USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County, Michigan, a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 16
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"First : As to the missing records-by going to the files of our county papers, we can obtain all that has been published appertaining to our society.
"Second: As fast as such records are completed, the same should be deposited in some place of safety. I should suggest the vaults in one of our county offices.
"Third: Some one responsible. a committee or the president of your society, who shall each year overlook the work of your secretary and
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
report at each annual meeting ; we would then be sure of preserving all that is of interest and benefit to the society."
The society approved of this recommendation, and by vote elected a treasurer and appointed a finance committee.
*A set of scrap-books, carefully indexed, containing everything of historical interest such as biographies, obituaries, official election returns, etc., has been arranged by Mr. Jewell.
In 1909, Mr. Jewell was elected president of the society. He has a new record book which he is anxious to complete that contains brief sketches of many of the pioneers who settled in Oakland county.
SOCIETY INCORPORATED
On October 23, 1909, this society applied for articles of incorpora- tion, which was granted and put on record at Lansing, November 8, 1909, and recorded in record of incorporation No. 93, page 408.
In January, 1910, at a meeting of the supervisors they voted the soci- ety one hundred dollars and gave them the exclusive privilege of occupy- ing the east side of the Men's Rest Room in the Court House for the preservation of relies, etc., that would be of interest to the public. For the collection of such articles much credit must be accorded to ** Mrs. Lillian Avery, who has been untiring in her efforts to collect and classify them.
PIONEER WOMEN
In closing these remarks, it would be unjust not to make mention of the pioneer wonien who have done so much to place the society in its present promising condition. On the 22d of each February, the following ladies-Mrs. Henry M. Jackson, Mrs. Homer Colvin, Mrs. B. Ellwood, Mrs. William H. Dawson, Mrs. J. L. Sibley, Mrs. J. R. Taylor, Mrs. Mary Clark, Mrs. George Hicks, Mrs. E. Kelly, Mrs. George Williams, Mrs. Edwin Phelps, Miss Kate Leggett, Miss A. M. Jewell and many others-have supervised a sumptuous banquet where all meet, eat, drink and make merry.
But let us not forget that these land-marks and links that connect the past with the present are dropping off, one by one. Let us not for- get the strength and heroism that they showed in laying deep the founda- tions of the institution and privileges that we now enjoy.
OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY
The following are the officers of the Pioneer and Historical Society who have served since its organization :
1874-Thomas J. Drake, Pres .; James A. Weeks, Sec.
1875-Clark Beardsley, Pres .; James A. Weeks, Sec.
1876-Henry Waldron, Pres .; James A. Weeks, Sec.
1877-Henry Waldron, Pres .; James A. Weeks, Sec.
1878-Henry Waldron, Pres .; Edward W. Peck, Sec.
* The editors of this work are greatly indebted to this valuable collection for much of the pioncer material contained therein.
** A full description of these relics follows this sketch.
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
1879-Augustus C. Baldwin, Pres. ; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1880-Augustus C. Baldwin, Pres .; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1881-Orrin Poppleton, Pres .; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1882-Orrin Poppleton, Pres. : Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1883-Orrin Poppleton, Pres .; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1884-Orrin Poppleton, Pres. : Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1885-Orrin Poppleton, Pres .: Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1886-Orrin Poppleton, Pres. ; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1887 -- Orrin Poppleton, Pres. ; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1888-Orrin Poppleton, Pres. ; Edward W. Peck, Sec. 1880-Orrin Poppleton, Pres. : Edward W. Peck, Sec. Records lost from 1889 to 1893: Mark Walters, Sec. 1894-G. M. Trowbridge, Pres .; Mark Walters, Sec.
1895-G. M. Trowbridge, Pres .; Mark Walters, Sec.
1896-G. M. Trowbridge, Pres. ; Ezra W. Jewell, Sec.
1897-G. M. Trowbridge, Pres .; Ezra W. Jewell, Sec. 1898-G. M. Trowbridge, Pres .; Ezra W. Jewell, Sec. 1899-Arza B. Donaldson, Pres .; Ezra W. Jewell, Sec. 1900-Arza B. Donaldson, Pres. : Ezra W. Jewell, Sec. 1901-Edwin Phelps, Pres .; Ezra W. Jewell, Sec.
1902-Thomas I. Patterson, Pres .; Homer H. Colvin, Sec
1903-Thomas L. Patterson, Pres .; Ilomer H. Colvin, Sec.
1904-Thomas L. Patterson, Pres .; Homer H. Colvin, Sec. 1905-Thomas L. Patterson, Pres .; Homer H. Colvin, Sec. 1906-Thomas L. Patterson, Pres .; Hamer H. Colvin, Sec.
1907-Thomas L. Patterson, Pres .; Homer H. Colvin, Sec. 1908-Thomas L. Patterson, Pres .; Homer H. Colvin, Sec. 1909-Ezra W. Jewell, Pres. ; Homer H. Colvin, Sec.
1910-Ezra W. Jewell, Pres; Joshua W. Bird, Sec. IQII-Ezra W. Jewell, Pres .; Joshua W. Bird, Sec. 1912-Ezra W. Jewell, Pres .; Joshua W. Bird, Sec.
PIONEER RELICS IN THE COLLECTION OF THE SOCIETY
I. Ambrotype of Mrs. Catherine Benson, taken by her husband, John H. Benson, one of the first photographers in Pontiac. coming here in 1856. Mrs. Benson was the first white girl born in Pontiac. Apr. 14. 1823. Loaned by Mrs. Lena Starke.
2. Hair jewelry worn by Mrs. Ira Clark Seeley in 1850. Mrs. See- ley was Matilda Dewey and came to this county about 1833. Presented by her daughter, Mrs. H. F. Messenger, Feb. 1, 1911.
3. Daguerreotype and note of a friend of Porter A. Hitchcock, dated 1853. Mr. Hitchcock's parents came to Oakland county previous to his birth in 1833. Presented by Mrs. P. A. Hitchcock.
4. Ode to Washington, composed by Augustus W. Leggett and sung at the concert of the Pontiac Musical Association, Feb. 22, 1858. Mr. Leggett and his wife Eliza Seaman Leggett came to Michigan in 1852. Presented by Miss Kate Leggett.
5. Green glass spectacles over 100 year sold ( 1909), worn by Seth
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
A. L. Warner, one of the pioneers of Farmington. Presented by Hon. P. Dean Warner.
6. 'Night cap embroidered and worn in 1842 by Mrs. P. Dean Warner, and given to the society by her.
7. Pocket Dictionary bought in 1837 by Hon. P. Dean Warner. Mr. Warner came to Farmington with his parents in 1825, when three years old.
8. Paper knife carried by same when a boy.
9. Infant's day cap embroidered in England and brought to Oak- land county by Mrs. William Hanson in 1854. It was last worn by her son, Thomas Edward in 1857, by whom it was presented.
10. Night cap worn by Mrs. Benj. Going, an early resident of Pontiac.
II. Cap basket carried by Mrs. Silas. Johnson, whenever she went visiting. Mrs. Johnson was formerly the wife of Darius Cowles, who came to North Farmington in 1833. Presented by Mrs. L. M. Cowles.
12. Sovereign balance brought from England by Joseph Coates, who settled at Pine Lake, 1832. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
13. Butter knife brought from England by Mrs. Horace Swan and was a wedding present to her grandmother in 1730. Mr. Swan kept tavern in Farmington before 1851, at which date he built the hotel now there. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
14. Silhouette of Deacon Erastus Ingersoll, the first white settler in the town of Novi, 1825. Made by his brother-in-law, Samuel Chadwick, who came to Farmington, 1839. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
15. Bowl from Mrs. Harrison Philbrick's "mulberry set," which graced a bountiful table for a lifetime. The father of Mr. Philbrick came to Farmington in 1826 and Mr. Teas, Mrs. Philbrick's father, a few years later. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
16. Plate belonging to the wedding outfit of Mrs. Fidelia Phelps. who died Feb. 25, 1902, aged 95 years. Was a resident of Highland in the 40's and 50's, afterward of Farmington. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
17. Ox shoe. Presented by Josiah Emery of Waterford.
18. Pair of scissors, property of Mrs. Arthur Davis, Sr., when she went to keeping house in 1836 at Sashabaw Plains. Presented by her daughter-in-law, Mrs. James Davis.
19. Specimen of cross stitch embroidery designed for gentleman's suspender, made by Mrs. Sarah Bishop Canfield in 1856.
20. Slate used by the grandfather of Benj. F. Elwood, for keeping accounts as contractor on the Delaware and Lackawanna canal. Mr. Benj. F. Elwood also carried it to school in the 40's. He was born in Royal Oak in 1837. Loaned by Mrs. Benj. F. Elwood.
21. Toothbrush holder that was part of a toilet set brought to Troy, Mich., in 1833 by the Toms family. Presented by Mrs. Maria Powell.
22. Bead bag, sixty or seventy years ago the property of Mrs. Har- riet Plum ( 1910). Loaned by Mrs. Benj. F. Elwood.
23. Drawing tools used by the Hon. E. R. Willcox, when a school- boy in Rochester in the 40's. Presented by Mrs. E. R. Willcox.
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
26. Albany Almanac of 1803. Was the property of Benjamin . Alexander Ellis of Victor, Ontario county, N. Y .. and now belongs to Mr. Norman Ellis of Clarkston. Loaned by Mrs. Norman James Ellis. 27. Blue dish said to be 200 years old. Loaned by Mrs. Norman James Ellis.
28. Turnkeys used for pulling teeth in pioneer times. Originally owned by Dr. William H. Jewell, who was a practicing physician in Pontiac from 1845 to 1853. Presented by Ezra Jewell.
29. Tailor's shears, owned by Dr. John Riker's great-great-grand- father, Samuel Riker, who brought them from Germany. Presented by Ezra Jewell.
30. Snuffers, property of Mrs. Marcus Riker. Presented by Ezra Jewell.
31. Fragments of ribbons brought from England by Mrs. William
Ilanson. Presented by Mrs. Thomas E. HJanson.
32. Pieces of the dresses brought from England, 1854, by Mrs. Hanson. Presented by Mrs. Thomas E. Hanson.
33. Reticule of Miss Mary Eleanor Duncan, afterward Mrs. James Price. Used in the 40's at Rochester, Mich. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
35. Bullet mould found by M. A. Leggett in the township of Water- ford while digging a post hole. It had been buried since the land had been first broken in the early thirties by Henry Birge.
36. Sand box, presented by Miss Kate Leggett.
37. Cup plate brought to Oakland county by Mrs. Peter Voorheis when the family settled at Sashabaw Plains. She was great-great-grand- mother of Mrs. Edwin Walter of Clintonville. Presented by Miss Kate Leggett.
38. Miniature jug made in Rochester forty years ago and kept by S. Bortle.
39. Candle moulds of John Davis, who settled in Springfield, 1836. This set bought about 1850. Presented by Daniel L. Davis.
40. Cheese basket used by Mrs. John Davis in the home manufact- ure of cheese. Presented by Harvey J. Davis.
41. Candlestick brought to Michigan by the mother of Palmer Sher- man of Farmington.
42. Coal pan used by the early settlers to carry fire. Presented by Miss Kate Leggett.
43. Sleighbell. One of a string of bells brought from Germany by the grandfather of Charles Tuttle an early resident.
45. Black lace veil worn by Mrs. Catherine Stringer during the forties. Presented by her granddaughter, Mrs. Homer Terbush.
46. Bead collar worn by Mrs. D. B. Horton about 1860. Mr. Horton came to Oakland county in 1835. Presented by Mrs. Homer Terbush. 47. Party bag embroidered and carried by Mrs. Levi B. Taft about 1853. She came to Pontiac in 1839.
48. Waterfall net worn in 1860 by Mrs. D. B. Horton of Davis- burg. Presented by Mrs. Homer Terbush.
49. Constitution of Pontiac Young Hickory Club, No. 1. Written by A. W. Hlovey and presented by Mrs. S. Baldwin.
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IHISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
50. Brick from old schoolhouse, which stood on the corner of Au- burn and Parke St. Presented by Ezra Jewell.
51. Picture of same, presented by Mrs. S. F. Beach.
52. Iron kettle, which was very old when brought to Farmington in 1824 by the family of George Collins. It played an important part in pioneer times. The cooking of his wife, Mrs. Cynthia ( Newton ) Collins, the first white woman to enter the settlement, was greatly appreciated by the Powers party, which had preceded them a few weeks. Presented by Constantine Collins.
53. Picture of Collins homestead, Farmington, one of the oldest houses in the village.
54. Piece of linen, which was originally part of a straw bed tick. The flax was raised, spun and woven by Mrs. Cynthia Collins.
55. Remnant of a pair of woolen blankets, spun and woven by Mrs. Cynthia Collins, on which she received the first premium at the first agricultural fair held in Oakland county. Presented by Mrs. Maria L. Benson.
56. White woolen stockings. The yarn was spun and knitted by Mrs. Isaiah Ward of Farmington in 1850, for her sixteen year old daughter, Maria L., afterward Mrs. Hiram Benson, by whom they were donated. The Ward family came to Farmington in 1831.
57. Medicine case made and used by Orrison Allen, one of the first settlers of Pontiac, coming here with his family Jan. 19, 1819, buried Jan. 19, 1871, aged 87. Presented by Mrs. Lena Starke.
58. Compass brought from Connecticut to the territory of Michigan 1818, by Captain Hervey Parke and used by him in all his work survey- ing that part of Illinois where Chicago now stands, the northern part of Ohio and eastern part of Michigan in the counties of Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac and Lapeer. Presented by Hervey J. Parke, grandson.
59. Fire tongs, hand made by MI. Augustus White, an early black- smith of Farmington. Presented by M. B. Pierce.
60. Cannon ball.
61. Great Horse shoe.
62. Sampler worked by the mother and grandmother of Mrs. Mary Solis. It was brought to Michigan when her father Cornelius Van Riper settled in Farmington, 1839. Presented by Mrs. Mary Solis.
63. Gold specimens found sixty feet under ground by John V. See- ley, when mining in Calaveras county, California, 1850. Presented by Mrs. J. V. Seeley.
64. Linen spun and woven by Lois Palmer Grow, a pioneer ; hem- stitched by her daughter, Ann Grow Bishop at the age of eighty-five years, ( 1893). Presented by her granddaughter, Mrs. Levi B. Taft, who is now the same age ( 1912).
65. Wedding parasol of blue and white brocaded silk, belonging to Mrs. James G. Cannon of Southfield, carried in 1855. Presented by her daughters, Mrs. Woodruff and Miss Cannon, 1911.
66. Three infant caps worn by Ann Woodburn in 1838. She mar- ried James G. Cannon and was a resident of Southfield from childhood. She died 1911. Presented by her daughters.
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
67. Pair of pewter plates two hundred years old which have been kept in the Purdy family. Presented by Mrs. Herman Wyckoff.
68. Basket given Mrs. H. A. Weykoff, when she was three years of age ( 1840). She was the daughter of Thomas Pinkerton, one of the' first settlers of the town of Novi, in 1825.
69. Fancy box brought to Novi about 1830 by Emma Smith who became the second wife of Thomas Pinkerton. Presented by Mrs. ller- man Wyckoff.
70. China cup and saucer used about 1800 by the mother of Thomas Pinkerton. Presented by Mrs. 11. A. Wyckoff.
71. Dark blue cup and saucer belonging to the first set of dishes owned by Mrs. Job Francis ( Maria Brown ) about 1830. Early resi- dent of Novi. Loaned by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
72. Cross made from wood that was taken from the first house built in White Lake township by Harley Olmstead in 1832. Presented by Miss Kate Leggett.
73. Lantern-Last of the old kind used by the D. G. H. & MI .. car- ried by James Henderson. Presented by Mrs. James Bliss.
74. Shoemaker tools used in pioneer times by Orrison Aller, a "first settler."
75. Teapot used by the grandmother of Mrs. John Whitesell by whom it was presented.
76. Pitcher which came from the family of A. B. Cudworth who resided in Rochester 1842, twelve years later in Pontiac. Presented by Miss Agnes Cudworth.
77. Bonnet worn by Mary Eleanor Duncan of Rochester when a child in 1847 and 1848. Another worn about 1854 or '55. Loaned by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
78. Shirred bonnet worn by Miss Marcia Richardson in the late forties. Presented by Mrs. Joshua Bird.
79. Small leather trunk made in Scotland by Mr. Kelly who brought it to this country in 1765. He was the grandfather of Mrs. Eunice Van Buskirk ( deceased). Presented by Mrs. Charles Van Buskirk.
80. Pin cushion of pioneer days. Presented by Mrs. Charles Van Buskirk.
81. Silver cake basket presented to Professor and Mrs. J. A. Cor- bin by the members of the Oakland County Institute of 1874. Presented by Mrs. Richard Elliott.
82. Silver teaspoon was the property of Dr. M. LaMont Bagg's mother. It was taken to Pennsylvania at the time of the oil strike and passed through a disastrous fire. Dr. Bagg came to Pontiac before 1840. The spoon is now over one hundred years old ( 1910). Presented by Miss Clift Howard.
83. Silver table spoon, piece of the wedding silver of Charles and Marcia Elliott who were married 1814 and were carly settlers of Oak- land county. Presented by Mrs. Richard Elliott.
84. Bellows.
85. Foot warmer brought from Wales late in the seventeenth cen- tury. Presented by Justus W. Toms.
86. Powder horn.
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
87. Indian idol. Presented by Ezra Jewell, who came to Pontiac in 1845.
88. Wedding veil worn by an aunt of Mrs. Mary Shattuck in 1837. Loaned by Mrs. Mary Shattuck.
89. Pickle dish of a "flown blue" ware from the first dishes of Mrs. Thomas Gerls. She was married December 31, 1846 in Troy. Presented by Mrs. Thomas Gerls.
90. Liquor glass, a relic of stage coach days, from the Sixteen-Mile House kept by Milton Botsford at Clarenceville. Presented by Frank Botsford.
91. Bible-1793. This book has been more than a hundred years in the family of Philip Phelps by whom it was presented.
92. Indian relic found on the farm of Palmer Sherman, Farming- ton.
93. Collection of relics of the Tuscarora Indians. Loaned by Victor Bacon.
Wild cat money, presented by D. B. Horton.
94. Cap ribbon brought from England 1857 by Mrs. Charlotte 95.
Pound. Presented by her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Maria Pound.
96. Dish and platter used many years in the Horton family of Davis- burg. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
97. Blue glass candlestick, a wedding gift to a pioneer bride. Pre- sented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
98. Old English beer mug. Presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
99. Willow ware bowl brought from England by John and Grace German in 1837 when they settled in this country. Presented by their youngest daughter, Grace, now Mrs. Williamson.
100. Indian arrow heads presented by Mrs. Lillian D. Avery.
IOI. Pair of buckskin gloves brought from Utah in 1864 by Thomas J. Drake, when Associate Judge of that territory. They were embroid- ered by one of Brigham Young's wives and were presented to Mrs. Clara P. Stewart who gave them to the society.
IO2. Knife and fork basket which has been used in the Grace family since 1783. It was brought from the state of Maine to New York and from there to Farmington, Mich., in 1828 by Benjamin Grace who was a Revolutionary soldier. Presented by his granddaughter, Mrs. Emily Comstock.
IO3. Potato masher which has the same history as the above.
104.
Daguerreotype of Silas Sprague who came to Troy, Michigan,
in 1822. Presented by Miss Rhobie Niles.
105. Daguerreotype of Mrs. Emily Sprague Donaldson and her daughter Lucy Maria, on other side of case water color miniature of Mrs. Delia Sprague DePuy. Both ladies were daughters of Silas Sprague. Presented by Miss Rhobie Niles.
106. Ambrotype of Mrs. Lucy Sprague Rhodes, daughter of Elias Sprague. Presented by Miss Rhobie Niles.
107. Daguerreotype of Charles Hastings, an early resident of Troy. Michigan.
108. Daguerreotype of Ira S. Parke: also a resident of Troy and
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
both young men, friends of the Spragues. The above pictures were taken in Pontiac in 1849. Presented by Miss Rhobie Niles.
109. Spoon dug up on the site of the home of Clark M. Harris, the first shoemaker of Troy.
IIO. Spoon used in the family of Henry Russell, a native of Troy. Presented by Miss Rhobie Niles.
III. Certificate of membership in I. O. O. F. of Egbert F. Albright, bearing date of 1847, and presented by him in July, 1910.
II2. Pioneer broom of hickory splints, presented by Palmer Sher- man.
I13. Iron toast rack owned by Benjamin Fuller, Sr., in Vermont, later of Southfield, Oakland county. Given by Mrs. Sarah Walters Ful- ler, Birmingham.
114. Gridiron bought second hand by Benjamin Fuller, Sr., in Oneida county, N. Y., 1810. Given by Mrs. Sarah Walters Fuller, Birmingham. 115. Portraits of Hon. Augustus and Mrs. Baldwin. Presented by Mrs. E. A. Christian.
116. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Bowman. Mrs. Bowman was the daughter of Orrison Allen.
117. Portrait of A. W. Hovey. Presented by Mrs. S. Baldwin.
118. Portrait of Mr. Dean, partner of Mr. Hovey in the drug and grocery business.
119. Photograph of the original pioneers taken by W. H. Brummitt, September 10, 1874.
120. Spencer carbine, property of C. E. Sherman, Company C, Tenth Michigan Cavalry, Civil war.
12I. Knights Templar sword found on Lookout Mountain.
122. Sword used by Capt. J. O. Foote, Mexican war, New York regi- ment.
123. Cane made in Kansas from cactus.
124. Case of sixty birds of Oakland county, captured and set up by George W. Bowlby. Many of the species are now extinct.
I25. Collection of rare old books and papers, caps, collars, shellcomb and ancient housewives, loaned by Mrs. Mary J. Clark.
126. Confederate bond for one thousand dollars.
127. Confederate money, presented by A. W. Johns.
1 28. Confederate money, presented by Joseph Nusbaumer.
129. Wartime relics of envelopes, buttons and tickets.
1 30. Tin cup bought of United States government August 22, 1861, by George Alexander, on the day of his enlistment in Company G. First Michigan Cavalry, carried and used by him all through the war and in 1865 in an expedition across the plains. It went through sixty-four en- gagements. Presented by George Alexander.
131. Book brandy bottle was given Theodorus W. Lookwood of Company K of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, when sick in camp by a lady, near Atlanta. It was full of fine peach brandy. The bottle was brought home in the fall of 1865 at the end of the rebellion. Presented by Mrs. T. W. Lockwood, Vermillion, North Dakota. September, 1909.
132. Minie ball, presented by George N. Smith.
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IIISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
133. Pitcher over one hundred years old belonging to the grandmother of Mrs. Mary Giddings, by whom it is loaned.
134. Razor used by Benjamin Graham, son of James Graham, a Revolutionary soldier, and the first white man to make a permanent set- tlement in Oakland county, March 17, 1817. Loaned by Benjamin Graham of Avon.
The society has had gifts of valuable old books and papers from Ezra Jewell, Mrs. H. M. Look, Mrs. Clara P. Stewart, Harry Ten Eyck, Mrs. Mart Beeckman, Mrs. Sarah Waters Fuller, Mrs. A. J. Dewey, Egbert F. Albright and others. It also owns a full set of the Michigan State Pioneer and Historical Collections.
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CHAPTER VHI DEVELOPMENT OF JUDICIARY
TERRITORIAL SUPREME COURT-OLD DISTRICT COURT-COUNTY COURTS - CHANGE IN SUPREME COURT-CIRCUIT COURTS AND JUDGES-THE "ONE-HORSE" COURT-UNDER THE 1850 CONSTITUTION-A SUM- MARY-UNDER THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION.
By Aaron Perry
As a matter of historic investigation it is of interest to trace the origin of the various courts of justice which have extended their jurisdiction over the southern peninsula of Michigan. Reference has already been made to the Quebec act of 1774 which provided that the civil law of Paris and the criminal law of England should prevail in that region as well as the country farther to the north and northwest. So although it may satisfy historic curiosity to know that William Dummer Powell, afterward chief justice of Upper Canada, was the first to preside over the courts which sat at Detroit until 1796, when Jay's treaty went into operation, it is well understood that Northern Michigan was virtually an unpeopled region and was little affected by the supreme court and courts of common pleas and quarter sessions which convened in that city. the seat of justice from 1778 of the Canadian "district of Hesse."
TERRITORIAL SUPREME COURT
By the ordinance of 1787 the Northwest territory was provided with a governor, secretary and three judges, who composed the supreme court which held sway over Michigan. The judges, with the governor, con- stituted a legislature empowered to compile laws selected from the stat- utes of the original states, but not to enact original laws. The new terri- tory acquired by the Jay treaty, which included all of Michigan and Wisconsin containing any settlements, was attached to the Northwest territory as the county of Wayne, and it was during the year when that treaty became operative (1796) that the authorities made the first ap- propriation ($85) for a court in Detroit after Michigan came under control of the United States. One session of the supreme court was held in that city annually and John C. Symmes, the presiding judge who lived in Cincinnati, never missed a session until the Northwest territory was dismembered by the setting off of Ohio in 1800.
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
The territory of Michigan was set off from Indiana in 1805, a separate government modeled after that of the Northwest territory being created on June 30th of that year. Under the provisions of its constitutions the supreme court consisted of a chief and two associate justices ap- pointed by the president of the United States. The judge holding the earliest commission was placed at the head of the court. The term of office depended solely upon "good behavior." No radical change was made in the provisions governing the organization and jurisdiction of the supreme court until 1824, Augustus B. Woodward having served as chief justice during the entire period and James Wetherell as one of his associates.
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