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 29
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OAKLAND COUNTY'S PART IN CONSTITUTION MAKING
It looks well on paper to state that Oakland county men have taken a prominent part in the formation and revision of the state constitu- tions, but for the purpose of proving it in detail, a list of the delegates which she has sent to these august bodies, with special mention of some of the leaders, is herewith presented.
The constitution of 1835 convened at Detroit May rith and ad- journed June 24th, Oakland county being represented by the following delegates: Isaac I. Voorheis, Randolph Manning, Seneca Newberry, Joshua B. Taylor, Elijah F. Cook, Ebenezer Raynale, John Ellenwood. Jeremiah Riggs, Benjamin B. Morris. William Patrick, Jonathan Chase, Samuel White, Thomas Curtis and Norman Davison.
In attendance at the first convention of assent, which was held at Ann Arbor from September 26 to September 30, 1836, were Origen D. Richardson, William Draper, S. A. L. Warner, Samuel Satterlee, Ed- ward W. Peck and John L. Brownell.
At the second convention of assent, which convened at Ann Arbor December 14 and adjourned December 15. 1836, there were present as delegates from Oakland county : Gideon O. Whittemore, Hiram Barritt, Joseph Coates. Charles Grant, Parley W. C. Gates, John S. Livermore. Henry S. Babcock, William K. Crooks, Samuel White, James B. Hunt, David Chase and Benjamin B. Morris.
Oakland county delegates to the convention which convened at Lan- sing June 3. and adjourned August 15. 1850: James Webster. . Alfred H. Hanscom, Seneca Newberry, Jacob Vanvalkenburgh, Ebenezer Ray- nale, Gideon O. Whittemore, William Axford, Zebina M. Mowry and Elias S. Woodman.
Delegates from Oakland county to the convention of 1867. held at Lansing from May 15 to August 22, 1867: P. Dean Warner. Edward P. Harris, Willard M. MeConnell and Jacob Vanvalkenburgh.
Lysander Woodward represented the county on the constitutional commission of 1873, which convened at Lansing, August 2; and ad- journed October 16, 1873.
The last constitutional convention which assembled at Lansing, Oc- tober 22, 1907, and adjourned March 3. 1908. sent as delegates from Oakland county (in the twelfth senatorial district) Kleber P. Rock- well and Andrew L. Moore, both of Pontiac.
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DOCTOR RAYNALE, DELEGATE TO 1835 CONVENTION
In 1835 Dr. Ebenezer Raynale of Bloomfield was elected a mem- ber of the convention (as will be noted in the lists published) to form the state constitution, and in the fall of the same year was elected to the state senate for the term of two years, through which he served ably and faithfully. At the first meeting of the legislature, a part of its business was the election of a United States senator, concerning which there was a warm contest, though not between different parties, as there was really but one party, the Democratic, represented in that first legis- lature. Doctor Raynale sustained the candidates who proved success- ful. During his senatorial term a great amount of work was done. among which was the establishment of the common school system, of the state university, the lunatic asylum and the state prison, the fram- ing of a new code of laws adapted to the wants of the people and the commencement of a system of internal improvements.
At the expiration of his term in the senate, Doctor Raynale settled on a farm in Bloomfield, where he remained for two years, and then settled in Birmingham, resuming the practice of his profession in 1839. In 1850 he was elected a member of the convention to form a new con- stitution, and he served faithfully with that body also.
Doctor Raynale, only son of Ebenezer and Mary Raynale, was born in Hartland, Windsor county, Vermont, on October 21, 1804. His father, who died in September of that year, had done a little farming and had added to this the professions of teacher and land surveyor. Three years after her husband's death, Mrs. Raynale removed with her two children, Harriet and Ebenezer, to Brooklyn, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, where a year later she married Jonathan Sabin, and soon after they removed to the township of Ovid, now Lodi, Seneca county, New York. Here they remained but a short time and removed to Read- ing, Steuben county, New York, where they resided until 1819, when they made another move, this time to Cambria, Niagara county, New York. Here young Raynale lived with his stepfather until he reached the age of nineteen years, when he went to Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, his former home, and there for four years devoted himself unremit- tingly to his preparation for the duties of a professional life, which he had decided upon entering.
At the expiration of this time, with certificates of three years' medi- cal study in his pocket, he returned to Cambria and gave another year to hard study in the office of Dr. Darius Shaw, after which he was ad- mitted to the practice of medicine and surgery, under the laws of New York, which at that time were very rigid in this particular.
In the first part of May, 1828, having decided to emigrate to Michi- gan, Doctor Raynale took passage on the steamboat "Henry Clay" at Buffalo, for Detroit, where he arrived on the 5th of May, and after a short stay in the city, proceeded to the place which is now the village of Franklin, in Southfield township, and there he established and com- menced business in the line of his profession on the 12th of May. He was then the only physician in Southfield, and his nearest professional brethren on the east and west were Dr. Ezra S. Parke, at Piety HIill.
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and Dr. Eziekiel Webb at Farmington. The country was but sparsely settled, and physicians were called from a long distance. Doctor Ray- nale, in the performance of his professional duties, was obliged to tra- verse and retraverse the townships of West Bloomfield, Farmington. Southfield and Bloomfield, always on horseback, and it was not long before he began to enjoy that professional popularity and esteem which has followed him through all the years of his career.
During the winter of 1828-29 he procured the establishment of the postoffice of Franklin, and was himself appointed postmaster, a posi- tion which he held for seven years.
In October, 1830, he married Miss Eliza Cassidy, of Springville, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. They had four children: Mrs. E. R. King, of Pontiac; S. B. Raynale, of Corunna, Michigan; Mrs. G. A. Patterson, of Detroit ; and Dr. C. M. Raynale, of Birmingham.
SENECA NEWBERRY, DELEGATE TO 1835 AND 1850 CONVENTIONS
Seneca Newberry was born December 23, 1802. in Windsor, Con- necticut. In 1827 he removed to Detroit and there secured employment with his cousin, Oliver Newberry, where he remained for about two years, then removing to Rochester and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He accumulated a large fortune and was able to retire from business in 1847. He was a man of prominence and reliability and was elected a member of the first and second state conventions which were called in 1835 and 1850 for the purpose of forming a state constitution. He was a stanch Democrat and served two terms in the state senate as the representative of Oakland county.
The Newberry family originated in Devonshire, England, and it has been said that John Newberry of this family discovered the art of weaving. The family is very old and has always been one of respecta- bility and prominence with regard to public affairs. The parents of Seneca Newberry were Dyer and Ruth ( Birge ) Newberry, natives of Connecticut, the former of whom, a sea captain and a soldier in the Revolutionary war, was one of the guards placed over Governor Frank- lyn when he was taken from Connecticut to New Jersey.
Mr. Newberry died in Rochester on May 13. 1877.
LYSANDER WOODWARD, DELEGATE TO 1873 CONVENTION
Lysander Woodward was a New Yorker who located at Rochester soon after attaining his majority, becoming a well-to-do farmer and a leader in state politics. As a Republican, he held numerous important offices in the gift of the people. The office of justice of the peace has been creditably filled by him, and he was several times elected super- visor of the township in which he lived. In 1860 he was elected to the representative branch of the legislature from the first district of Oak- land county, and served one regular term and two extra sessions. From 1866 to 1870 he occupied the office of county treasurer, and for three years he was president of the Oakland County Agricultural Society. As noted. he represented Oakland county as a member of the constitu- tional commission of 1873.
Mr. Woodward was among the first to conceive and advocate the
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building of the Detroit and Bay City railway, and spent much time and money in its construction. In 1871 he was chosen the first president of the company, and held that office for two years, his entire record being one that will bear the closest scrutiny.
STATE OFFICIALS, ELECTED AND APPOINTED
Following is a list of residents of Oakland county who have been honored by election or appointment to state offices : Moses Wisner, gov- vernor, 1859-1861 ; Fred M. Warner (three terms ), 1905-1911 ; Thomas J. Drake, acting lieutenant governor, 1841-1842; Origen D. Richardson. lieutenant governor, 1842-1846; Gideon O. Whittemore, secretary of state, 1846-1848; Fred MI. Warner, secretary of state, 1901-1904; Dan- iel Le Roy, attorney general, 1836-1837; Gideon O. Whittemore, state board of education, 1852-1856; Charles H. Palmer, university regent, 1852-1857 : Heury M. Zimmerman, commissioner of banking, 1907-1911 ; George W. Dickinson, state railroad commissioner, 1907-1913.
TERRITORIAL COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
In the various legislative councils for the territory of Michigan from 1824 to 1836, Oakland county was represented as follows:
First ( first session, June 7 to August 5, 1824; second session, Janu- ary 17 to April 21, 1825)-Stephen Mack and Roger Sprague.
Second (first session, November 2 to December 30, 1826; second session, January 1 to April 13, 1827)-Sidney Dole and William F. Moseley .*
Third ( first session, May 5 to July 3. 1828; second session, Septem- ber 7 to November 5, 1829)-Thomas J. Drake and Stephen V. R. Trowbridge.
Fourth (first session, May II to July 31. 1830; second session, Janu- ary 4 to March 4, 1831)-Daniel LeRoy and Thomas J. Drake.
Fifth ( first session, May r to June 29, 1832; second session, Janu- ary I to April 23, 1833)-Charles C. Hascall and Roger Sprague.
Sixth ( first session, January 7 to March 7, 1834; extra session, Sep- tember I to September 8, 1834; adjourned session, November II to De- cember 31, 1834 ; second regular session, January 12 to March 28, 1835; special session, August 17 to August 25, 1835)-Charles C. Hlascall and Samuel Satterlee.
SPEAKERS AND CLERK OF THE HOUSE
Representatives of the lower house of the legislature from Oakland county who have been chosen speakers of that body were Alfred H. Hanscom (1845) ; Byron G. Stout ( 1857) and P. Dean Warner ( 1867).
Speakers pro tem: William A. Pratt ( 1845) and Augustus C. Bald- win ( 1846).
Augustus W. Hovey, of Pontiac, served as clerk of the house of representatives of the state legislature for the sessions of 1844. 1846, 1847, 1848 and 1849.
*Took his seat November 6, 1826.
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
MICHIGAN LEGISLATORS FROM OAKLAND COUNTY
The following members of the Michigan legislature served from 1835 to 1910 inclusive, the subdivisions indicating name, postoffice ad- dress, number of district and session of service. In the list relating to representatives, when only Oakland county is mentioned it is to be un- derstood that in the year designated it formed a district alone :
STATE SENATORS
Willard B. Arms; White Lake; 5th (1885) and 6th ( 1857, '58).
*Samuel Axford; Oxford : 6th : 1851.
Charles V. Babcock: Southfield; 5th (1863, '64) and 20th (1875).
Alfred J. Boss ; Pontiac; 4th; 1855.
Charles B. Boughner ; Pontiac ; 14th : 1891, 92.
Mark S. Brewer; Pontiac : 20th: 1873, '74.
Thornton F. Broadhead; Pontiac; 6th; 1850.
Charles I. Deyo; Oxford; 14th: 1887.
Charles Draper : Pontiac; 5th : 1867.
Franklin B. Galbraith; Pontiac; 14th: 1889.
Sanford M. Green; Pontiac ; 6th : 1844, '6, '7.
James M. Hoyt; Walled Lake ; 6th ; 1859.
*Thomas D. Lane ; South Lyon; 7th: 1861, '62.
John P. LeRoy; Pontiac: 3d (1840, '41) and 6th (1851).
** Randolph Manning : Pontiac ; 5th ; 1837. James McCabe ; Pontiac ; 6th : 1848. '49. Seneca Newberry; Rochester; 4th: 1853. John M. Norton ; Rochester: 15th: 1883. John G. Owen : Clarkston ; 6th; 1861, '62. * Layman B. Price; Lakeville; 5th : 1871, '72. Ebenezer Ravnale; Franklin: 5th : 1835-6. '7.
* Thaddeus D. Seeley; Pontiac ; 12th ; 1905, '07. Samuel W. Smith; Pontiac: 15th: 1885.
* Byron G. Stout: Pontiac; 5th; 1861. 62.
Loren L. Treat : Oxford; 5th; 1865.
Rowland E. Trowbridge; Birmingham; 5th ; 1857, 'S, '9. Stephen V. R. Trowbridge : Birmingham : 3d ( 1839. '40. '1) and 6th (1842).
Fred M. Warner: Farmington: 12th: 1895: '7. '8.
* P. Dean Warner: Farmington; 5th; 1869, '70.
* I. Roy Waterbury; Highland Station : 12th : 1903.
* Elliott R. Wilcox ; Pontiac : 18th : 1877.
*Isaac Wixom: Farmington ; 6th: 1842. '43.
* David A. Wright : Taylorville ; 5th ; 1853.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
Isaac Adams, Troy, Oakland county, 1838. Abran Allen. Commerce, Oakland county, 4th, 1865.
Also representative ( see list). ** To fill vacancy caused by resignation of Charles C. Hlascall.
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IHISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
John L. Andrews, Milford, 3d, 1871, '72. Joseph Arnold, Lakeville, Oakland county, 1842. Seymour Arnold, Lakeville, Oakland county, 1845. Andrew V. Austin, Milford, 2d. 1903, '05. Samuel Axford, Jr., Oxford, Oakland county, 1842. William Axford, Clarkston, Oakland county, 1850. Henry S. Babcock, Southfield, Oakland county, 1842.
Levi Bacon, Jr., Pontiac 2d, 1857, '58.
Francis Baker, Groveland, Oakland county, 1848.
Augustus C. Baldwin, Milford, Oakland county, 1844, '46.
Charles Baldwin, Rochester and Pontiac, Oakland county (1846) and 3d (1879, '81, '2).
Ezra P. Baldwin, Birmingham, Oakland county, 1848. Hiram Barritt, Walled Lake, Oakland county, 1846.
James Bayley, Big Beaver, Ist, 1865.
Urialı Beebe, Orion, Ist. 1859.
Friend Belding, Birmingham, Oakland county, 1849.
George Blakeslee, Birmingham, 5th, 1861, 62.
Eli II. Bristol, Commerce, 4th, 1853.
Benjamin Brown, Walled Lake, 4th, 1859.
George Brownell, East Farmington, Oakland county, 1835-36. Henry S. Buel, Franklin, 5th, 1859.
Ahasuerus W. Buell, Holly, 3d, 1863.
William Burbank, Rochester, Oakland county, 1837. Delebar Burroughs, Fentonville, Oakland county, 1850.
John H. Button, Farmington, Oakland county, 1840. Allen Campbell, Groveland, Oakland county, 1875. Charles K. Carpenter, Orion, 2d, 1859.
William E. Carpenter, Pontiac, 2d, 1883. '91, '2.
Samuel Chamberlin, Pontiac, 2d, 1855.
Jonathan Chase, Royal Oak, Oakland county, 1839. Edwin G. Clark, Clarkston, Ist, 1877.
Elijah B. Clark, New Canandaigua, Oakland county, 1847.
Jeremiah Clark, Clarkston, Oakland county, 1839, '41.
Bela Cogshall, Holly, 2d, 1869, '70.
Lewis M. Covert, Waterford Center, Oakland county, 1851. George D. Cowdin, Oxford, 2d, 1907.
William W. Crippen, Milford, 2d, 1893.
Thomas Curtis, Kensington, Oakland county, 1841. John Davis, Birmingham, Oakland county, 1844, '46.
Robert W. Davis, Oxford, Oakland county, 1849. Oliver P. Davison, Highland, Oakland county, 1847.
Tesse Decker, Orion, Oakland county, 1838, '39. Solomon W. Denton, Pontiac, Oakland county, 1848. * Peter Dow, Pontiac, 2d. 1875.
Peter Dox, Birmingham, Oakland county, 1850. John Ellenwood, Pine Lake, Oakland county, 1835-36. Francis W. Fifield, Pontiac, 2d, 1863. '64.
* Also senator (see list )
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
Henry K. Foote, Walled Lake and Milford, Oakland county, ( 1837, '40) and 4th ( 1861, '62).
Philip S. Frisbee, Davisburg, 3d, 1859.
Almon B. Frost, Oakland, ist. 1871, '2. William Gage, Holly, Oakland county. 1843.
John Galloway. Waterford Center. Oakland county, 1845. Samuel N. Gantt. Pontiac, Oakland county, 1838.
James S. Gray, Troy, ist. 1883.
David A. Green, Pontiac, Ist. 1909.
John Hadley, Jr., Holly, 3d. 1861, '62. D. Judson Hammond, Pontiac, ist, 1807. 98. 99. '00. AAlfred H. Hanscom, Pontiac, Oakland county, 1842, '45. Seeley Harger, West Bloomfield, Oakland county, 1849. Haran Haskins, Pine Lake, Oakland county, 1837.
William H. Haze, Farmington. 5th. 1857. 8, 63. 4.
Cass E. Herrington, Pontiac, Ist, 1887.
Hiram lligley, Rochester, Oakland county, 1835. '36. David Ilobart, Holly, 2d. 1889.
Joseph II. Holman, Rochester, Ist. 1885.
Sardis F. Hubbell, Milford, Oakland county, 1851.
Augustus S. Johnson, Springfield, Oakland county, 1845. Daniel F. Johnson, Groveland, Oakland county, 1840. Alonzo S. Knapp, South Lyon, 2d. 1873, '74. Elbridge G. Knowleton, Groveland, Oakland county, 1844. Daniel S. Lee, Novi. Oakland county, 1843.
William E. Littell, Orion, Ist. 1879, '81. '2.
John S. Livermore, Rochester, Oakland county, 1839. '42.
Major F. Lockwood, Milford. Oakland county, 1849. Henry M. Look, Pontiac, 2d. 1865.
Thomas N. Loomis, Oxford, Oakland county, 1847.
Almon Mack, Rochester, Oakland county, 1848.
Peter D. Makley, Oxford, Oakland county, 1847.
Robert W. Malcolm, Commerce, 2d, 1885.
William R. Marsh, White Lake, 3d. 1853. Harry N. McCracken, Farmington, Ist, 1905. 07.
Thomas McGraw, Pontiac, Oakland county, 1847.
Ilenry Miller, Rochester, Is1, 1853, '63, '4.
Zebina M. Mowry, Milford, Oakland county, 1848. * Johnson Niles, Troy. Oakland county, 1835-36.
John D. Norton, Pontiac. 30, 1875. '77. Nathan C. Parkhurst, Pontiac, Oakland county ( 1849) and 2d ( 1853).
James Patterson. Fenton, Oakland county. 1851.
Aaron Perry, Oakland, ist, 1873. '74. Nathan S. Philbrick, Farmington, Oakland county, 1841.
Orrin Poppleton, Birmingham, 5th, 1853.
William Poppleton, Birmingham, Oakland county, 1843.
Nathan Power, Farmington, 5th, 1855.
Pliny Power, Oxford, Oakland county. 1844. William A. Pratt, Franklin, Oakland county, 1843. '4. '5. * Also senator (see list ).
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
Jacob Price, Brandon, Oakland county, 1850.
Asa Reynolds, Rose. 3d, 1855.
Origen D. Richardson, Pontiac, Oakland county. 1835-0, '41.
Squire W. Rowe, Highland, 3d, 1865.
I Harvey Seeley, Pontiac, Oakland county, 1843.
Jesse Seeley, White Lake, Oakland. county, 1847.
Morgan L. Smith, Milford, 4th, 1855.
Erastus Spaulding, Pontiac, 4th, 1867.
Rollin Sprague, Rochester, Oakland county, 1840.
ITorace Stevens, Waterford, Oakland county, 1845.
*Byron G. Stout, Troy, Ist, 1855, '7. Jefferson K. Tindall, Davisburg, 2d, 1887.
Arthur R. Tripp, Pontiac, Ist, 1891, '2, '3.
Hiram Voorheis, New Canandaigua, Oakland county, 1851.
Isaac I. Voorheis, Pontiac, Oakland county, 1835-6, '48.
Peter Voorheis, Pontiac, Ist, 1895. Sebring Voorheis, White Lake, 4th, 1863. '64.
George Vowles, New Hudson, 3d. 1869. '70.
* Daniel B. Wakefield, Springfield, Oakland county, 1838.
* P. Dean Warner, Farmington, Oakland county ( 1851), 5th ( 1805) and 3d ( 1867).
* I. Roy Waterbury, Highland Station, 2d, 1899, '00, '01. Alanson J. Webster, Pontiac, 2d, 1871, '72.
James Webster, Groveland, Oakland county, 1846.
Marshall MI. Welles, Kensington, Oakland county, 1850.
John A. Wendell, Rose, Oakland county, 1842.
Darwin O. White, Southfield, 4th. 1869, '70, '1, '2.
* Elliott R. Wilcox, Rochester, Ist, 1869, '70. George Willoughby, Clyde, 2d, 1909. Jeremiah C. Wilson, Rochester, Ist, 1867.
George W. Wisner, Pontiac, Oakland county, 1837.
* Isaac Wixom, Farmington, Oakland county, 1838, '39.
* David A. Wright, Austin, Oakland county, 1849. Horatio Wright, Austin, 2d, 1867. Herman A. Wyckoff, White Lake, 2d, 1881, '82.
George Yerkes, Novi, 2d, 1879.
William Yerkes, West Farmington and Northville, Oakland county (1837) and 4th ( 1857, '58).
Elisha Zimmerman, Pontiac, 30, 1873, '4.
DISTURBANCES OF WAR ISSUES
The various wars which have agitated the state since Oakland county was organized have caused political disturbances to a more or less de- gree. The Civil war was the only event of that kind, however, which became a real issue. In the cases of the "Toledo war" over the Michi- gan-Ohio boundary dispute, the home sentiment was unanimous in main- taining the contentions of the home state. The same statement applies
* Also senator (see list ).
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
to the Mexican war, but it is well known that in Oakland county, as in all the northern states, there was a small but persistent element which fought the prosecution of the war a very few of its members going to an extent which bordered on disloyalty to the national government.
CHAPTER XIX
THE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM
BASIS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-CENTRAL UNIVERSITY AND BRANCHES -FIRST ACADEMIES IN OAKLAND COUNTY-HEADS OF THE COUNTY SYSTEM-REMAINS A PERPETUAL FUND DUTIES OF THE TEACHER OF TODAY - STANDINGS REQUIRED - DISTRICT LIBRARIES - HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARST DISTRICT SCHOOLS OF THE COUNTY-PRESENT STATUS OF SCHOOLS.
The county system of public schools is, of course, an integer of the greater system which originates in the state constitution and laws. For that reason, if for no other, a brief review of the legislation through which the splendid Michigan system has been developed is herewith given.
BASIS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
The ordinance of 1787 for the government of the northwest terri- tory contained the oft-quoted provision that "schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged," and the congressional act of 1804 reserved from the sale of public lands section 16 in each town- ship "for the support of schools." These acts were confirmed when Michigan became a territory in 1805; but the first regular school law of the territory was not enacted until 1827, the year when the town- ship form of government was fully established in Oakland county, as has been already described in chapter XII. By the provisions of that act the citizens of any township having fifty householders were obliged to provide themselves with a schoolmaster of good morals, to teach the children to read and write; and a township containing two hundred householders was obliged to have a schoolmaster who could teach Latin, French and English. Neglect to comply with these provisions made the people of the township liable to a fine of from fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars.
In 1833 the law was passed which created the office of superintend- ent of public schools, and provided for three commissioners and ten inspectors to take charge of the school lands, which had by the con- gressional act of 1828 been under the control of the governor and ter- ritorial council. As it often happened that school section 16 was under water, or otherwise almost valueless, when Michigan was admitted into the Union in January, 1837, provision was made for securing land which Vol. 1-15
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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
might be of some real advantage to the school fund-the ordinance by which it became a state declaring that "section No. 16 in every township of the public lands (and where such section has been sold or otherwise disposed of, other lands equivalent thereto, and as contiguous as may be) shall be granted to the state for the use of schools." This pro- vision also greatly simplified the work of managing the school lands and the accruing fund. One great advantage of this plan has been that all sections of the state shared equally and at once in the benefits of this general fund. The loss in consequence of poor sections was shared by the whole state.
CENTRAL UNIVERSITY AND BRANCHES
The act of congress of 1804 for the disposal of the public lands of the northwest territory reserved three townships for the use of semi- naries of learning, and one of these townships was for that part of the territory now constituting the state of Michigan. In 1817 three sections were granted to the College of Detroit. The proceeds of this last grant were afterward added to the university fund, which was established by legislative act in 1837. This not only provided for the founding of the State University, but for the establishment of several branches, one of which was at Pontiac. This branch was opened on the 15th of Sep- tember, 1837, under the principalship of Professor George P. Williams. The magnificent plan of Judge Woodward for a grand central uni- versity, with branches at various localities throughout the state, was tested and found wanting. Its principal drawback was that which in- cumbered most of his plans; they were too large for the times and the available funds. The last appropriation for the maintenance of the branches was made by the legislature of 1846.
FIRST ACADEMIES IN OAKLAND COUNTY
Two academies were incorporated in Oakland county in territorial times-the first at Auburn village, under an act approved March 2, 1831, with Benjamin Phelps, S. V. R. Trowbridge, Elizur Goodrich, Ezra S. Park, Reuben Woodford, Seth Beach and George Hornell as trustees.
The Pontiac Academy, the second institution of the kind, was in- corporated by territorial act of April 23, 1833, and its original trustees were Samuel Sherwood, Hervey Parke, Olmstead Chamberlin, Amasa Andrews and William Thompson.
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