History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 84

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SECTION 16.

Thomas Love,* June 12, 1847. 80

A. E. Cranston,* June 16, 1849 .. 40

Brount & Bailey, June 4, 1850 80

J. N. Barnes,* Nov. 13, 1850. 80 C. B. Thomas,* Nov. 15, 1850 40

D. W. Love,* July 26, 1853 ... 80

Jacob Love,* Sept. 20, 1853.

D. Canfield,* Oct. 10, 1853 .. 40

William Van Wagner,* Oct. 24, 1853. 40 Peter Schad, Jr.,* June 2, 1854. 40 William Schad,* Aug. 23, 1854 .. 40

Stephen W. Downer,* Oct. 24, 1860 40

SECTION 17.

John Westfall,* Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 17, 1836 160 Henry Seabott, Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 21, 1836. 160 James Kearns, Oswego Co., N. Y., June 27, 1836. 80 Moses Taggart, Genesee Co., N. Y., June 27, 1836. 80

SECTION 18.

John C. Morse, Oakland Co., Mich., May 5, 1836. 160 Nancy Morton,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., May 9, 1836. 80 Edwin Soonberger, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 16, 1836 80 Dillis Dexter,* Monroe Co., N. Y., July 1, 1836. 80 John Fish, Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 5, 1836. 68.48 Sam'l G. Sutherland, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Oct. 3, 1837 33.22 Adam B. Bailey,* of this county, May 25, 1838 33.22

SECTION 19.

David Bangs, Monroe Co., N. Y., May 5, 1836 .. 269.44 David Bangs, Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov. 14, 1836. 40

SECTION 20.

Philo Joyner, Berkshire Co., Mass., June 16, 1836 .. 80

Hugh R. Hogle,* of this county, Nov. 15, 1838. 40

SECTION 22.

Daniel Blood, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 18, 1836. ........ 160

SECTION 24.

James Bellows, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 14, 1836. 80

SECTION 26.

William B. Alvord, Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 22, 1836 ..... 160

392

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

SECTION 27.

Acres.

William D. Snapp,* Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 30, 1836 .... 80 Peter H. Link,* Oakland Co., Mich., June 11, 1836 ... 40

SECTION 28.

George Cornell,* Livingston Co., N. Y., Oct. 31, 1834 ...... 80 William H. Berry,* Shiawassee Co., Mich., Feb. 18, 1835 40 Joseph M. Becker,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 20, 1835 80

Eli Conklin,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Nov. 18, 1835 ...... 120 David Austin,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Nov. 18, 1835. 200 James Willis, Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 2, 1836 .. 40

SECTION 29.

Shadrach S. Austin, Orleans Co., N. Y., May 5, 1836. I20 Mercy Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 8, 1836 ... 80 James E. Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 8, 1836 40 George Allen, Madison Co., N. Y., June 17, 1836. I20

SECTION 30.

Joseph Chamberlin, Livingston Co., N. Y., May 3, 1836 ... 68.56 Nathaniel C. Austin,* Orleans Co., N. Y., May 5, 1836 ... 120 Nathaniel C. Austin,* Orleans Co., N. Y., Oct. 29, 1836 .. 40 Philo H. Munson, Livingston Co., N. Y., June 6, 1836 ... 69.04 James Agan,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 14, 1836. 120

George Abbott, Wayne Co., Mich., June 21, 1837. 40

SECTION 31.

Major Curtis,* Oakland Co., Mich., Jan. 4, 1836 40 Thales Dean, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Jan. 11, 1836. 35.54 Jas. E. Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Jan. 25, 1836 .. 40

Solomon Lewis,* Wayne Co., Mich., April 6, 1836. 160

William Winter, Genesee Co., N. Y., May 3, 1836 .. 80

Anson Pettibone, Genesee Co., N. Y., May 4, 1836. 229.24

SECTION 32.

David Curtiss,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 17, 1836. ... 40 Joseph Tireman, Wayne Co., Mich., May 9, 1836 ...... 160

SECTION 33.

Louisa Wakeman,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 29, 1836 .. 160 Austin Wakeman,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 29, 1836 .. 40 Isaac De Graff, Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 30, 1836. 160 Charles Colton,* of this county, May 30, 1836. 40 George Babcock, Livingston Co., N. Y., June 6, 1836. ... 80

SECTION 34.

William Dawson,* Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 19, 1834 ..... 80 Robert Dawson,* Oakland Co., Mich., April 6, 1836 .. 80 Willard Daniels, Oakland Co., Mich., April 21, 1836. 40 John J. Blackmer, Monroe Co., N. Y., April 27, 1836. I60

From this list it will be seen that the first entries were generally made by actual settlers, and that the great rush of the speculators to obtain land in Tyrone did not occur until the summer of 1836. George Dibble, March 18th, George Cornell, Oc- tober 31st, and William Dawson, December 19th, were the only purchasers in 1834, and they all made settlement,-Cornell in the fall of that year, and the others in the following spring. In 1835 fifteen persons made purchases, and thirteen of these became residents of the town, and were real pioneers. These were William H. Berry, in Feb- ruary ; Joseph M. Becker, Isaac Cornell, Henry A. Cornell, in March; James Love, in July ; John A. Wells, in September; Jefferson H. Downer, in October; Isaac Ayres, Robert Ayres, David Austin, Eli Conklin, Elisha Larned, in November ; and Jacob Chrispell, in December. In 1836 there

were one hundred and thirty-one entries, including most of the available land, and bringing a flood of settlers. In 1837 there were five entries; in 1838, five; in 1839, six; in 1846, '47, '49, one each ; in 1850, four; in 1852, one; in 1853, six ; in 1854, seven; in 1855, two; and in 1860, one. There is now in the town a small remnant of gov- ernment land,-which, like the Irishman's farm, is mostly under water,-40 acres on section 9, 80 acres on section 7, and 200 acres on section 6.

The first white resident of the town was George Cornell, who has passed forty-five years of his life within its limits, and still remains a citizen of the town with whose history his name is so intimately connected. The family of Cornell, from whom he and his brothers, who afterwards settled here, were descended, was of English origin, and first settled in this county in the State of Rhode Island. A succeeding generation located in the town of White Creek, in Washington Co., N. Y., from whence their descendants removed to Chautauqua County, and settled in the town of Ripley. The three brothers, George, Isaac, and Henry A., came to Michigan in September, 1834, in search of a place in which to settle. In their wanderings, in com- pany with a brother-in-law, Joseph M. Becker, they came to the timbered openings of Tyrone, and were all well pleased with their looks. They, however, returned without entering any of the land, Isaac and Henry A. going back to New York, while George and Becker stopped at the latter's home in Highland, Oakland Co. In October, George Cornell and Joseph M. Becker again visited the town, and each made a selection of an eighty- acre lot. George went to Detroit, and entered his land on the last day of that month, while Becker did not make his entry until the following spring. After his return from Detroit, George and Mr. Becker came and put up a rude log shanty on his place, and this furnished him a home through the winter while he was cutting rails and preparing some of his land for the plow, he paying occasional visits to his brother-in-law's house in Highland, and bringing back each time a goodly supply of provisions.

Though Mr. Cornell was at this time the only white resident of the town (unless, as some assert was the case, George Dibble was then living here), he was not the only resident. On section 34 was a marsh of considerable extent, on which each year was produced a heavy growth of rank grass, which, though quite unfit for feeding to horses, yet fur- nished a kind of hay that cattle could live upon through the long cold winters, when the snow covered the earth and prevented them from graz- ing. Near Orchard Lake, in Milford, Oakland Co., Daklan

LITTLE

HON. JOHN KENYON.

MRS. JOHN KENYON.

HON. JOHN KENYON.

Among the truly representative men of the town of Tyrone, few, if any, have been more intimately asso- ciated with its material development than Judge Ken- yon. He not only witnessed the transition of a thin settlement into a highly prosperous agricultural section, but in his own person typifies so admirably the agencies that wrought many of those changes, that no history of Livingston County would be complete without some sketch of his life, labors, and character.

Mr. Kenyon was born in the town of Queensbury, Washington Co., N. Y., July 28, 1806. He was the son of John and Mary Kenyon, who were the parents of a family of ten children, -five sons and five daughters. Mr. Kenyon, the elder, was a member of the Society of Friends, and a strict observer of the tenets of his religious faith, the precepts of which he early taught his children. No doubt this instruction exerted a marked influence over their future lives, and to it, in a large measure, their enviable positions in business and society may be attributed. When John was a child the family removed to the town of Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y., where he resided until his emi- gration to Tyrone in 1840. His early life, like that of most successful men, was one not only of close application, but of self-reliance and self-denial. His father being a farmer, John's work on the farm in sum- mer was alternated by the usual term at the district school in winter. When twenty-three years of age he married Miss Julia Purdy, of the town of Sempronius. She was born in Pittstown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., July 9, 1807. Five children were born to them, namely : Cordelia, Isaac O., Frank P., Rachel, and Mary S.

He early resolved to follow farming as a life voca-

tion, believing it of all the trades and professions to be the most conducive to health and happiness. That he was eminently successful in his chosen calling, his finely cultivated fields and commodious buildings attest. His farm which he purchased on coming into the county was then entirely new, as was the larger part of the town at that time. Here he resided until his death, which occurred in 1874.

Mr. Kenyon figured quite conspicuously in State and county politics. In 1849 he was elected to the repre- sentative branch of the Legislature, serving on the im- portant committee of "State affairs." In 1854 he was elected to the State Senate. For nine years he represented Tyrone upon the Board of Supervisors, in which body he was fully appreciated for his sound judgment and sage counsels. Honesty and a laudable ambition to succeed were prominent traits in the char- acter of Judge Kenyon ; in fact, they were the essential means of his success. He evinced excellent judgment in all his transactions, and sterling honesty was the basis of his operations. This is high testimony, and while to those who were not acquainted with him it may seem peculiarly the language of eulogy, it will be readily recognized by his friends as a plain, uncolored statement of the strong points of his character.

Mr. Kenyon never enjoyed the advantages of a lib- eral education, but being naturally intelligent, and en- dowed with a large amount of common sense, industry, perseverance, and ambition, he succeeded in building a reputation as wide-spread as it was enviable ; indeed, it may be truly said that his entire career was one worthy the emulation of the young, and a fitting example for all men to follow.

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TYRONE TOWNSHIP.

393

was a Mormon settlement, and they had quite a large lot of cattle to provide for. So in the fall of 1833 they sent a drove of cattle to this locality in charge of two brothers named Teeple, and their families. They built a small log house near the north line of the section, and lived there during that winter, returning to Orchard Lake in the spring, leaving the house empty through the fol- lowing summer. This house, which was the first dwelling erected in Tyrone, was about 14 by 20 feet in size, and covered with a trough roof. Soon after Mr. Cornell began to live in his shanty, a colored man by the name of William H. Berry came from Shiawassee County with his wife and two children, aged about six and ten years respect- ively, and moved into this vacant house, where they lived until the following spring, when they removed into a house they had hired Harrison Coburn to build for them, on a farm of 40 acres in the southeast corner of section 28, which they had purchased of the government in February.

In the spring of 1835 the little settlement was augumented by the arrival of the families of Joseph M. Becker, William Dawson, and Henry A. Cor- nell, and another settlement was started in the north part of the town by George Dibble and Daniel D. Runyan. Later in the season Isaac Cor- nell and James Love were added to the number. From that time on the settlements were rapidly multiplied, and in a few years extended to all parts of the town. We have not the space necessary to give a detailed sketch of all these settlers who took up new farms, and with axe and plow, and a liberal use of time and muscle, brought them into a pro- ductive state, neither have we been able to secure the facts indispensable to such an undertaking. We are able, therefore, to give but a brief history of a few of the pioneers of this town, taking them as near as may be in the order of their settle- ment.

George Cornell was, at the time of his set- tlement here, a single man, and lived with his brother Henry A. until, in 1836, he married Eliza Williams, of Hartland, and set up household gods of his own. He is still living in Tyrone, having removed in 1867 from the old homestead to his present fine farm on section 32. He has reared a family, and established them in homes of their own, and has lived the life of an honest, upright, just and generous Christian citizen, in a manner to win the confidence, respect, and love of all who know him. He has been prominently connected with the Methodist Church in this vicinity, and has done much to advance its interests in the community.

Henry A. Cornell was for many years a respected and honored resident of Tyrone, holding the offices

of constable, assessor, supervisor, and treasurer at different times, and died in the winter of 1848, while serving his seventh term and sixth consecu- tive term in the last-named position. He left a wife and two sons, all of whom still survive him, his widow and son, Alonzo, residing in Tyrone, and the other son living in Ohio.

Isaac Cornell, the oldest of the three brothers, came from Chautauqua County in the spring of 1835, in company with Henry A., traveling with their own conveyances. The snow was very light, and as the " breaking up" was not yet at hand the wheeling was very good. They arrived on the Ioth day of March, and Henry A. moved into his brother George's shanty, while Isaac left his family at Highland till he had built a house on the farm he purchased of the government on the 20th of that month. He then moved on to his place near the northeast corner of section 32, and is still occupying the place. He is a recognized leader among the Seventh-Day Adventists of this region, and a man of exemplary character.

The exact time of George Dibble's settlement is not known, but it was either in the fall of 1834 or spring of 1835. He remained here about ten years and then moved to Shiawassee, where he is still living.

Joseph M. Becker, with his wife (formerly Eliza Cornell) and one child, came from Ripley, Chau- tauqua Co., N. Y., to Michigan in the fall of 1833, and settled in the town of Highland, in Oakland County. They lived there until the spring of 1835, and then moved to their home in this town on sec- tion 28, where they arrived about the 17th of April. He built a house on the south end of his lot, about forty rods west of the quarter-post. He was a shoe- maker by trade, and his services were in great de- mand among the settlers, who were glad to exchange work with him, and were not always careful to exact an equal amount of time. He was the first supervisor of the town, and was re-elected at the expiration of his first term. In 1862 he removed to Fenton, and a couple of years later returned to Tyrone. In 1867 he again moved to Fenton, where he still resides. But two of his children are now living, and they are both residents of this town,- Peter on the homestead and Wallace on section 26.

William H. Berry was a man of a very rov- ing disposition, and did not long remain in this town. He made frequent flittings from one point to another, and finally brought up in Pontiac, where he became permanently located, through the inter- vening hand of death. The place on which he settled is now owned and occupied by Peter Russell.

William Dawson was a native of Cambridge, Hosted by

394

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

Washington Co., N. Y., and came from Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y., to Troy, Oakland Co., Mich., in the fall of 1831, and made his home with his brother-in-law, Elias Daniels. While living there he formed the acquaintance of Miss Henrietta Per- kins, a native of the town of Locke, Cayuga Co., N. Y., who came to Michigan with her brother, Benjamin L. Perkins, from Springwater, Livingston Co., N. Y., and hired out to work for Mr. Daniels. Thrown together in constant companionship, their mutual liking grew into the more ardent passion of love, and on the 26th of February, 1832, they were united in the bonds of matrimony, and went to live on a farm they hired to work on shares. In the fall of 1834, Mr. Dawson came to the town of Highland, where Michael Beach was living, and got him to accompany him in a search for land. They struck out to the westward, and in this town found a piece of land that seemed to possess all the natural advantages desirable, it having some timber and some opening, a stream to furnish water, and a marsh to furnish hay, and getting a description of it, they returned home, Mr. Dawson continuing on to Detroit, where he entered the land on the 19th day of December. Another ad- vantage of the land thus selected was that on it was situated the cabin built by the Mormons, which would furnish shelter while the work of clearing and breaking up was going on. The colored family of Berrys had been living there about two weeks at the time of Dawson and Beach's visit. On the 20th of April, 1835, the Dawson family, consisting of father, mother, and two children,-a daughter of two years and a son a few months old,-reached their new home, and moved in with the Berrys, who were not ready to move out because of the unfinished condition of their house. So for a period of about two weeks the two families occu -. pied the same habitation. In the spring of that year Mr. Dawson planted an acre of corn, a few potatoes, and sowed a small piece of buckwheat. He also raised a few roots to feed his stock, which at that time consisted of one cow, one yearling, and a yoke of oxen. Following the usual course of the settlers in developing his farm, Mr. Dawson continued to reside in Tyrone until the fall of 1856, when he removed to Rockford, Floyd County, Ia., where he lived five years, and then went to Du- buque. From the latter place he returned to Ty- rone in 1864, and purchased the farm on section 13, where he now resides. Mr. Dawson had five sons who enlisted in the Union army during the Rebellion,-a fact upon which a well - founded pride is felt by the members of the family. Fred- erick enlisted in the regulars in 1862, and served in the campaign of that year against the Indians

in Minnesota and Iowa. After a service of five years he was mustered out, and now lives in Sa- vannah, Andrew Co., Mo. Pliny B. enlisted in the 3d Iowa Infantry in June, 1861, was mustered out on account of ill health in 1862, and is now living in this town. Alphonso D. enlisted in the 12th United States Infantry, was stationed at Fort Ham- ilton, New York, and afterwards served in the Army of the Potomac. At the battle of Yellow House, in August, 1864, he was taken prisoner and sent to Andersonville to endure the inhuman tortures there inflicted upon helpless, unarmed prisoners until he was exchanged in March, 1865. He died March 31, 1865, from the effects of the inhuman treatment he had received at the hands of his captors. Wil- liam E. enlisted in February, 1864, in the 7th Iowa Infantry, and served in the Department of the West. In the campaign around Atlanta, on the 4th of August, 1864, he was wounded so badly as to ne- cessitate the amputation of his left arm below the elbow. He was mustered out in January follow- ing, and is now living in Rush Co., Kan. Arnold W. also enlisted, but the regiment being more than full, his company was disbanded, and before it was reorganized as a battery of artillery he was sent home sick. He is now living in Rockford, Ia.

James Love was formerly from Chili, Monroe Co., N. Y., but came to this town from Whitmore Lake, Washtenaw Co., in July, 1835, settling on the northeast corner of section 33, about twenty rods south of the school-house, which has always been known as "The Love School-house." He was a pensioner of the war of 1812, and lived here a number of years. After his death the family became scattered, and none of his immediate descendants are now living here.

Daniel D. Runyan settled on section 3 in the spring of 1836, building his log house near the southwest corner of the section. By some acci- dent or disease he had become crippled, and had but a very imperfect use of his limbs, and to eke Out the scanty living he was able to get by his farming operations he opened his shanty as a tav- ern, and dispensed liquors there with more pecu- niary profit to himself than moral gain to his customers. Runyan's tavern became quite noted throughout the region, and, report says, was fre- quently the scene of almost brutal drunken orgies, which gave it a rather unsavory reputation among the more moral and respectable classes of the com- munity. Runyan kept the inn until his death, which occurred about 1848-50, and it was then continued by his widow, who was said, in a bad sense of the phrase, to have been the best man of the two, and was known as "Aunt Kate's." She survived her husband about ten years, and then

395

TYRONE TOWNSHIP.

died in this town. One son is still living, and resides in Troy, Oakland Co.

Jacob Chrispell and his son, James E., with their respective families, settled in the southwest part of the town in 1836. The former was a mill- wright, and worked at his trade and at carpenter- work a good deal. He died several years ago. The latter is still living on his original homestead.

Eli Conklin was the first blacksmith in the town. He came in 1836, and built a house and shop on the north line of section 28, about forty rods west of the quarter-post. Here he worked at his trade, shoeing horses and oxen, sharpening plowshares, repairing broken implements, and doing the thou- sand and one jobs that always gravitate towards the blacksmith-shop, and enlivened the hours of labor, which sometimes reached well into the night, with story and song. Mr. Conklin remained in Tyrone till about the year 1851, when he removed to the neighboring town of Rose, in Oakland County, where he resided until his death, which occurred Sept. 26, 1876.

Clark Dibble settled first in Fenton, where he built the first saw-mill in the vicinity, and from there came to Tyrone in 1836, and settled on sec- tion 4, about eighty rods west of Runyan's tavern, on the Shiawassee road. He at once opened a public-house for the entertainment of travelers, of whom many were daily passing along the Shia- wassee road, which was a thoroughfare for emi- grants and speculators going to the Grand River region. He was a man of good business tact and ability, but of a very generous, liberal nature, which prevented his accumulating wealth. He was one of the first justices of the peace of the town, and was re-elected in 1840. His death oc- curred in June, 1842, and resulted from an accident. In company with Lauren Riggs he visited the woods to cut some timber suitable to be made into cradle-fingers, and while pursuing their way they scared up a woodchuck, which sought refuge in a hollow oak-tree growing on a side-hill. They proceeded to fell the tree, and in falling it split off a large splinter, which flew and struck Mr. Dibble with such force as to fell him to the ground. The body of the tree also rolled over him, crushing him badly. His companion with much difficulty succeeded in freeing him from the tree, and pro- cured assistance to get him to his home; but his injuries, which were mostly internal, proved fatal, and he died from them a day or two after the acci- dent occurred.

One of the most prominent families of the town has been the Cranston family, the first members of which came to Tyrone in 1837. Caleb Cranston, the father of all the others who settled here, was a

grandson of John Cranston, who was one of the early Governors of the State of Rhode Island. His father, Samuel, was a soldier of the Revolution, and in 1793 emigrated with his family to Delaware Co., N. Y. In 1829, at the age of forty years, Caleb moved to Wayne Co., N. Y., and lived there till he came to Michigan. His children were nine in number, and were named Eli D., David E., Sarah J., Gilbert D., Palmer B., Herman I., Betsey, Orrin, and Martin. Orrin died in New York, and all the others came to this town in the following order : Eli D., Gilbert D., and Herman I., in 1837; Palmer B., in 1838; and Caleb, with Betsey and Martin, in 1839. David E. was the last one to remove here, and did not come till about 1844. All of the children were married, either before coming here or afterwards. Eli D. and Gilbert D. married sisters,-Elizabeth and Louise Chase; Sarah J. and Betsey married brothers,-Joseph and Wil- liam Corey, and settled in this town; David E. first married Mary E. Davis, and his second wife was Miss Ann E. Smalling; Herman I. married Adaline Guptill; Palmer B. married Emeline Love; and Martin married Abby Chapin. Of these children none are now living in Tyrone, all of them having died or removed. Caleb was an ardent Methodist, and a man of irreproachable character. He died, June 30, 1872, at the ripe age of eighty-three years, and was thus spoken of in his obituary notice: "He was a man of strict honesty, kind to all, and a keen sympathizer with those in suffering. A true, generous citizen and devoted Christian, whose traits of character made him respected and beloved by all who knew him." He was twice married, his first wife, Abby Davis, dying in New York, and his second wife, Mary Thayer, dying in this town, Sept. 18, 1866, at the age of eighty years.

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History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 84

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

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