Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I, Part 43

Author: Fisher, Ernest B., editor
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, R.O. Law Company
Number of Pages: 581

USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I > Part 43

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The township was organized in 1861 under the name of Celsus, but the name was later changed to Spencer, in honor of Thomas Spencer, one of the early settlers. Prior to 1861, it was a part of Oakfield township.

The first white inhabitant of Spencer was an old trapper, by the name of Lincoln. He had a shanty on the bank of the lake of that name, and there he lived, Daniel Boone like, for a number of years. The first regular settler of the township was Cyrus B. Thomas, who located in the summer of 1846. Henry Stroup, the second settler, located in January, 1848. Both of these settled on a plain in the southeastern part of the township, near the Oakfield line, and for a number of years were the only actual settlers.

Henry Stroup was born in 1815, in Pennsylvania, and was reared and educated in Seneca County, New York. His life was one of va- ried occupations. He was a driver on the Erie Canal seven years, and after coming to Michigan was engaged about twenty years run- ning logs on Flat River. In 1848 he settled on eighty acres of land on Section 34, which tract he located from the government at a peri- od when all of Spencer township was an unbroken forest. He was the second settler in the township, and he held the office of highway commissioner, justice of the peace, and other official positions.

Matthew B. Hatch, afterward supervisor of Spencer township, and one of the earliest settlers, came to the township in 1853. He was born in Steuben County, New York, Aug. 20, 1831. He was edu- cated in the common schools of Michigan, and was all his life a tiller of the soil. He came to Kent county in the Spring of 1853, and made his permanent settlement in Spencer township three years later. The Indians held the territory by right of possession, but they were on the friendliest terms with invaders, and Mr. Hatch found shelter and experienced kindness at their hands. He slept in the hut of an Indian while clearing his "patch" and building his humble cabin. He car- ried provisions for his family on his back from Greenville, a distance of thirteen and one-half miles, following an Indian trail. At the date of his locating, Henry Stroup, Cyrus B. Thomas, Abner and Jessie Hawkins, Owen Cooper, and Jacob Lambertson were the only other settlers in this portion of the township, which then included Oak- field. Mr. Hatch served as township clerk four years, justice of the peace five years, and supervisor seven years.

Jacob Lambertson was born in New Jersey, was reared a farm- er, and was married in his native State. He then for a number of years resided in the State of New York, whence he came to Michigan, and first located in Oakland County. Several years later, in 1855, he removed to Spencer township, where he purchased 200 acres of land, 100 acres of which was entered from the government. He died in

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1885, on his farm in Spencer township, at the good old age of eighty- three years.

In the list of early settlers may also be mentioned the names of S. B. Cowles, B. G. Parks, Jacob Van Zandt, William H. Hewitt, William T. Parshall, Daniel Haskins, the Cooper family, and others.

Shepard B. Cowles was born in Massachusetts, March 15, 1826. He came to Kent County in 1854, and located the land on which he settled in 1855. He was present at the first township meeting and was one of the inspectors of the election. He was the prime mover in changing the name of the township to Spencer, and at different times he held nearly all of the township offices. In early life Mr. Cowles was a mason and followed the business in all its branches some years. In 1846 he enlisted for service in the Mexican War and did military duty fourteen months under General Scott. He also served in the Civil War, participating in some of its most celebrated campaigns and marching with Sherman to the sea. Mr. Cowles was one of the early members of the school of vegetarians, and he also eschewed the use of tea, coffee, and tobacco.

Beriah G. Parks was born in New York in 1826. He attended the common school to obtain his education and was trained to the vocation of a farmer. He came to Michigan in 1847, but soon re- turned to New York, where he was married the following year. On his return to Michigan he settled in Jackson County, and in 1856 came to Spencer township, then a part of Oakfield. Mr. Parks served as township treasurer eleven years, highway commissioner and jus- tice of the peace, and ranked among the best citizens of the township. Jacob Van Zandt was born in Cortland County, New York, May 4, 1832. As a lad of four years, with his parents, he made the trip by wagon from his birthplace to Montezuma, Cayuga County, New York, thence to Buffalo via the Erie Canal, and to Detroit on board the "North America," one of the finest boats to navigate Lake Erie in that early day. He qualified himself to teach and followed that occupation for fifteen terms in Missouri and Michigan. The first land purchased by Mr. Van Zandt was a forty-acre tract of "oak openings" in Allegan County. There he erected a shanty and kept bachelor's hall. He found plenty of employment as a rail-splitter, and he achieved quite a reputation at this work. This land he traded for a land warrant in Lynn County, Kansas, whither he went, and there he resided during a part of the "border ruffian" troubles. From Kansas he removed to Missouri and for three years taught school in Bates County, that State. After his residence in Missouri he re- turned to Michigan in 1861, and afterward made it his home. In Spencer township he secured a piece of land from which all the pine had been cut, only hard wood remaining. He made short work of clearing away the remainder of the forest, "baching" the meanwhile in a shanty, 24x16 feet. In 1866 he was elected supervisor, again in 1874, and was elected township clerk in 1873. He also served as school inspector, justice of the peace and member of the school board.

As before stated, the township of Spencer was organized in 1861, and the first election was held that year, the following persons being elected to fill the township offices: Freeman Van Wickle, supervisor ; Henry A. Freeman, clerk; Daniel Haskins, treasurer; William W.

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Hewitt and Freeman Van Wickle, commissioners of highways; Wil- liam W. Hewitt and Edwin D. Clark, justices; Hiram Conse and Al- fred Hulburt, school inspectors; William H. Smith, George McClel -. land, Henry Stroup, and Darius Gray, constables.

The first lumbering establishment in Spencer township was start- ed on Black Creek in 1853. During the year 1870, one million feet of lumber was run out of that stream. The Van Wickle saw-mill was located on the same creek, near the south line of Section 25. It was built in 1856 with Van Wickle as proprietor. The Powell steam saw and shingle mill was situated on the bank of Lincoln Lake, on Section 27. It was built in 1867 with William B. Powell as proprietor. The Parks steam saw mill, near the center of Section 7, was built in 1868, with E. H. Gibbs as proprietor. The Griswold steam saw and shingle mill was located near the southwest corner of Section 29. It was built in 1869, with Jabes W. Griswold as proprietor. The Spen- cer mills were built in 1855, by Thomas Spencer, near the southeast corner of Section 27, and at this place a postoffice was established and a little settlement started, the postoffice and settlement being named Spencer. The mill was burned in 1861, the postoffice has been dis- continued, and the prospective village was never fully realized.

Among the lakes in this township, Lincoln is the largest. It is a fine sheet of water, situated a short distance east of the center of the township, and is nearly one and one-half miles in length, by one-half mile in width.

Beginning in the year of its organization, the following is a list of the supervisors of Spencer township down to the present time: 1861, Freeman Van Winkle; 1862, Thomas Spencer; 1863, Charles S. DeCou; 1865, Charles D. Spencer ; 1866, Jacob Van Zandt; 1867, Matthew B. Hatch; 1874, Jacob Van Zandt; 1875, Scott Griswold ; 1879, John Moran; 1881, Michael Ward; 1882, John Moran; 1883, Scott Griswold ; 1885, Volney F. Cowles; 1886, Scott Griswold; 1889, James Ward; 1893, Scott Griswold; 1896, James Ward; 1899, John Moran ; 1901, Elmer G. Storey; 1903, John Griswold; 1913, Volney F. Cowles; 1916, John Griswold, present incumbent.

Elmer G. Storey was a native of Grattan township and was born Dec. 7, 1863. He was reared on the farm in his native township, re- ceiving a thorough education in the Union School, and he remained with his father until twenty-five years old. In 1885 he purchased eighty acres of unimproved land in Section 20, Spencer township, and in November, 1888, settled there permanently. Conceiving that many benefits would accrue to all fruit growers in Spencer if facili- ties for caring for the crop were supplied, in 1891 he erected an evap- orator and for years did an excellent business. He served one term as justice of the peace, as township clerk four consecutive years, and as supervisor two years.

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CHAPTER XXXIII. POLITICS AND OFFICIAL HONORS

FIRST GENERAL ELECTION-PANIC OF 1837-PRESIDENT JACKSON- POLITICAL EXCITEMENT-REPUBLICAN PARTY-ELECTION STATIS- TICS-NATIONAL AND STATE OFFICIAILS-SKETCHES.

Kent County received its first permanent white settler in the per- son of Rix Robinson, in 1821, three years before the remarkable Presidential contest occurred between Jackson, Adams, Clay, and Crawford. The administration of Mr. Monroe had been so pacific and conciliatory in its measures that the party lines previously existing had become almost obliterated, and it appeared to be conceded that his policy had established "an era of good feeling." Means of com- munication with the outer world, inhabited by civilized people, were then so limited, and newspapers and documents so scarce and difficult to obtain that the political excitement in new settlements was not suf- ficient to disturb neighborhood tranquility. But when the election, under the forms of the Constitution, was transferred to the House of Representatives, after the meeting of Congress on the first Monday in December, 1824, and when it became known that, by the decision of the House, the popular voice had been disregarded by the choice of John Quincy Adams, and intelligence of the result finally pene- trated the fastnesses of the dwellers in the Michigan wilderness, it aroused a feeling that had a tendency to form political classification. But sharp party lines were not drawn for many years, and even when they were they did not often embrace candidates for popular suffrage of a lesser grade than federal and state officers, rarely extending to candidates for merely local positions. In process of time, however, political organizations were formed upon a broader basis, and they contested for possession of the smaller official plums, making the or- ganization of political parties, although occasionally broken, gener- ally more compact.

Until 1834 the party adverse to the Democratic organization had been known as National Republicans and Anti-Masons, but in that year all who were opposed to the Democrat party formed a coalition and changed their name to Whig, and under this banner fought their battles until 1854, when a fusion between the Free-Soilers and Know- Nothings was made, and both elements combined under the name of Republican. There existed, however, for many years in Kent Coun- ty, a small but brave and earnest body of Abolitionists, who were de- nounced and persecuted by both Democrats and Whigs, who vied in making assaults upon "the incendiary Abolitionists."

The first general election in which the few white inhabitants of the county participated was held in 1836, with but one polling place in the county and that was at the village of Grand Rapids. Fifty- four votes were cast for Martin Van Buren for President, and seven votes were classed as scattering.

About the time that Kent County was rapidly increasing her population, during the first years of her existence as a separate divi-

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sion, and as a component part of the new state of Michigan, the country experienced one of those financial panics which have so many times shaken commercial communities to their center. As this had an important influence upon the political events of that time, it may be well to enter briefly into the details insofar as they relate to political action. In December, 1816, a new United States bank was chartered for a term of twenty years. This institution, located at Philadelphia, became in the course of years the center of business interests. It was the custodian of the moneys of the government, and the government was the owner of a considerable amount of its stock; it could and did control the rates of discount. It could make or break private or state banks by a bestowal or withdrawal of its confidence, and as it con- trolled the pockets of the nation, so it began to also control its opin- ions and political action. President Jackson attacked the bank in his first annual message, in 1829, and returned to the attack in the annual messages of 1830 and 1831. Notwithstanding the hostility of the President, Congress, in July, 1832, passed an act granting the bank a new charter. This act the President promptly vetoed, but its failure produced no immediate effect, as the old charter did not expire until December, 1836.

The Presidential campaign of 1832 was then in progress. Jack- son was nominated for re-election, and the re-chartering of the bank was one of the issues between parties at that election, but Michigan being yet in its territorial stage of existence, the few white inhabi- tants of Kent County could take no part in the settlement of the vexed controversy. Jackson was re-elected, and with him a House of Rep- resentatives sympathizing with his financial views. In his message of that year the President recommended the removal of the deposits and the sale of the bank stock belonging to the United States. So thoroughly entrenched was the bank in the business interests of the country that Congress dare not make the attack. But so soon as Con- gress had adjourned, the President directed the Secretary of the Treasury to remove the deposits. The Secretary, William J. Duane, hesitated. There were about $10,000,000 of government funds in the bank; the bank loans amounted to $60,000,000, and were so distrib- uted as to effect almost every hamlet in the nation, and the secretary had not sufficient courage to jostle the monster that might easily crush whole parties, and whose destruction, if accomplished, would bring ruin on almost every business house, and whose dying throes would be felt in every household in the land. The President at length made a peremptory order to remove the money, and to deposit it in certain state banks. The Secretary promptly refused, and the President as promptly removed him and appointed Roger B. Taney, of Maryland, later chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, to the Secretary's office. The business community was startled, and prophecies of widespread disaster were freely made, but an iron hand was at the helm of state, and nothing would stay its work or change its purpose. The new Secretary commenced the removal in October, 1833; the greater part was removed within four months, and the entire work was completed within nine months. The des- ignated state banks received the deposits, and to relieve the threat- ened financial disaster, discounted freely. Indeed, the deposit of the national funds among several rival banks stimulated reckless specu-

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lation. Each bank was anxious to do more business than its neigh- bor, and therefore in every possible way made money easily obtain- able. They believed the money would remain until needed by the government for ordinary governmental purposes, and therefore treat- ed it as so much capital, and increased their circulation in proportion to the deposit. Money was plenty, and business was unduly stimu- lated. Internal improvements and all the industrial pursuits were inordinately revived, and reckless speculation, especially in real es- tate, was largely indulged in, and in 1836 it amounted to a mania. Says Lossing: "A hundred cities and a thousand villages were laid out on broad sheets of paper, and made the basis of vast moneyed transactions."

If Jackson was an enemy of extravagance he also was a firm believer in the doctrine of State Rights, and during his administration the doctrine was strictly and severely enforced. He was not pre- pared, like Calhoun, to carry it to the length of nullification and secession, but so far as he believed in it, he unrelentingly applied it to the affairs of the general government. By that code all the re- ceipts of the government, in excess of its expenditures on the nar- rowest basis, belonged to the states, and to them it should go. Ac- cordingly, in January, 1836, Congress directed the Secretary of the Treasury to divide the money in excess of $5,000,000 among the sev- eral states, on the basis of their representation in the House of Rep- resentatives. Notwithstanding this portent of the gathering storm, it was unheeded, and reckless speculation continued and increased into madness. In the midst of this widespread financial dissipation (July 11, 1836) the President caused a treasury order to be issued, directing that all duties should be paid in gold and silver coin. A deputation of New York merchants waited on him to secure its rescis- sion. But he was inexorable. He told them hard times were pro- duced by reckless expenditure and speculation, and any measure that would stop the flood-tide of extravagance, although productive of present distress, would eventually be of service to the country. It was in times such as these that the state of Michigan first participated in the election of a President of the United States.

But to continue the story of the panic of 1837: At length the time fixed by Congress for the distribution of the government funds arrived. More than a year had elapsed since the passage of the act gave notice to the banks and the business community to prepare for the effects of shortened capital, but no preparation had been made. On the contrary, recklessness had increased in proportion as the time for the preparation shortened. In proportion as the currency was converted into coin for payment to the government, the amount avail- able for business purposes was decreased. Discounts could not be obtained, and therefore business could not be continued. In the months of March and April, 1837, there were failures in the city of New York aggregating more than $100,000,000! A deputation of merchants waited on Mr. Van Buren, then just seated in the Presi- dential chair, and asked him to defer the collection of duties on im- ports, to rescind the treasury order of July 11, 1836, and to call an extra session of Congress. He refused, and on May 10 all the banks of New York suspended payment, and the banks of the entire coun- try followed their example.

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Such conditions in the financial and industrial world could not fail to have a great influence in American politics, and 1840 was a year of great political excitement. The opposition to the Jackson Democracy had been out of power for twelve years, and extraordinary efforts were made to regain it. Contrary to expectation, the times had not improved since 1837, but were constantly growing worse. In 1838, and even in 1839, men had been kept at work, and although paid in "wild-cat" money, they were busy, and consequently had no time to grumble. But now nearly the whole working class was out of employment, discontented, and complaining. The Whigs affected to believe the hard times were all chargeable to the destruction of the United States bank, and seemed to think that with such an institu- tion in the country, extravagance and patent violation of the laws of trade would go unpunished. They had again nominated General Harrison for the Presidency, and adopting coon skins, hard cider, and log cabins as their insignia, and crying "Corruption" at every breath, made the campaign. On their banners was the inscrip- tion, "Two dollars a day and roast beef under Harrison-sixpence a day and sheep's pluck under Van Buren." The campaign, although perhaps greater in the intensity of excitement, was not unlike that of 1896 in some respects. The idle, the dissolute, and the unthinking rushed after the banner that promised so much, and joined in the hue and cry against the party in power. The material for large pro- cessions was at hand, for mechanics and laborers had little else to do. Those who could sing were employed in vociferating log-cabin songs, and those who could not sing hallooed themselves hoarse in the praise of hard cider, Tippecanoe and Tyler too.

Perhaps the best glimpse of conditions as they existed locally, in 1840, is given by the one remaining issue of the Grand River Times, of May 29. The paper was Whig in politics, ardently sup- porting the cause of William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. In this issue interesting accounts were given of political activities, al- though the election was still nearly six months away. According to the account, ex-Governor Mason had spoken at what the Democrats called "the largest political meeting ever held on Grand River." The Whig meeting in answer to this was held at the court house on May 22. With the formality then characteristic of such gatherings, H. Osgood was chosen president, J. F. Chubb and S. F. Butler, vice- presidents, and J. M. Nelson and N. H. White, secretaries. Dr. Hig- ginson stated the object of the meeting and the speakers were Hon. T. J. Drake, Judge Ewing, of Indiana, and Lieutenant-Governor Gor- don, who made particular answer to Governor Mason's speech. The meeting adopted a resolution "that the Whigs of Michigan contribute 500 barrels of hard cider to aid in washing and cleansing the Republic of the leprosed corruption of the office-holding spoilers who claim that 'to the victors belong the spoils.'" In this same issue of the Times, in the space allowed to Democrats, an account is given of the county convention held at the Grand River Exchange, May 21. A list of delegates is here given as showing the active leaders of the Demo- cratic party of the county at that time. They were: Kent-G. Cog- geshall, C. L. Walker, A. Dikeman, N. H. Finney, S. Withey, E. W. Davis, J. Morrison, J. Almy, S. Granger, G. Surprenant, T. Minihan,

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J. W. Peirce. Byron-J. C. Abel, W. R. Godwin, J. McArthur, R. Howlett. Walker-R. Hilton, J. Scribner, G. W. Gordon, W. Pal- mer. Courtland-J. S. Beers. Plainfield-Z. Whitney, G. H. Gor- don, J. Clark, A. D. W. Stout. Paris-J. A. Davis, D. F. Laraway, DeWitt Shoemaker, H. H. Darling, N. Shoemaker, T. Hall, Z. C. Darling, H. Green, H. Jennings, J. B. Leavitt, H. Budlong, H. Green, Jr. Vergennes-R. Robinson, G. Brown, J. Thompson, O. H. Jones, J. M. Fox, C. A. Lathrop. Ada-R. Robinson, S. Smith, I. Hill, W. L. Granger, N. Robinson, E. Robinson, R. Shoemaker, S. D. Holt, M. Sisson, P. Teeple, H. H. Ives, E. Lenon. Rix Robinson and C. I. Walker were elected as delegates to the state convention and S. M. Johnson, S. Granger, C. I. Walker, J. Morrison, and C. H. Taylor were elected as the central committee. One of the resolutions adopted read: "That we look upon the political movements of the opposi- tion, by attempting to raise an excitement in favor of their candi- dates, in display of, and hurrah about log cabins and hard cider, and the singing of frivolous songs and ditties, as not only a reproach upon the character of our distinguished government, but an insult to the common sense of the people. Resolved, That we do not belong to that class ; that we wash our hands of such folly ; that we disclaim all sentiments in common with that party." The convention also pledged a majority of not less than 300 for Democracy. With such warmth at the start, it may well be believed that the struggle grew furious before election day came. Roosters and hickory poles were the emblems of Democracy in this campaign, and coon skins, log cab- ins, and hard cider were the emblems of the Whigs. There were many important meetings in Kent County, and all the leading lights of the Grand Rapids Lyceum, a local debating society, took the stump for their respective parties. Free feasts featured the campaign, and not a little whiskey is said to have been used to flavor the hard cider. The Van Buren administration was literally swept out of existence, and the Whig partisans retired to winter quarters to dream of the two dollars a day and roast beef that awaited them under Harrison's administration. Kent County voted as follows: Van Buren, 320; Harrison, 319! Mr. Birney, the Abolition candidate, seems to have received no votes in the county.

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Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I, Part 43

Author: Fisher, Ernest B., editor Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, R.O. Law Company Number of Pages: 581

Author: Fisher, Ernest B., editor
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, R.O. Law Company
Number of Pages: 581