History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 145

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

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The membership of this church in October, 1879, was between 40 and 50. The number was at one time nearly twice as many, but several families moved west to Kansas and Nebraska, others into Van Buren County and elsewhere, and thus its strength was materially reduced. The Sabbath- school has a membership of about 115, and an average at- tendance of 75. Its superintendents are George G. Crose and J. Robertson. The frame house of worship built in 1850 is still in use.

Baptist Church, Schoolcraft. - From the original record of this church is transcribed the following, relating to its organization :

" The Conference which composed the foregoing members then voted to receive the Council, and the Council called for their profession of faith. After due deliberation they resolved to give to the members composing the foregoing Conference the hand of fellowship as the 'First Baptist Church in Schoolcraft.'

" Rev. Jeremiah Hall was then appointed to attend to the business on the following day. Adjourned."

Elder Hall preached the next day (June 11, 1837). Oct. 14, 1837, " appointed Serene Edwards and D. D. Irous a committee to prepare the house occupied by the Baptist Church convenient for meetings this winter." This building stood in the northern part of the village, near where the Baptist parsonage is now located, and had been erected by Elder William Taylor, the first Baptist minister on Prairie Ronde, he probably furnishing most of the funds to build it. It was not finished inside, and was rather a dismal place in which to meet. "Father Taylor" never missed his regular appointment in the old church, even if he had but a single listener ; on a few occasions even a sol- itary person failed to attend service, and at such times he would offer a prayer and go home, having performed his duty. He lived east of Schoolcraft, on the place occupied after his death by James Brown. Mr. Taylor planned the brick church which the society built in 1851, on the ground occupied by the present brick edifice belonging to it .* Some defect in the foundation or walls rendered it unsafe, and it was finally taken down, and the present one built in 1874.

The pastors of this church succeeding Elder Taylor up to 1868 were Elders A. A. Ellis, H. S. Fish, R. R. Pren- tice, H. M. Jones, J. L. McCloud, A. M. Buck, E. G. Wood, John Booth, and Albert L. Vail. The latter was ordained in March, 1868, and resigned in May, 1869; he is now in Wichita, Kansas. The pastors since have been the following : Elder T. G. Lamb took charge in March, 1870, resigned in September, 1871; Elder A. Pierce then invited to fill the pulpit until another pastor could be se- cured; Rev. Charles Conley, from Troy, Mich., came in November, 1871, was teacher in the union school, and preached occasionally for a year, has since graduated with full ministerial powers ; Rev. A. G. Pierce succeeded him, and continued in charge until September, 1876, when he resigned ; call presented to Rev. Asa L. Fox, who began services in November, 1876; Rev. A. G. Pierce again took charge in January, 1878, and is the present pastor. The membership of this church in November, 1879, was about 60. A flourishing Sunday-school is sustained, with Albert Pierce as superintendent.

Methodist Episcopal Church, Schoolcraft .- " The first organization of this church was on what is called Gourd- Neck Prairie, in the year 1840, by a local preacher living there by the name of A. J. Eldred, and early in the spring of 1841 a class was formed in the village of Schoolcraft by a Brother Shaw (given name not known), who was at that time preacher in charge. The class consisted of nine mem- bers. In 1851 the Rev. S. Clements, who was then the pastor, built the church which now stands here."t The membership of this church, Oct. 24, 1879, was about

" June 10, 1837 .- A council convened, according to appointment, on the 10th of June, A.D. 1837, for the purpose of organizing in Schoolcraft, Mich., a regular Baptist Church, composed of the follow- ing members : Rev. Jeremiah Hall, Deacon Wm. Churchill, David D. Irons.

" Elder Wm. Taylor and Deacon Stephen Kinney was added to the Council, and the Council organized by choosing Elder Jeremiah Hall, of Kalamazoo, Moderator, and David D. Irons, of Ann Arbor, Clerk, after which the following persons were then represented by letter : Rev. Wm. Taylor, Mrs. Sarah Taylor, Deacon Stephen Kinney, Mrs. Hannah Kinney, Mrs. Ann Lyon, Mr. Orrin Kinney, Hector Wager, Joseph Wright, Mrs. Eliza Leeland, Mrs. Clarinda Hemenway, Mrs. Rhoda Reed, Mathew Lewis, Mrs. Roxalana Lewis.

# He also donated forty acres of land to the society, the proceeds from the sale of which aided largely in building the church.

+ Kalamazoo County Historical Directory, 1869-70. The church is

a frame building, and in the autumn of 1879 was extensively repaired.

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TOWNSHIP OF SCHOOLCRAFT.

100, and the Sunday-school, under the superintendence of Mr. Graves, principal of the union school, has about the same attendance, with a membership of 150. The pastor, Rev. J. E. White, has a charge also at what is called the " Park," in the Hill district, in the southeast part of the township, where meetings are held in the school-house. A class has existed there a number of years. It was origi- nally a part of the Schoolcraft charge, but was dropped from it, and has but recently been taken up again. School- craft circuit at one time included Schoolcraft, Vicksburg, the "Park," and the " Brick Church,"-the latter situated southeast of Schoolcraft, in St. Joseph County ; but this and Vicksburg no longer belong to it.

Congregational Church, Vicksburg .- A Congregational society was organized at this place quite early, but the exact date we have not been able to ascertain. Among the early pastors were Revs. Mr. Myers, now in Illinois, and William H. Osborn, now of Livingston Co., Mich. The church as originally organized was finally disbanded, but on the 25th of October, 1865, a reorganization took place. Rev. S. O. Bryant, who was soon afterwards the pastor, had been ordained in the frame school-house then in use by the village, in which the old society held its meetings. During his pastorate the present neat frame church was built ; it was dedicated in the winter of 1866 or 1867. Rev. Mr. Dean, of Kalamazoo, and Rev. Elizur Andrus, then of Allegan, officiated at the dedication.

Among the early pastors of the church may also be men- tioned the names of Revs. Mr. Kidder and William P. Esler, of whom the former is now in Nebraska. Several pastors have been in charge since the church was built. Rev. Thomas Nield, now in the northern part of the State, was here about a year, and after his removal the church was without a pastor for nearly a year. In May, 1877, the present incumbent, Rev. Elizur Andrus, took charge. At that time the affairs of the church were in a bad condition, but prosperity has since smiled upon it, and it now has between 50 and 60 members, and the society is free from debt. The Sabbath-school has an attendance of 70; Deacon O. B. Dunning is its superintendent. In the fall of 1856 or 1857 (the " smoky fall"), Rev. Mr. Andrus, then preach- ing at Augusta, drove to Vicksburg to attend the Association being held there, and on his return the smoke was so dense that it became necessary to have a man pilot him a few miles along the road. During the fall of 1871-the year of fires -Mr. Andrus was located at Pentwater, on the shore of Lake Michigan, and after the almost total destruction of Manistee was appointed a committee to take charge of goods sent to the relief of the citizens of the latter place, and went with them and distributed them to the sufferers. Mr. An- drus was practically the builder of the society at Augusta, in this county. At the ordination of Rev. S. O. Bryant, at Vicksburg, Mr. Andrus was scribe of the meeting, and Rev. Mr. Streeter, then of Union City, preached the ordi- nation sermon. Mr. Bryant is now in the northern part of the State, and Mr. Streeter in Ohio. From June, 1861, until September, 1865, Mr. Andrus served as chaplain of the 6th Michigan Infantry, or Heavy Artillery, to which it was changed after two years. This regiment was originally commanded by Col. F. W. Curtenius, of Kalamazoo.

Methodist Episcopal Church, Vicksburg .- A Methodist class was formed at the old village of Brady probably as early as 1845 to 1850, and services were held by the min- ister from Schoolcraft, who preached here in the school- house Sunday afternoons. Mrs. S. C. Briggs, who was a member of the early class on Gourd-Neck Prairie, and afterwards of the one at Schoolcraft, finally came to Vicks- burg, where she now resides, and belongs to the church at this place. The first meetings here are thought to have been held by the Methodists. Until 1878, Vicksburg formed a part of the Schoolcraft circuit, but in that year was made a separate station, during the pastorate of Rev. J. Boynton. The frame church in use by the society was dedicated Dec. 1, 1870 ; the present value of the church is placed at $3000, and of the parsonage at $850. The mem- bership-including probationers, 30 in number-is 145 (November, 1879). The present pastor, Rev. E. S. Meches- ney, is now on his first year at the place ; for three years previously he was in charge of the church at Climax.

CEMETERIES.

On page 172 of the record-book for Schoolcraft-origi- nally Brady-is the plat of a burial-ground, and beneath it the following description, which, as will be noticed, does not enlighten the reader as to its location :

"The Burying-Ground in the Township of Schoolcraft, of which the above is a plan, was surveyed and laid out April 22, 1843. The whole ground is 262 feet square, being the whole of two acres pur- chased by the Township for that purpose, except a strip two rods wide on the east and south sides, left for public highway. The 2 centre Alleys, running east and west, north and south, are 12 feet wide; that outside of the lots is 6 feet; all the other alleys are 8 feet wide. All the lots are 10} feet in width, by 34} in length."

In November,, 1858, a plat of the Schoolcraft burial- ground was surveyed by Frederick W. Hatch. The ground included 4 acres of land, and was divided into 189 lots, each 15 by 51} links in dimensions. Oct. 29, 1873, 105 ad- ditional lots, each 15 by 50 links, were surveyed by Edward Strong.

The Gourd-Neck burial-ground was laid out in 1844, and " surveyed, staked, and numbered by Isaac Briggs." It contains 1 acre of land, being 20 rods north and south by 8 rods east and west, and was purchased by the township for the purposes of a cemetery.

The cemetery at Vicksburg is township property, and contains 3 acres of land, formerly belonging to Daniel Stru- ble. The first person buried in it was Gould Richardson, of Pavilion township. A spot of ground near the location of the old log school-house was, in an early day, used as a burial-place merely for convenience; it was never regularly laid out as a cemetery, and its use was finally discontinued.

MILITARY.

The military record of Schoolcraft is an honorable one. The sons of sires who marched to meet and conquer Black Hawk assumed the garb of the soldier when Rebellion sought to destroy the nation, and from the beautiful Prairie Ronde and its vicinity went brave and true men in defense of the principles of freedom. Many returned in safety ; others came back to their homes at the close of the struggle bear- ing evidence in their maimed and disfigured forms of the

532

HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

fierceness of the conflict and the staunchness of the boys in blue. Others, when the roll was called, answered not ; their stricken forms had found the rest of the martyred patriot ; the homes from which they went in all the strength of manhood knew them no more; weeping relatives and friends waited and watched in vain for their return ; the roll-call to which they shall answer will be that which sum- mons the spirits of the departed to the rendering of a final account, and none nobler than they will stand in the ranks to be rewarded according to their dues. The following residents of Schoolcraft and vicinity who gave their lives to their country lie beneath the turf on the prairie which, living, they loved so well :

Daniel F. Miller, sergt., Co. L, 5th Mich. Cav .; wounded in action near Richmond, Va., May 11, 1864; died of wounds at Point Lookout, Md., June 16, 1864, aged 22 years.

Joseph Burson, Co. L, 5th Mich. Cav .; killed in action at Hawes' Shop, Va., May 28, 1864, aged 22 years.

Abner H. Burson, captured at Trevillian Station, Va., June 11, 1864; imprisoned at Andersonville; liberated November 26th; came home and died from effects of starvation, Feb. 24, 1865, aged 27 years.

Lieut. Frank Corbyn, Co. I, 3d Mich. Cav .; wounded in a charge at Water Valley, Miss., Dec. 18, 1862; died of wounds at La Grange, Tenn., Jan. 11, 1862, aged 26 years.

Charles Adair, killed by the accidental discharge of a musket, July 4, 1863, aged 20 years.

George Thompson, corp., Co. D, 17th Mich. Inf .; died from disease contracted in the service, Feb. 18, 1866, aged 24 years.

Albert Chapman, sergt., Co. C, 6th Mich. Inf .; contracted disease in the service; arrived home Oct. 21, 1863, and died Oct. 25, 1864. Albion Smith, 11th Mich. Inf .; returned and died in village of Schoolcraft.

Charles Pursel, Ist lieut., killed in action at Averysboro', N. C., March 16, 1865.

Others are Mathew Smith, Henry Beals, John Kline, John Briggs, and Wm. Firney.

John McCreary, 1st sergt., 8th Mich. Cav .; contracted disease in the service; returned home, and in 1869 was appointed postmaster at Schoolcraft. He died in May, 1870, before his term of office had expired.

The following account of the excitement subsequent upon the spreading of a rumor that Black Hawk was on his way to devastate the country and murder the settlers is taken from Hon. E. L. Brown's " History of Schoolcraft :"

"On one of the last days of April (1832), about ten at night, an express arrived from White Pigeon with dispatches to the effect that the Indians under Black Hawk had fought and defeated the United States troops in Illinois ; that the fort at Chicago was probably taken, and that all the white settlements in the West were in great danger, and calling on the militia of Kalamazoo County to muster forthwith and march to Niles, the point of rendezvous for the Michigan troops. Dr. David E. Brown had previously been commissioned colonel,* Isaac Barnes, of Gull Prairie, lieutenant-colonel, and H. B. Huston major, of a regiment of militia. Col. Brown, and as many of the settlers as could be got together, were hastily convened in the new tavern, then just erected, under an excitement that at this time seems rather amusing. E. L. Brown volunteered to take the dispatches to Kala- mazoo and Gull Prairie, where he arrived about daylight in the morn- ing. The regiment, of three or four companies of about 60 men each, Capt. James Noyes and Capt. Ephraim Harrison commanding two companies of the prairie men, speedily mustered at Schoolcraft, and in a few dayst marched for the seat of war, camping at night of the second day near the village of Niles. In the morning orders arrived for the return and disbanding of the regiment, as there were no provi-

sions for them and they probably would not be wanted. On this ex- pedition the venerable John Howard, of Dry Prairie, who was present at the taking of Cornwallis, drove one of the baggage-wagons."

The " scare" experienced had the effect to stop emigra- tion for that spring, and the prevalence of the Asiatic cholera in the following summer was as great a source of dread as the wild rumors of Indian outrage.

To those who have aided the writer in securing facts for the foregoing history of Schoolcraft township sincere thanks are tendered. It is impossible to give due credit to every one, from the fact that their names are not all remembered, but each person who has contributed aught of value may feel certain that his or her help has been fully appreciated. Among the many are Nathan M. Thomas, M.D., Hon. E. Lakin Brown, Jerome T. Cobb, M. R. Cobb, Mrs. Thad- deus Smith, Mrs. Stephen Vickery, and others at School- craft; Samuel Hawkins, Esq., Dr. Ezra Smith, Mrs. S. C. Briggs, and others at Vicksburg; William Bair and Joseph Frakes, in the eastern part of town; Abner Burson and Stephen F. Brown, in the northern part; Peter Kniss and William Knight, in the southern part; the pastors and nu- merous members of the churches; township and village clerks ; proprietors of newspapers ; physicians ; and so on through the list. It is hoped and believed that the account given will prove interesting and satisfactory, as not only have points already in print been gathered, but new and hitherto unpublished and important facts are incorporated.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

JAMES SMITH, JR.}

One of the most remarkable men of all who were the pioneers of Western Michigan was James Smith, Jr.,-re- markable for what he was rather than for what he did ; and yet he was the leading spirit in the settlement at School- craft, and for several years its growth and prosperity de- pended almost wholly upon his enterprise and liberality. Cast in the very finest mould of nature's noblemen, he was qualified to adorn any sphere and to honor any station. And yet, alas ! a single vice 'ruined hopes and fortune, and scarce a memento of him remains but in the hearts of his intimate friends, and in the recollection of those less inti- mate acquaintances upon whose minds even ordinary inter- course left an impression lasting as life.

James Smith, Jr., was born in Cavendish, Vt., Nov. 13, 1797. The family were Scotch-Irish, and were among those who, early in the seventeenth century, emigrated to America and settled in New Hampshire, the Smith family and many others selecting Peterboro' as their future home. The Smiths became one of the most noted families in the State, Jeremiah Smith, an uncle of James, Jr., having been a member of the first Congress under the Con- stitution, a district judge of the United States Court, and Governor of New Hampshire.

James, the father of James, Jr., early removed to Cav-

* If he had not already been commissioned he was the recognized commander, and his commission came very soon after.

t By some authority ten days.

# Prepared by Hon. E. Lakin Brown.

533

TOWNSHIP OF SCHOOLCRAFT.

endish, Vt., where he was a most prominent and respected citizen, representing his township in the Legislature for many years, and living to a good old age, honored and loved by all.

In 1823, Mr. Smith married Miss Betsey L. Brown, of Plymouth, Vt., and settled upon a part of the home-farm in Cavendish, where he was quite largely engaged in wool- growing, taking great interest in increasing and improving the stock of merino sheep. He several times represented his native town in the Legislature, and was greatly looked up to as friend and umpire in all neighborhood differences.

In April, 1830, in company with H. B. Huston and E. Lakin Brown, he went on an exploring trip to Michigan, with a view to a change of residence. The party were saved by a mere accident from being on board the steamer " Henry Clay," which exploded and sunk near Newburg, on the Hudson River, with great loss of life. After a journey of about twenty days, by canal and lake, they ar- rived at Ann Arbor about the 10th of May.

After a few days' sojourn at Ann Arbor, Smith and Huston started for the West, Brown being detained by ill- ness. They bought an Indian pony, and took turns in riding and walking. They came directly to Prairie Ronde, to which their attention had been directed by a former neighbor and acquaintance, living at Buffalo, named Thad- deus Smith, who had traveled through the Territory the summer previous, and had visited the prairie, whose first settler had come there in November, 1828. They visited what was called the great bend of the Kalamazoo River, where Kalamazoo now is, but finally decided to locate on Prairie Ronde, and selected a point east of the grove known as the Big Island, on the eighty acres subsequently laid out by Lucius Lyon and called the village of Schoolcraft.

The land was claimed by a man named Rue, with whom they bargained for the claim and for the erection of a small log cabin to serve for a store, made some small cash advance, and returned to Ann Arbor. Soon after they left Rue resold the claim to a Quaker named Bond, and ran away. Smith went to New York, bought a small stock of goods to be forwarded around the lakes to St. Joseph, and thence up the river to a point now called Three Rivers. Huston re- mained a few weeks at Ann Arbor, and then returned to Prairie Ronde, to be ready to receive the goods, and Brown returned to Vermont.

An arrangement had been made by which the Buffalo friend, Thaddeus Smith, should become a partner in the business, go up the lake with the goods and his family, at least as far as Detroit, and meet Huston at Prairie Ronde. This arrangement was carried out ; but, on reaching Prairie Ronde, of course there was no store, and the land bargained for was in possession of Bond, the second purchaser.

After long delay the goods arrived, and it only remained to find a shelter and a home till spring. They finally got permission to occupy a part of the little cabin of Abner Calhoon, a settler on the west side of the prairie. Early in the spring they purchased the claim of Nathan Harrison to the west half of the northwest quarter of section 19 south, and west of the lot originally bargained for, and pro- ceeded at once to build a rather large log cabin, to which they immediately removed.

In May of 1831, Smith visited the new settlement, made some purchases of land, and returned to New York and sent on a new stock of goods. His brother, Joseph A. Smith, accompanied him to the prairie, and became a fourth partner in the concern.

In the following November, Brown also returned, and in February following bought the interest of Thaddeus Smith, the company having in the previous summer built a framed store at Kalamazoo, of which Huston took charge. So the business continued till June, 1833, when Smith arrived with his family, and became permanently settled at School- craft, the new village of that name having in the mean time been platted and started on its fortunes. Soon after his arrival a general settlement was made, and the old firm dissolved, Huston taking the Kalamazoo property. A new firm was organized, consisting of James Smith, Jr., Joseph A. Smith, and E. L. Brown, under the name of J. & J. A. Smith & Co. This firm continued in business until Jan. 1, 1836, doing a large and profitable business, when J. A. Smith and Brown sold out their interest to the other part- ner, and he became sole proprietor. He soon after largely increased his business, purchasing very heavily of goods in New York, and besides entered into several ventures, which proved disastrous failures, one of which was the purchase of a schooner, of one Jones, a merchant of Detroit, for the purpose, primarily, of transporting his purchases of goods around the lakes. He had been annoyed by the delay in procuring transportation, and, in his own words, he " would buy a schooner and schoon his own goods." He engaged captain and crew, and shipped one cargo from Buffalo to St. Joseph. The vessel was laid up for the winter; captain and crew were on his hands, the captain boarding with him at Schoolcraft till spring. The writer does not recollect the final disposition of the schooner, but, at any rate, little shipping, if any, was ever done after, and the venture re- sulted in a total loss of the purchase money.

Immediately after the dissolution of the old firm of J. & J. A. Smith & Co. a company, consisting of James Smith, Jr., J. A. Smith, and John H. Bowman, purchased the mill-power at Three Rivers, and proceeded to erect an expensive flouring-mill, which proved a source of loss, and contributed its share to the ruin of both the Smiths.

About the same time he entered into a contract with one Williams, of Buffalo, for the delivery of ten thousand bushels of wheat, at fifty cents per bushel, giving bonds for the execution of the contract. The price of wheat sud- denly rose, Smith was unable to fulfill, and ultimately the bondsmen were called upon to make it good.

In the mean time, however, he received three new men as partners in his business at Schoolcraft, to wit : Samuel P. Cobb, Robert French, and John Parker, with the firm- name of Smith, French & Co. About this time a banking association was formed at Schoolcraft, under the free bank- ing law of Michigan, and a bank was organized under the name of the Farmers' Bank of Prairie Ronde, of which Smith was elected president. The bank never issued any bills or went into operation, but it was attended with con- siderable expense and loss.

The firm of Smith, French & Co. was not of long dura- tion, and Smith was greatly dissatisfied with the settlement

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History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 145

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