History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 24

Author: Durant, Samuel W. cn
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : D.W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 772

USA > Michigan > Eaton County > History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan > Part 24
USA > Michigan > Ingham County > History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan > Part 24

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The Michigan Central Railroad was commenced by the Detroit and St. Joseph Railroad Company in 1836,¿ but before any great amount of work had been done the com- pany sold to the State in April, 1837. The State com- pleted the road westward from Detroit in sections, as follows: From Detroit to Ypsilanti, Feb. 5, 1838 ; to Ann Arbor, Oct. 17, 1839; to Dexter, June 30, 1841 ; to Jackson, Dec. 29, 1841 ; to Albion, Jan. 25, 1844; to Marshall, Ang. 12, 1844; to Battle Creek, Nov. 25, 1845; to Kala- mazoo, Feb. 2, 1846. On the 22d of September, 1846, under an act of the Legistature, the State sold the road to the Michigan Central Railroad Company, which completed it to Chicago in May, 1852. Nothing was done by the State upon the northern lines.

The first railroad connecting with Lansing was the Am-

boy, Lansing and Traverse Bay Railroad. The company filed articles of association Jan. 29, 1847. The southern terminus was at the village of Amboy, in the southern part of Hillsdale County, near the Ohio line. A valuable grant of land was made to this road by the Legislature, in order, it is said, to insure a road to the new State capital, which was in those days almost inaccessible.§

The construction of the line was begun at Owosso, on the line of the Detroit and Milwaukee road, and it was com- pleted from that point to Laingsburgh, in Shiawassee County, in 1858, to Bath, in Clinton County, in 1859, and to North Lansing Sept. 4, 1861. A special grant of a number of sections of land was made to aid in the construction of the line from North Lansing to Lansing, to which latter point it was completed in 1863, the distance being one mile.

The rights of the company south of Lansing were as- signed to the Northern Central Michigan Railroad Com- pany in 1866. This latter company filed articles of asso- ciation Nov. 12, 1866, and constructed the line from Lan- sing to Jonesville, on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern road. It was completed from Jonesville to Albion Jan. 7, 1872, to Eaton Rapids Sept. 30, 1872, and to Lansing Jan. 13, 1873. The road is owned and operated by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Company, but the name under which all legal business is transacted is still Northern Michigan Central.

The Lansing and Jackson Railroad Company filed articles of association Feb. 23, 1864. The name was changed to Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw, and Saginaw made the northern terminus Feb. 24, 1865. The line was opened to Lansing in June, 1866, and to Saginaw in 1867. This line has been extended northward from Saginaw as far as Otsego Lake, which point it reached in 1873, and will probably soon be continued to Mackinac via Cheboygan. The construction of this road was materially aided by the Michigan Central Company, which now operates it.|| It connects at Jackson with the Jackson and Fort Wayne road and does an extensive freighting business, principallly in lumber and merchandise.

In 1866 this company purchased the rights and fran- chiscs of that part of the old Amboy, Lansing and Traverse Bay road lying between Lansing and Owosso, and incor- porated them with their main line to Saginaw.

The Peninsular Railroad Company filed articles of asso- ciation Oct. 3, 1865. This company was organized to con- struct a line from Battle Creek to Lansing. The road was completed and put in operation in December, 1869. It was consolidated with the Port Huron and Lake Michigan road Ang. 15, 1873. This last-named line extended from Port Huron, at the foot of Lake Huron, to Flint, in Genesce County, between which points it was completed in Decem- ber, 1871.

The Chicago and Northeastern Railroad Company was organized to construct a road between Lansing and Flint,

· llistory of Livingston County, by Franklin Ellis.

t These lines were to be located as follows: The central to commence at Delrvit and terminate at the mouth of the St. Joseph River; the southern lo commence on the navigable waters of the river Raisin and terminale at New Buffalo, on Lake Michigan ; and the northern to commence al Palmer, at or near the mouth of Black River, and ter- Ininate on the navigable waters of Grand River or on Lake Michigan, In the county of Ottawa.

# This company was chartered in 1832.

¿ Tho grant was accepted by the company March 21, 1857.

|| Among prominent local men who were instrumental in pushing the line to completion were lion. O. M. Barnes, James Turner, and 11. 1I. Smith. Mr. Barnes is still prominently connected with the company as manager of the land department, of which the office is at Lansing.

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

and the road was opened for business in January, 1877. It was consolidated with other divisions of the line in Sep- tember, 1879, when the Canada Grand Trunk became pro- prietor of the entire line from Port Huron to Chicago. The link between the latter city and Valparaiso, Ind., has been completed, and in the spring of 1880 the various divisions were united under the name of Chicago and Grand Trunk Raiticay. It now forms a portion of a through-line from Chicago to the sea-board, connecting with Montreal, Quebec, and Portland, and when placed in good condition and fully equipped it will no doubt do an extensive business in both freight and passenger traffic.

The Ionia and Lansing Railroad Company filed articles of association Feb. 26, 1866. James Turner, of Lansing, was treasurer of the company, and his influence with the Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw and Michigan Central Com- pany was largely instrumental in the early construction of the road. In December, 1868, he addressed a letter to Mr. James F. Joy, giving in a condensed form statistics of the population, resources, and business of the region through which it was proposed to extend the road, which was from Lansing via Grand Ledge, Portland, Ionia, and Greenville to Howard City, and thence eventually to Pentwater, in Oceana County, on Lake Michigan.

The line was opened between Lansing and Ionia in De- cember, 1869, and to Greenville in 1871. In the last- named year it was consolidated with the Detroit, Howell and Lansing road, and the line took the name of Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan road. The line from Detroit to Lansing was completed in August, 1871. In the same year the northern end was continued to Howard City, on the Grand Rapids and Indiana road. Through Mr. Tur- ner's exertions the Central Company was induced to give the road material aid, and after its completion operated it for a number of years. The name was changed, Jan. 1, 1878, to the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad. The extension from Howard City to Lake Michigan has not yet been made, but will probably be carried out in the near future. The line does a very extensive business in the transportation of lumber, grain, and merchandise.

All the before-mentioned lines have ample facilities at Lansing for the transaction of business. There are five passenger-stations within the city limits,-two in the cen- tral part, one in the southern suburbs, and two at North Lansing. They are all comfortable and convenient struc- tures, and the building of the Lake Shore and Michigan

Southern road, erected in 1872, at a cost of about $20,000, is an elegant, well-furnished, and roomy edifice. A new station-house has recently been completed by the Chicago and Grand Trunk Company.

The extension of the Lansing division of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern line is proposed from Lansing north through Clinton and Gratiot Counties. Several years since the line was partly graded as far north as St. Johns, the county-seat of Clinton County, and it will probably be put in operation before many years, as it would open an ex- tensive region of country not now accommodated with rail- way facilities.

The only remaining line passing through the counties of Ingham and Eaton, or either of them, is the Grand River Valley road, running from the city of Jackson via Grand Rapids, Charlotte, and Hastings to Grand Rapids. It passes through portions of five rich and well-developed coun- ties, and is an important road. It was opened for traffic in 1870. Its length is ninety-four miles, and its connections at the termini are first class.

The principal railway stations in the two counties are Lansing, Mason, Leslie, and Williamston in Ingham, and Charlotte, Eaton Rapids, Grand Ledge, Vermontville, and Bellevue in Eaton County.

An extension of the old Mansfield and Coldwater road, called the Marshall and Coldwater road, has been projected from Coldwater, in Branch County, through Marshall, in Calhoun County, and thence through the western part of Eaton County to Portland, in Ionia County. A large amount of work has been done on portions of this line, and it may yet be built, though at present the prospect is not promising.

The approximate number of miles of track in the coun- ties of Ingham and Eaton is about as shown below :

Miles.

Grand Trunk line.

Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw.

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern.

Detroit, Lansing and Northern ..

Grand River Valley 35

Total. 160

A glance at the map shows Lansing to be an important railroad centre, having seven lines radiating from it in various directions, with another probably soon to be added, when it will stand next to Detroit and Grand Rapids as a terminal point. All of these lines have been built since 1860, and most of them since 1865.

PART II. HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY.

CHAPTER I.

CIVIL ORGANIZATION.

Pedigree of Ingham County-Laying out and Organization-County- Seat-Organization of Townships-Political and other Statistics- List of County Officers-Census Statistics,

THE county organizations out of which grew the county of Ingham have been as follows: Wayne County, organized by authority of Gen. Anthony Wayne in 1796,* re-estab- lished by proclamation of Governor St. Clairt in July of the same year, organized by proclamation of Governor Lewis Cass Nov. 21, 1815. Upon its original organization in 1796 the county included the lower peninsula and por- tions of what are now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wis- consin.

Washtenaw County, from Wayne, laid out in 1822, or- ganized in 1826. By this it will be seen that the territory now constituting Ingham County formed a part of only two counties previous to its separate organization, Wayne and Washtenaw. It was laid out in 1829, as appears from the following, passed Oet. 29, 1829 :

" Be it enacted by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michi- gan :

SEC. 2. "That so much of the country as ia included within the following limits-viz., north of the base-line, and conth uf the line between townships four and five north of the base-line, and east of the line between ranges two and three west of the principal meridian, and west of the line between ranges two and three east of the me- ridian-be and the same is hereby set off into a separate county, and the name thereof shall he Ingham."

By act of Nov. 4, 1829 (section 5), Ingham County was attached to Washtenaw for judicial and other purposes.

By the 7th section of the same aet the counties of Jacksont and Ingham, attached to Washtenaw County, were annexed to and formed part of the township of Dex- ter, in Washtenaw County. Between the date of being set off and the organization of Ingham County the Territory of Michigan became a State. The following is from the act for the organization of the county :

ACT OF ORGANIZATION.

" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan :

SEC. 1. " That the county of Ingham he and the same is hereby organized, and the inhabitants thereof entitled to all the rights and privileges to which, by law, the inhabitants of the other counties of this State are entitled.

SEC. 2. " All suits, prosecutions, and other matters now pending before any court, or before any justice of the peace of Jackson County, to which the said county of Inghamn is now attached for ju- dicial purposes, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution, and all taxes heretofore levied shall be collected in the same manner as though this act had not passed.

SEC. 3. " The Circuit Court for the county of Ingham shall be held on the first Tuesdays of June and November, in each year, and, until convenient buildings be erected at the county-seat, at such place in said county as the supervisors or commissioners thereof shall direct.

SEC. 4. " There shall be elected in the said county of Ingham, on the first Monday of June next, all the usual county officers to which, hy law, the said connty of Ingham is entitled, and whose terins of office shall severally expire on the 31st day of December next ensuing, and said election shall in all respects be condneted and held in the man -. ner prescribed by law for holding elections for county and Stato officers.

SEC. 5. " The board of county canvassers under this act shall con- sist of one of the presiding inspectors of said election from each township, and said board shall meet at the dwelling-house nearest the county-seat of said county, on the Thursday next after said election, at or hefure three o'clock P.M. of said day, and organize by the ap- pointment of one of their number chairman, and another secretary of said board; and therenpon proceed to calculate and ascertain the whole number of votes given at such election for any individual for either of said offices, and shall set down the names of the several persons so voted for, and the number of votes givon to each for either of said offices in said county, in words at full length, and certify the same to be a truc canvass of the votes given at such election in said county, and that the person receiving the highest number of votes for either of said offices is duly elected to said office; which certificate shall be signed by the chairman and secretary, and delivered to the clerk of said county to be filed in his offico.

SEC. 6. " This act shall be in force and take effect on and after the first Monday of June next.

" Approved April 5, 1838."

COUNTY-SEAT.

The original county-seat of Ingham County was located about two years previous to the organization of the county. The record of the appointment of commissioners to perform this duty and their report cannot be found in the Territorial or State session laws, but reference to the executive journal in the office of the secretary of state furnishes the follow- ing facts :

Under an act of the Legislature the Governor was em-

* Red Book of Michigan for 1879. Albach in his Annals of the West says Winthrop Sargent, secretary of the Northwest Territory, organized the county of Wayne in September, 1796, and this state- ment is very probably correct.

f St. Clair was then Governor of the Northwest Territory.

# Jackson County was laid ont in 1829 and organized in 1832. Ingham County was attached to Jackson for judicial purposce (proba- bly) between 1832 and 1838,

INGHAM COUNTY COURT HOUSE, MASON MICH.

CIVIL ORGANIZATION.

powered to appoint three commissioners to locate county- seats, and on the 8th day of March, 1836, Governor Stevens T. Mason appointed Theophilus Crawford, of Liv- ingston, Washington Wing, of Washtenaw, and John Wright commissioners to locate the county-seat of Ingham County. Mr. Wright resigned, and on the 16th of March John Bronson, of Detroit, was appointed to serve in his place.

On the 15th of June, 1836, the commissioners made the following report :

" TO HIS EXCELLENCY STEVENS T. MASON, " Governor in ond over the State of Michigan.

"The undersigned, commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice in the county of Ingham, have located the seat of justice in said county at the quarter-section post, between sections one and twelve, town two north, range one west.

(Signed) "T. CRAWFORD, " WASHINGTON WING, " JOHN BRONSON.

" DETROIT, April 7, 1836."

On the 15th of June, Governor Mason issued his procla- mation confirming the location of the county-seat of Ingham agreeably to the report of the commissioners.

The land upon which the county-seat was located was owned by Charles T. Thayer, who, previous to March, 1836, had entered the south half of section 1 and the north half of section 12 in Vevay township (town 2 north, range I west).

In a letter written by Mr. Thayer, on the 28th of April, 1880, in response to inquiries, he says : " The commis- sioners, Clark Sill and Joseph Arnold, both of Dexter, Mr. Christy, of Scio, and myself, of Ann Arbor, procceded to Ingham County and examined my location on sections 1 and 12, as above described, and then, at the request of Clark Sill (who represented the interests of some parties then living in Monroe, Mich.), to examine the land where Mason now is and the present county-seat. After having examined the said land as requested by the said Clark Sill, they returned to my location and decided that my land was the most desirable for the county-seat, and therefore estab- lished the same on the quarter-post between sections I and 12 as above referred to. Soon after, or about the time the said commissioners made their report to the Governor, I went to Detroit and paid to the State treasurer (Mr. Ilow- ard) the expenses of said commission."

At this point Mr. Thayer laid out a village and named it Ingham, and, according to Hon. O. M. Barnes, he had hopes of eventually making it not only the county-seat of Ingham County, but the capital of the State. These com- forting expectations were never realized ; for, although his village was made the nominal seat of justice, it does not appear that the county ever erected any buildings there, or that there was ever any county business transacted at the place.

There seems to have been dissatisfaction expressed at the location by the commissioners, and petitions were drawn up soon after. asking for its removal .* These were at length successful, and the Legislature passed an act, which was approved on the 6th of March, 1840, as follows :

SEC. I. " Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That the county-site or seat of justice of

the county of Ingham, as heretofore located, he and the same is hereby vacated.

SEC. 2. " That from and after the passage of this act, the said scat of justice shall be permanently located and established at the village of Mason, in said county, at such point in said village as shall be des- ignated by the county commissioners or supervisors of said county ; Provided, that the proprietors of land in said village shall deed to the county commissioners or supervisors of said county, as the case may be, at least five acres of land within said village, for the use and hen- efit of said county, at the point so designated as aforesaid; And pro- vided also, that the title of said land to be conveyed, as aforesaid, shall be good, absolute, and iodefeasible, and the premises free from all incumbraoce.t

SEC. 3. " This act shall be in force from and after its passage. " Approved March 6, 1840."}

The once promising village of Ingham has long since been forgotten,-in fact, it was never begun except on paper,-and all the land once occupied by the village-on paper-is now in cultivated farms, with the exception of a few small lots at the cross-roads. It was very near the geographical centre of the county, but, being on neither a stream nor a great traveled road, the village of Mason very soon drew business to the new centre, and the embryo vil- lage died ere it had donned its swaddling-clothes.

ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS.

As before noted, the whole county of Ingham formed a part of the township of Dexter, in Washtenaw County, at the date of the laying out of the former, in 1829. The first town- ship organized within the new county was Stockbridge, which included a congressional township in the southeast corner of the county, and was erected March 26, 1836. The first town-meeting was held at the house of Daniel S. Comfort.

The dates of organization of the remaining townships have been as follows :

AURELIUS .- Including the west half of the county, March 11, 1837. First town-meeting at the house of Elijah Woodworth.

INGHAM .- Including Ingham, White Oak, Wheatfield, and Leroy, March II, 1837. First town-meeting at the house of Caleb Carr.

LESLIE .- A congressional township, from Aurelius, Dec. 30, 1837. First town-meeting at the house of Henry Fisk.

ONONDAGA. - Congressional township, from Aurelius, March 6, 1838. First town-meeting at the house of Barney Johnston.

VEVAY .- Congressional township, from Aurelius, March 6, 1838. First town-meeting at the public-house in the village of Mason.

ALAIEDON .- Including the four north west corner town- ships, from Aurelius, March 15, 1838. First town-mcet- ing at the school-house in Jefferson Village.

BUNKER HILL .- Congressional township, March 21, 1839. First town-meeting at the house of David Fuller.

WHITE OAK .- Congressional township, from Ingham, March 21, 1839. First town-meeting at the house of Danicl Dutcher.

* Petitions were presented to the Legislatures of 1838 and 1840.

t The five acres were deeded to Ingham County by Charles Noble and wife.

¿ Jacob Loomis, Henry Lee, and William A. Dryer were a commit- tee to superintend the removal according to the act.

100

HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

PHELPSTOWN. - Including Williamstown and Locke, March 22, 1839. First town-meeting at the house of David Phelps. Name changed to Williamstown by aet of Legislature, Feb. 17, 1857.

BRUTUS .- Including Wheatfield and Leroy, from Ing- ham, March 22, 1839. First town-meeting at the house of Ephraim Meech. Name changed to Wheatfield, Mareh 20, 1841, by act of Legislature.

LEROY .- Congressional township, from Brutus, March 19, 1840. First town-meeting at the house of Isaae Coleman.

DELHI .- Congressional township, from Alaiedon, Feb. 16, 1842. First town-meeting at the school-house in dis- trict No. 4.

LANSING .-- Congressional township, from Alaiedon, Feb. 16, 1842. First town-meeting at the " shantee near the Cedar bridge."

MERIDIAN. - Congressional township, from Alaiedon, Feb. 16, 1842. First town-meeting at the house of George Mathews.

LOCKE .- Congressional township, from Phelpstown, Feb. 16, 1842. First town-meeting at the house of John C. Townsend.

The following diagram shows the original subdivision of the county by townships as first laid out. All others were formed from these :

LANSING.

PHELPSTOWN

INGHAM

Mason.

BUNKER HILL

STOCKBRIDGE

Leslie.

......

LIST OF COUNTY OFFICERS, 1838 TO 1880.

The following list is as perfect as ean be made from the records in the clerk's office at Mason :*

. SHERIFFS.

Richard R. Lowe, 1838 and 1857-58; Amaziah Winchell, 1839-12; Nathaniel R. Hammond, 1843-44; Joseph Ilunt, 1845-46; Joseph L. Iluntington, 1847-49; Chauncey A. Oshorn, 1851-5.1; Perry Anderson, 1x55-56; Edy Baker, 1859-60; Truman Spencer, 1861-62, 1867-68; Frederiek P. Moody, 1863-66; Iloraco An- gell, 1869-70; William Spears, 1871-72; Allen R. Burr, 1873 -76; James R. Dart, 1877-80.

CLERKS.

Valorous Mecker, 1838; Peter Lowe, 1839-40, 1813-44, 1851-52; George W. Shafer, 1841; Anson Jackson, ; 1811-42; John Coats-

" At the first general election, held in the fall of 1838, Ingham County polled 260 votes.

t Shafer cither did not serve at all, or only for a short time.

worth, 1845-48; IIenry P. Atwood, 1849-50; Philip MeKernan, 1853-56; A. R. L. Covert, 1857-60; Lucian Reed, 1861-62; Stc- phen P. Mead, 1863-64 ; II. P. IIcadersoa, 1865-66; Stanley W. Turner, 1867-70; Daniel D. Boltoa, 1871-74; Joha C. Squiers, 1875-78; Claude C. Walker, 1879-80.

TREASURERS.

Iliram II. Smith, 1838-40; John W. Burchard, 1841-42; Joha B. Packard, 1843-44; George Mathews, 1845-48; Samuel Skadan, 1849-52; Franklin La Rue, 1853-56 ; John H. Mullett, 1857-58 ; Lemuel Woadhouse, 1859-62, 1875-78 ; Abram IIayner, 1863-66 ; John A. Baraes, 1867-70; Thaddeus Densmore, 1871-74; Jack - son P. Boad, 1879-80.

REGISTERS OF DEEDS.

Dr. Minas MeRobert, 1838-40; Zaccheus Barnes, 1841-42, 1857-58 ; Thomas North, 1843-44; William H. Horton, 1845-50; William Woodhouse, 1851-56, 1863-66; Joseph S. Pierson, 1861-62; Charles II. Darrow, 1867-70; Henry J. Haight, 1871-74; Joha C. Cannon, 1877-80.

COUNTY JUDGES .¿

Associates, Amos E. Steele, E. B. Danforth, 1838-40; John R. Bow- dish, E. B. Danforth, 1841-44; Couaty Judge, Benjamin Davis (resigned) ; Second Judge, Iloratio N. Forbes; Associates, Joseph E. North, Joseph IIunt, elected ia 1846 ; William II. Chapman, elected County Judge in 1849, in place of Davis, resigned ; Masoa Branch, County Judge, elected in 1850; Second Judge, Orrin Sharp, in 1850.

JUDGES OF PROBATE.

Peter Linderman, 1838; Valorons Meeker, 1839-42; Hcary Fiske, 1843-44; Amos E. Stecle, elected to fill vacancy, in 1845-46 ; Richard Ferris, 1847-48; Griffin Paddock, 1849-52; William II. Chapman, 1853-56; William II. Pinckney, 1857-64; Horatio Pratt, 1865-72; Mason D. Chatterton, 1873-80.

CIRCUIT COURT COMMISSIONERS.2

Griffin Paddock, clected in 1852; Ilorace B. Williams, in 1856; Griffin Paddock, in 1858; Iloratio Pratt, in 1860 ; Mason D. Chatterton, in 1864; Joha R. Van Velsor, ia 1868; Dongal Mckenzie and Moses A. Hewitt, in 1870; William II. Francis, in 1872; Edward C. Chapia and George W. Bristol, in 1874; Russell C. Ostrander and George W. Bristol, in 1876 and 1878.

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History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 24

Author: Durant, Samuel W. cn Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia : D.W. Ensign & Co. Number of Pages: 772

Author: Durant, Samuel W. cn
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : D.W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 772