USA > Michigan > Allegan County > A twentieth century history of Allegan County, Michigan > Part 4
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ROSCOE N. ELLIS,
ALBERT L. NICHOLS, JOHN LUBBERS, DANIEL D. HARRIS, Committee.
PROVISIONS FOR THE POOR.
At the first township meeting, April 6, 1833, when Allegan town- ship comprised the entire county, Giles Scott and H. C. White were elected overseers of the poor. Such officers were elected at each township meeting until county organization. Doubtless their office was a sinecure, being both without duty and without pay. But even when the county was young and its inhabitants were few, there were some poor among them, and some public provision had to be made for their care. The board of super- visors in 1837 constituted a poor fund of one hundred dollars, this being the first definite provision for the destitute, and in the following year a
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
pauper was supported nearly a month at the public charge. Until 1839 each township cared for its own poor, but in that year it was voted to make paupers a county charge.
No systematic method of caring for the poor was adopted until 1849. Previous to that time, the paupers being few, the need of a regular institu- tion for their care was not seriously felt. In that year a proposition was made before the board that a farm be purchased at an expense not greater than twelve hundred dollars. No action was taken, and the matter remained in an unsettled state for a number of years, the superintendents of the poor meanwhile making such provisions as they were able by obtaining temporary quarters for those in their charge.
Finally a committee was appointed to examine farms suitable for the purpose, and its report, made January 14, 1866, recommended the purchase of the quarter section owned by J. P. Pope, in the southeast quarter of sec- tion 5, Allegan township. In accordance with the report, the farm was pur- chased for $7,000, the deed being recorded June 15, 1866. This has since been the site of the poorhouse and institutions.
The farm as first purchased soon proved inadequate, and a committee urged the erection of a poorhouse. This structure was erected during 1868, and was reported completed in January, 1869, at a cost of $2,090.07. This was only one of the smaller buildings of the group as contemplated when all the buildings should be completed, and it was soon found that the new structure was insufficient to meet the needs of the institution, and that the old building was rapidly falling into decay. Accordingly, in January, 1870, the board of supervisors instructed the superintendents of the poor to pro- ceca1 with the erection of the main building. This was built within contract time, and as accepted as complete on October 13, 1870. the total cost being $7,461.97.
The next building to be erected on the farm was an asylum for the insane. The consideration of this matter was introduced before the board of supervisors in 1874. The asylum, a two-story brick building, with four rooms in the basement and sixteen above, was first occupied January I. 1876, its cost being $1.328.62.
That the children of the institution might have a building apart from the adult inmates, a juvenile building was next constructed. The super- visors took the first steps for the building of this addition in January, 1877. and the building was completed ready for occupancy before the end of the year. The total cost of this building was $1,633.39.
The following actions taken by the board of supervisors in recent years indicate the material improvements at the county farm :
Oct. 20, 1898 .-* Your committee further finds that in the main building every available room is occupied, also the so-called insane building, and it is impossible to classify the inmates as they should be. The sick and also those who are afflicted with contagious diseases ought to be separated, but it is totally impossible with the limited room at present. And the committee thereupon would recommend that upon investigation to see if practical, the old school building be moved on the grounds in front of what is called the 'insane asylum,' as near as practical to a place that is most convenient to be heated and secure as much as possible from fire, and it be elevated enough on a stone foundation so it can be heated from the main
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
building ; and we recommend that it be so connected, and said building be used as a hospital as far as necessary, especially for the isolation of con- tagious diseased patients, the expense not to exceed $50. We also recom- mend that the poorhouse be connected with a telephone at a cost not ex- ceeding $25 and the regular rates for use of same.
"H. J. KLOMPARENS, "FRANK SOMMER, "G. H. KOOPMAN, "Committee."
Jan. 10, 1899 .- "Whereas, your honorable body, at the October session of 1898, did vote to move the building known as the school building situated at the county farm and the repairing and the heating of the same, and to put telephone into the county poorhouse, but failed to appropriate the money for so doing; and inasmuch as the superintendents of the poor, in com- pliance with the action there taken, have contracted for the moving of said school building and caused to be put into the poorhouse a telephone, there being no fund for that purpose, we, the undersigned superintendents of the poor, do recommend that the sum of five hundred and twenty-five ($525) dollars be taken from the county contingent fund to be used as a building fund for the moving, repairing and heating of said building, to be paid by the county treasurer on orders drawn by the superintendents of the poor, said orders to be for the moving, repairing, or heating of said building."
The amount asked for was voted by the board.
Farm and House,
1885.
1891. $3,227.07 1,251.49
1895. $3,149.78 850.01 100 50
1901. $5.523
1906. $7,580.56
Expense of poorhouse. . $3,968.58
Expense of farm.
1,688.70
Total No. inmates .
92
Average number 65
88 48
107 62 108
68
FORMATION OF THE TOWNSHIPS.
The platting of the territory now comprised within Allegan county into township blocks six miles square, and the further subdivision of each town into thirty-six sections, was the work of the surveyors of the government. As already stated, the first of this work was done in 1825, but most of it was not completed until 1830 and later. The township lines of Gun Plains were run in 1825, but the sections were not run until March, 1831, by Sylvester Sibley. John Mullett was also the surveyor of the township of Martin on the north, in January, 1826, while Mr. Sibley followed in 1831, making the sec- tion lines. Lucius Lyon's name is connected with the survey of Wayland township in 1826, while Mr. Sibley's work on the section lines was done in March, 1831. The same men were connected with the surveys of Leighton. and the dates are approximately the same, as would also be true of Dorr township, except that Mr. Lyon also did the sectional work in the spring of 1831. . Mr. Mullett was connected with the survey of the east line of Otsego in 1825; the south line, the base line, was traced out by William Brookfield in 1827 ; the north and west lines by Mr. Lyon late in 1830, and he then con-
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
tinued with the subdivision of the township into sections. Thus the survey went on with the other townships until every section in the county was de- fined.
We have referred to the various townships by the names of the present. These names designate both the survey and the civil townships. But at the time only the survey townships existed. The organization of a separate civil government within the town boundaries had not been attempted; such or- ganization, like the organization of the county itself, had to wait upon the increase of population and multiplication of material and social interests. It is a very interesting process to follow the division of the county's territory into civil townships, for, taken in chronological order, it denotes with tol- erable accuracy, the movement of population into each division.
For several months after the county was organized its territory consti- tuted one township. The legislature possessed the power to divide the county into convenient areas for government purposes, and on March 23. 1836, the first act for the creation of civil townships was approved. At this date four townships came into existence. The division was clearly made with reference to the position of population at that time. The settlers were mainly grouped along the river from Allegan to the southeast. Therefore, the first civil town- ship on the east was the column of four survey-townships along the east line of the county. To this the name Plainfield was given. The next col- umn to the west was formed into a civil township by name Otsego. Plain- field and Otsego were each six miles wide from east to west, and twenty-four miles long.
But the third town, next west of Otsego, was made twelve miles wide. or, in other words, two columns of survey-townships were used to make this one civil town. This was Allegan township. What remained of the county after these three townships were formed, consisting of one full-width column and the narrow column along the shore of Lake Michigan, became one town- ship to which was given the name Newark.
To make these four original townships the county was divided vertically from north to south into four strips. But these elongated towns did not long remain. Rapid settlement soon called for the organization of townships with smaller boundaries.
The first division was made March 6, 1838, when the civil township of Manlius was organized, its first town meeting to be held at the house of Ralph R. Mann. As bounded on that date, Manlius was survey-town' hip 3 north, in range 15, its present territory. But an act of March 15, 18 11, de- tached the remaining three townships in the same column from Newark and constituted them a part of the civil township of Manlius. So that what are now Fillmore, Clyde and Lee were also a part of Manlius until separated to form other town areas.
Plainfield was the next to be divided. March 22, 1839. the lowest sur- vey-township in the column was constituted a civil township by itself, retain- ing the name Plainfield, while the three other towns were link :d together under the name of Martin. Plainfield, which was changed to its present name of Gun Plain on March 19. 1845, was the first township to assume permanently the boundaries by which it is defined today.
February 16, 1842, is the next date of township division. Both Otsego and Allegan suffered contraction on that date. Otsego fared as Plainfield
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
had three years before. The bottom town was constituted the Otsego as known today, while the other three towns remained under the name of Watson. On the same day the two lower survey-towns of Allegan were set off and named Trowbridge, embracing just twice the area of the present township of that name.
Gun Plain and Otsego were the first towns whose settlement and devel- opment had progressed far enough to receive independent organizations. We must next look at the town of Martin, which the legislature soon divided. Martin was constituted with its present arca on March 9, 1843, while the two towns to the north were at the same time made Wayland township.
March 16, 1847, several changes were made on the map of Allegan county. Watson township was constituted with its present boundaries, and the two northern towns of its previous area were made Dorr township. On the same day Allegan lost three of its township areas by the formation of Monterey, a right-angled township, covering the area of the present Mon- terey, Salem and Overisel. By the same act Ganges was formed from Newark, consisting of the two lower towns on the lake shore, that is, the present Ganges and Casco.
March 9. 1848, the north half of Wayland was set off and given the name Leighton. Thus the four townships on the east line of the county were organized with their present limits.
By its separation from Manlius, Fillmore township was constituted with its present boundaries March 15, 1849. But on the following year, March 28, its area was doubled by the cutting off of the present Overisel from Monterey and placing it with Fillmore.
March 28, 1850, was created the original Pine Plains township. This contained the two lower survey-townships in range 15 (Clyde and Lee), previously a part of Manlius, and all of the present Valley township that lay west of the Kalamazoo river. It was unusual to bound a township other- wise than by its rectangular outlines, and making the river a boundary took off a triangular piece of land and left it with the original township. By this time the original Allegan township had been much reduced from its area of eight survey-townships. Trowbridge had been taken off in 1842, Mon- terey in 1847, and Pine Plains in 1850, so all that remained was the present Allegan, the irregular piece of land along the east side of the next town to the west, and the present Heath township.
But on March 18, 1851, Allegan township was constituted with its present boundaries, and on the same day the township of Heath was created. For twenty years Heath contained the fractional township east of the Kala- mazoo just described. In 1871 Valley, or Pine Plains as it then was, was squared off by the addition of this triangle.
April 2, 1851, the legislature divided the original Trowbridge, and named its western half Cheshire, since which time both towns have retained their present areas and names.
Until 1852 the formation of townships was a matter controlled entirely by the legislature. Of course the legislature usually acted in accordance with petition from the citizens of the proposed town, and generally acceded to the wishes of the inhabitants, but no town came into official existence until the legislature so enacted. In 1852 this power of township creation was transferred from the legislature to the board of supervisors of each
-
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
county, and continued with that body until 1860, when it was once more resumed by the legislature.
December 29, 1852, Dorr, which had contained two town areas since 1847, was divided, the north half retaining the name of Dorr, and the name Hopkins was given the south half. This was the first township formed by the board of supervisors.
As we have seen, Monterey originally embraced three survey-town- ships : in 1850 it was reduced to two, and on October 10, 1855, the super- visors set off its north half as Salem township, leaving Monterey with its present boundaries.
In the meantime, the extreme southwestern town of the county had been organized. Casco was set off from Ganges December 27, 1854. the townships then assuming their present areas.
Only a few more townships remained to be organized. October 14. . 1856, Overisel was created by being set off from Fillmore, to which it had been attached in 1850.
Original Newark township had been greatly reduced since it was first constituted in 1836. All that now remained were the two upper frac- tional townships along the lake. These were separated and Lake Town was organized October 13. 1858. The remaining town continued to be known as Newark until 1861, when the legislature changed its name to Saugatuck.
Pine Plains was the last to be subdivided. January 4. 1859. the town- ship of Lee was set off, and the following October 12th the two remaining towns were formed as Clyde and Pine Plains. Pine Plains still lacked the northeastern corner, which was given it in 1871. The name of Pine Plains was changed to Valley in January, 1898.
The townships as they now appear on the map were constituted with their present boundaries at the following dates, beginning in the south- eastern corner of the county and reading from bottom to top: Gun Plains. March 22, 1839: Martin, March 9. 1843: Wayland, March 9, 1848: Leigh- ton, March 9. 1848: Otsego, Feb. 16, 1842; Watson, March 16, 1847; Hopkins, Dec. 29, 1852; Dorr, Dec. 29, 1852: Trowbridge, April 2. 1851 ; Allegan, March 18, 1851 ; Monterey, Oct. 10. 1855: Salem, Oct. 10, 1855 ; Cheshire, April 2, 1851 ; Valley, Oct. 12. 1859; Heath, March 18, 1851 (except the separation of the corner strip in 1871); Overisel, Oct. 14. 1856; Lee. Tan. 4. 1859; Clyde, Oct. 12, 1859; Manlius, March 15, 1849: Fillmore, March 15, 1849: Casco, Dec. 27, 1854: Ganges, Dec. 27, 1854; Saugatuck. Oct. 13, 1858; Laketown, Oct. 13, 1858.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.
As each of the townships was formed, as previously described, town- ship government was instituted. At the first town meeting following the act for organization, there were usually present and active in the pro- ceedings the citizens who by right should be regarded not only as the pioneers of the particular township, but the men upon whom devolved the civic and industrial responsibilities of the locality during its early years. There is a peculiar fitness therefore in naming so far as possible the first set of officers chosen by the townships at their first town meetings.
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
The personnel of the principal township officials during the subsequent years will be found tabulated elsewhere in the volume, under Civil Lists, to which the reader is referred. But the first set of officials gives us acquaintance with men, many of whom are mentioned prominently in con- nection with other affairs, and many of whose descendants remain in the county to this time.
For this purpose it will be well to describe the organization of the townships with reference to their origin. Plainfield, Otsego, Allegan and Newark, being the four large divisions from which all the twenty-four townships have been formed, the plan will be to describe the organization of Plainfield and then, in order, of each of the towns taken from its original area, and so on with Otsego, Allegan and Newark.
PLAINFIELD.
In the various acts creating the townships, among other provisions, the legislature designated the place where the first township meeting should be held. The house of Isaac Aldrich was designated for the holding of the first town meeting in Plainfield. The act dividing the county into four civil townships was approved, it will be remembered, March 23, 1836, and the town meeting was held two weeks later. On April 4, not only the citi- zens living in the present town of Gun Plain, but all who lived in the other three towns to the north line of the county, were entitled to attend and participate in this meeting. Of course the majority of those present were of the Gun Plain neighborhood, where was then the nucleus of the settlers. In this respect the town meeting was the first one in the civil history of Gun Plains township, and its record usually begins the civil history of that town. But in a minor degree the same record is a part of the civil his- tory of each of the other three towns, which at the time were attached to Plainfield.
The business of this first town meeting began by the choice of tem- porary officers in the persons of John Murphy, moderator ; William Forbes, clerk ; John Anderson, clerk of election. The first township officers chosen in the meeting were: John Murphy, supervisor; William Forbes, town clerk: William Still, collector: Curtis Brigham, John Anderson, Peter Dumont, John Murphy, justices of the peace; Orlando Weed, Justus B. Sutherland, Chester Wetmore, highway commissioners; Curtis Brigham, John Anderson, William Forbes, school commissioners : Charles Bush, Friend Ives, Elisha B. Seeley, assessors ; Peter Dumont, Chester Wetmore, overseers of the poor : Friend Ives, Elisha B. Seeley. Warren Caswell, fence viewers ; William Still, Peter Dumont, S. H. Upson, Chester Wetmore. Orrin Orton, Warren Caswell, Leman G. Orton, John H. Adams, con- stables : Charles Bush, Charles Ives, Elisha Tracy, Elisha B. Seeley, path- masters.
MARTIN.
When Martin was set off in 1830. with the two townships on the north attached for civil purposes, the first town meeting was held at the house of John H. Adams, mentioned above as constable in the first Plain- field election, on April 13, 1839. The township officers elected by the seventeen voters present were: Cotton M. Kimball, supervisor ; Timothy
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
Gregg, town clerk; John H. Adams, treasurer; George W. Barnes, John H. Adams, Mumford Eldred, assessors; Nicholas Shellman, collector ; George W. Barnes, John C. White, Cotton M. Kimball, school inspectors ; Abraham Shellman. Adam W. Miller, Walter Monteith, highway com- missioners : Timothy Gregg, Abraham Shellman, directors of the poor ; George W. Barnes, Abraham Shellman, justices of the peace; Nicholas Shellman, Oziel H. Rounds, constables.
WAYLAND. .
The township of Wayland, with the present Leighton attached, was organized March 9, 1843. The first township meeting was held at the house of Isaac Barnes, April 1, 1844. The township officers elected were : George W. Barnes, who was one of the first of Martin's officials, was elected super- visor : Luther Martin, town clerk; Oziel H. Rounds, treasurer : Steven S. Germond, Solomon Filkins, assessors; Isaac Barnes, George W. Barnes, school inspectors: Nelson Chambers, Joseph Heydenburk, directors of the poor ; Isaac Barnes, Oziel H. Rounds, Nelson Chambers, highway com- missioners ; George W. Barnes, Steven S. Germond, Oziel H. Rounds, Nel- son Chambers, justices of the peace ; Calvin Lewis, Nelson M. Pollard, con- stables ; Joel Bronson, Samuel E. Lincoln, Solomon Filkins, William S. Hooker, overseers of highways.
LEIGHTON.
Leighton was organized as a separate township March 9. 1848, and the first town meeting was held at the Green Lake schoolhouse, April 3. 1848. Township officers elected: George W. Lewis, supervisor; Samuel B. Hooker, clerk: George W. Lewis, treasurer: John Woodward. Jehu Wilson, assessors ; Seth A. Lucas, Alfred Mann, school inspectors; Levi S. Bagnell. Samuel E. Lincoln, Jehu . Wilson, highway commissioners : Homer Hulett, Seth A. Lucas, Alfred Mann, justices of the peace : William S. Hooker, John Woodward, poormasters; Philetus W. Wood, John Good- speed, constables : John Woodward, Steven Hartwell, roadmasters.
OTSEGO.
Otsego, in its original form, containing the three towns to the north, had its first town meeting at the house of Samuel Foster. April 6, 1833. Township officers chosen : Charles Miles, Supervisor : Cyrenius Thompson, town clerk : Martin W. Rowe, collector : Eber Sherwood. Calvin C. White, D. A. Plummer, assessors : Giles Scott. Calvin C. White, overseers of the poor ; Turner Aldrich, Norman Davis, Roval Sherwood, highway commis- sioners ; Charles Miles, Samuel Foster, Cyrenius Thompson, school in- spectors : Martin W. Rowe, constable : Orlando Weed. Eber Sherwood. U. Baker, Abijah Chichester, overseers of roads.
WATSON.
Watson, cut off from Otsego, with the two towns to the north. and organized February 16, 1842, had its first tow nmeeting at the house of Eli Watson, April 4. 1842. The first town officers were: Amos D. Dunning,
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HISTORY OF ALLEGAN COUNTY
supervisor; Eli P. Watson, clerk; Eli Watson, treasurer; Peter Richart, John J. Lardner, assessors; William H. Warner, William S. Miner, Amos D. Dunning, school inspectors; Charles Benson, director of the poor ; Jesse D. Stone, Harvey N. Barker, highway commissioners; Erastus Condon, William Allen, justices of the peace; Jesse D. Stone, J. Baker, constables.
DORR.
Dorr, also containing the present town of Hopkins, was set off from Martin in 1847, and the first town meeting was held at the school house in district number 3. April 5, 1847. Fourteen votes were cast for the follow- ing officers : John Parsons, supervisor ; Jonathan O. Round, clerk; William H. Warner, treasurer; Edward Moore, William H. Warner, school in- spectors ; Orrin Goodspeed, Erastus Condon, Jonathan Brewer, highway commissioners: William H. Warner, Harvey N. Baker, directors of the poor ; William H. Warner, Edward Moore, Harvey N. Baker, justices of the peace; Orrin Goodspeed, John Parsons, Jason Baker, Jonathan O. Round, constables ; Jonathan O. Round, Jonathan Brewer, John Parsons, Edward Moore, overseers of highways.
HOPKINS.
Hopkins, after obtaining separate organization in December, 1852, held its first town meeting at the log house on section 26 in school district No. I, in April, 1853, the first officers being: J. O. Round, supervisor ; John Parsons, clerk; Erastus Condon, treasurer ; Hiram Loomis, William R. Ingerson, highway commissioners; John Truax, Jason Baker, justices of the peace; D. C. Ingerson, M. Vanduzen, school inspectors; Thomas Wil- son, T. J. Crampton, directors of the poor ; O. Perry, W. R. Ingerson, constables.
ALLEGAN.
The original Allegan township, comprising two columns of townships through the center of the county, held its first town meeting following the act of organization in the village of Allegan, in April, 1836. The officials chosen were: Alexander L. Ely, supervisor; Nathaniel Livermore, clerk ; Joseph Fisk, Elisha Ely, Elisha Moody, Enoch S. Baker, justices of the peace ; Elisha Moody, Hiram Abbott, Joseph Fisk, assessors; Elisha Moody. Elisha Ely, Enoch S. Baker, highway commissioners; Lyman Fisk, Elisha Ely, overseers of the poor; Sylvester Aldrich, Benjamin McCoy, Enoch S. Baker, school commissioners; Alexander L. Ely, William C. Jenner, Joseph Allen, school inspectors.
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