USA > Michigan > Branch County > History of Branch county, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 67
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At about the same time a blacksmith by the name of John Woodruff came and built the first blacksmith-shop in the town on section 28. He was an ardent lover of field sports, and devoted a considerable part of his time to roam- ing the forest with his gun, in search of game, or sitting beside the lakes with rod and line, endeavoring to catch the finny inhabitants of the waters In pursuit of these sports he traveled over almost every foot of the surrounding country, and learned the fact that the "opening" in the southern centre of the town was almost or quite surrounded by water-courses and marshes. From this faet he at once gave it the name of " The Island," by which name it has since been commonly known. Some ten or fifteen years later he removed from the town to some point farther West.
Shirlock Cook came to Michigan in company with the Shay family, the party in all numbering seventeen persons, and having one wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen. Ile at that time went to Oxbow Prairie, Ind., and lived a couple of years, returning to this town and settling on section 28 in the summer of 1835. The lake to which his land ran was named after him. He died in this town about thirty- two years ago.
The spring of 1836 brought in other settlers. Among them were Timothy Miller, who settled on section 26, near Lime Lake ; John M. Chapin, on the east half of the south- east quarter of section 29; Benjamin Olmstead, on section 27 ; and Philo Porter, on a farm of 120 acres, lying in sec- tion 27.
Timothy Miller died while still a resident of this town, some twelve or fifteen years ago. Benjamin Olmstead, who was a prominent Methodist, and ever active in the cause of religion, and who was regularly the candidate for, aud as
PHOTOS BY KINDMARK
H. E. LAURENS.
LOUISA SAWIN DUESLER.
RESIDENCE OF LOUISA SAWIN DUESLER, BATAVIA, MICH
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IHISTORY OF BRANCHI COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
regularly elected to, the office of poormaster for several years, died here about twenty-seven years ago. John M. Chapin was a single man when he came here, but was mar- ried in July following his arrival to Miss Barthena Smith, a niece of Martin Olds, who was living with her uncle's family. He remained here but a few years before he moved to Illinois. He returned to this town several years later, and died here about 1845. Philo Porter came here from the town of Alexander, Genesee Co., N. Y. Ile once (in 1831) came West to look up a location, and traveled most of the way on foot. He had heard much said about the beauty of the country near the Coldwater River, and also about the beauty of the river itself. He reached the river bank weary, footsore, discouraged, and, seeing the rank- growing flags and rushes that covered its banks, and reached far out into the stream, he became disgusted ; and, telling his companions that, " if that was a specimen of the beauty of the country, he wanted to see no more of it," turned on his heel, and started on his return to New York. But he was desirous to secure a home of his own, and the com- paratively high price of land at the East rather forced him to take his second journey to this State, which he made in the fall of 1835, and on which occasion, in November, he entered the land on which he afterwards settled. He was married March 17, 1836, in Byron, Genesee Co., N. Y., to Miss Martha Hosmer, and a few weeks later, May 9, 1836, they started for their home in the wilderness, having a wagon loaded with provisions and household goods, drawn by a yoke of oxen. At Buffalo they embarked on a steamer for Monroe, and from there came to this town with their own conveyance. They arrived at their new home, and found the rude log hut which they had purchased of Stephen Shay occupied by a family of squatters, whom they warned out, but allowed to remain there till the next day. This house was covered with a bark roof, which Mr. Porter re- placed with a shake roof, and otherwise improved the build- ing before the next winter came on. Mr. Porter's wife died soon after their pioneer life began, and a second wife lived but a year after her marriage; so that it will be seen that he has been called upon to suffer great losses, and much pain and sorrow, in his efforts to carry on the work of re- deeming this country from the dominion of the forests. Re- garding his experiences, more will be found in the bio- graphical sketch published in another part of this work. Ile is now living with his third wife on the place he first took up, in the enjoyment of the respect and affection of his fellow-men, and the quiet and peace which he has so well erned by his life of industry and devotion to the advance- ment of the best interests of the commonwealth and its citizens. During the two terms he held the office of sheriff he resided in Coldwater, but all the rest of the time has resided on his farm.
As early as this, and perhaps earlier, Jabez Bronson had settled on section 35. He settled in the town of Bronson ( which was named after him) in 1828, and sold out there when he came to this town. He remained here the rest of his life.
In the fall of 1836, Francis Bassett, a brother of John Bassett, settled on section 35. His wife and seven chil- dren, five sons and two daughters, came with him. They
were from Kortwright, Delaware Co., N. Y. He died a year after coming here (Ang. 24, 1837), and his descend- ants have all removed from the town. Two sons and one daughter are living in Coldwater.
The settlement of the town had thus far progressed rather slowly, but for the next few years it was more rapid. We refer briefly to a few of these later arrivals.
Morgan L. Tyler came to Michigan in the spring of 1836, and selected a farm in the timbered land on the south half of the northeast quarter of section 5. The journey here and back to his home in Mexico, Oswego Co., N. Y., was made on foot, except occasional rides he was fortunate enough to catch. Having completed his prepara- tions for removing his family, he left his former home, and came as far west as Monroe Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1837, and remained there till the fall, when he continued his journey, in company with Archibald Grove, Daniel Sprague, and M. B. Barnhart. After crossing the lake, they landed at Toledo, and came from there by ox-teams, traveling by way of Adrian, Jonesville, and Coldwater, leaving the Chicago road at the latter place, and proceeding eight miles northwest to " Hodunk," now called Orange- ville, where Peter Grove, a brother-in-law of Mr. Tyler, was living. At this point they left their families while preparing homes for their reception, and then moved upon their places. Mr. Barnhart settled in Union, the others in this town : Archibald Grove on section 4, Daniel Sprague on the northwest quarter of section 4, and Mr. Tyler on the laud he had previously entered on section 5.
Mr. Tyler's family at that time consisted of a wife and four children. Their daughter met with a narrow escape from serious injury or painful death while on the way here. She was sitting in the front part of the wagon, when the forward wheels ran into a deep rut and threw her out of the wagon into the road. The wheel ran over her foot and threw her again to the ground, and the heavy hind wheel passed so close to her head as to eatch some of her hair beneath its iron circumference, and tear it from her head. Mr. Tyler and his wife are still honored residents of the town in which they settled at such an early day.
Daniel Sprague was accompanied by his wife, one child, and his brother John. Daniel continued to live in this town until his death, which occurred in 1873. John went away and served in the Black Hawk war. Ile afterwards returned to this town, settled on section 4, and died here several years later.
Archibald Grove died in Batavia about 1853-54. Ilis brother, Peter Grove, came from Orangeville about 1840, and located at North Batavia. Some ten or fifteen years later he removed to Girard, and died there in 1876.
Evan Davis located a farm on the northeast quarter of section 5 in the spring of 1838, returned to his home in Pittsford, Monroe Co., N. Y., was married, and in the fall came on to his place. After living here a few years he removed to Wisconsin.
Samuel HI. Cary, with his wife, three children, and his wife's sister, Miss Lucy Woodard, came from Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N. Y., and in June, 1838, settled on sec- tion 34, where he opened an inn, and kept it for several years. About the year 1850 he removed to Coldwater,
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and subsequently to a farm south of the village of Branch, where he died about ten years ago.
Elijah Thomas was a son-in-law of Moses Paine (who settled in Bethel at an early day), and came here from Genesee Co., N. Y., in the fall of 1838, for the purpose of engaging in the mercantile business at York. Ile brought a family consisting of his wife and two children, and rent- ing the addition that Reynolds had built on the east end of the tavern (which had been used as a store for nearly a year), opened a stock of goods there. About ten years later he removed to Mishawaka, Ind., where he died.
lliram Brink and his wife came to this town in May, 1839, from Urbana, Steuben Co., N. Y., and settled on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 33. The journey was made by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo, from there to Detroit by steamer, thence to Ypsilanti by railroad, and the rest of the distance by stage-coach. The land had previously been entered by a Mr. Ferguson. Mr. and Mrs. Brink still live to enjoy the home they built up in the wilderness.
Among the other carly settlers we find the names of Samuel Woodard, Amasa W. Miller, Mr. Perrin and three sons, James L. Young, Ira Gifford, George D. Babbitt, llorace Field, Benjamin Parker, Jeremiah Newville, and David Fonda, who settled here as early as the year 1836; Lot Whitcomb, Samuel Fairbanks, Augustus Miller, Smith Dow, Joel and Commodore P. Woodard, as early as 1837; Ira P. Strong, as early as 1838; Charles W. Weatherby, Hiram Hadley, George Hoag, Lewis Kingsbury, and Na- thaniel Woodard, as early as 1839; and Albert Dudley, Thomas Davis, and Hiram C. Welch, as early as 1840.
Benjamin Parker died in June, 1844, from the effects of a gunshot wound accidentally received. He owned a piece of land in the north part of the town, and that day went to look at it, carrying his axe on his shoulder. After com- pleting his survey he started homeward, taking a course to bring him around the north end of the marsh, and, as he was passing through the bushes, was shot by a man named John White, who mistook him for a deer. White had, while out hunting only the night before, seen a disturbance in the bushes at the same place, and waiting to be sure that it was a deer, lost his game. So, on this occasion, he fired at the first indications of the presence of game. The ball entered Mr. Parker's right side just above the hip, and passed through the abdomen in a quartering course, sever- ing the intestines. The shooting occurred about three o'clock in the afternoon, and help being procured, Parker was taken to Mr. Miller's and a physician summoned from Coldwater. It was all in vain, for, in spite of all efforts to prevent a fatal result, he died at two o'clock the next morn- ing. Before his death he exonerated White from all blame in the matter, declaring the shooting to have been purely accidental.
It is related of Joel Woodard that he came to this town dressed in ragged and uncouth clothing, with his shoes under his arm instead of upon his feet. Going to Martin Olds, he told him he was a total stranger to the country, and, not having had any experience in the select- ing of land, desired his assistance and judgment to enable him to select a good piece of land for his future home.
Mr. Olds was struck by the appearance of the man, and, believing him to be a poor man anxious to do the best he could with the little means he had to invest in land, took great pains to go about with him, showing him the most desirable lands in the vicinity, and carefully explaining to him the qualities of each particular piece that made it more or less valuable than the others. After the " looking" was done he rested in the self-conscious satisfaction of having done a good, kind, and generous deed. What, then, was his surprise and chagrin when, after Woodard's return from the land-office, it became known that his " little home" was to consist of eighteen lots selected from the best lands in the vicinity. The land thus entered included, among others, the present farms of L. R. Austin, Samuel Smith, John M. Gray, HI. S. Ilill, and Ira Holdridge.
We will now gather up the threads of our story and trace the subsequent history of those of the early settlers whose record has thus far been left incomplete.
Martin Olds at once became a prominent man in the town and county. Elected as the first surpervisor of the town, he continued to hold that office for seven successive years. He also held several other town offices. At the first election of county officers, in November, 1836, he was elected to be probate judge, and held the office for two terms, eight years in all. In the session of 1843-44 he represented this district in the State Legislature. In politics he was a Democrat, and unflinchingly maintained the doctrines held by that party in the face of all opposition. In busi- ness he was energetic aud industrious, and conducted his affairs with good judgment. His simple, dowuright honesty of purpose and strict integrity of character is well illus- trated by an incident connected with the history of the " Bank of Branch." While that village was the prospective metropolis of the county a bank was organized there, and the stockholders elected Mr. Olds as its president. All the preliminaries connected with the opening of the bank had been gone through with, the bills had been engraved and printed, and only lacked the officers' signatures to make them ready for issue. A meeting of the stockholders was called to complete the business, and they met at the ap- pointed time. The State law under which the bank was organized required that a certain percentage of the amount of bills issued should be deposited in specie by the stock- hollers as a guarantee fund to provide for the redemption of the bills. That this provision of the law was very gen- erally disregarded is conclusively shown by the subsequent history of the panic of 1837. In this case the meeting was held, and Mr. Olds went to it with his share of the guarantee fund in his pocket ready for deposit. The others did not come similarly prepared, and, when the bills were pre- sented to be signed, he refused peremptorily to sign a single one until the required deposits had all been made. From this position neither threats nor persuasion could move him, and the result was that the bank came to naught. In his in- tercourse with his fellow-men Mr. Olds was kind, consid- erate, and obliging. Through the troublous times of the first three or four years after the settlers began to come here he was often called upon to render material assistance to the poor families who had not yet been able to provide themselves with the necessaries of life, and it was always
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
willingly and generously furnished. He well deserved the name he bore, of a kind neighbor and a generous friend. By his enterprising public spirit he was led to take a prom- inent part in schemes for advancing the interests of the county, and entered heartily into the efforts to build up a village at Branch, then the county-seat. He owned sev- eral lots there, and was elected president of a stock com- pany organized for the purpose of publishing the " Eastern Star," a paper devoted to news, politics, and literature. The inception of this project is to be credited to him. This paper, the first in the county, was edited by JJared Pond, and had but a brief existence. In the spring of 1851, Mr. Olds and his son, James II., went by the over- land route to Oregon, with a view to settling there. Being satisfied with the country he sent his son back to this State in February following, and the next spring (1852) all of the family except one son, Martin P., who still remains a resident of this town, emigrated across the plains to their new home on the Pacific coast, in Yam Hill Co., Oregon. The overland journey occupied eight months' time, the party often traveling farther from the trail in search of pas- turage and water than they advanced along their course on the same day. Mr. Olds held the positions of postmaster, probate judge, and member of the constitutional conven- tion in his new home, and died in the fall of 1873, full of years and honors, loved and respected by all who knew him and who hold his many virtues in fond remembrance.
John Ensley continued to reside in this town until the spring of 1852, when he was taken with a desire to go to Oregon, and, with one of his daughters, joined the company of emigrants then starting across the plains and accompanied them to the Pacific coast. He never returned to the East, and is still residing in Oregon, where he has since been joined by others of his children. Mrs. Ensley, with five sons and one daughter, remained on the farm, and, with their assistance, has succeeded in making it one of the finest in the township. She is still living on the home- stead, and two sons and one daughter still remain residents of the town.
Allen Stoddard's wife died soon after they settled here and he then returned to his former home.
John Bassett lived in this town till his death, which ovenrred April 27, 1874. He was an excellent citizen, a man of great and untiring energy, and of the utmost prob- ity of character. One son, Adam, is still a resident of this town, and another, George II., resides in the adjoining town of Bronson. The rest of the children have removed to different parts of the country.
At the time of settlement the woods were well filled with wild game of the various kinds usual to the country, and the lakes and streams were full of fish. There was also an abundance of the small fruits, including, in the list, straw- berries, blackberries, cranberries, crab-apples, wild cherries, wild plums, and frost-grapes. From these sources the pioneers drew largely for their sustenance, and were there- by relieved oftentimes from the pangs of hunger, which, without them, would have been inevitable. For a year or two it was impossible to raise sufficient crops to supply food for the subsistence of the inhabitants, and it was often ne- cessary to dispatch teams to White Pigeon, Jonesville,
Adrian, or even sometimes to Detroit, for provisions. Trading-posts were soon established at nearer points, and thus these long and tedious journeys were rendered unne- cessary. There were a good many roaming Indians about, who came from their village at Nottawa to hunt, fish, and make maple-sugar. They were always friendly and peace- ful, and ready to trade with the whites. When they came to visit the taverns, and could exchange some of their com- modities for " fire-water," they often made the forest resound through the hours of the night with the hideous yells that accompanied their drunken orgies, but they never came into collision with the whites, and were a few years later trans- ferred to their reservations west of the " Father of Waters." The woods were full of nut-bearing trees, the beech, hickory, waluut, hazel, and oak, and their annual crop of mast af- forded the settlers the means of fattening their hogs both cheaply and without any extra labor.
During the progress of the work of reclaiming these wild lands there was a great and general prevalence of malarial diseases among the families living here. Indeed, it came to be looked upon as a matter of course that as soon as the fall opened, sickness should break out in the settlement. This was supposed to result from various causes, or from a combination of them. The extensive marshes, where the frost killed vegetation lay and rotted, the breaking up of the crude, rank soil, the decaying timber in the clearings, - these and other causes were assigned as the reasons for the sickness, and all, no doubt, contributed more or less to that result. The fall of 1838 was especially marked by a more than usually severe sickly season. Every family was in- vaded, and scarcely a person in the settlement escaped the ravages of the disease. At the period when the sickness reached its climax there were scarcely well people enough to care for the sick. Several deaths occurred. One in- stance is related of a family, composed of a man and his wife and three children, every member of which was sick with the fever. All were lying in one room, the father and mother in one bed, and the children in another. During the night the wife died in her husband's arms, and he, being too sick to allow of his helping himself in any man- ner, was compelled to spend the weary, sorrow-burdened hours till the morning, lying beside the cold remains of the companion of his joys and sorrows. In this situation they were found by the neighbors, who came the next morning to see how they were getting along. Other similar in- stances, though perhaps none of such a harrowing nature, could be related describing the hardships endured by the pioneers of this town; but it is not necessary to do so, for all know of these things, and are not likely soon to forget them.
Regarding the scarcity of food at certain times, it is asserted that, while waiting for the first wheat harvest, some of the settlers' families lived on greens for several days; and before the wheat was dry enough to thresh, took some of it, and picking the unripe wheat from the straw, boiled and ate it. Pork at some times was sold as high as twenty-five cents per pound, and was not always to be had even at that price.
The winter of 1843-44 was especially hard upon the settlers, because of its extreme severity and the heavy fall
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of snow. The snow fell to a depth of about two feet, and the cold froze a hard crust over its surface, so that the cattle could not get at the grass in the openings on which they were usually dependent for a large part of their win- ter's subsistence; and the supply of fodder giving out, many perished of cold and starvation, and the rest were kept through only by felling maple, elm, and basswood trees, and letting them browse the tender twigs in their tops.
The settlers started orchards as soon as the land was cleared and under cultivation, some by sowing seeds brought with them from the East, and others setting out young trees brought from the same quarter. Among the first to set out an orchard was John Ensley, who bought twelve trees of a man who brought a lot to the " New York Ilouse," and set them out near the corner of section 15. Three of these trees are still to be seen in that orchard.
The first hotel, as has been said, was the Taylor Tavern, afterwards called the Batavia House. It was almost in- variably the stopping-place for intending settlers, and the place for holding publie meetings of the citizens. During the sickly season before referred to, many people stopped there; though, the most of Mr. Taylor's household being sick, they had to attend to themselves and do their own cooking. Some of these people died there before having in reality begun their pioneer lives. The next hotel was the " New York House," and this was followed by "Cary's" and then by " Dudley's" taverns. For many years these were the only hotels in the township. They were all on the Chicago turnpike.
In the fall of 1835 the few families in the eastern part of this town and the western part of Coldwater made up their minds that they needed a school for their children. The towns had not been organized, and such things as school districts were as yet unknown ; so the men of the neighborhood met together, at a time appointed for the purpose, and put up a small log house, finishing it off with a puncheon-floor and a chamber-floor of the same descrip- tion, covered with leaves, and over them a coating of earth. The chinks between the logs were stopped in the usual manner; the seats were made of slabs, flat side up, with round sticks for legs ; the desks were formed of boards laid on pegs driven horizontally into the walls; and one end of the building was devoted to a huge fire-place. Here, in the winter of 1835-36, a Mr. Southworth kept the first school in the township, and though the scholars had to come long distances afoot, bringing with them very often but the scantiest and most frugal mid-day meal, and had but few books (Webster's spelling-book being the only text-book used, `and an average of half a book to each scholar rather being over than under the actual supply), still they derived a great benefit from even this rude, primary, pioneer school. This school-house stood on the quarter-line a quarter of a mile south of the north line of section 13. David Fouda taught there the next winter. It is related regarding this school that a family named Dobson, who lived some distance from the school, owned a mule, and all the five children they sent to school very often rode the mule to the school-house, and then turned him loose and let him return home. As the school was small,
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