History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 84

Author: D.W. Ensign & Co. pub; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Johnson, Crisfield
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, D. W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 821

USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 84
USA > Michigan > Berrien County > History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 84

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

JOSEPHUS FISHER.

No citizen of Sodus township is more closely allied with all its interests than the subject of this sketch, Josephus Fisher, who was born in Portage Co., Ohio, Oct. 14, 1828. His educational advantages were limited. Schools of that day were not good, and if they had been of the best, farm- ers' sons were then needed at home, and usually went to school only a few months in the winter. On July 4, 1850, Josephus married Miss Phebe Ann, daughter of John and Jane Gano. They have had six children, the first-born dying before being named; John,-at this time clerk of Sodus township; Usania, Alice, George, and Edna. Four are living, two married and two living at home. After his marriage, Mr. Fisher farmed in Ohio four years on a farm given him by his father. In January, 1854, he moved to

Sodus, purchasing ninety-six acres on section 24. He found some difference in farming this land and the culti- vated farm he had left in Ohio. His first home here was such as all the early settlers had,-a log house. He has made an addition of one hundred and eight acres to his farm, and many improvements on it.

JOSEPHUS FISHER.

In 1861 he was elected supervisor of Sodus township, and filled this position ten and a half years and resigned. He was elected treasurer, which office he filled five years. In 1879 he was elected highway commissioner. He is a member of the Grange Lodge, No. 123, of Sodus township, and was Master one year. At this time he is Treasurer of the lodge.

He is a Republican in politics. He has been a member of the Disciples Church for twenty-six years, serving as elder of this body for ten years. His father's family con- sisted of nine children,-six girls and three boys,-all living in different States. Mrs. Fisher's father was one of the early settlers of the county. Her father's family con- sisted of six children,-three boys and three girls,-four of whom are living in Sodus township.

CHAPTER XLIII.

THREE OAKS TOWNSHIP .*

Location and Natural Features-Original Entries of Land-Settle- ment of the Township-Organization and List of Township Officers -Village of Three Oaks-Avery Station-Post-Offices in the Town- ship-Town-Hall and Library-Schools-Churches-Societies and Orders.

LOCATION AND NATURAL FEATURES.

THE territory now embraced in Three Oaks township was originally a part of New Buffalo, but was set off in 1856 by the Board of Supervisors.

The name of Three Oaks was first given when the post- office was established in 1854, in consequence of three very large oak-trees standing on the south side of the railroad,

* By Austin N. Hungerford.

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TOWNSHIP OF THREE OAKS.

near the west line of section 2, and near enough together to give, when in full leaf, the appearance of being one tree.

The territory of Three Oaks comprises all (except the west range of sections) of township 8 south, in range 20 west, and all (except the western one) of the south tier of sections in township 7 south, of range 20 west.

The surface in the south and southeast part of the town is high and rolling, and the soil is warm and loamy. The northeasterly part of the township, embracing parts of sec- tions 1, 12, and 13, are marsh lands. The remaining por- tions of the township are undulating, with a rich clayey soil. For grass the township is not excelled by any section of the county. It is also good for corn, and as the country is improved and worked, the adaptability of these lands for wheat production is more and more apparent.

The territory of Three Oaks was originally covered with timber, with no openings or prairies. The kinds of timber were, as in order named, maple, beech, elm, bass, ash (white, black, blue, and gray), sycamore, oak, cherry, hickory, but- ternut, black walnut, whitewood or tulip, tamarack, black mulberry, cucumber, hackberry, ironwood, soft maple, with a little pine. The timber was of large growth, with thick underbrush. The marshes on section 13 supplied the early settlers with a fair quality of hay. Those in parts of sec- tions 11 and 12 produced many bushels of cranberries each year until 1846, when the vines were nearly destroyed by fires set by hunters.

From the first settlement up to the hard winter of 1842 -43, the common red deer were quite abundant, but that winter nearly exterminated them. In 1853, '54, '55 deer were again very abundant, and large numbers were killed each year. From 1855-67 they were common ; as many as 40 to 50 were killed each year. From 1867 to 1874 they were less common, from 5 to 20 only killed each year. They are occasionally seen now. Black, red, and striped foxes and gray squirrels, partridges, quails, and pigeons were common, though not abundant. Until the marshes were improved massasaugers were plenty, but they are quite rare now.

The township is well watered by the south branch of Galien River, which rises in Indiana and flows northerly and westerly to the southwest quarter of the township, when it runs northwestly and joins a smaller branch in the southwest corner of section 8. The main branch runs west- erly through the northwest corner of the township.

ORIGINAL ENTRIES OF LAND.

The following list is of original purchasers of land from the government on the different sections in Three Oaks township.

TOWNSHIP 7 SOUTH, RANGE 20 WEST.

Section 32 .- E. M. Shelton, V. L. Bradford, J. M. Curtis, Rathbone & Chapin.

Section 33 .- V. L. Bradford, A. Cummings, R. Brown, Jr., J. Soule, W. B. Clark, Sherwood & Co., D. Robb.

Section 34 .- S. Pierce, William Hammond, A. Johnson, N. Willard, J. Pierce, F. Camp.

Section 35 .- J. Pierce, - Gilbert, G. B. Avery, Conrad Elmendorf, Moses Chamberlain, R. C. Brayton.

Section 36 .- Sherwood & Co., N. Willard and H. Bishop, R. S. Morri- son, N. Willard.

TOWNSHIP 8 SOUTH, RANGE 20 WEST.

Section 1 .- G. B. Avery, H. Rounds, D. Robb, Elkanah Ryther, Alonzo Bennett, H. M. Boyce, Thomas Stranage and Seymour B. Sprague.

Section 2 .- - Hammond, E. Stoner, D. Robb, M. Chamberlain, John Stauffer.

Section 3 .- Truman A. Clough, W. Hammond, J. Stauffer.

Section 4 .- Rathbone & Chapin, D. Robb, Wiseman & Laffin, J. Tem- ple, D. Robb.

Section 5 .- W. Hammond, J. Little, Joseph Archer, Wiseman & Laf- fin, J. Temple.

Section 8 .- Alton Buel.

Section 9 .- J. Temple, T. Maudlin, D. Robb, W. B. Clark.

Section 10 .- Benjamin Carver, D. Andrews, D. Robb, R. Love, N. Willard.

Section 11 .- D. Andrews, T. Kenworthy, Seth Smith, Othniel Russell. Section 12 .- H. Chamberlain, B. Brandon, B. Newell, E. Ryther. Section 13 .- H. Chamberlain, W. P. G. McMagness.

Section 14 .- V. Nash, N. Johnson, D. Andrews, E. Collin, R. B. Hughes, J. Henderson, E. Ryther, G. Smith.

Section 15 .- D. Robb, J. Fuller, D. Andrews, M. Chamberlain, J. Love, J. Haas.

Section 16 .- Isaac Love, Ira L. Banes, R. Goit, Daniel Smith, Davis & Warren.

Section 17 .- J. Love, T. Maudlin, D. Robb, G. Taylor, B. Maudlin, R. Love.

Section 20 .- J. Haas, G. Schniebel, F. Bronson, Benjamin B. Kerch- eval.

Section 21 .- F. Bronson, C. Jewett, D. Robb, C. K. Green.

Section 22 .- J. Love, Isaac O. Adams, M. Chamberlain, William N. Smitzer, Wessel Whittaker.

Section 23 .- F. Bronson, W. Whittaker, D. Andrews, T. Bronson.

Section 24 .- S. Shead, R. Love, J. Hatfield, T. K. Green, W. P. G. Magness, W. Goit.

SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP.

The supposed harbor advantages of New Buffalo led many of the early settlers of that village to buy up the lands adjoining, with a view to speculation rather than set- tlement, and of course these were held at speculation prices. The financial disasters of 1837 defeated the hopes of making New Buffalo a great business centre. During a few suc- ceeding years non-residents held the land, and but few sales were made until 1850, when more rapid emigration com- menced. The land was wet by reason of the large timber and heavy underbrush. Upon the building of the Michigan Central Railroad, the consequent demand for cordwood and lumber made large openings, and the lands began to be re- claimed. It is estimated that the average annual cut of cordwood in the township from 1850 to 1875 was 12,000 cords, valued from $18,000 to $30,000.

The timbered lands were covered largely with leeks, which often started in the spring before the snow was off, and were of great assistance to the early settlers in furnish- ing pasturage for cattle. If milch cows fed upon them the butter made from their milk had a strong leeky taste, and no one unless accustomed to it could eat it. To accomplish the feat with success it was said to be necessary to eat an onion first. For many years butter-buyers were very care- ful in buying to be sure that the butter was not thus of- fensively flavored. A story in point is told of Jacob Luther, who was for a long time a merchant, both at Day- ton and Buchanan. A woman came to his store one morn- ing with a package of butter which she asked him to pur- chase. He replied that he would like it very much if it was not "rampy." She answered by saying she had often heard about ramps, and drawing one from her pocket, which

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

she had plucked from the roadside, asked him if that was a ramp. He said it was. She replied she wanted him to make sure, and asked him to taste it and tell her. He did so and told her it certainly was one. She then opened her package of butter for his examination. He declared it to be the finest butter they had taken in for some time, pur- chased it, and sent it to his own home. Upon reaching home at noon his wife met him with the remark, " Jacob, why did you send up such rampy butter ?" He then dis- covered how neatly the old lady had deceived him.

The first settler in the township was Richard Love, a native of Ohio, who in the spring of 1835 bought land in the east half of the northwest quarter of section 24, at the foot of a high hill and near a large spring. His son, William M. Love, owns a part of the original farm.

Sylvester Shead, and his son, Erasmus N. Shead, natives of New York, settled here about 1836. Harry H. Shead now lives where his father, Sylvester, settled, on the east half of section 23. William H. Valentine, living on section 24, is a son of William Valentine, who was an early settler in Galien township, adjoining.

John Hatfield, a native of Virginia, settled about 1836 in the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 24, where George Ray now lives. P. G. Magness, of North Carolina, also settled on section 24, where Daniel Savage lives. Vincent Nash and Enoch Lewis, of Vir- ginia, settled on section 14. D. F. McCaskey owns where Mr. Nash settled. Levi Paddock, a native of New York, settled on section 22, now owned by E. Sherwood Martin, a native of Indiana. Mr. Paddock was for several years justice of the peace, and was supervisor in 1844; he was a man of great physical strength. He died in 1873, at the age of ninety years, a few miles south, in Galena, Ind. Joseph Love, a brother-in-law of Richard and Elkanah Ryther, and Robert R. Laine, of Tennessee, settled on sec- tion 17. Mr. Osgood lately owned the property settled on by Laine. Geo. Fisher settled adjoining Wm. Hammond, on section 34. John Love, a son of Joseph, settled on sec- tion 15, where Judson Sawin lives. The land settled by Love and Ryther is now principally owned by the heirs of. Thomas McKie.

Joseph Love, who settled on section 17 prior to 1840, was a man of good judgment and strong sense, but with- out education. He had been involved in several petty law- suits, and was not always satisfied with the decision of the justice who tried the suits. He desired to be elected a justice of the peace, and asked one of his neighbors to sup- port him for that office. His neighbor replied, " Uncle Joe, you may know law enough, but you cannot read or write." "No matter about that," said Uncle Joe; " Jake (his son) can read and John can write, and I can judge them all like the d-1." The people, however, did not like the idea, and Uncle Joe was not elected.

William Hammond, one of the early settlers, was a man of great energy and one of the local politicians, who was officious in the town caucuses, and sometimes was a delegate to the Democratic county conventions.

Vincent Nash, now living on Rolling Prairie, Ind., was a good talker. Many years ago, Mr. Henry Chamberlain called at Sylvester Shead's, and making inquiry as to the

health of the family, was informed that Mrs. Shead was quite ill. Expressing some surprise, and asking what the matter was, Mr. Shead, with a laugh, for which he was noted, said, " Well, Nash came up here yesterday morning, and he and the old lady had a talking-match and Nash beat her, and she was so ashamed of being out-talked by a Hoosier that she went to bed sick ;" and the old gentleman had a hearty laugh.

Moses Chamberlain, a native of New Hampshire, came to New Buffalo in 1836, and located ten 80-acre lots in the present townships of New Buffalo, Three Oaks, and Chick- aming. He intended to settle on the lake-shore, but soon after the prospects of New Buffalo were ruined, and he did not settle until 1843, and then moved to the south- east quarter of section 15, Three Oaks. He reserved the southwest quarter of section 2, where the village of Three Oaks now stands, and the northeast quarter of section 20, in Chickaming, on the lake-shore, and the southwest quar- ter of the northwest quarter of section 23, in Chickaming township, now owned by Thomas McKie. A saw-mill, the first in the township, was early erected on this section by David H. Cottrell. Mr. Chamberlain did not remove to this place with his family until 1843, when he came around by the lakes and landed at Chicago, and then moved by teams to New Buffalo, arriving Oct. 7, 1843. He stopped with Jacob Gerrish, and in the winter following came to the lot on section 15, Three Oaks. Here he erected the first frame house in the township, and on the place now owned by his son, the Hon. William Chamberlain. The children of Mr. Chamberlain now living are the Hon. . Mellen Chamberlain, of Boston ; Mary F., now Mrs. Hale E. Crosby, of New Buffalo ; and Henry and William Cham- berlain, now living in Three Oaks. The Hon. Mellen Chamberlain was at one time chief justice of the municipal court of Boston, and is at present librarian of the Boston City Library. The Hon. Henry Chamberlain, who in 1854 commenced the settlement of the village of Three Oaks, was supervisor of New Buffalo township in 1845, be- fore Three Oaks and Chickaming were set off; was elected to that position when only two weeks past twenty-one years of age, and held the office for many years. He was a mem- ber of the Legislature of Michigan in the session of 1849; Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan in 1852; was nominated for Governor, in opposition to Governor Bag- ley, in 1874, by the Democratic and Liberal parties, and de- feated by only 5000 votes, against a Republican majority of 57,000 the year before. The Hon. William Chamberlain, the youngest son, is living at Three Oaks, and engaged in mercantile business. He was elected township clerk when twenty-one years of age, was postmaster six years, county superintendent of the poor nineteen years, president of the Berrien County Pioneer Society, president of the village of Three Oaks, elected to the House of Representatives in 1870-72, elected to the Senate in 1876-78, and prominent as member of various committees on charitable and penal institutions. He was president pro tempore of the Senate, Jan. 17, 1879.

In the same year that Moses Chamberlain came in Samuel P. Webb and Asa H. Jacobs settled on section 35, where Jacobs built a saw-mill, to which, in 1846, a small

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TOWNSHIP OF THREE OAKS.

grist-mill was added. The property is now owned by Henry Platt and Levi Morrow. No other settlers came in until after the opening of the Michigan Central Railroad, when, in 1850, Henry Chamberlain settled on section 2, where he built a cabin and commenced clearing up the land where the village of Three Oaks now stands. Thomas Stanager settled on the southeast quarter of section 1, now Avery's Station, where he still lives. Soon after, 10 or 15 families located near them, on the line of the railroad, but few or none of them became permanent settlers.

In the fall of 1852, John Louis Hess, a native of Swit- zerland, after living in Pennsylvania, Chicago, and other places, bought of Henry Chamberlain 80 acres of the east half of the northeast quarter of section 9, and 20 acres of the east half of southeast quarter of section 3, lying south of the railroad, where he still lives. His son, Samuel Hess, has long been justice of the peace, and was county treasurer six years. He is now living at Three Oaks.

Frederick Rhulow settled in the village. His property was purchased by Henry H. Pike, and was laid out as part of the village plat. Jacob Houser, Joseph Strahle, Max Wetzer, and others from Bavaria and Switzerland, became permanent settlers, and were forerunners of the large Ger- man settlement in the township.

Dr. Hiram B. Wilcox, a native of New York, came to an adjoining township in Indiana in 1834. He attended lectures at Chicago and at Cleveland, graduating at the latter place. He practiced his profession at Galena, Ind. ; but for twelve years previous to his removal to Three Oaks, in 1860, his practice reached into the southern tier of Berrien County. He still lives in Three Oaks.

E. Sherwood Martin, a native of New Jersey, bought the farm of Levi Paddock in 1846, and is still living on the farm. Three sons are in business at Three Oaks. Abram, a brother, settled on section 23. A son, Isaac, is living in Three Oaks. There were six of the brothers,- Martin, who came about 1848; John Abram and Sher- wood settled in this township ; Isaac, Jacob, and William settled on land adjoining in Indiana.

Gilbert B. Avery, a native of Connecticut, came here in 1854, with Thomas Love, and built a steam saw-mill at Avery's Station. At that time he was master mechanic of the Michigan Central Railroad, a position which he held for twenty years. He lived in Detroit until 1859, when he removed to Avery's Station. He was afterwards master mechanic of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. His widow still lives at Avery's.

Thomas Love, a native of Virginia, was clerk of the county from 1844 to 1848, acting treasurer of the county for many years, and is now county surveyor. He built the mill at Avery's Station, with Mr. Avery, in 1854, and then moved to the place where he still lives. He first settled at Berrien Springs, the county-seat, where he was largely en- gaged in lumbering, and he was early one of the foremost men of the county.

Six brothers-John, Thomas, Anthony, William, Charles, and Edward McCarten-all settled near the intersection of New Buffalo, Chickaming, and Three Oaks about 1863. John settled in this township, in section 32, purchasing the greater portion of the section. His family are still living

there. The brothers are near the township line,-William and Thomas living in New Buffalo, and Anthony, Charles, and Edward in Chickaming .*

ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP.

The township of Three Oaks, with that of Chickaming, was taken from the territory of New Buffalo and organized by action of the Board of Supervisors in the year 1856, the order of the board directing the holding of the first election being as follows :

"Notice is hereby given that the first annual town-meeting for the election of township officers in each of the townships of Three Oaks, Chickaming, and New Buffalo, in the county of Berrien, State of Michigan, will be holden on the first Monday in April, A.D. 1856, as follows, to wit :

"In the township of Three Oaks, at the school-house near Cham- berlain's side-track ; and that Abram Martin, J. D. Fitch, and Henry Chamberlain are duly authorized to preside at such township-meet- ing, and to perform all the duties required by the statute in such case made and provided.

"By order of the Board of Supervisors of Berrien Co., Mich., March 10, 1856.

" WILLIAM S. MERRILL, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors."

The first township-meeting was held in accordance with the above order. Ninety-one votes were cast, and the fol- lowing-named officers were elected, viz. : Henry Chamber- lain, Supervisor ; E. Sherwood Martin, Henry Chamber- lain, Thomas Love, Justices of the Peace ; Cyrus C. Ryther, Township Clerk ; Samuel K. Donovan, Township Treasurer ; Nathaniel Finch, William Chamberlain, Erasmus N. Shead, Commissioners of Highways ; George W. Shead, Nathaniel Finch, Richard A. Newell, Henry M. Blair, Constables ; J. D. Fitch, School Inspector ; Samuel P. Webb, John C. Collins, Directors of the Poor. Overseers of Highway : District No. 1, Harry H. Shead; No. 2, Abram Martin ; No. 3, William Nash ; No. 4, Daniel Smith ; No. 5, George Myers ; No. 6, Thomas Love ; No. 7, George Hatfield ; No. 8, Nathaniel Finch ; No. 9, John Hess ; No. 10, Robert R. Sawin.

The following is a list of the supervisors, town clerks, treasurers, school inspectors, and justices of the peace of the township from 1857 to 1879, inclusive :

SUPERVISORS.

1857-58, Thomas Love; 1859, Henry Chamberlain ; 1860, Jonas L. Hicks; 1861, Thomas C. Bradley ; 1862, Henry Chamberlain ; 1863-64, James L. McKie; 1865, Samuel W. Chamberlain ; 1866, Henry Chamberlain; 1867-68, Samuel Hess; 1869, James L. McKie; 1870, J. M. K. Hilton ; 1871, Edward K. Warner ; 1872- 73, Isaac W. Martin ; 1874, John D. Greenamyer; 1875-76, Peter Strehle; 1877-78, William H. Breece; 1879, James L. McKie.

TOWN CLERKS.

1857, William Chamberlain; 1858, James L. McKie; 1859, Jacob M. Smee; 1860, Samuel W. Chamberlain; 1861, Samuel Hess; 1862, Frederick P. Warren ; 1863, Hiram B. Wilcox; 1864, William Chamberlain ; 1865-66, Hiram B. Wilcox ; 1867, Thomas C. Bradley; 1868-76, William H. Breece; 1876-77, Daniel F. Brom- merscheim ; 1878, Henry N. Chamberlain ; 1879, Daniel F. Brom- merscheim.

TREASURERS.

1857, Samuel K. Donovan; 1858, Luther Sage; 1859-60, Samuel Hess; 1861, Thomas C. Bradley ; 1862, James L. McKie; 1863, John Martin ; 1864, Samuel W. Chamberlain; 1865-66, Horace

# The history of Three Oaks and New Buffalo is largely prepared from information furnished by the Hon. Henry Chamberlain.

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

R. Pike; 1867, Luther Sage; 1868-69, William K. Sawyer; 1870- 71, Isaac W. Martin ; 1872-73, Peter Strehle; 1874, Thomas Mc- Cann ; 1875-76, Henry N. Chamberlain ; 1877, Lycurgus Jeffries ; 1878-79, Peter Strehle.

SCHOOL INSPECTORS.

1857, Jonas L. Hicks; 1858, William Chamberlain ; 1859, Jonas L. Hicks; 1860, William Chamberlain; 1861, John S. Martin ; 1862, William Chamberlain ; 1863, Jacob M. Smee; 1864, Julius D. Fitch, John S. Martin ; 1865, Isaac W. Martin; 1866, Porter B. Parry ; 1867, Isaac W. Martin ; 1868, Frederick P. Warren; 1869, Julius D. Fitch; 1870, James W. Ransom ; 1871, Perry G. Drew; 1872, Joshua Chatterson ; 1873, George M. Valentine; 1874, James L. McKie, Henry Bennett; 1875, Henry H. Ben- nett; 1876, Thomas Love; 1877, Isaac W. Martin; 1878-79, James H. Hatfield.

SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS.

1875, Porter B. Parry ; 1876-77, Calvin W. Conner ; 1878, Frederick F. Sovereign; 1879, Porter B. Parry.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

1857, Erasmus N. Shead; 1858, Henry Chamberlain, Abram Martin ; 1859, Thomas Love; 1860, Thomas C. Bradley ; 1861, Erasmus N. Shead ; 1862, Henry Chamberlain, Samuel Hess; 1863, Eben- ezer S. Martin ; 1864, Samuel Hess, Thomas Love; 1865, Erasmus N. Shead; 1866, Robert D. Cross, Julius D. Fitch ; 1867, Thomas Love; 1868, Samuel Hess; 1869, William K. Sawyer, Dewitt C. Miller ; 1870, Jacob M. Smee, Thomas C. Bradley ; 1871, Thomas Love; 1872, Jacob M. Smee; 1873, William K. Sawyer, Dwight Warren; 1874, Dwight Warren; 1875, Thomas Love; 1876, Samuel Hess; 1877, William K. White; 1878, James Atwell; 1879, Dwight Warren.

VILLAGE OF THREE OAKS.

In January, 1850, Henry Chamberlain, then living on the farm with his father, about a mile and a half south of the present village, had an offer to furnish 2000 cords of wood, at 7s. 6d. per cord, to be delivered on the cars at the side-track where the village of Three Oaks now stands. Owning land at that place, he took the contract, and while furnishing the wood was enabled at the same time to clear his lands without additional expense. In the year 1854 he, with Joseph G. Ames, erected a store at this place, and commenced selling goods. The Michigan Central Railroad passing this point made it a business centre. A post-office was established, under the name of Three Oaks, from three large oak-trees standing near each other. The township upon its organization assumed the name. In the same year a shoe-shop was opened by Samuel Hess, a blacksmith- shop by Simeon Turner, and a saloon by Nathaniel Finch. The first plat of the village was made by Henry Chamber- lain, Dec. 30, 1857. Its growth was slow until 1863. Saw-mills were built in 1857, by Nathaniel Finch ; 1863, by John M. K. Hilton, Asahel W. Fitch ; and 1866, by Duncan McNichol. A stave- and heading-mill was built in 1862 by Frank Smith, on lot 30. It was known as the " Coffee-Mill." Handle-factories were built in 1868, by Budlong & Bennett ; in 1869, by Jesse Sheffield ; in 1874, by N. D. Lovely.

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History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 84

Author: D.W. Ensign & Co. pub; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Johnson, Crisfield Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia, D. W. Ensign & Co. Number of Pages: 821

Author: D.W. Ensign & Co. pub; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Johnson, Crisfield
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, D. W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 821