USA > Michigan > Clinton County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 120
USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 120
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 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125
Noah Cressy, although nearly eighty years old, was an earnest and energetic missionary worker, and after organi-
zing the church served it as pastor two years, preaching for it once a month. During his ministerial labors in Michi- gan he was employed in a wide range of territory, over which he invariably journeyed afoot, in pursuance of a resolution taken in the East, where, happening to trade for a horse on a Sunday aud the horse dying on his hands, he looked upon the circumstance as a divine rebuke. To do penance he determined to ride no more. Besides Victor, Mr. Cressy preached also in Duplain, Essex, and De Witt from 1845 to 1847.
His successor was Rev. Sanford R. Bissell, who remained until 1848, in which year the church joined the Genesee Conference of Churches. Following Mr. Bissell the pas- tors were Revs. John Scotford, O. M. Goodell, - Fox, and William Mulder. Mr. Mulder, who is the present pastor, has been such since 1871. The place of worship has been at Brunson's Corners, in the district school-house, from the outset, and there meetings have been held since 1845 with continuous regularity. The membership is forty-two. The deacons are J. W. Beckwith and Heury Mulder, and the clerk, Edward D. Post.
VICTOR UNITED BRETHREN CLASS.
This class was organized at the Reed School-House by Rev. Mr. Lee in 1865 with eight members, J. Y. Perkins being choseu leader. The Reed school-house was used for worship until 1877, when a neat church edifice was built just west of Reed's Corners. Since 1865 the class has met for public worship once every two weeks, and is now at- tached to Ovid Circuit, in charge of M. H. Sly. There are twenty members, of whom J. Y. Perkins is the leader.
VICTOR CENTRE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHI.
Elder Wood, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held a revival at the Grove school-house in 1859, and after his departure Mr. Shiffer, a local preacher, organized at that place the Victor Centre Methodist Episcopal Class, with eight members. Preaching has been held at that point fortnightly by the preachers on the Ovid Circuit, now in charge of Rev. Mr. Gray. The members number now thirty-eight. The leader is Truman Shattuck ; the stew- ards, Jacob Gibbard and William Briggs. The union Sunday-school, supported by the Methodists and Congrega- tionalists, is in charge of J. W. Beckwith, and has an average attendance of sixty scholars and eight teachers.
SIXTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.
A Sixth-Day Advent Church was organized by Elder Fox in 1876 at the Reed school-house, with a membership of about forty. Conjointly with the United Brethren the Adventists built a church west of Reed's Corners in 1877, but for some reason they have latterly been denied the privilege of using it. Their place of worship is the Reed school-house, but they are at present without a preacher.
SCHOOLS.
The earliest school privileges offered to the children of Victor's pioneers were obtained in a basswood-log school- house, built on William Swarthout's farm in Ovid in 1839.
1
SARAH PARKER
H'
------
THE FIRST FRAME HOUSE IN THE TOWNSHIP. RESIDENCE OF MES SARAH PARKER, VICTOR MICH.
515
VICTOR TOWNSHIP.
The first sehool-house in Vietor was built on seetion 13 in 1840, in which Phoebe Laing was the first teacher. At the first town-meeting iu Vietor, April 15, 1843, it was voted to raise one dollar for each scholar between the ages of four and eighteen, " to be applied toward the payment of teachers.'
March 25, 1845, school district No. 1 was organized from seetions 3, 4, 9, and 10. Fractional district No. 2, organized May 24, 1845, included the north halves of see- tions 5 and 6 of Vietor, and portions of the towns of Ovid, Olive, and Bingham. No. 3 was formed in 1846, and May 2, 1848, No. 4 was organized, " to commence at the quarter stake in the north line of seetion 22, runuing east to tlie northeast corner of seetion 23; thenee north eighty rods ; thence east one hundred and sixty rods ; thence south eighty rods ; thence east to the northeast corner of section 24; thence south to the southeast corner of seetion 25; thence west to the quarter stake on the south side of see- tion 27; thenee north to the place of beginning. A frae- tional district, taking in portions of Bath and Vietor, was formed May 13, 1848. The apportionment of the primary- school fund, June 20, 1845, gave Victor $11.48. At that time the number of children in distriet 3 was given as 33. Apportionments in 1849, 1850, and '54 were made as fol- lows :
1849.
District.
Scholars.
Money.
No. 1
18
$5.94
IS
5.94
48
15.84
4
25
8.25
"
6
4
1.32
Totals
137
$45.21
1850.
No. 1
21
$7.14
37
12.58
. 3
50
17.00
5.
20
6.80
Totals. 128
$43.52
1854.
No. 1
$7.46
12,59
5.
6.53
6.
2.10
Total. $28.68
To the year 1860, teachers' certificates were issued to the following :
May 3, 1845 .- Joseph H. Adams, who was also ap- pointed librarian.
July 28, 1845 .- Mary Smith.
Nov. 1, 1845 .- W. H. Blood.
June 12, 1846 .- Diantha F. Chaffin.
Nov. 6, 1846 .- J. C. Bronson.
Dee. 8, 1846 .- A. Frarey.
June 29, 1847 .- Mary S. Hollister.
Dee. 11, 1847 .- Margaret P. Johnson.
Jan. 15, 1848 .- Diantha Chaffin.
Feb. 5, 1848 .- R. G. MeKee.
April 29, 1848 .- Polly Ann Woodhams.
May 5, 1848 .- Martha Gooch.
July 8, 1848 .- Emily Haggerty, Agnes Graham.
Nov. 28, 1848 .- I. V. Swarthout.
Dee. 8, 1848 .- Miss Ingersoll.
April 14, 1849 .- Mary E. Gooch.
April 14, 1849 .- Eliza Hollister.
June 15, 1849 .- Miss Webb.
May 9, 1849 .- Miss E. Woodhull.
Nov. 3, 1849 .- Charles MeKee.
Dee. 13, 1849 .- Hiram Van Vliet.
May 8, 1850 .- Helen E. Stephens.
June 7, 1850 .- Sarah Cross.
Dee. 9, 1850 .- R. G. McKee.
Dee. 14, 1850 .- Agnes Graham.
April 21, 1851 .- Maria Johnson.
May 3, 1851 .- Maria Moore.
May 8, 1851 .- Eliza Hollister.
Nov. 1, 1851 .- T. L. Swarthout.
Dee. 9, 1851 .- J. M. Fitch.
May 10, 1852 .- Miss Esler, Mary Parker.
Dec. 6, 1852 .- Frances E. Sherman, Phoebe A. Parker.
May 6, 1853 .- Miss E. L. Hollister, Margaret Jamison.
Dec. 5, 1853 .- Alanson Calkins.
Jan. 12, 1854 .- Ann Aldrich, Milinda Aldrich.
April 8, 1854 .- Achsah Blood, Emma Sprague.
Nov. 4, 1854 .- O. C. Hollister.
Dee. 2, 1854 .- Henry Carnahan, Mr. Du Bois.
May 2, 1855 .- Margaret Jamison, Helen White.
Nov. 24, 1855 .- Charles Tyler.
May 3, 1856 .- Armenia L. MeClintock, Sarah E. Cross, Eleanor IFills.
June 10, 1856 .- Miss Loomis.
Nov. 1, 1856 .- Mr. Ruggles.
Nov. 15, 1856 .- E. Beard.
Dee. 19, 1856 .- Charles Cross.
Nov. 10, 1857 .- E. Haggerty, A. Hollister, P. Taylor.
Dee. 9, 1857 .- William Brunson.
April 10, 1858 .- Agnes Ballentine, Agnes Graham, Sarah Blood.
May 3, 1858 .- Sarah Cross.
Nov. 6, 1858 .- A. Collins, T. L. Swarthout.
Nov. 15, 1858 .- FI. Gaskill.
Nov. 20, 1858 .- Henry Scott, Mr. Whipple.
April 30, 1859 .- Elizabeth Freeman.
The annual school report for 1879 presented the sub- joined details :
Number of districts (whole, 6; fractional, 2). S
scholars of school age ... 24G
Value of school property. $4235
Teachers' wages .... $939
. The school directors for 1879 were T. W. Curtis, C. E Ifollister, John Buehler, T. Warren, W. S. Barker, Charle Giflles, M. Hand, and J. Ballentine.
7.92
516
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
MRS. JOHN C. BRUNSON.
JOIIN C. BRUNSON.
JOHN C. BRUNSON.
Among the few Michigan pioneers who are so fortunate as to trace their ancestry back to the events of the good ·ship " Mayflower" is Mr. Brunson. His progenitors on both sides are Revolutionary soldiers, his paternal grandfather, Amos Brunson, and his maternal grandparent, Benjamin Goss, having both been patriots in that early struggle for liberty. His father, Flavius J. Brunson, was born April 10, 1786, in Massachusetts, while the birth of his mother occurred in 1799, in East Bloomfield, N. Y. John C. recalls East Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., as the place of his birth, where he was born July 20, 1822, and passed through the usual monotonous experiences of the farmers' sons,-the summer being one of labor, while the winter was devoted to study. At the age of eightcen he repaired to the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, at Lima, N. Y., for two winters, and later to the East Bloomfield Academy. In the year 1845 he came to Michigan and purchased one hundred acres in the township of Victor, to which he sub -. sequently added fifty-four additional acres. The first five winters that he spent in Michigan he taught school in order to pay his way. On Nov. 21, 1849, he was married to Miss Mary S. Hollister, of Victor, the adopted daughter of Dr. I. T. Hollister, and the daughter of Newman Skiff. Mrs. Brunson was born Oct. 26, 1829, and afflicted at an early age by the loss of her parents, but found a welcome to the cheerful home of Dr. and Mrs. IIollister, residing in Victor, Ontario Co., N. Y., until seventeen years of age, and then came to Victor township, Mich., and taught school a number of terms. Mr. and Mrs. Brunson have
had vo children, but have adopted two sons, both of whom are married and residing near the home of their adopted father.
On his arrival in Michigan, Mr. Brunson's sole capital was three hundred dollars, which by industry and tact has been increased to a degree that places him in the rank of the wealthy and successful farmers of the county. Mr. Brun- son has a great taste for farming and horticulture, is a practical operator in these pursuits, and believes in using his surplus money in the crection of buildings and beauti- fying his grounds instead of putting it at interest. Mr. Brunson has ever been prominent in the polities of the county, and a leading and influential member, first of the Whig and latterly of the Republican party. Ile has always been an outspoken temperance man, advocating total abstinence, and has never used liquor or tobacco. "His political record embraces the positions of supervisor for four terms, justice of the peace for twenty years, postmaster for twenty-two years, school inspector, highway commissioner, director and secretary of the Clinton County Agricultural Society since its organization in 1855, and president of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company. He was represen- tative in the State Legislature for 1873, has been presi- dent of Clinton County Pioneer Society, and was a member of the committee on education, a subject in which he has taken a deep interest. In politics he is an ardent Repub- lican, and in his religious views inclines towards the Congregational Church, of which Mrs. Brunson is an ex- emplary member.
.
RESIDENCE OF J. C. BRUNSON, VICTOR, MICH.
RESIDENCE OF W™ S. PARKER, VICTOR, MICH:
517
VICTOR TOWNSHIP.
LITTLE
WILLIAM S. PARKER.
WILLIAM S. PARKER.
The parents of Mr. Parker, John and Sarah Parker, were natives of New York State, aud were among the earliest pioneers of 1837 to the township of Victor, where their son was born on the home-farm in the year 1841. The country was at this time undeveloped, the seanty live- lihood of the settler was earned by the sweat of his brow, and the early years of William S. Parker were those of toil and exertion. These were varied hy the usual advan- tages of a district school in winter until he attained his majority, when he entered the army and became a member of Company G of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry. During his period of service, involving nearly three years, he was present at forty-nine engagements, and was wounded on four different occasions. On his discharge from the army and return to his home he was united in marriage to Miss Amanda, daughter of Daniel Blood, of the township of Vietor. They have three children,-Isaac, Edna, and Frank. Mr. Parker after his marriage removed to his present home of one hundred and sixty aeres, which at that date was unimproved and valued at ten dollars per acre. The labor and excellent judgment of its owner have developed a degree of productiveness which has increased the land in value to sixty dollars per aere. Mr. Parker is in polities a Republican, and although firm in his political convictions, is not aggressive in his views.
MRS. SARAII PARKER.
Mr. Elihu and Mrs. Esther Disbrow Cronk were the parents of thirteen children, of whom their daughter Sarah, the subject of this biography, born in Orange Co., N. Y., March 19, 1815, was the eldest. Her early years until the age of fifteen were devoted to school duties, at the expiration of which time she was employed to assist in
.142
MRS. WILLIAM S. PARKER.
household oceupations on a neighboring farm ; and three years later was married to John Parker, of Romulus, Seneca Co., N. Y., who was born Nov. 27, 1804, in New Jersey, and beeame a resident of New York State at the age of five years.
In 1837, Mr. and Mrs. Parker removed to Micbigan and settled upon the Parker homestead, illustrated upon an adjoining page. They had eighty aeres of land, for which one hundred and ten dollars were paid, the township having at that early period been wholly undeveloped. There were no roads, and an Indian trail guided them to their destina- tion. Mr. Parker died in 1863, leaving his wife a farm of two hundred and sixty acres, and a cash balance of four hundred dollars. The land, Mrs. Parker, with the assist- ance of her sons, who may be spoken of as men " temper- ate in all things," and especially opposed to liquor and tobacco, has brought to a high degree of produetive- ness, and made correspondingly valuable. Her children are located as follows : Mrs. Phobe HIill at Ovid ; Mrs. Mary Swarthout at Vietor; Epson and William at Victor ; and the remaining five, Edwin, Charles, Harriet, Martha, and Newell, at the homestead with their mother. Each member of the family is industrious and frugal, and exem- plifies in the character developed the judicious and careful training of the parents.
EPSON PARKER.
The subject of this biographical sketch is the son of John and Sarah (Cronk ) Parker, and was born in Seneca Co., N. Y., in 1836. Ilis parents were cheered by the presence of thirteen children, of whom Epson was the third in order of birth. The farm was the scene of the labors of his early years, where he remained until the age of twenty-three years, attending the neighboring school during
.
518
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
intervals of respite from labor, and thus securing a fair education.
In 1837, together with two additional families, his parents became pioneers to Victor township, which at that early date afforded few evidences of civilization. In the year 1859, Epson having found a congenial companion in Miss Julia Coats, of the same township, was married. Mrs. Parker's birth occurred in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and her advent to Michigan when but a mere infant, her parents, David J. and Lydia Coats, having been influenced by the advantages Michigan offered to pioneers at an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have had seven children,-A. W., Jessie F., Emory L., Emily L., Nellie A., J. D., and R. D., the latter of whom is deceased.
Mr. Parker is in politics a Republican, though not an active partisan. Ile is a man of temperate habits, and exemplifies in his life the principle of " moderation in all things." Both he and his wife have been for many years active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are now connected with the Society of the United Brethren. He has also been for several years superintendent of the Sabbath- school.
C. R. McKEE.
Mr. McKee was of Scotch parentage, and was born in Arlington, Vt., June 12, 1825. His father, Aaron
C. R. MeKEE.
McKee, was a physician, and died at the age of eighty years, and his mother at seventy-four. The early days of the subject of this biography were passed under the paternal roof, in pursuing his early studies, teaching, and filling the position of clerk. At the age of twenty-four his father gave him a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Victor, to which he removed, and began the work of the early pioneer,-that of transforming the wilderness into productive fields. After the preliminary labor of clearing
had been accomplished he returned, and was married to Miss Mary A. Valentine, who was the daughter of Daniel and Nancy Valentine, and was born in Washington County in 1831. They had four children,-Mrs. Mattie Osborn, of Owosso, Mary, Edward, and James, Edward having en- tered the Agricultural College at Lansing, from which he graduates in 1881. Mr. McKee was a Republican in poli- ties, and was for a period of twelve years elected justice of the peace of his township, which office he filled with signal ability.
Both Mr. and Mrs. McKee were members of the Baptist Church, and exemplified in their lives the teachings of the gospel they professed. Their attractive home was the abode of refinement and intelligence not less than of industry and frugality.
AINSWORTH REED.
Mr. Reed is one of many descendants of Revolutionary stock resident in the township of Victor. Ilis father, Nathan Reed, a Revolutionary hero, was born in Rutland, Mass., while his mother, whose maiden name was Miss Lydia Smith, was also a native of Massachusetts. Ains- worth resided upon the paternal estate until fourteen years of age, when he became ambitious for an active business career and engaged as a clerk. This embraced a period of eight years of his life, after which he established himself as a peddler of dry goods and notions, the goods he sold having come principally from the Canadas. During this period he traversed the entire State of Michigan, became familiar with its territory, and having been impressed with the superior quality of the land of Victor township, pur- chased a farm on its eastern border. He was soon after married to Miss Mariette George, daughter of Eziba George, of New York State. The land was little else than a forest at this time. The market for wheat was found at Pontiac, involving a journey of sixty-seven miles, and prices were scarcely commensurate with the distance traveled. Mr. Reed later sold and removed to a point known as Geary Post-Office, nearer the centre of the township and more accessible. Here he purchased a large tract of land and erected a new and substantial house.
Mr. and Mrs. Reed have seven children, named as fol- lows: Leroy, Lonisa, Ernest, Ellen, Julia, Watson, and Estella. Mr. Reed has held the commission as postmaster for a period of twenty years, has been township treasurer for eighteen years, township clerk for seven years, and filled many minor township offices. He is one of the three oldest settlers in the township, and regarded as one of its foremost citizens.
JAMES UPTON.
The family of Uptons are of New England extraction, and intimately associated with the war of independence. Elias Upton repaired to Boston during the war of 1812 to defend the city against the British. This gentleman was born in Charlemont, Mass., March 22, 1793, and followed agricultural pursuits during his lifetime. His wife, formerly Miss Tryphina Hathaway, was a native of
RESIDENCE OF MAS MARY A, MC KEE, VICTOR MICH.
519
WATERTOWN TOWNSHIP.
Buckland, Mass., and born Sept. 21, 1795. The birth of their son, who is the subject of this sketch, occurred in Hleath township, Mass., on the 27th of February, 1821, having been the fourth in a family of ten children.
His early education was not an exception to that of most sons of farmers, the labor of the fields having been varied by the seenes of the district school in winter. At the age of eighteen he learned the trade of a carriage-maker, serv- ing an apprenticeship of three years in Charlemont, after which it afforded him an occupation for six years, and also engaged his attention for two years in New Hampshire. Ile married, at the age of twenty-three, Miss Julia H. Woodbury, daughter of Jonathan and Harriet Woodbury, who was born March 28, 1824.
He engaged again in manufacturing pursuits, and after a brief residence in Ontario Co., N. Y., the family moved to Victor, Mich., and located upon their present site, which from a wilderness has by industry been converted into a productive and valuable estate. Mr. Upton is an unyield- ing Republican in his political convictions. Both he and Mrs. Upton are active members of the Congregational Church.
CHARLES EDWARD HOLLISTER.
The paternal grandfather of the gentleman who is the subject of this biography, Joseph Hollister, was one of the patriots of the Revolution, and was a direet descendant of the Puritan Governor of Connecticut, Isaac Treat. Ilis father, Isaac T. Hollister, was born in Connecticut in 1801, and having chosen the practice of medicine as a profession attained some distinction as a practitioner. In the year 1827 he married Ellen Chapin, also a native of Connecticut, who was born in 1805, daughter of Ileman Chapin, a pioneer of East Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y. To them were born four children, viz., Oliver Chapin, Charles Edward, Ralph lleman, and Caroline Amchia. They also adopted a girl, Mary Skiff, who afterwards married John C. Brunson, of Vietor. Charles E., whose birth occurred in Victor, On- tario Co., N. Y., in 1839, was but seven years of age when his parents moved to Michigan, and in 1846 entered from government the land still occupied by them. The country was in a primitive condition, and the wide practice of Dr. Hollister called him through many portions of the county still undisturbed by the axe of the pioneer. In 1856 he was chosen to the Senate of the State, and served two years in that capacity, Charles meanwhile remaining upon the farm, and engaging in labor incident to farming pursuits, the winter affording opportunities for education. He en- tered the agricultural college at Lansing, May 17, 1857, at the opening of the college, and after a thorough course, in- volving four years of study, graduated in the first class. The sons proved worthy of their patriot sires by enlisting in the armies gathered by the nation when assailed by armed rebellion, the eldest, Oliver, enlisting in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, Company -, and dying in hospital of disease contracted in McClellan's Virginia campaign, leaving a widow and three children. Charles E., in an independent company of engineers, raised by Maj .- Gen. J. C. Fremont for his Missouri campaign, which company was discharged
after about five months' service. The younger brother, Ralph H., enlisted in the Eleventh Michigan Cavalry, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. Ile en- tered the army as engineer, and after a brief experience re- turned home and followed agricultural pursuits. He was soon after united in marriage to Miss Minne Olverson, of Ingham Co., Mich., a pioneer from her fourth year. Two children have brightened their home circle,-May Eliza and Oliver Cary. I. T. Hollister, as soon as he had plowed some land in 1847, proceeded to set out fruit-trees and vines, probably setting out the first pear-trees and grape-vines in the town of Victor, and teaching people that fruit was necessary for the preservation of their health as well as a cheap luxury, and practicing what he preached by giving away to whomsoever came for them trees, vines, and straw- berry-plants.
Mr. Hollister was, in 1878, elected county surveyor, and has been honored with numerous local offices, including those of school inspector for a long series of years and superintendent of schools. In 1872 he received from the United States engineer officer in charge (1st Lieut. E. A. Woodruff ) an appointment as a superintendent in the re- moval of the celebrated Red River Raft in the northwestern part of Louisiana, a position which he held for about eighteen months and until the channel was cleared. Mr. Hollister affiliates with the Republican party in politics, and in his church attachments is a Congregationalist.
CHAPTER LXV.
WATERTOWN TOWNSHIP .*
Location, Surface, Streams, and Soil-Land-Entries-First and other Early Settlements-Early Highways-Organization of the Town- ship-Watertown Civil List-Early School Statistics-Waconsta- Grand River City-Church History.
THE township of Watertown embraces territory that bore indications of the presence of the pioneer long before adjacent portions of the county had been purchased. Its lands were principally entered between the years 1834 and 1836, and at the expiration of the latter year the south and west portions were the centres of a considerable amount of clearing. The township is known as number 5 north, of range 3 west, and may be described as one of the south tier of townships, bounded on the north by Riley, south by Eaton County, east by De Witt, and west by the township of Eagle.
Its principal water-course is the Looking-Glass River, which enters the township at section 13, and flowing west pursues a more devious course through section 15, flowing northward to seetion 8, and again to the south, where it makes its exit at section 18. Several smaller streams tributary to this more important current flow from the south. The Looking-Glass River has a volume of water sufficiently large to be utilized for manufacturing purposes, and at va- rious points mills have been erected upon its banks.
· By E. O. Wagner.
520
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
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.