USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume I > Part 41
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ORACE SAYLES was born in Somerset, Niagara county, New York, November 19th, 1827. His father, Lyman Sayles, was born in the State of New York, December 16th, 1797. When a young man he learned the carpenter's trade, but afterwards purchased a farm, in Niagara county, New York, and lived there until he came to Michigan, arriving in Palmyra, July 17th, 1834. He at once took up from the government, the n. } of section 2, in Palmyra, and erected a frame house in the woods-
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
the first in that part of the township, and still standing. The fol- lowing year he got in some spring crops. He lived on the farm until his death, July 10th, 1868. The entire place was covered with very heavy timber, but he lived to clear one hundred acres, and build a second and large frame house, barns, sheds, etc., doing most of the building with his own hands. He was a valuable man to the settlers, and did a large amount of building in the township. In 1840, in company with his brother-in-law, Benja - min Slade, he built the Raisin Quaker meeting house, and assisted in building-about 1836-7-the Palmyra grist-mill, a large and valuable one for those days, which was destroyed by fire in 1871. February 10tlı, 1820, he married Miss Ruth Slade, daughter of Buffam Slade, who came to New York, from the New England States, by whom he had eight children, three sons and five daugh- ters, as follows : Amy, born in Somerset, Niagara county, New York, May 11th, 1824, wife of William Graves, of Palmyra, Michigan ; Horace; Lydia Ann, born in Somerset, New York, June 23d, 1831, now of Palmyra, Michigan ; Elvira, born in Somerset, New York, January 25th, 1834, now of Palmyra, Mich- gan ; Lewis N., born in Palmyra, Michigan, March 1st, 1838, a farmer, of Palmyra; three children died in infancy. Mrs. Ruth Sayles was born August 24th, 1794, and died in Palmyra, October 14th, 1851. Horace Sayles always lived with his father, and was brought up a farmer, with a limited education, never going to school in any building but a log one, and his only desk was made of two pins driven into the logs, with a board over them, and a seat made of a slab or plank. He has always lived on the old homestead, and now owns one hundred and seventy-five acres of it. He carried on his farm, and annually manufactured a large amount of shingles up to 1873, when the Farmers' Fruit Preserv- ing Company was formed, and Mr. Sayles became its president. This important enterprise was brought about largely by the person- al efforts of Mr. Sayles, and has proven a success. The original company consisted of twenty-three stockholders. The building at first only containing one evaporator with the necessary fixtures. In the spring of 1874 three additional evaporators were put in, and the business correspondingly increased, but unfortunately, November 23d, that year, the building took fire, and was totally destroyed, with all of the season's product. The fire was the means of dissolving the original company, but a new company was at once formed, comprising six of the original stockholders, which, in 1875, rebuilt the factory, it doing a large business since-in 1878 using 30,800 bushels of apples. This factory is of much importance to farmers and fruit growers, and employs from fifty to
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
sixty persons for nearly six months in the year. Mr. Sayles lived a bachelor until March 6th, 1877, when he married Mrs. Addie S. Pope, of Palmyra, widow of Hosea T. Pope, and daughter of Andrew B. and Fanny M. Nash, of Hamilton, Missouri. Mrs. Addie S. Sayles was born in Sherburne, Chenango county, New York, November 9th, 1838, and came to Michigan with her first husband in 1870. Her father, Andrew B. Nash, was born in Massachusetts, and afterwards lived in Chenango county, New York, until 1870, when he removed to Hamilton, Missouri, where he is engaged in the produce business. Her mother, Mrs. Fanny M. Nash, was born in Massachusetts, and now lives with her hus- band, in Missouri. Hosea T. Pope, was born in Hamilton, Madi- son county, New York, January 13th, 1834, and died in Wellsville, this county, January 26th, 1875. His only son, Andrew N., was born in Hamilton, New York, June 9th, 1861, and he is now at home with his mother.
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ETER R. ADAMS was born in the town of Tioga, in the county of Tioga, and State of Pennsylvania, on the 10th day of February, 1805. His father, Rufus Adams, was the son of Isaac Adams, a native of Connecticut, and died at Tioga, in 1812. His mother was Mary Roberts, born in Livingston county, in the State of New York. His father being thus remov- ed by death, and leaving but a small farm, Peter R., at the age of seven years, was under the necessity of providing for his own sup- port and education, aided by the care and advice of his mother. He resided with several of his uncles, and labored wherever he could find employment, and used his earnings, and devoted what of his time he could, to educating himself. At the age of eighteen, he engaged in teaching a common school, which business he con- tinued for about two years. In the meantime, he commenced the study of law, in the office of John Baldwin, Esq., of Danville, Livingston county, New York. He completed his legal studies in Wellsborough, in his native county, in the office of Ellis Lewis, Esq., and was admitted to practice in the courts of that State, in the year 1825. He remained at Tioga most of the time until 1829, and in December of that year, married Miss Cordelia M. Waller, the daughter of David Waller, of Palmyra, Portage county, State of Ohio. In May, 1830, he and his wife came to Detroit, Michi-
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
gan. They remained there and at Ann Arbor a few weeks, and, on the 26th day of July, 1830, arrived at Tecumseh, which has ever since been their home. In Tecumseh, then the county seat, he began the practice of law, in Michigan, and continued it with much patronage, and reasonable financial success, until the fall of 1842. His health, from too close and unremitting attention to the labor of his profession, had become some impaired, and he deemed it necessary to engage in some other employment. Dur- ing these twelve years, besides his very arduous professional labors, he had discharged the duties of supervisor, prosecuting at- torney, judge advocate, etc., and declined many important offices tendered him. Moses T. Champion, a very worthy young man, who had read law in his office, and was then his partner, about this time died. He sold to P. Bills, Esq., who had also read in his office, his entire professional business, and retired to a farm, one mile east of the village of Tecumseh. On this farm he resided until 1861, devoting his care and labor principally to the manage- ment of the farm. In 1850 he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, and served in performing the duties of that office, at Lansing, during the summer of 1850. In 1861 he removed from the farm to the village of Tecumseh, into the house where he now resides. He still continued to manage his farms. In 1865 the National Bank of Tecumseh was organized, and com- menced business. He was elected president and one of its directors, which offices he held until 1874, when the bank went into volun- tary liquidation, and closed business. In 1866 he commenced the publication of the Raisin Valley Record, at Tecumseh. It was a weekly newspaper, neutral, but independent in politics, and an ad- vocate of temperance and reform. He owned, conducted, and edite l it for several years, and it received a liberal public patronage. He then sold and transferred it to Mr. Charles T. Chapin. In 1875 the People's Bank of P. R. Adams & Co., was organized, and commenced business. He was president of this bank until it ceas- ed, December 1st, 1878, and was succeeded by the present People's Bank. He has had three children : Peter W., was born February 25th, 1833, and resides on a farm, one mile west of the village of Tecumseh. His principal occupation is the management of his farm ; Eliza M., was born March 19th, 1848, and was married, June 28th, 1869, to Col. W. C. Fitzsimmons. She died April 20th, 1878, leaving two sons; Mary C., was born December 19th, 1853. She was married, December 18th, 1873, to Mr. John D. Shull. 'They reside in Lansing, Michigan. By industry, ability, and strict integrity as a business man, Mr. Adams has accumulated a fine fortune, which he now lives to enjoy.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
LAVIUS J. HOUGH was born in East Schuyler, Herkimer county, New York, March 18th, 1823. His father, Olm- stead Hough, was born in Columbia county, New York, in the year 1797, where he lived until he was four years old, when he moved to Schuyler. Zepheniah Hough, the father of Olmstead Hough, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He died at Schuyler in the year 1836, and his wife died in the same place, in the year 1850. Olmstead Hough lived at home until the age of fourteen years, when he was apprenticed to a brother-in-law, to learn the trade of a carpenter and millwright, and remained until he was eighteen years old, when he bought his time and continued his trade up to the year 1830, when he was elected to the New York Legislature, and served one term. In June, 1831, he moved to Michigan and settled on a farm on what was called the "trail road," running. from Tecumseh to Saline. He was always an ac- tive Democrat, and was present and assisted in the organization of the Democratic party in this county. At the convention to frame the State Constitution, he was elected sergeant-at-arms of that body. After the State was admitted to the Union, he was elected the first State Senator from this district, composed of Lenawee and Monroe counties. In the year 1838 he was appointed by Martin Van Buren, Register of the Land Office, located at Detroit, and resigned when the Whigs came into power in the year 1840. In the year 1844 he was elected sheriff of Lenawee county, and held the office four years. He represented the town of Tecumseh in the board of supervisors several years, and was also chairman of that body. In the year 1863 he moved into the village of Tecumseh, where he died December 25th, 1865. In the year 1820 he mar- ried Miss Julia Ann Boughton. She died April 4th, 1829. He married the second time, Miss Mary Boughton, in the year 1830, who is still living. Flavius J. Hough, the subject of this sketch, lived with his parents on the farm until he was seventeen years of age, during that time attending school at the Tecumseh branch of the State University three years. In the winter of 1840-1 he taught school in Raisin township, and attended the University branch the following summer and fall, teaching again in the winter of 1841-2. In the spring and summer of 1842 he traveled through Michigan, Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri, mostly on foot. From St. Louis he went down the Mississippi and up the Ohio to near Wheeling, Virginia, and from there, over the mountains on foot to Winchester, and south through the Shen- andoah Valley, on to Greensborough, North Carolina, and from thence back through Western Virginia and Ohio, to Tecumseh, Michigan. Of this journey over thirteen hundred miles was made 52
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
on foot. From this time until the year 1850, he was engaged in teaching, and for the most part in Southern Ohio. In the fall of 1850 he returned to Michigan and settled on a farm in Macon, near Ridgeway, where he lived until the year 1860, in the mean- time representing the town of Macon on the board of supervisors for five years. In 1860 he was elected sheriff of Lenawee county, and held the office four years. In 1865 he was appointed deputy revenue collector for the first district of Michigan, and resigned the office in the spring of 1866, to take the position of general agent of the Michigan State Insurance company, of which he was a director and stockholder, which position he held until October, 1879, when he was elected secretary of the company, a position made vacant by the death of Henry Hart. September 25th, 1845, he married Miss Jane M. Wheeler, daughter of James and Sarah Wheeler, of Macon. By this marriage four children were born, as follows: James C., born September 2d, 1846, drowned in the river at Adrian, June 3d, 1861; Clara J., born August 3d, 1850, died in Macon, October, 1855; Emma R., born January 7th, 1852, married to T. R. Travers, April 1st, 1879, and they reside at Fruitport, Muskegon county, Michigan; Frank L., born July 6th, 1858, a teacher, living at Fruitport. Mrs. Hough died July 15th, 1874. He was married the second time, February 6th, 1875, to Mrs. Mary Hubbard, of Kansas City, Missouri. She was second daughter of Capt. Michael and Sarah MeLaughlin, of Lon- don, Canada West (now Ontario.)
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LPHEUS PRATT was born in Sherburne, Massachusetts, April 1st, 1793. His father, Aaron Pratt, son of Jacob Pratt, was born on the same place, December 5th, 1765, where he lived until some time in the year 1796, when he moved to Framingham, Massachusetts, purchased a farm, and always lived there until November, 1838, when he was killed by the cars, in the Framingham depot. In 1791 Aaron Pratt married Miss Olive Metcalf, daughter of Levi and Lois Metcalf, of Framingham, Massachusetts, by whom he had nine children, Alpheus being the oldest son and second child. Mrs. Olive Pratt was born in Franklin, Massachusetts, and moved to Framingham, with her parents when she was a girl, and died there in her nine- tieth year. May 4th, 1819, Alpheus Pratt and Louisa Ames were married, in Framingham, Massachusetts. They have had five
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
children, as follows : Sarah Ann, born May 7th, 1820, and died July 10th, 1822 ; Louisa Maria, born January 7th, 1822, and died August 29th, 1824; Sarah Ann, 2d, born August 29th, 1823, died May 17th, 1825 ; George, born August 10th, 1825, died July 27th, 1827; Charles, born in Pittsford, Monroe county, New York, January 15th, 1828 now practicing law in Toledo, where he has resided for thirty years. Mrs. Louisa Pratt was born in Peters- ham, Massachusetts, February 20th, 1796. Her father, Peter Ames, was a farmer, of Petersham, Massachusetts, where he always lived, and died there, February 15th, 1816, aged fifty-two years. Her mother, Sarah (Clark) Ames, was born in Petersham, and died there, September 26th, 1815, aged forty-four years; she was the mother of eight children, Mrs. Pratt being the second child and oldest daughter. The day after his marriage, Alpheus Pratt, with his bride, started for the " west," and finally settled in Pitts- field, Monroe county, New York, where he purchased a new farm, clearing it up, and residing there until October, 1833, when he sold out, and came to Michigan. He landed at Detroit, where he purchased a yoke of oxen and a wagon, and started for Bean creek, in Lenawee county, and after seven days hard travel, arrived on the banks of the creek, at the house of Hiram Kidder, two miles north of the site of the present village of Hudson. The first trip from Detroit he brought Charles Ames' family, and afterwards re- turned to Detroit for his own family and goods. "He took up one hundred and twenty acres of land, on section thirteen, in the pres- ent town of Pittsford, Hillsdale county, on the present county line. He lived there, and cleared off about seventy acres, erected a good frame house, two barns, one shed, and raised a good orchard, and in the fall of 1851, he sold out, and moved to the village of Hudson, where he has resided ever since. He raised the first crop of wheat in his township, in 1835, amounting to one hundred and fifty-six bushels. The township of Pittsford was organized at his house, and when the question came up about the name, a majority of those present were in favor of calling the township Dover, but Mr. Pratt wanted to name it Pittsford, and being acquainted with the member of the Legislature, Allen Hutchins, from Lenawee county, finally, when the petition went to the Legislature, managed to carry his point. The first election in the township was held at his house, and the first 4th of July celebration took place in his barn, Elder Warner being the orator of the day. The present Presbyterian church of Hudson was organized at his house, in 1835, the Rev. Wm. Woolcott officiating. Two persons were baptized on that occasion. In the spring of 1836 the Methodist church of Hudson was also organized at his house. The first wedding in the Bean
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
creek valley occurred at Mr. Pratt's house, Christmas day, 1834. The persons married were James Sprague and Miss Elizabeth Ames. During the first year of their settlement here, an incident occurred which so impressed itself upon the minds of Mr. and Mrs. Pratt, that it is impossible for them to erase it from their memory. January 23d, 1834, their son, and only child, Charles, then six years old, left the house to go to his father, who was chop- ping, a short distance off. The child lost his directions, and became lost in the woods. He was not missed for at least an hour, when his mother called to him. At once the thought flashed through her mind that the child was lost, and she gave the alarm. His father, with three or four other settlers, at once started in search, and continued until two o'clock in the morning before they found him. The night was so cold that the men built a fire in the woods to warm themselves. Wolves and bears were quite plenty, and just before they found the child, two large black bears passed them, and wolves were howling continually. After passing the bears, Mr. Pratt called the child's name as loud as he could shout, becoming almost desperate at the thought that perhaps the bears had been feasting on his tender flesh, but, to his great releif, the child answered, and was soon safe in his father's arms. In relating his night's experience, the child said he sat down on a log to rest, and- a " dog " came up and smelled of him.
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LARK ANGELL was born in Bateman, Dutchess county, New York, July 19th, 1803. His father, John Angell, was born in Rhode Island in 1775, where he lived until he was twenty-one, when he went to Dutchess county, New York. He lived there a number of years, and moved to Greenfield, Saratoga county, where he purchased a farm. He lived there about twenty years, when he moved to Rochester and resided a short time. In 1836 he came to Michigan and purchased a farm in the town of Adrian, four miles north of the city, where he lived about ten years, when he sold out and returned to Rochester, New York, and died there in 1855. About 1801 he married Miss Sarah Chase, daugh- ter of Joseph and Elsey Chase, of Providence, Saratoga county, New York, by whom he had ten children, eight sons and two daughters, Clark . being the oldest. Mrs. Saralı Angell was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, June 17th, 1782, and is still living with her son Clark, in Palmyra, in her 97th year, and enjoys re-
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
markably good health. Clark Angell lived with his father on a farm until his twenty-first year. He then went to Rochester and lived until the spring of 1835, when he came to Michigan, arriving in Adrian the 1st of June. The previous fall, in September, he came here and took up the s. w. ¿ of section 7, in Ogden. He moved his family on this land the following spring, and has cleared it, improved it, built good buildings, and lived there for forty years. In 1875 he rented his farm and purchased a house in the south- west corner of the township of Palmyra, where he now resides. In June, 1826, he married Miss Mary Hoag, daughter of Beman and Desire Hoag, of Monroe county, New York, by whom he had one child: Jane A., born in Williamstown, Wayne county, New York, June 5th, 1827, now the wife of Gardner Davis, of Ogden. Mrs. Mary Angell was born in New York in 1803, and died in Ogden. He has since been married three times. He was married to his present wife, Mrs. Esther Ann Angell, in January, 1878.
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EORGE FERGUSON, of Deerfield, was born in Salem, Washington county, New York, September 28th, 1814. His father, George Ferguson, was born in Perthshire, Scot- land, September 16th, 1786, and came to America with his parents in 1787, and settled in Jackson, Washington county, New York, where they resided until 1834. George was brought up a farmer, and owned farm in Washington county, New York. He sold out in the spring of 1834, and came to Michigan and settled on 200 acres of land on section 14 in the present town of Deerfield, where he died January 4th, 1867. About 1810, he married Miss Eleanor Gillespie, of Argyle, Washington county, New York, by whom he had ten children, six sons and four daughters, George being the third son and fourth child. Mrs. Eleanor Ferguson was born in Argyle, Washington county, New York, November 20th, 1782, and died in Deerfield, this county, March 16th, 1842. Her father was of Scotch extraction, and her mother was a descendant of the early Dutch settlers of New York City. George Ferguson, the subject of this sketch, was brought up a farmer, and lived with his father until he was twenty-two. He came to Michigan with his parents in 1834, and landed in Toledo that spring, when there were but one or two houses there. A man by the name of Hadley, who then lived at Tremainsville, was engaged to move the family
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
to some point on the river Raisin in Lenawee county. Mr. Fer- guson (the old gentleman) had not located any land at that time, but made up his mind to look along the river, in Lenawee county, and if he could not suit himself, he would go on to St. Joseph county. At Toledo he was directed to Anthony McKey, who then lived on the bank of the Raisin, where the village of Deerfield now 'stands. They arrived at Mr. McKey's the next day after leaving Toledo. After looking up and down the river for a few days, he finally purchased, of Simeon Dewey, the land above spoken of. George Ferguson, the subject of this sketch, assisted his father in clearing and improving his farm until 1835, when he commenced for himself, working about seven years by the month. During this time he was in the employ of Anthony McKey, and assisted him in his survey of a wagon road between Toledo and Adrian, through the Cottonwood swamp ; and also in his survey of of the State Line Road, between Ohio and Michigan, after the Toledo war difficulties had been settled and Congress had set off certain territory to Ohio. He was also one of the surveying party under Henry Hart in the preliminary survey of the Michigan Southern railroad, between Monroe and Adrian. After having earned money enough, in January, 1844, he purchased of John McDonald, the e. part of the s. w. frac'} } of section 11 in Bliss- field, (now Deerfield) where he has resided ever since. He has added to his first purchase until now he owns over 100 acres, with good buildings, orchard, &c. September 3d, 1846, he married Miss Jane M. Miner, daughter of Anderson and Delilah Miner, of Pal- myra, this county, by whom he had ten children, as follows: William A., born April 16th, 1847, now a railroad man of Iowa ; Delilah E., born April 18th, 1849, now the wife of Joseph Hicks, of Detroit; Libbie M., born July 29th, 1851, now the wife of Oscar Schulte, of Cleveland, Ohio; James H., born June 19th, 1853, now of Oakland, California; George M., born December 3d, 1855, at home ; Kate A., born June 10th, 1857, at home ; Douglass A., born September 1st, 1860, at home; Edward C., born Decem- ber 15th, 1862, at home; Jane M., born May 1st, 1866, at home; Clifford M., born September 11th, 1868, died Sep- tember 9th, 1877. All of the children were born on one farm, the homestead in Deerfield. Mrs. Jane M. Ferguson was born at Wilna, Jefferson county, New York, May 10th, 1828, and came to Michigan with her parents, and settled in Palmyra, this county, in 1844. Her father was born in Windsor, Vermont, in 1795, and died in Bloomer, Montcalm county, Michigan, March 28th, 1878. Her mother was born in the same place in 1796, and is still living in Bloomer, Montcalm county, Michigan.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
OSEPH CAMBURN, of Franklin, was born in Barnegat, New Jersey, March 23d, 1796. His father, Levi Camburn, was born in the same place, in 1762, where he lived until 1804, when he moved to Ontario county, New York, and purchas- ed a farm. The county was afterwards divided, and his farm was in Macedon, Wayne county. He resided in Wayne county until 1834, when he sold his farm and came to Michigan, and lived in Franklin, this county, with his son Jacob Camburn. He received a common school education, and when about eighteen years old was converted to the Methodist faith, and soon after, commenced exhort- ing, ever afterwards preaching more or less in Barnegat New Jersey, Wayne county New York, and in this county. He was always a straightforward, earnest, hardworking man, and for many years in the State of New York, besides doing his work on the farm, he preached nearly all the funeral sermons in his township, also preaching from two to three times each Sunday. He died in Mos- cow, Hillsdale county, in 1853. March 23d, 1786, he married Miss Margaret Mount, daughter of Matthias Mount, of Cape May, New Jersey, by whom he had twelve children, Joseph. being the second son and fifth child. Mrs. Margaret Camburn was born at Cape May, New Jersey, in 1772, of German parents, and died at Lockport, New York, in 1826. Joseph Camburn lived with his father until he was twenty-three years old. What little schooling he received was in Macedon, Wayne county, New York. In 1818 he rented a farm in Macedon, and carried it on until 1827, when he made up his mind that he would go to Michigan, where he could then purchase the best of land for $1.25 per acre. In the spring of 1828, he started with his wife and four children, for Tecumseh. „ He came up the lake from Buffalo to Detroit. At Detroit he purchased a yoke of oxen, and loaded what few things he had, upon a wagon he brought with him, and after nearly three days' travel, arrived in Tecumseh, himself wife, and children, hav- ing walked the entire distance. All the money he possessed when he got to Tecumseh was six dollars, and he was among strangers, with six in his family. He settled on eighty acres of land belonging to his father-in-law, and after living on it two years, improving it and building a house, he finally bought it, taking a deed, and giving a mortgage for $400. Before another year he sold out for $700, paid up the mortgage, and purchased 160 acres of land on section 22 in Franklin, where he has resided ever since. This was in 1832, and Franklin then comprised all the territory in the present townships of Cambridge and Woodstock, and there were not men enough in the township to fill the offices. In 1832-3, he assisted in surveying and cutting through the La Plaisance Bay Turnpike,
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