USA > Michigan > Ionia County > History of Ionia County, Michigan : her people, industries and institutions, Volume I > Part 16
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Before the eye of the hardy pioneer had rested upon the plains of Otisco, the value of a water power on Dickinson creek, near its confluence with the Flat river. engaged the attention of George W. Dickinson. a New York man, who, in the year 1836, in company with Thomas Cornell, then of Ionia, built a saw-mill on the mill-site mentioned. Dickinson was the working and resident partner at the mill, and with him, as mill hands, came others, among them Patrick Kelly, who in a little while pre-empted some land near the mill and became a permanent settler. In later life he resided at his son's place in Orleans,
Among Dickinson's mill hands in 1836 and 1837 were Asa Palmer. William G. Bradish, Hiram Baxter and Thomas Palmer. In July. 1837. Asa Palmer and Rosa MeDonakl (a servant in Dickinson's family) were married at Dickinson's house by Squire Horton, then a resident of Otisco. That was the pioneer wedding in the township, although residents of the township (Ambrose Spencer and Evelina Melvin) were married before that at lonia, whither they had to go for the performance of the ceremony, since there was nobody in Otisco prepared to do this. Not long after their mar-
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riage Palmer and his wife moved to Orleans, where Palmer lived until his death.
Pretty soon after Dickinson and his men made their appearance in Otisco there came to the southern portion of the township Daniel Horton, Nathaniel Horton and Munson Seely. The Hortons located on section 32 and, after tarrying about ten years, moved to lowa, where they died. Seely pitched his tent upon section 21, near where Smyrna now is. He grew tired of staying there, however, and m a few years passed on to Muskegon county.
The little hamlet known as Cook's Corners was the center of the first important settlement in Otisco and it soon became a place of considerable local repute, chiefly because of its famous tavern. The country thereabouts was a handsome burr-oak plain and when, in the fall of 1837. Amos Rus- sell, John L. Morse and Abel Adgate, of Oakland county, journeyed out to Otisco to look at the country, they were captivated at once, and Morse and Russell straightway made land pre-emptions. Adgate fancied the land as much as did his companions, but his taste of trouble experienced in the tough time had in getting from lonia to Otisco dulled the edge of his ambi- tion and so he concluded he did not want any land.
In November, 1837. Russell and Moore, accompanied by R. R. Cook, started once more from Oakland, intending to make some improvement on their Otisco lands ( Cook having also made a pre-emption), but the inele- ment season setting in earlier than they expected, they were forced to aban- (on their undertaking and return to Oakland for the winter, after having completed one shanty and partly finished another. Upon their return jour- ney to Ionia they undertook to effect a shorter cut than the way by which they had come ( via the mouth of the Flat river ) and, as a consequence, they were swamped in the river, lost in the wilderness and mired in swamps; but they stuck to it like heroes, and got through alive. although the business was discouraging and tough enough to make them feel more than once like giving up.
At the time of the appearance of Russell. Morse and Cook, there were already before them (besides the mill people at Dickinson's) Nathaniel and Daniel Horton, on section 32; Ambrose Spencer and Munson Seely, in same locality: Volney Belding and R. W. Davis, keeping bachelor's hall in a shanty.
In February, 1838, Amos Russell, Rufus R. Cook and J. L. Morse gathered their families and effects for another start towards Ionia county. With them also started William Russell, Calvin Gage and Charles F. Morse,
( 12)
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three young men who went on as hired men. The party navigated the Looking Glass and Grand rivers in flat boats as far as the mouth of the Flat river and thence traveled by Indian trail.
The first births in Otisco occurred in the Cook's Corners settlement. the first being Eliza, daughter of Amos Russell, and the second, A. B. Morse. The first death was that of Clarissa Fisk, in June, 1841. The first cemetery was surveyed by Thomas Cornell on section 21. December 6, 1842.
The settlers were afraid of losing the land, which was only pre-empted. for the Otisco lands were not put on the market until that date. The set- tlers joined for protection and proposed to visit punishment upon the head of any who should attempt to buy the land over the heads of the settlers. One rash individual made a counter-bid and was given fifteen minutes to leave the country.
Among the early comers to the neighborhood of Cook's Corners, in 1839. were Joseph Fisk, John Shaw, Tiberias Belding. Nathaniel Fisk and Loren Benedict, who built on section o the first frame house in Otisco. In 1840 R. R. Cook built the first frame barn. In 1840 came Samuel Demor- est and, in 1841, Silas Kimberly, Frederick Kimberly and Horace Liscombe. In the fall of 1841 E. S. Jenks, Elder Slade and William Alexander, of Rensselaer county, New York, came west in search of land, which they expected to find in the Flat River country .. Jenks and his companions went out from fonia to Otisco afoot and had a wretched experience with mos- quitoes. Slade and Alexander concluded that in such a country they did not want to live. Accordingly. in the spring of 1842, Jenks. Ellis, Gibbs and Stokes, with their families and effects, set out for Michigan. accompan- ied also by John Gibbs. The company proceeded via lake to Detroit, and to Otisco, and stayed at section 9.
Richard Ellis settled on section 3. Charles Gibbs located in Boston township, and Stokes settled on section 10, in Otisco, whence he subsequently moved to Montcalm county. When Jenks made his home upon section 6, his nearest neighbor was Sheldon Ashley, in Kent county, about a mile to the westward. Presently he had a nearer neighbor named E. B. Tutile, who moved to section 6. upon the Enoch Brown place. Tuttle selling the farm to Brown in 1850.
Elder Wilson Mosher, a famous pioncer preacher, was an early comer to the neighborhood. Early settlers near Cook's, not before mentioned. were J. M. Brown, Mr. Boynton, C. F. Morse, George Cooley and N. R. Weter. Weter bought his farm of Mr. Penney, who made the first improvement on it. Later came Hiram Hovey and William Slawson.
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To return to Cook, of Cook's Corners, history recites that in the fall of 1846, upon the opening of the Grand Rapids and Lyons road via Cook's, Mr. Cook built a tavern, which became in due time a place of popular resort. There was a good deal of travel over the road and the tavern did a flourish- ing business. When the stage-line between lonia and Greenville was started, Cook's was made a stage-house.
In 1839 the Otisco postoffice, which was established at Dickinson in 1838, with George W. Dickinson as postmaster, was transferred to Cook's Corners, and given in charge of Rufus R. Cook, Dickinson not fancying the trouble of carrying mail to and from Ionia.
In 1850 Mr. Cook opened a store at the "Corners" and after awhile took in as a partner J. L. Morse, with whom he carried it on many years. On May 1. 1856. Mr. Cook platted the village of Cook's Corners and recorded it as occupying the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 16. James S. Patterson and Joseph Weeks were the earliest black- smiths at the "Corners."
SUPERVISORS.
1839. Asa Spencer: 1840, John L. Morse: 1841, C. Broas: 1842, J. L. Morse : 1843-44. A. Moe: 1845, L. Patterson: 1846-47. J. Boynton: 1848, A. Williams: 1849. A. Moe: 1850, E. F. Root: 1851-53. R. R. Cook: 1854- 55. A. W. Wales: 1856. R. Ellis: 1857-58. R. R. Cook: 1859, B. Fish: 1860-61, W. Russell: 1862-63, 1. Brink: 1864-65. R. R. Cook; 1866, J. Avery; 1867-69. C. D. Ellis: 1870-71. A. C. Davis; 1872. R. R. Cook; 1873-76. J. A. Sage: 1877-80, J. S. Gage: 1881-84, Charles Brown : 1885-87- 88. Frank L. Moon; 1889-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97-98. George Hoppough ; 1899-1900. Leopold Krupp: 1902-02, Charles Brink: 1903 to the present time.
KIDDVILLE.
The beginning made on Dickinson creek in 1836 by George W. Dickin- son, with a saw-mill, resulted soon in the development of a settlement known as Dickinson. A postoffice was established there in 1838 and named Otisco. Dickinson was appointed postmaster, but he tired of the office within a year and then transfer was made to Cook's Corners. Dickinson carried on the mill until 1845, when he sold out to J. M. Kidd, of lonia, who surveyed the place as a village and named it Kiddville and, putting a few goods into the mill building hired a clerk to sell them for him. In 1846 he started both mill and store. He first built a shanty store, but in 1850 erected a more
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substantial structure. He caused the creation of a postoffice, of which he was appointed postmaster. His mill business was considerable. During 1856 and 1857 he employed from sixty to seventy men, cut during his mill ownership there upwards of thirty-five million feet of lumber, and owned at one time in that vicinity two thousand five hundred acres of land. He carried on store and mill until 1862, when the latter was burned. The same year he rebuilt it and in 1863 sold out to Elam Murray and Samuel H. Baird.
Joseph Collins came over about that time from Orleans and settled near the west township line. Near Kiddville, Lewis Ellis, Abner Wright, AAllen Thompson, James Tallman, John Riker and John Murray were early com- ers. Thomas Stocking was an energetic pioneer.
In the southern portion of the township the early settlers included Ambrose Spencer, Asa Spencer, Munson Seely, the Hortons, Alvin Moe. Ezra Spencer, G. C. Spencer, William Gardner (who purchased of William Kitts), James and Judson Buttolph, Alvin Davis, E. R. Berry, W. R. Douglass, E. G. Peterson, J. Moon and C. S. Cowles. East of the river. Edward Ingalls settled on section 27 in 1844, and in the same year Amos M. Benton, who married Willett's daughter, came from Washtenaw county. Freeman Kilborn came to section 26 in 1846, and Peter Cooper in 1848: the latter's widow taught the first school in the Brink district. James Dust made a permanent location there on May 15. 1847. having bought his land in 1844, in which latter year Augustus Northway and Gilbert Caswell were in that vicinity on the bank of the river. Daniel Philbrick came a few years later, as did W. W. Johnson, a Methodist Episcopal preacher from Adrian, who, after farming a year, took to circuit-riding again. When Dust came on, there was no road in his neighborhood, except one from the eastern township line to the Brink school house, which he and others at once pushed on to the river.
GERMAN SETTLEMENT.
Along the south tier of sections in Otisco there was somewhat of a German settlement, of which the members were a thriving and prosperous people. They had a church ( their religious faith being Roman Catholic), a school, a store. etc., and composed. in short, a little community to theni- selves.
The pioneer or founder of the settlement was John Albert, of Baden, Germany, who, in the fall of 1841, passing through that region on a clock- peddling tour, was struck with the notion that he might do worse than
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locate there as a settler. He purchased the whole of section 33 and began work at once, assisted by Peter Kemp and Henry Kroop, both of whom soon became settlers themselves in that locality.
The German settlement did not expand very rapidly after Albert's arri- val, and for the first six years was confined to the three settlers named. In 1847 "Big" Henry Kroop settled on section 33 and in 1849 came Charles Kroop. After that Germans came to the settlement rapidly, and in a little while made it a populous and active neighborhood. Among the earlier con- ers may be named Nicholas Valentine and Michael Jacobee, Peter Shindorf, John Loucks, Charles Schlitz. Joseph Warner. Michael Hansen and Nicho- las Manny.
Soon after the advent of the Germans efforts were made to introduce public religious worship, and priests were had from Westphalia and Grand Rapids. In 1850 a house of worship was built, and in that year Rev. Father Bolte was engaged as pastor. His term of service was continuous from 1850 to 1862. In 1872 the old church building was replaced by the present edifice. a handsome structure measuring forty by fifty-six feet.
SMYRNA.
The village commonly known as Smyrna, but properly considered as Mount Vernon, was, in 1843, a wiklerness. Its first settler was Calvin Smith, who, during the year 1853, came to those parts and, taking possession of his land-purchase, put up a log cabin and set about pioneering. Pretty soon after that G. D. Dickinson, then engaged in the saw-mill business at Kiddville, determined to put a grist-mill at the mouth of Seely creek, where it emptied into the Flat river, he having previously bought considerable land in that neighborhood. Dickinson's proposed enterprise came to the knowl- edge of N. G. Chase, who was just then looking for a location, and it struck him forcibly that the result of the utilization of the water-power would be a village : whereupon he bought a bit of land just west of the village and built a small frame structure, for which he obtained the humber at Dickinson's Kicklville mill, in which he proposed to not only set up a store, but to make a home for the family.
Mr. Chase opened his store, the pioneer trading mart of Otisco, in October, 1844, at which time the village of Smyrna contained the houses of Messrs. Smith and Chase, although there were many settlers in the neigh- borhood. Mr. Chase bore in mind that among these early comers was West- brook Divine, of Montcalm county, who, directly after his marriage, in
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January, 1845, went over to Chase's to purchase an outfit for housekeeping. lle bought supplies of tea, sugar, spices, etc., but that his purchases were not very heavy may be understood from the fact that he was able to carry all of them in his pocket handkerchief. Doubtless he bought all that he could afford at that time-a time when superfluous wealth never impeded the pioneer's progress.
Although Dickinson entered upon his Smyrna mill-building operations with a show of much vigor, he soon lapsed into sluggishness of purpose and delayed its completion until 1849. That year, in company with Avery Going, a practical miller, he set the concern in motion. The mill, which was fitted with one run of stone, was carried on with more or less success until the year 1854, when a violent flood destroyed the dam and swept the mill clear off its foundations into the river. As it happened, however, the mill build- ing was not occupied at the time, for just before that, William and Joseph Woods, its owners, had completed a second mill close by, and had trans- ferred to the latter the old mill machinery. The old mill was subsequently destroyed by fire and in its place arose, in 1864, a mill, furnished with two runs of stone, built by Dorr & Osgood. About 1855 Duane and John Roslyn threw a dam across the Flat river at Smyrna, and erected a saw- mill at the place, known as Stern's mill.
In 1848 the mercantile interests of the place, were helped forward upon the arrival of Marvin Babcock, of Albion, who purchased an interest in the grist-mill and put up a store building. He made a big show and undertook to show how magnificiently he could do business, but his high-flying ways got him into financial difficulty and in a brief time he collapsed.
About 1850 George W. Witt, a very worthy man, opened the first black- smith shop and Alonzo Vaughn set up in business as a shoemaker. About the same time Noah Rich built a tavern and two young men, Ecker and Ford, came on with a set of tinners' tools and opened a small tinshop. They were ambitious youths and worked with a will. By and by they added a few dry goods, etc., to their tinshop business and succeeded so well that they abandoned the tin business and branched out as country merchants. Ford concluded to embrace the medical profession, but Ecker stuck to his store and, becoming rich in course of time, moved to Greenville.
Dr. Wilbur Fisher, the pioneer physician in Smyrna, made his appear- ance in 1848, and directly upon his coming bestirred himself in the matter of providing a postoffice for the village. According to postal regulations. the village was too near Cook's Corners, where there was a postoffice, to admit of there being one here also, but Fisher provided in the petition for
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the location of the office on section 32. just beyond the legally established limits. The name of Smyrna was bestowed upon the office at the suggestion of Doctor Fisher, who was doubtless desirous of securing a name not likely to be similar to that of any other postoffice within his knowledge, although as to the true reason for his selection, no one knows. Fisher was appointed postmaster, and before long he sent in a petition to permit the mail to be opened at the village as a measure simply of convenience, and, the privilege being granted, the village became ever after to all intents and purposes the postoffice. The incumbents of the postoffice, after Doctor Fisher, were N. G. Chase, Ezra Spencer. J. B. Purdy. Charles Randall, A. J. Esker and George Hoppough.
On September 14. 1853. G. W. Dickinson recorded the plat of the vil- lage of Mount Vernon, but just why he chose the name cannot now be said ; maybe, however. because he wished to pay a tribute to the memory of the "Father of His Country." The record of the plat runs that the village of Mount Vernon lies on the west half of the southeast quarter of section 21 and upon fractional lot number 5 of section 28. It is further set forth that the survey commenced at a stake two rods north of a point two rods east of the quarter section post-corner between sections 21 and 28, and running east fifty-nine rods to the east line of the school lot. The width of the sur- vey between the north and south was set down as thirty-three rods three feet and six inches. Additions to the village plat were made by N. G. Chase and Calvin Smith.
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CHAPTER XVI.
PORTLAND TOWNSHIP.
Township 6 north, range 5 west, in the government survey, is now known as Portland township, having, as boundaries, Lyons township on the north, Danby on the south, Clinton county on the east, and Orange town- ship on the west. Besides being a rich agricultural region, Portland derives from the Looking Glass and Grand rivers, at Portland village, valuable manufacturing power, and in these substantial and enduring elements of prosperity the township is rightly to be considered as fortunate beyond many of its neighbors. The Grand river flows from south to north in a sinuous course, entering the town at section 33, and leaving it at the line between sections 4 and 5. On section 33, or more on the line between sections 28 and 33. it receives the waters of the Looking Glass, which comes from sec- tion 36 in a northwesterly course. .
Toward the construction of the Detroit, Lansing & Northern railway, which traverses the township and has stations at Portland and Collins vil- lages, Portland township contributed in a substantial way. On October 6. 1866. the township voted by two hundred and fifty-four to twenty-four, to grant aid to the enterprise to the extent of fourteen thousand seven hundred dollars, and it is said that almost as much more was received by way of individual subscriptions. On November 20, 1869, the township voted, by two hundred and seventy-four to fourteen, to extend fifteen thousand five hundred dollars as an aid to the construction of the Jonesville, Marshall & Grand River railway, but the road was not finished and that aid was not made use of.
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The soil of Portland township is especially adapted to the cultivation of wheat, of which it returns large amounts. On the openings it is a grav- elly loam, and on the timber-lands, heavier but still highly productive.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.
The legislative act organizing Portland as a township was approved tillarch 6, 1838, and read as follow : "Be is enacted by the Senate and Honse admit'epresentatives of the state of Michigan, that all that portion of the
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county of Ionia designated in the United States survey as townships 5 and 6 north, in range 5 west, and also the east halves of townships 5 and 6 north, in range 6 west, be, and the same is hereby set off and organized into a sep- arate township by the name of Portland: and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of Joshua Boyer, in said township." The town is supposed to have been named by the Newmans, but why Portland. nobody knows.
The first meeting was held according to order at the house of Joshua Boyer, on Monday, April 2. 1838. Asher Kilburn was chosen moderator. Joshua Boyer and William D. Moore were present as presiding officers, and William R. Churchill and Almeron Newman were appointed clerks of the meeting. As the result of the election, the following were chosen to the respective offices: Ira Webster, supervisor: Samuel Northam and Almeron Newman, justices of the peace: Almeron Newman, clerk: Elijah F. Shoff. Almeron Newman and Charles Gott. assessors; William D. Moore, Chan- cellor Barringer and James Newman, highway commissioners; Samuel Free- man, collector: A. S. Wadsworth, William R. Churchill and Phineas Coe, inspectors of schools: Samuel Freeman, William HI. Turner and John Milne, Jr .. constables; John Milne. Sr .. and Samuel Northam, overseers of the poor.
Outside the limits of the village of Portland the first land entry and first permanent settlement by white man was made in December, 1833, by Joshua Milne. an Englishman, who had come to America only a short time before. Although Mr. Milne was the second settler in the town, Philo Bogue having been the first: he was the first to build a house Mr. Milne made his first home on section 20 and remained a resident thereon until his death.
Thomas Shepard. a bachelor, bought some land on the west bank of ยท the Grand river and came to the town when Milne did, but he did not stop long enough to take a place as a settler.
Ezra I. Perrin and John Friend joined the settlement in July. 1834. Friend went over to a place on Friend brook, just northwest of Portland village and began to get out the timbers for a saw-mill. He lived in a tent and pretty soon spent the most of his time in imagining he was either being attacked by a combination of robbers, bears and wolves, or that he was about to be thus descended upon and utterly annihilated. This fear developed into a mania and. finding that he could neither shake it off nor attend to the business upon which he had entered. he abandoned his undertakings and leit the country.
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Settlements were made in the Friend neighborhood in 1836 by Lam- bert B. Barnum, his brother, T. G. Barnum, J. J. Miner and Daniel Brown. Of some of these, further mention will be made presently. This was also the year in which William Dinsmore, a New Yorker, came to Portland and bought a tract of land of seventy-six acres on the south bank of the Looking Glass, in section 34. Dinsmore was by trade a shoemaker and shortly after he came to the town he set up a little shop in Portland village, under the hill in front of the site of A. F. Morehouse's office. Later he carried on the Newman grist-mill.
John Knox and his two sons, Harvey and Alanson, were likewise among the settlers of 1836 near Portland village and near there. also. Abraham Ilunt located.
The year 1836 was a hard season for the settlers, for it was the period when the first real start was made in Portland township. It was then that the pioneer's path was most grievously beset with difficulties and hardships quite sufficient to appal the stoutest hearts, but, as it turned out. not severe enough to turn from their purposes the sturdy spirits who had come to clear the land and establish permanent homes. For the first year of two a lack of supplies and the difficulty attendant upon obtaining them were among thie sorest troubles. By wagon from Detroit, or by water from Grand Haven, were the only methods of transportation for goods and provisions from the East. and each route was not only tedious and uncertain, but expensive.
Salt was one of the luxuries and it was inordinately prized. for to get it the pioneer had to go even to Detroit. Of Mrs. Knox it is said that the teacupful of salt she had in her house was at one time the only salt in the neighborhood and the demands for trifling loans therefrom by her near-at- hand friends were so many that she divided it into thimbleful doses.
The northern portion of Portland township, along the south line of Lyons, was first occupied in the spring of 1837, when Robert Toan, with his sons, Robert. Jr .. William and Thomas, made clearings in the vicinity of the locality later known as Maple postoffice. In 1837 the Toans received new neighbors on the south side of the line in the family of Ira Webster, who hailed from Monroe county. New York. He had bought twelve hun- dred and eighty acres on sections 10. 11 and 15 and came with the intention of engaging in agricultural enterprises upon a liberal scale. With him were Patrick Lawless and William Hamilton, two farm hands, who themselves became settlers and landowners, Lawless locating in Portland township and Hamilton in Otisco. Ira Webster had to carve his way through the woods over the last eight miles of his journey and ended his travels at the house
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