USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County, Michigan, with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories > Part 91
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
About 1831 the Rev. George Eastman began his labors as a Presbyterian mis- sionary at Troy Corners. He was a faithful, devoted minister of the word, and his labors were crowned by the organization of a society, accepting the doctrines of the Presbyterian church, about 1833. There were twelve constituent members, among whom were Silas Sprague, Stephen V. R. Trowbridge, John Waldron, Deacon Goodale, Lyman Fuller, Henry Waldron, and A. C. Trowbridge.
Stephen V. R. Trowbridge and Deacon Goodale were elected deacons, and, a short time after, Silas Sprague and John Waldron were added to the official board. The meetings were held in the school-house, alternating with those held by other societies. The membership had so much increased, principally by accessions by letter, that, in 1835, Rev. Ashabel S. Wells was called as pastor. His pastorate continued four years, and marked the most important epoch in the history of the church. His preaching, in the winter of 1835-36, promoted a revival, which extended throughout the entire town, and resulted in thirty-two accessions to the membership of the Presbyterian church.
The church was now so strong, and its increasing wants so obvious, that it was determined to build a house of worship. This purpose was at once carried into effect, and a fine frame edifice was erected, at a cost of two thousand dollars, in the summer of 1837, by John Thomas and Benjamin Page. A parsonage, at a further cost of seven hundred dollars, was also built. The church was conse- crated in the fall of 1837, by the Rev. Noah M. Wells, the first Presbyterian minister in Michigan, who was at that time pastor of the church at Detroit. For some years it enjoyed a remarkably prosperous career, its membership being more than a hundred, composed of well-known families then living in Troy and Avon, some of whom remained steadfastly attached to the church as long as it had any existence.
But with the development of the country and the change manifestly wrought by the decline of Troy Corners as a trading-point, as well as the losses of mem- bership by deaths and removals, came a change to the church which so much weak- ened it that it was not thought politic to continue the organization, or let the church eke out a struggling existence, when its remaining members could connect themselves with neighboring churches, which had been subsequently formed. Accordingly, the services were suspended, and in 1868 the church building was sold to the Presbyterian society of Royal Oak, whither it was removed for a meeting-house.
Besides Rev. Wells, Revs. Tucker and Hill were pastors of the church, and Revs. Fairchild, Smith, and Hornell stated supplies.
Thus ended the career of a church whose members were never distracted by in- ternal dissensions, where harmony and brotherly love prevailed, but whose disso- lution was caused solely by material changes outside of the church, and over which it had no control.
INCIDENTS.
The following account of a black-bear party is from the pen of the late Clark Beardsley :
About the 10th of September, 1829, a man by the name of Samuel Williams, living one mile south and a half-mile west of Johnson Niles, went out after his cows with his dog. He came in contact with a bear and two cubs, about forty
294
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
rods east of Alvah Butler's corner; the dog drove the bear and cubs up a bushy swamp-oak-tree near the road. Mr. Williams took off his coat and tied it around the tree. and, leaving the dog to watch the coat and the bears, started to arouse his neighbors. In the course of a few hours some fifteen or twenty persons had assembled, among whom were S. V. R. Trowbridge, Samuel Satterlee, Luther Webster, Henry Blount, and Salmon J. Mathews, who was a first-rate shot. A fire was kindled, and then two messengers were dispatched to Johnson Niles' distillery, about a mile east, for two gallons of whisky.
When they returned it was ten o'clock ; each one then took an eye-opener, and was soon capable of shooting straight enough to miss the bear. There were some eight or nine guns, and they were frequently fired. Soon the old bear came down, and drove the dogs away, and pretty much tore the coat and pants off the person of Elijah Sanborn, in a tussle with him, and succeeded in getting away. The firing continued, and one of the cubs came down and got away. The meeting was then called to order by S. V. R. Trowbridge, and it was resolved that there should be no more firing till daylight, so as to give each one a chance to shoot at the bear. Accordingly all took a good drink and, after building a fire, lay down. It was then about twelve o'clock, and most of them were in a condition to lie quiet. Just at break of day, Luther Webster crept off quietly to some distance from the sleepers. and, firing upon the bear, brought her down, much to the dis- satisfaction of the party, each of whom wanted a shot. That was the end of the only bear-party of which there is any record.
A STUBBORN PAIR OF BREECHES.
The early settlers of Troy were often obliged to resort to a system of exchange, called " dicker." in order to procure what they most needed. Edward Martin thus relates his experience attending his efforts to procure a pair of breeches, and the sad fate of the unmentionables after he had worn them only a short time.
Although pretty well supplied with clothing when Mr. Martin came to Troy, in 1824, they were soon torn, running through the brush, and having no money he could get no pants, although those he wore were reduced to a lot of strings. In this extremity he took some of the corn he had raised to the distillery, ex- changed it for whisky, and then traded the whisky to the Indians for buckskin for a pair of breeches, and felt very proud of them when he had them made up. In this pleasant frame of mind he returned from the woods, one evening in April, to learn that he must yet go after his cows. After finding his cattle, he started them for home, and then wearily plodded after them. It was now quite dark. and being very tired, Mr. Martin sat down by the roadside to rest. He soon discovered that he had not selected the most eligible location upon which to repose his weary body. and his new buckskins were well-nigh ruined. But his wife assured him that she could readily wash them, and she did. But know- ing nothing of the nature of such goods, the water was too hot, and she had hung them by a hot fire to dry. In the morning Mr. Martin found his breeches as hard as a bundle of bones, and however much he tried to get them on, he found that they would not yield; and he was again breechesless. In this dilemma the house was ransacked, and finally an old pair of cast-off pants were found, which were again pressed into service. His family provided their own clothing by spinning flax. In those days trails, bustles, and clam-shell bonnets were not worn.
MORMONS AND MILLERITES.
The people of Troy have not been spared the excitement which follows the vigorous preaching of a new religious doctrine. On at least two occasions they have realized to what an extremity fanaticism will reduce men who are other- wise credited with being sober-minded and deliberate in their judgment. This fact was especially noticeable at that period when " Millerism" most abounded. Placing implicit reliance upon the prophecies of the leaders of that sect, men of strong and well-developed minds expected the consummation of earthly things at an appointed time, and disposed of their property at a great sacrifice, because they would not need it after the resurrection of the saints. Several parties in the township sold their cows for five dollars a head, and others turned their stock into their corn-fields. A general listlessness and apathy to business prevailed, which was not dispelled until it became too apparent that men were no judges of " times and seasons," and that Troy was, in all probability, to be the habitation of mortal beings who must follow the occupation of the farmn and the work-shop for some years longer.
Not altogether unlike this was the effect produced by the dissemination of the Mormon doctrines. Although involving more sacrifices and requiring greater effort to secure the promised reward, there were some who accepted the faith with all simplicity. and became tired of the labor necessary to transform the wilderness into a fruitful field. This state of mind is well illustrated by a little incident in which Rufus Beach, one of the settlers who had embraced Mormonism, was one of the actors, the other being Joseph Chase, or more generally called Uncle Joe.
Passing by Beach's clearing, Uncle Joe discovered Rufus seated on a stump in his garden, with his hoe standing by his side, and the weeds growing thick among his beans. Uncle Joe was slightly addicted to stammering, which rather increased the impressiveness of his witty utterances. Calling out to Beach, Joe said, " Whu-whu-what are yu-yu doing there?" With a long-drawn sigh Beach re- plied, " Well, I am trusting confidingly in the Lord, who says he will not withhold any good thing from him who walks uprightly, which I am trying to do, as you well know." The response of Uncle Joe was a plain, common-sense rebuke : " Wu-wu- wu-well, Bu-Bu-Beach, yu-yu-you ne-ne-needn't thi-thi-think Gu-Gu-God wu-wu- will hu-hu-hoe yu-yu-yur bu-bu-beans in for you." Both these personages are now dead, Uncle Joe having remained here, a good citizen, Beach having followed the saints to Utah, where he died.
THE WAYS OF JUSTICE.
An amusing incident, illustrative of the manner in which justice was dispensed at an early day, is told of Johnson Niles. Under the Territorial laws the penalty for selling whisky to the Indians was severe, and those who dealt with them were obliged to use the utmost caution to prevent detection. Mr. Niles was an Indian trader, and was regarded as a chief of Nippisings, his Indian name being Ken-ne-dunk. For security and protection he made an underground store-house for his whisky and provisions, and on one occasion a certain deacon who was not on friendly terms with Ken-ne-dunk saw an Indian emerge from this store-house with a jug in his hand. By coaxing the Indian and resorting to subterfuge the deacon got a taste of the contents of the jug, and at once proceeded to get Ken- ne-dunk indicted by the grand jury, of which body Ken-ne-dunk was himself a member.
The affair created great excitement, and much interest was taken in the trial. An able counsel was procured from Detroit to prosecute the case. The grand jury convened, the testimony was taken, and was so conclusive of the guilt of Ken-ne-dunk that there seemed no escape for him. But the grand jury, fortunately, sympathized with the prisoner, and a happy thought occurred to one of the jury- men. There was no law to punish one Indian for selling whisky to another In- dian, and he raised the point that Ken-ne-dunk being a chief among the Nippi- sings, had a right to sell a brother Indian whisky. The reasoning was sound, the vote was taken, and " no bill" was the finding.
THE PHANTOM WOMAN.
The following little incident will show how dense the forests of Troy were in some localities, and how liable the inexperienced settler was to lose himself in the very neighborhood of his home. James Bailey came to the country a bachelor ; after making a small clearing and building a cabin, he indulged a fancy that some day one of the gentler sex would share this home with him, and help him rear another of more stately proportions after the wild had been subdued. Early one foggy morning in the fall, before the memory of his dreams had vanished, Mr. Bailey started to the spring for water, when, lo! a vision presented itself to his amazed sight. Seen in the distance, it was phantom-like and weird, yet bore the image of a woman, as it stood motionless in the centre of his wheat-patch. Can it be possible, thought Mr. B., that my wish has been anticipated, and that a woman has really appeared to share with me my pioneer lot, or has my sight deceived me? Slowly he approached the object, and saw, beyond a doubt, what was clearly a night-cap, then the dress of a woman, and, lastly, the woman her- self with a pail in hand. Soon she addressed him, and said she was the wife of a new settler, who had recently come, and that in following her cow, which was uneasy while being milked, on account of the mosquitoes, she was led away from her home, until she did not have the faintest idea of its direction, and had con- cluded that the best plan for her to follow was to go to the middle of the field and there wait until some one should chance to see her.
Mr. Bailey gallantly escorted the perplexed woman home, and a few months thereafter realized his expectations in the person of his excellent wife, whom he brought to Michigan from New York the next spring.
A GIANT OAK.
There were many trees of unusual size found in the primitive forests of Troy, but the tree here described was a giant among them and deserves to be per- petuated. One-half mile northwest, on the northeast quarter, section 25, once stood a swamp-oak-tree, twenty-four feet in circumference, measuring fifty feet to the first limb, which limb was one foot in diameter; at eighty-two feet from the ground another limb was growing two feet in diameter, and at ninety-six feet another limb was eighteen inches in diameter. At this last-named point the body of the tree was three feet in diameter. The top having been carried away, the exact height of the tree could not be definitely determined, but it was estimated at one hundred and sixty feet. Within a radius of twenty rods twelve trees were
.295
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
fallen, being oaks and sycamores, from four to six feet diameter. Eight trees were standing at the time the measurement of this giant was taken, which were from three to four feet diameter at their bases. A few rods west, on the farm of Dr. Cantrell, an elm was cut measuring six feet diameter at the base. About eight years ago (1869) the big tree fell, being prostrated by a heavy wind. The twelve trees which were lying on the ground in its vicinity had been prostrated in the same manner, and were rotten.
A FOURTH OF JULY IN 1826.
Although isolated to some extent from their neighbors in the outer world, the people of Troy did not forget their fealty as Americans, and were keenly alive to the patriotic requirements of the nation's natal day.
They had resolved to commemorate it in the manner predicted by the immortal Webster so far as they were able, and in true pioneer fashion when these resources had failed them. Accordingly, they met at the house of William Poppleton, on the fourth of July, 1826, with such firearms as they could command, and after having indulged in a general fusilade, the object of which was to see how much noise their guns would make, they appointed one of their number to read the Declaration of Independence and Washington's Farewell Address, to which they listened with rapt attention. After this they partook of a dinner, prepared by Mrs. Poppleton and her neighbor women, consisting of pork and beans, bread, and pumpkin-pies, having at the same time a general reunion. Following this was the burning of some more powder, and a game of base-ball, in which Alva Butler, Ira Jennings, Harry Blount, John Jones, Ira Toms, William Stanley, Orrin Sprague, Jesse Gregory, Daniel Burrows, Jesse Perrin, Ramah Cole, James Bailey, Solomon Caswell, John and James Volentine, Johnson Niles, Calvin Marvin, M. M. Toms, Pheroras Perrin, and others participated.
The day was pleasantly spent, and although they had no orator to flap the wings of the American eagle and show them the greatness and power of their country, there can be no doubt they were fully imbued with this sentiment as they went to their quiet homes.
The history of the township of Troy has been compiled from the official records of the town, and from the personal recollections of some of its present and former citizens, among whom are Josephus Smith, Dwight Buttolph, Andrew Ebling, James Bayley, Solomon Caswell, George Niles, A. C. Trowbridge, Rev. Tuttle, James Skidmore, Alva Butler, Mrs. Jesse Lee Stout, Hon. Henry Waldron, Hon. O. Poppleton, Luther Stanley, Ira Toms, William Martin, J. H. Alger, and Al- meron Gibbs. The writer tenders his thanks to these and others who have assisted him, and expresses the hope that his efforts to perpetuate the memory of Troy's pioneers will not be in vain ; and he assures all that whatever inaccuracies this history may contain are the result of conflicting judgment and difference of opinion unavoidably attaching to a work of this nature, and not of a disposition to misstate facts.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
JOHNSON NILES.
This gentleman was truly one of the pioneers of Oakland County. He identi- fied himself with it when its inhabitants numbered scarcely twoscore, and con- tinued laboring for its interests until his death, when its population numbered nearly twoscore thousands. He came to Troy when it was a vast expanse of un- broken forests; he left it when its fertile surface was dotted with homes, sur- rounded by farms fair and productive as were ever wrested from the stubborn hand of nature.
Johnson Niles was born May 2, 1794, at Richfield, Otsego county, New York. His father, Samuel Niles, who was a native of Rhode Island, and a private under General Greene in the Revolutionary struggle, was wounded in an action in that State; and a brother of his held a captain's commission at the battle of Benning- ton, the sword he wore there being now preserved as a relic by the family of Johnson Niles.
Young Niles grew to manhood in the State of New York, becoming, in time, a citizen of Steuben county, where he was appointed to various offices of honor and trust, among them to the position of paymaster in Colonel Archibald Campbell's battalion of State militia, Governor De Witt Clinton having signed his com- mission.
In February, 1816, he married Rhoda Phelps, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, by whom he had a family of three children,-Julia Ann, who afterwards became the consort of George A. C. Luce, Orange J., and George, at present the only survi- vor of the family. Taking his young family in the fall of 1821, Mr. Niles came to Michigan, and became a citizen of Troy the year following. He now began
the life of a pioneer, and applied himself with great energy to make a home and a fortune in that then wild region ; and, although primarily a farmer, his enterprise led him to engage in business outside of this occupation. He opened a hotel at Troy Corners, and engaged in various mercantile enterprises, as well as other pro- jects which were often more profitable to those associated with him than to him- self. His was an active, stirring nature, which would never permit him to remain idle ; and he was always engaged in some project whose ultimate results redounded to the good of his fellow-men. Being a man of more than ordinary intelligence, of resolution and ambition, Mr. Niles was born to be a leader among men, and was generally accorded this position in the Democratic party, of which he was a de- voted member. It was frequently remarked that no Democratic convention was complete without Johnson Niles ; and his presence inspired courage and enthusiasm. His political services, though not of a character to distinguish him abroad, were many and long continued.
In 1823 he was commissioned the first postmaster in Troy, a position he held without interruption until the election of General Harrison, in 1840. President Tyler re-appointed him, and he held the office until the election of President Pierce, when he was succeeded by his son, Orange J. In the fall of 1823, Gov- ernor Cass appointed him a county justice of the peace, and in 1831 re-appointed him for the term of three years. At the expiration of this service, in 1834, Governor George B. Porter renewed his commission, and he served as a justice until Michigan became a State, when he was elected to the same office for several terms.
In 1826, Governor Woodbridge appointed him a commissioner in and for the county of Oakland, and he held that office several years. In 1834, Governor Porter appointed him "inspector of provisions and fish in and for the county of Oakland;" and at the expiration of his term commissioned him "inspector of wheat and rye flour, buckwheat-meal, pork, beef, fish, butter, lard, domestic spirits, and pot- and pearl-ashes, for the district composed of the county of Oakland."
Mr. Niles was a representative in the first legislature of the State of Michigan, and subsequently served two terms in the senate. He was also commissioned mail agent by President Pierce, and held numerous town offices to his credit and his fellow-citizens' interests.
Mr. Niles was a Royal Arch Mason, and the Masonic compeer of General Cass, Judge Burt, Levi Cook, Benjamin Woodworth, and many others of that time. He died, after living a most useful, eventful life, on the 23d of March, 1872, and was buried with Masonic honors, the fraternity from Pontiac, Birmingham, Rochester, and Utica attending his funeral, together with a large concourse of citizens who deeply mourned his departure. Mrs. Niles died August 1, 1864, after a life of courageous devotion to the interests of her family and service to the community, who deposited her remains near the spot where she passed her pioneer life.
THE JUDD AND HASTINGS FAMILIES .*
Mrs. Betsey Judd was born in Washington, Connecticut, August 28, 1786. She was the daughter of Dr. Seth Hastings, one of the old Puritan stock, whose family settled at Boston in 1652, and among whom were the curious names of Hopestill, Waitstill, and Standstill.
About the year 1796, Dr. Seth Hastings, with his wife and seven children, emigrated to Clinton, Oneida county, New York. One of the brothers, Eurotas P. Hastings, of Detroit, was a man well known by most of the early pioneers of Michigan, on account of having been both cashier and president of the old Bank of Michigan, once a great power in the land. Another brother was Thomas Hastings, the eminent musical composer, and there were two others who rose to distinction in the legal profession : Orlando Hastings, of Rochester, New York, and Truman Hastings, of Cleveland, Ohio. These last three members of the family were what are known as Albinos, and remarkable for two peculiarities,- near-sightedness and wonderful memories. Dr. Seth Hastings was a practicing physician in the village of Clinton, New York, and was father of the wife of Rev. A. S. Wells, who will be remembered by the pioneer settlers of Michigan as a Presbyterian minister, and agent for several societies of that organization.
Mr. Charles Hastings settled near Troy Corners, in this county, in the town- ship of Avon, and died on the farm where he first settled March 15, 1849. He was a teacher of music, and an enthusiast in his profession. His youngest living son is a Presbyterian clergyman of the Brockway mission church of Detroit.
Each of the above-named brothers, and also the father of Mrs. Judd, and her husband, Dr. Elnathan Judd, to whom she was married, in the village of Clinton, New York, in 1802, were fully imbued with the harsh Calvinistic doctrines of which Jonathan Edwards and Dr. Hopkins were the chief exponents; and all
* From notes furnished by Henry A. Judd.
296
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of them used the best efforts of their powerful minds to convince themselves of the correctness of their conclusions, which, happily for the future human race, the world is partially outgrowing.
Mrs. Betsey Judd, the principal subject of this sketch, was a person of no ordinary mind and attainments. She was thoroughly educated in all the accom- plishments of that day, and tradition insists that she was a woman of great
MRS. BETSEY JUDD.
personal charms. She became acquainted with her future husband, Dr. Elnathan Judd. of Paris, Oneida county, New York, when he was a young practitioner. He had prepared himself for and entered Williamstown college, Massachusetts, but never graduated, owing to the ill health of his mother.
Dr. and Mrs. Judd lived in Paris after their marriage for about forty years, where the doctor rose to eminence in his profession.
They raised a family of five children, one of whom became celebrated in after- years. Dr. G. P. Judd. of Honolulu, Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. This gentle- man married Laura Fish, a teacher in the Clinton (New York) female seminary, and a lady of rare accomplishments, in 1827. The same year Dr. Judd was appointed physician to the missionaries, and he and his wife set sail in a whaling- vessel for the islands. in company with several others.
After a long and tedious voyage, in which, in addition to the usual hardships, they were obliged to submit to the tyranny of the brutal captain, named Blinn, they reached the end of their journey.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.