USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I > Part 20
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Stephen A. Wilson was the first physician to settle within the lim- its of Grand Rapids. He was born in Herkimer county, New York, in 1810. He graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York, at Fairfield, and after practicing in his native town for a short time, removed to Grand Rapids, in Au- gust, 1835. He and Dr. Charles Shepard were partners from the spring of 1837 until the fall of 1839, when the partnership was dis- solved by Dr. Wilson's death. He died after a relapse of typhoid fe- ver. Dr. Shepard was born July 18, 1812, in Fairfield, Herkimer Coun- ty, New York. He began the study of medicine at the age of 18, and
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graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in his native town, in 1835. After practicing six months in Jefferson County, New York, he removed to Grand Rapids, arriving Oct. 20, 1835, and was the second physician to settle within the limits of the present city. He continued to practice his profession here almost until the time of his death, which occurred March 8, 1893. As a surgeon he took high rank. He served as president of the Grand Rapids Medical and Surgical Society four times, in the period from 1858 to 1881 ; was a member of the Michigan State Medical Society, of which he was the president in 1886; member of the International Medical Congress after the meet- ing in Philadelphia, in 1876; member of the American Microscopical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Medical Association. He served as alderman in the Common Council of 1853 and 1854, and was elected mayor of the city in 1855. Late in life he was chief of staff at the U. B. A. Hospital and consulting gynecologist to St. Mark's Hospital.
Demetrius Turner was born in the town of Essex, Conn., Feb. 25, 1815, a son of Elisha Turner, who removed with his family to Rochester, N. Y., in 1820. Being of a mechanical turn of mind and a natural genius, Demetrius early learned to work at the machinist's trade. He mastered the art without serving an apprenticeship, seem- ing to have a natural talent for acquiring a knowledge of the trade without an instructor. In 1835 he came to Grand Rapids and the fol- lowing year became engineer in a saw-mill, where he remained two years. He was then employed as engineer on a steamboat, remaining on the waters about ten years. In 1864 he built the engines for the - steamer "L. G. Mason," in Grand Rapids. This steamer afterward plied on the Saginaw River, between East Saginaw and Bay City. In 1869 Mr. Turner remodeled the engines of the steamer "Daniel Ball," which afterward burned at Saginaw, and he built the first water- works at Grand Rapids, the engines being of his own invention, on which he afterward received a patent.
Jacob W. Winsor was but a lad of 18 years when he came to Grand Rapids, in 1834. He was born at Skaneateles, N. Y., June 11, 1816. He was a son of Darius and Sally Winsor, who came with the Dexter colony to Ionia in the Spring of 1833, to which place he also came in the same year. It is related that on his way he had purchased an Indian pony, and before arriving at his destination was one night beleaguered by wolves, whereupon he tied the pony and betook him- self to a tree top until daylight, thus escaping the wolves but losing his pony. He was an energetic young man, and ready for almost any creditable adventure, turning his hand with alacrity to whatever work he could find to do. During the first three or four years here, he was engaged in the Indian trade, in the employ of others, and learned to speak the Indian language fluently. At the time of the great flood in the river, in the early part of 1838, at much peril to himself, he caught a flat-bottomed boat which came down with the ice, and by its use rescued a family from the upper part of a building that was surround- ed by the raging waters at the foot of Huron street. In 1844 he en- gaged in building, for himself, the Faneuil Hall block, which stood above the head of Market on Monroe street. With but little means, but indefatigable energy, he drew stone from the river, and in the fol-
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lowing year completed a contract of which time was the essence, thereby holding his lot and the building. From that time onward through life he was ever the rough-and-ready, energetic, bustling, pushing citizen, known to all residents ; outspoken in opinion, jocose, combative in action, putting on no airs, making no polished pretenses, yet tender and sympathetic, with open hand and charitable impulses. In partnership with his brother Zenas, the two had for some years an extensive business in trade and in lumbering. In 1851 he erected a neat stone house for a residence, on Washington street. Several years later he removed and built another pretty house a little east of what was then the city limits. Mr. Winsor had unbounded faith in the growth of Grand Rapids, and in the development of resources pos- sessed, and attempts to develop others then supposed to exist, he in- vested boldly his means and his labor, often to meet with failure and disappointment, but opening lines of business afterward of benefit to others more sluggish and less adventurous. He was married, Nov. 27, 1838, to Miss Harriet Peck, who was also one of the pioneers. He died Dec. 26, 1874, leaving a widow, two sons and three daughters. To the early development and later growth of this city, the labors of Mr. Winsor contributed no small share.
John F. Godfroy came to Grand Rapids in 1837, when but thir- teen years old. Even at that early age he had been engaged in the Indian trade, with his older brother and with the Ewings of Indiana. He was born at Detroit, July 4, 1824. His business in connection with the fur trade carried him over the entire State and the Lake Su- perior country, made him acquainted with the representative men of both white and Indian races, and especially influential among the lat- ter. In Grand Rapids he afterward settled down to mercantile and real estate dealings. He was averse to holding public official posi- tions, but was chosen, in 1853, and served as recorder of the city for one term. He was three times married-first, to Lucilia Genereaux ; second, to Mary St. Aubin; third, to Adelaide M. Moross, who sur- vived him. He was a man of genial sociability, kind hearted, intelli- gent, and honorable, and a devout adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. He died at his home in this city, Jan. 25, 1876.
The speculative fever had not yet become epidemic in Grand Rapids, in 1835, and not much real estate changed hands, neither was there much done in the way of making building improvements. The most important building of the previous year was the erection of the Eagle Hotel by J. S. Potter and Louis Campau, and in 1837 the Kent Hotel, afterward known as the Bridge Street House, was built by or for Charles H. Carroll. The last mentioned structure became some- what famous as a pioneer hostelry, was known at one time as the Grand River Exchange, then the Bridge Street House, and it re- mained in use until 1913, when it was torn down. Hiram Hinsdill erected a hotel in 1835, on the corner of Monroe and Ionia streets, and it was purchased by Myron Hinsdill and by him opened for busi- ness the following year under the name of Hinsdill's Hotel. It was later called the National Hotel and was on the site of the present Mor- ton House. Although a postoffice had been established at the Indian mission on the west side of the river, in 1832, it was not until 1836 that a regularly established postoffice was given the white settlement,
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and Darius Winsor was then appointed postmaster. This was con- sidered as another evidence of the advancement of civilization during the year. Religious services began to be held regularly in the new settlement, the Catholics having had a mission here since June, 1833, and in the winter of 1835-36 the first regular Methodist Church serv- ice was held with Rev. Osbond Monett as the officiating minister. Several dwellings were erected during the year 1835, Campau moved into a new frame building which afterward became known as the Rathbun House, and James Lyman and Jefferson Morrison set up stores and commenced trading. The greater number of those who came to the embryo city in 1835 were unmarried men, or if married, they left their wives behind until they had selected a place for settle- ment. A few of the new settlers, however, had families, and the first child born in Grand Rapids of purely white parents and permanent residents was a daughter of Antoine Carmell, born June 21, 1834, and christened Therese Carmell. The first male child born in the settle- ment was Lewis Burton, who became a farmer near the village of Ada. He was born Oct. 5, 1834.
Although the Government land office was opened in Ionia in the fall of 1836, a peculiarity of the land laws of that period made it im- possible for settlers to obtain even a shadow of the title to the lands which they occupied north and west of Grand River until such lands were offered for sale in 1839. Those who came here in 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, and 1838, except such persons as purchased lots on the east side of the river, were all "squatters" on public lands, in danger of being compelled to pay for the improvements which they them- selves made, when the lands were offered for sale at public auction, or of being ousted from their possessions by those who could outbid them. The dangers which threatened them made it necessary for the early settlers to organize themselves into associations designed to facilitate the settlement of disputes among themselves, to protect themselves against lawless adventurers, and for the maintenance of their rights against the unrestrained competition of speculators. The lands of the mission properties south of Bridge street were the sub- ject of some strife between the representatives of the Catholic and those of the Baptist mission. This was finally adjusted by sales giv- ing to the Catholics $8,000 and to the Baptists $12,000. Against that disposition, however, Isaac Turner and Willard Sibley vigorously pro- tested, they having "located" upon the premises in the Spring of 1836, under the expectation that after the Indian treaty the land would be open for such settlement, by pre-emption or purchase. Other tracts, selected by State commissioners as university or public building lands, were finally sold on appraisal by the State. By legislative act of March 25, 1840, it was directed that they be thus sold to actual set- tlers, or in case the settlers should not purchase at the appraised value they should have the use of the lands for such time as should be equiv- alent to, or compensation for, their improvements, as determined by the commissioners. An act passed Feb. 9, 1842, directed that cer- tificates of purchase be issued to E. H. Turner and James Scribner for lots 3 and 4, in fractional Section 24, township 7 north, range 12 west, at the rate of $12 per acre for lot 3 and $14 per acre for lot 4; to Willard Sibley for lot 2, fractional Section 25, at $16 per acre; to
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Charles G. Mason for lot 2, Section 24, at $10 per acre, and the west half of the northwest quarter of the same section at $2 per acre, and to Jules Marion for the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 25, at $5 per acre. The terms of payment, as prescribed by the act of 1840, were: One-tenth cash down and the rest in annual installments of the same amount, with interest at 7 per cent. The parcels assigned to Charles G. Mason, as above specified, were finally conveyed to Smith & Van Allen; that assigned to Willard Sibley went to the rep- resentative of the Catholic mission, and for that originally assigned to Jules Marion the certificate was issued to James Scribner. Law- suits over the titles of some of these lands vexed the courts and fed lawyers for several years. They comprise now a valuable and hand- some portion of the city ; but for years some of the original claim- ants, or their near friends, told pitiful stories of the manner in which they deemed themselves to have been swindled out of their just prop- erty rights.
Isaac Turner was a native of Clinton County, New York, and came from Plattsburgh to Grand Rapids, in 1836, with his family. He tarried for a brief time on the east side of the river, and then moved across, making the pre-emption claim heretofore mentioned. He lived for many years in a small house pleasantly situated a short distance above where now is the west end of the Pearl street bridge. He was an excellent millwright, and his handiwork contributed to the erection of many of the earlier mills in this vicinity and on Muskegon River. In early life he was a Whig, then a Republican, and in re- ligious matters became a firm believer in spiritualism. He was en- thusiastic, earnest and aggressive in support of his convictions, polit- ically and otherwise. He did much, officially, in the early develop- ment of the city. A hater of hypocrisy, a contemner of shams, and a citizen of thorough integrity, Isaac Turner was loved and prized as a neighbor, and as a man respected and trusted. He died in 1879 at the age of 78 years.
James Scribner, a native of New York City, born in 1801, came to Grand Rapids in the winter of 1836-37, and pre-empted the land before mentioned. He was a conspicuous and somewhat eccentric character upon these streets for many years ; always had several irons in the fire, and was engaged in pushing some important enterprise, sometimes failing and sometimes successful. He invented a patent medicine which he called Oak Oil. He was one of the leading men in the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad project, which he did not live to see consummated. He was also connected with the efforts to establish the manufacture of salt, which for a time seemed likely to succeed, but eventually proved unprofitable and was abandoned. He was a jolly and saucy friend, but an implacable enemy. He believed in his Oak Oil, in his city lots, in his railroad enterprises, in salt, and in himself. He was a bustling pioneer, rough and ready and alive, who made his presence known when he was about, and did a good part in the development of the town. Mr. Scribner died in 1862, leav- ing a warm place in the hearts of a wide circle of friends.
Comparatively few new settlers came during the year 1837, and many of those who had been considered permanent settlers returned to their old homes in "the East," or went elsewhere in "the West."
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These movements were occasioned by the stagnation in affairs that followed the close of 1836. The "land craze" has been mentioned in a previous chapter, as has also the "hard times" that followed it. The activity in real estate suddenly ceased, business operations of all kinds were practically suspended, and the situation became exceedingly un- comfortable for a large portion of those who remained in Grand Rap- ids during the winter. Everything the people needed to live on had to be shipped in from the older communities of other states, and when the transportation facilities afforded by the open waters of Lake Michigan were suspended, prices became high and food hard to get at any price. It followed as a natural consequence that there was much suffering among the early settlers, and many of the worthy pioneers experienced hardships and privations during the winter of 1836-37, which they remembered to the end of their lives. And when the Spring opened in 1837 they were doomed to be disappointed in their hopes and expectations of a revival and continuance of the "flush times" of the year before. The financial panic of 1837 was on, and there was a stagnation of business everywhere. So far as the erection of buildings was concerned, little was done in the new settle- ment, but considerable progress might have been noted in other di- rections. In the Spring of 1838 a village government was organized, of which Henry C. Smith became the official head.
Henry C. Smith was born in Scituate, Rhode Island, Jan. 9, 1804, came to Grand Rapids in 1836, was in trade in the little village for a few years at the corner of Monroe and Ottawa streets, and aft- erward lived for about a quarter of a century in Plainfield Town- ship. There he filled several offices of responsibility and trust, and was a member of the State Legislature in 1849. He returned to the city about 1868 and lived here until he died, in 1886. He was well and widely known and respected in this valley, through all his active life; a plain man, good neighbor and friend, trusty everywhere and at all times.
Among the principal events of importance in the history of Grand Rapids, in 1837, was the establishment of the Grand River Times, which occurred on April 18. It is doubtful if the town had at that time grown to sufficient size to warrant such an undertaking. The owner of the enterprise was George W. Pattison, a practical printer, but its contributors consisted of such talented men as Charles I. Walker, Sylvester Granger, Alfred D. Rathbone, and others. It was a very grave task to undertake the publication of a paper at such a time. Paper and ink had to be brought a long distance, and there were few mails. The owners persevered, however, amid all discour- agements, and the paper still lives under the name of the Grand Rap- ids News, much heartier and stronger than when it was born. Many a similar venture has gone to the bottom in the more than eighty years that have since elapsed. It was like all the papers of its time- filled with news from abroad. The proceedings of the Legislature are given with great fullness, and of foreign news there is an abund- ance; but of home news very little, and of editorials, practically none. Editors, then, did not write. Nearly everything original in any news- paper of that period is communicated, and the writers all have class- ical signatures - "Cato," "Brutus," "Cassius," "Cicero," etc. The
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young lawyers and doctors of that day probably aired their college education in this way, and seemed to be happiest when they could stir up a controversy about something. The approach of an election is perceptible by communications on the danger the country is in, which can be averted only by the election of John Smith to the Legislature. A rival newspaper, the Eagle, was established late in 1844, and the two engaged in heated controversies. Mr. Pattison sold the Times in the Spring of 1838, to Charles I. Walker, and in the same year he removed to Calhoun County. Later he lived most of his life in De- troit, where he was connected with a considerable number of news- papers for a period of about forty years. After leaving Grand Rap- ids he was for some years a Quaker preacher.
Charles I. Walker came in 1836, and began making investments in land hereabout, as the agent of Junius H. Hatch. The panic of 1837 put a damper on real estate speculations, and he purchased the Grand River Times, but did not keep it long. He was the first treas- urer of the village of Grand Rapids. Here he began the study of law, in the office of George Martin. In 1840 he was chosen to repre- sent this district in the Legislature, and after 1851 he resided in De- troit. Religiously, by education, he was originally a Quaker. In the fall of 1888 he visited Grand Rapids and beheld an illustration of the growth of the place during the forty years since he was village treas- urer, in the new city hall, at the dedication of which he participated in the exercises. He held many positions of honor and trust in the State.
The county was organized for judicial purposes, in 1836, with the designation, of course, of Grand Rapids as the county seat, and the other principal events of that year were: The holding of the first ses- sion of circuit court in Grand Rapids, probably by Epaphroditus Ransom, but the records were burned in the fire of 1860; the Indian treaty, by which the lands in Michigan north of the Grand River were ceded to the United States, and the wonderful growth in the popula- tion of the village, the same having been estimated at five-fold.
There were numerous evidences of recovery from the extreme depression of the previous year, in 1838. The settlers were reinforced before the close of the year by such sterling characters as Wilder D. Foster, Robert I. Shoemaker, Joseph J. Baxter, John Mathison, Ab- raham W. Pike, and others, who helped to make the history of the city and state in later years.
Wilder D. Foster was a native of Orange County, New York. He came to Grand Rapids in 1838 and resided here until his death, which occurred Sept. 20, 1873, when he was 54 years old. He began life as a mechanic in a tin shop, and was among the founders of the hardware trade here. The prominent points of his business life, near Campau Square, are given elsewhere. For more than a quarter of a century he was at the head of a trade which made him well known throughout the State. As a successful merchant, a public-spirited citi- zen and an honest man, whose spoken word was the very synonym for integrity, he won the implicit confidence of all who knew him. He was an industrious, practical, earnest man, a man of principle and good judgment, and was often called to public stations of trust and responsibility. In city offices, from alderman to mayor; in the State
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Legislature, and in Congress, his scrupulous fidelity won universal commendation. In politics he was an ardent Republican. He was not a church member, but a regular attendant at the Congregational Church, of which his wife was a communicant. He was married, in 1849, to Fanny Lovell, of Ionia, and his home life was a happy one. Modest, self-reliant, honest, amiable and whole-hearted, he left be- hind him the rich fragrance of a good name.
Robert I. Shoemaker was a native of German Flats, Herkimer County, New York, born Feb. 12, 1812. He came to Grand Rapids in April, 1838; was a carpenter and joiner, worked many years at that trade, and was a busy man all his life. He officiated as bell ringer and as sexton several years in the latter part of the village and early part of the city period. He died Sept. 23, 1893.
Joseph J. Baxter came from Vermont. He was a carpenter and millwright, and was among the pioneer wagon makers. Later he was in the livery business, grocery and feed trade, and bed spring mak- ing, successively.
John Mathison, a native of England, came here in 1838, and was a resident until his death-about forty-two years. He was a tailor, and followed that trade and the business of a merchant clothier, near the present Campau Square.
Abram W. Pike, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, born Oct. 5, 1814, came to Michigan in 1827, and was for a time an assistant in the In- dian Mission School at Niles. In 1838 he went into the employ of the Port Sheldon Company at Pigeon Lake, and had charge of a store in Grand Rapids where the east end of the Hermitage block now stands. Afterward he settled the affairs of that company, moved into Grand Rapids in 1844, and in 1845 built a comely house on the south side of Fulton street, a few rods below Lafayette, and there he re- sided until his death, Oct. 15, 1906.
There was a marked improvement in the condition of affairs in Grand Rapids, with the opening of the year 1839. During that year streets were graded, new stores and business houses opened, the east side canal project was pushed rapidly, and evidences multiplied that the town was preparing for a rapid and substantial growth. But the land sales, which began in this year, for the land north of Grand River, should be mentioned as among the events of the year. All the public lands of the Ionia district ready for the market were offered for sale, nine-tenths of them were purchased by actual settlers, and the total sales aggregated a considerable sum. In considering the progress toward an advanced stage of civilization, made by Grand Rapids and the adjacent country prior to 1840, the removal of the Indians was an event, the importance of which should not be over- looked, as it invited immigration and dispelled the fear that was al- ways present of trouble with the red men.
The first church erected in Grand Rapids was built in 1837, on the southwest corner of Monroe and Division avenues. It was built by Louis Campau for the use of St. Andrew's parish, of which the Rev. Andreas Viszoczky was then in charge. The first fire engine was
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purchased by the village in 1846. It was a little hand engine of home manufacture, made by William Peaslee. It was tried, with eight or ten men at the brakes, on Monroe avenue, and threw a stream of water over Irving Hall, a three-story brick building. It was kept in service some years.
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