History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 83

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RICHARD WALKER.

Henson Walker, the father of the above named person, was born in the State of Maryland about 1789, and was a farmer. In 1809 he moved with his family to the State of New York, and rented a farm near Clifton Springs. After moving from place to place for a few years, he finally emigrated with his family of eight children to Michigan. After staying a few months in Washtenaw County he moved into Livingston, and settled in Oceola township, where he built first a shanty and then a log house. This was in the winter of 1834-35 .* Richard Walker purchased eighty acres of land for himself, and remained with his father until twenty years of age, when he went to Washtenaw County and worked with his brother three years on shares. He then returned to Livingston, and for five years was employed by Mr. Buckland. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Goeway, who bore him five children. She died after they had been married fourteen years, and September 3, 1865, he was married to Mrs. Caroline Cash, by whom he has had four children, she having by her first hus- band one son. Mr. Walker has at present an ex- cellent farm, containing two hundred and twenty acres.

EDWARD BROWNING.

Edward Browning was born in Kinderhook, N. Y., in August, 1821, and in the fall of 1836 came with his father to Livingston Co., Mich. The family consisted of seven children, and settled in Oceola. A log house was erected for their ac- commodation. Edward Browning remained with his father about twelve years, and was then married to Miss Helen Beebe, the daughter of an old settler. For nearly twenty years they continued to live in the old log house. Three children were born to

* See history of Oceola township. Hosted by

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

them, of which number but one-a son-is living ; he married Miss Wealthy Kellogg, and all live in the same home. Mr. Browning was the fourth person to hold the office of postmaster* in the town- ship, being appointed under President Buchanan, and continuing in the position four years. His farm-which first included eighty acres, earned by him in seven years' work for his father-now com- prises four hundred acres, of which forty belong to his son John. The latter also owns a half inter- est with T. A. Walker-another early settler-in a flouring-mill at Parshallville. The farm is one of the best in the township. Wool-growing and wheat-raising are extensively engaged in by Mr. Browning. John, the son, has two children, a son and a daughter.

ROBERT BROWNING.

This gentleman was born in Dutchess Co., N. Y., Sept. 15, 1828, and accompanied his father, Peter Y. Browning, to Livingston Co., Mich., in 1836, coming by wagon through Canada. He was one of six children who were with their par- ents in that journey. The family occupied the log

house which was built for them on the farm in Oceola township. Robert Browning remained on the home farm until after he was twenty-one years of age, and in 1852 started for the golden land of promise, California. On his arrival at Omaha, he was taken sick and could go no farther. His parents, learning of his illness, went after him and brought him back to his home. In the spring of 1853, he and his brother John started on a much longer journey, their objective point being for Australia. There they remained several years, and Robert, after they had returned to this coun- try, spent four years in Nevada and California, visiting also Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Washing- ton Territory, and finally returned home, leaving his brother in San Francisco, and worked on the old farm for three years. Aug. 22, 1870, he was married to Miss Delia Delano, youngest daughter of Israel Delano, a pioneer of Hartland township, in which the daughter was born. He purchased one hundred and forty acres from his father and Mr. McGuire, built a house, and now resides with his family near the old home. Mr. and Mrs. Brown- ing are the parents of one daughter, who is living at home.

TYRONE TOWNSHIP.

IN the extreme northeast corner of Livingston County, bordering upon the counties of Genesee and Oakland, lies the township of Tyrone, which contains the highest rolling lands and presents more of the elements of the picturesque in its nat- ural scenery than any other portion of the county to which it belongs. The beautiful rolling lands of Oakland, which have made that county famous in Michigan for its romantic and picturesque land- scapes, extend over the line into this county, and in this northern tier of towns, gradually subside into the level lands of Conway and of the adjoin- ing county of Ingham. In the northeastern part of Tyrone these knolls rise to the dignity of hills. The highest point of ground within the limits of the township, where the rise of the swells and knolls finally culminate in a bold, rounded hill, is at a place known as "The Bluff," which lies on the northeast corner of section 15. It is a high, wooded knoll running east and west, and thickly covered

with a growth of oak-trees and saplings. From its summit the most extensive view in this vicinity is afforded, embracing parts of four counties,- Livingston, Oakland, Genesee, and Shiawassee. It is asserted by some that this is the highest point in the southern peninsula, but a comparison with other points disproves this, for in Osceola County the surface rises several hundred feet higher than here, and in the town of Reading, in Hillsdale County, is the highest land in the State south of the Saginaw and Grand River Valleys.

The surface of the town is somewhat difficult to describe correctly, because it is so varied in its character. The eastern and northern parts are the most rolling, and the western and southern parts the least uneven. The roughest part of the town is about the centre, where the hills rise more abruptly and to a greater height. The soil, like the surface, is greatly diversified and very irregular in its distribution, consisting of all varieties, from lightest sand to heavy clay, found mixed and intermingled in all parts of the town! As a rule,

* Said also to have been second postmaster, instead of fourth.

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TYRONE TOWNSHIP.

the knolls are made up of a light sandy and grav- elly loam, while the lower lands have a clayey loam or alluvial soil. The lands of this town were of the kind known as timbered openings, with a little scattered timbered land in some parts, and considerable marsh and tamarack swamp in the vicinity of the water-courses.

In the north part of the town is a chain of small lakes, the waters of which are discharged through a common outlet, which forms a tributary of North Ore Creek, and through that stream reaches the Shiawassee River, in Genesee County. These lakes are all very similar in character, resembling in general features most of the lakes of Southern Michigan, having a sandy or muddy bottom, and being generally surrounded by a marsh of greater or less width. The first of them lies in the east central part of section 13. Its waters pass into Sackner's Lake, which covers some 20 or 30 acres, and lies across the line partly in section 12, but mostly in section 13. Another small lake on section 12 receives the outlet of these lakes and unites their overflow with its own. From it the stream passes in a northwesterly and then in a westerly direction until it reaches another lake, on the north line of section 10. From this the stream passes through two small lakes in section 3, and, bending southward, reaches the north end of Run- yan Lake, near the northeast corner of section 9. This lake is the largest one in the town, and also possesses the most picturesque features. Lying almost wholly in section 9, it reaches across the line into section 10 at two points, and covers an area of about 160 acres. Its shores are quite bold in some places, and the surrounding marsh is less extensive than about most of the other lakes. In the south part are two pretty little islands that add very much to its beauty. From Runyan Lake the stream passes through the south part of section 4, and enters Hoisington Lake near the south quarter line of section 5. This lake is of about the same size as Sackner's Lake. . The stream leaves it at a point nearly opposite its entrance and runs westerly across sections 5 and 6 till it enters Laird Lake, near the south centre of the section. Aside from those already mentioned there are six other small lakes,-one on section 9, one on section 24, one on section 25, one on section 34, and two, known as Corey's Lakes, on section 22.

The stream we have described is the second in size in Tyrone, the most important stream being North Ore Creek, which, rising in some of the towns to the southward, enters this town from Hartland at the village of Parshallville, on the southeast corner of section 31, and running in a

somewhat irregular northwesterly course through sections 31, 30, 19, and 18, passes into the town of Deerfield, about one hundred rods south of the northwest corner of the last-named section. Its course is through a narrow, marshy valley, bor- dered by hills, and is marked by a nearly continu- ous growth of tamarack. It derives its name from the fact that many of the springs along its course, more especially those near its source, are more or less impregnated with iron, giving their waters in many cases quite a tinge of dull-red color. Another creek rising in the same locality, possess- ing the same peculiarities, and running southward, was first christened Ore Creek, so that this stream, to distinguish between them, is called North Ore Creek. The only other stream of any size in this town is called Cornell Creek, after Isaac Cornell, who first built a mill upon its banks, and takes its rise in the southeast part of the town. Its course is generally westerly, though it makes quite a de- tour to the north, and leads through sections 34, 27, 28, 33, and 32, to the North Ore Creek, which it joins a few rods south of the west-quarter line of the last-named section.

At the time when this town was first settled by the whites, Indians were quite numerous in the vicinity at almost all seasons of the year, but only as they roamed the forest in pursuit of game, or fished upon the placid bosoms of the lakes. Their villages were miles away to the north and south, and when visiting this part of their domain they usually traveled in small companies of one or more families. They were perfectly friendly in their relations with the whites, and fished, hunted, traded, and associated with them upon the best of terms. Perhaps the best preserved relic of the race in this town is the Indian mound upon the farm of M. M. Hillman, in the north part of sec- tion 5. It is a circular mound some 18 or 20 feet in diameter, and has an elevation of 4 or 5 feet above the general surface. Upon it a number of oak-trees are growing, and since the time of settle- ment no stroke of mattock or spade has been permitted to desecrate the spot, but it has been suffered to remain in its original form, save as the destructive touches of time and the elements may have changed or modified its outlines. Sherman Stevens, of Pontiac, one of the earliest of the Indian traders of this section, said that the mound was the burial-place of a famous Indian chief whose name and deeds have now long been for- gotten. Lying, as it did, near the separation of the Detroit and Huron trails, it was frequently visited by parties of Indians, who invariably ap- proached it with reverence, and were peculiarly reticent regarding its nature and use. They were

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

always grateful to Mr. Hillman for his care of the spot.

We have referred to the Indian trails which crossed this town. They were numerous, but most of them were minor trails leading along the most eligible routes between the different lakes and hunting-grounds. The principal one was the one known as the Shiawassee trail, leading from Shiawassee town to Detroit. Along this the Indians used to travel when going to Detroit on their way to Canada to draw the annuity paid them by the British government. It entered Tyrone at a point about three-eighths of a mile east of the northwest corner of section 5, and fol- lowed a nearly southeast course till it left the town near the east quarter-post of section 13. At a point a few rods west of M. M. Hillman's house, on section 5, the trail divided the branch trail, taking a northeasterly course to Fenton, and con- tinuing to the foot of Lake Huron. From this point of separation the main trail was called the Detroit trail, and the other the Huron trail. The course of the former has been preserved by the survey, at an early day, of what is known as the Shiawassee or White Lake road, which follows the old trail very closely. Another trail, known as the Ann Arbor trail, left the Detroit trail near its intersection with the quarter line in the south part of section 4, which followed a southwest course till it reached the east line of section 8, where it turned and ran directly south till it passed into Hartland. The course of these trails was usually well defined, and notwithstanding the fact that forty years have elapsed since their general use was abandoned, traces still remain in some locali- ties which enable the expert woodman to designate their former position.

SETTLEMENT.

The town of Tyrone remained in the possession of the wild animals and Indians until the spring of 1834, when the tide of emigration began to set to- wards this Western land, and scores, hundreds, and thousands of Eastern men and their families were borne upon its swelling waves to the spots upon which they were to rear homes for themselves and their descendants. Below is given a list of the persons who took up land in Tyrone from the gov- ernment; those who actually settled in the town being designated by an asterisk (*) to distinguish them from non-resident owners. The entries of land in this town, the names of the purchasers, their several places of former residence, the size of their purchases, and the date when entered will be found in the following list, compiled and copied from the tract-book of Livingston County. The first por-

tion comprises those persons who made purchases upon more than one section, and is as follows :

Charles Neer and Dyer Throop, Saratoga Co., N. Y., June 16, 1836, 317.45 acres on section 1, 80 acres on section II, and 440 acres on section 12.

Phineas H. Smith, Orange Co., N. Y., June 9, 1836, 80 acres on section 2, and 80 acres on section II.

Henry Isaacs, Hillsborough Co., N. H., June 11, 1836, 557.83 acres on section 2, and June 1, 1836, 480 acres on section 10. Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins, Genesee Co., N. Y., June

14, 1836, section 25, 640 acres, and June 27, 1836, 120 acres on section 3, 160 acres on section 8, and 200 acres on section 32.

Jirah Hillman,* Lewis Co., N. Y., May 10, 1836, 96.36 acres on section 4, and 49.45 acres on section 5.

William Beamer,* of this county, Dec. 1, 1853, 40 acres on section 9, and Nov. 18, 1854, 40 acres on section 5.

Isaac Morton,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., May 9, 1836, 184.92 acres on section 7, and May 17, 1836, 80 acres on section 18.

Darius Lamson, Wayne Co., Mich., Aug. 3, 1836, 320 acres on section 27 ; Sept. 24, 1836, 80 acres on section II, and Oct. 25, 1836, 80 acres on section II.

William Thomson,* Seneca Co., N. Y., April 12, 1836, 160 acres on section 13, and 160 acres on section 24.

Henry Druse, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 18, 1836, 80 acres on section 14, and 160 acres on section 26.

Bennett D. Tripp, Wayne Co., N. Y., June 27, 1836, 160 acres on section 14, 120 acres on section 15, and 360 acres on sec- tion 22.

Benjamin B. Kercheval, Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 29, 1836, 35.54 acres on section 31, and Dec. 17, 1836, 80 acres on section 14. James Love,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., July 1, 1835, 80 acres on section 27, 40 acres on section 28, 40 acres on section 33, and 40 acres on section 34.

Francis Morse, Livingston Co., N. Y., May 10, 1836, 80 acres on section 20, and May 16, 1836, 80 acres on section 17.

Henry and Morris M. Seabott, Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 21, 1836, 80 acres on section 17, and 640 acres on section 21.

William N. Austin,* Orleans Co., N. Y., May 5, 1836, 80 acres on section 20, and May 29, 1836, 80 acres on section 19.

David L. Babcock,* this county, Oct. 2, 1836, 80 acres on section 19, and Oct. 29, 1836, 80 acres on section 20.

James McKeone,* Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 26, 1836, 40 acres on section 30, and Nov. 14, 1836, 109.32 acres on section 19.

James Murphy,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 26, 1836, 40 acres on section 19, and 40 acres on section 30.

John J. Dickson, Wayne Co., N. Y., June 6, 1836, 240 acres on section 20, 89 acres on section 22, and 129 acres on section 29. Jacob Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Dec. 29, 1835, 80 acres on section 29, and Feb. 20, 1839, 40 acres on section 20.

Cyrus F. Kneeland and Henry Ball, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 13, 1836, 80 acres on section 22, and the whole of section 23.

Hiram Bellows, Franklin Co., Vt., June 14, 1836, 80 acres on section 24, and 320 acres on section 36, and June 25, 1836, 80 acres on section 22.

Ira Bellows, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 14, 1836, 320 acres on section 24, 320 acres on section 36, and June 25, 1836, 160 acres on section 22.

John A. Wells,* Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 17, 1835, 320 acres on section 26, and 640 acres on section 35, and Sept. 23, 1836, 120 acres on section 27.

Isaac Cornell,* this county, March 20, 1835, 40 acres on section 28, 80 acres on section 29, and 120 acres on section 32.

Henry A. Cornell,* this county, March 20, 1835, 40 acres on section 33, and Sept. 23, 1836, 80 acres on section 30, and 40 acres on section 32.

George H. Blumberg, Oakland Co., Mich., April 9, 1863, 80 acres on section 32, and 40 acres on section 33. Qle

LITTLE

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DAVID COLWELL.

GEORGE CORNELL.

DAVID COLWELL

was born in the town of Richfield, Otsego Co., N. Y., Jan. 21, 1800. He was the son of Daniel Colwell and Thankful Paine, both natives of Rhode Island. They emigrated to Otsego previous to their marriage, which took place about the year 1799. When David was eighteen months old his father moved to Ontario County and settled near Geneva, where he died in 1823. But little is known of his history further than that he was a farmer, lived a comparatively uneventful life, but was a remarkable man physically,-a giant in stature, his usual weight being three hundred and sixty pounds.

When sixteen years of age David was appren- ticed to the trade of cloth-dressing, which occu- pation he followed many years. In 1825 he went to Allegany Co., N. Y., where he built a mill and established himself in his business. The project proving unremunerative, he removed to Coshocton, where he resided until his emigration to Michigan. His first visit to the Peninsula State was made in 1834, at which time he purchased the farm upon which he now resides. Returning to New York he followed his business until 1836, when he came on with his family, which consisted of his wife and six children, David G., of Fenton, being the eldest. Since that time he has been a resident of the town and one of its prominent pioneers. The life of Mr. Colwell has been devoted strictly to the cares of his business and his family. It is in keeping with the self-abnegation of such men that they re- tire to the background and quietly look on as the great and varied interests, of which they laid the foundation, grow in prominence and utility. In May, 1824, Mr. Colwell was married to Hannah A.,

daughter of John Gilbert, Esq., of Benton, Ontario Co., N. Y. She was born in Fayette, Seneca Co., N. Y., in August, 1803. They have reared a family of eight children, five of whom are living, viz. : David G., Thankful A., wife of A. B. Donaldson, of Fenton; Hannah A., now Mrs. William Owen ; Elvira E., wife of E. H. Dickerman; Mary A., wife of Benjamin Byron. John P. died at the age of twenty-two years. Mr. Colwell is now in his seventy-ninth year, and apparently hale and hearty. For forty-three years he has been identified with the interests of Tyrone, and is well worthy of the position he holds among the founders of Livingston County.

GEORGE CORNELL,

whose name is mentioned in the history of Tyrone as one of its early settlers, and who has been promi- nently identified with the town, was born in Wash- ington Co., N. Y., Nov. 11, 1812.

At the age of sixteen he started out in life for himself without a cent of capital. He worked at farming and as a teamster until the fall of 1834, when he came to Tyrone and entered a tract of eighty acres of land, opposite that of his brother Isaac.

In 1836 he was married to Miss Eliza Williams, by whom he has had five children, two sons and three daughters.

Mr. Cornell is one of Tyrone's best citizens, a man universally respected for his sterling qualities. He has well performed his part in the development of the town, and his record as a citizen and a neighbor is untarnished. He is a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Hosted by

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TYRONE TOWNSHIP.

Chester Wilson, Orleans Co., N. Y., June 3, 1836, 40 acres on section 33, and 240 acres on section 34.

The second portion of the list is, for conveni- ence, given by sections, and includes the persons who made purchases on one section only :

SECTION I.

Acres.

Joseph C. Blake, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 3, 1836. 80

Egbert Hoffman, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 4, 1836. 80 Moses Warren Scott, Saratoga Co., N. Y., June 25, 1836 .. 159.66

SECTION 3.

George Dibble,* Lapeer Co., Mich., March 18, 1834 ... 88.05 Daniel D. Runyan,* Oakland Co., Mich., Feb. 19, 1836 ... 80

Catharine Runyan,* Oakland Co., Mich., April 23, 1836 .. 40 Melvin Dorr, Oakland Co., Mich., June 16, 1836 .. 80

Marshall J. Bacon, Wayne Co., Mich., Aug. 2, 1836 .. 163.80 Isaac S. Taylor,* Oakland Co., Mich., May -, 1837. ..... 80

SECTION 4.

Julian Bishop, Genesee Co., Mich., July 9, 1835. 86.49 Vincent Runyan, Oakland Co., Mich., July 16, 1835. 80

Isaac Ayres,* Oakland Co., Mich., Nov. 9, 1835 .. 40

Robert Ayres,* Oakland Co., Mich., Nov. 9, 1835. 80

Consider Warner, Genesee Co., N. Y., Feb. 20, 1836 86.49

Harriet Bryan, Genesee Co., Mich., May 7, 1836 .. 40 David Colwell,* Steuben Co., N. Y., June 4, 1836. 80 John Thomas, Wayne Co., N. Y., Sept. 23, 1836 .. 80

SECTION 5.

Elisha Larned,* Allegany Co., N. Y., Nov. 18, 1835 49.45 Elijah Crane, Wayne Co., Mich., March 4, 1836. 103.42

Hiram M. Rhodes,* Oakland Co., Mich., June 4, 1836 ... 80

Anna Rhodes,* Oakland Co., Mich., June 4, 1836 80 Delos Davis, Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 23, 1836 .. 8c Jonathan Irwin,* Livingston Co., Mich., Jan. 30, 1837. 80 Ebenezer Sterns, Yates Co., N. Y., March 9, 1837 .. I20

SECTION 6.

Jefferson H. Downer,* Oakland Co., Mich., Oct. 9, 1835 ... 53 62 Elisha W. Postall, Macomb Co., Mich., Jan. 2, 1836 ... 53.62 Elijah Root, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Feb. 19, 1836. 82.44

Ebenezer J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., March 4 and 18, 1836. 82.44

William Hyatt,* Oakland Co., Aug. 2, 1836 .. 80 N. A. Littlefield,* of this county, Jan. 14, 1854. 80

William Owens, of this county, June 13, 1854. 40

SECTION 7.

Washington D. Morton, Washtenaw Co., Mich., May 9, 1836. 31.9

Jona'n L. Wolverton,* Steuben Co., N. Y., June 20, 1836 160 Elijah Clough, Jr.," Onondaga Co., N. Y., June 28, 1836 .. 160

SECTION 8.

George F. Roberts, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June 1, 1836. 160 Henry D. Garrison, Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 26, 1836. 320

SECTION 9.

Elisha Beach, Oakland Co., Mich., Jan. 6, 1836 .. 80 Willard S. Fellsham, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 29, 1836 120 Isaac Throop, Jr., Genesee Co., Mich., June 30, 1836 40 Joseph Allbright, Ohio, Dec. 17, 1836. 80

David Murphy,* of this county, Oct. 25, 1839 40 William Smith, of this county, July 6, 1846. 40

John W. Mapes,* of this county, May 2, 1850. 40

Daniel Odell, Genesee Co., Mich., Nov. 30, 1852. 40 Christopher Rogers,* of this county, Nov. 23, 1853 40 Nancy F. Biggs, of this county, Sept. 4, 1855 40

SECTION 10.

Sanford Billings,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 5, 1838, 80 and January 9, 1839 ..

Almerin Smith, Wayne Co., N. Y., Oct. 17, 1839. 40 Matthias T. Talmadge,* of this county, Nov. 15, 1854 .... 40

SECTION II.

Acres.

Charles Wright, Niagara Co., N. Y., May 28, 1836. 80 William Dunning, Wayne Co., N. Y., Feb. 20, 1838. 80 Seth N. Howell,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 1, 1838. 80 Leonard Brooks, Genesee Co., Mich., March 3, 1855. 80

SECTION 12.

Henry Larned,* Yates Co., N. Y., May 25, 1836. 40 Philip Brewer, Niagara Co., N. Y., May 28, 1836 .. 160

SECTION 13.

Ezra Thayre, Oakland Co., Mich., May 2, 1836. 40 John Blair, Seneca Co., N. Y., June 13, 1836. 320 Elias B. Holmes, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 14, 1836. I20

SECTION 14.

David N. Blood, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 18, 1836 .. ... 80 William R. Mudge, Monroe Co., N. Y., Dec. 16, 1836 .... 80 Levi Stockwell, Oakland Co., Mich., May 17, 1839 ..... 80 William B. Stockwell, Oakland Co., Mich., May 17, 1839. 80

SECTION 15.

Ellery Shaw, Wayne Co., Mich., May 17, 1836 .. 200 John O'Neil,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 21, 1836. 80 Michael Healey,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 21, 1836. 80 Abram Cook, Wayne Co., N. Y., Nov. 26, 1836. 80 Edward Hopper,* this county, Oct. 11, 1839. 40 Norton L. Miller, Macomb Co., Mich., Oct. 13, 1854 40

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History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 83

Author: Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages: 617

Author:
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 617