USA > Michigan > Cass County > History of Cass county, Michigan > Part 77
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Spencer Williams accompanied Peter Truitt when he came to this county, and for several years subse- quent to his arrival worked for him by the month, until by a systematic course of saving, the wages paid being quite small, he was enabled to purchase eighty acres of land, which was improved, and added to from time to time, until he possessed a fine farm. He, in common with others, had many discouragements, and although they might be considered trivial, assume im- portance in proportion to the surrounding circum- stances, as was the case when he possessed but $27, and loaned one-half, which he never received, and had the balance stolen ; at another time, his season's labor was destroyed in a few hours by the flames burning up a large quantity of prairie hay he had made. Mr. Williams' death occurred in 1877, and that of his wife Sarah (Smith), in 1881. Eight children survive them -John H., the eldest, being in Jefferson ; George W., a farmer in Milton, while the old farm is con- ducted by Amos, and with whom reside Mary and Larvenia, his sisters. Eliza (Mrs. Crittenden) is a resident of Howell, this State, as is also her brother Samuel, while Eunice (now Mrs Clark) constitute the balance of this family.
J. Morris, J. Melville and J. Hathaway came in this township together in March, 1829, and neighbors being almost an unknown quantity, formed quite a nucleus for a settlement, but the first two named did not remain many years before going to Indiana, where, surrounded by the thick woods, they continued their pioneer life. Mr. Morris possessed a fife upon which he delighted to play, and thus was enabled to while away what would otherwise have been some very tedious hours, while at the same time it afforded amusement for others.
The State of Delaware paid tribute to this section of the county by way of sending her noble sons and daughters, who came in such numbers and settled so nearly together that it was known as the Delaware settlement. They have been amply repaid for emi- grating to this section, as the finely cultivated farms in their possession and that of their descendants plainly indicate. Edward Shanahan was a native of Delaware, the year 1806 being the date of his birth. In 1832, he came with his wife, Rebecca (Kimmey),
to this county, and while en route listened to the dire- ful stories related by those who were, as they supposed, fleeing from certain death, for the Sauk war scare occurred this year ; but, nothing daunted, he pressed forward, and located on Beardsley's Prairie, where he remained until 1855, when he removed to Jefferson Township, but now resides in Milton. Although not an aspirant for office, notwithstanding he always took a deep interest in political affairs, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1860. When wend- ing his way westward with a one-horse wagon, it is doubtful if he anticipated the success that has crowned his efforts in his chosen avocation, that of farming. Ten of the fifteen children that have crowned his marital relations still survive, of whom Henry, Clif- ford and Judson are in Wisconsin ; Joseph, in Van Buren County ; James, in Ontwa; Edward, who works the farm on which his parents reside ; while Sarah (Mrs. Kelley) is in Edwardsburg; and Louisa is the wife of Dr. Taylor. Mr. Shanahan is still an active business man, and spends a portion of his time in Wisconsin with his children, supervising their affairs. His brother Clifford was elected Judge of Probate, which office he filled in 1864.
In the spring of 1836, A. P. Bachus first entered the county of Cass, and has no cause to regret the choice he made of a home. In 1838, he married Malinda Norris, who came with her parents from Erie County, N. Y., and to Edwardsburg in 1837, subsequently removing to Indiana. In 1838, Miss Norris taught the first school in that district-No. 2-an old cooper shop first being used for a schoolhouse, but in a few weeks removed to a barn, which had been prepared for the reception of the school, but even here the rudest seats and benches were used, utility rather than beauty being the great desideratum. She had fifty scholars under her charge. Before the school term was completed, it was broken up with the ague, which then spread like an epidemic. They claim, with one exception, that of Dr. Morgan, to be the oldest married couple in the township.
In the fall of 1834, Henry Aldrich and N. Sage started for the West with a single horse and wagon, and stopped in Berrien County, where Mr. Aldrich remained until 1837, when he removed to Milton Township, which is his present home. He has been a most successful farmer, and the buildings he has erected are a credit to himself and his township. His commendable pride regarding buildings is no doubt in a measure due to his early trade, that of car- penter and joiner, which developed a taste for archi- tectural beauty. This trade he followed for three years after coming here, and many marks of his handiwork yet remain in this and other townships. Mr. Aldrich has been prominently identified with the
7.
346
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
public affairs of his township, as will be seen in the- civil list, and has done much to promote and develop the interests of the same. He is a son of James Aldrich, who came in the county the same season, and whose death occurred in Wisconsin in 1858, to which State he had removed. His mother now resides with his brother, Dr. Levi Aldrich, in Edwardsburg.
This township possesses many men who by their own industry have acquired a competency, and many even more than this, and among this number is R. V. Hicks, who, when seventeen years of age, started, in 1835, from England for America, with his father and some older brothers who had been to this country, and at as early a date as 1831. His father returned to England, but his brothers purchased 500 acres of land, including the farm now owned by Mr. C. Had- den, and where he remained until 1838, when he re- moved to Niles and commenced work in a distillery, where he soon rose to the position of foreman. In 1843, he abandoned distilling and settled in Milton Township, and he and his brother, E. P., who resides with him, are the only surviving boys of a family of six. William, who purchased the land before men- tioned, left the same and sailed as Captain on the lakes for thirty-five years.
N. B. Dennis, who has served his township in the capacity of Treasurer, came from Delaware in 1833. His farm is located on Section 15. In 1842, he mar- ried Miss Margaret McMichael, who resided in In- diana, where she removed with her parents when quite young, from Pennsylvania.
Mr. Dennis can be classed among the active, ener- getic, progressive men of his township. It is upon such men that the public can rely to further their best interests, for he takes an active interest in public af- fairs, and is willing to do his share to assist public en- terprises, and it is to such men that the community is indebted for the measure of progress they make.
When Allen Dunning, who came from Erie County, Penn., reached Milton Township, in 1836, speculation was rife and the price of land had advanced to what seemed an extravagant price, $7 per acre, which was what he paid for land in Section 11.
He had a large family, and Mrs. Dunning laugh- ingly recalls the time when numerous heads appeared at every available opening to view the passing stranger; but on the same principle that many hands make light work, many happy hearts make a happy home, and this certainly was one as much in those early days, when deprived of the many now considered in- dispensable adjuncts to a home, as when in later years they became possessed of them. All who meet Mrs. Dunning, now a lady seventy-four years of age, are charmed with her kindly manner and pleasantly beam-
ing countenance, and it is no subject of wonder that their house was seldom without visitors, either friends or strangers, in those early days when such a house- hold was prized the more highly because of existing circumstances.
Mr. Dunning was possessed of that happy faculty of remembering every description of land to which his attention had been called, and he was almost in- variably consulted as the oracle on such matters by those who were seeking out a desirable place to locate. Mr. Dunning deceased in 1869, and of his family there are now living Sarah (Mrs. C. Smith) ; Ale- meda (Mrs. W. Smith); and Averill, all in Milton, together with Allen, who resides with his mother on the old homestead; Charlotte, Mrs. E. Morris, on Little Prairie Ronde ; Martha, Mrs. Bement, in In- diana ; John, in La Grange; Emmett, in Howard ; Martin V., in Pokagon ; and Dyer B., a merchant in Edwardsburg.
Manlove C. Beauchamp left his native heath in Kent County, Del., in the spring of 1836, and re- moved with his family to a place in close proximity to Niles, and one year subsequent to Indiana, and several times changed his residence between these two places as the demand of his trade required, he being by trade a carpenter and joiner, he, in the meantime, clearing up some land in Indiana. In 1847, he removed to Milton Township, and in 1857 to the farm now occupied by his son J. H. Beauchamp. Of his children, Mary S. is in Berrien County ; Margaret S., in Niles ; Emily A., in California, and Harriet J., in South Bend, Ind. ; four are deceased. Mr. C. Beauchamp died in 1872, and his widow Mary (Walton), aged sixty-six, resides with her daughter, Mrs. Durham. J. H., the only representa- tive of the family in the county, is a progressive farmer, and takes an active interest in public affairs.
Caleb B. Griffith came to Cass County some time in the forties and purchased land in Section 21, where his widow now resides, with two of her children, his death occurring in 1869. One son, Washington Irving, also resides on a portion of the farm left by his father, who was a very industrious man and knew what it was to accumulate property by his own ex- ertions.
George Tittle was one of the first settlers in Van Buren County, the date of his settlement there being 1831, and his daughter Eliza's marriage with Elijah Goble was the first marriage consummated in that county, the date being 1833. At the time of his removal, his son Jacob was but eleven years of age, and he recalls those early events with the greatest distinctness, it being his portion to do all the errands for the family, he at one time going to Cassopolis,
PETER TRUITT.
ERECTED 1831.
TRCITY
RESIDENCE OF PETER TRUITT (DECEASED) MILTON, MICH.
COOL RUNKLE.
MRS. COOL RUNKLE.
RESIDENCE OF JAS. M. TRUITT, MILTON, MICH.
@1, 6, Beauchamp,
MRS. M. C. BEAUCHAMP.
RESIDENCE OF J. H. BEAUCHAMP, MILTON, MICH.
347
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY. MICHIGAN.
after some groceries, when it could boast of but one store. Twenty-five years ago, Jacob removed to the farm he now owns in Section 9, Milton Township. His wife, Elizabeth, is the oldest daughter of the veteran pioneer Peter Truitt.
Mr. M. Carpenter, who came from Sussex County, Del., in 1836, became the victim of a certain class of persons denominated " land sharks" by the early settlers. He was totally destitute of book education, for he is unable to read or write, and being of an un- suspicious nature fell readily into the trap prepared for him by one of the aforesaid gentry, one of whom claimed to possess eighty acres of land, for which he asked $1,000. The price was satisfactory to Edwards and he paid $600 in silver coin, which he poured out of an old shot pouch or bag, it being all the money he possessed, and gave his promissory note for $400 with the understanding that the deed should be forthcoming in due time, whereas he did not pos- sess the land in question and had only had some con- versation regarding its purchase. When the truth dawned upon Mr. Edwards, he became discouraged and decided to leave the West as soon as money suf- ficient could be procured, but Mr. A. H. Redfield, who was agent for the land, made him such a favorable proposition for it that he concluded to remain, and has been quite successful, notwithstanding the difficul- ties in the way of an education he has been obliged to contend with. He ran the first threshing machine brought into this section, and now, at the age of eighty- one years, is a resident of Edwardsburg. A swift re- tribution followed his "swindler," who went to Wis- consin and purchased a farm with the money and was shortly after killed by the premature discharge of his gun while hunting.
Benjamin Parsons and James Maston came to Cass County on 1844, and Mr. Parsons first purchased land on Beardsley's Prairie, and after a time in Sec- tion 23, where he died in 1865, and on which place his widow now lives, he having been very successful in his chosen avocation. His wife, Mary P. (Abbott), came with her parents also from Kent County, Del., when she formed the acquaintance of her future hus- band, and they settled on Section 14, and here it was that Mrs. Parsons cultivated flowers in this then comparatively new country. Her parents both died in this county.
Among the early settlers of prominence was An- drew Jackson, who possessed a history of more than ordinary interest, in that he was impressed into the British naval service, and was with Nelson at the bat- tle of Trafalgar. He came to Cass County at an early day, and located on the farm where Mr. R. Enos now lives, and where he remained until his death.
None of his family now reside in the county. He was a man of powerful frame and exercised considerable influence in an early day.
Phillip Shintaffer and family, consisting of three sons and two sons-in-law, came to Beardsley's Prairie, and settled, in 1831, on the farm now owned by Cool Runkle, and resided there until his death, his wife's death also occurring here. The children all moved West. Little can be learned regarding this family, except that they were quite rough in their manners, they being frontiersmen of the broadest type.
James Taylor, a man of more than ordinary ability, settled in Milton in an early day, on the farm now owned by Mrs. George Sutton. He used to do con- siderable petifogging, and was a man who assumed considerable importance in any community where he cast his lot. He was a wagon-maker, also carpenter and joiner by trade, and erected the first M. E. Church in Milton. He removed to Oregon, where he came near being elected Governor.
G. O'Dell was also an early settler, but removed to Iowa.
Oliver Drew, who made the first land entry in 1829, is deceased, and no representative of his family now resides here. In 1830, Hiram Rogers, Luther Cha- pin and Calvin Taylor made entries of land in Sec- tion 1.
ORIGINAL LAND ENTRIES.
SECTION 1.
AORES.
Oliver Drew, New York, Sept. 25, 1829. 80
Hiram Rogers, Niagara County, N. Y., Sept. 27, 1830. 80
Luther Chapin, Niagara County, N. Y., Sept. 27, 1830 80
Calvin Taylor, Erie County, Penn., Sept. 27, 1830. 80
Daniel Brown, Cass County, Mich., June 6, 1831. 80
ยท
Oliver Drew, Cass County, Mich., July 18, 1831 80
Isaac Butler, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 27, 1831. 80
Andrew Jackson, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 4, 1836 80
SECTION 2.
Oliver Drew, New York, Sept. 25, 1829 80
D. Burnham and F. K. Smith, New Hampshire. June 13, 1831 160
Stanbury Smith, Cass County, Mich., June 3, 1835 40
Spencer Williams, Cass County, Mich., July 14, 1835. 40
Philip Shintaffer, Cass County, Mich., July 14, 1835. 80
F. Bronson, New York City, July 22, 1835. 80
E. Shanahan, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 4, 1836. 40
Lawrence, Beach & Imlay, Onondaga County, N. Y., May 17, 1836 120
SECTION 3.
George McCoy, Jr., Cass County, Mich., Dec. 17, 1834 40
John Rounsefell, Cass County, Mioh., Jan. 14, 1835. 40
D. Clark, Montgomery County, N. Y., June 23, 1835 442
Frederick Bronson, New York City, July 22, 1835 80
SECTION 4.
Hiram Wray, Cass County, Mich., June 18, 1834 40
Winslow & McCoy, Berrien County, Mich., Dec. 18, 1834 80
J. Rounsefell, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 29, 1884 80
348
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ACRES.
H. P. Voorhies, Montgomery County, N. Y., June 22, 1835 ... 160
Frederick Bronson, New York City, July 22, 1835. 80
J. H. Hatch, New York City, Aug. 11, 1835. 40
SECTION 5.
T. Wray, Cass County, Mich., June 18, 1834. 40
Arthur Johnson, Erie County, N. Y., July 15, 1834. 40
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 23, 1834
120
T. Wheeler, Feb. 23, 1835 ..
80
J. H. Hatch, New York City, Aug. 7, 1835.
320
Peter Truitt, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 2, 1837
40
SECTION 6.
Benjamiu F. Larne I, Wayne County, Mich., July 19, 1830. 80 John H. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 28, 1832 40
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., Dec. 9, 1833. 85
Nathaniel Bacon, Berrien County, Mich., Dec. 18, 1833. 87
William M. Wray, Berr.en County, Mich., March 17, 1834 ... 40
William Mickel, Erie County, N. Y., May 14, 1834. 200 John Rosewarne, Ontario County, N. Y., June 25, 1834. 80 C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 23, 1834. 40
SECTION 7.
Benjamin F. Larned, Wayne County, Mich., July 19, 1830 ... 80
John H. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 28, 1832. 40 Benjamin B. Kercheval, Wayne County, Mich., Dec. 7, 1833, 86 William Bradbury, Berrien County, Mich., May 27, 1834. 80 John Rosewarne, Ontario County, N. Y., June 25, 1884. 120
William Truitt, Cass County, Mich., July 19, 1834. 80
John G. Bond, Berrien County, Mich., July 23, 1834 80
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 22, 1834.
88
SECTION 8.
Henry Drew, Berrien County, Mich., Oct. 26, 1831 80 T. Wray, Cass County, Mich., June 18. 1834 40
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 28, 1834. 80
Adam Smith, Berrien County, Mich., Sept. 1, 1834. 80
William Holland, Sussex County, Del., Dec. 20, 1834. 80
Samuel Hulin, Berrien County, Mich., Jan. 2, 1835. 40
J. Hulin, Cass County, Mich., July 7, 1835. 40
Samuel Hulin, Cass County, Mich., July 7, 1835 80
C. K. Green, Cass County, Mich., July 22, 1834 80
J. H. Hatch, Cass County, Mich., Aug. 10. 1834
40
SECTION 9.
S. Toney, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 31, 1832. 40 Hiram Wray, Cass County, Mich., June 18, 1834. 40
William Truitt, Cass County, Mich., July 19, 1834. 80
Thomas Stanton, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 20, 1834 80
Asa Lane, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 20, 1834. 40
Clement Shockley, Cass County, Mich., July 10, 1834. 40
Clement Shockley, Cass County, Mich., July 10, 1835 40
C K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 22, 1835 40
Z. Skinner, Cass County, Mich., Aug. 29, 1835 40
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., Sept. 15, 1835
160
Silas Baldwin, Berrien County, Mich., Nov. 30, 1836
80
SECTION 10.
Peter Shanahan, Cass County, Mich , Jan. 15, 1834. 40 P. Truitt, Cass County, Mich., May 23, 1834. 80
E. W. Jones, Erie County, N. Y., June 1, 1835. 40
H. P. Voorhies, Montgomery County, N. Y., June 22, 1835 ... 144
John W. Fountain, Cass County, Mich., June 25, 1835 ... 40
William White, Cass County, Mich., July 1, 1835 40
L. W. Stockley, Cass County, Mich , July 10, 1835 40
ACREB.
F. Bronson, New York City, July 22, 1835. 80
J. H. Hatch, New York City, Jan. 13, 1836
40
William Truitt Cass County, Mich., Jan. 13, 1836. 40
Z. Skinner, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 30, 1836
31
SECTION 11.
John Hadden, Ohio, Sept. 24, 1829. 80
James F. Loro, New York, Jan. 4 1830. 160
John Hudson, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 26, 1830. 80
Smith & Burnham, New Hampshire, June 10, 1831 160
E. Shanahan, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 9, 1838 40
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 22, 1835.
40
SECTION 12.
John Hudson, Cass County, Mich., April 29, 1830. 80
John Garwood, Warren County, Ohio, May 15, 1830. 80
John C. Langdon, Wayne County, Mich , Jan. 11, 1830. 80
R. P. & J. H. Wadsworth, Pennsylvania, July 5, 1830. 160
Alfred Lord, Erie County, Penn., July 5, 1830.
160
Daniel Brown, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 26, 1830.
80
SECTION 13.
Cannon Smith, Lenawee County, Mich., June 19, 1829. 160
Thomas Sullivan, Darke County, Ohio, Oct. - 26, 1829. 80 John Hudson, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 2, 1830 80 G. O'Dell, Cass County, Mich., Jan 7, 1830. 80
Philip Shintaffer, Greene County, Ind., Sept. 7, 1830.
160
Adam Miller, Franklin County, Ohio, Jan. 7, 1830 80
SECTION 14.
David Harkrider, Butler County, Ohio, Oct. 6, 1829 160
Cannon Smith, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 8, 1829 160 Gabriel O'Dell, Cass County, Mich., May 2, 1834 120
Nemiah Dennis, Berrien County, Mich., Jan. 26, 1834
80
O. K. Miller, Berrien County, Mich., July 22, 1835.
40
SECTION 15.
Peter Truitt, Cass County, Mich., June 22, 1831 120
Cannon Smith, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 10, 1834. 160
A. M. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 10. 1834 40 Cannon Smith, Cass County, Mich., April 28, 1834 80
Peter Truitt, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 13, 1834 40
Thomas Powell, Cass County, Mich., July 19, 1834 40
Asa Lane, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 20, 1834. 40
Peter Truitt, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 20, 1834 40
C. K. Green, Cass County, Mich., July 22, 1834 80
School Lands.
SECTION 16.
SECTION 17.
H. O. Heath, Erie County, N. Y., May 7, 1832. 160
Hiel Truesdail, Branch County, Mich., Oct. 26, 1833 40
Samuel Hulin, Berrien County, Mich., April 9, 1835 80 George Heath, Erie County, N. Y., July 3, 1835 .. 160
C. K. Green, Berrien County, Mich., July 22, 1835. 40
John Smith, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 5, 1835 ..
80
V. S. Bradford, Berrien County, Mich., Oct. 20. 1835.
80
SECTION 18.
Otis Jones, Chautauqua County, N. Y., July 25, 1833 80
Martin Fox, Berrien County, Mich., April 9, 1835. 40
James Williams, Berrien County, April 10, 1835. 80
J. Bertram, Jr., Berrien County, Mich., May 30, 1835. 89
S. Thorp, Kent County, Del., June 3, 1835 .. 80
William Thorp, Kent County, Del., June 3, 1835. 120
Ilarvey Kellogg, Geauga County, Ohio, June 20, 1835
89
J H. Hatch, New York City, Aug. 7, 1835 80
RESIDENCE OF R. V. HICKS, MILTON, MICH.
E
349
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY. MICHIGAN.
SECTION 19.
ACRES.
Joseph Doty, Erie County, N. Y., Oct. 22, 1834 83 Shubert Jenks, Jr., Berrien County, Mich., Aug. 11, 1835 44 N. W. T. Thompson, Berrien County, Mich., Sept. 15, 1835. 46 Asa M. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 27, 1836 .. 80
George Smith, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 1, 1836. 80
SECTION 20.
John H. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Aug. 29, 1835 .. 172
William W. Elliott, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 14, 1836 169
SECTION 21.
George M. Beswick, Cass Co., Mich., May 2, 1835. 40
Theodore Powell, Cass County, Mich., Aug. 28, 1835. 40
K. Hargrave, St. Joseph County, Ind., Oct 1, 1835. 40
Daniel Folliner, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 23, 1835. 214
SECTION 22.
Cannon Smith, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 7, 1833 80
Adam Ringle, St. Joseph County, Oct. 25, 1833. 121
Jacob Harris, Aug. 18, 1834 42
William Manering, Cass County, Mich., April 9, 1835 40
George W. Beswick, Cass County, Mich., June 2, 1835. 40
SECTION 23.
Silas Baldwin, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 20, 1833. 40
Asa M. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 20, 1833. 40
Silas Baldwin, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 30, 1834 42
Asa M. Smith, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 25, 1834 39
Thomas T. Glenn, Cass County, Mich., June 21, 1834 40
D. Folmer, Cass County, Mich., May 30, 1835. 40 Samuel Tomlinson, Cass County, Mich , June 2 1835. 39 George Smith, Cass County, Mich , Oct. 5, 1835 .. 38
SECTION 24.
Isaac Hathaway, Lenawee County, Mich., June 19, 1829. 155 J. Melville, Lenawee County, Mich., Sept. 24, 1829 .. 80
Thomas Sullivan, Cass County, Mich., Nov. 26. 1830. 76
This township was created by an act of the Legis- lature of the State of Michigan, approved March 15, 1838, reading as follows : " All that portion of Cass County, designated in the United States survey as Township No. 8, south, of Range No. 16 west, be and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Milton; and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of Peter Truitt, Jr." Previous to this time, it formed a part of Ontwa, which was organized Novem- ber 5, 1829. The following are the principal officers first elected : James Aldrich, Supervisor ; William Manning, Treas. ; H. H. Hulin, Clerk ; G. How- land, Assessor ; William Elliott, Joseph S. Griffin, E. Shanahan, Highway Commissioners ; William Elliott, Asa Mead, James Taylor, School Inspectors. An extended list of township officers will be found farther on.
This township is situated in the southwestern por- tion of the county, and is located between Howard on the north, Ontwa on the east, Berrien County on the West, and the State of Indiana on the south.
The boundaries were surveyed by William Brook- field, and the subdivisions by him also, he completing them July 11, 1828. To Peter Truitt belongs the honor of naming the township, and Milton was selected because it was the name of a township in Delaware in which he previously resided.
The soil is very productive, and yields ample returns to the husbandman for labor bestowed. Corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley and potatoes are cultivated exten- sively, and form the principal crops, while stock, such as cattle, horses and sheep, are raised to a considera- ble extent. Beardsley's Prairie, named after Ezra Beardsley, the first settler on it, extends along the eastern portion, and in no portion can the land be termed hilly, although in some parts it is undulat- ing.
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