USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume II > Part 21
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
where he now resides. He still owns his farm in Minnesota as a souvenir of his first beginning in the world. It was the first land he ever owned, every foot of which was earned and paid for by his own hands. Since his residence in Dover he has paid particular attention to his own affairs, and by constant labor, careful manage- ment and strict economy, has succeeded in making himself a com- fortable and desirable home. In 1868 he built a fine, large brick house, one of the most tasty, complete and comfortable residences in the township, which adds largely to the value of his farm, as well as to the neighborhood. Mr. Maynard has never paid much attention to politics, but has always been a Democrat, and in 1870 he was elected township treasurer, and held the office for four suc- cessive years. March 9, 1859, Hayden W. Maynard married Miss Lucy L. Abbott, daughter of Theodore and Electa Abbott, of Rome, this county, by whom he has had one son, Asa N., born in Burns, Anoka county, Minnesota, November 17, 1860. Mrs. Lucy L. Maynard was born in Adrian township, this county, October 2, 1835. Her father was a native of New Hampshire, and was born in 1807, but when he was twelve years old he moved with his pa- rents to Cayuga county, N. Y., where he resided until 1834, when he came to Michigan and settled on section 31, in Adrian, this county. He died June 5, 1869. He married Electa Gillett, of Sempronius, Cayuga county, N. Y., by whom he had five chil- dren, Mrs. Lucy L. Maynard being the oldest child. Electa Ab- bott was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., in 1811, and died in Adrian in 1857.
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ENRY BOWEN, 3d, was born in Cheshire, Berkshire county, Mass., August 18, 1807. He is the son of Deacon Henry and Cynthia Bowen, who were farmers. When Henry 3d was in his seventh year, his parents moved to Middle- field, Otsego county, N. Y., where they purchased a new farm. Deacon Henry Bowen 2d, was born in Woodstock, Conn., and was the son of Henry Bowen 1st, who was also a native of Woodstock, whose father came from Wales and settled there. Henry Bowen, 2d, was married in Cheshire, Massachusetts, in 1807, to Cynthia Wood, daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Wood, of Cheshire, by
1.
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whom he had twelve children, six sons and six daughters, Henry 3d being the oldest child. All of these children lived to become married men and women, nine of whom are now living. Mrs. Cynthia Bowen was born in Cheshire, April 11, 1783, and died in Middlefield, N. Y., in 1864. Deacon Bowen was a prominent man and well-to-do farmer in Middlefield, was entrusted with public office, and was an intelligent, thoughtful, and useful member of so- ciety, and Deacon of the Baptist church. He was a thrifty farmer, a competent business man, honorable, kind and obliging, and en- joyed the respect and confidence of all. During his younger days he was engaged in teaching school, following it for eleven years. His wife was also a school teacher previous to her marriage. He died in Middlefield, in February, 1849. Henry Bowen, 3d, lived with his parents until he was twenty-one years old. He followed farming until he was about twenty, when he learned the cooper's trade, which he followed about five years. When he was eighteen he became a member of the New York State Militia, and served ten years as musician. In 1833 he went to farming in Middle- field, and remained there until 1849. In the spring of that year he came to Michigan with his family, and purchased a farm on sec- tion 25, in Franklin, this county. His first purchase consisted of 80 acres of new land, which he cleared up and improved, building a house, in which he resided about three years, when he pur- chased 80 acres more adjoining, with a good frame house. He cleared up over 100 acres of heavy timber. After he got his land sufficiently cleared to afford pasturage, he paid particular attention to the dairy business and hop culture. His cheese always found a quick market, while his hops proved a profitable crop. One year, in particular, he sold to Morgan & Granger, of Manchester, Wash- tenaw county, the largest portion of his crop, which amounted to $2,150. He remained on his farm until 1872, when he went to Adrian and purchased a house on the corner of Butler and Locust streets where he now resides. December 8, 1831, Henry Bowen, 3d, married Arminda Coonrod, daughter of Peter and Amelia Coonrod, of Cherry Valley, Otsego county, N. Y., by whom he had eight children, as follows: Cynthia A., born in Middlefield, Otsego county, N. Y., April 30, 1833, now the wife of Edwin Con- lin, of Franklin; Henry 4th, born same place, June 19, 1834, now a resident of the city of Adrian; Norman M., born same place, August 10, 1835, a carpenter, of Ithaca, Gratiot county, Mich .; Levi L., born same place, November 13, 1836, a farmer of Frank- lin; Polly, born same place, April 1, 1838, was the wife of Church Austin, of Milan, Monroe county, Mich., and died April 1, 1878; Benoni C., born same place, December 28, 1839, a farmer of Sioux,
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Woodbury county, Iowa; Willard F., born same place, July 14, 1841, a resident of Adrian ; Joseph C., born same place, July 16, 1843, died November 4, 1853. Mrs. Arminda Bowen was born in Cherry Valley, N. Y., August 9, 1808, and died in Middlefield, June 8, 1845. Her parents were of German extraction, and were pioneers of Cherry Valley. April 5, 1851, Henry Bowen, 3d, mar- ried Mrs. Lucinda Stearns, widow of Willard Stearns, of Cherry Valley, and sister of his first wife. There was no issue by this marriage. Mrs. Bowen was the mother of one child, Willard Stearns, of Adrian, who was brought up by Mr. Bowen. Mrs. Lucinda Bowen died in Adrian, February 3, 1879. [For her fam- ily relations, see Willard Stearns' record in first volume of this work.]
RS. ELIZABETH BARRETT was born in Kirkdayton, Yorkshire, England, February 2, 1793. She is the daugh- ter of Richard and Helen (Houseman) Lawrence, and she lived in England until 1835. In 1820 she married Joshua Law- rence, who was a native of Kirkhammerton, Yorkshire, and was a farmer. In 1835 she came to America with her husband and three sons, Richard, William and Thomas, coming directly to Ridgeway, this county, and purchased a farm in the English settlement. Mr. Lawrence was a thrifty, enterprising man, improved his farm, and was in comfortable circumstances, but for some five years he was an invalid, and finally died after a residence of about nineteen years. His three sons, good, faithful, hardworking boys, soon followed him, having overworked, and exposed themselves, and all died within a period of nine months of consumption. This left Mrs. Lawrence entirely alone, with a farm on her hands. She lived a widow sixteen years, and in 1860 married Christopher Barrett, a pioneer, who settled in Ridgeway in 1832. He was a native of Yorkshire, England, was born iu 1788, and came to America about the year 1830. Mr. Barrett was one of the earliest settlers of Macon, and was a prominent and well known man. He came to Michigan a very poor man, but by constant labor, frugal and exemplary habits, careful and prudent economy, became one of the wealthy men of the township. He was ever ready and willing to assist in the erection of a school house or a church, and was one of (25)
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the largest subscribers to the beautiful brick Methodist church at Ridgeway village. He first married Ann Smith, who was a native of Yorkshire, and came to this country with him. He had three children, one son and two daughters. The son, William Barrett, is now a resident of Ridgeway. The daughters are both dead. Christopher Barrett died in Ridgeway, in September, 1873, re- spected and mourned by all who knew him. Mrs. Elizabeth Bar- rett still survives, in her 88th year, all of the many trials and vi- cissitudes of her long and eventful life. She has followed two hus- bands and three sons to the grave, but she consoles herself with the fact that both her husbands were good and respected men, kind and indulgent to her, and faithful to their trusts, while her sons were all that a mother could ask for, honest, honorable and respected by all. She does not murmur, for she believes in Him who does all things for the best, and trusts that she will soon be called to her reward.
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SRAEL PENNINGTON was born in Perinton, Monroe county, N. Y., November 17, 1808. His father, John Penn- ington, was born in Stafford, Monmouth county, N. J., August 25, 1778, where he lived until about the year 1800, when he moved to Monroe county, N. Y., and purchased a farm in Perin- ton. [See John Pennington's record.] Although he was not a birthright member, he was for many years, up to the time of his death, an active member of the Society of Orthodox Friends. Israel Pennington was the the oldest child in his father's family, and came to Michigan with his parents in 1829, and has resided in Macon ever since that time. He had three brothers and two sisters. The brothers, John, Joseph and Isaac, and the youngest sister, Mrs. Mary Smith, reside in Macon, and are the oldest resi- dents of the town. The other sister, Mrs. Abigail Snyder, died in Macon, November 27, 1865, aged forty-nine years. In 1830 he located 240 acres of land in the present township of Dover, which he soon after sold. This was said to be the first land taken up in that township. Mr. Pennington has always been an active man, and performed his full share of hard labor in developing and subduing the township from a wilderness. He
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
held the plow to break up the first piece of land plowed in Macon, which was in the spring of 1830. In 1832 he returned to his old home in Monroe county, N. Y. He took passage at Detroit on the then new steamboat "Washington." During the passage down the lake the boat encountered a terrific storm, and went to pieces on the Canada shore, near the lower end of Long Point. There were about thirty passengers aboard, and only one life was lo-t, although they were at the mercy of the storm for over twenty four hours. In the fall of 1835 he again went east, and during that winter made the tour of all the large eastern cities. Early in the spring of 1836 he spent some time in Wash- ington, and daily visited both houses of Congress. There he saw Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John Quincy Adams, John C. Cal- houn, James K. Polk, President Andrew Jackson, and all the great and noted men of those days. He also visted Mount Vernon. During his residence in Macon, he has greatly assisted early set- tlers in examining, locating and exploring the country, having ex- tended his trips into Clinton, Ionia and Ingham counties. He has always been an active politician, always on the side of freedom, being an early anti-slavery man; he was afterwards a "Free Soiler" and then a Republican. In 1837 Israel Pennington was appointed the first postmaster of Macon, and held the office for twenty-five years. In 1848 he was a delegate to the first Free Soil convention held at Adrian, and also a delegate to the first Re- publican convention, held at Tecumseh, at the organization of the party in this county, in 1854. He has undoubtedly been a dele- gate to more county conventions than any other man now living in the county. He was a delegate to the Republican State conven- tion in 1878 that nominated Governor and State officers, and also to the State convention in 1880 for State officers. He has ever been a staunch temperance man, and was a member of the first temperance society organized in the county, in the winter of 1829- 30. He started the first nursery in the county, and during the past forty years has sold large numbers of fruit trees. For many years he has been an active worker in the county agricultural society, and was for nearly fifteen years a director. In 1879 he was a delegate to the American Pomological convention, at Roch- ester, N. Y. He was appointed by the Michigan Pomological society, and was present during the entire meeting. June 26, 1844, he married Mrs. Hannah Dennis, daughter of John and Hannah Niblack, of Saline, Washtenaw county, Mich., by whom he had four children, as follows: Darius C., born April 22, 1845, a farmer of Macon; Baron H., born January 23, 1847, a farmer of Macon; Alma Zoe, born September 4, 1851, at home; Mary H.,
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born January 29, 1855, at home. All of the children were born in Macon. The two sons are graduates of the State University. and the daughters are graduates of the high schools of Adrian and Ann Arbor. Mrs. Hannah Pennington was born in Sparta, Liv- ingston county, N. Y., October 27, 1810, and came to Michigan in 1832. In 1834 she was married to James H. Dennis, of Frank- lin, this county, by whom she had two sons, Hamilton J. and Frank J. Dennis, now residents of Leavenworth, Kan. James H. Dennis died in Macon, March 7, 1842.
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UTLER TREAT was born at Holland Patent, Oneida county, N. Y., May 15, 1818, and was the son of Hosea and Hannah (Bonfoey) Treat, of Oneida county, N. Y. Hosea Treat was born in Connecticut, June 8, 1781, and died at Holland Patent, Oneida county, September 17, 1818. Mrs. Hannah Treat was also born in Connecticut, September 13, 1781, and died in Adrian, March 24, 1868. Hosea Treat and Hannah Bonfoey were married April 4, 1802, and were the parents of eight children, Butler being the youngest. Butler Treat's father died before he was a year old, and he therefore never knew anything of the bene- fits of a father's care and watchful solicitude. He lived with his elder brother, Asahel B., for a few years, and when he was about eight years old his mother married Obadiah Platt, and in 1834, when Butler was sixteen years old, the family came to Michigan and settled in Adrian township, about five miles north of the city. He lived with his mother until he was married and had purchased forty acres of new land, on section 11, in Adrian. At that time this part of the township was all woods, and he was obliged to cut a road half a mile to get to his land. But since that time, with the courage and ambition of an enterprising man, he conquered all obstacles, and the wilderness yielded to his vigor and determina- tion. He lived to see the wilderness, inhabited by Indians, howl- ing wolves and the nimble deer, swept away, and by his own per- sonal exertions and steadfast purpose, he finally succeeded in owning 260 acres of fruitful land, with good buildings and all necessary conveniences. No man in Adrian township was better or more favorably known than Butler Treat. His life was above
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
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reproach, an honorable citizen, esteemed friend, and a kind, compas- sionate neighbor, with sterling worth, sound judgment and a high sense of honesty to his convictions. April 15, 1840, Butler Treat mar- ried Miss Nancy Tingley, daughter of Rebecca and Samuel Tingley, by whom he had three children, as follows: Eugenia A., born August 10, 1842, now the wife of Julius Powell, of Ogden; Horace T., born August 31, 1844, a farmer of Wright, Hillsdale county ; AJanson B., born January 20, 1847, a resident of the city of Adrian, and engaged in the drug and prescription business. Mrs. Nancy Treat was born in Romulus, Seneca county, N. Y., October 1, 1826, and died June 30, 1847. In 1849 Butler Treat married Miss Anna Euritt, by whom he had four children, as follows: Helen A., born March 12, 1851, now the wife of John Ladd, of Cambridge, this county ; Will- iam E., born June 28, 1853, a farmer of Ransom, Hillsdale county ; George A., born August 7, 1855, a resident of Adrian township; Charles R., born August 13, 1857, a farmer on the old homestead. Mrs. Anna Treat was born November 29, 1829, and died January 6, 1859. March 6, 1861, Butler Treat married Miss Maryette Vedder, daughter of John and Anna (Marlatt) Vedder, of Adrian township, by whom he had five children, as follows: Alfred L., born November 29, 1861; Mary Ann, born November 16, 1866; Frank Adelbert, born February 28,, 1869; John Elmer, born March 28, 1871; David L., born October 26, 1873; all at home. Mrs. Maryette Treat was born in Yates, Orleans county, N. Y., February 14, 1834, and came to Michigan with her parents in 1835, and settled in Adrian township. Her father was a native of New York, and was born June 15, 1808, and died in Adrian, March 17, 1880. Her mother is also a native of New York, and was born January 29, 1805, and is still living.
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R. EDWIN P. ANDREWS was born in Plymouth, Wayne county, Mich., August 26, 1826. His father, Justus Andrews, was born in Stillwater, Saratoga county, N. Y., September 26, 1801, where he lived until he was five years old, when his father, John J. Andrews, moved to Western New York and lived in Steuben and Orleans counties until 1825, when he came to Michigan. He came west as far as Cleveland, Ohio, with
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an ox team, where he worked on a vessel, and after it was com- pleted he put his team and goods aboard and went to Detroit. In the year 1825 he came to Michigan and located government land in Plymouth township, Wayne county. When he brought his family on the following spring he settled on this land, and cleared it up and lived there until 1847. That year he sold out and came to Lenawee county and purchased a farm in Fairfield, where he re- sided until 1862, when he moved to Adrian and resided until his death, September 14, 1878. He and his brother-in-law built the first grist-mill in Plymouth township, and made their mill-stone from rocks found near at hand. He was in Detroit on the 4th of July, 1825, and assisted in raising a large liberty pole. August 21, 1825, Justus Andrews married Mrs. Deborah Lard, whose maiden name was Deborah Butterfield, by whom he had three sons, Edwin P. being the oldest. Mrs. Andrews was born in Am- herst, Westchester county, N. H., November 26, 1801. She came to Michigan with her husband in 1826, and died in Adrian, March 11, 1878. Dr. Edwin P. Andrews lived with his parents until he was twenty-one, and was brought up a farmer. He assisted his father, after he became old enough, in clearing his land. At the age of twenty-one he commenced the study of medicine with Drs. Graham and Decker, in Adrian. He studied with them until the fall of 1848, when he became a student in the Starling Medical College of Columbus, Ohio. He was obliged to work his way through his medical studies entirely by his own efforts. He grad- uated in the spring of 1850, and that year he commenced the prac- tice of medicine in Adrian, and has continued his profession there ever since. In 1861 he was appointed by President Lincoln ex- amining surgeon for Lenawee county, to examine all recruits and drafted men who went into the government service during the war of the rebellion. He was also for a number of years examining surgeon for soldiers' pensions, but resigned both positions. He has served four years as alderman of the Fourth ward of Adrian. May 14, 1851, Dr. E. P. Andrews married Miss Sarah M. Wisner, daughter of Rev. William G. and Elizabeth Wisner, of Manches- ter, Washtenaw county, Mich., by whom he has had five sons, as follows: Edwin H., born February 22, 1853; Frank E., born January 25, 1857, a practicing physician at Pentwater, Mich .; Clarence B., born January 24, 1860; Fred. B., born April 20, 1862; Harry W., born March 27, 1871; all born in Adrian. Mrs. Sarah M. Andrews was born in Castile, Wyoming county, N. Y., August 7, 1832, and came with her parents to Michigan in 1840, when her father was installed pastor of a church in Jonesville, Hills- dale county. Her father was born in Aurelius, Cayuga county,
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
N. Y., December 9, 1802, and at the age of twenty-nine he was installed as a Baptist minister, and since that time he has preached in New York and Michigan. He has baptized 978 persons, has preached 718 funeral sermons, and has married 200 couple. He now resides in Adrian. . In 1822 he married Elizabeth Hudnut, daughter of Nathaniel Hudnut. She is still living with her hus- band in Adrian.
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OHN E. SWICK was born in Covert, Seneca county, N. Y., February 21, 1807. His father, Captain Tunis Swick, was born July 8, 1775, in New Jersey, and moved when young with his parents, Tunis and Rachel Swick, to Seneca county, N. Y., where he remained during his life. He was a mechanic, and followed his trade of carpenter and joiner. He was a captain of a rifle company during the war of 1812, and died in 1814 from dis- ease contracted in the service of his country. He was twice mar- ried, first to Mary Howell, who died in 1800. About the year 1805 he married Charity Emmons, daughter of John and Catha- rine Emmons, by whom he had four children, John E. being the oldest. Mrs. Charity Swick was born in Pennsylvania, December 3, 1785, and died in Lowell, Kent county, Mich., in 1870. Her father was a revolutionary soldier under General Sullivan, and his ances- tors came from Holland. John E. Swick lived in Seneca county until 1833. His father died when he was seven years old, but he lived with his mother until he was about sixteen years old, when he went to Ovid village and served an apprenticeship of four years at the cabinet-maker's trade. He followed his trade in dif- ferent places until the spring of 1833, when he came to Michigan, arriving in Detroit May 4th. He came directly to Lenawee county, and located a farm on section 27, in Macon, where he now resides. The land was covered with a very heavy growth of tim- ber, with almost an impenetrable jungle of underbrush. His nearest neighbor, besides his brother Minor Swick, who came in with him, was one mile west, with no knowledge of anybody liv- ing east of him. He cut the road out from the ridge to his place, a distance of a mile and a half. He assisted in surveying the Ridge road through Macon, the surveying party consisting of Sel-
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leck C. Boughton, surveyor, Ezra Blood and William Tilton, road commissioners. Mr. Swick came in poor, with only money enough to purchase his land, and team and wagon. He was obliged to sell his wagon to purchase provisions. His cow died, and he was obliged to trade his oxen for two others, one of which soon after died. He saw some "squally times" before he could get enough land cleared and subdued to raise crops. He had two small chil- dren, and it was about all he could do to procure food that they could eat. He has passed a week and eaten nothing but potatoes and salt. He went to Tecumseh for flour, but there was none to be had, and he went on to Clinton, where he paid eight dollars for a barrel of shorts or canaille, which he took home and existed upon for some little time. His wife made bread of the canaille, and with potatoes and a little lard, could get up quite a meal. During the summer months the mosquitoes and flies were almost unbearable. He captured several wolves, and one evening he discovered a wolf in a trap. It was dragging the trap through the woods, but he followed it and managed to hit the animal on the head with a club, when it howled, and in an instant an answer came from a pack not far distant. Mr. Swick was startled at this, for it was now about dark in the woods, and he knew the wolves would be upon him in a moment. He put his foot on the neck of the captured wolf, cut his head off with his knife, and started for his home as soon as possible. The wolf in the trap was a black one; he received a bounty of $30, and $2 for the skin. Bear were plenty, and got into his traps quite often, which were not strong enough to hold them. He has cleared eighty-five acres of land, built good build- ings, and has a good farm and home. He assisted in making all the first improvements in Macon, working on roads and bridges, and assisting in building school-houses and churches. July 12, 1832, John E. Swick married Susan Ann Kelley, daughter of William and Polly Kelley, by whom he had eight children, as fol- lows: Charity, born July 28, 1833, now the wife of John Cadmus, of Raisin; Mary, born July 5, 1835, now the widow of Peter Gordinier, of Taylor, Wayne county, Mich .; Phebe, born January 22, 1839, now the wife of Riley Miller, of Macon; Alvena, born November 18, 1840, now the wife of Daniel Wiggins, of Macon ; Lewis C., born June 29, 1844, a farmer of Macon; Agnes, born September 9, 1846, now the wife of William H. Hoagland, of Dundee, Monroe county, Mich .; William B., born November 7, 1848, at home; Rebecca, born July 29, 1851, now the wife of Sid- ney Rudduck, of Taylor, Wayne county, Mich. Mrs. Susan Ann Swick was born near Somerville, N. J., September 26, 1811, and died in Macon, January 30, 1879. Her parents were of Irish ex-
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
traction, and her father died in New Jersey when she was a child. Her mother afterwards married Gabriel Silcox, who came to Mich- igan in 1836, and soon after died. Her mother died in Wiscon- sin. John E. Swick has been the grandfather of thirty-eight chil- dren, thirty-three of whom are now living.
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