USA > Michigan > Hillsdale County > History of Hillsdale county. Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 32
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Section 13.
William E. Peters, N. W. 4, N. W. ¿. 40
Erastus Gay, N. E. Į .. 160
Uriah B. Couch, E. , S. E. 2. 80
Stephen Warren, S. W. ¿ , N. W. 4. 40
David Cole, S. W. ¿ , and W. }, S. E. } 240
Center Lamb, E. }, N. W. 1. 80
Section 14.
Nicholas Schmitt, E }, N. E. }
80
Benjamin Tindall, S. 1, N. W. ¿
80
Rufus Cowles, S. E. 4, N. E. 1.
121
HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Acres.
Nathan Monroe, S. E. ¿ and W. }, N. E. }, and N. }, N. W. Į 320
John Goforth, S. W. 4 160
Section 15.
James Olds, N. W. 1, N. E. 4 and N. E. }, N. W. } ... 80
H. J. Olds, N. E. +, N. E. } 40
E. A. Wright, S. W. ¿ and S. }, N. E. } and S. }, N. 320 W. 1.
John Hall, S. E. 4. 160
James Olds and Elias D. Dilla, N. W. }, N. W. } 40
Section 17.
John Hepburn, S. E. { 160
Jacob Benedict, N. W. }, N. W. 4. 40
David H. Sayles, N. E. 4, N. W. } 40
Sybrant Vannest, W. ¿ , S. W. } 80
E. Patch, N. W. }, N. E. 4. 40
Jacob Clark, E. ¿ , N. E. { .. 80
John Morgan, S. W. , N. E. + 40
Peter M. Ganyard, S. W. ¿ and S. }, N. W. 4. 160
Section 18.
John M. Warren, N. W. 1, S. W. } 40
Christian M. Wells, N. W. frl. } 161.04
David Foot, N. E. { ..
160
Sanford L. Collins, E. part S. W. frl. } and W. part S. E. { ...
160
Sybrant Vannest, E. ¿ , S. E. }
80
Many of the persons named in this list were non-resi- dents, and much of the land thus entered was not occupied by actual settlers for several years. Very many of the set- tlers of this township and the county, as well as of the whole Western region, were virtually squatters, acquiring titles to their lands some time after locating upon them. But woe to any luckless speculator who should attempt to take their homes from them, especially after they had begun to improve. The eye of the pioneer was true and his nerve steady, and a rifle-ball awaited but the summons to speed on a swift mission of death should the hand that held the gun belong to a wronged settler. They were not a murder- ous race, and have made prominent and respectable citizens, but their rights they were bound to maintain at whatever cost, and not be cheated of the homes they had come so far and braved so many perils to secure.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
The neighbors of the avant couriers of civilization in this region were the dusky savages who roamed over its prairies and " openings," and among its forests, or fished and sported in the waters of its many streams and beautiful lakes and ponds. Many times grave fears were entertained of trouble with the Indians, but they were always unfounded, except during the days of the famous " Black Hawk war." Strong friendships sprang up, however, between the two races ere long, and when in 1840 the chief Baw Beese and his band were removed, more than one regretful tear was let fall by the new occupants of the soil. The Indian names of many localities have been carefully preserved, and instead of the vulgar and expressionless appellations given so often by the whites, the musical language of the red race has furnished those more beautiful and appropriate. Traces of Indian occupation are still seen in the remains of various burial-mounds, although most of them have been leveled by the ruthless hand of the invader. Relics of the dusky race are found in the shape of arrow-heads, beads, hatchets, etc., some probably far antedating the people which resided here at the advent of the whites.
The person who made himself famous by becoming the first settler of the township of Fayette was Benaiah Jones, Jr., who came in 1828. The following extract is from a paper read a few years since by F. A. Dewey, descriptive of the township of Cambridge, Lenawee Co. :
" In the month of June, 1828, about the third wagon that ever passed over the line of the Chicago Military Road was the team and family of Mr. Jones. In looking for a Western home, they had come as far as Wolf Lake,* where they encamped overnight. They were delighted with the beautiful waters of the lake and the rich, alluvial soil, also the scenery. They unloaded the wagon, erected their tent, and left the horses to roam around and rest. Here, as is said by some, they intended to make a farm, t with a pleas- ant home, twelve miles from the nearest house. During the second day a large company of Indians encamped on the opposite side of the lake, and two of them rode around on ponies to where Mr. Jones was. They did not like, as they seemed to act, these white intruders, and showed some warlike demonstrations. Mrs. Jones was somewhat fright- ened; their wagon was again loaded, their tent was done up, and they left the admired lakes, also the Indian war- path. He afterwards erected his home on the banks of the St. Joseph River. Thus this township (Cambridge) lost the first white inhabitant, and the western river gained the first white citizen, or improvement, between Allen's Prairie and Tecumseh, viz., the now flourishing village of Jonesville."
Arriving in Hillsdale County, Mr. Jones and his family continued as far as Allen's Prairie, in what is now Allen township. There they stayed from June till October, living in a part of Mr. Allen's corn barn,-the latter gentleman being the first settler in the county. Mr. Jones arrived in Hillsdale County June 1, 1828, for the first time. While his family lived on Allen's Prairie, he and his oldest son built a log house on the place he had selected on the St. Joseph, the building standing on the west side of the river. This site was a portion of section 4, town 6 south, range 3 west, and includes the original plat of Jonesville, as laid out and conveyed by Mr. Jones in August, 1830.
While the family remained on Allen's Prairie, their sixth son, Cordas M. Jones, was born, in the corn barn of Mr. Allen, in August, 1828. He was the first white child born in the county of Hillsdale. A seventh son, James D. Jones, born in June, 1830, at Jonesville, was the first white native of that village, and was also the first who died and was buried there, his death occurring in Septem- ber, 1831.
One of the first white female children born in the town- ship was Mr. Jones' daughter Lois, whose birth occurred Nov. 10, 1832. She is still residing in Jonesville, the wife of H. O. Clark.t
Mr. Jones left his home in Ohio, in April, 1828. His brother, Edmund Jones, came to the township in the spring
* Cambridge Township, Lenawee County.
+ Mr. Jones' daughter, Mrs. H. O. Clark, of Jonesville, thinks this is a mistake.
# Thaddeus Wight's daughter Rosamond, now Mrs. Jesse Pomeroy, of Allen, whose birth occurred here, Nov. 6, 1830, was, undoubtedly, the first white female child born in the county .- HISTORIAN.
16
122
HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of 1829, and located 80 acres, also on section 4. The land was not in market until that spring, and the two brothers purchased what they had previously selected as soon as it was offered for sale. Benaiah Jones finally removed to Texas, and during the war of the Rebellion was killed by a gang of Confederate bushwhackers, on account of his pro- fessed Union sentiments. Edmund Jones died in Illinois, to which State he had removed.
James Olds, whose wife was Mr. Jones' sister, came from the vicinity of Cleveland, O., and reached Jonesville, with his family, on the 13th day of October, 1830, and at first located on a farm which included the south western portion of the present village. He was afterwards elected the first register of deeds for Hillsdale County. His son, Harley J. Olds, now of Jonesville, was but a boy when his father re- moved here, and was afterwards for some years a resident of Scipio township.
John Whitten, Sr., a native of Lanark, Scotland, and later a resident of Canada, then of Oneida Co., N. Y., came from Whitestown, in the latter county, in 1838, and located on a farm in Fayette, a mile east of the village of Jonesville. He died Dec. 29, 1876. .
The first settler on the Chicago road between Jonesville and Allen was Thaddeus Wight, who located two miles west of Jonesville soon after Benaiah Jones had taken up his abode at the latter place. His daughter, now Mrs. Southworth, is at present a resident of Allen township .*
Among the early settlers of Fayette and the village of Jonesville were the following persons, viz. : Albert Burgess, John M. Warren, Elias G. Dilla, Furman Hough (or Huff), Ransom Gardner, Nathaniel Lockwood, John Go- forth, Adam Howder, Moses Willett, C. E. Attwater, Wil- liam Bacon, Jesse Bacon, Daniel Aikens, Ambrose I. Nicholson, Gaylon Dowd, Z. M. P. Spaulding, Samuel Gil- more, Henry Clark, John Lytle, Jacob Benedict, Gustavus Stevens, Hezekiah Griswold, Simon Jacobus, Dan B. Put- nam, Garry Searles, Orson Bacon, Charles Scott, Horatio N. Bates, Pardon Aldrich, Jacob Clark, John McDermid. Others, belonging more properly to Jonesville, will be men- tioned in the history of that village.
The entire territory constituting what is now Hillsdale County was for near six years known as the township of Vance. In 1835 it was divided by ranges into four sepa- rate townships, range 3 receiving the name of Fayette, as already mentioned. Previous to the division, on the 13th of December, 1834, an election was held for Vance, the minutes of which are as follows, transcribed from the first book of records for this township :
" At a legal and special meeting of the inhabitants of the township of Vance, on the 13th day of December, A.D. 1834, at the house of James D. Vanhoevenbergh, Henry Stevens, Moderator ; Lewis T. Miller, Supervisor ; John Taylor, Justice of Peace, forming the township board, James Olds chosen Township Clerk, pro tem.
" Board duly sworn.
" James Winter and Timothy Gay were chosen Commis- sioners of Highways.
" Att. : CHARLES GREGORY, Town Clerk."
At a subsequent meeting the
FIRST TOWN-MEETING
in the township of Fayette is recorded in the following man- ner, to wit :
" At a township-meeting held by the electors of the town of Fayette, Hillsdale County, Michigan Territory, at the house of James D. Vanhoevenbergh, on the 6th day of April, in the year of our Lord 1835, James Olds was elected Moderator, and John P. Cook, Clerk, pro tem. The Board being organized according to law, the following offi- cers were chosen or elected : Brooks Bowman, Supervisor ; Charles Gregory, Township Clerk ; Hezekiah Morris, Daniel Nichols, Assessors ; James Olds, James Winter, Collec- tor ; James D. Vanhoevenbergh, Thaddeus Wight, Truman Cowles, Commissioners of Highways; James Olds, Joshua Champlin, Directors of the Poor ; Edmund Jones, James Winter, Constables ; Silas Benson, Charles Gregory, Chaun- cey W. Ferris, Commissioners of Schools; Brooks Bow- man, John P. Cook, Charles Gregory, Chauncey W. Ferris, Elisha P. Champlin, School Inspectors ; Elisha P. Champ- lin, Road Master District No. 1; Silas Benson, District No. 2 ; James Winter, District No. 3; James D. Vanhoeven- bergh, James Olds, Fence-Viewers; Edmund Jones, Pound- Master.
" Meeting adjourned to the next annual meeting, to be held at the house of James D. Vanhoevenbergh, in Jones- ville.
" JOHN P. COOK, Clerk pro tem. " Att. : CHARLES GREGORY, Town Clerk."
At an election held at the same place two days previously (April 4, 1835), to choose a delegate to the convention for forming a State constitution, the following vote was cast : Lewis T. Miller, 33; Silas A. Holbrook, 18.
The first general election in this township was held at the house of Henry Packer, Oct. 5 and 6, 1835, and the fol- lowing vote was cast :
Stevens T. Mason, for Governor 47
Edward Mundy, for Lieutenant-Governor 47
Isaac E. Crary, for member of Congress. 47 John S. Barry, for Senator. 46
Horace H. Comstock, for Senator. 46
Calvin Brittain, for Senator 46
Lewis T. Miller, for Representative 36
Henry Stevens, for Representative
9
In favor of accepting Constitution 47
Against. 0
At a meeting held at the house of James Olds, in the then township of Vance, licenses to keep taverns were granted to Lyman Blackmar, Pearsons Anson, H. J. Olds, James D. Vanhoevenbergh, Thomas G. Reed, Thomas Gambol, and Elias Branch ; also a permit to Chauncey W. Ferris and John P. Cook, to retail ardent spirits at their store. Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1836, licenses were granted to Rockwell Manning, William Porter, and Daniel Fish to keep taverns.
The following "estray notice" appears in the records, dated Dec. 3, 1835 : " I have now in my possession a stray colt ; said colt is of a roan color, and as near as can be as- certained of the age of three years. Said colt is now at the stable of the subscriber, at the hotel in the village of Jonesville, where the subscriber resides.
"R. MANNING."
* See article by Mrs. Southworth, in this chapter; also, see history of Allen township.
123
HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Certain "marks" were adopted by owners of all kinds of stock, by which to distinguish their animals, which were allowed to run at large. Among them were the following:
April 16, 1835 .- William Wedge's mark for all kinds of cattle and swine-" a square crop off the right ear, and a half moon under the left, close to the head."
Nov. 12, 1835 .- Benaiah Jones' mark-" a square crop off the right ear ; left ear, swallow's fork or tail."
July 21, 1836 .- Rockwell Manning's mark-" a square crop off left ear ; slit in the right ear."
Aug. 16, 1836 .- James Bloss' mark-" square crop off right ear ; half crop off left ear on under side."
Aug. 23, 1836 .- Samuel Bon's mark-" square crop off left ear ; half crop off under side right ear."
Aug. 25, 1836 .- Henry Packer's mark-" slit in right ear and hole in left."
Aug. 25, 1836 .- Charles Gregory's mark-" slit in both right and left ears."
The records of this township are missing from 1841 to 1861, inclusive, and have probably been destroyed by fire or otherwise; consequently it is impossible to give a list of township officers for the space included between those dates. With that exception, the following is a list of the principal officers from 1836 to 1878 :
SUPERVISORS.
1836. Elias G. Dilla.
1837. Chauncey W. Ferris.
1838. Daniel C. Stillwell.
1875. George C. Munro.
1839-40. Elias G. Dilla.
1876. W. J. Baxter.
1862-64. Stephen Levens.
1877. James H. Gay.
TOWN CLERKS.
1836. Charles Gregory.
1837. Sanford R. Smith.
1838. Clinton E. Attwater.
1866-1873. A. E. Babcock.
1839. Isaac B. Taylor.
1874. William M. Ransom.
1840. Richard Nimocks.
1875-77. Ira R. Bentz.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
1836. George C. Gibbs.
1864. H. M. Thorp. 1865. John T. Blois.
Alexander D. Sprague. Henry Packer.
1866. Thomas R. Fowler.
William Bacon.
1867. L. L. Tucker.
1837. James Olds.
William N. Guy.
1838. William T. Howell. James Clark.
1839. Henry Packer.
1840. John T. Blois.
1871. L. L. Tucker.
William T. Howell.
1872. Andrew J. Tiffany.
1862. Chauncey J. Chaddock. Jesse Button.
1863. Daniel Beebe.
George C. Munro (elected at special meeting to fill vacancy).
ASSESSORS.
1836. James Olds.
Thaddeus Wight. Sebastian Adams. 1837. Henry Packer. William N. Guy. John P. Cook. 1838. W. N. Guy. Henry Packer. James Olds.
1838. John Gilmore. Hiram V. Weaver.
1839. William N. Guy. William Fowler. Henry Packer. 1840. E. G. Dilla. Hawley King. John B. Tabor (supervisor is now assessor).
HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS.
1836. Benjamin S. Jones. Artemedorus Tuller. Hiram V. Weaver.
1864. John T. Blois. 1865. George Middleton. 1866. D. S. Waldo.
Elias P. Janes.
1867. Ephraim Barkman.
1868. Barton Tiffany. E. P. Janes.
1869. Daniel S. Waldo. 1870. B. Tiffany. Henry Packer.
1871. Erastus T. Dunham. 1872. Lewis B. Allen.
1873. Barton Tiffany.
1874. E. T. Dunham.
1875. James Wheeler. 1876. B. Tiffany. 1877. Horace M. Ward.
1862. John Whitton.
1863. Abram Cozens.
COLLECTORS.
1836. Edmund Jones.
1839. Luther L. Tucker.
1837-38. Jesse Carr.
1840. Alfred Hopkins.
TREASURERS.
1839. Henry A. Delavan.t
1868-69. James I. Dennis.
1840. Sanford R. Smith. 1870-71. William M. Ransom.
1862. Alpheus W. Smith. 1872-73. Roswell G. Spaulding.
1863-64. Lewis Wales. 1874. Levi H. Corson.
1865. Alpheus W. Smith. 1875-76. James H. Gay.
1866-67. James F. Burnett. 1877. Fred. W. Howard.
The officers for 1878 are the following persons, viz. : Supervisor, Jesse C. Smith; Township Clerk, James I. Dennis ; Treasurer, Thomas Freeman ; Justice of the Peace, S. Gregory ; Highway Commissioner, C. V. Burnett; Su- perintendent of Schools, William H. Herrick ; Inspector of Schools, Albert A. Packer; Drain Commissioner, Abel Chilson ; Constables, W. M. Robison, E. S. Whedon, D. Mckinney, L. F. Webster.
In 1836 it was "Voted, That the bounty for catching and killing wolves in this town shall not exceed $2 per scalp, and that if more than 12 scalps should be taken as aforesaid the sum of $24, voted to be raised in this town, shall be divided by the number of scalps thus taken, and the amount of the quotient be given out for each scalp taken." In 1837 a bounty of $3 was given for every wolf killed in the township.
On the 1st of January, 1839, tavern licenses were granted to Nicholas Van Alstine and James B. Hampton.
The first recorded highway in the township of Fayette was laid out May 11, 1835, surveyed by C. W. Ferris, " Commencing on the section line twenty chains east of the northwest corner of section No. 8, Town No. 5, south, of Range No. 3, west, and running south 13º, east one 348 miles ; thence south 4°, east one 333 miles, intersecting the road leading from Calhoun County to Jonesville."}
The township was divided in 1835 into five school dis- tricts, each including territory as follows :
District No. 1 .- In T. 5 S., R. 3 W., sections 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34; and in T. 6 S., R. 3 W., sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, and 18.
* Elected at special meeting.
t Wm. Bacon subsequently chosen in his place.
¿ This road was in what is now Scipio township, then a part of Fayette.
1837. Samuel Gilmore. Hiram V. Weaver. Lewis W. Wright. James Olds.# 1838. H. V. Weaver. Jacob Benedict. Henry Packer.
1839. Henry Huff. James B. Hampton. Cornelius Traverse.
1840. Cornelius L. Travis. Henry Packer.
William Bacon.
1865-1873. Henry Huff. 1874. W. J. Baxter.
1862-63. Steve Gregory. 1864-65. Joseph Clark.
1868. H. M. Thorp. 1869. John T. Blois. Hiram W. Tuller.
1870. Hiram W. Tuller. George C. Munro.
1873. John T. Blois. A. J. Tiffany. 1874. George C. Munro.
1875. L. L. Tucker. 1876. A. J. Tiffany. 1877. John T. Blois.
124
HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
District No. 2 .- T. 5 S., R. 3 W., sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36 ; and in T. 6 S., R. 3 W., sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, and 14. Districts 1 and 2 were formed April 27, 1835.
District No. 3 .- T. 6 S., R. 3 W., sections 6 and 7, and 7, and west half sections 5 and 8 ; formed October 31, 1835.
District No. 4 .- T. 5 S., R. 3 W., sections 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, and 30 ; formed December 10, 1835.
District No. 5 .- T. 5 S., R. 3 W., sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, and 18; date of formation not given. The carly schools of the township were taught in the village of Jonesville, and a history of them, with a list of teachers, will be found by referring to the article relating to that place.
THE FAYETTE CHEESE-FACTORY,
located two miles south of Jonesville, was established by a stock company in 1870. Cheese-making was begun on the 28th of June following, under the management of Miss Ella Day, a lady of experience in that line, from Medina Co., Ohio. The first board of directors consisted of John Corey, F. M. Holloway, W. A. Barber, L. L. Tucker, and G. W. Woodruff, of Fayette, and Ransom Gardner, of Kalamazoo, with Mr. Corey as President, Mr. Holloway, Secretary and Business Manager, and Mr. Barber, Treas- urer.
FAYETTE CEMETERY .*
When Benaiah Jones, Jr., laid out the village of Jones- ville, he selected a site for a burying-ground on the north half of the northeast quarter of section 4, and on the north side of the Chicago road, where John T. Blois in later years owned a nursery. The site was afterwards changed to the hill in the southern part of the village, west of the centre of the section, on land owned by Jedediah H. Dorwin.t In this a few persons were buried, but the ground proved too stony for cemetery purposes, and it became necessary to look up still another site. A subscription was started, and two acres purchased in the northeast corner of section 4, being 16 rods east and west by 20 north and south. A deed for the same was executed by John Lytle and wife to the township of Fayette, Feb. 8, 1839, the ground to be used for burial purposes only. It had been in use a short time before the deed was given. The first person buried at the place was a son of Benaiah Jones, who died in the fall of 1831, as mentioned. The remains of those buried in the two places were removed to the new cemetery, which was bought and paid for by subscription in different sums by the settlers residing in and near the village. It was used as a free burial-ground by the citizens, and the consequence was some trouble in future years. An addition of 2 acres on the south and west was purchased of Jonathan B. Gra- ham and wife, March 11, 1853. A second addition of 5 acres, irregular in shape, and extending to the Chicago road, was purchased in 1867, making the entire amount now in use 9 acres. The cemetery in its present condition is tastily laid out with walks and drives, finely shaded, and is an ap-
propriate and beautiful resting-place for the remains of the pioneers and their descendants whose spirits have flown
"To that far better land of glory and light."
It is at present in charge of the township board of health, which is composed of the supervisor, town clerk, and the two senior justices of the peace.
VILLAGE OF JONESVILLE.
The village of Jonesville is the home of many of the prominent men of Hillsdale County. It is the oldest vil- lage in the county ; was from Feb. 18, 1831, to Jan. 30, 1843, its seat of justice, and long the most important place, ranking high among the early settlements of the State. Hillsdale, being nearer the centre of the county, finally became the county-seat, and has since reached the position of greatest importance. However, around Jonesville and vicinity still clings the memory of olden times, and its citi- zens take a just pride in its varied beauties and its associ- ations of the past.
A list of the early settlers of this village includes many men of excellent character and great capabilities, and among the public officers of the State and country will be found names of those who took up their abode here in the pio- neer days, and have since won honor and fame and a na- tional reputation.
The first white woman who located at Jonesville was Benaiah Jones' wife, Mrs. Lois Jones, who was only pre- ceded in the county by one other,-the wife of Moses Allen, of Allen Prairie. Mrs. Jones was a native of Peru, Berk- shire Co., Mass., where she was born in 1790. In 1812 she came with her father's family to Painesville, Ohio, and was there soon afterwards married to Mr. Jones, with whom, in the summer of 1828, she came to a new home beside the waters of the St. Joseph, where she died March 18, 1875, in her eighty-fifth year.
When Mr. Jones settled here he built a log house on the west side of the river, in which he kept the first tavern in the village. When James Olds came in 1830, Mr. Jones sold this building to him, and the following year (1831) built the " block " portion of the " Fayette House," adding the frame part to it in 1832. This structure stood on the northwest corner of Chicago and Water (or West) Streets, where now is the meat-market and agricultural implement store. Mr. Jones was also proprietor of a stage- line running over the Detroit and Chicago route, probably between Tecumseh and Coldwater.
Hon. Jonathan B. Graham, now of Jonesville, and orig- inally from Hartford, Conn., visited this county in 1836, and in October, 1837, arrived here with his wife, having come from Connecticut in a carriage the entire distance, except from Cleveland to Toledo; arriving at the former place, they shipped their horse and buggy, and engaged passage for themselves on a steamer, and came as far as Toledo, in order to avoid the "black swamp," which they had heard was then in a terrible condition. The remaining distance, from Toledo to Jonesville, was traversed in the buggy. Mr. Graham located in the township of Scipio, and lived there until 1849, when he removed to Jonesville, where he has since resided. The first Connecticut clocks
*Items principally derived from an article published by John T. Blois, Esq., in Jonesville Independent, Aug. 24, 1867.
t It is possible that the latter-mentioned ground was the first one used.
125
HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ever brought into Hillsdale County came with Mr. Graham's household goods. In 1849 he bought two large farms in the vicinity of Jonesville, and in 1851 built his present resi- dence on the smaller one. During the great panic of 1837-38 Mr. Graham lost most of his funds through the worthlessness of the famous " wild-cat" money, but finally recovered his balance and became again prosperous. In 1845 he was elected to the Legislature, and in 1850 was chosen a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He has been prominently connected with the manufacturing interests of the place, the Jonesville Woolen-Mills having been built under his direction, and is at present enjoying the benefits of a life well spent.
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