USA > Michigan > Branch County > History of Branch county, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 62
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# Prepared by Charles W. Brown.
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250
IHISTORY OF BRANCHI COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
usc, we are left to look upon them in a purely speculative light, and the imaginative mind may weave about them a web of romance, and dream of the lives and experiences, the hopes and fears, the loves and hates, of the unknown people who once roamed these plains and forests, and lived upon the products of the soil and upon the animal life that peopled its woods and waters. In other parts of the town are found burial-mounds similar to those so frequently found in this section of the State, and relics of the Indian race, and pieces of ancient pottery that have lain long in the soil, are frequently brought to light by the farmer's płow.
Another natural curiosity, and one which may possibly be connected with the history of this past race, is what has always been known as the " Gilead Sugar- Woods." Whether it had its origin in some natural cause, or whether it re- sulted from human effort, is a matter of conjecture. This piece of maple-woods stands upon section 17, but originally extended upon sections 7, 8, and 18. It was, in 1830, a fine piece of maple woodland in the form of a circle, and about three-quarters of a mile in diameter. The Indians used to tap the trees every spring and make maple-sugar in their rude way, and the whites also fell into the same prac- tice, and continue it down to the present time. There was but a very light sprinkling of other trees in these woods, and the maples were of an apparent growth of a century and a half. The soil at this point does not seem to differ mate- rially from that of the rest of the west part of the town, except that it is freer from stone, and the vegetable mould formed by decaying leaves and timber has added to its depth and richness.
The principal water-course of the town is the outlet of Hog Lake and Lake Pleasant. It is called " Prairie River" on the maps, but has locally obtained the name of " Hog Creek." We are inclined to look upon this as a misnomer, for " Hog Creek" proper rises in the town of Reading, in Ilillsdale County, flows through the towns of Allen, Quincy, Butler, and Girard, and empties into the Coldwater River at Orangeville. Prairie River is also the outlet of Lavine, Pleasant, and Crooked Lakes in Kinderhook. Throughout most of its course iu this town it is bordered by wide marshes. In seetion 3 its course becomes more rapid, and sufficient fall is afforded to make a mill-site, which was occupied as early as 1835, and has continued in use until the present spring (1879), when the pond ( which is believed to have been an obstacle in the way of securing proper drain- age of the swamps and marshes ) was condemned as a nuis- ance, and the dam is about to be torn down. The system of drainage, here incidentally referred to, was introduced in the town some eight or ten years ago, and has been ex- tended more or less every year since that time. By reason of it the level of the waters of the lakes has been lowered about three feet, and a large quantity of hitherto waste land has been redeemed, and is, or soon will be, under cultiva- tion. This system has also had a marked good effect upon the health of the citizens, for the draining of the marshes and swamps has relieved the air of a load of malarial vapors that each spring and fall used to bring with great regularity. This result alone is ample recompense for all the expenses incurred in cutting ditches and deepening the channels of
the streams. In the outset, this work met with much oppo- sition from some of the citizens, who looked upon it as in- volving great expense without securing any permanent good results. One of these was Samuel Arnold, who embodied his views on the subject in a short poem, which, having a Joeal interest, we here give for the benefit of our readers :
" Ist. The East Gilead Canal, you will please understand, Is a wonderful work, my brave boys ! For it drains the foul water from all our low land, And our idle young men it employs.
"2dl. But this great Canal, though a wonderful thing, Is still but a foolish affair : "Iwas planned by the mighty East Gilead King To favor the gray-headed Squire.
"3d. But this gray-headed Squire will now have work to do. To keep out the dirt and quicksand, As along the Canal he walks to and fro, llis long-handled hoe in his hand.
" Ith. A very wise man made this statement of late,- Speaking like some bonest Quaker ; . The land the ditch drains, at a fair estimate, Is worth sixty dollars per acre.'
"5th. But, if this swampy land has risen so high Since this wonderful ditch was completed. 'Tis plain to be seen, if they sell, swap, or hny, Our farmers are bound to be cheated.
" Gtb. Whoso travels this way, whether woman or man, Or gallant young . benu' with his 'gal.' Should make a short stop, and the wide landscape scan, And view the East Gilead Canal."
The only large body of water lying wholly in this town is Gilead Lake, which lies in sections 6 and 7. It is irregular in form and covers an area of about 200 acres. Its waters are clear and cold, and overlie a bottom composed principally of clear, white sand or gravel. The average depth of the water is probably not far from forty feet. The great peculiarity of this lake is that it has no visible inlet or outlet. It is undoubtedly fed by hidden springs; but what becomes of its overflow is an unsettled question. About a mile and a quarter distant, in a southeasterly direction, a large and never-failing spring bursts from the ground, which is looked upon by many as the outlet of the lake ; but this theory, though plausible, is altogether speen- lative, as no means have yet been tried to verify the suppo- sition. The banks of the lake rise in bluffs from ten to fifteen feet high, and the shores are bold and composed mostly of sand and gravel. Through the efforts of the " Grangers" of this town, some two years ago the lake was stocked with 20,000 young white-fish, which were supplied by the Fish Commissioner of this State.
In the south part of the town, in section 24, lies the greater part of Ilog Lake, a portion of which extends be- yond the State line into Indiana. This lake is surrounded by marshes, and has a muddy shore and bottom. In sec- tions 22 and 23 is a part of Lake Pleasant, which lies mostly in Indiana. It is like Gilead Lake as regards its main features.
The township, taken as a whole, ranks well in fertility and adaptability to the raising of general erops with any other town, and in the western part are some as fine farms, as well stocked, and furnished with as good buildings as
SAMUEL ARNOLD.
MRS. S. ARNOLD.
SAMUEL ARNOLD.
It has ever been the aim of the historian to preserve in history the names and deeds of kings and emperors, states- men and warriors, and it is meet that the names and deeds of the pioneers, to whose endurance, energy, and perseverance we of the present age owe so much, should be preserved and handed down to the coming generations. Of the pioneers of Gilead none are deserving of more credit, or are held in higher esteem, than Samuel Arnold, the subject of this sketch. He was born in Middletown, Conn., where his parents resided until he was eleven years old, when they moved to Granby, Oswego Co., N. Y. Mr. Aruold's education was obtained at the district schools, except one term at the Cazenovia Academy; yet he ac- quired what was then considered a fine education. Ar- riving at mauhood, he worked on the farm of his father summers and taught school winters, his wages for teaching being from nine to twelve dollars per month. He taught in all thirteen terms. After his maturity he started out in life, at times jobbing in the woods winters, and running a canal-boat owned by him during the summer ; at other times teaching district schools. After his marriage he bought a small farm. In the fall of 1836 he was seized with the western fever, and sold his farm and came to Michigan ; where the ensning winter he taught school at Waterhouse Corners, which was the first school taught in Kinderhook township. In the spring of 1837 he bought of the govern- ment the west half of southeast quarter section eleven in Gilead, upon which he at once moved his family, and living four years in a small shanty, exchanged it for a comfortable log house, which Mrs. Arnold declares was better than the frame house they afterwards built.
Mr. Arnold was a great worker, and in clearing new land and cutting hay in the marshes (often to his waist in water) he engendered the diseases which culminated in his death, Sept. 30, 1838. Mr. Arnold was a member of the Meth- odist Church fifty years. Before the days of school-houses and churches religious services were often held in his shanty by the pioneer circuit riders. During the last ten or twelve years of his life he was a great sufferer, but his sufferings were borne with true Christian fortitude. In early life Mr. Arnold was a Democrat, but on the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks, and was ever afterwards an ardent member. He held for many years the office of school inspector and justice of the peace, and was also town clerk and postmaster. For his first wife he married Miss Huldah Remington, who lived but a year after her marriage. April 10, 1831, he was married to Miss Catherine S. Huganiu, who was born March 20, 1805. There have been born to them six children, as follows :
William W., Aug. 25, 1832; Catherine E., May 5, 1834 ; Mary A., Feb. 18, 1836; Adeline S., Dee. 18, 1838; John W., Dec. 13, 1840; Samuel A., July 2, 1845, died in the Union army, at Chattanooga, Tenn., March 24, 1865.
THE POOR INDIAN.
BY SAMUEL ARNOLD.
On Plymouth Rock our fathers landed In sixteen hundred and twenty : The Indians then were able-handed, And lived in peace and plenty.
Our fathers drove them from their land, Their aged sires and mothers; And yet we venerate that band Of noble Pilgrim Fathers.
But we are told that William Penn- That noble-hearted Quaker-
A treaty made with the red men, Their land hought by the acre.
The Indians have been driven back, And shamefully been treated ; Although in courage they ne'er lack, They've often been defeated.
They once roamed over these beautiful plains Without molestation or fear ; They trapped and fished, enjoyed their small gains, And hunted their favorite decr.
Will they ever revisit this spot Where the bones of their fathers now lie ?
Ah, no ! they surely will not O'er them cast a tear or a sigh.
Yet the Great Spirit watches their dust Till He shall bid it arise ; All the great bnman family must Soon meet their dear Lord in the skies.
We are wondering often, and led to inquire, As civilization advances,
To what country or place will the Indians retire, And where will they hold their war-dances ?
Will those of Nebraska move West, And the rough Rocky Mountains inhabit, Where the wild game (and poor at the best) Is the tough grizzly bear and the rabbit ?
And where will the Oregon Indians go ? For the white man will soon dispossess them ; If they go to the plains of New Mexico May the good Lord pity and bless them !
Our kind, compassionate Father abovo Doth all llis red children survey ; Ilave we a better claim to His love. llis care and affection than they ?
ARNOLD'S CORNERS. RES. OF THE LATE SAMUEL ARNOLD, ESQ., EAST GILEAD, BRANCH CO.,MICH.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
any in the country. In the quantity of wheat and coru raised in proportion to its area Gilead takes the first place, according to the returns of the census of 187-4.
The town of Gilead received its name at the hands of Bishop Chase. Coming here in the spring-time, when the openings were carpeted with the verdant grass, and decked with a glorious profusion of bright-hued and fragrant blossoms, he saw the country at its best. As he stood upon a gentle eminence in the early morning, and looked through the vistas of the woods, marking the swelling knolls and undulating hollows into which the surface was broken, he is said to have expressed his admiration and exaltation in the words, " This is surely the fairest coun- try my eyes ever beheld! Ilere will I make my home, and I will call this beautiful spot Gilead." And the name was and is still very appropriate, when we consider that it was first applied to the fairest portion of the " Land of Promise." It was probably suggested to the bishop by the place from which he came, Mount Gilead, Ohio.
The first settler in this town-and he was also the first settler in the southern tier of towns -- was John Croy. Ile was a young man about twenty-five years of age, and had a wife named Margaret, who was a rosy and well-favored young woman, and two or three children. lle came with a party from Monroe, and turned north at Bronsou's Prairie. When next heard of he was at White Pigeon ; went from there to Pretty Prairie, and from that place came to Gilead early in the spring of 1831. He built a small pole shanty near the north line of the southeast quar- ter of section 7, abont one hundred rods west and a little south of the present Methodist Episcopal church. It was a rude and rough affair, about twelve feet square, and fur- nished the pioneer family with shelter for several months, when it was supplauted by a log house built on the north side of the road, about fifty rods cast and north of the shanty. While living in the shanty, and but a few weeks after their arrival, the young wife gave birth to a daughter, who was the first white child born in the town. She was christened Mary, and, reaching maturity, was married to Andrew Fuller, of this town, and both are still living here. Croy did not long remain a resident of this town, but in 1834 removed with his family to lowa. At a later period he returned to Williams Co., Ohio, but finally went back to Towa, and died there some four or five years ago. He was very eccentric in his ways,-restless, uneasy, of fickle and changeable mind, and much given to moving about. It is said that he went West three times, and twice did not re- main long enough to unpack his goods.
The next settler was one who figured largely in the carly history of the town, and whose name, from its wide noto- riety, is perhaps the best known of any which ever was connected with the town. We refer to Bishop Philander Chase. He came from Mount Gilead, in the State of Ohio, where he had been interested in a denominational school. His object in coming here was to found an Episcopalian college, and he thought that here he could, by starting from the very foundation, build up not only a school, but also a community, over which he, by virtue of his priority, authority, and superiority, could wiehl a controlling influ- ence. He came quite early in the spring of 1831, and was
accompanied, or rather piloted in, by Wales Adams and Thomas Holmes. They found Croy on his place, and the bishop selected his land and entered it at the land-office at White Pigeon. He took up somewhere from 800 to 1000 acres of the choicest lands in the township. Procuring boards from Wales Adams' mill in Bronson, the bishop erected a shanty in the form of a letter A, in which he Fived, using his carriage for sleeping apartments. On the 5th of May he went to White Pigeon and engaged Amasa Miller, Hiram Humphrey, and Thomas Thurber to come and build him a house. This house was the first frame house erected in Gilead, and stood on the southwest quarter of section 9. One peculiarity of this house lay in the fact that it was built without the use of liquor. From an ex- perimental knowledge, in his own family, of the evil effects liquor drinking produces, the bishop had learned to hate it with a holy horror, and would not allow it to be used on the premises, saying he " would not dare to live in a house in which liquor had been used." The materials for this house, such as nails, serews, glass, putty, etc., were brought from White Pigeon by a man employed for that purpose. His name was Raymond, and, with the rest of the things, he brought an old wagon-cover, under which the party slept and stored their utensils and provisions during their stay of three weeks. The water to satisfy the thirst of the men had to be brought from Gilead Lake in a six-quart tin pail. The bishop's family at this time consisted of his wife and four children,-Dudley, Henry, Mary, and Philander, Jr., -the eldest being about twenty, and the youngest about eleven years of age. During this same season he built a house near the middle of section 8, for a tenant, James Glass, who assisted him in his farming operations. It stood there many years, and was called the " Glass House." The next season the bishop erected another and larger dwelling and moved his family into it, and that year he harvested 40 acres of wheat, which he had sown the fall before, which was the first 40 acres of wheat grown in Branch County. In furtherance of the object which brought him here the bishop built a school building in 1833. It was about 20 by 30 feet square, and two stories high. In this a small school was taught by the bishop's nephew, Samuel Chase. The bishop's niece, Mrs. Russell, and her daughter Sarah, were at this time members of his family, and an ardent affection sprang up between the nephew and grand-niece, which resulted in their marriage. This wedding-the first in the town-occurred on a Sabbath morning in the latter part of the summer, immediately after the usual service. The attendance on that occasion was unusually large, many coming from a distance, among them several from English Prairie, Ind. Of those present at the ceremony-which was performed by the bishop, clad in all the dignity of his offi- cial robes, and which lasted a very long time-but one per- son is now living in Gilead. That one is Mr. Samuel Booth. Soon after this Bishop Chase went on a mission to England to solicit aid to build his college, and while still absent his dwelling caught fire, and in spite of all efforts to save it burned to the ground. A large share of the forniture and household effects were saved by the exertions of the family and servants. News of this disaster at last reached the bishop in the mother-country, and the report rapidly spread
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IHISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
that Bishop Chase's " mansion" in America had burned with all its contents.
The result proved beneficial to the bishop's project, for, through sympathy, many large sums of money were do- nated to assist him in rebuilding and in carrying out his pet project. One widow lady is said to have given $1100 in a lump. To secure such munificent donations as this the bishop could well afford to lose even a much more preten- tious " mansion" than the one he had erected in Gilead. When he came to this country from Ohio, the bishop brought a large drove of eattle numbering about one hundred head, and also brought some grass-seed, which he sowed broadcast in the openings as he rode through them on horse- back. This grass was different from any of the native grasses, and resembled somewhat the famous " blue grass" of Kentucky. It was easily propagated and hard to kill, soon spread throughout the region, and became known as " bishop grass." It is still found here, and is considered a valuable grass. In person the bishop was tall and portly, and when dressed in the flowing robes of his office pre- sented a dignified and majestic appearance. Ilis disposi- tion was a little inclined to haughtiness, especially toward those who refused to show what he considered proper rev- erence for " the bishop." Ile had a full appreciation of the dignity of his office, and in requesting favors of his neighbors never used any other formula than this: " Tell such a one that ' the bishop' wants such a thing." This air of superiority no doubt had a marked effect upon the state of feeling existing between the bishop and his neigh- bors, many of whom were Methodists, and had no sympathy with anything that savored of aristocracy or hinted at dis- play, and made the opposition to his enterprise more stern and uncompromising. No doubt this apparent hostility and spirit of independence had something to do with the bishop's change of location, when, in the spring of 1836, he sold out his interests here and removed to Robin's Nest, near Peoria, Ill., where he succeeded in establishing his college and received the appointment of bishop of that dio- cese. Although his enterprise here was in a great measure unsuccessful, yet the effect upon the people was very bene- ficial, stimulating them to live upon a little higher plane than the frontiersmen generally felt called upon to adopt. Who shall say how much of the intelligence and eul- ture, the advanced moral and religious feeling, and the publie spirit and thrift which mark the town of Gilead, found their birth in the spirit of emulation which the bishop's life here fostered and encouraged ? The seminary building which was erected by the bishop remained stand- ing on the present farm of Joseph Keeslar, on section 9, until about two years ago, when it was torn down. The bishop also built the first saw-mill in town, on Prairie River, near the east line of section 4, in 1834-35.
Following Bishop Chase, in June, 1831, came Abishai Sanders, with his wife, Rachael, and children, Charity, Keturah, Josiah, Levi, John, Jesse, Elijah, and Benja- min, the youngest being only two or three years old. They came from Big Island, Marion Co., O. Their conveyances consisted of two wagons, one of them drawn by two yokes of oxen, and the other by one yoke of oxen and a horse. Traveling by the way of Sandusky and Toledo, they fol-
lowed the Territorial road and the Chicago turnpike to Bron- son's Prairie, and then turning southward, followed the Indian trail leading to Jackson Prairie, Ind., till they came to the land Mr. Sanders had entered in the fall of the previous year. This land was on sections 8 and 18, and consisted of 240 acres. The family hastily constructed a pen of rails, covered it with a shake roof, and in this primitive dwelling found shelter while they prepared some ground, planted some potatoes, and sowed some turnips. They had brought with them a " bull-plow," which had to be wooded before it could be used, and the crops were not got into the ground until the 4th of July. Then logs were cut and prepared and a comfortable log house built, into which the family moved early in the fall, and found it an agreeable change from their formuer cramped and uncomfortable quarters. Abishai Sanders was one of the substantial citizens of the town for about twenty years, and was the first supervisor, holding that office six suc- eessive years. He sold his property here and removed to Vermilion Co., III., where he died about twelve years ago. His widow returned to this town and made her home with Josiah till her death, in 1872. In the fall of 1846 there was a great deal of typhoid fever among the people, and John and Jesse Sanders died of that disease. Keturalı married Elsley W. Fuller, removed to Steuben Co., Ind., and died there. Charity is still living near the line be- tween Indiana and Illinois. Levi became a minister of the gospel, was appointed chaplain of the 125th Illinois In- fantry, and was killed in a skirmish at Park's Ford, on the Tennessee River, during the Rebellion. Elijah is now a resident of Nebraska, and Benjamin lives in Oregon. The only one of the family still residing in Gilead is Josials, who, in 1840, married Mary Miller, of Indiana, bought a farm of eighty aeres on section 17, and has sinee lived there, rearing a family of children and improving the land.
About the same time with Sanders came a bachelor named -- Downer, from some of the New England States, and entered three lots of land on the north shore of Gilead Lake. He built the first log house in the town, on section 6, about twenty rods south of what has since become widely known as Marsh's Corners. This house stood there for several years, and furnished a temporary home for the families of several of the pioneers, among them the Booths, Clarks, and Eastmans. It was torn down about 1842. Downer did not remain here long. The Clark here mentioned built a house on the opposite side of the road, and soon after removed to near Elkhart, Ind.
In this same season, or early in the succeeding year, Benjamin Leverich settled in the southwest part of the town. The family consisted of father and mother and eight children. One of the daughters was Mrs. Wm. MeClerg, and her husband and two children also belonged to the party. They came from Columbiana Co., Ohio. Benjamin and his oldest son, Thomas, were prominent mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The former, especially, was highly esteemed by his neighbors, and was a thorough farmer as well as an energetic and consistent Christian, In 1852 the entire family (with the exception of one daughter who had married Daniel Marsh ) removed
MRS. DANIEL MARSH.
DANIEL MARSH.
DANIEL MARSH.
Among the early settlers of Gilead was Daniel Marsh, who came to Michigan from the town of Clay, Onondaga Co., N. Y., in the fall of 1834. He was born in Erie Co., Pa., May, 1812, and while Daniel was yet a lad his father moved to Onondaga County, where he worked at day labor to support his family. As soon as Daniel was old enough he, too, was compelled to go out to work, and his earnings went to help support the family. His chances for an education were very limited, as he attended school but three months; still he was a great reader and a close observer, and in time fitted himself to do any ordinary business.
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