USA > Michigan > Berrien County > A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan > Part 34
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Mr. Bridgman was active in securing the building of the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad along the lake shore in 1869 and 1870 and in the latter year platted out a new village called Bridgman's, located a half mile east of Charlotteville.
Mr. Bridgman died in 1895. George W. Bridgman, a prominent attorney of Benton
Harbor, is a son of George Bridgman. A daughter, Mrs. Sarah E. Ackerman, now lives on the old homestead at Bridgman.
Norman E. Landon was also a prominent man in the township. He was a native of Connecticut and settled in Lake township in 1858. His brother Rufus, of Niles, at that time owned most of the "Big Meadow." Norman was supervisor of his township for nineteen terms. His first term was in 1859 and his last term in 1892.
Dr. John H. Royce was a prominent phy- sician for many years and had an extensive practice. His widow is now living at New Troy. She was a teacher for many years.
The village of Bridgman is the center of the strawberry business. The nurseries of A. L. Baldwin, Charles Whitten and F. L. Ackerman are devoted mainly to the pro- duction of strawberry plants, which are shipped to all parts of the country, often a car load of these plants are shipped from this point in a day. The township of Lake produces more strawberries than any other township, and the erea set out to this fruit has been rapidly increasing for several years. It is claimed by fruit men that the soil is especially adapted for raising choice strawberries.
The first church in the township was Methodist and was organized in 1846 at a school house in the southeast part of the township. A church was subsequently es- tablished at Bridgman's. In 1850 a United Brethren Church was organized in the eastern part of the township.
The following is a list of supervisors of Lake township from the date of its organiza- tion in 1846.
Bradley M. Pennell 1846
Comfort Pennell 1847-1848
Peter Ruggles 1849
Comfort Pennell 1850
Abner Sanders 1851-1853
E. P. Morley 1854
Marcus Hand
1855-1856
Bennett Heathman
1857
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258
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
Marcus Hand
1858
N. E. Landon
1879-1881
Norman E. Landon
1859-1860
J. H. Nixon
1882
E. P. Morley
1861-1862
N. E. Landon
1883-1885
B. M. Pennell
1863
C. H. Whitcomb
1886
E. P. Morley
1864
N. E. Landon
1887-1892
N. E. Landon
1865-1866
C. M. Smith
1893-1894
D. S. Evans
1867-1868
O. P. Miller
1895-1896
Franklin Weston 1869
C. M. Smith
. 1896-1900
Isaac Hatheway
1870-1872
O. A. E. Baldwin
190I
N. E. Landon
.1873-1874
C. M. Smith
1902
Wm. Williams
1875-1876
J. B. Nixon
. 1903
N. E. Landon
1877
B. S. Bedortha
I904
M. B. Hauser
1878
J. B. Nixon
1905-1906
CHAPTER XXI
THE EARLY HISTORY OF ROYALTON AND LINCOLN.
The township of Royalton was organ- ized in 1835. It then included territory now occupied by Royalton, Lincoln and Sodus. Sodus was annexed to Pipestone in 1842. Lincoln was not organized till 1868, when a portion was detached from Royalton.
Royalton, as now constituted, is irregu- lar in shape and contains about nineteen sec- tions. The St. Joseph river separates it from Sodus, running for the most part in a northwesterly direction. Royalton being on the left bank. It is bounded on the south by Oronoko and Lake, on the west by Lin- coln and St. Joseph, on the north by St. Joseph and the river which separates it from Benton and Sodus. It practically borders on six different townships. Lincoln is bounded on the north by St. Joseph, on the east by Royalton, on the south by Lake and on the west by Lake Michigan.
The soil is generally very rich and pro- ductive. The Interurban which enters the township at Arden near the southeast corner and runs through the township in a north- westerly course for about six miles, passes through fruit orchards and grape vineyards for nearly the whole distance on almost a level. The township is noted especially for its production of grapes, in which it stands next to St. Joseph and about equal to Ben- ton. It also raises large quantities of straw- berries, raspberries and blackberries. In proportion to its area, it probably raises as
large a quantity of berries as any town- ship.
The first settler of Oronoko was the first settler of Royalton. This was John Pike, who was a native of North Carolina and who settled on Wolf's Prairie ( Berrien Springs) in 1829. In 1832 he removed to Royalton where he located with his wife and six chil- dren in the northwest corner of the present township. He subsequently acquired about two hundred and forty acres in the town- ship, and subsequently removed to Iowa where he died in 1859 in his eighty-eighth year.
His son William Pike, who came with his father, located when of age, in section seven, where he lived most of the time till his death.
The next settler was Jehiel Enos, then a bachelor, who came to Michigan in 1829, and in 1832 located land adjoining that of John Pike. He removed to Benton town- ship in 1834, where he became the first set- tler, and one of the most prominent men in the early history of the county. He is re- ferred to more specially in connection with the early settlement of Benton township.
In 1835 Josephus Gard, a native of New York, who had removed to Ohio, however, in early life, located upon the Enos farm. Mr. Gard, on removing from Ohio, had first settled in Cass county in 1830, and the Gard family became prominent in the history of
260
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
both Berrien and Cass counties. Josephus Gard died many years ago.
One son of Josephus, Jonathan, remained in Cass county. Another son, Joseph, moved to Berrien county in 1834 where he located one hundred and sixty acres near St. Jo- seph. His first wife died shortly after his settlement and he subsequently married Laura Farley, the daughter of Amos Far- ley, one of the first settlers of St. Joseph, he having located there in 1829. Joseph Gard conducted a tannery for a time, but was mainly devoted to agricultural pursuits. He was a man of ability and died in 1873. His wife died in 1878.
Their only surviving child, John F. Gard, was supervisor of the township of St. Joseph for several terms and was elected county treasurer in 1900. He died in 1902, while in office. He was an expert book- keeper and a man of financial sagacity.
In 1831, Theodore C. Abbe and his brother, A. G. Abbe, of Oswego, New York, settled in the township, coming with a widowed mother and one younger brother. They sailed from Oswego to Detroit, where they purchased an ox team and lumber wagon and drove to Niles. From this point A. G. drove the oxen to Royalton village, while the rest of the family sailed down the river in a pirogue or canoe. Theodore died about the year 1836. A. G. then became a boatman on the river and also worked at his trade as a carpenter till 1847, when he located upon a farm in Royalton. He was supervisor of his township two terms and treasurer three terms.
Samuel Danforth in 1837, left Genessee county, New York, for Michigan, with two children in a wagon, but found the roads so bad that after proceeding some distance, abandoned the wagon and in company with his children walked to Niles, a distance of about one hundred miles.
In 1836 he settled in Royalton and lived there till his death in 1858.
In 1833 Clark Pennell built a log house
on the St. Joseph and Niles road and car- ried on a tavern. It was afterwards sup- planted by a frame building and was known as the "Buckhorn Tavern," a famous hos- telry of the pioneer days and a favorite rest- ing place for travelers. About 1836 it passed into the hands of David M. Dunn, the first supervisor of the township, who was the proprietor for several years. The tavern was called the "Buckhorn" because the front was decorated with a pair of buck horns, placed there by W. H. Tryon, a famous deer hunter.
In 1834, Rowland Tryon and his sons William H. and John, natives of Connecti- cut, located in section twenty-nine. The father died in 1875 at the advanced age of ninety-four years. William became a promi- nent fruit grower, for sometime carried on a general store, and held several township offices. He was noted as a skillful and suc- cessful hunter. He once engaged in a hunt for forty days in which he killed thirty-seven deer, sixteen coons, six wild turkeys and col- lected nine swarms of bees.
In 1834, David Shearer, a native of North Carolina, emigrated from Ohio, where he had lived for some years, with his family consisting of a wife and thirteen chil- dren, and located one hundred and sixty acres in section nineteen. His son Eli and A. J. Briney, who had accompanied the fam- ily from Ohio, located lands adjoining. There were no settlers nearer than five miles distant. They journeyed from Ohio in four two-horse wagons. They went to mill to Prairie Ronde in Kalamazoo county, thirty- five miles distant.
The following children of Eli Shearer are now living. Mrs. A. J. Penland, Mrs. Margaret Arnold, Daniel, and Mrs. Eliza- beth Stevens.
Two children of Jacob Shearer are now living. William H. Shearer and Mrs. Sarah Peters. William H. is now living on the farm purchased by his father of the govern- ment in 1839.
261
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
Five children of Andrew Shearer are liv- ing, William A., Alexander, Charles, Mrs. Sarah Bradford and Mrs. Mary Newel.
In 1834, David Ball settled in the town- ship, but in 1839 sold out and removed to a foreign state.
In 1835, A. J. Briney, William Milten- berger and William Baumgartner, all from Ohio, settled in the township.
In 1839, Robert Hollywood purchased the farm of David Ball in section thirteen. Hollywood was an Irishman by birth and a linen bleacher by trade, but emigrating to this country in 1820, became a sailor. He first sailed on the lakes, and afterwards on the river St. Joseph, being captain for a time on the "Davy Crockett." After purchasing the Ball farm he lived on it till his death in 1851. His son, Robert T., now lives upon a portion of the farm purchased by his father in 1839.
Among the prominent settlers who came later may be mentioned James Carleton, John Bort, and George H. Scott. All of them came to Michigan at an early date. Mr. Carleton was a native of Massachusetts and emigrated to Barry county, in this state, in 1840. In 1854 he located in Royalton township, where he lived till his death in 1872. He was supervisor of the township from 1860 to 1864. A son, Albert H. Carle- ton, living at present in St. Joseph, was supervisor of Royalton township from 1877 to 1880.
John Bort moved in 1844 from Herkimer county, New York, to Niles township, where he located with his wife. He remained here but a short time and purchased a farm in Lincoln township. This he sold and pur- chased a farm of one hundred and sixty-four acres in Royalton upon which he lived till his death. He was engaged extensively in raising fruit and was the first person to en- gage largely in the culture of strawberries. His farm in Lincoln contained one hundred and forty-four acres. This he bought for twenty-two hundred dollars and sold in 1865
for twenty-two thousand dollars. He died in 1903 in his ninety-fourth year. He be- longed to a long-lived family of thirteen children born to his parents, all but three of whom lived to be over ninety years old. Two of his children are now living in this county, Fayette M. and Harry G. both of Royalton. Harry G. is the present super- visor of Royalton township.
George H. Scott, a native of Vermont, came to St. Joseph in 1837, with a brother, Reuben. They engaged in various enter- prises, conducting a hardware store, a grocery and a saw mill and at one time owned and operated two vessels on the lake. About the year 1860 he purchased a farm in Royalton township where he lived for about twenty-five years. He died in 1896. A son, George M., lives in Royalton township and a daughter Emma is the wife of N. A. Hamilton, a prominent attorney of St. Jo- seph. Mr. Scott was postmaster for some years at Royalton, and held various local offices.
A considerable number of Germans set- tled in the township at a later date. Among the most prominent of them was Henry Ashoff. He received a good education in that country which takes the lead in educa- tional requirements, Prussia, of which he was a native. He came to America in 1853, to St. Joseph in 1854 and married a daugh- ter of Joseph Gard in 1855. Mr. Gard gave him eighty acres in section twenty, to which Mr. Ashoff made additions. He was super- visor of his township for nine years and held various local offices. He was an active, honest and intelligent citizen and a promi- nent leader in the Evangelical Association Church. He died many years since.
An association has been formed in this township for the benefit of fruit growers called the "Scottdale Fruit Association" of which the following are the officers: Presi- dent and manager, Fred Geisler ; salesman, W. H. Shearer; secretary and treasurer, Arthur Carleton.
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262
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
The electors of Royalton in the spring election of 1906, voted to appropriate thirty thousand dollars for the building of roads. Already several miles of macadamized road have been built.
The township of Lincoln was a part of Royalton until the year 1867 and its early history is so mingled with that of Royalton that it is difficult to separate the early his- tory of one from that of the other. Early settlers of Royalton had lands which were situate within the present limits of Lincoln, and often moved their residence from what is now Royalton to the latter. A brief state- ment, however, of some of the earliest settle- ments made within the present limits of Lin- coln, will be made.
The town of Lincoln is fractional, being about two and one-half miles wide on the south. It is bounded on the north by St. Joseph, on the east by Royalton, on the south by Lake and on the west by Lake Michigan.
The eastern portion of the township ly- ing on the borders of Royalton, is naturally rich and productive. Hickory creek runs across the township in a northerly direction, and the land west of this creek was naturally sterile and poor. Pine forests originally grew near the lake. This land, however, has been made remunerative by fruit culti- vation. A considerable portion lying along Hickory creek was swampy but nearly all of it has been drained, reclaiming quite an area of land.
The township is densely populated, be- ing largely divided up into small holdings, and presenting almost the appearance of a continuous village, with fruit gardens in the rear of the residences. Of late years there has been a large influx of Germans and other foreign races. The land has been largely devoted to fruit raising especially of all kinds of berries for which the soil appears es- pecially adapted. Peaches are also raised in abundance.
In the western part of the township is a series of ponds or lagoons about a mile and a half long, connected with Lake Michigan, called the "Grand Marias" or great marsh.
A remarkably early settlement was made in the extreme northern part of the town- ship in 1827 by Major Timothy Smith. Major Smith had been a teacher in the Carey mission and leaving there in 1827 he sought a home in an unbroken wilderness, years be- fore the government had opened any lands for sale, and before any survey had been made. He became a justice of the peace, and was supervisor of the township of Royalton from 1837 to 1843. He was very corpulent and a practical joker. He was appointed light house keeper in 1840 and lived in the county till 1853, when he removed to Cali- fornia, where he died many years ago.
William Huff settled near Major Smith in 1828, but shortly after moved into the village of Newburyport (St. Joseph), where he engaged in mercantile business and built a hotel. He was the first supervisor of St. Joseph township and held the office for three or four terms. He died in 1845.
In 1835 or 1836, Major Smith, Hiram Brown and others laid out a village in the western part of the township, but the project was abandoned before any successful settle- ment was made.
No settlements were made after those of Major Smith and Mr. Huff for some years, and this part of the township was settled very slowly. The village of Stevensville was platted and laid out by Thomas Stevens, a prominent banker of Niles, who owned a large tract of land in the vicinity. An addi- tion was made by A. D. Brown. The vil- lage was incorporated in 1893, and has a population of two hundred and fifty. The first store in the village was carried on by William M. Smith. The first physician was Dr. J. N. Percell. The first church was the Methodist, which was established in 1847 by Gould Parish and others.
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263
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
SUPERVISORS OF LINCOLN TOWNSHIP.
The following named persons have been supervisors of the township at the dates designated.
J. A. Parrish I868
L. W. Archer
I869
A. D. Brown
1870-1879
A. O. French I880
J. S. Beers 1886-1887
Alex. Haliday 1888-1895
W. J. Diemer
1896-1898
Alex. Haliday
1899-1904
Frank P. Cupp
1905-1906
The following is a list of the supervisors of Royalton township.
David M. Drum 1835-1836
T. S. Smith
1837-1843
Samuel Fulton 1844-1845
John Witherell 1846-1847
Samuel Fulton 1848
Albert G. Abbe 1849
Samuel Fulton
1850
P. W. Webb 185I
Richard Brown 1852
Samuel Davis
1853
Wm. Stevens
1854
A. G. Abbe
1855
N. W. Thompson 1856-1859
Jas. Carleton 1860-1864
D. N. Brown 1865
O. D. Parsons I866
Henry Ashoff
1867-1872
J. S. Beers 1873
Henry Ashoff
1874-1876
A. H. Carleton 1877-1880
Henry Ashoff
1881-1883
J. H. Slover 1884-1888
J. M. Miller 1889
E. L. Cromer 1890-1899
S. B. Miners 1900-1904
Harry Bort
1905-1906
CHAPTER XXII
SODUS.
The township of Sodus is irregular in form and contains only about twenty-one sections of land. It is bounded on the north by Benton, on the east by Pipestone and a small part of Berrien, on the south by the St. Joseph river, and on the west by the river and also for about a mile by Benton. The river separates it from Royalton and Or- onoko.
The land is generally rich and produc- tive, and equally adapted for raising grains or fruit. The surface is generally level. Of late years fruit culture has been an import- ant industry and the production of apples and peaches has been very large.
For many years the township was a part of Pipestone and it was not till 1859 that it was erected into a separate township. The first township election was held at the Rector school house in April, 1860, at which R. S. Carpenter was elected supervisor, R. E. Hull, clerk, and James Trowbridge, treas- urer.
The first actual and permanent settlers were the Rectors, although two men by the name of Scott and Palmer had made a small clearing, but after a brief sojourn they moved away. In 1836 James B. Larue of St. Jo- seph built a saw mill on Pipestone creek, but did not move into the township till 1841.
In 1835 William H. and David Rector, who resided in the town of Sodus, New York, came to St. Joseph and engaged in
the business of boating on the river. They disliked the business, however, and before the end of the year returned to their native state. In the next spring they again came to Michigan, bringing their brother Hiram. Arriving at Buffalo, on their trip to Michi- gan, in company with two other men, they took charge of a keel-boat called the "Niles" which was being towed to St. Joseph by a steamer. Shortly after leaving Buffalo a violent storm arose, during which the keel- boat broke loose from the steamer towing her and drifted helplessly for about one hun- dred miles. When the storm subsided the the five men rowed the boat with their oars safely into port at Cleveland. Upon their arrival at St. Joseph, they went into boat- ing again on the river. David, however, soon left this business and worked for Larue three years at the saw mill of the latter on Pipestone creek. In 1839 he located upon a tract of one hundred and twenty acres in section fourteen, which he had entered in 1837.
In 1836 the father, David Rector, came from Sodus, New York, with the rest of the family to St. Joseph. The next year he moved into the township and settled upon a tract adjoining that of his son, David. Here he lived till his death in 1862.
Hiram lived with his father a few years, when he settled in section twenty-two.
David Rector, Jr., married Sarah Tabor
4 . -
265
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
in 1843. Mr. Rector was called upon to name the township at its organization and gave it the name of his native town in New York, Sodus.
William H. Rector lived in St. Joseph till 1842, when he settled upon a farm near that of his father. He lived upon this farm till his death in 1878. His first purchase was a forty-acre tract in section fifteen from Charles Palmer, who traded it to Rector for a gun and an old horse.
Mr. Larue, who, as has been stated, built a sawmill on Pipestone creek as early as 1836, was then a lumber merchant in St. Joseph, to which place he had moved from New Jersey in 1835. He was the first super- visor of Pipestone township (then includ- ing Sodus), and held the office from 1842 to 1848. In 1850 he emigrated to Califor- nia, where he died many years ago.
The growth of the township after its first settlement was slow, owing to the fact that the land was nearly all owned by specu- lators who held it for a number of years at figures so high as to keep away many pur- chasers. The population of both Pipestone and Sodus numbered only two hundred and seventy-seven in 1845, and it was not till after 1850 that any considerable number of . settlers located in the township.
In 1840 Joseph W. Brewer, who lived at St. Joseph, and was a steamboat captain on the river, settled in section sixteen. He lived here but a few years when he returned to St. Joseph. At about the same time Ebe- nezer Farley settled in section sixteen, but spent most of his time boating on the river. He was a son of Amos Farley, who settled at St. Joseph in 1830 and removed to Oro- noko township in 1833. He moved to Cali- fornia in 1854.
In 1841, James McDougall of New York and Francis Versaw, a French Cana- dian, together purchased a farm of one hun- dred and thirty acres on the St. Joseph river. McDougall subsequently moved to Ne- braska. Versaw at an early date located at
Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he was an agent of the American Fur Company. In 1835 he moved to St. Joseph and followed the business of boating till his settlement in Sodus. A son of Francis Versaw, James, is now living on the farm located by his father. A brother of Francis, Luke, settled in Sodus in 1845.
Among the pioneers who settled the township, between 1840 and 1845, were Peter Shook, S. H. Salpaugh, I. W. Chadwick, Abner Buckman, James F. Has- kins, Hiram Ryther, George Keigley, John B. Rush, Wallace Tabor.
Among the prominent settlers who came somewhat later were Jesse Hemingway, Luther Hemingway, the Ganos, F. F. King, R. M. Hogue, Josephus Fisher.
Luther Hemingway was supervisor of the township in 1871, but subsequently moved to Benton Harbor where he is now living. He was county surveyor for many years.
F. F. King was supervisor for ten terms and Josephus Fisher for twelve years.
Two popular summer resorts on the river have been located in Sodus, one called the Sebago and the other Tabors. The Se- bago was established on a charming site in 1895 by J. J. Theiss. A commodious hotel was erected and subsequently a con- siderable number of cottages were built.
About two miles above Sebago is Ta- bor's Resort, which is owned and conducted by Ernest Tabor. This point has been for some weeks the southern terminus of the interurban railroad running south from Benton Harbor. It is now being extended to Eau Claire.
CHURCHES.
The Christian Church was organized at the Mt. Pleasant church by Elder William Roe, of Buchanan, in 1867, and was a strong and vigorous church at the outset. The first elders were Josephus Fisher and C. T. Hogue.
266
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
The Sodus Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1858. Services were orig- inally held at the Tabor school house.
The United Brethren Church was organ- ized at the Rector school house in 1861. A church edifice was erected in 1869.
Another Methodist church was organ- ized in 1877.
In 1855 a church was organized in the northern part of the township called the Church of God. This appears to have been the earliest religious organization in the township. In 1871 it built an edifice, call- ing it the Union Church.
The following named persons have been supervisors of Sodus township at the dates mentioned :
S. B. Carpenter 1860
Josephus Fisher
1861-1868
Fred F. King 1869
Josephus Fisher 1870
Luther Hemingway
1871
F. F. King
1872-1875
R. M. Hogue
1876-1877
Orson Ingalsber
1878-1880
Josephus Fisher
1881-1882
F. F. King
1883
Josephus Fisher
1884
F. F. King
1885-1886
C. C. Bell
1893
R. M. Hogue
1892
C. C. Bell
1887-1891
F. F. King
1894-1895
C. M. King
1896-1900
Jos. Miller
1902
L. M. Hogue
1903-1904
Gerald Handy
1905-1906
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1
CHAPTER XXIII
THREE OAKS TOWNSHIP.
A portion of the items contained in the sketch of this township has been gleaned from memoranda kindly furnished by Hon. Henry Chamberlain of Three Oaks. Mr. Chamberlain has prepared a mass of in- teresting manuscript relating to the early settlement of the southwestern portion of Berrien county, only a small portion of which has ever been published. It is to be hoped that the matter prepared by him may yet be published.
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