USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I > Part 41
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At the time of the organization of the township the following officers were elected: Thomas Spencer, supervisor; Harry McAr- thur, township clerk; Harry Osgood, treasurer; Thomas Spencer, Harvey D. Pond, David J. Gilbert, and William M. Gould, justices of the peace; Nathan H. Gould, Giles McArthur, William Chapman, and Jesse Stewart, constables; Benjamin Morey, William Peterson, and Cyrus B. Thomas, commissioners of highways; John Davis and Lafayette Knight, school inspectors; Sheldon Ashley and Harry Os- good, overseers of the poor.
Three brothers-Joel, Jesse, and David Stewart-were among the earliest settlers of Oakfield township, and they lived in the first frame house erected within its borders. Their mother was the first white woman to die in the township. The first marriage in the town- ship was solemnized by Rev. James Ballard, Aug. 2, 1840. The bride was Miss Hannah Tower, daughter of Isaac Tower, and the bride-
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groom was Zenas G. Winsor, of Grand Rapids. The first birth among the whites was William H. H., son of William R. and Electa M. Da- vis, the date being April 24, 1840. Among other first things occur- ring in the township was the first bear killed by John Davis and his brother, William R. Davis, afterward a member of the Michigan State Legislature. Returning late one afternoon, in the summer of 1842, from mowing on a marsh on Crinnion Creek in the north part of the township, William riding a horse and carrying some game he had caught, and John on foot and equipped with a fine rifle and close- ly followed by a faithful dog, were surprised and delighted when within two miles of home by the discovery of a huge black bear. The dog gave instant pursuit, closely followed by the brothers. Fright- ened by the barking of the dog, the bear was soon treed. The broth- ers were quickly upon the spot, and William anticipated that bruin would be a speedy victim of his brother's unerring aim. But what was their chagrin, on examining the rifle, to find that in the hurry of the pursuit their last cap had been lost from the gun. Here was a dilemma ; but necessity is said to be the mother of invention and she did not belie her character in this case. The only expedient was to send William one and one-half miles to Mr. Crinnion's, the nearest house, for caps, if they could be found, otherwise for fire, while John and the dog kept watch by the bear. Mounting "Old Dutch," his horse, and furiously flourishing his whip, William was soon lost to sight, and he returned in a very short time with a burning brand from Mrs. Crinnion's fireplace. He found bruin in another tree, a few rods from where he had left him, and John and the dog were still watching. It was already dark and haste was necessary. Powder was poured into the tube of the gun and John, a splendid marksman, took aim, while William stood by with a live coal, ready to apply at the word fire. This soon came, the sharp crack of the rifle rang through the forest depths, and the bear lay dead at the foot of the tree.
David J. Gilbert built the second frame barn and dwelling in the township, Isaac Tower having built a frame barn in 1840 and William Thornton a frame house in 1841. In the early days, when oftimes the woodman's axe was his only saw-mill, and the forest his only lumber yard, usually his house was made of rough logs rolled one above another. The floor was also of logs and the roof of pieces of the same, called "shakes." The fireplace was composed of sticks and clay and the fire was fed with huge logs rolled to their place with a hand-spike. The doors were rude oaken planks, split from the heart of some huge forest giant, and as for windows, some houses, had very small holes in their sides which passed by that name, and some had none. The only means of transportation, either for busi- ness or pleasure, was the lumber wagon or sled, drawn by the patient ox, whose rate of speed might be three miles an hour in good going. Many a party of pleasure, clad in homespun and home-made gar- ments, and seated on the straw in the bottom of the wagon or sled, as the case might be, has been borne thus slowly over the devious roads leading from one cabin to another, and they found ample time to enjoy themselves by the way, sure of a hearty welcome at the end of their ride. Now, the log cabin is an institution of the past, and the hardships of frontier life only a matter of memory.
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Following is a list of the supervisors of Oakfield township from the year of its organization down to the present time: 1849, Thomas Spencer ; 1850, Harry McArthur; 1854, Thomas Spencer; 1855, Har- ry McArthur ; 1858, Richard L. Wells ; 1860, John Davis; 1861, Wil- liam R. Davis; 1865, Rufin Caukin ; 1866, William R. Davis; 1875, Harry McArthur; 1877, William Brown; 1878, William R. Davis; 1879, William Brown; 1880, Neil Stewart; 1883, H. E. Rowley ; 1884, H. A. Rowley; 1885, Nelson B. Rich; 1887, Neil Stewart: 1888, Ed- ward H. Jones; 1891, Myron A. Potter ; 1892, Myron A. Potter and Edward H. Jones; 1893, Edward H. Jones; 1896, W. B. Bowman ; 1900, Edward H. Jones; 1902, John E. Peterson; 1903, Edward H. Jones ; 1907, Lewis E. McArthur; 1909, Charles H. Potter; 1911, Delaskie Snyder; 1914, Seth Partridge; 1915, William A. Peterson, present incumbent.
Edward H. Jones was born in the Wolverine State, April 12, 1847, and was a lad of only two years when he became a resident of Oakfield township. His educational advantages were those afforded by the common schools, which at that time were very meager. He remained with his parents until his majority, with the exception of his service in the army. He enlisted in September, 1864, in Com- pany B, Third Michigan infantry, at Grand Rapids, under Captain Seth M. Moon, Col. Moses B. Houghton, and Lieut .- Col. John Atkin- son. He was mustered out at Victoria, Tex., May 25, 1866, and was honorably discharged at Detroit, June 15, of the same year. A miller by trade, he became the proprietor of the Oakfield flour and grist mill, at Oakfield Center, and this he operated successfully during the remainder of his active career. The mill is now being operated by his son, Thomas D. Jones. Mr. Jones was township clerk for thir- teen years and supervisor for three consecutive years from 1888. Upon the resignation of his uncle, Myron A. Potter, in 1892, he was appointed to the same position, and elected in 1893, '94 and '95. He was again elected in 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, indicat- ing the well merited respect and esteem of his constituents. He was justice of the peace for six years, and was officially connected with the public schools of Oakfield for the long period of twenty-three years. He and his wife were prominent in the erection of the Union Chapel, where Sunday School and preaching by any denomination is held.
CHAPTER XXIX. NELSON TOWNSHIP
DESCRIPTION-SURFACE AND DRAINAGE-EARLY SETTLEMENT-NICH- OLAS R. HILL - EXPERIENCES OF SETTLERS - CEDAR SPRINGS- SAND LAKE-LIST OF SUPERVISORS.
The township of Nelson was organized as a township by the Board of Supervisors, Oct. 14, 1854. The territory which it consti- tutes was described as follows in the act of the Board: "All that part of the county of Kent designated in the United States survey as township number ten north, of range number ten west."
The surface of the township of Nelson is rolling, and the drainage is to Black Creek, in the northern part, and to Little Cedar and Big
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Cedar Creeks in the western parts of the township. Pine timber pre- dominated in this township, and in the northeast corner there were many large cedar and tamarack swamps. But the soil, although in many places rather light, as the presence of pine denotes, is still very productive, where, as is generally the case, beech, maple and other hardwood trees are mixed with the pine. In fact the soil of the entire township produces good crops of wheat, oats, corn, rye, barley, clo- ver, timothy and potatoes. In the early days wheat was the principal money producing grain, and it was marketed at the villages of Cedar Springs and Sand Lake, but later stock raising received more at- tention. Wheat growing becoming less advantageous for several reasons, the acreage grew less and corn came to yield more abund- antly. More attention was then given to stock raising, and dairying has been found to be an encouraging source of farm profits. The villages of Cedar Springs and Sand Lake have been for many years centers of activities.
The early settlers of Nelson township generally possessed money sufficient to purchase a yoke of oxen and a cow, a few hens and pigs, and some farm implements. Those who were unable to purchase a full outfit borrowed from neighbors, who willingly loaned. In every instance grain was planted, the sower scattering by hand. The har- vests of grain were gathered with a hand cradle, the wild grass was mown with a scythe, and a grindstone, axe, plow, and fork completed the utensils for early farming. They were a people well adapted to endure the privations necessary to improve a new country. They were generally of small means, with a limited education, and all strong in the faith of the religion of their ancestors. That their tri- umph over difficulties was well established, behold the large holdings of their descendants, who now are the possessors of well stocked farms.
The township of Nelson was settled nearly as early as any of the townships in the northern part of Kent County, and the first pur- chase of land in the township is said to have been made by Miles B. Dean, June 24, 1850. To William H. Bailey is ascribed the honor of having been the first actual settler, in 1851, followed soon there- after by John S. Jones, John M. Towns, Josiah Towns, N. R. Hill, D. B. Stout, H. M. Stanton, George Stout, Andrew Stout, Riley Smith, Samuel Punches, Joseph M. Clark, Andrew S. Tindall, John N. Tin- dall, John Dean, Elisha Dean, H. D. Streeter, Thomas Almy, Mr. Ream and his two sons, Bradford Bailey, James Bailey, and Joseph Wood.
Nicholas R. Hill was born in Clarkston, Monroe County, New York, April 10, 1822. He came to what is now Cedar Springs, in the early part of the year 1855, and entered 120 acres of land on Section 30, in Nelson township, a portion of which tract forms quite a part of the site of Cedar Springs. He built the first house in the place, the building being constructed of pine logs. He laid out and platted the village and established the postoffice, serving as postmaster three years. He built the first frame house in the village, in 1857, and sub- sequently he purchased the "fair grounds" and lived there four years. Later, he sold that property and resided the remainder of his life in the village which he had founded, continuing, however, the occupa-
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tion of a farmer. For a number of years he lumbered in Kent and Muskegon Counties. Mr. Hill was justice of the peace in Nelson township and performed the duties of that office twelve years, and in 1870 was elected to represent his district in the State Legislature. He served in one regular and one extra session, with much credit to him- self and satisfaction to his constituents.
David B. Stout was a native of Seneca County, New York, and was born Oct. 9, 1830. He located near Courtland Center, Kent Coun- ty, in 1849, but later entered forty acres of land from the government in what is now known as Nelson township, and to which he added forty acres more, by purchase. Nelson township was ever afterward his home. No highway existed then in the neighborhood, the site of Cedar Springs was covered with a dense pine forest, and the nearest available railroad by "highway" was at Pontiac, Oakland County. It is almost a witicism to call the trails of those days, highways. Mr. Stout served his fellow-citizens as school superintendent, as highway commissioner, and as township treasurer for a number of years, and each of these offices was filled with ability and faithfulness to duty.
Riley Smith was born in Jefferson County, New York, May 8, 1833. In October, 1854, he came to Nelson and purchased a farm of 160 acres on Section 20. He was a practical surveyor, and in 1866 was elected surveyor of Kent County, but refused to qualify. He fol- lowed that profession to some extent, having divided the townships of Nelson, Solon, Courtland and Spencer into sections. In pioneer days he taught school, having acquired a good common school edu- cation in his native place. He taught, in all, nine years. On May 10, 1861, at the breaking out of the Civil War, he enlisted in defense of the flag of the Union in Company K, Third Michigan infantry, and was mustered into service June 10 as fifth sergeant; subsequently he was given the rank of second sergeant. He resigned the position in November, 1863, and served till the close of the war as a private. He participated in the first fight at Bull Run, the siege of Yorktown, and fought in all the battles that the Third regiment participated in up to the second battle in the Wilderness, when he was taken ill. He was confined in Saterlee Hospital, at Philadelphia, three months. He joined his regiment the following August and served till Oct. 27, when he was taken prisoner and suffered the terrible torture of Libby Prison till Feb. 17, 1865. He was discharged June 22, 1865, and then returned home and resumed farming.
John N. Tindall was born in New Jersey, March 16, 1829, was educated in the common schools and reared to agricultural pursuits. He came when but a young lad to Michigan with his parents, who located in Oakland County. There he grew to manhood and mar- ried, and in 1856 came to Kent County. On March 10, 1857, he pur- chased eighty acres of land in Nelson township, and devoted the re- mainder of his active career to its development and cultivation.
William C. Benjamin, a bachelor, came to this township in an early day with a "pocket full of rocks" from California, purchased a fine farm and improved and beautified it. He also repented of his lonely condition, married an intelligent lady and became the father of two children. In the summer of 1869, at the close of harvesting in which he had worked hard, he committed suicide by cutting his
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throat-it is supposed in a fit of temporary insanity. This sad trage- dy cast a gloom over the entire community where he lived.
The experiences of the early settlers were similar, regardless of locality, and, to some extent, without regard to wealth. Necessaries of life, as we of later generations class them, were not to be procured, by reason of the great distance to be traveled, and hazards encoun- tered in reaching the older settlements. The forest supplied the meats, for the most part, as it did, also, the fruits and sugar. Coffee and tea were luxuries seldom used. This is mentioned to show the simple fare that satisfied the demands of the times. A dinner of corn bread alone, or of meat without bread, was a common repast. Potatoes were early raised, but had not become a household necessity as now. Maple sugar and syrup were among the old-time luxuries easily ob- tained. The cabins usually had a "shake" roof, fastened on by weight poles, with a clay or puncheon floor and a door made of boards split from native timber, and fastened together with wooden pins, or, in the absence of this, a blanket hung in the opening. The dimensions of the cabin were usually limited to the smallest size which would accommodate the family, the walls of rough logs, cracks "chinked" with split sticks and stones, and plastered with mortar, with some- times a little cut straw mixed in the "mortar" to prevent its falling out.
The pioneer shoemaker, gunsmith, and blacksmith were welcome adjuncts to the early settlements, as were, also, the backwoods school- masters and preachers. The first schools usually embraced only the rudiments- the "three R's." The "master" taught twenty-two days for a month, at a salary of about eighteen or twenty dollars per month and "boarded around." He was oftener selected because of his mus- cular development than on account of his scholastic attainments, though both were considered essential to complete success. The school "furniture" was in keeping with that which adorned the homes of the pupils, entirely home-made, and of the variety made for utility rather than beauty. The desks were puncheons, or at best planks, resting on wooden pins driven into auger holes in the logs of the wall. These were bored at an angle of about thirty degrees. Fronting the desks were stationary seats made of slabs or puncheons, with flaring legs of wooden pins, and these were made high enough to accommo- date the largest pupils, while the smaller ones sat with their feet dangling in mid-air. Globes and outline maps were unknown to the pupils, and were a mystery to the masters. The "text-books" com- prised Adams' arithmetic and Webster's Elementary Spelling Book. These covered the curriculum of reading and spelling, mathematics, language and literature, history and science. The ancient "pot-hooks," more difficult to form than any letter in the alphabet, comprised the first lessons in writing, but were never heard of afterward. There was no system by which these characters were made, hence each "master" had a "system" of his own. Sundry boxing of ears and other and more barbarous punishments often followed the pupil's fu- tile efforts at imitating these useless hieroglyphics. And yet we must credit the pioneer schools with producing a class of plain and neat writers, a feature very noticeable, and often commented upon, in the reading of ancient documents. It is equally true that most of the stu-
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dents of those early days were excellent spellers, according to the rules then in vogue. But the primitive schools of pioneer days have long since been succeeded by the excellent school system so nicely provided for, in part at least, by the reservation of a portion of the public domain for that purpose.
For many years after the settlement of the township, religious services were conducted by the traveling ministers of various denomi- nations, usually at private houses, or in the school houses of the town- ship.
George Hoyle was the first supervisor of Nelson. The first mar- riage was that of Clayton Wood to Miss Catherine Bailev. The cere- mony was performed at Rockford in 1852. Mrs. Kelsey's daughter was the first white child born in the township, her birth having taken place in 1851. Before the close of that year Mrs. Pearson gave birth to a boy, the first male child in the township.
The village of Sand Lake was at one time thought to be destined to become a thriving city, but fortune was against it, and as the coun- try developed the currents that tended to the upbuilding of a place turned toward others more fortunately located, and Sand Lake was left to continue its existence, in the language of an old pioneer, as "an imaginary city." It is located on the north line of the township, twenty-six miles north of Grand Rapids, on the Grand Rapids & In- diana Railroad, and although the fond hopes of its founders were not realized, it has always been an important trading and shipping point for the farmers. It derived its name from Sand Lake, a beautiful sheet of water on the banks of which the village is built. A postoffice was established there soon after its first settlement, and as related above, there were high hopes of its becoming a city, but it was finally surpassed by other localities which were favored with superior ad- vantages. Sand Lake boasts of an excellent school, in which the patrons take great interest.
Nelson is one of the prosperous townships in Kent County. Agri- culture being the principal industry, and in fact almost the exclusive occupation of the people, it has received careful and thoughtful at- tention, and the farmers are equipped for the varied branches of ag- ricultural pursuits, including extensive stock raising and fruit grow- ing. Early attention was given to the introduction of improved strains of domestic animals, and this has proved a source of pleasure and profit. The well tilled farms, with their substantial residences of modern design, or the old and well built mansions of more ancient days, together with an occasional log house or unpretentious cabin, all evince the varying degrees of prosperity attained by their owners, and emphasize the fact that "there is no place like home." The in- habitants are intelligent, public-spirited people, who trace their line- age, with just pride, to patriotic ancestors, and the perpetuity of our great Republic they are ever ready to defend.
The following is a list of the supervisors of Nelson township from the year of its organization down to the present time: 1855, George Hoyle; 1856, Urias Stout ; 1857, Adolphus L. Skinner; 1861, Benjamin F. DeCou; 1862, Adolphus L. Skinner ; 1863, Barton Eddy ; 1864, Nicholas R. Hill; 1868, David B. Stout; 1869, Henry C. Rus- sell; 1870, Mindrus H. Whitney ; 1876, David B. Stout; 1877, Henry
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C. Russell; 1878, Albert D. Eldridge; 1879, John Berridge; 1885, Edgar L. Phelps; 1888, John Berridge; 1889, Fred Hubbard; 1891, David Walker ; 1894, John Berridge; 1897, John E. Goul; 1902, Fred C. Leger ; 1905, John E. Goul; 1909, Morris N. Streeter; 1910, John E. Goul, present incumbent.
Henry C. Russell was born in Plainfield township, Sept. 22, 1842. He was reared on a farm and received a common school education. At the age of twenty he taught a winter school, and in the same year entered a drug store in Plainfield, as clerk. In the fall of 1865 he removed to Cedar Springs and became a partner in the firm of E. Hinman & Company, shingle dealers. In 1867 the firm dissolved and Mr. Russell opened a grocery store, at the same time dealing in shingles. In 1868 he bought a drug stock and store of N. F. Slaw- son and continued in the drug business until 1880. In 1873, in com- pany with J. W. Phelps, and under the firm name of H. C. Russell & Company, he founded the Cedar Springs Exchange Bank, and there- after continued in the banking business. Mr. Russell filled various offices in his village. In 1869 and 1877 he was a member of the Board of Supervisors from Nelson. He was the second village presi- dent of Cedar Springs and served four terms. In 1870 he took a very active part in the movement looking to the formation of a new coun- ty, from Kent, Montcalm, Mecosta and Newaygo Counties. In the fall of 1880 he was elected State Senator by a majority of 5,200 votes. Mr. Russell was one of the prime organizers of the Cedar Springs Union Agricultural and Horticultural Society and acted as one of its directors.
Mindrus H. Whitney was born in Seneca County, New York, Jan. 21, 1824. In 1837 his parents removed to Kent County, Michi- gan, and settled in Cannon township, where the father entered 160 acres of land and was among the early pioneers. Mr. Whitney passed his early life in the pioneer districts of Kent and obtained such an education as Michigan at that time afforded. He lived in Cannon township until 1859, when he removed to Solon, and in 1869 he re- moved to Sand Lake. On Nov. 15, 1861, when the dark cloud of the Civil War fell upon our land, in response to the call of our bleeding country, Mr. Whitney enlisted in Company F, Fourteenth Michigan infantry, as orderly sergeant. In January, 1862, with his regiment, he was mustered into the United States service, and on May 14 fol- lowing he was commissioned second lieutenant. In September, 1863, he was given the rank of first lieutenant in Company D, and served with distinction until January, 1864, when he received his honorable discharge on account of ill health. He served as member of the Board of Supervisors from Nelson six years, and from Solon two years.
Albert D. Eldridge was born in Oneida County, New York, March 18, 1839. He attended school at Casnovia Hill, finishing his education in the University of Hamilton in 1857. In the spring of 1859 he came to Coldwater, Mich., where he followed farming until 1870, when he engaged in the wholesale liquor trade, continuing in that business two years. In 1872 he came to Sand Lake and built a planing mill, in partnership with Andrew Orr. In 1877 he removed the mill to Blanchard, where it burned in 1878. With his former
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partner he then built a saw-mill and operated it under the firm name of Eldridge & Orr. He also dealt in shingles. Mr. Eldridge served in the village council of Sand Lake in 1872, and as a member of the Board of Supervisors in 1878.
John Berridge was born in Oakland County, Michigan, April 28, 1845. He was reared on a farm and received his education in the Pontiac Union School. He taught school one year and then went to Lansing, where he was a member of the firm of Berridge & Christian, confectioners, for three years. In 1872 he came to Sand Lake and conducted a grocery two years. He was engaged in butchering up to 1877, when he was elected justice of the peace. He read law and afterward practiced. He was elected supervisor in 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1888, 1894, 1895, and in 1896. He also held the of- fices of village clerk and village attorney at Sand Lake.
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