USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 23
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A volume might be filled with early day jokes, but the foregoing will give the key to the music of life among the early settlers. Separ- ated from surrounding civilization, they constituted a world by themselves; and while privileges have multiplied with development, it would be difficult to convince a pioneer that his real enjoyment,
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HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
has been increased. The hearty ringing laugh has dwindled away to a feeble though artistic smile, and the vigorous shake of the hand has been superseded by a languishing touch of finger tips. Manifold have been the changes both in the physical features of the place and . in its social life. Unseemly shapes have been rounded into artistic figures, and tortuous lines have become graceful curves. Most of the old landmarks are gone, and soon the stories of those early scenes will no longer be told by any who participated in them.
MUNICIPAL ORGANIZATION.
Bay City was incorporated as a village in the Winter of 1859, by an act of the Legislature. A number of saw mills had been estab- lished and the dawn of still greater prosperity was just breaking. The physical beauty of the place, however, was but little improved. The place was well supplied with churches and schools. The population of the village, at the date of its incorporation, was about 700 souls, the United States census of 1860 showing a population in the entire of Bay County, of only 1,519. This population was engaged prin- cipally in lumbering and fishing, this latter industry comprising a no mean proportion of the exports from the village, while the excel- lent adaptation of the soil of the county to agricultural purposes, had not yet attracted very general attention or interest. The first election under the village charter occurred on the 2nd day of May, A. D., 1859, at Birney Hall, on Water Street, Calvin C. C. Chillson and Doctor Lewis Fuchsius, being judges of the polls, with Albert Wedthoff, clerk of the Board. At this election 155 votes were cast for the office of president, Curtis Munger being elected by ninety-two votes, against sixty-three cast for George Lord, and J. S. Barclay. Charles Atwood was elected to fill the office of recorder; John F. Cot- trell, as treasurer; Albert Miller, James J. McCormick, Henry W. Jennison, Israel Catlin, Henry M. Bradley and Harmon A. Cham- berlin, trustees. The first meeting of the council was held in a room over the store of Jennison Bros., at the foot of Fifth Street, on May 6, 1859. At a meeting of the Board on the 23rd of May, John A. Weed was appointed village marshal; Henry M. Bradley street commissioner, and Algernon S. Munger and William Daglish, assessors. Among the first acts of the village trustees was the or- dering of sidewalks on Washington Street, from First to Tenth Street, and the opening of Jefferson and Madison Streets, north of Center Street. At a meeting held May 30th, both of the gentlemen who had been appointed village assessors having declined to act, A. G. Sinclair, and Charles D. Fisher were appointed; Mr. Sinclair declining, Mr. Henry Raymond was appointed in his place June 6th. At a meeting June 3d, the salary of the village attorney was fixed at $75 per year, and James Birney was appointed as the legal ad- viser of the Board. On June 27th, a general tax for village purposes of $1,047 and a highway tax of one-half of 1 per cent was certified to by the assessors. On December 19, 1859, a committee on fire department was instituted, consisting of Israel Catlin,H. M. Bradley and H. A. Chamberlin, who on January 4, 1860, were instructed "to rent a sufficient amount of leather hose to use until Spring, and to procure a triangle for the use of the hose house." This seems to have been the germ whence sprang the present excellent fire department.
The following are the principal village officers for the several years :- 1859, president, C. Munger; recorder, C. Atwood; treasurer, J. F. Cottrell. 1861, president, W. L. Fay; recorder, S. S. Campbell; treasurer, B. Witthauer. 1862, president, James Watson; recorder, J. L. Monroe; treasurer, August Kaiser. 1863, president, C. Munger; recorder, N. Whittemore; treasurer, C. Scheurmann. 1864, president, C. Munger; recorder, N. Whitte- more; treasurer, C. Scheurmann. 1865, president, J. B. Hart; re- corder, P. S. Hiesordt; treasurer, E. Frank.
A CHARTERED CITY.
The year 1860 called into existence new elements of prosperity and new forces combined to work out the problem of development. At the beginning a census was taken, which fixed the population of Bay City at 810. It was in the Spring of this year that steps were taken toward the manufacture of salt. The Bay City and Tuscola plank road was completed a distance of twelve miles, and became a highway of great importance to Bay City. The next four or five years were attended with great prosperity, and by 1865 the popula- tion had increased to 3,359. In the Winter of 1865 a city charter was granted by the Legislature,and the organization of the city was accomplished in the Spring, the city being divided into three wards.
A charter election was held on the first Monday of April, and the following officers elected : - Mayor, Nathan B. Bradley; recorder, William T. Kennedy, Jr .; treasurer, Ernst Frank. The board of aldermen consisted of the following named citizens :- First Ward, George W. Hotchkiss, and Jerome B. Sweet; Second Ward, Alex. ander M. Johnson and Jeffrey R. Thomas; Third Ward, James Watson and Herschel H. Hatch. On April 11th the bonds of the treasurer were fixed at $3,000. Thomas Carney, Sr., was elected street commissioner; Theophilus C. Grier was elected city attorney; C. Feige, city marshal; Andrew Huggins, city surveyor. The new council rapidly got themselves into working order, but no event of moment is found on the records until September 12th, when, in accordance with the decision of the citizens expressed at a special election, a Silsby steam fire engine was ordered to be purchased, which was done-the steamer being accepted by resolution, adopted November 18, 1865. On September 30th, the council determined that the sum of $4,997.47 would be needed for city purposes for the ensuing year. The valuation of city property on the assessment roll of this, the first year of the city organization, was $633,000.
BOUNDARIES.
According to the original plat of Lower Saginaw, the boun- daries were the Prairie Road (now Woodside Avenue) on the north; a line 400 feet south of Tenth Street on the south; Van Buren Street on the east, and the Saginaw River on the west.
When the village of Bay City was incorporated, the southern boundary was changed to the section line, which is near Twenty- third Street. This was evidently a blunder, for a narrow strip of land was left between that line and the north boundary of Ports- mouth, that was without a municipal habitation. This was after- wards remedied by extending the southern boundary of Bay City to Twenty-fourth Street, and there it remained until Portsmouth was annexed to Bay City in 1873.
RESIDENCE & COTTAGES OF W. H. MILLI
LLER _ COR. VAN BUREN & 7TH STS. BAY_ CITY.
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HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
FIRST MAYOR OF BAY CITY.
NATHAN B. BRADLEY was born in the town of Lee, Berkshire Co., Mass., May 28, 1831. Like many other representative men of Michigan, he is descended from one of three brothers who emi- grated from England at a very early day, and settled in Massa- chusetts. William Bradley, the father of Nathan Bradley, was born in that state, and carried on the tanning business there up to the year 1835, when he removed with his family to the state of Ohio, and settled on what was called the Western Reserve. Here Nathan attended the common schools, and worked on his father's farm until he was sixteen. At this time he learned the trade of a custom clothier; but after three years of hard work, believing he could engage in something that would prove more lucrative, he abandoned it. In the year 1849 he went to Wisconsin and found employment in a saw mill in the pine regions, where he was engaged for one year. He returned to Ohio in 1850, and in the following year, in cor nection with an older brother, built a mill, which they run with satisfactory results until 1852. Mr. Bradley then removed to Lex- ington, Mich., believing that that state afforded better advantages for the manufacture of lumber. He was engaged at Lexington for three years, until he had cut the pine land which he had purchased. In 1855 he removed to the Saginaw Valley, and settled at St. Charles, where he was engaged in managing the affairs of Frost & Bradley, manufacturers of lumber. In 1858 he went to Bay City, purchased a mill, and was engaged in the manufac- ture of lumber until 1864. In that year he erected works, and commenced the manufacture of salt, which he has since carried on in connection with his lumber interests. Mr. Bradley has always taken a lively interest in all public enterprises of this city. In the Winter of 1864-'65 he, in behalf of himself and others, made application for a charter to build a street railway. He was successful in obtaining the right, and filled the position of secretary, treasurer, and managing director for several years. In the year 1865, when the city received its charter, Mr. Bradley was elected first mayor. In the Fall of 1866 he was elected to the state Senate, and served faithfully for one term. The interests of his district were so well served that he was offered a renomination, but, on account of his increasing business, was compelled to decline. In the Fall of 1872 he was elected to the Forty-third Congress. He served on the committee on public lands, and was eminently suc- cessful in obtaining appropriations for dredging the channel of the Saginaw River and harbors in his district, two very important measures. He well deserves the honor accorded him for the vigi- lance and labor he bestowed in getting these appropriations. He was elected to the Forty-fourth Congress, and served on the commit- tee on claims. His congressional record during both terms was one of honor. Mr. Bradley secured the friendship and kind regards of the members, and also the commendations of the public for the dis- tinguished ability with which he served his district during the ex- citing contest at the last session of the Forty-fourth Congress over the electoral count. Although taking no active part in the dis- cussion upon the pending question, he watched its progress with deep interest, and when the electoral bill was reported from the joint committee, was the first of the Michigan delegation to declare himself in favor of the measure. He adhered to this decision, and voted for its passage, believing it to be the only peaceful method for settling the important question. Many of his colleagues differed from him, and voted against the bill. During the existence of the Saginaw and Bay City Salt Company he was a member of the ex- ecutive committee, a director of the Michigan Salt Association. In January, 1867, he associated himself in partnership with B. E. Warren, in the banking business. When the First National Bank
of Bay City was to be re-organized he became one of the principal stockholders, and was appointed its vice-president, which position he held for a number of years. Mr. Bradley joined the Masons in 1853; he is a member of the Bay City Commandery of Knights Templar; and a charter member of Bay City Lodge and Blanchard Chapter; he is presiding officer of each. He attends the Presby- terian Church. While no politician, in the narrow sense, he takes an active interest in public affairs, finding in the creed of the Repub- lican party the expression of his views. Mr. Bradley possesses many of the true elements of success, with great force of character, busi- ness integrity, and benevolence. He has the esteem and confidence of the entire community, and has acquired an ample fortune.
CITY OFFICERS.
The following are the names of the city officers for each year since the incorporation of the city:
MAYORS .- 1865, N. B. Bradley; 1866, James Watson; 1867, James Watson; 1868, W. L. Fay; 1869, J. J. McCormick; 1870, A. S. Munger; 1871, G. H. Van Etten; 1872, G. H. Van Etten; 1873, G. H. Van Etten; 1874, A. Stevens; 1875, A. Stevens; 1876, A. McDonell; 1877, A. McDonell; 1878, George Lord; 1879, John H. Wilkins; 1880, John H. Wilkins; 1881, John H. Wilkins; 1882, John H. Wilkins.
RECORDERS .- 1865, W. T. Kennedy; 1866, W. T. Kennedy; 1867, N. Whittemore; 1868, N. Whittemore; 1869 N. Whittemore; 1870, N. Whittemore; 1871, I. G. Warden; 1872, I. G. Warden; 1873, I. G. Warden; 1874, I. G. Warden; 1875, I. G. Warden; 1876, I. G. Warden; 1877, I. G. Warden; 1878, T. A. Delzell; 1879, T. A. Delzell; 1880, T. A. Delzell; 1881, T. A. Delzell; 1882, T. A. Delzell.
TREASURERS .- 1865, E. Frank; 1866, E. Frank; 1867, E. Frank; 1868, E. Frank; 1869, I. G. Warden; 1870, August Kaiser; 1871, L. S. Coman; 1872, L. S. Coman; 1873 L. S. Coman; 1874, L. S. Coman; 1875, C. S. Braddock; 1876, C. S. Braddock; 1877, Charles Supe; 1878, E. Wood; 1879, Jacob Knob- lauch; 1880, Jacob Knoblauch; 1881, Joseph Cusson; 1882, Joseph Cusson.
COMPTROLLERS .- 1865, ; 1866,
; 1867,
--; 1868, -; 1869, R. Mckinney; 1870, George Lord; 1871, George Lord; 1872, George Lord; 1873, George Lord; 1874, George Lord; 1875, P. J. Perrott; 1876, P. J. Perrott; 1877, W. H. Fennell; 1878, W. H. Fennell; 1879, C. F. Braman; 1880, C. F. Braman; 1881, C. F. Braman; 1882, C. F. Braman.
PRESENT CITY OFFICERS.
Under the new charter the mayor is elected for two years; comptroller, four years; recorder, two years.
CITY OFFICERS FOR 1883-'84 .- Mayor, Thomas A. E. Weadock; treasurer, Charles Babo; recorder, T. A. Delzell; city attorney, John E. Simonson.
ALDERMEN .- W. B. Clark and William Kennedy, First Ward; R. P. Gustin and John McEwan, Second Ward; G. Hine and George E. Aiken, Third Ward; Samuel Kaichen and Edward Wood, Fourth Ward; H. M. Wright and J. L. Reid, Fifth Ward; W. H. Trombley and Henry Selleck, Sixth Ward; W. A. Beebe and D. J. Kennedy, Seventh Ward.
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HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
PRESENT MAYOR OF BAY CITY.
THOMAS A. E. WEADOCK, present mayor of Bay City, was born at Ballygarret, Ireland, January 1, 1850. His parents emigrated to America in 1850, and settled at St. Marys, Ohio, where his father died in 1863, and his mother in 1876. His early education was acquired at the district and union schools in St. Marys. In 1871, having earned some money at school teaching, he entered the law school of Michigan University, where he graduated Bachelor of Laws, March 26, 1873, and was admitted to the bar of the Su- preme Courts of Michigan and Ohio the same year.
In 1874 he began practicing law at Bay City, Mich., and soon after married Mary E. Tarsney, of East Saginaw, in this state. In 1877 he was appointed prosecuting attorney for Bay County by Judge Green, and served with credit to himself until 1879. In 1880 he was elected a member of the American Bar Association.
As a lawyer he has a good practice, and his reputation for ability, industry and integrity is excellent.
In politics he has always been a Democrat; but previous to his nomination for mayor he had never been a candidate for any po- litical office.
Ireland, her history, and the oppressions she has suffered, have always interested him. At the organization of the Bay City Land League he was elected president, and has held that office since by successive elections. He was a delegate to the Irish National Convention at Chicago, and he is president of the St. Patrick's Society.
CHURCHES AND CHURCH HISTORY.
"The groves were God's first temples; ere man learned To hew the shaft and lay the architrave And spread the roof above them; ere he framed The lofty vault to gather and roll back The sound of anthems."
REMINISCENCES BY JUDGE ALBERT MILLER.
"Fifty years ago there were about 100 inhabitants between the northern limits of Oakland County and the Straits of Mackinaw. At that time my residence was in the settlement of Grand Blanc, better known then by its French pronunciation 'Graw Blaw,' (Big White,) the name given by the French settlers of Detroit on account of its having formerly been the place of residence of a big white savage.
"The first sermon I heard in Michigan was delivered by a pre- siding elder from the Ohio Conference. His name was Gilruth,-a large, portly man, with all the characteristics of an old-time Method- ist minister. That was in 1831, and I think the first sermon preached in that settlement. In 1832 Charles and John Butler re- sided in the southern part of the Grand Blanc settlement, (they had been connected with a Congregational Church in Western New York,) and in the Summer of that year the people gathered on Sabbath afternoons at the house of one of the brothers to hear a sermon read and prayer offered. In the Summer of 1833 Rev. James F. Davison, of the Methodist connection, preached occasion- ally in the settlement. During that same Summer a Congregational Church was organized, which was the first church organization be- tween Pontiac and the Straits of Mackinaw.
"In 1833 I removed from Genesee County to Saginaw, but I be- lieve the first church organization after the one at Grand Blanc was a Congregational Church in 1836, at Mount Morris, six miles north of Flint. The place was then called the Coldwater settlement, on ac- count of the strict temperance principles of the people. About that time a Presbyterian Church was organized at Flint. The Methodist Episcopal Church had a preaching station at Flint, but I believe no church organization till after the ones above referred to.
"In the Summer of 1833, the Ohio Methodist Episcopal Confer- ence attempted to establish a missionary station among the Indians at Saginaw, and also to furnish preaching for the white settlers at that point. They sent out a smart young minister named Frazee, well educated, a fluent speaker, and who was fond of a good horse, as I believe most Methodist ministers are. Mr. Frazee met with a rather cool reception among the Indians; the traders did not en- courage them at all in the matter of having teachers among them, telling them that their business was hunting, not looking at papers, as they expressed the art of studying. At one time, after preaching on a Sabbath at a white settlement on the Tittabawassee, Mr. Fra- zee was inquired of as to his congregation. He said there were some women present, but the men he believed had all gone hunting. After visiting Saginaw once or twice, he found that the besetting sin of a portion of the people was selling whiskey to the Indians, and on one occasion in his sermon he boldly denounced such practices, which caused as great an uproar, in a small way, as Paul's preach- ing at Ephesus did; for like Demetrius and his followers, they knew that 'by this craft they got their wealth.' During the night, after the sermon, 'certain lewd fellows of the baser sort' entered the stable where the minister's horse was kept, and sheared the hair from the animal's mane and tail. In passing through the country on his return the horse displayed a prominent sign of the depravity of human nature. The next minister that came to the Saginaw Circuit, was the Rev. William H. Brockway, a young man particularly well adapted to his work, and subsequent years have shown him well adapted to other positions in life than a pioneer missionary. Mr. Brockway mingled freely with the people, assisting them in whatever labor they were engaged in. He would rebuke every sinful practice that came within his knowledge, in such a way as to give no offence, thereby gaining the respect of the people and doing much to check the evils of profanity, drunkenness and Sabbath breaking. I recol- lect on an occasion of a quarterly meeting he preached in the 'mess- house,' attached to the American Fur Company's trading house, to a congregation of about twenty, not one of whom was a professor of religion, and the collection amounted to $17. Mr. Brockway left Saginaw early in 1836, and his immediate successors did not fill his place. After the Indian title to the land in the vicinity of Saginaw had been extinguished, and before it was offered for sale by the United States Government, the locality was visited by Dr. Charles Little, of Avon, N. Y. He was greatly pleased with the country and had great faith in the future of the Saginaw Valley. Dr. Little made some choice selections of land in the vicinity of the Fort, at Saginaw, and on his return to Detroit left money at the land office to purchase land when it should be offered for sale.
"Rev. H. L. Miller, who married a daughter of Dr. Little's, came with his family in 1836, to reside permanently at Saginaw. There was a great accession to the population during that season, and in the Fall a Presbyterian Church was organized, which was presided over for the next two years by Mr. Miller as pastor, during which time a marked improvement was made in the religious and social status of the people.
"In December, 1838, a series of meetings were held at Saginaw by the Rev. O. Parker, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church. There were a number of conversions and several acces- sions to the church at the next communion season. Among the number were the late Dr. George Davis and wife, myself, wife and wife's sister. Rev. C. C. Foote preached for the church during that Winter. There were times when the church was without a minister, but when there was no preaching, worship was kept up by reading a sermon on the Sabbath, and I believe the Sunday-school was a live institution from its organization. Rev. Harvey Hyde supplied the church in 1842 and 1843, or thereabout. He was a strong Congre-
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HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
gationalist, and prevailed on the younger members of the church to change its government and connection from Presbyterian to Con- gregational. I well remember that Hiram L. Miller, who was pres- ent when the vote was taken, refused to unite with the new organi- zation, and stated that he felt that it would be his duty to organize a Presbyterian Church as soon as one could be sustained. The church remained in the Congregational connection for a time, but did not prosper much. About the same time I took another move away from church and social privileges-coming to Portsmouth to reside, when there were only four or five families within a mile of us. There were a few families living then at Lower Saginaw who had so far advanced in civilization as to build a small schoolhouse about twenty feet square, which, I believe, now stands connected with another building near the corner of First and Washington Streets. A successful mission among the Indians had been established, and as a result many Indians had been converted from heathenism to Christianity. I recollect an incident in my travels in 1846, while far up the Tittabawassee looking for pine land. I had started from my camp at daylight, and while paddling my canoe down the river, about sunrise, my ears were greeted with music, and I was never more charmed by its sound than while listening to a familiar hymn tune sung in the wilderness by a family of Indians at their morning devotions. The Rev. Mr. Brown, the Methodist missionary at Kawkawlin, preached occasionally in the little schoolhouse at Lower Saginaw, when the people at Portsmouth had the privilege of at- tending religious worship by walking two or three miles over a rough road, which privilege some of them almost invariably availed themselves of. The first church that was built in the Valley and dedicated to the worship of God was the missionary church at Kaw- kawlin.
"In 1850 and 1851, the firm of Russell, Miller & Crowl were engaged in the lumber business at Portsmouth, employing a number of men, many of whom had temporary residences for their families. The resident members of the firm desiring some religious privileges for their families and for those in their employ, in the Fall of 1850 hired Rev. B. N. Paine, a young man belonging to the Wesleyan Methodist connection, to come to Portsmouth and preach. His first sermon was delivered in the cabin of a propeller that had come to that point for lumber. Soon afterwards a rough building, 20x30 feet on the ground, was erected and formally dedicated to the worship of God. The building was afterwards enlarged and im- proved for a schoolhouse, and was used for school and religious pur- poses till the new schoolhouse (the one that was burned) and the Baptist Church were built. Mr. Paine did not remain long at Portsmouth, and after he left, the house above referred to was open for all denominations to preach in, and was for some years a regular preaching station for the Methodists. During the revival of 1857-'58 it was the scene of many rich spiritual blessings. In the Spring of 1851 I was staying over night at the Northern Hotel, at Flint, where the office of the Flint and Saginaw stage was kept. In the evening a very fine looking young man came in and engaged a pas- sage for the next day to Saginaw, saying that he would be found at Mr. Atterbury's, the Presbyterian clergyman. At that time tri- weekly stages were able to do all the passenger business between Saginaw and the outside world. The plank road was not completed, and a passage from Flint to Saginaw was anything but pleasant; and it was a wonder to some of his fellow passengers what should call the young man to Saginaw at that time when the roads were so bad. It was suggested to him on the way that there must be some female attraction at Saginaw. I afterwards became acquainted with the young man, (who was none other than the Rev. D. M. Cooper,) and knew him long as the beloved pastor of the Presby- terian Church at Saginaw."
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