USA > Michigan > Genesee County > History of Genesee county, Michigan. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 55
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INCIDENTS AND EVENTS IN THE EARLY HIS- TORY OF MICHIGAN.
" My first visit to Michigan was in the summer of 1835. I came in company with two friends, who were on an ex- ploring expedition to what was then considered ' the far West.' We came up the lake, landing at Detroit, and took the Chicago road to Ypsilanti, then in its inchoate condi- tion, stopping overnight with my two friends on the east side of the river, at a house kept by a Mrs. Ballou. In the morning my associates concluded to continue West to Illinois, while I made up my mind to confine my visit to Michigan, and hired a Mr. Freeman, who had been an Episcopal preacher in Ypsilanti, to carry me to Ann Arbor, where I took a stage for the town of Sharon, walk- ing some miles to John Everett's, Esq., a pioneer in that town. Inhabitants were 'few and far between.' Unele Everett furnished me a horse and I went through Una- dilla, following most of the way an Indian trail, to a point on Grand River, twelve miles north of Jackson. I began to feel uneasy, fearing I should fail to find shelter for the night ; all appeared like one vast wilderness ; but my mind was soon relieved by coming in sight of a newly-erected Iward shanty, around which lay several recently emptied boxes, and on which I read Edward Freemun. The name called to my memory that a cousin had married a gentle-
man of that name, and approaching the door, there being 10 picket-fence to hinder, I hailed the inmates, and was cordially and unexpectedly welcomed, having an interesting visit with these relatives.
" In the morning I continued my short trip, and went to Jackson and made up my mind to make that my future home. I returned to Esq. Everett's, who was my mother's youngest brother, and spent the Sabbath very agreeably, and attended a prayer-meeting in a rough school-house. This was conducted mostly by Methodists, who were the pioneers in introducing and sustaining religious meetings in Michigan.
" I then returned to my home in New York, stopping, however, in Detroit long enough to have an interesting visit with my father's old friend and family physician, Judge Wetherel, father of Judge Benjamin Wetherel; both father and son now in the spirit world.
" The next spring, near the last of May, I started with my family to seek a new home in the Territory of Michi- gan, expecting to go directly to Jackson, but after landing in Detroit was persuaded to take the northern route instead of the central.
" The spring of 1836 had been up to this time dry, and the roads were in good condition, but heavy rains eame on and the lowlands between Detroit and Birmingham were almost impassable,-in fact, we had to exchange teams with each other, and then, with four horses to almost empty wagons, we made slow progress, having to go back and bring on the wagon we left behind. While doing so I met George Washington Patterson, who was then or shortly after lieutenant-governor of New York, and at present, in his advanced age, a representative in Congress from the 33d Distriet, New York. Ile was on foot, with pants rolled up to his knees and boots and stockings in his hand, splashing through mud and water.
" Mr. Patterson had been West, making some purchases as a speculator, and was now returning home. We were about two days in reaching Birmingham, then called ' Piety Ilill.' It obtained this title from a circumstance which occurred at an early day, when one of those pioneer Meth- odist preachers, at a prayer-meeting, in his fervid zeal, with his voice on a high key, prayed that this might become a ' hill of piety-ah ! Here we rested our jaded team and refreshed ourselves, feeling that we were on solid earth. At Pontiae we remained a day or two, and then took the Saginaw turnpike. Near Stanard's we left the turnpike and took a new road, hoping to find our way to Grand Rapids, by the way of Dibbleville. And now again came the tug of war, especially in low places. The long rains had made the ground soft, and our progress was slow in- decd. Though the distance is but a few miles, we had to stay overnight at a Mr. Runyon's, the first house on the route for several miles. I think there was but one room, but we were made very comfortable, sleeping on the floor, -- seven of us and other travelers. This road was through oak-openings, and the ground was really beautiful with flowers, filling the air with their fragrance. There was something quite inspiring in the novelty of the scene, and my wife and children seemed to enjoy it, though one of them, about ten years old, was an invalid. I could not but
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HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
remember the words of Jacob, ' I will lead on softly, for the children are tender.' The next morning we reached Dib- bleville (now Fenton), on the east branch of the Shiawassee. The rains had swelled this little stream so that we erossed with great difficulty, but kind helpers aided, and we found ourselves on the west side. This place was named Dibble- ville, from a Mr. Clark Dibble, an Indian trader, trafficking mostly in whisky with the Indians. Mr. Dibble, however, was naturally a generous, kind-hearted man. The roads were so bad at this time, and the stream so high and without bridges, we concluded to occupy an old house used by Mr. Dibble as a store in his Indian traffic, and which he had just vacated, and, having no furniture, we commenced housekeeping in a truly rural style, but all were cheerful and hopeful of the future. After making the best arrange- ments for my family that circumstances would allow, I left them, and, in company with a young merchant who was returning to Milwaukee, continued on to the mouth of the Looking-Glass, where it empties into the Grand River, across which we were ferried by two Indians ; and here, giving my friend one horse and riding the other myself, we took an early start, and before breakfast rode eighteen miles before we had an opportunity to break our fast, which we did at a Frenchman's shanty. His wife was a squaw. I never relished a meal better than I did this. Fresh ven- ison and well cooked, but we had to envelop ourselves in smoke to prevent being devoured by mosquitoes. They were an improved breed ; myriads is a faint word. This was not uncommon in the new settlements, and a terrible scourge to man and beast. A day after I had a demon- stration of this. While taking my own dinner my horses became wild and frenzied from the constant stinging and biting of the horse-flies. They actually ran several miles without stopping, and it cost me five dollars to obtain then again.
" After exploring a few days through parts of Shiawassee, Clinton, Ionia, Barry, etc., I returned to my family, and as the roads leading to the various settlements were mostly dry and passable, coneluded to stop for a short season any- way. Dibbleville, now Fentonville, was a central point where several Indian trails came together, about sixty* miles from Detroit and twenty-eight miles from Pontiac, having Holly on the east, Rose on the south, Byron on the west, and Mundy on the north. I was satisfied that event- ually it would become a place of some importance, and time has justified my expectation.
" At this time the Indians were in the neighborhood in large numbers, cultivating some land near by. I will relate a little circumstance to illustrate the state of society in Dibbleville in 1836. While I was abroad exploring, as already stated, leaving my family in the building where the Indians had for a long time procured whisky, they could not realize the change, and still visited the house in search of their poison,-whisky. One day a very fierce and ugly- looking Indian eame in and insisted upon being furnished whisky. Peeking around, he discovered a small trunk, and shaking it, produced quite a jingling, as it contained $100 or $200 in silver. Ilis conduet quite alarmed my wife,
who feared she would receive another visit from this ugly- looking savage. Iler fears were fully realized, for about one or two o'clock at night he commenced a violent knock- ing at the door, which was well barricaded, saying he wanted scoter (fire). Ile continued his knocking until it was evident he would break down the door. Wife calling for a gun to shoot the Indian, my son (the editor of the Ypsilanti Commercial), then twelve years of age, found his way out from a chamber entrance and alarmed Mr. Dibble, who scared the marauder off, and the next day scared him from the vicinity.
" It soon became known that a physician had settled at Dibbleville, and I had professional ealls quite a distance,- to Highland, White Lake, Grand Blanc, Deerfield, Hart- land, etc. I was guided to many of these places through timbered openings by marked trees, often following Indian trails. At this time government lands were being rapidly taken up, and while some lands were taken by speculators, the country was being dotted all over by real residents, and the greater number were enterprising, thrifty, and intelli- gent, making good society. Highland, generally known as ' Tinney Settlement,' and White Lake are samples, building school-houses and churches almost from the first settlement.
" Many of the first settlers, however, were poor, and when they had taken up their homes had but little left to live on, and provisions were very high. I well remember paying $15 for a barrel of flour, and every kind of eatables in proportion. Much of corn, oats, etc., came from Ohio, but Tinney settlement was our Egypt. There was corn there. The second year I made several meals among the farmers on boiled wheat for bread, and it was no sacrifice. This scarcity was of short duration. Soon there was a sur- plus of provisions, and Detroit, sixty miles away, was our market, and money was as scarce as provisions had been. During the months of August and September the inter- mittent and remittent fevers-diseases peculiar to low or flat countries-prevailed to a large extent. The well were the exception ; whole families were down ; many became discouraged, and some fled back to New York, but it was remarkable that most of these returned again to Michigan. But here and there an old pioneer can realize the privations and hardships of the first settlers of this part of Michigan. They were generally industrions, and the axe and the plow soon converted the forests, oak-openings, and prairies into fruitful fields.
" The first Sabbath-school at Dibbleville was begun in my house and conducted by my wife, assisted by Norris Thorp, then a young man. It was soon after removed to a log school-house on the east side, and, strengthened by a Mr. Warren's family and others moving in, it became a permanent institution ..
" The first clergyman I met in Michigan was the highly- esteemed Rev. John Booth, then settled at Pontiac. My first opportunity with him was short but very pleasant.
" The next was a Methodist circuit-rider, the Rev. Mr. Jackson, a real pioneer, visiting the new settlements, and where practicable forming a class; thus doing much to break up Sabbath deseerations, visiting, hunting, and fish- ing. In the fall of 1836 the Rev. Samuel Jones settled in Holly, and preached in several neighborhoods up and
$ Fifty miles r m Detroit.
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down the east branch, making Dibbleville rather a central point. Mr. Jones was a Baptist clergyman, quite an ac- ceptable preacher, and a warm supporter of temperance, Sabbath-schools, etc.
" In the spring of 1837 a Rev. Mr. Dudley, a very worthy and self-denying man,-a Presbyterian,-conducted a protracted meeting in Dibbleville, which was mostly at- tended by children, and was blessed in the conversion of several, among them were my oldest two. Society was gradually undergoing a change. That you may realize something of the hardships of a pioneer physician, I will relate one or two instances among many.
" Quite late in the afternoon a message eame for me to go to Esq. Crawford's, in Byron, Shiawassee Co., sixteen miles off, and that I would have to leave my horse two and a half miles short of Mr. Crawford's, as there was no bridge across the Shiawassee. I made all diligence, leaving my horse in good hands at the river, and crossed on trees fallen in and across the stream. It was early in November, and my path was an Indian trail leading through oak-open- ings, and through what is now Byron village, but at this time not a house, only one, a Mr. Jennings', between the crossing and Mr. Crawford's. It soon began to snow, and darkness almost like Egypt hid every object, muy only guide being the Indian trail, and the snow soon covering that, so that I had to find it by kicking away the snow ; and to add to my perplexity there were two trails from the river, meeting in perhaps half or three-quarters of a mile, and when I came to the junction I was bewildered and took the upper trail back to the river. I now had to re- trace my weary steps, and finally reached Mr. Jennings', expecting he would guide me, but he was on the bed sick, and his wife with the sick family half a mile farther; I undertook it, and soon found myself back, and Mr. Jen- nings, sick as he was, guided me till I could see the light of Mr. Crawford's house, where I was joyfully received, as I was needed. Hlad I lost the trail so well worn by Indian feet, I had no guide many miles north,-not a house,-and I should probably have wandered in vain for a shelter. My organ of locality is pretty good, but here it failed.
" My readers will pardon a little egotism in relating the following incident: At the organization of the town in which Dibbleville is located, I was chosen supervisor and . re-elected next year, serving two terms. Esq. Stow, of Flint, and Judge Rice, of Grand Blanc, with myself orgau- ized the county of Genesec.
"In the month of October, I received a message from Judge A. L. Williams, of Owasso, to make him a profes- sional visit,-distance thirty miles and twenty-five miles from Flint,-where the board were to meet next day, at nine o'clock A.M. The twenty-five miles was through an unbroken wilderness, much of the distance heavy timber, and the traveler was guided only by blazed trees. I found Mr. Williams very sick with the malarial fever, and assum- ing a somewhat typhoid type, and I felt it my duty to remain with him until two o'clock the next day, when I left, with that noble man, John Swain, for a guide, well supplied with fireworks and Indian blankets, in case we had to lie out overnight, as the nights had become cold and frosty. We met with some hindrances, but when night
came we were some three miles short of Flint village, and although Mr. Swain was an experienced woodsman, he failed to find the marked trees, so we struck a fire and waited for the day. And although the wolves howled in the distance, being very tired, I slept a portion of the night very sound, taking a severe cold, but able the next morning to meet the board, and assist in transacting the usual busi- ness of the county. At this meeting we awarded several bounties for wolf-scalps.
" William M. Fenton, afterwards lieutenant-governor, after whom the town and village were named, and Robert Le Roy, made purchase of quite a large portion of Fenton- ville, and moving in, made improvements, which gave a new impetus to the place. Although, in the result, the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad came through Fentonville, the original plan was a northern, central, and southern road ; the northern from Port Huron, through Flint, Owasso, etc., to the mouth of the Grand River at Grand Haven, leaving Fentonville without a thoroughfare. This, with the unsettled state of society, and its being the ont- side of the county, together with the prospect that Owasso would be the county-seat, led me to make the change, which, however, I did with great reluctance, having formed a wide acquaintance north, south, cast, and west, through good roads for a new country. . .
In the issue of the Fenton Gazette for Feb. 27, 18GG, II. C. Riggs, Esq., began a series of articles upon the early history of the village, published over the nom de plume of " Fabricius." In May following the historical pen was taken up by Hon. William M. Fenton, and some very interesting chapters furnished by him, extracts from which it is thought proper to reproduce here. They were published under the head of
HISTORICAL INCIDENTS.
" Dibbleville-so called from Clark Dibble-in 1836 comprised a small saw-mill, situated where the flouring- mill in your village now stands, a small frame shell of a house, near Clark's house (a shell also), and another occu- pied by Dr. S. W. Patterson *
" The road from Springfield passed the house of James Thorp east of the village and crossed near the present bridge. Dibble's house was near the west end of the bridge. Thence the road to the 'Grand River Country' passed on to the west, striking the present road near the public square ; thence by L. P. Riggs' and Bailey's farms and on by ' Sadler's Tavern' west. Another road branched off to 'Warner's Mills,' now Linden, passing John Wil- bnr's and Dustin Cheney's farmns. Wallace Dibble occu- pied the farm south and Ebenezer Pratt that north of the village, and a road ran north passing McOmber's and so on to William Gage's and thence to Grand Blanc.
" The above names comprise the nearest settlements at that time, and the above all the roads, which were simply tracks marking the first passage of teams through the country. This point was carly noticed by business men of Pontiac, which was the market for flour at that time from Scott's Mills at De Witt ; the flour being drawn down
$ This name should be spelled Pattison.
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HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY, MICIIIGAN.
this road crossed the stream here, thenec to Springfield and to Pontiac. Scott's gray team was familiar with its load to all on this line, walking at the rate of four miles an hour day after day, and fed only nights and mornings.
" In the year 1836, Robert Le Roy and William M. Fenton were selling goods in Pontiac. Their attention was turned in this direction. Judge Daniel Le Roy (father of Robert ) predicted that this point would be on the great and principal thoroughfare and line of railroad to the western portion of the State, and Le Roy and Fenton, having the choice of buying here or that part of Flint west of Saginaw Street and south of the river, chose by Judge Le Roy's advice this point, established themselves here in December, 1836, and at the judge's suggestion platted and named the village Fentonville in the spring of 1837. The work of starting a village was commenced by putting the little uneovered saw-mill, with its single saw, in motion; a road to Flint (present plauk-road), another to White Lake, ete., were projected, and a new saw-mill, a grist-mill, tavern, store, and dwellings begun. Benjamin Rockwell purchased a third interest, and added by his means to the enterprise. The first building they erected was the house corner of Adelaide Street and Shiawassce Avenue (southwest corner ), built of plank, sawed within the week in which it was erected, and at once occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Fenton as residence and boarding-house for fifteen to thirty mechanics until the hotel was built.
" The household goods were brought on lumber-wagons from Pontiac, and the stream was crossed on a bridge of logs. I well remember driving such a load, reaching the stream after dark, finding it swollen by rains, hailing ' Clark,' who came down to the river-side with a lantern, and then, with its light as my ' guiding star,' cracking my whip and driving across, every log afloat and sinking a foot or more under the horses' feet ; but we were safely across, and that little pioneer experience only added a zest to our enjoyment of new scenes and primitive modes of life, which must be seen to be appreciated.
" In the spring of 1837 a township-meeting was held at the house called ' Sadler's Tavern,' four miles west of Fen- tonville. The towns of Fenton and Argentine were then one, and called Argentinc. About two o'clock P.M. of town-meeting day, a load of working-men (as were all the pioncers) from Fentouville drove up to the polls and offered their votes. James II. Murray and Dr. S. W. Patterson were on the board and refused to accept the votes, stating they had voted for supervisor in the morning and ' declared off.' The secret was they had declared off for a Whig and the load were Democrats. They feared the result. An ar- gument ensued ; they canvassed and counted up, and find- ing the vote offered would not change the result, received them, Dr. Patterson stating their way of declaring off was the law, because they did so in ' York State.' We couldn't see it, and the result of this trifling affair was that applica- tion was made at the next session of the Legislature, and through the influence of Daniel B. Wakefield, then Senator from this district, the township of Fenton was set off, and henceforward managed its own business in Michigan, and not in York State, fashion. . . .
" Prudence and forethought are seldom the characteris-
ties of the pioneer. To illustrate: On visiting this place in the winter of 1836-37, Clark Dibble's house furnished the only entertainment. He was a pioncer proper. Ile had a wife and plenty of small children ; his house was a shell, only sided up; rooms it had none, but a blanket separated the boarders from the family ; the latter occupied the stove- room, in which were a bed, a few chairs, and a table. Here were the family, and what few clothes belonged to them, with some broken sets of crockery, knives, and forks; and here we must cat or starve. Clark would arise with the lark, go to a log he had drawn up before the door, chop off enough to make a fire, theu take his guu and go to the woods, and, in a little time, bring in a deer. Venison was the staple meat, and buckwheat-cakes the bread. Tea could be had at intervals, and whisky occasionally ; butter, wheat, flour, and pork were scarce commodities.
" Many a curious scene has transpired in that shanty. Old Nate Bailey was one of the characters, John Wilbur another, and the traveler stopping to warm would be regaled by a conversation, and sec the peculiar leer of the eye and shrug of the shoulders of those half-ragged and bandit-look- ing men, and feel, as he left them, he had escaped a danger. Peace to Clark Dibble's ashes ! He has gone from among us, killed by the fall of a tree on his own place, to which he had removed over the hills south. But his housekeeper must come in for a note in ' historical incidents.'
" At dinner, one day, the boiled venison and buckwheat- cakes were being rapidly bolted by hungry men; more venison was called for ; she put her fork into the kettle for another piece and raised, to the consternation of his guests, what ?- not a piece of venison as was anticipated, but one of Clark's cast-off stockings, no doubt accidentally inserted in the boiling vessel by one of the little imps cutting capers around bed and stove ! It can be better imagined than de- seribed how hungry men scized a buck wheat-cake, and de- clared themselves perfectly content to go their ways and eat no more of that particular mess of pottage.
" One of Wilbur's familiar illustrations, when he wished to be considered as saying something shrewd, was, ' There is a wheel within a wheel, Mr. Le Roy ;' and for many years the settlers were amused by his sayings, while they recol- lected and recounted their earliest impressions of Unele John and old Nate Bailey,-the latter peculiarly looking the brigand, although in fact as harmless as a dove.
" Que of the maxims of that day was that a barrel of whisky was better in a family (especially to bring up a fam- ily) than a farrow cow. This may be so,-it is not neces- sary to argue the point,-but there seemed reason to believe that ' Argentine Madeira,' as whisky from Murray's was called, had a good deal to do with the brigands, their queer looks and mysterious sayings and shrugs.
" Let not Old Nate be confounded with one of the carli- est settlers,-Elisha Baily. IIe was a well-digger, and, al- though advanced in years, at one time received upon his back, in the bottom of the well, a falling tub filled with stonc. Most men would have been killed by the blow ; Baily sur- vived, and while much injured, still recovered and dug more wells.
"The immigration of 1836 was continued, but with some abatement, in 1837. The influx of settlers in and
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around Fentonville was large; farmers settled about the village, and for several miles in each direction, and each made his bee and summoned all to his aid ; mechanics and men of all employments sought this point, and soon after the opening of the spring a store and hotel, saw-mill, grist- mill, blacksmith-shops, and carpenter's and painter's shops, and houses were under way and in rapid progress of con- struction .. The hotel first built was what is now known as the Riggs House ;* the first store on the opposite corner of the street, since changed south, and is the building now standing on the northwest corner of Shiawassee Avenue and Le Roy Street ; no better store or tavern was known north of Detroit in those days. The house on north side of public square (occupied by Sheldon) was erected also by Wm. M. Fenton, and then considered a big thing; houses on both sides of the river were erected ; Judge Le Roy built the house now constituting part of Le Roy Hotel, and Benjamin Rockwell one on the north side of the river, now occupied by Nathaniel Ilodge.
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