History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 36

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THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF HOWELL.


This church, which maintained an existence for a number of years in Howell, grew out of the secession of several members from the Presby- terian Church in the spring of 1849. These mem- bers, with several other persons, having this matter in contemplation, asked advice on the subject of the General Association of Congregational Churches, at Ann Arbor, and received the reply that it was the privilege of the memorialists to in- vite a council, by letters missive to neighboring churches, to convene at Howell, examine the case, and give the advice asked. This course was ac- cordingly pursued ; the council convened here, and, after deliberation, announced the decision that "it is their privilege and their duty to proceed to organize a Congregational Church at Howell." Acting on this advice, a church organization was formed immediately afterwards, the Rev. Mr. Lockwood, of Dexter, assisting. The original members of the church were the following-named persons : Charles Clark, Mrs. Maria Clark, Zebu- lon M. Drew, Lucy Drew, Edward F. Gay, Mrs. Clarissa L. Gay, Benjamin W. Cardell and wife.


The Rev. Norman Ackley became their pastor on the 18th of June, 1849, and at the first commu- nion thirteen members were added to the original eight. Mr. Ackley continued with the church for a year and a half, and during this time its member- ship was increased to fifty-two, twenty-one of whom had been members of the Presbyterian Church. But about the end of the time named, their minister was charged with improper and un- ministerial conduct ; an investigation followed ; the charges being sustained, " he was silenced," and his labors with this church were abruptly ended. This had a very disheartening effect, and a number of members withdrew, but soon afterwards the ser- vices of the Rev. Enos Rice were engaged, and he remained with them for two years, during which time several new members connected themselves sted themselves Hosted by


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with the church, but about an equal number were removed by death.


While Mr. Ackley had filled the desk, the church had received the sum of $100 per year from the Missionary Association of New York, and this sum was increased to $150 in the first year of Mr. Rice's ministry.


For several years after its organization, the church owned no place of worship, and generally held their worship in the court-house. But having purchased a lot at the northeast corner of Main and North Streets, where Mr. E. C. Wright now lives, they commenced to build a church edifice on this in the fall of 1852. The building was of brick, thirty-two by fifty feet in dimensions. The walls were erected before the cold weather set in, but the structure remained unfinished through the winter, and in consequence of this, the work which had been done was somewhat damaged. After a long delay, however, caused by this and some other drawbacks, it was completed and occupied, and served not only the Congregational, but also the Episcopal society, as a place of worship. It was regarded as a good church building, and was surmounted by a tower, in which was placed the first church bell in the village of Howell.


After Mr. Rice closed his labors with this church it was without a pastor or regular preaching for about ten years, though during this time services were held occasionally, at irregular intervals, as preachers could be obtained. Among these preachers was the Rev. D. S. Eaton, who served the church longer than any other one during the period named. Below are given the names of members (additional to the original ones) who had joined the church at various periods from the time of its organization to July, 1858, viz .: John R. Neely, Catharine Neely, Caleb Curtis, Mrs. Curtis, Benjamin C. Curtis, Mary Curtis, John Russell, Clarissa Kellogg, Levi Hoyt, Mrs. Hoyt, Mrs. William Sexton, William Telling, Mrs. Telling, David Sprague, Mrs. Sprague, S. D. Pinckney, Mrs. Juliana Ackley, Jesse Davis, Mrs. Catharine Davis, Mrs. Laura Barber, Benjamin F. Scofield, Mrs. C. Scofield, Julia C. Scofield, Hiram Kimball, Mrs. Jane Kimball, William Spafford, Mrs. Spaf- ford, Allen Stearns, Hiram Kellogg, Mrs. Jane Kellogg, Henry Kellogg, Levi Clark, Mrs. Irena Clark, Amelia Spaulding, Edwin Steadman, Eliza A. Steadman, Mrs. Tucker, Philester Jessup, Mrs. Jessup, Mary Jessup, Julia Jessup, Elizabeth Gay, Mr. Tighe, Mrs. Tighe, Mrs. Lawson, Margaret Lawson, Mrs. Drew, Mrs. Henry, James Brott, and Louisa Brott.


On the 25th of March, 1861, the Rev. Josiah S. Burt, from the Chicago Theological Seminary,


commenced supplying the pulpit for one-half the time, his salary to be raised by subscription. It appears to have been expected that the churches in Pinckney and Oceola would employ the other half of his time, and furnish the remainder of his support ; but if such had been the understanding, it was not carried out by those churches, and Mr. Burt was compelled for lack of support to leave at the end of about six months.


The Rev. J. J. Gridley, previously a Methodist preacher, but who had withdrawn from that denom- ination and commenced preaching as a stated sup- ply for the church at Pinckney, became also acting pastor of the Congregational Church at Howell on the Ist of September, 1862, serving both churches, but the precise duration of his ministry here has not been ascertained. In December of that year, Mr. Gridley filled the desk, Charles Clark was deacon, Edward F. Gay, clerk; and besides these there were eleven other resident members of the church, making a total membership of thirteen, but there came a further accession of two members on the first of the following March, viz., Abram Brott and wife. These were the last persons men- tioned in the clerk's record as having joined the church, and the record itself ends not long after, the last entry in it being dated April 20, 1865, at which time Benjamin W. Cardell was appointed delegate to the Association, which was to meet at Dexter on the 26th of the same month.


After this the existence of the church was not long. The date of the last meeting for services cannot be given, but the organization disintegrated and died, and the church building, having been sold at auction, was demolished in 1872, and the building material taken from it was used in the construction of the present Baptist church.


ALL SAINTS' CHURCH OF THE TOWN OF HOWELL.


This church, of the Protestant Episcopal denom- ination, was organized on the 12th of December, 1857, at a meeting held at the Congregational church in Howell village; at which meeting there were present the Rev. Henry Banwell (presiding), Abel F. Butterfield, Joseph T. Titus, H. C. Briggs, George Greenaway, George R. Hoyt, William A. Clark, and M. Labouter.


The following persons were by a unanimous vote elected vestrymen : Levi D. Smith, George Green- away, Abel F. Butterfield, Ezra N. Fairchild, H. C. Briggs, George R. Hoyt, William A. Clark.


The vestry then elected E. N. Fairchild senior, and William A. Clark, junior warden, and A. F. Butterfield, secretary. The same officers held in 1858, and Henry C. Briggs was appointed treas- urer.


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VILLAGE OF HOWELL.


On the 30th of December, next following the organization of All Saints' Church, the Ladies' Mite Society of that church held a festival at Union Hall in Howell; the object being to apply the proceeds for church purposes. The officers of the society signing the call and invitation were Mrs. John Hope, President; Mrs. William L. Wells, Vice-President; Mrs. George Wilber, Treasurer ; and the following-named ladies and gentlemen formed the committee of arrangements: Mr. and Mrs. Mylo L. Gay, Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Titus, Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Bunnell, Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Harmon, Misses Emily Rosenberry, Emma Hickey, Jenny Ranney, Julia Smith, Sophia Fonda, Fanny Fonda, Mary Huntley, Sarah Butterfield, Emily Wheeler, Jan- nette Peebles, Ann E. Gilbert, Emily Wells, Sophia Pond, Jenny Spooner, Angeline Adams, Mrs. Rich- ard P. Bush, Mrs. William A. Buckland, Mrs. Maria Smith, Messrs. Ira P. Bingham, Harmon Smith, Frederick Galloway, Z. F. Crosman, Edward Mor- ris, Dr. McHench, Andrew D. Waddell, William McPherson, Jr., Burr R. Smith, L. Curtis, Benjamin T. O. Clark, Alexander McPherson, Frank Wells, George Clark, John Clark, Spaulding M. Case, Edward Gregory, Elbert C. Bush. The amount realized from this source was not large, but was a very material addition to the funds of the church at that time.


On the 28th of January, 1858, it was voted that the religious services of the church be held in the court-house in Howell; and on the 17th of April following, the sum of $150 per annum, payable quarterly, was voted to the Rev. Henry Banwell, the officiating minister.


In April, 1859, Henry C. Briggs and W. A. Clark were elected delegates to represent All Saints' Church at the Annual Diocesan Convention at Detroit. At that time the Rev. William King was rector of the church in Howell, having succeeded the Rev. Mr. Banwell in that office. Mr. King was succeeded in the following year by the Rev. George O. Bachman.


In April, 1860, the following-named gentlemen were elected officers of the church : Vestrymen, Ezra N. Fairchild, George Greenaway, Mylo L. Gay, George R. Hoyt, Levi D. Smith, Henry C. Briggs, and William A. Clark; Treasurer, Henry C. Briggs ; Secretary, Levi D. Smith; Senior War- den, William A. Clark; Junior Warden, George Greenaway.


A vote was passed in April, 1861, to the effect that the church was "well pleased with the labors of the Rev. George O. Bachman; that his talents and Christian deportment eminently fit him for the building up of the church at Howell, as well as for


great usefulness in this field." At the same time a salary of $200 from this church was voted to Mr. Bachman, and a little more than that amount was raised immediately by subscription. In 1863 Mr. Bachman was still here, and the church voted to pay him $250.


In April, 1864, a committee was appointed to procure the Congregational meeting-house in Howell as a place of worship, and afterwards the services of the Episcopal Church were generally held in that building, as they never had an edifice of their own.


The Rev. G. O. Bachman's " resignation as pas- tor of this church" was accepted on the 17th of April, 1865, and he was succeeded by the Rev. Albert C. Lewis, who became rector in 1866, and continued in that office during the remainder of the church's existence.


At the annual meeting, held on Monday, April 13, 1868, it was resolved "to elect no vestry of said church, as articles of agreement are about being entered into for the organization of a new church, to be called St. John's Church of Howell." On the following day the organization of St. John's Church was effected,-the articles being signed by Mylo L. Gay, Joseph T. Titus, Mark J. Staley, L. D. Smith, Silas Beardsley, and "Albert C. Lewis, pastor." These articles were filed in the clerk's office April 15, 1868.


The first meeting of St. John's Church was held at the residence of Rev. Mr. Lewis, June 1, 1868, when Ezra N. Fairchild, Mylo L. Gay, M. W. Barker, L. D. Smith, Joseph T. Titus, Mark J. Staley, and Silas Beardsley were elected vestry- men. The vestry then elected the following of- ficers : Senior Warden, E. N. Fairchild; Junior Warden, Mylo L. Gay; Treasurer, Joseph T. Titus; Secretary, Mylo L. Gay ; and E. N. Fair- child and M. W. Barker were elected lay delegates to the Diocesan Convention to be held at St. John's Church in Kalamazoo. This is the last entry on the records of All Saints' and St. John's Churches of Howell, and soon afterwards the Episcopal Church ceased to exist as an organization in this village, its dissolution being hastened by the removal of some of its most active and influential members.


Recently (in the latter part of 1878), the Board of Missions of the Eastern Diocese of Michigan sent the Rev. R. H. Dennis to Howell, and by him Episcopal services were held in the court-house, with considerable regularity, until about the first of September, 1879, when they were discontinued.


THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AT HOWELL.


Catholic worship has been held at Howell for many years. Probably the first priest who came


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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.


here was Rev. Father Kelly, who was located at Northfield, and later at Green Oak and Genoa. His first coming into this part of Livingston County is thought to have been as early as 1836 or '37. Other priests followed, and occasional ser- vices have been held here in private houses until the present time. Now, however, they are held regularly by the Rev. J. G. Dougherty, who is in charge of the Brighton parish, of which this is a station. The erection of a church was commenced here in August, 1878, and it is now completed ex- ternally, though not yet ready for occupancy. Its location is on the south side of Grand River Street, in the eastern part of the village. It is a commodi- ous building of brick with slated roof, and is 40 by 70 feet in dimensions. Its cost when finished will be about $6000.


CEMETERIES.


The first burial-ground in Howell was situated upon the shore of Thompson Lake, near its south- ern extremity, on section 36, a short distance in a northerly direction from the house in which John D. Pinckney settled in 1834. The land for the purpose was given by Alexander Fraser, Mr. Pinckney, and Moses Thompson. The first per- son buried in this ground was Miss Davis, a sister of Mrs. Jonathan Austin, but the date of this burial has not been found. A considerable number of other burials were made there subsequently, but nearly all of them have since been removed to the newer grounds. A few remain, but there is noth- ing to mark the places of their interment.


THE OLD CEMETERY.


The ground known as the Old Cemetery, lo- cated one square directly east from the northeast corner of the court-house square, and at the east- ern and northern termini respectively, of North and Bernard Streets, was purchased from Edward Thompson, and laid out as a cemetery in 1840. The first interment in this ground was that of Henry Wheeler (son of Dr. Gardner Wheeler), who died January 16, 1841, aged nineteen years. Most of the remains from the old graveyard on the lake-shore were removed here, and this con- tinued to be used by the people of the village (and by many in the township) as their burial- place for more than a quarter of a century, until the opening of the new cemetery, on the west shore of Thompson Lake. Since that time, most of the remains have been disinterred and removed to the new inclosure. The old cemetery is now in disuse, and being wholly neglected, has become covered by a thick and tangled copse, which almost entirely hides from view the few memorial stones which still remain there.


OAK GROVE CEMETERY.


The Oak Grove Cemetery embraces fifteen and forty-four one-hundredths acres of land, which was conveyed by Albert D. Thompson, John H. Gallo- way, William and Alexander McPherson, William McPherson, Jr., and N. J. Hickey to the Howell Board of Health, April 17, 1867, for the purpose to which it has been devoted. It is situated in the northeastern part of the village corporation, at the east end of Thompson Street, which leads to its main entrance. The ground lies nearly in the form of a triangle, being bounded on its northern, north- eastern, and southeastern sides by the sheet of water known as Thompson Lake. Its south and west boundaries are straight lines, meeting in a right angle at the southwest corner.


The spot is beautiful by nature, having a rolling surface, well elevated above the waters of the lake, and covered (not too thickly) with forest-trees, among which the oak predominates, as is indicated by the name given to it. On the plan usually adopted in modern cemeteries, this ground is laid out in walks and avenues, and has been consider- ably beautified by art. Many of the remains origi- nally interred in the old burial-grounds have been removed to this, and upon its tablets are borne the names of many of the pioneers and early settlers of Howell.


INCORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE-HOWELL CIVIL LIST.


Howell was made an incorporated village by an act of the Legislature of Michigan (approved March 14, 1863), which provided "that all that tract of country situate in the township of Howell, in the county of Livingston, in the State of Michigan, which is known and described as follows, to wit: section 35, section 36, the south half of section 25, and the south half of section 26, in township No. 3, north of range No. 4 east, be, and the same is hereby made and constituted, a town corporate, by the name, style, and title of the village of How- ell;" the officers of which were specified by the act to be a president, recorder, treasurer, assessor, and five trustees, to be elected annually on the first Monday in May. Under the provisions of this act the first charter election was held on the 4th of May, 1863. Following is a list of the village offi- cers then and there elected, as also of those elected in each succeeding year down to the present, viz. :


1863 .- President, Sardis F. Hubbell; Recorder, Andrew D. Wad- dell; Treasurer, Asa Van Kleeck; Assessor, John H. Galloway; Trustees, Marcus B. Wilcox, William R. Melvin, William McPherson, Jr., John Hoyt, Philo Curtis.


1864 .- President, Joseph M. Gilbert ; Recorder, Mylo L. Gay ; Treasurer, Frederick J. Lee ; Assessor, John H. Gallo-


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VILLAGE OF HOWELL.


way; Trustees, John Cummiskey, Nathan J. Hickey, George L, Clark, Luther M. Glover, V. R. T. Angel. 1865 .- President, Sardis F. Hubbell; Recorder, Mylo L. Gay ; Treasurer, Frederick J. Lee ; Assessor, John H. Gallo- way ; Trustees, James Bowers, William R. Melvin, George L. Clark, William E. Huntley, Marcus B. Wil- cox.


1866 .- President, Mylo L. Gay; Recorder, James Bowers; Treas- urer, William R. Melvin; Assessor, Isaac W. Bush ; Trustees, George Taylor, John Jones, William E. Huntley, Frederick J. Lee, Sardis F. Hubbell.


1867 .- President, Sardis F. Hubbell ; Recorder, Joseph T. Titus; Treasurer, William R. Griffith; Assessor, Oren H. Winegar ; Trustees, Andrew D. Waddell, William R. Melvin, Leander C. Smith, William E. Huntley, Geo. L. Clark.


1868 .- President, Andrew D. Waddell; Recorder, Mylo L. Gay ; Treasurer, Royal H. Rumsey ; Assessor, Oren H. Wine- gar; Trustees, Leander C. Smith, William E. Huntley, George L. Clark, Alexander McPherson, Henry H. Har- mon.


1869 .- President, Mylo L. Gay ; Recorder, Joseph T. Titus; Treasurer, Royal H. Rumsey ; Assessor, Oren H. Wine- gar ; Trustees, William E. Huntley, Edward McGunn, Sylvester Andrews, Henry P. Wheeler, Levi D. Smith. 1870 .*- President, Henry H. Mills; Recorder, Dennis Shields ; Treasurer and Marshal, H. C. Briggs; Assessor, Wil- liam B. Curtis; Trustees, Albert Riddle, William C. Rumsey, Francis N. Monroe, Calvin Wilcox, Andrew D. Waddell.


1871 .- President, Sardis F. Hubbell; Recorder, Andrew D. Wad- dell ; Treasurer and Marshal, Leonard N. Fishbeck ; Assessor, William B. Smith ; Trustees, Neil O'Hearn, George H. Cooper, Floyd S. Wykoff, Charles G. Jewett, George Greenaway.


1872 .- President, Sardis F. Hubbell; Recorder, Andrew D. Wad- dell; Treasurer and Marshal, Henry A. Whipple; As- sessor, Calvin Wilcox ; Trustees, John W. Wright, George L. Sage, Robert C. Hutton, John M. White, John Jones.


1873 .- President, Neil O'Hearn; Recorder, Edward B. Gregory; Treasurer and Marshal, Hiram Hopper; Assessor, Harry J. Haven ; Trustees, Francis N. Monroe, Asa Van Kleeck, William Beattie, Sylvester Andrews, Elbert A. Young.


1874 .- President, Francis N. Monroe; Recorder, Royal H. Rum- sey; Treasurer and Marshal, William Barnard; Asses- sor, Benjamin H. Rubert ; Trustees, William W. Finton, James A. Preston, William E. Watson, E. B. Gregory, George Bush.


1875 .- President, Horace Halbert; Recorder, E. P. Gregory ; Treasurer and Marshal, William T. Barnard ; Assessor, F. G. Hickey; Trustees, John M. White, Roswell Mott, William B. Jewett, Frederick B. Brown, Erastus Wat- rous.


* An act (approved March 4, 1869) amendatory to the act in- corporating the village, provided that the officers to be elected shall be a president, recorder, assessor, and five trustees, and " that the Common Council shall have power to appoint a street commis- sioner, a treasurer (who shall also be marshal of said village by virtue of his appointment as treasurer), and all other such officers as may be necessary under the provisions of this act," and the time of holding the elections was changed to the first Monday in March in each year. The village elections subsequent to 1869 have been held in conformity with this amendment, and conse- quently the persons who have held the offices of treasurer and marshal since that year have been appointees of the Common Coun- cil.


1876 .- President, Harry J. Haven; Recorder, Rollin H. Person; Treasurer and Marshal, record obscure; Assessor, Albert Riddle; Trustees, Asa Van Kleeck, Robert A. Cham- bers, William L. Knapp, John W. Wright, Neil O'Hearn.


1877 .- President, Asa Van Kleeck ; Recorder, Rollin H. Person ; Treasurer and Marshal, Arthur F. Field; Assessor, W. B. Smith ; Trustees, R. H. Rumsey, L. N. Fishbeck, Stephen S. More, R. A. Chambers, J. W. Wright.


1878 .- President, Neil O'Hearn; Recorder, Royal H. Rumsey; Treasurer and Marshal, Thomas Clark; Assessor, Wil- liam B. Smith ; Trustees, William H. Gilks, Leonard N. Fishbeck, Harry J. Haven, Frank Kelly, George H. Warren.


1879 .- President, John II. Galloway; Recorder, Royal H. Rum- sey; Treasurer and Marshal, Thomas Clark; Assessor, Benjamin H. Rubert; Trustees, Asa Van Kleeck, Mylo L. Gay, William B. Smith, Francis N. Monroe, Leander C. Smith.


FIRES IN HOWELL-FIRE DEPARTMENT.


For more than twenty years after the laying out of Howell as a village the citizens of the place were peculiarly fortunate in their almost complete ex- emption from losses by conflagration. Not more than three or four fires had occurred in the village during that time, and none of these resulted in more than comparatively trifling damage; the largest of them being the two fires which con- sumed Chandler & Kneeland's saw-mill and Smith & Filkins' foundry, the first named of which oc- curred in 1851.


The first fire which inflicted severe loss upon the village occurred in the evening of Monday, Sept. 28, 1857, and swept away the Eagle Hotel, the first building erected on the original plat of the village in 1835, and nearly the entire line of buildings on the south side of Grand River Street, between Walnut and East Streets. The account of this fire, given by the Democrat in its next issue, was as follows :


" A destructive fire broke out in this village at about seven o'clock on Monday evening. It commenced in the ' livery barn,' near Huntley's [ Eagle] Hotel, which was soon wrapped in flames. The wind was blowing strongly from the northwest. Mr. Huntley's barn caught next, then his hotel, then Balcom's saloon, then Treadwell's saloon, and then the 'Old Stage-House.' All of these buildings were consumed by the flames in about one hour and a half, in spite of the efforts of the citizens. The progress of the fire could not have been arrested here, had they not pulled down the four small buildings that stood on the east part of the same block. Owing to the high winds there was great danger of a large portion of the village being swept away. The burning cinders set fire to buildings nearly half a mile distant, which was happily extinguished. Nearly all the business men on the south side of Grand River Street, as far down as Vanderhoof's Hotel, removed their property into the street, which afforded a fine opportunity for thieving, and this the thieves employed.


" No one can account for the origin of the fire. The heaviest loss occurs to Mr. Huntley, who has lost his all. His loss is esti- mated at $5000. Balcom's saloon was worth about $300, Judge Kneeland's building about $800, Judge Whipple's about $800, and the four small buildings pulled down were worth about $1000. The barn, where the fire originated, was owned by Mr. Green, of


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Detroit; loss about $200. There was no insurance on any of the buildings. Most of the personal property was saved; much of it in a damaged state from the rashness of men."


On the 22d of February, 1860, Howell was again visited by a conflagration, which swept the west side of East Street, south of Grand River Street, destroying a number of buildings, among which were the Phoenix Foundry and Machine- Shop. The following account of this fire appeared in the Republican of February 28th :


"Our village on Wednesday morning last again felt the ravages of the most destructive conflagration we have ever before experi- enced. The loss of property will not only be deeply felt by the owners and occupants of the various buildings destroyed, but will very much affect the business prospects of the village, and the in- terests of the farmers and others in this vicinity, who have relied for nearly every useful implement of labor upon the shops, of which nothing now remains but a heap of ashes. The fire originated in the foundry and machine-shop of A. W. Smith & Co., which was totally destroyed. From thence it crossed the intervening space of about sixty feet to the carriage-shop of William R. Melvin, which, together with the blacksmith-shop attached, were almost instantly in flames. These latter were connected with the shed and barn occupied by the Stage Company, and also the barn occu- pied by William E. Huntley & Son, all of which were owned by E. E. Hazard. The barns being old and filled with hay were soon on fire, and at this time it appeared as though nothing short of a miracle could save the store on the corner owned by W. B. Smith, and occupied by Jewett & Crosman ; but by the almost superhuman exertions of a portion of the crowd, which by this time had as- sembled, a part of the rear of the building was removed, and water kept constantly pouring upon it from buckets, so that, although but a few feet from the barn last burned, this building was finally saved, and the ravages of the fire stayed. So far as we have been able to ascertain, the following are the estimates of the various losses : A. W. Smith & Co., loss in building, machinery, stock, tools, etc., $7200; insured for $4000. William R. Melvin, loss in building, stock, and tools, about $3500, no insurance; E. E. Hazard, two barns and shed, about $1000; W. B. Smith, damage of building about $200, no insurance ; Jewett & Crosman, loss in removal of goods, about $400, insured ; J. I. Van Dusen, stock, etc., in the machine-shop, about $125. The cause of the fire is not known, though it is generally supposed to have been the work of an incendiary, from the fact that when first discovered it was some distance from the stove, the only place where there had been any fire during the day ; also, we understand, the south door of the building was found to be unfastened, though securely locked by Mr. Van Dusen, who closed the shop for the night about eight o'clock. The severest loss is sustained by Mr. Melvin and Mr. Hazard, and particularly the former, who had, by energy and per- severance, made himself proprietor of a carriage- and wagon-shop second to none in the State.




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