USA > Michigan > Genesee County > History of Genesee county, Michigan. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 105
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Late in the fall it became evident that there was not a possibility of getting enough fodder to keep both of the oxen through the winter, so the one that was in the best condition was killed and packed in the beef-barrel to help furnish sustenance for the family. Early in the spring another ox was purchased of George Oliver, but this was quite weakly and was killed by the wolves, leaving both of the settlers without a team. All of the plowing and drag- ging done for Clark and Oliver that spring was done with the one ox, for which a single yoke was made. In the early part of the following summer the stock of provisions began to run low, and it was found that no flour could be obtained nearer than Detroit, so a cart was improvised from the hind wheels of the wagon, to which a box and a pair of shafts were attached, and to this the ox was hitched and the journey made. It occupied about a week's time, and two barrels of flour, one for himself and one for Oliver, were procured and brought home. This ox was very much afraid of Indians, many of whom it saw in Detroit, and this circumstance caused it to present a very spirited ap- pearance, which attracted the attention of the numerous cartmen, who frequently bantered Mr. Clark for a trade.
Thomas Clark remained an honored citizen of the town to the time of his death, July 10, 1864, and departed this life at the age of eighty-six years, mourned by a wide cirele of friends and acquaintances. His wife died Nov. 7, 1855, aged eighty-four years. Of his children, five are dead, three-Pheroras, Otis, and Mrs. Elizabeth Warren-are still living in Richfield, Sullivan is a resident of the State of Kansas, Asa W. of New York, and Mrs. Thurza Pixley of Illinois. Pheroras married Harriet A., a daughter of Joseph French, and is now living on a portion of the old homestead. To him we are indebted for valuable assistance in the work of compiling this history.
A little later in the fall of 1836, Orsimus Cooley eame from the town of Farmington, in Oakland County, and connueneed a clearing near the southwest corner of section 20, on the east side of the Irish road. As soon as he had cleared a small piece and built a log shanty he returned to Farmington, and in January, 1837, brought his family, consisting of a wife and five children, to their new home. llis father was among the earliest settlers in Farmington. They were originally from Massachusetts ; and Orsimus, with his family, followed his father to this State, in 1830, living in Farmington until the time of his removal to this town. Mr. Cooley is still a resident of the town in which he has spent the years of his manhood, and, bowing beneath the weight of years, is calmly waiting the summons of the Master to go from hence to join the partner of his earthly joys, who departed this life on the 26th of December, 1872,
at the age of seventy-one years. During the early years of the settlement, Mr. Cooley was a famous guide through the wilderness for many parties of land-lookers, and was as familiar then with the trails and blazed paths as he now is with the well-worked highways that traverse the town. One of his adventures is deemed worthy of record here, because of its unusual nature.
Some time in the summer season of 1840 or 1841 there was a "raising" in the town of Genesee, to which all the settlers far and near were invited, and as such occasions- furnishing as they did fine opportunities for social converse and learning the news of the different localities-were eagerly looked forward to by the settlers, Mr. Cooley and two companions started out quite early in the day to attend it. He told his two companions to start out in a certain direction, while he would bear off in another towards a favorite runway of the deers, with the expectation of get- ting a shot at one on his way. As he neared the runway he entered a dense swamp, and while passing through cane into a sort of opening through the branches, and looking along this opening saw outlined against the sky a dark figure, which he immediately made out to be a bear. The animal was quite a long distance away, but taking a careful aim he fired, and evidently with snecess, for the bear gave a spasmodie leap upwards and fell with a crash into the underbrush. With the care which had become almost a sceond nature to the woodman, he hastily reloaded his rifle and then turned to go forward and witness the result of his shot. But just as he turned and east his eyes towards the spot where the bear had fallen, the branches were suddenly agitated, and a second bear came into view. Though this bear did not present a favorable position for a fatal shot, Mr. Cooley blazed away, and was again successful in eausing the animal to fall from his perch into the underbrush, where he thrashed about with loud cries of pain and rage. Again the wary hunter reloaded, and was greatly astonished when a third bear presented itself at the opening. Once more he fired with fatal accuracy, and added another carcass to the pile of game. He then reloaded for the third time, and cautiously approached the spot where the bears had appeared. He found that a large tree had been overturned by the wind, and in falling had struck aeross a log, which caused one end of it to tilt upwards into the air. Up this tree-trunk the bears had walked, and it was while it was looking about for a path that the first one was shot. When he arrived at the scene two of the bears were dead and the third nearly so. Mr. Cooley was soon joined by his com- panions, who were attracted by the rapid firing, and with their help skinned the bears. One of them was an old one, who had given the settlers considerable trouble and had been shot at several times. One ball was found which Cooley was confident had been fired from his rifle two or three years before, and which had passed through the bear's body and lodged against the skin on the opposite side. The other two bears were younger ones, but full grown.
The next family to arrive in town was the Teachout family. William Teachout was the head of the family, which consisted of his wife, three sons, and seven daugh- ters. The eldest son, Jacob,-in whose name the land was entered,-beeame quite a prominent man in the town.
411
RICHIFIELD TOWNSILIP.
The family were New Yorkers, and came here in the spring of 1837, following the Oliver road from the mouth of Kearsley Creek to their land on section 30. On their farm, in the season of 1838, was erected the first frame barn in Richfield. Mrs. Temperance Tucker and Mrs. James Woods are the only children of William Teachout now living in this town.
Thomas J. Gillett was probably the next settler. Hle stayed here a few years, and then removed elsewhere.
In the spring of 1839, Elias Van Schaiek and family left their home in the town of Lyme (now Cape Vincent), Jefferson Co., N. Y., with the intention of going to the State of Illinois to settle on the fertile prairie lands regard- ing which such favorable reports were rife in the East. They traveled with their own conveyance to Buffalo, where one of the horses was taken sick, and they were compelled to take boat up the lake. They took passage for Toledo in a boat that was just leaving for Detroit, the mistake being the result of the unscrupulous representations of a "runner," whose zeal was largely in excess of his veracity. Upon his arrival in Detroit, his horse still being too sick to undertake the tedious journey to Chicago, he resolved to hunt up the Clarks, with whom he was intimately acquainted, and visit them a few days before going on farther west. In this way he came to Richfield, and, being pleased with some of the heavily-timbered land he saw, finally decided to go no far- ther, but to settle here instead. He then bought of Robert J. S. Page, of Flint, the east half of the northeast quar- ter of section 35, and there founded his home. During his long residence in this town he has added to his landed possessions another 80-aere lot on section 26. The work of clearing this land of its heavy growth of forest has been done mainly by his unaided efforts, though his wife-a true pioneer woman-often assisted hitu in this laborious task. They are both still living on their homestead, well advanced in years, and enjoy the confidence and affection of their neighbors. Mr. Van Schaick has for some time suffered the great affliction of the loss of his sight, and it is a beau- tiful and touching sight to see the little children, with whom he is a great favorite, eagerly discussing who shall have the honor and pleasure of leading " grandpa" along the way as they go to school. Old age and childhood ; help- Jess man and helpful children ; how pleasant the spectacle !
A few weeks later than Mr. Van Schaick, Jeremiah R. Stanard came and settled on a fractional part of the north- west quarter of section 6. The farm contained 114 acres. Mr. Stanard formerly lived in Genesee Co., N. Y., in the town of Stafford (now Pavilion). While living there he married Dorothy Davis, of Java (now in Wyoming County), and with her eame to Flint in the month of October, 1835. The city of Flint was then in its infancy, and could boast of only three or four dwellings. Stanard was a carpenter and joiner, and worked at his trade in Flint for a while, and also took up 80 acres of land in the town of Flint. In the spring of 1839 he exchanged this with William Van Slyke for the land he owned in this town. During his residence here Mr. Stanard was repeatedly called upon to serve his town in a publie capacity. In 1862 he changed his resi- denee to the town of Oregon, in Lapeer County, where he is now living.
In June of this year ( 1839), Argalus II. Matthews came and made a settlement on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 6. Hle was a native of the town of New Haven, Addison Co., Vt., and lived for five years in Orleans and Niagara Counties in the State of New York before coming to Michigan. In January, 1837, he was married to Miss Rebecca C. Sullivan, in the town of Ala- bama, Genesee Co., and in the following September came to Michigan and took Rufus Stevens' saw-mill, on the Thread River, to run by the 1000 feet for a term of six months. Ile then took a chopping job on Swartz Creek, where he worked till the month of November, 1838, when he went into Chauncey Payne & Co.'s hydraulic saw-mill, and worked there until he had earned money enough to purchase 80 aeres of land, a cow, and provisions enough to last till after harvest, when he moved on to his land in Richfield, having to eut his own road from the present village of Whitesburg. To that point a road had been opened by a man named James Roach, who was sent there by Cook & Gordon, and was engaged in making shingles for them. In the work of building his log house he was assisted by J. R. Stanard and Alanson Webster. All of the logs had to be carried together and laid up by hand, as neither of them had a team.
During the summer a few potatoes were raised, and an aere and a half of wheat was sown that fall. During the harvest, Mr. Matthews worked for Benjamin Pearson at the Coldwater settlement, and received in payment 83 bushels of wheat, his wages being 1 bushel and 1 peck per day. Pearson paid him I bushel in flour, and the other 73 bushels were taken to the Thread mill to be ground.
Some of the difficulties to be overcome by the pioneer are shown by what Mr. Matthews had to go through with to get this small quantity of wheat prepared for use. lle had no team or wagon, and, to get them, had to work one day for the wagon and two and one-half days for the oxen. Then it took him one day to get the oxen, go after the wagon, and get to his home ready for a start to the mill. All the next day was spent in getting to the mill with his grist, and then he found that he could not get it ground under two or three weeks. So home he returned and took his wagon and oxen to their respective owners. Three weeks later the performance had to be repeated to get the flour home. Each night that he remained in Flint he had to pay one dollar for his entertainment, so that when he finally cast up accounts, he found that he had given thirteen days' work and two dollars in money to get seren and one- half bushels of wheat ground into flour.
Ia 1818, Mr. Matthews bought the Cook & Gordon saw- mill at Whitesburg, and operated it about five and a half years. In the summer of 1855 he erected the tavern at the southeast corner of section 6, which was the first pub- lic-house opened in the town, and kept it seven years, when it was rented to other parties, and, in 1865, was sold to Robert D. B. Alexander. It was afterwards sold to a Mr. Rush, and is now owned and occupied by James P. Wheeler. Mrs. Matthews died April 22, 1863, and Sept. 27, 1865, Mr. Matthews married Mrs. Almira S. Miller (formerly Keleh), and is now living with her in the pleasant home recently built on the southwest corner of scetion 5. Mr.
412
HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Matthews also built and opened a store at the corners in the year 1867.
Among those who settled in the town at an early day was Asa Davis, who, in addition to his merits as a pioneer and an agriculturist, had the honor of being one of the first ministers of the gospel who preached in this section. He was a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church. A native of the State of New York, he removed to and lived at Shorcham, Addison Co., Vt., till the fall of 1830, when he decided to remove to Michigan. He had married Miss Rebecca Bingham while living in Vermont, and was accompanied to this State by her and their three children. They first lived in Southfield, Oakland Co., where Mr. Davis worked out by the day. In the spring of 1832 he moved to Pontiac, and afterwards returned to Southfield, where his wife died in January, 1835. He remarried, his second wife being Miss Martha A. Warren, and moved to Clark's Mills, on Kearsley Creek, in the present town of Genesee, where he worked for Ogden Clark in eutting and handling logs and lumber. In February, 1839, he settled on the land he had taken up in Richfield nearly three years before. It is said that he made the first shingle used in the town, though this seems doubtful, since George Oliver, who was a shingle-maker, moved in nearly three years earlier than Davis. Mr. Davis lived in this town till 1863, when lie moved to Genesee, and in 1865 to Forest, in the south part of which latter town he lived till his death, which oc- cnrred Jan. 28, 1877, at the age of seventy-three years. llis widow survives him, and lives on the homestead. Of his children, Mrs. Rebecca Amidon and Mrs. Elva Pettitt live in Richfield ; William P., Almon, Asa, and Mrs. Sarah A. Coe, in Forest ; and Mrs. Julia Goodell in Saginaw County.
Many others settled in the town at an early day, and de- serve a place among the pioneers. While we have not the material or the space for extended biographies of them, we give the names of as many as we have been able to learn. They are as follows : William Draper, E. B. Witherbce, Isaac and Phincas J. Tucker, Zebulon Dickinson, Andrew Chappell, John Van Buskirk, Joseph French, Frederick Olds, Francis Davis, Amherst W. Matthews, Alanson Munger, Jephtha Stimpson, Nathaniel Hart, Joseph Mor- ford, William Throop, John, Sr., John, Jr., and Leander L. ITill, Garrett Zufelt, Stephen Cady, Caleb Lankton, Henry F. Shepard, Nelson Warren, Samnel Elmore, Thomas Dibble, William Munger, Noah Hull, William W., Cyrns, and Isaac L. Matthews, Laban and Alvah Rogers, and An- drew Cook.
As showing the names of some of the carly citizens of this town we give the following list of resident tax-payers, as shown by the tax-roll of 1844:
Names.
Sections.
Acres.
Tax.
Nelson Annis 18
40
$0.80
James Amy ..
15
2.16
Nathaniel Blackmer, Jr ...... 17 and 18.
90
3.36
Asahel Bryan.
31
2.10
Andrew Cook ...
6, 19. 20, and 29
360
14.40
Orsimus Cooley.
20 and 30.
2,95
Alexander Churchill
31
31
80
2.40
lliram Curtis
29
40
87
Andrew C. Chappell.
,13 and 14.
160
5,99
Stephen Cady.
28
80
1.60
Riley Carpenter.
80
1.60
Pheroras Clark
2,42
Names.
Sections.
Acres.
Tax
Thomas Clark
22
120
$6.50
Aaron Crossman
15
80
2.03
Nathaniel Cortrel ..
1.14
Zebulon Diekioson. 29
160
6.32
Francis Davis.
239
5.71
Asa Davis
10, 14, and 15
100
4.43
George Dibble.
67
David Dickinson. 21
80
1,60
David Gardner
29
Jeffrey Gardner
23
Clark Gardner
Jeffrey W. Gardner.
80
3.26
Stephen R. Gates .. 15
40
95
Noah full ..
18 and 32 ..
180
3.96
S. W. Harrington
8, 17, and 18
528
19,30
William Hoyle, Jr. William Hoyle, Sr.
80
1,60
Thomas Jenkins
80
1,60
Samuel Johnson.
36
1
21
Albert and Egbert King.
19
120
2.77
Abel Kidder
80
1.95
Benjamin S. Lock wood
6
3.38
Alanson Munger
80
2.25
Joseph Morford.
28.
SO
2.36
William Munger.
28
160
3.43
Georgo Oliver.
21 and 22
4.98
Frederick Olds
13
40
1,86
Linus Parker
40
1.49
William J. Phillips. 32 and 33.
200
3,19
Morrison Powelson 93
328
8.26
Alva Powelson
57
David Parker.
40
1.32
Stephen S. Roberts.
24
1.60
Erastus Roberts
01
160
3.33
Levi Reynolds
G
70
1.62
William Scott.
3-
160
5.15
Henry F. Shepard ..
424
1.60
Willian Sluper
40
80
Phineas J. Tucker
29, 30, and 32
240
9.11
Isane Tucker ..
30
120
4.88
William Throop.
30
160
4.05
William Teachout
30
120
7.44
Timothy B. Theker
39
2.43
Willis Tucker. 30
40
9G
John Van Buskirk
19
120
2.63
Elias Van Schaick
35
80
2.52
Asa N. Warren
11
40
1,26
Garrett Zufelt.
20
160
7.24
Total tax.
$214.21
The following is a summary of the schedule of taxes for the town of Richfield that year :
State and county fax ....
$321.41 | 6.19
Resident taxes .... Non-resident taxes
470.96
School district, of distriet
No. 2, per judgment in
favor of Anna Tucker,
costs and interest
10.20
Highway tax
142.56
Township poor tax
60.00
Tuwnship tax
121.81
Library tax.
23.00
Total $685.17
Total
$685.17
William Draper and E. B. Witherbec, from Pontiac, purchased considerable land in this town, and in the fall of 1836 had come on with a gang of laborers and improved the Irish road, so that it was for those times an excellent road. In the spring of 1837 they were busily at work building a dam across the Flint River on section 17, a few rods east of the Irish road, and in putting up a large saw- mill. The mill was completed, and commeneed running in the spring of 1838. It was the largest and best mill ever built in the town, and was in operation for nearly a score of years. The dam is still to be seen across the course of the river, but the flood-gates having long since disappeared
....
13
Argalus 11. Malthews.
21 and 34 ..
280
23
9%
Thomas J. Gillett. 26
23
Daniel K. Roberts
$8.34
2,87
Jeremiah R. Stanard.
1.82
Jesse Smith.
91
Eli Skinner ..
Daniel B. Skioner.
28
40
$211.21
Rejected taxes ..
50
Jonas Bellinger
3.73
Lyman Curtis
36
413
RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP.
it only frets and worries, instead of obstructing, the current. Neither Draper nor Witherbee remained resident of the town for any great length of time.
The second saw-mill was the Belden mill, heretofore de- scribed, and the third mill was built in 1852-53, a little above the Draper mill, by Higgins & Blackmer. After running for some time as a lumber-mill it was eventually transformed into a shingle-mill. A fourth mill was built by Maxfield & Goodrich, in 1855, on Flint River, a mile north of the centre of the town. It was the first steam saw-mill in the town. It was fitted up with one upright saw, une butting-saw, one shingle-saw, and one lath-machine, and had a capacity of about 5000 feet per day. This mill was sold, some ten or twelve years later, to John Clemons, who removed it to Richfield Centre and operated it as a shingle-mill. Some time after it was changed into a grist- mill (the first and only one ever in the town), and finally the engine was sold and taken to Davison's Station, and the frame was converted into a barn. This completes the list of mills that have existed in this town.
The first bridge across Flint River in this town was built at the crossing of the Irish road, in 1848. It was once carried away by logs striking it at a time when the water was unusually high, and has been rebuilt two or three times. The second bridge was built on the State road, north of the centre, and the third and last one on the road crossing the river on section 12.
The first couple married in Richfield were R. E. Potter and Abigail Clark. They were married on the 5th of Jan- uary, 1840, at the residence of the bride's father, Thomas Clark. The ceremony was performed by Nathaniel Smith, Esq., of the town of Forest, then a part of this town. The company present on the happy occasion consisted of the families of the parties, George Oliver and wife, and Elias Van Schaick and wife. Mrs. Potter died Aug. 19, 1845, leaving three children, the oldest of whom was the first white male child born in the town. Mr. Potter is still living on his farm, now in the town of Davison. The sec- ond marriage was that of Caleb Lankton and Maria Teach- out, which took place about two years later. This couple are still living in the adjoining town of Gencsee.
The first death was that of Sarah, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Clark, a young lady of twenty-two years, who died Sept. 25, 1837, of tubercular consumption. She was buried on her father's farm, but was afterwards taken up and removed to the White Church burying-ground, in the south- west part of the town.
Almost the first thought in the minds of the settlers after they had provided for the clamorous wants of the physical nature was to provide educational facilities for their chil- dren. The first school-house was built in 1838, in the south- west part of the town. The labor and expense of building were furnished by voluntary contribution. Phineas J. Tucker furnished the lumber ; Isaac Tucker, who was a carpenter, framed it and superintended its erection ; Orsimus Cooley furnished the shingles, nails, glass, putty, etc. ; and others assisted in the work of building. The first teachers now remembered as having taught in this house were Miss Hannah Tucker and a Miss Hart.
The second sehiool-house was built on the school section,
in 1839, and was also erected through voluntary contribu- tions. It stood a little west of the southeast corner of the section, on the site now occupied by Turner's barn. Miss Elizabeth Clark taught the first school kept in it.
The third school-house was built in 1843. On section 6 there were four families, each living near one corner of the section, and to accommodate them all the school-house was built in a small clearing near the centre of the section. From each settlement a path led to it. In this house a daughter of Stephen Cady kept the first school. In this building Elder Freeman, of Flint, used to preach occasion- ally, and in the summer-time the rude seats would be filled by a goodly company of men, women, and children, all lis- tening to the sermon, but also energetically waving branches covered with leaves to defend themselves from the attacks of the swarms of gnats, mosquitoes, and flies, that did not recognize the Sabbath as a day of rest, but recklessly pur- sued their usual vocations. Even the minister was forced to wave his leafy wand to protect himself from these tor- mentors, who were no respecters of persons and had no reverence for the priestly garb.
The first blacksmith in town was Ambrose Eekler, who had a shop on the east half of the northwest quarter of sec- tion 23. Ile afterwards moved it to the southeast eorner of section 26.
The first physician that settled in this town was Dr. John Deming. He located at Richfield Centre about 1858. He remained but a short time, and was succeeded by Dr. Thomas Hutchins, who remained a couple of years. Fol- lowing these have been Dr. Wm. Rogers, Dr. Merchant, Dr. Begel, and Dr. Henry Smith, the present physician at the centre.
The first post-office was established in the carly part of Harrison's administration, and was located on section 30, at the house of the postmaster, Phineas J. Tucker. It was called Richfield, and was kept at private houses for a num- ber of years. The postmasters, as nearly as they can now be traced, have been Henry F. Shepard, Otis Clark, Wil- lard Tucker, Elisha Kinsman, E. W. Rising, Leander L. IJill, Willoughby Matthews, Levi McCarn, F. B. Lowell, and J. R. G. Turner, the present incumbent. During Hill's term of office it was kept at his store, and since that time has been kept at the eentre. In 1872 the name was changed to Richfield Centre.
VILLAGES.
The first symptoms of village growth manifested them- selves in this town at the time when V. Maxfield and E. R. Goodrich built their saw-mill, in 1855, near the place where the State road crosses the river. The mill furnished em- ployment for eight or ten men, and these wanted places on which to build houses for their families. A tract of land containing about eighty aeres was accordingly set apart for a village site, and was surveyed into lots by Julian Bishop, the county surveyor. Several lots were sold to mill hands and others, and a number of rude dwellings were built. A draughtsman living in Detroit was employed to make an outline map of the plat, but before he completed his task he removed to the city of Buffalo, and as a consequence the plat was never put on record. It was intended to call the
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