USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume II > Part 10
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
solved to make the distance that day. Just as darkness was com- ing on that evening he came across a man at the side of the road with an armfull of wood, and asked him how far it was to Clinton, whose reply was, " If you ain't there now, I can't tell where it is." William at once recognized the voice of an old neighbor in Orleans county, and a cordial welcome was given him, with much needed rest and refreshments. Within a few days William found his way through the woods to Adrian, and found employment with Lean- der Wood, an old York State acquaintance, who lived in Rome. He worked for Mr. Wood until about the first of July, when he went to Adrian, and was employed by a mason by the name of Bragg to assist in building the first brick house in that place, the same which now stands just north of the Masonic Temple, and owned by Dorcas Dean. The house was built for Orange Butler, who was then a lawyer in Adrian. After the house was' finished he went to work on the Erie and Kalamazoo railroad, where he continued to work until he had earned enough money to purchase 80 acres of government land on section 32, in Franklin, which was the only 80-acre lot in the township that had not been located. He then went back to the State of New York where he was mar- ried, and remained until August, 1837, when he returned to Mich- igan with his wife and infant child and settled on his land, where he has resided ever since. He has erected good buildings, and has purchased 80 acres adjoining, and cleared and improved nearly 100 acres. June 22d, 1836, William Burns married Juliette Beloat, daughter of Harris and Rebecca (Spencer) Beloat, of Barre, Or- leans county, N. Y., by whom he had five children, as follows : Emery, born in Barre, Orleans county, N. Y., October 19th, 1837 ; Squire L., born in Franklin, this county, September 23d, 1839 ; Milton J., born in the same place, September 1st, 1841 ; Silvia R., born in the same place, September 30th, 1843; William H., born in the same place, June 9th, 1847. Mrs. Juliette Burns was born in the State of New York, probably, in Barre, Orleans county, and died in Franklin, July 14th, 1849. Mr. Burns afterwards married Sophia Burt, of Adrian, who only lived about one year after her marriage. She left one child who grew to manhood, and was killed by the "damps" in a well near Franklin Centre. June 1st, 1851, Mr. Burns married Melissa A. Moon, daughter of Reu- ben and Alice (Grover) Moon, of Hudson, this county, by whom he has had four children, all of whom are now dead. Mrs. Melissa A. Burns was born in Cambria, Niagara county, N. Y., July 24th, 1836, and came to Michigan with her mother in 1848, and settled in Hudson village, where her mother died April 16th, 1873, aged 72 years.
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD .
AMES B. COLVIN was born in Groveland, Livingston county, New York, May 5th, 1826. His father, William Colvin, was born in Antrim county, Ireland, March 4th, 1788. When a boy he learned the hatter's trade, which he followed until he came to America in 1818. The earliest recollection which he has of his ancestors is of one Dr. Colvill, a clergyman, who came with his wife from Scotland to the county of Antrim, Ireland, during the reign of Charles II, of England, and built Gilgorm Castle, where he lived and died. The castle is still in good preservation, and parts of the walls of its park are still standing. William, when a boy, often visited the old castle, and remembers seeing, in the family vault, under the chapel, the leaden coffins of his ancestors-the doctor, his son, and grandson. As was, and is often the case, the ancestral name, Colvill, in time, was allowed, through carelessness, to be called Colvin by this and other branches of the family, both in America and Ireland, but the name Colvill is still retained by a brother in Philadelphia, several of whose family are engaged in the mercantile business. In 1830 William Colvin came to Michi- gan in company with Robert Boyd and Fulton Jack, who also came from Ireland with him. He located 80 acres of land on sec- tion 11, in Raisin, and returned to his home in Groveland, Liv- ingston county, N. Y. In the spring of 1832. he again came to Michigan and purchased more land, on sections 15 and 22, in Raisin, and on his way back to New York he was a passenger on the new steamboat "Washington," which then plied between De- troit and Buffalo. During the passage down Lake Erie a terrible storm occurred, and the boat was blown ashore and wrecked near the lower end of Long Point. There were over 30 passengers on board, but only one life was lost, and this was occasioned by a young man who became so alarmed at the situation that he at- tempted to swim ashore. In May, 1834, Mr. Colvin moved his family to Michigan and settled on his first purchase, where he lived until his death, which occurred October 6th, 1879. In 1811 William Colvin married Miss Lettitia, daughter of James and Jennie Smith, of Carnlea, Antrim county, Ireland, by whom he had eight children, three sons and five daughters, as follows: John, born in Antrim county, Ireland, December 15th, 1814, a farmer in Raisin ; Jennette, born in the same place, June 15th, 1817, widow of Jacob Snyder, of Macon; Mary, born in the same place, July 15th, 1819, wife of John Potter, of Oakland, California ; Jane, born in Brighton, N. Y., September 6th, 1822, wife of the late Hugh McConnell, of Fairfield, this county ; William, born in Groveland, N. Y., February 19th, 1823, a stock-raiser of Larned, Pawnee county, Kansas; James B .; Elizabeth, born in Groveland,.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
N. Y., February 6th, 1829, and died in Raisin, in September, 1837; Caroline N., born in Groveland, N. Y., May 1st, 1831, at home. Mrs. Lettitia Colvin was born in Carnlea, Antrim county, Ireland, July 10th, 1791, and followed her husband to America two years subsequent to his coming, with three small children, in 1820. She died in Raisin, at the old homestead, December 5th, 1878. James B. Colvin was brought up a farmer, but received a liberal education, having attended the best schools of the county, during the time of his school days. He lived with his father until he was 17 years old, when he commenced life for himself. For a period of eight years he worked by the day and month, five years of the time being spent with Judge C. A. Stacy. In 1853 he purchased a farm of 120 acres, on section six, in Raisin. In 1865 he purchased 50 acres on section nine, in Raisin, and moved there in 1867, and has added 115 acres to it. He still owns 40 acres on section six. He is now building one of the finest farm houses in the county, on his last purchase, it being the site of the old John Lovett house, where he first settled. January 27th, 1856, he mar- ried Miss Harriet A. Tilton, daughter of William and Matilda Tilton, of Raisin (now of Tecumseh), by whom he has had three. children, one son and two daughters, as follows: Josephine L., born September 25th, 1857, at home; Herbert J., born October 12th, 1860, at home; Nora V., born June 27th, 1870, at home. Mrs. Harriet A. Colvin was born in Raisin, Michigan, October 6th, 1832. [For her family connection, see William Tilton's record.]
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RS. ALTHA W. AYERS was born in Perinton, Monroe county, New York, October 10th, 1811. She was the only daughter of Chad and Sally (Rockwood) Aldrich, of Per-
inton. Chad Aldrich, son of Stephen and Mary Aldrich, was born February 12th, 1765, and went to Monroe county, N. Y., when he was a young man. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and it is said he built the first frame house in the city of Rochester. He married Miss Sallie Rockwood, who was born March 20th, 1770, by whom he had ten children, Altlia W. being the ninth child and only daughter. Chad Aldrich died in Per- (11)
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inton, April 16th, 1816. Mrs. Sally Aldrich died in Shelby, Orleans county, N. Y., January 23d, 1825. Chad Aldrich traced his ancestors back as follows: George Aldrich came from Derby- shire, England, and arrived in America, November 6th, 1631, and settled in Menden, Worcester county, Mass. September 3d, 1629, he married Catharine Seals, of Derbyshire, England. Their son, John Aldrich, married Penelapy Pray, who had a son Stephen Aldrich, born April 15th, 1765. Stephen Aldrich married Mary Brown, daughter of Chad and Sarah Brown, who was born De- cember 12th, 1740. Stephen Aldrich died at Northbridge, Wor- cester county, Mass., November 29th, 1794, and his wife Mary died at Farmington, Ontario county, N. Y., September 22d, 1808. December 23d, 1830, Altha W. Aldrich was married to Thomas F. Southworth, of Macedon, Wayne county, N. Y., where he owned a farm. Mr. Southworth was born in Macedon, September 28th, 1810. He was the son of Ezekiel and Margaret Southworth, who were pioneers of Western New York, having purchased their land in 1794. He was brought up a farmer, and when he became of age purchased his father's farm, and resided there until March, 1832, when he sold out and went to Shelby, Orleans county, and purchased a farm. He resided there for four years, and in the summer of 1836 he came to Michigan, arriving at Adrian, July 26th. During the spring of 1836, Mr. Southworth came to Mich- igan and located 200 acres of land on sections 3 and 11, in Fair- field, the same now owned by James Livesay. He resided there about two years, and in 1838 he purchased 396 acres of land on sections 28, 29, 32 and 33, in Fairfield, most of which was new land. He erected a large frame house on a beautiful ridge of ground, together with barns and sheds. In 1846 he erected a steam saw mill on "the Nile," which run through his land, and operated it for several years. This was the first steam mill and the only one in the south part of the township. He was one of the most active and energetic men in Fairfield, and was never idle, as his whole life seemed to consist in being employed at some active work, and the more driving and necessary the better he was suited. He was well known in the township and enjoyed the respect and confidence of all classes. He was social, generous and honorable, and never allowed friend or foe to suffer when he could assist them. November 2d, 1851, he was attacked with inflama- tion of the lungs, and died on the 5th. His ancestors were English. He was the father of nine children, as follows: Nancy H., born in Shelby, Orleans county, N. Y., April 12th, 1832; now the wife of Charles Bovee, of Fairfield; Porter T., born in the same place, November 9th, 1833; a resident of Hudson; Ruth L.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
born in the same place, February 1st, 1835; was the wife of B. F. Phillips; Clark F., born in Fairfield, this county, August 6th, 1836, a farmer of Fairfield; Sally A., born in the same place, April 30th, 1838, was the wife of Charles Van Dusen; Thomas F., born in same place, October 21st, 1839, a farmer of Fulton county, Ohio; Altha W., born in same place, May 24th, 1841, was the wife of N. S. Pratt; Joseph W., born in same place, Jan- uary 24th, 1845, a farmer of Fairfield. Mrs. Altha W. South- worth was married to Moses Ayers, October 11th, 1855. Mr. Ayers was a pioneer of Dover, Fulton county, Ohio, having settled there in February, 1838. Mr. Ayers was born in Alleghany county, Maryland, July 2d, 1804. His parents moved to Wayne county, Ohio, in 1811, where he was brought up a farmer. He afterwards learned the trade of tanner and courier, but has spent most of his life on a farm. February 9th, 1826, Moses Ayers married Miss Elizabeth Chrisman, of Wayne county, O., by whom he had seven children, three of whom are still living, as follows: Solomon C., born in Clinton, Wayne county, O., December 8th, 1826, now a practicing physician of Weston, this county; David, born in the same place, April 2d, 1828, a farmer of Fulton county, O .; Gideon, born in the same place, April 2d, 1834, also a farmer of Fulton county. Mrs. Elizabeth Ayers, was born in Huntington, Huntington county, Pa., April 14th, 1803, and died in Fulton county, O., December 21st, 1854. David Ayers, father of Moses Ayers, was a native of New Jersey, and was born August 3d, 1772, and died in Wayne county, O., August 11th, 1819. His ancestors came from Holland.
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ORMAN C. BAKER was born in Manchester, Ontario county, New York, January 17th, 1804. He lived in Manchester until 1833, when he came to Michigan. He was brought up a farmer, and only received a limited common school education. His father, Joseph M. Baker, was a farmer and owned a farm in Manchester, where he raised a family eight child-
ren. When the boys grew to manhood, the old gentleman began to think of doing something for them, and in the spring of 1833 he came to Michigan to prospect, and finally located about 1,000
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acres of land in Adrian and Rome, Lenawee county. He then re- turned to Manchester, but soon started back to Michigan, arriving in Adrian, July 25th. His land was located on Wolf Creek, and his only neighbor, for a distance of two miles, through a dense forest, was David Smith, who had settled on the creek on land adjoining Mr. Baker's. During the summer of 1833 Mr. Baker, with his sons Lyman, Norman and Joseph, and David Smith, with his son David, cut a road through to Warsaw, a distance of about three miles. That fall Mr. Baker "brushed out" three acres of land and burned it over and sowed it to wheat, without cutting a tree, and got 38 bushels the following harvest. A good log house was erected that fall, and a good start was made towards getting a home and farm. He was an enterprising, thrifty, hard-working man, a good, generous neighbor, and model pioneer, and lived to see the land of his choice subdued and made into the most valua- ble farms, with all the evidences of wealth and comfort about him. He lived on this land until his death, which occurred May 27th, 1872. December 27th, 1801, he married Sally Cruthers, by whom he had 11 children. Sally Cruthers was born at Half Moon, N. Y., in 1778, and died in Rome, this county, September 15th, 1851. She was the daughter of John and Betsey Cruthers, who came from Ireland. Norman C. Baker came to Michigan with his parents in 1833, and settled on 160 acres of land, and has followed farming ever since. He cleared up about 100 acres in Adrian township, and finally sold it to Joseph Rider, and moved into the town of Rome, on section 12, where he has resided ever since. He has always been a quiet, unassuming man, attending to his ownl business exclusively, never holding any offices or positions of any kind. He has a very pleasing and comfortable home, and has always tried to make all things pleasant for his family and friends. December 28th, 1835, Norman C. Baker married Miss Harriet Robinson, daughter of Robert and Deborah Robinson, of Manches- ter, Ontario county, N. Y., by whom he has had seven children, as follows : Hiram R., born in Rome, September 18th, 1837, was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and was a member of company K, 3d Michigan Cavalry, and died of typhoid fever at Mound City, Illinois, October 23d, 1862; Benjamin F., born in Rome, August 5th, 1839, was a soldier in the Rebellion, a member of the 1st Michigan Infantry, and was killed at the first battle of Bull Run, July 21st, 1861; Harriet and Myra, (twins) born in Rome, September 24th, 1844, Harriet died in infancy, and Myra is the wife of Charles Beers, a farmer of Kent county, Mich .; Lasira, born in Rome, March 3d, 1847, now the wife of Asahel Cure, a farmer of Rome ; Martin, born in Rome, December 28th,
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
1848, died September 22d, 1861; Charles E., born September 14th, 1858, at home. Mrs. Harriet Baker was born in Manches- ter, Ontario county, N. Y., April 22d, 1810. Her father was born in Duxbury, Mass., in 1762, and was a Revolutionary soldier. Her mother, who was Miss Deborah Randall, was born in Ben- nington, Vt. They were among the first settlers of Ontario coun- ty, where they died on the farm they had cleared up from a wilder- ness.
OHN B. CLEMENT was born in Slippery Rock, Butler county, Pennsylvania, October 3d, 1825. In June, 1828, his father, Andrew Clement, died at Slippery Rock, and in 1833 his mother, who had then married Thomas Campbell, moved to Niagara county, New York, where they lived until July, 1837, when Mr. Campbell, with the family, came to Toledo, Ohio. Mrs. Clement had four sons and one daughter. Her youngest son died in Toledo during the summer of 1837, which was undoubtedly the most sickly season ever experienced there. In the spring of 1838 the family came to Michigan and settled in Palmyra village. Mrs. Clement's maiden name was Margaret Hamilton, and she was born in county Down, Ireland, in 1799, coming to this country with her husband, Andrew Clement, in 1822, settling in Slippery Rock, Penn. Mrs. Clement died at the house of her son, John B., in Ogden, December 12th, 1879. John B. Clement was brought up a farmer, commencing by going into the woods with Richard Car- ter, of Palmyra, and working for him for about two years and a half, assisting him in clearing up his new farm, his pay consisting of his board and clothes. In 1841 he went into the town of Ogden and worked seven months and a half for Asa Cassady for 20 acres of land on section 1. He added to this until, when he was 21 years old, he had 60 acres of land, with a log house, and nine acres cleared. He afterwards added to it until he had 80 acres, which . he sold to Mr. Cassady for $550. He then purchased the s. } of the n. e. ¿ of sec. 1, of Moses Volentine for $7 per acre, where he still resides. There never had been any chopping done on this land when Mr. Clement bought it, but he soon cleared off about half an acre, and rolled up a log house. Since that time he has
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added 24 acres, and cleared 140 acres. He has also purchased 80 acres of timbered land on section 12, and a 100-acre farm on sec- tion 2. He has erected a fine frame house, one barn, 36x72 feet, besides a- shed, 50x20 feet, a hog house, 24x36 feet, corn barn, wagon shed, &c. He has a fine orchard of all kinds of fruit-all of his own cultivation. His homestead farm is called one of the best and most desirable in Ogden, and he has refused $80 per acre for it. October 3d, 1846, he married Miss Prudence E. Gray, daughter of Jonathan and Sally Gray, of Ogden, by whom he has had ten children, as follows: George M., born January 24th, 1848; John G., born March 25th, 1850, died June 12th, 1870 ; Emma F., born August 25th, 1852, now the wife of Silas Gordon, of Palmyra; Andrew S., born August 2d, 1854; Ida G., born March 31st, 1857; James W., born March 8th, 1859; Edwin F., born December 27th, 1860, died July 12th, 1863; Prudence M., born November 29th, 1865 ; Rollin C., born November 7th, 1868 ; Minnie U., born June 18th, 1873. Mrs. Prudence Clement was born in Steuben county, N. Y., January 21st, 1828, and came to Michigan with her parents in the spring of 1838, and settled in Ogden, this county. Mrs. Clement came here when the country was very new, and has experienced all the hardships of pioneer life, and has struggled along since her marriage (when she was 19 years old) with her husband, and assisted largely in making and saving what property they have accumulated. Her parents were natives of Dutchess county, N. Y. Her father died in June, 1873, aged 72 years. Her mother died in March, 1879, aged 86 years.
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OSHUA W. THURBER was born in Unity, Cheshire county, New Hampshire, April 11th, 1814. His father, Samuel H. Thurber, was born in the same county, in 1774, where he resided until 1820, when he moved to Canandaigua, Ontario county, New York. He purchased a farm and lived in Canandaigua until his death, which occurred March 5th, 1835. His ancestors came from Wales. About the year 1803 he married Sally Gage, daughter of Joshua and Hannah Gage, of Walpool, Cheshire county, N. H., by whom he had nine children, Joshua W. being the seventh child. Mrs. Sally Thurber was born in Walpool and died in Canandaigua, N. Y., in 1822, aged about 45 years.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Her ancestors were English, and first settled in New Hampshire. Joshua W. Thurber never lived at home after he was nine years old. His mother died when he was seven years old, and his father raarried again and Joshua found a home with a farmer named Bushnell, who lived in Genesee county, and remained there two years. He continued to work on farms about the country, his father taking his wages until he was seventeen years old, when he told his father that he had got all the money he should earn for him. He left the neighborhood for a time, and in the spring of 1834 he came to Michigan, and arrived in Adrian, May 11th. That day he purchased a good axe of Joseph H. Cleveland, and started into the woods. He finally halted at Jabez Fisk's, in Madison, where he found work. Mr. Fisk set him to splitting rails, building fence, &c. In June he went to work for his brother Robert G., who had just come in and taken up some land on section 5 in Fairfield. During the winter of 1834-5 he chopped 25 acres of heavy timber. In June 1835 he borrowed an "off" ox of William Ten Brook, and an "off" ox of Jabez Fisk, yoked them together and went to Monroe, expecting to meet his brother and family. His brother had not arrived, and knowing there was no flour and a great scarcity of provisions about Adrian he purchased all the flour he could find in Monroe, (two barrels of poor stuff,) and started back with his "off oxen." He disposed of his flour immediately, as there was none to be had. William Ten Brook, Daniel Mickley, H. S. Russell and Jabez Fisk were among the purchasers. In December, 1836, he took up 40 acres of land on section 21, in Fairfield, but soon after sold it. The next year he purchased 80 acres in Seneca, but never lived there. In 1839 he purchased 80 acres on section 22, in Seneca, and cleared 20 acres. He sold out in the spring of 1840, and went to Blissfield and took charge of Almond Harrison's distillery, and remained there two years. In the spring of 1842 he purchased of Jabez Fisk, 52 acres of land on section 32, in Madison, and added to it until he owned 162 acres. Mr. Thurber has lived in Lenawee county for 46 years, and has always enjoyed good health. He thinks he has chopped and cleared, in that time, at least 300 acres of heavy timber land. He put up a good log house in 1842, and built a good frame house in 1856. In June, 1837, Mr. Thurber went to New York and took passage on the steamer "Washing- ton," which ran between Toledo and Buffalo. During the passage down, and when nearly in sight of Buffalo, the boat took fire and was a total loss. Several lives were lost, but Mr. Thurber, who had never swam a stroke until that time, managed to keep himself on the surface until a boat came from shore and picked him up.
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Captain John L. Edmunds, who then commanded a steamboat on the lake, and was just going into Buffalo, turned about and rescued the survivors and took them to Buffalo. Mr. Thurber was then on his way to New York, where he had charge of a gang of men for two years on the Croton water-works. He also afterwards had charge of a gang of men during the construction of the Vermont Central railroad. April 21st, 1842, Joshua W. Thurber married Rebecca Fisk, daughter of Jabez and Catharine Fisk, of Madison, by whom he has had four children, as follows: Catharine, was the wife of Dr. G. W. Bowen, died December 25th, 1865 ; Mary J. was also the wife of Dr. G. W. Bowen, died March 25th, 1880; Isa- bella, was the wife of Stephen P. Richardson, died October 20th, 1878 ; Amos, was drowned while bathing in the river, in June, 1859. Mrs. Rebecca Thurber was born in Veteran, Tioga (now Chemung) county, N. Y., August 19th, 1822, and came to Michi- gan with her parents in 1833, and settled on section 32, in Madi- son, this county. Her father was a native of Massachusetts, and went to the State of New York when he was young. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was wounded in the neck, and always drew a pension. He was one of the first settlers of the western part of Madison, where he resided for many years, much respected and honored by all acquaintances. He died in Dover in 1867. About the year 1819 he married Miss Catharine Ten Brook, daughter of John and Alice (Low) Ten Brook, by whom he had 13 children, Mrs. Rebecca Thurber being the third child and oldest daughter. Mrs. Catharine Fisk was born near Horse- heads, Chemung county, N. Y., in 1798, and died in Dover, this county, in March, 1870.
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ONATHAN CHAPMAN was born in Phelps, Ontario county, N. Y., June 20, 1820. He lived there until the spring of 1828, when his parents came to Michigan, and set- tled in Adrian. His father, John Chapman, was a brother-in-law of Isaac Dean, and lived neighbor to him in Ontario county, and came to Michigan with him. John Chapman took up eighty acres of land about 2} miles west of Adrian, on section 32, and lived there about one year, when he sold out to Erastus Torry. There
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