History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 91

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Henry I. Lown came from Western New York in the fall of 1836, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 34, building his house about one hundred rods from the present residence of Ira O. Marble. He became insane about nine years after coming here, and a couple of years later disap-

peared, and has not since been heard from. About the year 1852 his family returned to their former home in New York.

Samuel Leonard was one of the first comers in the spring of 1837. He was a native of Great Barrington, Berkshire Co., Mass. About 1812 he started in life for himself, selecting the town of Brighton, Monroe Co., N. Y., as the field of his operations. There he met Miss Margaret Lindley, a daughter of a New Jersey family, to whom he was united in marriage. In 1826 he bought a 50- acre farm near the village of Penfield, in the same county, where he lived till he came to Michigan. In January, 1836, he came to Deerfield, selected his land, and returned East in the spring, stopping at Detroit to enter the three lots he had selected. After harvesting his crops and settling up his busi- ness he packed up and moved to Michigan. In the fall Mr. Leonard and his eldest son, Calvin W., came on and cut logs enough for a house, and in March, 1837, they again came on, and with the help of the Hatts and Nottingham, put up the house. As early as possible the family and goods were brought on and occupied the house, which stood on the northwest corner of section 14. Here they continued to live till the fall of 1866, when the place was sold, and they moved to Linden, Genesee Co. In the fall of 1868, Mrs. Leonard died, and from that time till his own death, in the spring of 1869, Mr. Leonard lived with his son, Calvin W., at Deerfield Centre. Four children- Calvin W., William, Orange W., and Mrs. Mary Bagg-are now living in this town. Mr. Leonard was a Whig in politics, and was not, therefore, called to office in this Democratic town, as he would otherwise undoubtedly have been. In his religious belief he was a Baptist, though not connected with any church here, and his wife at the time of her death had been a member of that connection up- wards of forty years.

Joseph Wise was of German ancestry-the name being more properly spelled Weiss, but the angli- cized form being adopted by the present genera- tion. He came from Prattstown, Steuben Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1835, settling in Southfield, Oakland Co. Two years later he moved to this town, where he purchased 180 acres of land. His house was built on the northwest quarter of sec- tion I. He was accompanied by his wife, two sons, and a married daughter with her husband, Daniel T. Hyatt. Another daughter, Catharine, was then living in Marshall. He remained a resi- dent of the town till his death, in 1867. His wife survived him about five years. Of his children, Joseph and Mrs. Benjamin Bennett are still re- siding in Deerfield ; John lives in Argentine; Mrs. Hosted by

424

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

Maria Hyatt, in Fenton; and Mrs. Christina Moore, in Genesee, Genesee Co.

Daniel and Lorenzo Boutell were among the settlers in the spring of 1837. They were from Onondaga Co., N. Y. Daniel, with his wife, two sons, and one daughter, settled on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 30, and built his house at the southwest corner of the quarter sec- tion. He at once assumed quite a prominent part in town affairs, and frequently held office. He was the first collector, and served five years in that po- sition. He also held the offices of assessor, high- way commissioner, constable, and supervisor In 1856 he removed to Saginaw County, and a couple of years later to Bay City, where he died eleven or twelve years ago, and where his wife and several children still reside. One son, George T., re- mained in this town, and died here but a few years ago, at the age of thirty-two years. Daniel was a great fisher and hunter, a fluent talker, and the most amiable of men in family and society. He was one of the first members of the Oak Grove Methodist Church, and lived an exemplary Chris- tian life. Lorenzo Boutell settled on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 19, and built his house near the southeast corner of his lot. He was three times married, and by his third wife had one child,-a son,-named Chauncey, who is now living with his widowed mother on the homestead. Mr. Boutell's second wife was Mrs. Sarah Chap- man, who died in 1840, and his third wife was Mrs. Polly Hart. He moved to Fenton eleven or twelve years ago (1867-68), and died there in Sep- tember, 1875, having been an invalid for several years. He was a very social, agreeable, and be- nevolent man, much interested in church matters, and a member of the Methodist Church. He was not very deeply interested in the strifes of politics, but was elected to the office of overseer of the poor fifteen years, and, with the exception of three years, these elections were consecutive. Having no family of his own, he yet was very fond of chil- dren, and made this of practical use by taking a number of children at different times, and keeping them until they were able to do for themselves.

Michael Bennett, with his wife and three small children, came from Northfield, Washtenaw Co., in the spring of 1837, and built a house near the north quarter-post of section 34. He was of Irish birth, and had lived for some time in Eastern New York before coming to Michigan. He purchased the north half of section 34 the year before he came here, and subsequently sold 120 acres to James Conklin, who came here with him. He and his wife died some four or five years ago. Two of their sons are living on the homestead, and one

daughter, Mrs. Mary Downey, also lives in the town.

James Conklin commenced living on the place he bought of Mr. Bennett, in 1839, and his mother, two brothers,-Patrick and Thomas,-and two sis- ters came at that time and lived with him for two or three years, when his sisters married, and his brothers went to live on section 27, where Patrick had bought a farm. The mother remained with James, and died in 1843. In 1844 he married Margaret Dougherty, of White Lake, Oakland Co., and lived here till his death, which occurred some six or seven years ago. His wife survived him till the spring of 1879. Their children-two daughters and a son-are now living on the home- stead.

Robert Chambers and wife, and David S. Ireland, with a wife, four sons, and two daughters, came in company from Scottsville, Monroe Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1837, and settled in this town. Mr. Chambers settled on the northeast corner of sec- tion 29. He was for many years a prominent man in the town, was one of the first justices of the peace, and was once elected supervisor. He was a successful farmer, and brought his land under a state of high cultivation. About ten years ago he moved to Fenton, and died there in 1877. His widow is now living at Deerfield Centre.

David S. Ireland bought the north half of section 28, and built his house on the northwest corner of the section. He died in 1848, and the family moved to Holly, Oakland Co., some time during the war.

Bryan Corr, Dennis and Timothy McCarthy, John Ryan, and John Lyons were all Irish emi- grants, who came here at different times and set- tled in different parts of the town. Corr is still living on section 24, where he settled in 1836. John Ryan settled on the county line, on section 3, at an early day, and died there in 1875. The Mc- Carthys and Lyons came in 1837 and settled on sections 25 and 36. Timothy was killed at an early day by a falling tree, and Dennis died in this town some twenty years ago. Several other brothers and sisters have lived in Deerfield some portion of their lives, but none of them are here now, with the exception of one of them, Charles McCarthy.

Samuel L. Bangs, with his wife and one child, and his brothers, Benjamin and Mark, came from Monroe Co., N. Y., and settled on the northeast quarter of section 24, in 1837. Lyman was quite prominent as a leader among the Whigs during his short stay here. In 1839-40 he moved to Ann Arbor. He subsequently emigrated to Illinois, where he is now living. Benjamin lived on what is now the McKeone farm till 1859, and then moved to Fenton, where he is still living. Mark left here

PHOTO. BY J.N. PHIPPS

COL.C. SUTHERLAND.

COL. CASTLE SUTHERLAND.

Among the early settlers of the city of Ann Arbor no name is more familiar to the people of Washtenaw than that of Col. Sutherland, and perhaps it may be said that no name is more carefully treasured or will be longer remembered by those who knew him. Col. Sutherland was born in Geneva, N. Y., Nov. 11, 1790. In 1828 he came to Ann Arbor, where he remained until 1834, when he removed to the town of Deerfield, where he purchased a farm, and where he lived until about 1850, when he returned to Ann Arbor, where he resided until his death, which occurred July 13, 1862. Col. Suther- land was a gentleman of the old school, a man of sterling integrity, with a firm and unswerving devotion to the right. Patriotism was one of the prominent points in his character. He enlisted

in the war of 1812, and was employed by the government in making and repairing guns, which avocation he subsequently followed many years. During the war of the Rebellion he was frequently heard to express regret that he had not strength to bear arms in the defense of his country.

Col. Sutherland was prominently identified with Deerfield. He held many positions of trust, and was everywhere recognized as a man of ability, a kind neighbor, and a firm friend.

Solomon Sutherland, the youngest in a family of eleven, was born in Scio, in 1833. He resided in Deerfield until he came to Green Oak in 1860, where he now resides. He married Miss Myers, a granddaughter of John Myers, one of the town's first settlers.

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425

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP.

in 1840, went to the State of New York, and from there to Illinois, where he engaged in the practice of the law. He has risen to considerable promi- nence there, having been a candidate for Governor.

Castle Sutherland was formerly from Geneva, Ontario Co., N. Y., settled in Ann Arbor, in 1832, and came to this town in 1837, locating on section 12. He was a man of more than ordinary ability, and was familiarly known as " Colonel," a title de- rived from militia service, or perhaps from actual service in the war of 1812. He lived here some twelve or fifteen years, and then, his wife dying, he returned to Ann Arbor, and lived with his sons until his own death occurred, a score or more of years ago.

One of the self-made men of this town is Joseph Chamberlin, who is now residing on the farm on which he originally settled forty-one years ago. He was formerly from Lester, Livingston Co., N. Y., and first came to this State in August, 1831, working in Saline, Washtenaw Co., for two years, and then returned to New York. Having purchased his time from his father, he worked until he had saved enough money to pay for two 80-acre lots of government land, and in May, 1836, bought the east half of the southeast quarter of section 25, in this town, and 80 acres adjoining it, in Tyrone. In 1838 he married Delia Kittle, of Groveland, Livingston Co., N. Y., and in No- vember of that year came here, stopping eight weeks with Orson B. Stevens, in Tyrone, while building his house on the southeast corner of section 25. In 1874 he built his present tasty and commodious residence. During his life he has added 400 acres to his original purchase, and, hav- ing disposed of a portion of it, still retains upwards of 240 acres. Commencing life as a poor man, he has, by faithful industry and economy, succeeded in accumulating a competency, and has earned the reputation of a public-spirited citizen.

Darius Lewis was a settler of 1838. In com- pany with Nathaniel and Jabez Lindley, he came to locate his land in the spring of 1836. In Octo- ber, 1838, he came from Newstead, Erie Co., N. Y., with his wife and two children, and settled on his land on section 15. There he lived until 1863, when he moved to Deer Creek, on section 6, and lived there till his death, January 1, 1871. He was rather a peculiar man, full of a nervous en- ergy, and exceedingly tenacious in accomplishing anything he undertook to do. He was engaged in farming, but also practiced law in the justice's courts of this and adjoining towns, and acquired considerable reputation as a successful pettifog- ger. He was the first postmaster at the Centre, and enjoyed the distinction of being the only

Whig or Republican ever elected to the office of supervisor of this town. His widow and two sons, Hartwell and Philander, are still living in Deerfield.

The Marbles have been among the most promi- nent families of the town since their arrival, in April, 1840. Ira Marble was a native of East Douglass, Mass. When a youth the family moved to Dixfield, Oxford Co., Me., and there he after- wards married Miss Hannah Park. With her and three sons, in 1829, he came to Nelson, Madison Co., N. Y., rented a farm, and lived on it one year. Then he came to Ann Arbor and took up an 80- acre farm. Five years later he sold that, and took up another new farm of 80 acres, which he also cleared before coming to Deerfield. In 1840 he traded his Ann Arbor property with a Mr. Jones for 160 acres on section 26, in this town, and moved into the house he had built, about twenty rods east of the southwest corner of the section. Here he devoted his life to farming and dealing in real estate At one time he owned 760 acres of land in this town. He was supervisor of the town three years, and retired from the office only be- cause he would not accept it again. He gave each of his children a farm, or its equivalent, and retained a homestead of 170 acres. He died June 26, 1870, and his wife died Dec. 26, 1873. He had six children,-four sons and two daugh- ters. The eldest of these, Moses P., married Elizabeth, a daughter of John Anderson, of this town, and is now living on the homestead with his second wife, formerly Mrs. Rhoda Graves; Enoch M. married Theresa Pike, a daughter of William Pike, and lived in this town till, some seven or eight years ago, he moved to his present home in Handy. He was quite prominent as a political leader of the Democratic party of this town, and served one year as constable, six terms as school inspector, two terms as highway commissioner, three years as town treasurer, four years as town clerk, and one year as supervisor. Ira O. married Mary, daughter of John How, Sr., in 1849, and is now living on section 34, on the farm he purchased from the heirs of Henry I. Lown. He has been prominent in political life, having held the offices of constable, school inspector, highway commis- sioner, treasurer, justice of the peace, and super- visor in this town,-the last-named office for four terms,-and has served one term as treasurer of the county. Oscar V. married Margaret, a daugh- ter of John Anderson, and is now living in Ne- braska, where he moved in 1878. Polly E. mar- ried John H. Bristol, and died in this town in September, 1869. Maria married John Merrill, and is now living on section 21, in this town, le

426

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

William A. Hull and his son, Mishal, came from Newark, Wayne Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1845, and settled on section 22, on land they had bought of Rensselaer Pomeroy, who entered it in 1836. They were originally from New Jersey. In 1866, William A. removed to Hartland village, and died there a few years since. Mishal is still a resident of Deerfield and one of its prominent men, and is living on section 30, having removed there in September, 1878.

No doubt there are others among the earlier residents who are worthy of special mention, and whom we would gladly give a place in this sketch had we material in hand to enable us to do so. Among them would appear the names of the Adams's, David Dickson, Joseph Hosley, B. W. Sherwood, Edwin P. Spencer, the Sellers family, E. F. Cooley, Sidney M. Hawley, Alfred Holmes, William Pike, Robert McGarry, Freeborn Luce, John W. Locke, James Van Benschoten, Lyman Lee, David Royce, William Payne, Bela Fenner, David B. Bradley, James Scullin, and others of more or less prominence in the subsequent history of the town. But it is impossible to go into detail, as we have already transcended the usual limit of space assigned to this branch of the work. Before proceeding farther, however, we will give the earliest tax-roll of the town now to be found, or, rather, so much of it as contains the names of resident tax-payers. The earliest roll, of which any record has been preserved, was made in 1838, and a warrant for the collection of taxes, hereafter mentioned, was issued to Daniel Boutell, collector, by the Board of Supervisors, on the 6th day of October. It was signed by John How, Jacob Snell, Richard Lyon, Andrew Osborn, Robert Worden, Jr., Ralph Fowler, John J. Blackmer, George W. Lee, Joseph M. Becker, and Solomon Sutherland. The tax included the following items, viz .: For township expenses, $120.75; for town- ship poor, $25. To which was added the State and county tax, the amount of which was not specified, and an additional sum of five per cent. for collector's fees. Only a small portion of this roll, containing the names of non-resident tax- payers, has been preserved, and for the first com- plete roll we are obliged to take that of 1844. We copy from that the names of the resident tax- payers, with the number of the section on which they were located, the number of acres assessed to them, the valuations of their real and personal estate, and the amount of their tax. The list is as follows :

Name.

Section.

Acres.

Valuation.

Austin Allen

$255

William Bennett ..

160

320

William Bradley.

Name

Section. Acres.

Valuation.

Philo Bradley.

220

$570

Benjamin Bennett

IO, II

280

770

Adam B. Bailey

100

Julius K. Blackburn

1, 12

120

280

Abiram Blackburn

1, 12

136

Amos Ball.

12, 14

145

380

Thomas A. Burt

George Burr.

100

Benjamin Bangs

19,* 24

130

263

Hiram Blackburn.

107

Lorenzo Boutell

19, 24,1 25,1 30

322

502

Daniel Boutell

.25, 30, 30+

321

751

Peter Bush.

325

Michael Bennett

200

445

John Cramer.

120

200

Alexander Cramer.

Catharine Colburn

104

Bryan Carr.

E. F. Cooley.

210

Robert Chambers

20, 29

160

460

Rufus Clark.

29, 31

120

350

James Curdy.

James Clark.

John Clark.

Joseph Chamberlin.

25, 30*

James Conklin

27, 34

160

370

Samuel Cole.

IIO

400

Nathan Cole.

205

Jacob J. Debar.

1 14

William Edwards

150

Bela Fenner.

225

Broughton Fenner.

193

Henry Faussett.

32, 33

120

280

George Faussett.

120

190

Thomas Faussett.

120

240

Elisha Gleason

Henry Gibson.

I60

395

Daniel T. Hiatt.

Sidney M. Hawley

167

John How, Sr.

5, 6, 7, 8

846

1620

John How, Jr.

140

250

Jonathan How.

180

William Hatt.

2, 13

100

280

Henry Humphrey

Sylvester Hull.

200

William How and A. Jones

...

James L. Hills ..

30, 32

170

410

William Hosley

252

534

Joseph Hosley.

160

343

Daniel S. Ireland

238

540

Nelson Johnson.

114

Bennett Joy.

200

William Judd

203

Henry Jubb.

160

328

William Jubb.

29, 30

120

270

John Knox

140

Allen Leonard

Daniel Locke ..

176

Samuel Lindley

120

220

Jabez Lindley.

180

Nathaniel Lindley

10, 14

160

320

Samuel Leonard

14, 15

160

480

Darius Lewis.

237

789

Freeborn Luce.

120

340

Lyman Lee.

29, 3I

120

375

James H. Murray

3, 10

118

286

Robert McGary ..

160

490

Robert Mckinley.

160

390

Timothy McCarthy.

120

355

Benjamin Merrill

Ira Marble

26,

320

925

Moses Marble.

.26, 35

160

355

E. M. Marble.

...

.....

...

John McCarthy.

Jeremiah McCarthy

170

Charles McCarthy

25, 36

130

Dennis McCarthy

150

Horace Merrill.

160

* Town 4 north, range 6 east.

t Town 4 north, range 4 east.

ogle

.....

148

346

David Dickson

220

Noel Harrington,

...

John Lyons.

190

...

.. ...

Andrew W. Lewis.

Calvin W. Leonard.

...

.....

PHOTOS, BY J. H. PHIPPS. FENTON, MICH.

Josefkenwhether Mrs 2 De Chamberlin

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN.

Joseph Chamberlain, one of the pioneers of the town of Deerfield, was born in the town of Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 13, 1814. He was the son of Ezekiel Chamberlain and Sally A. Palmer, who had a family of eleven children. The elder Chamberlain was a native of Thetford, Vt., and settled in Scipio in a very early day. He was an industrious, thrifty farmer, and highly esteemed. His father, Benjamin Chamberlain, was a Revolu- tionary soldier, who served seven years and parti- cipated in many of the decisive battles of the war. At its close he settled in Thetford, Vt., where Ezekiel was born, about 1764. When Joseph was six years of age his father removed to Livingston Co., N. Y. Up to the age of seventeen he worked on the farm, with an occasional term at the district school. Frequently, after chopping all day, he pursued his studies far into the night by the light of hickory barks. At the age of seventeen he resolved to commence life for himself. He pur- chased his time of his father for the sun of one hundred dollars, and, with a scanty wardrobe and a few dollars in money, started for Michigan. He went to Saline, Washtenaw Co., where he engaged

himself to work as a farm-hand at ten dollars per month. At the expiration of two years he returned to New York, where he remained several years.

In 1836 he made a second visit to Michigan, and located one hundred and fifty acres of land where he now lives. He again returned home, and in the autumn of 1838 removed with his family, which consisted of his wife and one child. Here he has since resided, and in his chosen occupation has been very successful. He now owns a fine farm of three hundred and ten acres.

The life of Mr. Chamberlain has been devoted to the cares of his farm and his family. He has never courted political advancement, preferring the quiet of the farm to the excitement of politics. In 1878, Mr. Chamberlain was married to Miss Fanny Reed, a lady of much culture and refinement. She was born in Virgil, Cortland Co., N. Y., April 29, 1836. When she was a babe her parents emigrated to Michigan and settled in Jackson County. Mr. Chamberlain is emphatically a self-made man. Commencing life in a new county, with only a strong pair of hands and a robust constitution, he has attained success in whatever he has undertaken.

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Name.

Section.

Acres.

Valuation.

Horace H. Nottingham

.12, 13, 14

240

$520

Daniel O'Connell

160

320

James Pratt

2, 3

240

810

Nathan B. Porter.

160

Dean Phillips

175

William Paine.

35, 36

160

355

William L. Pike

273

Elijah Root.

240

528

John Ryan ..

3, 34*

240

510

Patrick Ryan

John P. Springsteen

220

Brinsley Stevens.

Philo Strickland.

160

Castle Sutherland

11, 12,

168

440

William Smalley

200

480

Cornelius Slate.

William Snow.

William S. Spalding ..

203

Calvin Spalding.

14, 23

215

Thomas Sharp ..

159

348

Orson Smith

...

Marcus Sackner.

...

James Scullen.

160

John H. Sanford

120

275

Robert Sowders

136

Joel S. Stillson

John Sellers.

22, 23, 26, 27

240

788

C. D. Topping.

320

Cyrus B. Thomas

...

.....

William Thomas.

David Tenney.

190

George Van Valkenburg.

Stephen Wilson

207

534

Joseph Wise, Sr.

Joseph Wise, Jr.

118

Caleb Wood.

105

360

Warren M. Worden

194

J. Walsh and G. Green

.24, 25, 35

508

1870

before they learned to prepare the skins for them- selves, used to go to Shiawassee, where Alfred Wil- liams kept a trading post, and get of him skins he had purchased of the Indians. Game of all kinds was abundant, and the usual supply of small fruits was found to assist the pioneers in providing a variety for their tables. The Irish settlers were strangers in a strange land, and did not understand the customs of the country. This ignorance, coupled with the natural superstition of their minds, made them very suspicious and fearful of every- thing they could not at once understand. Of course this has worn away, as time and experience have shown them its uselessness, but it was often the cause of curious misunderstandings and laugh- able mistakes. One of them had a large lot of hay to sell, and, hearing of it, one of his Yankee neigh- bors who was not known to him went to buy some. Coming up to him, he said, " Well, squire, I hear you have some hay to sell. How much do you ask a ton for it?" The unwonted appellation sounded so strangely to the foreigner's ears as to alarm him, and he refused to have anything to do with the person whose use of such a title in con- nection with his name he deemed to be a covert underhanded attempt, in some mysterious way, to deprive him of or abridge his liberty.

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History of Livingston County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 91

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

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