History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 88

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

USA > Michigan > Kalamazoo County > History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan > Part 88

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

C. W. Spaulding and Daniel O. Dodge moved to the prairie in the summer of 1832. Spaulding settled on what is now known as the Isaac Pierce farm, on section 3, and Dodge on the Sheldon farm, on section 2.

The great scare of the Black Hawk war came this year. The night before the outbreak of hostilities became known on the prairie, Col. L. I. Daniels, who was an old friend of the Eldreds, and was commander of the militia, put up at Judge Eldred's for the night. He was on his way to Marshall. Next morning he started out to continue his journey, but had not been gone long when a courier came riding post-haste after him, his horse "all of a lather," as the settlers expressed it, and bearing the news of the Indian war.

The courier overtook Col. Daniels near what is now known as the Willow Run, in the town of Battle Creek. Thomas B. Eldred, a son of Judge Eldred, happened that morning to be driving some cattle on the trail towards Battle Creek, and was passed by Colonel Daniels and the courier on the road. He came up soon after the courier had overtaken the colonel, at the residence of a settler named Godard, on Goguac Prairie. As Eldred came up the three men (Daniels, Godard, and the courier) were out dis- cussing the situation, and he got the news, which he dis- seminated as far as he went with his cattle.

Col. Daniels immediately turned back and returned to Prairie Ronde. From there he issued orders calling out the militia. Everybody in Climax subject to duty was

notified to report forthwith at Prairie Ronde, with arms, equipments, and ten days' rations, to proceed against the hostiles. Among those who responded to the call were Clark Hall and Charles Andrews, two young men in the employ of Judge Eldred. They, with the rest of the company, about 300 strong, went as far west as Young's Prairie, when news came that they were not needed, and the company was ordered back. On their return they en- camped the first night in a very hilly place, on the bank of a lake about ten miles from Young's Prairie. Dur- ing the night, by a preconcerted arrangement with the colonel, who wished to try his men, Hall, who was stationed as sentry, fired his piece several times as rapidly as possible, and yelled, "Indians ! Indians !" with all the strength of his powerful lungs. The scene that ensued baffles descrip- tion. Every man sprang for his arms, and in the darkness not one in five could find them. Everything was in the utmost confusion, with Hall yelling " Indians !" and the colonel trying to bring his men into the semblance of order.

In the company were two brothers from Gull Prairie. At the moment when a speedy attack from the Indians seemed imminent, one of them declared that he would not stand in the front ranks to be shot down like a dog, and his brother should not. Next day, when the colonel's ruse became known, two madder men than those from Gull were never seen.

During this scare several families of fugitives came through the town and claimed the hospitality of the set- tlers, which was freely granted. Judge Eldred at. the same time endeavored to dissuade them from flight, ridi- culing their fears and arguing with them to show how groundless must be their apprehensions. Some of them returned soon after, not a little crestfallen over their pre- cipitate flight. That summer two young men by the name of Rhinehart plowed 100 acres for Judge Eldred on section 2. This, with the land plowed by the Eldreds themselves, was sown with wheat that fall, the seed being brought from Young's Prairie.

The actual settlers in the township in 1832 were Moses and Joseph Farnsworth, Daniel O. Dodge, C. W. Spauld- ing, and Judge Caleb Eldred and his sons. No new ones were added in the succeeding year.

The first birth in the township took place at Dodge's, in 1833. The child (a boy) lived but six weeks, and died, thus making the first birth and the first death in the town- ship in his family. After the death of the child, Mrs. Dodge nursed a fawn or young deer, to which she became greatly attached, petting it like a child. When the fawn got older it became a great nuisance, assaulting every woman it saw, till at last it was found necessary to kill it.

The first frame building was put up by Judge Eldred in that summer. It was a large barn 40 by 80 feet, with 20-feet posts and a massive frame. Assistance to raise it

was gathered from a wide circuit, including Battle Creek, Gull, Gourd-Neck, and Toland Prairies. A considerable number of Indians also helped to raise it. Asa Jones, of Gull Prairie, was the boss carpenter who framed and superintended it. Everything was in perfect order, help was plenty, and the great frame went up without a hitch or delay of any kind. When it was done, the Indians

328

HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

gazed at it in wonder, and exclaimed, " Majash wigwam !" in the utmost astonishment. This was the pioneer raising in town, and was enjoyed as all such meetings are. A two- year-old heifer was killed and cooked for the company, and, in the words of one of those present, " they had a big time." The old barn has been cut in two. One part still stands where it was built, and the other was moved away, and is still doing duty on another part of the farm on which it was first located. Large as the barn was, it was filled to overflowing with wheat the first year. In Decem- ber, 1833, Phebe Eldred was married to Ruel Starr, at Comstock, and soon after the judge disposed of his prop- erty at that place and transferred his entire family and business to Climax. His family at that time consisted of himself and wife, his sons Stephen, Caleb, Thomas, and Nelson, and his daughters Florinda, Louise, and Catha- rine.

His son, Daniel B., who had visited the prairie with him in 1831, returned to New York the same spring. But few settlers were added to the colony in 1834. Daniel Law- rence came that year and moved into the house on Dodge's land, from which Dodge had removed to try his fortune at tavern-keeping farther west. John Waterhouse and John Mulkins also settled here in 1834. Mulkins bought the northwest quarter of section 10, and sold the south half of it to Waterhouse, and the two put up their cabins on the respective lots. Mulkins bought his land of Theron C. Gilbert, who visited the place, in company with Jarvis D. Adams, in September, 1833. This quarter-section was then owned by Joshua Garrett. Adams and Gilbert both wanted it, but Gilbert had fifty dollars more money than Adams had, and got the land ; so Adams contented himself with leaving money in the hands of Judge Eldred to enter the adjoining lot, which the judge did for him the next year, 1834. Wesley Sherman also came to town in 1834, settling on the southeast quarter of section 4. Daniel Eldred,-afterwards familiarly known as " Deacon Dan,"- Alfred Eldred, Isaac Davis, and Willard Lovell purchased land that year, but did not settle on it till the following season. In 1835 they all came to stay, as did also Daniel B. Eldred, Daniel Lay, Isaac Pierce, Lawrence S. Pierce, James D. Pierce, Nehemiah Elwell, Samuel Carney, David Freer, Goodale Francis, Erastus Pease, Frederick Sager, Friend C. Bird, Joseph E. Riddle, and perhaps others. " Deacon Dan," Alfred Eldred, and Isaac Davis settled on the south half of section 1. Lovell had bought out Farns- worth and Gilkey, on section 2, in December, 1833, and his land was worked the following season by Holland Gilsen, whose family came on with Lovell in 1835. Lay settled on section 11. Isaac Pierce bought out Spaulding, and settled there. Lawrence and James Pierce bought land, and settled on section 9; Elwell on the northwest quarter of section 15; Carney on section 17; Freer on section 18; Wheeler bought the whole of section 19; Pease and Sager were on section 20; and F. C. Bird on section 30. Davis stopped for a short time in an old building on Lovell's, which had been previously used for a stable. He built a house of whitewood logs, which he split in two, joined nicely one over the other, and then hewed down till they were as smooth as any ceiling on the inside. Three half

logs, one over the other, made the sides of the lower rooms, which were eight feet high. Davis was a blacksmith, and soon after his arrival it became noised about, and he was frequently called on to work at his trade. That was in the winter of 1834-35. His principal work at that time was shoeing oxen. He was the first and only blacksmith within a radius of ten miles, and settlers came that distance to him to get their work done. He moved into his house on his own place in April, 1835. With the opening of spring came a demand for his labor at sharpening plow-points. As yet he had no shop or forge, and it is said he used to heat the irons in a log heap and hammer them on a stone. As soon as possible he built a shop, and was better able to minister to the wants of the early settlers. Daniel B. Eldred, who came back to Climax this year (1835), brought with him Joseph E. Riddle, a carpenter. Eldred's house, built that year, was the first frame dwelling in town. The carpenters engaged in its erection were Riddle, William Smith, and Madison Packer. The building is still stand- ing in a good state of preservation, and is occupied as the principal dwelling on the farm. Riddle was the first car- penter who settled in town. He was a good workman, and there were but few jobs of building of any account done in the town during the twenty-odd years that he resided here in which he did not take a part.

The township was now well dotted over with the cabins of the pioneers. The Indian trails ran like a net-work in every direction, and occasionally the dusky red men would be seen in solemn file as they rode along amid the forest glades. A large portion of the town was annually cleared by the fires, which kept down all kinds of undergrowth. The great trees of the forest and the scattering oaks of the openings made the whole country appear like one vast park, which indeed it was, Nature's own. When the fresh grass was making its first appearance in the spring it looked like a broad wheat-field, and later on it was all carpeted with the sweetest wild flowers. Game of all kinds was plenty, and so were wolves and other wild beasts of prey. The settlers gathered much of their winter's hay from the ad- jacent marshes. The miasma from these marshes and the newly-plowed soil brought with it a great amount of mala- rial sickness, which the settlers had to combat as best they could, as physicians were scarce, none being nearer than Comstock. During the next three years the township filled up rapidly with a hardy, industrious class of pioneers, most of whom came from New York and Ohio.

Among those who made permanent homes here in 1836, 1837, and 1838 were Moses Hodgman, William E. Saw- yer, W. E. Bellows, Henry Schramling, Nathan Jaquish, J. N. Lefever, Warren Bowker, William O. Towsley, Joel A. Gardner, Henry Potts, William Potts, Festus Hall, T. C. Dewey, John C. Beach, Levi Pierce, Alexander Harrison, Lorenzo Jones, Aaron Seales, and Silas Carney. Moses Hodgman was the first shoemaker in town, and at the date of this writing is still living in good possession of his faculties, and works on the same old bench and with some of the same tools he used when he first came into the country. Silas Carney was the first cooper, and for many years furnished all the cooperage for the settlers from ten to fifteen miles away. He had all he could do, trusted

TOWNSHIP OF CLIMAX.

329

everybody, sometimes not even asking strangers their name, and, to the credit of those early settlers be it said, he seldom lost an account. Ammon Mills came into town in 1837, and built a cabin on Deacon Dan Eldred's place, a part of which he cleared off. He had the use of the land five years to pay for clearing. He was a zealous Methodist, taking an active part in building up the church in its in- fancy. He had the first movable threshing-machine which was run in town. It was nothing but a cylinder run by horse-power, without any separator, and was not by any means a pleasant machine to work about. The first store in town was opened about this time by Daniel B. Eldred. It stood on the north side of the road, forty rods east of the corners, at what is now the village of Climax. Eldred kept a general assortment of the staple goods required by the settlers, among which were strong drinks, as we infer from the fact that on the 18th day of May, 1840, he made application to the township board for a " license to sell dry- goods and spirituous liquors, which was granted for one year, according to law." With the rapid influx of settlers came schools, churches, and a township organization. The first school in town was a private one taught by Silas Kelsey, in an outbuilding used by Judge Eldred for a milk-house and summer kitchen. Eldred hired Kelsey, and paid him $10 per month for three months. That was in the winter of 1834 and 1835. The next school was taught after the organization of the school district spoken of else- where.

The first preaching in town was by Elder T. W. Merrill, at the house of Judge Eldred, where he preached regularly once in two weeks during the summer of 1833, and per- haps in 1834. A traveling minister named Loomis also preached occasionally. Rev. J. T. Robe, a Methodist min- ister, was the next preacher. He began preaching in the winter of 1834 and 1835 in Judge Eldred's out-kitchen, the same one used by Kelsey for a school-room that winter. He was followed by Rev. S. S. Williams, who preached a year.

Elder Adams, a Baptist, came into the State in 1835, and commenced preaching at the prairie immediately after his arrival. Elder John Harris came into South Battle Creek in 1836, and also preached at Climax for many years.

ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL HISTORY.

Climax was originally a part of the township of Brady, and continued so until March 7, 1834, when it was attached to the township of Comstock. While united with that township its citizens were called on to fill numerous respon- sible positions in the township. C. W. Spaulding, Stephen Eldred, Isaac Pierce, and others held important township offices. In 1838 the town was organized under the name of Climax. The first meeting was held at the house of Daniel B Eldred, on the 2d day of April, 1838. Party ·strife had already commenced. The Democrats on one side, headed by Judge Eldred and family, and the Whigs, led by Willard Lovell, strove for the control of the township offices. The strife was close and bitter, each side import- ing voters and hiring them to work on the farms until after election, when their services were no longer needed. The Whigs carried the day, and elected the following officers :

Willard Lovell, Supervisor, by majority of 7 votes.

William E. Sawyer, Town Clerk, "

Isaac Pierce, Justice of the Peace,

Isaac Davis, "

John C. Beach, "

David Freer, 66

William E. Bellows, Assessor,

7 "

Moses Hodgman,

John Waterhouse,

7 "

Nehemiah Elwell, Road Commissioner, by majority of 7 votes.

Holland Gilsen, 66

7 4

James D. Pierce,

Willard Lovell, School Inspector,

Win. E. Bellows,

John C. Beach,

Nehemiah Elwell, Jr., Collector,

Nehemiah Elwell, Jr., Constable,

Prentiss P. Bowen,

Lawrence S. Pierce, Poor-Master,

John C. Beach,

Caleb Eldred, Road-Master, District No. 1.

Wm. E. Bellows,

" 2.

John Waterhouse,

" 3.

Friend C. Bird, 66

Daniel B. Eldred, Fence-Viewer, District No. 1.

Daniel Lawrence,

Nehemiah Elwell,

Daniel B. Eldred, Pound-Master,

William E. Bellows,

John Waterhouse,

Friend C. Bird, 66

Caled Eldred was the moderator, and Willard Lovell the clerk, of this election. Among other things, it was " voted that fences be five feet high, made of rails, or other good materials to be lawful." " Voted, that the town pay a bounty of $5 for each and every wolf caught and killed in the town of Climax by residents of said town, sum to be paid not to exceed $100, to be allowed those who first pre- sent their claims and proof." There was good reason for offering this bounty, as the wolves were exceedingly bold and rapacious at that time. On one occasion a wolf leaped into a pen built against the side of Lovell's cabin, and carried off a pig. On another occasion they made a raid on Daniel Lawrence's pigs. Lawrence had an old sow with pigs, and had built near his house a pen of logs, with an opening at the bottom and sloping to the top, to keep the robbers out. On one occasion Lawrence's attention was called by a disturbance at the pig-pen, and, looking out from the window, saw a large wolf at the entrance of the pen, kept at bay by the old sow, while another wolf was running over the top of the pen, trying to frighten the pigs within reach of the wolf at the entrance. As soon as Law- rence made his appearance at the door the wolves made good their escape.

The bitterness of party strife in this first election found vent in a lawsuit after it was over. Nathan Jaquish made the ballot-box which was used on that occasion. He was a Democrat, and ran for some office on that ticket. At the close of the election William E. Sawyer, the newly-elected town clerk, took the ballot-box in his possession and kept it, whereupon Jaquish replevined the box. The case was brought before Justice Freer, in the west part of the town, and when the witnesses from the vicinity of the prairie arrived at Freer's they found the case had been transferred to Justice John C. Beach, so the witnesses tramped over to

David Freer, "

330

HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

Beach's house, a distance of four or five miles. When they got to Beach's they found the case had been adjourned to the school-house on the prairie. By the time they got there it was night. After various delays the case was brought to trial, and Jaquish got nothing by it. He spent about $50, and lost both his ballot-box and his case. He had to sell a horse to pay the costs. The election was also followed by an inquiry by the grand jury into the alleged fraudulent voting, but nothing resulted from it.

Among the incidents related of the pioneer life at this time is one of a lost child :

During the sugar season of 1837, Holland Gilsen was engaged in sugar-making at some distance from his house, across a swamp, when one day his little boy, two or three years old, wandered away from home to go to the sugar- bush. It was towards night, and some time elapsed before the little one was missed. When the father returned at night the neighbors were summoned from far and near to assist in the search for the lost child. The woods were patroled till late in the night, every nook and corner examined, until, by the merest accident, one of the men stumbled over the body of the little one lying curled up fast asleep in the tall grass and weeds of the swamp."

The first Fourth of July celebration took place in 1838, and great preparations were made by the early settlers to observe the occasion with suitable ceremonies. N. A. Balch, of Kalamazoo, was engaged to deliver the address. A martial band of fife and drum, played by A. V. C. Hal- lock and Lysander Cole, furnished the music, and a pole was raised. How to get a cannon was the question in which all were interested. A little one was borrowed from Battle Creek and tried, but it was only a small thing and did not make noise enough. So they got some pepperidge logs and bored them with a pump-auger, hooped them with iron bands from old wagon-hubs, and tried them. They responded all right for one shot, but fizzled out on the second. Bands were not plenty enough to furnish many wooden cannon, so that project was abandoned. It was then determined to have a genuine iron cannon adequate to the occasion, and a purse was made up to buy one. The nearest foundry was at Marshall, and Stephen Eldred, who was at that time in the habit of making occasional visits in that direction, down to Deacon Spencer's, was sent to get the cannon cast. This he did, and the new gun was on hand in due season. Maj. Lovell furnished the powder, which was made up into cartridges the night before, and long before daylight of the eventful morning the piece was booming forth its thunder-tones across the prairie and waking the echoes in the margin of the woodland. Every- thing went off as anticipated. The pole was raised in front of Daniel B. Eldred's house, the speeches were made, and the company sat down to a bountiful repast in the adjacent yard. Just before the repast was concluded an incident occurred which was not down on the programme. A voice was heard in the road shouting " Halt !" as three men in fantastic garb marched up and halted in front of the pole. At their head was " Billy" Harrison, of Charleston, the first settler on the prairie. In one hand was a jug, and the other carried a stick as a truncheon of command. "Bill" Jourdan and Jonathan Austin formed his company.

" Form !" shouted Harrison, and they drew up in line be- fore the pole. "Salute the pole !" was the next order, which was obeyed. "Form !" which they did, and took a drink around from the jug. " March !" and away they went Indian file, alternately marching, halting, and drinking as they went.

Previous to the organization of the town two school dis- tricts and four road districts had been organized within its limits. The school districts will be spoken of elsewhere. On the 27th of March, 1838, Isaac Pierce and Solomon Cuykendall, commissioners of highways for Comstock, met and organized road districts in Climax as follows :

" District No. 1 comprises Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 35, 36, and the E. } of Sections 3, 10, 15, 22, 27, and 34.

" District No. 2 comprises Sections 5, 6, and the W. } of Section 3.

" District No. 3 comprises Sections 8, 9, and the E. } of 16, 21, 28, 33, and the W. ¿ of Sections 10, 15, 22, 27, 34, and also the road run- ning on the North line of Sections 8 and 9.

" District No. 4 comprises Sections 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, and W. } of Sections 16, 21, 28, and 33."

The first road laid out in town was surveyed by Stephen Vickery, the 2d and 3d days of May, 1832. It commenced forty rods south of the northeast corner of the town, and ran southwesterly across the prairie and township. In 1833 (no other date given) John Perine and Jonathan Wood, commissioners of highways for the town of Brady, author- ized the clerk to record the same as a highway. This road was far from being satisfactory to the inhabitants of the prairie and its vicinity, and petitions were sent in to have several miles of the east end discontinued.

" CLIMAX, Feb. 4, 1836.

" Appeared before me John Waterhouse and John Mulkins, who severally made oath that the above discontinued road was useless and unnecessary, and L. S. Pierce who affirmed the above. " CALEB ELDRED, " A Judge of Courts."

"On this fifth of February, 1836, Daniel Eldred, Isaan Davis, Alfred Eldred, Daniel B. Eldred, W. Wells, Samuel Carney, Stephen Eldred, and Caleb Eldred, Jr., severally took a solemn oath that the above discontinued road was unnecessary and useless as it was unnecessary. " Sworn before me.

" CALEB ELDRED, "A Judge of Kalamazoo County."

" We, the undersigned commissioners of highways in and for the Township of Comstock, do authorize the said road to be discontinued agreeable to the above petition. Dated Comstock, Feb. 6, 1836. "C. W. SPAULDING, \ Commissioners " RALPH TUTTLE, Highways."

The next recorded road in the township was part of a road from Indian Fields, in the town of Portage, and crossed the prairie on the town line. This was surveyed March 11 and 12, 1834, and discontinued by order of the court the next July. Next came, in June, 1834, a road running north from what is now Climax Corners one and a half miles, and in 1835 one running west from the same point one mile. From that time onward roads multiplied rapidly till the whole township was supplied. The first road laid out by the township authorities was a mile in length, between sections 8 and 17, established April 14, 1838. By gleaning from the township records we find that a special election was held on the 24th of November, 1838, at the school-house in District No. 1, and that Daniel Law- rence was elected treasurer and Caleb Eldred, Jr., high-

331

TOWNSHIP OF CLIMAX.

way commissioner, by a majority of 11 votes each. At the general election in the fall of 1839 there were 69 votes cast for Governor, of which William Woodbridge received 32 votes and Elon Farnsworth received 37.

The next spring (1840) the people of the town thought they were paying too high salaries to their town officers, and so reduced them all to $1 per day. At the town-meet- ing in 1844 it was voted "that the township board be a committee to select and locate a suitable piece of ground for a burying-ground as near the central part of the town- ship as practicable." We do not learn from the record that the duty was performed by them, although, in 1846, Wil- liam Richards tendered the township a piece of land 20 rods square in the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 9, on conditions that the people furnish labor and materials and money sufficient to make it a beautiful receptacle for the dead, and keep it in such condition with- out taxing the people of the town for it. The offer was accepted by the township board, but its conditions were not complied with, and so the matter ended.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 88

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