History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 139

Author: Durant, Samuel W. comp
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia. Everts & Abbott
Number of Pages: 761

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plied to Smith for counsel. He was a sort of pettifogger in his locality. His advice to the doctor was, ' Keep your jaws closed, and tell your brother Isaac to keep his jaws closed. Many a man has been injured by much talking. A close mouth, when a man is charged with an offense, has something of a guarantee of safety.' If any one here present ever made a trade with Harry Smith, I presume he has a dis- tinct recollection to this day that he was badly sold.

" Then came a long list of Browns. There was old George Brown, who lived west of here, in the timber, in the vicinity of Christopher Bair's ; Dr. David E. Brown, whom I have mentioned ; his hardworking brother, Isaac Brown ; then Jolin Brown, Russell Brown, Asa B. Brown, and E. L. Brown. Next I might name the Knights,-John, James, Dick, and Godfrey ; three or four of these Knights were famed as the first cultivators of fine fruits in this part of the country ; they are entitled to great credit for that. Then came another section of country, the Burson settlement,-Aaron Burson, Isaiah Burson (who was to astonish the world with his invention of making fuel of water, upon which he obtained a patent), David Burson, Abner Burson, and James Burson. There were two other men well known here in the early days,-Johnson Patrick lived over in the village, and Patrick Johnson, the other, lived right up here near this island. I might say of Patrick Johnson that he was the homeliest man I ever saw in my life. A man by the name of Ben. Harrison, who lived on the north side of the prairie, once said to me, 'There goes Pat Johnson ; I'm going to hire him.' ' What do you want of him ?' I asked. 'I'm going to hire him for Dr. Brown. The doctor has run out of the material that he makes his emetics of, and he wants to take Johnson around and show him to his patients as a substitute !'

"There were two other mnen that I must not forget to mention,- Lyman I. Daniels and Jeremiah Humphrey. They used to fight when in court, but when they were alone they were the best friends in the world. Then there were the Duncans-Mills N. and Delamore Duncan-and their descendants, on the west side of the prairie; John Dix and the Bates', Hale Bates and John Bates, the best specimens of Yankee industry I ever knew. They did more work in the same time every year, I will venture to say, than any other two men who ever lived upon this prairie. Darius Wells, who entertained more Meth- odist preachers than any other man on the prairie. Cornelius Oster- hout, the weather prophet, recently deceased. Let me state the strange circumstance that gave him character as a weather prophet. Some time in February-the year I forget-I was in Cobb's store, and Mr. O. came in. He made the statement that the weather for the past three days indicated that we would have frosts on one of the corre- sponding days in the month of July, and, after some talk, a bet of a pair of boots was made, and I was called on to witness it. And on one of the three nights in July there was a heavy frost. Strange as it may seem, it was nevertheless true.

" Then on the west side of the prairie was a man whom I must not forget,-Abram I. Shaver. No one who ever heard the old man talk would ever forget him. He had the most remarkable ability, in an incongruous way, of stringing the English language together of any man that I ever listened to. Young James Bates was here on a visit from New York, and one day Shaver was in a store, and observing Bates, who, by the way, wore spectacles, began to look over the shelves, etc. Said Bates, ' What are you looking for, Shaver ?' The old man replied, ' I am a-looking around here to see if I kin find a pair o' glasses.' 'Why, is your eyesight becoming defective ?' said James. ' No, sir; but I want a pair of spectacles. I diskiver that every d-d fool that comes out here from New York wears spectacles !' James never tired of telling this story. I remember hearing Shaver say to a man with whom he had some words, 'You are stupid; you never was educated ; you know nothing. Some people are spontaneous and know things right off, but you don't !'

" Then there was Stephens Hoyt, who was one of the first associate judges of the county ; Christopher Bair, Col. Abiel Fellows, and John Kelly ; and if there is a man in this crowd who ever took hold of the hand of John Kelly, he will remember his grip; he had the grip of a bear. Then there was Stephen Barnabee, Elisha Doane, Isaac and Stephen Vickery, all good and useful citizens, some of them very prominent in county and State affairs.

"I must not forget old 'Uncle Robert Frakes,' who was a capital judge of a horse. He lived on Gourd-Neck Prairie, and any sporting man who ever put up his money in a race with one of Uncle Bob's horses was sure to look upon an empty wallet after the race was over.

" Let me notice a little circumstance in connection with the history

* Schoolcraft.

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HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

of a man who lived here and was known to everybody in that time, because pretty much everybody made some account at his store, and a great many of us never paid up. That was Mr. Albert E. Bull. He once upon a time got into some altercation with some man, and he came to me and said, 'I understand you have a pair of pistols.' I said 'yes.' 'Well, sir,' said Bull, 'a man has given me great offense,-it's beyond my endurance,-and to wipe this out I must kill him! (By the way, I had heard of this quarrel,-knew all about it.) Now I want to borrow those pistols.' 'Who is this man who has given you the offense ?' I asked. 'None of your business ! I want your pistols, -I don't intend to disclose his name!' I told him he could have the weapons, but that I should much regret if the man he was about to challenge should be a friend of mine. 'You,' said I, 'are a friend of mine, and I should be glad to bring about, if possible, a reconciliation.' ' You cannot know the name of the man, sir!' 'Well, then,' said I, 'let us go over to the island here, and, if you are not familiar in handling the pistols, I will give you some instructions.' We went over, selected a tree, and placed a target upon it. He fired and missed the tree both times. Said I, ' Mr. Bull, you must acquire more precision in your shot or you will get winged.' I took the pistols and made two very good shots. 'Wells,' said he, 'you shoot finely.' 'Yes, I have practiced so much with these pistols, that I suppose I am the best shot in Kalamazoo County, with the exception of one man.' ' Who is that ?' asked Bull. 'That is Stephen Vickery !' His coun- tenance fell suddenly. 'Ahem !' he ejaculated, ' let us go back !' and from that day we never heard any more of his challenging Stephen Vickery."

The following is an extract from a letter written to the president of the Pioneer Society, in 1873, by George V. N. Lothrop, of Detroit :

" When I first went to Prairie Ronde, in the fall of 1837, nearly all of the original settlers of that beautiful region still had their homes there. With many of them I became acquainted. As I now review the list I find that many of them are no longer living, and though the broad natural lineaments of the glorious prairie remain, as they will remain while the firm earth stands, yet little else remains that looks familiar to me when I now visit it after a lapse of over thirty years. Yet the place will always have a special interest with me. I went there a very young man. I remember the long furrows which I then learned to draw, and which I regarded with some pride. I have no doubt but there are many fruit-trees now bearing there which I grafted with my own hands. My brother and myself, I think, shipped from the prairie the first lot of wool that Michigan ever sent to Boston. At Schoolcraft I cast my first vote and made my first essay at a speech in this State. . . . I may add that I also knew many of the most prominent settlers of Kalamazoo village. They were very remarkable for their business enterprise and sagacity, and for their intellectual vigor. . .. "

Many incidents are related about Robert Frakes, who was not only a capital judge of horse-flesh, but a " mighty hunter" as well; and his heart, like that of " Nelly Bly," famous in song, was

" Big as a sweet potato Down in Tennessee."

Mr. Frakes was a genuine specimen of a borderer, both in his manners and dress ; the latter consisted in part of a Kentucky hunting-shirt, with tasseled belt, and his ways were those of a man used to frontier life and the pursuits of pleasure. His strength, even in his age, was proverbial, and his will not calculated to brook control. He and his sons were " quick of word and prompt of hand," and should any one in their presence boast of his prowess he very soon was given a chance to prove his assertions by trial with some one of their number, and, " hand and foot and eye opposed," the struggle was continued until the point was decided.

" A lingering, though somewhat dim, tradition hath it that once" upon a Sunday morning there was an unusual gathering of the clans

at the Big Island House." They had come from Virginia Corners, Harrison's Lake, the west woods, Insley's Corners, Gourd-Neck, Vicks- burg, and all the wide outlying regions. No famous border name was missing. Some quarter races of unusual promise were to be run, and the bar-room rang with excitement. The stakes were up, the side- betting free, the landlord busy among his decanters, when a meek little man, in a sober suit of black, timidly drew up to the bar. He was one of those traveling missionaries who, under the auspices of some Eastern Board, had taken his life in his hand, and ventured to bear a saving message to the outlawed heathen of the Northwest. His wanderings had led him in some accidental way into this Godless town, where, travel-worn and weary, he sought some quiet shelter during the sacred hours of the Sabbath. Leaning forward over the clinking glasses, he mildly addressed mine host of the 'Big Island House,' ' Is there any pious family in this neighborhood, with whom, perchance, I might tarry until the morrow ?' The astonished landlord paused in the composition of a ' rum sour,' scratched his head, and thought profoundly. The question was a poser. He could not call to mind a single one. The glass awaiting the result of this mental effort chanced to be that of Uncle Robert Frakes. 'What does this man want?' he asked, sharply. Mine host explained. 'Oh,' said Uncle Robert, ' you are a preacher?' And a thought striking him, as he tossed off his dram, he said, ' You minister feller, stay right here. We are just going out to the track, and as soon as we know which is the best hoss will come back, and you shall preach to us. Landlord, give the little feller some victuals, and hang on to him.' The race over, all crowded into the bar-room. Wagers paid and thirst allayed, Uncle Robert called for the missionary, and bringing him forward by the shoulders, thus introduced him : ' Boys, I want silence here. This little feller is a preacher, and he is going to git in and preach right now. Take your hats off; set down on the floor in front. Joe, you and Bob keep things quiet, and little minister feller you blaze away !' The man of God, it is said, was equal to the occasion, and with hearty zeal embraced so providential an opportunity to strike a blow in be- half of the Great Captain whose commission he bore. Rising in dignity and earnestness as he advanced in his sermon, he arraigned all present in the name of his Master for their desecration of the holy day, for their carnal sports and blasphemy and drunkenness, and, addressing Uncle Robert, boldly charged him with the leadership of those wicked men, reminded him of his gray hairs and the few years that remained before he would be called to meet an angry God in dreadful judgment, and closed with a short, fervent prayer, recom- mending them all to His mercy, whose laws they passed their lives in trampling under foot. All listened in profound silence. Uncle Robert was the first to speak. 'The preacher,' he said, ' is an honest man. He has spoke what he thought he ought to, and has airned his money. Joe, pass the hat, and see that every feller chips in.' The hat went around, and was brought to the old man heavy with solid old-fashioned quarters and halves. He took it, and giving out the silver in hand- fuls to the missionary, said, 'Little feller, here's your money, and if you'll come out to the track you kin put it up on the prettiest quarter race you ever seed.' " +

It is not related whether the minister accepted the latter offer or not.

The village of Schoolcraft became the point of ren- dezvous for the " characters" of the new settlement, and they gathered every Saturday from near and from far. On that day the " Big Island Hotel" was a place of much business, and over its bar were dispensed the various liquid decoctions common to the day and place, while horse-races, fights, and other amusements were progressing outside. The Messrs. Frakes, McElvain, Stevens, Hoyt, Harrison, and others were there, each with his retinue of companions and " backers."

"On one occasion Col. Lyman I. Daniels brought out a tame bear to be baited by all the dogs. While the battle and the excitement were at the highest, the owner of one of the dogs (now a wealthy citi- zen of Kalamazoo), in his eagerness to cheer on his dog, approached

* The pioneer hotel in Schoolcraft.

t From an article prepared by James H. Bates in 1874.

Photos. by Corwin, Vicksburg.

JOSEPH FRAKES.

MRS. JOSEPH FRAKES.

JOSEPH FRAKES,

one of the first settlers in Kalamazoo County, is of Welsh descent. His settlement in Michigan dates back to the time when the red man was still residing in the country.

Joseph Frakes was born in Fairfield Co., Ohio, Dec. 25, 1799.

In 1827 he went to Cass Co., Mich., where he remained one year, making a small improve- ment. At that time there were no settlers in that locality, but the Indians were quite numerous. In 1828 he returned to Ohio and married Mrs. Osillar Parker, formerly Osillar Downs. She was from New Jersey, where she was born April 6, 1804.

For their wedding tour they made the journey to Cass Co., Mich., with an ox-team. After a tedi- ous journey of one month they arrived at their

destination with less than one dollar in money and little else. At this time a few white settlers had arrived, but the principal inhabitants were Indians. The prospect for the young pioneers was most discouraging. They remained a year or more, and moved to Schoolcraft in 1830, and settled where they now live.

Mr. Frakes was always on good terms with the Indians, and he arranged with them for the occu- pation. Here this pioneer couple have lived for a half-century. The Indian has long since dis- appeared. Mr. Frakes purchased the land he at first borrowed from the Indians, and extended his borders until at one time he owned a thousand acres of prime land. He has raised a family of eight children, seven of whom are now living and well settled.

513

TOWNSHIP OF SCHOOLCRAFT.

too near the erect and defiant Bruin, who, with one sweep of his paw, denuded him of much the greater part of his pantaloons, in which, being new broadcloth, he had come out that morning with no little pride and satisfaction. With all this rough sport there was little tendency to crime. The traveler might pass secure with any sum of money upon his person, and the doors of dwellings were habitually without bars or bolts, although known to be the depositories of such sums as the owners from time to time possessed."#

The inhabitants of frontier settlements, although numeri- cally they may be few, are yet not wanting in the faculty of devising means to bring about either pleasure or profit. Practical joking seems to be a necessary factor to their enjoyment, and, like the grim reaper of all life, the early settlers were no respecters of persons ; yet the unlucky sub- jects did not complain, but sought means of redress in the same manner. The gatherings on militia " training days," or on occasions of horse-races or other sports, were attended by the pioneers and their sons and wives and daughters, and all enjoyed them alike, for they were pleasant bits of diversion from the hard toil of the back woodsman ; and on such occasions their hardships, trials, and privations were for the time forgotten, while each gala day lent its influence to cheer the lives of those who otherwise, in incessant labor and anxious wishes for the future, must have worn their days more swiftly out and departed to the unknown realm ere their work was accomplished.

CIVIL ORGANIZATION.

An act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, approved Nov. 5, 1829, provides that "the counties of Kalamazoo and Barry, and all the country lying north of the same which are attached to and com- prise a part of the county of St. Joseph, shall form a town- ship by the name of Brady, and the first township-meeting shall be held at the house of Abram I. Shaver, in said township."f It is thus seen that the first township organi- zation in this region was named Brady. By an act ap- proved July 30, 1830,-the same day which witnessed the organization of Kalamazoo County as it at present exists,- the south half of the county was organized as a township, by the name of Brady, including towns 3 and 4 south, in ranges 9, 10, 11, and 12 west; while the name Arcadia was given to the north half-towns 1 and 2 south, in ranges the same as Brady. The townships of Prairie Ronde and Pavilion (the latter including also what is now Portage) were set off from Brady in 1836. Comstock had been formed in 1834, including also what are now Charleston and Climax. Feb. 16, 1842, the name of Brady township was changed to Schoolcraft, the two towns east of the latter (now Brady and Wakeshma) being given the original name of Brady. Although on the first formation of the town- ship of Brady it was provided that a township-meeting should be held at the house of Mr. Shaver, no record of such a meeting exists, and from what here follows it appears doubtful if it was ever held.}

The first settlers of Brady township, as organized in 1830, were mainly in the townships of Schoolcraft and Prairie Ronde, since organized from the former. The first entries in the original records of Brady are the following :

"To the Electors of the Township of Brady, in Kalamazoo County : "The undersigned persons, citizens and freeholders in said town- ship, deeming it necessary as well as interesting to the community that a speedy election of the township officers should take place, for the promotion of our social relations in establishing roads and divid- ing the township into school districts, do hereby give notice to the in- habitants of said township to meet for the purpose of holding a special meeting on Tuesday, the fourteenth day of December, inst., at ten of the clock A.M., at the dwelling-house of Abner Calhoon, on Prairie Ronde, to act on the following articles, viz. :

" 1st. To chose a moderator to preside in said meeting.

"2d. To make choice of a township clerk.

"3d. To elect three commissioners of highways.

"4th. To elect five commissioners of common schools.

" WILLIAM DUNCAN,

" DANIEL BACON,

" DELAMORE DUNCAN,

" JOHN INSLEY,

Freeholders.

" FRANKLIN HOWARD,

" GEORGE BROWN,

" DAVID BEADLE,

" BRADY TOWNSHIP, Dec. 6, 1830."

Pursuant to the foregoing notice, a special election was held at the time and place designated, resulting in the choice of the following officers, viz. : Road Commissioners, Stephen Hoyt, Bazel Harrison, and William Bishop ; Town- ship Clerk, Christopher Bair ; School Commissioners, Joel Clark, Stephen Hoyt, Abiel Fellows, Isaac Sumner, Abram I. Shaver. The judges of this election were A. I. Shaver and John Wild.

At the first annual township-meeting in Brady, held at the house of Abner Calhoon, on Monday, April 4, 1831, it was

"Voted, To elect a committee of three persons to select a seat, or sites, at the discretion of the committee, for a publick Burying-Ground. Abiel Fellows, Bazel Harrison, and William Duncan were elected.

"Voted, To raise a bounty on wolf-scalps.

"Voted, That the next annual Township Meeting be held at the dwelling-house of Thaddeus Smith, in said township."

Previous to voting for officers it was

"Voted, To elect all township officers by a general ticket ; that all the inhabitants of the township of Brady liable to pay taxes be en- titled to vote in this election ; to elect but three Assessors for the en- suing year ; to elect but one Constable ; to elect three Fence-Viewers; to elect one Pound-Master."

David E. Brown was moderator, and Hosea B. Huston was clerk of the meeting. The result of the election was the choice of the following officers : Supervisor, Edwin H. Lothrop ; Road Commissioners, Aaron Burson, Bazel Harrison, Wm. Duncan ; School Commissioners, David E. Brown, Edwin H. Lothrop, Wm. Duncan, Thaddeus Smith, Joel Clark ; Assessors, Isaac Sumner, Wm. Duncan, Nathan Cobb; Collector, Ephraim Harrison ; Constable, Charles A. Williams; Poundmaster, John Insley; Fence-Viewers, John Brown, Abiel Fellows, Alanson Wood; Overseers of

# Hon. E. L. Brown's history of Schoolcraft.

+ Territorial Laws of Michigan, 1829.

¿ No record of such election is found in Kalamazoo County, but as it was then attached to St. Joseph County for judicial purposes, the record probably exists in that county. At the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors for the latter county, held April 19, 1830, Luther Newton, Supervisor of White Pigeon township, Henry Powers, Super-

visor of Sherman township, and William Duncan, Supervisor of Brady township (Kalamazoo County, etc.), met at the house of A. Savery and organized the Board. A tax was levied for county purposes, and of the whole amount $30 were apportioned to be raised in Brady. The Board instructed assessors to return horses at $30 each, oxen at $40 per yoke, and cows at $10, all of which animals should be over three years old .- History of St. Joseph County, Mich., p. 29.

514

HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

Highways, Richard Holmes, Abiel Fellows, Franklin How- ard, John Kelly. For County Treasurer, Isaac Sumner received 26 votes, David E. Brown 2, Edwin Kellogg 1, John Kelly 3.

At an election held Monday, July 11, 1831, Calvin Brittain received 31 votes for member to represent the dis- trict in the Legislative Council. For delegate to Congress from the Territory, Austin E. Wing received 22 votes, Samuel W. Dexter 7, and John R. Williams 2.

The annual meeting for 1832 was convened, as per ad- journment, at Thaddeus Smith's dwelling, but on motion was adjourned to the " new tavern-house in Schoolcraft." It was voted to raise a tax to pay for wolf-scalps. The sums paid for those trophies were fixed at two dollars for all over the age of six months, and a dollar and fifty cents for all under, " the age to be ascertained and determined by the supervisor."

At a special meeting held Aug. 17, 1832, Benjamin Taylor, Ambrose Searle, and J. A. Smith were elected School Inspectors, Ephraim Harrison, Constable and Col- lector.

In July, 1833, Lucius Lyon received 118 votes for dele- gate to Congress, Austin E. Wing, 17.

At a meeting held April 4, 1835, to choose delegates to attend the Constitutional Convention at Detroit in May fol- lowing, Lucius Lyon received 164 votes; Lyman I. Dan- iels, 158; Hezekiah G. Wells, 145 ; Lovell Moore, 96; Wm. H. Welch, 58; Joseph Miller, 52; scattering, 11.

In 1835 the bounty on wolves was raised to four dollars for the scalp of each one caught in the township, and the sum of $200 was appropriated for that purpose.

At the general election held in October, 1835, the fol- lowing vote was cast : For Governor, Stevens T. Mason received 156 votes : for Lieutenant-Governor, Edward Mundy, 155: for Representative in Congress, Isaac E. Crary, 144; James Smith, Jr., 14: for Senators, John S. Barry, 212; Calvin Brittain, 207; Titus B. Willard, 84; Horace H. Comstock, 125; James Smith, Jr., 1: for Representative, Hezekiah G. Wells, 99; Cyrus Lovell, 88; Edwin H. Lothrop, 131 ; Cyren Burdick, 118 : for ratifica- tion of the State constitution, 204.

In 1837 it was voted to raise $300 for the support of the common schools of the township. In 1839, the meet- ing, after convening at the house of John M. Gilman at Schoolcraft, adjourned to the school-house in the village, where the remaining business of the day was transacted.

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.

The following is a complete list of the officers of the township from 1832 to 1879, inclusive, those previous to 1842 being for Brady, and after that date for Schoolcraft ; the latter township having been organized in the year named, and given a name to correspond with the village and post-office :

SUPERVISORS.

1832, Edwin Kellogg ; 1833-34, Jeremiah Humphreys; 1835-36, Joseph A. Smith ; 1837, Edwin H. Lothrop; 1838, E. Lakin Brown ; 1839, Stephen Vickery; 1840, Samuel J. Cobb; 1841, Stephen Vickery ; 1842, Edwin H. Lothrop; 1843, Stephen Vickery ; 1844-45, Hezekiah G. Wells ; 1846, Edwin H. Lothrop ; 1847, Jonas Allen ; 1848, Mills N. Duncan ; 1849, Edwin H, Loth-

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History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 139

Author: Durant, Samuel W. comp Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia. Everts & Abbott Number of Pages: 761

Author: Durant, Samuel W. comp
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia. Everts & Abbott
Number of Pages: 761