters; among whom-names of precious memory -were Jesse Jessup, Samuel White, David H. Rowland, Jacob Dobbins, Hil- man Dobbins, Father Law, Father Lewis, Elisha Bibbins. These have, all but one,-Jacob Dobbins,-finished their work and -gone to their reward. In the month of September, 1833, Alvah Billings, then preacher in charge of the Ypsilanti circuit, preaching on a week-day, held a class-meeting and organ- ized a class of six members, namely: Eleazur E. Calkins, Anna Calkins, Levi Wilson, Benjamin E. Calkins, and Malinda Calkins. From this time until the division of the Plymouth charge, the appointment was known on plan as the Calkins appointment, but was for several years a week-day meeting. At the Ohio conference of 1833, Marcus Swift and R. Dawson were appointed to the circuit, which forty-three years ago embraced the following stations: Ypsilanti, Wayne, Dearborn, Redfield, Centre, Plymouth, Northville, South Lyon, Northfield, and Salem and Dixborough, with other places, probably in all eighteen appointments. This year the class was increased by the names of William M. Calkins, Eliza Calkins, and Nancy Calkins, who were received by letter. In 1834, M. Swift and S. Davis were appointed to the circuit. The appointees from this time to the present have been as follows: in 1835, Elijah Crane and 0. Mitchell; in 1836, Mr. Sprague and David Burns. This year was a memora- ble one in the history of the church. A protracted meeting was held, and about fifty converts were added to the church. In 1837, William Sprague and O. F. North (the former was subsequently elected to Congress, and after serving a term at Washington came back with his influence as a minister of the gospel sadly impaired). In the words of Elder Calkins, "the ministerial calling is so infinitely above political callings, that I doubt if any ever have yielded to its preferments without very great and serious loss." O. F. North located and went into business at Pontiac, and after- wards held the office of probate judge of the county. Both are now dead. In 1838, John Kinnear and A. Minnis; 1839, Robert Triggs and Alanson Flem- ing; 1840, Larman Chatfield and Robert Triggs; 1841, George Bradley and Ebenezer Steele. In this year the church edifice of the society was erected, and dedicated in the spring of 1842. Rev. J. A. Baughman preached the dedicatory sermon, which was a masterpiece of pulpit eloquence. In 1842, William Sprague and George King were in charge; in 1843, Henry Van Orden and John Scotford. This year the church was blessed with a gracious revival, and many were added to it in 1844," John K. Gillett and F. W. Warren were the preachers in 1845. In 1846, Horace Hall and F. W. Warren; in 1847, James F. Davidson and P. J. Buchanan; in 1848, David Burns and A. Minnis; in 1849, David Burns and F. Brittain; in 1850, Thomas Wakelin and J. H. Burnham; in 1851, George Smith and J. H. Burnham; in 1852, E. W. Borden. Brother Borden left the M. E. church because he did not receive ap- pointments equal to his ability. Q uoz . F F +tF ~~ 0 F; ~ F - F, F~ F Fo w,.F w. F F 0 n F F F ~ FF $ ~Y F ~ F~F F ,. _F F-, F F _ F z«, , F F. F MA~ A4AL. ~A~A~AA ~~AAA~ AAA~AA~AAA~ AA~ 0 AAAA~ A A A > 0 0 A V A A>> A A A A A A A A> A / A < A A A A > A>> AA /~> A A A~A> > ____ ___________ _______ I #~ v 7 0 '&44 u.. u0 °0 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 219 In 1853 the Plymouth circuit was divided; the western portion of the work was called Northfield, and Ransom Goodall was appointed to the charge. During the year the parsonage property was purchased at South Lyon, and since then the charge has borne that name. In 1854, E. R. Hascal; 1855 and 1856, J. E. McAllister; 1857 and 1858, S. P. Warner and S. F. Ramsdel. These years were noted for several additions to the church. In 1859, William Birdsall and S. F. Ramsdel; 1860, William Birdsall. This year the present church edifice was erected. The dedicatory sermon was preached by F. A. Blades. It is a frame structure; cost two thousand dollars, and has a seating capacity of three hundred persons. In 1831, A. F. Bourns; 1862, C. M3. Anderson and George Stowe; 1863, George Taylor; 1864, James S. Caster; 1865 and 1866, S. Calkins and James Wells (supply); 1867, S. Calkins; 1868, M. B. Wilsey and W. C. Climo; 1869, J. M. Corden. A large number added to the church under this and Brother Calkins' pastorate. In 1870, 1871, and 1872, B. F. Prichard, with J. G. Sparling, Matthew Halls, and Brother Hedger, Junior, preachers, successively. In 1873 the charge was again divided, and S. E. Warren was pastor, also in 1874; in 1875 and 1876, A. F. Hoyt; in 1877, Rev. Frank Bradley, the present incumbent. The present officers are S. Calkins, Joshua Harker, David Brown, David Gage, William Stryker, trustees; David Gage, Albert Hagadorne, E. A. Calkins, Joshua Harker, Kingsley Calkins, stewards. The present membership of the church is ninety. In 1836 the Sunday-school was organized. It was held once in two iveeks in the school-house, and the alternate Sabbath in the house of Franklin Gardner. The first superintendent was S. Calkins; present superintendent, S. Calkins; membership, one hundred and thirty; number of volumes in the library, six hundred. TIHE M31ETIIODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF NEW IIHUDSON. In 1837 a class of eight members was formed at New Hudson. They were Mr. Comstock and wife, Nehemiah P. Smith and wife, Francis Cole and wife, and David Cole and wife. The class worshiped in private dwellings and in the school-house until 1847, when they purchased their present church edifice, which had been built by Heman Smith three years previous, and used by the Presby- terians. This year (1847) the Methodist Episcopal church was regularly organ- ized with the following members: Alfred Town and wife, Robert C. Bell and wife, Ebenezer Heath and family, Joseph Hayes and wife, James St. Clair and wife, Truman Rathbun and wile, Mrs. William Goldy, Mrs. Alanson Smith, and Mrs. Samuel Donnaldson. It is a part of the South Lyon charge, and its membership is contained in the statistics of that body. THE UNIVERSALIST CIIHURCH OF LYON was organized November 27, 1858, with the following-named persons as original members: George Vowles, N. F. Butterfield, George Voorheis, Hiram Covey and wifb, Artemus Fisher and wife, Roxana Fisher, J. S. Birdsall and wife, John Parks and wife, Jonathan Shores and wife, A. F. Chambers and wife, Harvey Skinner and wife, Frank Heath and wife, John D. Parks and wife, Jesse Cady and wife, John Voorheis and wife, Alva Mead and wife, Martha Graham, Mrs. Walter Bowers, Livona Potter, Mrs. Juliet Button, Delana Bowen, and Helen M. But- terfield. The first pastor was Rev. C. W. Knickerbocker, who remained with the con- gregation from 1858 to 1868. His successors in the pastorate have been Revs. E. Case, W. Sisson, Samuel Ashton, C. F. Dodge, and A. N. Soule. The first trustees were N. F. Butterfield, George W. Button, George Vowles, Hiram Covey, Silas N. Rose, and Walter Bowers. The present trustees are A. F. Chambers, Jonathan Shores, and Henry Bowers. The membership of the church is eighty. The church edifice, located at New Hudson, was erected in 1859. The build- ing committee consisted of George W. Button, Esq., N. F. Butterfield, Silas N. Rose, and Hiram Covey. In June of the same year the building was dedicated to the service of God by Rev. C. W. Knickerbocker, assisted by Revs. Gilmhnore and Livermore. The building is of wood, and cost about three thousand dollars. Its seating capacity is about three hundred. TIHE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF LYON. On the 17th of May, 1858, a meeting was held for the purpose of organizing a Presbyterian church. We quote from the records of said meeting as follows: ' We, the undersigned, agree to associate ourselves together for the purpose of forming a religious society, to be called the 'First Presbyterian Society of Lyon.' Joseph Blackwood, Ira M. Olds, David Dunlap, James S. Rodger, E. K. Knowlton, Josiah Fitzgerald, William Hannan, Robert Dunlap (first), and J. Duncan." The trustees elected at this meeting were Robert Dunlap (first) and Josiah Fitzgerald, one year; Joseph Blackwood and James S. Rodger, two years, and William Hannan for three years. March 28, 1859, a contract for the " carpenter and joiner work on the church building was let to Adam Dean for two thousand one hundred and ninety-four dollars on house, and seventy dollars on steeple." The sacred edifice was dedi- cated in December of the same year. The pastors of the church have been Revs. Ira M. Olds, Donaldson, Snyder, Charles Dunlap, and Maltby Selstin. The present membership is forty; value of church property, eighteen hundred dollars. Present trustees, Martin Rohra- bacher, Andrew Rodger, Charles E. Walton, James Blackwood, and T. A. Sayre. The Sabbath-school was formed about the same time as the church. The first superintendent was James Duncan, next James S. Rodger, and the present in- cumbent is C. E. Walton. Number of teachers, eight; number of scholars, sixty-five; number of volumes in Sunday-school library, one hundred. FREE 31ETHIIODIST CIHURCII OF LYON, a body of Christians who seceded from the Methodist Episcopal church in 1873 and formed themselves into a separate society. The leader of the movement was Asa Hudson. In 1874 they erected their present house of worship, which is a frame building, and cost about fifteen hundred dollars. The original membership was nine; it is now about twenty. Pastor, Rev. J. C. Chamberlain. YOUNG MEN'S SOCIETY OF LYON. In 1837 a society was organized, the stated object being "the moral and intel- lectual improvement of the young men of Lyon and vicinity." The original members of this society were: Robert R. Thompson, president; Benjamin F. Smith, vice-president; Lucius C. Walton, secretary; Reuben Smith, treasurer; James S. Rodger, John Rodger, James W. Smith, De Witt C. Olds, William M. Sewell, Charles A. Smith, Adam Rohrabacher, John C. Rohra- bacher, and Robert R. Thompson, honorary members. The society existed for a number of years, and there are several now living in the township and vicinity who were identified with it. " BIOGRAPHICAL SIKETCHEES. PHILIP MIARLATT, one of the very first settlers of Farmington, and among the early pioneers of Lyon township, was born in Sehoharie county, New York, April 1,1798. At the age of twelve years hlie removed with his parents to Mendon, Monroe county, New York, where he continued to reside until 1825, when he emigrated to Michigan, and settled in Farmington township, this county. He remained there until 1839, when he removed to Lyon, and settled permanently on the farm now occupied by his son, Jay Marlatt, on section 2, where he lived until his death, which occurred May 25, 1869. Mr. Marlatt was a man very generally known and universally respected. As an evidence of his popularity, we will state that he was elected to several offices of trust, both in Farmington and Lyon townships. He was among the very first appointees to the office of postmaster at East Farmington. We have before us his appointment and commission, the former bearing date December 16, 1830, and the latter March 7, 1831. He was elected supervisor of that township at an early day; also one of the justices of the peace of Lyon for many years, and a notary public for a long period. All these offices, and others, he filled faithfully and well, and to the general satisfaction of the people. In politics he was originally a Whig, and afterwards a Republican, to which party he adhered until .his death. On the 5th of September, 1819, he married Thirsa Stanton, who was born November 22, 1797. The subjoined is the family record: Rachel, born May 17, 1823; married E. Mead, and removed to Gratiot county, where she subsequently died. Jay, born September 12, 1826; married Sarah A. Baker, February 22, 1875. Margaret, born July 19, 1833; married Hiram J. Covey, and now resides with her husband near Holly. Mary, born February 24, 1836; married Spencer J. Renwick, and resides in Lyon township. Mrs. Marlatt was a woman of strong character and indomitable energy,--just such a one, in fact, best qualified to be a pioneer wife and mother. She was a milliner by trade, and used to make her own and the family's garments from the raw material. She would gather and split her own straw, and make it into bonnets for her own and the children's use. In those days a patch of flax could 220 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I every season be seen on the Marlatt place, and the family always neatly clad in the neat and durable home-spun clothing, made by the deft and ingenious fingers of the mother. She was a lady whom to know was to esteem, and whose memory is fondly cherished by her children, and kindly by her numerous friends. JAY MARLATT, the only son of the above worthy couple, was born as stated in the preceding family record. He was brought up on the farm, and there early taught those lessons of industry and self-reliance that have been among the prime character- istics of his subsequent success. He lives on the old homestead, and there dispenses that generous hospitality for which the name of Marlatt has for years been distinguished. He enjoys a prominent place in the respect of the commu- nity in which hlie resides. Everybody knows the genial, open-hearted Jay Marlatt, and to know is to esteem him. One can always hear Jay, when he is around; for he loves to talk, and to crack a joke, or indulge in a humorous hit. There is a good complement of humor in Jay, of the free and easy kind,- none of your satirical or cynical sort, but jovial and generous. Jay always votes the Republican ticket; and though he regularly reads the family Bible, hlie never joined any of the churches, but prefers to do his own religious as well as secular thinking. On the whole, we do not believe that any amount of religion could improve him. Mrs. Marlatt, formerly Sarah A. Smith, daughter of Seth Smith, Esq., an old and respected settler and citizen of Novi township, was born July 11, 1836. She is a lady eminently qualified to preside over Jay's household; and she dispenses its hospitalities with a lavish hand. She is kind and genial in disposi- tion; and having known her husband long, evinced rare good judgment in select- ing him, and rescuing him from the horrors of bachelorhood. An illustration of the homestead,"and portraits of Philip Marlatt and of Jay and his wife, can be seen elsewhere in this work. GEORGE W. BUTTON, ESQ. Among the prominent self-made men of this county the subject of this brief sketch holds a prominent position. Coming here as hlie did forty years ago, with- out money or influence (except that possessed by every honest man), he went to work with a will, his capital consisting of his health, his industry, and his am- bition. His subsequent success has been the fruits of personal labor and an un- swerving integrity. George W., son of John and Cynthia (Clark) Button, was born in North Haven, Connecticut, October 27, 1817. At an early age ihe removed with his parents to Crawford county, Pennsylvania. In 1835 he made a brief visit to Michigan, but did not permanently settle here until two years later. Hie then located in Farmington township, and there went to work in the busy season, and attended school during the winter months. Subsequently lie taught school for eight winters, the rest of the time working on the fathrm. In 1846 he embarked in the mercantile business at Kensington, in which hlie continued but one sum- mer. In the winter of 1846-47 he taught school at New Hudson On the 17th of March, 1847, he married Juliet, daughter of Hiram Covey, an old and respected citizen of Lyon township, of whom we shall write more exten- sively presently. After the honeymoon the young couple removed on to a farm of one hundred acres he had purchased in West Bloomfield township, and com- menced the arduous work of improving the same. In 1854 he sold the farm, re- turned to New Hudson, and went to keeping store, at which he continued for about seven years. He finally, in 1861, sold his stock of goods, rented the store, and bought the Captain Coggeshall farm, which is pleasantly located on the Grand river road, about half a mile east of New Hudson, where he proposes to quietly spend the remainder of his life, which, in all probability, will be a long and happy one. The farm consists of three hundred acres of fertile and productive land and good out-buildings. Mr. Button presently intends to erect a new dwell- ing-house, and will then be comfortably and pleasantly located. Mr. and Mrs. Button have had a family of six children, of whom but three sur- vive, namely: Sarah Alwilda, born February 27, 1848. Orpha M., born June 4, 1851. Francis M., born December 2, 1860; married George Woodman, of Wixom, and resides at that place with her husband. Mr. Button has frequently been selected by the people of his township to fill various offices of trust, notably those of justice of the peace-which he held for about eighteen years-and that of school director for over twenty-five years. In politics he is Republican, having belonged to that party ever since its formation; previously hlie was a Whig. In religion he is a Universalist, being one of the original members of the Universalist church of Lyon, at New Hudson, and for many years one of the officers of that body. Mr. Button is a gentleman very extensively known and much respected. He is genial in disposition, and hospitable to a fault. His wife is a lady well suited, by her excellent household qualifications, to dispense the hospitalities of their home. An illustration of the premises, and portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Button, can be seen elsewhere. EBEN WHIPPLE, son of Israel and Patience Whipple, was born at Farmington, Ontario county, New York, August 10, 1817. He removed to Michigan with his parents in December, 1831. His father and mother resided on the homestead during the remainder of their lives, after their settlement thereon, the latter dying in 1861, and the former May 5,1872. They experienced the usual hardships encountered by the pioneers in all new countries, and bore them with a fortitude that always insures success. On the 26th of March, 1863, Eben Whipple was married to Dighton Lock- wood, who was born in Ontario county, New York, February 16, 1841. Mr. Whipple has a farm of two hundred and forty acres, of which one hun- dred and sixty are under excellent cultivation, and the balance in heavy timber. His buildings are among the finest and most substantial in the county, while his location cannot be surpassed. His residence is situated on an eminence, and commands a view of the surrounding country for miles. His barn is an object of notice to every passer-by, and while its external appearance is worthy of remark, the interior is simply immense. It eclipses anything of the kind in the county, beyond the shadow of a doubt. In fine, the Whipple homestead, in all its depart- ments, exhibits the rare practicability and good sense of its owner. Another valuable peculiarity of the place is the existence of iron ore in large quantities on the farm. It is quite probable that the owner will one day develop this mineral deposit. In politics Mr. Whipple is Republican; in religion he is liberal, never having affiliated with any sectarian body. He is a man of sound judgment, a capital practical farmer, and a good citizen in every sense of the term. A residence of over forty-five years in one place brings out the characteristics of a man, and after undergoing the criticisms of the people, if the result is favorable, then one can depend upon the general worth of the man. Such criteria are applicable to Eben Whipple. We invite the attention of our readers to the illustration of the premises of Mr. Whipple, and to the portraits of himself and wife, to be found in another part of this work. HON. GEORGE VOWLES. George Vowles was born at Westbury, Somersetshire, England, November 10, 1818. His parents, Henry and Honora Vowles, left England for America in June, 1829, landing in New York in August of the same year. From that city they proceeded to Onondaga county, where they continued their residence until 1835. In that year Mr. Vowles moved west, and came by team through the Canadas, arriving at Detroit September 15, 1835. H e pursued his journey via Pontiac to Independence, Oakland County, this State, where he remained until 1840. He settled in Lyon township in June of that year, where he has since resided. On the 17th of December, 1840, he married Sarah, daughter of Jonas Bowers, Esq., one of the pioneers of Lyon township, by whom he had three children, namely: Henry C., born December 1, 1841. Mary A., born February 27, 1844. James, born July, 1847. Sarah (Bowers) Vowles was born in Seneca, Ontario county, New York, April 7, 1823; died in Lyon township, August 4, 1847. Mr. Vowles married a second time, to Julia A. Bowers, a sister of his first wife, November 21, 1847. She was born in Seneca, Ontario county, New York, November 22, 1830. This union has been blessed with five children, as follows: William C., born May 22, 1849. Frank J., born July 9, 1853. Emma, born September 1, 1857. Julia, born June 3, 1860. Jennie M., born June 10, 1870. Mr. Vowles is a Republican in politics, and has frequently been chosen by his party to represent it in various offices. He was elected supervisor of his township three terms, and justice of the peace one term. In 1868 he' was a member of the State legislature, and was re-elected for the term of 1869. As such he was a faithful representative of the people, giving general satisfaction to every one re- gardless of political preferences, and always endeavored to promote the best inter- ests of his constituents by a sensible and honest use of his vote and influence. In h ~O0NV)iQd a 1 f4 ~ < " ~ ~ ~ ~ / ~ ~ ~ > ~~ i4I17 ~ I ~ 2 2222, 2 <2< ~ '2 ) ~2 ~ 1 ,/2 ~ ' , ~'<' ~ , ~ I~ ,< 22 ~ 2' 2 ?Hi2~~ 2 " "122< 2 , , ' K 2<'''',~ ,, ,, ~{2"i22"" " i2"i' I ' ' 22< ' 2" 2 '''V '<2>22< "12<" ~"< ~2< 2< ' ' S1771HJ a v~&r~ ~d177IHd G~IVNG31 SAl p~/ 'I 2 ,' 2 < << 2 ~ 2 2 22 I 2 < 2 22 I ' , ~2 ~< 2, '2 '' "" ' ' ' 2' 2  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 221 religion hlie is a member of the Universalist church of Lyon, at New Hudson, being one of the originators of that body. On the 4th of April, 1850, hlie left New Hudson for California, in company with his brother Levi, Walter Bowers, his brother-in-law, and Lewis Clark. They arrived at Placerville on the 4th of August, four months after starting. They worked in the mines at that place, at Bidwell's bar, and other localities, remain- ing in the State until the 12th of August, 1852. While there his brother was killed by a stab from a desperado, surviving only twelve hours after the assault. His murderer was hung the next day, having been tried by a jury of twelve men, who brought him in guilty, and his honor Judge Lynch passed the death- sentence. On his way home, Mr. Vowles was taken with the cholera, on board the boat, between New York and Philadelphia, and his life was saved through the careful nursing and close attention of a colored girl, who administered the proper reme- dies, and, at the peril of her own life, brought him through safely. During his trip he accumulated about four thousand dollars, which was on the whole the hardest-earned money hlie ever received. Mr. Vowles is now quite well-to-do, having a fine farm, and good, comfortable buildings, an illustration of which, together with portraits of himself and wife, can be seen on another page in this work. ELEAZUR E. CALKINS. Eleazur Ellis Calkins, Esq., was born in Herkimer, New York, September 10, 1796. Subsequently hlie removed to Perriuton, Monroe county, New York, and was married to Anna Blood, of Victor, Ontario county, New York, January 11, 1819. In October, 1832, hlie emigrated to Michigan, and settled in the town of Lyon, Oakland County. In 1833 hlie was appointed justice of the peace by Gov- ernor Stevens T. Mason, and at the organization of the township was successively elected to the same office for four terms. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church in the State of New York, and in his new home in Michigan, his house was the welcome home of the itinerant preacher, and in it the first Methodist Episcopal society of Lyon was organized in 1833. He was appointed leader of the society at its organization, which office hlie held almost continuously, also that of trustee, to the time of his death, December 26, 1866. REV. S. CALKINS. Rev. Sylvester Calkins, eldest son of E. E. Calkins, Esq., was born in Perrin- ton, Monroe county, New York, October 16, 1819. Emigrated with his parents to Lyon, Oakland County, Michigan, in 1832. United with the Methodist Epis- copal church in South Lyon in 1844. HIe was the same year "elected Sunday- school superintendent, which office he held until-in 1847-he was licensed to exhort, and was employed by the presiding elder to travel on the Farmington cir- cuit. In 1848 he was licensed to preach, and employed as supply on the Ingham circuit. In 1849 he was received into the Michigan conference, and appointed to Milford circuit. This year he was married to Harriet A. Arms, daughter of Israel Arms, Esq., of Brighton. In 1850 he was appointed to Richmond circuit, Macomb county. In 1851 and 1852 he was appointed to Lapeer, in 1853 to Clarkston, in 1854 and 1855 to Flushing, in 1856 to Plymouth, in 1857 to Howell. In 1858 hlie was appointed presiding elder of Romeo district, which office lie held until 1861. In 1861 and 1862 he was pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Romeo, and in 1863 and 1864 was pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church in the city of Pontiac. His health tfailing, hlie sought comparative retirement by an appointment to the church at South Lyon, the home of his youthful days. This church hlie served as pastor in 1865, 1866, and 1867, at which time hlie was granted a superannuated relation, but continued to preach as his health would permit or circumstances seemed to require. In 1869 he was elected justice of the peace, and in 1872 and 1873 he was elected township clerk. In 1872 he was appointed postmaster at South Lyon, which office lie now holds. The occupation'of his choice, and in which he finds great delight,-next to that of the ministry,-is horticulture and floriculture, and in these his wife is even more enthusiastic than lie, as their fruit-garden and green-house amply testify. -- r( n r - - MILFORD THE congressional township of Milford, designated in the United States survey as township 2 north, range 7 east, was detached from Novi, December 30, 1834, and organized as a separate township by the Territorial legislature at the time above specified. In giving the topography of the township, it will be sufficient to say that the principal stream in it is the Huron river, which enters the township near the centre of section 13, being the outlet of a series of lakes in the adjoining township of Commerce, on the east. Soon after entering the township it receives as one of its tributaries Norton creek, from the south, in said section 13. Within the corporate limits of the village it receives another very important tributary,-Pettibone creek, -coming in from the north, which is the outlet of the Pettibone lakes, in this and the adjoining township of Highland. Both the Huron and Pettibone afford val- uable water-powers, which are only in part utilized, leaving many yet for the hand of enterprise to develop. The Huron runs, at its entrance into the township, in a northwesterly direction, thence at the village westerly and south and south- westerly, and enters a lake, known as the Kensington lake, on section 31. Below the village it receives three other small tributaries, one in section 9, one in section 16, and another in section 32. The surface of the township is decidedly rolling, and may almost be termed hilly in some parts. It has a very productive soil, made so materially by an intelligent and thorough culture, and the application of clover and plaster, changing the virgin soil from a deep golden hue to the darker one now presented. It used to be claimed, when the first settlers came, that they could not grow any of the grasses, particularly clover; but that state of things has long passed by. All the cereals for which Michigan is so noted are here successfully grown. The farmers now point with just pride to the products of the soil, the fruits of the orchards, their choice herds of cattle and sheep, their fine horses, and their yield of pork. The supply of pure water, obtained at small cost, on most of the farms is almost unlimited. The soil is mostly gravelly, with here and there some clay; plenty of stone for all purposes of budilding. The timber is prin- cipally of oak and hickory, much of which is of second growth. The oak-crowned TOWNSHIP. hills surrounding the village of Milford, and down the valley of the Huron, form a landscape of wondrous beauty, and one well worthy the pencil of the artist. Having thus briefly described the land within the limits of the township, let us now consider its EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first entry made for land was by Amos Mead for Levi Pettibone, Esq., in the year 1827. This was the west half of the northwest quarter of section 10, and constitutes the site of that portion of the village of Milford lying north of the quarter-line and west of Main street, and originated the name of Pettibone creek and lakes. One of the earliest pioneers in the township was Elizur Ruggles, who came in and purchased lands of the government in 1831, and located on the same with his brother Stanley in 1832. Henry, another brother, came in the following year. They took up all the land now comprised in the Ruggles farm and village plat known as "Armstrong's addition," lying cast of Main street. Only two white settlers resided in the township at this time, one by the name of Ayrcs, who occu- pied the Captain Abel Peck farm, in the south part of the township, and the other, named Allport, lived in a log house between the Fuller house and the river, on that forty acres of the Fuller fatrm next to the farm known as the Hoagland place, now owned and occupied by Mr. Whiting, on section 9. Henry Ruggles, mentioned in the above connection, was accidentally killed at the house-raising of Pearson, on the farm now owned by Charles Inamells, in 1837. The Ruggles erected the first saw-mill in the township in 1832, of which more hereafter. Elizur Ruggles was a bachelor, and his brother Stanley was a widower, when they moved into the township, and they boarded with a family named Parks, who came into the country with them. The house in which they lived was the first house in the township. It was built of logs, on the brow of the hill, east of Dr. Brown's residence, on the site (or very near it) of his tenant house. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Captain Abel Peck came in the year 1831, and located on section 35, on the farm.now occupied by his daughter, the widow of Lyman Bennett. John Hayes settled on section 36 the same year, on the place now bwned by Frank Heath. He was accompanied by two brothers; but none of the family now reside in the township. John Vincent came from Richmond, Ontario county, New York, in November, 1832, and took up the east half of the southeast quarter of section 15, upon which he lived until his death, in April, 1877. His son now occupies the old homestead. Job G. Bigelow arrived in July, 1832, and bought of the government the north half of southwest quarter of section 33. He broke up and sowed to wheat forty acres, and put up the body of a log house, putting down a temporary floor. In October of the same year he moved his family into it, without doors or win- dows or even a roof. But he soon finished it, and as there was no school-house, or even school district, in the entire township at that time, and there being a few families in the vicinity desiring school-privileges, Mrs. Bigelow opened a school in their own house, where she taught the children of the surrounding country for two years. It is believed that this was one of the first schools ever taught in the town, probably the very first one. One rather amusing incident connected with this first pioneer enterprise may be mentioned : Mr. Bigelow, during the fall, had hired a young man by the name of Richard Wilson. One afternoon, with two nephews of IMr. Bigelow's, who were there on a visit, it was determined to have a hunting expedition by way of recreation. Returning quite late in the evening, after par- taking supper they retired for the night, with the exception of Wilson, who sat down upon the floor with his feet down into the hole intended for the hearth. With his head resting upon his hands and his elbows upon his knees, lie was soon fast asleep. In the night, as the fire got low, being somewhat cold, one of the boys got up and threw upon the fire a basket of chips, on which one of them, on comining in from their hunt, had thoughtlessly thrown his powder-horn. Again retiring to rest, he was soon in the land of tired hunters, from which lie and all the inmates of the house were suddenly summoned by a loud explosion. It seems that as soon as the fire reached the powder the above result followed, scattering the chips and fire all over the house, throwing poor Dick nearly to the back part of the room. Fortunately, no one was injured, obut dall were badly frightened. Deacon Harvey Steele came in 1832, and settled on section 35, on the farm now owned by Henry Nicholson. Isaiah J. Hudson settled on sections 20 and 21 in 1832. About the middle of November, 1832, Mr. Potts and his tfather arrived from England, having left the docks at London October 11 of that year, being five weeks on the voyage. William Potts entered the employ of Amos Mead. He still resides in the township, being its oldest pioneer. John L. Clark came into Milford township in 1833, and settled on the south- east quarter of section 28, on the farm afterwards occupied by A. Gillett. Robert Crawford, together with his famniily, came here in 1833. This country was then a wild and howling wilderness. He purchased the farm now occupied by William D. Crawford, his son, on the 14th day of November of that year, of Griffith Johns and Calvin Lincolnttwo hundred and forty acres for five hundred and fifty dollars. The former owners just named had made some improvements and built two log houses, but being sick with the fever and ague and some home- sick, they were glad to avail themselves of a purchaser and go back to the State of New York. In the spring of 1834, Alanson Crawford, the eldest son of the purchaser, came here and made additional improvements, it then being called Novi. In May, 1835, Mr. Crawford and his famnily started on their journey of removal here from Ontario county, New York, with two double teams and one single one, bringing with them six young horses. They came through Canada, arriving about the last of June. They undertook to come out from Detroit by way of the Grand River road. It was not worked much, and a part of the time they were obliged to turn aside in the woods where the mud and water were hub deep. But they finally reached the " Sand hill," leaving one of their wagons stuck fast in the mud; returning the next morning, they hauled it out with an- other. team. William D. Crawford was with the family when they came in. iHe narrates his first journey to Milford village in this way: having to pasture their horses in the woods, not having much land fenced, the horses strayed. Going in quest of them in a northwest direction, he camne to the Huron river; having fol- lowed a sort of trail lie camne where the village now stands. He found here a log house and blacksmith-shop (Foreman's). He there inquired for Mr. Vincent's, when, taking a back track by way of MIr. V.'s house, he made home at last. Mr. Robert Crawford died in February, 1839. His remnnains, first interred in the old cemetery, now rest beside those of his wife, whose death occurred about six years ago, waiting the morn of the resurrection. James Mendham came from England in 1833, and settled on section 12 in Mil- ford and on section 7 in Commerce townships, on the fatrm now occupied by his son, John J. Mendham. George Tuck camne in 1837, and subsequently settled on the farm now owned by John Simons. David Pickett arrived in .1835, and settled on the farm formerly owned by Orin Goodell, on section 24. The settlement of the township between 1836 and 1840 was rapid, a large influx of immigration pouring in, so that it is impossible to mention the names of all. As illustrating the privations and hardships encountered by the pioneers in their travels to their adopted homes in the west, we quote the subjoined account, fur- nished by the person whose experiences are therein narrated to Mr. Henderson Crawford, and published by him in his able articles in the " Early History of Mil- ford and Vicinity." This is a fair sample of a journey to the west in early times, and its insertion here dispenses with the requirement of a similar rencontre in the history of others, and which would necessitate a tiresome repetition: / " We have lately received from the hands of our venerable friend, Frederick W. Goodenow, now nearly seventy-nine years of age, the following statement of his early experience: lie came to Michigan in 1826, from the township of Mexico, in Oswego county, State of New York, being about twenty-five miles from the city of Syracuse. Located on lands four miles northwest from Ann Arbor in . -- the month of April, in that year, then returned east and removed with his fanamily, consisting of wife, mother, and two children, in June following, shipping on a canal- boat, on the 'raging canal,' for Buffalo. Traveling by this mode of conveyance was very tedious and irksome. At Buffalo they embarked on a steamer called the ' Enterprise;' but she proved a poor enterprise for them, as her accommodations were wretched in the extreme. Little better awaited them in Detroit, where they were obliged to take their lodgings on the floor at Uncle Ben Woodruff's Steam- boat hotel, then the best in the city. He then hired John Hamilton, father of the Ilamiltons at Flint, for forty dollars, to take him and his family through to Ann Arbor, their journey occupying four days. It rained most of the entire time on the road, being one of the very worst times hlie could possibly have chosen,- in June; even the winter season would have been preferable. The water being very poor,-surface water,-consequently they were soon all sick with the different fevers incident to a new country, and could not get in any crops. Leaving word at Ann Arbor that they wanted help, it would come, and seeing the situation of the family, would take leave suddenly Finally their neighbors came and cut marsh-grass enough to winter their stock and stacked it, without any comipensa- tion, as they would receive nothing for their services. So if any one wants to find neighbors good, kind, and true, let them seek them in a new country, if any- where on earth. Procuring all the boards lie could at Ann Arbor, only three hundred feet of poor oak, they formed their only shelter for twelve days, eleven of which it rained the most of the time. They lost a great many bedclothes by the wet weather. They then moved into their new log house, procuring basswood- bark for floors. The mnext morning after their first night there they were greeted by the arrival of a visitor,-a tall black bear was seen coming to their new place of abode. IMr. Goodenow fearing his visitor mighlt be a little deaf, gave him a loud good-morning, whereat Bruin suddenly turned tail and, leaving, was soon out of sight. There were no white neighbors within two miles, but the Indians were very plenty, ahmnost too much so when drunk. They used to buy fresh meats and birekskins of the Indians, paying them in flour. In the following autumn Mrs. Goodeow went to Cleveland, Ohio, where she remained with her sister until the following spring, when she returned to her husb;nnd and fanily, with improved health and spirits, whereat they all rejoiced, as with returning health homesick- ness fled. Wild animals were very plenty; the howling of the wolves was heard ever)- night. " Bears and wolves were heard around their house almost every night, seeking something to cat. Mr. Goodenow purchased some sheep about a year after his first settlement, which lie kept closely penned every night. One night the sheep were left out of their inclosure, and were found in the morning down by the river, all killed by the wolves. There were no frame buildings in Ann Arbor at the- d:te of their first settlement. Provisions and stock came mostly from Ohio, cows selling at from eight dollars to eighteen dollars per head. Store bills became due 'when navigation opened,' rather than ' after harvest,' as in later days." TIIE FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION was held on the farm now owned by John Kinsman, in 1836. The people assentm- bled under the old " round top"-a large oak so ealled-whichr stood on an elevated spot. The date, " July 4, 1836," was carved on the bark of the tree, which has since decayed, and has been removed. Thus has perished a venerable landmark, and one in wh ieh the people of the vicinity took a great pride. EARLY AMUSEMENTS in the new settlements consisted principally in social dancing-parties, when the  { evil, "AV, Ap, wilt' .Ad9kl r^.5q g r 'AK x ci.VbeYry' j A' oil! 4f. is ; LY f J {fxy:; M1 a's ?e r 5 t 7 ? f' 'if r ti k - XT Aim a F "u, f  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 223 good old-fashioned terpsichorean exercises were indulged in sans c irmonie, and with a gusto that demonstrated the pleasure the folks of" ye olden time" took in " tripping the light fantastic toe." Among the first who fiurnished music at these entertainments were Saul and John Kinsman, who took up "the fiddle and the bow" when young men, and have played at dancing-parties for more than thirty years. They still contribute to the amusement of the present as they did to that of the past generation of youth. The subsequent development of Milford township forms an interesting chapter in its history. As a matter of course, the early settler's first move, after building his humble dwelling, was the improvement of his land; which task was often- times the most difficult part of pioneer-life. The first farm opened was that of Elizur and Henry Ruggles, who broke up that part of their farm which now occupies the site of block 2 of Armstrong's addition to the village of Milford, in 1832. On this they put in the first wheat, consisting of nine acres, which they sowed the same year. The first frame house was erected by Leonard and Pliny Phillips, in June, 1833. Its dimensions were sixteen by eighteen feet, and the getting out of the lumber, building, making the shingles, and inclosing occupied them just eight days. It now stands on the farm of George Harper, on section 14, the solitary landmark of the " long ago." To the old settler, this venerable monument of the early enterprise of its builders must act as a peculiar reminder of the past, and call forth most vividly the recollections of other days,-days of hardship, trials, and troubles, such as fall only to the lot of the pioneer. But these times are o'er. One of its builders has gone the way of all flesh; and the wife of the other has also long since departed. The other, who assisted in its erection and spent many of his first days in Milford beneath its shelter, now lives within a few miles of the old place, surrounded by the many comforts of rural life, and blessed with many of the bounties of Providence, as a reward for his industry and thrift. The first brick house in Milford was erected by William MeCollough, in 1847. It is now occupied by Charles P. Bennett. The first roads laid out in the township of which any records exist were de- scribed as follows: "First. Beginning at the northeast corner of section 35 and the southeast corner of section 26, and running west to the county line, on the corner of sections 30 and 31 in township 2 north, range 7 east. " RUSSEL ALVORD, " Louis VANDENBURGIIH, " Commissioners of ligluyways. "April 27, 1833." " Second. Beginning on the line between sections 3 and 4, where the line of the turnpike crosses thIe section-line; thence running north to the Huron river on the section-line, ending on the line between sections 9 and 10 in township 2 north, range 7 east. "RUSSEL ALVORD, " Louis VANDENBURGII, " Commissioners of Highways. " April 27, 18q33." " Third. Commencing at tire quarter-stake in the line between sections 13 and 24 in township 2 north, range 7 east, and running west on the line of the section to the town-line, ending at the corner of sections 18 and 19. " RUSSEL ALMOnD, " Louis VANDENBURGII, a Jun u, isa."" Commissioners of Bi1ghways. "June 14, 1833."cm wn ohiwas TIlE FIRST SCIIOOL-IIOUSE was a log structure, erected opposite the residence of John Vincent, in 1835. This building was used up to about 1842, when the present frame structure was built, about one-fourth of a mile south of the original house, on section 21.* The person accredited with having introduced the first improved farm ma- chinery into the township was Isaiah J. Hudson, who brought in the first thrash- ing-machine about 1838. It was a primitive affair, having an open wooden cylinder, with spikes driven into it, which frequently camne out and perforated the barn or buildings adjacent to the locality where it operated. It had no sepa- rating apparatus, and wheat, straw, and chaff came out in a conglomerated mix- ture; and it took a good workman to separate it, and a tough one withal; for a portion of the grain scattered around within a radius of five rods, with a velocity which made itself felt on tihe faces of those whom it struck. What has not the past quarter of a century wrought in the way of improved agricultural imple- ments!. ORGANIZATION. Milford was detached from Novi township, and organized by the Territorial leg- islature, December 30, 1834. The records of the township-meetings for the first 0 See under head of "Educational." decade are lost or destroyed, so that we are unable to give the entire list of officers elected at the first meeting, and the three principal ones subsequently, until 1845. On the authority of one who was present at the first meeting, however, we are enabled to state that the first township clerk was John Vincent, and the first supervisor Alfred Hayes. The gentleman above referred to also relates an amusing incident connected with the first election for supervisor. An Englishman named R. P- ran against Mr. Hayes, and was beaten by a few votes. He was so chagrined at the result that hie sat on a stone and wept, saying, " Hif lhi can't be helected to hoffice, hi 'ave more goold in my trunk than hany hof ye." He had a few pounds sterling, which, fortunately, consoled him in tihe absence of political honors. Tihe supervisors, township clerks, and justices of the peace of Milford from 1845 to 1877, inclusive, are as follows: Supervisors.-Zebina M. MIowry (two years), Charles P. Holmnes (two years), Z. 31. Mowry, Harry C. Andrews (four years), Alfred Crawford, William Gamble, William A. Arms, Alfred Crawford (eleven years), Philip F. Wells, Charles P. Bennett (six years), James Rutherford, Walter Crawford, James Rutherford, present incumbent. Clerks.-William C. Hoyt, Harman C. Noble, Harry C. Andrews, Lorenzo L. Armstrong, George Davis, Philip F. Wells, Morgan L. Smith, John A. Crossman, William A. Arms (two years), Henry B. Mowry, John Wood, Philip F. Wells, William B. Jackson, Henry B. Mowry, William B. Jackson, Daniel Morrison, Daniel W. Wells, Daniel Morrison (two years), Joseph F. Pickering, Charles Bennett (two years), Thomas M. Birdsall, Findlay II. Trump, Edwin Htubbell, hienry B. Mowry, Edwin E. Andrews (two years), Edward Viges (died in office, and Daniel Morrison appointed to fill vacancy), Findlay H. Trump, Charles E. Lovejoy, present incumbent. Justices of the Peace.-Morgan L. Smith, Dugal McIntire, John N. Clark, Henry Padley, Jonas G. Potter, Dugal McIntire, Marcenas B. Wilsey, Joseph S. Birdsall, John N. Clark (vacancy), Philip F. Wells, Henderson Crawford, John Carter, Joseph S. Birdsall, William Hard (vacancy), William A. Arms, Thorn Pudney, Marcenas B. Wilsey (vacancy), Josiah H. Hulett, Cromwell Bowen, John Pearson, Henry Nicholson, William A. Arms, Lorenzo D. Ruggles, Henry Nicholson, George Bourns (vacancy), George Bourns (full term), Jehial B. Race (vacancy), Philip F. Wells, Henry T. Weaver (vacancy), Zebina M. Mowry, J. C. Pettinger (vacancy), J. C. Pettinger (full term), James Ellinwood (vacancy), George Bourns, Daniel Morrison, Abraham MeCain, John C. Kinsman, Walter Crawford, Daniel Morrison, Abraham McCain, James Greason, Henry Nicholson (vacancy), Walter Crawford, Daniel Morrison. THE VILLAGE OF MILFORD. Less than half a century ago the present picturesque site of the village of Milford was a smiling wilderness, uninhabited except by the aborigine. It lies nestled among tihe hills, and from almnost every direction a pleasing view of the place can be obtained. It is now the scene of industry, and is peopled by a busy population. Geographically it is conveniently located, in the northeast part of the township of Milford, on both sides of the Huron river, which, with Petti- bone creek and lakes, form a water-power unsurpassed in the county. Elizur Ruggles is accredited with the dual honor of having been the first white settler within its present limits, and also with having erected the first house in the town- ship, in connection with the Parks family, as already stated in the history proper of Milford township. Among the pioneers who came in prior to 1836 were Jabesh 31. Mlead, Aaron Phelps, Luman Fullert William A. and Ansley S. Arms, and Truman Fox. OC those arriving between 1836 and 1840, whose length of residence constitutes them worthy of notice, were Dr. Henry K. Foote,4. D. 31. Ladd, Philip S. Hubbell, John Crawford. The first village plats were made in 1836, and recorded in August of the same year. These, with the various additions since made, are as follows: Jabesh 31. lMead, part of old town, laid out in August, 1836; original town, by Calvin Eaton, same time; Aaron Phelps' addition, 1838; Stephen and John L. Armstrong's addition, 1839; William J. Wells' addition, 1840; Joseph Nute's addition, 1869; John Hathorn's addition, 1869; Mowry's addition, 1870, by Zebina M. and Henry B. MIowry; Elizur Ruggles' addition, April 5, 1871; Charles Riley's addition, 1872; Andrews' addition, 1872, by Eliza B., Edward E., and George H. Andrews; Bellevue addition, 1872, by Charles T. Stagg, of New York; Job Austin's addition, 1872; John Hathorn's second addition, 1876. The first store was erected by Jabesh 3M. Mead, and was kept by Ansley S. Arms, his brother-in-law, in 1836. It stood on the site now occupied by Henry Linghliam's residence. It is a frame structure, and is now used as a store by R. F. Bridgemnan, about eighty rods fronm, where it originally stood. t See biography. + See under head of " Medical." 224 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The first tavern was kept by the Widow Edmonds, about 1836. It was a small frame house, and stood on the site now occupied by the Central House, opposite the post-office. The first frame dwelling was erected by Ansley S. Adams, in 1836, and is now owned by Mrs. Robert Thompson, and occupied by her and her daughter, the widow of Dr. Z. M. Mowry. The first brick house was built by George Dunning, about 1847. It is now owned by William Shinnaman, and occupied by one of his workmen. The first church edifice erected in town was the Methodist building, in 1841-42. It is now occupied by J. C. Dawson as a furniture-store. The first school-house in the village was built about 1837, and stood on the present site of Mrs. Isabella W. Shepard's millinery-store. It was a frame structure, painted red, and was known as the '" old red school-house." In it were held all sorts of meetings, from religious worship to political caucuses. Among its early teachers was H. H. Van Leuven, Esq., still a resident of the place. Contemporary with the above, a similar building, designated as district school- house No. 5 (the former was No. 4), was erected on the south side of the river, and stood in front of the site of Mr. D. M. Ladd's barn, at the south end of Clinton street. This house was used by Henderson Crawford, Esq., as a private school-house for a short period. It now stands on Joseph Nute's place, and is used by him as a barn. The first saw-mill was built by Elizur and Stanley Ruggles, in 1832. They operated it for a number of years, when it passed into the possession of Stephen and John L. Armstrong, in 1839, and was owned and worked by them until about 1853, when it was purchased, together with the water-power, by Major Hughes, and conducted by him until the destruction of the dam by the people in 1856. "This dam business will be here partially explained. The citizens of this town, particularly those living along the banks and in the vicinity, had long suffered severe sickness from the spread of so much stagnant water over so large a surface. There was one period which many of us can remember in 1847; there were hardly well ones enough to take care of the sick. For four weeks here every day seemed like Sunday,-naught could be seen on the streets except now and then a pale, sickly-looking shadow inquiring for the doctor. Every effort had been put forth-legal or otherwise-to abate this terrible nuisance. Finally, in 1856, the property then belonging to Major Hughes, matters came to a climax. Hughes being absent in Ohio on business, one bright spring morning the farmers from up the river, with their teams, " gathered at the river," or rather at the dam, and before night not a log was left upon another, tearing everything down to the mud- sills. Mrs. Hughes came out in her husband's absence, and took the names of the depredators, which were given freely. She told them they would hear from her husband. They told her they distinctly understood the consequences, but it made no difference. The damn was leveled, and to-day Milford is as healthy as any town of its size. The matter lingered along in the courts for years, but the farmers carried too many years for the major. They fairly out-winded him. The building now forms the main building of Shepard's foundry." The first grist-mill was erected by Luman Fuller, in 1836. He continued to operate it until 1840, when he sold it tolWilliam J. Wells and he to Jacob Peters, tie present owner, in 1847. The ol&Thnl'startedwith two run of stone. It has been improved, enlarged, and repaired by Mr. Peters until the old struc- ture has almost lost its identity in the present building. One run of stone has also been added, together with American turbine iron wheels in place of the old- fashioned ones it formerly contained. OTHER GRIST-MILLS. Stephen Armstrong and his nephew, John L. Armstrong, having purchased of the Ruggles' all that portion of their property lying west of the Huron river, including the saw-mill, as above stated, in the summer of 1839, built the "Arm- strong flouring-mill." This continued to do business in that capacity until the tearing down of the dam, as narrated. The Pettibone mills were built by W. B. Hebbard, in 1846. After operating them for a number of years he sold out to his brother Alva, and hlie to John L. Andrews, in 1859. The latter disposed of the property to Daniel E. Matthews in 1872, who conducted the business about five years. In the spring of 1877, Messrs. Morrison & Hungerford, the present proprietors, purchased the property. The mill has three run of stone, one Beloit, Wisconsin, iron wheel, and one over- shot-wheel. The amount of production in 1876 was: custom, 17,000 bushels; feed, 17,000 bushels; merchant, 9000 barrels. THE MANUFACTURING INTERESTS of Milford form quite an important item of its history, as pertaining to the develop- ment and prosperity of the village. Among the earliest manufacturing enter- prises established here was the woolen-factory, which was erected by W. B. Heb- bard and George Davis, in 1850, and commenced operations for the manufacture of woolen goods the year following. These gentlemen continued the business until 1854, when Sterling Hebbard purchased his brother's interest, and the establishment was conducted by him and Mr. Davis until 1863, when the latter became sole proprietor by purchase. In the spring of 1877 he commenced the manufacture of Kentucky jeans, of which he turns out an excellent quality. The capacity of the mill is two hundred and fifty yards per diem; capital invested, ten thousand dollars; number of hands employed, twelve. The Vowles cultivator works were established by Joseph Vowles, the inventor of the implement, in 1865. It is an improved cultivator, and designed for gen- eral use. It consists of a solid rod thoroughly side braced, and its perfect adapt- ability to all kinds of land and soils, its peculiar adjustability to any and all posi- tions and circumstances, render it one of the most complete of modern improved agricultural implements. Mr. Vowles conducted the manufacture of his culti- vator alone until the spring of 1876, when Ambrose C. Orvis became a partner, and the style of the firm was changed to Vowles & Orvis. The capacity of the works is six hundred cultivators per annum; capital invested, fifteen thousand dollars; hands employed, six. The Milford agricultural works were established by P. F. & D. W. Wells, in the spring of 1865, in the present location. These gentlemen embarked in the manufacturing business as early as 1848, and had a small works opposite the Petti- bone grist-mills. In March, 1875, P. A. Shepard purchased the establishment, and now conducts the same in the building, a part of which used to be the old Armstrong grist-mill. He manufactures all kinds of agricultural implements. Capital invested, twelve thousand dollars; hands employed, six. Jewitt Brothers & Tower are the proprietors of the foundry and machine-shops established by the Jewitt brothers in October, 1875. Frederick E. Tower was admitted into the copartnership in the spring of 1877. They manufacture agri- cultural implements and hollow iron-ware. Capital invested, five thousand dollars. MILFORD EXCHANGE BANK. This banking establishment was organized May 11, 1876, under the style and title of John Wilhelm & Co., the company consisting of the following well-known gentlemen: Thomas Hadley, James H. Cummings, J. S. Philbrick, and S. S. Wilhelmi, of Holly. The senior member of the company resides in New York State. The business is managed by S. H. Wilhelm, who is the cashier, teller, and general factotum of the bank. VILLAGE INCORPORATION. Corporate honors were bestowed upon Milford in a special charter granted by the State legislature, March 30, 1869, to which an amendment was added in 1871. The following gentlemen were elected, at the first annual meeting, to the offices opposite their names, respectively: President, Carnot L. Northrup; Trustees for one year, William F. Hovey, William Greig, Crocker Hastings; Trustees for two years, Philip S. Hubbell, Joseph Vowles, Daniel Morrison. The following appointments were made by the trustees: Henderson Crawford, clerk; George W. Dows, marshal; Philip F. Wells, assessor; Ed. L. Phillips, treasurer; John L. Andrews and George A. Clarkson, overseers of streets. The subjoined is a list of the presidents: Carnot L. Northrup, Philip F. Wells, Benjamin F. Russell, Samuel B. Furguson, C. L. Northrup, Benjamin F. Wells, B. F. IHowland, Daniel Morrison, C. L. Northrup, present incumbent. The clerks have been as follows: Henderson Crawford (two years), Edward E. Andrews (two years), Edward J. Bissell, present incumbent (four years). TIlE POST-OFFICE. A post-office was first established at Milford in 1835, and Aaron Phelps was appointed postmaster. The business of the office for the first two years did not amount to more than twenty dollars a year, but after 1836 increased quite rapidly. The names of those who have been appointed postmasters, and the years in which they entered upon the duties of the office, are as follows: Aaron Phelps, 1835; N. B. Eldridge, 1840; John Crawford, October, same year; William J. Mills, 1841; Charles C. Foote, 1845; John Taylor, 1846; M. L. Smith, 1849; E. M. White, 1853; Henry J. Weaver, 1861; John Crawford, 1863; Abram McCain, 1866; John Crawford, 1869, present incumbent. August 3, 1873, a money-order department was established, since which time seven thousand eight hundred and thirty-five orders have been issued. The business of the office for the year ending July 1, 1877, was as follows; Number of orders issued, 1239; amount of same, $19,294; number paid, 366; amount of same, $5672; number of registered letters, 344; number re- ceived, 172; amount of postage, $1612. i M ~s J~ME$ Meo~r  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 225 RELIGIOUS. The religious history of Milford embraces quite an extended period. Religious meetings were held in the place some years before it assumed the dignity of a village; at a time, indeed, when a few scattered log houses constituted the entire settlement of its present site and the surrouiding country. At first worship was had in private dwellings, and subsequently in the old red school-house, prior to the erection of the regular church edifices, the first of which was not built until after 1840. The pioneer religious organization was a Methodist class, formed in 1836, with Truman Fox as class-leader, and Washington Jackson as preacher. There were six original members1 namely: Truman Fox, Charles Haynes, Hiram Scollard and wife, " Lord" Balkeorn and wife. About the same time a second class was organized, and called the " English class," from the fact that the preacher and all the members of it were emigrants from England. There were eight constituent members, as follows: Robert Pearson, preacher, wife and two sons, Robert and Richard, -- Sutton and wife, Michael Bird and wife. The meetings were held at the residence of Mr. Bird until the log school-house was erected, a year or so afterwards, when worship was had there. These classes continued to pros- per until they were constituted a church, about 1840. The preachers from that time to the present have been - Goodall and Thos. Brown, Thos. Fox, F. Brittain, - Woodward, Geo. Bradley, Geo. King, David Thomas, David A. Curtis, Oscar F. North, Calvin S. Kingsley, John K. Gillett, P. G. Buchanan, John K. Gillett, I. W. Donaldson, M. W. Stambaugh, S. Calkins, Thomas Wakelin, F. Brittain, John Livingston (two years), Win. Benson (two years), Elias Westlake (two years), Chas. P. Watson, Win. Haverter, George Taylor, Joseph S. Sutton, S. S. Littlefield, John G. Whitcomb (two years), E. C. Brockway, Thomas Stacker, Isaac Crawford, E. Vanorman, L. J. Whitcomb (two years), C. C. Lee, Dr. Luther Lee, J. F. Davidson (two years), and S. J. Joslin, present incumbent (two years). The first house of worship was erected in 1844, and was dedicated by Henry Colclazer, presiding elder, and Rev. George Bradley, preacher in charge. The present fine brick edifice was built in 1875, and dedicated in January, 1876, by Rev. J. S. Smart. It cost nine thousand dollars, which, with the par- sonage at two thousand dollars, makes the total value of church property eleven thousand dollars. The present board of trustees is composed of the following gentlemen, namely: John Crawford, chairman; Wm. Potts, Wm. D. Crawford, Massam Pearson, Frank Potts, Joseph Openo, and A. D. Ilagadorne, M.D. The stewards of the church are A. D. Hagadorne, John Crawford, Massam Pearson, Michael Bird, A. Dehil, Win. Crawford, Thomas Wallace, J. Gamble. The present membership is one hundred and ninety-one; scholars in Sunday- school, one hundred and fifty-eight; teachers, twenty-six; volumes in Sunday- school library, two hundred and fifty. TIIE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN AND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH of Milford originated in the organization of a Presbyterian lchurch in the summer of 1838. The society divided temporarily in 1841, and constituted themselves into two religious bodies, namely, a Presbyterian and a Congregational church re- spectively. They continued as such, worshiping in the old school-house and other places, until 1845, when the two societies reunited under the title of the " United Presbyterian and Congregational church of M ilford," and have since been known as such. Among the original members were Captain Abel Peck and wife, Ansley S. Arms and wife, Philip S. Hubbell and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Wendell, Dr. Henry K. Foote and wife, and others. The organization of the church in 1845 was effected at an ecclesiastical meet- ing of the members and congregations of the two religious bodies (the Presbyte- rians and Congregationalists above mentioned), which convened at MLilford on the 2d of April of the year last named. The officers elected at that time and place were as follows: Trustees, William Hale (one year), John Vincent and Ansley S. Arms (two years), Charles P. Holnes and Harry C. Andrews (three years); Deacons, Ansley S. Arms and Henry K. Foote, M.D. The first stated supply who officiated in the old organization of the Presbyte- rian church was Rev. Albert W\orthington, in 1838. He had been preceded, however, by a preacher,-the Rev. George Hornell,-who preached the doctrines of the Presbyterian fathith in Milford a year or two earlier. Rev. Sylvester Cary served the congregation in 1840, and the Rev. Anson Smyth in 1845. The latter was pastor at the time of the reunion, and was the first minister installed after the inauguration of that charge. Hle served from 1845 to 18490, and was suc- ceeded by Rev. Enoch S. Shepard, who died while in charge, in September, 1850. He was followed in the pastorate by Rev. William P. Jackson, in March, 1851. His pastoral labors continued until 1856, when hlie was succeeded by the following: 29 E. W. Shaw, from 1856 to 1857; B. F. Murden, from 1857 to 1863; Henry M1. Swift, from 1863 to 1874; and J. M. McGregor, from 1874 to 1876. The first church edifice was erected in 1844, and dedicated in 1846 by Rev. Anson Smyth, the pastor in charge. The building is of wood, with a stone foun- dation, and is thirty-four by fifty feet. A spire has been added, and it has been otherwise repaired. Its seating capacity is three hundred, and its value is three thousand dollars. The present membership is sixty-five. The board of trustees consists of Messrs. John Harper, William Foote, P. F. Wells, A. W. Arms, and F. M. Ladd. The Sunday-school was organized about 1838 or 1839, and its first superin- tendent was Ansley S. Arms. Its place of meeting was the district school-house on the north side of the river. The present superintendent is F. M. Ladd. Membership, including Bible-classes, eighty-five. Both school and church are in a flourishing and prosperous condition. TIlE BAPTIST CHURCH OF MILFORD. This church was organized in the year 1838, with thirteen constituent members, namely: Mrs. Abel P. Grdw, William V. Grow (now a minister of the gospel, and sta- tioned in Pennsylvania), Isaiah J. Hudson and wife, Father Fitch and wife, Francis Hudson and wife, Deacon Benjamin Eldred and wife, Elder R. D. Pierce and wife, and Mrs. Lavilla Lampheir. The first pastor was Rev. Rufus D. Pierce. His successors to the present have been as follows: Elders Keith, Ansel Clark, A. W. Baker. Elder I. Speer was in charge of the church as a supply in 1845, during which time a division took place, a part of the members going to Highland Centre (now Spring Mills), where they or- ganized a separate society, which existed but a short time, when it disbanded, and most of its members reunited with the parent society at Milford. On the 6th of January, 1845, a meeting was held in the school-house of William L. Webber, from the minutes of which we quote the subjoined: " God in his providence has seemed to indicate to us for a few months past that the time had come when another effort should be made to erect the standard of the Cross again in our midst. This meeting of the Baptist members in and about the village of Milford is therefore called to consider the propriety of an im- mediate church organization. After prayer for divine guidance, and consultation on the subject, the result was a determination to instantly attempt an organiza- tion. Brother Oliver Adams was called to the chair, and John A. Grow was chosen clerk. Prayer was offered by Rev. I. Speer and the chairman. After consideration, the following resolutions were introduced and adopted: " Resolved, That we regard those present, to wit, Rev. O. Adams, W. B. Heb- bard, John Wines, Abel P. Grow, John A. Grow, B. B. Chaplin,- James S. Web- ber, O. Stoddard, Sarah Studdard, Louisa Waterhouse, Sarah Wines, Alvira A. Hebbard, Phebe Ann Adams, Sarah P. Grow, and B. Calvin, as members of a church to be known as the Baptist church of Milford, Oakland County, Michi- gan. " Resolved, That we adopt the Articles of Faith and Covenant as recommended by the Baptist convention of the State of Michigan. " Resolved, That W. B. Hebbard be appointed deacon, and John A. Grow clerk of the church. The annexed is a continuation of pastors: Elders Albert K. Tupper, W. G. Wisner, Charles Johnson. During Elder Johnson's pastorate a large number were added to the church. March 7, 1858, eighteen were baptized. Joseph Gambol followed Elder Johnson in 1860. From 1860 to 1870 the church was served by supplies: William L. Sanders, 31. Roberts, Rev. Freeman, J. H. Mor- rison, and the present incumbent, Rev. Nathan Wright. The deacons of the church are A. G. Robinson, A. Waterbury, and A. P. Grow; Clerk, George Bourns; Trustees, Walter Crawford, George Bourns, John Welch, George H. Shear, and Frank Howard. The church edifice was erected in 1853, and dedicated in the fall of 1854, during the'pastorate of Elder Tupper. It is a frame structure, having a seating capacity for three hundred persons, and cost about three thousand dollars. Its original site was wht'e Fox & Begole's lumber-yard now is, but in 1870 the building was removed to its present location on the corner of Detroit and Muir streets. The present membership of the church is sixty. In 1844 a Sabbath-school was organized, which has been faithfully sustained to the present. Its mnmbership is now seventy-five scholars and eight teachers. Superintendent, Judson Fielding. EDUCATIONAL. In writing the. educational history of Milford, we shall have to commence at as early a date as 1832 and 1833. There was then no organized school district HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. in the township. The very first school of which we have any knowledge was taught by a Mrs. Bigelow, wife of Job G. Bigelow, who settled on the northeast quarter of section 33, iand the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter,-two hundred acres,-in 1832; the farm recently owned by Rev. 31. B. Wilsey, now owned and occupied by Mr. Fielding. In October of that year hlie moved his family into it, without doors or windows, or even a root But he soon finished it; and, as there was no sohool-house or even school district in the entire township at that time, and there being a few families in the vicinity desiring school privi- leges, Mrs. Bigelow opened a school in their own house, where she taught the children of the surrounding country for two years. The first organized school district in the township where a school was opened and taught was district No. 6, near the residence of Mr. Selden Vincent, one and a half miles south of the vil- lage. The school was opened in 1835; taught for the first three weeks by a Miss Chapman, when she was followed by Mrs. Leonard Phillips, who taught six weeks, when she was taken sick, abandoning the school. Among the pupils at- tending this school were six from this village,-four from Henry Ruggles' and two from Stanley Ruggles'. Morris Andrews sent four, Moses Newman sent three, and Isaiah I. Hudson sent five, making about eighteen in all. The old red school-house in district No. 4, occupying the site of Mrs. Isabella Shiepard's residence, north of the Central IHouse, was the first school house built in the village of Milford, being built in the spring of 1837. The next one, built in 1838, was the old red school-house on the south side of the river, in what was denominated then school district No. 5. It has since been removed to the premises of Joseph Nute, Esq.: used as his barn. Its old site is now occu- pied by D. M. Ladd. In giving thie history of Milford's educational advancement, we will mention one who has been a pioneer in that important field; we refer to Henderson Crawford, Esq. In his early youth hlie evinced a love for study and books that quite rapidly developed a proficiency therein far beyond his years. Oft leaving his conmpanions in youthful sports, hlie would be found with a book, oblivious to aught beside. After attending some of the best schools in western New York, we find him first engaging as a teacher in the fall of 1836; little more than eighteen years of age. He taught his first school in Benton, Gates county, State of New York, near the place of his nativity,-then and there establishing a reputation as a successful teacher and disciplinarian, overcoming many obstacles that had successively puzzled many older heads by his firmness and determination to succeed where others had signally failed. He next taught, at an increased salary, in Gorham, Ontario county, his native county, meeting with the same success that had attended his first effort. In the following winter we find him again in the first-named school, teaching there his second term. Coming west inl 183 9, lhe first saw this township and village in the fhll of that year. He came here partly with the idea of becoming a resident, but equally so with the general idea of a visit to this country. 1Le finally engaged as a teacher in the town of Farmington, Oakland County. Here he made the acquaintance of the young lady who afterwards became his wife,-M3iss Sarah W. Wood, of Commerce, in this cmunty, she being one of his pupils. Mr. Crawford taught several terms in that township ; in fact, was teaching a select school there at the date of his mar- riage, December 30, 1841. Purchasing a farm in Livonia, Wayne county, of a Mormon, in 18:9, he used to divide his time between teaching during the winter and farming the balance of the year. In the spring of 1842, the next spring after his marriage, he resolved to give his attention wholly to the latter occupation; but many of his neighbors, who had known of his success as a teacher in Farmington, persuaded him to fit up rooms and open a select school during the winter seasons. lie was thus occupied up to the year 18-15, when, through inducements and persuasions of his old friend Dr. Iiemiry K. Foote, he came to Milford in the spring of that year. Finding no school-room suitable for his purpose, he leased the " old red school-house" of school district No. 5, teaching there two terms. He next leased the building built by A. S. Arms, Esq., and formerly occupied as a church by the United Presbyterian and Congregational societies, and continued to occupy it on the site where it then stood,-being the site now of tmhe residence of Win. Ogden, Esq.,- until 1850. That year he purchased the building, and removed it to its present site, east of Main street, near the railway and the wheat-hpuse of Lingham & Osborne. He then fitted it up nicely for the use he designed it,-a first-class private school. Mr. Crawford was in the continued occupancy of this building as principal of his school fifteen years. He was not only a laborer in his own school, but elected from time to time to supervise the several schools of his town- ship as school inspector,--schools often taught by his own pupils. He found time to bestow a large amount of labor in these humbler fields of effort, thus giving the best years of his life in erecting an educational standard that has borne rich fruitage in subsequent years. He was efficiently aided in his labor as an educator by his devoted wife-her- self a teacher-in the care and culture of the younger classes of learners. She had established a fine reputation as a successful teacher previous to her marriage. One of the greatest inducements for Mr. and Mrs. Crawford to remain at their post of well-doing for so long a period was the instruction of their own children,- two daughters and six sons,-now all grown to years of manhood and womanhood, ornaments to the society in which they live; and, besides, they each loved the work in which they were engaged. The most devoted friends of these pioneers in education were those formerly under their care and instruction. Lawyers, physicians, divines, and teachers, with many of the business men of this and other places, each turn with pleasure to that period in their youthful lives spent under the kindly teachings of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford. It may seem a work of supererogation to select the names of a few among so many of their old pupils who have since their school-days distinguished themselves in their various pathways in public as well as private life; but as Mr. Crawford has allowed us a glance at their namnies as recorded in his books, we have concluded to copy the names of a few that we have met and become acquainted with, sensi- ble as we are of their worth. Judge John Moore, of Saginaw city, recently judge of the Saginaw circuit, and Democratic candidate for governor of this State in 1872, was one of the first names recorded as attending school in 1845; fol- lowed by that of Dr. James Sleeth, a druggist and physician of Byron, Shiawas- see county, one of the surgeons in the army during the war of the Rebellion. Edwin and N. J. Hubbell, sons of Deacon Hubbell, the first still a resident of this village ; the second at the head of a commercial agency at Detroit ; Smith Barnes, connected with the mammoth firm of Hannah, Lay & Co., of Traverse City. P. F. Wells and D. W. Wells, late " Wells & Brother," founders. Mrs. D. W. Wells, nde Nancy'J. Lee, wife of the latter, lately deceased. Henry B. 3Mowry and wife, nde Mary S. White, still residents here. Mary J. Foote, now thie wife of Professor T. D. Nutting, of Jacksonville, Illinois. William H., Charles C., and James L. Foote, brothers of Mrs. Nutting; the first still a resident here, the last two residents of Saginaw; tihe wife of Charles, Sarah Peters, and the wife of the latter, Caroline Shepard, were all attendants of Mr. Crawford's high school. Laura E. Fuller, eldest daughter of Luman Fuller, and wife of John L. An- drews. Samuel C. Fuller, brother of Mrs. Andrews, bookseller and postmaster of Traverse City. Sardis F. Hubbell and wife, ade Emily A. Mlowry, of Howell, Livingston county. Willard C. Wixom, half-brother of Mrs. Crawford, founder of the village of Wixom. and senior partner of Wixom & Sibley. Margaret Wells, now wife of William A. Armus, a merchant of this village. Sarah A. Wells, her sister, wife of B. F. Davidson, a successful fatrmer of Highland. Reuben Wood, a brother of Mrs. Crawford, now a business man of Grand Ledge, Eaton county, and one of its first settlers. John Ross, M.D., physician and large landholder, Texas. , Bradley M. Thompson, a successful lawyer, now of East Saginaw. S. Emory Casey, railway superintendent, of Mississippi. Joseph E. Bigelow, son of the first teacher of the town (Mrs. Bigelow), lawyer, a graduate of the State university. Sanford Ladd, lawyer, also a graduate, now resident of Kansas City, Missouri. Clara Fuller, his wife afterwards. Thomas, James, Wal- ter, and Sarah Crawford, still residents here, and Clark Crawford, now resident of Pontiac, children of Alfred Crawford, judge of probate of this county, and who died an incumbent of that office. Mary E. King, now the wife of Jason Rich- ardson, of Leavenworth, Kansas. Cephas B. Robinson, who was superintendent of the Reform school at Lansing at the time of his death, a few years ago. Jay Marlatt, of Lyon, and his sisters, Margaret and Eleanor; the first now the wife of Hiram Covey, and the latter wife of Spencer Renwick, of Lyon,-Renwick him- self one of their pupils. Rufus 31. Ladd and wife, nie Maria Mudge, now de- ceased. Joseph Vowles, manufimeturer and land-owner, still resident here. Tru- man B. Fox, editor and proprietor of tihe Rochester Era, Rochester, of this county. A. W. Arms, justice of the peace, and resident merchant, Wixom. Elisha C. Newman, farmer, and resident here. HII. D. Tenney, Findley H. Trump, and Mrs. E. A. Tenney, n e Harriet Stoddard, all residents and in business here. William Johnson and wife, ide Nancy Phillips, daughter of Leonard Phillips, Esq.. residents of this town. Hundreds of names equally worthy of mention might be added to the foregoing list of names, but want of space forbids. Since the close of his labors, in 1860, Mr. Crawford has been engaged in various enter- prises, which are more fully named in a brief biographical sketch in this work. THE UNION SCHOOL was formed by the consolidation of districts 4 and 5, September 6, 1869. The old building was repaired, and the frame portion of the present structure was subsequently erected. The trustees were John L. Andrews, William Greig, B. F. Wells, H. HI. Van Leuven, and Daniel Morrison. The first principal was G. A. Brown, who was followed by P. M1. Barker, Jesse McIntire; and in 1877 he was again engaged. The present corps of teachers consists of G. A. Brown, prin- cipal; Mrs. Imogene Brown, Misses Eunice A. Ruggles, Emma Stephens, and Ida 0p 0N P1, zx fiU  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 227 Lamphier assistants. The number of scholars enrolled is three hundred and forty; number attending school, three hundred and two; number of months taught, ten; value of building, six thousand dollars: seating capacity, three hundred and fifty. The graduates of the class of 1877 were Misses Mary Harper, Lizzie B. Thomas, Susie L. Browne, and Linnie B. Hutchison. The common schools of Milford township generally are in a prosperous con- dition, have comfortable houses and good teachers; and the people evince a com- mendable interest in matters pertaining to the education of their youth. MILFORD LODGE, NO. 165, F. AND A. 31. This Masonic body was organized January 13, 1865, with the following officers: James B. Newton, W. M.; Joseph Pickering, S. W.; David S. Martin, J. W. The officers elected and installed at the last annual installation were: R. M. Ladd, W. M.; John Pettinger, S. W.; John Honeywell, J. W.; C. L. Northrup, Treas- urer, T. M. Birdsall, Secretary; A. J. McCall, S. D.; William Price, J. D.; H. D. Tenny, Tyler. The society rent the hall they meet in, which was dedicated as a temple of Masonry December 21, 1869, by Hon. H. M. Look, of Pontiac. The present membership of the society is one hundred and eight. MILFORD CHAPTER, NO. 71, ROYAL ARCIIH MASONS, was organized May 10, 1870, under a dispensation granted by the general grand chapter of the State of Michigan, with twelve charter members. The following were the first officers of the chapter, viz. : T. A. Smith, H. P.; I. P. Jackson, K.; S. B. Ferguson, S.; H. D. Tenny, C. IH.; R. M. Ladd, P. S.; J. F. Pick- ering, R. A. C.; Charles W. Cate, M. 3d V.; F. H. Trump, M. 2d V.; William P. Seever, M. 1st V. and Treasurer; H. Crawford, Secretary; D. S. Martin, Sentinel. At the present time the chapter consists of thirty-nine members, with the following officers: I. P. Jackson, H. P. ; William P. Seever, K.; P. S. Shepherd, S.; H. D. Tenny, C. H.; R. 3M. Ladd, P. S.; J. F. Pickering, R. A. C.; J. Allen, M. 1st V.; J. Pettinger, 3M. 2d V.; William Stephens, M. 3d V. ; A. G. Shofer, Treasurer; F. H. Trump, Secretary; J. S. Wooton, Sentinel. PETTIBONE LOrGE, NO. 208, I. 0. O. F., was instituted May 22, 1873, with the following charter members: W. R. Chapell, J. N. Lisk, S. M. Brown, Daniel Parbell, Charles Phipps, A. H. Hungerford. J. N. Lisk was elected the first Noble Grand, and W. R. Chapell the first Vice- Grand. The present officers are: George Dunham, N. G.; Rev. N. Wright, V. G.; Charles Van Dusen, Secretary; A. D. Mosier, Treasurer. The present membership is fifty. KNIGHTS OF HONOR, NO. 564, was instituted April 9, 1877, by D. D. S. Dictator, A. Terry. The charter mem- bers and first and present officers are: C. L. Northrup, P. D.; E. C. Roberts, V. D. D.; William H. Sebring, Dictator; S. L. Rowe, A. D.; James Van Dusen, Guardian; George Foot, Sentinel; Alvalh Phillips, Reporter; William Stephens, H. Rutzep, J. S. Wooton, and J. S. Hewitt, Trustees; Dr. Hagadorn, Chaplain; Dr. R. Johnson, Treasurer; C. E. Lovejoy, Financial Reporter; A. H. Hungerford, Guide; C. Van Leuven. The present membership is twenty. MILFORD REFORM CLUB. Since the inauguration of the red ribbon or temperance reform movement over the country, nearly every village and hamlet in the land is represented by a local organization. Milford has quite a flourishing club, and one which has done, and is doing, a great deal of good in the cause of temperance and in the reclamation of the victims of the bowl. It is very gratifying to those interested to observe the beneficial results of the movement, as having been the means of reforming a number of local inebriates, who, apart from the habit of intemperance, are good men and worthy citizens. The series of temperance-meetings, lectures, and fes- tivals which have been had, under the auspices of the Milford Reform Club, have tended in a sensible measure, by social intercourse and moral suasion, to do what social ostracism and legal measures signally failed to accomplish. On the 16th of May, in the year of our Lord 1877, a largely-attended mass- meeting was held at Milford, for the purpose of organizing a red ribbon or re- form club, which was done by enrolling a membership of two hundred and thirty, and electing the following officers: President, W. F. Wait; First Vice-President, William Perigo; Second Vice-President, Edward Kelley; Third Vice-President, B. F. Howland; Secretary, L. McCoy; Financial Secretary, Frank Hubbell; Treasurer, E. C. Roberts; Steward, Walter Crawford; First Marshal, John Briggs; Second Marshal, Henry Servis; Sergeant-at-Arms, William Greig. The club has rented for one year the room on Main street formerly occupied by H. H. Van Leuven as a store. Since the organization of the club its mem- bership has increased to four hundred. It is now in a flourishing condition, and the enthusiasm that has characterized its operations so far will, doubtless, insure an enduring permanency, and a success commensurate with the intensity of interest that actuates the principal supporters and friends of the institution. MILFORD GRANGE, NO. 377, P. OF 1., was organized March 18, 1874, by State Deputy C. M. Wood, with the following charter members: John Sherwood, Master; J. C. Kinsman, Overseer; E. C. Newman, Lecturer; John J. Mendham, Steward; A. B. Kinney, Assistant Stew- ard; Francis Potts, Chaplain'rr; William Clark, Treasurer; James Greason, Sec- retary; John Reed, Gate-keeper; Mrs. Francis Potts, Ceres; Mrs. E. C. New- man, Pomona; Mrs. Kate Kinney, Flora; Mrs. J. C. Kinsman, Lady Assistant Steward; Richard lHale and wife, Joseph Dickerson and wife, H. R. Kinney, Mrs William Clark, Mrs. James Greason, Mrs. John Reed, Mrs. John J. Mendham, Daniel Calkins. Orlando Calkins, Christopher Calkins and wife, Daniel Houghton, Francis Hloughton, Albert R. Kinney, Alford B. Kinney, Charles Palmer, Lawrie Potts, Ambrose Orvis, Thomas Stevens and wife. The membership at first was thirty-six; it has since been augmented to sixty. They formerly occupied the hall over Win. Potts' agricultural implement store, in Milford, but now meet in the residences of some of the members. The officers elected at the last meeting were: E. C. Newman, Master; John K. Reed, Overseer; D. A. Calkins, Lecturer; John Bush, Steward; H11. R. Kinney, Assistant Steward; William Potts, Chaplain; J. C. Kinsman, Secretary; William Clark, Treasurer; Francis Potts, Gate-keeper; Mrs. Francis Potts, Ceres; Mrs. E. C. Newman, Pomona; Mrs. Kate Kinney, Flora; Mrs. J. P. Dickerson, Lady Assistant Steward. TIlE FLINT AND PERE MARQUETTE RAILWAY. The most prosperous period in the history of Milford was during the years from 1850 to 1856. In the latter year the Detroit and Milwaukee railroad was con- structed, and in a large measure took off the trade of the village. The business portion of the community saw that the only way to obviate the decrease in trade was to open railway communication with Milford, and thus, partially at least, secure to it the business that the Detroit and Milwaukee railroad had taken from it. For the furtherance of this enterprise several meetings were held, which were devoid of the desired results up to 1865, when the act of the legislature, known as the " Enabling Act," was passed, by which the people were authorized to sub- scribe by tax and otherwise to the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railway. The work of subscription was commenced under Messrs. Henderson Crawford. chair- man of the board of commissioners, and David H. Kirkpatrick, engineer of the company. These gentlemen succeeded in negotiating about three hundred thou- sand dollars of the company's stock, and in 1869 five-mile contracts for the con- struction of the road were let to various contractors. Bridges were built, piles driven, and grading done to the extent of two hundred thousand dollars, when the financial management found that it was impossible to continue operations for the want of funds. It was finally decided to negotiate with the Flint and Pere Marquette railway company for aid; which was accordingly done. In September, 1871, tile road was completed; and in May, 1872, it was consolidated with the Flint and Pere Marquette railway and its various branches, assuming the title of the above road, as at present. The construction of the road, and its subsequent consolidation with a prosper- ous corporation, had the desired effect on the prosperity of the village, and gave an impetus to its growth and to the development of its manufacturing and busi- ness interests which are highly beneficial to the place. As an evidence of the material importance of the village we will state that it now has four general stores, of which those of John Crawford and F. 31. Ladd are among the most extensive. There are seven grocery-stores, of which those of James Austin & Bro., E. C. Bennett, Lovejoy & Son, Hubbell & Smith, Craw- ford & Van Dusen, and R. C. Bridgeman are the principal ones. It has three drug-stores: J. S. Hewitt, Davis & Grundy, and D. Morrison. Several dry-goods stores, notably those of William A. Arms, Thornhill Brothers, and H. Ratzek. A number of boot and shoe stores, among which Milton Williams, W. F. Barrett, and B. F. Russell take the lead. There are two furniture-stores, conducted by F. Ferguson and J. C. Danson. The village is supplied with all of the modern facilities for the transaction of its business, such as the post-office, with daily mails from all the principal points on the railroad, and from various villages by regular routes, an express-office, telegraph-office, and railroad depot. The manufacturing interests are extensive, as can be seen by reference to the notices of the most important of them in the preceding pages of this work. It has two hotels, the " Milford House," of which William Odell is proprietor, and the " Central House," under the proprietorship of Frank Rice. There are two livery-stables, run by P. C. Slaughter and Horace Pinny. Milford is situated in the midst of a fine agricultural country, and is a good 228 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. market for all the products of the farm. There are several extensive grain-buyers, the most prominent of whom are Stephens & Roberts, and two grain-elevators. The moral and intellectual status of the place is sustained by various religious and benevolent institutions, churches, schools, etc. It has four churches,* denomi- nationally classified as follows: one Methodist Episcopal, one Congregational and Presbyterian, one Baptist, and one Roman Catholic. It has a good graded school, in the management of which great care is exercised, both in manner of its work and in the sqlection of its teachers. The place supports a weekly newspaper, which, under the editorial control of J. P. Jackson, its present proprietor, is an ably-conducted and interesting family journal. It has one lodge of Free and Accepted Masons and a chapter of Royal Arch Masons, a lodge of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd-Fellows, a lodge of Knights of Honor, a Red Ribbon Reform club, and reading-room, and a grange of the Patrons of Husbandry. The delightful location of the village, which lies nestled on the banks of the Huron, surrounded by verdure-clad hills and fertile plains; the salubrity of the air, and its consequent healthfulness; the abundance and cheapness of its domestic market, and its ample facilities for travel and transportation, render it one of the best places for business enterprise or retirement in the State. And many farmers who have toiled for years on their land, and by persistent industry and care have made it bring forth its increase, are now enjoying the fruits of their labors by spending their declining years in comfortable homes in the village. In fine, the indications for the subsequent prosperity of Milford are highly flat- tering; and that it will one day become a place of very considerable importance is a fact established beyond reasonable doubt. It had the good fortune to be settled by an enterprising and thrifty class of people, and the impress of their work is ineffaceably left as a criterion for the present generation, who are energeti- cally engaged in its fulfillment. TIlE MEDICAL PROFESSION. Foremost in the ranks of the profession in Milford is found Dr. Henry K. Foote, who located here in 1838, and of whom a more extended notice is given elsewhere. He died in 1863. Dr. Fox came the same year as Dr. Foote, and died after two years' residence, in 1840. Dr. Zebina 3M. Mowrey located in Mil- ford in 1841. He was a graduate of the. Berkshire medical college, Massa- chusetts, and a most thoroughly-educated physician. He died while riding, August 1, 1874, of disease of the heart. He was a man of distinguished ability as a physician, and highly esteemed as a citizen. He was in practice for several years with Dr. Henry Foote, and with him was honored with official position by the votes of the people. He was in the State legislature in 1847, and the con- stitutional convention of 1850. Dr. Joseph Browne settled in Milford, July 17, 1850. HIe was a graduate of Edinburgh University, Scotland, and was formerly a surgeon in the British navy. He died April 23, 1877, of apoplexy. Dr. Robert Browne came to Milford in 1849, and Dr. Alexander Bryce about the same time or later. Dr. D. S. Martin located here in 1845, and removed to White Lake in 1875, and engaged in farming. Dr. Robert Johnston settled here in the spring of 1866. He is a graduate of the Ohio medical college, at Cin- cinnati, and also of the Bellevue Hospital medical college, New York city, and is still in practice. Dr. W. F. Honey located here in 1868. He is a graduate of Cleveland medical college, Ohio. He removed to Bay City, Michigan, in 1875. Dr. A. D. Hagadorn located in Milford in 1873. He is a graduate of the medical department of the University of Michigan, and is yet in practice here. Dr. Charles G. Davis located in Milford in 1875. He is also a graduate of the Michigan University, medical department, and is in practice here. We acknowledge ourselves indebted to the following persons for assistance in the compilation of the history of Milford: Henderson Crawford, Esq., Leonard Phillips, William Potts, Ansley S. Arms, Thomas Curdy, John L. Andrews, Mrs. Laura E. Andrews, John Crawford, Abel P. Grow, Seldon Vincent, Mrs. Charles T. Riley (formerly the Widow Mendham), C. L. Northrup, Charles Lovejoy, town- ship ccrk, and others. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. LEONARD PHILLIPS. Among the representative men and pioneers of Milford township, the gentle- man whose name heads this sketch holds a prominent position. Coming here as he did when a few straggling log houses constituted the entire settlement in what now comprises the township, and at a time when hard and persistent labor, hard- ship and trial, were the prime factors, not only of success, but even of life itself, * For more extended notices of these various affairs, see under their proper headings. he has witnessed the progress of the township, and has accomplished not a little himself towards its development. Leonard Phillips was born in Ontario county, New York, March 26, 1811, whence his father emigrated from Massachusetts, seventy-eight years ago, with his family of six children. He died at the age of eighty-nine years and seven months, where Ihe first settled, and doubtless now holds a higher and nobler place in the spirit world. At the age of twenty-two years Leonard Phillips married Miss Rosetta Al- bright, and immigrated to Michigan in the month of May, 1833. In 1852 he sustained the loss of his wife, who had been to him a faithful companion and a true and loving wife and mother. He married a second time, his choice falling on Miss Henrietta Lapham, who is still living. He has twelve children living, all of whom enjoy good health, and are worthy representatives of worthy parents. Mr. Phillips experienced considerable sickness when he first came to the country, but after becoming acclimated he has had no serious inconvenience, except on one occasion, when his life was almost despaired of by his friends, and he believes with them that had hlie not received assistance from the spirit world he would have "joined the white-robed throng" in the eternal hereafter. Mr. Phillips is the only surviving pioneer who purchased land directly of the government. When he came in he was accompanied by his brother, his brother's wife, and their three children. They cleared up the farm afterwards owned by the Widow Harper, and now owned by George Harper, on which they hewed the logs, made the shingles, framed and inclosed a log house, and moved into it in eight days. He now owns one hundred and eighty-five acres of well-improved land, on which hlie has fine, substantial buildings, as can be seen by reference to the illus- tration elsewhere in this work. Mr. Phillips is Democratic in politics, adhering to the old-time principles of Jacksonian Democracy. In religion hlie is a spiritualist, having embraced the be- lief of that body about eleven years since, after a thorough investigation of its merits as a belief. Finding it all hlie could wish, he has since been a firm advocate of its principles, and like the poet, believes "There is no death;: the stars go down To rise upon some fairer shore, And, bright in heaven's jeweled crown, They shine for evermore. And ever near us, though unseen, The dear immortal spirits tread, For all in God's great universe Is life. There are no dead." Mr. Phillips is a man of sterling integrity, good judgment, and practical economy. Hie enjoys the respect and esteem of his neighbors, and altogether presents a fair type of the pioneer citizen. (See illustration and portraits.) LUMAN FULLER. Among the worthy pioneers and representative men of Milford, the subject of this brief sketch occupied a prominent position. Luman Fuller was born in Cattaraugus county, New York, in 1801. At an early age he removed with his parents to Mendon, Monroe county, New York, and subsequently, in 1831, to Michigan. He took up six hundred acres of land on section 10, in Milford, the deeds for which are signed by Andrew Jackson. After entering his land in Milford, he settled at Birmingham, this county, and went into the hotel business, being one of the pioneer hotel-keepers of the county. In 1834 he settled on his land, and occupied himself in clearing it. In 1836 he erected the grist-mill now owned and operated by Jacob Peters, and conducted the same until 1840, when he sold it, together with thirty acres of land, to 3 William J. Wells. The balance of his large tract he kept and managed up to his death, which occurred June 1, 1866. Mr. Fuller was three times married, and raised nine children out of a family of twelve. Of these, but one now resides in the township or county,-and that one is Laura E., now the wife of John L. Andrews, Esq., who lives on the old home- stead. The balance of his large fimily are residents of different parts of the Union, and are all doing well, being worthy descendants of a worthy parent. In religion Mr. Fuller was a Presbyterian, having been one of tmhe original members of the United Congregational and Presbyterian church of Milford, to which he belonged up to the time of his death. In politics he was originally a Whig, and subsequently, on the organization of the Republican party, became a member of it. In character he was a man of unblemished reputation, industrious and econom- ical, honest and upright in his business relations, and diligent in the care and management of his extensive property.  ,, r 4, _., f= j t 5' ry l ; .: i /. >,,, CS%< HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 229 In 1862 he returned temporarily to Detroit, and while there started on a trip to California, in company with ex-Governor Baldwin. While on their way out, the boat they were in was captured by the " Alabama," and each of the passengers were compelled to give a bond, to be paid to the Southern Confederacy when it should have control of the government, which, fortunately, never transpired. He also made a trip to Cuba, and remained there one winter, in order to recuperate his health, which had become impaired by close application to his business. He subsequently returned to his home in Milford, where, surrounded by the several members of his family, on the 1st of June, 1866, lie breathed his last, and went to his grave an honored and respected pioneer and citizen. IION. JOHIIN L. ANDREWS, son-in-law of Luman Fuller, was born in Monroe county, New York, April 8, 1822. When in his fourteenth year lie removed to Michigan, and settled at Brighton, Livingston county, where lie remained until 1840, when he came to Milford, and went to work for William J. Wells in the mill. He there learned the trade of a miller, which hlie followed for a number of years. January 15, 1859, he married Lauri, E. Fuller, being at the time a widower. He now has a family of five children,-one by his first and four by his present wife,-namely: Charley B., Luman F, Harry C., Walter K., and Arthur E. In politics he is Republican, having been elected by that party to represent the third (now the second) district in the State legislature, in 1871. He served the people faithfully and well in that position. In religion he is a Presbyterian. He is now engaged in fatrming, occupying the old Fuller farm, than which no better exists in the township. (See illustration and portraits.) JAMES MOORE. James Moore, son of Henry and Sarah Moore, was born in the town of Stark, Herkimer county, New York, March 14, 1826. In the fall of 1833, being then seven years of age, lie came with his parents to Michigan, and settled on a farm which his father located from government, in the township of Milford, this county. April 4, 1861, hlie was joined in marriage with Miss Maria Everett, of Lyon township, Oakland County, Michigan. They have three children: Catherine L., their elder daughter, was born January 25, 1863; Martha Z., born July 9, 1865; John Everett, born March 5, 1871. Henry Moore, father of James Moore, was born in Springfield, Otsego county, New York, December 2, 1798, and died in Milford, July 10, 1842. Sarah Wil- sey Moore, mother of James, was born in the town of Stark, Herkimer county, New York, April 15, 1800. John Everett, father of Mrs. Maria Moore, was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, April 18, 1809; immigrated to Michigan in 1829, and died in Lyon town- ship, November 12, 1869. Polly Harvey Everett, mother of Mrs. Maria Moore, was born near Fairport, Monroe county, New York, February 7, 1814; died in Lyon township, this county, October 2, 1867. James Moore is a gentleman who occupies a very prominent position among the extensive farmers of Oakland County. He was born on a farm, raised as a farmer, and by mature experience and agricultural education is certainly one of the best and most successful farmers in this county, and among the best in the State. He now owns five hundred and twenty-five acres of land in Milford town- ship, and five hundred and forty-three in Lyon, making a total of one thousand and sixty-eight acres, the cultivation of which he personally superintends. As a citi- zen lie is public-spirited, and always liberally supports all institutions of a benevo- lent character. As a neighbor he is highly respected, and in his domestic life is loved and revered. His wife is a lady whose attainments eminently qualify her to preside over their beautiful home. Her fine taste for flowers is lavishly dis- played in the beautiful conservatory attached to the house, and in the well-kept beds in the garden, as shown in the illustration on another page. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Moore are also inserted. JAMES MENDHAM. James Mendham was born in England in 1802. He emigrated to America in 1833, and four years afterwards settled in Milford township, on the farm now owned and occupied by his son, John J. Mendham, and resided there until his death, which occurred in 1843. In 1837 lie married Mary Ann Potts, sister of Mr. William Potts, one of the oldest remaining pioneers of Milford. Mrs. Mendham (now the wife of Charles T. Riley, of Milford) was born in England in 1815. Mr. Mendham was a good practical farmer, and by industry and economy accu- mulated a handsome property. In politics lie was a Whig; in religion he was liberal. Hle was generally considered a good citizen and an honest man. JOHN JAMES MENDIAM, son of the above couple, was born in Milford, January 24, 1842. Married Cy- rena Clum, November 29, 1863. The issue of this union has been four children, ---one boy and three girls,-namely: Minnie F., born October 15, 1864; Wil- helmina, born August 27, 1867; Bertha, born March 28, 1874; Burt James, born September 23, 1875. Mr. Mendhliam now owns and cultivates one hundred and forty-two and one- half acres of land, has fine stock and good buildings, and is considered a good practical farmer. In politics lie is a Democrat; in religion a Methodist. (See illustration and portraits.) THOMAS CURDY. Thomas Curdy was born at Clarence, Erie county, New York, March 25, 1816. HIe was early taught those habits of industry and self-reliance which have been so beneficial to him in his subsequent life, and to which lie owes, in a large meas- ure, his present success. Hle worked by the month for nine years, and saved enough to purchase of the government eighty acres of land, which he did on arriving in Michigan, in 1836. In 1843 lie settled in Highland township, on part of the farm of two hundred and two acres lie now owns, located on sections 28, 29, and 33. In 1869 lie removed to Milford township; and to his present farm, in the same township, in 1873. This farm contains one hundred and sev- enty-four and a half acres of land, which Mr. Curdy has improved, and keeps highly cultivated. On this is his home, a substantial residence, with good out- buildings, and everything calculated to enhance the personal comfort of himself and of his estimable wife. In 1844 Mr. Curdy married Miss Sarah J. Lockwood, a native of Parma, Monroe county, New York, where she was born September 2, 1829. They have had a family of six children, of whom five survive, namely: Amelia Ann, born March 6, 1845; married Henry C. Andrus, January 15, 1867. Scott Eugene, born December 26, 1846; married Sarah J. Miller, December 10, 1868. James Franklin, born May 15, 1848; died May 20, 1849. Thomas J., born December 11, 1851. Sarah Effie, born February 16, 1853; married Thomas Thornhill, of Milford, Noveniber 24, 1870. Frank L., born June 25, 1854; married Capitola B. Nicholson, October 24, 1876. During the trouble between the government and Canada over the McKenzie affair, Mr. Curdy served as a militia-man for one month; thus evincing a patriot- ism which he sustained at the more recent trouble occasioned by the Rebellion. Though disqualified by age to serve as a soldier, his heart was always with his country, and his purse ever ready to aid the cause. He started in politics a Whig, casting his first vote for Harrison, in 1810; remained with that party all through its existence, and on the formation of the Republican party was one of the first to espouse its principles. He never aspired to any political preferment, always choosing to vote intelligently, and to support such candidates as were worthy his suffrage and that of the party lie represented. He was once elected justice of the peace for Highland township, but failed to qualify, not desiring the office. He was induced to serve one term as township treasurer, the only office lie could ever be persuaded to fill. In religion lie is liberal, never having joined any religious denomination. His life has been an upright and honorable one, equally as fruitful of good as though he had made a profession of religion. He is generally regarded as a representa- tive citizen; a good, practical farmer, and a man of sterling integrity. In his private life hlie is a kind and affectionate husband, and a fond and loving parent, which are the grandest constituents of individual character, and the highest attributes of human worth. (See illustration and portraits.) JOHN KESBY. This gentleman was a native of England, having been born at Kent, July 23, 1809. He emigrated to America in 1824, and first settled in New Jersey, sub- sequently in Cooperstown, Otsego county, New York, and finally, in 1833, in Milford township, Oakland County, Michigan. Mr. Kesby was twice married, first to Mrs. Betsy Moore, a widow lady, and mother of Judge John Moore, of Saginaw. After her death, in January, 1860, lie remarried, this time Miss Lucy A., daughter of Eleazur E. Calkins, Esq., of Lyon township, who survives him, and now resides in the village of Milford. 230 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Mr. Kesby was essentially a farmer. He first settled and improved the farm now owned by Charles P. Bennett, on section 29, and subsequently the one inow owned by Jonathan Phillips. In religion he was a Methodist, having belonged to that denomination of Christians for the last twenty-five years of his life. In politics he was nominally a Republican, but always exercised his own judgment in casting his ballot, supporting the candidate he thought best fitted for the office for which he was nominated, regardless of partisan bias. By industrious and frugal habits he became quite well-to-do, and left his widow in very comfortable circum- stances, his property being entirely unincumbered at the time of his death. Ne- gotiations had been entered into having the sale of his farm in view, which were perfected by his widow after his demise, she deeming it prudent to retire to the village and live on the interest of her dower. Mr. Kesby was a gentleman well and favorably known in this community, and was respected by all with whom hlie came in contact, either in business or society. He was a genial, whole-souled man, who extended hospitality ungrudgingly, and lived such a life as gave promise of an eternal reward. (See illustration and portraits.) H. CRAWFORD. Henderson Crawford, Esq., who first came to this town in 1839, and has been a resident here between thirty and forty years, was born in Seneca, Ontario county, New York, August 11, 1818; purchased a farm in Wayne county soon after his arrival here, and devoted his time alternately to the business of farming and teaching. Two years were thus occupied, when lie married Miss Sarah W. Wood, also a native of western New York, born at Perrinton, Monroe county, October 23, 1822. She was one of the pupils in the first school lie taught in this State. She came with her parents to this State in 1825, settling in the town of Farm- ington, then a wild, new country. Losing her father within a year after his coming here, after many privations and hardships her mother became the wife of Ahijah Wixomn, Esq., and removed to the township of Commerce, in 1836. The relations of teacher and pupil were exchanged for husband and wife December 30, 1841. Since the spring of 1845 they have been permanent residents of the village of Milford, and have been most thoroughly identified in the history of this township and village. They are the parents of eight children,-two daughters and six sons,- now all grown to years ofmanhood and womanhood: Lucy A. Crawford, born August 30,1844, now wife of Edward Cahill, Esq , prosecuting attorney of Ingham county, and resident of Lansing, the State capital. Charles A. Crawford, born August 30, 1846, has been a resident of Traverse City, Grand Traverse county, since 1865; has been connected since that time with the heavy mercantile and lumbering firm of Hannah, Lay & Co. Theron C. Crawford, born November 30, 1849, is a journal- ist, being now a resident of Washington, D. C., and is Washington correspondent of the Chicago Times. Sarah E. Crawford, born September 2, 1852, has been a resident of Lansing since August, 1874; has a position in the auditor-general's office, and resides with her sister; -Mrs. Cahill. Reuben H. Crawford, born Octo- ber 18, 1854, is now a resident of Chicago, Illinois, in the employ of the same firm as his elder brother, Charles. Willard H. Crawford, born July 23, 1857, has been a resident of Detroit two years; is with E. W. Stoddard, an old pupil of his father's, in the hardware trade. The next son, George S. Crawford, born June 18, 1859, quite recently entered the employ of Hannah, Lay & Co., at Chicago, with his brother Reuben. The youngest son, Fred. C. Crawford, born September 15, 1861, is still with his parents, a resident here. MIr. Crawford has held various offices of trust; was justice of the peace from 1854 to 1858; was in the legislature during the sessions of 1861, 1863, and 1865; was enrolling officer for the town during the war of the Rebellion, and after com- pleting the enrollment, was ordered to report to the provost-marshal's office at Pontiac for duty, and continued in that office during the war. At the session of the legislature of 1865 he procured the passage of the enabling act for the build- ing of the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railway, and was elected chairman of the board of commissioners for the subscription of stock for the building of that road. He spent four years in the prosecution of this enterprise, and to his efforts, con stant and untiring, more than to any other single individual, in the expelnditure of time a77d means, is this section of the country indebted to-day for railway commu- nications with the outer world. This railway was consolidated with the Flint and Pere Marquette, under the general name of the latter, in May, 1872, that com- pany,-the Flint and Pere Marquette railway company,-by the terms of the consolidation, agreeing to assume the indebtedness and pay all the outstanding liabilities of the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railway company. This contract they have shamefully ignored, and those who have faithfully labored for the suc- cess of the railway company are compelled to resort to litigation to secure their just rights or let them go by default,-a case of peculiar hardship, for a single in- dividual to attempt to cope with a wealthy corporation, made so by the hard labor and expenditure of money by those whom they thus attempt to defraud. Such dealings of railway companies with their employees have been the fruitful cause of the strikes and riots which lately devastated and destroyed millions of property and countless lives. It will be understood that Mr. Crawford was working under a contract made in writing, entered into in accordance with a vote of the stock- holders at a regular meeting of the same, and called for that purpose. - -' --- : NOVI TOWNSHIP. THEim township of Novi-designated in the government survey as town 1 north, The outlet of Walled lake is at its southwestern point, from whence issues a of range 8 east--has the county of Wayne for its southern boundary, and is joined stream of some size, which, with its small branches, are the only water-courses in on the north, east, and west, respectively, by the townships of Commerce, Farm- the township. One of these rises in the east, near the Farmington line; the other, ington, and Lyon. Its soil is very productive, its surface everywhere rolling, but and larger one, having its source in springs upon the Hills farm,-in the northwest rather more so in the southern than in the northern part. There is sonime marshy quarter of section 28. The main stream crosses the base-line at the cornering of land in the north, and a swamp of considerable size lies in the southwest, extend- sections 34 and 35, and thence pursues a southeasterly course to its confluence uing to and across the town-line of Lyon. with the Rouge river, in Wayne county. Formerly, the outlet stream was of suf- Walled lake, a beautiful body of clear water, abounding with fish, covers nearly ficient size to be made useful for mill purposes, but the clearing of the country, two-thirds the area of section 3, as well as a considerable portion of the westerly and the draining of swamps, have so reduced its volume that it is no longer avail- half of section 2; the larger portion of the lake-about five hundred and fifty able, and now it turns no mill-wheel in all its course through Oakland County. acres-lying within the limits of Novi, the remainder, embracing the head of the The Detroit and Howell plank-road (this being its legal name, though it is not lake, being in the town of Commerce. The origin of the name of this sheet of a plank, but an excellent graveled turnpike) enters the township on the southeast water was in the fact that many years ago there is said to have existed along its quarter of section 24, and, passing northwestwardly in a right line, leaves it from margin, at several points, rows of bowlders, which lay in such regular order that the southwest of section 7. The track of the Holly, Wayne and Monroe rail- somei imaginative people believed, and industriously disseminated their theory road enters from the south, at the southeast corner of section 34, and crosses the that these had been placed in their position by the hands of Indians, in some town-line into Commerce, from the northwest corner of section 5, having one remote day; in other words, that the lake had been walled in by the red men, . station within the town, at Novi village. though it must have been a heavy tax on human ingenuity to assign any possible Originally the township was heavily timbered, and the forest and the lake were reason which could have operated to induce the indolent savages to perform the favorite hunting-, fishing-, and camping-grounds of the Indians. Ancient burial- severe labor which would be necessary to the execution of such a work. Probably grounds of their people have been discovered in several localities, one being on the true explanation of the existence of the "wall" is that the ice of the lake, the farm of William Tenney at Walled lake, and another on the land of John C. crowding the rocks landward, little by little, each winter, for perhaps a thousand Emery, just east of the centre of section 26. Even yet the plow occasionally years, had at last ranged them in the positions in which the white man found brings to the light long-buried relics of the people who once called these lands them. 'their own. C l F r rL Ilk zK  x(J. (~ ) 01 Vo 0u 0T n >P A "Oil Of too - n s ro. u v E v t 6 d ,Y 1 x m as -w ad l rE ens a_ , ~ n n .. sit ~p n v TOW ~ j HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. -u 231 FIRST SETTLERS. The first white man who settled in that wilderness which became the township of Novi was Deacon Erastus Ingersoll, who came from Victor, Ontario county, New York. It was on the 26th day of April, 1825, that hlie arrived with his wife and nine children upon the southeast quarter of section 24, the east half of which he had entered at the land-office on the twentieth of the preceding September. His, however, was not the first entry of land within the present boundaries of the township; the precedence in that particular belonged to John Gould, who, earlier in the same month (September 3, 1824), had entered the northeast quarter of sec- tion 36; and there were also several other entries bearing even date with that of the deacon, viz., those of Benjamin Bentley, on parts of sections 23 and 25; of Pitts Tafft, on the southwest quarter of section 34, and also on section 33; and of Joseph Eddy, on the northeast quarter of section 34. On the morning following his arrival, Mr. Ingersoll, with the help of his son, E. S. Ingersoll, now of Eaton county, Michigan, commenced felling trees and clearing a space for the establishment of their home and the erection of the first house in Novi,-though then it was in Bloomfield, under which name, until 1827, was comprehended not only the present towns of Bloomfield and West Bloomfield, but also those of Royal Oak, Troy, Southfield, Farmington, Novi, Commerce, Mil- ford, and Lyon. On the east, now the town of Farmington, they had neighbors within comparatively easy distance: Arthur Power, an enterprising Quaker, Dr. Ezekiel Webb, George W. Collins, George Brownell, Samuel Mansfield, Wardwell Green, HiLezekiah B. Smith, Solomon Walker, Howland Mason, Timothy Tolman, Orrin Garfield, and a few others. Some of these were six or seven miles away, but in those days men might live double that distance apart and be neighbors still. In this case, as in others at that time, each readily and cheerfully gave a half-day's assistance, and this, with his own and his son's diligent labor, enabled Mr. Ingersoll to move into and occupy his new house on the 10th of May, twenty- three days after thefelling of the first tree upon its site. Settlers' houses have often been built in much less than that time, but perhaps in this case the weather was unfavorable, and probably the deacon's house was of unusual size and preten- sions. As to the eligibility of his location and the fertility of his land, they were certainly among the best in the township then, as now. On the 10th of May, the same day on which hlie first occupied his new house, hlie made a further entry on the same section,-24. E. R. Ingersoll, son of Erastus, relates that after their set- tlement there the Indians (of whom there was a village or encampment of some three hundred at Walled lake, and who were their only neighbors on the west) supplied the family with venison and fish for sonime three or four years. It was not long that they continued to be the only settlers in the township. During the month of May, John Gould settled upon the northeast quarter of section 36, and commenced the erection of buildings, although his family did not arrive until the 20th of March in the following year. Hle remained a resident of Novi for seven years, and removed to Salem, Washtenaw county, in the spring 1832. Joseph Eddy came from Wayne county, New York, and settled on the north- east quarter of section 34, and Pitts Tafft established himself upon the southwest quarter of the same section. Both these came in the autumn of 1825. Mr. Myra Gage, now of Novi Corners, distinctly recollects assisting at the erection of Mr. Eddy's log house. He (Eddy) afterwards moved away, for the sake of more "elbow-room," and settled in Clinton county, where he died. Pitts Taift, upon his arrival, at once set about preparing ground for wheat, and succeeded in getting in a small field in the f ll of 1825. This was cut in the succeeding July, and was the first wheat ever harvested in the township. These above mentioned are believed to have been the only families who made permanent settlement in the town in the year 1825, but there were many others who came in that year, searching for locations on which to erect their future homes. Among these were William Yerkes and Thomas Pinkerton, two young men (cousins) from Romulus, Seneca county, New York, who traveled thence to Buffalo, where they embarked on the old steamboat " Superior," and landed at Detroit on the 20th of April, 1825, just a week before Erastus Ingersoll com. menced clearing the ground for his house, on section 24. No doubt they expe- rienced some feeling of discouragement as they turned their faces towards the northwest, from Detroit, and floundered through the seas of mud which lay be- tween that city and the place of their destination, but they kept resolutely on, and in due time reached the lands on which they afterwards settled. While there making their selections they encountered another party, who had minutes of the same tracts Which they had determined upon entering, and this circumstance cut short their stay, and hurried them back to Detroit to be first at the land-office. Using every effort to reach the city in the least possible time, they took the Indian trail, and hurried on by way of George W. Collins' place, in Farmington, stopped at Thibaud's fifteen-mile house, traversed the muddy swamps, which in many places seemed to be almost bottomless, and arrived in town at night, on the 29th of April, and at the opening of the land-office on the following nmorning made their entries, namely, William Yerkes, on section 36 and the southeast quarter of 35, and Thomas Pinkerton, the southeast quarter of 25. From De- troit they returned to Seneca county, and commenced arrangements for the trans- fer of their homes to the (then) far west. On the 10th of March following they again turned their tfaces towards Michi- gan,-this time to make the journey on foot, with knapsack on back and axe in hand. They crossed the Niagara river at Lewiston, and proceeded west through the region then known as Upper Canada. Notwithstanding the melting snow, the mud, and the many obstacles, they accomplished the entire distance of more than four hundred miles in fourteen days, arriving March 24, 1826, in a disgusted and rather homesick frame of mind. On the 27th they commenced the work of chopping and fencing,-Mr. Pinkerton working in the employ of his uncle, Joseph Yerkes (father of William Yerkes, Esq.), who entered upon lands just south of them, and across the base-line. He received from his uncle the sum of eleven dollars per month, and continued to labor for him until the 27th of the following November, eight months, and then commenced the clearing of his own tract on section 25. For a time he boarded at the house of Mr. John Gould, who was just south of him, and who was the second settler in Novi. Mr. Pink- erton was then a bachelor, and so continued until September 20, 1827, when he married Deborah Prudden at Romulus, Seneca county, New York. William Yerkes had already a family of several children, who followed him to their new home, and formed a part of the colony of sixteen souls who came west under the leadership of the young pioneers from Seneca county. They all bore the name of Yerkes, excepting Pinkerton, Stephen Hayward, and Richard Bough- ton, and they ranged from one year to fifty-six years in age,-the oldest being Joseph Yerkes, who settled across the base-line, and the youngest being an infant child of William Yerkes. They came by water from Buffalo to Detroit, being ten days on the passage from port to port, and four weeks on the whole journey. From Detroit the party and their movables were transported to their destination upon four wagons, two of which were their own, and drawn by their own oxen, and the other two were the horse-teams of Diodate Hubbard and John Hamilton, of Piety Hill, now Birmingham. Upon reaching Pinkerton's place, the southeast corner of section 25, Hamilton and Hubbard positively refused to proceed far- ther, and left their loads there, to be returned for by the ox-teams. Of that party of sixteen ten are still living (1877), at ages varying from fifty-six to eighty- three years, the eldest being William Yerkes, Esq., and another being his old companion, Thomas Pinkerton, aged seventy-five,-both hale and active, and both living upon the lands which they bravely commenced clearing more than fifty-one years ago. The other survivors of that party of immigrants are Mrs. Wm. Yerkes, Joseph Yerkes, Win. P. Yerkes, Joseph D. Yerkes, Mary and Sally (Utley), daughters of Wm. Yerkes, Richard Boughton, and Stephen Hayward. Old Time has cer- tainly dealt very kindly with them! - Thomas Watts, an Englishman, settled early in the spring of 1826. He had located his lands in the previous fall (October 8, 1825), viz., one hundred and sixty acres on section 27, and eighty acres on section 26. He settled on the first- named tract. Afterwards lie sold a part, or all of these lands, to Mrs. Thornton. Samuel Hungerford and James Wilkinson came from Watertown, New York, and made entries-Wilkinson on section 33, and Hungerford on section 34-c-- June 7, 1825; after which they worked in the employ of Dr. Ezekiel Webb, of Farmington. In 1826 they both settled on the lands which they had entered the previous year. Wilkinson married a sister of William Yerkes, Esq. He said to Joshua Simmons that, upon his arrival in Novi, after purchasing his land, his whole capital was his axe and a small bundle tied in a pocket-handkerchief. Af- terwards hlie sold his land and moved upon section 8. Colonel Hungerford filled many public offices during his long life, and was held in high esteem by his fellow- townsmen. He went to California in 1849, and remained eleven years. After his return he lived with his son, William P. H-ungerford, at Northville, where lihe died in the year 1875, at the age of seventy-six. Philo HIlungerford made entry on section 34 in May, 1825. Benjamin Hungerford also entered on section 33, and settled there late in the year 1826. About the same time Daniel Bentley established himself on section 25, and on the 31st of October Benjamin A. Hance entered a part of section 2, but did not settle upon it until the spring of 1827, when John Hiles also settled on 26, and Thomas M. Gould on the northeast quarter of the same section. ORGANIZATION WITH FARMINGTON. An act of the legislative council, approved April 12,1827, established the town of Farmington. By its operation the township division proclaimed by the gov- ernor in 1820 became inoperative, and the present towns of Commerce, Milford, Lyon, and Novi ceased to be included with Bloomfield, and became parts of Farm- 232 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ington. One of the first justices of the peace appointed for that town was Wil- liam Yerkes, and other Farmington offices were filled by citizens of this town but their names cannot be given, as the records containing the minutes of that election were destroyed in the Farmington fire, iin 1872. FIRST SCHOOLS. The first school in the township of Novi was opened in the autumn of 1827, in a log building near the base-line, on the farm of Pitts Tafft. It probably fell far short of the schools of the present day in educational facilities and appliances, but answered its purpose well, and was most creditable to the few and impoverished settlers in the town at that time. It was, of course, supported by subscription, and it continued its first session from November until February, 1828. The teacher was Hiram Wilmarth, of Farmington. Soon after, hlie settled in Novi, on section 34, not far tfrom Tafft's. Hie was not only school-teacher, but surveyor, and in this last-named capacity hlie was very extensively employed through all the surrounding country. The second school in the township (a summer term) was taught by a Miss Light, on the northeast quarter of section 25. A school-house was afterwards (1832) built on the southwest quarter of the same section, and others, in due time, in other parts of the township, as the settlers increased in number; but there was no public school system, nor any subdivision of the township into school districts, for some years, the law directing such laying off into districts being approved April 13, 1833. POST-OFFICE. The first post-office in the township was established in the year 1827, and des- ignated as West Farmington, a name which was at that time applied to the entire township of Novi (the town now Lyon being at the same time known as West Farmington, Junior). John Gould was the first postmaster, and the office was located at his house. The establishment of this post-office was mainly the result of the efforts of Dr. Ezekiel Webb, the postmaster at Farmington Centre. The office brought no emolument to the postmaster other than the revenue produced by the postage on the letters delivered and the privilege of franking his own cor- respondence. The second postmaster was Dr. J. C. Emery. OTHER EARLY SETTLERS. Among those who entered lands in the township up to 1830, in addition to those already mentioned, were: On section 26, John Powers, March, 1825 ; John Miles, James Vanduyne, May 24, 1827; Isaac Vanduyne,-the last two settled in the spring of 1828. On section 27, Lyman W. Andrus, December, 1828,- settled at same time; Mrs. Thornton, settled 1827; Gamaliel Simmons, June 23, 1827. On section 23, Robert MeKinney, October, 1824; Willard Wadsworth, April, 1825; David A. Simmons, on northeast quarter, March, 1827; Thomas M. Gould, on southeast quarter, August, 1828; David Guile, on southwest quar- ter, September, 1829, and settled same autumn. On section 28, Samuel White, June, 1827; Myron Garfield, settled 1827.; Randall Chapman, June, 1828, and settled same year. On section 22, N. C. Prentiss, October 7, 18241; Philip Shaw, on southwest quarter, and also on southeast quarter of section 21, Septem- ber, 1829, and settled on 21 soon after; he died October 4, 1876, in the ninety- seventh year of his age. On section 25, Timothy Farles, October, 1824; Joseph Yerkes, June, 1826; William B. Garfield, June 6, 1827; Captain Stanton Haz- zard settled on northwest quarter in 1829. On section 15, Cornelius Davis and N. C. Prentiss, October, 1824; Richmond C. Simmons, June 13, 1825. On sec- tion 35, Samuel Mansfield, March, 1825; John Spinney, on the southwest quar- ter, September, 1826; Abraham Vanduyne, June, 1828, and settled in the fall of the same year. On section 13, Thomas Mulford, in 1827, and Samuel Mul- ford, July, 1829. On section 14, Ephraim Hick. June. 1825; Joshua Phillips, September, 1826. On section 36, Reuben Fitzgerald, June. 1825, and Dr. J. C. Emery, who came from Seneca county, New York, and settled on the base-line, in the southeast corner of the section, in the year 1829; hlie was the first resident physician in West Farmington (Novi), and succeeded John Gould as postmaster when the latter removed to Washtenaw county, in 1832. In June, 1825, Ebenezer Stewart entered on section 33, and William Tenney on section 3, where he settled in 1827. Cornelius Austin also settled on the same section in that year, and is still living there, at an advanced age. In 1827, Sir Henryi Heirrington (not a baronet, but a plain citizen) established near Walled lake, William Rice, on section 32, and Ira Crawford located on section 1. M. Van Amburgh, Orange Van Amburgh, and B. F. Hanner also came in about the same time. In 1828, Ruel Sherman settled on the southeast quarter of section 26; and Horace W. Vaughn, James Malloy, Colonel Spencer, John Mitchell, and Smith Parks were among the number who came during that year. Asaph Smith canme in 1830, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 15. With him came his five sons, Asaph Clemendon, John HI., Calvin, Benja- min P., and Warren. John Renwick also came in that year, and Apollos Cud- worth settled on the northwest quarter of section 23, and Benjamin Brown on the southeast quarter of section 15. Old Mr. Brown, the father of Benjamin, located near Walled lake, and died at the great age of ninety-nine years. Mr. Bishop, father of Levi Bishop, died at almost precisely the same age,-ninety-nine years and fourteen days,-and these two patriarchs were the oldest people who ever lived in Novi. The following, the precise dates of whose entry and settlement cannot be given, were among the early comers :-John Waterman, William Woodman, Benajah, Saveril, and Amerdon Aldrich, Lewis Britton, on section 22; Henry and Zach- ariah Eddy, John Chambers, Peter Plowman, Henry Courter, Merritt Randolph, Louis Vradenburgh, Charles Thornton, section 21; Cyrenius Simmons, northwest quarter of section 27; Brayton Flint, Loren Flint, southwest quarter of section 10; John Blain, Edward Butterfield, and Phillip Burritt. Below are mentioned a few of the immigrants who came soon after 1830: David and William W. Entrican, from Massachusetts, arrived in 1831, the former taking eighty acres on section 22, and the latter the south half of southwest quar- ter of section 14. David still lives in the township, and William is a resident of lonia county. Daniel Durfee, a Quaker from Long Island, New York, came in 1831, and settled on section 9; Samuel Rodgers in 1832, and Jesse Hazen in the same year. He brought with him a wife and eight children, and settled with them on the northwest quarter of section 14. Mr. Hazen was from the State of New York, one of a family of five brothers and two sisters; one of the sisters was Mrs. Cham- plin Green, and a brother was Paul W. Hazen of Plymouth, Wayne county. Jesse died at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. John M. Norton, in the township of Avon, October 9, 1873, at the age of seventy-one years. Owen F. Whipple, a cooper from Allegheny county, New York, came in 1832, and took forty acres on the southeast quarter of section 15, where he is still living. James Sanford came in 1833, and made extensive purchases of lands in the southeast quarter of section 5, in the southwest quarter of section 4, the northeast quarter of section 8, and in the northwest quarter of section 9. Afterwards he purchased an entire section in Reading township, Hillsdale county. Joseph Perkins came in 1835, and bought on section 8. HIe is now living at Novi Corners, the oldest man in the town. FIRST MECHIIANICS' SIIOPS, MILLS, ETC. A blacksmith-shop, opened by David Guile in the fall of 1829, was among the earliest if not the very first of the mechanical industries established in the township. It was located just west of the creek, on the southern line of the southwest quarter of section 23. Another shop was built a little later by Daniel Johnson, Sr., a blacksmith who had first halted at Northfield, but after a short stay there had removed to section 7 in Novi. Rudolph Sebring opened a wheelwright- and wagon-shop on the northeast corner of section 36, and Zachariah Eddy plied the trade of shoemaker on section 35. Both these commenced work at very early time, and were the first in their respective lines in the township. In 1830 the first saw-mill in the town was built by David Guile, on the outlet creek above his blacksmith-shop. The second saw-mill was erected by A. Clemen- don Smith, in 1833. Its location was in the extreme northwest corner of section 15, upon the same stream, about a mile and a half from the point where it leaves Walled lake. This mill was afterwards destroyed by fire. Smith then sold the site, with his farm, to Mr. Richardson. He in turn sold the mill-seat to G. A. Durfee, who rebuilt the mill, which was then for some time known as the Durfee mill; but after a few years it was discontinued, for the reasons that logs had become comparatively scarce, and that complaints were made of the damage done both to property and to the general health, by reason of the flowage which set back for a considerable distance on sections 9 and 10, and under these circumstances it was considered to be inexpedient and unprofitable to keep it in running condition. The old building is now a sheep-barn, on the farm of Mr. Durfee. A third saw-mill was built on the outlet stream, and put in operation by Bena- jah and Saveril Aldrich immediately after the starting of the mill by Smith. The Aldrich mill was situated in thie southeast quarter of section 34, where the rail- road now crosses the creek on the land of Robert Yerkes, tihe track running directly over the old site. Above this, and yet below Guile's mill, a fourth saw-mill was afterwards built by Mr. Bartlett; but both its capacity and its business were very small, and it never became a mill of much note among the settlers. For a con- siderable time after their coming the first settlers had no grist-mills nearer than Auburn or Pontiac, which made the procuring of flour a matter of great labor and inconvenience; but in 1827 this was materially lightened by the erection of Steele's mill near Farmington centre; and then came the opening of the North- ville miull, by Nash and Miller, in the fall of 1828, which was as convenient as could be desired to a great portion of the inhabitants of the southern portion of the township. 00 4 ,f0,r 0t .r0- n0 <. o ," y.'' r , . 7 '77 7- ('7 ~ , .. . : ,.. . , z w: : .. \.. .n ww 0a NAli HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 233 TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. In the autumn' of 1830 a meeting of the inhabitants was held to take the ini- tiatory steps towards-the separation of the town from Farmington. In the discus- sion upon the matter of a name for the new town several different ones were proposed, but those of more than five or six letters seemed to find very little favor; some of the speakers remarking that they had quite enough of long names, which were "bothersome" and difficult to write, like Farmington. In this di- lemma Dr. J. C. Emery, at the suggestion of his wife, proposed the name of Novi, which, being sufficiently brief and easily written, and yet by no means common- place or homely, found favor with the townspeople, and was agreed to with very Aittle opposition. It did not, however, pass the legislative council without objee- tion and very disparaging comment, particularly from Mr. James Kingsley, of Ann Arbor, who regarded it as a very unfit and inappropriate name, which he said meant "not known,"" unknown," or "forgotten," if he rightly recollected his Latin,-as ,.lie felt pretty sure he dtid. Nevertheless it was finally adopted, and in the fall of 1832 towns 1 and 2, north of ranges 7 and 8 east, were detached from Farmington, and erected into the township of Novi, embracing not only the present township of the name but also those of Lyon, Milford, and Commerce. The township proper then contained between ninety and one hundred voters. The house of Cyrenius Sim- mons was appointed as the place of the first township-meeting, which was accord- ingly held there on the 1st day of April, in the year 1833, upon which occasion, as we find upon the record, "the house was called to order by William Yerkes, Esq., viv, rvoce. Moses Bartow was appointed moderator, and Lyman W. Andrus clerk of the board. The board then proceeded to putting in overseers of high- ways. The following were nominated, seconded, and carried: Amerdon Aldrich, John Blain, John Mead, Israel Whipple, Benj. Hungerford, William Thompson, Dwight Hox, Silas Wilson, Henry Eddy, Peter Plowman, Merritt Randolph, Joseph Chambers, Joseph Eddy, Abraham Voanduyne, Henry Courter, Joab Giles, Edward Butterfield, Orange Van Amburgh, Brayton Flint, Horace W. Vaughn, Calvin Smith, Herman Pettibone, Sir Henry Herrington, Ransom W. Holly, William Tinney, Louis Norton, Abel Peck, Daniel Morgan, Daniel Luke, Henry Ruggles, Jeremiah Curtis, Henry Tuttle, Eliphalet Hungerford. The board then attended to receiving of votes for the following officers, who were separately chosen and appointed by a majority, viz.: for supervisor, Samuel Hungerford was duly appointed; for clerk, Lyman W. Andrus was duly appointed. Benjamin Hungerford, Eleazer Ruggles, Asaph C. Smith, and Abel Peck were duly ap- pointed assessors; Louis Vradenburgh, Joseph Blackwood, Russell Alvord, com- missioners of highways; Samuel Hungerford, Asaph C. Smith, and Ransom W. Holly, school commissioners; Philip Burritt was elected constable and collector; Saveril Aldrich, director of the poor; Philip Shaw, treasurer; James Wilkinson, Bela Chase, Eleazer Ruggles, and Ephraim Birch, fence-viewers. After Colonel Hungerford, who was elected the first supervisor of Novi, the incumbents of that office have been as follows: William Yerkes, in the years 1834, 1836, 1840-41-42,1848, and 1849; Samuel White, in 1835, 1839, 1843, and 1844; Jacob B. Covert, 1837 and 1838; Samuel Rodgers, 1845, 1847, and 1855; John Bassett, in 1850 and 1854; Gideon Scott, 1851, 1852, 1853, and 1856; Jefferson C. Plumb, in 1857 and 1858; John C. Emery in 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, and 1866; Benjamin P. Smith, 1867, 1871, 1872, 1873, and 1874; Austin N. Kimmis, in 1868; Samuel S. Coonley, 1869 and 1870; George E. Smith, 1875 and 1876; and George Yerkes, 1877. The office of township clerk has been filled by the following gentlemen: Ly- man W. Andrus, 1833 and 1835; James Wilkiuson, in 1834, 1836, 1837, 1838, and 1852; Asaph C. Smith, in 1839; 'William Hullinger, in 1840; Jacob B. Covert, in 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1848, and 1849; William W. Rodgers, in 1847; Jefferson C. Plumb, in 1850; M. Augustus White, in 1851 and 1853; Benjamin P. Smith iu 1854, 1855, 1856, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1869, 1870, 1876, and 1877; Amos A. Kaple, 1857, 1858, 1873, and 1874; Jesse S. Boyden, 1867; Ahijah Wixom, 1868; Isaac W. Lamb, in 1871; Norman H. Gage, 1872; and Richard M. Johnsoin in 1875. The first justices of the peace were elected in 1836, at a special meeting held for the purpose, on the 22d of August. They were Jacob B. Covert, Samuel HIungerford, Stanton Hazzard, and Asaph Smith. Of these only Colonel Hun- gerford was afterwards elected to the office, viz., in 1842 for the full term, and same year to fill vacancy. The names of justices since elected for the full term-n are as follows: Avery Thomas, 1837; Philip Burritt, 1838; Carlos Harmon, 1839 and 1843; Stephen L. Gage, 1840 and 1844; William W. Rodgers, 1841; James Wilkinson, 1845, 1849; Daniel E. Matthews, 1846; Orange K. Van Amburgh, 1847, 1851, and 1855; John Bassett, 1848; James B. Pal- mer, 1850, 1854, 1859, and 1863; John J. Perkins, 1853; Brayton Flint, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1864, 1868, and 1872; John W. Morse, 1857; Robert Yerkes, 1858 and 1862; Moses G. Porter, 1861, 1865, and 1869; Aldrich 30 Knapp, 1866; Francis B. Owen, 1867; Samuel Rodgers, 1870; Thomas E. Bogert, 1871; Mark H. Furman, 1873; George Yerkes, 1874; Marvin Bogert, 1875; Andrew J. Crosby, Jr., 1876; Ansley W. Arms, 1877. The justices elected at various times to fill vacancies have been Stephen L. Gage, 1837 and 1844; John Bassett, 1845 ; James B. Palmer, 1847; Elias S. Woodman, 1856; Daniel Smoke, 1858; Dexter White, 1866 and 1868; John C. Emery, 1867; George Yerkes, 1871; Marvin Bogert, 1873; Andrew J. Crosby, 1875; and Cyrus E. Russell, 1877. CONTRACTION OF BOUNDARIES. It was but a short time that Novi held her extended territory, embracing as it did five townships, for on the 7th of March, 1834, town 1 north, of range 7 east, was detached by act of the legislative council, and named' Lyon, and towns 2 north, of ranges 7 and 8 east, were detached and called Commerce, and Novi then assumed her present boundaries. ROADS. At the time of the organization of the township, the only regularly laid out road in it was that running south from Walled lake, through the entire width of Novi, to Northville; but most of the sectional line roads were laid out in the year 1834, in pursuance of the general declaration to that effect. The main road arteries of the township are the Northville road, above mentioned, and the Grand river military road, or, more properly, the Detroit and Howell plank-road. FIRST FRAME AND BRICK IIOUSES-RAISINGS-DISTILLERY. The first frame house in Novi was built by Saveril Aldrich. The exact date is not known, but it was about the year 1833. This, however, although the first dweiing-house of that construction, was not the first building erected with mor- tise and tendon, as several frame barns had been built before that time. There is some clashing of accounts as to the first "raising" which was conducted on temperance principles in the town, that honor being by different authorities awarded to different individuals, but it seems quite probable that to William Yerkes, Esq., belongs the credit of first rearing a frame in Novi without the aid of ardent spirits. But if there is a doubt as to the occasion of the first banishment of whisky, there seems to be none as to its first production. The first distillery was put in operation on the farm of Pitts Taft, near the spot where -the first seeds of educa- tion were sown by Hiram Wiluarth. It is but just, however, to say that in those days it was considered as right and legitimate to manufacture corn or rye into whisky as to produce flour or meal from the same grain. As to brick dwellings, there were none in Novi for nearly a quarter of a cen- tury after that time; the first having been built by Owen F. Whipple, a few rods west of Novi Corners, in the fall of 1856. The second was erected by Richmond Simmons, and these are believed to be the only ones of the kind in the township at the present time. PUBLIC-IIOUSES. The first tavern in Novi was opened by Samuel Blanchard, about 1835, in a very small frame house, attached to a log building, which stood upon a lot now embraced in the premises of Mr. A. Whipple, on the Walled lake road, some thirty or forty rods north of the point where it is intersected by the Detroit and Howell plank-road, at Novi Corners. The next public-house was that which was opened by Ruel Sherman in 1835, in a log building which stood on the southwest quarter of section 15, in the south- eastern angle formed by the intersection of the gravel-road (then known as the Grand river military road) with the central longitudinal section road of the town- ship,-the same premises now occupied by Mr. Goodell. Sherman's house acquired rather more of trade and importance titan was usual in thosetimes for country inns situated at a distance from villages or populous points. It stood on the great thoroughfare from Detroit to the Grand river country, and received a share of the patronage of travelers over that route; and, besides this, being located only three-eighths of a mile from the geographical centre of the township, it was chosen as a proper and convenient place for the holding of the township-meetings. The first of these which was held there was the annual meeting for the year 1836, in the spring following the opening of the house, and it continued to be the regular place of holding town-elections for many years. They were occasionally held there as late as the year 1862, at which time Gerard Sessions was its landlord. Sher- man left it at the commencement of the year 1843, and afterwards engaged in a saw-mill business in Northville. Opposite the Sherman tavern, in the northeastern angle of the roads, a frame house of good size was erected, and opened as a tavern by Isaac Carr about ten years later, though this was not as early as the opening of Holliday's house at Novi Corners, which we mention elsewhere. Carr's, being a larger and more pre- tentious house than Sherman's, took precedence of the latter to some extent as HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. a stopping-place for stage-passengers and private travelers, as well as a place of holding township-meetings. The first of these which was held at Carr's was the annual meeting in the spring of 1846. A few years later the house was destroyed by fire, and afterwards Carr became for a short time landlord of the Sherman establishment, on the opposite side of the way. M ILITARY. In Novi, as in most other localities, there was a considerable military spirit evinced some forty or forty-five years ago. The events of 1812-15 were not then forgotten, and the Black Hawk war and "Toledo war" reawakened the martial ardor. In 1835 an independent company of riflenien was formed in Novi, with Samuel Hungerford as captain, Dexter White first lieutenant, and Joseph Yerkes second lieutenant. The name of this organization was "The Novi Greens," the name denoting the color of their uniform, of which the principal garment was the rifle frock, then usually called the " Indian frock" (though why it was so called is a mystery). There was also a militia company, of which Captain Stanton Hazzard was the commanding officer. These were subjected to draft for the Toledo war, the mem- bers of the independent company not being subjected to the chances of conscrip- tion, but held as "minute-men," to be called out in any sudden and bloody emergency, such as might arise at Toledo or other fields of danger. In its day, Captain Hungerford's company of riflemen was considered an dlite corps. An old resident, who well recollects them, says that upon occasions of "muster" or local "training," as they marched to the sound of drum and fire, their superb appearance and evolutions conveyed to his youthful mind the idea of absolute military perfection. The trainings and musters of militia and independent companies are t'P .s of the past, but sober citizens are still living who look back with feelings ot ,der regret to those days of their youth when they gazed upon, or took part in, the marchings and maneuvres of the "Novi Greens." In 1861, and the succeeding years of the country's peril, Novi performed well her patriotic duty, and freely sent her young men to the field. On another page their names will be found recorded, with those of the other sons of Oakland County who left their homes to fight for the nation's life. VILLAGES. Upon the line of the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railroad are the villages of Novi Corners and Wixom, the former lying wholly and the latter in part within the boundaries of Novi. At these points are located the only two post-offices in the township. Some years ago the post-office of West Novi was established on the line of the Detroit and Howell plank-road, in the southeast quarter of section 7; but this has been discontinued for a considerable time. Its business, which was always very small, is now done chiefly at the newly-established office of Wixom, and at that of New Hudson, in the township of Lyon. There was also a foundry built and put in operation at West Novi by N. G. Pinney, who afterwards sold the establishment to Daniel Smoke and C. P. Lar- cum. Not long after Larcum purchased Smoke's interest, and the latter removed to Holly, where he again engaged in the same business. It was at one time believed that a considerable village might spring up around the foundry and post-office of West Novi, but these hopes were very slow of real- ization, and were finally completely blasted by the discontinuance of the post- office, and the opening of the railroad more than two miles away at its nearest point. A location on the line of the railroad was obviously the only eligible one for the transaction of the heavy business of a foundry, and so Mr. Larcum re moved his establishment to Wixom station, two miles north of his old location, and by this removal the village aspirations of West Novi were extinguished forever. The village of Whixom, created by the establishment of a railroad station at that point, is situated on both sides of the town-line, at the cornering of sections 5 and 6 of Novi and sections 31 and 32 of Commerce township; most of the business, including the station, warehouse, shops, foundry, cooper-shop, shoe-shop, and works of Mr. Larcum, being in Commerce, while the post-office, store, and hotel -the "Kimble House"-are in Novi. Wixom has but recently sprung into being, and can hardly be said to have any history connected with its brief ex- istence. The residences of the citizens are new and handsome, and the village is evidently flourishing and prosperous. NOVI CORNERS. The designation of this village as " The Corners" is most appropriate, as it occupies not only the four corners formed by the intersection of the Walled lake, and Detroit and Howell roads, but also the corners of sections 14, 15, 22, and 23. The first inhabitant at the Corners was John Elmore, who came in before 1830, and settled on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 14. Gage's hotel now stands on the extreme southwestern corner of his tract. Immediately after came Apollos Cudworth and Benjamin Brown, occupying respectively the corners of sections 23 and 15. Upon his corner Brown opened a general store,* which was the first in the township, as well as one of the two first business enter- prises (Blanchard's tavern being the other) which formed the nucleus of the vil- lage of Novi Corners. Soon after Brown's commencement 'another store was opened by Asaph C. Smith, or Clemendon Smith, as hlie was usually called, on the corner diagonally opposite to Brown's, upon the premises now owned by J. J. Perkins, Esq., and occupied as a millinery store. Then came the establishment of the post-office at the Corners, with Clemendon Smith as postmaster, and the opening of Holliday's hotel on the spot where the present hotel stands, this being, in fact, a continuation of the same business, though the buildings have been en- tirely changed by new erections since Holliday's time. Following Holliday the succession of landlords has been Rufus Wells, William Rodgers, Daniel S. Lee, William Hosner, D. S. Lee (again), John Fitch, Samuel Jones, William Rodgers (not he of the same name who had previously kept the house), Mr. Francisco, Benjamin H. Rubert, Eldad Smith, and C. C. Gage, the present pro- prietor. Of these the one who remained longest was Benjamin IHI. Rupert, who erected the front part of the present house, the rear portion having been built during the administration of Samuel Jones. The village has continued to increase slowly, and now contains two churches,- Baptist and Methodist,-a fine school-house, post-office, town-hall, hotel, two gen- eral stores, one millinery store, three blacksmith-shops, one wagon-shop, and one cooperage, with a tile-works and steam saw-mill in its immediate vicinity, and the Novi station of the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railroad a few rods west of the Corners. TOWN-IIALL. The town-hall at Novi Corners is a neat frame building, standing on a lot which was donated to the township by C. C. Gage, and adjoining that of the Baptist church. The hall was erected in 1876 at a cost of eight hundred dollars, and was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on the 9th of September in that year. Until the building of this hall there had been no regular place for the holding of the township-meetings. For the first few years after the organization they were held at the private houses of Cyrenius Simmons, Miles Mansfield, and others; afterwards at the different taverns,-Sherman's, Carr's, and at Novi Corners. NOVI STEAM SAW-MILL, owned and operated by John Vogt, and located half a mile south of the village, near the railway track, was built in the year 1873. Its power is twenty-five-horse, which is applied upon a circular saw, cutting chiefly bass, beech, oak, and black walnut lumber, of which its annual product is about three hundred thousand feet. It also runs a machine for the manufacture of staves and headings. About the year 1850 a steam saw-mill was erected by Mr. Booth on land now owned by E. Woodruff, in the southeast corner of section 1. Its business was but small, and the mill was destroyed by fire a short time after its establishment. NOVI TILE-WORKS. These works were built and first carried on by Franklin Sackner. They were formerly employed in the manufacture of bricks, but this part of the business has been discontinued, and only drain-tile are now produced. These works are lo- cated just west of the Corners, and the present proprietor is Benjamin Cook. Although the manufacturing and mechanical industries of Novi have never been numerous or extensive, yet it would seem that the township has, both in the past and the present, contained more than the average amount of inventive genius, for the statement is made (and it appears authentic) that Deacon Erastus Inger- soil, more than forty years ago, invented, constructed, and used upon his farm the first mowing-machine ever put in operation in the United States; and in later days the Rev. Isaac W. Lamb, who now resides at Novi Corners, invented and ( patented the well-known amb knitting-machine," from which he realized a revenue of fully one hundred thousand dollars; and still more recently hlie has made other inventions scarcely less valuable. THiE NOVI BAPTIST CHIURCH. This church was organized in February, 1846, with these ten constituent mem- bers: Deacon Loren Flint, his wife Betsey Flint, and their daughters Rachel and Catharine Flint,t Loomis Thayer, Margaret Thayer, Moses Maxim, and Elizabeth Munn, from Walled lake, and Orrin N. Thayer and Harriet Thayer, from Nunda, New York. They at once took steps towards the building of a house *Afterwards sold to William Barrett. " Now Mrs. J. B. Leavenworth. I? C S~AW  HI 01 Y (1 0 Ii lb YJU\IY I C II AN 23~i ~ud p~(~ddd with ~v# wueh of ~orit tw~s~ and onorgy that in hats present Pause of worship, a earunaslinas and synunotriesi franat building, thirty~ t a t a year they had created and linished a snitable eddive, tbtrtydhur by forty thur by sixty Ihet in sian~ was ereetod under the supervision of '1 ~atnb a in dimensions, at a east of ane thousand and eighty dollars. it stand on the I a arehiteet, at a east at th~rtyonght hesaired d&llars, an~ w a I r d west side of the Walled Lake and Xarth villa road, at the southern end of tim rib Seprenther 214, 187th g of ,Novi Corners, on a lot of nearly an nero in area, donated by lYaniel S. Lee. Froto the ten eartatet ones who eanstitttted the origixad hand of communicants, It was dedleated to t'hed~s scrviee an the 3d of February, 1111 7, w a tI at the church experieneed a grawth whieb brought its nunthers to nhn~tvdive in titne the only ehureb building in the township of Non. I 8711 ; the inerease by haptisto being one 'hundred and twelve, and by letter ane lip ta that thac, and fratn long hefre the date of tlnir arganixatian as a chareb, hnndred and twenty deerease by letter, ninety y d I fourteen by esa the little congregation had enjayed divine worship in the old seitoobbouso , whieb I elusion, fourteen ; removed and erased, twenty. Since iS7tt the inerease by bap~ is atid sttndh~g, and occupied as a dwelling by George Wheeler'), under the min~ tisin has been sixtyatix athe'r additions, fourteen ; total, eighty. The decrease in tatratian of Pet. Peter F. Jones, a liconriare, who was ordained over them an the the same titne has been, by death, font; dismissed by letter, t~wenty~one ; erased, 213th ol May next foib the dedication af tlteir ediliee, lilicon ; excluded otte total f'" entug ,,,,, , ., mry~ota~. e~et Inerease stone 157(1, t hirtyonine. '11 ts~ jottes continued until the end of '1548. lie 'was succeeded Present 'tnernlstrship, one hundred and thirty.four. y I x a remained until May, 181341. Next came hey, Israel Fey, h S dduttlascheal was estabdaheti in the old a; I ahout the time af who brake the bread of lite to thetn until November 4,1532. ~ln Jannary, 11433, the rlntrelt organiration. Prior to '1873 it was suspendtsl during each winter e 14ev. doha 'liootb, who remained lass than three inotubs, ami was succeeded season but from tlmt time an its sessions have ~ us thraugit the year. y I so I If , wha preached ti'atn ~i1ecetnbcr, '1834, to May. 18341> lIe Tb at ~ragc attendance is from eighty to one hundred. The present Superinten.. w ' f w d I' cv J. S. iIoy'dett, who assumed charge on the 2d of Augo t d aries '14. tiatahdl, has been in charge of t ' 'a the year 1 8d5, I /1 ,',7' "77,>' 77. he j1< >" ' ~' "' 7 7 '; ~j7'7i he <'7';; 1 7 / 77 7, /1<771 (4 ~ '~'17>"77th7 ~ ~'' 77 NOVI IIAPT T CHURCH AND TOWN HALL 114 Ii, ttttd rentairtod at Itis post ttntil foceenther I, 18110. Thranglt tlte year 18th wirlt Ilte exeepticat of one a I ' a y.~a a ng w . e ca e 31 tlte Ibsik had no ona to lent1 theta, but Elder harris tilkal tite saerrsl ollice during / Ihrd. nriernatos't' TtPt$COPAL att . t N V 'a f 114ti41. (in rite 3d of October itt the ittstt.natued year fite Rev 3 S ~n r urtt(sI to tltetn, ttml eatttittued as their guide in tite ltc'avete. ~Althouglt there were )icthtdists in Nan y a a a I tI r wore 'p wart t t e ' ittg of 15115, I'ie is at present pastor of tite Baptist churcit was tite lirat itt the township~.-bcing Iteld by 1 . . h A h tt 1 c in Y1,silattti. After It t the I .v II SIt plterd preached far the year endittg j Itouse of Jahtt flottld, itt tlt y IS. y wa a t c w t r in ~April, 1 8(31. Thron.glt tite succcedtng sta tttontlts tltey were a~s sheep without 7t1 titat regttlar preacltittg w a n ' , al a citoreb argatti a eilterd; bttt in I~)etober, 18(3) tlte II.en Isaac V,, Latuh.9.".gratttlson af tite a bratteb of Wttiled Lake cirenit, The cons tu ;nt n a ~hs, a re ta c a 1 , Nebeiniab Lamb, tIre veteran Ilapttst organiaer-ea'nte to tite charge, attd n'unrber, tra 'thllows / Susatt iiuictt, ilarriet at it a '' ver' I tin y k' t a 'ye years, ttttttl (ictohrt i147~i, when h' was sneer ' ty Mttry (ibesebtaugh, 'itdw t II' £ 11 , a ,n I n~.y I t r P present itastor, Ren.J'). Ill. fl'regery. 1t~ w,,s daring itis ~s ~r a n t t ~t 8 taint (ironer, lihatIt r ' o 1 t I p a d ~'lI 'y I relt edifice heaatne neecasary, atrd wa.s erected ott the site of tite church f 1 Ia 547. As tacatiotted above, tlte lot Itad been dorotted, or at least intrsnted to ' wont wa r' t ~ t a at ~use, y ' . 11 N I ol d a tr , S ate, brtt the unrerstrded dersl of gill. had been lout, and. or I I It' ~A h cad a rw y. a h~ w' a a at >4 4 ~y 'I a .t .1 K t r I.. I'vdt ttemeantinteapurchaseofthegrrtutdlt. Is si, I wt' ttue tar ~r a ya r~. en en. u . w If aast't,'h~s ya'ot hdt'~dl urul wt wta wdby~ i'.lrcs t P at w cr1 ftw. ma ysx;e nlso'gasutdw a tdto u y te~' yo 1 tI. S s.1sw~t bet rwt ~e,.e aar'f to oseol th, ref It a It frotot a f t ' . Theehurcltthe w.rslp to wa r ~tl ix he e'r 1a~. oNt .,o rent 236 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and a lot was purchased there from Mr. C. C. Gage, at the price of two hundred dollars. On this lot the church was built, and was dedicated March 22, 1876. It is a handsome frame edifice, twenty-eight by forty-five feet in size, with seating capacity of one hundred and sixty. Its cost was seventeen hundred and fifty dollars. In the tower is a fine-toned bell of seven hundred and fifty pounds weight. In the seven years of the organized existence of the church its membership has been doubled, being at present twenty-eight. THE FREE-WILL BAPTISTS have held worship in Novi with more or less regularity since the time of Elder Wires. At present they meet every two weeks at the Griswold school-house, and are supplied with preaching from the Sibley church, in Commerce township, near Wixom. An afternoon Sabbath-school is held at the same place, made up of children of the Free-Will Baptists, as also from the Methodist and close-commu- nion Baptist congregations. The attendance is about forty, and the school is under the superintendence of Charles E. Goodell. CEMETERIES. The ground of the Novi Burial Association lies on the western side of the Northville and Walled Lake road. The association was incorporated in the spring of 1873. There were twenty corporators, among whom were John Bas- sett, Brayton Flint, Apollos Cudworth, John H. Smith, J. J. Perkins, C. Cogs- dill, H. Spencer, Josiah B. Leavenworth, Carlos Harmon, Thomas McGraw, William Eisenlord, and A. Wilkinson. The total par value of shares was three thousand dollars, of which ten per cent. was paid in. The first officers were J. J. Perkins, president; Brayton Flint, vice-president; John H. Smith, secretary; Delos Flint, treasurer; and Josiah B. Leavenworth, moderator. The cemetery includes the old Novi burial-ground,-one acre,-donated by Daniel S. Lee. To that old grave-yard the association added one and a half acres, purchased of C. C. Gage. The ground is suitably inclosed, well kept, and beauti- fied in accordance with the modern idea of cemetery adornment. The present officers of the association are George E. Smith, president; Carlos Harmon, vice-president; John H. Smith, secretary; Delos Flint, treasurer; C. Cogsdill, moderator. There are two other places of interment in the township, one-dating back to the time of the early settlements-situated near the residence of Aldrich Knapp, on land donated by Benjamin Aldrich, in the northwest quarter of section 35, and the other, known as the Samuel White burial-ground, being on land given by him for cemetery purposes, in the southeast corner of section 28. It is immedi. ately adjoining the school-house lot, and formerly laid in common with it, but in later years has been properly inclosed by itself. An old grave-yard, probably commenced about forty-five years ago, was on the farm of Loren Flint, in the southwest quarter of section 10, but in the spring of 1844 the remains were transferred from this to the old ground at Novi Corners. The site of this old burial-place is now the property of Mrs. Catharine Leavenworth. SCHOOLS. The schools of Novi are eleven in number, taught in substantial and com- modious houses. The terms in most of the districts are two, each four months in duration, though this is not universal, as in district No. 8, embracing Novi Corners, there is held a spring, fall, and winter term, aggregating nine months of teaching in the year. Male teachers are employed for the winter term, and females for the summer, the salaries of the former being generally forty-five dollars per month, and those of the latter ranging from three dollars to five dollars per week, with board. AGRICULTURE. The business interests of the township are almost exclusively those of agri- culture, and in these Novi takes no mean rank. Her soil is of the highest fer- tility, and is tilled in accordance with the modern ideas of husbandry, by farmers of liberal ideas and intelligence. Their attention is chiefly turned to the cereals, fruit, dairy products, wool, and stock. At one time, a few years ago, hops were raised quite extensively, but recently their culture has been suspended, if not abandoned. At present there are no butter- or cheese-factories in the township, although the production of the numerous dairies is sufficiently large to warrant their estab- lishment. In the raising of fine sheep and high grades of cattle few townships stand higher than this, and it is believed that in all the State of Michigan there cannot be found a finer array of pure Durham cattle and merino sheep than are displayed by A. S. Brooks, Esq., at his farm on the west line of the town. Until recently there was a grange of the Patrons of Husbandry in the town, but it has been allowed to disintegrate, and some of the members have connected themselves with the Farmington grange, others with that at Northville. The publishers are under many obligations to the following persons who have kindly furnished information for the work in Novi: Thomas Pinkerton, Rev. Isaac W. Lamb, William Yerkes, Esq., Joseph Perkins, Benjamin P. Smith, Esq., George E. Smith, Owen F. Whipple, Josiah B. Leavenworth. ter a s ' S ROYAL OAK TOWNSHIP. NEXT south of Troy and cast of Southfield lies Royal Oak, which is a corner township of Oakland, and has for its eastern and southern boundaries the counties of Macomb and Wayne. There are no lakes within its limits, and its only stream- a very inconsiderable one-is Red run, which has its source in the western and northwestern portions of the township, and flows easterly into Macomb county, where it joins its waters with those of Clinton river. The surface of the township is uniformly level. The soil must be classed as below the average of that of Oakland County in natural fertility and adaptation to the requirements of agriculture, but Royal Oak is not without good farms; there are many of these, though their productiveness is more due to intelligent husbandry and the hard labor which has been expended on them than to any advantages received from the hand of nature. Originally this was a heavily-timbered country, and there are still within the township extensive tracts on which the old forest-trees still remain undisturbed. More than sixty years ago, when the government surveyors first penetrated the wilderness which embraced all this region, their judgment of it was very far from being a favorable one, and they did not hesitate to announce their opinion, based upon what they had seen here, and in the still more forbidding country which lay farthecr to the east and south, that the lands were irreclaimable, and must remain forever unfit for culture or white occupation, and that their obvious destiny must be to remain in the possession 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 disprove or prove it by the evidence of his own senses; and to that end hlie set out from Detroit, accompanied by Hon. Austin E. Wing and two or three other friends, on a tour of observation and discovery. Throughout the first stage of their northwestern journey, after leaving the town, the aspect was by no means reassuring, and as their horses sunk knee-deep in the sloughs, or wallowed through the marshy places, along that trail whose horrord and miseries afterwards became so well known to the pioneers, it really seemed as if the dismal tales of the surveyors 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; and here, as both men and beasts were completely exhausted, they sought and soon found an eligible spot, where a halt was called, and the party dismounted and prepared for rest and refreshment. The spot which they had chosen was a smooth, open space under the spreading branches of an oak-tree of larger size than its neighbors, and which the surveyors had made still more noticeable by marking its trunk with a large letter H. The feeling of relaxation was delightful to the amateur explorers after the severe toil of the day's travel, and the conversation which ensued was entertaining and bril- liant. It could not be otherwise, for it was led by Lewis Cass. As the governor m. v V0a; zr 0y.e 0" zF VIA g v< 7 ' r4 d/ D/ 4 { a n '/1 4/e f //4 x4 7 ;,~ .,4 ,.r all, ti s .e. o o c a F F 41 5 Y t b r 3 ti r E  2> bF 22V 22 P 22r  2 ~ HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 237 lay upon the ground and looked up into the matted foliage of the tree-top, he thought of that royal oak in Scotland, among whose sheltering branches Prince Charles, the Pretender, hid his sacred person from pursuing enemies after the bloody battle of Culloden, and it seemed to him that it must have been just such a tree as this; so they christened it the Royal Oak, and it was from that fanciful thought that the name was given to both tree and township. The old oak stood near the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 16, a few rods north- west of the junction of the Crooks. the Niles, and the Paint creek roads,-the spot being on the farm now owned by Mr. H. Reynolds. From the Royal Oak the governor and his companions continued towards the west and north. In the course of their trip, which was of about a week's dura- tion, they named Wing lake, in Bloomfield, in honor of those two members of the party; and when they came to the largest of the lakes of Oakland County, they called it Cass lake; while just beyond it, (now) in Waterford township, they named a beautiful lake for Elizabeth, the governor's wife. And, better than all, they carried back with them the knowledge and proof that Michigan was not the worth- less 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. EARLIEST ENTRIES AND SETTLERS. The first entries of land in the township were of tracts in section 33, made by L. Luther and D. McKinstry, July 6, 1820. The earliest settlements were also made on the same section, though not by the same persons. The first white man who located his cabin in the township, now Royal Oak, was a Mr. White, a shoe- maker, who, as early as the spring of 1822, had already established his rude home near the centre of the southeast quarter of the above-named section. How much prior to that time he had come in is not known with certainty, but it is very probable that it was during the previous year that he arrived and settled there. The next comer was Henry Stephens, who settled in the spring of 1822, on the northeast quarter of section 33, upon land now owned by W. D. Tobin. He after- wards became well known as a resident of Royal Oak township, and is now living, at the age of eighty-four, in Oakfield, Genesee county, New York. In the same year and month-March, 1822-came Thomas Flinn, and settled on the base-line just south of Mr. White. He was a native of Louisville, Ken- tucky, but had removed thence to Onondaga county, New York, where he married Joanna Culver, and afterwards lived a short time in Canada. On his arrival in Michigan he purchased lands on both sides of the base-line, in, Oakland and Wayne counties, but first settled and built his cabin on the north side, in Royal Oak. iHe afterwards moved across the line a very short distance, and built a house on his land in Wayne, and after that hlie never lived in Royal Oak. He, however, in 1837, removed his residence to the village of Birnmingham, in Bloomfield, where he lived until his death, January 20, 1842. Later, in the year 1822, Mr. - Woodford entered, and built a log house upon the northeast quarter of section 17, and Alexander Campbell (whose wife was a sister of Captain Diodate Hubbard) settled on land in the northwest quarter of section 8, now the property of Asher B. Parker, Esq. He first erected the usual log house, but soon after built to it a frame addition, larger than the original dwelling. This was the first framed building in the township, and was for a time kept as a tavern. Neither Camp- bell nor Woodford lived for any great length of time on the lands where they first settled,-the former afterwards removing his residence to the city of Detroit. Erastus Ferguson, Sr., from Oneida county, New York, also came in 1822, and made a settlement on the southeast quarter of section 9. He was the first man who drove a team of horses through to Saginaw, being employed for that purpose by Dr. Little, who accompanied him, and they were compelled to cut their way as they proceeded. In the fill of the year 1822 Henry O. Bronson camne, and settled his family at the junction of the Paint creek road with the Niles road and Ball's line, or the Crooks road; this being about three-fourths of a mile north of the present village of Royal Oak, and just to the east of the cemetery. Here hlie erected a small log house, put in such supplies as in those days were considered indispensable, and opened a public-house-the first in Royal Oak township-for the accommodation of land-hunters or immigrants, who by this time had begun to make their appear- ance in considerable numbers. Bronson had not come to Royal Oak immediately on his arrival in Michigan. He had conime up by way of Mount Clemens and the Clinton river, and had made his first halt in the vicinity of Auburn. His little log tavern, unpretentious as it was, became well known as a landmark and as a place of shelter and refreshment to those who, in the few years succeeding 1822, were compelled to travel over the exceedingly bad road which lay between the Royal Oak and the city of Detroit. His house was, however, closed as a tavern before the year 1828. In 1823, Sherman Baldwin settled on lands in the northwest corner of sec- tion G, now owned by Mr. Cooper, and Josiah Goddard built a log house on the east side of the Crooks road, on the north line of the northeast quarter of section 16, but this he not long afterwards abandoned; and when settlers became suffi- ciently numerous to require it, it was used as a school-house, and occasionally as a place for holding religious meetings. In the latter part of the month of October, 1823, Diodate Hubbard arrived in Royal Oak, bringing with him his second wife (although he was then but twenty- three years of age), with whom he settled in a log house on the northeast quarter of section 6,-land now owned by James McBride. Afterwards he became as well known as any resident of Royal Oak township, or perhaps of Oakland County, being for many years engaged as a teamster between Detroit and Pontiac, Bir- mingham, and other points more or less remote; and, indeed, on comparing the narratives of the early immigrants, it would seem as if half the settlers who arrived in the county during the first fifteen years had their families and movable property transported from Detroit to their point of settlement by the wagons of Diodate Hubbard. He had come to Detroit in the year 1810, With his parents, who were originally from Connecticut, but later from the State of New York. They settled at Grosse Point in 1811, and the following year his father died, leaving a widow and eight children. Soon after the Indians drove the family away from their meagre pos- sessions at Grosso Point, and they were huddled into Detroit in a state of great lestitution, but feeling themselves fortunate, as indeed they were, in having escaped with their lives. Afterwards, upon the retaking or the city by the Americans, young Hubbard entered the army, at the age of thirteen years, and served for three months as a substitute, on the unexpired term of a drafted man from Ohio. HIe was married in Detroit in 1818, and kept a tavern in that city for a time. His wife died in November, 1821. In the following year hlie married Charlotte Keyes, from Bloomfield, New York, and in 1823 settled in Royal Oak, as we have seen. He had been employed by Mack, Conant, and Sibley, at the time of their erection of the Pontiac mill, to transport their machinery and sup- plies from Detroit; the only feasible route for a team between those two points at that time being by way of Mount Clemens and up the Clinton river. At the time of his removal to Oakland, in 1823, hlie knew every inhabitant of the county, extensive as its territory then was. Mr. Hubbard served for a time as sergeant-at- arms of the Michigan legislature, in Detroit, and also received the appointment of sergeant-at-arms of the senate, in Lansing, in 1851. He occupied his farm in the northwest section of the township from the time of his settlement until 1870. a period of forty-seven years. He then sold, and re- moved to Birmingham, but has now (1877) returned to Royal Oak, and is living on the west side of the Paint creek road, a few rods south of the town-line of Tioy, and, although seventy-seven years of age, seems hale and hearty enough to war- rant the expectation of some years more of life and comfort upon his new possession. James Lockwood came in the spring of 1824, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 21, where now are the premises of Dr. H. K. Lathrop, just west of the railroad track at Royal Oak village. This land he had entered in the year 1821, and now he built upon it a large double house of hewed logs, and opened it as a tavern; for at that time the main route of travel southward from Bronson's ran past this place instead of following the section-line as at present. His house soon became well known as a stopping-place, but he not long after rented it to - Talbot, and being himself a tinsmith by trade, he removed to Detroit and worked there in that business. Benjamin and Abraham Noyes, brothers, came also within a few weeks of the same time that Lockwood arrived. They had purchased in the southwest quarter of section 9, where Mr. Proctor now owns; and, both being unmarried, they erected a log house and commenced housekeeping in bachelor style. Afterwards they left Royal Oak, and removed to Detroit, where they married. At the same time, too, came Joseph Chase, David Williams, Cromwell Good- win, George Morse, Jarvis Phelps, Moses and Noah Peck (brothers), Socrates Hopkins, and Wakeman Bradley. The last named settled on a part of tihe north- east quarter of section 9, and still lives there, at an advanced age. The Peek brothers (unmarried) settled on land in the northwest quarter of section 4. It was only a few years later that they sold to Samuel Addis, who removed there with his family. Moses Peck moved to Bloomfield township, where he opened a public-house at Bloomfield Centre. lie also filled a number of township offices, among them being that of treasurer, to which he was elected in 1844. His brother Noah met a dreadful fate, being scalded to death in a distillery at Troy. Cromwell Goodwin, the first bricklayer in the township, settled on the south- west quarter of section 4, but built his house on the west side of the section-line, in the extreme southeast corner of section 5, on land now owned by Deacon White. He brought with him a yoke of oxen and an ox-wagon, nearly, if not HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. quite, the first ox-team and equipment in Royal Oak. Soon after his arrival a "bee" was made to cut a road from his place northward to Josiah Alger's, who had been an acquaintance of Ir. Goodwin in Ontario county, New York, and who came to Michigan about the same time, settling a little farther north in the edge of Troy. Mr. Goodwin had a large family. One of his daughters married Jarvis Phelps; another, Harriet, died not long after their arrival; this being the first death of a white person which occurred in the township. Socrates Hopkins located and settled on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 5. David Williams, then just married, settled on land which he had entered in 1821, in the southwest quarter of section 3. Hle afterwards had five sons: Sherman, who lives where his father settled; John R., who is a master- mechanic on the Ohio and Mississippi railroad; George, now residing in Royal Oak, but has in the past been in government employ on the Indian frontier; David, Jr., and Addison, the last named not now living. George Morse, a single man, erected his cabin on land which hlie had entered in 1821 in the northwest quarter of section 9, now owned by J. McKibbin. About two years later he exchanged lands with Rufus Beach, of Troy, and removed into that township. Joseph Chase came from East Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York,-arriving late in the season,-and settled in the northwest corner of section 9, opposite where is now the United Presbyterian church. That locality afterwards became known as "Chase's Corners." Mr. Chase was widely known among the residents of this and adjoining townships as "Uncle Joe Chase." He was afflicted with a very troublesome impediment in his speech. With Mr. Chase came a young son, Nathan, unmarried. Hie died only a few years after. Jarvis Phelps, a carpenter, and the first of that trade in the township, settled on land (now of Hamilton) in the southeast quarter of section 5. He was a bachelor when hlie came, but afterwards married a daughter of Cromwell Goodwin. Erastus Burt, another carpenter, came in 1825, and settled on section 8, near Alexander Campbell. Jonathan Chltse came in April of that year, and took up his residence with his father, Joseph Chase, where hlie remained until 1827; then went back to the east, and did not return to Royal Oak until 1833, since which hlie has been for a great part of the time a resident of the township, and has always enjoyed the confidence of his fellow-townsmen, being often elected to such offices as they had in their gift, among which was that of justice of the peace, which hlie held continuously for a number of years. He was also a delegate to the con- stitutional convention of 1835. Now, in his extreme old age, hlie is living on a little farm which hlie has purchased, upon the north side of the town-line of Troy. David Chase, brother of Jonathan, came later in the same year, and located himself at Chase's Corners, where he opened a mercantile business in 1826, and in which he continued until 1854. James G. Johnson, John F. Keyes, Dennis H. Quick, and Abraham S. Hoag- land also came in 1825. Johnson settled on the northeast quarter of section 4, upon a little dry creek, a tributary of Red run; and here, seven years later, lihe built the only water-mill ever put in operation in the township. He lived a quiet life upon the same farm forty-seven years, and died there in April, 1872. John F. Keyes settled in the northwest quarter of section 9. At the com- mencement of the Detroit and Pontiac railroad he was engaged in its construction, and he continued in its employ in one or another capacity during the remainder of his life, and died, it may be said, with its harness on. Dennis H. Quick and Abraham S. Hoagland were brothers-in-law, Hoagland having married Quick's sister. These two men came to Michigan together. Quick settled on time southwest quarter of section 5, being at the time a bachelor, but marrying here afterwards. He is still living on the same farm, and at a good old age. He is a native of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, and both he and Hoag- land were devout Presbyterians, though it is said that the latter afterwards changed his tenets. Ile was a blacksmith, the first of his trade in Royal Oak township. Hle purchased and settled on the eighty acres adjoining Quick's on the west, and also in the southwest quarter of section 5, it being now the property of N. S. Schuyler. William Worth and Daniel Burrows came in the year 1826, the former settling on the northeast quarter of section 10,-now the farm of T. Gibbs,-but after some years removing to Troy, where hlie is still living. Burrows had made a halt of considerable duration in Troy, before coming to Royal Oak. He settled on the northwest quarter of section 15, just north of the (then) well-known inn of Henry 0. Bronson, upon land now comprised in the Durham farm. Ihis tract covered the entire area of the present cemetery, and it was he who donated the first section of that ground, which was used as a place of sepulture. Mr. Burrows was by trade a chair-maker, and, although hlie never did much in that line in Royal Oak, there are those yet living of the settlers who recollect that the ponderous chairs belong- ing to their wedding outfit were the workmanship of his cunning hand. i Also among those who came into the township in that year were Michael Maney, who settled on the east half of the southeast quarterof section 10, and afterwards came to a painful death from injuries inflicted by an ungovernable bull in his own barn- yard; Rufus Beach, who had first settled in Troy, and now exchanged his lands in that township with George Morse for the farm of the latter in the northwest quarter of section 9; and Henry Lewless, who settled on the lands first occupied by Alex- ander Campbell, and established upon them the first potashery within the town- ship. Afterwards hlie sold the tract to Asher B. Parker. It should be mentioned that Rufus Beach, mentioned above, became a convert to Mormonism, and left Oakland County for the purpose of joining the community of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. In this year camne Orson Starr, and purchased lands in the northeast quarter of section 9, and in the northwest quarter of 10, but built his dwelling and shop on the west side of the section line, in the corner of 9. He started there in the manufacture of cow-bells, and in that line hlie distanced all competitors. It is even said that no one in the United States has ever been as famed as he in the production of that useful article. His bells were sent to every part of the western States, and even in California and Oregon were as well known as in Michigan; and from their sale hlie realized a very handsome amount during the years hlie was engaged in it. He died in the year 1873. It was in this or the following year that David Carlisle settled in the southwest quarter of section 11, now the Lynch estate; and in 1828 that Jehial Smith came from Troy township and settled on the town-line, and on the east side of the Paint creek road, in the northeast quarter of section 3. Frank Reynolds also came in 1828, and settled in the northeast corner of section 16, where he started the first wagon-shop in the township l He died in December, 1876. Among those who came in or about the year 1830 may be mentioned John Benjamin, who settled on the southwest quarter of section 8, and was tmhe first maker of grain-cradles in the township; Samuel Addis, who purchased the lands of Noah and Moses Peck; Joel Chapman, who settled on the east line of section 22, a mile east of the village of Royal Oak, and was skillful in the manufacture and repair of cider-mills; Abraham Rouse, from Lyons, Wayne county, New York, who settled on the northwest quarter of section 11, now owned by T. Thurby; Nicholas and David Pullen, brothers, from Sodus, in Wayne county, New York, who both married daughters of Abraham Rouse, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 12, where now is the school-house of district No. 4; and a Mr. Ewers, who settled diagonally opposite the Pullens, in the southeast corner of section 2,-land which was afterwards sold to Caleb A. Wilbur, and is now tmhe property of Alexander Solts, Esq. Also among those of about that date were Luther Schofield, who settled in the northwest quarter of section 10; Fox, who purchased in the northwest quarter of section 3, where W. Bell now is; Cornelius Valentine, in the northwest quarter of section 17; Franklin Saunders, in the northeast quarter of the same section; Mr. Parker, the father of Asher B. Parker, Esq., who purchased the Campbell tract of Henry Lewless; Hiram Elwood, Sr., who purchased the same lands, in the northelast quarter of section 17, which Woodford had entered a few years before ; Stephen Bennett, who settled on the southwest quarter of section 2, on land now owned by R. McBride; and Lyman Blackman, who came in the spring of 1831, and purchased and settled on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 18. This list, although not complete, embraces the very earliest immigrants, as well as a great part of those who settled in Royal Oak township in the later years up to the time mentioned. From about 1830 the number of arrivals increased so rapidly, and changes of location and the re-sale of lands became so frequent, as to make it impossible to trace them far beyond that point. EARLY ROADS. When the first settlers came to Royal Oak the roads were very few and in- frequent. The only one which gave communication in the direction of Detroit entered the township from the south, a little west of its centre line, passing by the log houses of Flinn, Stephens, and White, and thence northwardly by a crooked and irregular course to the oak-tree marked H, from which place the track forked in both directions; on the right towards Paint creek or Rochester, and on the other hand towards Auburn and Pontiac. These, however, could hardly be called roads at all: merely tracks cut through the most convenient places, without regard to shortness of route or to any other consideration except the avoidance of obstacles; but poor as they were, there were no others than these in Royal Oak when the first cabins were built there. Some six or seven years later the Detroit and Saginaw turnpike was com- menced, and in 1828-29 was in process of construction through the township. When completed it was an almost immeasurable improvement on the old route of travel, and afterwards stage-lines were established and passed through Royal Oak I __V it A IOAD::M >, < t £5 DEN 0GAI LASVA AT A N oP i~ ~ ~~~~~, -,~'~~~ ,~~~~~~~~~~~-  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 23( on their route between Detroit and Pontiac and the more remote points. After the completion of the railroad as far as Royal Oak, in 1838, the stage-lines con- nected with it there, and after its terminus was advanced northward to Pontiac, they still continued to run from the Royal Oak station, over the Paint creek road, to Rochester, and thence to Romeo, until the building of the Detroit and Bay City railroad. The roads upon the section-lines had some of them been laid out before the separate organization of the township, but it was not until after that time that most of them were surveyed, laid out, and cut through, thus greatly improving the facilities of local travel. OTHER EARLY PUBLIC-HOUSES. It has already been mentioned that the first house opened in Royal Oak for the accommodation of wayfaring immigrants, land-seekers, and other travelers of the early days was the log tavern of Henry O. Bronson, about half a mile north of the centre of the township, and that this was soon followed by that of Lockwood (afterwards Talbot), at a point on the western edge of the present village. This last named, having first supplanted that of Bronson, and having then enjoyed a season of comparative prosperity so long as the travel continued to pass by its doors, was itself, in turn, ruined by the opening of the Saginaw or Detroit and Pontiac road, which carried the travel away from it, over a new route, and which caused other hostelries to spring up along its line. The first public-house opened in Royal Oak, on that road, was by Mrs. Mary Ann Chappell, an old or perhaps a middle-aged woman, who, on account of her conspicuous lack of personal beauty, was universally known by the ironical appellation of " Mother Handsome." It is said that in her earlier years she had been an army follower, and it is certain she was as rough and boisterous in speech as she was plain in person. She had first opened a kind of tavern a little more than five miles out of Detroit, on the military road, then had moved farther up in Wayne county, and afterwards made still another move, locating herself in Royal Oak, in a small log house on the west side of the Pontiac road, a little below the present hotel of Mr. Lewless, and in this she did a very good business, as she had done at her first establishment, near Detroit, during the first years of the immigration to Michigan. It was not long after she came to her new location before another tavern was opened very near hers, on the same road, by V. M. Rose. Perhaps she disliked the near proximity of a competing establishment, for, after a time, she again removed, this time going towards Detroit, a distance of about half a mile, where she built a frame house, also on the west side of the road, at a point on the present farm of McReynolds. After she left her upper stand, Mr. Henry Stephens erected, almost on the spot which she had moved from, a frame building, which he opened to the public, and which was known for many years as the "lRed tavern." But not- withstanding the competition, Mother Handsome held her own in trade. Rough and ill-favored as she was, she was undeniably popular as a landlady. Immigrants and land-lookers who were strangers in the country inquired for the house of Mother hIandsome, at which they had beforehand been advised to stop, while those who were acquainted on the road very often passed by the other houses to put up at hers, where, they said, the liquor was better and the food was better; and these, in connection with the kind and careful attention which she was always ready to bestow on hungry, cold, drenched, and exhausted travelers, gave great popularity and fame to Mother Handsome as an innkeeper. But this was her last tavern-stand. Years accumulated on her head, and routes of travel and methods of tavern-traffic became changed, so that we are told that the last years of Mrs. Chappell were passed in poverty, if not in actual want. After Mr. Stephens the Red tavern passed through different hands, and was kept by Mr. Cressy, being destroyed by fire during his proprietorship. There are still two hotels open on the turnpike within a few rods of the spot where Mother Handsome first located her stand in Royal Oak township,-the lower one being kept by V. M31. Rose, her first competitor here, and the other by James Lewless, brother of Henry Lewless, who first settled in the township on the farm now owned by Asher B. Parker, Esq. SEPARATE TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. The two townships numbered 1 and 2 north, in range 11 east (now Royal Oak and Troy), were, on the 12th of April, 1827, set off together, erected into a township, and designated as Troy. This organization continued for five years, at the end of which time town 1 of that range was detached from Troy and separately erected as the township of Royal Oak. The earliest book of township-'records (commencing with the first organization and township-meeting, and running until and including the year 1856) having been lost or destroyed, we can give seither an account of the proceedings at the first meeting nor a complete list of township officers prior to 1857. It has been ascertained, however, that the first supervisor was David Chase, and that among his successors to the office were Dennis H. Quick, in 1837 and 1838; Nathaniel Ormsby, 1842 and 1844; John Davis, in 1843; Otis Judson, in 1845; Moses Johnson, 1846 to 1853 inclusive; Jonathan Chase, 1854; Alonzo Haight, 1855; and F. G. C. Jasper, 1856. The first township clerk was Socrates Hopkins, but between his and the election of 1857 no other name can be given of incumbents of that office, except that of Jonathan Chase, who filled it from 1835 to 1840, inclusive. The following were among the justices of the peace during the period above referred to: Jonathan Chase (appointed), 1835; Daniel Burrows, Jehial Smith, and Nicholas Pullen (all by appointment); J. B. Simonson, elected 1837; Jonathan Chase, elected 1839, 1849, 1855; William Betts, 1840; John Par- shall, 1841; IW. 31. Corey, 1842; Charles Mooney, 1843; George 31. Cooper, 1844; D. A. Dennison, 1845; Asher B. Parker, 1846 and 1850; Moses John- son, 1847; Fleming Drake, 1848, 1852, 1856; Silas Everest, 1849; Norman Castle, 1853; S. S. Matthews, 1854; N. S. Schuyler, 1856; L. S. Roberts, 1856. During the time covered by the existing record the township officers have been as below: Supervisors, Lucius S. Roberts, elected in 1857; Frederick G. C. Jasper, in 1858 and 1859; Edmond R. Post, continuously from 1860 to 1866, inclusive; Stephen Cooper, 1867 and 1868; H. A. Reynolds, 1869; Horace H. Osterhout, 1870; and Alexander Solts, from 1871 to 1877, inclusive. The township clerks during the same period have been: James B. Johnson, elected in 1857, 1859-61; Carlos Glazier, in 1858 and 1865; Reuben Russell, in 1862; Manton H. Hammond, in 1863 and 1864; Levi Tootill, in 1866-68; John G. "Hutchins, in 1869-71; James W. Roley, in 1872; Newell H. Roberts, in 1873; Joseph B. Grow, in 1874, '75, and '76; and Charles M. Fay, in 1877. The justices elected in the same time have been: Martin H. Hammond, in 1857; Reuben Russell, in 1858, 1864, and 1875; Orson Starr (to vacancy), in 1858; Nelson S. Schuyler, in 1859; Levi Tootill, in 1863, and to vacancies in 1859 and 1868; Frederick G. C. Jasper, in 1860; Lucius S. Roberts (to vacancy), in 1860; Stephen Cooper, in 1861 and 1865; Andrew McPherson, in 1862; Corydon E. Fay (to vacancy), in 1862; Dennis H. Quick (to vacancy), in 1864; Henry A. Reynolds, to vacancy in 1865, and to full term in 1868; Asher B. Parker, in 1866; Alexander Solts, in 1867; John R. Wells (to vacancy), in 1867; James B. Johnson, in 1869; Thomas Reading (vacancy), in 1869; John Robinson, in 1870; Ralzemond A. Parker, in 1871; John Bain- bridge (to vacancy), 1871; Arthur C. Porter (to vacancy), in 1871; Harvey S. Hitchcock, in 1872 and 1876; Dewitt C. Wilbur (to vacancy), in 1872; Julius O. Schuyler (to vacancy), in 1872; David L. Campbell (to vacancy), in 1873; Edmond Ferguson (to vacancy), in 1873; Matthiew McBride, in 1874; Henry B. Peck (to vacancy), in 1875; Volney H. Lee (to vacancy), 1875; Joseph B. Grow, 1877. ROYAL OAK VILLAGE. This little village and railway station is the only one within the township. The original village plat was laid out in the year 1836, by Sherman Stevens, who had purchased the land of Joseph Parshall; the plat covering about eighty acres in the northeast quarter of section 21 and forty acres of the northwest quarter of 22. No addition had been made to the original plat until 1875, when one was surveyed and laid out by J. A. Phelps, covering about forty-four acres, adjoining the Stevens plat, on the north. Colloquially, this is called the northern exten- sion, but it is to be recorded as "J. A. Phelps' addition to the village of Royal Oak." The village plat was laid out by Stevens, in anticipation of the completion of tle Detroit and Pontiac railroad (now Detroit and Milwaukee), and at the time when the plat was surveyed nearly, if not quite, the only buildings which stood there were thle old block-house which had been kept by Lockwood, and also by Talbot, as a tavern, and the frame barn which belonged to it. They stood a few rods west of tihe railroad freight-lhouse, near the present dwelling of Dr. H. K. Lathrop. Tihe first business enterprises inaugurated in the village were the building of a saw-mill by the railroad company, in 1836, and in the same year the erection of a hotel by Daniel Hunter; it being the same now occupied by Charles 31. Fay. While engaged in its construction, Mr. Hunter lived with his family in the old Lockwood-Talbot block-house. The hotel was completed and opened by him in the spring of 1837, as a tavern and boarding-house for men employed at the mill, and on the railroad construction. Mr. Hunter remained in this house for two years. Thie next hotel at the village was built in 1839, by James B. Simonson. It was called the Railroad Exchange, and the first of its landlords was a Mr. Balch. It has not been constantly kept as a public-house, but has at times been used as a grocery and as a saloon, and again as a private dwelling, which last named is 240 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. its present condition. During the time when this was the railway terminus, and in the succeeding years, when the stages for Rochester and points beyond made their connection here, these Royal Oak village hotels drove a prosperous business, but such is not the case now. Those palmy days of the railway-terminus and stage-coach connection have passed away, and will never return to Royal Oak. The village cannot boast the establishment of the first mercantile business of the township, nor the first post-office of Royal Oak. Both these were first located at Chase's Corners, in the year 1826, the first postmaster being Joseph Chase, who held the position for twelve years, when the opening of the railroad made it necessary that the office should be located at the new village, the exist- ence of which had never been dreamed of when " Uncle Joe" first received his appointment. The store at the corners was a frame building, built by Jarvis Phelps, carpen- ter, for David Chase, in the year 1826. It stood on the west side of the Crooks road, near where is now the brick dwelling-house of Mr. Almon Starr. In this Mr. Chase opened with a good stock of merchandise tbr those days, and in it the post-office was also kept, he being deputy-postmaster under his father. He con- tinued in trade at this place until the year 1854, when he removed to Detroit. On the removal of the post-office to the village, in 1838, Moses Johnson was appointed lpostmaster to succeed Mr. Chase. Since Mr. Johnson the following gentlemen have been postmasters at Royal Oak, and their succession has been nearly in the order here given: Dr. L. C. Rose, Chester Stoddard, Dr. A. E. Brewster, Dr. Fleming Drake, J. 11. Johnson, Deacon M. H. Haminmond, Edward Ferrguson, J. G. Hutchins, John Felker, and the present incumbent of the office, J. I. Wells, Esq. The first to establish in merchandising in the village was the firm of Simonson & Fish, the latter being also the agent of the railroad company, and the senior being John B. Simonson, who had previously opened a store on the Pontiac road, half a mile or more south of the village, near where is now Lewless' tavern; this being the second store opened in the township. On removing to the village, in the spring of 1838, and entering into partnership with Fish, as above mentioned, they opened at the railroad depot with a very extensive stock of goods, the largest and every way the best, it is said, which has ever been brought into the township of Royal Oak. In the same season, soon after their opening, the railroad was opened from Detroit, and ran (by horse-power only for a considerable time) as ftr as Royal Oak village, which thereupon became at once a place of comparative importance. The next store opened was by Gage M. Cooper and Henry Gardner, who also carried on a potashery. After them, the next merchant who established in the village was - Ferrend, who opened a small store in his dwelling-house. Other early traders there were E. M. Cook and Otes Judson. The village of Royal Oak, at present, contains the railroad company's buildings, a steam saw-mill, three blacksmith-shops, one hotel, three general stores, one millinery-store, two drug-stores, two physicians, four churches, the town-hall, and the handsome school-house of district No. 6. There is also a very small newspaper, published by the Rev. Geo. W. Owen. It is named the Royal Oak Experiment, and has only been in the tide of experiment since the autumn of 1876. MILLS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES. The first and only water-mill in Royal Oak township was a saw-mill erected in the year 1832, by James G. Johnson, on his farn in the southeast quarter of section 4, and about half a mile south of the Troy line. The stream on which it was built is the north fork of Red Run, which, in consequence of improvements made on it, was often called the "Lawson ditch." Looking at the stream now, it is hard to understand how it could ever have propelled a mill, for not only is its bed baked dry and hard even in times of ordinary dry weather, but there seems to be scarcely any fall in it at that point or in that vicinity. Notwith- standing which, it is stated as a fact that in its best days the mill did actually cut two thousand feet of lumber in twelve hours, and this may have been true, incom- prehensitle as it seems. Six years after its erection, it was sold to Michael Christian and Joshua Fay for six hundred dollars, with the right to flow from September 10 to May 20. From this time until 1847 it was in the hands of several owners, and in the last-named year, being then in the possession of Peter Brewster, it was by him fitted up with an auxiliary steani-power, soon after which it met the usual fate of similar establishments, viz., destruction by fire. There was at one time a small manufactory of rakes and grain-cradles carried on in con- nection with this mill. The first mill built in the township with the intention of using steam as a pro- pelling power was erected in the summer and fall of 1830, by the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad Company, the machinery being constructed and put in under the supervision of Horace Heth, of Syracuse, New York, machinist and mill- wright. The site of this mill was within the present bounds of Royal Oak I village, on lots now owned by James McKibben. It was started in January, 1837, its work being the sawing of five by seven inch timber, to be laid on the railroad-bed, as stringers on which to spike the strap-iron which formed the first track of this road, a construction known in England as a tramway. The mill was operated by the railroad company for a period of four or five years, and was at the end ot' that time sold to a Mr. Stetson, of Detroit, who con- tinued it as a saw-mill, but also added a chair- and furniture-factory. Its end was in conflagration, about the year 1845. The present steam saw-mill at Royal Oak village, which may be said to be the successor of the railroad company's mill, was built in the fall of 1868, and put in operation in tIhe winter or spring of 1869, by J. B. Baugh, of Detroit, who afterwards sold it to J. M. Jones, of Detroit. It is now (1877) run under the proprietorship or superintendency of C. N. Marshall. In the winter of 1875-76 there was added to the machinery of this mill a pair of stones for the grinding of feed for animals; this being the only mill for the grinding of grain which was ever put in operation in the township of Royal Oak. Granger's steam saw.mill is located about a quarter of a mile north of the base- line, on the Detroit and Pontiac turnpike. " The first mill on this site was built by the present proprietor, Adolphus Granger, between 1860 and 1865, and was destroyed by fire in tlhe early part of 1876. It was rebuilt by Mr. Granger, and conmmnenced operation in the spring of 1877. This is an excellent circular mill, and seems destined to do a good business. There is a manufactory of drain-tile and pressed bricks, owned and carried on by Almon Starr, on his farm, a few rods south of the United Presbyterian church, in school district No. 2, the point formerly known as Chase's Corners. Mir. Starr, who is the son of Orson Starr, the bell-maker, commenced these tile-works in the year 1868, and has found it an ever-increasing and a profitable business. scHooLs. The first school in the township was taught in the log house which Josiah Goddard had built on the west side of the Crooks road, in the northeast quarter of section 16, and a short time later abandoned, after which it was used as a school-house and as a place of meeting by religious worshipers of whatever denomination. The next was a frame school-house, only a few rods from the site of the present one, in district No. 1. Then there was one built at Chase's Corners, and others followed in other parts of the township not very much later. At that time school-houses were built and schools taught in them under the simple old plan, which was just the same in Royal Oak as everywhere else in the new country,-the universal method of a day of meeting of the male inhabitants to rear the house by a co-operation of labor, and afterwards a subscription, per capita of pupils, to raise the fifteen dollars per month which was required as the re- muneration of a superior teacher for the winter term. Many are the tales, both ludierous and pathetic, told by the old settlers concerning their experiences on the slab or puncheon seats of those rude temples of learning, but all look back with a feeling of tender regret to the school-days and scenes which they can never see again. There are now in the township eight good and comfortable frame school-houses and nine schools,-there being in district No. 6, which embraces the village of Royal Oak, two schools, a primary and a grammar school,-all necessitating a total annual expenditure of two thousand nine hundred and fifty dollars. The custom of employing male teachers for the winter term is not universal in this township, and now in the large district which embraces the village the principal teacher, both winter and summer, is a female, though this has not been the case until the recent necessity for retrenchment of expenses enforced the innovation on the venerable rule of male teachers for the winter termn. Before this, as high as seven hundred dollars per annum has been paid, to the male principal in this district, and four hundred dollars to the female assistant; but the aggregate of both salaries has now been reduced to about nine hundred dollars. In the other districts of the township the salaries are about thirty-five dollars per month for the winter, whether to male or female teachers, and in summer about three dollars anrd fifty cents per Week, with board. No. 6 is by far thne largest of the districts, having an average attendance of about one hundred pupils, and in this district is the best of the school buildings, located on the main street of the village. Dis- trict No. 9 has also an exceptionally good school building, which has been built in place of one that was destroyed by fire in 1873. The site of the present house in that district was donated by Andrew C. Porter, and the ground has been very tastefully embellished by the setting out of shade-trees around its margin. TIlE TOWN-IIALL, situated on.the main street of the village, was built in the year 1870 by B. M. E44,~ ww u44 4474 4 r . a 4, _ <1 - :l <'Io 'Y 1 141 4 <74, ,, 1 ,., . <14 _ . . N< uC Q( ,.KKRAOK OKAC ia i,,/ '~ ~;; ~ h ~ ; N LA AL C! SAL A? AN W L AM CYRL A (A~ AN 2 A ~ 7/ 7 7 7 7 7<7 7 7 7 7 K 7 j~774 A A 7 K D~NC NA JO4IN UENJAM N Y? 'K 4 K / K K, KO K' 0 0 / j K 0 A, K / KK A( K ; S <0 ' OK, 0 4 'K 4 4 K4, ~K K K~KKI <'K HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 241 Knowles, contractor, and accepted by the town on the 10th of September of that year. The price paid to the contractor was sixteen hundred and sixty-four dollars. It is a creditable building. THIE BAPTIST CIIHURCII OF ROYAL OAK was organized under the charge of Elder Stephen Goodman, of Troy, in January, 1839, the original members being Henry Stephens and wife, William Betts and wife, Dr. L. C. Rose and wife, Chester Morgan and wife, and Amelia Nichols. For some time before the organization, these and a few other devout ones had been accustomed to meet in the school-houses, and sometimes at dwellings, and there to hold religious worship under the preachings of Elders Goodman, But- tolph., Keys, and such other preachers as firom time to time chanced to come among them. Mr. Goodman continued to labor with them for several years. After him came Rev. Avery Dennison and Rev. Samuel Jones, of Grand Blanc (who was with them about 1844). Then Mr. Goodman returned, and his was followed by the second pastorate of Mr. Dennison. Other preachers who came later were Revs. Isaiah Fay, James Ward (now of Detroit), O. E. Clark, the third pastorates of Elders Goodman and Dennison, Henry Pearsall (of Avon), - Church, from Fentonville, Chenowith, Mendell, and the present pastor, Rev. Silas Finn, who came to the service of the church in 1871. The first church edifice was commenced immediately after the organization, upon lots donated by Sherman Stephens, at the corner of Third and Main streets, in Royal Oak village. It was built by Henry Stephens, as contractor, and he also contributed most liberally towards the cost of the building, of which the total was about seven hundred dollars. It was dedicated in August, 1839. Thirty-six years later, a new and larger church building having been decided on, the old one of 1839 was sold to the German Lutherans, and the new edifice, the present Baptist house of worship, was erected on the west side of the main street, at the north end of the village. For a time after the sale of the old church the congregation, by an arrangement with the purchasers, continued to use it as their place of meeting, until their own building was roofed in, and they were able to occupy its basement for that purpose. The church was dedicated in August, 1876. It is a handsome building, stand- ing on the ground in the form of a Greek cross, seventy feet in extent either way. In its erection, the Rev. Silas Finn, the pastor, individually bore a very heavy part-fully one-half---of the financial burden, which was by no means insignifi- cant, the whole cost being about four thousand dollars. In connection with the church is a Sabbath-school, which was organized many years ago, during the pastorate of Mr. Pearsall, and of which he was also the first superintendent. Its existence, however, was very irregular for several years, being always suspended during the inclement season, and sometimes permitted to be closed even during the summer. It is now continued regularly through the year, and the average attendance is nearly or quite fifty. The present superin- tendent is J. M. Finn. TIlE METHODIST CHURCH. The first organization of the Methodists in Royal Oak took place a short time before that of the Baptists, in the year 1838. Their first meetings were held in the school-house that stood on land now owned by Mrs. Fay, near the south end of the village. The congregation was quite numerous, and among the first preachers who served them was Rev. J. M. Arnold. Their house of worship- the same in which their meetings are still held-was commenced in 1842, on lots donated by Sherman Stevens, and completed in the spring of 1843, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. The present pastor is Rev. George W. Owen. About the time of the Methodist organization, a Sabbath-school-the first in the township of Royal Oak-was commenced under the auspices of both Methodists and of Congregationalists, though it was prior to the organization of the latter denomination. Chiefly instrumental^in the commencement of this early Sabbath-school were David Cowen, a Methodist, and Levi Tootill, Congre- gationalist. Mr. Cowen was made superintendent, and Mr. Tootill was his assistant. The school was organized in the school-house where the Methodists worshiped, and its sessions were continued there during the summer season until the completion of the Methodist church, in 1843. The attendance was quite large. Soon after the organization of the Congregationalist church this union Sabbath- school was divided, and two schools were formed from it,-Congregationalist and Methodist. The first superintendent of the last named was Edward Ferguson. At the present time that responsible post is held by Harvey S. Hitchcock. The school is continued through the year, and the average attendance is about eighty. TIIE CONGREGATIONALIST CHIURCII. This organization was effected on the 13th of August, 1842, by Rev. Ebene- 31 zer McDowell, in the Baptist church in Royal Oak village. The original mem- bers numbered only five, namely: Peter Merritt and wife, Levi Tootill and wife, and George Scongel. Immediately after, however, there were several additions to it from the Presbyterian church at Birmingham, among these being Ezra Blackman, Lyman Blackman, and Joseph Quick. Rev. Mr. McDowell labored with the church for about a year and a half, and then came Rev. Charles Fairchild, who remained more than three years, then Rev. Mr. Steele, who remained one year, and during whose ministry occurred the most notable revival in the history of this congregation,-a revival which brought large accessions to the numbers of the church. After Mr. Steele came Rev. Ezekiel Lucas, who remained two years; Rev. S. N. Hill, three or four years; Rev. O. C. Thompson, of Detroit, one year; Rev. James Nall, of Detroit, six years; Rev. Mr. Thompson again, one year; Rev. Charles S. Pettigew, one year; Rev. Mr. Marvin, from Clyde, Ohio, about two years; Rev. Samuel Porter, from Illinois, two years; and after him the present pastor, Rev. O. C. Thompson, who came in May, 1874, and is now in the third term of his labor with this church. The places in which this congregation have worshiped have been, first the Baptist church in which they organized, in 1842, and where they met until the following spring, when they removed to the Methodist church, then just made ready for occupancy, and in which they held their meetings until the completion of their own church building. Their occupation of the Methodist house was in pursuance of an arrangement made with that society, by which the Congrega- tionalists, in consideration of the right to use the church as a place of meeting, agreed to purchase and pay for their pews within it as if members of the Methodist congregation. The church building of the Congregationalists, the house in which they now meet for worship, was built during the pastorate of Rev. James Nall. The lots upon which it was erected were donated by Mrs. Dr. Drake, of Flint, and were located on the west side of the main street of the village. The Presbyterian meeting-house at Troy Corners being then vacated and for sale, Dr. H. K. Lathrop and Levi Tootill, Esq., were constituted a committee to negotiate with Mr. Johnson Niles, of that township, for its purchase, with view to remove it to Royal Oak. They were successful in their mission, purchased the building at a price of three hundred dollars, removed it piece by piece to the church lots in the village, upon which it was re-erected; even the old slips and pulpit being used, although the latter was partially remodeled. There was no ad- dition to the size of the building, nor any change in its outward form. It was dedicated August 28, 1867, Rev. Dr. Ballard, of Detroit, officiating. Its cost was a little more than eighteen hundred dollars in money, besides a large amount of donated labor. The present membership is fifty-nine. At the division of the Union Sabbath-school, as before mentioned, the first su- perintendent of the new school commenced by the Congregationalists was James Bowen Johnson, and under his charge it became very flourishing. The average attendance is now over eighty. The present superintendent is Ira Burhans. TIE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATION. This church was organized nearly thirty years ago as the " United Presbyterian Congregation of Troy"; their organization being effected, and their first meetings - held, in the Marvin school-house, in that township. In the year 1853 it was decided to remove their place of worship to the town- ship of Royal Oak, as being a more convenient point for a majority of the mem- bers, and a site was selected on the northeast corner of section 8, where a lot containing a third of an acre was donated for the purpose by David Chase. Upon this lot an edifice, their present house of worship, was built in the year named, and was dedicated in the spring of 1854. The cost of the building was about two thousand dollars, and William Bailey, Sr., was the carpenter and builder who had charge of its construction. It was found necessary that the lot should be enlarged, and for that purpose an additional half-acre was purchased . from Mr. Chase, making an area of five-sixths of an acre in the entire lot. The first pastor of the congregation in Royal Oak was Rev. James M. Smeallie, who remained until March 4, 1860, and was succeeded by Rev. William Robert- son, in March, 1861. Hle remained until April 21, 1868, and in the succeeding October the Rev. Richard M. Patterson was installed. He resigned November 30, 1870. All these pastors were most excellent men, and greatly respected and beloved. Their present pastor, Rev. J. P. Gibson, was ordained and installed April 22, 1874. The membership is about eighty. Connected with the church is a Sabbath-school, under the superintendence of Mr. Jonathan Todd; attendance about seventy-five. TIHE CATHOLIC CIIURCII. This church edifice stands in school district No. 6, in the northeast corner of 242 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. section 15, on a quarter of an acre of ground donated for the purpose by Edmund Loughman. It was erected in the year 1868, under the direction of Rev. George Mivels, then the priest in charge. He was soon after succeeded by Rev. Louis Hendricks, the present pastor, who resides in Warren township, Macomb county, and also has charge of the church at that place. Services in the Royal Oak church are held once a month. The membership at the time of the erection of the church was about twenty-five, which has increased to about forty at the present time, the greater portion being Germans and French. TIIE LUTHERAN CIIHURCII of Royal Oak was organized as recently as the year 1874, under charge of Rev. Mr. Speckhard, who still continues as their pastor. Their place of worship is the church edifice purchased by them from the Baptists in 1875, as mentioned above. The congregation is quite large, and is increasing in numbers. LUTHERAN ORPHAN ASYLUM. An orphan asylum was established here by Lutherans in 1874, the same year of the organization of their church in Royal Oak. The asylum grounds were purchased of Mark Hall, and comprised about twenty acres, formerly the prop- erty of Moses Johnson. Upon this tract were ordinary farm buildings, which were repaired, added to, and remodeled for the requirements of the institution. Although the asylum was not established for the exclusive benefit of those orphans who were also deaf-mutes, yet its inmates were nearly all of that unfortunate class. It was commenced under the patronage of German Lutherans of Detroit, and during its entire existence in Royal Oak was under the charge and superin- tendency of Rev. Mr. Speckhard, the Lutheran pastor. The institution remained in operation in this township for about two years, but has now recently been re- moved to Norris, Wayne county. Its projectors were from the first divided in opinion as to the advisability of its establishment in Royal Oak, and when the offer of a free gift of ample grounds and of a further generous donation in money was made on condition of the transfer of the asylum to Norris, it was favorably entertained, and the removal made, as mentioned above. CEMETERIES. The first place of burial in Royal Oak was a spot now embraced in the farm of Mr. Russell, near the southeast corner of section 16; this being considered by the people at that time to be a most eligible place, partly on account of the nature of the ground, but more particularly because of its location within a few rods of the territorial centre of the township, and upon its main road. But this road, for a distance of nearly two miles, was soon after discontinued, which led to the aban- donment of this and the commencement of another burial-ground, in the northern portion of the present cemetery inclosure. The first interment at the old spot was that of a daughter of Cromwell Good- win, in 1825, and a few others followed,-there may have been four or five in all, but probably not so many,-and they were afterwards removed to the Burrows ground. TIlE TOWNSIHP CEMETERY. The location of this ground is about one mile north of Royal Oak village, and it occupies, together with the Catholic cemetery, the whole of that long and nar- row triangle which is formed by the Paint creek and Niles roads, on the east and west, and the section-line road between 10 and 15, on the north. At the north end of this, and embraced within its present bounds, was the spot mentioned above, which was donated by David Burrows as a place for graves, not far from 1826, during which year the first burial was made there,-that of a baby daughter of David Chase. The second interment within the ground was that of Mrs. Van Antwerp, whose family lived in the southwest quarter of sec- tion 11. During the succeeding thirty years it was occppied and used by the public a3 a grave-yard, without much rule, restriction, or feeling of other than general pro- prietorship, until about the year 1857, when it was taken under control of the township board of health as a township cemetery, and an addition was made to its area by a purchase of two acres from William Dunham. A further purchase of about six acres was made in the spring of 1874, which seemed to give a far greater area than the township required for purposes of sepulture, but which was somewhat reduced by the sale made by the town to the Catholic society of Royal Oak of a portion, to be partitioned and separately inclosed as an exclusively sectarian ground. THIE CATHOLIC CEMETERY comprises two acres of ground, purchased by the Catholic congregation from the township of Royal Oak; this being the southern point of the triangle already mentioned. This they have inclosed in an appropriate manner and consecrated as their place of burial. There are as yet but three graves within this ground,- those of Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Rush, and of Edmund Loughman, who donated the land for their church, and was one of its most substantial pillars in Royal Oak. He died in 1875, and lies beneath a beautiful monument erected by his friends, who mourn him. The thanks of the publishers are due to Alexander Solts, Esq., Jonathan Chase, Esq., J. R. Wells, Esq., Dr. H. K. Lathrop, Captain Diodate Hubbard, and Charles M. Fay, of Royal Oak, and Dr. Ebenezer Raynale, Hon. Alanson Partridge, and Josiah Alger, Esq., of Birmingham, for valuable information and data in refer- ence to the township of Royal Oak. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. DAVID WILLIAMS. David Williams was born in Wales, and emigrated with his parents to America when but four years old. He settled in New York State, where, on the 17th of October, 1824, he married Betsy Smith, who was born in Avon, Livingston county, New York, August 3, 1801. They immediately started for the west, coming to Detroit in the steamer " Superior," landing there on the 20th of Oc- tober, eleven days after their marriage. It occupied them the whole of one day to reach their new home, a distance of fourteen miles. He had located his land in 1822. It consisted of the south half of section 3, upon which hlie lived for nearly forty-six years, dying September 8, 1870. By his death the township lost one of its oldest and most prominent pioneers, his family a kind and loving parent, and his wife a fond and affectionate husband. Very few citizens of Royal Oak township have been, or are likely to be, more earnestly mourned. His widow survives, and enjoys good health. She carries her more than three-fourths of a century of years well. This worthy couple raised a family of six children, of whom four survive, all industrious and good citizens like their parents. OXFORD THE fertile town, 5 north, range 10 east, of the United States surveys, received the local name of Oxford in 1836. The general character of its surface is an elevated plain, broken by hills in the east and the northwest, with some lowlands in the southern tier of sections. Passing northward from these, the ascent of the surface is gradual but marked until it terminates in the divide or water-shed be- tween the Clinton and Flint rivers, in the northern part of the township. This is a well-defined ridge, having a general northwest and southeast direction, whose highest altitude, as determined by the engineer corps of the Detroit and Bay City railroad, is somewhat over five hundred feet. Nearly the entire area of these elevated lands is susceptible of cultivation, and there is comparatively little waste land in the township. The entire surface, with a few exceptional localities, was TOWNSHIP. originally timbered, principally with oak, interspersed with pines. Sections 3 and 10 were originally covered with dense forests of white cedar, whose products have been very valuable to the township, furnishing thousands of rails. Almost the entire northern portion of the township has been fenced with this wood. The soil of Oxford is generally productive, and nearly all the grains yield rich returns. The township is especially noted for the production of wheat and apples. There are a number of small lakes. The largest of these, Stony lake, situated on sec- tion 16, covers about one hundred acres. It is a fine body of water, having firm, gravelly banks, sloping to a fine beach. The level of the lake is forty feet below the surrounding country. There is no inlet or outlet, yet its waters are remark- able for their freshness. They have lately been stocked with white-fish. Horse- p. v MAwV"?SDNC H N OXIOKD OAKAND c 4 p4< / ,. S P 44 eN rrM R OLS ~ ~ '0KA00M  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 243 shoe lake, on section 10, received its name from its shape. A branch of the Clinton river is its outlet. It has a northeastern course, passing out of the town near the east line of section 3. This stream and Paint creek, in the western part of the town, afford the principal drainage. The latter stream rises on section 18, and has a southeasterly course through sections 20, 28, and 34 into Orion town- ship. There is some marsh surface along the Clinton river, and the contiguous country is covered with a growth of cedar. Near Marl lake, in section 34, are extensive peat deposits. TIHE FIRST LAND PURCIIASES. In his able address before the Pioneer Society of Oakland County, Judge Drake credits Elbridge G. Deming with making the first entry of public land, in the present bounds of Oxford, in 1823. John Rossman, Fite Rossman, John Shippey, John Willman, and Samuel Axford made entries the year following, 1824. From this time until 1831, when the first settlements were made, con- siderable quantities of land were entered for speculative purposes, although it is somewhat remarkable that much of the finest soil of the township was passed by as unproductive, and the preference given to more heavily-timbered sections, because it was thought they were more fertile. TIHE FIRST SETTLER of whom there is any account was a New Yorker, named Avery Brown. He came into the country in 1831 for the purpose of trapping wolves. He built a shanty in the cedar swamps of section 4, where he varied that occupation by making shingles. Many of the surrounding settlers were supplied with shingles by Brown in the years following. About the same time John Barnes, also a New Yorker, located on section 8. He did not find the country equal to his expectations, and remained but a short time. Neither of these men had families, and the honor of making the real FIRST SETTLEMENT belongs to Elbridge G. Deming, who brought his family and household effects in the spring of 1832. He settled on section 9, building a log house, breaking up some land, and making some other improvements. His place was for many years the best known in the township, and was selected for the first post-office. Mrs. Deming, who was the first white woman in the town, survives her husband, and is now a resident of Oxford village. John Rossman and his brother Fite came from New York the same year, probably a few months later. The former located on section 4; the latter on section 27, the year following. John built a good log house and sowed six acres of wheat, and a few years after built a frame barn. In 1833, Samuel Axford and his brother Morgan united their fortunes with those of Deming and the Rossmans in settling the new town. They were natives of Upper Canada, and had come with their parents to Macomb county, Michigan, in 1823. Their land was on section 9, near Deming's. Morgan Axford died in 1839, but his brother Samuel still resides on the farm lie began to clear in 1833, one of the oldest and best-known citizens of the township. In a few days after the settlement of the Axfords, in April, Alanson Decker located on section 8. His native State was New Jersey, but lie has lived with his father, Jesse Decker, in Orion township, up to this time. He was joined in June by Jeremiah Hunt, who located west of him on the same section. Mr. Hunt's name conveys the character of the man. He was a devoted follower of Nimrod, and performed some great feats, hunting down the wild animals which infested the country. Fite Rossman located on section 27, getting a patent for eighty acres, and soon added one hundred and sixty acres more. He built a good log house, which served as a stopping-place for the land-hunter. The first town-meeting was also held there. Harry Shelters, a native of New York, became a neighbor of Rossman that year, locating on section 27 in October, 1833. David Applegate, from Monroe county, New York, was one of the first to come in 1834. He settled on section 20, several miles from any house. He put up a rude shanty for his wife and the few household effects hlie possessed, and, leaving Mrs. Applegate all alone, started to Detroit for provisions. A better house was built that summer, and some years after a frame, which hlie still uses. He was not left long without neighbors. The Van Wagoner family, with several grown-up sons, located land north and west of his, and settled near him. Stephen and John Shippey, natives of St. Lawrence, New York, located on section 9, and Justin and James Bixby in the northwestern part of the town. Adam Rossman, of Genesee county, New York, located on section 22, just opposite his uncle Fite. He got a patent from the government for one hundred and sixty acres, on which the village of Oxford is now located. After improving his land to a considerable extent, he sold it to George Loucks in 1844. In the spring of 1834, probably in May, Welcome and Hosea Camp- bell, natives of Oneida county, New York, cast their lot in the extreme northwest part of the township, being among the first to settle in that section. They located on government land, on sections 6 and 7. Otis C. Thompson settled on section 7 in 1835; John McKay, a Scotchman, on section 6; Hezekiah Killam and Peter D. Makely, New Yorkers, on section 24; and Joseph Ferguson on section 15. Hiram and James Travis, of Wayne county, Pennsylvania, located on sections 19 and 20 in 1836, being among the first in that region. They built log houses, roofed with bark, which had to answer until they could provide better material. Benjamin Reed and William Coates, natives of New Jersey, located on section 5 the same year; and Joseph Tindall and William Tann on section 23, about 1837. Grandy Earl, from Erie county, New York, located on section 1 the same year. He was among the first to settle in that part of the town. Had a neighbor by the name of Jenkins, who located about the same time. Among those who came at an early day, prior to 1837, but whose exact settlement cannot be determined, were Rufus K. Moore, Daniel W. Haines, Levi Smith, Daniel Ingals, Horace Hovey, Harlin Hollister, and Addison Orcutt. Other early settlers were Doctors Powers and Burdick, W. H. Powell, Jacob Wolf, John Thomas, and Harry Frink. The latter had come from Wyoming county, New York, to the State of Michigan in 1831, but did not locate in Oxford until March 13, 1839. He then settled on section 14, quit working at his trade, and cleared up a hundred acres. He has always lived in the township since that time, and has never failed to attend the annual meetings. FIRST FRAME HOUSE. Samuel Wilson, a New Yorker, located on section 27, about 1835. He built a small frame house that year, which is now standing in the village of Oxford. It was, probably, the first house of this character in the township. In the summer of 1834, both Alanson Decker and Elbridge G. Deming raised frame barns the same day. On account of the sparse settlements, hands had to be procured from Lapeer county, and one of the barns was raised in the fore- noon, the other in the afternoon. Decker's barn was destroyed by fire in 1841. In the spring of 1840, Harry Frink built a frame barn for Lester Badger, that being the first one in that section. It is yet in first-rate order. Harry Shelters also built a frame barn for Samuel Rossman, about 1835. It was thirty-two by forty-four feet, and was used until 1868, when its timbers were employed in the construction of a new barn. EARLY ORCHARDS. John Rossman planted an orchard in 1835. Most of the trees grew, and are yet bearing. Alanson Decker set out some apple-trees in 1831, that grew finely, and still bear. Other settlers planted orchards as soon as trees could be pro- cured; and Harry Frink raised one from the seeds, which is now one of the finest in the township. IMPROVED STOCK. John Thomas is a carpenter by trade, but having too strong a liking for the pleasures of farm-life to continue plying the hammer and saw, he resolved to be a tiller of the soil, and to farm better than most of his neighbors. With this purpose came a resolution that hlie would be the first to introduce blooded stock. Accordingly, in the summer of 1841, hlie purchased three head of Devons from E. P. Beck's herd in Wyoming county, New York. These proved so satisfactory to him that e secured three Durhams in 1844. Considering the Durhams rather more profitable than the Devons, he disposed of what he then had, and, in 1851, imported five head of Durhams from Canada. Almost the entire Durham stock and its grades, in the township and surrounding county, are traceable to Mr. Thomas' herds; and there are now some fine herds of this blood in the township. Mr. Thomas also introduced the first Merino sheep, bringing a flock of twenty-four head in 1842. In 1851 he imported four Leicestershires from Canada, and raised a large flock of that breed. In 1876, Harry Frink purchased two head of pure Jersey cattle from the herd of B. Barber, a breeder of that stock in Illinois, and brought them to Ox- ford. They were the first animals of that breed in the northern part of the county. IMPROVED FARM MACHINERY. It is generally believed that the first mower brought into the county was a Ketchum machine. It had been consigned to a firm at Pontiac, without finding a purchaser for a long time. At last, John Thomas, of Oxford, bought it, and placed it on his farm about 1841. It was a great curiosity to the neighbors, who gathered round it, anxious to know whether it would work. Nor was this curiosity shared alone by the whites. A tribe of Indians passing by stopped to examine it. After commenting on its construction, in their language, they motioned to Mr. Thomas to drive ahead. The noise of the machine frightened one of their dogs so that he rushed in front of the sickle and had one of his legs cut off. This astonished them, and taking up the dog they bore him away, mut- tering in broken English, " Ugh! noisy wagon ! no good! no good !" On one occasion, while visiting in New York, Mr. Thomas bought a revolving hay-rake at Rochester, and shipped it home. No one knew, at first, how to ad- just it: and it was only after much effort that they succeeded. But it worked 244 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. - - - __ i _ __ ____ -... capitally, and did the work of ten men. Mr. Thomas was highly gratified, and expected his neighbors to share this pleasure with him. But they looked upon the new invention with very little favor, and some of them even predicted that lihe would lose his horses, on account of the gritty material which, they said, was raked up. Others said the curse of God would descend upon a man who would thus deprive the laboring man of his customary employment, haying. But Mr. Thomas continued to use it, and soon it was generally adopted. The honor of using the first reaping-mnachliines is shared by John Thomas and Samuel Axford, who both purchased Seymour and Morgan reapers in 1844. The use of improved machinery soon became general, and Oxford farms are now noted for the fine machinery with which they are supplied. INDIANS HARVESTING. The early settlers were often assisted by the Indians in haying and harvesting. Mr. Axford was always fortunate in getting help from this source. He remem- bered especially Squawne and Tipyeo, who were excellent, faithful workmen, raking and binding as well as their white brethren, and fully as well behaved A PIONEER BELL-MAKER. In 1835, William Wood built a cedar log shop at Deming's, where lihe manu- factured excellent cow-bells, whose clear notes could be heard many miles. It is related of MIr. Wood that lie laid a wager with one of his neighbors that lie could make a cow-bell which could be heard all the way to Pontiac, about fifteen miles. The bet being taken, Mr. Wood procured a mule, placed one of his bells around his neck, and getting another neighbor to accompany him, started for Pontiac. The conditions of the wager were literally complied with,--thle bell being heard all the way. Mr. Wood returned and claimed the money. He worked at Dem- ing's about two years, then located at Van Wagoner's, where lie associated George Ellison with him, and also did general blacksmithing. EARLY TAVERNS. Elbridge G. Deming opened his house for the accommodation of the new- comers as early as 1833, but lie never paid special attention to the business, and gave entertainment simply because it could not be had elsewhere. About 1835 John Rossman fitted up his log house on section 4 as a tavern. It was a well- known point, and served as a stopping-place in that region for many years. Soon after, Fite Rossman kept a public-house on section 27, where the first town- meeting was held in 1837. THIE FIRST PHYSICIANS. Dr. Pliny Powers came to the Deming neighborhood in 1837, seeking a loca- tion as a physician. At the solicitation of the settlers lie took up his abode at Deming's, and became tihe first practicing physician in the township. His success induced him to build a house near Deming's in 1838, with a view of bringing his family into the country. This house still remains as built. Ile also associated Dr. E. Burdick, of Dutchess county, New York, with him. This partnership was continued until 1839, when Dr. Burdick located at what was then known as Oxford Corners. Dr. Powers removed to Detroit a short time after, and died at that place. POST-OFFICES AND MAIL-ROUTES. The first post-office in the township was established at the house of Elbridge Deming in 1834 or 1835. Mr. Deming was appointed postmaster, and held that position until the office was removed in 1839. A weekly mail was provided from Rochester to points in Lapeer county, which was first carried on foot by a Mr. Hubbard. Subsequently, a Mr. Rose carried it in a cart. Upon the removal of the Deming post-office to the village of Oxford, William H. Powell was appointed postmaster. The office has since remained there, and is now supplied with daily mails. The North Oxford post-office was established at the house of John Ross- man in 1840, and was continued there about fourteen years. John Rossman was the postmaster. In 1874, the Thomas post-office was established, with Byron Knapp as postmaster. It now has daily mails. EARLY BIRTHS. Amanda Deming was the first child born in Oxford, in 1833. She grew to womanhood and married a Mr. Lee. They are now residing in Lapeer county. Juliette Decker was born the same year. In 1835, Jesse Decker and Kinzie Hunt first opened their eyes to the sorrows of this mundane sphere. TILE FIRST DEATIH. A Scotchman, named John Stuart, who had come with his brother to improve a piece of land, died after a brief illness in 1835. His unmarked grave is now in a field belonging to Hoyt W. Hollister. Some years ago, a Mr. Jenkins, residing in the northeastern part of the town, met with an accident which re- sulted in his death. He fell from a wagon loaded with grain, and the wagon passing over hint injured him mortally. This sad affair was profoundly lamented by Mr. Jenkins' neighbors, who held him in great esteem. He was buried on section 12, where a short time previous an acre of ground had been set aside for one of the town cemeteries. . A IMr. Badger was one of the first interred here, and shortly after Harlan Hollister also found it his last resting-place. This ceme- tery is now chiefly used by the citizens of northeastern Oxford, and is controlled by the town board. About 1838 an acre of ground in the southwest quarter of section 22 was purchased by the township for a cemetery. William Maxwell, a youth about nineteen years of age, was the first grown person interred there. Grandmother Rossman was the neit. About 1871 the township purchased six acres of land as an addition to the cemetery. It has also improved and beautified the grounds, making it a very attractive spot. Previous to 1855 the people of northwestern Oxford had no public burial- ground. That year a lot was secured on the southwest quarter of section 6 for this purpose. An association was formed, charged with its care, and it has since been under its management. It is now known as the Oakwood cemetery. PIONEER MINISTERS AND RELIGIOUS MEETINGS. The settler had hardly pitched his camp before the evangelist followed in his wake proclaiming the gospel. He belonged to that noble type of mankind which esteems all things else as naught if the Master's work can but be advanced. Hardships and trials are endured with patience, if the light of the gospel can be made to illumine the way of those whom circumstances have placed beyond the privileges and influences of churches. To this class belonged Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles, the first preacher in the township. He traveled over the country on foot, and preached wherever opportunity offered; and hie was a man who knew how to make an opportunity. Elder Ruggles was not long alone in his labors. In 1836, Elder Cannon, a Christian minister, preached at the houses of the set- tlers, and in the school-houses as soon as they were erected. His efforts were crowned with success, and his name is ever spoken with gratitude as belonging to a self.denying, noble man. Elder Jackson, a Methodist, was also one of the early heralds of the cross; and Elders Solomon Snyder and Fuller labored effectively in the pioneer ranks of the moral vineyard. Others followed and preached in school-houses until the churches at Oxford were erected. Around these most of the church history of the township clusters. SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL-IIOUSES. The pioneers of Oxford were not unmindful of the intellectual interests of their children. Though wanting the comforts of life, they were deternmined not to deprive them of the greatest and richest boon,-an education. Among their first acts, then, after the building of their own humble homes, was the erection of school-houses, rude, and bare of the appliances now generally found in buildings of this class, but serving very well the purpose for which they were intended; and it must be recorded to the credit of the people of this township that, as soon as possible, they supplanted these uncouth structures with a better class of buildings. The pionecr school-house was built on section 9, in 1835, and was, like most of the buildings of that day, a log structure. Miss Maria Sherman had the honor of teaching the first school, probably in the summer of 1836. Her pupils were gathered from far and near, some coming from Lapeer county. The house was burned down in 1839, and in 1840 a frame building took its place, and remains to this day. The northwestern part of the town was first supplied with a school- house in 1837. It was built on section 7, was destroyed by fire in 1842, and had a frame successor near its old site in 18 13. In the northwestern part of the town the first school was taught in 1839, by Miss Betsy Howard. Some of the pupils attending were the Earls. Miss Howard received at first eight shillings a week; and this was increased until it was estimated that her services were worth twelve shillings a week, and she was voted that princely sum. The first school-house in the southern part of the town was erected about 1837, on section 22. In 1842 a frame building took its place, and was used until 1860, when the district got possession of the Oxford Institute building. Among the first teachers at the log school-house were William H. Betteys, Samuel Wolf, and Elizabeth Pelton. The pupils were Orin Stone, Thomas Powell, Joseph C. Powell, O. E. Bell, David Bell, and others. ROADS AND RA1LROADS. The Territorial road from Rochester to Lapeer was located through the town- ship in 1832. It enters it on the south side, near the middle of section 35, and passes thence in a northwesterly direction to the northern line of section 16, when it deflects slightly to the northeast, and passes out of the township near the east line of section 4. It was a very important highway, and is yet the principal road Toll, u .2 . k yo-,: a low, u o G l c i } a I? KIL LAM HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 245 in the town. Among the other early located roads was one west from the Lapeer road, on the line between sections 4 and 9; also, one east from the Lapeer road, between sections 22 and 27. William M1. Axford was the surveyor of these roads. In 1872 the Detroit and Bay City railroad was built along the general line of the Territorial road to the centre of section 9, whence it passes northwest to the west line of section 4, and into Lapeer county. It is a well-constructed and finely-equipped road, and has two stations in the township: Oxford, on section 27, and Thomas, on section 4. The construction of this road was a boon to the people of Oxford. Prior to this they had to carry their produce many miles over bad roads to market; now excellent markets are afforded at home. SOLDIERS OF 1812. Peter Stroud, a soldier of 1812, was born in New York in 1791. At the age of twenty-one hlie enlisted as a private in Captain Abram Mattison's military company of New York militia. He was appointed fifer, with the rank of corporal, and participated in the engagements at Black Rock and at other points. In 1852 lihe became a resident of Oxford, where hlie still lives, at a very advanced age. Adamn Drake, a native of New Jersey, was also a soldier of 1812. He settled in the western part of the township, where hlie died in 1874, at the age of ninety- seven years. FIRST TOWN-3MEETING. In the fall of 1836 the citizens of the town held a primary town-meeting at Deming's school-house, to petition the legislative council to grant them a separate organization. They were then a part of Oakland township. A committee, con- sisting of Samuel Axford, Otis C. Thompson, and John Rossman, was appointed to select a name for the new town. Mr. Thompson insisted that nothing could be more appropriate than Oxford, since nearly all the settlers had ox-teams, and would have for some years to conime. His suggestion prevailed, much to the chagrin of a patriotic Yankee, who strenuously opposed the adoption of any name that was so strongly savored with British life and customs as Oxford. The civil organization was effected in April, 1837, when the first annual town- meeting was held. The electors assembled at the house of Fite Rossman, on section 27, and after choosing Rufus K. Moore moderator, and Justin Bixby clerk, elected as Supervisor, Peter D. Makely; Clerk, Daniel Haines; Assessors, Samuel Axford, Daniel F..Ingals, and Harlan Hollister; Justices of the Peace, Daniel F. Ingals, Justin Bixby, Rufus K. Moore, and Levi Smith; Commissioners of IHigh- ways, Addison Orcutt, Rufus K. Moore, and Ilezekiah B. Killam; School In- spectors, Daniel F. Ingals, Robert McKay, and Samuel Axford; Collector, Morgan Axford; Directors of the Poor, John Rossman and William Coates; Constables, Adam Rossman and Horace Hovey; Pound-master, Joseph Furguson. The principal officers elected for constitutional terms since 1837 were: Sulpervisors.-Daniel F. Ingals, 1838-39, 1841; Elbridge G. Deming, 1840; William H. Powell, 1842-49, 1852; E. J. Bell, 1850; Robert W. Davis, 1851 W. Stark, 1853; Samuel Axford, 1854, 1858-59; Joel P. Toms, 1855-56; John Thomas, 1857; Joseph C. Powell, 1860-61,1870-72; Loren L. Treat, 1862-64, 1873; John l1oyers, 1865; A. Hagerman, 1866-69; Henry Groff, 1871; Thurlow L. Pierce, 1874-75; William J. Tunstead, 1876-77. Town Cleris.-William H. Powell, 1838, 1840-41; Daniel Haines, 1839; Samuel Rossman, 1842--43; Daniel F. Ingals, 1844; Samuel Phelps, 1845-46; Robert W. Davis, 1847; George 11. Kilborn, 1848; Joel P. Toms, 1849, 1852; John E. Deming, 1853; Peter D. Morris, 1854; Lewis G. Clark, 1855; A. H. Hovey, 1856-57; O. E. Bell, 1858-60, 1868; Alfred Hagerman, 1861; David W. Bell, 1862, 1865; Isaac Kitchen, 1863-64; J. 31. Dunlap, 1867, 1876- 77; Joel Wallace, 1868; M. 31. Stanton, 1869; H. Baldwin, 1870; John Gardner, 1871; Levi W. Sutherland, 1872-73; Quincy A. Thomas, 1874; Lovett W. Stanton, 1875. JJstices of the I'eace.-Justin Bixby, 1838; Daniel Haines, 1839; John Thomas, 1840; Rufus K. Moore, 1841; David Applegate, 1842, 1846; Ambrose Clemons, 1843, 1847; Adam Rossman, 1844, 1848; Alfred Allen, 1849, 1853; Harry Frink, 1850, 1861; Edwin J. Bell, 1845, 1856; Joel P. Toms, 1851; W. Stark, 1852; William Hollister, 1854; Alphonso Baker, 1855; William H. Betteys, 1857; Lucius Fitch, 1858, 1862; Loren L. Treat, 1859; Newland C. Jones, 1860; 0. E. Bell, 1863; Lovett W. Stanton, 1864, 1868, 1872, 1876; Squire W. Stark, 1865; Samuel Axford, 1866; Thomas N. Lomis, 1867; Andrew Sutherland, 1869, 1873; Henry Groff, 1870, 1874; Ralph Hunt, 1871, 1875; Payne Chappel, 1877. TIHE OFFICIAL RECORDS of the first town-meetings contain some interesting matter. In 1837 a bounty of three dollars was voted for every wolf killed within the bounds of the town. Five school districts were formed, and sixteen road districts established. At the Congressional election, held in August, 1837, fifty-six votes were polled; and at the State election, in November of the same year, this number was aug- mented to eighty-two votes. The entire expenses of the town, for 1837, were eighty-three dollars and fifty- five cents, of which sum the supervisor received fourteen dollars and twenty-five cents. In 1842, the matter of restraining cattle was brought before the meeting. It was decided that they be restrained. Lemuel Van Wagoner was elected pound- master; "and that his barn-yard be taken for a public pound, and hlie is to have twenty-five cents for every creature he may pound." OAKWOOD. Somewhere about 1845, there were a number of houses erected on the Brandon town-line, on the southwest corner of section 6, and the northwest corner of sec- tion 7, in the township of Oxford, and on the adjacent section in Brandon. The place was never platted for a village, but lots were sold from the farms of Hosea and Welcome Campbell; and from the circumstance the place was at first called Campbell's Corners. About 1848, Welcome Campbell built a tavern on the southwest corner of section 6. It was a commodious building for those times, and has been used for tavern purposes ever since. A short time after. Mr. Campbell built an addition to his house and put in a stock of goods. With the growth of the place came a change of name, and it is now known as Oakwood. It is delightfully located, in a rich tfarming country, and affords pleasant homes for about one hundred and fifty inhabitants.- John C. Meacham conducts a hotel, on the Oxford side; James Douglas has a blacksmith-shop; James Weir a cooper-shop; and Daniel Fuller and Marcus Gregory have wagon-shops. There is also a fine school-house and about fifteen private residences in the same part of Oakwood. THOMAS. Soon after the building of the Detroit and Bay City railroad there was a demand for a station and village on this line, in the northern part of the town- ship. In response to this desire, John Thomas platted eighteen acres on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 4, in December, 1873. The situa- tion is extremely beautiful. It is on a high plain, overlooking the surrounding countrjr, yet easily approached on all sides. The first building erected at Thomas was a grain-elevator, in 1874. Its dimensions are fifty-six by twenty-four feet, and it has a capacity of fifteen car-loads. It was also used as the first fireight depot. In the fall of 1874, the Francis brothers erected a grain-house, thirty- eight by forty-six feet, being the second building in the place. Early in 1875, John Thomas built a fine store-house in the eastern part of the village, when L. D. Campbell put in a large stock of goods in the fall of that year. The same season a large hotel was erected north of the store. The main building is twenty- four by forty-eight feet; the wing, twenty-four by thirty-six feet. It is two stories high. Messrs. Knapp & Wilson erected a large store the same year. A handsome depot building was also put up in 1875. A steam grist-mill was erected by Francis & Johnson Brothers, in 1876. The main building is thirty- four by forty-six feet, twenty-two feet high,-with an addition of twenty-two by sixty-four feet. The machinery is first-class, three run of stones, and operated by a forty horse-power engine. The capacity of the mill is seventy-five barrels of flour per day. The growth of Thomas has been steady and continual, and it now has a popu- lation of about seventy-five souls, with the following business: cooperage, Francis & Johnson Brothers; hotel, "The Sherman House," H. E. Bartholo- mew; steam mill, Francis & Johnson Brothers; general store, Knapp & Wilson; millinery, Misses Ewell and Widger; grain and lumber, Francis & Johnson Brothers; clothing, A. 31. Lewis; boots and shoes, J. Ecles; wagon-shop, Nelson Whitbeck; blacksmiths, Samuel Bradley and John Miller; postmaster, Byron Knapp; express agent, G. S. Maynard. Thomas is noted as an important shipping point. In 1874, two hundred and sixteen car-loads of wheat were shipped from this place. OXFORD VILLAGE. This thriving and enterprising village is located on sections 22 and 27, on the Detroit and Bay City railroad. It is situated on an elevated plain several miles in extent, and, owing to its altitude, which raises it above malarial influences, is one of the healthiest localities in the State. The surrounding country is under a high state of cultivation, which conduces greatly to the prosperity of the place. It is noted as one of the finest trading points on the railroad. Its private and public buildings present a neat and handsome appearance; and there is an air of thrift and business activity which betokens general prosperity. The land on which the village is located is part of the original purchases made by Fite and Adam Rossman in 1833 and 1834. These also were the first settlers. The house HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. erected by Fite Rossman in 1833, and which was afterwards used as a tavern, stood near the present " Oxford Exchange." Henry Shelters settled near Rossman's in the fall of 1833, and was the first carpenter and joiner in theplace. He has lived here since, and still follows his trade. About 1837, William H. Powell settled at what was then known as Oxford Corners, and commenced building a frame tavern. It was not completed until 1839. It was then a good building, and is yet used as a hotel, being now known as the " Stanton House." In April, 1839, Dr. E. Burdick removed from Deming's to Powell's, and helped the latter complete his tavern. They used home-made lath, splitting cedar posts into thin strips for this purpose. Dr. Burdiek was the first practicing physician in the place. Isaac Annice, the first blacksmith, located about 1838. He was well liked, and always spoken of as Uncle Annice. Robert W. Davis was the first wagon-maker, building a shop about 1840. In 1839, Hiram Gould came to the village, and worked at his trade,-car- pentry. Worthington Gay was the mason and plasterer. Daniel Haines was the weaver. He made plain cloths. No one could afford the luxury of a rag carpet. About 1840, Daniel F. Inds and Benjamin Knight built a small foundry at Oxford. They made plows, sleigh-shoes, and repairs for farmers. Some of the citizens of the village desiring a gun to celebrate the nation's natal day, Knight & Ingals undertook to cast one at their foundry. Perry Ball made the model. The work of casting was easy enough, but it was found a somewhat diffi- cult matter to drill the bore. It was finally accomplished by sinking the gun into the ground in an upright position, and then, by the aid of sweeping levers to which drills were affixed, carried round and round like the levers of a thrashing power, four men did the work, which occupied several days. After the work was done, they were afraid the cannon would burst if used. To test its strength they tied it to a stump, and putting in a heavy charge were gratified to see it equal to the strain. This novel piece of ordnance was used to announce the advent of the fourth of July, 1841, and has been employed on many similar occasions subse- quently. It is yet able to belch forth the glad notes of America's independence, and was used to celebrate the centennial anniversary. It is now the property of Dr. Burdick, one of the original owners. In 1842, Samuel Phelps opened the first store in the village. Money being scarce most of the trading was done by a species of exchange called "dickering." About 1844, the Axford brothers started another store; and, in 1845, Joel P. Toms opened a good store in a building opposite Powell's hotel. The other firms had in the mean time retired from business. Ambrose Lake was the shoemaker, and a capital workman. About 1842, George Loucks built a small tannery near the village, but did not work it more than a few years. In 184, Benjamin Knight built the second hotel in Oxford. It was a frame house, just south of the log house built by Fite Rossman. It is still a tavern, and is now known as the "Oxford Exchange." Until 1845 no plat had been made for the village of Oxford. What houses had been erected were built upon lots sold by the Rossmans along the section line; and their number did not exceed fifteen. George Loucks having purchased Adam Rossman's land the year before, now platted four acres for a village, calling it Loucks' division of Oxford. What little growth the place had was in this quarter. But its increase was not remarkable, as will be seen from the list of business firms given by Dr. Stanton as existing when he came to Oxford, in 1862: one store, two hotels, three blacksmith-shops, and one wagon-shop. The physicians were Doctors Burdick and Lawrence. As soon as the railroad was projected through the village, improvements began to spring up on every hand; and since its completion the growth of Oxford has been steady and rapid, without being abnormal. It has now a population num- bering about eight hundred inhabitants. To accommodate this increase, additions were made to the original plat by Horatio V. Knapp in 1870, three blocks on section 22; Eber Denison, 1871, five blocks on section 27; J. Ensley, 1873, several blocks on section 27; Joseph Powell, 1874, six blocks on section 22; and Albert Lincoln, 1877, two blocks on section 27. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. Until January 13, 1876, the village of Oxford was unincorporated. At that time it adopted a charter, giving it corporate powers and the control over one square mile of territory. The first election for village officers was held March 7, 1876, at which time one hundred and fourteen votes were cast. The officers elected were: President, John T. Stanton; Trustees, B. L. Waite, H. C. Glaspie, Eber Denison, W. J. Tun- stead, Alvin M. Titus, Harrison Baldwin; Clerk, Jefferson M. Dunlap; Treas- urer, William Glaspie; Assessor, Frank Kennedy; Marshal, Andrew Sutherland; Street Commissioner, Linus E. Ober; Fire Wardens, Truman H. Rice, Silas T. Fenn. At the second election, March 14, 1877, one hundred and eighty-six votes were polled, electing: President, J. Harvey McKnight; Trustees, T. H. Rice, John Clemons, Frank Kennedy; Clerk, Jefferson M. Dunlap. MANUFACTURES. Oxford VTdlley Mills.-In 1869, F. C. Barber erected a building twenty-four by forty-two feet, which he used for some years as a planing-mill. In 1871, he reconstructed the building for a grist-mill, and added twenty-four by twenty-four feet to its original dimensions. It now contains three sets of burrs, having a grinding capacity of five hundred bushels per day. Messrs. McKnight & Seeley at present own and operate these mills. Oxford Ca'-riage Factory, John Clemons, proprietor, was established in 1865. The main building of the factory is fifty-five by sixty feet, two stories high, with a wing twenty-two by thirty feet. The manufactures consist of fine carriages, phaetons, and other light vehicles. Nine hands are employed. Oxford Agricultural 1 orks, Mitchell, Williams & Co.-Under the present management this has become an extensive factory. It absorbed a number of small foundries and shops in 1873, thus gaining control of this branch of busi- ness. The main shop has dimensions of thirty-four by forty feet, two stories high. The moulding-room is twenty-four by forty feet. Employment is given to a number of hands in the manufacture of the Wiard, Williams, and Welling plows, harrows, scrapers, and general farm machinery. A specialty is made of Manley's eveners, the firm controlling the patent. Oxford M chine Works, established in 1876 by Nichols & Cushing. The firm does general job work. Oxford Marble lorks.-This industry was established in 1873. It is at present owned by Brown & Morton, who give employment to six workmen. The shop is thirty-eight by fifty feet, and the work produced is noted for its excellence. The Carriage Mlanufactory of McKenzie & Titus was established in October, 1876, in a shop thirty-five by one hundred feet. It is in a flourishing condition, and employs six hands. Platform-wagons are a special product of this factory. The Oxford Vinegar Factory is a new enterprise, dating its establishment in August, 1876. The products are pure cider and wine vinegar, manufactured on scientific principles. A. A. Stanton is the proprietor; Adam Keiser is the fore- man and the designer of nearly all the apparatus employed. The main factory is a two-story building thirty by forty-five feet; the store and press-room is three stories high. Its annual capacity is ten thousand barrels. Oxford Brewery, William Findon, proprietor. Erected September, 1876. Cooperage, established in 1872, by E. S. Marsh. Employs three hands in a shop thirty by forty feet. Oxford Steam-Planing Mill, Alexander Johnson, proprietor. Dimensions of factory, forty by fifty-two feet; built in 1877. Mr. Johnson employs four men. Brown's Garriage-Stop, erected in 1865, by J. F. Brown; building twenty by sixty feet. Employs several hands in carriage-building and general work. Blacksmiths.-G. Davison is the oldest in the place, having been here since 1850. Augustus Hartwick also conducts a shop. Each employs several hands. Frn/itre and Uabinet-Shops.-G. J. Whitcomb and H. Baldwin manufac- ture furniture and cabinet-work. The latter was established in 1859, and was the first cabinet-maker in the township. Both are also general dealers in furni- ture, and undertakers. The general business of Oxford is transacted by the following firms: agricul- tural implement dealers, Morgan Axford, A. D. Delano, Tunstead & Crawford; bakery and confectionery, Henry Morrison; barber, Warner Robinson; boots and shoes, B. W. Green, Hulick & Carpenter, G. Loeffier; carpenter and joiner, George H. Crawford; clothing, John Ryman, John Lenhoff, Max Lenhoff & Co.; dentists, P. R. Hovey, E. R. Jebb; dry goods, E. A. Bennett & Co., L. W. Sutherland, Charles Watson, George W. Alger, Larzelier & Hagerman; drugs and groceries, D. W. Bell, C. G. Parkhurst & Co., L. J. Price; dress-making, Mrs. Bull; harness, W. B. Green, W. H. May; hardware, F. C. Barber, W. J. Tunstead; hotels, " Stanton House," II. C. Stanton, "Sherman House," R. Kile, " Oxford Exchange," R. Kile; jewelry, W. H. Brownell; liquor dealer, E. R. Clark; lawyers, S. T. Fenn, L. L. Treat, H. E. Dikeman; livery, Joshua Losey, Z. Edson; meat-markets, Jefferson Dibble, Schooley & Porter; millinery and fancy goods, Mrs. C. Ryman, Mrs. G. W. Alger, Mrs. E. C. Banker; milliners and dress-makers, Mrs. Minnie Miner, Mrs. G. W. Alger, Miss Fulkerson & Co.; merchant tailor, John Ryman; newspaper, Weekly Journal, Stoddard & Wait; 1/ 0 ,.0 2,, T0 Y : 0~e 11 IV HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 247 I notions, A. P. Glaspie; Oxford Exchange Bank, Parkhurst & Co.; physicians, E. Burdick, O. E. Bell, M. H. Bird, 3l. S. Bennett, J. T. Stanton, James Porter; post-office, D. W. Bell; real estate, E. E. Davis; warehouse and grain-elevator, Nelson H. Crawford. Burdiek Hall, Dr. E. Burdick, proprietor, is a fine three-story building, twenty-four by sixty-two feet. Can accommodate four hundred people. There is a fine cornet band, of ten members, having William' Johnston as leader. The organization is effective, and the music it discourses is of a high order. Oxford Library, sustained by the Literary Union, has one hundred and seventy-five volumes of standard works. It is well patronized, and has created a healthy literary tone. The Literary Union was organized in 1875, and has now about seventy members. A. W. Tanner is the president, and Miss M. L. Bishop the secretary. SECRET ORDERS. Oxford Lodge, No. 44, F. A. M., was chartered January 11,. 1856, with the following members: Erastus Spalding, Samuel Axford, David Ketcham, Jesse Elwell, Lewis C. Davis, Philip M. Parker, Horace Hovey, and Warner Churchill. Erastus Spalding was elected the first W. 3. In November, 1857, the hall of the lodge was burned, destroying all its records, and necessitating the granting of a new dispensation. A new charter was granted January 15, 1858. From this time the lodge has enjoyed a prosperous career, and numbers at present seventy-five members. T. L. Pierce is the W. M. Oxford Chapter, No. 94, was granted a dispensation bearing date September 25, 1874. On the 21st of January, 1875, it was chartered, having then the following twelve members: William J. Tunstead, J. T. Stanton, Alvin H. Green, T. N. Reynolds, A. L. Van Wagoner, Jefferson M. Dunlap, Monroe G. Dunlap, O. W. Lawrence, T. H. Rice, Alfred Hagerman, Charles Tunstead, and L. W. Stanton. W. J. Tunstead was elected the first High Priest. The chapter has forty-five members enrolled at present. Harry Groff is the Secretary. Anchor Lodge, N. 281, I. O. O. F., was instituted May 29, 1877, by P. G. Weir, D. D. G. M., and had as charter members J. F. Davidson, George C. Brown, A. i. Winslow, Almer Johnston, A. M. Titus, Max Lenhoff, R. W. Slayton, E. RIt. Jebb, J. D. Ford, Ml. H. Bird, Samuel Bradley. A. l. Titus was the first N. G. The lodge has now thirty-nine members, officered by G. C. Brown, N. G.; R. W. Slayton, V. G.; F. J. Jenkins, Secretary; A. Ml. Winslow, As- sistant Secretary; and J. McKinzie, Treasurer. Oxford Division, Sons of Temperance, was organized February 26, 1875, with twenty-two charter members. The present membership is thirty-five. J. W. Phillips is Division Deputy; Mrs. Ml. Dove, W. P.; and S. W. Heltiker, R. S. OXFORD INSTITUTE. Appreciating the advantage arising from good schools, the people of Oxford made provision for obtaining a higher education by establishing the above insti- tution in 1857. A stock company was formed, which elected the following officers: President, Rev. Win. H. Fuller; Vice-President, E. J. Bell; Trustees, John Lloyers, Hoyt W. Hollister, Philo Van Wagoner, Alfred Allen, Loren L. Treat, William Glaspie, Elbridge G. Deming. This board issued a circular in 1857, stating that the necessary funds had been secured, making it possible to open the first term in Hovey's hall, on the 9th day of September, 1857; that they had secured the services of Rev. S. A. Taft, of the Rochester (New York) University, as principal; and that a magnificent building, forty by fifty-two feet, Gothic style, two stories high, with four recitation- rooms, and other rooms for apparatus, with sittings for two hundred pupils, was being prepared for use the term following. It was further announced, in an elaborate double-sheet prospectus, that "we have spared no pains in the erection of our building, and we do not hesitate to say that our location is beautiful for situation, high and dry, and healthy. Send in your youth and we will educate them, or help them in educating themselves. Our object is not to make money, but to do good. For this we -have expended our money." The public were assured that the terms of tuition would be liberal, and that approved methods of teaching would be adopted: " Our system of teaching will be, first, the syn- thetical, then the analytical, methods of instruction. Synthesis first, analysis second." The institution proved to be a good school, but not a paying institution. A few years' experience convinced the trustees that it would be impolitic to attempt to maintain it as a private school, and when the district made a proposition to buy the property, with a view of starting a graded school, it was looked upon with favor. Accordingly, in 1860, the institute was closed, and soon after the district school was graded, and its sessions held in the institute building. There are at present four departments, classed as primary, intermediate, grammar, and high school; each of these has three grades. They are at present taught by C. B. Hall, principal; Miss Ada Crawford, grammar; Miss Maria L. Bishop, inter- mediate; and Mary Wickham, primary. THE CHRISTIAN CIIHURCII. Among the first preachers in the township were some professing this faith, whose tenets are, briefly: 1st, to have no name but Christian; 2d, to labor for unity among members; 3d, to have fellowship with all Christians; 4th, to recog- nize no creed but the Bible; 5th, to heartily allow individual interpretation of the Bible. But there was no church organization until 1862. On the 31st day of May of that year Elder Fifield organized a society, at the Crawford school-house, consisting of Simeon and Eliza Crawford, Hannah Martin, Marvin S. Hutton, and James F. and Frances Bailey. . Simeon Crawford was chosen deacon and James F. Bailey clerk. In 1865 the meetings were transferred to the village of Oxford, and the church reorganized, receiving as additional members John B. and Martha Young, Hiram and Mary Roberts, John and Eliza Moyers, B. R. and Electa Gass, George G. and Mliahala Mills, Robert R. Youngs, Irena Youngs, Louisa I. Philbrick, and William Verden. Marvin Hutton was chosen deacon and J. F. Bailey clerk. Elder John Cannon was then pastor in charge, preaching semi-monthly. Hle was suc- ceeded April 28, 1866, by Elder C. Dearing, who remained one year. At the regular fellowship meeting, held in May, 1807, four members were received. Elder S. Snyder and wife, having become residents of Oxford, were also received at the same meeting. He was unanimously chosen pastor, and served them four years. The services during this period were held in the other churches of the village and the school-house. Fourteen members were added in this period. For the following five years the society was without a pastor, and had no regular place of worship. In 1875 work was commenced on the present church edifice, and on the 10th of April, 1876, it was dedicated. It is an imposing brick struc- ture (the only house of that material in the township), thirty-eight by seventy feet, with basement and a symmetrical spire. It has cost, completely furnished, six thousand dollars. The ladies of the society furnished the church as their part of the work, and have done it in a tasteful manner. The dedicatory services were conducted by Rev. N. Summerbell, D.D., of Ohio, assisted by Elders De Geer, of Holly, Youngs, of Romeo, and other visiting brethren. Besides those men- tioned, the following have had ministerial connection: Elder Bartlett, four months, and Elder Mlosher, eight months. Elder S. Snyder is the present pastor, and has sustained that relation since 1876, in which time fifty-two have united with the church. Christian Sunday-School.-This school was organized in 1876, with twenty-five scholars. It has been very prosperous, and now has seventy-five members. D. McKnight is the superintendent. TIHE BAPTIST CIIURCII. Although among the first to send the pioneer missionary to the town of Oxford, and sustaining preaching at irregular intervals in different localities, no effort was made to organize a society of those professing the Baptist faith until 1859. At that time the church at Oxford was organized. Its history is thus given by the Rev. Milo Smith. When organized, on the fourth day of September, 1859, the church was constituted of the following members: William Betteys, Isaac Brown, Griffin Green, Squire Tanner, Frederick Wicks, Sarah Tanner, Elizabeth Green, and Artemesia Brown. William Betteys and Griffin Green were elected deacons, and Squire Tanner clerk. The church was formally recognized by a council, called for that purpose July 2, 1862, consisting of delegates front the churches at Pontiac, Rochester, Oakland, Brandon, and Hadley. In August, 1862, it was received into the fellowship of the Flint River Baptist association. Rev. S. A. Taft was called to the pastorate of the church November 12, 1859, and closed his labors April 27, 1861. Monthly covenant meetings were held, and some additions made to the church, without a pastor, until January 1, 1862, when the services of the Rev. Wmin. W. Fuller were secured. Brother Fuller's labors were blessed of God and highly appreciated by the church and the community. His pastoral relation was dissolved January 2, 1864, and Rev. S. Hayden was called February 27 of the same year. He remained with the church until January 1, 1865, when hlie was succeeded by Rev. S. Gardiner, who remained pastor until March 1, 1869. The meetings were held in the Methodist church and the school-house until 1867, when, under the leadership of the Rev. S. Gardiner, the society "resolved to arise and build." The edifice was formally dedicated December 9, 1868. It was built at a cost of five thousand dollars, and has a seating capacity for four hundred. Rev. J. J. Gundy succeeded Rev. S. Gardiner in March, 1869, and served as pastor until May, 1871. Under his labors the church was blessed with a precious revival, and a goodly number were converted and added to the church by baptism. Rev. 248 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. D. Gostelow settled as pastor December 3, 1871, and resigned May 4, 1873. His labors were blessed in the strengthening of the church and the conversion of many souls. Rev. J. 31. Titterington became pastor in February, 1874, and tendered his resignation in September, 1876. He came to the place in the fiullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Unsparingly hlie "cast his bread upon the waters," but did not wait for the complete fulfillment of the promise, "it shall return after many days." Hie garnered a few golden sheaves, and then sought another field, leaving the harvest here to those who should "enter into his labors." Then the veteran color-bearer, Rev. Gardiner, came again to the front, to take up the work where Rev. Titterington left it, and to carry it forward in the strength of the Master. In June, 1877, the Baptists and Methodists united in a series of union meetings, which awakened such an interest that they were continued for many weeks. The churches were revived, and a deep religious sentiment pervaded the entire commu- nity. About this time a series of meetings were commenced in the Christian church by Rev. C. O. Brown, pastor of the Congregational church at Rochester. These the Baptists also attended, and, uniting their labors, such an interest was produced that hundreds cried for mercy, and many found peace by believing in Christ. Of this number thirty-five united with the Baptist church. Rev. Milo Smith was called to the care of the church in April, 1877, and began his labors under encouraging auspices. The membership of the church is at present one hundred and twenty-five, united and harmonious, having every reason to " thank God and take courage." A Sunday-school was organized by the church in May, 1859, with the follow- ing officers: Superintendent, RI. Crandall; Assistant Superintendent, G. G. Mills; Secretary, D. W. Bell; Treasurer, R. W. Sutherland. R. W. Sutherland is the present superintendent. There are one hundred and fifty members, and a library of two hundred volumes. The school is prosperous, and its work is producing a good influence upon the community. TIHE METHIIODIST EPISCOPAL CIIURCII. The history of Methodism in this section dates from 1834, and, in the absence of church records, is based upon the recollection of some of the oldest members. The Rev. J. F. Davidson has gathered some of these accounts, and from them the history of the church at Oxford is compiled. In the spring of 1834, Revs. J. F. Davidson and John Kensar were appointed to the Farmnington circuit, which then extended north beyond the bounds of the county. They had a preaching place at Paint creek, where the former organized a class of seven Methodists. In 1837, Revs. Earl and Britton, then on this work, organized a class at Oxford, composed of William H. Powell and wife; Peter Makely and wife; Daniel Haines and wife; Rufus Moore and wife; and Daniel Ingals and wife. Peter Makely was chosen class-leader. Regular preaching was now maintained in the school-house, with such good effect that in 1843 the class had increased so much that it was decided to build a church. At this time Salmon Steele had charge of the work. Accordingly, a board of trustees, consisting of '. H. Powell, Joseph Tindall, Daniel Ingals, David Applegate, John Clemons, John Stone, and Peter Tubbs, was elected, and the work was begun. A frame edifice, thirty-two by forty-two, with twelve-foot posts, was erected in the village of Oxford; and in this the society worshiped nearly thirty years. The increase of membership again obliged the society to build, and in 1867 a new board of trustees was elected to inaugurate and control the work. At this time Rev. William Taylor was the presiding elder. The trustees selected were Joseph C. Powell, John W. Phillips, Hiram Travis, Alfred Van Wagoner, David Applegate, Thomas W. Powell, and E. J. Boice. A fine location for the church was selected, and the work had so far progressed that the corner-stone was laid on the 24th of June, 1868. The present structure, an imposing frame building, forty feet wide by seventy in length, two stories in height, and surmounted by a well-proportioned spire, was erected and furnished at a cost of six thousand five hundred dollars. It has five hundred sittings, and is well adapted for the services of the church and the Sunday-school. Impressive dedicatory services were held by Dr. George B. Joslyn, president of Albion college, in March, 1869. From this time the interest in the work has been steadfast and increasing. The present number of members in good standing is one hundred and fifty-one; the number on probation is thirty-four; making the entire membership of the church one hundred and eighty-five The following is the pastoral connection since the formation of the first class in 1837: 1838-39, Rev. John Cosart; 1840, Rev. William Mothersill; 1841, Hiram Law; 1842, Thomas B. Granger; 1843-44, Salmon Steele; 1845-46, John Gray; 1847-48, C. C. Woodard; 1849, F. Britton; 1850, Andrew Bell and S. Hendrickson; 1851-52, B. F. Pritchard; 1853-54, L. P. Lee and John Gray; 1855, T. Seeley; 1856, William Moon; 1857-58, Rufus C. Crane; 1859-60, Samuel Bessey; 1861-62, Alfred Allen; 1863-64, J. R. Noble; 1865-67, John A. McIlwaine; 1868, J. F. Dory; 1869, W. H. Benton; 1870-71, N. Green; 1872-74, J. O. Bancroft; 1875-77, J. F. Davidson. A Sunday-school is maintained by the society. The present membership of the school is one hundred and twenty. George C. Brown is the superintendent of the school, which is in a highly prosperous condition. One hundred and fifteen periodicals are taken, and a library of three hundred and sixty volumes is sustained. Our thanks are due Hon. Samuel Axford, Alanson Decker, Hosea Campbell, John Thomas, Harry Frink, Doctors O. E. Bell, J. F. Stanton, and E. Burdick, Adam Rossman, David Applegate, Hoyt W. Hollister, Grandy Earl, Rev. Milo Smith, Rev. Solomon Snyder, and others, who have rendered us valuable assistance by the information they have given us concerning the history of Oxford township. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. lION. SAMUEL AXFORD. In Samuel Axford we see a self-made man. Tihe oldest of a flmily of thirteen children, hlie was born August 6, 1809, in what was then known as the " Long Point" country, in the present province of Ontario. His parents were natives of New Jersey, and had removed to Canada to better their condition in life. his father's name was Samuel, and his mother's maiden name was Rachel Morgan, she being a niece of the General Morgan of Revolutionary fame. ThIe reports of the fertility of the Peninsular Territory reaching them, they were induced to leave Canada in May, 1823, to seek a home in this new land. They settled in the town of Shelby, Macomb county, and there for ten years Samuel found a pioneer's honme; then, in 1833, lie entered the present township of Oxford, being the third settler in the town. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of government land. and this lie set about improving as fast as his limited means would permit, not neglecting to cultivate his mind, and to gain in a measure that education which was denied him by the privations of his youth. The education thus obtained is what fitted him for the public positions which lie afterwards held. In 1835 lie was united in matrimony with Phebe Summers, of Macomb county, Michigan, by whom he has had eight children, all but one living at the present time. Mr. Axford has always taken a warm interest in public matters, being in his political predilections a Democrat, assisting in the organization of Oxford town- ship, and has held nearly every office in the gift of his fellow-townsmen. In 1841 hlie was elected to the Michigan legislature, where hlie served his constituents with such acceptance that they successfully demanded his nomination for State senator in 1851. HIe was the unanimous choice of the convention. Comment- ing on the result, the Jacksonian said, " Personally hlie is endeared to all by his honest inflexibility of purpose. . . . No better nomination could have been made." He was triumphantly elected, and discharged his senatorial duties with great credit to himself and his county. Among his colleagues were Senators Christiancy, Roberts, Le Roy, and others of equal eminence. Passing out of public life, Mr. Axford continues his favorite avocation, and now resides upon the farm which he hewed out of the wilderness, respected by all, and honored as a man who has never placed self above the public good. ALANSON DECKER. TIme subject of this brief sketch is a native of New York, having been born in Seneca county, July 12, 1810. When he was fourteen years old his father, Jesse Decker, moved to Michigan, settling in what is now Orion township, in 1825. Here, at the age of nineteen, Alanson married Alvira Dewey, daughter of Josiah Dewey, of Oakland township. He lived several years in what was known as the "Decker settlement," conducting a farm, but always having a strong desire to pos- sess a home of his own. In April, 1833, lie joined the new settlement, made in Oxford township, and located land on section 8, his being the fourth family in the town. Here hlie has lived forty-four years, seeing the country change from a barren waste until it is regarded as fertile as any in the Union. By dint of hard work Mr. Decker has succeeded in obtaining a fine home, where he lives, at a ripe age, in easy circum- stances, near the spot where his pioneer log house was first erected. Mr. Decker has been twice married; the last time, in 1851, to Sylvia Ann Liv- ermore. ' He has nine children living, three having died, who unite with the neighbors in honoring a man whose life was unmarked by any extraordinary event, but which was always characterized by probity and honor. 0 e0 (I. y .0 . e..0 4 41 ry , & 4~4r r, N ,,f, i ;44,, r°" ;; 41 4 4~ '~y/ ,, ..4 ..1' ~ '), / . -.kaik, ' / ' 7 4/ ,f 4 ;ref" (4>4 <4 4<4 17< ' 4 ,,4 4 o. ««4<' 444 . u HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 249 - DAVID APPLEGATE. The life of David Applegate should encourage young men who are striving to amass means to secure a home of their own. It will also teach them that industry brings its own rewards, and that faithful effort never goes unrequited. He was born in Tompkins county, New York, May 15, 1809. When but a lad of fifteen he left his home to earn his own livelihood. His first work was a job to clear a wood-lot. This he did to the great satisfaction of his employer. He then hired out among f armers, attending school a few months each year, until he was eighteen years old. Then he went to Monroe county, where hlie lived a number of years. In 1833, having then accumulated four hundred dollars, lihe married Louisa, daughter of Daniel Potter, of Chili, Monroe county, New York. A year thereafter, in 1834, hlie came to Oakland County, Michigan, becoming a citizen of Oxford township, which has been his home ever since. After living on the frontier a number of years; and enduring the hardships in- cident to such a life, Mr. Applegate has become possessed of a good home, con- taining the comforts of life, with neighbors on every hand, who hold him in great esteem on account of his integrity and upright character. Although never actively interested in politics, Mr. Applegate has never shirked the duties of a citizen, but has always sought to discharge every responsibility imposed on him in a faithful manner. He has held various offices of honor and trust, and was justice of the peace for many years. Mr. Applegate has a family of two children, who have grown to years of ma- turity and now live in the neighborhood of their parents, who are still hale and vigorous. MANSFIELD J. PARK. The life of this man aptly illustrates the truthfulness of the maxim, " Where there is a will there is a way." Born October 8, 1817, at Baptisttown, Hunter- don county, New Jersey, Mansfield J. Park is the oldest son and fourth child of James and Rachael Park. His parents were in poor circumstances, and when our subject was but ten years of age lie was thrown upon his own resources. Instead of repining at his lot he sought a situation as a farm laborer, and worked wherever employment could be found until hlie was twenty years old. Believing that "whosoever findeth a wife findeth a good thing," he sought the hand of Miss N. C. Myers, of Warren county, New Jersey, and married her before he had yet attained his majority. He now removed to Sussex county, New Jersey, where he conducted a farm and dairy for a number of years. Having accumulated a little capital, hlie resolved to go where it would yield him the best returns. The fame of Michigan was then sounded abroad in his native State, and he determined to come hither. In May, 1853, lihe became a resident of the State, and the year following settled upon his present place, section 28, township of Oxford. Here hlie has resided ever since, accumu- lating property, and by the practice of industry and economy has become the owner of a large farm. Mr. and Mrs. Park have been blessed with a number of children, of whom six survive to share with their parents the fruits of their early labors and judicious management. HOYT W. HOLLISTER is the oldest son of William and Avis A. Hollister, of Saratoga, New York. He was born April 28, 1825, and resided with his parents in New York until 1846, when he came to Oxford township, teaching the district school that winter, in the locality which he afterwards made his home. He opened a farm on section 20 the following year. In October, 1853, lie was married to Miss B. T. Townsend, the oldest daughter of Surgeon John T. Townsend, of the United States army, who then lived in St. Clair county, Michigan. By this lovable and estimable lady hlie has five children,- two boys and three girls,-who mourn with the father the death of their mother, which occurred September 20, 1871. Mrs. Hollister was a woman of fine traits of character, passionately loved by her family, and honored and respected by all who knew her. Her death was greatly lamented by not only the sorrow-stricken family, but the entire neighborhood united in mourning her loss and bearing tribute to her worth. Mr. Hollister has always been an outspoken temperance man, advocating total abstinence as the only safe rule. He is a member of the Christian church at Ox- ford, and is a warm friend of every benevolent enterprise. His interest in schools and public improvements has never abated, and lie is always ready to give his support, moral and financial, to any project which has in view the better con- dition of the community. He is a fthrmer by occupation, and believes in it as the only avocation which develops the true wealth of the country, and which is the only real basis of all prosperity. 32 MOSES B. KILLAM. The subject of this sketch was born in the town of Wheatland, Monroe county, New York, June 6, 1821. His parents were among the earliest settlers in that region, having located as early as 1811. Mr. Killam lived upon the old home- stead until March, 1862; on the 31st of which month hlie married Miss Mary McLean, of Stanford, Delaware county, New York, a daughter of Charles and Jane (Grant) McLean. Mr. Killam visited Michigan in 1862, just previous to his marriage, and purchased one hundred and twenty-two acres of land in the south- east quarter of section 12, and an additional one hundred and eighteen acres in section 7, all in the township of Addison. When he made his purchase the land was almost in a state of nature, but lie immediately commenced clearing and making improvements, and it is now one of the finest and best-improved farms in the township, a fine view of which, together with portraits of himself and wife, are given in this work. They have had only one child born to them, a son, who died in infancy. In his political faith Mr. Killam has been a Democrat, and his religious convic- tions led him to affiliate with the Baptist form of faith. He was a man of clear and cultivated intellect, and a highly-respected citizen. His widow is still living upon the farm purchased in 1862. WILLIAM H. POWELL. For nearly twenty years William H. Powell was the foremost man of Oxford township. As supervisor, justice of the peace, and township clerk, he performed the official duties falling to his share,-a liberal one,-of the public burdens, not for honor or pecuniary profit, but for the public good. Coming to the township in 1836, when there were scarcely a handful of the settlers of the county within the limits of Oxford, he lived to see it rise rapidly to a populous community, and the heavy forests give way to smiling fields, and the log house of the pioneer van- ish, and the comfortable and elegant farm-house of the descendants of the pioneer rise in its place. He built the first frame house in the village of Oxford, in the summer of 1837, and opened it as a hotel, and as such kept it until his death in 1854. The old location, the farm, is yet owned and occupied by a member of his family, Thomas W. Powell. Mr. Powell was born in Westchester county, New York, February 11, 1795, and was married to Hetty Vought in 1819, and with her and his four boys removed to Michigan in 1835, stopping in Detroit a year and a half, and removing thence, in the latter part of the year 1836, to Oxford. The summer of 1837 the family lived in the barn hlie erected previous to building the hotel, and in the fall occupied the latter, but one room being finished. The guests found their way into the house by an inclined plank, across which slats were nailed to afford a secure foot-hold. The house is now known as the Staun- ton House. Mr. Powell was a stanch Whig, active and zealous as a partisan; and when the glorious old party finished its mission and gave way for its suc- cessor, the Republican party, hlie transferred his allegiance to that, but died before lie could cast a vote for its national candidates. Himself and wife were earnest and devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church, Mr. Powell being a trustee of the Oxford society from its organization to his death. Mrs. Powell makes her residence in Detroit, but passes her time between that and the old homestead. One son resides in Chicago, and is the general ticket-agent of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad, and the oldest--Judge Powell-resides in Pontiac. The latter was the judge of probate of Oakland County from 1872 to 1877,-four years,-and though the county gives generally some four hundred Democratic majority, and he is an ardent Republican, yet lie was elected by a handsome majority in 1872, and lost the election in 1876 but by eight votes only. JOHN MOYERS. Among the sturdy, well-to-do farmers of Oakland County, the subject of our present sketch takes his place. He is of German parentage, his grandfather, Peter Moyers, being born in Germany, and emigrated therefrom to Maryland, where the father of John Moyers, Henry, and mother, Margaret Clark, were born, the former June 9, 1783. His father, who was a farmer, and blacksmith as well, when a young man removed to Geneseo, New York, where he remained a few years, and removed thence to Monroe county, New York, and located near East Rush, where John was born May 7, 1819, being the second son in a family of seven sons and a daughter. When John was six years of age his father and family removed to Michigan, where, two years previously, his father had journeyed, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land near Romeo, Macomb county. The family came from East Rush to Buffalo by team, bringing farm utensils and household furniture. From Buffalo to Detroit they came on the steamer "Supe- rior," the second steamer that plowed the lakes, being a tained at Buffalo three 250 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. days on account of a heavy gale. At Detroit, the father purchased a yoke of oxen and sonime cows, and, taking an Indian trail, went to Romeo via Royal Oak and Rochester. The family arrived at their journey's end in June, and a log house was at once rolled up, a little patch of ground cleared off and planted to potatoes, and thus was the home begun in 1825, which the father occupied until his death, which occurred in his sixty-third year. The mother died in her eighty- second year. John Moyers lived on the old homestead until June 24, 1839, when he removed to Oxford township, Oakland County. where hlie purchased one hundred and twenty acres. At that time the township was almost an unbroken forest, one log house only being then standing in Oxford village; but from this small beginning he has enlarged his possessions, until he owns at the present time six hundred and forty acres, and is the heaviest land-holder in the township. His farm, too, is one of the most productive in the county, and he has frequently raised from one thousand to two thousand bushels of wheat in a single year, all of which hlie hauled to Pontiac or Detroit previous to the building of the Bay City road. In politics Mr. Moyers was formerly a member of the Whig party, but early became an abolitionist, and was one of the three voters who cast their ballots for James G. Birney in 1840. He is now a member of the Republican party, and has served his township as supervisor several terms. On the 16th day of September, 1851, Mr. Moyers was united in marriage to Miss Eliza, daughter of Joseph and Emily Ferguson, who were pioneers of Oxford, having immigrated to Oakland county in 1835. The fruits of this union have been the following children: Adella J., born October 10, 1852; John T., born October 6, 1856; John Charles, born February 11, 1859; Belle Hortense, born June 1, 1861; and Henry Dayton, born June 3, 1862; all of whom are living except John T., who died November 26, 1858. Mr. and Mrs. Moyers are members of the First Christian church of Oxford. Mr. Moyers' education, obtained at schools, was all gained by attending the common schools about four months each year between ten and eighteen years of age, but being of an enterprising and observing nature, his acquirements in the practicalities have been such as to give him sound judgment and practical business abilities, which hlie has used to good advantage for himself and others. He was largely interested in the construction of the several railroad-routes projected through Oxford, and was a director of the Air-Line railroad, and aided liberally in the construction of the Bay City road, which has given to Oxford much of its prosperity. His attention has also been given to school matters, having been a director or member of the school board of Oxford ever since the school was graded. He has occupied his present home since 1862, and it is with pleasure we present our readers with the portraits of this worthy citizen of Oakland county and his amiable helpmeet. i OAKLAND ALTuoUGu at first comprising three-fifths of the area of the county, the civil history of Oakland township properly begins in 1827. At that time it included what are now known as the townships of Avon, Oakland, Addison, Oxford, and Orion. A year later the last-named town was annexed to Pontiac township, and in 1835 Avon was set off as a separate town. Addison and Oxford were organ- ized in 1837, leaving Oakland at that time co-extensive with the township indi- cated in the United States surveys, and described as town 4 north, range 11 east. It is on the east line of the county, and has Addison, Orion, and Avon towns for boundaries, on its north, west, and south, respectively. The general surface is elevated and regular, except along its.water-courses. The valley of Paint creek is deeply cut below the general level, and its limits are de- fined in places by abrupt, almost precipitous, hills. There is also a range of hills along the Stony creek. A plain of several square miles in extent lies in the northeastern part of the town, and the southwest is remarkable for its beautifully located land, being diversified by picturesque hills and dales. The entire surface was originally covered with a growth of timber, chiefly oak. Other varieties are found, but not in great abundance. The soil is fertile, producing the various cereals in great perfection; and as a grazing country it has but few superiors. The horses and cattle of Oakland are widely and favorably known for their general excellence. The drainage of the town is perfect, having several swiftly-flowing streams, with little marsh surface. The lakes are few and unimportant, and are drained by the Stony creek, which enters the town from the west at the middle of section 6, flowing in a general southeasterly course, through West and Green lakes, to the centre of section 25, whence it passes into Macomb county. It has several tributary branches, and affords fair water-power, which has been well im- proved. Paint creek, the most important stream, enters the township near the northwest corner of section 18, thence flows southeast to the middle of section 28, from where it takes a general southerly course along the east line of section 33 into Avon township, on the south of Oakland, emptying finally into the Clinton river. Its course through the town is marked by numerous little falls, and its descent is very rapid, producing excellent water-power. This is improved on section 28. There are splendid water-privileges afforded by thie creek on sec- tions 19 and 20, which have not yet been utilized. The day will possibly come when the banks of this stream will be crowded by mills and factories, as its power is practically unlimited, and the country through which it flows is one of the rich- est in the State. Numerous brooks drain into the creek, one of which, rising in section 31, and flowing in a northeasterly course, is a considerable stream. FIRST ENTRIES OF PUBLIC LANDS. The year after the first settlement of the county the venturesome land-hunter entered whatis now within the bounds of Oakland township. On the 16th day of March, 1819, Benjamin Woodworth and William Russell purchased a part of TOWNSHIP. section 33. In 1824, James Coleman and James Hazzard also made purchases. The year following-1825-Benedict Baldwin, Horace Lathrop, James D. Gal- loway, Josiah Dewey, Samuel Hilton, Ezra Newman, David Hammond, and Need- ham Hemingway bought land of the government, most of it being in the western part of the township. In the latter part of the same year, or early the next,- 1826,- TIHE FIRST SETTLEMENTS were made by Asa Baker, Benedict Baldwin, Needham Hemingway, Josiah Dewey, Jeremiah Hunt, Joel Potter, Samuel Tower, and James Coleman. Nearly all came from Chili, Monroe county, New York. Most of them put up good log houses and made substantial improvements that year and the year following. They were all good citizens, and their influence on the early history of the town- ship has been very marked. In the fall of 1826, Stillman Bates, a New Yorker, located on the southwest quarter of section 35. He was the first settler in that part of the town, and put up a first-rate log house that year. It was the first in that region north of RItoch- ester. Russel Thurston, a native of New York, located on section 19, in the summer of 1826. Ira and David Hammond, brothers, from Scipio, Monroe county, New York, settled on sections 29 and 30 in the fall of 1826. Samuel Hilton settled on the land hlie had purchased the year before, on section 29, about the same time; and Ezra Newman, also from Monroe county, began improving his tract, located on section 31, in the summer or fall of 1826. Among the settlers who came in 1827 was Ezra B3rewster, from Chili, Monroe county, New York. He had come to Michigan a short time before, living first in the western part of Orion township. He now purchased a tract of land on section 30, Oakland township, where he and his sons, Peter, Owen, Stephen G., and Allen, commenced to build a pioneer's home. All the sons, except Stephen G., are still Oakland County men, and are well known in its pioneer history. The year 1828 brought Lyman Whitney and Eber Hotchkiss, both from New York, and both located on section 31. In 1829, William Snell, a New Englander, settled on section 27. He was an enterprising man, and took great interest in the affairs of the township. The first election of the present township was held at his house. The same year Win. M. Axford, of New Jersey, also located on section 27. He was a man of great influence among his neighbors, and was the first supervisor. David Law- rence located on section 27 in 1830, and John Axford settled there the same year. Among those who cast their lots in the township from 1831 to 1833 were Isaac Sisson, from Buffalo, New York, on section 22; Ludlow Shadbolt, from Dutehess county, New York, on section 21; Abraham Axford, from New Jersey, section 14; David Shadbolt, who located at Hemingway's, and soon after mar- ried a daughter of his; David Brook, a native of the State of New York, set- " ! virnj*#it ~~~~ ~fljlj 1 Vg ~O a 0v O 3 LL ~ ~ ~ 4 4 ~j~; ,u a~~ s 4V~~ z 44 ~ K op4t4~ 4 ~ 4 41~4 ~ ~ 4 r ) t444 4, ~7i~~<<4'. ~ ~ ~ 4 > ~ 4 r441 <4 1 1j41t p4 1 4,14 1y4fK ~ 4~' ~ 444 4 4'11 I HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 251 I tied on section 12, 1832; Stephen Parrish, Moses Snover, and George K. Snorer, natives of the States of New York and New Jersey, came to the township about this time; George Mercer, from New York, settled on section 27 in 1831; Da- rius J. Covel, from Dutchess county, New York, on section.27, in 1833; Calvin Fosdick, from Dutchess county, New York, on section 27, in 1833; Sanford Swayze, from New Jersey, in the western part of the town, in 1832; Job Sher- man, from Ontario county, New York, came in 1831, taking up government land it section 18. He had two sons, Charles and Hoffman, who have been in the township ever since, and are now among the oldest citizens. Jacob Perry, of New Jersey, settled on section 29 in 1832. He had five sons, who became citi- zens of Oakland township,-Adam, Abraham, James, Aaron, and George. Aaron Cook, from Ogden, Monroe county, New York, settled on section 8 in 1832. He had no near neighbors, as that part of the township did not settle up as fast as other portions of it. Sewell and Roswell Bromley, Vermonters, settled on the Paint creek in 1833; and John Taylor, Warren county, New Jersey, on section 11, in 1832. From 1834-37, there was a large immigration;' but among the prominent settlers were William B. Fosdick, from Dutchess county, New York, on section 27; Jonathan Carpenter, Dutchess county, New York, section 28; Ira Youngs, on section 34; Peter Kline, New Jersey, on section 15, with his sons Jacob, William, and Philip; William Chapman in the west part of the township; Mar- tin Vail and Horace Smith in the northwestern part; William Flumerfelt and Christopher Cole in the eastern part; and the Taylors, Shoups, and Hixons in the central part of the township. FIRST LOG HOUSE. In 1825, Jeremiah Hunt came into the township to build a log house on his land, taken a short time before, on section 18. He erected quite a comfortable building, and early in 1826 occupied it with his family. This was the first log house in the township, and was used for many years. FRAME HOUSES. Instead of building a log house, as was customary among the first settlers, when Needham Hemingway came into the country lie put up a good shanty. This lihe used until the summer of 1827, when hlie erected a frame house, being the first in the township. It is still in use as the residence of Win. Goodison. Josiah Dewey also built a frame house at an early day, which was one of the land-marks on section 18 for many years. FIRST ORCHARDS. About 1827, Josiah Dewey planted an orchard of apple-trees, most of which are still in a flourishing condition. Soon after, probably in 1828, Benedict Baldwin also set out an orchard, most of the trees of which are yet standing. In 1830, Ira Hammond procured a number of seedling apple-trees, which lie planted on his farm, on section 30. Some years afterwards hie grafted them with the Spitzenberg stock. The trees made a healthy, vigorous growth, and some of them now measure seventy-three inthes in circumference two feet from the ground. This orchard is now owned by Charles Sherman, Mr. Hammond's son-in-law. About the same time (1830) Ezra Brewster and his son Peter carried a few dozen fruit-trees on their backs from Pontiac to their home, following Indian trails through the woods. They were planted on section 30, and grew finely. Most of them remain to this day, and some of them measure as much as seven feet in circumference. Allen Brewster is now the proprietor of this orchard. FIRST FRAME BARNS. James Coleman built a frame barn, thirty-two by forty-two feet, about 1828. It was the first barn of any size in the township. Samuel Tower did the car- penter-work. The frame is still in a good condition. The same year Samuel Hilton put up a barn of about the same size. GRIST-MILL. In 1835, Needham Hemingway built a dam across Paint creek, on section 28, and dug a race three-fourths of a mile long to the east line of the same sec- tion, where hlie constructed a two-story frame building, twenty-six by fifty-six feet, for a grist-mill. He put in two run of stones, and, although the machinery was "home-made" to a large extent, the mill did good work, and had a very fair reputation. It passed out of the hands of M31r. Hemingway a few years after, and has since then had a number of owners. It is now the property of William Goodison, who built an addition of eighteen feet to the length in 1876. He also supplied it with modern machinery, so that it is now an excellent mill. It is at present, and has always been, the only grist-mill in the township. SAW-MILLS. In 1836 a dam was built across the west branch of Stony creek, on the south- east corner of section 23. It was a good site for a dam, having a fall of nine feet. A saw-mill was built just below the dam, and the power was supplied by a common "flutter"-wheel, being perhaps the only one of the kind in the country. Arnon Baker was the first owner of this mill. In 1839 it passed into the hands of James A. Hersey, of Avon township, who moved to the place that year, and has since operated it. Mr. Hersey is a son of John Hersey, one of the oldest set- tilers in the county. He came with his father in 1818, and has been more or less identified with the milling interests of the country. About 1840, Edward Demerell built a saw-mill just west of the Hemingway grist-mill, supplying it with water from the same race. It was operated success- fully until 1872, when the Detroit and Bay City railroad laid its track across the mill's tramway, so that it interfered with its work. It was then sold to the railroad company, who discontinued it. BLACKSMITH-SIIOPS. Hiram Halstead was the first blacksmith in the township. He built a shop about 1828 on his land, on section 29, and here from early morning until late at night he plied his trade, to the great delight of his farmer-neighbors, who set a great store by "Uncle H." He was a jolly, whole-souled fellow, a good craftsman, and much of his work, in the shape of barn-hinges, grubbing-hoes, etc., is still in use. About 1842, Jacob Durnberger built a shop on the west part of section 2. Here he did the smithing for that part of the country for many years. A frame shop has taken the place of the log one, where Axford Campbell now carries on the trade. There is at present, also, a blacksmith-shop at Goodison's mills. William Toms was the first shoemaker in the township who built a shop to carry on his trade. He is yet the only "son of St. Crispin" in Oakland, and has his shop at Goodison's. FIRST CARPENTERS. Samuel Tower, one of the first settlers, was the carpenter in those days. Was a house to be erected or a barn to be built, Samuel Tower was the man to do it; and more barns were built by him than by any other workman. Job Sherman, who was by trade a millwright, also followed carpentry to some extent. He made the first coffin in the township. STORE. Oakland has always been, strictly speaking, an agricultural township. It does not have, at present, a trading-point within its limits; but in 1831 John P. Le Roy opened a small store on section 30. Here lie supplied the neighbors with such articles as they most needed. The business was then closed out, and the building, a few years thereafter (about 1837), was taken for a cabinet-shop, where Hudson Benedict carried on his trade. He was slow to execute his orders, but a good workman withal, and much of his handicraft is treasured by the old set- tlers, or their descendants, as heirlooms of the "good old times." TIlE FIRST MARRIAGE. No accurate account of the first wedding has been kept by the local chronolo- gists, but, as near as can be determined, the parties to the nuptials were Otis Thompson and Diana Dewey. Elder Ruggles performed the ceremony. THE FIRST BIRTHS. In 1827, in the cold and cheerless month of January, Josiah and Lucy Dewey had a pair of twins born to them,-a boy and a girl,-which were christened with. the beautiful French names of Antoinette and Lafayette. They were sprightly little beings, and proved a source of great comfort, not only to the parents, but to the neighbors, who took a common interest in their welfare. Both are yet living. About a year or so after the birth of these twins, Mrs. Jeremiah Hunt gave birth to another pair,-a couple of boys. These were named Lewis Cass and Kearsley, in honor of representative Michigan men of that day. One of them died while yet a lad; the other entered the Federal army during the late civil war, and then contracted a sickness which proved fatal. THE FIRST DEATHS. As near as can be determined, Nathan Scott, a well-known farmer, was the first grown person who died in the township. His disease was an enlargement of the spleen. He was buried near the school-house, in what is now known as the Bald- win cemetery, on section 21, in April, 1832. Job Sherman, the millwright, and one of the earliest comers, was the next interred in this grave-yard, probably in the fall of 1832. Prior to these deaths several infants had died, and were interred in the Bigler HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. burying-ground, located on the northwest corner of section 30, in 1827. The early settlers of Orion township made their interments there, and those first in- terred were from that township. It was controlled by private parties until 1865, when Messrs. Allen Brewster, John Howarth, Adam Perry, and Dennison Giddings purchased the ground-about one acre-for one hundred dollars, and formed an association called "The Orion and Oakland Burial Society." The first election of officers resulted as follows: President, Allen Brewster; Secretary, Joseph P. Coon; and Treasurer, Adam Perry. The present officers are: President, Allen Brewster; Secretary, Joseph P. Coon; and Treasurer, Aleck Pippinger. In 1853 this ground passed into the hands of the" Baldwin Burial Association," and has since been controlled by it. The first officers were: President, Isaac S. Tower; Secretary, Robert Cornell; Treasurer, Lemuel P. Tower. It is now officered by W. Toms, president; Lemuel P. Tower, secretary; W. Toms, treas- urer; and Harvey Seeley, David B. Swayze, and George Perry, trustees. The Presbyterian grave-yard, on the northeast corner of section 15, is under the control of the officials of the church, located at the same place. The ground was set aside for this purpose in 1855; and Hugh Gray, William Kline, and Jonas Hisson were selected to manage it. Mrs. Peter Kline was among the first buried there. Before the location of this ground there was a burial-ground by the school-house, just opposite the church. The remains of those buried there have been transferred to the new grave-yard. ROADS AND RAILROADS. The "Territorial road" was the first officially located in the town. Its general course being along the Paint creek, it is very crooked. Other roads were located on section-lines, wherever practicable, as soon as the settlement of the township demanded. Quite a number were surveyed as early as 1828 by Ziba Swan, Abner Davis, and Orestes Taylor. Benjamin Horton, John Hersey, and Jonathan Perrin were commissioners at that time. In 1872 the Detroit and Bay City railroad was built through the township, in the valley of the Paint creek. It has a flag-station at Goodison's mills, but Rochester, in the town of Avon, is the chief point for the shipment of the farm products of Oakland. POST-OFFICE. A post-office was established at Goodison's in 1874. It had a daily mail, and L. P. Tower was the first postmaster. The office is still continued, with William Goodison, Jr., as postmaster. IMPROVED STOCK. Philip Bigler brought a blooded horse to the township in 1831, and much attention has been paid to the breeding of superior horses ever since. The cattle of the township also compare favorably with those of other townships. THE FIRST GRAIN-SEPARATOR. Lysander Woodard, a native of New York, was the first to introduce a grain- separator. The farmers did not look upon this innovation with much favor, and when, a few years thereafter, he added a straw-stacker to his machine, they thought he was altogether too much given to experiments with "Yankee inventions." But, on seeing the excellent work done and the labor saved by these appliances, they gave him a liberal patronage. SCHOOLS AND SCIIOOL-IIOUSES. The first school-house was built on section 29, in 1827. It was a log structure, covered with boards and slabs, fhstened down with poles. There was a large fire- place, so that a log six feet long could be rolled into it. The seats were arranged around the walls, and were made of slabs, with legs cut from saplings growing close at hand. Thomas Bailey, a jolly Irishman, was the teacher. He was a great singer, and a general favorite among his pupils and their parents. The school was well attended by the Deckers, Biglers, Brewsters, Baldwins, Potters, Deweys, Colemans, and Hemingways. Mrs. Hilton and Diana Dewey also taught there, being the first lady teachers in the town. About 1836 a log school-house was erected on section 8, where the children living in the northern part of the town attended. Miss Jane Seeley was the first teacher. Among the pupils were the Hunts, Shermans, Cooks, and Vails. Samuel Eaton and Win. Marvin also taught there. In the fall of 1836 a school-house was built in the Kline settlement. It was constructed of tamarack logs, and was a good-sized building, being intended for religious meetings as well as school purposes. Stephen Green was among the first teachers. This house was after a few years replaced by a frame building, and other houses were erected in different parts of the town as soon as they were de- manded. It is now well supplied with a fair class of buildings, there being nine school districts, in whole or in part, in the township. PIONEER PREACHERS AND MEETINGS. Among the early preachers were Elder Booth, a Baptist, in 1826; and Elder Norton, a Free-Will Baptist, about the same time. They preached in private houses until the school-houses were built. Elder Norton had a great revival at the Baldwin school-house in the winter of 1827. Its influence was felt through- out the entire town. Elder Samuel Morse was also one of the early preachers, belonging to the Methodist church. He afterwards accepted the Baptist belief. It is remarkable that hlie preached his first and his last sermon at the Baldwin school-house. He fell dead while delivering it, in November, 1875. The event created a profound impression, as he was highly esteemed. Others think that it was in conformity with his oft-expressed wishes that hlie might die at his post, in the discharge of his duties, and that it was appropriate that he should die where he began his life- work. Elders Cannon and Benedict, Baptists, also labored in the moral vineyard of Oakland; and Hiram Barnes, a local Methodist preacher, did much to build up that church at a time when the " good tidings" were gladly received. SOLDIERS OF 1812. Ezra Brewster was living in Canada at the breaking out of the war. He had just opened a farm, and his future was quite promising, when hlie was told that lihe could retain his title to his land if hlie would renounce his allegiance to his native land, or he would have to forfeit it, and leave the country. He chose to do the latter, and immediately returned to New York, made temporary provision for his family, and enlisted in a Captain Lacy's company. He participated in several engagements, and was at Buffalo when that place was destroyed. He served with credit to himself, and was an honored pensioner of our " second national struggle." Josiah Dewey and James Coleman were also soldiers of 1812, but no account of their company connection has been received. TIIE FIRST TOWN-MEETING was held when the township of Oakland comprised the five congressional towns of Avon, Oakland, Addison, Oxford, and Orion. It was convened at the house of William Russell, in the village of Rochester, on the 28th day of May, 1827. Roger Sprague was elected viva voce as moderator. There being no clerk, "last before elected," as the "statutes seem to contemplate," Nathaniel Baldwin was chosen to the office, and, when he had qualified, the election for other officers proceeded, with the following result: Supervisor, Roger Sprague; Assessors, Northop Jones, William Russell, Need- ham Hemingway; Commissioners of Highways, Jonathan Perrin, Benjamin Hor- ton, John Hersey; Overseers of the Poor, Cyrus Chipman, Amos Favington; Collector, John F. Hamlin; Constables, John F. Hamlin, Erastus Cressey, Wal- ter Sprague; Justices, by previous appointment, Daniel Bronson, Joshua B. Taylor, Gad Norton. Rules were adopted prohibiting male animals from running at large, under pen- alty to the owners of not less than five or more than ten dollars. At the second election, held April, 1828, tfe following were elected: Super- visor, Roger Sprague; Clerk, Nathaniel Baldwin. Fence-viewers were to be allowed six cents a mile from their residences to the fences viewed, and twenty-five cents for making out every certificate of condemned fences. " Every person's yard, stable, and other sufficient inclosure shall be taken and deemed a public pound for all the purposes of such person for distraining every animal doing damage on the premises of such person; and the same person is to exercise all the powers and demands and receive the same fees allowed to pound-masters." The third election, held at Rochester, April, 1829, resulted as follows: Super- visor, Roger Sprague; Clerk, Nathaniel Baldwin. July 13, 1829, an election was held for the purpose of choosing two members to the legislative council. Roger Sprague and Daniel Le Roy received the greatest number of votes. The fourth election, held at Rochester, 1830, resulted as follows: Supervisor, Robert Sprague; Clerk, Nathaniel Baldwin. A special meeting was held, February, 1831, for the purpose of choosing directors of the poor, "in order to meet the case of pauperism which has lately occurred." Joel Potter, G. M. Shaw, Edmund M. Jewett, John Conkey, and Nathaniel Millard were elected, and it was ordered that they be compensated in a reasonable manner. The meeting also passed a series of resolutions denouncing the new " poor-law" as inexpedient, unjust, and unconstitutional. It was inexpedient, insomuch that it was questionable whether it would serve  H! 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X ~ y k r i 7 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. /t) 255 that year returned to Dutchess county, where he spent one summer, and returned to his Michigan farm in the spring of 1835, and during the summer built a house, and returned in the fall again to Dutchess county, and brought from thence Miss Esther Cox, a native of that county, to his Michigan home as his wife. She was born January 5, 1808. To his original purchase of eighty acres Mr. Fosdick has added from time to time other tracts, until at present he owns two hundred acres; which, under his direct management and labor, has developed from the original forest to a most excellent farm, a view of which, together with portraits of him- self and wife, and those of their son and daughter-in-law, may be seen on another page of this work. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fosdick, two of whom died in infancy: Nelson B. was born August 13, 1841, and married Miss Emma J. Carpenter, daughter of Jonathan Carpenter, of Ottawa county, Michigan, in January, 1874, and now resides on the old homestead with his pa- rents. Laura A., now Mrs. Axford Price, of Macomb county, was born December 17, 1837, and was married in November, 1863. In political faith Mr. Fosdick is and has ever been a Jacksonian Democrat, but has, from choice, ever pursued the path of the private citizen, persistently refusing official positions. ORION Tuis township is described in the government surveys as town 4 north, range 10 east. By proclamation of acting Governor Woodbridge, bearing date June, 1820, it became a part of Oakland township, which at that time included the north three-fifths of the county. It remained a part of this until May 29, 1828, when, by an act of the legislative council, recorded in volume 2, page 653, "Terri- torial Laws of Michigan," it was set off and united with Pontiac township, with a provision "That nothing in this act shall affect the assessment or collection of taxes heretofore made in the township of Oakland." This relation was sustained until March, 1835, when it was organized as a separate township, to be called Orion; and the first meeting was held at the (now) dwelling-house of Jesse Decker, in said township. Relative to the application of this name to the newly-formed township, there is some difference of opinion. It is generally believed, however, that the name was suggested by Jesse Decker, who was impressed by its beauty on seeing it in an old school-book, and who urged its choice at the primary meeting. The general character of the surface of Orion is broken by numerous hills, with small rose-willow and hazel plains in different localities. A spur of "Bald moun- tain" projects into sections 35 and 36, and has an elevation above the general level of several hundred feet. Mt. Judah is in the southwest part of the town. Neither of these points is distinguished from the surrounding country, except in altitude, no ledges or strata of rock being found in them. Their constituent elements are sand and clay, intermingled with bowlders. This stone, found also in nearly every other part of the town, is used for building purposes. The land surface of this town was originally covered with a growth of timber, principally oak. This was quite heavy along the water-courses, and lighter on the more elevated grounds, often terminating in openings, which, on account of the frequent fires, were matted over with oak roots, or a growth of hazel and rose- willow. Other varieties of timber, as maple, beech, elm, linden, birch, and aspen, are also found. Quite an area was originally covered with pine. Sections 5 and 6, 18, 19, and 20, were so densely covered with this timber that those localities were always spoken of as " the pineries." Cedar is found to some extent along the lakes, while the American larch grows profusely in the marshy sections. It is estimated that there are about seventeen hundred acres comprised in the area of the several lakes of this township. This, together with the marshes bor- dering on them, produces some twenty-four hundred acres of untillable land and water surface. The remainder of the township is covered with a fine, productive soil, although varying greatly in quality. Perhaps no other township in the county has a greater variety of soil in the same area than Orion. The town has a chain of lakes flowing in a general northeastern course, with Paint creek as a common outlet. This stream is the only one of any size in the town. After re- ceiving the waters of the several lakes it flows southeasterly, and discharges into the Clinton river at Rochester. Its descent is very rapid, affording excellent water-power, which has been improved to some extent. The presence of a mineral along its banks gives the water of Paint creek a reddish tinge, whence its name. Time twenty-nine lakes found in Orion vary from three acres to hundreds of acres in extent, and being fed by springs are all clear, cool, and usually contain an abundance of fish. Among the most noteworthy are Judah, Round, Long, Square, Elkhorn, Buckhorn, Voorheis, and Canandaigua lakes. One of these, Buckhorn, has no visible inlet or outlet. Its waters are very soft, and are highly esteemed for laundry purposes. Judah lake was named after Judah Church, who made an entry of land in its vicinity in 1820. Voorheis lake took its name from a Mr. Voorheis, who attempted the erection of a saw-mill at its outlet, but without real- izing sufficient power. An effort to get the water from Judah and Grass lakes was attended with no better success, and the project was finally abandoned as imprac- FOWNSHIP. ticable. Square lake is a misnomer, or a perversion of Squaw, as its general contour does not justify the former appellation. It is long and irregular, with comparatively high banks, and has but little swamp border. Canandaigua lake, or Orion, as it is now called, is the largest in the township. By building a dam across Paint creek, its outlet, the level of the lake has been raised, forming many islands of the before-projecting headlands. These islands, seventeen in all, vary from forty square rods to thirty-six acres in extent. The shores of some of them are somewhat submerged, while others have high and sloping banks. These islands are generally studded with beautiful oak-, pine-, and cedar-trees, and viewed from a distance appear like settings of emerald in coro- nets of gold, when reflected by the light of the declining sun. The freshness of the waters of this lake produces healthful, invigorating breezes, and there are many excellent fisheries, which make it a favorite resort of the angler. Thie advan- tages of the lake are improved, and, besides utilizing its water-power, it has be- come a famous place of summer resort. These improvements will be noted at greater length in connection with the village of Orion, which is located upon its banks. INDIAN HISTORY. Little if any traditionary history of the aborigines exists. A few trails led through the town from Detroit to Lapeer, which until recently were quite well de- fined. One of these was along the route of the Detroit and Bay City railroad, which crosses and recrosses it, so closely does it follow its general course. Another trail was in the western part of the town. This was usually traveled by the tribes which had allied themselves with Great Britain when they went to Canada to receive their presents and annuities. On one occasion the smallpox broke out among them, and their dead and dying were left all along the route. There is also a tradition of the existence of a line of fortifications, used in Indian warfare, on what is now known as the Shick farm; but the evidence is too vague to warrant it much credence. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. As near as can be determined, the first entry of land in Orion township was made by Judah Church and John Wetmore, in 1819. They purchased a lot on section 19, in the "Big Pinery," probably on account of the timber. It was as fine a body of pine as grew in the southern part of the State. From this time to 1824 there is no record of land purchased. In that year, Moses Munson, Powell Carpenter, Jesse Decker, Philip Bigler, and some others, made entries in the eastern part of the town, but no settlement was made until the year following. In the spring of 1825, Samuel Munson first settled on section 24. He was a New Englander, and bringing the energy and enterprise of that country with him, he directed it to the development of his new home. He began at once to build a saw-mill, on section 25, near his home, built a log house, broke some ground, and, perhaps, planted the first orchard. He was soon followed by Jesse Decker, Philip Bigler, Jacob Bigler, and John McAlvey, natives of New Jersey, who came in the fall of 1825, and united with Munson in subduing the wilderness. They built log houses, and the place where they located-on section 25-was soon known far and near as the " Decker Settle- ment." Around it cluster the earliest associations of Orion township. Jesse Decker, the acknowledged leader of these pioneers, was a man of more than ordinary ability and strong native sense. He was well fitted for the arduous work of counseling and leading the people who were soon to gather in the forests around him. In the February following, being an open month, he seeded three acres to wheat, and began some improvements which gave character to the neighborhood. At a later day he was one of the foremost men in the affairs of the township. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The same year-1825-Philip Bigler located the east half of the southeast quarter of section 2, which is now the principal part of the site of the village of Orion. In 1826, Josiah Dewey and Needham Hemingway, natives of New York, lo- cated in the neighborhood of Decker, in Oakland township, but became identified with the interests of Orion. A few years later Walter Dewey became a resident of Orion. In June, 1831, Elijah B. Clark, of Wayne county, Pennsylvania, located in the southeastern part of Orion, west of Decker. He was followed a few months later by Asa Owen, from the same place in Pennsylvania, who located on section 14, near Mr. Clark's; and in September, Eli Welch, of Cayuga county, New York, located on the north part of the same section. Thomas J. Carpenter, a son of Powell Carpenter, from Monroe county, New York, also settled on some of the land purchased by his father (in 1].824) in September, 1831. This was on section 24. All these settlers made substantial improvements and became thoroughly identified with the town, aiding in the construction of the first school-houses, mills, and churches. Again there was a lull in the tide of immigration for several years; but in 1835-37 it flowed with renewed vigor, bringing, in 1836, Charles F. and Ezra Carpenter, brothers, who located on section 12; and in June, 1837, Daniel P. Carpenter and family, who also settled on section 12. In the central part of the township Christopher Cole and Charles A. Carpenter made purchases of govern- ment land about this period; and west of them Asar Brown, Solomon D. Buch- ner, and Philip Hibler cast their lots, living in Orion through the trying times of 1836-37. Others followed so rapidly that it would be a difficult task to classify all who deserve this distinction. A mere mention of the names of these hardy pioneers coming from the States of New York and New Jersey in the years 1834-38 will add lustre to the honor which already rests upon them for having been in the foremost ranks of settlers: G. W. Close, Win. Merchant, Joel Seeley, D. Bagg, R. G. Rudd, John Parkhurst, Isaiah Bradford, and William Youngs; also the Kiles, Perrys, Waltons, McVeans, Suttons, Andrews, Goods, Gates, Os- muns, and Voorheis. It must not be supposed that their daily lives were unattended by hardships and privations. Fromn the time they left their homes in the east, until years after their settlement, most of them had a continual struggle with poverty, and suffered for the comforts and conveniences of life. Coming to Detroit by steamer, they were left to find their way to their new homes over almost impassable roads. Often this journey was made on foot, wading through mud knee-deep, or passing through bforests whose quiet had until then been undisturbed by the tread of the white man. Erecting rude log houses, often covered with bark or boards, having only the simplest cooking utensils, and living on the plainest and coarsest food, they spent year after year, until their energy and industry triumphed over all the obstacles arrayed against them, when plenty and comfbrt came, ministering to all their wants. Theirs was a hard, stubborn lot; and in view of the splendid achieve- ments, as shown in the many neat homes and well-kept farms dotting the town- ship, the fruits of their labors, they should ever be held in grateful remembrance by those who have followed them. A few incidents will illustrate their privations and condition in life: Owing to the immense immigration in 1836, all the produce in the country was consumed. Flour could not be had for love or money, although but a short time before it sold at twenty shillings a barrel. Mr. Asar Brown relates the extremity to which they were reduced, being obliged to use bread made from meal sifted again and again, until it had passed four times through this process. In this hour of need, Dr. Williams, of Pontiac, appeared as the deliverer of the starving settlers. He brought a large quantity of flour and corn from Ohio, and dealing it out alike to the rich and the poor,-four pounds of flour and a peck of corn to each person,- their wants were relieved until additional aid was brought. Again, the means of communication, owing to poor roads and lack of horses, were limited. The axe was always carried along, and often poles had to be " packed" a long distance to make a bad place passable for teams. Some of the settlers could not get even an ox-team. They were obliged to draw their loads by hand. In the winter of 1838, Charles A. Carpenter and his brother made the trip from their home to Lapeer in a day, drawing a hand-sled, loaded with their tools and provisions,-about three hundred pounds weight,-all the way. Others relate how they went on foot twenty miles to get a peck of flour or a few pounds of coffee; and these articles, instead of being regarded as necessaries, were often -looked upon as positive luxuries. EARLY IMPROVEMENTS. Nearly all the settlers built log houses at first, which were replaced as soon as their means would warrant by comfortable frame structures. Some of these have done service to this day, although most of them have given way to more modern buildings. The first frame barn was built by Jesse Decker, about 1830. It was a mod- erate-sized building, but there were not enough whites in the country to raise it, and Mr. Decker employed a lot of Indians to help him. They worked very well until they got warmed up by the "fire-water" which was always supplied on such occasions, when they became quarrelsome, and indulged in several fights. In 1836, Thomas J. Carpenter raised a frame barn without the stimulating in- fluence of liquor. Inviting all his neighbors to the " raising," he told them that hlie would not supply whisky, but hoped all would come. On the appointed day two sets of men appeared, one to raise the barn on temperance principles, the other to look on, with a supply of whisky to keep them in cheer. The barn was raised without any trouble either from the weight of the timbers or from the liquor men, who stayed in the lane, jeering those at work. That night they vented their spleen by throwing down forty rods of rail fence which Mr. Carpenter had con- structed a few days before. The next day the temperance men returned and helped Mr. Carpenter to rebuild the fence. STORES, SHOPS, AND TAVERNS. In 1831, John IIankinson, a native of New Jersey, built a two-story frame building at Decker's, for a store-house. He put in a good stock of such articles as were in demand among the settlers, and conducted the store for several years. He was a fine man, and his death, which occurred some years after, was much lamented. From this time there was no store in the township until Orion vil- lage became a trading point. As early as 1830 Jesse Decker kept a public-house, on section 25. In 1836 hlie was duly licensed by the town board to keep tavern. Thomas Abernathy kept a tavern about the same time, at the old saw-mill, at what is now Orion. His first license bears the same date as Decker's. For many years Rufus Streator was the only blacksmith in the town. He built a shop at Decker's, in 1832, where he plied his trade with a good deal of success. POST-OFFICES AND STAGE-ROUTES. The first post-office was established at Decker's, somewhere about 1832, with Jesse Decker as postmaster. The mail-route was from Royal Oak to Lapeer county, and a Mr. Rose was the carrier. He traveled first on foot, then on horseback. He was a peculiar man, but a great favorite along the route. Some years later a stage-line was established along the same route. Ira Pearsall was the first driver. It was regarded as a great accommodation, and quite an advance in civilization. About 1837 the office at Decker's was discontinued and one established at Orion village, which now has daily mails. Between 1845-50 there was a post- office established in the western part of the township, known as Jersey. John Lessiter has been postmaster here for the last twenty-seven years. SAW- AND GRIST-MILLS. The first saw-mill in Orion township was built by Samuel Munson, in the sum- mer of 1825, on the northeast corner of section 25. It became the property of Jesse Decker some years afterwards. A few months later, in 1825, Joseph Jackson built a small saw-mill on section 12, on the Paint creek. Powell Carpenter bought this property in 1895, and improved it. There is now a saw-mill near its first location, known as ;Rudd's mill. In 1829, Needham Hemingway, Jesse Decker, and Philip Bigler built a saw- mill on Bigler's land, on section 2, just below the present dam at Orion. Thdy also built a log house for the sawyer, which was afterwards used 'as a tavern by Abernathy. The mill was burned in 1832 by some Indians, because the proprie- tors would not furnish them whisky; but was soon after rebuilt by Mr. Hemingway, who had, in the mean time, become sole owner of the property. About 1835, Thomas Drake built a steam saw-mill in the" Pinery," section 19. It was supplied with good saws, but its engine was a wonderful wood-coauming affair. It kept three men and a team busy to supply it. A few yeas later, Messrs. Chamberlain, Dorr, and Trowbridge bought this property and comrenced work on a large scale. They also laid out a town, calling it Bangor. But there was never a house built on its site. They employed a large force of men to cut timber and work on the mill. Not being paid promptly, the men suspected that the company was insolvent, and re- solved to deprive it of the work they had done. Accordingly, they kindled ii large bonfire as an expression of their sentiments, burning up all the logs and wood they had cut. This event is still spoken of by the old settlers as the "Big Fire." About this time Robert Merrick gained possession of the mill, and froln him it passed into the hands of his son Fred, who moved it to the present site of Mahopac about 1844. The mill and engine were much improved, so that now thm " waste" furnislhed the necessary fuel. After operating it about ten years, he dismantled the mill, and sold the machinery to parties in Saginaw. It was the only mill ever operated by steam in the town.  . o0NilAC T RO ROKAN OMCIA y / y Y /+aA P en ~. sT, J, rs 41, :. d =art w z" ~ r ,'f rig~r ~ e u+ e i/ ii R r+ t 3 6 t ' + y r n' d?" n { Z+ v h a a ry .. n / = c, z va u¢ a . o X .._ X A. Htr" o A _ q E f' o r a 3 X x ~ 3' d p i HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 259 I records of this period have been carried away, so that not much can be said con- cerning its municipal government. In 1862 nearly the entire business section of the village was destroyed by fire. Recovering from this blow, it was again---1869-chartered as a village, and is now governed under it. The first election held under this charter, April 12, 1869, resulted as follows: President, Isaiah Bradford; Recorder, Naaman J. Ingersoll; Treasurer, Vin- cent Brown; Assessor, Simeon Andrews; Trustees, Alanson Predmore, John H. Lord, William E. Littell, Nelson Beemer, Henry R. Crawford, and William H. Ferguson. The principal officers elected since then were: In 1870, President, Isaiah Bradford; Recorder, N. J. Ingersoll; Trustees, Henry R. Crawford, Nelson Beemer, and Wmin. E. Ferguson. In 1871, President, John R. Plumley; Recorder, Win. E. Littell; Trustees, Vincent Brown, Isaiah Bradford, and A. S. Warner. Tn 1872, President, John R. Plumley; Recorder, Win. E. Littell; Trustees, Joshua C. Predmore, E. R. Emmons, and Darius Wilbur. In 1873, President, John R. Plumley; Recorder, Win. E. Littell; Trustees, Isaiah Bradford, Vincent Brown, and Thomas N. Reynolds. In 1874, President, John R. Plumley; Recorder, Wm. E. Littell; Trustees, John Berridge, Thomas Sherdy, and Alanson Predmore. In 1875, President, Willard Humphrey; Recorder, Joshua C. Predmore; Trustees, Thomas N. Reynolds, Peter Kline, and James C. Seeley. In 1876, President, Vincent Brown; Recorder, H. F. Higby; Trustees, Adam R. Shoup, David Conn, and Isaac S. Kitchen. In 1877, President, David B. Ketcham; Recorder, James W. Seeley; Trustees, Peter Kline, James S. Porrit, and Henry Blanchard. On the night of July 9, 1874, nearly the entire business area of the village was again destroyed by fire. This was a severe blow to the place, crippling its busi- ness to some extent; but the village has about recovered from its effects, and now does a fair business, as will be seen from the following rdsum d: Agricultural implements, Carpenter & Owen; barber-shop, Charles Farmer; blacksmiths, N. B. Miller, Thomas Sherdy; broom-maker, R. Hurlbut; books and notions, A. S. Warner; boots and shoes, J. R. Plumley; carriage-fictory, W. Humphrey & Son; cooperage, Charles H. Seeley; drugs, A. Merrick; dry-goods, Joshua C. Predmore; foundry, Ketcham & Smiley; furniture, Gustavus Fluri; grain-dealers, Carpenter & Owen; groceries, Belles Brothers; hardware, D. Conn; harness, Vincent Brown; hotels, "Sims House," R. Sims, " Lake House," D. I. Dunton; lumber, J. C. Seeley, Francis & Johnson Brothers; meat-market, J. W. French; milliners, Miss Kate Crawford, Mrs. J. W. French, Mrs. Lane; news- paper, lVeekly Times, James W. Seeley, editor and proprietor; postmaster, A. S. Warner; physicians, H. J. & A. R. Reynolds, C. A. Spencer; restaurant, Mrs. E. Whitcomb; undertaker, Isaiah Bradford. Orion has an excellent cornet-band of ten members, led by Vincent Brown. The many celebrations held at the place call out the band frequently, and it always maintains its well-earned reputation. TIE OAKLAND COUNTY BUTTER AND CREAM ASSOCIATION was organized April, 1877. Its object is to furnish a superior quality of butter for the Detroit market; also to ship pure milk and manufacture cheese. It is officered by David B. Swayze, president, and Payne Axford, secretary. In the spring of 1877 a "creamery" was built by the association at Orion village. The main building is twenty by forty feet, with a wing ten by twenty feet. The creamery is supplied with the most approved apparatus, and is operated very suc- cessfully by Lane & Coe. ORION PARK ASSOCIATION. The beauties and advantages of Orion lake as a place for summer resort have already been alluded to. As soon as the Detroit and Bay City railroad, which runs along its shore, was completed, it became frequented by pleasure-parties from Detroit and other metropolitan cities. About this time E. R. Emmons improved a natural park on the north shore of the lake, which was used for picnic purposes. In 1874 hlie placed a small steamer, the " Little Dick," on the lake for excursions to this park and the many islands of the lake. In 1874 a party of gentlemen purchased one of the finest of these islands, and formed themselves into an as: o- ciation with the above name. The incorporators were C. K. Carpenter, L. L. Treat, John H. Lord, Hiram Andrews, Alanson Predmore, Simeon Andrews; Lewis B. Hemingway, Isaac S. Kitchen, Robert Sims, C. F. Whitcomb, and Isaiah Bradford. They immediately began a series of improvements which have made this place one of the finest in the country. They constructed a fine bridge one hundred and fifty feet long, to connect the island with the mainland. Upon the island they built a reception hall one hundred feet long, surmounted by a tower eighty-four feet high. From this a magnificent view of the lake and the surrounding country may be had. In a natural amphitheatre west of the tower a rostrum was erected, and seats for an audience of several thousand. They also purchased the "Little Dick," and constructed a wharf and boat-house opposite the island, and within a few rods of the railroad depots. From this regular trips to the island are made, giving parties a ride over one of the handsomest sheets of water in the State. "At the outset of the enterprise it was resolved by the managers of the park to permit no intoxicating liquors to be sold on the premises. This resolution has been adhered to, and societies, schools, and private picnic-parties are here entirely free from the annoyances often.caused by the sale of this common enemy of the public peace." The foregoing history of Orion was compiled largely from personal information given by Hon. C. K. Carpenter, Hon. L. L. Treat, Hon. E. B. Clark, Eli Welch, Powell Carpenter, A. S. 'Warner, Vincent Brown, Charles A. Carpenter, the Orion Times, Asar Brown, John Lessiter, Mrs. J. R. Cordon, Mrs. Walter Dewey, E. R. Emmons, Ezra Carpenter, and others, to whom the historian hereby ex- presses his indebtedness. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. CHARLES K. CARPENTER. This gentleman was born January 23, 1826, in Hornellsville, Steuben county, New York. His fathther, Daniel P. Carpenter, was born in 1781, in Westchester county, New York. His mother's maiden name was Anna Ketcham, and she was born in the town of Cornwall, Orange county, New York, in 1787. Her ancestors formerly lived on Long Island, but removed to Orange county at a very early day. On his father's side his ancestors were from Rhode Island. Mr. Carpenter's grandfather and great-grandfather both bore the name of Benedict. They were descendants of William Carpenter, who emigrated from Amesbury, England, and settled in Rhode Island. Charles K. Carpenter spent his boyhood, until he was eleven years of age, in Steuben county, and the last winter of this time he was employed with an ox-team hauling pine saw-logs to McBurney's mill. Each morning saw him in the woods by daylight ready for his daily work. In 1837 hlie came with his parents to Orion, Oakland County, Michigan, and for the succeeding three years he lived where Rudd's mill now is, working hard clearing land and hauling saw-logs, and, as may be imagined, with very limited opportunity for schooling; six months' attendance at thle district school being the sum total after he was ten years old. In 1840 his parents removed to the place where Mr. Carpenter now resides. From that date until hlie was twenty-one years of age his summers were occupied in working on the new farm, and his winters in chopping mill-logs and thrashing grain with a flail. On the 27th of November, 1847, he married Jennett Coryell, who was born in Mount Morris, Livingston county, New York, March 9, 1831. She was the daughter of George and Eliza Sherwood Coryell. George Coryell was from Ovid, Seneca county, New York, and his wife from Herkimer county. She was a de- scendant of the Hendersons on her mother's side, and came with her parents to Mlichigan in 1846, and settled in Orion township, where she has ever since resided. Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Carpenter are the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living. Their oldest son, Clinton, died when twenty months old. The names of those living are as follows: Rolla C. Carpenter, professor of mathematics and civil engineering in the Michigan State Agricultural College, at Lansing, was born June 26, 1852; W. L. Carpenter, now a law student in the University of Michi- gan, was born November 9, 1855; Emma Blanche Carpenter was born March 19, 1857; Louis G. Carpenter was born March 28, 1861; Mary Carpenter was born August 25, 1866; George Carpenter was born November 27, 1869; and Jennett Carpenter was born January 27, 1875. Mr. Carpenter has always followed the occupation of farming. He has been an active and efficient member of the Oakland County Agricultural Society since its organization; was one of the original incorporators, and a director for twenty years. He was also president of the society for two years. He has from time to time furnished many valuable papers to the agricultural press of the State, and has for the. past few years been prominent in the ranks of the new agricultural order familiarly known as "grangers." In his younger days Mr. Carpenter was politically a Democrat; but at the time of the division upon the " Kansas-Nebraska" bill between Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Douglas, hlie cast his fortunes with the doctrine of" populair sovereignty," and was elected as a Douglas Democrat to the State legislature from the Pontiac district, in 1859. 260 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I On the breaking out of the great Rebellion in 1861, he followed the dying advice of Douglas, and became a " War Democrat," taking a very active part in shaping public sentiment and sustaining the administration of Mr. Lincoln in its efforts to preserve the Union. During the war the duties of superintending en- listments and paying bounties for his township devolved almost wholly upon him. Mr. Carpenter was one of the incorporators of the Detroit and Bay City rail- way; was one of the first directors, and very active in securing local subscriptions and right of way; and to his efforts is largely due the location of the road through Orion and Oxford, instead of Romeo and Fish Lake, he having devoted two years of incessant labor to the accomplishment of this end. He is still one of the directors, himself and Mr. James F. Joy being the only ones residing in the State. Politically, Mr. Carpenter has not acted with the Democratic party since 1861. When the "Prohibition party" was formed in Michigan, he became at once an active member, and was a presidential elector on that ticket in 1870. In 1872 his friends procured his nomination for the office of auditor-general on the same ticket, and in 1874 he was put in nomination for governor. In 1876 lie was presidential elector at large. In the latter year the " Greenback" party nom- inated Mr. Carpenter for governor, but lhe having never acted with that organ- ization declined the nomination. During the past few years Mr. Carpenter has devoted much time to the devel- opment of Island Park, in Orion (or Canandaigua) lake, as a pleasure resort; and the success of the association and the popularity of the locality is largely due to his organizing ability. Under his liberal and judicious management it has be- come a fatuous resort for church and Sabbath-school excursions, and one of the most popular places of recreation in Michigan. CHARLES A. CARPENTER. The Carpenter family was originally from England, and settled in Rhode Island. Stephen Carpenter, fathther of the subject of this sketch, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1778. Charles A., third son of Stephen, was born February 11, 1813, in Barre, Washington county, Vermont. His grandfather had removed from Rhode Island, when the father of Charles A. was a boy, to Uxbridge, Mas- sachusetts, and about 1808, soon after his marriage, Stephen Carpenter had re- moved thence to Vermont. When Charles A. was about two years of age his father removed from Ver- mont to Compton, Lower Canada (now province of Quebec). The family remained in Canada about eight years, when they returned to Uxbridge, Massa- chusetts, where they remained until October, 1836, when they emigrated to Michigan. .On the 14th of September, 1835, Mr. Carpenter married Miss Percis Eames, of Worcester, Massachusetts. In the spring of 1836 he visited Michigan, and purchased two hundred and forty acres of government land near the present town of Lapeer, for himself and his older brother. After making this purchase he returned to Massachusetts, and in the fall of the same year, accompanied by his wife and child, his father and his older brother and family, he came out with the intention of settling on the lands purchased the previous spring. They hired a team in Detroit and came via Pontiac. They only succeeded in reaching Bir- mingham the first day. The road between Detroit and the latter place was terrible; the weather had been wet, and for the first twelve miles it was mostly under water from four to six inches. The team could barely hahi the wagon and baggage and the small children, while the men and women were obliged to make their way on foot. Mr. Carpenter says his brother was so disgusted with Michigan that it was with difficulty he could persuade him to keep on through the swamp. They reached Orion township the second day, and rested for the night about six miles from Pontiac, with a man named Goodwin, who had a very good farm of one hundred and twenty acres, with about thirty acres broken and in a state of cultiva- tion, and a comfortable log dwelling and barn. The owner was desirous of selling, and, after thinking the matter over, and knowing it would take several years to get as good improvements on their wild lands in Lapeer, they concluded to purchase the place, which they did jointly, paying a part of the price down, and went no farther. They lived on this place until it was all paid for, when they made a new arrange-. ment, his brother taking eighty acres of the Lapeer land, and the two purchasing also another eighty acres to go with it. In consideration of this the older brother gave up his interest in the Orion property. This was in 1841. C. A. Carpenter remained on the latter place (his father living with him) until the spring of 1845, when hlie sold out and purchased four hundred and fifty-nine acres of wild land, where hlie now lives, on sections 18, 28, and 29, Orion township. He and his sons afterwards purchased additional lands on sections 27 and 33, in the same town- ship. The total number of acres now owned by the family is seven hundred and forty-nine, all in good condition, with a large area under cultivation. The prop- erty is finely situated, a portion of it bordering upon a beautiful sheet of water called Lake Judah, and also touching a smaller body of water, known as Grass lake, to the northwest of the larger one. Mr. Carpenter has seen quite an eventful life. Coming into Michigan when it was comparatively a new country, hlie has lived to see the wilderness transformed into a fruitful and beautiful land, covered with thrifty farms, neat villages, and enterprising cities ; has seen the bridle-paths and Indian trails superseded by fine turnpikes and railways, and witnessed, in short, the complete transformation of a wild and forbidden region into the abode of an advanced civilization, the peer of many of the older communities along the Atlantic, and behind none in the race for supremacy. For several years after his arrival in Oakland County, Mr. Car- penter worked at the business of a carpenter and joiner, and remembers well the time when hlie labored on a new dwelling thirteen days for a barrel of flour. In the winter of 1837-38 hlie and his brother visited some pine lands which they owned in Lapeer county, for the purpose of making shingles. On this occasion they loaded their tools, cooking utensils, and provisions on a hand-sled, to the amount of three hundred pounds, and drew it on foot to the place, a distance of thirty miles, in one day.$ Mr. Carpenter has had five children,-four sons and one daughter, of whom the two older sons and the daughter are now living. His father removed his family to Michigan in 1839, and made his home with him until his death, in 1854. His mother died about 1857. Mr. Carpenter retired from active farming in 1862, giving the business entirely into the hands of his sons. Having abundant means outside and independent of his real estate, hlie has sat down quietly to enjoy tihe accumulations of many busy years. Since 1862 he has given considerable attention to the cultivation of bees, of which his average stock is from 'twenty to fifty colonies of the common or black variety. He has been very successful in this pursuit, of which he makes a sort of specialty, and takes great delight in the employment. Mr. Carpenter has never been a politician, in the strict interpretation of the term, but has always had an opinion, and has filled various offices in the gift of his fellow-citizens, and has been nominated on the Republican ticket for the representative branch of the State legislature, though the hopeless minority of the party in the district rendered success impossible. L. B. HEMINGWAY. The subject of this sketch, L. B. Hemingway, one of the thrifty farmers of Orion township, was born in the town of Dryden, Tompkins county, State of New York, September 8, 1827. His father, Joseph R. Hemingway, was a native of Orange county, New York, and his mother, Lydia Bartholomew, was born in Con- necticut, both of whom are now living. L. B. Hemingway came to Michigan in the spring of 1855, and located in Orion township, purchasing a tract of one hundred and sixty acres on section 10, whereon he still resides, and which he has brought from an almost wholly uncultivated tract to a finely-tilled and productive farm. He received a common-school education, attending the district schools of his native town winters, and working on his thther's farm the rest of the time. In the winter of 1848 he was married to Sylvia Stone, a native of the same town- ship as himself, where she was born May 9, 1828. She was the daughter of Cheney and Betsey (Prosser) Stone; the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of one of the other New England States. They are now residing at Ovid, Michigan. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Hemingway, a son, Orra L., resides on the homestead with his parents. Mr. Hemingway is, and has been from its organization, a member of the Republican party, and was formerly a Whig. Mrs. Hemingway is a member of the Congregational church. We present to our readers, on another page of our work, a view of the home- stead of Mr. Hemingway, together with portraits of himself and his estimable companion. 01 z . Ni NIX T 0 N o O Y t a All, t' 13 a s tt 4 a e ur 4 V now w? s ROSE T( THE act of the legislature creating the township of Rose was approved March 11, 1837, and appears in the session laws as follows: "All that portion of the county of Oakland designated in the United States survey as township 4 north, of range 7 east, be, and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Rose; and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house of David Gage, in said township." The territory now in Rose formerly belonged to Pontiac township, and originally to Oakland. The surface is much diversified; portions of the township are rough and broken by considerable hills, while others are level or slightly rolling. The soil is generally a sandy loam, although in places heavy clay is found. The various grains common to this region yield prolific returns, and fruit is usually plenty. Wheat is the staple grain raised in Rose as well as in other portions of the county. Most of the township is well adapted to stock-raising, and principal among the possessions of the farmer in this line are his flocks of sheep. The water area of the township covers about nine hundred acres, and is included in some forty-five lakes and ponds. Around most of them are found belts of marsh, with occasional tamarack swamps. The drainage of the greater part of the township is through the various branches of the Shiawassee river, here an insig- nificant stream which can almost be crossed by a single step. The principal sheet of water is Long lake, lying mostly on section 30. Its shores on nearly all sides are high and bold, and indented to a sufficient degree to make them exceedingly picturesque and beautifiul. The lake measures nearly a mile and a half the longest way, and covers about three hundred acres. Its waters are clear and fresh, and abound in numerous varieties of fine fish, rendering it a pleasant place of resort for the angler. The other lakes vary in size from three to eighty acres, and the only ones named on the map (beside Long lake) are the Buckhorn lakes, on sections 22 and 27. The southern and southeastern portions of the township contain beautiful plains, the one in the southeast being an extension of the "White lake plain.'' These were originally covered with a scattered growth of oak, and to-day have a greater acreage of timber than when the town was first settled. The population of Rose township in 1874, according to the State census com- piled that year, was one thousand and eighty-four, and is substantially the same at present. From the census-tables we extract the following statistics, in order to give a relative idea of the agricultural wealth of the township: The total number of acres of wheat raised in 1874 was 3275, against 3322 in 1873. In the latter year there were also raised 906 acres of corn. The total yield of wheat for 1873 was 39,477 bushels; of corn, 26,178; and of all other grains, 29,144; potatoes, 6796 bushels; hay cut, 2144 tons; wool sheared, 18,468 pounds; pork marketed, 43,793 pounds; butter made, 46,205 pounds; fruit dried for market, 2694 pounds; cider made, 350 barrels. In live-stock, the total number of horses owned in the township in 1874 was 506; work-oxen, 22; milch-cows, 537; neat cattle, one year old and over, other than oxen and cows, 503; swine over six months old, 524; sheep over six months old, 5421 ; sheep sheared in 1873, 4415. The total number of acres of improved land in the township in 1874 was 11,920; total number of farms, 231, with an area of 22,357 acres, and an average area of 96.78 acres. The Detroit and Milwaukee railway crosses the northeast corner of the town- ship, having within its limits a length of about three and one-third miles. The Flint and Pere Marquette railway crosses the township from north to south, having a length of about seven miles. Money has lately been subscribed and preparations made to establish a station near" Buckhorn tavern," which will give the inhabitants of the township convenient railway facilities and a home shipping point, instead of obliging them to transport their produce to Holly or Clyde, as heretofore. The township is strictly agricultural, having no village within its boundaries, although small settlements have sprung up at Rose Corners and "1Buckhorn Tavern," neither of which is probably destined to become a metropolis. FIRST ENTRIES OF LAND-PIONEER SETTLERS-INCIDENTS, ETC. The first entry of land in Rose township was made by I. N. Voorheis and Daniel Hammond, June 8, 1835. It included a mill-site on section 11. No mill was ever built, however, and neither Voorheis nor Hammond ever settled on JWNSHIP. the place. The first improvements were made by John C. Garner, who now lives upon it. The first actual settlement in the township was made by Daniel Daniel- son, who located eighty acres on section 35 in 1835, and upon it built the first house in the township. His land was then covered with timter, and his log house stood on the west side of the Indian trail (now the "White Lake road"), upon land now owned by William P. Hicks. Mr. Danielson afterwards removed to Holly, where hlie died. The next settler succeeding Danielson was Benjamin Hicks, who emigrated from Livonia, Livingston county, New York, with his wife, one son (Benjamin C. Hicks), and two daughters, early in the spring of 1836. Mr. Hicks and his son had been out the previous October (1835), and located land on section 35, and built a log house and a log stable. The house was the second one built in the township, and while erecting it Mr. Hicks and his son boarded with Daniel Danielson. The old Hicks place is the one where Mrs. Benjamin C. Hicks now lives. Mr. Hlicks, Sr., stayed on his place during the winter of 1835-36, while his son returned to New York, and in the spring brought back the family. Benjamin C. Hicks was afterwards married to Elizabeth P. Wendell, who had come with her father to the township in 1836. He died March 22, 1853, and had hlie lived until the 26th of the same month he would have been forty-five years of age. His father died August 16, 1850, aged nearly seventy-seven, and his mother in January, 1851. As an example of the general experience of settlers in Rose township, or, in fact, the entire country, a portion of the following, from an address delivered by H. C. Judd before the pioneer meeting in Pontiac, in 1875, will apply. He says: "I was born in Genesee county, New York, and was the youngest of thirteen children, left an orphan at a week old, raised by foster-parents, brought up a bound boy, and received one hundred dollars at the age of twenty-one years; emigrated to the State of Michigan in 1836, and bought land in Oakland County, town of Rose; cleared and fenced a small improvement without owning a team, giving hand-labor for team-labor, but eventually owned a team, and broke up four hundred acres of new land for other people, besides two farms for myself. The country was full of wild game, but as hunting was never my forte I killed but little, viz., three bears, two wolves, and two deer. But the marshes were full of mniassasaugers, which were my dread, having seen a child three years old bitten by one, just as its mother was returning from church, from the effects of which it died in seven hours. During the same summer, while mowing upon the marshes, I killed nineteen full-grown massasaugers in one day. That night I would have taken four shillings on a dollar for all I owned in Michigan, but on the following morning I arose determined to carve me a home in the 'Peninsular State,' and have succeeded in so doing." Among the old settlers of the county, although not of the township, is Frank- lin Gardner, who, in 1832, strode westward with the "course of empire," and took up his abode in the township of Lyon, Oakland County, Michigan.. He was accompanied by his wife and her mother, and lived in Lyon until 1852, when he removed to Milford, and afterwards to Rose, where he is now living on section 3. He was among the first settlers in the township of Lyon, although the first entry of land in that town was made in 1830, two years previous to the time Mr. Gardner settled. Within three months after lie came he says there were as many as thirty families in it. Mr. Gardner is the father of nine chil- dren, of whom five are now living, -two sofis and three daughters. His mother- in-law, Mrs. Mary G. More, was a widow when she came with Mr. Gardner, and quite old at the time. She died October 22, 1845, having survived her daughter (Mrs. Gardner); the latter died July 10, 1842. On the 20th of February, 1843, Mr. Gardner was married to Catharine Dunlap, whose father, Alexander Dunlap, emigrated from Seneca county, New York, and settled in Lyon township in 1833. He was accompanied by his wife and nine children, and one son was born afterwards. Nine of the children are now living. Herman Van Campen, a later arrival, is from the neighborhood of Seneca lake, New York, from whence hlie came with his father, John Van Campen, about 1845, and settled first in Waterford township, where he lived until the spring of 1852, when hlie removed to his present location in Rose. His wife accompanied her father, Owen Soper, to Michigan in 1836. They were front the town of Greece, Monroe county, New York, and settled in Pontiac. Mr. Soper brought his wife and four children with him. He died about 1858. 261 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Peter W. Sutton, a native of the town of Mansfield, Warren county, New Jer- sey, left that place when about fifteen years of age, and removed with his father, John Sutton, to Genesee county, New York. Most of the time for the succeeding decade they lived across the line in Orleans county. In 1843, P. W. Sutton emigrated to Michigan, and lived in and around Pontiac until March 9, 1847, when he located on the farm lie now owns on section 14, where his old house is yet standing, opposite the fine frame dwelling he now occupies. He purchased eighty acres on section 14 from William Crawford, and forty acres just north of it, on section 11, from Governor John Davis, of Massachusetts. He has since be- come the owner of additional land, and is now living on section 11. HIe made the first improvements on his place, and says that when he settled lie " came to stay." He was accompanied to Michigan by his wife and four children, and all the family except himself were very sea-sick during the rough passage up Lake Erie. George Garner, a native of the town of Hardiston, Sussex county, New Jersey, and later a resident of the town of Pultney, Steuben county, New York, settled in Rose in 1836, arriving at his present farm on the third day of October in that year. His father, Thomas Garner, had located in June, 1833, in White Lake township, as had also his brothers John, Robert, and Thomas. Henry Thomas, from the State of Connecticut, was one of the early settlers of the township, and now has a son, Ezekiel, living on section 9. Phineas Baits, a native of Madison county, New York, and afterwards a resi- dent of the town of Parma, Monroe county, settled on section 6, Milford town- ship, Oakland County, Michigan, in 1834, with his wife and one daughter and his wife's father, Jesse Stowell. They arrived in the county in November, and located between them three hundred acres of government land. Five children were born in Mr. Baits' family after he settled, and three of his children are now living. His present wife has six living. Mr. Baits lived in Milford township until the spring of 1835, when lie removed to his present location in Rose. He has resided forty-three years in Oakland County, and witnessed its growth from what was, when lie came, almost a wilderness to its present rank in the State. John A. Wendell immigrated to Michigan from the town of Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, in 1836, arriving in Detroit in the simmer, and staying till some time in the fall of that year in the city with his family. He afterwards became a prominent man in Rose township. His son, Joseph C. Wendell, arrived in Michigan in July, 1836, and settled immediately in Rose township, where lihe purchased the west half of the northeast quarter of section 22, and located upon it with his family, then consisting of his wife and one child, a son. Six children have been born to him since, and of the seven there are five now living. Mr. Wendell (Joseph C.) built a log shanty on his place, and lived in it about six years. He had during this time purchased the east half of the northwest quarter of section 22, and built a log house upon it, to which lie removed. This latter building finally gave place to the frame dwelling Mr. Wendell now occupies. When he first came to the township the White lake road was completed to about the location of the present " Buckhorn tavern," and the old Indian trail which it followed extended westward towards Shiawassee. On his way from New York to Michigan, Mr. Wendell drove through via Canada with a team, while his father came up Lake Erie. Joseph C. Wendell has become one of the most prominent men in the township, as a reference to the list of officers will show. The first white child born in the township was probably Daniel Gage, whose birth occurred in October, 1836. His thther, David Gage, lived at the time in a shanty on land now owned by J. C. Wendell, the latter going through the woods to Fenton after a physician when Daniel was born, and finding his way with great difficulty. Among the early births was that of a child of Everett Wendell, which lived but one week. David Gage settled in the township in the spring of 1836, aid at once began to keep "public-house" at his rude shanty. He had lived in Farmington town- ship for some time before coming to Rose, and was formerly from the State of New York. When he first settled ini Rose lie broke up a small piece of ground and planted some potatoes, which were among the first planted in the township. Subsequent to 1836 lie opened a regular tavern on his place, having built a larger and better house, his old shanty proving too small and uncomfortable. At the same time a man named Beebe was keeping a tavern near by, and one was soon after started at Rose Corners by a man named Nichols. Everett Wendell was also running one in a log house about two miles south, on the White lake road. He afterwards purchased the" Buckhorn tavern," which was built about 1846- 48, by Ahasuerus W. Buell, who subsequently went to Holly village and opened a store. At the time the " Buckhorn tavern" was built the mail-route from Pontiac to Shiawassee was over the White lake road, and a line of stages was either in operation then or began to run soon after. When the tavern was built the mail was carried on horseback. A post-office had been established at Buckhorn as early as 1837-38, and the first postmaster was John A. Wendell. The office was named "Rose," after the township, which had recently been organized. After Buell built his tavern lie carried it on for a year or a year and a half, and sold it to Everett Wendell, after which lie built a store on the opposite side of the road. The store proved a profitable investment, and Mr. Buell had plenty of business. He also had a small tannery, in which he tanned buckskins, and made them up into mittens. In a building which he had erected for a tannery, but never used for that purpose, he opened a small shoe-shop. After his removal to Holly hlie was finally elected to the legislature, and died in office. "Beebe's tavern" was kept by Anson Beebe, and was between Rose Corners and Gage's tavern-stand. He settled in the township in 1836, and opened his tavern the same year. Travelers are now kept occasionally at the old " Buckhorn tavern," although its proprietor, William Burt, does not get custom enough to pay him for taking out a license. The building is used as a place in which to hold the township- meetings, etc. Rose post-office is now kept by Warren A. Breed, on section 26. The first postmaster, John A. Wendell, held the office nearly to the time of his death, which occurred in 1858, when hlie was sixty-nine years of age. After his decease his son, Everett Wendell, was appointed, and held it until the beginning of Lin- coln's administration (1861), when the office was given to Abel K. Crosby. The latter had charge only about six months, after which Mr. Breed was appointed, and has held the position to the present. The mail-route is between Rose and Holly, and the mail is delivered at Rose semi-weekly. Van Dyke Wendell is the carrier. The cemetery on section 27 was laid out in 1837, on land taken from the farm then owned by John A. Wendell. The first burial in it was that of the pre- viously-mentioned child of Everett Wendell. The lot contains a trifle less than three-fourths of an acre, and is the property of the township. Its location is high and dry, and quite picturesque. The one on section 20 was laid out about 1840-41, and is also township property. Another one is located on section 13, the first burial in it being that of Harriet, a daughter of H. and Ruth Seaver, who died March 30, 1851, aged six years and a half. The first death in the township was that of a child of Alvah Coffin. The child was but a year old, was named Melissa, and was a sister of Mrs. J. C. Wendell. It was buried on Mr. Wendell's farm. Alvah Coffin settled in the township of Waterford in 1836, a few weeks after Mr. Wendell located in Rose. He brought his wife and three children with him, and at the time of his daughter's death was visiting Mr. Wendell. In 1838 lie sold his Waterford property and moved into Rose. Elias Duty settled in Rose township with his father, Isaac Doty, in 1836. The family was from the town of Solon, Cortland county, New York. The elder Doty brought his family, consisting of his wife and six children,-three sons and three daughters,-to Michigan in 1828, and settled at Ypsilanti, Washtena . - county, where lie built one of the earliest woolen-mills in the State. It is said to have been the first by some, but the fact of there being woolen-mills in Oakland County as early as 1824-25 places a damper on that assertion. Elias Doty, when he first settled in Rose, purchased the farm next east of his present one, lying partly on section 36, and afterwards exchanged with his oldest brother for the place he now occupies, on the same section. Mr. Doty possesses a finely-improved farm, a view of which will be found in this work. Hiram A. Wheeler came from Cattaraugus county, New York, in October, 1838, with his wife and two children,-a son and a daughter,-and settled in Rose township. In the year 1840 they located on the farm where Mr. Wheeler now lives,-section 29. Mr. Wheeler was the first settler on the place, and made the first improvements, although the land had been entered by a man named Whitchouse. Mr. Wheeler built a log shanty on his property, and for a door hung up a stable-door lie had procured of a neighbor. In this shanty hlie lived for a short time. He cleared some land and sowed a couple of acres of wheat, from which lie harvested enough to thrash out forty-eight bushels, using an old-fashioned thrashing-machine. Mrs. Wheeler wove the first woolen cloth that was made in the town of Rose, the material having been brought to her from Farmington. Mrs. Wheeler's mother (Mrs. Merrill) and her three sons lived near by, having settled about eighteen months previously. They first located in Monroe county, in 1833, after- wards came to Milford, Oakland County, and finally to Rose. They were origi- nally from Caledonia county, Vermont, and had also lived in the State of New York. Joshua Merrill died in Milford township. A man named John Gardner lived in a small log hut half a mile north of Mr. Wheeler's, and had about two acres cleared when the latter came. vk Md SC KEM LOO oMR D S WE v,0 A &1 zG y s4 s eU ir HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 263 I Almont Heath was also an early settler of the neighborhood. Edward Chase is an old settler of Michigan, though not long a resident of Oakland County. One of the early settlers of the township was Asa Reynolds, Esq., now residing at Fenton, Genesee county. He was-a prominent citizen and held many positions of public trust, which hlie filled with great satisfaction to all. Caleb Everts, now living on section 20, is a native of Rutland county, Ver- mont, and removed from there with his parents to Washington county, New York, when quite small. They afterwards settled in the town of Wheatland, Monroe county, where Mr. Everts' father, Gilbert Everts, died in 1827. In the fall of 1836, Caleb Everts made his first trip to Michigan, and located land in Hillsdale county. He returned to New York. married, and in the spring of 1837 came again to this State, but stayed only a short time. In the fall of 1840 hlie purchased the place where hlie now lives of Warren Hlitchins, who had made the first im- provements upon it, and in October, 1841, removed to it with his family. He has since accumulated a large property. William Fillingham emigrated to the United States from Lancashire, England, in 1843, and settled in Pontiac, Michigan, where hlie lived for twelve years, and afterwards removed to his present location on section 16, Rose township. He owns land also on section 17. He brought his wife with him from England, and they have had eight children born to them, of whom seven are now living. The farm which Mr. Fillingham owns was entered by Joseph Fuller, who had made but few improvements upon it when Mr. Fillingham purchased it. Silas Newell is a native of Greenville, Greene county, New York. and resided there until hlie was twenty-two years of age, when, in 1826, he removed to Sodus, Wayne county. Here lie lived until 1838, when lie emigrated to Michigan, and on coming to Oakland County settled in the town of Rose with his wife and six sons. He had in 1837 purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land on the northwest quarter of section 10 from Elder Samuel Jones. It was entirely unim- proved, and Mr. Newell found it necessary to bare his arm and begin the work of building him a home and carving for himself a fortune where all was as nature had left it. He purchased additional land in the neighborhood, and in 1867 sold his farm and removed to Fenton, Genesee county. After settling, his faimily was increased by the birth of two daughters. All his children are yet living except two sons, who died in 1841. When 3Mr. Newell and family came west, they followed the route usually taken by immigrants, viz., to Buffalo on the canal, and from Buffalo to Detroit via Lake Erie. They arrived at their new home in Rose on the 1st day of June, 1838. Mr. N. is now living in Rose township with his daughter, Mrs. Daniel W. Oren. Rose is one of the latest-settled townships in Oakland County, and is wanting in many incidents of pioneer life which characterize the settlements of older townships. Yet the first who ventured into its limits to make themselves homes had many hardships to bear and a long succession of difficulties to surmount. A first settlement in any part of the country ten miles or more from a village or ready market, meant in those days that the settler must undergo many trials which are unknown in older regions. Wild animals abounded and game of all kinds was plenty, so that with a good rifle, plenty of ammunition, and a steady hand the settler need not want for meat. At certain seasons of the year the people were nearly all sick with the ague, that dread disease which seems indi- genous to a new country. Frequently the number of persons exempt from the "shakes" was scarcely adequate to care for those who were afflicted. The Indians who lived in the region were usually quiet and peaceable, and many an instance is related of their bringing supplies of food to the settlers and attending to the wants of the sick, as if they were indeed brothers. Many are the Indian reminiscences yet preserved by those of the pioneers now living, and the memory of the "red man" is cherished with generally pleasant feelings of regard and gratefulness for favors received at his hands. The name " Buckhorn," given to the lakes, creek, and tavern near the central portion of the township, is said to have been bestowed by Isaac I. Voorheis, of Waterford township, who was through here at an early day hunting land. He found a pole about twenty feet long laid across the creek, and upon it were hung a large number of the antlers of the buck, which undoubtedly had been left there by the Indians. TIHE FIRST TOWN-MEETING for the township of Rose was held on Monday, April 3, 1837. John A. Wen- dell was chosen moderator, and M. W. Easton clerk; Benjamin Hicks, Samuel Jones, and Jonathan Bennett were appointed inspectors of election. The fol- lowing township officers were duly elected, viz.: Supervisor, John A. Wendell; Town Clerk, Henry Phelps; Justices of the Peace, Henry Phelps, Pardon Hicks, Jonathan Bennett, John A. Wendell; Assessors, Joseph C. Wendell, Pardon Hicks; Highway Commissioners, J. C. Wendell, Abraham Wortman, Pardon Hicks; Poor-masters, John A. Wendell, Eber Weed; Board of School Inspectors, Jonathan Bennett, Eber Weed, Ben- jamin Hicks; Collector, Everett Wendell; Constables, Everett Wendell, William J. Lane, Stephen Hovey; Path-master, David Gage. The supervisors from 1838 to 1877, inclusive, have been as follows: 1838-40, John A. Wendell; 1841, Chester Buck; 1842, John A. Wendell; 1843, John Galloway; 1844, John A. Wendell; 1845-46, D. Burrows; 1847-49, Moses B. Jones; 1850-51, Asa Reynolds; 1852, James Brownell; 1853-57, Joseph C. Wendell; 1858-59, Asa Reynolds; 1860, Joseph C. Wendell; 1861, Charles F. Hadley; 1862-66, Asa Reynolds; 1867-72, Charles F. Hadley; 1873-77, Joseph C. Wendell. Township Clerks.-1838, Asher B. Webster; 1839, John A. Wendell; 1840- 44, Joseph C. Wendell; 1845, Daniel W. Hollister; 1846-47, Joseph C. Wen- dell; 1848-49, Ahasuerus W. Buell; 1850-51, Everett Wendell; 1852-53, A. W. Buell; 1854, L. D. Jennings; 1855-60, Everett Wendell; 1861-62, Solomon C. Skidmore; 1863-64, Charles Sullivan; 1865-66; Everett Wendell; 1867, S. C. Skidmore; 1868, Thomas E. Boget; 1869-70, Duane D. Lapham; 1871, William W. Slocum; 1872, S. C. Skidmore; 1873-77, William G. Miller. Justices of the Peace.-1838, Asa Reynolds; 1839, John A.' Wendell, James K. Wortman; 1840, James K. Wortman; 1841, B. C. Covert; 1842, Asa Rey- nolds; 1843, John A. Wendell; 1844, John A. Wendell, James K. Wortman; 1845, M. W. Easton; 1846, Asa Reynolds; 1847, William R. Webster, James Brownell; 1848, John Hadley, Jr.; 1849, William R. Webster; 1850, John Galloway; 1851, James Brownell; 1852, Moses B. Jones; 1853, John Hadley; 1854, Asa Reynolds; 1855, Abel K. Crosby; 1856, Gershom G. Everts; 1857, John Hadley, Jr.; 1858, John Hovey; 1859, Abel K. Crosby; 1860, Herod A. Kinney; 1861, John Hadley, Jr.; 1862, Noah G. Kelsey; 1863, Benjamin S. Pier; 1864, H. A. Kinney, Merchant E. Ruggles; 1865, Joseph C. Wendell; 1866, Noah G. Kelsey; 1867, Merchant E. Ruggles; 1868, Milton M. Burn- ham; 1869, Henry V. D. Boget; 1870, William W. Slocum, John Ilighfield; 1871, Patrick Gordon, D. Hollister; 1872, Phineas Baits; 1873, Thomas Alder; 1874, Milan Perry; 1875, Robert C. Stiff; 1876, David W. Snover; 1877, Edmund Fillingham (two others not sworn). SCHOOLS. Probably the first school-house in the township was built near the site of the present frame school-building in district No. 4. The original was also a frame, and was erected in the summer of 1837. The first teacher was a young lady named Lucinda Beebe, whose father, Anson Beebe, has been previously men- tioned as having kept a tavern as early as 1836. In the winter of 1837-38 a school-house was built in what is now district No. 2, 'and was the second one in the township. The summer following (1838) two school-houses were erected, one at Rose Corners-now district No. 3-and the other in the Hadley neighborhood, now known as district No. 1. The old school-house in district No. 1 was built of logs, and stood nearly on the site of the present frame building. The timber for the school-house now standing in this district was cut by Peter W. Sutton, about 1856-57, and this house is now one of the best in the township. At present there are s ven school buildings in the township, all good and sub- stantial structures, and the facilities for obtaining a common-school education which are here afforded are probably equal to those of any other township in the county. The school-houses of Rose are all located on high and dry ground, thus being healthful and pleasant. * The early schools were hardly such as would compare with those of the present in many cases, and yet they supplied the wants of the settlers, and in their day were all that was required. Many who received their first rudiments of an edu- cation at these schools have since become "powers in the land," and made for themselves marks which are worthy of emulation by those who shall come after them. The history of the past in all parts of this region is replete with adventures which would of themselves fill many a volume of goodly size. Yet, as it is im- possible here to give the reminiscences of all, that task is left for other hands to perform. Many interesting facts are already given, and in most localities " The veil of years is lifted from the scenes of long ago, When wild beasts gathered menacing and the red man met his foe; Ere forest-aisles re-echoed to the ' tread of pioneers,'- A race of sturdy yeomen where one and all were peers; When curled the silv'ry waves before the light and swift canoe, And the Indian's children sported in the waters deep and blue; When the red d(leer roamed in freedom the hills and woods among, And o'er the lakes and valleys the wolf's fierce outcry rung." To the following-named persons we are indebted for much valuable assistance in gathering the history of this township: Joseph C. Wendell, Elias Doty, Caleb Everts, William G. Miller (town clerk), Mrs. B. C. Hicks, Phineas Bates, George Garner, Peter W. Sutton, and others. 264 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. GEORGE GARNER, son of Thomas and Ann Garner, was born in the town of HIlardiston, Sussex county, New Jersey, February 12, 1808, and is consequently now in the seven- tieth year of his age. When a lad his parents removed to Paterson, New Jersey (now in Passaic county), and in September, 1825, when he was in his eighteenth year, he went with them to the town of Pultney, Steuben county, New York. His father emigrated to Michigan in 1833, and in 1836 he followed him, and settled on the farm he now occupies, on section 24, Rose township. His father had located in White Lake township, and died there in 1838. George Garner was married March 19, 1829, to Margaret Speelman, a namitive of the town of Benton, Ontario (now Yates) county, New York, where she was born December 5, 1806. Her mother's father, John IMittower, settled near Ge- neva, New York, on the west side of Seneca lake, in 1800. He was from the State of Maryland, probably Frederick county. Her father's father, John Speel- man, was also an early settler of the township of Benton, which was Mr. Mit- tower's home. Mr. and Mrs. Garner are the parents of eight children, their births occurring as follows: LEvi S., born April 2, 1830; died May 17, 1862. Was a graduate of the Cincinnati Eclectic medical college, and at the opening of the war entered the army as surgeon of the Fifteenth Regiment of Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Died in the service. ANN MARIA, born March 12, 1832; now living with her parents. ELIZAUETH, born February 19, 1834; died September 17, 1864. NANCY, born July 20, 1836; now the wife of Peter Carr, of Rose township, Oakland Cdunty, Michigan. These four were all born before the family left the State of New York. MARY, born October 17, 1839; died June 27, 1864. DAVID M., born December 30, 1841; now living on a part of the old farm. Is a graduate of the high school at Corunna, Shiawassee county, Michigan; owing to a serious affection of the eyes, he was obliged to relinquish a course lie was intending to take in the university. GEORGE, born January 24, 1844; died in infancy. FRANCIS S., born April 4, 1846; died January 31, 1857. In the month of May, 1836, Mr. Garner came to Michigan, and purchased four hundred acres of government land, locating three eighty-acre lots on section 24, and the other two on section 2, town 4 north, range 7 east. He next erected a log house, eighteen by thirty feet, on section 24. It stood just north of David Garner's present residence, and was among the earliest houses built in the town- ship; was a very substantial structure, the logs being hewed smooth, or "faced," on the inside. After building his house, Mr. Garner went back to New York after his family, and brought them to their new home in the then forest wilds of Michigan the same fall, moving into their log house some time in October, 1836. The house was without either upper or lower floor, and was not exceedingly com- fortable. Mrs. Garner had brought a quantity of factory cloth with her, and with it made partitions in the house by hanging it across from wall to wall. Be- side the care which necessarily became her portion of pioneer life, she had addi- tional work in attending to her infant daughter Nancy, then but two months old. Many families, who came in during the summer, lived in their wagons until they could erect suitable shelters for the approaching winter. The frame house in which Mr. Garner now lives was erected in the summer of 1847, and was one of the first frame houses built in the township. When he came to Michigan the first time (May, 1836), Mr. Garner started on horseback, but, on arriving at Buffalo, changed his mind as to the mode of travel he should pursue, and, taking a steamer, came through to Detroit by water. Before returning for his family he sold his horse. When he came with the family, they proceeded as far as Buffalo by team, and from there they engaged passage to Detroit by way of the lake. On arriving near Dunkirk, however, their boat sprung a leak, and was forced to put in to the dock. She had some six hun-. dred passengers aboard. They transferred their baggage to the steamer "William Penn," and after lying about a week at Dunkirk, waiting fbr the boat to move out, they concluded to leave their goods on board and conime on by team. Accord- ingly they started, and drove as far as Huron, Ohio, a distance of a hundred miles or more. On arriving at the latter place, they discovered the " William Penn" making in towards the dock, and consequently waited for her, and on her arrival drove aboard, and were landed in Detroit the next morning at sunrise. The re- mainder of the distance they traversed with their team, and reached their location in what is now Rose township at the end of a three weeks' trip from New York, tired, and rejoicing that they at last had reached a haven, even though in a comparative wilderness. In politics, Mr. Garner was originally a Whig, and has been a Republican since the organization of the party. He and his wife are both members of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake, with which body they united when they first came to Michigan. Mr. Garner became a member of the Presbyterian church at his old home in Pultney, in 1830, and his wife joined the same denomination at Benton, Ontario county, New York, in 1826. No liquor nor tobacco has ever been used in the family, every member of it being strictly temperate, as were Mr. Garner's parents before him, and also every member of his father's family. He has reached the age of nearly seventy years, and though his hands are hardened with the toil of threescore years, and his experience has been greatly varied, the marks of care seem no deeper on his brow, and his countenance wears yet the cheerful look of his younger days. Mrs. Garner is a true Christian lady, and in her sphere has made herself most useful, and gained many lasting friends. Her voice and hand have always been ready to comfort and soothe the weary patient on the sick-bed, and her old neigh- bors, near and far, remember with gratitude the services performed by her in the days reaching backward for a period of forty-one years. This happy couple, now in their old age, are reaping the just reward of a life spent in seeking to do good to all who lived around them, and the closing scenes of their lives promise to be upon the same plan of calmness and serenity by which their experience has always been characterized. SOLOMON C. SKIDMORE was born in the town of Rose, Wayne county, New York, May 19, 1817, and is therefore now in his sixty-first year.' His father, John Skidmore, was a native of Saratoga county, New York, where he was born December 6, 1783, and in 1810 was married to Sally Bishop, who was born June 7, 1789. Mr. and Mrs. Skidmore, Sr., were the parents of nine children,-five sons and four daughters, -and these settled, six in Michigan, two in Kansas, and one in Illinois. Solomon C. Skidmore was married on the 2d day of July, 1845, to Emily Lamb, in the town of Washington, Macomb county, Michigan. Her parents, Otis Lamb and Theodosia Wales, were born in the State of Massachusetts; the former October 16, 1790, and the latter March 26, 1792. They were married August 3, 1814, and became the parents of eight children,-four sons and four daughters,-all of whom settled in Michigan. In 1848, S. C. Skidmore and his wife removed to the farm where Mr. Skidmore now resides, section 29, Rose township. Mrs. Skidmore became the mother of five children, and on the 22d of December, 1858, was called from earth by the "reaper whose name is Death." July 25, 1859, Mr. Skidmore was married to Mrs. Lavinia Eisenlord. Her father, Daniel Huntington, was born in the State of New York, March 16, 1796, and in 1817 was married to Mary Ann Cole. In 1829 they removed to Ohio, where Mr. Huntington died in 1869. They were the parents of eight children, of whom two settled in Michigan, one went to Missouri, one to Iowa, one to Cali- fornia, and one to Canada; another is still living in Ohio. Lavinia H. Huntington (now Mrs. Skidmore) came to Michigan in 1855, and was married to John P. Eisenlord, since deceased. Mr. Skidmore, by his second wife, is the father of four children, all sons. For four years Mr. Skidmore held the position of township clerk in Rose, and has been since his residence here a popular man. Mrs. Skidmore (then Mrs. Eisen- lord) had one son when she was married to Mr. Skidmore. In his life of twenty.nine years in Oakland County Mr. Skidmore has wit- nessed many changes, not the least of which are in himself. He is now well advanced in years, though yet strong and vigorous, and has well performed his part in developing the resources of the town in which he lives. ELIAS DOTY. This gentleman was born in the town of Solon, Cortland county, New York, July 23, 1815. His father, Isaac Doty, a native of Washington county, New York, emigrated with his family to Michigan in 1828, and settled at Ypsilanti, Washtenaw county, where lie built a woolen-mill, and operated it a number of years. Isaac Doty had followed farming for a few years previous to his removal to Michigan, but his trade was that of a manufacturer of woolen goods. He lived at a number of places both in Michigan and Ohio, but was never entirely satisfied until lie came to the place where his son, Elias Doty, is now residing. On their trip to Michigan, the family drove through to Syracuse with their team. From that point they took passage on the canal to Buffalo, and from Buf- VA toy  IJISPOItY OP OXKLA NI) (AQtiNT\, MI( 100 YN. (1 Ii' ~ I Al I ,A A hA A P A \AA I P ~ w I NA Al ISV AA I A A ~I A A VA NI A A ( I~ 'V B A A 1,) IA I NA A N. 'A. (A A A 4 Nh AA IAIIIA A I IA A V I A AAAI I A A A I 'AA VA AAIV A V NI I. 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TIAAy A'AAIAABN AA iAABAIIy' (Al AIA'rAAB AAIAlIdAIuAV, (ABAIAUAAAIAAAAAIUAI by lAP WitS AAAAAI [WA' A'iAIIAIA't'AA. I AAA(AAAA'Iy 114 266 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Mary E., born March 24, 1836; married Luther W. Cole, and now resides in Rose. Sarah A., born February 17, 1842; married Jerome E. Carver, and now occupies the homestead farm with her husband. Bettie M., born March 3, 1844; married C. L. Miles in August, 1862; died January 30, 1876. April 25, 1846, Mrs. Reynolds died, leaving a family of little ones to the care of her widowed husband. Deeming it necessary that they should have sonime one to look after them besides himself, hlie married again, this time to Mary Gage, January 28, 1847. She was born in Wendell, Cheshire county, New Hampshire, January 17, 1808. This marriage was blessed with one child, Jennie L., born October 19, 1847; married Cornelius Mahaney, and resides at Fenton. Mrs. Reynolds proved a second mother to the little ones, and brought them up as tenderly and carefully as their own mother could have done. Hence a singu- lar harmony existed in the Reynolds household, not usually found where a step- mother is introduced. The family cherish her with a great deal of filial regard and affection. In October, 1836, Mr. Reynolds removed to Michigan, and settled two eighties, one in section 17 and one in section 18, in Rose township, where he resided for over thirty years, afterwards removing to Fenton, where he now resides. He was elected a justice of the peace in Rose for four terms, aggregating a service in that capacity of sixteen years; was also supervisor for ten years. In November, 1854, he was chosen to represent his district in the State legislature, and did so to the entire satitfaction of his constituents and to that of the people generally. In politics hlie is Democratic; in religion, liberal- never having affiliated with any denomination or church. Hle is a gentleman well and favorably known in Rose township, and in various other parts of Oakland and Genesce counties, and deservedly enjoys the respect and confidence of those whose acquaintance hlie has made. He is a man of a kindly and genial disposi- tion, large hospitality, considerable intelligence, and unquestioned integrity. He has administered satisfactorily on a large number of estates, and has held various other positions that have required sound judgment and irreproachable honesty to fill. Y MARCUS D. ELLIOTT ... r This gentleman was born in Montgomery county, New York, January 19, 1827, and is a descendant of the old "Yankee" stock, his parents both being natives of the. State of Connecticut. In 1829 they removed to the town of Decatur, Otsego county, New York. There young Marcus attended district school until hlie was nine years old, when lie was able to help more or less about home, and after that only attended winters until he was sixteen. He also worked summers for tfarmers living in the neighborhood. In the summer of 1844 Mr. Elliott's parents moved to Michigan, and the young man, then seventeen years of age, borrowed forty dollars with which to buy his "time" of his father, and worked nearly the whole of the following year to pay the debt. In June, 1846, lie followed his father to Michigan, and worked for farmers after arriving there, in the neighborhood of Holly, Oakland County. At the breaking out of the Mexican war he walked in the morning of one day to Pontiac to enlist, but owing to some misunderstanding with Colonel Beach, the recruiting officer, he returned to Holly, walking back the s. me day, and making nearly fifty miles since ie had left home in the morning. The following day he went over into Rose township and hired out to a farmer named Leland, for the sum of twelve dollars per month. He worked that season, and has since been a resident of the township. Mr. Elliott was married January 1, 1852, to Miss Arvilla A. Seeley, of Rose township, then in her twenty-first year. She was born in the town o' Ballston, Saratoga county, New York. Her father, Isaac Sceley, removed from that town in 1837, and settled in Rose township, Oakland County, Michigan, on the north- cast quarter of section 4, being among the earlier settlers of the township. The necessarily severe labor and many ills subject to the improvement of a new country soon undermined his health, and in the summer of 1844 he was attacked with typhoid fever, which resulted in his death in September of the same year. In the winter of 1854 Mr. Elliott settled on the farm where he is now residing,-the cast half of the southeast quarter of section 5,-and in his stay upon it of twenty-three years has made it one of the finest farms in Oakland County. Politically Mr. Elliott is a true and stanch Republican, and at the breaking out of the great civil war in 1861 enlisted as soon as arrangements could be made for'leaving home. His enlistment occurred on the 27th day of October, 1861. Ile joined Captain M. F. Lockwood's battery of light artillery at Monroe, and was appointed scrgeant. In March, 1862, the battery was ordered to report at Benton barracks, Missouri, and thither it repaired under command of Captain Samuel DeGolyer, of Hudson, Michigan. From Benton barracks they were ordered to New Madrid, Missouri, there to report to Major-General Pope. They arrived at that place the latter part of March, 1862, and in June one section of the battery was ordered to Memphis, whither it proceeded under command of Lieutenant T. W. Lockwood, and was made a part of the garrison at that city. Sergeant Elliott was with the command and acted as orderly, quartermaster- sergeant, and general duty sergeant. They remained at Memphis until the following September, when orders were received to report at Columbus, Ken- tucky, at which place they were joined by the rest of the battery. About this time the rebels were threatening HIickman, Kentucky, and a section was ordered to that place in command of Lieutenant W. H. Weston, Sergeant Elliott accom- panying it in the same capacity as at Memphis. In the latter part of the month of November they rejoined the battery at Columbus, and the entire communand was soon ordered to report to Major-General Grant, at La Grange, Tennessee, at which place the Army of the Tennessee was organized and General Grant placed in command. The battery was assigned to the Third brigade (Leggett's), Fourth division (Logan's), of the Seventeenth army corps, under General James B. McPherson, with Major C. J. Stolbrand as chief of artillery. They were marched to Holly Springs, Oxford, and Water Valley. While at holly Springs Sergeant Elliott was promoted to orderly sergeant of the Eighth Michigan Battery, Light Artillery. There was no hard fighting, but "plenty of hard marching through mud and snow." On the return of the army the whole command reported at Memphis, at which place it arrived some time in the month of January, 1863. About the middle of February the command left Memphis by steamer and landed at Lake Providence, Louisiana, but on account of the overflow of the Mississippi and the cutting of the levees, the army was removed to Berry's land- ing, about five'miles above. Left Berry's landing the last of March, and went to Milliken's Bend, a few miles up the river from Vicksburg, where they dis- embarked, and marching across the country west of the river, opposite Vicks- burg, crossed the Mississippi below, at Bruinsburg, on the 30th of April, 1863. On this expedition Sergeant Elliott was promoted to second lieutenant. After crossing the river, on the night of April 30, they started early in the morning (PMay 1) for Port Gibson, a small place about twenty miles to the eastward, where the rebels were in force under General Bowen. The fighting on this day was the first the Army of the Tennessee had yet engaged in, as an army. The rebels were defeated, and retreated precipitately towards Jackson, Mississippi. In this engagement the Eighth Battery sustained a loss of several men killed and wounded, and some of their best horses were badly used up on the march. One gun burst, and was left on the field. May 14, 1863, the rebels made a stand at Raymond, and a portion of the bat- tery narrowly escaped capture, although after sharp fighting the enemy was defeated and driven back. The next day lively fighting occurred near Jackson, but the rebels retreated in haste before the charge of the Union troops. The same evening the victorious army entered Jackson, and the next morning (May 16) started on its return to Vicksburg. A few miles east of Clinton the Con fed- crate troops were again encountered in force, and the battle of Champion Hills was there fought. The battery suffered severe loss in this engagement, some of its best men being killed or wounded, and many of the horses disabled. About four o'clock in the afternoon the rebel line was broken, and the "chivalry" re- treated to Black River bridge, where on the following day (May 17) another battle was fought. A heavy charge drove the rebels from their works, and after burning the bridge they retreated to Vicksburg. On the 19th [18th ?] the army began the siege of that place, the Eighth Battery occupying a position on the left of Fort Hill, and nearly in the centre of the besieging army. During the siege, which lasted forty-seven days, or until July 4, Captain Samuel DeGolyer was dangerously wounded, and afterwards died, while more than half of the men and horses were killed or disabled. After the death of Captain DeGolyer, the command of the battery was as- sumed by Lieutenant T. W. Lockwood, but his health being very poor, he resigned in the month of August, 1863, and the command was assumed by Lieu- tenant Elliott. Early in the month of September Lieutenant Richmond was promoted to captain, and Lieutenant Elliot to first lieutenant. In January, 1864, Captain Richmond resigned, and Lieutenant Elliott was promoted to captain of the battery that he had built up from the ruin that was left after the siege of Vicksburg. The siege and sickness had most thoroughly done their work, and at the close of the terrible Vicksburg campaign hardly a man was fit to do guard duty or care for the horses. In the month of February, 1864, the battery was with General Sherman on the Meridian campaign, and after returning most of the men re-enlisted as vete- rans, "for three years or during the war." The army left Vicksburg on the 1st of April, 1864, and proceeded by boat to Cairo, Illinois, from which place Captain Elliott was ordered to Michigan with the re-enlisted men, on a thirty-days' fur- n /'; a .: .. K.. f 4 '1 ,; ., v f' ? ;t~ u, a K ., :31t F.: - , k t f ? ,G;' 1 s , - .e . f t T r" HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 267 lough. At the expiration of their leave of absence they repaired to Kingston, Georgia, and rejoined the command early in the month of June. They were engaged under Sherman in all the battles of the Atlanta campaign-Resaca, Dalton, Kenesaw Mountain, and Marietta-and the battles near Atlanta, which took place on the 20th, 22d, and 28th days of July; also at the engagement at Jonesboro', south of Atlanta, September 1, 1864. On the evacuation of Atlanta the battery was ordered to report at Chattanooga, at which place it arrived early in November. From thence it was sent by rail to Nashville, arriving there just in season to take part in the fight with the rebel General Hood's army, December 16 and 17. Up to the Atlanta campaign Captain Elliott had been strong and healthy, but after it his health entirely failed him, and on the 27th day of December, 1864, his term of enlistment having expired, he was mustered out of the service. He reached his home in Michigan on the 5th of January, 1865, ruined in health and broken in constitution, and from the effects of the exposure and hardships to which he was subjected hlie has never fully recovered. Since the war hlie has been engaged in farming, and has given considerable attention to breeding merino sheep. In the fall of 1870 hlie was nominated on the Republican ticket for repre- sentative in the legislature from the first district of Oakland County, and was elected. Mr. Elliott is a man universally esteemed by those who know him, and they are the best judges who have longest been acquainted with him, of his true worth in the community of which he is a member. _ 7 t SOUTHFIELI Tars township lies upon the base-line between Farmington and Royal Oak, and has Bloomfield for its northern boundary. Its surface in the north portions is rolling, but grows more level towards the south. Upon these more level parts the original forest was heavier and denser, while the parts which are more rolling were also more open. The waters of the township are the east and west forks of the Rouge, which enter it respectively on sections 2 and 6, and join on the northwest quarter of 16, forming the main stream, which flows in a very meandering course, and leaves the township at the southeast corner of section 32; Dry run, which rises in the springs of the northeastern part of the town, and leaves it from section 33; and Lee's creek, which has its sources in Farmirngton, and in the northwestern part of Southfield, joining the main Rouge in the southeast quarter of section 30. There are the usual signs of ancient Indian occupation, but no indications that this was ever one of their great central points, or the seat of any of their perma- nent villages, though there are those living who recollect small patches of maize and irregular clusters of neglected apple-trees on sections 9 and 30, particularly in the former, where now is the farm of Mr. Brooks; there was also an Indian sugar-orchard there. These sections were originally laid off as Indian reserva- tions, but upon the admission of the State they were disposed of in the usual way for the benefit of the educational fund, and the Indians were reimbursed in the form of annuities. FIRST ENTRIES AND SETTLEMENTS. The earliest entries of lands in the township were made in the year 1821. The first was by John Wetmore, in May, and a little later in the same year were those of John Monteith and Peter Desnoyer, non-settlers; Desnoyer being a French merchant in the city of Detroit, who probably never saw the lands hlie entered. The first actual settler in Southfield was, beyund a doubt, John Daniels, who came in the year 1823, and commenced work on his land, in the southwestern quarter of section 4,-nosy the farm of John C. Daniels,-then went east for his family, with whom hlie returned early in the following spring; and with him also came Martin Lee and William Lee, Edmund Cook, and George White. The Lees located on section 18; Cook settled on the southeast quarter of section 7, where now is the farm of Robert Johnson, but afterwards removed to Ohio, where he died. White settled on section 18, near the Lees. On reaching his land, his entire movable effects consisted ofa wife and five children, a barrel of pork, a bag of dried apples, and fifty cents in money. Notwithstanding which, by the exercise of industry and frugality hlie became reasonably prosperous, and lived for more than a half a century after his settlement, filling public offices and gaining the confidence and respect of his neighbors and townsmen. He died in 1875, at the age of eighty-two years. In the same season, and at very nearly the same time, came Dillucena Stough- ton and Eli Curtis. Stoughton purchased the east half of the northeast quarter of section 6, now comprehending the eastern part of the village of Franklin. Mr. Curtis purchased on sections 3 and 4; his house being erected in the northeast corner of 4. His pecuniary circumstances were better than those of most of the first pioneers, and from the capital which he brought he reaped the full measure of the advantage which capital is sure to command, particularly in a new country. About 1840 he became a convert to the doctrine of " Millerism," and removed to the city of New York, where he was engaged in the publication of a ) TOWNSHIP. second-advent journal, entitled The Midlnight Cry. His connection with the Miller sect brought him both financial and mental disaster, from which hlie never recovered. After some years hlie returned from New York to Southfield, and thence, after a time, he removed to the State of Ohio, where hlie died a few years since. Elisha Hunter settled in the township in 1824, and with him came his sons Daniel and Rufus, and his son-in-law, William Hall. On their first arrival in Michigan, five years before, they had settled where the village oP Birmingham now is. In Southfield Mr. Hunter settled on one hundred and sixty acres in the southwest quarter of section 3, now the farm of J. H. Johnson. Mr. Hall took the west half of the northeast quarter of section 10. Rufus, the youngest of Elisha Hunter's sons, is now living in Birmingham. He recollects that in the first year of their settlement in Southfield they planted three-fourths of an acre of Ohio corn, the product of which was sixty bushels; which shows plainly the great fertility of the virgin soil. He also recollects that they procured hay from Wilkes Durkee's to feed their stock, but that the cattle left the hay, seeming to greatly prefer the coarse, dry, Indian grass which they found on the borders of the stream which passed through their farm. Moses Rodgers came in 1824, and settled on the Rouge, in the southwest quarter of section 32. Mr. Benjamin Fuller recollects that while making a rather extended exploration down the stream, of a Sunday in the summer of 1825. lihe came suddenly upon the cabin of Mr. Rodgers, and was surprised to find a habi- tation where hlie had supposed was only an unbroken wilderness. In 1825, Elijah Bullock came in. He was by trade a blacksmith, but having come to Michigan with no intention of following any other calling than that of agriculture, and having with him four sons, as well as a son-in-law,-George Gage,-he purchased two hundred and forty acres of fine land, namely, the west half of the northeast quarter of section 6, and the entire northwest quarter of the same section; this including all the land lying on the west side of the main street in the present village of Franklin as far south as the southern line of the ceme- tery, and from thence westward to the town-line of Farmington. Denison Smith came in 1825, and purchased the west half of the southwest quarter of section 2; and in the same year came Abraham Crawford, Benjamin Fuller, Jr., and 'Niah Dodd. Mr. Fuller is the only survivor of all those old settlers, and lives now a short distance north and west of Southfield Centre, on the same tract-though not on the same spot-where hie then settled, the north- east quarter of section 20. He emigrated from Rutland county, Vermont. Crawford located on the northwest quarter of section 27, the premises now owned by W. Beatty. As regards Dodd (whose correct Christian name we have been wholly unable to ascertain, which may have been Zephaniah, though the contraction alone was universally used in speaking of him),-'Niah Dodd, as he was called, entered on the southeast quarter of section 20, and was the first comer upon the place now Southfield Centre. He was less fairmer than hunter, fisherman, and trapper, and he built his cabin by the stream, in a location convenient for the ex- ercise of his favorite vocation. The creek at that time swarmed with fish. Mr. Benjamin Fuller recollects how, in crossing it on a log, on the occasion of his first visit to 'Niah's cabin, he was surprised at their numbers and tameness, and how he killed a large and beautiful pike without spear or fishing-apparatus of any kind, by the mere help of a stick. The purpose of his visit to the cabin at that time I I 0a 50 0 0n_ b0 lit Qj0 N0 268 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I was to sharpen his axe on Dodd's grindstone, which appears to have been nearly or quite the first utensil of the kind in the township; though how it happened that a fisherman, whose calling is usually regarded as a thriftless one at best, should have been in advance of the enterprising pioneer farmers in the ownership of so indispensable an implement, is hard to explain. A few years afterwards Mr. Dodd sold his land and "betterments" to Hiram Sherman. Daniel Thorn came from Newburg, New York, in 1825, and purchased the east half of the northwest quarter of section 5, the present farm of T. Midgely. He did not bring his family, however, until 1830. Marvin Henry settled in 1825, on the southwest quarter of section 22. He afterwards sold to Asa Parker, and moved to Indiana. Simeon Botsford came late in the autumn of 1825, and moved into the log house of Benjamin Fuller, Jr., while the latter had gone east to bring on his father's family. Afterwards he (Botsford) settled on section 19. Ebenezer Wilson and his father, old Major Wilson, came in 1825, and settled on the town-line, in section 4. Afterwards, on their removal, Ebenezer sold his land to John Daniels, and the major disposed of his to Eli Curtis. Major Wil- son's father and his uncle, Samuel Wilson, were officers in the army during the Revolutionary war. SETTLEMENTS AFTER 1825. Benjamin Fuller, Sr., came with his family in the spring of 1826, and settled on section 20, a little west and north of where Southfield Centre now is. He brought with him the first pair of horses that were owned in Southfield. Joseph Dodd, 1826, on the northwest quarter of section 22. Orville Goss, same year, set- tled on the town-line, in the northwest quarter of section 18. He also purchased lands in section 22, which hlie afterwards sold to John Thomas. Joseph Blind- bury and James Gunning also came in that year, and settled on section 19. - Chris- topher Barnhart settled in 1826, on the northeast quarter of section 23. He afterwards sold to Edward Stephens, and removed to the "Bean creek country" with William Lee and Marvin Henry. In the fall of that year, Amaziah Stoughton, Sr., came with his sons, William (a bachelor, who was virtually the head of the family), Amaziah, Jr., and Charles, then a boy, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 6, now the farm of W. Barnum. These were the father and brothers of Dillucena Stoughton, the first cominer in that vicinity. Another brother of his, James Stoughton, settled first in Bloomfield, but afterwards came to Southfield. John Fall came in 1826, with his large family, and settled where Ezekiel Hutton now is, on the northwest quarter of section 27. Isaac Heth came from Vermont in 1827, and located upon the southeast quarter of section 6, where hlie settled with his family. Dorus Morton, Henry S. Smith, and Richard Bignall came in the fall of 1827, and settled at Franklin, where Morton purchased four acres from Dillucena Stoughton. Asa Parker came in that year, and purchased lands of Mar- vin Henry, in the southwest quarter of section 22. Jonathan Worthing also camne in 1827, and entered his lands in the northwest and northeast quarters of section 7, but did not settle on them until a considerable time later. Mason I. James came from Avon in 1828, and purchased on the southeast quarter of section 22. He was a justice of the peace by appointment from Gov- ernor Cass, and a prominent citizen. Near him Nathaniel Armstrong and Mr. - Patmore settled at the same time. John Trowbridge came in the year 1828, and purchased the western half of the northwest quarter of section 28. Silas White came in that year, and settled in the northwest quarter of section 14. This, however, was not his first settle- ment in Michigan; he had previously established himself for a few years in Bloomfield. Nathaniel Green settled in 1829, on the northwest quarter of sec- tion 20. George W. Cook, 1829, settled on the western half of the southwest quarter of section 22, land which he afterwards sold to John Thomas. Henry Frink, in the same year, built upon the southeast quarter of section 3, a tract which had been entered by General Hugh Brady, U. S. A. Archibald HI. Green, a blacksmith, camne in 1829, and settled on section 20. He is now a resident of the city of Pontiac. A part of the village of Southfield Centre is located on his original tract. Henry S. Babcock settled in 1829, on the northwest quarter of section 28. Hiram and Oliver Sherman, from Oneida county, New York, came in the year 1829. Oliver, a bachelor, purchased on section 23, but afterwards exchanged for land in the northeast quarter of 21. Hiram bought from 'Niah Dodd his lands at Southfield Centre, but after one or two years sold out to Moses Peck, and returned to New York State. Winthrop Worthing came in 1829, and in the following year purchased the eighty-acre tract of Dillucena Stoughton, at Franklin, except the four acres which Stoughton had sold to Dorus Morton, and another small lot sold to H. S. Smith. James Hall settled in 1829, on the tract which is now owned by Samuel Bell, in the northeast quarter of section 10. He was the father of four sons and four daughters, and was an industrious man, but afterwards made a wreck of his property in some injudicious contracts which hlie made to do certain work at the mill and foundry in Birmingham. William Connery also came in 1829, and settled in the southwest corner of section 14. Mr. Connery was the father of the Covenanters' church in Southfield. In September, 1830, Heman A. Castle came in, from Vermont, and took land on section 12. Levi Trowbridge and Hubbard Trowbridge settled in that year, on section 29. Caleb Hodge, 1830, came from West Bloomfield, and purchased on the northeast quarter of section 23, where he settled, and also bought a tract in the southeast quarter of section 14, now the farm of Mr. Erwin. With him also came his son, Ezra Hodge, and his son-in-law, John Solis. Melvin Drake and his brother Walter came in 1830, and together took the southeast quarter of section 2, but afterwards Melvin exchanged his eighty acres with Isaac Heth for forty acres of the land entered by Heth, in the southeast quarter of section 6. John Waters came in from Oneida county, New York, in the same year. lHe was part blacksmith, but more sailor, having served in the United States navy for the seven years preceding 1828, during which term of service the aggregate of his time on shore was less than twenty-four hours. He purchased from Joseph Dodd the west half of the northwest quarter of section 22. Samuel D. Beckman came in 1830, and purchased in the northwest quarter of section 12. Morris Jenks came prior to 1830, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 28. His first settlement on arriving in Michigan had been made in Bloomfield. George Beardslee, Jonathan Wood, Lorenzo A. Warren, Joshua Davis, Harvey Lee, David Johnson, John W. Turner, Asa Fuller, Thaddeus Griswold, John W. Brewster, George P. Tyson, Clement P. Rust, Samuel Babcock, Pitts Phillips, Michael Beach, James Shanklin, William Delling and Elijah Delling (brothers), David Brown, John Rodgers, James Gould, William Dutcher, all came in prior to the organization of the township in 1830, and they, with the others mentioned above, comprised nearly all of the list of voters in Southfield at that time. FIRST BIRTII, MARRIAGE, AND DEATH. The first white child born in Southfield was a son of George White, in the fall of 1825. The first marriage was that of Benjamin Fuller, Jr., to Marietta Crawford, daughter of Abraham Crawford, in December, 1828. Not long after came that of Milton Crawford, brother of the first bride, to Miss Eliza Parker. Another of the very early marriages was that of Thaddeus Griswold to Harriet Fuller, daughter of Benjamin Fuller, Sr.; and still another, that of Myrex Fuller to Miss Ives. The first death among the settlers in the township was that of Elias Aldrich, a laborer in the employ of Benjamin Fuller, Sr. He died of congestion of the brain, at the house of Mr. Fuller, in August, 1828. He was attended in his sickness by young Dr. Ebenezer Raynale. FIRST FRAME BUILDINGS, MILLS, ETC. The first frame house in the township was built on the northeast quarter of section 20, by Benjamin Fuller, Jr., in the summer of 1828. Its dimensions were twenty by twenty-six feet. It is still standing, a little west of Mr. Fuller's residence, and is now occupied by Wilbur White. There was no other frame house built in the central and southern part of the town until 1831, when John Trowbridge erected one on his premises, the northeast quarter of section 28. In the northwest part of the town, however, a frame house was built by H. S. Smith, in 1828, a few months after the completion of Benjamin Fuller's. The first saw-mill was built in 1829, by Joshua Davis and Michael Beach, in the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 3, on the east branch of the Rouge. The first grist-mill, by Ezekiel H. Sabins, in the year 1837', on the main Rouge, at Southfield Centre. As regards the first tannery, it is not yet known whether precedence should be given to that of Hiram Rust, on section 19, where Jonathan B. Sherman now lives, or to that of West, on the northeast quarter of section 22. Both were started about 1830, and both were very inconsiderable establishments. West afterwards removed to the southeast quarter of section 8, and started his business on the Cook farm. Still later hlie removed to Franklin. FIRST IPUBLIC-IIOUSE. The opening of the first public-house in Southfield was in about the year 1829, by Moses Rodgers, in his log building just south of the Rouge, in the southwest part of section 32 ; and, as it stood on the line over which the Farmington Territorial road was laid out, he is said to have done a very considerable business for that early day. He was known far and wide as "Uncle Mose Rodgers," and was held in good repute, although very eccentric. It appears that at one time hlie had been HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 269 i united with the Methodist congregation, and he had doubtless been enthusiastic in that, as hlie was in everything in which hlie engaged. But from being earnest in their support he afterwards reached the other extreme, of great hostility to them; the circumstances attending the beginning of this change, as related by himself, being something as follows: In the near vicinity of the place wherehe then lived a camp-meeting of his denomination was appointed and held. One night during its continuance some of the more unruly of the preachers' horses became loose, and made a foray on his property, a very promising field of corn, which before morning they had utterly destroyed. He did not at the time make loud com- plaint, for he had some hope that partial, if not full, remuneration might be given him. But when the meeting closed and the preachers departed, leaving him only the benefit of their prayer that Brother Rodgers might " be blessed in basket and in store," his zeal in behalf of the Methodists declined, and from that day he grew more and more pronounced in his enmity to them, until finaldly he denounced them in a printed pamphlet. But in this hlie was once more doomed to disappoint- ment, for the corrections in grammar and orthography which the printer had found it absolutely necessary to make had so changed the composition that the author did not recognize his own work, and despairingly said that it was com- pletely "jumbled" and ruined. Nevertheless, it caused great merriment among the people at the time. He was always an ardent admirer of the military; nothing charmed him more than the music of drum and fife, and no" training" would have been thought quite complete without the presence of Uncle Moses Rodgers. In the days of "wild-cat" banks and of suspension of specie payment, when in lieu of small change "shinplasters," as they were called, were issued even by pri- vate individuals, Uncle Moses was not slow in his solution of the financial prob- lem. He issued his own notes, of various denominations, from sixpence to four shillings, and the following is the tenor of the poetical promise which they bore upon their.face: "This nimble sixpence I will pay In oats, or corn, or in good hay; When you get a dollar, dun me, And then I'll pay in wild-cat money;" and we are not informed that he ever failed to make his promise good. a EARLY ROADS. In this township, as everywhere in the new country, the settlers at first traveled, " as might be said, at random over those routes and trails where there were the least natural obstacles, and marking the tracks as they used them. These were generally inconvenient and circuitous, but such as they were they were used until, and indeed, in many cases, long after, the general declaration of roads on section- lines. The first settlers nearly all came in by way of Royal Oak and Hamilton's (Birmingham) over the Saginaw road, and for a long time afterwards they used this route in their journeyings to and from Detroit. The first road laid out through any part of the township was the Territorial road, usually called the Far- mington road, which, however, only laid for the distance of a mile and a half in Southfield, passing diagonally from the base-line at the quarter-post of section 32 to the quarter bound on the west side of section 31,' and' thence northwesterly to the Quaker settlement in Farmington. The first road, however, which could in any sense be considered a township road, was one which was laid out on a route which was rather indefinitely described as commencing at Elijah Willet's sign- post, in Bloomfield, and running thence southwestwardly to the river Rouge, at Moses Rodgers' house, which will be understood as traversing the township nearly from its northeastern to its southwestern corner. This was about 1830. The commissioners on the part of Southfield in the laying out were C. P. Rust and George White. By an act of the legislative council, approved June 26, 1832, it was ordered " that a Territorial road shall be laid out and established, running from a point four chains and eighty-seven links cast of the quarter-poest in the north line of section 18, in the township of Southfield, in the county of Oakland, on the most direct and eligible road to the city of Detroit; and Pitts Phillips, John Trowbridge, and George Beardsley are hereby appointed commissioners to lay out and establish said road." This road was rather an important one. It passed from its starting-point diagonally through the southwest quarter of section 17, and the northeast quarters of sections 18 and 20, to the crossing of the Rouge at South- field Centre; thence east over the present main street of the village; thence south on the section-line to Henry S. Babcock's; thence southeastwardly through the west part of sections 28 and 33 to and across the base-line, a short distance south of which it struck the Detroit and Farmington road. The opening of this road had the effect to change the route of travel between Detroit and the southern and western portions of Southfield; though the extremely bad condition of the Terri- torial road made it a question whether anything was gained by the change. The opening of local roads on section-lines was gradually accomplished in a few years, commencing about 1832. SEPARATE TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. Until 1830 township 1 north, range 10 east, had been included with Bloomfield, but on the 12th of July in that year it was, by act of legislative council, set off as a separate township, under the name of Ossewa. This name appears to have been considered an objectionable one, and quick work was made in ending its ex- istence, for, seventeen days after its adoption, it was superseded, and, on the 29th of July, the name of the township was changed to Southfield. At the first annual township-meeting, held at the house of Benjamin Fuller, April 4, 1831, Mason I. James was made moderator, and George White clerk, for the day. William Lee and H. S. Babcock were justices of the peace present. There seems to have been no formal balloting, but it was " resolved that H. S. Babcock be our supervisor for the ensuing year ;" and in similar manner it was resolved that A. H. Green be township clerk; Benjamin Fuller, Jr., David Brown, and James Hall assessors; Mason I. James, William Lee, and Morris Jenks commissioners of highways; Ebenezer Raynale director of the poor; Thaddeus Griswold constable and collector; George Gage constable; Abraham Crawford pound-master. There is no reason for supposing that the meeting passed off otherwise than in a quiet and orderly manner; yet there was at least one voter-Mr. Eli Curtis- who was evidently displeased with the result. He wrote a poetical (?) satire on the different officers who were elected, and this production he had printed and posted in conspicuous places over the township. One quotation from it will suffice. It was his reference to the newly-elected supervisor, and ran thus: " Our supervisor we elected According to our wishes; A better could not 1e selected To share the loaves and fishes." And so it ran on through the list. But a resolution passed at the meeting seems to evince such a spirit of economy in public matters as makes it a matter of great doubt whether the supervisor or any other official ever had opportunity to profit by the township "loaves and fishes" to any very great extent. The resolution was as follows: " Resolved, That the township clerk procure three blank books and three quires of paper for the use of the town." There certainly could not have been any very heavy division of percentages on the bills for public stationery. SUCCESSION OF TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. The list of supervisors elected in Southfield from the organization to the pres- . ent time are as follows: HII. S. Babcock, in the years 1832-33-34, and 1835; Pitts Phillips, in 1836; Amnimos Davis, in 1837 and 1838; Isaac Chapman, in 1839; Peter Van Every, in 1840-41, and 1845; William A. Pratt, in 1842 and 1843; George White, in 1844; John Davis, in 1846; Melancthon W. Hicks, in 1847, 1849, and 1850; Lucius Miller, in 1848; Charles V. Babcock, in 1851-53, 1855, 1857-58, 1861-66, 1869, 1871, and 1874; Adam D. Sulli- van, in 1854 and 1856; Harrison D. Hyde, in 1859; Roderiek L. Bryan, in 1860; Darwin O. White, in 1867-68, and 1870; James W. Young, in 1872; William A. Bristol, in 1873; William Erity, in 1875-77. The persons elected to the office of township clerk have been: Archibald H. Green, in 1832-34; Thaddeus Griswold, in 1835-38, and 1849; Ezekiel H. Sabin, in 1839; Clement P. Rust, in 1841-43, 1845, 1848, 1856-57, and 1863; Charles L. Pahner. in 1847 and 1849; Melancthon W. Hicks, in 1846; Isaac A. Chapman, in 1850-54; Henry Simmons, in 1844 and 1855; James W. Young, in 1858-60, 1865-68, 1870-71; Darwin O. White, in 1861-62; Franklin Comstock, in 1864; Gardner M. Wood, in 1869; Joseph E. Dolezenne, in 1872 and 1874; Lysander 31. Dunbar, in 1873; Enos S. Lawrence, in 1875; and Edward S. Blakeslee, in 1876 and 1877. The first election of justices of the peace of which there is a record was in 1838. Prior to that time H. S. Babcock, William Lee, Heman A. Castle, and Mason I. James had, among others, held the office, but we cannot with certainty give the names of the incumbents in that year. The list of those elected then and since then is as follows: 1838, William HI. Edwards, John Trowbridge, to fill vacancy; 1839, George Beardslee, Ezekiel H. Sabin, to fill vacancy; 1840, William A. Pratt: 1841, Pitts Phillips; 1842, H. S. Babcock; 1843, George Beardslee, Jr., Horace J. Johnson, to fill vacancy; 1844, William A. Pratt; 1845, Lucius Miller, Jona- than T. Stephens, to fill vacancy; 1846, Horace J. Johnson; 1847, George Beardslee, Jr.; 1848, Jonathan L. Stephens; 1849, Winthrop Worthing, Lodo- wic Stantoi, to fill vacancy; 1850, John Trowbridge; 1851, Arthur Davis, Lewis W. Adams, to fill vacancy; 1852, Cornelius Lawrence; 1853, Benjamin D. Worthing, Warren Hunt, to fill vacancy; 1854, George Beardslee, Jonathan L. Stephens, to fill vacancy; 1855, Morgan L. Ferris; 1856, Cornelius Lawrence, George B. Congleton, to fill vacancy; 1857, George B. Congleton; 1858, George Beardslee, Alfred Foster, to fill vacancy; 1859, Jason W. Crandall, to full term, 270 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ----4 and also to fill vacancy; 1860, George Dolbeer; 1861, Lewis W. Adams; 1862, William Erity; 1863, Jason W. Crandall; 1864, Cornelius Lawrence, William Van Every, to fill vacancy; 1865, Thomas Boden; 1866, John Waters; 1867, Theodore Grace; 1868, George McStay; 1869, Thomas Boden; 1870), Horace J. Johnson; 1871, Theodore Grace, James A. Miller, to fill vacancy; 1872, Nel- son B13. Reynolds, to full term, and also to fill vacancy; 1873, Edward S. Blakes- lee; 1874, Alexander L. Means, Horace J. Johnson, to fill vacancy; 1875, Hlorace J. Johnson; 1876, Henry S. Buel; 1877, Edward S. Blakeslee. / FRANKLIN. This village is located on the northern boundary of the township of Southfield, and three-fourths of a mile east of the town-line of Farmington. A small stream, sometimes called the Franklin brook, enters the village at its northern extremity, and, flowing in a southeasterly course, joins the main branch of the Rouge in the northwest quarter of section 16, nearly two miles, by the course of the stream, above Southfield Centre. Thile land on which the village stands was originally purchased, as before men- tioned, by Dillucena Stoughton and Elijah Bullock; the former owning an eighty- acre tract on the east side of, and bounded by, the present main street of the village, upon which he settled in 1824; and the latter owning two hundred and forty acres, extending west from the main street to the town-line, on which he settled in 1825; and both owned on the street a distance of half a mile north and south. At this point the growth was earlier and more rapidly developed than in the other parts of the town. Nearly all the trades which were prosecuted in the township were first commenced here. The first professional man and the first school were established here. Dr. Ebenezer Raynale, the first physician in Southfield, came from Pennsylva- nia, in 1828, to the Stoughton and Bullock settlement (for at that time it had not been named Franklin), and there established himself in his profession. He arrived on the 6th of May, and took board in the family of Dorus Morton, a kinsman of his, who had come in the preceding year. Six days later, May 12, hlie made his first charge for professional services ; his first patient being the wife of George Gage, who was one of the seven heads of families whom the doctor found settled there at that time. They were as follows: D. Stoughton, Elijah Bullock, his son-in-law, George Gage, Dorus Morton, Samuel Babcock, Henry S. Smith, and Richard Bignall. Of these, rather singularly, there were ihree me- chanics,-Smith, a blacksmith, Bignall, a carpenter and joiner, and Morton, a mason and bricklayer,-each being first of his trade who commenced work in the township. The following spring a shoemaker-Harvey Lee-was added to their little community. In the summer of 1828, HII. S. Smith built the first frame house in the village; the same already mentioned as having been completed in the same season in which lBenjamin Fuller built the first frame in the township. Mr. Smith's house was located on the east side of the main street, upon a small lot which hlie purchased of Dillucena Stoughton, just south of whre Van Every's temperance house now stands. It was afterwards occupied by Peter Van Every, Sr. In the fill of that year the present namc was officially given to the village, by the establishment of the post-office of Franklin, with Dr. Ebenezer ilaynale as first postmaster, his appointment bearing date September 19, 1828. The office was first kept at the log dwelling-house of Dorus 3orton, where the doctor boarded for the first year and a half of his residence in Franklin. He held the office until 1835, when, upon his resignation, he was succeeded by Winthrop Worthing, who, four or five years later, was succeeded by his son, Benjamin D. Worthing, who now resides in the State of Missouri. A school was also opened in the village in 1828, in a log school-house that was built on the west side of the street, near the spot where Daniel Broughton's house now stands. The first teacher was Miss Sophia Gotie. In the summer of 1829, Dillucena Stoughton built a brick house, which was not only the first of that construction in Southfield, but is said to have been the first in the county of Oakland. It was afterwards owned by Winthrop Wor- thing, and is now the residence of Dr. II. S. Buel. It was comparatively easy to erect a brick house at that point, as bricks could be had at Bigelow's kiln, only a little more than three-quarters of a mile to the westward, in Farmington; while an excellent bricklayer was at hand in the person of Dorus Morton, who had pur- chased land of Mr. Stoughton, and was, without doubt, glad of an opportunity to pay for it in work at his trade. This brick house was Mr. Stoughton's residence for a short time, and after him was occupied by Winthrop Worthing. It had, with other property of Mr. Stoughton, been bargained by him to a Mr. McCraney; but the latter never consummated the purchase nor assumed possession. About this time a great impetus seemed to be given to immigration, and many new settlers came to Franklin and its vicinity. Some idea of the rapidity with which they camne may be had from the fact that when, in 1830, Dr. Raynale went to Pennsylvania for his wife, he found upon his return that forty fiumilies, by actual count, had conime in and settled within four miles of Franklin during his absence of only twenty-five days. A public-house was built in Franklin in the year 1830, by Elijah Bullock. It was a log structure, and stood on the west side of the main street, nearly oppo- site the present hall of the Odd-Fellows. Mr. Bullock had now added to his original trade of blacksmith and his later one of farmer that of publican. Whether he was prosperous in it we are unable to say. He was of Revolutionary stock, his father having been in that service, and he had two elder brothers killed in the memorable massacre of Wyoming. The first store in the village was opened in 1830, by William Houston, from Orange county, New York, the store building being erected and owned by Dr. Raynale. Houston was a consumptive, and died in 1832, when the business of the store was taken by Dr. Raynale and Morgan L. Wisner, a brother of Gov- ernor Wisner. In 1831, Mr. Bullock also built a store upon the west side of the street, above his tavern. It is in existence to-day, having been repaired and remodeled, and is now occupied as a store by John B. Rust. At its first opening in 1831, the proprietors were Frank Darrow and - Thompson. Their successors were E. Matthews and John T. Raynor. About the time of the erection of Bullock's store, Harvey Lee, the shoemaker of the village, started the business of tanning, on Winthrop Worthing's land,- the Stoughton tract,-by a little run which emptied into the main stream; but it does not appear that he ever accomplished much in that enterprise. Tanning was also afterwards attempted in a small way by - West, who had previously tried the same business on section 8 of the township; but in both cases the results were insignificant. About 1833 another tavern was opened, by Dorus Morton, in a frame house which lie had added to his log dwelling, west of the street, on the lot purchased from Stoughton. Afterwards it was kept by a Mr. IHulburt, and later by William Van Every, who named it the "Franklin Cottage." In the same year, Edward Matthews came from New York and purchased large tracts of land adjoining Franklin, but across the town-line, in Bloomfield, which hlie laid out in lots, intended to be an addition to the village, and hlie also made extensive preparations for the erection of a mill upon the stream, but his means became exhausted and both projects. failed, though the mill was afterwards built by Peter Van Every, as mentioned in the history of Bloomfield. Matthews did not make much investment on the Southfield side of the line, his principal enter- prise in Franklin being the store which he opened there in company with John T. Raynor, as mentioned above. Peter Van Every, Sr., removed from the vicinity of Detroit to Franklin in the year 1837, purchased the property of Dorus Morton, and took up his residence in the tavern-house on the west side of the street. IHe also purchased from William S. Sears, successor or assignee of Edward Matthews, a portion of the land which the latter had bought on the Bloomfield side of the town-line; and there he (Van Every) erected the mill which Matthews had projected, but had been compelled to abandon. Although Colonel Van Every's chief business-mill, distillery, and potashery- was located outside the township, his residence was always in Franklin, and he was probably as widely known as any citizen of the village or of Southfield. He died December 23, 1859. The next year after the erection of the Van Every mill in Bloomfield, a grist- mill was built in Franklin, on the same stream, by Worthington & Pratt. (See "Oakland County Mill.") A distillery was also built on the stream below the mill, by Win. A. and Aaron Pratt, who operated it for a time, then rented it to William Evans. The Franklin House was opened as a hotel by George Green after the year 1840. It was not a newly-erected building, but was formed of the store which had been built by Dr. Raynale, and opened by Win. Houston in 1830. Another building was moved and joined to this, and the compound structure, remodeled and re- paired, became the hotel of Mr. Green. It stood on the original site of the Houston store. It was kept as a public-house until quite recently, passing through the administrations of several landlords, among the latest of whom were N. D. Lane and Ransom Tucker. It is now a dwelling-house. A steam flour-mill was built and put in operation in the village in the year 1851, by Colonel Van Every. It was equipped with good engine, boiler, and two run of burrs. It was not, however, a successful enterprise; and after run- ning for five years, then lying silent for three years more, its machinery was re- moved to Muir, Michigan, where it was re-erected and again put in operation. The foundation-walls of this mill are yet to be seen on the east side of the main street, at the upper end of the village, near the bridge. Southfield lodge, No. 59, I. O. of 0. F., holds its meetings in a good and corn- HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 271 modious hall-building, which was erected in the spring of 1871, on land purchased from Dr. H. S. Buel, being near his residence, on the easterly side of the main street. The cost of the structure was seventeen hundred dollars, raised by volun- tary subscriptions of members of the lodge. It was dedicated in May of the year named. This lodge was instituted April 30, 1852, with the following charter members: Isaac A. Chapman, O. W. Fuller, Jonathan B. Sherman, A. F. Jenks, G. Blind- bury, C. Lawrence, S. F. Beardslee, A. J. Owen, Win. Smith, Luman Williams, and John M. Harden. Their first place of meeting was at Southfield Centre. The re-organization of the lodge was effected July 12, 1865, with the follow- ing officers: N. G., Samuel Wheeler; V. G., Charles Coder; Rec. See'y, R. L. Bryan; Per. Sec'y, G. Blindbury; Treas., Nathaniel Higby. Number of mem- bers, thirty-five. The present officers-elected June 30, 1877-are: N. J. Rob- erts, N. G.; Melvin D. Sly, V. G.; John B. Rust, Rec. Sec'y; Henry S. Cox, Per. See'y; Nathaniel Higby, Treas. Franklin at the present time contains three physicians, a church, school-house, the post-office, one temperance hotel, two flour-mills (one being across the town- line, but still properly included with the village), three general stores, one drug- store, one hardware-store and tin-shop, four blacksmith-shops, and two wagon- shops. The village has not realized the expectations of those who came there forty years ago; still, it is far superior in thrift and enterprise to most places of its size which are similarly isolated from railway advantages. SOUTHFIELD VILLAGE. The location of this village-which is oftenest known as Southfield Centre- may be described as being on both sides of the road which runs from the quarter- post on the east line of section 20 westward to the river Rouge. The first settlement upon its northern part, that is to say, north of the quarter- line, was made by Archibald H. Green in the year 1829. On its southern part 'Niah Dodd had built his cabin four years earlier, but had soon sold out to Hiram Sherman, who also, in a short time, wearied of his possession, and disposed of it to Moses Peck. Mr. Green, a sober and industrious man, built upon his premises a log shop, in which hlie not only carried on the ordinary business of blacksmithing, but also upon occasion added to it the manufacture of cow-bells. This was the first mechanical industry of the place, and, in fact, about the only one of any kind except agricul- ture until the erection of Sabin's grist-mill upon the stream a few rods west, in the year 1837. Up to that time the farmers' trade of nearly all the southern portion of Southfield had been secured by John Trowbridge, at the store opened by him in 1832 or 1833, at a point in his farm a few rods north of where Dry run crosses the east line of the northeast quarter of section 28; this being the only merchandising establishment in the township south of Franklin. Near by this store a tavern was also opened about the same time by John Thomas, a most enterprising man, who came in the year 1831 from Geneva, New York, and purchased lands from George W. Cook and Abraham Crawford,-eighty acres from each,-on sections 22 and 27, seemingly with the expectation of building up at that place the central village of the township; which indeed he might per- haps have accomplished but for the illiberal spirit manifested by some of the proprietors of that neighborhood in tire matter of the sale of their lands; the very opposite of the policy which was afterwards pursued at Southfield Centre. Thomas' tavern was built in the southwest corner of section 22, and the locality, thus advanced in importance by the store and the public-house, became known to some extent as " Crawford's Corners." In 1833 the post-office of Southfield was established there, and a mail-route opened to Birmingham, Thomas receiving the appointment of postmaster and the award of the mail contract. This was another step towards giving importance to the place, and for some time the township-meetings were held at Thomas' tavern, and the Southfield militia "trained" at the corners, under command of Captain Morris Jenks and Lieutenants George Beardsley and Melvin Drake. Two other stores were opened soon after, on the same section with Thomas' tavern; one by Ammos Davis, on the northwest quarter, and the other by George P. Tyson, on the northeast quarter, by the stream, on the present farm of 3M. Erwin. Davis was a professional weaver, and besides his store he carried on in a small way the weaving of cloth in the same building. He afterwards removed to Birmingham, where lie is still living. Tyson's store was soon discontinued, and after engaging for a while in saw-mill business with Benjamin Fuller, Jr., he removed from the township. The above may be thought a digression, but when it is remembered that these enterprises were commenced within a short distance of the present village of Southfield, and that the trade and patronage which for a time supported them was afterwards transferred, with the post-office of Southfield, to its present loca- tion, this short account of them will not be considered as irrelevant to the history of the village. Soon after the completion of the grist-mill at "the 'burgh,"-by which name the village then commenced to be called,-Cornelius Lawrence built a large frame house on the south side of the road, and opened it as a tavern, and it was not long after this (about 1838) that John Trowbridge, who evidently foresaw that the immediate vicinity of the grist-mill would become a better point for trade than Crawford's Corners, closed his store at the latter place, sold the building to Dr. John Jeffery,-the new physician, who had then just established himself there,-and removed not only his mercantile business but also the post-office to the 'burgh; he having succeeded Thomas in the office of postmaster. It was evident now that the Thomas settlement had seen its most prosperous days, and must definitely yield all hopes of village importance. After the open- ing of Lawrence's, the house of Thomas languished for lack of suipport, and after a little time was finally closed. It was afterwards changed into a store, by William Ives, Jr., a son-in-law of its former landlord, but it was unsuccessli and short-lived. Mr. Thomas died on the 19th of May, 1844, and lies in the burial-ground a little north of his old tavern-site. The primary cause of the advantage gained by Southfield village over the settlement at Crawford's was the water-power furnished by the Rouge, and this was perhaps aided in a great degree by the public spirit and liberality of such men as A. II. Green and others; but whatever may have been the causes, the result was the permanent establishment of the post-office and village of Southfield in their present location. ThIe village, however, has never attained any considerable size. The hotel opened by Cornelius Lawrence was kept as such for many years, but at last closed, as Thomas' had been, for lack of support. A store was afterwards kept in it, but that no longer exists. There is now no public-house here, nor in any other part of the township except Franklin. The village of Southfield now contains a flour- mill, the post-office, one chureh,-the Methodist Episcopal,-two wagon-shops, and the town-hall, which was built in 1873, and is a neat and appropriate build- ing. Prior to its erection the township-meetings had been held at private houses, at John Thomas' tavern, afterwards at that of Cornelius Lawrence, and in his ball-room after his hotel was closed, as well as in 3Murphy's wagon-shop, and per- haps at several other places. TIIE SOUTIIFIELD FLOUR-MILL. This was erected in the year 1837, by Ezekiel H. Sabins, as' has been stated, and was the first of the causes which brought business to Southfield Centre. It stands on the stream at the west end of the village, on land which Sabins pur- chased of Archibald H. Green. The present proprietor is Charles Chapman. THIE OAKLAND COUNTY. MILL. This is the name given to the flour-mill upon the stream at Franklin village. It was built in the year 1838, by Winthrop Worthing and William A. Pratt, proprietors; the land upon which it was erected and tlIe privilege of the stream being owned by Worthing, and the mill-work being done by Pratt, who was a professional millwright. Since their time it has passed through the hands of sev- eral owners, and is now operated by - Shackleton. ERITY'S SAW-MILL. This mill, before mentioned as the first saw-mill in the township, and built by Michael Beach and Joshua Davis in the year 1829, has passed through many hands and changes. Beach soon sold his interest to David Johnson, and it was then known as the Davis & Johnson mill. Some years later it was owned by Chester Reynolds, who, about 1842, put in a carding- and filling-mill in a small building, which he built upon the same dam, but wrich is now gone. About 1850 lie built a large building with the intention of making it a cloth-factory, but never accomplished it. The carding and fulling, however, was carried on in tIhe new building, and afterwards a man named Roberts put in some machinery, and suc- ceeded in turning out a small quantity of cloths during a year or two. The fac- tory building is now used as a cider-mill and vinegar-manufactory by William Erity, Esq., who also still keeps the old saw-mill in operation during the season of abundant water. TIHE DANIELS SAW-3MILL. This mill was built by John Daniels, in the year 1832, on the west fork of the Rouge,-sometimes known as the Franklin brook,-in the southwest quarter of section 4. It seems to be quite extensively believed that this was the first saw- mill in the township: but that question is satisfactorily set at rest by Deacon Mel- vin Drake, who recollects that, immediately on his arrival in Southfield in 1830, he bought sawed lumber for his floors, etc., at the Davis & Johnson mill, whlich was then in operation; and that afterwards hie attended and assisted at the raising 272 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. of the Daniels mill. In one feature, however, the Daniels mill was first, not only in Southfield, but probably in the State of Michigan, namely, the running of a" muley-saw. Mr. John Waters had, at the time of the building of the mill, just returned from a visit to the State of New York, where, for the first time in his life, he had seen one of these saws in operation, and being charmed by its novelty, recommended the idea to Bryant Bartlett, the millwright of the Daniels mill, who, on having the principle explained to him, was pleased with, and adopted, the plan. It never gave good satisfhetion, and was finally changed for the ordinary saw, but it gave to the Daniels mill the claim to be called the pioneer muley-mill of the west. THE RODGERS SAW-MILL. This mill, located on the main Rouge, in the southeast quarter of section 20, half a mile below Southfield Centre, was built by David Goss and Smith Parks, in 1835. It passed through the hands of various owners, among them being William Sturman, Fuller & Tyson (Benjamin Fuller and George P. Tyson), and later, Israel Rodgers. It is now owned by Alfred Adams. Its business is not very large. SCHOOLS. The first school in the township was, as we have seen, that taught by Miss Sophia Gotie, in the old log school-house at Franklin, in the summer of 1828. There was no winter term, and durinig the summer of 1829 the school was under charge of Miss Eliza Fuller. Winter terms were commenced soon after, and among the earliest male teachers were Morgan L. Wisner, his brother Ira, and his brother-in-law, John Robinson. The next school commenced in Southfield was opened in the summer of 1829 or 1830, in the log school-house which stood on the east line of the southeast quarter of section 21, about opposite the present site of the First Presbyterian church. The first teacher was Miss Ruth Stoughton, daughter of Amaziahl Stoughton, Sr., now Mrs. William Barnum. At the second annual township-meeting, held on the first Monday in April, 1832, it was" resolved that there be five commissioners of common schools elected, to hold their office for three years;" and Heman A. Castle, Morgan L. Wisner, Melvin Drake, Mason I. James, and George Beardslee were elected as such commis- sioners. At the same time George P. Tyson, Henry S. Babcock, Ebenezer Raynale, Clement P. Rust, and Abraham Crawford were elected inspectors of common schools. But there were no districts organized at that time. An act of the legis- lative council, approved April 13, 1833, ordered "that there shall be elected in each township three commissioners of common schools, to hold office for three years. Duties, to lay off the township into school districts, and to establish the same by numbers in numerical order ;" and under this act the first district was established in the township, November 9, 1833. There was, however, no general organization until June 21, 1834, when nine districts were organized. The standard of qualification for teachers was not Lighli. A young girl who was able to read and write, and to "cipher" through the four primary rules of arithmnetic, was considered a competent teacher for the summer term; and sonicme of the males who " kept winter school" were more remarkable for physical than for mental accomplishments, though this was not the case with all. An old resi- dent of the township mentions an instance in which a teacher was employed to teach school in one of the log temples of learning, and who worked at clearing his land in the morning and evenings, before and after school. He had not very good government of the scholars, and one day, in the course of the customary jerking of a pupil from his seat to the floor, he burst the button from the collar of his shirt, which, however, in itself was no very remarkable occurrence, and was no more spoken of until the day of closing the school, when, at the winding up, " the master" thus made his farewell speech: " This is the end of school. If you have learned anything, 1 hope you'll remember it; if you've been wounded, I hope you'll get over it; and I hope Otis Fall will get his shirt-button sewed on again, if lie hain't done it already." All of which was received in a spirit of great good humor by the boys, who forgot their cuffings and ferulings, and went homne on the best of terms with " the master" and themselves. At the present time there are ten districts in the township; some are fractional, but the houses are all located in Southfield except one. There are nine good school buildings: six frame, two stone, and one brick. Valuation of school- houses, eight thousand seven hundred dollars. The number of pupils reported, five hundred and four; number attending school, four hundred and eighty-seven; number of months of schooling in the last school year, seventy-five and one-half,--that is to say, by female teachers, fifty- nine and one-half months; by male teachers, sixteen months. Amount of salaries paid, males, seven hundred and fifty dollars; females, fourteen hundred and thirty-nine dollars. The schools are in a prosperous condition, with good and faithful teachers. Some of the higher branches are taught. The township school superintendent for the present year is Rev. James P. Gibson; township school inspector, Joseph Jackson. J EARLY RELIGIOUS WORSHIIP. The pioneers took early measures to secure the enjoyment of the privilege of divine worship, and it was not long after their coming before services were held; in a humble way certainly, but they did not forget the promise that where a few are gathered together in humility and sincerity of purpose, there will the Spirit of the Lord be in their midst and give them comfort and peace. There were circuit- riders and missionaries and other non-resident preachers who occasionally came among them, and on such occasions meetings were improvised at dwellings, in school-houses, and often in barns. The old log school-house just north of John Trowbridge's farm, and also that which stood on Elijah Bullock's land at Frank- lin, were most frequently called in requisition for this purpose. But when no such comparatively near and convenient opportunities offered themselves, then it was no unusual thing for the devout ones to travel to Bloomfield, or even to Pon- tiac, by ox-team, carrying all the members of the fhmily from grandsire to babe, and to consider that the privilege was cheaply enough purchased by the labor and inconvenience of the journey. The cause of temperance, too, so nearly allied to that of true religion, was urged even in those early days, and old settlers recollect that temperance-meetings were held (notably those at Franklin in 1831 and 1832) with gratifying results. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCII OF SOUTHFIELD. This church was organized at the house of Asa Fuller, on the 15th day of Oc- tober, 1831, by Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles, of Pontiac, and Rev. Mr. Bridgman, of Farmington, missionaries of the American Home Mission Society. It was first designated as the First Congregational church of Southfield, and the original members were Melvin Drake, Harriet Drake, David Brown, Almira Brown, Edmund Cook and wife, Clement P. Rust, Anna Rust, Mrs. Betsey Heath, and Mrs. Eunice Fuller, by letter, and Mason I. James, Amanda James, and Patty Seely, on certificate of Rev. I. W. Ruggles. The first preaching was by Rev. Mr. Bridgman,-occasional supply,-then afterwards by Rev. Eri Prince, of Farmington,-stated supply,-and after him came their first regular pastor, Rev. Noah Cook. Up to and including a part of the time of Mr. Cook's pastorate, their worship was held sometimes in the log school-house, near John Thomas' tavern, and some- times in his barn, in summer-time ; but in the year 1837 they built a good frame edifice on the west line of section 22, in its southwest quarter, one mile east and a quarter of a mile south of the present village of Southfield. It was on land which John Thomas had donated to the town in 1832 for school and cemetery purposes, but which gift was now so modified as to allow its use as the site of their church, and a deed was given to that effect. This church building continued in use by the congregation as a place of meet- ing for fifteen years; at the end of which time it was sold to the United Presby- terian congregation to be removed. The lot was then increased in size, by pur- chase from John Cooper, and a new church-their present place of worship-was erected in the year 1856, at a cost of about two thousand two hundred dollars. An appropriate parsonage was erected also upon a lot of one and a half acres, purchased from Mr. Cooper. In the year 1865 the name of the church organization was, by special enact- ment, changed to that which it bears at present. Following are the names of pastors who have labored with the church since the time of Rev. Noah Cook: Revs. A. Worthington, George Eastman, Nathaniel West, Evan Evans, Nor- nian Tucker, George W. Newcomb, Thomas Forster, J. Sandford Smith, John Kelland, and Rev. O. C. Thompson, the present pastor. A Sabbath-school under the auspices of the church holds its sessions during the greater part of the year, omitting the most inclement season. Present super- intendent, Daniel Russell. Average attendance, thirty-five. 31ETHIODIST PROTESTANT CHURCIIH OF SOUTIIFIELD. This, the first Methodist Protestant church in the State of Michigan, was or- ganized on the 2d of August, 1840. The constituent members were Harry Bronson, David Parkhurst, Jonas S. Pratt, Nancy Smith, Mary Bronson, Lydia Parkhurst, Abigail Pratt, and Rev. Laban Smith, their first preacher. At the time of the organization, and for several years after, " Franklin circuit," of which this church formed a part. embraced Oakland County and part of Wayne and Lapeer counties. The list of Rev. Mr. Smith's successors in the desk of this church is as fol- lows: Revs. Oliver Earls, A. Lorenzo Warren, James Gay, J. R. Stevenson, R. C. Lanning, S. T. Cranson, J. A. Parks, Joseph Pomfret, Thomas Plackett, Sul- livan Clark, A. R. Button, D. McGregor, Daniel Birney, A. C. Fuller, Duke Whitely, J. F. Kellogg, J. C. Thompson, James H. Morton, Samuel Riley, and Delos Short, the present pastor. 77,. A L ALWOK. SC~IA V 6AJCO AMI C C KMA .0 F 441 tQ < : . .. ', y 4 4 !'' g s, - _, ya 4 ¢ ~ ~ >'4 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 273 The church edifice, their present house of worship, situated in the village of Franklin, was erected at a cost of about two thousand dollars, and dedicated in June, 1863. Connected with the church is a Sabbath-school, having an average attendance of seventy-five, and under the superintendency of Mr. J. J. Trott. Its sessions are held during six months of the year, commencing April 1; and it has a library of one hundred volumes. SOUTI1FIELD M31ETIIODIST EPISCOPAL C[IURCII. Although the record of this church extends only as far back as the year 1857, yet it is known that classes existed in this community for many years before the organization of the church. The Revs. Laban Smith and John J. Young, circuit-l)reachers of the Ohio conference, residing in West Bloomfield, had been very instrumental in the formation of these classes, and had frequently conducted their meetings for worship, which were sometimes held in the log school-house near John Trowbridge's, sometimes at a house on the Farmington town-line, in section 18, and often in barns during the warm season. Other of the old-time preachers who served on these occasions were Revs. J. Bauglhman, James F. Davison, - Connear, and E. F. Pilcher (now D.D.), all of the Ohio conference. The church was organized about 1852, with twelve or fifteen members, and their first preaching was by Rev. O. M. Goodell, of Farmington. About three years afterwards a lot was donated to them by Archibald H. Green, on the north side of the main street at Southfield Centre, and upon this they erected the neat frame building in which they now meet for worship. Its cost was about eight hundred dollars. The first meeting for election of trustees recorded in their minute-book was held in the church building May 18, 1857. Lorenzo P. Kneeland was chosen clerk pro tempore, and the election resulted in the choice of Horatio Lee, L. P. Kneeland, and Benjamin Fuller trustees for three years; Isaac F. Warren, John Hutchins, and William Brace, for two years; Humphrey IHickey, Horace J. Johnson, and George Lee, for one year; Isaac F. Warren, collector and treasurer; and L. P. Kneeland, clerk of trustees. Their preacher at that time was Rev. Curtis Mosher. Since Mr. Mosher the church has been served by the following preachers: Revs. J. J. Gridley, James Webster, Richard McConnell, Thomas Stalker, Barton S. Taylor, Rufus Crane, Charles G. Yemens, A. Minnis, James F. Dorsey, Lewis Mitchell, J. Balls, A. C. Shaw, J. H. Curnalia, A. W. Wilson, Joseph B. Varnum, Alexander Gee, and J. G. Morgan, the preacher now in charge. The present membership is about fifty-five. Auxiliary to the church is a flourishing Sabbath-school, under the superintend- ency of Mr. Thomas Thorley. Its sessions are held through the entire year, and the average attendance is about fifty. Connected with it is a library of one hundred and forty volumes. UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. This congregation was organized, under the Associate church, by the presby- tery of Richland, Ohio, and remained under that control until the organization of the Detroit presbytery, on the first Wednesday of September, 1852. At the union of the Associate and Associate Reformed churches, making tire United Presbyterian church, this congregation came into the union. It has frequently, though most erroneously, been called the "Seceder" church. All the original members were from the north of Ireland, coming hither when the county was new and unimproved. The greater part of the members who were here at tIre first are still living. The first missionaries of the denomination were Rev. James Law and his brother John Law, also Rev. F. A. Hutchinson, who came in the spring of 1849. Following these were Revs. Lee and Brownlee. Very soon after came the organization, April 16, 1850, Rev. James Bull, of Richland presbytery, officiating. At its organization there were but seventeen members. Out of this number two were chosen ruling elders,--Mr. Daniel Parks (now a member of the Re- formed Presbyterian church) and Matthew Erwin, Sr., who has passed away. Oc- tober 10, 1856, Mr. Ezekiel Hutton was ordained and installed ruling elder. In 1861-April 19--Mr. James Erwin and Peter Reid were ordained and installed ruling elders. November 10, 1875, Hugh Young and Adam Reid were ordained and installed ruling elders. Soon after the organization, Revs. James M. Smeallie and David Dinmore were sent out to supply this and other places in the preshytery. In the spring of 1851 a call was extended to Rev. James M. Smeallie to assume the pastorate. It was accepted, and he was ordained and installed on the first Wednesday of Sep- tember, 1852, Rev. Mr. Hindman presiding. Mr. Smeallie remained as pastor a little more than seven years, resigning March 4, 1860. The second pastor, Rev. William Robertson, was ordained and installed March 26, 1861. He remained 35 more than seven years, and resigned April 21, 1868. The third pastor, Rev. Richard M. Patterson, was installed October 15, 1868, remained two years, and resigned November 30, 1870. These were all good and faithfiul men, and have left good names behind them. The fourth and present pastor, Rev. J. P. Gibson, was ordained and installed April 22, 1874. The first place of this congregation's worship, as well as the place of its organi- zation, was in the old school-house, not far from the First Presbyterian church, and on the opposite side of the road. They were not then able to purchase a building, but in 1852, the Presbyterian people desiring to sell their church (to make room for the erection of a new and larger one), it was bought by this con- gregation, and removed to the northwest corner of the farm of Mr. Hutton, nearly half a mile south and east of its first site. In this they worshiped during all of Mr. Smeallie's pastorate, and through a part of that of Rev. William Robertson. In the year 1865 a new church was erected and dedicated, the dedication sermon being preached by Rev. John P. Scott, D.D., of Detroit. This church- their present house of worship-is a neat and comfortable building, of which the cost was about eighteen hundred dollars. It occupies the site of the first one, which was removed to the farm of Mr. Win. Sturman, and is there still, in use as a barn. The condition of the congregation at present is very good; their numbers are now about seventy-five. Since its organization about one hundred and fifteen members have been connected with it. They have a Sabbath-school, which holds sessions during the entire year, with an average attendance of sixty-five. The present superintendent is Alexander L. Means. REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CIIURCII. A small organization of Reformed Presbyterians (better known as Covenanters) has existed in Southfield for more than forty-five years. Themost prominent man among these early worshipers was William Connery, who lived on th pres- ent farm of Alexander Neil, and has been regarded as the father of the Covenanter church in Southfield. Others of them were the McClungs,-Anthony and Alex- der, and their faniilies,-the McClellan family, John Stewart and wife, and John Parks and wife. Their earliest meetings for divine worship were held, under the leadership of Rev. Mr. Johnson, in the summer of 1832, in the new frame barn of Mason I. James (now Mr. Erwin's), and after that in the barn of John Stewart, and in a vacant log building on the farm of John Parks, and also in his barn. Besides Mr. Johnson, the Rev. John Wallace was among their early preachers. After their organization as a church,-the date of which cannot be accurately given, but which was about 1834,-the Rev. James Neil was installed as their first pastor; and it was during his term of labor, about the year 1838, that their first church, a good frame building, was erected upon an acre of ground donated by John Parks, from his lands in the northwest quarter of section 23. After nearly a quarter of a century of service this old building was adjudged inadequate to the requirements of thme congregation, and was removed to the corner opposite the dwelling of Alexander Neil, where it is still standing, and in its place was erected the handsome new frame church in which they now meet for wor- ship,-a half-acre of ground having been added to the church-lot by gift from the heirs of John Parks. This was done during the pastorate of Rev. James S. T. Milligan, who was in- stalled over the congregation in November, 1852, and remained with them until lMarch 5, 1871. After his departure there was an interval of a year in which the congregation had no pastor. Then came the installation of Rev. J. R. Hill, who remained until June, 1876, when he removed to St. Louis, where he is now living. The present membership is one hundred and sixteen, but they have had no pastor since Mr. Hill. A Sabbath-school was organized by Mr. Miligan, and is riow in successful operation, with an attendance of nearly one hundred scholars, with eight teachers, and all under charge of Mr. Samuel B3ll, as superintendent. TIHE FREE-WILL BAPTISTS have a small number of followers-hardly enough in number to be called a con- gregation-in the northeastern portion of the township, and occasionally hold wor- ship, but have as yet neither organization, preacher, nor regular place of meeting. TILE UNIVERSALISTS held meetings at Franklin before 1830. One who preached to them was Rev. Mr. Woolley, from Pontiac, and afterwards they had Morgan L. Wisner for a spiritual guide, and about that time they must have effected an organization, for a church building was commenced in Franklin, and was considerably advanced, but was never completed. Their preachings were discontinued after a time, and to-day there is no worship by that denomination in Southfield. 274 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I THE SOUTIIFIELD CEMETERY. This cemetery inclosure is situated a quarter of a mile east and a little north from the village of Southfield Centre, and comprehends an area of two acres. This spot, or rather a portion of it, has been in use as a burial-place for almost half a century; having been commenced as such in 1828, by the interment of Elias Aldrich, the first person who died in Southfield. Soon after, several residents, of whom Benjamin Fuller was one, purchased an acre of ground there, to be used for purposes of sepulture, and it was so used by the people until the year 1847, when the proprietors offered the ground as a gift to the board of health for the use of the town, only reserving the necessary burial-lots for their own use. At a meeting of the board held November 18, 1847, it was "resolved that we will accept from the proprietors the piece of land used as a burying-ground, on the lands of Thaddeus Griswold, in said town, for a township burying-ground; and it was further resolved that the township board of health do purchase of said Thaddeus Griswold one acre in addition to the above, to be used for the same pur- pose, and one and a half acres to be used as a road in getting to said ground." At a subsequent meeting "a plan of a fence was adopted, to surround the burying- ground of said town, to be completed by the 1st of June next (1848). The job of building said fence was let to the lowest bidder, and the chairman and clerk directed to contract the same with Isaac A. Chapman for the sum of seventy-three dollars. And the clerk was directed to have the grounds surveyed by the county surveyor, and laid out and staked according to the plan adopted by the board. And it was accordingly surveyed and laid off by Algernon Merriwether, county surveyor. Its plan of avenues and walks is much the same as in most cemeteries of the present day, and it is well kept, but is rather deficient in trees, which, when prop- erly planted, form such a beautiful and appropriate embellishment to the homes of the departed. TIIE FRANKLIN CEMETERY. This cemetery is situated upon the high ground on the west side of the south extremity of the village of Franklin, in the southeastern corner of the tract pur- chased in 1825 by Elijah Bullock, who, two or three years later, made a deed of gift to Josiah Barkley, as trustee, of an acre of ground here, to be used as a place of public burial. The first interment within it was that of a brother-in-law of Dillucena Stough- ton, a man named Warner, who died of consumption at Birmingham in the spring of 1829. William Houston, the first merchant of Franklin, was also laid there in 1832, another victim of consumption. His was the first grave which was marked by a memorial stone, which stood alone, the only slab in the ground for a long time. About twenty years later an additional tract, adjoining the old grave-yard, was donated to the people of Franklin and vicinity for cemetery purposes by Benjamin D. and Charlotte Worthing, who appointed Jonathan Worthing, Melvin Drake, Cyrenius Wood, Solomon Whitney, George B. Congleton, and Harvey C. Judd trustees; who, under a warrant of Benjamin D. Worthing, justice of the peace, proceeded to call a meeting to organize "The Franklin Cemetery Society" a body corporate. The first recorded meeting was held May 11, 1852, and the next was held on the 24th of October, 1853. After this there is no record of meetings until March 10, 1860, since which time the annual meetings of the society have been held regularly. At the present time (1877) the president and secretary are respectively Thomas Gillespie and John T. Midgely. The present area of the cemetery-grounds is three acres, which has become quite thickly popu- lated by the interments of forty-eight years. TIIE COVENANTERS' BURIAL-GROUND. In the ground of the Reformed Presbyterian church there is a cluster of graves, many of them of ancient date. The date and particulars of the first interment cannot be given. The ground was given by John Parks, forty years ago, for burial as well as church purposes. Probably about one hundred have been buried there. THE PRESBYTERIAN GRAVE-YARD. This ground is called the Presbyterian grave-yard, not that is distinctly secta- rian in its uses, but because it is located beside the First Presbyterian church. It was a burial-place, however, before the church was built there, having been donated by John Thomas in the year 1832, "for the purpose of school-house and burying- ground," and was used for the latter purpose but not for the former, as no school- house was ever built upon it, but the church instead; the conditions of the donation having been so changed as to permit it. The first interment was that of a colored person, formerly a slave in New York, who came to Michigan with the family of David Harmon. This was in the year 1833. The second burial-in August, 1834-was that of Mary Ann, daughter of John Thomas, the donor of the ground, who was himself interred there on the 21st of May, 1844. The graves have become quite numerous, and the ground has about it nothing of that neglected, dismal appearance which is too often seen in country burial-places. Valuable information and facts pertaining to the history of the township have been kindly furnished by the following-named gentlemen, viz.: Hon. C. V. Babcock, Deacon Melvin Drake, Rev. J. P. Gibson, Mr. Benjamin Fuller, Peter Van Every, A. A. Rust, Esq., Dr. Henry S. Cox, Mr. N. J. Rob- erts, E. S. Blakeslee, Esq., Mr. Josiah Barkley, John Waters, Esq., William Erity, Esq., and Mr. John T. Midgeley, of Southfield; Dr. E. Raynale, Mr. Ben- jamin A. Thorne, and Mason I. James, Esq., of Birmingham; and John M. Ellenwood, Esq., of West Bloomfield. For which they will please accept the sincere thanks of the publishers. SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP. "BY a petition of the inhabitants of the township of Springfield the legislature of the State of Michigan did set off March 2, 1836, all that portion of the county of Oakland designated in the United States' survey as township 4 north, of range 8 east, and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Springfield, and the first township-meeting shall be held at the house of David Stanard in said township.' " The above paragraph appears on the records of the township, and from the date given the town has been known as Springfield. The following appears in the Laws of Michigan for 1837: "All that portion of the county of Oakland designated in the United States' survey as township 4 north, of range 8 east, be and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Painsville, pnd the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house of David Stanard in said township." The people refused to organize under this name, and consequently the old name of Springfield was retained. It is a fitter appellation for the township, which abounds in nearly all parts with fine springs, some of them having been of wide renown among the Indians and traders before the settlement was begun. Notable among them were the famous "Little springs," on the Detroit and Saginaw trail, section 13. In fact, the township derived its name from the numerous lakes and springs which it contains. It was bestowed by Jeremiah Clark, Esq., of Inde- pendence township, John J. Merrell, Arza C. Crosby, and others, who met for the purpose of choosing a title for it. The surface of the township is much the same as that of the others in this part of the county, made up of a variety of features; hills rise to a considerable height in numerous places, the highest being those which surround the village of Davisburgh, while many depressions are met with where marshes and tamarack swamps appear, and in other localities the country stretches away in a broad plateau, with a fertile soil and abundance of timber. The numerous lakes of Springfield cover an area of about six hundred acres. They number in the neighborhood of twenty-five, and some of them are in pic- turesque locations, and present attractive and pleasing views. The largest of the lakes is known as " Big lake," and lies on section 28. It covers about two hun- dred and fifty acres, and is the source of the river Huron. Among the other lakes of the township are Long, Davis, and Duncan, the latter lying partly ill White Lake township. The head-waters of four rivers are in Springfield, namely, the Huron, Shiawassee, Thread, and Clinton, and the di- viding ridge between them is quite narrow in extent., None of the streams of Springfield are of considerable size. The Detroit and Milwaukee railway crosses the township in a diagonal direc- iin EEk 5 xj 9.1ENC or SA ULnSE~SroIEoQX4OCUT i c a rt lit AT yi r o F 4 y t t 4 r c t, -- CA } low. x r,. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 275 i_ tion from southeast to northwest, having within its limits a length of about eight miles. The only station is at Davisburgh. r The Detroit and Saginaw turnpike, formerly the old trail between those points. / crosses the northeastern portion of the township, and was the first road opened after the settlement. For many years it was the main thoroughfare between the two cities it connected, and continued to be the scene of a great amount of travel until the completion of the railway. A stage-line was run over its length, and all along the route there sprung up busy little villages, which are now generally mere hamlets, or simple epitomes of the " glory departed." Springfield township now contains the prosperous village of Davisburgh and the settlements at Anderson and Springfield, the former on sections 22 and 27, and the latter on section 13. The population of the township, according to the census in 1874, was twelve hundred and forty-seven, and these figures are un- doubtedly too small to cover the number of inhabitants at present. We gather from the census of 1874 the following statistics: The total number of farms in the township that year was 179, with an aggre- gate area of 19,643 acres4 the average number of acres per farm was 109.73; the total amount of wheat growing in May, 1874, was 3359 acres, against 3207 for 1873; in the latter year were harvested also 1062 acres of corn; the total yield of wheat for 1874 was 36,001 bushels; of corn, 31,160 bushels; of all other grains, 41,067 bushels; potatoes raised, 10,753 bushels; hay cut, 1315 tons; wool sheared, 19,852 pounds; pork marketed, 53,120 pounds; butter made, 46,510 pounds; fruit dried for market, 2222 pounds; cider made, 356 barrels; total number of horses, one year old and over, owned in the township, 484; work- oxen, 29; milch-cows, 546; neat cattle, one year old and over, other than oxen and cows, 497; swine over six months old, 535; sheep over six months old, 4077; number of sheep sheared in 1873, 3575; total number of acres in apple-, peach-, pear-, plum-, and cherry-orchards, 441 ; bushels of apples raised in 1872, 13,706; in 1873, 10,861; total value of all fruit and garden vegetables raised in 1872, $4466; in 1873, 86242; total number of acres of improved land, 12,918; total acres of taxable land, 19,478. Considerable portions of the township are as yet comparatively unimproved. Generally, howevei, the improvements are of a high order, and finely-kept farms, neat and tasty dwellings, and comfortable out-buildings attest the advancement that has been made in the forty-seven years which have elapsed since first the settler swung his axe "amid the sea-like solitude." Notably in the northern and eastern portions of the township do the improvements attract attention. They are in the oldest-settled localities, where they would naturally be sought after by the stranger. However, in the other portions the inhabitants are not backward in the work of beautifying, and the landscape is dotted here and there with the cosy white dwellings of the wealthier class of farmers, and an air of prosperity reigns over all. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. From an article by the late Hon. Thomas J. Drake we give the following paragraph: "In town 4 north, of range 8 east, now called Springfield, on the 19th of July, 1830, Daniel Le Roy made the first entry. He purchased on section 13, including ' le petite fontaine, or Little springs.' This place had a wide renown; it was the resting-place of the trader and trapper, of the red man as well as the white man when on his journey to and from Saginaw and other places in the northern wilderness. Immediately after the purchase the place was occupied by Asahel Fuller. In 1833, Giles Bishop, O. Powell, John M. Calkins, and Jonah Gross purchased." The first actual settler in the township of Springfield was, therefore, Asahel Fuller,* who located on the Le Roy purchase in 1830. He afterwards built the first hotel at Springfield post-office. Mr. Fuller's daughter, Ann, was the first white child born in the township. Jonah Gross became the second settler of the township. He emigrated with his family from Hampshire county, Massachusetts, in September, 1832,t the family then consisting of his wife, three sons, and one daughter, the latter now the widow of Hon. David A. Wright. One son is living, and he and Mrs. Wright are the only ones of the family left. Mr. Gross had been to the county the preceding spring, and made a purchase of land on section 10, where he finally settled. He bought from government, and the property has always been held by some of the family. The only persons within seven miles of Mr. Gross' home when hlie first arrived were in the family of Asahel Fuller, on section 13. Jonah Gross died in January, 1858, at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife * It has been found impossible to procure extensive information regarding this pioneer settler of Springfield, hence the above short notice. t According to Judge Drake, 1833. The above information is furnished by his daughter, Mrs. David A. Wright. had preceded him to her long home sixteen years before, having departed this life May 19, 1842, when forty-six years of age. Mr. Gross was much esteemed during his life by his fellow-citizens, and was elected by them to numerous posi- tions of trust. He was chosen town clerk at the first election held in the town- ship, and the way in which he kept the records shows that hlie was methodical and systematic in his business matters, and he was undoubtedly so in his private affairs. The person who is accredited as having been the third settler in Springfield was Giles Bishop, who located on section 24, and built a log house immediately in the rear of the spot now occupied by the residence of Theodore Ellis. This house he opened as a tavern, it being the first in the township. "Bishop's tavern," as it was called, was well known to travelers along the turnpike, and many was the merry gathering therein. It was built immediately after he came, probably in 1833. Mr. Bishop's son, Griswold Bishop, accompanied his father to the township. He was married, and a daughter of his, named Beulah, was the second white child born in Springfield. These first settlers were the avant-coureurs of an army of pioneers which was close in their footsteps,-messengers come to give warning to the various brute inhabitants of the forest and glade, upland and valley, that a mighty race was approaching which should lay claim to their primeval home, and out of the wilder- ness erect homes for the many venturesome ones who had thus dared the dangers of a wild life. Their onward march was irresistible; the rod of power was in their hands, and naught but death could deter them from their object. Obstacles vanished from before them, and vast difficulties were overcome as if by magic. They had conime to lay the foundation of a State, and the indomitable will of their forefathers, the persevering energy of those who had been before them a "race of pioneers," had lost none of their attributes in the descent to a later generation. Boldly the settlers of the land began their work, and the crash of falling trees was soon heard, the plowshare began its duty of turning the furrows which were to receive the seed for future crops, log cabins sprang up among the trees, the busy mill-wheel ere long began its ceaseless turning, and life in a new country was fairly under way. Sickness and hunger were met and borne patiently, although the trial was often severe, and after a long and weary struggle the invading host conquered, and have built up a magnificent inheritance for their children. The first settlers of the township have been noticed in the order they came, but those whose names shall now be given will not be classified as to their suc- cessive dates of settlement. Daniel J. Turner is from the town of Riga, Monroe county, New York, having settled in Springfield in the fall of 1844, with his wife and seven children,-four sons and three daughters. He purchased land on section 11, the same now owned by his son, E. D. Turner. During the winter of 1841-45, Mr. Turner and family stayed near the Anderson settlement, and removed to their land the follow- ing spring. Mr. Turner purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land from second hands. No improvements had been made upon it, and the first were made by himself. One son was born after the family settled, and the eight children are all living. Mr. Turner and his wife are also yet alive, he having reached the age of about seventy-four, and she about seventy-two. The son, E. D. Turner, was about eighteen years of age when his father moved west, and the next summer (1845) he worked out at the rate of seven dollars per month. He is now re- siding in the village of Davisburgh, and rents his farm. He is the owner of four hundred and twenty-five acres of land, which he facetiously remarks "is all paid for." * John Walls is an immigrant from Perthshire, Scotland, from whence he came in 1836, and located on section 35. in Springfield, in March of that year. He was accompanied by his wife and two children,-one son and one daughter. A son, William Walls, was born the 29th of the following June, and the three chil- dren are now living,-William, in Davisburgh; the daughter, Caroline, in West Bloomfield, now the wife of William Walls, also from Scotland, but not related except by marriage; and the other son, Collin Walls, in the town of Clarke, Durham county, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Walls, Sr., is also residing in the same county, having removed there in 1873, after a residence of thirty-seven years on his farm in Springfield. Mr. Walls originally purchased one hundred and seventy acres, all but ten acres of it from the government. He built a substantial log house, about eighteen by thirty feet in dimensions, and one of the best then in the township. Robert and John Pepper were born in Ireland, and emigrated to the United States of America, the former in 1831 and the latter in 1832. They settled in the town of Le Roy, Genesee county, New York, and remained there until the month of June, 1838, when they brought their families to Oakland County, Michigan, and settled in the midst of an unbroken forest on section 19, Spring- field township. They made the trip to Detroit by water, and thence to Spring- field with ox-teams they had brought with them. 276 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. They purchased between them three hundred and sixty acres of government land (this in 1836), and John afterwards purchased an additional quantity in the town of Rose. Robert Pepper was accompanied by his wife and two sons, and John by his wife and one son, William H. Pepper, who afterwards died in the United States service during the Rebellion. He was a member of Company B of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry (originally First Michigan Mounted Rifles). Another son of John Pepper, born after the tfimily settled, served during the war in the Third Michigan Cavalry. John Pepper and his wife became the parents of ten children,-five sons and five daughters,-of whom six are now living. Mr. Pepper died in December, 1873, aged sixty years, and his widow is residing in Davisburgh. Robert Pepper and wife are the parents of five children,-three sons and two daughters,-all living. Previous to their settlement in Michigan, Robert had been to the State with a quantity of Genesee county (New York) cloth, which hlie had sold "in quanti- ties to suit purchasers." At the time they located on their tfrms a log house was immediately erected on Robert Pepper's place, and the farm carried on jointly by the brothers. Finally John built a log house on his own property, and re- moved to it with his flanily, after which the farm was divided as purchased. Robert Pepper is still living where lie settled thirty-nine years ago, and the work of clearing the forest around him and preparing the fertile fields as they now appear has been largely performed by his own hands. Eli H. Day, from the town of New Hartford, near Utica, Oneida county, New York, located two eighties on section 4 and settled in June, 1838, with his wife and one child,-a daughter. Ile was also accompanied by his sister's son, Eli Brondige (now residing on a part of the old homestead), and George Bigelow and family. Mr. Day had been employed in the old " Utica mills," a cotton- manutheturing establishment, previous to his removal to Michigan. One son, Andrew HI. Day, born in July, 1840, is now living on the old farm. His daughter, Mary Jane, is the wife of Jefferson K. Tindall, living in the same neighborhood. Previous to the arrival of Mr. Day, Nolton and Spencer Bigelow had located in the fail of 1837, and built first a log cabin, seven by nine feet in dimensions, and in the following spring erected two log houses, one for their parents and one for their brother, George Bigelow, to whom the land belonged. The Bigelows were from the same neighborhood with Mr. Day, in New York. On the arrival of the latter, hlie occupied the first log cabin built by the Bigelow boys until lie could erect a house for himself and family. HIe built a frame dwelling, eighteen by twenty-bfour feet, and moved into it before it was entirely finished. This was the same summer,-1838. On one occasion Mr. Day was out with a man named Dilley, after his oxen. THe had purchased a bell of more than ordinary size and hung it on the neck of one of his oxen. The animals had strayed off a considerable distance, and the sound of the bell seemed to come from every direction at once. Thle woods and bills re-echoed to its tones, and Mr. Day and his companion "followed fast and followed faster," until they missed their way antd knew not in whichl direction to turn in order to reach their home. Mr. Day, in speaking of the incident, remarked that he had no idea there were any such wild p'aces in the country as he saw on that occasion. Everything seemed strange, and the two men were in trouble indeed. Finally they arrived in sight of a frame house partly finished, and on seeing it Mr. Day told Iris com- panion they nust be a long distance from home, for no one was erecting a frame house anywhere in /iis neighborhood. At last they espied a large brush-heap near the house, which Mr. Day asserted looked very much like one lie himself had piled up, yet they failed to recognize the spot until they were close upon it and found unmistakable evidence that they were at home, instead of being more tlian three miles away, as they supposed. Their surprise was great, as everything had looked so strange to them a few minutes before. Settlers frequently were lost in this way, and localities with which they were famiiliar appeared as strangely to them as if they had never seen them before. It has been said that becoming lost in this manner will force a man into insanity quicker than almost anything else; but luckily, in all instances of the kind known in this region the settler was fortunate enough to recognize some landmark before his brain was endangered. Mr. Day is now residing in Davisburgh, and is engaged in the mercantile busi- ness, occupying a store in the cast end of the business-block built by Myron Hickey, on the east side of the river. He has been a prominent man in the township since his settlement; held the office of justice of the peace for two terms, having been elected in 1846 and 1850. Philip Friday, Sr., came to Springfield in July, 1838 firom Albany, New York, and purchased eighty acres of land from his half-brother, Daniel Jones, who had entered it as a portion of his firmn two or three years before. Mr. Friday was accompanied by his wife, four sons, and one daughter; three sons are now living,-Daniel, Isaac, and Philip,-all in Springfield. Mr. Friday's sister, Mary, had accompanied Mr. Jones at the time hlie settled. She was never married, and died March 20, 1876, aged seventy-eight years. Mrs. Friday has been dead a number of years; but her husband is yet living, at the age of eighty-one. There were three brothers in the Jones family who settled in the county,- Daniel and Timothy in Springfield, and Jesse in Groveland, where hIe now resides. Their father lived to the extreme old age of one hundred and five years. He had served in the ranks of the Revolutionary army, although but fifteen years of age when first called upon to bear arms. When Mr. Friday arrived with his family the Joneses were all living together (the three brothers), and Mr. Friday built a small log house on the land belong- ing to Daniel Jones, in which hlie lived four years, afterwards erecting a frame house on his own place and moving into it. Thie latter building is yet standing, and occupied by Mr. Friday and his son Daniel and family. The ancestors of the house of Friday were from Germany and Holland, and settled in the United States at an early period. The namie was probably origi- nally spelled Freichtag, as it appears in that orthographyat present among those of the name who are later arrivals in this country. Some time in the year 1838 the population of Springfield was increased by the arrival from Columbia county, New York, of Samuel C. Thomas and his brother William, with their families; Samuel having his wife and two daughters with him and William only his wife. Both ien were natives of the State of Rhode Island, and possibly removed from it for fear of getting lost " in some vast wilder- ness." Soon after their arrival in Springfield the wife of William Thomas died, and hIe returned to New York. Samel lived for three years on land owned by different persons, among them Judge Melvin Dorr, and finally purchased for him- self on section 11. William Thomas is now residing in the city of Hudson, Columbia county, New York. Samuel C.'Thomas is at present living in the village of Davisburgh. He is the father of five children, of whom only one-a daughter, Mary-is now living. She is the wife of D)aniel Ward, of Oxford township. Mr. Thomas removed from his farm to Davisburgh in 1876. He was a resident of the township for twenty-five years before hIe visited his old home in New York. In 1839 hie built what he says was the first wagon ever constructed between Pontiac and Flint. He had learned the trade of a wheelwright while living in the State of New York. After lie had finished his house in Springfield he built a small shop against one end of it, and in that made his wagon. Levi Churchill visited Michigan in 1834, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land south of the present sit6 of Davisburgh ; but at that time tihe country was so wild that he chose not to settle until later. After waiting seven years, lie removed with his wife and son from Chautauqua county, New York, and settled on his place in May, 1841, where lie has since resided. His son, Cullen B. Churchill, was an only child, and has been dead a number of years; his widow and her son are now living with Mr. Churchill, Sr. Philip S. Frisbee located in Lapeer county, Michigan, in the fall of 1833, and soon afterwards purchased land in Springfield. He moved to the township some time between 1834 and 1841. He was born near Seneca lake, in the State of New York, but was living in Chautauqua county at the time he emigrated to Michigan. He and Mr. Churchill were from the same neighborhood. The latter was born in Hubbardton, Vermont, and when but a year old his father removed to the town of Alexander, Genesee county, New York, being among the early settlers of that county. Harlow Watson is one of the pioneers of Oakland County, having settled in White Lake township in October, 1837, arriving at Detroit the 3d day of that month. He is now living at Davisburgh. He was born in the town of Skane- ateles, Onondaga county, New York, and came to Michigan from that county. iHe was accompanied on tihe boat to Detroit by his mother, sister, brother, and brother-in law, and his own wife and daughter. His sister was a widow, with one son. Mr. Watson's brother, Alvin D. Watson, and his brother-in-law, Horace Root, were both young men, unmarried. Harlow Watson lived in White Lake township only until the spring of 1838, when hIe removed to Springfield and settled on section 31. TIhe other boys became homesick and soon went back to New York. Alvin Watson afterwards returned to Oakland County, and is now residing in the village of Waterford. Root also came back, and went afterwards to the State of Illinois, but finally returned to New York, and now resides in the town of Elbridge, Onondaga county. Mr. Watson has raised three children since hIe settled in Michigan, and these, with the daughter lie brought with him, are all living, and all girls. Mr. Watson purchased his land from second hands, but made the first improvements upon it. The old place is now owned by John Voorheis. Among the adventures related of pioneers in Oakland County, one which happened to Mr. Watson was not the least exciting of them all. Hie had been C)a C)r P1S Cv 77,. < /7 7/a Y¢'I 7' ~,;77 '7 7< ~7<4 747;< ,: +7' F?~~~~~~~~~~ $ Cr TNAL$ WOKADQNy CA i r HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 277 I away from home on one occasion helping Harrison Voorheis, butcher, and stayed quite late in the evening. He finally started home, but had gone barely twenty rods from the house when three huge wolves spied him, and thinking, no doubt, hlie would make a savory meal for their hungry maws, at once concluded to attack him; but he, having no relish for such proceedings, concluded that "discretion was the better part of valor," and beat a hasty retreat towards home, two miles away. In his own language, he "gathered a club and made lively time through the woods.'" Probably Tam O'Shanter, in the wildest part of his wild ride, did not feel half the sensation of fear which beset Mr. Watson on this occasion. and the daring leap of Brady, or the breakneck pace of " Old Put," undoubtedly would be obliged to stand back before the terrific stride of Watson as he at last bolted into his own door-yard and thundered through the door into the house, safe at last. He possessed a huge bull-dog, which he had brought from New York with him, and the brute sallied forth in his might, and the wolves soon made themselves exceedingly scarce in that locality. They did not propose, however, to allow their desire for gore to go unsatiated, and as their human prey had escaped them, they revenged themselves upon a number of sheep belonging to Mr. Watson's neighbors. The next morning Thomas Lapham, then living in White Lake township, went out and killed them. Wolf-scalps were at that time worth eighteen dollars apiece, and Lapham made a very good forenoon's work of it. He afterwards moved into Springfield township, where he died. Horatio Foster, Sr., settled in the county in 1837, having come from near Utica, Oneida county, New York. He was accompanied by his wife and two sons, and located in Independence township, near what is now Clarkston Station. He died at the age of sixty-four, and his wife at her death was sixty-eight. Of the children there were originally five,-four sons and one daughter,-and all are now living except the oldest son, Horatio. The daughter, Mary Ann Foster, is now the widow of Joseph Harris. She did not locate in Oakland County until some years after the rest of the family had settled. Horatio Foster, Jr., emigrated to Detroit in 1835, and worked at the harness business for some time, finally removing to Clarkston. Another son, Samuel, settled in 1836, but did not purchase land until 1842, when he bought on section 25, in Springfield township, and lived upon it until 1864, when lie removed to his present location on section 4. He was but sixteen years of age when lihe came to Michigan. His brother, Frederick Foster, is living also in Springfield township, on section 25. Michigan has her share of the hardy sons of the " Granite State" within her borders, and among them is Milton Sargent, a veteran from the rocky dells of the State which in years gone by kept her inhabitants busy attending to certain troubles with Vermont. The lay of the " Green Mountain boy" of old bore in its burden the important query, "Swarms Hampshire in arms on our border again ?" And they were ever ready to meet the invader with the decree, 1 thus far shalt thou come and no farther,"-and back it up by decisive action if necessary. Happily, those days of feud are over, and glorious " New England," with its ribs of rock, stands as a prominent and steadfast part of the " Union of States." From New Hampshire, then, came Ir. Sargent,-town of Wentworth, Graf- ton county,-and in 1833 located in what is now Avon township, Oakland County, Michigan. He arrived in Detroit on the 1st day of July, and at Roch- ester the next day. He says he was a "regular old bach." He possessed seventy-eight dollars in cash, and with it purchased forty acres on section 18, in Avon township, it being the last piee6 of government land on the section. He afterwards purchased additional land in that township, and finally removed to Springfield, arriving there April 3, 1838. He located on the northwest quarter of section 15, now owned by Brainard J. Phillips, having traded his land in Avon for it to a man named Taylor. The latter had built a log cabin on the place and split some rails, but made no further improvements. Mr. Sargent was seventy-nine years old February 11, 1877, and is now living on the old place, with Mr. Phillips. His oldest brother, John Sargent, enlisted from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the war of 1812, and served a portion of his time in Fort Gratiot. His time was out in 1817, and he soon after came with Alexander, William, and Benjamin Graham, and settled in Avon township, where hlie lived two miles west of Rochester. Milton Sargent had not seen his brother for twenty-one years, and the meeting in 1833 was undoubtedly a joyful one. The first settler on the farm now owned by Moses Garter was Melvin Dorr, who became the first supervisor of Springfield township, and otherwise a very popular man. The same farm was afterwards occupied by Asahel Fuller. Mr. Dorr's remains rest beneath the shade of the orchard on the place. Mr. Garter came in July, 1854, from Orleans county, New York, where his father settled in 1812, and where Mr. G. lived for forty years. He purchased his present property from Benjamin Cochran, to whom Mr. Fuller had sold. Mir. Garter brought his wife and one son with him from New York. His father was a musician, and was called out with the militia in 1812, but saw no hard service. Moses Garter also trained under the militia law in the State of New York, where he commanded a company. He is a native of Herkimer county, New York, as was also his father. Edward Parkinson, from Niagara county, New York, settled in 1838, with his wife and eight children, on section 35, in Springfield, where he now resides. He located government land. He is a native of England, and emigrated to the United States in 1830. After his arrival in Springfield he built a small log shanty, which stood nearly on the spot occupied by his present frame house. Seven of his children are now living. The only neighbors Mr. Parkinson had were two families living on the west and one on the east, all of them some distance away. He says it was such hard work to secure provisions, that if a family "could get a woodchuck or a johnny-cake" they thought themselves extremely fortunate. Horace Green settled in Springfield in 1832, having come from South Livonia, Livingston county, New York, where his parents moved from Seneca county in 1815. They were originally from Middleburg, Schoharie county, and settled in Scipio, Cayuga county, in 1811. His father, Levi Green, was a native of Rhode Island, and a soldier in the Revolutionary army, afterwards drawing a pension for his services. Horace Green was killed by the fall of a tree, in February, 1833. His brother, Zephanialih R. Green, settled in West Bloomfield township. A son of the latter, Addis E. Green, mentions having been present at the raising of Griswold Bishop's barn in Springfield, in 1833(?), where he saw a huge Indian shoulder two of the largest rafters-made of tamarack logs-at once, and thinks the savage could have out-jumped any man there if he had been sober. I. K. Grow, a native of Homer, New York, settled in Springfield in 1835, with his parents; J. HI. Landon, from Salisbury, Connecticut, settled in 1836; William Jones, native of Middlebury, New York, settled in 1836. Of the original settlers of Springfield, many have removed to other localities, and a considerable number of them have been summoned away from earth. The work they began has been unremittingly continued by those who have conime after them, and the township to-day rests under the influences of prosperity, where but a comparatively short time ago all was a wilderness. SCHOOLS. In 1834 a frame barn was built by Arza C. Crosby, on section 13, having a granary in. one end. The first school in the township was taught in this building by Sarah Pratt, and was attended by the children of Mr. Crosby, John J. Merrell, Robert Perry, and others. The next year (1835) a frame school-house was built. The first term in it was taught by Miss Sophia Paddock, who was a sister of Mrs. Merrell and Mrs. Crosby. She afterwards married Ira Dayton, of Grand Blanc, Genesee county. The old barn on Mr. Crosby's place is still standing. The school-house stood a short distance east of Mr. Crosby's dwelling, near where Edward Perry now lives. The frame of it was removed to section 12 and a new cover put on, and the building is now in use in district No. 1. The frame school-house at Springfield post-office---now district No. 6-was built some time afterwards. A frame school-house was built at the Anderson settlement (district No. 5) as early as 1838, and stood on the ground now occupied by the new frame school- house. Among the first teachers were Lucy and Lois McQuigg, the latter now the wife of Henry Elliott, of Pontiac, and the former the widow of George Peek, of Springfield township. Miss Clarissa Anderson, now the wife of P. A. Tuttle, of Highland township, was perhaps the first teacher in this school. She taught before the MeQuigg girls, and was very early, if not the first. A log school-house, the first in the neighborhood, was built on the corner of Robert Pepper's farm, section 19, about 1843-44. This was the first school building in the western part of the township, and the first teacher was a young lady named Corinthia Elliott. The first term was a summer school, and the chil- dren who attended were all small. A young lady named Hadley also taught here early. The building was occasionally used for religious purposes. About 1839-40 a school-house was built of logs on section 9, in district No. 2. A summer school was first taught. Eli H. Day, now of Davisburgh, was one of the first teachers, and many of the older class of citizens now in the village and neighborhood attended under him. The present house is a frame building, standing on the southeast corner of section 5. TIIE FIRST MARRIAGE LICENSES were issued by Jonah Gross, township clerk, and were as follows: December 20, 1837, to Ira Dayton, of Grand Blanc, Genesee county, and Miss Sophia Paddock, of Springfield; January 15, 1838, to Thomas Lapham, of White Lake, and Miss 278 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Henrietta Pelton, of Springfield; August 11, 1838, to Pearson G. Cochran and Ann Oliver, both of Springfield ; September 25, 1838, to Nathaniel Dorr, Jr., and Miss Sary Hoyt, both of Springfield. Thus it will be seen that the "little winged god" was busy at an early period, even in the midst of sterner realities. FIRST TOWN-MEETING. We copy the following from the township records: "According to the statute of Michigan, the people convened at the house of David Stanard and organized by electing the following officers for the township of Springfield. "April 3, 1837, David Stanard, Esq., was chosen moderator, and John J. Mer- rell chosen clerk, and both qualified, then proceeded to business." The following were the various officers elected, namely: Supervisor, Melvin Dorr; Township Clerk, Jonah Gross; Assessors, Cornelius Davis, John W. Pratt, Griswold Bishop; Constable and Collector, Lyman Hub- bard; Constable, Edward E. Perry; Overseers of the Poor, Orange Powell, Caleb P. Merrell; Commissioners of highways, Arza C. Crosby, Asahel Johnson, Isaac Anderson; Justices of the Peace, Daniel Jones, David Stanard, Jonah Gross, Cornelius Davis; Path-masters, David Stanard, Charles Husted; Pound-masters, Nathan Jones, Asahel Johnson. "On motion, it was voted that this town shall pay for every wolf that is caught in this town and the scalp delivered to any justice of the peace; and on oath that it is in his opinion over one year old shall receive three dollars." " On vote, it was agreed that the next town-meeting be held at the house of David Stanard, Esq., in Springfield." At a special election held November 18, 1837, the following persons were chosen school inspectors: Daniel B. Wakefield, Daniel Jones, John J. Merrell. At the regular election in 1838, Daniel B. Wakefield was elected supervisor, Jonah Gross town clerk, and Russell Bishop justice of the peace. At a special meeting held August 11, 1838, D. B. Wakefield and Simeon L. McQuigg were elected justices of the peace, to fill vacancies. At a special meeting held November 3, 1838, the following officers were elected to fill vacancies: Supervisor, Milton Peters; Justice of the Peace, David Stanard; School Inspector, Milton-Peters; Highway Commissioner, Gifford Nash; Collector, Griswold W. Bishop; Constables, Samuel C. Thomas, George R. Putnam. The following is a-list of supervisors from 1839 to 1877, inclusive: 1839-42, Milton Peters (supervisor and assessor in 1842); 1843, Augustus S. Johnson; 1844--48, Alexander Ter Bush; 1849, Nolton Bigelow; 1850, James B. Simon- son; 1851, Alexander Ter Bush; 1852, James B. Simonson; 1853, Alexander Ter Bush; 1854-55, James B. Simonson; 1856-65, Alexander Ter Bush; 1866-68, Jefferson K. Tindall; 1869, Alexander Ter Bush; 1870-73, Jefferson K. Tindall; 1874-77, Alonzo H. Losse. Township Clerks.-1839, Jonah Gross; 1840-42, John J. Merrell; 1843, Peter Best; 1844-46, Nelson Abel; 1847, Alvin D. Simonson; 1848-49, Theo- dore R. M. Gross; 1850, Caleb Gardner; 1851, T. R. M. Gross; 1852-63, Ed- ward Bartlett; 186-1-65, H. C. Burnam; 1866, James E. Pepper; 1867-68, Alexander Ter Bush; 1869, William J. Pepper; 1870-73, Alonzo H. Losee; 1874, Harvey G. Monroe; 1875, Daniel L. Davis; 1876-77, Henry G. Rohm. Justices of the 'eace.-1839, Daniel T. Wilson, Noah Beach; 1840, James Stalls; 1841, George Bigelow; 1842, Hiram Trim; 1843, Philip S. Frisbie; 1844, James Stout; 1845, James B. Simonson; 1846, Eli II. Day; 1847, Philip S. Frisbie; 1848, Hiram Trim; 1849, James B. Simonson, James Stout; 1850, Eli II. Day; 1851, Philip S. Frisbic; 1852, Horatio Foster, Sr.; 1853, James B. Simonson, Nolton Bigelow; 1854, Israel Swayze, John J. Merrell; 1855, Alexander Ter Bush, John W. Anderson; 1856, John J. Merrell, George W. Stinson; 1857, S. L. McQuigg, Eli Brondige; 1858, James P. Wheeler; 1859, Farley Craw; 1860, John G. Reed; 1861, William II. Elliott; 1862, James P. Wheeler; 1863, Farley Craw; 1864, John G. Reed; 1865, Anthony J. Swayze; 1866, George M. Lyon, A. J. Swayze; 1867, John C. Clark; 1868, John G. Reed, Henry C. Burnam; 1869, A. J. Swayze, E. Bartlett, Phineas Reed; 1870, Phineas Reed, George Stafford; 1871, no return on township records; 1872, Amasa C. Kenyon, Monroe Wheeler, Calvin L. Paddock; 1873, Charles Cavel; 1874, Norman Ellis, Michael G. Hickey, Jackson Voorheis; 1875, Jackson Voorheis, George C. Potter; 1876, Roswell Burt, John Vincent; 1877, J. G. Hutchins. SPRINGFIELD POST-OFFICE. The neighborhood of this village witnessed the first settlement made in the township, and here for a long period was the most important hamlet. A few vil- lage lots were laid out by Milton Peters, May 21, 1840. While the stage-line was running business was brisk along the old Detroit and Saginaw turnpike, on which the village is located. Asahel Fuller, the first settler in the township, built a hotel here at an early day, and carried it on for some time, but finally sold out. It was a two-story frame building, and was subsequently burned down while under the management of David Stanard. At one time there were two taverns, three stores, and numerous shops in full operation here, and Springfield was a busy burg. The stage-horn frequently scared up deer along the route, the frightened animals fleeing in dismay before the sound as though it were the note of the huntsman's horn and they expected a pack of hounds in full cry to appear immediately following. The first store was opened by two young men, named Milton Peters and Peter Best, who conducted a general establishment, carrying such goods in stock as were needed by the settlers,-dry goods, groceries, clothing, etc. A second store was established by A. S. Johnson, now of Detroit. In 1844, James B. Simonson located here and opened a general store. He emigrated from Roxbury, Delaware county, New York, in 1835, with his wife and one child, a son, and settled in Royal Oak township, where he resided until 1841, when he removed to Birmingham. In 1844 hlie came to Springfield. During his stay here hlie held the office of postmaster some twelve years. He finally sold his store to John J. Merrell and started one at the Anderson settlement, where hlie stayed but a short time. He removed from the Anderson settlement to Holly, where hlie now resides. Ie is president of the First National bank at the latter place. The post-office at Springfield was established about 1835-36, and David Stan- ard was probably first postmaster. Mr. Simonson held the office for twelve years, as above stated, and A. S. Johnson was in for some time. The present postmaster is Dr. Edward Bartlett, who has been in office six years. Dr. Bartlett settled with his father, James Bartlett, near the site of the village of Clarkston, in 1838. They were from Cayuga county, New York, and the family consisted of James Bartlett, his wife, and six sons. Of the latter, but two are now living,-the doctor and H. J. Bartlett. James Bartlett died in Decem- ber, 1874, aged seventy-four years. His wife died in 1843. The doctor removed to Springfield in 1850, and has since been a resident of the place. He practiced one summer at Clarkston previous to coming to Springfield. He is a physician of the allopathic school, and a graduate of the Cleveland university. A physician named Briggs located here in 1849, but only lived about a year. In 1833, John J. Merrell and Arza C. Crosby removed firom New York and settled in Springfield together, early in the month of September, purchasing land on section 13. Merreli was from Onondaga county, and Crosby from Cayuga. Mr. Merrell had a family of six children-three sons and three daughters-be- side his wife, and two daughters were born afterwards. Of the ten children, eight are now living. Mr. Merrell died April 6, 1866, aged sixty-nine years. Mr. Crosby was accompanied by his wife, four sons, and two daughters; the children are all living but one. Mr. C. died February 3, 1857, at the age of sixty- two. The old place where he settled, on section 13, is yet occupied by his widow. Mrs. Crosby and Mrs. Merrell are sisters, and natives of Onondaga county, New York. These estimable ladies are yet full of the vigor of youth, and despite the trials they were subject to in the settlement of a new country, they look back with pleasure on the "days that are gone," and by their very interesting and pleasing conversation are able to while away many hours in recounting tales and adventures of "ye olden time." It is a pleasure to listen to them, and as in talking of past scenes and events they become animated and warmed to their subject, the listener feels himself almost enabled to recollect the time when the country was but little better than a wilderness, even though he be yet in his youth. People "in those days" were wont to make journeys to Pontiae, and often to Detroit, to buy pork, which it seems was considered a necessary article for family use, and would return with it on a pack-horse, balancing a barrel of pork by a barrel of flour. Very often the pork was so lean and thin that it did not possess "grease" enough to fry itself in, and it became necessary to put venison in with it in order to accomplish this object. It must be borne in mind that the deer were very fat, and it was unnecessary to do more than place the venison in a fry- ing-pan over a fire and attend to it with care in order to have it done to a turn. Mrs. Crosby says that in her life of forty-four years in Michigan she has never moved her household goods, except "out of the old house into the new." The two families, for four years after their arrival, lived in a large double log house, and then Mr. Merrell erected a dwelling, into which hlie moved with his family. Mrs. Merrell and Mrs. Crosby now say they "never took as much comfort in their lives as in the old log house." At the time they settled, or soon after, there were about nine families in the township, and if they failed to see each other less than once a fortnight they deemed themselves almost forsaken. Mr. Merrell and Mr. Crosby each kept a hired man, and with their large family their house was pretty well filled up. These men were brothers, and were named George and Levi Perry; the former working for Merrell and the latter for Crosby. Levi Perry was a great hunter and killed large numbers of deer, which were very 0z n/ 9 4LN 43 I gaU- 0w ^§ W s my zo e Cd r HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 279 plenty, and, as we have said, exceedingly fat. The meat was delicious, and was the staple article of food almost, while the fat was tried out and made into candles. It has been said, and truthfully, that "necessity is the mother of invention," and nowhere can be found a better illustration of the fact than in the lives of the early settlers. With a market many miles away, and affording but meagre accommodations at best, everything was turned to account that was of any use whatever, and in many instances only a rigid system of economy, closely adhered to, and a faculty for making the most of everything, saved families from extreme want. The field was one in which they'could exercise their ingenuity to the utmost, and the lessons learned in those early days were by no means unheeded in after- years, for by their constant requisition the pioneers became at last possessed of competence and wealth, and the tasty farms and well-kept institutions of to-day speak volumes for the perseverance and self-denial of the fathers of the land. In certain seasons people with an ordinary stock of provisions were beyond want and deemed themselves rich beyond measure, for wild crab-apples, plums, cranberries, huckleberries, etc., were in many localities in abundance, and those living in such neighborhoods never wanted for preserves or sauce. This was notably the case in the eastern part of the township. Mrs. Merrell and Mrs. Crosby, with some of their children, one day picked seven bushels of huckle- berries, all black, rich and ripe, and considered that they had done a fair day's work. The Indians in the vicinity were always very peaceable and friendly, and made the Merrell and Crosby families their particular friends. The whites learned to speak much of their language, and remember even now many words of the Indian tongue. A short distance southwest of Springfield post-office is a small lake, known from the quality of its water as " Soft Water lake." Here the families in the neighborhood were wont to congregate and do their washing on its shores. This was truly a "Godsend" to them, for it was before the days of cisterns, and hard water is not an excellent substitute for soft for laundry purposes. Mr. Merrell and Mr. Crosby, with their families, stopped when they first came to the township at Bishop's log tavern, previously mentioned. This institution was always full, and had it been twice or three times as large the rooms would have been easily kept filled. It was peculiarly an establishment for the time, a real "backwoods tavern," and its proprietor was undoubtedly a true philosopher and a genius in his way. The spot where this old tavern stood knows it no longer, and nearly on its site is a neat residence, bearing the stamp of greater improve- ment and the appearance common to buildings of a later day. Could the soil whereon the old log building stood talk, it would undoubtedly be able to relate many interesting tales of pioneer life. The stage-line was long ago discontinued; the primitive taverns are among the things that were; the deer no longer bound in affright from the rich tones of the driver's horn, nor does the " traveler on a dusty lea" wend his way along the broad turnpike, now a simple " road;" the glory of the early times has departed, and where once all was stir and bustle, and the busy sound from at thriving village "re-echoed o'er valley and glen," a Sabbath quiet reigns, and to the tourist over the iron track the once famous village of Springfield is almost unknown. So passes away earthly glory. In the ceaseless round of time the past is eventually buried in oblivion, and future generations have little interest in what was passing years before they were born on the ground they tread. The stranger comes and possesses himself of the home built up by years of toil and patient endurance, and reeks not of the changes that have been wrought since the locality began to have a history. He lives for the present; yet the children and grandchildren of the bold pioneers will ever contemplate with great respect and admiration the hardy spirit which prompted their ancestry to do battle with the wilderness and build up homes and institutions for those who should come after. ANDERSON SETTLEMENT. As early as 1833-34 the land on which the hamlet bearing the above name is located was settled by John Husted and family, and the place was long known as the " Iusted settlement." He was the first to locate here, and Charles and Harry Husted came to the same neighborhood. In 1836 the number of settlers was increased by the arrival of Isaac Anderson and family, from Attica, Genesee (now Wyoming) county, New York. The family consisted of Mr. Anderson, his wife, and five children,-two sons and three daugh- ters. In the spring of the same year Mr. Anderson had been to the place and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land on sections 22 and 27; part of it he procured from government and part from second hands. A portion of the land was taken in the name of his son, John W. Anderson, who is now living upon it. The family was brought in during the month of October. At the same time Mr. Anderson located his land a married daughter, Betsey, came with her husband, and stayed at the place from that time. On the trip from New York, Mr. Anderson brought two teams with him. The voyage from Buffalo to Detroit was made on the steamer " Counodore Perry." Mr. Anderson's children are all living, but he died on the 17th of January, 1860, aged nearly seventy-four years. His wife died October 9, 1862. The neighborhood finally became known by custom as the " Anderson Settle- ment," and that name it still retains. When the Detroit and Milwaukee railway was first completed a station was established here, but was finally discontinued, and there is none at present. Perry Trim and Sylvester E. Anderson each at one time carried on the blacksmniithing business, and an institution of that kind is now in a flourishing condition, kept by John Alexander. The same season the railroad was completed, or soon after, Mr. Simonson estab- lished a store here, containing a general stock. He afterwards removed to Holly, and the store was operated by J. B. Billings and Frederick Anderson. Ogden Gaston erected a building in which he manufactured matches and did a small business, principally with local customers. He peddled his matches around the country, and made a living in that manner. He is now a resident of Detroit. In the cemetery, on the hill in the eastern part of the settlement, the first burial was that of Nancy, a young daughter of John Husted, her death occurring in March, 1835. Seven little girls were buried in this lot before an adult person was interred, nearly all of them dying with the whooping-cough. The cemetery contains about one and a half acres of land, the original lot being taken from the farm of Isaac Anderson, afterwards the property of his son Sylvester. The first apple-trees were brought here by Isaac and John W. Anderson, and the first hliens by Isaac Anderson. Charles Husted and John W. Anderson were the owners of the first sheep. The first frame house in the vicinity was built by Isaac Anderson, about 1840, and is still standing. In the spring of 1837 two frame barns were raised the same day, one by Isaac Anderson and the other by Charles Husted. They were the first in the neighborhood. The Husteds are nearly all removed, and their property is in other hands. J. W. Anderson owns a fine farm on the beautiful plain upon which the village is situated. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CIIURCH OF SPRINGFIELD. This society was organized February 14, 1858, with thirteen members from the congregation of the First Presbyterian church of White Lake. Sixteen others were added a few days after, making twenty-nine in all. These were as follows: Isaac Anderson, Catharine Anderson, Lyman Hubbard, Betsy Hubbard. John W. Anderson, Ann Anderson, Sylvester E. Anderson, Almira Anderson, Martha Boutwell, Urania Boutwell, Sarah P. Hubbard, Louisa M. Hubbard, James J. Hubbard, these from the White Lake congregation. The others were Orra Simp- son, Margaret O. Starker, Lydia F. Simonson, Fanny Powell, Alice Arnold, Jona- than B. Billings, Mary J. Billings, Ira L. Simpson, Elizabeth Gillespie, Clarissa A. Boutwell, Mary J. Boutwell, Josephine P. Anderson, Sarah A. Anderson, Isabel Hagerty, HIenry M. Billings, Anastatia Stark. Isaac Anderson was elected deacon, and Sylvester E. Anderson clerk. The first pastor was Rev. W. P. Wastell, who organized the church. In April, 1859, the membership was increased to fifty-one. The first elders, elected March 31, 1860, were J. W. Anderson and C. W. Valleau, and at the same time Wdliam Jones was elected deacon. The second pastor was Rev. N. Tucker, whose name first appears on the records January 31, 1863. He stayed until February, 1868, and was succeeded by Rev. L. Chandler, who ministered to the congregation until November, 1869, when Rev. J. S. Lord was settled as fourth pastor, and stayed three years. Mr. Chandler has had charge since, with the exception of six months during the winter of 1876-77, during which time the church was supplied by Rev. Ir. Bryant, it being too severe a task for Mr. Chandler to come from White Lake during the snow and cold weather. The latter gentleman is the present pastor of White Lake and Springfield. The membership of Springfield church in May, 1877, was about thirty-five. The church edifice was commenced in the summer of 1859, and finished in the spring of 1860. It is a frame building, thirty-two by forty-four feet in dimen- sions, surmounted by a spire, and will seat in the neighborhood of one hundred and fifty persons. A Sabbath-school was organized some time before the church was built, and has been kept up ever since. '1he first superintendent was probably John W. An- derson. An Estey organ is used in the school and church, and the Sabbath- school also has a library of about seventy-five volumes. The church stands in a pleasant location on section 22, in the eastern part of the settlement, and the society is in a comparatively prosperous condition, although the membership is not as large as formerly. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I VILLAGE OF DAVISBURGII. Tihe first settler on the ground now occupied by this thriving village was Cor- nelius Davis, who took up seven hundred and twenty acres of government land, including the whole of section 17, and eighty acres on section 20, and located on tihe eastern part of tihe site of Davisburgh in 1836. He was from Ulster county, New York, and was accompanied by his wife and seven children,-five sons and two daughters. They arrived in the fall of the year, and Mr. Davis and his son- in-law, Isaac J. Losee, built a log house, eighteen by twenty-eight feet, on land owned by the latter, in which both families lived that winter. A frame building had been commenced on Mr. Davis' place, but was not finished till the succeeding spring (1837). This was one of the first frame houses built in the township, and the very first in this vicinity. All the children of Mr. Davis are living except one son and one daughter, and all reside in Springfield township except one son, Jerome C., who lives in Rose, and one daughter, now the wife of II. W. Horton, of Groveland. John C. and J. H. Davis are residents of Davisburgh. Corne- lius Davis died August 14, 1857, aged sixty-six years, and his wife May 14, 1844, aged fifty-one." Mr. Davis' son-in-law, Isaac J. Losce, was formerly from Dutchess county, New York, but moved to Michigan from Ulster county. He died February 11, 1853, aged forty-nine years, and it is his widow who is now Mrs. Henry W. Hor- ton, of Groveland township. Mrs. Cornelius Davis and an old lady by the name of Morley were the first persons buried in the cemetery at Davisburghl, Mrs. Morley's death occurring first. In 1857 village lots were laid out by John C., Cornelius, and James H. Davis, J. C. Davis being the principal proprietor. Michael G. Hickey platted an addi- tion in 1865; G. M. Lyon, in April, 1866; Major M. Hickey, in May, 1866; and Jamnes H. Davis, in 1867. But a comparatively small portion of all the lots laid out are built upon, yet the population of tihe village is now claimed at about five hundred. It contains four general stores, one hardware-store, one drug- store, three shoe-shops, two millinery establishments, four blacksmith-shops, one wagon-shop, one cooper-shop, one harness-shop, one foundry and machine-shop, one steam saw-, plaster-, and feed-mill, one grist-umill, one hotel, two churches, one school building, one agricultural implement store, and one livery-stable; also four physicians and a dentist. The village was laid out very soon after tihe Detroit and Milwaukee railway was built. Tlhere had been a scattering settlement previous to this, and the comniple- tion of the railway gave it a permanent start; since which time it has been steadily progressing, and at tihe time these items were taken (May, 1877) a considerable amount of business was done, and every house in the village was occupied. About 1851-52, Ebenezer McDowell sold the first goods brought to the village for that purpose. He occupied a frame building, which has since been used four- teen years as a hotel and for numerous other purposes. Part of it is yet standing on the west side of tihe Shiawassee river, and is occupied as a dwelling and shoe- shop. McDowell purchased Ihis merchandise at Detroit, and kept a small general stock. When he failed to receive custom enough to keep him most of the time in the store, he took a peddler's pack into tIre country, and disposed of the goods after tIre fashion of peddlers in general. ie also preached occasionally, being a Congregational minister, and a genius, as the term applies. Tie first store of any consequence was kept by John C. Davis, who carried on an extensive business for the time. His store was in one part of his grist-mill, ard he finally sold the stock to M. and A. Hickey, both now deceased. The Messrs. Hickey built the first regular store building, which is now standing, and occupied as a hardware-store by 0. C. Thompson. The grist-mill was built by John C. Davis, in the autumn of 1854. It is thirty-six by seventy feet in dimensions, and four stories high. A large custom and considerable merchant business is done. The mill originally contained two run of stone, and now has three. The dam was built several years before the grist-mill, by Cornelius Davis, who had also erected a saw-mill. J. C. Davis after- wards purchased the property, built the grist-mill, and repaired tihe dam. In 1870 he sold out to Reuben and George B. McCreary, but recently bought it back again, and is doing a heavy business. The fall here is sixteen feet, and tihe entire power is utilized, tihe river being but a small stream at any season. Tihe first frame house built after the town plat was laid was erected by A. B. Webster. It was a small structure, and is still standing. Webster lived in the house, anid opened in it the first shoe-shop at the place. Previous to the laying out of the town a blacksmith-shop was started by Mar- tin Frisbie, and was tihe first in tihe village. It stood a short distance up from the east side of the river. Frisbie has been dead a long time. Farley Craw became possessed of the idea that it was necessary for people to have barrels, and, like a good Samaritan, built a cooper-shop on a lot hie had pur- chased from Mr. Davis, and began his work. The chip of the adze and the sound of tihe " driver," as he settled tihe hoops in their places, was soon heard, and tihe clean, new barrels began to pile up in his little shop, which is yet shown to the seeker after curiosities and historical lore. Tihe first harness-shop was opened by John De Witt, about 1860-62, and the first wagon-shop was built by Phiineas Reed soon after the laying out of the town. A Dutchman, named Jrin - , at one time kept a cabinet-shop, but tihe busi- ness proved non-lucrative, and hie shifted his abode to Saginaw. J C. Davis also sold furniture while his store was in operation. The 'hndertaking business has been for several years, and is now, represented by E B. Murgittroyd. Soon after the Rebellion of 1861-65, A. J. Hickey built the frame block on tihe east side of tihe river. In tihe lower story are several store-rooms, and tihe upper floor contains a public hall, known as " Hickey's hall." About 1863-65 a steam saw-, plaster-, and feed-mill was established by Charles Weatherson, who is still operating it. Tihe building used is one which was moved from Oakwood. The plaster is obtained at Grand Rapids. A foundry was established in 1865 by William Iiekey for the manufacture of agricultural implements. Mr. Hickey is still the proprietor, and carries on the business alone, tihe average value of the yearly productions of the foundry being about ten or twelve hundred dollars. Tihe room in which the casting is done is small, and contains but one moulding-floor. Mr. Hickey manufactures plows, cultivators, land-rollers, scrapers, etc., and finishes them ready for use. Myron Hickey was the first one of the family who located in Davisburgh, and for a year and a half or two years after his arrival he was employed as clerk in Mr. Davis' store at the mill. He and his brother Andrew finally purchased the entire stock of Davis, and removed it to tihe building they had erected for store purposes. Their father, Michael G. Hickey, originally from the town of Phelps, Ontario county, New York, and afterwards of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, removed with his family to Oakland County, Michigan, in 1839-40, and settled in Water- ford township. In 1845 hie removed to White Lake township, and lived there until 1862-63, when hie came to Davisburgh, where his sons, Myron, Andrew, and Wilson, had previously located. These sons all served in thle Federal army during tihe Rebellion,-Andrew in tihe Third Michigan Cavalry, Myron in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, and Wilson with General Kilpatrick,; in the quarter- master's department (Army of the Potomac). Michael G. Hickey died August 17, 1876, aged sixty-four years; his wife is yet living, at the age of sixty-five. In tihe cemetery at Davisburgh the following are among the persons whose re- mains are there at rest: Myron G. Hickey, died August 24, 1868, aged thirty- five years; Lieutenant Andrew Hickey, died at Jackson, Tennessee, February 16, 1863, aged twenty-eight; Philip S. Frisbie, died December 21, 1861, aged nearly fifty-nine; William HII. Cook, of Company G, Eighth Michigan Cavalry, died September 28, 1865, aged twenty-two; James T. McWithey, of the Fifth Mich- igan Cavalry, died at Detroit, December 1, 1862, aged twenty years; Captain David Morley, died August 31, 1857, aged sixty-eight; his wife, Candace Morley, was the first person buried in the cemetery. The first school in the village was established about 1856-57, and the first term probably taught by Emma Mosey. A frame school-house was built, and is still in use, although an addition, equal in size to the old edifice, has since been built to it. About 1855-56 tire first hotel in tire village was opened by W. H. Springer, in the building previously occupied by Ebenezer McDowell. Springer conducted it a year or two, and was followed by A. V. Porter, who stayed about the same length of time. It then passed into the hands of D. B. Horton, who operated it about ten years. It contained a bar, as nearly all the hotels in thre country did at that time, or, in frct, as they do at present. It was originally called the "Railroad HIotel," and afterwards the "Railroad House," and was an institution necessary to the times as well as peculiar to them. In the summer of 1869, Mr. Horton built tire present " Davisburgh House," aud is still tire proprietor. This hotel is four stories in height, with a fine hall on the upper floor, and contains fourteen sleeping-rooms, besides a bar-room, sitting-room, kitchen, parlor, dining-room, etc. Mr. Horton's wife, Sarah C. (Springer) Horton, is a daughter of John Springer, who emigrated from Wayne county, New York, in 1836, and settled with his wife and seven children one mile south of Pontiac, near the Bloomfield township line. Two sons were afterwards born in the family, and of the nine children but three are now living,-Mrs. Horton, at Davisburgh, one son in Genesee county, Michligan, and another in Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Springer both died at Davis- burgh. Davisburgh post-office was established about 1854, and John C. Davis was the first postmaster. This was before the railroad was built, and the mail was at first brought from Austin post-office by Mr. Davis' brother, Thaddeus C. Davis. After the railway was completed a daily mail was received. Mr. Davis held the office until Lincoln was elected president, when it was given to Farley Craw, who was thie "village cooper." Since Craw tihe postmasters have been Myron Hickey, ynii h L"  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 281 Alexander Ter Bush, and H. C. Burnam, the present occupant. The latter gentle- man came to Pontiac in company with Stephen Chaffee, when but seven years of age, from Middleton, Rutland county, Vermont. This was in the spring of 1834. Mr. Burnam has lived in Davisburgh since 1850, and since 1861 has kept a general store. He was appointed postmaster September 6, 1870. The first physician in the place was Dr. William E. Fenwick, a disciple of the allopathic school. Davisburgh Grange, No. 245, Patrons of Ihusbandry, was organized February 7,1874, with thirty-six members. The first officers were: Master, Horatio Wright; Overseer, Jefferson K. Tindall; Lecturer, David Garner; Steward, William Jones; Assistant Steward, Wilson Hickey; Chaplain, Michael G. Hickey; Treasurer, John C. Davis; Secretary, David A. Wright; Gate-keeper, Eli Brondige; Ceres, Mrs. David Garner; Pomona, Mrs. J. K. Tindall; Flora, Miss Victoria Griswold; Lady Assistant Steward, Mrs. J. C. Davis. The society is in a flourishing condition, and had in the summer of 1877 about thirty members, with the following officers: Master, Jefferson K. Tindall; Over- seer, William Jones; Lecturer, David Garner; Chaplain, E. J. Bigelow; Steward, Porter Wright; Assistant Steward, Henry Rohm; Secretary, Horatio Wright; Treasurer, Eli H. Day; Gate-keeper, H. Lee Wright; Ceres, Mrs. David Garner; Pomona, Mrs. Horatio Wright; Flora, Mrs. J. K. Tindall; Lady Assistant Steward, Mrs. J. C. Davis. M3IETIIODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. A class of this denomination was formed May 11, 1846, with a small member- ship. The names of the early pastors do not appear on the church records, so we are unable to give them; those from 1858 have been as follows: 1858, Thomas Wakelin; 1859-60, Isaac Crawford; 1861, John W. Crippen; 1862, I. C. Cochran; 1865, E. B. Prindle; 1866-67, J. O. Bancroft; 1868-69, Whitcomb; 1869-71, Samuel Bird; 1872-74, J. W. Scott; 18741-75, J. S. Joslin; 1876-77, R. C. Lanning. The membership in May, 1877, was about one hundred and thirty. The present fine frame church was built in 1866, the contract being four thousand dollars, and H. C. Burnam the contractor for building. The building committee consisted of John C. Davis, Eli Brondige, Myron Hickey, and Michael G. Hickey. The trustees at the time were Robert Pepper, John C. Davis, Eli Brondige, HI. C. Burnam, and William H. Elliott, and Rev. J. O. Bancroft the preacher in charge. The church is thirty-six by sixty feet in dimensions, and is surmounted by a neat spire. It was dedicated July 7, 1867. The entire cost of the church, including estimated value of lots (which were from property owned by J. C. Davis), in- surance, furnishing, grading the ground, etc., was four thousand eight hundred and thirty-two dollars and fifty-two cents. A tasty parsonage was built in 1870, at a cost of eleven hundred and ninety-two dollars and thirty-six cents. The barn and parsonage lot cost two hundred and twenty-four dollars and fifty cents, and the bell which hangs in the spire, including freight, one hundred and sixty- four dollars and thirty-five cents. The present pastor, Rev. R. C. Lanning, emigrated to Michigan in 1840, from Steuben county, New York, and located in the western part of the State. About 1845 lie came the first time to Oakland County, and his home most of the time since has been in the town of Southfield. Was a young man on his first arrival in Michigan. He has resided in Davisburgh, and had charge of the church since September, 1876. PROTESTANT MlETIIODIST CIIURCII OF DAVISIIURGII. The first preaching by any denomination held at Davisburgh was a sermon preached in Cornelius Davis' house, by Rev. George Hornell, a Presbyterian minister, from the First Presbyterian church of White Lake. This was in the neighborhood of 1840. The first quarterly meeting of the Protestant Methodist society was held about 1850-51, in John C. Davis' barn, and was the first meeting of this description held in the village by any society. This congregation was organized by Rev. Lorenzo Warren, in the year 1843, with some seven members. They have maintained their denominational identity with varying success for a period of thirty-four years. In 1873, during the pas. toral charge of Rev. Frederick Traver, they erected the present fine brick church, at a cost of about five thousand dollars. The building was dedicated January 1, 1874. It is thirty-six by fifty-six feet in dimensions, surmounted by a spire, and will seat about three hundred persons. The membership in the month of May, 1877, was between fifty and sixty, and the pastor was Rev. William Bradley, who succeeded Rev. Charles B. Clark. A parsonage is owned by the society, and is located near the church. The financial standing is kept up, and the church is now prosperous. Among the early preachers were Revs. - Earle and Laban Smith, who were the first ministers of the gospel in this part of the county. The meetings of the society were held for many years in the school. house in district No. 1, Rose township, and also in the one at Davisburgh. 36 To the following persons the historian is indebted for assistance furnished him in gathering the items which make up the foregoing pages: D. B. Horton, E. D. Turner, John C. Davis, Milton Sargent, Eli H. Day, Levi W. Churchill, J. G. Hutchins, Harlow Watson, Mrs. John Pepper, at Davisburgh; E. J. Bigelow, J. K. Tindall, Samuel and Frederick Foster, Eli Brondige, Isaac Friday, Mrs. Crosby, Mrs. Merrell, J. W. Anderson, Robert Pepper, Dr. Edward Bartlett, Mrs. D. A. Wright, and many others. BIOGRAPHIICAL SKETCHEIIS. FREDERICK FOSTER was born in Kent, England, April 19, 1822, and in 1828, when but six years of age, accompanied his parents to Utica, Oneida county, New York. His father, Horatio Foster, Sr., emigrated to Michigan in 1837, with his wife and two sons, and located in Independence township, near the present site of Clarkston Station. Frederick Foster was married October 21, 1845, to Miss Ann Parker, of Erie county, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Foster are the parents of five children, their births occurring in the following order: EDMUND, born August 20, 1846. FREDERICK HORATIo, born September 17, 1849; died June 29, 1872. LETITIA ADELAIDE, born October 14, 1850. CLARA SOPIA, born December 5, 1853. WILLIAM, born March 1, 1856; died the 27th of same month. Mr. Foster is now living on section 25, Springfield township, on land settled by A. Hurst. This is on the southeast quarter of the section, and that which he owns on the northeast quarter was originally entered by Julius Baldwin and a man named Bostwick. MuIs. FOSTER was born in Leicestershire, England, June 7, 1820, and in 1832 came with her father, William Parker, to the United States. Mr. Parker settled in Erie county, New York, and resided there until his death, with the exception of the last four years of his life, which hlie spent mostly in Michigan among his children, although his home was still in New York. A sister of Mrs. Foster, Letitia Parker, who also came with her parents to America, afterwards became the wife of Nolton Bigelow, of Springfield township. Both are now deceased, while Mr. and Mrs. Foster bid fair to sojourn for many years yet among those who have learned to love and respect them. JAMES NEAL was born on the Isle of Man, November 3, 1835, and accompanied his father, Joseph Neal, to - Michigan in 1855, locating in the township of Bloomfield. James soon after moved to Springfield, but for some time purchased no land. He has lived on his present farm since about 1864. He was unmarried on his arrival in the country, and on the 3d day of June, 1857, was married to Ann Eagle, then living with her father, Solomon Eagle, in Pontiac. She has been in the country several years longer than her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Neal (the name originally spelled Kneale) are the parents of ten children, their names and births as follows: LucY, born April 2, 1858. WILLIAM i E., born July 27, 1859. CIIARLOTTE, born January 2, 1861. JANE, born December 10, 1862. ROBERT, born December 10, 1864. CHARLES, born February 12, 1867. MILLIE, born May 29, 1868. NELLIE, born May 18, 1870. JAMES, born July 27, 1872. ELIZABETH, born November 5, 1874. The farm on which Mr. Neal now lives hlie purchased of the heirs of Thomas Lapham. The place at the time Mr. Neal came to it had an old log house stand- ing upon it. The present fine frame dwelling and the large barn now standing were built by Mr. Neal, who has also greatly improved the farm in many respects. Mr. Neal has three brothers and one sister living, all in Michigan except one brother, who is in California. His sister lives with her father, in Rose township, and two brothers are residents of Clinton county. A view of Mr. Neal's property appears on another page of this volume. 282 ii t RY0 OKLAN OUTY M JJ( A u, w . yO§O iiiitXW ses. Aon$ae NOA{)N r q;W I pm a i dIsioa na er brafy raaadupn ws or i lid 14 ws tto r hif~ xentva i~ha ofpavior WI ~ow~t~t~cony Nw ( 'a4 S i lspa; twerelan h ir i A c ~h.d fat ne ear z 0,y a3 1o ~.'ieo a n dsto dhyasS ' hAS i8 a are oNa ttP1 h a ( .w otonfietoyandevntndl bnaa athrouh ssta o th wt I Fstr, owlivngin '''d..w a ~ itbanhofianfatrng n oloedi fr alvaioo an er or o hn anA yiaP Iie.w.. ar f yem.'he qh yun a adiad aa pores nth bsnestht awa sn Cae'NftBgin2,152 Pthac owlvig anabod o asumechage f thn crdig, sinnngand eavng aparinetsand rs.Biglow a a I~aiestenhia., nglndwhSmabawa. was husem yi~da i ~~of mlls Ini 517 h wa Ibemunof he Id runy I 2.In I532 whn ta yars f ae, se aeomanie he hiher inilb~j at Tr y N w Yorkw ehcoe htsao, igt ui sIr'iaakt h ntdSae.M.Pre ~te nEi ony e and ardtuns. n te fll f tat ear a nme o Mchianin ompny ith rk d nad is omethee utilhis eat, aiho 'i i y rsr ~ en a yonga brthe, Senea Bielo, arivng n Spingiel tonshp sma tuie a i 4 i i I hd ben ostof he ime ithhisa Irana M EIISTOI Y OJ~ OAKLANI) (( UN~ y M ( 1u AN ~Naii inss. MW5. JUNAJI Gittas. JONAH GROSS. liishi had en exti guished1 ~nni a n respeeted eitizeii taken Iota ow ong The sn ~eot of tIes sketeh was horn in lknlield1 Ilatu{:ishire uty M tn~ thoii~ ~etts~ Ypril 14, ~t7fiU. in the year 1516 he united in marriage with Harriet Lie was instrrnnenral in seenring a posteeliiee at A ustin1 on the old Derafit and Ilarwool, who was a native of the swine pho and horii Nat enfiso of 7136 Saginaw turnpike, as early as 1 i{1IY4Q and until within a 1w ~ ears of his death TIn~ Gaits of this union wore five ehilduni two sons aud three daielhtors -~of ho ~ the ofilee of post toaster the a hole thue, welt tlt e eption of a few winon hut two are now living->Ilarrier I Wii hi li~ of ~ofg>, hi (~fI nid ntoittli~. The offiee was named fIr hun (Ihraid Ausut a W right;, and fIr twentof (1t ad kIfri I r~s of ['dlvi to t tnt tot entity Miehiesti Ii e years he disoliargisi its duties. lie was always a ationo Democrat, as were Jonah (dross caine to Miehigan the 1st of XI sy 18 Ii, aiid loesnel noverana at also hiS two hrothers, and in 1511 represented a part ot (3 ~klarul (donaty on that i~ S 111ie1d township, atol the filk wing Go' lie ured In I iiaily ~ tieket iii the lower house of the lewislatore, in I SI ~ he was ehosen State senator, 1,111 s \ hit ti tI i wol t ii Vt Ittkr tIm nvmi ~l Isi II i iii lath Msmii't f'ea i'd~ he vol n hI th men jrni lihlahuli Ni laW l~ 'it d 'n lS2i tmlliijea son ftie latit ~ it in a Ito in tho itty 'd Is a 0111 aninl m I kustn loIn No IS I) atli t if hI tI hin I a ~t atm XE11 I l~ 12 hut lit t oh Iti ther Ii XI 1 5 01 ~I Si 1 1it~ r f A n hapte N, it, It A XI lit IISI asSistS I JAn N. K oIls, I) osinlit 28 ISP tin hid si Ii iii,, w ~ th1 ~ i ~iti'iiig m inniatii''y l\iaii tII,(ili ~ I inty lIt w s ir etini lIt Iisn u~ hltel ilaitit (t1mtlitd(ouity lily's' ii I iii lilt ititmnh of I) ss Xli tostl k1 ~tinnti aiiiI ill rs ii t walip anllnd a '1 ii C'ttnlN 217 11 III lie, I I 'Ottli tubes's, Ill Was 11 sss iw fit us tiiii I I s lea II dh I Jr iSfi I 5l~ 't 1'S ita 1 15111 il 1, 1 V I tttli an a'enl I tIn lielit 11t six od i ilysay It Ii Jil 1's lelitIwi bid I) enisi 26 s36flj thyd I ho kill li'n vli, tiai is lappi tli Ii a lmorvaud a l'tt I lIt ~ 5''tli 41115 il iii n 1 lit I i tisl I I tIlt "wt1 i 11, I 1111) 1151 1 1 1 It hi III A Xi 11(3111 0 d A XX iJ I ii tsr Ii 11 Xi's hin5a roenty N1w York J ii~ JEP t'I'1INON K '1 IN I) i'Ll11 ht' hSl~~ hIts l'itti iva hI ill It ml Iti s y itt tIl y ar 821 its wish tsi 555515 1 iuit ,N m 1 s y N tttnher 21 1829 1Iiil wh nerly fatlie' Ii 'r'ek J Wii1hi a tat w tI Its liii 1t tin nI '01 tl. Ii bIs flu y t of ag was Irot it, nhmii~ iywttl I ' stInt hilI'ln Mutlit 't the,1 1111 emlllgratel11 10 Mn 1115'III fllII III III I 1 1 5 II lalna oIl tie, w111,11 at 1111 hy his f'ItInlr ~iosephi Tituhilt, who toeatert, iii tue spring of I 36171, in I maIepeitd~ Detroit, and the rest with a toatsi through ( in td Previous to this Davili A. etilt towiislimp Onklatid (iouuity. TIle trip loin N ow Jersey was titade etitii'eiy Wright Inal heeti united iti taat'nitige (Sept, ttda r 1,~ 1 8714) whIt Mary I. tiisnsip~' I I)vI il mull tIm fiiteiily eomnimsg through with II teatit, amitl crossitig tAte Staten tsl hell, a sistssi' of the wily' of 1 iot'tltio Wright ttow resoling itt tirovelamiti nownshuip~ Nb's, David Wrighit died itt thie StIte ut' New Yoi'k ansi lot' two children, hothi 'iimtsylv'Itima and Ohio. Xliout Ia IS they moved into Osrihrd towmisliip, where Josepls Tittd'aIl dioul in dausghsts~rs -"sSusati 8', Isorti Janisary '1 1841 ssud ~ Itoh NI,, Noventhsci' 71, ISIsI, lithi) aged 1ifmy~thsree ,yoars. Mrs, Tiuidall is yet living, sit the rige of Seventy, Ilse fisiiner is isow the with 01 Ms It liii ird ~1 I hiillips, of' Spt'iusgfiehl towtislnp, AftA s thit ,n itletnetit us Miehigati live elsihdi'ett wIlVe isn'is, tind of the etitire nuna and the lattet is the with ~u1 l11dw rid hi XI nigihitoyd, of Davishurght. Mr1 ' r itt n) ighit are ntw livitig, all htst teio it1 Mieliigiius, The youngest sosi, NI, Wt'igltt was tnnurritsl to Miss Ilatia t I (stoss oti the 7th tif' NI'areh, ISs , I id Lutltlr I tunA dl, resides its Califisruiia, live I Inldri ii ro it~ horn to tIn in as hollows' I orter A,, Api'il 213, 1 81~I i ~AIil~O I tf1 a, it 1k,. Tinidall llrnivod at snaIl estite while Iivitiv~' in Osmihsrd tsswasiiip, 1' A~, Aulnrst 36 1811, thou 81 pteinhm r 1 '~ I So~i tIn ludore (3', Octssher 71, 1 SIti i atid iii tIn fall of' lt'tht3 euigagell iii the tiscreanstihe husiness at Holly village with WilIn' I~ 1bsly ', iSnith Etay A Otltssher 21 I 5('I pg hi Aiiiis nullior the firnn~tsaine lIf II Ariris & Titidalh,~' Prmvious to this lie Ntis il/ri lht is a daualitt't ol losiali (dross, this' si'I'tsmnl semuhe'r its Sis n~. d had heen thit'ee years sti ,t snsre kept hy Mr. Arsiis at thus Whitte Isake settlennont, towie'Aitp 1Itsd acelsnipanied iAs1, finisily to Nliehligati iti the spring of h8132, whsotm Noveinher 113, 1817. NIr, Tiuidall was trisi's'ied ntin friary J, Day, dsrtsglitei' of sIte w hut a tm w yoat's old, They eatnie fi'ustus Ilautipsisire Issunty, Nlsrssaehusetts. I Eli H, Day, now oh' Iiavishisrgls. He etostinissed his residoutee at IlIshly until 1561, Nh's, iii uglit has residi'd losiges' iii Spu'isigdil'ld thsaii aisy onhor perstsii iiow Iivissg whuout hI, i'etut'ned Os OsAi'srd village arid etigaged ilIso iii the i'uoroarttile hiusitiess, sul it. nal hits lat'lieSt reusslleetilsiis tti'I' asSlsciated with tue nowtushiup, datitig hiaek in rise spi'iilg of' 1862, hiaviuig fIrms lest tIre high prices wlsiehi thitmt isrevililed list' ts 1s'rnsui of fortydive yesii's. shrmuld go tiowis as stiddetdy ~ss 1111 SeritstiSly iditiOt his lisissisces, ito susld his stock Mr W t was a proinsuietit ililti jssptmlar intas~ ulusrisig his life amistmisg thsi at Ox ' d and pur ased the fisruit tnt soetiort 1, iii S1sninglield towuiship, to wiiioht iuulndsttaiits ol Oakhusd Conutty, and OtI the I 13th Id J~iitnary, 1877, whieti he htl sotin aftci' removed, and whierm, he has since s'esided, As titite developed Ire haul reached tIme ago of' itearly sixty~hiitsi' yeas's, anti the " i'osmiser wimose sasiilll 55 I was isi no daitger frtsta an aiitieipated finstaicial erasli, and his Suecesssot' pi'ospered, Iloath" gathered Isiuis iii at thst, ltas'vest~time of' isis eristeitee, air approeia ,' ' ii Mi', aisd Mrs. Tiutlall are tIle pat'eists tsf' fern olsihdi'eim lo'viuig clsmnum.itrtsity deeply felt 1uis loss, autd realised that a ~, Isrighst anIl ' NYAttli DAY, husrut Api'il 211, 18113 died July ii, listut), ~> A 5001 II 11511 rklSOtl'san IA MIS, Wu'igto, 5011 1SlltrUitS 115 itI~l'b5tt 11111 tnwtsaiot, witi tsi, tditwt.n Isisrus Jinie 211, 1861, toneS is e15,1555e1511t1 ShIll itie tltRtIl1~ at StIrioSiiI'ilt tIlWilltOtl, MAt ~u' s'i in Rasher 7, 1814, 284 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I JAY K., born February 27, 1869. Politically, Mr. Tindall is a Republican, and very popular among his fellow- citizens. For seven years he held the office of supervisor of Springfield town- ship, being elected the first time in 1866 and the last time in 1873.* In 1864 hlie was a candidate for county treasurer, and was only defeated by the rejection of the soldiers' vote, with which hlie would have been elected by several hundred majority. Mr. Tindall enlisted in the Union army, and served with distinction during the great civil war of 1861-65, which threatened to" dissolve the Union," but so signally failed. In his religious views Mr. Tindall takes an independent stand, and instead of acquiescing in the general orthodox opinions of Christianity is exceedingly liberal. Mrs. Tindall's father, Eli H. Day, is one of the pioneers of Springfield, having settled in 1838. For more particular notice of him, see the history of Springfield township. Mr. Tindall's ancestry were from the lowlands along the river Tyne, in Eng- land, and the name as originally bestowed was derived from the locality in which they lived,-" Tyne Dale,"-by general usage brought down to Tyndale, Tyndall, and finally Tindall, the latter being the present spelling. ELI BRONDIGE. This gentleman is a native of the State of New York, having been born near Lockport, February 2, 1828. His mother died when hlie was small, and after her death his fhther left home, and was never heard of but once afterwards. Eli accompanied his uncle, Eli H. Day, to Springfield township in 1838, and is now residing on a portion of Mr. Day's old farm. He has been a farmer all his life, and has lived on his present place since September, 1854. He was married July 4, 1850, to Margaret A. Fenwick, of the township of Rose. Her father, John Fenwick, was one of the pioneers of that township, and was originally from Eng- land, having settled afterwards in the town of Clyde, Seneca (now Wayne) county, New York. He emigrated to Oakland County, Michigan, in 1836, with his wife and nine children, and settled in Rose township. Mr. and Mrs. Brondige are the parents of four children, as follows: EUGENE, born May 1, 1852; married December 27, 1876, to Miss Alice Fos- ter, daughter of Samuel Foster, of Springfield township; now living on the farm adjoining that of his father. GEORGE, born October 15, 1855. MARY ELLA, born June 24, 1862. ELI J., born July 10, 1873. The latter three are all living at home. Mr. Brondige is a Republican in politics, and has held numerous township offices. He has never sought for office, but has been given positions of trust by the people in consequence of his known integrity and force of character. He is the owner of a fine farm, well improved, containing one hundred and thirty-two acres. Since coming to the township he has helped break up a large amount of land, and his life has been a practical illustration of the old adage, that "Whoever by the plow would thrive, Himself must either hold or drive." He has removed the stumps and stone from his farm, and of the latter there were, in June, 1877, only four small heaps left. The stone have been largely utilized in building fences, and the value of his property materially increased thereby. Mr. Brondige says that, on their arrival in Michigan, he and the family of Mr. Day were four days coming from Detroit to Springfield. Their goods were drawn * See list of township officers for Springfield. by a yoke of oxen over roads that were simply "awfuld." When they were near the village of Clarkston, Mr. Brondige stopped at a house and asked for a drink of water. The lady asked him if he would not like a drink of milk, and he told her he most assuredly would, as he had not seen any since leaving home. She gave him a quantity of the lacteal fluid, which was the first he tasted in Michi- gan, and for which he had a wonderful relish. During winters the young people of the neighborhood enjoyed themselves at spelling-schools and other gatherings, and were without thought of care when seated in a merry load behind a yoke of cattle and being drawn over the snow to some place of enjoyment,-spelling-school, husking-bee, apple-paring, or other assemblage peculiar to the time. Mr. Brondige has made for himself a pleasant home, with all surroundings to render it happy. A view of his premises appears in another part of this work. SAMUEL FOSTER. Among the representatives of Great Britain who emigrated from their native land and chose for themselves homes on the soil of the republic of the United States, we find the subject of this sketch. He was born in Kent county, Eng- land, April 17, 1820, and in 1828 accompanied his parents "far o'er the deep blue sea," and settled at Utica, Oneida county, New York. In 1836, Samuel Foster, then but sixteen years of age, determined to come to Michigan, his oldest brother, Frederick, having emigrated to that State the year before and located in Detroit, where he followed the trade of a harness-maker. Following the bent of his inclination, young Samuel arrived in Detroit in 1836, and stayed there three years, learning the carpenter's trade during the time. His father, Horatio Fos- ter, Sr., was also a carpenter, and as hlie never amassed a great deal of property his sons were obliged to push into the world for themselves, Samuel with the rest. In 1840 he came to Oakland County to live. In the spring of 1839 he helped build the grist-mill at Clarkston for Jeremiah and Nelson Clark. When Mr. Foster came to Detroit he made the trip alone, although a mere boy. On the 26th of August, 1845, he was married to Miss Sarah Parker, a native of Leicestershire, England, where she was born January 15, 1819. Her father, William Parker, emigrated to America in 1832, and settled in Eric county, New York. Miss Parker made a trip to Michigan in 1844 to visit her sister, Mrs. Green, of Springfield township, Oakland County. The trip from Detroit to Pon- tiac was made over the old " Detroit and Pontiac railway," and the time occupied in making the journey was six hours, or from four till ten o'clock P.Di. On arriving at Pontiac she put up at the " Hodges House," and says she "hardly knew where she was." She finally made her way to her sister's and was relieved from further trouble. Mr. and Mrs. Foster are the parents of six children, born as follows: SAMUEL, September 20, 1847. SARAH ANN, December 26, 1849. CHARLES THOMAs, December 8, 1851. ALICE, January 20, 1854. HORATIo, December 9, 1856. LETITIA, June 19, 1859. After Mr. Foster was married (1845), he and his brother Frederick were in partnership for twenty years, Frederick having charge of the farm and Samuel working at his trade. At present the latter attends exclusively to farming. He is quite an extensive stock-raiser, and owns a finely-improved farm of two hun- dred and ninety acres,-two hundred and forty on section 4 and fifty on section 9. The place was originally settled, in 1837, by his wife's brother-in-law, Nolton Bigelow. In politics Mr. Foster is " neutral," always voting for the man in his opinion best calculated to fill the position, regardless of party distinction. , J 24 TROY T TIHE beautiful agricultural township described in official records as town 2 north, range 11 east, bears the local name of Troy. Its eastern boundary is the county of Macomb, and on its north, west, and south it has the townships of Avon, Bloomfield, and Royal Oak, respectively. Originally attached to Bloomfield, when that town comprised the south two-fifths of the county, it became an independent town in 1827, and in 1836 its bounds became co-extensive with the congressional township above described. The surface of Troy is gently undulating, and is remarkable for its uniform appearance. The Rouge river, which forms in the northwestern part of the town- ship, on section 5, and flows in a southwesterly direction through sections 8, 18, and 19 into Bloomfield, has some hills along its course, but they do not attain any great elevation, and all of them are readily cultivated. The Rouge is the only stream in the township. Its banks are low and swampy to a considerable extent, rendering the stream sluggish and unfit for water-power. Before the settlement of the country there was a brook in the northeastern part of the township, but there is now only a periodic flow of water in its channel. Another small stream flowed from the centre of the town southward, but this, too, is dry the greater portion of the year, except within a short distance of its source. Troy is not so well watered as some of the other towns of Oakland; only one large perpetual spring being found. This is on section 15, on a cone-shaped elevation, and emits a strong volume of water, which has a very salty taste. There are numerous small springs from the base of a low gravel ridge, running through the township from northeast to southwest, but these are affected by the drouth, and flow but a few months in a year. The water-level is very low in the southeastern part of the town, and can only be reached by digging to a great depth. Numerous artesian wells have been dug in that region, and flow from a depth of a hundred feet. The ridges of Troy were originally timbered with oak, with but little under- growth, and often running into openings. The lowlands were more heavily wooded, principally with ash, elm, and beech. Hard maple abounded, affording many sugar-bushes. There was no pine, but an occasional tamarack, growing in the small marshes. The timber supply of Troy at present is ample. The soil varies from a clay to a clay-loam, sand, and gravel, clay-loam predomi- nating. There was not much plain surface, and nearly all the soil is extremely productive, yielding large returns of the different cereals and grasses. Mixed hus- bandry prevails, and much of the reputation of Troy as one of the foremost farm- ing towns arises from this judicious method of cultivation. The population is fourteen hundred, and the people are noted for their thrifty and industrious habits, which have made them one of the wealthiest communities in the county. EARLY LAND PURCHASES. It is generally believed that the first lands purchased from the government were certain tracts on section 19, and the entries were made on the 12th of February, 1819, by Messrs. Castle, Hunter, Hamilton, and Fairbanks. No other purchases followed until October 22 of the same year, when Ezra Baldwin made an entry on section 18. In the month following, Michael Kemp made a purchase on section 3, and in December; Michael Beach became the owner of a lot on section 8. From 1820 to 1822 a large number of purchases were made,-some for actual settlement, and others for speculative purposes. Among those buying in that period were John Prindle, George Abbey, Joshua Davis, Ebenezer Belding, S. V. R. Trowbridge, Jesse Perrin, P. J. Perrin, Luther Fletejir, Aaron Webster, Still- man Bates, Win. Wellman, A. W. Wellman, Silas Glazier, Guy Phelps, Johnson Niles, Edmund Downer, Ira Jennings, Humphrey Addams, and Silas Sprague. FIRST SETTLEMENTS. One of the first to make a permanent settlement in Troy was Johnson Niles, who was a native of Richfield, Otsego county, New York. He came to Michigan in the spring of 1821, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres on the north- east of section 9, receiving from the government a title signed by President Mon- roe. He returned to New York for his family, which consisted of his wife, Rhoda, -whose maiden name was Phelps, born at Pittsfield, Massachusetts,-his sons, Orange J. and George, and his daughter, Julia, and, embarking on a schooner at Dunkirk, reached Detroit after a fourteen days' passage. He at once procured a conveyance for his few goods, and proceeded to Oakland County, which at that time had only some fourteen families living within its bounds. Being a carpenter OWNSIIP. by trade, he. assisted George Postal, of Avon, in erecting several buildings that winter, among them being the first frame house in the county. The next year he built a log house on his land, and moved there, at that time several miles from any settlement, in the primitive wilderness. He improved his land at once, and in the fall of 1822 seeded several acres with wheat, from the crop of which was manufactured the first flour ever made from wheat grown in Troy. The wheat was thrashed with a flail, and cleaned with a "grain-fan," and then he conveyed it to Detroit--going by way of Mount Clemens, forty miles-to be ground at the famous ox-power grist-mill of General Cass. His provisions Mr. Niles was often obliged to carry on his back from Detroit, and that, too, by way of Mount Clem- ens, since the direct road was rendered impassable by the mud and water in the neighborhood of Royal Oak. His log house, though comfortable for those times, was utterly barren of what would now be called furniture. The only table the Niles family had was the board cover of an old-fashioned bread-tray,-one end stuck in a crevice of the logs, the other supported by an iron-wood stick stuck in a hole in the rude floor. The chairs were made of ironwood poles framed together, with elm- bark bottoms; and the bedsteads were of ironwood, with elm-bark for cordage. This was the fit-out which awaited Mrs. Niles, and in this home she lived many years without any near neighbors except the dusky sons and daughters of the forest, who held her in great esteem, and who never molested her, or treated her otherwise than with affectionate kindness. Very often Mrs. Niles would ride her Indian pony, unattended, to Pontiac, to do her shopping, following the trail through the forests, whose stillness was for the most part unbroken by any sounds save the yell of the Indian and the howl of wild beasts. Mr. Niles lived at this place until his death, being from the first one of the leading men of the county, and the founder of Troy Corners. His connection with the affairs of this place will be recorded in a history of that village, and his political services will be noted in a personal sketch, following the history of Troy. Of the Niles family, George is the only remaining member, and now resides at the place where, fifty-five years ago, all was one vast wild. The others have all been gathered to their kindred dead, Johnson Niles finishing his earthly career on the 23d of March, 1872. A worthy compeer, in every trait which distinguishes the true man, and scarcely behind Johnson Niles in pioneer enterprise, was Stephen V. R. Trow- bridge. This notable family was one of the first to make a permanent settlement in the western part of Troy, and among the first in the township. Mr. Trowbridge came from Elmira, New York, in the fall of 1821, and settled on section 18. On this tract of land hlie lived, passing through all the gradations of life incident to a country transformed from a wilderness to an endless array of fertile fields until his death in 1859. His services for the town and State were of a high order, and promotive of their greatest good. He was the first supervisor of Troy, and filled that and other town offices many subsequent terms. He also served as a State senator, and identified himself with every project calculated to benefit society. His family imitated his example and became well known, not only in Oakland County history, but some of the members have achieved a national reputation. The oldest of his sons, Charles A., is a merchant in New York city; another son, Rowland E., was a member of Congress for a number of terms, and now resides at Lansing; )William P. is ayrofessor in Yale college ; Tillman is a missionary in Turkcy; Luther is a lawyer of note in Detroit; and Guy M. is a farmer and deputy United States collector. One of the three daughters married the dis- tinguished missionary, Rev. Goodell, and accompanied him to Turkey, where they remained until his failing health warned him to return to his native land, where he shortly afterwards died, at Ypsilanti, Michigan. The homes of Johnson Niles and S. V. R. Trowbridge were headquarters for the early immigrants coming to Troy. No one thought of settling .in the town- ship before calling upon these men and getting their advice as to the locality best adapted for settlement, and to procure such other information and material assist- ance as might be of advantage. And it was largely owing to the counsel and direction of these men that Troy settled so rapidly: there being more settlers within its bounds in a limited period than in any other township. The settlers of Troy, coming prior to 1825, endured many hardships, and had to resort to many ingenious methods of living to avoid starvation. Let the his- tory of one serve to show what had to be encountered, what trials had to be borne, and what reward crowned their patient, persistent efforts to achieve the mastery over nature, and to reduce the untamed forest to a fruitful condition. 285 286 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. John Jones came from Jefferson county, New York, in the spring of 1822, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 19, where he purchased forty acres of land. The journey from Detroit to this place was made with an ox-team, and took several days, there being no roads, and all the signs they had to show where they were going were blazed trees. Arriving on their land, they built a log shanty, covered with bark, cleared a small piece of ground, and planted corn. They now took a job of chopping and clearing to earn money to buy a yoke of steers, as the little money they had when they camne to the country was all spent, buying their land and provisions for the family, which consisted of his father and mother, and John's brother Joseph, and his sister Margaret. Having been obliged to go in debt ten dollars for the oxen, John shouldered his axe and started to hunt work to earn this balance. Wages were then low,-from thirty to fifty cents a day,-and a day's work meant the time from sunrise until dark; but he earned enough to pay the debt, and felt rich when lie was the undisputed owner of the cattle. While thus working, the family's supply of corn-meal gave out, and not having money to purchase meal, they took some of their growing corn, in August, dried it on the roof of their shanty, and then took it to the mill. This supplied food until the corn had fully ripened. In a few years they sold their first lot of land, and purchased a larger tract on the northwest quarter of section 21. On this they built a log house in the spring of 1824, which was covered with shakes, and which had a floor split out of logs. The work of clearing now went on apace, and although their food was more abundant, it was still of the simplest nature, and they esteemed themselves fortunate if they had pork, corn- bread, and a few potatoes. A pound of tea and ten pounds of sugar would last them a year, and as to the luxuries of life, they knew not what they were. The winter was spent in chopping, often standing in water a foot deep, for they were compelled to do it to procure the means of life, and the money they needed to im- prove their land. Thus enduring years of toil and hardships, the recital of which would fill many pages, they received the reward of patient industry, and in the course of time found themselves elevated from penury to wealth, and in the place of the unbroken forest saw homes amid fields yellow with the golden grain. John Jones lived on his last farm forty-five years, then removed to Birming- ham, where hlie now resides, a witness of the wonderful changes which have taken place in this county the past fifty years. On the section northwest of where Mr. Jones made his last farm was Alva But- ler, a native of Vermont, where hlie was born in 1798, but had removed to New York in 1804. From that State hlie came to Michigan in the fall of 1822, being one of a party of four young men who started with their packs on their backs for Buffalo, from which place they took boat to Detroit. He purchased a tract of land on section 17, where lie settled a short time after with his wife, Hulda. This aged couple are still living on the farm originally settled. They had six children. Solomon Caswell was born at Belchertown, Massachusetts, in 1796, and became a resident of the State of New York in 1805. Here hlie served as a soldier in the war of 1812. Moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1817, and from there to Michigan in 1821. He remained at Detroit a short time, then prospected the country, visiting Oakland and other counties. Started home in the fall of 1821, but a storm drove them into the harbor at Buffalo. He remained in New York until 1823, when lie came to his present place, on section 19, where he has since resided. John Vollentine and his sons, natives of New York, came to Michigan in May, 1821. Being without means to purchase land, they worked among the settlers, in Oakland and adjoining counties, until they had enough money to buy the northwest quarter of section 19, where they moved in 1823. After living there about twelve years, M'Ir. Vollentine moved to Bloomfield, where he died. Isaac Smith, also a New Yorker, had settled on section 18 about 1822, living there a few years, and then moved to Bloomfield. Aaron Webster, from Cayuga county, New York, came to Troy in 1821, pur- chasing land on sections 6, 8, 17, and 18. Soon after moved to Auburn, where lie engaged in a milling enterprise, and purchased a large tract of land in that locality, where lie died in 1823. Elizur Goodrich, also from Cayuga county, New York, came a few months later to the neighborhood, in Troy, where Webster had settled, and purchased his land. Goodrich had been a soldier of 1812, and was wounded at Chippewa, and came to Michigan to better his condition in life, having six grown sons-Alanson, Ira, David, Zenus, Chester, and Willard,-who became identified with the interests of Troy and the neighboring towns, and are in every sense pioneers. Mrs. Lucy Fish, a New Yorker, a widow, with three sons, located on section 19 in 1823. The year following she married Elizur Goodrich, whose wife had died just before his coming to Michigan, in 1823. Captain Robert- Parks, of Cayuga county, New York, who commanded a com- pany in the war of 1812, came to Troy in 1822, purchasing four hundred acres, principally on section 8, where hlie lived some years, then removed to Grand Rapids. Michael and Caswell Beach, natives of the State of New York, were among the first settlers in the northwestern part of the town, locating on section 8, prob- ably in 1821. James Skidmore, from Cayuga county, New York, came to Michigan in 1823, locating on the northwest quarter of section 7. He returned to New York, mar- ried Philinda Beach, and came on to his place, where hlie now lives, his wife having died a few years ago, in a home very different from the humble cabin, furnished with furniture manufactured from the saplings growing close by. His house was destroyed by fire about three years after; but his neighbors, with the generosity which characterized the true pioneer, came to his aid, helped him build a house, and contributed from their scanty stores until Mr. Skidmore was again able to keep house. These humble gifts hlie has preserved, and prizes them highly. Elisha Glazier, a New Yorker, came to Michigan about 1820, and soon after settled on section 2. He operated a distillery at this place years after, probably in 1826. He was killed by a runaway horse throwing him against a gate-post. Joshua Davis, also from the Empire State, was one of the first settlers on sec- tion 18, about 1821. He was a road commissioner, and helped build many of the early roads. Removed to Southfield, where hlie died. Stillman Bates settled on section 8 about 1822. He did not remain long in the "country. Joseph Lane, a Canadian, came to Michigan about 1823, settling on section 9. Jesse Gregory, from Cayuga county, New York, came the same year, worked for different parties in the township until hlie had earned means, then settled on section 15. Wheeler Clark, a native New Yorker, settled on the southeast quarter of sec- tion 10. Cyrus Clark came about a year earlier, and settled on section 14. He subsequently removed to Detroit, where lie died. Henry Blount, a New Yorker, came to Michigan in 1825, perhaps a little later, and settled on section 10. He was a useful, well-known citizen of Troy, and died in that township in 1862. Calvin Gibbs came to Michigan about 1820. He" improved some property near Pontiac, which he traded for land in Troy, and on which he moved in 1823, where he lived many years. Benjamin Phelps, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, moved to Michigan about 1825. He located on section 10, in Troy. Had one child when he came to the country. He removed to Pontiac, where lie died, his wife surviving him. Jehiel Smith, from Middlebury, New York, became a citizen of Troy in 1825, settling on the northeast quarter of section 21. Ira Smith, a brother of Jehiel, came about the same time, and located on the northeast quarter of section 27. Here he kept a tavern for a number of years, was the postmaster at Big Beaver, and a prominent business man of that place. His wife survives him, and lives on the old homestead. Riley Crooks, a bachelor, with his mother, Eunice, and sister, Polly, came from New York about 1823, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 20. He was the first town clerk, and was elected to that office at the time of his death, which occurred by a limb falling on him, while chopping down a tree, on the 27th of April, 1830. Pheroras I. Perrin, of New York, came to Michigan about 1821, but did not settle until 1824. That year he located on section 29, where lie lived some years, then moved to Wayne county, where hie died, in 1875. Daniel Burrows had settled in the southwest part of the town about 1823, where lie lived ten or twelve years, then moved to Independence. Edward Martin, from Aurelius, Cayuga county, New York, came to Macomb county, Michigan, about 1823. Exchanged the land he had taken there for some land on section 6, in Troy. He had nine children and only one dollar in money, but lie worked hard and was prospered. He was elected sheriff of the county, and held other offices of honor and trust. Clement Pearsall, of Scipio, New York, became a citizen of Troy in 1825, settling on section 28. Had one child, Alanson B., now a resident of Flint, when he came to the Territory. In 1834, Michael Pearsall, the father of Clem- ent, and his family, also came to Troy, and became one of its best citizens. Harvey Perkins, also from Cayuga county, New York, settled on section 10. Samuel Gibbs, from Livingston county, settled in Troy in 1826, locating on section 22. He had three children,-Almeron, then nine years old, and who now lives on section 27, opposite the old homestead, Almira, and William. Mr. Gibbs died in 1861. Perhaps among the first settlers on section 3, and that part of Troy, was the Wellman family. They came from Vermont as early as 1819. Among the members best known were Joel and Aaron, who were active in the affairs of the township and its religious interests. I I 0, 0 0 4 1, y > k a rW c s.q y 3 f a ~ r e v w: ys its A e. nor:., {. ' r- V F r e r Y :jj 4 w< I f HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 287 i John and Orrin Sprague, from Chenango county, New York, came in February, 1824, and settled on section 28. Eben Crawford and his father, David, settled on section 33 in 1824. He im- proved this place, then moved farther north. Robert Crawford, a Canadian, came about 1824, and settled on section 20. He sold his interests to William Poppleton. Ramah Cole, from Ovid, New York, settled on the east half of section 21 about 1824. After improving his property he moved to Shiawassee county. Rufus Beach, a New Yorker, came early in 1824, locating on section 28. He improved his farm to some extent, when, having embraced Mormonism, lihe moved west. Clark Beardsley was a native of Cayuga county, New York. He visited Michi- gan in 1825, and located a tract of land in Troy. Returning to New York, he married the daughter of Michael Pearsall, and moved to his place in 1826. He was elected to various town offices, and held the office of sheriff four years. He died in January, 1876, at Detroit. George P. Morse, of New York, came to Michigan about 1823, settling first in Royal Oak. In 1826 hlie moved to section 27, in Troy. Friend Belden, also a New Yorker, settled on section 30 in 1825. His father had bought the land about 1820, and gone to New York to get his family, but died before he could return. Ira Jennings, from Richmond, New York, settled on section 10 in 1825. Lived there until his death, in 1853, leaving a widow and six children. John Everett, from New York, made a home on section 9 in 1825. Lived there ten years, then moved to Washtenaw county, where he died. Silas Sprague located on section 4 in 1824. He had seven children when he came into the county. He improved his farm until it was in a high state of cultivation, and continued to live there until his death, in 1868. Andrew Downer came from the State of New York about 1824, and settled on section 9. He has a grown son named Edmund, and a daughter Laura, who married Jesse Gregory in 1826. James Bayley, from Cayuga county, New York, located on section 21 in 1825. He was a tanner by trade, and had been looking for a location, but having a strong love for the farm, he concluded to go to Michigan, where hlie might get land cheap. Camine in 1824, and made a small clearing, which he seeded to wheat, built a log house, and made preparations to move the next year; which hlie did, and lived on the place (adding to it by purchases until there are two hundred and fifteen acres) until 1868, when hlie moved to Birmingham, where he now resides. Hiram Smith, from Orwell, Vermont, but later from Middlebury, New York, where he had married Louisa Pitts, came to Troy, Michigan, in 1829, settling first on section 22, and shortly after on section 16, where he built a log house, a trifle finer than those of his neighbors. It was made of dressed logs, and had a stone chimney, while the common log house had only a stick chimney. He had two children when hlie came, Josephus, then seven years old, and Pliny, an infant. Hiram Smith was a man highly esteemed by his townsmen, and was frequently called on to serve them, as is shown by the town records. He died on his place on the 21st of February, 1871, and Louisa, his consort, a week later, in March, 1871. Pliny, the youngest son, is now a resident of Grand Rapids. Josephus Smith resides on the old homestead, having lived there nearly fifty years. He, also, has been actively interested in public matters, having held the offices of town clerk and justice of the peace many years, as well as the office of supervisor, which he at present fills. Alfred Phelps, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, settled in Troy in 1828, locating on section 10. Soon after he moved to section 21, where he has resided ever since. Jesse Lee Stout and Olivia P., his wife, came from Richmond, Ontario county, New York, in October, 1832. Mr. Stout purchased land on section 9, of which about thirty acres were improved. With the exception of a short residence in New York, the family has resided on this place ever since, and has been actively interested in public matters, Jesse Lee Stout having frequently been called upon to fill offices of trust, while his son, Byron G.,-now a resident of Pontiac,-is well known in State history. The elder Stout died in 1874, Mrs. Stout surviving, and at present residing on the homestead. Samuel W. Harding and his wife, Ann, whose maiden name was Abbey, came from Richmond, New York, in 1830, and settled on section 17, where he built a house, which is still used as a dwelling. His trade was that of a cabinet-maker, which he carried on until his removal, in 1836. Elias Daniels, from Scipio, New York, settled on section 9 in 1828. He removed to Grand Rapids some years after. A. C. Trowbridge, from Painted Post, New York, settled in Troy in 1831. lHe bought a farm of Zadoc and Aaron Wellman, on section 2, to which he moved in 1836, and where he has resided since. David Rhodes, from the same place in New York, settled on section 1 in 1831. Mr. Rhodes died at this place in 1868. Frederick Blount, a native of Livingston county, New York, settled on section 2 in 1832. M. I. James, from Cortland, New York, came to Oakland County in 1824. He first settled in Bloomfield, and then in Troy, in 1835. He subsequently re- moved to Birmingham, where he now resides. Henry A. Judd, a native of New York, settled on the northwest quarter of section 14 in 1836. His brother was a missionary to the Sandwich Islands, and his mother left Troy in 1846 to make him a visit. She remained in the Sand- wich Islands many years, outliving three kings, her son and his wife, and became a centenarian. Guy Phelps came to Michigan about 1822, and settled on section 3 soon after. He was a shoemaker by trade, and carried on that business at Troy Corners for several years. Baxter Gillett, from Vernon, New York, settled in Troy about 1835. He sub- sequently moved to Rochester, and at a later day was interested in the milling business at Auburn. Benjamin Page, from Madison county, New York, came to Troy in 1836, to work at his trade, carpentry, building the Presbyterian church. Now resides on the Silas Sprague homestead. Humphrey Addams, from New York, came to Troy about 1822, and located on section 1. John Waldron, from Seneca county, New York, came to Troy in 1822, and purchased land on section 4. The following year he brought his family, and lived on the place until his death, in 1867. His wife died in 1877. They had five children, all of whom now live in Oakland County. Stoughton Thornton made a purchase on section 4 at an early day, probably in 1821. He became a resident a short time after, and lived here until 1833, when he sold his farm to HENRY WALDRON, also from Seneca county, New York. Mr. Waldron resided upon this place until 1846, when he moved to Pontiac, where he now lives, being the president of the Oakland County Pioneers' Society. William Crooks, a brother of Riley Crooks, came a short time after the death of his brother, about 1832, and settled on that place. William Poppleton was born at Poultney, Vermont, in 1795, but removed to Richmond, Ontario county, New York, when hlie was seventeen years of age. Here, in 1814, he married Zady Crooks, having by her seven children, two of which died in their infancy, two in ripe womanhood, and the remaining three- two sons and a daughter-are now the only surviving members of the family. In 1823, William Poppleton came to Michigan to purchase land, and made a selection in the southern part of section 20, in Troy. To'thiis place he came in 1825, with his wife and two ehildren,-Orrin and Sady, aged respectively eight and seven years,-making the entire journey from New York to Michigan by wagon, thirty-two days being required for the trip. Arriving on his land, in December, after many hardships, resulting from the poor roads over which lihe passed, he at once built himself a pioneer's home, and began the work of devel- oping the country. To this he applied himself with such energy that in 1845 his small farm had swelled its proportions to twelve hundred acres in extent. He lived on his old place until 1856, when he moved to a place just east of Birming- ham, where he resided until his death, in 1869, his wife having died in 1862. Mr. Poppleton was a man of great industry and the strictest integrity, and was the supervisor of his town for several years. He was also elected to the legisla- ture in 1842. Orrin, his oldest son, engaged in mercantile pursuits at Birming- ham in 1840, and has been engaged in trade there ever since, occupying since 1843 his present place of business, and being, perhaps, the oldest and most pros- perous merchant in the county. He was also elected to the Michigan legislature in 1852. The surviving daughter married D. Hoxsey, and now resides in Troy. The other son, Andrew J., was thoroughly educated for the profession of law, and in 1851, in company with Governor Richardson, became a citizen of Ne- braska, when that Territory was comparatively uninhabited. They settled at Omaha, and at a later period platted that city. He became very distinguished in his profession, was a member of the Nebraska legislature, and is at present the attorney of the Union Pacific railroad. Justice Toms, a native of New York, came to Troy in 1824, and settled on section 19. He afterwards removed to White Lake. Abner Robinson, from the same State, came the same year, and settled on section 30, where he died. Josiah Alger, from Bloomfield, Ontario county, became a citizen of Troy in November, 1823, settling on section 32. He had nine children when he came. J. H., the oldest of seven sons, was then nearly fourteen years old. In 1836, Josiah Alger and family moved to Genesee county, Michigan, where the parents died. J. HI. Alger returned to Troy in 1857, and now resides at Birmingham. 288 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Samuel Patrick, from Cayuga, New York, settled in Troy, on section 18. About 1830 hlie removed to Bloomfield. Solomon Mathews, a New Yorker, came about 1823, and settled on section 7, where he lived until his death. A son, born there in 1824, removed to Pontiac, where he engaged in business. Another son, Solomon, was colonel of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, and is at present United States marshal; and Whitney, a third son, is a sheriff in Michigan. Washington Stanley, from Castile, New York, settled in Troy in 1826, pur- chasing on section 30. Lived there until his death. William Stanley, a native of Vermont, but later of Ontario county, New York, moved to Michigan in the fall of 1823, settling on section 29. He had one child when hlie came, but a son, Luther, was born September 3, 1824. The father died in Troy, and Luther moved to Birmingham in 1854, where hlie now resides. He was appointed internal revenue assessor in 1863. William W. Martin, from Scipio, Cayuga county, New York, came in the fall of 1825, and purchased land on section 23. He returned for his family, and settled in 1826. Lived in Troy until 1840, when he removed to West Bloomfield. William Martin, the father of the above, came in 1828, and settled on section 23. He had two sons nearly grown, John R. and Josephus, and a daughter, Sarah, who married Allen M. Parks, a son of Captain Parks, and now resides in the southern part of Troy. Ebenezer Martin, from Washington, New York, settled on section 33 about 1832. Lived there until his death, at the age of ninety-four years. Calvin Perrin, a native of Ontario county, New York, settled on section 32 about 1823. Died there, and was buried in the Perrin burial-ground. Jesse Perrin, his brother, settled at the same time on the same section. He moved to Indiana a short time after. Willard Daniels, from Cayuga county, New York, settled on section 4 about 1823. Removed to the northern part of the State. E. M. Francis settled in East Troy about 1833. He now resides in Pontiac. David Ford, a New Yorker, lived in the central part of the township about 1828. Calvin Marvin, a native of Connecticut, came to Troy in 1824, and settled on section 32. He moved to Clinton county in 1835. Ira Toms was born in Massachusetts, but his father moved to New York when Ira was a lad. He then moved to Canada, and from there to Michigan, in 1824, settling on section 28, in Troy. Lived in that township until 1857, when he became a resident of Birmingham. He had a son when hlie came to Michigan: David C., now living in Birmingham. Martin M. Toms, from Ontario county, New York, settled in Troy, on section 33, in 1826. Also moved to Bloomfield, in which township he now resides. William Cone, from Ontario county, New York, became a citizen of Troy about 1833, settling on section 14. He was for many years supervisor of the township, and a prominent man in its affairs. Thomas Gibson, an Irishman, came to Troy about the same time, and settled on section 13. Lyman Fuller, from the State of New York, located on section 5, probably in 1825. Settlements were not made so early in the southeast of the town as in other portions. Among those first settling there were the Perrys, Coomers, Anthem, Aldrichs, Channahans, Richards, Hutchins, and Jacksons. Among other early settlers of Troy were Stephen Chatfield, from Ontario county, New York, who had grown-up sons, named Edward, Hiram, Ira, and Daniel; William Lowes, G. C. Nelson, Isaac Baldwin, Laura Philbrick, and many others, who subsequently became residents of other towns, and will be noted in their history. TILE EARLY IMPROVEMENTS. The character of the pioneer's home in Troy differed but little from those de- scribed in other parts of this volume. There was the plain log house, with its stick chimney, and a roof made of bark, boards, or shingles, as the means of the settler would permit or as his mechanical skill would enable him to construct; and there, also, were the other rude buildings, with their primitive accompani- ments. But when the art of building had so far progressed that a stone chimney was considered a necessary adjunct of these forest homes, their occupants began to develop a taste which led them to build frame and brick houses. One of the first of the former class was the dwelling erected by Benjamin Phelps, about 1827, the shell of which is at present used as a barn by Clark Harris. As soon as mechanics could be procured, frame barns began to appear on every hand, among the first being those of Michael Beach, Captain Parks, William Poppleton, and Jehiel Smith, erected from 1823 to 1827. Orchards were planted as soon as trees could be procured; and when the settlers once became aware that fruit grew well and abundantly, large numbers of trees were set out, from which generous returns were realized; and soon many lowly homes had an abundance of what was a few years before regarded as a luxury, and which lent an additional charm to the group assembled around the fire-hearth, as it made its appearance in a heaped-up basket of apples or the brimming mug of cider. It is pleasant to note the changes which have transformed this township from its sylvan condition to one of superior cultivation and improvements; from the era of log houses, necessarily constricted and bare of the conveniences of comfort, to an array of beautiful homes, furnished with all that can make life happy; from the rude shed, often constructed in haste to shelter the settler's little stock, to the imposing barn, whose walls house fine horses and large herds of improved cattle; it is a pleasant and profitable task to note all these changes, and ascribe the work to the industry, self-denial, and patient efforts of the men and women whom we love to call pioneers. ROADS, PAST AND PRESENT. The unanimous testimony of the old settlers of Troy is that its early roads beggar description. The natural drainage of the country was not sufficient to carry away the surface-water in winter and spring, leaving the greater portion of the town in a semi-inundated condition. This water had a strong affinity for the friable soil, and mixed with it on the least provocation, producing the worst form of mire, whose depth varied from six inches to six feet. It was necessary to ditch and corduroy very many of the roads to make them passable. Troy had this advantage, however: the surface of the country permitted every section-line to be used for a road, and the law of the State making all section-lines public highways has been fully complied with. The township in this respect is more fortunate than any other in the county. One of the first roads officially located in Troy was the Paint creek road, in 1829. The general course of this road is north until it reaches the northwest corner of section 11, whence it passes eastward half a mile, then deflects diago- nally to the northeast part of the town. An effort was made to plank this road, about 1852, by the company which had been chartered to grade it; but the pro- ject was soon abandoned, and it was graveled instead. The other roads of the town having been much improved meanwhile, the company did not find it profitable to keep its road in repair, and abandoned its charter somewhere about 1860. At the first town-meeting, in 1827, when Royal Oak and Troy formed one town, fourteen road districts were formed. This number was increased until, in 1876, Troy alone had forty-two districts. The report of the commissioners in 1832 gives a glimpse at the condition of the roads as they then were: "We de- sire to report that we had assessed fifteen hundred and thirty-nine days of work, and that fourteen hundred and eighty-six days were performed; and that the roads are yet in a very bad condition, and require a great deal of labor to make them otherwise." This board, composed of William Poppleton, Ira Jennings, and John F. Keyes, did much to improve the condition of the roads, the former, especially, laboring with great zeal until he had persuaded his fellow-citizens that good roads were possible in Troy. How truly his ideas have been realized is attested by the roads of the township to-day. Nearly all the road-beds are firm, -many of them graveled,-and of the eighty miles of roads in the town hardly a mile deserves to be called poor. PIONEER SCHOOLS. The privilege of attending school was extended the youth of Troy soon after its settlement, but there is no record of the division of the town into regular dis- tricts until 1833, although a school-board was elected in 1831, composed of Clement Pearsall, S. V. R. Trowbridge, Erastus Crispy, Thaddeus Thompson, and Willard Daniels. A portion, at least, of this board was continued in office from year to year, and the divisions made in 1833 were, perhaps, based upon the report of this first board. At that time seven whole and six fractional districts were formed, whose boundaries were so irregular that they cannot be described in the brief space here allowed. Later there were numerous changes, so that but few of the districts remain as when first established. There are records of the examination of teachers in 1838, and of the licensing of Rosina Preston, Zylpha Phelps, Augustus C. Baldwin, Emily Gillett, Arabella Keys, Henry I. Pearsall, Sherman Pearsall, Silas Eaton, Truman Johnson, and Cyrus Smith to teach in Troy, they being adjudged the possessors of good moral characters, and the ability to instruct in the common branches. Log school-houses were built in each of the newly-formed districts, where such buildings did not already exist, and these, in time, were supplanted by frame structures or brick buildings. But prior to this arrangement schools were taught in different parts of the town. In the central portion a school was taught about 1829, in the old Baptist log church, by a Miss Hopkins, where the Smiths and Pearsalls, and others of that neighborhood attended. Later, a school was kept in a deserted log house on section 15, by Miss Beulah Parks, and one on section HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 289 I 16, by Miss Hastings, at a still later day. Josephus Smith also taught in that neighborhood several years later. A school was established at Troy Corners at an early day, whose history will be detailed in that connection. MARRIAGES, BIRTHS, AND DEATHS. Among the first marriages remembered by the people of Troy were those of Elizur Goodrich and Jesse Gregory. The former was a widower, his wife having died a short time previous to his coming to Michigan, and after he had made preparations for that event. The year following his settlement, in 1824, he mar- ried Mrs. Lucy Fish, a widow, who had come to Troy a few months before. Jesse Gregory married Laura Downer, an estimable young lady, about 1825 or 1826. The honor of having been the first born in this new town appears to belong to Luther Stanley, now of Birmingham. He is a son of William Stanley, and made his appearance on the 3d of September, 1824. In the latter part of the same month, of tilat year, a son-Almeron---was added to the membership of Solomon Mathews' family. Both of these have become a part of the useful citizenship of Oakland County, being well known in its affairs. A third birth followed soon after. On Christmas day of 1824 the home of Silas and Amanda Sprague was blessed by the appearance of a gift rather unusual to the occasion,-a sprightly girl, who was named Sarah. She grew to womanhood, and married Colonel Robert Davis, of Pontiac. Perhaps the first grown person who died in Troy was Mrs. Ramah Cole, in about 1827. She was interred in the Crooks cemetery. Riley Crooks was one of the next to depart this life. His death was accidental, having been caused by the falling of a limb from a tree which he was chopping down, on the 27th of April, 1830. He was a well-known citizen, and his untimely death was much lamented. A few years later a daughter of Captain Parks died, after a lingering illness; also a Mrs. Demond and Mrs. Samuel Harding. The former were buried on section 7. CEMETERIES. There are four public cemeteries in the township, all controlled by the board of health, and all well-ordered and finely kept. The largest of these burying-grounds is on the southwest quarter of section 2, and contains about three acres. The lo- cation is good and the drainage excellent. A large number of interments have been made there, and it is now the principal cemetery in that part of the country. The next one, in point of area, is on the northeast darter of section 20. It is generally known as the Crooks cemetery, and contains two and one-half acres. Some of the first interments in the town were made at this place, and the ground contains some fine monuments. A burying-ground of one acre is found in the western part of section 32, and another of the same size on section 7, which are used by the people of those localities. There is, also, a private burying-ground on section 10, belonging to the Niles family. SOLDIERS OF 1812. In the absence of a record of those who participated in the second struggle for American independence, the following list is made up from the recollection of neighbors of the departed heroes, and may not contain the names of all who are entitled to this honor. Captain Robert Parks commanded a company in New York, and rendered good service, participating in several engagements. Elizur Goodrich also served in the American army in New York, and was wounded at the battle of Chippewa. Solomon Caswell was another of those who aided the American cause, and after- wards came to Michigan, and Moses Benedict is also credited with such a service. Of these, two are yet alive,-Captain Parks, residing at Pontiac, and Solomon Caswell, on his thrm on section 19. TROY MANUFACTORIES. This township has never been noted for its manufacturing interests. There are no streams affording water-power, and its rich agricultural resources have made farming an almost exclusive interest. Nevertheless, there have been several enterprises, aside from several small distilleries in the early years of the town, which deserve mention in this connection. About 1852, Edmund Gillett built a steam saw-mill on the east part of section 22. It was an establishment of considerable capacity, and was extensively operated until it was destroyed by fire. In 1857, Gillett built a new mill on the south line of the same section. This soon passed into the hands of Pearl Mitchel, who sold it to a Mr. Bromley, and while he was operating it, about 1866, the mill was again burned. Mr. Bromley at once rebuilt it, near the old site, and then sold the property to John Lamb and Lewis Smith. The latter at present owns the mill and operates it several months in the year. A man named Chilson erected a steam saw-mill on the southwest of section 37 34 about 1848. This soon became the property of Samuel Blair, who worked it some time, producing excellent lumber from the dense forests in that locality. It has been owned by a number of different men, and is at present the property of Henry J. Bowers, being still in a serviceable condition. Johnson Niles built an excellent steam saw-mill on section 4, which was used to work up the walnut and other hard woods growing in that region. Large shipments of walnut were made to eastern markets, and the mill was a profitable enterprise as long as good logs could be procured. It was then, after being operated about twelve years, dismantled and the machinery taken to Lapeer county. CIVIL ORGANIZATION. The first record of a township-mneeting held in the bounds of Troy is that of May 28, 1827, when the legal voters of towns 1 and 2, now Royal Oak and Troy, assembled at the house of Riley Crooks, on section 20, to hold their first annual meeting. Prior to this both these towns were a part of Bloomfield, having sustained that relation from 1820 to 1827. In 1836, Royal Oak was set off from Troy. and became a separate township. The record of the first eight elections, then, includes Royal Oak. The result of the first election was as follows: Supervisor, Stephen V. R. Trowbridge; Town Clerk, Riley Crooks; Assessors, Socrates Hopkins, Jehiel Smith, Elizur Goodrich; Commissioners of Highways, Henry Blount, Wakeman Bradley, Calvin Marvin; Collector, Edmund Downer; Overseers of the Poor, Robert Parks, Joseph Chase; Constables, Jonathan Chase, Zadoc Bates, George Taylor; Road Overseers, District 1, Elizur Goodrich; Dis- trict 2, Edward Martin; District 3, Jesse Gregory; District 4, Aaron Wellman District 5, Alva Butler; District 6, Joshua Davis; District 7, William Popple- ton; District 8, Robert Crawford; District 9, Thomas J. Perrin; District 10, James Volentine; District 11, Abram L. Hoagland; District 12, Samuel Torbert; District 13, James Landon; District 14, Alauson Goodrich. Daniel Burrows, Socrates Hopkins, and Henry 0. Bronson were justices of the peace by appointment of the governor. The next meeting was held at Riley Crook's, and subsequent meetings were held in barns, houses, and hotels, in diferent parts of the town, until 1848, when a frame town-house was erected on section 22, as near the centre of the town as practicable, where the meetings have been held ever since. The house is well adapted for its intended purpose, being provided with cabinet cases for the pres- ervation of the records and other matter of interest and value to the town. From the town records we make some excerpts, which will show the condition and progress of the township at different-periods. At the meeting in 1828 it was voted not to come under the act regulating common schools. Not to have a pound. To raise twenty-five dollars for the support of the poor. To raise fifty dollars for the contingent expenses of the town. " That this town will give any white person five dollars for every wolf that shall be taken and killed within the limits of the town the year ensuing." In May, 1830, a special election was held to fill the vacancy in the office of the town clerk, caused by the accidental death of Riley Crooks. Ramah Cole was elected to fill the office. At the election in April,] 836, a tax of ten dollars was voted to build a bridge across the Rouge river. At the first annual settlement of the town board, in March, 1828, Supervisor Trowbridge reported the entire receipts as seventy-two dollars and fifty cents, and the expenditures as sixty-two dollars and eighty-one cents, leaving a balance of nine dollars and sixty-nine cents. This account was attested correct by Justices. Daniel Burrows, Socrates Hopkins, and H. O. Bronson. Twenty-one years later, in 1849, the expenses were more than four hundred dollars. The assessed value of the town was one hundred and thirty-nine thou- sand and eighty-six dollars, and in 1876, twenty-seven years later, this had in- creased to five hundred and ten thousand seven hundred and thirty dollars. The entire tax in 1849 was thirteen hundred and twenty-six dollars and forty-seven cents, and in 1876 it was four 'thousand one hundred and eighty dollars and thirty-three cents, an increase of about three hundred per cent. Since 1827 the following persons have been elected for constitutional terms, supervisors, town clerks, and justices of the peace: Sirpervisors.-Stephen V. R. Trowbridge, 1828-30, 1838, 1847, 1858; Jesse Gregory, 1831-34, 1848; Johnson Niles, 1835-37; James Bailey, 1839; Sal- mon J. Mathews, 1840; William Poppleton, 1841-42; Edward Martin, 1843-44; William Cone, 1845-46, 1849-51, 1855-56, 1859, 1863, 1865; Benjamin Page, 1852, 1857; Jesse Lee Stout, 1853; Friend Belding, 1854; Josephus Smith, 1860, 1862, 1864, 1866, 1873-77; J. W. Mathews, 1861; Gurden G. Clark, 1867-69; Guy M. Trowbridge, 1870-72. 290 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Town Clerks -Riley Crooks, 1827-30; Socrates Hopkins, 1831-32; Samuel W. Harding, 1833; Edward W. Peek, 1834-36; Nathan Davis, 1837; John A. Jackson, 1838; Oscar H. Chipman, 1839; Hiram Smith, 1840-41, 1853, 1867-70; George A. C. Luce, 1842, 1844; Joel P. Toms, 1845-48; Clark Beardsley, 1849-52; Stephen G. Conley, 1854, 1862; Josephus Smith, 1855-59, 1871-72; John Buttolph, 1860-61, 1863-66; Adams Bailey, 1873-75; Dwight Buttolph, 1876-77. Justices of the Peace.-William R. Crook, 1837; Charles Howard, 1838; Hiram Smith, 1839, 1843, 1857, 1865; Johnson Niles, 1840; S. J.' Mathews, 1841; James B. St. John, 1842; George A. C. Luce, 1844; Israel Bickford, 1845; Edward W. Peek, 1846 ; Jesse Lee Stout, 1847, 1851 ; Samuel Gibbs, 1848; James Bailey, 18-49; Benjamin Page, 1850, 1854, 1862, 1866, 1870, 1874; Abram Perry, 1852; Clark Beardsley, 1853; Mason I. James, 1855; William 11. Phelps, 1856, 1860, 1864, 1868, 1872, 1876; Lorenzo D. Locey, 1858; William A. Dennison, 1850; Benjamin Daniels, 1861 ; Guy 31. Trow- bridge, 1863, 1867; Gurden G. Clark, 1869; Montgomery Shutes, 1871, 1875; Josephus Smith, 1873, 1877. BIG BEAVER VILLAGE. The quiet little village of Big Beaver, or the Beaver, as it is most generally called, is located at the intersection of the cross-roads separating sections 22 and 23 and 26 and 27. The place derives its name from a large dam, erected by a colony of beavers, across the little brook near the place. This stream is now nearly, if not altogether, dry, and its name, Beaver creek, fails to express its true nature. The situation is favorable for a country trading-point, being surrounded by a rich agricultural country, which is quite densely populated. The first house erected at this point was that of Ira Smith, of Middlebury, New York, who settled on section 27 in 1825. lIe kept the first tavern in this building, about 1828, continuing it about six years. About the time he discon- tinued his tavern Benjamin Wooster opened a blacksmith-shop at the corners, but he stayed only a short time, when he removed to the western part of the State. From this time until 1855 there was no effort made to establish any shops at this point, and the only thing to mark the place as different from other cross-roads was the post-office and a store about half a mile north. The first store kept in the southern part of Troy was opened by Benjamin Sturgis, on the east line of section 22, about 1848. He carried a fair stock of goods, and continued in business there until his store was burned, about 1862. In 1863, Mr. Sturgis started a store at the corners, keeping it but a few years, when lie was succeeded by Gurden Clark, wrho conducted it three years, then sold out to Andrew Ebling. In 1857, Ira Smith erected a frame store-house on section 26, in which he put a stock of goods well adapted for the trade of the place, and carried on the busi- ness for nearly ten years. This was the second store in that section of country, and the first at Big Beaver. Six years later, in 1863, Michael Ebling built a fine two-story brick house, twenty-two by thirty-four feet, on the corner of section 22, which lie designed for mercantile purposes, and where he opened an excellent store a short time after, which he kept six years. George Felker succeeded him, and for about a year carried on the business, when Andrew Ebling purchased his interest and established a trade, which he still continues. Mr. Ebling enlarged the building in 1876, and now has a very fine room, which enables him to carry on the busi- ness successfully. In 1873, John Eager opened a store in the building erected by Sturgis, where lie continued in trade ibout three years, leaving Mr. Ebling the sole merchant of the place. The post-office at Big Beaver was established about 1837; Ira Smith was appointed postmaster, and held that position until 1856, when Michael Ebling was appointed his successor. The latter served until 1860, when the office passed back to Ira Smith, who retained it a few years, and was then succeeded by Gurden Clark, who served until the appointment of Andrew Ebling, the present post- master. The office was supplied with daily mails when first established, which were carried from Royal Oak to Romeo, and from Royal Oak to Lapeer county, several stage-routes passing through the place. Among the early drivers was Ira Pearsall. A Mr. Rose was another of the mail-contractors and stage-owners that succeeded Pearsall. When the Grand Trunk railroad was built, east of this region, the daily mails were discontinued, and a tri-weekly mail was supplied from Royal Oak to Troy Corners, and return. This arrangement still continues. Aside from the log tavern kept by Ira Smith, there was no regular hotel until about 1857, when Edmund Gillett erected a frame house for this purpose, on the corner of section 23. Here hlie dispensed comfort for man and beast for about five years. There was at that time considerable travel on the Paint creek road, which passes through this place, and the hotel did a thriving business. The house was enlarged from time to time, and changed hands frequently, among the keepers being Samuel Benton, James Bingham, and Nicholas Mooney, who closed up the house in 1873. These numerous changes were not favorable to the character of the house, and it soon lost what reputation it had acquired at an early day, becoming more noted, at last, as a place where Bacchus delighted to hold his court. The old building has been changed into a private residence. The first blacksmith to settle permanently at Big Beaver was Andrew Ebling. He is a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and came to America in 1854. A year later, lie settled at Beaver to carry on his trade. He built a good brick shop, getting the material of Henry Judd, on the southeast corner of section 22, and there, for fourteen years, he swung the hammer to the music of the anvil, doing a thriving trade. When Mr. Ebling engaged in mercantile pursuits, he was succeeded by George Terry, who is the present smith at this stand. There were other blacksmiths at this point, having shops opposite Ebling's, among them Gillett & Son and Nicholas Mooney. Neither carried on the trade more than a few months at a time. In 1855, Alvin Shadbolt, a New Yorker, opened a wagon-shop at Big Beaver, opposite the brick blacksmith-shop, where lie worked about four years. His interests were purchased, in 1860, by Frederick Schlaack, of Mecklenburg, Ger- many, who carried on the trade until his death, in 1872, when Augustus Schultz, the present owner, succeeded him. A shoe-shop was opened about 1857 by a German named Gage, lie being the first in that business at Beaver. Other shoemakers were a man named Deere and John Pax, a Canadian, who has carried on the trade about twelve years. A tailor-shop was opened in 1875 by Frederick Eckelberg, and is still con- ducted by him. A cooperage was established about 1850 by E. W. Millard, near the corners, where hlie has carried on the trade ever since, having now the only shop of this nature in the township. The first school-house in this locality was a log building on the east half of sec- tion 22, near its south line. This was replaced by a frame house about 1845, which was used for school purposes until 1857, when a fine brick building was erected on the east line of section 22, which is the present school-house. Re- ligious meetings were also held in these houses, and the brick building was used for this purpose until 1875, when THiE FIRST METHIIODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH was built at Big Beaver. The history of this society dates back to 1845, or perhaps prior to that period. The Methodist missionary hunted up those professing that fathith, and, as soon as circumstances warranted, established regular preaching-places at the houses of the pioneers and in the humble school-houses. Among the first Methodist members were William Phelps and his mother, and a Mr. Davy, a local preacher. Among the first pastors was Salmon Steele, and later pastors were Revs. Baughman, Allen, Hedger, Warren, Hood, Crane, Davidson, and Bird. These ministers resided at Birmingham, and supplied this class in connection with the church at that place. In 1861 the membership of the class was about twenty; this was increased until there were fifty-five members in 1875, the increase being largely the result of a revival in the winter of 1873-74. The connection with Birmingham was severed in 1873, when the class became a part of Troy circuit, which relation is still preserved. The pastors since this change were Revs. Hedger, Houghton, and Tuttle, who is now the minister in charge. Andrew Ebling, a local preacher, has also labored among this people for fifteen years. The class had nearly sixty members in February, 1875, when it was determined to erect a church at Big Beaver. A society, called the First -Methodist Episcopal church of Big Beaver, was formed, and a board of trustees, composed of A. Eb- ling, Win. H. Phelps, John Lamb, Sr., John Lamb, Jr., and Adrian Gibbs, was chosen to immediately begin the work of building. A site of one acre of ground on the east line of section 22 was purchased, and a very fine frame church, thirty- four by fifty-two feet, with a spire containing an excellent bell, was ready for dedi- cation on the 17th day of October, 1875. The consecration services were per- formed by Dr. Joslyn, of Albion college, and his appeal for aid to free the church from debt met with such a hearty response that enough 4as secured for that pur- pose and a balance for the contingent expenses. The entire cost of thie church was about three thousand six hundred dollars. The house is handsomely finished, and has three hundred sittings. A Sunday-school was organized at Big Beaver about 1850, with William H. Phelps as superintendent. Its meetings were held in the school-house until the completion of the church, when the school was transferred to that building. Its membership is at present one hundred, and Adrian Gibbs is the superintendent. The school is supplied with periodical literature. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 291 Big Beaver is making a steady but unremarkable growth, and now contains about twenty-five houses, with a population of seventy-five. THE VILLAGE OF TROY CORNERS. The first to make settlement at this place was Johnson Niles, in 1822, who built on the northeast corner of section 9, and began at once to lay the foundation for making it a trading-point by supplying himself with trinkets, with which he bartered with the Indians. A larger stock of goods was procured several years after, and a store started on a small scale, but which proved so successful that Mr. Niles opened a full stock somewhere about 1830. He continued in trade about twenty-five years, although not at the same place, the changes in the business making it necessary for him to seek more commodious quarters. About the time that Mr. Niles opened his trading-room he also opened a tavern, entertaining the traveler in a right royal manner in his log house, which had become a double building by the addition made to accommodate this business. He was also ap- pointed postmaster in 1833, thus giving the new settlement weekly mails from Detroit. In the mean time Guy Phelps, who owned the southwest quarter of section 3, opened a shoemaker's-shop, being the first of his craft to engage at that business in the place. A blacksmith-shop was next opened, about 1831, by John Miller, who took Guy Phelps' old log shanty for a shop. Miller built himself a frame house, which is still in use in the place. He conducted his trade a number of years, and had the reputation of being a skillful workman. The place now began to assume an air of considerable importance. It became a centre of trade, and, as it was on one of the most important thoroughfares lead- ing from Detroit to the northern part of the Territory, there was a strong proba- bility of its becoming one of the future towns of the then rapidly-settling county. The idea was quickened into life when Johnson Niles announced his intention to make it the leading place north of Detroit, and to this end held out flattering in- ducements to such as were seeking a location. Men of capital, mechanics, and professional men soon found a home here; churches were built, schools were established, and the cross-streets of the place were crowded with the teams of those who had come for miles around to trade and supply themselves with pro- visions to carry into the regions beyond. In the dawn of this bright prospect for the place, Edward M. Peck opened a store about 1831, which he conducted about ten years, then moved to Pontiac, where he became one of the foremost business men of that place. Alanson Pierson also engaged in the mercantile business about this time, being followed shortly after by Mason I. James, Smith & Howard, and Nathan Davis, all of whom opened stores at Troy, so that it had in 1835 and '36 six firms engaged in mercantile business. Harry Sprague had also opened another hotel, thus giving the place two pub- lic-houses; and the demand upon them was so great that Johnson Niles built a large hotel, raising it on the fourth of July, 1837. This house still remains, but is not used as a tavern at present. It was named the Troy hotel, and was conducted by Harry Sprague, who proved a most genial landlord. Troy at this time had three physicians; the first to locate there being Dr. Thad- deus Thompson, about 1830. He practiced about eighteen years, then moved to Detroit, where he still resides. Dr. N. D. Stebbins came about 1831, remained, perhaps, ten years, and then also moved to Detroit. Dr. 0. H. Chipman was the third, coming about 1832, and continued his practice until about 1842, when he became a resident of Grand Rapids. It also had a brilliant young lawyer,-George A. C. Luce,-who came from New York about 1835. He married a daughter of Johnson Niles. and became thoroughly idvutified with the interests of the place, living there until his death, about 1850. In 1838, Mr. Niles platted sixteen blocks on sections 4', 9, and 10, on the corners and on the section-line roads, for a town, which he called Hastings, in honor of E. P. Hastings, then president of the Michigan bank. But the decline of the place had come, and the new name was never accepted. The panic attending the suspension of the " wild-cat" banks, the building of the railroad through Royal Oak, and ultimately through Pontiac, the increased growth of Rochester, on account of its water privileges, all tended to detract from the importance of Troy and to depreciate its value as a trading-point. Its pop- ulation, numbering at one time several hundred, was diminished month by month by removals; and the business once centred at the busy corners had dwindled down to its small beginnings. The postman's horn was now heard less frequently, and the gay and festive throngs who used to frequent the place had departed for- ever. Like the ancient city bearing this name, Troy had reached the summit of its glory, and then sunk into such a comparative condition of decay that even now, before the generation which inhabited it has passed off the stage of life, its former greatness is almost forgotten. The present population of the place is about sixty, and its business is as follows: store, James Hall; shoemaker, D. O. Ramsey; wagon-maker, N. Voorheis; blacksmith, F. Cutting; tinsmith, Henry Russell; carriage-painter, J. S. Leonard'; carpenter, Clark Harris; house-painter, S. M. Niles. Aside from the hotels at Troy Corners, there was a tavern a mile east of the place, known as the" Union Corner hotel." The well-known H. O. Bronson was the keeper of this place in 1842. Subsequently A. Barnes purchased the prop- erty and enlarged the house to commodious dimensions. It was a favorite stop- ping-place for the teamsters on the old Paint creek road, who often gathered there to the number of a score. With the cessation of travel on this road departed the usefulness of the hotel, and it was soon after deserted. The building still remains, a weather-beaten and time-worn structure, a silent witness of the busy past. POST-OFFICE, MAIL- AND STAGE-ROUTES. The post-office at Troy Corners was established in 1823, with Johnson Niles as postmaster. This position he held many years, and was succeeded by his son, Orange. The present postmaster is Frank Cutting. The first mail service was via Mount Clemens, and was carried weekly from Detroit. Soon after the mails were more frequent, and the route was changed via Royal Oak. At a later period the office had daily mails from Royal Oak, served by a stage company, whose route extended from that place to points north in Lapeer county. When this line was withdrawn the mails were supplied only tri-weekly from Royal Oak via- Big Beaver and return, which is the present service. SCIIOOLS-PRIVATE AND PUBLIC. ----... - Soon after the settlement of the Rev. A. S. Hollister as the rector of St. John's, he opened a select school in a frame building which was just a little beyond the present residence of N. Voorheis, Esq. The latter house was used as a dwelling by the rector, and also furnished a home for some of the pupils coming from abroad. The school was well attended by the youth of the surrounding country, and had some students from Detroit and other cities, swelling the num- ber up to fifty or more. Many of the prominent men of the present received the benefit of the good dominie's instruction, and recall with pleasure their school-days at Troy. Rev. Hollister left the place in 1843, and his position was taken soon after by Rev. S. N. Hill, pastor of the Presbyterian church. Under his principalship the school preserved its excellent reputation, and was continued with great success several years, when it was closed permanently in consequence of the decline of the village. A public school was taught in a log house on section 9 about 1825, where William Morse was one of the teachers. A short time after its erection this house was destroyed by fire, and another log building took its place. This, too, was burned, as well as several frames subsequently built by the district. A fine brick school-house was then built half a mile west of Troy Corners, on the south line of section 4, which is at present used for school purposes by district No. 2, which includes Troy Corners. . THE BAPTIST CHURCH. The following history is compiled principally from an admirable sketch of the church, read 'before the Michigan Baptist association in 1876, by the Rev. J. E. Bitting, who was at that time pastor in charge: The Baptist church in Troy was the third church of that faith organized in Michigan. It was originally a branch of the Pontiac church, and the members of that church living in the southeastern part of the county had established reg- ular covenant meetings. At one of these covenant meetings, held May 21, 1825, steps were taken to organize an independent Baptist church. Willard Daniels and George P. Morse were appointed delegates to lay this request before the Pontiac church, and ask for letters of dismission for those who wished to unite with the new movement. The request was granted, and at the next covenant meeting, Elder Comstock being present, seventeen names were reported as con- stituent members, viz.: Nathan Jones, Calvin Gibbs, George P. Morse, John Everett, Samuel Hubbell, Lydia Jones, Cynthia Daniels, Mary Jones, Francis Douglass, Deborah W. Gibbs, Esther Cole, Lucy Wellman, Willard Daniels, Avery Jones, Nathan Douglass, Ramah Cole, and Edward Swan. At the meeting a committee was appointed to prepare articles of faith and a covenant. Their report was adopted August 25, 1825, and a council of recognition was called. This council, composed of Rev. Elkanah Comstock, John Southard, and Henry Stevens, from the Pontiac church, Rev. Lemuel Taylor, from the Stony Creek church, met September 29, 1825, and recognized the brethren and sisters as a regular Baptist church, called the " Baptist church in Bloomfield." On January 28, 1826, this new church appointed delegates to meet tmhe other two churches-Pontiac and Stony Creek-at Stony Creek, for the purpose of 292 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. w i forming the platform for an association in Michigan, and the next Sabbath another delegation was appointed to attend a council at Farmington, probably to recog- nize the fourth church in the association. It is probable that Rev. John Buttolph was the first pastor of the Bloomfield church, though perhaps only as a supply. Ile was received to membership June 25, 1826. " This worthy brother was permitted to live but four months after his arrival in the Territory," and his connection with the church consequently was short. Northrup Jones was the first deacon, John White was the first licentiate, and the first baptism was that of Aaron Wellman, received February 24, 1827. For the first two years the society worshiped in a school-house. In 1827 the first meeting-house was built. It was a log structure, on the " cross-road," half a mile south of Troy, on section 16. Its name was also changed to " The First Baptist church in Troy." The membership at that time was forty-one, and the church had no regular pastor. A call was extended Elder Eaton, of New York, to come and serve the people for one hundred dollars a year in produce, the church agreeing to furnish wheat at six shillings a bushel, corn at three shillings sixpence, pork at five dollars per hundredweight, and house-rent at twenty-five dollars a year. Elder Eaton did not accept this munificent offer. On the 28th day of August, 1828, the church voted "to have no fellowship with Freemasonry, or any who uphold the institution of Freemasons in any wise." It was supplied monthly, for six months of this year, by Elder Clark, for four dollars a visit. Other preachers, visiting friends in the Territory or passing through the country, often ministered to the church, but there was no regular pastor until July 4, 1829, when Rev. John Booth, of Philadelphia, Pennsylva- nia, came in response to an advertisement in the New York Baptist Register, followed by a whole year's correspondence. He received a salary of one hundred dollars a year, and divided his labors between this and Stony Creek church. In 1831 the Troy church supported Rev. Booth alone; but soon after hlie divided his pastoral labors between this and the church at Auburn, which had just been organized. In February, 1832, the church again changed its name,-this time to "The Troy Baptist Union Society." A board of trustees was also appointed, and a resolution was passed to build a new house of worship; but, being unable to agree upon a site, and owing to the lack of harmony, occasioned by the manner of raising money by " average" or direct tax on the property of the members, the project of building fell through. About this time Elder Booth resigned his pas- torate, having served four years and a half. During his connection seventy-eight persons joined the church,-thirty-nine by baptism and an equal number by letter and experience. The membership of the church was now about one hundred and ten. Following Elder Booth's resignation the church was without a pastor for four months; then Rev. Moses Clark supplied, preaching half the time for eight months. He was succeeded on July 1, 1835, by Rev. Stephen Goodman, also a half-time pastor, at a salary of one hundred and fifty dollars per year. About four months after this, on the 23d of November, 1835, the building of a meeting- house was again agitated, and resulted in taking measures for this purpose. The pastor made several journeys to New York to obtain men, and after much effort the house was completed the latter part of 1836. It was a plain structure of wood, with spire and gallery, and was built on the northeast quarter of section 9, nearer Troy than the old building. The church was dedicated January 4, 1837, and the society began a prosperous career, enjoying a protracted meeting of sev. eral weeks, in which the pastor was assisted by Revs. Weaver and Barrett, which resulted in the conversion and baptism of about seventy persons. Elder Goodman served until April 27, 1839, when he severed his four years' connection by a resig- nation. During this period there were received into membership one hundred and forty-one persons,-one hundred and five by baptism and thirty-six by let- ter. The number belonging was now over two hundred. The church imme- diately called Rev. John E. Mitchell, who commenced his pastoral labors May 1, 1839. His work was attended by another addition to the membership, fifty-six uniting,-thirty-five by baptism and twenty-one by letter. In October, 1840, Elder Mitchell tendered his resignation because he could not get a suitable dwell- ing for his family, which hlie was obliged to remove to his farm, distant fifty miles. Six weeks after, he closed his labors. In November, 1840, Rev. William Bar- rett was called as pastor. He was a man of great ability, and had many friends. Now followed a dark period in the history of the church, a period which nearly eclipsed the brightness of its past, and which almost obscured its future pathway. Damaging reports concerning the pastor's character were circulated. These were attended with much excitement and considerable hard feeling among the members, seriously interfering with the work of the church, and causing many dissensions. The church delayed an investigation for some time, and Mr. Barrett having with- drawn from the pastoral office, but not from the membership of the church, the reports of his bad character all the while continuing, the membership was dis- tracted, and the church was "like sheep having no shepherd." Finally, in 1843, the right hand of' fellowship was withdrawn from Mr. Barrett, and the cloud which had so long enveloped the church was broken, revealing a divided, scattered member- ship of not quite a hundred. There was no regular pastor in all this period, although Rev. Dennison preached at irregular intervals, and others occasionally ministered to this distracted people. Near the close of 1843, Elders Weaver and Simmonds came to labor with this church; a "meeting of days," continuing three weeks, was held. "The Lord poured out his Spirit. The church was again revived, and union and peace re- stored. Likewise sinners were converted, backsliders returned, and the Lord be praised for his unspeakable goodness to us." At the close of the meeting the church-roll contained the names of one hundred and sixty-two members. On the evening of January 31, 1844, the church held an experience-meeting. It was continued until a late hour, and some of the tallow-candles having been left carelessly burning into the pine sockets in the gallery, after the dismission of the congregation, the meeting-house took fire and burned to the ground. The church was now again obliged to worship in the school-house; but it was united and harmonious, and soon took measures to rebuild. In the spring of 1844 a building committee, composed of James Bayley, Solo- mon Mathews, and N. Douglass, were appointed, and subscriptions, payable in notes, were taken to erect a new house. These notes were placed in the hands of James Bayley, and upon him devolved the burden of the work. About this time the doctrine of " Millerism" made its appearance in the church and the commu- nity, producing much excitement. More than a majority of the members were carried away with it, among them Deacon Douglass of tihe building committee. But Mr. Bayley thought it better "to occupy until the Lord came," and pressed his work to a successful completion, although general fanaticism prevailed. He held the notes of the members, and they generally honored them, so that the entire building was erected, all paid except one hundred dollars, which was shared between Deacons Bayley and Mathews; and the house was dedicated October 12, 1844, free of debt, by Rev. Supply Chase. Most of the members who had embraced " Millerism" found their way back to the church again, and became useful members. While the church was building, Rev. G. D. Simmonds preached as stated supply in the Presbyterian church, and for a short time after the church was completed. He was succeeded by Rev. Babcock, who remained about four months. The church was now without a settled pastor for about three years and a half, until thie Rev. Henry D. Buttolph was settled as pastor, April 19, 1845. In February, 1847, the church set aside the articles of faith and covenant, adopted years before, and substituted the following: "Resolved, That we consider it the duty of all those connected, or proposing to connect themselves, with this church, that they, without the least known reason, devote themselves to God, choosing the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to be their God and portion, for time and eternity, promising most solemnly to make the word of God their only rule of faith and practice." Rev. Buttolph resigned at the end of two years, and was succeeded a few months later-in July, 1847-by Rev. S. Goodman. The membership was now only eighty-five, but this was increased by sixteen at the close of Rev. Goodman's pastorate, in 1850. After seven months, in April, 1851, Rev. Samuel Cornelius became pastor, continuing three years, and resigning April 20, 1854. During his ministry the church adopted new articles of fhith and covenant, such as are now generally in use in Baptist churches, which are now the doctrines of the church. There were forty-one additions to the membership,-eighteen by baptism and twenty- three by letter. There was again a lack of harmony, several members having considerable diffi- culty with the church authorities. Under these circumstances Rev. J. Ross be- came the pastor, in May, 1854. He was a man well calculated to effect compro- mises, and succeeded in restoring harmony. In the spring of 1855 the church was blessed with another revival, resulting in more than forty baptisms, swelling the membership to one hundred and forty-nine members in 1856. Rev. Ross closed his labors in November, 1859, leaving the church with one hundred and thirty-two members. The church was again without a pastor five months, when Rev. A. Snider was called, in 1860. He was succeeded by C. G. Purrett, who remained until April 1, 1863. There were now one hundred and eight members. The church was again without a pastor over six months; then Rev. T. S. Wooden, a recent graduate of the Hamilton theological seminary, was called, and accepted September 15, 1863. He was ordained in February, 1864, and served until 1866. The actual membership of the church was now only seventy-two. In this stage of financial weakness propositions were made to unite with the HISTORY OF OAKLA church at Rochester in maintaining a pastor, but the project was- never consum- mated. Rev. J. L. De Land was the next pastor, serving the church two years, and closing his labors in April, 1869. During the following summer Elder Mendell supplied the church with preaching, and reported seventy-nine members. Rev. Wm. Hartley was called December 4, 1870. He continued pastor two years, resigning December 4, 1872. Another interval of a year and two months, in which period the church had no pastor, followed; then an arrangement was effected whereby the church was supplied in connection with the church at Birming- ham, Rev. D. Gostelow serving both churches for two years. He was followed, under a similar arrangement, by Rev. J. E. Bitting. The church is at present without a pastor, and has a membership of sixty-two. The meeting-house was repaired in 1875, and is now a plain but neat place of worship. The church has a history extending over more than fifty-two years, in which period it has witnessed several stages of decay so marked that its very existence was threatened. It has also had seven revivals, which have had great influence on its history. It has participated in fifty-three ecclesiastical councils, helped to organ- ize twenty-two churches, and has aided in many projects whereby the interests of the Baptist church were advanced. Its membership is small at present, but its usefulness has not departed, and it is but reasonable to suppose that it will yet be a positive power in Troy. A Sunday-school was organized by this church in 1830. It has been continued, with some intermissions, from that time to the present. Josephus Smith is the present superintendent. There are seventy members in the school, and it has a library of one hundred volumes. TIIE METHIIODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCIH. As early as 1827, Elder Warren, a Methodist, preached in Troy township and organized a class of those professing the doctrines of Methodism, a mile and a half east of the present village of Troy. Among the original members were the Blount families, the family of Andrew Downer, and others of that neighborhood. The class had no remarkable increase of membership, as the field was well occupied by other denominations, and the society had no place of worship except the school- house. From this time until 1860 preaching was maintained, generally in the afternoon, the society meanwhile increasing slowly in financial strength and num- bers. About this time the question of building a church was agitated, and, as some of the other societies worshiping at Troy had suspended their work, the moment was thought very opportune. A proposition to build a church cast of the village was defeated, but the old church belonging to the Episcopalians, and erected by that society in Troy, in 1837, Was purchased by the Methodists about 1862. At this time the class was served in connection with Utica, that place having the preference for the morning service. In 1867, Rev. L. H. Dean was on this circuit, and under his preaching a great revival was produced at Troy, which resulted in many additions to the membership of the society. It was now thought expedient to demand morning services for at least one-half the time, Utica to have the remaining half. This proposition was not received with any favor by the Utica members, and another, based upon the willingness of the Troy society to pay two-thirds of the pastor's salary if the entire morning services were granted, was also denied them. Convinced that the welfare of the cause demanded such a movement, the society besought conference to set the Troy charge off from Utica, and make it a separate supply. This petition was granted by the Detroit confer- ence, at its session held at Ann Arbor, August, 1868, and Rev. W. H. Benton was appointed to the new Troy circuit, which was included in the Romeo district. A few years later the Big Beaver appointment was added to the Troy charge, and is still served in that connection. Since 1868 the following reverend gentlemen have served as pastors: Wood, Baskerville, Deacon, Hedger, Houghton, and Tuttle, the present pastor, who was appointed in 1876. While Rev. Houghton was pastor in charge, in 1875, the old building was completely remodeled and enlarged, so that it is now a handsome little country church. Rev. Wm. Fox, then the pre- siding elder of the Romeo district, performed the dedicatory services on the 12th day of August, 1875. From that time the work has become fully established, and has assumed respectable proportions. The present membership is sixty-two, not including probationers. The official board consists of Stephen G. Conley, Elisha Hill, and Miles B. Clark. J. Jennings is the present class-leader. A Sunday-school is maintained by the church. Its present membership is about seventy-five. Rev. William Tuttle is the superintendent. ST. JOIIN'S EPISCOPAL CIIURCII. Following as the missionary successor of Rev. Alanson W. Welton, who came to Michigan in 1821, the Rv.Richard _F. Cadlecame, in 1824 as the repre- sentative of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, from New York to Detroit. Although assigned to all Michigan, his efforts were principally exerted ND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 293 in Detroit and vicinity, and resulted in the organization of St. Paul's church, j - Detroit, in 1824, and St. Andrew's church't Ann Arbor, in 1827. St. John's church was organized by Rev. Cadle in 1829, and is, therefore, the third Episcopal church in Michigan. Of its early membership and officers little can be said. The later history of the church was one of dissolution, and it is presumed that the records have been lost; but chief among those interested in the establishment of the church were the Niles family, Alva Butler, some of the Spragues, and, later, George A. C. Luce. The meetings were first held at the school-house, but in 1837 a neat frame church was erected in the eastern part of the village, in which services were held until about 1851. A few years later the parish became extinct, and about 1862 the church building was sold to the Methodists by the Zion church of Pontiac, the title to the property having vested in that church on the dissolution of the society at Troy. The rectors of St. John's were: from 1835 to 1813, Rev. Algernon S. Hollister 1843 to 1845, Rev. Sabine Hough; 1847 to 1850, Wmin. H. Woodward, who was the last rector employed by the church. The extinction of the parish is traceable to commercial rather than to spiritual causes. As Troy Corners declined other places became more important, notably Pontiac. Some members moved away, and the few remaining members could not bear the burden of sustaining the church alone. Its dissolution was unavoid- able, and there is nothing left of St. John's but the precious memories which cluster round it as one of the pioneer churches. TIHE PRESBYTERIAN CIIURCII. About 1831 the Rev. George Eastman began his labors as a Presbyterian mis- sionary at Troy Corners. He was a faithful, devoted minister of the word, and his labors were crowned by the organmization of a society, accepting the doctrines of the Presbyterian church, about 1833. There were twelve constituent members, among whom were Silas Sprague, Stephen V. R. Trowbridge, John Waldron, Deacon Goodale, Lyman Fuller, Henry Waldron, and A. C. Trowbridge. Stephen V. R. Trowbridge and Deacon Goodale were elected deacons, and, a short time after, Silas Sprague and John Waldron were added to the official board. The meetings were held in the school-house, alternating with those held by other societies. The membership had so much increased, principally by accessions by letter, that, in 1835, Rev. Ashabel S. Wells was called as pastor. His pastorate continued four years, and marked the most important epoch in the history of the church. His preaching, in the winter of 1835-36, promoted a revival, which extended throughout the entire town, and resulted in thirty-two accessions to the membership of the Presbyterian church. The church was now so strong, and its increasing wants so obvious, that it was determined to build a house of worship. This purpose was at once carried into effect, and a fine frame edifice was erected, at a cost of two thousand dollars, in the summer of 1837, by John Thomas and Benjamin Page. A parsonage, at a further cost of seven hundred dollars, was also built. The church was conse- crated in the fall of 1837, by the Rev. Noah M. Wells, the first Presbyterian minister in Michigan, who was at that time pastor of the church at Detroit. For some years it enjoyed a remarkably prosperous career, its membership being more than a hundred, composed of well-known families then living in Troy and Avon, some of whom remained steadfastly attached to the church as long as it had any existence. But with the development of the country and the change manifestly wrought by the decline of Troy Corners as a trading-point, as well as the losses of mem- bership by deaths and removals, came a change to the church which so much weak- ened it that it was not thought politic to continue the organization, or let the church eke out a struggling existence, when its remaining members could connect themselves with neighboring churches, which had been subsequently formed. Accordingly, the services were suspended, and in 1868 the church building was sold to the Presbyterian society of Royal Oak, whither it was removed for a meeting-house. Besides Rev. Wells, Revs. Tucker and Hill were pastors of the church, and Revs. Fairchild, Smith, and Hornell stated supplies. Thus ended the career of a church whose members were never distracted by in- ternal dissensions, where harmony and brotherly love prevailed, but whose disso- lution was caused solely by material changes outside of the church, and over which it had no control. INCIDENTS. The following account of a black-bear party is from the pen of the late Clark Beardsley: About the 10th of September, 1829, a man by the name of Samuel Williams, living one mile south and a half-mile west of Johnson Niles, went out after his cows with his dog. Hie came in contact with a bear and two cubs, about forty 294 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. rods east of Alvah Butler's corner; the dog drove the bear and cubs up a bushy swamp-oak-tree near the road. Mr. Williams took off his coat and tied it around the tree, and, leaving the dog to watch the coat and the bears, started to arouse his neighbors. In the course of a few hours sonime fifteen or twenty persons had assembled, among whom were S. V. R. Trowbridge, Samuel Satterlee, Luther Webster, Henry Blount, and Salmon J. Mathews, who was a first-rate shot. A fire was kindled, and then two messengers were dispatched to Johnson Niles' distillery, about a mile east, for two gallons of whisky. When they returned it was ten o'clock; each one then took an eye-opener, and was soon capable of shooting straight enough to miss the bear. There were some eight or nine guns, and they were frequently fired. Soon the old bear came down, and drove the dogs away, and pretty much tore the coat and pants off the person of Elijah Sanborn, in a tussle with him, and succeeded in getting away. The firing continued, and one of the cubs came down and got away. The meeting was then called to order by S. V. R. Trowbridge, and it was resolved that there should be no more firing till daylight, so as to give each one a chance to shoot at the bear. Accordingly all took a good drink and, after building a fire, lay down. It was then about twelve o'clock, and most of them were in a condition to lie quiet. Just at break of day, Luther Webster crept off quietly to some distance from the sleepers, and, firing upon the bear, brought her down, much to the dis- satisfaction of the party, each of whom wanted a shot. That was the end of the only bear-party of which there is any record. A STUBBORN PAIR OF BREECHES. The early settlers of Troy were often obliged to resort to a system of exchange, called "dicker," in order to procure what they most needed. Edward Martin thus relates his experience attending his efforts to procure a pair of breeches, and the sad fate of the unmentionables after he had worn them only a short time. Although pretty well supplied with clothing when Mr. Martin camine to Troy, in 1824, they were soon torn, running through the brush, and having no money he could get no pants, although those hlie wore were reduced to a lot of strings. In this extremity he took some of the corn he had raised to the distillery, ex- changed it for whisky, and then traded the whisky to the Indians for buckskin for a pair of breeches, and felt very proud of them when hlie had them made up. In this pleasant frame of mind hlie returned from the woods, one evening in April, to learn that he must yet go after his cows. After finding his cattle, lihe started them for home, and then wearily plodded after them. It was now quite dark, and being very tired, Mr. Martin sat down by the roadside to rest. He soon discovered that hlie had not selected the most eligible location upon which to repose his weary body, and his new buckskins were well-nigh ruined. But his wife assured him that she could readily wash them, and she did. But know- ing nothing of the nature of such goods, the water was too hot, and she had hung them by a hot fire to dry. In the morning Mr. Martin found his breeches as hard as a bundle of bones, and however much hlie tried to get them on, lihe found that they would not yield; and hlie was again breechesless. In this dilemrma the house was ransacked, and finally an old pair of cast-off pants were found, which were again pressed into service. His family provided their own clothing by spinning flax. In those days trails, bustles, and clam-shell bonnets were not worn. MORMONS AND MILLERITES. The people of Troy have not been spared the excitement which follows the vigorous preaching of a new religious doctrine. On at least two occasions they have realized to what an extremity fanaticism will reduce men who are other- wise credited with being sober-minded and deliberate in their judgment. This tht was especially noticeable at that period when " Millerism" most abounded. Placing irmplicit reliance upon the prophecies of the leaders of that sect, men of strong and well-developed minds expected the consurniation of earthly things at an appointed time, and disposed of their property at a great sacrifice, because they would not need it after the resurrection of the saints. Several parties in the township sold their cows for five dollars a head, and others turned their stock into their corn-fields. A general listlessness and apathy to business prevailed, which was not dispelled until it became too apparent that men were no judges of "times and seasons," and that Troy was, in all probability, to be the habitation of mortal beings who must follow the occupation of the thrm and the work-shop for some years longer. Not altogether unlike this was the effect produced by the dissemination of the Mormon doctrines. Although involving more sacrifices and requiring greater effort to secure the promised reward, there were some who accepted the faith with all simplicity, and became tired of the labor necessary to transftbrm the wilderness into a fruitful field. This state of mind is well illustrated by a little incident in which Rufus Beach, one of the settlers who had embraced Mormonism, was one of the actors, the other being Joseph Chase, or more generally called Uncle Joe. Passing by Beach's clearing, Uncle Joe discovered Rufus seated on a stump in his garden, with his hoe standing by his side, and the weeds growing thick among his beans. Uncle Joe was slightly addicted to stammering, which rather increased the impressiveness of his witty utterances. Calling out to Beach, Joe said, "Whu-whu-what are yu-yu doing there ?" With a long-drawn sigh Beach re- plied, " Well, I am trusting confidingly in thie Lord, who says hlie will not withhold any good thing from hinim who walks uprightly, which I am trying to do, as you well know." The response of Uncle Joe was a plain, common-sense rebuke: "Wu-wu- wu-well, Bu-Bu-Beach, yu-yu-you ne-ne-needn't thi-thii-think Gu-Gu-God wu-wu- will hu-hu-hoe yu-yu-yur bu-bu-beans in for you." Both these personages are now dead, Uncle Joe having remained here, a good citizen, Beach having followed the saints to Utah, where he died. THE WAYS OF JUSTICE. An amusing incident, illustrative of the manner in which justice was dispensed at an early day, is told of Johnson Niles. Under the Territorial laws the penalty for selling whisky to the Indians was severe, and those who dealt with them were obliged to use thIe utmost caution to prevent detection. M1r. Niles was an Indian trader, and was regarded as a chief of Nippisings, his Indian name being Ken-ne-dank. For security and protection hlie made an underground store-house for his whisky and provisions, and on one occasion a certain deacon who was not on friendly terms with Ken-ne-dunk saw an Indian emerge from this store-house with a jug in his hand. By coaxing the Indian and resorting to subterfuge the deacon got a taste of the contents of the jug, and at once proceeded to get Ken- ne-dunk indicted by the grand jury, of which body Ken-ne-dunk was himself a member. The affair created great excitement, and much interest was taken in the trial. An able counsel was procured from Detroit to prosecute the case. The grand jury convened, the testimony was taken, and was so conclusive of the guilt of Ken-ne-dunk that there seemed no escape for him. But the grand jury, fortunately, sympathized with the prisoner, and a happy thought occurred to one of the jury- men. There was no law to punish one Indian for selling whisky to another In- dian, and hlie raised the point that Ken-ne-dank being a chief among the Nippi. sings, had a right to sell a brother Indian whisky. The reasoning was sound, the vote was taken, and "no bill" was the finding. TIHE PHANTOM WOMAN. The following little incident will show how dense the forests of Troy were in some localities, and how liable the inexperienced settler was to lose himself in the very neighborhood of his home. James Bailey came to the country a bachelor; after making a small clearing and building a cabin, hie indulged a fancy that some day one of the gentler sex would share this home with him, and help him rear another of more stately proportions after the wild had been subdued. Early one foggy morning in the fall, before the memory of his dreams had vanished, Mr. Bailey started to the spring for water, when, lo! a vision presented itself to his amazed sight. Seen in the distance, it was phantom-like and weird, yet bore the image of a woman, as it stood motionless in the centre of his wheat-patch. Can it be possible, thought Mr. B., that my wish has been anticipated, and that a woman has really appeared to share with me my pioneer lot, or has my sight deceived me? Slowly he approached the object, and saw, beyond a doubt, what was clearly a night-cap, then the dress of a woman, and, lastly, the woman her- self with a pail in hand. Soon she addressed him, and said she was the wife of a new settler, who had recently come, and that in following her cow, which was uneasy while being milked, on account of the mosquitoes, she was led away from her home, until she did not have the fiintest idea of its direction, and had con- cluded that the best plan for her to follow was to go to the middle of the field and there wait until some one should chance to see her. Mr. Bailey gallantly escorted the perplexed wonman home, and a few months thereafter realized his expectations in the person of his excellent wife, whom he brought to Michigan from New York the next spring. A GIANT OAK. There were many trees of unusual size found in the primitive forests of Troy, but the tree here described was a giant among them and deserves to be per- petuated. One-half mile northwest, on the northeast quarter, section 25, once stood a swamp-oak-tree, twenty-four feet in circumference, measuring fifty feet to the first limb, which limb was one foot in diameter; at eighty-two feet from the ground another limb was growing two feet in diameter, and at ninety-six feet another limb was eighteen inches in diameter. At this last-named point the body of the tree was three feet in diameter. The top having been carried away, the exact height of the tree could not be definitely determined, but it was estimated at one hundred and sixty feet. Within a radius of twenty rods twelve trees were HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 295 fallen, being oaks and sycamores, from four to six feet diameter. Eight trees were standing at the time the measurement of this giant was taken, which were from three to four feet diameter at their bases. A few rods west, on the farm of Dr. Cantrell, an elm was cut measuring six feet diameter at the base. About eight years ago (1869) the big tree fell, being prostrated by a heavy wind. The twelve trees which were lying on the ground in its vicinity had been prostrated in the same manner, and were rotten. A FOURTH OF JULY IN 1826. Although isolated to some extent from their neighbors in the outer world, the people of Troy did not forget their fealty as Americans, and were keenly alive to the patriotic requirements of the nation's natal day. They had resolved to commemorate it in the manner predicted by the immortal Webster so far as they were able, and in true pioneer fashion when these resources had failed them. Accordingly, they met at the house of William Poppleton, on the fourth of July, 1826, with such firearms as they could command, and after having indulged in a general fusilade, the object of which was to see how much noise their guns would make, they appointed one of their number to read the Declaration of Independence and Washington's Farewell Address, to which they listened with rapt attention. After this they partook of a dinner, prepared by Mrs. Poppleton and her neighbor women, consisting of pork and beans, bread, and pumpkin-pies, having at the same time a general reunion. Following this was the burning of some more powder, and a game of base-ball, in which Alva Butler, Ira Jennings, Harry Blount, John Jones, Ira Toms, William Stanley, Orrin Sprague, Jesse Gregory, Daniel Burrows, Jesse Perrin, Ramah Cole, James Bailey, Solomon Caswell, John and James Volentine, Johnson Niles, Calvin Marvin, M. M. Toms, Pheroras Perrin, and others participated. The day was pleasantly spent, and although they had no orator to flap the wings of the American eagle and show them the greatness and power of their country, there can be no doubt they were fully imbued with this sentiment as they went to their quiet homes. The history of the township of Troy has been compiled from the official records of the town, and from the personal recollections of some of its present and former citizens, among whom are Josephus Smith, Dwight Buttolph, Andrew Ebling, James Bayley, Solomon Caswell, George Niles, A. C. Trowbridge, Rev. Tuttle, James Skidmore, Alva Butler, Mrs. Jesse Lee Stout, Hon. Henry Waldron, I-Ion. O. Poppleton, Luther Stanley, Ira Toms, William Martin, J. H. Alger, and Al- meron Gibbs. The writer tenders his thanks to these and others who have assisted him, and expresses the hope that his efforts to perpetuate the memory of Troy's pioneers will not be in vain; and hlie assures all that whatever inaccuracies this history may contain are the result of conflicting judgment and difference of opinion unavoidably attaching to a work of this nature, and not of a disposition to misstate facts. BIO GRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JOHNSON NILES. This gentleman was truly one of the pioneers of Oakland County. He identi- fied himself with it when its inhabitants numbered scarcely twoscore, and con- tinued laboring for its interests until his death, when its population numbered nearly twoscore thousands. He came to Troy when it was a vast expanse of un- broken forests; he left it when its fertile surface was dotted with homes, sur- rounded by farms fair and productive as were ever wrested from the stubborn hand of nature. Johnson Niles was born May 2, 1794, at Richfield, Otsego county, New York. His father, Samuel Niles, who was a native of Rhode Island, and a private under General Greene in the Revolutionary struggle, was wounded in an action in that State; and a brother of his held a captain's commission at the battle of Benning- ton, the sword he wore there being now preserved as a relic by the family of Johnson Niles. Young Niles grew to manhood in the State of New York, becoming, in time, a citizen of Steuben county, where he was appointed to various offices of honor and trust, among them to the position of paymaster in Colonel Archibald Campbell's battalion of State militia, Governor De Witt Clinton having signed his com- mission. In February, 1816, hlie married Rhoda Phelps, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, by whom he had a family of three ehildren,-Julia Ann, who afterwards became the consort of George A. C. Luce, Orange J., and George, at present the only survi- vor of the family. Taking his young famidly in the fall of 1821, Mr. Niles came to Michigan, and became a citizen of Troy the year following. He now began the life of a pioneer, and applied himself with great energy to make a home and a fortune in that then wild region; and, although primarily a farmer, his enterprise led him to engage in business outside of this occupation. He opened a hotel at Troy Corners, and engaged in various mercantile enterprises, as well as other pro- jects which were often more profitable to those associated with him than to hini- self. His was an active, stirring nature, which would never permit him to remain idle; and hlie was always engaged in some project whose ultimate results redounded to the good of his fellow-men. Being a man of more than ordinary intelligence, of resolution and ambition, Mr. Niles was born to be a leader among men, and was generally accorded this position in the Democratic party, of which hlie was a de- voted member. It was frequently remarked that no Democratic convention was complete without Johnson Niles; and his presence inspired courage and enthusiasm. His political services, though not of a character to distinguish him abroad, were many and long continued. In 1823 hlie was commissioned the first postmaster in Troy, a position he held without interruption until the election of General Harrison, in 1840. President Tyler re-appointed him, and hlie held the office until the election of President Pierce, when he was succeeded by his son, Orange J. In the fall of 1823, Gov- ernor Cass appointed him a county justice of the peace, and in 1831 re-appointed him for the term of three years. At the expiration of this service, in 1834, Governor George B. Porter renewed his commission, and hlie served as a justice until Michigan became a State, when he was elected to the same office for several terms. In 1826, Governor Woodbridge appointed him a commissioner in and for the county of Oakland, and he held that office several years. In 1834, Governor Porter appointed him ° inspector of provisions and fish in and for the county of Oakland ;' and at the expiration of his term commissioned him '"inspector of wheat and rye flour, buckwheat-meal, pork, beef, fish, butter, lard, domestic spirits, and pot- and pearl-ashes, for the district composed of the county of Oakland." Mr. Niles was a representative in the first legislature of the State of Michigan, and subsequently served two terms in the senate. lie was also commissioned mail agent by President Pierce, and held numerous town offices to his credit and his fellow-citizens' interests. Mr. Niles was a Royal Arch Mason, and the Masonic compeer of General Cass, Judge Burt, Levi Cook, Benjamin Woodworth, and many others of that time. Hle died, after living a most useful, eventful life, on the 23d of March, 1872, and was buried with Masonic honors, the fraternity from Pontiac, Birmingham, Rochester, and Utica attending his funeral, together with a large concourse of citizens who deeply mourned his departure. Mrs. Niles died August 1, 1864, after a life of courageous devotion to the interests of her family and service to the community, who deposited her remains near the spot where she passed her pioneer life. THE JUDD AND HASTINGS FAMILIES.* Mrs. Bctsey Judd was born in Washington, Connecticut, August 28, 1786. She was the daughter of Dr. Seth Hastings, one of the old Puritan stock, whose family settled at Boston in 1652, and among whom were the curious names of IHopestill, IWaitstill, and Standstill. About the year 1796, Dr. Seth Hastings, with his wife and seven children, emigrated to Clinton, Oneida county, New York. One of the brothers, Eurotas P. Hastings, of Detroit, was a man well known by most of the early pioneers of M1ichigan, on account of having been both cashier and president of the old Bank of Michigan, once a great power in the land. Another brother was Thomas Hastings, the eminent musical composer, and there were two others who rose to distinction in the legal profession: Orlando Hastings, of Rochester, New York, and Truman Hastings, of Cleveland, Ohio. These last three members of the family were what are known as Albinos, and remarkable for two peculiarities,- near-sightedness and wonderful memories. Dr. Seth Hastings was a practicing physician in the village of Clinton, New York, and was father ofothe wife of Rev. A. S. Wells, who will be remembered by the pioneer settlers of Michigan as a Presbyterian minister, and agent for several societies of that organization. Mr. Charles Hastings settled near Troy Corners, in this county, in the town- ship of Avon, and died on the farm where he first settled March 15, 1849. He was a teacher of music, and an enthusiast in his profession. His youngest living son is a Presbyterian clergyman of the Brockway mission church of Detroit. Each of the above-named brothers, and also the tather of Mrs. Judd, and her husband, Dr. Ehlniathan Judd, to whom she was married, in the village of Clinton, New York, in 1802, were fully imbued with the harsh Calvinistic doctrines of which Jonathan Edwards and Dr. Hopkins were the chief exponents; and all * From notes furnished by Henry A. 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Six AI'AItA ialyt, All IlAllal ta, IIAI' Ilillitlill IPA WITP annlllbly lIla. 11111. 1411, 1111 IlInIPAtI tAl ,hilA'lIlAin, XX o~L ~0-~ 0 _ 00 00 fr~ 0 0 0 00 o~ 00~~ 0 0 0 ~ ~ 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 H 0 A $ oA~ 0~0 0 0 0 0 0 ~0 o~ y o~ 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0~0 to 0$ 0 00 0 ~0 0 <0 '~ ' 0 ~o: 00 0 ~0 0 0 0~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ ~o0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 N ~ 0 0 0 0 0 ~ o~ 0000 0 0' 00~~0 ~ A 0 2 07<~ 0 N - 0 0 00 o~ 0020: 0 0 ~'0 00 0 0 00 0 2 0 0' ~ 0 A 00 0 0 0 ~0 NV 0 0 0 0 0 0 oO 0 0 o0o $00 -~ 000 too 2~oo~022~ 2o2$ 01 ~ 0 ~ ~ co. (00 '0 00 0 .0 00000 0 00 0 to 0 ~0o A $'~o oo~ o~o~o~o~ 298 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. steps of their sire, thie sons have each held the responsible and honorable posi- tions of legislators and other public trusts in their respective States. We speak thus freely of the living, because they constitute the best illustration of industry, economy, and temperance, infused by a will with which there was not even a "shadow of turning." Such was the discipline of the elder Poppleton,- not tyrannical, but severely just; not unparental, but dutiful; not exacting, but keenly alive to the best interests of his offspring. He tried to cut his "jewels"- a parent's greatest work-with a master-hand, sparing no defect, wasting no lus- tre. Far-seeing, earnest, cautious, persevering, unconquerable, was this prominent landmark and pioneer in the history of Oakland County. That he was faultless his best friends would not for a moment pretend, but while lie had a few imper- fections, lie possessed innumerable virtues,-virtues of such endearing and sterling quality that they challenged even the admiration of his enemies. In his sphere he had planned great things, and successfully executed them; where countless numbers would have failed, lie has been more than triumphant. His indomitable spirit overturned every obstacle in the conflict of life; he out- rode every storm upon its troubled sea; and, having gone to his rest,-passed for- ever from the busy stage of human action,-let the faults, if there were any, be covered, that the story of more than a common career may stand as an example to the present and coming generations, beautiful and useful. Alas ! has stern Death the old house once more invaded, Although garner'd are the buds, the bloom, and the vine ? Yet the oak which so many long years has shaded The hearthstone,-grim monster, must this also be thine? Oh, too true ! must the charm of the fireside be broken; The dear ones who have met there can linger no more; For the last loving word of affection is spoken,- The greeting, the blessing, and the parting is o'er. But, away down the future, when time shall have ended, And eternity begins its unending rounds, Shall the vase, sadly shatter'd, be cunningly mended, And the harp, all unstrung, then regain its sweet sounds. JOSEPHUS SMITH is a son of Hiram Smith, and was born in Genesee county, New York, March 27, 1822. At the age of seven, in September, 1829, lie came to Michigan with his parents, who settled in Troy, where Josephus at present resides. On the 27th of December, 1860, hlie married Jane M. Stone, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. By this union there is one child,-Harriet S.,-who is now the only member of his family besides himself and wife. Mr. Smith is a farmer, but engages in insurance to some extent, besides hold- ing various public offices, being at present supervisor of his town. He has fre- quently been called upon to serve his townsmen in an official capacity, and is one of the foremost men of Troy. A. C. TROWBRIDGE. This well-known citizen of Troy is a son of Abner and Sally Trowbridge, of Painted Post, Steuben county, New York. His mother's maiden name was Cas- taline,-an English family. The ancestry of the Trowbridges is traceable to three brothers of that name, who came from Holland to America at an early day, and settled in New York and New Jersey. The subject of this sketch is one of a family of nine children, and was born January 27, 1806. His educational privileges were limited to the common schools, which lie was permitted to attend when his services were not required on the farm. He led the life of a farmer, in New York, until September, 1831, when he resolved to go to Michigan to seek his fortune in its wilds. Arriving at Detroit on the 20th of that month, he at once proceeded to Troy Corners, in which vicinity lie has resided ever since. He now entered the store of E. W. Peck, where lie served as a clerk several years, but always having a strong desire to return to the farm. On th&i27th of February, 1836, hie married Rhoda M., daughter of George Postal, of Avon township. Mrs. Trowbridge was born November 9, 1815, at Herrington, New York, and came with her parents to Michigan in 1817. After living in Detroit two years they moved to Avon, Oakland County, being among the first settlers of the county. Immediately after his marriage Mr. Trowbridge purchased a farm on section 2, which hlie has improved and where he now resides. Here they had born unto them a family of eight children, five of whom live to bless the aged couple who so wisely counseled and directed them to become useful men and women: Sarah 0., born May 28, 1837; married John Frank. Charles P., born January 22, 1839; died August 2, 1839. Lucy P., born October 29, 1841; died September 8, 1842. James H., born January 1 0, 1 843. George W., born January 6, 1845. Frankie E., born July 8, 1847; died January 8. 1851. Ida M., born November 6, 1849; now Mrs. Samiuel Butler. Ella J., born January 11, 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Trowbridge are members of the Presbyterian church, and were connected with the society at Troy Corners until its dissolution. Although not an active politician, Mr. Trowbridge has taken a deep interest in the vital questions of our government. Casting his maiden vote for General Jackson, hIe was a stanch Democrat until the Free-Soil movement; then was one of the first in the town to act with that party. When the Republican party was organized hIe became a member of that body, and has since acted with it, although conservative in his views, and earnestly desiring the union of the North and the South. JESSE L. AND OLIVIA P. STOUT. Jesse Lee Stout was the son of David Stout, and a native of Tuckerton, New Jersey. He came from a family of remarkable longevity, being one of the fifth generation from their paternal ancestor, Richard Stout, an Englishman, who settled in New York city previous to the year 1640. The maternal ancestor was a Danish lady, Penelope von Princeps, who, with her famnily, was wrecked off Sandy Hook, where nearly all who escaped the perils of the sea were murdered by the savages on shore. The history of the early New Jersey families records the fact that Penelope, wounded and left for dead, was finally discovered and cared for by an Indian chief, who thought to get a price as a ransom from the colony in New York. After her recovery she reached her destination, where she met her future husband, Rlichard Stout. It is presumed that "Ihe loved her for the dangers she had passed, and she loved him that lie did pity them." At least, they married, raised a large family, and with it moved to Middletown, New Jer- sey, where they purchased a tract twelve miles square. Prior to the war of In- dependence this town contained more than two hundred persons bearing the family name. It is quite probable that most of the Stouts in the United States descended from the first proprietor of Middletown. Jesse Lee Stout was born in 1805, and when a mere child came with his parents to Ontario county, New York. He was educated at the Canandaigua academy, and in 1828 was married to Olivia Price Abbey, the second daughter of John Abbey, an early settler of the county. In 1831 the family removed to Michigan, settling in Troy, Oakland County, upon the southwest quarter of section 9. In 1837 the eighty acres next west on section 8 were added to the homestead, and the entire original estate is still retained by the family. Mr. Stout lived to see his adopted State rise from a Ter- ritory to the position of a State, and the primeval forest change to the culti- vated field. He died at the homestead in 1874. In his character generous and unassuming, in habits strictly temperate and industrious, in his religious life con- sistent and exemplary, hie illustrated the sterling virtues of a pure life, and in death hlie will not be forgotten. His wife, OLIVIA PRICE ABBEY, at the date of this notice, survives him. She was born in 1805, in Ontario county, New York. A pioneer in western New York, and a pioneer in Michigan, she doubly realized the meaning of the word. To the mother, whose domain is the little world of her cabin home, the privations of early settlers are well known and appreciated. The present genera- tion will never realize how much of their own comparative ease has depended upon the fortitude and bravery that nerved that mother's heart and led her to master the adverse circumstances of early settlements. Mrs. Stout has raised a family of four children,-three sons and one daughter. The latter, Ann Elizabeth, died in 1848, at the age of fifteen years. The sons, B William H., and Wilbur F., are at this writing all living. What they may yet do to make them worthy of mention in a history similar to this remains for the future. We may safely say that they will attain such distinction if they emulate their parents' virtues. BENJAMIN PAGE was born in the town of Paris, Oneida county, New York, June 6, 1813. At the age of sixteen hIe left his home, and at the age of nineteen he carried on the joiner's trade with George Tibbits, in Onondaga county. In 1836 hie moved to Troy, Michigan, where he worked at his trade for twenty-five years, then settled down as a farmer, on the Silas Sprague place, his present home. He was married, March 2, 1837, to Lorana Sprague, by whom he had eight children,-four boys-James, Henry, Frederick, and Charles-and four girls,- Harriet, Adelaide M., Sarah, and Adele. Mr. Page is a prominent man in the official business of Troy, and has been justice of the peace for twenty-four years. a °; ,!; ,., , ,,.z, ,,. ,, r. ; ,, ... h r s s a '.; ' _ , }{ i , fi .. r < r M r . ., '' ' _ ti. F a All, o r f n X s kt r a c P F r E( s . ..i V CIA I IN $ i03N301 * 0 I; 'giiip[ NOSWHOp s~,W S371A/ AJCSNHOf / / ~j;;iI~~ ~ 2.C 0.. 0i rz~ 0 0 0 0 0 ~ 0 o~ 00 0 ~ 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 ~ 0000 ~ o0 0 0 0 0~ 0 0 0 $ 0 00 000 'o 0 04 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 0 0 0 00~ 0 0; 0 0 0 ~ 0 0 0 00000 ~ 00 0~0 0 Oiy 0 ~ o'"~0~ ~ H 00~ ~ 00~0 ~0 0 0 00 ~0004 ~ 0000: v 0 0H 0 o~0~ ~0 000? ~ o~ 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 ~ c~'~0 0 00 0 0 00 00 H 0 0 m 0 0 0 0 ~0 0 ~ 0 ~ :70 0 ~ 00o0 H 0 004 0 0 ~0 0 o~ Q 00 0 oo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ 'o z 0 0 0 0 c~~' 0 0 0000 0 00 0 Z '00 0 0 ~0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 040 0 000 00 0 0 0 4"'> 0 0 04 0 0) 0 0 0 0 0 0 '0 0 "' " '0 0 0 0 ~ 0 04 0 00 0 0 0 0 0c~H' 0 0 0~ ~0 0 00 ~o 0~ 0 04 ~ 00 z 00 0 "00 0 0 o,-> 0 oO 00 0 0 0 '~ 00 0~. ~0H 0 0 0 0 00 00 0' OH 0 0 0 0 0 0 ' 0 0 0 0 0 K '0 0 0 oO 0~ 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. and camped on the lake-shore, generally staying several months. He probably went so far because the place was quiet, and both fish and game were plenty. ' Williams lake" takes its name from Ferdinand Williams, who settled on its shore in 1829. It is a beautiful sheet, having timbered shores more than half the distance around it, and possessing a clean, sandy beach. It abounds with various kinds of fish, perch being the principal representative of the " finny tribe" found in its waters. It also received a stock of white-fish two or three years since, but as it is seldom that a fish of that variety is seen in it, the success of the enterprise is somewhat doubtful. Watkins lake is named after a man named Watkins, who settled early on its south shore. The raising of dams at Waterford, Drayton Plains, and Clintonville has marred the beauty of a number of the lakes, by the consequent overflow. This is the case with Loon, Silver, Pond, Woodhull, and Mace Day lakes, and the one at Waterford village. Waterford township derived its name from the circumstance of its containing so large an area of water surface. The name was proposed by Shubael Atherton, who settled on the northwest quarter of section 25 about 1825. The entire area covered by water in the township approximates two thousand six hundred acres, besides marsh and swamp, which have a small area each. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. The first entry of land in Waterford township was made by Major Oliver Wil- liams, on the banks of Silver lake, in section 13, in 1819. His brother-in-law, Alpheus Williams, and Captain Archibald Phillips, settled the same year at the spot where the Detroit and Saginaw trail crossed the Clinton river, or the site of the present village of Waterford. David Mayo purchased land in the township on the 25th of September, 1821. Captain Chesley Blake, Harvey Durfee, and Austin Durfee purchased in 1822. Harvey Seeley, John S. Porter, Samuel Hungerford, W. M. Tappan, Thaddeus Alvord, Charles Johnson, and Joseph Voorheis purchased in 1823.* Alpheus Williams also made the first purchase of land from the government in the township of Independence, locating on section 33, adjoining his purchase in Waterford, October 10, 1823. The Williamses were prominent men in the county, and to their exertions the fact is mainly due that the region was settled so soon and so generally by an intelli- gent, industrious, and enterprising class of people. The name of Major Oliver Williams, especially, will long be known in the annals of Oakland as that of a bold, untiring pioneer. For a more complete history of the Williamses and other f'amilies, the reader is referred to the following truthful and exceedingly interesting reminiscences of early settlers, from pioneer records and other sources. MAJO" ~T -T T S AND FAMILY.t The Williams family dates back in the history of the British islands to a remote age. The name is of Welsh origin, and the descendants among the mountains of Wales claim to trace their ancestry back to the time of "Roderie the Great," king of Britain, about the year 849. J Others claim that the family has descended from Brutus, the first king of Britain, 1100 years before Christ. The famous Oliver Crkmwell is said to have belonged to a branch of this family. The earliest representative of the name in the American colonies is believed to have been Robert Williams, who emigrated from Norwich, England, and settled at Roxbury, Massachusetts, about 1638, eighteen years after the original settle- ment at Plymouth bay. / Among the noted men of this wide-spread family have been Roger Williams,' the pioneer settler of Rhode Island; Colonel Ephraim Williams, killed at the battle of Lake George, in August, 1755; General Otho Holland Williams, a prominent officer in the American army during the Revolution; Hon. Charles K. Williams, chief justice of Vermont; IIon. Norman Williams, of the same State; Hon. Archibald Williams, of Quincy, Illinois, and many others prominent in the field, in the pulpit, and at the bar. Major Oliver Williams, one of the pioneer settlers of Oakland County, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, August 6, 1774. He removed with his family fronm Concord, Massachusetts, to Detroit, Michigan, in 1815. Michigan at that time was a Territory, having been formed in 1805. Lewis Cass was the governor. Major Williams had established the mercantile business in Detroit, purchasing his goods in Boston, carting them overland in covered wagons to Buffalo, and shipping thence by water to Detroit. He ordinarily made two trips a year, on horseback, to and from Boston and Detroit. During the winter and spring of 1810--11 hlie built, at the river Rouge, a large * From an article by the late lion. Thomas J. Drake. t From notes by B. O. Williams, Esq., of Owosso, and Mrs. 31. A. Hodges, of Pontiac. sloop, which he named the "Friend's Good-Will," and in the early summer of 1812, just previous to the breaking out of the war between the United States and Great Britain, made a voyage to Mackinaw, acting in the capacity of supercargo. At Mackinaw his vessel was chartered by the government to take military stores and supplies to the garrison at Chicago, then a small military and trading station. She was also to bring back a cargo of skins and furs for the government. The commanding officer at Mackinaw, Lieutenant Hanks, furnished the major with a box of ammunition, twelve stand of arms, and a non-commissioned officer and six men, as a guard against the Indians, who were even then openly hostile, and it was known that war was imminent. Upon his return from Chicago he was decoyed into the harbor of Mackinaw, which had in the mean time been captured by the British, and made a prisoner. His cargo was of course taken possession of for the benefit of the British government, on account of his vessel being under a government charter. The name of the vessel was changed to "Little Belt," and formed a part of Commodore Barclay's squadron, captured the next year by Perry on Lake Erie. At the time of the battle she mounted three guns. She was burned at Buffalo the following winter. Major Williams was paroled and sent to Detroit, and was present at Hull's sur- render, and after General Winchester's defeat in January following hlie was sent east, with most of the business men of Detroit, before the arrival of General Har- rison's army. After Winchester's defeat, many of the prisoners, some badly wounded, were brought to Detroit by the Indians, and offered for a ransom. Major Williams ransomed several, and afterwards received from the United States government fifty-six dollars, being the amount hlie had paid for two Kentuckians. These were certified to by the proper papers. Several others were ransomed, but the technical vouchers not being given, he received nothing for them. For his vessel and prop- erty taken by the British he never received any compensation, and the amount remains unpaid to the present time. The amount of his business interests de- stroyed by the war may be estimated from the fact that his purchases in Boston the year preceding the war amounted to $64,000. In the fall of 1815, Mrs. Williams left Concord, Massachusetts, with her family of eight children, the oldest not yet fourteen years of age, to join her husband in Detroit. The family traveled with a spring carriage, and their goods followed in a four-horse covered wagon, to Buffalo, where they took passage for Detroit on board a small schooner named the " Mink." They arrived safely at Detroit after having been obliged to lay to at Put-in bay for several days, on account of stormy weather. When passing Malden the vessel was fired upon by drunken Indians, who had gathered in thousands to receive their annual presents from the British agents. Luckily, the shots flew wide, and no one on board was injured. The schooner cast anchor a mile below the fort, and the family were taken on shore in boats. They walked up past the fort, whose frowning guns, pyramids of balls, and strong stockade with its heavy gates, were all new and strange to them. The people all turned out to see the Yankees, and as they passed along by the curious one story and story-and-a-half French houses the women greeted the little ones with a kiss, saying, " Ahl, mon petite Bostoien !" Detroit then contained only three brick buildings, and the resident population was probably about one thousand, exclusive of the United States troops. In 1816 many families who had left Detroit during the war returned, and Governor Cass brought his family to reside there. Alpheus Williams, a brother-in-law of the major, also brought his family. The season of 1816 was remarkably cold throughout the United States, and provisions were very high. Potatoes went up to two dollars per bushel, and whisky sold at two dollars per gallon. The currency was mostly what was called " cut money,"-that is, a Spanish dollar, for instance, was cut into halves, quar- ters, and eighths, which passed current for small change. On the 14th day of August, President James Monroe visited Detroit, and was received with public honors. The buildings were illuminated in the evening, and there was general rejoicing. Major Williams' youngest son was born on that day, and named, in honor of the president, James Monroe Williams. The first steamboat upon Lake Erie, the " Walk-in-the-Water," visited Detroit in the summer of 1818. She was a great wonder to the Indians, and when she blew off steam many of themni fled to the woods, believing, as some waggish Frenchman had told them, that it was the "Bad Spirit," right from his fiery home. The fall of 1818 witnessed one of the first settlements of Oakland County. In the latter part of September of that year, Major Williams, Calvin Baker, Jacob Eiletc, and, it is believed, Colonel Beaufait, together with Mrs. Oliver Williams and Mrs. Alpheus Williams, made a journey to Oakland County, on horseback. They had a French guide along, who was probably familiar with the country, and followed the Indian trail towards Saginaw, which crossed the wa-seepe (the Clinton rh'r about where Saginaw street now crosses in the +r, -  e ~N -zz  HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 301 I city of Pontiac. The two women were believed to be the first white women who had ever voluntarily visited the region now known as Oakland County. The party found the country most beautiful from Royal Oak to the present site of Waterford, and literally alive with all kinds of game,-beast, bird, and fish. An extract from Alexis de Tocqueville's " Fortnight in the Wilderness" is appropriate in this connection, giving as it does a graphic picture of the country as it appeared to the first settlers and those who visited it for pleasure: "After we left Mr. Williams' we pursued our road through the woods. From time to time a little lake (this district is full of them) shines like a white table- cloth under the green branches. The charm of these lonely spots, as yet unten- anted by man. and where peace and silence reign undisturbed, can hardly be im- agined. I have climbed the wild and solitary passes of the Alps, where nature refuses to obey the hand of man, and, displaying all her terrors, fills the mind with an exciting and overwhelming sensation of greatness. The solitude here is equally deep, but the emotions it excites are different. In this flowery wilderness, where, as in Milton's paradise, all seems prepared for the reception of man, the feelings produced are those of tranquil admiration,-a soft melancholy, a vague aversion of civilized life, and a sort of savage instinct, which causes you to regret that soon this enchanting solitude will be no more. "Already, indeed, the white man is approaching through the surrounding woods; in a few years hlie will have felled the trees now reflected in the limpid waters of the lake, and will have driven to other wilds the animals that feed on its banks." The party selected their lands in the vicinity of Silver lake, searched out the surveyors' lines, and marked the corners. There are three lakes closely connected in this vicinity, called at the present time Loon, Silver, and Upper Silver, lakes. The Indian name for Loon lake, and it possibly included the others, was Nis-so- ga-mong-ne-bing, "place, or lake, of the three loons." The Indian name for lake was ne-bing, and for river or creek se-pee or se-bee. After an absence of three or four days the party returned, carrying many sp-icimens of the shrubs and flowers of the region. Their report electrified the staid, quiet inhabitants of Detroit, among whom the belief was general that the interior of Michigan was a vast impenetrable and uninhabitable wilderness and morass. The exploring party entered their lands at the United States land-office, the price being at that time two dollars per acre, only a part of which was required to be paid at the time of purchase. The succeeding autumn and winter were remarkably warm and open, scarcely any frost or snow being seen until March. Major Williams during the winter built on his land at Silver lake a double log house, fifty by twenty feet in dimen- sions, one and a half stories in height, and in March, 1819, moved his family from Detroit to their new home in the wilderness. The journey is graphically described by Mrs. Hodges, a daughter of Major Williams, from whose notes we quote: "In the early part of March, the fifth day, I think, at seven o'olock in the morning, we left Detroit, all snugly packed in two sleighs. There was a light fall of snow, about six inches, perhaps, but there was no frost in the ground. There was not much road, only the Indian trail. We arrived at Royal Oak at sundown, and stayed at Wm. Thurber's overnight. Mr. T. had built a small log house, and lately moved in a family to keep house for him. The lady had several children, but she generously divided her house with my mother and her nine children. There was but one room in the house, and she gave us one side of the fire-place, occupying the other herself. Each soon gath- ered.her flock into her corner. The fire-place was in the old Dutch style, extend- ing entirely across one end of the dwelling. This feature was extremely novel to us all. After a good warm supper, the beds were made on the floor and all camped for the night, but did not sleep much, for we were too full of play,- amusing ourselves looking through the 'chinks' between the logs, counting the stars, watching the moon, and listening to the hooting of owls, the barking of foxes, and the howling of wolves, while every now and then a 'hush, children !' came from our dear, good mother. We finally passed the night, and at daybreak were astir. A big' back-log,' ten feet or more in length and two feet in diameter, was rolled in by two men, and a rousing fire built that heated the whole habita- tion. After a hearty breakfast the teamsters called out,' All aboard for Pontiac!' and soon we were snugly packed for another day's journey. The day was bright and warm, the snow melting a little, and we arrived at Dr. Swan's about ten o'clock in the forenoon, near the present village of Birmingham. The doctor had erected a simple 'shanty' and moved his family in a few days before. Here we halted for a few minutes, to chat and exchange compliments, of which I re- member nothing, excepting that when we parted from them I saw mother, Mrs. Swan, and Mrs. Dale (her daughter) all in tears. "These ladies were real pioneers, and were well known by their repeated kind- nesses to the early settlers of Oakland County. "At noon we arrived at the famous town of Pontiac, situated on the Not-ta- wa-se-bee (or crooked river), as the Indians called it. "The town then consisted of one little log house, containing three families and a few workmen, who were felling the oak-trees for timber to construct the Pontiac mill, which, I think, was the first flouring-mill in the State, and the first propelled by water-power, all others being wind-mills.* At this house we took dinner, which was spread on boards laid on barrels. '" Some sat on rough stools, while others stood up and waited their turn. All was gay and generous hospitality. After dinner we re-embarked and, bidding all a hearty 'good-by!' left the prosperous little town for Silver lake, where we arrived about four o'clock P.r. "The workmen had occupied a little log shanty while building the house for the family. The latter was in an unfinished state,-the logs were all up and the roof was on and a rough floor laid down, but the gable-ends were not finished, and there was no hearth but the ground. The walls were' chinked' but not plastered, the material for this last work being clay-mortar. This house was quite aristo- cratic, being fifty feet long and twenty wide, with a ten-foot hall running through the middle. The front door opened to the south and the back door towards the lake. In the hall was a closed staircase leading to a half-story room above, and also down into the cellar, which was thirty feet long and twenty wide. It was walled up with square timbers laid closely together and made very tight, to guard against wild animals and snakes, which were everywhere abundant and exceedingly troublesome. Rats were unknown for some years. "Our first night in our forest-home was a great novelty to us. A field-bed was spread on the loose floor, and a large fire built on the earthen hearth,-which hearth was replaced by one made of clay as soon as the material could be obtained in the spring. Carpets and blankets were nailed up to protect us from the weather, and we were very comfortable, and our good tfather made us happy by telling us that we had the largest and best house in the country; so we fell asleep talking about the big fire, the big logs of which the house was made, and all the strange things and wonders around us." The rumbling of the cracking ice upon the lake, as it contracted, alarmed the children until they became accustomed to it, but the greatest scare of all was when the Indians visited the family. They were eneamped at various places in the neighborhood, and came to pay their respects to the " Yankees" and become acquainted with the new-comers. They were all introduced and shook hands, and the chief kissed all around. The next autumn the family were all sick with the ague, but the Indians were exceedingly kind and attentive,-one squaw in particular coming daily for weeks, bringing simple remedies, and also venison, birds, honey, maple-sugar, and wild berries, with which the country abounded. The husband of this squaw, who was a great hunter, was finally killed in a terrible fight with a bear in 1824, and was buried on Major Williams' farm. The squaw died near Chesaning about 1873. In the fall of 1819, Governor Cass made a treaty at Saginaw with the Indians, and on his return stopped overnight with the Williams family. "In the fall of 1820 the Indian chief and tyrant of all the Saginaw bands,- the dreaded Kish-lor-ko,-encamped on our farm, and, accompanied by his old men councillors and a body-guard of armed braves, came to the house and de- manded to be furnished with two barrels of flour and one of pork, which we did not have. But after a smoke from a pipe of peace (one of which my father had), and a few speeches that were interpreted by a Mr. Riley, my father freely offering them what the Great Spirit had given us from the earth, consisting of corn, pota- toes, and pumpkins, then in the field, Kish-kor-ko ordered about twenty men and squaws to go with Riley and my oldest brother and gather what was necessary to feed them, and then proceeded to name my father, calling him " Che-Pontiock,'"t and adopted him as a brother, saying our family should belong to lHis people, which was solemnly confirmed by a shaking of hands by all the old men with every one of the family, and kissing each on the left cheek. After another smoke all around, including father, each taking a few whiffs from the two long-stemmed pipes, one of which was Kish-kor-ko's, both passed around by his pipe-bearer, each of the old men was presented with a plug of tobacco by Pontiock, and the chief with a double portion and some more for distribution among his braves. Then this solemn council broke up, and from that day no member of our family ever lost anything by theft, or was treated with any indignity by Indians from the Sagi- naws, although we became the pioneer settlers of Genesee, Saginaw, and Shaiwassee counties,-of Genesee in 1824, Saginaw in 1826, and Shiawassee in 1831."1 Major Williams' family were all (except himself) prostrated with ague in July, * There were mills about Detroit at a very early day,-1753 or earlier,-both water- and wind-power. f The name, Pontiock, seems to have been given by the Indians as a title, meaning an im- portant personage. From a document prepared by B. O. Williams, Esq., of Owosso. 302 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1819, and every settler in the region shared the same fate. At first the chill came on every second day, but soon the attack became daily and continued for months, until the cool weather in the fall checked it somewhat, and through the winter they were comparatively exempt from the scourge; but the return of hot weather again brought it around, and for years the early settlers of Michigan en- dured privations and plagues and sickness equal to any ever experienced in any other part of the continent. Whole settlements were prostrated, and there were not well ones enough left to half take care of the sick, and the people suffered for the lack of some one to do cooking and washing. The women in Detroit were loath to leave comfortable homes and venture into the sickly, inhospitable wilderness. In the fall of 1819, Mrs. Alpheus Williams came out from Grosse point, ten miles above Detroit, and brought a woman with her; and they found plenty to do. They brought some fresh beef with them and made broth for the poor, sickly, half-starved people; and then they went to work and washed up the wearing ap- parel which had been accumulating for months, there not being a man or a woman able to wash, with the exception of Major Williams, and hlie could not get time among his multifarious duties. The Indians were very kind, but they could not at, tend to household duties. The major did everything, even to making bread, but hlie finally got discouraged and made up his mind to leave the place,-at least long enough for his family to recover their usual health,-but his wife said no; they had got over the worst of it, and she did not want to take her boys back to De- troit. She would rather stay with the Indians, for they would at least learn no immorality from them. As the cool weather came on in the autumn the disease gradually abated, and the winter ivhs passed very pleasantly. Game was very plenty, deer being fre- quently shot from the door, and the lakes swarmed with wild fowl. Snakes were a great annoyance, the blue racers in particular, which species grew to an enormous size. Major Williams sent quite a number of their skins, stuffed, to Boston and Ann Arbor museums. Annually the British and American governments paid the Indians their annui- ties, which consisted, to a considerable extent, of silver coin, which they exchanged for their winter supply of clothing. Theft was unknown among the Indians, and their silver could hang in pails or buckets for months fromnt the rafters of their cabins, and not be disturbed. The only things the Indians purloined were pro- visions. They evidently looked upon the taking of a few potatoes or roasting-ears as a matter of no moment; but they never entered a house to steal anything. They used often to come and dance the fearful war-dance around the white chil- dren, who became familiar with them and rapidly learned their language. There were no cooking-stoves in those days, all the cooking being frequently done out of doors by a log fire. Turkeys were roasted by hanging them on a string before the fire, and bread was baked in iron bake-kettles, and pies and cakes in the same way. Afterwards, ovens built of clay were substituted,and it is doubtful if the most elaborate cuisine of the present day can produce more tempting cook- ing than that turned out from these primitive kitchens. Everybody, unless sick, had an appetite which relished whatever was eatable, and the plain but substan- tial and nutritive food of pioneer days was conducive to a vigorous and robust life. The thousand-and-one luxuries and little conveniences of the present day were almost unknown. A single darning-needle frequently did the mending for an entire neighborhood, and the children often went a mile to bring one home which had been loaned to a neighbor. There was often a great scarcity of pins for household purposes, and when this was the case recourse was had to the wild thorns which seem to have been found plentifully in all the northern States. A single veteran thorn-apple tree would supply a neighborhood with a no mean substitute for the universal pin now in use. " Yon aged thorn, would he could tell The wonders of his parent dell." Major Williams kept a sort of trading-post, where the Indians could find the various kinds of goods which best suited their fancy,-broadeloths, blue, red, and green shawls, thread, needles, beads, gay and fancy-colored calicoes, ribbons of all shades, etc. The squaws were quite ingenious, and trimmed blankets, leggings, moccasins, and other apparel with much taste, expending a-great amount of labor upon them. INDIAN COURTSHIP. We give an extract from Mrs. Hodges' recollections of an Indian courtship, as something which will no doubt be interesting to the young people, at least, and especially to young ladies contemplating matrimony. She says,- "I first noticed a young Indian, about twenty years of age, visiting a camp near our house. Hie came every morning about ten o'clock, sat on a log, or leaned against a tree, and played a sort of flute of his own making, constructed from red cedar. I noticed his tune was ever the same,-wild and plaintive, well calculated to captivate the modest but savage maiden, as time proved. I went to the camp one day and inquired for Mash-quett. They told me he had gone away. I had missed him for several days. While we were talking the young man made his appearance with a deer on his back, which hlie laid down a little way from the door of the camp. Not a word was spoken for several minutes, when the mother of the girl went to thie door and commenced dressing it. The young man then came to the camp-door, and handed the father a package contain- ing a variety of muskrat, sable, and mink skins. At first I supposed they were making a trade, but soon comprehended that the dusky wooer was simply endeavor- ing to prove his ability to support a family in a manner becoming the customs and usages of his nation. "When the deer was cut up the mother made a soup, and invited the young man into her wigwam to partake with them, by which act, according to Indian customs, hlie was acknowledged as their son. A few days thereafter the young couple left for their home near Grand Blanc." FIRST FRAME BARN IN OAKLAND COUNTY. "In 1820 my father built a frame barn on his farm at Silver lake,-the first one in the county,--and it is still standing in a good state of preservation. The boards with which it was inclosed were all sawed from the log by hand. At the time of the ' raising' men came from long distances,--from M)t. Clemens, Detroit, Royal Oak, Rochester, and Pontiac. The barn was a large one for those days, and the fifty men who were present worked for three days in putting up the frame, and had a grand time. Pork and beans, bread, cheese, and doughnuts, tea, and coffee, with occasionally something a little stronger, were liberally served, and a more jolly or happier set of men I do not remember of ever seeing. For once there was perfect equality; judges, lawyers, physicians, merchants, mechanics, and farmers, all met on a common level, worked, ate, and slept together, and together rejoiced over the work which their hands had accomplished. " With the breaking of a few bottles of choice cider, they departed, each for his own fireside, never to forget the first frame-barn raising in Oakland County." * Horses fared badly in the new country. The wild hay did not seem to agree with them, and tame hay had to be brought from Ohio, or still farther away, in bales to Detroit, and from thence transported in wagons or carts inland over the worst roads in the country. Flies of various kinds, from the small but intolerable gnat to those aptly denominated " horse-flies," the size of a "bumble-bee," tormented all domestic animals terribly. In addition, the most common pest of all-the bloody mosquito-" put in his bill," and helped to literally bleed the poor brutes to death. The tough little Canadian ponies were the only animals of the horse kind that could withstand these pests and thrive on the wild herbage of the country, and gradually they took the place of the larger and finer animals from the eastern States. Another terrible pest was the squirrel, who ate up all the corn as fast as planted; or if any chanced to escape his cunning eyes and paws, innumerable swarms of blackbirds gathered it as it ripened in the fall. All small grains shared the same fate. Everybody, even to the women and children, were taught to use firearms as a means of defense against wild animals and pestiferous birds. When the people finally succeeded in raising a little corn, it became necessary to have some means of turn- ing. it into meal, and Major Williams at length procured a " Virginia corn- mill," which was simply a huge coffee-mill fastened to a stake or a tree, and turned by means of two cranks, one on each side. The hopper held about a bushel of corn. This mill was free to all the settlers, and answered a very good purpose, in the absence of something better. Wild honey-bees were very plenty, and the products of their industry were eagerly sought after in the hollow trees of the forest. They were greatly bewildered when flying by the discharge of fire- arms, and often came to the ground, and were easily captured and housed. A SLEIOII-RIDE. In 1823 the oldest daughter of Major Williams married Rufus Stevens, and in June of the same year the couple emigrated to Grand Blanc, and became the first settlers in Genesee county. In the fall of the same year Mr. Jacob Stevens also removed with his family to Genesee county. In the month of January, 1826, the young people of Pontiac organized a sleighing party, for the purpose of visit- ing the Stevenses in their new home. The party consisted of fourteen, and made the trip in one double sleigh, two cutters, and two jumpers. They left Silver Lake about seven A.M., and took dinner from their own lunch-baskets at the Big springs, about midway between Silver Lake and Grand Blanc. They arrived at Mr. Stevens' about sundown, after a pleasant ride of thirty-five miles. On their arrival the company divided, and filled both the dwellings occu- pied by the Stevens families, which were about a half-mile apart. After a hearty supper, the entire company repaired to the house of Rufus Stevens, which was. * From Mrs. Hodges' recollections. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 303 ----- only fourteen by twenty feet in size, yet they managed to all get inside, and a more enjoyable evening was probably never spent by any of the party. The chief orator and story-teller seems to have been Colonel David Stanard, who had a rich fund of anecdotes and amusing stories. The next day was spent in social visiting, and the second evening the party as- sembled at the house of Jacob Stevens, where they were joined by all the young people of the vicinity,-in all two couples,-and after a pleasant evening a grand supper was spread, and enjoyed with that keen relish which only the backwoods settler knows. The next day at sunrise everybody was astir, and, after an early breakfast, the party bade farewell to their friends and turned their faces homeward, arriving at Waterford about five p.xr., where they stopped for the night. After a warm supper, the evening was pleasantly passed in games of whist and other amusements, and after one more night "abroad" the company were again under way, and arrived at Silver Lake about nine o'clock A.3J., where they were refreshed with a hot mug of 'flip," after which they separated for their respective homes, somewhat tired, but all satisfied with their four days' experience and enjoyment. Thus ended the great sleigh-ride of 1826. As a matter of interest to many, we append a list of the members composing this famous party. Colonel David Stanard, Miss Sylvina Stanard, Origen D. Richardson, Miss Lavina Beach, Gideon O. Whittemore, Miss Sarah Comstock, Elias Comstock, Miss Lucy Sampson, Schuyler Hodges, Miss Mary A. Williams, Ephraim S. Williams, Miss Eunice Stevens, Gardner D. Williams, Miss Martha Stevens. According to Mrs. Hodges' recollection, the first celebration of New Year's day was on the first day of January, 1823, at the house of Judge Davis, in Rochester, with music and a grand New Year's ball and supper in the evening. The parties from Waterford, Silver Lake, and Pontiac started for the grand rendezvous very early in the morning, and rode for hours in a snow-storm, but in spite of storm and obscure roads, they succeeded in getting together about all the young people in the county, amounting to about sixty. A part of the company did not arrive until the regular supper was over, but they joined in the dance in a crowded room until about twelve o'clock, when hot whisky-punch and cake were passed around for refreshment, and then "the night drave on wi' sangs and clat- ter" until daylight, when the party broke up. The horses were obliged to stand out all night, on the leeward side of the house, sheltered as much as possible by robes and blankets. Several of the party came with ox-teams, and these fared no better than the horses. The bill was twenty-five cents per couple, and was paid without a murmur. The next New Year's found the same fun-loving party at the house of Judge Bagley, at Bloomfield Centre, where lie kept tavern in a large frame house con- taining a bar-room, dining-room, and commodious sleeping-rooms in the upper story. The bar-room was used for the dancing-hall, and after supper the dining- room was cleared, and both occupied by the "gay and festive" party, who "made a night of it," all ages joining, and enjoying themselves in the highest degree. These pleasure-parties, together with Fourth of July celebrations and "general trainings," constituted the holidays of the time. A dance once a year was con- sidered about the proper thing. In the warm months the pastimes consisted of logging-bees, house-raisings, and fighting the forest-fires, which oftentimes became quite destructive, burning the cheap brush-fences, improvised until they could build better ones of rails, and sometimes destroying an out-building. The young men of those days came to Oakland, many of them on foot, with an axe and knapsack, and commenced making a home by cutting down the forest, chip by chip, and at first putting up a small shanty to keep "bachelor's hall" in, then burning all the timber for the ashes, which they sold to the "ashery men," who came in and put up buildings for the manufacture of pot- and pearl-ashes. This was the first product of their lands, and enabled them to purchase groceries and oftentimes their breadstuffs. Inferior and discouraging as these beginnings were, many of those young men are now wealthy farmers, and their sons are fill- ing positions of honor and trust, the gift of the people. Well may the pioneers, and especially the farmers, of Oakland County indulge in a just and noble pride when they behold the progress of two generations. Many a home on the far-off Pacific coast has been planted by an Oakland boy, whose spirit of energy and enterprise gives abundant evidence that lie is indeed a "true son of a noble sire." Sickness was the greatest obstacle which the settlers had to encounter. Mrs. Hodges says that before she was sixteen years of age she has walked miles to take care of the sick, and sat up many a night watching with the dying and the dead in Pontiac when the only sound to break the stillness of the night was the chirp of the August "cricket upon the hearth." Many families in Pontiac and Auburn buried all their children with the dreadful fevers that desolated the whole coun- try, and many children lost both parents, and had to be sent to their friends in the east for care and protection. The dead were frequently buried with few words and little ceremony,-a chap- ter in the Bible and a hymn read, with a few simple words,-and the cold earth covered those who had ended their earthly toils. As an evidence of the hardships endured, and the horrors with which the early settlers were environed, the following incident, related by Mrs. Hodges, is given: " One night about eleven o'clock I heard voices and horses' footsteps at the door, and as I opened it a young Frenchman stood before me, who asked for Major Williams. I told him he had retired, when he said, 'I have a corpse at the gate, and I wish to stay all night.' My whole frame trembled with fear. I called my father, and the matter was arranged that they should stay in the barn with the corpse, which they had brought from Shiawassee county, some seventy miles, packed and lashed on the back of an Indian pony, and were going to Detroit, twenty-eight miles farther, to give it a Christian burial with the rites of the Catholic church." "DANIEL S. JUDD, * an early pioneer, was born in Watertown, Litchfield county, Connecticut, May 11, 1778, and was the oldest son of Thomas and Mercy Judd. The family moved from Watertown to Harpersfield, New York, when Daniel was but seven years old. They afterwards moved into Otsego county, thence to Chenango county, thence to Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, thence back to Ontario county, New York, and lastly into Mayfield, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where the head of the family died in August, 1820, aged seventy-six years. The widow died at Wil- loughby, Lake county, Ohio, in 1840, at the advanced age of ninety years. "In the spring of 1799 or 1800, Daniel S. Judd, accompanied by his brother Thomas, left Ontario county, New York, to visit the ' Connecticut Western Re- serve,' traveling on foot, and depending mainly upon their skill as hunters to fur- nish them with necessary supplies. They visited Cleveland, with its then three log houses,-one a tavern, kept by a man named Carter, and the other two occu- pied for dwelling purposes. At that time they could have bought the site of the present city as cheaply as they afterwards purchased in the town of Mayfield, in the same county. "They traced the shore of Lake Erie as far as Cleveland, from which point they turned southward, and struck the head-waters of the Muskingum river, fol- lowing it down until it became large enough to float a canoe, when they stopped and made a craft of that description, and floated down the stream as far as Coshoc- ton. Here Thomas Judd was taken sick, and did not recover till some time in September, having neither doctor nor medicine. By the time he became able to walk five miles they started on the return trip. As the convalescent's strength increased, the distance traveled daily proportionately lengthened, and they finally reached their home on the west bank of Seneca lake late in the fall, making fifty- four miles the last day of their journey. During their absence they had worn out their clothes and had improvised suits of deer-skin. "Deer were extremely abundant along the Muskingum, and by placing a torch in the bow of their canoe, and floating down the river in the night, they could kill all they cared to, the animals keeping in the water to get rid of the mosqui- toes, which were very large and abounded in swarms. "The stay of the brothers at home was short. The abundance and variety of game on the reserve, together with good soil and fine timber, had determined them to make it their home. The next spring (1800 or 1801) they again left home, and on reaching the reserve Daniel purchased a farm nine miles above Cha- grin (now Willoughby), and Thomas two miles above, both on the Chagrin river, and about sixteen miles east of Cleveland. As soon as they erected their log houses the family moved in from Ontario county, New York. "After game began to get a little scarce about the settlement on the Chagrin river, the two Judds and another hunter by the name of Holmes planned a hunt over on the head-waters of the Cuyahoga river, at an old trading-post. Daniel led the way a day or two before the others. Thomas and Holmes, ih going over, came across a new settler who had cut his foot very severely, and they tarried with him a few days, so that Daniel had been on the ground a week when they reached the post. The log house was unoccupied, save by eighteen deer hung up on its sides; lie had killed twenty-one deer and brought them all in but three. A good tracking-snow lay on the ground. Holmes thought there must be a dozen Indians hunting in the neighborhood, but Thomas examined the tracks about the old house and said there was no one there but Dan, as he made a peculiar track, having a short, thick foot. When Daniel came in, one of the number was sent home after a team. The saddles and skins were taken home, the surplus meat dried, and some of it salted for future use. The neighbors sent out a team and brought in the rest for their own use. " During the first trip of the brothers to the reserve they formed the acquaint- ance of a reckless, venturesome man named John Salter. He had been down the * From an article furnished by D. M. Judd, of Waterford. 304 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I Mississippi for the purpose of joining with a bandit crew then operating in the Gulf of Mexico, but before reaching them he was afflicted with a white swelling on his leg, which a Spaniard, with characteristics like himself, cured by cutting to the bone with his knife and scraping it. When Salter had recovered, the ban- dits had been captured and dispersed, and he, charmed with the freedom of a life in the wilds of the west, ever afterwards encamped with his family in the woods, or roved about in a canoe on the rivers and lakes, hunting and fishing as a sole means of subsistence. "As early as 1808 the number of settlers on the reserve had increased consid- erably. Clearings were multiplying rapidly. Love of adventure and of the woods made the subject of this sketch restless, and, accompanied by his brother Freeman, hlie started that year with no determined destination, save some vast wilderness. They brought up at Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, in Michigan Territory. Here it would seem that his untamed nature had learned of some necessaries which the wilds did not afford,-some wants begotten of limited civilization and social life,-and to procure them hlie worked a little at blacksmithing for a man by the name of Carlin. "In the spring of 1809 the brother-Freeman-suddenly sickened and died. A singularity about his death was that he had predicted the time some years pre- viously. This event seized upon the mind of Daniel Judd with wonderful effect. He regarded it as the great affliction of his life, and it determined him to return home, which he did, alone in a canoe, by going down the river Raisin and coast- ing along the lake-shore to the mouth of the Chagrin river, and up that to his home. From this time until 1812 hlie remained at home, improving his farm. War was declared, and his first discharge shows that hlie enlisted the day after that event was known, and went into camp at Cleveland. "Truly a woodsman, inured to hardships and camp-life, hlie was a valuable re- cruit for those times. Here lie came into contact with another character as rare as himself, named Jonathan Williams, a man who held fear in perfect contempt. Williams' first remark when he came into camp was,' I am glad war is declared, for now all the Indians that are killed will not be laid to me.' He would kill an Indian whenever there was an opportunity to do so and escape detection. His parents lad been murdered by them, and hlie nurtured an implacable hatred towards the red race, and lost no opportunity to wreak the vengeance of an outraged and irascible nature. "The Indians soon made their appearance at Sandusky, and the inhabitants left that place and came to Cleveland. Scouting was an important duty, and Judd and Williams were regarded as the very best material for it in camp. They made several trips to Sandusky in that capacity. On one occasion reports came in that the British and Indians were at Sandusky, gathering the grain left by the settlers and carrying it away. Judd and Williams were sent out to ascertain the facts, and learned that a few Canadians and Indians had come over in boats, thrashed out a little wheat, and gone away. They found an Indian's bark canoe, tied with a piece of basswood bark, up the creek, and secreted themselves to watch for the return of the owner, but none came. At night they loaded it with apples and returned to Cleveland. The apples were a great treat to the officers and soldiers. " A bark canoe is a light and frail craft, and must be fastened so as to float in the water, or taken out entirely. This one was tied to a stake in the river, and was an object of curiosity to all. A ruffled-shirted officer, of pompous mien, came down to see it, stepped into it and walked to the stern, and, while noting its construction, it skipped from under him, and plunged him in the muddy water of the stream, much to the amusement of the soldiers. " Ir. Judd's first enlistment expired at the end of six months. During this period there was no permanent occupation of Sandusky. He afterwards enlisted again as a substitute for his younger brother, Philo. During his second term of service Fort Stevenson was built at Sandusky, and he aided in its construction. Simon Perkins commanded the fort. At this time General Harrison was besieged in Fort Meigs, on the Maumee, and there was no communication between the two fortifications. From Fort Stevenson sundry parties had started with dispatches to General Harrison, but the farthest any of them had gone was the Portage river, half-way through. Some did not get more than ten miles away, and were either killed or driven back by the Indians. Matters were looking exceedingly serious, when some one said to Perkins that Judd could go through. Perkins went to Judd, and asked him his price to go to Fort Meigs. He replied that he could not be hired, but, if it were necessary, hlie would undertake to carry his dispatches to General Harrison. On being asked how many men hlie wanted, lie said one was sufficient. He wanted Williams, but as hlie was not there, hlie selected Ephraim Rose, as the next best choice. They dressed in Indian style, with moccasins, Indian blankets carried in Indian fashion, and handkerchiefs tied on their heads, thus resembling Indians as much as possible. They left Fort Steven- son about midnight of the 3d of May, 1813. There were a road and a trail run- ning from point to point, sometimes in close proximity to each other, and in other cases two or three miles apart. They avoided both, as they were closely watched by Indians. At night they would turn at right angles from their general course, travel a mile or two, and encamp. By doing this they would escape the Indians who might be following. " They reached the Portage river without difficulty, but the stream was bank full, and how to cross it was the question. They were below both the road and the trail, the latter being nearer them, and they approached the trail with great caution, and discovered between it and them two Indians watching the ford. They retreated down the river unobserved by the Indians, who were watching in an opposite direction. They found a fallen chlm which had broken in two parts, one part being still held to the stump by a splinter, which they could not break. The detached part was carried to the river, cross-pieces and bark procured for fastenings, and then the other part was cut from the stump with a hatchet, mak- ing a noise which seemed to them as loud as the boom of a cannon. They made quick work in finishing the raft and crossing the stream, and no delays were in order until they were several miles distant from the place where they had made such a noise. It was just night when they crossed the river, and they traveled two hours before encamping. " The next morning they turned their course towards the trail and crossed it. A party of Indians had passed on so recently that the bubbles still stood on the water, which flooded nearly the entire country. They traveled a short time between the trail and road, then crossed the latter, and here too they found that a party of Indians had passed along, all going towards Fort Meigs. They came into the neighborhood of the fort the same day (May 5, 1813) that the twelve hundred Kentuckians, under General Clay, through a disobedience of orders, were so cut to pieces and slaughtered by the Indians.* The Indians, emboldened by this success, immediately closed in and around the fort as before the fight. Judd and Rose lay concealed while a second sally was made from the fort to drive them off. The lines of the foe were cut, and he was driven up and down the river. As soon as the gap was of sufficient width, Judd and Rose hurried through it towards the fort. On the bank of the river, a little below the fort, were standing in line about one hundred and fifty soldiers. The two managed to keep behind trees and brush so as not to be seen by them until they reached an old log fence, about twenty rods from the line. As they jumped this fence they were discovered by the soldiers. The order was given, 'Left face! make ready!' Judd and Rose had no flag to hoist, but they immediately reversed their arms, and marched rapidly toward the soldiers. One of them they heard say, 'By God! they are Indians!' 'Well,' said the officer in command, 'two Indians will not kill us all.' The escape from the fire of the troops was a narrow one, as the officer told them when they came up. They were taken into the fort, delivered their dis- patches to General Harrison, and gave him all the information they were in pos- session of besides. "Frequent rains were falling, horses, beef-cattle, and every thing else were crowded inside the fort, and the mud in many places was six inches deep. Judd remained in Fort Meigs one night and one day, and the next night started on his return to Fort Stevenson. Rose was used up by the fatigue of the trip, and could not return. Judd's company was to be twelve friendly Indians and one white man. He complained to the general of the character of his company, but was assured by him of their perfect trustworthiness, and consented to the arrange- ment. About midnight an Indian led off, followed by the two white men and the other Indians. BefOre the coming of the morning, Judd discovered that they were traveling in circles, as there was a certain plum thicket they had passed through twice and were entering the third time. He told the leader of' the fact, and they sat down and waited for the morning-gun of the fort, and found they were not more than a mile away, and going directly towards the fort. They turned their backs to it, and traveled fast, and before daylight were in the Black swamp. The Indians were first ordered to Upper Sandusky, then to Lower San- dusky, and they took the direction of the former place. As soon as it was light, Judd showed the leader by his compass that his course was not right. He turned in the right direction a short distance and then resumed his former course. Judd fell back, and asked the white man to go through with him. He consented, and they started together, leaving the Indians. Judd's companion, who was not a soldier, but only a teamster, proved to be a troublesome customer. He had not acquired the skill of a noiseless step, and went crashing through the woods re- * The twelve hundred men were commanded by General Clay, and had come down the river in flat-boats, but he, with four hundred of them, fought his way into the fort, while eight hundred, under Colonel Dudley, crossed to the left bank and captured the British batteries upon the point. Instead of spiking tIe guns and returning to the fort, lie suffered hisn men to skirmish with the Indians until Proctor was able to cut them off from their only chance of retreat. Taken by surprise and in disorder, they became an easy prey, and but one hun- dred and fifty succeding in escaping.-Anale of the West. i twot ' I ki r 1~ I f1l ~I c. F xI k pay, ak ,r <. ~ {v < r a< a s,' r mI I f1 < sit, N a AAi Yv" aA L T HN UK EAC ENYEor H~ U K H t O >LAaua>H -; Jop :.. HISTORY OF OAKLAND Judge* Bagley came from Norfolk county, Massachusetts, and settled in this township, on the northwest quarter of section 14, the locality now known as Bloom- field Centre. For years after his settlement, however, it was known simply as "Bagley's,"--this having reference both to the locality and to the tavern, which he opened in his large log house. William Morris came to Bloomfield with Bagley, though lie had then been in Michigan for some time prior to his settlement here. He purchased on the quar- ter lying south of Bagley's, that is, the southwest quarter of section 14, and on this, in the fall of 1819, he sowed the first wheat sown in the township of Bloom- field. Hle also built the first grist-mill in the town (in 1828), and was the first to fill the office of sheriff of Oakland County. His wife was a daughter of Amasa Bagley, and another daughter became the wife of Moses Peck. Ezra Baldwin came from the city of Vergennes, Vermont, to Detroit in the fall of 1817, and removed to Bloomfield in the fall of 1819, settling on the south- east quarter of section 13, now owned by Mr. Snow. With Mr. Baldwin came his sons Jairus H., Ezra P., Edward, and William, and his daughter, Mary L., who afterwards married John Nugent. The son Jairus was already married, but settled and lived with his father. The third son, Edwin, did not come with the family, but remained in Detroit during the winter. He came up in the following spring, and also lived with his father; though hlie afterwards purchased an adjoin- ing tract of land, the east half of the southwest quarter of section 13. He is now living quietly in the village of Birmingham at a very advanced age. In the year 1826, when Edwin and Edward were employed with government surveying- parties, the former with Sibley's and the latter with that of John Mullett, Edward and a man named Taylor had a desperate hand-to-hahd fight with Indians, which circumstance, occurring as it did in the immediate vicinity of the present city of Battle Creek, gave to the creek and the settlement the name which they bear. Dr. Ziba Swan, originally from Connecticut, but then from Albany, New York, came in the early summer, and settled on the north half of section 25, adjoining the present corporation boundary of Birmingham. His family consisted of his wife, three sons, and a daughter. The sons were Ziba Swan, Jr., afterwards Judge Swan, Elias, and Norris Swan, all adults at that time; and the daughter was the wife of Sidney Dole, who came with the Swan family, and also settled on section 25. He was the first clerk of the county of Oakland, and the first register of probate, and he represented the county in the second legislative council of the Territory. He also filled the office of clerk of the board of county commission- ers, and was one of the earliest justices of the peace in the county. He tried the first case which was brought before any justice in Oakland, viz., that of Thomas Knapp vs. Ezra Baldwin; summons issued June 15, 1820, and judgment rendered on the 21st of the following August. He died July 20, 1828, aged forty-one years. Two of his sons are wealthy and respected business men in Chicago. Dr. Swan lived more than a quarter of a century on the place where he settled. He was a member of the first board of commissioners appointed by the governor of the Territory, and at various times filled other positions, which were indicative of the respect and esteem in which he was held. He died February 28, 1847, in the seventy-ninth year of his age. His wife, Elizabeth, died June 22, 1853, aged eighty-five years. None of their children survive except Norris Swan, who is residing in California, at about eighty years of age, and unmarried. In 1820 came Colonel David Stannard, Asa B. Hadsell, Major Joseph Todd and his sons Joseph and Samuel Todd, Elijah S. Fish, Daniel Ball, Asa Castle and his son Lemuel Castle. The Todds settled on the northeast quarier of sec- tion 4, now the farm of A. A. Walton, and Mr. Hadsell on the southeast quarter of the same section, where he is still living, in the eighty-second year of his age, but possessed of as much mental vigor as he could have had when he came there, fifty-seven years ago, and far richer in pocket than he was then. Colonel Stannard also settled on section 4, a little north of Mr. Hadsell. His entry was dated July 3, 1820, and was the first one made under the " ten-shilling act." The first business of the probate court of Oakland was transacted while in session at his house, in 1822, the probate judge being Dr. William Thompson. Deacon Elijah S. Fish settled on the northeast quarter of section 23, on the farm now owned by Mr. Benedict. The maple-grove which was set out by the deacon may still be seen there, green and thrifty. He was a stanch Presby- terian, and it was at his barn and house that the first meetings of that denomina- tion were held, and the first organization effected. Lemuel Castle was as stanch a Baptist. He settled on the northeast quarter of section 14, land which he had located the previous fall. Daniel Ball settled on the town-line, in the southwest quarter of section 36. Asa Castle, the father of Lemuel, settled in the southeast quarter of section 24. He was a member of * Amasa IBagley and Daniel Bronson were associate justices of the first county court of Oak- land, which assembled at Pontiac, July 17, 1820. COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 319 the first grand jury impaneled in the county, July 17, 1820. Other of the first settlers of Bloonmfield who served on that panel were Ezra Baldwin, Deacon E. S. Fish, Elijah Willets, Elisha Hunter, John Hamilton, and Dr. Ziba Swan. Captain Laban Jenks, a native of Massachusetts, but then from Tioga county, New York, came to Bloomfield in the fall of 1821, and purchased in the north- east quarter of section 34. On his first arrival, on November 10. he sheltered his family for a time in the house of Daniel Ball, while hlie was making his own log dwelling ready for their occupancy, which, however, he accomplished in ten days from the time of their arrival. His house was the first which was built in the township, west of the Rouge. His famunily in the new home were nine in number: himself, wife, three sons-Morris, Laban Jr., and William-and four daughters,-Laura, Diadama, Sophia, and Prudence. The other members of his family, whom hlie left behind in New York, were the sons Smith, Orrin, and Seth, and daughters Lucy, wife of Joseph Park, Patience, widow of Nathan Park, and Polly, wife of Leman Case, who all, except Seth, came to Bloomfield soon after. Captain Jenks was a man of excellent qualities, and enjoyed the respect of his fellow-townsmen. He held the office of justice of the peace, by governor's ap- pointment, at the time of his death, which occurred about 1829. Of his sons, all are living except Orrin and Seth; the latter of whom died in Bloomfield. July 25, 1877, while visiting his brother William. Of the daughters, four have passed away. Oliver Torrey came in at the same time with Laban Jenks. He was from Ontario county, New York, and had taken passage on the old steamer " Walk-in- the-Water" for Detroit, when she stranded near Buffalo. Thereupon he determined to proceed towards Michigan on foot through Canada. In this journey he fell in with the Jenks family, who had also taken that route, and with them hlie traveled until they arrived in Bloomfield, and indeed remained a boarder in their house until he married the daughter Laura, and settled on his own farm on the west line of section 26, now owned by William Jenks and Augustus Torrey. He died in May, 1838, respected and lamented by all who knew him. Joseph Fairbanks and Dr. Henry Bradley came also in the year 1821. Fair- banks was a widower, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 24, which he had entered in 1819, this being the same tract now owned by Noah Anthony. It was afterwards called Fairbanks' Corners. Dr. Bradley located himself near the same point, but afterwards removed to Royal Oak. Hervey Parke, from Camden, Oneida county, New York, came to Bloomfield about the first of June, 1822. He made the passage on the steamer " Superior;" hlie was brought out from Detroit by John Hamilton, and arrived greatly dis- gusted with the mud and the general discomfort of the passage. HIe stopped with John W. Hunter, who, wishing to visit New York State, left his house and children in charge of Mr. and Mrs. Parke, and, on his return from the trip, offered Parke the use of a building which he had built for a blacksmith-shop, but which he thought might be turned into a comfortable dwelling. The offer was accepted, and Parke soon made the building habitable. Their furniture was of the rudest, but answered their purpose. He says, " I had eight dollars and fifty cents in cash, and was in my thirty-third year. At the time of my arrival at Hunter's the settlement contained four log houses, occupied by E. Willets, J. W. Hunter, Elisha Hunter, and John Hamilton." He remained at Hunter's for a time, and afterwards removed to the southeast quarter of section 23, though he probably did not purchase there. He taught school near Swan's in the succeed- ing winter, but in the spring obtained a contract for government surveying. He was the third surveyor appointed from Michigan Territory, Ball and Mullet being respectively the first and second. It was not long before he removed to Pontiac. George Taylor, a carpenter, and without doubt the first of his trade in the township, came in the spring of 1822, but made no purchase of land. le stopped at the Hunter settlement, and worked on the frame house which John W. Hunter erected in that year. This was the first frame house built in Bloomfield, and is the same which is now occupied by Ira Toms. The first frame barn in the town- ship had been built in the preceding year, by Ezra Baldwin. The second frame barn was built by John Hamilton, and is now standing and owned by Orrin Pop- pleton, Esq. In the same year came Smith Jenks, Orrin Jenks, Apollos Dewey, Ezra Rood, Joseph Park, and Leman Case. Rood settled on the northeast quarter of section 9; Smith Jenks and Leman Case, on the northeast quarter of section 34; Orrin Jenks, on the northwest quarter of the same section; Dewey, on the northwest quarter of section 14; and Park, on the northwest quarter of section 35. Dr. Ezra S. Parke came in the fall of 1822, and made purchase upon the southwest quarter of section 24, now land of Eri Benedict. He was a steadfast Methodist, and the first meetings of that denomination in Bloomfield were held at his house. He was the first postmaster of Bloomfield, being appointed in 1824 or 1825, and retained the office for about twelve years, until its removal to Bir- mingham became necessary to the convenience of the public. .Dr. Parke stood HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. high in public estimation, and was many times elected to office. He filled the office of township clerk for many years continuously, and as late as 1844. Scriba Blakeslee came in 1823. He was from Oneida county, New York, and settled on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 31, a tract which lie sold about 1832 or 1833 to Edward Matthews. A son of his, George Blakeslee, is now a resident of Birmingham. Jacob Baker came in the same year, and settled directly north of Blakeslee, in the northeast quarter of the same section. There he opened a public-house, with the sign of the "keg and cup," which became quite extensively known as a stopping-place for immigrants and land-hunters, and at which township-meetings were very frequently held during the time when the three towns of Bloomfield, West Bloomfield, and Southfield voted as one. Philo Beers, nicknamed "Spatty," kept the tavern after Baker's removal to Indiana. Deacon Orestes Taylor came in 1823, and purchased in the northwest quarter of section 11, and Captain Isaac L. Smith settled in the same year, in the north- cast corner of section 24, now the farm of M. Spear. It is said that his was the first barn in Oakland County which was "L raised" without the use of alcoholic liquor. Captain Smith's end was a sad one, for hlie died in the insane asylum at Kalamazoo, in October, 1876. Also in 1823 came Wilkes Durkee, Thomas Johnson, Jacob Sly, Joseph Almy, and Ellery Almy. The two last named settled in the northeast quarter of section 24. Jacob Sly came in November, and purchased the northwest quarter of sec- tion 32, where hlie built a log house, and afterwards opened it as a tavern. Durkee arrived in June, and settled in the southwest quarter of section 34, where George W. Durkee now occupies. He also opened his house as a tavern, though not until about five years afterwards. HIe died of apoplexy in 1844, at the age of seventy- eight years. At the time of Mr. Durkee's coining, his son, Stephen, who after- wards settled and died in Bloomfield, was a youth of eighteen years of age, and remained behind in New York; and William P. Durkee, now living in the town- ship, was but a mere lad. Joseph Gilbert purchased and settled in the northwest quarter of section 28, on the southwesterly side of Gilbert lake, in 1824. Hie kept good working cattle, and professed extraordinary skill in the manufacture of ox-sleds. HIe lies in the burial-ground in the farm which he once owned. Deacon Elijah Bull arrived in 1824, purchased the southeast quarter of section 29, and settled on the southeastern shore of Wing lake,--his tract cornering on that of Joseph Gilbert. Deacon Bull was a firm Presbyterian, and the main supporter of that form of worship in the western portion of the township. Few stood higher in the estimation of those who knew him than did Elijah Bull. His farm was one of the best in the township, and has recently been sold for fifteen thousand dollars. Half a mile west of Deacon Bull settled Daniel Grinnell, on the southwest side of Wing lake, in the southeast quarter of section 30, now the farm of Mr. -Keeney. Mr. Grinnell was from Middleburg, New York. His son, Henry Grinnell, who has passed many years of his life on the Pacific coast, lives about a mile and a quarter west and south of the farm on which his father settled. David Johnson arrived in that year, and purchased in the northeast quarter of section. 33, and Lewis Hedges settled in October in the northwest corner of the township, on section 6. Pierce Patrick, a citizen afterwards most extensively known throughout the county, arrived at Hamilton's in October of that year. In his account of his first impressions of the country, he says, " When morning broke, I looked out, and I would have given all I was worth to have been back at Lyons" (the town in New York from whence he had come). He remained during the winter, and in tie spring entered the west half of the southwest quarter of section 22 (now farm of Mrs. Shane), but did not settle on it until the spring of 1828, having returned to New York and married in the mean time. He was elected county clerk in 1838, and removed to Pontiac, where he remained until his death, which occurred May 8, 1875. His birthplace was Scipio, Cayuga county, New York. His brother, Franklin Patrick, who was a later settler, is still a resident of Bloomfield. John Utter came with his family as early as 1824, and possibly in the preceding year. They settled on the Saginaw road, in the south part of section 14, a little east of William Morris, and a short distance northwest of Deacon Fishlr. Mrs. Utter and her daughter came to their death in a most terrible manner, the story of which is found recounted in an old Detroit newspaper, printed in April, 1825. It is from the pen of a correspondent, who wrote to that jotirnal as follows: " Bloomfield, Oakland County, Michigan, April 6, 1825.-On the evening of last Monday a man by the name of Imri Fish, in a state of derangement of mind, killed with an axe the wife and daughter of John Utter, who resides about five miles firom Pontiac. Mrs. Utter's age was forty-four years, and the daughter was thirteen years old." The insane murderer was a brother of Deacon Fish. He was incarcerated in the jail at Pontiac immediately after the tragedy, and remained there in confine- ment until his death, which occurred about 1830. Daniel Ferguson settled in the same year, on the northwest quarter of sec- tion 26. He had the reputation of a skillful hunter, and claimed that in his day he had killed fully a thousand deer; also that, at a single shot and with a single ball, hlie had made eight holes in a deer's hide. We are unable to give his explanation of the manner in which so unusual a feat was performed. He re- moved from Bloomfield to Genesee county afterwards. James Stoughton came in the year 1825, and made settlement--which, how- ever, did not prove to be a permanent one-on John W. IHunter's land, at Piety Hill. It was not long until he removed thence to West Bloomfield, and he was also, at different times, a resident of Southfield and Farmington. He died in Van Buren county in 1874, at tmhe age of seventy-nine years. Others who came in the year 1825 were Freeman Waugh, from New York State, who settled in the southwest quarter of section 2, on a farm which is now owned'by Rufus Hunter; Lewis Greeves, who purchased on the Troy line, south- east quarter of section 1; John Chamberlain, who settled in the southeast quar- ter of section 4, now the Kimble farm; John Dimond, on the southeast quarter of section 15, a part or all of which he purchased from William Morris; and Josiah Barkley, who came from the State of New York in October of that year, and purchased on the southwest quarter of section 32, upon the town-line, jist east of the village of Franklin, where hlie is yet living in extreme old age. He has two daughters, Mrs. B. A. Thorne and Mrs. Frank Drake, now living in Birmingham. Lewis Smith settled on an eighty-acre tract in the extreme southwestern corner of the township in 1826, and Hiram H. Hunter about the same time, on the west side of Wing lake, in the northwest quarter of section 30, and Barney Jones purchased in section 28, on thie southern side of Gilbert lake, next ad- joining Joseph Gilbert on the east. John Nugent, a millwright, who married Mary, daughter of Ezra Baldwin, settled on section 23. John W. Turner, a maker of spinning-wheels, splint-bottomed chairs, and other useful articles, came in the same year, but his location cannot be precisely given. Mr. Culver settled near Fairbanks' Corners, and soon afterwards commenced the manufacture of fanning-mills. Samuel Satterlee purchased in the northeast quarter of section 13, and just north of him, in the southeast quarter of section 12, Marmaduke Lawson and Richard Hotham purchased a small tract in the spring of 1827. They were Englishmen, from Yorkshire. Lawson had three children and Hotham five, but they all lived together in a small log house on land now owned by S Thomas Beach. They had selected an eighty-acre tract adjoining, but before they could raise the requisite funds to enter it it had been purchased by Hartford Cargil, from New York. Thomas Barkley came in 1827, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 30, west of Wing Lake. Thomas Comfort came about the same time, and pur- chased in thie southeast quarter of section 27, now the lands of Mrs. Hood. He removed to Wisconsin, where he died recently. With the foregoing are included time names of nearly all the very earliest settlers in Bloomfield, and a large proportion of those of the immigrants of the first six years. It is of course impracticable to produce anything like a complete record of those who came and went, settled and removed, after thme settlements and changes had become more numerous and frequent. We add, however, to those already mentioned the names of a few, who should be included in the list of early pioneers, but whose date and location we are in many cases unable to give: Andrew Miller, James McHenry,-settled on northwest side of Gilbert lake; James Bailey came about 1826; Robert J. Beattie, southeast quarter of section 27; Luther Hunt, Jas. Greer, northeast quarter of section 20; Win. Cummings, south- west quarter of section 19; Saml. Bassett, Joshua Pattee, southwest quarter of sec- tion 27; Luther Phillips, And. Porter, northeast quarter of section 8; Hugh Gor- don, who first lived with S. V. R. Trowbridge, in Troy, then settled on the north side of Wing lake; Saml. and Geo. Pearsall, northwest quarter of section 16; Eph. Moak, on the Dimond place; Geo. Williams, northeast quarter of section 8; Calvin Webster, northeast quarter of section 12, now Blair farm; Dennis Kelley, southeast quarter of section 14; Mr. Blaekington, northeast quarter of section 23; Nathaniel Case, southwest quarter of section 27; William Warren, at the Hunter settlement; Job Smith, John Williams, Avery Swan, Ralph Chittenden, southeast quarter of 24; Captain Chesley Blake, southeast quarter of section 10, now owned by Crofoot (Captain Blake died of cholera in 1852); Jacob Vaughn, northeast quarter of see- tion 15, a little west of Bloomfield Centre; and Thos. McGraw, whose lands were in section 9, adjoining those of Ezra Rood. It is related of Mr. McGraw that he was a member of the legislature at the time that the question of the removal of the State capital was being discussed, and that, being also a member of the House committee which had the matter under consideration, he made a minority report, 0 S - a _ s a kit s e a 0 z r p u n a >a. 8 N .t r .v e, w .. a° e c. NOV t 7r, fyy // r 44 v: >Woo '4 47s HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 321 I recommending Bloomfield Centre as an eligible place for the seat of government; and that, upon his being, perhaps a little contemptuously, requested to describe the location of the place which he had recommended, replied unhesitatingly that it was "three-fourths of a mile north of Morris' mill." .0 After 1826, the number of immigrants, and of those seeking locations for set- tlement in the then new land of the west, increased steadily, and with great rapidity. One of the oldest settlers in Bloomfield describes how they camne, some with their families and household goods (thie latter generally meagre in quantity and small in value), pushing on towards the lands which they had already se- lected and purchased, others with no impediments but the knapsack and perhaps the axe, energetically prospecting the country in search of choice tracts upon which to enter and establish their homes; each stopping wherever a cabin or a clearing could be seen, asking eager questions as to the character of the country farther on, and the prospect of finding eligible lands still unoccupied. To all of these was given a kind reception and full replies to all their inquiries, for each settler saw in the new corner's case one akin to his own; but after a time their numbers became so great that, although all possible information was still cheer- fully furnished, the settlers no longer stopped their work upon the advent of each new comer, for had they done so their chopping and clearing must have ceased entirely, so thickly and so incessantly did they come. There were travelers towards the east too, as well as in the opposite direction; those who having already found such locations as they desired were hastening back to the land-office to secure the prize, thence to return to their eastern homes, make the necessary arrangements, and in a few months to reappear in Michigan with their wives, children, and movables. Probably there were some of the returning ones too, whose extravagant expectations had not all been realized, or who, on this their first absence from the old eastern hearthstone, had become as homesick as Mr. Pierce Patrick represented himself to have been when hlie first saw Oak- land County on the morning succeeding his muddy trip over the Ball line road from Detroit to Piety Hill. These would return to their homes in New York or New England with the firm determination never to leave them; soon, however, to regret that they had beat so hasty a retreat, then by degrees to feel a return of the ambition which first enticed them to Michigan; a feeling which perhaps would increase in violence, until, at the end of a year or two, they found them- selves again on the westward journey, to learn with bitter regret upon their arrival that their chances of securing a satisfactory location had grown materially less during the time which they had lost in homesickness and in the process of re- covery from it, and in many cases to purchase lands at an advanced price from uneasy, roving settlers, who had already begun to imagine themselves crowded, and who were only too ready to sell at a gain and "go west." TIHE EARLY ROADS. When John W. Hunter, John Hamilton, and Elijah Willets first came to Bloomfield to make their selection of lands for entry, they were obliged to travel hither by way of Mount Clemens and the Clinton river, as this route was at that time the only practicable one from Detroit, though it was about that time that the "Ball line" road was cut through so as to be in amanner passable, but not offi- cially laid out and established until December 15, 1819. Rufus Hunter, then a lad of between fourteen and fifteen years of age, was one of the party, consisting of seven men and two boys, who first cut the line through, being absent from Detroit just one week in the work. After the Ball line was cut through, however, it was hardly worthy the name of road at all. It pursued no direct route, but crooked and meandered in what- ever direction the nature of the ground seemed most favorable. Its route in Bloomfield lay to the eastward of the present turnpike road, entering the town- ship on the northeast part of section 25. Such as it was, it soon became much traveled, as all the westward-bound emi- grants for this section of country came over it, and those already established traveled that way in their necessary journeys to and from Detroit'; and it thus continued to be the great thoroughfare until the laying out of the Saginaw road several years later, when the Ball line ceased to be used except for local travel, and the new line became the through route, though, except in the matter of straightness, it was hardly an improvement on the Ball line. From the accounts of those who recollect passing over it in its early years, it would seem to have been one of the worst roads that was ever traveled. On the 20th of April, 1833, a road was ordered to be laid out, "running from a point on the Saginaw road, at or within one mile of the dwelling-house of John Hamilton, in the township of Bloomfield (as the commissioners hereafter appointed may designate), on the most eligible route through the village of Auburn, or until it intersects a territorial road leading from Rochester to the county-seat of Lapeer county;" and Samuel Martin, Philip Bigler, and Daniel Bronson were appointed commissioners, with authority to lay out and establish the same. And on the 16th of the same month, it was enacted by the legislative council " that there shall be a'Territorial road laid out and established, commencing near the dwelling of John W. Hunter, on the Saginaw road, in the township of Bloom- field; thence westwardly, and as nearly on the line of sections as may be practica- ble, to the Territorial road leading from Pontiac to Monroe, and from thence, in the most direct and practicable route, to the county-seat of the county of Shia- wassee ;" and John W. Hunter, Ziba Swan, Jr., and John Ellenwood were ap- pointed commissioners to lay out and establish it. One of the earliest roads was one which was ordered to be laid out, to run "from Elijah Willets' sign-post in Bloomfield by the most direct and eligible route to the Rouge river, near the house of Moses Rodgers," which was in the southwestern part of the township of Southfield. William Morris and S. V..R. Trowbridge were the commissioners appointed to lay out and establish this road. From about 1833 dates the commencement of the laying out of the local town- ship roads, on section lines; these were gradually cut through and made prac- ticable, and have been improved from year to year up to their present excellent condition. ERECTION OF THE TOWNSHIP. By a proclamation of the Territorial governor, dated June 28, 1820, towns 1 and 2 north, in ranges 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 east (this embracing the two southern tiers of towns in the county of Oakland), were designated as Bloomfield, and con- tinued to be so known until April 12, 1827, when, by act of legislative council, approved on that day, towns 1 and 2 north, of range 10 (Southfield and Bloom- field), and 2 north, of range 9 (West Bloomfield), were detached, and the three together erected into the township of Bloomfield. The first township-meeting was held at the house of John Hamilton, May 25, 1827. The board of inspectors consisted of Samuel Satterlee, Laban Jenks, and Elijah S. Fish. The moderator of the meeting was Elijah S. Fish, and the clerk for the day, Ogden Clarke. The following were elected to township offices for the year succeeding: Lemuel Castle, supervisor; Ezra S. Parke, clerk; John Todd, Joseph Park, and Abra- ham Crawford, assessors; John Ellenwood, John W. Hunter, and William' Lee, commissioners of highways; Wilkes Durkee and Apollo Dewey, Jr., poor-masters; Oliver Torrey, collector; and Erastus Burt and Oliver Torrey, constables. Before adjournment, it was "resolved that the sum of fifty dollars be raised for the sup- port of the poor," and the sum of five dollars was fixed as the bounty to be paid for each wolf killed within the limits of the township. Fifteen road overseers, nine fence-viewers, and three pound-masters were also elected, and the next meeting was appointed to be held at the house of Wilkes Durkee. SUCCEEDING TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. Following is a list of the persons who have filled the office of supervisor of the township of Bloomfield from its organization until the present time: Lemuel Castle, elected in the years 1827, 1828, 1829, and 1831 to 1835 in- clusive; John W. Hunter, in 1830 and 1836; John Davis, in 1837, 1838, and 1840; Isaac L. Smith, in 1839; Sullivan R. Kelsey, in 1841; Rial Irish, in 1842; Ransom R. Belding, in 1843; James G. Hunter, in 1844, 1845, 1850, and 1856; Peter Dox, in 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1852, and 1853; Harvey Lee, in 1851; James Fitzpatrick, in 1854; Rowland E. Trowbridge, in 1855; George Blakeslee, in 1857 and 1858; Luther Stanley, from 1859 to 1862 in- clusive, and in 1876 and 1877; Robert F. Opdyke, in 1863 and 1864; William Satterlee, from 1865 to 1868 inclusive; Charles E. Cantine, in 1869; and Alan- son Partridge, from 1870 to 1875 inclusive. The incumbents of the office of township clerk during the same time have been: Ezra S. Parke, from 1827 to 1834, both inclusive, and also in 1836; and from that time, continuously until and including 1844; William G. Stone, in 1835; Ziba Swan, Jr., in 1845; Henry S. Fish, in 1846, 1847, and 1851; John T. Raynor, in 1848; Denison R. Tucker, in 1849, 1850, 1853, 1854, and 1859; George l. Satterlee, in 1852; Spencer B. Raynale, in 1855 and 1856; Edmond R. Post, in 1857 and 1858; John Fitzpatrick, in 1860, 1861, and 1862; Adin A. Burhans, in 1863; George W. Mitchell, in 1864; Orson W. Peck, in 1865; Benjamin H. Warren, in 1866; James G. Hunter, from 1867 to 1872 inclusive; Joseph S. Stockwell, in 1873; Frank Hagerman, in 1874; and Almeron White- head, Jr., in 1875, 1876, and 1877. Among the persons who held the office of justice of the peace, by appointment from the governor, prior to 1836, were Samuel Satterlee, Laban Jenks, Ziba Swan, Jr., Elijah S. Fish, and John Ellenwood (of West Bloomfield, but then included with Bloomfield). The first election of justices in Bloomfield was at a special election called for that purpose, and held at the public-house of Isaac IV. Taylor, at Bloomfield Centre, August 22, 1836, and the persons elected to the office at that time were Roswell T. Merrill, Ziba Swan, Jr., Samuel Satterlee, and John T. Rlaynor. 322 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I The gentlemen elected to the office from that time until the present have been as follows: Ziba Swan, jr., elected in 1837, in 1851, and 1855; William G. Stone, elected to fill vacancy, in 1837; John T. Raynor, in 1839; John B. Comn- stock, in 1839, to fill vacancy; Franklin Patrick, in 1840; Rial Irish, in 1841; James Gow, in 1842; Solomon Whitney, in 1842, to fill vacancy; George W. Morris, in 1843 and 1848; Ransom R. Belding, in 1844; Peter Stiles, in 1845; Ezra P. Baldwin, in 1845 and 1846, both elections being to fill vacancy, and to the full term in 1849; Harvey Lee, in 1846, 1850, and 1854; Wellington Willetts, in 1847; William Patrick, to vacancy, in 1850; John Daines, in 1852; Alva Stockwell, in 1853; Hugh McCurday, to vacancy, in 1854, Rozelle P. Bateman, to vacancy, in 1845; Elbert Crofoot, in 1856; Mason I. James, in 1857, and in 1867; Albert N. Sloat, to vacancy, in 1857, and to full term in 1860; Stephen Durkee, in 1858; John Bodine, in 1859 and 1863; James Van Every, to vacancy, in 1859, and to full term in 1862 and 1866; David C. Toms, in 1861; Benjamin H. Warren, in 1864; James Grinley, in 1865; Wells Kinney, in 1865, to fill vacancy; Freeman M. Sibley, in 1868; Alanson Partridge, to fill vacancy, in 1868, and to the full term in 1871 and 1875; Levi B. Taft, in 1869; Ben- jamin Daniels, to vacancy, in 1869, and again to a vacancy in 1873; George Cars- well, elected in 1870; Albert H. Washburn, to vacancy, in 1871, and to full term in 1874; Josiah Alger, in 1872; Emery Ferguson, in 1873; Lucius A. Ran- dall, in 1876; Edward Fosdick, to fill a vacancy, in 1876; and John T. Midgely, also elected to fill vacancy, in the same year. The township organization of 1827 continued until 1830, in which year town 1, of range 10, was attached from Bloomfield, and named Ossowa, which was very soon changed to Southfield; and in 1833, town 2 north, of range 9, was detached, and named West Bloomfield. EARLY STORES AND INDUSTRIES. Mercantile enterprises were commenced at several points in the township some years earlier than any were established at Piety Hill, and before its inhabitants had taken a step towards transforming it into a village, or of giving it the name of Birmingham. The first store in Bloomfield was opened about the year 1826 by Mr. Doo- little, in a small frame building at Fairbanks' Corners, as the locality was then called, which was the point in the northwest quarter of section 24 where the Ball line road was intersected by the road leading east into the township of Troy. We are unable to say definitely how long this establishment continued in opera- tion. It was at one time kept by - Kidd. Doolittle also started a potash-works at the same place, and about the same time, and there was a hatter's shop put in operation there by a Mr. Wells, of De- troit, who employed George K. Dunks to work in the shop and carry on the busi- ness. The old shop is still in existence. At the same place a fanning-mill manufactory was built, and put in operation about 1829, by Zeba Rice, who employed several men in this business; producing a large number of the machines, traveling through the country far and near to effect sales of them to farmers, and altogether doing a large and flourishing busi- ness. There was also a public-house kept at Fairbanks' Corners by David Stan- nard. About three-fourths of a mile southeast from these corners, near the house of Asa Castle, where the Ball line road crosses the Rouge, upon land now embraced in the J. Caswcll farm, the first distillery of the township commenced operations in 1826 or 1827, under the proprietorship of Ralph Chittenden, who lived near Fairbanks'. The business was undoubtedly prosperous, as distilleries usually were in the early days. A pottery-manufactory was also established there by Mr. Barmore; and about the year 1827 Mr. Culver started a cabinet-shop and fanning-mill works. One of the earliest stores in Bloomfield was opened by William Morris, at his grist-mill. Soon after that was started, an extensive pot- and pearl-ash establish- ment was put in operation there by William and -Benjamin B. Morris, as was also a distillery; both of which were prosperous. The distillery remained in blast until near the year 1850; the store was finally closed about 1838. THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF BIRMINGHAM. This is the only village, large or small, within the township of Bloomfield. Its age is half a century as near as may be, reckoning from th- commencement of its first business establishment, not including as such the two or three wayside log taverns which had been opened there by the first comners. During these fifty years there was a period in which it was considered a place of importance and one destined to experience a large and rapid increase; and though this expectation has not been fully realized, yet it can to-day be claimed for Birmingham that it is a village of solid wealth and conservatism, as well as a healthy and most agree- able place of residence. The first industrial enterprise commenced at Piety Hill-as the place was then still called-was the tannery built by Elijah Willets in 1827, and which stood on the west side of the Pontiac road, near the north end of the present village. This was some years afterwards succeeded by another one, standing to the rear of this, farther away from the road; this also being owned by Mr. Willets. In the same year in which the first tannery was built, John Hamilton erected the first frame tavern in the township, which is now the north wing of the National hotel in Birmingham. In or about the year 1828, John W. Hunter built and put in operation a foun- dry, worked by horse-power, and which stood a little back from the main street, nearly in the rear of the store of F. Blakeslee. Some five years later this was purchased by Roswell T. Merrill and George Allen, who carried on the business for some time in partnership; then Allen retired, and Isaac Smith took his place in the partnership; this continued for nine months, when Smith retired, and Mer- rell remained alone in the business, but not long after obtained new partners, one of whom was Mr. Wells, the cashier of a bank in Detroit; and in this partner- ship they built a new foundry and machine-shop on Saginaw street, where the store of Stockwell & Co. now stands, and extending for a considerable distance farther south on the same street, and also occupying the entire space on Mill street, from Saginaw to Pierce street, the moulding-room being on Saginaw street, and the blacksmith-shop on Pierce street. Here they entered extensively into the manufacture of mill-work, agricultural castings, stoves, and similar articles; and besides these they erected a shop for the manufacture of thrashing-machines, this last-named being located on the west side of Pierce street, where the post-office building now is. This was a large frame building, forty by eighty feet in dimensions, which years afterwards became known as the " Old Academy," from the fact that after it had ceased to be used for manufacturing purposes, not far from the year 1860, a private school was taught in it by Rev. S. N. Hill, at that time the pastor of the Presbyterian church. This old building was itself destroyed by fire in the fall of 1871. The extensive business of the foundry and machine-shop went on in apparent prosperity under the management of Merrill and his partners for a number of years; but the partners finally withdrew, leaving the concern exclusively in the hands of Merrill; afterwards it was carried on by him in company with his son, George W. Merrill, and then by the son alone; and, finally, the entire establishment, with the exception of the thrasher-shop, which was afterwards the academy, was consumed by fire on the 28th of May, 1854. The business of merchandising was first commenced in the village by - Dennis and Sullivan R. Kelsey,* in partnership, in the year 1833, their place of business being a store then just erected by R. T. Merrill, on the main street, directly in front of the Hunter foundry, the same store which is now owned and occupied by F. Blakeslee. Dennis continued with Kelsey for some time, then withdrew from the partnership, and removed to Boston. Kelsey remained there alone in the business until 1841. The second merchant in the village was - Clock, who opened in the build- ing on Saginaw street which is now owned by Mr. Hoffman, and occupied as a shoe-shop by Mr. Crum, and as the residence of Mr. Mitchell. Clock did not remain very long, and from here he removed to Ohio. The third merchant was Orrin Poppleton, who opened his stock of goods in August, 1840, in the store where Clock had been, and which had remained vacant since Clock's departure. Here he remained until June, 1841, when he moved to the store which had hitherto been occupied by Kelsey, the latter at the same time removing to the store vacated by Poppleton, in which he remained while engaged in building a new store upon the opposite side of the street, into which he removed in the autumn of 1842. In the fall of 1843, Mr. Kelsey sold his new store to Poppleton, having occu- pied it less than a year, and removed to Shiawasse county, where he has since re- sided. MIr. Poppleton at once removed to his new purchase, which has continued to be his place of business until the present time. The success which has at- tended him there is well known to all who are acquainted in the village of Birmingham. About 1840, J. B. Simonson came from Royal Oak, where he had been engaged in merchandising, and, in partnership with R. T. Merrill, opened a general store in Birmingham, in the building (then owned by Merrill) where Lamb's harness- shop now is. They went on in company for a short time, then dissolved, and Simonson removed to Springfield, Oakland County. Merrill continued in the business alone, and in the fall of 1843 removed into his store at the corner of Saginaw and Mill streets, upon its being vacated by Poppleton. It was kept by him for a few years, and since then has been constantly occupied as a store until the present time. * Now Judge Kelsey, of Shiawasse county. aw r s ti 94 zr IWI Y d " . r rah z c.. wr4 c 0 J za z HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 323 I In the fall of 1842, T. A. Flower opened with a stock of goods in the new brick store built by Merrill in 1841. This was the first brick store, and, indeed, the first brick building of any kind erected in Birmingham, and is the same now owned by E. L. Jennings, on the west side of Saginaw street. Flower remained in this but a short time, then removed into the store where Simonson & Merrill had been,-the same building now owned by Mrs. Rogers, on Saginaw street. Flower afterwards engaged in the milling business with William Brown, but this was in addition to his merchandising, which hlie continued until his removal from Birmingham, about 1852. Ie is now a hardware-dealer in Pontiac. Thus we have traced the first commencement and earliest changes of the mer- cantile business of the village. It would, of course, be impracticable to follow it through all its mutations down to the present time. TIlE VILLAGE PLATS AND ADDITIONS. The original plat of the village was surveyed and dated August 25, 1836, and recorded the same day. Location, on the northwest quarter of section 36; pro- prietor, Rosewell T. Merrill. Willets' plat was laid out on the southwest quarter of section 25, December 20, 1837. Proprietor, Elijah Willets. Hunter's, south part of eastern addition was laid out on the northeast quarter of section 36, January 31, 1840; and his second plat, on the same quarter, June 21, 1842. Proprietor, John W. Hunter. John Hamilton's plat was laid out on the southeast quarter of section 25, October 7, 1846. William Torrey's plat was laid out December 30, 1856, on section 36. Heman A. Castle's addition was laid out on the northwest quarter of section 36, April 20, 1867. William Brown's first addition was laid out March 23, 1872, and his second addition April 2, 1872 ; both on northeast quarter of section 36. George Blakeslee's addition, laid out on northeast quarter of section 36, March 22, 1875. Bird and Stanley's addition, located on the west half of northwest quarter of section 36, July 4, 1876. The laying out of the village in 1836 and 1837 was in anticipation of the completion of the Detroit and Pontiac railroad, and great expectations were based on the prospective opening of travel over its line to this point. These expecta- tions seemed in a fair way of realization when the trains commenced running to and from Birmingham, in 1840; for, during the succeeding short period in which the railway terminus was here, the prosperity and growth of the village was promoted to a degree which can Qly be said to have been realized since that time. REMOVAL OF POST-OFFICE TO BIRMINGIIAM. About this time it became evident that the public interest and opinion required the removal of the post-office from the point where Dr. Parke had established it to the new village, and accordingly, in 1836 or 1837, it was so removed, and the appointment of postmaster was given to Sullivan R. Kelsey, who located the office in his store at the corner of Saginaw and Mill streets. In 1846 he was succeeded by T. A. Flower, who kept it where E. Lamb's harness-shop now is until 1849, when Ii. W. Botsford was made postmaster, and removed the office to his store on the main street,-the same now occupied by Peabody. In 1857 the appointment was given to Orrin Poppleton, who, for eight years, kept the office in his present store on Saginaw street. His successor as postmaster was George L. Lee, who, in 1865, moved the office to his store in the corner of the National hotel building. Lee was succeeded by J. A. Bigelow, the present incumbent, under whom the office remained for a time in the same store where his predecessor had located it (but which had been purchased from Lee by F. Hagerman), whence, after a short time, it was removed to the store of Stock- well & Co., on Saginaw street, from which place it was removed, in 1873, to the new brick building of Mr. Bigelow on Mill street. LATER MANUFACTURING INTERESTS. About the year 1845, Jerome Walton commenced the manufacture of fanning- mills and milk-safes, his establishment being located on Mill street just west of the present site of the post-office building. This business during its continuance was large, and probably profitable. It was prosecuted by Nathan Walton, a brother of Jerome, after the removal of the latter to Ypsilanti. Nathan remained in Birmingham until his death. A fanning-mill manufactory had been established here by John W. Hunter at an earlier period, but the date of its commencement and duration of its existence have not been ascertained. A plow and cultivator manufactory was also started about the year 1847 by D. B. Fox. The first wagon-shop was put in operation in Birmingham by Alonzo Snow, who had first moved to the village to be em- ployed in the fanning-mill establishment of J. W. Hunter. The next wagon-shop was started by Stevens not far from the year 1845. After the destruction of the Merrill foundry by fire, in 1854, a new foundry was built and put in blast by the Jenks brothers, William, Cornelius, and Nathan. The works were located on Troy street, where Robbins' wagon-shop now is. They were kept in operation for two or three yeats, and then the business was removed to Port Huron. Of all the iron-working and kindred manufacturing establishments which have at different times been started in Birmingham only one now remains in existence, the Smith foundry on Troy street, and even that is not now in operation. It is owned by Mortimer Smith, whose father, Aaron Smith, moved hither from Au- burn, in 1834, to take employment in Merrill's blacksmith and machine-shop. Withdrawing from Merrill's employ in 1841, he, with his sons Gustavus and Mortimer, under the style of A. Smith & Sons, commenced the foundry and ma- chine business in the brick building which is still standing and used as a black- smith-shop, on Saginaw, south of Troy street, and in a large wooden building which stood in the rear of the other, and partially on the ground now occupied by the brick foundry. Their business was the fitting-up of mills, manufacture of agricultural and mill castings, smut-mills, patent separators, thrashing-machines, hand cider-mills, culti- vators, and plows. The elder Smith was the inventor of a subsoil plow, which, in its day, became quite famous, and this was one part of their manufacture; and another of his inventions was that of a drag-saw, which they found very salable. They also at one time engaged in the manufacture of shelf-hardware. The present brick foundry, which is a substantial and well-appointed establish- ment, was built in 1853. It is now idle, as already mentioned, but in the times of its activity and prosperity it gave constant employment throughout the year to about twelve men. IIOTELS. About 1834, Roswell T. Merrill, in addition to the other enterprises which he had in hand or in contemplation, opened a public-house in a building which he had erected for a dwelling, on the main street, being the same now occupied by Hugh Irving. After keeping it for a time, the duration of which we are unable to give, he was followed as its landlord by James Hall. Among the proprietors who succeeded Mlr. Hall were John Davis, Jeremiah Chase, Charles Bardsley, Peter Dox, Frank Curtis, and David Curtis. No public-house has now been kept there for many years. This old hotel is the last one of Mr. Merrill's many busi- ness projects in Birmingham village which we shall have occasion to mention. He is now living, at very advanced age, in Indianola, Iowa. Not long after 1850 a hotel was opened in the building where Lamb's harness- shop now is, on Saginaw street. The first and only landlord of that house was Benjamin P. Ackerman. We have already seen that the National hotel, the only public-house now re- maining on the main street of the village, was commenced in 1827 by the building of the north wing by John Hamilton, as a successor to his log tavern, which stood farther to the north and east. It was not many years before John Davis succeeded him as landlord of the house, and about 1842 Mr. Hamilton left Birmingham to engage in the milling business at Flint, where he died only a few years ago. After Mr. Davis, as proprietor of the hotel, came Luman Fuller, who kept it for a con- siderable time, and removed to Milford, where he erected the first mill in the vil- lage. Among his successors were Peter Dox, Frank and David Curtis, Taylor, and King & Valentine. It was during the last-named proprietorship that the southern portion of the house was erected. At present the hotel is carried on by G. E. Daines. The hotel near the railroad station was first opened in the dwelling-house of George Blumburg by William Ives. It is now owned and carried on by A. C. Ellis. Soon after the establishment came in his possession the old house was de- stroyed by fire, and the present hotel was built by him in its place. INCORPORATION OF TIIE VILLAGE-1864. The board of county supervisors, at a meeting of that body held in Pontiac in January, 1864, resolved that a certain tract of country situated in the township of Bloomfield "be, and the same is hereby constituted a village corporate, under the namie of the village of Birmingham," the boundaries of the said village cor- porate being described as follows: "Commnencing at the quarter-stake in the east section-line of section 25, town 2, north of range 10 cast; running south along the section-line to the quarter-line of section 36; thence west along said quarter- line to the west side of said section 36; thence north along said section-line to the quarter-line of said section 25; thence cast along said quarter-line to the place of beginning,"-thus including the north half of sectioh 36 and the south half of section 25 in thie corporate limits. It was ordered that the first village election be held at the house of James HISTORY OF OAKLAND 324 COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I Grinley, in said village, on the first Tuesday of March, 1864, for the purpose of electing village officers, and John Bodine, James M. Hunt, and John Fitzpatrick were appointed inspectors for the said election. The election was held on Tuesday, March 1, 1864, and resulted in the election of the following board of trustees, viz.: J. C. K. Crooks, George L. Lee, Robert J. Mitchell, S. N. Hill, Hugli Irving, John Bodine, and C. W. Jenks. J. C. K. Crooks was elected president of the board, and S. N. Hill village clerk. At a meeting of the trustees, held May 9, 1864, Alanson Partridge was ap- pointed marshal of the village, and John Bodine treasurer. A loan of three hundred dollars was obtained in April, and another of like amount in May, for making the village improvements usual in similar cases, and these were duly made during the succeeding summer. In 1864 and 1865 the question of the establishment of a village fire depart- ment was brought up, but has never been affirmatively acted on, and at the present time the only fire apparatus in Birmingham consists of a few ladders and two or three "Babcock fire.extinguishers." The village officers for 1877 are: Trustees, Frank Hagerman (president), Hugh Irving, Thomas Hanks, William W. Martin, John Bodine, Israel Bick- ford, Lewis Converse; Treasurer, Hugh Irving; Marshal, John F. Durkee; Clerk, George E. Daines; Street Commissioner, Thomas Hanks. Birmingham at present contains three churches, the Union school-House, the post-office, the ladies' library hall, two hotels, the railway buildings, one foundry, one repairing-shop of agricultural implements, one wagon-shop, one furniture- shop, one harness-shop, three blacksmith-shops, one boot and shoe store, one notion and hardware store, four general stores, one grocery, one drug-store, and one agricultural implement and hardware store. BIR3MINGIIAMI LODGE, NO. 44, F. AND A. M. This lodge was organized by dispensation of Jeremiah Moors, Grand Master, April 25, 1850; chartered January 9, 1851. Following are the names of its first officers: William Brown, W. M.; Friend Belding, S. W.; Scriba Blakeslee, J. W.; Ebenezer Raynale, Treasurer; George W. Merrill, Secretary; Josephus Young, S. D.; Leman Case, J. D.; Joseph Park, Tyler. Number of members at organization, fifteen. Their first place of meeting was in the brick biilding now owned by E. G. Jennings, on Saginaw street. Next they met in the hall occupied by the Patrons of Husbandry, on Saginaw street, from which they re- moved to their own hall, which was dedicated December 23, 1873: Its location is in the second story of the post-office building, on Mill street. The present officers of the lodge are: Alanson Partridge, W. M.; Eugene Brooks, S. W.; Lucius S. Randall, J. W.; Jesse Frink, Treasurer; Frederick R. Lamb, Secretary; John S. Kingdon, S. D.; John C. Lamb, J. D.; Samuel Jarvis, Tyler. Present number of members, one hundred and eighty-five. BIRIMINGIIA3I CHAPTER, NO. 93, R. A. M31., was chartered January 21, 1874. The first officers of the chapter were: Alanson Partridge, H. P.; Joseph S. Stockwell, K.; James M. Hunt, S.; Eugene Brooks, C. H.; Elsen W. Reynolds, P. S.; William Brown, R. A. C. ; Miles Dewey, M. 3d V.; Hugh Irving, M. 2d V.; George A. Walters, M. 1st V.; Jesse Frink, Treasurer; John Bodine, Secretary; Samuel Jarvis, Sentinel. Number of members at organization, fifteen. Present number of members, forty- three. The present officers of the chapter are: Eugene Brooks, H. P.; Alanson Partridge, K.; James M. Hunt, S.; George A. Waters, C. H.; Joseph Stock- well, P. S.; William Brown, R. A. C.; William H. Smith, M. 3d V.; Hiram H. Chatfield, 31. 2d V.; Walter North, 31. 1st V.; Frank Hagerman, Treasurer; John Bodine, Secretary; Samuel Jarvis, Sentinel. Place of meeting, Masonic hall, Mill street. BItRMINGIIA31 LODGE, NO. 25, I. O. OF O. F., is a thing of the past; it having been instituted August 26, 1847, continued some nine years; disintegrated, and lost its organization about 1856. TIIE GOOD TEMPLARS, a secret temperance order, formerly had an organization in Birmingham, but after- wards fell to pieces, and, upon their disorganization, voted to give their movable property, including the furniture of their meeting-place, to the ladies' library society of Birmingham, whose hall is the old Methodist church building, at the northwest corner of Bates and Merrill streets. This society was incorporated less than five years ago, under the general law. BIRMINGHAMII GRANGE, NO. 323, P. oF II., was instituted April 1, 1874, with twenty-three charter members. Their first officers were: George Blakeslee, Master; William Satterlee, Overseer; G. 31. Trowbridge, Steward; Charles Hadsell, Assistant Steward; Samuel Alexander, Lecturer; Alanson Daniels, Chaplain; J. H. Snow, Secretary; P. A. Park, Treasurer; L. Case, Gate-keeper; Mrs. William Dennison, Ceres; Mrs. William Satterlee, Pomona; Mrs. J. H. Snow, Flora; 3Mrs. G. M. Trowbridge, Lady Assistant Steward. Their regular place of meeting is on Saginaw street, in the old Masonic hall, now owned by James M1. Hunt. The officers of the grange for the year 1877 are: William Satterlee, Master; A. D. Simonson, Overseer; John Benjamin, Chaplain; G. 31. Trowbridge, Lecturer; P. A. Park, Steward; Horace Blodgett, Assistant Steward; A. J. Crosby, Treasurer; Caleb G. Jackson, Secretary; Harvey Perkins, Gate- keeper; Mrs. John Benjamin, Ceres; 3Mrs. A. J. Crosby, Pomona; Maggie Brown, Flora; Bertha Von Daniels, Lady Assistant Steward. The present membership is ninety-seven. SOLDIERS' MONUMENT. One of the most prominent objects which strikes the eye on entering Birming- ham is a monument of veined marble, some fifteen or twenty feet in height, which has been erected by the citizens of Troy, Bloomfield, Royal Oak, and Southfield, to the memory of their soldiers who died to save the nation in the war of the rebellion. The shaft stands in the centre of the village, on the open space at the intersection of Saginaw, Troy, and Mill streets; and upon each of its four faces is inscribed a township roll of honor. These inscriptions are as follows :* Upon the north face: "TROY." " D. Remington, K; James McIlvain, K; Hugh McIlvain, D; Samuel Trues- dale, D; E. R. Smith, D; Charles Sand, K; Hugh O'Hlarra, D; William Jen- nings, D; John Leonard, D; James Shanahan, D; Thomas Taft, D; Edward Nichols, D; Fred. Genrick, D; J. E. James, D; Richard Wheeler, D; G. H. James, D; William Tharratt, D; John Tharratt, K; Peter Crombie, D; George Blovolt, D; George Kinney, D; Lyman A. Platt, D; Henry Burnett, K." On the eastern face: "ROYAL OAK." "Frank Biekford, D; S. Young, D; Jay S. Simonson, D; Joseph Jasper, K; J. W. Blackman, K; James Mlurray, D; Benjamin Young, D; Charles Young, D; Peter Sevelle, D; C. Fay, K; Chester Ferrend, K; James Carroll, K." On the southern face: "SOUTHFIELD." "John Newman, D; J. C. Dexton, K; George Van Every, D; Harris Rolf, K; James Darling, D; John Morris, K; Edward Wood, K; J. M. Brown, D; John Shanklin, D; G. H. Kinney, D; John Sherman, D." On the west face: "BLOOMFIELD." " James Grinley, D; Oscar F. Drake, K; Orville A. Drake, D; J. Kelley, D ; Malcom Carter, K; Peter Lowes, D; Alpheus Madden, D; Andrew Simpson, D; B. F. Leach, D; John Hollinshead, D; William Potter, D; William Hol- linshead, K; James Davie, D; Omer Fall, K; Henry Lowless, D; John Leach, D; G. L. Bassett, D; A. J. Stone, D; George Briggs, K; John French, D; Truxton Talbot, D; James Briggs, K; Frank Bown, D; Isaac C. Morgan, K; Byron McGraw, D; James Greer, D; T. J. Barnum, D; Robert Lowes, D; William Irving, K." And on the plinth, facing the west, is cut this inscription: " ERECTED BY TIlE CITIZENS oF TIIE ABOVE TOWNS, 1860." The monument is inclosed by a handsome iron fence. The cost of all was six- teen hundred dollars. BLOOMFIELD CiNTRE. Although this little cluster of dwecllings is in no sense a village, it perhaps merits a brief separate notice. We have seen that its first inhabitant was Judge Amasa Bagley, who came in 1819, and that from him and his log tavern the locality became pretty generally known as " Bagley's." ' His public-house was superseded, about 1832 or '33, by a frame tavern, built by William Morris, his son-in-law, in the southwestern angle of the roads, where it is still standing. During its existence it has often been the place of holding pub- lic meetings and merry-makings, and has been in charge of many different land- lords. The first of these was probably Moses Peck, another of Judge Bagley's sons-in-law, who was certainly there as early as the commencement of the year 1834. He was followed by George W. Morris, who was there in 1835 and 1836, and perhaps in 1837. Isaac W. Taylor was its landlord in 1838, but how much longer is not known. Peck was back again in 1842; and J. Peck had it in 1846. Henry Bishop, in 1847; and Friend Webster, in 1849. James W. Weston was * K, killed in battlo; D, died of wounds or sickness incurred in the service. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 325 I its proprietor in 1854, 1860, and 1862. Others of its late landlords were John Hagerman and F. Weston. It is now a private dwelling. Bloomfield Centre has been the place where the township-meetings have been held since the separation of West Bloomfield, and the public-house was usually the place designated; but since its closing they have been held in the school- house, as, for some reason, the wealthy township of Bloomfield has never decided to erect a town-hall. BRICK-3IAKING-TILE AND POTTERY WORKS. Brick-making was commenced many years ago by George W. Morris, on the east side of the turnpike, and opposite the Bagley homestead. Later, both brick and pottery works were commenced on the Bagley premises, and these were pur- chased in 1842 by John Daines, who commenced also the manufacture of drain- tile, with a machine of which hlie was the inventor. In this business and at this place hlie continued for twenty-three years. After him it was carried on by Har- vey Weston, who was succeeded in the business by Alanson Piersall, who finally closed it about 1873. Bloomfield Centre is now without business, other than that of agriculture. Perhaps it should be added that a Methodist camp-meeting, said to have been the first in the State of Michigan, was held at this place, in 1828; and we have already seen that it was proposed by Thomas McGraw to remove the State capital hither., THE SMITHI SAW-MILL. This mill, located about two miles north and west of the centre of Birmingham village, on the west branch of the Rouge, was the first mill of any description in the township of Bloomfield; having been built in 1825, by Corbett & Monroe, of Detroit, on their lands, purchased of Ellis H. Gray, in the southeast quarter of section 23. They sold to John W. Hunter. William Morris purchased it afterwards; and among its later proprietors have been George Blakeslee and John Hagerman. It is at present owned and carried on by William Smith. TIHE MORRIS GRIST-MILL. This was the first grist-mill put in operation in the township, having been built by William Morris, in the year 1828. Before this the inhabitants of Bloomfield were obliged to go to Auburn or Pontiac for the grinding of their grain, which was not a great hardship to those in the northern and northeastern parts of the township, but was very inconvenient to those located in the opposite portions; therefore the starting of Morris' mill was regarded with much satisfaction by the people; the more so, as a store was started there by Mr. Morris at about the same time. At present the mill is owned and carried on by MIr. John Toms. TILE OPDYKE FLOURING-MILL. About the year 1833, Josephus Young and his brother, John J. Young, after- wards a noted Methodist preacher in West Bloomfield, purchased a tract of land in the southeast corner of section 26, which had been entered by - Willard, and through which passes the west branch of the river Rouge. On their tract, and upon this stream, at a point half a mile due west from the centre of the vil- lage of Birmingham, they erected a saw-mill, in the ancient fashion, which they kept in use in the cutting of the hard-wood timber of the vicinity, probably with some profit to themselves, until the year 1835, when they sold their whole establishment -land, mill, and mill-seat-to Roswell T. Merrill, of Birmingham. Mr. Merrill made a re-arrangement of the dam and head-race, and at once built a flouring-mill a short distance below the Young saw-mill. He carried on this mill for several years, until his affairs had become involved by his other business operations, when it fell into the hands of his eastern creditors, who afterwards sold it to T. A. Flower and William Brown, who in turn sold the property to David Wilcox, from Battle Creek, and he again to Robert F. Opdyke and Henry Gardiner. In the year 1853, during the proprietorship of Opdyke & Gardiner, the mill was destroyed by fire; after which the site was purchased by R. E. Trowbridge, who rebuilt in 186(0, and kept the mill in operation for some years, and then ex- changed it with R. F. Opdyke for the farm of the latter, near Bloomfield Centre. The mill has since remained in the Opdyke family, and is now operated by G. K. Opdyke, a son of the earlier proprietor of that name. TIlE DESNOYERI SAW-MILL. About half a mile below the Opdyke mill, and on the same stream, in the southeast quarter of section 35, there was an old saw-mill which was built much earlier than the young mill. It stood on land which was entered by Peter Des- noyer, and it may have been built at his expense, but was never operated by him, as he was a merchant of Detroit, and never a resident of Bloomfield or South- field, in both of which townships hlie entered lands merely as a matter of invest.- ment or speculation. It is probably thirty-five years or more since this old mill 42 was last in motion, and nothing of it now remains excepting portions of its ancient dam and race. TIIE VAN EVERY MILL AND DISTILLERY. In 1832 or 1833 there came to Bloomfield a young man named Edward Matthews, the son of an Irish refugee of 1798. He had received a good educa- tion, was trained to the law, and admitted to the bar in New York city. He was of pleasing address, very enterprising, and had quite a large amount of funds at his command, and of these he intended to invest a good portion in the purchase of lands, erection of mills, and kindred enterprises. His attention was called to the lands of Scriba Blakeslee and Edward Ellerby, in section 31 of Bloomfield, and noting their favorable location, as it appeared to him, being immediately adjoining Franklin, which was then already aspiring to village importance, and embracing also a stream of some size-the outlet of Black Walnut lake in West Bloomfield-which was capable of furnishling the motive-power for a flouring or other mills, he purchased the Blakeslee tract and a part of the lands of Ellerby, and upon these he proceeded to lay out a considerable number of village lots, expecting, perhaps, to bring a good part of the business of the village of Franklin to the Bloomfield side of the line upon his own land. Hle also commenced preparations for the erection of a flouring-milI on the stream, and employed Mr. Joseph Gilbert, of Gilbert lake, to get out and haul the timber for that purpose. This was accomplished during the succeeding winter, and those who recollect seeing it, say that a finer or better lot of timber for that use was never collected. But meanwhile his expenditure had been too great for his means, although they were considerable, and as his enterprise brought no income,-the ex- pected sale of lots never being realized,-the result, which many of the more cautious ones had prophesied from the first, was failure; and it came before many of the arrangements for the erection of the mill had been perfected, beyond the collection of the material furnished by Mr. Gilbert. This occurred about 1834, and Matthews at once retired from Bloomfield, leaving his affairs in the condition above described. It is said that hlie afterwards fell into bad habits, and died in penury. In the year 1837, Colonel Peter Van Every, of Detroit, effected a negotiation with William S. Sears, of New York, who then held control of all the Matthews property in Bloomfield, either as assignee or otherwise, by the terms of which Van Every received all of the Blakeslee land and a part of the Ellerby tract purchased by Matthews, with all the appurtenances thereto, in exchange for cer- tain lands owned by him in the vicinity of Detroit. As soon as in possession lihe proceeded, with the material which Matthews had placed upon the ground, to erect the flouring-mill on the stream as originally projected by him. The mill- wright employed was William A. Pratt, and the mill was completed and ready for work within the year. It was a good establishment, and did a large business from the commencement. For a considerable time in 1838 and 1839 it was the only mill within the limits of Oakland County at which farmers could dispose of their wheat for cash, and we may readily suppose that this circumstance added not a little to its fame, and from that time until the present it has been held in high repute. It is now operated by Peter Van Every, a son of the first owner. In the same year, 1837, Colonel Van Every also built a distillery on the east side of the road, opposite the mill, and in 1838 he started a potashery in the rear of the mill; this was kept in operation and doing a good business for eighteen years. The distillery was also actively employed, and was probably pro- fitable, as nearly all of its species were in those days. A new distillery was afterwards built on the same site, by the present owner of the mill, and it may yet be seen there, though no longer devoted to its original use. TIlE STEELE SAW-MILL, so called because now owned and operated by Frank Steele, is located in the southwest quarter of section 31, a short distance above the Van Every mill, upon the same stream. It was built in the winter and spring of 1832 by Jacob Baker and Horace Garlicks. It was afterwards purchased by John B. Comstock, who added to it a fulling-mill, which was run for a number of years, until establish. ments of that kind ceased to be needed. TIHE VULCAN MINERAL PAINT-MILLS were built and commenced operation in the year 1874. The location is upon the farm of Thomas Green, part of the original purchase of Samuel Satterlee, Esq. The works are operated by steam-power, and the process of manufacture consists in roasting and grinding the crude mineral to produce a durable paint. This mineral is dug from the earth at the works, its existence at that place having been discovered more than half a century ago, at the time when a mill-stone was being quarried there for the old Auburn mill. The proprietors of the works are Messrs. Satterlee & Daines. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. SCHOOLS. The first school-house in Bloomfield was a small log building, which was erected on the farm of Dr. Ziba Swan. It stood near where now is the toll-gate on the turnpike, less than a mile north of the centre of Birmingham village, on land now of J. V. Stevens. In this rude temple of learning IHervey Parke taught the first school which was ever taught in the township. It was not a public school, but was supported by subscriptions per capita of pupils. His term com- menced about December 1, 1822, and continued until February, 1823, when he left, with Mr. Mullett, for Ohio, to procure a contract for government surveying. Beyond these few meagre facts we have no account of that first winter term of teaching. A year or two later the second school-house was built near the dwelling of Jacob Sly, and on his land; but neither the name of the first teacher nor the precise date or duration of the first term of school taught in it can be given. Other similar schools followed in different parts of the township, but there was no district system inaugurated or districts defined until 1834, when this was done in conformity to the provisions of the act approved April 13, 1833, which made it obligatory upon townships to elect three commissioners of common schools, whose duties should be to lay off the township into school districts, and to establish them in numerical order. The first district school in Bloomfield was taught by Rev. Lcmuel M. Partridge, in the winter of 1834-35, in the old log house of John Hamilton, at Birming- ham. Hamilton had then just completed his frame dwelling-house (now standing on Saginaw street, and owned by Orrin Poppeton, Esq.), and the old one, which stood immediately in its rear, had been devoted to school purposes. The school at Swan's (not, however, then a district school) had been taught the previous sum- mer (1834) by Jane Ingraham, and during this same winter it was in charge of Mr. Ormsbee. Prior to that it had been taught by a Mr. Schermerhorn. Among other early teachers in the log school-house, which stood on David Johnson's farm, northeast corner section 33, were Pierce Patrick, B. D. Worthing, and Samuel T. Bryant. There are at present twelve schools in the township, the yearly aggregate of the terms averaging about seven months, and the compensation of the teachers being about forty dollars per month. None of them are graded schools, except that in rthe village of Birmingham, which was made such about 1865; embracing high school, grammar, intermediate, and primary departments, employing a principal and four assistant teachers. The present salary of the principal is eight hundred dollars per annum, and that of the assistants seven dollars per week each. For- merly these salaries were higher, that of the principal having been twelve hun- dred dollars per year; but in conformity to the universal necessity and custom of retrenchment they have been reduced to the amounts above named. The present school edifice, which is really an ornament and a credit to the vil-. lage of Birmingham, was commenced in the year 1868, and completed and occu- pied in September, 1869. It location is on Chester street, and extending from North to Castle streets. Its cost, including site, was fourteen thousand dollars. THE METHODIST CiHURClI. The first account of Methodist worship in Bloomfield is that of a meeting held and sermon preached in Willets' log tavern, in 1821, by an itinerant, traveling up the Rouge, but whose name is not now known. The next is of Sunday afternoon meetings, held at the house of Dr. Ezra S. Parke, at which the doctor himself conducted the services, and his wife furnished most excellent singing. These occasions are said to have been not long after Dr. Parke's arrival, which was in 1822. And if their worship-meetings were the earliest, so also their church organiza- tion antedates all others in the township, having been effected about 1827, by Rev. William Pattee, a preacher of the Ohio conference. Their first meetings, after the organization, were held in Willets' frame barn, and at other barns in summer, and at his tavern and at private dwellings in winter, and often in the log school-house near Dr. Swan's residence. In 1833, their presiding elder was James Gilruth. In 1834-36, they were served by Elijah H. Pilcher and Connearn by William Sprague, Resin Sapp, and J. F. Davidson. The following are among those by whom the church has been served at various times, but no dates can be given, nor are we able to designate those among the number who were authorized preachers: William Comfort, F. Bangs, HI. Law, Rufus Crane, John A. Baughman, George Bradley, Josiah Brakeman, Larmon Chatfield, J. M. Arnold, Henry Brown, Flavel Brittun, Ira W. Donelson, Hiram Hood, J. M. Fuller, F. A. Blades, Elijah Crane, George Smith, S. E. Warren, John Russell, Isaac Abbott, Rev. Robert Bird, Salmon Steel, and Edward Steel. The present pastor is Rev. Henry 0. Parker, who came in 1874. Their first house of worship was built in 1839, and dedicated in 1840. It is yet standing, at the northwest corner of Bates and Merrill streets, and is used as the hall of the ladies' library association. The present church edifice was built during the pastorate of Rev. Robert Bird, to whose untiring efforts and energy its erection was in a great measure due. It was dedicated November 2, 1873; cost twenty thousand dollars. Connected with the church is a Sabbath-school, having an average attendance of one hundred and fifty, and under the superintendency of Mr. Silas Wattles. THIE WING LAKE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCII. The history of this church extends back over a period of forty-six years, it having been organized in the log school-house on Jacob Sly's farm, on the 4th day of June, 1831, by Rev. George tlornell, assisted and most ably supported by Deacon Elijah Bull, who was clerk of that first meeting. The original members of the church were: Elijah Bull, Robert Wallace, Nancy Wallace, Mary Barkley, and Ellen Kyle; and on the 25th of June, Elijah Bull and Robert Wallace were elected ruling elders, and were ordained to that office. For several years after the organization their preaching was supplied by Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles, of Pontiac, who was also instrumental in securing for them the services of Rev. O. Parker, who, in the first part of the year of 1839, held a pro- tracted meeting which resulted in adding thirty names to the roll of the church's membership. The place where this memorable meeting was held was the school- house which stood in the southwest quarter of section 30, on Deacon Bull's land, just south of Wing lake, and which was their place of worship during the first seventeen years of their existence as a church. The successor of Father Ruggles, as he was familiarly and affectionately called, was Rev. A. S. Wells, who commenced his labors with the church about the year 1840. He was succeeded by Rev. George Eastman. In July, 1842, Lucius Miller and Thomas Barkley were invested with the eldership. In 1846, Rev. N. West commenced his labors with the church, and about this time the congregation was organized as a body corporate, six trustees being elected, namely: Elijah Bull, Lucius Miller, Hugh Gordon, Robert C. Kyle, Josiah Bark- ley, and John B. Comstock; and Elijah Bull was constituted the agent of the church and congregation, with complete powers to transact any and all business pertaining to the erection of a flew house of worship, which had long been dis- cussed, and was now decided on. It was commenced in the early summer of 1848, and was completed in five months, the ceremony of dedication being per- formed on the 16th of November of that year. This was accomplished during the first year of the ministry of Rev. George Newcomb, who succeeded Rev. Mr. West. After Mr. Neweomb came Rev. H. Lucas, who commenced his labors in 1849. On the 12th of March, 1850, Melvin Drake and Robert C. Kyle were elected and ordained as ruling elders. Following the pastorate of Mr. Lucas, came that of Rev. Dr. Neil, whose ex- perience with this church was a short and stormy one. His successor was Rev. George G. Sill, who labored most acceptably with this people for several years, and was followed by Rev. J. S. Smith. After Mr. Smith came Rev. A. E. HIast- ings, in the spring of 1872. He labored here for six months, and was succeeded by Rev. John Kelland, whose ministry with this church continued for four years, and closed in November, 1876. The elders, besides those above mentioned, have been Samuel Andrews and John A. Covert, elected July 7, 1860; and William Bristol, William H. Midgely, and I. N. Covert, elected December 5, 1869. The house of worship of the Wing Lake church is located about half a mile north of the village of Franklin, on the west side of the road to Wing lake, and is a plain frame building, but neat and comfortable. It was built on land which formed a part of the original tract of Scriba Blakeslee. It has already been mentioned that the building committee in charge of all matters pertaining to its erection was Deacon Elijah Bull, solitary and alone. Of him it may be truly said that not only was the church edifice in a very great degree the result of his energy and unstinted liberality, but that he was the founder and father of the church itself. He was its clerk from the time of organization until his death; his first entry upon the record being made June 4, 1831, and his last, June 11, 1870, a period of almost forty years. Eminently was hlie the church's one main sustaining pillar; without his active religious zeal it would never have been brought into being, and without his unfailing support in after-years it must have ceased to exist. BLOOMFIELD PRESBYTERIAN CIHURCIH. The first step towards the establishment of regular Presbyterian worship in Bloomfield, of which we have any account, was the holding of a three-days' meeting at the barn of Deacon Elijah S. Fish, early in the year 1834. On the 2d of July, in that year, a meeting for the purpose of organization was held at i r HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 327 I Deacon Fish's residence, which was at that time a wooden house (to which a brick front was afterwards added) at the maple-grove which the deacon had planted, on the east side of the Saginaw road, and now the property of J. E. Benedict. At this meeting, the ministers present were Rev. Mr. McEwen and Rev. George Eastman. After religious exercises the organization of the church was effected, the following being its original members: William Blackington, Anna Blacking- ton, Deacon Elijah S. Fish, and Fanny his wife,-the foregoing being from the Presbyterian church of Pontiac; Dennis H. Quick and Abraham S. Hoagland, from the Presbyterian church of Troy; Thomas Comfort and Newell Comfort, from the Presbyterian church in Southport, Tioga county, New York, and Nathan Davis, from the Presbyterian church in Utica, New York. Of these nine mem- bers, only the venerable Dennis H. Quick is still a resident of the vicinity, and probably the only survivor. Elijah S. Fish and Abraham S. Hoagland were appointed elders and deacons, and Nathan Davis church clerk. At a session meeting held on the 3d of August, 1834, and presided over by Rev. Eri Prince, the following persons were received into the church by letter: Daniel and Mary Odell, Mary Matthews and Rachel Matthews, Maria V. Quick, Pamelia Quick, Gertrude Ann Quick, and Andrew V. D. Quick. This was the first addition to the church, and doubled its membership. Deacon Fish was the first delegate from this church to presbytery, sitting in September, 1834, at Pontiac. This was also the first communion season, and it is especially noted "that a number of the Methodist brethren and sisters united in the ordinance." The church has enjoyed ten pastorates, including the present. They have been those of Rev. Noah Cook, December 26, 1834, to June, 1836; Rev. A. S. Wells, from May 1, 1837, to October, 1840; Rev. Geo. T. Hornell, from November, 1841, to August, 1842; Rev. E. H. Fairchild, from November, 1842, to Novem- ber, 1849; Rev. Samuel N. Steele, from August, 1849, to February, 1851; Rev. James McLauren, from September, 1851, to July, 1854; Rev. S. N. Hill, from May 1, 1855, to May 1, 1867; Rev. A. E. Hastings, from November, 1867, to November, 1873; Rev. Win. J. Stoutenburgh, from February, 1874, to Novem- ber 1, 1876, and Rev. Thomas Middlemis, the present pastor, who entered upon his labor at Birmingham on the 18th of February, 1877. The following elders have served the church at some time since its organiza- tion: Elders Elijah S. Fish and Abraham S. Hoagland, elected in July, 1834; Thomas Comfort, elected in August, 1834, served until 1842, eight years; Sey- mour Adams, December, 1837, to 1849, twelve years; Dennis H. Quick, Sep- tember, 1839, to the present time, thirty-eight years; J. H. Wendell, January to November, 1842, ten months; S. V. R. Trowbridge, May 1, 1843, until the time of his death, which occurred suddenly on March 1, 1849, having served the church nearly sixteen years; Mason I. James, March, 1850, to July, 1859, more than nine years; H. Daniels, 1850 to 1852; William Lowes, 1850 to 1852; Alvin Simonson, April, 1858, to the present time, nineteen years; G. M. Trowbridge, July 1, 1859, to the present, eighteen years; Stephen Cooper, July 1, 1859, to December 4, 1875, sixteen years, and John S. Hunter, Albert Adams, and Stevens since December, 1875. The minutes of a few of the first meetings were kept by Nathan Davis, and afterwards by Thomas Comfort, until November, 1842. He was succeeded by Seymour Adams, from November, 1842, to August, 1849; by Rev. Mr. Steele, from 1849 to 1851; Rev. Mr. MeLauren, then by S. V. R. Trowbridge, then for a short time by Rev. S. N. Hill and G. Nl. Trowbridge, extending to April, 1860. From this time, Mr. Hill kept the records for seven years, and was suc- ceeded by Stephen Cooper for eight years and more. The present clerk is John L. Hunter. The society (body corporate) organization was effected December 17, 1835, at Davis' hotel, in Birmingham, which was designated as their regular place of wor- ship. At its organization, the title of the society was," The Presbyterian Society of Bloomfield," and Isaac S. Smith, Dennis H. Quick, Daniel Odell, Elijah S. Fish, Abraham S. Hoagland, and Thomas Comfort were elected trustees. The proceed- ings were acknowledged before Jonathan Chase, Esq., J. P. The society's records are entirely lacking for twelve years succeeding the organization. The name of the society was, on the 20th of February, 1850, changed to that of "The Pres- byterian Society of Birmingham." After Davis' hotel the next place of worship was the old wooden school-house which stood on the lot now owned by Andrew Wallace, on the northwest corner of Mill and Chester streets. The old building is now used as a barn. The last record of a meeting in this old school-house was that of May 1, 1843, an occa- sion on which a large accession was made to the numbers of the church,-sixteen by profession, and eight by letter. Their next place of meeting was the Methodist church, which was for a time rented for afternoon services at one hundred dollars per year. The first church edifice of the Presbyterians was built and dedicated in the summer of 1844, the second year of the pastorate of Rev. E. H. Fairchild. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Bates, of Pontiac; the prayer by Rev. Mr. Ingersoll. This old meeting-house stood on the site now occupied by their present church building on Troy street, and was occupied there until the spring of 1860, when, on the first of March, it was sold at auction, for removal, to Henry J. Blumberg, for the sum of one hundred and fifty-six dollars. It was, by the purchaser, removed to the lot adjoining Hugh Irving's store, to the north- ward, on Saginaw street, and there used for the holding of political meetings. From that spot it was afterwards removed to the corner of Saginaw and Troy streets, where it is still in use as a market-house. The present church building was erected in the summer of 1860, during the pastorate of Rev. S. N. Hill. It was dedicated, free of debt, on the fifth of December in that year, the sermon being preached by Rev. Dr. William Hogarth, of Detroit, with dedicatory prayer by the pastor. There were also present the Revs. Thomas Wright and T. Foster, and, from the Methodists, the Rev. M1r. Hedges. The entire cost of the church (including the furnishing, which was provided by the ladies) was two thousand five hundred dollars. The building committee under whose direction the work was done were Rev. S. N. Hill, A. D. Simonson, and G. M. Trowbridge. The edifice still retains its original size and proportions, though the question of its enlargement has been earnestly agitated and discussed of late. A Sabbath-school was organized in connection with the church as early as 1837. Following are the names of those who have acted as superintendents: J. H. Wendell, Rev. E. H. Fairchild, S. V. R. Trowbridge, Charles Brownell, Hugh Irving, Mr. Johnson, and G. M. Trowbridge, who has held the position for the last fifteen years. The number of pupils in attendance in 1866 and 1867 was sixty, which has been nearly doubled at the present time. THE BAPTIST CHURCII OF BIRMINGHAM. The history of the Baptist cause in Bloomfield extends over a period of nearly forty-five years. About the beginning of the year 1833, a church of the denom- ination was organized in the little settlement which is now Birmingham village, and, by act of ecclesiastical council, May 25, 1833, was recognized as "The Regular Baptist Church of Bloomfield." It seems to have been lacking, however, in the necessary elements of perma- nency. It had no place of worship; the members were poor, and perhaps some- times inharmonious in their ideas; removals and other causes weakened them so much that it became difficult for them to maintain themselves as a church, and about the year 1840 the organization was dissolved. The Rev. J. M. Martin was their last, and perhaps their only pastor. For thirty years after this there was no Baptist organization in Birmingham, and as one by one the remaining members of the old church were scattered by death or removal, the very memory of its existence had almost faded away. But about the commencement of the present decade the Baptists in Birming- ham and vicinity having received some accessions by removals thither from other places, and believing themselves sufficiently strong to re-establish and support their denominational worship, they met and resolved that, " Whereas, in the prov- idence of God, several brethren and sisters of different Baptist churches having located in and near the town of Birmingham, and whereas there being no regular Baptist church within six or seven miles of said town, we feel it our duty and esteem it a great privilege to be associated together in the faith and fellowship of the gospel ; therefore, we mutually agree to band ourselves together in an organ- ization which shall adopt the articles of faith and covenant commonly received among regular Baptist churches, and which shall be known as 'The Regular Baptist Church of Birmingham.' " The church organization was effected on the 28th of June, 1870, and the per- sons subscribing to the articles of faith and the covenant were Joseph Donaldson, Joseph Phillips, Joshua Fay, Benjamin Leach, Samuel Holman, Albert Put- nam, Esther Holman, Polly Fay, E. A. Valentine, and Eliza Auscomb. On the 9th of September, 1870, Joseph Phillips and Ezra Mathewson were elected deacons, and Albert Putnam was elected clerk. The ecclesiastical council of recognition met in the Presbyterian church of Bir- mingham on the 13th of September, 1870, when the church was recognized, and the list of membership read, as follows: By baptism, two; by experience, four; by letter, eleven; total membership, seventeen. The church when recognized had no house of worship, and no pastor; they held their prayer, covenant, and busi- ness meetings from house to house, and Rev. William Remington, pastor of the Baptist church at Pontiac, led the church, preached, and administered the ordinances. The subject of the erection of a house of worship was at once agitated, and, at 328 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I a meeting held at the house of Albert Putnam, on the 3d of October in the same year, a building committee was elected, consisting of Ezra Matthewson and Albert Putnam. On the 9th of November following, the church elected as a board of trustees, Joseph Donaldson, Samuel Holman, Albert Putnam, and George Blakeslee. At about the same time they rented as a place of worship a building known as "the old academy," situated at the southwest corner of Mill and Pierce streets, the present site of the post-office building. In this they held their meetings for about one year, when the building was destroyed by fire. In the winter of 1870-71 the church purchased two lots on Saginaw street, and made preparations for the erection of a house of worship during the succeed- ing summer; but this building enterprise was not accomplished, the failure being due to disagreement among the members upon the question of location. It was also during the same winter that a protracted meeting of six weeks' continuance was held by Rev. W. R. Northrup, and resulted in a considerable number of conversions, but most of the converts united with the Presbyterian and Methodist churches. After this the Rev. Mr. Northrup continued to supply the church for some four or five months, and after his departure the Birmingham church united with the Baptist church of Royal Oak in the support of a pastor who should give his services to each alternately. Under this arrangement the Rev. Silas Finn com- menced to labor for these churches about November, 1871, and continued for about a year. His meetings were held at first in the old academy building, until its destruction by fire, then in the Methodist meeting-house, until some difficulty arose which rendered it advisable that they should discontinue its use as a place of worship; after which, on several occasions, Mr. Finn held services in the open air. After the conclusion of Mr. Finn's ministry with them, they had neither pastor nor preaching for about a year and a half, though during this time they regularly kept up the covenant- and prayer-meetings at private dwellings. At a church- and society-meeting held January 14, 1873, it was again resolved to build a meeting-house in the following summer, and to this end E. Matthewson and B. Daniels were constituted a building committee. Under their superinten- dency the resolution to build was carried into effect, and the present house of worship was erected and completed during the summer of 1873. Its location is at the head of Bates street, in Willets' addition to Birmingham. The total cost of the edifice was seventeen hundred dollars, and it was dedicated, free of debt, on Sunday, September 28, 1873, the Rev. John Matthews, of Detroit, preach- ing the dedication sermon. In March, 1874, the church called the Rev. D. Gostellow to the pastorate. He labored with them, in connection with the Baptist church of Troy, for one year and nine months, and then resigned. In the spring of 1876, the church secured the services of Rev. J. E. Bitting, as supply for one year. He com- menced his labors on Sunday, May 21, 1876, supplying also the church at Troy. At a meeting of the church, held April 4, 1877, it was voted to invite Mr. Bitting to continue another year with them, provided the necessary amount of salary could be raised. In this, however, they were not successful, and, much to their regret, Ir. Bitting closed his labors with them on May 20, 1877, to assume dhe pastorate of the church at Novi. A Sabbath-school was commenced at the time of the organization of the church in 1870. It was under the superintendency of Dr. James A. Post, who has con- tinued in charge of it until the present time. The average of pupils is about seventy-five. PLACES OF INTERMENT. There are several burial-grounds in Bloomfield, but none of them are incor- porated cemeteries, and none are exclusively under township control. THE BIRMINGHAM1 CEMETERY, as it is called, is a ground of two acres, adjoining the corporation of Birmingham on its northern boundary, and near its northwest corner. It was part of the original tract entered and settled on by Dr. Ziba Swan; and it was he who, before 1825, donated a spot to be used as a burial-place; this being half an acre in ex- tent, and embraced within the present cemetery inclosure. The first interments within this old ground were those of Mrs. John Utter and her daughter, the manner of whose death has already been narrated. The be- reaved husband and father died soon after, and was buried by the side of his wife and child. In due time the donor of the ground, and very many of the oldest as well as of the younger inhabitants of Bloomfield were laid away there ; and, as the small space grew populous with graves, and it became apparent that more area of land was required for present as well as prospective use, some fifteen of the citizens of the vicinity joined together (though not as a legally-constituted association or company) and, by subscription, purchased an additional acre and a half, which they inclosed with the old half-acre and formed the present cemetery ground. It has been decorated and beautified to some extent, and is well kept. The inter- ments within it have become very numerous. TIHE VAUGHN CEMETERY, which lies a little west of Bloomfield Centre, is the enlargement of an old grave- yard upon the land of Jacob Vaughn (now owned by Potter Knight), in which the first burials were those of members of Mr. Vaughn's family. After a time other interments were made there, and about 1860 the ground was enlarged in the same manner as was the Swan burial-ground at Birmingham, Sby citizens of the vicinity purchasing additional land from Richard Vaughn, the successor of Jacob. There are now a large number 9f graves in the inclosure, including some of ancient date. TIHE GILBERT LAKE BURIAL-GROUND. This ground is situated on the southwestern side of Gilbert lake, on the farm of E. R. Adams, which was formerly owned by Joseph Gilbert, the first inter- ment in it having been that of his wife, Mrs. Nancy Gilbert, many years ago. From being a cluster of family graves it came to be used as a place of interment by the inhabitants of the vicinity, until in this, as in the other old grave-yards of Bloomfield, the number of silent occupants has become very large. THE GREER GRAVE-YARD is a small inclosure located about a mile and a half north and west of the one last mentioned, and in the farm formerly owned by James Greer, who died February 7, 1857, at the age of seventy-two years, and now lies buried here; and beside him his wife Jane, who died in 1868, at the age of eighty-three years. Here, also, lie Thomas Gillespie and his wife Nancy, who died April 11, 1872, at the great age of ninety-two years and three months. This ground is of comparatively recent date, and contains only eleven graves in all. Its location is in a wild and secluded spot among the forest-trees on the south line of the Greer farm. OTHER BURIAL-PLACES. There is a small grave-yard on the farm of Andrew Porter, on the Square lake road, a mile and a half west from the Saginaw turnpike; and in two or three other places in the township there are similar inclosures containing a few graves; one of these being upon the Kimble farm, east of the Pontiac road, and about three- fourths of a mile south of the town-line, the same on which John Chamberlain settled in 1825. For facts furnished and courteous assistance rendered in the preparation of the history of Bloomfield township the thanks of the publishers are due to the following gentlemen: Dr. Ebenezer Raynale, Messrs. Edwin Baldwin, Rufus Hunter, J. F. Durkee, Ammos Davis, Benjamin A. Thorne, J. A. Bigelow, - Corson, G. M. Trowbridge, J. S. Stoekwell, George Blakeslee, the Hon. Alanson Partridge, Mason I. James, Esq., Orrin Poppleton, Esq., Josiah Alger, Esq., and John Bodine, Esq., of Birmingham; Asa B. Hadsell and William P. Durkee, of the township; Deacon Melvin Drake of Southfield, and John Ellenwood, of West Bloomfield. BIO GRAPHICAL S]KETC H. JOHN JONES. I was born in Whitestown, near Utica, in the State of New York, May 6, 1803, and removed from Jefferson county, New York, in the spring of 1821, and settled in what is now Troy; entered and settled northwest quarter of section 19, containing forty acres of land. Our family consisted of father and mother, and my brother Joseph and sister Margaret, and myself. When we first landed in Detroit we had only eighty dollars, to pay for our land and buy provisions for one year, and to buy us a team; so you see it stood us in hand to study economy. We had to pay one dollar per hundred to have our goods hauled out from Detroit to our land, which was considered at that time a reasonable price, as it took four days to go over the road with an ox-team. I say road ; there was no road; we were guided by marked trees. Well, we built us a log shanty, and covered it with bark; and felt thankful that we had a home, and if we could have been sure of enough to cat we would have felt happy. We could get along without roads,-willing to be guided by marked trees,-willing to do without these conveniences, if we were sure of corn-bread enough to keep starve-to-death away. Well, we cleared a spot xl vI ESDENCE of HO_~~~~~~a~ CI ~~~TOKADaI __ a, , a 4 _______ 0 J iN O N~1 LQ A AO~t/x HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 329 1 and planted some corn that spring. We then took a job of chopping and clear- ing, and earned enough to buy us a yoke of four-year-old steers, but they did not prove to be the right kind of a team. They were very hard to break, and they would turn the yoke the wrong side up too often, and we could not afford to buy whip-lashes, so we sold them the first chance we had, and bought another pair, which proved to be better,-but found that we had not money enough to pay for them into ten dollars, which sum at that time was almost impossible to raise, but, to overcome that difficulty, I left my old father at home, shouldered my axe, and made up my mind that, come what would, those steers must be paid for. I hired out chopping for Nelson Madding, an Oakland County pioneer; worked about a month for ten dollars, got the money, and paid for oxen, and felt rich. About this time our supply of corn-bread began to give out, and we could not get corn- meal or flour if we had the money to pay for it; so to avoid going hungry we picked and husked our corn in the month of August, and dried it on the top of our shanty, and took it to Auburn to mill, got it ground, and thus kept up a sup- ply of bread. I have often heard of times that tried men's souls, but I look back to those old pioneer days and think that then was the time that tried men's stomachs. After we had been on our forty acres a year or two we concluded that it was not sufficient for a farm, so we thought the first chance we had for selling we would do so. We soon had a chance, and acted accordingly; sold, and settled, in the spring of 1823, on the northwest quarter of section 21,-eighty in Troy,-and before we could get to our land we had to cut brush and make a road for our ox- team to go through. This eighty acres we entered at the land-office in Detroit at the government price, one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. When we first settled on our new purchase we found that we were yet in the midst of a wilderness. The nearest neighbor, and only one for miles round, was Riley Crooks, another pioneer. He lived in a log shanty in the northwest quarter of section 20. He was killed by the falling of a tree, April 27, 1830. The next early pioneers that came in and settled, near a year or two after, were William Poppleton, John Sprague, William Stanley, Hiram Smith (or Uncle Hi, as lihe was called), all of whom have passed away to their long homes. In the spring or summer of 1823 we built us a log house, and covered it with stakes, split our flooring out of logs, and, by the way, I will add, we did not stop to plane or match it. We now felt we had a home once more, and what we called a comfortable one at that time; although we had no door, the first summer only a blanket hung up as a substitute for one, and at that time we were in the midst of a howling and unbroken wilderness, and expected to make an honest living by hard work, with only the helve of that noble article, the axe, which we could not well do without. We could have made improvements faster on our land had we had the money to buy our provisions with, but I had to chop for other settlers, and take jobs to earn food to live on for a few days, then chop and clear on our own land while it lasted, and when about gone, go out and work for more. Perhaps some of the young men of the present day would like to know what wages were paid at that time for labor. I will just say that a good chopper could earn from thirty to fifty cents per day, and he must be a man that could swing an axe from morning till night, in the months of April, May, June, and, I might add, all summer, and he must not be particular about his bill of fare; at that time, if he got plenty of pork and corn-bread, and occasionally a few potatoes, he was a lucky man, as for me, I have chopped for days and weeks on pudding and milk alone. These things, I doubt not, will seem strange at the present day, but nevertheless it is true. I mention these things to let the young people of the present day know what we, the old pioneers of Oakland County, passed through to turn a vast wilderness into a rich and beautiful and productive country, which will be the pride of rising generations. I have often thought, while attending our pioneer meeting, if any one of the pioneers of Oakland County ever thought who cleared the land where the court- house now stands in Pontiac. I had the honor of doing that chopping and clear- ing myself. I cleared five acres, commencing at the northeast corner of the lot, and running south as far as what was called Strait-Backs tavern, then west and north and east to the said corner. For this job I received fifty cents a day. In chopping and clearing land we had many difficulties to overcome, and had to work often to disadvantage. A great deal of the time water would stand on the ground, and thus delay our progress. At that time there were no ditches to carry the water off, and we had to do the best we could. I have chopped for days to earn fifty cents a day, and stood in the water most of the time from six to eight inches deep. One winter in particular I will mention; I worked on a job of chop- ping for John Sprague, and a great deal of the time stood in watei half-way up my boot-legs, and if I made a misstep the water would run over the tops; but I did not go to the house for dry stockings but worked away until dark; but, as a general thing, if I kept the water from going over the tops of my boots I had dry feet, for, by the way, those boots were made by an honest man, and warranted to turn water, and they did just as they were recommended to do, and that man of whom I speak was my old friend and pioneer and neighbor, the now Hon. James Bailey, residing at the present time on the same street within Birmingham, and I would that we had just such boot- and shoe-makers at the present day as lihe was then. I think there would be more dry feet and less bad colds. While thus working and battling with the hardships of a pioneer life, we had to do without a great many luxuries that we now enjoy. Our grocery-bill was not large compared with what it is at the present day. One pound of tea and ten pounds of sugar would last us a year; but soon we began to be rewarded for our labor, for after a while we could see here and there through our neighborhood a few acres of clearing, which told us that the forest was being conquered and the mighty-timbered land was being cleared away, and that soon we should see the golden grain waving in its stead; then indeed we felt rich and happy to know that when the harvest was over we should have at least what bread we wanted, and thus destroy that fear that sometimes crossed our minds, that what if we should be sick and could not work we might suffer for want of bread. But now new troubles began to come upon us: my mother became deranged, and of course caused us great uneasiness for fear she might do herself harm, and after a few years of poor health, she died June 13, 1835, sixty-six years of age. After the death of my mother, my father remained for awhile in usual health, but soon he began to feel that old age was telling upon him. My brother Joseph was not much help to us, and I saw that all the cares wer falling upon me, and I resolved, as I had been taught to do, to honor my father and mother, and come what would, to not neglect them or allow them to suffer as long as life and health was spared me; and I can now in my old age look back to those days and with a clear conscience say I have never failed to do all in my power for their comfort; poor as I was, I did the best I could, and I often wish that they could have lived to enjoy the luxuries of these days. Long ago they entered the land of the blessed, as I have faith to believe, for they were devout Christians. Some time after the death of my mother I began to see the need of a help- mate, and married Miss Mary Ann Wright, December 3, 1839. Although she was somewhat younger than me, she has proved an excellent wife and a faithful companion to me, and her patience and kindness towards my father during the last three years of his life I shall never forget. For three years he was not out of the house, and most of the time he was as helpless as a child, and, as I was away a great deal of the time, most of the care of my father came on her to do, and most faithfully did she perform her duty, administering to his wants and comforts in patience and without a murmer. Surely such shall have their reward. My father died January 15, 1846, sixty-eight years of age. In recalling these instances of pioneer days, a great many of which have passed from my mind, I seem as it were to be living them over again, and I rejoice to know that steps are being taken to preserve a record of them, which, if not done, will soon be among the things of the past and be forgotten forever. In conclusion, I will say that I have been rewarded for my labors and hardships. For my economy and industry, I have accumulated a sufficient sum for me for the few remaining days that are left me to stay on this earth. We remained on the old firm about forty-five years, or until about seven years ago, when we began to feel the need of rest in our old age from the cares and labors of the farm. We sold the farm and removed to the quiet village of Birmingham, where we expect to live until we are called to join our kindred dead. I am now in the seventy- first year of my age, and in usual health for one of those years.  SUPPLEMENT. PERSONAL SKETCHES RECEIVED TOO LATE TO INSERT UNDER THEIR PROPER HEADINGS. A. S. BROOKS. NOVI. Alexander Simpson Brooks, son of David :and Catharine Brooks, was'born on the 13th of December, 1817, in the town of Ovid, Seneca county, New York, where hlie remained until hlie had entered his twenty-second year, when hlie went with his father to Avon, near Genesee, New York, at which place the father had rented eleven hundred acres of land. There lie remained more than two years. On the 13th of January, 1841, he was married at Ovid, to Miss Amanda Leonard, by whom have been born to him six sons and four daughters, as follows: Lyman L., Martha C., Helen E., Charles S., Alice E., Henry, Kate M., Homer, Frederick Stanley, and Benjamin. In August, 1842, hlie came with his family to Michigan, and settled on the west town-line in Novi, on the fatrm which he now occupies. This land-three hun- dred and twenty acres-li-he had purchased in the year 1839 of his uncle, Benja- min Simpson, who had bought of Belknap, who made the original entry. On this half section there were ninety acres cleared, and three log cabins built, each eighteen by twenty feet in size, and each with fire-place. Two of these lihe moved together, which made him a comfortable habitation. Here hlie was corn-' pletely shut in by heavy woods, .and hlie says he was never so happy in his life as when he had cut away enough of these to enable him to see the light of a neighbor about a mile distant. There were no roads reaching to his farm when hlie came, and one of his first necessities was to construct them, so as to give him access to the outside world. In his old honime in New York his inclination had been towards the raising of pure-blooded stock, for hlie believed then, just what his later experience has veri- fied, that such stock alone are profitable to produce. It being his intention to embark in this enterprise in his new home, hlie made his commencement by bring- ing hither, in the fall of 1843, from New York, four head of Durham cattle and nine pure merino sheep. Barely avoiding the "Julia Palmer" disaster on the trip out, and also barely escaping the drowning of his stock at Buffalo by the unprecedented rise of water forced in by a westerly gale (the water rising eight feet deep during the night in the stable from which he had fortunately removed them at nightfall), and having lost, but recovered, them at Hamtramck, on the route from Detroit, he finally brought them safely to his farm in Novi. Upon their arrival hlie was ridiculed by his neighbors on the poor appearance of the stock, their expensiveness, and, as they said, the tenderness with which they had been reared, which would make them worthless in the wilds of Mich- igan; but the result has disproved all their prophecies and established the correct- ness of Mr. Brooks' ideas. The man who said most in ridicule of the stock when they arrived was the first to purchase them. Mr. Brooks' array of stock to-day stands ahead of any in Michigan ; the only farmer who is able to make any show of comparison with his being Daniel M. Uhl, of Ypsilanti. lHe-Mr. Brooks-has now thirty head of Durhams, and has generally from one hundred and fifty to two hundred sheep, all of strictly pure blood, which yield him seven pounds per fleece. When he first took this farm it was under a mortgage, but this he paid long ago, and there has been none since. He has the same acreage which he had at first, but in cultivation and in the improvements made the change is very great. Besides this he has paid fully ten thousand dollars for land on which to establish his sons, of whom he has three married, to whom he has given one hundred, one hundred and ten, and one hundred and sixty acres respectively, one being located at Brighton, one five miles on the road towards Milford, and one near Novi Corners. With the assistance of his remaining sons he performs all the labor of the farm, except in the season of harvest. His average yearly production of wheat is one thousand bushels. He has aimed to attend strictly to his own business, and has never sought, nor willingly accepted, office. .. It is admitted that his introduction of fine stock into Oakland has been more than a hundred thousand dollars' benefit to the county, and it is his desire to im- press on the minds of those who come after him that they can afford to produce none but good stock, and that the raising of such, ifpersevered in, is sure to prove profitable in the end. A view of Mr. Brooks' fine place is given in this volume. JOHN W. MORSE. . . NOVI. John W. Morse, now a well-known resident of the township of Novi, was born in Virgil, Cortland county, New York, February 28, 1826. In the fall of 1834, when he was in his ninth year, hlie removed with his parents to Michigan, where they settled in the township and county of Oakland. He continued with them here for eighteen years, at the end of which time hlie removed to the farm on which hlie now resides, in Novi. This farm embraces three hundred and sixty acres, of which twenty acres is in orchard. Mr. Morse's specialties in agriculture are fruit, stock, and grain, and it is safe to say that there are few better farms than his in Oakland County. On another page may be seen a representation of his fine farm residence, an establishment which in an unusual degree combines utility with beauty. The basement of his house is so constructed as to permit the en- trance of teams, to facilitate the process of storage of fruits and vegetables, for which purpose it is especially arranged. Mr. Morse has been twice married ; first, in the year 1852, to Eliza 3M. Rollin, from which union was born a son, whose portrait is given with the farm view. Mrs. Morse died September 2, 1855. His second marriage was with Miss Laura Sandford, his present wife, November 17, 1859. Her family was among the list of those of Novi's earliest pioneers. Mr. Morse is Republican in politics, and is a member of the Baptist church. He has held the office of justice of the peace for six years, but never sought that nor any other office, and has no aspirations as a politician, preferring rather to live on happily and independently in the exercise of his chosen vocation of hus- bandry, and in healthful and honest labor upon his magnificent farm. His father, Mr. John Morse, a New England man by birth, and a soldier of the War of 1812, is still residing in Novi, near his son. He is eighty-six years of age. JOHN BASSETT. NOVI. The father of this gentleman, Samuel Bassett, late of Bloomfield township, Oakland County, was born in New Haven county, Connecticut, in March, 1784. From thence, about 1806, hlie removed to Ovid, Seneca county, New York, where his son, John Bassett, the subject of this sketch, was born May 29, 1816. In June, 1832, hlie removed to Michigan with his father, who settled in Bloom- field. John remained with him there until 1837, in which year-February 18- he married Ervilla Coomer, of Farmington, and settled in Novi, on a tract of two hundred and forty acres of land purchased from government by his father in 1831, and which constitutes the fine homestead farm on which he still resides. Samuel Bassett continued his residence in Bloomfield township until his death, which occurred in the autumn of 1873, at the age of eighty-nine years. A. J. WELSH. NOvi. Andrew Jackson Welsh is of English extraction, the son of John G. Welsh, and was born in Royalton, Niagara county, New York, April 15, 1824. In the 331 332 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I following year hlie was brought to Michigan by his parents, who settled in Livonia, Wayne county. On the 7th of November, 1850, he married Laura A. Dennis, (laulghter of George B. Dennis, of Novi, and by this union four children were born, as follows: Alice A., died at five years of age; Alma K., now living with parents; and Charles N. and Cora May,-the last two twins and remaining with parents. In politics Mr. Welsh is a Republican, in religion always a Baptist. He has two hundred and forty acres of fine improved land, and an attractive homestead, of which a view is given elsewhere. GEORGE B. DENNIS. NOVI. This gentleman, the father of Mrs. A. J. Welsh, was born in Norwich, Con- necticut, and settled in Monroe county, New York, on reaching his majority. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, having served in that conflict under Gen- eral Hopkins. He married Abigail Day, a native of Vermont, who had removed to Monroe county. They removed to Michigan in 1847, and settled in Novi, on the homestead now occupied by their son, George Dennis. Both are now deceased, Mrs. Dennis having lived to the age of eighty-three years. RILEY C. SIHAW. NOVI. The subject of this sketch was born in the town of Bristol, Ontario county, New York, April 12, 1816. At the age of thirteen hlie removed with his father to Michigan, and settled in the township of Novi, where he has lived until the present time. On September 24, 1839, he was married in Novi, to Miss Rebecca Rodgers, by whom four children have been born to him, as follows: Richmond F. Shaw, now living near the old home; James Shaw, also living near; John Shaw, living with his father; and a daughter, Elizabeth, who died at the age of fifteen years. The mother of these, Mrs. Rebecca Shaw, died October 1, 1876. In politics Mr. Shaw is, and has always been, a Democrat; in religion his views do not lean strongly towards those of any particular creed. He has a finely-im- proved farm of three hundred acres, and his homestead is pictorially represented on another page. PHILIP SHAW. NOVI. The tfather of Riley C. Shaw, of Novi, was born in the year of Cornwallis' surrender,-1781,-in Dighliton, Massachusetts, from whence hlie removed to Ontario county, New York, where he married Chloe Foster. He remained in Ontario county until 1829, when he removed to M1ichigan, having quite a large amount of money for those days, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in sections 21 and 22, in the township of Novi, upon which he lived until his death, which occurred October 4, 1876, at the age of ninety-six years and seven months. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, a Democrat in politics, and a Universalist in religion. He had been the father of eleven children, of whom three only are now living, all in Novi, viz.: William F., Nancy J., and Riley C. Shaw. JOSHUA SIMMONS. NOVI. The venerable citizen whose name is at the head of this sketch was the eldest of a large fimily, and was born at Diglhton, Bristol county, Massachusetts, on the 12th of April, 1801. In the same year his parents removed to Bristol, Ontario county, New York, where Joshua remained with his father, attending the common school and engaged in the duties of the farm, until he reached the age of twenty- one years, when hlie obtained employment on his own account, and worked at thirteen dollars per month until lie had realized the sum of two hundred and twenty-five dollars, and then, at the age of twenty-three years, came to Michigan and selected and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 6 in the township of Livonia, Wayne county. Having accomplished this hlie returned to Ontario county, and labored for two years longer, then, on the 13th of January, 1826, married Hannah Macomber, of Bristol, and in the September following again left for Michigan, taking with him his young wife, to commence life in the wilderness. They came by the old steamboat "Superior" on Lake Erie to Detroit, and were three days on the way from thence to their place of destination, nine- teen miles, though they were compelled to travel fully thirty miles before arriving there. The teamsters who brought him out were Leland Green and Wardwell Green, whom he was unable to pay in full for the service, lacking five dollars of the requisite amount. The household goods were unloaded upon the ground, and the owner remained with them through the long hours of the drizzling, rainy night. His wife had been left at a Mr. Thliayer's, a mile distant, with the arrangement that in the morning hlie would fire a gun to notify her that all was safe and right. Anxiously she listened and joyously she heard it, and before another night had closed in she was in occupation of their own cabin, which, by the kind assistance of pioneer neighbors, had been built during the day, and securely roofed in with basswood troughs. Mr. Simmons was a natural mechanic, and had brought a few tools with him to the west, and these served him a good turn in the support of his family, for a day of mechanical labor would then command two days of unskilled labor on farm or in forest, and Mr. Simmons turned all his skill to the best account. lie built the first frame barn in the town of Plymouth, this being on the farm of Erastus Starkweather, erected in 1827, and in his own township of Livonia he also built the first barn of that description upon his own farm in 1829. lIe hewed the timber for the first mill built in Plymouth, and also for the first one in the township of Farmington, this being the mill built by Edward Steel on the stream above Farmington village. The first Michigan election Mr. Simmons participated in was held somewhere in the town of Dearborn, and to reach the polls hlie, in company with a neighbor, started before daylight on foot, following a line of "blazed" trees many miles through the forest. His vote for supervisor was cast for Rev. Marcus Swift, who was competing for the honors of that office with Mr. Teneyck, of hotel notoriety. Mr. Swift was elected by a majority of two. By the most persistent and unremitting toil, Mr. Simmons cleared his land and gave it a thorough cultivation, and in due time the old log cabin was demolished, and in its place, in the year 1841, hlie erected a new residence, which at the time was universally acknowledged to be the finest farm-house in the county, and of which MIr. S. P. Lyon, of Farmington, was architect and builder. On another page we present a representation of this residence, which is still among the finest in that part of the county of Wayne. The names of the children who have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Simmons are as follows: Richmond C., L. Wellington, William T., J. Morell, Mary E., Jennie E., and Helen M. All of these excepting William and Jennie are living, and all married and settled on farms near the old home. In politics Mr. Simmons has always been a Democrat of the Jacksonian school, and in religious faith a Universalist. From his farm and his other enterprises he has amassed an ample fortune, and about eight years since he retired from all active business, resolved to spend the remnant of his days in ease and quiet with the partner of his youth, and with the children who delight to do him honor. WELCOME CAMPBELL. ROYAL OAK. This gentleman, now a resident of the township of Royal Oak, was born in Paris, Oneida county, New York, July 20, 1810. He received his education in Monroe county, New York, and after his school-days were over learned the business of coopering. In the year 1834 he removed to Michigan, and settled on section 7, in the town of Oxford, Oakland County, arriving upon his premises on the 26th of May. His aged father accompanied him to his new home, and remained there an honored inmate, until his death, which occurred on the 6th of September, 1843. They were among the first settlers of Oxford. The first religious services in the town were held in Mr. Campbell's house, and he assisted in the erection of the first house of worship, as well as the first school-house. On the 9th of June, 1839, hlie was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Che- ney, by whom he became the father of five sons and five daughters, of whom all the sons and three daughters are now living. His location in Oxford was known as " Campbell's Corners," and here hlie re- mained for twenty-five years, most actively engaged in the various pursuits of ag- riculture, merchandising, building, and his original trade of coopering, and hlie also was proprietor of a store in Pontiac. The prosecution of these vocations has produced a wide change in his pecuniary circumstances since the time when lihe first arrived in Michigan, forty-three years ago, poor enough in the matter of worldly wealth. In November, 1859, hlie removed with his large family to the township of Royal HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 333 Oak, where he had purchased a tract of seven hundred and fifty acres of land. Upon this tract he lived and made improvements for sixteen years, until he brought it up to rank as one of the very best farms in the township. A most desirable feature of his improvement was the planting of maple-trees for shade on both sides of the highway, and it would be well if this public-spirited practice should become more general among farmers. A pictorial representation of his homestead will he found among the pages of this work. Mr. Campbell's eight children are settled on farms of seventy to eighty acres each, which were cut from his original tract, and hlie has sixty acres left as a home- stead, all clear of debt. His residence at present is in Royal Oak village, where he devotes his time to the keeping of bees, in which he claims an improved sys- tem. His apiary yields him annually about two tons of honey. DEACON MELVIN DRAKE. SOUTHFIELD. Melvin Drake, son of Larned Drake, of Easton, Massachusetts, was born in that town on the 20th of December, 1805, and at the age of six years removed with his parents to Orange county, Vermont. There hlie remained until 1821, when, at sixteen years of age, hlie obtained employment in Shoreham, Addison county, in the same State. At this place he worked steadily until 1830, when, on the 19th of September, he was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Pratt, of Shoreham, and, having already decided to emigrate to the west, the young couple at once packed their movables, and taking first the Northern canal, at Whitehall, and afterwards the Erie canal, for Buffalo, took passage at the latter port for De- troit, by steamer "Niagara," arriving at their destination on the 11th of October, 1830. Leaving his wife in Detroit, Mr. Drake proceded to Washtenaw county, and there made selection of an eighty-acre tract of land, but on returning to the land office at Detroit, hlie found that this had already been entered, but was told by an acquaintance that there was plenty of fine land in Oakland County, which hlie would have no difficulty in securing, and upon this assurance hlie came to Southfield and made selection of eighity acres, which he had means to pay for from the earnings of his nine years' labor in Vermont. He at once commenced the erection of a house, which he had ready for occupancy in four weeks, himself and wife in the mean time stopping in the log house of a neighbor, whose own family numbered twelve persons. His purchase was a heavily-timbered tract in section 2. Upon this he re- mained until 1833, when he exchanged it with Isaac Heth for forty acres of open- ing in section 6, to which hlie at once removed, and upon which hlie now resides. Hie soon found plenty of eligible land for sale adjoining and near his new pur- chase, and of these he bought, until at one time he was the owner of about four hundred acres, lying nearly in a body. On the organization of the Congregational (now First Presbyterian) church of Southfield, Mr. and Mrs. Drake united with it, by letter, from the Congregational church at Shoreham, Vermont, of which they were both members before their emigration. Mr. Drake was elected deacon at the organization, and remained the only deacon of that church for seventeen years. On account of the distance at which they resided from the Southfield house of worship they withdrew from that church about the year 1852, and united with the Wing Lake Presbyterian church in Bloomfield, in which Deacon Drake was elected an elder, and has continued to hold that office until the present time. The children born to Deacon and Mrs. Drake have been: Francis W., born June 17, 1831, and died October 5, 1872; Almira S., born March 20, 1833, married January 1, 1852, to John B. Sly, of Bloomfield; and Mary P., born February 5, 1836, married April 4, 1860, to Isaac N. Covert, and died February 22, 1874. Mrs. Drake was the daughter of Charles M. Pratt, of Williston, Vermont, and was born June 12, 1809. She had two brothers, now both dead, and has three sisters, one living in Illinois, one in Stockbridge, Inghliam county, Michigan, and a third, Mrs. Rust, in Southfield. Her tfather also removed to Michigan in 1834, purchased forty acres of land in Southfield, but after a time removed to the town- ship of Addison, thence to Shiawassee county, then returned to Franklin about 1870, and died in 1871, at the age of ninety-five years and two months. The father of Mr. Drake also followed his son to the west in 1835, located on section 10, in Southfield, where hlie lived until his death, which occurred in 1863, his age being seventy-nine years. ' " Deacon Drake has at various times filled township offices, and more than forty years ago was an officer in the Southfield militia, being commissioned second lieutenant by Stephen T. Mason, the war governor of Michigan, and hlie was afterwards advanced to the grade of captain. He is no longer extensively engaged in agriculture, having reduced his acreage by sales and invested in government securities, and there is no reason why he and his partner, with their ample means and clear consciences, should not find quiet and solid comfort in the evening of their days. ISAAC HETIH. SOUTIIFIELD. The subject of this sketch was born in the State of Vermont, September 25, 1787, and was married to Miss Betsey Brown, December 17, 1815. The children of this union were Minerva Heth, who died in infancy, in 1816; Mary Heth, born in May, 1817, now Mrs. Warren, and living with her daughter in St. John, Clinton county, Michigan; Truman B. Heth, born in August, 1819, now a farmer in Ingham county, Michigan ; George W. Heth, born December 2, 1822, now living in Southfield township; and Harriet N. Heth, born in 1825. In 1827 he removed to Michigan, and settled on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 6, in Southfield, and here he remained for nearly six years. In the first part of the year 1833 he exchanged forty acres of his land in section 6 with Deacon Melvin Drake for double that number of acres of Drake's purchase in section 2, upon which he removed with his family in February of that year, and upon which hlie lived, in the quiet pursuit of agriculture, until his death, which occurred on the 13th of December, 1871, when hlie was eighty-four years of age. His widow, Mrs. Betsey Heth (born in New Hamipshire, August 24, 1788) is still living on the homestead in Southfield, with her son, Geo. W. Heth, and apparently has as full and perfect possession of every faculty as a woman of half her age. She was an original member of the First Congregational church of Southfield, at its organization, more than forty years ago, and has so continued till the present time. Her husband became also a member soon after, and was such at the time of his death. He was elected justice of the peace in Southfield fo: one or more terms, but had no desire for office, preferring to devote all his time to the improvement of his farm, nearly all of which hlie subdued from a dense forest, and brought to the state of cultivation in which hlie left it. His son, who now occupies the homestead, has increased his possessions to one hundred and forty-six acres. A view of the residence of John N. Heth, son of George W., and grandson of Isaac, is given in this work. JOHN B. SLY. BLOOMFIELD. This resident of Bloomfield township, son of Jacob and Susanna Sly, was born in Newtown, now Elmira, Chemung county, New York, May 13, 1823, and at the age of six months was brought by his parents to Michigan, where they settled in the western part of the township of Bloomfield, and where the years of his boyhood and youth were passed in the manner in which that happy period of their lives is usually passed by the sons of well-to-do Michigan farmers. His first commencem~pt of the business of life, upon leaving his father's roof, was that of laboring in the employ of Mr. James Hunt, with the intention of accumulating sufficient means to enable him to purchase land upon which to prosecute his chosen vocation, that of agriculture. It was a slow process, but by the practice of the strictest economy he finally accomplished it, and purchased" from Edward Warner, solely with the proceeds of his own labor, the land which constitutes the fine farm on which he now resides, in the southwest corner of sec- tion 29 in Bloomfield. On the 1st of January, 1852, he was married to Miss Almira S. Drake, daugh- ter of Deacon Melvin Drake, of Southfield. She is now an earnest and zealous member of the Wing Lake Presbyterian church. Three children have been born to them, namely: Melvin D., born April 27, 1853; Mary Eva, born July 29, 1856 (and died October 27, 1857); and Charles B., born April 21, 1866; both the sons being still living. Mr. Sly's farm is an excellent one, though not of the largest, being seventy acres in extent. It is in a high state of cultivation, well stocked with fruit-trees, and with its capacious barns and fine dwelling (the former built in 1865 and the latter in 1872, and of which a pictorial representation will be found on another page of this work), could hardly fail to be the cause of a feeling of honest pride in its owner, of whose energy and unaided labor all this is the result. Of the lands of his father, which lay opposite his own, in section 32, Mr. Sly never received an acre. JOHN B. CARTWRIGHT. BLOOMFIELD. John Bryan Cartwright was born in Little Steeping, Lincolnshire, England, November 22, 1816, being the son of William and Susan Cartwright of that 334 HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. place. His father, who was a farmer, dying before he was two years old, hlie was taken to live at the house of his uncle, Frederick Norton, at Tumby, in the same county, and afterwards learned his uncle's trade, which was that of maltster and brewer. On the 22d of March, 1842, hlie was married at Blyton, England, by Rev. Robert Cheseborouglh, to Miss Mary Jane Tyson, of Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, from which marriage there have been born five children, namely: Frederick W., born June 6. 1843, and now living in the township of Troy. Melissa A., born October 3, 1846, now living in Troy, the wife of John Truesdell. Myron MI., born May 4, 1849, and died November 2, 1860. Mary Evangeline, born July 2, 1854, and died October 29, 1860; and an infant boy, died February 18, 1858. In the next year after his marriage he emigrated with his wife to America, arriving (by sailing ship) at New York May 2, 1843, and proceeding at once to Utica, Macomb county, where Mrs. Cartwright haind a brother, who was a foundry- man. They arrived there on the 26th of May, and at that time Mr. Cartwright's entire stock of money amounted to just seven cents. He had no alternative but to commence as a laborer, which hlie did, in the township of Shelby, working for Ira 1-1. Butterfield and Payne K. Leech. He continued as a laborer for two years, at the end of which time hlie purchased an eighty-acre tract in section 28 of the town of Sterling, of P. K. Leech, his employer, at two hundred dollars. At the end of a year lie had one hundred and nine dollars and six cents, which he paid on the purchase, having four years in which to pay the remainder; but about this time his wife became ill, and hlie, feeling a little discouraged, offered to sell back to Leech all his right in the land for the consideration of a two-year-old heifer and a barrel of flour, which was refused; he then offered it to Seth Wil- liams for a quarter of beef and five bushels of buckwheat, with the same result. Finally, he sold it to George Falls for five dozen brooms. Six months afterwards hlie received the brooms, took them to Detroit, and sold them for three dollars, of which lie paid two dollars and ninety-seven cents for arrears of taxes; and this was the end of his first attempt at becoming a land-owner in America. He then worked on shares the firm of William Lester in the township of Ster- ling, and at the end of two years purchased and moved upon sixty acres of land in the same township, upon which lie worked for four years, chopping and clear- ing thirty acres in that time. He then sold the tract to Washington Stanley and moved to Troy, where he purchased eighty acres of Albert Sprague, and twenty acres adjoining of Nelson Phly, and forty acres each from Tracy Babcock and Joshua Fay, making in all a farm of one hundred and eighty acres. In 1862 hlie re-visited England, leaving Detroit on the 1st of May, and arriving there again on his return on the 14th of August, more pleased than ever with his home in America. On the 27th of April, 1864, he removed to Birmingham village, resolved to live easy, as lie said, and which his pecuniary circumstances enabled him to do. He purchased one and a half acres from Ammos Davis, to which hlie added other purchases, which bring the total of his land in Birmingham up to twelve and three-quarter acres. His handsome residence, of which a view is given on another page of this work, was built by lhim in 1866, excepting the wing, which was erected before he purchased, and to which the main structure was built. This estimable couple are now in their declining years, enjoying a pleasant and comfortable manner of life, to which their early labors and struggles have richly entitled them. DR. EBENEZER RAYNALE. JBLOOMFIELD. Ebenezer Raynale, only son of Ebenezer and Mary Raynale, was born in Hart- land, Windsor county, Vermont, on the 21st of October, 1804. His father, who died in September of the same year, had done a little in the business of farming, and to this had added the professions of teacher and land surveyor. Three years after her husband's death Mrs. Raynale removed with her two children, Harriet and Ebenezer. to Brooklyn, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, where, a year later, she married Jonathan Sabin, and soon after they removed to the township of Ovid, now Lodi, Seneca county, New York. Here they remained but a short time, and removed to Reading, Steuben county, New York, where they resided until 1819, when they made another removal, this time to Cambria, Niagara county, New York. Here young Raynale lived with his stepfather until lie reached the age of nineteen years, when lie went to Brooklyn, Pennsylvanih, his former home, and there for four years devoted himself unremittingly to the acquisition of learning and the preparation for the duties of a professional life, which lie had decided on entering. At the expiration of this time, with certificates of three years' medical study in his pocket, hlie returned to Cambria, and gave another year to hard study under charge of Dr. Darius Shaw, and was then admitted to the practice of medicine and surgery, under the laws of New York, which at that time were very rigid in this particular. In the first part of May, 1828, having decided to emigrate to Michigan, lihe took passage on the steamboat " Henry Clay," at Buffalo, for Detroit, where lie arrived on the 5th, and after a very short stay in the city, proceeded to the place which is now the village of Franklin, in Southfield township, where hlie established and commenced business in the line of his profession on the 12th of May. He was then the only physician in Southfield, and his nearest professional brethren on the east and west were Dr. Ezra S. Parke, at Piety Hill, and Dr. Ezekiel Webb, at Farmington. The country was but sparsely settled, and physicians were called from a long distance. Dr. Raynale, in the performance of his pro- fessional duties, was obliged to traverse and re-traverse the townships of West Bloomfield, Farmington, Southfield, and Bloomfield, always, of course, on horse- back, and it was not long before he commenced to enjoy that professional popu- larity and esteem which has followed him through all the years of his career. During the winter of 1828-29 hlie procured the establishment of the post-office of Franklin, and was himself appointed postmaster, which position he held for seven years. In October, 1830, hlie married Miss Eliza Cassidy, of Springville, Susque- hanna county, Pennsylvania, with whom he has lived in happiness for almost forty-seven years. They have four children, all of whom have reached adult age, -Mrs. E. Rit. King, of Pontiac; S. B. Raynale, of Corunna, Michigan; Mrs. G. A. Patterson, of Detroit; anid Dr. C. 31. Raynale, of Birmingham. In 1835, Dr. Raynale was elected a member of the convention to form the State constitution, and in the fall of the same year was elected to the State senate for the term of two years, through which hlie served ably and faithfully. At the first meeting of the legislature, a part of its business was the election of a United States senator, concerning which there was a warm contest, though not between different parties, as there was really but one party, the Democratic, represented in that first legislature. Dr. Raynale sustained the candidates who proved success- ful, and lie is to-day the only survivor among their supporters in that legislature. During his senatorial term a great amount of work was done, among which was the establishment of the common school system, of the State university, the luna- tic asylum and the State prison, the framing of a new code of laws adapted to the wants of the people, and the commencement of a system of internal improve- ments. At the expiration of his term in the senate, Dr. Raynale settled on a farm in Bloomfield, where lie remained for two years, and then settled in Birmingham, resuming the practice of his profession in 1839. In 1850 he was elected a mem- ber of the convention to form a new constitution, and served faithfully with that body. He has now relinquished his practice to his son, Dr. C. 3. Raynale, but his services are still frequently called by patrons whose physician he has always been, and who desire no other. WILLIAM P. DURKEE. BLOOMFIELD. The family of Durkee trace their ancestry back to about the year 1715, when two brothers of the name came to America from Wales,-one settling in Ver- mont and the other in the State of New York, from which last named is de- scended the subject of this sketch, William P. Durkee, who was born in Scipio, Cayuga county, New York, June 16, 1807, and in the sixteenth year of his age came to Michigan with his father, Wilkes Durkee, who brought with him some- thing over one thousand dollars in silver money, and purchased a large amount of land from the government. He built his log house on section 33, where George W. Durkee now owns. In this lie lived for eight or ten years, and then erected a large double house, of oak logs, which was one and a half stories high at one end and two and a half stories at the other, the difference being on account of the inequality of the ground on which it stood, and in this hlie lived the remain- der of his life. He died of apoplexy, on the 22d of December, 1844, aged seventy-eight years. Mr. Durkee was an extensive farmer, having sometimes a hundred acres in wheat, and keeping large numbers of cattle and sheep. He was twice married, the children of the first marriage being Almeron, Stephen F., William P., Rial, and two daughters, and those of the second marriage being John F., Wilkes W., and two daughters. Almeron, full brother to William P., never came to Michigan, and died in New York State; Stephen F. died in Bloom- field, in January, 1877, aged seventy-two years; and Rial is living at Long Lake, Genesee county, Michigan. Young William Durkee remained with his father in Bloomfield until he at- tained his majority, when lie returned to New York and made a stay of a few years, then came back arid received from his father a gift of one hundred acres of land (the tract on which he now resides), and to this lie has added by purchase from time to time, until he is now probably the largest land-owner in Bloomfield, his home farm being five hundred and sixty acres in extent, all cleared and under cultivation except about eighty acres, which is in fine timber. Mr. Durkee has been twice married, the first marriage being with Miss Caro- line Warner, in the year 1833, and of which were born three children, namely: John G., born February 14, 1834; George W., born November 28, 1838; and Caroline A., born April 27, 1842. The mother of these children died December 27, 1850, and Ir. Durkee was married to Polly Ann Pratt, May 10, 1851. The children of this marriage have been Emily, born December 25, 1853; Walter, born July 22, 1856; Charles Philo, born January 29, 1859, and died February 13, 1861; Amos R., born November 18, 1862; and Hattie B., born August 26, 1864. The son, George W'., who owns and occupies the farm of his grandfather, Wilkes Durkee, was married to Eveline J. Buel, June 4, 1861; John G., the eldest, was married on the 31st of December, 1855, to Miss Mary Ann Boughner; Caroline A. became the wife of George German, October 8, 1876, and, on the same day, Emily was united in marriage to Frank German. MIr. Durkee is a consistent Christian, a member of the Methodist Protestant church of Franklin. Through life lie has never been an aspirant to public place or office, but has lived honestly and industriously, giving to every man his due, and attending strictly and constantly to the business of his great farm; and he has his reward in the respect of his fellow-citizens, and in his enviable position of the first agriculturist of the township of Bloomfield. MILITARY HISTORY. ALL peoples have more or less of the military spirit among them, as the history of our earth amply testifies, and the early settlers of Oakland County were no exception to the rule. The bulk of them were descended from that gallant old stock which dared to stand up for their rights and defy the military power of one of the strongest nations in the world-the Revolutionary fathers-of whom a number became citizens of the county. The second war with Great Britain, which Franklin called the "war of independ. ence," was fresh in the memory of the people, and many of the participators in the campaigns of Harrison, Brown, and Macomb had settled in the new country. It was but natural, under the circumstances, that the active military spirit should be kept alive, and we find that at a very early day military organizations were formed, and every man between the ages of seventeen and forty-five was required, under the Territorial and State laws, to do his share of duty. A regiment was organized in Oakland County as early as 1825. It is difficult to determine who was the first commanding officer, but among the first were Colonel David Steward, Colonel Henry 0. Bronson, and Colonel Calvin Hotchkiss. This regiment became so large in the course of a few years as to require a division into two. One was called the "rifle regiment," and was tastefully uniformed; the other did duty in citizens' clothes, and was known as the militia or "floodwood" regiment. Calvin Hotchkiss commanded the first company organized in Pontiac. He was a very popular military man, and rose eventually to the rank of general of militia. Ephraim S. Williams was ensign of this company, and afterwards adjutant of the regiment. There was a "general muster" annually in the autumn, and company drills at more frequent intervals. At the time of the celebrated "TOLEDO WAR" all able-bodied men were called out, and the air was full of rumors of battle, and great preparations were made to "meet the enemy." Charles C. Hascall was ap- pointed general of division, and Win. L. P. Little, of Saginaw, colonel, and E. S. Williams, major, on the general's staff. Immense preparations were made, and there is no doubt, had a conflict been precipi- tated, but the Michigan troops would have held the "disputed territory." Happily the matter was adjusted without bloodshed, and the brave and gallant sons of the "Wolverine State" came home with undiminished ranks, and, if not "covered with glory," at least filled with the consciousness of having done their duty. The rank of the officers of the Saginaw division was merely nominal, as no com- missions were issued. In 1826 Almion Mack was elected ensign of Captain Hotchkiss' company; T. J. Drake was lieutenant; and G. O. Whittemore was ensign, preceding Mack; Elias B. Comstock was orderly sergeant. Lieutenant Drake afterwards resigned and Whitte- more was promoted. Ensign Mack was promoted lieutenant in the fall of 1827, and detailed as acting adjutant the same year. Governor Cass was present at the general muster in 1827, and made an address to the regiment. The governor was a strong Jackson man, but the regiment is said to have had only three Jackson men in itsranks. Colonel Stephen Mack received his military title in Vermont previous to removing to Michigan, he having been colonel of one of the Green Mountain regiments before the war of 1812-15. We find allusions to a company commanded by Captain John W. Hunter, which was afterwards divided, and Captain Calvin Hotchkiss commanded the newly-formed company. In the Oakland Chronicle, November, 1830, a court-martial is ordered by Colonel David Perin, commanding the Fourth Regiment, to assemble at the house of Solo- mon Frost,-Thomas J. Drake, president of the court, and Lieutenants F. A. Sprague and Andrew C. Walker, members. * A brigade muster was held at Romeo, Macomb county, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of October, 1830, Brigadier-General John Stockton commanding; brigade composed of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Regiments. Major S. H. Giles, Inspector; Elisha Beach, A. D. C. On the 8th of January, 1831, a grand military ball was held in commemoration of the victory of New Orleans, at the house of Solomon Close, in Pontiac. Military officers in uniformv and the occasion graced by many prominent ladies and gentlemen from abroad. In 1835 the military of Oakland County formed the Third Brigade of the Second Division, Brigadier-General John Stockton, commanding; Colonel Wells Warring, commanding brigade. In March, 1836, the "Oakland Rifle Regiment" were ordered by J. Hamilton, colonel commanding, to furnish themselves with uniform-gray coat and pants, and common black hats with plate and plume. On the 10th and 13th of October, 1837 (inclusive), the Fourth Regiment, Colonel John Frank, and the Rifle Regiment, Colonel John Hamilton, mustered at Pontiac. These regiments constituted the Third Brigade of Michigan Militia, under com- mand of Colonel Calvin Hotchkiss; A. B. Newcomb, Brigade Major and Inspector. In 1838 Oakland County contained two regiments, the Ninth and Tenth, belonging to the Fifth Brigade of the Third Division. Charles C. Hascall, Major-General; Elijah F. Cook, Brigadier-General; William Crooks, Colonel Ninth Regiment; Orange Foote, Colonel Tenth Regiment. Through the kininess of lion. Henry M. Look and Mr. C. Z. Horton, we here- with give a copy of the muster-roll of the AVON RIFLEMEN, OCTOBER 5, 1839. NAME. RA AN D DATE OF COMMISSION. Calvin Chapel.................... .......................Captain, July 0, 1838. Calvin A. Green...........................................First Lieutenant, July 9, 1838. Almeron Brot erton.. ... ..................... Second Lieutenant, July 9, 1838. Thomas Stewart..........................................Third Lieutentant, July 9, 1838. Christian Z. Horton......................................First Sergeant, July 9, 1838. Ormul Stewart.............................................Second Sergeant, July 9, 1838. Francis Brotherton........................................Third Sergeant, July 9, 1838. Calvin H. Potter..........................................Fourth Sergeant, July 9, 1838. Daniel N. Fermer.........................................First Corporal, July 9, 1838. John M. Wilcox..........................................Second Corporal, July 9, 1838. John N. Briggs ..........................................Third Corporal, July 0, 1888. George Patrick.. .....................................Fourth Corporal, July 9, 1838. Victor Height...............................................Bass Drummer, July 9, 1838. Alvin G. Fowler ..........................................Bass Drummer, October 5, 1839. James Barber ............................................ Snare Drummer, September 14, 1838. David Sexton..............................................Snare Drummer, May 30, 1840. Dennis Merwin............................................Fifer, July 9, 1838. Asabel Leet.................................................Fifer, September 14, 1838. Alvin B. Allen.............................................Fifer, July 9, 1838. William Corwin..........................................Private, July 9, 1838. Hiram Smith,..............................................Private, July 9, 1838. John Valentine, Jr.......................................Private, July 9, 1838. Abraham Hill..............................................Private, July 9, 1838. Emery Brotherton........................................Private, July 9, 1838. Willis Lawson........................... Private, July 9, 1838. Lyman J. Wilcox ..........................................Private, July 9, 1838. Elisha C. Taylorn........................................Private, July 9, 1838. Daniel C. Chipman......................................Private, September 14, 1838. Theodore S. Wilcox.......................................Private, September 14, 1838. Seth H. Salyer.............................................Private, April 20, 1839. Alfred Moore..............................................Private, October 5, 1839. William N. Wells.........................................Private, October 5, 1839. William Reynolds.........................................Private, July 9, 1838. Abraham Decker.........................................Private, July 9, 1838. W illis Lawson.............................................Private, July 9, 1838. Matthew Warner ........................................Private, July 9, 1838. William L. Millard.....................................Private, July 9, 1838. Aaron Webster..............................................Private, July 9, 1838. John W. Norton...........................................Private, July 9, 1838. George B. Webster ........................... ... Private, July 9, 1838. George W. Demorist....................................Private, July 9, 1838. Perkins H. Green...........................................Private, July 9, 1838. Vilit C. Jones...... .......... Private, July 9,1838. John W.ells.................................................Private, September 14, 1838. John 0. Van Antwerp ....................... Private, September 14, 1838. Otis G. Stinson ...........................Plrivate, September 14, 1838. Washington J. Adams..... ................Private, April 2, 1839. Asahel Leet ...............................................Private, September 14, 1838. Villiam C. Tower........................Private, September 14, 1838. Lewis G. Tower..........................Private, July 9, 1838. Joel Benetick............................Private, July 9, 1838. Charles Summers..... ....................Private, October 4, 1838. Abraham Hotch kiss.... ..................Private, October 4, 1838. :Edson Hemingway............................... Private, October 4, 1838. Lemuel Tower .. .................. Private, October 4,188. Leullon Fosdick..... .....................Private, October 4, 1838. Zebina B. Rice...........................Private, October 5, 1839. Joseph Tower............................Private, October 5, 1839. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. NAME. RANK AND DATE OF COMMISSION. Albert Giddings............................................................Private, October 5, 1839. W heeler B. W ebster....................................................Private, October 5, 1839. Charles Rogers............................................................Private, October 5, 1839. Gabriel Stevens...........................................................Private, M ay 30, 1840. Laban Correll ..............................................................Private, M ay 30, 1840. On the 30th of May, 1840, Almeron Brothers was elected captain, C. Z. Horton first lieutenant, and Calvin M. Potter and George Patrick second lieutenants. The above roll has been copied very carefully, but some of the names were difficult to make out. REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS. We have made inquiries in all parts of the county with reference to any Revolu- tionary or other soldiers who have at any time settled in Oakland County. There have been a fiew of the veterans of 1776 of whom we have been able to learn the following, a portion of them from the court records, and others by inquiry among the people. There were several of these relics of the "times that tried men's souls" in the early days of the republic who took up their residence in Oakland County and its dependencies, and among them certain ones applied for the pension allowed by Con- gress in 1818 and 1820 to such of these patriots as had become sufficiently poverty- stricken to come within the penurious provisions of the acts of relief. The names and brief history of those given below were culled from the records of the Oakland County court, and taken from the sworn statements of the veterans themselves. The first one who filed his declaration was JOSEPH VAN NETTER, who was on the date of his statement, February 12, 1822, fifty-nine years old. He enlisted for one year, in April, 1775, in Captain Wendell's company of Colonel Wynkoop's regiment, in the line of the State (Colony) of New York, Continental establishment, and served till November, and then re-enlisted for the war, in the fame company and regiment, the latter then commanded by Colonel Van Schaick. He completed his term of service, being engaged with the enemy at the battles of Monmouth and Yorktown, and was honorably discharged. He filed an inventory of all of his worldly goods, which the court, Judge William Thompson presiding, valued at the munificent sum of nine dollars. BENJAMIN BULSON filed his declaration for a pension July 21, 1823, at which date he was aged sixty- nine years. He enlisted in March, 1776, in a company of infantry on Long Island, commanded by Captain Thomas Mitchell and Lieutenant Cornell, in Colonel Van Courtlandt's regiment of General Putnam's brigade of New York troops. Ie served till August, 1776, when he was captured by our British cousins at Brooklyn, and sent to Halifax, having been wounded in the leg, from which wound he was, at the dateo of his declaration, still suflbfering, though nearly fifty years had elapsed since it was inflicted. Ile escaped from confinement at Halifax by digging out of the prison, and after lying in the woods for a long time, and almost starving to death, he arrived at Salem, Massachusetts, in September, 1779, and at once re-enlisted as a hand on the ship "Junius Brutus," Captain John Brooks, carrying eighteen guns, which on its first cruise captured a British brig and to which Bulson was transferred as one of the prize crew. Soon after, the prize was retaken by the British sloop of war "Hornet." The prize was taken to New York,nnd Bulson confined in the old prison-ship "Jersey," in Waalabout (Brooklyn). At the end of two months he escaped from the prison-ship by cutting off the rivets by which the iron bars which closed the port-holes were fastened, and swimming ashore. He was. however, the next day taken prisoner by Major Murray's Tories, called "The King's American Dragoons," and was sentenced to receive nine hundred lashes for escaping. He did receive four hundred and fifty on his bare back, the last half-hundred being given after he had fainted from pain and exhaustion. He was then taken to the hospital, where he remained just long enough for the recovery of his strength, when he again escaped, and arrived in Salem in 1781, early in that year. All of the time from his enlistment to his final escape he had been without pay, with the exception of two months' wages he had received. While on the prison-ship he changed his name on account of his Tory relatives on Long Island, who had threatened to kill him if they should get a chance. ie therefore lost his individuality in the cognomen of Benjamin Smith, and had been known by that name ever since. His wife and himself were all the family he had, the former being sixty-five years old, and his invoiced property was valued at seventy-two dollars and sixty-two and a half cents, and included one wagon and the old soldier's walking-staff. JAMES ORAIAM declared at the February term of the court, 1826, that hlie was seventy-seven years old, and enlisted April 15, 1777, for one year, in Pennsylvania, in Captain Hewitt's. company of Colonel Dennison's regiment of Connecticut troops, and served in that company till Captain Hewitt's death at the battle of Wyoming. and was then attached to Captain Spaulding's company in Colonel Butler's regiment of Connecticut troops, and was discharged at the expiration of his enlistment. His family consisted of his wife Mary, sixty-six years old; his grandson, six years old; and his granddaughter Rtosella, sixteen years old, all of whom save the latter were dependent on the old soldier for support, and his property, consisting of a horse and cow, was valued at forty dollars. He was one of the first settlers in Oakland County, March, 1817. OEOIWE HORTON, on the 14th day of November, 1827, was sixty-six years old. lie enlisted in May, 1780, in Captain Henry Shoemaker's company of Pennsylvania troops, and served until September, 1783. He was in no pitched battles, but participated in several skirmishes with the Indians. His daughter, twenty-six years old, in feeble health, was his only child and companion, and his property, consisting of one yoke of small oxen, a cow, and clothing and bedding, was valued by the court at forty-five dollars. WRM. N. TERRY made his declaration November 10, 1828, at which date he was sixty.eight years old. He enlisted for the war in March, 1774; was at the battle of Bunker Hill, in June, 1775, as a member of Captain Ransom's company of Pennsylvania troops in Colonel Butler's regiment. He served till October, 1782. While on a furlough he fought as a volunteer at the battle of Wyoming, and afterwards returned to his c'rps and was engaged in the battle of Princeton. He came to Michigan in 1824, leaving property in Tioga county, New York, out of which he was partially swindled, and was too poor to prosecute his rights for its recovery. Subsequently his sons obtained possession of his real estate in Michigan, their father lying seriously ill, and on his recovery refused to re-convey it to him or pay him for the same, and poverty again prevented him from forcing his unnatural children to restore him his rights. His family con- sisted of his wife and four children, one of whom was crippled, and the others useless for help for the want of a farm on which to work. The declaration closed with the following most touching and pitiful plaint: "And now I am old, poor, and infirm, and can work but little; I cannot feed and clothe myself and family in a decent and comfortable manner by my own labor, without seiome assistance from some quarter." NATHAN LANDON was the last of these Revolutionary soldiers to file a declaration in the Oakland courts for a pension, and he did so on the 13th of November, 1828, at which time he was seventy-one years old. Ho enlisted February 1, 1776, in Captain Archibald Shaw's company in Colonel Wm. C. Maxwell's regiment of New Jersey troops, and served in the same until November 14, 1776, when the regiment was dismissed by General Gates, at Ticonderoga. Himself and his wife (seventy years old) lived with a son, Stephen and his family, and the old people had no property save their wearing-apparel and bedding. ITIIIMAR SMITH, maternal grandfather of Deacon A. P. Frost, settled in Pontiac in 1835. Independence Township.-Jacob Petty, claimed to have belonged to Washington's body-guard. Groveland Township.-Solomon Jones, died in June, 1865, aged one hundred and five years. West Bloomfield.-Levi Green, from Rhode Island, soldier and pensioner of the Revolutionary army, died June 24, 1851, aged ninety-four years. SOLDIERS OF 1812-15. Addison Township.-Derrick Hulick and Jesse Elwell; the latter died in 1874. Oakland Township.-Ezra Brewster, served in Captain Lacey's company New York militia. Josiah Dewey and James Coleman also served in the New York militia. Oxford Township.-Peter Stroud, served in Captain Abraham Matteson's company of New York troops. Brandon Township.-James Arnold, from New York; Adam Drake died in 1874, aged ninety-seven years. Avon Township.-John Sargent served from 1812 to 1817; was stationed for a long time at Fort Gratiot. Pontiac Township.-Eliznr Goodrich and Robert Parks settled in Troy in 1822-23; Goodrich afterwards removed to Auburn for a time. Vaterford Township.-Isaac Willets. Troy Township.-Solomon Carswell and Captain Robert Parks. Farmingon Township.- - Burns. Commerce Township.-Cornelius Austin. SOLDIERS OF THE GREAT NAPOLEON. Two at least of the veterans of the great captain have been residents of Oakland County-Joseph Laubley, a native of the canton of Berne, Switzerland, who settled in Groveland township in 1836, and died in 1841; and John Oliver, who settled in Rochester about 1830, and died there about 1875. SOLDIERS OF THE MEXICAN WAR. Muster Roll of Company A, Fifteenth Regiment United States Infantry, which served in the Mexican War in the years 1847 and 1848. Mustered out of the service July 30, 1848. Thornton F. Brodhead, captain; Win. R. Stafford, 1st lieutenant; Eugene Van Do Venter, captain, promoted to major Thirteenth Infanimtry, December 22, 1847; Wm. S. Tannyhill, lht lieutenant; Samuel E. Beach, 2d lieutenant, breveted for meritori- ous conduct at Contreras and Churubusco; promoted 1st lieutenant, February 28, 1848; Edwin R. Merryfleld, 2d lieutenant; Lowyllen Boyle, 2d lieutenant; Charles Peter- nell, 2d lieutenant; promoted to 1st lieutenant, January 26, 1848; Thomas WV. Free- love, 1st lieutenant. Killed in Battle.-Samuel Carney, private, at Churubusco, August 20, 1847; John HIlaviland, private, at Chapultepee, September 13, 1847. Died of Wounds.-iliram Brown, private, battle of Churubusco, October 26, 1847; Wm. R. Koch, private, battle of Chapultepec, September 17, 1847; Henry Wydner, private, battle of Churubusco, August 28, 1847. Died of Siekness.-Thomas Ainsley, private, Vera Cruz, July 2, 1847; John Asel- tine, Jr., private, Chapultepec, December 1, 1847; W n.JLJSu.zgpll, private, city of Mexico, October 29, 1847; Charles Calkins, private, Puebla, July 17, 1847; Chandler Delong, private, P'uebla, July 28, 1847; Andrew J. Griffin, private, Perote, August 20, 1847; Nathan D. Haines, private, Perote, July 15,1847; Edward Kelley, private, Camp Rio San Juan, June 13, 1847; James M. Proper, private, Chapultepec, Decem- HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. ber 9, 1847; Claudius H. Riggs, private, Vera Cruz, July 12, 1847; Henry Clay Rice, private, Verab tuy72, 1847; George Scudder, private, Chapultepec, December 8, 1847; Jacob Strobe, private, Perote, September 20, 1847. Deserted.-Daniel G. Armstrong, private, Cincinnati, May 18, 1847; Sidney F. Alexander, private, general hospital, New Orleans, La, October 30, 1847. Discharged.-Privates Silas S. Abernathy, Horace Botsford, Edward Botsford, Wm. H. Doyle, Brunson Drake, Lewis W. Hutton, Nehemiah Phillips, Jacob Booth, Philetus Birch. Transferred.-Privates Robert Anderson, George Allen, Reuben Allen, HenrL. Brannock, Roswell Bement, John Botsford, Andrew J. Bissell, Peter Burke, Chas. Illhby, John Braden; Augustus D. Burdens, sergeant; privates Franklin Cart- wright, Lewis G. Clark, Thomas Crumpler (supposed dead), AlexaanderjXDavis, Charles Delong, Felix Dingman, Dow K. Fuller (appointed corporal November 8, 1847), Isaiah Foot, Michael Gordon, rHanda (supposed dead), Reuben Hopkins, George W. Hanchett; George W. Hewitt, musician; James B. Healy, corporal (ap- pointed 1st corporal April 22, 1847), Willam B. Hopkinson (appointed corporal June 15, 18417); privates Jerome H. Johnson, David Johnson, Jacob Kent, James Leo- nard, Oscar 0O. Lyon, Horatio McLallen, John Lamour; John Myers, sergeant; privates Duncan McKenzie, William Mockmoer, Joseph M. C. More (appointed corporal September 17, 1847), John McCann, Ephraim S. Olmsted (died at Cuerna- vaca May 1, 1848), James Oliver, James O'Neill (appointed corporal April 22, 1847), Silas Reynolds (left sick at Perote, July 3, 1847; probably dead), James M. Rhodes, Charles Ruby, Thomas Smith, Thomas Shortal; Quiney A. Scott, corporal; privates Gustavus Stebbins, Sherman Terrill (died at Puebla, October 18, 1847), Alvah Taylor (died on Mississippi River, July 12, 1848) ; Ralph Wright, Jr., sergeant (died Janu- ary 16, 1848, at Molino del Rey); privates Cornelius Westerfield, George Warner (died at Covington, Ky.), Wallis W. Wood, John West; Joseph Gaetz, 1st ser- geant; Milo Whitbeck, private (died in Gulf of Mexico on his way home). Recruits.-Privates Louis Mickey, William Barker (deserted at Cleveland, 0., July 10, 1847), Cornelius Collins, Horatio Dix (deserted at Cleveland, O., July 14, 1847), Henry Errage, Samuel Fry, Matthias Gasson, Johannes Hall (died at Cuerna- vaca), Evan Jones, Charles Kreamer (died at Cuernavaca), Frederick Kreamer, John Leneweber, Thomas B. Niles, Louis Norbury, Jacob - . Of this list forty-five, including himself, were enlisted by Lieutenant Samuel E. Beach in Pontiac. The remainder were enlisted in various places in Michigan and other States. Most of the men were enlisted in March and April, 1847. A number of recruits joined the company at different periods subsequently. Captain Eugene Van de Venter was the first commander, afterwards promoted to major. WAR OF THE REBELLION. The record of Oakland County, like that of every county in the State and through- out the North during the Great Rebellion, is one of which her people may well be proud. The total number of men enlisted in the county was something over three thousand seven hundred, of whom more than four hundred laid down their lives on the battle-field, in the prison-pens of the Confederacy, and in the hospitals, that the Republic should not perish, and that the work of our fathers should not become a by-word among the nations. Their memory shall remain green forever, and their deeds shall be the proudest heritage of future generations. The amount of money raised by the county and its various townships during the war aggregates $586,556.98, being, next that of Wayne county, the largest sum raised by any one county in the State. The amount expended for the relief of soldiers' families under the Soldiers' Relief Law, reached $127,993.38. The amounts raised for sanitary purposes by the Sanitary Commission and by the various Ladies' Aid Societies was very considerable. The ladies of Oakland County were indefatigable in their exertions on this behalf, and, like their sisters elsewhere, gave ample evidence that the characteristics of the heroines of history were not wanting in the mothers, wives, and sisters of the brave men who answered promptly the call of their country, and so many of whom gave their lives upon its altars. On the STATE SANITARY CosrIrssroN there were four delegates from Oakland County, to wit: Rev. J. 3M. Strong, of Clarkston, with Army of Pot'mac; Rev. W. P. Wastell, Holly, Army of the Potomac; Rev. J. W. Allen, Franklin, Army of the Potomac; Rev. John Pierson, Milford, Army of the Potomac, all of whom were busily engaged in their duties for six weeks with the army in the field. Among the volunteer surgeons from the State were Drs. John Smith, J. E. Wilson, and F. B. Galbraith, of Oakland County. In the fall of 1864 commissioners were appointed by the governor, according to an act of the legislature, to proceed to thel various portions of the army where Michigan troops were stationed, and superintend an election for presidential electors. Upon this commission was Asher E. Mather, of Pontiac, who had the superintend- ence of the Ninth and Twenty-Second Infantry, with the Army of the Cumberland, then at Atlanta, Georgia. THE SOLDIERS' AND SAILoRS' MONUMENT AssocIATroN was organized for the purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of the gallant men in the different branches of the service from Michigan who fell in the war of the rebellion. Upon the Board of Directors were the following gentlemen from Oakland County: Hong M. E. Crofoot and W. M. McConnell, Esq., of Pontiac. The stately and beautiful monument erected by this association in front of the City Hall in Detroit is the pride of the citizens of Michigan and the admiration of every one visiting the city. "Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead, Dear as the blood ye gave; No impious footstep here shall tread The herbage of your grave; " Nor shall your glory be forgot, While Fame her record keeps, OrHonorI points the hallowed spot Where Valor proudly sleeps." "Decoration Day" has been very generally observed in Pontiac, and on several occasions more than usual interest has been manifested. One of these was on Friday, June 4, 1869, an abstract of the proceedings of which is herewith presented: " MEMORIAL CEREMONIES. "Friday, the fourth inst., to which the memorial ceremonies were postponed, by reason of the storm of the 29th ult., proved still more unfavorable. The formation of the procession was delayed until quite late in the afternoon, in the hope that the weather might prove fine, but we were doomed to disappointment. Notwithstanding the rain, a goodly number of citizens, arrayed in the order designated in the pub- lished programme, and headed by the Pontiac Silver Cornet Band, marched up Saginaw street to Clinton Hall, where the further observances of the day were carried out. The hall was nearly filled with a patriotic assemblage, who, in a spirit of meekness, did homage to the brave patriots who died in defense of our country's flag. "The services were opened with prayer, by the Rev. W. H. McGiffert, followed by the choir singing a membrial hymn by Andrew McKinley, Sr.: "Great God of Battles, here we come, To honor and adore Thy name I 'Twas by Thy will our country's foes Were overthrown and brought to shame. "The heroic dead that here lie low, And sweetly slumber 'midst the gloom, Again shall rise victoriously, And burst the barriers of the tomb. "No war shall mar their peace again, No sorrowing tears their eyes shall dim; And while eternal years roll on, Their cups with joy will ever brim. "The brightest glory, Lord, be Thine; To Thee we humble homage pay; 'Twas TIhy right armu that made us strong- Our spirits nerved to win the day. "These blooming flowers, a tribute due-- Emblems of heaven-we plant them hero In honor of the glorious dead, And wet themn wilth a falling tear. "As each revolving year goes round, We'll strew fresh laurels o'er the graves Where sleep, secure from war's alarms, Our ne'er forgotten Patriot Braves. "The oration by Rev. WV. H. Shier was ably delivered and well received. We were in hopes to be able to publish it entire, that those of our readers who were un- able to hear, might be afforded the privilege to read, that eloquent eulogy to the departed braves. "He commenced by recalling to mind the great sacrifice that was offered upon the altar of our common country; the great struggle through which our nation has passed, costing the lives of three hundred and fifty thousand Union soldiers, and two hundred and fifty thousand more, who have been maimed and ruined. How freely this sacrifice was made I Our brave boys in blue, coming from every rank and station in life, in one common cause, marched forth to battle and to die. Whether that life was given in the roar and tumult of battle, on the long, fatiguing march, in the hos- pital, or from disea-e contracted while in the service, it is all the same; we should remember them as patriots who died that their country might live. " Our final triumph, the joy felt by the Union people throughout the country, their manifestations, and then the dark pall which rested upon us in the death of Abraham Lincoln, was most graphically depicted. "He said Michigan's contribution to the army was 90,747; 1453 colored troops. Oakland county sent of this number, 3718. 4024 officers and 13,523 privates, making a total of 17,547, have died. He then read the roll of dead, being the names of soldiers and sailors buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Pontiac, as follows: " Major-General I. B. Richardson, United States Volunteers, mortally wounded at Antietam. "Colonel Moses Wisner, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, died at Lexington, Kentucky. "Captain T. C. Beardslee, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, died at Nashville, Tennessee. " Private Turner Tompkinson, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, died at Lexing- ton, Kentucky. "Color-Sergeant T. Miller, Eighth Michigan Infantry, died at home. "Lieutenant Samuel Pearce, Fifth Michigan Infantry, killed at the crossing of the North Anna, Virginia. "Sergeant Beckwith Capron, Fifth Michigan Infantry, died at home. "Private Peter Dibeau, Fifth Michigan Infantry, starved at Andersonville. Buried in Catholic Cemetery. "Private John H. Carran, Fifth Michigan Infantry, died at Camp Miehigan, Virginia. " Lieutenant Percy S. Leggett, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed near the Rappa- hannock. "Lieutenant Richard Whitehead, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed near Hanover Court-House. "Private George Wesson, Fifth Michigan Infantry, died at home. " Drum-nMajor -- Daniels, Fifth Michigan Infantry, died at home. iv HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I "Sergeant John Chamberlain, Tenth Michigan Infantry, killed at Jonesborough, Georgia. "Private Lewis Eldred, died at home. "Private Lamont Pratt, Eighth Michigan Cavalry, 'missing,' supposed to have died at Andersonville. " Private Jonas Ladd, Second Michigan Infantry, died at home. " Lieutenant Joseph McConnell, Eighteenth United States Infantry, killed at Stone River. " Quartermaster-Sergeant Eugene Nelson, died at Nashville., "Sergeant-Major William Churchill, Seventh Michigan Infantry, killed at An- tietam. " Captain William North, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed at Cedar Creek, Va. " Private Arthur Pierce, Fourth Michigan Infantry, died in Tennessee. "Private Jonathan Ash, died at home. "Private Hamilton Davis, Fifteenth Michigan Infantry, killed at Atlanta, Ga. " Private Joseph Davis, Fourteenth Michigan Infantry, mortally wounded at Chattahoochee River. "William Shaw, died at home. "James Stuart, First Colored Infantry, died at home. " Edward Stickney, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed after his return home. "He stated that twenty-seven soldiers, ranking from a major-general down to a private, lay in our cemetery, and out of that number hlie knew of but one who had nothing to mark his resting.place, and that one was Major-General I. B. Richardson (or, as he was more familiarly known in the army, 'Fighting Dick'). He pro- ceeded to state that the general was a graduate of West Point, and fought under General Scott in all the important battles in the Mexican War, and us soon as the rebellion broke out was one of the first to offer his services to his country. He fought bravely in the Army of the Potomac up to the time hlie was killed, but after he had gained such a national reputation as a patriot and a fighting general, being one of the first made major-generals. A stranger desirous of visiting his grave could not find it in our cemetery without the aid of a guide, as it remains up to this time wholly unmarked. " When hlie told of the reverence our brave boys had for the old flag, how they toiled and suffered by its inspiration, it brought tears to the eyes of many who best knew of the truth hlie was uttering. "The address throughout was most touching, and left a lasting impression upon the hearer. "Singing by the choir-- " MEMORIAL HYMN. "God bless our native land! May Heaven's protecting hand Still guard our shore: May peace her power extend, Foe be transformed to friend, And all our rights depend On war no more. "MayJust and righteous laws Uphold the public cause, And bless our name: Home of the bnrave and free, Stronghold of liberty, We pray that still on thee There be no stain. "And not this land alone,l int he Thy mercies known From shore to shore: Lord, make the nations see That men should brothers he, And form one family, The wide world o'er. in the singing of which the whole congregation participated. "TThe ceremonies were closed with benediction by Rev. W. II. McGiffert. "The flowers were deposited on the stage by the ladies and Sabbath-school children, and were subsequently placed on the graves of the soldiers by a com- mittee appointed for that purpose. "The variou.s committees had so perfected their arrangements that, had the day been pleasant, the procession, together with the entire fulfillment of the programme, would have been impressive in the extreme. As it was, the out-door obsequies came far short of the committee's design or the public expectation. The Band, Knights Templars, Odd-Fellows, Good Templars, in their various uniforms, the Steam Fire Engine and Hlose Cart,-the former drawn by horses, and the latter drawn by mem- bers of the company, beautifully decorated with bouquets of flowers and draped with the American flag,-together with the M. E. Church Sabbath-school, with banners, on which were inscribed the mottoes,-' Honor to our Brave Defenders,' 'God is our Refuge and Strength,' presented a very creditable appearance, and, in view of the inclement weather, far exceeded our expectations." The 80th of May, 1870, was a memorable occasion. A very large concourse of people assembled, and at two P.M. the procession was formed, preceded by the Sir Knights' Band, followed in order by the Sir Knights, Odd-Fellows, Good Templars, and an open carriage containing sixteen young ladies dressed in white, and appro- priately decorated, whose province was to strew the graves with flowers; following were citizens in carriages and on foot. The fire department was out in force, with their engines and hose-carts beautifully decorated with evergreens and flowers. There was music by the band, and singing under the direction of Professor Lockwood, and a classic and beautiful oration by Hon. Henry M. Look, which is given below: MEMORIAL ADDRESS. Mr. President---Citizens: When Pericles was called to pronounce the honors of the Athenian dead lie spoke of them as the most fortunate of the Greeks-fortunate in having crowned their mor- tal existence with such glory, that their memories should be forever venerated by mankind. He spoke of them not so much for their individual worth as for what they had done for their country and for the rights of man. Yet the achievements of the conquerors of Samos, as compared with the conquests of the victors whose chaplets we wreathe to-day, are but as the pastimes of the world's youth to the Her- culian triumphs of its maturity. Who, then, shall speak for our dead ? Whose lips shall pronounce their eulogy? Nay, let no man speak for them I Be silent, bow the head, and listen rather to the still words that come from them to us; "for they, being dead, yet speak." There is a language filling all the air, an influence moving every soul:-it is the noble lan- guage of their deeds, the mystic influence of their memories. If we will but hearken, there is a voice for every ear, a lesson for every heart--a voice from lips which, mouldering and breathless though they be, do yet appeal to us with silent eloquence; a lesson from lives which, though vanished from our earthly horizon, yet gild our pathway with the twilight of their bright career. As we stand by these graves, a moment's thoughtful reflection upon the nature and results of the gigantic struggle that has peopled them with so many of the best and bravest of our land, is eminently proper. Indeed, I know.of no worthier expression of our veneration for the memory of the brave and good than an earnest devotion to those sublime principles for which their lives were sacrificed. Our country has passed through a phase of national history which has been com- mon to all great powers of the earth. When the time came for Rome to quit the plane of political mediocrity and rise to the dignity of the dominant state o the world, she passed through a struggle as tremendous as that from which we are scarcely recovered. Cresar marshaled his Gallic hosts in rebellion, and marched against the national capital. Pompey fell, and for a time treason was triumphant. Then came the dagger of the assassin, and the blood of the first Caesar sprinkled the statue of the man over whose corpse lhe had marched to seize upon the purple. Then the ship of state swung out helpless and dismantled into the wild sea of anarchy, until hlie whose reign was the golden age of the Roman world stood bravely at the helm, and guided her with the mighty will of one born to empire. England had her "War of the Roses," in which the whole kingdom was distracted by intestine strife until at last there arose one-the noble Richmond-who, as he was crowned on Bos- worth field, could lay a hand upon both York and Lancaster. He grasped firmly the mediatorial sceptre, and Britain became again one nation-her unity and strength more permanently secured than ever before. France, in the struggle of 1789, saw her throne go down in a sea of blood; then groped and agonized in the bewildering chaos of the "reign of terror;" revolutionized in 1848; and finally, like a changed and risen spirit, burst from the horrid gloom, and under the banner of the kinsman of the " Little Corporal" has in this generation eclipsed even the power and splendor of the reign of Louis the Fourteenth. These convulsions are incident to national life. Whether we call them rebellions, revolutions, or reformations, they are the prominent points in the great system of events which constitutes a nation's history-marking its important crises, and indi- cating to present and future ages the eras of its rise, progress, or decline. But it is only in point of its mightiness as a more historical event that our recent national struggle can be compared with any other that the world has ever witnessed. In the grandeur of its leading political results-the vindication of the strength and permanency of free institutions-it rises above every other political conflict as freedom rises above tyranny, as republicanism rises above absolutism. The world has learned the lesson of man's ability for self-government faithfully at last. Europe has suddenly become respectful, and the crowns of her hereditary despots bow obse- quiously to an invincible democratic republic. Upon the battle-fields of the late civil war there fought, in the final death-close of hate, the two grand antagonistic ideas that had struggled for supremacy during the previous forty years. One was the idea of national unity-the idea of Jefferson and Webster; the other was the idea of national disintegration-the idea of Calhoun and Davis. In such a conflict, among such a people, under such a civilization, there could be but one result-the absolute and final establishment of the unity of the States and of the people. The battle is over now; and as the sword glides into its sheath, the North says to the South, " Give me your hand, Brutus ;" and the South responds, "And my heart too, Cassius." What traitor hears them and says not Amen? The man who would seek to defeat such a reconciliation by the inter- position of partisan spite, or sectional hate, would be unworthy of the title of an American citizen--worthy only of the Spartan's epitaph- "Sparta had many a worthier son titan hlie." And so after all the bitterness and slaughter of this terrible war, the States-still States, and equals utinder one common government-are coming back under the shadow of this glorious old flag, and its benison of peace and joy descends upon them all alike. "Those opposed eyes Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven, All of one nature, of one substance bred- Did lately meet in the intestine shock, And furious close of civil butchery, Shall now, in mutual wellbeseeming ranks March all one way; and be no more opposed Against acquaintance, kindred, and allies." They could not stand divorced. They were all ennobled by the blood of the same ancestry, all thrilled by the same immortal memories. Their destiny was one and HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. V indissoluble; and we see them now hastening to ratify anew the decree which the fathers proclaimed at the beginning, that as this people was of one lineage, one language, and one religion, so should they also be of one government. And yet, just as the first dawn of peace was breaking over the land, in the very flush of victory, as though there were still one great truth to be impressed upon the hearts of men, the red hand of the assassin was raised, and at midnight the cry went forth that the Chief Magistrate was slain. The public mind reeled and staggered at the blow, like a strong ship smitten by the surge; but the government was unmoved as the ocean rock. The people trembled, but the state stood firm. Oh, how despica- bly weak was the arm of that base assassin I He thought to murder the government, but he murdered only a man. He thought to prove that a single desperate villain might take the life of the nation, but he proved that the nation was immortal. Abraham Lincoln fell, but not the Republic. The heart of the President grew still, but the great heart of the Union yet throbbed strongly and fervently. Cruel as was the fate of Abraham Lincoln, yet in his fall was illustrated the great truth that no man, no administration, is the government; but that the incorporeal spirit of the Constitution is our government; and that that spirit is invincible to all mortal foes, as the crest of Michael to the filllen angel's sword. Oh, how loftily in the bright heavens looms the fair column of our country's renown! Blatant fanaticism has assailed it, foreign treachery has sought to under- mine it, treason has opened the artillery of hell against it; still it stands, firm as the eternal truth on which it is based, unshaken as the Omnipotent Throne to which it points. Alas, that so sublime a consummation should be achieved at the cost of the blood of so many brave men, and sealed by the sanction of so many untimely graves ! While we exult at the triumph of our government over armed rebellion, and its glorious vindication of its own unity and supremacy, there comes to our ears "The noise of the mourning of a mighty nation, Mourning when their leaders fall, Warriors carrying the warrior's pall." There is weeping in the camp of victory, and tears are shed in the midst of joy, like summer rain-drops falling athwart a background of bright sky. How many stricken hearts there are among us I How many manly forms lie crushed and trodden beneath the clod I How many homes have we where the light and the hope are gone out forever I While the flag waves triumphantly above, graves are lying thickly below; the one shaken by a nation's applause, the other moistened and blessed by a nation's tears. And in the folds of this flag I see the blood of friend and foe mingling in one crimson dye. Upon its splintered staff I see clinging a matted lock of some soldier of the Unton, beside the light curl of some Southern boy. Here, on the shore of the blue lakes of Michigan, a heart is breaking for the one; down by the sunny gulf of the South, a heart is breaking for the other. Even the woes of this great people are kindred, as is their destiny. How many of your minds are turning at this moment to the days of desolationI the days when the shrouded dead came homre to you-or perhaps did not come at all, but only a word came, that crushed you where you stood. For months afterwards you saw the vision of a manly fiace that no eyes but yours could see. As you thought, last midnight, that to-day the people would go up together to the city of the dead, you saw that face again, and it looked at you through the darkness like an angel looking through a cloud. This morning you came forth to this garden of graves, and cast upon its billowy beds the mournful, touching tribute of your remembrance and affection. Upon the portal of each narrow house you have written with loving hands a wordless poem-written it in the fatirest and brightest characters in all God's vast vocabulary-the flowers of the field! Simple is the offering, and meet as it is simple. The beauty of these flowers is like that of the noble lives whose memory we cherish ; their perfume is like the holy incense of a true sorrow; their already drooping leaves betoken that speedy decay which awaits each one of us, for " we all do fade as a leaf." There is in this floral offering a distinctive feature worthy of honorable mention. Alan has singled out the names of our greatest commanders, and made them the theme of the warmest eulogy and the burden of the loftiest song. He has emblazoned them on his banners; he has cut the marble, cast the bronze, and reared the column in honor of them. He has bestowed upon them such a tribute as it is natural for man to give-sublime, brilliant, imposing. But while he has pressed these grand tedtimonials in such profusion upon the more conspicuous characters in the historic drama, he has too often passed in comparative indifference the dust of those countless heroes of a humbler station-the common soldiers and sailors of the army and navy-the men whose iron nerve, whose patient endurance, whose invincible courage, whose unques- tioning devotion, made the fame of their commanders, and won for the world the sublimest cause in history. "Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die." But mark I After four years of peace, and just as the shadow of forgetfulness is beginning to obscure their tombs, woman, in the spirit of a tenderer and truer grati- tude, comes and plants the myrtle and the rose upon ten thousand nameless graves I The women of America have arisen, and with their own hands rescued from oblivion that long and illustrious roll of honor which, but for them, would have remained unread and unknown forever. The deed is its own commentary. Woman, last at the cross and earliest at the tomb of the Saviour of the world, is last at the death- couch and earliest at the grave of the soldier of liberty. Alan will care for the fame of the general, the statesman, and the orator; she has embalmed the ashes of the lowlier brave, and pointed humanity to the shades where sleep a race of martyrs worthy of Marathon and Thermopyln. I tell you, women of America, every wreath that you twine for them shall be a chaplet of immortal honor upon your own fair brows. I might speak particularly and personally of those whose ashes lie buried here. I might name them one by one, and trace each from his hearth-stone to his grave; but that has been often and eloquently done already, and upon occasions more appro- priate than this. The first paroxysm of grief is past, and instead has come the serenity of a silent, thoughtful sorrow. Each soul has its own bitterness, and into its sanctuary of grief I may not enter. In the cleft of each broken heart a sleeping form is enshrined, and none but the rudest step would pass the secret portal. I said the names of our great leaders had been honored as became their merit. Pardon me, friends, I said too much. I gave credit for more than the record warrants. Look yonder. In a lonely and neglected grave, without a stone to mark his resting-place, sleeps one of the bravest of the brave,-Major-General Richardson! Verily, you have "Carved not a line, and raised not a stone, But left him alorne with his glory." And if his glory had not been so bright that no neglect could tarnish it, it would long since have been corroded with the rust of ingratitude. I see here some of his companions in arms. In their minds they carry the memory of that firm face, turned always to the foe. They remember that eye that never blenched before the cannon's mouth. They remember him at Bull Run, at Williamsburg, at Fair Oaks, at Malvern Hill, at South Mountain, at every point of danger, until at last, amid the smoke and thunder of Antietam, hlie went down to death, covered with a hero's fame. Yet what stranger would know, from sight of that nameless mound, that any but a coward lay there? Day by day his old comrades from other States come to this burial-ground to drop a tear to his memory, and go away with a muttered reproach against this community. Are you Americans, are you patriots, and ytt permit this thing? I ask you will you longer permit it? Shall another year, another month, nay, shall this day pass, and nothing be done foir him who has done so much for us? God forbid that Michigan, that Oakland, that Pontiac, should rest under the stigma of the basest of all crimes,-ingratitude ! Let us rear upon this ground a monument worthy of his name and character. Let us crown it with his likeness cut in enduring marble. Here let it stand for the gaze of friend and foe, of kindred and of stranger, as long as sunshine and starlight shall revisit this abode. Let the tempests of heaven beat like another battle-storm upon the stony features: let the daybreak gild them in the morning, and the twilight touch thema in the evening: for his fame is our fame, his honor our honor, his country our country. Citizens, let us take heed to the salutary lessons of this hour. Let us leave this place with purer and higher resolves. Let us learn to cultivate every feeling of fra- ternity and frown upon every disorganizing faction; remembering that we are all one people, under one government. May our sympathies be as broad as the Union, and our patriotism as generous as the Constitution. With tears for the dead and charity for the living, let us commit the destinies of our country to the God of nations, and to a free people; trusting that He will do for her what it is impossible for man to do, and that they will perform all that the finite can accomplish. Let us remember that not alone to the fallen, but also to the living defenders of our liberties a meed of gratitude is due. Many of them are standing with honorable scars among us to-day; and, to their honor be it said, the plaudits which they receive they have merited as well in the civic as in the military field. Secure indeed must be that government whose best soldiers are also its best citizens I Soon we shall separate and go hence. The garlands that we have scattered here will decay. Every work of our hands will perish, and we shall come and lie down at last with these silent sleepers. Yet, let what may betide, the fallen brave shall still be unforgotten. Wherever an American shall live, there shall their work be known; wherever liberty shall be revered, there shall their deeds be remembered. And when our brief vigil shall cease, the spirit of the Republic shall still watch mournfully and silently over the ashes of the warrior dead, as Thetis and the Muses watched by the fallen Achilles. THE FIRST MICHIGAN INFANTRY. The First Michigan-the regiment which, under Colonel Wilcox, led the advance of Michigan troops to the front-although hurriedly organized and hastily equipped, left the State a pattern regiment in every respect, none better having preceded it to the national capital from any State; arriving there at a critical time, when that city was in great and immediate danger of being attacked and captured by the rebels, whose troops then picketed the Potomac. "Its presence aided much in establishing confidence among those in authority that the capital was safe, and the appearance of the regiment on Pennsylvania avenue was hailed with the cheers of loyal thousands. As it passed in review before the lamented Lincoln, it received his highest praise, and through them he thanked the State for their prompt appearance in Washington." At the battle of Bull Run the regiment was in the brigade commanded by Colonel Wilcox, and was in the hottest of the fight, eagerly pressing forward on the enemy, losing heavily but fighting stubbornly and gallantly. " On that disastrous field the First established the highest standard for Michigan troops, so uniformly and remarkably maintained throughout the entire war. Its dead were found nearest the enemy's works." Among the loss of the regiment were Captain Butterworth, Lieu- tenants Mauch and Casey wounded and taken prisoners, and who afterwards died of their wounds in rebel custody. Colonel Wilcox was wounded, and falling into the hands of the enemy was held as a prisoner at Richmond for about fifteen months. The regiment was mustered out on the expiration of its three months' term of ser- vice, August 7, 1861, but was soon after reorganized as a three years' regiment, and returned to the Army of the Potomac August 16, under command of Colonel John C. Robinson. He was succeeded on his promotion to a brigadiership by Colonel H. S. Roberts. vi HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. The regiment was engaged in the following battles and skirmishes: Bull Run, Virginia, July 21, 1861; Mechanicsville, Virginia, June 26, 1862; Gaines' Mill, Virginia, June 27, 1862; Peach Orchard, Virginia, June 29, 1862; Savage Station, Virginia, June 29, 1862; Turkey Bend, Virginia, June 30, 1862; White Oak Swamp, Virginia, June 80, 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862; IIHarrison's Landing, Virginia, July 2, 1862; Gainesville, Virginia, August 29, 1862; Bull Run (second), Virginia, August 30, 1862; Antietam, Maryland, September 17, 1862; Shepherdstown Ford, Virginia, September 20, 1862; Snicker's Garls, Virginia, No- vember 14, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 14, 1862; United States Ford, Virginia, January 1, 1863; Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 1, 2, 3, 4,1863; Kelly's Ford, Virginia, June 9, 1863; Ashby's Gap, Virginia, June 21, 18638; Gettys- burg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 3, 4, 1863; Williamsport, Maryland, July 12, 18638; Wapping Heights, Virginia, July 21, 1863; Culpepper, Virginia, October 13, 1863; Brandy Station, Virginia, October 13, 1863; Bristoe Station, Virginia, October 14, 1863; Rappahannock Station, Virginia, November 7, 1863; Cross Roads, Virginia, November 26, 1863; Mine Run, Virginia, November 29, 1863; Wilderness, Virginia, May 5, 7, 1864; Laurel 1Hill, Virginia, May 8, 1864; Po River, Virginia, May 10, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 12, 1864; Ny River, Virginia, May 21, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 23, 1864; Jericho Mills, Virginia, May 24, 1864; Noel's Turn, Virginia, May 26, 1864; Tolopotomy, Virginia, May 30, 1864; Mag- nolia Swamp, Virginia, June 1, 1864; Bethesda Church, Virginia, June 2, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 18, 1864; Weldon Railroad, Virginia, August 19, 20, 21, 1864 ; Peebles' Farm, Virginia, September 30, 1864; Ilatcher's Run, Virginia, Ge- tober 27, 1864; Nottaway Court-IHouse, Virginia, December 8, 1864; Dabney's Mills, Virginia, February 6, 7, 1865; Hatcher's Bun, Virginia, March 25, 1865; White Oak Road, Virginia, March 29, 1865; Five Forks, Virginia, April 1, 1865; Amelia Court-House, Virginia, April 5,1865; High Bridge, Virginia, April 6, 1865; Appomattox Court-House, Virginia, April 9, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. THE SECOND INFANTRY. The Second Infantry, commanded by the intrepid and gallant Israel B. Richard- son, of Pontiac, by whom it was organized, followed the First Regiment into the field with such promptness it was in time to participate in the first engagement in Virginia, being in the brigade of Richardson, which opened fire upon the enemy at Blackburn's Ford on the 18th of July, 1861, and which covered tht* retreat of the army from Bull Run on the 21st following. The regiment, under command of Colonel O. 1M. Poe, participated in most of the engagements on the peninsula, first meeting the enemny in that campaign at Williamsburg on May 5, 1862, where it lost seventeen killed, thirty-eight wounded, and four missing; at Fair Oaks on the 27th, at Charles City Cross-Roads on June 30, and at Malvern Hill July 1. The regiment was with General Pope at Bull Run (second) and Chantilly, and in 1863 participated in General Grant's campaign in Mississippi, and with Burnside in East Tennessee, and in the defeinse of Knoxville. In General Sherman's pursuit of Johnston, the Second Regiment was in the second brigade, first division, and on the 11th of July became engaged with the enemy, making one of the most daring and gallant charges of the war. Colonel Humphrey, commanding the regiment, in his report thus details its movements on that occasion: "At five A.M. I was ordered by Colonel Leasure, com- manding the brigade, to deploy my regiment as skirmishers on the left of the skirmish line of the first brigade; to keep my connection with it perfiect; to be guided in the movements of my line strictly by those of the regiment on my right ; and to advance until I drew the fire of the enemy's artillery. I at once deployed my regiment as directed, and moved forward, meeting with only slight opposition from the enemy, until about six o'clock, when he opened a brisk fire along my whole line. We had come op to the enemy strongly posted in front of my right on a deep water-course, and of my left in a heavy woods. For an hour a brisk skirmish was kept up. The enemy made a determined resistance, but was gradually forced back toward his sup- port. At seven A.M. the order came down the line from the right to 'forward! double-quick!' The men at once advanced with a cheer, drove in the enemy's skirmishers through their camps, and into their reserves, strongly posted in a deep ravine; charged and broke the reserve, and drove it up out of the ravine into its main support, drawn up in line of battle on the top of the south bank of the ravine; charged under a hot fire of musketry and artillery up the steep bank against the main body, broke this line, and drove the enemy within his works. We waited now for our supp(,rt to come up, but on sending for it were surprised to find we had none. The regiment on my right, for some reason unknown to me, advanced but a short dis- tince, then fell back to the line left by it a few moments before. By some mistake the three companies (C, F, II) on the left did not advance with the rest of the regi- ment in this charge, which was made with about one hundred and seventy men; fifty of these, almost one-third, had fallen. The enemy was being reinforced, and we were entirely without support, with no connection on the right, and no troops on the left. Thus situated, to hold for any length of time the ground we had so dearly won would be impossible. I therefore put my men under cover of the bank of the ravine through which we had advanced, within twenty yards of the enemy's works, and held the position until the wounded were carried to thie rear, and then, fiollowing the movement of the regiment on my right, fell back to the line from which we had advanced an hour before." In this charge the regiment had nine killed, thirty-nine wounded, among whom were Lieutenants Sheldon, Stevenson, and Montague, and eight taken as prisoners. The Second was also specially distinguished on several occasions during the siege of Knoxville by Longstreet in 1863, and particularly so on the 24th of November, when, under command of Major Cornelius Blyington (of Battle Creek, Colonel Humphrey being in command of the brigade), it gallantly charged a force of rebels protected by intrenchments and a house which they occupied, driving them from the position and leveling the house and works to the ground. In the charge the regiment lost in killed and wounded, out of 161 officers and men engaged, 86. Among the killed were Lieutenants William Noble (adjutant) and Charles R. Galpin, and Major Byington and Lieutenant Frank Zoellner mortally wounded. This charge is handed down in the history of the day as among the most brilliant of the war. The regi- ment returned to triohe Army of the Potomac, and participated in the famous campaign of General Grant in 1864. The complete list of the engagements of the Second Infantry is as follows: Black- burn's Ford, Virginia, July 18, 1861; Bull Run, Virginia, July 21, 1861; Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, April 4 to May 4, 1862; Williamsburg, Virginia, May 5, 1862; Fair Oaks, Virginia, May 31 and June 1, 1862; near Richmond, Virginia, June 18, 1862; Glendale, Virginia, June 30, 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862; Bull Run (2d), Virginia, August 28, 29, 30, 1862; Chantilly, Virginia, September 1, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 12-14, 1862; Siege of Vicksburg, Mis- sissippi, June 22 to July 4, 1863; Jackson, Mississippi, July 11 to 18, 1863; Blue Spring, Tennessee, October 10, 1863; Loudon, Tennessee, November 14, 1863; Lenoir Station, Tennessee, November 15, 1863; Campbell's Station, Tennessee, No- vember 16, 1863; Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee, November 17 to December 5, 1863; Knoxville, Tennessee, November 24, 1863; Fort Saunders, Tennessee, November 29, 1863; Thurley's Ford, Tennessee, December 15, 1863; Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, January 22, 1864; near Knoxville, Tennessee, January 24, 1864; Wilderness, Vir- ginia, May 5, 6, 7, 1864; Ny River, Virginia, May 9, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 10, 11, 12, 1864; Oxford, Virginia, May 23, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 24, 25, 1864; Tolopotomy, Virginia, May 30, 1864; Bethesda Church; Virginia, June 2 and 3, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 7, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 17 and 18, 1864; The Crater, Virginia, July 30, 1864; Weldon R. R., Virginia, August 19 and 20, 1864; Reams' Station, Virginia, August 25, 1864; Poplar Spring Church, Virginia, September 30, 1864; Pegram Farm, Virginia, October 2, 1864; Boydton Road, Virginia, October 8, 1864; Hatcher's Run, Virginia, October 27 and 28, 1864; Fort Steadman, Virginia, March 25, 1865; capture of Petersburg, Vir- ginia, April 3, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. MAJOR-GENERAL ISRAEL B. RICHARDSON was wounded in the battle of Antietam, and died November 3, 1862. General Richardson was appointed a cadet to West Point from his native State of Vermont in the year 1836, and graduated from that institution in July, 1841, when he was breveted second lieutenant, and was assigned to the Third U. S. Infantry. He was promoted to a first lieutenancy in September, 1846, and commanded his company and distinguished himself in the bloody battle of Cerro Gordo, in Mexico. He was breveted captain for gallantry in the battles of Contreras and Churubusco on the 20th of August, 1847; and again breveted as major for meritorious conduct at Chapultepec on September 13 following. In this battle he led his company in the storming-party which won the admiration of the world for daring bravery. Soon after the close of the Mexican war, when there was no prospect of active service, he retired from the army, and removed to Oakland County, Michigan, to reside, where the breaking out of the Great Rebellion found him. On the first call for volunteers by the president, he offered his services, and was appointed by Gov- ernor Blair colonel of the Second Michigan Infantry, and when his regiment arrived in Washington, he was at once assigned by General Scott to the command of a brigade. Lie was in the first battle of Bull Run, and was soon after promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. His conduct at Blackburn's Ford elicited the admiration of the army, so judicious were all of his movements. He was in most of the battles of the peninsula under General McClellan, and behaved so gallantly he was promoted to the rank of major-general. At Antietam his zeal led him to do a colonel's work, and in leading a regiment he received his mortal wound. General Richardson was recognized throughout the Army of the Potomac as one of its very best fighting generals. Wherever the battle raged the fiercest there he seemed to be most at home. He was ever held to be one of tie bravest of the brave. Ilis remains were brought to his home in Pontiac for interment, and the sad funeral obsequies performed on the 11th of November, at the court-house, where the dead chiettain lay shrouded in the colors he swore fealty to in his boyhood, and which he lad bravely defended on the plains of Mexico, and against traitors in arms in his native country. A neat marquee was formed with his tent and decorated by three American flags, draped in weeds of mourning, beneath which the casket reposed. Detachments from the military organizations than in the State were in attendance, among them the Detroit Light Guards, and Captain Daniels' battery of light artillery, whose brazen throats gave out heavy sobs at regular intervals throughout the day. The funeral oration was delivered by Rev Mr. Eldridge, of the Fort Street Presby- terian church, Detroit. The procession to Oak Hill cemetery was formed and com- manded by General Henry D. Terry, a companion in arms of the dead general; and the remains of " Fighting Dick" were laid to rest with the solemn ritual of the Episcopal church, and the soldiers' volley; the last tribute a brave soldier receives from those who have stood shoulder to shoulder with him in thIe storm of battle and the tempest of the charge. "By fairy hands his knell is rung, By forms unseen his dirge is sung; There honor comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the turf that wraps his clay; And Freedom may awhile repair To dwell, a weeping hermit, there." THE THIRD INFANTRY was raised at Grand Rapids, and though at its first organization but few Oakland men were in its ranks, its gaps, made by the shot and shell of traitors,'were largely filled with recruits from this county. It took the field soon after the Second, and fought HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Vii beside that regiment in Richardson's brigade, at Blackburn's Ford. It afterwards belonged to Berry's celebrated brigade of Kearney's division, and passed through the battles of the disastrous peninsula campaign. It was particularly distinguished at Fair Oaks, where its losses were forty killed, one hundred and twenty-four wounded, and fifteen missing, among the wounded being Colonel Champlin, and among the killed Cap- tain Samuel A. Judd. At Gettysburg its losses around " Round Top" were forty-one killed, wounded, and missing. It also participated in General Grant's campaign against Richmond, in 1864. On June 20, 1864, the regiment was mustered out of the service; but reorganized, and left for the field in Tennessee, October 20 following, where it at once encountered the enemy, and maintained the reputation of the old Third whenever engaged. The battles and skirmishes in which the Third was engaged are as follows: Blackburn's Ford, Virginia, July 18, 1861; Bull Run, Virginia, April 4, 1861; Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, April 4 to May, 1862; Williamsburg, Vir- ginia, May 5, 1862; Fair Oaks, Virginia, May 31, 1862; Savage Station, Virginia, June 29, 1862; Peach Orchard, Virginia, June 29, 1862; Glendale, Virginia, June 30, 1862; White Oak Swamp, Virginia, June 30, 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862; Second Bull Run, Virginia, August 29, 1862; Chantilly, Virginia, September 1, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862; Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 1, 2, and 3, 1863; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2 and 8, 1863; Wapping Heights, Virginia, July 23, 1863; Auburn Heights, Virginia, October 1, 1863; Kelly's Ford, Virginia, November 7, 1863; Locust Grove, Virginia, Novem- ber 27, 1863; Mine Run, Virginia, November 29, 1863; Wilderness, Virginia, May 5 and 7,1864; Todd's Tavern, Virginia, May 8, 1864; Po River, Virginia, May 10, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 12, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 23 and 24, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 7, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 16 and 22, 1864; Deep Bottom, Virginia, July 27 and 28, 1864; Strawberry Plains, Vir- ginia, August 14 and 17, 1864; Poplar Spring Church, Virginia, September 30, 1864; Boydton Road, Virginia, October 27, 1864; Hatcher's Run, Virginia, April 2, 1865; Sailor's Creek, Virginia, April 6, 1865; New Store, Virginia, April 8, 1865; Appa- mattox Court-House, Virginia, April 9, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. The reorganized Third was stationed in Texas during the winter of 1865-GO, and was mustered out May 26, 1866. THE FIFTH INFANTRY, usually denominated the " Fighting Fifth," left Detroit for Virginia, September 11, 1861, commanded by Colonel Henry D. Terry, and first commenced to battle for the Union and freedom at Williamsburg, on May 5 following, while serving in Berry's brigade, of Kearney's division. in this engagement the regiment behaved with great gallantry, but sustained a loss, in a force of five hundred, of thirty-four killed and one hundred and nineteen wounded, including among the killed Lieutenant James Gunning, and among the wounded Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. Beach (of Pontiac). On May 31 it went into action at Fair Oaks with about three hundred men, losing thirty killed, one hundred and sixteen wounded, and five missing, Captain L. B. Quackenbush and Lieutenant Charles H. Hutchins being among the killed, and Lieutenant Charles S. Traverse mortally wounded, who died July 22 following. It was again engaged on the Chickahominy, June 25, at Peach Orchard on the 29th, and at Charles City Cross-Roads on the 30th, where it lost fifty-one in killed, wounded, and missing. Among the killed was Lieutenant W. T. Johnson; and Major John D. Fairbanks, commanding the regiment, was wounded, and died in Washington, July 5 following. The Fifth was engaged heavily at Fredericksburg, with a strength of only three hundred and thirty rank and file, where it lost ten killed and seventy-three wounded among the former being its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John Gilluby, a most gallant and worthy officer. The regiment participated in the desperate and dashing midnight charge, which stands without a parallel in the war, made on the rear of Stonewall Jackson's forces in his movement threatening the destruction of the right flank of the Union army, near Chancellorsville. At Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, the regiment, then com- manded by Colonel Pulford, after marching ten miles in three hours, during the day, at four P.xt. became heavily engaged with the enemy in defending Sickles' advanced position, the men using the cartridges of their fallen comrades. Its casualties were great, losing in one hour one hundred and five men and officers, among the killed being Captain Generous and Lieutenant Phelan, two valuable officers. In the list of wounded were Colonel Pulford, Major Mathews, and Lieutenants Colville, Pierce, Rouse, Braden, Hurlbut, and Stevens. On July 3 the regiment assisted to repel the final charge on Cemetery Hill. During both days its losses were nineteen killed, eighty-six wounded, and four missing. Under Colonel Pulford the regiment on the 3d of May, 1864, entered upon the great campaign of Grant against Richmond. It crossed the Rapidan at an early hour on the 4th, and at four rP.Mt. reached the old battle-field at Chancellorsville, having accomplished a distance of thirty-four miles in seventeen hours, the men each carrying the weight of five days' rations and sixty rounds of cartridges. On the 5th the enemy were met on the road leading to Orange Court-House, where a desperate struggle ensued; Captain George W. Rose being mortally wounded, and Colonel Pulford and Major Mathews being wounded quite severely. On the 6th the regiment, under command of Captains Walkinshaw and Shook, made a successfuid charge on the enemy's works, Captain Hurlbut being shot through the head, and instantly killed. After several forced marches, the regiment arrived in front of the enemy's position on the North Anna River, May 23, and assisted in taking their works on the north bank of that stream, capturing a number of prisoners, and driving the rebels into and across the stream. In the afternoon of the 24th, it crossed the river in the face of a very heavy fire of shot and shell, and again compelled the enemy to retire. Lieutenant Samuel Pierce was killed here. On the 10th June the Third Michigan was permanently consoli- dated with the Fifth. The regiment passed through the entire campaign, losing during the year seventy-three killed, three hundred and sixty-five wounded, and one hundred and one missing, a total of five hundred and forty-nine. On the 25th March, 1865, the regiment participated in the attack on the enemy's works at Hatcher's Run, where it assisted in driving him from his first line of works, after an engagement of four hours. From this time until the 2d of April the regiment was engaged in the general movements around Petersburg, and on the 3d participated in the general assault on the enemy's fortifications, which resulted in the capture of the entire line of works, and Petersburg itself. It is reported that the Fifth was the first regiment to plant its colors on the.works. The regiment gained its soubriquet of the "Fighting Fifth" from its constant "pitching in" whenever opportunity offered, and had space allowed, we would have been pleased to have traced its entire career in the war of the rebellion, as its fighting record from Williamsburg to Appomatrox Court-House is most glorious and brilliant. Brigadier-General Berry complimented the Second, Third, and Fifth, all of which regiments were in his brigade, most highly, saying of them, "A nobler set of men never lived. Any man can win fights with such material." General Kearney also paid the Second and Fifth a fine compliment for gallantry before Williamsburg, May 5, 1862. The following is the complete list of the battles and skirmishes in which the Fifth were engaged during their service, which ended July 5, 1865, the regiment being disbanded on the 17th at Detroit: Pohliek Church, Virginia, January 9, 1862; Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, April 4 to May 4, 1862; Williamsburg, Virginia, May 5, 1862; Fair Oaks, Virginia, May 31, 1862; Peach Orchard, Virginia, June 29, 1862; Glendale, Virginia, June 30, 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862; Bull Run (second), Virginia, August 28, 1862; Grovetown, Virginia, August 29, 1862; Chan- tilly, Virginia, September 1, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862; The Cedars, Virginia, May 2, 1863; Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 3, 18683; Gettys- burg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 3, 1863; Wapping Heights, Virginia, July 23, 1863; Auburn Heights, Virginia, October 1, 1863; Kelly's Ford, Virginia, November 26, 1863; Locust Grove, Virginia, November 27, 1863; Mine Run, Virginia, Novem- ber 29, 1863; Wilderness, Virginia, May 5 and 7, 1864; Todd's Tavern, Virginia, May 8, 1864; Po River, Virginia, May 10, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 12,, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 12. 1864; Tolopotomy, Virginia, May 30, 1864; Cold Harbor, s irginia, June 2, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 16 and 17, 1864; Deep Bottom, Virginia, July 27 and 28, 1864; Strawberry Plains, Virginia, August 14, 1864; Poplar Spring Church, Virginia, September 30, 1864; Boydton Road, Virginia, October 27, 1864; Hatcher's Run, Virginia, March 25, 1865; Boydton Road, April 2, 1865; Capture of Petersburg, Virginia, April 3, 1865; Sailor's Creek, Virginia, April 5, 1865; New Store, Virginia, April 8, 1865; Appomattox Court-House, Virginia, April 9, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. A NICE SURGICAL OPERATION was performed for Sergeant Capron, of the Fifth Infantry, by Dr. Gunn, of Detroit, whereby the life of a brave soldier was saved to himself and his country. The ser- geant was wounded at the battle of Williamsburg, and lay in the hospital for several months, his wound being examined by the surgeons, who pronounced it im- possible to extract the ball. Several of the most skillful of the surgeons of the army declared any attempt to cut the bullet out would result fiatally, and hlie was finally discharged from the service as incurable, and returned to Detroit with the sad con- sciousness of a fate sure and certain but a brief period hence. Dr. Gunn saw him, and on examination of his wound declared his ability to remove the ball without danger to the patient, and offered to do it gratuitously. Capron thereupon sub- mitted to the operation, which was performed successfully, he being put utinder the influence of chloroform during the period of the same. The ball was battered be- yond all semblance of a bullet, having apparently struck a tree first, and glancing off, entered base first, striking the coracoid process of the left shoulder, and passing on lodged high in the axilla. At the time of the operation it was found impossible to enlarge the original opening on account of the vessels and nerves, and the surgeon therefore approached it by an axillary incision. Capron soon recovered perfectly. Captain S. S. Mathews, of Company D, Fifth Michigan Infantry, was wounded at the battle of Malvern Hill, having his legs broken in three different places. He, with three hundred other wounded officers and soldiers, lay on the field without shelter for fourteen days, and without attendance save such as they were able to give one another. Captain Mathews was entirely helpless. They were taken to Rich- mond, and after six days' incarceration in Libby prison were exchanged. TILE SEVENTH INFANTRY, the gallant forlorn-hope regiment at the battle of Fredericksburg, was recruited and organized under the direction of Colonel Ira R. Grosvenor at Monroe, and leaving that point for the field on the 5th of September, 1861, first encountered the enemy in the affair at Ball's Bluff, Virginia, October 21 following, where in command of that ofificer it gained credit even in that disastrous engagement. It served in the penin- sular campaign, and had the honor to serve in the rear-guard of the army on the retreat to Harrison's Landing. It was also engaged in the Maryland actions. At Antietam it lost more than one-half of its force engaged, including Captains Allen H. Zacharias and J. H. Turrill, and Lieutenants J. P. Eberhard and John A. Clark, killed. " But one of the great feats of the war, than which none will appear brighter in history, was reserved for the Seventh at Fredericksburg, on December II, 1862, when Burnside concluded to cross the Rappahannock, and attack the rebels in that stronghold. The upper pontoon had been laid part of the way by the engineers during the night of the 10th. Daylight exposed them to the fire of the enemy's sharp- shooters, which drove them off. Volunteers were called for to cross the river and gain a position to protect the laying of the bridge. Immediately the Seventh Mich- igan, under the gallant Baxter, rushed to the boats, crossed the stream in full view of viii viii HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. both armies, under a most terrific fire from the enemy's sharpshooters, losing heavily, but vigorously charging the rebels on the opposite bank, drove them from their rifle pits, taking a number of prisoners and holding the ground. Colonel Baxter having fallen severely wounded, recrossed the river, while the regiment, with the Nine- teenth and Twentieth Massachusetts, which had crossed by the second trip of the boats, dashed up the hill into the city, driving the enemy from house to house, and from stronghold to stronghold, capturing nearly as many prisoners as the regiment numbered, inflicting a severe loss on the enemy in killed and wounded, while their own loss was also heavy, including among the killed Lieutenant Franklin Emery, of the Seventh. The river thus protected, the laying of the pontoons was speedily accomplished, and a portion of the army crossed." The regiment endured hard service in the Pennsylvania campaign in forced and laborious marches, rendered more arduous by the intense heat of the weather. It was engaged at Gettsyburg, July 2 and 3, having fourteen officers and one hundred and fifty-one men engaged, and losing twenty-one killed and forty-four wounded; among the former being Lieu- tenant-Colonel Amos E. Steele, commanding the regiment, and Lieutenant Albert Slafter, both gallant officers. It entered on the campaign of 1864 under the com- mand of Major S. W. Curtis, and was engaged at the Wilderness, May 6, with small loss. It participated in nearly every battle of this campaign, distinguishing itself in every engagement, but more especially at Ilatcher's Run, October 26, 1864, when, with a force of but eighty-five strong, it took prisoners twenty officers and four hundred and eighty men, while Sergeant Alonzo Smith (afterwards first lieutenant) captured the colors of the Twenty-sixth North Carolina Infantry, for which he was presented with a medal of honor by the Secretary of War. Through some misunderstanding the Seventh was left on the line after the Union troops were withdrawn, and remained in that condition until the morning of the 28th, when Colonel Lapointe, then in command, finding that his regiment had been left alone on the field, formed his men, and explained to them their perilous situation, telling them to stand by him and they could find their way out. They at once commenced their dangerous under- taking, marching twelve miles through the country held by the enemy, gallantly fighting their way at almost every step, pursued and harassed constantly by cavalry threatening to cut them off; but they arrived safe within the Union lines at sundown of the same day. General Hancock, their corps commander, complimented the regiment highly on the occasion, and characterized the undertaking as one of the most praiseworthy and daring of the war. On April 2, 1865, the regiment, with details from the First Minnesota and Nine- teenth Massachusetts, charged the enemy's works at Cat Tail creek, capturing two forts and three guns; then sweeping down the lines captured five other forts, well defended by infantry, and taking during the day about five hundred prisoners The regiment is reported to have been the first to break the rebel lines in front of the Second corps. It continued to engage the enemy until Lee surrendered, April 9, 1865 On the 6th it was cut off from its brigade and outflanked, but fathcing its skirmishers to the rear checked the advance of the flanking troops, and held its position until the afternoon, when it was relieved from the front. In its defense the regiment lost three officers and thirty-four men taken prisoners. The Seventh was mustered out of service July 5, 1865, and during its service was engaged in the following battles and skirmishes: Ball's Bluff, Virginia, October 21, 1861; Yorktown, Virginia, May 4, 1862; West Point, Virginia, May 7, 1862; Fair Oaks, Virginia, May 31 to June 1, 1862; Peach Orchard, Virginia, June 29, 1862; Savage Station, Virginia, June 29, 1862; White Oak Swamp, Virginia, June 30, 1862; Glendale, Virginia, June 80, 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862; Bull Run (second), Virginia, August 80, 1862; South Mountain, Maryland, Septem- ber 14, 1862; Antietam, Maryland, September 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, December II, 12, and 13, 1862; Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 3 and 4, 1863; Hay- market, Virginia, June, 1863; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2 and 3, 1863; Fall- ing Waters, Maryland, July 14, 1863; Bristoe Station, Virginia, November 27, 1863; Robinson's Tavern, Virginia, November 29, 1863; Mine Run, Virginia, November 29, 1863; Wilderness, Virginia, May 5 and 6, 1864; Po River, Virginia. May 10, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 12, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 23, 1801; Ny River, Virginia, May 24, 1864; Tolopotomy, Virginia, May 30 and 31, and June 1, 1864; Cold Iarbor, Virginia, June 3, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 18 and 22, 1864; Deep Bottom, Virginia, July 27, 1864; Strawberry Plains, Virginia, August 14 and 17, 1864; Reams' Station, Virginia, August 25, 1864; Boydton Road, Vir. ginia, October 27, 1864; hatcher's Run, Virginia, February 5, 1865; Hatcher's Run, Virginia, March 29, 1865; Cat Tail Creek, Virginia, April 2, 1865; Farmville, Vir- ginia, April 7, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. THE EIGHTH INFANTRY. A few men from Oakland County entered the organization of the Eighth, raised by Colonel W. M. Fenton, of Flint, which, from its wandering, is not inaptly termed the itinerating regiment. It left the State on the 27th of September, 1861, for the field in Virginia. It embarked at Annapolis, Maryland, as part of the expedition to Hilton head under General T. W. Sherman, and down to November 1, 1862, it had been engaged in nine battles in four different States-South Carolina, Georgia, Vir- ginia, and Maryland-and afterwards served in the several campaigns of the Ninth corps in Tennessee and Mississippi, and down to the close of the war in Virginia. On June 16, 1862, it was most signally distinguished in the assault made on the enemy's works at Secessionville, on James Island, South Carolina, by a command of General Hunter's forces under General Benham. The direct attack was made by General Stevens with the brigade led by Colonel Fenton and the Eighth Michigan, and the regiment lost one hundred and eighty-five in killed, wounded, and missing, out of a force of five hundred and thirty-four, including twelve out of twenty-two officers. The engagements of the Eighth were as follows: Port Royal, South Carolina, November 7, 1801; Coosaw River, South Carolina, December 8, 1861; Port Royal Ferry, South Carolina, January 1, 1862; Pocotaligo, South Carolina, April, 1862; Fort Pulaski, Georgia, April 14, 1862; Wilmington Island, Georgia, April 16, 1862; James Island, South Carolina, June 16, 1862; Bull Run (second), Virginia, August 29, 1862; Chantilly, Virginia, September 1, 1862; South Mountain, Maryland, Sep- tember 14, 1862; Antietam, Maryland, September 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Vir- ginia, December 12, 13, and 14, 1862; Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, from June 22 to July 4, 1863; Jackson, Mississippi, July 11 to 18, 1863; Blue Springs, Tennessee, October 10, 1863; Loudon, Tennessee, November 14, 1863; Lenoir Station, Tennes- see, November 15, 1863; Campbell's Station, Tennessee, November 16, 1863; Siege of Knoxville, November 17 to December 5, 1863; Fort Saunders, Tennessee, Nbvem- ber 29, 1863; Wilderness, Virginia, May 5, 6, and 7, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 10, 11, and 12, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 24 and 25, 1864; Bethesda Church, Virginia, June 2 and 3, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 7, 1864; Peters- burg, Virginia, June 17 and 18, 1864; The Crater, Virginia, July 30, 1864; Weldon R. R., Virginia, August 19 and 21, 1864; Reams' Station, Virginia, August 25, 1864; Poplar Spring Church, Virginia, September 30, 1864; Pegram Farm, Virginia, Oc- tober 2,1864; Boydton Road, Virginia, October 8, 1864; Hatcher's Run, Virginia, October 27 and 28, 1864; Fort Steadman, Virginia, March 25, 1865; Fort Mahon, Virginia, April 2, 1865; capture of Petersburg, Virginia, April 3, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. THE NINTH INFANTRY, organized and taken into the field by Colonel WV. W. Duffield, had but a few men in its organization from Oakland County. The most prominent events in its history, to which its members point with justifiable exultation, are its brilliant defense of Murfreesboro', Tennessee, July 13, 1862, and the part borne by it in the great battle of Stone River, 1863. It was mustered out September 15, 1865. Its engagements were as follows: Murfreesboro', Tennessee, July 13, 1862; Lavergne, Tennessee, December 27, 1862; Stone River, Tennessee, December 29 and 31, 1862, and January 2 and 3, 1863; Chickamauga, Tennessee, September 19 and 20, 1863; Mission Ridge, Tennessee, November 25, 1863; Rocky Face, Georgia, March 8, 1864; Resaca, Georgia, May 14, 1864; Dallas, Georgia, May 27, 1864; Kenesaw, Georgia, June 25, 1864; Chattahoochee River, Georgia, July 5 and 6, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 to August 25, 1864; Jonesboro', Georgia, September 1, 1864. THE TENTH INFANTRY, which was organized at Flint, by Colonel Charles M. Linn, contained in its material a large share of Oakland County men. It first encountered the enemy in battle near Corinth, Mississippi. Among the most marked events in the history of this splendid regiment were the affair at Buzzard's Roost, Georgia, February 25, 1864, the battle of Jonesboro', September 1, 1864, and the engagement at Bentonville, March 19 and 20, 1865. The regiment having re-enlisted as veterans at Rossville, Georgia, February 6, the men were anxiously awaiting the veteran furloughs of thirty days to enable them to return to their homes, when, on the 23d of February, the emergencies of the service required a movement of the Fourteenth Corps, to which the regiment belonged, in the direction of Dalton, and an order was received by Lieutenant- Colonel Dickerson, then commanding the regiment, from brigade headquarters to prepare for an immediate movement, with sixty rounds of ammunition and three days' rations, and at eight o'clock A.M. on that day the regiment commenced its movement. After marching as far as Ringgold, fourteen miles, the regiment bivouacked and remained until daylight the next morning, and then moved through Hooker's Gap, in White Oak Ridge, coming up with the main force (which had moved out on the 22d), about a mile and a half north of Tunnell Hill, when the brigade to which the Tenth belonged formed in line of battle on the extreme left of the army, and to the left of the road leading to Tunnell Hill. "The enemy lay encamped in considerable force about one mile south of Tunnell Hill. The brigade moved through the woods on the left of the town in such a direction as to strike the enemy on his right flank, while the main force moved up directly in front and opened with artillery on his intrenched camp. As the brigade came out of the woods in sight of the rebel camp, their rear-guard was seen moving hurriedly towards Dalton, when a cavalry force was immediately sent in pursuit, while the Tenth formed in column of companies and followed. About two o'clock 1.)i. the force came in sight of Buzzard's Roost, where the enemy had taken up a very strong position. The Union forces formed in line of battle, when the enemy opened an artillery fire which was immediately replied to, and a line of skirmishers kept up a brisk fire. This position was held until dark, when the line fell back a short distance and bivouacked for the night. On the morning of the 25th, orders were received by Colonel Dickerson to take a position with his regiment on the left of the Sixtieth Illinois (which was in the same brigade), on the top of oneof the spurs of the mountain, and conform to the movements of that regiment. After occupying this position for a short time, the regiment moved forward and took possession of the top of another spur, from which could be seen the enemy in his fortified position. At this time a brisk fire was being kept up by both skirmish lines. About three P.sr., the division to which the Tenth belonged commenced a forward movement, when the enemy opened a most galling infantry fire from the top of Rocky Face in front, while two or more batteries on the right and front threw shot and shell, raking the ravines and sweeping the top of the spurs. The regiment advanced coolly and steadily over the spurs and through the ravines, until its colors were flying defiantly almost in the face of the enemy. Halting under the crest of one of these spurs, the men were directed to lie down and load, and fire at will. In consequence of the HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1: elevated position of the enemy on the right and left, his fire was most galling and murderous, and to which the regiment was very much exposed for nearly thirty minutes. Colonel Dickerson not receiving any orders, and seeing no troops advan- cing to his support, was compelled to fall back a short distance to a gully which the Sixtieth Illinois had already reached. Here a halt was made for a short time, and then tihe regiment fell back on the double-quick. In coming out of the ravine, Colonel Dickerson was knocked down by a mass of earth thrown against him by a shell; partially recovering from the shock, and while moving towards his regiment, he was wounded in the heel by a musket-ball, and being unable to travel fast fell into the hands of the enemy. The regiment lost in this affair twenty-two killed and fifty-six wounded, which at that particular juncture was peculiarly distressing, as the regiment had only re-enlisted a few days before, and the friends of those who fell were looking forward with joyous anticipation to their exlpected meeting at home. The Tenth, on returning from its veteran furlough in Michigan, participated in the Georgia campaign. The movement of General Sherman upon IHood's communica- tions near Atlanta, which culminated in the important battle of Jonesboro', Sep- tember 1, 1864, and the evacuation of Atlanta by the rebel forces, again gave the Tenth a most enviable page in the history of the war. " The regiment, under com- mand of Major Burnett, having moved its corps into Jonesboro', was acting as a support to a charging column which became broken and demoralized. The six left companies of the Tenth moved quickly forward, and took their places, bravely car- ried the enemy's works, took four hundred prisoners, and captured a stand of colors. In this daring and gallant advance the brave Burnett fell, with thirty killed and forty-seven wounded, including Lieutenant John Knox killed, and Cap- tain H. H. Nimons mortally wounded-a heavy loss-but the regiment aided very materially and with much distinction in the last battle of the great Atlanta cam- paign, which secured to the Union arms one of the most important points held dur- ing the rebellion, and gave the death-blow to the rebel armies in Georgia." The last battle of the Tenth for the Union was at Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19 and 20, 1865, during which time it repulsed several heavy attacks of the army of the rebels on the 19th; and on the 20th again repelled a desperate assault on its works, and charging upon the enemy's disordered ranks, drove him in confusion from the field, capturing a large number of prisoners. Soon after the enemy broke through the first line, and came in on the left flank, which being perceived, the regiment and its brigade changed the line to the opposite side of the works, and, after pouring a volley into the enemy's ranks, charged and drove him at the point of the bayonet in great confusion from the field again, but skirmished with him all night, when their last shot was fired, and the gallant Tenth could " hang its bruised armor on the walls." It was mustered out July 19, 1865, and arrived at Jackson on the 22d, and was paid off and disbanded August 1. The several engagements of the Tenth were as follows: Farmington, Mississippi, May 9, 1862; Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, May 10 to 31, 1862; Booneville, Missis- sippi, June 1, 1862; Nashville, Tennessee, November 5, 1862; Stone River, Ten- nessee, December 29 and 31, 1862, and January 2 and 3, 1863; Lavergne, Tennessee, January 25, 1863; Antioch, Tennessee, April 10, 1863; Mission Ridge, Georgia, November 24, 1863; Chickamauga, Tennessee, November 26, 1863; Ringgold, Ten- nessee, November 27, 1863 ; Buzzard's Roost, Georgia, February 25, 1864; Resaca, Georgia, May 15, 1864; Rome, Georgia, May 18, 1864; Dallas, Georgia, May 28, 1864; Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 27, 1864; Chattahoochee River, Georgia, July 6, 1864; Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 19, 1864 ; Durrant's Mill, Georgia, July 20,1864; Sandtown Road, Georgia, August 14, 1864; Red Oak Turnout, Georgia, August 27, 1864; Rough and Ready, Georgia, August 30, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 to August 25, 1864; Atlanta, Georgia, August 7, 1864; Jonesboro', Georgia, September 1, 1864; Florence, Alabama, October 6, 1864; Louisville, Georgia, November 30, 1864; Savannah, Georgia, December 11 to 21, 1864; Averys- boro', North Carolina, March 16, 1865; Smithfield Roads, North Carolina, March 18, 1865; Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19 and 20, 1865. Adjutant S. D. Cowles, of the Tenth Michigan Infantry, was killed by a sharp- shooter while examining the rebel works at Corinth. In company with other offi- cers of the regiment he rode along the picket line and dismounted to get a better view; but not satisfying his desire for information behind the covert of a tree, stepped out to get a better view, remarking, "I guess they won't hit me," when, almost immediately on the utterance of the words, the bullet from the rifle of the sharp- shooter struck him in the left breast, passing through the body obliquely, coming out on the right shoulder. He exclaimed, " I am hit," and instantly expired. THE THIRTEENTH INFANTRY. The daring bravery of the Thirteenth Infantry, raised and organized by Colonel Charles E. Stuart, of Kalamazoo, is attested by its persistent-fighting and splendid achievements on many fields. It left the State en route for the field February 12, 1862, under command of Colonel Michael Shoemaker. It reached the battle-field of Shiloh, after a forced march, near the close of the second day's fight, and thence- forward, until the evacuation of Corinth, was engaged in picket and faittigue duty. It participated in the bloody engagements of Stone River, Dec. 30 and 31, 1862, and January 1, 2, and 3, 1863, going into action with two hundred and twenty-four muskets, and losing out of this number twenty-five killed or who died of wounds, sixty-two wounded, and eight missing. On the 31st December, it recaptured, by a bayonet charge, two guns which had fallen into the hands of the enemy. At Chickamauga, under command of Colonel J. B. Culver, the Thirteenth also distin- guished itself. At Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19, 1865, the regiment fought the enemy the entire day, losing one hundred and ten killed, wounded, and missing, among the former being its commander, Colonel W. G. Eaton. At Chicka- mauga the loss of the regiment was twenty-five killed and died of wounds, fifty-seven Ii wounded, and twenty-five missing, out of two hundred and seventeen officers and men who began the fight in the morning. The engagements of the Tlhirteenth were as follows: Shiloh, Tennessee, April 7, 1862; Farmington, Mississippi, May 9, 1862; Owl Creek, Mississippi, May 17, 1862; Corinth, Mississippi, May 27, 1862; Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, May 10 to 31, 1862; Stevenson, Alabama, August31, 1862; Mumfordsville, Kentucky, September 14, 1862; Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862; Danville, Kentucky, October 17, 1862; Gallatin, Tennessee, December 5, 1862; Mill Creek, Tennessee, December 15, 1862; Lavergne, Tennessee, December 27, 1862; Stewart's Creek, Tennessee, December 29, 1862; Stone River, Tennessee, December 29-81, 1862, January 2 and 3, 1863; Eagle- ville, Tennessee, January 20, 1863; Pelham, Tennessee, July 2, 1863; Lookout anl- ley, Tennessee, September 7, 1863; Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, September 10,1863; Chickamanoga, Tennessee, September 12, 18, 19, 1863; Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 6,1863; Mis-sion Ridge, Tennessee, November 26, 1863; Florence, Alabama, October 8, 1864; Savannah, Georgia, December 17, 18, 20, and 21, 1864; Catawba River, South Carolina, February 24, 1865; Averysboro', North Carolina, March 16, 1865; Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19, 1865. TIHE FOURTEENTH INFANTRY. The Fourteenth Infantry left Ypsilanti, where it was rendezvoused, incommand of Colonel Robert P. Sinclair, of Grand Rapids, under whose direction it had been recruited, and joined the Western Army at Pittsburg Landing. It participated in the battle of Stone River, in December, 1862, and January, 1863, and was also actively engaged in the Atlanta campaign. The battles of Jonesboro', Georgia, on September 1, 1864, and Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19 and 20, 1865, were the fields whereon the Fourteenth won its greenest laurels. Its list of battles and skirmishes are as follows: Farmington, Mississippi, May 9, 1862; Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, May 10 to 31, 1862; Lavergne, Tennessee, No- vember 1, 1862; Nashville, Tennessee, November 5, 1862; Brentwood, Tennessee, December 8, 1862; Stone Iliver, Tennessee, January 3, 1863; Weams' Springs, Tennessee, July 27, 1863; Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, November 4, 1863; Kenesaw, Georgia, June 25, 1864; Fayetteville, North Carolina, March 12, 1865; Chtattahoo- chee River, Georgia, July 5 and 6, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 to August 25, 1864; Atlanta, Georgia, August 7, 1864; Jonesboro', Georgia, September 1, 1864; Florence, Alabama, October 10, 1864; Savannah, Georgia, December 17 to 21,1864 ; Averysboro', North Carolina, March 16, 1865; Bentonville, North Carolinan, March 19 and 20, 1865. THE FIFTEENTH INFANTRY received a few recruits only from Oakland County, and those in the later days of the war; the engagements on the Atlanta campaign and thence to the sea, and through the Carolinas to Bentonville, being the only battles in which the Oakland men were engaged. The list of the engagements of the Fifteenth in which the Oakland recruits par- ticipated is as follows: Resaca, Georgia, May 14, 1864; Big Shanty, Georgia, June 15, 1864; Kenesaw, Georgia, June 25, 1864; Decatur, Georgia, July 20, 21, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 to August 253, 1864; Atlanta and 3M. RIt. RI., Georgia, August 29, 1864; Jonesboro', Georgia, August 31, 1864; Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, September 2, 1864; Clinton, Georgia, November 20, 1864; Fort McAllister, Georgia, December 13, 1864; Orangeburg, South Carolina, February 14, 1865; Con- garee Creek, South Carolina, February 15, 1865; Saluda Creek, South Carolina, Feb- ruary 16, 1865; Columbia, South Carolina, February 17, 1865; Fayetteville, North Carolina, March 13, 1865; Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19, 20, 1865. THE SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. The Sixteenth was raised and organized during the summer of 1861 by Colonel T. B. MW. Stockton, and was for some time known as " Stockton's Independent Regi- ment," afterwards as the Sixteenth Michigan Infantry, which accounts for its high numerical designation. Its active service began with the siege of Yorktown in April, 1862, and ended at Appomattox Court-House, having passed through the various campaigns of the Army of the Potomac with much credit and a glorious celebrity, serving during the whole war in the Third brigade, First division, Fifth corps. Among its various battles which are given below, none, perhaps, appeir more prom. inent in its history than Gaines' Mill and Peebles' Farm. In the former engage- ment Captain Thomat C. Carr, and Lieutenants Byron McGraw and Richrd Williams, officers of much promise and courage, were killed, and Colonel Stockton, whose horse wins shot under him. Captains Mott and Fisher, and Surgeon Wixom were taken prisoners. At Malvern Hill the regiment lost forty-two in killed, wounded, and missing, and it was engaged three days in the great contest at Gettys- burg. At the advance on the rebel works at Peebles' Farm, or Poplar Grove Church, the Sixteenth having the centre, struck the angle of the fort first, climbed the works, and engaged the enemy hand to hand for some time, while the other regiments of the brigade came in on the right and left and captured the rebels and their guns. The Sixteenth lost, however, ten killed and forty-two wounded, including the com- mander, Colonel N. E. Welch, who was instantly killed while going over the enemy's works, sword in hand, leading his regiment in the dashing charge. The engagements of the Sixteenth were as follovws: Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, April 4 to May 4, 1862; Hanover Court-House, Virginia, May 27, 1862; Mechanics- ville, Virginia, June 26, 1862; Gaines' Mill, Virginia, June 27, 1862; White Oak Swamp, Virginia, June 30, 1862; Turkey Bend, Virginia, June 30, 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862; IHarrison's Landing, Virginia, July 2, 1862; Ely's Ford, Vir- ginia, August 29, 1862; Bull Run (second), Virginia, August 30, 1862; Antietam, Maryland, September 17, 1862; Shepherdstown Ford, Virginia, September 19, 1862; Snicker's Gap, Virginia, November 4, 1862; United States Ford, Virginia ,January 1, 1863; Chancellorsville, Virginia, April 30, and May 2 to 5, 1863; Middleburg, x HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Virginia, June 21, 1863; Gettsysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1, 2, 8, 1863; Williams- port, Maryland, July 12, 1863; Wapping heights, Virginia, July 21, 22, 1863; Culpeoper, Virginia, October 12, 13, 1863; Brandy Station, Virginia, October 13, 1863; Ilristoe Station, Virginia, October 14, 1863; Rappahannock Station, Virginia, November 7, 1863; Cross-Roads, Virginia, November 26, 1863; Mine lun, Virginia, November 26, 27, 29, 1863; Wilderness, Virginia, Muay 5, 7, 1864; Laurel Hill, Virginia, May 8, 1864; Po River, Virginia, May 10, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 18, 1864; Ny River, Virginia, May 21, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 23, 1864; Noel's Turn, Virginia, May 26, 1864; Hanover, Virginia, May 29, 1864; Tolo- potomy, Virginia, May 30, 1864; Magnolia Swamp, Virginia, June 1, 1864; Bethesda Church, Virginia, June 2, 3, 4, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 7, 1864; Gaines' Creek. Virginia, June 5, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 18, 1864; Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad, July 30, 1864; Weldon Railroad, Virginia, August 19, 20, 21, 1864; Peebles' Farm, Virginia, September 30, 1864; HIIatcher's Run, Virginia, October 27, 1864, February 26, 27, 1865, March 25, 1865; White Oak Road, Virginia, March 29, 1865; Quaker Road, Virginia, March 31, 1865; Five Forks, Virginia, April 1, 1865; Amelia Court-House, Virginia, April 5, 1865; High Bridge, Virginia, April 6, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, Juno 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865; Appomattox Court-House, April 9, 1865. TIHE SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY had a few Oakland men in its ranks only. It was known as the "Stonewall" regiment of Wilcox's division. It particularly distinguished itself at South Moun- tain, Virginia, its praise being in the mouth of every newspaper correspondent on the field. Its list of battles and skirmishes is as follows: South Mountain, Maryland, September 14, 1862; Antietam, Maryland, September 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Virginia, Decemlber 12, 13, and 14, 1862; Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, June 22 to July 4, 1863; ,Jackson, Mississippi, ,July 11 to 18, 1863; Blue Spring, Tennessee, October 10, 1863; Loudon, Tennessee, November 14, 1863; Lenoir Station, Ten- nessee, November 15, 1863; Campbell's Station, Tennessee, November 16, 1863; Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee, November 17 to December 5, 1863 ; Thurley's Ford, Tennessee, December 15, 186:3; Fort Saunders, Tennessee, December 29, 1863; Strawberry Plains, Tenne-see, January 22, 1864; Wilderness, Virginia, May 5, 6, and 7, 1864; Ny River, Virginia, May 9, 1864; Spottsylvania, Virginia, May 10, 11, and 12, 1864; North Anna, Virginia, May 24, 1864; Bethesda Church, Vir- ginia, June 2 and 3, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 7, 1864; Petersburg, Virginia, June 17 and 18, 1864 ; The Crater, Virginia, June 30, 1864; Weldon Rail- road, Virginia, August 19 and 21, 1864; Reams' Station, Virginia, August 25, 1864; Poplar Spring Church, Virginia, September 80, 1864; Pegram Farm, Virginia, Octo- ber 2, 1864; Boydton Road, Virginia, October 8, 1864; Hatcher's lunt, Virginia, October 27 and 28, 1864; Fort Steadman, Virginia, March 25, 1865; capture of Petersburg, Virginia, April 3, 1865; Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 17, 1864, to April 3, 1865. THE EIGHTEENTH INFANTRY had fewer Oakland men in its ranks than the Seventeenth. It went into the field Novi-maer 1, 1862, being stationed at Lexington, Kentucky. It was engaged prin- cipally in Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee during its entire term of service, sharing in the defense of Nashville. Its engagements were as follows: Danville, Kentucky, February 24, 1863; Pond Springs, Alabama, June 18, 1864; Curtiss Wells, Alabama, June 24, 1864; Court- land, Alabama, July 25, 1864; Athens, Alabama, September 24, 1864; Decatur, Alabana, October 24 and November 28, 1864. The Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-first Infantry regiments had about a dozen men from Oakland County in their ranks altogether, and they were of the very latest recruits. THE TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY was pre-eminently an Oakland regiment, raised and led to the war by one of Oak- land's most distinguished citizens, Governor Moses Wisner. The regiment left the State for Kentucky, September 4, 1862, and its leader died at Lexington, January 4, 1863. lIe was succeeded in the command by Colonel Ileber Le Favour, who first led the regiment against the enemy under General Pegram, at Danville, Kentucky, March 24, 1863. It was subsequently engaged at lickman's Bridge, Kentucky, Pea Vine Creek, and McAffee's Church, Tennessee; and then followed the disas- trous rout at Chickamauga, in which the Twenty-second won imperishable renown. In that battle, on Saturday morning, September 19, General Whitaker was rein- forced by Mitchell's and MeCook's brigades, and the Twenty-second Michigan and Eighty-aith Ohio, under Colonel Lo Favour, the latter command being attached to WVhitake own brigade, and that day and night were placed in line of battle. Sunday, at nine A.M., the deadly strife commenced on General Thomas' line, which was shattered and compelled to fall back. General Whitaker was ordered to move to the right and reinforce Thomas at a point some four miles distant. Moving rapidly, he soon found the rebel cavalry in position to check him, but quickly drove them off, and succeeded in establishing himself near the right of Thomas' line. General Steadman, commanding the First division, Reserve corps, received instruc- tions from Thomas that the enemy must be driven from the hill on his right. Gen- eral Whitaker was ordered to the work, and advanced in two lines-the first, composed of the Ninety-sixth Illinois, on the right, the One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois in the centre, and the Twenty-second Michigan, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Sanborn, of that regiment, on the left; the second line, Fortieth Ohio on the right, Eighty-fourth Indiana in the centre, and Eighty-ninth Ohio on the left and in the rear of the Twenty-second Michigan, both lines under command of Colonel Le Favour. Charging in gallant style on the enemy's lines, they drove them from the hill full half a mile. Here the rebels rallied, and Longstreet's forces came rushing down in masses eight lines deep. The gallant brigade received and repulsed them with terrible loss. Colonel Sanborn was severely wounded while in front of his regiment. The color-sergeant, Philo J. Durkee, and Corporal Stansell, were killed in turn, and Corporal Vincent sevirely wounded, while bravely bearing the colors of the Twenty-second to the front. The rebels drove the brigade to the foot of the hill at the second onslaught, whe.re it again formed and again gallantly retook the crest. Colonel Le Favour informed General Whitaker that his ammunition was exhausted. " You must use your steel," was the reply. The .nemy again furiously advanced. The sun had gone down; in the twilight it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The Twenty-second rushed forward, led by Colonel Le Favour in person, with fixed bayonets and empty muskets, and, under a most terrific fire of grape and mus- ketry, met tlhe clharge of the enemy and repulsed and drove him at every point. General Steadman sent an order to fall back, but it was too late ; before it arrived the regiment was closed in on both flanks and cut off. This brave and most desperate charge General Steadman declared saved that immediate portion of the army. A correspondent on the field said, " Whitaker said he would take the ridge, and he did it. This is the way it was done. The six regiments of the first brigade were formed in two lines, the first comprising the Ninety-sixth Illinois, Colonel Thomas E. Champion, on the right; One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois, Colonel J. II. Moore, in the centre; and the Twenty-second Michigan, Colonel Le Favour, on the left. 'hen came the order to advance. With a yell, the first line bounded forward on the double-quick. Up and down tlhe little hills, and through the narrow valleys which intervened, they pressed hastily forward, until they came within short range of the rebel musketry, which opened upon them furiously, while the grape and canister from the battery on the ridge swept cruelly through the ranks. Almost exhausted with their hurried march and tlheir long-continued double-quick, the troops recoiled for an instant under that withering fire, but ere the most timid could think of retreating Colonel Champion promptly gave the command to halt, lie down and fire, which was obeyed on the instant. There lay the line for five minutes, responding resolutely to the fire of the enemy. That five minutes was a terrible ordeal for our soldiers, for during that five minutes their ranks were more than decimated. Then came the order to fix bayonets and charge upon the enemy. The ardor of the men overcame their fatigue, and, tired as they were, they resumed the double-quick march as they advanced up the ridge, right in the face of a galling fire. If a man fell-and many did-ho was left to enrich the soil of Georgia with his life's blood ; or, if able, to creep, alIne and unassisted, to the rear; for none who were able to march left the ranks, which were kept well closed up, and the line was firmly maintained." The Twenty-second lost in killed, wounded, and missing on this day three hundred and seventy-two out of five hundred and eighty-four, including among the mortally wounded Captains W. A. Smith and Elijah Snell, brave and meritorious officers. Most of the missing were taken prisoners, among whom was Colonel Le Favour. In this charge the regiment was almost annihilated. The battles and skirmishes of the Twenty-second were as follows: Danville, Kentucky, March 24, 1863; Hickman's Bridge, Kentucky, March 27, 1863; Pea Vine Creek, Tennessee, September 17, 1863; McAflee's Church, Tennessee, September 19, 1863; Chickamauga, Tennessee, September 20, 1863; Wautahatchie (near Chatta- nooga), Tennessee, September 28 to October 28, 186:-3; Mhsion Ridge, Tennessee, November 26, 1863; Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 and 23, 1864. COLONEL MOSES WISNER, of the Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, died at Lexington, Kentucky, January 5, 1863, of typhoid fever. " lie possessed military qualities of a high order, to the development of which his friends looked forward with much anticipation and hope. He was a strict disciplinarian, and it was to this circumstance that the health of the regiment while under his command was mainly owing. He sacrificed his life in unremitting attention and devotion to his men, and to his faithfully discharged duties as a commander. lie was thoroughly read in military history and tactics, and would doubtless have excelled in the profession of arms had his life been spared. In his death the army lost a brave officer, and faithful one, and Michigan a noble citizen." He was buried in Oak hill cemetery, January 9, 1863, without military display, quietly and unostentatiously, even as he had lived ; but the whole country-side came in to pmty their last tribute to the man they loved, to whom death had granted an unending furlough. The legislature, which was in session when the news of Governor Wisner's death was received, passed resolutions of respect and adjourned for the day. The supreme court, likewise in session, adopted a eulogistic expression of regard for their former superior, and ordered it spread upon the records of the court, and also adjourned out of respect for his memory, Judge Van Valkenburg paying the deceased a most fittin, tribute. The bar of Oakland County paid their customary tribute of respect to their deceased brother, and the resolutions passed by his own regiment were like the wailings of orphans for a dead father. The father of Governer Wisner, also named Moses, was a colonel in the war of 1812, and was noted for his brave and fearless action in battle. Henry Merrill, of the Twenty-second Michigan Infintry, while acting as division forage master, performed a bold and successful feat whereby hlie brought two rebel cavalrymen into camp prisoners, with their arms and horses. He was one day out with a train on a foraging expedition, and riding in advance of the train, he rode up between two horsemen whom he at once discovered to be rebel cavalrymen, and instantly formed a resolution and plan of escaping from their power and reverse situations. They inquired who he was, and on being informed he was one of Mor- gan's men, who was then in that country (Kentucky), they invited him to ride on with them to camp; but he excused himself by saying he was foraging and could not leave his wagons, and said it would be better for them to ride back with him and HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xi act as escort for the train, which they consented to do, and did; and at their arrival at the wagons, Merrill demanded their surrender as prisoners, and they had no alter- native but to comply with the reasonable demand. Merrill brought his prisoners into camp along with his forage, and received one of the captured horses for his own riding. Another member of the Twenty-second whose name is not given, on the request of one of his officers, rode in advance of his command with a message to a party at Red River Iron Works in Kentucky. Upon arriving at the village, the soldier found the place in possession of a troop of rebel cavalry who had just driven out a larger force of Union troops. Seven of the troop wore at the blacksmith shop of the village having their horses shod, and the Michigan soldier riding boldly up, though alone and unarmed, demanded the surrender of the party. Four of them immediately complied, and delivered up their carbines, but the other three sprang into their saddles and set spurs to their horses to escape. The single soldier immediately fired with one of the carbines, bringing one of the fleeing rebels to the ground seriously wounded, whom he secured, and held the fire until his command came up on the run at hearing the report of the carbine, and delivered a few parting shots at the fleeing rebels. He then turned over four rebel cavalrymen in good order, one ditto dam- aged, five horses and accoutrements, and five good carbines and equipments in ser- viceable condition, and then completed the original errand he was sent to perform. Alfred J. Skinner, of Novi, of Co. I, Twenty-second Infiantry, was taken prisoner, and after being held seven months in captivity, escaped from the train conveying some hundreds of prisoners to Andersonville or Dalton, and made his way through the rebel lines to his command at Cleveland, Tennessee, being ten days on the way. He traveled mostly by night on foot from Augusta, though he bearded the lion one day by riding on the cars as a member of a Georgia regiment among rebel officers and soldiers, having one or two " tight squeezes" to ward offt suspicion. lie was taken prisoner once by some rebel scouts, but feigning sleep, threw his sleepy captors off their guard, and when they were asleep he withdrew quietly from their company, escaping in the darkness, though one of the rebels was awakened and clutched his leg as he passed out of the door of the house, and received a sharp pinch as the door shut in return for his friendly (7) offices. A pack of dogs let loose on his track came utip with him, when hlie assumed the role of whipper in of the pack, and sent them on for other game. Hlie passed himself off successfully for a member of the Fifty-fourth Virginia among four furloughed soldiers, and kept them at story-telling of " hair-breadth 'scapes by field and flood," and getting a good "square" meal, and his haversack filled into the bargain. He brought up at daylight wherever he happened to be, and laid by for rest during the day, and so made his way through dangers on every side to the protection of the national arms and his own command. A few recruits only were gathered in Oakland County for the Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-sixth, and Twenty-seventh Regiments of Michigan Infantry. THE TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY was one of the latest regiments of Michigan to enter the service, arriving at Nash- ville from its rendezvous in Michigan, October 3, 1864, under command of Colonel Thomas M31. Taylor. The regiment encountered the enemy under Hood, October 26, at Decatur, where it behaved with great coolness, notwithstanding its recent'organi- zation. The regiment moved out from the breastworks behind which they were sheltered, and in the face of a hot fire of musketry and artillery took possession of a line of rifle-pits on the left of the works. Colonel Doolittle, who was in charge of the Union force, had but five hundred men, but with them he successfully resisted five thousand rebels-Walthamni's whole division of Stewart's corps. The Twenty- ninth was mustered out of service September 6, 1865. Its engagements were as follows: Decatur, Alabama, October 26, 27, and 28, 1864; Overall Creek, Tennessee, December 7, 1864; Winsted Church, Tennessee, December 13, 1864; Shelbyville Pike, Tennessee, December 15 and 16, 1864; Nolansville, Ten- nessee, December 17, 1864. TIlE TIIIRTI ETH INFANTRY was raised under authority from the War Department for special service on the Michigan frontier, its term of service being for one year, and by orders from this department, dated November 7, 1864, its recruitment was commenced under direc- tion of Colonel G. S. Warner, with rendezvous at Jackson, which was afterwards changed to Detroit, where the organization was completed January 9, 1865. The companies were stationed at diflerent points along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers and in otter parts of the State, as follows: A and B, at Fort Gratoit; D, at St Clair; E, at Wyandotte; K, at Jackson; H, at Fenton; G, in Detroit; and C, F, and I, at Detroit barracks. The regiment continued on duty at those points until June 30, 1865, when it was mustered out of service. There were a few recruits in each of the organizations of the First Michigan Sharpshooters, Dygert's Sharpshooters (attached to the Sixteenth Michigan), and the Staunton Guards. THE MECHANICS AND ENGINEERS. Oakland had but a few representatives in this celebrated regiment, which was distinguished for its fighting qualities almost as much as for its splendid achieve- ments in bridge-building. The regiment was most signally distinguished at Lavergne, Tennessee, January 1, 1863, while Rosecrans was fighting the battle of Stone River, where it sustained aind succcessfully resisted and repelled an attack of five hours' dura- tion by Wheeler's rebel cavalry, some three or four thousand strong, in which seven distinct and separate charges were made upon the regiment, protected by ha-tily con- structed breastworks of logs and brush. Three times did General Wheeler send a " flag of truce and demand the surrender of the regiment, claiming an increase of force; but Colonel Wm. P. Innes sent back his characteristic reply, "lie could not see it," so long as his ammunition held out. Mr. Greeley, in his "American Con. flict," noticing Colonel Innes' extraordinary defense, says, "On the whole, the enemy's operations in the rear of our army during this memorable conflict (battle of Stone River) reflect no credit on the intelligence and energy with which they were resisted. 'The silver lining to this cloud' is a most gallant defense made on the 1st of January by Colonel Innes' First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, only three hundred and ninety-one strong, who had taken post on high ground near La- vergne, and formed such a barricade of cedars, etc., as they hurriedly might. Here they were attacked at two P.M. by Wharton's calvary, whom they successfully re- sisted and beat off. Wharton's official report is their best eulogium; he was in com- mand of six regiments. Hie says, 'A regiment of infantry under Colonel Dennis (Innes) also was stationed in a cedar brake and fortifications near this point. I caused a battery, under Lieutenant Pike, who acted with great gallantry, to open on it. The fire at a range of not more than four hundred yards was kept up for more than an hour, and must have resulted in great damage to the enemy. I caused the enemy to be charged on three sides at the same time by Colonels Cox and Smith and Lieu- tenant-Colonel Malone, and the charge was repeated four times; but the enemy was so strongly posted that it was found impossible to dislodge him.' " The regiment lost only two killed and twelve wounded, while the rebel loss, as estimated at the time, was over a hundred in killed and wounded. General Rosecrans, in his official report, gave the regiment the credit of having repulsed over ten times its own number on that occasion. It was mustered out of service September 22, 1865. Its engagements were as follows during its term of service, which began December 17, 1861: Mill Springs, Kentucky, January 19, 1862; Farmington, Mississippi, May 9, 1862; siege of Corinth, May 10 to 31, 1862; Perryville, Kern*ucky, October 8, 1862; Lnavergne, Tennessee, January 1, 1863; Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 6, 1863; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 to September 2, 1864; Savannah, Georgia, December 11 to 21, 1864; Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19, 1865. THE FIRST MICIHIGAN CAVALRY. The first regiment of cavalry was organized during the summer of 1861 by Colonel T. F. Brodhead, of Detroit (formerly of Pontiac), and left its rendezvous in that city (Detroit) December 29, for Washington. It participated in the campaigns on the upper Potomac, in the Shenandoah Valley, and on the slopes of the Blue Ridge in 1862, Colonel liBrodhend being killed at the second battle of Bull Run. It participated in the Gettysburg campiign in 1863. With the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Regiments of cavalry it was brigaded, and was known throughout the war as the Michigan Cavalry Brigade, in command of the impetuous and now lamented Custer. The First Cavalry, while in command of Colonel Brodhead, served in the command of General Alpheus S. Williams, of Michigan, in 1862, and covered the retreat of Gene- ral Banks' army from the Shenandoah Valley, serving with much distinction, and rendering very important service in that affair, being continuously under fire. Gene- ral Custer, in his official report of the brigade's operations at Gettysburg, thus speaks of the First Cavalry's part of the work. The regiment was under command of Colo- nel Charles H. Town. The Fifth Cavalry had been dismounted and were slowly compelled to retire, their ammunition being exhausted; the Seventh were ordered to charge the almost overwhelming force before whom the First were retiring, and in doing so, the Seventh were repuls-ed, but renewed the contest supported by the Fifth, who had remounted, when an entire brigade of the enemy-four regiments-appeared in front of Custer's line, against whom he had but the First Cavalry and one battery to oppose. The rebels were formed in column of regiments; Custer at once ordered the First, which i as formed in column of battalions, to charge. " Upon ret civing the order to charge, Colonel Town placed himself at the head of his regiment, or- dered the ' trot,' and sabres drawn, and in this manner the regiment advanced to the attack of a force outnumbering its own five to one. In addition to this numerical superiority, the enemy had the advmntage of position, and were exultant over the re- pulse of the Seventh Cavalry. All these facts considered, would seem to have ren- dered success on the part of the First impossible; but not so, however. Arriving within a few yards of the enemy's columns, the charge was ordered, and, with a yell that spread terror before them, the First Cavalry, led by their fearless c,,lonel (Town), rode upon the front rank of the erfemy, sabreing all who came within reach of their blades. For a moment, but only a moment, that long, heavy clumn stood its ground ; then, unable to withstnd the inpetuosity of our attck, it gave way to a disorderly rout, leaving vast numbers of their dead and wounded in our pssesion; while the First, masters of the field, had the proud satisfaction of seeing the much vaunted 'chivalry,' led by their favorite commander, seek safety in headlong flight. I cannot find language to express my high appreciation of the gallantry and daring displayed by the officers and men of the First Michigan Cavalry. They adviianced to the charge of a vastly superior force with as much order and precision ais if going upon parade; and I challenge the annals of warfare to produce a inmure brilliant or successful charge of cavalry than the one just recounted."'' High praise, indeed, is this from one whose laurels had all been gained in the headlong impetuosity of the charge, and in the smoke and roar of battle. The loss of the First Cavalry at Gettys- burg was eighty men and eleven officers killed, wounded, and missing out of three hundred engaged. The entire interesting history of the First Cavalry is so interwoven with that of the brigade, it is impossible to give it in our space, and we must refer our readers for the glorious and imperishable record to the exhaustive reports of the adjtant-gene- ral of Michigan, General John Robertson, from which the extracts already given have been taken. The First Cavalry was engaged in sixty-eight battles and skir- mishes as reported to the adjutant-general, of which we name only tfe more impor- tant ones: Winchester, Virginia, March 23, 1862; Middletown, Virginia, March 25, 1862; Strasburg, Virginia, March 27, 1862; Hnrrisonburg, Virginia, April 22, 1862; Winchester, Virginia, May 24, 1862; Orange Court-House, Virginia, June 16, 1862; Cedar Mountain, Virginia, August 9, 1862; Bull Run, Virginia, August 80, xii HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1862; Thoroughfare, Virginia, May 21,1863; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1863; IIagerstown, Maryland, July 6, 1863; Falling Waters, Maryland, July 14, 1863; Snicker's Gap, Virginia, July 19, 1863; Culpepper Court-House, Virginia, Septem. ber 14, 1863; Buckland's Mills, Virginia, October 19, 1863; Richmond, Virginia, March 1, 1864; Wilderness, Virginia, May 6 and 7, 1864; Yellow Tavern, Vir- ginia, May 10 and 11, 1864; Hawes' Shop, Virginia, May 28, 1864; Cold harbor, Virginia, May 30, 1864, and July 21, 1864; Winchester, Virginia, August 11, 1864; Meadow Bridge, May 12, 1864; Trevillian Station, Virginia, June 11, 12, 1864; Winchester, Virginia, September 19, 1864; Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864; Five Forks, Virginia, March 30, 31, and April 1, 1865; Sailors' Creek, Virginia, April 6, 1865; Appomattox, Virginia, April 8, 9, 1865. COLONEL THORNTON F. BRODHEAD, the gallant commander of the First Michigan Cavalry during the first year of its service, was educated as a lawyer, and admitted to the bar of Oakland County, and removed from Pontiac to Detroit, where he was for some years the postmaster of that city. When the rebellion broke out, and armed treason raised its mailed hand against the life of the nation, with all the enthusiasm of his nature he entered into the work of raising a cavalry regiment for service against the traitors, and was appointed the colonel of the first regiment of that arm of the service raised in Michigan. He led his command with distinguished honor and success through the various battles and skirmishes on the upper Potomac and the Shenandoah Valley, culminating in the second battle of Bull Run, August 80, 1862, where the bravo oflicer fell mortally wounded, gallantly leading his men to the charge. While on his death-bed on the field, his last words to the attendant surgeon were, " The old flag will triumph yet!" In his letter to his wife, hlie wrote, " I fought manfully and now die fearlessly." TIHE SECOND CAVALRY. On November 14, 1861, the Second Cavalry, raised by Colonel F. W. Kellogg, moved from its rendezvous at Grand Rapids, destined for St. Louis, Missouri, and on their arrival there, Captain Gordon Granger, United States Army (afterward major-general of volunteers), assumed command as colonel. The regiment first encountered the enemy near Point Pleasant, Missouri, March 9; was soon afterwards engaged in the siege of the island, which continued from March 14 to April 7, when it was surrendered, Colonel Granger having been promoted to the rank of brigadier- geheral, March 20, 1862. On May 25 following, Governor Blair commissioned Captain Philip II. Sheridan (now lieutenant-general of the regular army) colonel of the regiment. "' Throughout the long and arduous services of this regiment in the field, which terminated only with the close of the war, it was the terror of the rebels whenever it came in contact with them. Being always superbly armed and equipped, and the men the bravest of brave soldiers, and all of them most excellent shots, it seldom attacked without defeating and routing the enemy, and never without severely punishing them, even when compelled to retire before immense odds. The engagements of the regiment at Booneville, July 1, 1862, and Dandridge, December 24, 1863, when on both occasions it most signally distinguished itself, are among the most noted of its battles, which, with its skirmishes, amounted to seventy during its term of service. Colonel Sheridan was promoted to the rank of briga- dier, and was succeeded in the command of the regiment by Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell, July 1, 1862. The more important engagements of the Second Cavalry were as follows: Point Pleasant, Missouri, March 9, 1862; Farmington, Mississippi, May 5, 1862; Boone- ville, Mississippi, June 1, 1862; Columbia, Tennessee, March 4 and 5, 1863; Brentwood, Tennessee, March 25, 1863; Chickamauga, Tennessee, September 18, 1863; Dandridge, Tennessee, December 24, 1803; Pigeon River, January 27, 1864; Franklin, Tennessee, September 27, 1804; Richland Creek, Tennessee, December 24, 1864; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 1, 1865; Bridgeville, Alabama, April 6, 1865; Talladega, Alabama, April 23, 1805. THE THIRD CAVALRY. This regiment left the rendezvous at Grand Rapids for Benton Barracks, Nov. 28, 1861, where Colonel J. K. Mizner assumed its command. Its first engagement with the enemy was at New Madrid, Missouri, March 13, 1862, "where it commenced a most creditable career, giving traitors a lively idea what Michigan cavalry were, and what they might expect in the future, which expectations were realized to the full whenever the Third came in contact with them during the entire war." The regiment participated in General Gradit's campaign in Mississippi, being dis- tinguished at luka, September 19, 1862. Its most important engagements were, besides luka, as follows: Corinth, Mississippi, October 3 and 4, 1862; IIHatchie, Mississippi, October 6, 1862; Hudsonville, Mississippi, November 14, 1862; Holly Springs, Mississippi, November 19, 1862; Lumkin's Mills, Mississippi, November 29, 1862; Oxford, Mississippi, December 2, 1862; Cofi'eeville, Mississippi, December 5, 1862; Brownsville, Mississippi, January 14, 1863; Clifton, Mississippi, February 20, 1863; Panola, Mississippi, July 20, 1863; Grenada, Mississippi, August 14, 1863; Byhulia, Mississippi, October 12, 1863; Wyatt's Ford, Mississippi, October 13, 1863. The regiment was stationed on the Texas frontier after the collapse of the rebellion until February 15, 1866, when it was mustered out of service. THE FOURTH CAVALRY. This regiment, to which pertained the honor of the capture of the rebel president in his inglorious flight and disgraceful disguise, had a few representatives of Oak- land's valor in its ranks, among whom, Thomas Riley, John Brown, and James II. Place assisted in the arch-conspirator's capture. The Fourth was constaitly engaged with the enemy almost from its first skirmish until its final achievement, and among its numerous battles and skirmishes the following were the most important: Stanford, Kentucky, September 26, 1862; Lebanon, Kentucky, November 9, 1862; Franklin, Tennessee, December 11, 1862; Stone River, Tennessee, December 31, 1862; Middletown, Tennessee, May 22, 1863; Sparta, Tennessee, August 9, 1863; Sperry's Mill, August 17, 1863; Reed's Bridge, Georgia, September 18, 1863; Chickamauga, Tennessee, September 19, 20, and 21, 1863; Mission Ridge, Tennessee, November 25, 1863; Shelbyville, Tennessee, June 27, 1863; Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, August 20, 1864; Latimer's Mills, Georgia, June 20, 1864; Flat Rock, Georgia,- July 27, 28, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, August 1 to 14, 1864; Rome, Georgia, October 12, 1864; Blue Pond, Georgia, October 21, 1864; Selma, Alabama, April 2, 1865; Double Bridges, Georgia, April 18, 1865; Macon, Georgia, April 20, 1865; Capture of Jeff. Davis, Georgia, May 10, 1865. During the whole term of its service the Fourth proved a most reliable and gallant regiment, deservedly proud of its fighting reputation, and accomplishing an uncom- mon amount of duty. The colonel, in response to a letter of inquiry from the adjutant-general of the State, says, " The Fourth Michigan Cavalry has so often distinguished itself, both by the brilliancy of its charges and the stubbornness of its fighting, that I doubt if you will find two men agree on the two engagements in which it was most distinguished. Some would claim Stone River, where it charged three times, each time driving a brigade of rebel cavalry from the field; others, sonime of the many raids around Murfreesboro', where the sabre-charges of the Fourth Michigan and Seventh Pennsylvania were the admiration of the entire army of the Cumberland; others, the fight with Dibrell's brigade at Sparta and Sperry's Mills, on the 9th and 17th August, 1863, or the hard day's fighting at Reed's Bridge, near Chickamauga, on the 18th September, where the Fourth Michigan, Seventh Pennsylvania, and Fourth Regular Cavalry (nine hundred and seventy-three of all ranks) fought the entire of Hood's corps from seven o'clock in the morning until five o'clock in the evening; leaving one hundred and two rebel dead within one hundred yards of the eastern end of the bridge, and preventing the carrying out of Bragg's order of battle of that date, the first part of which reads, 'Johnson's column (Hood's) on crossing at or near Reed's Bridge will turn to the left by the most practical route, and sweep up the Chickamauga towards Lee and Gordon's Mills.' Some, again, would claim Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, on the 20th August, 1864, where the same little brigade, then numbering less than eight hundred men, scattered Ross' Texan brigade, sabreing over five hundred of them. After considering the subject fully, I have selected Shelbyville, Tennessee, on the 27th June, 1863, and Latimer's Mills, Georgia, on June 20, 1864. At both of these places the success of my brigade was mainly attributable to the brilliancy and tenacity of the fighting of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, then under command of Major F. W. Mix." Its fiWrst colonel, R. IL. G. Minty, was promoted to the rank of a brigadier-general while in the field. THE FIFTH CAVALRY. This regiment, which went into the field December 4, 1862, formed a part of the " Michigan Cavalry Brigade." Colonel John T. Copeland, of the First Cavalry, organized the Fifth, but on November 29, 1862, being promoted to the rank of a brigadier, hlie was succeeded in the command of the regiment by Colonel Freeman Norvell, the lieutenant-colonel under Colonel Copeland. He served in command of the regiment until February 27 following, when he resigned. Major R. A. Alger, of the Second Cavalry, was commissioned as colonel of the Fifth on the 28th of the same month, and served in that capacity until September 20, 1864, when ill health compelled him to resign. General Custer, in his official report of the battle of Gettysburg and the opera- tions of the cavalry brigade therein, says of the Fifth Cavalry: " The enemy was soon after reported to be advancing on my front. The detach- ment of fifty men sent on the Oxford road were driven in, and at the same time the enemy's line of skirmishers, consisting of dismounted cavalry, appeared on the crest of the ridge of hills on my front. The line extended beyond my left. To repel their advance I ordered the Fifth Michigan Cavalry to a more advanced position, with instructions to hold the ground at all hazards. (The Fifth was dismounted and in the centre of Custer's line.) Colonel Alger, commanding the Fifth, assisted by Majors Trowbridge and Ferry, of the same regiment, made such admirable dispo- sition of their men behind fences and other defenses as enabled them to successfully repel the repeated advance of a greatly superior force. Colonel Alger held his position until his men had exhausted their mmmunition, when he was compelled to fall back on the main body." Colonel Alger then mounted his men and went to the relief of the Seventh Michigan Cavalry, who were retiring also before a superior force of rebel cavalry, and the Fifth checked the pursuit. Among the killed in this engagement was Major N. HI: Ferry, of the Fifth, who fell while gallantly leading his men to the charge. Of Major Ferry, Colonel Alger, in his report, says, "The Fifth has won an enviable reputation. Every moment brings a sad gloom over all our hearts for the noble Ferry. He was shot through the head and instantly killed while leading his battalion at Gettysburg. He was a brave officer. I cannot supply his place." At James City, October 12, and Brandy Station, October 13, 1863, the Fifth was hotly engaged with the rebels, and gathered new laurels under the eye of their brave brigade commander, Custer, who himself took the Fifth and First Michi- gan Cavalry and cut his way through a heavy mass of rebel cavalry, and opened the way for the entire division to the river. General Custer thus reports the movement: "Leaving the Sixth and Seventh Michigan Cavalry to hold the force pressing the rear in check, I formed the Fifth Michigan Cavalry on my right in column of bat- talions; on my left I formed the First Michigan in column of squadrons. After ordering them to draw sabres, I informed them we were surrounded, and all we had to do was to open a way with our sabres. They showed their determination and purpose by three hearty cheers. At this moment the band struck up the inspiring HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xiii I strains of Yankee Doodle, which excited the enthusiasm of the command to the highest pitch, and made each individual member feel as if he was a host in himself Simultaneously both regiments moved forward to the attack. It required but a glance at the countenances of the men to enable me to read the settled determination with which they undertook the work before them. The enemy, without waiting to receive the onset, broke in disorder and fled. After a series of brilliant charges, during which the enemy suffered heavily, we succeeded in reaching the river, which we crossed in good order." Major Clark, with a small portion of his battalion (of the Fifth), was captured at Broad Run by the enemy. At Buckland's Mills, Vir- ginia, the Fifth, with the rest of the brigade, was heavily engaged, November 19, with J. E. B. Stuart's rebel cavalry, and defeated a desperate attempt to capture Pennington's battery. The Fifth was engaged in the Kilpatrick raid around Rich- mond, in which a detachment of the regiment became separated from the main com- mand, and were forced to cut their way through the swarming rebels to the regiment, near White House, which they did successfully. The Fifth covered itself anew with glory in General Grant's campaign against Richmond, being in nearly all the battles of that famous campaign. At the battle of the Wilderness, it was, with other regiments of the cavalry brigade, heavily engaged nearly all day on the fifth of May. At Yellow Tavern, May 10 and 11, the brigade was again in a heavy engagement with J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry, where the famed rebel met his death from the bullet of one of the crack shots of the Fifth, John A. IHuff. The incident is related as follows: "The regiment had charged through and driven the enemy out of the first line of woods near 'Yellow Tavern,' and had reached an open space, when the command was given to cease firing; just at that instant a rebel officer, who afterwards proved to be General J. E. B. Stuart, rode up with his staff to within eighty rods of our line, when a shot was fired by a man of the Fifth. John A. Huff, of Company E, remarked to him, ' Tom, you shot too low, and to the left;' then turning to Colonel Alger, who was near, he said, ' Colonel, I can fetch that man.' The colonel replied, 'Try him.' He took deliberate aim across a fence, and fired-the officer fell. Huff turned round to the colonel, and coolly said, ' There's a spread-eagle for you.' " Huff was subsequently wounded at Hawes' Shop, and died from the wound. At Meadow Bridge, May 12, the Fifth was again victoriously engaged against an intrenched foe, but the brigade drove him out, and he fled precipitately, leaving his dead and wounded in the victor's hands. At Milford, May 27, another sharp engagement was had, victory again perching on the pennons of the brigade; but only after the most desperate fighting and the entailment of heavy losses on both sides. Cold Harbor, Virginia, is also one of the " red letter" engagements of the Fifth, where the brigade again drove the enemy from his intrenchments. At Trevillian Station, Custer captured the enemy's wagon-train and about eight hundred led horses, the steeds of the dismounted rebel cavalry who were engaging at the time General Merritt and Colonel Devin's commands; but during the prolonged and obstinate fighting of the brigade against the vastly superior forces of the rebels, the officer in charge of the captured property, acting on his responsibility (fears?), endeavored to take the same to a place of safeity, and per consequence restored it to its owners, unwittingly. Ie was dismissed from the service for cowardice and treachery. On the next day another heavy engagement was brought on. On the 28th May, 1864, the battle of Hawes' Shop was fought, where the enemy was posted in heavy timber on high ground, and behind formidable breastworks of logs, but from which he was dislodged and driven, in a hand-to-hand fight, leaving the ground strewn with his dead and wounded. Of eleven officers and one hundred and forty men of the Fifth in this engagement, five officers and fifty men were killed or wounded. Of the action at Trevillian Station, General Sheridan said, " The cavalry engagement of the 12th June, 1864, was by far the most brilliant one of the present campaign. The enemy's loss was very heavy. My loss in captured will not exceed one hundred and sixty. They were principally from the Fifth Michigan Cavalry. This regiment gallantly charged down the Gordonsvillo road, capturing fifteen hundred horses and about eight hundred men, but were finally surrounded and obliged to give them up." At Shepherdstown, Virginia, August 25, 1864, and again at Winchester, September 19, the Fifth distinguished itself, and especially so at the latter engagement, where five brigades of cavalry of the Union army were in active participation. Custer's command, which entered the final charge about five hundred strong, including thirty-six officers, captured seven hundred prisoners, in- cluding fifty-two officers, seven battle-flags, two caissons, and a large number of small arms. He says, in his report, " It is confidently believed that, considering the relative numbers engaged, and the comparative advantages held on each side, the charge just described (the final one above referred to) stands unequaled, valued according to its daring and success, in the history of this war." Captain North, of the Fifth, was killed in this action. The last great day's fighting of the war, at Sailor's Creek, April 6, 1865, was the last engagement of the cavalry brigade, at which the confederate General Ewell himself and four of his generals were taken prisoners, together with six thousand other demoralized rebels. The complete list of the engagements of the Fifth Cavalry is as follows: Hanover, Virginia, June 30, 1863; Hiunterstown, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1863; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1863; Monterey, Maryland, July 4, 1863; Cavetown, Mary- land, July 5, 1863; Smithtown, Maryland, July 6, 1863; Boonsboro', Maryland, July 6, 1863; Hagerstown, Maryland, July 6, 1863; Williamsport, Maryland, July 6, 1863; Boonsboro', Maryland, July 8, 1863; Hagerstown, Maryland, July 10, 1863; Williamsport, Maryland, July 10, 1863; Falling Waters, Virginia, July 14, 1863; Snicker's Gap, Virginia, July 19, 1863; Kelly's Ford, Virginia, September 13, 1863; Culpepper Court-House, Virginia, September 14, 1863; Raccoon Ford, Vir- ginia, September 16, 1863; White's Ford, Virginia, September 21, 1863; Jack's Shop, Virginia, September 26, 1863; James City, Virginia, October 12,1863; Brandy Station, Virginia, October 13, 1863; Buckland's Mills, Virginia, October 19, 1863; Stevensburg, Virginia, November 19, 1863; Morton's Ford, Virginia, November 26, 1863; Richmond, Virginia, March 1, 1864; Wilderness, Virginia, May 6 and 7, 1864; Beaver Dam Station, Virginia, May 9, 1864; Yellow Tavern, Virginia, May 10 and 11, 1864; Meadow Bridge, Virginia, May 12, 1864; Milford, Virginia, 3May 27, 1864; Hawes' Shop, Virginia, May 28, 1864; Baltimore Cross-Roads, Virginia, May 29, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, May 30 and June 1, 1864; Trevillian Station, Vir- ginia, June 11 and 12, 1864; Cold Harbor, Virginia, July 21, 1864; Winchester, Virginia, August 11, 1864; Front Royal, Virginia, August 16, 1864; Leetown, Virginia, August 25, 1864; Shepherdstown, Virginia, August 25, 1864; Smithfield, Virginia, August 29, 1864; Berryville, Virginia, September 3, 1864; Summit, Vir- ginia, September 4, 1864; Opequan, Virginia, September 19, 1864; Winchester, Virginia, September 19, 1864; Luray, Virginia, September 24, 1864; Port Republic, Virginia, July 26, 27, 28, 1864; Mount Crawford, Virginia, October 2, 1864; W'ood- stock, Virginia, October 9, 1864; Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864; Newton, Virginia, November 12, 1864; Madison Court-House, Virginia, December 24, 1864; Louisa Court-House, Virginia, March 18, 1865; Five Forks, Virginia, March 30 and 31, and April 1, 1865; South Side Railroad, Virginia, April 2, 1865; Duck Pond Mills, Virginia, April 4, 1865; Ridge's, or Sailor's Creek, Virginia, April 6, 1865; Appomattox Court-House, Virginia, April 8, 1865. THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH CAVALRY had but few men from Oakland County in their ranks, many of whom were traons- ferred to the First Michigan Cavalry. These regiments constituted a part of the Michigan Cavalry Brigade, whose history has been recounted somewhat at length in the history of the First and Fifth Cavalries. THE EIGHTH CAVALRY. The Eighth Cavalry, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel G. S. Wormer, com- menced its honorable career in the field of war in Kentucky, and afterwards pursued Morgan on his memorable raid through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in 1863, which pursuit lasted sixteen days, running the raider to earth at Buftington's Island, in the Ohio River, July 19, where he was routed by the pursuing forces, who captured five hundred and seventy-three prisoners, four hundred and eighty-seven horses and mules, and a large quantity of arms. A detachment of the regiment in charge of Lieutenant Boynton led a force commanded by Major Rue, Ninth Kentucky Cavalry, which pur- sued and captured Morgan near New Lisbon, Ohio, July 26, 1863, Lieutenant Boynton holding the right of the line at the time of the capture. The regiment was raised by Colonel John Stockton, who commanded it till his health failed him. It proved a brave and efficient body of men, accomplishing much hard service, and passing through many desperate encounters with western rebel troops, and always acquiting itself gloriously, whether in partial defeat or in complete and substantial victory. "While the record of the Eighth is bright and dazzling, and numbers many success- ful and brilliant battles, none of them, perhaps, appear to more advantage than the severe fights at Athens and Calhoun, East Tennessee, September 26 and 27, 1863, in which its brigade, being the First of the Fourth division, Fourth army corps, became engaged with Forrest's and Wheeler's Cavalry, estimated at fifteen thousand, and where the regiment in command of Colonel Wormer occupied a prominent position, fought stubbornly, losing forty-three men in killed, wounded, and missing." On the 28th of October following, while on a reconnaissance from Loudon, it became engaged in a severe action, losing nine wounded. Its gallant achievements are conspicuous while checking the advance of Longstreet's army, when the regiment, in command of Major Edgerly, participated in covering the retreat of the Union forces, then fall- ing back before the rebel army from Lenoir Station on Knoxville. From November 12 to the 19th the regiment was constantly engaged with the enemy, and afterwards participated in the glorious and successful defense of Knoxville till the siege was raised, December 5, when it joined in the pursuit of the rebel army, skirmishing with its rear-guard, and driving them at every point until Bean's Station was reached, where it became heavily engaged December 14, but succeeding in pushing the enemy from every position. The regiment was specially complimented for its work by General Burnside. The regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mix, formed a portion of Stoneman's Cavalry, which covered Sherman's right on his advance upon Atlanta, and on July 4, 1864, became conspicuously distinguished at the Chat- tahoochee river, where, after a hard fight with Armstrong's brigade of rebel cavalry with an artillery support, the regiment charged and drove the brigade across the river. The Eighth also took part in the fruitless raid of Stoneman on Macon in July, and even in that fearfully disastrous undertaking won glorious distinction as a fighting regiment. " When Stoneman was entirely surrounded and surrender became evident, the Eighth Michigan, then in command of Colonel Mix, unwilling to lay down their arms to rebels, and bearing in mind the honor of their State as well as their own, obtained permission from the commanding general to cut their way out, and, dashing forward, commenced their desperate undertaking surrounded by the enemy entirely, engaging him hand to hand. Colonel Mix being captured, owing to the loss of his horse, Major Buck assumed command and succeeded in forcing through the enemy by persistent and stubborn fighting; he undertook to reach the Union line, near Atlanta, but fotiled. After a hard march, much fatigue and exposure, having been seven days and eight nights in the saddle, pursued and harassed, hIe was overtaken, and after a severe engagement a large number were made prisoners; yet a portion of the regiment reached the Union lines." At Henryville, Tennessee, on November 23, 1864, the regiment covered its record with additional lustre by its heroic defense against overwhelming odds, in which a detachment of one officer and twenty-five men held a whole regiment in check until Company B could come to its relief. A battalion of the Eighth, cut off from its regiment, and being entirely sur- rounded, cut its way through to its support and joined the brigade. Another day of xiv HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I desperate firlhtlng in which the Eighth participated with great distinction was November 28, at Duck Creek, when the Eighth Michigan and the Fourteenth and Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry dismounted, fixed bayonets, and charged through the surrounding enemy, driving one hundred of the rebels into the river. The complete list of the battles and skirmishes of the Eighth Cavalry is as follows Triplet Bridge, Kentucky, Juno 19, 18683; Lebanon, Kentucky, July 5, 1863; Lau- renceburg, Kentucky, July 9, 1863; Salvica, Kentucky, July 10, 1863; Buflington's Island, Ohio, July 19, 1863; Winchester, Kentucky, July 25, 1863; Salineville, Ohio, July 26, 1863; Lancaster, Kentucky, July 30, 18683; Stanford, Kentucky, July 31, 1863; Kingston, Tennessee, September 1, 1863; Cleveland, Tennessee, September 18, 18613; Calhoun, Tennessee, September 26, 1863; Athens, Tennessee, September 27, 1803; Loudon, Tennessee, September 29, 1863; Philadelphia, Tennessee, October 23, 1863; Sweet Water, Tennessee, October 26, 1863; Lenoir Station, Tennessee, November 12, 1863; Campbell's Station, Tennessee, November 16, 1868; Knoxville, Tennessee, November 18, 1863; Rutledge, Tennessee, December 10, 1863; Reams' Station, Tennessee, December 14, 1863; New Market, Tennessee, Decenmber 25, 1863; Mossy Creek, Tennessee, January 10, 1864; Dandridge, Tennessee, January 17, 1864; Fair Garden, Tennessee, January 24, 1864; Sevierville, Tennessee, January 27, 1864; Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, July 1, 1864; Sweet Water, Georgia, July 8, 1864; Chattahoochee, Georgia, July 4, 1864; Moore's Ridge, Georgia, July 12, 1864; Cov- ington, Georgia, July 28, 1864; Macon, Georgia, July 30, 1864; Sunshine Church, Geolrgia, July 31,1864; Eatonton, Georgia, August 1,1864; Mulberry Creek, Georgia, August 3, 1864; IHenryville, Tennessee, November 28, 1864; Mount Pleasant, Ten- nessee, November 24, 1864; Duck River, Tennessee, November 24, 1864; Nashville, Tennessee, December 14 to 22, 1864. TIHE NINTH CAVALRY had but a very few men from Oakland County in its command, and it was the only Michigan cavalry regiment having the honor of marching with General Sherman " from Atlanta to the sea," and composed the escort of General Kilpatrick when he opened communication between that army and the Atlantic coast. The Ninth Michi- gan Cavalry also bore a most important part in the pursuit and capture of the rebel General Morgan on his raid through Indiana and Ohio. THE TENTH CAVALRY first encountered the rebels at House Mountain, Tennessee, in January, 1864, having left its rendezvous at Grand Rapids under the command of Colonel Thaddeus Foote in December, 1863. The regiment had an important engagement at Carter's Station, near Jonesboro', Tennessee, when, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel L. G. Trow- bridge, it, with the Third Indiana Cavalry, was sent to destroy the large railroad bridge over the WVatauga river, which was defended by " Mudwall" Jackson and a strong force, occupying a redoubt with well-constructed and extensive rifle-pits. The commander of the cavalry dismounted one-third of his men, charged the works on the double-quick, the rebels fleeing in disorder from them and taking shelter in a large mill near by, from which they could not be dislodgedI, Captain Weatherwax being shot dead in the attempt. "The light was a brilliant success, though obtained at a loss of seventeen killed and wounded, and must be recognized as an uncommon victory, considering it was gained by dismounted cavalry, new and undisciplined, over a much superior force of well-trained infantry, holding strong defensive works." At Strawberry Plains, East Tennessee, August 24, 1864, Major Standish, with one hundred and twenty-five men of the Tenth and Colvin's Illinois battery, repulsed in gallant style an attack of Wheeler's cavalry corps, six thousand strong with nine pieces of artillery. The following incident of that repulse is related by Colonel Trowbridge, then commanding the regiment: " Eight men were sent to Guard Mc- ,Villiam's Ford on the Ilolston ; one of them went off ' on his own hook,' so that seven were left; one of the seven was a large powerful fe~low, the farrier of Company B, hy the name of Alexander H. Griggs, suplaosed to belong to Greenitleld, Wayne county. These seven men actually kept back a rebel brigade from crossing the ford for three and a half hours by desperate fighting, killing forty or fifty of them. During the ight the big furrier was badly wounded in the shoulder, and the rebels, by swimming the river above and below the ford, succeeded in capturing the whole party " (?) General Wheeler was much astoni-hed at the valar of these men, and at once paroled a man to stay and take cre of his wounded comrade, between whom and the rebel general the following conversation is said to have taken pilace: General Wheeler. " Well, my man, how many men had you at the ford ?" Griggs. " Seven, sir." Wheeler. " My poor fellow, don't you know you are badly wounded ? You might as well tell me the truth; you may not live long." Griggs (indignantly). " 1 amn telling the truth, sir. We had only seven men." Wheeler (laughing). " Well, what did you expect to do?" Griggs. " To keep you from crossing, sir." Wheeler (amused greatly and laughing). " Well, why didn't you do it ?" Griggs. " Well, you see, we did until you hit me, and that weakened our forces so msnuch that you were too much for 1s." Wheeler was greatly amused, and inquired of another prisoner (who happened to be a horse-farrier too), "' Are all the Tenth Michigan like you fillows ?" " ' Oh, no," said the man, " we are the poorest of the lot; we are mostly horse-firriers and black- smiths, and not much accustomed to fighting." " Well," said Wheeler, " if I had three hundred such men as you I could march straight through lih- I" At the same place, Strawberry Plains, November 16 following, the Tenth made a shining record. Colonel Trowbridge, with seven hundred men, mostly stragglers from different commands, and indifferently armed, by good fighting andl a show of boldness, repulsed an attack by Breckenridge with five thousand tn and nine or ten pieces of artillery. At Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1865, Major Smith of the Tenth took twenty men, and approaching unobserved a heavy force of the rebels, fired a volley into their flank, when the whole force broke into the greatest confusion. " Stacy, with his Tennessee cavalry, was on them (the rebels) in an instant, and the fight was over. Results, nineteen pieces of artillery, eleven hundred prisoners, and supplies enough for an army of one hundred thousand men were captured. This exploit of Major Smith and his gallant little band was as daring as it proved successful." One of the most gallant actions of the war was the charge of the same Major Smith on a portion of Wheeler's command during his raid through East Tennessee, in August, 1861. The major was sent out from Knoxville with seventy. two men, all the mounted force that could be mustered, to scout in the direction of Strawberry Plains, and ascertain the position of the enemy. They discovered the enemy two and a half miles from Flat Creek Bridge, and, according to orders, the advance charged them in gallant style. "Smith fiollowed up with his command. The enemy proved to be the Eighth Texas Cavalry, four hundred strong. Smith routed them completely, captured their commanding officer, a lieutenant-colonel, and thirty or forty prisoners, and was hotly pursuing them at a full gallop when he came to Flat Creek Bridge, a long narrow affair; over this the impetuous major charged, to find himself confronted by Home's division of rebel cavalry, two thousand strong, drawn up in line of battle scarcely three hundred yards from the bridge; of course he had to get away, which he did successfully withaout any very great loss, though the enemy charged him for seven miles. The boldness of the thing annoyed the rebels not a little." Lieutenant Brooks (afterwards captain) of the Tenth charged with his company a fiorce of rebels, and routing them handsomely drove them a couple of miles, when Captain Roberts wisely ordered a halt; but the lieutenant, who was smarting under some ill-treatment from a superior officer, having gone ahead of the main company did not hear the order, or if he did, cared not to heed it, and actually kept up that charge with three men with him for ten miles and a half. He was afterwards rewarded for his gallantry by the brevets of major and lieutenant-colonel The complete list of the engagements of the Tenth Cavalry is as follows: House Mountain, Tennessee, January, 1864; Bean's Gap, Tennessee, March 26, 1864; Rhena- town, Tennessee, March 24, 1864; Jonesboro', Tennessee, March 25, 1864; Johnson- ville,Tennessee, March 25, 1864; Watauga,Tennessee,March 25,1864; Powder Springs Gall, Tennessee, April 28, 1864; Dandridge, Tennessee, May 19, 1864; Greenville, Tennessee, May 80, 1864; White Horn, Tennessee, May 81, 1864; Morristown, Tennessee, June 2, 1864; Bean's Station, Tennessee, June 16, 1864; Rogersville, Tennessee, June 17, 1864; Kingsport, Tennessee, June 18, 1864; Curry Branch, Tennessee, June 20, 1864; New Market, Tennessee, June 21, 1864; Moseburg, Tennessee, June 23, 1864 ; Williams' Ford, Tennessee, June 25, 1864; Dutch Bottom, Tennessee, June 28, 1864; Sevierville, Tennessee, July 5, 1864; Newport, Ten- nessee, July 8, 1864; Morristown, Tennessee. August 3, 1864; Greenville, Tennessee, August 4, 1864; Mossy Creek, Tennessee, August 18, 1864; Bull Gap, Tennessee, August 21, 1864; Blue Spring, Tennessee, Atugust 23, 1864; Greenville, Tennessee, August 23, 1864; Strawberry Plains, August 24, 1864; Flat Creek Bridge, Ten- nessee, August 24, 1864; Rogersville, Tennessee, August 27, 1864; Bull Gap, Ten- nessee, August 29, 1864; Greenville, Tennessee, September 4, 1864; Sweetwater, Tennessee, September 10, 1864; Thorn Hill, Tennessee, September 10, 1864; Sevier- ville, Tennessee, September 18, 1864; Jonesboro', Tennessee, September 30, 1864; Johnson Station, Tennessee, October 1, 1861; Watauga Bridge, October 1 and 2, 1864; Chucky Bend, Tennessee, October 10, 1861; Newport, Tennessee, October 18, 1864; Irish Bottoms, Tennessee, October 25, 1864; Madisonville, Tennessee, October 80, 1864; Morristown, Tennessee, October 20, 1864; Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, October 23, 1864; Kingsport, Tenne-see, December 12, 1864; Bristol, Tennessse, December 14, 1864; Saltville, Virginia, November 20, 1864; Chucky Bend, Tennessee, January 10, 1865; Brabsin's Mills, North Carolina, March 25, 1865; Boonville, North Carolina, March 27, 1865; Henry Court-House, Virginia,, April 8, 1865; Abbott Creek, North Carolina, April 10, 1865; fligh Point, North Carolina, April 10, 1865; Statesville, North Carolina, April 14, 1865; Newton, North Carolina, April 17, 1865. THE MICHIGAN LIGHT ARTILLERY. The regiment of Michigan Light Artillery was composed of twelve six-gun bat- teries. It was commanded by Colonel O. C. Loomis, but from the character of that arm of the service, the batteries were never brought together as a regiment. BATTERY A, originally designated Loomis', left the State under command of Colonel Loomis, on July 1, 1861, for the field in Western Virginia, and at Rich Mountain, July 11, while serving with General McClellan, first engaged the enemy, and thus early in the war gave evidence of its efficiency manifested afterwards on numerous battle- fields. From the West Virginia campaign it was transferred to Kentucky, and played an important part at Perryville, saving by its gallant and effective service the right wing of the Union army from being flanked. It was hotly engaged during the memorable days and nights of hard and desperate fighting in the battle of Stone River, losing heavily, but achieving a most noted distinction, second to no battery in the service. At Chickamnauga, September 19 and 20, the brilliant record was maintained, and gloriously almost ended. "There, sooner than abandon its position, it suffered annihilation nearly, making one of the most determined defenses on record, dealing to the rebel hosts, pressing up in masses to the muzzle of the guns, utter destruction within its entire range, but finally had to surrender the guns so dearly prized." Mr. Greeley, in his " American Conflict," in noticing this great battle, says, "One of the batteries heroe lost was the First Michigan, formerly Loomis', regarded by the whole army with pride, and by those who served in it with an affection little short of idolatry. It had done yeoman service on many a hard-fought field, and was HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xv fondly regarded as well-nigh invincible. But now abandoned by its supports, who recoiled before a rebel charge in overwhelming numbers, with all its horses shot and most of its men killed and wounded, it could not be drawn off, and was doomed to be lost. Its commander, Lieutenant Van Pelt, refused to leave it, and died, sword in hand, fighting--one against a thousand-by the side of his guns." The list of the engagements of Battery A is as follows: Rich Mountain, West Virginia, July 11, 1861; Elkwater, West Virginia, September 11, 12, 1861 ; Green Brier, West Virginia, October 3, 1861; Bowling Green, Kentucky, February 14, 1862; Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1861; Bridgeport, Alabama, April 29, 1862; Gun- ter's Landing, Alabama, May 15, 1862; Athens, Alabama, May 29, 1862; Whites- boro', Alabama, June, 1862; Stone River, Tennessee, December 31 and January 1, 2, 3, 1863; Hoover's Gap, Tennessee, June 25, 1863; Chickamauga, Tennessee, September 19, 20, 1863; Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, November, 1863; Mission Ridge, Tennessee, November 25, 1863. BATTERY Ii rendezvoused in Monroe in connection with the Fifteenth Infantry, and left that place under command of Captain Samuel De Gobyer on the 13th of March, 1862, to report to General iHalleck at St. Louis; thence it was ordered to New Madrid, Mo. It served afterwards in Kentucky, West Tennessee, and Northern Mississippi, and took an active part in the Mississippi campaign preceding the siege of Vicksburg. At Thompson's Hills, Mississippi, May 1, 1863, it first encountered the rebels, and then at Raymond, May 12 following, where it received much favorable comment on its rapid and effective firing. At Champion Hills the battery was hotly engaged and suffered heavy loss, and was actively engaged in the siege of Vicksburg, during which Captain De Gobyer received a wound from which he died August 8 following. The engagements of the battery during the service which lasted till July 22, 1865, when it was mustered out, were as follows: Thompson's hills, Missis.ippi, May 1, 1803; Raymond, Mississippi, May 12, 1863; Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863; Champion Hills, Mississippi, May 16, 1863; Vicksburg, Mississippi, May 18, 1863; Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, May 19 to July 4, 1863; Brownsville, Mis- sissippi, October, 1863; Clinton, Mississippi, February, 1864; Big Shanty, Georgia, June 14, 1864; Kenesaw, Georgia, June 27, 1864; Nickajack Creek, Georgia, July 5, 1864; Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 22, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 to August 25, 1864; Jonesboro, Georgia, August 31, 1864; Lovejoy's Sta- tion, Georgia, September 1, 1864. There were a few recruits from Oakland County in Batteries C, D, G, I, K, L, and M, and also in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Batteries, less than fifty altogether. THE ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND COLORED TROOPS. The only Michigan colored regiment in the war was the One Hundred and Second U. S., raised by Colonel Henry Barus, of Detroit, organized by Lieutenant-Colonel W. T. Bennett, and in March, 1864, taken to the field in commnand of Colonel H. L. Chipman, then a captain in the regular army, who had procured a leave of absence for that purpose. The regiment, in whose ranks Oakland County had a number of representatives, first faced the enemy at Baldwin, Florida, in August, 186114, where it was suddenly attacked by a force of rebel cavalry, which it easily repulsed and scattered, and by its splendid conduct on that occasion fully convinced its officers of the reliable and gallant fighting qualities of their men. At Honey Hill, South Carolina, on November 30, at Tullifinny, December 7, and at Devereaux Neck, December 9, the quality of the regiment was more fully tested and demonstrated. On the march northward until the war was ended the regiment fully maintained its reputation. It was mustered out September 30, 1865. Its battles and skirmishes were as follows: Baldwin, Florida, August 8, 1864; Honey Hill, South Carolina, November 30, 1864; Tulliflnny, South Caroltna, Decem- ber 7, 1864; Devereaux Neck, South Carolina, December 9, 1864; Cuckwold's Creek Bridge, February 8, 1865; Sumpterville, South Carolina, April 8, 1865; Spring Hill, South Carolina, April 15, 1865; Swift Creek, South Carolina, April 17, 1865; Boykins, South Carolina, April 18, 1865; Singleton's Plantation, South Carolina, April 19, 1865. jr- ---qp-- ROSTER OF SOLDIERS ENLISTED FROM OAKLAND COUNTY, IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. FIRST INFANTRY. Perry L. Hlublard, Co. C, 2d lieut. George Fiunnister, Co. C, died at Falmouth, Va., Jan. 12, 1863, of wounds. Denton Sellick, Co. K, discharged. William Wilbur, Co. F, killed at Bull Run, Va., Aug. 30, 1862. Richard Walter, Co. I, mustered out July 9, 1865. Abel M. Perry, Co. G, died at Alexandria, Va., June 5, 1862. Francis Tully, Co. B, mustered out July 9, 1865. Myron C. Valean, Co. II, died at Bladensburg, Md., Nov. 9, 1861. Benjamin Tuttle, Co. F, mustered out April 10, 1863, for loss of leg. Warren Smith, Co. C, discharged Oct. 9, 1862. R. C. Van Viiet, Co. E, mustered out July 9, 1865. Nathan P. Blakely, Co. B, discharged for disability Dec. 23, 1862. O. B. Moore, Co. B, mustered out July 9, 1865. SECOND INFANTRY. Israel B. Richardson, colonel, brig.-gen. vols., May 17, 1861; maj.-gen. July 4, 1862; died Nov. 3, 1862, of wounds received at Antietam, Md., Sept. 17, 1862. Charles D. Sickles, Co. F, 1st lieut., April 25, 1865. Charles W. Young, Co. B, died at Jackson, Miss., of wnds., July 19, 1863. Albert Clark, Co. B, died at Mount Pleasant, Nov. 22,1862. John Powers, Co. B, missing at Jackson, Miss., July 11, 1863. Carlos Cams, Co. D, discharged Aug. 1, 186 3. Chester Farrand, Co. B, killed at Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1862. Lewis Keller, Co. B, killed near Petersburg, Va., March 25, 1865. Ervin V. Comstock, sergeant-major. Joseph Roe, Co. B, discharged for disability Nov. 7, 1861. John M. Yost, Co. B, discharged for disability Nov. 22, 1862. Walter Ilipp, Co. B, discharged for wounds Aug. 5, 1862. Richard B. Carns, Co. D, discharged for disability Aug. 13, 1862. John 11. Farnham, Co. E, discharged for wounds Sept. 1, 1862. Edwin Joslyn, Co. F, discharged for disability Oct., 1861. John F. Peterson, Co. F, discharged to enlist in reg. ser. Dec. 5, 1862. Wm. P. Scott, Co. B, killed at Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 9, 1863. Barnard Feeney, Co. B, killed near Petersburg, Va., June 18, 1864. Lyman Heath, Co. D, died at Washington, D. C., July 28, 1864,of wnds. Thomas Stevenson, Co. E, died at Fredericksburg, Va., May 9, 1864, of wounds. George A. Miller, Co. F, killed near Petersburg, Va., June 18,1864. Edwin C. Peck, Co. G, killed while on picket duty, July 1, 1864. Saml. Armstrong, Co. G, died at Washington July 27, 1864, of wounds. George L. Wheeler, Co. II, killed near Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864. John Kane, Co. B, mustered out July 28, 1865. Joseph Baker, Co. B, died at New York August 15, 1864. Albert W. Bishop, Co. F, died June 18, 18641. Robt. S. Bostwick, Co. F, died in prison, Andersonville, June 15, 1864. Jacob Kling, Co. B, died in mil. pris., Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 1, 1864. James A. Wood, Co. D, missing at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 24, 1864. William Lewis, Co. D, missing; returned Dec. 11, 1864; mustered out March 29, 1865. SJohn Schocklin, Co. E, missing July 30,1864. August Thurman, Co E, dmissing near Petersburg, Va., June 18,1864. John L Herald, Co. G, missing near Petersburg, Va., July 20. 1864. David Aldrich, Co. B, mustered out May 24, 1865. Joseph Ladd, Co. B, d scharged at expiration of service May 25, 1864. Sheldon Rhinehart, Co. B, discharged at exp. of service June 6, 1864. WVarren Baker, Co. B, discharged for disability Feb. 14, 1865. Lafayette French, Co. D, discharged for disability. Ezekiel Dingman, Co. D, discharged at exp. of service July 9, 1864. James Sage, Co. D, discharged at expiration of service July 9, 1864. Edward Seaton, Co. D, discharged at expiration of service July 9, 1864. Lafayette Bostwick, Co. F, discharged at exp. of service June 21, 1864. Lyman IHeath, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 31, 1863. Zephanish Sexton, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as vet. Dec. 31, 1863; mustered out July 28, 1865. Thos. W. Stephenson, Co. E, discharged to re-enlist as vet. Dec.31,1863. Chas. D. Sickles, Co. F, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 31. 1863. John Van Sickle, Co. B, discharged to re-enlist in reg. ser. Feb. 10, 1863. Rrger A. Sprague, Co. B, disch. for pro. in 3d Inf. Oct. 7, 1864. John Elenwo,,od, Co. B, mustered out July 28, 1865. Nelson Powett, Co. B, discharged for disability May 5, 1865. Barnard Feeney, Co. B, mustered out July 12, 1865.* James Alex. Wood, Co. D, discharged at exp. of service, May 3, 1865. Elisha Kelly, Co. F, mustered out July 28, 1865. Wm. T. Phillips, Co. G, mustered out July 28, 1865. Abram Frick, Co. G, mustered out June 27, 1865. Ilenry Pickford, Co. G, mustered out July 28, 1865. William It. Moore, Co. G, mustered out June 12, 1865. Michael Lennon, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 20, 1865. Franklin W. Thayer, Co. G, mustered out July 28, 1865. William A. Marvin, Co. I, mustered out July 28, 1865. William Murray, Co. I, mustered out July 28, 1865. THIRD INFANTRY. Charles P. Russell, 1st lieut.; capt. November 28, 1865. Thomas Wyckotff, sergeant; 2d lieut. Nov. 28, 1865. Charles Stuart Draper, 2d lieut, detached as aid to General Richardson April 1, 1862; resigned March 19, 1863, as capt. and A. D. C.; wounded in both legs at Antietam. John C. IHall, capt. July 29, 1864, major Jan.1,1865. Roger A. Sprague, 2d lieut. July 29, 1864; 1st lieut. May 19,1865; capt. April 10, 1866. Martin Lake, Co. D, transferred June 10, 1864, to 5th Mich. Infantry. Michael D. Masher, Co. D, died at Nashville, Tenn., May 14, 1865. Ira W. Speers, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service June 20,1864. Chauncey B. Paine, Co. D, died at Nashville, Tenn., March 14, 1865. Truman Stanton, Co. D, died at Ball's Gap, Tenn., April 6, 1865. Preble D. Tower, Co. E, died at San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 12, 1865. * In another place said to have been killed near Petersburg, Va., June 18, 1864. John 31. Brown, Co. G, died at New Orleans, La., July 10, 1865. Elias B. Beardslee, Co. G, died at Jonesburough, Tenn., April 5, 1865. Myron 31. Hall, Co. G, died at Nashville, Tenn., April 15, 1865. Jasper Smith, Co. G, died at Htuntsville, Ala., Nov. 22, 1864. William Matson, Co. 0, died at Victoria, Texas, Sept. 17, 1865. Nicholas McDonald, Co. G, died at Murfreeslhorough, Tenn., Jan. 9, '65. J. 11. Vantleet, Co. G, died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 8, 1865. James I. Udell, Co. G, died at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 15, 1865. Frederick Miller, Co. 1, died at Bridgeport, Ala, Dec. 1, 1864. William Lampher, Co. I, died at Huntsville, Ala., Nov. 16, 1865. Frederick Miller, Co. I, died at Bridgeport, Ala., Dec. 4, 1864. Vincent Savage, Co. I, died at Victoria, Texas, Nov. 6, 1865. Samuel Thompson, Co. I, died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 9, 1865. Talbot Truxton, Co. I, died at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 16, 1865. Charles Perkins, Co. K, died at Nashville, Tenn., June 15, 1865. Henry A. Traver, N. C. S., mustered out May 25, 1866. Willard C. McConnell, N. C. S., mustered out May 25, 1866. Charles II. Campbell, Co. C, mustered out Aug. 24, 1865. Noah Rich, Co. C, mustered out May 25, 1866. Geo. W. Brown, Co. D, mustered out August 30, 1865. Ashley Newton, Co. D, mustered out May 25, 1866. Henry Miller, Co. D, mustered out July 24, 1865. Nelson Rich, Co. D, mustered out March 24, 186b6. John Redmond, Co. D, discharged at expiration of service M3ar.16, '66. Joseph Iammill, Co. E, discharged at expiration of service Mar. 8,'66. Allen Campbell, Co. E, discharged at expiration of service April 11, '66. Jamunes Campbell, Co. E, discharged at expiration of service Apt it 11,'66. Wm. I1. Axford, Co. F, discharged at expiration of service April 4, '66. Alfred C. Mitchell, Co. F, mustered out Oct. 17, 1864. Delos Carpenter, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Edward Patton, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 25, 1865. Dewitt C. Lake, Co. F, mustered out August 29, 1865. WVm. F. Tilghman, Co. F, discharged at expiration of service May 31, '66. Joseph B. Chadwick, Co. F, mustered out June 9,1865. Lewis II. Cooley, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 8, 1865. Luther Stone, Co. F, discharged at expiration of service March 8, 18GG66. Henry Potter, Co. F, discharged at expiration of service March 31,'66. John W. Beebe, Co. F, discharged at expiration of service April 4, '66. henry King, Co. G, mustered out May 25, 1866. Henry Quick, Co. G, mustered out May 18, 1866. Ellis O. Banks, Co. G, mustered out May 22, 1865. Samuel S. Beny, Co. 0, mustered out Nov. 5, 1865. John M31. Bescheres, Co. G, mustered out August 29, 1865. Diodate Courless, Co. 0, mustered out Nov.25, 1866. Andrew Emery, Co. 0, mustered out Nov. 25, 1866. Hlamlin J. Gardner, Co. 0, mustered out June 31, 1865. Edward A. Gibson, Co. 0, mustered out Nov. 26, 1866. Elias K. Gustin, Co. 0, mustered out Nov. 26, 1866. Alvin A. Hall, Co. G, mustered out Nov. 26, 1866. John T. lerriman, Co. 0, mustered out May, 1866. James C. lerriman, Co. G, mustered out May 25, 1865. xvi HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I I Leonard IToffman, Co. G, mustered out May 25, 18635. William lHouck, Co. 0, mustered out May 25, 1865. John R. Jones, Co. 0, mustered out May 25, 1865. Krusen Perry, Co. G, mustered out May 25, 1865. Albert Robinson, Co. 0, mustered out June 8, 1865. George II. Stewart, Co. G, mustered out July 18, 1805. William Thomas, Co. 0, mustered out May 25, 1866. Philander G. West, Co. 0, mustered out May 25, 1866. HIarland White, Co. 0, mustered out Nov. 10, 1865. Cornelius Burgett, Co. G, mustered out June 8, 1863. Samuel S. Berry, Co. 0, mustered out Sept. 20, 185. Sylvester IIosmer, Co. 0, mustered out Sept. 5, 1865. Henry Bird, Co. G, mnus ered out May 25, 1865. Samuel B. Smith, Co. I, mustered out April 10, 1865. Henry Snider, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 8, 185. John W. Lawrence, Co. I, mustered out March 30, 18066, at the expira- tion of service. George Warner, Co. I, mustered out July 21, 1865. Alex. Pettenger, Co. I, mustered out July 26, 1865. Michael liepler, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service March 3,1866. John Jackson, Co. I, mustered out April 7,1866. Christopher Dixey, Co. I, mustered out May 25, 1860. John Clayton, Co. K, mustered out from V. RIt. C. Nov. 12, 1865. Wm. J. Carter, Co. K, mustered out July 30,1865. Patrick Davy, Co. K, mustered out May 25, 1866. Robert HIaff, Co. K, mustered out Miay 25, 1866. William F. Miston, Co. K, mustered out Aug. 5, 1865. Andrew II. Myers, Co. K, mustered out May 25, 1866. William Marston, Co. K, mustered out Aug. 5, 1865. John N. Townsend, Co. K, disch, at expiration of service April 25,1866. FOURTH INFANTRY. Charles J. Fox, 1st lieut. July 26, 1864; captain Oct.24, 185. Edmund Blies, Co. D), discharged Sept. 15, 1802. Arnold Spr nger, Co. I, discharged Aug. 1, 1863. Ed. II. Freeman, Co. It, died at Fairfax, Va., Dec. 16, 1862. Abraham Mosher, Co. II, discharged for disability July 7, 1862. Nathaniel Mossir, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec.29,1863; mustered out February 26, 1866. James D)avi, Co. I, transferred to new 4th Infantry June 28, 1865. Charles Goodell, Co. E, died at Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 11, 1865. Samuel C. Reynohlds, Co. E, died at Murfreesboro' Tenn., Jan 1, 1865. Henry Snyder, Co. G, died at Nashville, Tenn., June 30, 1865. Elder St. John Downey, Co. If, died at Nashville, Tenn., Mtarch 5, 1865. Arthur A. Sperry, Co. II, died at Murfreesboro', Tenn., Jan. 3, 1865. A. D. Pierce, Co. It, died Jan. 8, 1865. Charles S. Rice, N. C. S., mustered out May 26, 1866. Samuel Smith, Co. E, mustered out May 26, 1866. Albert M. Lapoint, Co. E, mustered out July 13, 1865. Chas. A. Messick, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 26, 1865. John G. Utter, Co. E, mustered out May 20, 1866. Thomas Younglover, Co. E, mustered out May 26, 1860. John Matthews, Co. E, mustered out July 17, 1865. James Hlickey, Co. G, mustered out May 26, 1866. Jonathan Ash, Co. G, mustered out April 13, 1866. Marcus A. Beardsley, Co. G, mustered out Jan. 25, 1866. Joseph Bohnsack, Co. 0, mustered out May 26, 1866. John Gorman, Co. G, mustered out March 1, 1866. James Jarvis, Co. 0, mustered out May 26, 186. Henry Ross, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 12,1865. Charles Tuttle, Co. , mustered out May 26, 1866. Peter B. Code, Co. It, mustered out May 26, 1866. William RI. Code, Co. II, mustered out May 26, 18660. Milton E. Fisher, Co. II, mustered out Aug. 9, 1805. Nathan C. Green, Co. It, mustered out Aug. 29, 1865. Joseph Locke, Co. II, mustered out lay 26, 1866. Silas N. Pa, ker, Co. Ii, mustered out May 20, 1860. Eldad Smith, Co. II, mustered out May 26, 1866. Henry C. Wheeler, Co. It, mustered out May 26, 1860. George W. Iloyt, Co. II, mustered out July 15, 1805 . Alva Bell, Co. II, mustered out Aug. 18, 1865. Charles More, Co. I, mustered out May 20, 1800. Christian Plailanbuck, Co. I, mustered out May 26, 1860. FIFTH INFANTRY. Samuel E. Beach, lieut.-col; col. July 18, 1862; wounded at Williame- burg, Va., May 5, 1862. Rev. D. C. Jacokes, chaplain. Solomon S. Matthews, 1st lieut.; capt. Oct. 11,1861; major May 3,1803; wounded June 30,1862; also May 5, 1804; also at Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863; taken prisoner July 1, 1862; exch. Sept. 1, 1862; resigned Dec. 21, 1864; let. col. and brig.-gen. vols. March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious service at Glendale and Gettys- burg. Samuel Pearce, sergt.; 2d lieut. Sept.20, 1862; 1st lieut. March 21,1863; wounded at Gettjsburg, Pa., July 2, 1803; died of wounds re- ceived May 24, 1804. Walter Knox, Co. F, sergt.; 2d lieut. Sept. 17, 1862; 1st. lieut. April 27, 1863. John Baker, Co. B, died at Pittsburgh, Pa., Aug. 10, 18G4, of wounds. - Pitcher, Co. B, died in rebel prison at Andersonville, Ga. George W. Cushing, Co. C, died at Washington, D. C., May 25, 185. Abram De Graft, Co. D, died at home April 15, 1805. Silas W. Stoddard, Co. D, supposed died in prison at Richmond, Va. Daniel Granger, band, mustered out July 5, 1865. George Newton, Co. B, mustered out July 5, 1805. George Ilronuer, Co. h, mustered out July 5, 1865. Hamilton Potter, Co. B, discharged for disability May 9, 1865. Richard Vincon, Co. B, discharged from V. RIt. C. July 26, 1865. John Taylor, Co. BIi, mustered out May 31, 186 5. William Boyer, Co. C, mustered out June 19, 1865. Joseph Boyer, Co. C, mustered out May 13, 1865. Robert Boyer, Co. C, mustered out July 5, 1865. David Blay, Co. C, mustered out July 5, 1865. Joseph K. Cowell, Co. C, mustered out July 5, 185. Francis Peltier, Co. C, mustered out June 13, 1865. Nicholas Le Croix, Co. C, mustered out July 5. 1865. Gilbert Le Croix, Co. C, mustered out July 5, 1865. Levi Willett, Co. C, mustered out May 28, 1865. Walter Ferguson, Co. C, discharged for wounds April 13, 1865. Charles IHilderbrand, Co. C, mustered out July 5,1865. Uriah Manle, Co. C, mustered out May 31, 1865. Thos. J. Byrne, Co. D. James Chandler, Co. D, mustered out May 22, 185. George B. Durkee, Co. D, discharged Dec. 17, 1862. Julius IIubbard, Co. D, discharged for disability Oct. 6, 1862. John W. W. lHunt, Co. D, discharged for disalbility Nov. 28, 1802. John DI). Ingalls, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. William Liver, Co. D, discharged for disability March 19,1863. ltobt. Noe, Co. D, discharged Oct. 13, 1862. Charles E. Seely, Co. D, discharged for wounds Nov. 17,1862. John It. Wells, Co. D. Nathan S. Wells, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1805. William Horton, Co. D, discharged for wounds July 20, 1862. Valentine Backer, Co. D, discharged for wounds Nov. 25, 1862. Jeffry W. Perry, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. Henry Strong, Co. D, discharged for disability May 29, 1862. Frederick Deerlove, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. John Brooks, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1805. William Stonton, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. Samuel B. Noble, Co. D, discharged for di-ability June 18, 1863. Samuel Clackerty, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. Joseph Callenhack, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. William G. Clayton, Co. D, mustered out June 9, 1805. Robert W. Irons, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. Charles L. Strong, Co. D, discharged June 6, 1865. Edwin D. Shehlon, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. Edwin Vinton, Co. D, mastered out June 12, 1865. Luke Walter, Co. D, mustered out July 18,1865. Hlenry A. Cope, Co. F, discharged May 3, 1865. Charles Jacobs, Co. 0 , mustered out June 2, 1865. Itichard F. Paddock, Co. G, discharged for disability April 12, 1865. Frederick B11. Smith, Co. G, mustered out July 5, 1865. William D. Wright, Co. G, mustered out June 14, 1865. Donald MIcInness, Co. G, mustered out July 5, 1865. George W. Miles, Co. 0, mustered out July 5, 1865. Millard Gurdon, Co. II, discharged for disability Nov. 20, 1862. Jason Gillett, Co. II, discharged tfor disability Nov. 7, 185. Robert Clelland, Co. 11, discharged May 30, 1865. William It. DeWitt, Co. K, discharged for disability Nov. 15, 1862. Peter Schien, Co. K, mustered out July 5,1865. Aaron C. lHarod, Co. K, mustered out July 5, 1805. Christian Sipurn, Co. K, discharged for disability Feb. 15, 1865. Byron Itansford, Co. C, sgt.; 2d lieut. May 5, 1862; died of disease at Georgetown, D. C., Sept. 15, 1802; buried in Military Asylum Cemetery, D. C. George W. Waldrou, com. sgt.; 2d lieut. Sept. 12, 1862; 1st lieut. and adjt. Jan. 25, 1803; wounded Nov. 27, 1803; mustered out July 4," 1804, for promotion to captain and C. S. U. S. vols. May 18, 1804; bvt. maj. U. S. vols. Aug. 23, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services. Charles It. Murray, Co. I, Q. 31. S.; 2d lieut. Co. I, Jan. 25, 1863. James Darling, 2d lieut Sept. 19, 1864. William Boice, Co. A, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Jeremiah Shaw, Co. A, killed at Williamsburg, Va., hMay 5, 1862. John Tucker, Co. A, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1802. E. C. Minner, Co. A, died of wounds received at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. IIoward Cowel, Co. C, died at Williamsburg, Va., May 7, 1862, of wounds. James Cowel, Co. C, died at Williamsburg, Va., May 5,1862, of wounds. Alphonzo F. Bachelor, Co. D, died at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1802, of wounds. Alphonzo A. Bachelor, Co. D, mustered out July 5, 1865. Augustus telitz, Co. D, killed at Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1802. Hliram llemmingway, Co. D, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Joseph Jasper, Co. D, died of wounds received at Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1802. William Mosey, Co. D, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Charles Sands, Co. D, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1802. James W. llackman, Co. F, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Richard Dexter, Co. F, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1802. Albert Smith, Co. F, killed at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1802. SHenry Kino, Co. A, died at Camp Michigan, Va, March 4, 1802. John Hayden, Co. B, lied at Alexandria, Va., March 24, 1802. Samuel Price, Co. B, died at Camp Richardson, Va., Sept. 23, 1801. James Chappel, Co. D, died at Fortress Monroe, Va., March 30, 1802. Wm. II. Brunson, Co. D), died at Alexandria, Va., March 10, 1862. Harrison Bliss, Co. D, died at Camp Michigan Feb. 26, 1862. , John II. (Carran, Co. D, d'ed at Camp Michigan March 5, 186'. Isaac Kelly, Co. D), died at Fort Wayne, Sept. 1861. William Lester, Co. D, died at Camp Lyon, Va., Nov. 24, 1861. Alpheus Madden, Co. F, died at Fort Lyon, Va., Nov. 24, 1801. Henry Reynolds, Co. A, discharged for disability Dec. 13, 1861. Caleb W. Glfford, Co. A, discharged for disability Sept. 15,1862. Zilman W. Burras, Co. A, discharged for disability Sept. 13, 1802. George hogan, Co. A, discharged for disability Dec. 10, 1862. John W. 11ail, Co. It, discharged for disability Aug. 5,1862. Joseph Summers, Co. B, discharged for disability Aug. 5, 1802. William Grillth, Co. C, discharged for disability Feb. 24, 18062. Win. W. IHunt, Co. C, discharged for disability Aug. 10, 1862. John M. Benjamin, Co. D, discharged for disability May 11, 1862. John Bradley, Co. D, discharged for disability Dec. 13, 1861. Ira Case, Co. D, discharged for disability May 11,1862. Win. E. Leach, Co. D, discharged May 18, 1862. Byron Kelly, Co. D, discharged for disability Sept. 20,1862. Peter Dibean, Co. D, discharged for disability Sept. 24, 1862. Win. L. P. Piarrish, Co. D, discharged for disability Sept. 24, 1802. William Castle, Co. D, discharged for disability Sept. 24, 1862. John Winslow, Co. D, discharged for disability Dec. 4, 1862. James Prall, Co. F, discharged for disability Aug. 16, 1862. Albert Watson, Co. F, discharged for disability Nov. 30,1862. Abram Lunday, Co. A, killed at Chancellorsville, Va., May 3,1863. Edward Iersey, Co. C, killed at Chancellorsville, Va., May 3, 1863. Albert Smith, Co. D, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 18063. Chester Macauley, Co. D, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 186,3. Frank Anderson, Co. D, died at Gettysburg, Pa., Sept. 11, '63, of wounds. Benj. F. Griffith, Co. A, missing at Chanceliorsville, Va., May 3, 1863; returned; mustered out July 5, 1865. Daniel J. Cowell, Co. A, missing at Chancellorsville, Va., May 3, 1803. Oliver B. Freeman, Co. B, discharged for disability Feb. 10, 1863. Homer J. Kentner, Co. C, discharged for disability Jan. 16, 1863.- George Keyes, Co. C, discharged for disalbility Jan. 27, 1863. J. D. Latrnmette, Co. C, discharged for disability Jan. 17, 1863. Desting E. Shippey, Co. C, discharged Sept. 30, 186:3. Mark Day, Co. D, discharged for disability Feb. 11, 1803. John Nips, Co. D,discharged for disability Feb. 11, 1863. Jesse Hutchins, Co. D, discharged for disability Feb. 28, 186,3. Charles Kent, Co. D, discharged for disability March 28, 183. Thomas Pattleon, Co. D, discharged July 16, 183. Peter Beach, Co. C, killed May 10, 1864. Albert Mioon, Co. C, killed May 12, 18641. Edward Thompson, Co. D, died June 1, 1864, of wounds. James IIoy, Co. D, killed at Wilderness, Va, May 8, 1864. John T. Crandall, Co. 0, died at Washington, D. C., July 13, '64, of wds. Truman IIosner, Co. II, killed at Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864. Charles IIeunboner, Co. K, killed at Wilderness, Va., May 6,1864. Alexander Dibeau, Co. D, transferred to Vet. Ros. Corps Aug. 1, 1863. John Wickham, non-cornm, staff, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 27, 1861. William Morris, Co. B, discharged for disability April 28, 1861. Edwin R. Frank, Co. B, disch. at expiration of service Aug. 27, 184. Russell Kellogg, Co. C, discharged for disability Dec. 17, 1862. Nathan B. Capron, Co. D, discharged for disability Dec. 1, 1862. William N. Fall, Co. D, discharged for disability July 5, 1863. Robert lhall, Co. D, discharged for disability Aug. 2G, 1862. Charles Manchoff, Co. D, discharged for disability Sept. 22, 1862. Samuel B. Noble, Co. D, discharged for disability Jan. 5, 1862. John W. Templar, Co. D, discharged for disability Aug. 13, 1802. Seth M. Thomas, Co. D, discharged at Detroit, Mich., July 5, 1862. Alonzo Barden, Co. D, discharged at expiration ofservice Aug. 27, 1864. Chas. Isham, Co. D, discharged at expiration of service, Aug. 27,1801. Carpenter Kimball, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 27, 1864. Edward Parrish, Co. I), disch. at expiration of service Aug. 27, 184. John Wright, Co. D, discharged Oct. 11, 1864. Jacob Boice, Co. D, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 10, 1864. Nicholas Swartz, Co. F, discharged for wounds 1863. John Olk, Co. K, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 28, 1864. John T. Crandall, Co. A, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec.10, 1863. Truman Iiosmer, Co. A, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15,1861. Win. F. Vosburgh, Co. A, disciharged to re-enlist ase veteran Dec. 11, 1863. Benj. F. Griffith, Com. A, discimarged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 22, 1864. Gee. II. Newton, Co. B, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 27, 1863. Marion Darling, Co. B, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 27, 1863. John Faulkner, Co. BI, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec.27, 1863. Daniel W. Cowell, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1863; mustered out July 5, 1865. Peter Lennon, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1863. William Shein, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 183 ; discharged Nov. 4, 184. Otto A. Blurger, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1863. James Chandler, Co. D, discharged to-enlist as veteran Dec. 15,1803. Thos. Patterson, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15,1863. Elijah Goodwin, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1863. James Iloy, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 183. Horace P. Iusted, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1803; mustered out July 21, 1865. Jeffrey W. Perry, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1863. IHoward Berg, Co. D, disclmarged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 22, 1864. Iiram Madden, Co. F, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 12, 1863. Win. Stoughton, Co. F, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1803. Sami. O. Claucherty, Co. F, disch, to re enlist as veteran Dec. 15, 1803. Silas W. Stoddard, Co. F, discharged to-rellst as veteran Dec. 15, 1863. SIXTH INFANTRY. George Frankish, Co. I, died at Fort Gaines, Ala., Nov. 1, 1804. Daniel Dake, Co. D, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 23,1864. SEVENTH INFANTRY. Francis Daniels, Co. IT, sergt.; 2d lieut. Dec. 18, 1804. Win. It. Clemmens, Co. II, died of wounds received at Fair Oaks, Va., Stay 31, 1862. George W. Stetson, Co. II, died of wounds received at Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1802. William Shaw, Co. II, killed at Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1862. James Love, Co. E, killed at Antietam, Md, Sept. 17, 1862. Stephen McCall, Co. F, died on steamer "D. Webster" July 15,1802. Charles Reed, killed. Henry C. Beardsley, Co. II, died at Yorktown, Va., June 13, 1862. Win. II. Sharp, Co. II, died at New York July 9, 1862. Pizarro Fargo, Co. II, died at Camp Benton, Md., Feb. 14, 1802. Marvin L. King, Co. II, died at Camp Bentin, Shd., June 4,1802. Parley Rogers, Co. II, died at Camp Benton, Md., June 18, 1862. Charles Van Antwerp, Co. It, died near Yorktown, Va., May 2, 1862. Win. E. Little, Co. II, discharged March 17, 1862. Charles Vigus, Co. F, discharged for disability Nov. 5, 1861. Frank Powell, Co. II, discharged for promotion Nov. 27, 1861. Porter MSI. Lathrop, Co. It, discharged for disability March 27, 1862. Eugene Clark, Co. II, discharged for disailbiity Nov. 2, 1861. Reuben K. Dockham, Co. II, discharged for disability June 30, 1862. James McCormac, Co. H, discharged for disability Feb. 14, 1862. Lemuel I. Nichols, Co. II, discharged for disability June 30, 1802. Harrison A. Paddock, Co. II, discharged for disability June 13, 1862. Fred. U. Richards, Co. II, discharged for disability Dec. 25, 1861. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xvii Charles F. Whitcomb, Co. II, discharged for disability Dec. 11, 1861. George A. Whitcher, Co. A, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Florence A. Hunter, Co. F, discharged for disability Jan. 26, 1863. Frederick Pryor, Co. F, discharged for disability July 1, 1863. William Strong, Co. II, discharged for disability Sept., 1862. William Vogler, Co. II, dscharged for disability Dec. 19, 1862. A. W. Van Volenburg, Co. I, discharged for disability Sept., 1862. Anson W. Tanner, Co. II, discharged for disability Sept. 2, 1862. William Axford, Co. 11, discharged for disability. James Churchill, Co. II. discharged for disability. Wm. RIt. Robinson, Co. II, discharged to enlist in reg. ser. Oct. 28, 1862. John D. Troop, Co. H, discharged to enlist in reg. ser. Oct. 28, 1862. Horace Winters, Co. II, discharged to enlist in reg. ser. Oct. 28, 1862. James Winters, Co. II, discharged to enlist in reg. ser. Oct. 28, 1862. Philo M31. Hatton, Co. II, discharged for disability Jan. 29, 186:13. Rufus Robinso , Co. II, discharged for disability March 12, 1863. Theodoric C. Norton, Co. II, discharged for wounds Feb. 4, 1863. Joseph Linabury, Co. II, discharged for disability Jan. 28, 1863. James Gardner, Co. II, discharged for disability Jan. 22, 1863. Charles McPherson, Co. II, discharged Aug.11, 1863. Amos Powell, Co. F, killed at Cold Harbor, Va., May 31,186$. A. N. Gunderman, Co. II, killed at Spottsylvania C. II., Va., May 12, 1864. Win. A. Churchill, Co. It, killed at Antietam, Md., Sept. 17, 1862. Chauncey Atwell, Co. I, died at Philadelphia, Pa., July 13, 1861. Eugene Clarke, Co. It, missing at Spottaylvanla C. II., Va., May 12, 1863. Ralph Ray, Co. It, missing at Reams' Station, Va., Aug 25, 1864. Joseph Merenans, Co. 11, missing at Roams' Station, Va., Aug. 25, 1861. Charles P. Wicks. Co. II, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Nov. 11, 1863. Elijah C. Eldred, Co. II, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Nov. 11, 1863. Nicholas May, Co. 11, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Felt. 15, 1864. Henry Winters, Co. II, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Feb. 15, 1861,4. James Jones, Co. A, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 22, 1861. Levi WilliamskCo. F, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 22, 1864. Albert G. Stanley, Co. 11, discharged for disability Oct. 12, 1863. Joseph W. Seeley, Co. II, discharged for disability Sept. 28, 1864. John Churchill, Co. II, discharged at expiration of service Aug.22,1864. Wm. O. Stoddard, Co. 11, discharged at expiration of service Sept.3(, 1861. Sandml. Wheeler, Co. It, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 22, 1864. Isaac Garner, Co. II, dischsrged at expiration of service Aug. 22, 1861. Win. J. Robinson, Co. II, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 22,1864. Lewis Swidler, Co. 11, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 22, 186$. A. P. Glaspie, Co. H, discharged at expiration of service Aug. 25, 1864. James Jones, Co. A, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 1863. Reuben B. Isham, Co. F, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18,1863. Amos Powell, Co. F, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 186:3. Chas. II. Morgan, Co. F, dischIarged to re-enlist as.veteran Feb. 24, 186.1. John G. McMillan, Co. It, discharged to re.enlist as veteran Dec. 18,1863. Ralph II. Rea, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 1863. James M. Smith, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 1863. Oscar N. Bessey, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 1863. Josiah Millerd, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 1863. Henry Reed, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 18, 1863. Jas. I1. Wademan, Co. II, discharged to re-enl'st as veteran Dec. 18,1863. David Perry, Co. II, killed at Fredericksburg, Va., May 12, 1864. Jos. G. Marenus, Co. II, died at Salisbury, N. C., Nov. 8, 1864. Jas. S. Redmund, Co. G. Ralph II. Rea, Co. 11. Seymour Torrence, Co. II, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps July 16, 1863. Wi. II. Smith, Co. II, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps. William Gale, band, discharged July, 1862. Nelson Newman, band, discharged July, 1862. Philip P. Jersey, band, discharged July, 1862. Vincent Brown, hand, discharged July, 1862. Henry A. Otto, band, discharged July, 1862. Ephraim Fitch, Co. E, discharged June 19, 1865. Thomas Carlisle, Co. F, discharged Feb. 5, 1861. George Dibble, Co. F, discharged April 14, 1863. Charles II. Morgan, Co. F, mustered out July 5, 1865. Jeremiah Rodgers, Co. F, dis. to enlist in 6th U. S. Car. Oct. 1,1862. Andrew Jackson, Co. G, discharged June 1, 1865. James S. Redmund, Co. G, discharged June 1, 1865. Jacob M. Taylor, Co. G, discharged June 1, 1865. Charles Matten, Co. G, discharged June 1, 1865. Win. II. Blanchard, Co. II, discharged Jan. 10, 1863. Sibley Pierce, Co. 11, discharged Jan. 30, 1863. Lyman Burton, Co. II, discharged for disability. Ralph 11. Rea, Co. It, mustered out July 5, 1865. Garrett Winters, Co. II, discharged Sept 4, 1862. James MI. Tilghman, Co. II, discharged for disability March 2, 1864. Win. P. Edmondson, Co. II, mustered out July 5, 1865. Ezra Bastedo, Co. K, mustered out July 5, 1865. James Wilson, Co. K, mustered out July 5, 1865. EIGHTH INFANTRY. Win. A. Clifford, Co. B, sergt.-maj.; let lieut. Co. B, Oct. 5, 1864; adj't, April 25, 1865. Alden Talor, Co. 11, died at Lebanon, Ky., April 16, 1863. William Lovelock, Co. K, discharged for disability April, 1863. Joshua C. Predmore, Co. K, discharged July 17, 1863. Ira Armstrong, Co. A, died.of wds. recd at Port Royal, S. C., Jan. 3, '62. Asahel E. Atherton, Co. K, killed at Wilmington Island, Ga., April 16, '62. Peter Shick, Co. E, died at Beaufort, S. C., Jan. 15, 1862. Samuel L. Ilumes, Co. K, died at Hilton hIead, S. C., Dec. 1, 1861. John S. Atherton, Co. A, discharged for disability March 1, 1862. Solomon W. Denton, Co. E, discharged for disability March 5, 1862. William Painter, Co. E, discharged for disability April 2, 1862. John Riptka, Co. E, discharged to enlist in regular service Oct. 24, 1864. George W. Shook, Co. E, discharged for disability Oct. 18, 1862. IHenry T. Shafer, Co. E, discharged for disability March 27, 1862. James Isham, Co. G, discharged for disability April 17, 1862. James 31. Fr.ancisco, Co. G, discharged for disability Oct. 18, 1862. Nathan Valentine, Co. B, died at Annapolis, Mid., April 11, 1864. Abraham Middlesworth, Co. F, died at Washington, D. C., June 20,1864. John J. Atherton, Co. A, discharged at expiration of service Sept.23, '64. John H. Atherton, Co. A, discharged at expiration of service Sept. 23, '64. C Mark Cline, Co. E, discharged at expiration of service Sept. 22, 1864. Willis G. Denton, Co. E, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 29, 1863. William Noble, Co. K, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 28, 1863. George Brown, Co. E, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Nov. 15, 1863. James Hunter. Co. A, mustered out July 30, 1865. Daniel C. Parker, Co. A, discharged June 1, 1865. Marshall II. Chapin, Co. A, discharged June 1, 1865. Charles W. Sadden, Co. A, discharged June 1, 1865. Alonzo C. Newton, Co. B, dischargeid Mlarch 2, 1865. Frederick Drews, Co. B, discharged June 13, 1865. Hlenry J. Montgomery, Co. C, discharged June 1,'1865. Francis Beckwith, Co. C, discharged June 1, 1865. Lenadore S. Miller, Co. E, discharged for disability June 17, 1864. Matthew Dougherty, Co. E, mustered out July 30, 1865. Jesse Allen, Co. G, discharged Aug. 12, 13865. George Smith, Co. G, discharged June 9, 1865. William 31. Gage, Co. G, discharged for disability May, 1865. Walter Holmes, Co. G, discharged May 31, 1865. Leander Moore, Co. II, discharged June 1, 1865. Christian Moore, Co. K, discharged for disability May 21, 1865. NINTH INFANTRY. C. C. Starkweather, Co. I, sergt.; 21 lieut. May 14, 1863; 1st lieut. Co. E, Sept. 20, 18641; capt. Co. B, April 20, 1865. John B. Gunning, Co. I, sergt.; 2d lieut. Co. D, April 20, 1865. William Austin, Co. II, killed at Murfreesboro', Tenn., July 13,1862. Garrett Quick, Co. E, died at We4t Point, Ky., Dec. 8, 1861. Daniel Piersons, Co. I, died at West Point, Ky., Nov. 19, 1861. Darius Austin, Co. II, discharged. Oliver P. Warner, Co. I, disch. at expiration of service Oct. 14,1864. Silas Fletcher, Co. It, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 7,186:3. Charles W. Stafford, Co. I, disch. to re-enlist as veteran Nov. 5, 1865. Albert II. Lute, Co. A, died at Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 11, 18 41. Harvey D. Palmterton, Co. K, died at Fowlersville, Mich., Jan. 19, 1865. William Wilkinson, Jr., non-com. staff, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. Amos Graves, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. Alfred Cook, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. Henry L. Dural, Co. B, mustered out June 20, 1865. Daniel Fisher, Co. C, mustered out S-pt. 15, 1865. Peter Kirizer, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. George A. Jefferds, Co. D, discharged Sept.4, 1865. John P. Burt, Co. E, discharged June 20, 1865. Jacob Teeter, Co. E, discharged Juno 20, 1865. Albert D. Lambert, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. John It. 11111, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. IHenry L. Paddock, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. George IT. Rogers, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. Jacob Head, Co. I, mustered out Sept 15, 1865. William Horton, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. James Reed, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 15, 1865. TENTH INFANTRY. Sylvester D. Cowles, 1st lieut. and adjt.; killed at Farmington, Miss., May 26, 1862, by rebel sharpshooter; was previously 1st lieut. In 5th infantry. John Piersons, Co. II, capt.; It.-col. 109th U. S. col. troops, Aug. 30,186.1. Alva A. Collins, Co. C, 2d lieut; Ist lieut. June 2, 1862; capt. Co. II Aug. 30, 1864. Fred. S. Stewart, sergt.-maj.; 1st lieut. and adJt., May 28, 1862. Benj. B. Redfield, 1st lieut. Sylvan Ter Bu-h, Co. 11, let lieut.; capt. Co. C, Marclih 31,1863; wounded at Joneshboro', Ga., Sept. 1, 1864; major May 20, 1865; lieut.-col, June 7, 1865. John S. Fletcher, Co. F, sergt.; 2d lieut. June 18, 1863; com. revoked. Joseph E. Tupper, sergt.-mnajor; 2d lieut. Co. G, May 13, 1863; major 17th U. S. colored troops, Nov., 186:3. Warren G. Nelson, Co. II, sergt.; 1st lieut. Co. C, Feb. 28, 1865. Eslie R. Redfield, Co. C, sergt.; 1st lieut. Co. F, Sept. 3, 1861; capt. Co. I, May 20,185.5. Charles P. Rice, sergt.; 2d lieut. June 7, 186.5; not mustered. Alex. II. Allen, sergt.; 2d lieut. June 7, 186.5; not mustered. Mark II. hidley, Co. C, sergt.; 2d lieut. Co. B, June 7, 1865. Fletcher W. Ilewes, Co. D, sergt. Co. C; 1st liiut. Co. D, May 8, 1865. Frank Thontley, Co. C, died at Na-hvIle, Tenn., Marcht 10, 1863. Jacob Newkirk, Cs. I, died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 25, 1863. Ira Blowers, Co. K, died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 5, 1863. Richard Backenstone, Co. I, discharged for disability March 11, 1861. Elias Terry, Co. I, dischargeh for di-ability Feb. 9, 1863. Albert Turner, Co. B, died June 13, 1862. William A. Turner, Co. B, died. Robert J. Gibbs, Co. B, died at Jackson, Tenn , Nov. 10, 1862. Daniel Burton, Co. C, died Jan. 26, 1862. Valentine Kirtle, Co. C, died Oct. 28, 1862. Tlenry E. Thomas, Co. C, died at Jackson, Tenn., Sept. 28, 1862. John Cadly, Co. F, died June 14, 1862. William Malkin, Co. F, died at Farmington,,41iss., July 14, 1862. Hitram Leach, Co. II, died at Henderson, Ky., July 5, 1862. Gustavus Goff, Co. II, died at Farmington, Miss., July 5, 1862. Orzial Inman, Co. II, died at Farmington, Miss., June 22,1862. James II. Lawrence, Co. II, died at Farmington, Miss., July 11, 1862. John Mofliltt, Co. II, drowned April 25, 1862. Isaiah Powell, Co. II, died at Farmington, Miss., May 31,1862. George F. Phipps, Co. II, died it Farmington, Miss., July 9, 1862. Drake Hubbard, Co. I, died at Boonevillie, M1iss., June 5, 1862. Albert Perry, Co. I, died at Keokuk, Iowa, Aug. 6, 1862. Philip Chamberlin, Co. A, discharged for disability Aug. 5, 1862. Allan hlunt, Co. C, discharged for disability Sept. 8, 1862. Charles Rogers, Co. C, discharged for disability Sept. 13, 1862. John S. Coryell, Co. C, discharged for disability Sept. 8, 1862. Daniel IIoplar, Co. C, discharged for disability Oct. 16,1862. Robert J. Ballard, Co. II, discharged for disability. Henry Thompson, Co. II, discharged for disability Aug. 5, 1862. Amos A. Whitter, Co. II, discharged for disability Aug. 2, 1862. George IIusted, Co. I, discharged for disability April 20, 1862. Mark Boice, Co. I, discharged for disability Sept. 5, 1862. David lioughton, Co. I, discharged for disability Dec. 8, 1862. Geo. W. Richmond, Co. C, supposed to have died of wounds received at Jonesboro', Ga., Sept. 1, 186.. Samuel W. Gibbs, Co. C, killed near Dalton, Ga., Feb. 25, 1864. John Chamberlain, Co. II, killed at Jotesboro', Ga., Sept. 1, 184. Charles P. Stewart, Co. I, killed at Rocky-Faced Ridge, Ga., Feb. 25, 1864. John II. Hope, Co. II, missing in action near Dalton, Ga., Feb. 25, 1864. Porter Palmer, Co. It, missing in action near Dalton, Ga., Feb. 25, 1864. Robert Dawn, Co. B, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Feb. 16,1861. David Kittle, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Feb. 15, 1864. Edward D. Cowles, Co. A, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. Lewis D. Kelsey, Co. B, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. Ralph Vosburgh, Co. B, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. Geo. W. Becket, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 13864; mustered out July 19, 1865. John Clark, Co. C, discharged to re-ealist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mus- tered out July 19, 186,5. Fred. B. Casamer, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mustered out July 19,186.5. Theo. F. Casamer, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1861; mustered out July 19,1865. Richard Carter, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. George RIt. Collins, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1861; mustered out July 19, 1865. Lewis C. Cheeney, Co. C, disaharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 18614; mustered out July 19,1865. Truman Chapman, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6,1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. Samuel J. W. Gibbs, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, '64. Edgar J. Iewes, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. Fletcher IIewes, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1861. Jasper C. Inglehurst, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as vet. Feb. 6, 1861. George Inglehurst, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as vet. Feb. 6, 186-1. Geo. C. Marvin, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. Edward O'Niel, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. John Potter, Co, C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. Mark II. Ridley, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1861. E. RIt. Redfleld, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1861. Geo. W. Richmond, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, '64. Geo. S. Richmond, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1861. Ira Rogers, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. Amos L. Ellsworth, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as vet. Feb. 6, 1864. Win. A. France, Co. D, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. Hiram R. Beech, Co. II, disch-arged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. John Chamberlain, Co. II, discharged to rN-enlist as veteran Feb. 6. '61. Wm. C. Clark, Co. II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. Frank Mosey, Co II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. James McCarthy, Co. It, discharged to re-enl st as veteran Feb. 6, '64. Porter Palmer, Co. 11, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. Win. IT. Lake, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6. 1864. Edward Livermore, Co. 1, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, '64. IHenry Whituey, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6, 1864. John Winters, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 6,1864. John Potter, Co. C, accidentally killed at Kingston, Ga., Nov. 3, 1864. Wm. A. France, Co. F, died at Detroit, Mich., March 31. 1865. Porter Palmer, Co. II, died at Andersonville, Ga., Oct. 17, 1864. John II. IHope, Co. II, died at Andersonville, Ga. Albert L. Smith, Co. I, died at Savannah, Ga., Jan. 20, 1865. Frederick Casamer, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Mar. 24, 1865. Charles Rice, Co. A, mustered out July 19, 1865. Delos Jewell, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 17, 1864. Frederick Putnam, Co. A, mustered out July 19, 1865. John Davis, Co. A, mustered out July 19, 1865. Charles Cowl, Co. B, discharged at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. Nathan Van Itoosan, Co. B, disch. at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. Ralph Vosburgh, Co. B, discharged June 9, 1865. Edmund O'Neil, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. George Becket, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1805. Lewis Cheney, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 185. John Clark, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. Edgar J. Ihewes, Co. C, discharged for disability May 29, 1865. George Inglehart, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. George S. Richmond, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. Win. E. Sprague, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 186.5. Wm. Tuttle, Co. C, discharged at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. Lamott Dewey, Co. C, discharged July 13, 1865. James E. Richmond, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. Benjamin Miller, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. Daniel Parkhurst, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. James R. Vliete, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. Melvin Eldred, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. James Burns, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. Thomas Lowrie, Co. C, mustered out July 19, 1865. John S. Croft, Cs. D, disciharged June 12, 1865. Stanley G. Smith, Co. D, mustered out July 19, 1865. Barney Leonard, Co. F, mustered out July 19, 1865. James W. IHopkins, Co. F, discharged May 3, 1865. Blenj. BParrish, Co. F, discharged June 6, 1865. Theodore Wilcox, Co. F, mustered out July 19, 1865. WIl:am C. Clark, Co. II, discharged June 18, 1865. James McCarthy, Co. II, mustered out July 19, 1865. Frank Morey, Co. II, discharged July 24, 1865. Harrison 0. Madison, Co. II, disch. at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. John Fifleld, Co. II, discharged May 15, 186.5. Wilford Torrey, Co. II, discharged May 15, 1865. John Arthur, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. Lewis Church, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. John W. Currier, Co. I, mustered out July 19, 186.5. D P. Deniming, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service Feb. 6, 1865. Edward Livermore, Co. 1, mustered out July 19, 1805. xviii HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Isaac Meseraull, Co. I, mustered out July 19, 1865. henry Whitney, Co. I, mustered out July 19, 1865. John Winters, Co. I, disrlchargedl June 9, 1865. Chester Darling, Co. I, discharged at expiration of servece Mar. 28, '65. Win. 11. bike, Co. I, discharged Sept. 5, 1865. Andrew Davidson, Co. I, distharged June 12, 1865. James Davidson, Co. 1, discharged June 12, 1865. Williston Stewart, Co. I. discharged June 12, 1865. Elener Torrace, Co. I, discharged June 12, 1865. Nelson Stewart, Co. I, discharged June 12, 1865. C'harles Coleman, Co. I, mustered out July 19, 1865. Franklin L. King, Co. I, mustered out May 6, 1865. Elijah I. Brown, Co. K, mustered out July 19, 1865. William Gifford, Co. K, mustered out July 19, 1865. Thomas Gleason, Co. K, mustered out July 19, 1865. John Smith, Co. K, mustered out July 19, 1865. William King, Co. K, mustered out July 19, 1865. ELEVENTH INFANTIRY (NEW). Samuel R. Morse, Co. K, died at Jackson, Mich., March 28, 1865. Myron B. Evans, Co. K, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., April 13, 1865. Charles Maynard, Co. K, ded at Nashville, Tenn., July 22, 1865. Orange lotrhkiss, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. George Ilatfielt, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Alfred Wright, Co. 0, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. John Benedick, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Washington Alger, Co. K, mustered out July 13, 1865. Thomas P. lianks, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Thomas Ilird, Co. K, mustered out May 6, 1865. Almond Ilooth, Co. K, mustered out May 6, 1865. Alf red IBrooks, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. William Brooks, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. iChanncey L. Blair, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Alfred C. Grthamnt, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Sidney L. Jewett, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. John E. Morse, C,. K, mustered out Sept. 14, 1865. George Maxon, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Hlenry Phillips, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 18C5. Addison Reed, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. John Smith, Co. K, mustered out Aug. 30, 1865. Abel Q Smith, Co. K, mustered out Selpt. 16, 1865. Joseph V. Taylor, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. William II. Taylor, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. James Torrode., Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Theo. A. Whiitesell, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. TWELFTH INFANTRY. Alexander McDonnell, Co. F, disch. to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 30, 1863. titlfrey Genshaw, Co. II, discharged Oct. 10, 1865. THIRTEENTH INFANTRY. James Forsyth, Co. B, discharged for disablility May 27, 1862. Franklin W. lHyde, Co. C, discharged for disability July 14, 1862. Edward Mulgriave, Co. II, died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 16, 1863. (;eo. II. l'illes, Co. II, mssing at Chickamanga, Tenn., Sept. 19, 1863. George Ilasel, Co. 0, died at Newbern, N. C., May 2, 1865. Gottlelb llunt, Co. K, discharged June 8, 1865. FOURTEENTH INFANTRY. Alonzo IFloyt, Co. I, died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 4, 1863. Frank Powell, Co. I, captain. John P1'. Foster, Co. I, 1set lieut.; capt. Jan.29, 1863; wounded at Averys- boro', N. C., March 16, 1865. Alfred A. Parker, Co. I, 2d lieut.; let lieut. June 20, 1862. Freder'ck Banks, Co. I, sergt.; 2d lieut. June 20, 1862. Newcome Clark, Co. I, sergt.: 2d litt. June 16, 1862; resigned May 20, 1863; major Ist Michigan Colored Infantry (1021 U. S. colored troops), March 12, 1 64 ; lieot.-col. June 19, 1865. Cornelius Losey, Co. I, sergt.; 1st lieut. Aug. 10, 1864; capt. Feb. 13, 18654 wounded March 2), 18,5. Isaac Olive, Co. I, sergL; 2d lieut. Co. F, March 14, 1865; 1st lieut. July 7, 1865. Allen II. llurlbut, Co. I, discharged June 30, 1862. James lowrie, to. I, discharged Dec. 11, 1862. Rlchmonl Rgers, Co. I, discharged May 23, 1863. Jidlton Davis, Co. I, discharged Aug. 11, 1863. Elisha Wells, 5,. I, died at Farmington, Miss., June 22, 1862. Myron Wilcox, Co. D. discharg.d for disability July 17, 1862. John Davis, Co. I, discharged for disability Sept. 14, 1862. James Taft, Co I, discharged for disability June 27, 1862. Erastus Van Waginer, Co. I, discharged for disability July 15, 1862. llenry Shltus, 5o. I, discharged for disability July 15, 1862. William Tuller, Co. I, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Feb. 15, 1864. Ilichmnud liogers, Co. I, discharged for disability May 25, 1863. Matthias I'. Smoke, Co. I, discharged for disability Aug. 2, 1862; died at Jeffersonville, nd., Sept. 29, 184. Hlenry Stroud, Co. I, diseharged for disability July 24, 1862. Andrew J. llissell, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1861; discharged July 28, 1865. William O. Davis, Co. I, disch urged to re-enlisat as veteran Feb. 15, 1864; discharged June 8, 1865. Ilemnan Dockham, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1861. Thomas D. Gustin, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 24, 1864; discharged June 16, 1865. Albert IItarington, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan.24, 1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. Peter Inglehart, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 15, 1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. Cornellus Loey, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1864. Henry Lester, Co. I, dischargid to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 15, 1861; mustered out July 18, 1865. George Martin, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 24, 1804; mustered out July 18, 1865. William McMillan, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 26, '64. Isaac Olive, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1841. Amasa Predmore, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. Ransom W. Randall, Co. 1, discharged to re-ent:st as veteran Jan. 24, '46. Henry Rathurn, Co. 1, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1864; mustered oit July 18, 1865. George WV. Scoville, C,. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4,1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. Gershmn Swayze, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 24,1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. William E. Sly, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 15, 1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. Beebe L. Saxton, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 15, 1864; mustered out July 19, 1865. Win. D. Taltbot, Co. 1, discharged to re-enl'st as veteran Jan. 24, 1864; mustered out July 18, 185. Win. I. Van Wagotner, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 4, 1864; mustered out July 18, 1865. Andrew J. Simpson, Co. 1, discharged to re-enlist as veteran; died at Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 26, 1 64, of woundis. Frederick Lear, Co. C, killed near Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 7, 1864. Charles Bush, Co. I1. tied at Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 11, 1864. Jeremiah Baldwin, Co. I, died at Evansville, Ind., Aug. 3, 1862. Michael Dwyer, Co C(', mustered out July 18, 1865. Daniel IHogan, Co. C, mustered out July 18, 1865. Johun Murray, Co. C, discharged Aug. 25, 1865. Matthias Austin, Co. C, mustered out July 18, 1865. Edwin J. lHorton, Co. I., discharged June 3, 1865. Charles Benjamin, Co. D), mustered out July 18, 1865. DoWitt lejamin, Co. D, mustered out July 18, 1865. John A. King, Co. I), mustered out July 18, 1865. George 11. Williver, Co. D, mustered out July 18, 1865. Waldien Clark, Co. I), mustered out July 18, 1865. Elisha Whittaker, Co. D, mustered out July 18, 186.5. Alfred J. Adams, Co. F, mustered out July 18, 1865. Jacob Canner, Co. G, mustered out July 18, 1865. William llolbrook, Co. G(, died at Iuka, Miss.. Sept. 7, 1862. John Eggiman, Co. 0, discharged May 31, 1865. John Vogtle, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1865. Francis Foster, Co. 0, mustered out July 18, 1865. George W. Spaulding, Co. 0, mustered out July 18, 1865. Nelson Ainsley, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service Apr.l 4, 1865. John Bogardus, Co. 1, discharged Sept. 28, 1862. Walter Carr, Co. I, mustered out July 1s, 1865. Charles S. Carl, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1865. Ileman Dickham, Co. , mustered out July 18, 1865. Henry Glaspie, Co. I, mnaustered out July 18, 1865. Orrin 1I. Hammond, Co. I, discharged Sept. 13, 1862. James Lord, Co. I, dischargedl at expiration of service March 14,1865. James Mackay, Co. 1, mustered out July 18, 1865. Oliver Terwilligor, Co. I, mustered out .luly 18, 1865. Frederick Volger, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service May 22, 1865. George F. Gustin, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1865. A. P1'. Losey, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1865. John 1'. Losey, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1865. Benij. F. Westcott, Co. I, discharged June 15, 1865. James It. Wilson, Co. I, mtustered out Aug. 9,1865, to date July 18,1865. Ilyett Hutton, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 18653. Robert Hlunt, Co. I, discharged June 12, 186 5. Milton Van Wagoner, Co. I, dischtarged June 12, 1865. Robert Jolly, Co. I, disclharged Aug. 1, 1865. George B. Losey, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1865. Israel Losey, Co. I, mnustered out July 18, 1865. Edwardnl Emnery, Co. 1, musterid out July 18, 1865. Henry II. Tillapa, Co. K, mustered out July 18, 1865. Oliver Armstrong, Co. K, mustered out Aug. 10,1865. George Vtan Waigoner, Co. K, mustered out May 23, 1865. FIFTEENTH INFANTRY. Levi M. Garner, surgeon, died May 17,1862. W. II. Itubble, Co. F, sergt.; 1st lieut. Oct. 1, 1862; capt. March 4, 1863. Cassius llarback, Co. C, killed at Shiloh, Tenn., April 6, 1862. James N. llornbeck, Co. 1, killed at Shiloh, Tenn., April 6, 1862. Thmas Young, Co. F, killed at Shiloh, Tenn., April 6, 1862. William A. Evans, iand, dlied at St. Louis, June 20,1862. John Miles, Co. C, died. William O. Tilden, Co. E, died at Corinth, Miss., June 26, 1862. George Pettis, Co. E, died at Corinth, Miss., Oct. 3, 1862. Edward S. llurs, band, discharged. A. William Itmatin, btnd, discharged. Earl D. King, band, discharged. Alphonzo V. Andersot, and, discharged July 14, 1862. Otis C. Better, band, discharged July 14, 1862. Conrad A. Ilofman, band, discharged July 14, 1862. James W. Sabine, band, discharged July 14, 1862. Richard C. Traves, band, d.schtared July 14, 1812. Dennis Collins, band, discharged July 14, 1862. George Willover, Co. C, discharged for disability March 26, 1862. Thomas Joslin, Co. C, dischargedt for disability Dec. 8, 1862. Ephra m Taylor, Co. E, dl.s, htarged for disability June 18, 1862. Abbott Taylor, Co. F, dischltarged for d'salility May 21, 1862. David Frost, Co. F, discharged for disability March 26, 1862. Layman J. Sovereen, Co. C, discharged for disability Jan. 26, 1863. William Robinson, Co. F, dischargedl for ('isability April 26, 1862. Isaac A. Goodrich, Co. I, lied at Nashville, Tenn.,Sept. 23, 1861. Elisha II. Smith, Co. E, discharged fur disability June 11, 1862. Charles Ingersoll, Co. I, discharged for disability Sept. 24, 1862. Oscar Jo"-lin, Co. C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 5, 1864. Silas Placeway, Co. i), d scharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 2, 1861. Charles DI). Prindle, C-,. F, dischargedl to re-enlist as veteran. John Lloyd, Co. A., died at East Point, Ga., Sept. 24., 186-1. James Weeks, Co. K, died at Siithville, N. C., May 9, 1865. Georg( Pettis, Co. E, missing in ,ectiin ; returned; discharged at expl- rttiut of service Jan. 28, 1865. Joseph luabidie, Co. It, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Moses Dubry, Co. B, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Thomas Lucas, Co. C, discharged for disability July 22, 1862. Eli Wolfe, Co. C, discharged f r disabiltity July 27, 1862. Jacob Cain, Co. C, discharged from Vet. Rlies. Corps, Aug. 17, 1865. Ilenry Clough, Co. C, dislcharged at expiration of service Feb. 2, 1865. George Peterson, Co. E, discharged at expiration of service Jan. 28,1865. Oliver Culver, Co. E, mustered out Aug. 13, 18'5. Samuel D. Smalley, Co. E, mustered out Aug. 11,1865. WV.llam Demons, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. William Newton, Co. F, discharged ly order, Sept. 9, 1865. Franklin Foe.senden, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Eranstus Carpenter, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Marcus D. S. Clay, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Aaron Jeffers, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Richard Lacroix, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Samuel D. Stephens, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Joseph Stephens, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, ls65. Joseph Skenett, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 186.5. Cyrus Wheeler, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. William Thompson, Co. II, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. Winslow P. Northway, Co. K, discharged July, 17, 1865. Thomas Clark, Co. K, mustered out Aug. 13, 1865. SIXTEENTH INFANTRY. Byron McGraw, Co. I, 2d lieut.; wounded at Gaines' 31.1l, Va., June 27, 1862; died of wounds June :30, 1862. John Fenigan, sergt.; 2d lieut. July 7, 1865. Cornelius Van horn, Co. 11, diseclarged Feb. 3, 1863. Robert B. Clark, Co. I, discharged Nov. 30), 1862. Harrison Payne, Co. K, discharged for disability Jan. 17, 1863. Harvey Ilagar, Co. I, killed at Malvern Hill, Va., July 1, 1862. Frank Weaver, Co. I, killed at Gaines' Mill June 27, 1862. William II. Walker, Co. I, killed at Malvern Hill July 1, 1862. Martin Marsh, Co. I, died. Daniel White, Co. I, killed at Bull Run Aug. 30,1862. Cornelius Barrett, Co. I. Phelix Proved, Co. I, discharged for disability Oct. 8, 1862. Robert B. Clark, Co. I, discharged Nov. :30, 1862. William I1. MclRoberts, Co. I, killed near Petersburg,Va., June 21,1864. George Whitney, Co. I, transferred to Vet. Iteberve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. John Farigan, Co. I, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 22, 1863. William Henry, Co. C, died at Washington, D. C., June 16, 1865. Frederick Weidmire, Co. G, lied at Washington, D. C., March 16, 1865. Julius Schiraut, Co. A, mustered uut July 8, 1865. John A. Straub, Co. A, mustered out July 8,1863. Lewis Case, Co. A, mustered out July 8, 1865. Hlenry F. Suith, Co. B, ntustered out July 8,1865. Byron Pulver, Co. C, mustered out July 8, 1865. George Crawlord, Co. C, discharged for disability April 30, 1865. Abner Crandall, Co. C, discharged June 13, 1865. Geo. Barron, Co. C, mustered out July 8, 1865. John J. Canmerson, Co. D, mustered out July 8, 1865. Jacob Amons, Co. D1), mnustered out July 8, 1865. James O. Oakley, Co. D, mustered out July 8, 1865. John It. Wells, Co. E, mustered out July 8, 1865. Marion Munson, Co. E, discharged July 6, 1865. George G. Gibbs, Co. E, discharged for disability June 10, 1865. Josiah II. G.bbe, Co. E, mustered out July 8, 1865. Ormell Gibbs, Co. E, mustered out July 8, 1865. George latton, Co. E, mustered out July 8, 1865. Rolert Ewing, Co. F, mustered out July 8, 1865. Rtobert Martin, Co. F, mustered out July 8, 1865. Charles Nisl ett, Co. F, mustered out July 8,1865. Tracy Vaughan, Co. G, mustered out July 8, 1865. Elias Cowles, Co. II, mustered out July 8,1865. John Smith, Co. II, discharged August 19, 1865. Janmes Smith, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 185. George Van Wagoner, Co. II, mustered out July 8, 1865. Wiliam Potter, Co. II, mustered out July 8, 1865. William II. Bnks, Co. I, disclarged at expiration of service Nov. 22, '64. Cornelius Uarrett, Co. 1, dsciuarged for disability Dec. 23, 1862. John Fenigan, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 1865. Orville W. Green, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 1865. Harvey Ilager, Co. I, discharged at expiration of service Jan. 6, 1865. George Whitney, Co. I, discharged for disatuitity Dec., 1861. William II. Hloward, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 1865. Wdford Hutton, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 1865. Joht Dillon, Co. I, musatered out July 8, 1865. Isae Ilevlin, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 1865. Stephen II. Lawrence, Co. I, mustered out July 8, 186,. Daniel C. Stafford, Co. I, muutered out July 8, 1865. Angus Campbell, Co. K, mustered out July 8, 1865. Dennis Rowley, Co. K, discharged June 13, 1865. SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. Dan. G. Hopkins, Co. E, died at Frederick, Md., Nov. 8, 1862, of wounds. William II. Eckler, Co. E, discharged for disability Oct. 14, 1862. David S. Hloward, CO. E, discharged for wounds June 21, 1863 Ralzenmond Parker, Co. E, discharged for disability March, 186.3. Eugene Snyder, Co. F, missing in action at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 29, 1863. William Moore, Co. K, discharged for disability Jan. 4, 1864. John J. Walter, Co. K, discharged at expiration of service. Hugh Esson, Co. G, died the last of May, 1804, of wounds. WnI. G. Barrin, Co. II, died at Detroit, Mich., Dec. 25, 1864. Eugene Snydler, Co. F, died at Andersonville, Ga., March 24, 1864. Hlenry Pickford, Co. G, transferred to 21 Mich. Infantry. Loren M. Torrence, Co. 0, transferred to 2d Mich. Infantry. Henry W. Ilarris, Co. II, transfrred to 21 Mich. Infantry. William Murray, Co. I, transferred to 2d Mclh. Infantry. Wallace Adamus, Co. B, mnustered out June 3, 185. George II. IHopkins, Co. E, discharged June 17, 1865. EIGHTEENTH INFANTRY. John Kirby, Co. B, dicd at St. Louis, M3o., Jan. 15, 1865. Isaac L. Flowers, Co. D, died at Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 18, 1864. .HISTORY. OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Frank IT. Buck, Co. C, transferred to 0tis Micts. Infantry. Lucius WIlay, Co. C, mustered out Juno 26, 1865. James C. Reeves, Co. P. msusteredt out June 26, 1865. Allen A. Kent, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Mites B. John'Aon, Co. D, ntnstered out June 26, 1865. James C. Birlchell, Co. Ii, mustered out June 26, 1863. Paul Reed, Co. I, msustered out Juno 26, 1865. NINETEENTH INFANTRY. 'Daniel Beer, Co. I, died at Itesaca, Ga., Say 24, 18648, of wounds. William King, Co. C, transferrel to1t301101et. Infantry. John Wortman, Co. G3, transferred to lpts Sich. Infantry. George W. Ilrasdy, Co. 43, transferred to lath Stich. Infantry. William Cosgrove, Co. G, transferred to 10111Mitch. Infaentry. Nicholas Ditm an, Co. 43, transferred to 10th Ditch. Infantry. Elijah 3l. Brown, Co. I, transferred to 10th DMtch. Infantry. John Evans, Co. I, transferred to 110th Ditch. Infantry. William J. Giffordt, Co. I, transferred to lath Ditch. Infantry. Thomas Gleasson, Co. I, transferred to 10th Mich. Inifanctry. Julio Smith, Co. I, transferred tie 111th Michi. Infantry. TWENTIETH INFANTRY. Stephen 31. Gage, Co. B, dichiarged July 1, 1863; must. out Aug. 16,1865. Oliver C. Stiller, Co. 1D, missing in action near Petersburg, Va., July 3(0, 1864; died at lianvilte, Va, Jan. 19, 1865. Williams L. Addison. Co. K, suostered out Masy 30, 1865. TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY. David A. Pratt, Co. H1, mustered out tune 8, 1865. Cassender Van'touve, Co. K, mustered out June 12, 1865. TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY. Moses Wisner, colonel Aug. 8, 1862; dited Jan. 4, 186:3. Abiratti P. McConnell, suirgeon. Asher E. (Rlev.) Mthier, ehapdain. Thomas C. Bloughston, 1st lent. and quart.-mast. Ezra C. Itatton, Co. A, capt.; A. A. G. vole.; brevet major. T. C. Beardatee, Co. P4, nipt. Edward 3l. Wiscier, Co. A, 1st leut. Almieroun S. Mtatthcws, Co. 1,1st ltent.; adijt. Nov. 22, 1862; capt. Co. 11, Oct. 11, 18(1; prisoner at Chickatnauga Sept. 201, 186:1; paroled .March 1, 1865. Win. Alcertson, (Co. A,2d iteut.; let lieut.Jlan. 31,1863; capt. Stay 17,1865. Etijals Snelt, Co. 15,2cliieut. ; 1ttlieut. Nov. 27, 1862; capt. Aug. 3, 186:1; wounded at Chickamuga Sepct. 20, 1863; died of wounds Sept. 25, 1863. Charles WV. Lawrence, bosp. stewvard; ass't surgeon. George WV. Button, Co. A, sergt.; 2d liteut. Jan. :11, 186:1; wounded and prisoner at UChickamauga Sept. 20, 1865; let lieut. Slay 17, 1865. Lewis Drake, Co. D5, eergt.; 2d heist. Nov. 27,186.2; let lieut. Auig.:3,1863; prisoner at Clickamauga Sit. 21), 1863; capt. Sept. 25, 186:1. Alfred 11. Barrett, Co. It, sergt. ; 2d lteut. Jatt. 5t 186:1. Wmn. Wittett-a, Co. 1), aergt.; let lieut. Aug. :t, 186:;1;slt lieu). Sept. 25,1863. Edwarsd E. Andrews, Co. 43, sergt.; 2d lieut. Feb. 21, 1863; 1st heist. Co. C, Aug. 26, 1864. J. Hamilton Wiodnian, Co. E, sorgt. ;1letliteut. Co. T, July 25,186; capt. Myron T. North, sergt.; 2d lieut. MIsy 17, 1865x. Josepsl It. Nut, Co. A, sergt.; 2d lieut. Co. 1, June 7,1864; tied in rebel prison at Mitten, Ga., Oct. 8, 386. iluilo Durkee, Co. A, kitled at Chickamisuga, Tenn , Sept. 20, 186:3. George ~ltackinan, Co. A, killed at Chiikatiauga, Tents., Sept. 2'),1865. Fred. C. Gay, Co. A, killed at Chickamauga, Tesin., Sept. 211, 186:3. Joist Itebelissan, Co. A, mustered oust June 26, 1865. Win. hi. Jennings, (Si. A, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., of wounds. Joist Ward, Co. 14, killed at Clicksmatsga, Tenn., Sept. 2(i, 186:3. Frantklin Carter, Co. 1), killed at Chickamuauga, Tenn., Sept. 21c, 186:. Hacrvey It. Newell, Co. it, died at Lexiccgto'n, Ky., Marchs 5, 18631. Egbert It. tFrost, Co. 1), died at Snosws1Pond, Ky., Oct. 3, 1862. William lPotter, Co. P, cited sitIDaniville, JKy., Apcril 11, 186 3. UCsarles Solcer, Co. 1), died at Neesevlle, Tenn., April 22, 186:1. Aridl Tou~ley, Co. 1), dieit at Nashivills, Tenn., June 15, 186:3. Samuel Trtsedale', C. 1), died at Nasisvilte, Tenn., Atug. 23, 186:1. Marcus A. Carltots, Co. K, diet at Nshivitlce, Tentn., June 19, 186:1. Absratm Ketets, co. E, cited at Lexintigoss,tKy., Nov. 28, 1862. P K. White, Co. iI, plied at Nashilile, Tenn., Mlay 2, 186:1. George Wosodwortlh, Ccs. It,sliest it Nasviltte, Tents., Slay 2, 1863. Henry J. Lyccus, Co. 1, died at Lexington, K~y., Jan. 17, 186:1. Ezekiel G3. Brower, Co. 1., died at Covintont,IKy., Oct. 9, 186:1. Jccs. It. Nute, Co. A, rnices. in set, at Chickmn'ga, Tenn., Sept. 211, '63; ret. 31. T. North, Co. A, totes. its act, at Cisicknaga, Tettn., Sopt. 20s, ' 31; ret W. Atelsinscen, Co. A, miss. In actc. at Clslckt'ga, Tenn., Sept."210,'63; ret. Jos. IDexter, Co. A, tiss. in act, at Chickm'ga, Tenn., Sept. 201,'63; ret. C. WV. Bump, Co. A, mirs. in act. at Ctstckts'gc, Tenn., Setet. 211,'6:1; ret. K. Sperry, CJo. A, tulsa. in act. at Clsckt'ga, Tenn., Sopd. 211,'6:1; ret A. E. Cotlis, Co. A, tsatss. isn act. at Chickts'gcs, Tetsn., Setst. 20I,'6:3; ret. J. IP. Simpsoan, Co. A, tile. in sict, at Clstcktu'ga, Tenn., Sepct. 201, '6:1 ; ret. Ed. Fields, Co. A,.utisa. in act. at Cihickninga, Tentt., Sept 20, '63; ri, . JosaeishHail, CJo. A, misss in act, at Ctiickts'ga, Totu., Sejcl. 20, '63; ret. Tisos. Taft, Co. A, miss. In ct cut Chihekusga, Tenn., Sept. 201,'6:1; ret. SM. Showers, Co. A, miss. its act,.sit Ciicktssga, Tenn., Sept. 21), '6:1 ; ret. W. illlingsseaud, Ccc. A, nsiss. its act, at Chickts'ga, Teti n., Sept. 20, '6 1; ret. It. Kinapp, Co. A, m'es. Its act, at Clh ckti'gs, Tenn., Scud. 20, '63; ret. W. E. Ilirdeeli, Co. A, nils. in act, at 'hsickt'ga, Tenn., Scit. 201, '53; ret. 15. Meahier, Co. C, ttti. in act. at Clickinga, Tenn., Setpt. 211, '6:1; ret. SI. leardahee, Co. 15, uiss. in act, at Ch.ckttsga, Tents., Seplt. 211,'63; ret. XV. Scrantcon, Co. 15,nmi,.s. its act. at Ciicknigs, Tenn., Sept. 20, '6 1; ret. It. F. Datsiels, Cco. 15, uss, in sect. cit Chicktss'gs, Tenn., Sept. 211,'63; ret. 43. WV. Iriggs, Co. 15, siss, in act, at ('hilclcicga, Tenn., Sept. 20, '6.1; ret. F. Bickfccrd, Co. 15, cuss. in set, at Ctslcktssga, Tettn., Sept. 2r1,'6:1; ret. 1B. BTkforeh, Co. 15, nmlss, in scot. at Chicktsi'ga, Tenn., Sepct., 201, '6:1; ret. 11. hennon, Co. 15, nsiss. its act, at Chsrkns'ga, Tescn., Sept. 211, 61; ret. S. Carter, Co. 1P, miss. in act. at Chickn'ga, Tettn., Sept. 210, '63; ret. 0. A. Drake, Co. 5, usiss. Itsacit. at Cilekinga, Tetin , Sept. 241, '63; ret. Otuar Falh, Cit. 15, sissing at Ctickamttgau, Tenn., Sept. 211, '63; ret. Jas. it. Gritlicy, Co. 1D, inesitcg at Chiickansittgc, Tetto., Sept. 211 '6:3; ret. Martin ltotsght, Co., 1, ci is-icg at Chc ckantscga, Tents., Sepct. 2t, '61; ret. Peter Lowee, Co. 15, sissing at Cltickatnatga, Tcetct., Selpt. 20, '6:31; ret. Robert Lciwe, In 15, nisesitng at Chickatcsattg, Tentc., Salt. 2, '6:1; ret. Jos. Nteseraslel, Co. 15, nilosing at Chisikansatigsi, Tents., Selet. 211, '63; ret. Win. Dlatwaring, Co. 15, tis~i. at Chitokanaga, Tenn., Scipt. 211, '6:1; ret. Win. Maiccarct, Co 15, missitcg it 'hiklarttsscga, Tentc., Sepct 20, '6:3; ret. IT. MlcQtseen, Co. 15,tniesing at Chickamum~tga, Tencc., Sept 20, '6:t; ret. Charles Stills, Co. )15, tss:ng at Ctirkaansaciga, Tents., Sept. 20, '6:1; ret. ttsgh Otare, Co. 1), messrg sat Ctickausiciga, Tenn., Sept. 20, '63 ; ret. Win. Thsarrett, Co. 1), tcissing at Chickarcatsgei, Tents., Sept. 21, '6:3; ret. W., Van Atutwerpc, Co. 1), miss, at Chiclcattatga, Tctct., Sept. 211, '6 1; ret. Nelson Vlcick, Cc.l, Iimtissing at Chickatnacsga, Tenn., Sepit. 211, '6:3 ; ret. L. Goodwitc, Co. 15, missing at Cisckamsugas. Tetnn., Sept. 211,'6:1; ret. Jas. WV.liriggs, Co. 15, messitig at Chickansatuga, Tetn Sepct. Ill, '6:3; ret. Thus. Boswers, Ccc.15, nisieitg at Ciickamacuga, Tenn., Sell). 2(1, '6:1; ret. James Ross, Cc. 15, missitig at Chickutccactge-, 1Tenn.. Sept. 2(1, '6:1 ; ret. Jared B. Gray, Co. E, ts:ssitug at Clhickansaugae, Tetit., Scpt. 2(1, '63; ret. Jno. 1. Stetze, Co. E, usissint sit ~scksmautg:e, STett, Sipt. 10, '6:3, ret. 11. Shiurtliff, Co. E, miseitng it Chicksattga, 'Tenn., Sept. '211,'6:1; ret. Rt. Bocwerttan, Coi. Ii, oissin; at t'hsckatscstga, Titit., Sept. 211,'63 ; ret. 43. S. Cranetall, Co. It, ucl-tog at Chickancauga, Tenn., Sept. 2o, '6:1, ret. hI. B. Ituttis, Co. It, omissitig at Clickatssatg s, Tetit., Sept. 211, '6:3; ret. Jas. 15. tlood, Cio. I), missing at Chsrickitsascga, Tetsc., Sept. 211, '6.1; ret. Blarlow 13. l~atining, missing at Clsickatitsgcs, Tennt., Soil. 20,'61;(died at Andereunvilte, Gre., Jushy Ice, 18(14. Chias. J. Nashc, Co. It, tissitsg at Chickamauga, Tenn., Sept. 211, 63 ; ret. Albert Blaker, Co. 1, aissing it Chickaiutga, Teten., Sepct. 211, 186:1; ret. Alg. S. Madison, Co. I, tssintg :it Chikciugi, lTenn., Sept. 211, '6:3; ret. Chias. Bacrtcer, Co. I, misitsg :it Chickansaci, Tetnn., Sepct. 211, 186:1; ret. Rticheard Newell, Co. I, miss. cut Chickcatsauga, Tetnn., Selt. 20, 186:1; ret. Ahfred Piersotc, Co. I, tssts-itcg it Clsickitssacs~,'T'ett., Scept. 211, '6:1; ret. DMarvicn Ioget, Cu I, missing it Chicksscsitsge, Tents., Sipt. 21,1863; ret. Daniel Johnson, Co. I, mils. at Chickamncuga, Tetcts., Seipt. 2it, l16; ret. 1'. hrove, C. . I, ns:&ng cut(hsickamsaug, Tetst., Stat. 2(1, '6:1; retutrtsec. Abrahcans T. Bll, Coe. I, tess. it Cltickaiciattga, Tents., Sepct. 211,186:1; ret, Jamtes (.reason, Co. 1, tmissitcg at Chicksass ts, Tetsts., Seipt. 210, '6:1; ret. Geo. '1. Goocdell, Co. It mssie itc t Chickamsitgai, Tlet., Sepct. 1(0,'6:1; rept. Jcohnltazletotc, Coi. I, tiissticg at Chslickccnsictga, Tetsn , Sept. 2(1, '6:i;ret. Theaddceus Itynoc, Ccc , I nlissg sit Chickasauigie, TIndt,Seict. 211,'6:1; ret, tetiry Sutton, Co. 1, cs-itcg at Chickaetssacga, Tctss., SeptI. 211,'63; ret. Alfred I. Skitiney, Coe. h, tss. it Chiickatssatsg; s, Tetnn., Sejct. 211, '63; ret. Thrits Vincent, Csc. I, 5m15s. at Cicrkceniacsga, Tetst., Sepct. 2(1,'11:3; ret. hhenry Vreeenburg, Co. I, usies. at thsisckttsacsgs,Tetnn. Sept. 2ll1,'63;tret. Jchsn Wilson, Co. 1, tisielig sit Clilektistiga, Titsn., Sept. 2(1, 186:1; ret. Stepchien Wymssin, Cit. 1, 01 c. at Chicksinttsatta, Tenn., Sept. 2tI, 186:1; ret. Thscenas hI. Tretscier, Cc. A, ilischsargest for ci-alility Jan. 7, 186:1. XWiliatu Stturgis, Co. A, de ,hsirgedl for disability Jain. 7, 186:1. Sattuel Foleier, Coe. A, iischsarged feer udisabiity Jant. 7, 186.1. Eldsani It. Tonis, Cce. A, dichah~rged for edisalility April 11, 186:1. Julio , 1'ig _.\ . _ .c1y., _C,.!. A"i.hars i hiaslc Aci :16.1. Williams W. Sly, Cit. I, disctrree for disaltility Sept. 26, 18631. 11. S. Vein Assstcsrghs, Co. 1, discisarged for decelility Aug. 291, 186. JCrnelicss L. locirhis, Ccc. A, drowned at Covitsgtucs,tKy., Sepct. 8, 3862. George SI. Hoswell, Co. A, cuied at Lexitsgtscn, K~y., lice. 8, 1862. Martin 1)., Grow, Co. i,tied at L~exisngton, IKy., lic. 17, 1862. Jletjamsin htolf Co. 1), duel at Lexintocn, tKy., 1Dec. 124, 1862. Juhin French, Co. 15, clued at Lexinglitsn,IKy., lic. 3(, 1861. George B. Flint, Co. It, accidhettlly slit li.tsscht Sept. 16, 1862. IDatsiel Frusiser, Cos. I, cited t iexitngtoni,hKy., 1Dec. 21, 1862. Luicius E. Sticktsey, Co. A, di;ctargedl6ft"slisabliity Dec. 8, 1802. llurr Dexter, Co. A, dcsclsargecl fir disability Dec.. 7, 1862. JohsIss lstect, Cis.15, cisclsargisI for disability Dec. 26, 1862. Bssrntsatss . Barbcer, Cu. 11, di cisarged for cdisabtlity 15ec. 6, 1862. Cornelius Van ltitter, Co. Ii, eisehiarged 11r disaic.lity Dies. 26, 1862. Win.ss, tlilgslstad, Co. A, tLed at tlsattascoga, 'Tesn., ccf scus, Ot. 21,'61. Geeo. Bissuvelt, Cs. A. tdcci at Chsattatnoogas, lesstc., sof sida, Nov. 18,'6;3. Lusther Goodwini, Co. 1), died at Clcitiisiga, Tetst., 'if w'ds, Oct. 12,1'63. Thus.. SI leers, Cc. It, dieid at Chiattanooag, Tenu.,of w s, Nov. 14,'6:1. JohsnItogiseton, Co. It, cied at Stevensons, Ala., of vuttsdc, Oct. 9, 186:3. Albsert Baker, Co. 1, died at Chaittanoogu, Tcesn., Oct. '_11, 38111. Algcrtson S. Macisots,Co. , dled at Chattasigst, 'enn., Oct. 2t0, 1863. Chinles Barber, Co. I, died. Jochn t1I. F:eser, Cue. A, fil in toilitary prison at Flocretnee, S. C. XWesley Noe, Co. A, died at Chsattatseoga, Tenn., Felc. 34, 1864. Echwitn I. Soith, Cc. A, died at Dietrit, Vetb. 2l, 186. Thscinas Ta t, Co. A, duel cit Danville, Vii., Dec. 24, 186:1. Sauces Dicllvaitse, Co. A4, diesh at Lookoct Sit., Tents., Se-pt. 23, 1864. Sanauel Leaicer, Co. C, 'lied at Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 24, 3864. Omer Fall, Co. 1), died set Ilanville, Va., Dec. 6, 18111. XWm. M1.IHowlandi, Cu. 15,(liced Nov. 3, 1863. Frsanklin Bickfordh, Ccc. 15, died at Danville, XVa., Dec. 20,1, 863. Itenry Lewtess, (Jo. 15, dieid at Dianville, Vii, Jen. 1, 18f64. DMoses A. leariahee, Co. 1), ieed ct Anclersicovilte, Ga., Jctly, 20, 3864. Stepisen Carter, Co. 15, died cat Danville, Vas., Macchs1:1, 1861, FMDartin Iloughi, Cu. , 5,lited at msil. pr -on, Aoiierscnville, (Ia., June 1:3,'64. lTas. tI. Grinsley,Co. 15,dicel at osil. priocen, Anche'rs inv ite, Ga., June I4,&1. Jcacob Sackett, Co. It, died at Citittanoioga, Tenn., JTttce 36, 1(6. Charles Naseh, Co. IT, died at nt. pirson, Anclerslonvilte, Ga., Jttne 17,'1. t. P. Ilowerman, Co. 11,'died ho mil. pris., Andereonc lle, Ga., Jtinel,64. Oscar Rtuggles, Coe. Ii, died in mil. prison, Andersictville, Ga., June 24,'64. 11 .s11.Taning, Co. II, cdtee in tiil. psris., AttcersotsvilI le, Ga , Jutte 14,('64. Janie B. Lerocy, Co., I. diesd at hlrictgepirt, Al~s., Nccv. 161, 1863. Wmu. Campbell, Co. 1, dlied its Michigan, Jan. 28, 1864. Parley 11. Elmer, Co. I,ciel at Cisattanicog e, Tentn., Fete. 22, 1864. Henry X'rechenhcsg, Co. I, hieel at Richsmoncd, Xa., Jan, 14, 1864. Thsomas Vincent, Co. I, dieil at t1:ohsnonch, Vss., Janlil, 1864. Suhn Wilso, Co. I, dlied at Riohmondcc, Vim., leb. 1(1, 1864. Samuel Citx, Co. 1, dieth at Chatauncoga, Tenn., Dicly 38, 1864. Itobt. 11. Eaton, Co. I, (lieel at Clsattattooga, Tenn., Jiune 12, 1864. Wos. leFait, Coc. I, died at Clsattatcoioga, Tentt., SMiy 19,1864. AmieJ. Brutnson, Co. hO, eiesh at Nashville, Ten n., Starch 2.1, 1861. Ehisisa Ames, Ccc. A, trnsferreet to Vet. lies. Cirbses c. 15, 186:1. Insc F. Benscon, Co. A, transfi'recI" to VetIles. Cir-pedJbn. 15, 3864. Hocrace Ilotteficrel, Co. A, tratssferred to Vet, Res. ('eirps April 10, 1814. JusonettNiorthi, Cu. A, trianeferredi hi Vet. es. Ciorics Attgcsst 1, 186:1. Itentry Smiths, Co. A, ttnsfi-rrei to Veit.lies. Coirps AprI 1(, 1864. Ahansiots icriets; 'Cec , 1,trcetssfe"rrecl to Vet. lRes. (iirls April 111, 18f64. Oliver Slecat, Co. I), trsinsferreh tic Vet. lies. Corpss Jacs. 15, 186. t'hilo 0. 1Divan, Co. A, eisclcargedchfir tdisablity O"t. 23,,186:1. Jamie15. Meyers, Co. A, elechiargect for tisatillty Nciv. 25, 1863. Jiavich F. Kietetutit, Coc. A, eischacrgecd fcir cisihclility l).c. 16, 1863. Pearl L. Mitchsell, Co. A, cl'aitsacgeh for disability IDec. 18, 186.1. Geo. W. Blacckmsats, Co. A, eisohsargect fcr cishility Nov. 27, 186:. XWts. 11. Smiths, Co. A, cischacrgei for uisability 15cc. 15, 186:1. Chsarhcs . 1. canil, Co. A, cischarged for dissicility 11cc. 17, 1861. Htenry P. Mlerrill, Cii. A, diechiargect for proctsctionc Aprih 9, 1861. Edwvard N. Setheck, Co. i), clischsargccl fer disabililty Slay 7, 186. Abratu 4. IWood, Co. I, discharged fir slisability Mantis 10, 1864. Alired Pierson, Co. I, discharged for disability April 2,186. George Wller, Co. 1, dischsarged fier disability Jusne 2, 1864. Gecirge XW. Iriggs, Ccc. U, kitlcit at Chicokatoanga Scict. 20, 386:3., dances XV. Briggs, Cu, 15, kille~d at Cisickssncatga Sept.,211, 186. LBetcjcacstinmtsanans, Co. 15, killIdist Clsickatsassga Slect. 241, 186. Roblert teowee, Cu, 1), killed at Chickcitncuga Sep~t. 2l1, 131 Jcohn Ross, Co. 15, killed at Chsdckanisugm Sell. 12o, 116.. W. A. Scranton, Co. h), killed at (hiickamcatgs Seit. 2i, 1863. Wmi. Van Atitwerp, Co. 15, killed at Chickamaiusga Slt. Ads, 186:1: George S. Crnncall, Co. hi, killed cit Clhickamncitga Sep~t. lid, 186.1. ChsarlesliRussell, Co. 11, killed sit Clsieleauasagc Sepct. 10, 186:1. Hetnry Kn~sapp, Co. A, died its a rebcel prnison Jats. 14, 186.. Lymn A. 'latt, Co. A, died in rebel prison at AscicirsoL vihle, Ga., Sept. 211, 1861.. J. P. Simpson, Co. A, died in rebel prisots at Andersonvilte, Ga., Oct. 10, 1864. George Swiger, Co. B, died at New Albany, Ind., Nssv. 24, 1864. Ilat, l. aher, Co. C, died its rebei riscons, A ndersotivihie, Ga., (Ott. 26,1864. John Dterrywemtlsen, Co. 15, died at SteDonald, Sties., Starch 219, 18115. James.{Ucivy, Co ...I,1did ins.elde." Y{. . a i orctsce..{. . -., l. ii 164 DMichsaelOLauglin, Co. 43, died at Nashsville, Scott., Juste 17, 186.5. Janses D. Ioid, Co. hi, died at .ttdersotsville, 0cct., Stay 2, 1864. NY. 1t. hRobiussoss, CO. 11, dieil st Asidereotiv ilie", acm., Slas 5, 1864. Albert B. Stuirgis, Co. 11, died at Chiattanooga, Tents., [Dee. 4, 186. Edusitid A. tobests, Co. hI, ediedist Cleattaciocga, Tessn., Novao, 1864. Lewis 15. Adisuss, Co. I, died at Chisttasnooga, Tets., Oct. 10,.186;1.. Thiadilcus lyo, Co. 1, died at Atide rsusvitle, Gat., Sept.;:10, 186. letnry Suttoss, Co. 1, died at Acsdersotsvil', Ga., Sehpt. ;its, 1864. F.. J. Htenmingwcay, Co. K, 'hied dm1 Chsattacsouga, Tetss., Slay 25, 186. JosepehsL.. Lasssb, Co. A, transferred to Veterasn Ieserce Corps. Edwini Pows, Ce. A,intsferrsecito 2lc slMich. Icilcustry. Edwvard F. Cisseedy, Co. A, trantsferred to 29tls Stole. Inifantry. George 1'. Ingertsoll, Co. A, tratnsierred to 2Jth libc. lIfsstry.. hicey 11. lTsreasiser, Cu. A, trasislei red to 29th Mi chi. Inlientry. Chsausncey XWalcott, Co. A, tnitsaerred to 29ils DMels. Itifautry. Oacr Purdcy, Co. A, trnmsferred to l2ts liels.tfomtty. dames IE. Sparlittg, Co. A, tritnsferred to 29llshSIch. liscautry. Altots . Watson, Co. A4, tracsfeiresl to 29th Mich. ssInfatry. Thucrston tliekey, Co. A, trattsferred to l2lls Dieh. Itifasitry. XWiiliistu Irwin, Co. A, trasnsfersed to 29th Sltch. Isifantry. Iliraso Itisses, Co. A,. trasferreci to lasthDitch. Infantry. Gardsser Lcikecood, Co. 11, tratisferred lie 29lls itts. infa ntry. JohntsDonnelly, Co. iB, tsansfersred tic lallsMDtel. Itsflttry. xx HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1 0 Gad Norton, Co. B, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John L. Lipporly, Co. B, transferred to 29th Miclh. Infantry. Michael Ostin, Co. C, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John Ducker, Co. C, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Jacob W. Grosvenor, Co. C, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Patrick Guggan, Co. C, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Andrew J. Scott, Co. C, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Samuel B. IIuntoon, Co. 1), transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps. Horace I'rindle, Co. D, transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps. Oliver Sloat, Co. D, transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps. David 31. Ilowser, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Ira J. Slpncer, Co. D, transferred to 29th 3ich. Infantry. Daniel Rhone, Co. DI), trans. erred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Elisha Linch, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Thomas B. Allen, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Uriah Irish, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Alexander E. Fox, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. George W. Cassemer, Co. D, tratisferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John C. Vial, Co. D, transferred to 29th tich. Infantry. Frank N. Vial, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mlich. Infiantry. Samuel S. Boud, Co. D, transf.rred to29th Mich. Infantry. Ltnus Itr ckham, Co. D), transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John II. IlDuel, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Milo Cole, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. William Clark, Co. D., transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John C. Hawthorn, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John Clark, Co. D, transferred to29th Mich. Infantry. Elias II. Pershall, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Lewis J. Smith, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. William J. White, Co. DI), transferred to 29th Mich: Infantry. George W. Butler, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Joseph Chase, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. James Fitzpatrick, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Henry E. Lyman, Co. D, transferred to 29th blich. Infantry. Abner J. Spencer, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Julius A. Schuyler, Co. D, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Henry Tromley, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John MccKirchy, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. David II. Fessler, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John Gray, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Peter Shuley, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. Noah Moore, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. John Larkins, Co. E, transferred to 29th b3ch. Infantry. Elisha Catdy, Co. E, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. E. J. Waldron, Co. F, transferred to 29th Mich. Infantry. David Carter, Co F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Hlenry Armstrong, Co. F, transferred to, 29th Michigan Infantry. Jesse B. Grow, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. William A. Russell, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Jared Ogden, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Charles Moharter, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Patrick McGee, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Itobert It. Pollock, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Benjamin Feaster, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Andrew Summerfield, Co. F, transferred to 29th Mlichigan Infantry. Peter Ferguson, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Andrew J. Smith, Co. F, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Williatm Greene, Co. G, transferred to 29th1 Michigant Infantry. Jacob B. Fox, Co. G, transferred to 29th Mischigan Infantry. Purdle G. Casple, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. A. Trowbridge, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Lorenzo D. Gillett, Co. 0, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Nathaniel G. Smith, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Isaac Banghart, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Albert G. Culver, Co. 0, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Alfred Ballard, Co. 0, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. I'harmas Ballard, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Thomas Callahan, Co. G, transferred to 29th blirhigan Inftntry. Thomas S. Newton, Co. G, transferred to 29th blichigan Inlantry. Leander Peters, Co. 0, transferred to 29th blichigan Infaintry. Juling Peters, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. John Snow, Co. 0, transferred to 29th Mlichigan Infantry. Napoleon B. Taylor, Co. 0, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Anderson Cain, Co. G, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Lyman S. Clark, Co. It, transferred to 29th Mchigan Infantry. William Campbell, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Edward Berry, Co. II, tnsferred to 29th blichigan Infantry. Bryan Fleming, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Amos Shirts, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. John W. Clark, Co. II, transferred to 2Jth Michigan Infantry. Alfred Deckle, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infintry. William Downs, o,. II, transferred to 29th Michlgan Infantry. Bradford E. Gates, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Edward C. Iladdrell, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Edwin E. Lewis, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. F. II. G. Lawrence, Co. II, transferred to 29th Mlchigan Infantry. Hlorace Rockwell, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Spencer Sotsher, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Stuart V. Washee, Co. It, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Merchant E. Ruggles, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Myron Rathbun, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infanimtry. Melvin D. RItathibun, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigatn Infantry. Clayton Tayor, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Henry A. Stephens, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Andrew Close, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Orville Harden, Co. II, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Richard Newell, Co. I, transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps. Stephen Wyman, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Hickok Barns, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Julius C. Peck, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. IHomer Parker, Co. I, transferred to 29th* Michigan Infantry. C. II. Van Amburg, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. George P. Smith, Co. I, transferred to 29th Miichigan Infantry. Oscar Kelsey, Co. I, transferred to 29th Mllchigan Infantry. Benjamin C. Moore, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Albert Manypenny, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infentry. Albert S Van Amberg, C,. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Benjamin R. Hall, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan nfantry. Hlenry Nempkie, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Henry Compter, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. John Wilk, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Wm. E. Leavers, Co. I, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. John Lanclhon, Co. I, transfirred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Henry P. Baker, Co. K, translferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Jothn M31. Close, Co. K, transferred to 290th Michigan Infantry. George 31. Crawford, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Thos. 31. Champhlain, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. John HI. Dewitt, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Nelson Harper, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. George W. IHowarth, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. Vsslney E. Lacey, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. A. R. Sampson, Co. K, transferred to 290th Michigan Infantry. Enos S. Whitcomb, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. J. D. IHammond, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Intfantry. Alfred E. Ilowell, Co. K, transferred to 29th Michigan Infantry. blyron T. North, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Legrant Fisher, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 186.5. William A. Achinson, Co. A, d scharged for promotion Jan. 4, 1865. Peter L. Tremper, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Albert M31. Jackaway, Co. A, dischargeud for disability Oct. 10,1863. Chester 31. Denmons, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Erastus F. Sperry, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. David Snyder, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Livingston hall, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Thomas L. Tremper, Co. A, discharged for disability Jan. 7, 1863. Charles W. Dump, Co. A, mustered out May 30, 1865. John Beckitt, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 186,5. IHorace Botsford, Co. A, mustered out July 2(0, 1865. Warren N. Crandall, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Arthur E. Collins, Co. A, mustered out June 9, 1865. Silas B. Coats, Co. A, mustered out June 2, 1865. John Donaldson, Co,. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Ray Everitt, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Samuel Fowler, Co. A, discharged for disability Jan. 7, 1863. Edward Field, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Ira Goodrich, Co. A, discharged fsr disability Sept. 20, 1863. George W. Gilbert, Co. A, discharged for disability July 29, 1863. George W. Hilll, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Ilodkin, Co. A, mustered out July 12, 1865. Collins Kelley, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Franklin Knowlton, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. John II. Miller, Co. A, mustered out June 26,1865. Robert Malcom, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Ihenry Moore, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Judson North, Co. A, mustered out June 28, 1865. Robert F. Potts, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. James W. PIollok, Co. A, discharged for disability May 12,1863. John Pigney, Co.A, dischargel for disability April 13, 1863. Orlin Percey, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Rose, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Hlenry Smith, Co. A, mustered out July 2, 1865. Charles Sturgis, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Sturgis, Co. A, discharged for disability Jan. 7, 1863. William Seaton, Co. A, mustered out May 22, 1865. Justus W. Sage, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Edwin R. Terry, Co. A, discharged for disability April 17, 1863. Edward II. Toms, Co. A, discharged for disability April 11, 1863. Wliams E. Toles, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Jerry Webb, Co. A, mustered out June '26, 1865. Hludson Wilcox, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Otis Wilson, Co. A, mustered out Juno 26, 18635. John Wsod, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. W. II. Weand, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Charles Wsison, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Peter McFarland, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Aaron T. Nichols, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. Ilenry B. Delong, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 1865. James A. flall, Co. A, mustered out June 26, 186.5. William J. Oehsorn, Co. A, mustered out June26, 1865. Oliver M. Cook, Co. B, mtstered out June 26, 1865. Jerry D. Cook, Co. B, mustered out June 26, 1865. Ilenry Credit, Co. B, mustered out June 26,1865. Lucius L. Frank, Co. B, mustered out June 26, 1865. George 31. Merchant, Co. B, mustered out June 26, 1865. Jases II. Gould, Co. B, mustered out June 26, 1865. Gessrge Sherman, Co. C, mustered out June 26, 1865. George W. Brown, Co. C, mustered out June 26,1865. IRemain I1. Walow, Co. C, mustered out June 26, 1865. Daniel F. Chipman, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. James II. Dawson, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Thomas M. Wiley, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Sanford L. Brown, Co. D, mustered out Juno 26, 1865. Daniel B. Goodrich, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Otis Knapp, Co. D, discharged for disability, Nov. 27, 1862. George Adkin, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Charles Adkin, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. George Blakeslee, Co. D, discharged Aug. 22, 1862. Myron L. Blckford, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Alanson Barden, Co. D, mustered out June 29, 1865. Silas Ca.-amer, Co. D, mustered out June 26. 1865. John Cooper, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Philip Durkee, Co. D, discharged August 22, 1862. Imram F. Daniels, Co. D, mustered out June 9, 1865. John Dunn, Co. D, discharged for disability Nov. 3, 1863.. Asahel B. Emmons, Co. D, mustered out June 29, 1865. Ilenry Fall, Co. D, mustered out June 21, 1865. Thomas Fitzpatrick, Co. D, mustered out June 21, 1865. Elisha IHoard, Co. D, discharged for disability Nov. 27, 1862. Robert Hawthorn, Co. D, mustered out June 26,1865. Charles Ilale, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. James Jolhnson, Co. D, discharged for disability Nov. 27,1862. Peter Lanman, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Lewless, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Charles II. Miles, Co. D, mustered out July lo, 1865. Thomas W. Masters, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. William McCrcken, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Samuel Martin, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Joseph Meserall, Co. D, mustered out June 19, 1863. Edmund O'Rourk, Co. D, mustered out May 15, 18',5. Norman F. Payne, Co. D, mustered out Juno 26, 1865. Arthur Patch, Co. D, mustered out June 26,1865. Charles Pease, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Seth C. Randall, Co. D, discharged for disability April 12, 1865. Joseph Roe, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Wm. Truesdell, Co. D, mustered out Juno 9, 1863. Thomas II. Tucker, C,. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. IHugh Trenor, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. Andrew J. Valentine, Co. 1), mustered out June 26, 1865. Frederick WellandI, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. George Wass, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. IHenry McQueen, Co. D, mustered out June 26, 1865. James blorrissa, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. George W. Owen, Co. D, mustered out Juno 26, 1895. Daniel W. Craft, Co. E, mustered out June 26, 186.5. W. II. Shannahan, Co. E, mustered out June 26, 1865. Daniel Benton, Co. E, mustered out June 26, 1865. Edwin W. Pratt, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Truman Rohrabache, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Sylvester O. Barber, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Newton Babcock, Co. II, mustered out July 7, 1865. Larkin Baker, Co. II, mustered out May 25, 1865. C. Calkins, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. W. W. Hewitt, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Hlenry It. IHolmes, Co. I1, mustered out June 26, 1865. John Ling, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Levi Maxfield, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. George II. McCrossen, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Orvin D. Stephens, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. Thomas Skelton, Co. II, mustered out June 26, 1865. WilliamIm II. Stephens, Co. II, mustered out June 26,1865. Charles Wilkinson, Co. 11, mustered out June 26, 1865. John McMIillan, Co. II, mustered out July 18, 1865. George W. Hlaynor, Co. II, mustered out August 5, 1865. lPhilip IHaddrell, Co. II, mustered out July 28, 1865. William Lambert, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Mi arion Boget, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Daniel Johnson, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. John Fisher, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. James Calhoun, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Watson Sibley, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Charles G. Smith, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Walter Abbey, Co. I, mustered out July 28, 1865. James PI. Allen, Co. I, mustered out May 25, 1865. Abraham T. Ilell, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Crippen, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Thomas Calhoun, Co. I, mustered out June 26,1865. William R. Cowles, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Sumner S. Clark, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. II. W. Davis, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 186.5. Noah Ecklon, Co. 1, mustered out June 26, 1865. Washington W. Force, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. James Gresson, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Gibbs, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Marcena Goodell, Co. I, mustered out June 19, 1865. Newton larrington, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Horton, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. John Ilazleton, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Charles Johnson, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Lewis, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Charles S. Moore, Co. I, mustered out blay 25, 1865. James Mead, Co. 1, mustered out June 26, 1815. Win. II. Marathon, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Daniel Newll, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. William Osborn, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Asa Pryor, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. George larks, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. John Post, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Levi Quick, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. John Roberts, Co. I, mnstered out June 26, 1865. Alfred Soulby, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Edward iPayne, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Alfred J. Skinner, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Elijah Vredenburgh, Co. I, discharged for disability April 8, 1863. Calvin Whitney, Co. I, mustered out June 26, 1865. Thomas Ward, Co. I, discharged for disability April 28, 1865. Charles Lyman, Co. I, discharged for disability April 28, 1865. Silas Warner, Co. I, mustered out May 6, 1865. Jerome W. Hand, Co. I, mustered out July 18, 1805. TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY. Addison C. Shaw, chaplain, March 10, 1864. Lynder Whipple, Co. A, transferred to 28th Michigan Infantry. William Jones, Co. I, transferred to 28th Michigan Infantry. George Mundy, Co. E, mustered out June 28, 1865. Edwin 31. Butler, Co. K, mustered out June 28, 1865. O. II. 31. Ileusted, born Feb. 1, 1838, in the township of Groveland, Oak- land Co., Mich.; enlisted in Cu. D, R23d Mich. Inf. Aug. 1, 1862; discharged "at the request of the Governor of Kentucky" to en. able him to accept a commission as let lieut. Co. A, 37th Ken- tucky Vols., Nov. 17, 1861; appointed by the President major 116th U. S. C. Inf. July 9,1861; resigued as major 116th U. S.C. Inf. Nov. 27, 1864. TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY. George G. Cady, Co. II, discharged for disability Sept. 25, 1862. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xxi Stephen Jackson, Co. A, died at City Point, Va., June 4,1864, of wounds. Charles Pinkerton, Co. C, killed at Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864. Harvey J. Brown, Co. A, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Feb. 15, 1864. Dexter B. Crosby, Co. A., transferred to Vet. Res. Corps May 1, 1864. Thomas Nixon, Co. B, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps May 1,1804. John Parish, Co. A, mustered out June 30, 180.5. Henry Patno, Co. A, mustered out June 30, 1865. James O. Smith, Co. A, mustered out June 30, 1865. John Newman, Co. B, mustered out June 30, 1865. Henry McWithey, Co. B, mustered out June 30, 1865. Henry Brown, Co. D, mustered out June 30, 1865. Lewis Fisher, Co. D, mustered out June 30, 1865. James C. Dancer, Co. D, mustered out June 30, 1865. Frank Pexley, Co. F, mustered out June 30, 185. Lansford Wilcox, Co. F, mustered out June 30, 1865. Andrew Moore, Co. F, mustered out June 30, 1865. Edward Phillips, Co. F, mustered out June 30, 1865. Henry S. Paris, Co. 0, mustered out June 30, 1865. Daniel McGraw, Co. II, mustered out June 30,1865. George Gottwall, Co. II, mutered out June 30, 1865. James Miller, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. William Morton, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. James Lynch, Co. K, mustered out May 31, 1865. Alanson Cain, Co. K, mustered out June 31, 1865. Edwin M. Huntington, Co. K, mustered out June 28, 1865. John Harris, mustered out June 30, 1865. William Hlollister, mustered out June 30, 1865. Edwin C. Noyes, mustered out June 30, 1865. Charles It. Safford, austered out June 30, 1865. Richard Scarritt, mustered out June 30, 1865. Robert Wyckoff, mustered out June 30. 1865. TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY.' John G. Kirk, Co. II, mustered out. Charles F. Hollis, Co. K, mustered out May 30, 1865. TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY. FIRST INDEPENDENT COMPANY OF SHARPSHOOTERS, AT- TACIIED TO TWENTY-SEVENTII INFANTRY. Campbell Miller, killed at Petersburg, Va., July 14, 1864. Birdsell Bates, Co. G, missing at Campbell Station, Va., Nov. 10, 1804; returned; mustered out July 20, 1865. Bartholomew Buchanan, Co. D, trans. to Vet. Res. Corps Jan. 15, 1864. Stephen Kingsley, Co. D, died at Camp Chase, 0., June 1, 1865. John Moore, Co. D, died at Richmond, Va., April 1, 1864. Salvanus Dolph, Co. G, died at Salisbury, N. C., May 22,1864. John Fuller, Co. G, died at Camp Wisner, Mich., March 2,1863. Wilson R. Vleet, Co. E, mustered out July 26,1865. John Spindler, Co. E, mustered out July 26. 185. John Wilson, Co. E, discharged for disability June 13,1865. Peter McGrath, Co. F, mustered out May 22,1805. Thomas Cadet, Co. F, discharged for disability Dec. 25, 1864. Thomas Tinsley, Co. F, mnu-tered out June 26, 1865. John Brown, Co. F, discharged for disability June 13, 1865. James Conafleld, Co. G, mustered out July 21, 1865. George W. Frost, Co. G, mustered out May 29, 1865. William Farrell, Co. G, mustered out July 26, 1865. Henry IIonert, Co. K, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. Wray Mitchell, 1st Ind. Co, mustered out July 26, 1865. TWENTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY. William J. Lee, Co. B, mustered out June 8,1865. Lindon Whipple, Co. F, mustered out June 5, 1866. TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY. Frederick Van Vllet, 2d lieut. July 29, 1864; killed on the Shelbyville Pike, near Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 15, 1864. John Ducher, Co. C, died at Murfreesboro', Tenn., Aug. 4, 1865. R. A. Thrasher, Co. F, died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 29, 1865. Frank W. Lawrence, Cs. II, supposed to have died. E. F. Cassidy, Co. A, discharged for disability Aug. 7, 185. Thurston Hickory, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Sidney W. Davy, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John N. Sipperly, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Gad Norton, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Gardner Lockwood, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John Bundle, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 185. B. C. Carlton, Co. B, mustered oaat Sept 6, 1865. Joseph Grow, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Robert Pollock, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Peter Ferguson, Co. B, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Michael Austin, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Patrick Dugan, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Thomas B. Allen, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Samuel Boyd, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865 Linus Bookham, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. J. II. Buell, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. G. W. Butler, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. G. W. Cosmar, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Milo Cole, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John Clark, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William Clark, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Joseph Chase, Co. D, mustred out Sept. 6, 1865. A. C. Fox, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. James Fitzpatrick, Co. D, mustered out tept. 6, 1865. Uriah Irish, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Elisha Lynch, Co. D, namustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Henry E. Lyman. Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Elias M. Pearsall, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John C. Vial, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Frank M. Vial, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. .Daniel Itohn, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6,1865. Louis G. Smith, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William J. White, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Felix Bouchard, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Elisha Cady, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William II. Cx, Co. E, muastered out Sept. 6, 1865. D. IT. Fesler, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John Grey, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 185. F. Grandchamp, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John Larkins, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Noah Moore, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Henry Trumley, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Thomas Undrill, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John McKerchy, Co. E, muster-d out Sept. 6, 1865. John 11. lawthorn, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 186.5. Julius A. Schuyler, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. George P. Ingersoll, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Oscar Purcy, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. J. E. Sparling, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Chauncy Wolcott, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. A. D. Watson, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Henry Armstrong, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. David Carter, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Philip Ilumm.'r, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Andrew Smith, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Everett Z. Waldron, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Frank Yarman, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Alphonzo Ballard, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 186.5. Phoenix Ballard, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 18.5. Anderson Cain, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Thomas Callahan, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Jacob B. Fox, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. L. D. Gillet, Co. G, mustered out S,.pt. 6, 1865. Purdy Glasple, Co. G, mustered out Sept 6, 1865. C. L. HIorton, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Julius Peters, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. N. G. Smith, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John Sonover, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. N. B. Taylor, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6. 1865. IIartson Gillett, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 16, 1865. Isaac Banghart, Co. G, mustered out Sapt. 6, 1865. Albert G. Culver, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William Grono, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Thomas Newton, Co. (, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Amariah Trowbridge, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Orville Borden, Co. 11, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William Campbell, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Alfred Dickey, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William Downs, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Ryan Fleming, Co. It, mustered out Sept. 6 1865. B. E. Gates, Co. II, mustered ut Sept. 6,1865. E E. Lewis, Co. H, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Edward B. Berry, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Hlorace Rockwell, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Merchant E. Ruggles, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Myron Bathburne, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Mt. D. Rathburne, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. I. A. Stevens, Co. II, mustered tout Sept. 6, 1865. Amos Shirts, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Franklin Dibble, Co. 11, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Ogden Strulle, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Clayton Taylor, Co. 11, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Henry lourter, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Jacob W. Grosvenor, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Barnes Hlickok, Co. I, mustered out Sept. c, 186.5. Albert Merrypenny, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. harry Nempke, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Julius C. Peck, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Hlomer Parker, Co. I, mustered (ut Sept. 6, 1865. Oscar Kelsey, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. William E. Sebers, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. A. J. Scott, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. A. Van Leuven, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Charles Van Amburg, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John Laadshaw, Co. I, musterpd aimat Sept. 6, 1865. Andrew Summerfield, to. I, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. II. P. Baker, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. C. A. Brewster, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 18. T. M1. Champlain, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. John II. Dewitt, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. James Graham, Co. K, nautered out Sept. 6, 1865. J. B. hIanamond, Co. Ki, mustered ouat Sept. 6, 1865. Volney E. Lacy, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. A. R. Simpson, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 21, 1865. George 3t. Crawford, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. Calhoun Campbell, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 6, 1865. THIRTIETH INFANTRY. William A. Atchinson, 2d lieut. IHenry II. Parmenter, Co. C, died at Jackson, Mich., June 7, 1865. Hiarrison Yerkee, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. George W. Crawford, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. Jerome Collier, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. Josiah Emery, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. Luther A. IHurlburt, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. George E. Iloughtaling, Co. C, mustered out June 30,1865. Lucius A. Randall, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. Hamilton Parkin, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. Lucius A. Skinner, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. Richard Smitherman, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. James Wood, Co. C, mustered out June 20, 1865. Arthur II. Webster, Co. C, mustered out June 30, 1865. James F. IHarrington, Co. D, mustered out June 30, 1865. Alvin Wixon, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Silas A. IHowe, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. William Gile, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Daniel T. Marshall, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Charles F. Comastock, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Newton Allen, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Oscar Beers, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Oscar E. Bottaford, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. James Carey, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Woodird Ford, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. William I. Green, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Alanson Gilbert, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 18G5. Francis Htosner, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Morris IHolmes, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. George ticks, Co. E, mustered out June .30, 1865. John P. hills, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. James Kinsman, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 186. Galuha E. Lail, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Orin W. Lawrence, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. William McGinnis, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Peter L. Mclntire, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Charles BUnrrett, Co. E, musteredl out June 30, 1865. James Root, Co. E, mustered out June :0, 1865. Frederick Root, Co. , mustered out June 30, 1865. Simeon D. Riodman, Co. 1:, maustered out June 30, 1865. William Smith, Co. E, mustered out June 3+0, 1865. George Spencer, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Charles B. Thomas, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 1865. Andrew Wiaund, Co. E, mustered out June 30, 186.5. John F. Hubbard, Co. F, mustered out June 30, 1865. Jahn 31. Holnmes, Co.F, mustered out June 30, 1865. Frank Rite, Co. II, mustered out June 30, 1865. Stephen W. Marshall, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. William Brown, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. James E. D. Cahill, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. Lewis Kenyon, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. George W. Muller, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. Squire Vescelins, Co. I, mustered out June 30,185. Amos L. Vescelins, Co. I, mustered out June 30, 1865. FIRST REGIMENT ENGINEERS AND MECHANICS. Thealaire It. Pratt, Co. I, 2i1 leut.; tat liemt. July 30,1862. Harlan S. Conant, Co. K, died May 11, 1862. Wain. B. Calkins, Co. E, died at Naashville, Tenn., Oct. 21,1862. Pardon Worden, Co. I, died at Louisville, Ky., March 21, 1862. Win. Simmonson, Co. E, discharged for disability Sept. 6, 1862. Alexander McDonald, Co. F,discharged far d'salhility July 18, 1862. Philip Mothersill, Co. I, discharged for disability April 21, 1862. Miles W. Bragg, Co. I, discharged for disability June 27, 1862. John A. Devan, Co. A, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 22, 1865. Charles Walter, Co. A, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 22, 1865. Wmn. Case, Co. A, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn, Sept. 22, 1865. Edwin Gidley, Co. B, discharged by order June 6, 1865. Win. Roat, Co. D, discharged by order July 10, 1805. Isaac F. Bradshaw, Co. D, discharged by order June 6, 1865. Jona. HIolmes, Co. F, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 22,1865. LutherS. Walton, Co. F, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 22,1865. Samuel Sparks, Co. F, discharged by order June 6, 1865. Alexander Angus, Co. F, discharged by order July 24,1865. Samuel W. IHicks, Co. F, discharged for disability May 1, 1865. Charles L. Packard, Co. F, discharged by order June 6,1865. James Hicks, Co. F, discharged by order June 6, 1865. Charles F. Bradshaw, Co. 0, discharged by order June 6, 1865. Thlealore Graves, Co. G, discharged by order June 6, 1865. George Lemon, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 22, 1865. Abram P. Burch, Co. I, discharged by order May 20,186.5. Win. W. Tomlinson, Co. I, discharged by order June 6, 1865. John Van Maeter, Co. I, discharged by order June 6, 1865. Daniel McGuire, Co. K, mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 22,1865. John Brink, Co. K, discharged by order June 6, 1865. John A. Glassford, Co. K, discharged by order Juno 6, 1865. Robert Leech, Co. I, discharged iy order June 6, 1865. John Shrevesmith, Co. K,discharged by order June 6, 1865. John C. Van Marter, Co. H, discharged by order May 18, 1865. FIRST MICHIGAN SHARPSHOOTERS. Lemuel R. Nichola, Co. C, sergt.; 1st lieot Co. K, Nov. 26, 1864. Charles Bragdon, Co. II, died at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill., Nov. 22, 186.3. Henry Underwood, Co. A, mustered out July 28, 1865. Myron 31. Gibbs, Co. F, mustered out August 4, 1864. ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND U. S. COLORED TROOPS. Joseph Marshall, Co. D, killed at Beaufort, S. C., Feb. 26, 1865. William Mason, Co. E, killed at Salkehatchie, S. C., Feb. 9, 1865. James Russell, Co. B, died at Beaufort, S. C., May 22, 1865. IHenry itarris, Co. I, died at Annapolis, Md., Jan. 20,1865. Richard Cross, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Isham Harris, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Joshua Jackson, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Frank Carter, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Edward Haines, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 30,1865. Samuel M. Mills, Co. C, discharged for disability May 11, 1865. William Spencer, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. James Walton, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. HIenry Harrison, 2d, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Samuel B. Thompson, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Jackson Stokes, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. James Doyle, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 30,1865. Killis Baker, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Thomas Moore, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 30, 185. George Washington, Co. E, discharged for disability June 5, 1864. George W. Read, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Jerry Lawrence, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Isaac Smith, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Joseph Cross, Co. F, discharged Oct. 28, 1865. Samuel Mallory, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Thomas Brown, Co. 0, nmustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Samuel HIuff, Co. G., mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. William Johnson, Co. G, discharged for disability Feb. 25, 1864. HISTORY OP OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. Frederick Heallantl, Co. G, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. Thomas Wilson, Co. 11, dischargetd Nov. 11, mc;1. Albert Pierce, Co. 1l, musteredi out Sept. 30t, 1805. Jolhn Andterson, Co. 1, miusteret i it Sittit. :10, 18105. Charles ttutlter, Co. 1, muistered out Sept. lit1, 1865. Witliamit ienuderson, Co. 1, rnitrterelt oit Sept. itt, 1865. James F.. Kelly, Co. 1, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. doses M'stre, Co. 1, ntustttrtitt out Sept. 30t, 150;5. Williatm Scott, Co. I, imusteredi out Sept. :"(, 18155. Itussiell 5'ooilf'or'l, Co. 1, utusteretd out Sept. 3)1, 1865 . Stephten Guess, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 30, 180.5. Chit' i Carter, Co. K, musteredl out Sept. 10, 186.5. Ceaotl i 51nigomery, Co. h, mustered out Sept. 30, 1865. DYGERTS SHARPSHOOTERS. (WITH SIXTEEFNTHI MICHIIGAN INFANTRYE) Wlilliam Schtitfer, tliscltirget fur tisability. TWENTY-THIRD ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS. Jaames Moor, Co. Adischtarged for dlisabtility April 1, 18615. STANTON GU&RDS. Ilamutotildbelling, miteretd outt Sept. 25, 1862. Wiltiitm elliutg, mtusteredt out Sept. 25 , 181 2. Geturge It. Freeitant, muiterttl out Sept. 25, 1862. Silas Warnter, mustered tiut Sept. 25, 1862. FIRST CAVALRY. Tlhornton F. Blrttdlead, col., killed at Bull Itun, Vs., Aug. 30, 1 862. Joseph T. Copelutnit, lieiit.-col.; col. Sit Cay. Aug. 14, 1862; brig.-gen. Ui. S. Vols. Nov. 'At, 186'2 Wellingittot W. Graty, 1st leut.; resigitetiSuite 11, 1862; rapt. 5th City Aug. 14, 18S62. William It. Wit,, 1stliteut.; uaj.9Oth Cay. Nov. 3, 1862; leut.-col. NV. Itt, 1863; cit. June 27. 1865. Frce'le i ik A. tttttlau'i, Co. 3t; 'apt to. M. 5th City., Aug. 14, 1862. l'itr'lyce If. Itod'gers, 'dlieut., itntetl'rilt ot!as liattl. lj't. Sept. It, I8Sf2. Amtlrtst Whit nmyCo. It, ieit a arlestiiwn, Va., Mtarcht 7,'62, of'wids. WilliamtiI ves,1Co. C 'Iaitargil for tlisahiil it,. Wmn. If. l. i 1 tnarti ,Co. C, (lisrltatrgi.'lfor 'I istttillty. Oliver Sieley, Ct.'0:, it'erttargei fir lisaltility Juily 1l, 1862. Abner IFritstCo.0Git'itearged 6wrtiatti lily Jil)', i, 1862. lIeu ry C. HattkettCo. C liscttrgoel for iiettaility .July, 18112. George Sat tlet,aCo. A, in sat itg i actiit i nt. 26, 186:3. llenry lWttiartuff, to. I',isstiitg inii situat Ftiri'hildl Gap July 4, 18631. Itavil icttICo. Itista'tiintoacttitn at Montirty July 4, 18631. l vi 11;'' ito. C,dits ttsargttt ft'r Iisabillity .Jan. 13, 18631. Jlfiijamiut Treitt, Cit. (, 'tischtargedl for liutetitot Felt. 18, 1863. Wiiliamutttizzell, Co. t., lisrltargeil fr listuility Mity 1:3, 186.1. WilliamitI.. Ittisa, 0 'tt. G, dietd at l'ltilatetulpltiai. la., De c. 25, 1ex64, of wits. Rtolert arhitiati, Co'. C iled at App ti otai i,'Va., April 1.t, 1865. Josettit hae its 'it,Co. 6, tllei at City'Pin 't, Vi.,Aptril 1, '65 , of wouinds. Iheuarge ltavi~lsiuun, Jr., Co. 1B, tited at Stllitotry, N. C., Oct. 18, 1861. Nelson tLett-, Cit. C, tliyd at Ietrit ite. 18, 1864. Stllltiig .I. 'relioit, Co. K, liedut itt teuuworttiIitly 6, 1865. (George' Saioutrn, C". A, iittaharget itt expiratiotn'tf service Septi. 9, 1865. Williaim Craw filt, Co. A, tituistet il iut Morelt Itt, 1866. George Alex~utler, Co. A, muttteretct oitt Marrit itt, 18$611. Wilson'i Carey, C''. A, muttterel ''It Mttrch'li t, 18116. Charles Keelher, Cu. A, titute-retd outt Marihlitt, 1866. Jatiis Keinietdy, Ci. A, (list itargel Ity trdter July 18, 186.. Jiltut W.l~.tilaiutarl, Cit. [I, tmutmered otit lttue 22, 180.5. Johui A. Ilenitie, Cot. It, tiscarge ly ordier Maty 2:1, 1865. Leter S. Ii ittt t' 'c. I), otustereil out Jtuine 24, 186.1. A lexaittltr It-trititl,'r, Ctu. , tto-tteretl ''ut Ititrelt Itt_ 8t6. Fr'-d'rik Pltt, Itt. U, titstertil'tuit Marchtt2, 18115 . Thornns Itist-1, to. l;, mtust, redti tttMarch litI 1t6. Simeo'itr1. Ittuwetu, Cot. 1F, muosteredl(t'tt t tutu15, 18615. ;etirge itetturuat, C'it F, diseitargetd 1,y' tiner JIutne 3, 18115. William 1t. Ferg'tsuu, to. F, tilcltargeil Iy tr'ler June 2.1, 1865. AIltitiiiztt Avery, Co. F, ot uatered out fDee. :a, 18615. ltutrvey 11. Ilerrick, Co. F, tuosterett ottt Mtit 2'-5, 1866. Ezra lalt, ('o..1, uttateu'etl ttn u it,'1('3018(36;. J,ures It. I11ttuti,Itt. (:, ttaeruli out Stay 11, 1836. Oliver I. tllv'l y, Cu. G, itustertil outt Mtiy 11, 18611. Aitter Ltls, Co'it:, tiuttteretl ottt Aurg. :3, 1861.. Johnit.u 1 1.tlllu, Ctu. 1, intiateretl "ot S itute 15, 1865. Freentat, [itter, Co. G, tscttargest by ttrder Aug. 24, 1860). Henry I lileil, C. G,sisciutrged by ttrdler June 8, 1865. Ira Spears, Co'. 1, lihchtirgued ty order May :3,1861.5. Aloutztt Websdter, Co. G., ili-rhargeul ty order June 7, 1865. Lucrts Wultiuer, Co. G, tivcltargest by order Jtin' 24, 1865. Johnt Coott,at. 1G, lis.'ltrg'i for distiuliity Oct. 2(1, 1865. W1ilhit iutluttttti, Co. G3, tiecltarged by 'irder July 6, 186.5. Spencer P. Lee Co. G, imustered out Miarcht 10, 1866. Jeitu Van Strkdes, Co. G, udicharged for disability Jan. 9, 1866. Andrew Wtttkinus, Co. C, muate, ci out March 10, 1866. Mcses I'. l'irkcr, Co. G, utustered tut Felt. 27, 1866. Amos K. Clark, Co. (1, tisciargeifttr tisability July tO, 1865. Dexter Miotuntter, Cit. It,dishistargeti ty oruier June 7, 1865. Jamres tB.Mow,., Ci. II, uischtrgeil by ordler Juno 26, 18115. 1Benjutmin 1tiisworlh, Ctt. II, muistered out Mlarcti;25, 1866. Jotln V. Gilbert, Ct. 11, musteretd out March 25, 1866. Beinjatmin Snitht, Cut. It,itutsere out Dec. 5, 1865. Jttttt IWesterni, Cit. 11, musterd'ot Dec. 5, 1865. Daniel Itratlo, Cio. 1, otusteredit tt1ec. 5, 5865. Henury Smith, Co. h, dtshal~rgedl ty strdetr. Fredecrick Coilin, Co. I, muutsteredl 'ot tarcht 10, 1866. Jti Kemp, C'o. I, ouuuteretl tut March 1tt, 1866. Williamn itlitk, Co. K, ottte-ireil out Aug. 8, 18615. IHeutry WV. Carey, ttu. K, tuosteredl out Jutna 5, 1866. Geotrge tDelauuat'r, C. K, otuttere' ottt Julty 1$, 186.5. Johntut1I. Itetrge, IX. iK, tuusterei otit Marlt 25t, 18661. Geourg{,tL. Gruttuu, Cu. K, otutst -rid out Mtarcht'2.5, 1866. Wa'irren II inut, Cit. K, musteredottut .1 one :111, 1866. Itihert F. Stinistin, Cu. K, ittered 'ot Marcht 25, 1866. Htenry F. Evuttu, Co. IK, musttered ul t Jiutte:itt, 1866. L. /.aecheos.rntstr. tog, Cit. L, tustired out March 101, 1866. Mlarstuall Boiyce, Co. 11, itustreiot'itD1c. 5, 1865. Jitmes Mirtutly, Co. L, mtitttereid outMSarch 10, 1866. Eliatt 1. Auistit, Cit. 11, musteredi out Jtine 311, 1866. Joltn A. itranittn, Co.BI,namuteredtuttJtine :10, 18(16. Milan CanfieldI, C,,.SI,ntutstereuioottMSarch 25, 1866. HaranCstran~nqC. 1I, iiscltargeti ty ortier Suite 17, 186.5. Blyron K imlahll, Cit. 5t, tuisteered out March 25, 1866. Oren Ilaldin, Co. 11, :1c. George 1)svilsitut, Co. I1,tutisslug at Blerryville, Va., Aug. 15, 186.1.. Stephcnt J. A ritistring, Cit. ], disclarged fur uisat~ilty Pe. 213, 1861. S tocon R 11 [lii, Ct. 1,,(It scttargetd at extpirittion of service Aug. 22,'6. Sanuford It. Wiley, Ct. F, tllsitrge d at extpinititot if service Akug 24, '64. Marvin iattlon, Co. Goilisulhargeil at expiration of service Aug. 2_2, 1864. Iteitj. Iitdings, Cu. 0, 1 srltargeil at expuirattiout of strvice Auig. 22, 186.1. Detlts Atlants, Cui. t, li~eltatrg~d at expiratiton of service Aug. 22', 186. Bteluten 1'. iit, (Ie,. G, tlistcha~rgeut at exptirationi of service Aug. 22, 1814. Sits. SI. lttutliutwiy, C. (C, d seitugetl at expiraioin of service Aug.22, '(34. Alvhvi N. Ma. sti, Cit.(C, dis Itirgiti itt expiration of service Auig. 22, 186. Sties tluct'tuunu, tO. IC, iiseti aged for disability Dec. 3, 186.2. Wui. N. Wtsti'iiett, Itt. la, dis'ltargedl for isability Atig. itt, 1862. Iletry S. Itox, utut-em. stalf, 'liseti. to re-enlist as veteraun[lee. 21, 1861. Zutel. L. Arnustrioig , Co. C, dle to re-enlist as veteranto 1c. 21, 18121. Dexter SI. Nc"oolar, Co. C, haitih. to re-enlist as veterant Dec. 21, 186:1. Jiaes . tRtue, CI. C, itisettgd tutre-onlis t itsveterant Pe. 21, 186 1. Ceourge W. th+y's, ICo. C, dlisclttrgedl to re-enlist its veterton1Dec. 21, 1863. 1'iter lihs, Co. I), 'I sritargitI to re--eitlist its veternnJan. 2, 186. 1Ititt. lIarltitin, Co. (f, (iscluirgedtiotin-enlist as veterait Dc. 21 ,1863. Alex. Ilit igliuuti, Co. 1, tti-elusrgeui to re-enlist as veteran ttec. 21, 1863. Win. t1 .tek, Co. C, discatrged tio re-ettlist as veterain Dec. 21, 18(1:3. Iteury WV. Catry, Co. .C, tisuttac gfled t re-enlist ats veterant Duc. 21, 1863. Ccio. 1). Ilelatnttter, CtC;, d ecturgi d to re-cenlist its veteran 1Dcc. 21, 186:3. Slut It . CI-orgu, IS. C, 'lischairgedi to re-enlist as veteritn Dec. 21, 186 3. ((liver S Iluck-y, Co. C, lis'-ttirgetl to re-enlist as veteran Dec 21, 186 1. Jatitus It. ittt,'u. , lis'tuargd to re-enlist ats vetut-tn 11c. 21,186.1. Alier Ltts, C. C, ci seltiurguil to re-entlist as veteran Pee. 21, 186.1. Jittnit1i. Mistier, Co. (C, isehtirgeti to re-enlist is VeternnDee. 21, 1861. Beuj. 3t~tp's. Co. C, tiseltar~eiltot re-outit as veteraut Dec. 21, 18161. Ira C. Mtehellat, C'. 0, ilislargtd to re-ettlist as veteran Dee. 21, 1863; Cynis t'liil.~s, Cit. C, disciargedl to ru-enlist as veteran Dec. 21, 18633. Mart itt L. Muteut es, Cu. C, liselt. to re-enlist as veteraut Dee. 21, 1811. Lorenzo It. Stleheu~s, Co. Guiscit. to re-enlist as veteran Dee. 21, 186t. Iio] t. K. Stiitjts.on, Co. C:, uiseluearged to ru-enlist as veteran Dec. 21, '63. Iticlitrd l', il, Co. I, tied it Knuoxville, Tetun., Slay 14, 186-1. Itucotltens' Snuitli, Co. Ii, lied at Fnanklin, Teitn., July 139, 186. Archiliald Citiuty, Co. E, otis-ing at Duendridgi, Tetun.,11cc. 24, 18631. lliaiitn I 'alit ('0. 1, nuissi ug at Danuitidige, Tutit., Dec. 24, l1t6:3. Roitert liattttle,(C.1K, it. it .tshltrsina'ille, luiti., of wiuuitils Jauu. 14, 1865. JottitTittmttsutn, 1C. 1:, tieit at Stersout Iarracks, IIIl., Apiril 12, 1865. Gleurge Wiut 1k, Co. it, trausherreil to Vet. lRes. Corps Felt. 15, 18(5. Sitlr iutltgtt.s, Co. It, traiusferrtsi to Vet. lRes. Citrps Felt. 15, 1865i. Gleorgec tlriittiter, Cit. A, tusteured toit Atug. 17, 1865. Ahixaitler terry, Co. A, muistert-d outt Aug. 17, 186.5. Itytiel Itoawe lt, Cit. A, ili-ciitrgt-d for discatlrity Slay 19, 186.1. Adlutts Itytitut, Co. It, ttuisiured tot Autg. 17, 186.5. Lotisls ieciaril, Co. it, utust,reitlhu M'y25, 186. Alex. Ledessirutuer, Coi. 11, tuutstreti out Aug. 17, 1865x. Frederick IBiker, Co. C', utistered out Aug. 17, 181. Ienry Colem~uai, Co. tC, uisecuargeil for disability Feb. 27, 1865. JoStn WI. Ediy, Ci. C', mutteicil 'tt Suite 9, 1865. * Ieitry Sutytler, Co. 1), tiuuteredl out Aug. 17, 1865. toises Stu't, Co. 1), ittusticreet out Auig. 17, 1865. Ceorgt- Fratnklun, Co. I), itusterti outt Aug. 14. 186.5. Jamies Fitz rilicu, Co. 1), tususlereil out Aug. 17, 1865. ('atvini 11. St'ituis'uu, Cit. D,nutsereti outt Aug. 17, 1805. Itutuiti Cutrry, Co. 12,mustered out Aug. 17, 1865. Jouliairsly, Co. I:, ututtered outt Aug. 17, 1865. George Schauui, Co. F, discharged for disability June 13u 1865. Mtirvin Miurray, Co. F, mtustered out Aug. 17, 1865. Chtaries Satu tin, Co. C, mustered out Aug. 17, 1865. Jothn Ilarringtou, Co. 0, mustered out Aug. 17, 186;,. Ciurtis 11. Camup, Co. G, nmustered ultt Aug. 17, 1865. Jaynes O'Coniter, Co. G, nmuteretd out Aug. 17, 1865. Irwin WV. lenaso, Co. It, musteretd ot Atig. 17, 1865. Itux .l1, C). II, discltargeti ibr disability Feb. 28, 1865. hlenry Osgood, Co. 11, nmuiatered out Auig. 17, 186,. Samnutel Butason, Co. I, discharged for dlisahility Mard, 10, 1865. Sthn Crutnustici, Co. I. mustereti out Atug. 17, 1865. Silas B. Sperry, Co. I, nmustered outt Sept. 7, 1865. Thtomas D. Ayres, Co. I, dischaurged Sept. 3, 1865, James II. !!ayes, Co. I, discluarged Atug. :31, 1865. William tlanilton, Co. K, musteretitutt Aug. 17, 1865. Jotesih W. J.Iisttn, Co. K, musterti ouil Aug. 17, 1865. W~illiam Norvell, Cbo., ,mustered ont Atug, 17, 1865. Jasse Jones, Co. K, nuustt'redi out Aug. 17, 186.5. Julio Fitzgsralil, Co. L, musteretd out Aug. 17, 186.5. Levi Mark, Co. L, mustered tiut June 17, 1865. Jateksit L. Tucker, Co. Lu musteretd tut Aug. 25, 1865. Jeremiah W~elelt, Cot. L, nmustered out Aug. 17, 1865. Suites Mcelermtott, Co. 3I, mutsterediotut Atug. 17, 1863. Stunts A. 1Pouvell, Co. 3I,otuisteredt out Juito 16, 1865. THIRD CAVALRY. D. SI1. Calduvell, 2,1 ieut; 1st lieuit. Star. 1, 6G2; capt. Co. L~, June 19, '62. Jam's It. Jotirsian, sergt.; tot lieni. April 1, 1862 ; let lieut. and cutu. Sept. 1:5, 16E2; c 'ltain 8(lt Cur. Nov. 18, 1862; now treasurer of Iuvaul Univermity, Wasltimgtun, D. C. Albert Masont, Co. C, vergt; 2d luelut. Co. A, Oct. 26, 1864 ; let lieut. Jutly 4, 18(15; captin Oct. 17,t865. Newmatn Andirew(o I, I til lt Ctuuinnati, 0., Slay 13, 1862. Clark Gates, Co. K, lied 'it Newv SatrId, So., Starch 19, 1862. Oscar 1. Itoiges, Co. K, ieic at Itecoi, IMiss., Jutly, 1862. Lumnu(. lttitilu Co I, -i ii-tg at Colfeeville, Miss., Dec. 5, 1862. Victor IW. Cage, Co. G, discha rged for disatbility Felt..20, 1862. StetcteunChualtittn, CI.isBdieid ut It Grange, Tetnt., Suite22, 186:1. Johto K.. Eidwvris, Co. Iu diedtin ichtl., Jarn. itt, 186:1. Itenry C. Cirty, Co. It, dischaurgetl fir lisabillity San. 131, 18121. Orastutus Wt. Clark, Cu. It, tliscltarged ftr tdisabil ity Jati. 25, 186:1. Thteodoure D. Itortont, Co. I), iliselturgeil for itisatitity. Vitncetnt Killer, Cit. K, ishitarged for disutility Fet. 4, 186:. S. (Cuitinughti, Co. C, killed at Bron~stsville, Ark., Sept. 4, 1864. Silas It. Williiuitisu Co. I), tiieil itt Littte Rock, Ark.,Itty 31, 18(14. Jottititit Iobirta, Co. D), tied at Duscall's Bluttff, Ark., Stine wt, 1864. itenry Shuoentaker, Cit. U, ieid at Ituvalls !htll't, Ark., Autg. 16, 18(A. W~in. It. Acke rsout, Co. 1, 'tied at St. Laitt i, Slit., Slay :3,18114. FEdward (3. Smnithi, Co. I, dietd itPuvirll's illutff Ark., July 7, 1864. Albert 1. IBarrett, lit. I, diet at Diuvals ituff, Ark., July :1(), 1864. Patrick Scteruuis, Cit. 11, tlisetarget itt expiratin of service Oct. 24,61G. Wulsitirc C. AXustinu, 120 t, iiihargiel fir disbility Jutly 16, 1862. Slot Flory, Co. I, diseitarged for ilisatbility July 1, 1862. Wellintgon V. Itttatel, 12o. I, discharged by ortder Oct. 6, 186. Alexailer (Gillespie, 120. 1, ilsehurged at expiruuion of service Oct. 21,'64. Vent. St. Chillsout, C..I, d sichirget itt expiration 'if service Oct. 24, '61. Iotol. A. i'epper, Co. 1, lisecturgetd at exptiration. of service Oct. 24, '6. Itariow E. Itetisted, Co. I, disechargedltat expirtion of serviceo(let. 24,'18 Dantiel 1. Wardt, Co. 1, diseluirgel itttextirationt of service Oct. 24, 186. Geo. WV. Stttrrs, It. D, isiliarged ltre eulist as veternnt. 19, 1864. Ceo . M.itillipts, Co.15, diseturged to re-culest as veteran San. 19, 1864. Jonathait KRtterts, Co. If, lisclt. ti re-eutlist as veueran Suit. 19, 1864. John A. Cltirk, Co. C, dischuarged to re-enlist as veterant Jan. 19, 1864. Behn Cunninghaum, Co. C,tdischtarged to re-cohiat as vetertn Jan. 193,'6.1 Joen.Cksinh, o. 1, hisctarge to re-enlist as vetern San. 19,6. Welhitgti ftis.ut.C. 1 il... to.re-ettlist uta1: vetentt.- Jan. 19, 186.1. Suiuth Crisheti, Co. A, mutered ouit Feb. 12, 1866. Gilbert Ni. Newton, Co. It, tusterd out July 17, 1865. Johun Almnoth,1t1, muisteretiotut Feb. 12, 1866. Flits S.Ilottiiusouu, Co. It, itusterud otut Felt. 12, 1866. Peter Will, 12". 11, omostered otut Veb. 12, 1866. Gteourge Ilibtlle, Co. It,itustred out Fit'. 12, 1866. Asahtul Dibble, Co. B, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Johut Palmuer, 120. II, tmtusturetl oit Feb. 12, 1866. IHenry It. Corey, Co. 11, omustered out Felt 12, 1866. George WV. Stoune, Co. 1), mustaerd otut Jutiu 2, 186. Gteorge HI. t1tiltips, Co.B,otustatreti out June 2, 1x65. Willaurd CGay, Cu. 1), disrcharged for disability Stay 11, 186. Jeronme Barrett, Co. 15, umusteredl tot Feb. 12, 18616. Ellitt Chadwiuvck, Co. 1),mustterethouut Felt. 12, 1866. Sthn II. Otdeli, Co. 1), umustered utut Felt. 12, 1866. Janes L. Green, Co. F,omuistered utut Feb. 12, 18611. Lorenzo Lckwood, Co. F, mustered out Felt. 12, 1866. James Tatylor, Cu. F, uustered tt Felt. 12, 1866. Andtrew Scott, Co. I,niutatered tuit Fet,. 12, 1866. Scott l'ourhuein, Co. F', uuuusteet uut Felt. 12, 1866. Flislia Criswoldi, Co. F, mnustered out Felt. 12, 1866. Chuartes WVirtmntn, Co. F, mustereul out Junie 7, 186.5. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xxiii Franklin Winslow, Co. F, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. John A. Clark, Co. G, discharged for disability Nov. 1, 18G64. Warner Churchill, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Benj. Cunningham, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Frederick Lefurce, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1806. Stewart Sandford, Co. G, mustered out Fetb. 12,1866. George Smithermnan, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Thomas Gracy, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. John F. Itowser, Co. G, mustered out June 13, 1865. Frederick Meyers, Co. 0, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Lewis F. Parker, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Allen Worden, Co. G, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Nathaniel Goodfellow, Co. II, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Stephen Nolen, Co. 11, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Samuel L. Catlin, Co. II, mustered out Feb. 12, 186g6. Thomas 1. Meeker, Co. II, mustered out Feb. 14, 1866. Walter A. Wood, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Lot I. Smith, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12,1866. George It. Norton, C . I, mustered, out Feb. 12, 1866. Luman G. lusted, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12,1866. William Ilolbridge, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Ilewland Irish, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 26, 1865. Charles Johnson, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Edward Newman, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. S. W. Ilerriman, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Thomas Lyons, Co. I, mus:ered out Feb. 12, 1866. Silas Limes, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. William W\Vhite, Co. I, mustered out Aug. 18, 1865. James Gillespie, Co. I, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Phineas P. Chambers, Co. I, mustered out June 15, 1865. David W. Mead, Co. L, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Philip Moushier, Co. L, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Crocker 8. Taggart, Co. L, mustered out June 12, 1865. James E. Catlin, Co. M, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. Vincent Kiddle, Co. 31, mustered out Feb. 12, 1866. FOURTH CAVALRY. Lauren I. Ripley, Co. K, sergt.; 2d lieut. Sept. 13, 1863; 1st lient. Co. A, March 28, 1864. Volney Judd, Co. A, died at Murfreesboro', Tenn., April 5, 1863. Edwin Brown, Co. ID, died at Nashville, Tenn. Marshall Beach, Co. 1), died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 28,1863. Caleb W. Horton, Co. D, missing at Chattanooga, Tenn., Sept. 21, 1861. Charles W. Finley, Co. A, died at ltuntsville, Ala., Jan. 13, 1864. Madison R. Springer, Co. D, discharged for disability Oct. 2, 1863. RItichard D. Mattoon, Co. K, died at Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 26, 1802. Alvin E. Fair, Co. A, died at Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 29, 1844. Andrew C. Myers, Co. D, died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 7, 1863. George M. Thayer, Co. D, transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps. Thomas Riley, Co. A, mustered out July 1, 1865. Edward Racine, Co. A, dicharged for disability Oct. 6, 1864. Noble D. Rood, Co. A, discharged by order Aprdil 25, 1865. John Schweigart, Co. A, mustered out August 15, 1805. Samuel M. Ittoales, Co. 11, nimustered out July 1, 1865. Barber Chester, Co. B, mustered out July 1, 1865. George F. Gardner, Co. B, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. Jesse Sebring, Co. B, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. William I. Miller, Co. 1, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. Gabriel Schweigart, Co. C, mustered out Aug. 15, 18415. John Sparwood, Co. C, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. Thomas Robb, Co. C, mustered out Aug. 15, 186.5. James II. Collins, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. Joseph [art, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 186,5. Dav.d Blakesly, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. John Brown, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. John Cadwell, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. Ilovey B. Campbell, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1805. Caleb W. Horton, Co. D, discharged by order June 8, 1865. Marshall Johnson, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. Lewis C. Pbilbrick, Co. D, nast 'red out July 1, 1863. James It. Place, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 186.5. Ilenry Stamford, Co. D, mustered out July 1, 1865. Win. J. Evans, Co. F, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. Duncan Campbell, Co. G, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. Revila II. Fosdick, Co. KI, mustered out July 1, 1865. Charles II. Stevens, Co. K, mustered out July 1, 1865. John S. Torrance, Co. K, mustered out July 1, 1865. Peter Quinn, Co. K, discharged for disability April 3, 186.5. talsh Mackey, Co. L, musterod out Aug. 15, 1805. A tenry Edwards, Co. M, musterei out Aug. 15, 1865. Augustus Brodhagon, Co. Hi, mustered out Aug. 15, 18 65. FIFTH CAVALRY. John P. Wilson, surgeon. Dwight A. Aiken, slet lieut. and com.; aset. com. sub, U. S. vols. Nov.27, 1862. Samuel Harris, Co. A, 2d lieut.; let lieut. Jan. 1, 186.3; wounded near Richmond, Va., March 2,1864; prisoner at Old Church, Va., March 3, 1864; exchanged Dec. lit, 1864. Myron B. lHickey, Co. B11, 2d lieut.; 1st lieut. Dec. 3,1862; capt. June 6, 186 1; major April 13, 1865; transferred to 1st Cay. June 13, 1885. Egbert B. Clark, supr. 2d lieut.; 2d lieut. Jan. 1, 1863. Daniel D. Thurber, sergt.,lst lieut., and quar. mas. Feb. 20, 1863. Philip Mlothereill, Co. A,sergt.; 2d lieut. July 3,1863; wounded atYel- low Tavern, Va., May 11, 1864; also at IHawes' Shop, Va., May 28, 1864; slet lieut Co. F, Oct. 28, 18G61; capt. Feb. 1, 1865; bvt. major U. S. Vols. March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services. John Allen, Co. E, chief bugler; 2d lieut. Co. E, Aug. 18, 1863; wounded at Winchester, Vs., Sept. 19,1864; Iet ileut. Oct. 27,18G64; bvt. capt. U. S. Vols. March 1.3, 1865, "for gallant and meritorious services during the war." (Correct name, John Allen Bigelow; was cap- tured while member of 1st Cavalry, and not being properly ex- changed at the time of his discharge, enlisted in the 5th Cavalry under the assumed name given-" John Allen.") Samuel N. Brownson, sergt.; 2d lieut. April 14,1865; let lieut. April 17, 1865. Walter Crawfordl, sergt.; 2d lieut. April 17, 1865. Alex. S. Snm:th, Co. F, saddler; sergt. April 14, 1865; let lieut, and conm. July 3, 1865. James McWeathy, Co. B, died at Detroit, Mich., Dec. 1, 1802. Mark Hutchinson, Co. II, died at Detroit, Michl., Oct. 2, 1862. Lewis Stickney, Co. A, discharged fur disability Oct.5, 1862. S. W. Lines, Co. 1, discharged for minority l)ec. 31, 1862. Dewitt E. Willbur, Co. G,discharged for promotion Dec. 3:1, 1862. John I. Dean, Co. A, died at Washington, I). C., March 29, 1863. John E. Norton, Co. A, missing at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Robert Simpson, Co. F, missingat Frying 1'n Junie 4, 1863. George B. Matthews, N. C. S., discharged for promotion Jan. 18,1863. Albert C. Keilley, Co. B11, discharged for disability Apr. 27, 1863. Win. Carey, Co. II, discharged for lisaldIity March .10, 186 i. R. II. Whitehead, Co. A, killed at Ilawes' Shop, Va., May 28, 1864. Hliram Ackerman, Co. A, killed at llawes' Shop, Va., May 28, 1864. Clifton E. lirown, Co. A, kiled at itwes Ship, Va, 3Lay 28, 161t. Andrew O'lrien, Co. A, died June 2, 1864, of wounds. E. W. Wood, Co. A, killed at Shepherdstown, Vs., Aug 26, 1864. Isaac Perkins, Co. A, killed at Smithfield, Va., Aug. 29, 1864. Reuben Dockhamn, Co. C, died at Washington, D1). C., June 18, '64, of wds. Hlentry Burnett, Co. D, killed at Shephlerdstown, Va., Aug. 21, 18 4. George York, Co. E, killed at Yellow Tavern, Va., Sh;y 11, 1864. Joseph W. Smith, Co. II, killed at Trevillian Station, Va., June 11,1864. Josephl: J. Tuttle, Co. I1, k.lled at Trevillian Station, Va., June 11, 1864. Almagraw Sprague, Co. II, killeud at Hwes ' Svh p, Va, May 28, 18641. Win. S. IHortotn, Co. II, killed at Trevillias Stat ott, V., June 11, 1864. Ztchliariah Collins, Co. II, killed at Trevillian Station, Va., June 11, 1864. Charles Donner, Co. II, killed at Trevilian Stat.on, Va., June 11, 1864. George Masten, Co. 11, died at Annapolis, lMd., Ap. il 21, 1865. George A. Clarkson, Co. II, killed at Trevillian S.atiton, Va., June 11, '64. Philip Kennedy, Co. II, killed at Front Royal, Va., Aug. 14, 1864. Robert D. Fagget, Co. 11, killed at Winchester, Va., sept. 19, 1864. Wayland Tenny, Co. II, died at Winchester, Va., Sept. 22, 1864, of wds. James Gardner, Co. I), died at Washington, D. C., Aug. 5, 1864. G. Baldwin, Co. A, missing at Trevillian Station, Va., June 11, 1864. James 11. Sands, Co. A, missing at Trevillian Station, Va., June 11, 1864. James Gardner, Co. D, mssing at Trevill.a Station, Va., June 11, 1864. George Westmoreland, Co. 11, missing at Berryville, Va., March 4, 1864. Lewis Y. Strauble, Co. A, transferred to Vet. Rie. Corps I1arch 15, 1864. Miles It. C. Dexter, Co A, transferred to Vet. Res. LC tps Jan. 15, 1864. Joseph V. Morrison, Co. A, transferred to Vet. RIes. Corps Sept. 1, 18631. Charles Blautlen, Co. B, transfarred to Veteran Reserve Corps. James Morrison, Co. B, transferred to Vet. Res. (Corps 3larch 15, 1864. Stephen Buzzell, Co. A, discharged for disalbil.ty. Robert 1L. Webster, Co. B, discharged for di-ab.lity June 30, 1863. E. B. Iig-low, (Co. B, discharged for pronmoition Aug. 9, 1864. James L. Foot, Co. II, discharged for disability Feb. 1t, 186.3. Erastus H. Stevens, Co. K, discharged by order Nov. 20, 1863. Francis A. Barbour, Co. A, died of wounds July 1t, 16s. Andrew RIt. Evans, Co. A, died of wounds July 16, 1863. Peter Levalley, Co. A, killed at Gettysburg, P'a., July 3,1863. Isaac C. Mcrgan, Co. E, killed at Newtowun, Va., Nov. 12, 18681. George B. Marble, Co. A, died at Charleston, S. C., Dec. 12, 1864. Daniel C. Iliwe, Co. B, died at Vicksburg, M as., April 9, 1865. Edward E. Frisbie, Co. II, died at Pontiac, Mich., Nov., 1864. William L. Ingraham, Co. B, died at Anders etville, G.t., Aug., 1861. Eli Thayer, Co. B, died at Richmond, Va., Feb. 8, 186t4. Charles C. HIadley, Co. B, died at Annapolis, Md., Dec. 18, 1864. Daniel 11. Palmer, Co. D, died at Andersunville, Ga., Aug. 16, 18681. Nadiahb Ward, Co. I), lied at Charlestot, S. C., Sep:., 1864. Ilenry Smith, Co. E, died at Camp Stoneman, Va., July 16,1864. John Fields, Co. E, died at Salisbury, N. C., Oct. 27, 1864. Benjamin F. Leach, Co. 11, died at Wincheste-r, Va., Nov. 28, 1861. Surinus L. Eastwood, Co. B, mi,. at Buckland's Mills, Va., Oct. 19, 1964. Alonzo Austin, Co. A, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Ezra Patch, Co. A, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Edwin J. Esenburg, Co. A, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Charlos D. Ilarvey, Co. A, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Richard 1). allard, Co. B, transferred to let Sehcigan Cavalry. IVilliam It. Crawford, Co. B, transferrel to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Willard O. Dye, Co. B, transferred to 1st Michig in Cuvalry. Styron Furguson, Co. II, transferred to let Michigan Cavalry. Joseph Ialstead, Ci,. B, transferred to let Michigan Cavalry. tlenry Ostrander, Co. B, transferred to let Si higan Cavalry. Charles II. Vosbught, Co. 11, transferred to let Michigan Cavalry. Joseph II. Burroughs, Co. B5, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Ilenry M. Goodyear, Co. B, transferred to let Michigan (Ctvaiiy. George Ilenderson, Co. B, transferred to let t.chigtan Cavalry. Hard Robinson, Co. B, transferred to 7th Stichigan Cavalry. James Chambers, Co. C, transferred to 7th Stvhigan Cavalry. John Price, Co. C, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. John Brockway, Co. C, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Charles Keeler, Co. C, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. George W. Irwin, Co. D, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Byron Kimblle, Co. I), transferred to 1st Michigant Cavalry. Henry B. Ilerrick, Co. E, transferred to l1t Michigan Cavalry. Alexander O.trander, Co. E, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. IHenry llarter, Co. E, transterred to 1st lMichligan Cavalry. Alplhouzo Avery, Co. F, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. John A. Brtnden, Co. F, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Dennis Crickmore, Co. F, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. James Crmble, Co. F, translerred to slet Michigati Cavalry. John W. Sm:th, Co. F, transferred to lst Michigan Cavalry. Benj. A. Briggs, Co. G, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Asa P. 3IcCnn, Co. 0, transf.rred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. William Ostrander, Co. G, transferred to 1st M cligan Cavalry. George F. Elliott, Co. 0, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Edwin Bick, Co. 0, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. James Murdy, Co. G, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Orley D. Knapp, Co. 1I, transferred to 1st Mich gin Cavalry. Eli Davis, Co. II, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Goorge W. Downs, Co. H, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. William W. Hopkins, Co. II, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Spaulding Predmore, Co. II, transferred to 1st Michligan Cavalry. Freder.ck Pratt, Co. II, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Thomas Russell, Co. II, trunslerred t slet Michigan Cavalry. Melvin P'. Jones, Co. K, transferred to 7th Michigan ('avalty. James Conroy, Co. K, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. George Masher, Co. K, transferred to 7th r31hig an Cavalry. John Kemp, Co. L, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Anion Blain, Co. L, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Washington Mandeville, Co. L, tran-ferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Nelson B. Reynotls, Co. L, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. James Kennedy, Co. M, transferred to 7th Mich n 'avalry. Seymour Brasingtrn, Co. M, transferred to 7th Michigan Cavalry. Benjamin Boice, Co. M, transferred to let Michigan Cavalry. Wilson Carey, Co. M, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Lemon L. Dewey, Co. M, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. John Eiler, Co. 31, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Luther Giddings, Co. M, transferred to slet Michigan Cavalry. ('hri-topher May, Co. 1, transfierred to 1st Michgan Cavalry. Wesley Moore, Co. M, transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry. Robert Trollop, Co. M, transferred to let Michigan Cavalry. Chas. Merryweather, non comn. staff, mustered out June 23, 1865. Samuel W. Bronson, Co. A, discharged by order June 8, 186.5. John E. Norton, Co. A, discharged by order July 7, 1865. Alexander Wilber, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. Romanza W. Farrand, Co. A, discharged by order July 27, 1865. Geo. W. RIichmond, Co. A, dlichargetl by order May 13, 1865. Joseph M. Hunt, Co. A, discharged by order June 8, 18(65. Charles W. Austin, Co. A, discharged by order May 25, 1865. IHamilton S. Bigelow, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. Edward W. Blurrows, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. James N. Blakely, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 16.5. Henry RI. Jones, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. Wm. A. Mlasleni, Co. A, discharged by order June 8, 186.5. Wm. II. Morrison, Co. A, mnustered out June 22, 1865. Anthony O'Brien, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. Win. D. Quick, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. Allen A. Smith, Co. A, mustered out Jane 22, 181v5. Jesse Whitemore, Co. A, discharged by order .ITune 19, 1865. James W. Motherwell, Co. A, mustered out June 22, 1865. James M. Cook, Co. B, discharged by order June 21, 18405. Charles R. Crimlle, Co. B, mustered out May 2t, 1;65. William Bone, Co. B, musteredl out May 17, 1865. Robert G. Dilly, Co. 13, mustered out June 20, 1865. James E. Frisbie, Co. 11, discharged May 4, 1865. James J. Hiubbard, Co. B, discharged by order June 21, 1865. W.Ibur C. Lockwood, Co. 11, mustered out June 20, 1865. Reublen II. McWithey, Co. B, mnustered out May 17, 1865. Isaac C. Phillips, Co. B1, mustered out June 20, 186.5. Philo N. Sith, Co. BI, mustered out June 20, 1865. Marqu.s D. Sumner, Co. 11, mustered out June 20, 186.5. Stephen W. Thompson, Co. B11, muastered out Junes 201, 1865. Charles W. Yates, Co. I, mustered out June 24, 1865. Benj. Briggs, Co. ', dircharged by order July 11. 1865. Joh SI. (;ardnr, Co. I), mustered out Juune 22, 181;5. George Jeffreys, C. 1), mustered out June 22, 1865. WIm. II. Davis, Co. D, nmu-tered out June 22, I85. Edward King, Co. D, nustered out June 22, 1863. luauiel II. Noyes, Co. D, mustered out June 22,1865. Josephus Smith, Co. D, mustered out June 22, 1865. John A. Tubbs, Co. D. mustered out June 22, 1865. Wm. Woodburn, Co. D), di-charged by order June 12, 186.5. Allen llrlburt, Co. E, dischsarged for disalbil.ty Oct. 29, 1865. John Mulholland, Co. E, mustered out Sept. :30, 1865. Geo. D1. McGowan, Co. E, di.charged by order June 12, 186.5. WIllians York, Co. E, discharged by order May 12, 1865. Joseph Lung, Co. F, discharged fr di-ahility Dec. 24, 1861. Lorenzo D. Newman, C,. G, mustered out May 4, 18'5. Walter Crawford, Co. II., maustered out June 19, 185. George A. Clarkson, Co. ii, i schargvd try order July 5, 1865 (formerly reluorted killed in action). John Brown, Co. II, mustered out June 19, 165. Oscar II. Carus, Oo. II, descharged for disability Nov. 14, 1844. Zachariah J. Collin, Co. II, discharged ly order July 5, 186.5 (frrm uly repurted killed in action). C. Donner, Co. II, die. ly ordrer July 5,1865 (formerly repurt.d killed,. George Donaldson, Cii. II, musterid out June 19, 1865. Wiliam S. Iorton, Co. II, discharged by order April 28, 1865. Jse|,h Jessup, Co. It, dishargd by order July 8, 1865. John Luce, 4'o. II, dischargel for disablity Oct. 5, 1864. Louis Slauiun, Co. II, mustered out June 19, 1865. Marts Sliddaugh, Co. II, mustered rut June 19, 1865. Willi L. Smith, Co. II, mustered out June 11, 1865. Joseph J. Tuttle, Co. II, discharged by order Junly 5, 1865. Thmuas oliurns, Co. II, discharged by order July 5, 186:5. Rtobert D. McGregor, Co. I, discharged by order June 2, 1865. John E. Thompson, Co. K, mustered out June 26, 186.5. SIXTH CAVALRY. John II. Joslin, 2d lieut. Charles A. Parker, Co. II, 2d lieut. Feb. 3, 181,4. Hlenry Kerly, Co. I, killed at lIawes' Shop, Va., May 28, 1861. William Butcher, Co. I, transferred to Vet. lIes. Corps March 31, 1'64. Thomas Parish, Co. I, died at Andersonvill,, Ga., June 1, 1864. James 11. Staut, Co. I, did at Frederick, MId., Feb. 2:1,1865. George Ellis, Co. I, died at Winchester, Va., Feb. 2, 1865. William Tagerdine, Co. I, tnissingast Charlestown, Va., Oct. 18, 1861. Joseph Smith, Co A, train-fe. red to 1st Michigan Cavalry Nov. 17, 165. Jno. V. Gilbert, Co. D, tranaefe.rred to lot Michigan Cavalry Nov. 17, 1865. henry Evans, Co. F, transfirred to let Michigan Cavalry Nov. 17, 1s65. MSoses P'. Parker, Co. I, trans. to lest Milchigan Cava ry Nov. 17, 1865. Robert Gi-wold, Co. K, trans, to slet Michigan Cavalry Nov. 17, 1865. John B. Watcher, Co. L, trans. to 1st Michigan Cavalry Nov. 17, 1865. lHenry Warwick, Co. C, mnustered out Aug. 3, 1865. Alonzo B. Ilyatt, Co. II, mustered out July 24, 1865. xxiv HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. William Croft, Co. IT, mustered out Aug. 15, 1865. Spencer Stout, Co. I, mustered out Nov. 24, 1865. William Cheal, Co. I, mustered out Nov. 24, 1865. Thomnas Neal, Co. I, discharged 1864. Orrin E. Wh:t, Co. I, mustered out Nov. 24, 1865. SEVENTH CAVALRY. Franklin B1. Clark, sergt.-major; 2d lient. May 24, 1805; trans. to Co. I, 1st Vet. Cav. Nov. 17, 186,5; 1st lieut. and adj't.; ordered to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 1866, with a detachment for muster out of serviie; killed while on route by accd'ti disch'ge of hisown pistol. Alexander M3cLtin, Co. E, died at Fairfax, Va., May 22, 1863, of wounds. Samuel Kisner, Co. E, died at Washington, D. C., July 18, 1863. James Iledell, Co. F, died at Gettysburg, P'a., Aug. 15, 1863. * Charles 0. Finch, Co. E, missing at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Sauniel Elerly, Co. E, missing at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Barnum B1. House, Co. E, missing at Hagerstown, 3id., July 6,'63; ret. Orville l'armenter, Co. E, died at Washington, D. C., Feb. 23, 1864. Hlarlan Biledel, Co. F, died at Dinwiddle, Va., April 2,1865, of wounds. * C. O. Finch, Co. E. died at Libby Pris., Va., Sept. 12,',63 while prisoner. Win. II. Arsnoe, Co. E, died at Andersonville, Ga., Dec. 27, 1864, while prisoner. J. D. Currie, Co. F, died at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 15, '64, while pris'r. Alonzo Austin, Co. C, transferred to slet Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 1865. Edwin J. asenburg, Co. C, transferred to 1-t Mich. Car. Nov. 17,1865. ('harles Harvey, Co. C, transferred to 1st Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 1865. Urialh HIIoover, Co. D, transferred to 1st Mich. Cav. Nov. 17, 1865. Ezra Patch, Co. D1), transferred to 1st Mich. Cav. Nov. 17, 186.5. Frtder:ck Conlan, Co. E, transferred to 1st Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 1865. John Kemp, Co. E, transfirred to 1st Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 1865. Washington Mantlerville, Co. E, trans. to 1st Mich. Car. Nov. 17, 1865. Nelson I1. Potter, Co. E, transferred to 1st Mich. Cav. Nov. 17, 1865. James Chamnlers, Co. F, transferred to 1st Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 1865. Edwin Buck, Co. F, transferred to 1st Mich. Car. Nov. 17, 1865. (Charles Keeler, Co. G, transferred to 1st Mich. Car. Nov. 17, 1865. James Kennedy, Co. 11, transfierred to 1st Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 1865. Frederick Krugar, Co. K, translierred to 1st Mich. Cav. Nov. 17, 1865. James Conroy, Co. K, transferred to lst Mich. Cay. Nov. 17, 18653. Melvin J. Jones, Co. K, transferred to 1st Mich. Cav. Nov. 17, 1865. John EFllter, Co. 1i, transferred to 1st Mich Car. Nov. 17, 1865. Luther Giddings, Co. M, transferred to 1st Mich. Car. Nov. 17, 1865. Henry M. Gootlyear, Co. (', mustered out July 15, 185. Charles Cl;ff, Co. E, mustered out Nov. 9, 18415. David( Genney, Co. E, mustered out Dec. 15, 1805. Samuel Eberly, Co. E, discharged July 14, 1865. Anon Blain, Co. E, mustered out Jan. 24, 1865. Peter Filla., Co. 3, mustered out Dec. 27, 18615. Wesley Moore, Co. II, mustered out Jan. 11, 1866. Christopher May, Co. II, mustered out Aug. 16, 1865. John Price, Co. I, mustered out Juno 2, 1865. Reuben W. Onnsby, Co. L, mustered out Dec. 8, 1865. Seymour Birasington, Co. 31, mustered out Dec. 8, 1815. John Brockway, Co. 1, mustered out Dec. 8, 18115. Simon L. Dewey, Co. M, musteredt out Dec. 8, 1805. EIGHTH CAVALRY. Edward Cottes, major. l1iles Warren, captain. Jerome II. Calkins, Co. C, 1st lieut, John 31. Baird, Co. K, 1st lient.; appointed R. Q. 3I., Dec. 23, 1863. Benjamutin Treat, Co. C, 21 lieut. William 3terryweather, Co. C, sergt.; 1st lieut. and adjt. Aug. 31, 1863; Capt. Nov. 14, 1864. Charles ii. iDonaldson, Co. C, sergt. ; 1st lieut. Co. II, Jan. 22, 1861. Otis Knapp, Co. C, died Feb. 12, 186. El. Barry, Co. I, missing at Cleveland, Tenn., Sept. 18, 1863; returned. MMortimer (;Gilman, Co. I, missing at Cleveland, Tenn., Sept. 18,1863. Truman C. Webster, Co. C, discharged for disability Sept. 2, 186:1. Ira U. l'erry, Co. C, discharged for disability March 12, 1863. William Wilkinson, Co. C, discharged for disability March 12, 1863. John 31. Oldfield, Co. K, lischsrged. Jared Goodrich, Co. C, died at Camp Nelson, Ky., Nov. 4, 1863. Wilson Turnings, Co. C, tied at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 20, 1863. George J. Soper, Co. G, died at Nicholasville, Ky., May 6, 1864. John P. Sheparil, Co. I, died at Nfcholasville, Ky., April 15, 1864. Mortimer 1. G,llmas, Co. I, died at Baltimore, lId., May 1, 1864. Juihn E. Green, Co. K, died at Csittanooga, Tenn., Aug. 7, 1864. William Jervis, Co. K, died at Marietta, Sept. 7, 1808. E. B. 3Ialy, Cii. K, died its cil. prison, Anderionville, Ga., June 21, 1864. Wus. Shumway, Co. L, died in msil. pris., Andersonville, Ga., July 18, 1864. Iteulhen A. Wison, Co. 11, miss. o raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1804 ; ret. Slichael Iluffmith, Co. C, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. Ethener Lilasl, Co. C, mises. on rusi to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. Lainitt Pratt, Co,. C, niisi. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1861. Dewitt Suslen, Co. C, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. Thomas Dilworth, Co. C, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. Peter Dilion, Co. C, miars, on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. Williamn Vogli, Co. C, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. Irwin lItathlurn, Co. I, miss. on raidi to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. Joseph C. Bird, Co. I, miss, on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. William Stall, Co. I, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. Thomas IBird, Co. I, miss, on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. Geo. lirokenshaw, Co. I, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3:1, 1864. Sanford Shman, Co. K, miss. at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 18, 1863; ret. Robert Connelly, Co. K, miss. July 31, 1864; returned. Ezra Burr, Co,. K, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. William Flory, Co. K, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. Edwaul A. Glass, Co. K, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. Lot Tohy, Co. K, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 18 64; ret. Perry Quick, Co. K, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. John P. Day, Co. L, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; ret. John P. Chesley, Co. L, miss. on raid to Mlacon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864; rot. William E. Sawyer, Co. L, miss. on raid to Macon, Ga. Aug. 3, 1864. * Same person. John Mitchell, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. Win. K. Smith, Co. C, transferredl to Vet. Reserve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. John Walker, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. Hiram Wallace, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. William Mack, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Aug. 1t, 1864. George Hlarris, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Reserve Corps Aug. 10, 1864. Gei. D. Thompson, Co. K, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Jn. 15, 1864. Asa Lake, Co. L, transferred ti Vet. Reserve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. Walter llipp, Co. C, discharged for disability April 29, 1864. Win. Merryweatlher, Co C, discharged for promotion Nov. 21, 1863. Daniel Becker, Co. K, discharged for disability Dec. 28,1863. Edmund Valler, Co. K, discs arged for disability Nov. 10, 1863. Charles B. Donaldson, Co. K, discharged for promotion Feb. 29, 1864. Elijah S. McCarter, Co. D, killed at Sunshine Church, Aug. 3, 1864. Jacob J. Marsh, Co. K, killed at Hleniryville, Tenn., Nov. 23, 1864. Robert Connely, Co. K, killed at Sunshine Church, Aug. 3, 1864. James Vandyke, Co. M, killed at SMacon, Ga., Aug. 3, 1861. IHiram P. Smith, Co. C, died at Florence, S. C., Aug. 3, 1864. Benj. C. Webster, Co. C, died at Andersonville, Ga., May 12, 1864. T. P. Gheen, Co. C, killed by explosion of steamer on Mississippi River, April 15, 1865. John Johnson, Co. C, died at Danville, Va., Dec. 5, 18(3. Thsomas Wood, Co. C, died at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 28, 1863. Elthaner Leland, Co. C, died at Holly, Mich., March 28, 186.5. Elijah S. McCarthy, Co. C, died nt Sunshine Church, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. John M Intyre, Co. I, died at Andiersonville, Ga., Feb. 16, 1865. Irving ia hlbone, Co. I, diesl at Andiersonville, Ga., Jan. 15, 1865. Thomas S. Bird, Co. I, died at Milwankee, Wis., Jan. 1, 186.5. Alexander Bush, Co. K, died at Pulaski, Tenn., Felb. 27, 1l65. Geo. II. Palmer, Co. K, died at Nashville, Tenn., Jne 11, 1865. Byron Childs, Co. K, died at Jacksonville, Florida, Stay 8, 1865. George Honeywell, Co. K, diledl at Jacksonville, Florida. James Vincent, Co. K, died at Ander'onville, Ga., Feb. 22, 1865. George Conn, Co. L, died at Detroit, Mich., Dec. 25. 1864. Joel Rogers, Co. B, missing at Athens, Tenn., Sept. 27. 186.3. Darius Austin, Co. C, missing at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 25, 1863. Daniel Dougherry, Co. C, missing at Lenoir Station, Tenn., Nov. 18,1863. Peter Deltian, Co. D, missing at Clinton, Ga., Aug. 3,1864. Michael llofsmith, Co. D, missing at Clinton, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. Lamont Pratt, Co. D, missing at Clinton, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864. George S. Earle, Co. C, transferred to Veteran Res. Corps Nov. 23, 1864. S. J. 11. Paterson, Co. K, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Nov. 23, 1861. A. B. Thompson, N. C. S., mustered out July 20, 1865. Norton Milton, Co. C, mustered out May 22, 1865. Samuel II. Ames, Co. C, mustered out June 20, 1865. Allen Tripp, Co. C, discharged by order July 20, 1865. Charles A. Witg, Co. C, discharged for disability May 25, 185. Philip Drake, Co. C, discharged for pronotion Oct. 6, 1864. Samuel BIarnes, Co. C, discharged Sept. 2, 1864. Jacob Brundle, Co. C, discharged for disability June 21, 185. Albert Gilboa, Co. C, discharged fer disability Nov. 14, 1861. Hlarrison Jones, Co. C, mustered out June 8, 1865. Jesse Wass, Co. C, discharged by order July 20, 1865. Ebert A. Young, Co. C, mustered out Sept. 2t, 1865. Ilarvey Fellows, Co. C, mustered out June 10, 1865. IHorace Thompson, Co. C, disclharged for disability, June 26, 1865. Thomas Farrell, Co. C, discharged biy ordner Sept. 4, 1865. Joseph Armstrong, Co. D, musteredi out Sept. 22, 1865. George Bates, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Water Buddlington, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1805. David Crittle, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Willianm C('hoate, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Thomas A. Davis, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 12, 1865. John A. Daines, Co. D, mustered out Sept 22, 186.5. Charles Evans, Co. D, mutereid out Sept. 22, 1865. Charles Everts, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Almon St. Lllenwood, Co. D. mustereul out Sept. 22, 1865. Charlus R. Fuller, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Albert Gark, Co. D, mustered out Sest. 22, 1865. John A. Gregg, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Charles E. hIowe, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Romanti Ilipp, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 186.5. William II. Jones, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1805. Thmas Joslin, Co. D, mustered out Sept. ,2, 1865,. Louis II. Leland, Co D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Alexander McDonald, Co. D, niustered out Sept. 22, 1863. Win. C. MhcFarland, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 186.5. Edwan J. Ithelps, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Wsm. M. Riutbins, Co. D, mustered out 8ept. 22, 1865. De Wiltt Sulden, Co. D, mustered out Sept 22, 18 65. William Vogler, Co. D, mustered out Spt. 22, 1865. C. Van Itiper, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Charles J. Wimple, Co. D, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. John Anderson, Co. E, discharged. Joseph C. B.nIl, Co. E, discharged. Clark S. Beach, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Patrick RItyan, Co. E, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Itobert J. Ballard, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 19, 1865. John F. l.ialanr, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 19. 1865. Theodore Beech, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 19, 1865. Julius L. Barrows, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 19, 1865. John 1'. Chislay, Co. F, mustered out Sept 22, 1865. John Wrigglesworth, Co. F, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. SMyron Tusker, Co. 0, mustered out May 29, 1865. William L. Arnold, Co. 0, discharged for disability June 3, 1865. Charles Soper, Co. 0, discharged for disatility June 7, 1815. Evert lIerger, Co. G, discharged lby order May 25, 1865. Robert Craig, Co. 0, mustered out. Byron Whitbeck, Co. II, discharged by order May 16,1865. Jacob Burgess, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. John A. Barrett, Co. II, mustered tot Sept. 22, 1865. William II. Cook, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Thomas Ierinmon, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 186.5. Thomas Hogan, Co. II, muustered out Sept. 27, 1865. Alvin D. Ilubbard, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 27, 1865. Jesse A. Lindsay, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Joseph McKibben, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. James Neil, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Albert Phillips, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. William Styles, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1805. Robert Taylor, Co. II, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Dennis D. Marsh, Co. I, mustered out May 29, 186I5. William II. Bigelow, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Melvin E. Bowman, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Milan D. Baker, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Edward Burger, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 185. Ezra Burr, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. hlenry E. Chase, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Edward Ogle, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. John W. Powell, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Perry Quick, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Peter D. Roll, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 186.5. James Y. Trimmer, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Lot Toby, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 186.5. James G. Voorhei, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Reuben A. Wilson, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1863. Edward A. Glass, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. William Russell, Co. I, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. George T. Schooley, Co. K, discharged for disability June 4, 1865. Daniel Parker, Co. K, discharged. William G. Flory, Co. K, mustered out June 10, 1805. Andrew P. Thompson, Co. K, discharged July 20, 1865. Robert Anchor, Co. K, discharged May, 1864. Stanton Shuman, Co. K, discharged Junoe 4, 1865. Ira C. Alger, Co. K, mustered out Mlay 29, 1865. Thomas M. Burdsall, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. John F. Briggs, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. John Honeywell, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Luther Nowberry, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. John Grierson, Co. K, mustered out June 6,1865. Leonard Coonradt, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Charles Di. Elder, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Patrick Ferrigan, Co. K, mustered out June 6,1865. Joseph Silloway, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1815. Charles E. Burns, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Frederick Tower, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Wm. G. Lamphier, Co. Ki, mustered out June 6, 1865. Win. F. Russell, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Ruthran White, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. Henry Sebring, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 186.. Decatur Chulds, Co. K, mustered out June 6, 1865. John Edwards, Co. K, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. John P. Day, Co. L, discharged by order June 12, 1865. Martin L. Tindall, Co. L, discharged for disability June 10, 1865. Jefferson K. Tindall, Co. L, discharged by order July 20, 1863. Win. L. Frisbie, Co. L, discharged Juno 27, 1865. Lyman J. Burtle, Co. L, discharged by order Sept. 7, 1865. Dennis D. Ackerman, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 22, 1863. Elisha S. Bird, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 19, 1865. Joseph E. Bird, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 7, 1865. James II. Johnson, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Caleb S. Payer, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. Lendell J. Phillips, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 22, 185. William Stott, Co. L, mustered out June 7, 1865. William Van Cleve, Co. L, mustered out July 18,1865. Robert Whitley, Co. L, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. William Sawyer, Co. M, mustered out June 23, 1865. Authony L. Briggs, Co. M, mustered out June 10, 1865. NINTH CAVALRY. Alpheus B. Hendricks, Co. F, let lieut.; capt. Jan. 8, 1864. Alvin W. Whitehead, Co. F, sergt.; 2d lieut. B and F, Nov. 28, 1863; 1st lieut. Oct. 17, 1864. John S. Ilovey, Co. G, sergt.-maj.; 2d lieut. Jan. 18, 1864; 1st lieut. Co. L, Sept. 15, 186. Theodorus W. Lockwood, Co. K, captain. Solomon Kitridge, Co. A, died at Cumberland Gap, Tenn., Dec. 7, 1863. Alfred Wood, Co. A, died at Marietta, Ga., Aug. 13, 1864. Peter Green, Co. C, died at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 11, 1863. Harris Johnson, Co. F, died at Camp Nelson, Ky., Aug. 20, 183. George C. Clarke, Co. G, died at Knoxville, Tenn. John Wolcott, Co. G, died at Camp Nelson, Ky., June 15, 1864. Elester Willis, Co. 1, died at Marietta, Ga., Aug. 30, 1864. F. L. Lewis, N. C. S., died in rail. prison, Andersonville, Ga., June 12, 1861. John Barrett, Co. A, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps, Jan. 15, 18.1. Charles Madison, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Jan. 15, 1864. George Osborne, Co. C, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Jan. 15, 1861. William Lawrence, Co. F, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps Jan. 15, 1864. A. II. Whitehead, Co. F, discharged by order. Isaac Richardson, Co. F, transferred to 11th Mich. Battery May 8, '6. Curtis Inglehart, CG. A, mustered out July 21, 1865. George Wi. McCraory, Co. A, mustered out May 18, 1865. Asa C. Roundls, Co. A, mustered out Sept. 1, 1865. Robert Moore, Co. A, mustered out July 21, 1865. Sidnesy W. Wood, Co. A, mustered out July 21, 1865. Wm. II. Skank, Co. C, mustered out July 21, 1865. Stebbins Harding, Co. C, mustered out July 7, 1865. Henry Ellis, Co. C, mustered out July 21, 1865. Fernando Let, Co. C, mustered out July 21, 1865. Ebenezer Marks, Co. C, mustered out July 21, 1865. Charles M. Perry, Co. C, mustered out July 21, 1865. James P. Beardsley, Co. F, mustered out July 21, 1865. Daniel D. Campbell, Co. F, mustered out July 21, 1865. Seth M. Thomas, Co. F, mustered out July 21, 1865. James Ball, Co. F, mustered out June 30, 1865. Colonel Salisbury, Co. F, discharged for disability June 14, 1865. Edmund F. Wormer, Co. F, mustered out July 21, 1865. John Patterson, Co. II, discharged for disability June 9, 1865. HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN. xxv Oliver Cronk, Co. K, mustered out June 12, 1865. John McCann, Co. K, mustered out May 16, 1865. TENTH CAVALRY. James II. Cummins, Co. L, let lieut.; capt. April 1, 1864; bvt. major U. S. Vols. March 13, 1865, for capturing with one battalion at high Point, N. C., $3,000,000 worth of property and destroying it. Sidney Walters, Co. L, sergt.; 2d lieut. Aug. 10, 1865. Oscar Delong, Co. B, died at Knoxville, Tenn., May 21, 1864, of wounds. Wilshire C. Austin, Co. L, died at Bull's Gap, Tenn., Aug. 29,1864, of wounds. .hnathan B. Whitney, Co. B,dled at Grand Rapids, 3ich., Nov. 18,1863. Calvin Sperry, Co. B, died at Camp Nelson, Ky., Jan. 23, 1864. Moses Wheeler, Co. L, died at Somerset, Ky., April 12,1864. James Bone. Co. L, died at Somerset, Ky., Feb. 12, 1864. William II. Iarle, Co. L, died at Knoxville, Tenn., March 22,1864. Henry J. Van Hioughton, Co. B, missing at Thorn hill, Tenn., Oct. 10, 1864; returned. Herbert V. Church, Co. L, missing at Thorn till, Tenn., Oct. 10, 1864; returned. Augustus Kronberg, Co. B, transferred to Vet. Res. Corps May 1, 1864. William N. Fall, Co. B, discharged by order Sept. 13, 1865. Alfred Jackson, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. A. L. Macomber, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Seymour W. Bunyea, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Warren Barber, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Herbert llunyea, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1t65. Alfred Lewless, Co. B, mustered out June 231, 1865. Hiram L. Burns, Co. B, mustered out May 15, 1865. Walter J. IBarrett, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Joseph t. hBowders, Co. B, discharged by order June 19, 1865. Charles It. Colling, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. E. II. Ellsworth, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Clark S. Powell, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. II. J. Van Hloughton, Co. B, discharged by order June 19, 1865. Joseph S. Van Every, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Daniel Wilcox, Co. B, mustered out Aug. 18,1865. John W. Dyer, Co. B11, mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. James Ilhines, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Ezra Ingersoll, Co. B, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Hienry Dockham, Co. C, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. WVm. L. Hoffman, Co. C, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Charles Clover, Co. C, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. John W. Stephens, Co. D, mustered out Nov. 8, 1865. George Woodruff, Co. E, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Silas Wright, Co. E, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Jacob Bingham, Co. K, mustered oumit Nov. 11,1865. Edward Bailey, Co. K, mustered out Nov. 11,1865. Joseph B. Roe, Co. K, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Andrew Bentley, Co. K, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Augustus Chambers, Co. K, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Theodore Sutton, Co. K, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. William Palmer, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 9, 1865. Lewis SI. Newell, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. George A. Barrett, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. George W. Babcock, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Austin Boyer, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Dennison Boyer, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Isaac Bradford, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Albert It. Custor, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Herbert V. Church, Co. L, discharged by order Aug. 2,3, 1865. George WV. Iusted, Co. L, mustered out May 19, 1865. William IlHightleld, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. IHebron Hallett, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 21, 1865. Willard Kelly, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Edwin D. Matthews, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11,1865. Charles D. Orloss, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11,1865. Joseph Probasco, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Charles D. Robertson, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. James F. Tubbs, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. George W. Urch, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Franklin Wolf, Co. L, mustered out Nov. Il, 1865. D James McIlven, Co. L, discharged by order June 24, 1865. John Bellus, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. James Bogardus, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Samuel Church, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11,1865. James Lowry, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. John 31. Sloat, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. William Urch, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. James McIlven, Co. L, discharged for disability June 28, 1865. Peter Cool, Co. L, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Charles McCracken, Co. 31, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Thomas Richards, Co. 31, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. Charles Willis, Co. 31, mustered out Nov. 11, 1865. ELEVENTH CAVALRY. Wm. L. Armstrong, asst. surg.; trans. to 8th Cav. on consolidation. Robert B. Craig, Co. B, transferred to 8th Mich. Cavalry. Joseph Smith, Co. E, transferred to 8th Mich. Cavalry. FIRST BATTERY. Andrew Vlick, died May 20, 1862. Eli Brooks, discharged for disability July 21, 1862. James F. Robbins, discharged for disability Dec. 15, 1861. FOURTH BATTERY. John Davison, discharged for disability Feb. 4, 1862. FIFTH BATTERY. George B. Carnes, discharged for disability April 30, 1862. EIGHTH BATTERY. Asahel Starkes, discharged for disability June 3, 1862. Ethimer Leland, discharged for disability June 3, 1862. Mortimer N. Parks, discharged for disability June 3, 1862. FIRST LIGHT ARTILLERY. Marcus D. Elliott, Battery It, 2d lieut. March 15, 1863; 1st lieut. Aug. 8, 1863; capt. Jan. 8,1864. Wm. Garner, Blattery II, sergt.; 2d lieut. Jan. 1, 1865; 1st lieut. May 29,1865. William King, Battery If, sergt; 2d lieut. June 10, 1865. Wm. II. IHickey, Battery A, killed at Chickamauga, Tenn., Sept. 19, 1863. George Petherbridge, Battery II, died at Memphis, Tenn. George J. Beach, Battery A, discharged for disability Aug. 25, 1863. William It. Johnson, Battery II, discharged for disability April 25, 1863. Phineas D. Garner, Battery II, discharged for disability May 2, 1863. John D. Leonard, Battery I, died July 8, 1864, of wounds received in action. Fred. Gennerich, Battery A, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., July 3, 1864. Thomas J. Darling, IBattery II, died. Henry Patno, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service May 31, '64. Nathan Vliet, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service Mlay 31, '64. Frank B. Cutting, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service May 31, 1864. Jas. C. Voorbeis, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service Mlay 31, 1864. Porter French, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service May 31,'64. Martin hill, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service May 31,1864. James Johnson, Battery A, discharged at expiration of service May 31, 1864. John P. Wallace, Battery C, discharged at expiration of service Oct. 10, 1864. John F. Settle, Battery C, discharged at expiration of service Oct. 10,'64. Augustus Farrand, Battery II, discharged for disability May 25, 1864. Reuben Griffin, Battery II, discharged for disability Nov. 25, 1862. Isaac II. Lawrence, Battery A, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 11, 1864; mustered out July 28, 1865. James Lambie, Battery C, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Dec. 28, '63. WVim. King, Battery 11, discharged to re-enlist as veteran March 1, 1864. Geo. F. Leland, Battery II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 1,1864. Wim. Martin, Battery II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 1, 183. Geo. Martin, Battery II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Feb. 27, 1864. Win. Garner, Battery II, discharged to re-enlist as veteran Jan. 1, 1864. Chester SI. Chatfield, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. Frank Iharling, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. Alex. J. McCall, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. William B. Mosher, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. Samuel W. McCall, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. William I1. Patton, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. James O. Patton, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. Miles C. Predman, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. Frank Scudder, Battery A, mustered out July 28, 1865. James Lambie, Battery C, discharged by order June 29, 1865. John Warren, Battery C, mustered out June 22, 1865. William II. Clark, Battery D, discharged for disability Aug. 12, 1862. Jedediah Yager, Battery D, discharged at exp. of service Sept. 17, 1864. Harold J. Bartlet, Battery D, discharged at exp. of service Sept. 17, 1864. Sahlon S. Ackerson, Battery D, discharged for disability July 28, 1862. William Brown, Battery D, discharged at exp. of service Nov. 25, 1864. Asahel Atherton, Battery D, mustered out Aug. 3, 1865. SMyron II. Skinner, Battery D, mustered out Aug. 3, 1865. George Small, Battery D, mustered out Aug. 3, 1865. Abel Thomas, Battery 0, mustered out Aug. 6, 1865. Alonzo Dean, Battery G, mustered out Aug. 6, 1865. Leonard D. Gue, Battery G, mustered out Aug. 6, 1865. Hlerbert IHyde, Battery G, mustered out Aug. 6, 1865. Francis King, Battery G, mustered out Aug. 6, 1865. James W. Lockwood, Battery G, mustered out Aug. 6, 1865. Reuben Armstrong, Battery II, discharged for disability July 24, 1862. James Gordon, Battery II, disch. at expiration of service Dec. 24, 1864. Chauncey Ilerriman, Battery II, disch. at exp. of service Dec. 24, 1861. William King, Battery II, mustered out July 22, 1865. William Lockwood, Battery it, disch. at exp. of service Dec. 24, 1864. George F. Leland, Battery II, mustered out July 22, 1865. William Martin, Battery II, mustered out July 22, 1865. George Martin, Battery It, mustered out July 22, 1865. Jeremiah Banfordl, Battery II, mustered out July 22, 1865. Isaac I. SMills, Battery II, mustered out July 22, 1865. George Lewis, Battery II, discharged by order Aug. 9, 1865. George Champlin, Battery II, mustered out July 22,1865. George Root, Battery 11, discharged by order May 30, 1865. Jacob Say, Battery II, mustered out July 22, 1865. Norman P. Leland, Battery 11, mustered out July 22, 1865. Calvin Ingram, Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. Robert Madden, Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. Josiah Beech, Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. Albert Crosby, Jr., Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. Isaac B. Harris, Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. Nelson S. Isham, Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. George Lodge, Battery I, mustered out July 14, 1865. William II. Edwards, Battery K, mustered out July 22, 1865. Henry E. Thompson, Battery K, mustered out July 22, 1865. Ilenry Foster, Battery L, discharged by order May 26, 1865. Thomas Adams, Battery L, mustered out Aug. 22, 1865. Cassius Jones, Battery L, mustered out Aug. 22, 1865. Martin Shelley, Battery L, mustered out Aug. 22, 1865. John Wanlees, Battery L, mustered out Aug. 22, 1865. Charles W. lanning, Battery L, discharged by order May 11, 1865. John W. Merry, Battery SI, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. William It. Baker, Battery 31, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. Alfred Bradley, Battery 31, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. Andrew Baker, Battery 3I, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. Lawton Babcock, Battery 31, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. Jerome Cogsdal, Battery 31, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. Iteuben Cornell Battery M, mustered out Aug. 1, 1865. THIRTEENTH BATTERY. Warren Irwin, mustered out July 1, 1865. Henry Lowell, mustered out July 1, 1865. John RIt. Pattel, discharged by order May 6, 1865. Orlando Foy, mustered out July 1, 1865. Lowell Minor, mustered out July 1, 1865. Mlichael Milligan, mustered out July 1,1865. Jesse Sherman, discharged for disability July 16, 1864. FOURTEENTH BATTERY. John 31. Kaiser, mustered out July 1, 1865. AUG Gi 0 191 4-  THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DATE DUE MAY 25 983 N... 21. S UNIVERSTY OF MICHIGAN 3 9015 00262 3778 f 4l Digyrai Replaced with MAR 7 2004 D;gial Copy DO HOT REMOVE OR MUTILATE CARD EhEI-r: