Compendium of history and biography of Hillsdale County, Michigan, Part 9

Author: Reynolds, Elon G. (Elon Galusha), 1841-
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, [Ill.] : A.W. Bowen
Number of Pages: 554

USA > Michigan > Hillsdale County > Compendium of history and biography of Hillsdale County, Michigan > Part 9

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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

house of the county in 1842 and was the first judge of probate of the county, holding the office twelve years. The first physician was Dr. Wm. J. Delavan who came in 1834. The first school- house, erected in 1837, was a framed building. Zachariah Van Duzer was the first superviscr. elected in 1835, but no other records are extant. Moscow village, laid out by Benjamin Fowle in 1842, grew quite rapidly for a time after the es- tablishment of George Gale's iron foundry in 1843, where a few years later, were made some of the best plows used in the state. M. D. Willard owned the first store in 1837 and Brooks Gale the second in 1838. The first sawmill was built in 1837 by Benjamin Fowle. Grain was ground early in an iron mill owned by Charles Fowle, worked with a sweep by ox power. This was the first gristmill in the township. In 1849-50, a run of stones for feed was placed by George Gale in his foundry. About 1852 these were removed to Benjamin Fowle's sawmill, south of the vil- lage. Hamilton Lodge, A. F. & A. M., was or- ganized in 1858 with Henry Griswold as master.

Pittsford .- The town of Pittsford, township 7 south, range I west, is bounded north by Wheat- land, cast by Hudson, Lenawee county, south by Wright, and west by Jefferson, and was formed from Wheatland on March 23, 1836, then com- prising all of range I west, south to the state line. On March 6, 1838, Wright was segregated. The first town-meeting was held at the house of Alpheus Pratt, on May 2, 1836, when Elijah B. Seelcy was chosen supervisor, Urias Treadwell clerk, and John L. Taylor, R. H. Whitehorn, E. B. Seeley and Sidney S. Ford, justices. In 1838 there were 510 residents, two merchants and 309 cattle, twenty-seven horses, eighteen sheep and 456 hogs. In 1900 the population was 1,557- The "First Presbyterian church of Bean Creek" was organized on February 24, 1836, by Rev. Wm. Wolcott, with twenty-four members. This . church later became the Congregational church of Hudson, but the membership was mostly from Pittsford.

The nucleus of the strong Methodist organi- zation was created at a quarterly meeting, held in August, 1836, in the barn of Charles Ames in

Keene, but not until 1840 was the organization of the East Pittsford M. E. church completed. The first church building was erected in 1847 or 1848. The Free Will Baptists organized a church at Locust Grove on September 6, 1857, building a church during the time of the Civil War, and, on March 6, 1858, a Wesleyan Methodist church was formed, which erected a church building in 1860. In 1853 Pittsford village was established, and a brick business center has since existed there. Hiram Pratt and Elihu Hubbard put up the first residences of the place.

On June 7, 1833, Charles Ames and Thomas Pennock entered the first lands, Ames taking the southeast quarter of section I and the northeast quarter of section 12, and Pennock the southeast quarter of section 12. They returned east to bring in later in the year the first company of settlers, which comprised Charles Ames, wife and child, Louisa Ball, Elizabeth Ames, Henry Ames, Wil- liam B. Ames, Ezra Ames, Alpheus Pratt and his wife and child. The whole party joined in crect- ing a log house on the south line of section 12, for the residence of Charles Ames' family. This was the first civilized home of the town, but, be- fore January 1, 1834, Mr. Pratt had built another cn section 13.

The following purchased lands on and after September 24, 1833 : Curran White, Willian Flowers, Thomas Hurdsman, Stephen Wilcox, Wm. B. and Elizabeth Ames, John Gustin and Isaac French. Among the settlers of 1834 and 1835 were Sylvanus and Rufus Estes, Jesse Smith, wife and five children, Samuel Day, Silas Eaton, wife and four children, William Champlin, Lewis Gillett, Ozen Keith, Jesse Maxson, R. H. Whitehorn, Urias Treadwell, Lawrence Rheubot- tom, Samuel T. Cooley (the first tavernkeeper ), Eldad B. Trumbull, Elijah B. Seeley, Isaac A. Colvin (the first storekeeper), Austin Nye. By 1836 settlements were started in all parts of the town and the lands were nearly all purchased. In this year John Griswold, Lewis Monroe and Stephen Johnson were among the more prominent settlers.

Ransom .- On March 11, 1837, the township of Rowland was taken from townships 8 and frac-

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

tional 9 south, of Florida, in honor of the first set- tler, Rowland Bird. After the death of Mr. Bird, on March 9, 1848, the name was changed to Ran- som. The people were determined that their original intent should be carried and secured the change of name to Bird on April 2, 1849. On March 28, 1850, another act of the legislature re- stored the name of Ransom, and, by the same act the township lost the east half of the new town of Amboy, leaving for Ransom, sections I to 30 of township 8, south of range 2 west. Rowland Bird came to Ransom on March 8, 1836, with his wife, seven children and young Leander Candee, who married Lorinda Bird in March, 1840, this being the first marriage. Orrin Cobb, the second settler, located on the western border. Thomas and Charles Burt came from England in 1838, Cor- nelius Deuel then lived one mile south of the Burt location. Orsamus and Nelson Doty came in 1839. William and Joseph Phillips, Israel Hodges, Matthew Armstrong and Alexander Palmer were here before 1839.

The first town election was held on April 6, 1840, when were elected Leander Candee, super- visor ; Israel S. Hodges, clerk; Rowland Bird, James H. Babcock, Matthew Armstrong, and Henry Cornell, justices. The first school was taught by Lucinda Bird in 1838. On May 19, 1848, the Congregational church was organized, with Stephen and Joan Ingersoll, C. B. and Mary E. Shepard, Jacob T. and Ann Service and Sally Perkins as members. In 1855 a church edifice was completed. The Methodist Episcopal so- ciety was formed in 1857, a framed church was built in 1868-9. The United Brethren have long been strong here, the first society being organ- ized in 1861 or 2. The Seventh Day Adventists, organized in 1866, built a church in 1869. About 1855 Ichabod Stedman opened the first store at the Center, where Ransom postoffice was estab- lished in 1847, and where a brick business center soon came into being. Leonard Lodge No. 266, F. & A. M., was here organized in 1869 with Chauncey Leonard as its first master. In 1900 the town had a population of 1,215.

Reading was organized in 1837. The first town-meeting was held on April 3, when James

Fowle was chosen supervisor, William Berry clerk, John Mickle. James Fowle, Samuel S. Cur- tiss and William Berry, justices. At its creation it contained 227 inhabitants, 160 head of cattle, nine horses and 131 hogs. In 1900 the population was 2,163, Reading village containing 1.096. At organization the town comprised all of the county lying south of township 6 south. In 1839 Cam- den was erected from Reading, leaving it six miles square, known as township 7 south, range 4 west. Reading is one of the best agricultural towns in the state and its inhabitants have ever been of an intelligent and highly progressive char- acter, notably among the number being Col. Frederick Fowler. Daniel Kinne, George and John Fitzsimmons and others of high standing, comprising Nelson Turner, the first merchant. The pioneer settler, John Mickle, located here on October 5, 1835, closely followed by Eleazer Gleason, William C. Berry, Charles and William Powell, Ephraim Wiltsie, William Berry, Horace Palmer. Rennselaer Sutliff. In April, 1836, Wright Redding and Annie Carpenter came, and thus, before the first town-meeting, the nucleus of a strong settlement was established. Up to 1850 there was not a store, grocery or a tavern in the town, but many thrifty and prosper- ous farmers.

The Baptist church was organized August 24, 1839, with Samuel and Matilda Seamans, Freder- ick and Abigail Perring, Daniel and Emily A. Weaver, L. C. and Eliza Perring, Aaron Thomp- son and Ann Morey. In 1859 it joined with the Second Free Will Baptist society in building the first completed church edifice of the town. The Free Baptists, as they have been called for a number of years, are strong. Two churches were crganized before the Civil War, the first, on March 1, 1857, with eighteen members, the sec- ond, early in 1858. The former organization com- pleted a church in 1858. The Presbyterian church, of ten members, was established on Jan- uary 5, 1868, the church edifice being completed and dedicated on June 22, 1873. On January 13, 1858, a Masonic lodge was started U. D. and regularly chartered on January 13, 1860, with George Fitzsimmons as master. Masonry has

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

thriven, a chapter and a council joining with the lodge in exemplifying its principles. The Odd Fellows were late in occupying this field, organ- izing on November 15, 1876.

The village of Reading, although a lively center of trade, was not incorporated until April 12, 1873, Asahel B. Strong being the first presi- dent. Many notable manufacturing industries have had their home in the village, while the first bank of the town was here established in March, 1873, by H. B. and A. R. Chapman. The village has had some reverses, among them the $80,000 fire of 1899, but it has steadily risen su- perior to every adversity. The town supports two local weekly newspapers, The Telephone News, A. W. Dudley, proprietor, founded in 1879, and the Reading Hustler, established in 1891 and now published by Fred A. Rogers.

Scipio, originally a part of Fayette, was created on March 23. 1836, and comprised town- ship 15, south of range 3 west. Jonesville and the northern tier of sections of the present Fay- ette were included in Scipio for some years. On January 1, 1834, there were but 300 acres of land entered in the present Scipio, divided in ownership between Wm. H. Nelson, Dexter Olds, S. N. W. Benson and Nathaniel Bacon. Entries thereafter were rapidly made, by 1838 the most of the land was taken. In 1835 but few people were living in the town. Among the earliest set- tlers were Hosea Wheeler, Judge Stevens, Mr. Bucklin, Hezekiah Morris, John Howard, Thom- as French, Joseph Riggs, Horace Case, James Sturgis, William Porter, Dr. Stillman Ralph, Silas Benson, Oliver Bates, Oliver C. Pope, Uriah B. Couch, Samuel E. Smith, Cyrus Smith, Ly- man Nethaway, Nelson Bates, Hezekiah Morris, Eli R. Sales, Marvin Kimble, James Winters, Rufus Cole, Allen Briggs, Sanford Curtis, Seeley Blatchley, William Whitehead, Wilson Gage, Jeduthan and Alanson Lockwood and others. The first town-meeting was held on April 4, 1836, at the house of William Porter, and Still- man Ralph was elected supervisor, Silas Benson town clerk, Oliver Bates, O. C. Cope, Uriah B. Couch and S. E. Smith, justices of the peace.

Mosherville derives its name from the Mosher

family, the father. Samuel Mosher, a Quaker re- siding in the Hudson Valley of New York, enter- ing and purchasing over 800 acres of land in Scipio to secure the excellent water power. Here his sons developed the land and village. The gristmill, erected in 1850, was the second of the township, the first being the Genesee inills, erected by John Gardner on the St. Joseph river.

The first school was taught in 1847. The pop- ulation in 1838 was 469 and the town contained a sawmill, one merchant, 294 head of cattle, seventy horses, twenty sheep, 356 hogs. In 1903 the population was 957. "The Methodist Episco- pal" was the first religious society here organized. holding services, however, long before the first church was built in 1861.

Somerset, set off from Wheatland on March 20, 1837, being township 5 of range 3 west, oc- cupies the northeast corner of the county. In 1838 the town was well settled for that period, containing 441 residents, two sawmills, one mer- chant, 326 head of cattle, forty horses, ninety- three sheep, 603 hogs. The census of 1900 gave its population as 1,216. During the wheatraising period of the agricultural operations of the county, Somerset always stood high in the amount of this cereal. The first white settler was James D. Vanhoevenbergh, who located in 1832 or 1833, and kept the first tavern. In 1835 or 6 the first store was opened at Gambleville. Several little centers of business have been developed, and a lodge of Odd Fellows was organized in 1877. In the early day wolves were exceedingly trouble- some, the town voting to pay $Io bounty for a scalp. The first town-meeting was held on April 3. 1837, when were elected Heman Pratt, super- visor ; John McKnight, clerk ; Warner Bundy, Heman Pratt, Amos Fairchild and William Weaver, justices. The first school was taught in the summer of 1834 and the first religious so- ciety, the Presbyterian, was organized in 1836. which erected a church building in the early forties. One of the leading industries for many years was the manufacture of brick and tile.

Wheatland .- On the original division of the newly created county of Hillsdale on March 17, 1835, the eastern quarter of the territory, range

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

I, was organized as the town of Wheatland. From it have been taken Somerset, on March 20, 1837 ; Pittsford, on March 23, 1836, and Wright, set off on March 6, 1838. These segregations left Wheatland containing only township 6, south of range I west, containing some of the highest land of the state. The township had then 729 people, a postoffice, a sawmill, 309 cattle, ten horses, eighteen sheep and 387 hogs. In 1900 the population was 1,195. On January 1, 1834. but 1,200 acres of land had been taken within the limits of the present town, the owners being Silas Moore, R. M. Lewis, Mahlon Brown, Edwin Brown, Lydia Kaniff, Thomas Sewin and Stephen Russell. In this year also came the first settler, Edmund B. Brown, locating on section II. Eli Eastman came on January 8, 1835, and was long a prominent citizen, keeping the first house of entertainment. Henry Cook, his brother-in-law, accompanied him. Mrs. Cook died in April, 1836, the first death in the town. Her infant child, who survived its mother but a short time, was the first white child born in Wheatland. In 1835 came Charles and Bradford Carmichael, Isaac Lamb, Stephen Knapp, Ebenezer Trumbull, Elihu Gillett, Robert Cox, A. A. Van Alstine, Harvey McGee, and perhaps others.

On the first Monday in April, 1836, the fol- lowing persons were elected to office : Supervisor, Heman Pratt ; township clerk, John McKnight ; justices of the peace, Heman Pratt, Nelson R. Rowley, Elias Branch, and Aaron Van Vleet. This is the first recorded election.

The First Baptist church of Wheatland was organized in the winter of 1837-8. The church records say: "There met at the house of John Bailey, in the town of Wheatland, Hillsdale county, Mich., John Bailey, Lewis Gillet, Moses Densmore, John Timmons, Adna Lull, Mary E. Lull, Polly Bailey, Ann Timms, Matilda Gillet, Roxana Densmore, Harriet Bailey, Joseph H. Padelford, holding letters from Baptist churches, and, on consultation, mutually agreed to organ- ize themselves into a conference for the. support of the worship of God and the order of his King- dom." The first church, a log one, was built in 1841. The Free Will Baptists and Methodists

occupied this religious field early, both forming organized societies as early as 1838.

The Congregational church of Church's Cor- ners was organized in a framed schoolhouse in the southwest part of the town on March 4, 1843, with a large membership for the place and period. A framed church was erected about 1845.

Woodridge-Was formed from Fayette on January 28, 1840, and originally comprised in addition to its present territory Cambria and the west half of Amboy ; after the segregation of these towns Woodbridge contained thirty square miles. The first settler was William Saxton, who here located, with his wife and four sons, in the winter of 1834-5. The second settler, Jacob Black, in December, 1836, located on the later site of the village of Frontier with his five chil- dren, driving in a splendid span of horses. Daniel Saxton came in 1837, as did Samuel Wheeler, Richard Bryan and sons William, Richard, John and Ezra; Harvey Fish, Romanta and Luther Phinney came in 1838. The first town meeting was held on the first Monday of April, 1840, but no records exist to show who were chosen as officers. The Methodist Episcopals had an organ- ized society here in 1842 and the Methodist Protestants were in organized force in 1850, while the United Brethren organized a church on Jan- uary 29, 1853, with twelve members, and, in 1861. they erected a church. The Free Will Baptist church, with thirty-nine members, was created on March 17, 1860, and a meeting house was dedi- cated in 1869. The first schoolhouse was built in 1844. The first store was opened at Frontier by Warren Atwood in 1863. A slight decrease in the population occurred from 1890, when the U. S. census gave 1,343 residents, to 1900, when the same authority gave the population as 1,318.

Wright .- On March 23, 1836, what is now the town of Wright was segregated from Wheatland to become a part of Pittsford, and the legislative act of March 6, 1838, constituted the thirty-six sections of town 8 south, range I west, sections I to 6, inclusive, and fractional sections 7 to 12, inclusive, of town 9 south, range west, in all about 28,000 acres, as the town of Canaan. At the first town meeting held in April, 1838, Timothy John-

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.'

son was chosen supervisor, Arthur Lucas clerk, John M. Liekley, Russell Coman, R. T. Craw- ford and Calvin Pixley, justices. On February 24, 1844, the name was changed to Wright, and, in 1900, the number of residents was 2,149. A Baptist church was formed on October 29, 1847, and shortly after 1850 the Methodist Episcopals formed a class with two male members, while in 1860 the Christion or Disciples church was cre- ated. In 1867 the United Brethren organized a society with eleven members and the same year witnessed an important society of Wesleyan Methodists come into being.

CHAPTER VIII.

IHILLSDALE COLLEGE.

For fifty years past Hillsdale College has been one of the institutions of Hillsdale county, and, more than men are apt to think, has it done to build up the city, county and state. It came to stay, and its history will ever be inseparably con- nected with that of this county. It will therefore be proper to note briefly something of the origin and early history of the Free Will Baptist denom- ination, under whose auspiees the college is repre- sented as having been founded.

A century and a quarter ago the churches of New England were Calvinistic, generally believ- ing that some are "elected to be saved and others to be damned," "the people were faithfully in- doctrinated in the tenets of personal, unconditional election and reprobation," and "the doctrine of election was so explained as to limit the provisions of the gospel to the chosen few." In proof of this we quote from Neal's History of New Eng- land, which says: "The whole body of the New England elergy are Calvinists," and from Mather, who says "In two hundred churches not one is Arminian." Baptist ministers were decidedly Calvinistic, holding to the views of John Calvin, a noted theologian of Geneva : in fact, Calvinism, in its most unlovely forms, held undisputed sway. Some able; honest thinkers could not believe man a machine ; that he is responsible for his acts and yet cannot do otherwise; but contended that,

while God provides a full and free salvation, man's will is free to accept or reject it.

Among these was one Benjamin Randall, who was converted by the powerful preaching of George Whitefield, in 1770, on liis last visit to America, and on whom the mantle of Whitefield is said to have fallen. Whitefield died unexpect- edly September 30, 1770, at Newburyport, Mass., and Randall heard him for the last time two days before his death. In the troublous times of the spring of 1775, and a few days before the battle of Bunker Hill, Randall entered the army, and did not really begin to preach until the spring of 1777. He invited all to come and partake of the gospel feast ; the "people heard lim gladly," and many were converted.

He preached the Bible as he understood it, and did not realize that his doctrines were so different from those of his brethren, but in 1779 he was called upon in public, to give a reason why he did not preach the doctrine of election as Calvin held it. Quick as a flash came the bold but honest re- ply-"Because I do not believe it." Later in the same year Mr. Randall was summoned to answer for his "errors" before a public assembly, and. after a debate which lasted nearly two days, the minister who conducted it on the part of the Cal- vinists arose and publicly declared "I have no fel- lowship with Brother Randall in his principles." Mr. Randall, stepping upon a seat, said: "It makes no odds with me who disowns me so long as I know that the Lord owns me." His courage reminds us of Luther at the Diet of Worms, and of Paul before Agrippa.

The believers in high Calvinism, which then included most of the Baptists, had no sympathy with those who advocated "free grace" and "free will," and there was, therefore, a practical, before there was a real, separation, and the term "frec will" was at first reproachfully used, and later deliberately adopted as part of the denomination- al name.

To whom could the Freewillers go? The Congregationalists were ten times as strong in that locality as was any other denomination, but with them infant baptism was an almost universal

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

practice, so that not one in twenty received bap- tism when admitted to the church. Randall's first connection was with the Congregationalists, and his third child, at the request of the mother, was sprinkled, but he made a careful study of the Bible, came to believe that the immersion of be- lievers only was the baptism of the Bible, as fully as he believed in the doctrine of free will, was himself immersed, and on June 30, 1780, he or- ganized the first Free Will Baptist church at New Durham, N. H.

The denomination has always had its largest growth in New England, over one-third of its present membership being there located. Born of righteous convictions, and ever loyal to what it has regarded truth, the denomination has been right on all public questions. Its original views have not only been scripturally sustained, but have also been generally accepted and historical- ly endorsed by so many other denominations that it has dropped the "Will", and is now known as Free Baptist. In 1839, its General Conference re- fused to admit slaveholders to communion, and made it a test of fellowship. This was unpopular then, but the church has lived to see slavery abolished by public enactment. The denomina- tion might have been a much larger one had it not refused to unite with other branches of the church, kindred in name and in scriptural views, but less rigid in their requirements.

Its ministers very early perceived the need of an educated ministry, and some of them, in the west notably Rev. David Marks, Rev. Samuel Whitcomb, Rev. Elijah Cook and Rev. H. S. Limbocker, the last three residing in Michigan, were open and avowed advocates of the estab- lishment of an educational institution in this state. Finally, at the yearly meeting held at the home of Rev. Ira A. Reynolds, brother of Rev. Chauncey Reynolds, in Franklin, Lenawee county, in June, 1844, a resolution was adopted establishing a de- nominational school within the territorial limits of the yearly meeting, providing for the appoint- ment of a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws, and for a convention to be held later, at Jackson, to adopt the same. This convention was

held in July or August of the same year, and adopted the constitution and by-laws reported by the committee, and also elected a board of trus- tees as therein provided.

The convention also voted to locate the school where the best inducements should be offered, regard being had to the healthfulness of the place, and employed Rev. Cyrus Coltrin as finan- cial agent. In the summer and fall of 1844, Elder Coltrin canvassed the churches of the denomina- tion throughout the state, soliciting subscriptions for the new college. Rev. Chauncey Reynolds pledged eighty acres of land when it could be sold for $600. His oldest son was at that time fourteen years of age, and another one was twelve, and these could soon attend college.

Meantime efforts were made at Cook's Prairie, in Calhoun county, and at Jackson, Leoni and Spring Arbor, all in Jackson county, to se- cure the school, and Spring Arbor having ob- tained the largest subscription was successful.

The board of trustees appointed at Jackson met at Spring Arbor in October, 1844, and voted to call the institution Michigan Central College, and elected Daniel M. Graham as its president. There was now a college, but in name and pros- pect only-no endowment, no charter, no library and no apparatus-simply faith and pluck. The trustees appointed a committee to get a charter from the legislature, and advertised the school to open on December 4, 1844. It was so opened, in a small, old, wood-colored, story-and-a-half build- ing, formerly used as a store and then deserted, having one room on the first floor and one on the second. There was one teacher, the presi- · dent (who constituted the whole faculty) and but five students. This was a very humble beginning, it is true, but yet it augured well for the future, for of those five students (they were Clinton B. Fisk, Andrew J. Graham, George L. Cornell, Moses Benedict, Jr., and Miss Livonia E. Bene- dict,) one was later a candidate for president of the United States, another was the author of one of the main systems of short-hand writing yet produced in this country, and another, the first lady to receive a classical degree in Michi-

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Compendium of history and biography of Hillsdale County, Michigan, Part 9

Author: Reynolds, Elon G. (Elon Galusha), 1841- Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago, [Ill.] : A.W. Bowen Number of Pages: 554

Author: Reynolds, Elon G. (Elon Galusha), 1841-
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, [Ill.] : A.W. Bowen
Number of Pages: 554