USA > Michigan > Montcalm County > History of Montcalm County, Michigan its people, industries and institutions...with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families Volume I > Part 22
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Sidney has two churches, the Congregational and Danish Lutheran. The Congregational church was established in 1887. Its first pastor was the Rev. Arthur Claflin, who assisted in the building of the church. It cost about one thousand dollars. There are at present eleven members. The Danish Lutheran church at Sidney was erected about thirteen years ago. Before the present building was erected, the congregation met at North Sid- ney, one mile west and one mile north of the village. The church, which has a membership of twenty-one, has a resident pastor, the Rev. Waldemar Nielson. Its first pastor was the Rev. Rasmus Nielson, and the pastor when the church was built was the Rev. P. H. Miller.
There are only two secret orders in Sidney, the Danish Brotherhood and Gleaners. Both are well established.
The industries of the village include a cheese factory, of which R. R. Beam is president, and Nelson Lamb, secretary-treasurer. It has an output of about forty thousand pounds annually and is a co-operative enterprise.
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Libby, MeNeil & Libby have a pickle station at Sidney, and Charles Burgess owns a large elevator and deals in coal, lime, cement, lumber and tile. Sid- ney ships nearly two hundred carloads of potatoes to distant markets every vear.
The three general stores in the village are owned by Hans Peterson & Son, Frank G. Hanson and A. G. Grosvenor. The meat market is operated by Carl Tyrell, and the two blacksmith shops are operated by James Ander- son and. Waldemar Thomsen. The village also has two barber shops and a drug store, run by R. Finch. The postmaster is N. J. Rossman.
CHAPTER XXII.
WINFIELD TOWNSHIP.
Winfield township, as described on the government survey, consists of township 12 north, range 9 west. and is bonnded on the north by Mecosta county, on the east by Cato township, on the south by Maple Valley, and on the west by Reynolds. Upon the erection of Maple Valley, Winfield took on its present boundaries.
A petition, signed by D. E. Knight. E. R. Ellenwood, Leonard Ross- man. John Van Sewin, Allen Macomber, Henry Macomber, Isaac Gileo. C. C. Johnson, Nicholas Whitecell. J. T. Rust. Ira M. Hale, C. D. Kellogg and E. J. Blanding, who were all residents and freeholders of towns it and 12 north, range o west; and George M. Pierson, James S. Ferguson, E. R. Ferguson, John Day, Samnel Day. John W. Ross, James Coleman, Horace Purdy, James Hart. Conrad House, Hendrick Rice, Daniel Caroney, O. N. Andrews, Henry M. Carpenter. H. Rice and John Rip ( there were two other names on this petition but they had been written in pencil and had faded until they could not be deciphered ). who were all residents and freeholders of towns ur and 12 north. range 10 west, dated on May 13. 1861. was pre- sented to the board of supervisors of Montcalm county. These petitioners represented themselves as "actual residents and freeholders of the township of Pierson, which township was at that time attached to Montcalm county for judicial. nmunicipal and representative purposes, and is comprised of townships 11 and 12 north, ranges 9 and 10 west, and that since it wonld be much more convenient for the residents of townships 11 and 12 north, range 9 west, to be organized into a separate township. they prayed that the board of supervisors detach townships it and 12 north, range 9 west, from the township of Pierson, and to organize the same into a separate township. to be called Winfield." They also asked that the first township meeting be held at the house of John B. Moon on the first Monday of April. 1862, at eight o'clock, and that Eben R. Ellenwood. Leonard Rossman and Isaac Gilleo be appointed inspectors of this township meeting and election.
This petition was acted upon, and after due consideration was passed by the board of supervisors on October 16. 1861. and the township of Win- field came into existence.
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. ORIGINAL. LAND ENTRIES.
Section 1 -- Isaac Gilleo, Samuel Rose, Caleb Johnson. Section 2 --- Peleg Soule, Edwin Royce. Francis G. Strang. James B. Reynolds, George llocket. Edgar 1 .. Gray. William S. Long, Joshua Wycoff. Section 3- Allen Wright. Section 4 -- Jacob B. Bush. Allen Wright, Marinda E. Rust, Martha Smead, Seth Beal, Alanson Millard, Eleazer Cleveland, Albridge Rust, Edern Beckley, Barton King. George Beckley. Section 5-Charles Merrill. David D. Hoag. Allen Wright. Section 6-David Hoag, Martin Ryerson, Robert Morris. Section 7 --- David D. Hoag. Manson Orton, J. Orton. Section 8 --- David Hoag. John Squires, Martin Ryerson, Robert Morris, Austin J. Peck. Edward J. Curtis, Alfred B. Rust, Albert Rust, Amasa Watson. Section 9 -- Alfred Rust. Edward J. Curtis, Edgar Gray, A. F. and TI. J. Orton. Joseph N. Cornell, Reuben W. Smead, Jacob H. Swarthont. George \. Crane. Peter Johnson. Section 10-Seth Holcomb, Joseph Prior, Reuben Whiteman. John Bisbee, Peter Johnson. Joseph Pier- son, Alanson and Henry Orton, Edgar Gray, Allen Macomber, Henry Yen- kee. Section 1-Seth Holcomb. Peleg Soule. Abner Sherwin, Albert Rust. Section 12 -- William Rose, Sammel W. Rose, Isaac Gilleo. Seth Holcomb. Peleg Soule. Section 13-Hiram Scott, Eli Westlake, Nelson Chambers, Allen Macomber, Fite Kossman. L. Rossman, Eben Ellenwood, Harmon Rossman, Alanson Orton, 11. J. Orton. Section 14-Luther G. Vanbuskirk, Stephen F. Page. Peleg Soule, Nelson Chambers, Moses Swarthout, Melvin Martin. Section 15-Stephen Page Section 16 -- John Bobasco, James Ferman, John Borden, Benjamin Coe. Alfred Macomber, John Aikins, Peter Johnson. Section 17- John Squires, Kelly Fuller, Jacob Hale, Charles Kel- logg. A. E. Macomber. Section 18-John Squires. A. F. and H. J. Orton, Edgar 1. Gray. Albert Rust. Section 10 -- James Sanborn, Byron Squires. Section 20-Jolm Toorman, James Sanborn, John Wetherby, John Roches- ter, Edgar Gray, Levi Pratt. William Snyder. Section 21-James W. San- born. A. F. and Il. J. Orton, Edgar Gray, Emily W. Ferman. Section 22 --- James Sanborn, Peter Gage. Section 24-ben R. Ellenwood, Allen Macom- ber. Section 25 --- Marshall Stark. Luther Vanbuskirk, Peleg Soule, E. Pren- tiss. Section 20 -- Ethan Prentiss. Martin Ryerson. Robert Morris, Peter Johnson. Charles Hills, Ezra Stevens and Henry Getty. Section 27-Ethan W. Prentiss. Section 28-James Sanborn, Martin Ryerson, Robert Morris, Oliver Miles, William Miles, Patty McPherson. George Rykert, Samuel G. Hutchins, Ira W. Mason. C. Fossold. Section 29-James Sanborn. Sec-
PULLING STUMPS. NEAR STANTON.
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tion 30-Peter Sanborn, James Sanborn, Orin Willard, Martin Ryerson, Robert Morris, John Chubb, John W. Rochester, Edgar Gray, John Borden, John H. Simmons. Section 31-Peter Sanborn, Edgar Gray. Section 32- Peter Sanborn, James Stevenson, George N. Rykert, Edgar Gray, John Lorce, Henry Henkel. Section 33-James Sanborn, John Loree, George W. Rykert. Section 34-Jeremiah Rudes, Clayton Wood, Francis Kellogg, Caleb Weaver, John Holcomb, Englehand Debus.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
Although the first settlement of Winfield is involved in some obscurity, there is little room for doubt that Isaac and Chauncey Gilleo were the first to locate permanently within its borders. On the 7th of June, 1855, assisted by William Russell. who owned the saw-mill at Langston, and by whom they had been employed. these young men came to Winfield, then a part of Pierson, and entered land on sections 1 and 2. Many selections had been made and much land entered in the township previous to this time for the purpose of actual settlement, but none of the parties had yet returned to attack the heavy growth of pine, beech and maple. And although the land pre-empted by the Gilleo brothers lay in the north part, it is not to be inferred that there was no government land to the south. The hardwood belts, it is true, had nearly all been entered, but valuable tracts of pine were passed by as worthless. The young men referred to selected a very fine tract of land, and built a cabin of poles and bark, the first in the township. They also at once commenced a clearing, a part of which they soon after planted to potatoes and turnips. Owing to the lateness of the time of planting, how- ever. the yield was not large. Previous to this time (when is not known) the Indians had made a partial clearing by underbrushing and cutting all the smaller trees on a considerable tract in the west part of the township, to the south of this place, and it is probable that they had raised several crops. In the spring of 1856 they made sugar here, but subsequently went to the North, where they remained.
The clearing commenced by the Gilleos grew to a field of more than four acres during the winter of 1855-56, which, in the spring, they planted to corn and vegetables. Thus they lived, cleared land, made shingles, shot deer, of which there was no lack, occasionally a bear, did their own house- hold work, and carried their provisions from Langston or Greenville, the former fifteen and the latter twenty-five miles distant. In the fall they
(16)
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sowed the field to wheat, and the crop, which when threshed with a flail amounted to eighty bushels, they sold for sixteen dollars, and with this they started on a visit to friends in Pennsylvania, between four and five hundred miles distant.
In the summer of 1855 William Rose came to Winfield. He built a small hut, in which he and three children and a grandchild lived some years. When, subsequently, Mr. Rose offered his farm for sale, it was spoken of as having a dwelling house upon it. When he called he found a cabin about ten by twelve feet. A few boards laid down on the ground served as a floor. The door was also made of rough boards. There was but a single pane of glass in the whole cabin, and from a dilapidated old stove a small pipe reached but part way to the hole in the roof, and the smoke, which when the elements were at peace, filled the cabin nearly to suffocation, in the slightest wind made it unendurable to the inmates.
Mr. Rose was a very intelligent and well-educated gentleman, who had been brought to extreme poverty by business reverses. He was anxious to sell his farm with the slight improvements. H. C. Smith became the pur- chaser, and in 1863 moved into the township, where he lived for a long time. He was the first carpenter to locate in this part of the county, and hewed the timbers for the first mill in Lake View, for Allen Macomber, and built the first frame barn in Cato township, for Albert French.
The third settler in Winfield was Caleb Johnson (a brother-in-law of Isaac Gilleo ), who, in the fall of 1856. came in with his family and entered land on section 1. He moved into the log house which the Gilleos had built the year previous, and the next summer be commenced a clearing on his own land. He also built a house and set out the first orchard in the town- ship. William C. Johnson, his son, who was born in April or May. 1857, was the first child born in Winfield.
In the spring of 1860 the invalid sister of Isaac Gilleo, who had been brought from Pennsylvania when the brothers returned to the township. died, and was buried on their farm, but was subsequently removed to the cemetery on section I, which was deeded to the township by Nicholas Whiterell, npon whose land it was located. This was one of the first deaths in the township. This farm was later owned by Judge J. M. Dickerson, a native of Yates county, New York, who came to Michigan in 1863. He was elected judge of probate in 1868 and became a resident of Winfield in 1873.
Moses Swarthout was an early settler in the cast part of the town. He located on section 14, where he cleared a farm and placed it in a good state
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of cultivation, upon which he lived until about the year 1871, when he became a resident of Cato.
The farm settled by Henry Macomber was later occupied by William W. Kelsey, who came to Winfield in an early day, but did not become a per- manent resident till the lapse of several years. He was in the Union army, and, it is said, was condemned to die for sleeping on his post, but through many extennating circumstances, was pardoned, after which he was wounded in battle. He served as town clerk for several years.
In the winter of 1865-61 Reverends Ardridge and Church came to the township and held a series of meetings at the house of Henry Macomber. They remained several weeks in the vicinity, and although a number were baptized, no regular organization was effected. The weather was extremely cold, and an opening was made through the ice in Tamarack creek in order to perform the immersions, which were the first in the township.
The first saw-mill and store were in the northeastern part, on the farm later owned by Judge Dickerson. The mill was built by Mailen Harrington and John Huatt, who brought in a portable engine and mill.
E. IL. Garbutt and William Kelly opened the store, which was one of the first in the north part of the county. These supplied wants long felt, and were a valuable addition to the business interests of this locality. This store was afterwards purchased by Sammuel and Abner Weeks, the former being appointed postmaster, and the first office being opened at this place.
Seth Beal, an early settler, located on section 9. He was a man of great strength, and at one time he carried eighty pounds of sugar to Croton. which he traded for eighty pounds of flour, and in addition to this load, brought home several tin pans and some smaller articles and made the entire distance of thirty-six miles in twelve hours. He subsequently moved from the township to Missouri. A part of the land entered by Mr. Beal was later owned by John Gaffield, who came to Winfield from Canada.
H. L. Barton located on the southwest quarter of section 9. James Stevenson settled on the north half of the southwest quarter of section 32, in 1860. He was among the first settlers in this part. He served in the Union army three years.
AMBLE.
Amble, which is located in the center of Winfield township. on the Pere Marquette railroad. was platted on July 8. 1886. The proprietors of this village were David I. C. Eaton, Nathan W. Merrill, James T. Hall and Thomas Fisk. Parker Merrill surveyed and laid out the town. This is the
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only town in Winfield township and has never reached the desires of its original proprietors. It was named in honor of Rev. Ole Amble, of the Danish Lutheran church. It began its existence after the lumber industry had reached its height and has failed to prove a railroad center, as was desired. At present there is one church in Amble, and the business of the town consists of one general store and a creamery.
Like many of the other villages of the county, Amble has not attained much size. The present business interests of the village are the general merchandise stores of Peter Hansen, and Olsen Brothers, the latter being erected in 1915. Amble also has a co-operative creamery, which receives excellent patronage from those interested in this association, and also from other dairy raisers in this community. Louis Waldo operates an elevator in this place. Amble has a population of approximately one hundred and draws its resources from a rich farming community in which it lies.
CHAPTER XXIII.
AGRICULTURE IN MONTCALM COUNTY.
While Michigan does not rank with the prairie states in the production of certain cereals such as corn, wheat and oats, its acreage of corn in 1911 amounted to 1,690,000, and its production in bushels to 55,770,000. Of course, this production does not compare with the production of Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.
In 1911, 1,025,000 acres were sown to wheat in the state of Michigan, which ranked eighth in the whole country. The average yield of wheat per acre in Michigan was 18 bushels, which compared very favorably with the yield in the prairie states. It is significant that there has been a steady increase in the yield of wheat per acre in Michigan since 1870. The ten- year average yield in 1879 was 14.7 bushels and in both 1910 and 1911 the yield was 18 bushels per acre.
In the North Central group of states east of the Mississippi river. Michigan also ranks last in the production of oats, but the yield per acre nevertheless compares favorably with that in other states of the group.
In the production of rye. Michigan is the first state in the Union in acreage sown and second in annual production. In 1911 the total acreage of the state was 400,000 and the total production was 5,840,000 bushels. Only Wisconsin produced a larger crop. The average vield of rye per acre for the ten-year period from 1900 to 1909 was 15.1 bushels. Montcalm county ranks righ among the counties of Michigan both in acreage of rye sown and in annual production.
ACREAGE AND YIELD OF POTATOES.
It is in the production of potatoes. also. that Michigan and Montcalm counties, especially, takes high rank. In acreage planted to potatoes, Mich- igan ranks second only to New York, that of the latter being 375,000 in IQII and of the former 330,000. In annual production, Michigan ranks second only to Wisconsin, that of the latter being 32,480,000 bushels in
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1911 and of the former, 31,020,000 bushels in 1911. The ten-year average yield of potatoes in the United States is 91.4 bushels and in Michigan the ten-year average yield is 88 bushels. The production in 1910, however, was 105 bushels per acre and in 1911 it was 94 bushels.
In the production of live stock, Michigan hardly compares with the great agricultural states of the Middle West and under the conditions can hardly be expected to show a favorable comparison. On January 1, 1912, there were in Michigan 634,000 head of horses and 4,000 head of mules. On the same date there were in the state 806,000 milch cows and 701,000 head of other cattle. At this time, Michigan surpassed Indiana in the number of milch cows and was only slightly below Indiana in number of other cattle. On January 1, 1912, there were 1,382,000 head of hogs in the state and about the same time 1,600,000 head of sheep of shearing age. In the pro- duction of sheep Michigan ranks second only to Ohio of those states east of the Mississippi river and is exceeded only by Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, California and Oregon of those west of the Mississippi river.
The Michigan crop report for November 1, 1914, issued by the secre- tary of state, shows that Montcalm county ranked eighteenth among all the counties of the state in the acreage planted to corn but that it ranked first in acreage among the central counties of the state. The estimated acreage in 1914 was 43.374 with an estimated yield of 1.518,000 bushels or 35 bushels to the acre. In 1914. not only did Montcalm county rank first in acreage sown to wheat but it also ranks first in production among the counties of the central group which. besides Montcalm, include Bay, Gratiot, TTuron, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Saginaw, Sanilac, and Tuscola.
In acreage sown to wheat in 1911, Montcahn county ranked third in the central group and in total yield it ranked fourth. The acreage sown to wheat in 1911 in Montcalm county was 12,340, the total yield 246.800 bushels and the average yield per acre 20 bushels. Huron and Sanilac counties surpassed Montcalm in acreage sown to wheat in 1911, among those counties of the central group, and Huron, Saginaw and Sanilac sur- passed Montcalm in total yield.
So far as the acreage and production of oats is concerned, Montcalm county ranks seventh in the central group in acreage sown and eighth in production, the acreage being 20, 123 in 1911 and the production 603.690 bushels. The average yield of oats per acre in 1911 was 30 bushels.
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RYE IN MONTCALM COUNTY.
It is in the production of rye that Montcalm county surpasses every other county of the state. In 1911, 20, 148 acres sown to rye in Montcalm county produced a total yield of 302,220 bushels, or 15 bushels to the acre. When it is remembered that Michigan ranks first among all the states of the Union in acreage sown to rye and second in annual production, the pro- duction in Montcalm county takes on added significance.
In the production of potatoes, Montcalm county also ranks very high. Only one county in the state surpasses Montcalm in either the acreage planted or the total production. This is Oakland county, one of the south- ern group. In 1914 there were 20,386 acres planted in potatoes in Mont- calm county and 22,006 acres in Oakland county. Montcalm county pro- duced approximately 2,364.776 bushels in 1914 and Oakland county 2,772,- 756 bushels. The yield per acre in Montcalm county in 1914 was 116 bushels.
Besides potatoes and rye, which are raised in abundant quantities in Montcalm county, beans also thrive in the county and the crop is gaining in popularity. In 1914 Montcalm county produced 134,180 bushels of beans on 13,418 acres. Two years ago, 1914. the state of Michigan produced 4.669,514 bushels of beans off of 414,035 acres, and the average yield per acre was 11.28 bushels. Of this, the central group of counties, including Montcalm county, produced a little more than one-half the total or 2,373,601 bushels from 195,163 acres.
Montcalm county also raised 1,200 bushels of barley off of 48 acres . in 1914 and 24,661 bushels of buckwheat off of 1,897 acres. The county likewise produced 1. 140 bushels of peas from seventy-six acres, and 1,352 tons of sugar beets from 169 acres; also 41,900 tons of hay from 31,985 acres.
Thirty-six per cent. of the farmers of Michigan used commercial fertil- izers in sowing wheat in 1914, 43 per cent. in the southern counties, 37 per cent. in the central counties, 10 per cent. in the northern counties and 8 per cent. in the upper peninsula.
LEADING POTATO MARKETS.
From the fact that Montcalm county takes high rank as a potato-raising county, Greenville and Stanton are naturally large potato markets. Pota-
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toes, probably more than any other product, have made the county well known throughout the country. In fact, Greenville aud Stanton are two of the largest shipping centers of potatoes in all the country. More mort- gages have been paid off in Michigan from the income from potatoes than any other crop, perhaps, and it is to be remembered that Montcalm county produces more potatoes than any other county in the state, save one. This section already has an enviable standing in the production of potatoes and its future is well assured. Both Greenville and Stanton, especially, have superior advantages as shipping points.
Under authority of an act passed at the second extra session of the Michigan state Legislature in 1912, "the board of supervisors of each county is hereby authorized to appropriate or raise money by tax to be used for co-operative work with the Michigan Agricultural College in encouraging improved methods of farm management and practical instruction and demon- stration in agriculture."
The act makes it the duty of cach board of supervisors making an appropriation, or of any county in which any money shall be raised for the purpose of the act, "prior to the time same is available for use, to prescribe rules and regulations for the use and expenditure of the same." The money so appropriated or raised by tax must be expended under the direction of the board of supervisors in co-operation with the Michigan Agricultural College.
Under this act, county farm agents whose duties are to render expert assistance to farmers in all phases of agriculture have been appointed for several counties of the state. This act is an important step in the scientific development of agriculture in the state of Michigan and although no county farm agent has yet been appointed for Montcalm county. there is already a well-defined sentiment in favor of an expenditure of money for this pur- pose.
Commenting on the appointment of a county farm agent in Kent county. the Howard City Record. under date of November 11, 1915, has the fol- lowing to say :
"In the discussion whether Kent county could afford the services of a county farm agent at $2.000 per year. the Grand Rapids Newes pointed out that on a valuation of two hundred and thirteen millions of dollars the added cost would not exceed five cents per tax payer per year. How long will some false economists strive to belittle really important work? How could Kent county even think of affording the loss of such an important
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feature? Happily. the appropriation is forthcoming in Kent. But in Montcalmn we continue to dawdle and twiddle our thumbs."
COUNTY DRAINS.
Originally all drainage matters in Montcalm, as well as every other county of the state, were in the hands of the township board consisting of the supervisor, clerk and two justices of the peace. Applications for drains were made by petition of one-third of the freeholders whose lands were crossed by the proposed drain and these petitions were presented to the township board, which either rejected or granted the petitions. If the peti- tion were granted. the drain was surveyed under authority of the drainage commissioner. Prior to 1897 a commissioner was chosen for each town- ship, but by an act approved June 2, 1897, the office of township drainage commissioner was abolished and the office of county drainage commissioner established. For a number of years the county drainage commissioner was appointed by the board of supervisors, but the office was finally made elective and is now filled by direct vote of the people.
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