History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 87

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 87
USA > Michigan > Ingham County > History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan > Part 87

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 first death of a white person in the county, as stated by John T. Hoyt in a historical sketch of Bellevue in 1869, was that of a man named Baker, who was engaged making an excavation for a lime-kiln for Messrs. Hoyt & Mason at Bellevue. The walls caved in and killed him; this oc- curred in the summer of 1835.

The first post-office in the county was established at Bellevue, and John T. Hoyt received the appointment of post-master, his commission-from Amos Kendall, post- master-general-bearing date May 2, 1835, and reaching him on the 4th of the following August.

Bellevue township, as first organized, included the whole of the present county of Eaton. "The first election held in this county was when Bellevue held its first town-meet- iug, in the spring of 1835. There were then only four men in the entire county who had resided here long enough to be entitled to vote. I give the poll-list of the county, -viz., Capt. Reuben Fitzgerald, Sylvanus Hunsiker, Calvin Phelps, and John T. Hoyt. The first three named were the election board, and they chose Mr. Hoyt clerk of this election, to perform the difficult task of keeping poll-list as the voters from 576 square miles of territory came in to vote. The election was held in a log shanty, which they called the meeting-house. This savors a little of New England, where churches are generally called meeting- houses. This shanty-the first church built in the county

-was also a school-house. It was built on a corner of the lot owned in 1869 by Mr. Ford. But to return to our town-meeting. When the officers of election had taken their scats, it was necessary to declare the polls opened. Calvin Phelps took off his hat, stepped in front of the cabin, and in a lond voice proclaimed, 'The polls of this election are now opened,' and warned all men, under the penalty of the law, to keep the peace. These four voters were then triumphantly elected to all the best offices in the gift of the people, unanimously taking two or three of the highest offices apiece. They gave the minor ones to out- siders, who had not yet become voters and were not eligible. There were too many offices to go around. In strict ac- cordance with law, they sat all day until the legal hour for closing the polls, and then, without breathless anxiety, counted up and ascertained the result. Not one of those men is now living." The foregoing account of the first election is from Mr. Foote's address.

As appears elsewhere, the county-seat was at first located at Bellevue, which place was consequently of much impor- tance, with its Circuit Courts, grand and petit juries, etc. But its star waned when the county offices were removed to the prairie where now stands the city of Charlotte. Mr. Foote, in speaking of the time in question, said :

" But this prosperity and impetus which the settling ef the county for a time gave the place could not always continue. The settlers could not always be expected to draw their black salts across the county to Bellevue, nor always go there for their justice and milling. Two other openings into the county had been discovered. The first was through Hamlin and Eaton Rapids. The immigrants, instead of first going past this forest-bound region as far west as Kalamazeo and circling around Gull Prairie, Geguac Prairie, and Battle Creek, and asking questions about the country up north, and finally cen- cluding to try Eaten County, and then going in and disappearing at Bellevue, now began to feel the attraction before going so far west, and to gee off at Jackson and ceme up through the openings, and then han in through Spicerville or Eaten Rapids. Thus the creaking of the emigrant's wagon and the whack of his ox-goad began to be heard in the eastern part of the county. For a time those who came in by the different routes knew nothing of each other. Those who came in by way of Bellevue would push in and live fer months within two or three miles of those who had worked in through the Eaton Rapids entrance, and neither would be aware of the other's presence untit their cattle found each other in the woods, which would be followed by an investigation on the part of the owners, and two families would then be made happy by finding that they had neighbors. This was the experience of Uncle Samuel Scarls, en Searls Street, just south of Charlotte Prairie, and Williato Wall, five miles east of him, but both in the township of Eaton. It is said-I read it in the Buyle-that it was two years before they discovered each other's presence. There was a settlement in the northeast corner ef Brookfield, commenced in 1837 by the Moes and Boedys, called Moetown. During the same fall Mr. Jesse Hart came into the northwest corner of the same town- ship, and built his log shanty and shingled it with basswood troughs, and lived a long while in ignorance of Moctown's existence.

" In Oneida the first settler was Solomon Russell, who came in the fall of 1836. Erastus Ingersell found his way into Delta in the sum- mer of the same year. In Roxand the first settlers were Orrin Rew- land and Henry Clark, who located in December, 1837. Andrew Nickle settled on the first day of January, 1838, having previously entered his land. In what is now Windsor the first settlers were Orange Towslee and his family, whe found their way into the town- ship Oct. 1, 1837. They were followed soon after (October 6th) by Oramel D., Joho D., and William P. Skinner. The first settler in Benten was Japbat Fisher, who, through a mistake, located his land six miles farther north iban he intended, having calculated te settle on section 30, in Eaton township. He arrived in Benton in February, 1837, and built an eight-by-ten shanty. In Walton township the first settler was Capt. J. W. Hickok, who first came to the county in Febru-

# The first white male child born in the county was Isane E. Crary Hickok, son of Capt. James Hickok, of Walten. Ilis birth occurred Sept. 7, 1836. (See history of Bellevue.) Capt. Hickok was the first settler in Walton township, but the sun was born in Bellevue.

352

HISTORY OF EATON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

ary, 1836, and moved in with his family the same year. His residence was on seetion 19. Vermontville was settled in 1836, by a colony froin Western Vermont, who gave it the name it bears in honor of the Green Mountain State. Samuel S. Hoyt and Peter Kinne were the Grst settiers in the township of Sunfield, having come in the fall of the year 1836. The first house in the township of Chester was built in September, 1836, by H. and O. Williams, but they did not settle until June, 1837. Messrs. Wheaton and Faller came in about October or November, 1836, and were the first families who settled in the township. Mr. Bouton followed in March, 1837. Two miles east of Eaton Rapids, on the eouoty-line, a settlement was made Jan. 1, 1836, by John Montgomery, whose house was built in what is now Hamlin township, while his land lay both in Hamlin and Eaton Rapids. Mr. Montgomery has claimed to be the first settler in the east half of Eaton County, but by the statement of William Wall, of Eaton, and of the members of the Searls family, it appears that Samuel Searls located on Searls Street, in the town of Eaton, in the fall of 1835. William Wall, nf Wall's Settlement, eame to the same township, in company with James F. Pisley, in June, 1836. In what is now Eaton Rapids township the first settler was Johnson Montgomery (brother to John), who located on section 36, in September, 1836. In Carmel township the first settlers were Platt Morey and Nathan Brooks, who came in the winter of 1837-38. The first actual resident of the township of Kalamo was Martin Leech, in the fall of 1836. Ife is now living in Walton. Immediately following eame P. S. Spaulding and Daniel B. and Hiram Bowen."

On the 7th of March, 1838, the first convention to nominate county officers for Eaton County was held in the log house of Jonathan Searls, at Charlotte. The number of delegates in attendance was seventeen, or one for " every fifty souls" in the county .* The township of Oneida, which had been organized by the Legislature but the day before, was not represented. The delegates from the other towns were as follows :

Bellevue .- Calvin Phelps, James W. Hickok, S. H. Gage, A. Meach, T. Haskell, I. Du Bois, R. Fitzgerald, and A. Carpenter.

Enton .- John Montgomery, Amos Spicer, Samuel Ham- lin, James McQueen, William Wall, Simeon Harding (the latter appearing for his proxy. William W. Crane).

Vermontville .- Willard Davis, Wait Squier, and Harvey Williams.

Mr. Du Bois was made chairman, and Capt. Hickok secretary of the convention, which proceeded to ballot for associate judges. Amos Spicer, of Spicerville, and S. S. Church, of Vermontville, were declared the nominees. The following persons were nominated for the remaining offices : James McQueen, Sheriff ; Reuben Fitzgerald, of Bellevue, and William Wall and Jonathan Searls, of Eaton, County Commissioners ; Walter S. Fairfield, of Vermontville, Reg- ister of Deeds; S. Hunsiker, of Bellevue, Probate Judge ; Caleb Woodbury, of Bellevue, County Clerk ; Levi Whea- ton, of Chester, County Treasurer ; James W. Hickok, of Bellevue, Surveyor.

These nominations were made without distinction as to party. The ticket had no opposition, and was elected in April following, the officers serving until the Ist of Jan- uary, 1839, when they were superseded by others, chosen at the regular fall election. This was held on the 5th and 6th of November, 1838, and two hundred and seventy-eight votes were polled, resulting in the choice of the following

officers :+ Robert Wheaton, Sheriff; Martin S. Brackett, County Clerk ; Levi Wheaton, Treasurer ; John Montgom- ery, Simeon S. Church, Ephraim Follett, County Com- missioners ; John T. Ellis, Register of Deeds; Addison Ilayden, County Surveyor ; Erastus Ingersoll, Silas C. Smith, Coroners. The board of inspectors at this election was composed of Stephen Reynolds and Reuben Fitzgerald. Stephen Reynolds was chairman and Martin S. Brackett secretary. At a subsequent drawing for the length of their terms as commissioners, Messrs. Church, Montgomery, and Follett drew for one, two, and three years respectively.

When the county convention of March 7, 1838, was held, the delegates from Eaton township waded through the deep snow on foot to Mr. Searls' house, and after the business of the day was over walked back to William Wall's, six miles east, where they found prepared and ready for them a good supper, with Mrs. Wall to attend them at the table. Never was meal more thoroughly relished by tired and hungry pedestrians than then. After cating and resting they pro- ceeded on their way. They had gone without dinner that day, as Mrs. Searls, who was always the very soul of hos- pitality, was out of provisions, and although it pained her deeply to be unable to set food before her guests, yet it could not be helped.

After the spring election, succeeding this convention, the board of county canvassers met at Mr. Searls' house to canvass the votes and decide who were elected. It was a question in their minds whether his house was properly at the county seat, and to " make assurance doubly sure" they adjourned to the prairie and met in the small log building, afterwards used as a school-house, which stood where is now the Robinson grove, near the east end of Lawrence Avenue, and there went through with the formality of determining who had been elected. The day was cold and stormy and the cabin was " unchinked," but they braved all difficulties that their proceedings might be strictly legal. They then returned to the house of Mr. Searls and transacted other and less important business.

At the first election for member of Congress, held in Eaton County, Nov. 5 and 6, 1838, Hezekiah G. Wells received 278 votes and Isaac E. Crary 124. At the same time the vote for State senators stood, Rix Robinson, for one year, 115; James W. Gordon, one year, 160; Sands McCamly, two years, 117; Cyrus Lovell, two years, 160.

EARLY ROADS.

By various acts of the Legislature the construction of the following roads i was authorized at the dates given :

March 17, 1837 .- From Marshall to the county seat of Ionia County, touching the west side of Eaton ; from Bel- levue, Eaton Co., to Hastings, Barry Co .; from Marshall to Saginaw City ; from Bass Lake to Allegan ; from county seat of Eaton County to Cashway's Point, on Maple River, in Clinton County.

March 9, 1838 .- Commencing on east line of Eaton County, two miles north of the base-line, and running west to the State road leading from Kalamazoo to Allegan.

· It is stated that aincteea delegates were present, but the names given are only seventeen in number.

t Sce miscellaneous and cosamissioners' and supervisors' record A, pp. 6, 7, and 8, couaty clerk's office.

# These roads were all to touch or cross Eaton County.

CIVIL ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.

353

April 18, 1839 .- From Marshall to Bellevue.

March 19, 1845 .- " Clinton road," from Jackson to Saranac (Ionia County), through Eaton Rapids and Char- lotte.

March 17, 1847 .- Marshall and Bellevue Plank Road Company incorporated, with a capital of $30,000 in 1000 shares.

April 3, 1848 .- Act authorizing commissioners to lay out a State road from Albion, Calhoun Co., to Eaton Rapids; 2000 acres of internal improvement lands to be sold and proceeds expended on the road between Duck Lake and Eaton Rapids; the commissioners were Jesse Crowell, Marvin Hanna, and Samuel Weeks; Battle Creek and Michigan Plank Road Company incorporated, to con- struct plank road between those points, capital $75,000; the commissioners were William Johnson, of Michigan (now Lansing), Hannibal G. Rice, of Charlotte, Sylvanns Hunsiker, of Bellevue, and William Brooks, of Battle Creek ; Eaton Rapids Plank Road Company incorporated, to build plank road from Jackson, via Eaton Rapids, to the village of Michigan (now Lansing), capital $75,000; cor- porators, Gardner T. Rand, Horace Hamlin, Benjamin Wright. The charter of this company was amended in March, 1849, extending its privileges. The citizens of Eaton Rapids had striven faithfully to have this road located through their village, and were successful. A large amount of stock was taken, and the right of way donated for seven miles south of Eaton Rapids. Five miles of the road were "grubbed " and graded by the citizens of the place, seven of whom had bound themselves to effect that work, and an association of seventeen of the business men was formed, to pay for the completion of the work by an equal assessment upon their property. It cost them $1230, aside from private and other donations and the help they received along the line. James Gallery was secretary of that association, and among its other members were N. J. Seeley, B. F. Bailey, H. A. Shaw, Alanson Harwood, and D. Stirling. A daily mail was carried over the route in a four-horse coach, but Eaton Rapids derived no special benefit from the location of the road through it other than to be placed upon the main line of travel; so says an old settler.

March 17, 1848 .- Act authorizing a State road from Lansing to Allegan, running through the township of Delta, thence on the line between Oneida and Benton, Chester, and Roxand, thence to Vermontville, and from there, via Hastings, Barry Co., to Allegan. 4000 acres of internal improvement lands were ordered appropriated for opening and improving this road.

March 29, 1848 .- State road laid and ordered estab- lished and improved from Vermontville east through the Wheaton and Hovey settlements "to a point on Battle Creek in Benton township." It is not stated how the Legislature happened to locate Battle Creek in Benton township; the Thornapple River was undoubtedly the stream meant.

April 1, 1848 .- Act authorizing State road from Mar- shall to Lansing.

March 15, 1861 .- Act authorizing State road from Ionia to Vermontville ; also, authorizing a branch State road from

section 35, in Delta township south, to intersect the State road from Lansing to Hastings .*

CHAPTER II.

CIVIL ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.

Act of Organization and Subdivisions-County-Seat, etc .- Political Statistics.

THE original formation of the county of Eaton occurred in 1829. Section 3 of an act passed by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan on the 29th of Oc- tober in that year reads as follows :

" That so much of the country as is included within the following limits, viz. : north of the hase-line, and south of the line between townships four and five north of the base-line, and east of the line between ranges six and seven west of the meridian, and west of the line between ranges two and three west of the meridian, be and the same is hereby set off into a separate county, and the name thereof shall be Eaton."

This name was given in honor of John H. Eaton, secre- tary of war in Jackson's cabinet from 1829 to 1836. On the 4th of November, 1829, the council enacted "That the county of Eaton shall be attached to and compose a part of the county of St. Joseph," and on the following day, Nov. 5, 1829, it was enacted that the counties of Branch, Calhoun, and Eaton, and all the country north at- tached to Eaton, should be set off into a township by the name of Green; the first town-meeting was directed to be held at the house of Jabezt Bronson, who lived on the prairie named for him, at the site of the village of Bron- son, in Branch County. As Eaton County was then with- out a solitary white inhabitant, there was no anxiety about reaching town-meeting, so far away across streams and prairies and through the forest.

By an act approved July 30, 1830, the council ordained that the county of Eaton should be attached to and com- pose a part of Kalamazoo County for judicial purposes. Section 5 of an act approved March 17, 1835,t is as fol- lows :

" Be it enacted by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michi- gan, That the county of Eaton shall he n township by the name of Belleville, and the first township-meeting shall he held at such place as the sheriff of Calhoun Conoty shall appoint in said county of Eaton, and shall be attached to the county of Calhoun for all judicial pur- poses."

The final act organizing Eaton County was passed by the Legislature Dec. 29, 1837, and reads as follows :

" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That the county of Eaton be 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. 4. The Circuit Court for the county of Eaton shall be held, until suitable buildings are erected at the county-seat, at such place as the county commissioners shall provide, on the first Thursday after the last Monday of May and November, in each year."

# See General Chapter XII., Internal Improvements.

+ Mr. Bronson's name was simply Jabe, and so he always wrote it.

¿ See Territorial Laws of Michigan for 1835, pp. 96, 97, State Li- hrary.

35 4

HISTORY OF EATON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

By an aet approved March 11, 1837, the township of Bellevue* was divided, and the new townships of Vermont- ville and Eaton were set off and organized, the former in- cluding the northwest quarter of the county and the latter the southeast quarter, leaving Bellevue in the shape of an hour-glass, as will be seen by the annexed diagram :

RAN

NA1

VERMONX

Nº1

VILLE

72 /

ELLE

EATION

BATT

VRAW

R 5 W

R 4 W

R 3 W

March 6, 1838, the northeast half of the remaining por- tions of Bellevue, or the northeast quarter of Eaton County, was set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Oneida, and on the 15th of the same month Bellevue was further reduced by the formation of Kalamo, to include the territory in town 2 north, of ranges 5 and 6 west. No more divisions were made until March 21, 1839, when the east half of Kalamo was set off and orga- nized as Carmel; the east half of Bellevue was set off and organized as Walton, and the east half of Vermontville (towns 3 and 4 north, range 5 west) was organized into a separate township called Chester. Brookfield was ereeted March 20, 1841, from a portion of the old township of Eaton, and including town 1 north, in range 4 west. Oo the following day (March 21, 1841) Eaton was further re- duced in size by the formation of Tyler, including town 1 north, range 3 west.

Feb. 16, 1842, witnessed several changes. Sunfield was set off from Vermontville, and made to include town 4 north, in range 6 west. Windsor and Delta were formed from the east half of Oneida, and Eaton Rapids township was created from that portion of Eaton included in town 2 north, range 3 west. On the 9th of March, 1843, the township of Chester was divided, and its north half (town 4 north, range 5 west) was set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Roxand. On the same date Oneida was cut in twain, and its south half formed into a separate township called Tom Benton. This name was

not satisfactory to the inhabitants of the town, and the " Tom" was dropped by an act approved March 19, 1845, since when the sailing has been smooth under the name of Benton. In another portion of the county, however, there was unrest, which was not quieted until March 14, 1850, when the township of Tyler was united to its next northern sister, and the name of the latter-Eaton Rapids-was applied to both as a whole. For nineteen years this ar- rangement continued, but finally, on the 26th of March, 1869, the old township of Tyler was again set off from Eaton Rapids and organized under the name of Hamlin, in honor of one of its worthy pioneers. No change has since been made in the various township organizations.

LOCATION OF COUNTY-SEAT.

As this subject is not familiar to most of the inhabitants of the county, the facts which have been gathered coneern- ing it will prove interesting. It has been supposed by some that the county commissioners chose the "county site," as it was ealled, but from the records of the execu- tive office of the State the following facts have been aseer- tained through the courtesy of the secretary of state, which cast a different light on the matter and settle all contro- versy :

On the 21st of March, 1833, before Eaton County con- tained a single white settler, George W. Barnes made ap- plication to Governor G. B. Porter for the appointment of commissioners to locate the seat of justice, and made affi- davit before J. Kearsley, a justice of the peace in Wayne Co., Michigan Territory, " that, in the month of May last, he put up in three public places in the county of Kalamazoot notices that application would be made to the Governor of the Territory of Michigan to appoint commissioners to lo- eate the seat of justice for Eaton County, agreeably to the law in such case provided." }

April 29, 1833, Charles C. Hascall, Stilman Blanchard, and John W. Strong were appointed commissioners to lo- cate seats of justice in Van Buren, Barry, and Eaton Counties, § and, on the 5th of June following, these com- missioners made the following report :

"To HIS EXCELLENCY, GEORGE B. PORTER, GOVERNOR OF MICH- IGAN :

" The undersigned commissioners, appointed and commissioned by your excellency on the 29th day of April, A.D. 1833, to locate the seat of justice in and for the county of Eaton, respectfully report : That, ugrecable to public notico, we convened at Prairie Round,| in the county of Kalamazoo, on Monday, the 27th day of May, in said year, and, after having severally taken the oath prescribed by law, pro- eceded to lhe said county and entered upon the duties assigned us. The major part of this county is of the first quality of timbered land, possessing a great variety of soil and timber, generally well watered, and inviting to the omigront who prefers a timberod farmn. On tho 4th day of Juno, in tho same year, the commissioners selected a point for the seat of justice of said county on the line between tho north- west quarter of section 18, town 2 north, of range 4 west, and the northeast quarter of section 13, town 2 north, of range 5 west, near the south end of said described land, which is owned by Goorgo W. Barnes, who has executed a bond to your excellency in trust for said county, in the penal sum of $1000, on condition that should the

" The namo Bellevoe seems to have always been used in speaking or writing of this township, although nothing can be found in the legislative acls changing the name from Belleville. The correct name is certainly Bellevue,-" Beautiful View,"-given perhaps on account of the beauty of the location of the village, and under the name Bellevue has been transacted all the business of the township.

+ To which Eaton County was thon attached.

Į Sce originals on file.

¿ Sco Executive Journal of Michigan Territory, Vol. II. p. 81.

| Prairie Rondo.

355

CIVIL ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.

seat of justice be permanently fixed at said point, to give a sufficient quantity of land to the county for public uses The point selected for the seat of justice in this county, as aforesaid, is on a beautiful prairie, about one milo square, near two and a half miles south of the centre of the county, and about one mile north of Battle Creek, the nearest point to the centre of said county where water can be ob- tained fur hydraulic purposes.

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History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 87

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