USA > Michigan > Kalamazoo County > History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan > Part 140
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rop ; 1850, James F. Murray ; 1851-52, Mills N. Duncan ; 1853, E. Lakin Brown ; 1854-55, Jerome T. Cobb; 1856, Edwin H. Lothrop ; 1857-62, James M. Neasmith ; 1863-65, Moses R. Cobb; 1866-69, Henry P. Smith ; 1870, James M. Neasmith ; 1871, H. P. Sınith ; 1872, J. M. Neasmith; 1873-76, Edwin F. Duncan ; 1877-78, Malachi Cox ; 1879, George A. Douglass.
TOWNSHIP CLERKS.
1832, Preston J. McCreary ; 1833, J. Addison Smith ; 1834-35, Elijah Fletcher; 1836, Jeremiah Humphreys; 1837, John Dix ; 1838 -39, Alexander H. Scott; 1840-41, M. R. Cobb; 1842, Mills N. Duncan ; 1843, David U. Cobb; 1844-45, Henry Bishop; 1846, George F. Kidder; 1847, Alonzo W. Mack ; 1848, Amos D. Allen ; 1849, David. Hubbard, Jr. ; 1850, Elisha A. Simmons; 1851-53; Seneca Smith; 1854, Henry P. Smith (Seneca Smith, deputy) ; 1855-72, Seneca Smith ; 1873-75, Franklin Barnhart; 1876, David Kimble; 1877, Manfred Hill ; 1878, Tyrrell Rayner, Jr. ; 1879, John W. Briggs, M.D.
ASSESSORS.
1832, Abiel Fellows, Isaac Sumner, Nathan Cobb ; 1833, Ruel Starr, John Perrine, Ebenezer Field; 1834, Elijah Root, Samuel Hackett, Samuel O. Wells; 1835, John E. Howard, Andrew Mc- Kinstry, Jonathan Wood ; 1836, S. O. Wells, Moses Austin, Alan- son Beals ; 1837, Salmon Grout, James Townsend, Israel R. Brown; 1838, John Brown, Stephen Wilbur, Charles B. Avery ;* 1839, Stephen Vickery, Hail Bates, Andrew Y. Moore ; 1840, A. Y. Moore, S. Vickery, S. Wilbur ; 1841, S. Wilbur, S. Vickery, B. S. Williams; 1842, Hail Bates, Elias Rawson; 1843, Elias Raw- son, M. R. Cobb ; 1844-45, John McComsey, Elias Rawson ; 1846, James H. Hogarth, William Dickinson ; 1847, L. B. Hathaway, Elias Rawson ; 1848, no record; 1849, Stephen Wilbur, Elias Rawson ; 1850, Stephen Wilbur, Jonas Allen.
COLLECTORS.
1832, Roswell Kelsey ; 1833, D. M. Dickson ; 1834-36, James N. Dens- more ;; 1837-38, Charles Fisher; 1839, Isaiah Burson ; 1840-41, Amos D. Allen.
TREASURERS.
1839-40, John Dix ; 1841, Nathan M. Thomas, M.D. ; 1842-43, Heze- kiah G. Wells ; 1844, M. R. Cobb; 1845-46, Mills N. Duncan ; 1847-48, Stephen S. Cobb; 1849, Joseph Briggs; 1850-52, Fred- erick Dale ; 1853-56, William Dickinson ; 1857, Thaddeus Smith ; 1858-64, William Fisher ; 1865-67, Charles F. Wheeler ; 1868-70, Samuel G. Mason ; 1871, Charles F. Wheeler; 1872, Robert Frakes; 1873, Wallace Vickery ; 1874-76, Andrew J. Johnson ; 1877-78, Wallace Vickery ; 1879, William H. Woodward.
JUSTICES OF. THE PEACE.
1838, Thaddeus Smith, Andrew Y. Moore, Joshua B. Durkin; 1839, Alanson Beals; 1840, Joshua B. Durkin, Isaiah Burson ; 1841, Isaiah Burrows ; 1842, Thaddeus Smith, Samuel P. Cobb ; 1843, Charles M. Cooper, Aaron Burson ; 1844, Stephen Vickery ; 1845, Amos D. Allen ; 1846, E. B. Dyckman ; 1847, Thaddeus Smith ; 1848, Lyman Francis; 1849, William Dickinson ; 1850, Russell Bishop ; 1851, Thaddeus Smith, Isaac A. Briggs ; 1852, Isaac A. Briggs; 1853, William Dickinson ; 1854, Russell Bishop, E. L. Brown ; 1855, John Fraser; 1856, Elijah K. Purdy ; 1857, Zeno Gould, Bildad Bennett (vacancy), Daniel P. Anderson (vacancy); 1858, Russell Bishop ; 1859, Daniel P. Anderson, Isaac Allen (va- cancy ) ; 1860, Bildad Bennett ; 1861, Preston Taylor, Wesley Mar- tin ; 1862, Wesley Martin ; 1863, Isaac N. Merrick ; 1864, Henry P. Smith ; 1865, Isaac Allen ; 1866, Wesley Martin, Samuel Haw- kins ; 1867, Samuel Hawkins ; 1868, Charles Ellis, Henry P. Smith; 1869, Daniel Bowe; 1870, James W. Parkhurst; 1871, S. Hawkins, Wesley Martin ; 1872, Gilbert L. Townsend; 1873, Daniel Bowe, Godfrey E. Knight; 1874, Wesley Martin ; 1875, Samuel Hawkins; 1876, G. Lee Clark ; 1877, Henry P. Smith ; 1878, Wesley Martin ; 1879, Daniel P. Anderson.
COMMISSIONERS OF HIGHWAYS.
1832, Aaron Burson, John Perrine, Jonathan Wood; 1833, James Noyes, Joel Clark, Caleb Sweetland ; 1834, John Insley, John
* Special meeting, April 23, 1838, at which Samuel P. Cobb was elected.
t At a special meeting held Dec. 6, 1836, James H. Hogsett was elected.
S. F.BROWN.
was born in Loudon Co., Va., Dec. 31, 1819. When eleven years of age he emigrated to Schoolcraft with his father's family, and settled at what is known as Virginia Corners, named from the fact that some forty of its people came from Virginia and settled there in the fall of 1830. His father, John Brown, purchased his land from government, assisted in the early settlement of the county, raised a family of six children, and died Oct. 18, 1875, aged eighty-four years. His widow is still living in her eighty-fifth year.
The immediate subject of this sketch, Stephen F. Brown, had only limited means of education, there being no school, or school district, in Kalamazoo County when he settled there; but having an inclination for knowl- edge, he made good use of such books as could be pro- cured until a school was established ; and by observation and natural tact he has acquired a State reputation for integrity, ability, and good common sense. He has been called to fill several offices of trust and honor. From 1856 to 1860 he represented his district in the Legisla- ture. In 1860 he was elected to the State Senate for two
years, and was re-elected in 1864. Having been raised on a farm, he has made that the business of his life. He has taken a deep interest in agriculture. Upon the organ- ization of the grange in Schoolcraft, he was the first Mas- ter of the subordinate grange of that town. He was also the first Master of the State Grange, which office he held for two years. He was subsequently elected treasurer of the State Grange, which office he now holds. Mr. Brown married, July 4, 1841, Maria Patrick, formerly from Oneida Co., N. Y., by whom he has had four children,- all now living, except the oldest son.
Soon after Mr. Brown was married he purchased some unimproved land near his father's farm, and commenced to make himself a home, where he has since resided. He now owns a fine farm of more than two hundred acres under a good state of cultivation, with the sur- roundings of a thrifty farmer. For nearly a half century Mr. Brown has been a resident of Kalamazoo County, and has witnessed its transformation from a wilderness to a populous and cultivated region. He is a self-made and representative man.
515
TOWNSHIP OF SCHOOLCRAFT.
Kelly, James Noyes ; 1835, John E. Howard, John Kelly, James Armstrong ; 1836, Nathan M. Thomas, S. O. Wells, Thomas J. Chaffee ; 1837, David Burson, Albert E. Bull, Rufus A. Royce ; 1838, George Leland, A. K. Burson, Stephen Wilbur; 1839, John Brown, A. Y. Moore, Aaron Burson ; 1840, Bradley S. Williams, S. Vickery, S. Wilbur ; 1841, Asa Proctor. E. L. Briggs, B. S. Williams ; 1842, James Bates, Samuel Francisco, William P. Car- mon ; 1843, W. P. Carmon, Joseph Frakes, Stephen F. Brown ; 1844, S. F. Brown, William Judson, Luther B. Hathaway ; 1845, James Knight, William Judson, Stephen F. Brown; 1846, John Fraser, Godfrey Knight; 1847, R. Pursel, William P. Carmon, John McComsey ; 1848, R. Pursel, John McComsey, Jerome T. Cobb; 1849, Andrew Y. Moore; 1850, William Bair; 1851, Jerome T. Cobb; 1852, Edwin H. Lothrop ; 1853, James F. Murray ; 1854, John Fraser; 1855, E. H. Lothrop, S. F. Brown; 1856, Evert B. Dyckman ; 1857, John Fraser ; 1858, Peter Osterhout, William Bair; 1859, Henry Bishop, William Bair; 1860, Peter Osterhout; 1861, Daniel Struble; 1862, Henry Bishop ; 1863, Peter Osterhout, J. T. Cobb ; 1864, Daniel Struble; 1865, Jona- than Sidler ; 1866, Sumner Hemmingway ; 1867, Daniel Struble; 1868, T. W. Finlay, Wesley Martin (in place of J. T. Cobb, elected and resigned) ; 1869, Wesley Martin ; 1870, James Kirby ; 1871, Thomas W. Finlay ; 1872, John A. Strickland; 1873, Jona- than Sidler, S. F. Brown; 1874-75, James M. Neasmith; 1876- 77, Albert B. Judson ; 1878, Gilbert Stuart; 1879, Asbury Daw- son.
SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS.
1833, Abiel Fellows, Darius Wells, James Noyes ; 1834, James Smith, Jr., to fill vacancy caused by death of Abiel Fellows; 1835, Ste- phen Field ; 1836, Benjamin Taylor, Isaac Briggs, Martin Mc- Kean.
SCHOOL INSPECTORS.
1833, Edwin H. Lothrop, J. Humphrey, Thaddeus Smith : 1835, Jo- seph A. Smith, E. Lakin Brown, D. M. Dixon, S. O. Wells, An- drew Mckinstry; 1836, James Smith, Jr., Edwin H. Lothrop, E. Lakin Brown, D. M. Dixon, H. G. Wells; 1837, Benjamin Taylor, E. H. Lothrop, Stephen Vickery ; 1838, S. Vickery, E. H. Lothrop, E. Lakin Brown; 1839, E. Lakin Brown, S. Vickery, Jeremiah Humphrey ; 1840, S. Vickery, Jesse Thomas, George V. Lothrop ; 1841, H. G. Wells, S. Vickery, E. L. Brown ; 1842, II. G. Wells, E. L. Brown, M. R. Cobb; 1843, H. G. Wells, E. L. Brown ; 1844, Hezekiah G. Wells; 1845, E. Lakin Brown ; 1846, John Carmon ; 1847, E. Lakin Brown ; 1848-50, H. G. Wells; 1851, Elias Cooley, Jr .; 1852-53, H. G. Wells ; 1854, Edmund Fish; 1855, James M. Neasmith ; 1856, Stephen Vickery ; 1857, Roswell R. Prentice; 1858, Eleazer Beebe; 1859, R. R. Prentice; 1860, E. W. Beebe, Charles F. Wheeler ; 1861, Charles F. Wheeler ; 1862, Elisha A. Simmons ; 1863, Charles F. Wheeler; 1864, Eli- sha A. Simmons; 1865, Wesley Martin ; 1866, James M. Shafer; 1867, Jerome T. Cobb; 1868, William T. Smith; 1869, William Fisher ; 1870, Charles F. Wheeler; 1871, William Fisher; 1872, Moses R. Cobb; 1873, William Fisher; 1874, Philip D. Miller ; 1875, Moses R. Cobb ; 1876, P. D. Miller; 1877, Gilbert Stuart; 1878, Walker Kniss; 1879, George L. Stuart.
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS.
1875, Alexander B. Rath ; 1876, G. A. Douglass ; 1877, Win. Roberts ; 1878, G. L. Clark ; 1879, Lewis L. Perrin.
DRAIN COMMISSIONERS.
1874, Daniel P. Anderson ; 1876, Moses F. Woodward ; 1877, Henry C. Rawson ; 1878, Wallace Frakes ; 1879, Moses F. Woodward.
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
1832, John Knight, Thomas M. Stanley ; 1833, Bazel Harrison, T. M. Stanley ; 1834, William Bates, Joseph Eastland; 1835, John Brown, William Duncan ; 1836, Aaron Burson, Ira Lyon ; 1837- 39, Aaron Burson, William Smith; 1840, Silas C. Briggs; 1841, Silas C. Briggs, James Portman (latter removed, and H. G. Wells appointed to fill vacancy) ; 1842, H. G. Wells, S. C. Briggs; 1843 -44, H. G. Wells, William Judson ; 1845, Alex. H. Scott, William Judson ; 1846, A. Y. Moore, Hugh Finlay ; 1847, A. K. Burson, William Judson ; 1848-49, H. H. Scott, William Judson; 1850 -51, A. H. Scott, George Leland; 1852, A. H. Scott, C. P. Oster- hout; 1853, Oliver Eldred, Isaiah W. Pursel; 1855, A. H. Scott,
E. L. Briggs: 1856, O. R. Hatch, E. G. Robinson ; 1857, A. S. Briggs, E. B. Hanks ; 1858, Henry Bishop, Asa S. Briggs; 1859, A. H. Scott, Daniel Struble.
CONSTABLES.
1832, Roswell Kelsey ; 1833, D. M. Dickson, A. Fitzgerald, John Chandler ; 1834, James N. Densmore; 1835-36, James N. Dens- more, James H, Hogshett, elected at special meeting in December, 1836; 1837, Charles Fisher, John W. Noyes; 1838, Charles Fisher, George E. Lloyd ; 1839, George E. Lloyd, Isaiah Burson ; 1840, A. D. Allen, George E. Lloyd ; 1841, A. D. Allen, Reuben S. Hawley, Lyman P. Lewis, John W. Noyes ; 1842-44, A. D. Allen, John B. Seacoy ; 1845, J. B. Seacoy, Samuel Francisco; 1846, J. B. Seacoy, G. E. Lloyd; 1847, S. Grout, Jonah Pursel ; 1848, H. P. Smith, Charles Dey Armond ; 1849, Henry P. Smith, William Fisher ; 1850, H. P. Smith, William Fisher, C. B. Dey Armond; 1851, William Fisher, C. B. Dey Armond; 1852, Wm. Fisher, Andrew J. Ide ; 1853, Uriah Hurson, Henry P. Smith, William Fisher, John B. Seacoy; 1854, William Fisher, John Boughton ; 1855, William Fisher, Marco B. Royce, Salmon Grout; 1856, William Fisher, Frederick Dale, Oliver C. Gregg, Uriah Hurson; 1857, William Fisher, John Finlay, John Clermont, Thomas Holmes ; 1858, William Fisher, L. A. Hayward, John Finlay, C. B. Dey Armond; 1859, William Fisher, Anson Bon- foey, John Finlay, J. J. Rice; 1860, William Fisher, Peter Oster- hout, D. R. Noyes, C. B. Dey Armond ; 1861, William Fisher, Edwin Sterne, John J. Rice, Thomas W. Finley ; 1862, William Fisher, John McCreary, John Finlay, John J. Rice; 1863, A. Joslin, William Fisher, J. Frank Taylor, J. J. Rice; 1864, Wil- liam Fisher, Oscar R. Hatch, John Finlay, Alanson J. Joslin ; 1865, William Fisher, O. R. Hatch, John Finlay, N. S. Wolver- ton ; 1866, William Fisher, Andrew J. Johnson, Charles Adams, Oscar R. Hatch ; 1867, William Fisher, Charles Adams, John Finlay, Charles Underwood; 1868, William Fisher, G. J. Spit- zer, John Finlay, Fred. Dale; 1869, John Finlay, James How- ard, John Dix, Frederick Dale; 1870-71, John H. Dix, C. Un- derwood, James Howard, John S. Day ; 1872, John H. Dix, John D. Strew, John S. Day, Austin Martin ; 1873, James Major, John D. Strew, Josiah Allen, John S. Day; 1874, J. M. Major, Theo. W. Smith, J. D. Strew, John S. Day ; 1875, John S. Day, James J. Howard, T. W. Smith, Joseph Robert :; 1876, H. G. Allen, T. W. Smith, J. J. Howard, John S. Day; 1877, H. G. Allen, J. J. Howard, William B. Cobb, T. W. Smith ; 1878, Volney John- son, Michael Grimes, W. H. Norton, Seth D. Thompson ; 1879, T. W. Smith, Joseph Roberts, J. J. Howard, Arthur Briggs.
EARLY ROADS.
The following items are descriptive of the first recorded highways in what is now Schoolcraft township :
" We, the undersigned, Commissioners of Publick Highways for the township of Brady, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Territory, under a conviction that Publick interest requires it, do hereby declare the following roads as publick highways, viz. : Beginning at the section corner between sections 5 & 6, 7 & 8, Township 4 South, Range 11 West; thence south on section line and terminating at half-mile stake, between sections 31 & 32, in said town and range. Also another road commencing at the corner of sections 4 & 5, 8 & 9, of T. 4 S., R. 11 W .; thence directly west to the corner of sections 1 & 2, 11 & 12, T. 4 S., R. 12 W .; thence N. 87º 30', W. 140 Poles; thence S. 69º, W. 36 Poles, to the line between sections 2 & 11; thence on said line W. to the corner between sections 3 & 4, 9 & 10. Also another road com- mencing 80 rods east of the corner of sections 5 & 6, 7 & 8, T. 4 S., R. 11 W .; thence N. 50 Poles ; thence N. 22º, E. 164 Poles, to the bridge on Portage; thence a northwesterly course a half-mile nearly to the township line; this road to vary to suit the ground wherever necessary. Given under our hands the 22d day of April, 1831.
" BAZEL HARRISON, " AARON BURSON, " WM. DUNCAN, Road Commissioners."
" We, the undersigned, Commissioners of Publick Highways for the township of Brady, do hereby establish and declare a road on the following points a publick highway, viz. : Beginning at the quarter stake on the east line of section Thirty, in Town 4 South, Range 11
516
HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
West; thence West 5° south to the quarter stake on township line ; thenee west 7º south section 25 in town 4 South, Range 12 west, to quarter stake; thence west 7º south to the centre of section 26 in said Town 4 south, Range 12 west, being one half-mile from the quarter stakes; and thence terminating in the intersection of a road leading from north to south across said seetion.
" Given under our hands the 21st day of May, A.D. 1831. " AARON BURSON, -
"BAZEL HARRISON, & Road Commissioners." " WM. DUNCAN, -
These, with a few others laid out in what is now Prairie Ronde township at a still earlier date, were the first ones recorded in the original book of records for Brady township. Various alterations were made and new roads laid in rapid succession, and in a very few years the settlers on Prairie Ronde, Gourd-Neck Prairie, and in their vicinity possessed ample highway facilities.
VILLAGE OF SCHOOLCRAFT.
The first permanent settler on the site of this village was Thaddeus Smith, but claims had been made upon the ground and alleged improvements previously by men named Rue and Bond. The latter in a short time moved into the corner of Prairie Ronde which reaches into Texas town- ship, and finally went to La Porte, Ind. Rue also had re- mained but a short time, and no descendants of either of the men are now in the vicinity of Schoolcraft.
The following extracts are from an address delivered in August, 1875, before the Pioneer Society at Vicksburg, by Hon. E. Lakin Brown, of Schoolcraft :
"On the 20th of April, 1830, James Smith, Jr., Hosea B. Huston, and myself left Windsor County, Vermont, for the far West,-Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I had relatives with whom I had corre- sponded, being the objective point. We went by wagon to Fort Ann, New York, thence by stage to Troy. As it was early in the season and the eanal scareely open, we decided to take the steamer ' Henry Clay,' which left Troy in the morning, and make a brief visit to New York City, then return and take a line boat to Buffalo. At the ap- pointed time we started from the hotel, with our baggage, for the boat, and had nearly arrived at the wharf when we met an old acquaint- ance, who said he was driving the hourly stage that ran between Troy and Albany, about six miles, and urged us to ride with him down to Albany, as he would be there as soon as the boat, which always stopped there, and we could then go on board. We did so, and drove down about even with the boat, but had the mortification to see the steamer pass right on, apparently without the slightest stop, on her way to New York. At any rate we had not time to get on board. Our view of the disappointment was considerably modified the next day when we learned that the 'Henry Clay' never reached New York, but exploded her boilers near Newburg, with the most awful destruction of passengers and erew that had ever occurred in the his- tory of steamboats.
" After some delay, we took the first line boat of the season for Buf- falo, where we arrived after a long but rather jovial passage,-rum, brandy, gin, being placarded on boards at the door of every shop along the eanal, and it being thought rather a good thing to patron- ize such convenient and hospitable places.
" At Buffalo, Thaddeus Smith, an old neighbor of ours in Vermont, who had been unfortunate in business at the South, and whose wife is a cousin of mine, was making a temporary stop with his family, and on him we called and learned from him that the previous summer- 1829-he had made a journey to Michigan, passing through the Ter- ritory from Detroit to the bend of the Kalamazoo River-where Kalamazoo now is-on foot, and had visited a great prairie, ealled Prairie Ronde, where settlers were just coming in; had stayed all night with one Harrison, who had settled the fall before on the bank of a beautiful little lake; and finally Prairie Ronde was the most beautiful place in the world, and we must go there by all means. . . . " We took passage for Detroit on the schooner ' Marie Antoinette,'
and after a terribly rough passage of seven days, the sehooner losing her jibboom and suffering other damage, we arrived at Detroit. Thence to Ann Arbor by stage. After a few days spent at this place, Smith and Huston purchased a little pony and started for Prairie Ronde on the ride-and-tie plan. At Prairie Ronde they purchased the elaim of one Rue to the land where Schoolcraft now is, and con- traeted with him to build a log cabin suitable for a store, to be lo- eated just in front of Judge Dyckman's present residence, making a small advance in money. They then returned to Ann Arbor, whence Smith left for New York to purchase a small stock of goods. Huston was to remain at Ann Arbor a few weeks, and return to take charge of the goods on their arrival. It had been agreed with Thaddeus Smith at Buffalo that if it was decided to bring goods to Michigan, he and his family were to ship with them on their arrival at Buffalo, go around the lake to St. Joseph, and thence to Prairie Ronde, taking an interest in the concern. I returned directly to Vermont. Smith sent on a splendid stock of goods, to the amount of seven hundred dollars ($700), and returned to Vermont, and did not remove to Michi- gan with his family till June, 1833.
" In due time the schooner arrived at St. Joseph, and the goods were boated up the St. Joseph River to MeIntaffer's, where Loekport now is, the eager settlers readily furnishing teams to transport them to Prairie Ronde, where they arrived late in the summer.
" Huston, in the mean time, had returned to Prairie Ronde, and found that Rue, instead of building the eabin, as agreed, had resold his claim to one Bond and left the country; so neither goods nor family had house or home. It was finally arranged that they should occupy a part of the little cabin of Abner Calhoon, on the west side, where they spent the winter, and in the early spring built a rather large log house on a claim purchased of Nathan Harrison, now a part of my farm at Schoolcraft, and moved there. The next spring-1831 -James Smith, Jr., with his brother, Joseph Addison Smith, and his brother-in-law, James Walker, Esq., of New Hampshire, visited Prai- rie Ronde, and attended the land-sales at Monroe, Walker loaning money to several of the settlers to enable them to secure their loca- tions, making no purchases for himself. Addison Smith became a member of the trading firm, and James returned by way of New York, sending forward a fair stock of goods for two stores, with the under- standing that another establishment should be opened at Kalamazoo, under Huston's superintendence.
" This was done, Huston erecting a very respectable two-story frame building, occupied afterwards by McBride as a printing-office, and for many years known as the ' old music store.' So here we arrive at two more unquestioned facts in the history of the county, to wit: That the first stock of goods opened in the county was at Prairie Ronde, in 1830, and the first at Kalamazoo, then Bronson, was in 1831, both by the firm of Smith, Huston & Co. This brings me to the time of my return to Michigan and arrival at Schoolcraft, Nov. 5, 1831. At that time the village of Schoolcraft had just been laid out. There was not a house nor building of any deseription in the village, except Smith, Huston & Co.'s big store and a little frame, raised the day I arrived by Edwin Fogg, from New Hampshire, for a cabinet- shop. The shop is now (1875) the dwelling-house of John D. Strew. Johnson Patrick was living in an unfinished frame house, a half-mile east of the village, where William Cobb's residence now is. This was the only framed house on Prairie Ronde. On the prairie, including Gourd-Neck, were some sixty log houses, built almost uniformly just at the meeting of the prairie and timber. At Kalamazoo were four or five log houses ; no frame building except Huston's store. Soon after coming to Schoolcraft I purchased the interest of Thaddeus Smith in the firm of Smith, Huston & Co., paying-or promising to pay, for I had on my arrival just eighteen dollars, all told, and had spent that-six hundred dollars. On the arrival of James Smith, with his family, in June, 1833, the firm was dissolved, Huston taking the Kalamazoo business, and the two Smiths, James and Addison, and myself continued at Schoolcraft, under the name of J. & J. A. Smith & Co., until January, 1836, when James Smith took the entire busi- ness and continued, either alone or with partners, until his final ruin and bankruptcy, about 1840. He died in 1842.
" In 1836, James, Addison, and John Smith, a brother of theirs, with John H. Bowman, of Three Rivers, bought the water-power and village site of Three Rivers, and built the flouring-mill there, which, with other disastrous undertakings on the part of James Smith, hast- ened the ruin, more or less complete, of all concerned. John died shortly after, and Addison returned to Vermont and was in business
THADDEUS SMITH
was born in Cavendish, Vt. He remained at the paternal home until he arrived at majority, enjoying such educational advantages as were offered by the - schools of the locality. About 1820 he went to Richmond, Va., where he was engaged as clerk in a store for three years ; from thence to Petersburg, Va., and engaged in business for himself, during which time he married Miss Eliza Parker, of his native town. They remained at Petersburg about three years after their marriage, and in 1829 Mr. Smith made a tour through Michigan, prospecting for a future home. Being attracted by the beautiful prai- rie, he decided to locate where now stands the village of Schoolcraft.
The next year (1830) he came with his wife, and
engaged in the mercantile business with James Smith for a few years, when he sold out and engaged in farming.
Thaddeus Smith was an upright man, and one who had much to do with the early history of Schoolcraft. He was for twenty years a justice of the peace.
His influence was always on the side of good morals, and the general welfare of the community. He died in April, 1876, in his eightieth year, respected by all who knew him. Mrs. Smith survives him, and is now in her seventy-sixth year. They have been the parents of four children,-one daughter died in infancy ; two daughters (Hellen A. and Frances B.) and the son, Henry, reside in Schoolcraft.
517
TOWNSHIP OF SCHOOLCRAFT.
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