History of Monroe County, Michigan, Part 101

Author: Wing, Talcott Enoch, 1819-1890, ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York, Munsell & company
Number of Pages: 882

USA > Michigan > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Michigan > Part 101

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Newport, through which the Michigan Cen- tral or Canada Southern and Lake Shore Railroads pass, comprises three dry good stores - Bargassa & Co., A. G. Gamble and J. F. Colburn; one grist mill, owned by I. J. Neidermeier; one feed mill and basket manufactory, owned by Calkins & Brothers ; two basket manufactories. owned by Ward & Son and B -; one creamery stock company ; three blacksmith and wagon shops, owned by A. Menard, P. Fix, and Mudge; two saloons, R. P. Navarre and Geo. Martin, proprietors ; one millinery store, by Miss Lizzie Bondenet, one drug store, by Doctor J. J. Valade; one Congregational and one Metho- dist church; with two depots ; and two practicing physicians - Drs. J. J. and J. L. Valade.

MRS. HARTIA E. SOUTHWORTH

Is a native of Georgia, Franklin county, Ver- mont, being born there September 16, 1812,

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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

and living with her parents, Henry and Zeruah (Herrington) Blodgett, until her mar- riage with Josiah C. Aselstyne in Swanton, Vermont, September 25, 1834. They at once went West, and settled in Berlin the next month, on a farm where she now lives, although a frame building has taken place of the original log cabin. Her husband died May 15, 1851, leaving her with seven children, three boys and four girls, of whom only two are now living :

Horace, who lives on the old homestead, and Mary, living in Muir, Ionia county, Michigan. September 20, 1867, she was married a third time, her companion this time being Ezra Southworth, who died December 29, 1888. Her second son, Myron Aselstyne, enlisted in 1862 in the Twenty-Sixth New York Volunteer In- fantry, and died in the hospital at Bakersville, Maryland, October 2, 1863.

DUNDEE TOWNSHIP:

The township of Dundee is in the western part of Monroe county, and was formed from Summerfield and Raisinville at their re-organi- zation in 1838. The first town meeting was held April 1, 1839, at the house of Samuel Bar- ber, who was elected supervisor. The first land entry was made by William Remington, on July 23, 1823, and included that part of the village of Dundee south of the River Raisin. During the next ten years came Riley Inger- soll, Nathaniel Richmond, Ira Irons, George Wilcox, Martin Smith, William Pherdun, Sam- uel Rankin, Heman Spaulding, Samuel Jenne, Enos Kent, Justus Jermain. The turnpike from LaPlaisance to and through Dundee was laid out in 1832, and a bridge across the River Raisin built in 1833.

In 1835 there was a postoffice called Winfield kept at the house of the postmaster, William H. Montgomery, two miles east of the village of Dundee. The following year he was suc- cecded by Alonzo Curtis, the office removed to the village, and its name changed to Dundee. The mail came semi-weekly from 1839 to 1843, then weekly until 1861, when it was changed to tri-weekly, and in 1862 made daily. Since the building of the railroads there are six mails a day. In 1873 it was made a money

order office.

A log school house was built in 1834, on the present site of William H. Pulver's wagon shop. Two years later it was destroyed by fire and replaced with a frame building, now standing on the adjacent lot. Among the early teachers were Rebecca Whitman, Dr. Bassford, Emily Jenne, Mrs. White, John H. Montgom- ery, Junius Tilden, Mr. Townsend, William Parker, and Henry Watling. There are now twelve school houses in the township, seven

frame and five brick, with a total valuation of $30,550. The present number of school chil- dren is about 1,200.

The history of the Dundee M. E. Church dates from 1832, the first sermon being preached on October 2d of that year, by the Rev. Elijah Pilcher. There are at present one hundred and eighty-nine members. The church property consists of a brick church at Dundee and one at Azalia, a frame building at Raisin- ville, and a parsonage in Dundee, the whole valued at $10,500.

The Baptist Church in Dundee was first or- ganized in 1835. The house of worship was built in 1857. For some years there was only transient missionary preaching, but now there is a regular pastor.

The records of the first Congregational Church show that it was organized November 29, 1836, and in 1843 a building was erected. Since that time it has met with varying for- tunes. In 1888 it had a membership of sixty- four, with church property valued at $3,000.

The Canada Southern Railroad was opened to Dundee in 1873, and in July, 1875, a large excursion to Detroit celebrated the completion of the road. The Toledo, Ann Arbor and North Michigan followed closely after, the sta- tion at Dundee being opened in 1878.

There is a very fine water power, utilizing the waters of the River Raisin for manufactur- ing purposes, and no less than twelve manufac- turing establishments in which steam power is used. The village is surrounded by a very en- terprising and thrifty farming community, possessing farms under a high state of cultiva- tion, fine buildings, orchards and stock, and lands for fertility and richness not surpassed for farming purposes in any portion of the State.

H.R.Smith. De.h.

Benjamim A. Curtifs

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TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.

D. A. CURTIS

Was born in Smithfield, Madison county, New York, December 17, 1820. His father, David Curtis, moved to Ontario county in the spring of 1824, and three years later moved to Greece, a small town near Rochester. His mother, Wealthy (Dewey) Curtis, died in 1832, and his father sold the farm and moved to Michigan, taking a canal boat as far as Buffalo and then embarking on a steamer for Detroit. At the latter place the family were transferred with all their household goods to a one-masted scow, decked over at both ends, and commanded by a Frenchman who had two mates. A third man in the crew was a Yankee, who could beat the French on profanity. The scow floated down as far as Malden during the night, and half of the passengers took a small boat and pulled for Canada for the purpose of getting breakfast, but at no place could they procure breakfast enough for the company. At last a negro who knew one of the men offered to cook them a meal, and seated in his garden they enjoyed a well-cooked breakfast. Using his jack-knife for his ham, he found when reaching the scow, he had forgotten to replace it in his pocket. The scow floated before a good breeze for a few hours, and then was becalmed. He, with others, took a boat and rowed ashore, where they found a deserted house and a fine orchard from which they gathered apples. At night the wind arose, and the next morning they found themselves at the mouth of the River Raisin. The scow was anchored all day, and men were sent up to Monroe for bread, etc. They did not return until afternoon, when the anchor was raised, and the scow, attached to the small boat by a rope, was pulled up to the dock. A cousin met the family with his wagon and took them to his home, where supper was awaiting them, and Mr. Curtis remembers it as " the best meal of victuals mortal ever tasted."

After a few days rest they moved up the river to visit " Uncle Noble Curtis," near the George Sorter place. From there they passed on to where Dundee now stands, part of the company going on foot. Mr. Curtis drove the wagon, but being a small boy he managed to run over a sapling that had been cut down and fallen across the road, and winding through the wheel turned the wagon over and emptied all the contents. £ They crossed the river to Dundee on a rope ferry, which was a great cu-

riosity to the boy. The mills near this ferry were owned by S. VanNest, who also kept a store and managed the hotel; Mr. Pine was the clerk; Mr. Wilcox, father of Byron and Delos, lived below the village; Captain Inger- soll and the judge, his brother, were residents of the settlement; Asa Curtis and Truman Curtis, his brother, lived in the woods about half a mile west. On the south side of the river were Peter Read, Mr. Pitts and Jonathan Fisher.

The townships of Dundee and Summerfield met together for "town meeting " in 1833, and nineteen voters were present at that meeting, which was held in a log school house near John N. Wadsworth's place. The year before, the village had no school house, no church or- ganization, and the Mormons began active work in the settlement-succeeded in luring away a number, but their places were soon filled by new settlers. Enos Kent and Mr. Roof settled on the south branch of the Macon in 1832. Bears and wolves were thick in the woods, and Mr. Curtis, sr., killed two bears and any number of deer, being a "mighty hunter " Foxes troubled them exceedingly in their chicken coops, and the coons destroyed their corn, but Mr. Curtis was fortunate in owning a dog that killed " dozens of foxes and hundreds of coons."

At this time the roads from place to place were mere paths winding around stumps and bogs, and Mr. Curtis remembers seeing a lum- ber wagon hitched to two yoke of oxen and driven by a woman. The load consisted of one and one-half bushels of grain. They came from two and one-half miles west of Dundee, and before they reached the "millway every ox had his tongue out full length."

BENJAMIN H. CURTISS,

Who passed from the afflictions of this earth to a celestial mansion February 22, 1882, was a native of the Empire State, where he was born December 15, 1819. In his tenth year he came to Monroe county with his parents, Noble Curtiss, who was born November 22, 1775, and Mary (Dunham) Curtiss, born January 28, 1784, and married in their native State (New York) October 7, 1802. On their arrival in Michigan they settled in Monroe, and a few

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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

years later moved to Raisinville, where they lived for three years, when they moved to Dundee, to which he afterward platted an ad- dition, and where for over half a century Mr. Curtiss lived the life of an honest, upright man, respected by all his friends and neighbors. There being no educational facilities in Monroe county, he went to the common schools of his native State for a short time and laid the groundwork of an education, which he after- wards built upon by his own application and common sense until he became what might aptly be termed a self-educated man, and known by all his acquaintances as a careful and con- servative business man, just in all his dealings with his fellow-men, and whose word was held as good as his bond by all who knew him. In politics he was a Democrat of the old school, and while not a politician in any sense of the word was elected to many important offices, among which was that of county treasurer, to which he was elected for two years, his brother- in-law, Amos T. Heacock, being his deputy, and who was afterwards elected to the same office. For five years he was the shop keeper in the Michigan State's Prison at Jackson, from which position he was promoted to that of deputy warden, which office he held for five years, to the entire satisfaction of the State officials in charge of that institution. During his career at Jackson he suggested many val- uable improvements in the management of the prison, which are still cherished by the State board.

His wife, Hannah M. Heacock, to whom he was married December 28, 1844, was born in Seneca county, New York, July 16, 1823, and is the mother of Sidney B. Curtiss, born in Dundee January 20, 1846, the husband of Jane R. Rawson, who was born October 18, 1846. They also have one child, Chloe M. Curtiss, born April 19, 1869. Mrs. Hannah M. Curtiss is the daughter of Samuel C. and Cath- erine (Lynch) Heacock, both natives of New York, the former born in 1792, and dying No- vember 29, 1850; the latter born in 1799, and dying in Dundee December 26, 1861. While not a member of any church Mr. Curtiss lived an upright Christian life, and taking the golden rule as his motto was esteemed by all his large circle of acquaintances as a good citizen, a warm friend and a kind husband and father, and his death, which occurred February 22,

1882, was mourned by all who knew him. During his residence of over fifty years in Dundee he was a witness of many of the changes wrought by the march of civilization, and which brought the little hamlet of a few scattering log houses and a score or so of in- habitants into a thriving incorporated village of nearly two thousand souls.

WILLIAM EARL SLAYTON

Is of German descent, his parents, Andrew and Dorothy (Hibbard) Slayton, coming from Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, the former dying at Dundee December 24, 1880, at the age of sixty-six, of inflammation of the lungs; the latter now living in good health sixty-six years old. Mr. Slayton was born at Dundee March 12, 1848, and after the usual education of the district school attended the high school at Hudson, Lenawee county, after which he went to farming, first on the Van Wormer farm for a year, then buying a farm in Dundee, where he lived for seven years. After this he moved into the village of Dundee and bought out the brick and tile yard of Truman Gee, to which, in February, 1889, he added a lumber yard, and furnishes all kinds of pine lumber for building purposes. The capacity of his brick yard is about one million brick and five hun- dred thousand feet of tile per annum. He was married at Blissfield, Michigan, December 31, 1885, to Margaret Bazella, daughter of John and Lucy (Upell) Perry, whose children are: Harry William, born January 7, 1887, and Zulu Margaret, born February 21, 1889.

STEPHEN THURSTON HARDY,

The oldest son of David and Elizabeth (Ward) Hardy was born in Clearmont, Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, July 24, 1812, and is the second of a family of seven children. His parents were farmers in Massachusetts, and in 1825, with the entire family, emigrated to Michigan and took up a tract of Government land near what is now Ypsilanti, when there were but three log cabins on the site of the present city. In 1829 he sold his claim and moved to Augusta in Washtenaw county, where he purchased a farm, and David and

Stephen J. Hardy

587

TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.

Stephen operated a saw and grist mill for many years on Stony Creek, near Augusta. October 15, 1840, he married Matilda Alzada, daughter of Fisher Ames and Rebecca (Piek- ering) Darling, at her home in London town- ship. She was born in Mendon, Massachu- setts, April 3, 1820. Her father was born in Rhode Island March 11, 1792, and died Novem- ber 25, 1845. Her mother was born in Massa- chusetts April 18, 1793, and died May 22, 1873. The journey of the elder Hardy from Massa- chusetts to Michigan was a stormy one, being wrecked near Cleveland, Ohio, and compelled to go on foot for many a weary mile to their new home in the wild woods of Michigan. During his father's life Stephen remained at home, and from the time of his marriage till his father's death at Ypsilanti in September, 1866, by power of attorney he acted as his gen- eral agent in the transaction of his business, and at his death settled up the estate without the appointment of an administrator. He con- tinned the occupation of a farmer and miller

until 1871, when he retired from active work, and with his wife moved to the village of Dun- dee, where he has since lived a retired and peaceful life awaiting the summons that sooner or later comes to all to put off this mortality and put on immortality, and while neither he nor his wife have ever joined any church, both have lived the life of Christians, following the precepts of the golden rule. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy have raised a family of twelve children, five boys and seven girls, of whom two girls and one boy live in Dundee ; one girl in Lon- don, and one girl and one boy in Augusta. Mr. Hardy is a life long Democrat, but has never taken any active part in politics. He was highway commissioner in Washtenaw county for several years, and was elected justice of the peace, but refused to qualify. Under the administration of Harrison he was appointed postmaster at Oakville post office, in the township of Augusta, which position he held for some five years.

ERIE TOWNSHIP.

When that portion of Monroe county that now comprises the town of Erie was first set- tled by white people is questionable. The Jesuit priests, explorers and voyageurs at a very early day, following the shores of Lake Erie from Maumee Bay, approached Bay Creek, and they were evidently favorably im- pressed with the general appearance of the country in that vicinity, finding there a stream that readily admitted the canoes and bateaux of large size, the only facilities then in use for traversing the newly discovered country of the northwestern territory. That they then estab- lished missionary stations and trading posts there can be no doubt, for when the Govern- ment of the United States first purchased by treaty with the Indians that portion of our territory, there were in different parts of Bay Settlement (now Erie) large pear and apple trees, many of which measured seven feet in circumference near the ground, and covered a surface of forty feet in diameter in the out- spread of the branches, while the land bore the impress and appearance of having for years been under cultivation by a number of French

families who were at that early day the pio- neers of the country.

These pioneers from the Canadas and "Sunny France," who preceded the English- speaking people in the settlement of this town, were a hardy class of people, with great powers of endurance, and from living so many years near the savage tribes of Indians adopted many of their habits and customs, one of which was their strong aversion to work except when driven to it by stern necessity. Their wants were few, and being to a very great extent de- pendent upon the chase, they readily procured from the abundance of wild game, large and small, that abounded in the forests, skins and peltries which they exchanged for rude cloth- ing, blankets, ammunition, coffee, whisky and tobacco, and not until a very recent date have the buckskin shirts, fur coats, leggins and shoe packs given place by their descendants to the underwear, boots and shoes in use at the pres ent time. It would be putting it very mild should I say that they were temperate in the use of whisky and tobacco, and unrestrained by Red Ribbon Societies or temperance advo-

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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

cates. The fur traders were careful to have an abundant supply thereof, as a large share of their profits were derived from their sale.

If they needed meat they had but to load their carabines and away to the woods, game being abundant, and they were sure to return in a few hours with a black bear or one or two deer. Failing in this they would shoot a hog, carry it home, lay it on the ground, cover it with straw and other light combustibles, then set fire to it, singeing the hair and bristles off ; they would then scrape it and turn it over and re- peat the singeing and scraping process ; that completed, they would hang it up and dress it. The next move would be to procure a jug of whisky, though it might involve the necessity of going miles for it. Neighbors were then in- formed and invited, and so long as the game or hog lasted there was no end of feasting and carousing. These excitements seemed to constitute the greater part of their enjoyment.

Another custom worthy of notice was their mode of shoeing a horse or colt for the first time. As no pains were taken to render the animal gentle or kind with a view to such an end, the colt or horse was caught on the com- mons and handled enough to render it possible to lead him with a rope, and the greater the resistance the greater the excitement. The blacksmith, instead of holding the horse's foot as smiths usually do in these days, would place the foot on a board some four or five feet long by four or five inches broad, which was always kept in the shop ; this was held at an angle of 45 degrees. Every thing being ready, resort was had to the jug in the corner, then the pro- cess of paring the hoof preparatory to setting the shoe was commenced. This was always ac- companied with a great deal of talking, laugh- ing and coarse joking, as large crowds of men and boys always congregated on such oc- casions. The setting of the shoes was followed by a return to the jug in the corner. The whole operation often occupied the entire day.

Dancing at their feasts constituted a part of the amusement, the music generally consisting of a violin, the fiddler knowing but one or two tunes, and these pitched to a high key, their idea of music being noise with very little harmony ; they rarely danced more than two or three figures, the rest of the time being given to frolicking.

Another source of amusement with these

simple people was horse-racing in the winter on the ice, with French ponies, the only kind of horses then in use here, a breed of horses of great powers of endurance, and frequently fast for the times.

In March, 1826, one of the most celebrated races of the times occurred on the border of Lake Erie, between the pacer White Stocking, owned by Isadore Navarre, and a French pacing pony owned by Stephen Duval ; dis- tance, two miles. The owner of White Stock- ing had, the year previous, challenged the world to run against him, being deemed the swiftest horse in North America, but in this instance was distanced by several rods. Dur- ing the winter months contests calculated to test the powers of endurance of these French ponies were- of frequent occurrence, at times accomplishing one hundred miles on the ice between the rising and setting of the sun. The ponies were not fed before starting in the morning, but driven ten or fifteen miles before given a light feed, and then sped on their way again.

For their evening amusements they resorted to dancing and card playing. As they had but very little communication with the outside world, they lacked enterprise. They were satisfied with raising enough to make the ends of the year meet. The highest ambition of the young men was to own a French pony, with saddle and bridle.

In later years, in fact long after the war of 1812, the Roman Catholic religion prevailed to the exclusion of all other sects. The Catholic priests, for whom they had great respect and veneration, had great power and influence over them, influencing them to a strict observance of the holy days, of which there were annually over forty, attending church in the morning, while the afternoon was given up to various amusements. In the early days of the settle- ment, miscegenation was tolerated to a great extent. The original French had no scruples about intermarrying with the Indian squaws, and it was frequently the case the descendants had more of the characteristics of the Indian than of the French stock from whence they originated, but later intermarriage with the English-speaking people created a great change in this respect, and a marked difference is ap- parent. This was not encouraged by the priesthood, and numerous excommunications

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TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.

occurred for marrying outside of the pale of the Catholic church.

The introduction of English schools in the settlement, of which the Hon. Salmon Keeney had the honor of being the first organizer and teacher, produced a marked change in the con- dition of the French inhabitants. The exami- nation of early records will show that nearly every conveyance was signed with the cross, while now it would be difficult to find one of their descendants in the settlement without a common school education.

The first English local preacher, William Wilkinson by name, that was heard in this township, came from Canada in 1832 with his family, and settled on the road leading from Ten Mile Creek to Monroe. His humble log cabin, yet unfinished, was surrounded by a forest with the exception of a beautiful lawn of wild grass in front of the house. One of the inci- dents occurring during his early ministry is worthy of a permanent record. The first Sab- bath after they had completed their new home, carly in the morning a beautiful deer made its appearance upon the lawn in front of the house and began to feed upon the wild grass. John, the elder son, had taken down his rifle and was preparing to shoot the animal. The conscien- tions local preacher stopped him, saying, "There must not be any shooting about his premises on Sunday. He had not left his re- ligion in Canada, but had brought it with him into Michigan, and the sanctity of the Sabbath must be observed by all the members of the family as it had been in the past."

John said he believed God had sent it to them, as there was not a mouthful of meat in the house.

" No, my son, God never sent that deer to be killed on the Sabbath. He never tempts peo- ple to do wrong."

John put away his gun reluctantly, remark- ing " he hoped he might never have such a Methodist religion, there was too much super- stition connected with it."

On Monday morning about the same time of day it had appeared on the Sabbath morn- ing, the deer returned to the same place in company with a large buck. Mrs. Wilkinson called John and her husband and directed their attention to the beautiful sight. John sprang for his loaded riffe and was sighting the buck.

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History of Monroe County, Michigan, Part 101

Author: Wing, Talcott Enoch, 1819-1890, ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: New York, Munsell & company Number of Pages: 882

Author: Wing, Talcott Enoch, 1819-1890, ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York, Munsell & company
Number of Pages: 882