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ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY MICH.
ENAPP & BONNER
ILLUSTRATED.
ISTORICAL
MICH
EPISTEMIA
CTIONS
7935
Bentley Historical Library The University of Michigan . Ann Arbor
Earl W. and Florence C. De La Vergne Collection
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ربط
Log Cabins built on the County Fair Grounds, Adrian, in 1898. The logs were supplied by farmers from nearly every town in the County. The day set for the " hauling" was a memorable one in Adrian. The procession of log teams was more than one-and-a-half miles long. The buildings were erected in honor and memory of the pioneers of Lenawee County.
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
AND
Biographical Record
OF
LENAWEE COUNTY, MICH,
Containing an Accurate Epitomized History from the First Settlement in 1824 to the Present Time.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS OF MANY OF THE FIRST SETTLERS AND THOSE THAT CAME AFTER, TOGETHER WITH MANY OLD LANDMARKS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, FARM SCENES AND HOMES OF PROMINENT RESIDENTS. VALUA- BLE STATISTICS AND CAREFULLY WRITTEN BIOGRAPHIES.
By JOHN I. KNAPP and R. I. BONNER.
ADRIAN, MICH .: THE TIMES PRINTING COMPANY. 1903.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1903, BY JOHN I. KNAPP AND R. I. BONNER, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
TO THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF THE PIONEERS OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN, THIS VOLUME IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
LENAWEE COUNTY COURT HOUSE.
THE MISSION OF THIS VOLUME.
The authors and compilers of this volume have no excuses to offer or apologies to make for its appearance. Some twenty-four years ago the writer spent two years in producing the first history and biographical record of Lenawee county. At that time most books of this character contained dry facts, without embellishment or relief. In the interval, great progress has been made in the arts, and recent discoveries make it possible to embellish and illustrate in the highest degree. The new methods of engraving make it possible to illuminate a volume at moderate cost. Taking advantage of this fact we decided to undertake the publication of this book.
One of the most entertaining methods of making history is by illustrating important events, prominent men and women, their first homes, buildings, etc. Believing this and assuming that patriotic citizens would be interested, and in many cases fascinated with a volume containing the portraits, or views of the homes of the pioneers of Lenawee county, together with old landmarks, public buildings and landscapes, modern homes and architecture, we commenced the work.
We had the confidence to believe that a volume of this kind would put our readers truthfully and familiarly in touch with the scenes of the past, giving object lessons to the present and future generations. Therefore we have made the illustrations the distinctive feature of our work.
The photographer has done his work well, and there is not an imaginary picture in the book, each view illustrating some real face, object or place. Thus we preserve the personality of many of the pioneer heroes, and striking features of their habitat.
In writing history or biography one finds himself constantly hunting for. the blazed trees along the trail, the most potent factor being the recognition of every evidence of truth and reliability. There is no value in inaccuracy, and to avoid it one is ever on the alert. It has been our endeavor in the prosecution of this work to correctly give all facts and figures.
Many of our illustrations will show the faces and the habitations of the first settlers in the wilderness of Lenawee county. We hope that the presentation of those resolute old faces will stimulate a feeling of veneration and regard.
Many of our present readers can readily imagine, and some can vividly remember their parents, living in a log hut, surrounded by an illimitable wilder- ness, striving to make a home, and only being able to secure the scantiest food.
Is it possible for the occupants of the hundreds of pleasant and beautiful farm homes and fine estates in Lenawee county to realize that their parents saw nothing
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THE MISSION OF THIS VOLUME.
but wildness, roamed at large by bears and panthers and packs of wolves, and screeching catamounts, affording hiding places for thousands of timid deer, where now you see beautiful landscapes, with herds of cattle and flocks of sheep upon the gentle slopes, and fine homes and orchards upon the hill tops. Are you, as the children of those pioneers, who now enjoy all the peace and comfort of this favored land, and occupy those homes, sufficiently impressed with the sacrifices your parents made ; with their heroism and their fortitude, their hope and trust ? Do you realize what kind of fathers and mothers they were, what they did for you and humanity ?
The children of the pioneers of Lenawee county should rejoice and be happy, not that their parents have passed away. but that they had such ancestors to remember. The endurance and unconscious bravery of your fathers was heroism, but the hope and fortitude, the watchful and loving care, the uplifting influence of your mothers was triumph.
In making the canvass for this publication we have visited the different townships in the county, and have occasionally found an original settler still alive ; one of the seed sowers who has lived to enjoy the harvest.
There are still a few veterans left living on the land they purchased of the government. In Rome we found one, David Smith, and in Fairfield two, Asaph K. Porter and Mrs. James Green, all over ninety years old. We have found many people between eighty and ninety years of age, enjoying life to the fullest extent, which fact gives evidence of the salubrity of our climate and the obvious advantages of a residence here. Lenawee county is the home of the oldest woman in Michigan, Mrs. Maria H. Hixon, of Clinton, who came to Tecumseh in 1826. She was born June 26th, 1800, making her 103 years of age, and able to help herself to a remarkable degree.
One of the last reports from the State Agricultural Department shows that Lenawee county leads all the rest of the State in two important items: the amount invested in farm buildings and the value of its live stock. The people of the county are to be congratulated on their abundant blessings, and the good judgment of the first settlers is proclaimed.
MICHIGAN.
The territory that now includes Michigan was probably first visited by a white man in 1641. That year. in July, the French Jesuit Fathers, Charles Rymbalt and Isaac Jogues, encamped at the Sault Ste. Marie. In 1665 Father Claude Allonez founded a mission at La Point, Lake Superior. In 1668 Father Marquette founded a mission at Sault Ste. Marie, and in 1671 established another mission near Mackinaw.
In 1671 the King of France took formal possession of all the country lying between Montreal and the Gulf of Mexico, and west as far as the great lakes and the Mississippi river.
The tribes of Indians then occupying this territory were Ottawas and Chip- pewas, with some Sacs and Foxes on the south shore of Lake Superior, and some smaller tribes of Pottawatomies and Miamas in the south, on the portion now known as Southern Michigan.
Detroit was founded in 1701 by De La Motte Cadillac. He landed on the site of the present city on the 24th day of July, and immediately commenced the erec- tion of Fort Pontchartrain.
In 1761 France ceded her dominion over Michigan to England. In 1774 Mich- igan became a part of the Province of Quebec.
In 1796 Michigan was surrendered to the United States, and General St. Clair was appointed Governor. Wayne County was organized August 11th that year, and included all of Michigan, the northern part of Ohio and Indiana, and a por- tion of Illinois and Wisconsin. Wayne County elected delegates to the first Ter- ritorial Legislature. which met at Cincinnati September 16th, 1799.
January 11th, 1805, Michigan was organized as a Territory by Act of Con- gress, and Gen. William Hull was appointed Governor.
On the 11th day of June, 1805, Detroit, then a village, estimated to have a population of at least 2,500 people, was entirely destroyed by fire, not a building being left. The first Legislature was called to meet there July 2d following.
Michigan Territory was surrendered to the British by General Hull on the 17th day of August, 1812. On the 29th day of September, 1813, the British evac- uated the Territory, and on the 13th day of October following, Col. Lewis Cass was appointed Governor.
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ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
TECUMSEH.
THE FIRST SETTLEMENT IN LENAWEE COUNTY.
[The most comprehensive and accurate history ever written of the first events in Lenawee county was the work of the Hon. John J. Adam; and can be found in Whitney and Bonner's History and Bio- graphical Record of Lenawee County, vol. 1, page 6.]
September 10th, 1822, Lewis Cass, then Governor of the Terri- tory of Michigan, thought it expedient to lay out a new county, to be known as the County of Lenawee. He accordingly issued a procla- mation to that effect, and included all the territory "Beginning at the principal meridian, where the line between the townships num- bered four and five, south of the base line, intersects the same ; thence south to the boundary line between the Territory of Michigan and the State of Ohio," etc. The territory then included in Lenawee County extended as far west as Lake Michigan, and consisted of the present counties of Hillsdale, Branch, St. Joseph, Cass and Berrien. At that time Lenawee County was attached to Monroe, where all taxes were paid and courts of justice held.
It was not until the 31st of December, 1836, that Lenawee County became fully organized by act of the Legislative Council. The seat of justice was then established "On the northwest quarter of section numbered thirty-four, in township five south, range four east, in said County of Lenawee, on lands owned by Messrs. Wing, Evans and Brown, agreeably to the plan of a town or village (Tecumseh), situ- ated on the said northwest quarter section, and recorded in the Regis- ter's office in the county of Monroe the twenty-sixth day of June, 1824."
By this act the inhabitants of Lenawee County "were entitled to all the rights and privileges to which, by law, the inhabitants of the other counties of the Territory are entitled." Gen. Joseph W. Brown was the first judge of the county, and the original plat of the village (now city) of Niles was recorded in the first volume of the registry of deeds of Lenawee County.
One of the principal reasons, and perhaps the most potent, for the constant and rapid arrival of immigrants and settlers to the new county was the fact that the Indians were quiet and peaceable. There is no mention of any massacre or horrible depredation upon the new arrivals on record. It was a common thing for settlers to locate re- gardless of neighbors or protection, and there is no account of a stockade ever being constructed in Lenawee county. The first Indian scare did not come until 1832. In some mysterious way a rumor was started that large numbers of Indians were gathering, and that the
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RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
whites were to be massacred or driven from the country. There was intense excitement among the settlers for a time, but nothing ever occurred to warrant the "scare." This was the "Black Hawk War."
The original area of Lenawee county was twenty townships, six miles square, containing thirty-six sections of land, besides a strip along the south side containing at least twenty sections more. It is believed by good judges that the fractional sections along the west side of the county will make up for the land covered by the water of the lakes in the western portion. This being true, there are 2,860 quarter sections of arable land. Since the organization of the county two townships have been, for local reasons, divided. Tecumseh township was bisected and the township of Clinton established. The township of Blissfield was likewise divided and the township of Deer- field organized.
Snell Hotel, Tecumseh. Erected 1833-34.
The first settlement in Lenawee County was made May 21st, 1824, on the present site of the village of Tecumseh. These primi- tive pioneers nearly all came from Jefferson County, New York, and consisted of fifteen men, four women and eleven children, as follows: Musgrove Evans, wife and six children ; Gen. Joseph W. Brown, wife and five children ; Ezra F. Blood, Peter Benson and wife, Simon Sloate, Nathan Rathburn, Peter Lowe, James Young, George Spof- ford, Curtis Page, Levi Baxter, John Borland, Capt. Peter Ingals, John Fulsom. Turner Stetson and wife, who had come from Boston, joined the party at Detroit.
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ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
It is fair to say that Musgrove Evans was the pathfinder of this bold adventure, for during the previous year, 1823, he visited the lo- cality during a preliminary exploration, and after covering a large portion of the region, decided that this spot was the most desirable and beautiful of all he had seen. It was he who interested Gen. J. W. Brown in the enterprise, and through him enlisted the other mem- bers of the party. But while it is true that Mr. Evans projected and succeeded in settling his colony in the beautiful wilderness, he was never regarded as the leader and mainstay by the settlers.
It was General Brown whom each relied upon. He had experi- enced a pioneer life, was practical, resourceful and capable of com- bating with nature in her most primitive state. He could lead a forlorn hope and conquer all ordinary obstacles. He was a practical farmer and miller, was endowed with moral and physical courage, and his forceful nature inspired hope and confidence. He was a typical pioneer, and under his leadership the colony prospered and grew in numbers and importance.
Tecumseh soon came to be a place of importance, and retained the county seat until 1838, when, by act of the first State Legisla- ture, it was removed to Adrian.
By the state census of 1837 Tecumseh had a population of 2,462, while Logan township (afterwards changed to Adrian), including the village, could only muster 1,962.
The first frame house in Tecumseh, or Lenawee County, was built by General Brown in 1825. It was known as the Green Tavern and was for some time the only public house in the territory west of Monroe.
In the fall of 1824 the first sawmill was erected by Wing, Evans & Brown, and in 1825 Turner Stetson erected a gristmill for them, the stones being worked out of a huge granite boulder found nearby. Many pioneers came a distance of sixty miles with their "grists" to this mill.
The first school opened in the county was taught by Mrs. Mary Spofford in the winter of 1824-5.
The first wedding in the county occurred in May, 1827, when Miss Cynthia Spofford was married to Theodore Bissell. They went to Texas in 1835, where Mr. Bissell died.
The first physician to abide in the county was Dr. Caleb N. Ormsby, first locating in Tecumseh, but permanently settling in Adrian in 1827. Dr. M. A. Patterson was the first to permanently settle in Tecumseh.
In the spring of 1830 a stage route was established west from Tecumseh to White Pigeon by Horace Walcott, Sumner F. Spofford driving the first coach through.
The first election in the county took place in Tecumseh, in 1825, when only fourteen votes were cast for the Hon. Austin E. Wing, for delegate to congress. He was twice elected to congress, and served from 1825 to 1829. Although Mr. Wing was closely connected
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RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
with the first settlement of Lenawee county, he never became a resi- dent, his home being in Monroe. He had filled the office of private secretary to Governor Cass with ability, and possessed rare qualities for organization and public service. He took a lively interest in the early growth and development of Lenawee County. He personally entered the land for the firm of Wing, Evans & Brown, upon which the village of Tecumseh now stands. He lived many years and saw the county completely settled and become dotted with beautiful cities and villages, and prosperous and happy farm homes. He died at Cleveland, Ohio, in August, 1869.
Musgrove Evans platted Tecumseh in 1824, and christened the village. He was the first mail contractor and postmaster. In 1826 he was appointed by the United States government to survey a mili- tary road from Detroit, Mich., to Chicago, Ill., now known as the old Chicago turnpike. He took the first census in 1830. His district included all the territory west of Monroe county, south to the Ohio and Indiana state lines, and west to Lake Michigan, which territory then contained a population of 1,491. Mr. Evans was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, being born there in 1793, and died in Cypress Creek, Texas, June 7, 1855.
The first regular store in the county was opened in Tecumseh by Daniel Pitman, in 1825. It was greatly appreciated by the white settlers, as well as the Indians.
The court house at Tecumseh, that was vacated by the removal of the county seat to Adrian, was afterwards occupied by the State University for some time.
The church history of Tecumseh is quite interesting. The first minister of any denomination to create a regular appointment in the county was the Rev. John A. Baughman, who organized a Methodist Episcopal church in Tecumseh in 1826. The first Methodist church was built in 1842. The first minister to visit Tecumseh and hold service was Rev. Noah M. Wells, a Presbyterian divine, in the fall of 1825. In April, 1826, the Rev. Alanson Darwin established a Pres- byterian church, with ten members. The organization was effected under the name of "The First Presbyterian Society of Tecumseh." In 1839-40 the first church edifice was built, and March 31st, 1869, the present fine church was dedicated.
The Baptist church was organized in 1839, with a membership of twenty-eight, the Rev. L. H. Moore being the first pastor. He has been followed by the Revs. J. I. Fulton, Samuel Cornelius, P. B. Haughout, E. Royce, James McLeod, B. McLouth, J. Fletcher, J. I. Fulton, J. L. McCloud, T. S. Hill, J. Moxsom, P. Olney, M. E. Hayne, C. E. Conley, F. A. Adkins, F. E. Arnold and H. A. Smith.
St. Peter's Episcopal church dates back to September, 1831, when Rev. Dr. P. Galatin conducted the first services in a school house. In 1832 the parish was organized, Rev. Mr. Freeman being present. In May, 1833, Rev. W. Lyster became the first rector,
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ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
under whose efforts the church was built, the opening day being August 2, 1835.
A Universalist church was instituted April 9th, 1853. In March, 1854, Rev. W. E. Manley was installed as the first regular minister.
The Friends church was organized in 1851. It is an orthodox society and belongs to Adrian quarterly meeting.
The Tecumseh Union school district was organized in 1854. There are four commodious and adequate school buildings in the village.
Chicago Street, Tecumseh.
The village of Tecumseh is one of the handsomest and most de- sirable places of residence of its class in Michigan. As a business center it is an influential factor in Lenawee county. Many important manufacturing industries are located there. The business places, many of which are filled with most desirable and varied assortments, are mostly located in substantial brick buildings of good style and architecture. The streets are wide and shaded by deciduous trees, bordered by beautiful lawns and fine residences. There is an effi- cient system of water works, and water of the best quality is supplied.
The village also has a good electric light plant, and the public places are all nicely lighted, while most of the stores and many resi- dences enjoy this most brilliant and cleanly illuminator.
We are indebted for many facts to the late Hon. Francis A. Dewey, who left many valuable statistics relating to first events in the county. His memoirs are of the greatest value at this time. We
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RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
copy as follows : "In the year 1824 the first government land was bought in this county, by Austin E. Wing, and on June 2d Musgrove Evans moved his family, with a few others, to this county. On the east side of the river, at Tecumseh, he. erected his log house, with elm bark for a roof, twenty miles from any laid-out road or white in- * habitant. * * * A more admired scenery than the wild domain presented never perhaps greeted the eye of the enterprising home seeker. *
* * * Rev. Noah M. Wells preached the first sermon, and Rev. Mr. Walker, Methodist preacher, also called here in his circuit of 1,200 miles, and gave a discourse. In 1828 Leslie Osborne set out the first orchard. In 1829 Darius Comstock, at the Valley, built the Friends meeting house, and by subscription the *
* * * court house was built at Tecumseh, also a log jail, in 1830.
A short half-mile from the corner of the road, near Brownville, where it turns east on the old Saline road, were the remains of earth-works. Here was a square enclosure with an embankment of earth four feet high and three rods square, with two openings. Here in this en- closure tradition of the older Indians points with majestic pride, and says there is where the celebrated or imperial chiefs held council. Also near by, on this level and beautiful plat of ground, was a circu- lar embankment or enclosure, four feet high and about two rods in diameter, with a cavity scooped out in the center. Where tradition of olden time illustrates the historical emblems, the sacred plants or herbs were placed in the center of the circle and set on fire ; from the fumes of this smoke the pipe of peace or war was dictated by the chiefs to the Indian nations. It is with pleasure that I now say within the year 1829 and '30, full fifty-eight years ago, it was a cheer- ful treat for me on several different times to visit this beautiful pla- teau of ground, with its ancient works of solid embankments, with leisure and admiration studied to learn who were the managers of this olden time monumental relic. Since the year 1832 the plow and cultivator have leveled the historic work of the ancient mound *
builders. *
* * In my brief outline I do not wish to omit a few words as a passing notice of the renowned chief, Tecumseh. He was born, and over forty years of his life were spent, in the for- ests of Michigan ; his wigwam was on the banks of the River Raisin. Historians say he possessed a noble figure, and his countenance was strikingly expressive of magnanimity ; also was distinguished for moral traits far above his race; a warrior in the broadest Indian sense of the word. He disdained the personal adornments of silver brooches, which the tribes so much delighted to wear. In the war of 1812 he joined in the British service, and had in his command over a thousand Indians belonging in Michigan. In Gen. Proctor's di- vision of the Canada soldiers, Tecumseh held the rank of brigadier general in the British service. He still adhered to his Indian dress, a deerskin coat with leggins of the same material being his constant garb. In this he was found dead at the battle of the Thames, Octo- ber 5th, 1813."
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ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
BLISSFIELD-The Second Settlement.
The second settlement made in the county was by Hervey Bliss and family. June 19th, 1824, Hervey Bliss entered land on sections 29 and 30, the present site of the village of Blissfield, and moved his family on the land in December, that year. Mr. Bliss was thus the first settler and founder of Blissfield. The township and village were named for him. The second entry of land in the township was made by Gideon West, June 28th, 1824, on section 29. Mr. West moved there with his family in 1825. These were the only entries made in the township that year, but in 1825, George Giles, Almond Harrison and Samuel Buck entered land. George Giles brought his family in the spring of 1826. Samuel Buck, being a young man, was the principal in the first wedding in the township, marrying Miss Margaret Frary, stepdaughter of Gideon West, November 23d, 1826, it being necessary to send to Monroe for a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony. George Stout took advantage of the occa- sion, and was married to Miss Delight Bliss at the same time.
E
First log house built in the Township of Blissfield.
May 28th, 1827, the first election was held at the home of Hervey Bliss, for the election of township officers. There were twenty-five offices and only thirteen electors to fill them. Some of the men were elected to two, and in one case, three offices.
The first minister in the town- ship was the Rev. J. A. Baughman, of the M. E. church, who came in the fall of 1827.
The first birth in the township was George Lane, who was born March 27th, 1827. The second was Lucinda Buck (now Mrs. Fred Can- non), born October 3d, 1827. Both still reside in Blissfield.
The first school house was built of logs, in the summer of 1827, and the first school master was Chester Stuart, who came from Monroe.
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