History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 86

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 86
USA > Michigan > Ingham County > History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan > Part 86

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).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

WILLIAM Z. SECORD.

The subject of this memoir was born Oct. 13, 1820, in the State of New York, and was the fifth in a family of nine children. Ilis father, Isaac Secord, was a native of Canada, and his mother, Sarah ( Wellman) Secord, a native of New York, who married Mr. Secord in Canada in 1808. In the war of 1812, Mr. Secord was pressed into the British army, but made his escape to the States and enlisted in the army of the United States. In 1813, William being then an infant, his parents came to Michigan, settling in Wayne County, but afterwards making a permanent settle- ment in Shiawassee County, where the mother died in 1834, the father struggling against the vicissitudes of life until 1872, when he died at his home in Ingham County, being then one hundred and four years of age.

William was schooled as a farmer, remaining under the parental roof until he was twenty-two. He then, with a strong arm and willing heart for capital, commenced the business of life for himself. In 1843 he married Miss Maria D. Sheldon, who was a native of Orleans Co., N. Y., where she was born in 1825. To this marriage were given three children. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Secord settled in Washtenaw County, where they remained eight years, when they moved to Meridian township, where he purchased a small farm of forty acres, having disposed of his first purchase of two acres in Washtenaw County. In 1864 he sold his land in Meridian township and bought his present home, which then contained one hundred and thirty acres,-sixty acres improved,-now one hundred and seventy acres, one hundred and twenty-six of which is in a high state of cultivation.

In the early part of 1854 he was bereft of his wife, and in August of the same year he married Miss Arminda Potter. To this union were born two children. In April, 1859, he again suffered the loss of his companion, and in July of that year married Miss Mary E. Patterson. To this marriage were born six children. In March, 1872, he was the third time bereft of his companion.

Mr. Secord was formerly a Republican in politics, but for the last few years has acted with the Greenback party, though voting in all minor offices for whom he considered the best man.

In religion he is a Catholic.

ROSELLE SHAW

was born in Canada, July 30, 1823, and was the third in a family of five children. His father was a carpenter and joiner by trade. When Roselle was about six years of age they came to the States, locating on Grand Island, Niagara Co., N. Y., where the father died in 1836. The mother and daughters went to Massachusetts, where they have since remained. Roselle, in starting out in life, hired out by the month, continuing this labor for three years, though never receiving any compensation, as the man for whom he worked failed, and his labor went for naught. He then hired on the Erie Canal, remaining three years, after which he found employment on a farm, where he re- mained about two years. He then turned his footsteps towards the famed Peninsular State to see for himself its boundless resources and agricultural richness, of which so much was then being said. He landed in Wheatfield township and remained about three years, when he re- turned to New York and married Miss Ruba Kent, also a native of Canada, and came back to Michigan-with his wife. He had previously purchased land on section 2, Williams- town township. Selling this, he purchased eighty acres on section 3 of the same town, where he now lives. A sketch of his residence may be seen upon another page. This was then a wilderness of heavy timber. Building a comfortable log house, they commenced in earnest their pioneer life, keeping time many a day to the music of the woodman's axe.

To this marriage were born five children, all now living. In February, 1860, Mr. Shaw was bereft of his companion, and in October of 1861 he married Miss Fannie Heacock, a native of New York, who for five years made his home happy, when she too left him for her home on the eternal shore. He remained alone until June, 1869, when he married his present wife, Miss Mary E. Lamb, who was born May 29, 1842. They were the parents of four children, all of whom are living. Her parents came to Michigan some fourteen years ago, the father dying in January, 1873. The mother is still living.

Mr. Shaw, though not an extensive farmer, is a good one, his motto being, What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. His educational advantages were similar to those of most boys of his day,-plenty of hard work and little time for education or recreation.

In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party, and in religion his views are liberal.

N. C. BRANCH.

The family of which Mr. Branch is a representative is a remarkable one, consisting of nine children,-seven daugh- ters and two sons, all living. Mr. Branch is a native of Worthington, N. H., born March 2, 1821. His father, Elisha Branch, was born in the same house. His mother, Sally (Thompson) Branch, was a native of Berkshire Co., Mass. The Branches were agriculturists, and when N. C. Branch was twelve years old his family removed to Ohio, settling in Medina County, Rwherethe father died in Oc-

· Roseell Shaw.

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HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

tober, 1856, the mother surviving until February, 1866. N. C. Branch gave all his time until of age to his father. At the age of twenty-three he married Miss Laura M., daughter of Uriah and Lydia Chappell. Mr. Chappell was a native of Connecticut, born Nov. 14, 1794; his wife, Lydia (Marsh) Chappell, born in Massachusetts, Aug. 31, 1786. To them were born three children, Miss Laura being the youngest and only daughter, born May 22, 1825. When she was quite young her parents removed to Ithaca, N. Y., and from there to Ohio, where she was married to Mr. Branch. Her parents afterwards removed to Michigan, where both died; her mother, Sept. 20, 1858, and her father, Oet. 17, 1863. They were the third family to settle in Medina township, Ohio, and settled early in Mich- igan, eoming here in 1846, at the same time with Mr. Branch, who had worked his father's farm the two pre- vious years. Mr. Branch settled on the east eighty aeres of his present home, which was his first purchase, and to which he has added eighty acres, the last being the pio- neer home of Mr. Branch's parents. Mr. Branch was able to pay but seventy dollars on his original purchase, then a dense forest, but now consisting of fertile fields, finely im- proved, and stocked with thoroughbred cattle and fine- wooled sheep.

To Mr. and Mrs. Branch have been born eleven children, of whom three are living : Ella J., born May 12, 1852, now Mrs. A. C. Jefferson, and residing in Livingston County ; Dell A., born Aug. 18, 1863, and Archie E., born Dec. 5, 1865. They lost four children within ten days in the fall of 1858, seven deaths occurring in the family within three weeks.

Mr. Branch's educational advantages were those of the common school, with one summer at college. In politics he was formerly a Whig, now a Republican, and though his town has always been Democratic his interest in polit- ical matters has not flagged, and he has held the offices of justice of the peace and highway commissioner.

Mr. and Mrs. Branch are Congregationalists, Mr. Branch uniting with them when thirteen years old, Mrs. Branch with the Wesleyan-Methodists when she was seven- teen. They brought letters with them from their respec- tive churches when they came to Michigan, and, as there was no Congregational Church near them, united with the Wesleyan-Methodist, but two years ago both united with the Congregational Church at Williamston, in which they take an active interest. Mr. Branch is a deacon and member of the building committee, who are erecting a fine church edifice to which they have contributed liberally.

EATON COUNTY JAIL. CHARLOTTE, MICH.

PART III. HISTORY OF EATON COUNTY .*

CHAPTER I. EARLY EVENTS.

Indian Inhabitants and their Customs-Settlement hy Whites, etc.

PERHAPS no better idea can be given of the condition of affairs when the county was first settled than by making notes and quoting extracts from an address delivered by Edward A. Foote, Esq., of Charlotte, at the Centennial Celebration of that city, July 5, 1876. The article was most favorably received, and was published in the columns of the Charlotte Republican. Mr. Foote spoke of the previous occupants of the county as follows :

"The whites, who settled here previous to 1840, found the country inhabited by some of the Pottawattomie and Chippewa-or, properly, Ojibwa-tribes. There were two Pottawattomie villages about ten miles south of us, on territory which is now the township of Walton. The oak-opening land in the south part of the county seemed better adapted to the Indian mode of life than the dark and heavily-timbered forests north of there. Signs of an Indian corn-field-rows of corn- bills overgrown with turf-could he seen at an early day on this prairie where Charlotte now stands.

"Their wigwams are usually huilt of elm-bark and flag-mats. During the sugar-making season they would move into the heavy timber and camp among the great sugar-maples. After this they would come out and remain in the oak-openings in the south part of the county, cultivating corn and pumpkins and gathering berries. In Walton they had 100 acres, in scattered patches, under cultivation. Editor Johnson says in the Eaton Bugle, published here in 1845, that this prairie upon which Charlotte is built gave evidence of having been an Indian corn-field. They had one village on section IS, in Walton, near the brook now called Kedron ; another, n Inrge village, with a hurying-ground for their dead, on section 28, in Walton, on or near the Burroughs farm. To protect their corn-patches they hoppled their ponies with hark, and surrounded the patch with n fence of bark- strings tied to trees and stakes.

" Indian trails, well beaten and apparently quite old, traversed the county nearly in the same direction as our two rnilronds, now in operation, and the proposed route of the Marshall and Coldwater road. One trail from the south west-Bellevue-ran through Walton, crossing the Battle Creek about forty rods east of the bridge, south of the city [of Charlotte], and crossing the fair-ground in a northeast- erly direction. A trail, which seems to have been a continuation of this, crossed Butternut Creek above the site of Mud Mill, and ran northenst to the Hovey settlement, in Benton; from thence through Oneida, near Samuel Preston's post-office, and from there to the Grand River. Just east of our prairie this trail crossed another large pony-trail which came up from Duck Lake, and the whortle or 'huc- kleberry' swamps south of us. This Duck Lake trail crossed our prairie near where the Sherwood House now stands, passing off in a northwesterly direction towards Grand Rapids by the way of Fish Creek, following the route of the Grand River Valley Railroad. It

was known as the Grand Rapids trail. As late as 1854, I walked in this trail across land owned by me in the northwestern part of the corporate limits of Charlotte. It was smoothly and deeply worn, deepest in the centre and rounding up at the sides, running straight as an arrow off into the dim, shadowy vista of the forest-trees, ren- dering it a cool and pleasant walk.t

" The Indians were civil, submissive, and kind to the settlers. They nearly always looked in at the window before entering at the door. Without the warning snap of a twig, they would appear unexpectedly close beside you in the woods. They never would help themselves to a pumpkin or potato without leave. They never stole anything from their friends. Barnes' potato hole was relieved of its contents here on Willow Prairie, but Stephen Kinnie says if that was the work of the Indians, it was the only instance he ever knew of their stealing. They had a way of locking up the doors of their wigwams, when leav - ing them, which the settlers adopted for the protection of their own log shanties. This lock was simply two sticks leaning across the doorway so that they formed an X. An Indian would never enter a doorway where he saw this cross placed to guard it.

" Benjamin Shumway, of Walton, had borrowed some steel traps of one of the Indians, and was ready to return them. The Indian went for them, quite a distance, to Mr. Shumway's house, but found that the family was absent, and the door locked with the crossed sticks. He looked in at the window and saw his traps, but that cross forbade his entering to take cven his own. He went one mile from there, found Capt. Ilickok, and stated to him the difficulty. The captain went to the house and delivered the traps, but even then the Indian could not he induced to enter.

"Isaac E. C. Hickok, Esq., the first white male child born in the county, while yet young enough to wear frock and aprons, received instructions in the art of shooting with a bow and arrow, from an old Indian whose hair was white as snow, and who was very fond of vis- iting around the house of Capt. Hickok, in Walton, near the Indian villages. The old Indian made for little Isaac a perfectly-formed In- dian bow and some arrows, and would spend hours teaching him how to shoot. The pupil, to show his gratitude to his preceptor, would go into the house and step down cellar, and, taking a few potatoes in his apron, would go out to the Indian and say, 'ne-tos pen-ny-ax' (I give you potatoes). The schoolmaster, taking the potatoes, would place his hand upon Isanc's head and say, impressively, 'ne-chim che-moko- man pappoose,' which means 'good white man's pappoose.'

"The Indian ponies nearly all wore small bells, so that their whereabouts while wandering in the bushes could be traced. A drove of them would come in the night under a back window of the captain's house, where disb-water had been thrown out, and it was tinkle, tinkle, tinkle all night long, notwithstanding the yelling and throwing of boots at them. 'Confound them !' says the captain, 'I would find in the morning that it would take pretty near a wagon- joad of dirt to fill the hole they had gnawed in the ground to get the salt that was in the dish-water.'

+ Another road, known as the "Clinton Road," or "Old Clinton Trail," was laid by the United States while Michigan was yet a Terri- tory. It passed northeast across Eaton, the southwest corner of Ben- ton, and Chester and Sunfield, and over this many of the early settlers came into Benton township at a later day than the advent of the pio- neers in the surrounding townships.

# Compiled by Pliny A. Durant.

349

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HISTORY OF EATON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

"The earliest legal proceedings that I can find any trace of in this county was an Indian trial for murder, held in 1836 in Walton, near the Shamway farm. An Indian, called Neemnh, was charged with the killing of his squaw with a hatchet. The Indians met in grand council. There was a great chief and several smaller chiefs,-answer- ing. probably, to our grand and petit juries. Neemab was found guilty, and the sentence was that he should never, during life, ewo a rifle or a pony. It is said by some that he obeyed the sentence during the remainder of his days; that he made for himself a large and powerful bew, and weald patiently parsue deer for a great distance, until he would get within bow-shot. The other Indians despised and shannel him, and would not assist him to food, though ever se hungry. Even his brother Sanbar turned against him and said Neemah wns 'no good Indian.' Putting ourselves in un Indian's place, we can realize that this sentence was equivalent te the sentence of a white man to solitary imprisonment for life. I am informed by Capt. Ilickek that, after the trial of Neemah was over, the Indians had a drunken pow-wow, which lasted three days. ₹

" The striciness with which Neemah obeyed this sentence has been questioned. I am informed that David Lacas, of Bellevue, would take his rifle and meet him privately in the woods, and allow him to shoot with it. Stephen Kinnie says he knows that Neemah did some- times buat with a rifle. This was clearly a case of contempt ef court, but very exeasable when we consider the three days' drunken pow- wow. In 1838 and 1839, Neewah had his wigwam over on the other side of Battle Creek, net far from where we are now. One day while he was absent hunting, two white wien went to his wigwam and carried nway four venison bams. One of the men took two of them heme and hil them in the corn-crib under the corn. The other man put his two hamns in a bagand made tracks for home, along the read rua- ning south from here, past Amos Kinnie's, where Stephen and Amos were engaged in making an ex-sled. It had been castomary for this man to stop and have leng talks, but now he seemed in great haste. Seen Neemab came along, indignantly fellewing the big ' chemneke- man's' tracks, and holding nat two fingers en each hand te show the number of hams that had been stelen. The terribly breken profanity that Neemah indulged in: how he followed those large tracks to a house some eight. miles away and stalked in, and how terrible he looked when he pointed into the spider on the cook-stove, where some of the veoisen was then cooking; how he afterwards met that man alone in the woods, one Sunday morning, and how near Neemah came to having another murder trial on his hands, and the rescue by an- other white man, whom I have seen and talked with, -I have not the time now fully to relate.

" In IS40 the government of the United States removed the Potta- wattomies from Michigan, beyond the Mississippi River. Government agents and soldiers, under the superintendence uf General Brady, were scouring all through the woods to cellect and remove them. David Lucas, of Bellevue, a great friend of the Indians, saw them in council just west of Bellevue. They had received intelligence that the troops were after them. Mounted on the hacks of their ponies, huddled together as closely as they could stand, with the heads of their ponies all towards a common centre, they were in deep, anxious consultatiun around their wisest heads. Soon they scattered like a flock of blackbirds. One company fled north, far into the forest. They bad with them a sick squaw, which impeded their travel. They were overtaken, and sought refuge in a dense swamp, which was sur- rounded by the cavalry, and, after two or three days' siege, they were brought out from their hiding-place and taken to Marshall, the plaec of rendezvous for those collected in this part of the State. Frum thence they were taken to their place uf banishment beyond the Mis- sissippi River. I am informed that, during the last night of their stay, the moans and Inmentations were heart-rending. Those squaws were leaving their cora-fields, where they had worked so hard, their burial-grounds, their hunting and camping grounds, their homes. They were women, and all women love home. They were going to a strange land, where, they had been told, corn would grow only knee high, and pumpkins no larger than potatoes. The men wrapped themselves up in their blankets and boro their grief in silence. The government would not let them have a drop of whisky to drown their sorrow. Even at that enrly day Uncle Sam had discovered that it was a great offense to sell whisky to an Indian, and severely punished it. There was a good reason for this discrimination as to race. Whisky was liable to make the Indina very drunk, agly, and trouble- some, while with the white man it seldom produced that effect.

" Another band of these Eaton County Pottawattomies made their escape into Canada, under the lead of Tackamin, who did not approve of the government's policy in discriminating against his race. Ile hnd fought on the side of the British ander Tecumsch, at the battle of the Thames, and very natarally took a band of followers and went te Canada. Neemah, the wife-killer, went with bim. Not an Indian of this trihe was again seen in this county until in April, 1851, when three er four of the Canadian refugees came to Bellevue to see their old friends among the whites. One day I saw one of them visiting with Mr. Luens, in the kitchen, engaged ia an animated conversation in broken English and Indian. A description of hila will answer for the tribe : With a large knife, which he had taken from its sheath, he was picking n large ham-bene, and occasionally cutting slices frem n leaf of bread which lay in his lap. Upon his bead he wore a large, bright cotton handkerchief, folded inte a tewering turban. Iligh ap in the back part of each ear hung rings of white metal, His dress consisted of a blanket overcoat, a dark calico shirt, and leathern belt, a pair of leggings tightly wrapped around his slender legs, and well- worn moccasins upon his feet. Ile made, a great many gestures, and kept his knife and ham-bone constantly flourishing to express his meaning. Mr. Lucas asked him what had become of Neewah, who went with him to Canada. The reply, as interpreted to me, was, in substance, that Neemah had eaten too much corn. and killed himself.

" After the banishment of these Indians, in 1840, the woods seemed lonely. Capt. Ilickok says : 'They had net been gone six menths be- fore we wished them all hack. They helped us haat and keep track uf eur cattle. If we lost an animal and described it to an Indian, he was sure to bring informatien as to where it could be found. When we had visitors, the Indians would furnish us with tarkey or venison.' The regular price for a deer, large er small, was one deller in silver. They weald as soon take a chip as paper money. A few Chippewas were left in the country, bat their headquarters were at the Chimnecon Mission, just over the north line of the county. There was something of an Indian village in the town of Delta, the northeast corner of the county. Okemos was their chief. Swaba, from whom the lake in Sanfield derived its name, was not a good Indian. Ile had a disa- greeable habit of visiting hoases when the men were away, and frightening the women into giving him the best there was in the house to ent. Ile thas made himself a terrer and a pest to the settlers, and does not seem to have been remarkable for anything else.

" The Battle Creek, which runs hy our fair-grounds, and south west through Bellevue, bore the Indian name of ' Me-jash Ke-wap-pi- kis-co,' which is a long name for 'stone pipe,' named from the lime- stone in Bellevue, from which the Indians carved their pipes. The present name, Battle Creek, was given to this stream by the United States surveyors, in commemeration of a fight which took place upon its bank, a short distance below Bellevue, and within this cnuoty. The surveyors had located their camp near the stream, and had left it, with their supplies, in charge of their cook. A company of In- dians visited the camp and demanded provisions. The cook refused to comply. A fight ensued, in which the cook killed one of the In- dians and defeated the others. This incident gave the name ' Battle Creek' to the stream upon the surveyors' notes and maps.

"They doubtless had a name for our henutiful prairie, but all I cao glean in this direction is that they always called Charlotte 'Eatum Centre,' a corruption of the name Eaton Centre, by which Charlotte was long known."

FIRST SETTLEMENTS, ETC.

It is asserted that a Mr. Blashfield (or Blashford) was the first to locate land in the county, choosing a spot on the northeast quarter of section 28, in Bellevue township, where now stands the village of Bellevue. As nothing ap- pears on the government traet-book to show that such a man ever made an entry of land in the county, it is inferred that he was simply a " squatter." At any rate, he remained but a short time. According to the tract- book, the first entry of land in what is now Eaton County was made in 1829, by A. Sumner on section 30, in town 3 north, range 6 west (now Vermontville). The second

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EARLY EVENTS.

entry was made on section 2, in Oneida, by II. Mason, in 1831. In 1832 the following entries were made :

Bellevue Township .- Section 28 : Isaac E. Crary, Luther Linceln. Enton Township .- Section 18: G. W. Barnes.

Carmel Township .- Section 13: G. W. Barnes.

The entries in 1833 were the following :

Bellevue Township .- Section 28 : Isaac E. Crary, Sylvanus Hun- siker; sections 29, 32, 33 : Sylvanus Hunsiker.

Eaton Township .- Section 18: Joseph Torrey, Ilannibal G. Rice; section 19 : Joseph Torrey, Ilannibal G. Rice, G. W. Barnes. Oneida Township .- Section 3 : II. Wilmarth ; section 10: N. J. Brown; sectien HI : J. Torrey.

Regarding the first two entries, there is nothing to show that the owners ever settled upon the land they had pur- chased. That of Mr. Mason (in Oneida) was sold for taxes four years later, which was the first tax-sale of land in the county.

The first actual settlement in the county was made by Capt. Reuben Fitzgerald in July, 1833, in what is now the township of Bellevue. His daughter, Sarah Fitzgerald, whose birth occurred Nov. 12, 1834, was the first white child born in Eaton County .* On the 26th of December, 1855, she was married to John Spaulding by Rev. G. W. Hoag,-these dates being from the record in the old family Bible. The first birth in the east half of the county was probably that of Phehe K. Searls, daughter of Samuel Searls, a pioneer of Charlotte. She was born Aug. 7, 1836, and became the wife of Jacob W. Rogers. Her death oc- curred May 28, 1875. Her father's farm was in Eaton township.

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History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 86

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