USA > Michigan > Cass County > History of Cass county, Michigan > Part 85
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By referring to the military record, it will be seen that Mr. Shaffer has a record inferior to no man in the county, and the rolls show the following promo- tions : Enlisted July 28, 1862, as First Lieutenant; Captain, May 15,, 1864, wounded in action June 22, 1864; Major. Twenty-eighth Infantry, August 15, 1864; Lieutenant Colonel, December 10, 1864 ; Brevet Colonel and Brigadier General United States Volunteers, March 13, 1865. Affiliation with the Democratic party prevented his elevation to office in Calvin.
The northeastern portion of Calvin has been known as the East settlement since 1833, and the appellation is quite appropriate, for this year witnessed the advent of a large number of people bearing this name who have ever reflected credit upon the township which they chose as a place of permanent residence, and they have by energy, perseverance, economy, coupled with hard labor, amid the many discouraging circum- stances that ever attend the first settlers in any county, converted the wild but not unattractive land into fine farms, which challenge the admiration of those who appreciate a productive and well-tilled soil.
William East and his wife Rachel, the progenitors of the particular family bearing their name, to which reference has been made, accompanied by his son John and his wife Ann-who settled in Porter-James East and his wife Ann (Jones) and their four children -Jacob, Isom, William, and their daughters Polly, Susanah, Rebecca and Martha, all started from Wayne County, Ind., with one horse and two ox-teams at- tached to the ponderous lumber wagons of that time, into which was loaded their household effects, and arrived at their destination November 13, 1833. William East located 170 acres of land on which he lived until his death, in 1864, his wife Rachel passing over the mystic river many years previous. James East purchased the land on which he and his venera- ble wife still reside, in Sections 1 and 12. He first put up a half-faced pole shanty and there lived until between Christmas and New Year's, when they moved into a more commodious and comfortable log house. It was nothing uncommon for them to wake up in the morning, while living in the shanty, and find in addition to their bedding an additional cover- ing of two inches of snow. William East had been here during the summer months, and raised a crop of corn on Young's Prairie, and plowed and caused to be sown twelve acres of wheat, and both crops proved good, so they had sufficient subsistence at this time. Mr. East brought with him eighteen head of hogs, and he and his father twenty-eight head of cattle and 100 sheep. Owing to exposure and the ravages of the wolves, then to be found in large numbers, their flock of sheep were depleted so that but five remained the succeeding spring.
In 1835, the year made memorable by reason of the great frost, this colony were sadly in need of food and, in the language of Mrs. East, they " hardly knew where the next meal was to come from," pro- visions were so scarce. Their wheat and corn were a failure, and they, in common with many others, then experienced their hardest time. Mr. East "is the father of ten children, eight of whom are living, of whom James M., Calvin K. and Armstrong reside
383
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in Calvin ; John H., in Cassopolis ; Jesse, in Niles; Martha Jane, Mrs. Amos Smith, in Penn ; Alfred J., in Vandalia ; and Mary L., now Mrs. S. K. Merritt, in Porter.
Joel East, another son of William, had preceded him one year and purchased land where his son Elwood now lives, another son, James W., also occu- pying part of the old farm; Susanah, the wife of Jefferson Osborn, in Calvin. The other children are Clarkson and Enos, who reside in Calvin ; William, Edom and Caroline, now Mrs. Elliott, reside in Por- ter ; Martha, is deceased ; and Thomas J., who resides in Van Buren County. The Easts belong to the Society of Friends, and assisted in establishing and maintaining a church of their faith in this township.
Probably no one family in this township, if in the county, is more extensively or favorably known than the Osborns, whose names became prominently asso- oiated with those who not only advocated, but put in practice, in a small way, the sovereign principle of universal liberty by assisting those fleeing from bond- age in obtaining.their freedom from the slavery that once disgraced our national existence, and they formed no unimportant factor in bringing the issue to a suc- cessful and favorable termination by assisting in start- ing the leaven which molded the public sentiment of the people on this great question by bringing slavery prominently before them in all its hideous deformity.
The Osborns are descendents of the Barnards, who came from England at a very carly day and settled on the island of Nantucket and were known as whalers. Josiah Osborn, who was born in Knox County, Tenn., is a son of the well-known Quaker preacher and abol- itionist, Charles Osborn, whose record appears else- where. Josiah went with his parents to Wayne County, Ind., whither they removed to avoid the pain of witnessing the concomitant evils of slavery. In the spring of 1835, Josiah accompanied by his son Jefferson, then a lad twelve years of age, came to Calvin Township and purchased the northeast quarter of Section 24, and chopped between three and four acres of the dense forest and set out 100 fruit trees, four years old, and between four and five thousand seedlings, brought with them from Indiana. A sim- ple log house, descriptions of similar ones will be found in this work, had been erected on the place by a man named John Zeek, so that having performed the objects of their journey they returned after the family. The trip to their new home, which was uneventful, occupying sixteen days. Here they settled on a new farm, surrounded by a large scope of unimproved ter- ritory, neighbors few and far between, and they very poor, not possessing even an ox team with which to do the logging and necessary work on a farm. and still, amid
all these obstacles they did not become discouraged until a failure of crops rendered food almost unprocurable --- they subsisting one week on potatoes and venison- when they, in common with many others, would have fled the country had they the means to do so with. The labors of the farm coupled with the attempt to es- tablish a nursery entailed double work, especially as the trees were planted before the logs, stumps, roots or brush had been removed, so that it entailed almost double labor, but success crowned their efforts, and this and Van Buren Counties are deeply indebted to Mr. Os- born and his son Jefferson, who was associated with him in the business, for their early orchards, which produced fine fruit, they being the only ones engaged in this industry for many years, when Elijah Os- born, brother of Josiah, of Calvin, started a nursery, . and still later, after Mr. Osborn abandoned the busi- ness, Benjamin Hathaway, of Volinia, engaged in it.
By referring to the chapter on the Kentucky Raid, it will be seen that Mr. Osborn and his son Jefferson bore a conspicuous part, and the expense thus entailed was so great that it took ten years of hard labor to meet obligations then incurred.
Josiah Osborn died in June, 1862; his wife, Mary (Barnard), passing away in August, 1853. They were the parents of seven children, as follows : Ellison and Charles, now in Jasper County, Mo .; Jefferson, who resides in Calvin and owns part of the old farm ; Leander, a physician in Vandalia ; Obed, who resides near Paw Paw; Louisa, Mrs. Evans, at Constantine, and Angeline, deceased. Mr. Jefferson Osborn has been twice married, first to Frances Tharp, who de- ceased in 1851, and by whom he had two children- Leroy and Clara-both residents of Calvin, the form- er a farmer, while the latter is under the parental roof; and next to Susannah East, and two children have blessed their union, as follows : Mary, Mrs. Mitchell, at Grand Rapids; and Frank, a school teacher. Mr. Osborn and his son Leroy have filled various township offices in the gift of the people, and are numbered among the best and most enterprising citizens.
Hiram Lee came to Calvin with his father, Nathan, in 1835, located on Section 12 and commenced the life of a pioneer, which was cut short, as he died in 1836, leaving a family of six children to cope with such tremendous odds that a true pen picture of their struggles to obtain a livelihood on a new and unimproved farm would discourage many men of stern resolve, but they succeeded in surmounting the obsta- cles that opposed them. Nathan recalls the time when the fierce wolves attacked their dog, who sought pro- tection by plunging into the cabin through the quilt, which was utilized in the capacity of a door, although
384
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
it was midwinter. Mr. Hiram Lee was a man of remarkable memory, and while pursuing his avocation as cooper, in Brownsville, kept all his accounts in his mind, and when asked how he managed with those who had paid their accounts, answered : " I rub them out of my memory, and they do not trouble me at all." _A stroke of paralysis has injured his mem- ory so he now resorts to the ordinary methods of book-keeping.
Hiram Smith, a resident of Section 20, is the oldest child of a Samuel Smith, who came to Calvin in 1838. He'enlisted August 29, 1864, in the Twelfth Michi- igan Infantry, and was discharged September 9, 1865. His wife, Mrs. H. S. (Hayden), is a daughter of Sam- uel J. Lincoln, who came to the county in 1834, and stopped on the farm now owned by William Jones, in Penn.
Among the early settlers was James Girt, who came here when very poor, and worked on Young's Prairie, until purchasing forty acres in Section 32, to which was added from time to time, until he possessed a large farm, on which he died, and on which his widow, Catharine Girt, now resides.
Among those coming into the county at a later date, who have been quite largely identified with public af- fairs, and who have a well deserved popularity, because of admirable personal traits, as well as readiness to farther the interests of the community and county in which he resides, is Levi J. Reynolds, who came into the county in 1847, from Steuben County, Ind., with his brother, Edward M., when a young man seventeen years of age. For the first five years after his arrival, he labored as a farm-hand, having to depend entirely upon his own exertions to further his interests, when he commenced farming for himself, and has been very successful. Since 1862, he has been engaged quite largely as an auctioneer, in which he has also made a success, this business taking him many times to Indiana, whither his fame as an auctioneer, has extend- ed. The farm on which he resides, in Section 2, was purchased seventeen years since, and now contains good farm buildings he has erected. His name ap- pears frequently in the civil list of the township.
James Melling, who moved into the county in 1865, was prominently engaged in civil affairs in his former home, in South Bend, Ind., and assisted in making some hazardous arrests, and even kidnaped a horse thief at Bertrand, who was convicted, and he, in turn, was apprehended for illegal arrests, but public senti- ment would not admit his prosecution.
Beniah Tharp came from Logan County, Ohio, in 1843, and in 1844 purchased 160 acres of wild land, in Section 15, which was subdued and brought to a state of cultivation by patient, laborious toil. He has
been a resident of Brownsville since 1867, and has succeeded in acquiring a competency.
ORIGINAL LAND ENTRIES. SECTION 1.
ACRES.
Henry H. Fowler, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 5, 1832 80
Joel East, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 16, 1832. 160
James East, Wayne County, Ind., April 18, 1833. 80
William East, Wayne County, Ind., April 18, 1833 80
William East, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 29, 1833. 96
Lawrence, Imlay & Beach, Onondaga County, N. Y., May 14, 1836. 80
Peter Beiael, St. Joseph County, May 7, 1833. 99
SECTION 2.
Pleasant Grubb, Cass County, Mich., May 11, 1836 ..: 86
Zadoc Clark, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 12, 1836 53
Elijah Reynolds, Casa County, Mich., Dec. 14. 1836. 40
Thomas E. O'Dell, Cass County, Mich., April 11, 1873. 62
Ira Warren, Cass County, Mich., Sept. 24, 1844 67
Robert Roane, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 11, 1853. 66
SECTION 3.
Andrew T. Grubb, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 29, 1835. 40
Aaron Brown, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 30, 1835. 80
Peter Marmou, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 4, 1836. 10
Lawrence, Imlay & Co., May 14, 1836 .. 240
Jeremiah Rudd, Rutland County, Vt., July 6, 1836 80
Daniel McIntosh, Cass t'ounty, Mich., Dec. 14. 1836. 74
Madison Frazer, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 25, 1849 61
SECTION 4.
Elizabeth White, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 20, 1835 160
Elizabeth White, Feb. 24, 1835 160
Truman Kilbourn, Otsego County, N. Y., July 25, 1836. 157
Benjamin Sherman, St. Joseph County, Jan. 13, 1837. 80
SECTION 5.
Nathan Young, Lenawee County, June 17, 1829 160
John Reid, Lenawee County, June 17, 1829 160
George Nicholson, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 1, 1881 80
David T. Nicholson, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 18, 1834 40
William Nicholson, Cass County, Mich., July 27, 1835 40
Jacob Rosebrook, dass County, Mich., Jan. 29, 1835. 69
Amos Northrop, Rutland County, Vt., April 8, 1837 .. 72
SECTION 6.
John Reid, Jr., Casa County, Mich., Jan. 11, 1830. 160
Levi F. Arnold, St. Joseph County, Nov. 9, 1830. 64
Burnham & Smith, New Hampshire, June 13, 1831 149
John McDonald, Cass County, Mich., Sept. 11, 1835. 8)
SECTION 7.
John Reid, Lenawee County, June 17, 1829. 160
Giles Norton, Logan County, Ohio, Jan. 11, 1830 57
Giles Norton, Aug. 18, 1835 56
Giles Norton, Cass County, Mich., Aug. 22, 1835. 40
Jacob Charles, June 6, 1831 80
Hiram Richardson, April 7, 1832. 80
Hiram Richardson, Nov. 30, 1835. 40
John Reid, Dec. 12, 1836. 40
SECTION 8.
George Jones, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 14, 1830. 80
Andrew Grubb, Feb. 12, 1831 80
Isaac Heller
LEVI D. NORTON,
385
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY. MICHIGAN.
ACRES.
Andrew Grubb. Oct. 24, 1835 .. 40
Maxwell Zane, Sept. 14, 1831 80
Maxwell Zane, Feb. 23, 1836 40
Maxwell Zane, Feb. 9, 1837. 40
William Grubb, June 25, 1833.
40
John Reid, March 3, 1835 40
John Reid, Dec. 11, 1835. 40
Hiram Richardson, Feb. 23, 1836. 40
Jobn V. Whinrey, Dec. 14, 1836. 40
L. D. & P. Norton, March 4, 1837
40
Findley Cheas, Nov. 12, 1845. 40
SECTION 9.
William Zane, Cass County, Mich., June 4, 1833 80
Lyman A. Spalding, Niagara County, N. Y., April 23, 1836 ... 240
Lawrence, Imlay & Co., Onondaga County, N. Y., May 14, 1836. 80
George Redfield, Casa County, Mich., Feb. 1, 1837. 80
Benjamin Sherman, St. Joseph County, Nov. 10, 1837. 80
Hoagland Hulse, Cass County, Mich., July 28, 1847 40
Johnson Patrick, Cass County, Mich., March 25, 1852 40
SECTION 10.
Lawrence, Imlay & Co., May 16, 1836 320
Lawrence, Imlay & Co., June 7, 1836 160
George Redfield, Feb. 1, 1837. 80
George Redfield, June 11, 1838 80
SECTION 11.
Walter Mills, Wayne County, Ind .. April 21, 1835. 40
Jobn Maulaby, La Porte County, Ind., April 28, 1836 80
Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 14, 1836. 280 Azariab Williama, Cass County, Mich., May 24, 1837. 80
John Roberts, Cass County, Mich., April 2, 1852 40
SECTION 12.
Thomas Bulla, Wayne County, Ind., Nov. 8, 1832. 240
James East, Wayne County, Ind., April 18, 1833. 80 Nathan Lee, Wayne County, Ind., Oct. 29, 1833 80 Benjamin Elliott, Wayne County, Ind., Dec. 5, 1835 .. 160
Samuel Pickering, La Porte County, Ind., April 28, 1836. 80
SECTION 13.
Nathan Williama, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 7, 1833 80
Samuel Pickering, La Porte County, Ind., April 28, 1836.
160
Lemuel Maulsby, La Porte County, Ind , F. b. 29, 1836. 80
George Redfield. Cass County, Mich., March 29, 1837 .. 80
Lawson Howell, Aug. 25, 1845 40
Turner Bird, March 17, 1849. 56
Jesse B. Williams, Oct. 29, 1849. 40 David M. Howell, July 22, 1853. 40
SECTION 14.
Lemuel Maulsby, La Porte County, Ind., Feb. 29, 1836. 80 Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 14, 1836. 549
SECTION 15.
Levi D. Tharp, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 26, 1835 40 Jonathan Osborn, La Porte County, Ind., Feb. 29, 1836. 160 Henly C. Lybrook. Cass County, Mich., March 23, 1836 .. 80 Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 14, 1836 360
SECTION 16.
School Lands.
SECTION 17. ACRE8.
Jesse Hutchinson, Cass County, Mich., March 3, 1835 40
Harvey Reed, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 26, 1835. 40
John Reed, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 11, 1835 80 Giles Norton, Cass County, Mich., Dec. 29, 1835 80
Richards & Russell, Washington County, N. V., July 18, 1836 80
Benjamin Richards, Washington County, N. Y , July 5, 1837, 40
Duncan McIntosh, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 9, 1837. 80 James Cross, St. Joseph County, Mich., March 16, 1837. 160 Peter Shaffer, Cass County, Mich., Oct. 21, 1852. 40
SECTION 18.
Moses McIlvain, Champaign County, Ohio, Nov. 13, 1835. 66
Jesse Hutchinson Cass County, Mich., Nov. 30, 1835. 55
Jesse Hutchinson, Dec. 12, 1836. 40
Giles Norton, Dec. 11, 1835. 31
Pleasant Norton, Deo. 16, 1835. 18
Pleasant Norton, Nov. 12, 1845. 56
Henry P. Voorhees, Montgomery County, N. Y., July 8, 1836 119
Peter Shaffer, Casa County, Mich., Feb. 3, 1837.
40
SECTION 19.
Daniel Mcintosh, Jr., Cass County, Mich., Nov. 3, 1830. 80
Joseph Smith, Jan. 27, 1835
40
Harvey Reed, Oct. 26, 1835. 80
Moses Mellvain, Champaign County, Ohio, Nov. 13, 1835 .. 133 William T. Noel, Berrien County, Mich., July 8, 1836. 80
Richards & Russell, Washington County, N. Y., July 18, 1836 93
William Hannaha, Otsego County, N. Y., July 25, 1836.
80
SECTION 20.
William T. Noel, Wayne County, Aug. 15, 1831 80
Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 28, 1836 320
George White, Cass County, Mich., June 6, 1836 120
Richards & Russell, July 16, 1836
80
William Hannabs, July 25, 1836
40
SECTION 21.
George Redfield, Caas County, Mich., Oct. 13, 1835, entire ... 612
SECTION 22.
Barry & Fowler, March 21, 1833. 53
George Redfield, Oct. 13, 1835. 160
George Redfield, Dec. 12, 1835. 126
George Redfield, Dec. 10, 1836. 70
Harley Redfield, Ontario County, N. Y., Oct. 13, 1835
160
SECTION 23.
George Redfield, Cass County, Mich .. Dec. 12, 1835. 160
Richard Williams, Wayne County, Ind., Feb. 1 and 29, 1836 160 Lawrence, Imlay & Co., May 14, 1836 105
William Hannalia, July 25, 1836
133
SECTION 24.
Josiah Osborn, Wayne County, Ind., October 28, 1834. 160
Elijah Osborn, Wayue County, Ind., October 28, 1834 80
Elijah Osborn, Cass County, Mich., July 16, 1836 80 Elijah Osborn, Cass County, Mich., December 12, 1836. 80 Charlas Williams, Wayne County, Ind.
Richard Williams, Wayne County, Ind. 228
386
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
SECTION 25.
ACRES.
Elihu Osborn, Madison County, Ind., September 9, 1835. 40
Elihu Osborn, Cass County, Mich., April 28, 1836. 120
Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 14, 1836. 480
SECTION 26.
George Redfield, Dec. 12, 1835. 320
Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 14, 1836 160
Alexander H. Redfield, Feb. 1, 1837 80
Samuel H. Saulspaugh, Feb. 1, 1837 80
SECTION 27.
George Redfield, Sept. 7, 1835. 80
George Redfield, Oct. 13, 1835. 160
George Redfield, Dec. 12, 1835. 160
George Redfield, Dec. 10, 1836 40
Harley Redfield, Dec. 12, 1835.
160
Luther Chapin, April 23, 1836.
40
SECTION 28.
Peter Shaffer, Jan. 31, 1832. 80
George Redfield, Sept. 7, 1835. 560
SECTION 29.
David Shaffer, Cass County, Mich., June 14, 1831. 80
Peter Shaffer, Clark County, Ohio, Oct. 29, 1831. 160
John Ireland, Cass County, Mich., July 12, 1831. 80
Thompson Smith, Cass County, Mich., Feb. 2, 1832. 80
Lawrence, Imlay & B., May 28, 1826 160
Richards & Russell, July 16, 1836. 80
SECTION 30.
Havilah Beardsley, Elkhart County, Ind .. Jan. 2, 1835. 52 Richards & Russell Washington County, N. Y., July 16, 1836. 532
SECTION 31.
Leonard Keen, Cass County, Mich., July 3, 1835. 40
William T. Noel, Berrien County, Mich., July 8, 1836. 92
Richards & Russell, July 16, 1836. 282
Sylvador T. Reed, Cass County, Dec. 31, 1846 54
SECTION 32.
Peter Shaffer, Cass County, Mich., Jan. 21, 1832. 80
Peter Shaffer, Cass County, Mich., Aug. 2, 1836. 160
James Girt, Feb. 4. 1833. 40
James Girt, June 15, 1835. 40 James Girt, March 17, 1836. 40
Harris Winslow, Monroe County, Mich., April 26, 1836. 160
Lawrence, Imlay & Co., May 28, 1836 .. 80
Jacob Lambert, Berrien County, Mich., July 8, 1836. 40
SECTION 33.
Peter Shaffer, Jan. 31, 1832. 80
John S. Mclutosh, April 10, 1835 40
G. & A. H. Redfield, July 9, 1835. 80
George Redfield, March 15, 1836. 120
George Redfield, April 21, 1836. 80
Harley Redfield, Sept. 7, 1835 160
llarris Winslow, April 26, 1836. 80
SECTION 34.
Harley Redfield, Sept. 7. 1835. 80
Harley Redfield, Dec. 12, 1835 240
George Redfield, April 21, 1836. 80
Richards & Russell, July 18, 1836. 240
SECTION 35.
Harley Redfield, Ontario County, N. Y., Dec. 12, 1835 ... ACRES . 80 Richards & Russell, Washington County, N. Y., July 18, 1836. 560
SECTION 36.
Grove Lawrence, William H. Imlay and George Beach, Onon- daga County, N. Y., May 14, 1836, entire ... ...... 640
COLORED SETTLEMENT.
There is a peculiar feature attached to Calvin, not to be found in any other township in the State. Should a stranger be placed in its center, he wonld at once conclude that he was in a Southern State, owing to the great preponderance of the colored people, who far outrank, in number, the white population.
There are a variety of causes that conspired to form this isolated colony of colored people, surrounded as they are on every side with a white population. The primal canse was the residence, in the northeast- ern portion of the township, of numerous friends to this unfortunate race among the Society of Friends, who then formed a larger portion of the population, and, as will be seen elsewhere, some of them were ac- tive workers on the Underground Railroad, and all were sympathizers in the movement.
A Quaker preacher, named Henry H. Way, brought with him, in 1836, a fugitive slave, named Lawson, who was the first colored resident in the township. He remained for several years, and raised a family. Willis Brown was also among the first. In 1838, a Guinea negro, named Jesse Scott, who was a fugitive slave, settled on the farm now owned by Andrew Hostler, and gained a livelihood by raising tobacco. In the war of 1812, he served as waiter for Gen. Pinkney.
A large portion of this town was purchased by spec- ulators, who, by reason of high prices asked, practi- cally kept it out of the market, which retarded its settlement for several years. George Redfield, of Ontwa, and Imley & Beach, of New York, were the principal owners of this land. It was finally placed in the market by them, on the most advantageous terms, the usual prices being from $4 to $5 per acre, with a term of ten years' credit. In 1845 or 1846, a colored colony, composed of Harvey Wade, Eusom Tare, Nathaniel Boon, Turner and Crawford Bird, K. Artist and Harrison Ash, came from Logan County, Ohio, and purchased small farms. A planter, named Sampson Saunders, who died at his residence Cabul County, Va., liberated his slaves, by the provis- ions of his will, and appropriated $15,000 with which his administrators were instructed to purchase farms for them in some Free State, their number being about forty. The cheapness of lands in Calvin, coupled with the friendliness of the whites, caused him to make all
387
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
his purchases here, in 1849, except a small tract pur- call for soldiers, over one-half of those liable to do chased in Porter, adjoining, and from this time onward military duty, taking up arms in defense of their coun- a stream of colored emigrants poured into the township, try, which was a record worthy of emulation, it being unequaled by any other nationality. until all the land was occupied. There are now about 1,000 colored out of a population of 1,693, and, out of a population of 400 voters, about 250 are colored. SAW-MILL AND DISTILLERY. Calvin is, therefore, one of the Republican strong- holds of the county, and did the colored people desire, they could elect one of their number to represent them and the township on the Board of Supervisors. In purely local matters, they hold quite a number of township offices, such as Town Clerk, Justice of the Peace, etc.
But a small proportion of these people have ever been in bondage, the major portion being the descend- ants of free colored people, emigrants from other Northern States.
When coming here they were, except in very ex- ceptional cases, in a destitute condition, and obtained by contract possession of the land which they have cleared and improved, and many are now as prosper- ous as their white neighbors, having fine farms. They take justifiable pride in their churches, of which they have three, and schools which reflect great credit upon them. Some of the schools are even now taught by colored teachers, and are attended by a greater or lesser number of white children.
At the centennial exhibition pictures of the school - houses of this township were exhibited, and provoked much favorable comment on the apparent enterprise of the people.
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