USA > Michigan > Calhoun County > History of Calhoun county, Michigan, With Illustrations descriptive of its scenery > Part 61
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PHOTO. BY CRISPEL
MRS. LOUISA BEVIER
RESIDENCE OF MRS. L. H. BEVIER, LEROY , CALHOUN Co., MICHIGAN.
169
HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
AN INDIAN INCIDENT.
In the summer of 1838 an event occurred which tended greatly to mar the security of the settlement. While Mr. Baker was returning from cutting hay, just as the shades of evening were falling, the circumstance happened. It was a pleasant evening, and all nature was tranquil, and he was enjoying a feeling of quiet repose, when suddenly the accident occurred which was fraught with great trouble for him for weeks afterwards. He carried a little cask, which he used for the purpose of a water-flask, and the cork had been pushed inside and rolled about within, making a peculiar sound. He had just passed through a slight ravine, and was making the ascent on the other side, when he saw a small party of Indians who were returning from a visit to his house. The party con- sisted of four ponies, laden with squaws and pappooses, and among them a part of the family of Penamoo, the chief of the tribe. The sudden appearance of Mr. Baker, in his white shirt-sleeves, coupled with the sound of the moving cork within the cask, was something with which the ponies were entirely unacquainted, and, judging from the affrighted stampede they made, they had no desire to in- vestigate. Every saddle was immediately emptied, and a mass of leather-colored humanity lay conglomerated on the ground. He straightway hastened to the spot, anticipating that great mischief had been done, although to what extent he had no idea. He went up very friendly, and tried to assist them in catching their ponies, but his amicable offices were met with wild exclamations of " Kinna- poo Chemokaman !" and they struck the requisite attitudes for the execution of their threats, which, being interpreted, means " kill white man !" He, however, not being prepared to enter so unceremoniously the happy hunting-grounds, in- stituted a series of pugilistic manœuvres, and three or four of the female warriors were hors du combat.
He then proceeded to investigate the damage done, and found the heir to Penamoo's throne and greatness with his arm broken in two places, and his royal elbow out of joint. When he made these discoveries a sort of " I-wish-I- was home" feeling came over him, for he realized the danger of arousing the vin- dictive nature of the red man. He made prolonged but futile endeavors to pacify the infuriated squaws, but they would listen to no conciliatory advances. They demanded his unconditional surrender, that they might triumphantly con- duct him to their wigwams, and procure for him a rapid transit to another sphere. But, as we before intimated, he had business here below, and hence did not accede to their amiable demands.
The next day he had business in the Sprague neighborhood, the most remote . from the scene of his last night's adventure, and while absent, the ancient warrior and renowned chief, Penamoo, visited his house for the purpose of " settling." Mr. B. finally concluded to organize a board of arbitration, choosing Messrs. 22
Taylor and Bishop, the latter being conversant with Indian customs and manners. The squaws were for coercive measures, for they found them brandishing knives, and reiterating the euphonious " Kinnapoo Chemokaman !"
After two or three days' negotiation, Penamoo offered to adjust the difficulty for "ten dollars" and a " mejash (big) blanket," and if pappoose died, he must have Mr. Baker's pale-face pappoose ; and if he would not let him have the white juvenile, he would kill him or his pappoose, or both, according to the humor he might be in at the time. He finally agreed to accept three dollars in one hundred days, and went off. Mr. Baker, however, had to become a sort of commissary officer to the entire offspring of the house of Penamoo pending the recovery of the injured child. He held himself in readiness to move instanter if the Indian youngster should have died ; but, fortunately, it lived to become a " big Injun," and the affair terminated without bloodshed, although it caused considerable anxiety.
TRAGEDIES.
An aggravated murder was committed in a piece of woods in the southern part of the township in 1850. John Winters brutally murdered his wife by clubbing out her brains. Jealousy was the cause, although it was generally believed to be groundless.
ACCIDENT.
Timothy E. Kelsey, oldest son of Silas Kelsey, accidentally shot himself with a rifle, while getting over a fence opposite his father's house, in 1855. The ball entered his thigh, and after lingering nearly a week he died, and was buried in the West Le Roy burying-ground, which is located on Mr. Kelsey's farm. Mr. Kelsey died May, 1877, as before stated.
NAMES OF LAKES IN LE ROY.
Copnacon-not, as erroneously spelled on the maps, Copanacon-derives its name from a peculiar root which flourishes on its banks, and which was used extensively by the Indians, who used to inhabit its borders, for medicinal pur- poses. The Indians named the lake, and we are informed by one who often con- versed with them that Copnacon is the proper way of spelling the name.
STEAMBURG LAKE
is so called from the hamlet of the same name, which contains the steam saw-mill of A. J. Quick & Co.
We are under obligations, which we are pleased to acknowledge, for courtesies extended to us in the compilation of the township history of Le Roy by Thomas B. Barnum, Rev. Thomas Sprague, the late Silas Kelsey, Ira Case, Henry McNary, N. J. Kelsey, Rev. Thomas Vernery, and others.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Thomas B. Barman
PHOTO, BY CRISPELL.
THOMAS B. BARNUM.
The desire for approbation is as legitimate as the desire for food, and when a man, actuated by pure motives, accomplishes something from which good is de- rived, he merits the approval of the hearts that love him, and he receives their expressions of praise with grateful pleasure. Nay, if the deserved expressions of laudation are withheld, a sensitive nature feels aggrieved, and experiences a sen- sation of injustice. A person whom it is proper to praise cannot be flattered, and one who can be flattered ought not to be praised. There is little danger of en- gendering vanity in the heart of one deserving of commendation, as such usually know what is really due them, and will accept only the exact tribute. They will be very particular to return the exact change.
Now, we propose to write a brief notice in commendation of him whose name and portrait heads this sketch. We feel assured that by a meritorious and blame- less life he is deserving of mention in the pages of our work. While we eulogize his virtues we shall not stoop to flattery, for we know that such would be discarded by him.
Thomas B. Barnum, son of Asher and Rhoda Barnum (nee Burt), was born on the 20th of September, 1800, in Danbury township, Fairfield county, Con- necticut. He is of English and Welsh descent, his paternal grandfather being English, and his grandmother Welsh. His father was a farmer in poor circum- stances, of limited education, but of industrious habits and high integrity. His mother was a woman of fine characteristics, and a fitting companion for his father in every particular. He is a cousin of Hon. P. T. Barnum, the great American showman and politician. He commenced contributing towards the support of himself and mother when but nine years old, so that his opportunities for the acquirement of knowledge were meagre. By self-study, however, he managed to lay the founda- tion for sound practical knowledge, which future experience developed. In April, 1815, he commenced to learn the hatter's trade, which he completed at the age of twenty-one. On the 20th of September, 1821, he started to travel in the State of New York in search of employment, and was, therefore, a journeyman hatter in the broadest sense of the term. After moving around for two months his efforts were crowned with success, for he obtained employment in Armenia township, Dutchess county, New York, at his trade, and retained the same for a
period of three years. During this time he formed the acquaintance of and married Miss Harriet Rose, of the same place, the happy event having been con- summated September 24, 1824. In April following, he went to Newtown, Fair- field county, Connecticut, and engaged in the manufacture of hats, remaining thus engaged six years. In April, 1831, removed to Southbury, Litchfield county, Connecticut, where he continued at his trade for the ensuing six years. In June, 1836, he came to Calhoun County, and purchased a farm in what is now Le Roy, then Athens township, and settled on the same in April, 1837. He then engaged in agricultural pursuits, which he has since diligently followed with marked success. He settled in the woods, and found eighty Indians occupying a large tent on his land. At the organization of the township of Le Roy, in 1838, he was elected justice of the peace, which office he held six years ; was commissioner of highways in his district eight years, and supervisor in 1849-50, and served his township disinterestedly and well, and to the full satisfaction of his constituents. March 22, 1822, he joined the Masonic fraternity, and is, doubtless, the oldest living Mason in the county. His family consists of two children, namely, Jane, born July 3, 1827, and Charles, born November 8, 1829. These are both single, and remain at home with their parents. In politics he is Republican, but started a Democrat and remained with that party until 1848, when the old Jeffersonian principles of Democracy began to get corrupted, and hence became repugnant to honest men. In religious sentiment he believes in doing one's duty in life, and though never affiliating with any religious sect, yet he always liberally supports religious and educational enterprises, believing that churches and schools form the basis of moral and intellectual development. Mr. Barnum has excelled as an agriculturist because he has always conducted his farming operations scientifi- cally. He was among the first to introduce pure seed wheat,-wheat free from noxious weeds,-and of a particular kind of that only. He has no faith in the careless and indiscriminate mixing of different kinds, and planting and growing them under the name of a particular kind. He is also rightfully regarded as a superior wool-grower, his wool always commanding an advance of ten cents per pound over the general market value. These and other excellent characteristics conspire to make the subject of this sketch deservedly esteemed by the public, and con- sidered an exemplary gentleman and a truly good citizen.
170
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL.
REV. THOMAS SPRAGUE.
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL.
ISAAC HISCOCK.
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL.
SILAS KELSEY.
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL.
MRS.SILAS KELSEY.
171
HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
SILAS KELSEY.
Silas Kelsey was a native of the State of New York, having been born on the 18th of May, 1808, near Livingstonville, in Schoharie county. Upon arriving at his majority he removed to Niagara county, where two years were spent in farm labor and teaching, after which he came to Michigan, employing hinself from about 1832 or 1833 until 1837 as a land-looker for those desiring to locate lands in the counties of Kalamazoo and Calhoun.
Mr. Kelsey was married in Lockport, New York, May 25, 1837, to Miss Emily Lusk, and immediately returned with his bride to their new home in West Le Roy, where they arrived on the 12th day of .June of that year. This home was located on a tract of land which he had previously purchased of the government, and which he subsequently improved by cultivation and by the erection of the first frame house built in Le Roy township.
There was a family of five children born to them, three of whom now survive, namely : N. J., who was born June 20, 1842, and is now a prominent resident and farmer of West Le Roy ; C. S., who was born December 27, 1845, and is now living in Chicago, training traveling salesmen for the Nonotuck Silk and Twist Company; and Caroline E., who was born November 12, 1856, and married Mr. Charles Smith, with whom she now resides in West Le Roy.
On the 9th of June, 1876, Mr. Kelsey was called on to bid a last farewell to the partner of his joys and sorrows, who died in her sixty-first year, and whose remaining children cherish her memory as blessed. This worthy couple now repose side by side in the cemetery on the farm which had been their home for forty years.
Mr. Kelsey was an active member of the Congregational church of Le Roy, in the organization and support of which he had borne a prominent part, and to which he sustained the relation of a consistent communicant at the time of his death.
He was also an earnest patriot, and a steady and untiring friend of every enter- prise which had for its object the promotion of the welfare of man. He belonged to that class of men in his township who bore a conspicuous part in the anti-slavery movement, for which Le Roy was distinguished in the earlier history of this sec- tion, and very naturally, with such antecedents, became an influential supporter of the Republican party when it was organized, and continued a firm adherent of its principles as long as he lived. During the war for the Union he was one whose patriotic spirit and wise counsel contributed much to inspire the community with unfaltering devotion to the sacred interests of his country.
Among those who have had a share in moulding the sentiment of the commu- nity in which he lived, and in forwarding its benevolent undertakings, he must be regarded as holding an especially prominent place. His irreproachable character and excellent example as a citizen and Christian will continue to shed their lustre upon the memory of one whose biography has been identified with this section from the time when a single log house contained the entire population of Battle Creek.
REV. THOMAS SPRAGUE,
fourth son of Jonathan and Margaret Sprague, was born in the town of Hanni- bal, Oswego county, New York, March 11, 1812. He spent his boyhood days on the home place, and at the age of seventeen experienced religion and joined the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has ever since been an earnest working member. His parents were in moderate circumstances, and consequently unable to bestow on their children the advantages of education, except that afforded at the common schools. At the age of twenty he commenced working by the month, and for the next three and a half years, by industry and frugality, he managed to lay by four hundred dollars. In the fall of 1835. he came to Calhoun County, and bought a quarter of section No. 11 in Le Roy township, and afterwards re- turned to his eastern home. There, on the 27th of December, 1835, he married Miss Mary Mills, and in the spring of the following year packed up what little effects they possessed, and came to make his permanent home on the land he had previously purchased. Here he built his eighteen by twenty log house, in the erection of which he used two pounds of nails and five hundred feet of culled lumber. When completed, he and his wife made their formal entry ; and it is safe to say that some of the happiest moments of their lives were passed within its cosy rooms.
He made his own furniture,-his bedsteads of oak poles, and his tables of the boxes in which he had brought his goods. They had one cow, and five dollars left, after getting settled in their little house.
They experienced the usual hardships incident to a newly-settled country. He had to go twenty-five miles to procure day work, and to buy provisions. He
worked on his farm at odd times, the first year planting four acres of wheat. A portion of this was sowed on an elevated spot and ripened a little sooner than the rest, and being in want of flour, which was then sold at ten dollars per hundred- weight, Mrs. Sprague took her shears and cut the ripened grain, thrashed it with sticks on a blanket, ground it in her coffee-mill, and made it into bread, which tasted sweeter far than any they have since eaten. By this time there had been large accessions to the settlement.
In the spring of 1838, preaching according to the doctrines of the Methodist church was had in his dwelling; a class was soon afterwards formed, of which Mr. Sprague is the only surviving member now in the township.
On the 15th of June, 1851, he sustained the loss of his devoted wife, who died in the triumphs of the Christian faith. This bereavement left him with a family of six children, five girls and one boy, namely, Jane, Ruth J., Rebecca H., Elliot, Milly M., and Antha A., and these requiring a mother's care, he was con- strained to marry again, which he did, on the 20th of November, 1851, to Miss Lucy A. Millen, of Wyoming county, New York. Three more children have been added to his family ; they were named Mary E., Thomas W., and Eddy I., all of whom survive, except Mary E., who died when but eight years old. All but Elliot are members of the church.
Mr. Sprague has been elected to various township offices; among others, con- stable, justice of the peace (which he has held twelve years consecutively), high- way commissioner, and assessor. He was elected the first town constable at the organization of the township. The first summons he was called upon to serve was issued by T. B. Barnum, Esq., against Charles Dickey (now Judge Dickey, of Marshall) ; but not knowing that he had to make his returns to the justice on or before the day of trial, and failing to do so, lost his fee and had his trip to Marshall for nothing, which misfortune cured him of the desire for re-election. He still lives on the farm he settled forty years ago, and devotes his time to its cultivation. He has always taken a deep interest in religious matters, and in 1849 was appointed leader of the first class organized in East Le Roy. Soon after this he was licensed to exhort, and held that relation to the church until July, 1864, when, by the authority of the Methodist Episcopal church, he was licensed as a local preacher, which position he filled earnestly and well. On the 6th of September, 1868, at the session of the Michigan conference, he was or- dained by Bishop Ames, and has since spent most of his time during the winter months in revival meetings with eminent success. He has devoted his time freely to God, and if he has succeeded in bringing sinners to repentance he has received the only reward he desires. It was largely owing to his instrumentality that the East Le Roy church edifice was erected, for he was the largest donator to the enterprise, giving six hundred dollars towards it, and his wife fifty dollars. He is a faithful worker in Christ's vineyard and a powerful expounder of the Scrip- tures. In his secular life he is a good, practical farmer, a pleasant neighbor, a charitable and upright citizen, and when called hence he will depart like one who
" Wraps the drapery of his couch about him, And lies down to pleasant dreams."
HON. JOHN WAGNER
was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, April 18, 1818. He received a good edu- cation in the German language, and made practical use of it by acquiring also a fair knowledge of English. He emigrated to America in 1838, and proceeded to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until 1845. It was there that he met and married Miss Susan Grant, who was born in London, England, April 25, 1823, and emigrated to the United States with her parents when but seven years old. Her parents were among the oldest and most prominent settlers of Cleve- land, where they are well known and much respected. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner raised a family of eleven children, of whom two sons and five daughters survive. One son and three daughters are married and all comfortably settled in various parts of the State of Michigan.
In 1845 they removed to Michigan and settled upon eighty acres of land, in- cluded in section 26, Leroy township. They had no capital but good health and a desire to succeed. At first Mr. Wagner went to work for different farmers ; among others, for T. B. Barnum, Esq., who speaks very highly of his industry and remarkable energy. That gentleman assures us that oftentimes he would put in an equivalent to eleven working days per week, besides keeping equal pace with his neighbors in the improvement of his eighty-acre farm. Such a course could not fail to win ; and there is no wonder that before his death he had accumulated a neat fortune, owning, as he did, two hundred and forty acres of well-improved and highly-cultivated land, with some timber.
172
HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
The people of the township were not slow in observing his thrift, and so in 1865 they elected him supervisor, which office he filled faithfully and well for five consecutive years, and then retired only to be elected to the State legislature, which honor was conferred upon him in 1868. He gave unqualified satisfaction to his constituents and to the people generally, and it is safe to say that the third legislative district was never better represented than by him. In 1864 he was elected township treasurer, and served three years, and was in 1873 again elected supervisor.
But his useful and honorable career was brought to a close on the 13th of De- cember, 1876, when the " grim monster" visited the happy household and returned with the spirit of its head. His death was deeply regretted; for the loss of a really meritorious and good citizen always leaves a void not easily filled. Perhaps no man of his age-he was only a little past fifty-eight-had done more for his family and for the community which he selected as his adopted home than did John Wagner. He was universally respected and esteemed as a man of sterling integrity, excellent business qualifications, sound judgment, and uncommon ability. These virtues, coupled with unrelenting industry and unfailing energy, conspired to make him a brilliant example among the self-made men of the day. He was Republican in politics, in religion liberal. He was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, and was interred with the imposing ceremonies of that order. (See portrait and illustration.)
THOMAS J. FENN.
Among the substantial business men and sound practical farmers of Le Roy township, none deserve notice at our hands more than does the subject of this sketch. Possessing, as he does, many peculiarities, which some define as eccen- tricities, yet no one can justly impugn his integrity or say aught derogatory to his general good character.
Thomas J. Fenn was born in Rutland county, Vermont, October 6, 1804. His father, Gideon Fenn, was a farmer in easy circumstances, but he taught his children to work, and so Thomas J. began his life by working on his father's farm. Here he remained until the spring of 1837, when he had a desire to go west, and so emigrated to Wayne county, New York (not considered so very far west to-day), where he worked a short time, and then purchased a small farm, on which he remained from 1841 to 1854.
On the 31st of March, 1841, he married Phebe A. Sheppard, who comes of a highly respectable Newtown, Connecticut, family. She was born in Onondaga county, New York, December 12, 1813. They removed to Michigan in the spring of 1854, and purchased and settled on the beautiful and productive farm they now occupy, containing one hundred and sixty acres, on section 35 of Le Roy township. He made a public profession of religion in 1828, and joined the Methodist Episcopal church in 1841. He held the position of steward in the church to which he belonged in Wayne county, New York, and has always been a liberal supporter of religious enterprises. He endeavors to live within the pale of the law, and one of his peculiarities is that he never takes more than seven per cent. on the money he loans ; lending as much as any man in the township, he stands alone in this respect. For more than fifty years he has been an advo- cate of the temperance cause. From the dawn of the principles of abolition, he has been identified with the representatives of that great movement. His early training was of a religious character, and his whole life has been a glorious ex- ample of Christian charity, love, and justice. Nor is his admirable wife behind him in this respect ; being also a member of the Methodist church, she faithfully lives up to its teachings and exemplifies the beauties of a true religious life. Taken all in all, this couple are worthy representatives of the Lord's true followers ; and passing their lives in his service, doing good according to the best of their ability, setting a fine example to others, can they not joyfully and hopefully look forward to a happy life beyond the grave ? When they shall be called upon to depart hence they will leave behind them a righteous and noble record, and their works will follow them.
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL.
THOMAS J. FENN.
MRS. THOMAS FENN .
RESIDENCE OF THOMAS J. FENN . EAST LEROY, CALHOUN COUNTY, MICH.
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